《It'll Come Naturally》


 Chapter 1 Until We Meet Again (Cold and Elegant)

    Chapter 1 Until We Meet Again (Cold and Elegant)


    FX International Group, a leadingpany in S City, had a number of businesses from many sectors;


    from hotel chains, construction industry,rge department stores, entertainment firms to amusement


    parks. People who lived in S City might not know their mayor, but they had surely heard of Edward Mu,


    the leader of his big family businesses and one of the most sought-after business giants. Mr. Mu was


    not only sessful and rich, but he was also an absolutely fascinating man who looked more gorgeous


    than most women. It sounds unreal, but one should see him say this was true. In addition, he was so


    smart and intelligent that he could defeat hispetitors without them noticing. People tagged him as


    a "yboy" because he appeared in many various magazines. Not many knew about his secrets but


    rumors had it that Jessica Lin is Mr. Mu''s favorite girl.


    The hall of FX International Group wasvishly furnished with statues, colorful iid marble, and a


    gilded bronze ceiling. A female officer with a five-year-old boy stood at the front desk. The woman with


    good features looked very cold and serious. She wanted to meet the CEO without an appointment. The


    company had a regtion that no one could meet the CEO without an appointment. This situation had


    never happened before and this caused the staff member serious trouble because the female officer


    insisted on meeting the CEO at once. After she convinced the visitor about their policy, the staff


    member finally called the CEO''s secretary on the 88th floor for help.


    "Mr. Qiao, there is a female officer who wants to see our boss. May I let her in?" The staff member said.


    "What? A female officer?" Aaron Qiao quipped to his surprise. ''Oh God, What''s going on? I know boss


    has a lot of girlfriends, but when did he have a girlfriend that worked for the military? It''s too hard to be


    an assistant. Why should I be responsible for both the daily work and the private life of my boss?'' He


    comined silently. Although hesitant, Mr. Qiao still walked into the CEO''s office to ask his boss.


    "Boss, there is a female officer who wants to see you urgently, but she hasn''t got an appointment. Do


    you want to see her or not?" Aaron Qiao smiled. His bright eyes were brilliant with delight.


    "A female officer?" Edward Mu raised his head from the papers he was reading. He could not seem to


    remember any female officer in his past. "What does she want here?" He said as he focused on the


    papers again.


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    "She didn''t say anything but she wants to see you immediately." Aaron Qiao grinned at his boss


    teasingly.


    "Really? She must be very confident to demand to see me with such short notice. Let here in."


    Edward Mu started to be curious about this woman.


    The female officer whose name is Daisy Ouyang, was actually a little nervous as she tried to pacify


    herself. She was not sure whether Edward Mu still remembered her or not. She was already nervously


    rubbing her palms together as she waited for the CEO. Nervous as she was, Daisy never forgot the


    words that he shouted to her on their wedding night.


    "You won''t have me even if you married me. You are just my wife as stated on a piece of paper. My


    heart and my love will never belong to you. You drugged me in order to have sex with me. How dare


    you! I promise I''ll never let such a thing happen again!" The man said angrily.


    He left with the sound of mming doors. Daisy Ouyang feltpletely lost and embarrassed at the


    same time as she didn''t know anything about giving drugs. She just remembered that she slept in his


    arms without any clothes, body aching. The man used her of these things she knew nothing about.


    What happened then was unclear in her thoughts.


    What happened that night was too blurry for her. She could only remember feeling hot and helpless,


    unable to move. Maybe she was drugged too. Over the past six years, Daisy Ouyang had to deal with


    hearing gossips and rumors about Edward Mu including his affairs with his many girlfriends and female


    stars. Worst, she would hear from the news whom he was dating or sleeping with.


    Despite all these, she never contacted him. His words were forever stuck in her head, she could not


    forget when Edward said that she was only a nominal wife. Whatever happened to him was none of her


    business. Actually, it seemed as if he had already forgotten her for a long time. She would not find him


    if there was no unexpected situation like this one. Both of them were victims of their family interests. It


    seemed that this marriage had a price to pay.


    "Mommy, you''re hurting me." The little boy interrupted his mommy''s thoughts as he tried to squirm out


    from the tight grip of his mommy''s hand. Daisy Ouyang got lost in her thoughts for a while and didn''t


    realize she held her boy''s hand too tightly.


    "I''m sorry, Justin. I was thinking about something that happened before." Daisy squatted in front of the


    boy and whispered to him. This little boy was her son. She never thought that she would get pregnant


    after that night. Thanks to his genes and excellent skills, she now had this charming baby boy. Justin


    was Daisy''s life and she would not know what to do if she ever lost this boy.


    "It''s all right, I''m fine, mommy. What''s wrong? Is it my Daddy? Did he refuse to meet us?" Justin asked


    with a soft voice. He looked at his mommy with bright eyes.


    "No, honey, your daddy is a little busy so we will wait here until he is ready." She exined patiently.


    She hid nothing from her son about his father. Although he always asked why daddy does not live with


    them, he never really asked his mommy to find him.


    "Madam, our boss is waiting for you." The staff member treated her with respect. She thought that


    there was something so familiar with the boy. But she couldn''t remember whether she had seen him


    before.


    "OK, thank you!" Daisy Ouyang politely replied. Then she quietly left. Daisy looked very serious and


    stern wearing army uniform but she also looked even more charming in it.


    She could hardly hold back her excitement. Over the past six years, she tried to pacify her feelings and


    gave up on this rtionship, however, she still felt nervous whenever she would see Edward.


    Daisy was getting everyone''s attention because people had never seen a female officer in this building.


    Dressy celebrities and famous female stars were regrs.


    "Madam, this way please." Edward Mu''s secretary ushered her in. Daisy was evidently nervous as little


    beads of sweat formed on her forehead. She clenched her hands tightly while she held his son''s hand.


    Justin felt her mommy''s emotions, he didn''t remind her although he felt the pain as his mommy tightly


    held on his tiny hand. He had the same feeling as his mommy. He was not sure if his daddy, the man


    he always saw on the Inte, loved him too.


    The secretary knocked on the door and a deep voice answered, "Come in." Daisy Ouyang initially


    thought that she would panic if she heard this deep, familiar voice. Much to her disbelief, she was


    unexpectedly calm but she still tried her best to not look intimidated by the man in front of her. Edward


    looked at her with a straight face. He thought that Daisy looked stiff and pale but definitely looked every


    inch a charmingdy.


    "I''m sorry to bother you, but I can''t find better ways. Please take care of my son for 3 months. I will pick


    him up as soon as I finish my mission." Daisy Ouyang said as a matter of fact. She uttered these words


    without looking at him.


    "Wait a minute, Who are you? What are you talking about?" Edward Mu was so confused thinking why


    he would take care of a little boy whom he did not even know. He noticed the woman in front of him


    could not look him in the eye. Edward was still so confused.


    Although Daisy didn''t really expect him to remember her, she was still hurt that Edward did not even


    have a clue. She remained still and handed him a marriage license.


    "I will answer all your questions when Ie back, but I''m in a hurry right now." She exined. Before


    she left, her mobile phone rang with a loud military song that echoed throughout the big office.


    She picked up the phone quickly. "Hello, Mark. I know. I will be back soon. You can contact the army to


    get their location." She hung up the phone. Her words were firm and clear as much as her feelings.


    Edward Mu froze for an instant. ''Why? Why was this woman ignoring me? No one can resist my charm,


    am I not that attractive?'' he thought to himself.


    "Justin, I should go now. Please behave and do not give your daddy a hard time." Daisy gently touched


    her son''s face. Her son''s nanny resigned at a time when she needed to go for her military training at


    the army. She could not find someone to look after her son in a short time. Otherwise, she would not


    have sent the boy to his daddy.


    Justin looked at his mommy and wanted to say something tofort her. "Mommy, don''t worry! I will


    be a good boy." He replied with a sweet smile. But Justin was up to something. He already made a n


    to teach his daddy how to be a good husband.


    After saying goodbye to her son. Daisy ran out quickly without even waiting for Edward to even


    respond. Edward Mu still was not able to recover from the fact that the boy was his son. Edward only


    stared at the marriage license on the table.


    "Daisy Ouyang," he murmured. She was the woman who was married to him for six years. She was the


    wife that he never missed. She came and went, just like the wind, leaving the little boy with him.

 Chapter 2 Father And Son

    Chapter 2 Father And Son


    Edward Mu sat still on his chair as he watched the little boy in front of him. His little face resembling


    Edward''s had the calmness beyond his years and the little dark eyes looked coldly at him as if he was


    about to see something from him.


    He would not take action before his opponent did. Justin grew up in the army. All he was exposed to


    were military rted things, so he knew this rule well. This was his father. Was he looking at him this


    way because he was stunned or was it that he just didn''t like his existence?


    "Little guy, what''s your name?" Edward Mu initiated as he squatted next to Justin and whispered. So


    was this his son? It should be! Otherwise, that woman wouldn''t have brought him here.


    "I''m not little guy. I have my own name." Justin looked annoyingly at the man in front of him.


    "Well. What''s your name?" Edward Mu smiled yfully. "Justin Mu." The little boy looked at him in such


    a way that Edward would feel embarrassed. The little guy''s arrogant expression was so cute.


    ''Justin Mu.'' It seemed that the woman did not want to conceal it from him all his life. His anger faded.


    Who could ever imagine that they had a baby in only one night?


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Do you know that I''m your daddy?"


    "Yes, mommy has told me before." Justin shifted position. He was a little bit tired. He hade here


    early in the morning from the army. It was almost noon and he was a little hungry.


    "Then why didn''t youe here for me before?" That was what Edward was curious about. He was


    also interested in how Daisy Ouyang became a military officer. Was there anything he didn''t know? At


    this moment, Edward realized that he knew so little about his so-called wife. He didn''t even know what


    she did.


    "Mommy says you''re busy and it''s not convenient for us to bother you." Justin expressed earnestly, still


    with that cool expression on his face. Despite his cute demeanor, his face looked sad beyond his years.


    "Was it what your mommy told you? I''m busy." Edward became unsettled. Yes, he was really busy,


    busy with flirting with different women. He had never thought that he would have a baby with his one-


    night-only wife. She had never contacted him and he had forgotten all about her existence. He even left


    the next morning after they got married. All he had done was demanding his secretary to send money


    to her every year. If she had not appeared unexpectedly today, he would have forgotten the existence


    of such a person in his life and his identity as a married man.


    "Yes, we can see your affairs on TV every day." Justin started to warm up but was also tactless and a


    bit straightforward with his daddy. Although his mommy told him that there were reasons why his daddy


    did not live together with them, he still couldn''t understand why he had not seen them even once.


    "Err¡­ It seemed that you cared about me a lot." Edward looked at his angry and sarcastic face, he


    couldn''t help butugh. Edward''s charming looks even stunned Justin.


    "Who cares about you? If you were not there every day with that silly smile, we wouldn''t bother to see


    you." Justin was angry because every time he showed up with different women, he saw his mommy''s


    eyes turn red and he knew that his mommy was sad then.


    "What? Silly smile?" How could his extremely charming smile that can attract countless beauties


    became a silly smile in this little boy''s eyes?


    Justin ignored his daddy as he yfully threw himself into the soft sofa. After all, he was just a little boy


    who just wanted to y.


    "Are you hungry?" Edward checked on his hand to look at his watch. His every action seemed so


    elegant and no doubt he could attract so many different women.


    "Let''s go! Daddy will take you to have lunch." Edward Mu picked up his coat from the chair, cuddled


    Justine and walked out of the door.


    He tried to reconcile the thought that he had a son. The woman he was married to didn''t even give him


    the opportunity to say no and ran away. Although, he must admit that the boy was adorable. He could


    not believe he can be good-tempered despite the turn of events.


    Three months? He looked forward to seeing if the woman would dare to ignore him again after three


    months. Edward was challenged. He definitely loved the chasing game.

 Chapter 3 The CEOs Love Child

    Chapter 3 The CEO''s Love Child


    "Mr. Mu, are you going out?" Aaron Qiao came up in a hurry with a stack of documents and almost ran


    into them.


    "Don''t you look at the road when you walk?" Edward moved his fine eyebrows together. If he hadn''t


    dodged quickly, the little guy in his arms might have been hurt.


    "I''m sorry. There are so many documents and I didn''t pay attention. Who is that boy?" Aaron tried to


    evade what happened just now and responded casually.


    "My son," Edward said it just like he was talking about the weather today. He didn''t realize how stunned


    other people might be on hearing his words. His arrogant attitude drove Aaron crazy.


    "What? Your son?" Poor Aaron reeled and almost fell on the ground. The former female military officer


    had already surprised him that much. So this news was not supposed to be too weird. Hadn''t he just


    left for a while? Why was there even a son here? It seemed that the world was changing every minute.


    This was perfectly reflected in their CEO.


    "Why? Is it weird for me to have a son?" Edward was getting angry and his voice rose a little. It seemed


    that he was so nice to this guy and he even dared to talk to him in this way.


    "Err¡­ It''s a little bit weird." It was really weird, wasn''t it? Nobody knew that he had a son.


    "Uh-huh!" Mr. Mu! Did you know how much curiosity would be killed by your cold snort?


    "Oh! Not weird. Not at all." Come on. He was not that stupid. How did he dare to be suspicious? Who


    didn''t know that their CEO was such a devil? No matter how many questions he had in his mind, Aaron


    didn''t dare to ask anymore. He didn''t want to work overtime or else he would have no time to date his


    girlfriend.


    "That''s good. We''ll go out for lunch and do not bother us if it''s nothing important. And help me to cancel


    the appointment in the noon." Then he turned and walked away, ignoring his beautiful secretaries in the


    secretarial room who were all shocked. He went smartly and left the heart-broken beauties.


    How could their CEO have a love child? Who was the mother of the child? Was it the cool female


    military officer or Jessica Lin who had an ambiguous rtionship with their CEO?


    "Was CEO joking, was it true?" One of them was lost in thought. It seemed that they had no chance


    with the CEO at all. He already had a child.


    "It can be a godson. Who knows?" Somebody wasforting herself. They were not to me! It was


    really unexpected.


    "But the child resembled our CEO closely, didn''t he?" eximed one of the staff. The reality was


    always so cruel.


    "Are you too idle? Go with your own business quickly," eximed Aaron although he was also curious.


    All he could do now was to restrain everybody else''s curiosity so that all went back to work.


    His boss canceled the appointment just like that and left. However, he was the poor assistant who had


    to deal with this matter. He wanted to cry! His CEO once said, "Your value was good as a servant who


    needed to just obey all mymands. I don''t hire you for your good-looking appearance. Besides,


    because of my strong presence as the handsome CEO, you are not good-looking at all."


    Damn, wasn''t Edward looking down on Aaron? Did Aaron really look that bad?


    s! It was not that he looked bad. It was just that the CEO was so handsome that nobody could be as


    equally as good looking as him.


    Edward walked all the way down, holding Justin in his arms. He knew that there were gossips about


    him again. He didn''t care about it. Anyway, he himself couldn''t believe that he had a son at this age. It


    seemed that he had been dreaming.


    Justin looked curiously at the man who was said to be his daddy. He was so handsome. No wonder a


    cool woman like his mommy would like this guy, his daddy. Justin was more curious about the cuddle.


    He could now tell what it was like to be held by his daddy. Different from her mommy''s cuddle, it was a


    little bit harder but stillfortable.


    "Uncle, shall we go to KFC?" The little boy raised his innocent face to look at Edward. He didn''t know


    that calling Edward his uncle would startle his daddy. Edward nearly fell to the ground when he heard


    the little guy called him uncle.


    "Justin, I am your daddy, not uncle." Edward became unsettled. Why didn''t Justin call him daddy?


    Justin knew that he was his daddy but still called him uncle.


    "You are my uncle! Other children''s daddy lives together with their mommy, but you are not with my


    mommy which means you are not my daddy. So I have to call you uncle."


    ''Hmm'' Justin thought to himself, ''I will not call you daddy. Now it is just the beginning. There will be


    more surprises for youter. Uncle.''


    ¡­


    OK. It seemed that it was his fault. But how could he have known that he would have a son in only one


    night? So maybe, it didn''t seem to be all his fault. He hadn''t known about Justin before now.


    "Little boy, I didn''t know you were there, so I was not with you," Edward exined weakly.


    ''Damn it!'' When did he need to care about other''s opinion on his behavior?


    "Would you have been with us if you knew?" Justin tilted his head and asked. He wanted to see his


    daddy defend himself. He never asked her mommy to find daddy for him, because he often saw


    mommy look at his daddy''s photos in the newspaper for one hour or two, lost in thought. Sometimes


    her eyes were red. He did not understand the adults'' world, but he could see that his mommy liked his


    daddy. Otherwise, she would not have told him that the man who often appeared in newspapers and


    magazines was his daddy. His mommy also told him not to hate his daddy and the reason why they did


    not live together was that they had a misunderstanding right after their wedding.


    Actually, it''s impossible for Justin not to resent or care. He also envied those who had a daddy who


    apanied them ying, running or swimming. Only mommy was there for him.


    At school, his ssmatesughed at him and said that he didn''t have a daddy. He was so angry that he


    often fought with them and told them that he had a daddy but his daddy was too busy to live together


    with them. He didn''t dare to tell his mommy about it, because she would ask him to do push-ups as


    punishment.


    "Err¡­" Well. Unfortunately, Edward had never thought about this question, so he didn''t know how to


    answer it at the moment. Edward was good at delivering speeches. But why couldn''t he answer the


    questions of his son?


    "Justin, you want to eat KFC, yes? Daddy will take you there and you can eat as much as you want."


    How could Edward be so shameless? How could he change the topic with KFC?


    "Yes! I want to have chicken legs, French fries, and coke." How could Justin have forgotten to torture


    his daddy so soon? It was easy for the little boy topromise. He must have forgotten to take a firm


    stand!


    "Well, if you can have them all, daddy will buy you." Edward caressed Justin''s hair dotingly. He got


    unexpected satisfaction in his heart. This little boy was his son, who resembled him very much not onlyN?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    in appearance but also in his manners.

 Chapter 4 I Dont Like A Useless Girl

    Chapter 4 I Don''t Like A Useless Girl


    The father and son were getting along well with each other. Sitting in the military Humvee, Daisy had


    sunk into deep thoughts. She always remembered that on a warm afternoon, the handsome man came


    into her life, directly walked into her heart. But he might not remember her anymore. What did she ever


    mean to him?


    She was very quiet then because she knew she was redundant in the family. Once upon a time, she


    was also secure and happy like a little princess. But everything had turned differently since her mother


    unfortunately died and her father remarried. She turned into a position even lower than a servant girl.


    Every day she watched her stepmother made up her own daughter elegant and beautiful. She had to


    ept the truth that all her beautiful pasts belonged to others now, and her father also became


    someone else''s father.


    She also cried and struggled, but every time she did, her stepmother, Yakira Mo just gave her a good


    beating. From then on, she cried no more but carefully lived every day. Because she understood her


    situation, and knew she was no longer the proud princess she used to be.


    The father who used to love her so much seemed to forget about her since the stepmother gave birth


    to her little brother. Unfortunately, Yakira Mo and her daughter didn''t forget her existence. They tortured


    her every day in many ways. Once when she was 16 years old, she identally tore her sister Yvonne


    Ouyang''s clothes while washing, and her stepsister pped her on the face. She ached so bad and hid


    under a big tree in the garden and silently shed tears.


    "I hate the crybabies, they always deal with problems with crying. And I don''t like a useless girl, either."


    Suddenly she heard a voice and raised her head with tears on the face. At that moment, her tears


    stopped from falling, ''what a beautiful boy!'' she thought, as she saw this boy standing against the sun.


    The rays of light that lit his face made him look so proud but with so much grace just like a true prince.


    At that moment she was stunned by him. Looking at him with tears on the face, she dared not make a


    sound so as not to disturb the sleeping prince. She worried that this was just a dream. With just one


    noise, she would wake up from it.


    "Useless girl!" The body seemed a little angry and left unpredictably, like the way he appeared.


    Then she learnt that he was the eldest son of Mu family, the legend in S City. She heard that he had a


    remarkable talent in the business. He was only 22 when he became the acting CEO of FX International


    Group. The two of them were so different with their life situation. They would never have any chance to


    get to know each other well or to even cross paths, she thought.


    But she inadvertently began to pay close attention to everything that had to do with him. Her heart also


    slowly fell for him. Although she knew that there was no chance to be with him, she was still strongly


    attracted to him. In the end, she fled out of the country and entered the military academy she never


    liked because of what this boy told her "I don''t like a useless girl". She became the only foreign female


    graduate who finished military training early within four years.


    She initially thought that she was to stay longer at the academy but she returned to S City as she was


    missing him so badly all those years. However, they still had no chance of meeting each other even if


    she went home to S city. He was so far from her reach as usual. He was no longer the young boy she


    first saw four years ago, but was now, surely a morous man.


    In order to distract herself from thinking of him, she had worked very hard with her training and


    evaluations and took some very dangerous missions. She made continuous contributions to the army,


    and became a major at a very young age. Unfortunately, she still couldn''t ignore the love that was


    growing like a weed in her heart.


    Although she lived in the same city with him again, they were still like two parallel lines that would


    never intersect. However, her love for him had grown into the bone so deep, and permeated into the


    blood. She thought that maybe she would spend all her life just watching him from afar. She had to


    bury the love which had not even started but already died.


    But God still favored her and made her be his wife. Thanks to her father, if she wasn''t his only


    biological daughter, then it would have not been made possible. She still remembered that Yvonne''s


    eyes were full of anger because the Mu family only wanted to marry the real daughter of the Ouyang


    family, while Yvonne was just a favored stepdaughter.


    She could still feel her heart pounding in her chest at that moment. She couldn''t forget her ecstatic


    sobs of joy, finally she was rescued from desperation.


    Although she knew she wasn''t his favorite woman and that he would never fall in love with her, she still


    was not able to control her heart to approach him. She could only secretly cheer for herself deep in the


    heart. It didn''t matter that he didn''t like her, she would still love him, only if he allowed her to stand by


    his side.


    But she still overestimated herself. After getting so close to each other all night long, she became a


    scheming woman in his eyes. She tried to defend herself but he didn''t even give her any chance to


    exin before he mmed the door as he left her. No one knew how sad she was. No matter how bad


    she was injured in the army missions, she never felt anything as painful as this.


    When Edward turned his back on her, she felt that she wanted to flee. His words embarrassed her. She


    smiled with self-mockery while thinking. Though he didn''t belong to her, he still gave her such a cute


    son, a living image of him. She should be satisfied, shouldn''t she?


    "Colonel, Staff Gu informed us to meet at the next intersection." The report of the apanying official


    Mark Du pulled her back from her thoughts. She shook her head in frustration and med herself for


    missing him unconsciously.


    "Okay! Copy that." Daisy repliedzily. She felt so exhausted. She suddenly felt her surroundings


    turned warm.


    "Colonel, are you sick? You look pale." Mark started apanying her since he joined the army, so he


    knew if there was something wrong with her.


    "Don''t worry, maybe it''s too hot, I just feel a little bitzy." Daisy knew she was physically healthy, she


    felt sad and tired emotionally. She loved him for so many years, but she still couldn''t get any closer to


    him, and he had finally forgotten about her.


    "Will you sleep for a while? There is still one hour left before meeting Staff Gu." Mark felt worried, as he


    seldom saw his colonel looking so weak. She was always sharp and tough in his eyes.


    "Okay! Wake me up when we arrive." Daisy realized that a good sleep was exactly what she needed.


    She didn''t sleep wellst night as she thought about the meeting with him today. She also felt too


    nervous in front of him. She indeed needed to close her eyes and clear up her mind.


    "Yes, Colonel. Sleep tight!" Mark nced at her quickly, he knew there was something bothering his


    colonel. She looked suddenly different after walking out of the highmercial building.


    Mark sometimes sympathized with the colonel who raised her son on her own. He heard that she was


    married, but her husband hadn''t shown up even once after the marriage. So the young soldiers always


    secretly talked about her. There were many versions; someone said her husband went abroad and


    hadn''te back for a long time, there was one who said her husband had a mistress, another one


    said her husband was scared of such a strong woman, and so he stayed away from her and there was


    someone who even said her husband was too ugly to be brought out to the public.


    But Mark wanted to say, Justin looked so handsome and cute, how could he have an ugly dad? Mark


    just thought this way in his heart, he never joined in their gossip. Normally he just listened silently but


    nevermented. He also knew the reason why they were grumbling. The colonel trained them so


    hard.


    Mark slightly turned up the temperature in the car, so that she won''t catch a cold while sleeping. She


    couldn''t get sick at this kind of crucial moment, as the following training would be fully enclosed and


    even more severe than ever.N?velDrama.Org content.

 Chapter 5 Junk Food

    Chapter 5 Junk Food


    Edward was always boasted about himself. Justin looked at his daddy''s red sports car and couldn''t


    help rolling his eyes, ''Why couldn''t this man keep a lower profile?'', he thought His car shined in bright


    red, like his own gorgeous appearance. His daddy was a totally different person than her low-key


    mommy. No wonder that, so far these two people hadn''t lived together.


    Edward''s bodyguard opened the car door, Edward put Justin into the car and fastened the seat belt for


    him. It seemed that this was not the first time for him to do such a thing.


    "Do not follow me, I''ll drive by myself," Edward ordered coolly while keeping his eyes on the little boy.


    "Master, please let me follow you!", Luke Luo requested in a low voice. His life was destined to protect


    his master. He had trained himself extremely well to do this job. He knew there were many people who


    were eyeing his master. He needed to be very careful with each step.


    "Well, Follow me if you wish!" Edward didn''t disappoint him. He knew Luke would be worried if he is not


    around. He always treated Luke as his brother, and never regarded him as a bodyguard. So sometimes


    he would listen to his advice.


    There weren''t many people in KFC, maybe because this wasn''t weekend, but the elegant appearance


    and figure of Edward still captured lots of eyes.


    Edward ignored the eyes staring at him, found a table and sat his son in the chair carefully.


    "Sweet, could you wait for me in the chair? Daddy needs to order the food." Edward bent his slender


    body and consulted with his son.


    "Okay, I''m not scared." He was far away from being scared, but felt a little excited. Mommy normally


    didn''t take him to eat this food, because she said this was a junk food.


    But his daddy didn''t know this. So after a long time, when Edward remembered his own words, he had


    to smile with self-mockery, yep, his son was even stronger than him.


    The food was ready soon, most of it was Justin''s favourite. Of course, there was a little surprise -- the


    waiter was still staring at Edward, which made him very angry, but he controlled his anger with good


    manners.


    "Is it yummy?" Edward smiled at his son while he was enjoying the food. The gentle smile immediately


    captured so many eyes.


    "Yummy! Mommy never brought me here, she said this was a junk food." Justin mumbled.


    Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Uh! ..." Edward was choked by his sons words. Knowing this was a junk food, Justin still asked for


    KFC. Was he joking on him? Well! He didn''t mind as Justin looked so happy to be here.


    He became more and more curious about his little wife, ''What kind of woman was she? How did she


    be so cold and indifferent? And why she gave birth to this child without asking anything from him?


    Just because of his words at that moment?''


    He was forced by his parents to get married, so he wasn''t happy with the marriage. He was never


    against her personally, but unfortunately she became the target of his anger. Later he thought if he was


    too arbitrary? He knew his parents well. Maybe he had misunderstood Daisy.


    But he was too proud. Even if he knew that he was wrong, he still wouldn''t admit it. He just ignored it as


    he didn''t want to face it. He hadn''t cared about his nominal wife for so many years. He even didn''t


    remember her face. Was she pretty or ordinary? He just lived his own life. There was no woman who


    walked into his heart, and attracted him to learn more about her.


    "Uncle, don''t you eat?" Hmm, Uncle, a good title for him! Justin didn''t want to call him Daddy. He was


    good at acting. That was also why his mommy didn''t find that he was such an evil boy.


    "Enjoy your meal, I don''t like kids'' food," Edward said to himself and frowned, maybe that woman was


    right, indeed these were junk food.


    How could adults understand kids'' world? That was just the same as that kids didn''t understand the


    way adults think. The yummy food in kids'' eyes was junk food for adults. But Justin wouldn''t care,


    anyway he was enjoying the food now. When mommy came back, he had to say goodbye to this


    delicious food.


    What if Edward knew what Justin was thinking? Would he be stunned again or just smiled at it? No


    matter what, there wouldn''t be anything funnier than the following ident.


    As soon as they walked out of the KFC, Luke had driven the car near. Suddenly Edward''s phone rang,


    he checked the caller ID, hesitated for a second but finally picked up the call.


    "Hello! Hey, Jessica, what''s up?" He put Justin into the car and got in.


    "Edward, I miss you, let''s have a dinner tonight?" The voice was so coquettish, but Edward was the


    lady-killer, so it didn''t work on him.


    "Tonight?" Edward nced at his son, suddenly he felt a bit awkward, although he didn''t realize why.


    Justin seemed so calm in the car. It looked like he didn''t hear the phone. Actually, Justin''s little ears


    stood up as soon as he heard the woman''s name. Oh, don''t me him! The woman''s name was


    always rted to his daddy''s. It was too hard for him to ignore.


    If his mommy liked him, he would help his mommy to get him back. He didn''t care if this man would be


    his daddy or not or how many women he was involved with.


    "You promised mest night, have you forgotten?" Jessica asked coquettishly, as she knew how


    charming her sweet voice was.


    "Well! I''ll pick you up tonight." Edward was enamored by her. She had her own way to deal with men.


    "Master, where shall we go? To thepany or vi?" Luke asked him as soon as he hung up the


    phone. Although he was wondering that when his master got a son at Justin''s age, he chose to be


    silent. He knew that he would know it at the right moment.


    "Drive me to thepany first! Then take our little master to the vi. I''ll be backter tonight. Ask Mrs.


    Wu to take care of him, and pick two reliable bodyguards to protect him." Originally he wanted toe


    back after work to be with Justin as he might not adapt to the new environment. But he promised


    Jessicast night, so he had to leave Justin to Luke.


    "Yes, Master. I''ll arrange, don''t worry." Actually Luke was a silent man, he never talked if others didn''t


    start the topic first.


    "Okay! I always trust you. By the way, get a designer to prepare a kids'' bedroom. And use the best


    material!" Edwardmanded. He slightly loosed his tie. Today was too hot.


    "Okay, but which room will be the one for the kid?" Luke dared not decide for him, as he knew his


    master was so profligate! He always brought different women back. If Luke arranged a wrong room,


    what if Justin saw his doings?


    "The one next to my study! That room is sunny!" Edward nced at him and did not say a word. Finally


    Luke understood. The main reason was that the room was far away from his bedroom! But these were


    just his thoughts in mind, he dared not to say it aloud. Anyway, Edward was his master, wasn''t


    he?

 Chapter 6 Lets See Whos The Boss

    Chapter 6 Let''s See Who''s The Boss


    They arrived at thepany early. Justin was listening to their conversations silently. He didn''t


    comment but he was carefully following every single word they uttered.


    "Sweetie, why don''t you go home with Uncle Luke. I have a meeting tonight. I wille backter."


    ''What kind of meeting could it be? Hmm!'' thought the little boy. The truth was Edward just wanted to


    meet the beautifuldies. But Edward better be careful and he shouldn''t regard him as a kid just


    because he was five years old. He had secretly determined that he would get Edward back for his


    mommy. So he would be beside him all the time, defending his mommy''s position.


    "No, I don''t want to go back, I haven''t gotten myptop yet." Justin found an excuse to stay with him.


    "Why don''t you want to go back? I can call my secretary to get theptop for you right now." Edward


    was a little annoyed by him.


    "Anyway, I don''t want to go back yet. Since my mommy brought me to you, you can''t just leave me


    behind." Jesus, that was too guilt-tripping. He was just asking the boy to go home first. How can he


    abandon the little boy anyway?


    "I didn''t say I would leave you behind! Daddy just has some more work to do, so just go home with


    Uncle Luke first, okay? I promise I''ll go back as soon as I''m done with my work." That was it! God knew


    how long he could finish his work. With all the women that Edward needed to apany, when would


    he be able to finish? Oh well, Justin Mu wasn''t that easy to deal with.


    "But I don''t want to go back alone! Just please let me go with you! I promise I''ll behave and won''t


    disturb your work!" Justin blinked pitifully looking at him Anybody can try to act cute like so. Although


    normally he was beyond such a thing.


    Edward was totally confused, what in the world did Justin want? Firstly Justin looked very cool and


    demanding, but now he was acting so cute. Why couldn''t he catch up with his mind? But who could


    refuse such cute little being like Justin? ''Fine! Follow me! But only if he will not go with me tonight'',


    Edward certainly could not refuse the boy.


    "Okay, sweetie, as you wish, let''s go!" This time Edward didn''t hold him. He got out of the car first, and


    was immediately shocked by the hot weather outside. He grasped the little fleshy hand and took him


    inside of the building quickly. He was afraid to be melted by the heat and be all sweaty if he stayed


    outside one more minute.


    Justin looked at Edward with such awe, ''Why the need to be so scared of the hot weather?'' the kid


    thought. Justin didn''t care about such hot weather, as he had gotten used to it. In the army, all the


    soldiers trained in the sun every day. Edward looked so effeminate. Was he indeed a man? It seemed


    that Edward was not perfect either!


    "Why are you looking at me this way?" He could tell the banter in his son''s eyes. Yes, he hated the hot


    weather most, as the feeling of sweating really bothered him. So he always took a bath after he


    returned from outside during summer. Frankly, it seemed that Edward had a "prince''s syndrome".


    Justin shook his head without saying anything. He didn''t seem to answer Edward''s question as they


    walked directly out of the elevator. He had no time for him in front of theptop. Justin thought it was


    not worth it to think about his daddy''s behavior.


    Edward didn''t care about Justin''s attitude either. The most important thing for him at the moment was to


    take a shower at once.


    Justin ran to theptop directly as soon as he walked into the CEO''s office. At this moment, he cared


    about nothing except for the gadget, so he also ignored his daddy''sints.


    Well! in Justin''s eyes he was less useful than theptop. But was it necessary to act so obviously?


    Justin started theptop quickly to check if there were some updated features with thisptop. He


    focused on it and enjoyed a lot. The happiness was shining on his little face. Anyway, he looked like he


    would stay there to y.


    Edward saw the picture when he walked out of the bathroom. He was surprised but soon understood


    that the boy was so engrossed. He didn''t disturb him and sat down to work instead.


    Actually was really busy, he had got tremendous work managing such a bigpany. But he didn''t


    need to handle everything. Many things could be handled by the Deputy CEO. That guy was good at


    dealing with pressure.


    The Deputy CEO was on a business trip abroad at that time. The weather was hot! But the Deputy


    CEO was suddenly so chill. Maybe because Edward was thinking of him.


    The time quietly passed, only the sound of repeated tapping on the keyboard and the QQ message


    prompt tone could be heard. But these sounds bothered Edward. Edward neededplete silence


    whenever he was working on something. Normally no one dare disturb him without his permission.


    Everyone in thepany knew this, so they acted very carefully, kept away from him as far as


    possible, in case they made any a sound.


    These rules werepletely broken today. Justin said he won''t disturb him, but why was he hearing


    the QQ message prompt again and again. Who on earth was chatting with the little boy? How many


    words could he possibly know? How could he be typing in so many things? Edward was curious, so he


    put down the pen and watched him.


    Justin had big eyes. At that moment his eyes were full of little tricks. The small red lips were pursed


    together tightly, and the little face was bright with excitement. The delicate short hair fell on his


    forehead, which made him look gentler and less indifferent. His appearance was so much like that of


    Edward''s, but there was something to his face beyond that of his father''s. He did take something from


    his mother''s beauty too.


    Justin seemed to notice someone was staring at him. Suddenly he lifted his head and met Edward''s


    eyes. But he didn''t look too surprised as he continued to focus on typing. Actually, his flustered breath


    and shivering hands exposed his thoughts at that moment.


    Edward pretended not to notice that. He kept watching him, as he couldn''t focus on work anymore. He


    would like to see how long the little guy could pretend. While thinking of this, he showed a smile, which


    was evil but damn sexy.


    Under such gaze, Justin turned nervous. Edward didn''t seem to stop. His eyes kept staring at the little


    boy. Justin admitted that he wasn''t so strong as Edward in this aspect. He was not at that level yet!


    "Could you stop staring at me with that erotic look in your eyes?" He shook his shoulders as he said


    this. Then it was Edward''s turn to be awkward. How fatherly his eyes were! How did they be scary


    and erotic in this little guy''s eyes? Did he actually know what the word erotic means? How could a little


    boy use such a word?


    "Sweet, do you know what the word erotic means? Don''t use it if you don''t know the real meaning."


    Children mature so early nowadays.


    "Hmm! It''s easy to look it up on the Inte, of course, I know! Justin suddenly turned back to a cool


    boy and told his daddy, "Edward, you''re out of style."


    "Don''t tell me you are here to check things like that." Edward squinted his deep eyes, looking


    dangerous, "Did your mommy allow you to behave in this manner?"


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    "Boss Mu, don''t talk bad about my mommy, even if you are my daddy. I''m not that bad as you


    imagined." No matter what they said about him, Justin didn''t care. His basis for all things was his


    mommy. No one would surpass his mommy, not even this man in front of him.


    Well, Edward realized that Justin was angry, as his little white face turned red somehow. Edward


    smiled.


    "Uhm, is your mommy so good to you? That''s why you are defending her like this." Edward never saw


    Justin cared so much about him. He felt jealous.


    But how could Edwardpare himself with Justin''s mommy? He just stayed with him for half a day,


    while Justin and his mommy had already lived together for so many years. There was nothing to


    compare.


    "I''m the only male in our family, of course I need to protect my mommy." Justin rolled his eyes


    expressing that Edward was too stupid to even ask.


    Edward''s heart was stung by these words. That was supposed to be his responsibility, but his son took


    it for him. It seemed that the woman educated his son well. He felt more interested in her.


    "Knock, knock."


    Suddenly someone knocked at the door, which saved him from embarrassment, otherwise he didn''t


    know how to face Justin.


    "Pleasee in!" Edward never felt so thankful to the one who knocked at his door.


    "Mr. Mu, this is the next schedule, please have a look if there are any amendments needed." The


    executive secretary, Anna, put the itinerary in front of him carefully.


    "Some simple issues, I need you to ask Aaron to attend for me. I need to reserve this evening." It


    seemed that Mr. Mu woulde to the date in the evening for sure.


    "Well, how about the invitation from the Leng family? Also pass to Aaron?" Could Aaron handle so


    many things at the same time? Anna felt it was unfair for Aaron. No matter how efficient he was, he


    only had two arms and two legs.


    Uh! Edward almost forgot that today was Mr. Leng''s birthday banquet. He had to attend without any


    excuses. Otherwise, the Leng family wouldin about him for a long time. Hmm, but he had only


    one body, where would he go?


    "No need, I''ll go to the Leng family by myself." Well, he can just go there to show up, no need to stay


    long. Anyway, he and the Leng family had known each other for a long time. It would be no problem to


    leave if he needed to.


    "Okay! If there is nothing else, I am leaving now." She nced at Justin curiously, and then she left the


    room.


    Apparently, the little boy was just ying on theptop, but his ears were always on standby, so he


    won''t miss any details of his daddy''s conversations. Otherwise, how would he proceed to his next n?


    It waste, Edward would like to ensure Justin was all set first, otherwise he would me him again.


    "Sweetie, let''s go home now!"


    "Will you go out again?" the boy asked. Nonsense! Of course he would. If he won''t go out, how could


    he go to the date? Edward thought annoyingly.


    "I have a meeting to attend, I promise I''ll go home early." He said.


    "Daddy, bring me with you!" Justin said sweetly, his ck eyes were full of excitement. He needs his


    daddy to bring him but first he would need to be nice to him. So he called him "Daddy" in a sweet voice.


    Edward was indeed shocked by him, as he kept calling him "Boss Mu" and "Uncle" for a whole day. He


    never expected that he would call him "Daddy". So he was satisfied finally. And when he came to


    himself, they were already on the way to the Leng family.


    Edward was so frustrated! How was he spun by a little boy? Just by calling him "Daddy"... He sacrificed


    so much! So, would he date a woman with his son?


    Justin ignored his father''s bitter expression. Anyway, he was so happy. He won the first battle. And the


    next...Mr. Mu would better have to wait for what''s toe. ''Just enjoy the sumptuous meal I will


    prepare for you! You will never forget it.'' quipped the little boy in his head.

 Chapter 7 Mini Mr. Mu

    Chapter 7 Mini Mr. Mu


    Leng''s house was located in the famous scenic area of S City. Lloyd Leng liked the quiet environment,


    so it was the best ce for him. The enterprise of Leng family was one of the best in S City. It was not


    as big as FX International Group, but it was also a big enterprise in general. Especially after Duke


    Leng, Lloyd Leng''s son, was on power, their enterprise got bigger and kept growing. So the ability of


    the new homeowner of Leng family was not to be underestimated.


    At seven o ''clock in the evening, the normally quiet house of Leng became very lively. All kinds of fancy


    cars, beautiful men and women all appeared here at once. It seemed that there were a lot of people


    who gave a face to Lloyd Leng.


    Duke Leng shuttled through the crowd and looked at the door from time to time. ''Shit! Edward waste


    again. I won''t let him go easilyter.'' Duke thought to himself.


    Duke Leng who was as handsome as Edward was also kind of wealthy. Tonight he wore a well-cut


    silver suit with a simple design. The sharp lines showed his perfect body proportion. Duke Leng nodded


    to the guests coldly, not seeing much emotion on his face. A few strands of short hair on his forehead


    curled up at random, gave him a spontaneous look and lessened his coldness.


    Lloyd Leng didn''t really advocate a banquet at first, but he couldn''t ignore his son''s insistence. The


    party had not really begun yet, so he was not in a hurry to show up, for his son could handle all the


    things.


    All of a sudden, Duke noted themotion at the door. ''That guy came finally'', he thought. He knew


    that no one could make such a grand entrance except for Edward. The women who were elegantly


    sitting there one minute ago, move out of the way desperately as Edward Mu entered. It was obvious


    how attractive Edward was. Duke was as handsome as Edward. Why did the women treat them so


    differently?


    Mr. Leng, despite his fine appearance, was sure as cold as ice. It was not easy to approach him. His


    coldness could not bepared with the gentleness and elegance of Mr. Mu. Everyone would be


    frozen before approaching him.


    The fact was that Duke was wrong. Because the chaos was caused by the little cool boy who was


    pulling by Edward. Edward Mu who always brought a femalepanion did not tag along with a


    woman tonight and brought a mini-version of him instead. Even the woman with the greatest


    composure was out of control by seeing this scene.


    Everybody was trying to figure out who this little guy was. Although they hated to admit, that boy looked


    like Mr. Mu very much. No one would believe that the child had nothing to do with him! But who was the


    child''s mother? Mr. Mu was always in perfect control over this. What kind of woman could have this


    chance to give birth to his son? She must be gorgeous.


    Yeah! It was right. Daily Ouyang was gorgeous!


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    Everyone knew that Mr. Mu was the ideal lover for all nobledies in S City. Although he had a long


    history of love affairs, his excellent appearance and extraordinary family background had attracted


    many beautiful women like flying to the fire. All of a sudden, a boy who looked like him appeared.


    Although he had not exined it, the answer was obvious.


    As the wedding was done quietly, few people knew he was married. It was no wonder that everyone


    wanted to be Mrs. Mu, but they did not know that it had been upied for a long time. It was


    nominal, but it was there.


    Justin shook his head looking at the throng of women who hade up in fancy attire. It seemed that


    his father was so attractive to all of them! He knew that they were eager to swallow him up if they


    could. But he was innocent since he did nothing at all!


    Oh, little Justin! You did not just offend them. Your appearance broke all their dreams!


    Edward ignored the vast resentful women, and entered in with his son. He never cared about what


    others thought. He just did what he thought was right.


    Mr. Mu also wore matching outfits with his son tonight. The deep purple color made him more


    enchanting. He was born to be a clotheshorse, and any clothes seemed to fit him as though they had


    been made for him. At this time, he showed some emotion. Maybe it was because the light or it could


    really be for some other reasons. His beautiful deep eyes had turned a little blue. People who knew him


    well would realize that he was dangerous now. Evil lurked in his heart.


    This group of women had offended him. It didn''t matter what people said about him or looked at him,


    but they should never bother the people he cared about. He could not bear their venomous nces at


    his son and their low aggressive words towards him.


    When Duke saw Justin, he was shocked. But when he saw his friend''s angry face, he hastened to take


    them away. Because he wasn''t sure whether this guy was going to blow up the next minute. He didn''t


    want to ruin his father''s birthday party.


    "Dude, won''t you introduce me?" Duke gave him a sign by looking at Justin.


    "My son, Justin Mu." Leaning against the bar casually, he answered. He didn''t care how much shock


    his words would bring to Duke. It was his style, as always. He just mentioned such an important thing


    so casually as if it was known to many that he had a child, which really made people want to p him.


    "Mr. Mu, are you sure this is your son? You must be kidding, right? Which woman is so capable of


    keeping your child?" Even Duke couldn''t bear this news. Assumption was one thing, but his


    acknowledgment was another thing.


    "Do I have any reason to lie to you?" Okay, he was above doing this little trick. But how could he just be


    so indifferent?


    "Then who is his mother? Do I know her?" Duke thought over and over which woman around Edward


    was most likely to be the child''s mother.


    "Yes. You do." Edward didn''t care about the negative impact of the sudden appearance of his son and


    he never intended to conceal this thing.


    Crap! Was he serious? He must be kidding! Hearing his answer, Duke Leng, who had known him for


    many years, was totally shocked.


    As his best friend, Duke attended Edward''s wedding. But because of the awkward situation, he hadn''t


    seen the bride''s face clearly. What''s more, he knew that his best friend had been forced toplete


    the wedding, and this couple showed nothing afterwards. He had forgotten that this guy had a wife.


    Mr. Leng could not be med. Mr. Mu also forgot this himself! ''His wife must be pregnant at that night, ''


    Duke guessed. Justin was absolutely his son!


    "Howe you never mentioned that you had a son?" Duke looked at him in disbelief, and also held


    little Justin up. The little boy was more handsome than his father!


    Edward cast a nce at him, with no reply. He didn''t know he had a son until that morning!


    "Boy, are you hungry? Let''s go find something to eat." Although Duke really wanted to know the


    reason, it was not good to ask too many details in front of the child. There would be plenty of


    opportunities to figure outter, but not at this time. So he didn''t wait for the answer and carried the little


    boy to find delicious food.


    Since the little one was very nice and sweet, he thought he must be a good baby. So he couldn''t


    believe what happened next had anything to do with this harmless little Justin.

 Chapter 8 You Cant Take My Father From My Mother

    Chapter 8 You Can''t Take My Father From My Mother


    A woman with a good figure showed up just after Duke Leng left. She was very beautiful, her eyebrows


    were naturally curved without being penciled, and the lips were red without being rouged. She was


    such a goddess that attracted every man''s attention once she appeared. Now the goddess with a


    delicate face was looking around for a familiar figure with her beautiful eyes. Finally she saw the person


    she was looking for and smiled even sweeter, making the other men take a deep breath. This woman


    was really a stunner!


    However, even though they were tempted by the beautiful woman, nobody dared to talk with her. After


    all, everyone knew that she was Mr. Mu''s lover. Yes, this woman is Jessica. No matter how many


    girlfriends Mr. Mu had before, he never broke up with her. Therefore, she must be special to Mr. Mu.


    This fact made Jessica feel a little smug. It seemed that she would be Mrs. Mu in the future.


    "Edward." Jessica fell into Edward''s arms naturally. At the same time, she proudly nced at the


    women who were covetously eyeing on Edward and wanted to show them she was special to Mr. Mu.


    "Why are you here?" Mr. Mu was a little surprised by Jessica''s sudden appearance. He couldn''t help


    but frown his pretty dashing eyebrows. Didn''t he just call her to cancel the appointment?


    "Today is Uncle Leng''s birthday, my father can''te, so I came instead. Aren''t you happy to see me?"


    Jessica exined in a pleasing voice while in his arms.


    "No, I am just a little surprised." Edward didn''t push her away, but he didn''t seem interested as well.


    However, someone in a distance burst into anger after seeing the scene and ran to Edward without


    eating anything, which surprised Duke Leng. ''What happened?'' Thought Duke.


    Justin didn''t think too much. He just remembered that it was his task to help mummy drive away any


    woman around his daddy. Now here''s this shameless woman hanging on his daddy''s arms, ''Doesn''t


    daddy feel hot on such a hot day?'' he thought.


    "Daddy, who is this olddy? Is she too old to stand herself so that she needs you to hold her?" He


    climbed into his father''s arms with a cute look and drove Jessica away. ''Humph! My daddy belongs to


    my mummy and can''t be hugged by any other women except my mummy.'' Justin thought.


    ''What? Olddy?'' Edward spurted out the sip of champagne which he just drank after hearing Justin''s


    words. And his face turned red because he almost choked, This kid always said something out of


    surprise!


    Jessica got the shock of her life not because she was taken as an olddy but by hearing how the little


    boy called Edward. The boy called Edward daddy and Edward didn''t deny it.


    "Edward, who is this child? Did he mistakenly called you daddy?" Jessica was convincing herself, ''No,


    it can''t be Edward''s son. How could it be possible? This can''t be true. But if not, why do the kid and


    Edward look so much alike?'' she thought quietly. Jessica was not sure then, and be nervous.


    "This is my son, he didn''t call me that by mistake." Edward didn''t give Jessica the answer she wanted.


    He didn''t notice how pale her face was. After hearing what Edward said, Jessica took a few steps back.


    She looked so weak that she would faint anytime. Any man seeing this scene may want tofort her,


    but Edward won''t do that because he didn''t love anyone.


    A few minutes ago, Jessica felt that she was special to Edward. But now the man let her plunge into


    the bottom of the valley. He had been with her for so many years although he was fickle in love.


    Therefore she always felt that she was the one who would finally be Mrs. Mu. However, at this


    moment he didn''t exin anything to her for the kid. Did it mean she was not as important to him just


    as any other woman?


    Jessica''s face turned pale as she clenched her teeth. But she did not dare to just go away because if


    she left, there would be no chance for her anymore. Jessica knew what kind of man Edward was after


    being with him for so many years. At least she knew how to cater to him.


    Edward observed Jessica''s expression while still remaining his elegance. There was even a subtle


    sneer on his face. He sipped the champagne slowly, while his son still stayed in his arms.


    Edward didn''t dump Jessica. But was it because of love? Edward thought it was more of a habit.


    Jessica had always behaved very thoughtful, so he had always kept an ambiguous rtionship with


    her. He didn''t like being entangled with women. Considering her response just now, Edward found


    Jessica want something more from him. Given this, he would not allow her to stay with him anymore.


    Jessica calmed down quickly. She went forward and touched the little face of Justin, "Hey, you little


    cutie, what is your name?"


    ''Humph!'' She silently thought. Even though Edward had a child, Jessica did not think he could already


    be married and thought that she may still have her chance with him. The most important thing was to


    let the little guy ept her first.


    Justin snorted and turned away, escaping Jessica''s touch. It made Jessica a little embarrassed. She


    didn''t know what to say for a moment but cursed the kid quietly in her head. ''Hmm, we''ll see how I


    teach you a lesson after I marry your father.'' Thinking so, Jessica shed her signature fake smile.


    ''My gosh! This woman can put on such a fake smile. Undoubtedly, even my mother''s poker face is


    more beautiful than hers!'' Justin thought.


    "Justin, you can''t be impolite like this." Although Edward was determined to cut off his rtionship with


    Jessica, he didn''t allow his son to behave so impolitely.


    "Daddy, I''m hungry." Justin changed the topic and looked at Edward with a pitiful face. He didn''t want to


    talk to Jessica anymore.


    "Fine! Let''s get something to eat." At the same time, Lloyd Leng came out and was happy to see


    Edward. The Leng family and the Mu family had been an acquaintance for a generation, so he treated


    Edward like his own son.


    "Uncle Lloyd, happy birthday!" Edward hugged Lloyd as Luke Luo appeared suddenly and gave Lloyd a


    gift.


    "Edward, who is the little guy?" With his eyes fixed on Justin, Lloyd did not have the time to look at the


    gift.


    "Justin, say hello to grandfather Lloyd." Edward pulled Justin''s hands.


    "Grandfather Lloyd, happy birthday! Wish you a long life!" Justin said gently in a childish voice with a


    sweet smile on his face, which made him even cuter.


    "Okay, okay. Thank you. Edward, the little guy is so sweet! Where did you find such a cute kid!" Lloyd


    Leng''s own son hadn''t married so he couldn''t have a grandson which he wanted so eagerly. He was


    very pleased to see such a cute kid. But how would Edward''s parents react when they knew they had a


    grandson? They had been traveling for many years out of their anger for Edward''s rebellious behavior.


    They had not been back since.


    "Uncle Lloyd, this is my son Justin who I just met today. I know you like kids so I brought him to see


    you." Justin was confused because it was him who insisted oning.


    Jessica did not want to be disregarded so she came over to greet Loyd Leng. "Uncle Lloyd, I wish you


    a happy birthday. My father also sent his good wishes."


    "Oh, Jessica! You are bing more and more beautiful." Jessica nced at Edward shyly.


    ''Who are you looking at! My daddy belongs to my mummy!'' Justin red at Jessica with hostility but no


    one noticed that except Jessica.


    Jessica was awkward. When did she offend this kid? She didn''t even show any satisfaction by his


    appearance yet. But he had started provoking her?


    Jessica''s family were also wealthy and in the limelight, so Lloyd Leng knew Jessica as well as her


    rtionship with Edward.


    "Justin, can you apany with me tonight?" The more Lloyd Leng looked at Justin, the more he liked


    him. He even wanted to take him as his own grandson.


    Justin looked at his father and hesitated. Although he liked this amiable grandfather, he was worried


    that the woman would get close to his father when he left.


    Of course, Edward knew what Justin was thinking. Justin was unwilling to call him daddy before, but


    when Jessica appeared, Justin called him daddy again and again. Edward knew exactly that Justin did


    that deliberately. he knew Justin was up to something and he was still trying to figure it out.


    Justin nodded reluctantly for his father didn''t say anything.


    Jessica was pleased with the situation as no one could stop her from being intimate with Edward.


    When Lloyd and Justin left, she held Edward arm in arm as naturally as nothing had happened before.


    Edward smirked as usual and his beautiful appearance was even more charming under the projection


    of the light.


    "Edward, would you like me to go to your ce tonight?" Jessica asked softly with her mouth nearly


    sticking to his earlobe and touched his body with hers. She made sure her bosom touched Edward.


    "I have something to do tonight. Maybe another day." Edward kissed Jessica gently and teased her


    with his slender fingertips. An enchanting smile appeared on his good-looking thin lips.


    Jessica rested in Edward''s arms, barely standing herself. Her cheeky face was full of lust, wanting to


    lay on the man''s body. However, Justin seemed irritated from a distance. The boy''s look seemed to


    warn Jessica that she would be embarrassedter.


    Although Justin followed Lloyd, his attention had been fixed on the two people. Seeing this scene, he


    poked the ice cream in front of him hardly as if he had a hatred with it.


    Suddenly, Justin reced his cold face with a naughty smile. Determined to do something, he picked


    up arge cup of ice cream in front of him and ran to the two people. When Justin was approaching, he


    pretended to be tripped over and the ice cream in his hand flew to Jessica. Then, he heard a scream, a


    loud scream. Of course, the sound could not be from Justin.


    Justin admired himself so much that he could hit the goal precisely, with the ice-cream just falling on


    Jessica''s low-cut dress. No wonder Jessica shouted so loudly. She was just immersed in the


    enthusiasm with Edward and would never predicted be hit by a cold ice-cream. ''Humph! You deserve it!


    How dare you take my daddy from my mummy!'' Justin said angrily in his head.


    Edward was also shocked by what happened in just a minute. For a moment, he even forgot how to


    respond. Now, Jessica was so embarrassed, losing all her charm a few minutes ago. Quickly, Edward


    took the action, but not to help the princess. He picked up the little guy who was still on the ground at


    the moment. His enchanting smiles were reced by a frozen face.


    "Justin, did you hurt?" Edward got so worried and checked whether the little guy got an injury.


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "It''s hurting," Justin said with tears. In order to make his performance more reliable, he let himself fall


    down hard, so it was really painful. Ouch! His father was the only one to me. If Edward did not flirt


    with women, Justin would not have to hurt himself to attract his daddy''s attention. The boy was hurt so


    much and for such an unworthy reason.


    Jessica stared at the scene, even forgetting to cover her revealing body. ''Shouldn''t Edwarde to


    comfort me first as I endure such a shame? Why did he just care about the little bastard?'' She angrily


    thought. Jessica stared at Justin who was in the arms of Edward and she could not help but hate the


    little boy in her heart.


    "Miss Lin,e upstairs with me and clean yourself up." Duke Leng came over at an appropriate time.


    In fact, he didn''t like the woman very much, but he had to show some etiquette as the host.


    Jessica left indignantly. Justin was finally satisfied as he drove the woman away.

 Chapter 9 Independent Little Boy

    Chapter 9 Independent Little Boy


    The car had just driven into Edward''s grand vi. Before it stopped steadily, a pleasant ringtone came


    ying. It was a beautiful military song. Edward was a little bit helpless. When was he ever so close to


    the military?


    Justin smiled happily when he heard the ringtone. It was a special ring tone assigned to his mum. He


    quickly took out his cell phone from the small bag which he had brought with him.


    "Mommy, have you arrived yet?" Edward was slightly stunned and he pricked up his ears as soon as


    he heard the word "mommy".


    "I''ve been here for a while. How are you doing today? Did you behave well?" Her cold and clear voice


    came from the other side. It sounded a little tired, perhaps because of the long trip.


    "Mommy, I listen to my daddy all the time", Justin assured her. "Are you tired?" Justin had always been


    obedient in front of his mommy. He also heard the slight weariness in his mummy''s voice.


    "It''s all right. It''s just that it''s ufortably hot here." Daisy buried herself deep in the chair. Mark didn''t


    wake her up on the way, so she didn''t wake up until they had reached the destination. When she


    opened her eyes, she saw the beautiful sunset. Then she was busy with the arrangement of the


    entourage and worked with the local force leaders to discuss the following arrangement and then had


    dinner. She was really tired after doing a series of things. She usually would not feel so tired no matter


    how much work she had done. It seemed that the man still had such a great impact on her. She


    thought that she would not be so affected by him again. However, she had underestimated his position


    in her heart. Daisy just could not admit it. She could never efface him from her heart.


    "Mommy, Justin is not with you. You have to take good care of yourself." The little boy said seriously. It


    was easy to tell how worried he was when he said it.


    Edward quietly listened to their conversation. Because it was in the car, he was able to hear what they


    were talking about, although it was not very clear. There was an inexplicable feeling in his heart which


    he did not know why.


    "OK, I''ll take good care of myself. From tomorrow onwards, mommy will start the totally enclosed


    training and my phone has to be handed in, which means I cannot call you then. You must go to be


    kindergarten obediently and don''t fight with others. Clear?" Daisy rubbed her temples with her fingers,


    trying to alleviate some fatigue.


    "Yes. Mommy! I''ll have my daddy drive me there." But the kindergarten was a little far away from here!


    He didn''t know whether Edward had time to drive him or not.


    "Well, mommy''s going to sleep. Time for bed." Daisy didn''t mention Edward at all, as if she had nothing


    to do with him.


    "Goodbye, mommy." Edward was shocked to see his son hang up the phone directly. So didn''t that


    woman have anything to talk with him since she had just thrown her son to him?


    Mr. Mu expected her to say something about him. He must have forgotten that he was the one who


    wanted to be done with her.


    "So, that''s all? Didn''t your mommy mention me?" Edward asked with a little expectancy, an emotion he


    didn''t even notice.


    "What for?" Justin asked him strangely. ''Why should my mommy mention him? Does he have a mental


    problem?'' The boy thought.


    Edward wanted to say something but he finally gave it up. He opened the door and stepped out of the


    car. It seemed that that woman really took seriously what he had said to her after the wedding. For him,


    she was nobody and for her, he was nobody too.


    Justin got off the car following Edward. He looked curiously at the vi in front of them. ''What''s wrong


    with that man? Why is he so capricious? Who has offended him? Oh, God! I should not trust this


    beautiful man'', Justin said to himself.


    Luke Luo also felt strange, he thought, ''What is wrong with Mr. Mu today? Wasn''t he nice to Justin just


    now? Why did he be angry suddenly? It seemed so hard for them to understand what their boss


    was thinking about.''


    "Let''s go! I''ll show you in, Young Master Justin." His boss was really naive sometimes! Why should he


    bother arguing with a child?


    "Uncle Luke, what do you think is wrong with Mr. Mu?" Luke was stunned by his words. Well, it seemed


    that the father and the son were both not ok now. Justin called his dad Mr. Mu instead of daddy. How


    unlucky Luke was to meet persons like them!


    "Well, I don''t know!"


    Justin hadn''t expected that Luke would give him an answer. He shook his head and followed Edward.


    Who knew whether Edward had a mental problem or not? This was his house. What if Edward did not


    allow him to enter the house?


    "Why are you following me?" As he undressed, Edward asked the little boy curiously, who had followed


    him into his bedroom. Wasn''t his room on the other side?


    ''Mr. Mu, it was the first time that I had been to your house OK? Whom else should I follow?'' Justin


    thought, speechless.


    "Then whom should I follow?" Edward stopped unbuttoning his shirt for a minute. He was so angry that


    he had forgotten that this little guy was not familiar here. It was not his fault. Luke was the one who


    should have followed the little guy!


    Luke felt wronged. In his mind, he thought, ''Boss, you are all masters. Justin kept on following you.


    What do you expect me to do? Stop him? Mrs. Wu was also ignored by you two, wasn''t she?''


    Edward was brought up by Mrs. Wu. And she had always lived with him. She was so happy when she


    received the call from Luke and got the news that Edward had a five-year-old son. She waited and


    waited, but when they finally came back, she saw them go upstairs suddenly. At that moment, she


    didn''t know what she should do.


    "Let''s go! I''ll take you there and I''ll ask Mrs. Wu to bathe you. Have a good night and I''ll drive you to


    kindergarten tomorrow." Mr. Mu could only stop undressing and take him to the study room. He had not


    forgotten that he was asked to drive Justin to the kindergarten tomorrow.


    Justin didn''t say anything more to him. He was really tired after one day outside. Although he was


    energetic, he was still only a child. All he wanted to do now was to sleep.


    T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Although the child''s room had just been decorated today, it was all made of best materials and there


    was no toxic pollution. Edward could be assured to have the little guy live in it.


    Justin''s eyes brightened on entering the room. ''Wow! What a gorgeous room!'' He said in his head.


    There were a small sky blue bed and a soft light purple curtain swinging with the wind gently; a green


    desk with all kinds of cartoon designs on it and a rice white wardrobe thatplemented the orange


    walls. The atmosphere looked so tranquil.


    Edward was also a little surprised. The former room in cold hue waspletely changed to another


    style, which was more child-friendly. At the same time, the active atmosphere here eased his


    dissatisfaction. He had to say this design concept was good.


    Justin threw his bag away, rushed to the bed and jumped on it. Then he touched the things he was


    interested in one by one. He was so excited and was really into them.


    Leaning against the door, Edward looked at his son dotingly. He had gotten a sense of satisfaction in


    his heart. At least his son was satisfied with what he had done. Nothing else could please him like this.


    "I''ll ask Mrs. Wu toe up and bathe you."


    "No. I''ll bathe myself. Mommy tells me that I''m a little man now and I can''t have anyone else do it for


    me." With these words, he went to open the wardrobe. He was startled by the clothes inside. His daddy


    seemed to have bought the whole clothing shop. It was summer now. Edward had prepared all his


    clothes for the whole year. He didn''t think Justin would live here forever, did he? Did he forget that


    Justin''s mommy said he would be here for only three months? It looked like he wanted to keep his son


    for himself. He knew he couldn''t. What a luxurious man! Edward led such an extravagant lifestyle. No


    wonder Justin''s mommy asked him to only take his bag with him.


    "Well, do you like them? They are all new styles for this year." Mr. Mu must have forgotten that his son


    was just a little boy and he could not care less about the new fad or style.


    Justin just ignored the yboy. All he wanted to do was to take a bath and go to bed. So he took his


    pajamas and went to the bathroom directly.


    Ignored by his son, Edward touched his nose helplessly and followed him to the bathroom. The


    bathroom did not change too much. Only some children''s items were added.


    "Son, are you sure that you don''t need any help? Can you do it alone?" Justin suddenly turned his


    head and looked at him coldly, as if Edward was such a nuisance.


    "I can do it by myself, would you please go out? Mr. Mu, I''m going to take a shower." Seriously?! The


    little guy was so fickle, wasn''t he? Who called him daddy just now? And then "Mr. Mu" again in such a


    short time? At this moment he found the child to be not cute at all! Edward began to feel sad.


    "Well, then! I''m going to take a shower too. Call me if you need anything." In such hot weather, usually


    the first thing for Edward to do when he arrived home was to take a shower. So what happened today


    was really an exemption from his usual routine.


    After hanging up the phone, Daisy kept still as she satzily on the chair. The coldness on her delicate


    face faded away. It looked soft at the moment. Her fine lips were bitten tenderly by her white teeth. The


    long eyshes covered her beautiful eyes. She looked so charming under the gleaming moonlight.


    She was undoubtedly beautiful. But her beauty was different from Jessica''s. It might be because she


    stayed in the army all year round, both her shape and her body showed a heroic spirit. The daily


    military training did not damage her glittering and translucent skin because of her inborn beauty. At the


    moment, her skin appeared more delicate in the moonlight.


    When Kevin Gu entered the room, he saw this beautiful scene. It was so beautiful that he couldn''t bear


    to interrupt it. He quietly turned and walked away. He knew that there was something bothering her


    today, so he asked Mark not to wake her up at the destination. Strong as she was, he hadn''t expected


    to see her vulnerable side today.


    Did her unusual behavior have anything to do with the man she met today? Did the man have anything


    to do with Justin? Having thought of this, he couldn''t control the pain in his heart which came


    overwhelmingly and went away quickly.

 Chapter 10 Im His Daddy

    Chapter 10 I''m His Daddy


    It was a brand a new day. The morning of the Mu family was undoubtedly busy. Mrs. Wu had people


    prepare more than 20 kinds of breakfast due to theing of the new young master whose taste she


    did not know, which obviouslyplicated everything up.


    Justin was excited today becausest night Edward said that he would send him to kindergarten in


    person. He wanted those who said that he had no daddy to know that he did have a daddy. Therefore


    he had a happy time during the breakfast and finished eating quickly. Seeing this, Edward wondered


    what the little boy was thinking about.


    "Hurry up, daddy. We are gonna bete." There must be something fishy behind this, Edward thought.


    He now understood that this little boy would only call him ''daddy'' with his sweet voice when he had a


    trick on him. He''d like to know what was going on next.


    Edward raised his hand and looked at his expensive watch. It was only seven o''clock, why was he so


    anxious! He ignored him and continued to eat his breakfast slowly, acting as elegantly aspleting a


    piece of art. ''An evildoer is an evildoer.'' Justin thought. He was so pissed at him. ''Humph! You will pay


    for that!''


    "Don''t worry. It''s still early. We have time." Edward was still taking it slow.


    "Daddy, are you sure we are notte? Do you know where my kindergarten is? "


    Uh! He really forgot to ask about it. His hands paused for a while. Alright! He made a mistake again.


    But even if he didn''t know, they still had enough time, except that the kindergarten was on the other


    side of the city.


    "Okay. Where is it?" Edward asked casually, continuing his movement. He never forgot to show his


    charm.


    "Star Kindergarten on GH Road."


    ''Hey, man. Let me see if you can still be so calm.'', he quipped.


    "Well." s! Edward was speechless again. He seemed to be shocked by this little boy all the time in


    the past two days. GH Road was exactly on the other side of the city. Why did they choose such a far


    ce! It took almost an hour to get there driving fast.


    "Why did you choose a far away kindergarten!" He remembered that the vi used as their matrimonial


    home at that time was only a twenty-minute drive from here. Why was the kindergarten so far? It


    seemed that Edward thought Daisy Ouyang lived in that ce all along.


    "It''s not far. It''s close to mommy''s army." Why did he think it was far. It was a rtively good


    kindergarten closest to the army.


    Well. He was sent to such a far ce because it was convenient for pick ups and drop offs. Edward


    started to imagine again.


    "Who will pick you up when your mommy is not free?" He remembered that the vi there was


    arranged with drivers and nannies, but he still asked unconsciously.


    "Uncle Mark! Sometimes when Uncle Mark and mommy go to other armies to study, Uncle Kevin will


    pick me up." Justin looked at his daddy with his head tilted, and blinked his eyes from time to time.


    Wait, if he still can''t understand the underlying meaning so far, he would not be the Edward Mu who


    was famous in S City. He knew their driver could not go into the army. However who was Uncle Mark?


    Who was Uncle Kevin? Edward spoke out his mind.


    "Uncle Mark is the apanying officer of mommy, and Uncle Kevin is the chief of staff of mommy''s


    army!" Justin looked strangely at the man in front of him. He was so stupid that he asked him for such


    simple questions.


    Edward was not all-knowing. He couldn''t predict that.


    "Don''t you live in Maple Night?" Edward''s stomach knotted a bit. He was afraid that the answer was


    exactly what he thought.


    "Who said that we lived there. I lived in the dormitory building of the army with mommy when I was


    little! And what is Maple Night?" Justin was curious. Why should he live there with mommy? He didn''t


    know that ce at all.


    At first, Edward thought he was well-prepared for what he heard, but he was stunned again when he


    heard this. He should have known that Daisy Ouyang, just like him, did not want to go back to that


    ce. He should have met her if she lived there for all these years, and the people in the vi should


    have told him that he had a son.


    However, even if they would have met each other, it was not sure that Edward would have recognized


    them. Edward must have forgotten that Daisy was just standing so close to him yesterday and he did


    not remember her until she gave him the marriage certificate.


    "Alright, let''s hurry up!" Edward hid his true feelings, picked up the briefcase and his coat and walked


    out. He was so used to copping out. It could be seen from his assistant. After all, he thatys down with


    dogs, will rise up with fleas.


    Justin secretly despised his daddy. This evildoer was dishonest and temperamental all day. Why did his


    mommy have such poor taste and like this guy? Justin wanted to shed tears.


    Getting to the door, Justin twitched the corners of his mouth slightly when he saw the Lamborghini


    driven by Luke approached them. The Ferrari limited edition sports car he saw yesterday already made


    him feel that this man was extravagant. He didn''t expect to see a Lamborghini Hermes today. How


    many of these world-ss cars on earth were in his garage! It seemed that he had to re-examine the


    man in front of him.


    "What are you waiting for? Hurry up, or we will really bete." What''s wrong with this boy? Why was he


    so surprised to see this car? Did he know the value of the car?


    Well, Edward, Justin did know the value of the car. Otherwise what do you think was he out for in the


    news on the inte. Justin got into the car without a word, ignoring the questioning sight from his dad.


    Hey! He had a temper. Edward carefully adjusted the seat belt for him, stepped on the clutch, and


    drove away. He did this at one go without interruption.


    Justin didn''t talk all the way. Compared with his daddy''s extravagance, Justin and his mommy grew up


    in the slums but Justin never really realized it now. After all, he and mommy were already well off


    compared to ordinary people. Butpared with Edward Mu, he immediately knew the gap between


    them.


    Edward ignored him too because he was deep in his thoughts. He never thought that his nominal wife


    did not live in the vi. So, did she ever use the money he gave her every year? He always thought that


    he had given her the best life, so even if he never appeared, he was fair for her. After all, the position of


    Mrs. Mu was always there for her. But her unexpected behavior made him feel frustrated and a bit


    guilty. She was just an innocent young girl six years ago! How did she survive in the army under such a


    tough condition with their son?


    The father and son had different ideas. Fortunately, there were not many cars in the morning, so it was


    not toote when they got to the kindergarten. Edward''s eye-catching sports car caught the attention of


    many people because it was close to the suburbs, not as bustling as downtown.


    Edward was ustomed to being the focus of people so he took his time. But Justin was depressed.


    He knew that it would make a stir, so he was so reluctant to get into the car at first. Now, look, they are


    being talked about! But his daddy still smiled charmingly. He now forgot how to show his ssmates


    that he had a daddy. How he wishes he could bury himself! He really did not want to be talked about.


    He was not that kind of person.


    Edward followed Justin into the kindergarten. Looking at the serious face of his son, he didn''t know


    how he had annoyed him. Heughed at himself, without knowing that this smile attracted many


    women who were here to send their children, and humbled many men. Hey! It seemed that Edward


    was insensible!


    "Justin Mu, stop!" Suddenly a young voice sounded, and it stopped the awkward father and son at the


    same time. A chubby boy ran over and pushed Justin with his chubby hand. Edward''s eyes changed


    immediately, bing cold and hard. He quickly stretched out his hand and grabbed the falling body.


    "Fitch Lu, why did you push me?" Justin was pissed. This boy liked to bully him with his big body, but


    he couldn''t beat him every time. Seriously, Justin had learned how to fight well with the uncles from the


    army since he was young. It would be odd if Fitch won.


    "Justin Mu, my mum told me that you are a bastard. You don''t have a dad. Stop lying that you have a


    dad." It seemed that the little boy didn''t notice the darkening face of Edward so he did not stop talking


    nonsense.


    "Who said that? I have a daddy. I''m not a bastard!" Crap! He''s actually not bastard! Don''t they see the


    man on the edge of rage beside them?


    "Get your dad here to prove then! We''ll not call you a bastard any more if it''s true. My mum said that


    your mum is a bitch. That''s why you don''t have a dad." OMG! What are these parents! How could they


    teach a child this? s!


    Justin really lost his temper. He punched Fitch before Edward could react. He could bear the malicious


    remarks against himself, but never against his mother. Like father like son, Justin never let others hurt


    the people he cared about.


    "Justin Mu, you hurt my nose again!" Flitch ran back covering his nose. What luck! He was hurt on the


    nose by Justin every time.


    Edward could not stay calm anymore about the situation! "Justin hit that boy before I could react. He is


    really something." But he realized that his son would never suffer any kind of tormenting or bullying


    from anyone. He can fight for himself. Thinking of that, Edward became less cold and began to smile


    slightly.


    "You little bastard, how ill-bred you are! Who told you to beat my son? Didn''t your mother teach you


    how to behave?" Edward said to the boy. A woman in heavy makeup came forward. She was Fitch Lu''s


    mother. Her words made the smile on Edward''s face disappear again. He targeted the woman with his


    piercing eyes.


    "Old woman, who is the bastard you talk about? The one in your hand?" Edward is so evil! Justin took


    his sharp tongue after him. Cursing even without dirty words. In fact, the woman was not really old. She


    just had heavy makeup, fancy clothes, a sharp tongue and bad behavior. Alright, maybe she was an


    old woman.


    "Eh! Who are you?" This evil woman finally noticed that there was such a handsome man nearby. Her


    loud voice was immediately lowered.


    It seemed that Edward was less charming than before as he was always ignored this morning, "Sorry


    to tell you that I am his daddy, the husband of the bitch you are referring to. So, old woman, who do


    you think I am? huh!" There was a hint of coldness and gnashing in Edward''s tone. He stopped smiling,


    bursting out of anger. Showing his temper. Even his eyes were bing cold. Justin could not help but


    shiver because of this, let alone that woman whom he was staring at. She finally found out how


    dangerous this man was. Her legs went weak when she saw his flinty face. Her boldness was gone.


    The bad is afraid of the ruthless, and the ruthless is afraid of the demon.


    "Remember to brush your teeth before you go out next time, so as not to pollute the air. I don''t want to


    see you again. Otherwise I will let you know the consequence of annoying me." It seemed that Edward


    was really furious. He evenmitted a threat.


    What could the consequences actually be?


    Mrs. Lu was so scared that her face became paler. In fact, she did not have much hatred towards Daisy


    Ouyang. She just did not like her loftiness which attracted her husband every time in the parent-child


    games. She hated to bepared with her.


    Daisy Ouyang was so innocent! This was who she was. It was not her fault to be so


    attractive.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

 Chapter 11 Transfer To Another School

    Chapter 11 Transfer To Another School


    Edward drove back to FX International Group angrily. When his staff saw him, they all made a


    conscious effort to avoid him because they didn''t want to be his next cannon fodder.


    "Let Aarone see me at once," ordered Mr. CEO. He mmed the door with a frozen look on his


    face. His intensity scared the group of secretaries as they wondered what happened to their boss.


    Edward loosened his tie a little to release his tension. If it wasn''t for the wrong asion, he would


    make the wicked woman die in a miserable way. How dare she say his son was a bastard!


    "Boss, were you looking for me?" Aaron tidied up his messy clothes. He was told by the executive


    secretary, Anna that amotion happened that morning.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    "Contact the best nearby kindergartens now, I will have to transfer to another school."


    ''Those in Justin''s kindergarten are a low-ss group of people!'' He angrily thought. He didn''t want his


    son to stay there for a day. His woman was regarded as a bitch, and their son became a bastard in the


    eyes of others all these years. Then what did that make of him? The irresponsible wild guy? "Pooh!


    Pooh!" When did he be an irresponsible wild guy? Edward was extremely angry, fuming mad. He


    didn''t even notice that he had just unconsciously referred to Daisy as his woman.


    "What? Transfer to another school?" Aaron was confused. ''When did boss start schooling again?'' It


    seemed that he had forgotten about the little handsome boy he was curious about yesterday.


    "Any problem?" Edward raised eyebrows at him. It seemed as if he would tear him apart and swallow


    him up if he dares to have opinions.


    "No problem. But why kindergarten? You wanna to study from the beginning?" Aaron felt helpless. He


    should have known who needs to transfer? What if Boss asks him to go to school? God knows that


    he''s graduated for years!


    "Aaron, it seems that you really want to go back to kindergarten and learn something there." Edward


    smiled coldly. He couldn''t understand Aaron''s strange ideas. Did he forget to bring his brain to work this


    morning?


    "No, I''m done. I don''t need to study again." See! He just knew it! That was exactly what his boss


    thought! Fortunately, he asked clearly. He would never think about being back to kindergarten and


    study again!


    "Then don''t talk so much nonsense. Let me know about the result in a while." He began to work leaving


    the poor Aaron aside.


    Aaron opened his mouth but said nothing finally, and turned to look for the kindergarten Edward was


    referring to. Edward looked up at his back and smiled, then continued with his work. He will let the guy


    struggle with this problem! Aaron figured it out in a moment. "Edward, you teased me again."


    ''Hmpf! Just find a kindergarten, ha?'' He was annoyed obviously. How could this possibly bring him, the


    all-powerful Aaron down? It was an easy task, Aaron thought. He only needed to make a few calls and


    check the Inte. The problem would be solved easily! Mr. CEO underestimated him and did not take


    him seriously as a Harvard graduate. So he turned around and went into the CEO''s office. He also


    finally remembered the little beautiful boy their boss was holding yesterday! He worried about it in vain.


    "Boss, these are the kindergartens with great levels around here. You can choose one from this list. By


    the way, can you give me a clear order next time, please? It''s very misleading to say only half of the


    words." This guy was always asking people to read his mind. It was not funny. Aaron muttered, but


    nobody responded to him.


    Edward quickly selected a kindergarten from the chart, "This one!" He threw the document back to him.


    Aaron picked up the document. It was absolutely his style! He chose the most expensive school. His


    wealth was beyond much. He really had so much money!


    "Well, I''ll arrange all the admissions," Aaron replied. It was not his money so why was he so


    concerned? Well, he was just doing his job which was the only right thing. He wasn''t the Boss, was he?


    "Come, and take the development of W Garden to ren." As he said this, he threw a pile of


    documents to him. Without raising his head, he continued to read the papers on the table.


    Aaron protested, "This is the vice CEO''s case. Why give it to me?" He wasn''t superman! He already


    had many other developments in hand.


    "The Vice CEO is abroad. Or do you want to go abroad instead of him?" Edward squinted at him with


    interest.


    "Ah! No, I don''t want to go abroad! I''ll do this case!" Aaron fled with panic. He must flee as soon as he


    could. What country was the vice CEO in now? R Country! He never wanted to be there! It was


    deserted there.


    Their talking behind vice CEO''S back caused him to sneeze.


    This time Edward was speechless. Was R Country that horrible? Coward! If Aaron had known what he


    was thinking, he would mock him! Not horrible?! You could go there in person. You wouldn''t be calm as


    usual!


    In fact, his boss is a freak. So he would be calm wherever he went. There''s no answer! Haha!


    "Anna, give me a cup of coffee, please." Edward pressed the inte.


    There was a knocking on the door. Then Anna opened the door and came in, "Boss, your coffee." She


    put the coffee where he could get it easily and not hampering his work.


    "Okay. Thank you." Anna was the only secretary out there who had no personal feelings about him.


    She was so professional so he respected her, and everybody knew that he would not fall in love with


    his secretary.


    "If there''s no other order, then I''ll go out first." Actually, Anna also adored him. But she knew she can''t


    have this man. So she never thought of anything that could not belong to her.


    "Wait, help me check the cost of the Maple Night over the years." Edward decided to verify by himself.


    "The staff expenses of Maple Night are paid by thepany. Is there anything wrong?" Anna


    wondered why her boss suddenly thinks of checking this out.


    "Emmm.... I know. I mean the use of one of the credit cards." Edward was a little embarrassed. What


    he said seemed as if he didn''t believe in Anna.


    "Well, I''ll check it now." Anna turned away. She never went into anything she shouldn''t meddle in.


    Edward picked up the coffee and took a sip. He felt so bored. Did he pay too much attention to the


    woman these days? Why did he always want to know everything about her?


    Shaking his head helplessly, he kept saying to himself, he was not interested in the woman at all. It was


    only because she was his son''s mother that he wanted to know her.


    There was a knocking on the door again.


    "Come in." Anna always had high efficiency.


    "Boss, this is the ount information for that credit card. It''s only paid in and it''s never been used."


    Anna didn''t know who owned this card, and she didn''t want to know either.


    "What? Show me." Edward frowned. This woman was really different. She didn''t use this card.


    Suddenly Edward felt powerless. Things were getting more and more unexpected for him. He thought


    she''d take his card though she didn''t live in the Maple Night. That was why he didn''t feel so much guilt.


    Therefore, he still couldn''t underestimate that woman!


    He forgot she was thedy of the Ouyang family. Although the Ouyang family was not as good as


    before, her life also could be guaranteed. Edward felt a little better when he thought of this.


    If Edward knew that Daisy hadn''t had any contact with the Ouyang family since she married him, would


    he still think so?


    "What''s wrong with you, boss?" Seeing him suddenly turned so pale, Anna became a little worried.


    "Oh. Nothing. Go back to your work." Edward has just recovered from the thought that Daisy didn''t


    even touch a single amount from what he has been sending for the past years. His nce was fixed on


    the money transfer records Anna brought in and he started feeling ufortably distressed. After a


    moment''s thought, he took out the phone and pressed a list of familiar numbers.


    "Duke, are you free tonight? Let''s have a drink!"


    "Great! Where?" A brief tone came from the other end of the phone.


    "Sexy World." That''s the best bar in town! No one could get in without a VIP membership.


    "See you." Then he hung up. Damn it, just like that woman, never lingering.


    Edward raised his hands to his temple. He stopped thinking about those things and went on with his


    work.

 Chapter 12 You Got A Crush On Me

    Chapter 12 You Got A Crush On Me


    The night at S City was colorful and charming. The soft and misted light of streetlights shone on the


    street which hustled and bustled the whole day. Edward parked the car smoothly to his special parking


    space in Sexy World. He stepped off the car and his long legs seemed uninhabited in the light outside


    the bar.


    He walked into the bar like nobody was around. His deep blue eyes found his fellow in an instant. He


    smiled and walked up to him quickly.


    "I''m sorry! I''mte." Although he was apologizing, no regret could be found in his tone. Duke smiled


    helplessly, but the smile disappeared so fast that hardly anyone even noticed. The icy coldness on his


    face was still that outstanding.


    "It''s all right. Anyway I''m used to it." It was this guy who asked him to meet here, but he himself came


    late.


    "Am I that bad? As if I amte every time." Edward refused to admit it. He picked up the wine ss in


    front of him, swirled the wine gently and took a sip. The cold icy liquid slid down his throat and


    immediately infiltrated all his senses.


    "You are not alwayste, but everyone else alwayses earlier," Duke said crossly. Did he need to


    be this charming when drinking? Didn''t he know how many women were drooling over him? Those


    women''s eyes were so greedy that it seemed that they wanted to throw him on the floor and have sex


    with him at once.


    "Are you sure that you want to spend the whole night toin about myingte? You never


    know how hard it is for me to get out." Edward looked at his friend pitifully. Duke shivered. Oh God!


    Luckily this guy was not a gay, or he must be the bottom one.


    If Edward knew what Duke was thinking about, he must be mad. What the hell Duke was thinking


    about? Even if he were a guy, he should absolutely be the top one. Damn it! Shit! His sexual


    preference was normal. It was not expected he woulde out.


    "Who has the power to influence your going out or staying?" It was a rare opportunity to make fun of


    him.


    "My son! I wonder if that woman wants to revenge on me since I had ignored her for so many years


    and that was why she threw that little guy to me." He had got a headache at the thought of his little


    son''s skills in torturing him. If he had known it, he would have not picked him up from school by himself.


    "Why? Is Justin that naughty?" Duke gloated over Edward. He was happy to see that someone could


    control him.


    "s! He kept on asking me to go out together with him. Do you know how hard it is for me to go out


    alone?" Jesus. He went to the bar! How could he take him? He could not understand why Justin


    wanted to follow him wherever he went. He would not think it was because his son liked him. After all,


    in most cases, his son didn''t like him at all.


    Well. Maybe it was because of his yboy image. Justin wanted to train him to meet the requirement of


    a good husband. The first priority for Justin was to prevent him from dating with other women. If not


    how could Justin get him back for his mother? This was Little Mr. Mu''s strategy.


    "So what''s happening between you and your wife?" Mr. Leng! Were you sure a gossiper like you could


    match your icy face?


    "If only I know it." Shit! Duke was speechless. Mr. Mu! That was your wife. If you didn''t know, who


    should know?


    Duke didn''t interrupt him and leaned himself against the sofa. It might be because of the drink, his face


    was softer and not that cold.


    "What kind of woman do you think she is?" Edward seemed to be asking questions, but more like


    asking himself. He didn''t care whether Duke answered him or not.


    "To tell you the truth, I really did not want to know her before yesterday, but she just appeared suddenly


    in such a shocking way." After taking a sip of the spirits in his hand again and feeling the coldness and


    hotness at the tip of the tongue, he continued with that unknown depression.


    Yes, depression. But he should not be. He, Edward Mu, was the man, whom millions of women wanted


    to sleep with and who was the ideal husband of all daughters of the eminent family. He would never be


    confused by a woman and didn''t need to please any woman. However, he was tempted by a woman,


    whom he could not remember clearly until now and he even had the desire to know more about her. He


    was frightened by himself.


    "So do you want to know her now?" Duke twirled his ss. The light blue liquid rotated in the ss


    silently. He squinted at Edward. So this guy was finally willing to confront his wife whom he had never


    paid any attention to?


    "I don''t know. And that''s why I''m upset." He clinked sses with Duke and tiled his head to drink the


    rest of the spirits. The atmosphere suddenly became very quiet.


    "Hey! Isn''t this Mr. Mu?" A sudden coquettish voice broke the silence, and both of the men who were


    lost in thought frowned.


    "Go away!" It was the cold Mr. Leng who spoke out. He had always led an honest and clean lifestyle


    and had never had anything to do with those women. So it was not possible that he would be nice to


    them.


    "Mr. Mu." The woman looked at Edward in embarrassment. She was a popr model of FX


    International Group. Being treated like this, she felt wronged and was biting her red lips tenderly.


    "Duke, you have frightened this beautiful youngdy!" Looking at his friend''s angry face, he started to


    make fun of him.


    Duke nced away and ignored him. He should have entered the private room. Edward was so


    attractive to all kinds of women.


    Edward waved his hand and asked her to leave first. The woman stamped her foot reluctantly, turned


    and walked away angrily.


    "Duke, do you really get a crush on me?" Edward''s jocose voice came again, which made Mr. Leng


    gush out the vintage wine that he had just drunk and the target was Edward. You could imagine the


    consequences.


    "You are so damn dirty." Although he moved quickly, there was still some liquid sprayed on Edward.


    "Who made you say that?" With these words, he still did not forget to hand over him a paper towel. So


    this could be called "Harm set, harm get." Just now Duke was thinking secretly of Edward as the


    bottom one, but now he was hit back so quickly by that guy.


    "Don''t you? I''ve never seen you with a woman." It was said that the head of Leng''s enterprise did not


    like women and he was a gay. The reason why he was so close to Mr. Mu was that he liked him.


    However, Mr. Mu''s sexual orientation was normal, so his face always looked cold and icy. It seemed


    that if you wanted to be cool, you needed to pay for it.


    "Shit. You are the one who has a sexual orientation problem." Duke was very angry and his cold face


    became colder and colder. Should everyone be as promiscuous as Mr. Mu was? What the hell! Was it


    abnormal to keep cold?


    "Do I have a problem? Haven''t you seen my son?" Edward continued to make fun of him fearlessly with


    his questioning eyebrows. ''Were you kidding me? If I had a problem, how could I have a five years old


    son?''


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    Mr. Leng! Your evil level was too low topete with Mr. Mu. Well, you were the gentleman. You didn''t


    want to bother yourself arguing with the likes of him.


    "Who says that it is impossible for a gay to have a son?" Duke said, gnashing his teeth in hatred. His


    bitterly cold face became more vivid.


    Well, Mr. Leng! You were actually not a pushover.


    "Am I? Let''s find a ce and have a try. Then you can figure out whether my sexual orientation is


    normal or not." With these ambiguous flirtatious words, his heady eyes stared straightly at Duke, which


    made Duke want to say goodbye to him immediately and break with him ever since.


    "In fact, you can be more shameless. I''m leaving. Please enjoy yourself!" Duke burst into anger. He


    took his coat from the back of the chair and left elegantly. He could not guarantee that he would not hit


    him on his handsome face in the next second.


    Edward could not helpughing on seeing him like that, which attracted a lot of attention. He did not


    care about it at all and left following Duke with a free and unrestrained


    manner.

 Chapter 13 Mr. Paranoid

    Chapter 13 Mr. Paranoid


    Changing of the kindergarten didn''t upset Justin, since he was not that into his former one. The only


    reason he was there was that it was near to the army. So he didn''t care about it. Besides, he also knew


    that it was a little far from here and what happened yesterday made Edward very angry, so he didn''t


    dare to have anyment on it.


    S City was scorching in the summer. Although it was not noon, the heat wave had been everywhere.


    The hot weather made fewer people walk in the street.


    Edward focused on driving. His sexy thin lips were pressed, his eyes were filled with deep feelings and


    his slender fingertips flicked the steering wheel unconsciously. He was like a tired lion withziness,


    who confused other people''s mind.


    The raucous ringtone broke the beautiful scene, which made him feel disappointed. Edward pressed


    the car phone.


    "Speaking! Okay, I see. I''ll be right there." With these words, he turned the steering wheel and the car


    made a neat sharp turn. The wheels rolled up some dust from the ground and the car drove away like a


    running horse.


    Before Edward stopped the car steadily, Aaron had quickly walked up to them. Aaron was frustrated,


    which was rare to see.


    "My dearest boss, finally you are here." When he saw his boss, Aaron gave a sigh of relief. Edward


    looked at him coldly in exchange. How dared he hasten his boss going? What happened? Even Aaron


    lost his usual calm and got nervous.


    "What''s wrong? Wasn''t the case passed? Why do we have to redesign the n?" Edward looked up at


    the Kate Hotel in front of him and walked quickly in with Aaron trotting behind him.T¨ºxt ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "It is the new CEO of YS Group. This new CEO rejected our creative ideas one by one and asked to


    talk with you directly." Aaron said carefully. It was because of his bad performance that made his boss


    handle it by himself.


    "When did YS Group change their CEO? Why didn''t I know?" Edward''s pace stopped a bit. Why did so


    many people want to see him in person these days?


    "It is said to be the daughter of the former CEO, who returned from abroad recently," Aaron exined


    in a low voice.


    "What? The current CEO is a woman." Edward could not help rubbing his eyebrows. Mr. Mu seemed to


    have such discrimination against women. What was wrong with women? Wasn''t his mother a woman?


    Wasn''t his wife a woman too? He was not a gay, right?


    As the exclusive elevator reached the top floor of the hotel, the luxurious meeting room was just in the


    front. This hotel belonged to FX International Group too, so there was also a special office area here.


    At the moment, a beautiful and capable woman was focused on the material in her hands. Her shapely


    figure was wrapped tightly in the well-tailored suits. Her soft hair was meticulously coiled. Her frown


    showed her dissatisfaction. She was Belinda Shangguan, the new CEO of YS Group.


    Edward had thought he would see a woman dressed in a seductive and fascinating way. Seeing a


    picture like this, he got a good impression on her.


    "Hello! I''m Edward Mu of FX International Group." He said and held out his hand.


    "Belinda Shangguan. Nice to meet you." She had a quick and gentle handshake with Edward, as if his


    hand was not clean.


    Edward didn''t care about it and sat elegantly on a chair. He always respected businesswomen a lot,


    especially for those young and beautiful ones.


    "So you are not satisfied with our project proposal. Could we discuss it in details?" Edward said softly


    and slowly and did not mind her curious looking at him.


    Yes, she was looking at him. Finally she got the answer why that woman was so infatuated with the


    man in front of her. The skin of his amazing face was so perfect that no woman was equal to it. His thin


    lips were cold and seductive. And his deep smart eyes were looking at her with banter, which made her


    blush.


    Belinda quietly took her mind off from the thought, "So you are Mr. Edward Mu. Nice to see you in the


    flesh." The unintelligible remark puzzled Edward. Aaron felt confused too. Did this woman ask Edward


    toe on purpose?


    Hey! Maybe Aaron was totally right this time. Belinda was really here to see the CEO.


    "Miss Shangguan, tell me your request." Mr. Mu directly ssified Belinda into his fans group ording


    to her reaction and he curled his lip.


    "Actually, I don''t have too much opinion on yourpany''s project n." What Belinda said shocked


    Aaron very much. Damn it! Who kept on picking holes on their n just now? And who said she would


    not talk with anyone except their CEO? What did she mean now? Not only Aaron, but also Edward


    nced at her.


    "But I''m interested in your CEO." What? Aaron was so angry that he couldn''t help rolling his eyes.


    Damn! Even if you were interested in our boss, you should not torture the assistant. Why didn''t you find


    their boss directly? Why did you keep on picking holes on the project n? He had thought that all their


    half a month''s effort was in vain. Mr. Qiao''s heart was really hurt.


    "So? Does Miss Shangguan have a crush on me?" Edward said in an ironic tone. He hated so much


    that others took business as an excuse to approach him. There was no doubt that he thought Belinda


    as that kind of women. So his good feelings of her deducted a lot.


    "No." Belinda shook her index finger gently. "I just want to see what kind of man deserves to be loved


    for so many years. Seeing is believing." She said and looked at him with disdain.


    Edward''s face became dark at once, and it seemed that the air around him turned cold and icy. "Miss


    Shangguan, are you arousing my interest? If so, you seed, but unfortunately I have no interest in


    you at all." With these words, he wanted to leave at once.


    Belinda chuckled and shook her head. She totally ignored Edward''s anger, "Mr. Mu, are you kidding


    me? Is there anything wrong with me to arouse your interest? I don''t think so. So you have thought too


    much."


    Wow! This woman was so cool. There was not a woman ever who dared to speak to Mr. Mu in this


    manner. Aaron peeked at his boss. He hoped that he would not be embroiled in the argument. Why did


    he want to escape now? Aaron was almost in tears. Miss Shangguan, please be nice. Didn''t you see


    the anger in Edward''s eyes?


    "Then I want to ask Miss Shangguan why you do so? Are you ying hard to get?" He regained his


    composure. How could he be upset by a woman?


    "Mr. Mu, are you a paranoid? If not, why are you so easy to misunderstand others? Please, rest


    assured. One day, you will know. I''m leaving now." Before Edward could say anything, she walked


    away quickly. She was another woman who dared to ignore him. The former one was Daisy Ouyang


    and now there was a Belinda Shangguan. When did he look so weak? He was eager to see what tricks


    she could y. She did impress him!


    Edward looked sullenly at Belinda who walked away in her high heels and asked in a casual way,


    "What do you think that woman means?" Edward looked at Aaron nkly, trying to find the answer


    from him.


    Aaron was helpless. He opened his lips but failed to say anything. ''Boss, please do not look at me like


    that. How could I possibly understand what you do not know?'', he thought.


    Fortunately, Edward did not expect him to give the answer. He left alone. It made Aaron feel very


    terrible.


    Belinda was smiling while driving. She was very pleased with herself, because she had not expected to


    win so big in the first round. It seemed that the man''s determination was just so-so. Now, she was


    looking forward to the next meeting with Mr. Mu.

 Chapter 14 I Miss Mommy

    Chapter 14 I Miss Mommy


    "Mr. Mu, quickly, get up." It was early in the morning, a small figure appeared in front of Edward''s bed


    and grabbed by Edward''s arm, trying to pull him out of bed.


    Edward did not want to let go his sweet dream, so he rolled over, but the little guy kept on pulling him.


    Edward had no choice but to sit up, annoyed scratching his hair. He looked at the little guy in front of


    him. He hade at 3 a.m. in the morning and fell asleep as soon as he went to bed. And now he was


    being woken up by this little fellow. He checked the time reluctantly, ''Oh my god! It was just 6 a.m!''


    Immediately, Edward burst into fury.


    "Justin Mu, you''d better give me a good reason for waking me up so early in the morning." Edward''s


    teeth were clenched. It seemed that Edward''s "prince''s syndrome" was showing up again. He hated to


    be disturbed when he was sleeping. So, he did not even notice that Justin called him "Mr. Mu". He was


    still in his grumpy mood.


    "Daddy, today is the weekend, How about going out together?" Feeling his daddy was going to be


    angry, Justin immediately trimmed his sails by changing his attitude and put his little face on his


    daddy''s arm.


    Edward felt his life was so tragic! He drank tillte night yesterday with those people because he didn''t


    need to go to thepany on weekends. But how could he forget that there still was a little guy who


    needed him? Edward pressed his temples without a word. ''My God, even if you want to y, you don''t


    have to get up so early!'' he thought annoyingly.


    "Just tell me, Where do you want to go? Is it necessary to get up so early?" As Edward said, he got off


    the bed and walked to the bathroom nearly naked, making Justin roll his eyes behind.


    Ow! His father was showing his abdominal muscles in front of him. Actually, Justin was used to seeing


    this when he was with his mother in the military troops. His daddy''s figure though was not bad. There


    wasn''t a trace of fat or even a scar on his body, it was surprisingly smooth.


    "Daddy, let''s go to the beach for swimming." Justin used to go to beaches with his mother and had


    always envied other children who could swim and y with their fathers. Now that he was with his


    father, he was eager to go there with him.


    "Swimming?" Edward stopped in his tracks. He didn''t want to be tan at the beach in such a hot


    weather.


    "Isn''t there a swimming pool at home?"


    "But it''s no fun to swim at home," Justin replied. There was disappointment in Justin''s eyes. He


    frowned at what his father said. He knew Edward couldn''t stand the heat. He woke him up early in the


    morning so that it would not be hot on the beach.


    Fine! This little guy must be sent by God to torture him. However, Edward couldn''t refuse him on seeing


    his disappointment.


    Justin was very excited on the way to the beach and kept talking. The earlier disappointment and cold


    face had vanished and he was buoyant. It made Edward even be more pleased.


    "Mr. Mu, shall we go to the amusement park after swimming?" Edward almost lost control of the


    steering wheel. The car slipped a little. His well-maintained brow turned into a frown. See! Daisy must


    have deliberately sent this cute little devil to toss him.


    "Dear, how about going to the amusement park next week?" He begged Justin for he could not imagine


    himself ying in the amusement park. How could he survive in the amusement park in such a hot


    day? It is too terrible to even think about it.


    "Okay, then! Keep your promise!" Justin didn''t insist on it as he knew that this is already the biggest


    concession of Edward so he quit asking.


    Beach was a ce favored by everyone, except Edward of course. The waves were as blue as the sky


    which shone under the radiant sunlight. Edward''s eyes squinted slightly. He wished to escape after


    seeing the huge crowd.


    "Justin, can we go back?" Edward had never swum in the domestic sea. One of the main reasons was


    that he was afraid of being squeezed by the others in the crowd. He didn''t even change to his swimsuit


    yet. The sight of others stripped Edward away. He was ustomed to the attention paid by others, but


    that didn''t include this kind of naked gaze.


    "No. I can go down myself and you can watch by the seaside." Justin couldn''t wait to change to his


    swimsuit. It was now impossible to persuade him to go back. It was by no means easy for him to ask


    his father toe here.


    Edward gave a look at his own beachwear and surrendered. At least he could choose not to change


    into the swimsuit. Then he pulled Justin and ran into the sea. Luke still maintained his usual cool face.


    He had to be alert to any unexpected situation, because there were too many people here, so his sight


    never left the father and son even for a moment. Luke''s extreme focus and his outfit that moment made


    him more eye-catching. The passers-by couldn''t help to look back at him. They seemed to be thinking if


    there was something wrong with this guy! Why was he dressed so formally at the beach?


    Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Luke was innocently charged by others.


    After ying a while in the water, Justin finally let Edward go and decided toe back home.


    Considering the convenience of changing clothes, Edward let Luke drive the expensive motorhome out


    today. When Justin saw the car driving out of the garage in the morning, he was so surprised and


    opened his mouth wide in awe.


    On the way back, Justin was obviously quieter. He missed his mommy. He was very jealous of children


    who yed with their daddy and mommy together. He didn''t have a daddy around when he was with


    mommy before. Now, finally his daddy was with him but not his mommy. Why couldn''t he y with his


    parents together like other children?


    Edward looked at his son curiously. ''Why was he upset after going to the beach? Didn''t he enjoy to the


    fullest?''


    "Dear son, what''s wrong? Why are you upset? We cane here again next time if you like." Although


    Edward was so afraid to go to the beach, he could bear his son''s sadness.


    "Daddy, I miss Mommy. How long before we can see her?" Justin looked Edward with expectation.


    Edward did not expect this question. So he coughed. That''s right! She did not even call him. It was


    almost half a month since Justin came here, he wondered. ''Mr. Mu, are you sure that the woman


    knows your phone number? She only knows Justin''s number.''


    "Dear son, if you miss your mother, you can call her up." Hearing that, Justin despised Edward once


    again.


    "Mommy is participating in a closed training and phones are not allowed there." If phones were


    allowed, she wouldn''t have sent him to his father!


    Edward touched his straight nose boringly. Okay, he was despised by his own son once again.


    "Then where did you stay when your mother went to the training before?" Edward was curious about


    everything knowing they didn''t live in Maple Night.


    "I could stay with Julia. However, Julia was now back in the country. Mommy has never gone for such a


    long time, and she could call before." Justin said without any vitality with the little face full of sadness


    which was no match to his age. His face made Edward distressed. He did not know how tofort the


    little boy. He sped up consciously.


    At the same time, Daisy Ouyang who was in a certain group army was also missing her son. She


    wondered if he was good. Although they had been separated before, she had never missed Justin so


    much. Maybe because he was with Edward. Edward''s figure appeared in her mind every time she


    thought of Justin.


    She loved Edward, but it didn''t matter, she did not want to disturb his happy life as long as he didn''t


    come to dismantle her. So she could quietly indulge in obsessing him and leave quietly as she''d never


    come before.


    "Colonel, there is an assessment meeting half an hourter, do you want to go now?" Mark Du


    whispered to remind the colonel who was more frequently lost in her mind recently.


    "Let''s go. Prepare the materials first." As Daisy said, she stood up from the ground and beat the dust


    off her clothes. This kind of training was undoubtedly the most tiring. There were always a variety of


    competitions and endless meetings. Here was another assessment just after a short break from thest


    one.

 Chapter 15 You Have No Place Here

    Chapter 15 You Have No ce Here


    Edward Mu saw Jessica Lin as soon as he went inside the Cafe. He would have preferred not to see


    her, but in considering their rtionship in the past, he eventually came here.


    Jessica Lin never got to know why Edward Mu became apathetic to her. Since the party in Mr. Leng''s


    house, he avoided her all the time. She was afraid of his attitude. Today was a rare chance to meet


    him, so she dressed up well for the visit. She looked very attractive and charming in that attire.


    "Edward, it''s good to see you again." Jessica Lin stood up and said, looking d, shy and surprised ¡ª


    all the three at the same time.


    Hearing her words, Edward Mu nodded without expression. With the same poker face, he caught a


    glimpse of her when he was lolling in the soft sofa.


    Then he asked, "what can I do for you?" Edward Mu was a person who always made firm decisions.


    He would never get attached to his former lover. He didn''t need the love from the woman he did not


    love.


    "Edward, Why don''t you answer my phone? I miss you so much." Jessica Lin used her words carefully.


    The man in front of her was an ideal boyfriend, but he never made amitment to her. Still, she didn''t


    worry about that because she believed that Edward Mu would belong to her sooner orter.


    She knew that he would fell for considerate women, so she tried to be a person of generosity, tolerance


    and love. She tried everything to stay with him. She was very proud to be the only woman who spent


    the longest time staying with him. But all of a sudden his son returned. She could not possibly imagine


    this to happen. Even worse, he became disenchanted with her. She began to feel frightened and


    hopeless, as she didn''t know what''s wrong with him.


    "Jessica, I thought you knew me. But I was wrong." Edward Mu said these words in a calm voice. He


    avoided her because he knew what she thought of him. He didn''t like maniptive women and the one


    who considered herself as the special girl to him.


    "What did I do? Why did you break up with me? I want to know the reason. You know I can change


    myself for you, you know I will do anything for you." said Jessica Lin, her eyes grew moist and her


    lower lip trembled as she listened to his words. Her pale and shining looks attracted everyone but


    Edward Mu. He still maintained his poker face without any expression. Although he was a passionate


    man, he was also a cold on the other side. Managing such a person would only hurt herself.


    "You didn''t do anything wrong. You are still beautiful and charming. I just lost interest in you." Such


    cruel words came out from his thin lips. He didn''t care about her feelings at all.


    His words came like a thunderbolt. Jessica Lin held on to her dress with unbelievable feelings, her face


    went very pale. It was difficult to ept the fact that she was not the special one for him. Still thinking


    about what Edward just said, she caught her breath as tears filled her eyes.


    "Why? Did you fall in love with your son''s mother?" said Jessica Lin, in a shaky voice. She wanted to


    know which woman reced her.


    Upon hearing these words, Edward Mu quickly turned serious, he looked at her with stony, silent face.


    He sat very straight and said the cruel words again, "Jessica, you have no ce here. Don''t think you


    are the only one for me. You don''t deserve my love."


    These harsh words made her pale face paler. Imbued with jealousy and hatred, she would cogitate


    upon some means of revenge. If she couldn''t get his love, no one could receive his love too. She


    stumbled backward at once with a terrified look on her beautiful face. But that facial expression


    disappeared soon after it appeared.


    "Edward, I will remember this! You''ll regret the decisions you made." Jessica said angrily. After saying


    these words, she ran out and soon lost in the crowds.


    Edward Mu felt powerless as he rested his head on the sofa. Looking back on their rtionship, he


    actually had a little thing for her. But he couldn''t give her all she wanted. He had to destroy all her


    illusions about their rtionship. They had a deal and each took what was needed. They were not


    responsible for each other as they could break up at any time, that was the deal. But she still fell in love


    with him.


    "Hello, Mr. Mu. Nice to see you again. Is it destined?" A sweet voice interrupted Edward Mu''s thought.


    He raised his head and saw a woman with a sweet and smiling face. There was a softness in her fine


    and dark eyes.


    "Ms. Shangguan. What are you talking about?" He was a little puzzled. He didn''t know why this woman


    always said these disparaging words every time when they met with each other.


    "Huh? What do you think, Mr. Mu?" Belinda Shangguan said with a sweet smile, avoiding his


    provocation.


    "I think you are trying to trap me. I don''t remember that you have such interests, have you?" Edward


    Mu caught a glimpse of her.


    "Mr. Mu, you are good at making jokes. Although I don''t have a boyfriend, I will never have a crush on


    you." Belinda Shangguan said with a mocking smile. ''Fall in love with him? Are you kidding me? What


    a narcissistic person!'' She thought to herself.


    "Ms. Shangguan, you are lying." Ignoring her provocative words, he said to her with a sneer.


    "Edward, you are a narcissistic man." Belinda Shangguan defied him with anger. She was fed up with


    this kind of person.


    "But you have to recognize that I''m the attractive one." He said slowly with a half smile. It was


    impossible for him to make concessions.


    Belinda Shangguan gave him a sweet smile and fought back, "Mr. Mu, I don''t doubt your charm. That''s


    why you be a seducer." As a strong girl, she would fight with anyone who tried to bully her.


    Edward Mu didn''t get angry but smiled, "Ms. Shangguan, don''t be jealous. Although you don''t have a


    chance to sleep with me, I can satisfy your sexual desire if you want." He said with a rakish and


    debonair look.


    Belinda Shangguan couldn''t calm down. She thought to herself, ''Unlike other men, Edward Mu is a


    strong self-controlled person. He can say rude words with elegance. He''s Satan in a smock!'' She bit


    her lip and smiled prettily.


    "I''m afraid that you can''t meet my expectation. You know I''m strict about this thing." After saying these


    words, she quickly left the Cafe without seeing his face.


    Belinda walked as she thought to herself, ''It''s wise to leave there. I questioned his sexuality. He must


    be angry about this. It''s too dangerous to stay with him. I don''t know if he will do something bad.''


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    Edward Mu was incensed at Belinda''s words. How dare she question his ability? He was never


    denigrated by other people. Although he was angry, he smiled as he saw Belinda Shangguan running


    out in a hurry. ''A paper tiger, '' he thought.

 Chapter 16 The Freak

    Chapter 16 The Freak


    Justin''s fingers moved quickly on the keyboard. He was deciphering the firewalls one by one. "Damn it!


    Which freak programmed these with so muchplexity?"


    At FX International Group, there was an air of anxiety in the cyber security department. Since morning,


    someone was attacking thepany''s system. The programmers were trying their best to defend the


    attack. They were sessful in blocking all the attacks but they could not trace the IP of the attacker. It


    was quite normal for FX International though to be attacked by hackers, but those were all small


    temptations. This was the first time for them to meet a sustained attack like this one.


    Yes. Justin was attacking the system program of his father''spany. He did not like that his father


    brought a woman to their house, even though she did not stay back. The incident made him furious. He


    thought Edward would find something to make him busy so that he could flirt with other woman and


    sleep with them discreetly.


    Edward was very depressed. Since this little guy came here, his whereabouts had always been found


    by him. He wondered who leaked his whereabouts to his son. No matter which women he was dating,


    Justin would call him again and again and find an excuse to fool him back. Finally he managed to bring


    back a beauty, but she was driven away by this little guy again. He was about to be a monk. He


    hadn''t expected that having a son would lose so much welfare.


    Justin was very proud of himself. ''You are my mother''s man. If other women want to be with you, they


    should first ask for my consent. Humph! Why are you such a yboy? You have no eye for beauty at


    all. How could you ignore my mommy who is such a beauty and instead flirt with other women?''


    Justin''s fingers moved faster and faster. His forehead was covered with sweat. Shit! ''Who was that


    freak?'', he wondered. He was not let in and was fought out all the way back. The firewall he had


    breached was re-locked by a new set of instructions again.


    Well! It was not someone else. It was his father. Like father like son! Why didn''t you realize that you


    inherited his genes? How could you beat him? Although you were clever and talented, you were still


    young and naive in front of Edward who was a big bad wolf. You could just be the little red riding hood.


    Ever since the programmers reported that someone was attacking their internal program system,


    Edward had been retreating step by step. On one hand, he asked the programmers to search for the IP


    address and on the other hand, he made the hacker think that he seeded and he fought back to


    breach his defense.


    Justin looked at hisputer screen in disbelief. ''Damn it! Who''s that? Why is he so powerful?''


    Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Boss, we have found it. But the IP address is in our building and in Mr. Qiao''s office." The programmer


    looked at Aaron in disbelief.


    "What? Are you sure?" Aaron became uneasy. Who was that? He was lucky that he had always been


    here, or he could not have proved his own innocence.


    So who could that be? Aaron had no idea, either.


    "Aaron, who was in your office?" Edward squinted. He hardly doubted Aron. But he found that


    someone was in his office who did not appear yet.


    ''Who? Your son, of course!'' Aaron said to himself. Suddenly his mouth was wide open and he looked at


    his boss in surprise. It couldn''t be what he thought, could it? His boss'' expression indicated that it was


    exactly as what he had thought. Aaron was furious on Justin''s betrayal, ''Justin, I have already told you


    the boss'' whereabouts. How could you do this to me?'' So the one who leaked the boss'' whereabouts


    was not anyone else but you Mr. Qiao.


    Well. The evil we bring on ourselves is the hardest to bear. Aaron felt trapped in this situation.


    Justin was still struggling. He could not ept his failure. He was so immersed that he even didn''t


    notice that there was a person standing behind him.


    ''Eh? Why didn''t he fought back? Would there be any conspiracy?''


    "It''s strange that you get in so easily, isn''t it?."


    "Yes! But there was a freak this time who chased me all the way just now." He answered promptly


    without even realizing what was happening.


    "What? Freak? Justin Mu, do you know what you are saying?" Justin suddenly realized what was


    happening. He was frightened by the gloomy voice near his ear. He turned back immediately and saw


    Mr. Mu''s handsome face. ''Oh, my God! When did this guy appear?'' he thought. He quickly covered the


    screen and said with a ttering smile.


    "Daddy, are you done here with your work?" ''God! I am caught red-handed!''


    "What do you think? Am I done or not?" Edward''s voice sounded serious. As Edward came to know


    that Justin was attacking the system, he did not stop him. He let him in; he was keen to know what this


    little fe wanted to do. No one who attacked the system was spared by Edward. Justin did not have


    the faintest idea about what happened to them. Edward could overlook his pranks butpany''s


    interest? Never! He tolerated his tricks on him and his dates, but he could not tolerate hisck of sense


    of priorities. "Daddy, I''m sorry." Looking at Edward''s gloomy face, Justin knew that he was really angry


    now. He never saw his father so serious even when he ruined his dates with other women.


    "Go ahead! Tell me why did you do this?" He would do it again if he didn''t know the seriousness. There


    was a sense of authority in Edward''s voice.


    "I shouldn''t have attacked your system willfully just for fun knowing its consequences. I swear I won''t


    do it again." Looking at his father''s handsome face which was very serious, Justin feeling wronged and


    started weeping immediately. He knew that Edward had always been very nice to him and if he had not


    crossed the limits, he wouldn''t have said a word. However, he forgot that Edward was famous for his


    evil side.


    Looking at his little white face, Edward melted. He wanted to hold him in his arms. But he did not move


    and just looked at him quietly. How time flew! Justin had been with him for almost two months now.


    ''Justin has been busy with contesting me these days. This indocile little guy is around me all the time.


    He portraits his liking for me very much but I know what his real intentions are. And this little guy does


    seed in driving all the other women away from me. I wonder if his age can match his IQ.''


    "Now that you know you are wrong, what should be your punishment?" Edward''s tone mellowed.


    "I know what to do." With these words, Justinid on his stomach and started to do push-ups. It startled


    Edward. He reached down his hands and picked him up.


    "Justin, what are you doing?" He had no interest in physical punishment of a child.


    "Didn''t you ask me to do it?" Justin asked, puzzled.


    "When did I ask you to do that?" Mr. Mu didn''t remember saying that.


    "But when I do something wrong, mommy always asks me to do fifty push-ups as a punishment!" Justin


    nibbled the lip and said under his breath.


    Edward was shocked. ''What a horrible woman! That is her son, not her soldier! Can such a little guy do


    fifty push-ups?''


    Well. Mr. Mu. You underestimated your son too much. Who was Justin? He was Colonel Ouyang''s son


    and had been trained in this way from childhood. It was a barely a punishment for him to do fifty push-


    ups.


    "Do you often do something wrong?" A flow of sadness appeared in Edward''s eyes.


    "Yes! Everyone teased me that I was a child without father. And I fought with them for it every-time.


    Whenever the teacher told about my fights to mommy, she would punish me."


    ''Err! It seems that I am to me for his punishment.''


    Edward lifted up the little guy and gently rubbed his little face with a paper towel. His heart twitched. It


    was his cruelty to that woman made his son suffer so much. ''But why did they never contact me even


    though they know my whereabouts? Am I really that untrustworthy for them? If there hadn''t been


    anything urgent this time, that stubborn woman would not have asked my help.'' The thought made


    Edward hold Justin tightly in his arms. He thought if that woman deliberately let Justin torture him, he


    must be thankful to her now. Presence of Justin made him so happy and equally hurt for not being able


    to be with him till now. He kissed gently on his son''s head, and his heart filled with mixed emotions of


    gratitude regret.


    Aaron closed the door gently. He had stood there listening silently. Seeing his boss in such a situation,


    he knew it was better not to bother him. He had worked with his boss for many years, but never seen


    his vulnerable side like this. He knew that Edward cared for his son who visited frequently nowadays.


    Edward would drive Justin by himself, if there was nothing too important. He would not care, no matter


    how many women were driven away from him. He was angry today, because Justin had really crossed


    the limits.

 Chapter 17 Who Is This Devil

    Chapter 17 Who Is This Devil


    A beautiful red Maybach sports car stopped at the underground parking of FX International Group, eye-


    catching. A man with a huge pair of sunsses which blocked half of his face stepped down from the


    car with a wicked smile.


    He had charming eyes. A bright sapphire stud earring twinkled with dazzling light in his ear.


    Justin surely would have asked who this devil was if he would have seen this sight. He was very eye-


    catching and drove the red colored car. He was just as flirty as Mr. Mu.


    If Belinda saw him, she would have eximed," Wow! Where does this devile from? He is mine."


    As usual, in the lobby of FX International Group he greeted the beautiful girls all the way. The typical


    phndering style fascinated arge number of female employees. Rain Xia -- he was the vice CEO of


    FX International Group and a well-known yboy.


    He went to the top floor swiftly. He was well known for his mboyant personality.


    "Hi! Ladies, long time no see, do you miss me? Anna, you are prettier!" After winking at Anna, he


    entered CEO office directly, without knocking at the door. Mr. Mu gave him a sharp nce.


    "Edward, I miss you so much!" He ignored Edward''s sharp stare and jumped straight ahead.


    Rain Xia was junior to Edward when he was studying abroad. But they did not like each other, maybe it


    was because they were both young and brilliant. One day they fought for trifles. As the old saying goes,


    no discord, no concord. Since then, they became best friends.


    It seemed as if Edward had known his action. He moved a little and avoided his hug. Rain almost hit


    the ground.


    "Oh, Edward! You humiliated me again." He used.


    Edward twitched his mouth. Rain would always behave like a boy. Didn''t he feel awkward? Every time


    he jumped at Edward in that way. Not a little change at all!


    "You have gone to R Country for a long time. Why can''t you behave yourself? Believe it or not, I will


    kick your ass." Ok! This was Mr. Mu''s style! He was good at threatening the other.


    Rain stopped for a while. Edward was always sharp-tongued. He didn''t want to go to R Country


    himself. He was forced by Edward! Now, he was sickened by him!


    "Boss, you are such a beauty. I believe you won''t do that to me." Edward didn''t like to be described as


    "beauty". But Rain Xia said that on purpose.


    "Rain, I would like to send you to E Country and you could learn etiquette there." These two guys were


    birds of a feather. Everyone knew that Rain was most afraid of going to E Country. Because Annie An


    was there in E Country. If he went there, he would end in tragedy. As expected, Rain''s face turned pale


    at once.


    "You must be kidding, boss!" Oops. Poor Rain. He must be out of your mind. He should not have


    provoked Mr. Mu. The reason why Rain worked for Edward was that he lost a bet. But it seemed as if


    he hadn''t learnt a lesson.


    Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Annie is not a tiger. Why are you afraid of her?" Edward looked at him scornfully and asked. Rain had


    had so many women. Why was he only scared of Annie?


    "She is Annie! Do you understand?" Rain said loudly. Annie was the daughter of the CEO of C


    Financial Group. Everyone knew that she was unruly and capricious. But she loved Rain and showed


    much interest in him. She chased after him all day long and announced that she wanted to be his wife.


    He was so frightened that he ran away from E Country and never dared to set foot there again.


    "Hey. Why can''t you let it go? She may have fallen in love with someone else."


    "It would be the best, and I should be d for it. That poor guy should fix her!" Although Rain said so,


    he didn''t feel relieved. Instead, he felt a little ufortable.


    "Annie is a good girl. Why don''t you like her?" Although she was a little capricious, she was beautiful!


    She was also very tough at times, but she was lively!


    "If you think so highly of her, why don''t you marry her?" Xia confronted Edward. He thought that


    Edward was talking big as it was none of his business.


    "She doesn''t like me. She only likes you! I can do nothing." Edward said firmly. He was a man of rank


    and wouldn''t waste his time on a little girl who was not interested in him.


    "If you want someone to go there, then you go yourself. Or you can send Aaron there. Just leave me


    alone." It was none of Aaron''s business, either!


    Edward shook his head, feeling helpless. What he said next almost exasperated Rain. "Well, remember


    it is you who choose to stay here. Don''te and ask for my help. It is said that next month the C


    Financial Group wille to S City for a joint venture and Annie will alsoe." Poor Rain. How did


    you feel now?


    Rain was so frightened that he had to support himself by the table. He almost burst out tears. He shot a


    cold nce at Mr. Mu. Damn it! How could Edward do that?


    Edward ignored him. At the moment, the phone rang. He picked up the phone.


    "Hello. What''s up, Duke?" This cool guy seldom called him.


    Duke looked at Lloyd Leng helplessly. ''Why don''t you call Edward and tell him you miss Justin? Why do


    you force me to do that for you?'' Duke thought.


    "Emm.... Nothing. Is Justin on summer vacation? Could you please send him here and apany my


    father for a few days?"


    "I can''t promise you. Maybe you can ask Justin." Edward answered. The little guy was clingy. He was


    not sure whether he would like to leave him and go there.


    "Well, l will go to your house and ask him myself! If he agrees, I will take him home immediately." If


    Lloyd Leng didn''t insist on seeing Justin, Duke wouldn''t do that.


    "Well, did Edward agree?" Once Duke hung up his phone, Lloyd Leng asked.


    Duke rolled his eyes, picked up the car keys and drove away. Receiving no reply, Lloyd got furious.


    "What is with all this attitude? What''s the result? Can you give me a grandson, if you can at all, ha?


    Don''t put on your poker face all day." Unfortunately, Duke did not say a word. He drove away soon.


    Lloyd Leng was too angry to say anything.


    Edward hung up the phone and saw that Rain was still there," Why are you still here?"


    Rain couldn''t control his anger. Why couldn''t he be here? Was he so unpopr? He took a deep


    breath, gnashed his teeth, looked at this inhuman man, and stormed out.


    Edward didn''t think he had offended Rain. He scratched his head with a puzzled look. Edward was


    sometimes not sensible.

 Chapter 18 Fall Down With Me

    Chapter 18 Fall Down With Me


    Rain Xia came back to her office in a fury and mmed the door violently, which shocked the beautiful


    secretaries. Their deputy director always grinned cheekily and rarely be so angry. It was amazing


    that their CEO could turn a tamed white mouse into an angry jaguar.


    Actually, Rain was not really angry with Edward. He panicked thinking about what was going to


    happen. And the damn subtle change he had just now made him unconsciously upset.


    It was clear to Rain what his identity was. He had a family he felt he did not belong to because he was


    such a shame there. After all, he was an illegitimate child in that family. How can a person like him


    whom nobody cares about have a warm home?


    Rain buried himself into the sofa with his head buried to his hands as his fair fingers touched his short


    hair. Instantly, the sunny man turned into a helpless boy.


    Because of inferiority, Rain would smile to cover up his own spiritual weakness. He did not dare love


    anyone, so he became a libertine who would not fall in love with anyone or let anyone love him. He


    didn''t dare give a promise because his mother was the best example who only got endless lies for the


    sake of one man''s promise and finally died in depression, leaving him live alone. Did he hate his


    mother? No, Rain didn''t hate her but was sad for her. Did he me her? No, he just thought it wasn''t


    worthwhile for her to sacrifice so much.


    For Rain, it was an ident to meet Annie An. She is a warm and sunny little princess, who had all the


    favor granted by God. She was very pure and simple. Although Annie was proud and unpredictable,


    she was kind and sunny enough to clearly shine on the darkness of his heart, but he took a back step


    for fearing that he would pollute her with his evil. Also, he was afraid that things won''t turn out well if he


    got used to the warmth.


    Rain grasped his hair annoyingly and threw all the old memories away. Anyway, he was very good now.


    He had left the rich and powerful family, leading a life he wanted with his own freedom.


    "What''s up? It seems beauties in R country had trapped your soul there, why do you look so


    dissatisfied?" Rain heard a familiar, yful voice that touched his heart.


    Rain looked up at the uninvited guy. It was Aaron Qiao. s! It seemed that he didn''t know anything


    about being polite so as to behave so rampantly.


    "What do you think? Do you want to be like one of those beauties? I am willing to satisfy you by doing


    that for you myself." Rain''s brute personality presented obviously when he rolled his star-like eyes.


    As they were almost at the same age, the two talked more casually with less sense of restraint.


    "Forget it! How can I dare topete with the beauties with this kind of look! Don''t tter me." He must


    be kidding. His family will kill him if he was a transgender as he was the only boy in his generation. And


    even a beauty from R Country could not be as beautiful as Rain and Edward!


    "Dear Aaron, I heard you were talking bad about the CEO! Do you think it is your turn to go to R


    Country next time?" Aaron''s face showed his emotions obviously so it was not hard to guess what he


    was thinking.


    "Er... Mr. Xia, you must have mistaken something. I remember I have something to deal with, you can


    continue what you were doing." Oh god! Does the man have the magic to read others'' minds? He just


    thought that and Rain guessed it. Oh, R Country, how could you be my Achilles'' heel? Why could


    anyone threaten him by mentioning R Country?


    Rain smiled with his hand on the forehead. It seemed that he could threaten Aaron using R Country


    later. Rain felt better after Aaron visited him. This guy was very funny and had always brought more


    happiness to him.


    Dear Aaron! You were not as shrewd as those people. Why didn''t you believe that? See? Sold yourself


    out again.


    "Why are you behaving so imprudently again?" Edward frowned and stared at the daredevil who had


    mmed into his arms.


    "Hahaha." Rainughed, not bothering to maintain his image. Dear Aaron! You are really so cute. How


    could you rush to the boss so quickly? Can''t you wait?


    Aaron was embarrassed. Was he between a rock and a hard ce now? How could things be so tragic


    today?


    Edward took Aaron to the side, walked in quickly and threw a piece of file to Rain.


    "It''s the material of C Financial Group. You should be familiar with it in advance." Just a few simple


    words changed Rain''s smiling face.


    "Why me? Can''t you find anyone else?" There was a sort of emotions brewing in Rain.


    "Because this was designated by them, or why do you think I called you back?" Edward Just looked at


    Rain without giving him the opportunity to escape. He knew what Rain had been escaping and what he


    was troubling with. But this time, Edward did not intend to let him escape again for it would only make


    things moreplex.


    "I need time to prepare, and this time, I am not going to escape." He knew that Edward''s intention was


    for his good. He couldn''t avoid it for a lifetime. Although he didn''t know if Annie would chase him


    forever, she still hasn''t let him go currently. Then, fine! In this case, he should go through it before


    knowing it was a blessing or a curse. As no one could give him the answer, he should just rise to the


    challenge!


    Edward patted Rain''s shoulder and then walked out. Suddenly, he stopped for a minute and said," Let''s


    go to Sexy World for a drink tonight."


    Aaron couldn''t help but think secretly at the side, ''Drink? Are you sure? Have you got your cute boy


    taken good care of yet?'' Aaron didn''t know that Edward had already received a phone call from Duke


    Leng who said that Justin has finally agreed to visit their home. Although Justin would only stay for one


    night, Duke could finally satisfy his father.


    The night in each city has its side of the game, and S City is no exception, especially for some casinos.


    In an elegant box, the light revealed the subtle darkness. Edward gently sipped the wine, letting the


    women titite him. His mouth slightly raised, and his fingertips unconsciously flicked the ss of wine


    with a tiny click. And he just squinted at the man and woman in front of him kissing passionately.


    Feeling Edward''s losing his own thoughts, the woman in his arms worked harder to tease every inch of


    his skin. Edward''s shirt had been unbuttoned slightly, revealing a charming corbone, which made him


    more intoxicating. The woman''s sexy red lips kissed along his body but were pushed away whenever it


    came to reach his lips. He never let women kiss his lips which were kept as his purend no matter


    how passionate the moment he was in.


    The woman remembered Edward''s taboo and turned to bite his earlobe. This action made Edward


    cover her chest with one hand and squeeze it hard, inciting the woman''s low moan. The woman''s little


    hand moved even more unscrupulously and touched all the way down. With the temperature between


    them getting higher and higher, Edward suddenly looked at his mobile phone on the desk and thought


    ''should it ring as usual at this time?'' Why was it so quiet tonight? Had the little guy forgotten his original


    intention?


    Thinking of that, Edward couldn''t help but gently hold and stop the small hands that were teasing his


    body. Edward felt that he had almost changed his characteristics. When had he given up half-way


    having sex with a beauty? However, this kind of thing often happened after Justin showed up. Would


    this leave him any psychological impact in the future?


    Edward nced at the men and women who were bing increasingly passionate. He knew that


    Rain was venting his emotions. There was something Edward didn''t want to say clearly to Rain


    because he knew that if Rain would not let himself go, then no one could help him. There was


    something which Rain had to discover and face himself. What Edward could do was to drink with him.


    Tonight, Rain was really irritating. Without his usual hippy smile, Rain was rude to the beauty in his


    arms that night, which scared the woman who leaned on him. Rain acted so strange to her and even


    made her want to escape as if she would fall down into hell with him the next moment.


    As if knowing what the woman was thinking, Edward finally made a sound hoarsely, which was more


    enchanting in such a passionate moment.


    "Okay, stop, Rain. You have frightened the little girl. A beautiful woman needs care not scare." It turned


    out that this guy was not as harmless as what he looks!


    Rain let the woman go and drank the bottle of wine on the table fiercely. He knew he did not behave


    himself tonight.


    Edward waved to ask the beauties to leave," Rain, if you really don''t want to do the partnership deal,


    don''t force yourself. I can ask someone else to take charge of it or give it up at worst." Edward was not


    willing to force Rain, and he was more reluctant to see him indulge himself," Don''t worry, I can handle


    it. As for Annie, I should face her anyway." Who was he? A famous yboy. How could he be afraid of


    a woman? ''Annie, since you are eager to enter my world, then you must be prepared to be destroyed.


    You have lost the chance to go away, then just fall down with me!'' He thought.


    "Okay, it''s good that you finally figure it out. It''ste, let''s go back!" Edward was pulled by Rain as he


    was about to leave.


    "Boss, are you okay? The night is still early! You just came here again, shouldn''t you look for one or


    two girls to have some fun with tonight? Or are you going to find Miss Lin?" Rain asked so because he


    didn''t know what had happened between Edward and Jessica.


    "I have broken up with her. Don''t mention her again." Edward''s words shocked Rain a lot. Seriously?


    How long had he left for business? Why had everything changed after he came back? Noticing that


    Edward had never discarded Jessica in the past years, Rain had thought she was someone special for


    Edward. Now it seemed that she was just one of the many girls! Although Rain himself also didn''t like


    that feigned woman, Edward''s change shocked him. And weren''t there any women other than Jessica?


    Why did Edward want no woman now?


    s! Mr. Rain, did he know he was working against Justin? He would get to pay if Justin knew that.


    Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "You really broke up with her? Why!" From Duke to Rain, it seemed that the men around Edward had


    the potential to be gossipers, who were very interested in poking their noses into his privacy.


    "Why do you have so many questions? Are you going to leave or not?" Edward became angry and was


    going to leave. ''Must I need a reason for discarding a woman?'' Undoubtedly, Edward was still so


    ruthless!


    "Go! Why not! But there must be a reason for you to break up with her!" Rain said as he caught up with


    Edward quickly.


    Rain got after Edward all the way out of the Sexy World as if he was going to hang on him, which made


    Luke twisted his mouth. Now he wondered if the newspaper of tomorrow would report that the reason


    why CEO Edward was not involved with women recently was that he fell in love with a man.

 Chapter 19 Shaming Each Other

    Chapter 19 Shaming Each Other


    Rain followed Edward all the way out of Sexy World. He was really going crazy. When did this guy


    be so obsessed with the root of the matter?


    "Hey! Isn''t that Mr. Mu? Since when did your sexual orientation change and became fond of the bottom


    one?" Their dispute was interrupted by a woman''s tenderughter. Edward knew at once who was


    laughing without even looking at her. The only woman who dared to challenge him was that damned


    woman, Belinda Shangguan.


    Luke''s mouth twitched harder this time. ''I knew it would be misunderstood. Haven''t it just happened?''


    "Miss Shangguan is really in the mood! It''s surprising that you can find me here. It seems that you are


    getting more and more obsessed with me." It was not Edward''s style not to fight back after being


    challenged.


    "Mr. Mu, your self-righteousness is really surprising. I have to work hard to keep up with you." ''Hmm!


    but I am really good at making fun of others too. And where has that damn Daisy gone? I tried to


    contact her when I returned. However, her cell phone seemed always turned off and could not be


    reached. Anyway, It''s so lucky to meet Edward so that I can vent my anger on him.'' Belinda thought.


    "In that case, there''s no need for us to wait any longer. Let''s do as you expected. Well, Miss


    Shangguan, where do you like it best, in the car, in the wild or by the sea?" Edward looked at her with a


    sly smile. He was sure that he could win this woman.


    Belinda was shocked! This man was bing more and more shameless. All the ces he suggested


    were well suited to having an affair.


    "It seems that you can have sex anywhere. Are you the beast''s brother? If not, why are you so alike?"


    How dauntless Belinda was! She was the devil killer. How could she be defeated by a few words?


    However, Rain who was standing on the other side became uneasy. He nced at Luke and asked him


    who the woman was. What a fearless woman! She dared to discuss the embarrassing topic with his


    boss in public. And when did his boss be so evil?


    Luke rolled his eyes. He was used to things like this. It would happen from time to time. Both of them


    were bing more and more shameless.


    "If you do not try me, how would you know whether I''m the beast''s brother or not? Or maybe you don''t


    have the guts." His smile broadened and his deep charming alluring eyes looked directly at her, which


    made Belinda shudder.


    "Mr. Mu, you must be kidding me! How could I not have the guts? It''s just that I''m not interested in the


    beast. Also, I won''t bother to have a try." ''Hmm! I must win a round. How could I make him be so


    pleased with himself?'' Belinda thought.


    Rain couldn''t help but burst intoughter. At the same time, he got a haughty look from Edward. He


    touched his own nose innocently with a dazzling smile. Edward wanted to p him on his face to see if


    he could smile any longer.


    "I just wonder if you, can be so slick when you are under me, Miss Shangguan? Or maybe, you are just


    preparing for the forey, so everything wille on itself. I really underestimate your dissoluteness,


    Miss Shangguan." Edward said cheekily. The three of them were all startled. They responded


    differently afterwards.


    Belinda blushed with shame. She opened her mouth but failed to utter a word. ''You are the one who is


    dissolute! Your whole family is dissolute! How can you use that word to describe me? Don''t impose


    your own shame on others!'' She thought angrily.


    Rain burst intoughter and thought ''Mr. Mu is really a beast. No wonder that woman kept on repeating


    the word. It seems that such boring days areing to an end. This woman is really hot.''


    Luke''s mouth twitched even harder. If there was the highest level of shamelessness, this was it!


    Edward ignored all of them and walked away. ''Why did that damn woman walk away first every time? It


    seemed as if I was disgusting. It was my turn to go first.'' However, a small figure passed him quickly


    and got on the car. She drove away as fast as she could.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    Edward was angry. That damn woman ran away in front of him once again. Who would calm down


    when listening to such shameless words? If she had not run away, she might have been surrounded


    and watched. She didn''t want to be that humiliated.


    Rainughed more loudly this time. He had not expected to see such a woman here. His boss'' true


    color was exposed. This woman was really tough. Few people could make his boss so crazy.


    "Is it that funny?" said Edward gloomily. It seemed that if he dared to give a positive answer, he would


    be beaten up at once.


    "Well! It''s not funny at all."


    ''Damn it! This guy is so insidious. Who knows what he will do to me if I say yes?'' Rain thought.


    "Since it''s not funny, why are you standing here and attracting other''s attention like an idiot?" Edward


    felt very angry at seeing passersby''s inquiring eyes.


    Rain curled his lip. ''Who would regard a handsome man like me as an idiot? Edward must be angry


    with shame!'' He still could not give up gossiping. He ran all the way to ask the answer he wanted to


    know most.


    "Mr. Mu, who is that woman? Your new target?"


    ''It is not surprising that Jessica was evicted out of the game. This woman is really special.''


    "She is the CEO of Yongsheng Group, Belinda Shangguan," Edward said sourly.


    "What? When did Yongsheng Group change their CEO? Why didn''t I know?"


    ''It seems that things changed a lot when he was absent.''


    "Now you know it. Remember to be careful when you work with herpany in the future. It is not


    easy to get along well with her." ''When did I offend that woman? Why was she so offensive to me?


    What she had done only proved that she is not interested in me. Is she ying cat and mouse with


    me?''


    "Is she that scary? I think she is only a little glib."


    ''Few women have made my boss so defensive, it seems that I needed to think about it.''


    "I don''t know if she is scared or not. I just know that every time I see her, all my hair stands up and I''m


    ready to fight. I don''t know why she has all these messy thoughts." Well, he had thought that Mr. Mu


    was really calm. So Belinda left just because Edward teased her every time.


    Rain remained silent. ''The two contended with each other and it didn''t matter me. Belinda''s opponent


    was Edward, not me.'' he thought.

 Chapter 20 Fruitless Love

    Chapter 20 Fruitless Love


    Edward drove all the way home as fast as he could. He walked to the children''s room as usual. He


    didn''t realize that Justin had gone away with Duke until he saw the empty room. It seemed that this


    habit was something frightening.


    He threw himself into the little bed and smelt the quilt which had the smell of milk. He couldn''t help


    smiling. When did he be so sensitive? When he turned over, he felt something hard under him. It


    turned out to be a tiny cell phone. Now he found the reason why Justin didn''t call him.


    He gently unlocked the cell phone screen, a magnified photo leaped to his eyes. In the photo was a


    woman in a military uniform. Her tiny lips were tightlypacted; her dark shining eyes looked cold;


    her two delicate eyebrows gently wrinkled and her tiny face was with deep sadness. Edward suddenly


    felt a prick in his heart. It was the first time that he had seen the little woman so clearly. She was so


    petite and beautiful.


    Then he started to browse the photos in the phone album. In almost all the pictures were Justin and his


    mom. The woman was always that cold. Only when she looked at Justin would she be warm and


    tender. Edward felt that there was something missing in the pictures. He was in serious thoughts until


    he finally saw a picture of three people. In this photograph, that woman was still looking cold while


    Justin was held by a handsome man, who was looking at the woman beside him with so much love. It


    seemed as if she was the only one he could see.


    Edward closed his eyes for a while. Finally he got to know what was missing in the preceding pictures.


    It turned out that a man was missing in the picture. But who was that handsome man in the other


    picture? Was Daisy in love with the handsome man in the picture? If yes, why didn''t shee and


    divorce him?


    He threw the cellphone away and he didn''t want to have too many feelings on the picture he had just


    seen. After all, he didn''t love that woman. If she loved someone else, why didn''t he mind letting her go?


    However, there was a small wave in his heart which he had not even noticed.


    The phone fell into the soft quilt. Edward stood up and was ready to leave. Suddenly, the cell phone


    vibrated. After thinking for a while, he picked it up and checked it.


    After he clicked the message button, a line of warm words showed on the screen," Justin, do you miss


    mommy? Mommy missed you so much. The training has ended ahead of schedule. Mommy wanted to


    call you, but it was toote, so I sent you this message instead. I need to finish some more work, then I


    can pick you up in a few days. Remember to be obedient, mommy will be back soon." There was not a


    single word that mentioned him in the message. It seemed that that woman ignored him thoroughly.


    In the meeting room of X army group of C City, Daisy frowned. There was not a trace of being exposed


    to the sun for a long time on her delicate face. Her nice fingers gently turned the pages of the


    evaluation reports. It didn''t indicate that the performance was bad, just not that good.


    "What'' wrong, Colonel Ouyang? Are you dissatisfied with the result?" The query made Daisy raise her


    head suddenly. She didn''t say anything before she could see clearly who was in front of her. "Oh! Hello,


    Mr. Gu." She deliberately ignored his question and greeted him.


    Kevin Gu picked up the papers in front of her. He nodded while checking the results. Atst, he put


    down the papers in front of her," They all performed well. With such a training result and your daily


    performance, you will be promoted for sure."


    "I don''t care whether I will be promoted or not. There are so many people who are more excellent than


    me. I just feel that it has not reached my expectations and it''s a little sad for me." In fact, Daisy also


    knew the real purpose of the training. However, there were a lot of elites who would also be evaluated


    and most of them had powerful backers. She didn''t have any backer at all and she relied on her own


    effort to reach her current position. She had tried her best and was too tired to strive for a higher one.


    "Daisy, don''t be so harsh on yourself. We all see how hard you worked." Kevin Gu pitied Daisy very


    much. He had never seen her rtives or friends except Justin. As to Justin''s father, there were many


    versions of the rumor, but he knew none of them was true.


    Four years ago he had been transferred to his current army. At first, he thought she was some high-


    ranking official''s daughter, because she had achieved so great at such a young age and lived alone


    with a boy. He looked down on those who relied on their backers. Although he was from a high-ranking


    official''s family, he relied on himself to get his current position. So he despised Daisy at the very


    beginning.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    When they became familiar with each other, he found that she was really excellent and she didn''t have


    the backer. She did well in each task and her professionalism and tenacity were beyond any men. She


    had always been cold from the deep bottom of her heart. He had always been curious why she was so


    cold and who hurt her. Slowly, he was deeply attracted to her. He didn''t know if it was because of his


    pity on her or because he admired her hard work and effort.


    "Forget about it. Don''t talk about me any longer. Mr. Gu, you will win the honor of major general this


    time." Daisy knew that the background of Kevin was not simple, but she didn''t like to explore others''


    private affairs because of her cold natural disposition. It was just her guess.


    "It''s hard to say. As you just said, there were so many elites this time. I don''t have too much hope."


    Actually, Kevin was handsome and because he was from a well-off family, he had an aristocratic


    temperament. His beauty was different from Edward''s. Edward was enchanting and charming while


    Kevin was distinguished with a heroic spirit.


    "I think if you cannot be promoted this time, there is little hope for others too." She had always thought


    that Kevin was good and he didn''t get the arrogance as most second-generation officials.


    "Do you really think so? Actually, I don''t really value this promotion, either. It''s good to be promoted and


    it''s good to stay in the same position, too." At least, he could stay here with her. If he seeded in


    being promoted to the major general, he must be transferred back to B City. He didn''t want to go back.


    There was no woman called Daisy Ouyang there.


    "Don''t I know your capability? Just rest assured. It is pretty solid." She always unconsciously rxed in


    front of Kevin, so her tone was casual.


    Kevin nced at her with no expression on his face, but he feltplicated, ''Daisy, why do you want


    me to be promoted that much? Won''t you feel upset about my leaving after so many years of


    companionship? Couldn''t you really feel my love?'' Thinking of this, he became angry.


    "It is not what I want!" He left the meeting room before Daisy could react.


    The night wind blew across the corner of his coat and at the same time brought about his sadness.


    He knew that he shouldn''t have been like this, but he couldn''t help bursting into anger. He knew his


    father''s opinions well. If he went back this time, he would be asked to go on a blind date. After all, he


    was not young, but he could not let go of the love in his heart, but he also knew that it was a fruitless


    love.


    Although Daisy had never mentioned her husband, he knew that there was such a man. Her constant


    self-reflection and asional slight smile showed that that man must have a very important ce in


    her heart.


    If he had not been a soldier, he would have pulled her under his wings. He wished to be her support


    when she felt tired and he wished to be the one she loved. But it was just his own wish.


    Daisy was puzzled by the sudden leaving of Kevin. Did she say something wrong? Why was he so


    angry?

 Chapter 21 Hiding A Woman

    Chapter 21 Hiding A Woman


    Early in the morning, FX International Group was in a busy state. Not long after he entered the office,


    he heard a gentle knock on the door.


    "Come in."


    "Boss, good morning! This is your schedule for today." Anna gave the well-arranged work schedule to


    him.


    "Is there anything special?" Edward read it for a while. It was his daily work.


    "Yes, the CEO of Ouyang Foreign Trade has an appointment with you, but we have no business


    rtionship with them." Thispany was very strange. Why did they suddenly want to meet with their


    boss?


    "Since we don''t have a business rtionship, then refuse them." He did not want to waste his time on


    such useless things.


    "Alright, I''ll do it." Anna was always calm, and it was hard to find too much emotion on her face.


    "Do it now!" He browsed the schedule again, and suddenly remembered that Ouyang Foreign Trade


    was thepany of Daisy''s father. They had never seen each other for so many years. Why did both


    of theme to him recently?


    "Wait, Anna. When is the appointment with them?" Okay! Since he was his nominal father-inw,


    whatever his purpose was, he must have a meet with him.


    "7 p.m. at Mochan Restaurant." Anna looked at him doubtfully. Her boss was strange today. But she did


    not ask the reason.


    "I see. Tell them I''ll be there on time." What does Leo Ouyang want to do? Would hee to me his


    attitude towards his daughter? They had been married for so many years. Why did hee at this


    moment? Or was it the recent foreign economic crisis that had affected his foreign trade. Maybe his


    sudden visit should have something to do with it.


    He would never waste his mind on anything he could not guess. So he picked up the documents in


    front of him. All the answers would be revealed tonight. It was better to do more work than to wrestle


    with the issue.


    Duke''s car was as cool as himself. The shiny ck body of the car was even more awe-inspiring in the


    sunlight. Justin wondered how could he be a good friend with Edward. Did they feel weird when they


    yed together?


    "Uncle Duke, could you send me to Daddy''spany? I''ll go back home with himter." He needed to


    check whether he was with a beauty or not.


    "Should we make a phone call first? I''m afraid your father won''t be there." Duke turned around and


    looked at him. His father liked this little boy very much. They had so many topics to talk about. He was


    very jealous of him.


    "No, I can wait for him in the office if he is not there." It would not be a raid if they called him firstly.


    "Okay! As you wish." He turned to another direction after saying that.


    "Uncle Duke, are there many people who owe you money?" Justin asked with his head tilted slightly


    and wondered why Duke always kept a poker face.


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    "Of course not! Why do you ask?" Duke nced, sideways, at him and kept driving with concentration.


    "If not, why do you always keep a poker face? It seems that someone owes you a lot of money." The


    world of adults was so strange.


    Duke stepped on the brake and the car hopped lightly when he heard what Justin said. Justin bent


    forward suddenly. Fortunately, Duke reached out with one hand and pulled him in time. Otherwise, he


    would be med by Edward if Justin got hurt.


    "Uncle Duke, you gonna murder me! Just for my question? I didn''t ask it on purpose. You want to kill


    me for this? I was so scared." Justin patted his chest, andined to Duke.


    Duke was embarrassed. ''It should be me who was first scared by your remarks.'' His words shocked


    him. So he suddenly applied the brakes. Even murder charges had been put on him now. This little boy


    was really difficult to deal with! Kids were horrible now! It was no wonder that Edward had be a lot


    quiet now, since there was a "wolf child" at home!


    "Sorry. I''ll watch out and be careful next time." Duke would love to correct his mistakes. He was proud


    of this character.


    They arrived at FX International Group soon. When he was about to get off the car, he got an urgent


    call from thepany. He looked at Justin with embarrassment and then looked at his watch.


    "Uncle Duke, if you have something urgent, you can go first. I can go upstairs by myself, and besides,


    it''s not my first time here, so you don''t have to worry about me." Justin was a master of observation.


    Although he was young, he knew a lot.


    "Really? I can call your father and ask him toe down and pick you up." Duke worried about him,


    but business in thepany was really urgent.


    "No, Uncle Duke. Bye-bye, I will go upstairs now." Justin got out of the car and ran into FX International


    Group.


    Duke drove off after seeing Justin went into the building. Then he called Edward.


    "Hello. Duke, what''s up?"


    "Are you in the office? I sent Justin to yourpany. But I have something urgent to deal with. He went


    upstairs by himself. Let someone pick him up."


    "Well, I am here. I''ll let someone pick him up." Ignoring the crowd of executives waiting for him to


    speak, Edward waved at Aaron.


    With a puzzled face, Aaron leaned to him and listened to his whisper, then left the meeting room. What


    the hell was going on? Rain was puzzled. He looked at Edward and wanted to get some hint, but


    Edward didn''t look at him at all. "Go on," Edward ordered. His curiosity was decreased by Edward''s


    attitude and he got really angry, but couldn''t say a word during the meeting.


    When Aaron just walked out of the meeting room, he saw little Justin went out of the elevator jumping.


    He couldn''t help smiling. Justin was so clever! His boss needn''t worry about him. Justin didn''t need


    other''s help! He could take good care of himself!


    "Uncle Aaron, where''s my daddy?" He trotted all the way into Aaron''s arms.


    "He was in a meeting. It may be a while before it ends. Will you go in and wait or would you rather wait


    in my office?" Aaron pinched his pink face lovingly.


    "Don''t you need to participate in the meeting?"


    "I should have to, but since you are here, I don''t need to now." Rare benefit!


    "Then uncle Aaron, I''ll go to your office!" At least it would be better than being alone. He smiled


    sweetly, which was so different from his cool expression before. The environment can really alter a


    person''s mood.


    "Don''t you think about it again?" He still remembered thestputer incident. He wouldn''t me him


    again, would he?


    "Uncle Aaron, look at that nervous look on your face. Are you hiding someone in your office?" Justin


    looked at him with a sly expression.


    "Who says I am hiding a woman in my office?" Aaron defended himself immediately.


    "I didn''t say you had hidden a woman. You said it by yourself." Gosh! Sometimes it was really fun to


    tease Aaron.


    Aaron wanted to p himself. How could he be so stupid! ''Haha.... Aaron, you are really funny! And


    you are a typical fool! You can''t take advantage of those two evils in the conference room. Now you are


    even teased by a child. Don''t you feel ashamed of yourself?''

 Chapter 22 Justin Has A Fever

    Chapter 22 Justin Has A Fever


    As soon as the meeting was over, Rain came towards Edward and started to gossip. He was in a


    casual suit today and he wore a pink and purple stud earring, which matched the color scheme of his


    suit and made him more eye-catching. Now he was looking tteringly at Edward. He really looked like


    the bottom one with that charming face.


    "What did you ask Aaron to do, Mr. Mu?" He asked and ogled at Edward.


    Edward nced at him disdainfully with his fine lipspacted. He picked up the documents and left.


    Edward wondered when Rain became such ackey. He even tried to ogle at him, but unluckily he was


    Edward, who was so charming himself that he would not be possibly seduced by anyone else.


    "My dear elder brother, Boss, Mr. Mu, Beautiful Mu, could you please just tell me?" He followed him all


    the way out without any fear. Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in the nose. It turned out that he hit his nose


    hard on Edward''s back, when Edward stopped unexpectedly.


    "Damn you, Rain!" Edward turned his head abruptly and red coldly at him.


    Rain shrunk his neck. ''Damn it! Have I offended him? I should stop talking immediately. He was born


    beautiful. Why doesn''t he let others talk about it? If he were a gay, he should be the bottom one. I just


    cannot imagine what he will be like when he is under somebody else.''


    "You''d better stop thinking the dirty thoughts now." Edward''s gloomy voice suddenly sounded near his


    ear, Rain retreated a few steps out of fear. Was this guy a ghost? When did hee so close? Was he


    trying to tempt him? His sexual orientation was normal and he had no interest in him at all.


    "Do you want me to make your messy thoughtse true?" Edward''s voice became colder. It made


    Rain want to escape at once. The guy knew exactly what he was thinking. When did Edward learn


    mind reading?


    "I''m not thinking of anything. You have thought too much yourself, boss." Uttering these words, Rain


    gave up gossiping and ran away at once. Hey! He was just like Belinda who dared to challenge Edward


    but could not bear the consequences. Both of them were good at running away.


    Rain''s wretched expression had already betrayed him. How could he deceive Edward?


    Rain trotted away, but he did not go to his own office. Instead, he went straight to Aaron''s. He could not


    find the answer from Edward. Wasn''t it easier for him to get the answer from Aaron?


    Aaron was so innocent. He was always the one to be bullied.


    The office door burst open while Aaron was drinking coffee. He was frightened by the loud sound and


    the coffee had split all over him. He red at the man who had juste in. He was so angry that he


    wanted to kill Rain. The door was used to be knocked on instead of being hit. It seemed that Aaron had


    forgotten what good manners were.


    "Rain, you''d better give me a good reason which will save your life. If not, you''d better disappear from


    my office at once." It was rare to see a gentleman like Aaron became so furious. As he wiped up the


    coffee stains on his clothes, he red at the man who was to me.


    Seeing how hapless Aaron was, Rain must haveughed out as before. But now he wanted to cry


    instead. Why was his luck so bad today? He first pissed off his boss and then offended Aaron. Aaron


    was so angry that he wouldn''t tell him the answer. Could it be true that the evils we bring on ourselves


    are the hardest to bear?


    "Hey! Aaron, I didn''t know that you were drinking coffee, did I? Besides, Why did you pour your coffee


    on yourself? If you want to take a shower, you should first walk into the bathroom and then take off your


    clothes." Before he could finish his words, a folder was flying towards him and he dodged out of the


    way at once.


    "Oh, God! Are you serious? Do you want to kill me?" Rain pretended that he was scared and he patted


    on his own chest. He challenged Aaron again without any fear. Aaron''s face became darker and his


    eyes became colder.


    "Rain, do you want to roll out by yourself or not? I don''t mind carrying you out." The wet clothes stuck


    to his body, made him feel very ufortable. He really wanted to go into the bathroom and take a


    shower. However, that guy kept on talking with ame apology.


    "I''ll walk out instead of rolling out. I don''t know how to roll out. If you can set me an example, maybe I


    will think it twice." It was not a good start, he should have stopped for the moment. When Aaron was


    calm, he woulde back again. He was sure that he would get the answer he wanted. So before the


    next folder was thrown to him, Rain quickly dodged out of the door. Then he heard the sound of


    something falling on the ground. ''Damn it. He was really mad.''


    Edward walked into his office. He looked around and did not find that little guy. He frowned and thought


    that he may be with Aaron. He walked up to his desk and sat down. When he found that little guy


    sleeping on the sofa, he smiled. He must have been waiting for a long time. It took him a rtively long


    time to have the meeting today.


    He picked up his coat and walked quietly up to his son. He looked at his son dotingly and covered him


    gently with his coat. He smoothed away a wisp of hair from the little guy''s forehead and found that his


    hair was a little longer. It had been almost three months since he came here. It was time to have his


    hair cut.


    He caressed his little pink face. Noticing the unusual red on his face, he put his hand on Justin''s


    forehead at once. Damn it. It was so hot. It seemed that he had gotten a fever. No wonder his face was


    so red.


    Edward was in a great panic. He had never experienced anything like this before. The little guy had


    always been in a good health since he came here. Edward was frightened by his illness. He held Justin


    in his arms and rushed out.


    "Anna, Anna, call Luke and ask him to get the car ready." Edward''s voice was full of tension. His


    shouting also attracted the attention of Rain who had just escaped from Aaron''s office. He walked up to


    him quickly and asked what had happened. But when he saw the little guy in Edward''s arms, he was


    stunned.


    "Rain, go down and get the car ready. Justin has a fever." Edward was a little distracted. The little guy


    in his arms was so scorching hot that he felt that he was almost burned. So when he saw Rain, he


    asked him to get his car ready at once.


    "OK! I''ll be right there." With these words, Rain ran downstairs at once. Although he was very gossipy


    and he wanted to know who that little guy was, he could tell that it was not the right time to ask.


    Rain hadn''t parked his car into the underground parking lot today, so when Edward and Justin came


    downstairs, he had already started the car waiting for them at the doorway. He drove as fast as he


    could and nced at Edward in the rearview mirror from time to time. Seldom did he see his boss in


    such a nervous state. It seemed that this little guy was of great importance to his boss. He didn''t have


    the chance to see Justin''s face clearly, so he didn''t know how much Justin resembled Edward.


    They soon arrived at the hospital. After having a series of tests and the antipyretic injection, Justin was


    put on a drip soon. Edward''s face, which had been in a state of tension, finally rxed a little.


    Edward asked for a VIP room. As soon as the doctor left, the room suddenly became very quiet. Rain


    went to go through the formalities. And now all could Edward hear was his own fast and irregr


    heartbeat.


    Edward walked to the bed and sat near his son. He gently held Justin''s hand which was not put on a


    drip. He didn''t know what other fathers felt when their children were ill. He was scared. Yes, scared.


    Edward had never felt this scared, even when he was facing an assassination attempt. But now he was


    scared only because his son got a fever.


    He bent down and kissed the little boy gently on his forehead. The little boy''s forehead was still a little


    hot and he hadn''t thoroughly recovered from the fever yet.


    "Mr. Mu, the formalities have beenpleted." Rain walked in and spoke softly. In the meantime, he


    stared at Justin''s little face hesitantly.


    "Ask whatever you want to." Edward knew that Rain had been curious for a long time.


    "Mr. Mu, whose child is this? Rain looked at Edward and then Justin. He felt that he almost got the


    answer.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    "He is my son, Justin Mu." With these words, he turned to look at Rain.


    "What? Your son? Why didn''t I know?" Although he guessed the answer when he saw Justin''s face, he


    was still stunned on hearing Edward''s words.


    "It''s notte for you to know now." Why did everyone react violently when they knew that he had a son?


    "But, when did you have a son at this age? Where is his mother? Who is she?" Rain began to gossip


    again. He was just as gossipy as Duke.


    "My wife." Edward gave him the same answer as he had given Duke, which stunned Rain too.


    "Boss, I''m already very surprised that you have a son. How could you have a wife? Are you kidding


    me? When did you get married?" Everything was in a mess. It seemed that a lot of changes had taken


    ce during his business trip.


    "Six years ago." His words became more and more concise. No wonder that Rain knew nothing about


    it. He hadn''t graduated from school when Edward was married.

 Chapter 23 You Are A Miracle

    Chapter 23 You Are A Miracle


    "No way! You got married six years ago. Why didn''t I ever meet your wife?" It turned out that one of the


    best bachelors was not single already at an earlier time. Beauties who came for him like moths to a


    me were worthless! However, it was not their fault for being ignorant. People close to him like Rain


    only knew it today.


    "I have just met her twice. It''s normal for you not to meet her." It was unsure if he could recognize her


    on the street.


    "Er! Man, you are a miracle. You two only met each other twice but have a big boy already." It seemed


    that he would not be surprised again if Edward told him more astonishing stories after a series of


    blows.


    Edward gave him a stare when Aaron hurriedly walked in. His face was covered with thin sweat.


    "Mr. Mu, what''s wrong with Justin?" He rushed over when he heard from Anna that Justin was ill.


    "Nothing serious, just a fever caused by the cold." It might be that the temperature of the air conditioner


    was a bit low and he was not covered with a quilt. And that''s why he caught a cold.


    "Sorry, he said he was back to your office so I didn''t stop him. It''s my fault for forgetting to take a look at


    him." Aaron was very annoyed. Why didn''t he think about it? Things went worse now.


    "It''s not your fault. I have an appointment tonight. You two stay here and help me look at my little boy! I


    wille back as soon as I finish it." Edward had nned to ask Anna to appoint another time with


    Leo because Justin was still with fever and he worried about him. But Leo was his nominal father-inw


    and it was not good to postpone it. So he asked them to take care of Justin. He was also curious about


    what Leo Ouyang was going to talk with him about.


    "You may rest assured we will look after him." Aaron was still feeling guilty now! He felt that It was his


    fault to make Justin suffer.


    "Mommy, it hurts! Mommy..." A small voice softly cried, grabbing the attention of everybody. They


    looked at the small figure on the bed and Edward held his delicate hand again.


    "Justin, daddy is here. Where does it hurt, Justin?" Edward said in an anxious voice.


    "Mommy, I miss you. Mommy, my head hurts." Justin muttered these words deliriously, making Edward


    panic.


    "Rain, call the doctor. Hurry up!" What kind of hospital was this! .Why didn''t Justin get better after the


    injection! s! Edward, it was not a miracle cure! It wouldn''t take effect immediately.


    Rain quickly pulled the doctor over. It was not difficult to see how worried Rain was from the doctor''s


    messy clothes.


    "Doctor. Why does he still feel hurt? Is there any other problem not checked out?" Edward''s voice was


    shaking. How he wish he could take the pain for him!


    The doctor quickly checked Justin and soon got the result. "Mr. Mu, your boy has no other problems.


    The pain is caused by high fever. I''ll ask the nurse to send two ice packs over. Put the ice packs on his


    head and it will make him feel better." The doctor said cautiously because the man in front of him


    commanded a powerful presence.


    "Why didn''t you just say it just now if this was a good method?" Rain spit out in a cold voice, his eyes


    smouldering with anger. The doctor was so scared that he wanted to run away. How he wish he was


    not on duty today!


    "Go get it!" Edward was more gentlepared to him.


    "Okay! I''ll do it right away." Speaking of it, he quickly turned away, afraid that he would be killed by the


    eyes of the beautiful guy the next second. If Rain knew the doctor''s thoughts, the doctor would never


    get out of the room, because he hated to hear people say he was beautiful.


    The ice packs were quickly sent over. The nurse told them how to use it, blushing. She sneaked at the


    men who looked distinguished in front of her from time to time, and two of them were so beautiful.


    "Mommy, mommy." The sudden coldness of the ice pack on his forehead made Justin frown slightly,


    and his unconscious words spilled out again from his red lips caused by fever.


    "Edward, Justin has been calling his mommy all the time. Why don''t you ask her toe over?" Seeing


    Justin, Rain couldn''t help but feel the same. He used to miss his mother every time he was sick, but


    she never appeared at all, so he hoped that Justin can see his mommy.


    "His mommy isn''t in S City," Edward said tly. ording to the text messagest night, that woman


    would be back in a few days!


    "What! Where is she? Abroad?" Rain was surprised.


    "I don''t know where she is either!" He really had no idea. He had asked Justin, but he said that he


    didn''t know cuz Mommy never told him about her work. Sometimes her work needed to be kept


    confidential.


    "What? No way! You don''t know where your wife is, how can you be a husband?" Rain really didn''t


    understand this couple. They had just met twice in their six-year marriage, but they had such a big boy.


    And now he didn''t know where the other person was.


    "Should I know?" Edward never bothered to think about those who he didn''t care. This time, because of


    his son, his curiosity about that woman was a little beyond his consideration.


    "Er! Shouldn''t you know?" Rain was confused.


    "Aren''t you too curious?" Edward was on the edge of anger. How could he hold on to this topic?


    Compared with Aaron who was quiet, Rain was too noisy.


    Actually, Aaron also wanted to know the reason. He was carefully listening to their conversation. He


    was a little disappointed when his boss stopped talking about his wife.


    Seeing Edward like this, Rain knew he didn''t want to continue this topic, therefore he stopped


    speaking, but looking at Edward with a sad expression.


    Edward took away the ice pack on Justin''s forehead and touched it with his hand. He gently breathed a


    sigh of relief. Finally, it was not so hot. Maybe the medicine also worked!


    At this moment, Justin''s eyshes quivered, and then his eyes opened slightly. Seeing this, Edward


    smiled, with his deep eyes full of tenderness.


    "My boy, how do you feel now? Do you still have a headache?" He touched Justin''s forehead with his


    hand again. The fever was relieved.


    "Daddy, what happened to me? Why am I here? And why do I ache all over?" Justin''s voice was soft


    and hoarse.


    "You have a fever and you are in the hospital. You freaked me out, my son." He hoped that his little boy


    would never get sick and always be healthy.


    "Sorry daddy. I didn''t mean to scare you. I used to have a fever, and mommy would give me medicine.


    It''s alright." Justin said in a soft voice. He was too sensible for a child at his age.This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Hearing his words, Edward spaced out a little. If Justin used to have a fever, how did that woman get


    through this? Was she as scared as he was?


    "Hi! Boy, you are awake finally." Rain, not willing to be neglected, stepped up, but in return, Justin gave


    him a small sigh.


    "s! I must be dazed with fever. Why do I see adyboy?" Saying that, he winked his eyes with


    uncertainty.


    Aaron burst outughing. He felt joyful now. His mouth was wide open. Everyone could tell how happy


    he was. ''Rain Xia, now do you believe that you look like adyboy?'' he thought.


    Rain stunned. He opened his mouth but didn''t say anything. Even Edward also twitched his mouth


    slightly. He looked at Justin lovingly. Justin was right. Rain did look like adyboy.


    "Justin, my cute boy! How did I offend you that you diss me like this?" Rain felt like weeping but had no


    tears. Why did he always hurt!


    "Sorry. I don''t likedyboys so it''s not only for you." Although Justin was still weak, he would like to


    tease him when it came to the topic of his interest.


    Edward was speechless. He was included too ording to Justin''s words. Why was he aimed at? Rain


    felt happy this time because he was not the onlydyboy! Edward was one of them too!


    "Justin, you are so cute." He kissed Justin on the cheek. Rain deserved a good spanking!


    Justin looked at his daddy with a grimace, hoping that he could help him wipe the saliva of thisdyboy


    left on his face. But Edward pretended not to see it. He knew that Justin was afraid of being kissed by


    others. To put it bluntly, he was a neat freak, ha! Who made you tease me! I won''t help you this time!


    Edward, you were an adult, no need to fuss with him. Besides, he was your child! Didn''t you feel


    ashamed?

 Chapter 24 We Will See

    Chapter 24 We Will See


    Edward was a man of wealth and status. He was supposed to meet Leo Ouyang at Mochan Restaurant


    at 7, but he arrived at 7:15. He never felt the need to arrive early, and no one ever challenged him over


    his penchant for tardiness.


    The waiter ushered Edward to the room booked by Leo Ouyang and knocked on the door.


    A deep voice came from within. "Come in." Edward entered the room, and his eyes were drawn to Leo


    Ouyang''s smile.


    "Boss Mu! Nice to meet you." Leo said. "Please..e in." Leo stood up as Edward approached. His


    behavior confused Edward. Why did his father-inw call him "Boss Mu?" Why so formal?


    Edward decided to y along, also adopting a formal tone. "Mr. Ouyang. It''s been too long. Sorry, I''m


    late."


    "It''s alright. I know you are very busy. I''m so d you could find the time to be here." Leo''s voice was


    unctuous, his smile too big by half. Edward regarded his father-inw. Leo''s daughter, Daisy, was truly


    a beautiful woman, and Edward could see where she got her looks.


    "Nothing is more important than our rtionship, sir," Edward replied. He could be tactful too, though


    his suspicion was raised. Something was definitely not right.


    "Edward! d to see you." a sweet voice rang out. Edward looked around for the source of the voice.


    He found it: a pretty woman, sitting at a table.


    "Mr. Ouyang, who is she?" She seemed familiar, and she knew who he was. But who was she? Edward


    was at a loss.


    "Oh, This is my daughter. Edward, meet Mary." Leo''s hands moved, indicating who was who.


    "Mary...Edward. She just returned from abroad but she can''t wait to see you. That''s why I arranged this


    little soir¨¦e." Leo Ouyang said with a smile. That smile again. The I-want-something-from-you smile.


    Edward was more than a little confused. And suspicious. There''s more to this meeting than just a social


    asion, he thought. And why didn''t the old man invite Daisy? Surely Mary would like to see her sister.


    "Oh. Please forgive me. I didn''t know that she was your daughter." Remembering his manners, he


    looked at Mary and said," Nice to meet you." Although questions were written on his face, he still


    remained polite.


    "Boss Mu, that''s very kind of you. Let''s have dinner." Leo waited for his daughter to sit, and then took a


    chair. Leo Ouyang was a shrewd man. He worked many years inmercial circles, and was quite


    sessful. ''He wants something.'' Edward thought. ''But what?''


    "Edward, sit here please." Mary indicated the chair next to her.


    Edward sat and said," Thank you." He still thought formality might be wise. He smiled and said," Far be


    it for me to refuse a beautiful woman."


    "You''re wee." Mary blushed a little. Mary was infatuated with Edward, and had been since they


    first met. But Edward''s grandfather insisted that only Leo Ouyang''s flesh and blood daughter could


    marry Edward. Mary was his stepdaughter, and therefore not eligible. So he got Daisy. But Mary had


    heard that Edward wasn''t in love with Daisy at all, so she returned from abroad. She was going to get


    as close to him as possible. ''Daisy, you lost!'' she thought. ''He''s mine.'' And a sweetly mischievous smile


    crept across her face.


    She knew Daisy wouldn''t take this lying down. ''We''ll see, Daisy.'' she thought to herself. ''We''ll see...''


    Edward quietly took in his surroundings.This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Boss Mu. I know your business is thriving. I am hoping you could teach Mary some business skills in


    your spare time." Leo said humbly. ''Daisy would be incensed if she heard this.'' Edward thought. Daisy''s


    father loved his stepdaughter more than his own kin. He would do everything for Mary, including


    debasing himself.


    "Mr. Ouyang, don''t be humble. You''re a sessful businessman. I''m only a journeyman. There''s a lot I


    could learn from you." Edward politely replied. It was crazy. Leo didn''te for business, but for his


    stepdaughter instead of his biological daughter.


    "Boss Mu, I''m getting old. I can''t keep up with young people anymore. You''re still young, and might be


    able to talk to Mary more easily."


    "Well, sir, how about a toast first?" Edward said. Leo Ouyang smiled brightly.


    "Cheers, Edward!" Mary was getting annoyed. ''Doesn''t he like me?'' she thought. ''I am neither


    underdressed nor overdressed today. Why is he paying so much attention to Dad?''


    Her reverie was broken by Edward''s perfect pitch. "Ms. Ouyang...Cheers." Edward clinked his ss


    with hers and drank the wine with a gorgeous smile.


    Mary seemed older than Daisy, more mature. She must be Daisy''s elder sister. She made such


    strenuous efforts to get close to Edward, but why? Jealousy. She was jealous of Daisy. She wanted to


    rece her sister as Edward''s wife.


    Although people tagged him as a yboy, Edward would not stray. He was a man of principle. He knew


    it was not appropriate to be with his wife''s sister. Edward grew up abroad, and knew nothing about


    Daisy''s family. He didn''t know Mary was not Leo Ouyang''s biological daughter, nor how his wife had


    suffered growing up.


    Mary was spellbound by the handsome man sitting next to her. She wanted him, so much. So much!


    But Edward showed little interest.


    "Edward, Can I work at yourpany? I''m not real business-savvy, but Dad wants me to manage his


    company. I hope I can learn from you." said Mary in a timid whisper. She looked at Edward and


    imagined kissing his sexy lips.


    Edward noticed her zing expression but he ignored it. His mouth became firm, his visage stern.


    "Miss Ouyang, I''m sorry. I can''t evene close to your profits. Not only that, we''re in different


    industries. I don''t think I can do this." Edward said. His finger tapped the table. His finger kept tapping


    the table. This movement indicated that he had grown impatient.


    "You''ll find I''m an eager student." Mary Ouyang insisted. Six years ago, he slipped through her fingers.


    She wouldn''t let this happen again. ''This is my one chance to get close to him.'' she thought.


    "Well, in that case, how can I say no? Wee to mypany." Edward''s words were careful,


    measured. ''But, '' heined silently, ''this won''t be easy. This woman doesn''t even know herself.''

 Chapter 25 Who Is Justin

    Chapter 25 Who Is Justin


    "Thank you for the opportunity, Edward. I''ll study hard." Mary was beaming with pride. She could get


    anything she wanted.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    "Well, then I''ll go first. Justin is still in the hospital." Then he stood up.


    "Who''s Justin?" Leo asked curiously. ''Am I supposed to know Justin? Why does he mention that


    name?'' he wondered.


    "You don''t remember Justin?" Edward couldn''t believe his ears. It felt like he''d been pped. Leo didn''t


    remember Justin! How did the man not remember his own grandson? Leo''s confusion stunned Edward.


    "No, I don''t. Is it someone I should know?" Leo was more confused. Mary looked at Edward with a


    puzzled expression as well. It was like he said something they couldn''t understand.


    Was there something wrong? Leo never mentioned Daisy at all. He thought it was because Leo knew


    Daisy was off at training, so he didn''t mention it. But it seemed different now. Leo should at least know


    basic things. Edward felt like things were spiraling out of control.


    Edward tried his best to recover. "Got you!" he said. "I was joking." Since the old man seemed


    genuinely confused, Edward had to figure out why. But now was not the time to get into it.


    Initially caught off guard, Leo visibly rxed. "I wondered if I''d forgotten. I''m not getting any younger,


    and my mind is not what it used to be. Just a joke, then?" Leo was fairly sure that Edward wasn''t


    joking. But who was Justin? And why can''t he remember him? He needed to figure that out.


    Edward turned to leave. "Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Ouyang. See youter." He paused. ''It was


    a fantastic meal, really! And he even wanted to give his other daughter to me.'' Edward thought.


    "I understand, Boss Mu. You are busy. Be seeing you." Leo said with a smile.


    "Goodbye, Mr. Ouyang." Edward didn''t say a word to Mary, not even goodbye. Indeed, he didn''t


    acknowledge her at all.


    Mary was embarrassed. ''Edward, '' she thought, ''I will make you fall in love with me. Just wait and see!


    You''ll be begging for my love!''


    But how could Mary be so confident? She was as beautiful as Edward was handsome. He was the


    dream lover of every woman, and there was no beauty that Edward had not seen. He wasn''t interested


    in Mary at all!


    Edward drove quietly, but there was a bee in his bo. The luxury car sped by and captivated


    everyone. The paint shone and chrome glittered. The driver must be an extraordinary man, since few


    people could afford such an expensive car.


    Why did Leo not know Justin? Was it because Daisy didn''t tell him, or some other reason? This whole


    thing was strange, almost as if Leo were rejecting him as a son-inw. And what did that mean for him


    and Daisy? Why did he introduce Mary Ouyang to him?


    As he pulled into the parking garage, he put all that out of his mind. The ward was quiet. When he saw


    the little figure asleep on the bed, he breathed a sigh of relief. He looked around. Where were Rain and


    Aaron? The flush of a toilet gave him his answer. Rain burst out of the bathroom.


    "That was quick!" No one knew how long Edward would be. He was gone less than two hours.


    "Rain, I came back as soon as I could." He walked over to the bed, and gently touched the forehead of


    Justin. Much better. His fever had broken.


    "Don''t worry. I talked to the doctors. They''re keeping him overnight. If he feels better tomorrow, we can


    discharge him from the hospital." Rain was really good at dealing with these kinds of things.


    "Great! Thanks, Rain." Rain strode quickly to his side and put his hand on Edward''s forehead.


    Edward took a step back," What are you doing?" He looked at Rain as if he were a fool.


    "Checking for a fever!" Edward never thanked him before! But he suddenly thanked him today. That


    was unlike the proud man that he knew.


    "Very funny," said Edward. Edward knew exactly what he was thinking. They knew each other too well.


    "Aaron went back to the office. The YS group is giving us fits. She''s demanding new terms." Rain


    smiled. That gal was tough. She could make Edward so angry, and Rain never failed to find it amusing.


    "Again?" Edward''s brow wrinkled. ''Why is this woman so difficult to get along with?''


    "I don''t know. When Aarones back, we''ll know more. Are you sure she''s not one of your exes?"


    Rain got that look in his eyes. He wanted Edward to dish.


    "Her? She''s way too crazy for me." Edward had suffered a lot because of that woman. He tried to push


    the hurt down inside him.


    "Edward, could it be that she''s mad at you for dumping her?" It was entirely possible.


    "Come on. Do you think I''m you? Do you have to work at not thinking, Rain, or does ite naturally?"


    Edward red at him coldly.


    "Alright, Edward! You made your point!" Edward made him look like a fool again! He''d never won when


    they argued. Why couldn''t he be shameless as Edward?


    "It''s possible, I guess. You can''t remember everyone you''ve been with." Rain added. He hoped that


    Edward could suddenly recall something.


    "Don''t you go home now?" Edward just ignored him and changed the subject.


    "I need to prepare something for Justin to eat. He didn''t eat much just now. He''ll probably be hungry


    when he wakes up." Edward had called Mrs. Wu before he met with Leo. She agreed to prepare some


    food, so he left, worried about one less thing.

 Chapter 26 The Desolation Of Edward

    Chapter 26 The Destion Of Edward


    "Didn''t he eat anything?" Edward''s handsome eyebrows were knitted with worry.


    "Only a few bites. He didn''t feel good." Rain Xia was anxious. He wanted to prepare some food for


    Justin. It was easier to recuperate with food in his belly.


    "I''ll call Mrs. Wu. She''ll cook up some supper. And then you can go bring it here." He reached into his


    pocket and pulled out his mobile phone. He did so organically; it was a seamless, smooth maneuver.


    "You can go back and get the food." Rain said. "I think you have time to take a bath. Justin will probably


    be asleep for a while." He knew that Edward did not like being hot and sweaty. It was very


    ufortable for him.


    Edward had nned to ask Mrs. Wu to arrange clothes for him and have Rain bring them to him. If he


    just went there himself, he wouldn''t need to ask Rain. He could also catch a shower while he was


    there.


    "I''m headed back. Call me if something happens." He bent down to kiss Justin''s forehead, Then he was


    gone.


    "Go!" said Rain. "You''ve wasted enough time!" Rain Xia was confused. Why didn''t he know that his


    boss was so long-winded?


    When Edward arrived, he saw that Mrs. Wu had made porridge and appetizers. He also got the chance


    to shower, and felt much fresher afterward. After he toweled himself dry, it suddenly struck him that


    Justin was whispering something when he had a high fever. He then went to Justin''s room to get his


    phone. Justin could get through to his mother now.


    He took the phone and unlocked the screen to check the battery life. He found several missed calls. He


    clicked one and the screen disyed "Mommy". There was also a text message waiting for the phone''s


    owner.


    Edward looked at the message and hesitated. Finally, he decided to click it. It showed "Justin, what''s


    the matter with you? Why didn''t you answer? Didn''t you see the message I sent to youst night? I''m


    really worried about you. Call me back when you see this message." What he read was warm, like a


    tender spring breeze on his face. It was in direct contrast to the coldness she showed whenst they


    were together.


    Edward took the phone and went down the stairs. Luke called to him when Edward was about to take


    the food.


    "Sir, let me take it!" Luke took the supper and put them into the car. Edward knew that Luke would


    worry about his safety and follow him as it waste. He said nothing but follow Luke.


    "Luke, why are you doing this?" Edward was confused by Luke''s behavior.


    "Sir, Let me drive for you tonight!" Luke opened the car door grimly, deliberately.


    Edward looked at Luke''s face, and understood that he was being helpful, as always. Trying to


    anticipate Edward''s needs.


    Luke needed to learn to rx. He took his orders very seriously. Edward was merely a little tired today,


    Luke even didn''t allow him to drive.


    Luke drove the car smoothly. But his cold face always had Edward doubting whether Luke was truly


    Duke''s brother. Why were both of them so stone cold?


    Edward looked through the car window, watching the rush of light and color that heralded the city''s


    nightlife. His chiseled face showed he was weary and jaded, yet he didn''t understand why.


    Watching lovers on the street, their hands sped and faces smiling, he couldn''t help but sigh. He


    hoped and dreamed he could also love someone deeply, hold her hands, age with her, smiling the


    whole time.


    Luke observed Edward quietly, seeing his destion, and felt sorry for him.


    Only Luke knew how lonely Edward was. Edward had been sent away from his parents to study abroad


    since childhood. Upon his return, his parents traveled the world.


    Despite his riches, he lived alone in therge vi. It was really lonely. So he dated different women in


    the past years.


    Once his son came here, he came home on time dutifully after work, eschewing the nightlife, not flirting


    with other women. He didn''t even make headlines in the Entertainment section anymore. Luke was


    happy to see him settle down, but didn''t know why he was so lonely tonight.


    Daisy Ouyang called Justin many times, but there was no answer. She worried a lot, trying to call him


    again even though it was sote. She wouldn''t be able to sleep until she talked to him.


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Edward entered the ward, and he heard the military song that served as the phone''s ringtone. "Why is


    it so loud?" he wondered. He recalled the ringtone being more mellow.


    Edward looked at the phone and saw the screen showed "mommy". Without a second thought, he


    answered, and heard the cold voice on the other end.


    "Justin, why didn''t you answer my call? Do you know how worried I am?" Daisy was rushed,


    immediately starting to chatter when Edward picked up.


    "Hello?" The masculine voice shocked Daisy. She almost dropped the phone. Things were tense, the


    atmosphere oppressive.


    Taking a deep breath, patting her own beautiful face, she started to say "hello! Can you tell me where


    Justin is, please!" Her tone was cold and distant, which matched her appearance.


    "Hold on a sec," Edward replied. He stepped into the ward quickly, passing the mobile phone to Justin,


    who was talking andughing with Rain. "It''s for you."


    Justin was confused to see his phone, the one he left at home. He smiled sweetly, since only his


    mother could call this phone.


    "Hi, Mommy! I miss you a lot. When are youing back?" He said. His voice went soft and high. It


    was obvious he was emotional.


    "Oh, Mommy misses you a lot too. Why didn''t you answer, though? Anything wrong?" She was still


    worried, though hearing Justin''s voice helped a little.


    "No. I just forgot my phone when I went out with Daddy." he lied. Justin didn''t want Daisy to know he


    was ill.

 Chapter 27 Why Cant You Like My Mommy

    Chapter 27 Why Can''t You Like My Mommy


    "That''s good, but you sound strange." Daisy wrinkled her smooth forehead.


    "Haha! Mommy, you got me! I yelled a lot with my friends. My throat feels funny." Justin knew his mom


    was sharp. He wasn''t going to be able to get away with lying that easily.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    Edward and Rain looked at him in surprise. Why didn''t he tell his mother he was ill?


    "Oh! Be careful next time. And try not to use your voice a lot till it heals up. I''ll be back in a few days.


    It''ste, and I''ve got a bedtime with my name on it. Good night. Mommy loves you." There was a faint


    smile on Daisy''s face. She was never stingy with her patience and love for her son. But she never gave


    an inch to anyone else.


    "OK! Mommy, I love you, too. I''ll wait for you toe back! Bye!" When Justin hung up, his face was as


    rosy as usual.


    "Justin, your mother ising back." Rain was excited. ''Finally, I get to meet the mystery woman!''


    Edward was quiet as he went about setting out the food. You might have told him an insurance agent


    wasing, for all the emotion he showed. But he was growing more curious about that woman by the


    minute.


    "Yes!" Justin''s voice cracked as his voice rose. "Mommy will be back in a few days, Uncle Rain. She is


    very beautiful. You''ll love her!" Justin said proudly. But he didn''t know that his words embarrassed both


    men.


    "Er -- Little one, I don''t really care if your mom is attractive or not." He nced at Edward secretly. She


    was his boss''s wife. There was no way. He would have a bad death if he dared to like his boss''s


    woman.


    Edward rxed. She was his wife. He didn''t need any rival for her affections. What was Justin


    thinking?


    "Why not? Although mommy is a cold beauty, she really has a kind heart. Don''t worry. She would never


    let you do push-ups." Justin looked at Rain innocently. Rain''s jaw dropped. Edward''s face showed


    concern as well. Jesus! ''Justin! You can''t talk about your mom and other men that way! Don''t you see


    the expression in your father''s eyes?''


    The conversation brought some unfamiliar feelings to the fore. Edward felt pure jealousy the way Justin


    talked about his mom. Especially the sexual hints. He was totally caught off-guard.


    "Justin." Rain continued. "Let''s not talk about this, okay? It''s more than a little weird, and I don''t think


    about your mom like that." Rain needed to put his foot down. Edward was staring at him so intently as if


    it might burn a hole in his face.


    "Uncle Rain, why can''t you like my mommy?" Justin pouted. Edward almost spilled the porridge as he


    stared at Justin. Rain was visibly nervous.


    "All right. You tell me first. Why do I have to like her?" Rain indulged this little guy. He was hoping to


    shut this down before it got him in trouble. But why was Justin pushing so hard?


    "Because no one likes mommy except me! Many people like me. But no one likes mommy." he


    repeated. Justin was going to cry. Rain raised his head and cast a nce at Edward. Edward was


    astonished and couldn''t say a word. He just stood there.


    Edward felt a pain in his heart. Was it because of what Justin said, or the fact that his son was crying?


    "Justin, are you hungry?" Edward said atst. "Let''s eat!" Edward ignored Rain''s quizzical expression.


    "Yes. Justin, you need to eat. I need to get back. I''ll visit tomorrow." Rain said. ''Oh, no!'' Rain thought.


    He had to get out of there. Who knew what problems were waiting for him next?


    "Okay! Goodbye, Uncle Rain. Think about it when you''re back home, please." Rain thought he would


    make a quick exit. What Justin added almost made him trip.


    Edward looked at Rain. The man was red-faced and eager to get away from Justin and the topic his


    son insisted on talking about. Rain disappeared quickly. However, Justin smiled slyly. He wasn''t sad


    anymore!


    "Daddy, do you think Uncle Rain is funny?" Justin said those words deliberately. Mommy wasing


    back, and he wanted to see whether Edward liked his mother or not. So he yed with Rain to test his


    father. He only had to add some fuel to the fire. Then he would get the answer.


    "Justin, it''s impolite to make fun of your uncle Rain!" He realized that Justin was just teasing Rain. But


    he couldn''t shake the feeling that there was more than a little truth behind his words. He always felt that


    the little guy was up to something.


    Daisy was always quiet. At this moment, sitting quietly and looking into the distance, she fiddled with


    the phone there. Her cold face was full of mncholy. Missing him was like a rose. The thorns might


    cause pain, but the rose, like love, still smelled as sweet as ever. She was used to missing him,


    chasing him and waiting for him. Sometimes she felt too weary to love someone again, afraid that she


    could not help throwing herself into his arms, but she knew that the person in his arms could never be


    her.


    She missed him a lot, but she couldn''t see him. Oh, he appeared in newspapers and magazines, and


    she would quickly snatch up an issue in which he appeared. He smiled gently to the lovelydies


    around him. But this tenderness did not belong to her. She was his wife, but he was never concerned


    about her. No, he didn''t know. He never understood how painful it was when she missed him! He had


    even forgotten that there was such a woman in his life.


    He would never know how many sleepless nights she spent looking at Justin''s face for his shadow,


    trying to pick out all the things in Justin that reminded her of Edward. He would never know how much


    she wanted to throw herself into his arms when Justin was sick. She was a soldier, but she was also a


    woman. Like anyone, she wanted to be loved. But he was always an unreachable dream to her, and


    the only thing left was the endless pain when she woke up.


    Who said that secret love was beautiful, that it was happy? They were wrong. She never felt that way.

 Chapter 28 He Was Going Mad Today

    Chapter 28 He Was Going Mad Today


    It was alreadyte at night, but Edward still couldn''t sleep. He couldn''t stop thinking about Leo''s


    strange behavior as well as Justin''s love towards his mommy. He admitted to himself that he had


    always been ruthless to women, especially for those who were totally irrelevant. But this was his legal


    wife. The mother of his child. There''s no way he could stay emotionless and uncaring anymore.


    She never asked about him on the phone, nor did she want to talk to him. But he wanted to learn more


    about her. This drove him nuts. They didn''t know about each other and didn''t even stand to be around


    each other for a long time. So why was he drawn to her? Panic rose in him and wrested for control. He


    needed to escape.


    Next morning, Rain and Luke arrived at the hospital at almost exactly the same time. They couldn''t be


    more different. Luke was introverted and calm, and Rain was outgoing and thought he was the bee''s


    knees. Luke hoped that Rain wouldn''t see him and quickened his pace. He felt embarrassed to be


    around the man. But Rain yelled after him.


    "Luke, stop! Wait up! Why are you running? There are no girls chasing you!" Luke thought to himself, ''I


    wouldn''t run if there were beautiful women behind me. But instead, it''s this clown!'' Thinking about this,


    Luke picked up the pace.


    ''Maybe he didn''t hear me.'' Rain thought. ''No way! He heard me!'' He remembered that Luke looked


    back at him, then sped up. "Go as fast as you like, Luke! I will chase you to the ends of the earth!" Rain


    yelled. People began to stare at them, which was exactly what Luke wanted to avoid.


    Luke felt tears well up inside. How could he have forgotten to burn incense this morning? He regretted


    that bitterly. If he had, he wouldn''t be in this mess. Rain was a devil, and Luke missed his chance to


    protect himself from evil. Rain got all dressed up that day. No one who came to the hospital would


    dress in that way. What''s more, he was holding a nice bouquet of red roses. Anyone who knew him,


    knew he was here to visit Justin. For those who didn''t, they might think the roses were gifts for Luke.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    How could they think anything else, as he chased after and screamed after Luke? ''Man, they''re going


    to think we''re a couple! Argh! I want to m that idiot into the wall!'' Luke thought. ''What kind of man


    would visit the hospital with roses as gifts? Especially for a little boy.''


    They made noise all the way to the patient''s room. Luke quite calmly put away the things he brought


    along. However, Rain was angry. You could hear him before you saw him. "Damn it, Luke! Why did you


    run away from me?" Shit, you don''t deserve any response, Luke thought.


    Edward was already there. He looked at Luke and inquired silently about the matter. What was wrong


    with that dude, shouting and yelling so early in the morning?


    Luke was just about to answer Edward''s unspoken question when Rain rushed in.


    "Uncle Rain, are you going to take part in the peacocking contest? If not, why are you dressed all pretty


    like a flower?" Justin curiously stared at Rain, with his eyes smiling like a crescent moon.


    Looking at his outfit, Rain wondered if he were too ostentatious. Well, he admitted that his shirt was


    flowery, and his trousers were super loud. Yet, he was still far from as pretty like a flower, wasn''t he?


    "Dear boy, this is thetest trend! ept no imitations, and don''t be one of the sheeple!" Edward


    smiled in amusement. Luke was alsoughing. That outfit was ridiculous!


    "Uncle Rain, are you sure these are thetest fashions, instead of thetestdyboy costume?" Justin


    was in a good mood today. He wouldn''t miss the chance to tease Rain, especially in that getup. Rain


    had been asking for it. He had left in a hurryst night, when Justin wanted to use him to make his


    daddy jealous.


    "That''s in poor taste. Taking revenge now?" With clenched teeth, Rain looked at the little boy helplessly,


    who was smiling brightly in front of him. He regretted leaving suddenlyst night. Otherwise, Justin


    wouldn''t tease him like this.


    "How could an innocent boy like me know anything about revenge?" Rain had no idea that he would


    soon be dragged into the mire by Justin a second time.


    "Edward, your son''s bullying me. Shouldn''t you teach him a lesson?" That boy was far away from


    innocent. He was no better than a little devil.


    "Don''t you have better things to do?" Edward said coldly, with his thin lips moving slightly. However old


    he was, he still couldn''t get out of the habit of acting cute.


    "Ah! Uncle Rain, aboutst night''s question... Are you going to like my mommy or not?" Justin would


    never forget his original intention, which was to make Edward love his mommy again.


    "Um -- that is, you see -- Edward, I''m rather busy today. Lots of business proposals waiting for me! I


    gotta go now." He just won''t stop! The little guy was so persistent! He started thisst night, and Justin


    still fixated on this issue. Rain must be getting tired of living if he naively answered this tricky question.


    Did they really think he was an idiot to say that he liked his boss'' wife in front of Edward?


    "Uncle Rain, don''t rush off! At least, not before I get an answer!" Rain just flew out of the room. Damn!


    The little guy was just like his father, setting traps and waiting for him to jump in.


    "Wow!" Justin eximed. He turned to his father. "Mr. Mu, are my words scary?" Edwardughed. Not


    scary at all. Your uncle Rain was afraid of your daddy.


    "Leave him alone, he was going mad today." Edward was already used to the fact that his son would


    call him ''Mr. Mu'' now and then. So, he didn''t pay much attention to it.


    Luke found himself wondering what Rain would be like. Not surprisingly, Justin wouldn''t miss any


    chance to humiliate those who irritated him. He counted himself lucky that it wasn''t him who offended


    father and son. That would end badly for him.


    Justin was happy. He got the answer he wanted, that Daddy cared for Mommy at least a little.


    Otherwise, he wouldn''t humiliate Rain like that.


    Rain had no idea that he had been the sacrificialmb for Justin to mess with his Daddy''s head.

 Chapter 29 Mommy Cried

    Chapter 29 Mommy Cried


    Justin soon recovered from his illness. In only two days, he was alive and well again. He had no sign of


    sickness at all.


    "Mrs. Wu, shall we have c chicken wings today?" Justin was drooling over the chicken wings cooked


    by Mrs. Wu. They didn''t taste like those cooked by his mommy, but they tasted better.


    Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Well, if you want to eat, I will cook them for you." Mrs. Wu was very fond of this little guy. He was not


    as spoiled as other children and he was so clever and thoughtful. Although he had always pissed


    Edward off, she still liked him very much. Anyway, she was not the one to be tricked.


    "Yeah! Mrs. Wu, I always know that you are the best to me." Justin was really good at pleasing people.


    "Justin, is Mrs. Wu the only one who is good to you?" Another servant -- Sunny -- said in a teasing way.


    "Well! I know that Sunny is good to me too, but you don''t know how to cook c chicken wings, do


    you? So Mrs. Wu is the best."


    ''Well, this little guy is a foodie, and whoever cooks something delicious for him is the best one.'' Sunny


    thought sourly.


    "Sunny, take Justin upstairs to y. I''ll call you when the meal is ready." Although the kitchen was big,


    she was still worried that Justin might be bumped.


    "Let''s go! Justin, if you keep saying those sweet words, the c chicken wings will not taste of c."


    Sunny smirked.


    "Sunny, why would they not taste like c?" If he didn''t understand, he had to ask. Every child knew


    this rule.


    "Because they would only taste of sweets! Don''t you know that how sweet your words are?"


    "Ah! Sunny, how could you make fun of me? I''m not ying with you anymore." Uttering these words,


    he ran upstairs. He was a little embarrassed. Mrs. Wu and Sunny burst intoughter. Justin was such


    an interesting boy.


    When he ran into his bedroom, his cell phone was ringing. He ran over happily to pick it up, Sunny''s


    teasing totally forgotten.


    "Hello! Mommy, when will you be back? I want to taste your cooking." The reason why he asked Mrs.


    Wu to cook c chicken wings was that he missed his mother''s culinary style.


    "OK! You are such a foodie. If nothing happens, I''ll be back tomorrow. I''ll cook delicious food for you."


    Daisy stared at thetest position report in front of her. Although she knew the result, she was still a


    little disappointed. That was why she was eager to seek thefort of her son.


    "Mommy, are you unhappy? Are you crying?" Justin could tell that Daisy''s voice was unusual.


    "No, Mommy just misses you so much." Daisy stopped talking, choked with sobs. Actually, she had an


    overwhelming urge to cry. The physical exhaustion and mental pressure pushed her further into the


    depths of depression. But she knew that she couldn''t cry and she could only endure with the dogged


    will.


    "Mommy, I miss you so much too. Don''t be sad. OK? I''ll make everything better." Justin''s eyes got red.


    He knew that his mom must be unhappy. He couldn''t cry because he was the only one his mom could


    rely on. If he cried first, what should his mom do?


    "OK. Mommy doesn''t feel sad. I have my Justin with me." Daisy''s tears finally cascaded down her face.


    Her heart was fragile now. She just let the tears silently cover her delicate face.


    "Yes! Justin is always the guardian angel of mommy. So mommy, you have to be brave and you can


    see me tomorrow." Justin bit his delicate pink lips, so as not to let Daisy hear the tremble in his voice.


    "Well, Justin, I''ll see you tomorrow." She hung up the phone quickly and her tears ran faster over her


    face. She didn''t know what was wrong with her and why she became so emotional all of a sudden. This


    was not like her at all. Was it because she failed in the promotion?


    ''No. That''s just covering it up. I''ve bottled everything up so much that it finally poured out of me.''


    Justin slowly set the phone down. He could not help bursting into tears. He wished he could be with


    mom now, so he could support her. He knew exactly how weary his mom had been for all these years,


    so he tried his best to obey. He never asked his mom to find his dad, nor did he mention him in front of


    her. Sometimes, when he saw other children ying with their dads, he envied them. He just had to


    endure.


    When Edward opened the door, he saw Justin was sitting on the ground with the phone in his hand,


    sobbing silently. His unusual behavior frightened him. He strode to him and scooped Justin into his


    arms quickly, holding him tight.


    "Justin, what''s wrong with you? Who upset you? Tell daddy." He picked up a tissue and tenderly wiped


    the tears from his face.


    "Daddy, what should I do? Mommy cried. She had never cried before. She must be very sad now."


    Edward stopped for a moment. His heart skipped a beat.


    "Did your mommy really cry?"


    ''What happened to that aloof woman? Why should she be so emotional in front of his son?'' Edward


    thought.


    "Yes! I heard it. Daddy, do you think mommy will be all right? I''m not with her. What should she do all by


    herself?" Thinking of this, Justin cried even more, sobs rocking his body.


    "Please don''t cry. I think your mom will be all right. Maybe she just missed you so much that she


    couldn''t help crying." Edward knew the reason was far-fetched, but he couldn''t find a better reason to


    comfort his son, because his heart was in turmoil.


    "Daddy, really?" Justin looked at his dad in anticipation with tears in his eyes. He was uncertain.


    "Yes! I promise. Let''s wash your face and get some dinner." Edward took Justin to the bathroom and


    wetted a washcloth. He frowned and his dark eyes became darker. ''Isn''t she in the army?'' he thought.


    ''Was she hurt, so she became so emotional?'' Distracted by this, Edward dabbed too hard at Justin''s


    face. "Ouch!" Justin cried out and he looked at his father, his eyes asking "why?"


    "Oh! I''m sorry. Dad is distracted." Edward was out of sorts. ''What was happening to me? Why do I lose


    it where that woman is concerned?''

 Chapter 30 Its Me, Edward

    Chapter 30 It''s Me, Edward


    Kevin Gu stood quietly, looking at the woman who was crying her heart out in the corner. He thought


    she was strong, but he was so wrong. She definitely had times where she broke down, crying hard,


    giving in to feelings of loneliness and helplessness.


    His heart felt tight in his chest. How he wished he could just let go, hold her in his arms, feel her


    heartache, and never let her go. But he was not the one she wanted. He never envied anyone before,


    but now he longed to be the one she cried for. Because that would prove how important he was to her.


    His love withered before it had bloomed.


    Edward kept flipping the phone in his hand, hesitant to press the green key. He didn''t know what he


    was going to say when he finally got through. ''Will she answer?'' He got her number from Justin after


    the meal because he worried about her. However, he was not brave enough to call her.


    Daisy did not know how long she had been crying, but she knew that her eyes must be red and


    swollen. How embarrassing! How could she go out in public tomorrow? They would definitely think that


    she cried because she did not get the promotion. What a shame! She gently patted her face and tried


    to reduce the embarrassment.


    Suddenly the phone rang in this quiet room, shattering the silence. She picked up the phone and saw


    an unfamiliar number. Who would call at this hour? She frowned. She pressed the answer key


    unconsciously and slowly moved the phone close to her ear.


    "Hello? Daisy speaking." She resumed her cold voice.


    "It''s me, Edward." Regardless of how he felt, she was still his wife. The reason was that simple. He


    wanted to know why she had cried.


    Daisy''s jaw dropped. She went stiff and her hands started shaking. This was the first time he had called


    for so many years following a good cry. She dared not think of it before. For the moment she was


    speechless.


    "Hello? Are you okay? Talk to me, please." The coldness had left his voice, now possessing a


    maism that tickled her eardrum and sent that tingle right through her heart.


    "Yes. I''m all right. Anything happens to Justin?" Why had he called her sote? Her son was the only


    reason she could think of.


    "Justin is fine. I heard that you were crying. What happened?" Edward''s words hit a nerve with her. Her


    eyes were filled with tears again. Did she dare think that he cared for her? Could it be?


    "Is that why you called?" Though she knew it was impossible, she could not resist asking.


    "Justin said you were sad. He was afraid something bad happened." He wanted to tell her so badly that


    he was also worried about her.


    "No, really. I''m okay. I''m just missing Justin. Really." Daisyughed at herself. She still took herself too


    seriously. If it wasn''t for Justin, he would never call.


    Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Okay then. I''m d to hear you''re alright. Get some sleep, okay? Good night." Without waiting for her


    response, he hurriedly hung up the phone and threw himself into the big soft bed, grabbing his hair with


    annoyance. It was not his original intent, but why did it change when he heard her voice? Was it


    because of her indifference and alienation? So he didn''t want to show that he was concerned for her.


    Daisy was still in a state of shock, too confused to know whether she had had a call. Shaking her head,


    she sighed. She was too proud to be vulnerable in front of him.


    She walked, deliberately keeping away from the crowds She didn''t want people to find her in this state,


    preferring to be alone. But someone did not let her do so.


    "Colonel, you''re here. I''ve been looking for you for a while." Mark Du was panting and out of breath. It''s


    obvious he had run to meet her.


    "What''s up?" She didn''t want Mark to see her red eyes, and deliberately shielded her gaze with her


    military cap.


    "There''s a campfire tonight on the training grounds. And we''re gonna leave tomorrow. Mr. Gu wanted


    you to join them." Mark was excited. He was looking forward to the party.


    "I''m not going. I still have a lot of things to do. And it''s not appropriate, as I am the only woman here."


    All Daisy wished for at the moment was to take a shower, and then slip into aa. She felt like she


    could sleep for a week.


    "Colonel, let''s go together. You said yourself that there''s no distinction between men and women in the


    army, only the difference between the weak and the strong." Mark secretly nced at Daisy''s red eyes,


    and grew worried.


    "Mark, just go. Have fun. I''m not in a partying mood." All she wanted at that moment was to be alone.


    "But Mr. Gu said you have to go." Mark murmured.


    Daisy put a hand to her forehead helplessly, and she paled. Why would Kevinmand her to go?


    "Alright. Give me a minute. Let me wash up first. Then we can go and have a look."


    "Yes, Colonel. I''ll wait here for you." Mark knew that she needed to change.


    They could hear bursts ofughter before they reached the training ground. The pleasant atmosphere


    rxed Daisy somewhat. It was a truism that soldiers in the army were enthusiastic.


    "Daisy! You''re finally here!" Kevin approached Daisy as soon as he saw her.


    "Soldiers cannot disobey their orders!" she said stiffly. "You havemanded that I attend this party,


    and I dare not disobey you." Sometimes Daisy would be naughty to tease Kevin. She adopted an


    exaggerated pose, standing at attention.


    "There is no other way. I know you won''te if I don''t give an order. I had to pull rank." He knew


    Daisy was teasing him. He was d to indulge her as long as she was happy.


    "Aren''t you afraid to go to Grand Council due to the abuse of your power?" She always felt at ease in


    front of Kevin, though she didn''t know why. Being with him was like having a big brother next door. She


    never felt she had to keep him at arm''s length. She could drop the act and just be herself.

 Chapter 31 I Dont Mind for You

    Chapter 31 I Don''t Mind for You


    "I don''t mind going to the Grand Council for you." Kevin Gu stared at her with his blue eyes. His gaze


    smoldered with so much passion that Daisy could not make eye contact.


    "Mr. Gu, don''t fool me. I don''t want to be murdered by your admirers." Kevin was acting strangely,


    which raised her stress level. That had never happened before.


    "Are you scared?" Kevin, acutely aware of her reaction, could not help but feel depressed. ''Daisy, is


    there only room for one in your heart?''


    "What''s on the agenda tonight? I haven''t been to such a lively party for a long time." Daisy deliberately


    changed the topic. Her heart was beating fast at the moment. She was not familiar with this side of


    Kevin. She wanted to keep her distance, and she didn''t know why.


    "Well, let''s go and have fun. I''m sure you''ll have a good time." He knew that she was trying to pull


    away, so he stopped flirting. He didn''t want her to be ufortable and withdraw into herself, so he


    gave Mark an order toe over. But she still didn''t notice his tender love.


    "Let''s go then!" Daisy felt defeated. Kevin''s words were full of suggestions, and his eyes were so weird.


    He was fixated on her. What would she do now?


    Kevin was dejected. He sadly watched her join the rest of the group. Was he a dreadful monster in her


    eyes? Why did she run off so fast?


    Although Daisy was ying with them, she still squinted at him from time to time, with puzzlement in


    her eyes. He was so casually leaning on the tree, looking a bit lonely. He just got a promotion. Major


    General, now. So why did he look so unhappy?


    Kevin was destined to be alone on the path of his secret love, because Daisy did not feel the same way


    at all. Though she loved Edward for so many years, she had never been in love with someone. She


    really couldn''t understand Kevin''s love for her, and it was not her fault she wasn''t more receptive.


    The night was getting darker, the sky speckled with stars. The lights of the city were not quite able to


    blot out the buildings that towered over everything. Down in the streets, blinking crossing lights and


    neon reigned supreme.


    Edward confidently stepped into Sexy World along the East Road near the Square. He''d swapped his


    expensive suit and tie out for the more casual light sweater and a pair of nice, tailored pants. Several


    strands of wet hair covered his forehead, making him even more rugged and handsome.


    Ignoring the bevy of beauties who showed great interest in him from the moment he entered, he made


    a beeline to the suite his buddies had reserved. Like always, he waste. Duke was ustomed to his


    habit, and not surprised at all. But another certain someone had a different reaction.


    "Edward,e on. Don''t you have any sense of time? You are always thest one here. Shake things


    up. Be creative. Be on time for once." Rainzily reclined on the sofa, his blue earrings shining in the


    light. He was also dressed casually, a button-down and jeans, far from the dazzling suit in the morning.


    This way he looked less aggressive and more attractive to women.


    "What do you mean by creative? Whether you want to be kept as a mistress or keep a mistress, I can


    help you design a n and make sure you learn new things every day." Edward walked over to him


    slowly and sat down. He said these evil words very deliberately, and instantly Rain''s smile disappeared.


    "I did ask for it," he said sheepishly. Rain chastised himself silently. It was really stupid to put himself in


    the line of fire. He should have seen Edward''s gloomy face and gauged his reaction.


    Edward nced at him and picked up the Hennessy on the table. He didn''t mind Rain''s teasing at all.


    After his phone call with Daisy, he felt out of sorts, and figured a night on the town was just what he


    needed. Maybe he could sort out his emotions and rx.


    "Tell us! What''s on your mind?" Duke knew him well. Edward would not call them out sote if there


    was nothing wrong. He recently became more well-behaved and rarely went to ces like thiste at


    night.


    "Can''t a guy just invite his friends out for drinks?" Edward tipped the ss of wine to and fro, the liquid


    rippling with a beautiful arc.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    "I''ve known you for a long time. Long enough to know when things aren''t all right." Duke called him out


    on his reticence. He had never been so depressed like this before.


    Edward snorted and emptied the ss. He didn''t stop to savor the cool liquid.


    "When did you be so interested in me? Or are the rumors true?" Edward had an evil glint in his


    eye. Edward would never forget how bent out of shape Duke got when he pretended to flirt with him.


    He figured he might poke that old wound.


    "Edward, the more yoush out, the harder it will be to help you. I''m not going to force the issue. You


    don''t want to talk about it, fine!" Duke kept his own counsel. It made no sense to force Edward to talk.


    His friend would talk about it when he was ready.


    "What game are you ying?" Rain looked at them, lost for the moment.


    "No game. Drink your wine!" Edward nced at him irritably, poured some wine into his own ss, and


    then leaned back into the sofa, gracefully swinging his long legs.


    "Alright. Don''t tell me then. I don''t want to know. No need to be so mysterious." Rain looked at them,


    annoyed. This was between Edward and Duke, and no one else would understand.

 Chapter 32 Lothario

    Chapter 32 Lothario


    "What''s it like to fall in love?" Edward''s slender fingers flipped his wine ss rhythmically. He slouched


    back in his chair and squinted at them with a faint smile.


    "Are you serious? Who are you in love with, boss?" Rain was so shocked that he lost his grip on his


    ss and spilled some cognac, staining his shirt. He wiped it off and stared in disbelief at Edward.


    Duke didn''t overreact, although he was also shocked by Edward''s words. His cold eyes glistened and


    his mind started turning gears.


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    "Who can I fall in love with? I''m just curious about it." Edward apparently knew how stunned they were


    upon hearing his words. He could easily tell from their reaction. And he wanted to keep things light, and


    maybe not delved too deeply, but the topic was so astonishing that no one would let him go that easily.


    "Edward, Just say it. Who are you in love with? Tell us and we can give you some suggestions." Rain


    was always so interested in that kind of gossip. He would not give up until he got an answer.


    "Look at the women around me. What kind of woman do you think I''d fall in love with?" Edward would


    never let them know his heart, before he knew exactly what kind of feeling it really was. It was


    impossible for him to expose his feelings to them, even they were his best friend, at least not now.


    "Now that you ask this question, I''m sure that you have someone in mind. But I don''t know if she''s the


    same one I''m thinking of." Duke said casually and cast a nce at him.


    "Well then. It seems that Mr. Duke knows me so well that you even know who I''m thinking about.


    Should I feel honored?" Edward looked at him with an evil smile. And he became himself again.


    "You can''t keep this to yourself forever. Let''s wait and see how long you can escape from it." Duke was


    getting angry, because Edward always made fun of him about this, which made him feel weak.


    "Could you please involve me in the conversation? Throw me a bone! What is this about?" Rain felt


    isted. They didn''t care about his existence at all.


    "Weren''t you there from the start? Try and keep up." Duke rolled his eyes and took his annoyance out


    on him. Rain was owed a lesson. Every time he gave them the chance to bully him.


    So Duke found one more way to call him stupid. ''So if Duke and Edward are always in sync, and not


    everyone understands them, then maybe there''s something going on between them. Like a


    rtionship?'' As this thought urred to Rain, he moved a little further away.


    "Stop that." Edward knew what he was thinking, likely from the smirk. He nced at him casually and


    continued to enjoy his Hennessy.


    "So-o-o-o-o..." he drew the word out, saying it very slowly. "If it''s not true, why do you care what other


    people think? Or maybe you''re just pissed because I uncovered your secret." Rain was happy now. He


    finally got one-up on Edward. He had to find some way to entertain himself.


    The two men ignored him thoroughly. They stood up and left without any reservation. "It''s on you


    tonight."


    Rain was stunned. Why? Didn''t they know what they drank tonight? Hennessy. They were both CEOs.


    Why did they make him pay? They were far richer than him. Moreover, one of them was his boss. This


    was not reasonable at all.


    The two were so pleased with themselves. Rain should not have made fun of them. Poor Rain! When


    would he learn how to protect himself from being bullied?


    Looking at the two guys who wereughing evilly, Luke could not help but peek inside to see the victim.


    Edward waved goodbye to Duke and drove his Maybach G 650 away. Duke was annoyed. He hadn''t


    had any time to catch up with his old friend.


    Duke saw Edward''s elegant car vanish as it rounded a corner. He spun and began walking to his own


    car when -- ooops! Duke and another woman ran headlong into each other. He regained his bnce in


    time to catch her, only to be rewarded with a hard p that left welts.


    "Damn it! How dare you sexually harass me? You are lucky that I didn''t kick your ass!" Belinda rubbed


    her reddening nose and yelled at him. She didn''t notice that he was staring at her furiously. His tone


    seemed summoned from the depths of some icy hell.


    "You are the first woman who dared to hit me. You''d better give me a good excuse, or else!" She felt his


    hot breath and shivered. She was Belinda Shangguan. How dare this evil man threaten her?


    "I just hit you, Lothario, so what?" And moreover, where was Edward? He was just here. She saw him.


    How could he disappear as soon as she got here? Did he have an invisibility cloak? Haha! He didn''t


    have an invisibility cloak but he had a flying car, so Belinda could not find him.


    "What? I''m Lothario? If I remember correctly, you are the one who fell into my arms." Duke looked at


    the woman in front of him furiously and fought the urge to kill her. Why didn''t she look at herself in the


    mirror? What made her so confident?


    "Even if I ran into you, you shouldn''t have assaulted me." Belinda wore heavy makeup, arge shirt


    and a pair of old fashioned ck frame sses. Any good looks she might have had were covered


    thoroughly. She was as attractive as a middle-aged woman -- which is to say not at all. No wonder


    Duke would be so angry.

 Chapter 33 You Know Each Other

    Chapter 33 You Know Each Other


    "What? You think I flirted with you? Look at you, do you think I have any interest in you?" Duke looked


    at her with utter contempt and shook his head to show how terrible she was.


    "I look terrible. So what? You still hugged me!" Belinda exploded with anger. This jerk was judging her


    by her appearance. If her dad hadn''t forced her into a blind date with a man, she wouldn''t have needed


    to scare him away with such wretched looks. It was not that she loved to look terrible. However, she


    was afraid that her dad would nag about what she had done, so she didn''t dare to go home, although it


    was quitete now.


    "Ha! Are you kidding me? Do you think I wanted to do that? I was just kind enough to help you when


    you were falling, or I wouldn''t have touched you at all." Duke looked coldly at the chick who turned on


    him. If his eyes could shootser beams, she would have been incinerated. Only he knew how hard


    she had pped him as his cheek was still burning.


    Belinda hesitated for a while without a word. It appeared that what he had said was actually right. She


    knew she shouldn''t have pped him, but she wouldn''t apologize for that. Even if she had been wrong


    then, that didn''t mean he was a good guy. Look how fierce he was now.


    "Anyway, you shouldn''t have hugged me." Belinda argued and insisted that she did nothing wrong. We


    could already tell howpetitive she was from her arguments with Edward. She would never admit


    that she was wrong.


    His face clouded, and his fists were so tight that blue veins stood out on them. Thanks to his ability to


    control himself, Duke didn''t punch her. He had never known an unreasonable woman like her.


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    Damn it! He should leave now and stop arguing with her like an idiot. With that, Duke took a deep


    breath, trying to calm down. He flicked at the ces that Belinda had touched on his coat, as if there


    were something dirty to remove. Then he red at her before he started walking to his car. ''I''m not


    angry, really. I just want to kill that freaking woman.'' he kept thinking.


    Belinda touched her neck. Oh, my God! It was so scary. She thought that man wanted to kill her just


    now. His eyes were so horrible. Edward Mu was much better than that jerk. He wouldn''t be so cold and


    terrible no matter how angry he was.


    Duke was really unlucky today. He had only walked a few steps before Rain rushed out and ran into


    him as well. Belinda was so surprised that she couldn''t help putting her hands over her eyes. Oh, my


    God! Who was that guy? He actually dared to mess with that dangerous monster! He was really brave.


    ''Hope he won''t get killed.'' she thought.


    "Damn it! Where are you rushing to?" Duke shoved Rain away from him. His expression showed what


    mixed feelings he had inside.


    "Duke, why are you so cold? I just touched you. Did you need to shove me like that?" Rain rubbed his


    nose. Damn it, had he run into an iron man? Why did it hurt so much?


    Just before Duke could say anything, a snort ofughter suddenly drew their attention to Belinda. They


    both looked at her, and she just wanted to p herself, regretting that she hadughed at the wrong


    time. Maybe he was truly cold, but she shouldn''t haveughed at him. She was digging her own grave.


    "Yo! Isn''t that Miss Belinda? Hello again! Small world, isn''t it? Edward just left, so you won''t see him


    this time." Rain looked at Belinda and smiled evilly. She looked bold and different today, but Rain was


    good at dealing with all kinds of women.


    "You know each other?" Duke asked wonderingly.


    Belinda was shocked. Why hadn''t she recognized that guy? She still remembered how he smiled


    ambiguously when she was arguing with Edward Must time.


    "What do you say? Miss Belinda, do you know me?" Rain was such a yboy that Belinda wanted to


    p him badly.


    "You''re adyboy! Of course I know you!" Damn it! Except for that shameless Edward, nobody had


    ever beaten her in a war of words.


    Rain was embarrassed. Belinda was always tough. She would never give in.


    Duke chuckled to himself as an onlooker. Drama like this he refused to miss. It turned out that she


    treated everyone that way. Anyway, she really knew how to piss you off and then get away.


    "You must be really interested in me. You must have checked it secretly in person, or you wouldn''t be


    so sure that I''m adyboy." Rain grinned cheekily at her with an eyebrow raised. He had the typical


    smiling eyes of a cunning yboy. His sapphire blue earrings were even more bright and attractive in


    the neon light.


    Belinda was hypnotized by this guy and forgot to retort. She just looked at him like that, sticking out her


    beautiful lips.


    "Puppy love!" Duke''s cold voice woke her up. Oh, my God! He was really enchanting! Sucks! She was


    actually enchanted by adyboy.


    Belinda red at Duke and turned to Rain with a smile that she thought was charming. However, her


    makeup was too thick to show her beauty. Instead, it was a little scary now. Rain didn''t know what she


    was going to do next, but he knew even Edward was a little scared of this woman.


    "Do you think I need to check it in person? Anyone who isn''t blind can tell you''re adyboy." So those


    who couldn''t were all blind.


    With his lips curving in a masculine smile, Duke nced at the girl who looked bold and different now.


    He was wondering what kind of a beauty she would be without her makeup.


    "Are you always sopetitive, Miss Belinda?" Rain smiled instead of getting angry. Life was too


    boring. Sometimes he could have some fun fighting with a hot-tempered chick like her.


    "Nope, just around guys like you." ''Humph! I don''t like you. So what?''


    "With all due respect, could you please tell me when guys like me offended you, Miss Belinda?" Rain


    was curious, and when he was curious, he would ask any questions he had. He would definitely get to


    the bottom of the stuff that he didn''t understand.


    "Birds of a feather flock together. Do you know the saying? It means that you guys are not any better.


    You hang about with that bastard Edward all day." With that, she stalked off. Rain wondered why


    Belinda had to leave before them every time.


    Duke watched her, lost in thought. ''Coteral damage.'' he thought. ''I think our reputations just suffered


    coteral damage. We''re not any better? Because of Edward? What does it have to do with


    Edward?''

 Chapter 34 Can You Teach Me

    Chapter 34 Can You Teach Me


    FX International Group was always jumping in the morning. Staff shuffled from ce to ce, some


    carrying files, others the mail, and still others their morning coffee. The clicks of keyboards and beeps


    of freshly bootedputers filled the air. There was the unmistakable smell of clean carpets and


    printer dust. Yet no matter how busy they were, thepany was never messy nor noisy -- a unique


    working atmosphere.


    Mary Ouyang showed up in the lobby of FX International Group in a sexy outfit. Her mini-skirt perfectly


    disyed her long legs; the low-cut top revealed the curve of herrge breasts; the curly hair


    cascading to her shoulders added more charm; and the make-up ttered her overall.


    "Hello. I''m Mary of Ouyang Foreign Trade. I have an appointment with your CEO." Her voice was clear


    and flirtatious. Her face wore a sweet smile.


    "Hello, Miss Mary. I need to report to the secretary division first." Receptionists always fawned over


    these richdies. After all, maybe one day one of them would be the CEO''s wife.


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Mary nodded with a smile, behaving perfectly as the daughter of a well-to-do family. Furthermore, she


    needed to make a good impression on the employees of FX International Group so that she would


    have free ess to thepany.


    The Knocking on the door disrupted Edward''s work. He slightly frowned, leaned back, then said with


    some discontent.


    "Come in." he said, his voice thick with consternation. Then he took the coffee from the table and gave


    it a sip.


    "Mr. CEO, Miss Mary is here to see you." Anna cast a nce at Edward and whispered, "What? Mary?"


    Edward knew she woulde, but he never expected that she woulde so soon.


    "Yes, it''s Miss Mary. Should we let her in?" Anna replied calmly. That poise reflected her


    professionalism as a secretary.


    "Fine. Let her in." Edward felt helpless. He didn''t really want Mary to interrupt his work, but that


    appointment was his promise to others. Besides, even if he didn''t want to do Leo a favor, he must do


    this for Daisy. After all, Mary was her step-sister.


    "Miss Mary, the CEO will see you now." The receptionists smirked knowingly. That''s the first time the


    CEO had ever let a womane in since the CEO''s son came over. It seemed that Miss Mary was


    different for their CEO.


    "Thank you." She nodded, then walked into the elevator in high-heels. Her curvy figure captured a lot of


    men''s attention, bolstering her confidence. She always believed in her own charm. There was no way


    Daisy couldpete with her.


    When Mary appeared on the top floor, the women gathered to watch. They were all discussing in


    hushed whispers who she was, whereas Anna silently led her in, then left.


    "Edward, sorry for my sudden visit. I nned to call you, but I don''t have your number." said Mary in a


    cutesy voice, looking at the handsome man before her. Her dulcet tones could have melted any man''s


    heart.


    "That''s okay. I''ve promised to let you learn here, so there is nothing to be sorry about." Edward sat still


    on the chair quite calmly as if he didn''t notice how seductively Mary was dressed.


    "Edward, thank you. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to learn here." Mary was a bit upset about


    Edward''s chilly response. She wondered why there was no "wow" expression on his face.


    "That''s okay. I will ask Anna to familiarize you with the corporate procedures. You will learn from her."


    ''Mary, I agreed to let you learn here, but I didn''t promise to teach you myself, did I? Besides, Anna was


    quite familiar with thepany and that will make her a great teacher.'' Edward thought to himself.


    His words turned Mary''s face pale. She never saw thising. Instead of teaching her himself, Edward


    pawned her off on a secretary.


    "Edward, will this work? I''m afraid that a secretary can''t teach me useful things. After all, I''m here to


    learn how to run apany, not how to be a secretary." Her seductive voice changed. Herposure


    cracked and desperation shone through.


    "Then who does Miss Mary think will make a qualified teacher? Mr. Qiao or Mr. Xia?" He just didn''t


    mention himself.


    "Can you teach me?" Mary bit her lip gently and looked at Edward pitifully. She was trying to change


    his mind.


    "That''s not possible. Miss Mary should know that we are argepany. As the CEO, I have too


    many things on my te. I''m afraid I''m too tied-up to teach you." Edward was never soft or patient with


    people he didn''t care about. He sounded angry already.


    "Okay then. I will learn from Anna. But I hope you can instruct me at your spare time." Mary


    compromised because she noticed Edward''s rising temper. She could only ept his arrangement to


    stay in FX International Group. As long as she remained here, she would find the chance to get close


    to Edward.


    "Ahem, yes... Thanks for understanding. Anna will show you out now." Finally, Edward dropped his


    stilted tone, talking more normally.


    "Anna,e inside." he ordered coldly. He didn''t even look at Mary.


    "Mr. CEO, what''s the matter?" Anna walked in speedily, just like the way she worked.


    "Anna, Miss Mary will learn the corporate management procedures from you. You need to teach her


    patiently."


    "I understand, Mr. CEO. Miss Mary, let''s go." Anna would do everything Edward told her without asking


    why. That''s also why he gave Mary to her. If it is Mr. Qiao or Mr. Xia, they would get to the bottom of it.


    He didn''t want to waste the time.


    "Em. You can go now. Miss Mary, I wish you a happy stay with ourpany." Edward said with a smile.


    He looked seriously at Mary, making her heart racing fast. She wanted him even more eagerly.


    "Thank you, Edward." Mary coyly walked out behind Anna. She was happy to stay here.


    Edward looked at Mary''s figure quite confusedly. He didn''t know what Mary really wanted. If what she


    wanted was him, she should give up the idea already, because he was her brother-inw. And It was


    also unbelievable that Leo sent another daughter here. Had Leo forgotten that he was already the


    husband of one of his daughters? Or how else should Edward interpret all his unusual and absurd


    moves?

 Chapter 35 The Persian With Curly Hair

    Chapter 35 The Persian With Curly Hair


    Where there are women, there are gossips. It''s like smoke and fire. They go well together.


    Mary believed in this truism as well, so she bonded with her co-workers quickly. All women. All willing


    to whisper the juiciest tidbit of gossip into the ears of their friends.


    The moment Justin and Luke came in, they saw Mary talking andughing happily with the other


    women. ''Edward, why is that woman working here?'' Justin was very angry and burst into the CEO''s


    office, taking Edward aback. Other secretaries flooded out of their offices to see what the ruckus was.


    "Justin, why are you here?" Edward was more curious about why he hade, rather than his


    intrusion.


    "Edward, why is that gossipy woman working here?" Justin said. ''Darn it! I thought that he''d changed


    the way he operated! But apparently he changed on the surface to fool everyone, and then took


    beautiful women to hispany on the sly.''


    "Who?" Edward looked at his angry son with confusion. Oh! Edward had forgotten about Mary, who


    was an incredible beauty.


    "Don''t y dumb. That woman out there. The exotic one that looks like a Persian with curly hair!" Justin


    said angrily with hands on his hips.


    "Oh! You''re talking about Mary!" Edward finally understood who Justin was referring to.


    "You don''t know her?" Edward asked. He was confused that Leo didn''t know Justin, and now he was


    even more confused to find Justin didn''t know about Mary.


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Why should I know such a kittenish woman?" Justin rolled his eyes. ''Unlike you, I don''t know every


    woman.''


    "Are you sure that you don''t know who she is?" Edward was unsure about that. ''Since he knew about


    me, then he should know Leo and Mary.''


    "Of course. I''m positive."


    ''What''s wrong with Edward today?'' Justin thought. How could I know that woman?''


    "Since you don''t know her, she''s not important. So...why are you here?" Edward smiled at him. This


    little guy was really his invincible opponent -- he lived like a monk these days. Justin prevented any


    woman from getting close to him!


    "Daddy, didn''t mommy say that she wasing back today? I came here to wait for her." Because of


    Mary, Justin almost forgot why he was there.


    Edward paused for a few seconds. ''Is sheing back so soon? Why didn''t she mention this when


    they talked on the phonest night?'' Edward thought to himself.


    "Did she say that she woulde back today?" Edward asked. He was tense, but he couldn''t for the


    life of him figure out why.


    "Of course! Didn''t I tell you?" Justin raised his handsome face, looking at Edward inquisitively.


    "Did she say she wasing here?" Edward asked, confused.


    "I don''t know. But since she doesn''t know where we live now, she''d probablye here to see me."


    Justin said happily. He was ecstatic he could see him mom again.


    "Are you going back with her?" Edward asked. Daisy only let him take care of Justin for three months


    rather than entrusting their son to him forever. It stung a little.


    "Of course! I will stay with mom wherever she goes." Justin would never leave his mom.


    "And what about Daddy? Will you leave me?" Edward asked. He looked at his son nervously.


    "Well, you''ve got a lot of friends, but mommy only has me. So I must stay with mommy. You can always


    visit us if you want!" Justin had a good rtionship with Edward. But this rtionship could not


    compare with his love for his mom. Because he was the only person his mom could rely on, he would


    never leave her alone.


    Daisy Ouyang leaned against the back seat of a dark green Humvee on the expressway between


    cities, looking at the scenery.


    "Mark, what''s our ETA?" she asked while still looking at the scenery outside.


    "Around 3 p.m., Colonel, since we set offte." Mark Du replied, looking at his watch.


    "It doesn''t matter, we are supposed to arrive on time." Daisy said. She turned her head and stopped


    looking outside.


    "Colonel, are you in a hurry? We could go faster." Mark looked at her for permission.


    "No. Safety first. We''re going fast enough."


    ''It doesn''t matter if we''rete. I won''t y around with our lives.''


    "Yes ma''am." Mark said. Mark drove the car silently, and nced at her through the rear view mirror in


    the car asionally. He had got used to her silence, a silence which often made people ignore her.


    Despite her silence, Daisy was not calm at all. She was thinking about how to exin the situation with


    Justin to Edward, since she had promised that she would when she came back.


    She touched her face nervously, pouting her lips, looking at the phone and nning to call Justin and


    take him away secretly. But she soon gave up the idea when she nced at her military uniform. That


    uniform meant duty. She had a duty to meet hermitment.


    Mark looked at her, surprised at his own feelings. She could be shy like any woman, which belied her


    cold demeanor while on duty. But he had to say she was much lovelier than before. ''These feelings are


    going to get me into trouble.'' he thought to himself.

 Chapter 36 How Poor You Are

    Chapter 36 How Poor You Are


    Mary stared at the little guy who suddenly appeared in front of her. She pointed at him with a frightened


    look. This little guy resembled Edward so much. She was too shocked to say a thing. Since Mary had


    only recently returned from abroad, she had no clue Edward had a son.


    "Auntie, you must be poor!" Justin said to her with a sly smile on his face. He ignored her shocked


    expression.


    "Listen! Just who the hell are you to say a thing like that, brat?"


    How could Mary know that the little guy in front of him had been the lead story in newspapers and


    magazines for almost two months?


    They couldn''t figure out who Justin''s mother was. The mystery became the exclusive scoop that all


    newspapers and magazines wanted to get. They couldn''t even track anyone down who had been


    involved with Edward. It seemed that Edward had changed from a yboy to a family man all in one


    night. They all believed that the woman who changed Edward was out there somewhere, but they had


    zero leads on how to find her.


    "You must be poor, though! The temperature is so low here, but your skirt is so short. Don''t you feel


    cold? Auntie, don''t you have any money to buy clothes? Do you want me to lend you some money? I


    don''t have much, but I think it''s enough for you to buy a decent dress. And I''m not called brat. I have


    my own name. Please remember that. I''m Justin Mu." Of course it was cold now. He specifically asked


    the man in the temperature-control room to turn the dial down to around ten degrees. He even put an


    extra coat on so he wouldn''t be cold.


    Anna smiled slightly. Justin was such an evil little boy. How could he make fun of others and look so


    innocent? Anna shivered suddenly. No wonder she felt cold. Looking at the little guy''s coat, she finally


    knew the answer.


    Mary''s face became darker and darker. Angry viciousness shed in her eyes. She swore that no


    matter who the little guy was, he would pay for today''s humiliation. She was not a kind angel. She was


    really good at bullying others. Daisy was a good example. She had been treated as a princess at first,


    but when she met Mary, her life became so miserable that she lived no better than a servant.


    N?velDrama.Org content.


    "Little guy, the dress I wear is well designed. It is the fashion. Clear?" Mary said with a humorless smile


    on her face. In her mind, she had cursed the little guy thousands of times. Mary stuck her nose in the


    air, defiant to the end.


    "Oh! Auntie, I''m sorry. It''s not that your poor, it''s just that you have bad taste."


    ''Oh my God! This little guy is so evil.'' Anna thought. She was caught between a rock and a hard ce.


    One is the daughter of the CEO of Ouyang Foreign Trade, the other one is the son of their own CEO.


    She could help neither of them. However, she couldn''t just let it go.


    Mary waspletely enraged. She bit her lip tightly. Her clenching hands trembled. Her voice trembled


    too. Was it due to the low temperature, or Justin''s words?


    "Didn''t your parents teach you any manners? How could you talk to your elders this way?" Mary was so


    angry. She wanted to kill the little guy so he wouldn''t challenge her any more.


    "Are you questioning my son''s manners, Miss Ouyang?" Edward leanedzily against the door to his


    office. His expression is casual, but the way he looked at Mary made her shiver more.


    "What? Edward, is he really your son?" Although Mary saw the unmistakable resemnce, she was so


    shocked to hear Edward confirm it in person. Now she had to re-evaluate the chances that she could


    win Edward back. At first she thought that the only thing she needed to do was to defeat Daisy, but now


    she knew that he had a son, she needed to take the little guy into consideration too. ''The little brat''s


    mother must be someone hard to defeat, since Edward allowed her to give birth to his baby.'' Mary


    thought. Of course she would not think that Daisy was his mother. ''Edward hasn''t gone back to the


    Maple Night vi since their wedding night and Daisy left too. It seems that they haven''t seen each


    other since then. There''s no way Daisy is the little guy''s mother. Who was his mother then? It doesn''t


    matter who she is. Edward can only be mine. And only an excellent woman like me can match him.''


    Humph! It was good for Mary to be confident, but being smug was no virtue.


    "If he''s not my son, then whose son is he?" Edward asked. It waste and it was time for Justin to have


    lunch. But when he left his office, he heard Mary''s words which made him very unhappy. Daisy taught


    him well. That was why sometimes he just let him y pranks. He knew that Justin just wanted to


    revenge on him for being absent so many years.


    "I didn''t mean that, Edward. I was just surprised." Mary wore a forced smile in embarrassment.


    "I think Miss Ouyang just surprised me instead." What did Edward mean? Her own nephew was


    standing in front of her, but she did not know him. ''I''m guessing that would be surprising to Edward.''


    she thought.


    "What, Edward? I don''t know what you mean." Mary would not meet Edward''s gaze. She thought


    Edward was surprised because she scolded the little guy. Instead she was upset that she hadn''t stayed


    calm just now. She would have a lot of chances to bully the little guy in the future, she thought.


    "You don''t need to know, Miss Ouyang." Edward was immediately dismissive. Besides, he was more


    concerned by the fact that Daisy wasing for a visit.


    "Justin, let''s go. Daddy''s taking you to lunch." He took his son''s little hand and walked away without


    looking at Mary at all.

 Chapter 37 Offended Mr. Mu

    Chapter 37 Offended Mr. Mu


    "God! I''m freezing! Who was the jerk that messed with the air conditioner?" Rain Xia yelled and rushed


    out of the office. It seemed that he was eager to find out who did this and was going to kill him. Edward


    stopped and gave Rain a cold eye. Rain was confused and wondered if he had done something that


    offended him.


    Of course! Of course he had offended him! Because that so-called ''jerk'' was Edward''s son, so how


    could Edward not be angry?


    "Edward, you''re here! Wow! And with Justin too! When did Justine here? Why didn''t youe see


    me?" Rain put on a sharine smile. Everyone could tell that he was buttering them up.


    Justin rolled his eyes, thinking why couldn''t this man act like a normal person? Why did he behave so


    oddly every time Justin showed up?


    "Uncle Rain, do you have a problem with daddy? If not, howe you just noticed him? He was there


    a long time!" What he said would affect both Edward and Rain. How dare Edward hire that woman?


    How dare Rain call him jerk? Killing two birds with one stone, that was his favorite thing to do.


    "Justin, Did I offend you today? Don''t start with me again!" Rain was pissed off. He couldn''t figure out


    how he had offended both of them. Could anyone give him a reason? He was always left out. This time


    he wouldn''t stand for it. He would know what was going on.


    "You didn''t offend me. But you offended Mr. Mu." Justin wore a bright smile on his face. His smile was


    as beautiful as a blooming flower.


    Rain scratched his head. Did he really offend him? Why didn''t he realize it?


    "Edward, I didn''t even talk to you today, so how did I offend you? I just..." Rain almost cried! He finally


    knew what was going on here. Justin was all dressed up. He should have known that only Mr. Mu and


    his son had the right to adjust the air conditioner however they wanted! No wonder that Mr. Mu stared


    him with that horrible look. He had called his son a jerk. Wouldn''t that mean that Mr. Mu was a jerk too?


    But why did they turn the temperature down so low?


    "We''re going to grab a bite to eat. Do you want to go with us?" Edward decided to ignore them. He


    wasn''t stupid, he knew the tricks Justin yed. It was difficult to get him involved in anything, unless he


    was willing to be.


    "Great. Since you guys are buying, I''d be stupid not to go." Rain still remembered the expensive billst


    night. He''d make that up by eating on their dime.


    "Edward, can I go with you?" Mary asked in a whisper. Mary was unwilling to be ignored. She also


    wondered why there were so many handsome men in the FX International Group! She may have a


    crush on Edward, but the man next to him was just as hot!


    "Since you are willing to go, then let''s go!" Being a CEO of a multinationalpany, Edward knew that


    sometimes he couldn''t do things in an absolute way, leaving no space topromise, so he always


    remembered to show some respect to the others.


    "Well, Edward, won''t you introduce me to this beautifuldy?" Rain really wanted tough. The reason


    why Justin lowered the temperature of the air conditioner was thisdy, who was standing right in front


    of him! s! Rain had not noticed her, either! Mary was having a very bad day.


    "This is Mary, the daughter of the CEO of Ouyang Foreign Trade." Edward introduced her with a distant


    voice instead of a warm one. Rain paid little attention to her as well. If Edward didn''t care, neither did


    he.


    "Oh, so you are Mary. I am sorry, I didn''t see you just now. My name is Rain Xia, deputy CEO of the FX


    International Group. Nice to meet you." He reached out his long, slender fingers to shake with her


    without realizing what he said made Mary so awkward.


    "Mr. Xia, nice to meet you too." Mary thought she was really calm today. Although she was totally


    ignored by them, she still could talk to them peacefully. If others treated her like this, she would have


    already lost her temper.


    Justin was unhappy. He couldn''t understand why they would take that annoying woman with them!


    "Let''s go." Edward carried Justin and walked out first while Rain followed them casually. Mary bit her lip


    and caught them up. She knew something was wrong. Everyone ignored her. She resolved to change


    her situation.


    Due to the hot weather, Edward chose a fancy restaurant which was close to the office. He hated being


    hot and sweaty. As they walked in, they immediately drew people''s attention. After all, it would be


    difficult not to pay attention to handsome men and charming girls, not to mention the cute little boy.


    One of Edward''s biggest pet peeves was being stared by lots of people when he ate. He''d lose his


    appetite. That''s why he generally chose to have his meals in a private room.


    Mary followed them closely and looked at Edward in admiration now and then. Her face went red with


    shyness.


    Just like Mr. Mu, Rain never paid attention to people that he didn''t care about, so Mary''s situation was a


    little awkward.


    But Justin was d to see this. As long as this woman didn''t pester his daddy, everything was OK,


    because Mr. Mu could only belong to his mommy. If other women wanted to get close to his daddy,


    they should get his permission first.


    Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Mr. Mu! Did you know your kid already has your future nned out? He had you wrapped around his


    little finger.


    As soon as they entered the private room, Rain checked the menu. He was going to make up for being


    stuck with the billst night. Justin rolled his eyes for the second time. ''Uncle Rain was so


    disrespectful!'' Because Justin was hungry, and he should order first!


    "Miss Ouyang, please have a seat! Order whatever you like." Mr. Mu! You finally noticed her this time.


    She was beginning to wonder if she were invisible.


    "Sure. Edward, you can call me Mary! You don''t have to be so formal." Mary was annoyed when Mr.


    Mu called her Miss Ouyang. It felt like they were strangers and she really didn''t like this feeling.


    The truth was that because of Daisy, Mary and Edward were absolute strangers. It would be awkward if


    Edward didn''t give her the cold shoulder.


    "Daddy, could I have an ice cream?" Justin interrupted this exchange deliberately. ''Daddy only belongs


    to mommy, and not to this woman who was obviously starting to flirt.'' Saved by the boy!

 Chapter 38 Refugee

    Chapter 38 Refugee


    "No, you need to eat dinner first. You''ll get a tummy ache." Edward was very stubborn about certain


    things, like now -- when he said no, he meant no. He would not budge.


    "Okay." The little boy never really wanted any ice cream. He just wanted to vent his anger and divert


    Edward''s attention away from Mary.


    Rain, on the other hand,pletely ignored what was happening around. He was too busy finding all


    the expensive, delicate and light food on the menu. The bar tab had cost him plentyst night! He was


    going to make sure that he ate well enough to make up for that.


    Edward surely knew what Rain was thinking. But he kept quiet and just let Rain keep grinding his ax.


    He had more money than patience, after all. But when all the dishes were served, he was shocked. It


    was far too much. There was no way they could finish all of the food. He may be rich, but waste was no


    good virtue.


    "Uncle Rain, are you sure you can eat all of this?" Justin looked at him excitedly. He really expected


    Rain to answer. He was still young, and believed the world revolved around him.


    "No, I can''t eat them all. But I want to try a little of everything." Rain said in a careless way. He just


    wanted to taste them all. Anyway there was no rule that whoever ordered had to finish the dishes.


    Unbelievable! ''Rain, if you can''t eat that much, why did you order them? Don''t you know waste is a


    vice? I want to try them as well, but I won''t order that much.'' Justin protested in his mind.


    "Uncle Rain, you are shameless. Wasting food is a bad thing." Justin stared at him sarcastically as if he


    was some convicted criminal.


    "I am not as brazen as Edward." Who could be more brazen than Edward?!


    Edward was embarrassed. He did nothing. Why did Rain get him involved? Rain was too focused on


    one upmanship. He let Justin draw him in.


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Son, just ignore him. He is like a refugee now. He needs his food." Edward''s words hit the bull''s eye.


    Mary gaped at Edward fetching food for Justin. He was so sweet and caring, but not to her. She grew


    jealous.


    "Auntie, why don''t you eat? Don''t you like the food? Uncle Rain seems to be enjoying it very much."


    Justin''s words just hit two birds with one stone. On one hand, he seemed to be caring for Mary; but on


    the other, he derided Rain. Rain blushed, embarrassed. He grabbed some water from the table, hoping


    to swallow his reply along with the liquid.


    "The food is great. It''s just I''m not hungry yet." Mary thought she had replied tactfully, but that was not


    how others saw it. ''If you weren''t hungry, why did you tag along ?''


    Finally, the dinner was over amid the battle of words. They went back thepany without Mary as


    she said she had something else to do. In fact, she went home to find a strategy.


    Her exit made Justin the happiest, of course, as he sessfully kicked Mary a safe distance away from


    Edward.


    On the way back, Mary drove the car at full speed. She kept elerating the car and honking the horn,


    trying to vent all the anger she built up from tonight''s events.


    Today was the most humiliating day! It wasn''t even worth getting out of bed for! It was one thing if


    Edward was oblivious to her beauty, but his kid! If the little brat thought she was a pushover, he would


    be seriously wrong. She was not! As long as she wanted something, she would spare nothing to get it.


    Just wait and see. No one will get in her way. ''Edward, you are the only one for me.'' Mary thought.


    A dark green Hummer headed to the military base in the suburbs, leaving a cloud of dust hanging in


    the air behind it.


    "Colonel, we''re here." Mark got out of the car and opened her door, but found Daisy asleep. She slept


    so soundly that Mark didn''t want to wake her. But she had to report to themanderter. What


    should he do? Wake her up?


    "Em... We''re here now, ma''am." Just as Mark was mulling it over, Daisy opened her eyes slowly. She


    looked like an indolent, meek cat. Her voice sounded and soft, sweeter to his ears than ever. She


    murmured something sleepily.


    "Yes, colonel. Do you want to go freshen up or go to themander''s ce now?" Mark grabbed a


    large pile of documents and waited for her directive.


    "I''ll report to themander now. I don''t want them to wait too long for me. Staff officer has already


    arrived. We should make a point of being punctual." Daisy stretched her legs and got out of the car.


    The sunlight made her squint. She put the cap on properly, then took her briefcase.


    "Okay, colonel. Do you need me to help arrange these files?" Mark knew that the meeting would take a


    long time as there were many things to report.


    "No, I arranged them in the car. You can go now. I will call you when I need help." Daisy Ouyang was


    quite nice for a colonel. Just don''t make a mistake around her.


    "Okay, I will bring your luggage back then." Mark was Daisy''s entourage, so he need to help manage


    her life as well.


    "Okay. You can go now. You won''t be needed for the meeting." Then she turned around and walked to


    the office building. Her shadow elongated under the sun.


    Before even entering, Daisy heard themander''s boisterousughter. He seemed to be in good


    mood today.


    "Daisy! Finally you''re here. Come in. We''re all waiting for you." Themander said happily at the


    sight of Daisy. He loved the fact that she waspetent and no-nonsense. She was as good as a


    man. All her grades were excellent.


    "Commander, sorry to keep you waiting." Daisy said with a smile. She and themander were more


    like friends than leader and subordinate. Usually, he didn''t think of her as amander, but an intimate


    friend.


    "That''s all right. You are the only woman here after all. That''s your privilege, right?" Themander


    laughed generously, setting the whole crowd bursting intoughter.


    Daisy instantly blushed. She was too coy and embarrassed to say anything. So she just lowered her


    head timidly, sat beside Kevin and nodded at him in greeting. The crowd knew she was quite


    introverted, so they wouldn''t mind her cold response.

 Chapter 39 Shell Come Tomorrow

    Chapter 39 She''ll Come Tomorrow


    Kevin hadn''t taken his eyes off of Daisy since she hade in. He had been kind of upset at her


    attitudest night. That was why he had decided to leave without her this morning. Actually, he had


    been trying to avoid her for fear that he would say something stupid to her again.


    Daisy knew nothing about his concerns. She just wondered why he was acting so weird today, not


    realizing it had anything to do with what happenedst night.


    "What took you so long?" Kevin frowned and asked. He wasn''t angry, but worried.


    "Because I had to deal with something." Daisy answered simply. She knew what he had been talking


    about. If the Hummer hadn''t broken down on the way, she wouldn''t have been sote.


    Just as Mark had expected, It was quite a long meeting -- it went till 5 pm. Daisy was really worried that


    she wouldn''t be able to pick up Justin before Edward left his office.


    "Mrs. Daisy, hold on. Just a minute." Daisy heard that as she was rushing to leave. She frowned and


    stopped there, wondering ''what now?''


    "Anything else, sir?" Daisy sounded anxious.


    "Did you hear what I said?" The girl had gone too far. She hadn''t heard a thing he said.


    "What? You said the meeting was over, didn''t you?" Daisy was confused. She looked at the


    commander with her head tilted.


    "Ha! You weren''t actually listening, then. I said we''re having a party to celebrate your victory. I''m


    ordering everyone to attend." With that, he turned and walked out of the meeting room before Daisy


    could say anything.


    Her mood darkened. She couldn''t go and pick up Justin now! ''I want to see you, Justin. But my


    commander won''t let me go.''


    Justin was on hisputer when his phone rang. The ringtone was so familiar. He immediately picked


    up, and a just as familiar voice came from the other end, "Justin, it''s mommy. What are you doing right


    now?" Daisy knew that she couldn''t go and pick up her boy today. She felt sorry and sounded kind of


    gloomy.


    "Hi! Mommy, are you there?" Edward was busy in his office, up to his elbows in paperwork. He stopped


    to listen closely when he heard Justin say "mommy."


    "Yes, I''m at the base now. Mommy is busy tonight, so I''lle and get you tomorrow, okay?" Daisy


    apologized, hoping Justin wouldn''t be too disappointed.


    "Okay! It''s fine. I got it. Please promise me you''ll be here tomorrow!" Justin felt bad that he couldn''t see


    Daisy today. On the other hand, he had gotten used to ns being derailed. It wasn''t the first time


    she''d cancelled on him.


    "I promise! I have to go. See you tomorrow." Daisy had to hang up quickly as she heard someone


    calling her.


    "See you! Mommy, bye." Justin was feeling so blue.


    "What? Your mommy isn''ting?" Edward asked his son nervously. To be honest, he had been


    waiting for her.


    "No! She said she''s too busy. She''lle tomorrow." Justin pouted and looked gloomy.


    Edward thought the kid looked quite cute like that. He chuckled, "Come on! It''s time to go. You''ll see


    her tomorrow, right? Don''t be so angry. Let''s go home!"


    "I''m not angry! It''s just that I thought I would see her today and was really excited. But now..." he hung


    his head. He wasn''t angry? Look how he was pouting.


    "Okay, you''re not angry. You''re just upset. Shall we go home now?" Edward looked at his son with an


    impish smile. It seemed that Justin really was disappointed.


    "Daddy, can you take me to the ce where mommy is please?" Justin looked at Edward, hoping that


    he would say yes.


    Edward paused for a few seconds. He wanted to ask Daisy in person why she had criedst night, but


    he wouldn''t drop by unannounced. Actually he didn''t know where she was. Besides she had said she


    was busy tonight. They would cause her trouble if they went there.


    "Justin, your mommy said she was busy tonight, remember? So we''d better wait till she gets here


    tomorrow, okay?" Edward tried to talk his son out of visiting her now. He was practically begging him to


    stop asking.


    "Yes, I was just saying." Damn it! He was just saying, just like when Mary said that she wasn''t hungry


    and wanted to go out to lunch with them. Edward was relieved.


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Daisy hung up the phone and gazed in wonder at the guy who came running up to her.


    "Madam, themander wants to see you there now! He was afraid that you would slip away again."


    This guy was a toon leader. He was a simple and honest country boy. But now the boy was staring


    at her with a smile.


    "Got it. Mr. Su, please go and tell him I''ll be there soon." She needed a bath after that long journey. The


    commander would have to wait.


    "Yes, madam. Pleasee ASAP, or he will send someone else for you." Everyone here knew that


    theirmander was an impatient man, but Daisy always kept him waiting, which annoyed him.


    "Okay! I will. Thank you, Mr. Su." Daisy knew what hermander was like. Sometimes she just tried


    to annoy him on purpose, because most of time he didn''t have any good reason she should be there.


    "No problem. Madam, I gotta go." With that, he ran off.


    Daisyughed at herself and shook her head. She walked to the dorm in ten minutes time. Firth floor.


    Her ce. It was not a big space, but the atmosphere inside was so warm that you wouldn''t imagine a


    cool girl like her was living here.


    After a quick shower, Daisy slipped into a summer uniform withoutbing her hair. Just then, she


    heard a knock on her door. ''Who?'' she thought, and opened the door. She was surprised to see Kevin


    standing there.

 Chapter 40 Are You Enchanted By Me

    Chapter 40 Are You Enchanted By Me


    "Mr. Kevin, what brings you here?" Daisy Ouyang didn''t expect to see him here.


    "Well, I have been sent by the Commander. He told me that you wouldn''t obey themand


    Unless we use special power," Kevin jested. His robust body leaned against the door and his face wore


    a sly smile. Kevin''s charming appearance reminded Daisy of Edward. She had seen Edward smile with


    a simr slyness on lots of magazines, a smile that could allure people without their realization. At this


    moment, Kevin was giving Daisy Ouyang the same feeling, a feeling that made her blush.


    Kevin noticed her looking at him with a vacant look and his heart was mercilessly crushed by


    something. He knew that she was thinking of someone else then.


    "Daisy Ouyang, why are you being so mean to me? It''s one thing to not recognize my love for you but


    thinking of another man when you are looking at me is just... just torturous. Am I really a man to be


    ridiculed, for you?"


    Kevin''s face became pale with anger and he clenched his fists tight. However, he still managed to keep


    the sly smile and the smile became even brighter. If someone was to end up hurt


    Chasing the one they loved, he hoped that it would never be her.


    "What, are you enchanted by me?" Kevin mocked. Kevin''s deep eyes were full of tenderness. Daisy


    couldn''t tell if he was being serious or just joking.


    Daisy panicked for a while but managed to calm down. She put a beautiful smile on her face and her


    awkwardness shed away without either of them noticing.


    "Yeah! You are good-looking and any girl could be attracted to the charms of a handsome man. I am no


    exception." Since he had seen through her mind anyway, it would be better to admit, she thought to


    herself.


    "Well, I am wondering if I am lucky to have you go with me." Kevin chuckled and tried to seem


    pleasant.


    "You are, indeed very handsome, after all, so I am thinking - why not?" she said in a coquettish tone. If


    he wanted to y word games, she was more than willing to join him.


    "Miss Daisy, since you are doing me the honor of going with me, I think it''s best that I am obedient to


    you." It was rare to see this girl being lively and lovely, so he didn''t care to y word games with her.


    Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Let''s go! Its time. If we arete, I am afraid, the Commander wille here himself." Daisy Ouyang


    ended the banter with Kevin. Actually, she never disregarded the possibility that the Commander may


    come over himself, because he had already sent two people to fetch her and one of them was a big


    cheese.


    Kevin and Daisy showed up together. Their arrival caused quite amotion among the soldiers, for


    Kevin was handsome and Daisy was pretty. They made a perfect couple. In the dull military life, their


    arrival was a pleasant sight for the soldiers'' eyes used only to the mundane.


    Daisy Ouyang nced around them with cold eyes and showed off her power and position as the


    Colonel, and immediately, themotion died down. Everyone knew that Miss Daisy was as cruel as


    the Devil when she trained her soldiers. They wouldn''t dare to displease her if they wished to stay


    alive.


    "It looks like you have high prestige and regard among these men. Only a nce and you can control


    them all." Kevin joked again. He noticed what had just happened.


    "Are you sure I am not just relying on your power and position to frighten them? Isn''t it because of you,


    the big cheese, standing next to me? Speaking of which, I am kind of using your authority." Everyone


    could make a joke, so could she.


    "Both of you,e over here now. What are you mumbling to each other about?" The Commander


    couldn''t help chastising them. He thought that Daisy didn''t pay much attention to him anymore. She


    only came when he sent two people to invite her. Nevertheless, he did like her honesty and couldn''t


    stay mad at her.


    Daisy walked toward him, naturally and gracefully. Her cold face bore no expression, she was calm as


    plum blossoms defying the cold winter and blossoming alone in a secluded valley, Elegant and


    dignified. No matter how many eyes focused on her, she seemed to be alone in a vast wild in. Her


    face and even the eyes showed that she was cold and distant.


    "Commander, are you afraid that I''d run away? Or, do you think I have the courage to disobey your


    order?" Daisy Ouyang nced at him, thinking he was being ridiculous. Her high nose was


    characteristic of both pretty girls'' and handsome boys''. Perhaps because of showering just now, her


    thin and soft lips parted slightly and her skin appeared like an almost transparent ruby, so delicate that


    people could be intoxicated by just one look.


    "Ha-ha! My little girl, you really know how to make fun of me. If I hadn''t sent people to bring you, who


    knows which corner you''d be hiding in." Themander''sugh made Daisy blush, which made her


    look even more attractive. Although she was wearing in military uniform now, the beauty of her form


    and figure couldn''t be covered.


    "Commander, if you continue to scold her, I bet she will run away the next minute. I may not


    Be able to help you to find her again." Seeing her face reddening, Kevin figured that she was blushing


    now. After all, she was the only girl here and it was normal for her to be shy.


    "Fine, fine. Have a seat! I won''t joke anymore." In fact, the Commander joked with her on purpose. He


    thought she could pass the test. After all, she was outstanding in every aspect. However, she failed. It


    was not her fault. The only reason was that she had no backer.


    She must be very upset! During these years, he had witnessed her struggle - graduating from a famous


    military university overseas, working hard and fighting arduously for her job. He knew how hard the


    process was and he admired and respected her for this.


    He knew that she had got married. Because if she got pregnant before marriage, she would be


    expelled from the military. He never asked her who the father of her child was. He wasn''t going to let


    himself be involved in this affair, for he respected her privacy.


    Daisy Ouyang drank a lot that night, as many officers kept proposing toasts to her. She epted all


    their toasts because she did not want to be thought of as cold and distant. As a result, she got a little


    drunk and her face became more and more fascinating as she blushed.


    Seeing her drunk, slightly hurt Kevin''s heart. He had helped her drink lots of wine, but he did


    Not dare to help her much fearing people may figure out that he liked her. At any rate, she continued to


    drink more.


    Mark Du kept looking at her and he seemed to be worried about Daisy, judging by the look on his face.


    The reason was that he knew Daisy Ouyang would get drunk easily. These officers were going too far.


    As soon as the Commander left, they started to propose toasts to her. Obviously, they did this on


    purpose to spite her because they were not happy with the special treatment she received from the


    Commander. Little did they know that this was not the case. The Commander gave her no special


    treatment. She had achieved all her sess through her own determination and hard word. They


    couldn''t treat her this way.

 Chapter 41 I Am Her Husband

    Chapter 41 I Am Her Husband


    Daisy stumbled and missed her footing in her state of inebriation when Mark held her and propped her


    up. All Kevin could do was wear a cold look and frown inwardly. He wanted to be the one standing next


    to her, the one to hold her steady when she was unstable. s, he couldn''t. After all, they were in the


    military now, where a person''s demeanor and maintaining the decorum mattered a lot. He didn''t care


    much for his reputation, but he could never risk hers.


    Kevin cast a sharp and disdainful nce at the crowd at the table before gracefully standing


    Up. As he quietly walked out, his cold look was quite perplexing.


    Daisy kept stumbling along the family building on their way back, but Mark held her steady and helped


    her onto the sofa. All the while, deep down he still felt indignant. ''Why didn''t colonel get promoted?'' He


    brewed some tea for her hangover, lest she wake up with a terrible headache the next morning.


    "Mark, where is my phone?" She was too busy following Kevin along and had forgotten about her


    phone. With that question, Daisy began groping around for her phone. She nearly fell on the floor from


    being too drunk. This startled Mark and he stopped brewing the tea and came over to put her on the


    bed.


    "Colonel, you stay there. I will help you find the phone." Mark found her phone on the table and went


    back to brew his tea.


    When the phone rang, Edward was dealing with the files in his study room. Without looking at the caller


    ID, he answered the phone, because that was his personal phone and only few rtives knew this


    number.


    "Hi. Justin, are you awake? Justin?" A dazed and slurring voice came when the call got through.


    Edward checked the caller ID in confusion. Surprisingly, it turned out to be Daisy.This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Justin is asleep. It''s Edward." Edward was a bit angry. Daisy had called him, but asked for their son.


    He didn''t know that Daisy was so drunk that she had dialed Edward''s number by ident.


    "He is sleeping? Hmmm... Even I should sleep now." Delirious as she was, she dozed off on the couch,


    without even hanging up the phone.


    Edward looked at the phone in bewilderment and found that the call was still on. He said a few words


    but there was no response. Just when he thought that she must have been exhausted and fallen


    asleep, he heard a man''s voicee through.


    "Colonel, drink the sober-up tea before you sleep." By the time Mark had finished brewing the tea,


    Daisy was already fast asleep. He put the cup aside helplessly. "Oh, forget it. She would be the one


    that wakes up with a headache tomorrow anyway." He took her phone to put it on the table, but he


    heard a man''s voice from the phone. Curiously, he put the phone to his ear.


    "Daisy Ouyang, you better exin what''s going on now," growled an angry voice. Edward was losing


    his temper. He knew now that Daisy was drunk. But he couldn''t believe that she had fallen asleep


    soundly in the presence of another man. He was quite agitated that she didn''t know how to take care of


    herself. However, he hardly noticed his care and love for her.


    "Hello. Our colonel is the worse for drink. So, now is not a convenient time for her to answer the phone.


    Can you call back tomorrow?" Mark said, coldly. Soon after his offhanded remark, he felt responsible to


    clear things up with whoever was on the other side of the phone. After all, the call must have been


    made by Colonel herself.


    "Where are you now? I aming over." Edward just spat the words out without thinking much. He


    was never the kind that bothered to think if what he was saying was appropriate.


    "We are at the military base in the suburb of S City. Who are you, may I ask?" Mark replied and finally


    figured out what was going on. When did his colonel make a male friend that coulde over at any


    time? he wondered.


    "I am her husband, Edward. Give me the address. I aming over right now." That reply was


    characteristic of Edward''s nature. He never realized that he had dropped a bombshell, leaving others


    rather perplexed, but, he was calm as usual.


    "What? What did you just say? Can you repeat that?" Mark stood paralyzed with the phone in his hand.


    The news was so jaw-dropping that he forgot to organize his words more politely. After all, he had


    never heard much about the Colonel''s mysterious husband. Her husband never appeared. Now, when


    he showed up, his entrance was both dramatic and unexpected.


    "Are my words are so difficult to fathom?" Edward was enraged. His voice became quite aggressive


    because he thought Mark was that handsome man he saw in Justin''s phone when he heard his voice


    on the phone.


    "Em... No, I understand. Let me give you the address." Mark gave Edward the address to their ce,


    but his look remained befuddled. Soon after though, he regretted having given the address out so


    easily. ''Is the man really the Colonel''s husband? If he is, howe he didn''t know the colonel''s


    address?''


    Such questions kept troubling Mark as he grew remorseful with every minute. He was very stupid


    today. He hoped that this man was indeed Daisy''s husband, or he might have made a big mistake.


    Without changing his gym clothes, Edward took the car key and rushed downstairs. On second


    thought, he ran upstairs again, grabbed something and then went out. Luke followed his car all the way.


    He didn''t know where Edward was going, but following him, Luke thought, was the best way to keep


    him safe.


    Edward drove hastily. The car shuttled amid the heavy traffic. He bit his luscious lips tightly in anxiety


    and swerved the steering wheel effortlessly yet skillfully.


    Finally, the fancy Maybach left the bustling city behind, entering a quietne leading to the suburb.


    Luke trailed him perplexedly. He wondered why Edward hade to the suburb.


    At full speed, the car soon arrived at the dorm in the base. But Edward was stopped by a soldier on


    duty. That was when Edward realized the abnormality of his action. He hadn''t even noticed that the


    address was in the military base. He scratched his head in despondency, upset with his strange and


    unreasonable behavior. However, since he was already here, he did not want to go back without his


    doubts rified. So, he took out the phone and dialed Daisy''s number.


    "I can''t get in. Come and get me, I''m downstairs," he said. Mark had just answered the call when he


    heard Edward ordering him right away. His voice was even colder than the Colonel''s.


    Edward hung up without waiting for Mark''s answer. Actually, he hung up so quickly because he was


    afraid of being refused.


    Mark rolled his eyes at the phone angrily. This man was bossy. He wondered what he would look like.


    Daisy had awoken and thrown up. Mark let her drink the tea to help her sober-up. She didn''t


    Seem to be able to sleep well. Mark looked at her worriedly, then, slowly went downstairs. His dy


    was purposeful. After all, her husband hadn''t appeared for ages. He meant to y rough to this man.


    He meant to keep him waiting anxiously downstairs to teach him a lesson. Besides, he was not even


    certain that this man was indeed the Colonel''s husband.

 Chapter 42 My Wife

    Chapter 42 My Wife


    Edward had been waiting for a long time, leaning against the car door. He sighed in relief when he saw


    a man, dressed like an officer,ing out, because he was not the man that Edward had seen in the


    photo.


    The moment Mark Du reached the gate, he noticed Edward, because of the dazzling car Edward was


    standing next to. Mark Du looked him up and down and noticed that this man had a fair skin and an


    angr face with ck eyes, bushy eyebrows, high nose and beautiful lips, which showed grace and


    nobility. ''Oh! No wonder he is so arrogant! He turns out to be qualified to behave like this. His


    temperament does overwhelm everyone around, let alone the fact that he drove this irrationally


    expensive car. But why do I feel like I have met him before?'' Mark thought.


    "Hello, I am Edward Mu." Edward introduced himself first, looking at Mark Du''s dull expression.


    "Well. Hello, Mr. Mu! I''m the apanying officer for Colonel Daisy. you can call me Mark. Could you


    show me your credentials before I can let you in?" Mark Du came to himself and asked professionally.


    Edward was prepared. He handed over all the required documents, including the marriage licence that


    he had picked up in the spur of the moment.


    Mark Du looked them over and was shocked by his identity. ''This man is the renowned CEO of FX


    International Group in S City! No wonder he seems familiar.'' Mark had always seen the man''s


    photographs in the newspapers at the Colonel''s home. He didn''t remember him distinctly because he


    seldom paid much attention to the finance section. The credentials reminded him of who Edward was.


    ''No wonder the Colonel took Justin to that tallmercial building that day. It turns out to be FX


    International Group. I thought the Colonel entrusted Justin to her friend who worked there. I finally


    understand why Colonel never tell us who her husband is. It turns out to be the CEO of FX International


    Group with a very eminent status.'' Mark was thinking to himself.


    He returned the credentials to Edward, whispered to the soldiers on duty, and took Edward inside the


    building. Luke didn''t follow them and stayed in the car because the military base was safe and he didn''t


    need to worry about Edward''s security.


    "Mr. Edward, here we are. Do you need me toe along with you?" Mark asked. Mark felt no need to


    go along since Edward was the Colonel''s husband. He still asked out of politeness.


    "Oh, I will go by myself, thank you." Edward thanked Mark Du and felt sorry for troubling him at such a


    late hour in the night.


    "You are wee. I will take you leave now." Mark turned around to leave, but he turned back


    suddenly as if he had remembered something important.


    "Oh! The Colonel has seven days off, beginning tomorrow, she is not required to be in the military


    campus during this time and free to spend her time as and where she pleases." Mark Du thought that


    he needed to say it suspecting Edward was expecting to take the Colonel with him, seeing Edward''s


    luxury Maybach still parked at the gateway. ''Edward might not sleep here, '' Mark Du thought to himself.


    "Okay. Thank you! Mark, could you please tell the soldiers on duty that I will be taking the Colonel away


    after a while." Edward requested. Edward had nned on the way here that he would keep her with


    him for a while to connect with her in time, since he couldn''t really figure out how he felt about her at


    the time. Otherwise, he couldn''t exin the reason why he suddenly cared for her.


    "They''ve been informed, rest assured. Our Colonel is entrusted to you now." After saying this, Mark


    quickly left. He learnt from Daisy Ouyang that he should behave himself instead of rubbing him the


    wrong way or finding fault with him.


    Edward pushed the door open and entered. He frowned at the cramped space and looked at the room.


    All the things were verymon but made him feelfortable and warm.This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Daisy Ouyangy on the sofa dressed in tidy military uniform. Her face was pink and her eyshes


    were shaking slightly. Her delicate and lovely lips grabbed his eyes. Edward looked away from her face


    and his face turned red.


    This was the first time Edward looked at this woman so closely and felt close too. He looked at her


    lovely, sleeping face, smiling and walking to her. He bent, touching her soft skin, and tucked a strand of


    hair behind her ear. Unconsciously, he was filled with deep love for her now.


    He scanned the room again and took the mobile phone and put it on the table. He tidied her messy


    uniform and picked her up. All of a sudden, she mumbled something and buried her head in his arm,


    then went back to sleep. Such adorable behaviors delighted Edward. He realized that she looked


    delicate and even more beautiful when she was drunk and no longer cold.


    Edward picked her up and took her out of the room and closed the door with difficulty. Daisy Ouyang


    slept soundly and didn''t have a clue of anything. Edward began to anticipate her reaction the next


    morning when she found out that she wasn''t in her room.


    Luke saw Edward embracing someone and walking out. He walked towards him. The soldiers saluted


    to Daisy Ouyang, despite the fact that she was sleeping. They passed unobstructed by anyone as Mark


    had instructed the soldiers in the regard. Edward nodded to them in gratitude.


    "Who is she?" Luke was confused about the identity of the woman in Edward''s arms. He didn''t realize it


    was his wife since he hadn''t seen her in several years.


    "My wife. Open the door, we are going home in your car, then, call someone and have them drive my


    car home." Edward said. Luke was perplexed by what Edward said, but soon he came to himself and


    walked out to open the car door.


    Edward carefully put Daisy Ouyang in the car and cupping his hands under her head. He put her head


    on hisp as Luke made arrangements for the other car to be driven home.

 Chapter 43 Lets Go Home

    Chapter 43 Let''s Go Home


    "Master, she is Justin''s mother, isn''t she?" Luke Luo asked, although he felt that he shouldn''t have. He


    hadn''t seen Daisy Ouyang thest time, so he didn''t exactly know that she was Justin''s mother. What


    surprised him even more was that she was an officer. He needed some time to reconcile with the fact


    that she was a female officer.


    "Yes! Come on! Let''s go home." Edward Mu shifted a little to make Daisyfortable.


    Luke started the car. He nced backward and tried to ask something.


    "She is drunk, isn''t she?" he couldn''t help but ask. He could tell from the smell in the car. It seemed she


    had had quite a bit to drink.


    "If she wasn''t, she would have never allowed me to carry her out like that." Edward stared at Luke as if


    to say that he had asked a very stupid question. Luke was a little upset. It, indeed, was stupid of him to


    ask that. She was obviously drunk.


    The car ran fast, but smoothly. Luke was a great driver. Daisy had fallen into a sound sleep, her hands


    touching Edward now and then. Edward was having a hard time. Actually, Daisy was resting her head


    on his thighs. This aroused him, which he somehow managed to control, and her hands, on him, made


    him even more excited.


    Edward clutched her hands in his and smiled with desire in his eyes. His lips slowly came closer and


    finally, touched hers, just the way he had dreamed to. Her lips were soft and sweet, he couldn''t resist


    licking them slightly. He started running his tongue over her lips. Daisy moaned and startled him.


    Edward chuckled and took his lips away. He began to feel her lips with his fingers. They looked redder


    now from his kiss. Seeing this, he couldn''t help but sigh in surprise. As far as he knew, it was the first


    time for him to kiss a girl without her knowing it. What was wrong with him? He had been proud of how


    well he could control himself. Why did he fail to do it with her? Anyway, he didn''t feel bad, but


    somewhat excited.


    Actually, Daisy couldn''t handle her drinks. She knew she got drunk very easily and so, had never tried


    it. Tonight however, she drank quite a little, not because they urged her to, but because she wanted to.


    She wanted to forget about her troubles for once.


    They reached Edward''s vi just before midnight. The servants had gone to bed, so, only Luke and


    some other bodyguards knew that Edward brought Daisy home.


    Edward carried Daisy in his strong arms and went straight into his bedroom. He didn''t think there was


    anything wrong in that. He put the girl, who had given him a hard time all the way, gently on his bed. He


    adjusted the temperature, so that she could sleepfortably. Contented with the arrangements made


    for herfort, he left.


    Edward took a cold shower to ease out all the stress. As he walked out of the bathroom in his briefs,


    drops of water rolled from his muscr body. He looked sexy and desirable. One could tell what a


    fantastic body God had blessed him with.


    He put on a pair of pajamas and casually walked to his bed. Seeing Daisy still wearing her uniform, he


    frowned at having forgotten to arrange some clothes for her to change into. Edward sighed. He had no


    choice but to get a pair of his pajamas for her.


    After much wavering, he finally started unbuttoning her uniform, while thinking to himself, ''Edward,


    you''re just helping her change. It''s no big deal. Damn it! You can control your urges.''


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    When he finally managed to help Daisy change into the pajamas, Edward let her long hair down, which


    was all over the pillow. This made him perspire in the forehead. What he had seen just now kept


    shing through his mind.


    It must be the regr and long-term training that had toned her body up. She was a slender girl with


    beautiful breasts, a well-rounded bottom and long legs. Every part of her was perfect, except for some


    scars, which gave him a different visual impact. He liked her better this way, as he found her more


    attractive. He felt his heart beat faster with the urge to explore her more.


    Edward rushed back into the bathroom again, hoping that the cold water would help him suppress his


    desires. It had been a long time since he had slept with a woman. Maybe that was why he wanted to do


    it with her now.


    Edwardughed at himself. He thought he must have lost his mind. He didn''t know he would fall in love


    with her, but he had to admit that he was attracted to her now. He thought she was different. Otherwise,


    he wouldn''t have kissed her in the car or let her sleep in his bed.


    People thought he was a yboy. In fact, he was a man who had principles. Even Luke, who was with


    him all day, though he had slept with many girls in his bed. Edward only entertained the women in the


    other bedroom. Besides, he never allowed them to stay with him overnight, because they were simply


    used for gratifying his sexual desire.


    They said he was a fickle and heartless guy. Actually, what he wanted was quite simple. He had been


    waiting for his Miss. Right. Hopefully, a girl like her would be the one.


    Edward went back to his bed. He just stood there, staring at that girl with mixed feelings.


    Just then, she suddenly licked her lips and groaned, "Mark, I''m thirsty." Her voice was soft and


    charming. She looked very attractive now. Edward thought it was a good thing that he had brought her


    back and nobody would see her in this state.


    He brought some warm water for her to drink before he climbed onto the bed, feeling tired after all the


    events of the day. He let her rest in his arms and went to sleep without thinking about


    anything.

 Chapter 44 I Cant Take It

    Chapter 44 I Can''t Take It


    Summer was a scorching season, but the mornings were cool andfortable. The morning sun


    shone on the quiet world, where the bustle was yet to begin. It was peaceful and pleasant. Daisy


    Ouyang woke up to such a morning.


    She suffered from a hangover. With her eyshes moving up, she slowly opened her beautiful eyes.


    The sunlight shone through the curtain and made her squint. She looked lethargic, confused but lovely.


    When she rubbed her eyes and opened them again, Daisy suddenly saw a handsome face beside her.


    She looked around in panic, only to find that it was not her sweet home in the dormitory building. She


    gave herself a pinch on the cheek. ''Ouch!'' It hurt, so she wasn''t dreaming.


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Daisy panicked. She didn''t know why she had woken up again in this man''s arms after six years. How


    would he humiliate her this time? Maybe he would think she yed some tricks on him again. If so,


    how was she supposed to tell him the truth, which she knew nothing about? He might be mad at her


    again when he woke up.


    She took his arm away from her waist carefully, trying to run away while he was still asleep. However,


    he put it back around her before she could get out of his arms. Daisy was so scared that she froze. Her


    face flushed.


    Actually, Edward Mu had woken up when she moved. He just wanted to see what she would do, only to


    find that she was so different and lovely. He pulled her back into his arms, murmuring, "Be good. Don''t


    get up now. It''s still early." Edward had a problem. He got mad easily when he didn''t get enough sleep.


    He was uptest night and still felt tired now, so he sounded a little upset.


    Daisy just stayed in his arms with her face against his chest. She could hear his heartbeat clearly. The


    scent of jasmine from him filled the air all around her. That was what it was like in his arms. It was


    intoxicating.


    She wasn''t sure he knew who was in his arms now, nor did she know whom he loved. However, she


    decided to take the chance and stay there longer. It would be fine if he got mad at her again when he


    woke up. She could at least, keep this beautiful moment in her memory.


    Daisy raised her head slowly. She stared at his handsome face that she had seen many times in her


    dreams. Her hand ran across his eyebrows, his nose and his lips. She moved so gently that one in a


    sound sleep couldn''t feel it, but Edward wasn''t asleep.


    "What? You like what you see?" Daisy stopped and looked into a pair of smiling eyes following that


    hoarse voice. Edward was staring at her mischievously.


    "Er! I didn''t mean to get into your bed this time. I don''t know why I''m here. Believe it or not, I didn''t drug


    you or y any tricks." Daisy struggled out of his arms in a hurry, trying to exin to him. She was


    herself confused. Why did these things happen to her?


    "You didn''t mean to do it this time, so you are saying you did, six years ago?" Edwardy on his side,


    ncing at her with a charming smile.


    "No, I didn''t mean to do that back then either." Daisy looked aloof now. No matter how she had gotten


    into his bed, she needed to defend herself and her pride.


    "Oh! So, may I know what you meant please, Mrs. Daisy?" Edward exploded with anger. Was it so


    shameful for her to be in his bed? Why did she have to deny it like that? Did she know how many girls


    wanted to sleep with him?


    "Mr. Edward, don''t worry. I won''t badger you. I know who I am, so I won''t try to sleep with you or win


    your heart. You don''t need to embarrass me like that." Daisy would never forget what he had said six


    years ago. She would feel painful whenever she thought about it.


    "What if I give you the chance to do that?" Edward''s face clouded. ''Good! Great! Damn it! One minute


    shey in his arms like a girl in love, and the next minute she was being so cold and aloof from him.''


    Hearing what he said, Daisy was kind of confused. She didn''t know what he meant. Was heughing at


    her for what she wanted or trying to pay her back for what she had said?


    "Mr. Edward, it''s not funny. I don''t deserve the chance, and I can''t take it." She had loved him for twelve


    years, more than four thousand days. He had never looked back at her. Now, he suddenly said he


    would give her the chance. How stupid would she be to believe him?


    "Oh! If you don''t deserve it, why did you call me while you were drunkst night? Why did you have a


    good night''s sleep in my arms?" Edward looked at her and smiled with his eyebrow raised. He knew


    she hadn''t forgotten what he had said that morning six years ago. If she had, she wouldn''t have


    responded like that.


    "What? I called youst night?" Daisy got crazy. How could she have called him? She didn''t have his


    number.


    "Yes, you really did call me." Edward put on a charming face and stared at her with his smiling eyes.


    She really wanted to run away for fear that she would be enchanted by him.


    "No way. I don''t have your number. How could I have called you? You''re lying." Daisy was confused.


    "Well, My Colonel! Actually, you didn''t have my number until I had once called you. Remember?"

 Chapter 45 Close Your Eyes When I Kiss You

    Chapter 45 Close Your Eyes When I Kiss You


    "You don''t trust me? Let''s check your phone''s call history." Seeing her puzzled expression, Edward


    started to look for her mobile phone around the room.


    "Okay, I trust you. But why did I call you? Why did Ie here? Why did I even sleep in your bed?"


    Daisy asked a long list of questions. All of this made no sense to her. Edward''s house was far away


    from her workce, she would note to his house unless she had a good reason.


    "Do you want to know? I picked you up from your workce and you slept in my arms all the way


    home." A smile appeared on Edward''s lips. All of her subordinates saw him taking her in his arms. He


    was so deep in his thought that he did not notice the surprised expression on her face.


    "What? What are you talking about? You took me in your arms? At my workce, the military base?"


    Daisy could not believe this. Oh, God. What a shock! What a shame!


    "Yes. I held you in my arms at that time. Is there anything wrong in that?" Edward wondered. He could


    feel unaffected by other people''s views. He did not think of it as a big deal.


    Daisy fell silent for a moment. She realized that Edward was incapable of understanding the gravity of


    this matter.


    "How many? How many people saw you hold me?" Daisy asked, taking a deep breath. She tried to


    control her anger and forced a smile on her face. The smile looked quite painful.


    "Oh. You can take a guess. What would you do if I say that a lot of people saw you with me and


    sleeping in my arms?" Edward deliberately said these words. He wanted to y with her.


    "Edward Mu. I''m not kidding. It''s a serious thing!" Daisy blurted out. She used to call him "Mr. Mu" and


    talked to him in a polite way. At the moment, however, she felt very angry.


    "I''m not kidding either. I am telling you the truth." Edward''s lips twitched in a smile as he said these


    words. He liked how cute she looked when she was angry.


    "Okay. I don''t mind. But, what about my clothes? Who helped me into these pajamas? Was it you,


    Edward?" Daisy noticed that she wasn''t in her military uniform and was wearing night-clothes.


    Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Yes, that was me. I did it, but, so what? Are you unhappy with it?" Edward spoke cheekily.


    Daisy twitched her lips. She felt a little ufortable being naked in front of Edward.


    "Where are my clothes?" Daisy asked in an offended tone. She couldn''t bear hiscent smile.


    "What if I have thrown them away?" He kept mocking and tantalizing her.


    "What? Those are military uniforms! You threw them away? How dare you do that!" Daisy said


    indignantly. Over the past years, Daisy had always be calm, clear, and determined. But she lost all


    control and went crazy now.


    "Baby. You need to calm down. I''m just joking. I put them over there." He pointed to the corner as he


    comforted her. Then he stood up and moved toward her.


    Daisy looked at him with vignt eyes. What was he doing? Was he angry? Unexpectedly for her, he


    passed her and went inside the bathroom. She breathed a sigh of relief.


    Daisy seemed rxed, and began to look around the room with more interest. The room was simple


    and clean, without any luxurious furniture or decorations. Obviously, it was a room for a single man.


    Because there was no lingering scent of a woman or any of women''s cosmetics. She was delighted¡ª


    happy with the fact that he was a single man. Thinking of this, she could not stop herself from smiling.


    "What are you thinking about?" Edward stood close to her. His deep voice made her jump. Daisy''s lips


    touched his cheek when she turned her head. This "kiss" held them in a trance. She turned aside to


    hide her blushes.


    Edward recovered in time. He took her in his arms and gave her a French kiss. He gently nibbled and


    sucked her soft lips over and over again. Daisy was wide-eyed and her mind went nk.


    "Close your eyes when I kiss you." Edward said sweetly. They shared a passionate and long kiss on


    the lips. He didn''t let her go until she couldn''t breathe. She stayed in his arms and looked at him


    nkly.


    In Daisy''s memory, Edward never kissed her. She didn''t know that Edward kissed herst night. She


    had mixed feelings. On one hand, she was happy that he gave her a kiss that betokened his affection,


    but on the other hand, she was afraid. She didn''t know if he really loved her. She wanted to turn away


    but she was already exhausted.


    "Hey. Do you like my kiss? Wanna continue?" Edward would not tell her that he had a crush on her.


    Her face was flushed as she struggled back to her feet. She didn''t even have the courage to look him


    in the eye.


    "Where is Justin? I miss him so much." Daisy tried to change the subject. The fact was that she was


    still immersed in that kiss.


    "I suggest you change into your clothes first." Edward reminded her as he looked at her tangled hair.


    "But I don''t have other clothes here." Daisy said helplessly. Looking at her innocent and beautiful face,


    no one could say that she was a Colonel.


    "Don''t worry. I have an idea. You can freshen up before you change. I have prepared new toiletries for


    you. Just for you. Not for other women." Edward stressed that he didn''t have a girlfriend.


    He called for somebody to buy some new clothes. He changed into his clothes and left the room.


    After washing up, Daisy stepped out of the bathroom. She found her crumpled uniform in the corner.


    She wanted to pick up the clothes, but, suddenly the door of the room opened. Justin rushed in. He


    could not wait any longer and ran into Daisy''s arms.

 Chapter 46 Edward Mu, You Are Shameless

    Chapter 46 Edward Mu, You Are Shameless


    "Mom, you''re really here! So dad wasn''t lying!" Justin grinned from ear to ear, and hugged Daisy tight,


    arms around her neck.


    "Yes, I''m here. You''re getting so big! I almost couldn''t lift you." Sheughed. "Probably means you''re


    eating well." Daisy nuzzled Justin''s forehead gently and lovingly.


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    "Mom, when did you get here? How do you know where we live?" Justin asked eagerly. He didn''t


    expect his mom till evening, but when he woke up, his mother was right there by his bedside. When


    Edward told him she would be there, he thought Edward was lying. But it turned out he was telling the


    truth.


    Daisy stuttered and didn''t know how to answer. "I...that is..." She didn''t know when she got here, not to


    mention where she was. She was taken here by Edward, but she couldn''t tell him that. It was too


    embarrassing.


    "Justin, where is your father?" Daisy tried to change the topic.


    "You are so reliant on me. I leave the room and you miss me already." That arrogant and teasing tone


    was so Edward. Daisy regretted asking. She dodged Justin''s harsh questions, but now Edward was


    skewering her with his razor sharp wit. So embarrassing!


    Edward leaned against the door gracefully. The grey gym outfit made him seemzier and more


    approachable. He stared at Daisy and Justin, smiling the whole time. The scene was so sweet, so


    Norman Rockwell, with his beautiful wife and adorable son.


    "No. I just asked randomly. Don''t overthink it."


    ''Why do I lose it every time I''m around Edward?'' she wondered.


    "I didn''t overthink anything. Or is it that you want me to overthink about you?" Edward was having fun.


    She was more vibrant this time --st time she was just a cold and aloof officer.


    "Mr. Edward, the staff of MY Mall are waiting downstairs. They said you called them here." Daisy was


    saved by the abrupt voice. She felt quite lucky -- she was not as eloquent as Belinda Shangguan. She


    could never win against Edward in a battle of words.


    "Excellent. The clothes must have arrived. The Mall staff is quite efficient. Tell them to bring the clothes


    upstairs." Finally Edward shifted his gaze. Daisy breathed a sigh of relief.


    Edward nced at her, walked over and took Justin from her arms. He set him down.


    "Okay, son, your mother is tired now. You go have breakfast. Your mom and I will be along soon."


    When Edward dered something, there was no wiggle room. It was like an order from an officer.


    "Okay. But you have toe downstairs soon." Justin got it. He loved it when his mother held him. But


    he also knew he was bigger than he had been at 2 or 3. It was only natural that she would be tired.


    The clothier called out, "Mr. Edward, can we bring the clothes in now?" Justin was trapped inside by the


    apparel racks at the door. He gaped at several lines of clothing, wondering if Edward had moved the


    whole mall home.


    "Take them all in. They go in the closet." Edward was oblivious to Daisy''s surprised look. To him, this


    was normal.


    The staff hung the clothes skillfully. Daisy thought it was creepy that even her underwear was prepared,


    that there were all sorts of high-heeled shoes, dresses, etc. She was too astonished to utter a single


    word.


    Justin giggled at Daisy''s amazed look. ''Edward doesn''t do things halfway. This is nothing. Just check


    out my closet. You''d be amazed.'' Justin thought to himself.


    "Mr. Edward, these are all the newest styles. They are cut to the measurements you gave us. What


    else can we do for you?" the chief clothier said respectfully.


    "That''s all I need, thanks. Just send the bill to the FX International Group." Edward walked over, looked


    at the clothes and nodded slightly. He looked satisfied.


    "Okay, Mr. Edward, we will leave now." Then they left after ncing at Daisy.


    "Okay, just choose an outfit and try it on. They are all your size." Edward said, gently. Daisy was still


    shocked.


    "What? These are all for me?" Daisy finally shook off her amazement, and took stock of the situation.


    Edward said, "Who else? You think they''re for me?" They would not fit for him, obviously. Edward


    squinted his eyes and stared at her.


    "No, I mean in my closet, I only need one outfit to wear when returning to base. I have my own clothes


    there." Daisy exined.


    "I know you have clothes there. These are clothes you can wear here." Edward said naturally.


    "But how do you know my size?" She didn''t remember telling him.


    "If I said I measured you myselfst night, would you believe it?" Edward moved in close, and smiled


    evilly. Such intimacy scared Daisy and she stepped away.


    "Edward Mu, you''re shameless." Daisy blushed and stared at Edward angrily. Apparently Edward didn''t


    just change her clothesst night.


    "I am shameless only when ites to my wife." Edward looked at Daisy teasingly. She was such fun


    now.


    ''Edward, you''re just as bold and rude as when I first met you. Now you remember that I''m your wife.


    Where have you been before?'' Daisy thought to herself.


    "As I recall, I''m your wife in name only. Isn''t that what you said?" Daisy retorted coldly. It always got on


    her nerves whenever the topic came up. It was like Edward was making fun of her feelings for him. So


    she would hide behind an icy demeanor.


    "You really know how to hold a grudge. Okay, I''ll head downstairs and wait for you. Find an outfit you


    like. I''d like to eat breakfast together." Edward noticed her mood and stopped flirting. He shouldn''t


    press her too hard. He knew far too well what kind of hell that would bring him.


    Daily copsed on the bed. She was weak -- that morning was too much for her. She didn''t know what


    was real. She didn''t understand why all of a sudden Edward acted like he cared about her. He told her


    they wouldn''t sleep together anymore, and that she would never have his heart. But then how could


    she exin this morning? Was he ying catch-me-if-you-can? Maybe it was a trick. He would entice


    her and she would fall in love with him all over again. Then he''d dump her. Like he did before. She


    resolved to never let that happen again.

 Chapter 47 You Cant Eat Dad

    Chapter 47 You Can''t Eat Dad


    Daisy finally made an appearance which shocked both the maids -- and even normally unppable


    Edward.


    She wore a white trailing dress, simple but trendy. Her raven hair cascaded to her shoulders and her


    eyes looked coy and bright, her cheeks blushed. Her skin was fair and smooth, her footsteps light and


    enchanting. She was a fairy from heaven, and hot enough to captivate any man.


    It was the first time that Edward had seen her dressed like that. He never imagined that she looked like


    that under the boxy military attire. She was incredibly, unbelievably gorgeous. The perfect marriage of


    coldness and grace.


    Daisy saw them all staring at her, pulled her dress a bit and looked at Edward helplessly. She didn''t


    know what she had done wrong.


    "Mom, you are so pretty today." Justin rushed over, but not into her arms. He didn''t want to ruin Daisy''s


    white dress with his greasy hands.


    "Something wrong?" Daisy asked. She was still a little unsure. This gown was thest resort. Every


    other dress was either too short or too revealing. After careful deliberation, she chose the long


    conservative gown she wore now.


    "No no! You look stunning in that dress." Edward extended his hand to hold Daisy''s waist and escorted


    her to the table. The maid, as well as Justin, were shocked seeing that.


    Daisy''s face went even redder. She was embarrassed by this public disy of affection. How could


    Edward embrace her in front of so many people, especially around Justin?


    "Mrs. Wu, bring my wife her breakfast, and get the sober-up soup I just told you to make." Edward was


    back in fine form, giving orders. He didn''t see anything inappropriate in what he was doing.


    "Okay, Master." Mrs. Wu nodded and left. She saw nothing strange in Daisy''s appearance here. Her


    relieved smile brightened up her kind face. She was happy that Justin''s mother was pure and innocent,


    far cuter than women Edward brought home before.


    "Mom, you don''t need to go to the military base today?" Justin looked at Daisy curiously. There really


    wasn''t enough time to get there. It was quite a drive.


    "Oh no! I totally forgot about it. I have to get going." Daisy sprang up, but was tripped by the long dress.


    She began falling forward. Meanwhile, she closed her eyes ruefully and prepared to strike the floor in a


    very un-soldier-like fashion.


    Edward grabbed her and saved her from the fall. He said with an angry voice, "Why are you in such a


    hurry?" He gently let Daisy go, letting her settle into her chair.


    "Um... I need to go to the military base. I''m due back there." Daisy blushed. She seemed to be always


    making a fool of herself. Her iciness was melting fast under the heat of embarrassment.


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    "You don''t need to go. Mark Du said you had a week-long vacation." Edward said slowly as he nced


    at her.


    "What? Why wasn''t I informed of this? Is this a game?" Daisy asked confusedly.


    "How should I know? Seems like you''re not as well put together as you''d like people to think." Edward


    looked at her mischievously. He just found out that Daisy could be a bit forgetful. The longer two people


    stayed together, the more ws they would spot. But it didn''t matter no matter how many shorings


    Daisy had. He loved her in spite of and because of them.


    "Mrs. Mu, here''s your breakfast." Mrs. Wu''s affection for Daisy was growing quickly.


    "Okay. Thank you." The "Mrs. Mu" embarrassed her. She cast a nce at Edward and found that he


    was too preupied with feeding Justin and cleaning his mouth to notice how flustered she was. She


    breathed a sigh of relief.


    That''s not to say she wasn''t dreaming of an idyllic scene like this for a long time. But now that it was


    right here in front of her, she hesitated. She didn''t think she was charming enough to make Prince-like


    Edward fall in love with her. So she felt this happy moment was enough for her. She couldn''t ask for


    more.


    "Looking at me makes you full?" Edward said in jest, interrupting Daisy''s fantasy. She frowned in regret


    and dove into breakfast to cover up her feelings.


    Edward was taking care of Justin during breakfast, but his eyes never left Daisy. He knew exactly what


    she was doing.


    "Mom, Dad is right. You can''t eat Dad. He''d probably taste bad. But you can have a bite if you want to.


    Ha ha..." Justin used to be meek and cute in front of Daisy. She didn''t know that he could be so "evil"


    as well.


    Daisy spat out her food in surprise. She looked up at Justin, face reddening.


    "That''s good advice, son. Your mom can try it if she likes." Edwardughed, but Daisy wasn''t sure what


    he was up to. There was a calcting look in his eyes.


    Daisy was at a loss for words. Since when had she be the butt of their jokes?


    "You don''t need to go to work today, Dad?" Everyone was getting along, and Justin was thrilled. Now to


    step up his efforts -- he needed to strike while the iron was hot.


    "Why do you ask? What are you up to?" Edward knew his sophisticated son far too well. Maybe Daisy


    didn''t understand Justin''s calcting nature, but he did. He was Edward Mu, after all.


    "No reason, Dad. You always think I''m up to something. I''m not that bad. Besides, when ites to


    plotting, I can never beat you." Justin tried to y innocent, but Edward knew better.


    "Just tell me. What do you really want?" Edward nced at Justin, cleaned his mouth and leaned


    against the chair gracefully.


    "Dad, can we go to the beach again?" Justin said eagerly.


    "Well, I have too much work to do today. So we can''t go to the beach." It was burning hot outside. They


    would be grilled under the hot sun. He didn''t want to squeeze into the overcrowded beach on a day like


    this. They could go another time.

 Chapter 48 Dont Leave

    Chapter 48 Don''t Leave


    Daisy shot Edward a confused look. Why did he suddenly need to leave?


    "Just stay here. Make yourself at home. I''ll take you out to dinner tonight." Edward whispered in her


    ear. His warm breath made her stiffen.


    "But I want to take Justin back to the base. I don''t want to impose." Daisy lowered her lead and said in


    a low voice.


    Edward was a bit taken aback. His demeanor turned cold and mysterious.


    "You want to leave me that much? After all I have done for you?" His lips were sexy, but his words were


    evil. Daisy trembled in fear.


    "That''s what you want, isn''t it? You have your life and I have mine. Isn''t that what you told me?" Daisy


    said angrily. That was not what she thought or meant. But she couldn''t let him know what he meant to


    her. She didn''t want to see his disdainful look.


    "But you are here now. You''re in my life. Now what? You want to back down? Or are you just ying


    hard-to-get?" Edward roared. He was too full of rage to understand how cruel he was being.


    His hurtful remarks turned Daisy''s face pale. She bit her lips tightly. She never thought that Edward still


    regarded her as a calcting bitch. She fumbled for words, but in the end, she said nothing. What


    could she say anyway? He really believed what he was saying. It was partially her fault anyway, for


    creating that cold identity. There was no exining it away.


    When he saw Daisy''s ashen face, Edward realized how cruel his words were. But he was too proud to


    take back his words. Full of regret, hebed his hair and went upstairs.


    Justin worried. He didn''t know why the sweet scene suddenly turned hateful and violent.


    Daisy took a few deep breaths and calmed down. She forced a smile and turned to look at Justin.


    "Justin, have you finished your breakfast? If you are done, then pack your stuff, we''re heading to the


    base." Only the military base was her home, wasn''t it? She was just a visitor here.


    "Mom, do we really need to go?" Justin was upset, but he respected Daisy''s decision. He knew that


    mom was the only one he could rely on.


    "Okay. You don''t want to go back?" Daisy was at a loss. What did she have if Justin didn''te back


    with her?


    "No, mom. I will always go with you. I will never leave you alone." He didn''t know what Daisy and


    Edward were arguing about, but he would always protect his mother.


    Edward smashed his fist against the wall in a rage. He med himself for making the situation so bad.


    But did he love Daisy? He didn''t really know himself. But when she said she would leave, it tore his


    heart to bits. The feeling confused him. He wanted to know the reason behind it. So the cruel words


    just tumbled from his lips as he tried to sort out his emotions.


    Daisy held Justin''s hand and walked slowly towards his room. Edward grabbed her before she could


    get there. The aroma of jasmine instantly filled his nostrils. He hugged her tightly and murmured in her


    ear, "Don''t leave. I''m not sure if I love you, but you are really special to me. Since we are together now,


    can we just give it a try?" Edward''s voice was quivering. He just wanted her to stay.


    Justin stood at the door watching. He looked at his empty hand, and shook his head. He walked away,


    sighing. The grown-up world was tooplicated for a child like him.


    Daisy wriggled out of his grasp, and looked at Edward seriously.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    "So we give it a try and it falls apart. What then? Or maybe I''m just a passing fad?" She just stared at


    his eyes. She tried to see through him, into his soul.


    "But if we don''t try, we won''t know. Or are you afraid that you''ll fall for me?" Edward said pressingly,


    giving her no chance to respond.


    Afraid of falling in love with him? That was ridiculous. She had loved him for 12 long years. She had


    made him an indispensable part of her life. He just didn''t know yet. Of course she was not afraid of


    loving him, because she was already in love.


    Daisy shut her eyes sadly, then opened them with determination.


    "Are you serious? Okay, okay! You can''t sleep with anyone else, though. You can only be my man. You


    still up for it?"


    Daisy asked solemnly. Since he insisted, she would give them a go. After all, she had loved him for too


    long. He didn''t love her, and she knew that. But at least she had some good memories with him.


    Besides, she was his nominal wife.


    "Done. But you must promise me as well -- no sleeping around. You''re mine. You can''t say no when I


    want it, either." Edward stared at her. He looked forward to being with her so much.


    "I promise. And I will meet a wife''s responsibility. I will help you with all your social engagements, but


    on one condition -- all of this can''t hinder my work. I hope you understand that."


    Daisy was no sentimental woman. They were a couple in the first ce. Yes, they didn''t sleep together,


    but they were legally married. That was a fact.


    Edward smiled happily. He''d thought he''d need to try harder, but this was easier than he thought.


    "Okay, but you have to live here with me. You''ll still have your career." Living together was a given.


    That way he''d be able to treat her as well as she deserved. They couldn''t just talk the talk without


    walking the walk.

 Chapter 49 See Me Out

    Chapter 49 See Me Out


    "Aren''t you going to work?" Daisy cast him a confused nce. Wasn''t he anxious to leave?


    "Will you stay?" It''s not that Edward didn''t believe her, but after all, he was so cruel before.


    "Don''t worry! I promised, remember?" Daisy avoided his stare, and her pretty face turned red.


    "OK, do what you want. But remember toe back, or I''ll tear the base apart to find you." It was the


    way Edward was. Once he decided what he wanted, he would do everything in his power to make it


    happen. If he really fell in love with someone, he would love her with all his heart.


    "You can go now! I''ll go to see Justin." Daisy believed that he would keep his word. But she was not


    afraid of him. She was just tired of loving him for so many years. She did not want to avoid it again.


    Since he was willing to try and love her too, then how could she give up this chance?


    "See me out." Edward hugged her from behind, and put his chin against her head. How could she say


    no?


    Daisy just stood there, taking in the moment, hardly daring to believe that happiness hade so fast!


    Turning around, she adjusted his tie carefully with her slender fingers. She trembled. She wanted to do


    this for him for so long, imagining her seeing him off to work. This was also some of the happiness she


    wanted.


    "Let''s go! I''ll walk you out." Her voice was still icy, but she tried to sound as gentle as she could. She


    would not shirk her duties as a wife.


    Luke had already prepared the car. Seeing Daisy, he was shocked, but he quickly pulled it together.


    "Good morning, ma''am. I''m Luke, Edward''s bodyguard. Nice to meet you." He was neither humble nor


    pushy, quite a man of character.


    "Hi! Don''t be so polite. You can call me Daisy." Calling her ma''am outside the military made her


    ufortable. His confidence set her at ease. He knew he was good. Edward wouldn''t hire someone


    who wasn''t.


    "It''s okay. He''s like this. Let him be!" Edward squinted at Luke. He looked cool and calm every time.


    Nothing really seemed to change his expression.


    Watching the car zoom off, Daisy headed back inside to see what Justin was up to.


    "Mommy! Are we gonna stay?" She didn''t have to be so tense anymore. She and Edward understood


    each other.


    "Yes! We''re staying. Happy now?" Daisy knelt down and gently squeezed his pink cheeks.


    "Yeah! Really? So we''ll live with daddy forever?" So it wasn''t all for nothing! He got what he wanted.


    Daisy was in a daze. Forever? She really couldn''t guarantee it. She loved him, but did he love her? He


    was surrounded by gorgeous women. All of them were prettier than her. But she was the girl who had


    won his heart. But it hadn''t worked out before. Who was she to guarantee forever?


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    Edward was glowing all the way to work. Daisy was the only woman for him, and now he knew for sure.


    How could he have kept her away for six years?


    Edward, it was not just six years, but another six as well. If you only knew the truth...


    The car pulled up to the front door of FX International Group and stopped suddenly. Edward frowned as


    he stepped out. He looked up at the hot sun, mmed the door and strode into the office, quickly. He


    just couldn''t stand the heat.


    Luke had the valet drive the car to the parking garage to keep the vehicle cool. He knew Edward would


    lose his temper if he sat in a hot car.


    Edward knew he was a littlete. Before he could sit down, Anna came in. It seemed that his schedule


    must be full or Anna wouldn''t be in a hurry.


    "Mr. Mu, the assistant of YS Group called us and said that our new contract price is too high. Their


    CEO asked to speak with you again."


    "Why is that woman always difficult?" Edward was frustrated. Why didn''t she let him be?


    Anna kept quiet. She didn''t really know what the problem was, so she couldn''t answer.


    "Just agree to her terms! See what she does." Edward casually hung the coat on the back of the chair,


    and sat down gracefully without taking any more notice of Anna. He opened the files on the desk.


    "Okay, I will arrange it. You have a meeting in ten minutes. Do you want to host it yourself?" Anna


    waited for his reply, and her hands kept turning the schedule book.


    "I''ll do it myself! Is Mr. Rain in? Ask him toe by here first." Edward didn''t look up. He was busy


    signing the documents on the desk. And he looked so charming when he was busy.


    "Mr. Rain is out of the office. There is something wrong with the project he''s on, and he may not return


    today." Anna frowned. She almost forgot to tell him this. She didn''t like to make mistakes.


    "I see. Tell Aaron to host the meeting in ten minutes. I will just listen." This was an unimportant meeting,


    so he did not have to host it in person. Aaron was a capable man. He needed to train him more so that


    he could work more efficiently.


    Aaron was frustrated! He already had enough to do. The documents on his desk were piling up. They


    were almost taller than him! OMG! He wanted to quit and join anotherpany! Why did his boss have


    to be so demanding?

 Chapter 50 Im Talking To You

    Chapter 50 I''m Talking To You


    Belinda Shangguan was just about to park her car but a luxury Spyker C8 pulled into the spot ahead of


    her. She had to m on her brakes to avoid it.


    She lost her temper, bursting from the car in a rage as she cursed Edward hundreds of times in her


    heart. She wouldn''t have even had to be here if he hadn''t insisted on discussing the contract outside.


    Duke picked up the file on the assistant seat and opened the door. He heard a woman scream, "You


    asshole, do you know how to drive? I found that parking spot first! Move your car now!" She advanced


    on him, before she could even see him. Belinda really had a hot-temper!


    "Are you yelling at me?" Duke retained his poker face and red daggers at the woman. He had to


    admit, she lookedpetent and sexy.


    "Yeah, I''m talking to you! Are you showing off your money? No wonder you drive a car that way!"


    Belinda forgot that she too was rich.


    Duke''s face darkened even more. He thought to himself, ''Shit, what''s wrong with me? Why do I always


    run into these crazy chicks?''


    "What do you against rich people? And I didn''t hit you, so what''s your problem?" Duke asked with his


    teeth clenched, fire in his eyes. Who wouldn''t be unhappy outside where the sun''s heat baked you?


    "Yeah, you didn''t hit anyone, but you grabbed my parking spot." Belinda suddenly looked up at the


    man. Why would she be afraid of him? Then, suddenly, she recognized him. Oh my god! Was he the


    guy she ran into in front of Sexy World? He was worse than Edward!


    "Tell you what: stay off the road till you get better at driving." Duke nced at Belinda''s Lotus Evora


    400 behind him and thought she was one of the trust fund babies. No wonder she acted so arrogantly.


    "Why don''t you just admit you''re a jerk with no morals, and leave my driving out of it!" Belinda was not


    about to let this man off the hook. He humiliated her before. She also found it funny that he didn''t


    recognize her at all.


    "Morality? You''re one to talk about ''morality!'' You''re tarnishing the word!" Duke said in disdain and


    mmed the car door without giving Belinda a chance to say anything more.


    Belinda was too angry to say a thing. Shit, how could anyone be such an asshole! She kicked Duke''s


    car wheel and went looking for another parking spot, ignoring the sudden rm from his car.


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    Belinda Shangguan was the type of person to act even tougher when she met a tough guy. The poker-


    faced man made her ufortable, though, she didn''t dare provoke him.


    Edward was used to beingte. Deliberately. Everyone became restless and uneasy, waiting for him to


    show up. Ufortable people were not as sharp as they would be normally. Then he''d pop in when


    they least expected it, and he would get anything he wanted because they were already worn down.


    But what if the opponent were Belinda Shangguan? And she was furious at Duke and on the verge of


    blowing up? Would she act differently from everyone else? Absolutely.


    "Mr. Mu, I didn''t expect you to bete. Is this a habit? Should I worry about how you might handle our


    advertising ount?" Edward stepped into the exclusive office area of the Kate Hotel. Belinda''s


    sarcasm greeted him like a p in the face. ''What crawled up her skirt?'' he thought.


    Aha! That''s right! Duke was here, so she probably had a run in with him again. And she was pissed off.


    ''And taking it out on me, apparently.'' Edward thought ruefully.


    "You must miss me a lot to be so angry, Miss Shangguan. Are you really so obsessed with me? If not,


    why did you need to talk to me personally?" Edward changed the topic quickly and made it sound


    ambiguous.


    "What? Obsessed with you? Mr. Mu, sometimes being confident is a good thing, but you seem to have


    crossed over into narcissism." Belinda pretended to vomit, and looked at Edward with a sneer.


    "If you weren''t interested in me, why did you ask me out?" Edward grinned at histest jab, and his


    smile just made him even more charming.


    Belinda was speechless! ''No wonder he has his pick of thedies.'' she thought. ''He was simply a


    fascinating imp -- with a devilish sense of humor. Why was he still single?''


    "Mr. Mu, if yourpany would work more efficiently, then we wouldn''t need these meetings."


    Shit, who would be interested in a yboy like him? Only the stupid women running after him would be


    loyal as always.


    "If Miss Shangguan could spend time working rather than fighting with me, I believe that would be more


    efficient. Why do you waste time flirting with me? Or is this how you treat all your clients?"


    Edward was never willing to lose in a war of words, especially to a woman.


    "Mr. Mu just put forth a good suggestion. Maybe I can consider itter." ''Such a jerk! Who does he think


    I am?'' Belinda cursed secretly.


    "d to hear it. So, what are you nitpicking about this time?" Edward crossed his legs and sipped his


    coffee with an indifferent look.


    "My request is very simple. I hope that you will reduce the required share by two percentage points."


    Belinda showed her professionalism with a serious look. Work always brought out this side of her.


    "Does Miss Shangguan think ourpany is a charity, or that I am really such a nice person to agree


    to this?" Edward lifted his brows and looked at Belinda. His eyes showed something sharp and hard to


    read. He was a shrewd businessman, and this time Belinda had met her match.

 Chapter 51 Who Is She

    Chapter 51 Who Is She


    "Do we look like dumb cattle in a butcher''s shop waiting for you to ughter?" Belinda wasn''t deterred.


    She wasn''t as experienced as Edward was, but she had studied Commercial Management for a good


    number of years, she knew how to handle this kind of a situation.


    Edward broke intoughter when he heard the metaphor. She was indeed a tough woman!


    "So what would you suggest? What''s your counter-offer?" Edward knew the market price. He had done


    his homework before seeing her. Compared to current market price, his price was a bit higher. As long


    as there was a profit margin, he could give the partner a proper cut.


    N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "Cut down your price by two percent, or at least one. Then, we have a deal." Belinda was a smart


    woman. She knew that the way forward is through diplomacy and negotiation. So she didn''t ask too


    much or say anything definitive, fearing they might not reach an agreement if she did.


    "You''re a good negotiator, Miss Shangguan. You''re really sincere, it would be stupid for me not to do


    business with you. So, we have a deal. It''s a great experience negotiating with a beauty like you. I can


    smell the sweetness in the air now." Edward said with a grin on his face.


    Belinda rolled her eyes. What a yboy! He never forgot to show his tant allure whenever he spoke.


    "Okay, I''ll have my secretary prepare a new agreement soon. Happy partnership, Mr. Mu!" Belinda


    Shangguan stretched out her delicate hand and gently touched his, and smiled back.


    "Well, as long as you no longer ask me out for tea, I think we''ll be very happy." Edward said. At that


    moment, he remembered Daisy. He suddenly missed her. What was she doing? Was she out or was


    she home?


    "As long as yourpany doesn''t cause any trouble. I''m very busy. I don''t have much time to go out


    for tea." With that, Belinda picked up the papers on the table, and strode off without even a word of


    goodbye. "Damn it, who does he think he is? As if all the women in the world were interested in him!"


    she thought. She had never met a man as arrogant as him.


    Edward grinned. He was used to her forthright manner. He checked his watch and left the office.


    "It was a really lucky day," she thought as she walked away but, suddenly knocked into something, or


    someone. The papers in her hand flew over everywhere. She looked up in anger. It was that same


    cold-hearted bastard again. That was indeed a lucky day¡ª crossed him twice in one hour. Was that


    fate?


    "Don''t you watch when you walk? Are you blind or something? A bad guy with bad eyes!" She yelled at


    him angrily.


    "Let''s get it straight, woman. It was you that bumped into me. It''s not my fault. Don''t me me!" Duke


    was annoyed too. How could he run into her again?


    "Ridiculous! I don''t have a problem with my eyes, I can see the road. Are you saying that my eyes have


    a problem?"


    "I don''t know about your eyes, but I guess your head must have a problem." Duke''s face turned pale in


    anger. He hated being tangled up with a woman, especially, one so difficult.


    "There is a problem with my head? How about your terrible and poor behavior?" Belinda stared at him


    in rage. Her face was flushed with fury, and her lips were trembling.


    "If your head is fine, why are you being such a nutcase?" she said in anger. His bad temper sort of


    changed when he saw her anger.


    "Well, well! What are you doing here? Flirting in public?" Edward appeared. He smirked at them. It was


    like seeing an iceberg meet a volcano. This must be worth watching.


    "I don''t know her!"


    "I don''t know him!"


    They both blurted out in unison and snorted when they realized that they had spoken together.


    "Ha-ha¡­If you don''t know each other, why are you speaking in unison?" Edward grinned. They rolled


    eyes at him. Belinda''s nced around. Edward could sense an aura of confidence around her.


    "Oh, I almost forgot you two are friends. You must be of the same ilk, the conceited and arrogant type."


    Belinda bent over to pick up the papers on the ground. "You both are the same. They say ''birds of


    feather flock together.'' Very true," she thought.


    "You always like drawing conclusions, Miss Shangguan. You have a smart mouth and you''re very good


    at debate. I wonder, what man can stand you." Edward looked at her from the corner of his eyes.


    "Mind your own business, Mr. Mu!" Belinda hissed and gave them a cold look before walking away in


    her high heels.


    "Who is she? Look at her!" Duke shook his head. There was a look of disgust on his face.


    "The new CEO of YS Group. I hear, she has just returned home from abroad." Since Duke didn''t have


    business with YS Group, he didn''t really know her.


    "What? Are you kidding me?" She seemed like a spoiled girl, not at all like a CEO.


    "Don''t underestimate her. She has her way when ites to business." In fact, he himself had initially


    underestimated her.


    "Really? If you say so, it must be true." Edward''s words aroused Duke''s interest in her. He was curious


    of what was hiding behind that furious face.


    "You will know. Oh, what''re you doing here?" It was unusual for him to be here.


    "Well, I''m here to meet a client, what about you? Same reason?" Duke always spoke in a soft tone


    when he was in front of Edward, his good friend.


    "Yeah, here she is! Always giving me trouble." Edward sighed.


    "Well, I have forgotten that you have business with them. God, how can she be so fierce? She''s always


    so aggressive." Duke remembered the quarrel with her in the parking lot earlier that day, he shook his


    head in disgust.


    "Yeah, I know. She''s a tough woman. Maybe you could take her home and spare everyone else on her


    way the trouble ." Edward snickered at him.

 Chapter 52 I Couldnt Answer Your Calls

    Chapter 52 I Couldn''t Answer Your Calls


    "No, that girl is way out of my league and not the kind I like," said Duke. It was impossible for him to


    hook up with a woman like Belinda; a woman who was like a volcano ready to erupt any time.


    "Really? Since then, tell me what kind of girl you like? A woman who is cool like you?" said Edward. As


    he said this, Edward thought of his distant and cold wife.


    "Don''t change the subject. In fact, I think both of you would make a great couple, given that both of you


    have such sharp tongues," Duke said giving voice to his true feelings. "But I don''t know what horrible


    things would happen if two such people actually got together," he inwardly thought.


    "Don''t forget that I am married, Duke. But you, you have a chance. You are still single. How do you


    know that she is not your types without even giving it a shot?" Edward teased Duke.


    "Oh yeah! When did you be such a staid and moral man, Edward? Have you always refused the


    women who have tempted you at innumerable asions?" he said turning the tables on Edward.


    ''When did being married stop you? s! Belinda Shangguan, You are disliked and rejected by both of


    us! Neither of us are unwilling to chase you!'' Duke thought to himself.


    Edward smiled and shrugged his shoulders, "I am not as bad as you make me out to be," he said.


    ''After all, I have high expectations from the women I choose to date.'' he thought to himself.


    "Forget about all this. Let''s meet tonight!" said Duke. He knew that Edward was just joking.


    "I need to go home early tonight. Let''s catch up some other time!" Edward replied. He remembered that


    someone was waiting for him at home. And the feeling of being waited for by someone was very


    comforting for him.


    "Howe? It seems that you are in a hurry to hatch eggs!" Duke joked with Edward, though he had


    his doubts. ''He used to be a party animal who stayed up and drank all night. Why is he acting like this


    now?'' Duke wondered.


    "Ha-ha! How can Ipare myself to you - the free bachelor, the single bull ready to gore anybody


    whoes his way? Let''s get together another time." He waved goodbye and left.


    ... ''What on earth is Edward up to? Since when has he started caring about going home on time?'' Duke


    curiously shook his head and also left.


    Daisy Ouyang stood in the balcony by her room. The breeze blew her ck hair and gently swayed her


    dress. She frowned unhappily. Worry lines crisscrossed her pretty face.


    Realizing that her legs were numb from having stood there for long, she moved away from the balcony.


    She didn''t know how long she had been standing there. It might have been several hours because she


    hade there right after lunch.


    ''If I hadn''t met him that afternoon, things might not have been soplicated, '' she thought to herself,


    straightening her messy hair.


    ''Neither would I have felt so depressed nor achieved such sess. I don''t know whether it''s right to


    stay here, but I really want to seek the warmth and love that belongs to me.''


    Tired, Daisy walked back into her room. She threw herself on the bed and smelled the lingering


    fragrance of jasmine. She couldn''t help take a deep breath, enjoying the distinct smell of Edward.


    Before this, she would have never dared to imagine that one day she would be such an intimate


    part of his life. Even now, in her mind, he was still the sacred and distant person she knew long back.


    The harsh jangling of the phone interrupted Daisy''s thoughts. She groped for the phone and saw a


    strange number shing. She answered the call.


    "Daisy Ouyang! Finally, you answer your phone!" Belinda Shangguan roared at her when she heard


    Daisy on the other line. She seemed to be very angry today!


    "Oh, it''s you, Belinda! How have you been?" Daisy moved the phone some distance away from her ear.


    ''Why is she so angry?'' she thought.


    "I''m fine!" Belinda retorted. "Don''t change the topic. Why didn''t you answer my calls till now? I have


    called you since the day I returned to S City. Or were you trying to avoid me?" Belinda Shangguan said


    angrily.


    "Oh! You have came back!" Daisy was surprised. "When did youe back? I am sorry, Belinda. I


    didn''t know you were back. I was training and was required to hand in my phone. That is why, I couldn''t


    answer your calls." she exined. Daisy always felt like a weak mouse when she faced Belinda. She


    had such an overpowering personality.


    "Forget it. How long have you been back? Let''s get together," she said. The friends hadn''t seen each


    other for several years. Though they always kept in touch by the telephone, Belinda hadn''t seen Daisy


    since she had left for the university. And now, she was dying to meet her.


    "I came back two days ago and yes, let''s get together," said Daisy. "I missed you very much." Belinda


    was the only friend Daisy had. They had yed together when they were children. And despite the fact


    that Daisy was not a noble princess any longer, they got along well with each other.


    "Don''t give me that crap! You are a heartless girl. How could you, of all the people, have missed me?"


    Belinda teased Daisy. She knew her well. ''Daisy isn''t a sentimental girl. So why is she speaking like


    this today?'' she wondered.


    "I missed you every day! If you don''t believe me, ask Justin." Daisy smiled as she tried to convince


    Belinda. She was lying on the bed and smelling Edward''s fragrant perfume.This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "And how''s Justin? I want to see him also as soon as possible." Though Belinda had talked to him on


    the phone, she still wanted to see him with her own eyes.


    "He is fine. I am on a vacation and if you are free, I can pick him and we cane visit you," said


    Daisy. She really wanted to see Belinda.


    "How about tomorrow? Let''s go shopping together just like we used to. I haven''t done this since I came


    back to S City." Belinda loved shopping, but had not indulged in it recently as she was busy


    administrating her own business after having taken over thepany.


    "Sure! See you tomorrow. And don''t stand me up again!" chided Daisy lovingly. She was really looking


    forward to meeting Belinda. She was back to her lively and lovely self.


    "Oh really! And when did I stand you up? You are not supposed to do that. I won''t ept your apology


    if you do," retorted Belinda. Before this, Daisy always stood her up because she was asked to serve


    Yakira Mo and her daughter. Belinda detested them but could do nothing because she was young. She


    had been helpless.

 Chapter 53 What Are You Doing

    Chapter 53 What Are You Doing


    "No, I''m afraid I have to let you down again."


    ''She is so bad-tempered.'' thought Daisy.


    "Come on! You think I''d provoke the youngest woman colonel in the city? I actually value my life."


    Belinda Shangguan said and smiled, arranging the files with her right hand.


    "Haha, So there is something you won''t do." she said,ughing. "I thought you were invincible." Daisy


    Ouyang seized this opportunity to tease her.


    "Ok, now I know you are quick-witted! I have something to do, let''s talk tomorrow." Belinda Shangguan


    raised her head and nced at her secretarying into the room.


    "Ok, See you tomorrow." Daisy hung up the phone. Shey on the bed silently, as beautiful as an


    Egyptian statue.


    Edward opened the door and saw her lying on the bed. He walked over to her, and found that she slept


    soundly. ''Why is she still asleep? It''ste afternoon.'' Edward thought.


    Edward moved the strands of hair on her face away from her eyes, smiling at her. She stirred sleepily,


    and he felt peaceful, staring at her beauty.


    He kissed her gently on the cheek and prepared to take a bath. He usually did this when arriving home.


    Daisy opened her eyes. She''d been awake the whole time, but pretended to sleep. She didn''t know


    how to get along with him, and he wouldn''t interrupt her slumber to talk with her.


    She heard the hiss of the shower, and started to tense up. She''d agreed not to refuse his touch, but


    she was still afraid.


    She sat up suddenly, her mind full of thoughts.


    "Penny for your thoughts." Daisy jumped, her thoughts fled. She turned around and saw him, bare


    chested in all his glory. Her face went red with embarrassment.


    Edward smiled. ''How cute. She''s shy!'' Edward thought to himself.


    "Can you get dressed first?" Her voice was cracked, dry. He walked towards her, towel wrapped around


    his waist. Her heart started thumping in her chest. She had seen her share of bare-chested men in the


    army, but she was suddenly nervous. Her palms were drenched in sweat. When it came to Edward,


    she was a mess.


    "What''s wrong? Are you shy?" Edward smiled evilly and walked closer. He was tempting her.


    "I''m not used to it." Daisy whispered with her head low. She didn''t dare to look him in the eye.


    "But you agreed that we''d be close, right?" Edward''s low and scious voice sounded in her ear. She


    could even feel his breath on her face.


    "I know. But can you give me some time?" Her ears burned red. She tried to avoid his breath.


    Edward gently nibbled her earlobe and leaned in. He touched her face and gingerly guided her chin to


    face him.


    "When will you get used to this? Don''t keep me waiting long!" Edward said kindly, teasingly, and smiled


    at her nervous expression.


    "I don''t know." Daisy Ouyang took a heavy breath and opened her lips slightly. Edward kissed her


    impulsively.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    At first Edward started making love to her as a practical joke, to make her even more ufortable.


    But he couldn''t control himself at all, and began loving her in earnest.


    Daisy failed to push him away and only put her hand on his bare chest.


    "Daddy, what are you doing?" They separated quickly. Edward looked at the uninvited little guy with


    chagrin.


    "You should knock first, Justin." He sorted out Daisy Ouyang''s disordered clothes and got dressed in


    his own attire. Then he walked away leisurely.


    Daisy felt even more shy, based on Justin''s reaction.


    "Mommy, your face is so red! Are you too hot?" Justin ran to Daisy and smiled innocently. ''If they''re


    sleeping together, it won''t be long now. Then Mommy and Daddy will be in love.''


    "Well! Yes! V-very hot!" Daisy said a bit incoherently, dodging Justin''s innocent nce.


    "How can it be hot? Isn''t the AC on? Daddy, are you hot too?" Justin asked with a smile. He stared at


    Edward who had donned a housecoat and was standing there, grinning.


    Edward cast a nce at Daisy Ouyang''s red face and chuckled softly.


    "No. Things were hot and heavy, but we''re fine now. Though I think mommy''s heart is racing." Edward


    said.


    Hearing this, Daisy raised her head and shot him an angry look. ''How could he say such suggestive


    things to their child?''


    "Oh! Daddy, why is mommy''s heart racing?" An innocent question, though Justin was hardly innocent.


    "You should ask your mommy, How should I know?" Edward said. He wanted to know how she dealt


    with the boy''s ufortable questions.


    "Just tell me, mommy!" Justin shook Daisy''s hand hard with every word and stared at her in


    anticipation.


    She was embarrassed, looking at Edward for help. She didn''t know why Justin would ask these things.


    Edward smiled. ''Is it a hard question?'' He thought. But he still came to her rescue. He knew his teasing


    had gone too far.


    "Don''t put your mommy on the spot like that. Maybe she doesn''t know." Edward winked at Daisy, which


    didn''t make her feel any better about the exchange. This would be tougher than she thought.

 Chapter 54 Is There Another Car

    Chapter 54 Is There Another Car


    Daisy looked at Edward with surprise, because she really didn''t know why. Yes, she was the mother of


    a five-year-old, but she was still pretty naive about sex. Unlike Edward.


    "What are you waiting for? Let''s go!" Edward took her hand lightly. ''She is so lovely!'' He thought.


    "Well, you go down first! You must be hungry. I''ll go and freshen up." Her face was still burning.


    N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "Ok, Don''t be too long!" Edward knew that she needed to switch gears emotionally, so he gave her


    room to be alone.


    "Ok." Daisy nced at him shyly.


    "Hey Justin!" said Edward. "Let''s go down to see what Mrs. Wu has prepared for you." Justin was a


    typical foodie. Sometimes Edward got embarrassed to see how much he ate.


    Daisy looked at herself in the mirror. Her little face had turned red, her clear eyes were full of


    happiness. Her lips were still tingling from Edward''s kiss.


    She sshed cold water on her face until she felt calm. Then she toweled off.


    She walked out of the bathroom, when her ringtone, a military jingle, sounded loud and clear.


    Checking the caller ID, she saw it was Mark Du. Daisy frowned and pressed the answer button.


    "This is Daisy Ouyang." Her tone was dignified as usual.


    "It''s Mark. Your leave''s been canceled, colonel. They have a special mission for you. Themander


    wants you back immediately." Mark said urgently.


    "What happened?" Daisy Ouyang asked while walking down the stairs. Her pace was anxious.


    "I don''t have details, but I don''t think it''s a good thing." Mark said. ''Too bad! I know she was looking


    forward to her vacation.'' Mark Du thought.


    "I understand. I''ll be there." Daisy said, looking at her dress. Then she sighed in chagrin. She had to go


    back in the dress she was in. She forgot to pack her uniform.


    "I''ll find out what''s going on. Don''t worry. Take care." Mark Du gentlyforted her.


    "Ok. I''ll set out now." Daisy hung up. Edward saw her rush downstairs and went to talk to her.


    "What''s the matter?" Edward asked.


    "Oh, There is an emergency. I have to get back immediately. Do you have a spare car?" Her car wasn''t


    here because Edward drove her homest night.


    "I''ll give you a ride. I''m worried about you." Edward looked at her worried face with some concern.


    "No, I can drive myself. Don''t worry, I''m a good driver." It was a required skill when she was in military


    school, so her level wasparable to that of a race car driver.


    "Ok, Luke will prepare the car for you." Edward said and dialed Luke.


    "Let''s go! He''s in the garage." Edward remembered her demands and wouldn''t get in the way of her


    work.


    "Mommy, are you going back?" Justin was sad.


    ''Mommy and Daddy love each other now. What happened on base? How couldmander always


    take advantage of Mommy?''


    "Yes! I have something to handle. Be good. I''ll be back soon." Daisy Ouyang squatted down and kissed


    his pink face.


    "I understand. Mommy, be careful!" Justin said. He worried every time when his mom went back to the


    base.


    "Of course. It shouldn''t be anything dangerous. Go and enjoy your dinner!" Then she stood up and


    walked out of the gate. Edward followed.


    "The car is ready for you, ma''am." Luke was so efficient, so Edward knew there should be no problems.


    "Thank you!" Her voice was still cold, but she got a little flustered when she saw the Ferrari parked in


    front of her, she wasn''t calm at all. ''It''s too ostentatious. What will the others think?''


    "Well, Is there another car?" Daisy''s wrinkled her eyebrows and turned around to look at Edward.


    "Yeah! Which car do you want to drive, The Lamborghini or Maybach, maybe the Spyker C8?" Edward


    indicated each, but Daisy Ouyang was not impressed. ''Can''t you drive a normal car?'' She thought.


    "Are there any other models?" Daisy asked tentatively.


    "Yeah, But you might not want to drive it." Edward was confused. ''These are good quality cars, and


    they''re fast, to boot. What was her problem?''


    "Well, I''ll drive that one then!" Daisy Ouyang thought that the car which Edward mentioned might be old


    or more conventional, so she chose that one.


    "Well, Are you sure you want to drive that one?" Edward was confused. ''That''s a full-size luxury


    vehicle! What''s she going to do? Sleep in it?''


    "I''m sure." Daisy Ouyang was firm.


    "Well. Luke, ready the Rolls Royce Phantom VIII." Although Edward was curious about the reason why


    she wanted that car, he still gave the order.


    Daisy wouldn''t like this one either. She had no idea what a Phantom was before, but when the 19 foot


    gleaming monster came rolling up, she knew.


    "Wait. Is this a Phantom?" Daisy was embarrassed. ''Uh-oh! It isn''t what I thought.'' It was not what she


    wanted.


    "Yes! Didn''t you say you were going to take it?" Edward was more confused, ''So there''s nothing here


    she likes?''


    Daisy Ouyang thought to herself, ''Can you be a little less extravagant? Don''t you have a normal car


    worth $20k or $30k? I can''t drive this. It''s too expensive! They''ll think I''m corrupt!''


    "Do you have a less expensive car? I don''t feelfortable driving a million dor car." Daisy had to


    ask.


    "Try a half mile. And no." Edward answered neatly. Daisy looked at him with a disgusted expression.


    What was she supposed to drive?

 Chapter 55 Let Me Serve You Today

    Chapter 55 Let Me Serve You Today


    Daisy was deted! Well! She shouldn''t have expected so much from Edward, nor should she have


    asked the question.


    Daisy finally took a look at the dazzling Ferrari. She finally understood. This was the only car that was


    suitable for her. No wonder Edward was willing to loan her this car.


    "Could you please drive me there?" It was better for him to drive the car and drop her off at the base. It


    would look better that way.


    Edward was stunned for second, and then he got it and smiled. So it was hard for Daisy to decide on a


    car because she cared about how much they cost.


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "Why not? Of course! Let me serve you today, my darling!" Edward looked at her with a cheeky grin.


    Daisy got into the car, dragged the long skirt, and scolded him in her heart. ''How could this guy be so


    ostentatious? Everything he has is a luxury. Doesn''t he feel embarrassed attracting so much attention


    every day?''


    Edward drove like lightning, so it took them less than an hour to get there. Daisy was busy taking


    various reports on the phone on the way. Edward did not disturb her and focused on driving.


    "Colonel! You''re finally here! Please go to the conference room at once. Themander and the


    others are all waiting for you there." Mark came to meet Daisy as soon as he saw her getting out of the


    car. Her dress stunned him momentarily.


    "Well! Let''s go! I''m going to change my clothes first." She walked over to Mark''s Humvee. She did not


    even say goodbye to Edward, as if she hadpletely forgotten he existed.


    Mark took a look at the shiny Ferrari. Edward didn''t get out, so Mark couldn''t figure out who was in the


    car. He shook his head in bewilderment and got into the Humvee too.


    Edward was very unhappy. She had ignored him, hadn''t she? She got out of the car before he could


    even put it in park, and left without a single word. Edward felt so wronged. He was always popr with


    women and had never been treated like this.


    He pushed those thoughts away. He didn''t have time for them. He punched the elerator, turned


    sharply, and drove away at full speed.


    Daisy didn''t realize that she didn''t say goodbye to Edward until Mark started the car. She was in such a


    hurry and she was used to taking Mark''s car, so she had forgotten about it. When she turned her head


    to look for him, only then did she see his car flying away. Her thoughts were totally focused on whether


    Edward was angry or not.


    When Daisy appeared in the conference room wearing a normal uniform, everyone''s eyes were fixed


    on her. She was unused to the attention, and was like a deer in headlights.


    "Daisy, Come on in. I''m sorry your vacation was ruined." Themander said in embarrassment.


    "It''s all right. A soldier''s duty is to obey orders. I understand." Daisy said coldly, stoney-faced.


    Kevin looked out of sorts today. He seemed lonely, with his deep, cold eyes. He was not happy, even


    though he had just been promoted to major general. He didn''t even turn his head to look at Daisy. He


    looked attentively at the papers on his desk and ignored her.


    Okay... So he wanted nothing to do with her. He had been worried that she would feel unwell after


    drinking so much, so he had driven out at night to buy her the chaser. When he came back, she was


    with another guy, so he left. He really couldn''t tell much from a distance, but he could tell that the guy


    was pretty fit, and that car must have cost a pretty penny. Clearly no ordinary man.


    Kevin shook his head to rid himself of such thoughts. He didn''t want to think about what happened that


    night. He didn''t want to feel the sharp pain in both his heart and soul again. After all, it was destiny. One


    man had already been ahead of him.


    Daisy walked up to the seat next to Kevin''s and nodded in greeting. He did not even look at her, which


    confused her. What happened to Kevin, and why was he acting so strangely?


    The meeting was top secret and high priority. The leader of an arms smuggling ring showed up in the


    city. He was considered armed and dangerous. They had orders to arrest him without causing a scene


    and without coteral damage.


    After much discussion, they worked out a n. The criminal had a weakness for lovelydies. So they


    would use Daisy, an outstanding aloof beauty, as bait. Not only was she beautiful, she could flirt like a


    boss.


    Poor Edward! He couldn''t know his sweet wife was being used to trap a lewd criminal.


    With a n in ce, they would spring the trap tomorrow night. They would monitor his whereabouts


    during the day. Kevin would team up with Daisy and protect.


    It was almost the wee hours when Daisy left the meeting room. She looked at her phone and wondered


    if she should call Edward. It was rude for her to leave without a word. She wouldn''t me him for being


    angry.


    "Colonel Ouyang, are you going back downtown or to the dorm now?" Mark asked as he saw her


    coming out.


    "Back to the dorm. There''s work to be done tomorrow." ''Forget it. I''m not going to call. I''ll exin to him


    when the mission is over.'' Daisy thought.


    Edward sat at his desk, going through paperwork. He frowned from time to time, and his eyes strayed


    to the phone on the desk. He hoped Daisy would call, but no dice.


    Anger suddenly rose in him. He threw his pen across the room. ''How could that woman treat me like


    this? Why doesn''t she call me? Who on earth does she take me for?'' He thought angrily.


    Well! Edward finally knew what it was like to be ignored. Now he knew how Daisy felt. She had been


    ignored by him for so many years.

 Chapter 56 Do You Have Nothing To Do

    Chapter 56 Do You Have Nothing To Do


    Even then, Belinda admired that she had a really strange but powerful predictive skills. As was


    expected, Daisy stood her up again! Belinda couldn''t be more upset after reading the message from


    Daisy which said she had to call off their shopping ns. Everything seemed so wrong to her at that


    moment.


    "Miss CEO, the contract with FX International Group has been drafted. Should it be sent to them now?"


    The secretary asked cautiously while carrying a pile of files in her hands. She noticed her boss looked


    very horrible today and it seemed that she was about to explode in anger.


    "Just let theme and take it. We have no obligation to send it by ourselves." Belinda felt she treated


    Daisy far too nicely so that she was stood up again and again. Now that she couldn''t do anything on


    Daisy, she thought she might take it out on the people she was in love with.


    "But would that be all right?" Her boss didn''t even care about the FX International Group!


    "It''s not a big deal. Just do it as I said so!" Then Belinda waved off the secretary out of the office.


    Actually, there was another person as mad as her this summer morning and that was just the person


    whom Belinda was going to start a war with. It was Edward. Besides, their madness was because of


    the same person -- our great Colonel Daisy.


    "Mr. Huang, is this the new deal you''re offering me? Do you think it is worth the money I''ll pay for you?"


    Edward said with disdain as his cold fierce eyes could kill every executive in this room with just one


    nce. All the executives were chilled and scared with his anger and were too frightened to say


    anything.


    "Boss, we will fix it immediately!" Said the director of the nning Department as he wiped his


    forehead and smiled nervously. Everybody knew how horrible it was when the CEO got angry.


    "I want to see a proposal that will satisfy me before the end of the day. You can go now." Edward said,


    then stood up and walked away without any eye contact with the people in the meeting room. Later, the


    people left the room all relieved and thought that they''d better avoid to get near to the CEO''s office.


    Edward touched the screen of his phone for like thousands of times, locking his eyes on just one


    number. But he didn''t dial just yet. He was thinking ''Does she even care about me''? Ever since he got


    attracted to her, he thought of her all the time.


    He felt so upset that he put his phone aside and decided to ignore her. Lately, he had paid more


    attention to her and this fact made him felt depressed.


    "Edward, what are you thinking? You cannot just get lost in it." As soon as the words full of tease and


    fearlessness came through the door, Rain showed up, with a bright smile on his face.


    Edward frowned and nced at him impatiently, then opened the files and continued with his work. He


    totally ignored him.


    Rain touched his head with confusion, wondering what was wrong with him in such a good morning


    time. Now this could exin why the whole building seemed at low spirits. That was because their CEO


    was releasing the cold energy.


    N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    Rain walked straight to the couch and sat on it. Actually, he didn''t care about whether Edward ignored


    him or not. He was just sitting there and watching Edward with his amorous eyes as if he could find the


    answers he wanted from Edward.


    "Do you have nothing to do?" Edward asked without looking at him and went on with his work.


    "I am busy! But I''ve still got time to care about you." He knew that Edward would not ignore his


    presence as long as he kept staring at him.


    "You don''t need to worry about me. Just think more about Annie! There are only a few days left until


    next monthes." They liked to talk in this sarcastic tone against each other until such moment they


    see the other side getting embarrassed.


    "As you said, there are still a few days left. It would be a bit too early if I went there now. Your work is


    far more important." Rain responded in a bored manner rather than with a high spirit.


    "What is my problem?" Edward looked up at him finally. He was so confused.


    "I can tell from your worried eyes that you are not well. The low mood inside the building can even


    scare the sunshine away." What''s happening with Edward? He saw the miserable expressions of all the


    senior executives when they walked out of the meeting room.


    "It seems you have plenty of time. Should I consider asking C Financial Group toe into S City in


    advance?" Edward talked in a calm and casual way. He always knew how to take advantage of others''


    weakness and make them give in.


    "No way. Edward, how can you tease me so?" Damn! Why does this cold-hearted man always took


    Annie as the weapon to beat me down? He would win every single time!


    "Am I teasing you? I just tried to make your mind busy so as not to mind other people''s business."


    There were times that Edward couldn''t bear with Rain''s personality of gossiping. To be honest, all


    Rain''s problems were because he had nothing to do. It was time to make him as busy as a bee.


    Rain would rather nevere here if he had known what Edward was thinking. All the things that


    happened afterwards in his life was because of today''s curse.


    "Uh¡­ well¡­¡­ I have something else to do, and I don''t want to trouble you to get me a job." Rain stood


    up immediately and ran away in a heap of panic from this creepy guy as he knew Edward would be


    sure to do this for him.


    With a beautiful grin curving on his face, Edward watched Rain move out in a funny way and this


    helped him to release the emotions stored in him for a long while.


    Actually, he kind of understood why Rain was afraid of meeting Annie. If he was Rain, he would choose


    to run away, too. After all, Annie was such a nice girl with a pure heart that Rain feared that his dark


    personality would intimidate her. What he wanted was just to appreciate her beauty from afar.


    Then he picked up his phone again and finally dialed a familiar number.


    "Hey! Duke, are you avable tonight?" It was not the one he really wanted to call.


    "Yes. I am! Why?" Duke paused from his work, sitting back leisurely.


    "Let''s grab a drink tonight!" Edward thought he needed the alcohol to make the pain temporarily go


    away. Otherwise, he could not exin to himself why he could not get that woman out of his mind. He


    was bing crazy about her.


    "What? Why don''t you stay at home and be a good man?" Duke made fun of him, knowing that there


    must be something that bothered him. It was always like that when Edward asked to apany him to


    have a drink.


    "None of your nonsense. Are you going or not?" Edward was getting a little annoyed.


    "How could I say no since you have said so? Just name it. The old ce?" Duke didn''t make fun of him


    anymore. Edward''s tone was kind of serious.


    "Let''s go to the City of Night Romance. It''s boring to go to just one ce over and over again." He said


    so because he wanted to rx himself and release his emotions there. The music and the effects there


    were perfect.


    "All right. See you tonight." Although Duke did not like the noise in the City of Night Romance, as long


    as Edward liked to be there, he was good with it.


    "All right. See you tonight." Edward hung up the phone slowly. He was not getting any better.

 Chapter 57 Someone You Cannot Mess With

    Chapter 57 Someone You Cannot Mess With


    City of Night Romance was the most luxurious and erotic club in town. It was even patronized by some


    of the famous dignitaries and billionaires. Handsome boys and beauties found themselves presented


    with many opportunities to stray. Not to mention the waitresses, who would provide any services one


    wanted.


    Pounding music, dancing crowd, and loud yells seemed to attract most people here. But the noble and


    handsome guest standing in the corner, did not seem to enjoy any of these.


    Duke frowned upon the woman who approached him and gently pushed her away. He loathed noisy


    ces like this and disliked the women here for the thirsty look on their faces.


    Edward swirled the ss around a little, leisurely crossing his legs. He nced at the women dancing


    on stage in revealing dresses with an evil smile on his face. A lot of women were giving him "the looks"


    and trying to catch his attention.


    Rain was observing him closely. He speechlessly rolled his eyes, wondering what was exciting him so


    much and causing this abnormal behavior since early morning.


    "Why didn''t Justine with you today?" inquired Duke. He was surprised that Edward hade to


    the clubte in the night. After all, Justin was clingy and always wanted to keep an eye on him.


    "Well! I don''t need to tell Justin where I go every time, okay?" Edward casually smiled and sipped the


    wine. He was immensely enjoying the soft touches from the girls sitting beside him. He had promised


    Daisy that he would stay away from women. But he had conveniently forgotten the promise in the wake


    of the gratifying attention he was receiving.


    "Edward, don''t pretend to be cool! I heard that you couldn''t even pitch a tent earlier because of her


    existence." The bright smile on Rain''s face made the girl sitting on the other side move closer to him.


    Edward did not get angry and just squinted at him. As time passed by, Edward suddenly became


    impatient and lost all interest in the women around him. He stopped the hands that kept reaching down


    and at the same time adjusted his sitting posture to maintain some distance from the girl.


    "I can''t pitch a tent? You can onlyment on this after you have tried. Do you want to be at the


    bottom of the tent?" Edward retorted without realizing the effect his words would have.


    "You are creepier than ever," Rain gave an expression of disgust to make his disdain known.


    Duke could not stand their low taste. The smell of the perfume was also overpowering. He waved his


    hands to let the girls know that they could leave.


    "Edward..." implored one of the girls. She held his hands tightly to encourage him to ask her to stay


    longer.


    "It''s time for you to leave!" said Edward gently withdrawing his hands.


    "Abstinence is not your style! I understand why Duke would want to stay away. But Edward? What


    happened to you?" Rain could not handle Edward''s sudden transition from a yboy to a good boy.


    "No reason. I just want to leave, for a change." Edward drained the ss before heading towards the


    restroom.


    Rain did not believe his exnation even for a moment. "Leave for a change? Only idiots would believe


    him," said Rain nodding his head in amazement. Edward was getting more and more unpredictable


    recently.


    "Do you think something has happened to him?" Rain asked Duke as leaned on the sofa andced his


    hands behind his head, showing his bohemian personality.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "How can I know? You are the one working with him. You should know better." Duke was always cold


    as ice. His indifferent attitude towards the outside world helped him hold the women, who wanted to get


    close to him, at an arm''s length.


    "I work with him. I don''t live with him. The most difficult thing in the world is to pry into someone else''s


    heart. How can I know what he is thinking?" Rain stared at Duke. I am not a mind-reader, so how could


    I possibly know what was going on in somebody else''s head, he thought to himself.


    When Edward walked out of the bathroom, he bumped into a couple, who then stumbled. He frowned


    at them as he could tell that they were drunk. At first, Edward did not pay much attention to them. But


    after proceeding two steps, he suddenly stopped and turned back, taking the drunk woman into his


    arms.


    Kevin took a moment to realize that the woman he was with, was being held by Edward. Once he


    realized what had happened, he quickly swung a punch at Edward, assuming he was one of the


    escaped criminals from thest mission. Luke, Edward''s bodyguard, immediately stepped forward to


    block the punch, which started a fistfight.


    Edward did not care about the fight. He knew that Luke could handle it well. He was just concerned


    about the woman in his arms. He stared at her and wanted to ask her if this was the urgent mission she


    had talked about. What kind of mission requires one to dress in sexy clothes and get drunk with a man


    in a club? Edward was angry now because he had not even received a call.


    Kevin did not know who Edward and Luke were. Therefore, he needed to make sure that Daisy was


    safe. As he was distracted by this thought, Luke managed tond several punches on him.


    "Who are you?" asked Kevin. He was a little anxious and tried to end the fight. He knew that Daisy had


    been drugged and something bad would happen if he did not take her to the hospital immediately.


    "I am someone you cannot mess with," replied Edward sternly. Although Luke did not know why


    Edward had grabbed the woman from Kevin, it was his job to protect his master.


    "Do you know who I am?" Kevin asked again. He was getting impatient and irritable. Normally he would


    be more calm, but this was about Daisy.


    "Edward! What happened?" Duke and Rain hade to check the reason for the chaos created by


    Luke and Kevin''s fight. But, now they could not stop staring at the woman in Edward''s arms.


    "No way! Edward, did you just grab somebody else''s girlfriend!" Rain asked in surprise while watching


    the fight.


    Edward did not have the time to answer their questions. He just tightly held the drunk woman in his


    arms and ruthlessly stared at Kevin.


    Daisy, drugged, felt that the room was sweltering hot and her body was on fire so she kept rubbing


    Edward to feel the coolness of his skin. She knew the wine had been drugged but she had still drained


    the ss along with several shots in order to eliminate their suspicion. As Daisy got drunk easily, her


    mind wentpletely nk at first. However, all this chaos sobered her a little.


    "Edward, why are you here?" Daisy asked him with a sweet smile and tried to pinch his face to prove


    that this was not a dream.


    "I will settle this with youter." Edward warned her as he caught her hands and put them firmly by her


    side to stop them from torturing his face. Although she wore thick make-up and revealing clothes, he


    had recognized her at once and thus grabbed her.

 Chapter 58 But I Am Her Husband

    Chapter 58 But I Am Her Husband


    "Staff Gu! How did you get involved in a fight?" Mark called out approaching the crowd already


    gathered. He almost ran to see if he could help Kevin. He had been waiting for Kevin for a long time


    outside. He could have expected everything, but not that he would be busy fighting other men.


    "Mark, you know him?" Edward noticed Mark''s anxiety. It seemed that he knew the man with Daisy.


    "Mr. Mu! You''re here too! Is that man with you? Please stop him. The man he''s fighting is Mr. Gu, the


    staff officer in our military base," implored Mark while exining Kevin''s position. The circumstances


    had be a little critical since Daisy was roofied. Mark had been waiting in the car for them after the


    secret capture of the munition merchants. But when no one hade out, he went in to search for


    them, and noticed the fighting.


    "Stand aside, Luke," ordered Edward. Luke was a skillful warrior, but he didn''t get the best in his fight


    with Kevin. This meant that Staff Gu was no ordinary man. He must be as good as Luke, if not better.


    Edward had imagined him full of malicious intent at the beginning. That was why he had not stopped


    Luke from fighting him. But since Mark had exined Kevin''s position, he understood that he could no


    longer connive in a fight with a military officer.


    Luke readily obeyed, stopped his attack and retreated to Edward''s side. While walking back to him, he


    nced at the woman in Edward''s arms, and was startled when he recognized her. She was Mrs.


    Daisy, his master''s wife. No wonder his master wanted her back.


    As Luke stepped back, Kevin walked to them, indignant eyes fixed on the giggling woman, who was


    happily cuddling in Edward''s arms. He wondered who this handsome man was, and what was his deal


    with Daisy. Did he know her? And more importantly, did Daisy know him?


    "What do you want? Give her back to me,"manded Kevin, fixing Edward with an unblinking stare.


    Kevin felt a little upset. It was all his fault. If he hadn''t been so ck, the man could have never taken


    Daisy from him. But he couldn''t let Daisy go with him, as he had no idea what his rtionship with her


    was.


    "For what?" Edward dryly asked. His eyes turned cold as he looked at Kevin. He had remembered who


    he was. Wasn''t he the man Justin had shown him? He did not forget how affectionate and infatuated


    this man appeared to be as he had looked at his wife.


    "This woman is my subordinate and it is my obligation to keep her safe and take her back to the


    barracks," exined Kevin. Not scared of Edward''s stare, he repeated his request.


    "But I am her husband. It''s my obligation also to keep her safe and ensure that she reaches home,"


    said Edward aggressively. Overwhelmed by his words, all the people around were stunned, except for


    Mark and Luke, who already knew this.


    "Mark? Is he Daisy''s husband?" With utter disbelief, Kevin asked Mark in shock. When he saw Daisy''s


    acts of affection, he had spected her rtion with that man. But he still felt heartbroken when his


    guess was confirmed. A sudden pain appeared in his left breast and spread outward.


    "Yes, Staff Gu. I am certain of that." Mark felt a headache approaching. How could he handle this


    situation? The two menpeting for his colonel were too powerful to be handled...


    "Nice to meet you. I am Kevin Gu, the Chief of Staff in S City Military Base," Kevin introduced himself,


    reluctantly offering Edward a hand. After all, it was him who had started the fight.


    "d to meet you, Staff Gu. I am Edward Mu, the CEO of FX International Group." Edward gave his


    introduction as he shook hands with Kevin. He quickly drew his hand back to stop Daisy''s little hand


    groping inside his shirt. Daisy''s abnormal temperature caught his attention.


    "Edward, Mrs. Mu seems drugged." Rain had no idea what had happened before. But ording to his


    experience, Daisy''s behavior revealed that she was roofied. And since Edward had announced that


    she was his wife, he had no difficulty in calling her Mrs. Mu.


    "That''s true! Edward, it seems there''s something wrong with her." Duke was wondering why a married


    woman woulde to such a club with other men, but he knew better than to mess around with other''s


    family affairs.


    "What the hell is going on? What happened to her?" Edward coldly questioned Kevin and Mark. He had


    also noticed Daisy''s abnormal behavior.


    "She was drugged in the middle of her assignment. We were just taking her to the hospital," Kevin


    exined while averting his eyes. After all, it was his fault. But he didn''t think that she would drink the


    wine even when she knew that it had been drugged.


    "Is this how you carry out your missions?" questioned Edward. "Luke, fetch the car." Edward tightly


    held Daisy''s arms to her sides, her body wiggling in his grip. His face darkened with anger when he


    heard Kevin''s answer. He knew that alcohol never turned her so horny, and she had been so quiet


    when she had drunk thest time. Now, it turned out that she was roofied. He was curious to know who


    had the guts to do this nasty thing to his woman.


    "I''m sorry. It''s all my fault," apologized Kevin quickly when he saw how angry Edward was. He was by


    no means a rude and unreasonable person, who excused himself from his responsibilities. And it was


    indeed his negligence that had lead to this disastrous result.


    "Staff Gu, I would like to take my wife home. May I?" Edward asked, ignoring Kevin''s apology.


    "Um... Of course," answered Kevin sulking. A husband''s taking care would be the best solution. He


    was a little worried before, wondering what he would do if they didn''t find a cure at the hospital.


    Perhaps his predicament had been solved.


    Edward said nothing more. He nodded to Kevin, and picked Daisy up. Carrying her in his arms, he


    strode out of the club.


    "Master, this way!" Luke was already waiting with Edward''s car. He promptly opened the door for


    Edward when he spotted him.


    Edward quickly got in the car with Daisy. He looked a little messy as Daisy had been tugging at his


    clothes in anticipation, but his noble demeanor had not dwindled even a bit.


    "To the mansion, Luke, and as quickly as possible." Edward''s voice was a little hoarse. Since Daisy


    was squirming in his arms, it was difficult for him to resist her.


    Despite his struggles to keep her away, Daisy was pressing her body into Edward''s. She hugged and


    caressed him, moaning softly in a mixture of pain and pleasure. She felt like she was burning from the


    inside, and he was the only source to quench her thirst.


    "Daisy Ouyang, get your hands off me. Or I will have you right here," said Edward, gritting his teeth. He


    was still angry. What if he hadn''t gone to the club tonight? What if he hadn''t run into her? As he thought


    of the possible consequences, his face and mood turned darker.


    As the car rushed towards the mansion, an atmosphere of romance spread inside. Daisy had reached


    inside Edward''s shirt again, groping for her onlyfort. The burning heat had taken over. Knowing not


    what to do, she simply followed her instinct. She climbed on top, and rubbed her knees along his inner


    thighs, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She trembled as her lips touched his skin. And finally,


    her lips met his. She moaned with pleasure.


    "Hm... Huh..uh!" She gasped, and deepened the kiss.


    N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    Although angry, Edward was almost amused. He smiled as he watched Daisy pressing her whole body


    against him, kissing him as deep and long as she could. He could almost imagine how ashamed she


    would be of her actions after tonight. Her kisses were as innocent and furious as her. Somehow, she


    had turned him on, too. As soon as the car arrived at the mansion, he pushed the door open, and got


    off with her.

 Chapter 59 Give Me Your Phone

    Chapter 59 Give Me Your Phone


    As he scrambled up the stairs, Edward could no longer repress his aroused passion. He carefully put


    her on the bed, his lean figure pressing closer to hers. His cold lips touched her sexual, cherry lips.


    The night was delicate and misty. Edward had no idea how long he had been entangled with her. It was


    not until the potency of love-philter had faded that he realized he was too tired to move. By that time, a


    satiated Daisy did not seek anymore release for her desires and finally fell asleep. The intense sexual


    experience had been the result of the strong effectiveness of the philter.


    Tired as he was, Edward took Daisy to the bathroom and gave her a bath. Finally, he carried her to the


    bedroom, as she settled down with a vivid satisfaction on her face.


    The sunlight of the morning prated through the curtains, falling over the lovers sleeping deeply on


    therge-sized bed. Daisy opened her eyes slowly, only to find her body tired and aching, even more


    than what she felt after a long day of training. As she turned over softly, she found herself shocked at


    the sight of Edward''s handsome face, as he slept soundly beside her.


    Daisy was going insane. Why did she feel like she was waking up from a hangover and why did she


    find herself lying on his bed every time? Annoyed, she shook her head and was jolted into an embrace


    by the sleeping Edward.


    As she rubbed over her eyebrows, furious at her rising headache, memories fromst night shed in


    her mind. She recalled all of her initiative, her boldness and her making love with Edward. She really


    wanted to strangle herself!


    Edward was clearly too tired fromst night. Unaware of all the frustration and deliberation Daisy was


    going through right next to him, he slept soundly. And yet, his powerful hands continued to embrace


    Daisy''s waist firmly.


    Daisy,pletely aware of herself now, felt remorse at always making a fool of herself before him.


    After the recollection of the crazy night, she had no idea what to do next or how to deal with him. She


    quietly lifted his hands away from her waist in an attempt to slip out of his embrace.


    "Don''t move. Otherwise... you know the consequences." Edward spoke in an exhausted and yet


    raucous tone, frightening Daisy and forcing her to give up her attempts of freeing herself. Feeling


    Edward''s arousal, she blushed and straightened her body. Once again, frustrated, she didn''t know what


    to do.


    "I... Last night, I... I wasn''t myself." Daisy was hesitant and soft, not daring to turn over and meet his


    eyes. The situation was embarrassing. Last night, she was the one who had taken initiative and


    provoked his desires. Although it was induced by the drugs, she still felt ashamed and embarrassed,


    and scared that he might think she tricked him again.


    "I know. Let me sleep for a while." Edward closed his eyes and embraced her again, overwhelmingly


    tired fromst night''s love-making. Who the hell drugged herst night, and caused to drain all his


    energy? It seemed that the woman was crazy as long as she took the philter.


    "But, I should report for duty today." Although her body was aching all over, Daisy had a meetingter


    in the day, discussing the procedures for dealing with the munitions merchants.


    "All right. But, are you sure you can stand up and walk?" Edward opened his eyes and squinted at


    Daisy, only to close them again. He thought women were too tired to walk after the intensive love-


    making. How was Daisy so energetic? Perhaps his movements were too soft and tenderst night.


    "I... don''t know." Daisy blushed. She was not that certain about herself, feeling as though she had been


    torn to pieces, leaving no strength inside her body, as though she had been in a road ident!


    "Give me your phone." Edward opened his eyes again and looked at her, almost speechless.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    "What''s up? Why do you need my phone?" Daisy was puzzled and pulled her bed sheet closer to


    herself. She felt not soposed and brave as to discuss this matter naked.


    "Ask for a leave", Edward said briefly. Edward gave a wry smile, and thought of Daisy as slightly stupid.


    Why couldn''t she understand such a simple question?


    Daisy replied, "I have no idea what you will do with the phone."


    "Of course, I''m making a call on the phone. Do you think I will eat it?" Edward asked.


    "But I don''t know where my phone is?" Daisy waved around her hands and looked troubled.


    "All right." Edward gave in on her, stooped down, picked up his phone and handed it to her.


    "Ok. Make that call." Edward maintained his calm despite seeing Daisy covered under the sheets, her


    eyes beaming yfully.


    "Can this be done properly?" Daisy thought in bewilderment. How could she do this? Could she tell a


    lie that she over-exercisedst night and couldn''t get out of bed now, or, that she was bullied by a


    lecherous wolfst night?


    She was frustrated. She wondered what Edward''s response to her thoughts would be. After all, it was


    him who took advantage of herst night and got her too tired to walk.

 Chapter 60 What Are You Going To Do

    Chapter 60 What Are You Going To Do


    "Just call! What are you waiting for?" Edwardughed and pinched her nose. Her pink face was so


    lovely and inviting!


    Daisy gathered her nerve, and finally dialed Mark Du''s number. She was still nervous about facing her


    colleagues at the base. Everyone knew she had been drugged yesterday.


    "Hello! Who''s calling, please?" Mark Du''s energetic voice came through loud and clear. It was obvious


    the young man was on duty.


    "Mark, it''s me -- Daisy." She adjusted the sheet to better cover herself. It felt weird being on the phone


    and naked at the same time. She resolved to get dressed after she was done on the phone.


    "Oh! Colonel, I was about to call you. I''m d you called me first!" Mark eximed. Even Edward could


    hear his exhration.


    "Why did you call?" Daisy was a little nervous when she heard that Mark Du had intended to call her.


    She worried that something might have happened after she left.


    "It''s nothing important. Themander said that you can continue to take off for several days. So you


    don''t have toe to the base today. And you can deliver the report after youe back to work. He


    sent his regards and hoped you have a good rest!" Mark Du''s words meant something amusing by


    implication. Daisy became very embarrassed. What did themander mean? Did everyone at the


    base know what happened yesterday?


    "Okay, thanks." She hung up the phone hurriedly and buried herself in the sheet. But when she saw


    what was under the sheet, she yanked it down again, exposing her head. Wow! Edward was


    completely naked under there!


    "What are you doing?" asked Edward. He now realized that she was only calm in uniform. But she was


    easily flustered in her private life.


    "Well... Could you find some pajamas for me?" Daisy said in a low voice. She lowered her head to


    avoid looking at him.


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "Just sleep!" Edward gathered her naked body into his arms. He closed his eyes and continued to


    sleep. He had overheard that hermander had asked her to take a few days off. Daisy regretted


    Mark''s enthusiasm and his clearly audible voice.


    She rested in his arms and didn''t dare to move. She could feel their naked bodies tangled together. His


    big hands were holding herrge breasts. She could also feel something stiff rubbing against her


    private parts. If she reacted now, she feared that the whole thing would spin out of control.


    Edward was doing this on purpose. But he didn''t take it any further. He knew she was too tired after a


    whole night''s sweet torment. He was already worn out himself, despite usually having tons of stamina.


    So he only wanted to sleep well with her in his arms. He quite enjoyed this little slice of happiness.


    Daisy gazed at him quietly and stayed motionless. His skin looked really good, silky and smooth, even


    better than a woman''s. For the first time, Daisy found that she was this close to him. After 12 years,


    she felt happy she could finally spend this wonderful moment with him.


    Listening to his rhythmic breathing, Daisy couldn''t help touching his splendid eyebrows gently. She then


    swept her fingers over his thick eyshes, then his sexy thin lips. It was said that men with thin lips


    were very cold and indifferent, and they were fickle in love. Edward might be this kind of person.


    Daisy sighed in her heart and wondered how long this romance couldst. Could he really fall in love


    with her? Daisy mocked this thought. ''Daisy, you''re being greedy now!'' she said to herself. She


    frowned, and nted a quick kiss on his soft and gentle lips. She quickly turned around and closed her


    eyes, avoiding eye contact.


    Edward slowly opened his eyes. In fact, he hadn''tpletely fallen asleep. He had felt her sweet


    caresses. It was like lovingly stroking her lost treasure. And the peck she left on his lips, he could feel


    that she cared about him. But he still bore the grudge when she totally ignored him before. He was still


    wondering whether she really liked him or not. Edward shook his head and closed his eyes. He didn''t


    want to think about this question. There would be no answer, anyway.


    When he awoke again, it was already afternoon. Daisy wasn''t in his arms. Upset, he fluttered his


    messy hair and emerged from the bed. But the shriek from Daisy almost made him stumble.


    "Ah... Why didn''t you put on your clothes?" Daisy stood at the door of the bathroom, bbergasted. She


    looked fresh after the shower. But her face was red like a ripe cherry. A lovely cherry. Was it from the


    shower, or was it embarrassment?


    "You already tasted mest night. It''s toote to be ashamed." Edward ignored her embarrassed


    expression and walked up to her. Daisy was intimidated by him, she instinctively stepped backwards.


    Oh, my God! ''This is too much! This man was so shameless!'' Daisy thought.


    "You... What are you going to do?" Daisy looked at him approaching her, she was trembling. She didn''t


    know where she should look.


    "I''m going to take a shower. What do you think I''m going to do?" Heughed. "Colonel Daisy, you dirty


    girl! Get your mind out of the gutter." Stillughing, he walked into the bathroom. It was fun to


    asionally tease her.


    Daisy was speechless. Who had the dirty mind? It was him. She wouldn''t have taken it wrong if he


    hadn''t approached her with that evil smile. No, she needed to get out of there as soon as possible. She


    still remembered thatst time he appeared in front her half-naked after he emerged from the


    bathroom.


    "Mrs. Daisy, you''re finally awake. You must be hungry! I''ll make some food for you." Mrs. Wu said,


    when she saw Daisy in the living room. Luke had already instructed her not to disturb their young


    master. She felt very strange this morning when she was told that. So Mrs. Daisy was back, that''s why!


    "Well... Just a quick meal for me, thanks." Daisy''s face blushed more deeply. She felt ashamed to get


    up sote. Everyone could guess what they didst night.


    "Okay! Please make yourself at home. I''ll fix a meal for you and Mr. Edward." Mrs. Wu smiled broadly.


    This house was different with a hostess in it.


    The mere mention of Edward set her heart fluttering and stirred passions she thought long buried. Her


    face turned the shade of a red apple.


    "What are you thinking? You seem lost in thought." Edward walked briskly down the stairs. ''She''s


    blushing.'' he thought. ''She does that so easily these days. I thought she was calm and collected, but


    now...''


    "Uh... Nothing. Where''s Justin? I didn''t see him inside." She had already peeked in Justin''s bedroom,


    but to her surprise he wasn''t there.


    Edward raised his head and cast his nce around the house to see if he could find Luke. He didn''t


    see him in the house either.


    "Justin must be with Luke. He''s learning tae kwon do from him." Every time Edward couldn''t find Justin,


    he always found that Luke had taken him somewhere. Justin had been pestering Luke to teach him


    how to fight. It seems that Justin had finally found a trainer.

 Chapter 61 I Will Sort You Out After I Come Back

    Chapter 61 I Will Sort You Out After I Come Back


    "Oh, I see. Aren''t you supposed to be at work today?" Daisy squinted at Edward and was dazzled by


    his bright smile.


    "I''m not only your husband, but also the boss. Mypany won''t go out of business if I''m gone for a


    day." Edward pulled out a chair and sat down, watching her yfully. "Rain is capable. I don''t need to


    worry about it."


    And, in the office of FX International, Rain shivered at his desk suddenly, as if he had heard what


    Edward said.


    The word "husband" sent Daisy deep into thought. She frowned slightly but soon felt relieved. Edward


    was right. He was her husband. Although they had been out of contact for so many years, they were a


    married couple.


    Mrs. Wu served them some small salmon-cakes with ginger-sesame sauce, perfect for such hot days.


    "I need to get back to the base to at least pack some necessities." Daisy thought that she should bring


    some essentials and clothing here since she would be living here. She didn''t like the things upstairs at


    all.


    "Okay. I will go with you after lunch." Edward had also thought of it, so he agreed delightedly.


    "I can do it myself. I don''t have much. Well. I don''t intend to move. Don''t bother." Daisy didn''t want


    Edward to be on base. Those who took part in the missionst night knew that she had downed the


    love drugs by mistake. If they saw Edward there, they would gossip.


    "What if I insist?" Edward nced at her unhappily, wondering, ''Does she even like me? I''m not


    presentable? She actually refused me!''


    "Well¡­" Daisy didn''t know what to say. She knew how overbearing Edward was. She frowned. She


    had no idea what to do.


    Suddenly, Edward''s phone rang. Daisy felt relieved when he answered. It took the pressure off her and


    gave her time to think.


    "Hello. What''s wrong?" Edward stared at Daisy all the time. He sulked as she breathed a sigh of relief.


    They had agreed to give each other a chance, but it seemed that she made that promise without really


    meaning it.


    "Mr. Edward, the stockholders'' meeting is today. We need you here. Aren''t youing in?" Aaron


    didn''t go to the City of Night Romancest night, so he didn''t know why Edward wasn''t in the office


    today.


    "Okay. I see. I will be right there." Edward almost forgot the meeting. If he wasn''t there, those stubborn


    old men would y new tricks. Wasn''t it boring for them to provoke him the same way for so many


    years?


    "I''ll arrange a car for you, Daisy. Something came up. Stockholders'' meeting. I can''t go with you."


    Edward stood up.


    "It''s okay. Just go. I can do it myself. Mark will help me." Edward wouldn''t go with her. She rxed


    somewhat.


    "Don''t be happy. I will sort you out after Ie back." Edward snorted in her ear. What happened


    before had to be settled as well.


    The smile died on Daisy''s lips. ''I just refused him. Why did he treat me so harshly?'' Daisy rolled her


    eyes.


    Rain met Edward as soon as he entered FX International Group.


    "Wow. This iste even for you. You must be tired fromst night." Rain snickered, picturing what


    happened the night before.


    Edward side-eyed him and walked quickly to the elevator. Rain could imagine whatever he liked. It was


    none of his concern.


    "Hey, Edward, tell me, Daisy must be all sexed up after those drugs, right? That''s why you''rete."


    Rain followed Edward to the elevator, looking forward to his answer.


    "You''ll know if I have Annie drugged some day." Edward said in a baleful, scary tone. He furrowed his


    brow, making his displeasure known. He had a talent for finding out what hurt others deeply, and using


    it against them.


    Rain was furious. How could he? How dare he say that so shamelessly?


    "Leave Annie out of this! Say what you like to me, but that was over the top!" Rain was irritated. Annie


    had no connection to him. Why did Edward always bring her up?


    "No, it pisses you off. So I''ll keep doing it." Edward smirkedcently. Rain was so angry that he


    wanted to beat Edward and wished that Edward was pounded into the pavementst night.


    "Fine. Go ahead, but it won''t be useful next time." Rain scowled at him, frustrated.


    N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "I don''t need to do anything next time. Someone else will put you in your ce." Edward was difficult to


    deal with. He would never admit defeat.


    "What are you talking about?" Rain was confused. Curiosity killed the cat, but Rain didn''t live by that


    rule, so he''d ask the wrong question and always get bullied by Edward.


    "Did you forget what today is?" After stating his piece, Edward strode out of the elevator, while Rain


    stood there in anger.


    "Mr. Edward, you look happy." Aaron stared at Edward in confusion. He heard Edward chuckling just


    when he came out of his office.


    "You can ask Rain about it. Is it time to hold the meeting? Prepare the documents that can shut those


    old men up." Edward did not answer Aaron''s question directly. Instead, he let Aaron be the object


    of Rain''s anger.


    "I have prepared all the documents, except for the financial statements that you need to personally


    check." Aaron looked around and finally noticed that Rain wasing over with a gloomy face. He was


    purple-faced with rage, ready to bite the head off of anybody who tangled with him. Why did Edward


    keep doing this? Aaron broke into a sweat with fright and hoped Edward wouldn''t make fun of him next


    time.


    "I''ll sort them out now. Get ready. I wonder whether they will present something new this time." Edward


    stepped into his office, ignoring Aaron who was lost in thought. It was not his duty to entertain them.


    They had to settle it by themselves. It wasn''t his problem at all.

 Chapter 62 He Has Been Acting Strangely

    Chapter 62 He Has Been Acting Strangely


    Daisy ultimately chose to drive the Ferrari sports car to the base. It wasn''t the least ostentatious among


    all the others, just a 2-seater silver model. But, of course, it was a limited edition luxury sports car,


    prized by collectors all over the world. It was still obviously a ssic. But she had no other choice:


    Edward Mu''s garage was filled with the most recognizable cars in the world, so it was difficult for her to


    be low key.


    Since she wasn''t wearing her military uniform today but instead her fashionable clothes with a pair of


    huge sunsses, the gate sentry didn''t recognize her at first. Naturally she was stopped.


    "Ma''am. I''m sorry but this is high-security area. I need your ID please." As soon as Daisy rolled down


    the window, the soldier gave her a perfect military solute.


    "It''s me, Daisy Ouyang." She took off her sunsses and revealed her cold petite face.


    "Ah!" The soldier struggled to contain himself. Colonel Ouyang, I''m sorry. I didn''t know it was you." The


    soldier looked at her and then checked out her sports car. He seemed very confused. This was not the


    Colonel Ouyang he was used to. These new threads were so chic, so trendy, a far cry from the military


    fatigues she usually wore. And when did she get a new car? Didn''t she always drive her VW POLO?


    "It''s alright. At ease, soldier. Carry on." Daisy nodded at him and started her car. When her car


    appeared in front the soldiers, she caused quite a stir. Some of the car aficionados knew exactly what


    she was driving, but they didn''t know Daisy was the driver. Some even whistled at the car. Indeed, they


    rarely saw a famous car like this at the base. It was better suited to car shows.


    Daisy parked her car, took a deep breath, and finally exited the vehicle. When they saw who was


    driving, the soldiers scattered. Who wouldn''t run away? That was Colonel Ouyang! Who would want to


    be caned so hard that he couldn''t get out of bed?


    "Colonel, what brings you here? Didn''t they tell you that you could extend your vacation?" Although he


    was happy to see her, Mark was still confused. And wasn''t this car the one the colonel went home in


    last night? Then it must have been Mr. Mu who was in the car that day!


    "Oh! It''s nothing. I''m just here getting some of my stuff. I''ll be back in the city soon." Daisy answered,


    shutting the car door.


    "Colonel, let me give you a hand!" Mark guessed that she was moving back to live in the city. Although


    he didn''t understand why, it was not his concern. It was the Colonel''s personal life after all.


    "Yeah! Let''s go! And by the way, you can help me file the documents that I need." Daisy didn''t pretend


    to be polite and epted his offer.


    Mark followed Daisy to the dorms. They identally ran into Kevin Gu.


    "Staff officer Gu, I''m really sorry aboutst night." Although she was seriously drunkst night and


    affected by the drugs, she still remembered that he got into a fight with Luke Luo. That was cause for


    more than a little embarrassment.


    "Fine, how are you?" Kevin seemed hurt when he looked at her, but he covered it up well.


    "I''m well! Sorry, for the misunderstanding." Daisy quietly apologized since it was Edward who started it


    all.


    "You''re fine and that''s all that matters. I''ll be alright." Kevin then saw a thin love bite on her neck. His


    face paled immediately and his heart sank to rock bottom as well.


    "Staff officer Gu, is something wrong?" Daisy noticed where he was looking. She tugged at her cor a


    bit, embarrassed. Her pretty face blushed, too. She spent much time to find this top with a cor, but it


    still couldn''t hide the sexy bruise that Edward intentionally left on her.


    "Oh! Nothing. I have things to attend to. I''ll leave you two now, bye." Kevin awkwardly fled the scene.


    He couldn''t stand there and watch Daisy looking shy because of another man. It would suffocate him.


    Escaping from her sight in dismay, Kevin helplessly leaned on a tree. He knew that his affection would


    never be returned. Yet he still charged headlong into the arena of love, with no fear of consequences.


    He really thought that he and Daisy could be together, but he was caught on an endless merry-go-


    round which he could not escape from.


    "Mark. What''s with staff officer Gu?" Daisy was confused as she looked at Kevin''s mncholy exit.


    "Um... About that, I''m not really sure." Mark knew of Kevin''s affections for Daisy. After all, he always


    followed her around, so he was able to observe and understand the people and their actions around


    her. But how could he tell the truth? How could he tell Colonel Ouyang that Kevin Gu was staring at her


    with such love? How could he tell her that Kevin Gu was like this because he was hurt by her?


    N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    "Never mind, let''s go! He has been acting strangely recently." It seemed like that Mr. Mu was right;


    Daisy Ouyang was still a naive girl. She knew very little about such things. So for staff officer Gu, his


    love for her would remain unrequited for so much longer!


    Daisy wasn''t taking much with her. Mostly military uniforms and some casual clothes, along with some


    of the books and documents that she used on a regr basis. So she quickly put everything in order.


    When she walked in front of herrge stacks of newspapers and magazines, she couldn''t help but stop


    and reminisce. These were the publications with stories about Edward. She caressed a photo of him


    with a trembling hand. For so many years, those magazines were all she had of him.


    She carefully turned a page and saw a photo of him posing intimately with some popr actress. His


    hand was all over the woman''s slim waist. His smile was intoxicating, but his eyes were fixated on the


    gorgeous woman in his embrace. That passionate look made Daisy jealous.


    She turned another page and saw another beautiful woman beside his tall and dashing figure. The


    buzz was that this woman was close to him. He was around many women, yet that one was always


    there. Rumor had it that she was his favorite. Daisy knew that she shouldn''t be thinking about these.


    They had grown way too distant now.


    Daisy sighed and put down the papers. She didn''t want the past to haunt her anymore. She was willing


    to try to believe that he truly felt for her and that it wasn''t just a fling. She had nowhere else to turn now,


    as she was just hopelessly in love with him. She was so subservient in her love, so undignified, so


    painful, and so unconditional.


    "Colonel, this is the phone you droppedst night. I packed the rest of your things into the car. Do you


    have anything else you want to take?" Mark interrupted her thoughts and handed her the exquisite


    cellphone. She snapped back to reality in an instant.


    "Oh! I think that''s it. Thank you. I''ll be going then. Call me if anythinges up." Daisy looked around


    one more time to see if she needed anything else. She made sure that everything was taken care of


    and turned to leave. She quietly bade the ce goodbye.

 Chapter 63 You Are Full Of Empty Threats

    Chapter 63 You Are Full Of Empty Threats


    Noisy music, drunk crowd, passionate dancing, and dim light. Kevin nced around the bar, bought


    another shot, and downed the liquor in one swallow. However much alcohol he had, he was unable to


    dull the pain in his heart.


    He shook his head, as if he wanted to shake off the pain inside him. Proud as he was, he never thought


    he would be drowning his sorrows. Perhaps he was the dumbest man in the world. And his love affair


    had ended before it could start...


    Kevin looked more attractive when he was sad. His woeful smile lent a certain charm to him, and his


    handsome face and slim build had gotten him attention. The coldness in his gaze kept women away,


    however.


    His eyes were like icyke water. In a vodka induced haze, pain and hatred surged under the rippling


    surface. No one in their right mind would actually try and talk to him. However, the drunk were more


    courageous than the sane.


    "Hey! Handsome, buy me a drink?" Suddenly, a pretty woman was there, talking to him. The drunken


    girl sat in hisp, giggling, and nuzzled his neck.


    "Go find someone else. I''m not in the mood." Kevin shot her a cold stare, and answered with


    indifference. He pulled her hands off him, and pushed her away.


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "What? Are you scared? I need a man, and what a man you are! Come on, I thought men were


    supposed to take advantage of a pretty girl." Leena Leng giggled, and teased in a sweet and girlish


    tone. Her lips almost touched his earlobe when she whispered.


    "Do you always ask other men to take advantage of you? Sorry, Miss, not in the mood. And you aren''t


    exactly my type." Kevin sneered. His eyes turned colder as he spoke.


    "Haha... What? Are you frightened? Are you still a virgin?" Leenaughed. The wine made her even


    sexier and more charming. She giggled as she spoke, despite the cold expression on Kevin''s face.


    "That''s not your concern. And you could try it yourself." Kevin was outraged. Why did everyone take his


    restraint for a sign of weakness? It was okay that Daisy had refused him, but he didn''t think he could


    tolerate a random woman babbling at him.


    "Of course I will. I, Leena Leng, have never been challenged!" Leena''s head wagged as she spoke.


    She even let out a belch.


    "Very well. You''ll regret it." Kevin was drunk too. He wasn''t actually aware what he was saying to the


    girl.


    "Hahahaha... You are full of empty threats, old man." Leenaughed, and kissed him on the lips to stop


    him from saying more.


    Kevin paused for a while. Before long, he returned the kiss, hard, violently. He lost himself in the wine


    and her kiss. Kevin forgot about Daisy, forgot about who he was. The soldier was no longer in control,


    he was a beast who followed his instincts.


    Driven by desire, they both wanted more of each other. Dragging Leena by her waist, Kevin staggered


    into the elevator. He had his own room in this bar, for it was operated by one of his pals.


    As they entered the room, Kevin pressed Leena against the wall, and couldn''t wait to kiss her again.


    Like a predator with its prey, he tore her clothes off, and caressed her lovely body.


    Leena was a little scared. But she didn''t push Kevin away. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his


    neck, and raised her head to meet his lips.


    He moved in for the kill. As Kevin thrust inside her, Leena cried out in pain, blood oozing from her


    essence. Kevin was surprised by her reaction. He thought her an easy woman, and far from a virgin.


    Now he was proven wrong.


    But it wasn''t his first experience with women. He was the son of a senior official, and had more life


    experiences than the most others. He had been with several women before, whenever the mood struck


    him.


    Seeing Leena in pain, Kevin slowed down a little. But when she was ustomed to the pain and


    pleasure, he quickened the pace, harder and harder, pounding away at her, pinning her to the bed,


    shoving her deeper into the mattress with every thrust. Panting and moaning filled the room.


    At Edward''s house, Daisy had been shying away from him the whole night. She hadn''t forgotten his


    threats. She figured she would be better off keeping her distance, considering she was still worn out


    from the night before.


    "Are we ying hide and seek, or are you trying to avoid me?" Edward stopped Daisy when she


    wanted to pass by. This woman was bad. She had been ignoring him since he was back. She had


    sorted through her belongings and yed with their child, trying to ignore him. But now she had used


    up all her excuses. ''I don''t think she can avoid me anymore.'' he thought.


    "Um... I... I''m not ignoring you!" Well... She was actually fending him off. Not only because of his


    warning, but also because of what she read in these newspapers. She felt revulsed by it when she saw,


    though she always told herself to have more confidence in him, and in herself. She couldn''t stop


    thinking of his romantic affairs with other women. She wanted to stay away from him, to avoid his gaze,


    his touch...


    "Are you not? Have you noticed the time?" Edward gritted his teeth, and red at her as he spoke.


    "Um... Well, I have a lot of things to pack." Daisy was a little frustrated. She was fine talking to other


    people. But when it came to Edward, she stuttered.


    "Really? Show me. I''d like to see what''s taking you so long." Edward scoffed. His face darkened in


    anger. He nibbled on her earlobe as he spoke, warm breath blowing into her ear. Daisy shuddered.


    There might be no getting away from this.

 Chapter 64 Remember To Breathe Next Time

    Chapter 64 Remember To Breathe Next Time


    Daisy was so embarrassed! Edward was indeed seducing her again! She was like a little animal in front


    of him. It was easy for her to fall into his traps. She would certainly surrender to every of his love


    attacks. She just couldn''t help it.


    "Uh... Well... I will go and take a shower. You enjoy yourself." When she finished saying these words,


    she hurriedly ran into the bathroom. She quickly bolted the door and sighed with relief. She did all


    these without even a pause.


    Edward snorted. She was not here in the bed anymore. What was left to enjoy? But he felt it was really


    amusing when he saw her nervously run away. She was just like a rat that saw his trap. ''Very good. I


    will wait and watch how youe out.'' He thought.


    Daisy patted her pale and embarrassed face with her hands. ''Oh, my God! Lucky for me, I ran quickly


    enough. Otherwise, I would have been devoured by that monster of a man.''


    She calmed herself down and took off her clothes slowly. The cold water spread all over her, cooling


    her senses. The coolness of the water swept away her restlessness. She was no longer feeling


    agitated.


    Edward leaned on the bed and waited patiently for her toe out. He heard her sigh deeply. He


    waited for a while but still didn''t see here out. He was now feeling anxious. Was he wrong when he


    guessed that she wille out quickly?


    If the hand of time could be turned back, Daisy would not have gone to the bathroom first. She would


    have gone to the wardrobe to fetch some clothes before she had entered the bathroom. Now, the


    situation was so embarrassing for her. She took a deep sigh of dismay. She looked at the clothes she


    had just taken off. No, it was impossible for her to put them on again. What would she do then?


    She hesitated for a while and didn''t know what to do. She could ask Edward to bring some clothes for


    her. But she felt too ashamed to speak to him now. ''Oh, my God! This is driving me nuts! I have done


    nothing vicious and malicious to people. I only want to escape from this cunning pervert!'' Daisy


    eximed in her heart.


    The sound of the knocking on the door brought her back to her senses. She was shocked as she heard


    his familiar booming voice from outside.


    "Damn! Are you staying there until tomorrow morning? What''s taking so long?" Edward got too drowsy


    and bored when he was waiting for Daisy on the bed. But when he realized that Daisy still didn''te


    out or ask him to bring some clothes for her, it seemed that she didn''t have the slightest n toe


    out of the bathroom. Edward became a little worried.


    "Ur... I..I forgot to carry my clothes. Could you send me some?" Daisy mumbled behind the door. She


    felt so dismayed to ask Edward to do this. She wished she could find a hole and put her head in it


    every time she would make a fool of herself in front of him. She just didn''t have a face to show to him


    anymore.


    "I don''t mind. Just walk out as you are." Edward said in an evil voice andughed. Hisugh sent Daisy


    a shiver on her back. ''You bastard Edward. Don''t think that everyone goes out naked like you.


    Shameless man!'' Daisy thought in a fury.


    "Wait for a moment! I will bring the clothes to you." Edward finally stopped teasing her. He walked to


    the wardrobe. When he opened the door leading to it, he was lost in his thoughts for a moment. This


    wardrobe originally contained all his clothes. Now, they were filled with woman''s garments of different


    styles. They were all cool and bright colors and were just the perfect match for Daisy''s cold


    appearance.


    Edward smiled. Her clothes were hung next to his. He looked at the harmonious and beautiful scene. It


    was like they were really a couple already. A magical feeling suddenly rose to him. This feeling filled his


    heart with so much delight.


    He randomly chose a pajama and pulled open another drawer and saw her underwear. He paused for


    a second. Then he shook his head and reluctantly took it out. He had always been the superior one


    and was served by other women. He wondered since when he was reduced to carrying an underwear


    for a woman. Oh, this was a shame...


    He gently knocked on the bathroom door. Daisy hesitated for a while but eventually reached out her


    tender hands from the crack on the door. Edward felt the impulse to pull her out of the bathroom, but he


    controlled himself and handed the clothes to her. He turned around and walked back to his bed.


    When Daisy got dressed and finally opened the door, she felt very nervous. She felt at a loss when she


    thought about spending the night with him while she was totally sober.


    Edward didn''t gaze at her. He was flicking through a magazine in a casual way. Hiszy look while


    doing this made him more charming like a prince. His handsome face looked radiant under the light.


    Looking at him, Daisy was again lost in the moment. She forgot her nervousness and unwittingly


    walked towards him. When she came to her senses, her hands had already touched his handsome


    face.


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Edward was a little surprised by her sudden move. But at the same time, he quickly dragged her hands


    and pulled her over to him. Daisy tried to take her hands back before he could catch her. But in an


    instant, she had already fallen to his arms.


    Daisy felt that Edward was holding her too tight. She blushed and avoided looking directly into his eyes.


    She tried to push him away, but Edward didn''t give her a chance. He kept her soft body closer to him


    and kissed her sexy lips.


    "Um..." Daisy was surprised by this sudden kiss. She felt a little reluctant to give in to him.


    Edward sensed her resistance. He sucked fiercely at her gentle and soft lips. His ming tongue stuck


    into her mouth and rolled up her grant little tongue. Their tongue were tangled together, ying


    willfully in the hottest way.


    Daisy''s reluctance was gradually melt up by his enthusiasm. She held his neck with her tender arms


    and totally immersed herself in the erotic kiss. The passionate kiss was about to take her breath away.


    Edward finally stopped his aggression on her as she was suffocating already with a panting breath.


    Edward chuckled and gently pinched her nose. He felt that Daisy was bing even lovelier.


    "Remember to breathe next time, sweetie! It seems that you need me to teach you how to improve


    your kissing techniques." Daisy was sexily lying on him, while he was still holding her in his arms. Daisy


    didn''t dare to move even a little bit because she could clearly feel that the hot part of his body was


    sticking out at her.


    "Well... Can you put me down?" Daisy asked in a low voice. She lowered her head to try to avoid


    looking into his eyes. Her face was more attractive when she blushed.


    "Why? Do you feel shy?" Edward gently swept over her nose with his fingers and left a gentle kiss on


    her lips. He raised her chin up with his fingers and made her look directly into his glowing eyes.


    "I want to sleep." Daisy moved her neck aside and broke free from his grip. She pursed her sexy lips


    and murmured.


    "You can sleep as you want. Nobody has forbidden you to sleep." They were already lying on the bed.


    Edward looked at her leisurely with a tempting smile.


    Daisy stared at him, and felt speechless. This guy was so cunning! But he was really charming... He


    was holding her waist tightly and was putting his nasty thing on her body. She didn''t dare to move. How


    could she sleep?


    Edward decided not to tease her again. He gently put her beside him. He knew that they were both


    exhausted after aboring night yesterday. He decided not to torture her tonight. He just wanted to


    simply hold her in his arms right now.


    Daisy didn''t expect that he would cave in that easily. She secretly raised her head to look at him


    doubtfully.


    "Don''t look at me like that, or I will change my mind and make you regret it. It will be hard for you to


    stand up tomorrow morning. Just think about that!" Edward threatened. Daisy became so scared. She


    immediately buried herself in his arms and stayed motionless. Gradually, she fell into a sound


    sleep.

 Chapter 65 Miss Daisy

    Chapter 65 Miss Daisy


    The night was short but was indeed beautiful. When the morning sunlight broke the darkness of dawn,


    crossed the horizon line and brightened the sky, Kevin finally opened his slightly intoxicated eyes.


    He raised his hands and tenderly massaged his aching temple. He was shocked as he nced at the


    naked body lying beside him. He scratched his head in frustration and regretted his crazy behaviorst


    night. How could he meet and y with a virgin? He should have been more careful.


    Kevin got out of bed, and walked into the bathroom naked. Not until the cold water fell over his body did


    the sense of reality came to him. The water curtain freely patted his face as he considered what to do


    with the woman sleeping on his bed.


    If this woman wasn''t a virgin, the passionate sex they didst night would do no harm to him. However,


    the woman seemed to be warm to him. She seemed to want it although she knew she had no sexual


    experience before. Because of this, he made the wrong choice.


    He wiped the water off his face, brushed his hair, wore a bath towel around his waist and walked out.


    He had a superb, lean,pact and athletic body, possibly caused by the long-term training he


    experienced. He got dressed and looked at the beautiful woman sleeping soundly on the bed. After a


    moment of thinking, he took a pencil and paper, wrote something and then left abruptly.


    Leena slept well through the night. She woke up at noon and looked around in astonishment at the


    room. It was totally unfamiliar to her. She moved her body and realized that everything in her was


    aching. She lowered her head and looked at her body in bewilderment.


    Her body was naked under the bed sheet. Love bites were still obvious. Leena looked flurried and


    wondered what really happenedst night. When she closed her eyes and tried to remember, the


    memories astonished her and made her jump up. Leena, how could you get so drunk and seduce other


    men to have sex with you?


    She hurriedly put on the clothes which had been arranged nicely for her. A piece of paper on the


    nearby table drew her attention. She picked up the sheet and read the handwritten note.


    "Hello! I''m engaged in business this morning and have to leave. I''m really sorry for what happenedst


    night. I had no idea that you were a virgin. If some responsibilities should be taken, you can call me


    with the phone number below." The signature of Kevin was legible.


    Leena felt so dispirited. She crumpled the sheet and threw it away. Then, she took her bag and walked


    out of the room. Before turning the handle to open the door, she walked back, picked up the paper and


    put it inside her bag. With a quick nce at the strange room, she ran out quickly.


    FX International Group


    "Sir, the YS group jus called and asked us toe and sign the agreement." Secretary Anna stood


    quietly, with both of her arms drooping on the side. She was waiting for Edward''s reply.


    "What? Can''t that chick keep calm? Has she appointed somebody to do this?" Edward was in no mood


    to deal with that ill-tempered and rude woman. He wanted to stay home and have fun with his lovely


    wife.


    "There''s no request for that." Anna''s interest in the CEO of the YS Group increased and she wondered


    what kind of woman could intimidate the ever authoritative Edward?


    "Ok, ask Rain to do this. Recently, life has been too easy for him. It''s time to find some things to burden


    him." Rain was busy with a great pile of documents in his office. He wondered whether Mary hade


    here. Why did it be so cold suddenly? Actually, he didn''t know Edward was plotting something.


    "I got it. Sir, Miss Ouyang hase here. Will she continue to work with me?" To be honest, Anna


    never liked Mary. Even worse, she hated women as insincere and pretentious as Mary. However, with


    Edward''s order, she had to work with Mary and guide her.


    "Who?", Edward asked. That little chick shouldn''t havee here right now. He recalled how fiercely


    he had sex with her this morning as if to punish her indifference. He also wondered whether she had


    gotten out of bed. She must have been so exhausted.


    "The Mary Ouyang from the Ouyang Foreign Trade." Anna replied. Anna doubted how many women


    with the surname of Ouyang did Edward know. It seemed that he only knew one Miss Ouyang. Was it


    possible that Edward was acquainted with many women surnamed Ouyang?


    Rain really had great predictive power. Yeah. Mary was here. But this time, Justin hadn''t lowered the


    temperature of the air conditioner. The coldness seeped onto his back, all because of Edward.


    "I see. This Mary, you can continue to work with her and give her some advice. All in all, she just


    pretend to learn and work here. That''s all she has to do."


    "Right, I will leave you alone then." Anna turned around and left the room.


    "Anna, can I have a word with Edward?" Mary came forward and respectfully greeted Anna as soon as


    she saw her getting out of Edward''s office. She would never be polite to an employee as insignificant


    as a secretary if she hadn''t been requested to act humbly and keep a low profile. She could wait. As


    soon as she married Edward, she would certainly fire Anna and embarrass her publicly at the first


    opportunity she got.


    "Sorry. Boss is very busy right now. Whatever you want to talk with him, you can tell me. I will get him


    informedter." Because Edward ordered her to guide Mary, it meant she was nothing to him.


    Otherwise, he would not try to avoid her.


    N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "I got it. Nothing important, really. I just want to have lunch with him. I''m also wondering whether he has


    already gotten an appointment with others or not." Mary repressed her anger and gave a pretentious


    smile.


    "Ok, I will deliver this message for you. Miss Ouyang, I need to leave now." Anna never learned how to


    fawn rich and powerful people. Therefore, the identity of Mary meant nothing to her because she was


    an employee of FX International Group, rather than Ouyang Foreign Trade.


    "Thank you. Anna." Mary was so angry that her facial expression looked like it was distorted. As clever


    as herself, Mary knew that her message would not be delivered. Even so, she wore a false smile,


    which draw Anna''s attention. Anna suddenly realized that Mary wasn''t so innocent and naive.


    Anna tapped at the door of Rain''s office and rushed inside. Her expression did not change at all.


    "Rain, Edward asked you to go to the YS Group and sign the new agreement for this quarter." With


    those words, Anna gave him a quick nce and wondered how he would react. Edward acted in a fury


    when he heard the YS group. So, she was curious about Rain''s response.


    "Why me? He can do it personally. Besides, that woman requests to speak to him every time. Has she


    changed her mind?!" Busy in a pile of documents, Rain raised his head and shouted angrily. Right now,


    he totally dedicated himself to the next month''s business n for the C Financial Group. He didn''t want


    to waste his time and bicker with that rude woman.


    "This time, Miss Belinda didn''t appoint anybody to sign the agreement. Thus, Edward wanted you to


    get it done." Rain''s response was also unusual and strange. It seemed that both of them disliked Miss


    Belinda.

 Chapter 66 You Should Have Knocked At The Door

    Chapter 66 You Should Have Knocked At The Door


    Rain was utterly speechless. Why was he appointed when Belinda actually designated no one? For


    God''s sake, he was already busy and upied. But he couldn''t refuse. He had to obey Edward


    unconditionally.


    "I see. Please tell them that I''ll go there in the afternoon." Massaging the acupuncture point between


    his eyebrows, Rain tried to calm himself down.


    "Okay. Mr. Rain, is it really difficult to deal with Belinda?" Anna asked in curiosity. It seemed like


    everyone was trying to avoid that woman.


    "Ha! Ha! Anna, you are also unexpectedly gossipy." Rain smirked. As far as he knew, Anna was always


    meticulous and would never ask anything other than work. He was very surprised at her sudden


    question.


    "Forget it." Rain''sughter made Anna angry. She turned and strode away, but Rainughed even


    more heartily.


    Anna was embarrassed. She shouldn''t have asked him about it. Instead of getting the answer, she


    made a shameful show of herself. She had forgotten that this guy was as mean and shameless as Mr.


    Mu.


    Edward sneezed as if he knew what Anna was thinking. Why did he always get into trouble?


    Daisy moved her sore body to pick up her ringing phone on the bed. At the sight of the caller''s name,


    she threw the phone back and covered herself with the quilt, ignoring the call.


    Edward took the phone down to check the number and was sure that it was Daisy''s. This woman was


    ying hard-to-get again. ''She is still sleeping? Or she has been out without taking her phone?'' At this


    thought, he called another number.


    Knock. Knock. Daisy was immediately awakened.


    "Come in." She answered in a cold,zy voice.


    "Mrs. Mu, there is a call from Mr. Mu." Mrs. Wu walked in with the phone, wondering why Edward didn''t


    call Daisy directly.


    "Okay. Thanks." Daisy took the phone, nodded to Mrs. Wu and answered it.


    "Hello?" Daisy kept her anger and dismay to herself. She shouldn''t have forgotten that she was now at


    Edward''s home. He could find her even if she didn''t answer the phone. She was just like a trapped


    lamb, and Edward was the wolf. Recalling what Edward did this morning, Daisy quivered at the thought


    of it.


    "You haven''t got up yet? You must be tired." Edward said gently with a beautiful grin. He knew that


    Daisy ignored his call deliberately as he was rude this morning.


    "Yeah. So what?" ... Daisy gave a in reply in a casual tone. At first, she was happy that nothing


    happenedst night. However, Edward forcibly had sex with her this morning and urged her to ept


    many unequal terms while she was enjoying herself.


    "Ha-ha. Are you still angry?" Edward simply sprawled in the chair, and continued smirking. Now he


    knew Daisy was bad-tempered. Her tone had irritation written all over it. However, it was not his fault.


    She was so sexy that he couldn''t control himself.


    Edward didn''t admit that he hungered for sex, butined that Daisy was too charming.


    "Eh¡­" Daisy turned over in the bed, still a bit groggy.


    "Come on. Could you talk more?" Edward was bing impatient. He had never tried so hard to


    tter any woman, but she just uttered such a simple word.


    "I see." How annoying Daisy was!


    "What are you going to do today?" Edward was bing bored too. He actually called to ask such a


    thing.


    "I have to finish my report. Well, could you please add one more desk in the study?" She checked the


    studyst night. She had to work in the study, but there was only one desk and his documents and files


    were piled on it.


    "No problem. I will ask Luke to settle it. Wait for about a couple of hours." Edward was overjoyed. They


    would work in the same study afterwards. Did it mean that they could also have sex there from time to


    time?


    "Okay. Thanks." Daisy didn''t know what Edward really thought, so she thanked him politely. Maybe she


    wouldn''t have remained calm after she knew Edward''s evil nter.


    "Edward, you have to treat me to dinner today." An abrupt loud voice interrupted their sweet talk. Rain


    broke into Edward''s office.


    "You have to work." Hearing someone else''s voice over the phone, Daisy hung up the phone before


    Edward could exin.


    Edward was infuriated. Daisy hung up the phone again. He had told her this morning that she couldn''t


    hang up the phone first no matter what, but obviously, she had forgotten itpletely. Or maybe she


    just didn''t care.


    Looking up at Rain in anger, Edward said coldly, "It''s very rude of you to break in here. You should


    have knocked at the door. I''ll punish you if you don''t knock next time." After stating this with a fiery


    tone, Edward looked down at the document on the table.


    "Well¡­" Rain was confused. Edward didn''t care whether he knocked at the door before, but he was


    provoked today.


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Indeed, Rain shouldn''t have broken in, but most importantly, he came at the wrong time.


    "Edward, why are you so angry? Are you at the change of life? Why are you so swollen with rage?"


    Rain always acted shamelessly in front of Edward, so he didn''t care about Edward''s warning.


    "Shut up! Men won''t enter upon the change of life!" Edward rolled his eyes, and immediately became


    mncholic.


    For the record, men will also enter upon the change of life, but it''s not as obvious as


    women.

 Chapter 67 Keeping Quite Busy These Days

    Chapter 67 Keeping Quite Busy These Days


    "Or your desire was not satisfiedst night? What I mean to ask is, didn''t Daisy give you physical


    comfort?" Rain made a bold assumption and it seemed that he wouldn''t stop until he got the right


    answers.


    "You think I am like you, don''t you?" Yes. He admitted his desires weren''t satisfiedst night, but this


    morning he had taken back more than he had lost.


    "What''s wrong with me?" There had never been a shortage of beautiful woman around him.


    "Annie has note here yet." Said Edward with an evil smile on his face, while rolling a luxury pen


    with his long fingers.


    "What''s any of this got to do with Annie?" Rain was confused.


    "I have no one to offer you for fun." Edward always felt better after making fun of Rain. It felt good to


    have Rain around so he could amuse himself.


    "Damn it! Edward. You are being wicked again. Does Daisy know about this shameless side of you?"


    Rain was curious about Daisy. Daisy was wearing heavy make-up when they met at the bar. He wasn''t


    able to see her clearly through the quick nce.


    "It''s between me and my wife. Why should I tell you?" Edward nced at him but gave no response.


    "So what? By the way, when are you nning to introduce Daisy to us, Edward?" Asked Rain,


    expectantly. It was rare to see Edward care so much about a woman.


    "Some other day. She has been keeping quite busy these days." It was true that she wasn''t avable.


    Because she was trapped in someone''s bed these days and she couldn''t even get off from it.


    "No way. Edward, why do I get the feeling that you have done something brutal to her and that''s why


    she has no time?" Rain leaned closer to Edward and studied him, trying to dig out some secrets from


    him.


    "Isn''t it normal to be brutal to my own wife?" Edward said calmly while neglecting his lewd expression.


    Well! Rain had to admit that he didn''t want to be a part of Edward''s shameless deeds. He couldn''t bear


    to recall the words he had said about her! Gosh! How unfortunate Daisy must have been! Although he


    had no idea what she looked like under the heavy make-up, he was sure that she could not be a garish


    woman as she had attracted Edward''s attention. Or perhaps Edward had had a stronger taste in


    women.


    "Sure, It is. Who says you can''t. I was just worried that you indulged yourself too much so you can''t get


    it up anymore." He had known one thing for sure that he could not be more shameless than Edward.


    Being more shameless could only result in Rain getting beaten down by him.


    "I don''t mind you testing me in person to testify if I can get it up or not. Seriously, I have never


    experienced being physical with a yboy, but with you, I don''t mind going too far."


    Out of the blue, Edward''s upper body leaned on Rain, bringing his lips close to Rain''s ear murmuring


    seductive and coquettish words. His deep eyes were so sparkling and breathtaking as if they would


    bloom the very next second.


    "Damn it. Why can''t you ever be serious!" Rain was frightened, and he jumped away. He wondered,


    since when did Edward became so nasty that he could utter such dirty words. Edward was so


    offensive, who could be nastier than him?


    "Don''t you want to go with me? Don''t you want to be underneath me?" Edward reached for his phone


    with his long hands and then walked out of the room calmly and graciously as if those vulgar words


    didn''t juste out of his mouth.


    "Where are we going?" Rain stared at him with a look of frustration.


    "Didn''t you ask for dinner? Have you changed your mind?" Edward said without stopping, knowing sure


    enough that Rain wasing after him.


    "Edward, are you going out?" Mary asked him with a bright smile, her face was as beautiful as a


    blossoming flower.


    "Oh! Miss Mary. How are you doing? Have you gotten ustomed to the office? Have you learned


    something useful?" Edward said in a polite but aloof tone. He didn''t get any closer to Miss Mary''s


    because of her beauty.


    "Thanks for your concern and I have been working hard. I was wondering if I can have the honor of


    inviting you for lunch to express my gratitude for your support." Mary said gracefully but shyly, with her


    eyes staring at Edward.


    "It''s very kind of you, Miss Mary. I was just worried that you were not being treated graciously by our


    firm." Edward had to make this general remark since she was Daisy''s sister and he had to take Daisy''s


    feelings into ount.


    "Edward, you are teasing me. Everyone is kind to me, and I am enjoying my time here." Mary said with


    a pleasant smile. Meanwhile, she felt a little proud of herself. Which man in the world could resist a


    gorgeous woman like her? Edward had noticed her beauty.


    Speaking of beauty, Mary was absolutely smoking hot, butcking in intellect. The reason why Edward


    suddenly cared about her was for the sake of Daisy, not her.


    Rain stood there bored. He secretly rolled his eyes, watching them talk in such a friendly way.


    Moreover, was Mary despising him? Even worse, she ignored him as is he did not exist.


    "Edward, why don''t we get out of here? I am starving to death." Rain couldn''t bear this anymore


    eventually. Why did Edward care about Mary so much suddenly? He remembered that Edward was


    cold and indifferent to Maryst time. Soon after he changed his mind.


    "Mr. Rain, there you are! So sorry that I didn''t notice you were here." Mary looked at Rain with an


    apologetic look, acting like she just noticed him.


    "That''s ok. Miss Mary. I also noticed you just now. So no need to be sorry." Hmmm! Rain had never


    given anyone a chance to disrespect him. Besides, he was not bad at acting either. Who did Mary think


    she was!


    Mary felt a little awkward. She thought she had made Rain feel insignificant, instead, she became the


    one.


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "We were just about to go for lunch. Since Miss Mary has made a cordial invitation, it would be a good


    idea for us to ept it." Edward proposed this at the right time. It helped break the ice between Rain


    and Mary.

 Chapter 68 Which Unlucky Man Is Your Prey Today

    Chapter 68 Which Unlucky Man Is Your Prey Today


    They started driving towards the restaurant. They had picked a ce far away from the office. Usually,


    Luke drove behind Edward on the way. But Luke was sent to prepare Daisy''s desk. Before he left, he


    arranged for other bodyguards to follow Edward. It almost looked like a motorcade. Arranging so many


    people in his ce, Luke seemed not trust anyone but himself, on the off chance any mishaps urred


    with Edward in his absence.


    Edward steadily held the steering wheel. When he looked in the rear-view mirror, he was speechless.


    He felt Luke had overreacted. Who did he think Edward was, the President of the country? With so


    many cars following him, the passersby might assume him to be a mobster. Edward felt he must talk to


    Luke.


    Suddenly, a slender figure caught Edward''s attention. Unconsciously, he slowed down the car. But he


    then shook his head with self-mockery. The girl he was thinking of couldn''t be here. She would still be


    in Paris, the romantic capital of France. How could she possibly appear in the streets of S City?


    Before long, they arrived at their destination, a famous Spanish restaurant named Can Maj¨®.


    Mary was depressed. She intended to sit beside Edward, but to her dismay, Rain took the seat, and


    she had to drive behind them in her car.


    As an old saying goes, some were sad but the others were happy. Rain was in a pretty good mood,


    giggling along the way. As mboyant as he was, he usually didn''t share a car with other men. But


    today, he had abandoned his dazzling Maybach just to annoy Mary.


    As they got off the car and walked towards the restaurant, they met Belinda at the entrance, who also


    came for lunch. Edward was a little frustrated to see her. He felt that luck was not on his side, as he


    kept running into people who he didn''t want to meet.


    "Huh! Mr. Mu, nice seeing you again!" Belinda shed him a coquettish smile, and shot a nce at


    Mary.


    "The pleasure is all mine, Miss Shangguan. What a nice surprise." Edward''s mouth twitched as he tried


    to smile. Belinda was thest person he wanted to meet. But she appeared everywhere he went.


    "Indeed it is. I see you''ve brought another woman with you, Mr. Mu. But why your taste in women is


    growing worse over time." Belinda said mockingly with a smirk on her face and slyness in her eyes.


    She thought to herself. ''Mary, since you have the guts to show up here, I will show you how to behave.''


    "So, Miss Shangguan! Which unlucky man is your prey today?" Rain always wore a smile on his face in


    front of other people. He was amused by the way Belinda talked to Edward.


    "Rest assured, Rain. I''m not interested in sissy pants, so I won''t prey on you." Belinda red at Rain.


    In her opinion, he was remarkable. She wondered who was able to tame him.


    "Edward, who is this youngdy?" Mary was irritated by Belinda''s overbearing attitude. She wondered


    who this gorgeous woman was, and why Edward and Rain tolerated her arrogance. She could tell that


    they had a good bond.


    "Oh. Mary, this is the CEO of the YS Group, Belinda Shangguan." Edward introduced Belinda to Mary.


    He nced at Belinda, and wondered what she was up to.


    "Miss Shangguan, d to meet you! I am Mary Ouyang." Mary extended a hand to Belinda. She was


    cursing herself. She wondered what Belinda mean by saying "your taste in women is growing worse


    over time"? She was talented, beautiful, and a daughter of an eminent family.


    "Nice meeting you, Miss Ouyang. I''ve heard a lot about you, and now that we''ve met in person, I can


    tell that the rumors were true. You''re as resourceful as I have heard." Belinda''s tone was deliberately


    condescending. She shot a contemptuous look at Mary as she spoke.


    "Thank you, Miss Shangguan. But I''m nopetition for you." Mary didn''t sense the sarcasm in


    Belinda''s voice. She assumed Belinda meant that she had heard of Mary from Edward. The thought


    turned her crimson.


    Rain couldn''t help but guffaw. Belinda was a ruthless woman. Her sharp tongue stung everyone


    equally. He was curious to know how Mary had offended Belinda to deserve this cynicism.


    Despite appearing indifferent, Edward was also noticing the interaction between both women. It


    seemed like Belinda already knew Mary, but seemingly, Mary didn''t know her. And he could tell from


    Belinda''s words that she was furious with Mary.


    "Pff. pansy." Belinda rolled her eyes at Rain when he burst intoughter. She was still angry about what


    happenedst time.


    Rain was a little frustrated. How did he look like a pansy? Why did she call him that every time?


    "Miss Shangguan, now that we have met, may I invite you to join us?" Edward broke the ice. As he


    spoke to Belinda, he raised his eyebrow, and a wicked glint shed in his eyes. Belinda was hard to


    manage. She was indeed a fierce woman.


    "That sounds good. I never refuse a free meal. Nothing''s better than men hurling themselves towards


    me, like moths to fire." Belinda wouldn''t favor dining with them if it were only Edward and Rain eating


    here. But since Mary was with them too, she definitely wouldn''t walk away. She wouldn''t miss any


    chance to beat down an Ouyang.


    Edward was speechless after hearing her words. Howe she was so hostile to everyone? It


    sounded like they were also a pair of desperate men pursuing her.


    Mary was vexed. The more people dining with them, the less chance she had to be alone with Edward.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    Rain smiled before he spoke. He fiddled with his gleaming ear stud with one hand. Eyebrows raised,


    thin lips parted, he spoke in a low, sensuous voice.


    "Miss Shangguan, you are magnificent; indeed it is aplimentary dinner. But today''s dinner is on


    Miss Ouyang. ording to your theory, she is the one who''s desperate to be taken advantage of by


    the charming Miss Shangguan." Rain shed a smug grin. It felt great to ridicule other people. No


    wonder Edward always mocked him.


    That said, he thought, ''Huh. Mary Ouyang, you''ve been ignoring me this whole time. Now you''ll know


    what happens to people who ignore me.''


    "Oh? The lunch is on Miss Ouyang? I''m sorry, Miss Ouyang, I didn''t expect you to be a person without


    self-respect. You know, a girl should always know better than to sell herself short. And in fact, very few


    women demean themselves by paying for futile love. My spection is cliched but reasonable. Don''t


    take it personally." Not a single word of Belinda''s apology sounded remorseful.


    Mary''s face fell when she heard the sarcastic tone of Belinda''s speech. Her lips parted, but she couldn''t


    utter a word. Her hands clenched into fists, so tight that the blue veins protruded under her skin.

 Chapter 69 Do You Miss Me

    Chapter 69 Do You Miss Me


    To ease the growing tension in the atmosphere, Edward intentionally coughed, while covering his


    mouth with his fist.


    "Let''s just go inside. Or do you all want to be grilled outside?" Edward knitted his bushy brows and took


    the lead to move inside----he detested hot weather.


    N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    The others followed him inside. Edward''s handsome face and voguish charm inevitably attracted


    everyone''s attention. But he simply ignored everyone and found a table near the window. There he sat


    elegantly with his legs crossed.


    Belinda nced at Mary, and she intentionally sat beside Edward. She knew Mary wanted to get close


    to Edward, but she wouldn''t let her fulfill this wish.


    When Mary saw Belinda''s gimmick, she bit her lip and unwillingly sat beside Rain. She couldn''t figure


    out why Belinda was constantly trying to give her a hard time. She didn''t recall having displeased her.


    Why was Belinda so ungracious to her the first time they met? Had she eyed Belinda''s boyfriend?


    Maybe that was the reason behind her behavior. After all, she had dated quite a few men, most of


    whom she had seduced by different means. So there was an off chance that she had stolen Belinda''s


    boyfriend without knowing it.


    "Miss Mary, are you okay? You don''t look so good." Belinda was not easy to deal with. She had


    agitated Mary by taking her seat, but now she was pretending to care for her.


    Rain and Edward exchanged looks and decided not to get involved. The atmosphere was quite intense.


    Who knows, perhaps the next minute Belinda would turn on them, so they decided to let the two


    women fight with each other. They were mere audiences.


    "I am alright. Thank you for your concern." Mary twitched her lips and faked a smile. Deep down she


    wanted to tear apart Belinda''s smug little face.


    "Of course, I must show my concern towards the host. After all, we just met for the first time, and you


    are paying for the meal. However, I''m wondering whether we can choose the dishes ourselves."


    Belinda looked at Mary; her head tilted sideways. Her smile grew brighter, her eyes even more radiant.


    "Of course, just order whatever you like, Miss Belinda." Mary forced a smile. ''What a bitch! Belinda, you


    are arrogant and hostile now, butter you will learn of my wickedness as well. You should not offend


    me, Mary.'' Mary warned Belinda in her heart.


    "Since Miss Mary has approved so, I am going to eat to my heart''s content. It''s a rare opportunity by


    the way. Sissy Rain, order whatever you want. There is no need to save money for Miss Mary. You


    heard her." Belinda knew Rain and Edward didn''t want to get into this fight between her and Mary. She


    decided to give them a break since her aim today was not them, but Mary.


    Rain''s lips twitched in annoyance. He didn''t do anything, yet he was involved in the two women''s strife.


    ''Belinda, why did you get me involved?'' Rain said to himself.


    Edward smiled knowingly as now he understood Belinda''s intention----she was against Mary. The cost


    for that meal would be no trouble for Mary, considering, the wealth of Ouyang Foreign Trade.


    Yet when the dishes were served one by one, they were all stunned----there was too much food. There


    were a lot of fancy drinks and various dishes which were all overpriced delicacies.


    That turned Mary''s face pale, but she kept her poise. She had thought Belinda was just talking the talk,


    yet the truth was that she also walked the walk. But if that was how Belinda was to embarrass her, she


    would be let down because expensive though these dishes were, she could afford them.


    "Did Miss Belinda juste back from a poor area?" Mary put on a happy yet bewildered look.


    "Why would Miss Mary ask so?" Belinda was quite perplexed. She didn''t know why Mary mentioned


    that.


    LOL. At times, even a sharp-minded woman like Belinda couldn''t read between the lines.


    "Nothing. It''s just that when people see all these dishes, they may think that Miss Belinda is some


    starved refugee." Mary felt quite contented after giving Belinda a hard time.


    What Mary said also made Rain burst intoughter. He never thought that a day woulde when


    Belinda would be put on the spot.


    Belinda gave Rain a long hard look. Then she fixed her hair and put on a charming smile.


    "Wow. How did you know this? Yes, I just came back from a poor area. And the ever-so-kind Miss Mary


    wants to pay for all my future meals?" Ew! Mary was just too puny to win over her.


    Edward coughed. He nearly choked on his food because of Belinda''s witty retort. He raised his head


    and saw Belinda eating her food quite calmly. ''She was almost invincible.'' Edward thought to himself.


    Mary didn''t see Belinda''s retorting. She was embarrassed. She looked at Edward, hoping for


    support. But Edward didn''t even look at her. He was just eating his food gracefully.


    Luckily the phone rang, saving Mary from the dilemma.


    Edward nodded his head as an excuse and kept the phone on the table. When he saw the caller ID


    was his wife, his lips unconsciously spread into a smile. With a swipe, Edward took the call. Then he


    spoke in a soft and gentle voice.


    "What''s going on? Did you have your lunch?" Edward was quite surprised that Daisy called him.


    "Yes. How about you?" Daisy''s distinct voice came through the phone. It was like a gurgling stream


    flowing across Edward''s parched heart.


    "I am having lunch. Did you miss me?" Edward said gently. His voice was so sweet that the people


    around him almost had goosebumps.


    "No, not really. I just wanted to ask you if I could use yourputer in the study room. I forgot to bring


    mine." Daisy answered hesitantly, her face blushed at Edward''s words.


    "Of course you can use it. I didn''t set any passwords, so you can log into it freely. You don''t need to ask


    me for all these things; you have full control over everything in the house." She didn''t say she missed


    him, but he was still happy that she called as he had been moping about her hanging up his call earlier.


    Belinda''s looked a bit angry now. ''See, Daisy. That''s the man you loved so much for so many years. He


    is sweet talking with another woman. And what about you? Did he love you? Did you even have a


    ce in his heart?'' Belinda thought to herself.

 Chapter 70 Damn You Jealous

    Chapter 70 Damn You Jealous


    "Oh, I see. Have a nice meal! I''m sorry if I disturbed you." She didn''t hang up the phone. Because


    during the call this morning, she had hung up the phone first. Butter she remembered that he had


    forbidden her from hanging up the phone before him,e what may. So she waited for him to end the


    call first.


    "Okay! I''ll ask Luke to arrange aputer for you, and I''ll try toe home early today." Edward''s


    charismatic smile had Mary spellbound. She was wondering who Edward was talking to because he


    was kind and gentle on the phone. But that didn''t matter, because one day that tenderness would only


    belong to her, thought Mary.


    "Mr. Edward is a quite thedies man! You probably has many lovers! You already have one beside


    you. It seems that you have one hidden in your house too. I wonder where you get the time and energy


    to deal with them all." Seeing that Edward has hung up the phone, Belinda began to sneer at him. Her


    tone was a little harsh. She didn''t know that Daisy was already living with Edward, so naturally, she


    took it that Edward had another woman in his house. She felt pity for Daisy, so she gave a crude


    reaction without much consideration.


    "Miss Belinda, you seem to care a lot about my private life. Are you feel jealous? Or have you fallen in


    love with me?" Edward joked. He already knew that Belinda was not interested in him. He had met her


    several times, yet he didn''t spot any trace of admiration in her eyes, perhaps that''s why he could joke


    with her intrepidly.


    Belinda stared at him and remained silent. "Damn you jealous!" Belinda cursed him in her heart. The


    day she felt jealous for this deceitful scoundrel, the sun would rise from the west. Only inane women


    would make the mistake of falling in love with him and feeling jealous!


    No! She reminded herself to stop thinking like this because the inane woman she was thinking of, was


    none other than her best friend Daisy.


    "Mr. Mu, can''t you stop being so narcissistic? I wish you''d change your ways because I''m sick of


    hearing your self-absorbed, egotistical babble." Belinda stared at him with contempt. Is being creative


    such a big challenge for the CEO of an internationalpany? Did she have to teach him how to


    behave creative? Belinda thought.


    "So, Miss Belinda, what would you like? I will do whatever you wish." Edward lifted his hand to look at


    the time, with a little frown. His manner seemed casual andnguid.


    Belinda moved her lips, but she didn''t utter a word. She knew Edward''s words were too ambiguous;


    they could easily mislead anyone.


    "Miss Belinda, did you bring the contract with you? If you have it here, we can take this opportunity to


    sign the contract." Rain''s remark broke the ice between Edward and Belinda. Belinda felt pleased to


    change the topic. She didn''t want to think about who Edward was calling.


    She replied, "I didn''t bring it with me. But my office is not far from here. I can ask my secretary to bring


    it here, if you have some time to spare." Truth be told, Belinda wasn''t an unreasonable person. The


    only reason she was so mean to Edward was that she didn''t like his ways and thepany he kept.


    "That would be better. It will save me from going to your office again in the afternoon." Rain sighed with


    relief, as now he wouldn''t have to go out in the sweltering hot weather.


    "Okay! I will call my secretary and have the contract delivered right now." said Belinda. She fetched her


    phone and dialed the familiar number.


    Mary stole a nce at Edward; she found him lost in his thoughts. He looked absent-minded.


    "Sir, do you have anything important to do? If you have any urgent business to attend to, you can


    leave." Just leave a car for me." Rain had seen the grand fleet of cars escorting Edward on the way


    here. He felt a surge of panic long after they had arrived at the restaurant. He felt fortunate that he was


    not the spotlight of such a dramatic scene. If it were him, he would undoubtedly be overwhelmed.


    Therefore he asked Edward to leave just one car for him.


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "Oh, no I''m okay. I will go with you." Edward suddenly came out of his deep thoughts and replied. He


    raised his head and looked around the ce, his eyes finally noticing Mary.


    He was thinking about a question in the past few minutes. He wondered why Daisy''s family hadn''t


    appeared in his life all these years. Even if Daisy had intended to avoid them, still howe they didn''t


    know of Justin''s existence? Edward often wondered about this question. At times, he felt he knew the


    answers, but before long he found himself perplexed again.


    It was rare for Daisy to have so much leisure time. The sudden break made her feel that she had


    nothing to do. After she hung up the phone, she sat there for a while in a state of trance. She found that


    Justin had stopped paying heed to her. Recently, he seemed to have a lot of things to do. He always


    stayed in his room and kept the door closed. It looked like he had much to learn. Daisy seldom saw him


    now. Theid-back and feckless life made her feel that time flew rather slowly.


    She thought for a while and picked up the phone. She dialed Belinda''s number with her slender fingers.


    She was prepared to be scolded by Belinda because she had broken an appointment with her.


    "Hello!" Belinda was busy talking to Rain about the contract, and she picked the call without noticing


    who was calling.


    "Belinda, it''s me. Are you busy?" Daisy curled up her neck; she was waiting for Belinda to howl at her.


    As expected, a sudden furious roar sent a shiver down Daisy''s spine. She had an impulse to hang up


    the phone when she heard Belinda''s roar.


    "Damn it Daisy, you ked out on me again. Don''t expect that I will forgive you this time." After Belinda


    had vented out, she realized that her voice had been too loud. She looked around and found that


    Edward didn''t notice her. He was on another table speaking softly with Mary. She instantly felt relieved.


    Rain was sitting quite close to Belinda as they were discussing the contract. He had heard Belinda''s


    offensivenguage. But he did not know the Daisy whom Belinda was talking to. He merely frowned


    when Belinda cursed and then continued to scan the contract.


    "My dear friend Belinda, just spare me this time, please! I promise it will never happen again." Daisy


    said. Daisy only revealed her lovely side when she was with Belinda. Judging from her cute voice, no


    one could imagine that she was a stern and cold female colonel.


    "Get away from me! I will not be the daughter of my mother if I trust you again!" When Belinda heard


    how Daisy was trying to make peace with her, she felt delighted. Yet, her reply came out in a firm tone.


    "Oh! Belinda. If you are not the daughter of your mother, then who calls you daughter?" Daisy smiled


    when she heard Belinda had brought up her dearest mother. It seemed that Belinda was really angry


    with her this time.


    "I''m still my father''s daughter. You''re so stupid!" Belinda said nonchntly. At the same time, she


    nced at the contract, took a pen and signed her name on the contract.

 Chapter 71 Who Said That I Have A Boyfriend

    Chapter 71 Who Said That I Have A Boyfriend


    Belinda was as quick-witted as ever. Daisy felt speechless. She changed her expression. If she is her


    father''s daughter, she would still be her mom''s daughter. What is the difference?


    ''Emmm... Ok, I ept that you are smart. Now tell me, are you free this weekend?'' Belinda and Daisy


    haven''t seen each other for years. Daisy missed her very much.


    "Are you nning on standing me up again?'' Belindained sourly while putting the contract


    away.


    "I want to go shopping with you if you''ve got time, but I am fine if you don''t want toe with me.


    There are many other things I''d rather do." Daisy knew Belinda couldn''t resist the temptation of a


    shopping spree.


    ''Daisy! I dare you! You must go shopping with me.'' Belinda''s booming voice caught Edward and Mary''s


    attention.


    No..., Belinda immediately regretted uttering Daisy''s name aloud. Although Mary was familiar with


    Daisy, she wasn''t sure whether Daisy''s name would ring a bell to Edward. Belinda''s shout definitely


    caught Mary''s attention, and the reason behind her hostility became clear.


    ''Aren''t you afraid of being hunted down anymore?'' Daisy didn''t realize what an unfavorable situation


    Belinda had put herself into.


    ''I feel like I am being hunting down now.'' Belinda grumbled. Edward, why were you staring at me? Am I


    doing something illegal?


    Edward was staring at Belinda because he heard Belinda call Daisy''s name, so he was trying to figure


    out what was going on.


    ''What? Someone is hunting you right now? Where are you? I am on my way!'' Daisy jumped to her feet,


    taking Belinda''s words seriously. Belinda was the only heir of an affluent family. There were many


    people out there who wanted her dead.


    ''Take it easy. It was just a metaphor.'' Belinda stopped Daisy right away. She knew that Daisy would


    immediatelye over and rescue her if she was in danger.


    ''Belinda, you think this is funny?'' Daisy was pissed off by Belinda''s joke. As a soldier, she knew that in


    a real fight every second mattered. One second could make a huge difference. Last time when she was


    on a mission, she won her opponents over a second, had it not been the case, Daisy would be a


    corpse by now.


    ''You are overreacting. I didn''t mean to worry you. Don''t be mad at me.'' Belinda acted like a quietmb


    when Daisy was mad. Usually, Daisy was amiable, but when she was pissed off, she became an


    entirely different person.


    ''So am I the one who should be med?'' Daisy deliberately misinterpreted Belinda''s words and acted


    out because she was already displeased with Belinda''s attitude earlier.


    "Of course, It is all my fault! You never make any mistakes! Even when youmit a mistake, it is


    because of me." Belinda smiled awkwardly, dodging Edward''s inquiring eyes.


    Mary didn''t notice Daisy''s name at that moment as she was busy pleasing Edward.


    "Belinda, are you suggesting that I am an unreasonable person?''" These asional disagreements


    with Belinda made Daisy''s life less boring.


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Enough is enough." "Don''t take my concern for granted. You need to appreciate that." Belinda warned


    Daisy in tooth-gnashing frustration, thinking that she would not have been so kind to Daisy if she knew


    that Daisy would push it further.


    Edward didn''t catch any useful information from Belinda. He believed that a gregarious woman like


    Belinda would never befriend his unsociable wife. Maybe the conversation he heard was just a figment


    of his imagination.


    "Fine, I will see you day after tomorrow." Daisy knew where the line was, and she did not intend to


    cross it.


    "Don''t forget this time If you stand me up again, I won''t spare you." Belinda was not sure whether Daisy


    would keep her promise this time, so she warned her again.


    "I swear on soldier''s honour that I won''t let you down this time." Daisy wondered, when did she be


    this untrustworthy person who had to swear to gain her friend''s trust.


    "Ok, I will give you a second chance. See you soon! Keep in touch!" When Belinda hung up the phone,


    she noticed that everyone was watching her.


    "Why''s everyone staring at me? Is something wrong?" Belinda shrunk her neck, thinking that she did


    not say anything odd.


    "Emm... Miss Belinda, do you always talk to your boyfriend like that?" Rain shivered. If his girlfriend


    treated him like this, he won''t be able to deal with it."


    "Who said that I have a boyfriend. Please don''tment on things that you don''t know about.


    Sometimes ignorance could be a virtue." Belinda rolled her eyes.


    "Oh! That wasn''t your boyfriend?" "Usually, devious people bring about such misunderstandings."


    Edward said casually, trying to piss Belinda off so that she''ll tell him what he wants to know. He


    wondered why Belinda was so hostile towards him all the time.


    "I am free to do whatever I choose. You have no right to judge me." "Your problem is that you overthink


    things. You are wee to think freely and speak your mind but insulting me is not an option. Don''t


    impose your opinions on me. I am not going to ept any foolish remarks." Belinda couldn''t forget


    Edward''s gentle and loving tone on the phone, and she was angry that he did not offer the same


    affection to Daisy.


    Edward didn''t say much, but Belinda continued to contradict him with a long list of arguments. He found


    Belinda very irritable, and it made him smile gently.


    "Miss Belinda, we do not have the right to interfere in your personal life, but it is your fault to mislead


    us. Please don''t me us for overthinking. Your behavior lead us to the wrong assumptions." Edward


    stood up coolly and replied in a sharp tone. Not arguing didn''t mean that he had a good temper. It''s just


    that, he didn''t want to argue with a woman, but Belinda was too aggressive.

 Chapter 72 Do You Often Go To Daddy鈥檚 Office

    Chapter 72 Do You Often Go To Daddy¡¯s Office


    Mary quietly listened to Belinda and the others. She felt that they got along well with each other but in a


    strange way. They were neither lovers nor friends, but she could perceive their unusual chemistry.


    Belinda felt perturbed, realizing how rude she had been. However, she felt embarrassed to make an


    apology, because she didn''t know what to say. Belinda intended to defend Daisy, but in doing so, she


    had offended Edward who was a big shot of the City. She knew Edward would mind.


    "Excuse me. I have to leave. Good day everyone." With these words, she left hurriedly. Belinda had the


    ability to admit and correct her mistakes. Whenever she lost her temper, she would leave the room.


    She would never invite humiliation her way. Though, she always escaped from Edward in a flurried


    haste.


    Edward didn''t mind her leaving abruptly as he was used to it.


    Rain concealed his smirk. Edward was the most brute man in the world who had a sharp tongue. Rain


    was no match for him when it came to debate and discussions, let alone Belinda.


    "Let''s go back." Edward nced at the expensive watch on his wrist and stepped out.


    After hanging up the phone, Daisy went upstairs to look for Justin, wondering what the little guy was up


    to. She gently pushed the door, only to find that it was locked.


    Daisy knocked on the door and waited for the door to be opened.


    "Mummy, what''s wrong?" Justin gaped at Daisy, pretending to be sleepy.


    "What were you doing? Why was the door locked?" Daisy popped her head inside and examined the


    room.


    "I wasn''t doing anything. I was just sleeping." Justin stuttered, giving no definite reply. He couldn''t tell


    his mother that he was making ns with his online friends to bring his parents back together. Could he


    tell her that? Of course not, otherwise he was in for a significant punishment. It would be terrible.


    "Is it necessary to lock the door when you''re sleeping?" Obviously, Daisy didn''t buy it.


    "Why shouldn''t I? You also lock the door when you and dad sleep, right? I have a personal life. You


    can''t deprive me of my privacy." Just this morning, he tried to open the door to his dad''s room, but it


    was locked for the first time in days.


    "Oh? Would you tell me your secrets?" Daisy''s face reddened. She was burning up at the thought of


    what she did with Edward this morning.


    She pinched Justin''s face lovingly, wondering when this little guy started to have secrets.


    "Ha-ha! Mom, I just need two things from you. First, you can''t enter my room without my permission.


    Second, don''t rummage around my room after you enter." Justin scratched his head, thinking if he had


    missed something.


    "Okay. Just two things I can live with that." Daisy smiled tenderly.


    "Mom, how would you like going out for a bite with dad tonight?" Justin looked at Daisy expectantly. A


    romantic evening always began with a nice dinner.


    "Why do you want to eat out? Are you tired of eating at home?" Daisy was baffled because Justin had


    never proposed to go out for dinner. Were his habits changing because of the time he spent with


    Edward?


    "Yeah. I want to eat something different tonight. Let''s pick up dad from work and go out to have a fun


    dinner, okay?" Justin shook Daisy''s hand hard. He wouldn''t give up until his goal was reached.


    "Dad keeps busy. We can''t go to his office without telling him in advance." Daisy liked the idea, but she


    was hesitant as she was uncertain about Edward''s attitude. She didn''t know whether Edward sincerely


    loved her or not. .


    "It''s okay. Mom, we won''t disturb his work if we go upstairs when he gets off the clock." Justin


    continued to persuade Daisy. This was part of his n. He wanted all the women at the office to give


    up the idea of ying up to his dad as his dad was still a married man.


    "Fine. I''ll call daddy to see if he can have dinner with us tonight." Although Edward had just called to


    say that he woulde back early, no one could predict what would happen next in the business


    world. Some unexpected business coulde up any time.


    "Don''t bother. Mom, I have already asked Uncle Aaron. Daddy is free tonight." If Daisy called Edward,


    Edward wouldn''t be surprised. Justin had just discussed this n with his friends. He wanted to put it in


    motion at the earliest.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Uncle Aaron? Who is he? You know him?" Daisy was confused. A lot of things had happened when


    she was absent. Justin''s world had changed immensely.


    s! If Daisy knew how Justin dealt with those women who flirted with Edward, she would be shocked.


    "Uncle Aaron is dad''s assistant. He knows dad''s schedule very well." Justin grinned wickedly.


    "Do you often go to dad''s office?" Daisy asked casually while unconsciously tapping the table, and


    making a soft, melodious tune.


    "Yeah. Dad often takes me there. It''s really fun." Justin smiled innocently. It was indeed fun. He drove a


    woman mad just a few days ago.


    Daisy was lost in her thoughts. When she''d take Justin to Edward, she didn''t expect that Edward would


    be very weing towards Justin as Edward wasn''t too fond of either one of them.


    She still remembered how scared she was about Edward refusing to ept Justin, so she left hurriedly


    before he was ready that day. She didn''t want anything bad to happen.


    But it seemed that now Edward was very nice to Justin, or else he wouldn''t take him to his office. No


    one would allow someone he didn''t like to stay too close to him.

 Chapter 73 Miss Ouyang Is Here

    Chapter 73 Miss Ouyang Is Here


    The condescending woman held the hands of a lovely boy in front of the grand building of FX


    International Group. However, the differences were obvious. The woman had taken off her military


    uniform, which, as a result, reduced her sternness, giving her an amiable disposition.


    Several months had passed since Daisy had entered this luxurious and grand building. She still felt a


    little nervous, and involuntarily her steps slowed. Her cold hands started sweating and she grabbed


    Justin''s soft hands more firmly.


    Justin''s distinguished face allowed them to enter the building unstopped. However, many curious


    nces followed them, wondering who Daisy was and why Justin, who always refused any woman


    who approached his father, was personally walking this woman inside. They couldn''t associate this


    delicate and beautiful woman with the aloof female military officer they had seen three months ago.


    They took the dedicated elevator to the CEO''s office on the 88th floor, which consequently and


    inevitably drew greater attention. Daisy felt embarrassed, possibly due to the intense nces from the


    others.


    As soon as they came to the 88th floor, Justin let go of Daisy''s cold hand and headed for Rain''s office.


    He still remembered how badly he had hoped that Rain would love his mother. But to his great


    disappointment, Rain had refused. Now, he wanted Rain to see his beautiful and charming mother so


    that he could see the regretful expression on Rain''s face.


    The moment Anna saw Daisy and Justin approaching, she walked forward. She already knew that


    Daisy was the female military officer who had brought Justin inst time, because it was Anna who had


    led the way for them. However, at that time, Anna had no idea who this woman was. The re-


    appearance of Justin and this woman in the building, answered her question.


    "Nice to meet you," Anna offered. "I''m Anna, chief secretary of FX International Group. Mr. Mu is in a


    meeting. Would you like to wait for him or should I inform him that you have arrived?" Anna inquired in


    a soft voice. She appreciated Daisy''sposure and appearance.


    Daisy wore a well-cut ankle-length dress and a pair of smart ck mid-heel sandals. Her small face


    reddened. The beautiful facial features were made more prominent with eyes that were crystal clear.


    She was a natural beauty. Anna noticed that she was intensely surveying her surroundings.


    Daisy tore her nce from her surrounding and turned to Anna. "Hello," she said. "I''m Daisy. I can wait


    for him in his office." Daisy was also observing Anna. In spite of being aloof and elegant, the


    expression did not change on her cold face.


    Anna was shocked when she heard Daisy introduce herself. But, she quickly recovered. She now


    realized why Edward had questioned her. It turned out that there was another Miss Ouyang.


    "All right, Miss Ouyang. Pleasee with me." Anna raised her hand and pointed in the direction of


    Edward''s office. Then, she walked briskly and pushed open the door inviting Daisy to step in.


    "Sure. Thank you," Daisy nodded slightly and followed her.


    "Please take a seat and wait for a moment. The meeting is about to be over." Although Anna was


    curious about Daisy''s identity, she followed the rules and repressed her interest.


    "Ok. Thank you." A small and brief smile finally appeared on her face. Daisy elegantly sat down on the


    sofa.


    "You are most wee. Would you like a coffee or tea?" asked Anna. This was the first time she had


    seen her smile. Her smile was natural, graceful, and brief.


    "Nothing. Thanks." Daisy''s elegant manners and behavior had actually won her many fans.


    "I''ll leave you alone. If you need anything, do call me." said Anna jerking her head to indicate that she


    would be sitting outside. She then turned around, closed the door and left the room.


    Daisy quietly observed the luxurious office. Due to theck of time and her anxiety, she had failed to


    consider the overallyout of this room before. Now, she nearly boxed herself in the ears. It turned out


    that Edward''s elegance was based on big money.


    "Mr. Mu. Miss Ouyang is in your office." Anna said as soon as she saw Edward walking out of the


    meeting room.


    "Hasn''t she gone back after the lunch? Why has shee here again?" inquired Rain. He was sure


    that Mary would have gone home and had a good cry. The meal had costed her heavily, which would


    certainly anger and distress her.


    Anna was about to say something, but stopped. Had they had lunch together? It seemed that Mr. Rain


    disliked Miss Ouyang. And she had made Daisy sit in Edward''s office. What should she do now?


    "Did she say anything?" Edward frowned and asked in a displeased manner. He didn''t want to waste


    his time in dealing with Mary. He was thinking about going home as soon as possible and hug and kiss


    the woman waiting for him there.


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "No, she did not say anything. However, she came here with Justin." Anna wondered if she had done


    the right thing because Edward seemed to be seething with displeasure.


    "What? Did she actuallye here with Justin? Where is she now?" Edward''s spirit lifted suddenly and


    his face was full of anticipation at the prospect of something. Was she the woman who had been


    disturbing his thoughts all day?


    "She is in your office." Anna was suspicious of Edward''s reaction. Was he delighted or discontented?


    With these words, Edward rushed to his office. He desperately needed to know if the Miss Ouyang


    sitting in his office was his wife that he had wanted so much to meet.


    Anna misunderstood his reaction and thought that he was angry. So, she also closely followed him and


    considered it her duty to clear up the mess she had created as a result of her own fault.


    Rain shook his head when he saw both of them rushing towards Edward''s office. He turned and


    unhurriedly walked to his own office, wondering why this Miss Ouyang was so important. Why am I so


    nervous? Edward wondered as he reached for the door to his office.


    He steadied himself and took a deep breath before he slowly opened the door.


    When the door creaked open, Daisy turned her head and smiled at Edward. Her smile was so sweet


    and full of grace. She outshone the fairest faces in the world. Edward''s heart finally settled down. It


    really was her, the woman he had missed so much. It never urred to him that Daisy, as aloof as ice


    water, could surprise him in this way.

 Chapter 74 Hey, You Forgot to Breathe Again

    Chapter 74 Hey, You Forgot to Breathe Again


    "Honey, it''s really you!" Edward quickly walked up to Daisy. Grinning from ear to ear, he stretched out


    his hand to scoop her into his arms and kissed her on the lips.


    Anna could not hide her surprise at Edward using the endearment "honey". She silently closed the door


    and left the duo with a gentle smile ying on her lips.


    "Oh¡­" Daisy lost her head and once again forgot to breathe. With her hands around Edward''s neck,


    her whole body became soft and weak.


    "Hey, you forgot to breathe again." Edward let go of her and propped his forehead against her


    forehead, smiling yfully.


    "Are you still busy? Did I bother you?" asked Daisy shyly. Such an intimate touch made her nervous.


    "No. What brings you here? Were you missing me?" Edward took a step back and lovingly looked at


    her blushing face. He found that this woman always blushed.


    "Well, Justin wanted to eat out, so¡­ eh, we came to pick you up from work." Daisy unconsciously


    stammered as she was still not used to such close proximity with Edward.


    "Oh? What does he want to eat this time?" Edward knew his son well. Justin was interested in trying


    different kinds of food and wouldn''t yield to the temptation of tasty food.


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "Does he always ask to eat out?" Daisy frowned as she felt embarrassed for her son. Justin was not


    fussy about his food and ate whatever she cooked. And as they lived in the army, they rarely ate out.


    "It''s understandable. Children like new things, right?" Edward sat down on the sofa, and made Daisy sit


    in hisp, his hands resting on her waist. With his chin on her shoulder, his warm breath caressed her


    sexy neck.


    Daisy tried to wriggle free from his arms. Although she had secretly loved him for many years, it was


    the first time that she was so close to him. She felt a little self-conscious.


    "Don''t move, otherwise I can''t predict the consequences," Edward said in a hoarse and low voice,


    trying hard to restrain himself.


    His yful warning sessfully stopped Daisy. She knew what he meant, so she didn''t dare to move


    any more.


    As Daisy suddenly became stiff, Edward evilly smirked. His fascinating smile dazzled Daisy. She had


    dreamed of him so many times, but it had never been so shocking and pleasurably devastating.


    Daisy fixed her eyes on Edward''s. Seemingly, a thousand years had passed. She suddenly fell into the


    wheel of time, deeply fascinated by this fantastic moment.


    Edward was surprised at the expression in Daisy''s eyes. From her clear eyes, he saw the deep love


    that she was trying to hide. His heart started pounding wildly. ''Is she looking at me? Or she is


    reminiscing about someone she deeply loved?'' Edward thought to himself.


    He trembled at the thought that Daisy once loved some other man. ''Is it toote? Can''t I win her heart?''


    He continued thinking.


    "Uncle Rain, hurry up!" An abrupt voice broke the beautiful moment. The two quickly looked away.


    "Justin," Rain said in an exasperated voice, "What do you want to show me?" Justin pulled Rain into


    Edward''s office. He was stunned by what he saw in the office.


    "Well. Sorry. Edward, please continue. I have to leave as it is." Rain said not being able to tear his eyes


    away from the couple. He wanted to leave immediately when he saw Edward''s gloomy face. "Gosh. I


    would be doomed for interrupting them," he thought breaking out in a cold sweat. "I know I should have


    knocked on the door, but Justin pulled me in. I have nothing to do with this," said Rain as quickly as


    possible. ''Edward, don''t me me for this, '' he prayed silently.


    "Uncle Rain, this is my mummy. She is charming, isn''t she? Do you like her? Why not reconsider my


    proposal to date her?" Justin said with pride, holding Rain''s hand tightly. He hadn''t realized that the


    moment had turned awkward the moment they had broken in.


    "What? This is your mummy?" Rain cast his eyes on Daisy but hurriedly turned away his gaze when he


    noticed Edward angrily ring at him.


    Daisy finally recovered from the horror and wriggled out of Edward''s arms in a panic, blushing


    charmingly.


    "Hello, I''m Daisy Ouyang." Daisy offered her hand to Rain as she took a few steps forward. She no


    longer blushed and had switched to the cold and indifferent persona she had been trained to maintain.


    "Hello, Daisy. I''m Rain Xia. Nice to meet you," smiled Rain. Minus the heavy makeup, she was a


    beautiful, elegant and delicatedy. No wonder Edward, who didn''t likemonce women, loved


    her so dearly.


    Rain excitedly stretched out his hand, wanting to shake hands with Daisy. But Edward smartly smacked


    his hand away. "Come on. I just wanted to shake hands with Daisy. This is very mean of you, Edward,"


    comined Rain. However, from his behavior, Rain realized that this woman was very special for


    Edward.


    Daisy, embarrassed, looked at Rain apologetically. She hadn''t expected Edward to suddenly stop him


    from shaking hands with her. As a female officer, she often shook hands with others, which was


    necessary social etiquette to express her friendliness.


    Rain looked at the big red welt on the back of his hand and red at Edward, but Edward didn''t


    apologize or look at him.


    ''Damn! He actually hit me hard. How cruel is he? Here is this beautifuldy, totally different from the


    woman in heavy makeup and garish clothes, that I had seen in the club the other day. And I just


    wanted to shake her hand, '' Rain thought to himself. ''However, one thing is clear. The sophisticated


    makeup techniques used today can both beautify a person or make them look ugly.''

 Chapter 75 Will You Really Like Mommy

    Chapter 75 Will You Really Like Mommy


    "Uncle Rain, have you decided yet?" Justin wouldn''t let go. He kept holding Rain Xia''s hand.


    When Edward heard this, he was struck speechless. This little fellow was basically selling his wife to


    another man. It seemed the kid had grown ballsy. In the past, Edward didn''t care what other women


    did, mainly because he didn''t care for them. But Daisy was not one of those women. Daisy was


    someone he wanted to fall in love with.


    Wow! There was no point in fighting it anymore. Edward has already fallen in love.


    "Um... Hey, Justin! I''vee to a decision. Your mommy and Mr. Mu are in love. We''re done talking."


    Rain thought, ''Little boy! Stop pulling my leg! I already got pped for just trying to be friendly to your


    mom. What do you think would happen if I said anything about liking her?''


    "Uncle Rain, have you really made up your mind? This is yourst chance! My mom is really really


    beautiful!" Little Justin gave Rain a look of pity as if Rain had made some terrible decision.


    "Justin Mu! You''re itching for a beating, aren''t you? Or were the fifty push-ups too easy for you? Wanna


    make it a hundred?" Daisy said, harshly. Daisy finally realized what was going on. Her own son was


    trying to persuade another guy to romance her. She thought that she looked good enough. Why would


    her son go around selling her?


    Edward''s handsome face darkened. When he heard Daisy''s words, he finally rxed a little. When he


    was at the hospital, he thought that Justin was just joking around, so he didn''t really care. Who knew


    he was serious? Now that he thought about it, it seemed he was really determined to find a guy for


    Daisy.


    "Uhhhh... Mom, are you angry?" Justin kept blinking, staring at Daisy''s upset face and looking all hurt.


    Every time his mom called out hisst name, he knew that she was very angry.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    But he was only trying to upset Mr. Mu. Justin was angry that Edward was such a bad person back


    then, and that Edward preferred other women to Justin''s mother. So Justin was doing everything to


    make it hard for Edward now. Competition would certainly motivate him.


    Justin''s friend on the inte told him that rtionships were hard work. He had to test Mr. Mu out,


    harden his will, in case he would want out down the road.


    "I''m not angry. You disappointed me, that''s all. So mommy is angry at myself. It was all because of me


    that you had the wrong idea." Daisy felt powerless. She didn''t want to get on to Justin too much, but


    she couldn''t let him off without knowing what he did wrong.


    "Mommy, I''m sorry. I just want to find someone who likes you. Even though I like you, I want even more


    people to like my mom, just like there are a lot of people who like me." Tears welled around Justin''s


    dark eyes, but he held them back.


    Edward looked at Daisy in surprise. He didn''t expect her to be that harsh when she was angry. He was


    d he didn''t get on her bad side. Yet when he saw his son''s sad face, he was hurt as well. For the


    first time, he found it impossible to take a side.


    "Justin, you really think so? Then why can''t daddy be the one who likes mommy?" Edward bent down


    and lifted Justin in his arms. He truly loved his son. Sometimes he was filled with regret for all those


    years that he had missed.


    As Daisy listened to Edward, she suddenly turned toward him, her heart racing. She never expected to


    hear Edward say that he liked her in front of others. Before today, she always believed that the things


    he said were merely to appease her. She never thought that he would actually act on them.


    "Daddy, can I believe you? Will you really like mommy?" Justin asked Edward seriously, because he


    was waiting for that answer. This was all part of his n.


    "Justin, daddy can''t make any promises, but I''m willing to follow my heart. You should believe in your


    mom''s charm. I''m more into her every single day we''re together. Although what I''m saying might sound


    strange to you, your mom would understand when she hears it." Edward finished and stared at Daisy


    intently. He was still unsure to whom the love in her eyes was directed. That was why he said what he


    said.


    Daisy was shocked again. What was he doing? Was he trying to say that it wasn''t just talk? And was


    he really willing to stand by her and be the man who belonged to her exclusively?


    "Yes! Daddy, I believe you. Then mommy can rely on more than just me." Justin smiled gleefully and


    gave Edward a forceful kiss.


    Edward was a little lost because of Justin''s abrupt kiss. This was the first time the kid ever acted so


    affectionately. Usually, he would either be pulling pranks, or simply y it cool, like he didn''t care.


    Daisy was a little uneasy, since Rain was still in the room. She scanned the room, but she couldn''t find


    Rain anymore. She gasped, and thought, ''When did he leave? Why didn''t I know?''


    Edward knew who she was looking for. But Rain was not dumb. He didn''t want to be in the middle of


    this, so he bailed on them while they were distracted.


    Justin wriggled out of Edward''s embrace and ran to Daisy,ughing. He took her hands and put them to


    his face. "Mommy, you''re not angry with me anymore, right?"


    "As long as you listen to me, I won''t be angry at you. Remember, kids shouldn''t get involved in grown


    up business." Daisy said seriously. That was non-negotiable.


    "Yes! I understand, mommy. I''ll listen in the future."


    ''The cute kid gets the candy, '' to paraphrase a well-known saying. Justin yed the role well. That was


    how he was able to hide his cunning from Daisy for so long.

 Chapter 76 Honey, What Would You Like to Eat

    Chapter 76 Honey, What Would You Like to Eat


    The spectacr sunset was always followed by the twilight just around the corner.


    Holding hands with Daisy and Justin, Edward walked out of his office. Everyone was just getting off


    work, and they stopped and stared. They didn''t daree any closer than that.


    Daisy was used to attention, conducting meetings in the military. But with Edward it was a different


    story. Their gaze made her nervous, but she didn''t know why.


    Feeling her hand tense up, Edward turned to look at her and found her pretty face as calm as usual in


    spite of her sweating hand. She took pride in her stoicism as a soldier.


    Edward nodded to the employees who greeted him. He walked out FX International Group confidently,


    leaving his co-workers to talk and gossip.


    "Daddy, can we have Western food tonight?" Justin looked at his father, waiting for an answer. Out of


    all the meals they could have chosen, Western food was the most romantic.


    But it reminded Edward of what Belinda had ordered at noon. He lost his appetite immediately. Who


    would eat Western food all day?


    "Honey, what would you like for dinner?" Edward used the term "honey" naturally, like he''d called her


    that millions of times. He hadn''t.


    Hearing the word, Daisy became uneasy again. Their eyes met. Her moist lips moved a little, but


    nothing came out of her mouth. Looking into his bright eyes, she had forgotten everything but love.


    "What is it? Are you OK?" Edward asked. Noticing that something was wrong, he was worried and put


    his hand to her forehead to feel it.


    "Oh, nothing. Just spacing out." When his hand touched her forehead, Daisy lowered her head, unable


    to meet his deep gaze any more.


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    Edward sighed quietly. Daisy looked at him, lost in thought again. ''Do I remind her of somebody else?''


    A shadow crossed his gaze, then his eyes became bright again. ''Daisy, I don''t care who you are


    thinking of. You will only think of me soon enough.''


    "Mommy, can you tell daddy we''ll eat Western food tonight?" Justin was plotting something. Red wine


    was a must have with Western food. After his parents got tipsy, an intimate moment would follow. So


    he was expecting his mom to say yes.


    "Justin, have you ever eaten Western food? Do you know that you have to observe many table


    manners while having Western food?" Daisy was not fond of Western food, so she tried to make Justin


    give up easily. Years of living in the army had changed her a lot, except her love for Edward.


    "Yes, Daddy has taken me to a Western restaurant lots of times. He even taught me the manners that


    go with it." Justin had never eaten Western food before staying with his father. He''d changed a lot;


    proving the old adage that you are where you live.


    Daisy looked at Edward, perplexed. She had eaten way too much Western food when she had been in


    military school, and didn''t want any more of it. Foreigners never ate their steak well done, and anything


    less reminded her of raw meat. She got sick just thinking about it.


    "What''s the matter? Do you hate Western food?" This was the first time he had found that she could


    also be confused apart from being cold.


    "It''s OK, as long as you two like it." Daisy grit her teeth. ''Fine, Western food it is. I have eaten so much


    of it anyway. I just don''t like it.''


    "Justin, let''s eat something else today. We can have Western food some other day." Edward had


    figured out she hated it by her expression. ''How could the daughter of a wealthy family not like Western


    food?'' He was surprised.


    "Mommy, do you really hate it? OK. I like whatever mommy likes." Although his n was important, he


    didn''t want to hurt mommy. He was adaptable, he''d simply change his methods.


    "Are you serious? I hope you won''t regret it." Daisy teased. She smiled slightly, rare and almost


    unnoticeable.


    This was new to Edward. Daisy continued to amaze him. She was like a piece of jade bringing him


    surprises.


    "Ah, Mommy, I hope you are not thinking of that." Justin was sweating. My God! ''Don''t. Please don''t be


    it. It will kill me. Mom won''t do that to me. I''m her son.''


    "I''m not thinking of anything." Daisy acted innocent. Justin had always been afraid to eat Szechuan


    dishes. The sight of a hot pepper scared him every time, not to mention the taste. However, they were


    his mom''s favorite. She loved the spicy taste lingering on the tip of her tongue, which released all the


    tension in her body and mind.


    "Daddy, you don''t like them, either." Justin thought it wise to have an ally in this. He would soon find out


    he was the odd man out. Oh, my Goodness!


    "What are you two talking about? just tell me." Edward was clueless. He had no idea what they were


    talking about.


    "The hottest Szechuan dishes. Daddy, you don''t like them either, do you?" Justin had ced hisst


    wager on his father. But he lost, as Edward didn''t mind spicy food. He knew his mother loved Edward


    very much, and that she would defer to him. But Justin didn''t know the odds always favored the


    house.

 Chapter 77 Can I Help

    Chapter 77 Can I Help


    "Szechuan cuisine? It''s not my favorite, but I don''t hate it either. Why did you bring it up? Do you want


    Szechuan?" Edward turned round, and gazed at Daisy. He was surprised. Why would a woman like her


    enjoy spicy foods? How many hiddenyers did she have? Oh, she was almost like a book. The more


    he read, the more he was intrigued by the plot.


    "Just teasing. The weather is so hot now. The Szechuan cuisine fits winter." Daisy preferred spicy food,


    but she had to consider what was best for Justin.


    "You naughty girl." Edward chuckled when he heard the answer. He rubbed the tip of her nose, and


    gazed meaningfully into her eyes.


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    Edward always liked to rub the tip of her nose. Daisy wasn''t sure she liked that. While it could be an


    innocent sign of affection, she felt that he treated her like a little girl.


    Suddenly, Edward''s phone rang, ying a popr love song. Before answering, he helped Daisy fix


    her hair, which was blown wild by the wind. Without missing a beat, he took out his phone.


    "Yes? What''s up, Duke?" Edward frowned when he saw Duke on the caller ID. Duke didn''te to him


    for help often, and when he did it was something big.


    "Edward, have you heard from Leena recently?" Duke''s sounded anxious.


    "No. Isn''t she in Paris? What happened?" Edward was puzzled. Was she in trouble? Or had she


    caused any?


    "She''s not in Paris. I haven''t heard from her since yesterday. I called her hotel, but she had checked


    out. And she''s not home yet. I thought she might be in contact with you somehow..." Duke''s heart was


    torn. No one but his little sister could do this to him.


    "Calm down, man. I''ll get my men right on it. If we find her, you''ll be the first to know." Edward knew


    how important Leena was to Duke. Duke''s mother died after giving birth to Leena Leng. Duke


    cherished his little sister a lot -- she was all he had left of their mother.


    "Thank you. Take a look at the reservations and guest histories in your hotels. If Leena checked in, she


    might have used the Dragc Card. If she did, you could find the records." Although very anxious,


    Duke wasn''t flustered at all. He always was the picture of calm during an emergency.


    "I''ll have a look. Let''s find out whether she has checked in or not." Dragc Card was the VVIP card in


    Edward''s hotel chain. Few possessed it, one of whom was Leena Leng. It was not hard to trace.


    "Okay, thanks, Edward." Duke rarely said thank you, but he''d say it a million times to anyone who


    helped him find his Leena.


    "Don''t mention it. She''s also my sister." Edward was an only child. So he always treated that beautiful


    little girl as his own sister. He was protective of her.


    Edward hung up the phone, and gestured to Luke, who stood by the car, waiting for his orders.


    "What''s up, sir?" Luke jogged over to Edward. He was wearing a dark suit that ented his handsome


    features.


    "Have a look at the flights from Paris to the city yesterday, and find out if Miss Leng was on the


    passenger list. Then send some men to look for her in the entertainment venues." Edward decided to


    look for Leena everywhere, and put Luke on this.


    "Duly noted, sir." Luke nodded to Edward, walked aside, and started ringing his people.


    "What''s happened? Can I help?" Daisy was next to him the whole time. She knew what happened.


    "Don''t worry. The things are under control." Edward smiled, and dialed another number.


    Daisy said no more. Holding Justin''s hand, she waited nearby.


    "Yes, Mr. Mu, what can I do for you?" Aaron held the steering wheel with one hand, and answered his


    call with the other. He hoped Mr. Mu wouldn''t ask him to do extra hours.


    "Aaron, check all the records of Dragc Card used in the city, and find out who used it. Call me when


    it''s done." Edward said calmly, but the expression on his face revealed his true feelings. His eyebrows


    furrowed deeply, and anxiety showed in his eyes.


    "Of course, Mr. Mu. I''ll start now." Aaron swerved the car back, and drove to thepany. He sighed at


    the overtime he''d have to pull. But why did Mr. Mu ask him to check on the user records of Dragc


    Card? Was someone using a counterfeit card? If so, the culprit was really stupid. Besides the unique


    design of the card, they were made from rare materials, and only a handful of copies were issued.


    Even Aaron didn''t have one.


    "Sir, I''ve arranged people to handle the flights and entertainment venues. I think they will find Miss


    Leng soon." Luke had worked for Edward for many years. He knew Leena was important to Duke and


    Edward.


    Edward nodded, and turned to Daisy. She was looking at him too, with a worried expression on her


    face.


    "Let''s go. You must be hungry." When he took her hand, he frowned at the cold touch. Why was she so


    cold in hot weather? He hoped it was not because of indifference.


    "Aren''t you busy? I can take Justin to lunch, so you can deal with this." Although Daisy was not sure


    exactly what was going on, she could sense that he was about worried for someone important to him.


    She had served in the army for many years, and had learnt to observe other people''s subtle moods.


    She knew when something was urgent.


    "No, nothing to worry about. Luke can handle it. And if there''s an emergency, he can call me. Besides,


    you''ve never asked me out to dinner before. How can I let you down?" Edward never allowed idents


    to wreak havoc on his ns. What was more, he had people doing the digging. He didn''t need to lift a


    finger, and rarely got involved himself. That''s what other people were for.

 Chapter 78 I Might Have Stumbled Into A Time Machine

    Chapter 78 I Might Have Stumbled Into A Time Machine


    Leena Leng stroked her t belly. She''d been wandering all day without the slightest intention of going


    home. She snuck back here without telling anyone. But now her big brother might have figured it out.


    Well, screw it. She was not ready to face his anger yet.


    All of this was because of that bloody foreigner. Indeed, he was handsome. He was wealthy. He was a


    romantic Frenchman. But she was also pretty. She was also born with a silver spoon in her mouth. She


    was no worse than the Frenchman.


    She kicked the little garden along the road. And stubbed her toes! Of all the rotten luck! The first day


    she came back, she slept with a man whose face she hardly remembered. She only knew that the man


    had eyes full of sorrow. That''s why she was drawn to him. She was sad and lovelorn too.


    She sat down on the bench beside the road, wondering whether she was really lovelorn. Did she love


    the Frenchman? If she loved him, why did her heart not race when holding his hands? Besides, she


    said "no" to him several times, when he pressured her for sex. Her conservatism drove him away.


    But she was heartbroken the moment they broke up. After all, the French man was the first big boy


    type she fell in love with. He was bright, handsome and, most of all, romantic like any Frenchman.


    That''s what captivated her.


    Leena shook her head. She knew it was toote to think about it again. But why was having sex the


    only way to show love? Her rejection was the reason he left. He said what he wanted was no tonic


    love, but sex. Oh, to hell with that jerk. That''s why she flung herself at that guy in the bar and showed


    him a really good time.


    Edward stared at the traffic jam in frustration. He honked the horn, then leaned back in his seat in


    annoyance. Helplessly he turned around and looked at his passengers.


    "What''s wrong? Traffic jam?" Daisy looked out at the traffic.


    "Yes. It might take a while. It''s my fault. I forget how heavy traffic was about now." What Edward hated


    most was waiting. Normally it was others waiting for him. This was not doing his mood any good.


    "That''s all right. It''s still early. We can eatter." Daisy was always poised, so there was no hint of hurry


    in her cold face, only detachment.


    "Son, how about you? Are you hungry?" Edward looked at Justin and spoke caringly.


    "No. I''m not hungry. It''s okay to wait for a while." But deep down Justin was thinking of dinner. His voice


    sounded a bit low and disappointed. He protested inwardly about the poise of Edward and Daisy. After


    all, he was trying to create a romantic evening for them.


    Edward saw his look and smiled knowingly. He knew that look urred only when Justin''s ns were


    foiled. But Edward didn''t know who he was plotting against.


    Justin saw Edward''s smile and thought, ''I''m plotting against you. Sadly, it didn''t work.''


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Annoyed at the heavy traffic, Edward fantasized abandoning the car. Idly, he nced back at the road


    behind him, when suddenly he spied a slight girl. He thought she was an optical illusion at noon, a heat


    mirage. But now he knew better.


    Edward swerved and parked by the curb. He got out and rushed at the figure sitting on the roadside


    bench.


    Leena noticed a person rushing toward her, and was confused. Was he chasing someone else? No,


    there was no one else around. Oh no! It''s Edward! She leapt from the bench and tried to escape.


    "Leena Leng! How dare you run away?" Edward sported an angry look and spat out those cold and


    threatening words.


    "Um... Edward, well... What a coincidence! What are you doing here?" Knowing there was no escape,


    Leena put on a big smile, trying to please Edward.


    ''Gosh, the odds are against me. If Edward''s here, my brother will be here soon.'' Thest thing she


    wanted was to be lectured by her big brother. Strange that such a cold man could be an expert on


    criticizing others.


    "Yes. What a coincidence. The person that should be in Paris is now in this city." Edward looked at her


    teasingly, wondering what excuses she woulde up with.


    "Wow! That''s strange. I was asleep, but when I woke up, I was here. Edward, I might have stumbled


    into a time machine. Leena acted mysterious, then pressed close to Edward and plunged into his arms.


    Meanwhile, she burst intoughter.


    "That''s so you. You are still so mischievous. That''s themest excuse!" Edward knew Leena was very


    eloquent. She could always conjure up various excuses.


    Daisy''s face went pale. At first, she was just curious why Edward parked the car aside and ran out


    without saying anything. As a soldier, she sensed something had happened, so she followed Edward


    out of the car. When she saw him running to that pretty girl...


    She could tell that girl meant a lot to him. Anyone could see that he looked at this girl with caring and


    loving eyes. Daisy stood there quietly and watched them...at least until that girl fell into Edward''s arms.


    She kept consoling herself that the hug was just a signal of friendship. It represented nothing else. She


    told herself again and again, ''Daisy, you should trust Edward. He will keep his promise.''

 Chapter 79 When Did You Get Married

    Chapter 79 When Did You Get Married


    Daisy saw Edward and that woman locked in an embrace, and immediately lost herposure. She


    turned around so she wouldn''t see them. Her cold face became even paler, if that were possible.


    She deliberated whether she should stick around. She took a deep breath and sighed. ''You''ve outdone


    yourself this time, Daisy.'' she thought. ''You''re dreaming! This noble and handsome man can''t be true to


    you.'' Daisy said to herself, to her heart.


    "Mommy, what''s up?" Justin followed Daisy out of the car. He looked at Daisy''s pale face, followed her


    gaze, and then knew why she was pale. Tears formed in his eyes. He thought, ''Mr. Edward, you hurt


    my mom again. I was stupid to trust you.''


    "Nothing. Let''s go." Daisy replied. She held his tender little hand and left without hesitation. Her hair


    and dress flowed behind her, billowing with the speed of her steps. She was done. There was nothing


    left here for her to hold on to.


    Edward was totally unaware of what Daisy was doing. He called Duke. Leena freed herself, standing


    between him and the car.


    "Duke, it''s all good. Leena''s with me. You''ll see her soon." Edward looked at Leena. She leaned


    towards him andughed. He felt helpless.


    "What? You found her? Where is she? I''ll be right there!" Duke couldn''t stand waiting any longer. He


    was very angry and eager to teach a lesson to Leena, the little runaway.


    "Nah Duke. We''re getting fed. I''ll give you the address of the restaurant. You can meet us there."


    Edward read off the address and then immediately hung up before Duke could object.


    "Was Mr. Cold very angry with me?" Leena asked, concern in her voice. ''Mr. Cold'' was her nickname


    for Duke, because he was always cold. Duke was such a cold person that even his sister Leena


    couldn''t stand him.


    "Probably. You know how much he loves you, and you made him worry. You''re gonna get it when he


    gets here." Edward had been on the receiving end of Duke''s anger. He didn''t want to do that again.


    "Edward, you can''t leave me alone with Duke. I''ll go crazy from his nagging." Ha! If Duke knew how


    she had spentst night, sleeping with a stranger, it might even go worse for her.


    "Leena, are you afraid of Duke? Not only did you sneak off, you also walked around alone on the


    streets. What if you ran into trouble?" Edward poked her forehead. His words were harsh, but he said


    them in a caring manner.


    "Huh! I''m not scared. I just don''t want to be annoyed by him." But, in fact, she already met a bad guy.


    She seduced him, true, but he took her virginity.


    "Okay, but I''m not defending you when Duke gets here. Let''s go! We''ll hit a restaurant and you can


    meet my wife." When he said her name, Edward''s mood lifted. He smiled and thought that Daisy might


    also like this lovelydy.


    "Wow! When did you get married? You didn''t even tell me!" Leena followed Edward. ''So I missed their


    wedding ceremony. Did he not invite me on purpose?'' Leena thought.


    "Aren''t I telling you right now?" Edward mocked. He really never thought about being married himself


    until recently. So it was impossible for Leena to have known.


    "Huh! You''re so mean. You didn''t invite me to your wedding ceremony." Leenained. And


    pouted.


    "Okay, we''ll make up for that tonight. You can drink as much as you want." Edward opened the car


    door, and his smile faded. He shot a look to the back seat but didn''t see any one there. He was seized


    by a sudden panic and looked around. But he didn''t see Daisy and Justin anywhere.


    Edward ran here and there to look for them but still found nothing. He dialed Daisy''s number, but she


    had left it here, vibrating and glowing as brightly as ever. It was as if the cellphone were mocking him.


    Look how embarrassed he was now. He suddenly couldn''t think of anything, and his face was very


    pale.


    "Edward, what''s going on?" Leena was surprised at his actions. Wasn''t he going to introduce his wife to


    her?


    Edward realized that Leena had been with him the whole time. His blood went cold. He pounded the


    car in regret. ''Shit! Daisy must have seen me and Leena holding each other. She must have


    misunderstood, otherwise she''d still be here. I didn''t even get a chance to exin.'' Edward thought.


    "I''m okay. Leena. Change of ns, sorry. Your brother can pick you up here." Edward regained his


    calmness. He knew he should be able to clear this up with Daisy if he didn''t lose his head.


    He dialed up Luke. "Hello, Luke. I found Leena. Find Miss Daisy and Justin. Tell Aaron too." Edward


    finally regained his shrewd business acumen.


    "Okay, Mr. Edward. But isn''t Miss Daisy with you now? What happened?" Luke was a little confused.


    He wondered why Daisy would suddenly disappear.


    "Well... It''s difficult to exin. Just do as I ask." Edward''s eyes shed, he felt a little embarrassed. So


    he would be med for Daisy''s disappearance.


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "Gotcha. Will do." Luke was helpless. He couldn''t think of any other ce Daisy could go besides the


    military base. He could go there and wait for her.


    Edward was in no mood to ask Luke about it. He called Duke and requested he pick up Leena. He was


    eager to go home to see whether Daisy and Justin were already there. Or so he hoped. He wasn''t sure


    what to do if they weren''t.


    This was not his day.

 Chapter 80 Its Not What You Think

    Chapter 80 It''s Not What You Think


    Daisy Ouyang had shut her emotions down and be cold again. She was used to it. For years she


    was in love with a man who would never love her back. His affair meant nothing to her. She would just


    carry on quietly as she always had. She would paint a picture of him when she missed him so much


    she couldn''t sleep, and bury herself in training during the day so she wouldn''t miss him then. She


    would endure.


    "Where are we going, mommy?" Justin looked at Daisy, suddenly worried.


    "Oh! Sorry, Justin, mommy was thinking about something. Are you hungry?" Daisy sighed. Her hair


    was a little messy in the wind. Shebed it with her fingers and looked around, only to find that there


    wasn''t a restaurant among the stores nearby.


    "No, I''m not hungry. What about you, mommy?" Justin asked. He felt bad for his mom.


    "Me neither. Let''s go back to the base! Mommy will cook some noodles for you." Daisy said and tried to


    take her phone out of her pocket, only to find that she was wearing a dress with no pockets. She had


    left the phone in Edward''s car, and had no money on her now.


    "I need to borrow your phone, Justin. Let''s call Uncle Mark. He''lle and drive us back." Daisy


    chastised herself. ''That was careless, Daisy. You keep doing stupid things.''


    "Okay, mommy." His phone started ringing loudly as he reached into his bag. Justin took it out and saw


    it was Edward. He looked at Daisy, not knowing what to do.


    "What? Who is it?" Daisy looked at him, wondering why he didn''t answer it.


    "It''s daddy. Mommy, do you want me to answer it?" Justin asked haltingly. He stared at Daisy, waiting


    for her response.


    "Go ahead! Tell him we''re going back to the base." Daisy was a rational woman. She was disappointed


    in Edward, but Justin didn''t need to be involved. She never badmouthed Edward in front of their son,


    nor did she deny that Edward was his father.


    Edward drove fast, wheels squealing at every turn and kept calling Justin anxiously. He pressed redial


    on the car phone again and again. He did neglect Daisy and Justin just now; he had forgotten that


    Daisy was a girl who tended to think too much.


    "Hello! Daddy." Justin took a breath and answered. He was so angry with Edward. He wouldn''t have


    called him daddy if Daisy weren''t there.


    "Where are you, Justin? I''ming." Justin finally answered the phone. Edward was so excited and


    wanted to know where they were now.


    "No, daddy. We''re going back to the base. You can go and enjoy yourself with that chick!" Justin


    couldn''t help saying that, as he was really disappointed in Edward. He knew that Daisy would get angry


    about what he had said, and he was prepared to take the punishment.


    Daisy was shocked at the way Justin talked to his father. She didn''t know he would say that! Despite


    never badmouthing Edward for fear that Justin would hate him, Justin had already gotten to that point.


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "It''s not what you think, Justin. Can I speak with your mommy? I can exin." Edward spun the car


    around, and punched it. He headed to the base.


    Justin looked at Daisy and pointed at the phone. Daisy shook her head to give a silent no. What could


    she say to Edward? She had nothing to say. Besides, she was afraid that Edward would tell her


    something terrible, so she had to keep away from him.


    "Mommy won''t speak with you. I have to go." Justin knew what was waiting for him, but he was ready


    to face it.


    "Justin, hold on. Please. Justin..." Justin hung up the phone. Edward was very upset. He floored the


    elerator and the car started racing down the road at lighting speed.


    After hanging up the phone, Justin pouted and looked at Daisy. "Mommy, I''m sorry. You can punish me


    when we get home."


    "Justin, mommy told you to be a good boy. Do you think a good boy would say that to his father?"


    Daisy said gently, with a cool look on her face.


    "No! I''ll never do it again." Justin hung his head in shame, tears welling up in his eyes.


    "All right. Mommy won''t punish you this time, but you need to keep your word." Daisy knew that Justin


    was feeling bad for her, so she didn''t have the heart to scold him.


    "Mommy, let''s call Uncle Mark." Justin tried to distract Daisy so that she could stop talking about what


    he had done.


    "Mrs. Daisy! Justin! What are you doing here?" Kevin Gu was surprised to see them while driving. He


    pulled up to say hello.


    "Uncle Kevin, I miss you so much!" Justin jumped into Kevin''s arms as soon as he saw the man. He


    looked relieved, thinking Kevin would help them.


    "What do you need, Justin?" Kevin knew what Justin was like. He didn''t think the boy would have said


    that for nothing.


    "What are you doing here, Mr. Kevin?" Daisy asked, looking at him. Kevin had been acting weird


    recently. She was afraid that he would say something she didn''t understand.


    "Nothing really. I was just out for a drive and here you are. Where are you headed? Maybe I can give


    you a lift?" In fact, Kevin just came back from the bar where he had slept with Leena Lengst night.


    He had left in a hurry this morning before she woke up, so he went back to see her as soon as his work


    was finished. As an officer, he felt that he should be responsible and do something for what he had


    done to her. But when he reached the bar, he found that the girl had gone. It looked like she wanted


    nothing from him, which didn''t make him feel any better about his behavior.

 Chapter 81 Its Daddy And Uncle Luke

    Chapter 81 It''s Daddy And Uncle Luke


    "We''re headed for the base. We were about to call Mark, have him meet us here. But we saw you first."


    Evidently, Kevin was surprised at seeing them there. Daisy lowered her head to avoid his gaze.


    "No need to call Mark. We can take my car back." Kevin was curious why she was reporting for duty


    before the end of her holiday. Wasn''t her husband the CEO of FX International Group? Why didn''t her


    husband send a car for her to go back to the base in?


    "Major Kevin, are you busy now? I don''t want to impose." Daisy had a thought: this might interfere with


    his duties.


    "Nothing important or urgent. I was just hanging out when I saw you." Kevin was out of sorts. He didn''t


    like the distance between them, or her coldness.


    "Ok. Thank you." Daisy, as aloof as she was, could feel that something was wrong. She felt the tension


    when Kevin looked at her. She thought it was better if she brushed him off and was only cordial to him.


    Kevin was about to say something and thought better of it. He closed his eyes briefly. Then, he picked


    up Justin in his arms and headed for his car. He looked like a man defeated.


    "Have you eaten?" Kevin said before he pulled away from the curb. He turned his head and could see


    that Daisy and Justin looked dispirited.


    "No, and Uncle Kevin, Mommy said we could eat after we got back on base." Justin answered before


    Daisy could say anything. Sometimes his bluntness surprised and embarrassed her.


    Kevin looked at his watch. He frowned, said nothing and pulled away. He headed to a restaurant.


    "You cane back after you finish your dinner. It''ll take too long to get to the base. You won''t be able


    to get anything to eat thatte." Kevin exited the car. He didn''t ask what Daisy or Justin wanted. He just


    did as he wanted and expected them to go along with it.


    Daisy looked at Kevin in bewilderment but said nothing. She held Justin''s hand and they followed Kevin


    together. Daisy was ufortable, and Kevin seemed to be angry.


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    Kevin really was angry. He asked himself, ''Daisy, have you made up with your husband? Why are you


    always unhappy? Why do you look pale and tired? How can I leave you alone when I see you like that?


    Edward turned the steering wheel and pursed his sexy lips. The well-cut face showed no expression


    despite messed up thoughts in his head, ''Daisy, am I unreliable? I was a yboy, true. But, I gave up


    my pride and presented my heart to you. What did I get? None of your trust. In fact, you told me I


    wasn''t the guy you wanted.''


    He honked the horn vigorously and smiled sarcastically, ''Since when did I need to read a woman''s


    mind? Don''t they always kowtow to me?''


    Because Luke was sent to look for Leena, and he saw Edward and Justin together, he didn''t arrange a


    bodyguard. A young female colonel had to be prettypetent to make that rank. Edward would be


    okay, he thought. But when Edward showed up at the base alone, he figured that woman must not be


    as reliable as he thought.


    "Sir, Daisy and Justin haven''te back." Luke approached as soon as Edward left the car. Luke


    scanned him for any obvious signs of injury.


    "What? Haven''t theye back? Impossible!" When I talked to Justin on the phone, he told me they


    were going back." Edward was worried. If they weren''t here, where were they now?


    "Yes, sir. I got here as soon as I could. But Mrs. Mu didn''t show her face." Luke wondered why Daisy


    and Justin disappeared so suddenly.


    Edward dialed up Justin, but the boy''s phone was off. Exasperated, he threw the phone inside the car,


    with his slender body leaning on the car door. He gave off very dark vibes that indicated "leave me


    alone."


    Daisy never thought Edward would look for her on base. Her heart caught in her throat when she saw


    Edward leaning on his carzily and handsomely. How could hee here? Shouldn''t he be sleeping


    with that girl right now?


    "Mommy, it''s Daddy and Uncle Luke." Justin was a little kid, so he couldn''t keep his emotions in check.


    Although he was angry at Edward a moment ago, Edward was still Daddy.


    Kevin turned his head and looked at Daisy. What really happened between her and Edward? She


    mostly sat in silence, picked at her food. He couldn''t stop thinking about her.


    Edward stared at the car heading for the base intently, like a cheetah stalking his prey, ready to


    pounce. He frowned when he saw the driver''s face. Why was he here?


    Kevin pulled up near Edward''s car, turned his head and looked at Daisy. She only had eyes for Edward.


    Kevin decided to live with his heartbreak, and not pursue her any further. The best man had won.


    Edward was a bit surprised when he saw those two familiar figures in the backseat. He gave a sardonic


    smile. ''Daisy, do you have any idea how long I''ve been waiting for you? Do you know how worried I


    am? Do you know how anxious and scared I am?'' Even if she did, Edward thought, he would let Daisy


    know exactly how he felt.

 Chapter 82 So Youre Planning On Running

    Chapter 82 So You''re nning On Running


    No. You had no idea that I was hanging out here waiting, worrying while you were out with this guy; that


    I was full of regrets, while you ignored everything I''ve done for you.


    The smile on Edward''s face was cold, but also flirtatious and breathtaking, like a blossoming


    mandragora. Daisy was too enchanted by Edward''s smile to remember to respond, sitting there and


    gazing at him through the car window. It was Justin who opened the door, then got out of the car and


    threw his tiny body into Edward''s arms.


    "Daddy. Why are you here?" Asked Justin, with his arms around Edward''s neck and his cheek against


    Edward''s enchanting face. He was so pleased to see Edward that he had totally forgotten everything


    Edward did to make his mom angry.


    "Um! Where have you been?" Asked Edward, with his eyes fixed on Daisy to see how long she would


    stay in the car.


    "We met Uncle Kevin in the street and had dinner with him." Justin said with a bright smile. He had no


    idea anything awkward had happened.


    "How are you? Mr. Edward. We meet again." Kevin got out of the car and gave Edward a gentle


    handshake, his handsome face showing no signs of sadness.


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    "Yes! What a coincidence! It seems you have plenty of time. I feel very guilty to bother you to take care


    of my wife every time." Edward said and looked at Kevin with cold smile on his face. Every word he


    said to Kevin was full of sarcasm.


    "You''re joking. Not even worth mentioning. I can''t take any credit for it." Kevin said with an easy smile


    and held Edward''s gaze. He didn''t intend to back down, but didn''t care about the confrontation, either.


    "Your modesty is unnecessary. You make me feel unappreciative." Edward is the Smiling Tiger of the


    City. How could anyone get the upper hand in a war of words?


    "Daddy. What are you talking about?" Justin asked, innocent of what was going on between the two


    men.


    "Um! Nothing. Daddy was saying thanks to your uncle Kevin. I should thank him for buying you dinner


    and bringing you home." Edward said with a sparkling smile, which even dazzled Kevin.


    Luke''s poker face twitched as he heard this. He was trying to decide whether Edward was thanking


    Kevin or putting him down.


    "Daisy! Are you going to sit in there forever?" Edward asked. His pretty face shifted to cool and grave.


    At that moment, Edward was as domineering as a king. Daisy could smell the power in the air and


    trembled as she saw Edward''s fierce eyes. She opened the door, but she still stood far away. Daisy


    said to herself: ''It''s so terrifying when Edward gets mad.''


    Kevin didn''t expect this and looked at Daisy with concern. Daisy had pulled herself together.


    "Kevin. You can go in first! I need a word with Edward. Thanks for your help tonight." Daisy said calmly


    and nodded to Kevin. Luke was impressed by this, because Daisy was the first one who had the guts to


    ignore Edward''s anger.


    "Ok. Let me know if you need anything." Kevin nodded back to Daisy and then turned to Edward,


    saying "Till we meet again."


    "Goodbye. Kevin. We shall never meet again." Hello! Edward! What in the world? Couldn''t you act like


    a gentleman? You just ruined your image.


    Kevin was shocked for a moment. He eventually chuckled and drove away. He knew Edward was leery


    of him because of his attraction to Daisy. But he had done nothing to her, so Edward''s goading fell t.


    Kevin still had his pride.


    Edward winked at Luke as a sign to take Justin away. In another life, Edward and Kevin could have


    been friends. Edward even admired some things about the man. But however admirable Kevin was,


    Edward still had to protect his wife.


    Luke took Justin in his arms and got him in his car. He totally understood what Edward meant, so he


    just drove away. This was all he could do for Edward. Daisy was Edward''s battle.


    Daisy watched Luke''s every move, but when she was about to say something, Luke''s car had vanished


    from her sight, which meant she had lost herst bargaining chip.


    "Get in the car." Edward opened the door for Daisy with a gloomy face, ring at her.


    "Uh¡­ You have Justin! I need to go back to the base to deal with some things."


    Daisy always got flustered when dealing with Edward. She wanted to p herself. He was in the


    wrong, but she still behaved like the obedient little wife.


    "Do you want me to carry you to the car? Huh?" Edward said, his teeth clenched, face twisted into an


    evil re.


    Daisy was speechless. She looked at the gate of the military base and looked at Edward. She


    measured the distance between the two, and calcted her chances of escape.


    "So you''re nning on running?" Edward stopped her with his cold words and fierce re, making


    Daisy shuffle towards him. Was he a mind reader? How could he know what she was thinking?


    Edward mmed the door after she got in the car. He started it without a word then sped to the city.


    Daisy stole a nce at Edward''s beautiful face and then looked away quickly. She had no idea why


    Edward was so mad. Could she stay with this guy and still enjoy a sweet moment?


    She didn''t think she could do that, so she decided they needed some space. She knew that she


    couldn''t demand anything that didn''t belong to her. So why didn''t she just let it go? She didn''t have the


    answers herself.

 Chapter 83 Why Dont You Believe Me

    Chapter 83 Why Don''t You Believe Me


    Edward intentionally neglected her. He didn''t give her a chance to speak either. During the drive home,


    he always looked tough and cold, like a messenger from Hell.


    "So... Can you pull over?" Daisy said weakly. She needed time to gather her strength. The oppressive


    atmosphere was keeping her from the normally stoicposure that fitted her rank as a colonel.


    Edward finally turned to look at her, but his cold eyes only made her squirm even more. All of a sudden,


    her nose felt stuffy. She bit her lip and tore at the corner of her mouth. If she weren''t worried about her


    reputation in the military, she wouldn''t be in his car right now.


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    "Something''s up." While Daisy already gave up hope on getting his attention, she heard a few words


    quietly drift past her ears. The car slowly pulled over.


    "Give me some money." Daisy reached out her fair hand in front of Edward as if he was supposed to


    offer something. In fact, she felt terribly embarrassed that she brought Justin to the store without even


    taking her wallet along. Now things were awkward.


    Edward pulled out his wallet in confusion and passed it to her. Why did she suddenly start asking him


    for money? ''Quite unusual, '' Edward thought. ''She''s not trying to calm me down, she''s asking for cash.''


    It was a good way to change the topic, he admitted to himself.


    Daisy opened the wallet. ''This guy has so many cards, but there are no bills.'' It seemed that he always


    paid with cards. Things like cash were inconsequential to him.


    "Um... You don''t have any money!" Daisy said reluctantly. She furrowed her brows, hoping that the


    shops would take the cards.


    "Woman -- are you speaking to me? When have I ever been broke? Any one of the cards here can buy


    you an entire department store." Edward''s heartless voice grew closer. He immediately grabbed her


    and pulled her into an embrace. Her tender lips found his as well.


    This kiss was not smooth. It was more like biting with anger.


    "Hm..."


    Daisy opened her eyes wide, trying her hardest to get away, but in return he just held her more


    forcefully.


    Edward channeled his anger into this deep kiss. It was for all her distrust in the past, for her dinner date


    with some other man when he was the one who concerned about her. He bit on her lips hard. His


    tongued pushed past her teeth as she groaned in pain. A ferocious wave of heat violently robbed her


    weakened breath.


    "Hm... Hurts..." When he harshly bit on the tip of her tongue again, Daisy chastised his savagery with


    her eyes wide open.


    "Now you know it hurts! Tell me, why did you leave without a word? Why didn''t you trust me?" Edward


    began breathing even more rapidly. He tried to suppress the feelings that she brought out of him.


    "I..." Daisy looked up at him. Her pink lips were swollen because of his bites. Her tender face was


    blushing red.


    Seeing her like this, Edward moved to kiss her again, but this time without the earlier violence. Instead


    he was gently suckling her sweet scent.


    The dazed Daisy was feeling a warmth building in her body. It was not until his hand suddenly reached


    into her underwear and onto her breast that she abruptly realized her situation.


    "Don''t..." She grabbed his hand in a panic and looked outside the car. She was relieved when she


    found out that no one noticed them.


    Edward helped her smooth out the clothes he rustled, feeling slightly amused. He then swiped her hair


    behind her back and held her face in his hands. Her eyes could not escape his.


    "In your opinion, am I really such a bastard who''s not worth your trust? Huh?" After the intense kissing,


    Edward was not angry anymore, but it didn''t mean that he calmed down entirely.


    Daisy was forced to look Edward in the eye. She did not understand what he meant. Could she be


    wrong? Could it be that there was nothing going on between Edward and the girl? But she saw it with


    her own eyes.


    "She is a pretty girl, and a suitable match for you." Daisy felt as if her heart were bleeding with pain.


    "Daisy, are you trying to piss me off? Cause if you are, then you''ve done it. I need teach you a lesson."


    Edward tightened his grasp on Daisy, holding her chin gently, his deep eyes gleamed with a dangerous


    light.


    "I..." Looking at Edward''s fierce expression, Daisy was scared. Her tongue was knotted and she could


    not utter a single word.


    "Say it! Huh? Who is a suitable match for me?" Edward''s handsome face turned very angry. ''Daisy, I


    don''t care if you love me or not, but you shouldn''t have pushed me away. Did my promises seem so


    ridiculous to you? Didn''t they arouse any passion in your heart?''


    "Edward, let go of me. You were the one who broke our rules. I told you to stay away from other women


    in the first ce, but you held her in your arms for such a long time." Daisy shook off his hands, looking


    exasperated. ''He''s not the only one with a temper! I have a temper, too!''


    Edward was taken aback, but instead of feeling angry, he was somehow amused. He stroked her lips,


    pursed in anger.


    "So you were jealous? Edward smiled temptingly, casting amorous nces at Daisy.


    "Humph! I wasn''t jealous at all. I just didn''t want to interrupt you -- you were so intimate with each


    other." ''Yes, she was jealous. But she would never reveal it to him.''


    "Oh dear! You''re so cute. She''s only my friend''s sister. Not even worth your jealousy." Edward teasingly


    patted her on the head. Her jealousy only proved that she still cared about him.


    "Um..." Daisy was quite speechless. Why did he always embarrass her?


    "Cat got your tongue? Why aren''t you saying anything?" His anger gone, he began tapping the steering


    wheel rhythmically with his slim fingers.


    Daisy rolled her eyes: Yes, the cat has my tongue. ''A big, amorous cat in a rut, '' she


    thought.

 Chapter 84 Are You Worrying About Me

    Chapter 84 Are You Worrying About Me


    "Give me a moment. I''ll just be back..." Daisy got out of the car without finishing the sentence and


    trotted towards the bakery down the street.


    Edward wondered where she was headed, as it was quite possible that she would run away from him.


    Daisy began to select some cakes and beverages, after she confirmed that she could pay the bill by


    card. She picked out several pieces of mousse cakes, a cup of coffee and a carton of milk. When Daisy


    reached back at the car, loaded with the supplies, she beckoned Edward to open the front door.


    Edward nced at her with a strange look. He was genuinely surprised that she had not run away.


    "Here, take this. And now, I will drive." Daisy ordered him while stuffing all the things she had bought,


    and his wallet, in his hands.


    "What are you doing?" Edward frowned, reluctantly taking the stuff while getting out of the driving seat.


    "I''ve brought you food, I am sure that you have not had dinner yet." replied Daisy raising her perfect


    eyebrows.


    Edward shed his trademark grin and innocently asked, "My love, are you worrying about me? And


    how did you know that I had not had my dinner yet?" ...


    "If you had had your dinner, you wouldn''t be so angry." Daisyined while getting in the car. She


    reckoned that Edward had immediately rushed to the military district while still talking to Justin on the


    phone. And then he had waited there for three hours, during which he had not eaten anything as there


    was nothing there to eat.


    Edward looked at her shopping and was surprised to see the cakes. He selected one and took a dainty


    little bite. Although he was not a big fan of matcha mousse cakes, he found that he could tolerate this


    one.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "Do you like it? Justin loves this vor, so I thought you''d find it good too." Daisy expectantly looked at


    Edward and her normal icy look melted.


    "Hmmm...I like it. Here, try it for yourself." Edward said putting the cake to her lips and signaling her to


    open her mouth.


    Daisy blushed. She felt awkward as Edward had already bitten the cake. It would be like an indirect


    kiss! She did not like cakes, but still took a bite when Edward encouraged her with his eyes.


    Edward had done this on purpose as he thought that the frustrated look on her face broke her icy


    demeanor making her seem more alive.


    Daisy was able to drive smoothly even in the densely popted city center. Her adept driving skills


    impressed him.


    Satisfied that she could handle his beloved car well, he leaned back in the seat and studied her with his


    deep eyes. He found Daisy attractive and charming. She could maintain proper distance without being


    ruthless. At this moment, he found himself fall in love with the serenity she brought. Simply sitting


    beside her gave him a sense of relief.


    The flickering lights in downtown and the intoxicating scene at night were appealing. Shortly, the


    luxurious Maybach gently pulled into the temporary parking lot inside the vi and parked smoothly in


    one go.


    Daisy turned to look at Edward. His eyes were closed. She could not be sure if he was sleeping or had


    just closed his eyes. She had noticed him staring at her during the drive but didn''t have the courage to


    respond to his eyes.


    "Are we home?" Edward opened his eyes when he felt that Daisy was unsure of what to do next.


    "Hmm¡­ Are you tired?" Daisy frowned as she asked him.


    "Nah, I was just sorting out things in my head." Edward replied smiling at her concern. He had been


    thinking about her rtionship with Kevin. It was obvious that Kevin liked her very much. But what


    about her? Did she have the same feelings towards him? If so, then why had she epted his request


    in the first ce?


    Daisy looked at him but then got out of the car without saying a word. She was not interested in what


    was going on in his mind. And it was also not her decision to be made. She had to admit that her


    recklessness and failure to analyse the reliability of the matter had caused the misunderstanding. But


    she firmly believed that she was not at fault as no one would have thought differently in the situation.


    Edward was confused about her behavior. She had suddenly turned cold and unapproachable, when


    just a second before, she had been gentle and concerned about him. Edward sighed and got out of the


    car. Sometimes women changed their moods faster than one could turn the pages of a book! Before he


    had a chance to react, Daisy had already ran inside the vi.


    Edward speechlessly shook his head wondering why she was so afraid of being alone with him. It was


    not as if he would eat her alive!


    "Mrs. Mu, wee back." The stewardess greeted Daisy the moment she stepped in, wondering why


    she was walking so fast. Was someone chasing her?


    "Your young master is on his way. Please prepare some food for him." Daisy knew that Edward had


    eaten only a small piece of cake and a cup of coffee, without touching the milk.


    "Yes, Mrs. Mu. I will immediately go and get some food." The stewardess was pleased that Daisy cared


    about Mr. Mu.


    "I''m d that you were running that fast to get me food." Edward said as he entered the vi. He felt


    good knowing that Daisy was concerned about him.


    "Hardly. I just don''t want you to get mad at me again!" Daisy retorted. She would never admit that she


    cared about him.


    "You are lying. When did I get angry with you?" Avoiding direct conflicts with him and being gentle were


    the best ways to calm him down. Edward was satisfied with her actions. He took her into his arms.


    She squirmed and got out of his arms. Why did Edward like hugs so much! He did not mind the maids


    watching their intimate interactions but she did!


    "I need to check whether Justin has slept or not." she said quickly running to the stairs.


    Edward followed her steps and headed to his room to take a shower. It was the first thing he needed to


    do whenever he got back home, to keep his mind sane.

 Chapter 85 Till Death Do Us Apart

    Chapter 85 Till Death Do Us Apart


    Daisy found Justin asleep when she walked in. She sat beside the bed, looking at Justin with a loving


    smile on her face.


    She had always thought that her little boy had never asked about his dad because it didn''t matter to


    him. But when she saw how excited, and eager Justin got to spend time with Edward tonight, she


    realized how wrong she had been.


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    She realized that Justin had always wanted his dad. But he hid his desire for a father deep inside his


    heart to avoid letting her down. Being so considerate at such a young age truly moved Daisy. Justin


    was the only and most precious gift that God had sent to her.


    Daisy extended her hand to stroke his peacefully sleeping face. Her heart filled with a flood of


    emotions. She was d to have Justin''spany in the lonely life she had been leading for many


    years.


    Daisy bent down to kiss his forehead. She adjusted the temperature of the air conditioner before


    leaving the room. As she quietly closed the door, she ran into a pair of dark deep-set eyes.


    Daisy felt disconcerted for a second, and she quickly turned away to avoid the enquiring eyes.


    Edward was shocked to see her ignoring him and bypassing him like he didn''t even exist. He found her


    growingly unpredictable. Was she ying hard-to-get with him again?


    The truth is, Daisy wasn''t as aloof as she appeared. She ignored him only because she didn''t want him


    to see the mncholy in her heart.


    Edward frowned and headed to the study. His face lit up when he saw the new furniture in the study.


    He didn''t expect that a new desk would make the room look so warm.


    Edward went to the desk and looked through the books lying on it. They were all based on military


    themes. There werements and suggestions written on every page. He discerned that Daisy had


    strong opinions when it came to military matters.


    As Daisy walked out of the bathroom with wet hair, she was surprised to see Edward in the study. She


    thought he was downstairs having his dinner. What was he doing here?


    Edward looked at her hair and frowned; then he left the room without saying anything.


    Daisy wondered what mistake had she made now to offend him again. Shaking her head, she decided


    not to be bothered and sat down to look into the books.


    Suddenly, she sensed a soft towel covered her head, and her long wet hair were being gently rubbed.


    Daisy turned around and looked at Edward in surprise.


    "Don''t move." Edward continued and turned her head back.


    Daisy could feel the warmth of him when his fingers prated through her hair. Being loved by


    someone felt good.


    "Why are you doing this?" Daisy asked in a low voice, wondering why was he so considerate towards


    her tonight.


    "Why do you ask?" Edward frowned but he didn''t stop rubbing her hair.


    "These days you are treating me so lovingly that I''m afraid I''ll get used to your kindness and be


    dependent on you. So, if you don''t love me, please leave me alone." Daisy said calmly. She loved the


    warmth he brought, but she was afraid that he would leave her one day.


    "You can depend on me. I want to have you on my side." Normally, Edward wasn''t a sweet talker. But


    today, was an exception.


    Daisy wondered could she believe his words. The closer he got, the more panic she experienced as


    she felt all of this was quite unreal.


    "Edward, can I trust you?" Daisy asked him and then felt it was actually a rhetorical question.


    Edward put down the towel and gently and turned her head around. His blue eyes were full of sincere


    emotions. "You are special to me. I am willing to give my promise to a woman like you."


    Daisy stared at him in disbelief and became speechless.


    Edward kissed her gently on the lips and slowly perfected her unique beauty.


    Daisy didn''t expect the sudden kiss as she was still shocked by his words. She came back to her


    senses when his hand swiftly sneaked into her clothes.


    "Edward¡­ No¡­" Daisy held back his hand that had lit a fire in her body. She was panting and begging


    him to stop. They were still in the study, what if someone opened the door.


    "Fine." Edward picked her up without warning and hurried to their bedroom. He knew she''s shy, so he


    respected her request.


    When the bedroom door closed, the hot kisses fell on her body like rain. Daisy found it hard to embrace


    his neck as she was savoring the waves of passion he brought.


    The moonlight outside the window was flushed by the heat of their room, and it secretly hid behind the


    dark clouds. The passion in the room went on as if only death could do them apart.

 Chapter 86 Who Am I Supposed To Be

    Chapter 86 Who Am I Supposed To Be


    Leena found the constant nagging by his brother very annoying. He had been lecturing her all night,


    and Leena still had a chafed feeling in her ears as she recalled. She wondered why his behavior was


    so different from his appearance. No wonder he was single for all these years. No one could bear his


    constant nagging.


    Leena sighed, everyone believed she had great potential as she was studying fashion designing in


    Paris. But her brother Mr. Cold always saw her as a naive little girl. She looked down at her bosom


    proudly. Maybe she was not in shape for a D-cup, but she was at least a B.


    Leena quietly opened the door and looked outside. When she saw the bodyguard standing at the door


    with a poker face, she rolled her eyes and felt speechless about her brother''s actions. Imprisonment


    was for convicts, and she is his sister. Why would he do this?


    Leenained about the inappropriate time her father had chosen to visit his colleagues. Because


    that left no ally to help her out.


    Leena helplessly threw herself into the queen-sized bed while scouring through her bag. She was lucky


    that he did not confiscate her phone as she couldn''t imagine how bored she would be without it.


    Leena picked up the piece of paper that came out with her phone. She wondered where the paper


    came from, as she saw what was written on it, she jumped out of panic. How could she forget about


    Kevin? She would be doomed if Mr. Cold saw this note.


    However, Leena calmed down soon. She decided to ignore what Kevin had written in the note. He


    wanted to be responsible for Leena, but this thought never crossed her mind. She scratched her hair


    and began to regret what had happened. It was stupid of her to have a one-night-stand with a stranger.


    Just as she was about to throw the note in the dustbin, Lenna noticed the phone number scribbled on


    it. Being grounded in the room for so long bored her out of her mind, she thought pursuing him might


    make her day enjoyable.


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    Without further ado, Leena picked up her phone and called the number on the note. She remembered


    that the man had a deep voice and dashing looks. She wanted to test whether he also had a real sense


    of responsibility.


    Many things were going on in Kevin''s head when his phone rang. He wanted to know how Daisy was


    doing. Becausest night when he saw her, she was with Edward, and Edward seemed furious.


    He was surprised that Edward was Daisy''s husband. As for many years, Daisy was raising Justin by


    herself, and there were no traces of any man. He had thought that Justin''s father was either working


    abroad or being irresponsible.


    Kevin knew that Edward had a high intellect and came from a prominent family. As Edward discovered


    his deep feelings towards Daisy, he didn''t try to deny them. Having a crush on someone was


    umon for him, but Daisy failed to notice his intention.


    The phone ring suddenly pulled him back to reality. As Kevin picked up his phone, he found that the


    number was unfamiliar.


    "Hi, this is Kevin speaking. May I know who''s calling?" Leena apuded her excellent memory


    because the voice she heard that day was as deep as the one on the phone.


    "Ahh... Who am I supposed to be? The woman who had sex with you all night or the poor woman


    whom you left behind in the club? I thought someone wrote me a note saying he would take


    responsibility for his actions. But what is the definition of ''being responsible''? Marriage? Leena


    pretended to be serious about the ''marriage.''


    "Oh! I sincerely apologize for leaving you like that yesterday. There was an urgent matter that I had to


    sort out. And I can marry you if you want me to." Yes. He could marry any woman. As long as Daisy


    was not the bride, the marriage would be meaningless to him.


    "Emm... Are you serious?" Leena was just joking with him. She didn''t want to marry a stranger.


    "Does it sound like I''m kidding?" Kevin still remembered that his father had given him an ultimatum to


    come back to Beijing. He didn''t want to do so because Daisy was here.


    He''d marry her if it meant he could escape the fate of being dog-tired dating different women.


    Moreover, they had shared the most intimate connection that night.


    "Emm... Well... You certainly sound serious. But I was kidding. Take it easy." Leena replied in a low


    voice. She''d be out of her mind to marry a stranger, not to mention that she was in the prime of her life.


    It wouldn''t be wise for her to get hitched with a one-night stand.


    "But I''m not joking. You can think over my proposal and call me if you change your mind." Kevin


    thought that if he were born in a typical family, he would never marry because of his deep love for


    Daisy. However, he had responsibilities and a duty to fulfill his family''s wishes.


    "No thanks. This topic is not fitting for me. I don''t need any further consideration. Please ignore my call.


    Bye!" Leena quickly hung up the phone. And she wasn''t happy with the oue. It wasn''t as enjoyable


    as she had thought! Leena could not imagine what punishment she would receive from Mr. Cold if she


    married a stranger.


    "Hello... Are you there?..." Kevin shook his head while he heard Leena hang up the phone so quickly.


    She must have freaked out by his proposal. He wanted an end to his obsession with Daisy so that he


    won''t care about Daisy''s whereabouts anymore.


    Leena tried to calm down after she hung up the phone. She thought the joke had gone a bit too far,


    whether he was serious or not. But she was surprised that he would agree to such a ludicrous request.


    Love, at first sight, was unreal. She didn''t believe in it.


    Kevin fiddled with his phone and wondered why she behaved like this. He thought that the phone call


    was to force him into marriage, and he didn''t mind to have her as his bride. However, he didn''t expect


    that she would be the one to freak out.

 Chapter 87 Honey, What Are You Doing

    Chapter 87 Honey, What Are You Doing


    Today, Edward was delighted because of the wonderful time he had spent with Daisy yesterday night.


    He couldn''t help smiling the whole morning, thinking aboutst night.


    "Aaron, our CEO seems very happy today. Look, he is constantly smiling in the office. Do you have any


    clue what''s making him so happy? Did something special happen yesterday night?" Rain elbowed


    Aaron who was sitting beside him and whispered to him.


    Aaron turned his head and stared at Rain in contempt. ''If you want to know the answer, why don''t you


    ask for yourself? ''How could I know what the CEO did yesterday night? I don''t live with him. Besides,


    I''m not a Peeping Tom who likes to poke his nose into other people''s private lives.'' Aaron thought.


    Aaron''s stare embarrassed Rain, and he touched his handsome nose in regret. ''I am being despised by


    Aaron yet again. But Edward is acting very suspicious. I have never seen him in such a good mood as


    today, especially during a meeting. He even ignored the blunders made by the nning department!


    He is always in an aggressive and daunting mood just like a tiger. It''s unusual that he is acting as


    easygoing as a cat today.'' Rain thought.


    ''Mr. Rain, please let us know about your proposal for the C Financial Group." Asked Edward. Edward


    noticed that Rain was prying into his private affairs during the meeting. He could make out from Rain''s


    dubious expression that he was lost in his thoughts.


    Rain felt flustered! He suddenly remembered the saying "what goes aroundes around". It applied


    to him now. And he knew his boss wouldn''t let it pass. He realized that he has already earned his


    punishment for his bbering.


    Rain shot an intrusive look to Edward and reluctantly opened the report in front of him. He began to


    discuss the n. He immediately conceded that Edward was still a tiger in the disguise of a cat. He


    considered himself stupid. He had fooled himself into believing that Edward would not catch his words.


    Other colleagues in the meeting were wise to keep silent. Only he was dumb enough to bring up this


    sensitive topic. No wonder that Aaron overlooked him moments ago.


    Edward was still smiling coolly, in a yful way. He ignored Rain''s worried look andid back in his


    chair, smiling cunningly at him.


    ''Ha! I was trying to help you with your work. You need to n what has to be done by you in the next


    stage of this program. You will be too stressed if you are not well prepared. But you seem ungrateful


    towards my benevolence, and you dared to stare at me.'' Edward thought about Rain.


    ''Huh! Edward, you are extremely good at finding excuses for your lewd behavior. You are a cunning


    man! But you pretend that you are good to me. Your brazenness is second to none! Too bad your n


    was not sessful. I can very well handle the report.'' thought Rain.


    When Rain finished his report, he felt that his throat went dry. He sighed and said in his heart, ''I finally


    know how it feels to abuse the help! I''m experiencing it, now that Edward is abusing me! It''s clear that I


    was set up by him. Sly Edward!''


    If Edward had know what was in Rain''s mind now, he would have be angry and defended himself,


    ''What? How shameless you call yourself cheapbor? Will anyone believe what you said? Who can


    imagine cheapbors have a monthly sry of 1 million? And which cheapbor could enjoy the


    abundant year-end share dividend?''


    In fact, Edward was doing it on purpose. Since Rain had a big mouth, Edward liked to give him a


    chance to speak as long as he wanted. It was an effective way to prevent him from gossiping about his


    private life next time during the meeting.


    "Edward, how about asking Miss Daisy out tonight? And we can bring Duke as well. We''ll have a lot of


    fun together." As soon as the meeting was over, Rain approached Edward and leaned towards him.


    With eager eyes Rain smiled broadly at him, waiting for a reply. He seemed to have forgotten his spite


    towards Edward during the meeting.


    "Tonight? I will call herter to check with her." Edward paused and replied. He picked up the files from


    the table and gracefully stood up. He thought it was a good idea to introduce Daisy to his friends. She


    went too quiet when she was alone.


    "No, she muste. I have heard that Leena is back. Ask Duke to bring her. I haven''t seen her for


    many years; she must have changed a lot!" Rain suggested.


    When Edward heard him talking about Leena, he remembered that yesterday Daisy was pissed off


    because of her. He was worried that he might lose Daisy because of this.


    "Okay! Share the address of the ce when you''ve decided where we are going to meet." After he


    finished his words, he walked out of the meeting room. He thought that this was an excellent


    opportunity to let Daisy understand how she had wronged him yesterday. So she wouldn''t leave him


    next time without realizing what had transpired.


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "Perfect! I will find a ce now." Rain was delighted. He had been curious to know more about Daisy.


    He wondered why such a beautiful and elegant woman was present in that messy ce that day. And


    why she was wearing such shy clothes and heavy makeup.


    Daisy''s thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the ringtone of her cellphone. She was in the middle of


    writing a report on the arms dealer. If she discontinued writing it, she would miss the deadline. She was


    supposed to submit it to themander in a few days. Although she knew that themander was


    very nice to her. But this has also attracted envy from some vicious people. She tried her best to do


    everything in order and on time so that no one could find fault with her. She didn''t want others to get


    the wrong idea about her. She worried that they''d assume that all her achievements were a result of a


    personal rtionship.


    "Hello, this is Daisy." Daisy connected the call without noticing who was calling. She replied while


    cing the phone between her ear and shoulder. She was still gazing at the screen of theputer,


    her hands continually tapping the keyboard.


    "Honey, what are you doing?" asked Edward. He was standing by the window, overlooking the hustle


    and bustle on the street. As he in the high-rise building, the cars and people on the road seemed like


    little dots to him.


    "Um! I am writing a report. What''s up?" Daisy didn''t expect that Edward would call her. She was a little


    surprised. She paused and lifted her hands from the keyboard to hold the phone.


    "Well, Rain suggested that we hang out together tonight, and he wants you toe. What do you


    say?" asked Edward. He could imagine that she must be feeling confused because he knew that she


    didn''t like the idea of so many people buzzing with excitement.


    "How many people areing?" Daisy frowned and asked. Just as Edward had expected, she was a


    little annoyed.


    "Not too many, just some intimate friends." Edward didn''t tell him that Leena would also join in, he


    feared that she would feel abashed.


    "Okay, you decide. I''m fine either way." Since she had decided that she would be a good wife, she


    thought that it was necessary for her to fit into his life and his social circle.


    "Okay! I will pick you up after work." Edward said with a gentle smile. He wondered how she would


    react when she met Leena there. It would be interesting to see what would happen tonight!

 Chapter 88 Dare You Touch Her

    Chapter 88 Dare You Touch Her


    The scorching sun was setting down, and the sky looked beautiful with the soft evening glow. The


    whole city looked gorgeous in the bright glow of the sun. Daisy looked at herself in the mirror, a little


    depressed. ''Why is that every dress which Edward chooses for me is so grand and exorbitant? Why


    couldn''t I find any regr clothes in the wardrobe? Daisy wondered.


    Usually, Daisy wore uniforms. She had a few informal suits, but they''re all too casual if she wore them


    to go to somece fancy. But the ce Edward would bring her to must be some opulent restaurant or


    hotel, so she nned to wear the dress Edward hadid out for her.


    The dress she nned to wear tonight looked good on her. The chiffon fabric was very light. It billowed


    with the wind, adding a touch of softness and gentleness to her calm personality. The frill sleeves


    softened her firm demeanor, making her look more attractive with femininity.


    Edward continually turned around to look at Daisy when they were in the car. He smiled gently, making


    his thin lips look sexier.


    "Dad, what are you looking at?" Justin had noticed his father''s unusual movement, he raised his head


    and asked Edward doubtfully.


    "I''m looking at you!" Edward didn''t feel embarrassed when his son caught him. His broad smile looked


    more attractive now.


    While Daisy was in a state of bewilderment, she was not naive. Edward''s intentions were too obvious


    when he frequently turned around and gazed at them. The reason why she ignored his gaze was that


    she didn''t want to make everyone feel embarrassed. But Justin''s innocent question made her blush.


    "Oh! I got it! Dad, you''re looking at mom!" Justin teased Edward and eximed as if he had found a


    new lease of life. He rolled his eyes slyly and made fun of Edward.


    "Justin, that''s nonsense." Daisy pulled a long face. She didn''t expect Justin to say this out. She


    became more bewildered. She looked around with her bright eyes and didn''t know where to look.


    "Justin, you''re my clever son! Don''t you think that your mom is looking gorgeous today!" Edward didn''t


    have the slightest feeling of embarrassment. He acknowledged it forthrightly.


    Justin looked at Daisy earnestly and nodded in agreement, "Yes! My mom is looking lovely today."


    It was rare for Justin to see Daisy dress up like this. He got used to seeing Daisy''s usual appearance in


    uniforms. He felt she also looked good in such a soft and tender style.


    This time, Daisy finally noticed that the Edward and Justin were mimicking each other. The father and


    the son were doing it on purpose in front of her.


    Rain chose a ssy restaurant. As Edward was about to introduce Daisy and Justin to his friends, he


    arrived earlier than he did on such asions. He was always theter! He was always the most


    important person toest after everyone had arrived!


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    When he pushed the door open, everyone in the room focused their attention on the couple. Edward


    was charming with a grand demeanor, and Daisy was beautiful and graceful, they were a perfect


    match. Rain was the first one toe out from the state of trance. He stood up and walked towards


    Daisy with a warm smile.


    "Dear Daisy, nice to meet you. We have been looking forward to seeing you for the longest time. We


    used to joke that you might have been locked up in the house by someone." While saying this, Rain


    extended his hand to shake hands with Daisy. But before he could hold Daisy''s tender hand, he heard


    Edward saying, "Dare you touch her!" Edward did not pat his hand, but his stern voice shocked Rain.


    Rain felt frightened and took his hand back. ''Shit! When did Edward be so jealous? I was just


    about to shake hands with her! Is it required to be so wary?'' Rainined in his heart.


    "Sorry for keeping you waiting." Daisy looked at Edward in embarrassment. Then she turned to Rain


    and apologized.


    "Hello, sister-inw, I''m Duke Leng. Nice to meet you again." Duke stood up and walked towards them


    to introduce himself. As Edward was the oldest among them, they all took him as their elder brother.


    "Hi, I''m Daisy Ouyang. Have we met each other before?" Daisy felt strange when she heard Duke say


    "nice to meet you again." She didn''t remember meeting him before. She turned around to look at


    Edward, bbergasted.


    Edward smiled and whispered something in her ear. Daisy''s face instantly blushed after she heard


    Edward''s exnation. She regretted that she had behaved so strangely, that night in the bar.


    "And me, Sis, I''m Leena." Finally, her turn came. She didn''t expect that Miss Daisy would be so


    beautiful and graceful. As a matter of fact, she was more interested in the attractive boy standing


    between them.


    "Uh... Leena, nice to meet you." Daisy replied in embarrassment. She wanted to dig a hole and bury


    herself right at this moment. She felt humiliated, thinking about the fuss she had made yesterday.


    Thank goodness Leena didn''t know what had happened yesterday. Otherwise, Daisy would have had


    no courage to stand here and face her.


    "Leena, you should call her sister-inw." Edward poked on her forehead in a loving manner and


    reminded her seriously.


    "Ouch! That hurt. Edward, why did you poke my head? I don''t want to call her sister-inw. I think ''sis"


    sounds more friendly." She always had the longing for a sister. Now this dream finally came true. Leena


    smiled happily and extended her hand to hold Daisy''s arm. She seemed very determined.


    Daisy was ustomed to being alone and indifferent. She was overwhelmed by Leena''s warm


    hospitality.


    "Okay, suit yourself." Daisy smiled and said. She quite like Leena''s quality of being frank and upright. It


    seemed that she was the apple of the eye of her family, like a princess under proper security.


    Thinking of princesses, Daisy got lost in her thoughts. She remembered that once she was also the


    apple of the eye of her parents. But an incident stripped her off all the love she had enjoyed and her


    longing for a bright future. All of a sudden she had fallen from heaven to hell.


    When she was Leena''s age, she was already living on her own, managing different critical tasks, while


    Leena was lucky enough to maintain her innocence and stay unaffected by worldly affairs.


    "Okay!" Thank you, Sis. Now tell me who is this cute boy?" Leena noticed Justin who was standing


    beside Daisy. She asked while pinching Justin''s handsome face, something she simply couldn''t resist.


    "Hello, Miss. I''m Justin Mu." Justin volunteered to introduce himself to Leena before Daisy could


    answer. He felt ignored by everyone present. Their gaze was focused on Daisy. Finally, there was a


    beautifuldy who had asked about him, and he felt very excited. He seized the opportunity to leave a


    good impression on them.

 Chapter 89 You Are Too Thin

    Chapter 89 You Are Too Thin


    "Oh! You''re Justin!" Hi! You''re really sweet. Why don''t you call me sister?" Leena said while taking the


    opportunity to kiss his cheeks. He was such a handsome boy. Another Edward when he grew up!


    Leena''s words made Rainugh. He said, "Leena, you''re too old to be his sister! Do you still consider


    yourself young? If it had been the olden times, you would have already mothered a bunch of children!"


    Leena stared at Rain but chose to ignore him. She knew how much he enjoyed making fun of her. She


    had be immune to his mockery. Her focus was on Justin now. He was such a lovely boy!


    Justin moved Leena''s hands from his face; he looked at Edward helplessly. He desperately hoped that


    Edward would save him from Leena''s warm wee. He regretted that he had drawn this on himself!


    He was tasting his own bitter fruit now. He didn''t expect that Leena would be so obsessed with him.


    Edward chose to ignore Justin''s signal. He held Daisy''s hand and helped her sit down, leaving Justin in


    Leena''s hands. ''Poor Justin. Hope he realizes that it''s unwise to reveal oneself to anyone without


    understanding that person''s true character. It is a good lesson for him. It''s one of the biggest mistakes


    that one can make, especially in the business world. As my son, if he can''t manage the mess that he


    caused himself, he''s probably unfit to take over my business in the future.'' Edward thought.


    "Justin, let''s sit down. You can sit next to me!" Leena asked, she had finally found someone she could


    y with. She felt that she made the right decision toe back. Many exciting things had transpired


    since she had been back. Edward suddenly got married and had a son too. It seemed there would be


    more fun ining days!


    "Eh! Well... Miss Leena. Sorry, But I''d rather sit next to Mr. Rain. I need to discuss something with him."


    ''Oh my God! She seemed obstinate! Her cunning looks are scary! Seems like she''s plotting an attack


    on someone. I wonder who is her prey. Sitting next to her would mean walking right into her trap.'' Justin


    thought.


    "Hey, Justin, what do you want to discuss with me?" Rain asked. Rain looked at Justin who had eagerly


    fled to his side and asked. He was wondering whether Justin was about to bring up the old topic of


    asking him to go on a date with Daisy. Oh! No! If that were the case, he would be beaten to death by


    Edward. Sincest time Edward had talked to him, his workload has doubled. He didn''t even have the


    time to date anyone now.


    Edward smiled. He knew that Rain was just an excuse for Justin to get away from Lenna. Although it


    soundedme, it may help Justin out.


    "Mr. Rain, you look very handsome today!" Justin said casually. He was talking rubbish of course!


    Nobody needed to tell Rain that he looked handsome. But he had nothing else to say to Rain.


    "Okay! You are only using me. I know." Justin was such a clever boy. Rain had already seen through


    him. No one gives outplements to others without any reason.


    "Mr. Rain, you are overthinking. I really do think you look very handsome today. There is no other


    reason." Justin shed a lovely smile to him and said. Acting adorable was a useful technique in some


    circumstances. But this technique didn''t work if one wasn''t adorable, to begin with.


    Rain looked at Justin with doubt. Really? He didn''t believe Justin''s words. Justin was supposed to be


    just as cunning as his father, who was a shrewd businessman.


    "Sis, I can''t help but wonder, why haven''t we met you before." Leena transferred her attention from the


    adorable boy to the gorgeous woman.


    "Um... Well.." Daisy faltered in her words, feeling helpless. She was wondering what to say to Leena.


    Was she going to say that earlier she was just a wife-in-name wife for Edward? Or she didn''t appear in


    Edward''s social circle before because he didn''t love her when they got married?


    "Leena, can''t you just enjoy your food? There''s so much of delicious food to fill up your mouth." While


    Daisy was caught in the dilemma of embarrassment, Edward said this to Leena to help her out.


    "Huh! Edward, you''re so mean! I was just curious!" Leena pouted. But what she said was true. She was


    quite curious about Daisy.


    "If you have any questions, you can ask me. Don''t bother Daisy. Let her have her meal. God knows she


    needs it!" Edward felt that Leena was too self-assured. She didn''t seem overwhelmed by Daisy''s calm


    demeanor at all.


    Leena stared at Edward. She decided to let the question pass. Edward was a cunning man indeed! It


    would be impossible for her to get any answers from him.


    "Come on, enjoy your food. You''re too thin!" Edward said to Daisy while constantly serving food in her


    te. As Justin was not sitting beside him, he was spared from looking after him. He was only taking


    care of Daisy now.


    Rain didn''t expect that the responsibility of looking after Justin would fall on him! He was speechless.


    This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Upon hearing Edward''s words, Daisy raised her head and stared at him. She was not thin at all. Was


    he expecting her to turn into a fat pig? Her figure was ideal, and she was quite sure of that. She would


    not make any assertions on other things, but she certainly knew that her figure was the best.


    "Isn''t it? I don''t feel anything when I touch you. So you''d better try to be plumper." Edward


    suddenly leaned towards her and murmured into her ears with a sensuous smile.


    "Daisy was shocked, hearing what Edward said to her. The chopsticks slipped from her hands and fell


    to the ground. The clink immediately attracted everyone''s attention. Daisy''s face reddened instantly.


    "Daisy, what happened?" Rain asked. He observed Edward''s sinister smile and Daisy''s crimsoned


    face. He felt that they were a suspicious couple. He wondered what Edward had said to Daisy to


    prompt such a reaction.


    "Oh! Nothing. The chopsticks just slipped." Daisy replied. She was really embarrassed. She felt that


    now her image had been ruined for good. She didn''t expect Edward to say something like this to her


    suddenly. He was such a crude man. He was flirting with her with so many people present. Although


    his voice was low, Daisy was really mad about this!


    "Mom, your face is red. Are you feeling hot?" Justin asked Daisy with concern.


    "Yes! Sis, are you all right?" Leena noticed Daisy''s odd behavior and asked curiously.


    "..."


    Daisy was very embarrassed. It was all because of Edward. She stared bitterly at Edward. But Edward


    felt at ease, and it seemed that he was not going to help her out.


    "Why are you looking at me? Is it because you suddenly realize your husband is looking very


    handsome today?" Everybody felt sick to hear his words. The man was too self-absorbed!


    Duke didn''t say anything. He had been watching Edward all this time. He wanted to find out whether


    Edward was serious about this rtionship. It surprised him that the proud Mr. Edward would be


    considerate enough to serve food for Daisy. And his gaze upon her was filled with intense


    love.

 Chapter 90 Youre Such A Rogue

    Chapter 90 You''re Such A Rogue


    Daisy waspletely speechless about Edward''s question. She didn''t expect Edward would be so


    shameless.


    "Haha! Edward, handsome is not the right word for you. You are actually very beautiful!" Leenaughed


    with the joke. She didn''t care about Edward''s angry look directed at her. She knew that Edward hated


    to hear others refer to him as beautiful. But Leenapletely ignored him. She wasn''t at all afraid.


    Edward really couldn''t do anything to Leena in response to this. There would only be the Leena who


    dared to test his breaking point. If this were someone else who had dared to say the same thing, they


    would be doomed!


    "Leena, you''re right this time. Edward is a gorgeous beauty." Rain was finally satisfied. Leena had


    helped him exact revenge on Edward. He had felt aggrieved when everyone called him sissy. He had


    company now.


    "A gorgeous beauty? It seems that someone has some nerve!" Edward said this with an evil smile. His


    voice was very cold. He squinted at Rain, with eyes as sharp as an eagle''s. That sharp look sent a


    shiver down to Rain''s spine. ''Oh! Why? It was Leena who started this! Why am I always the one to be


    med?'' Rain bitterly thought.


    "Haha! I''m joking! I think Mr. Duke is more beautiful. Look at his handsome appearance, perfect figure


    and cool... demeanor..." Rain faltered when he received a cold look from Duke. He fell silent. ''Oh my


    God! I had forgotten that Duke was even more frightening than Edward! I have made a fool of myself


    again.'' Rain thought.


    "Continue. Why have you stopped?" Duke gazed at Rain haughtily. There was no other expression on


    his handsome face apart from coldness. Rain has really be bolder like Edward had said. He had


    dared ruffle Duke''s feathers.


    "I''m done with words." Rain replied with a downcast look. He couldn''t afford to offend anyone present


    here. He looked around. He felt that he was the only one destined to be bullied here.


    Daisy nced over. She was bewildered by the way they got along with each other. It seemed that they


    didn''t quite get along. But then she felt she was wrong. it was more of a casual friendship with a lot of


    exaggerated dialogues. This kind of a rtionship felt refreshingly different, but also confusing.


    Edward had been keenly watching Daisy. He sensed this subtle change in her eyes. Although she


    didn''t say anything, Edward already knew what was on her mind.


    "We have always been like this. You will get used to it soon enough." Edward said to Daisy. He touched


    her hair with affection, and smelled the light jasmine fragrance on her hair. It was a smell he liked.


    Daisy was surprised and wondered how Edward could always read her mind. She turned around to


    gaze firmly at him, trying to find clues.


    "If you continue to look at me like that, I will kiss you right now." Edward said. He was fascinated by


    Daisy''s charming looks now. And she was gazing into his eyes with her innocent eyes, looking


    bbergasted. How lovely she was! If there weren''t so many people around, he didn''t know what he


    would have done to Daisy!


    "Edward, you''re such a rogue." Daisy red at him and cursed in a low voice. It seemed that she was


    bing a bit angry.


    "I am a rogue only when I am with you. If it were any other woman, I wouldn''t even look at her." Edward


    continued to murmur in her ear. The warm breath escaping out as his sexy lips moved filled Daisy''s


    ear. It agitated her.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Edward, are you deliberately showing off your affection in public?" Rain was the first to air his


    grievances. The couple was so close to each other, constantly murmuring near each other''s ear and


    face. This was a hard blow for single men here.


    "Yes. So what? Do you have any issues?" Edward leaned backzily in his chair and raised his


    eyebrows. He was rather rxed. ''Rain was feeling troubled. He knew he could not beat me, but was


    still trying to challenge me. He was really very persistent.'' Edward thought.


    "No. I''m fine with it. But let me remind you that there is a child here." Rain said and pointed at Justin,


    who was enjoying his food. Rain didn''t dare find fault with the big boss, he knew that would only end


    badly for him.


    "You can ignore me. I see nothing." Justin said. He was so engrossed in the delicious food, that he was


    in no mood to care about anything else.


    Edwardughed. His son was a real foodie. But no matter how much he ate, he did not get fat.


    Otherwise Edward would really mind it.


    Daisy looked at Justin and frowned. She knew that Justin liked to eat delicious food. But it seemed that


    he never stopped eating!


    "Justin, don''t eat too much. It''s not good for digestion." Daisy reminded Justin. Daisy worried that If he


    continued to eat like this, he would have a stomach acheter.


    "Okay. Mommy, I know." In fact, Justin felt that he hadn''t eaten too much. He was only trying to taste


    every dish, so that he would know which dishes were delicious next time he came here.


    Everyone had a great time at the dinner. And after the dinner, Rain suggested that they go to the Sexy


    World to have fun. Luke sent Justin back home, and the rest went to the Sexy World.


    At night, the Sexy World lived up to its name. It was sexy and fascinating. As Daisy rarely came to such


    ces, she was not used to the dim light inside. She extended her hand to Edward and followed him.


    They walked inside.


    "Hay. Edward, look at that girl." As soon as they walked in, Rain raised his eyebrow at Edward. It was


    so good to meet this girl again. He wondered if she would hang out with themter. He was eager to


    see how Daisy would react if that happened.


    Edward followed Rain''s gaze and looked. He pursed his lips when he saw the girl who was wearing a


    sexy dress. He wondered why he would meet her here. But he was in no mood to quarrel with her


    today.


    As Daisy was behind Edward, she didn''t see the girl. She looked around this ce which was full of


    luxury and decadence everywhere, with couples who were intimately holding each other She frowned


    and nced furtively at Edward. She guessed that Edward was quite used to this voluptuous life.


    When Duke saw that sexy girl, he also pursed his lips. Why have they run into her again? He


    wondered. Were they being stalked by her?


    "Who?" Leena was very curious about the girl Rain had mentioned. She looked around but didn''t know


    which girl they referred to.

 Chapter 91 Honey, You Are Finally Here

    Chapter 91 Honey, You Are Finally Here


    Belinda really wanted to pour her ss of wine on the egocentric man sitting in front of her. Honestly,


    she would have already left if the man were not the son of her father''s friend. But the truth was that she


    was trapped here and condemned to listen to him ramble on.


    "Well, in my view, women should just stay home and tend their husbands and children, instead of


    working outside like some women do. Do you agree, Miss Belinda?" The arrogant man continued his


    monologue, spittle flying out from his mouth.


    "Um.. Maybe." Belinda answered mechanically as if she had done this a thousand times before. How


    miserable her life was!


    She was actually thinking, ''Fuck you. We are not primitive people. Fuck the idea of women doing only


    house chores, never any real work. If I were home-bound, how could I be on a blind date here with


    you?''


    But instead of voicing her thoughts, she could only echo the man''s words because her father had


    warned that if Belinda ruined another blind date, he would marry her off next month to any random


    man.


    She rolled her eyes helplessly. Was she really that old now? Why was her father always worried about


    her marriage? In fact, she had enough number of men pursuing her. She had to stop listening to the


    man''s bullshit about male superiority.


    "Miss Belinda, I will help you run thepany after we get married. You don''t need to worry about


    that." The man continued,pletely ignoring Belinda''s cold response.


    ''What the hell! I will be worried if thepany is in your hands. It turns out all you are interested in is


    mypany.'' Belindained to herself. She should show the man her true colors. She was not a


    submissive woman.


    "I don''t think I am your type. You want a meek wife cum housekeeper. But I am not interested in house


    chores. You should find someone else. There may be the right kind of wife for you out there, but it is


    just not me. Besides, I already have a boyfriend." That was the most Belinda had managed to say


    tonight. She couldn''t stand his bullshit any longer. If her father was to me her for this, then so be it.


    These worries belonged to the future. But right now, all she wanted to do was to escape from this man.


    "Miss Belinda, your father told me that you were single." The man seemed not to buy Belinda''s story.


    He didn''t think a strong woman like her would be anyone''s favorite.


    "See. There he is. He is here to see me." Belinda turned around and spotted Duke entering. She saw


    him go in with other people, but it was too dark to figure out who they were. But she was in desperate


    need of a fake boyfriend, so she ignored the rest and waved out to Duke.


    "Miss Belinda, are you kidding?" ''If that steely person was Belinda''s boyfriend, I have no chance of


    beating him and winning over Belinda.'' the egocentric man thought to himself.


    N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "Duke, do you know that girl with the curvy figure?" Leena saw the girl waving to Duke and asked,


    curiously.


    "Should we go there, Edward?" Rain teasingly looked at Edward. He remembered clearly that Belinda


    had been quite interested in Edward before.


    Edward frowned, looked at Daisy and saw that she was not looking in Belinda''s direction. Instead, she


    was focusing on the bustling crowd dining there.


    "Let''s go. See what she is up to." Edward sped his hands around Daisy, who seemed lost in some


    fantasy, and shook her back to reality.


    Duke stood in front of them. After hearing what Edward had said, he left the crowd and moved forward,


    but without any smile on his cold face.


    "Honey, you are finally here." At the sight of Duke, Belinda rushed into his arms without even noticing


    the people behind him. After all, she needed a fake boyfriend right now. She had no time to worry about


    the others.


    Belinda''s hug shocked a lot of people. Duke too was taken aback. Since when was he this woman''s


    honey?


    "What the hell! What are you doing?" Duke tried to push her away, but that only made her embrace


    tighter.


    "Cold Duke, help me this time. I need a favor." Belinda pleaded in low voice, afraid that Duke might


    reveal the truth.


    "LOL... Miss Belinda, shouldn''t you hug Edward? What made you change your target?" After his brief


    of astonishment, Rain began to make fun of Belinda.


    Rain''s suddenughter scared Belinda into letting go of Duke right away. OMG. She was too busy


    trying to get rid of the mega-ego man to notice Rain''s presence. Why was he here?


    "Belinda, why are you here?" Daisy frowned slightly. Her interest was piqued when she heard Rain


    mention Edward. She was wondering what Duke''s girlfriend had to do with her husband. But it had


    never urred to her that it was Belinda.


    "Daisy, I miss you so much." Then Belinda pushed Duke out of her arms, shoved Edward aside and


    hugged Daisy. She followed it with a big kiss on Daisy''s cheek.


    Edward looked at his now-vacant hands and was totally confused. What was going on? Did Belinda


    have a penchant for hugging people? One moment she was calling Duke honey and embracing him


    tightly, and the next moment she was hugging and kissing Daisy.


    By now, Leena was staring intently at Duke, her big brother. Wow, since when did Mr. Cold have such a


    hot girlfriend? Howe she had never heard of it? It seemed that she would soon have a sister-in-


    law.


    Duke still wore a cold look and red at Leena. He knew what Leena was thinking about. But even he


    himself did not know what was going on. Only God knew why Belinda suddenly jumped into his arms.


    Rain stroked his chin contemtively. He believed something was going on between Duke and


    Belinda. But when did they hook up together? Why did he hear nothing about it? It was so rare to hear


    gossip about Duke. Maybe he could earn some bonus by selling the news to the media.


    Edward looked at the two women hugging each other. Finally, he understood why Belinda always gave


    him a hard time... she was Daisy''s bestie. No wonder she always had harsh words for him every time


    they talked. It turned out she was defending Daisy.

 Chapter 92 This Is My Future Sister-in-law

    Chapter 92 This Is My Future Sister-inw


    "First, let''s just go inside the box." Edward didn''t like the way other men were looking at Daisy. So he


    pulled Daisy back in his arms, disregarding Belinda''s intive look. Well, Daisy was his wife. Of


    course, he should be the one holding her. He had loaned Daisy to Belinda just because of


    carelessness.


    Belinda didn''t notice Edward''s action until he grabbed Daisy back. Her eyes widened in surprise. She


    couldn''t believe that Edward was together with Daisy. How had she not heard of it? Edward had


    addressed another woman intimately just several days ago. Maybe he was ying the dangerous


    game of two-timing?


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Miss Belinda, wait." The man, after being invisible all this while, finally found his chance to chip in.


    "What''s the matter?" Belinda had almost forgotten about the man. She frowned and asked with a voice


    laced with boredom.


    "Do you really have a boyfriend?" The man asked diffidently, because the men besides Belinda were all


    so above-average and handsome.


    "Of course. I don''t need to find a fake boyfriend. Right? Duke." Then she nudged Duke, who was


    standing close to her, and kept winking at him. Well, she was faking it, but so what? There was now


    against getting a fake boyfriend.


    Then Duke saw a live example of tantly lying through one''s teeth. That was exactly what Belinda


    was doing. It turned out that she was just using him as an excuse to get out of a date. He threw a cold


    look at the man. Then, without a word, he grabbed Belinda''s hand, turned around and walked away,


    giving the man no chance to ask any more questions.


    Belinda didn''t see thising, so the moment Duke grabbed her hand, she was a bit at loss. That was


    the first time she had interlocked her fingers with a man''s. Till she felt the warmth from his palm, she


    would never have imagined that such warmth coulde from a man so cold.


    ''They are really seeing each other.'' Rain pondered on this, his eyes foxy and cunning. Maybe Duke


    was really in love. After all, he had never seen Duke being so intimate with any woman before. But now


    he had held Belinda''s hand and gone off. That showed clearly how he felt.


    "Hey. Dude, I don''t think you stand a chance there. You should juste back." Rain smiled


    charmingly at the frozen man, waved him goodbye and followed in Duke''s steps.


    Duke was also a bit confused by his own actions. He disliked bossy women like Belinda. But why did


    he help her this time? And when she threw herself into his arms, instead of feeling ufortable, he


    had felt happy. That had never happened before.


    After several days of getting along, Daisy gradually got ustomed to Edward''s intimacy. But she still


    felt embarrassed of being intimate in public. Yet, she didn''t reject him because she did not want Edward


    to lose face in public.


    "Belinda is Duke''s girlfriend?" Daisy asked Edward in a low voice. She turned around and looked at


    them curiously.


    "She is about to be." Edward answered, while grinding his teeth. His hand, which was holding Daisy,


    became tighter. His face turned evil.


    "Edward, what''s wrong with you?" Daisy frowned andined, after feeling the pressure from his


    hand. She wondered if Edward was a bit crazy now.


    But her "Edward" vexed him. She should call him "darling". Why did she address the others in the


    same way as she did to him?


    Without saying anything, Edward went into the box. He did not cast another look at Daisy, but poured


    himself a ss of cool spirits and gulped it down. Instantly, his throat felt cold and hot. Then he nced


    at Daisy coldly, but still remained silent.


    Daisy looked at him, a bit worried. She didn''t know why Edward had suddenly be angry.


    "So, Duke, is this my future sister-inw?" Leena asked eagerly after seeing Dukee in. She stared


    intently at Belinda. Wow, she must be something to capture Mr. Cold''s heart. After all, he had never let


    any woman get close to him, let alone hold a woman''s hand.


    "Well... Well... It''s not what you think." Belinda hastily removed her hand from Duke''s big hand. OMG.


    She would rather die than have Icy Duke as her boyfriend. Being with an icy man the entire day would


    anyway crush her.


    Duke didn''t exin, but walked over and sat down. He had to give some serious thought to his


    abnormal behavior.


    "It''s just what I think. My dear sister-inw." Leena put on a big smile. Screw it, she had just called


    Belinda sister-inw.


    Leena''s words startled Duke and he spit out the alcohol he had just drunk. He coughed to cover his


    embarrassment and chose to ignore Leena''s curiosity about Belinda.


    That way, Belinda could experience first-hand what digging a grave for herself felt like. She looked at


    Daisy hoping to be rescued. Daisy thought in her mind, ''It''s just a misunderstanding. Leena shouldn''t


    overthink it." If she continues to ask and fantasize about it, she could even get Belinda pregnant in her


    mind.''


    "Leena,e here and sit with me." Daisy didn''t know what was going on between Belinda and Duke.


    But since Belinda needed her help, she would give her a hand. Besides, she may not know much about


    Leena, but she was aware of how curious Leena could be. She would ask Belinda even more intrusive


    questions if she was allowed to continue.


    "Belinda, my sister-inw. Let''s go and sit with Daisy." Then, without waiting for her consent, she


    dragged Belinda over to where Daisy was.


    Rain was thest toe inside. He nced around and found the atmosphere to be quite strange.


    Edward wore a gloomy and dark expression, sullenly sipping the wine alone. He seemed angry. He


    exuded coldness.


    On the other hand, Icy Duke wore a poker face as always. But the three women seemed quite


    harmonious together. It seemed they hadn''t noticed the weird atmosphere there.


    Confused, he walked to Duke, sat down, nudged him and gestured towards Edward, asking silently


    what the matter was with him.

 Chapter 93 Dont Call Me Sister-in-law

    Chapter 93 Don''t Call Me Sister-inw


    Duke returned from his reverie and looked in the direction Rain was staring. He saw Edward''s gloomy


    look, and was quite puzzled by what was happening.


    "My dear sister-inw, I am Leena. So tell me how did you meet my big brother." Leena hadn''t


    forgotten about her interrogation and continued to ask Belinda questions. Whether Belinda was Duke''s


    girlfriend or not, she felt she had to help him get her. Then Duke would be too busy dating his girlfriend


    to lecture her.


    Hah! It appeared that Leena was looking out for Duke, but the truth was that she was thinking about


    her own interests. What a foxy girl Leena was.


    N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "Well... Leena. I am not your brother''s girlfriend, just an ordinary acquaintance. You can call me


    Belinda. But please don''t call me sister-inw ever again, okay?" Belinda knew now what was digging


    her own grave felt like. Gosh. She was literally living the consequences of her little white lie. And


    nobody had let her exin her side of the story.


    "Okay, my sister-inw. Can I hang out with youter?" Leena said and gave a ttering smile. Saying


    okay was one thing, but actually doing so was another. Now she just needed to spend more time with


    Belinda.


    Belinda was speechless after hearing Leena''s words. Belinda became so upset that she huddled on


    the couch. ''Well, Leena had said okay and promised never to call her sister-inw, but then she just did


    it again. No one should promise not to do something but then do it anyway. And why hadn''t Icy Duke


    exined the situation to his sister Leena? There is nothing going on between us.'' Belinda protested


    deep down.


    Rain now saw through Leena. She had turned out to be a match-maker for Duke. But really, Belinda


    was in a way a perfect match for Duke, since she was passionate while he was cold. They would make


    a good couple.


    Edward kept drinking with a cold expression. Just when he was about to fill another ss, his hand


    was grasped tightly by a small cold hand, stopping him from getting more drinks.


    He slowly looked in the direction of the small hand. It was Daisy, who was still poised and busy chatting


    with others. She was so detached, and it felt as if the small hand that gripped his was not hers.


    Edward raised his other hand and tried to remove hers, but found Daisy grasping it even tighter. Her


    strength made Edward smile. Just a moment ago, he thought Daisy didn''t care about him. But she had


    noticed his actions.


    Daisy was listening to Leena''s talk with Belinda, but she was also paying attention to Edward. When


    she saw that he kept on drinking, she felt vexed and deliberately ignored him. But when she realized


    that he had no intention of stopping, she was left with no better choice than to grasp his hand. But she


    did not look at him because she did not want to draw anyone''s attention to him. She just stopped his


    hand from pouring more alcohol.


    Edward saw her hand and put on an evil smile. He was not angry about her interference. He poured


    the alcohol clumsily with the other hand, and wanted to see what she would do about it.


    Their actions were being scrutinized by Rain and Duke. They just pretended not to see. Finally, they


    knew why Edward suddenly became gloomy and upset -- it was all because of Daisy.


    s! That was the look of a man falling in love. Though Edward kept insisting that his interest in Daisy


    was only fleeting, those watching them knew that Edward was really in love. His abnormal behavior


    was the best proof of this.


    Edward raised the ss to his lips. When he was about to sip from it, a small hand snatched it away.


    Before he knew what was happening, he saw Daisy drink up all of it, throw him a hard look and bang


    the ss on the table.


    The loud noise immediately caught the attention of those around. When she had taken his ss,


    Edward had frozen for several seconds, stared at her, trying to guess what she would do next. He had


    thought of hundreds of possibilities, but never considered that she would drink up the wine. That was


    his wife -- so unique. Her strong personality revealed itself, especially when she got angry.


    Rain and Duke were also curious about what Daisy would do with the wine, so they kept a close eye on


    her. But they never thought that she would take the most direct approach and drink it.


    Belinda was too stressed by Leena''s insistent questions to notice what was happening around her. But


    she was quite surprised to see Daisy banging down the ss. Daisy was known to be too poised to get


    agitated so easily.


    Daisy stared at Edward defiantly, without caring about the racket she had created. What the hell! How


    dare he suddenly be angry at her and, more importantly, drink so much alcohol.


    She did not vent her anger easily, but that also did not mean that she had no temper. She was usually


    hard on others. For him, the man she loved so much, she always made concessions. But it didn''t mean


    that she would tolerate him for creating trouble for no reason. Edward should feel lucky that he was not


    her soldier, or she would have imposed severe punishment on him.


    Edward was astonished by Daisy''s actions. He squinted and looked directly into her eyes, his face


    putting on an evil smile, his fingers rhythmically tapping the table.


    Just when everyone thought he would be angry, he smiled and pulled her into his arms. Without the


    slightest care for what others would think, he passionately kissed Daisy. Then he released his big


    hands that were holding her.


    Edward''s kiss did not surprise Duke and Rain, for they knew that he had never cared about etiquette.


    He always did things as he pleased. The opinions of others meant nothing to him.

 Chapter 94 Old Lady

    Chapter 94 Old Lady


    Daisy had not expected this whimsical action at all. She was so embarrassed that she buried her face


    in his chest. She thought that there was no way for her to show her face in public again. She didn''t


    have to look to know that people around them were all staring at her. Her reputation was again ruined


    by Edward Mu.


    Belinda looked at Daisy curiously, thinking, ''She finally got what she worked so hard for. From the way


    that Edward had treated her, did it mean her 12-year-long one-sided obsession for him was finally


    going to be requited?'' If that was the case, Belinda would be so happy for Daisy, because she knew


    how difficult Daisy''s life was, and she was the only one who knew how persistent and dedicated Daisy''s


    love was.


    "Edward, you''re so amazing! You''re my idol!" Leena started to rile up the crowd. She liked assertive


    men.


    "Girl, you trying to fall in love or what?" Rain asked her humorously, thinking that if this was enough to


    make someone her idol, then she would have gone crazy if she had seen how Mr. Mu flirted with other


    women in public.


    "What? How old do you think I am? Why can''t I fall in love?" The truth was, not only had she fallen in


    love, but she also had an one night stand with someone after some drinks. But could she just say that


    aloud? Certainly not, unless she had a death wish.


    "You fell for somebody?" Duke furrowed his brows and asked Leena seriously. How on earth did he


    forget that this youngdy over here has already reached the age for love and romance? But when he


    thought about some other man in her life, a bitterness arose in his heart.


    "No, brother, I was just joking." Leena tried to change the subject. As for someone she fell for... There


    could be one! How about the handsome foreign boy? And because of an exciting moment with him,


    she had lost her most precious virginity.


    "Leena, do you want me to introduce you to some fine young men?" Edward knew that Daisy was still


    feeling too embarrassed at the moment, so he just let her lean on his chest. He then started teasing


    Leena.


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "Edward, in this day and age, who starts a rtionship with such blind dates? You''re so out of sync.


    Now it''s all about chance encounters." Leena scoffed at the idea, but someone else present in the box


    felt a bit uneasy. Belinda had just gotten out of a blind date, so did this mean that she too was


    completely out of sync?


    "I feel you should ask your sister-inw about this. She knows all about it." Rain smiled and raised his


    eyebrows at Belinda.


    "Why ask me?" Right after saying that, Belinda wanted to punch her own stupid mouth. Rain only


    mentioned some big sister without naming anyone. Why would she fall for it? Belinda med Leena for


    all of this. That little girl called her sister-inw all day long, which had distracted her.


    Duke lightly shook the wine ss and looked at Belinda through the corner of his eyes. A faint smile


    appeared on his cold face. ''It seems that even the smartest person can be rattled by Leena''s insistent


    pestering.''


    "Who else are we going to ask? Weren''t you just on a blind date?" Ha! He had gotten one back for


    being bullied by her thest time. Finally, Belinda was all confused today, so she wasn''t able to defend


    herself with her usual eloquence.


    "What makes you think I was on a blind date? Who made the rule that a meeting with a gentleman is


    automatically a blind date? You''re with so many women every day. Does that mean those were all blind


    dates?" Hm! Although they had tried to exploit her momentarypse, Belinda had held her ground


    perfectly.


    "So, Belinda... Are you sure you''re not Duke''s girlfriend?" When Daisy heard Belinda''s retort, she


    stopped ying the ostrich and pulled her head out of Edward''s embrace, apprehensively asking


    Belinda this question.


    "Who told you that I''m the girlfriend of that iceberg? I''m not in so much heat that I need some ice for


    relief. Why would I be going after him? He''s not the kind of guy I am interested in." Belinda clicked her


    tongue and looked disgusted. She didn''t expect her words would attract a chilling pair of eyes.


    "I''m not the kind of guy you''re interested in? Then who was it that first leaned into my arms just a while


    back? Miss Shangguan, don''t tell me you''ve already forgotten!" His creepy tone was filled with


    viciousness like that of the devil. The voice pierced through Belinda''s eardrums, making her


    instinctively shiver.


    "Um... That was just an ident! Don''t harp on it. I was just throwing that out there." Deep down,


    Belinda whined to herself, ''Hm... Daisy, I was so good to you, yet you purposefully dug a hole for me to


    sink into! Don''t you know that when the iceberg gets angry, he''s even scarier than your own husband!


    Otherwise, I wouldn''t have run away so quicklyst time.''


    Daisy looked at Edward, bewildered. Didn''t he just say that Belinda was Duke''s girlfriend? Then why


    did things seem so wrong now?


    Edward was thinking of something else, so he didn''t see Daisy''s inquisitive expression. He wanted to


    rify the rules to Daisy. First of all, she needed to change the way how she addressed people. She


    shouldn''t address Duke in such an intimate way. Moreover, she should call Edward "darling".


    Duke did not answer Belinda. He simplyy on the couch, still exuding a chilly persona. ''I''m not your


    kind of guy? Let''s see if that''s true. You started this game, and once it''s begun, there''s no stopping it.''


    "Duke, actually you two seem connected in some way! Weren''t you two hugging each other so tightly


    outside this barst time? Only today, it happened indoors." Rain joked about the two apparent


    enemies. It was likely that they could actually get together!


    "What? You''re saying that olddy fromst time was her?" Duke couldn''t stay calm any longer. He


    hadn''t forgotten how that woman had given him a vicious p, or how she had nastily called him a


    pervert. Now he realized that that woman was actually Belinda. ''Okay, calling me a perv, huh? One day,


    I''ll live up to that name with her. Otherwise, I won''t be worthy of that "title" she has bestowed on me.''


    "Who is the olddy you were referring to? Me? Or your sister? Have you ever met an olddy who


    looked as pretty and charming as me?" Belinda got angry, as well, ''Shit! I have the body and the looks.


    What makes me an olddy?''


    "Sister-inw, I''m not an olddy either." Leena answered feebly, wondering why she had been


    dragged into this. Why did Belinda call her out?


    "Uh..." Belinda couldn''te up with an answer. She didn''t mean that. What was more horrifying was


    that Leena was sitting right next to her!


    "Cough," now it was Rain''s turn to spit out his wine! What a funny family! And they sure were a family!


    It appeared that things were indeed getting even more interesting!

 Chapter 95 Is Mrs. Mu Drunk Again

    Chapter 95 Is Mrs. Mu Drunk Again


    The enjoyable evening passed quickly. When they stepped out of Sexy World, it was already past


    midnight. Thanks to extra drinks with Belinda and her friends, Daisy was seriously drunk. She was now


    leaning on Edward''s arms, and the alcohol painted a pink hue on her cold face.


    Leena was not a good drinker, but she only had a little, so at most she was tipsy. She held Belinda''s


    arm tightly, determined to take her home as her real sister-inw.


    "Miss Shangguan, can you still drive?" Since Daisy was drunk, Edward thought he should take care of


    her wife''s good friend. After all, Belinda had drunk quite a bit as well.


    "I''m fine. I''ll get a cab home." Belinda was not someone eager to prove herself. She would not fool


    around with her own life and others'' safety when she had consumed alcohol.


    "Rain, you take Leena home." As Duke spoke, he pulled Leena away from Belinda and pushed her


    towards Rain.


    "Why am I taking her? You''re not going back?" Rain was confused, ''Where the hell was he going?''


    "Let''s go! Let me take you home." Duke didn''t answer Rain. Instead, he took Belinda''s hand and


    walked to his own car.


    "Duke, really, I can get a cab on my own. You don''t need to take me home." Belinda wanted to pull


    back her hand, but she realized that Duke was holding it tightly, leaving her with no chance of getting


    away.


    "Shut up, I said I am going to take you home, so I''m going to do just that. What are you so afraid of?"


    He forcefully opened the passenger side door of the car and pushed Belinda in. Duke felt that he had


    been acting weirdly enough tonight, and that he was too impatient to listen to her.


    "Tsk! What should I be afraid of? I''ll let you drive. You don''t bite, anyway." Belinda coldly muttered.


    Someone had volunteered to be her chauffeur for free, so there was no point in making a fuss about it.


    "If you aren''t afraid, then just shut it." Duke red at her ferociously and started his car, quickly driving


    away.


    "Edward, tell me, do you think there''s really something going on between those two?" Rain''s eyes were


    filled with curiosity while his imagination had started to run wild.


    "You should ask them that! They will surely tell you what you want to know." Edward held the petitedy


    in his arms and didn''t know what to do. He figured that he shouldn''t let her drink anymore.


    "Rain, do you think my brother likes my sister-inw?" Leena asked hesitantly. If it were true, then she


    would be in luck. Her future days would be much better without all the scolding from her brother.


    "Ouch!" Rain patted on her head, "You''ve been calling her sister-inw the entire night, and you finally


    remembered to ask that!" Rain didn''t know what to do with this ridiculous girl. She had been chasing


    Belinda for the whole night and calling her sister-inw. Yet, only now, she thought about asking if her


    own brother liked Belinda. Rain gave up.


    "Let''s go, too." Seeing Duke''s car gradually disappear into the night, Edward was lost in his own


    thoughts. The view stirred something inside him.


    "Mr. Mu, is Mrs. Mu drunk again?" Luke came by as soon as he sent Justin home. He was a bit


    surprised to see Daisy in Edward''s arms. It seemed to him that Mrs. Mu was drunk all the time.


    "Yeah! She can''t really drink. She just had a few." Edward found it funny that Daisy bumped into fresh


    trouble almost every day. She knew that she couldn''t drink, yet she had downed so many sses with


    that crazy Belinda. Fortunately, she was on holiday, otherwise she would have a serious problem


    tomorrow. What would she do? Just show up hungover in front of the soldiers?


    Luke opened the rear door of the car, knowing that his young master wouldn''t be able to drive tonight,


    and so he had to escort them back.


    Edward carefully helped Daisy into the car. He then followed in and held her in his arms again. She


    didn''t react at all, silent like a dewed cat, sleepingfortably.


    N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    Luxury cars swiftly zipped through the streets. Dazzling neon lights red up in the night. Refracted


    through the car windows, the psychedelic colors turned the midnight city into a mesmerizing scenery.


    Belinda cautiously took off her high heels and tiptoed upstairs, fearing that she would wake up the


    sleeping lion and lose any chance of escaping.


    "Click." The dark and dim lobby instantly transformed into an extraordinarily brightly-lit area. Belinda


    turned back, a bitter expression on her pretty face. The first thing she could see was the furious face of


    her father.


    "Aha! Dad, you''re not in bed yet!" As she spoke, she turned and stepped downstairs, constantly


    ncing behind Zachary Shangguan, in the hope that someone would be there to save her.


    "No need to look. Your mom''s asleep. Now tell me what happened tonight." Zachary felt quite hopeless


    about his only daughter. This girl didn''t have the tenderness and care that a woman should posses. At


    her age, she never brought back a boyfriend. He had to go out of his way to set up blind dates for her.


    Yet, somehow, she managed to piss off the other party every time.


    "What do you mean by what happened? Nothing happened! No earthquakes, no tsunamis. Your wife is


    still safe and sound asleep at home. What could have happened?" But Belinda knew something was


    wrong, ''That arrogant man has surely ratted on me to my dad. This is just so miserable! What time was


    it now? And father was still up, waiting for me! What''s the point of all this?''


    "Belinda Shangguan, stop with the nonsense. Tell me, in details, where did this boyfriend of yours


    come from?" Zachary suddenly shouted, his face stern and upromising. How could he not know


    how good this girl was at deflecting questions? But he wouldn''t let her seed tonight. She had to


    confess.


    "Dad, you have slept too much. Who has a boyfriend? Don''t tell me mom has a man behind your back."


    Belinda smiled obsequiously, but her words were aggravating enough to make the dead spin in their


    graves.


    "You brat, now cracking jokes at the expense of your own mother! If some people were to walk in now,


    they might even believe it!" Sherry Ai was drawn in by their argument. She looked drowsy and one


    could tell that she was indeed asleep, but her sleep might not be as sound as Belinda had imed.

 Chapter 96 Take A Shower First, And Then Go To Bed

    Chapter 96 Take A Shower First, And Then Go To Bed


    "Mom, please, just take your darling to bed! Don''t let him stand here thiste."


    Belinda was relieved when she finally saw her mother, Sherry. Everyone knew that her father loved her


    mother very much and Belinda''s mother doted on her profusely, which was why she was so wayward.


    "Hey little girl, don''t annoy your father, or I won''t ever take your side. By the way, who was that boy


    tonight? Your boyfriend? How about asking him to have dinner with us next time? Why don''t you


    introduce him to us? That way, your father wouldn''t try to set you up on blind dates all day long." Sherry


    pretended to be angry and poked Belinda''s head with her finger, but her voice was very tender. Sherry


    was middle-aged, but she was still very attractive.


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "My lovely mother, it''ste. I want to sleep now. I don''t want to wake up with dark circles tomorrow


    morning." Belinda grabbed Sherry''s arm like a little kid and kissed her. Sherry smelt the booze on her


    breath.


    " Oh my! How much wine did you have?" Sherry pushed Belinda away in disgust, and thought, how


    come the older she gets, the more bothersome she bes?


    "Not much. I didn''t get drunk. Daisy was the one who got drunk. I got her drunk on purpose." Belinda


    huped. She was mad at Daisy because Daisy was dishonest with her. That''s why Belinda


    deliberately got Daisy drunk. She knew Daisy couldn''t drink too much, but her husband was also there.


    Didn''t they realize that alcohol can be an aphrodisiac? She was trying to help them, and let them have


    a chance to getid!


    "What? Are you still in touch with Daisy? How''s she doing now? We haven''t seen her for the longest


    time. How about asking her to have dinner with us next time?" Sherry felt sorry, thinking about Daisy.


    No one could imagine that Daisy, a girl who was nothing short of a beautiful princess would be treated


    like a ve by her step-mother.


    "My dear mom, Why do you always want to invite people to have dinner with us?" I am really


    exhausted right now. Can we talk about thister?" Right now, Belinda just wanted to take a shower


    and go to bed. That way she would be active and ready to hang out with Daisy tomorrow. Belinda had


    thought her mother was her hero, but she was way more annoying than her father.


    Zachary didn''t utter a word when Sherry was present, because he knew it was useless to say anything


    in front of the two women. After all, women made all the rules in this house. Then why bother to say


    anything?


    "Oh, you silly girl, fine, just go, but don''t forget to tell me tomorrow." Since Belinda was tired, Sherry


    was reluctant to ask her again. Anyway, there would be plenty of time tomorrow.


    "Thanks, mom. Hey, dad, you''d better take your wife to bed!" Belinda said and made faces at her


    parents. Then happily she ran upstairs.


    "Look, at your baby girl." Zachary helplessly looked at Belinda and said to Sherry disappointedly. He


    hadn''t asked the most important questions yet! And Belinda just slipped away like that.


    "That''s your daughter too!" Speaking of their baby girl, Zachary couldn''t do anything to hurt her either


    so he couldn''t me Sherry alone.


    "Forget it. Let''s go to bed! We can talk about it tomorrow." Looking upstairs again, Zachary reluctantly


    guided Sherry to their bedroom.


    It was a beautiful night where the air was filled with a faint fragrance of flowers. Edward held Daisy in


    his arms and tenderly put her on the bed. When he was about to leave, he heard her mumbling.


    "Edward... you... you jerk." Daisy was murmuring in her sleep. She threw aside the quilt that he had put


    on her and then she went back to sleep.


    Edward curled his lips, and thought, how angry is this woman tonight? He couldn''t believe that she was


    scolding him even in her sleep. He hasn''t used her yet. How could she scold him first?


    When he thought of it, he smiled and came close to her lips. He kissed her hard on the lips. He was


    reluctant to stop kissing her until she was hurt. He gently touched her lips where the teeth-marks


    formed, and then stood up contentedly. He just stood there and gracefully started to unbutton his shirt,


    which heter threw on the couch. After that, he took off his trousers and walked towards the bathroom


    in a pair of sexy briefs. How could she scold him first?


    Edward had a handsome face, eight-pack abs, perfect pecs and was extremely well-built, which made


    him all the more desirable. He turned on the tap, and the cold water immediately sprinkled on his hot


    body.


    Edward was an easygoing person and lived as he liked. He never thought that he would fall in love with


    a woman one day. But now, Edward couldn''t help gazing at her, touching her, and being jealous


    because of that one name. Yes, he was jealous, and so he kept drinking until he was totally drunk,


    trying tofort himself with alcohol.


    Edward wanted to find out if Daisy loved him or not, but he didn''t know how to say that out loud. He


    was afraid to hear the answer, so he forced himself not to think about it.


    Edward ruffled his short-hair, trying to quit thinking about all this. He turned off the tap and wrapped a


    bath towel around his waist. Then, he walked to the bathtub and poured water into it.


    By the time Edward got back, Daisy was sound asleep, with no sign of waking up any time soon.


    "Babe, wake up, let''s take a shower before you go to bed." Edward gently held her up and smoothed


    her messy long-hair.


    "No... I want to sleep. I... I feel so dizzy!" Daisy murmured. Her cold voice turned soft now.


    "No, take a shower first, and then go to bed." Edward insisted, and held her up again.


    "But I don''t want to move" After Edward''s long and persistent efforts, Daisy finally woke up a little bit


    but she wasn''t sober because she had too much to drink tonight. Her soft body leaned on his bare


    chest. Smelling a familiar fragrance of jasmine, Daisy took a deep breath and held afortable


    position in his arms.

 Chapter 97 Call Me Baby

    Chapter 97 Call Me Baby


    Edward couldn''t help smiling when he saw Daisy behave like this. He wondered why she acted less


    aloof when she got drunk.


    "I don''t want to move!" Edward sized her up carefully and gave her a sly grin.


    "Yep, I don''t want to..." Daisy didn''t want to talk to him. She felt so dizzy.


    "Oh... What are you doing?" Suddenly Edward lifted Daisy, which sobered her up a bit. And then, she


    put her hands around his neck unconsciously.


    "Didn''t you say you don''t want to move? Then I have to bath you." Edward sniggered, he carried her


    into the bathroom and put her into the bathtub without taking off her clothes.


    She grabbed him inadvertently when he put her in the bathtub. Suddenly, she screamed as she


    identally touched his bare body.


    "Oh... You pervert, why are you naked?" Although it wasn''t the first time she saw him naked, she still


    blushed.


    "Pervert? But you are the one who took my clothes off." Edward said with a yful smile. Brazenly


    standing in front of her, he pointed at the bath towel she held in her hand.


    After hearing him, Daisy looked at that bath towel in her hand and threw it aside instantly. Right now,


    she looked more beautiful than ever, like a sparkling diamond.


    "Hmm... I didn''t mean to." A pink flush colored her cheeks. She didn''t know why she would do such an


    awkward thing.


    "I didn''t know you were so eager to see me naked. Well, look at my body. Isn''t it perfect? Right?" Daisy


    felt his lips against her ear. The warm breath slowly brushed her skin, which made her shiver


    unwittingly. Daisy thought, he shouldn''t be so close to her while talking.


    "Nonsense! Get away from me!" Daisy growled, but she didn''t dare to look at him. She never saw such


    an unabashed man who could talk andugh like this without his clothes on.


    "Didn''t you say you don''t want to move? So, let me help you!" Edward said flirtatiously and kissed her


    earlobe.


    "Ah... That''s not what I meant." Speaking of flirting, Daisy was no match for Edward. Although Daisy


    already had a child, she had only slept with one man¡ªEdward. How could shepare with a yboy


    like him?


    "So, you want to move now? Then I can''t go out." Edward kept kissing her ear, which made her so


    nervous that her whole body went numb. Her heartbeat was going faster and faster. She didn''t know


    what he would do next.


    "Get out! I need to bath!" Daisy tried to stay sober and asked him to go out because she knew


    something terrible would happen otherwise.


    "Hmm..." No sooner than she finished speaking, Edward began to kiss her lips. He kissed her as he


    stepped into the bathtub. There was a faint smell of wine in the air.


    Daisy was shocked by his actions. Did he want to...?


    "Do you forget what I have said? Close your eyes." Edward could not stand her staring at him like this.


    It made him feel like the bad guy.


    Daisy didn''t close her eyes. She tried to push him away, but he held her even tighter. He slipped his


    tongue inside Daisy''s mouth and kissed her passionately. She tasted so sweet, like a ss of wine. It


    drove him insane.


    "Call me baby, hmm?" Edward eagerly said in a low murmur.


    "No! You are such a baby." Daisy tried to resist him, unwilling to give in.


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "A baby? I''ll show you how manly I am." Edward said with a yful smile and gave her a resolute


    nce. It felt like he would eat her alive, which made her look at him in fright.

 Chapter 98 This Is Acceptable

    Chapter 98 This Is eptable


    "Edward... my... baby..." Daisy surrendered, wondering whether he was on some sort of a drug, or else


    what could have made himst that long.


    "This is eptable." The night was still unveiling its intoxicating charm. Edward held her tightly in his


    arms with a smile. He parted the hair falling on her face and gave her a long kiss on the forehead


    before he was satisfied and then he went to sleep.


    The light of the dawn uncovered the veils of night. The bright morning light that pouring out of the


    clouds marked the fresh beginning of a day.


    The early morning sunshine that brought people tranquility prated through the curtains and


    scattered on the two sleeping figures lying on the fancy bed. The air inevitably flowed with a strong


    aura of lust, which showed how passionate they had beenst night.


    The tranquility of this beautiful morning was broken by a ringing sound, Edward frowned and opened


    his sleepy eyes. He was annoyed with the person who had disturbed his dreams so early in the


    morning.


    Edward carefully withdrew the arm that held by Daisy and reached out his hand to grab the mobile


    phone that was making this annoying noise. He then slid it open and answered the call without noticing


    where the call wasing from. He did not expect to hear an outraged and active voice first thing in


    the morning.


    "Daisy, quickly get out of your bed! Are you going to stand me up again? Belinda called Daisy while she


    was still in her bed.


    "Miss Belinda, you enjoy calling your friends early in the morning to wake them up, don''t you? Or is it a


    strange hobby?" Edward''s asked in a gloomy voice filled with displeasure. Belinda got startled. She


    immediately stood up from the bed, mama ah! Belina double checked to confirm if she had called the


    wrong number. She found that the phone call she made was for Daisy. So why did Edward answer the


    call?


    "Haha, Good morning, Mr. Mu! Weather is really nice." Belinda greeted him awkwardly. How could


    Belinda forgot that Daisy was with Edward all day long.


    "Miss Belinda, you woke me up this early in the morning to talk about the weather?" Edward ground his


    teeth and replied. He always got angry when he didn''t get enough sleep.


    "Well. Of course not. I was being respectful and courteous. Can you please hand over the phone to


    Daisy?" Fine. Belinda realized that it was indeed too early for her to call. She didn''t argue with him. Her


    motto was - Don''t be arrogant when you are at fault.


    "She''s still sleeping. Please call her back at noon if you need to talk to her." Daisy was still soundly


    sleeping. Edward looked at her lovingly, the volume of his voice automatically dropped as he spoke.


    N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "What! Call her back at noon? You both must have had quite a long night. She must be tired out."


    Belinda tried to calm down as she realized she was picking up a stone to hit her own foot. Nothing


    would have happened if she had sent Daisy home and kept her away from alcohol.


    "Miss Belinda, it seems you are quite interested in knowing what happenedst night. But it''s none of


    your business." As he said this, he hung up the phone and tossed it aside. He didn''t want to waste any


    more time talking nonsense with her.


    Belinda was surprised that Edward suddenly hung up on her. She was getting a taste of what it meant


    to be self-inflicted.


    Edward pinched Daisy''s delicate nose. It seemed that she was exhausted fromst night because she


    didn''t show any sign of waking up any time soon.


    Edward gently gave a kiss on her forehead, and with a broad smile on his lips, he held her in his arms


    and closed his eyes.


    Daisy woke up when the hot sun engulfed the whole room. When she tried to move her body, she felt


    like she had been running ten kilometers cross-country. Edward had been quite intensest night.


    Daisy turned her head around and stared at Edward, who was still asleep. Then she decided to sit up


    cautiously and took a look at her phone. It''s eleven o''clock already! Belinda would definitely harass her


    again. Ignoring the pain in her whole body, she put on her nightgown and hurried into the bathroom.


    "Ah! Edward, I swear I won''t forgive you for this!" The loud scream came out of the bathroom and woke


    him up.


    "What happened my love?" Edward hurried towards the bathroom naked.


    "Go and get dressed first!" Daisy shouted furiously. Daisy couldn''t stand his cavalier persona anymore,


    for instance, pacing around the room ''naked''.


    "You should use the magic word ''please'' more often." Edward ignored herints about the dress


    code but corrected her on her choice of words.


    "I am not a saint." Daisy deliberately ignored the fact that he wasn''t wearing any clothes. She admitted


    that her way of talking could be improved.


    "Well. It is hard for me to imagine that such an elegant beauty like you can be so rude at times."


    Edward picked up a bath towel from the cab and wrapped himself with it.


    "Do you regret that you married me? Daisy turned around and gave him a spiteful look.


    "No, I love everything about you." Edward looked at her with a wicked smile. He loved to be surprised


    by her every day. This was making her more alive and real while not being too indifferent.

 Chapter 99 Dont Mess With A Colonel

    Chapter 99 Don''t Mess With A Colonel


    "Edward Mu, are you trying to distract me?" Daisy red at him as she remembered why she


    screamed at the first ce.


    "Damn it. My full name. Really?" Edward didn''t like it when she called him by his full name. It made him


    feel like a chastised child.


    "So you''ve changed your name?" Daisy looked at Edward with a questioning nce, not realizing why


    he was pissed off.


    "Don''t push it. Or do you want a repeat of what happenedst night?" Edward''s eyes narrowed


    dangerously as he stared at Daisy. Since when was she able to drive him mad so easily?


    Daisy closed her eyes and tried to recall how many things she agreed tost night. She blushed when


    certain scenes ran in her mind. ''He set me up again.''


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Well. You didn''t say that I need to call you husband every day." Daisy wasn''t willing topromise. He


    only asked her to say it once. It''s his fault he didn''t make the rules clear.


    "Good. It''s time for me to rey what happenedst night and make the rules clear this time." Edward


    moved to grab Daisy but she was not there. In a sh, she was by the door and out of his reach.


    "Don''te near me. I will pound you if youe any closer." Daisy threatened him, hoping that


    would be enough. She knew that if she were caught by him, she wouldn''t be able to go out for a whole


    day.


    Edward was stunned for a second, but he recovered quickly. ''She wants to y with me'' he thought. ''I


    haven''t exercised for a while. Bring it, woman!''


    He tried to conceal his anticipation. "You started it. Don''t start what you can''t finish." Edward knew he''d


    win. Even Luke couldn''t best him. She didn''t stand a chance.


    "Ha! I''m not afraid of you. Don''t mess with a colonel!" Daisy thought his fighting skills would be rusty --


    he didn''t need to fight because his bodyguards would do it for him.


    "Really? Are you suggesting that I''m easy to deal with?" Edward got excited and moved towards her.


    "No! Stop right there. I swear I will clock you if youe closer." He didn''t stop, so Daisy swung with


    her fist. Edward leaned away, and her fist sailed past him, striking only air. He didn''t miss a beat,


    countering with a sweep.


    Daisy sneered and avoided his foot. One of her long legs swept past his another foot too, and she


    threw a cross punch back at him. ''He''s really good at it.'' she thought.


    Edward blocked, and followed with a side kick to meet Daisy''s crescent kick. Their legs met full on, and


    you could hear them collide. Daisy cried out, not in pain but in shock, as his bath towel peeled off and


    pooled on the floor.


    Edward took advantage of her shock and grabbed her, not caring about his appearance at all.


    "You''re shameless!" Daisy grunted, struggling to escape his grasp. Edward was used to being naked.


    "Shameless? If you continue to struggle, I will show you what''s real shamelessness." Edward


    whispered in her ear, and she froze immediately. She knew what he meant.


    "Free me first." Daisy already felt him, aroused, pushing against her.


    "Don''t move, let me hold you for a while, otherwise you won''t get past the door." Edward was trying


    hard to control his desire. Why did his feelings soar every time he was around her?


    Daisy was speechless. What could she do? Her husband could turn into a full-on lust machine in the


    blink of an eye. And what about the hickeys he left all over her body? It just seemed to turn him on


    more!


    "Edward, are you done? I promised Belinda that I would go shopping with her today." If she didn''t show


    up today, there would be severe consequences.


    "I''ll let go for now, but never call me by my full name again." Edward was determined that she would


    bend to his will.


    "What should I call you now? Honey? Sweetie?" Edward thought for a moment. What did he want her


    to call him? Daisy smiled mirthlessly.


    "I prefer you to call me husband." Edward was transfixed. Even mad she was still gorgeous, and it


    threw him into a lovestruck trance every time.


    Daisy looked up and fell straight into his gaze, as if she were going to prate theyers of darkness


    to reach his heart. She wanted to see if he was telling the truth.


    Daisy touched his handsome face, gently brushed his heavy ck knife-shaped eyebrows, his straight


    nose, and stopped when she reached his attractive thin lips.


    He saw the deep affection in her eyes again. He was confused by her gentle touch. He didn''t know


    whether her love was for him or someone else.


    Just as Edward wondered why Daisy stopped, she kissed him. When he tried to wrest control of the


    exchange, she withdrew coldly. It was a power y, and she would win.


    "Edward, I will always be your loyal wife, until you say otherwise." She looked at him firmly.


    Edward was stunned for a while after hearing her promise, then he bowed his head and kissed her until


    both of them were out of breath.


    "Thank you. My wife. I''ll remember what you said. And I want to tell you I have your back. I''ll support


    you, always and forever." Edward touched her forehead gently and made his firstmitment


    ever.

 Chapter 100 Do You Think That I鈥檓 Silly

    Chapter 100 Do You Think That I¡¯m Silly


    Belinda examined Daisy closely, smirking. She was hard to read at this moment.


    "Is there anything wrong with me? Why are you staring at me?" Daisy said while pulling up the cor of


    her blouse, trying to hide the love marks that Edward gave her. She wondered what Belinda possibly


    saw.


    "It''s toote. You can''t hide those, anyway. Uh-huh! So how many times did you do itst night?"


    Belinda asked in a low voice, suddenly leaning close to Daisy. Her evil smile clearly showed what was


    on her mind.


    She blushed immediately. She was hoping to hide her love bites with a high-cored blouse, but it was


    to little avail. Belinda noticed them right away.


    "Belinda, you''re so obscene!" Daisy was speechless. What a dirty mind!


    "Huh! Why do you simply criticize me? Your Edward is a brute. Do you know what time it is?" Belinda


    sipped her coffee. Huh! She remembered Edward had hung up her. She hoped Daisy would call back.


    She waited a long time for Daisy to give her a ring.


    "It''s not even 1 pm. Still early." Daisy blurted out theme remark, but she tried to make light of it with


    her tone.


    "Yes! Of course! Early, if you like exercisingte at night!" Belinda sneered at Daisy. She found Daisy


    much more attractive than before. ''Maybe the magic power of love?'' she thought. ''If she could be more


    enthusiastic she''d be the perfect woman.''


    ''What''s wrong with Belinda? Why is she all of sudden mocking me? Was it something she ate? Why is


    she so harsh to me today?'' Daisy wondered.


    "Just go ahead andugh. You won''t be so full ofughter when it''s your turn." Daisy squinted at


    Belinda and took a sip of coffee, rather rxed.


    "Huh! Unlikely!" Belinda said, disapproval coloring her voice. ''I''m totally different from this lovestruck


    fool. I would never be caught up in an erotic situation. It wouldn''t stop me from being me.'' Belinda


    thought.


    "What about Mr. Cold?" Daisy raised her eyebrows and smirked. She watched Belinda''s face closely to


    see her reaction.


    "Who is Mr. Cold?" Belinda asked in bewilderment. She couldn''t think of anyone that appetion


    referred to.


    "You know. Who else would it be? Leena was calling you sis-inw all day yesterday. Come on..."


    Daisy sneered. She was annoyed at Belinda, and wanted to make her pay for ribbing her about being


    late.


    "Wait! Duke? No way! We barely know each other." Belinda shook her head in disapproval. But


    secretly, she did find the man intriguing.


    "Really? I think he''s very interested in you, Belinda." Yesterday, Daisy caught Duke staring amorously


    at Belinda the whole night. And he seemed pretty confident around her, too.


    "Cut it out, Daisy!" Belinda lost it when she heard that Duke was interested in her.


    "Think of the possibilities." Daisy answered, totally flip about the situation. She continued to sip her


    coffee leisurely.


    "There won''t be any possibilities. By the way, where is Justin? Why didn''t you bring him with you?"


    Belinda asked Daisy in an usatory tone. She was disappointed. She wanted to spend some time


    with the little guy.


    "He didn''t want to go along. He said he''d get bored." Daisy replied. When she mentioned her son, her


    tone became very soft and gentle. She still remembered his insistence on not going with her on this


    morning. His dad was entertaining some big clients, and golf sounded more fun to Justin.


    "Wow, what a haughty boy! He''d get bored shopping with women? So would he be happier shopping


    with men?" Belinda felt irritated by Justin''s choice. She blurted out these words without thinking. ''Such


    a little devil! The little boy is annoying! Like father, like son! They''re both heartbreakers!'' Belinda


    thought.


    "It''s his father''s influence. He''s stayed with Edward for too long." Daisy said. She was also very upset


    about this. She felt that Justin was not as happy to be around her as before. He seemed to be more


    comfortable with Edward. When she saw his smiles around Edward, she wondered if she was wrong


    for depriving the boy of father''s love.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "So what happened between you and Edward? I thought you were separated. You haven''t seen each


    other for years." Belinda asked. ''Both Edward and Daisy thought that their paths would never cross.


    But what got them together again?'' Belinda wondered.


    "I didn''t expect this. It just happened. All I wanted was for him to be happy, but my desire to be close to


    him eclipsed all that." Daisy smiled with self-mockery. She took a sip of her coffee, feeling depressed.


    Belinda patted Daisy on the shoulder tofort her friend. She now understood her heart. She


    remembered that Daisy gave up her major in painting because of a casual word from Edward. And she


    loved painting! And her irresponsible father agreed to finance her overseas study, as long as she never


    returned to the house.


    "Belinda, do you think that I''m silly? I desperately fell in love with Edward, even though I was sure


    nothing woulde of it. But all these years, loving him has be a habit. If I stopped loving him


    one day, it''s only because my heart stopped beating." Daisy said these words to Belinda very calmly.


    Her gaze was hollow and distant.


    "Does Edward know how you feel?" Belinda felt very sad now. A lump formed in her throat, her eyes


    burned from tears that started forming. If it were her, she''d just let the man know her feelings, and see


    what he had to say.


    "I don''t know. I never thought about telling him. But if he doesn''t love me, then hope would die in me,


    along with my pride and self-esteem." Daisy said. She thought if one day Edward really fell in love with


    her, she would tell him that there was a girl who grew up with secret love for him. She grew stronger in


    her firm belief, and matured with the passing days, missing him the whole time.

 Chapter 101 There Are Only Lazy Mistresses

    Chapter 101 There Are Only Lazy Mistresses


    "How does Edward truly feel about you? Is he with you because of Justin, or is it because he has fallen


    for you?" At that moment, Belinda vividly remembered the woman who made an intimate call to


    Edward. Could that be Daisy? Belinda recalled his affection for Daisy yesterday and figured that it was


    quite likely.


    "I''m not sure. He said he would try to love me, and I just dropped all my defenses and jumped into his


    seductive trap without looking back." Daisy closed her eyes, thinking that at least Edward was sincere


    to her now. She decided to give him a chance despite the uncertainty. She decided to work for it no


    matter what the oue. Perhaps by that time, she would finally lose all hope!


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "I suppose he''s serious! In the past few months, I haven''t once read about any of his scandals. Is it


    possible that you are the woman who made the CEO of FX International reject all the other girls?"


    Belinda paid attention to the papers. Stories about Edward''s secret son had been quite the scoop, but


    nothing came of it because none of the involved parties gave a reaction to the rumor. Belinda didn''t


    know it was Justin, so she always thought the stories involved another woman.


    "I don''t think they meant me! I''ve only been with him for the past few days. I sent Justin to his ce and


    went straight to drills a while ago." Daisy was a bit concerned, worrying that he might have another


    woman he loved profoundly.


    "Really? Then who else could it be?" The memory of the phone call again surfaced in Belinda''s brain.


    She was doubtful, too.


    "Nevermind, stop thinking about it. Let''s go! Didn''t you say we will go shopping? My time is in your


    hands today." Daisy didn''t want to question the sincerity of Edward''s ims. She would rather trust him


    than specte infidelity.


    "Yes, you should offer me some advice. Speaking of, recently I have been feeling that I am getting


    quite old. I''m nothingpared to the young girls out there." Although Belinda knew that she was still


    in her best years, she lost her confidence whenever shepared herself to younger girls.


    "You do realize you''re getting old? So, go find someone to marry." Daisy looked at her, amused that


    even Belinda could lose her confidence.


    "Yeah! Colonel Daisy, why can''t you introduce me to a noble and handsome young man from the


    military base? I do want to get married! Otherwise, my father will set me up with some oddball." Belinda


    eximed with desperation because she was sure that Zachary would undoubtedly do such a thing.


    Her father was also quite capricious!


    "A young officer? I do know an excellent young man, but I''m not sure if he''s got a girlfriend." Daisy


    thought about Kevin Gu, but she felt that Belinda and Kevin wouldn''t get along, so Belinda should stick


    with Mr. Cold.


    "Really? I don''t care if he''s got a girlfriend. There are onlyzy mistresses, no unbreakable rtion.


    Any mistress who''s notzy can sessfully steal other girls'' boyfriend." Belinda held Daisy''s arm as


    they walked out of the cafeughing.


    MY Mall was the hub for all brand clothes in S City. Naturally, it became a popr choice for the high


    rollers, the well-to-do women and the wealthy wives. The mall was also a property of the FX


    International Group. It had a tremendous reputation, but Daisy didn''t care about that too much. She


    came in only because Belinda dragged her along.


    Daisy''s casual look undoubtedly attracted the resentment of many people. Since this was just a


    shopping trip, she didn''t put on one of the fancy dresses that Edward had bought for her. Instead, she


    chose a pair of fitted jeans and a long and loose blouse that she usually wear. She looked casual but


    fashionable, yet the look didn''t go well with the upscale ambiance of the mall.


    Belinda was very excited because thetest trends and fashion easily swayed her. The Mall featured


    unique styles and products, so it was unlikely for her to run into anyone who wore the same clothes.


    That was why she brought Daisy here.


    Daisy ignored everyone and calmly followed Belinda. She didn''t care how others feel about her. All she


    wanted to do was to keep her head high up.


    "Daisy, how about this one?" Belinda pointed towards a skin-colored short skirt.


    "It looks nice, and it also matches yourplexion. Try it on if you like it!" Daisy was casually looking at


    the clothes. No one took notice of her, probably because of her attire.


    "Miss, this is our new stock this month. It''s the first disy of the exclusive collection designed by L.N.


    this year. It brings out the feeling of European royalty. You must put it on; you''ll look incredibly chic in


    it." The store clerk was giving a detailed description. She noticed the designer brands that Belinda had


    on, so she was sure that Belinda was wealthy enough.


    "Then I''ll give it a try." Belinda raised her eyebrows to Daisy, visibly excited.


    "Yeah! Go ahead! I''ll look around for you." Daisy nodded. On her small face, there wasn''t a hint of any


    emotions. She carefully examined the racks, discreetly making choices for Belinda.


    A woman wearing heavy makeup walked in, her high-heel shoes knocking loudly on the floor. Her


    stunning curves frivolously glorified her beautiful body, drawing the attention of many bystanders.


    "Miss Ouyang, you''re here. The new collection you wanted a few days ago has arrived. Do you want to


    try it on?" The name ''Miss Ouyang'' gave Daisy a brief pause in her search for clothes, but she didn''t


    react and continued searching.


    "Sure, bring it out!" Mary Ouyang arrogantly raised her head, ncing at Daisy. Mary acted with an


    expression of contempt and bewilderment, thinking how could a woman dressed like that can afford the


    clothes here. And the woman seemed so focused.


    Since Daisy''s back was towards Mary, Mary had no way of knowing that this was the very same Daisy


    whom she had arduously tried to banish from her family. Mary thought that the woman was just a


    nobody.


    "Miss Ouyang, here is your garment." The clerk attentively handed the garment to Mary who was as


    wealthy as it got. Common people could not think of crossing her.


    "Yes!" Mary gave Daisy another disparaging look and walked towards the changing room.

 Chapter 102 Your Despicable Acts Make You Invincible

    Chapter 102 Your Despicable Acts Make You Invincible


    "Daisy, look, is this one OK? Ouch..."screamed Belinda. She wasing out of the fitting room in a


    hurry, and she identally bumped into a woman.


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    "Ouch... What the fuck! Are you blind?" cursed Mary. She took a few steps backward to regain bnce


    and immediately blurted out offensive words without noticing who she was talking to.


    Belinda didn''t answer back because she knew it was her fault. However, when she recognized the


    woman, she couldn''t suppress her rage anymore.


    "Hey, look, who it is? It''s Miss Ouyang! Thank you for your generous hospitalityst time! I truly enjoyed


    the dinner. How about you pay the bills again today?" said Belinda in a defiant tone. She smiled and


    thought, ''I did have funst time. I guess she must have maxed out her credit card!''


    "Belinda, it''s you. Are you fleeing from somewhere again?" asked Mary.


    She frowned and her eyes sparked with anger. She wanted to settle the score with Belinda right away.


    "You''re wrong, Mary. You are the one who needs to flee. After all, you have tried to steal another


    woman''s man." answered Belinda. She arrogantly looked at Mary and thought, ''Humph! You always act


    weak and innocent in Edward''s presence. Now you are revealing your true character?''


    "Who has tried to steal another woman''s man? I don''t know what you are talking about." denied Mary.


    Her face darkened when she heard the word ''steal'' because that was in fact what she had been doing.


    "You know the answer. I am not going to say her name." said Belinda. She gave Mary a hostile stare.


    Humph! No one had ever been able to ovee her imposing manner.


    "Belinda, I''m not afraid of you. Who cares if you are the CEO of the YS Group. I''ve got Ouyang Foreign


    Trade behind me," said Mary arrogantly. She thought, ''Belinda said that I have tried to steal another


    woman''s man. Did I steal her boyfriend? If I did, who was he?'' She thought for a long time after that


    day, but she couldn''t recall who Belinda was referring to.


    "Ha, ha! You crack me up, Mary. How shameless you are to say you''ve got the Ouyang Foreign Trade


    behind you! Yourst name may be Ouyang, but you are just a stepdaughter. In my eyes, you are


    nothing but a wicked woman who is stealing someone else''s life." mocked Belinda.


    She looked at Mary and thought, ''I don''t like her. She is just a stepdaughter. But she considers herself


    to be the real daughter of the Ouyang''s. Isn''t she scared to assume the identity of another person...''


    On hearing this, Mary gave Belinda a fierce nce. Her identity had been a wound to her. She thought,


    ''I hate that Daisy is born with a dignified identity. That is why I insulted her and forced her to leave


    home.


    I hate it when people say I am of a humble origin, and this is why I have put so much effort to blend in


    with the upper ss all these years. When I finally believed I had blended in, Belinda gave me a whop


    on the head.''


    "Belinda, you can''t hurt me by saying these words. Anyway, myst name is Ouyang now." Said Mary.


    She had to clench her fists real tight to stop herself from punching her in the face.


    "Your despicable acts make you invincible, Mary." said Belinda. She sneered and squinted at Mary.


    "Bitch, did you just say I''m despicable?" said Mary. She got so furious at that moment that she almost


    pped Belinda on her face. Right then her wrist was grasped by a slender hand and she couldn''t


    move.


    "Mary, after all these years, you are still so rude." A cold and indifferent voice rose from her side.


    "It''s you, Daisy." said Mary. She was surprised to see her here. ''I thought she had disappeared since


    her wedding day. Why is she here now?'' wondered Mary.


    "Yes, it''s me. Are you scared of me?" asked Daisy. She let go of Mary and coldly looked at her panic


    stricken face.


    "Well! Daisy, why would I be scared of you? You give yourself too much credit." answered Mary.


    ''Humph! She''s the woman I saw earlier. Look at what she is wearing. I guess she''s leading a mediocre


    life. I''m sure Edward no longer favors her. Otherwise, how can she, the CEO''s wife of the FX


    International Group, dress so shabbily.'' thought Mary.


    "I have always thought highly of myself, and I look down on certain people." answered Daisy. ''If


    possible, I don''t want to see or deal with anyone from Ouyang''s family.'' thought Daisy.


    "Daisy, what makes you think you can contend with me? Look at yourself. Life must be tough for you


    after your parting with the Ouyang''s Family!" said Mary.


    Mary arrogantly lifted her chin and thought, ''What I hate most about her is her aloof demeanor. I have


    tried to act like her, but it doesn''t resemble her at all. Years have passed but she still looks nobler and


    more refined than me.''


    "The Ouyang''s family? I''m so d that I''ve escaped from that ce. Mary, without me there, you must


    feel like a fish in water!" said Daisy. ''Well! Family? It wasn''t my family anymore after my mother died.''


    thought Daisy.


    "What are you implying, Daisy? Do you think you were disowned because of me?"asked Mary. ''I did


    comin about her in the presence of Leo. But it was my mother who decided to cast her out. Not me.''


    thought Mary.


    "Miss Ouyang, I don''t want to y me games. Bygones are bygones. Anyway, I have nothing to do


    with the Ouyang''s now. So, please remember, I don''t want to be linked with you again. Because the


    very thought makes me sick." said Daisy ruthlessly. She thought, ''When I stepped out of the family that


    year, I told myself that from now on, I''m just an orphan without parents.''

 Chapter 103 You Dared To Slap Me

    Chapter 103 You Dared To p Me


    "Haha... Daisy, do you think you are important because you''re the wife of the CEO of FX International


    Group? Look at you. Even a wage earner wears better clothes than you! Do you think Edward married


    you because he loves you? Absolutely not. Edward was forced by his parents; otherwise, you would be


    nobody to him."


    Mary smiled with much pride. Why did Daisy get all the good things in the world? She was born in a


    good family; even when she left home, she was fortunate enough to get married to a nobleman. She


    didn''t deserve it! Mary thought.


    "Doesn''t matter if he loves me or not, I''m his wife now. Other women can only dream about him and


    look at him from a distance." Daisy''s face grew a little pale because Mary had struck a raw nerve.


    Edward was, in fact, reluctant about their marriage. His parents forced him, so he felt repulsive and


    angry with her.


    "Really? It seems that you don''t know! He had a child with another woman. Do you still think you will be


    his wife for good?" Mary said with a wicked expression. She enjoyed seeing Daisy''s misery. She waited


    to see how Daisy would lose her feignedposure.


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    "Miss Mary, if you are saying such things to embarrass me, let me tell you, it''s useless. I don''t care


    about his matters. And I don''t have time to care." Daisy sneered and said. If she was concerned about


    everything Edward did, it wouldn''t be possible for her to remain so calm andposed and lead such


    a peaceful life.


    "Daisy, it is because you are not worthy. Do you really think you deserve to have an excellent man like


    Edward in your life? He should be with apetent woman like me." Mary looked at Daisy in


    contempt. She despised her.


    "So you think only you deserve to have an excellent man like Edward? Don''t you feel shameless saying


    these things?" Belinda smiled lightly. She was surprised by Mary''s brazenness. Last time when she


    met her, she had observed what was on Mary''s mind. But still, she felt surprised that Mary dared to say


    it out loud.


    "Belinda, don''t think that I''ll always stand silently and take your offensive words. I often wondered why


    you dislike me. As it turns out, it is because of this maid who was expelled from our family! Birds of a


    feather flock together, that applies to you two!" Daisy was indeed the family''s maid. Mary remembered


    that Daisy was more humble than the maid in the family!


    "Pa!", A distinct sound of a p attracted everyone''s attention. Mary covered her red cheek with her


    hand, shocked. It was painful. She red at Daisy who had dared to smack her in the face. Her first


    reaction was to retaliate. She raised her hand and was about to p back. But unexpectedly her wrist


    was held firmly by Daisy.


    "Mary, do you think that I am still the weak girl who used to live at the mercy of you bullies? You''d better


    brush your teeth and clean your mouth before youe out of the house next time. Your foul mouth


    has polluted the atmosphere of this ce. If I hear any rude remarks from you next time, I will show


    you what terrible things can befall on you when you dare to irritate me!


    Daisy firmed her grasp on Mary''s tender arm and then harshly flung it away. Her stern look and cold


    demeanor froze the air around her, daunting everyone froming close to her.


    Mary''s face was pale. She rubbed the hand which was hurt by Daisy''s firm grip. She felt terrified.


    ''When did this bitch be so terrifying. Look at her sullen face. I am sure that if need be, she will act


    on her words.'' Mary thought.


    There were no other customers in the store except for them. Otherwise, they would have attracted


    many spectators. The store assistants stared at Daisy, bbergasted. They were wondering how such


    a graceful woman could have such strength and make everyone terrified.


    "Daisy, you dared to p me! Today, I will destroy you!" While saying it, Mary pounced on Daisy, angry


    and red-faced. She didn''t expect that Daisy would p her in public. It made her feel humiliated. She


    was determined to take revenge and turn the tide.


    Daisy sneered. Mary was too sure of herself! Daisy slightly dodged, and Mary fell to the ground. She


    didn''t expect that Daisy would evade her attack. Shey on the ground, feeling more embarrassed.


    "Haha... Mary, what are you doing? Are you showing us a rendition? To exin to us how a dog eats


    shit? Oh! Don''t you think it''s disgusting?" Belindaughed out. Mary was quite stupid. She dared to


    fight with Daisy. She was too naive.


    Was she still considering that Daisy was the little girl who used to take all the insults? She was totally


    wrong! Daisy was a young andpetent female colonel in S City now!


    Mary bit her lips and pushed the shop assistant away who was trying to lift her up. She walked towards


    Daisy and Belinda with rage. Her arrogant and aggressive manner at the beginning faded away


    entirely.


    "Daisy, don''t be proud of your little trick! Just wait, I will make you regret what you have done to


    humiliate me today! And you too, Belinda. You canugh as loudly as you like now. But don''t forget that


    I will make you cry one day." Mary said and took a cold nce at them. Then she turned around and


    walked out without trying any clothes in the store. She looked like a proud peacock.


    "Huh! Who does she think she is? She''s just a silly woman who has nice breast shape but no brain! I


    will wait and watch what she will do to us!" Belinda said andughed. It seemed to her that Mary could


    not learn to control her temper. She was an aggressive woman who always liked to challenge others.


    "Just forget it. She''s not our concern. Let''s continue to try the clothes. Don''t let her spoil our good


    mood." Daisy said with a smile. She didn''t want to be bothered by Mary. That would be asking for


    trouble herself.


    "Yes. It''s unnecessary to argue with such a shallow woman. By the way, did you find any clothes you


    like in the store?" Belinda asked while smiling softly at Daisy. She quickly forgot the unpleasant matter


    that urred moments ago.


    "I''m okay. You just pick some clothes for yourself." Daisy looked at the dress Belinda was wearing. It


    looked good on her. Daisy nodded with satisfaction. Speaking of clothes, she thought of her wardrobe


    which was full of designer clothes that Edward had bought for her. She already had too many clothes.


    Daisy thought.


    "Why not? It''s my treat. Get all the clothes you like here." Belinda said while tapping on her chest to


    show her generosity. But at the same time, she stuck out her tongue when she hurt her chest. She had


    used too much strength on herself.


    "I don''t need you to pay. I can pay for myself If I want to buy clothes. Huh! Do you think I can''t afford


    these clothes?" Her sry was nothingpared to Belinda''s wealth, but she certainly could afford to


    buy some clothes for herself. Daisy thought.


    "I didn''t say that you can''t afford them. I just want to buy some clothes for you." Belinda said while


    making a face. Then sheughed and walked into the changing room.

 Chapter 104 My Brother Will Definitely Marry You

    Chapter 104 My Brother Will Definitely Marry You


    Daisy pursed her lips. She fully understood what Belinda was trying to say. They had been friends for


    years!


    "Sis, is that you?" Leena dashed in. She couldn''t believe her eyes. As it turned out it really was Daisy.


    "Hi, Leena. Are you here by yourself?" Daisy was surprised to meet Leena here. But she liked her


    because Leena always seemed cheerful and lively as if nothing in the world could upset her.


    "No, I came here with a friend. But she left earlier because of some urgent work. I didn''t expect to run


    into you here. Did youe here alone sis?" Leena held Daisy''s arm fondly. It was clear that Leena


    also admired Daisy.


    "Oh, I came here with Belinda." Daisy replied. She was looking forward to seeing how Belinda would


    react when she saw Leena.


    "What? My sister-inw is also here!" Wow! That''s great. I will ask her when she''ll be free and invite


    her to my house." Leena smiled snappily. It was a rare opportunity, and she knew she must seize it.


    "To your house? Why?" Feeling confused, Daisy raised her eyebrows.


    "To meet my father! The daughter-inw must meet her prospective parents-inw officially, don''t you


    agree?." Just this morning Leena had mentioned Belinda to her father, and Duke didn''t seem to have


    any issues with this. So that could be counted as an implied consent.


    Daisy couldn''t helpughing out when she heard Leena''s words. It was the first time that she behaved


    so improper in front of people. It was all because Leena was extremely funny.


    "Leena, are you sure Belinda is going to marry your brother? What did Duke say?" Daisy calmed


    herself and asked while looking at Leena who seemed quite excited now.


    "Are you asking about Mr. Cold? What else can he say?" Leena wrinkled her beautiful nose and looked


    at Daisy with confusion in her eyes.


    Fine! Daisy was speechless. Was Duke hoping to ask Belinda out? Or the whole thing was made up by


    Leena? Daisy wondered.


    "Hi! Belinda, my sister-inw. Nice to meet you again!" As soon as Leena saw Belindaing out of


    the changing room, she ran to her before she got any remark from Daisy. She smiled brightly at Belinda


    and held her arm as if they were close friends.


    Belinda pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows at Daisy, trying to figure out what was going on.


    Daisy shrugged. ''It is exactly what you see here.'' Daisy tried to express.


    "Well... Leena... You can''t randomly call someone your sister-inw. Are you doing it purposely, so that


    no man would think about marrying me?" Belinda felt helpless. She wondered what she did wrong to


    earn this misery. Why was she being grabbed by this dainty girl? She wondered.


    "No, that won''t happen. My brother will always love you. Rest assured, my brother will definitely marry


    you." Leena said. She was quite ignorant. No matter what happened, she was convinced that her


    brother and Belinda would be a couple.


    Belinda was worried. She came to realize that Leena was a godsent troublemaker. God resented that


    her life was too easy andfortable. That''s why he''s doing this to her, Belinda thought.


    Daisy looked at Belinda''s sad face and Leena''s innocent smiling face, she thought this whole episode


    was quite funny.


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    "Could you please stop linking me to your brother? We are not even friends!" Belinda pleaded with


    Leena who was much enthused by this topic. She felt annoyed.


    "Oh! Really? But he offered to drive you home yesterday, and this is very strange. As far as I know, he


    has never driven any women home before. He doesn''t even take a look at them."


    Leena gazed slyly at Belinda''s face as if trying to get some clues which would reveal her real feelings.


    "How would I know! I''m not your brother. I don''t know what he was thinking. You can assume that he


    was daft yesterday." Belinda said and blushed. She remembered that she felt something when Duke


    held her hand yesterday night.


    "Wow, sister-inw, you are blushing. Something must have happened between you twost night!"


    Leena said and smiled slyly. She began to imagine all kinds of scenarios in her mind.


    "Leena, I tell you for thest time, you can''t call me your sister-inw. Why are you so stubborn?"


    Belinda stared at Leena and said in a high pitch. She had been tactful in such cases in the past, but


    today she felt tongue-tied with this girl.


    "Okay, you can stop now. Everyone already knows that you''re a loving family." Daisy said to them. It


    was unlike her to make fun of others. But she couldn''t help it today; they were too amusing!


    "Daisy, what are you doing? Are you mocking me? I can see Edward''s influence on you. You have


    be as wicked as him!" Belinda stared hard at Daisy who was still smiling lightly. ''What was wrong


    with Daisy? She didn''t help me out; rather she''s deliberately trying to stir up the mess.'' Belinda


    wondered.


    "Daisy, you have the same idea that we are like a family, that''s so wonderful!" Leena said in a delighted


    tone. Leena sincerely hoped that Belinda would marry her brother and be her sister-inw. She


    had lost her mother when she was quite young. She always felt that Belinda''s good looks and


    temperament were a perfect match for Duke''s cold demeanor.


    She knew her brother wasn''t cold and distant from the inside. He acted like this because he needed to


    protect her from being bullied by others. And gradually, he became as cold as ice in people''s eyes.


    She sympathized with her brother. Because their mother died early and their father had to take care of


    the business, her brother took up the responsibility of looking after her. But, in doing so, he forgot that


    he was also a child who needed care and love. So she felt guilty that her brother had be such a


    cold person.


    "Emm... I am not sure if I have said that..." Daisy replied. She has received Belinda''s angry stare. She


    didn''t dare to say anything further to agitate Belinda who was like a wildcat and was about to re up.


    She''d better y safe.


    Belinda sighed with relief and gently smoothed her lovely curly hair. Then she raised her eyebrows at


    Leena, indicating her to release the grip on her arms. ''Oh, now she will give up.'' Belinda thought.


    But Lenna would not be herself if she behaved as Belinda had expected. What she said afterward


    made Belinda and Daisy''s jaw drop.


    "Sister-inw, when are you free to meet my father?" Leena took her hands away from Belinda, but she


    was still gazing firmly at her.

 Chapter 105 Just A Public Servant

    Chapter 105 Just A Public Servant


    "Why should I go visit your daddy?" Belinda was surprised. What was going on? Why did Leena


    suddenly bring that up?


    "To discuss wedding ns, of course!" Leena shrugged as if she were talking about the weather.


    Belinda sighed deeply. She turned to Daisy for help, but she was also stunned by Leena''s unexpected


    speech. Could it be any worse than this? Belinda could not recall a time when she and Leena''s brother


    got along well enough to get married with each other. Leena couldn''t be serious about this. Or could


    she?


    "Leena. You''re not yourself. Are you sick? Feverish, maybe?" Belinda pressed her forehead weakly. If


    only she was fainted!


    "No. Fit as a fiddle!" Leena smiled sweetly. She even took Belinda''s hand and put it on her forehead to


    assure her that she was fine.


    Daisy couldn''t help giggling. The thought came to her that Leena would be the bane of Belinda.


    "Daisy, do you have your gun? Just shoot me!" If Leena kept it up, it would only be a matter of time that


    Belinda married into the Leng n. Belinda thought she might as well finish herself off before that day


    came.


    "Alright, Leena. Quit making fun of Belinda. You''re driving her crazy." Daisy had to smile and


    interrupted them before Belinda exploded. She took Leena away from Belinda immediately.


    Belinda gave Daisy a grateful look. She really didn''t know what to do with Leena. That girl was so


    whimsical, so unpredictable. Were she and that cool man really brother and sister? Belinda doubted it.


    They couldn''t be more different.


    "No, Daisy. I''m not making fun of her! I''m one hundred percent serious. Why don''t you believe me?"


    Leena was depressed. It seemed that she had to work harder before Belinda officially became her


    sister-inw.


    "Leena, Come on. We''re here for shopping. Anything you''d like to try on?" Daisy tried to distract Leena


    again.


    "Me? I''ve already picked something. They''ll send them to my houseter. What about you, sis?" Leena


    asked, tilting her head.


    "I don''t need to buy many clothes. I barely get the chance to wear them." Daisy gently stroked Leena''s


    head. She was such an adorable girl. No wonder that Edward would dote on her. How could she have


    been so wrong about what she saw between her and Edward?


    "What do you mean? Sis, are you an office worker? What exactly do you do?" asked Leena curiously.


    "Well. Just...a public servant." Daisy had no interest in showing off. She always kept a low profile about


    her job.


    Just then, Daisy''s phone rang. The ringtone was also a passionate military song. Daisy cast an


    embarrassed look at Leena and reached for her phone. However, her lips twitched when she saw the


    name on the screen. All of a sudden, she could only stare nkly at her phone.


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    "What''s wrong, sis? Aren''t you going to answer that?" Leena was surprised by Daisy''s ringtone. A


    military song? Was that some kind of retro fashion?


    "Y-yeah! Of course." On the screen were Edward''s number and the name ''Husband''. When on earth


    did she make that change in her address book? She couldn''t recall.


    "It''s me. What''s the matter?" Daisy frowned and picked up the phone. She didn''t realize that her voice


    went soft when she spoke to him.


    "That took you awhile to pick up. Where are you? Justin and I will swing by and get you." Controlling


    the steering wheel with one hand, Edward put the earpiece in his ear with the other. He tapped the


    steering wheel anxiously until Daisy finally answered.


    "Well, I couldn''t hear the phone in my purse. Are you done so soon?" Daisy whispered while touching


    her hair. She slowly stepped towards a nearby bench and sat down.


    "Soon? Do you know what time it is? It''s almost six o''clock. Now tell me where you are. I''m on the road


    now." Edward pulled over and waited for Daisy to tell him where she was.


    "I''m at the MY Mall, I think. I''m not sure. Do you know where the mall is?" replied Daisy while ncing


    at her watch. Indeed, it was about six. How strange! They had only been to a few ces. She thought it


    had maybe been an hour only.


    "MY Mall? Alright. Wait there. I''lle get you." Edward curled his lips. He knew where it was. He


    owned the building. Daisy probably had no idea that she was shopping at his mall.


    "You don''t have toe here. I can get a ride home." Daisy hesitated for a moment. She really wanted


    to spend some time with Belinda. She was going back to work in a few days, and that meant less time


    with friends.


    "Just wait for me. I''ll be there in no time." Edward didn''t give her another chance to say no. He hung up


    and sped up towards the MY Mall.


    Daisy was speechless. Couldn''t he just hear her out? How could he just hang up on her as he had told


    her not to do that to him before?


    "Daisy? What''s wrong?" asked Belinda, noticing that Daisy didn''t look well.


    "Nothing. It''s Edward. He''sing with Justin to pick me up." Daisy smiled, embarrassed. They had to


    call it a day.


    "What? Justin''sing? Really? I''m so excited! I''ve never met him before! Should I prepare a present?


    What does he like?" Belinda''s face lit up when she heard Justin''s name. She was sputtering excitedly


    like a little girl waiting to open her Christmas gifts.


    "Justin''sing here? Wow! Cute little boy! I wanna y with him!" Leena loved Justin. She especially


    liked the contrast between his chubby face and indifferent expressions.


    Daisy didn''t know what to say. Was her son simply a life-sized doll to Leena?


    "Yeah. Edward''s bringing him here." In the end, Justin would go shopping with them.


    Daisy''s phone buzzed again. She answered and heard Edward on the other end. His words came at


    her in a deep and anxious voice.

 Chapter 106 But With Who

    Chapter 106 But With Who


    "Which floor? And which storefront?" Edward was holding his son''s hand while on the phone. Luke Luo


    followed closely behind him.


    Daisy replied and hung up, surprised at Edward''s speed. He came here so fast, as if he''d driven a


    rocket!


    Edward was immediately the center of attention. He was handsome and tall, elegant and noble. A king


    among men.


    "Daddy, is mommy done shopping yet? She''s not going to ask us to shop with her, right?" Justin really


    disliked going shopping.


    "Um... I actually don''t know. I think she''s done!" Edward paused for a second. He wasn''t actually sure


    about the answer. He had never gone shopping with a woman. He just supplied the money -- anything


    else was too much trouble for him.


    Justin rolled his eyes, annoyed at his father''s fib. Didn''t he know how tiring it was to shop with a


    woman?


    "Hm! You''re killing me dad!" Edward always lost all sense of reason when it came to his mom. Justin


    would end up a coteral victim.


    "Hey! It''s not that bad kiddo." Edward said, smiling at his son''s pouty face.


    "You wish! Don''t say I didn''t warn you! Women are insane when they go shopping." Justin spoke as if


    he had seasoned knowledge of women.


    "How do you know that? Do you always go shopping with mommy?" Edward was genuinely curious.


    "Not really. Mommy doesn''t like going shopping. But you see it all the time on TV. The men have it bad


    in those shows. They have to carry bags and pay for everything. It''s scary just thinking about it."


    Justin shivered yfully. His horrified expression made Edwardugh out loudly, which also drew


    everyone''s attention, including Daisy''s. They were all staring at the pair, wondering what could make


    Edward drop his usually collected demeanor.


    The first reaction came from those counter clerks.


    "Hello, Mr. Mu." Mr. Mu had nevere to the mall. The girls had only met him in the yearlypany


    gathering. Why did he suddenlye today?


    "Mm hm," Edward nodded and didn''t say anything else. He let go of Justin and marched to where


    Daisy was standing. He draped his arms around her, and gave her a gentle kiss.


    No one had ever seen Edward do this before. Belinda''s mouth twitched in surprise. She hadn''t thought


    Edward would do public disys of affection.


    "My dear wife, which ones do you like?" All the clerks stood there, stupefied. When did their CEO


    marry? And the bride was right in front of them, whom they had totally ignored. Now they were worried


    about their future.


    Daisy turned red. She red at Edward before walking towards Belinda and Justin, who were staring at


    each other.


    "Justin, what are you doing? This is Aunt Belinda." Their expressions made Daisy feel surprised. What


    was wrong with these two? Was there a grudge between them? Why were they scowling at each


    other?


    "Hi, Aunt Belinda." Behind his soft and young voice was his confusion with Belinda. Their intense gazes


    met. The two got into a staring contest, all tense and coiled up.


    "So you are Justin! You look like an annoying child!" Belinda wasn''t actually staring at Justin. She was


    only a little too surprised when she saw the kid. He was just the most adorable thing in the world!


    Simply the cutest.


    "Huh? What?" Justin looked up at Daisy. This was not normal. Who would tell someone that he is


    annoying right in front of him?


    Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "You do make me annoyed, though! I feel annoyed because I can''t take you home. I hate it that you''re


    not my baby." Belinda smiled and didn''t find her words inappropriate.


    "My dear sister-inw, you think Justin''s cute, too!" Leena walked over to Justin, with a sly look in her


    eyes. Justin backed up. He was noting for trouble.


    "He is cute!" "So are you going to have a baby of your own?"


    All Belinda cared about now was the little boy in front of her. She didn''t notice that Leena''s calling her


    "sister-inw" again. Leena continued to bait Belinda. Her smile looked more and more mischievous.


    "Of course! But with who?" Daisy was speechless. What was Belinda doing? Why was she going along


    with this all of a sudden?


    "Rx, my sister-inw. Mr. Cold''s fantastic genes are still avable! He can give you a kid even more


    adorable than Justin." Leena''s grin was even wider now, considering that Belinda was going along with


    her ribbing.


    Edward didn''t expect to see Leena here. He could see what Leena was doing a mile away, and Belinda


    fell into it. He thought the woman was smarter than that. Who''d have thought that she would fall into


    Leena''s trap?


    "Mr. Cold, huh? Doesn''t sound bad." Belinda tilted her head and thought for a second. Then she


    thought of Duke''s cold face and she snapped out of it.


    "Hey! Leena, you little punk! You dug me into a hole when I was distracted. Do you want to get


    whipped?" Belinda scowled at Leena as if she wanted to cut her into little pieces.


    Edward burst outughing. How could she be so slow? Mr. Cold had no fear of a boring life definitely.


    He saw how Duke looked when he stared at Belindast night. He looked like a fox who just spotted its


    prey...

 Chapter 107 Keep Them Even If You Dont Get A Chance To Wear Them

    Chapter 107 Keep Them Even If You Don''t Get A Chance To Wear Them


    Justin finally figured out it was not wise to piss off Leena. She had many ways to retaliate. He was


    relieved that he was not her target.


    The shop assistants looked at Edward with trepidation. How could they know that this inly-dressed


    woman was the CEO''s wife? And they certainly didn''t expect that the CEO would pay them a visit.


    Edward had his designers, so he never went shopping. His daily outfits were bespoke suits, not


    something you could just buy off the rack.


    "You are free to go. Leave us alone." Edward knew that they were shocked by his visit. But he wasn''t


    here for them. He didn''t need to be waited on hand and foot.


    "Yes, boss." The assistants went back into the shop immediately. Although their CEO was handsome


    and attractive, he would not hesitate to fire them if they didn''t keep their distance.


    Daisy looked at Edward in doubt and wondered why he was recognized here.


    Edward whispered in Daisy''s ear and cleared her doubts.


    "Are you saying that this super expensive department store is owned by FX International Group?"


    Daisy asked in surprise. "You are such a profiteer!" She eximed. Daisy still remembered some of the


    prices. All the clothes were insanely expensive and she could only afford one with her whole month''s


    sry. ''Why couldn''t he make the department store affordable for everyone?'' Daisy thought.


    "If I am a profiteer, you would be the wife of a profiteer." Edward pinched her small nose gently. Did she


    forget whose wife she was?


    "We are not the same. I am a honest soldier who will fight against profiteers like you." Daisy looked at


    him defiantly. She was a good citizen who obeyed thew, and since when was she on his side?


    "Dear, you are being rude to me again." Edward frowned as he realized that Daisy was not afraid of


    him anymore. She''d changed a lot since she first came back.


    "We are in broad daylight. Get a room, OK?" Belinda said in a not very good mood. She was still


    stunned by Leena''s words.


    "Miss Belinda, are you satisfied with your shopping experience today? I will pay for all the clothes you


    like." Edward said. Edward''s eyes were still fixed on Daisy.


    "Really? What about the clothes that I bought earlier? Do they count?" Belinda smiled charmingly, and


    was satisfied with the fact that there were many people volunteered to pay for her bills recently. Edward


    wasn''t embarrassed. He did offer, after all.


    "Sure that counts. All your bills today will be paid by FX International Group to show how wee you


    are here." Edward wasn''t concerned about the bill. It was nothingpared to his fortune.


    "Thank you, Mr. Edward, for being so generous. Leena, what are you waiting for? Didn''t you hear that


    Mr. Edward will pay for our bills today? Come and pick out some clothes you like." Belinda beckoned


    Leena to her, and abandoned her vignce.


    "I''m done here. I bought many clothes earlier under FX International Group''s ount." Edward had


    always been kind to his little sister, and gave Leena permission to buy anything from FX International


    for free.


    Belinda was rather disappointed that she couldn''t do anything to make Edward feel taken advantage of.


    It was so boring.


    "My dear, Let me see what you''ve bought." Edward asked when he noticed the leisure clothes Daisy


    wore. He wondered why she wasn''t dressed in designer brands. Maybe Ouyang Foreign Trade couldn''t


    afford it? Probably not, since Mary, also an heir of Ouyang Foreign Trade, wore luxury brands all the


    time.


    "The clothes you gave mest time was more than enough for me. I don''t need anything." Daisy said


    calmly, She didn''t shop like Belinda and Leena did.


    Edward frowned disapprovingly and waved to the assistants.


    "What can I do for you, Mr. Mu?" The assistant walked to him and asked cautiously.


    "I want you to pack all the new arrivals of this month ording to Mrs. Mu''s size and send them to my


    house." Edward ordered. It was not about Daisy''s outfits, he was angry with how he treated her in the


    past. He figured he''d make up for that now. And it seemed necessary to have Luke look into how she


    used to live.


    "Edward, I don''t need so many clothes. I wear uniforms at work." Daisy wondered why he suddenly got


    mad.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Keep them even if you don''t get a chance to wear them." Even Edward had no idea where his outburst


    came from. He just needed to explode, and he did so at that moment.


    As a soldier, she felt obliged to live humbly, not extravagantly. Daisy raised her eyebrows in anger. As a


    soldier she learned to be frugal, modest, and honest. What Edward did was a wasteful act. Why didn''t


    he donate the money to welfare institutions?


    "Don''t listen to him and stop packing." Daisy nced at Edward''s gloomy face, wondering why he did


    everything of his own will. He never asked anyone else''s opinion.


    The assistant was nonplussed -- she didn''t know whose orders to follow.


    Edward didn''t think Daisy would withdraw his orders. His eyes narrowed dangerously, and shot an


    angry look at Daisy. But what Daisy said next immediately drain the rage from himpletely.

 Chapter 108 Are You Uncle Dukes Wife

    Chapter 108 Are You Uncle Duke''s Wife


    "Honey, I''m hungry. Let''s go out to eat something," said Daisy gently in Edward''s ear in a sweet and


    natural voice. Her breath blowing over his skin, his body stiffened for several seconds, and the feeling


    made him smile.


    Daisy knew he had a right to be angry. She had countermanded his orders in front of the employees.


    So she talked to him in the way he liked, and calmed him down.


    Hearing Daisy call him "honey" made him pretty happy. ''Daisy knows this works for me every time. I


    underestimated her.'' he thought.


    "OK, honey. Let''s go." Edward waved his hand, dismissing the employees.


    "Yes, Mr. Edward." Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. They were now more impressed with


    Daisy. They would never again mistake her for an ordinary woman. She was the wife of the CEO, and


    they resolved to remember that.


    When they stepped out of MY Mall, the sun was setting and the sky was me-red. The morous city


    began to quiet down.


    Belinda was holding Justin''s hand, smiling and looking at him. She liked him very much and wondered


    when she could have a lovely son like him.


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Justin, what would you like for dinner? Whatever you want. My treat," said Belinda gently, still looking


    at Justin.


    "OK. Really?" Asked Justin excitedly. His eyes sparkled happily.


    "Sure. Would I ever lie to you?" replied Belinda warmly and patiently.


    Justin nced at his mother and said, "I''d like to eat at KFC."


    "No problem! But... maybeter. I''m not a fan of the food there, though. I ate so much of it abroad that


    I''m sick of it now."


    "Aunt Belinda, could you tell mommyter that you like eating there?" pleaded Justin, and then


    narrowed his eyes into the sweetest smile he could ever make.


    Leena replied, "Sister-inw, don''t agree to it, sis. Daisy won''t take him there, so he''s trying to get you


    to do it." Leena was sulking. Justin was close to everybody but her, so she wouldn''t let him get what he


    wanted.


    Justin red at Leena and thought, ''What a bad woman!'' He wondered when Aunt Belinda became


    Leena''s sister-inw. Uncle Duke didn''t even have a girlfriend.


    "Aunt Belinda, are you Uncle Duke''s wife?" Feeling free to ask embarrassing questions had always


    been one of his merits.


    "Leena, I told you not to call me sister-inw, and now even Justin is confused. Do you want me to end


    up alone?" Belinda didn''t understand why Leena wanted her to be her sister-inw. She wondered


    whether Duke had some painful secret. Otherwise, why did Leena try to upsell him?


    Ah! How had Mr. Cold got into this? Could he remain cool when he knew she doubted that he had


    some kind of secret illness?


    "Sister-inw, don''t worry. You have my brother. How can you stay alone forever? Rx. He will marry


    you," promised Leena, patting on her chest, and then quickly left. Well, to be fair, she was smart


    enough to avoid an argument with Belinda.


    "Leena, Quit trying to set me up with Duke! He''s not my type." Sure enough, Belinda started yelling,


    regardless of her elegant image.


    "So what?" Duke asked. "Am I that embarrassing? I wonder what your type is..." asked Duke in a cold


    andzy voice, leaning leisurely against the door of his car. In the setting sun his slim figure didn''t


    seem to be as cold as before, but his cold eyes never left Belinda, which made her shiver.


    "Brother!" Leena joyfully ran into Duke''s arms and put her own around his athletic waist. She had called


    Duke as soon as she saw Daisy and the others. She''d asked him to pick her up, but in fact she had


    been trying to get Duke and Belinda together.


    "Yes. You must be tired." Looking at Leena, Duke smiled and stroked her disorderly hair lovingly.


    "Er... Duke, That''s not what I meant. But we''re not dating, are we? I meant nothing by it." Belinda


    wondered why Duke was staring at her like that. She had just asked him once to pretend to be her


    boyfriend. That was all. She did nothing evil. How could he wear that gloomy expression in front of her?


    "Duke, no wonder you can find us so easily. You have amazing ears!" Edward smiled at him, and put


    his hand around Daisy''s waist. It was crystal clear to him that it was Leena''s idea. It couldn''t be a


    coincidence.


    Duke nced at Edward and ignored him, but nodded at Daisy and said, "Sister-inw, nice to see you


    again." Duke respected Daisy a lot. Maybe it was because she was Edward''s wife, and he liked her just


    for that.

 Chapter 109 Could I Have Your Promise

    Chapter 109 Could I Have Your Promise


    "Hello" Daisy nodded at Duke with a gentle smile. She didn''t mind that Edward put his arm around her


    waist. Just let it be, she thought. She realized that she loved him, and it was unnecessary to hide it.


    Besides, she also enjoyed the tender feeling of being held by him.


    "Mr Duke, when did you get married? Why didn''t you ask me to be the flower boy at your wedding


    ceremony?" Justin was determined to know the answer. He shoved Leena aside and jumped into


    Duke''s arms.


    Leena was displeased when Justin pushed her. But she decided to forgive him as she felt Justin had


    asked an excellent question. It was important to bring Belinda and Duke together.


    "Do you want to be a flower boy? Well, when I get married, I will ask you to be my flower boy. You have


    my word." Duke didn''t answer Justin''s question urately. He was smart to skip the main point. He


    only replied to the part that concerned Justin.


    "Okay! Mr. Duke, you''d better get married as soon as possible. I can''t wait any longer to be your flower


    boy. In a few years, I would be too old to be a flower boy." Justin said in an innocent voice with his head


    tilted gracefully.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Justin, you don''t have to worry about this. Because your wish wille true very soon!" Leena said.


    Her eyes were glowing with evasive looks. She insured Justin with full confidence. She felt that Belinda


    and Duke just needed a little push. But she didn''t know what would happen to her if they came to know


    about her n. Would Belinda boil her in a pan if her n was brought to light? Leena thought.


    Justin helplessly sighed in his heart. ''Ah! Who would be Miss Leena''s prey this time? I''m sure this time


    it won''t be me.''


    Duke squinted at Belinda. There was a sneaky expression in his eyes.


    Daisy looked at Edward dubiously; she was wondering what Leena was implying. Maybe Edward knew.


    Edward smiled and shook his head at Daisy. It seemed that Daisy had regarded him as Doctor-Know-


    It-All who could answer any question. In fact, he was equally confused.


    "Really? Miss Leena." Justin asked. As he thought that he was not the object of her plot this time, he


    felt free to ask her any questions. He really wanted to know more about this.


    "Of course it''s true. But I need your help, too." Leena said to Justin with a ttering smile. As her smile


    grew more cunning, her words started making Justin uneasy. ''Could I take back what I said just now?


    What does this have to do with me? I''m a good boy. Don''t deceive me.'' Justin thought.


    "Emm... Miss Leena, I believe you got it wrong. I don''t think that I can be of any help to you." Justin


    mumbled, hoping that Leena would change her mind and leave him alone.


    "Hurry up, get in the car! What are you doing?" Edward urged with a frown. Although the sun had


    already sunk, he still could not stand the scorching heat.


    "Edward, Justin will be in our car! you can go ahead." Leena said to Edward with a ttering smile. She


    hauled Justin who was about to escape and forced him into Duke''s car.


    Duke saw Leena''s swift move and felt confused. He hesitated for a while, wondering what was on her


    mind. He then nodded to Daisy with regret and got in the car.


    "Belinda, see you at the restaurant." Daisy elbowed Belinda who looked dazed. She seemed to be lost


    in deep thought.


    "Oh! Okay, let''s go! Or you can go with me, I''ll drive you there." Belinda came back to her senses and


    joked. She said it purposely to see how Edward would react.


    "Oh! Thank you, Belinda. Why don''t you take care of yourself? My wife will go with me." Edward stared


    hard at Belinda. He was annoyed by her proposal.


    "Haha!" Edward. I was just kidding. Don''t you think that you are overreacting?" Belinda waved her hand


    at them and got into her car.


    The truth is, she was covering her nervousness with the joke. It was undeniable that she felt a little


    unhappy when she heard what Leena had said. Perhaps it was because Leena had been calling her


    sister-inw for the past few days. Otherwise, how was she concerned about Duke''s marriage? But


    why was she feeling so upset now? Was it because she had gotten used to the title Leena had given


    her? Had she already taken herself as Duke''sdy? Belinda wondered.


    "Let''s go!" Edward opened the door of the passenger''s seat for Daisy. He waited for her to get in the


    car and then he closed the door. Then he also got in the car. But Edward sat on the driver''s seat


    quietly, as if trying to say something.


    "What''s wrong? Why aren''t you driving the car?" Daisy turned her head towards Edward and asked


    curiously. She was wondering what was on his mind. He seemed a little distraught.


    Edward didn''t say anything. He touched her face with his fingers and gazed deeply into her eyes as if


    trying to look inside her heart.


    "Honey, if I ever do something that breaks your heart, please give me a chance to exin. Promise me


    that you won''t leave me without a word like you didst time. Believe me that I will never break my


    promise to you. Okay?"


    Edward said gently with a husky voice. His tone was heavy as if he was begging. He worried that


    something might happen to them, but he didn''t know what. This feeling kept bothering him constantly.


    Daisy stroked his handsome face with her tender fingers. She didn''t know why Edward suddenly


    became so sentimental. But she could feel that he was serious with his words.


    "Edward, does this mean you have started caring about me? Are you asking for my promise? Or are


    you assuming that you will do something that will break my heart?" Daisy looked firmly at him. She was


    impressed by his tenderness.


    Edward didn''t say anything. He slowly kissed her red lips. His movement was so gentle that she


    couldn''t even feel his breath. While savoring her sweet kiss, he was setting up a tender trap, making


    her irresistible to his seduction and having her fall in passionate love.


    "Could I have your promise?" Edward stopped kissing and gasped slightly. He murmured in her ear,


    with his forehead against hers.


    Daisy''s face blushed. Although it wasn''t the first time they kissed, it still made her face blush, and her


    heart beat faster.

 Chapter 110 I Promise You

    Chapter 110 I Promise You


    "Edward, I promise you. No matter what happens in the future, I''ll choose you over everything. I''ll wait


    for your exnation, and I''ll believe you. But I have only one condition. I''ll keep my promise only when I


    know that Justin is safe and sound. Would you do that for me?"


    Murmured Daisy while gently touching Edward''s handsome face. Only God knew how many times she


    wanted to tell him honestly how much she loved him. But she couldn''t until she knew that he felt the


    same way for her. She''d rather die than know that he wouldn''t fall for her.


    Edward smiled tenderly, and Daisy froze. She couldn''t think nor move. His smile was like a spring


    breeze that swept over her skin. She quivered unconsciously and leaned forward to press her rosy lips


    against his. She was unable to resist his charm.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    She missed him so much. And she had been waiting for this kiss for a long time. All she wanted now


    was to drown in that kiss. At least he was hers for now. His smile, his gentleness, his kiss and he


    himself belonged to her now. Why should she run away when she could indulge herself?


    Daisy flung her arms around his neck to deepen the kiss. He always seemed distant and elusive to her.


    She had worshiped him for decades. He was the love of her life, the hope that sustained her. She was


    a survivor because of her love for him. She couldn''t bear losing him again. She had decided that she


    would never let go of him.


    It wouldn''t hurt so much if she didn''t know what it felt like to be loved by him. And she wouldn''t be so


    desperate if he didn''t give her any hope.


    Edward was surprised by her sudden move. Her lips were trembling slightly, and so was her whole


    body. She was warm and tender in his arms. He could feel her intense passion for him. Was that love?


    He had no idea. He could only hold her tighter and kiss her back. Whatever she had in mind, he just


    wanted to feel every bit of her.


    As a result, they werete in reaching the restaurant. Edward grabbed Daisy''s shoulder and gave a


    tacit smile as an answer to the inquisitive looks from the others. However, Daisy blushed and looked


    away awkwardly.


    "Mommy, daddy! What took you so long?" Justin struggled to break free from Leena''s grip and threw


    himself into Edward''s arms. Leena freaked him out. He had a creepy feeling whenever she was around


    him, he had to keep her at arm''s length.


    "Sorry. Something unexpected came up." Edward lifted Justin up and kissed his chubby face. His face


    softened, and love emanated from his eyes the moment he saw his beloved son.


    "Daddy, I want to sit beside you and mommy," mumbled Justin while clenching Edward''s sleeve. Justin


    was acting cute. And he only did it with Edward when there was something he couldn''t handle, and he


    needed his father''s help.


    "What''s the matter? Is Aunty Leena bullying you again?" Edward softly pinched his face and asked with


    a smile. He then took Daisy''s hand to make her sit next to him.


    "What are you talking about, Edward? Who told you I''m bullying him? I''m not a bully, am I?"


    Leena secretly rolled her eyes at Justin. He was ying innocent again. Others might not know the


    truth, but she did. She knew that under his innocent image, there was a little devil hidden inside him.


    Although Leena hadn''t known Justin for long, she saw through him because they were the same kind


    of people.


    On the other side of the table, Belinda felt like she was sitting on pins and needles. Duke''s fervent look


    never left her, and she felt like she was being put on a grill. She wriggled nervously because Duke''s


    gaze was making her quite ufortable.


    Crossing his legs casually, Duke fixed his eyes on Belinda deliberately. She said that he wasn''t her


    type? That sounded quite interesting. He didn''t know that she had a type. Besides, he had many ways


    to change her mind.


    Once he fell for someone, he would never give her the chance to run away. Come to think of it, having


    a rtionship with Belinda wasn''t such a bad idea. She had evoked his interest significantly. It was


    unusual for him to be attracted by a woman.


    Edward nced at Duke and then at Belinda. His thin lips curled into an indistinct smile. He rubbed his


    chin thoughtfully, ''Now, things are getting more and more interesting.''


    Justin was not in the mood for chitchat. Were it not for Leena, who had dragged him into her car and


    brought him here against his will; he would have been eating fried chicken now. He gloomily red at


    the woman who was beaming at him across the table.


    However, Leena couldn''t care less what Justin thought of her. She was thrilled about her secret n.


    She had been nning it for the longest time. Even though she had no idea whether things would turn


    out as she expected, she had to give it a try.


    Daisy looked around the room and frowned. Why did she have a feeling that everyone in this room was


    acting weird? They all seemed to have something in their mind that was troubling them tremendously.


    Daisy was confused.


    "Justin, you''d better sit with me." Leena pushed Edward aside and sat next to the little one. ''Humm!


    Trying to run away from me? No freaking way!'' She raised her eyebrows and winked at Justin


    gloatingly.


    Panicked, Justin widened his eyes and gasped. ''What''s going on here? Why can''t she cut me some


    ck?'' Justin cried out desperately in his mind.


    "Aunty Leena, why do you have to sit beside me? Don''t you think it''s a bit too crowded here?" snapped


    Justin fretfully. Leena said she needed his help, but she didn''t tell him what exactly did she want him to


    do. What if she asked him to do something illegal?


    "I really don''t think so. Haven''t you heard the advertisement say ''Scoot over, and everything gets


    better''?" Leena was stuttering. She would say or do anything so long as Justin was willing to help her.


    "Nonsense! It''s ''Wash over, and everything gets better.'' I''m sure you know that." Justin rolled his eyes


    at Leena. She seemed so adorable and lovely, but how could she be so evil in nature?


    "Well, well. Whatever it is. As long as it makes sense." She hardly watched television. How was she


    supposed to know the specifics of the advertisement? Besides, she had been abroad for years, and


    she just returned. She had more important things to do than memorizing advertisement lines. Helping


    her brother to marry Belinda was now the priority on her agenda. Everything seemed meaningless to


    her until Belinda became her sister-inw officially.


    "Alright, alright. Both of you. Here''s the menu. What do you want? Order anything you like." Edward got


    exasperated by the childish quarrel between Leena and his son. He hurried to hand over the menu to


    interrupt them.


    "Whatever you like. We can eat anything. But Edward, don''t forget to order drinks for me." Leena


    paused and squinted at Justin with a wicked smile. She didn''t even give Justin the chance to order his


    favorite dish.

 Chapter 111 You Two Can Make A Good Couple

    Chapter 111 You Two Can Make A Good Couple


    "You want drinks?" Edward frowned. Thest thing he wanted tonight was to be with a drunken woman


    again.


    "No! It''s just that my brother wants to have a drink with you." Leena managed a smile and gave a quick


    nce at Duke, hoping he didn''t notice what was going on here. Anyway, he had been staring at


    Belinda all the time. He wouldn''t notice anything.


    Edward nced at Duke, and found that he was lost in his thoughts, his face grew thoughtful. Then


    Edward looked at Leena with a knowing smile. It was evident that she was nning something. That


    was fine by him. He was just curious about what she was up to.


    "Justin, you must make sure that your aunt Belinda is going to drinkter. OK?" Leena whispered in


    Justin''s ear, "Make it or break it, everything depends on tonight."


    "Why me?" Justin rolled his eyes in despair. He rolled his eyes more frequently than ever since he met


    this terrible woman.


    "Ha ha! Because with you, she will let all her defences down!" The drug she prepared wasn''t too


    strong. If they didn''t have any feelings for each other, nothing would happen. She got it just this


    morning from a friend who worked in a bar, knowing it mighte in handy sometime. It didn''t ur to


    her that the opportunity woulde this soon.


    "You don''t mean to drug both of them, do you?" Justin asked her uncertainly. He could almost figure it


    out just by the way Leena stared at aunt Belinda. He knew about these little tricks all too well. All the


    time he had spent on the Inte paid off.


    "Bingo. You got it. But we won''t drug Mr. Cold." If one of them is sober, there''s still a chance to save the


    situation.


    Belinda felt a sudden chill and shivered. She looked around, but everything seemed all right!


    "Belinda, what''s wrong?" Daisy asked with concern, noticing Belinda suddenly shivered while talking.


    Daisy was now sitting next to Belinda after Leena changed her seat.


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    "Oh! I''m fine. It''s probably the air conditioner. It''s constantly blowing cold air." Belinda shook her head


    and gave a small smile.


    "All right. Did you notice that Duke has been watching you all night? Are you sure nothing is going on


    between you two?" Daisy kept a low voice and for once started gossiping.


    "Of course not, we have nothing to do with each other. Don''t believe me? See for yourself." Belinda


    groaned. Why did everyone feel that she was coupled with that man?


    "Actually, he seems like a nice guy. Think about it." Daisy teased her. Belinda was her only friend, and


    she hoped for Belinda''s happiness.


    "Stop it. Howe you also have this idea? Do you really think that ice prince suits me? Don''t make


    fun of me. No way, I can''t endure that poker face all day long." Belinda said, shaking her head firmly.


    Daisy must be kidding. Just imagine living a dull life like that!


    "Belinda, I really think that you and Duke are veryplementary. He is icy cold, and you have a fiery


    spirit. You are made for each other!" Daisy looked up and saw Duke talking to her husband in a low


    voice. Both men took a look in their direction every few seconds.


    "Duke, What is up with you? You have a crush on Belinda, don''t you?" Edward gave him a yful


    nce and leaned backzily in his chair. His slender legs ovepped and dangled at a leisurely pace.


    "Well, is that what you think?" Duke asked. He had put his poker face on, refusing to give away his real


    feelings.


    "Yeah, I think so. I think you two can make a good couple. You''ve been waiting so long. It''s time to


    move on. After all these years, what is the point of clinging on to the past?"


    Just then, Edward saw Daisy looking at him, and a smile reached his lips. Dazzled by his smile, Daisy


    looked away shyly.


    "Who says I am still waiting. I forgot her the moment she walked away from me. You know me very


    well. I wouldn''t bother to hold people and things that don''t belong to me."


    Duke sank into deep mncholy, frowning. Edward had brought back some bad memories. At the


    same time, he was not sure about the future.


    "Wish you are as cool as you say. If you are not serious about Belinda, then leave her alone. I am


    answerable to Daisy for that." Belinda was his wife''s best friend. He felt obliged to give Duke a warning


    first. He didn''t want to get stuck in a rift between his friend and his wife.


    Duke gave himself a slight indifferentugh; he sipped the wine that was poured for him just now. He


    was savoring the raw taste of every drop. He frowned as he caught the sight of Belinda. Leena was


    trying to get her to drink. God knows what trick she was ying.


    "Belinda, a toast. Let''s make a toast. Drink it up! Come on, drink it up, don''t make me look bad." Leena


    was holding a ss of wine, her hand trembling slightly. Her pretty face looked extremely nervous.


    Justin, the little traitor, chickened out at thest minute, so she had to do it herself.


    Belinda looked at Leena doubtfully, wondering why she changed the tack and suddenly started making


    a toast.


    She was not going to drink the wine Leena handed her. But when she saw Duke watching her, Daisy''s


    words came to her mind. In her panic, she took the ss and gulped the wine in one go. She almost


    choked.


    Leena was amazed at how everything went so well. She had expected it to be a challenging task. She


    didn''t think it would be so easy.


    Justin sighed as Belinda gulped down the drugged wine. ''Poor aunt Belinda! Being the sister-inw of


    this horrible woman would be your only choice.'' Anyway, he washed his hands of the whole affair. He


    thought everything would be fine if he didn''t make a move. But Leena got her way after all. Perhaps


    this was God''s will, and everything had worked out the way it was supposed to.


    "Slow down, Belinda." Daisy patted her back. Belinda could be impulsive sometimes. Even drinking


    could get her to choke.

 Chapter 112 I Am Feeling A Little Strange

    Chapter 112 I Am Feeling A Little Strange


    "No big deal. Just out of carelessness." Belinda avoided Duke''s sharp eyes and wondered why he


    suddenly became interested in her. She distinctly remembered that he used to dislike her. What made


    him change his mind about her now?


    "Well. My dear sister-inw, you shouldn''t be too hasty in drinking. Yes, I asked you to drink it up, but I


    didn''t tell you to gulp it down like that." Leena mumbled as her heart continued to race rapidly.


    Belinda gave an angry re to Leena. In her opinion, it was exactly Leena''s expectation. After all, it


    was Leena who got her in such an embarrassing situation.


    "Son, why don''t you eat? You don''t like the food?" Edward asked when he saw the disconcerted Justin.


    He remembered how Justin loved gourmet food. So why didn''t he have any appetite tonight? The food


    at this restaurant was not bad. It was ptable!


    "I''m alright, dad. I''m just not hungry." Justin raised his head and smiled. But his smile was even bitter


    than a crying face. Of course, he had no appetite----there was a time bomb right in front of him,


    Belinda. He really wished to go home and stay with Luke. He would rather not see what would follow


    next.


    In spite of Duke''s tight watch, Belinda poured herself another ss of wine and began sipping in order


    to evade his overly intent staring.


    Leena, on the other hand, looked at her quite hesitantly. Was the drug too strong and effective? She


    wished that Belinda would drink more, that way nobody would notice that she had drugged Belinda


    through alcohol.


    "Daisy, you should have a drink as well." After saying so, Belinda poured half a ss of wine for Daisy,


    but just before she handed it to her, the ss was taken away by Edward.


    "I will drink it for her." Edward smiled and drank it all up as he didn''t want to listen to Luke''s droning


    when he found Daisy drunk.


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    Daisy looked at Edward in confusion, not knowing why Edward did this.


    "What? You want me to carry you home again? If that''s what you want, you can drink as much as


    possible. I wouldn''t mind carrying you home at all." Edward intentionally shouted. So his words were


    heard clearly by all present. Their attention was shifted to Daisy now.


    That embarrassed Daisy. She red at Edward with her beautiful eyes. Well, she may have drunk


    more than usual in recent days, but there was no need to announce it in public.


    "Mom, when were you carried home by dad? Howe I don''t know about it?" Justin''s statement


    made Daisy even more embarrassed. Now her face was as red as blood.


    "Well..."


    Daisy became quite upset now. Were Edward and Justin trying to make fun of her? If not, then why


    were all their words designed to embarrass her?


    Belinda found herself getting warmer as she drank more wine. She looked up confusedly--- Is the air


    conditioner working or not?


    "Belinda, your face looks so red. Are you drunk?" It shouldn''t be so. Belinda could always drink a lot.


    "I don''t know. I feel like I''m boiling and I''m really ufortable." Belinda sounded so gentle and sweet


    that even she herself was taken aback.


    Edward looked at Leena in surprise. Was he right in thinking that Leena had drugged Belinda? Leena


    was quite unruly. A moment ago, he thought Leena was trying to get Belinda drunk. He didn''t stop her


    then because he didn''t consider that she would drug Belinda.


    Duke didn''t notice anything wrong with Belinda. He continued drinking on and off. With his eyes


    squinted, he was lost in thought.


    If Edward hadn''t mentioned that woman, he would havepletely forgotten about her. But now as he


    thought of her, it was like a thousand years had passed.


    "Daisy, I am feeling a little strange." Belinda whispered. The heat had shrouded her.


    "What''s wrong? Are you sick?" Daisy remembered Belinda''s shivering moments ago, so she put her


    hand on Belinda''s forehead to see if she had a fever.


    "I don''t know. I feel extremely hot." Belinda had a sudden urge to take off all her clothes.


    "Belinda, you feel ufortable?" Leena was a bit worried now. Her friend had promised her that the


    drug was not too strong. Then how did it take effect so quickly? Maybe she was deceived, and the drug


    was actually really strong. Then what should she do now?


    Edward nudged Duke''s arm and whispered in his ear. After his words, Duke hastily looked at Belinda,


    his brows knitted. Leena had gone too far this time.


    Then he hurriedly walked to Belinda, his face was wearing no expression but coldness.


    "Belinda, stand up. I will take you home." Duke threw a re at the culprit, Leena, and pulled Belinda


    up.


    "Duke... Belinda... Will she be okay?" Leena asked timidly. She was both concerned and scared now.


    "I will deal with you when Ie back." Duke wondered if he had doted on Leena too much and


    perhaps that''s why she was behaving recklessly and improperly. Now she even dared to drug others.


    "Duke, I''m okay. I can drive home myself." Belinda felt weird but she didn''t want to take his favor, yet


    she liked his cold body. She wanted to get closer to him and take in more coolness from him.


    "If you don''t want to make a fool of yourself in public, you''d bettere with me." Duke''s eyes grew


    darker and colder. Maybe it was due to her rejection, or maybe his care for her.


    "Duke, what do you mean? What''s the matter with Belinda?" Daisy was totally confused. She held one


    of Belinda''s hands and wouldn''t let go of it.


    Duke gestured at Edward and let him exin to Daisy.


    Then Edward gracefully and slowly stood up and whispered in Daisy''s ears. Even at this urgent


    moment, he intentionally let his warm breath caress her cheek and curl her heart. He knew how to


    make good use of his charm.

 Chapter 113 Do You Have Any Idea What You Are Doing

    Chapter 113 Do You Have Any Idea What You Are Doing


    Surprised, Daisy looked at Belinda''s unusually red face. She then said to Duke determinedly:


    "Duke, I have a request. Don''t hurt her if you don''t really like her."


    "Don''t worry, Daisy. I know what I''m doing." Duke looked at Belinda, only to find she was breathing


    heavily. He nodded at Daisy and wrapped his arm around Belinda''s waist to carry her towards the door.


    Belinda stumbled because of the drug. Duke had to hold her tighter in case she tripped. When they


    finally made it to the door, he stopped abruptly and red at Leena again.


    "You''re grounded till I decide what to do with you." His cold voice froze Leena. He didn''t say anything


    else; he just carried Belinda out of the room. Duke was furious. As much as he loved his sister, he


    couldn''t forgive her for hurting others.


    Startled by his threatening looks, Leena stepped backward out of fear. He must have known what she


    had done, and he wanted to punish her for that.


    Did she regret it? No, she didn''t. She convinced herself that she did what she did for her brother''s sake.


    Things wouldn''t work out between Duke and Belinda if she didn''t intervene. What would happen if


    Belinda decided to be with someone else before her brother started to ask her out?


    Edward once told her that Duke had someone in his heart, someone so special that he could never let


    anyone else in. But Leena knew that Belinda was different. She was special to him too. Otherwise, he


    wouldn''t tolerate Leena calling Belinda her sister-inw. Maybe he had already epted her, but he


    chose to ignore his true feelings deliberately.


    "You''ve gone too far, missy. Even I can''t save you this time." Edward cast a look at the two cuddled


    figures and slightly shook his head. Hope Duke knew what he was doing.


    "Edward, I..." Leena lowered her head and bit her lip nervously. Had she actually done something


    inexcusable?


    Daisy sighed heavily. What''s done was done. They could only wait to see how things turn out. She


    knew Duke. He was a man of honor. If he did something with Belinda, he wouldn''t turn his back to her


    afterwards. He would man up and take the responsibility.


    "Come on, Leena. Let''s go. They''ll be fine." Daisy tried tofort Leena by gently stroking her head.


    "Aren''t you mad at me, sis?" Leena tilted her head and gave a curious look at Daisy. She was


    supposed to be mad at her for what she had done to her best friend. Yet, she wasn''t.


    "What''s done is done. Can everything start over again if I me you? It can''t. So I guess we should


    just go with the flow. To be honest, I think it could be an opportunity for them to lead their rtionship


    somewhere." Daisy was unexpectedly calm. Edward was surprised to see that there wasn''t any


    emotional upheaval on her face.


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    Sullenly, Duke carried Belinda into the passenger''s side and then fastened the seat belt for her.


    Clenching his fists silently, he stared at the woman with a mixed feeling rising in his eyes. He then


    sighed and got into the driver''s seat.


    "It''s... hot..." Belinda muttered. Duke''s body temperature was slightly lower than the others. Without his


    grip, Belinda felt the fire inside of her was burning up again. She tried to find something that could cool


    her off, but the seat belt wouldn''t let her. She kept pulling the seat belt restlessly.


    "Hold still for a while." Duke frowned and grabbed her waving hands.


    "Hmm..." His fingers were cold. Belinda heaved a deep, contented sigh and grabbed his hand. It felt


    good. But it was not enough, and she needed more. Driven by instinct, she leaned forward to press her


    face against his cold palm, trying to bring down the temperature of her burning face.


    Duke''s heart stopped for a second. All of a sudden, He felt like a strange fire was burning inside him as


    well. He cleared his throat and tenderly caressed her rosy face; then he quickly withdrew his hand. He


    took a deep breath and started the car.


    Decorated with delicate rugs and luxurious chandeliers, the president suite give people a feeling of


    luxury and gorgeousness. That''s where Duke took Belinda.


    Belinda was still under the influence of the drug. She hugged Duke and continued to touch him


    unconsciously. Duke grabbed her hands again and nudged her into the bathroom. He turned on the tap


    and icy cold water sshed all over Belinda''s body.


    "Hmm..." The freezing water eased the fire. She couldn''t help whimpering out loud.


    Despite that his shirt was soaking wet too, Duke supported Belinda with one hand, and with the other


    hand, he held the shower sprinkler to spray water all over her.


    She was drenched and all her clothes were clinging to her body. He could see her sexy curves under


    her clothes. She slid her hands inside his shirt and stroked his chest. For Duke, this was sweet agony.


    He gritted his teeth again to suppress the urge of breaking out.


    However cold the water was, it could only quench the fire for a short while. The burning desire kept on


    gnawing at Belinda. She wanted more. She needed more. She grabbed his arms and leaned forward to


    kiss him randomly on his body, desperately seeking for alleviation.


    "Belinda, don''t push me." Duke felt like he was on the edge of his restraint. Every single cell in his body


    was screaming and shouting out of pain.


    "But... I feel painful..." Belinda pouted with a sob.


    Duke''s hand slightly twitched and he shower sprinkler he''s holding identally sshed water spouts


    all over himself. He then mumbled, ''I gave you the chance to run away from me, but you didn''t take it.


    me yourself for what''sing to you.''


    "Do you have any idea what you are doing right now? humm?" With his eyes fixed on her rosy lips,


    Duke asked her onest time.


    "I know... Give it to me..." Belinda couldn''t wait any longer. She ripped his shirt off and eagerly ran her


    hands all over his skin. What on earth was he hesitating for?


    "Very well. Look at me. Do you know who I am?" He gently clutched her jaw with his slender fingers,


    forcing her to look into his eyes.


    "Duke..." Meekly, Belinda answered in a hoarse whisper. She shook her head to break free from his


    grip and grabbed his cor to kiss him. Once again, she was lost in the tenderness of his thin lips.


    Duke decided not to hold back anymore. He held Belinda in his arms and kissed her back aggressively.


    ''I hope you won''t regret thister.'' He thought.


    Duke tossed the shower sprinkler aside and carried Belinda out of the bathroom. He threw her into the


    king-sized bed and gentlyy on top of her.

 Chapter 114 Ill Be Responsible For You

    Chapter 114 I''ll Be Responsible For You


    The first beam of morning sunshine shone through the half-open curtains. Belinda rubbed her eyes and


    looked around nkly. She turned and saw the handsome man lying right next to her. All her memories


    aboutst night suddenly came back to her. She hit her head in remorse.


    What happenedst night kept shing through her mind frame by frame. She couldn''t believe that bold


    and active woman was herself! Why couldn''t everything be just a crazy dream? It was so humiliated.


    How could things end up like this? One minute ago she cried that he wasn''t her type, the next minute


    she crawled into bed with him.


    "You''ll get even dumber if you keep hitting your head like that." The first thing Duke saw after he woke


    up was Belinda frowning and hitting herself. He squinted at her for a while. Eventually, he smiled and


    couldn''t help teasing her.


    To be honest, he was quite surprised that he was her first man. After all, she''d lived abroad for years --


    she must have had quite a few boyfriends during that time. But he wasn''t bothered by it. On the


    contrary, he was thrilled that she was still a virgin beforest night.


    "Well... Aboutst night... I..." Startled by him, Belinda wrapped herself in the sheet and stammered.


    She couldn''t look him in the eye.


    "What... aboutst night? Remember, you slept with me, so you should be responsible for me." Duke


    looked at her and said sternly. He then got up, revealing his glorious body. He took the towel from the


    chair and tied it around his waist.


    "What the hell? Cut it out, Duke! Don''t y victim here! You slept with me! You are the one who should


    be responsible!" Belinda retorted, sitting up abruptly. She was pissed off. She was too furious to notice


    that the sheet slipped off her body because of her sudden outburst.


    "Okay. I''ll be responsible for you." Duke shrugged. He stared at Belinda with a ghost of a smile on his


    lips and found himself be thirsty again.


    "Ahhhh! Shame on you, Duke!" Following his eyesight, Belinda suddenly realized where he was looking


    at. She blushed and screamed in terror while re-adjusting the sheet.


    "Really? Afterst night I think there''s no part of you I haven''t seen." Belinda couldn''t believe her own


    ears. There was no trace of emotion on his face, but wait -- there was a hint of a devilish smile. This


    was far from the cold man that she knew.


    Belinda was speechless.


    She thought Duke just didn''t care about anything. But it turned out he could be as annoying as Edward.


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    "What? Cat got your tongue?" Duke nced at her with a faint smile. He then reached for his phone on


    the nightstand.


    Belinda red at him. However, as soon as she saw his naked chest, she blushed and lowered her


    head awkwardly. She closed her eyes and heaved a deep sigh. Never quarrel with a naked man about


    shame. You''ll see how shameless they can be. She didn''t know it before, she had to learn the hard


    way.


    Duke lowered his voice to talk on the phone. But he stole a nce at Belinda every now and then.


    "That''s right. Do you remember the size? Great. Send them to the presidential suite in Kate Hotel


    ASAP." He hung up and walked to the bathroom.


    Belinda stole a look at him and secretly sighed in relief when he finally disappeared behind the door.


    She couldn''t help holding her breath wherever he was around.


    She stretched on the bed. Her body ached all over. Holding the sheet in ce, Belinda tried to get up.


    Her legs were so feeble that she almost fell to the ground the moment she stood up. ''Women do have


    less stamina than men, '' thought Belinda to herself gloomily.


    Belinda looked around the suite, and saw her wet clothes scattered on the floor. She closed her eyes


    and once again recalledst night.


    Her face burned again. She shook her head, trying to shake the embarrassment out of her mind. She


    mumbled to herself, ''Damn it, Belinda! You shouldn''t have done that! You threw yourself at himst


    night! Such a disgrace!''


    "What are you doing?" With a new towel around his waist, Duke emerged from the shower, and his hair


    was still wet. Belinda could see water slide down his muscr body and vanish into the towel. He


    looked so deliciously seductive.


    Immersed in her own thoughts, Belinda was startled by Duke''s sudden appearance. She screamed and


    unconsciously flung her hands over her eyes. However, the sheet covering her slipped. She let out an


    even more louder scream and crouched down to grab the sheet.


    "Ahhhhh!! Turn around! Now!" Belinda tried her best to grab the sheet as quickly as she could and


    wrapped it around herself firmly.


    "Belinda, is that how you try to turn me on?" Duke narrowed his eyes and curled his lips. He then


    slowly advanced on Belinda.


    "No... Duke, don''te any closer." Panicked, Belinda backed up as Duke walked to her. She widened


    her eyes and clenched the sheet nervously as Duke approached closer and closer. She wanted


    desperately to run away, but she couldn''t.

 Chapter 115 What If I Want To Be

    Chapter 115 What If I Want To Be


    "Don''t move! One more step and you''ll..." Duke couldn''t finish his sentence. Belinda''s howl of pain


    drowned out his voice.


    "Ouch!" Belinda tripped on the couch and fell to the ground. The sheet fell off her body and once again,


    Duke saw her sexy curves.


    "I told you to stand still." With a small gloating smile, Duke stepped forward to pick her up.


    "Let go of me! It''s all your fault." Belinda shook his hand off. She grabbed the sheet and then dashed


    into the bathroom, face still burning. That was so humiliating.


    Duke looked at his hand held out for her. Did she really need to run from him like that? He was no


    monster and he wouldn''t bite.


    Shaking his head, he cast ast nce at the closed bathroom door before getting dressed.


    The hotel was the property of the FX International Group, so it was natural that he had his own suite


    here. Although he seldom stayed the night, the room was always reserved for him in case he needed it


    for emergencies likest night.


    Right as Duke fastened thest button on his outfit, he heard a knock on the door. His assistant arrived


    more quickly than he had expected. He smiled to himself.


    "Boss, I brought what you asked for." Outside of the door, there stood a pretty young woman, slightly


    panting. There were beads of sweat all over her forehead. She must have run all the way here. She


    handed over the bag and looked curiously through the half-open door.


    "Well done. Thank you. You may go now." Without any hesitation, Duke took the bag and banged the


    door closed. He couldn''t care less what his assistant thought of him.


    He turned around just in time to see Belinda walk out of the bathroom. She reced the rumpled sheet


    with a blue bathrobe, her hands clenching her bathrobe near her neck and her face glowing after the


    hot shower.


    Duke paused for a second. However, he soon put on his cold face and threw the bag at Belinda.


    "There you are. Get changed, and then we can talk." What''s done is done. He didn''t mind making it up


    to her. He thought about being with her even. What happenedst night simply moved things forward,


    at a quick pace.


    "What? When did you get these?" Belinda was surprised. She only took a ten-minute shower and he


    prepared a change of clothes for her. How on earth did he do that?


    "Didn''t I just make the call? Were you in a trance?" Duke didn''t know what to say. He was standing right


    next to her when he called his assistant. How could she not hear him? He couldn''t help wondering how


    could she managed as an CEO if she was always this slow.


    Belinda rolled her eyes at him. She was only being polite. Besides, she had absolutely no interest in


    who he talked to or what he said.


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    "Get changed or stay in the bathrobe. Either way suits me." Duke stared at her in primal hunger. He


    didn''t mind if she walked around in that bathrobe.


    "Shame on you!" Belinda red at him and went back to the bathroom holding the bag. She was wrong


    about this man. Sometimes Duke could be even more annoying than Edward.


    Duke''s lips curled into a wicked smile. Was he shameless? He didn''t think so at all.


    Inside the bag there was a long, loose-fitting, orange dress. Belinda lifted the hemline and turned from


    side to side in front of the mirror. She was used to wearing short skirts. It felt quite ufortable to


    wear a long skirt. She hardly dared to walk in such a thing, for fear of tripping over the hem.


    However, Duke seemed to be quite satisfied with her outfit. At least it could cover her curves and stop


    other men from staring at her greedily.


    Maybe Mr. Cold didn''t even realize that he became jealous whenever he thought of that there were


    other men drooling over Belinda. He couldn''t even tolerate the thought.


    "Spit it out, Duke. What do you want?" Belinda sat opposite him and asked as casually as she could


    pretend. They never sat down and talked like this before. She was actually nervous but she couldn''t let


    him see through her. Duke''s face was as emotionless as usual.


    "Tell me, what do you think aboutst night?" Crossing his long legs casually, Duke yed with his


    wine ss, took a small sip and then looked into her eyes.


    "What do I think? Come on, Duke! We''re both grown-ups. It was a one-night stand. Big deal! Seriously,


    I don''t need you to be responsible for me!" Belinda was frightened. Did he mean what she thought he


    meant? No way! She wasn''t insane! And she wasn''t ready to waste the rest of her life with this man.


    "What if I want to be?" Duke''s eyes darkened when she calledst night as an ''One-night stand''. Didn''t


    she care that he was her first man? Or maybe she was indifferent because she didn''t even mind? Any


    man would be fine for herst night, as long as her longings were being taken care of?


    "Mr. Cold, it''s not funny at all. Do you really think that it would work out between us?" Duke was furious.


    Belinda knew it and she wanted to make it worse.


    "I think it worked out quite wellst night." He knew what she was up to. "In my bed. Don''t you think


    so?" Although he was emotionless, every word he uttered somehow sounded so inviting to Belinda.


    "Looking for a friend with benefits?" Belinda retorted sourly. Why did he imply that the sex was great


    last night? She was not a call girl!


    "Friends... with benefits?" Duke looked up and down at her body again before slowly replying, "Fair


    proposal. I can deal with that."


    "Well, I can''t. I''m not that desperate. So go find someone else and leave me alone." This wasn''t a


    game to Belinda. She was offended and mad. She didn''t like this one bit.

 Chapter 116 The Choice

    Chapter 116 The Choice


    "Belinda, do you still think you have a choice? From the moment you crossed my path, you lost your


    say in this matter. So I''m telling you now. You, Belinda Shangguan, are going to be mywful wedded


    wife as soon as possible."


    Duke told Belinda his decision, forcefully putting his wine ss onto the tea table. He then stood up


    and coldly exited the luxurious presidential suite.


    Belinda was shocked, and could only watch him leave. Her heart was bitter, her eyes clouded with


    sparkling tears. She couldn''t tell whether it was from his merciless exit, or his vow.


    She took a deep breath, confused about her own feelings. But she couldn''t marry someone just


    because of a one night stand.


    Belinda stood up and wiped her forehead, then gave up the idea of standing and threw herself onto the


    large soft bed. She abruptly got up when she saw the specks of scarlet.


    Damn! What was that asshole Duke so angry about? It was her who lost her virginity. Howe he


    acted as if he lost something? Bing his wife? She never agreed to this! She''d never met a man


    more unreasonable than Duke.


    "You want to stay?" His cold voice suddenly rang across the room. Belinda dropped down onto the bed


    again, staring in a panic at the icy figure at the door.


    "You... I thought you left." Belinda said apprehensively. Howe he always showed up like a ghost?


    "I''m not as terrible as you think." When Duke walked out of the suite earlier, he thought that she was


    going to follow him. He waited quite a while beforeing back in.


    "But just now you were so angry and stormed out!" Belindained, wondering how the man could


    be so unyielding. She still felt wary of him, despite their lovemaking.


    "Who knew you''d be too stupid to follow me?" Duke said nonchntly and side-eyed her, trying to hide


    his brief smile. She had him figured out. He was angry when he stormed out. But he still cared enough


    toe check on her.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Do you think I''m insane? You were so pissed, and you want me to follow you and get yelled at again?"


    Belinda didn''t forget Duke''s fury from earlier.


    "Belinda Shangguan, you knew I was angry and you kept stoking that fire. Yet you somehow came out


    unscathed. Congrattions. You are the first person who made it. Seems like I underestimated your


    influence on me."


    Duke would never allow someone to anger him over and over again. Belinda was the only woman


    fearless enough to anger him every so often, let alone p him once.


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about. I''m going home." Belinda avoided his gaze. She didn''t know


    how to exin to her family why she stayed out all night.


    "Let''s go! I''ll take you home. But remember, I don''t want you to date anyone, or I''ll make sure you won''t


    leave the bed for 3 days. Don''t doubt me on this. I mean it."


    Duke''s slender fingers clutched her jaw, forcing Belinda to look into his eyes. There wasn''t even a hint


    of warmth on his stone cold face when he made the threat.


    "Duke Leng, why should I listen to you? Who are you to me?" Belinda''s explosive temper was triggered


    as well. She struggled out of his grasp, ''Who does this guy think he is? It was just a one night stand.


    Who gave him the right to lord it over me like this?''


    "I''m no one to you, Belinda? Huh? Do you want me to remind you what happened between the two of


    us?" His handsome face suddenly came close, his lips angrily reached Belinda''s. Far from a gentle


    kiss, it was almost like a bite.


    "Hmm... Hurts...." Belinda fought back hard. Her beautiful eyes were filled with indignation. As soon as


    the tip of Duke''s tongue reached in, she gave him an angry bite.


    "Haha! What an interesting little pussycat you are! Fighting back at every turn." Duke let go of her face


    and chuckled. He looked very pleased.


    "Pervert." Belinda gently touched her hurt lips and red at him wrathfully. Her pretty face turned fiery,


    covered with a pink hue.


    Duke uttered a sinisterugh. He grabbed her hand and began to walk out, as if nothing had happened.


    "Duke, let go of me." Belinda tried very hard to wrest herself from his grasp. She didn''t want others to


    see hering out of a hotel with a man in the morning. Her reputation!


    "Stop. Just stop. Otherwise I''ll carry you on my back." Duke said without turning back. He didn''t mind at


    all the burning pain of her nails piercing through his skin. His hand was still locked on hers.


    Belinda stopped fighting and turned into a docile kitten, her head down, not looking anywhere but the


    ground.


    Duke let out a gentle chuckle which dissipated within a second. His tough face turned gentle. Even a


    wild cat was afraid of something. His future life wouldn''t be boring then, since this woman was full of


    surprises.


    Belinda once again felt a rush of desire. She nced at Duke, who was even hotter from the side view.


    He was a handsome man, able to drive all the girls crazy. But then his coldness drove everyone away


    immediately.

 Chapter 117 Im Pregnant

    Chapter 117 I''m Pregnant


    In an office of FX International Group


    Edward Mu wasmenting on various documents, his pen moving like lightning. His calm and steady


    face exuded wisdom. His eyebrows furrowed when difficult problems arose, which made him pause


    here and there.


    There was a series of gentle, rhythmic knocks. "Knock knock," Anna swiftly entered.


    "Something up?" Edward''s eyebrows furrowed again as he asked without looking up. She sounded like


    it was urgent.


    "Mr. Mu, Miss Jessica Lin is here for you. She said it''s something important." Anna waited for Edward''s


    reaction, uncertain what his answer would be.


    "What did you say?" Edward finally looked up from the paperwork and stared straight at Anna.


    "Miss Jessica Lin is here. She said she wanted to see you. Do you want me to show her in?" Anna now


    wondered if this interruption was a good idea.


    "Jessica Lin, what''s she doing here? What''s so important that she needs to talk to me in person?" Ever


    since she had made her threats to Edwardst time, she hadn''t turned up again till now. He didn''t know


    why she reappeared after two months. Hasn''t she given up yet?


    "I''m not sure, Mr. Mu. But she said she must see you today. Do you want to meet with her?" This visit


    was unexpected. Even Anna was a little surprised.


    "Bring her up!" Edward thought for a moment and made the decision. He hoped that Jessica would


    know her ce and not cause him any more trouble. Otherwise she would never be wee again.


    "Yes, Mr. Mu." Anna deferentially exited the office.


    Edward leaned back into his chair and rubbed between his eyes to rx his exhausted nerves. He


    promised Daisy that he would never be intimate with another woman again. He kept that promise, so


    he was curious what was so important for Jessica.


    Another knock, more urgent than before. This was not Anna.


    "Come in." Edward didn''t move an inch, keeping his posture as he awaited the entrance of the visitor.


    "Mu, I knew you were going to let me in." Jessica Lin smoothly walked in, smiling delicately. The tight-fit


    clothes amplified her extraordinary curves. She approached Edward elegantly, step by step. Just


    before she could hug him, his words stopped her.


    "Miss Lin, please sit!" His tone was rigid and unweing, entirely emotionless.


    "Mu, why are you being so cold to me?" Jessica smiled bashfully, disregarded Edward''s aloofness and


    tried to lean on him. But Edward pushed the chair backwards.


    "Miss Lin, pleasepose yourself." Edward was annoyed obviously. Why was she here? Did she


    forget the things she said?


    "Mu, don''t be like this! I just miss you so much!" She wasn''t afraid of Edward''s anger. Jessica was


    confident that when she told him the news, Edward would treat her as the most precious treasure.


    "What are you here for, tell me!" Edward loosened his tie impatiently. He remembered the face of the


    woman at home carefully tying his tie for him this morning, and it lifted his mood somehow.


    "Mu, I''m pregnant." Jessica said confidently. Her beautiful face blushed.


    "Come again?" Edward stopped. His deep eyes squinted, as if danger was imminent. He wasn''t sure


    what he had just heard.


    "I said I''m pregnant. It''s yours." Jessica said more loudly this time, looking so proud.


    "Haha! Not funny." Edwardughed after he heard her words. He darted to where she was standing


    and gripped her jaw with his bony hand. A series of chilling words ensued.


    "Do you think you have the right to bear my child? Jessica, this is myst warning. I don''t want to hear


    that nonsense again, or -- you know what I mean." After he finished, he threw off her slim hand that


    was clutching his wrist and sat back onto the chair.


    Jessica''s face paled. This was not what she expected at all! Shouldn''t Edward be happy about her


    pregnancy? She''d seen how he doted on Justin. He was supposed to love children! But why would he


    be so angry?


    "Mu, I don''t care if you believe me. I''m carrying your baby and that''s a fact." Speaking proudly, Jessica


    touched her belly and handed Edward the test results. She thought she had lost the man earlier. But


    God ultimately took her side and helped her carry his child.


    "Haha! Jessica, are you absolutely sure that this kid is mine?" Edward coldlyughed. If any woman


    could simply drop a test result sheet in front of him and im that he was the father, then he would be


    too busy to deal with anything.


    "Edward, don''t push it. As you well know, you are the only man I''ve been with all these years. Why


    couldn''t it be yours?" Jessica bit her lip, tears slowly welled up. Aggrieved, she stare at the man who


    was as still as a divine statue.


    "Jessica, are you certain that I''m the only man you''ve been with?" Edward''s face grew dark. He red


    at her intensely, turning the atmosphere into a breathless hell ruled by a merciless devil.


    "Of course I''m certain." A memory shed through her head, but she rejected it in an instant. It couldn''t


    be from that encounter.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Then go ahead and give birth to it! I do want to see if it''s actually mine. If it''s not -- then you should


    know what would happen next."


    Edward was confident. He was not to be fooled so easily. If he hadn''t used protection all these years,


    there would be many pregnant women at his door. Of course, Daisy was an exception. With her, it


    happened when he was not entirely conscious, so that didn''t count.


    ''Jessica Lin, pregnant, huh? This time you''re really going to pay for your stupidity.''

 Chapter 118 So I Can Have The Baby

    Chapter 118 So I Can Have The Baby


    "So, I can have the baby?" Jessica''s future looked brighter and happier. She was ted.


    "Sure. If that''s what you want." Edward teased and said coldly as if he were talking about the weather.


    "Then will you marry me?" Jessica spat out the question she wanted to ask most.


    "Marry you? So that''s what you want. But Jessica, you? How dare you think you''re good enough for


    me?" The cruel words jumped out of Edward''s mouth, a look of arrogance and disgust contorted his


    face.


    He wouldn''t let anyone he disliked have any fantasies about him. He wouldn''t even flirt with them.


    People might think he''s cruel, but he never cared about what others thought.


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "But shouldn''t our child have both father and mother?" Jessica panicked. If he didn''t marry her, how


    could she trust that he''d support her, and how to deal with the baby inside her? She didn''t want to be a


    single mom.


    "That''s not my concern." Edward looked sideways while he spun the pen in his hand. He was teasing


    her, but his face was full of amused contempt.


    "Edward, you can''t do this to me. You know how much I love you. What am I supposed to do without


    you? What about your kid?" Then Jessica pounced forward and grasped his arm, her tears dripping


    into Edward''s big hand.


    "Jessica, get off me. Any feelings I had for you are fading away fast." Edward squinted his eagle eyes


    and looked coldly at Jessica''s hands. His distaste was growing more and more obvious.


    "I..." Jessica released him. Her heart was torn apart. He couldn''t let her stay even though she had his


    baby? He never liked her? Then what should she do with herself? She loved him so much.


    She had always known what a fickle lover he was. He never wasted his time or had feelings for any


    woman, let alone love them.


    In the past, he''d never dated a woman longer than a month. She hung around him for several years, so


    she thought she was different. But in the end she was just another woman to him, who could be ditched


    at any time.


    When he first told her to end their rtionship, she thought it was merely a joke. But it was not. She


    waited so long, but he never came back to her. She figured out that she had been stupid -- and wrong.


    "Do you still think the child is mine? You don''t think someone else could be the father?" Edward stared


    coldly at her tear-soaked face. Her pitiful look didn''t soften his heart, not at all.


    "You don''t believe me?" Jessica''s lips shivered. She could hardly believe that Edward could be so cruel


    and thought her as such a slut.


    "Believe you? No need for that." Edward said coolly. He was not moved by any of her words. If


    anything, he was more impatient.


    Jessica stepped back, and copsed on the sofa, her face pale.


    Edward was never kind. He had no remorse or pity for others. Jessica meant nothing to him. He hated


    it when women bothered him, especially with an unwanted pregnancy.


    Edward dialed the phone. "Anna, see her out." he ordered coldly. She should have seen thising.


    She was not good enough to be his wife, or the mother of his child.


    Anna soon walked in. Bewildered, she looked at the sorrowful Jessica -- her ashen face made her look


    so helpless, yet it couldn''t melt Edward''s icy heart. "Miss Jessica, this way." she said.


    "Edward, do you have to be so cruel to me? You care nothing about our baby?" Jessica struggled to


    thest, trying to win the slightest bit of pity from Edward.


    Anna looked at Jessica in surprise, then nced at Edward. Jessica was pregnant? Daisy wouldn''t


    take that well.


    "Miss Jessica, please don''t call me Edward any more. We are strangers to each other. I will say this


    one more time: the baby inside you has nothing to do with me. You can do whatever you want with it."


    Edward looked at her in a mocking way. She could see that she wasn''t getting anywhere, he was just


    as cold as usual.


    "Edward, you will regret this. You''re raising the bastard Justin, but you can''t ept your own baby?


    Okay, I''ll raise the child myself ande back on you!" Jessica wiped her tears. Her clear eyes turned


    hateful.


    Edward crossed the room to her quickly, deliberately. He encircled her fragile neck with his hands,


    squeezing tighter and tighter. He stared at her viciously. His evil eyes made her tremble. She saw his


    gentle demeanor, but forgot the demon inside. Now she tasted the bitter fruit of that mistake. "Justin is


    no bastard. Get that through your thick skull."


    "I..." Jessica tried to remove his hands, but he only tightened his grip. Terror overwhelmed her. If she


    could start all over again, she hoped never to meet Edward. He was demon. He could love no one, only


    himself.


    "Mr. Edward..." Anna said, hesitantly. Anna was quite worried to see him choking Jessica. She had to


    remind Edward of what was going on, stopping him from doing something he might regret.


    "Jessica, you''re lucky you''re pregnant, or you''d pay the price for what you just said."


    Everyone knew that Justin was his favorite, his son. And Jessica was stupid enough to call him a


    "bastard." That mistake could have cost her. She would have thrown away her life.

 Chapter 119 Honey, I Miss You Too

    Chapter 119 Honey, I Miss You Too


    Jessica stroked her fair neck in fear. She could hardly believe that Edward had just tried to kill her. She


    still didn''t know enough about Edward.


    "Anna, see her out." Edward ordered without another look at Jessica. The coldness continued to


    emanate from him.


    "Miss Jessica,e with me, please." Anna knew Edward''s temper. He loved Justin, and Jessica


    called Justin names. Of course Edward would lose his temper.


    Jessica took ast look at the man she loved so much. She knew he''d never belong to herpletely.


    But she didn''t mind sharing him with other women as long as she could be by his side. Edward


    shattered that wish.


    The longer she looked at him, the more she wanted him. ''Edward, I will make you marry me and ept


    our child by all means. Only I am the perfect match for you.'' she thought.


    Edward gracefully returned to his desk and sat down. He took the call, and Jessica disappeared from


    his mind.


    "Hey, what''s up? Do you miss me?" He said gently, smiling broadly. One could hardly link his


    affectionate look to his coldness and cruelty just moments before.


    Jessica could hear him. His gentleness made Jessica''s feet soft. Her face grew pale. ''Ah, Edward, you


    used to be so gentle and caring to me as well. But not now. What about this woman? How long will it


    take you to dump her? We''ll all end up deserted.''


    "Edward, don''t be so childlike. Will you be home on time?" Daisy said, flipping through the files she had


    just copied.


    "Do you want me home early? I''ll think about it." Edward answered yfully. His voice sounded quite


    affectionate.


    "Ew. Suit yourself. I''m not going to beg you toe home." She knew that Edward was eloquent.


    Keeping her words short and sharp was the best way to deal with him.


    "No way. Are you mad? You''re usually more cheerful than this." Edward raised his head and saw


    Jessica standing there. He frowned and gestured to Anna to take her out.


    Jessica sneered and walked away. Who was on the other end of that call? Who deserved such gentle


    treatment from Edward?


    "What? Edward, You regret marrying a short-tempered woman like me?" Daisy quipped. Belinda and


    her friends were having a bad influence on her.


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    "Yes. I regret it. But I can''t return you and get a new wife. Besides, I lost the receipt." Since Daisy was


    in a joking mood, he would y along.


    "Well, you can return me, but I will punish you severely first, then I will set you free. How about that?" It


    was quite rare for Daisy to joke around. But as she spent more time


    With Edward, she became more outgoing.


    "Honey, what kind of punishment? It won''t kill me, will it?" Edward was all excited. It was rare when she


    joked with him, and he loved it.


    "Well. That depends on how much you can take." Daisy chuckled. She imagined how gorgeous Edward


    would look when he''s decked out in military garb.


    "Honey. Why the evilugh? You are not thinking about us in bed, are you?" Daisy''s giggle made


    Edward shiver. ''Why Daisyughed so creepily? Howe I never knew that side of her?''


    "Ahem! Ahem! I didn''tugh. You haven''t answered my question yet." Daisy''s smile vanished, and


    turned to a cold look.


    "What question?" Edward opened the files on the desk. He would have finished his work if not for


    Jessica. He needed to hurry up, or he wouldn''t be home on time.


    "Edward, what are you doing? You''re not listening." Daisy organized her documents and put them in


    the briefcase beside her.


    "Oh. Don''t worry. I''ll be home on time." Edward just now remembered what she had asked.


    "Okay, you can get back to work then. I''ll let you go." She didn''t hang up immediately as Edward hadn''t


    replied.


    "Um... Honey, I miss you." Daisy could tell Edward sounded a bit lonely.


    "Edward, what''s the matter? Something wrong at work?" Daisy''s heart raced in anticipation of his


    confession, her voice trembled with excitement. ''What''s the matter with Edward? Why did he suddenly


    be so sentimental?


    And his voice sounded so tired. What happened? He was fine just now.'' Daisy thought to herself.


    "Nothing. I just miss you." Edward couldn''t hide his feelings anymore. He missed Daisy after having to


    deal with Jessica.


    To be honest, he couldn''t be sure that he wasn''t the father of Jessica''s baby. He only knew that the


    possibility was remote. He felt pressured. He didn''t want to hurt Daisy with that just when their


    rtionship was getting better.


    "Um. Honey, I miss you too." Finally Daisy admitted it. Maybe it was his loneliness. Maybe his affection.


    She liked being close to him emotionally.


    Edward could hardly believe what he just heard. In fact, Daisy had never said any sweet words to him


    or called him honey.


    "Honey, thank you. I feel better now. Just stay home and wait for me. I''ll be there soon." To hell with


    Jessica! He would not let her disrupt what he had with Daisy.


    "Okay, I''ll be waiting. Drive safe." Daisy''s heart was filled with softness and affection. To hell with


    coldness. She was done burying her feelings. She loved Edward. She would say it out loud. And she


    didn''t care who heard her.

 Chapter 120 Ill Fix Dinner

    Chapter 120 I''ll Fix Dinner


    "Mrs. Wu, I''ll fix dinner. Get some rest." Daisy said to Mrs. Wu, who was gathering ingredients for the


    next meal.


    "Well. Mrs. Mu, it''s our job. We can''t let you do this." Mrs. Wu was shocked. She couldn''t rest while her


    mistress was preparing the dinner. Besides, did Daisy even know how to cook? She doubted it. Edward


    was quite fastidious when it came to food.


    "That''s alright. I am not as good as you, but I''m not terrible. Don''t worry. Edward will have a proper


    meal." Daisy promised as if she knew what Mrs. Wu was thinking.


    "Okay, then. I will help you with dinner, Mrs. Mu." Mrs. Wu rxed a bit. Not many young people knew


    how to cook now. But Mrs. Mu did. What a good wife!


    "Thank you, Mrs. Wu. I need your help anyway." She''d only lived with Edward for just a short time, so


    she didn''t know what food or vors he liked, but Mrs. Wu could tell her.


    "Mrs. Mu, that''s exactly what I should do." Mrs. Wu liked Daisy more with every passing day. She felt


    so lucky that Edward had brought Daisy home and made the luxurious vi like a home, not just an


    empty house. Hopefully, they could live happily ever after. May there be no more idents.


    The city never slept. The closer it got to night time, the busier the roads became, especially during rush


    hour. Commuters, just off work, now crowded the streets.


    Edward was annoyed. He tapped the wheel impatiently, his handsome face disyed his anger.


    ''Usually the road is less busy. Why is there a traffic jam now? So both Jessica and the road have it in


    for me?'' Edward protested inwardly.


    He checked his watch in frustration. If this didn''t let up, he''d bete getting home. He didn''t want to


    break his promise to Daisy.


    Just when Edward was getting bored, his phone rang.


    "Hey, Duke, what''s the matter?" Edward moved the car forward some.


    "What? I can''t call you just cuz I want to? It has to be for something?" Duke leaned against his car


    door. He''d waited outside YS Group for some time, but he saw no sign of Belinda yet.


    "Of course you can. But aren''t you supposed to be on a date? Why call me in the middle of a date?"


    Edward curled his lips and formed a smile.


    "Are you still at work?" Duke shifted the topic intentionally.


    "No, I''m on my way home. We''re barely moving in this traffic jam." Edward stopped his car again and


    waited for the traffic to move. He became more anxious.


    "Some day you should take the head of Department of Transportation out to lunch. He might be more


    motivated to do something about the traffic." Duke quipped and temporarily forgot his bad memories


    with Belinda.


    "Humph! It should be him treating me. My time is too valuable. He should feel sorry for the jam."


    Edward nudged forward. His handsome face was getting more and more anxious.


    "That''s a good idea. Take me as well. I''d like to hear the apology." Duke also disliked congestion, but it


    was the price of living in a big city. He didn''t bother himself too much with it.


    "Hah, that old guy is not so important that both of us get to dine with him." Finally cars started moving


    faster, easing Edward''s worries a bit.


    "Just think of dining with him as doing charity." Duke looked at his watch, wondering if Belinda was


    avoiding him. Butst night when she left, they were all good.


    "Shame on you. You try to take advantage of him, but pass it off as generosity. Come on. So why did


    you call, anyway?" He could sense Duke holding back. He didn''t call for nothing.


    "Well... Actually I want to ask you something. Do you have Belinda''s number?" Duke was a bit


    embarrassed to ask. This man had proudly dered that Belinda would be his wife, but today he found


    out he didn''t even have her number.


    "Wow, no way! You slept with her, and you didn''t get her number? I don''t know what to say. Maybe


    you''re just destined to be single." Edward found it hrious. Only poker-face Duke could make such a


    mistake.


    "Cut the crap. Do you have her number or not?" Duke was annoyed by Edward''s joking. He med


    Belinda for the embarrassment. One more strike against her.


    "Well... Actually I don''t have it." Aaron handled all themunications for work. Edward showed up


    only when a major decision was to be made, for example, he called Belinda only when she demanded


    to talk to him personally. Since he didn''t quite see eye-to-eye with Belinda, he didn''t bother to keep her


    number on hand.


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "But YS and FX are partners, right? Howe you don''t have her number?" Duke retorted angrily. He


    shouldn''t have expected solutions from Edward. It was a waste of time.


    "Yes, we are partnerpanies, but you are partners in bed. Still... you don''t know her number." There


    was no way Duke could win in a war of words with Edward. The CEO was too silver-tongued to be


    beaten.


    "Okay, okay. Just find someone who knows and get back to me." Duke stood outside his car in a


    heatwave, and all these women stared at him. Every woman except the right one. He''d had enough.


    Duke''sst frayed thread of patience snapped.

 Chapter 121 Honey, Its So Good To Have You

    Chapter 121 Honey, It''s So Good To Have You


    "Why don''t you just ask Leena? She likes Belinda a lot." Atst, he was able to travel at a good clip --


    the rest of cars were speeding up as well. Traffic was beginning to clear.


    "Let''s not talk about Leena. I haven''t dealt with her yet. She ran off before I came back." That gave


    Duke a headache. He could hardly believe Leena drugged Belinda.


    "Running away from her problems is so like her. Where''d she go this time?" Edward giggled. His


    luxurious car zoomed through the city, making the night more fabulous.


    "Where else? Grandpa''s. Running away timely seems to be her main talent." Duke joked. ''Every time


    Leena does something wrong, she flees. When it blows over, shees back, and shes you that


    puppy dog look, so you can''t stay mad.''


    "By the way, why did she suddenlye back from Paris? Wasn''t she studying design there?" Edward


    was too busy dealing with Daisy to ask Leena what was up.


    "I don''t know for sure. I''ve heard she established her own brand, quite popr in France." Duke spoke


    to her butler in Paris, which is the only way he knew.


    "What? She is so talented! It seems that she has a knack for it, creating her own brand in such a short


    time. No wonder she wasn''t concerned about school. She has acquired achievements already."


    Edward was quite happy for her, you could tell by his tone.


    "Just forget about Leena now. I''m focused on Belinda''s number." Then Duke sat down inside his car,


    weary of waiting idly outside.


    "Hold on a sec. I''ll have Aaron text you." ''Duke must have fallen in love with Belinda this time, or he


    wouldn''t be so desperate for her number.'' Edward thought.


    "I''ll ask Aaron directly. Bye for now." Duke swiftly hung up and began searching for Aaron''s number.


    ''Wow, Duke is really impatient. Man! I need to get home. I''m already runningte." Edward thought to


    himself.


    Amidst the flying leaves, the Lamborghini stopped in front of the spacious fancy vi. The door opened,


    and Edward took off like a rocket.


    He ran upstairs, but didn''t find Daisy. ''Odd, '' he thought. ''She told me toe right home. But where is


    she?''


    Helplessly he turned around, walked downstairs, and bumped into Mrs. Wu who just came out of the


    kitchen.


    "Mr. Mu, you''re back. Dinner will be ready soon." Mrs. Wu was all smiles and looked at Edward lovingly.


    "Okay. Where is Mrs. Mu? Isn''t she at home?" He missed Daisy so much. He was upset that he


    couldn''t find her.


    "Yes, she''s here. She''s getting dinner ready. Should I call her over here?" Mrs. Wu had thought that


    Daisy only knew how to cook some simple dishes, but it turned out that she was an outstanding cook.


    Just looking at the dishes she made, they were not so-so at all.


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "What? She is preparing the dinner?" Edward was astonished. He found Daisy to be quite a treasure


    house with lots of surprises to be uncovered.


    "Yes, sir. Mrs. Mu has been at it all afternoon." Thank goodness that she was there to help, or Mrs. Mu


    would be exhausted.


    "Let me have a look." Then he walked to the kitchen, trying to find out what she had cooked for such a


    long time.


    There was an air-conditioner in the kitchen, but Daisy''s forehead was already beaded with sweat. She


    was making pan-fried coca-c chicken wings, her face wearing a mask of happiness and love.


    Edward watched her, and was as happy as she was. Who knew the colonel would have such a


    feminine side?


    Daisy felt Edward''s intense gaze. When she turned around and saw Edward, she was stunned, but


    soon calmed down.


    "Hi! You''re home. Dinner will be ready soon." She turned back to the pots and pans she had on the


    stove.


    Edward said nothing. He walked over quietly and hugged her from behind, his chin nestling against her


    shoulder.


    Daisy stiffened for a moment, but she didn''t dodge his intimacy. Somehow she felt Edward was a bit


    different today. He seemed to be keeping something from her.


    "Honey, it''s so good to have you." Edward whispered in her ear, his voice full of love.


    Daisy switched off the stove, turned around and looked at him, trying to capture his difference from his


    face.


    "Edward, what''s wrong? What happened?" She felt insecure for some reason, and she didn''t know


    why. Daisy stared at his dark eyes intently. She wanted to see through him, to his soul.


    Edward held her tightly and kissed her forehead. It seemed that Daisy had felt his anxiety, thanks to


    Jessica. That was thest thing he wanted to see.


    "Honey, do you still remember what you said? No matter what happens, you will give me a chance to


    exin." Jessica made him lose his coolness. He was scared to lose Daisy.


    "Yes. I remember my words and will keep my promise." Daisy tried to smooth his frown with her fingers.


    She hated his frown for it made her heart ache and sink. She wanted him happy forever.


    Edward couldn''t help lowering his head and covering Daisy''s lips with his own. He kissed her so


    intensely and affectionately.


    Daisy responded clumsily. Her hands embraced him around his well-built waist. She had no idea why


    he was afraid, but she would ept it. She didn''t know why he brought up her promise again, but she


    would go through thick and thin with him. Together they would handle whatever got thrown in their


    way.

 Chapter 122 I Dont Know If Youll Like Them

    Chapter 122 I Don''t Know If You''ll Like Them


    "Wow! You cooked all of these dishes?" Edward said excitedly while looking at the food in disbelief.


    Most of the dishes were his favorites.


    "Yes, but I don''t know if you''ll like Them." Daisy said with a stammer. Though Edward assured her that


    nothing had happened, she was still a bit worried.


    "Wow! Mom, my favorite coca-chicken. Love you!" Then Justin jumped into Daisy''s arms and gave her


    a big kiss. The way he spoke was quite simr to Edward.


    "I thought what you really love is coca-chicken, not me!" Daisy said jokingly. Justin seemed to be so


    preupied with his studies that she hardly saw him all day.


    "No. I love Coca-chicken. But what I love most has always been you, mom." Justin hugged her


    tteringly as if to prove what he said was true.


    "Really? But I think you love coca-chicken more than me." Daisy quipped, joking about his ttery.


    "LOL. Mom, are you jealous of coca-chicken? Cheeky!" Justin stroked Daisy''s face with his small


    hands.


    "Yes. Yes, I''m jealous. I am not as important as coca-chicken to Justin. I''m heartbroken." Daisy said


    yfully. She knew how silver-tongued and yful Justin could be. But she chose to ignore it because


    she liked the way he held her.


    "Mom, you are the most important person to dad. Right, Dad?" Justin looked up at Edward who was


    smiling happily, his eyes shining slyly.


    His words struck Edward dumbfound. How was he suddenly involved in their joke?


    "Yes. You and your mom are equally important to me. You both are indispensable for me." Edward


    replied quickly. His words were precise and witty.


    Daisy was a bit embarrassed and changed the topic. "Bon appetite. Let''s eat. Or the food will get cold."


    Then she put Justin on the chair and sat beside him quietly.


    "Okay, Justin, let''s find out if your mother is a good cook or not." Edward''s look was full of expectation.


    "Dad, mom is an excellent cook. Once you try her food you will definitely ask for more." Justin could


    vouch for Daisy''s cooking skills. He knew her talent more than anyone.


    "Okay. Let me give it a try." Then he put a spoonful in his mouth. As he chewed, the expression on his


    face was also changing constantly.


    "Do you like it? Is it any good?" Daisy looked at Edward anxiously, desperate to hear an answer.


    "Well... It''s great! You are a five-star cook." Edward had faked the odd expressions to make her


    nervous. Then he spat out the answer dramatically.


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    "It''s good, right? Kevin also said the same thing." Justin said to Edward proudly. His words made


    Edward a bit gloomy.


    "Does Kevin often dine with you two?" Edward asked wistfully. He was not the first man to taste the


    food she cooked. Was it Kevin? What did the man mean to her?


    "Not frequently, just sometimes. But uncle Kevin is also good at cooking. Mom and I have sampled his


    cooking." Justin continued, oblivious of Edward''s sullen face.


    "What''s wrong? You are not feeling well?" Seeing his gloomy face, Daisy asked with concern. Did


    Edward remember what happened at work----the thing that scared him?


    "Oh! I''m alright." Edward had mixed feelings. ''Kevin, right? No matter how much you love Daisy, no


    matter how many good memories you two have, I don''t care. From this day onward, I will make myself


    arge part of Daisy''s life. I will make Daisy love me. You will be nothing to her.'' Edward decided.


    "Are you really okay? You are not unwell?" Then she turned to him and measured the temperature of


    his forehead.


    "I am okay. I just had some negative thoughts." Edward removed her hand from his forehead and put it


    into his hand while stroking it gently with his fingers.


    "Thank goodness you are okay. Now let''s have dinner. Do you like the food? You are not feeling sick


    due to the food, are you?" Feeling awkward, Daisy pulled her hand from Edward''s.


    "Don''t overthink. The food is great." Edward slightly frowned. He didn''t like that Daisy pulled her hand


    away.


    "Of course. Mom, any dish cooked by you can never be bad. Even themander-in-chief loves your


    food." Justin added fuel to the fire. Now Edward got more jealous.


    "Commander-in-chief? Who is he?"


    Edwardpletely lost his poise. Howe there are Kevin and another man? Is it because that the


    man Daisy loved was themander, she didn''t reciprocate to Kevin''s love?


    "Commander ismander. Who else can he be?" Justin stared disdainfully at Edward as if he were


    looking at some dumb person.


    "Okay, Justin. Just eat your meal and stop talking." Daisy put on an angry expression and scolded him.


    She found Justin to be more snobbish now. He used to y cool and talk less, whereas now he was


    too casual.


    "Okay. Mom." Justin replied with sadness. What he had said was in Daisy''s interest. He purposefully


    said so to make Edward jealous. Yet, instead of showing gratitude, Daisy scolded him.


    On the other hand, Edward just sat there with a lonesome look. If that was what Justin was going for,


    he undoubtedly seeded. Edward''s jealousy didn''t dissipate till night when he taught Daisy a good


    lesson in the bed.

 Chapter 123 Its Mrs. Mu

    Chapter 123 It''s Mrs. Mu


    When the first morning rays came out of the horizon, Daisy was woken by the rm clock. She moved


    her exhausted body and reluctantly turned off the rm clock. She looked at Edward''s handsome face


    with her sleepy eyes. She instantly felt the impulse to kick him off the bed.


    Daisy got up hesitantly. The room was flooded with a sensual vibe. Edward was quite vigorous recently.


    Daisy wondered why he was soscivious; there was no sign of sexual restraint in him. She had told


    himst night that she needed to go to work today. But he seemed indifferent and followed his own will.


    He had tortured her nearly till the sun rose.


    As tired as she was, her stoic nature forbade her to indulge herself. As she was a little far from the


    military base, she had to move fast to get there on time. She wore her uniform after she was done


    cleaning up. But when she looked at herself in the mirror, she couldn''t help letting out a scream. She


    walked towards Edward who still sounded asleep and gave him a firm kick without reluctance.


    "Ah..." Edward was kicked off the bed by Daisy. He opened his misted eyes and looked at her, who was


    standing in front of him dressed in her uniform and ring at him with rage. Edward was very confused,


    he wondered why she kicked him all of a sudden.


    "Honey, are you going to work?" asked Edward. He didn''t seem to mind her kick. He looked outside. It


    was still dark.


    "Edward, don''t try to change the subject this time." She distinctly remembered that he got away with


    the same trickst time.


    "What? I am not averting from the topic." Edward said, bbergasted. He didn''t know what he had done


    wrong.


    "Look what you have done to me." Daisy pointed at the love bites on her neck and shouted. The marks


    were so distinct that the uniform could barely cover them. It would be really embarrassing for her to


    face herrades like this.


    "What? I don''t see anything!" Edward seemed oblivious to her im. But his sly smile revealed his


    wickedness. He certainly knew why she was so angry. He left the marks on her purposely. His intention


    was evident, that was to let anyone who desired her to see the hickey.


    Undeniably, what Justin had said yesterday made him feel nervouster. That''s why he was so


    aggressive when he was having sex with herst night. The more Daisy begged him to stop, the more


    fierce he got. He had been enjoying the amorous pleasure Daisy brought him. And at the same time,


    he was letting off his suppressed anger on her.


    "Are you blind? Look carefully here." Daisy bent down and pulled down the cor of her uniform. She


    was staring at him with anger in her eyes.


    "Honey, are you seducing me?" Edward asked with a wicked smile. His eyes glowed when he saw her


    plump breasts slightly emerging from her open shirt.


    "You badass! who has the nerve to seduce you?" Daisy immediately pulled up the cor of her shirt and


    kicked hard at Edward again.


    "Ouch... That hurts. You''re killing me! I''m your husband!" Edward stood up and rubbed his leg that was


    hurt by Daisy. Huh! He had never expected that his wife would be so violent when she got angry.


    "Killing you? If I really wanted to kill you, I won''t do it by myself." Daisy stared at him with a sneer. She


    marched to look at herself in the mirror again. She could still notice the marks on her neck. She signed


    with despair. Should she wear a scarf in such hot weather to cover the love bites? She wondered.


    "Let me take a look." said Edward. Edward stopped teasing her, as he noticed that she was miserable.


    He walked to her and looked closely at the marks he had left in the spur of the moment.


    Daisy tilted her head slightly. She could feel the subtle gentleness Edward''s warm fingers had left on


    her skin. There was a slight flush on her cheeks. She stayed motionless when Edward was checking


    on her seriously.


    "It''s okay. The marks are not very prominent from a distance. You can apply some makeup to cover


    them." Edward helped her to straighten her cor and stole a kiss on her lips.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "But where will I get the makeup?" Daisy looked at Edward with a somber look. She didn''t use any


    makeup.


    "Emm..." At that moment Edward realized that he had never seen Daisy use any makeup. In his mind,


    he thought every woman owned makeup. He didn''t expect that his wife would be so different from other


    women.


    Edward raised his head and looked at her dresser. There was only a bottle of toning lotion and a bottle


    of essential oil on it. The rest were some hair clips which Daisy used to put her hair in a bun. Her


    gleaming ck hair was tied in a bun. The neat hairstyle, paired with her uniform, made her look


    capable and experienced, The elegant appearance would leave people in awe.


    "I''m leaving now, or I will bete." Daisy looked at her watch and said. She didn''t want to waste time on


    this matter. If anyone asked about the marks, she would say that mosquitoes bit her.


    "Do you need me to drive you there?" Edward asked with a frown. He didn''t expect that Daisy would


    leave so early. He regretted that he had made her sleep sote yesterday. He looked at the time; it was


    6 am. Daisy had rested for a few hours only. Would she be okay? Edward was concerned.


    "No, thanks. I will ask the driver to pick me up. And I wille home driving my car. I''m going now.


    Bye." While saying this, Daisy put her cap on and quickly walked out of the room.


    Edward pursed his lips.''Okay, let her go.'' Edward thought. Then he went back to bed and continued to


    sleep after calling Luke.


    Mrs. Wu rubbed her eyes when she saw a woman walk down the stairs. ''It''s strange, Who''s this female


    officer?'' Mrs. Wu thought.


    "Mrs. Wu, good morning!" Daisy found that Mrs. Wu was looking at her in a stupor. So she greeted her


    first.


    "Oh... It''s Mrs. Mu! I was just wondering who''s the female officer." Last time when Edward brought


    Daisy home, Mrs. Wu was already asleep. So except for Luke and the safeguard who was on duty that


    day, nobody knew that Mrs. Mu was a female officer.


    "Sorry, I haven''t introduced myself. Did I scare you?" Daisy apologized with a soft smile.


    "That''s all right. Mrs. Mu, you''re too kind. Are you going to work?" Mrs. Wu looked at the darkness


    outside and asked doubtfully.


    "Yes. The military base is a bit far from here." While saying this, Daisy looked at the time again. She


    frowned.


    "I will go to fetch breakfast for you." Mrs. Wu turned around and ran to the kitchen.


    "Thanks, Mrs. Wu. But I don''t want to be toote; I will eat breakfast at the military base. I''m going.


    Good bye." After Daisy finished herment, she quickly walked out of the house.

 Chapter 124 He Is Actually Very Lonely

    Chapter 124 He Is Actually Very Lonely


    "Mrs. Mu, good morning. Mr. Mu asked me to send you to work." Luke greeted Daisy as soon as he


    saw her walk out. Mrs. Mu looked sharp in uniforms. Luke thought.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Good morning. Sorry for troubling you." Daisy nodded and said to Luke. She didn''t refuse to go with


    him because he had been to the military base before. Besides, Luke was an experienced driver, that


    could save her a lot of time.


    "It''s my duty, Mrs. Mu." Luke ran to open the car door for Daisy, exhibiting great respect for her.


    "Thanks," Daisy said to him gently. She bent down and got into the car.


    As there were no traffic jam in the morning, The car moved quite fast. Soon they were out of downtown


    and near the suburb.


    The morning in the suburb was filled up with the chirping of all kinds of birds and insects. Daisy pulled


    down the window and enjoyed the gentle breeze blowing over her face. She had been thinking about


    Edward''s strange behavior yesterday. Since he didn''t bring it up, she had to let it pass. Maybe it was


    because she wasn''t the women he loved deeply in his heart. Therefore he didn''t want to talk about it


    with her. Daisy thought.


    "Luke, did anything happen to Mr. Mu yesterday? He acted rather strangely yesterday." asked Daisy in


    a calm voice. Luke was focusing on driving the car. But Daisy couldn''t help speaking out what was on


    her mind. Her question made Luke hesitate for a bit.


    "You mean yesterday? No, nothing special happened yesterday. He has kept a patient profiletely. So


    I don''t think anything would bother him." Luke replied. He tilted his head and thought for a while. He


    remembered that Mr. Mu was in the office all day long yesterday. He didn''t go out to meet any clients.


    Only Jessica came by yesterday.


    Thinking of Jessica, Luke turned his head to take a quick look at Daisy. It seemed that Daisy had been


    looking outside and didn''t notice his nervousness. Did Jessica cause Edward''s strange behavior


    yesterday? Luke thought.


    "Oh! Nothing? Okay. I thought that you are with him every day, so you would know if anything


    happened." Daisy said. She was still looking nkly at the scenery outside.


    "Mrs. Mu, have you noticed anything about Mr. Mu?" Luke asked. Her look in the uniform made him


    feel very nervous.


    "Nothing, so that''s why I''m asking you. Let''s drop it. Luke, have you been with Mr. Mu for a long time?"


    Daisy shifted her focus from outside and gazed at Luke.


    "Yes, I have been with him since I was very young. Although he looks like a yboy, he is actually very


    lonely." Luke exined on Edward''s behalf while driving the car attentively.


    "Oh!" Really? I didn''t know this side of him. You seem to know him very well." In Daisy''s eyes, Edward


    lived a carefree life. And his charming smile had mesmerized lots of women. She felt that she was only


    a passer-by to him. She saw just his fun side. But his loneliness was an unexplored part to her.


    "Really? Not quite. Mr. Mu''s heart is and I have never ventured. Most of the time, I''m just watching


    him in silence on the margin." Luke sneered with a hint of self-mockery. There was a trace of sadness


    on his cool face.


    Daisy didn''t utter a word because she didn''t know what to say. Right then they arrived at the military


    base.


    "Thank you, Luke." Daisy got out of the car and said to Luke. This thank didn''t only include her


    appreciation for him sending her here, but also for the sincere friendship he had with Edward.


    "You''re wee. Mrs. Mu, when will you get off work? I will send a car to pick you up." Luke asked. He


    wasn''t used to the politeness Daisy extended towards him.


    "Thanks. But I have a car here. I can drive home by myself. I''m going in. Drive safe on the way." Daisy


    said to Luke with a smile.


    "Okay, I am going back now. Mr. Mu will be going off to work. See you tonight, Mrs. Mu." Luke said and


    nodded at Daisy. Then he drove away.


    Daisy turned around and walked into the military base. The soldier who was on duty at the gate saluted


    her when he saw here. Daisy nodded at him and walked towards the office building.


    On the way to the office building, all the soldiers stopped and saluted her. She saluted back but didn''t


    say anything. Her aloof demeanor was a unique phenomenon here. Everyone knew about it, and they


    had gotten used to it.


    "Colonel Daisy, colonel Daisy." A man quickly ran towards her. His voice sounded very excited.


    "Oh, it''s you! Mark! You must have been cking off when I was away these few days. You are panting


    for walking such a short distance." Daisy looked at Mark''s red face and frowned.


    "Colonel, you''re finally back!" Mark smiled and ignored Daisy''s usation. He felt like a kid who had


    lost his direction when Daisy was away during the past few days.


    "Okay, please take all the files that need to be checked to my desk and see if there are any important


    arrangements in today''s agenda." Daisy said to Mark. She knew that Mark was very hardworking. She


    was only joking with him just now.


    "Okay, colonel. I will do it right away." While saying this, he saluted her and walked away quickly.


    Daisy shook her head and sighed. Mark was still very imprudent. She wondered when he would


    be mature and calm at work.


    Mark was very efficient. As soon as Daisy sat down, Mark walked in with a stack of files in his hands.


    "Colonel, These are all the files you need to sign, and there is a meeting at 9 a.m. concerning military


    weapons. This is the file for the meeting, you must take a look at it first." Mark handed the pile of files to


    her.


    "Okay. I see." Daisy said and reached out to pick the files. She opened the file and began to browse it.


    When she saw the pictures of the new type of weapons disyed in the file, she felt excited. She had


    always been interested in military equipment. So her eyes were filled with excitement now.


    "Colonel, will many big BOSSes show up this time?" Marked asked. They liked to name the powerful


    weapons as BOSS, It sounded more exciting and challenging to them


    "Yes! They are good. But some of them are not suitable for marine force; they are more applicable to


    naval operations." Daisy had been paying attention to the new weapons of every country in the recent


    past. Hence she could quickly analyze the advantages and disadvantages of the weapons in different


    operations.

 Chapter 125 You Caught Me Again

    Chapter 125 You Caught Me Again


    "Colonel, do you think we can nail down several weapons this time?" Mark asked with great interest. As


    a soldier, anyone would like to touch this kind of hi-tech equipment, and Mark was no exception.


    "I''m not sure right now. But, I think we won''t take many this time as we are facing a great budget


    problem." Daisy replied. Her attention was still focused on the file.


    "Colonel, why can''t we request sponsorship for this program?" Mark asked with a frown. He was not as


    cheerful now as he was moments ago.


    "This is a matter the leaders should worry about. It would be better if you just do your own job." Daisy


    raised her head and nced at him. Then she continued to review the file.


    "Okay, Colonel, let me find out what the other leaders think about this. You take your time, and I''ll take


    your leave now." Mark said. Then he walked out of the office quickly. He was such a spirited young


    man!


    Daisy felt speechless by his words. Mark had the knack for spying. He got his hands on all kinds of


    rumor and gossip. Daisy wondered how he got them. Maybe it was just like what he said, ''Knowing this


    and that ensures victory''.


    Daisy continued to sift through the file. She didn''t have the time to think where Mark go to get his dose


    of gossip. But right at that moment, she was interrupted by a sudden knock on the door.


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    "Come in, please," Daisy answered without raising her head. But she knew it wasn''t Mark. Mark never


    knocked on the door before entering. He was very unceremonious like an impudent boy.


    "Daisy, I heard from Mark that you are back to work. Ie by to see you." Kevin walked in with quick


    steps. There was a delighted smile on his face. He didn''t like to call Daisy Colonel in private. He felt


    that the appetion would make them feel estranged.


    "Mark is really fast. Has he already been to your office? He must have gone there to get advice from


    the other officers." Daisy said with a little shame. She regretted that she hadn''t trained him well.


    "Yes. I wouldn''t have known that you''re already back if he didn''t show up at my office.'''' Kevinughed


    and sat down in the chair facing the desk. He was quite clear about Mark''s prying behavior. He did this


    because, to quote Mark''s own words, ''It appears that my colonel is a female. I have to be more alert


    and help her avoid any trouble that maye her way.''


    "Ah! Sometimes I feel humiliated because of him. What do you want to drink?" Daisy asked. She stood


    up with a cup in her hand and proceeded to make tea for Kevin. But she still asked him politely when


    she walked to the water dispenser.


    "Some green tea, please. You only have green tea here, I think." Kevin knew about her temperament.


    She was very particr about the things she liked. Once she decided on something, she would stick to


    it to the end. Daisy didn''t like change.


    "You''re right, I was asking for the sake of courtesy. If you ask for other teas, I will disappoint you.


    Because I don''t have any here." Daisy said with a gentle smile. She knew he was the only person who


    knew about this habit.


    "I can''t imagine your reaction if I had asked for any other drink." Keven joked. He looked at her with


    gentleness and affection in his eyes.


    "I knew you wouldn''t, that''s why I asked you that question." She bent down in front of him to serve the


    tea. She didn''t expect that Kevin would notice the love bites on her neck.


    Keven''s smiling face froze in an instant. His shing eyes became dark immediately. He became numb


    by the pain which quickly expanded in his heart.


    "What''s wrong, Kevin?" Daisy looked at him doubtfully. She wondered what made his face so pale


    suddenly.


    "Oh! I''m fine. I have a stomachache. Perhaps it is because I haven''t tasted your cooking for a long


    time. My stomach is going on a strike now. Keven tried his best to hide his true feelings. He smiled


    bitterly. ''Isn''t this the result that I have expected? Why couldn''t I let go of her?'' Keven thought to


    himself.


    "Nonsense. You probably skipped your meal recently, right?" Daisy asked with a frown. She


    disapproved of him not paying attention to his health.


    "Haha! You caught me again." He was saying it with a smile, but only he knew how sad and desperate


    he felt in his heart.


    "Ah! Every time you get a stomachache, its because you haven''t eaten on time. You make me worried."


    Daisy looked at him in despair. They had been friends for years. She certainly knew the reason for his


    stomachache.


    "Haha! I will try to change this bad habit." Kevin said with a smile. This time, the smile was sincere. He


    felt delighted to hear Daisy''s words. If he could get Daisy''s loving care asionally, his pain would be


    worthwhile.


    "I have heard this a thousand times. You need to find another excuse for next time." Daisy stared at


    him with a sullen look. She cared about Kevin. Kevin was like a brother in her eyes.


    "Okay, I will think about it tonight. I promise you I wille up with more convincing excuses." Kevin


    skipped the point and joked. He didn''t take her words seriously. He took a sip of the tea. The hot tea


    made him frown a bit.


    Daisy didn''t know what to say after she heard Kevin''s words. She stared at him helplessly. She knew


    he was not taking her seriously.


    "Have you checked the files for today''s meeting?" Daisy asked. She knew she wouldn''t get any answer


    on the health issue, so she stopped bothering him.


    "Yes. Do you have any suggestions?" asked Kevin. He took back his frivolous expression and returned


    to his calm demeanor.


    "I''m not qualified to give any suggestion on it. In front of a learned man like you, I ''m only qualified to


    listen to your opinions." Daisy knew she wasn''t well-versed with equipment knowledge, so she didn''t


    offer any suggestion on this.


    "You know what? Sometimes you are too modest. In fact, you know more about weapons than me.


    Your good shooting technique is well-known in the military. You are number one. And I am not as good


    as you when ites to shooting.


    Said Kevin. It was not ttery. Daisy''s familiarity with guns was astonishing. She could make out the


    type of the weapon by listening to the sound when it was getting loaded. She was able to disassemble


    the gun and resume it in 20 seconds. Nobody could break this record. So Daisy earned her current


    position with her efforts.

 Chapter 126 Mrs. Mu Is Her Sister

    Chapter 126 Mrs. Mu Is Her Sister


    "That''s because you purposely gave way to me. Otherwise, I wouldn''t have be the best." Daisy


    sneered with self-mockery. She knew there were a lot of people in the military who felt jealous of her. If


    she didn''t have so many achievements, she would have lost this position a long time ago.


    "Don''t try to deceive me. I know you like I know myself. Let''s go! The meeting is about to start." Kevin


    said and stood up. He waited while Daisy was gathering the files.


    "Okay. Let''s go! There will be a lot of arguments during the meeting." Daisy shrugged and smiled. She


    straightened her clothes and nodded at Kevin, indicating that she was ready.


    "Colonel, I''m back!" As soon as they walked to the door, they bumped into Mark. Kevin swiftly pulled


    Daisy into his arms and protected her from being hurt. If it weren''t for Kevin''s quick action, her beautiful


    nose would be broken.


    "Mark, what are you doing? You''re always in such a rush!" Daisy said with a blushing face. She


    released herself from Kevin''s arms and looked at Mark who made her feel humiliated.


    "Colonel, I''m sorry. I didn''t do it on purpose." Mark mumbled. He lowered his head and didn''t dare to


    look at Daisy. Ah! He felt that he was innocent. He didn''t expect that they would step out at the same


    moment.


    Kevin looked at his empty arms in a state of trance. The moments ago Daisy was in his arms. And the


    next second, she was gone, leaving a memory of the warmth of her body there.


    "Next time, if you forget to knock the door before entering, I will punish you to practice on sandbags.


    Then you won''t forget this ever." Daisy said in a cold voice. It was not a big deal in her office. But Daisy


    worried that Mark would also behave like this in the leaders'' office. So to prevent him from making


    more significant mistakes, Daisy decided to help him change this bad habit. If he didn''t change, he


    would suffer for his mistakes.


    "I know, Colonel. I won''t make the same mistake next time." Mark assured and saluted her.


    "Don''t just say it. Or I will punish you hard by training." Daisy wouldn''t be partial to Mark just because


    he was her apanying officer. If he made a mistake, she punished him. That was her basic


    principle.


    "Let''s go! Or we''ll bete." Kevin blinked his eyes at Mark and helped him out. He worried that Daisy


    would act on her words. He knew she would do it if she got furious.


    "Okay. Let''s go! Daisy looked at Mark''s sad expression and said. She didn''t want to rebuke him too


    brutally. Then she moved forward with Kevin towards the meeting room.


    Mark patted his chest and sighed with relief. He had gotten away with it this time. If colonel Daisy had


    punished him, his hand would be incapable of raising up, let alone knocking the door.


    At FX International Group


    "Mr. Edward, C Financial Group will arrive at S City tomorrow afternoon. Who would be responsible for


    their pick up?" Anna looked at the schedule and asked for Edward''s opinion.


    "They will arrive tomorrow afternoon?" Edward Mu stopped the work in his hands. He thought for a


    while and asked, "Is Mr. Rain in his office?" Why did they arrive ahead of the schedule? Edward


    wondered.


    "He''s not in the office now. He has gone with Aaron to inspect the recently developed housing project.


    They are expected toe back in the afternoon." Anna wasn''t aware of the rtionship between C


    Financial Group and Rain, so she was surprised when Edward asked her about Rain.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Okay. I know. I will arrange the pick up myself. Anything else?" Edward knocked lightly on the desk


    and wondered how to mention the early arrival of C Financial Group to Rain. He didn''t know whether


    Rain was ready to meet Annie.


    "Nothing else. And yes, Miss Mary came here again." Anna was curious about the connection between


    Miss Mary and Mrs. Mu. therefore she mentioned this to Edward.


    "Oh! She''s very persistent." Edward sneered. He was wondering what Mary and her father were up to


    this time.


    "Sir, is there any rtionship between Miss Mary and Mrs. Mu? Anna couldn''t help blurting out this


    question. She didn''t care about Mary. But she didn''t want to offend Mrs. Mu. Anna was quite fond of the


    aloof beauty.


    "Yes. Mrs. Mu is her sister. Edward didn''t try to hide it. Anna was the chief secretary of FX International


    Group. If she didn''t know about this rtionship, it would be difficult for her to manage things in the


    future.


    Edward''s words had Anna surprised. The fact that Mary came here with a clear purpose to meet


    Edward was fine. But if she was Mrs. Mu''s sister, it would be quite awkward. Mary liked her sister''s


    husband and brazenly came here to see Edward. It was absurd.


    "Are you startled?" Edward looked at her surprised look and asked. He knew what was on her mind. He


    was also baffled by Mary''s behavior.


    "Oh, no. I was just a little surprised." Anna quickly came to her senses. She had known about such


    cases, but it was a little difficult for her to ept when it happened to her.


    "Okay. You can get back to your work now." Edward didn''t n to say too much about it. He had


    noticed Mary''s admiration for him. But even if she was not Daisy''s sister, he would not consider her. He


    was very experienced in reading people, and he could see the strong desire of materialistic things in


    Mary''s eyes.


    "This is the agenda for you today. I have marked some important things for you." Anna said and kept


    the schedule in front of him. Then she nodded and walked out.


    Edward took out his phone and dialed a call.


    "Mr. Mu, what''s the matter?" Luke''s cold voice clearly came from the other end of the line.


    "Luke, I want you to look into Mrs. Mu and gather all the information about her past." As nobody


    answered his questions, he thought he would find the answers himself.


    "Mr. Mu, are you going to investigate Mrs. Mu? What if she finds out? She will be displeased." Luke


    asked doubtfully. He wondered why his boss would suddenly be so interested in Mrs. Mu''s past.


    "I didn''t ask you to let her know. You must do it covertly." Edward stared at the phone, speechless.


    Although he could not see Luke''s expression, he wondered why the smart Luke would ask such a silly


    question.


    "Okay, I get it. Mr. Mu. I will do it right away." Luke said. He shook his head and felt confused. This


    morning, Mrs. Mu had asked him about his boss. But now his boss was asking him to investigate Mrs.


    Mu. What was happening between them? Luke wondered. As an outsider, he was very perplexed.

 Chapter 127 How Dare You Ignore My Call

    Chapter 127 How Dare You Ignore My Call


    Belinda found that she had chosen the wrong guy to mess with. He wouldn''t let her go after they


    shared the most intimate connection. What was more shocking? Duke standing on her front porch at


    the crack of dawn.


    She massaged her temples, feeling a headacheing on. She remembered what he said to her that


    morning. ''I need to be prepared? Why? Does he think I''m y to be molded as he wishes? It was just a


    one-night-stand. And hanging up on him should not be a big deal. He did not have the right to threaten


    me.'' Belinda thought.


    The secretary''s touch jolted her out of her reverie. "Miss Belinda. Are you listening? What''s wrong?"


    the secretary asked in a low voice, wondering what diverted her attention in the middle of a meeting.


    The expression on Belinda''s face told the secretary what she needed to know. She was not paying


    attention at all.


    "Umm...Nothing. Have you all finished reporting?" If that''s it, then you''re dismissed." Belinda came


    back to her senses and nced at them. Her imposing manner was back.


    "Miss Belinda, Just now the sales manager asked if we should step up the advertising campaign." The


    secretary again whispered in her ear, feeling embarrassed by her reactions. Didn''t she notice that


    everyone was waiting? Instead of responding to the manager, Belinda adjourned the meeting. Again,


    she wasn''t listening.


    "Oh... I''ll talk to FX International Group about the advertising campaign. But I want you to know the


    advertisement can only be a supplement to our products. It''s the quality of our products that matters."


    Belinda flipped through the documents in front of her to hide her anxiety.


    "Yes, madam. We will strictly monitor the quality of our products." The sales manager replied


    respectfully. Although he was much older than Belinda, he was willing to follow the order, as she had


    been iron-handed after taking over thepany.


    "Any more questions? If not, we''re done here." Belinda''s mind was neither on business, nor on the


    embarrassing situation she was in. And she wasn''t in the mood to continue the meeting. Duke was


    foremost on her mind, and he was a problem.


    ''Damn it. Why was he always so serious? As adults, a one night stand should not be a big deal.''


    Belinda thought to herself.


    The senior officials could see that Belinda was not in a good mood. No one dared to say anything even


    if there was a question, as they were afraid that Belinda would vent her anger on them.


    Belinda picked up the file on the desk and left the meeting room. Her phone rang, and when she saw


    the name of the caller she wished the meeting could go on forever.


    Belinda let the phone go to voice mail. And no sooner than it stopped did it start ringing again. She


    didn''t have time to breathe.


    "Miss Belinda, you are not going to answer it?" The secretary looked at her curiously and wondered


    what made her behave so strangely today.


    "Umm... It''s not important. I don''t need to answer it." Belinda frowned, staring at her ringing phone and


    lost in thought.


    The secretary decided to leave Belinda alone to sort things out. She left the office after piling the


    documents neatly on the table. The phone rang a third time.


    Belinda sighed, knowing that she couldn''t escape this. Belinda finally decided to steel herself for


    another argument, and picked up the phone.


    On the other side, Duke was on the edge of exploding. His hands were shaking in rage and his eyes


    narrowed dangerously.


    He thought, ''How dare you ignore my call, Belinda! I''m going to give you a piece of my mind!''


    "Hello. This is Belinda speaking." He was about to hang up, but immediately jerked his finger away


    from the "end call" button. Belinda panicked but pretended that she didn''t know where the call came


    from.


    "Belinda, what the hell are you doing now?" Duke asked, gnashed his teeth. His rage was obvious.


    "Oh! Hi, Duke! I wasn''t expecting your call. What''s up?" Belinda asked casually. ''Who gave him my


    number?'' she wondered. ''If I figure out who it was, he or she is doomed.''


    Someone in the corner shivered, feeling like he''d been cursed.


    "Belinda, stop pretending! Stay put. I''ll be right there!" Duke hung up the phone, grabbed his keys, and


    stormed out the door.


    "Mr Duke, where are you going? You need to sign an important contractter." His assistant reminded


    him. This was the same girl who delivered the clothes to the hotel.


    "Tell them to postpone it. I''ve got more important things to do." Duke left the office with all speed. His


    long legs allowed him to walk so fast that the assistant found it difficult to keep up with.


    "But Mr Duke... Our clients might be on their way already, so changing the time is impossible." The


    assistant said with concern. She was following Duke so closely she bumped into him when he stopped


    walking.


    "Listen, I didn''t hire you to question my orders. I need you to help me solve problems. If you don''t


    understand your job description, then tell me now so I can find someone else." Duke warned the


    assistant.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Yes, sir! I''ll negotiate with our clients to change the time right now. Do you need me to hold your


    following events as well?" The assistant asked, bowing her head. She did not dare to look at him. She


    felt helpless -- she could not disobey his orders. He was the boss. And he took great pride in letting


    everyone know it.

 Chapter 128 Lets Go Register for Marriage Tomorrow

    Chapter 128 Let''s Go Register for Marriage Tomorrow


    Belinda silently put her phone down. She had an uneasy sense of foreboding. What was Duke going to


    do?


    Duke sped through the busy downtown streets. His anger had been building all night. Aaron came


    through for him and got Belinda''s number, though too slow for his tastes. And then Belinda hung up on


    him! Not only that, but she turned her phone off afterward.


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Then Duke visited her vi this morning, and forced her into his car. He didn''t expect her to try and hit


    him. He dodged most of the hits, but he was still pissed because of her rude attitude.


    "Duke, you are such a pervert! What are you doing here so early?" Belinda stopped trying to inflict


    physical pain, and tried to shame him with her angry re.


    "Belinda Shangguan, why did you hang up on me yesterday?" She tried to make herself as small as


    possible. She put up a brave front, but she was really afraid of his rage.


    "Umm... I didn''t recognize your voice?" Belinda defended herself. It would be foolish to say she was on


    a blind date arranged by her father. Belinda remembered Duke''s threats about keeping her in bed for 3


    days if she went out with other guys. She was not interested in more torture.


    "Belinda, I don''t believe you. I wasn''t born yesterday. I waited forever for you at yourpanyst


    night. And then you had the arrogance to hang up on me!" Duke nced at her with a cold and creepy


    smile.


    "I didn''t ask you to wait for me." Belinda murmured, wondering what happened to Duke. What was he


    doing at herpany?


    "No, you didn''t ask me to wait for you. But did you forget something?" Duke looked at the panicked


    woman.


    "I don''t think so. What did I forget?" Belinda kept shrinking and wriggling away as Duke came closer.


    "You are going to be my wife." Duke smiled at her. There was no ce to hide in the car.


    "I also told you to grow up, Duke. We had sex, that''s it. You don''t need to be responsible for me."


    Belinda felt powerless. He didn''t seem to be listening to her.


    "I didn''t say I''m responsible for you. I''m asking you to be responsible for me." Duke was trying to twist


    her words and use them against her.


    "What''s the difference?" Belinda sneered at him.


    "There is a big difference. Do you think the person who teased me first can walk away so easily?" Duke


    replied. He would keep it going until he achieved his goal, ignoring other people''s opinions.


    "Speaking of that, I haven''t looked into it yet. But now I think you had something to do with me being


    drugged." Belinda studied his face carefully, and thought that he was acting very suspiciously.


    "I don''t need drugs if I want to getid." Duke replied, ignoring her usation.


    "It''s either you or your sister and you are definitely involved in the set-up." Belinda probably should


    have been more careful. If she had, none of these would have happened. But why would Leena do that


    to her?


    She didn''t even have the chance toment the loss of her virginity. And Duke was already trying to


    force her into marriage. What a devil!


    "I sincerely apologize for Leena''s mistake and I''m willing to pay the price for her actions." Duke was


    known for his coldness. It was rare to see him talking to a woman so patiently.


    "Umm... Mr Duke. I really don''t me you or your sister, and you don''t need to take responsibility."


    Belinda smiled awkwardly, hoping that he would change his mind.


    "But I want to. You will soon be Mrs. Leng no matter what." Duke doubled down on his decision to


    marry Belinda.


    "Duke, do you love me?" Belinda tried to persuade him from a different angle.


    Duke was stunned. He was not sure about the answer. After being dumped, he was determined not to


    fall in love again. What he felt for Belinda now was not love.


    "See. Duke, you couldn''t answer the question yourself." "I couldn''t answer either. Therefore, there is no


    point for us to discuss marriage at this stage." Belinda didn''t expect that she would feel a little sad


    when he gave in so easily.


    "But I am confident that you will fall in love with me, so Let''s go register for marriage tomorrow." Duke


    couldn''t answer her question, but that didn''t stop him from his obsession with marriage.


    "Are you out of your mind? Register for marriage? Hell, no." Belinda found that it was aplete waste


    of time arguing with him. He wasn''t listening, and she wasn''t in love.


    "I didn''t ask for your permission. I am just telling you my decision." Duke replied with a evil smile.


    Belinda felt a migraineing on.

 Chapter 129 We Are In A Relationship

    Chapter 129 We Are In A Rtionship


    "Duke! You need to stop being so unreasonable and learn to take no for answer." Belinda found that


    her life had been absolute chaos since she met Leena and Duke.


    "Only my wife can reason with me, but you don''t want to be my wife." Duke responded. A smile crept


    across his face. He had never been so mischievous before, but now he found that bullying Belinda was


    so much fun.


    "Umm..."


    Normally Belinda was good at verbal battles, but she had little experience dealing with a shameless


    man like Duke. There was nothing she could say to fight back.


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "I don''t want to talk about this anymore. I need to go to work." Belinda said. Duke locked the car door


    before she could open it.


    "I''ll drive you to the office." Duke said and started the engine. He didn''t give Belinda a chance to say


    no.


    "I have my own car, you know." Belindained as he drove away from her house. She rolled her


    eyes and wondered why he was always so bossy. He wouldn''t let anyone tell him what to do.


    "I know." Duke ignored herints and focused on the drive. He was not in a good mood.


    Duke was as unpredictable as the weather. ''Probably best not to argue with him again, '' Belinda


    thought.


    Wheels were turning in both their heads, as they both kept in silence, lost in their thoughts.


    "Don''t hang up on me again, ever." Duke warned again as he slowly pulled into thepany''s parking


    lot.


    Belinda was about to answer, but then she thought maybe she could just pretend that he was talking to


    himself.


    The car screeched to a stop and pulled Duke back to reality. Looking up to the magnificent building


    owned by YS group, Duke rxed himself. He felt better.


    Belinda was busy reying the conversation they had earlier.


    Belinda picked up the phone and answered listlessly.


    "Hello." Her voice soundedzy and lifeless.


    "What''s going on? Are you feeling sick?" Duke frowned and wanted to know why she sounded tired.


    "Ahh... It''s you!" Belinda began to panic when she heard Duke''s voice. Why did he call again?


    "I''m downstairs. You need to be down here now, or I''ming up to get you." Duke tapped on the


    steering wheel gently, ying with the choice question that would put him in a sure-win situation no


    matter which answer she chose.


    "What are you doing downstairs?" Belinda paced up and down in her office and was impressed by his


    swiftness. It was just ten minutes after he ended the phone call and he was already downstairs. Did he


    use a ne tomute?


    "You don''t need to have lunch?" Duke asked with an evil smile on his face.


    "Can I say that I''m on a diet?" Belinda closed her eyes and made a finalst ditch attempt to get out of


    it.


    "No, you can''t." Duke sneered. He was angry with himself. When did he start caring about this woman?


    "I can''t? Then wait for me downstairs. I''ll be there soon." She didn''t want anyone gossiping about this. If


    her father knew about any of this, he''d try to get them married.


    "Hurry up." Duke smirked as he saw through Belinda''s trick. Escape was not an option.


    It took Belinda a while toe downstairs. When she saw Duke, she grumbled and stared at the


    innocent-looking man who stood by the car.


    Duke didn''t expect her to be in a good mood.


    "Duke, you''ve got nothing to do for the whole day?" Belinda didn''t like this at all. And she wasn''t going


    to go easy on him.


    "I''m not busy. Where do you want to eat?" Duke wasn''t dumb. He knew that Belinda asked that


    question to suggest that his time might be better spent working.


    "Duke, you''re acting like we''re in a rtionship." Belinda said miserably.


    "We ARE in a rtionship now. Can''t you see? I''m serious." Duke stared at her. He was unhappy that


    she didn''t take this as seriously as he did.


    "Umm... Fine. Ignore me." Belinda figured the less she talked, the less trouble she''d be in.


    "If you don''t have a better choice. how about the Mochan Restaurant?" Duke asked for her opinion this


    time. He didn''t want to be thought of as a tyrant.


    "That''s fine." Belinda answered and buried herself in the seat. At least if she was silent he wouldn''t


    twist her words.

 Chapter 130 Hi! Beauty!

    Chapter 130 Hi! Beauty!


    "Ahhh... It''s boiling out there!" Rain shouted loudly while rushing into Edward''s office. He snatched the


    bottle of water Edward had just taken out of the refrigerator and downed it.


    "You''re early. I didn''t expect you till after noon." Edward grabbed another bottle of water from the fridge.


    He frowned at Rain''s messy hair.


    "Edward. I''m risking heatstroke out there. It''s too hot. We''re not enemies. Why are you being so cruel


    to me?" Rain felt cooler after his drinking. He threw himself down on the big sofa.


    "Your hard work pays off. This month''s bonus will be nothing to sneeze at. Quitining, or you


    won''t get that bonus." Edward nced at himzily and sat down in front of the desk. He didn''t


    particrly care that Rain wasining, but he liked giving him hell.


    "No! How can you go after my tiny bonus, boss? You''re the CEO. You make so much more money than


    I do. How can you be so stingy?" Now that Rain recovered from the heat, he started teasing Edward.


    "Mr Rain, I am sure that the bonus is just a drop in the bucket to you. If you don''t need it, you can


    donate the money to kids in need. They would be happy to see a new school." Edward thought that


    hundreds of thousands of dors was a fair offer for a monthly bonus, and it was greedy of Rain to say


    it was a tiny bonus.


    "Cut it out Edward. If you want to show your kindness, please use your own money." FX International


    Group spent millions of dors on charity every year. He would be dumb if he let Edward donate his


    bonus.


    "Why should you care? It''s a tiny bonus, as you said. So I''m doing you a favor and helping you to


    spend it in a meaningful way." Edward smirked.


    "I''ll let you win this time. But remember: what goes aroundes around." Rain''s eyes were bright,


    and his shiny earrings gave off a beautiful luster. As his head shook, the color of the light reflected by


    the earrings would change, adding to his mystique.


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "You really think you stand a chance?" Edward noticed the earrings. This must be one of the luxury


    essories that Rain paid a lot of money for. Edward couldn''t understand why he would waste so


    much money on this kind of thing. Edward believed only girls need to wear essories to make


    themselves look better. Not to mention that every piece of Rain''s collections was unique -- they were


    designed by Rain himself and hand-crafted by masters.


    "Chance can be created." Rain smiled confidently.


    "Take your time creating that chance." Edward walked past him and left the room.


    "Hey! Where are you going?" Rain trailed far behind Edward in the mode of thinking.


    "I need to eat." Edward paid no mind. He knew Rain would struggle to catch up. So it was no surprise


    when Rain called out, "Wait a minute. I''ll go with you." Rain stumbled as he tried too hard to stand up.


    "I thought you are creating your chance. Right?" Edward really didn''t know what to say to him.


    "Chances are everywhere." Now it''s time for a free lunch.


    Sometimes coincidence happened. When they stepped out of the office, they ran into Mary.


    "Are you going to lunch? Can I go with you? Because I didn''t drive today." Mary figured out it was a bad


    idea to ignore Rain. He was not just a VP, he was Edward''s brother.


    Rain touched his earring, which just became more colorful when he yed with it. He thought, ''why


    does this woman show up every time they go to dinner? Can''t she find someone else to go with?''


    "Sure. Let''s go." Edward did not show too much emotion, but nced at her anyway.


    When Edward and Rain arrived at Mochan Restaurant, they came across Belinda and Duke walking


    towards the restaurant. What a coincidence!


    "Hi beauty! Nice to see you again." Rain was always good at engaging with people naturally. It was


    important to leave a good impression on customers, and that''s what he did well. Rain was confused


    about what was going on between Belinda and Duke. Last time, they were at each others'' throats. But


    now they''re having lunch together? Rain was convinced he''d missed a plot twist somewhere.


    "Hey girl!" Belinda greeted him back sarcastically. She always teased him about his extravagant


    clothing.


    "What a lovely coincidence!" Edward winked at Duke. Since when was Duke good at picking up hot


    girls? It seemed that he won Belinda''s heart after all.


    Duke snorted as he knew exactly what Edward meant by winking. He and Edward were old friends.


    They couldmunicate with just a nce.


    Mary was surprised at the top-tier people hanging around Edward. But she knew Duke was different --


    he didn''t make friends easily, and seemed to push people away with his attitude always.


    Belinda noticed Mary staring at Duke, so she intentionally moved between them, even as she tried to


    make it look natural. She simply didn''t like anyone paying attention to Duke. Maybe she cared more


    than she realized.

 Chapter 131 You Have Got Yourself A New Boyfriend

    Chapter 131 You Have Got Yourself A New Boyfriend


    "Miss Mary, it seems that we keep running into each other a lot recently," sneered Belinda. She didn''t


    understand why Edward still kept her around.


    "You''re right. Miss Belinda. It appears that you have got yourself a new boyfriend." Mary raised her


    eyebrows. Belinda nervously stood in front of the man apanying her. As soon as Mary saw them,


    she instantly knew that their rtionship was not that simple, so she purposely said those words to


    cause differences between them.


    As expected, on hearing Mary''s words Duke gave Belinda an unfriendly look from behind. A minute


    ago, Duke was d as he thought that Belinda stood in front of him to stop another woman from


    staring at him. But now he realized that she didn''t do it out of jealousy but to prevent Mary from telling


    about the other man''s existence. He was heartbroken.


    Belinda didn''t perceive the frosty look from behind and continued to sneer at Mary. "Yes. What? You


    don''t want me to change my boyfriend? Or do you wish to get pped again?"


    "Belinda, you are out of line!" Mary got angry. Every time she saw this woman, she got whacked.


    "Am I? I don''t think so. After all, I''m not the one who has a thing for her sister''s husband!" When


    Belinda got mad, she didn''t spare the other person''s feelings. Mary''s n was exposed now.


    Rain quickly glimpsed at Mary. Any rational person could see that Mary admired Edward. It was clear to


    him that the husband Belinda referred to was Edward. Now, he realized that Mary was Daisy''s sister


    and thought, ''A girl trying to pursue her own brother-inw! How shameless!''


    Mary''s face had turned red with anger. She red at Belinda. Although that was true, it was an


    embarrassing thing to be made public. "Belinda, what do you mean? Who has a thing for another


    woman''s husband?"


    "I didn''t mention any names. But clearly, whoever got angry about it has admitted it herself, and by


    putting on such a drama, she has proven that what I said is true ." Belinda responded with a sneer.


    ''What a shameless woman! Can''t she find any other man in the world except for Edward?''


    At first, Duke was angry, but now he got confused. Mary was almost a stranger to him, and he didn''t


    know that she was Daisy''s sister. He didn''t understand what the two women were fighting about.


    Edward knew Belinda was fighting for Daisy, so he decided not to say anything. How Mary and Daisy


    were getting along was still unclear to him. Before he figured it out, it would be rash to take sides.


    Clenching her fists, Mary wasn''t sure what to say. She felt extremely embarrassed. If Edward weren''t


    there, she would have torn Belinda''s mouth to pieces.


    Based on the friendship of them, a group feast would be in order. Mary burned with hate at the thought


    of having to face Belinda. Why on earth did she have to see that woman so often?


    The three men present looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. They unanimously agreed


    not to get involved in this catfight and thought it wise to stay out of it.


    Noticing that people were watching, Edward suggested, "Let''s go inside."


    All of them had their own merits obviously, so when they entered, everybody inside looked at them.


    However, none of them paid attention to the onlookers and walked straight into a box.


    Belinda sat next to Edward intentionally, and Duke sat next to her. Therefore, Mary had to sit away from


    Edward. This resulted in a new round of arguments.


    "Miss Belinda, I think there is some misunderstanding. I didn''t offend you, but why do you keep picking


    on me?" At that moment, Mary had changed her tone into a pitiful one and looked at Belinda as if she


    had been wronged and Belinda were being unreasonable.


    Belinda felt she was dealing with someone that was unbearably shameless. She said coldly, "Miss


    Mary, you didn''t offend me, but you shouldn''t have offended the one I care about." As her words got


    harsher, the tension between them sharpened.


    Duke heard Belinda''sst sentence. He looked at her, but she was ring at Mary intensely, and she


    didn''t notice his indifferent gaze, as if he had be invisible to her. She was preparing herself for


    anything to happen next. He couldn''t help wondering, ''What kind of grudge can be so big that she is


    willing to disregard her dignity?''


    Observing the icy look Duke had in his eyes for Belinda, Mary stopped pretending and decided to make


    the situation worse for them by saying, "Since you care about so many people, how would I know who


    you are referring to?"


    Belinda stared at her with hateful eyes, and said, "Stay away from Daisy! Otherwise, I will let you know


    the consequences of messing with me!" ''Starting a ring contest with me? Game on! I''m way better


    than you!'' Belinda thought.


    Hearing Belinda''s words, everyone present looked at her, with different thoughts.


    Edward was wondering how close Belinda and Daisy were


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    So that she was willing to protect her at the cost of her own image.


    Duke was relieved to know that Daisy was the one Belinda cared about. He couldn''t exin it. He just


    felt that his anxious heart was finally rxed.

 Chapter 132 We Were Being Impulsive

    Chapter 132 We Were Being Impulsive


    Rain looked at Belinda in appreciation and smiled charmingly. Seeing how much she valued friendship,


    he realized that he had underestimated her before. He had considered her as a bossy and self-


    centered girl from a wealthy family. What he saw today was unexpected. He cheered her on in heart,


    ''Bravo Belinda! I like Daisy too.''


    "When did I offend Daisy?" said Mary as she looked at Edward as if to check if he still remembered her


    existence.


    "Didn''t you? Then why did she p you?" responded Belinda, without considering the oue of what


    she said.


    "No way! Belinda, are you sure you are talking about Daisy?" Rain was surprised that a calm person


    like Daisy would p someone.


    "So, you two have seen each other," said Edward, sounding irresistible. His handsome face darkened,


    as he nced at Mary and Belinda.


    Mary had thought that Daisy had disappeared since her wedding night. They had been out of touch


    with each other, and the private detective failed to find her whereabouts. But now she sensed that


    wasn''t the case. Hearing Edward''s words, she looked at the group in panic. Moreover, Edward seemed


    concerned about her. Mary wondered whether there was something that she didn''t know.


    "What? Has everyone gone dumb suddenly?" said Edward, brows raised. "Weren''t you all speaking


    continually just now?" Something serious must have happened if Daisy got furious enough to p


    someone. He was worried, although he knew she could take care of herself.


    Belinda turned to Duke for help. She had forgotten that Daisy fought with Mary because of her. ''Why


    did I blurt it out like that?'' Although Mary didn''t get hurt, speaking it out would still put Belinda at a


    disadvantage since Edward seemed to like Mary so much now.


    Duke smiled viciously and thought, ''So now, you notice my existence and decide to ask for my help?


    But it is toote now, so be prepared to get a glimpse of Mr. Edward''s temper.'' She had thought


    Edward was kind and cultured. But in reality, even Duke got scared when Edward was mad.


    "Haha. Nothing serious. We were being impulsive and wanted to practice our fighting skills on


    someone," Belinda joked about it. Then she rolled her beautiful eyes at Duke. ''Wicked Duke! I can''t


    believe you didn''t help me!''


    "Yes, Edward. We were too excited to see each other after such a long time." Mary was perceptive.


    She noticed that Edward still cared about Daisy, although she didn''t know why. So when she heard


    what Belinda had said, she immediately took the chance to fix the situation and ignored Belinda''s


    verbal attack.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Edward frowned a little, eyes still on Belinda and Mary as if attempting to find some proof of their lies.


    Rain was amused, looking at Belinda, who was almost leaning into the bowl in front of her. Belinda had


    never yielded. From the day he knew her, she had made people like Edward and Mary miserable every


    time she saw them. This was the first time he saw her being docile.


    "Edward, let it go. If you keep staring, someone is going to eat with her nose." Duke decided to help


    Belinda atst, worrying that she might get a stomachacheter.


    Hearing Duke''s words, Edward withdrew his watch from Mary and Belinda. They finished the meal in


    peace. Belinda had forgotten what had happened between Duke and her. Her phone rang just when


    they were about to leave.


    "Hi, Daisy. Everything OK?" She was wondering why Daisy didn''t call her husband instead.


    Hearing his wife''s name, Edward sat back on the chair and squinted his eyes, thinking, ''Daisy, you


    have the time to call insane Belinda but you don''t have the time to call your own husband. Well done!''


    "I''m fine. I am just wondering how is everything going between you and Duke?" Daisy had been


    thinking about it for a long time. Afraid that Belinda might be too embarrassed to reply, she had waited


    for quite a while to ask.


    "Daisy, when did you be so gossipy? I think you have a lot of free time. Please find something to


    do!" Belinda med Daisy in her heart for bringing up the issue. The fight with Mary had almost made


    her forget about it, but Daisy''s phone call ruined her good mood.


    "That''s because I care about you. Besides, I am swamped. I had been in the meeting room the whole


    morning. I have to do my work even during my holidays. I haven''t eaten my breakfast yet!"


    Daisy was telling the truth. All the battalions had applied to buy new equipment to enhance their


    position in the army. The whole morning they had been discussing which battalion should be granted.


    When the n had finally been decided, she was given piles of files to deal with, which had kept her so


    upied that she wasn''t able to squeeze out time for the breakfast Mark brought for her from the


    canteen.


    "What?! It''s sote and you haven''t had breakfast yet?" shouted Belinda after looking at her watch.


    "Why are you working so hard?" As soon as she finished that sentence, her mobile was taken away.


    "I can''t take a break yet. It seems that I will be too upied to go home tonight, let alone eat." Daisy


    was still busy with the files while she was talking until she heard the bitter words from the other side of


    the phone. She was shocked.

 Chapter 133 Shameless Edward

    Chapter 133 Shameless Edward


    "Daisy, since you have time to make a phone call, howe you don''t have time to eat?" Edward


    scolded her over the phone. He was worried. ''Is this how she takes care of herself? Doesn''t she know


    what time it is?''


    "Er... Edward! I think there is something wrong with the phone. I was talking to Belinda. How did you


    get through?" Daisy checked her phone to ensure that she had dialed the right number. The number


    was right. Then howe her despicable husband was speaking on the phone? She didn''t get it.


    ''Haha, sounds like somebody is still mad about this morning''s hickey'' he gloated secretly.


    "If I tell you I can hide underground, will you believe it?" Edward answered sulkily, disregarding the


    spectators. Belinda tried to snatch her phone back, but Duke stopped her. She stood there, looking at


    him furiously.


    "Can you? If you say you can, I''ll believe you." Daisy couldn''t help but think, ''Damn, what''s making him


    angry this time? And how did he get Belinda''s phone?''


    "Do you think you would still be able to talk to me so calmly if I could?" Edward replied coldly. He was


    unhappy, but his wife wasn''t afraid of him, and she continued to provoke him.


    "Then what?" Daisy stopped working and leaned back in the chair to rx.


    "I will throw you on the bed and fiercely teach you a lesson." Edward was indeed atrocious and brazen


    to say something like that in front of so many people.


    Mary raised her head resentfully and thought, ''How can he love Daisy so much when they haven''t seen


    each other since their wedding night? Why are they so intimate?''


    "Edward, you are a bloody shameless man!" Daisy cursed and blushed.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Shameless? I will show you tonight how shameless I can get." When he finished that sentence,


    everyone went silent. Even a yboy like Rain secretly apuded him. Only Edward could say such


    lewd words and act as if nothing had happened.


    "Er..."


    Daisy didn''t know what to say. She was convinced that Edward was a vile man hiding under the facade


    of a gentleman.


    "Go and have something to eat. If some part of your body gets smaller. I will reckon with you." The


    others felt extremely awkward on hearing his words.


    They believed Daisy would have punched him hard if she were here. After all, she had a reputation to


    protect. If she saw how many people had heard Edward, she would have shot herself immediately.


    "Edward, you are such a pervert. I don''t want to talk to you anymore." Daisy''s face turned red with


    embarrassment. Fortunately, she was alone in the office.


    "Yes, I am a pervert but only with you. I don''t say such dirty words to anyone else." It seemed that


    Edward wasn''t going to stop until he had abundantly demonstrated his brazenness. He didn''t mind the


    others at all. Thank God, Leena wasn''t here. Otherwise, she would have worshiped him like crazy.


    Belinda rolled her eyes repeatedly. No wonder Duke was shameless too! Now she knew where he had


    learned it!


    "Edward, will you die if you quit talking like that? Please hang up! I have to work." Daisy didn''t want to


    waste time anymore and opened the file on her desk. She had to inspect the training field in the


    afternoon.


    "OK, but first eat something. I will call you when I reach office."


    After hanging up the phone, he threw it to Belinda, who was still in a daze. Duke caught it in time


    before it hit the floor.


    "Edward, have you lost your mind? First, you snatched my phone, and now you are trying to destroy it!"


    Belinda took her phone, put it to her ear and said hello.


    "I hung up," said Edward. Seeing the confusion on her face, Edward couldn''t believe this was the same


    CEO who had been so pushy during the negotiations.


    "What? Why did you hang up? I wanted to talk to her." Belinda lowered her head dejectedly. She didn''t


    know how to tell Daisy about Duke''s proposal. Great. Now Edward had hung up the phone before she


    could try.


    "She''s busy. You can call her in the evening," said Edward. Then he stepped out and didn''t notice


    whether the others were following him or not.


    Belinda made a face at Edward. ''What? Busy? She wasn''t busy when he was on the phone. When I


    wanted to talk, she suddenly got busy? Apparently, he didn''t want me to disturb Daisy, for fear that she


    won''t be able to finish her work and will stay in the office all night. That''s all he cared about. What a


    noble excuse!''


    Mary felt sad and frustrated. She wished that Edward had said those words to her instead of Daisy.


    ''Daisy, why do you get everything? You have wealth, and you are beautiful. Isn''t that enough? How


    could you marry the most amazing man in the city so easily while I have to rack my brains to get an


    ounce of his attention?''


    Duke held Belinda''s hand and followed Edward with a vicious smile. He ignored Rain whose jaw had


    dropped with surprise.


    Belinda red at Duke and tried to break free but to no avail. She had to give up.


    Rain didn''t know about Leena drugging Belinda. He sensed something fishy was going on with Duke


    and Belinda. Heughed weirdly, watching them leave hand in hand.


    Daisy looked at the cold food. A smile appeared on her face when she thought of Edward''s concern.


    She reached for the food and decided to eat. Or someone would be unhappy again.

 Chapter 134 You Are Here

    Chapter 134 You Are Here


    Under the summer sunset, the suburb looked like a beautifulndscape painting. Even the strong


    features of Edward''s face were blending in the bright colors. With the soft and thin lips lightly closed


    and the deep eyes looking at the spiraling road, his figure seemed distinguished and elegant.


    The posh Lamborghini drew a curve and stopped at the gate of the military base. Edward looked at his


    watch. His timing was perfect. He wondered whether Daisy had finished her work.


    He had exhausted her the night before. She slept quitete in the night, and she woke up at the break


    of dawn. She had been too busy to eat at the office. She must be exhausted by now. He had left his


    office early to pick up Daisy, worrying that she might doze off while driving.


    "Colonel, time to go home, "


    Mark said to Daisy. She should have left for home hours ago. He wondered what was keeping her. The


    commander was ruthless. How could he assign so much work to her on the first day after vacations?


    "Well, soon. You may go now." Daisy''s head was still buried in the files. The tiredness was evident on


    her beautiful face. Maybe it was because of the vacations; she didn''t seem to be as motivated as


    before.


    "Colonel, please let me drive you home today.'' Mark was worried. Her tired face made him feel more


    resentful towards themander.


    "No, thanks. I''m fine. You please go home." Earlier, she used to manage to stay awake day and night


    while on a task. This was a piece of cake for her.


    "OK, Colonel. Take care of yourself." Although she had scolded him just this morning, he still worried


    about her. He knew she was right.


    "OK. Thanks." Daisy exhaled deeply. One more file to go. She would be able to head home soon. A


    military exercise had been scheduled in a few days. She would be quite busy then. She was grateful


    that someone would take care of Justin for her.


    Edward anxiously looked at his watch again. Half-an-hour had passed. Still, there was no sign of Daisy


    coming out of the office. ''Is it possible that she already left for home? Unlikely.'' He came quite early to


    surprise her. Nevermind the surprise, he decided to call her. He wasn''t in the habit of waiting for


    anyone. Daisy was an exception.


    "Hello. This is Daisy speaking. Who is this?" Hearing the phone ringing, Daisy answered it without


    looking at the screen, eyes still on the files, brows knitted.


    "Honey, it''s me. Are you still at the military base?" Edward asked with a big smile.


    "Yes. I still have some more work to do. Are you off work?" Daisy signed thest file and put it on the


    top of the big pile on her desk. Her work for today was officially finished.


    "Will it be long?" Edward frowned a little. ''Is she that busy? It''ste. Can''t she leave some work for


    tomorrow?''


    "It''s finished already. What''s up?" she answered, straightening out the files.


    "Oh, thene out fast. I''m waiting outside." Thinking that she might drive her car out, Edward


    decided to tell her the truth.


    "What? You''re here? I told you I''d drive home myself." Puzzled, Daisy stopped arranging the files. ''Why


    was he here?''


    "Yes. I have been waiting for a long time. I thought you had already left for home." There was a hint of


    comint in his words. This was the first time he had been waiting for someone, but she was still


    unhappy about it.


    "OK. Stay there. I''ming." Daisy put on her army cap, grabbed her briefcase and walked out quickly.


    Her heart was filled with happiness.


    "OK. I''ll be here." Edward leaned against the seat back. He was smiling happily while rhythmically


    tapping on the steering wheel.


    "Daisy. What''s the rush?" asked themander. He was wondering what made her walk in a hurry.


    ''Doesn''t she live in the residential building attached to the military base?'' He wondered


    "Oh, how are you, Commander? What can I do for you?" Daisy saluted him and winced. ''Please don''t


    let it be more work.''


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Kiddo? Can''t I talk to you about something else besides work?'' Themander frowned at Daisy,


    pretending to be mad. He felt she was taking him less seriously these days. At the morning meeting,


    she even opposed many of his proposals. But he understood her well, so he knew that she would


    never cross him.


    "No, Commander, I didn''t mean that." Daisy sounded anxious; she wondered why he was stalling her.


    She was also worried that if she kept Edward waiting, he might get angry again.


    "Never mind. I was just teasing you. Are you all set for the uing war game? Your performance will


    be a deciding factor in your promotion next year. And a good performance will save you from worrying


    about being reced by someone with a stronger background." He looked at her thoughtfully. She was


    the best he had ever seen in the army. But sadly, she came from an ordinary family and hence tended


    to fail in the assessments no matter how well she did.


    "Thank you, Commander. I''ll do my best. It doesn''t matter whether I get promoted or not. I just hope to


    do my job well." Daisy knew that themander meant well. But she also knew that she would have to


    work much harder to get promoted.


    "Good. I''m d you think that way. I assumed you were still unhappy about your failurest time."


    Although she had more achievements than any of her peers in the army, she had to give up


    opportunities just because of her unfavorable background. Knowing how hard it had been for her, the


    commander patted her on the shoulder in approval.

 Chapter 135 But Why Do I Need To Take The Medicine

    Chapter 135 But Why Do I Need To Take The Medicine


    "Not really. I was prepared for the worst. So it''s not such a big deal to me. Besides, I am used to it."


    Daisy smiled with self-mockery. It was hard for her to figure out the rules of the official circles.


    "I''m sorry for this. Nevertheless, you still have to do your best in this military exercise. The score will be


    an essential part of your assessment. What''s more, a lot of top leaders will be present on that day. So


    you must put your best foot forward. There''s no room for mistakes. Everyone knows that you''re the


    best!"


    Themander heaved a sigh. Daisy always seemed calm about everything. She didn''t worry about


    profit or loss. Probably that''s why she had missed a lot of opportunities.


    "Yes, Commander. I promise I won''t disappoint you." Daisy said with a salute. She felt grateful for the


    commander''s encouragement. His care wasforting to her since she had been estranged from her


    father.


    "Okay. You can go home now. I know you''re in a rush. By the way, where is Justin? I haven''t seen him


    for a long time. I miss him." Themander asked. ''Justin is such a smart boy. Whenever we meet, he


    bargains with me to assign less work to his mother. He is a considerate boy, who share his mother''s


    problems and responsibilities at a such a young age. That''s really impressive.'' Themander


    thought.


    "I will bring him to meet you after the military exercise is over. These days you''re busy with the military


    exercise preparations." Daisy said with a gentle smile. Talking about her son always made her feel


    emotional.


    "Okay! That''s good! Then I will arrange for lots of delicious food for Justin. Otherwise, he would


    comin." Themander said with heartyughter. The deep and strongughter revealed his


    commanding manner.


    "If there''s nothing else, I will take your leave now." Daisy said lightly. She also knew that Justin was a


    big foodie.


    "Okay! Carry on!" Themander waved his hand at her, indicating that she can go now. When did


    Daisy be so easygoing? He wondered.


    Edward''s face turned pale as Daisy had forgotten to hang up the phone. He had overheard the


    conversation between Daisy and the Commander. He remembered Daisy had once called Justin before


    coming back from the military training; she was crying on the phone. Was it because of this matter?


    From their conversation, it seemed that Daisy was doing well in every aspect. But her merits were


    taken by others because she didn''t have strong backing. And this had happened multiple times. No


    wonder she cried in front of Justin. She must have been very sad at that time. Edward thought.


    Was it all about the background? Edward sneered. Things had changed. He was her strong backing


    now. It seemed that it would be necessary for him to take a look at the sponsorship brief sent by a


    military group. ''Are they trying to y hardball with my wife? They have to take my opinion into ount


    from now on.'' Edward thought.


    "Oh! It''s too hot." Daisy came running out of the military base and said to Edward. The sweat burst


    through her forehead in tiny beads. She couldn''t wait to get into the car.


    "Is it hot?'' Edward asked. He had been lost in his thoughts and didn''t notice that she had been running


    all the way from the office building to his car. The moment she got into the car, he came back to his


    senses.


    "Yes. A little hot. I didn''t expect that you''de to pick me up." Daisy took off her cap and wiped her


    sweat with the tissue Edward handed to her. He looked so handsome that she often wondered whether


    she had fallen in love with Edward because of his appearance.


    "I was worried that you might be too tired, so I came to pick you up." Edward took out another tissue


    and helped her wipe the sweat on her forehead. Then he smoothed her hair which was messed up by


    her cap. His eyes were full of tenderness and affection.


    "That''s because of you!" Daisy stared at him and said in an angry voice. But she didn''t mind when


    Edward wiped her forehead.


    "Yes, it''s all my fault. I beg for your forgiveness. How do you wish to punish me?" Edward asked with a


    ttering smile. He didn''t mention that he had heard her conversation with the Commander.


    "Since you are so apologetic, I won''t make you suffer too much. How about the punishment of driving


    me home?" Daisy joked with a soft smile. Her tiredness faded after teasing Edward. If the soldiers saw


    her in the car with Edward, their jaws would drop out of surprise. They had never seen the solemn


    colonel shing such a charming and sensuous smile.


    "Okay. I will pay by being your driver today." Edward had never deliberately quipped to please a


    woman. But to cheer Daisy, he broke his rule again.


    "Haha, Edward, did you forget to take your medicine before you came out this morning?"


    Daisy joked. She felt that Edward was acting strangely today. He patiently waited for her in the car, yet


    he didn''tin. On the contrary, he was making jokes to please her.


    "No. But why do I need to take the medicine?" asked Edward. He looked at Daisy doubtfully, who was


    smiling slyly at him. He wondered why she asked this question.


    "Haha. Honey, you''re so amusing!" Daisyughed. It was the first time that she hadughed so heartily.


    She unwittingly called him ''honey'', which sounded very intimate.


    Edward was affected by her happiness. Although he didn''t know exactly what made herugh so


    loudly, he loved seeing her bright smiling face. At least, she did not look aloof and intimidating as she


    used to be.


    "I am delighted that my stupidity makes youugh. As you called me so intimately, I have decided to


    forgive you." At first, he hadn''t figured out what she was implying to. But he quickly realized that she


    had said that to mock him. Usually, Daisy wouldn''t call him ''honey'' no matter how hard Edward


    seduced or intimidated her. She always took him by surprise, and he seemed to like it.


    "Emm.." Daisy was very embarrassed. She didn''t call him ''honey'' on purpose. She was too excited, so


    she blurted it out spontaneously. There were no special intentions behind it.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 136 You Slept Like A Log

    Chapter 136 You Slept Like A Log


    As the fancy sports car drove smoothly on the road, Edward extended one arm and snuggled sleeping


    Daisy closer to him, his eyes were shining with affection. He had assumed that Daisy would be too


    tired, so he got off work early to pick her up.


    On hearing the Commander''s voice he grasped that the Commander was an elderly man, he also


    realized that he was terribly misled by Justin the other day. There was no way that Daisy would be


    attracted to this old man.


    All this time he had been wondering whom Daisy loved. Thinking about this drove him mad. This is why


    Justin was able to take advantage of him with his vague words.


    Luke followed Edward''s car. He noticed that Edward''s care for Daisy was growing day by day. He had


    never seen Edward go to such trouble for a woman. But he had to admit that Daisy was worth all his


    efforts.


    It was dark when they reached home. Edward smiled lovingly looking at Daisy who was drowned in


    sound-sleep. The hand against which Daisy was leaning went numb, but he wished she would lean on


    him like this forever.


    He bowed down and kissed Daisy''s red lips. He woke her up in such an affectionate way so she could


    feel his affection for her.


    "Well... Are we home?" Daisy opened her lovely eyes and looked around drowsily. She didn''t know she


    was kissed awake by Edward.


    "Yes, we''re home. You slept like a log. Come on, let''s get out of the car." Edward giggled and caressed


    her nose. He felt the same kind of pleasure that sex brought.


    "Howe I fell asleep?"


    Daisy felt quite embarrassed. She had just shown another one of her antics to Edward.


    "Perhaps because you are too tired today. Just take a shower, have your supper and then you can go


    back to sleep." Edward always showered once he reached home from work. He asked Daisy to take a


    shower as if it was her habit as well.


    "Mom, dad, you are finally home." Justin jumped forward when he saw them getting off the car. He


    bounced around, not knowing who he should hug first.


    "What did you study today?" Edward took the initiative and held him up before he could throw himself


    at Daisy. Justin was heavier now.


    "Dad, I learned calligraphy. But howe youe home together today?" Justin looked at them


    triumphantly.


    ''See. Mr. Edward, you are falling in love with my mom. I always knew that you belong to her. After all,


    she loves you so much. You should feel fortunate that she loves you. Or for a magnificent woman like


    her, she could have found a better guy like Kevin.'' Justin smirked secretly.


    "I feel like you are doing too much study these days?" Daisy frowned. She didn''t believe in the spoon-


    feeding education. She thought that an overwhelming learning schedule might curb Justin''s y time.


    "No. I like learning these things. They are quite interesting." In fact, Justin learned them just for fun,


    though he was also quite good at them.


    "Okay. you can learn all you like, then choose the subject you enjoy most." Edward carried him into the


    house while Daisy shook her head. She noticed that Justin had changed a lot since he left the army


    base.


    "Mrs. Mu, you are back. You must be starving. Dinner will be ready soon." Mrs. Wu looked at Edward


    who was going upstairs. She figured he would never give up his habit of showering.


    "Em. Thank you, Mrs. Wu." Daisy didn''t mind the address of "Mrs. Mu" anymore. Indeed, when you


    hear something frequently, it bes a habit.


    "Mrs. Mu, you don''t need to thank me. It''s my job." Mrs. Wu had already seen her in military uniform


    this morning; when she saw Daisy in the uniform again she took it rather well. And those who hadn''t


    seen her in the morning just stood still and stared at Daisy.


    "Sunny, what''re you doing? Go and look for Justin, see if he is done washing his hands." Mrs. Wu''s


    words pulled Sunny back to reality. She was looking at Daisy obsessively. Mrs. Wu called her because


    she was the one who took care of Justin.


    "Okay. But Mr. Mu is also upstairs." She didn''t dare to go upstairs as she was scared of offending


    Edward. Everybody knew that he didn''t like the staffing upstairs and disturbing him while he was


    taking a shower. They couldn''t go upstairs to clean up the rooms unless he was out.


    "I''ll go then." Daisy was a bit confused. Why were they scared to go upstairs when Edward was there?


    Maybe he was naked upstairs? She blushed at the thought of the word "naked". She started picturing


    Edward''s well-built body.


    ''Wow, Daisy, since when did you be so bad? Why are you thinking about his naked body?'' Daisy


    patted her face in embarrassment. Thank goodness no one could read her mind, or she would be


    mortified.


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Mom, why do your face turn red all of a sudden?" Justin saw Daisy''s blushing face when he came


    downstairs.


    "Well. It''s because I am in a hurry. Has your dad finished showering?" Daisy stuttered, trying to cover


    her "sinful" thoughts.


    "Not yet. That''s what he always does. He has to take a good, thorough shower before dinner. He''s like


    a germ-phobic prince." After spending several months here, Justin knew Edward''s every habit. He used


    to question the source of his own germ-phobia. Now he knew that it was inherited from Edward.


    "Justin, are you speaking ill of me?" Edward heard Justin''s wisecrack when he was walking down all


    clean. He found that Justin was bing bolder and more fearless. Now he even dared to joke about


    his own dad.

 Chapter 137 Is Your Uniform Real

    Chapter 137 Is Your Uniform Real


    "Daddy, you smell good." Justin took a deep breath to prove he wasn''t lying, but it seemed that he was


    ttering his daddy.


    "Little champ, you must keep on learning something new. Otherwise, how will you take over FX


    International Group in the future?" Edward wasn''t fooled. He had seen through Justin''s ttery.


    Daisy looked at Edward, wondering whether Edward had already considered Justin as his only heir.


    "Honey, what''s wrong? Is my face still dirty? Noticing Daisy''s gaze, he asked and touched his face.


    "Oh, no. You and Justin go downstairs first. I need to wash up too." There were many doubts in Daisy''s


    mind. ''Is Justin his only son? Will I be his only wife?'' But Daisy didn''t speak her mind.


    "OK, hurry up. We''ll wait downstairs." At times Daisy''s behavior confused him, like that little daze. He


    didn''t know what had caused that sadness. Sometimes he thought they were intimate like lovers, but


    there were moments when he felt they were strangers who couldn''t get into each other''s heart.


    "OK. Will do." Daisy smiled and went upstairs.


    Edward looked at her slender figure. Although she looked great in the army uniform, his heart ached


    when thinking of how hard she had worked for her present position.


    Daisy didn''t know what Edward was thinking. When she got into the room, she saw his clothes thrown


    on the floor. She was annoyed, and she felt the need to discuss this with Edward.


    When she got downstairs, an unexpected guest was sitting there-Leena, who had done something


    wrong and had run away from home, ording to Mr. Cold''s words.


    Justin was unhappy about it. He looked at the evil woman and wondered what the hell she was doing in


    his home. She had brought a lot of luggage with her. Was she moving in? That would give Justin a


    nervous breakdown.


    "Are you seeking an asylum?" Edward joked. The pretty girl ran away every time she made a mistake,


    but not to many ces.


    "No, Edward. I was just passing by and wanted to check-in on Justin." Leena giggled. Her brother


    wasn''t scary enough to make her run away from home. On her way back from a fashion show, she felt


    really exhausted. Imagining Duke''s nagging at home, she thought she''d rather stay in Edward''s house


    for a few days and then go home.


    "Aunt Leena, are you really just stopping by?" Justin was happy. He didn''t want a troublemaker like her


    in his house.


    "Er...I intended to...but...I have changed my mind. I am thinking of staying for a couple of days. Won''t


    you like that?" Leena knew what Justin was thinking. She paused on purpose and gave a cunning


    smile. ''Little Champ. Do you really think I don''t know what you are thinking? I will stay here. You don''t


    like me, and you avoid me all the time. Wait and see how I will trick you.''


    Justin was disappointed by Leena''s answer. He looked at Edward in the hope that he could convince


    her to change her mind. He couldn''t bear the image of staying with her under the same roof.


    "Leena, d to see you." Daisy greeted. She was amazed to see how quickly Leena had got here.


    "You are...sis?" Leena looked at the woman in the army uniform doubtfully.


    "Of course! Do I look strange?" Seeing how surprised Leena was, Daisy checked her outfit but didn''t


    see anything wrong.


    "Sis, you''re not only strange but also shocking. Is your uniform real?" Leena walked closer to Daisy and


    scanned her remarkable uniform. She was impressed. Daisy had be her new idol now.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "Gee! How ignorant!" Justin rolled his eyes disdainfully and sneered. Who would be stupid enough to


    walk around in a counterfeit uniform unless they wished to be put behind bars?


    "Yes, it is." Daisy looked at Leena and smiled, enjoying teasing this lovely girl.


    "Oh. Goodness! It feels like being hit by lightning." Leena pretended to be fainting. She was about to


    lean on Daisy but was pulled back by Edward before she could touch her.


    "Edward, what are you doing?" Leena was annoyed. She red at him.


    "What do you think? Time to eat." Edward acted innocent. He had done it intentionally. His woman had


    been working hard all day; he didn''t want to see someone leaning on her.


    "Hey, don''t be so petty! Just a little hug. No big deal." Leena didn''t believe him. She knew he just didn''t


    want her to hug Daisy. He could have said it forthrightly. Why bother making up excuses?


    "Kiddo, be good. Otherwise, I will call your brother and ask him to take you home." She had seen


    through Edward, but he wasn''t mad, just embarrassed.

 Chapter 138 You Have No Idea How Shameless I Can Be

    Chapter 138 You Have No Idea How Shameless I Can Be


    Belinda was in misery. Her father had set her up on another blind date. If she didn''t get herself married


    soon, her father wouldn''t let her off easily.


    "Miss Belinda, what do you like to do for fun?" Her date was obviously taken with her. No surprise,


    since she was a great beauty. He stared at her constantly, like he was trying to take it all in.


    "Go to work,e back home, normal life. Nothing special." Belinda answered him coldly. It was a


    short, clipped answer. She was bored and distracted, and didn''t care if he knew it.


    "Oh. Then you must be a quiet person." He continued the talk enthusiastically, not even the least bit


    troubled by her cold apathy.


    "I -- a quiet person, who told you that?" She was never a quiet person. She''s quiet now because the


    blind date was boring. She wondered what Duke was doing right now. Shit! Shit! Why on earth would


    she think of that horrible man? Could it be that she finally got used to being bossed around by him?


    "Didn''t you say that? Staying home except to go to work, isn''t that a quiet person?" The man frowned.


    ''What''s wrong with her? She''s gorgeous, and yet still goes on blind dates.''


    Belinda rested her head in her hand and sighed. Rotten luck! Why was the man so stubborn?


    "Can you exin what you are doing here, Belinda!" The voice was so cold, and so familiar. Her heart


    jumped in her chest. Duke!


    "D¡­ Duke, you¡­ Why are you here?" Belinda stared at Duke, trembling in shock, and finally she


    managed to spit out a few words. This was the real rotten luck.


    "What on earth are you doing here?" ring at her pale face, Duke felt anger surge within him. She


    forgot everything he said and went on another blind date. They were apart for just a few days and now


    she was ready for another man''s embrace?


    "Duke, it... It''s not what you think." she finally blurted out. Belinda was at aplete loss. Why should


    she exin to him? She wasn''t ountable to him in any way, except that he thought she was.


    "Not what I think? It seems you know pretty well what I think? How about you tell me, what I am going


    to do next?" Duke said, with a dark, yful sneer on his face, and his eyes were icy cold. If it weren''t


    for the business meal he''d agreed to, he would never have known what she was up to. Did she think he


    was joking?


    Belinda looked at him, terrified. She didn''t want to think about the meaning behind his words. He


    couldn''t be serious.


    "Mister, may I ask¡­." The poor guy didn''t have a chance to finish the sentence. Duke red at him


    icily.


    "Leave. Now." Duke nced at him briefly, deciding that this man was not worth the time or the energy.


    "Why should I?" He was clearly outssed by Duke, but he still stood up for himself and his date.


    "Because -- she is mine!" Duke dered arrogantly, reaching out and pulling Belinda back into his


    embrace.


    "Let go of me, Duke! I''m yours? Since when?" Belinda struggled, trying to free herself. Damn, she was


    so busted. She needed a good excuse to avoid the third degree from her fatherter on.


    "Not mine? "Remind me. What part of your body haven''t I seen?" Duke said in a sinister, vicious voice.


    Denial? He had many ways to make her admit it.


    "You''re shameless! Duke!" Belinda was getting really irritated, her bright face red with anger. Who did


    he think he was,ing here to harass her! And why did she have to do what he said?


    "Shameless? You have no idea how shameless I can be. Well, you want a taste now?" Duke said


    through gritted teeth, his eyes still fastened on her. Even in this situation, she was braver than he


    thought; Or, she was just too foolish to realize how much danger she was in.


    "I have no idea what you are talking about." Refusing to surrender, she raised one arm to keep his


    hands away from her chin.


    "No idea? I''ll be d to put some ideas into your head -- soon." He clutched her slender arm and


    strode off without hesitation, ignoring the crowd that was now watching with interest.


    "Miss Belinda, Miss Belinda, What''s going on?" It took a while for her blind date to regain his voice. He


    caught Belinda''s other hand.


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    "Let go! And don''t make me tell you again." Duke nced at her hand, now in the other man''s. He was


    disgusted and impatient. He fixed his dark icy eye on the man, who was trying to take Belinda from


    him. This man needed to know his ce.


    Duke didn''t do interviews, so only a few people knew he was the head of Leng Group, a sessful


    enterprise. He had made outstanding achievements in a short time after he assumed the post.


    The man let go of Belinda''s hand reluctantly. He wasn''t about to pick a fight with this imposing figure.


    Besides that, Duke didn''t seem to be an ordinary man.


    Belinda''s eyes were filled with anger. Why did he always drive her to this point? And why did she


    always cave to his wishes? Why couldn''t she do what she wanted?


    All Duke wanted was to pin Belinda on the bed and teach her a hard lesson. He would make it clear


    that he meant what he said. Duke couldn''t think about anything else.

 Chapter 139 Losing Her Focus

    Chapter 139 Losing Her Focus


    "Duke! Let! Me! Go! Why do you bring me here?" Belinda punctuated each word with dramatic pauses.


    She wanted each word to count. Belinda panicked as she was led away from the restaurant.


    Straightway she was practically thrown into the presidential suite of the luxury hotel. Her anxiety grew


    stronger by the second.


    Duke did not answer. His handsome face reflected a mesmerizing evil under the colorful lights. A smile


    swept across his face. ''Are you afraid now? A bitte, isn''t it?'' Thought Duke.


    "What do you think?" Duke chuckled yfully, suddenly pushing Belinda up against the wall. Hisnky


    body closed in as he slowly touched her soft lips with his fingers. It was all so dangerous yet so


    delightful.


    "Well... How would I know?" Belinda answered hesitantly. Inside, though, she was thinking ''My God!


    The man is a force of nature! How can he be so sinister and sexy at the same time?''


    "No rush. You''ll know very soon." He whispered. The hot air warming her ear was soon felt by her


    whole body. Belinda felt her knees get weak.


    "I... I don''t want to know, is that okay?" Belinda felt like crying, unsure what Duke''s motives were.


    Whatever his motives were, she just wanted to run away. Yet she was already locked in his arms. She


    couldn''t get loose no matter how hard she tried.


    "It''s toote. I warned you, but you ignored me. Tell me, how should I punish you?" Duke''s anger had


    faded, but he was not yet ready to let her go.


    "Um... I really can exin that."


    ''Shit... When did this bastard be so wicked? Is he ying cat-and-mouse with me?'' Duke could''ve


    had his way by now, he was just teasing Belinda''s fragile nerves non-stop. What made her most


    anxious was not knowing Duke''s next move.


    "Go ahead. I''m listening." Duke''s coolness was entirely different from Edward''s allure. Duke''s every


    move was infinitely smooth and gorgeous, while Edward was extremely charming in his every manner.


    "Can you let me loose first?" Belinda''s forehead was coated with sweat. Her heartbeats rang through


    her chest as if her heart would jump out at any second.


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "Woman, the moment you ignored my warning was the moment you lost the right to ask anything of


    me." Duke didn''t loosen his grip, but instead got closer. His icy lips brushed over her earlobe. Belinda


    practically sizzled at his touch.


    "Damn you, just say it! What do you want?" Belinda just let him have it, let all her anger out. There was


    nothing she could do anyway, so why not just get it over with? It would be better than enduring the sexy


    sensations Duke kept hitting her with.


    "What should I do then? Tie you to the bed? Or should we just do it right here?" Duke yed with


    strands of her hair, leering at Belinda.


    "Pervert! Whatever game you want to y, leave me out of it." Belinda gave him a powerful kick. Only


    a fool would sit still and not fight back.


    "Ha! I love your spunk! We''ll have more fun if you struggle!" Duke waspletely transformed. His icy


    persona had gone, now he was a brute. A bully.


    "Duke, have you gone nuts? This isn''t you." It looked like the man had lost his mind. Every time Belinda


    saw him, he was always excessively aloof and quiet. Why did he start talking dirty all of a sudden?


    "So who am I, then? Should I do this?" As he spoke, his lips abruptly closed in and robbed Belinda of


    her breath. The cat bided its time, waiting to feast on the mouse because it wanted its prey to know


    who was in charge.


    "Hm..."


    Duke''s kiss wasced with a hint of anger. He toyed with her tiny tongue mercilessly, leaving no way


    out. She had crossed him, and he would punish her for it.


    Belinda had never kissed anyone. Her conservative beliefs kept her from taking that final step. But she


    gave in to Duke. If she had her way, she would have wanted her first time to be with someone who


    loved her deeply. But fate had other ns. Belinda was caught up in Leena''s scheming.


    She thought she would be devastated, but she wasn''t. It was Duke. Maybe Belinda had finally


    epted what Leena kept pushing for with the "sister-inw" moniker? Maybe that''s why whenever


    Leena called her that she was embarrassed, and not disgusted.


    "Ahh! It hurts..." Her thoughts wandered, so Duke bit her lip forcefully. That was what she got for losing


    her focus.

 Chapter 140 Did I Scare You

    Chapter 140 Did I Scare You


    The first rays of dawn drew back the veils of night, and gently settled on the sleeping beauty lying on


    the fancy bed. Duke, who was sitting beside the bed smiled gently, looking at the signed paper in his


    hands.


    He was not joking when he told Belinda that she would be his wife eventually. With this document, she


    belonged to him,pletely, legally. Duke was eager to see Belinda''s reaction. She would be annoyed


    to find out they were already registered for marriage.


    Daisy got up early today as usual, and headed to the military base in the dazzling red Ferrari.


    Daisy had no time to sort out the documents she brought backst night. Leena dropped in


    unannounced, and visited her for too long. She had to head out early to finish her work.


    Suddenly, she mmed on the brakes and the car screeched to a halt. There was a woman in the


    middle of the road.


    Daisy quickly got out of the car and walked over to the woman. "I''m so sorry. Are you alright? Did I


    scare you?" Daisy believed in her own driving skills. She was positive she braked in time. However, the


    woman must be terrified -- it was so close.


    "Oh! I''m fine." the woman answered. She stood up slowly, and Daisy noticed she looked very pale. But


    was it because she was scared, or something bad had happened to her?


    "Are you sure? Do you need a hospital?" Daisy asked in a concerned tone. She could see elegance


    along with some loneliness in the woman''s eyes.


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "No thanks. I need to start looking out for cars when I cross the road next time. Sorry. You should go."


    The woman''s voice was soft, but there was no vitality in it. Lacking in emotion. She didn''t look up at all,


    immersed in her own little world.


    "This is my card. You can call me if you need anything." Daisy handed the card to her. Although the


    woman was unharmed, the sudden screech of the car must have frightened her.


    "Daisy Ouyang, colonel of the military district in S city." The woman read the card aloud softly, She


    finally looked up, surprised at the fact that Daisy had be a colonel at such a young age. Also, it


    was unusual for an officer to own such a fancy car. It seemed to her that the city had been changing


    quickly.


    "Where are you headed? I can take you there." Daisy smiled gently, and felt for this woman. She could


    see this woman was suffering as Daisy had been in the past, and she wanted to help. But why did she


    turned up on the street alone, at this hour of the morning? She looked so lost.


    "No, thank you. It''s kind of you to offer, though. I''ll keep the card. We''ll meet again, I hope." The


    mysterious woman waved to her and left.


    Daisy started the car quickly. She noticed she''d bete in 10 minutes. She took a long look at the road,


    and it was the same as it ever was, as if nothing had happened.


    She pulled into the base, and the soldiers immediately saluted. They recognized the red Ferrari and her


    uniform.


    It was not Daisy''s intention to drive the Ferrari to work. It was because that Edward came to pick her up


    yesterday, and she left her own car in the military district. Daisy didn''t intend to drive the Ferrari, but her


    own car was still on base.


    She knew that the luxurious car would attract undue attention. Certainly it was not an officer''s car. But


    she ignored the notion that she might have gotten the car illegally -- she''d never broken thew in her


    life.

 Chapter 141 Are You in Love with Daisy

    Chapter 141 Are You in Love with Daisy


    At the office of FX International Group, Rain was tearing his hair out.


    "Why are you telling me now?" asked Rain. He lowered his head to hide the look on his face.


    "If I told you earlier, would you have a better idea?" replied Edward. He cast a cold nce at him.


    Rain''s reaction was typical for him.


    "At least I have time to get ready!" said Rain. He yed with his shiny ear stud. The grin had fled his


    face.


    "You''ll never be ready. Or do you just want time to run off?" asked Edward. He suddenly looked up and


    fixed his gaze on Rain.


    "Edward, you wound me! I''m not that type of guy. I won''t run off!" replied Rain. ''I might hide, though.''


    thought Rain.


    "Chill out. And don''t embarrass yourself!" said Edward. He knew how much Annie meant to Rain. Rain


    always tried to pretend he didn''t care. But deep in his heart, she was the only one. No one could


    rece her.


    "Her flight is arriving this afternoon? Why is sheing in so early? I didn''t expect her so soon." asked


    Rain He was asking himself, not Edward.


    "I don''t know. Maybe someone can''t wait to see you!" replied Edward. He shed a meaningful smile


    and thought ''I haven''t seen her in years. I wonder what she looks like now.''


    "So I''m the only one going to the airport? How many am I supposed to pick up?" asked Rain. The C


    Financial Group and the FX International Grouppeted in the same industries. And both of their


    strength could not be underestimated.


    "Three. A director, a special assistant and Annie. That''s all. I''ll have Aaron assist you. That way you


    can pay more attention to Annie." replied Edward.


    He nced at Rain momentarily. Rain was the guy to deal with the joint venture with C Financial, but


    Aaron was along just in case things took an unexpected turn.


    "Alright! I got it." said Rain. ''Might as well get it over with. It''s just ahead of schedule. Nothing changes,


    does it?'' Rain asked himself.


    "Rain, give her a second chance! Look at me and Daisy. You need to spend some time with her before


    you figure out if she is the one." said Edward. ''Sometimes I feel trapped in a web woven by Daisy. I


    can''t go out with other woman, nor do I want to. I want to spend the rest of my life with her, but I''m


    scared. I can''t even remember if I''ve ever been in love before. But I''ve fallen too deep to dig my way


    out.'' thought Edward, "Edward, are you in love with Daisy?" asked Rain. It was the first time that he


    asked Edward seriously. In his eyes, Edward had changed a lot. He used to be a yboy, now he was


    a devoted father and husband. Rain was not sure if Edward was ying with Daisy or he had fallen in


    love with her.


    Edward paused. Rain''s question caught him off guard. He thought to himself, ''Am I in love? I think of


    her the moment I wake up. Is that love? I miss her so much the moment we part. Is that love? My heart


    hurts the moment I see her frown. Is that love?''


    "What do you think? Is it difficult to fall in love with her?" joked Edward. He turned the question back to


    Rain.


    "How should I know? I''m not you. But I''m not surprised you fell in love with an aloof girl like Daisy." said


    Rain. He wondered why Edward gave up on her, just to indulge in life of drunken debauchery.


    "I don''t know." said Edward. He put down his pen, leaned backzily and thought, ''I can''t tell you how I


    really feel. Because I have never fallen in love before. I don''t even know what it feels like to be in love.''


    "Oh my God, Edward! You are well-known as ady-killer. You''re famous for it. And you don''t know


    what love is?" asked Rain. Hard to believe, he looked at Edward and thought, ''Ady-killer doesn''t


    know what love is! I thought he was good at it! Love seems to be all Greek to him.''


    Edward cast a fierce stare at him, and thought, ''It''s not that strange. Womene to me. I don''t need


    to worry about love.''


    "Edward, don''t stare at me. People will be as shocked as I am if they know love is all Greek to you!"


    giggled Rain.


    He totally ignored Edward''s sullen face.


    "Is it that funny?" asked Edward. He gritted his teeth and red at Rain who was lying down on the


    sofa andughing.


    "Well... It''s not that funny." replied Rain. He stopped teasing when he saw Edward''s angry face. He


    would be damned if he stillughed at him.


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Edward gradually calmed down, and thought, ''I need to teach him a lesson.''


    "You''d better get ready to meet Annie instead ofughing at me!" said Edward. ''Humph! It''s my turn to


    make fun of you'' thought Edward.


    "Edward, you''re evil. Don''t rub it in. You''re ruining my good mood."ined Rain. He lost his smiling


    face again.


    "That''s the only way to make you reveal your true feelings, is that right?" asked Edward. He put on a


    wicked smile and thought, ''It''s not my style to tolerate the jokes on me. I''ll get back if I''m teased.''

 Chapter 142 Honey, Did You Skip Breakfast Again

    Chapter 142 Honey, Did You Skip Breakfast Again


    Daisy had been busy all morning writing out the exercise programs, training, and investigating the field


    -- all urgent. She got some water and breathed a sigh of relief, happy to take a break.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    She was about to sit down to do more work when her phone rang. She picked it up, without checking


    the caller''s ID.


    "Hello, Daisy speaking." She thought it polite to identify herself first when on the phone.


    "Honey, did you skip breakfast again?" Edward frowned and asked.


    "Hi Edward. I haven''t eaten yet. Is something wrong?" Daisy wondered why he called her at this hour.


    "Why not? Have you checked the time?" ''The woman has no idea how to take care of herself. She


    often misses meals. How busy can she be?''


    "I have been too busy to eat." Mark was organizing the equipment for the war game, so nobody


    brought her food.


    "You make it seem like you''re even busier than I am." Resigned to the situation, Edward sighed. He


    couldn''t help thinking of her at every meal. What was she doing? Had she eaten a decent meal? He


    was no longer the carefree yboy.


    "Do you mean you have too much time?" she asked. Daisy liked to tease him, but she knew her time in


    the army wasn''t all war games, assessments, or field tasks. She might be busy one day, and just doing


    meaningless work the next. It''s how the military worked.


    "Of course not, but at least I still have time to eat." He had always taken meals seriously. Work was


    endless. After one meal it would be still there.


    "That''s why you have time to call me on the phone and talk nonsense. I''m too busy right now." Daisy


    could be clueless sometimes and said something hurtful like that.


    "Daisy, do you really think I have nothing better to do than talk to you on the phone?" Work was piling


    up. He put it all aside and called her because he cared. She didn''t seem to understand that. He felt like


    a fool.


    "Um, honey, that''s not what I meant." She put the file down and started trying to coax him into a good


    mood. He was about to explode in rage, and she didn''t mean to make him angry.


    "Calling me honey won''t work this time." He was really angry. She never called him first, and she


    seemed annoyed when he called her.


    "Honey, are you really mad?" She had treated him badly. She realized her own mistake, which


    darkened her mood.


    "I''m not. Go back to work. You don''t need to be disturbed by azy bum like me." He hung up quickly


    and waited for her to call back. But she didn''t.


    Daisy was about to call him back, try and make him feel better, when Kevin walked in.


    "Daisy, I don''t think you''ve eaten, so I brought you something." The well-pressed army uniform perfectly


    framed his slender figure. He looked handsome and dignified.


    "Hi, Kevin. Haven''t you eaten?" Daisy put down the phone and removed the files.


    "Yes I have. But since Mark is not around, I''m happy to bring food to mdy." Kevin joked, putting the


    food on the desk.


    "You, the young major general, run errands for me. I''m so ttered." Daisy opened the boxes and was


    ready to dig in. She was so hungry. The training had consumed her a lot of energy. She had been


    considering going to the canteen herself before he came in.


    "You make fun of me even when your mouth is full." Kevin smiled. He was alwayste getting food. She


    was no better.


    "I was just following your logic. Have you really eaten? Would you like some?" Daisy picked up the


    chopsticks for him and asked.


    "Don''t worry. Have I ever lied to you?" Kevin rolled his eyes. She used to be so uptight, and only let


    down her hair in private. She''d changed a lot.


    "Then I will get started," She ate quickly. There were lots of things to deal with. She had to finish up


    early and get home and deal with her angry husband.


    "Slow down. You''ll choke." Kevin said thoughtfully. His warning was oddly prophetic, as she began to


    cough, eyes watering.


    Daisy covered her mouth with her hand. She felt embarrassed. Luckily, she was not choking in front of


    Edward. He would have kept nagging about it.


    "Told you so." Kevin poured a ss of water for her and patted her back.


    "Thanks. I''m fine now." She felt better after drinking some water. Daisy shed Kevin an awkward


    smile, so faint it was almost unnoticeable. Sometimes being too busy to eat was a bad thing.

 Chapter 143 Is He Good To You

    Chapter 143 Is He Good To You


    "You''re usually on the ball. Why are you so careless today?" Kevin asked with concern. He sat back


    down, looking at her, smiling. He was with her, and that was all he wanted.


    "Maybe I''m too hungry." Daisy said uneasily. Although they often had meals together, she was never so


    rash as today.


    "Did you n to eat at all? Don''t get yourself so tired. You should treat your body well." Kevin was


    worried. She was usually after him to take care of himself. Now their roles were reversed.


    "Yes. I was nning on eating something anyway. You saved me from having to go to the canteen."


    Kevin was like a brother to her, so she didn''t mind him doing things for her. And she always felt she


    could say or do anything in front of him.


    "How are the military exercise going? You ready?" Kevin was also busy, but he never missed a chance


    to see her. She still had a special ce in his heart. He knew there was no way they could be together,


    but he wouldn''t give up on the idea. He was high on the feeling he got when they were together. He just


    couldn''t snap out of it.


    "Kevin, are you trying to pry ssified info out of me?" Daisy tilted her head and smiled gracefully. Her


    charm took his breath away. This was the first time he''d seen her smile so sweetly -- it seemed that the


    man she loved was good for her. She looked happier than she ever had been.


    "Is he...good to you?" Kevin blurted out what was on his mind. His voice was clear and distant. He was


    absent-minded,pletely unaware of what Daisy had asked him. The words tumbled out of Kevin''s


    mind and fell from his mouth.


    "What?" Daisy didn''t hear him.


    "Oh! Nothing. Just eat!" Kevin sneered at himself. What was he doing? He had no chance with her.


    Why did he care?


    It was love at first sight with her. If he''d controlled his impulses and kept her at arm''s length, he


    wouldn''t have fallen in love with her. If he had just given up, he wouldn''t be so miserable now.


    He loved her, but didn''t dare tell her. He missed her. Every night, he would whisper his deep love for


    Daisy to the stars. He stared at the sky as if he could see through the darkness and reach the window


    his heart longed for. When he woke up every morning, he wondered how far he would walk on this


    path, and how long he could keep it up.


    "Kevin, are you okay?" Daisy asked with concern. Kevin snapped out of his trance. He''d lost the


    chance to tell her how he felt. And the fact that she trusted him made it worse. Her asional silence


    and her sighs let him know he wasn''t the one she loved.


    "Oh! Nothing. You continue to eat. I''ve got work to do." Embarrassed, Kevin left quickly. He wanted to


    see her, and help her with her tasks. But he feared he''d lose control and she would notice his love


    eventually. He might lose thest chance of simply staying by her side. So he ducked out of there


    before he made a serious mistake.


    Daisy watched Kevin leave and vanish almost instantly from sight. She frowned with doubt. ''Wasn''t he


    talking with her at leisure just now? Why did he suddenly run away?


    Fine, I guess. I have a lot of work to do. He acted very strangetely. This wasn''t the first time. I will ask


    him when I get the time.'' Daisy thought.


    Belinda slept for a very long time. When she woke up, it was almost past noon. Duke woke her up,


    otherwise who knew how long she''d be asleep.


    She opened her eyes and saw Duke''s handsome face. He was looking at her closely with a cunning


    smile. The condescending manner surprised her.


    ''Huh! What''s he doing? He is so close to me! Why is he looking at me like that? Is he still not satisfied


    afterst night''s torture? Is he going to torture me again?'' Belinda was scared at the thought and stared


    at him warily.


    "Get up and eat something first." Duke said with a frown. He didn''t like to see her stare at him like he


    was a bad man. The look made him very ufortable.


    Belinda realized she was very hungry. He was really aggressivest night. No matter how hard she


    pleaded, he still punished her with sexes. She was too tired to move a finger now.


    "Could you please bring some clothes for me?" Belinda asked with a lovely smile. Thest time she


    had sex with him, it was because she was drugged. But what about this time? She didn''t take any drug


    beforehand. It just happened naturally. Didn''t she like it? She didn''t resist. On the contrary, she was


    enamored by his seduction and she lost herself in his passionate love.


    Duke gazed deeply into her eyes and then handed her a robe. "Shower. You''ll feel morefortable."


    He said. He knew that he wore her outst night. He was very angry yesterday, so he had been


    tirelessly, savagely making love to her the whole night. He ignored her begging and only wanted to vent


    his anger on her.


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    He got really angry when he saw her out with another man. He got depressed, and then blew his top.


    "Ah..." Belinda put on the robe and tried to stand, but her body was too sore. She cried out, and fell


    back on the bed.


    "Careful" Duke walked over to her and lifted her up. But he was happy. She was exhausted fromst


    night.

 Chapter 144 My Lawful Wife

    Chapter 144 My Lawful Wife


    "It''s all your fault." Belinda rolled her eyes. His smile was so annoying. Wasn''t he the whole reason that


    she ached all over?


    "Come on. Take my hand." Duke didn''t argue with her. It was all his fault. With a doting smile on his


    face, he gently helped Belinda up.


    Belinda didn''t push him away, for she couldn''t make it to the bathroom on her own. Now that he offered


    to help, she''d better ept it.


    Belinda took a long hot bath to soothe her aching joints and muscles. She felt better after freshening


    up, but her legs were still weak.


    "Come eat something." Noticing that she emerged from the bathroom, Duke put away the documents in


    his hands and seated her at the table.


    "What time is it?" Duke had closed all the curtains in the room, he didn''t want the sun to interrupt her


    rest. Belinda couldn''t find a clock -- she had no idea how long she had slept.


    "It''s one in the afternoon. What''s the matter?" Duke looked at her and kept filling the bowl with soup


    leisurely. He had put on his usual poker face.


    "What? One in the afternoon? OMG! What should I do now!" Belinda jumped to her feet in panic. She


    was to attend the board meeting that morning. Her father would definitely give her an earful.


    "Sit down. What''s the fuss all about?" Duke frowned and grabbed her arm to make her sit down again.


    The meeting was probably over now.


    "I had a very important meeting this morning." Belinda red at him. It was all because of him that she


    didn''t go homest night and missed the meeting. She was totally doomed.


    "I know." Duke replied casually. He set the bowl down in front of Belinda.


    "You know? You know nothing! How can I go home after this?" As one of the board members, her


    father would be there. Belinda couldn''t even imagine his anger after she missed the meeting.


    "I''ll go home with you tonight. Now finish your lunch." Belinda was terrified by the thought of how her


    father was about to punish her. But Duke''s words dropped another bomb on her.


    "Duke, are you out of your mind? What are you talking about?" Belinda suddenly felt her father''s


    punishments seemed to be nothingpared to Duke''s n.


    "I certainly do." Duke fixed his cold eyes on Belinda.


    "You were just joking, right?" Belinda widened her eyes in disbelief. To be honest, she wanted to look


    into his eyes and hurl insults at him every time he stared at her like that. But she wouldn''t dare.


    "You know I never joke about such things." Duke''s lips curled into a ghost of a wicked smile.


    "Duke, just drop it. If my father finds out about you, you''re screwed." In fact, Belinda herself would be


    screwed once her father found out about Duke. She believed her father would immediately marry her to


    the man.


    "He already did." Duke took a small sip of his coffee and answered calmly as if it had nothing to do with


    him.


    "What? When?" Belinda was desperate. It seemed that she would be forced to marry Duke no matter


    what.


    "I answered his call for you this morning." Duke crossed his legs and leaned back. He gave her a


    lovestruck look.


    "Why did you answer it?" Belinda retorted sharply, driven by fury.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "What else was I supposed to do?" Duke tilted his head and asked calmly. He knew she was angry, but


    he couldn''t help teasing her.


    "You could have woken me up! I was asleep, not passed out." Duke''s uncaring attitude made Belinda


    madder than ever.


    "Are you sure about that?" Duke raised his eyebrows and smiled devilishly at her.


    "I don''t know what you are talking about." Belinda cleared her throat and began digging into her soup


    with gusto. Well, she did pass outst night. But he was the one who wore her out. She had absolutely


    no intention to die in bed with him.


    "You will. And I''ll make sure of it." ''If you want to y games, then I''ll y with you.'' Duke thought.


    "What the heck? It''s nothing serious. We both take what we need and that''s it. Right?" Belinda stole a


    discreet look at him, fearing that she might have said something that provoked him.


    "Oh. Do you really think so? Then have a look at this!" Duke tossed a big envelope to her. Inside the


    envelope was the paper he had signed earlier. ''Nothing would happen between us?'' Duke thought. ''We


    have decades ahead of us, and anything is possible.''


    "What is it?" Belinda asked hesitantly. Hands shaking, she looked at the envelope.


    "See for yourself." Duke raised his eyebrows and suggested her open the envelope.


    Belinda murmured in her mind, ''Humph! Trying to be mysterious? I''m not afraid of you.'' She shrugged


    and opened the envelope. Her eyes went wide and her hand flew to her mouth in terror as she saw


    what was inside.


    "What the hell... What is it, Duke? Is it real?" What was going on? How could she be married? Was she


    dreaming? She couldn''t recall signing anything.


    "What do you think? It''s all here in ck and white. Belinda, you are now officially my wedded wife.


    Aren''t you happy?" Duke knew her reaction would be quite interesting. It turned out he was right. He


    looked at her stunned face again and secretly curled his lips into a smile.

 Chapter 145 You Are My Wife Legally Anyway

    Chapter 145 You Are My Wife Legally Anyway


    "Fuck you! I never signed that document. Duke, this is a marital fraud!" Belinda lost it. How did she


    be Duke''s legal wife without any knowledge of it? She had no idea how it happened.


    "Don''t get so mad. Leena likes you so much. You''ll get along with my family. I am not sure whether you


    signed it or not. But the fingerprint is definitely yours." Duke quipped. He was seldom in the mood to


    joke like today. ''I wonder where she learned to swear like that?'' he thought.


    Then Belinda flipped to thest page to check it. She spotted the mark on her finger during her bath.


    And the mark on the paper was in the same color. She was set up by Duke. He tired her outst night


    and then got her fingerprint when she passed out.


    "I will never recognize our marriage. It''s just your wishful thinking. That''s all." Belinda kept denying the


    validity of the document.


    "It doesn''t matter if you recognize it or not. You are my wife legally anyway." Duke was quite good-


    humored today. He was able to handle Belinda''s barbs well.


    "Duke, don''t y with thew. I havewyers as well. We have a legal team in YS Group." she said


    loudly. His calm demeanor irritated her.


    "Belinda, is it so embarrassing to marry me? Why do you fight it so badly?" Duke finally lost his temper.


    He was rich and influential, just like Edward. How could Belinda give him the cold shoulder?


    "Well... That''s not what I mean. But I resent you doing this without my knowledge." Belinda began to


    shiver as she looked at his gloomy face. She shouldn''t have forgotten that he could be awfully evil and


    cold when he got mad.


    "Belinda, do you know how many women want to marry me?" Duke''s eyes grew cold, his face was dark


    with anger.


    "Duke, I don''t care. I only know that I don''t want to be your wife." Belinda was a chameleon when


    arguing. She could be gentle when the other person was gentle, and tough when the other person was


    tough. She would never yield to Duke.


    "Really? You don''t want me? Then howe you slept with mest night?" Duke cast a cold re at


    her, his lips curled into a teasing smile. ''Belinda, you really know how to hit me where it hurts. But I am


    not so easily beaten.''


    "Duke, you are shameless." Belinda stared at him angrily. Her bad temper was now obvious enough.


    "You should''ve known that I''m shameless." Duke calmed down when he saw Belinda was angry. He


    was a control freak, and liked everything going ording to his n.


    Now Belinda saw a living example of shamelessness. Duke was the most shameless jerk in the world.


    He was an animal.


    They squabbled, yet nothing changed. She was still to be Duke''s wife. She would be burdened with


    family responsibilities. She wasn''t a free woman anymore.


    In the airport, the broadcaster was announcing arrival and departure times. As time rolled by, Rain got


    more nervous.


    How long has it been since they stopped seeing each other? Four years? Or five? It felt like a hundred.


    ''How are you, Annie? Are you still so gorgeous that I can''t even get near you?'' He thought.


    "Are you nervous? And you said you didn''t like her. LOL." Aaron nudged Rain and smirked. He knew a


    little about Rain and Annie, but not the whole story.


    "No way. I don''t need to be nervous. Who says I like her? I don''t." Rain was ying to the crowd.


    Aaron''s quip snapped Rain out of his reverie. A lot of women were checking him out.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Okay, since you don''t like her, I''m going to court her. I heard that Annie of the C Financial Group is


    totally hot." Aaron joked. ''Let''s see if you can keep your coolness, Rain. Edward was right to send me


    along. Hopefully, what follows next won''t let me down.'' Aaron thought.


    "I can give you some advice, if you want." Humph! Aaron was too green to get the truth out of him.


    That''s why Rain was the deputy CEO, and Aaron only a special assistant. Aaroncked experience.


    "I can get a girl myself." Rain knew Annie liked him, so he was sure that Aaron didn''t have a chance.


    "It''s out of care and love. I just don''t want to see you fail considering it will be your first time going after


    a girl." Rain said mischievously. He always liked joking around. That''s the reason why women loved


    him. As a Chinese saying goes, "Ladies always fall for bad boys." His bad-boy smile had won many


    hearts.


    "Don''t worry about me. Save it for yourself. Maybe she already has someone. It''s been a long time."


    ''Humph!'' Aaron cursed him. If Annie deserts you, we''ll see who gets thestugh.''

 Chapter 146 Love Whoever She Wants

    Chapter 146 Love Whoever She Wants


    Rain''s face changed on hearing Aaron''s words. He might be right. Who would wait for someone


    forever? It was expected for Annie to fall in love with someone else. As the saying goes, ''Time will tell''.


    "She can love whoever she wants. It''s her own choice, isn''t it?" Rain pretended that he didn''t care, but


    it was painful for him.


    "Hey, there they are." Aaron stopped talking as he saw employees of C Financial Group approaching


    them. He felt strange to discover that Annie was missing. ''Has she really met someone and decided to


    dump Rain?'' Aaron couldn''t help but wonder.


    "Nice to meet you! I''m Aaron Qiao, special assistant to the CEO of FX International Group. Wee to


    S City." Observing Rain was distracted, Aaron stepped up and introduced himself. His boss was wise to


    anticipate this, that''s probably why he had asked Aaron to apany Rain.


    "Nice to meet you, too. I''m Ferk, CFO of C Financial Group. This is my personal assistant, Bev."


    "Where is Annie? Won''t she be joining us today?" Rain asked broodingly. He had mixed feelings. He


    was nervous to see her, but when she didn''t show up, he was scared. The turmoil within him had driven


    him to such a strong sense of loss that he forgot his manners.


    "Mr. Rain, d to see you again. Miss Annie came here to see you yesterday. Haven''t you met her


    yet?" As a senior employee of C Financial Group, Ferk knew Rain well. He wasn''t upset about Rain''s


    unseemliness.


    "What? She was here yesterday? Howe I didn''t see her?" A figure suddenly shed through


    Rain''s mind. Was Annie the woman he had seen in the barst night? He shook his head. Impossible.


    Annie was too lively; she couldn''t be that quiet and urbane beauty. He was sure that woman wasn''t her,


    though he had just caught a glimpse of her.


    "Yes. She was nning toe with us, but then she changed her mind and came here before us."


    Ferk looked at Rain bemusedly. He wondered, ''didn''t Annie contact Rain? She asked for Mr. Rain''s


    address. Then why didn''t they get in touch? If she couldn''t find his address, she could have visited FX


    International Group.''


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Rain rubbed his forehead anxiously. ''She is new in this city. Where could she go? Was she kidnapped?


    Who would know that she''s the daughter of C Financial Group''s CEO in such a short time?''


    "Was the bodyguard with her?" That was thest hope. In the past few years, she liked Rain so much


    that she would have contacted him if nothing was wrong. But she hadn''t. What did that mean?


    "No. Miss Annie said she wanted to be alone. She also said she would contact you as soon as she


    arrived. We thought everything would be fine, so we didn''t send the bodyguard with her." Ferk also


    began to worry about her. Everybody knew that Annie was the heir of C Financial Group. If something


    happened to her in S City, her father would burn the city to the ground.


    "How could you let her go alone?" Rain ruefully punched the post beside him. His frustration was


    perceptible.


    "That''s what Miss Annie is. There was nothing we could do about it," Ferk exined in a low voice.


    Knowing Annie fancied this man, he respected Rain and didn''t mind his yelling.


    "Mr. Rain, let''s go to the office first, we''ll talk about thister." Aaron was careful about ranks in clients''


    presence, so he called him Mr. Rain instead of Rain.


    Rain frowned at the clients. At the same time, he also med Annie for her naivety, and swore to


    punish her when he found her.


    "It seems we have to do so. You go with them. I''ll ask Luke to help me find her." Without even looking


    at Ferk and the others, he hastened into a trot and left the hall of the airport, with an arrogant


    expression on his face.


    "I''m sorry, Mr. Ferk. Mr. Rain isn''t usually like this. He is worried about Miss Annie," Aaron apologized.


    ''Moments ago he pretended that he didn''t care for her at all, but now that Annie is missing, he is really


    worried. Who will believe that he doesn''t like her?''


    "That''s OK, Mr. Aaron. We understand that he is worried." Actually, Ferk was not as worried as Rain.


    He had noticed that Annie had changed a lot in recent years. She was not as innocent and sweet as


    before. She had be a totally different person. He thought it had something to do with the fact that


    Mr. Rain had left her without saying goodbye years ago.


    Rain''s posh sports car kept shiftingnes in the traffic. There was stiffness on his handsome face. The


    charming, tender eyes examined the road. The sensuous lips were tightly closed. The ear studs


    sparkled and shadowed as if to harmonize with his current state of mind, which was anxious and fretful.


    To him, Annie was still an innocent little girl, beautiful and always smiling. Perhaps he had forgotten


    that time changed many things.


    The car drew a sharp curve and parked in front of FX International Group''s building. Rain walked in


    grimly. The female employees were ustomed to Rain''s cheeky grins and flirtation; they had never


    seen him so disconcerted. They suspected something awful must have happened.

 Chapter 147 Where Are The Clients Youve Picked Up

    Chapter 147 Where Are The Clients You''ve Picked Up


    Rain took the elevator straight to the 88th floor and entered Edward''s office without knocking first. The


    sound of his abrupt entry shocked Edward, who was reading a file intently. Edward frowned and asked.


    "Why are you in such a hurry? Where are the clients you''ve picked up? You''re supposed to be with


    them right now." Edward saw Rain was unapanied. He gave him a confused look.


    "I didn''t pick them up. Where is Luke? Ask him toe over. I need a favor." demanded Rain. He


    walked towards the refrigerator, took out a bottle of water and drank like a fish. He spilled some water


    which trickled down his neck. He looked coquettish and unruly.


    "Why didn''t you pick them up? What happened? Was their flight dyed?" asked Edward. He called


    Luke simultaneously. He wondered, "Rain is in such a hurry. Something must be wrong, or he would


    never charge at me like that."


    "The flight was on time. I met them, but not all of them." replied Rain. After drinking water, he finally


    calmed down.


    "What are you talking about?" asked Edward. ''What is Rain talking about? Did he pick them up or not?


    I can''t understand him at all.'' wondered Edward.


    "I met them. But Annie wasn''t there." replied Rain. He took a seat on the sofa and waited for Luke.


    "You mean Annie didn''te?" asked Edward. ''That''s the point! No wonder he is in such a rush. If I


    remember right, Annie is in love with Rain! Why did she give up this opportunity to see him?'' thought


    Edward.


    "No, she came here in advance. She said she would contact me. But instead, she disappeared."


    replied Rain. He fixed his gaze on Edward, and it seemed that Rain was looking for an answer from


    him.


    "Now, What are you nning to do?" asked Edward. He smiled nomittally and thought, ''Annie is a


    grown woman. She won''t disappear for no reason. If she didn''t contact anyone, there must be some


    reason. Perhaps something went wrong, or maybe Annie doesn''t want to see us right now. There is no


    need to panic.''


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Tell Luke to find out if something has happened in the undergroundmunity. I''m afraid she has


    been kidnapped," said Rain. He knew very well that in order to protect Edward, Luke had forged many


    human rtions and had a lot of people backing him. So it was sensible to ask him about this.


    "Do you think anyone in S City knows Annie? If she was kidnapped upon her arrival, there must be a


    mole in the C Financial Group. That would exin how her identity and schedule were revealed." said


    Edward.


    He looked at Rain as if he were an idiot and thought, ''It''s a simple question. But he seems confused


    when ites to Annie. If he doesn''t fancy her, then why is he so worried?"


    "You''re right. But why didn''t she contact us?" asked Rain. He wasn''t able to think clearly anymore. All


    he could do was to count on Edward. It seemed that Edward could solve any problem with ease.


    "I''m not Mr. Know-it-all. Besides, I don''t know her well enough to understand how her mind works."


    replied Edward. He rolled his eyes and thought, ''Love can truly deprive you of your intelligence.''


    They heard a knock on the office door. It was Luke. He looked fierce in ck.


    "Mr. Mu, what can I do for you?"asked Luke. He turned a blind eye to Rain.


    "Luke, can''t you see me?"ined Rain. ''Am I that annoying? Why does he ignore me every time.''


    he thought.


    Luke rolled his eyes at Rain, and thought, ''I just don''t get it. Why is he dressed so effeminately? He


    looks like a sissy.''


    "Are you done with the small talk?" asked Edward. He was baffled by their rtionship. He thought,


    ''For some reason, Luke always gives Rain the cold shoulder. He keeps up a poker face all the time .''


    "He has pissed me off." murmured Rain. And he thought, ''He is icier than Duke. He only cares about


    his young boss.''


    Luke threw a cold nce at Rain and then turned to Edward.


    "Luke, tell your men to see if there''s anything unusual going on in the undergroundmunity,


    especially keep an eye on something about a kidnapped woman." demanded Edward. He thought, ''If


    she isn''t kidnapped, she must have her reasons for not showing up. In that case, there would be no


    need to look for her.''


    "Sure, Mr. Mu. I''ll do it right away." replied Luke. He gave a meaningful look to Edward and walked out


    of the office. The only thing he needed to do was to follow orders from Edward. He never bothered to


    ask the reasons.


    "Edward, will we be able to find her?" asked Rain. Edward and Luke had just made the n to solve


    the problem without asking for his opinion. He felt anxious.


    "Rain, is Annie still a teenager in your eyes? She is a grown woman. If she isn''t kidnapped, it means


    she doesn''t want to see you. Give her some space! She will show up when she wants. Calm down."


    exined Edward.


    He was aware that Rain was worried about her. But, he knew, problems aren''t solved by just


    worrying.

 Chapter 148 Mrs. Mu, What Are You Doing Here

    Chapter 148 Mrs. Mu, What Are You Doing Here


    Daisy managed to finish her work before time, so she decided to leave the military base earlier than


    usual and take a night off.


    The dazzling red Ferrari sped through the military district towards the bustling downtown streets. A


    smile appeared on Daisy''s face as she thought of Edward.


    He was the reason why Daisy left office before her assistant for the first time. She wondered whether


    Edward was still angry with her. Daisy rarely thought about anything unrted to work.


    As the car slowly halted at the traffic signal, Daisy was surprised to see the same woman who was


    almost hit by her in the morning wandering on the road.


    Daisy seldom got involved in mundane matters, but this woman had caught her attention. It was a


    strange coincidence toe across a stranger twice on the same day. She was caught by that


    woman''s elegance and serenity.


    A loud horn from the car behind Daisy''s interrupted her contemtion. She forgot that she was in the


    middle of a busy road. Without more dy, she started the engine and headed towards the FX


    International Group.


    Daisy drew a lot of attention when she turned up in the lobby in her uniform. However, she was


    detained because no one recognized her as the CEO''s wife.


    "Excuse me, may I know who you are looking for?" The receptionist looked at Daisy doubtfully, since


    when did thepany began to coborate with the military?


    "Hi, I need to see your CEO." Daisy frowned as thest time she was here with Justin, no one had


    stopped them.


    "Do you have an appointment?" The assistant asked.


    "No, I don''t. But..."


    "Mrs. Mu, what are you doing here?" Luke was surprised to see Daisy in the lobby.


    "Hi Luke! Is Edward still upstairs?" Daisy sighed with relief when she saw Luke. Now she didn''t need to


    give any reasons for going upstairs.


    "Mr. Mu is still in his office with Rain. Shall I take you upstairs?" Luke was just about to leave the office


    to carry out the task assigned by Edward. And he didn''t expect to see Daisy here.


    "It''s OK. I know the way to the office." Daisy smiled.


    "This is Mrs. Mu. You need to memorize her face distinctly and never hold her up again." Luke nced


    at the receptionist and ordered.


    "Mrs. Mu. I''m sorry. Please forgive me for my ignorance." The receptionist profusely apologized to


    Daisy, though she wondered when the CEO married a female officer.


    "No big deal! Can I go upstairs now?" Daisy didn''t mind as she knew it was the receptionist''s duty to


    hold up strangers.


    "Sure Mrs. Mu. This way please." The receptionist quickly showed Daisy the way to the esctor and


    felt relieved that she had saved her job. If Mrs. Mu was displeased about what happened earlier, she


    would lose her job immediately.


    Daisy met Edward''s secretary Anna as she walked onto the esctor.


    "Good afternoon, Mrs. Mu." Anna had seen Daisy in her uniform before, so she immediately recognized


    her. However, she wondered why Daisy came to the office at this time.


    "Anna, have you seen Edward in the office?" Every time Daisy visited FX International Group Anna


    escorted her to Edwards office that''s why Daisy knew her quite well.


    "Yes, Mrs. Mu. Mr. Rain is also over there." Anna smiled gently at her. ''The uniform perfectly befitted


    Daisy. She was so distinctive.'' Anna thought.


    "Thank you very much. Are they discussing work? Would it be OK for me to go inside?" Daisy didn''t


    want to interrupt their work.


    "Never mind, they are just talking. Shall I take you in?" Anna rarely met wealthy women who showed


    her so much respect. Typically, they treated their assistants as ves.


    "No need. Thanks." Daisy knocked on the door gently. But to her surprise, no one responded.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    At the other side, Edward also wondered why no one entered after knocking. Anna and Rain usually


    walked straight in after knocking. Who''s that?


    Daisy sighed and knocked on the door a bit louder.


    "Pleasee in" Edward frowned and looked at Rain doubtfully, wondering who would visit him at this


    time.


    Daisy smiled when she heard his deep voice and then she opened the door.


    Edward was leaning on his chair leisurely. But when he saw the olive green uniform, he instantly sat up


    straight and stared at Daisy with deep affection in his eyes.


    "... Daisy is that you?..." Rain was shocked to see a female officer here. But as he gave her another


    look, he found the face familiar. Therefore, he wanted to make sure that the officer was in fact


    Daisy.

 Chapter 149 Rain Dare You Touch Her

    Chapter 149 Rain Dare You Touch Her


    "Yes, it''s me. I hope I am not interrupting your work!" Daisy was ustomed to the surprised look


    people gave her when they saw her in uniform. Rain''s exaggerated expression was normal for her now.


    "Wow! I didn''t know that you are a female officer!" said Rain. He momentarily forgot about the


    disturbance that Annie had caused. He gazed at Daisy with admiration. She looked magnanimous in


    her uniform, he thought.


    When Edward saw Daisy appear in his office, he was very excited. But he stopped smiling and


    pretended to be busy with his work when he thought of her attitude towards him this afternoon. Still, he


    carefully listened to what she and Rain were talking about.


    "Sorry, I never mentioned my profession to you." Daisy apologized. She noticed that she had made


    many apologies for her identity recently.


    "That''s all right. I am curious, can I know your military rank?" When Rain met Daisy and Kevin in the


    barst time, they were wearing casual clothes. So no wonder Rain was very surprised when he


    realized that she was a female officer.


    "I am a Colonel." Daisy replied while secretly ncing at Edward, who wore a sullen look. ''Is he still


    angry with me? I have been in his office for a while now, but he hasn''t even looked at me.'' Daisy


    thought.


    "Miss Daisy, I heard there is a enigmatic young female officer in S City. Is that you? It is said that she is


    the only one who graduated from JC Military School overseas and she received many international


    medals. She was the kind of talent that JC Military School wanted to retain. But for some reason, she


    gave up the privilege and resolved toe back to S City. She worked hard all the way from a


    common soldier in S City to her current rank as a colonel. She has never epted any interviews, so


    she has remained a legendary persona in many hearts. Are you the female officer admired by


    countless women in S City?"


    As soon as Daisy told him her military rank, Rain became more curious about her. His words also


    attracted Edward''s attention. He raised his head and shifted his eyes from the files to Daisy.


    The most enigmatic young female officer? Why did he never hear about it? He had thought that after


    being with her for the past few months, he knew her well. It appeared that he still didn''t know a lot


    about her.


    "Yes! I graduated from JC Military School. But I am not sure if I am the person you mentioned just now."


    Daisy didn''t expect that so many people were curious about her, though she had tried to keep a low


    profile. It seemed that sometimes, it was difficult to hide.


    "Miss Daisy, you are too modest. You don''t know how many people admire you. I want to shake hands


    with you. It''s such a rare opportunity." While saying this, Rain quickly walked towards Daisy. At first, he


    was oblivious to such stories; he thought they were just rumors. Butter when he constantly heard the


    female colleagues talking about the news, he began to take an interest in the female officer''s story and


    kept an eye on the follow-ups. That was why he knew so much about it.


    "Rain, dare you touch her!" Edward looked at Rain and said coldly. Why did he always want to shake


    hands with Daisy? Edward wondered.


    Rain touched his nose and stopped in embarrassment. He regretted that he had forgotten about vicious


    Edward''s presence in the office. He remembered thatst time Edward also didn''t let him shake hands


    with Daisy. And this time he also lost the chance because of Edward. Oh, was it such a big deal? He


    just wanted to shake hands with Daisy. Was it necessary for Edward to be so insecure? Rain thought.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Edward, it is just a handshake! Would that be okay?" Rainined with a dejected expression on


    his face. ''He was so possessive about Daisy, but he still denied that he loves her. Will anyone believe


    him?'' Rain would be the first one to disbelieve him.


    Daisy smiled gently. The mean Edward had finally opened his mouth. She had felt that he would


    continue to ignore herpletely.


    "Rain, aren''t you concerned about finding Annie anymore?" Edward didn''t answer Rain''s question


    directly. To tease him, Edward chose a matter that Rain was really concerned about. And about Daisy''s


    sneer at him, he had noticed it. But he decided to ignore it.


    "You said it yourself she is not a little girl. If she wants to show up, she will. If she doesn''t want to show


    up, it''s useless for me to get worried. I am not inclined to ask for troubles." Rain raised his eyebrows


    and said. He set his heart at rest after Edward analyzed the situation for him. There was no news from


    Luke; maybe that was the best news.


    "If you''re fine with it, why don''t you go back to work?" Edward stared hard at Rain, indicating him to


    leave them alone.


    "Working hours are over now. Are you going to continue toiling me?" Rain knew what Edward said was


    a cue for him to leave. But he didn''t want to follow his instructions. He intentionally became oblivious to


    Edward''s hint, and this made him angry. He still bore the grudge against Edward for not giving him the


    opportunity to shake hands with Daisy.


    "Didn''t you have ns to entertain the clients from C Financial Group? Or perhaps you don''t want to


    have any rtionship with Annie now?" Edward said with a cunning smile. ''Rain, you''re too naive to act


    against me. We are not on the same level.'' Edward thought.


    "Aaron is there. Besides, Annie is not with them now. It''s meaningless for me to be there." Rain replied.


    He seemed determined to stay. ''I won''t go! I will stay here no matter what you say. I want to piss you


    off!" Rain thought.


    "What if Annie has contacted them? Are you sure you still want to stay here?" Edward said. He was so


    confident that he could win this time and Rain would back off.


    "Really?" Rain began to waver in his decision on Edward''s words. But he was not sure whether he


    could believe what Edward had said. He was a little resistant when he heard that Annie wasing.


    Rain had forced himself to forget about this matter. Now that he was sure Annie was here, he expected


    to see her as soon as possible. He was caught inplex emotions. He hesitated about Edward''s


    suggestion. He was really perplexed.

 Chapter 150 A Spot Check

    Chapter 150 A Spot Check


    Daisy was quietly reading a magazine on the sofa. She acted casually, ignoring the man who had just


    chased Rain out the door.


    "Woman, do you think this damn magazine is better looking than me?" Edward finally gave up in this


    tug-of-war, yelling angrily at Daisy, who was cool as a cucumber.


    "Oh! Honey, you''re done?" Smiling, Daisy looked up, acting surprised. You could tell that something


    was amiss, a hint of a smile, a cunning glint in the eye. Something... She would not lose against


    Edward in a game of patience.


    "Where did you get the idea that I was busy?" Edward stared at her, irritated. All he had been focusing


    on earlier was her. Why was she giving him the silent treatment and ignoring him?


    "I get the idea from watching you. And you''ve been ignoring me." Daisy asionally would act like a


    pampered woman, and would tease Edward. After all such behavior would be unthinkable in the past.


    She had to make up for lost time.


    "Woman, you ignored me first. Now you''re using me?" Edward was at Daisy''s side in a sh. His


    hands pressed on the edge of the sofa, cornering her. His brooding eyes locked on hers.


    "Hm... I got off work early just toe here." Daisy began to lose her cool. She opened her palms and


    pushed against him, preventing him from closing in.


    "So? Does Colonel Ouyang know that she did something wrong? Is that why she''s here? To


    apologize?" Edward couldn''t be happier to hear that she took time off to see him. That meant that he


    really was someone special to her.


    "I''m not saying I did anything wrong. I''m just here to do a spot check, to make sure that you follow our


    agreement." Daisy teased him mercilessly. Although she came by to help him calm down, his


    "What did you find? Track down any clues with your keen senses?" Edward''s lips were already


    touching her ear. A joking smile appeared on his handsome face.


    "Um... Can you get up first?" Daisy''s heart raced. He always had to be so dramatic. It made her weak.


    "What? Now you''re afraid? Huh? Keep taunting me!" Edward showed his sinister side. Hisnky fingers


    swiped pass her soft lips, leaving her a flow of sensation.


    "Who... Who says I''m afraid? You''re so close to me; aren''t you hot?" She knew he didn''t like to be too


    hot. She was hoping to distract him with that.


    "If things don''t get hot between us, then there''s something wrong. So if you''re feeling hot, there''s only


    one exnation..." Edward paused before naming it. He closely examined her nervous look. You could


    see himughing if you stared into his eyes.


    "What''s that?" Daisy was naturally inquisitive. But Daisy forgot for a second that curiosity killed the cat.


    "Does our beautiful Madam Colonel really want to know? We have a curious girl here." Edward was in


    high gear now, with exnations for every action he was about to take.


    "Not anymore. You get up!" Daisy was only confounded by Edward briefly. She blushed when she


    realized what he was getting at.


    "Toote!" He plopped down on the sofa, and pulled Daisy into his arms. His thin cold lips met Daisy''s.


    Edward savored her sweetness with a bit of frustration -- she could taste the hint of punishment on her


    lips.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Daisy didn''t push him away this time, she followed his lead. She kissed him with abandon. She loved


    him, so she was willing to let go of all of her pride. She loved him, so she refused to push him away


    from her heart. She loved him, and he was the only person to feel that. She loved him, without


    comints or regrets. She loved him more than herself.


    Edward didn''t expect things to heat up this fast. He was only going to punish her a little bit, but now his


    heart softened. Though his actions were rough before, now they were gentle. His tongue reached past


    her lips and teeth, twirling with hers. In every touch there was his deep affection towards her.


    Edward, no longer satisfied with a kiss, moved his lips down to her beautiful corbone. He lingered


    there, gently, lovingly.


    The kiss descended while their desire rose. She felt a coldness on her chest suddenly. Daisy woke up


    from the mesmerizing passion. She held the big hands on her breasts and gently shook her head; her


    face was crimson.


    Frustrated, Edward kissed her again and lightly bit her lips, tightly holding her in his arms. It seemed


    that he underestimated her power over him. Her pause threatened to kill the mood.


    Daisy giggled, her smile pretty and enticing. The coldness was gone. In this moment, all of her grace


    was blooming ardently for the man. All of her infinite love was only for him.

 Chapter 151 Still Mad at Me

    Chapter 151 Still Mad at Me


    Her cold slender fingers stroked his eyebrows, as if trying to tten the wrinkles around them. Her


    moist lips got closer and closer, and finally kissed the eyes gazing at her, gently and fervently burning


    each of his sense organs.


    Who will hold my hand, and keep me from going crazy in the rest of my life?


    Who will kiss my eyes, and end my drifting in the rest of my life.


    Who will caress my face, and soothe the sadness in the rest of my life?


    Who will warm my heart, and melt the frost and ice that have been there for half my life?


    Who will take me in his arms, and dispel the silence all my life?


    Who will awaken my heart, and shield me from a lifetime of pain?


    Who will abandon me, and leave me grieving for the rest of my life?


    Who can understand me, and make my life worthwhile?


    Who can help me, and make me unrivaled around the world for many years?


    Who will I fall for, and change my confined world into an immense happynd?


    Who will ease my grief,ugh at the absurd world?


    You sealed my lips with yours, and freed me from drifting.


    You held me close, and erased my craziness in the past life.


    I want to hold your hand, and jump into your crazy dream.


    I want to kiss your eyes, and be with you in all your lifetimes.


    I want to hold your hand, and bravely face hardships together with you.


    I want to kiss your eyes, and love you deeply forever.


    I want to hold your hand, and you will be mine thereafter.


    I want to stroke your neck, and shelter you from storms and wind.


    I want to caress your hair, and embrace your deepest feelings.


    I want to hold your hand, and let the world know how great we are together.


    I pray that you will be happy all your life.


    I cherish your love. May you enjoy a peaceful life.


    Edward saw the affectionate look in her eyes. He knew that her love for him was true. Her kisses were


    so soft and ardent that his heart ached with passion.


    "Honey, are you seducing me?" Edward said, panting from her attentions. He was surprised and happy.


    Who would knew a cold and distant woman like Daisy could be so tender? She was glowing with


    passion as well, and it was all for him.


    "Still mad at me?" Daisy asked, wrinkling her pretty high nose. She had been trying hard to please him.


    Could he still be mad?


    "And you? Are youing here just to appease me? Thinking I won''t be angry anymore?" Edward


    lightly traced a finger along her wrinkled nose. Happiness spread over his handsome face. He was


    bewitching.


    "If I say yes, will you stop being mad?" Daisy loved the way he was at that moment. She fixed her


    loving gaze on him. Edward thought she looked cute, a new side of Daisy revealed.


    "And if I say no? Then what?" He wondered what the next surprise would be.


    Daisy broke free of his embrace. She walked to the fridge and downed a bottle of water. All the while


    she kept repeating to herself "I''m not angry. I''m not angry. I''m not angry..."


    Stunned, Edward tried to figure out what was going on. She was smiling in his arms one minute but


    stood up abruptly and left the next. There she was, drinking water. What a "surprise"!


    "I''m going back. Enjoy your anger alone!" She came to pick him up from work but he still couldn''t


    forgive her. He was just being unreasonable. Daisy tried to calm down.


    Looking at the angry woman in front of him, Edward started to realize how capricious women could be.


    "Honey, now you''re mad." Edward stood up and walked over to her. He did up the buttons that he had


    undone, but deliberately slid his fingers inside her clothing, running them over her soft skin. Her heart


    fluttered.


    Daisy blushed and pped his hand away. Thinking of her own initiative, she lowered her head in


    embarrassment.


    Edward smiled. So that was how he could cool her off. Duly noted. He had known one more weakness


    of hers.


    "Shall we go now? I need to revise some reports." Before she left the office to pick him up, she had


    decided to take the unfinished reports home. She''d be burning the midnight oil tonight.


    "OK. Let''s go. These documents are not important anyway, so I''ll get them done at home." Edward


    started to put his things away. The alluring smile was still on his face.


    Daisy and Edward attracted a lot of attention at the office. "The CEO was with another woman several


    days ago." they gossiped among themselves. "Why is he with this one? And a military officer to boot."


    "Is he going back to his yboy ways?" "But wouldn''t this be too risky for a female army officer?"


    Daisy stalked off. She hated the attention she and Edward were getting. Edward had to hurry to match


    her pace.


    He frowned. ''Hmm...I''ll have to introduce her formally sometime.'' He didn''t like the attention either.


    They bumped into Luke at the entrance of FX International Group. He was getting more and more


    efficient and had collected some information quickly.


    "Mr. and Mrs. Mu, are you going home?" In Edward''s presence, Luke always valued manners.


    "How''s it going? Any good news?" Edward was anxious to know the result.


    "ording to my investigation, no one prominent hase to the city. No kidnapping of females


    either." Luke studied Edward''s face, trying to figure out why he wanted to know any of this.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "OK. Very good." If what Luke had said was true, Annie should be safe. Then nothing to worry about.


    "What''s the matter?" Daisy could sense that something was wrong. There was a reason she became a


    colonel in such a short time.


    "Oh, Nothing. We can handle it." Edward just didn''t want to worry Daisy, but she took it differently. She


    felt there would always be a wall between them, no matter how hard she tried.

 Chapter 152 Your Family Has Been My Family

    Chapter 152 Your Family Has Been My Family


    Belinda was standing outside her house; she had no intention of going in. She had been dawdling


    away her time at the office after finishing her work. She reluctantly headed downstairs because she


    knew that the oue wouldn''t be delightful. She had no idea what Duke had told her father. She met


    Duke the iceberg man over there, he brought a cool feeling to the hot day!


    "Belinda, those who know you would think you are going home, but those who don''t know you might


    think you are about to climb the wall." Duke looked at Belinda snidely, because he had never seen


    anyone hesitate to enter his or her own house. He thought, it''s okay for her to embarrass herself, but


    he shouldn''t waste his time standing outside the house like a fool.


    "What! Climb the wall? Duke, do you know what that means? Please, don''t judge me if you don''t know


    me. People wouldugh at me." Belinda said and rolled her eyes impatiently. If her father hadn''t said


    that she couldn''te back home unless she brought Duke with her, she wouldn''t have been trapped


    in this situation.


    "Standing outside like this was far more embarrassing than beingughed at by others." Duke gave


    Belinda a frigid nce, which made her frightened. Usually, Belinda wasn''t afraid of anything, but she


    was scared of his indifference.


    "Duke, are you sure you should go inside? Are you confident that my dad won''t chase you out ?"


    Belinda didn''t believe inpromising. Although she expected the answer she still had to give it a try.


    He might have changed his mind.


    Duke didn''t reply to her instead he went straight inside the vi. He decided not to waste his time


    standing there discussing the problem. It was much easier to just walk inside. He wondered, is it


    disgraceful for her to introduce Duke to her family? And hiding was the worst option.


    "Hey! Duke, are you sure you want to go inside? Hey, why don''t you fucking wait for me!" Belinda didn''t


    anticipate that Duke would go inside without telling her. In a panic, she hastened to follow him and


    pounced onto his back when Duke paused all of a sudden.


    "Belinda, if you say another vulgar word, I won''t mind cleaning your mouth for you." Duke didn''t


    understand how ady of noble birth could say such dirty words.


    "Uh! Duke, you have no sense of humor."


    Belinda rolled her eyes desperately and thought: oh my god! Why did she feel so stressful at the


    thought of her future life with Duke?


    "Hehe! Duke! I had never imagined that we could be a family. Last time I saw your father, I was


    wondering how I''ll introduce you to my daughter. I am surprised to see that you two are moving faster


    than I thought."


    Zachary knew Duke well. His sly smile didn''t leave his face since he found that Duke was dating his


    daughter. Duke was the most eligible bachelor in S City! And surprisingly, his daughter had won Duke''s


    heart. In his mind, Zachary started measuring the benefits he could get from this rtionship. He didn''t


    care much about the fact that his daughter was with Duke so early in the morning.


    As all the mothers-inw do, the longer Sherry looked at Duke, the more she liked him. Although Duke


    was indifferent in nature, she thought it was barely worth mentioning as long as he could control


    Belinda. Sherry really liked her handsome and cool son-inw. Because nowhere else could she find


    such a good match like Duke for her daughter! Sherry med her daughter for not introducing them to


    Duke earlier. Her father could have stopped worrying and arranging blind dates for her.


    "Dad, I feel sorry for being so inconsiderate and not visiting you earlier." Duke didn''t feel awkward to


    address Belinda''s father in this way, but Belinda had a problem with this.


    "Hey! Duke. Are you drunk? This is my dad. Since when did he be your dad?" Belinda said and


    stared at Duke irritably. How easy it was for Duke to form an alliance with other people, she thought.


    Who was he calling dad? His dad was at his own house.


    "From the moment our marriage contractmenced, your family has been my family. I don''t think it''s


    inappropriate for me to address him in this way." Duke had a strong personality, but he was tender


    when it came to family matters. Once he was sure about something, he would cut to the chase without


    any pretense.


    "Hehe! You called me appropriately Duke. Let her be. She''s just jealous." Sherry was still studying


    Duke. See! Like she said, only a man like Duke could win over Belinda. If it had been any other man,


    Belinda wouldn''t have behaved so graciously.


    "Mom. I am sorry. Don''tugh at me, please." Duke got emotional when he said "mom". He forgot how


    long it had been since he had said this warm word. He never thought he could say this word again, he


    felt warm in Sherry''spany.


    "That''s fine. I should thank you for tolerating my daughter''s bad temper. You must have known about


    her temper, I presume. I''m afraid you''ll have to bear with her perpetually." Sherry carried herself with


    elegance and dignity. Inparison, her daughter Belinda was quite weird. Sometimes she felt


    helpless because of this, but she had to ept it since Sherry had spoiled Belinda herself.


    "Mom, what do you mean? Don''t you think I have a good personality? Don''t you see he put on that


    poker face all the time? The truth is it''s me who would bear with him!"


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    At that moment Belinda had forgotten what she always insisted. Typically, she didn''t entertain the idea


    of putting herself and Duke together.


    Duke smiled slightly and thought Belinda was a hypocrite. The truth was that she had be aware of


    her new identity, but she still tried to mess up things. This was not like her at all.


    "Oh Belinda, just look at you. How could youin about Duke? You should feel lucky that Duke


    doesn''t disapprove of you." Everyone knew about Duke''s good reputation. He was the most eligible


    son-inw for the rich wives in S City. Sherry didn''t have any high hopes for her daughter. Now that


    Duke had be her son-inw, she was on cloud nine.

 Chapter 153 Who Is The Guest

    Chapter 153 Who Is The Guest


    "What''s wrong with my manners? Do you have any issues with it? You are my mother. You can''t belittle


    your daughter!" Belinda was irritated. She med Duke. ''It is all his fault. Otherwise, my mother won''t


    rebuke me!'' Belinda thought.


    "Okay. Stop it. We have a guest here. Calm down!" said Zachary. He felt helpless when Belinda and


    Sherry fought with each other. Women prevailed in this family. he had little say in such matters.


    "Guest? Who is the guest?" Belinda said with a sneer. Didn''t Duke say that their families were one after


    the marriage contract came into effect? Then who was her father addressing as a guest?


    Duke gently smiled at Belinda''s words. As long as Belinda didn''t treat him as a guest, it would be easy


    to proceed. Duke thought.


    "Eh. Suit yourself. Certainly, I''m not the guest." After Duke spoke, everyone''s attention shifted to him.


    He felt a little embarrassed.


    "Let''s eat. The meal is ready." said Sherry. Her eyes got wet. Her daughter has all grown up and was


    about to leave her. She felt sad about this. But there was someone who would take care of her


    daughter. Thinking of this, Sherry became less depressed.


    "Sis Daisy, can Ie to visit the military base?" As soon as Leena finished her meal, she started


    pestering Daisy. She held Daisy''s arms firmly and asked with a soft smile. Daisy felt helpless. ''Oh, this


    girl is so annoying. She has asked me so many questions since I came back. She has known me for


    quite some time now, but its difficult to satisfy her curiosity. No wonder Belinda escaped every time she


    saw Leena. If Leena continued to be so troublesome, I would also want to escape! Let alone the


    hotheaded Belinda.'' Daisy thought.


    "Yes, but I wouldn''t have time to apany you." As she was preparing for the military exercises,


    there were a lot of tasks requiring her attention. So it was impossible for her to entertain Leena at work.


    "No problem, just find someone to show me around. By the way, I have never been to a real military


    base! I am really excited to go there." Leena said with her eyes glowing with excitement. She admired


    soldiers. And she eagerly wanted to visit the military base if she had the chance. She felt like her


    dream woulde true this time.


    "Okay. You cane tomorrow. Or you''ll have to wait until the military exercises are over. That would


    take time." Daisy nodded in approval after thinking for a while. There was nothing unusual in the


    military base. Perhaps it was because she had stayed there for too long. The military base had already


    lost its charm to her.


    "Mom, have you allowed her to go there? She may create trouble for you. Aren''t you worried about


    that?" Justin was going insane. Leena had pestered him whole day. When his mom finally came back,


    he expected that he would feel better with his mom. But Leena had been annoying his mother since


    she came home. Justin was really angry with her. When he heard that Leena would go to the military


    base, it sounded ridiculous to him.


    "Justin, are you jealous of me?" Leena refuted. ''Other people may not know how cunning you are. But I


    know that you are always pretending to be a delightful boy to deceive others. But this won''t work for


    me. I won''t buy it!'' Leena thought.


    "Huh! I''m jealous of you? What nonsense! I have stayed there for so long that I''ve be sick of it.


    Only a vige girl like you who hasn''t seen much of the world would be curious about that ce." Justin


    said with scorn, regardless of his mother''s presence.


    "What? Did you call me a vige girl? Justin, do you want me to give you a good beating?" Leena stood


    up and went at Justin. ''He had the nerve to call me a vige girl. I am a fashion designer for world


    famous brand. Has he ever seen any vige girl as fashionable as me?'' Leena thought.


    "Ah! Daddy, save me! Miss Leena is killing me!" Justin ran towards Edward who was walking


    downstairs. The strong impact made Edward step back. He was unprepared.


    "What are you doing? You are making so much noise!" Edward asked with a frown. But he still opened


    his arms and hugged Justin.


    "Edward, leave us alone. I will teach him a good lesson today. He dared to call me a vige girl. Have


    you ever seen a fashionable vige girl like me?" Leena stared hard at Justin who was giggling in


    Edward''s arms. She became more furious.


    "Justin, did you make Miss Leena angry again? You should not say unpleasant things in her face. If you


    really think this way, you should keep it in your heart. It''s very impolite to talk about other people''s


    shorings in their face. Don''t do it next time."


    Edward looked at Leena''s ring eyes with a smile. But his words made Leena more furious. ''Is he


    scolding Justin? Or is he fueling the mes?" Leena thought.


    "Okay, Edward, I know you are helping Justin to mock me. Sis Daisy, you must help me." Leena


    stomped and turned to Daisy for help.


    "What does this have to do with me?" Daisy sighed, feeling helpless. She looked at Justin and Edward


    who were smiling slyly. Justin was a small boy; it was okay for him to be a little naughty. But why was


    Edward contributing to the fuss? Daisy wondered.


    "Sis Daisy, didn''t you see? They are mocking us!" Leena said. Her eyes shed with a cunning look.


    Justin was familiar with this look. He wondered what she was up to this time.


    "Well, what can I say?" Daisy became interested in the subject upon hearing Leena''s words. She


    wondered how she was involved in this matter.


    "Justin said that only vige girls would consider going to that ce. But sis Daisy, you go to the


    military base every day. Doesn''t that mean that you are also a vige girl in their eyes." Leena raised


    her eyebrows and said with pride.''Huh! You will regret mocking me. I will see how you exin yourself


    now.'' Leena thought.


    "Mom, She is stirring a dispute between us! Mom, you are the most beautiful female officer in the troop.


    How can anyone think you are a rural vige girl?" Justin realized Leena''s purpose as soon as she said


    it. He immediately exined himself.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Edward, what do you think? Do you also think that I''m a vige girl?" Initially, Daisy didn''t mind what


    they said about vige girls. But to satisfy Leena, she let herself get dragged into this fuss.

 Chapter 154 Daddy You Are Terrific

    Chapter 154 Daddy You Are Terrific


    Edward was shocked to hear what she said. He just came downstairs and found himself being med.


    "Who said that? Even if my wife is a vige girl, she is a beautiful, beautiful vige girl." Edward put


    Justin down and walked towards Daisy. He sat on the sofa beside her. He looked at her yfully and


    decided to y along with her little game.


    "ha ha¡­ But Edward, a beautiful vige girl is still a vige girl. What''s the difference?" Edward tried to


    get away with it, but Leena wasn''t going to buy it.


    "Let me tell you what the difference is. A beautiful vige girl, like Daisy, is a beauty with brains. And as


    for the others, they all just goof around and stir up trouble every day." Edward just wanted to coax his


    wife to end this topic, and he had no qualms about taking Leena as aparison. He didn''t mind that


    his argument was far-fetched.


    "Ha ha! Daddy, you are terrific! You''re my hero indeed!" Justin said with a broad smile; he was d


    about what had happened. Leena wanted to drag this debate further, little did she realize how cunning


    Edward was.


    "Edward, you honestly think I am that kind of girl?" Leena asked in a feeble voice, feeling guilty. The


    reason she was afraid of going home was that she had just got herself into trouble.


    "Exactly. Well, how long are you going to hide? You know what, I just got to know that someone and


    Belinda have registered their marriage today. Aren''t you curious?" Edward nced around, and


    naturally, everyone was shocked to hear this, just as he had been when Duke told him the news


    upstairs.


    "What? Are you saying my brother and Belinda are married? Really? As it turns out, calling Belinda my


    sister-inw ultimately made her my legal sister-inw." Leena was so shocked by the news that she


    forgot about her anger towards Edward''s sarcasticment.


    "Are you sure it was your words not your trick that worked?" Said Justin, as he couldn''t bear the sight


    of Leena''s smug face. He was always trying to bring her down whenever he got the chance.


    "Ha ha¡­ maybe... that helps too." Leena muttered guiltily. She was torn between the idea of going


    back to verify her aplishment and the terror of jumping into the fire line of Mr. Cold.


    "Are they really married?" Daisy tried to confirm it with her sly husband. Feeling excited she forgot


    everything that happened earlier.


    "Why would I make this up? Duke told me himself." Edward answered with a yful smile. He was a


    little surprised at how fast Duke had moved; he had thought it would take a bit longer. It seemed he had


    underestimated the man.


    Daisy frowned. She hadn''t heard a word from Belinda about this. Was Belinda afraid that she would


    mock her?


    In fact, this was exactly what Belinda was worried about. Not long ago she had dered that it was


    never going to happen. But now not only did she sleep with him, but she also married him! Belinda was


    depressed at the thought of how she got tricked into this mess by that despicable man. She was too


    embarrassed to call Daisy about this.


    "Edward, how did Duke sound? Happy? Or still mad at me?" This question was more important to


    Leena, as it affected her life in many ways. She had to figure things out.


    "Prettyte to think about this, don''t you think? Why don''t you take a second to consider the


    consequence of your actions before you make a move?" Edward nced at Leena. Although he doted


    on her, he was not going to indulge her every impulse. A little discipline was much needed.


    "I considered! My friend had assured me that it''s not strong. That''s why I dared to give that drink to


    Belinda. I didn''t know it would go down like that." Leena was depressed. She wouldn''t have done it if


    her friend hadn''t promised that it was just a mild aphrodisiac. Her friend had insisted that everything


    would be fine.


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Give her a break. Everything turned out fine, so let''s not get bogged down with the details!" Daisy


    couldn''t stand Leena''s weepy face, and she bailed her out. As for Belinda, she definitely had a thing for


    Duke, or how could she remain so calm after all this happened?


    "Sis, I knew you are the best!" Leena got so excited that she went forward and gave Daisy a big kiss,


    then she defiantly raised her eyebrows at Edward.


    The sudden kiss made Daisy''s face freeze a little. She felt slightly awkward. That was too intense!


    Ignoring Leena''s provocation, Edward frowned, he fetched a tissue and wiped Daisy''s face thoroughly.


    Justin was amused by this scene. Dad was getting more and more possessive about mom.


    Leena rolled her eyes at Edward. It was just a kiss from Leena, not a man. Could he be more


    dramatic?

 Chapter 155 No One Special

    Chapter 155 No One Special


    After what happened earlier, Daisy realized she didn''t have much time to review the report. So she took


    a quick shower and headed to the study. To her surprise, Edward wasn''t there. She thought he had


    work to do. Where was he?


    Slightly shaking her head, Daisy thought she shouldn''t worry about his whereabouts right now. She had


    more important tasks at hand. She pulled her desk chair and sat down. She took out the report from


    her briefcase and started reading.


    Her eyes were fixed on the paper. She looked strikingly attractive when she was quiet and focused.


    There was a mild shade of pink on her face after the shower. She smelled delightful like a gentle night


    breeze.


    A song suddenly broke the silence. Daisy frowned and looked around the room, trying to find the


    source of the sound. She saw Edward''s phone on his desk. Daisy hesitated for a moment. Her gaze


    shifted between the phone and the report. The phone kept buzzing. Finally, Daisy sighed heavily and


    stood up.


    She reached for the buzzing phone. Just as she saw the name on the screen, her fingers twitched. She


    almost dropped the phone out of panic.


    The call was from Jessica, the woman who had been deemed as Edward''s girlfriend by the media for


    the longest time. Daisy had always envied her for staying by Edward''s side. However, she didn''t expect


    to see her name again someday.


    Suddenly, her legs became too feeble to stand. She sank into Edward''s chair while holding Edward''s


    phone. She hadn''t forgotten about Jessica. But Edward and Daisy were having such a good timetely


    that she chose to neglect the issue on purpose.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    What kind of rtionship did they share? Lovers? Friends? Or friends with benefits? All options terrified


    Daisy tremendously. Jessica and Edward had been together for years; they couldn''t be just friends.


    Was there anything else between them? What if they still kept in touch with each other?


    The phone went silent after a few seconds. Daisy put it back on the desk and slowly stepped back to


    her chair. Staring nkly at the report, she realized she couldn''t focus on her work anymore. All she


    could think about was the rtionship between Jessica and Edward.


    That''s when Edward entered the study. His smile vanished instantly. He stared at Daisy, wondering


    what she was thinking about. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn''t even notice his arrival. It


    was quite unusual.


    "What are you thinking about? You seem consumed by your thoughts." Wrapping his arms around her


    waist, Edward pressed his chin against her shoulder and sniffed the faint fragranceing from her


    hair.


    Startled by his sudden embrace, Daisy paused. She touched his hands on her waist and closed her


    eyes. After a few silent deep breaths, Daisy turned around and looked into his eyes. Her voice sounded


    soft but distant.


    "Nothing, I was just reading the report." This was the first time Daisy lied to Edward. She lowered her


    head in case her guilty eyes would give her away.


    "Let me help you. I wonder what kind of report could trouble my beautiful and bright Colonel." Edward


    tried to reach for the report.


    "Are you trying to spy on military intelligence?" Daisy immediately stopped him from touching the


    report. She couldn''t let him see it because she was already done with it. She said that because she


    needed an excuse.


    "I''m not interested in military intelligence. I''m interested in you." Edward smiled at Daisy and withdrew


    his hand. He thought she was nervous because it was some critical report.


    "The thing is, your phone was constantly ringing. It seems that someone is desperate to reach you.


    Why don''t you check who was calling." Ignoring his tease, Daisy lowered her head to hide her real


    feelings from him.


    "Really? I''ll go check." Edward gently kissed her head and walked toward his desk. ''He looked


    gorgeous even in the informal outfits, '' Daisy thought to herself, her heart started aching again.


    As soon as Edward unlocked his phone and saw the missed call, he frowned in surprise. What did


    Jessica want? Didn''t he clear up everything the other day? If he did, then why was she calling him


    again?


    He turned around to look at Daisy. She behaved as if nothing had happened. But did she see his phone


    when it rang? Thinking of her strange behavior when he came in and hugged her, Edward realized she


    must have seen Jessica''s call. He wanted to exin but he couldn''t. It was not the right timing. He


    couldn''t tell Daisy that Jessica was pregnant until he found a way to settle the whole thing. He wasn''t


    sure how Daisy would react to it. Even though he knew for sure that Jessica''s child was not his, but


    would Daisy believe him? He became nervous because he cared about Dasiy too much.


    Noticing that Edward''s eyes didn''t leave his phone, Daisy suddenly felt like crying. He did care about


    Jessica, didn''t he? That''s why he had that look on his face.


    "Well. No one special." Having decided to keep it a secret from Daisy, for now, Edward smiled at her


    tenderly. He chose not to ask whether she checked his phone or not; he didn''t say anything about who


    was calling him. He knew that sometimes exnations sound like coverups. He would tell her


    everything after he had a n.


    Daisy froze. He didn''t say anything. Maybe he didn''t want her to find out that he was still involved with


    Jessica. She smiled bitterly and thought to herself, ''I am not as important to him as I thought. Maybe he


    just sees me as a new challenge. He has no feelings for me; therefore he doesn''t even care to exin


    anything to me.''


    "Don''t you need to call back? Perhaps it''s an emergency." Daisy pulled herself together and asked


    calmly. She was too proud to let him see her tears.


    "It''s okay. Besides, it''s toote now. I''ll see to it tomorrow." Edward put his phone back on the desk and


    strode back to Daisy. He leaned against the desk and fixed his eyes on his beloved wife.

 Chapter 156 Throw Herself Into His Arms Or Run Away

    Chapter 156 Throw Herself Into His Arms Or Run Away


    "Why are you staring at me like that?" Daisy was embarrassed at his gaze. Edward was looking at her


    with love and desire in his eyes. And staring hard.


    "Oh, I just found my wife so attractive, so hot." Edward touched the tip of her nose to show his


    affection. Actually he wanted toe clean and shared everything he knew with Daisy. But Edward


    worried that it would cause problems. He didn''t know everything himself yet.


    "Edward, I''ve got lots of work to do." Daisy told him. Daisy couldn''t control her feelings when she was


    near her charming husband. She didn''t know why. Was it because she loved him even more now? Or


    was it because she was girlish and giddy while with him?


    "Okay, get back to work. I''ll leave you alone. I have work to do, too." Edward had agreed to nevere


    between Daisy and her work. He was a man of his word, and did as asked.


    She put herself in work mode, not allowing her emotions to interfere. She nodded at him and got to it.


    Edward sat down at his desk and continued to stare at Daisy. Her face was cold as ice. Her aloofness


    was a wall preventing Edward from getting close. ''Why was she so cold to me just now? Did she know


    who called him? Or is there some other reason?'' Edward thought to himself.


    Even without looking up, Daisy could tell Edward was staring at her. But she had no time for him. Daisy


    was an officer, so she had to bear the responsibility of her work. So they sat in silence, worrying about


    the same thing.


    Night had fallen. After finishing the work, Daisy breathed a sigh of relief and moved her head around to


    soothe her aching neck. Edward dozed off in his chair.


    Daisy looked at him, trying to determine if he was resting or sleeping. Daisy thought about getting a


    nket for him.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Edward broke the silence, his deep voice came crashing through the quiet. It startled her. "Are you


    done?"


    "Yeah. I''m done." Daisy ran her hand through her hair in embarrassment. She looked away. Was it the


    call that caused him to be distant? To Daisy, he was still the beautiful and proud boy standing against


    the sun on that warm afternoon. She was 16, and had met no one like him since then.


    Edward noticed that she had grown apart from himtely. Even his affection couldn''t change her


    profound distrust. It must be because of the mysterious phone call.


    Daisy''s heart ached when she looked at Edward''s sad face. If she could, she''d trade ces with him.


    Seeing him unhappy hurt her a lot.


    Daisy sighed. She''d been the passive one in this rtionship. It is said that the one who falls first falls


    the deepest. It''s true. Even a frown from him made her heart ache. She had to fight these feelings, so


    the other issues she had with him could be resolved first.


    Edward fondled her cheek with his white tapered fingers and tucked a stand of hair behind one of her


    ears. His luminous eyes traveled slowly over Daisy''s face, finally fixing on her full lips.


    Daisy felt uneasy under Edward''s warm eyes. She swallowed, face blushing, and didn''t know where to


    look.


    Edward was amused by her awkward response. He smiled teasingly, which made his face even more


    beautiful. Daisy was enchanted by the charming man in front of her and her heart raced uncontrobly.


    But she was torn: should she throw herself into his arms and fend off other women? Or should she just


    run away while her sanity was still there?


    Finally, Daisy followed her feelings, kissing the man she loved so much. As for Edward, the charming


    smile on his face froze as he felt surprised to see his cool wife take the initiative.


    At this point in time, Daisy threw away all scruples and all fears of other women, past girlfriends. She


    just wanted to enjoy this moment, wrapped in his arms, the moment when he belonged only to her.


    Maybe he''d make her sad. Maybe he would run away from her just like before. But all the torture didn''t


    matter, because this moment was worth it. If she had to be a single mom, so be it.


    Edward had never been a softie. He always got everything he wanted, whether it was a woman he


    desired or a deal he had to make. Edward never lost.


    He began to care for Daisy, though. He felt sad when Daisy ignored him, panicked when she was


    silent, and it was hard to breathe when she was cold as ice.


    Perhaps Edward didn''t know what love was. He was not an emotional man, and didn''t want to fall for


    any woman. But if she could possess his heart, she would be everything to him.


    He didn''t know why the aloof beauty kissed him, but Edward was a skilled kisser. He developed the


    kiss into a hot, passionate affair, a way to banish the sense of loss he''d felt the whole night.

 Chapter 157 A Happy Ending

    Chapter 157 A Happy Ending


    When Daisy came back to her senses, the sensual atmosphere had reached a climax. It was toote to


    get away now. Daisy cursed herself in her heart, ''Daisy, you''re such a dirty horny woman. Why are you


    always tempted by his sexy look?''


    Edward didn''t care what was on Daisy''s mind. He waspletely turned on by her. He couldn''t wait to


    strip off her clothes. But when he reached inside her pajamas and put his hands on her soft breasts, he


    was surprised. Daisy didn''t wear underwear.


    "You came prepared." Edward murmured breathlessly in her ear with a cunning smile. ''That saves me


    the energy of taking them off.'' He thought.


    "Edward, let go." Daisy pushed hard on his strong chest. All that earned her was a tighter grip.


    "Hey, you got me all hot and bothered, and you want to stop?" Edward said while smiling slyly. It was


    impossible for him to give up this beautiful moment.


    "But... We are in the study room." Daisy was still struggling. Justin also lived on the same floor. If he


    were to walk in... And there was Leena who lived in the guest room downstairs. Leena had a curious


    mind and was dynamic, often capricious. Daisy was not sure whether she woulde upstairs


    suddenly.


    "Yes, I know we''re in the study. But what''s wrong with it?" Edward looked at her with a mischievous


    smile. He rested his gaze on her pretty pink face.


    "Don''t you fear that someone mighte in at any time?" Daisy thought herself too stupid to discuss


    such a sensitive topic with him now.


    "Do you think anyone''s awake in the middle of the night? Find a better excuse. I''m not buying that one."


    Edward cared little about social mores. He would never give up a good opportunity like this, especially


    not for Daisy''s excuse.


    "Nothing''s impossible. Why can''t we be careful?" Daisy knew she couldn''t beat him in a war of words.


    But she was still trying to persuade him.


    "But why do I feel that you''re trying to be careful around me? Huh?" Edward narrowed his eyes and


    gazed at Daisy''s cool face. It was undeniable that Daisy''s reason sounded reasonable. But he was not


    going to buy it.


    "What are you trying to say? Why do I need to be careful around you? So you really don''t know what


    kind of peerson you are?"


    Daisy pursed her lips. She was still trying to push him away.


    "Hah! So, what am I like in your eyes? Colonel Daisy?" Edward said andughed loudly. It seemed that


    he was very happy now.


    "As far as I can tell, you''re just so so." Daisy replied with a look of disgust. But when she looked into his


    charming eyes, her heart beat faster.


    "Oh? Are you sure?" Edward narrowed his eyes and gazed at the prey in his arms with a dangerous


    look. The smile that had melted many a woman''s hearts spread across his face.


    "I..." Daisy mumbled. She didn''t expect this would turn Edward on. He felt hot all over.


    "What, can''t find any excuses now? Well then..." Edward murmured this word by word in her ear. The


    gentle and warm breath set Daisy into spasms of desire.


    "Um... I''m not well today." Daisy bit her lip and looked away. She didn''t dare meet his gaze. She was


    not a good liar, and eye contact would expose her.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "Good excuse. But do I believe you?" Edward said with a flirtatious smile. Daisy had gone all out on


    that one. It really surprised him.


    "And will you... believe it?" Daisy thought that she was about to go crazy. Their acts were so intimate


    now. But they''re talking about such a boring topic at this moment. Amazing how that still set both their


    passions alight.


    "You will know right now." He took her right there. She was startled, but also bemoaned his chauvinism.


    Now Daisy waspletely lost in the sensual vibe. Shey on the desk and enjoyed this amorous


    love. Edward shed his cunning smile again. He didn''t expect that his dream woulde true so


    soon. Having sex with her in the study was new and exciting. And he''d have to do it again.


    Daisy was not as energetic as he expected. She tired quickly. But Edward didn''t mind. He was her


    husband. Edward shook his head and sighed. He helped her get dressed and into the bedroom.


    If Daisy knew what was on his mind now, she would give him a good swift kick. Then he''d know her


    strength, and wouldn''tin about how weak she was. He should feel guilty. It was all his fault.


    But on Edward''s side, he thought he was very gentle to Daisy. He loved her and cared about her, so he


    could take what she dished out. He took her to the shower, and they fell asleep together.


    The night was beautiful -- stars dotted in the ck sky. Their tender love under the night moved heaven


    and earth. May all lovers be together and have a happy ending.


    What Daisy wanted most was to stay with the man she loved. This was all she had hoped for, she must


    grab it, and hold on for dear life.

 Chapter 158 Why Me Again

    Chapter 158 Why Me Again


    At FX International Group


    "You tricked me yesterday. Annie has never contacted C Financial Group," Rain glumly said to Edward.


    He was sitting on the sofa sluggishly.


    "Rx, nothing happened." Edward raised his head to nce at him. He then continued with his work.


    "Are you sure? Did Luke check everything?" Rain got thrilled to hear that.


    "Yes. Everything was clear yesterday." Edward frowned, looking at an application for financial


    assistance sent by an army group. They were asking a lot, but the amount was just a tip of the iceberg


    for him.


    "Unbelievable! Why didn''t you tell me about it til now? I thought about it all night yesterday. Look at the


    dark circles around my eyes!" Rain jumped off the sofa and stood close to Edward to show him his


    ck eyes.


    "You didn''t ask. I assumed you wasn''t interested." Edward looked at Rain and found that he seemed


    just a little tired.


    "That''s because I was too busy entertaining the people from C Financial Group. I didn''t have the time


    to call you and ask. Also, I was afraid to hear bad news." His voice went low with thest sentence. No


    news was still good news. So he had been avoiding any news concerning her.


    Edwardughed. He knew very well that Rain didn''t tend on the guests. He was too scared. With


    Annie''s incident, Edward got to know who Rain really was.


    "What''s your opinion on this matter?" Edward passed him the file and waited for his reply.


    "This is a sponsorship n from some army group. How are we connected to them? Did thise via


    Daisy?" Rain was confused. They had never done any business with the army. Edward used to


    immediately throw away such files. Why was he interested suddenly?"


    "Daisy didn''t give me this. I''m just interested." Edward sneered. He remembered the conversation he


    had overheard a few days back. ''They think Daisy has a weak background? Let me make her


    background stronger. Nobody can treat my wife in such a highhanded manner!''


    "That''s a lot of money. Besides, I don''t see how this benefits us." Rain started to carefully analyze the


    file. 500 million dors was a meager amount for theirpany, but they were businessmen, they


    didn''t get involved in an unprofitable business.


    "You''re right. It is unprofitable to us, but it may benefit Daisy." Edward leaned against the back of his


    chair in disapproval. Since those people were keen on connections, he couldn''t miss this opportunity.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Daisy? I don''t understand." He wondered how Daisy was involved in this since she didn''t send the file.


    "You don''t need to understand. What do you think of the n?" Edward tapped on the table, looking


    positive.


    "In terms of sponsorship, I don''t think we should waste money on an unprofitable business, but if it is


    good for Daisy, it is fine with me." Rain tossed the file back on the table and squinted at Edward with


    crossed arms.


    "OK, then you are in charge of the negotiations. I will take over afterward." Edward grinned. He was


    going to keep Rain busy so that he didn''t get the time toin again.


    "Why me again? I already have a lot of files piling up on my table." Rain rolled his eyes, thinking, ''What


    a typical businessman! He can''t live one second without thinking of ways to exploit me!''


    "Because you showed up here early in the morning toin and I had to listen to you, in spite of


    being busy." Edward gracefully sipped a mouthful of coffee and looked at him provocatively.


    "Boss, you can''t bully me like this. I have been working long hours for so long that my skin is getting


    worse." Rain was distressed. He resentfully looked at Edward who was smirking. Rain wanted to punch


    him in the face.


    "You''re a man. Since when do you care about preserving your skin? Are you turning into a


    transsexual?" Edward couldn''t stand him paying so much attention to his appearance. Rain was a


    handsome man, yet he was incessantly worried about his looks. No wonder Justin and the others


    called him a sissy.


    "You care about your skin too. Why else do you hate being in the sun?" Rain felt cheated. ''Why do I


    have to be exposed to the bad weather while he gets to stay in hisfortable air-conditioned office?


    Moreover, I have to endure his torment too. He''s really a ruthless bully.''


    "I don''t hate being in the sun. I just can''t bear the heat. OK?" Edward threw him a re. His schedule


    was already full in this month. He didn''t have the time for meaningless discussions.


    "Huh, what''s the difference? You are a hypocrite. You think you are some kind of a prince." Rain shook


    his head. He looked at Edward disdainfully and wondered how his skin was smoother and softer than


    women.


    "No difference? How about me also assigning you to the scandal of the entertainmentpany? It''s no


    different from the case you just took over. You are dealing with problems anyway." Edward had been


    stressed by the entertainmentpany. He wanted to assign it to Rain.


    "No. These are two different cases. You''re busy but I also have a lot of work. I need to go." s! That


    was scary. With the reporters and theints of the female stars, the gossip would be exhausting.


    He was smart enough to perceive it and run away from it.

 Chapter 159 Whats The Catch

    Chapter 159 What''s The Catch


    Edward burst intoughter to see Rain bolt from his office. ''Was that necessary? All he need to do is


    call a press conference, and ask representatives of the entertainmentpany to make a statement.


    All I asked was to find out the facts, but he just bolted like that.''


    Edward noticed the file on the table again. His brows knitted more tightly. Rain had left it there.


    "Anna, can youe in, please." Edward had to ask the secretary to handle it.


    "Yes, Mr. Edward." Anna knocked on the door beforeing in and waited for his instructions


    respectfully.


    "Take this to Mr. Rain and tell him to work on it as soon as possible." Edward handed her the file. It had


    to be done fast because the war game was just a few days away. Themander had mentioned this


    was Daisy''s best opportunity, so she couldn''t afford to miss it. He didn''t know that she had lost many


    such opportunities before, but now that he knew, he wouldn''t let it happen again.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Mr. Edward. The CEO of Ouyang Foreign Trade called to invite you to dinner. What should I convey in


    reply?" Anna thought, ''Mary and Mrs. Mu are sisters, which means the CEO of Ouyang Foreign Trade


    is Mr. Edward''s father-inw. This implies that he is supposed to go.''


    "No, I won''t go. Take a rain check. I''m busy today." Edward turned down the invitation decisively, which


    was unexpected for Anna. She was curious why he had decided so.


    "OK, Mr. Edward. Consider it done. Is there anything else that you''d like me to do?" She didn''t pry into


    it and chose to mind her own business.


    "Well, that''ll be all." Edward waved his hand, gesturing that she could leave.


    Anna nodded and left.


    Edward was busy writing. He already had some ideas about the phone callst night. The one thing


    that concerned him most was what would happen when Daisy found out about it. Would she let him


    give an exnation as she had promised him instead of running away without clearing things up?


    ''Jessica, during the years we spent together, how could I not perceive that you are extremely adept at


    scheming? Wait and watch. I''ll make you give up. That''s what happens when you mess with me.''


    Edward gave a devilishugh.


    Daisy had been too busy to think about Jessica''s phone call all morning. She had to n everything for


    the war game, including the strategy, the deployment, the equipment, and the emergency measures.


    Every day she worked passionately to make improvements to the game n. That''s just who she was.


    "Excuse me, Colonel." A loud voice came from the other side of the door. Daisy stopped her work and


    said, "Come in, please." She frowned. It couldn''t be her apanying official. He wouldn''t be so polite.


    Then who could it be?


    "Colonel, the Chief of Staff wants to see you." It was Kevin''s apanying official.


    "Oh, hello Lee. Did he mention what it was about?" Daisy asked. Ordinarily, whenever Kevin needed to


    talk to her, he came to her office himself. She couldn''t help wondering what he was up to this time.


    "He didn''t say, Colonel." Lee had a totally different personality from Mark. He was dignified while Mark


    was perky and got along well with Daisy.


    "OK. You tell him I''ming over." Daisy pinched between her eyebrows. She was tired.


    "Yes, Colonel!" Lee saluted her and left.


    Daisy felt ufortable with his formal attitude. Fortunately, Mark wasn''t like him. Otherwise, she


    would have gone insane. Except for his asional recklessness, she thought Mark had done a good


    job so far.


    Daisy raised her wrist to check the time. She was surprised to find it was almost lunchtime. There was


    a lot of work to do, But she had to go to Kevin''s office first. Before she left, she arranged the files on her


    desk.


    She came from an affluent family and was quite refined.


    She knocked on Kevin''s office door lightly, and heard the sturdy voice from inside.


    "Pleasee in." Hearing the polite knock, Kevin knew it was Daisy. He stopped his work, leaned


    against the back of the chair and waited for her toe in.


    "Mr. Kevin, you wanted to see me?" Daisy had asked even before she walked in. She was anxious to


    know why she was summoned.


    "Am I only allowed to call you in when something''s up?" Kevin smiled wryly and admiringly looked at


    her beautiful face.


    "Of course not. You''re my superior. I have to follow your orders." Daisy sat in front of him and scoffed at


    him.


    "Great! Now I''m under the usation of power abuse. Any other charges? Bring it on!" Heughed


    abjectly and passed her the file he had been preparing all morning.


    "What''s this?" she asked, looking at the big file in her hands.


    "I know you haven''t set the n for the war game yet, so I did it for you. I hope it helps." He stood up


    and poured some water for her.


    "Mr. Kevin, what''s the catch?" Daisy suddenly lowered her voice and doubted.


    "What? What catch are you talking about?" Kevin didn''t mind her skepticism. If there were a catch, it


    would be that he wanted to be her only love, which seemed impossible already.

 Chapter 160 Is Someone Coming

    Chapter 160 Is Someone Coming


    "People say no one offers help without any ulterior motive. That makes your act suspicious." Daisy


    looked at Kevin with her brows raised. There was a hint of slyness in her bright eyes.


    "Really? Am I that transparent?" Kevin smiled and thought, ''Since when did I be a cunning person


    in her eyes?''


    "Aren''t you? As the chief of my rival unit, you are bribing me in this way. I wonder whether you are


    trying to mislead me or test me." Daisy knew he meant well. However, she resisted his goodwill,


    because she cared about her sense of fulfillment too much.


    "Colonel, can''t you consider this as a personal favor?" Kevin casually crossed his legs with a


    mischievous look.


    "Huh! A wise chief won''t be overly concerned about his rival unit. The concern is merely a bait. You are


    just feigning concern to realize your scheme." Daisy looked solemn as if she had proven that Kevin had


    an ulterior motive.


    "Bravo, Colonel! Your judgment is splendid." Kevin apuded her. "But as an officer, don''t you think it''s


    foolish to miss a chance to prate into the rival unit?" He continued with a smile.


    "If you keep baiting, I won''t be so cautious. But if you act like you are up to something at every step, I


    am not dumb enough to fall into your trap." Daisy sipped a mouthful of water. They seldom argued with


    each other.


    "Haha, "You''re much smarter than I thought. I had nned this for a long time but I still failed to


    mislead you. It''s a huge mistake to underestimate your enemy in strategy." Kevin was resigned to her


    retort. It seemed she was resolved to refuse his help.


    Daisy was relieved to hear his words and she gave a faint smile.


    "Thank you for your concern anyway. But I hope I can handle this on my own, no matter what the


    oue will be," Daisy said sincerely. She wasn''t as aggressive as she had been a minute ago.


    "OK. I see. It''s lunchtime. Can we have lunch together?" Kevin didn''t force his help on her. He knew


    Daisy was an independent and ambitious woman. He respected her for that and never meddled. This


    time, he had hoped to do something for her before he went back to the capital city. He had expected


    that she would turn him down, but he hadn''t anticipated it would be so brutal. Just like in rtionship,


    she didn''t give him a chance also.


    "But I still have a lot of work to do." Daisy frowned with reluctance.


    "Let''s go. Work is important, but meals are more important." Kevin ignored her hesitation and pushed


    her toward the door.


    "Miss Leena, we have arrived at the army base. Do you want me to call Mrs. Mu for you or would you


    like to call her yourself?" Luke casually asked Leena, who seemed quite excited.


    "Luke, I told you not to call me Miss Leena anymore. It sounds so indifferent. I prefer people calling me


    Leena," Leena said as she gestured to make her point clear.


    They were not close. So it was inappropriate to call her by her first name.


    Luke was even more indifferent than Duke. He didn''t give a damn about what other people said, except


    for Edward. So Leena actually didn''t expect him to do as he was told.


    Daisy''s phone rang the minute she walked into the canteen with Kevin. They hadn''t sat down yet. She


    took out her phone and said, "Hello, Daisy speaking." An unknown number. Daisy was puzzled.


    "Sis, it''s Leena. I''m at the entrance to the army base. Do Ie in myself? Or would youe and get


    me?" Leena was attracted by the two handsome soldiers guarding the gate. "Wow, how magnificent!"


    she eximed.


    "Hi, Leena. I''ll bring you in." Daisy had almost forgotten that Leena wasing to visit the base today.


    "OK. Sis, see you. Bye." Leena hung up happily. She couldn''t wait to see the mysterious army base.


    "Is someoneing?" Kevin asked. He wondered whether it was Edward. Kevin still remembered that


    Edward was quite wary of him.


    "Yes. I have to go outside. Can you please bring the food? One extra share. I''ll be right back." Daisy


    shrugged and walked towards the gate. She was worried that tonight she would have to take the files


    home again.


    Kevin looked at her back and wondered who made her leave in such a rush. He thought it must be


    Edward, as she cared so much about him only.


    "Sis, I''m here." Leena ran up to Daisy with a big smile.


    Soldiers passed by and saluted Daisy. She nodded and walked towards Leena.


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "How did youe?" Daisy wondered, seeing Leena alone at the entrance with no car.


    "Luke drove me here. He left," Leena answered and then held Daisy''s arm. Looking at Daisy''s pretty


    face, she couldn''t help but think, ''How cool sis Daisy is! Other people like Luke are just ying cool.


    Nobody can be cooler than sis!''

 Chapter 161 Perfect Man

    Chapter 161 Perfect Man


    On their way, they didn''t see many soldiers. Leena was curious about everything.


    "Sis, this base is huge. There must be many people here," Leena asked with her head tilted.


    "Yes, there are a few divisions." Daisy didn''t answer Leena''s question in detail. She thought Leena


    wouldn''t understand.


    "Well, how many soldiers are there in a division?" Leena pursued.


    "Normally, an army consists of three divisions, a division three brigades, a brigade three regiments, a


    regiment three battalions, and a battalion threepanies. But our army is special. There are four


    divisions in the army, four brigades in a division, four regiments in a brigade, four battalions in a


    regiment, and fourpanies in a battalion. Therefore, there are 16 brigades, 64 regiments, 256


    battalions, and 1024panies all together in the army. Daisy didn''t understand why Leena was


    interested in the number of people.


    "Wow, that''s a lot of people! Howe we have only seen a few of them?" Leena stuck out her tongue


    and asked again.


    "Because it''s lunchtime. Most soldiers are having lunch in the canteen." Daisy walked quickly. Leena


    had to jog to catch up.


    "Sis, do you also eat in the canteen?" Picturing tens of thousands of people eating together, Leena got


    excited again. ''What a scene it will be!''


    "Yes. We''re on the way to the canteen. My apanying official will show you around after lunch. I''m


    sorry that I don''t have time to apany you." Daisy turned to see her reaction.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "That''s OK. As long as I''m not alone its fine. Actually, I can look around by myself. But I think you won''t


    let me. I''m also afraid that I might wander into some prohibited zone." Leena didn''t care who was with


    her. She was longing to enter the canteen to meet some handsome soldiers. ''There will be so many of


    them! How thrilling!''


    Daisy stroked Leena''s hair. She had been used to quietness. On the contrary, Leena was lively. She


    had no problem with Daisy''s distance and clung to her like glue. Her lonely heart felt warm.


    The noisy canteen surprised Leena. The soldiers were attracted by her sweetness and beauty,


    including Kevin.


    It was the same girl who had had a one-night stand with him. Kevin recognized Leena immediately.


    ''Why is she with Daisy? How did they know each other?''


    Leena didn''t know about Kevin''s state of shock. She nced around until she was brought near Kevin.


    "Is everything ready?" Daisy asked. She never cared about the attention the soldiers paid to her. She


    pulled Leena over and sat opposite Kevin.


    "Colonel, who''s this?" Kevin asked Daisy hesitantly, but his eyes remained on Leena, who was still


    looking around. He wondered when she would recognize him.


    "Well, this is Leena, a close friend of mine." Daisy pulled Leena''s dress to prompt her to turn around.


    Finally, Leena saw him. Her eyes went wide open. Kevin thought Leena had recognized him.


    "Wow, Sis, he is a really handsome man. Look at the attractive face and the athletic build. A perfect


    man!" Leena eximed. Kevin almost fainted to hear that. She didn''t recognize him at all. She was just


    smitten with his appearance. She had only a vague impression of the man that night. How could she


    recognize him?


    "Leena, be nice. This is Kevin, Chief of Staff. You can call him Mr. Kevin." Daisy was embarrassed by


    Leena. ''How could she talk like that? All the soldiers are watching us because of her.''


    "Hello, handsome! I''m Leena. Your name sounds familiar. Do I know you?" She failed to notice that she


    had made a scene. She started hitting on Kevin. But she felt she had heard the name somewhere.


    Kevin wasn''t sure how to react. He kept gazing at the woman who was smiling at him.


    "Does it? Where did you hear it?" Kevinughed. Since she had forgotten all about that night, why


    should he care?


    "Um, I think I have heard it before, but I don''t remember where." Leena tried to recall. The longer she


    thought about it, the more familiar it seemed. ''How can I not remember such a handsome young


    officer?''


    "Do you need a hint?" Kevin asked, looking at her mischievously. ''We spoke on the phone. Has she


    forgotten that too?''


    "Have you two met?" Daisy looked at them perplexedly. ''That seems impossible. Leena was abroad for


    years. She has juste back. And Kevin has been in S City for the past few years only. They can''t


    possibly know each other.''


    "Yes."


    "No."


    They gave two different answers at the same time. Daisy was confused.


    Leena raised her head to look at Kevin. ''Have we met? Howe I can''t recall this? I have an


    excellent memory. I wouldn''t have forgotten such a handsome man unless I was too drunk to


    remember.''

 Chapter 162 I Can Show Her Around

    Chapter 162 I Can Show Her Around


    "Ugh." ''That drunken night, and Kevin Gu...'' Suddenly Leena''s eyes were wide open as she recognized


    Kevin.


    "You... You... You are the..." Leena was going insane. She couldn''t believe what she was seeing. The


    coincidence was absurd. ''He can''t be. It''s just the same name. That''s all.'' Leena keptforting


    herself. Her initial joy of visiting the base for the first time vanished abruptly.


    "Yeah, that was me indeed." Kevin saw the way she reacted. He knew that she recognized him. He


    smiled at her adorable expression.


    "Haha! So, we meet again!" Leena got to know what it meant to shoot one''s own foot. She felt she was


    doing that right now. She didn''t want to stay confined in the house and so she nned to visit the


    military base. Now her curiosity got her into big trouble.


    "Oh, you two know each other!" Daisy Ouyang listened to their quick exchange and got the idea. The


    world was full of surprises. One could run into all kinds of unexpected encounters.


    "Haha! We met just once. We don''t know each other very well. Sister Daisy, the food here is quite


    good!" Leena tried to change the subject. She wanted to distract Daisy.


    "Yes! It''s not bad. You can have more if you''d like." Daisy knew that Leena was purposely steering her


    away from the subject. But since Leena was reluctant, Daisy didn''t push her. After all, everyone was


    entitled to their privacy.


    Kevin smiled coldly. It was true that they met just once, but they were not total strangers. Why would


    she lie like that? They had already done the most intimate act reserved for husband and wife. And she


    was saying they didn''t know each other well.


    Leena waspletely focused on her food, but Kevin''s eyes asionally met hers. She was terrified.


    Leena regretted that she got involved with a major general. And it wasn''t just a brief encounter but a


    night of passionate sex. She didn''t even know who he was. Leena felt sad at her own misfortune. The


    more she thought about it, the more exasperated she got. Why did this happen to her?


    "Leena, you should slow down! Nobody''s fighting you for the food. And don''t just eat the rice. Try the


    other dishes as well!" Daisy furrowed her eyebrows, not sure what had happened to Leena that made


    her act like that.


    "Cough." Before Daisy could finish her words, Leena was violently choking. Her face turned red, and


    she was patting her chest.


    "Here, have some water." Kevin quickly reacted, handing Leena a ss of water. He seemed


    concerned.


    "Ah! Thanks!" Leena immediately drank the water and it helped her settle down. But as soon as she


    saw the ss in her hands, she put it down on the table anxiously. Kevin had been drinking from that


    ss as well! He just handed it to her, and she drank from it without realizing it. She felt as if they were


    kissing indirectly.


    Kevin didn''t think much about it, since no one made such distinctions in the army, especially during


    outdoor drills. People shared the same water bottles. That was why he passed his water to Leena


    without any apprehension.


    "How do you feel? Are you OK?" Daisy didn''t find anything wrong with what Kevin did. She patted


    Leena''s back all the while wondering where Mark had disappeared. The kid probably went chatting with


    the others again.


    "I''m fine. I just choked a bit." Leena turned to Daisy and smiled, but inside she couldn''t be more


    distraught.


    "Hm! I''m d you''re OK. I''ll call Mark and have him show you around. We can go back together when I


    get off work." Daisy said as she took out her phone. She wondered where Mark had gone for gossiping.


    "No need to call Mark. I can show her around." Kevin slowly drank some water from the same ss


    that Leena had just used. He was watching the ablush Leena. He wanted to have a private


    conversation with her.


    "Are you free?" Daisy looked at Kevin curiously. Howe she was swamped with work but he had so


    much free time?


    "Nothing I can''t manage, I can handle workter tonight." Kevin smiled while looking at Daisy gently.


    "Please don''t. Daisy, you can ask Mark to apany me. Chief of staff Gu must be quite upied. I


    don''t want to trouble him." Leena tried to decline the offer. The idea of being alone with Kevin terrified


    her. There was no way she''d stay with him!


    "I see no trouble in chaperoning such a beautifuldy. It would be my utmost honor." Kevin was not


    letting her go. He lifted his eyebrows and stared at Leena casually.


    "Leena, what do you say? Since Chief of Staff Gu is avable, you two should get to know each other.


    I''ll get to my work." Although Daisy was not aware of the history between Leena and Kevin, she felt it


    would be safer to have Kevin take care of Leena instead of Mark.


    "Go on! I promise I''ll return her safe and sound when you get off work." Kevin didn''t let Leena interrupt.


    He tantly rushed Daisy away.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Then I''m taking you up on the offer. Please take care of Leena for me. As gratitude, I''ll buy you dinner


    sometime." Daisy stood up as she spoke. She approached Leena and touched her head, looking ever


    so lovingly at the girl. It was quite different from her usual aloofness.


    "Leena, please go with the Chief of Staff Gu and take a tour! Rx, he''s very nice. And he''s still


    single!" Daisy whispered in Leena''s ear, giving her a sly look.


    "Um... Sis Daisy... What are you talking about?" Upon hearing Daisy''s words, Leena''s face turned red.


    She nced at Kevin in embarrassment, worrying that he might have heard Daisy.


    Kevin observed the exchange between the two women in bewilderment. He was curious why Leena


    suddenly blushed and looked at him so strangely.


    Daisy checked out Leena and Kevin once again, feeling that there must be some kind of secret


    between the two, yet she couldn''t figure out what it was exactly. She was baffled, but since she had


    work, she couldn''t get to the bottom of it. Therefore, Daisy decided to leave this matter for now.


    "OK, I must go now. You guys have a nice time. Chief of Staff Gu, please take good care of our little


    sweetheart!" Daisy yfully winked at them and left the canteen, leaving the surprised duo looking at


    each other in silence. They were both stunned by Daisy''s unusual demeanor. Her behavior was


    uncanny. What happened? Wasn''t she known for being cold and indifferent? When did she be so


    yful?

 Chapter 163 Would You Marry Me

    Chapter 163 Would You Marry Me


    "What do you prefer to be called? Miss Leng? Leena Leng, or Leena?" Kevin teased Leena. They were


    both drunk the other night. They didn''t even bother getting to know each other before jumping into bed.


    If he hadn''t left that note the next morning, Leena would probably never know who she slept with!


    "Chief of Staff Gu, Leena Leng is fine." Leena answered reluctantly, curling her lips. ''Miss? Miss your


    ass! I just had sex with you once, and somehow I''m a "Miss" to you?''


    "Chief of Staff Gu? So formal! That''s kind of a strange way to get acquainted. Leena... Don''t tell me you


    forgot that night already." Kevin deliberately drew each word out, teasing her. Heughed wickedly. His


    overly intimate address made Leena''s skin crawl.


    She couldn''t believe it! He was another one of those crooked men! Who said that military people were


    all serious and stern. Then how could they exin this mischievous, improper man before her? He


    wore the most solemn uniform in the world while saying the most shameless words.


    "Um... So... I had a little extra booze the other night. That''s why... That''s why I behaved so awfully.


    Besides, you wasn''t in your military uniform. How could I know that I got involved with a major general?


    You can''t hold that against me." Leena remembered that it was she who seduced him that night, and


    really wanted to cry... Why did he want her to discuss that here, with so many people around?


    "Let''s go for a walk! Come on! Let''s go!" Kevin tried to hold back hisughter, thoroughly amused by


    the girl. ''And I thought women had an advantage when it came to sex.'' And it was her first time, so how


    did she get it backwards? Why was she afraid that he was going to hold it against her? Kevin didn''t


    know whether she was innocent or simply naive.


    "Go... Go where?" Leena looked at him defensively, filled with suspicion.


    "What? I thought you wanted to look around the base. You can''t see anything in this canteen." Kevin


    raised his eyebrows and found her apprehension funny. She acted as if he were going to gobble her


    up.


    Leena pped her forehead in frustration. What was she thinking? Could it be that she was the one


    who''s shameless, rather than Kevin? Why would he take her somewhere unsafe? Why was that the


    first thing that crossed her mind?


    Kevin smiled knowingly and didn''t say much else. He picked up his cap and walked out, and Leena


    cringed at his attitude. Again!


    The two walked in a line on the shaded walkway. As they passed, soldiers would salute or say hi to


    Kevin. Everyone looked at them curiously. They wanted to know the nature of the pair''s rtionship.


    Leena had no interest at all in seeing the military base. All she could think about was how to make


    Kevin shut up about the other night. She was so lost in thought that she didn''t realize Kevin had


    stopped walking, and bumped right into him.


    "Is this how you walk? Looking down but not ahead?" Kevin didn''t know what to say. So he was a little


    lost in thought as well, which was why he stopped. But he didn''t expect that Leena would bump into


    him like that.


    "Who asked you to stop all of a sudden?" Leena touched her sore nose, looking ever so innocent. ''This


    guy has a temper!'' Silently, Leena made a note of another one of Kevin''s misgivings.


    "You hurt yourself, huh!" Kevin knew how tough his body was. He hit the gym a lot. His muscles were


    very firm, so it was no wonder it hurt Leena''s delicate nose.


    "It''s alright. I can take it." Although she brushed him off, deep down Leena couldn''t stopining.


    ''Damn it! Why do you have to train your muscles so hard? Use them as rocks? My nose was almost


    shattered.''


    Kevin saw through her right away, but he didn''t want to call her out. Instead, he asked another


    question:


    "Have you thought about it? Can I have my answer now?" Since he would soon return to the city,


    Kevin''s heart was slowly tormented by his pain. He imagined that once he had gone, that woman would


    be out of his reach forever!


    "What answer? Thought about what?" Leena looked at him in utter confusion. She didn''t try to scheme


    against him like she usually did with other people. Perhaps everyone had his or her own nemesis!


    Kevin was her weak spot. Facing him, she would constantly lose it. She couldn''t keep her head around


    him.


    Kevin was a bit upset. So Leena forgot all about it! If they hadn''t identally met, then she would


    probably have forgotten he ever existed!


    "The answer to ''would you marry me.'' I will take responsibility for that night." Just thinking about going


    on blind dates with strangers made Kevin''s head hurt. Being with any other woman other than Daisy


    was a chore. So why couldn''t it be Leena?


    "Chief of Staff Gu, um... You''re not serious, are you?" Leena asked. ''This can''t be real. He''s pretty easy


    on the eyes, and he''s got a great career in the military...but I don''t want to throw my youth away just for


    him.'' Besides, they just had a one night stand. There was nothing between them. Did he want that kind


    of shoddy marriage?


    "I would never joke about this. I need a wife now, and you lost your virginity to me, I''m willing to be


    responsible for you."


    Kevin said contemtively. A hint of pain appeared behind his eyes. Although he couldn''t promise that


    he could let Daisy go, he would make sure that he''d never hurt another woman. Once he got married,


    he would shove his love for Daisy aside. It wouldn''t be a disavowal of love, but he simply couldn''t afford


    to love her any more. As a soldier, he had to take responsibility for his actions.


    Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Well... You really don''t have to be responsible for me. Remember who flirted first. It''s not your fault."


    As Leena spoke, she blushed a little. She kept going over it in her mind, but still couldn''t believe how


    bold she was that night. Why did she actively flirt with him?

 Chapter 164 Is There A Happy Ending For A Loveless Marriage

    Chapter 164 Is There A Happy Ending For A Loveless Marriage


    "You don''t have to answer now. Take time to think about it. But don''t make me wait too long. Your reply


    will decide whether I stay or leave."


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    Kevin said. His voice sounded serious. He wasn''t joking. He might have even let it go if they hadn''t met


    today. Maybe it was fate that arranged this meeting.


    "I don''t understand. Why is my reply the deciding factor?" Leena tilted her head and stared at him. She


    was confused. They barely knew each other. It was too early to talk about stuff like this.


    They slept together once, but it was just drunken sex. He was aplete stranger to her before today.


    It was a little weird for her to hear his sudden but serious proposal.


    "It doesn''t matter. Do you want to marry me? That''s all you need to worry about." Kevin''s eyes watched


    hers. He didn''t know a lot about this girl. Maybe this was a bad decision.


    She wore designer clothes and essories -- obviously she was from a wealthy family. His father


    would be happy about that. But she was very young. Could such a young girl endure the dull life of a


    soldier''s wife? To be honest, he wasn''t sure.


    "Why should I consider it? Do you really think there is a happy ending for a loveless marriage?" Leena


    said and wrinkled her little nose. Although joking andughing all the time, she was very serious when


    it came to the important stuff.


    "Look, give it some thought, okay? This matters a lot to me. Is there a happy ending for us? We can


    always figure that out after we spend enough time together, right?" Kevin had ulterior motives for this,


    though. If he and Leena got married, he''d have a good reason to stay in the city. His father would have


    to abandon his n of recalling Kevin back to the capital city. And the capital city was far away from


    Daisy.


    "OK. I''ll think about it. By the way, what do I get out of this?" Leena joked deliberately, trying to break


    the tense atmosphere.


    "What do you get? A lot. You get freedom. No one watching you like a hawk every second, no one


    making sure you behave yourself, no one forcing you to do something you don''t want to. And I promise


    I will never divorce you." Kevin said with a smile. His smile was sad, heartbreaking but beautiful, which


    intrigued Leena greatly.


    "Really? No one telling me what I can or can''t do anymore?" Leena was tempted by the idea. Freedom


    was highly important to a fashion designer. She needed enough time and space for her work and loads


    of well-known fashion shows. He made the idea of marrying him sound really attractive. She would


    have total control of her time.


    "Yes. But you''ll be lonely. I''m always busy and won''t have much time for you. I might be away for


    months at a time, for military exercises or missions. Is that cool with you?"


    Kevin didn''t try to hide this from her. It would be better for her to get a clear picture of her future before


    she made the choice.


    "Wow! Really? I get that much freedom? OK, Kevin. When I get back home I will think it over." Leena''s


    eyes sparkled wickedly. She could herself a handsome hubby, and shrug off the watchful eyes of


    Mr. Cold. It sounded like a good deal to her. What''s more, she always put soldiers on a pedestal. If she


    married Kevin, she would be an honorable army wife.


    "Well, remember what we talked about. I''ll be waiting for your answer. And I really hope it''s what I


    expect." Kevin was relieved. He was hoping she''d say yes. It was her first time after all, and as a


    soldier he felt responsible. It takes two to tango. What''s done was done, he would face it head-on.


    "That''s a lot of pressure. But I''ll give you a good answer." Typical Leena. She always had her head in


    the clouds and lived in a fool''s paradise. So she easily fell for the dreamy picture of married life Kevin


    painted.


    "Well, tell me, when will I know? Tomorrow?" Kevin liked to strike while the iron was hot. If she thought


    it over too long she might back out. He wasn''t going to leave things to a girlish whim.


    "Well¡­ What''s the rush? Tomorrow? Isn''t that too fast?" Leenaughed drily. Was she really going to


    marry him in secret? Mr. Cold would have her skinned alive when he found out.


    "Isn''t one night long enough for you? Or do you want to let me know right now?" Like all other


    outstanding men, Kevin could be strong-willed and aggressive sometimes.


    "Er¡­ How about the day after tomorrow?" The man had a talent for maniption, Leena realized. He


    was even more cunning than her. She only just agreed to consider it, and then he set a deadline


    without her consent.


    "OK, the day after tomorrow. But when I get your answer, we marry at City Hall. Agreed?" Kevin asked,


    smiling wickedly. He was good at the cat and mouse game. Anyway, they would get married in the end.


    Leena was instantly petrified at how things had developed so far. This man was a fox! And she had


    been outfoxed by a fox. In such a short time! One moment she said she would think about it, the next


    moment he was going to register their marriage. Seriously?


    "So, have you decided? What''s it gonna be?" Kevin looked down at her face with azy smile.


    "Is it ok if I choose theter date?" Leena was just stalling for time. At worst if she backed out, he


    couldn''t bother her at home, right?


    "All right, I''ll be waiting at City Hall that day. Remember to bring all necessary documents with you and


    If you don''t show up, there is no second chance." Kevin deliberately tried to appear decisive and


    ruthless, cutting off her retreat. He was afraid Leena would get cold feet at thest minute. He would


    get what he wanted.

 Chapter 165 What Is Love

    Chapter 165 What Is Love


    Leena looked up in surprise, trapped in his words. No second chance? She nned to stall for time,


    but maybe she should re-think it.


    The afternoon sunshine streamed in through fluttering leaves and touched Kevin''s face. He looked


    even more dazzling in the radiant sunlight. He leaned back against the tree in silence, his cold eyes


    fastened on Leena''s tightly furrowed little face. He waited for her final answer.


    "OK. If I don''t show up that day, that means my answer is no. But If I do show up, we can be married,


    and I get all the freedom you promised." Leena wasn''t like other girls, who wanted a blissful married


    life. Instead what she wanted was what most people wouldn''t care about or even disdained: freedom.


    "You have my word on that." Kevin had no idea if she woulde or not, but he granted her request


    without hesitation.


    These two clinched a deal about their marriage in such a short time. Daisy would never have guessed


    it but when she saw them after work, she could sense there was something odd between them.


    "What happened between you two?" Daisy asked as soon as they got into the car. She wasn''t the


    gossiping type and just asked this out of concern. The looks on their faces were too weird.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Oh¡­ nothing. Sis, whose car is this?" Leena tried to change the subject. She didn''t mean to hide


    anything. She just didn''t know how to exin this. And if sis knew it, Edward was going to find out.


    Soon after that Mr. Cold would get wind of this and then she would be so busted.


    "My car. What''s wrong?" Daisy had her car sent here by her driver this morning. It was inappropriate for


    a soldier to drive a luxury car to the army base. There would be lots of gossip about this over time.


    "Nothing. Edward''s cars are usually world famed. This car took me by surprise, that''s all." Leena said.


    She didn''t know too much about Daisy''s past.


    "Why? Don''t you think this car suits me better?" Daisy said, mocking herself. She''d had a taste of the


    full extent of Edward''s luxury life. His garage was filled with fancy cars but none of them suited her.


    "Um! Sis, you are so discreet. Why don''t you use a military vehicle?" Leena said with a puzzled look.


    Shouldn''t the army provide a car to a Colonel?


    "Army vehicles are for work. I use my own car when I''m off." Daisy was good at being discreet and not


    attracting attention. She''d lived quietly for years.


    "I adore you, Sis!" eximed Leena. It was a novel experience for Leena to meet someone so modest.


    She''d been hanging with people in high society. Most of these socialites were aboutparing and


    bragging their belongs. Naturally Daisy''s humility instantly impressed her.


    Daisy just smiled at Leena''s enthusiasm. Her position decided that she couldn''t do whatever she


    wanted. Risk came with the position. Everyone was climbing in rank, using others as stepping stones.


    She knew clearly about the risk and was clever enough to avoid it.


    The car glided smoothly forward. Leena went quiet again, and silence fell. Both of them had things to


    think about. The river of time rushed forward insistently, throwing them into the stream of the city''s


    heavy traffic.


    Leena was thinking about Kevin''s proposal. As a fashion designer who always stayed on the top of


    latest trends, Leena was supposed to be open-minded and outgoing, but deep down she had some


    conservative views. She had dreamed her first time would be with her husband. This marriage would fix


    that. Then she wouldn''t feel so guilty.


    Leena smoothed down her silky hair. A touch of sadness covered her lovely face. It seemed that the


    best option was marring Kevin. He wasn''t a bad man, all things considered, even if you took the


    freedom aspect out of it. If everything went right, she would probably ept his proposal.


    Daisy had been busy and hadn''t had much time to think. Now that she had a moment to herself, these


    thoughts rushed into her mind and clung to her like a shadow.


    What is love? It is a feeling. She had spent the best years of her life loving Edward. Of course there


    were moments she felt disoriented and wanted to walk away, but in the end the craving from the


    deepest corner of her heart got the best of her.


    Every time she watched him wandering among all kinds of lovely women, throwing them his captivating


    smile, hugging them passionately, her heart was torn apart and her pride was stripped from heryer


    byyer.


    He was her husband, but she had never received a tender look from him, let alone a fond embrace.


    She tried to ignore the reports on his yboy lifestyle, even denying she loved him. But she cast her


    resolution to the winds when she saw Justin, who resembled his father so much.


    Finally, she was by his side and caught his attention. She thought everything would be different. But


    she forgot about Jessica, a woman so stunning even Daisy couldn''t take her eyes off her. Jessica


    stayed by his side for years. Did Daisy even stand a chance?


    She pretended to know nothing, hoping he would tell her about Jessica of his own ord. She


    overestimated her ce in Edward''s heart. She panicked, and it came out during their lovey. She


    kissed him hopelessly like it was the only way to prove he was hers, indulging her every desire for him,


    making love all night as if only death could tear them apart.

 Chapter 166 Cruel Edward

    Chapter 166 Cruel Edward


    Edward left his office as soon as he finished his work. But as he walked out of the building, he saw the


    last person he wanted to meet in the world.


    "What are you doing here?" he asked in an icy voice. Edward fixed the woman in his cold gaze.


    "Edward, can we talk?" Jessica called out Edward''s name, tears welling up in her eyes. She had called


    him so many times, but he didn''t answer any of her calls. She tried to find him in his office, but instead,


    she was stopped by the receptionist. But she needed to see him, so she waited for him in the lobby.


    "There''s nothing we need to talk about." Staring indifferently at her, Edward was getting impatient. He


    hated it when women badgered him like this.


    "Edward, please. Just give me another chance." Jessica lowered her voice. She felt embarrassed as


    people passed by and cast inquisitive nces.


    "Another chance? Jessica, we''ve known each other for a long time. And you know that I never give


    chances to those I don''t need anymore." Edward replied calmly. His words were like daggers that


    stabbed into Jessica''s heart. Her face turned pale from embarrassment and shame.


    "But I''m not just any woman! I''m the mother of your child!" Jessica froze for a while, and argued as


    soon as she found her voice again. She couldn''t lose him, not while she had this kind of leverage.


    "Are you kidding me? Jessica, you are way too full of yourself. The mother of my child is Daisy, not


    you." Edwardughed out loud and then leaned forward to whisper in Jessica''s ear. There was a


    devilish look on his handsome face, mockery emanating from his cold eyes.


    "Why? Why did you do this to me? What about our rtionship? Were all those years just a lie?"


    Jessica staggered backward in disbelief. Stunned, she couldn''t believe her ears.


    "Rtionship? I promised you nothing, and I never forced you to stay. I tolerated you for this long


    because you fell in line and behaved yourself. But now..."


    How dare she talk about a rtionship with him? Women always chased after him, it didn''t mean they


    were in any kind of rtionship. He didn''t care about any of them, except for one. Thinking of that


    special one, Edward''s face softened.


    "Edward, I''m not asking for myself. I''m asking for the baby. It''s also yours." Jessica was getting


    desperate. She had never thought he could be so cold-blooded. She spent years by his side, and it


    was all for nothing. He didn''t love her, he didn''t even like her. The happiness that she thought she had


    seemed like her own wishful thinking.


    "Jessica, how many times do I have to tell you? The child inside you has nothing to do with me. Find


    the real father. I won''t be responsible for what I didn''t do." Edward nced at her again indifferently,


    and the sorrow on her face was nothing to him. He then walked directly towards his car.


    Seeing that Edward was about to leave, Jessica screamed at him, "Edward, is she really that good?


    Don''t you forget it! It was me who stood by your side for all these years! Not her!"


    Edward stopped for a short while, but he didn''t turn around. He got into his car and drove away.


    Jessica stared nkly as Edward left. She couldn''t hold it back anymore. Gritting her teeth in fury, she


    clenched her fists, her long nails pressed into her palms. She murmured, "Edward, you are so cruel.


    That woman has neither money nor status, how could shepete with me? Yet you chose her over


    me? You''re gonna regret it."


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    "Well, well! Miss Jessica, right? You don''t look well. Did you just get dumped?" Mary stopped in front of


    Jessica, and smiled gloatingly. She just dropped by earlier, and she was so lucky to witness such a


    dramatic scene.


    "Mary, what are you doing here? How dare you talk to me like that, country girl? You only hobnob with


    celebs because of your stepfather!" Jessica looked at Mary. The sorrow on her face immediately


    vanished. The upper ssmunity was smaller than it looked, and everyone knew each others''


    secrets. They had to know when to weaponize those secrets to get an advantage.


    "What are you talking about, Jessica? Who''s the country girl? Go on, say that again!" Mary red at


    Jessica in fury. She couldn''t stand it when people said that she was a stepdaughter of the Ouyang n.


    Jessica pointed it out deliberately. How could she not be angry?


    "What? Did you forget where youe from?" Jessica sneered. No matter how hard Mary tried to act


    like a well-borndy, she was, after all, a vulgar ordinary girl. And people could easily see through her.


    "Jessica, you canugh, for all I care! I thought I could give you some tips, but you don''t seem to need


    my help. Good luck with single motherhood!" Mary added viciously, eyes fixed on Jessica''s belly. How


    could this woman be pregnant with Edward''s child while she didn''t even get the chance to touch him?


    "Mary, how much did you hear?" Jessica was surprised that Mary knew about her pregnancy. But then


    she remembered that she practically screamed at Edward. It wouldn''t be hard to hear her.


    "How much? What if I say I heard everything?" She didn''t want Jessica to be her enemy at this point,


    but she had done too much damage, cutting her to the quick. She gave up the idea of Jessica as an


    ally. Mary''s lips curled into a sneer. Her nning to team up with Jessica to break up Edward and


    Daisy, and im Edward as her own was in tatters.

 Chapter 167 Good Luck With That

    Chapter 167 Good Luck With That


    "So what? Big deal! What kind of information can you possibly offer me? Even if you can, I don''t care."


    Jessica was born into a noble family. It was natural that she despised Mary, for she had stepped into


    the upper ss a while ago, and she was a country girl in nature. If she had a choice, she wouldn''t


    even talk to Mary.


    "Are you sure? Then don''t beg me to tell youter!" Jessica was so arrogant that Mary badly wanted to


    tear her apart. But for the time being there was nothing she could do about Jessica. She could only


    wish that Jessica would fall into her trap.


    "Me begging you? I''m not ying. Good bye." Jessica sneered, ''Mary, you are not equipped to y


    with me! Do you think I spent all those years with Edward doing nothing? How would I stand out if I''m


    not smart? I was the only woman by his side for a reason!''


    "Jessica, it''s about the woman Edward loves. Aren''t you interested? Perhaps you have already given


    up and you don''t want to know who beat you after all!" Mary kept on provoking Jessica. She didn''t think


    that Jessica would still be indifferent after hearing what she said.


    "Whatever I want to know, I can find out on my own. I don''t need your help." Jessica didn''t even look at


    Mary as she replied dismissively.


    "Well, good luck with that! When you find nothing on your own, I hope you''d still be as arrogant as you


    are right now " Mary stroked her curly hair and smirked at Jessica. She then passed by her and left.


    Biting her lip in rage, Jessica seriously wanted to p Mary. She knew about Mary and her shabby


    behaviors. However, she didn''t do anything to her because Mary never messed with her. Now that


    Mary had dared to pick on her like this, she would definitely fight back.


    Clenching on the steering wheel, Edward seemed hesitant. Jessica''sst sentence kept repeating itself


    in his mind. He was shocked, not because of his guilt towards Jessica, but the fact that he had


    neglected Daisy for so long. He suddenly felt grateful towards Daisy for not pushing him away even


    though he didn''t care about her earlier, also for the fact that she took such good care of their son even


    though he was not there for her. On top of all, he was thankful that she gave him a second chance.


    As for Jessica, they were indeed together. But things didn''t work out and they broke up. It was as


    simple as that. But now she was back, iming she''s pregnant with his child. Edward was afraid that


    Daisy wouldn''t listen to his side of the story once she found out about this. He wanted to tell her before


    she got to know it from Jessica, but he didn''t know how to start.


    Fretfully, Edward hit the brakes and halted in front of the vi. Instead of getting out of the car, Edward


    leaned back and got immersed in his thoughts, fingers tapping unconsciously on the steering wheel. He


    wondered how to keep Daisy out of the mess.


    Feeling puzzled, Luke stood near the car. He looked at Edward''s car but didn''t say anything. He knew


    what had happened earlier. He was stunned by Jessica''s news. She said that she was pregnant and it


    was Mr. Mu''s child. How was it possible? It couldn''t be Edward''s. He didn''t believe her.


    A honk shook Edward from his thoughts. A VW POLO parked beside Edward''s car. Daisy stepped out


    of the car.


    Edward let out a soft smile as soon as he saw the woman he had been missing the whole day. He


    shook his head, opened the door, and walked towards Daisy.


    "Honey, you''re home early today!" Edward pulled Daisy into his arms and instantly kissed her rosy lips.


    Then he held her by the waist and gazed into her eyes.


    "Why don''t you go inside?" Daisy had got used to his affectionate touch. She would blush, but she


    wouldn''t push him away anymore.


    "I know, sis! Edward was waiting for you!" Jumping out of the car, Leena stared at Daisy''s red cheeks


    and snickered.


    "What are you doing here? Why aren''t you home?" Edward was speechless. Leena chatted with Daisy


    all night long every time she stayed over. If she stayed tonight, he wouldn''t get a chance to see his


    wife.


    "Haha! Edward, don''t be so scared! Rx! I won''t keep sis Daisy to myself tonight. You don''t have to


    worry about me!" Leena knew why Edward wasn''t happy to see her. She just wanted to tease him. She


    still held a grudge against Edward for not defending her in front of Mr. Cold.


    "Mommy, daddy! You''re home together!" Justin ran out of the house as soon as he saw his parents.


    Smiling broadly, he threw himself into their arms.


    "Hey! Little champ! Don''t you see me here? Why didn''t you say hello to me?" Leena picked on Justin


    again. The more Justin ignored her, the more she wanted to tease him.


    "Why aren''t you home?" He was definitely Edward''s son. He asked her the same question his father


    did. He didn''t see Leena all morning and he thought she had gone back home. Why did shee back


    again? What did she want?


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Hey! Why are you two treating me like this! You don''t like me? I was going to say that I''ll go home


    tomorrow, but I''ve changed my mind! I''ve decided to stay here for as long as I want to!" Leena grunted


    and nced at Edward and Justin, gloating. ''Don''t you dare drive me away!'' Leena thought.


    "Well! Auntie Leena, please don''t be serious! I was just joking. I didn''t see you all day. I really missed


    you." Hearing Leena''s n to extend her stay, Justin immediately changed his tone and started


    ttering her. She couldn''t stay here! It would be the living hell for him!

 Chapter 168 To Join The Party

    Chapter 168 To Join The Party


    "Haha! Really? You missed me that much?" Leena was surprised at the little boy''s smartness. He


    surely knew what to say when needed.


    "Yes, I did! Auntie Leena, you look stunning today. Haven''t you noticed that?" Justin sighed in his mind.


    He had to tter Leena for his own sake.


    "Hmm! Too little toote! I''m not buying it at all." Leena smirked and walked straight into the house.


    Shepletely ignored Justin.


    "Wait up, auntie Leena! I really mean it!" Justin immediately broke free from his parent''s embrace and


    followed Leena into the house. To save himself from bing Leena''s lifesize doll, he had to change


    her mind.


    Edward and Daisy looked at each other and burst intoughter. With a doting smile, they saw Leena


    and Justin disappear behind the front door.


    "Honey, what happened to your car?" Edward finally noticed the VW POLO parked next to his fancy


    car.


    "This is my car. What''s wrong?" Puzzled, Daisy looked at her car and turned back to Edward,


    wondering why Edward asked the same question as Leena did earlier.


    "Is that the car you usually drive around?" Edward''s lips twitched. Hepared the worth of both cars.


    He imagined how difficult her life must have been before he came by. He felt sorry for everything she


    had been through all these years. Saying nothing, Edward just pulled Daisy into his arms and held her


    as firmly as he could.


    "Edward, what on earth are you doing right now?" Daisy tried to push him away. They were standing


    outside the vi, and Daisy felt embarrassed that people could see them cuddling like this.


    "Hold still. I just want to hug you." Pressing his face against her neck, Edward closed his eyes and


    avariciously sniffed the faint scent of jasmine oozing from her body. That was truly a love potion for


    him.


    Was she busy making ends meet when he drove around in his expensive cars and had fancy


    champagne at parties? Was she taking care of their son alone when he indulged himself in nightclubs?


    And when he slept with other women, what was she doing? Did she miss him? Even for once?


    Thinking of what a jerk he had been, Edward tightened his grip. He tried to suppress the urge of crying


    out loud.


    He knew he wasn''t there for her when she needed him the most, but he decided he would make it up to


    her. He would stand by her for the rest of his life. He would make her the happiest woman in the world.


    He wouldn''t allow anyone or anything to hurt her again. He believed that they would build a bright


    future together.


    "Honey, is everything okay? Did something happen at the office?" Daisy called him ''Honey'' only when


    he seemed depressed. She wanted him to know that he wasn''t alone and she would always be there


    for him.


    "Nothing dear. Don''t worry. I''ve just missed you so much." Edward muttered while holding Daisy firmly.


    He had no intention of letting her go.


    Daisy didn''t ask any more questions. She simply wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned


    against him. She knew that something was wrong. But she wouldn''t ask if he didn''t want to talk about it.


    She promised him that she would love him and trust him over anyone. She would wait patiently till he


    was ready to share and she wouldn''t me him if he didn''t.


    "Yo! Edward, Daisy. What is going on here? You guys look so sweet and lovable." Rain casually leaned


    against the half-open door of his car and yed with the shades in his hand. Looking at Edward and


    Daisy hugging, he couldn''t help but interrupt them with a teasing smile.


    "What are you doing here?" Recognizing his voice, Edward frowned. However, he couldn''t care less


    what Rain just said as long as Daisy was in his arms. Edward didn''t even look at Rain. He gently


    tucked Daisy''s hair behind her ears and gazed at the glowing pink shade on her cheeks.


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    However, Daisy was shocked at how careless she had been. Despite being a military officer, she didn''t


    even notice when Rain approached them. She had been indulging in the happy domestic life too much


    lately, which was not good for the uing military exercise.


    "Ie to join the party. I heard that Leena is here?" Rain didn''t mind that Edward''s eyes were fixed on


    Daisy. He flung the door close and replied, his sapphire ear studs gleaming in the sunset. The studs in


    his ears and the look on his face both were too fascinating for people to look away.


    "How do you know Leena''s here?" Edward tilted his head and asked curiously. He hadn''t told anyone


    that Leena was staying in their house. How did Rain find out about that?


    "I know more than this. Just wait and watch! There are more surprises on the way." Rain waved at


    them casually and then stepped into the vi. He had no interest in watching them hug and kiss.


    Confused, Daisy looked at Edward, who slightly shook his head. He didn''t have the slightest idea about


    what Rain was up to. Suddenly a Spyker C8 stopped in their driveway abruptly. It wasn''t until then that


    they started to understand what Rain had meant. It was indeed another surprise! ''What day is it today?


    Why are these people gathering at my house?'' Edward desperately cried out in his mind.


    "Belinda! Why didn''t you tell me you''reing over?" As soon as Daisy saw Belinda and Duke get out


    of the car, she darted towards Belinda and held her hands excitedly. But then Daisy remembered the


    fact that Belinda didn''t even tell her about her wedding. She was still holding a grudge against Belinda.


    She shook off Belinda''s hands with a sullen face and walked inside without looking at her again.


    "Daisy, please wait up! I can exin everything!" Seeing the look on Daisy''s face, Belinda knew that


    Daisy was still mad at her. She knew it was her fault as she didn''t tell her best friend about her


    wedding. Belinda followed Daisy into the house.


    "What was that about?" Duke was confused. One minute they were happy to see each other, and the


    next minute they were mad?


    "Girl stuff, I guess. Speaking of which, I am truly impressed, dude! What did you do to win over


    Belinda?" Edward knew Daisy must be upset because her best friend had been keeping secrets from


    her.


    "What did I do? I''m too charming to do anything." Duke raised his eyebrows and answered arrogantly.


    He was not stupid. How could he tell others what really happened between him and Belinda? After all,


    pride mattered more than anything to men.

 Chapter 169 Call Her Mrs. Leng

    Chapter 169 Call Her Mrs. Leng


    "Bullshit. As far as I know Belinda, she wouldn''t follow you willingly. I''m assuming you have yed


    some trick on her. You should be thankful to God that Belinda didn''t kick your ass." Edward knew very


    well that Duke was the kind of man who would go to any lengths in order to reach his goals! So how did


    he y his typical tricks on Belinda?


    "Is it so obvious?" Duke didn''t deny Edward''s im, he just gave an evil smile. Edward had seen


    through him and Duke knew that sometimes it seemed fishier when people try too hard to hide


    something.


    "What do you think?" Edward smiled nomittally and walked into the house, leaving Duke behind!


    Duke stroked his hair in anxiety, he wasn''t satisfied with Edward''s halfhearted reply. He had no option


    but to follow Edward to the house.


    Leena didn''t react much when she saw Raine in. In contrast, she overreacted when she saw


    Daisye in with Belinda chasing after her. Oh my god! She thought. ''Why does Belindae here?


    Does that mean Mr. Cold is also here?''


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Belinda, what brings you here?" Asked Leena, with a look of surprise. Belinda was trying to exin


    something to Daisy.


    "I will deal with youter." Belinda red at Leena and said, which made Leena tremble with fear. She


    thought: ''Oh my God! Belinda is so aggressive!''


    "Daisy. I really wanted to tell you, but I was scared you''ll mock me, ok? And I was too embarrassed to


    tell you immediately. Don''t be angry with me, please." Belinda had no time for Leena the troublemaker.


    The first thing she needed to do was to make peace with Daisy who seemed as cold as an iceberg.


    "I am not angry with you. I am just disappointed." Daisy walked straight into the kitchen without


    stopping to hear Belinda.


    "Mrs. Mu. You are back? Dinner will be ready in a minute. And who''s this youngdy..." Mrs. Wu


    stopped her work when she saw Daisying in. She hesitated for a moment when she saw Belinda,


    not knowing how to address her.


    "Mrs. Wu, she''s Belinda, Duke''s new bride. You can call her Mrs. Leng." Belinda knew Daisy was still


    mad at her by the tone in which Daisy introduced her. That was tant vengeance!


    "Uh! Well¡­¡­ Mrs. Wu. You can call me Belinda." Belinda felt ufortable! How could Daisy treat


    her like this? Belinda thought to herself. Mrs. Leng? What had gotten into Daisy?


    Mrs. Wu looked at them in confusion. She didn''t know what was going on. The problem was she had


    no idea how to address Belinda. She knew Duke because Duke used to visit here often. But it was the


    first time she saw Belinda.


    "Mrs. Wu. Is there something in the fridge that I can cook? We have guests here. I need to serve more


    food." Daisy turned to talk to Mrs. Wu. She was looking at the dishes prepared by Mrs. Wu. She


    completely ignored Belinda''s presence.


    "Yes, there is. Mrs. Mu. You can entertain the guests! I will take care of it." Mrs. Wu looked at Daisy


    who seemed exhausted. She didn''t want her to toil in the kitchen after a long day''s work at the army


    base.


    "I''m fine. It would be better if I give you a hand. Can you please fetch the ingredients for me?" Daisy


    said while putting on the apron. She nced at Belinda with a faint smile on her lips.


    "Daisy, could you stop being mad at me? I can''t go back in time, if I could, I would get married all over


    again, and inform you right away. But if I had the power, I would not be set up by Duke again." Belinda


    begged Daisy, who seemed indifferent. With a sad look on her beautiful face, she thought to herself:


    ''Your temper has gone worse than before!''


    "Puff! I will forgive you if you show me how to travel back in time." Daisy could not help chuckling when


    she heard Belinda''s ridiculous plea. She finally decided to stop teasing her.


    "Great! You bad girl. You was bluffing! You had me worried to death. I''ll punish you for this." Belinda


    said and lunged at Daisy, it seemed like she would tear Daisy into pieces.


    Daisy was trying to withdraw from her grip. Soon they began frolicking in the small kitchen. On the


    other hand, Leena was still sitting disconcerted in the living room.


    "Hehe. Brother. Why are you here?" Leena asked Duke with a coaxing smile. She moved towards


    Rain. On my god! Leena thought: ''Is it necessary for Duke to make such a gloomy and scary face! Why


    is he still furious after so many days! It is clear that he doesn''t intend to let me go!''


    "Why? You quit running?" Duke could easily switch his mood to the mode he wanted. He could be


    cold in a second. Undoubtedly, the people around him could feel this strong cold air, like it wasing


    from hell. Leena was suffering because of his cold behavior. Her tender heart was hurting.


    "I didn''t run! I was just out of the country." Leena murmured, with her head down. She was too afraid to


    look at him.


    "Yes! So when you came back younded here! You couldn''t find your home, could you?" Duke


    snorted. In reality, he was pretending to be angry just to frighten her. His anger had evaporated a long


    time ago. Duke behaved like this in order to stop Leena from getting out of control in future.


    "Hehe! That was because I heard you had just married Belinda. I came here for a couple of days to


    give you and Belinda some space." Leena sure was a smart elf. From the way Duke spoke to her, she


    realized that Duke had forgiven her, so she took the golden chance and jumped into her brother''s arms.


    Leena acted like a spoiled child, which always worked on Duke.


    "Girl, are you that kindhearted? Huh! Don''t try to deceive me. I know all your tricks. Huh!" Duke poked


    Leena''s forehead. He couldn''t do anything about her. He could just ept that he had such a cute


    sister.

 Chapter 170 She Has Changed Her Heart

    Chapter 170 She Has Changed Her Heart


    Justin''s smirk froze when he saw the dramatic change in Duke''s attitude. Duke was smiling. ''What is


    happening? Shouldn''t Duke teach Leena a lesson? Why did he suddenly switch his expression to a


    smile? That''s quite unexpected.'' Justin thought to himself.


    Meanwhile, Edward and Rain were quite calm about Duke''s sudden transformation. They knew that


    Duke yielded to Leena every time. That was Duke----his bark was worse than his bite.


    "That''s all, uncle Duke? aren''t you going to punish Leena with 50 push-ups?" Justin lost his


    composure. After all, he had tipped off Duke to see Leena get punished. But it was a totally different


    picture now.


    "Why are you concerned with this? Go fly a kite." Leena stared at Justin who was stirring up trouble.


    She started wondering why Justin was so displeased with her and why did he want to see her get


    scolded so badly.


    "Of course I am concerned with this. I am an impressionable child, if I see Leena get away without any


    consequences I will follow suit. Therefore, uncle Duke, you can''t spare Leena, or one day she would


    cause bigger problems."


    Justin said earnestly, his face exhibiting the coolness and poise inconsistent with his age. He gazed at


    Duke with his innocent eyes, trying to persuade him to punish Leena.


    "LOL." Rain giggled at Justin''s words. He was looking forward to seeing how Duke would deal with this


    problem.


    At the same time, Edward restrained his smile and looked at Justin with appreciation. He had never


    thought that Justin would be the curse of Leena''s life. He wondered who between the two will be


    defeated in the end.


    "Come on, kid. We need to do some serious talk." Leena angrily walked towards Justin, held his hand


    and, before Duke voiced his thoughts, they ran upstairs. She was eager to know what''s the problem


    between her and Justin. Why was Justin trying to give her a hard time?


    "What''s going on?" Duke found himself in a state of bewilderment from the moment he walked into


    Edward''s vi. At first, he saw the scuffle between Daisy and Belinda, now the strife between Leena


    and Justin. He had no idea how all of this happened.


    "I don''t have any idea either. By the way, why did you all show up here unannounced?" Edward


    elegantly sat down on the sofa. Meanwhile, he cast an inquisitive nce at his guests, in anticipation of


    an answer.


    "Didn''t you know we areing? Justin invited us. Didn''t you ask him to do so?" Duke looked at


    Edward confusedly. He received Justin''s call early in the morning. Justin had asked him to visit their


    house and pick up Leena.


    "What? Justin told you toe?" Edward was surprised. He had been wondering who told Duke that


    Leena was at his ce. It turned out to be Justin. He shouldn''t have done it so evidently. If Leena


    found out that Justin ratted her out, things would turn uglier.


    "Yes, it was Justin. He told me toe here. He also mentioned that we''ll get to enjoy a show." Rain


    laughed joyfully. It was quite a show indeed. Duke and Belinda''s appearance as a married couple was


    certainly a unique sight.


    "A show in my house?" Edward didn''t get it. He was puzzled.


    "There is a show for sure. We have been watching it from the moment we stepped out of the car." Rain


    looked at Edward andughed wickedly.


    "It seems that someone is having a great time. I suppose you have forgotten about Annie now?"


    Edward never yielded. He would jest back whenever he was mocked.


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "Ew! You are really good at ruining my mood. Hate you." Rain flicked the dust on his cuff. His evil smile


    disappearedpletely.


    "Why did you bring up Annie?" Duke had been too busy winning over Belinda to notice that Annie had


    arrived in S City.


    "Someone is quite upset because he is alone. Annie has been back for several days, but she never


    called." Edward threw a yful look at Rain. He pressed Rain''s soft spot to repress his gloating.


    "No way. I remember that Annie said she wanted to marry only one man that is Rain. And now she has


    changed her heart and is marrying someone else?" Duke knew everything about Rain. They were old


    friends.


    "She won''t marry anyone else. Watch you words. You are a well-read man. You should be careful with


    your words." Rain decided to ignore Duke and Edward''s quips. He knew they were trying to irritate him.


    His loss of temper would only please them. He would not let them ruin his good mood.


    "Ew. You are also well-read man. So you would also be careful with your words? Come on, say


    something wise." Duke said slowly whileughing yfully.


    "The problem is that my wise words may go over your big head. If you don''t understand what I say, it''s


    just a wastage of my time."


    Rain changed his posture and taunted.


    "Keep up your battle of words. I will take a shower first." Edward had had enough. He didn''t want to


    listen to their squabble anymore.


    "No way. You still follow the habit of showering? You are a Germophobic, aren''t you?" Rain gazed at


    Edward and joked yfully, his eyes sparkled with curiosity.


    "You will never understand the lifestyle of hygienic people. You should focus on making yourself a bit


    hygienic. Perhaps then you won''t find us weird." Edward raised his thick brows at Rain, and then


    elegantly went upstairs like a true monarch.

 Chapter 171 He Meant What He Said

    Chapter 171 He Meant What He Said


    "What does he mean?" Rain looked at Duke confusedly. He never said Edward was weird, only germ-


    phobic. Howe Edward pped back like that?


    "He meant what he said. Aren''t you an educated man? Howe you don''t understand what he


    meant?" Rain always seemed like a know-it-all. Duke delighted in his obliviousness just now.


    "I only understand what normal people think, not a weirdo like Edward." Rain didn''t like being beaten in


    anything, particrly when it came to intelligence. He would even pretend to win.


    "Ugh! Save your pride. You''ll admit defeat someday." Duke sneered and dropped it.


    "Auntie Leena, stop following me! I give, okay?" Justin ran downstairs, Leena close behind. It seemed


    they hadn''t sorted things out.


    "No way! You have to tell me why!" Leena kept riding Justin for an answer. Why did he dislike her? She


    was too stubborn to give up. She must know.


    "Okay, okay. You really wanna know?" Justin asked coolly. As he said this, he suddenly stopped and


    crossed his arms. He red at Leena and tried to act cool.


    "Yes. Yes I do." They''d forgotten all about Duke and Rain, who were silent witnesses to their


    conversation.


    "You made my mom sad. So I''ll make you sad." Justin''s reply made everyone blink in surprise.


    "When on earth did I make Daisy sad? I have no idea." Leena was surprised. She liked Daisy so much.


    She never wanted to make her sad.


    "Huh! That day you hugged dad. Mom and I saw you." Justin answered angrily, still glowering at Leena.


    Everyone had been only partially paying attention. Now they were engrossed.


    "Well. Edward and I hug all the time. Why was Daisy upset about that?" Leena was more confused


    now. After all, she''d hugged Edward like that since she was a little kid. And now she wasn''t supposed


    to?


    Justin started to reply, but was blocked by Daisy''s hand covering his mouth. She was embarrassed. If


    she hadn''te out to tell them dinner was ready, who knows what he would have said? Then she


    might well be too ashamed to see everybody. "You''ll have to excuse Justin. Sometimes even he


    doesn''t know what he''s saying."


    "Really?" Leena shot Daisy a confused nce. But then she saw Belinda standing behind her. Leena''s


    eyes went wide and she tried to make herself smaller. She just got Duke off her back, but forgot that


    Belinda might want her turn.


    "Leena! You little -- How dare you set me up? Have you lost your mind?" Leena said nothing and


    looked at the floor. But Belinda red at her while she gnashed her teeth as if she were going to eat


    Leena alive.


    "Well... Don''t be mad, sister-inw. It got you two together, right? It was all for a good purpose. See,


    you and Duke got married. That''s what matters." Leena backed away. There was no one scarier to her


    than Belinda. So Daisy''s sadness would have to wait. She had her life to think about.


    "What''s going on? You two really got married already?" Rain was the odd man out. Everyone else


    knew about their marriage. He looked at Duke, desperate for an answer. But Duke was fixated on


    Daisy, in full military dress.


    "Daisy, you in the army?" Duke had never really seen her in uniform.


    "No way. Mr. Cold," said Rain. "You didn''t notice her uniform until now? Or were you just staring at


    Belinda the whole time?" Rain forgot all about the wedding for the moment. He stared at Duke like he''d


    just seen some freak.


    "I would expect him to stare at Belinda. But if he focused on my wife, that would be a problem." Edward


    stood at the top of the staircase in a tracksuit. His raven hair smelt of shampoo. Lips curled and brows


    raised, he cast Rain an annoyed look.


    "So, you''re a colonel. Oh, you''re that legendary colonel?" Duke said, eyes widening in surprise.


    "Youngest to hold the rank, and female to boot!" Duke ignored the jest between Edward and Rain. He


    gazed at Daisy curiously.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    Daisy felt quite helpless. Again? She had to exin every time people asked? She didn''t know what


    kept her busier. Her job, or exining to everyone.


    "Yes, that legendary officer is Daisy. Never thought of that, have you?" Rain spat out the answer before


    Daisy could. And he couldn''t help his jab at Duke, either.


    Edward frowned in confusion. They all knew about it, but why had he never heard of any legendary


    officer? Had he been that closed off?


    "Yeah. It took me by surprise. It became such an urban legend that I wasn''t even sure it was real."


    Duke said, still in shock.


    "Howe I''ve never heard of it?" Finally Edward voiced his confusion. After all, he had never heard


    even the slightest hint of the legend.


    "Ha! It''s all because of your quirks. You want it dead quiet at FX, not even the bugs dare to make noise.


    Of course no one told you." Rain liked nothing more than to razz Edward. Everybody in thepany


    knew not to make small talk. You wouldn''t just get scolded, but fired.


    Edward couldn''t deny it. He didn''t want any noise at work, so the top floor was always the quietest floor.


    So it was normal he knew nothing about this. Maybe it was time to rx that rule, if only just a bit.

 Chapter 172 Youre Not Gonna Let Go of Her

    Chapter 172 You''re Not Gonna Let Go of Her


    Finally everyone was at the table. Now they learned that Daisy was quite an excellent cook. She was a


    beauty in the hall and a chef in the kitchen. And they respected her even more. They all secretly envied


    Edward''s good luck for marrying such a perfect woman.


    Daisy excused herself after the meal and went upstairs to work. Edward knew she was quite busy with


    the uing military exercise. Her weary look made him heartbroken, yet he could do nothing to help.


    The only thing he could do was to give her a quiet working environment and not bother her.


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    She only just walked into the study and had hardly taken out the files when her phone rang. She


    frowned. Hopefully nothing had gone wrong, or she would have to stay upte tonight.


    "Hello. This is Daisy." It was a strange number, yet still she answered the call. She was still confused,


    though.


    "Hi, this is the City of Night Romance. A female customer is drunk here, we found your card in her


    handbag. We need you toe pick her up." The voice sounded young and vibrant.


    "A female customer? How old is she?" Daisy was puzzled. The women she knew were all downstairs.


    Who was that woman?


    "She is twenty something. Pretty, quiet. And pickled." The young man on the phone said slowly, likely


    because he was looking at his guest as he described her.


    "Quiet and pretty?" Immediately Daisy thought of the girl on the road that morning. Could it be her? And


    she did give the girl her card. But was there no else to call? Well, she might as well go pick her up. She


    seemed nice.


    "Yes. Will youe and pick her up?" The man asked hesitantly.


    "Yes. City of Night Romance, right? I''ll be right there. But please take good care of her before I arrive.


    Thank you." Quickly Daisy changed into her casual clothing, and then ran downstairs. She headed to


    the door in a rush.


    "Honey, where are you going?" Edward got to his feet and crossed the room quickly with his heavy


    stride. He grasped her hand tightly.


    "Well. I need to go to the City of Night Romance. I''ll be back soon. Go keep our guestspany."


    Daisy pried his hand off and put on a reassuring smile.


    "No, it''s toote. I''ll go with you." Again Edward gripped her hand, his face looked a bit worried.


    "Huh. I''m a soldier. Don''t worry. I won''t be hurt easily." Daisy tapped his cheek and giggled.


    "Really? You don''t need me toe along? Let Lukee with you." Edward removed her hand from


    his face. He knew that she was no average woman, but he still worried about her.


    "No, I can go myself." Then Daisy smiled at the guests and trotted outside.


    Leena jumped over the sofa and held Edward''s arm. "Where''s Daisy going?" she asked meekly.


    "She has some work to do. Come on. We have a game to y." Edward just broke out Warp, a strange


    rule-bending card game in which you win by going out first. It made himugh, he''d thought he''d try it


    with his guests. They stopped as Daisy came down.


    This time Daisy didn''t drive her VW Polo, but the fancy Ferrari. She was in a rush, and only the Ferrari


    was fast enough for her.


    The sleek car slunk through the streets, tinged by the colorful neon lights. Daisy kept her coolness,


    despite her confusion. She just focused on steering, switchingnes and overtaking these cars one by


    one. Smoothly, she drove to the City of Night Romance.


    The moment Daisy stepped into the City of Night Romance, she felt its corrupt and sensuous night life -


    - the flickering light, loud music, luscious smell -- a typical night club. Soon she locked her eyes on the


    waifish figure beside the bar. That gave her some relief. But several men were harassing her. Daisy


    frowned in anger.


    "Hottie, alone, huh? How about ying with us?" Several thugs surrounded her. One of them held her


    fair wrist tightly, trying to pull her off the bar stool.


    "Get off me. Fuck off! You... You disgusting gutter trash." Her raven hair covered half of her pretty face.


    She was trying to avert her eyes from the harsh lights on the dance floor. She tried to get her hand


    back.


    "Us? Disgusting? Bitch! Who are you, then? You''re all sluts, so quit ying innocent. You''re lucky we''re


    paying attention to you. You should be fucking grateful!" With his threat, he also tightened his grip, his


    face disying an evil smile of victory.


    "Let the girl go. Or I can''t be responsible for what happens next." Her cold and cruel voice carried over


    the loud music and attracted the crowd''s attention.


    "Talk about luck, new girl''s even hotter than this bitch here." Thugs were called that for a reason. Even


    with a girl as ruthless as Daisy, they''d flirt. They never knew how to behave themselves.


    "What? You''re not gonna let go of her?" Daisy''s cold face turned impatient, scowling at the thug holding


    the girl. She had a devil''s aura -- the crowd shuddered and suddenly got goosebumps.


    "Wow. That hottie has a hot temper, huh? That''s okay. It''s better when they fight back." They moved in


    on her, hoping to at least frighten her. They wanted to be tigers, waiting to pounce on their prey. They


    didn''t know they were merely jackals instead.

 Chapter 173 Be Sensible And Fuck Off Now

    Chapter 173 Be Sensible And Fuck Off Now


    "Let''s see what you can do." Daisy saw them move to attack, and sneered disdainfully. She''d shed her


    uniform, allowing her to move more freely.


    "Huh. You sound quite hot-tempered, pretty. I wonder if you''re that hot in bed." There were several of


    them. There was no way they would have trouble dealing with a woman, he believed. If he was beaten


    by a woman, he would have no authority in the gang.


    "I don''t know if it''ll be hot, but I will definitely make you scream." Daisy was bing more vicious


    every minute. Her sneer shimmered on her face. Her eyes focused on the blowhard. Judging by the


    deference from the other thugs, he must be their boss.


    "No way. You like SM, huh? Then why do we wait? Let''s go enjoy ourselves." The lead thug tried to


    grab her waist, but she dodged, and with a beautiful suplex, she threw the man to the ground.


    "You like that?" Daisy looked at him scornfully. The man needed to be taken down a few notches.


    "Fuck! You know martial arts! Get her! I must have her in my bed tonight." The boss got up, spat on the


    floor hatefully, and charged Daisy again.


    "You started this. Okay, I''ll y with you. I need some ''exercise''." Daisy looked at them defiantly and


    took their threat as nothing at all. She didn''t think they could be tougher than ouws. After all, even


    ouws fell by her hand.


    "Don''t be too confident, pretty. We outnumber you. I *will* have you." His mouth twisted in an evil sneer.


    He was already picturing the happy moment in bed.


    "Cut the crap. Be sensible and fuck off now. From now on, no mercy." Daisy nced around the club,


    then checked on the drunk girl. She was in no mood to get into a fight. There was too much work


    waiting for her at home. She didn''t want to waste time.


    But when she was about to get the girl walking. She could feel them swarming to her. They thought


    they''d take her by surprise attacking from behind. These thugs were irritated by her arrogance.


    Daisy sneered, jumped aside and dodged their strikes. She nted her hands on the bar, and a sweep


    knocked them all to the floor. Frightened, they looked at Daisy. They were scared, she was not. Who


    the hell was this woman? She was able to nail them all with only one move. Obviously at least a ck


    belt.


    "Fuck. If we can''t beat a woman, we''re out of the gang. Come on, bro. Let''s get her." He was a boss.


    He never did things halfway. That''s why he was the boss. He thought Daisy beat them because they


    were unprepared. He didn''t believe that a tiny woman could do so much damage.


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    "Hah! I gave you a way out, but you wouldn''t leave. You brought this on yourselves. If you want to


    leave now, you can''t." Daisy stood calmly, her arms crossed. She looked at them domineeringly. Her


    provocative words blew their lid.


    "We''ll see about that!" Then the lead thug''s fist shot out at Daisy. His minions followed suit, trying kicks


    and grabbing her. Daisy was hot, but also too strong. She was a whirlwind of stances, kicks, blocks and


    strikes. They didn''t want sex anymore. But they still needed to fight to save face, or they would be


    ridiculed.


    Daisy raised her brows in contempt. Several roundster they were defeated again. She, on the other


    hand, still looked so poised. After several scornful nces, she walked to the wasted girl again.


    Nothing was said.


    "Wake up, girl. Where is your home? I''ll drive you back." Daisy bent down and shook her shoulder, yet


    she only got some murmuring in return with no further response.


    Daisy frowned. After some serious thought, she decided to bring the girl to her own home. She was too


    drunk to give a clear answer, and it probably wasn''t safe to ditch her in the hotel. So the best way was


    to take her home.


    She sighed helplessly and got the girl to stand up. Just when she was to take her to the car, something


    glinted in the darkness,ing fast. She couldn''t drop the girl, but she could try and get between her


    and the knife. Quick thinking knocked the dazzling de out of the way. A side kick dispatched thest


    thug.


    Pain surged through her. He still managed to cut her. She berated herself. Mercy for the enemy was


    cruelty to yourself. She should have kicked them harder, felt the glorious crunch of bone snapping.


    They wouldn''t have been able to fight back.


    "What? You still wanna fight? If that''s what you want,e on, all of you. If not, get the hell out of


    here." Daisy'' re made them flee, even the lead thug who attacked her. She seemed invincible. There


    was no way they could beat her. She managed to survive their boss'' lethal attack. And was still up and


    fighting!


    Daisy checked her injured arm. The cut seemed a bit deep. But it was nothingpared to the wound


    she got when conducting tasks. So she no longer cared about it and heaved that drunk woman into the


    car.


    After they were both in and buckled up, Daisy finally rxed. With a long gaze at that girl, she started


    her car and left the City of Night Romance.

 Chapter 174 Is That The Promise You Gave Me

    Chapter 174 Is That The Promise You Gave Me


    Daisy lowered the car window to let the stench of alcohol out. Drunken people could really stink up a


    car. A breeze blew softly, wafting the smell away. And she was very curious about her passenger. She


    thought, '' If I''m right, this must be the third time I''ve seen her!


    The first time, I almost ran her over; then, I saw her wandering lonely on the street. Now I''m picking her


    up. Every time I see her, she looks sad. She must have quite a story to tell.''


    Daisy was driving carefully and smoothly. Then she felt the pain in her arm. She frowned and


    pondered, ''Is it worse than I thought?''


    She then cast a nce at the wound which she bandaged in haste, and found that blood was


    beginning to flow past the rags. She hoped that the wound would not be so serious as to affect her


    performance in the military exercise.


    As the car entered the vi, Luke came to meet her before the car stopped.


    "Mrs. Mu, what happened? You''re hurt!" he screamed when he saw Daisy''s bleeding arm. ''How did that


    happen so quickly? She''s in the military and skilled in the martial arts. Was she hurt by someone really


    dangerous?'' thought Luke.


    "Well! Nothing. It''s not serious. Now help me get her out of the car." said Daisy casually. She was not


    worried about the wound now and she went to open the car door.


    "It''s her!" said Luke. He was shocked when he saw the woman on the car seat and wondered why she


    was in Daisy''s car.


    "What''s up? You know her?" asked Daisy eagerly. She wanted to figure out who the woman was at


    least.


    "Yes! If I''m right, it''s Annie from the C Financial Group. But I don''t know why she''s here in the city."


    replied Luke. Luke had orders from Edward to ask around about a kidnapped woman. But Edward


    hadn''t mentioned that the woman was Annie. He had no idea she was here.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Eh? Isn''t the C Financial Group in this city?" asked Daisy. She had never paid attention to any


    financial reports other than those concerned with Edward. So it''s normal she didn''t know where the C


    Group was located.


    "No! It is arge listedpany abroad and has existed for a long time. We have some business


    dealings with it. Annie seems to be involved with Rain." replied Luke. Being reticent, Luke had never


    uttered many words with others -- except Edward. Now he told everything he knew to Daisy. Maybe it


    was because she was Daisy, not other people.


    "Well! Looks like I identally saved the right person." Daisy joked. Luke took Annie out of the car and


    Daisy closed the door. As she turned around, she saw a raging Edward.


    "Honey, eh... I''m back." smiled Daisy fawningly. She hid her wounded arm behind her and thought, ''Oh


    my God. I promised that I wouldn''t get hurt before I left home. Now I have blood all over my arm. I


    broke my promise.''


    "Damn it. Daisy. Tell me what happened. Now!" shouted Edward. He strode toward her and grasped


    her wrist. When he saw the bleeding wound, his heart hurt.


    "Is that the promise you gave me? Hum!" asked Edward. And he regretted it, ''I should have been with


    her. But I didn''t. Because I thought it was a phone call from work. And I promised that I won''t get in the


    way of her work.'' He had been ying cards with his friends and ran out to meet Daisy as soon as the


    car rolled up.


    He felt relieved when he saw her getting out of the car, but shocked when he noticed her bleeding arm.


    Feelingpletely at a loss, he came to her without worrying about the woman and Luke.


    "It''s just a small cut. A bandage is OK." replied Daisy casually. She couldn''t read hisplicated


    thoughts and she thought Edward was angry because she had broken her promise.


    "Mrs. Wu, call the family doctor." shouted Edward in a trembling voice. Everyone gathered when they


    heard Edward''s loud voice. They were also shocked when they saw Daisy''s bleeding arm, except for


    Justin. And all of them overlooked Annie.


    "Daisy, how did you get hurt?" asked Belinda. She was so worried that she ran to her at once. And she


    wondered, ''How did Daisy, a seasoned fighter, get hurt in such a short time?''


    "I''m good. It''s just a small cut. Chill out." said Daisy. She smiled apologetically, and thought, ''It''s not


    serious. Let''s not make a big thing out of it. I''m embarrassed.''


    "Shut up. How can a small cut bleed so profusely?" shouted Edward. He red fiercely at Daisy who


    looked all nonchnt with her wound. And he frowned as if he was going to give her a good beating.


    "Gosh! Let me see!" said Justin. Instead of being shocked, he looked like he barely cared. He ambled


    over to Daisy.


    And he thought, ''Daddy is making a fuss! Mommy did first aid. The wound is not that serious. She''s


    been hurt like this before a dozen times, maybe more. I''m just d she''s home safe and sound.''


    "Excuse me, kid! You''re not a doctor." said Leena. She now frowned on everything Justin said.


    Especially a moment ago when she knew that it was him who had reported her whereabouts to Mr.


    Cold. She decided it was time to y hardball with this little schemer.

 Chapter 175 Army Dagger NO 65

    Chapter 175 Army Dagger NO 65


    Justin ignored Leena''s sarcasm, and then carefully untied the in bandaging on Daisy''s arm. When


    he saw how the wound looked inside, he realized that the injury had been way more serious than he


    initially thought it was. He said, "Mommy, let''s go inside. I''ll disinfect your wound first." Justin was more


    organized, and was also calmer than an adult was. Although he worried about his mom very much, he


    showed no fear when he saw her deep wound.


    The rest of the people followed Justin and walked past Luke like he didn''t even exist. Luke shook his


    head speechlessly, and wondered whether the people were blind or not. Even Rain didn''t notice that


    Luke was holding a woman in his arms. It had tired Luke to hold an adult for such a long time!


    When he finally noticed that Luke was holding a woman in his arms, Rain asked, "Luke, who is that?"


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    "Someone you know." Luke nced at Rain and left Annie to him, and then Luke turned around and


    walked towards the direction Daisy went.


    "Hey! Wait a minute! I don''t know her!" Rain took the unconscious woman in his arms. He didn''t


    recognize Annie at first, because her face had been covered by her long hair.


    But when he managed to see her face, Rain''s heart began to thump. Indeed, it was Annie! Although he


    hadn''t seen her for a while, he still remembered her face very clearly. He thought that it was strange for


    Annie to be here, and wondered if she had anything to do with Daisy''s injury. Rain frowned when he


    sensed the strong smell of alcoholing from Annie. It was obvious that she was unconscious


    because she was thoroughly drunk.


    Inside the room, Justin sat besides Daisy and carefully wiped off the blood around her wound. No one


    dared to make a sound, because they didn''t want to disturb Justin, and Edward was so nervous that


    there were even beads of perspiration dripping off his forehead and falling to the ground.


    "Mommy, judging from the looks of the wound, I think you were hurt by an Army Dagger No. 65. The


    dagger is 25.8 cm in total length, it''s de is made of carbon steel, with 15.2 cm in length, 0.4 cm in


    thickness, and 2 cm in width. It''s shiny, and extremely sharp after ting, which makes it the perfect


    weapon for stabbing. I think you might have been scratched by it while you were fighting the bad guy."


    Everyone was shocked by Justin''s reasonable guess and the terminology that he used. He discovered


    all of these details just by simply taking a look at the wound? It seemed unreal to everyone. They


    began to wonder what would be Justin''s next move.


    "Mommy, I''ll try to stop the bleeding first, and it seems that you need a couple of stitches. You should


    let the doctor deal with your woundter." Justin took the medical kit on the table, and skillfully started


    to disinfect the wound with medicinal alcohol before wrapping it with cotton bandaging. Justin stayed


    calm and organized during the whole process, without showing a single trace of panic.


    Daisy said, "Justin, you missed some key points earlier. The army dagger 65 has another advantage: it


    makes almost no sound when you wave it, also its handle is designed to perfectly fit the physiological


    structure of the user''s palm. That dagger is a treasure in itself." She gently stroke Justin''s face. Daisy


    had raised him up all by herself, spending a lot of time in the army with him. It was not umon for


    Justin to know these things, because they had been taught army sses.


    "Okay, I get it now. But mom, why would someone want to hurt you with it?" Justin asked Daisy


    doubtfully. Although the wound seemed to be pretty bad, he knew that Daisy would be able to recover


    from it soon enough.


    "Ah! I forgot that Annie is still with Luke!" Daisy was worried about her. She felt like she had a short-


    time memory today, it''s unusual because she normally didn''t forget things quickly.


    "Annie is your friend?" frowned Edward.


    "No, not really. Today is the third time that I''ve met her." Daisy had to make sure that Annie was fine.


    She felt relieved when she saw Annie lying in Rain''s arms.


    As he gently put Annie down on the sofa, Rain asked, "Daisy, how did you get hurt? Did you injure


    yourself when you were trying to save Annie?"


    "No, I ran into some gangsters when I was on my way to pick her up. I wasn''t careful enough." Edward


    smiled at her, and said, "Dear, so you went out to pick Annie up? How and when did you get to know


    each other?" Edward nced at Annie and frowned.


    Daisy exined to Edward, "I almost hit her on the street several days ago, so I gave her my name


    card. At the club, she didn''t know who to call, and she thought of me."


    "Daisy, thank you for bring Annie back. We were looking for her these past couple of days." Rain had


    always held a good impression towards Daisy, and after this, he respected her even more.


    "Why were you looking for her?" asked Daisy. She was doubtful, as she didn''t know that thest task


    that Edward had assigned to Luke was to find out where Annie was.


    "Emm... Annie had to represent the C Financial Group and to conduct some business meetings with FX


    International, but when Luke went to the airport to pick her up, there was no sign of her." Edward told


    Daisy what had happened, but he couldn''t stop looking outside impatiently, waiting for the doctor to


    arrive.


    "Oh! Why didn''t you tell me about this when you assigned the task to Luke?" Daisy frowned; she was


    not happy with the fact that Edward was still trying to hide things from her.

 Chapter 176 Stop Showing Off Your White Teeth

    Chapter 176 Stop Showing Off Your White Teeth


    "You''re always tied up everyday, and I don''t want to interrupt your work. Besides, it''s nothing serious.


    Are you angry with me?" While he was talking to Daisy, Edward fixed his eyes on her injured arm.


    Justin had done a great job with the bandage, and the blood had quickly stopped oozing out of the


    wound.


    He cast a deep look at Justin, who was bothered by Leena, and felt quite grateful to him. Justin had


    grown to be pretty outstanding, and that was all thanks to Daisy, who was an excellent mother. He


    wasn''t like the other boys of his age, unreasonable and mischievous.


    Daisy then remembered Edward furiously yelling at her, and while she slightly became upset, she said,


    "No, I''m not. I''m not you..."


    "Huh! So you''re saying now that I''m angry?" Edward stroked her nose, and then affectionately looked


    at her upset face.


    "Are you sure you aren''t angry? You shouted pretty loud; the others might think that I may be terminally


    ill." Daisy unsatisfactorily rolled her eyes, an act that she seldom did, but recently she seemed to be


    doing it quite often. What had happened to all of her poise and seriousness?


    "Daisy, that''s just how Edward is; you know he often makes a mountain out of a lousy mole hill. You''ll


    get used to it," said Duke. He was relieved when he saw Daisy''s arm getting wrapped up, and when his


    mood lightened, he began to make fun of Edward.


    "Duke''s right. Daisy, don''t be afraid of him. Edward is just a paper tiger. His bark is worse than his bite."


    Rain also returned to his usual self, and as heughed about it, Annie suddenly mumbled in his arms.


    Edward mischievously squinted his eyes, and said, "Don''t you have to take Annie home? If you''re free,


    you should go and straighten things out with the entertainmentpany tomorrow." He might have


    given Rain a break if he had just remained silent, but Rain had to continue to make fun of him. Edward


    had to fight back, because, after all, Daisy had been hurt saving Rain''s Annie.


    "Oh, no! Edward, aren''t you supposed to deal with that? Besides, I''m not familiar with thepany''s


    beauties." Rain regretted that he had joked about Edward, and that his big mouth had invited trouble.


    "So you''re saying that I''m familiar with them?" Edward looked at Rain indignantly; he was basically a fix


    in all of these women''s lives, but he was now saying that he didn''t know them. It was also known that


    Rain''s bad boy look had captured a few of the starlets'' hearts.


    "You''re familiar with them. I remember when you used to go out with a different woman every day, and I


    remember that some of them are starlets." ''Humph! I''m dead no matter what, but I will drag you down


    with me, ''ined Rain in mind. He didn''t think that Daisy could take the news well without being


    mad at Edward.


    "Silly Rain, maybe you think that you''re still too free with the entertainmentpany on your hand; I


    think you should also draft the bidding n for the YG Estate." He was Edward, and only he had the


    privilege to make fun of the others, not the other way around.


    "Argh! Come on, seriously? If I do all of this work, then what will you do?" Rain was shocked, because


    he had never seen thising. Had he just dug his own grave? Maybe he was set up by Edward, as


    he initially thought.


    "As you can see, Daisy is injured. And that means that I''ll stay at home to take care of her." Edward


    smirked at him. It was ssic for Rain to choose the wrong moment, and say the wrong thing.


    "..."


    Rain waspletely speechless, and regretfully stroked his forehead. He could only sigh, and


    languish. ''God, just kill me already! My life is too miserable to be even true!'' protested Rain in his mind.


    "Huh, Rain, you could have ended up less miserable if you had just shut your mouth," said Belinda, and


    while she gestured to Annie, she quipped, "And by the way, where did you steal such a beautiful girl?"


    "I didn''t steal her, okay? I''m not as shameless as your husband." Rain curled his lips and formed an evil


    smile. He knew what he could use to verbally fight back, because he had overheard how Belinda and


    Duke got married at the game they just yed.


    "Are you calling me shameless?" Duke nced at him, and scanned him from top to bottom. His chilly


    eyes seemed to freeze Rain in ce.


    "Wow! You adapted to your husband role pretty quickly. Has my harmless joke harmed you, huh,


    Husband Duke? Edward, you do agree with me, huh?" He couldn''t endure Duke''s cold stare alone, and


    he needed Edward''s backup. Or else he might have got killed by Duke''s harsh stare.


    "Mr. Mu, Mr. Tom Qin is here," said Luke. The boisterous scene fell into silence by Luke''s report. All of


    them had fixed their eyes on the pleasant and gentle young man behind him.


    "Hi, everybody! Long time no see! I see you''re all doing well without me; that''s good." Tom grinned


    gorgeously. He looked like a learned and cultivated man.


    "Stop showing off your white teeth, ande here and check on Daisy, she''s injured. And by the way,


    when did youe back from overseas?" Edward speechlessly rolled his eyes. Why did Tome


    here in person? Wasn''t he staying abroad and studying new subjects?


    "Just now. I had just put my luggage down, when Mrs. Wu called, and I decided toe over. What,


    you don''t want me here? Should I just go home and get you another doctor?" Tom didn''t mind Edward''s


    anger at all; he was still that graceful gentleman.


    "... Edward, your nemesis is here, and there will be a lot more drama in theing days." Rain smiled


    mischievously again, because he didn''t have to endure Duke''s cold stare any longer.


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    All of the crowd cast a disdainful look at Rain, because he was gloating too much, and too obviously.


    "You must be Daisy. My name is Tom Qin, and it''s a pleasure to meet you!" Tom nced around and


    then fixed his eyes on Daisy, the one that needed his treatment, and then walked over to her.


    Daisy smiled apologetically, and said, "Hello, I''m Daisy, and thank you so much foring over here!


    I''m really sorry for having to trouble you!" Tom was another type of handsome man,pletely different


    from Edward and the others. He made people feelfortable, and happy, when they saw him.

 Chapter 177 Tom And Jerry

    Chapter 177 Tom And Jerry


    "Aha! Tom, why do you always have sensible good manners?" Leena''s joy was immense, and Tom


    nced at her, spoiling her even more.


    "Daisy, that''s all right. Let me have a look at your wound first!" Tom bent over and skillfully undid the


    gauze; he frowned the moment he saw the wound.


    "The wound is a little bit too deep, and it need stitching. Do you want the local anesthesia? It may


    cause some adverse reactions, but you won''t feel any pain." Tom raised his head and stared at Daisy,


    and waited for her to answer.


    "No anaesthesia, thanks. Just close the wound." Daisy was aware of the risks caused by the local


    anaesthesia, and because the wound wasn''t that serious, she had to have only a few stitches done.


    She could handle the pain easily enough, because she had survived even more painful encounters


    over the years, both physical, and mental.


    "Jerry, can''t you give her the anaesthesia without the risks?


    *In the animated series "Tom and Jerry", one of the main characters is a mouse named Jerry. Edward


    calls Tom Qin Jerry. It''s painful without any!" said Edward. When he heard that she didn''t need the local


    anaesthesia, he began to feel nervous. His heart throbbed, as if he were the one who had to be


    stitched instead.


    "Aha! Jerry... this name sounds very domineering, but for a gentle and elegant person like you, this kind


    of name just sounds funny and ridiculous." Belinda couldn''t help but chuckle when she heard the


    nickname.


    Duke then pinched Belinda''s wrist, and said, "Stopughing, or he''ll get mad at you!" Tom wasn''t a


    weak person, and neither was he easy to be bullied. It was a disaster when he got mad, hence the


    nickname.


    "You thought I was omnipotent?" Tom nced at Belinda and slightly nodded his head, a gesture that


    could be regarded as a greeting. He then turned around, and roared at Edward, "Ignore him and let''s


    get started!" Daisy stared at Edward, and because she had no opinion on the matter, she didn''t know


    why Edward was so nervous.


    "Daisy, there will be a bit of pain, but I''m sure you''ll manage to get through it." Tom disinfected the


    wound again, and then he picked the sterilized needle and sewed her wound.


    When Edward watched the needle in Tom''s hand pass through Daisy''s skin, he felt as if his heart had


    shattered into thousands of pieces. He grasped Daisy''s arm firmly, and endured the pain together with


    her.


    Daisy''s forehead was covered with a thinyer of sweat because of the pain, and she had bitten her


    cherry pink lips without shedding a tear, just firmly gripping Edward''s big and powerful hand. His heart


    ached to see her suffer like that.


    Edward wiped Daisy''s sweat, and in a low voice scolded Tom, "Could you be a little more gentle with


    the sowing? Can''t you see that her face is pale because of the pain?"


    "You don''t say? Don''t disturb me from my work!" Tom didn''t care about his whining for a second, and


    instead concentrated even more on sewing Daisy''s wound, and after he finished, he gave Edward a


    disdainful look, who was even more nervous and uneasy than the injureddy was. He continued to


    apply some medicine to her wound, and also wrapped it in a new gauze. After all of these things had


    been done, he sighed, relieved of his duty.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    While he was packing his things, he said, "Daisy, keep the gauze away from water for a while. I will


    also give you some anti-inmmatory drugs." The way he said this showed his gentle and elegant


    personality.


    "Yes, doctor Qin, thank you!" With a pale look on her face, Daisy thanked him, and gently smiled.


    "Don''t be so formal, just call me Tom." His smile was like a breath of fresh air, which made people


    involuntarily want to indulge in.


    He knew something about Daisy, and although he was in a foreign country, he had heard someone


    mentioning something about her. He came to treat her wound out of curiosity, because he thought that


    she was mysterious. It was unexpected for him to find out that she waspletely different from what


    he had thought her to be.


    "Well, get out now!" Edward coldly gave Tom a fierce stare, but the man never forgot to show his


    invincible smile anywhere.


    He sneered," I definitely know you son of a bitch will kick down thedder once you have got what you


    want. You don''t need to drive me away, and I will leave immediately. Considering I have juste back


    from the abroad, I have to sort out my luggage. Well, Daisy, see you next time."


    There was some still noticeable fatigue on Tom''s face, which was probably because of the jetg.


    "Let''s go. Daisy, please have a good rest!" Duke pulled up Belinda, with a little warmth showing on his


    cold, stern face.


    "Daisy, I will take Annie back first, and let her thank you again some other day." Rain lifted Annie to his


    chest, and smiled at Daisy thankfully, showing his noble temperament.


    "What''s up with you? Are you all leaving? Have you nned to despise me collectively? Why are you


    only saying goodbye to her, but not me?" Edward was very depressed. What did they mean with this?


    ''I''m the head of the family. Why on earth are they ignoring me?


    Oh, damn it! I don''t even care...'' thought Edward. Edward''s words caused a lot of hisses to be heard.


    They still ignored him, and soon left the house waving their hands at them.


    "Bro, please wait for me!" Leena wasn''t the least calm, and without any hesitation, she quickly ran out


    of the house, forgetting even to say goodbye to Daisy. What had happened to Duke? He left without


    bringing her, meaning that he had forgotten his little sister as soon as he had a wife.


    Daisy looked around the quiet living room, feeling uneasy. Hadn''t all of them left too fast? And all of a


    sudden?


    On the other hand, Edward didn''t have too many feelings or thoughts on them, because he had been


    already familiar with them.


    "Well, now that all people are gone,e my dear wife, and let''s deal with our own business!" Edward


    sluggishly yed with some of her lock of hair, and yfully stared at Daisy.


    "What business have to be dealt with?... I''m confused. Do we contradict on anything?" Daisy


    suspiciously frowned, and didn''t reply to his words for the moment.


    "Are you kidding me? Someone had given me absolute assurance. Do you need me to find a witness


    for you?" Edwardughed even more gracefully, and while he yfully stared at Daisy, the coldness of


    his eyes slowly began to seep into his stare.


    "Uh! So... Where is Justin going?" Daisy deliberately answered Edward with another question, and tried


    to guess whether he was angry or not. What trick did he want to y on her?


    "Please don''t bring Justin in this. He''s upstairs, taking a shower, to avoid Leena''s continuous


    harassment. So now you could figure out the reason why Leena was so quiet just now.


    Now, please don''t try to avoid my question again." Edward sped his hands together; it was clear that


    he was eager to hear her exnations.

 Chapter 178 You Lured Me

    Chapter 178 You Lured Me


    "Emm... ... I need to take a shower." Daisy tried to get away with the situation as soon as possible, but


    her healthy arm was grabbed by Edward.


    "Well? What do you have to say now?" Edward could vividly remember the fear of losing her when he


    had seen her injured, and he tried to hide his painful feelings by talking with the others earlier.


    "Fine. Darling, I admit that it''s all my fault, and I swear that I will be more careful next time. Forgive me,


    please!" It was the first time that Daisy had yed coquetry with him, and her body was also clinging to


    him. Edward was stunned by her charming smile, and soft voice. She was very different from the time


    that they first met, and her aloofness had been reced by affection.


    Edward also didn''t believe that Daisy could act so coquettish, and he thought that something must be


    wrong. Did she have a fever? When he gently touched her forehead, he felt that her temperature was


    normal. If it wasn''t a fever, then what had caused her to act so abnormally? In the end, he didn''t care,


    because he loved her coquetry.


    Edward then showed his love in actions. He nted a wild and deep kiss on her delicate pink lips, and


    soon turned to suck on them. Edward only released Daisy when both of them had started to pant.


    Edward looked at her affectionately, and said, "Dear, you lured me."


    "I have a question for you." Daisy gently stroked his face, and thought that he was too handsome to be


    real.


    "What''s the question?" Edward held her hands tightly, and led her upstairs.


    "Are you still angry with me now?" asked Daisy. She smiled, and she was very happy that her moves


    could affect his mood, because that meant that he began to care for her. Falling in love with her should


    be achievable.


    "Even my aloof wife started to y coquetry to please me. I would be such a bad husband, if I''m still


    angry with you." Edward smiled, and he was happy to find out that Daisy was willing to change for him.


    This gave him a great sense of achievement.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "I was not ying coquetry!" Daisy threw his big hands off her and headed to the bedroom, because


    his frankness had made her feel shy. She admitted that she had been ying coquetry with him earlier


    in order to appease his anger, but she just wanted to see how much weight she had in his heart. She


    was now feeling embarrassed by his words.


    "Haha... you''re really cute!" Edward found this side of her interesting, and he continued to tease her.


    Daisy blushed, and walked straight to the bathroom.


    "What are you doing? Dear?" Edward frowned.


    "Taking a shower. Isn''t it obvious?" Daisy rolled her eyes, because she thought that the question was


    dumb.


    "I knew that, but the doctor said that your wound need to avoid any contact with water." Edward didn''t


    pay any attention to what the doctor was saying before, but this time it was about Daisy.


    "Never mind about it, I''ll be extra careful. It''s a long day, and I need a shower," replied Daisy. That kind


    of small injury wouldn''t bother her at all.


    "You can take a shower, but I have to be there to help you," said Edward. He smiled wickedly, but this


    time, Daisy decided to ignore his flirting, and quickly shut the door before he had a chance toe in.


    If she had let him in, he would definitely ''helped'' her with a lot of things other than the shower.


    "Dear, please open the door! You can''t judge me just by your evil thought. I just want to help..." said


    Edward innocently.


    "No way, I won''t fall for it this time!" Daisy smiled, because he was trying hard to fool her.


    "You''re the one who lured me in the first ce. It''s only been a while, and I suppose you still remember


    that." Edward leaned on the wall when he realized that he couldn''t get in, and decided to wait for her.


    "Edward, could you stop please? I need to take a shower now." Daisy began to regret about the


    coquetry she had yed with him, because Edward wouldn''t let it go anymore.


    Edward replied, "You can start at any time you like. I can''t see you anyway," and then headed to the


    balcony.


    All that he could see was the endless starry night. Life was short, and Edward felt pretty lucky that he


    had gotten Daisy back after what they had been through.


    He didn''t know when he started to fall for her, but what he did know was that he loved to be in her


    company all the time.

 Chapter 179 Reward

    Chapter 179 Reward


    The morning breeze gently swept over Daisy''s face. The soothing breath of wind had made her feel


    very delighted, and she gazed at Edward, who was driving the car attentively, and couldn''t help but


    disy a soft smile; she felt like she was the happiest woman in the world.


    "Why are you looking at me? Is there something dirty on my face?" asked Edward. When Edward


    turned his head and looked at Daisy, he met with her eyes, and saw that they had been already


    focused on him.


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    "Yes, there is," she replied. Daisy teased him with a joyful expression, and she found that it felt good to


    be cared and loved by someone.


    With a charming smile, Edward raised his eyebrows, and said, "Do you really think I believe you?" He


    knew that he was not that kind of sloppy man, and he was proud of maintaining his good looks perfect


    at any time.


    "You don''t have to drop me off to work, it''s only a small flesh wound; I can drive the car by myself. It''s


    not a big deal, so don''t make a big fuss about it. Did you forget that I''m a soldier in the army?" said


    Daisy. But her heart betrayed her words. She was very excited when Edward insisted on personally


    taking her to work, because she really enjoyed being with him. She cherished the beautiful moments


    when she raised her head, and she could see his handsome face.


    "Oh? Really? I remember someone saying the exact same thing when she went out yesterday night,


    but she got back with a wound. Do you really think that I''ll listen to your words now?" said Edward. He


    was upset because Daisy had brought up the topic.


    "It was only an ident, because I was too confident with myself, otherwise, they couldn''t have gotten


    the slightest chance to hurt me. Anyway, things like that don''t just happen everyday," replied Daisy. It


    had been only a mishap, but now she was looked down upon by Edward.


    "That''s hard to say. I''d better be more cautious and send you there by myself." Edward didn''t want to


    experience the awful, frightening feelings that he had experienced yesterday. He was very distraught,


    and if this were to ever happen again, he would be beyond heartbroken. Thinking of this, Edward was


    surprised that he would have such feelings for Daisy. His heart ached because of Daisy''s wound, and


    he wondered if this indicated that he was actually caring more about Daisy now...


    Daisy noticed Edward''s sad look in his eyes, and while she frowned, she asked, "What''s wrong?"


    "Oh! It''s nothing... Look, we''ve arrived!" Edward stopped the car, and then replied to her with an


    assuring smile.


    "Okay. You don''t have to pick me up after work, because Mark will drive me back. I want him to learn


    the way to your house," said Daisy. In case there ever was an emergency, Daisy thought that it would


    be very useful to let Mark know where she lived. As her apanying officer, he would know where to


    find her, if anything happened.


    "Okay, I see. Be careful how you handle your wound! Don''t make it split!" said Edward, while taking a


    nce at her wounded arm, and frowning, concerned.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll be extra careful. Go back to work now!" replied Daisy, with a smile on her face. She


    then pushed the car''s door open, and when she was just about to get out of it, her wrist was suddenly


    gripped by Edward, who was looking at her with grievance.


    "What''s the matter? Did you forget about something?" asked Daisy, still confused by his move.


    "Don''t I get a reward? Were you going to just leave off like that?" said Edward, with a cunning smile


    shing in his eyes.


    "Reward? What reward?" asked Daisy, bbergasted. It seemed that she didn''t understand what


    Edward was trying to say to her.


    "What do you think? Shouldn''t you give me a kiss to thank me for driving you here?" It was really


    difficult to make Edward be less brazen, but Daisy didn''t expect that he would stop at nothing to get


    what he wanted. It surprised her that he would ask for a reward for such trifling little thing.


    "Emm... Did you n it? Did you drive me to work with that purpose from the beginning?" said Daisy,


    examining him dubiously, while thinking about how to get away with it.


    Hearing Daisy''s words, Edward pursed his lips, and thought ''What is she thinking? I''m not that


    shameless as she thinks I am. I''m only asking for a kiss. Oh! She wronged me so much!''


    "Daisy, you''re trying to spoil all the romance..." Edward became a little angry, and he released her hand


    and looked away with a downcast expression. ''Why am I always the one who has to beg shamelessly


    to her? Couldn''t she be more tender and romantic to me, and satisfy my wish this one time?''


    A gentle kiss then suddenly flickered over his handsome face like a feather. Before Edward could even


    realize it, Daisy had already gotten out the car, and had started to run towards the military base. She


    turned her head at Edward, and showed him a cunning smile.


    Edward touched the spot where she had kissed him, and shook his head. While smiling, he thought,


    ''When did Daisy be so naughty and sly? Oh, she surprised me this time!''


    Daisy was in a good mood today, and when she passed through the gate of the base, she showed a


    lovely smile to the soldiers that were on duty. Their jaws almost dropped when they saw her joyful look,


    and while they stared at each other with confusion, they wondered what had made the aloof colonel


    look so gentle and soft today.


    Kevin frowned and looked at Daisy with concern, and asked, "Daisy, what happened to your hand?" As


    soon as she had passed through the gate, Kevin showed up. He cried out when he noticed Daisy''s


    wound, and for the moment he was totally unaware of his manner in public.


    "Oh! It''s not a big deal, it''s only a flesh wound with a couple of stitches. Don''t worry, it will heal soon


    enough, and I think it won''t affect the military exercises that we have to do in a couple of days," said


    Daisy, with a gentle smile on her face. She walked with Kevin towards the office building, and their


    intimacy made someone''s heart sink.


    Edward had been looking at them for the whole time, and he hit the driving wheel with fury. His


    delighted mood had beenpletely spoiled by Kevin''s appearance. He thought, ''Why did I forget the


    fact that Kevin works with Daisy? Hmm, it seems that I have to win her heart as soon as possible. I


    can''t bear the thought of him getting Daisy, just because he has the advantage of a favored position...''


    He had thought to wait in the parking lot for a while, and look at her until she entered the office building.


    He didn''t expect to see them being so close together, and although he watched them from a distance,


    he felt Kevin''s enthusiastic stare on Daisy. It made him feel jealous, and it made him have the urge to


    fight Kevin.


    He nced deeply at them until they disappeared inside the building, and then turned the key. The car


    started quickly, and soon disappeared from the ce, and the parking lot fell into silence again, as if


    the car had never parked there.

 Chapter 180 Why Am I Here

    Chapter 180 Why Am I Here


    Rain was such a lonely man when he remained calm in this solitude. He leisurelyid back in his chair


    on the balcony, with a cup of coffee in his hands, and looked at the beautiful sky above. His eyes


    seemed to be cold, and distant, but he seemed to be enjoying himself in the quiet of the morning, with


    the gentle warm breeze blowing over his face.


    A tender ray of sunshine touched the beautifuldy''s sleeping face, while a gentle breeze came flying


    through the silk curtain inside the room. Her eyshes suddenly started to tremble slightly, and her


    eyes gradually opened. She was unfamiliar with the room''s furnishing, but with the vibe in it,


    ustomed.


    She jumped out of the bed and immediately rubbed her forehead. She wasn''t feeling well because of


    her hangover, and curiously looked around her, barefoot. The ce was strange to her, but the scent in


    the air wasn''t. She had smelled it before on the man that she loved so deeply that she even sacrificed


    her individuality. The aromatic rose scent was as morous as his charming appearance was.


    She stepped forward, and saw the man that she had dreamed of for so long. She saw himying back


    in his chair on the balcony, charming her with hisziness. That was the character which attracted her


    most about him, but why was she really there, she wondered.


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    She remembered that she had arrived in S City in a rush that night. To surprise him, she hadn''t


    contacted anyone in the FX International Group, and instead had gone straight to his cottage; what she


    saw there, broke her heart. She knew that it would be impossible for him to keep his celibacy for her


    during all these years, but she still couldn''t believe her eyes.


    She was standing outside his cottage, telling herself over and over again that the beautifuldy was


    just one of his close friends. When she didn''t see the womane out for the whole night, she realized


    that she was too naive.


    She didn''t know how she left the cottage; she thought that there were no reasons for her to appear in


    front of him. For all these past years, she had tried her best to change her personality and hobbies, and


    to be the knowing and profound woman he had expected her to be. This was all because he had


    regarded her as "being too ignorant, simple and naive."


    Gradually, her longing for him had reached a climax, and she eventually became the kind of girl he had


    expected her to be. She had no special training or hard study, yet still, she changed her ways with each


    passing day when she deeply missed him. She didn''t have to pretend to be profound, because she


    already looked gloomy by nature.


    It might take years to win a heart, but only seconds to break it. She was heart broken, and because she


    had been absent minded that morning, she had almost bumped into a car. She aimlessly wandered on


    the streets for the whole day, without even taking a break, because this was the only way that she


    could exhaust herself to fall asleep when she came back to the hotel. She didn''t know how to stop


    thinking of what she had seen at the cottage, or how to spend the sleepless nights.


    On one of the days, when she woke up again in the hotel, she couldn''t control her urge to look for him


    anymore. She secretly went back to his ce, and silently remained hidden in a corner far away from


    him. When he came back home, she looked at him in the distance with longing eyes, and left only until


    he disappeared from her sight.


    Yesterday night, she had gotten drunk for the first time in her life. She didn''t know how much she had


    drunk, but she did know that every time she remembered how Rain smiled at thedy beside him in the


    cottage, she would drink up a ss of Martell Cordon Blue. She didn''t remember what had happened


    later, and she was even more puzzled as to why she was in his house.


    She walked gently towards him, and bit her lips and didn''t know what to say to him. She thought she


    would say ''Hi! It''s been a long time since Ist saw you.'' or ''Sorry for disturbing you.'' Annie wondered


    what would be the best line...


    Rain suddenly turned around and saw her when she was just walking towards him. He seemed to be a


    little surprised for a moment, but he resumed his calmness very soon. He stood up from his chair, and


    asked, "You''re awake! Are you feeling okay now?" He frowned, because he felt that Annie was very


    different from the Annie he used to know. She was not as cheerful and lively as he knew her to be, the


    girl who always showed her broad smile no matter what happened. She now seemed to be very quiet,


    and introvert.


    "Emm... Well, why am I here?" asked Annie in a low voice, while biting her lips. She didn''t dare to look


    at him, and instead lowered her head and gazed at her toes, her hands nervously clenching the sides


    of her dress.


    While looking at her bare feet, Rain said, "Edward''s wife brought you back to his house. I happened to


    be there, and I offered to take you here." It seemed that she had retained her old habit of walking


    barefoot, no matter how much she had tried to change herself.


    Annie suddenly raised her head, and looked at Rain doubtfully, she asked, "Edward''s wife? But I don''t


    know her." When she nced at his yful smile, she shifted her eyes away from him in an instant.


    She was certain that she knew Edward, but as for his wife, she had no recollection of ever meeting with


    her.


    "Really? Are you sure you don''t know her? Think carefully. She mentioned that you almost had bumped


    into her car, and that she had left her name card to you." Talking about this, it pained him to think how


    dangerous the situation really had been at that moment. She was lucky to be left unharmed, otherwise


    it would have been unbearable to even think about the oue.


    "A name card? Oh! Do you mean that beautiful female officer?" Annie suddenly remembered what


    happened on that day. The world was pretty big, and what were the chances to meet the right person,


    at the right time? But, at the same time, the world was also pretty small, and what would have been the


    chances that a small ident would link two people together? ''Oh, she''s Edward''s wife; no wonder that


    she drove a luxury car. I had wondered if all the officers in the country have this privilege... No, I don''t


    think so, '' thought Annie.


    "Yes. You also know that she''s an officer?" Rain seemed a little surprised, probably because he had


    learned of Daisy''s identity just a few days ago. He wondered how Annie could know about this before


    him.


    "Yes, because she was wearing her uniform that day. And the name card she gave me showed that


    she is an officer," said Annie. She remembered that she was very curious about Daisy after learning


    about her position. She didn''t know that she was Edward''s wife at that time.


    "Okay, let''s go. Put on your shoes and let''s go downstairs to have the breakfast. You can thank her


    later when you have the time, she got hurt because of youst night," said Rain. He wondered why she


    had drunk so much alcohol, making her pass out like that. ''Doesn''t she know already that she can''t


    hold her drink?'' he thought.

 Chapter 181 Today Is My Birthday

    Chapter 181 Today Is My Birthday


    "What? She got hurt? Why don''t I remember anything about this? Is it serious?" Annie asked in a state


    of panic. She wondered what she had done yesterday. And how things got so serious.


    "Don''t worry, it''s a minor wound. It will recover soon. Don''t feel so guilty about it." Rain didn''t expect this


    reaction from her. He tried tofort her. But he didn''t intend to hide the facts.


    "Really? I don''t remember what happened yesterday. Howe Daisy was bringing me back?" Annie


    thought carefully but failed to remember anything. Was it a coincidence that they met in the recreational


    ce? But that was highly unlikely. Annie thought.


    "I heard that the bartender had called Daisy. You had her card with you." said Rain. He reached out his


    hands and held her cold hands with some hesitation. Annie turned stiff by his action. His big hands


    were quite warm. The warmth was like an electric current that shocked her into numbness. Her heart


    was beating faster. She nced furtively at his handsome face. She knew she would be mesmerized


    by his charming face under any circumstances.


    "Oh! Is Edward angry with me?" asked Annie Thinking of this attractive and handsome man, Annie


    seemed a little wavering with her question.


    "No, he''s not that mean." Rain pursed his lips and said. Edward was not angry with Annie, but that


    didn''t mean he was not angry with Daisy. He seemed furiousst night. It appeared that he would blow


    his top any second.


    Annie followed Rain downstairs, holding hands. Her long hair and dress swirled, bellowing with the


    speed of her steps as if she were dancing like an angel who had just fallen from the heaven.


    Rain wanted to ask her why she didn''t contact him. But when he thought of Aaron''s words, he gave up


    the idea. Perhaps her love towards him had faded. He could feel it from her estranged behavior. If it


    was like before, she would be leaning on his shoulder fondly. However, now he could perceive that she


    was a little resistant about his touch.


    Rain smiled helplessly. Time had changed everything. Her love for Rain had faded with time. No one


    belongs to another indefinitely. When the time is up, the curtain falls.


    Annie gorged herself with food, without pausing to savor the vor. It pained her heart that Rain was


    being so cold to her. Maybe she was only a sister in his eyes. ''He''s not excited about my return.'' She


    thought.


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    During breakfast, they sat at the same table, but they were thinking about different things. They


    carefully examined each others'' expressions. The atmosphere was very strange. They didn''t say


    anything to each other. The stress was suffocating.


    At FX International Group


    Mary came to the office in the early morning. She decided to take some action for improving her


    rtionship with Edward. She was eager to be Edward''s wife. Justin''s presence had already


    made her sad. Now the sudden news about Jessica''s child was making her miserable. It seemed that


    her prospects of bing Edward''s wife were getting slimmer by the day.


    "Brother Edward, you havee a littleter than usual today." She waited for a long time and when


    she finally saw Edwarde in, she quickly embraced him and greeted. She smiled at Edward


    sweetly. It showed that she had spent a lot of time on makeup. She looked absolutely gorgeous.


    "Yes. I was dyed by some business. How are you doing, Miss Mary? Is everything fine for you


    here?" Edward asked with a smile. She was Daisy''s elder sister. She was calling him brother now, it


    sounded awkward. Edward thought.


    "Everything is fine. Anna taught me everything thoroughly. Everyone is being nice to me. Edward, are


    you free tonight?" Mary asked while looking at him, her eyes were full of expectation. She was afraid


    that he would decline her offer.


    "I don''t have anything nned yet. What''s up?" Edward said while walking into his office. He shot a


    look at Anna, indicating her to bring his schedule nner.


    "Well... Today is my birthday. My mother is going to host a small party for me tonight. I am hoping you


    woulde." Mary said while following him. She was determined to bring him to her house today,


    come what may.


    "Oh! Happy birthday! Okay! I wille if I''m free." Edward said with a frown. ''Is she asking me to go to


    Daisy''s parents'' house? I just realized I have never visited my parents-inw. It''s strange that Daisy


    has never suggested visiting her parents. Isn''t it more appropriate for Daisy to invite me on such an


    asion? Also, Luke hasn''t given any news about the investigation yet.'' Edward thought.


    "Okay. Edward, you muste. My father had also invited you to dinner, right? Why don''t we take this


    chance to get together." In fact, Leo had invited Edward only because Mary had asked him to do so.


    Maryined that she never got the chance to be alone with Edward. So she came up with the idea


    of asking her father to invite him. She didn''t expect that Edward would refuse. Therefore she had to find


    another excuse to invite Edward.


    "Okay, let me check my schedule first. If I am free tonight, I wille." Edward replied. Since Luke


    hadn''te back with any information on the investigation. He decided to do the search himself.


    Nevertheless, their peculiar family intrigued him.


    "Okay, Edward, I will be waiting for the good news." Mary got excited because she had secretly


    checked Edward''s schedule beforehand. She knew there were no meetings on his schedule after 4 pm.


    She was thrilled to hear Edward''s words.


    "Okay. You can get to work now if there is nothing else. Anna,e in!" Edward said. Since Edward


    had be used to Daisy''s beautiful face without any makeup, he became repulsive to women


    wearing heavy makeup. It seemed that he had changed his taste in women.

 Chapter 182 Sounds Interesting

    Chapter 182 Sounds Interesting


    "Sir, something happened in the entertainmentpany. The A-lister celebrity Coco wants to see you.


    She imed that she was cheated by some unknown rulesid down by the director. She wants an


    exnation." Anna said with a frown, she wondered why the entertainmentpany was getting into


    so much troubletely. Every issue was challenging in its own way.


    "What? When did it happen? Have you stopped the news from spreading? Summon the manager of


    thepany here and ask Aaron toe to my office immediately." Edward loosened his tie and


    calmly gave the orders. He could easily make sensible decisions and give orders in a systematic way


    even under such challenging circumstances.


    "It happened yesterday. I blocked the news as soon as I got to know about it. And the rted online


    videos have been blocked too. But still, it has caused some sensation. Today''s stock market is also


    getting affected by this." Anna said and raised her head to notice how he would react.


    "Okay. Don''t care about the stock market now. Do as I tell you. Organize a press conference about the


    nude pictures scandal to decrease the impact on the public. As for her request for seeing me, just


    ignore it.


    When everything bes clear after investigation, bring her contract to me, I need to consider well


    over its renewal."


    Edward sneered while twisting the pen in his hand. ''Did she want to see me? She probably thinks too


    highly of herself. The entertainmentpany would go well with or without her. There are many other


    top-tier celebrities out there. She wants to y hardball with us. It seems that she doesn''t want to stay


    with the FX International Group anymore. She is testing my patience.'' Edward thought.


    "Okay, sir. There is another piece of information that you should know about. Coco is Jessica''s cousin."


    Anna paused and said before she was about to leave. She thought it was necessary for Edward to


    know about this.


    "What? You mean Jessica?" Edward asked with a cunning smile. ''It seems that she has gone all out in


    order to reach her goals. It''s hard to believe that she would do such a shallow thing. Does she really


    think that I will change my decision because of this? After being together for so many years, she still


    doesn''t know me one bit. She forgot that I''m Edward, no one can intimidate me.'' Edward thought.


    "Okay.


    Emm... I will take your leave then." Anna said and took a long nce at Edward. She was wondering


    whether this incident had something to do with Jessica''s pregnancy.


    "Okay. You may go now!" Edward checked the schedule in his hand and sneered. ''It seems that the


    game is bing more interesting. Jessica, you just wait and watch. I hope you''ll be pleased with my


    response.'' Edward thought.


    Considering their past rtionship, he was going to let it pass. He didn''t expect that she would make


    such a big fuss to attract his attention. She was determined.


    "Sir, you want to see me?" Aaron walked in hurriedly without knocking the door. He was too busy these


    days. Rain threw the C Financial Group case on his shoulder since Annie wasn''t involved there. He


    didn''t even have time to drink water.


    "Yes. You will hold the entertainmentpany press conference on my behalf. Make sure all media


    channels focus their attention on this case. Don''t give any urate answers to their questions, no


    matter how fierce they get. Try to give ambiguous remarks. Don''t give them any reliable information.


    Just keep ying the ''guessing game'' with them. Your goal is to make them more curious about this.


    Don''t take anything else into consideration. Just do it." said Edward.


    He gently tapped the desk with his fingers and gave a mischievous smile. But the sly expression in his


    eyes was frightening.


    "But sir, didn''t you say that you wanted me to cover up this as soon as possible?" Aaron asked and


    looked doubtfully at him, wondering why he had changed his mind.


    "What? Don''t you know what happened in the entertainmentpany? You''re my chief assistant. You


    should keep abreast of everything. You''re cking off. " Edward held back his yful smile and


    squinted at Aaron. He was teasing him.


    "Boss, as you know I am working on multiple projects. You need to give me time to figure out


    everything." said Aaron. He couldn''t perform well under Edward''s pressure. He felt too stressed to take


    every trivial matter into ount.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "What? Aren''t you done with the C Financial Group''s proposal? We only need to verify the terms and


    sign the contract. Why is it still pending?" Edward asked with a frown. He remembered the proposal


    had been finished by Rain and he had confirmed it. He wondered why the signing of the contract was


    dyed.


    "Yes, it is the case. But as Annie did not contact them, they don''t have the authority to confirm the


    terms of the contract. Annie is the decision maker. The contract is dyed because of her absence."


    Aaron said with grievance. The matter was supposed to be finished long back. But it was dyed


    because of the decision maker''s disappearance. He was caught in a dilemma now.


    "Oh. You need to call Mr. Rain about this matter. Annie is at his ce now. You have to close this as


    quickly as possible. There are more important things waiting for your attention." Edward raised his


    eyebrows and looked at him with a cunning expression. ''Tit for tat is fair y. I will not attack unless I


    am attacked. If I am attacked, I will certainly counterstrike with double efforts. That''s my principle.''


    Edward thought.


    "Important things? Sounds interesting. What''s so important?" Aaron was curious about his next


    assignment. He felt excited to know about it. He was looking for a fun and challenging assignment.


    "Just do as I told you. I will tell you everything when the time is right." Edward said and waved his


    hands at him, indicating that he would not reveal his n yet.


    Aaron stared at him thinking. ''Edward is so annoying. He aroused my curiosity intentionally. But he


    doesn''t want to reveal anything to me. It is painfully beguiling. He is so shameless!''


    Edward ignored Aaron''s sad look and began to work on the files at his hands. ''The game would be


    spoiled if I have disclosed too much right now. Let Aaron stay curious for a few days. It''s a good thing


    to let him feel involved.'' Edward thought.

 Chapter 183 The Press Conference

    Chapter 183 The Press Conference


    FX International Group was a wealthy and influentialpany. It had attracted many people. Many


    people wanted to hop on the FX bandwagon. The scandals had once served a lot of newspapers and


    magazines, but in thest few months, there had been no gossip because of the sudden change in


    their CEO''s lifestyle. Now that this incident surfaced, the media reporters wouldn''t let go of this golden


    opportunity.


    Aaron had anticipated that FX International Group''s press conference would be quite spectacr. Yet,


    he was sweating profusely at the sight of the thick crowd. No wonder the CEO didn''te himself.


    Aaron was being used as a cannon fodder.


    The opening remarks were some hollow words. Now that Aaron was Edward''s personal assistant, he


    needed to answer every question smartly at such an important asion.


    "Aaron, could you please tell us how yourpany manages the private lives of female artists." It was


    obvious that the reporter wasn''t professional, that''s why his question was superficial.


    "Ourpany ismitted to creating afortable working atmosphere for the artists, not their


    private lives. Everyone should have their own private space, and the stars are no exception." Aaron


    smiled faintly with the kind of wisdom and calmness that''s normally seen in the top management.


    Following Edward''smands, he deliberately yed tactics.


    "Is it true that Mr. Edward secretly keeps a woman in his vi? Does this woman have any rtionship


    with the entertainment industry?" The topic suddenly shifted from the pornographic incident to Edward''s


    private life. They had been probing about this for a few months, as it was rtively valuable news.


    They were eager to find more from the moment he was exposed as having an illegitimate child. But


    who knew that he would suddenly refuse to appear in the public, and they had no way to interview, so


    they took this rare opportunity to ask questions.


    "Dear friend, if you are interested in our CEO''s private life, I suggest that you contact ourpany''s


    Department of Public Information and let them allot you an exclusive interview with our CEO. I won''t


    give any response to this matter now, and hope that the questions are rted to the main purpose of


    the conference."


    Aaron smiled coldly. The reporter despised his ability, that''s why he wanted to dig news from him.


    "Is she the little prince''s biological mother?" It seemed that this reporter would''t give up unless he


    reached his goal! His questions were getting sharper.


    "If you want to join in the press conference of FX International Group in the future, then please pay


    mind your behavior. As for the private life of our CEO, please make another appointment with him. I''m


    sorry I can''tment on that." Aaron''s eyes narrowed slightly. He had a bad temper, but his temper


    wouldn''t re easily. Otherwise, his tactics would be more sophisticated than his CEO.


    Once Aaron finished his remarks, no one dared to ask this question. After all, if they lost the interview


    qualification, they would get into trouble, so even if there were so many questions, they would not dare


    to continue challenging Aaron.


    Edward sat in the office leisurely, looking at Aaron''s cold face through the screen. He couldn''t help


    smiling and thought that these people were too young and naive to pry into his private life! As long as


    he wanted to hide, they had neither the chance nor ability to find out any gossip except for those he


    had spread out deliberately.


    Daisy bit the pen lightly, watching the diagrams of thetest 99A2 main battle tank that would appear in


    this military exercises. The 99-type tank was theoretically stronger than the US active M1A2 main battle


    tank, with features like it''s armor protection.


    The main battle tank of type 99 series had reached the level of the third-generation main battle tanks in


    the world, and thebat ability was at par with the most advanced tanks such as M1A2,"eopard"


    2A6,"challenger" 2,"leclerc" and "merkava" 4 under the premise of one-to-one fight.


    The maximum speed of 99-type tank could reach 70-80 km/h. It was one of the fastest modern main


    battle tanks, but 99-type tank weighed more than 60 tons and was not suitable for most of the domestic


    bridges.


    Every coin has two sides. Just like life, there is happiness and pain at the same time. You could never


    foresee what would happen in the next moment. Daisy smiled. As the colonel of the army, she didn''t


    have much time to be involved in love, but his handsome face came to her mind whenever she was


    free.


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    "May Ie in?", a loud and urgent voice interrupted Daisy''s thoughts. She quickly regained her


    composure and tried to figure out who wasing.


    "Come in", the voice was cold but grand, with vigor and calmness that fit her identity.


    "Oh my god, Daisy, our soldiers were beaten by Hank at the training ground and two of them were


    bleeding." One of her soldiers hurriedly walked up to her. The sweat on his face indicated that he had


    done some strenuous exercise.


    "What, how did this happen all of a sudden? Why did you mess up with him?" Daisy did not pick up her


    military cap and ran out quickly. Lieutenant Colonel Hank was quite opinionated. Hank always felt that


    he had not been rated as a colonel because of Daisy, so he held a grudge and he kept making trouble


    for Daisy.


    "We did not mess up with him! It was only a friendly match between the two regiments. Who knew that


    Hank would start his own battle after they lost. There was no match for him! So we lost." The soldier


    ran beside Daisy and reported in a low voice. How could they know Hank would beat them so hard?


    They didn''t dare to fight with him because of his status.


    "How is the situation now, still fighting?" Daisy frowned, a wave of anxiousness appeared on her cold


    face, and her pace increased unconsciously.


    "Yes, he said that he wanted topete with you." The soldier said slyly and nced at her. He felt


    that Hank had provoked today''s incident deliberately and his purpose was to let their colonelpete


    with him.


    "What, he still hasn''t given up?" Daisy paused for a moment. Last time, Hank had a fight with him


    because he was not convinced. It was unexpected that Hank provoked the incident again after losing


    last time.

 Chapter 184 The Wound Opened

    Chapter 184 The Wound Opened


    "Colonel, what are you gonna do? Another game?" The soldier was hesitant when he saw her


    bandaged arm.


    "If that''s what he wants." Daisy always looked down on Hank, so she tried to minimize time spent with


    him. She just couldn''t understand how she had annoyed him, and why he made life difficult for her.


    Daisy and the soldier went to the training ground, and the other men were getting beaten by Hank, who


    challenged them to fight, screaming at them. Daisy was furious when she witnessed this, especially at


    his arrogant words.


    "Well, anyone else? How about your colonel? Think she can take me?" Hank was not that much older


    than Daisy, but he was insidious. He was intimidating for sure, which was why people thought he was


    much older.


    "Since Hank wants to fight me so bad, I''d look like a wuss if I don''t agree." Daisy said coldly with a hint


    of yfulness, and walked up to Hank. The soldiers immediately perked up. They were excited that


    theirmanding officer might put this bully in his ce.


    "Don''t be so arrogant! You won''t be so lucky this time." Hank quipped. He was big and strong, built like


    other soldiers. Compared to Hank, Daisy looked puny.


    "Hah! My victory wasn''t by luck. So, you wanna throw down?" Daisy smiled, but her smile was so cold it


    dropped the temperature in the area.


    "We''ll see if you were lucky or not." Hank sneered with a cold smile. He always hated this woman. She


    lived alone with her kid. Why was everyone on her side, even themander? Wasn''t that favoritism?


    He didn''t see anything remarkable about her. And she always pretended to be honorable and


    confident, which was so fucking disgusting.


    "So, how do you wanna do this? Fighting or physical training?" Daisy raised her eyebrow, and stopped


    being polite to him. What was the point?


    "Fighting!" Hank smiled coldly. He believed this was the easiest way to win.


    "OK, let''s go." Daisy smiled drily. She knew he''d pick this way, being bigger and stronger. But she


    graduated from the military academy, and knew that size does not always mean might. Her martial arts


    training gave her a ratherrge bag of tricks that she could use.


    Most of the time, soldiers were excited to see their colonel fight, but today, they were worried. All of


    them were nervous, especially when they saw Daisy''s bandaged arm.


    Daisy bent her knees and dropped into Tiger stance. She was ready to fight, and she knew that she


    mustpletely humble him, no mercy. It''s the only way he''d leave her alone.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    Hank aimed a side kick her way, but she neatly turned around to avoid it. She twisted her body and


    tried to hit him with a Butterfly Kick. He stepped back, but she still made contact with his leg. His grunt


    of pain was a satisfying one.


    Hank didn''t expect that she would so easily counter his move, much less hurt him first. He started


    punching harder, raining blow after blow down on Daisy, who switched to defense so that she wouldn''t


    be hit. She deftly blocked and dodged his moves, both of them a blur of motion. Less than a minute


    later, he had a ck eye, a split lip, and a broken nose from her counter strikes. He didn''t want to lose


    face, couldn''t lose to a woman, so he started attacking her wounded arm.


    Daisy easily figured out what Hank was going to do, and focused on protecting her arm. She felt so


    angry. ''He really hates me that much? Why does he go nuts trying to hit me like that?'' She continued


    their deadly dance, but he gave a hook kick to her injured arm. The pain annoyed her. She was hoping


    she could at least show him some respect, but since he threw the rules of decency and fair y out the


    window...


    Daisy decided to end this, and she pounded his head with an axe kick, which finally brought him down.


    The soldiers breathed a sigh of relief and began to shout. The loud shouting rang out across the


    training ground.


    "Sorry, Hank. Lady Luck was on my side." Daisy looked coldly at Hank on the ground. There was anger


    marring her pretty face. She felt a twinge of pain -- the wound in her arm had opened again. Well,


    Edward would get mad at her again when she returned home.


    "Don''t be so modest. It seems I''ve underestimated you." Hank looked at her fiercely with wide-opened


    eyes, and hated her even more. He didn''t expect her to win. ''Just wait, Daisy, one day I will pound the


    snot out of you. ''


    "Colonel, your wound opened. Let''s go to the infirmary and change the dressing." Mark came here to


    join in the fun. But when he saw Daisy fighting Hank, his heart nearly leapt from his chest. He came up


    to her immediately after the battle was finished.


    "OK! I found you. All done?" Daisy didn''t look at her wound at all, only caring about the task assigned


    to Mark this morning.


    "It''s all done. The military exercises will go well. But, your wound..." Mark said hesitantly, staring at the


    bloody gauze. There was a trace of worry on his face.


    "It''s OK. The wound just opened a little bit. I''ll let the medic handle itter. Send me home tonight. Get


    familiar with the route, by the way." Daisy went up to the soldiers. She felt sad when she saw them.


    They would suffer injuries in training anyway, but being beaten up by someone... It was as if her


    children had been bullied. Her annoyance at Hank rose like bile.


    "Those of you who are okay, back to training. If you got hurt, report to the infirmary. And next time, if


    you''re sparring with someone who wants to hurt you, like Hank, show no mercy." Daisy knew that her


    soldiers were awesome. But judging by their injuries, they didn''t try their best. They''d know not to let


    Hank intimidate them. They''d know better next time.

 Chapter 185 Edward, I Miss You

    Chapter 185 Edward, I Miss You


    "Colonel, what happened here?" Kevin asked, looking at the injured soldiers. Seeing Daisy was


    bleeding again, he felt sorry for her.


    "I''m fine. I just had apetition with Hank." Daisy answered him indifferently with a faint smile. The


    pain in her arm was reminding her how hard that punch was.


    "What''s wrong with him? Why is he so keen onpeting with you?" Kevin didn''t like Hank''s narrow-


    mindedness. ''A man holding a grudge against a woman. Who does that?''


    "Who knows? He''s an odd duck, and always forces his will on others." Hank hadpeted with Daisy


    many times, but never won. Nheless, he kept trash talking her, saying she hadn''t obtained her


    military rank through hard work. Of course, it wasn''t true, but she didn''t know why he thought like that.


    "Ignore him. Let''s go! I''ll take you to the infirmary and have the wound bandaged again. If it keeps re-


    opening, the wound will never heal." Kevin knew that some people had problems with Daisy privately,


    but Hank was the first to make a public spectacle of his problems.


    "I can go by myself. It''s just a small injury. You go back to your work." Daisy didn''t want to bother him


    with such a small wound. With the war game approaching, he had to be as busy as she was.


    "Fine. Take care. Watch that. You don''t want it to get infected." Kevin didn''t insist, although he never


    stopped caring about her. He didn''t want to pressure her.


    "OK. Mark, let''s go." Daisy nodded at Kevin and walked toward the infirmary.


    Kevin stayed for a bit. Watching her back, he thought, ''Daisy, I''m getting married tomorrow. I''ll have my


    own family. Everything between us will be bygones. I won''t express my love for you anymore but will


    cherish it from the bottom of my heart.''


    He didn''t know whether he could fall in love with another woman, but when he proposed to Leena, he


    resolved to be faithful to their marriage and responsible for Leena. He would bury his love for Daisy


    inside him and keep his feelings in check. He didn''t want to hurt another woman.


    ''Will Leenae tomorrow?'' He wasn''t sure. No reasonable girl would think that a total stranger could


    make her happy.


    In the afternoon, the sun beat down strongly, but Kevin couldn''t feel it. He didn''t know what he was


    trying to hold on to. If he wanted to forget Daisy, he would have listened to his father and gone back to


    the capital city. But why did he want to stay? Just because of Daisy?


    The wound on Daisy''s arm had to be stitched up again, since it kept re-opening. It hurt like hell, maybe


    because Edward wasn''t around to kiss it and make it better. Maybe she was being unreasonable. It


    was just a small injury. Why did she rely on him so much?


    Back at the office, she tried to be strong, but finally gave in and called Edward. She missed him, his


    tenderness, his rage, the jasmine fragrance on his body, and the sense of security when she was in his


    arms. She missed everything about him.


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    Edward finished watching the live coverage of the press conference. When the phone rang, he had just


    turned the TV off. When he saw the caller ID, his bad mood disappeared instantly. He was also


    worried. ''She rarely calls me. Has she read the news?''


    "Hi, honey, everything OK?" He asked gently and joyfully.


    "Edward, I miss you." A simple sentence mixed with so many feelings. This was the first time she had


    expressed her feelings for him. She wanted him to know she cared about him, she missed him and she


    relied on him. Nothing else mattered, not even her pride.


    Edward stood there, basking in his emotions, heart racing with joy. He was in his thirties, but was


    ted at a woman''s words like a teenager. Was this what love was like?


    "Edward, are you there?" Daisy asked, since he hadn''t said a word. ''I have dropped my pride and


    expressed my feelings for him. Is this all I get?''


    "Honey, I miss you too, very much. Are you OK?" His voice quavered. ''This isn''t her. Something must


    have happened.''


    "Yes, I''m fine. I just wanted to hear your voice." They loved each other, true. But he cared too much


    about his pride to tell the truth; she hesitated while she was already deeply in love. So neither of them


    expressed just how much they meant to each other, their deepest love. That was a mistake that might


    cost them.


    "What happened? I know you. This isn''t like you." Edward didn''t believe her, although he was overjoyed


    to hear her sweet words.


    "Edward, do you have to kill the mood? I was trying to give you a feel of being a man. You just don''t


    understand it. Never mind. I have to work, you masochist!" Daisy hung up the phone angrily. She forgot


    that she was not allowed to hang up first.


    However, Edward was all smiles after the call. ''She''s herself again.'' That was what he wanted. It didn''t


    matter anymore who hung up first.

 Chapter 186 Why Are You Here

    Chapter 186 Why Are You Here


    Edward sank into his chair, rubbing between his eyebrows worriedly. He remembered the invitation


    from Mary, but he wasn''t sure whether Daisy woulde with him. Then he recalled what she said


    earlier. He became more anxious. After looking at the clock, Edward abruptly grabbed his car keys and


    strode toward the door.


    "Mr. Mu, are you leaving?" Anna almost bumped into Edward as she was about to knock on the door


    with a pile of paper in her arms.


    "Yes. Anything urgent?" Frowning, Edward stared at the papers Anna was holding.


    "No. But the C Financial Group signed the contract. Do you want to have a look?" Anna asked


    hesitantly. Edward seemed preupied, and she had never seen him like this.


    "No. I''ll look it over tomorrow. Call me if there''s anything earthshaking." Edward was a handsome man,


    and his every move or look was alluring. Women usually couldn''t pry their eyes away from him once


    they saw him. They adored him and longed for his touch. But Anna didn''t. She knew that there was no


    way she could handle Edward.


    "Yes, Mr. Mu. I''ll see you tomorrow." Anna stepped aside to let Edward pass.


    "Okay. Bye." Edward replied calmly. He was satisfied with Anna. She always finished her work, and the


    quality was top-notch. She was a hard worker. And she knew her ce -- she never tried to seduce


    Edward.


    It was afternoon, and it was hot. It felt like the ground was burning up. Edward hated it. He popped into


    his car and cranked the AC.


    After turning on the music, he loosened his tie and tossed it to the passenger side. He loosened the top


    two buttons on his shirt, revealing his firm chest. He was indeed a sexy man.


    Edward bit his lip and started the car. The car before him was moving too slow. He maneuvered around


    it, and stepped on the gas. He sighed in relief when he finally left town and was in the outskirts.


    Edward was amazed by how Daisy could affect his emotions. He was happy when she smiled and


    heartbroken when she cried. He couldn''t focus on his work or anything. He wanted to see her and he


    drove immediately to her ce.


    Edward''s lips curled into a smile as his fingers tapped constantly on the steering wheel. The scene was


    somehow breathtaking. Edward always knew how handsome he was, otherwise there wouldn''t be so


    many women chasing after him, including Daisy.


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    He beamed wider as he thought of Daisy. Edward had always been a yer; he never thought that one


    day he would be so affectionate. ''Affectionate?'' surprised by his own thoughts, Edward paused for a


    second and his car slowed. Luke was right behind him in another car, scared to death when he almost


    ran into Edward''s car. He mmed on the brakes to avoid an ident. ''What was that all about?'' Luke


    gasped.


    It was still early when they arrived at the army base, and Daisy hadn''t got off work yet. Edward didn''t


    mind at all. He just sat in his car and waited for her. He wanted to sort things out in his mind, not about


    the ident on the road before, but his own feelings.


    He had never waited for anyone in his entire life, that was, until very recently. It seemed that he had


    been waiting for her all the timetely. Was he spellbound? He didn''t know, and didn''t want to know.


    Edward adjusted the seat to afortable position and leaned back. He closed his eyes and cleared


    his mind.


    Luke was quiet as usual. He wouldn''t interrupt Edward unless he gave him orders -- or he was in


    danger. Most of the time, Luke just followed Edward like a shadow.


    "Colonel, it looks like Mr. Mu''s car over there." Mark slowed down the car. He could see that Daisy was


    upied with the papers in her hands. He had seen Edward''s car once, so he recognized it instantly. It


    wasn''t hard -- the cars in Edward''s collection were famed worldwide.


    "What? Are you sure?" Daisy asked doubtfully as she looked around. When she saw the expensive car


    outside the army base with the familiar license number, Daisy broke out a big smile.


    "Colonel, is it him?" Mark was driving as slow as he could. He wasn''t sure, so he asked again.


    "Yes. It''s his car. Stop the car, Mark. I''ll get out here." ''What is he doing here? And he didn''t call me.


    Didn''t I tell him not toe here this morning? Why does he show up then?'' Daisy was puzzled.


    Luke wasn''t too concerned when a vehicle drove out of the base. But he sprang into action as it rolled


    up next to Edward''s car. He didn''t know it was Daisy, so he immediately got out of his car and strode


    forward. It was his job to protect Edward. However, he wondered why Edward would be so uncaring


    when a strange car stopped near him.


    Daisy stepped out of the car as Luke approached. Surprised, Luke paused. He didn''t expect to see her.


    "Mrs. Mu, It''s you. Mr. Mu is..." Puzzled, Luke looked in the windows and only to find Edward was


    sound asleep, reclining in his car. No wonder he didn''t notice Daisy''s car. Little hard to do that with your


    eyes closed in sleep.


    "Why are you here?" asked Daisy with a furrowed brow. He must be tired. Edward got up extra early


    that morning in order to drive Daisy to work. And he drove all the way here again to see her. He didn''t


    call her because he was too tired; he wanted to take a nap before she got off work. At least he caught


    some z''s.

 Chapter 187 My Figure Is Super Hot

    Chapter 187 My Figure Is Super Hot


    "Mr. Mu came here on the spur of the moment. I really don''t know why." What Luke said was true.


    Wherever Edward went, he followed and never asked why.


    "Okay. "Luke, go with Mark. Show him the way to our house. Edward and I will be alongter." Even


    though Edward was there to pick her up, she still thought it important to show Mark where she lived.


    Something told her he might feel better knowing she lived in a beautiful house.


    "Okay, Mrs. Mu." Since Edward would be with Daisy, there was nothing for Luke to worry about.


    "Mark, go with Luke! Follow his car. Take it slow driving through that neighborhood. When you get


    there, rx. Just feel at home like you''re on base. And Justin''s there too. Let him know I''ll be home in a


    bit." said Daisy. Daisy worried that Mark would be overwhelmed when he saw Edward''s luxury house.


    He needed to be prepared.


    "Okay, Colonel." Mark replied. Mark grew up in a rural area. So it was rare for him to see rich people


    like Edward who drove luxury cars. He was excited to visit Daisy''s ce, but he was also nervous--he


    didn''t know what to expect. But Daisy just told him to chill, and he felt better.


    Daisy nodded at them, watching them leave. Then she turned her head to look at the man sleeping


    soundly in the car. She smiled softly and reached out her hands to see if the car door was unlocked. It


    was. Why? She frowned with doubt, and then she gently sat down in the car.


    She tilted her head to gaze at his handsome face. Her heart was full of happiness and sweetness.


    There were countless women who wanted him. But at this moment, he belonged only to her.


    She raised her hand and touched his forehead, and felt his delicate skin. She indulged herself in this


    moment. This was unimaginable for her. She had dreamed of this opportunity thousands of times and it


    was right here within reach. Edward was beside her. She felt free to touch his warm skin simply by


    raising her hand. This made her very emotional.


    ''He looks very charming. No wonder he''s always the center of attention, and has tons of women


    around. How many women have been in his arms? And how many women have tasted his sexy lips?''


    Daisy thought.


    Although she repeatedly reminded herself to ignore this, sometimes she just couldn''t control her mind.


    Her cold fingers paused on his warm lips. She gently swept over the soft lips with her fingers, her


    thoughts wandered.


    She was lost in her memory, the pale past. He was still the man who was deeply rooted in the bottom


    of her heart. Sometimes she felt frightened. She feared that the happiness she enjoyed now was only a


    dream. And there was Jessica. Jessica and Edward had been together for years, while she herself was


    only with him for several months. Was it possible for her to win over him in such a short period? Daisy


    thought.


    Love also hurts. it hurts when you fall out of love, or there is another one who take your ce in his


    heart. No matter how hard you have tried to save the rtionship, it would finally end in ugliness,


    hurting each other. Daisy didn''t want their rtionship to be like that, it was cruel to her. She had


    loved him and waited for so many years, she finally got the chance to be near him. She didn''t want to


    lose him. No, she wouldn''t let this happen.


    Love is selfish. And this was no exception for Daisy. The only difference was that she loved humbly,


    generously, persistently and sensibly.


    Edward''s eyshes suddenly moved. He stuck out his tongue and licked the tender fingers on his lips.


    ''What is she thinking? She seems lost in thought.'' Edward thought.


    Daisy awoke from her trance when she suddenly sensed something on her fingers. She looked at his


    mischievous face and forgot to breathe. She immediately blushed.


    "Oh, you''re awake." Daisy took back her hand and looked away in embarrassment. She didn''t know


    how to hide that she was flustered.


    "Yes. Did you think you could get into my car that easily?" Edward replied with a cunning smile. As


    soon as she reached the car door, he unlocked it. Did she really think that he had fallen asleep? ''I


    almost never do that, and certainly not with people around.'' Edward thought. He had a highly-


    developed sense of his surroundings. It''s never good to be taken by surprise. This was why even a


    gentle touch on the car door would awake him.


    "You woke up earlier. But why didn''t you say anything?" Daisy asked and stared at him in annoyance.


    Thinking of what she did just now, she blushed even more.


    "If I said anything, how could I know that my lovely wife is so interested in my handsome face? What do


    you think? Do you like it?" Edward said without the slightest bit of shame. He turned his head this way


    and that to give her a better look at his jawline. He took his handsome looks for granted, just like


    everything.


    "Yes. After examining it, Ie to the conclusion that only your face is good-looking. The rest of your


    body is nothing special to me." Edward had read her mind. But she didn''t feel irritated. She began to


    tease him.


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    "What? Look closely. My figure is super hot. Don''t you see it?" said Edward. No one had ever insulted


    his appearance this way. He had always been proud of his handsome figure. But now it was nothing to


    Daisy? He was furious.


    "Huh! I can''t see it. I think any one of the soldiers trained by me is stronger than you." Daisy said and


    laughed. She just made fun of him off the top of her head. She didn''t think Edward would have that


    reaction. So she decided to continue teasing him.


    "Daisy, how can youpare me with those rude soldiers? I''m a gentleman!" said Edward. He had the


    urge to strangle her now. He was so angry that his face went red. ''How could shepare me with a


    soldier? Are her soldiers as handsome as me? Are they as beautiful and talented as me? Or do they


    have the same handsome figure? Huh! How could she say they''re strong? They are all stocky and


    rough men. How dare shepare them with me?''


    "Why are you so upset? Your voice is deafening. What''s wrong with my soldier boys? Do they annoy


    you? Then you shouldn''t despise them. I''m a soldier, you know. And I know they''re all better and hotter


    than you!" Daisy raised her eyebrows and smiled. It was better to make him irritated now. So she would


    not feel embarrassed.


    "Daisy! Are you trying to make me angry?" Edward said, narrowing his dangerous eyes. He gnashed


    his teeth and looked at Daisy. She was smiling gracefully. ''Do I really look so bad? So now I''m the one


    being teased. That''s fine. But she had the insolence, the arrogance to say that the soldiers are hotter


    than me. I need to teach her a good lesson. She''s constantly testing my limits.'' Edward thought. ''She


    needs to know when to stop.''

 Chapter 188 A Tragic Couple

    Chapter 188 A Tragic Couple


    Daisy smiled cleverly and pushed Edward''s slightly exposed chest. When the furious man fell into the


    chair, Daisy''s eyebrows curled, and she quickly pressed her soft lips onto Edward''s, which were still


    trembling out of anger. She softly bit on them as retribution for his cranky noisy yelling.


    Edward didn''t expect a 180 degree turn would suddenlye from her, and waspletely lost before


    he felt the sharp sting on his lips. He knew exactly what hisdy was doing, and it seemed that his wife


    had known his temperament pretty well. She knew what she had do to immediately calm him down.


    But what was she doing now? ''Is this woman''s Chinese zodiac a dog? Why would she bite me like


    this? Does she subconsciously consider this a kiss?'' Thought Edward. If that was the case, then he


    would have to teach her to do it properly.


    Edward changed from being passive, to being active. He held Daisy by the back of her head, and fire


    suddenly burned gleaming in his eyes. He chased after her delicate tongue, and absorbed every drop


    of her scent and taste. His kiss was forceful yet tender, and their initial passion had now be a


    romantic intertwining, a rush, a gentle savoring of the senses. He showed Daisy what a kiss should


    truly feel like, definitely not a frantic series of random bites.


    Their passion had quickly heated up, and Daisy was no longer biting Edward; instead, her tongue was


    forced to twirl with Edward''s, and her breath lost its rhythm. Her weakened body leaned against his,


    and for the moment, Daisy entirely forgot who and where she was. It was an abandonment of herself,


    and the perceptive Edward quickly and carefully exploit it.


    Following the extended kiss, Edward reluctantly pulled back from her fiery lips, but if they had been in a


    better ce, and at a better time, he would have never let her go so easily. For the time being, he was


    just exacting his interest. The full debt would be paidter that night, when he could show her what a


    perfect body looked like. He wanted to dispel all of her aversions.


    "Wild little kitty, are you trying to turn my lips off?" Edward stroked his slightly aching lips, and curiously


    looked at the petite wife in his arms. The woman was surely bold, because she had dared to make out


    with him so passionately right outside the gates of the military base. Wasn''t she afraid that the others


    would see them? A military vehicle had passed by them earlier, and its passengers had shown quite an


    inquisitive look.


    "For all that yelling, I''ll bite as much as I want to!" Daisy hated her unrestrained self, and red at


    Edward with slight embarrassment, but she didn''t take her hands off his bare pecks even when she


    retorted.


    "Haha! My wife turns out to be a little puppy! How did I not know of this before?" Edward held her waist,


    and humorously rubbed his forehead against hers.


    "Yes! My zodiac is the dog. What about it? Bite me!" Daisy pouted, provocatively staring at Edward who


    found her angry look to be unbelievably attractive.


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    "You started this. What? You want to y dress-up today?" Edward was experienced, and he would


    never be at a disadvantage in love and romance. Moreover, the lovelydy was right in his arms in a


    pose that was pretty enticing. There was no way that he would pass on this.


    He swiftly moved to tear open her top.


    "Hmmm... Edward Mu, are you crazy?" Daisy moved from his arms, angrily staring at the shameless


    man in front of her. It seemed that she was not into the dress-up idea at all! They were right outside of


    the military base, and he wanted to move things a step forward...


    "Honey, you''re the one who asked me to bite! What''s wrong with listening to my wife?" Edward made


    an aggrieved expression, as if he were the victim, which made Daisy want to p him across his corny


    face.


    "I must be crazy to let you bite me, and now I''m clear-headed, so don''t put up the pitiful act with me. I


    know very well what you''re thinking about, just excuses for your shameless lechery." Daisy


    straightened her wrinkled clothes and side-eyed Edward, finding his actions despicable. Although she


    was the one who started making out with him, Edward wanted to take things one step further.


    "Colonel Ouyang, you''re falsely using an honest man! I am aw-abiding model citizen, and I''ve


    always obeyed the Party, so how can I make any excuses? It doesn''t fit my character!" Edward also sat


    up straight, and reset his seat to its original position. ''She started all of this, why should I take the


    me for it?'' He thought.


    "Humph! You? A model citizen? You look exactly like one of those immoral businessmen. If you lived in


    the time before the Liberation, you would probably have been a sycophantic and bullyingndlord, who


    exploited the hard-earned money of theboring popce." Daisy scolded him, raising her eyebrows in


    contempt.


    "Hey, Colonel Ouyang, did you forget who you are? If I was andlord, then you, as my wife, would


    have been thendy." Edwardughed wickedly, eager to see how Daisy would defend herself.


    "Screw you, don''t piece me in with you! Even if somehow I had the misfortune of indeed bing a


    landy, I still would do my duty as a soldier, and still would fight dirty profiteers like you to the end."


    Daisy then smartly put on her military cap, mocking Edward.


    Edward was dumbfounded. The woman knew how to shut his naturally arrogant ass down. He had


    always been proud of his powerful position, yet in her words, it sounded worthless.


    "Haha! I''m not afraid. Even if I were dragged into a struggle session, you wouldn''t be spared. We''d then


    be a tragic couple!" Hopeless, Edward shook his head andughed. Everybody else would kill for


    any kind of connection with him, yet Daisy rejected him in the bluntest of ways. She said, "Who''d want


    to be a tragic couple with you? If you''re brought to a struggle session, I would be the one to report


    you. The goal is to draw a clear line between someone like me, and a profiteer like you." Daisy


    remembered the luxury cars in Edward''s garage, and automatically curled her lips out of resentment.


    She had had enough of this guy. Why did he have to buy so many luxury cars? Was he going to drive


    them all?

 Chapter 189 I Dont Know Them

    Chapter 189 I Don''t Know Them


    "Honey, c''mon, don''t be so cruel, I''m your husband. How can you have the heart to do that to me?"


    asked Edward. He fastened Daisy''s safety belt and then gently kissed her on her forehead. Then he


    buckled up himself, smiled at her, and slowly started the car.


    Daisy blushed a little, and thought, ''Is it really necessary to say so many sweet words?'' He did all kinds


    of thoughtful things for her as he joked. How could she not love such a tender man like him?


    "I told you that Mark would drive me home. Why did youe?" The question was eventually raised,


    the one that Daisy had been dying to ask. She now evaded his yful tone on purpose.


    "Didn''t somebody say she missed me? I rushed here to let you see me. Aren''t you moved?" While


    holding the steering wheel, Edward nced sidelong at her, half yful, and half serious. He looked


    both charming and mischievous.


    "Yes, I am. I''m so moved that I put myself in a perilous position, like a sheep falling straight into the


    tiger''s mouth." Although Daisy was happy inside, she acted otherwise.


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    "Wait a second. Honey, didn''t you say that you were a dog? How did you be a sheep all of a


    sudden?" Edward was much more eloquent, and it seemed he had a reply ready for everything she


    was throwing at him. Daisy was annoyed.


    "Are you driving the damn car or correcting me?" Daisy cursed whenever she was pissed off. ''Why


    does this guy have to take everything so seriously? Can''t he just humor me for once?'' she thought.


    "Fine. Seriously now, are you going to see the Ouyangs tonight?" Edward asked cautiously, and


    observed her expression. This was the first time that he had ever mentioned of her family.


    Hearing his question, Daisy was in a daze for a second. Did the family still have anything to do with


    her? No! So many years past, she had epted the fact that she was no longer a member of the


    family, although it still hurts to think about it.


    "What Ouyangs? I don''t know them, and please don''t mention them anymore. I have nothing to do with


    them." Daisy''s face darkened all of a sudden. She didn''t know why Edward had brought the issue up.


    She no longer belonged to the family the minute she had been thrown out of the house.


    Edward was dumbfounded at her reply. He had guessed that she didn''t get along with her family, but he


    hadn''t expected her to react like that. Sensing her mncholy, he didn''t know what to say.


    After a period of silence, Edward couldn''t help but ask again, "At least can you tell me why?" The issue


    had been puzzling him for a long time.


    "Can I say no? You''ll be the first one to know, someday, when I''m ready," said Daisy. Her heart was


    heavy. White pors shed past them outside the window. She looked at them through the window,


    lost deep in thought.


    Her home? It had been the warmest ce in the world for her when her mom was alive, but since she


    passed away, it had gradually be a living hell. Nevertheless, she had chosen to stay, not because


    of the rest of her family, but because she could still recall the beautiful memories she had had with her


    mother there.


    But in the end, she had resolutely left the family, with nothing, because of his one single sentence. She


    gave up the dearest thing that she had cherished, to be strong for him.


    Had she ever regretted this? Yes, she had. When she was sacrificing herself, but he didn''t cared at all;


    when she was by their sick son''s bedside, and he was dating other women; when she was missing


    him, but he didn''t even remember that she existed, she was devoured by remorse.


    But she knew that she could never go back after that. In the eyes of the other members of her family,


    maybe she no longer even existed. She was grateful that, although she had been treated badly, to


    some people, she was the only biological daughter of the Ouyang Family. That was why she had been


    able to approach Edward in the first ce.


    However, he didn''t love her back then. He even hated her, because he thought that she had been


    scheming against him. She indeed had married him for some purpose-to find a harbor where her heart


    could anchor, the heart that loved him deeply.


    The words he said to her that morning had hurt her more than when she had to leave her own family.


    Back then, she had no choice but to ept the fact that he didn''t love her, and that she couldn''t force


    him to fall in love with her. She had to leave him, and her heart broke every time she recalled his anger


    at her.


    Edward didn''t pursue the question. He looked sideways at Daisy. He didn''t know what had made her so


    sad, or what Daisy was thinking about. At that moment, she looked even colder than usual.


    Edward was worried that they might go back to square one. Why did the Ouyangs make her mood


    swing so abruptly? What had he missed?


    His heart ached to watch her like that, and he wished he would be able to work out all the puzzles and


    find out where her sadness hade from.


    The phone rang, and the silence broke. Edward frowned, and picked up his phone in the front of the


    car. It was an unknown number. It was weird, because unknown numbers had hardly called him until


    then. Who was it?


    Daisy turned around, and asked, "Won''t you answer it?" She was bothered, because the ringtone had


    interrupted her meditation.


    "Um, yeah, right away." Edward had thought to hang up, but he was afraid that it might produce a


    misunderstanding, and that Daisy might think he was hiding something from her.

 Chapter 190 Do You Mind About Them

    Chapter 190 Do You Mind About Them


    Edward hesitated for a moment, but answered the call with a frown. There was even a touch of irritation


    on his face.


    "Hello! Who''s it?" asked Edward. He had always spoken in amanding manner, and his tone


    sounded very unfriendly, and harsh.


    "Edward, it''s me, Mary. The party is just about to start, I called you to ask when will you be arriving."


    Mary held her breath and exchanged nces with Yakira, who was standing beside her.


    "Oh! Miss Ouyang, I''m sorry, but I''m caught with some other matters at home. It seems that I will be


    unable to attend to your party. I''m sorry for disappointing you." Edward took a nce at Daisy, and


    looked a little concerned. Daisy had shifted her attention from the scenery out of the window to Edward


    when she heard him say "Miss Ouyang." She curiously gazed at his face, trying to find some sort of


    clues.


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    "Ah! That''s a pity! But really, don''t you have some time at all? My parents and I are looking forward to


    youring," said Mary, with a downcast look. Even the exquisite makeup on her face couldn''t cover


    her sudden gloom.


    "Sorry, and please send my deepest apology to your parents, but I promise to visit them on another


    day." Although he didn''t know what had happened between her and Daisy, Mary was still Daisy''s family,


    and he acted very politely.


    "Okay. That''s fine then," replied Mary. Her eyes raged with fury, and she thought, ''Some matters at


    home? I guess Daisy was the one who ruined my n. That damn maid! I was pped by herst


    time, but I haven''t gotten the chance to revenge myself on her, yet. I didn''t expect that she would offend


    me so soon. Let''s wait and see how long she can keep being socent. Now that Edward has a


    love child, and even better, that Jessica is also pregnant with his child. Does she really think she can


    stay Edward''s wife for good?'' thought Mary.


    As soon as Mary hung up the phone, Yakira eagerly asked her, "What''s going on? What did Edward


    say?" This woman was a timeserver, and she looked very cruel from her appearance.


    "He said that he won''te, because he has some matters to deal with at home. Mom, I don''t care


    what happens, you and dad must help me at all costs, I''m determined to marry Edward!" Mary pleaded


    while shaking her mother''s arm, and the more Edward refused her, the stronger she felt that she must


    get him.


    Yakira said, "Okay, I will help you. It was all because of Edward''s mother, who appointed Daisy to be


    her daughter-inw a few years ago, that this mess happened, or otherwise, I would have never


    allowed Daisy to marry him. Now that his mother isn''t here anymore, this time I''ll certainly whip up a


    good n, and help you." Her face was covered with thick powders, and it twisted while she talked,


    showing the greatest degree of vulgarity and ugliness in the world.


    "Thank you, mom! I know you''re the best mom in the world!" said Mary, while embracing her mother.


    Both the daughter and mother were excited about the beautiful prospect that they had already


    imagined in their minds, and didn''t have the slightest feeling of shame for trying to steal another


    woman''s husband.


    Initially, Daisy was very confused when she heard Edward saying ''Miss Ouyang, '' butter she felt


    relieved. They all lived in the same city, and it would be impossible for them not to have anymon


    connections.


    "Don''t you want to ask me something about the call?" asked Edward. He had thought that she would


    rebuke him, because she had been reluctant to speak about her family. Instead, she only seemed to be


    a little surprised about the call, and continued to watch the scenery outside. She didn''t even look at


    him.


    "No, I don''t have any questions. I''m not as mean as you think, I can ept this." Daisy didn''t think that


    she was an unreasonable person. Although at first she was not sure if the woman who had called


    Edward was Mary, her hunch waster confirmed by just looking in his eyes.


    "Okay, okay, my wife is pretty cool. You live up to your name, as the youngest and most capable female


    officer in S City," said Edward. He didn''t care about the ridicule in her tone, and had made the banter


    purposely to reduce the tension in the air.


    "Of course I am, I''m a Colonel. If I''m not capable of standing all of this, then how could I have agreed


    with your proposal before in the first ce?" said Daisy. She knew that Edward teased her just to shift


    her attention off these things. She didn''t want to let other people spoil her good mood, so she followed


    with his topic.


    "So you''re gambling on me?" asked Edward with a frown on his face, disapproving what she said. It


    made him feel that she was using him just to challenge the others.


    "Yes. You have many women around you; isn''t that definitely a gamble?" It was the first time that Daisy


    had mentioned of the women around him. The women she was referring to included the women that he


    had had in the past, and the women that he would have in the future. Because Daisy felt that it was


    pretty hard to read Edward''s mind, and really didn''t know what he would do next.


    "Do you mind about them?" he asked. Edward turned his head at Daisy and took a nce at her. He


    didn''t know how to exin himself to her for his decadent lifestyle in the past, because he had even


    forgotten that he was already a married man at the time.


    "If I say I don''t mind, will you believe me?" Daisy sneered with self-mockery. In reality, not only did she


    mind, but she was also very jealous, and couldn''t bear the thought that the woman standing beside her


    husband and leaning in his arms was not her. If she had given up all of her love for him, she wouldn''t


    have cared a bit about what he did with other women, but the case was the opposite, and she loved


    him very much. Truth to be told, after taking her majestic uniform off, she was just anothermon


    woman.


    "Yes, I''ll believe you." Edward also sneered. ''It seems that she doesn''t love me, or otherwise she would


    have minded about my past affairs. Am I destined to be kept out of her heart and wait in agony?''


    thought Edward.


    Daisy also was very surprised of Edward''s reply. ''What did he mean with that? Does he really think that


    I don''t mind?'' thought Daisy.


    Their conversation had gone into a verbal stalemate. They thought oppositely, and guessed how much


    they weighed in each others'' hearts. Nevertheless, they were reluctant to disclose their true feelings to


    each other.


    The exorbitant appearance of the car added color to the bustling city, making it look fancier and


    More sophisticated. The sunset glow fell on the car and reflected a radiant light. Their sweet and gentle


    moment had be a thing of the past, and now there was only silence between them.


    Meanwhile, in Edward''s cottage, the ce had been filled with Justin''s excitement for Mark''s arrival. In


    the military base, Mark was the one who had cared about him the most besides his mother. Justin was


    only a child, and his mind was very simple, and because of that he would often get close to the people


    who were nice to him. He and Mark were friends.


    Although Mark had been prepared to see the grandeur of the ce, when he actually saw the vastnd


    upied by Edward''s house, he was still overwhelmed, and not to mention his expression on his face


    when he saw that the garage was filled with famous luxury cars from all around the world. He was


    bbergasted by everything!

 Chapter 191 The Immortal Fighter

    Chapter 191 The Immortal Fighter


    Justin smiled delightedly, and said, "Uncle Mark, what takes you so long toe to see me?" He was


    always pleased to see his uncle Mark dressed in the olive green uniform. He began to miss the days he


    had spent with his uncles in the military base. He didn''t know if the old Commander had assigned too


    much work to his mom after his leave, but he was sure that she could prove to be a match for


    everything his cunning would throw at her. And about Lieutenant Colonel Hank, Justin also wondered


    whether he was still picking at his mother constantly.


    "I trained with your mom. And shortly after we returned from our training, we began to busy ourselves


    again with the military exercises. Haven''t you noticed that your mother was very busy thesest couple


    of days?


    Anyway, the worst thing was that Hank asked your mother to fight one-on-one with him, even though


    he knew that your mom was already wounded. It scared me half to death!" While he was talking, Mark


    was looking everywhere around the living room, and although Daisy had already asked him to feel at


    home, everything around him still seemed to be a little bit too luxurious for him to handle. He pretended


    to be calm and rxed, because, thanks to Daisy and the long periods of time that he had spent with


    her, over time, Mark had managed to learn some sort of indifference to everything from her.


    "What? That snakemitted some acts of hubris to mom again? Is my mom okay?" Justin was upset


    when he heard this. Although the wound wasn''t that serious, the stitches still could''ve split.


    "Um! The wound reopened, and your mom went to the infirmary to get new stitches..." Mark still felt


    frightened when he thought of this. The procedure involved pulling out the old sutures, reducing the


    inmmation and disinfecting it again, which all sounded to be very painful. The sweat that hade


    from Daisy''s face had been enough proof for it.


    "Damn! Why is that man so stubborn? What about Uncle Kevin? Didn''t he help to mediate?" Justin


    knew his mom very well. His mother never backed down when people offended her, and always


    epted the challenge with pride.


    "Kevin didn''t know about it only until they finished their match," replied Mark. He had never treated


    Justin as an ordinary child, because Justin''s sense of strategy was even tougher than his. That was


    why Daisy reported everything to Justin.


    "And? What happened? Was Hank put down?" Justin was well aware of Lieutenant Colonel Hank''s


    power, but he only had the guts to offend his mother because of his highly ced connections.


    "Yes! Your mother won all rounds! It made me feel like Hank asked for it, and that he enjoyed torturing


    himself. If that''s not the case, then why would he challenge your mother every time just to lose?" Mark


    didn''t understand why Lieutenant Colonel Hank did this again and again. Sometimes, he even admired


    his strong resilience.


    "He is an indestructible cockroach, he lives for taking beatings from people. He can''t survive without


    them," snorted Justin, disgusted by Lieutenant Colonel Hank.


    Mark was too simple to understand what Justin meant. "Why?" he asked.


    "He needs to blow off steam! Narrow-minded people like him could die from depression if they can''t get


    their fix." Like an adult would do, Justin was analyzing Hank''s odd behavior, which amazed Mark. This


    weird scene was captured by Daisy and Edward when they came in.


    "Mom! You''re here! Let me see your wound!" Justin dashed to Daisy instead of Edward, with a frowning


    and worried look painted on his childish face.


    Edward said nothing but nodded to Mark, and then thoughtfully turned to look at the two most important


    people in the world in front of him.


    "Um... It''s fine, the pain is all gone," said Daisy, while touching Justin''s face. In front of her son, Daisy


    was always agreeable, tender and full of love, the opposite of the indifferent and distant Daisy from


    work.


    "It''s not fine! You had to have it stitched again, and you knew that Hank was not a good man! Why did


    you still fight him?" Mark didn''t mention this, but Justin knew that Lieutenant Colonel Hank would


    certainly not miss any opportunity to exploit his mom''s weaknesses. No wonder that he was never


    considered for promotion. How could a military base trust a guy like him?


    When Edward heard this, he quickly held Daisy''s injured arm and carefully checked on it. His


    handsome face was stricken with remorse when he didn''t see the original bandaging on the wound, but


    he realized something then, and more exactly, which was why Daisy hadn''t fallen in love with him. He


    hadn''t given her enough attention, and he thought that he knew her, but in reality, he couldn''t even


    notice the details shining on the surface. How could he ever manage to win Daisy''s heart?


    Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "What happened? Why did you get stitched again? And who the hell is Hank?" asked Edward. He


    seemed to be gloomy not only on the outside, but also on the inside, his heart was filled with an


    endless mncholy when he heard that she suffered again.


    "I''m okay, I just wasn''t careful with the wound. Lieutenant Colonel Hank is a hell of a guy!" Daisy didn''t


    want to see the morose look on Edward''s face, which made her feel somehow sad, and she made a


    joke to cheer up the people. Mark was shocked at her joke, and thought to himself, ''Is she really our


    colonel?'' He had never seen the wicked side of Daisy in the army, not until now.


    "Pff! Mom, judging from what he did to you, and dad''s reaction, I don''t think so. I don''t think he''s a bit


    nice." There were two reasons to exin why a soldier couldn''t be up for promotion in the army


    anymore. The first one was that he had reached the top, and the second was that he couldn''t live up to


    that standard of life. Lieutenant Colonel Hank couldn''t get promoted because of the second.


    "Justin, don''t discredit people! After all, he is much older than you., and you should respect him!" said


    Daisy, with a cold expression written on her face. No matter what Lieutenant Colonel Hank had done to


    her, she didn''t want it to affect Justin and stir up rancor deep inside him, because this was not helpful


    for his growing up.

 Chapter 192 The Anger of Colonel Ouyang

    Chapter 192 The Anger of Colonel Ouyang


    Edward looked at his wife with curious eyes, because he didn''t know what her true character was truly


    like. Was she too kind, or maybe too rational, that she seldom lost her temper in every situation? Being


    kind was good, but sometimes it could also cause you trouble, because others would find you a softie,


    and begin to harass you.


    "Okay! Mom, I understand, and I''m very sorry. Please forgive me," apologized Justin in a low voice. He


    instantly recognized his mother''s angry face, and Justin hastened to say sorry; otherwise, push-ups


    would wait for him as his punishment.


    "Justin, you''re a boy, and should be more broad-minded. Don''t hold grudges against others just


    because of a mere trifle, or otherwise, you''re just as bad as those who have hurt you." Daisy began to


    moderate her tone, but it was still harsh enough to show Justin that he did something wrong.


    "Okay, okay, cut it out! It''s the first time that Mark hase to visit us, and I''m sure that he''s not here


    for your criticism. Let''s leave, so that Justin and he can have some fun." Justin nced at Edward with


    sad eyes, a hint asking Edward to get him out of trouble, but Edward wasn''t sure whether his words


    would work or not. Daisy seemed to be in a really bad mood.


    She frowned, and stopped focusing on Justin. She then turned around and gave Mark a piercing stern


    look, because she was sure that Mark had told her son everything that had happened in the military


    base; otherwise, Justin wouldn''t have known so many details.


    Mark backed up a few steps, startled by the angry look Daisy projected on him. Whenever those angry


    eyes appeared, it meant that she was really mad at him, and that he would be severely punished


    during their drill training. ''Justin, you''re killing me!'' thought Mark to himself.


    It wasn''t the first time that Daisy had caught Mark red-handed. She squinted at him, and said, "Mark, I


    have no idea you could be such a gossip! You''ve been at my home for such a short time and have


    already talked something about me behind my back. I wonder whose apanying officer you are,


    mine, or Justin''s?"


    "Mommy! Please don''t be mad at Mark. He didn''t tell me anything, I begged him to," said Justin. He


    knew that he was near trouble himself, but he still wanted to defend Mark.


    "Don''t worry, because both of you will be duly punished. Now, listen to me! Attention! Mark, 100 push-


    ups for you, and Justin, 50. Now, go to the garden, and no dinner before you finish," ordered Daisy,


    with a stone-cold face. She had to punish them to make them know that what they had done was


    wrong.


    Edward looked at Justin and Mark with his mouth opened as they ran towards the garden. ''Oh, God! I


    knew she is in a bad mood today, I just knew it. Even my words failed to work their charm on her. They


    even made things worse...'' thought Edward.


    "Well... I think that maybe you are too hard on them. After all, it is the first time that Mark visits us, and


    you just gave them a corporal punishment. Is that really okay?" spoke Edward carefully. He knew how


    his wife was when she was mad.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    "You don''t agree on how I deal with this gossip thing? Maybe I should have given you the corporal


    punishment first." It seemed weird that such a cutting remark coulde out of Daisy''s mouth.


    Actually, she had been fidgeting around all the time since she heard the name Ouyang. She was


    worried that something bad was going to happen, and then came the gossip thing, and her bad mood


    fueled up even more, and she naturally took it out on poor Justin and Mark.


    Edward touched the tip of his nose, and realized that his wife was vicious when she was furious. He


    thought that he''d better get out of there fast. Going upstairs to take a shower seemed to be a good way


    to escape. Otherwise, he would be her next target.


    "I''m pretty satisfied with my figure, and I don''t think I need to work out. You guys go on without me. I''m


    going up to take a shower." Edward nced at the two in the garden and then hurried upstairs. He


    wasn''t interested in any working out, unless it was done on the bed.


    ''Oh! If Daisy knows what I''m thinking about, she''ll punish me just as hard as she did on Justin and


    Mark. Pfew, it''s a good thing that I run away so fast, '' thought Edward to himself.


    Looking around the empty living room, Daisy cooled down and used her fingers to massage her


    throbbing temple. She then went upstairs following Edward, and then frowned again after entering the


    bedroom. There were dirty clothes strewn all across the floor; she sighed, because she had no other


    choice but to pick them up one by one. She forgot to tell her spoon-fed husband that the dirtyundry


    should always be put into the hamper, because it seemed that she should be the one to be med for


    the mess.


    Edward was taking a cold shower, and was standing still under the running water with one of his palms


    against the wall. His mind was in turmoil, because so many things worried him: hispany''s


    business, Jessica''s sudden pregnancy, and the weird actions of the Ouyang family. It seemed that he


    had been caught in a whirlpool of trouble.


    Edward wiped away the water from his face and turned off the shower head. He then put on a white


    bathrobe, but when he stepped out of the bathroom, he was a little shocked because he ran into Daisy.


    He didn''t expect that she would go up after him, because usually, during the daytime, she preferred to


    stay in the living room.


    Daisy frowned when she saw that his wet hair was dripping water on the floor, but she didn''t say


    anything about it, and instead walked into the bathroom, confusing him even more. Edward asked


    himself, ''Is she ignoring me on purpose to try to tell me that she''s angry?''


    "Come here and sit down." Daisy took a bath towel and pointed at a chair, beckoning him to sit down.


    Edward was then at a loss for what to do next...


    Even though he didn''t know what she was getting at, he did what he was told. He knew that Daisy was


    in a pretty bad mood, and thought that for the moment it would be better not to do anything against her


    wishes.


    When the soft towel touched his skin, Edward finally learnt what his wife was trying to do all along. He


    was relieved when he felt her warm fingers running through his wet hair. Edward smiled, because he


    knew that Daisy really cared about him.


    She slowly dried his shiny hair. Edward was sought by every woman in the world, because he was very


    handsome.


    Daisy said, "Don''t leave your dirty clothes on the floor from now on, okay? I''ll be mad at you if that ever


    happens again." It was easy to dry his hair because he wore it short. Edward usually didn''t bother to


    dry it, and instead walked around with it soaking wet, dripping water


    everywhere.

 Chapter 193 It Feels Nice To Have You At My Side

    Chapter 193 It Feels Nice To Have You At My Side


    "Honey, you''re bribing me!" Edward turned and took her in his arms. Drops of water beaded on his


    naked skin. He looked hot and fascinating.


    "What if I am? Is it working?" Daisy blushed to see his bare chest, although she had seen it before.


    "Since my dear wife asked, consider it done." Edward teased her. She blushed readily. Every time they


    got intimate, her face reddened.


    "Edward, it feels nice to have you at my side," Daisy said in a barely audible voice. Too embarrassed to


    meet his eyes, she buried her face in his arms, and immersed herself in the scent of jasmine on his


    body.


    Edward didn''t hear her. He embraced her with his chin on her head. He enjoyed it and loved her even


    more.


    Came evening, they had a nice dinner. As Daisy''s retinue, Mark had to stick around. He had already


    packed a travel bag (at Daisy''s suggestion) with a toothbrush, razor, etc. and slept in the guest room.


    Justin loved this arrangement, because he would have one more ymate. He had fun that evening,


    unlike Leena. The proposal was never far from her thoughts, and she kept turning it over and over


    again in her mind.


    Thinking of the next day''s arrangement, Leena sighed. Kevin''s proposal was tempting, but she was


    uncertain about marrying a stranger.


    She knew nothing about him, such as his family, his age; did he like someone? On the other hand, she


    was attracted to the personal space he had promised her. She''d be free to do whatever she wanted.


    ''Damn! What should I do? Whatever I choose, there are drawbacks!''


    She looked again at the note Kevin had left her that night, but to find that the more she looked at it, the


    more she wavered. She jumped on the bed and scratched her head, hoping an answer woulde to


    her. Then she exhaled deeply, got to her feet and started walking outside. But she bumped into


    someone at the door.


    "What are you rushing for?" Duke held her and asked coldly.


    "Oops, brother, why are you downstairs?" Leena made a funny face and hugged him. She felt warm


    and safe in his arms.


    "When are you going back to France to finish school?" Duke didn''t push her away. She always acted


    like a spoiled child in front of Duke. He was used to it.


    "Brother, I don''t want to go back there. I want to stay and help you with your wedding ceremony."


    Actually, Leena''s graduation was close. She was in an internship. She needed to email her instructor


    the design drafts on a regr basis. But she didn''t tell her brother about it, because she was worried


    that she might be forbidden to go outside and have fun.


    "You''d better go to France first. Belinda likes things to be simple, so the ceremony won''t be


    complicated. You''ll just be in the way." Duke said as he stroked her hair, with softness in his eyes.


    He had thought an arrogant woman as Belinda would love a special wedding. He didn''t understand


    why she had chosen a simple ceremony. Was it because of him? Or because she really was fond of


    smooth and straightforward events?


    "But I want to stay in the city. It''s so much fun." In France, there was someone who had broken Leena''s


    heart, although she wasn''t sure whether it was love or not. She hadn''t thought of him once ever since


    she came home. She doubted she would ever remember him if Duke hadn''t brought France up.


    "It''s not up to you. I have to send you away before you get into serious trouble." Duke knew her too well


    to let her have her way. Just because so many people loved her in her family, she thought she could be


    irresponsible. Someone would take care of her mess, no matter how big it was.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    "Brother, don''t send me away. I promise I''ll behave myself and keep out of trouble." Leena pleaded,


    with her arms around Duke''s neck.


    "Decision''s already been made," Duke said firmly. This time she had made a mistake with Belinda and


    him, what if it were someone else? Would they let it go easily?


    "If you keep pushing me, I''ll find someone and get married tomorrow!" Leena yelled.


    "Really? If you can, I won''t mind." Dukeughed. He thought she was bluffing. ''I''ll wait and see how you


    will find a man to marry you overnight.''


    "Brother, remember what you just said! Promise me that you won''t send me to France if I get married


    tomorrow." Leena made up her mind to marry Kevin. Duke had driven her to it. ''Marrying a stranger is


    no big deal! Maybe it will be exciting. After all, he is a handsome young military officer.''


    "A bargain is a bargain. But if you cheat, the deal is off." Duke smiled. Evidently, he didn''t believe she


    would be able to get married the next day.


    And he would never believe that it was his words that helped Leena make up her mind. How would he


    react when he found out? It would be interesting to find out!

 Chapter 194 Youre About My Uncles Age

    Chapter 194 You''re About My Uncle''s Age


    Kevin was dressed to kill, in full military uniform, with order insignias and full-size medals. This was the


    kind of thing typically worn at ceremonies, official receptions, and other special asions. Early this


    morning, he drove out of the military base. He had gotten everything ready yesterday. And the only


    thing he could do right now was to wait for Leena to tell him of her decision. He took a deep breath and


    waited for her expectantly.


    He thought, ''I know it''s moving too fast. We only know each others'' names. We don''t know each other


    well, nor have we been introduced to one another''s families. Is she the one for me? Am I the one for


    her? But who cares? I''ll leave it up to fate.''


    It was still early when he arrived at the Civil Affairs Bureau. There were several couples in line in front


    of him. And as he expected, no sign of Leena. He thought, ''I''m not sure if she''sing or not. But I


    promised that I''d wait for her the whole day. I intend to keep that promise.''


    People came to the Civil Affairs Bureau in pairs, but he was alone. People stared at him curiously, but


    he didn''t care. He tried to ignore all the inquisitive nces, stared at a spot on the wall and lost himself


    in thought.


    Time was ticking away. He let other couples go ahead of him and smiled back when they expressed


    their gratitude. He stared at the entryway, as if waiting for Leena to appear.


    Leena overslept and totally forgot what she was supposed to do today. She took her time brushing her


    teeth, washing up and having breakfast. After that, she plopped herself down and began browsing the


    net. She had several tabs open, including thetest fashion updates and fashion shows she might want


    to go to. She saw a wedding-themed set and it reminded her. It was almost 2 PM! Startled, she jumped


    to her feet and got changed in a hurry. She rushed downstairs with her ID card and the Book of


    Registered Permanent Residence which she stole from her daddyst night.


    Driving a red Porsche, Leena pushed the pedal to the metal. She felt anxious and thought, ''I know he


    promised, but is he even still waiting for me? I''m sote! Marrying him is the only way to avoid being


    sent to Paris by Mr. Cold. I have to jump on this chance.''


    Kevin stretched his sore legs and mocked himself. He thought, '' She must have cold feet! Well, if I were


    her, I wouldn''t marry so young. I must be insane to think she would. Maybe I have too much faith in


    myself. God seems to have made the final decision for me because he despises my secret love for


    Daisy.''


    Having waited for her for a whole morning and much of the afternoon, he still was patient and calm. But


    deep in his heart, he had lost hope. Now, he just waited there, quietly, and put all hopes out of his mind.


    Just let it be!


    His concentration was shattered by the shriek of tires. Kevin looked around and saw a red Porsche


    parked beside his Hummer. Then a woman jumped out of the car in such a hurry that she even forgot


    to lock the car door.


    When he recognized her, he smiled sincerely, and thought, ''There she is. It''s a bitte, but she''s here.


    That''s all that matters.''


    Leena recognized Kevin at first sight. No one else would be wearing that eye-catching military uniform,


    and that slender figure belonged to him alone.


    "Sorry, I forgot." apologized Leena. One of her merits was honesty. Most of the time, she told the truth.


    Out of breath, she now carefully watched his face to gauge his reaction.


    "It''s OK. Let''s go inside!" replied Kevin. He took her hand in his and entered the room that he had never


    set foot in, even after hours of waiting.


    The following procedures were simple: taking a photo, reading vows, and getting a marriage certificate


    with an official stamp on it. Without any hesitation, Leena waspliant. She paused to think when


    she got the red marriage certificate.


    She thought, ''From this moment on, I''m married. And he is my family now. A moment ago, we barely


    knew each other, and now we are a couple. How incredible it is to change your identity, your life, in


    such a short time.''


    Meanwhile, Kevin was happy and relieved when he held this thin marriage certificate. And he thought,


    ''I never thought this beautiful and charmingdy would marry me one day.


    Leena is my wife and I''ll take care of her from now on. My love for Daisy is in the past. It has to be. In


    fact, we need to learn to let go of someone sometimes for our own sake. Knowing that Daisy is happy


    with her family is enough for me.''


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    "Leena, is everything okay?" asked Kevin. Seeing her expression, he was amused. He caressed her


    fair face and brushed her hair away.


    "Ah! Kevin, you''re old! You''re about my uncle''s age.'''' said Leena. She frowned and thought, ''The


    difference in our ages might be a problem. Opinions, musical tastes, all of it. I hadn''t thought of that


    before...''


    "I''m not old. Just look at my handsome face. Have you ever seen it on a middle-aged man?" asked


    Kevin. He was going crazy and thought, ''As a single, rich man, I''m just ten years older than her. And


    now she has a problem with my age? Why does she look desperate? Am I that old?''


    "Well! Let me check. You have a good-looking face as well as a gorgeous body. But I''m concerned. Are


    you just eye candy, and useless in every other way?'''' asked Leena. She didn''t realize that her remarks


    got his imagination going.

 Chapter 195 Im Not Interested In Being A Widow

    Chapter 195 I''m Not Interested In Being A Widow


    "Useless? That''s not what you said the night we met. As I recall I was pretty good at it." Kevin said with


    a crooked smile, regarding Leena yfully. Leena was dumbstruck by his words. He was a devil in a


    suit. He couldn''t be more brazen, could he?


    "Er¡­ I want to go home now." Leena could feel her cheeks burning in embarrassment. If she were an


    ostrich, her head would be buried in the sand. How could all men be so wicked nowadays?


    "Let''s get lunch first. I''m starving. And we need to talk, don''t you think?" Kevin frowned. He was afraid


    he''d miss her, so he stayed where he promised he would be, waiting. Even during the lunch break he''d


    sit in his car, keeping an eye on the spot where she might appear.


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "What? Haven''t you had lunch yet?" Leena looked at him apologetically. It was all her fault. But she


    really didn''t mean it!


    "It''s fine. We can still get something to eat now. Let''s go." Kevin reached out and held her slender soft


    hand, so naturally, as if he had done it a thousand times before.


    His hand was thick and huge. Leena''s heart skipped a beat. It was the second time he took her hand


    and the feeling was so strange that she couldn''t put it into words. Her heart was warmed by the


    sensation.


    Kevin looked over Leena''s dazzling Porsche. He could see from the car that she was from a wealthy


    family. He was curious about the slings and arrows of the future. What kinds of problems mighte


    up? And would he be well-equipped to take up arms against a sea of troubles?


    They drove separately to the Mochan Restaurant. Kevin booked a private room where they could have


    a good talk. The suite was elegant and warm, as if to reflect their present mood.


    It was much earlier than dinner time when they arrived. Only a handful of people were dining there.


    Their order was served quickly and the food was appetizing.


    Kevin''s table manners were impable. Born into an elite family, he was raised in all the ways of


    courtesy. He was hungry, yet his movements were graceful and elegant throughout the meal. He might


    be a soldier, but he knew his way around a knife and fork, chopsticks and washing bowl.


    "Hey, don''t look at me like I have bad table manners." Kevin said. Leena sat opposite him and kept


    staring at him since he started to eat. He was good-looking but he knew this wasn''t the reason why. He


    was not as captivating as Edward, who could even take a man''s breath away.


    "I¡­ I was thinking, should I call you Mr. Kevin, or Kevin?" Leena was struggling with this important


    question. She was definitely not dazzled by the man''s grace.


    "Do you think anyone would call her husband ''Mr.''" Kevin rolled his eyes at Leena, almost speechless.


    What was it like in her funny little brain?


    Leena''s mouth twitched as she heard the word "husband".


    "Kevin, must I live with you on base?" Leena followed his suggestion and called him Kevin. But it was


    weird since Kevin was much older than her.


    "No. I have a duplex apartment downtown. I''ll get it furnished. We can live there." Kevin bought the


    apartment two years ago. The decoration was simple, but warm. She would love it.


    "What? A duplex apartment? Soldiers make so much money? Or do you... take bribes?" Leena gave


    him a shocked look. She couldn''t believe she married a corrupt soldier! Damn it! He would go to prison


    for this. What would she do then?


    "Don''t be silly. I make an honest living and never take bribes." Kevin said. The girl had her thoughts


    written all over her face. After all she was only a simple and innocent little girl.


    "Oh! So you get a really high sry, right?" Housing prices in the city were super high. A duplex


    apartment in the city center cost about two million dors. Of course, Edward -- the dirty businessman -


    - was behind all this. FX International Group invested almost half the houses.


    "I don''t get paid much. You''ll have my bank cardster on. I made a fortune by investing in my friend''s


    pub and bought the house. The pub is the one you went tost time." Kevin paused and cast Leena a


    yful look. The pub is where the story began. It started as a fling but led to marriage.


    "What? So you own part of that pub?" That pub was unbelievablyvish and luxurious! It was a ce


    where you would max out all your credit cards.


    "Yeah! But I just put my money into it and stay out of the operation. Soldiers can''t run businesses. It''s


    against the regs." Kevin waspletely frank with Leena about his life. She was his wife now, and he


    wouldn''t hold anything back from her.


    "Um. Will there be problems if they find out about your investment? Like suspensions or


    investigations?" Leena paused uncertainly, biting her lip. Investing was still counted as a business,


    right?


    "Good. You are worried about me already." Kevin teased her, smiling.


    "I''m not interested in being a widow." Leena curled her lips, suggesting that she was serious about this.


    "Don''t worry. You''re not going to be a widow. How could I leave my new bride?" Kevin leaned back in


    his chair, staring at her yfully.


    "I am d my ignorance amused you." Sly as Leena was, she soon realized he was teasing her.


    Kevin justughed and said nothing. He had mixed feelings about Leena and wasn''t sure how to act


    around her. It wasn''t about the age gap. It was more of a personality thing. How would she react to this


    or that? He wanted to proceed carefully until he knew.


    "Leena, tell me about your family. I want everything set up before the military exercise." As a soldier,


    Kevin never liked running away from problems. He was used to getting things done quick and clean.


    He was determined to meet her family as soon as possible.

 Chapter 196 What Should We Do Now

    Chapter 196 What Should We Do Now


    "Ah! Well... What should we do now?" Leena felt flustered. If Mr. Cold knew that she got married today,


    what would happen to her? Probably he would strangle the life out of her! Leena thought.


    "Of course you should move to my apartment first. Pack up your things tonight when you get back. I''ll


    pick you up. And about the wedding ceremony, I don''t think we have time to hold it right now. Any


    issues with this?" asked Kevin. He raised his eyebrows and gazed at her perplexed face casually. He


    thought that she was really capricious, and that was lovely.


    "What? You want me to move to your ce? He''ll kill me!" Leena said, clearly upset. She had been


    wondering how to exin this to Mr. Cold. And moving in with Kevin? That meant problems.


    "Don''t worry about your family. I''ll handle it. Just follow me to my ce. Don''t worry about anything


    else." He didn''t know what her family was like, but it sounded like she was the apple of their eyes. Her


    innocence made that extremely likely. It might take a lot to bring her home.


    "It''s a deal then. If I''m sent back to Paris, it''s your loss," said Leena. She felt delighted when she heard


    Kevin''s words. She finally found someone to face the angry storm from Mr. Cold.


    "Paris? Are you studying there?" Kevin asked with a frown. He had never considered it.


    "Yes. But I will graduate soon. The school doesn''t require us to stay there now. I only have to send


    homework to my adviser. But my brother is forcing me back to France." Leena said, sadly. She pouted.


    "So are you using me as the excuse for not going back?" Kevin sneered with self-mockery. It seemed


    that they were in this for the same reason. They were using each other to reach their goals.


    "Not really. I''ve always had a thing for soldiers. And you''re the first guy I slept with. I''m a very traditional


    girl, so I agreed to the marriage. If it was simply a matter of not going back to France, I have plenty of


    ways to get out of it." When she said those words, she blushed. She usually behaved like a wild girl,


    but when it came to an intimate rtionship, she felt very shy.


    "I should feel good about being a soldier, then. Otherwise I wouldn''t have married such a beautiful wife.


    I hope you can keep this good attitude in the days ahead. Because being the wife of a soldier is the


    picture of loneliness and solitude." said Kevin. He shifted position and there was a mischievous smile


    on his face. He wondered if she would try to back out of it now.


    "Don''t worry. I like loneliness and solitude." Leena smiled gracefully. It was good for her to be alone


    when she was creating her designs. She didn''t want to be disturbed, or she would go crazy.


    But Kevin was surprised at her words. ''Shouldn''t girls at her age want a life with a lot of fun and


    excitement? Why was she so interested in such a boring life? Did she say this tofort herself or did


    she really think differently from others?'' Kevin thought.


    It was dark when they finished dinner. Some surprises stilly ahead. He didn''t know that she was the


    daughter of the Leng family, who owned the Leng Group. He knew about the business tycoons of the


    city, and he had heard of the cold demeanor of Duke, the current CEO. He hoped that he would pass


    their tests easily.


    "I will visit your house tomorrow. Wait for me at home," said Kevin. He stared at her youthful and bright


    face, a little concerned. He wondered if he''d be able to bring her to his apartment tomorrow. It was said


    that Duke was vishly devoted to his only sister. But it was only hearsay. He was not sure whether it


    was true. But Leena was a very innocent girl, free from worldly affairs. You could see that Leena was


    protected by her family and well raised.


    "Ah! Tomorrow? So soon!" said Leena. She was a little worried. She was thinking she''d put it off until


    she finally had to face it. Tomorrow is another day, anyway.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Yes! I don''t have much time left. The military exercise is imminent and it will take a long time. So I want


    to solve everything before going. Otherwise I''d be distracted." said Kevin. He wouldn''t want to know


    everything if they were just dating. But now, she was his wife. She was connected to him. He would


    take responsibility for her.


    Although she was not the woman he loved, he would try his best to fulfill his responsibility as a


    husband and forget Daisy. It wouldn''t be easy, he''d have to do it gradually. He should just let it go. The


    fact that he was a soldier and had to make rational decisions told him that much.


    "Okay. Just be prepared for the possibility that this will end up ugly. Don''t expect that I will help you. I''m


    not sure I can get away with it by myself." Leena said with a frown. It was really scary when Duke blew


    his top.


    "Is it that scary? Who makes the decisions in your family?" There was a saying, ''If you know the enemy


    and know yourself well, you need not fear the result of any battles.'' If he could get the support from the


    most important person, the rest would be easy to deal with. Kevin thought.


    "In our family, Mr. Cold has the final say. His cold demeanor will freeze you solid. Stay strong, and don''t


    let him intimidate you. But don''t worry, my father will be on your side. He will certainly support you."


    said Leena. So now she''s helping others against Duke? Duke was her brother, she was betraying him


    now. There was another saying, ''A grown girl can''t be kept at home.'' She was proving that day by day.


    "How do you know your father will be on my side?" asked Kevin. Hearing Leena''s words, you''d think


    that he was not about to visit her family, but to fight a battle.


    "Because my father likes soldiers very much. He influenced my respect for soldiers. So he will be very


    happy to see you." Leena assured him. Her eyes shed with cunning. ''Wow! Two handsome men


    vying for me. That is exciting! I can''t wait to see what will happen.'' Leena thought. Her eyes glowed


    with eagerness as if the scene was happening before her eyes. She was so excited now.


    Looking at Leena''s expression, Kevin felt a shiver down his spine. He had an issue with how she


    talked. He really couldn''t help but wonder: ''Was she fooling me?''

 Chapter 197 Miss Jessica, Please Have A Little Self-Respect

    Chapter 197 Miss Jessica, Please Have A Little Self-Respect


    It was dark. The streetmps flickered. A Lamborghini was whirling on the streets of S City. Edward


    sneered. ''Coco, huh? You are too raw to y dirty with me!''


    The car turned and halted at Sexy World. Edward stepped out of the car like a tyrant. He raised his


    head to look at the enticing neonmp-lit bar and then frowned at it. The sneer remained on the corner


    of his lips.


    He walked in. Even the filthy ambiance of the ce couldn''t undermine his elegance. His shirt swirled


    in the summer wind, making him even more enchanting.


    He remained courteous till the time he stepped into the box. When he saw Jessica in the box, a frosty


    look crawled over his face. ''Jessica, you are really involved. You take yourself too seriously!''


    "Hi, Edward." Jessica hurried toward Edward like a moth to a me. She couldn''t wait to throw herself


    into Edward''s arms. Edward pushed her away gently. He walked straight to the sofa and sat down. He


    looked at Coco grimly. Coco had demanded to see him and he was here now. He had nothing to hide.


    "Go ahead! Why did you want to see me?" He asked while sluggishly rocking his crossed legs. He


    didn''t look at Coco anymore but gazed at his phone''s screen which was a photo of Daisy clicked by


    him.


    "Mr. Edward, do you always dishonor the artists of your ownpany?" Although Coco was more


    attractive than Jessica, she failed to capture Edward''s interest. Edward despised such women who


    were arrogantly and regarded themselves as superstars.


    "I have always cared about my employees. Why do you think I dishonor them?" Edward raised his


    head to squint at Coco but found that Jessica had moved over and was sitting next to him now. Edward


    lost his patience instantly.


    "Director Clint Lu forced me into casting couch. If you really care about your employees, how did it


    happen? If you care about me then why don''t you give me an exnation!" Coco adored the man


    sitting in front of her. She had acted arrogant to attract Edward''s attention. But he didn''t notice her and


    Coco felt frustrated. Besides, her cousin Jessica also liked Edward, so Coco gave up atst, although it


    wasn''t easy.


    "An exnation? You think I don''t know that you set up the whole thing? I know that Director Clint Lu is


    gay. The so-called casting couch is impossible unless you are a man."


    Edward gave a sinister smile. He scooched over as Jessica was getting too close to him, which he


    found annoying.


    "Are you shifting me for him?" Coco bit her lip and wondered, ''Howe I didn''t know director Clint


    Lu is gay? Then who was in bed with mest night? Was Director Clint Lu bisexual?'' That thought


    sickened her.


    "What me? It was consensual sex. How can I make a decision based on your one-sided statement?"


    Edward raised his brows calmly and sneered. The dandiacal and dignified pose he possessed


    adequately reflected his charm.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    "I don''t know what you are talking about. If you choose to cover up for him, you leave me no choice but


    to hold a press conference." On hearing Edward''s remarks, Coco turned sore from embarrassment,


    although she had indeed set director Clint Lu up.


    "We''re both clear about some things. I know director Clint Lu well. If you wish to make your scandal


    public, it''s fine with me. But you won''t be able to survive in the entertainment business anymore!"


    Edward didn''t know what she was thinking. Who would publicize such an incident from their personal


    life? Was she trying to use it to raise her poprity?


    "Mr. Edward, are you threatening me?" Coco smiled frigidly. As a pop star, she was a rare beauty. Men


    fell for her at the first sight.


    "Threatening? I''m above it. I prefer to work on facts." Edward red at Coco sternly.


    "Edward, don''t get angry. My cousin is merely trying to seek justice. You just need to give her an


    exnation," Jessica said softly as she put her slender hand on Edward''s chest. She liked getting


    intimate with him. She believed he would be hers sooner orter.


    "Miss Jessica, please have a little self-respect!" Disgusted by her brazenness, Edward pushed her


    hand away irritably. How many times did he have to tell her to stay away from him?


    "Huh! Where was your self-respect when you slept with my cousin? What a hypocrite!" Coco raised her


    beautiful eyebrows, trying to provoke Edward. However, she was disappointed. Edward didn''t fall.


    "Miss Coco, how do you know how I am in bed? Did you see it with your own eyes? Did you have a


    vision? Or do you love peeking?" Edward nced at her. He seemed grave and ruthless.


    "..." Coco hadn''t expected that Edward would retort so brutally, After all, she was a superstar of his


    entertainmentpany. She failed toe up with a response.

 Chapter 198 Your Wife Is Me

    Chapter 198 Your Wife Is Me


    Jessica was flustered. She knew the look on Edward''s face meant that he was aggravated. She knew


    that it would be difficult for her to reach her purpose now. She felt the need to break the ice.


    "Edward, I propose a toast to you. This is the Hennessy, your favorite drink." Jessica smiled in


    embarrassment and raised her trembling hand to propose a toast. But the ss of wine identally


    spilled because of Edward''s sudden movement. The wine spilled over Edward, he cursed bitterly.


    "Shit! Damn! What are you doing?" Edward ced his phone on the table and hurriedly retrieved some


    tissues to wipe his clothes. He frowned with disgust.


    "Sorry. I didn''t do it on purpose. Why don''t you go to the washroom to clean it up?" said Jessica. She


    looked at the phone kept on the table by Edward. A cunning smile shed over her face. Her trick


    worked. She noticed that Edward had been staring at his phone all the while. So she wondered what


    was up with his phone.


    Edward frowned and walked away. As soon as he disappeared from Jessica''s sight, she quickly picked


    up his phone and unlocked the screen. A graceful woman with a calm demeanor appeared on the


    screen. She looked gorgeous and divine, a rare beauty indeed.


    The woman in the photo wore a long white dress. Her hair was radiantly ck and thick, like a waterfall


    pouring down her shoulders. Her crystal eyes revealed her superior and domineering manner, yet not


    making people feel offended. ''She looks special. No wonder Edward is attracted to her. But she is


    nobody. I will wait and see how long their rtionship willst.'' Jessica thought.


    She sneered with ridicule and flipped through his phone records. When she saw that the most


    frequently dialed number was saved as ''Darling wife'', she tightened her grip on the phone and


    wondered, ''When did the handsome and flirtatious Edward begin to call someone ''Darling wife''? I''m


    surprised to see such sweet words of endearment on his phone.''


    She smiled slyly and saved the number in her phone. She bit her lip and decided to put Edward''s


    phone back on the table. A part of her heart was falling apart now. She patted on her stomach and


    resumed her spirit. ''No matter what happened, I am determined to win him back. For my unborn child, I


    won''t cave in.'' She thought in her heart.


    "Coco, don''t be so rude when you speak to him. He detests hostile behavior." Jessica walked to Coco


    and sat down beside her. She didn''t want to see her efforts go wasted. She had already made such a


    fuss about it.


    "Jessica, look at his attitude towards you. Are you still determined to marry him?" said Coco, while


    pouting. She had always behaved like an arrogant queen. She wasn''t inclined to undermine herself to


    tter anyone, even if it was an extraordinary man like Edward. She would never bow down.


    "Yes! I believe Edward is momentarily spellbound by that woman. He will finallye back to me. I


    know he still loves me. I have been with him for so long. Coco, you must help me." Jessica held Coco''s


    tender hands, pleading.


    "But what if he has actually changed his mind this time? He had never spoken about leaving you


    before. But it seems that he is not interested in you anymore." said Coco. She could see from Edward''s


    attitude towards Jessica that he had no interest in her. There was just annoyance on his face. Would it


    be possible for Jessica to win him back now? Coco wondered.


    "No, he won''t. I am bearing his child now," said Jessica. She felt a little flustered at Coco''s words.


    Because she knew Edward had no feelings for her anymore. That''s why she had gone all out to


    achieve her goals.


    "Okay. Fine. I will try my best to help you. But I can''t assure you that it will work. You have seen it just


    now, that Edward is not easy to persuade." said Coco. Thinking of Edward''s sullen face moments ago,


    Coco felt a shiver go down her spine. He had always given her the impression of a gentleman in public.


    She didn''t expect that he would seem so dreadful today.


    "Don''t worry. You just stick to your part and I will take care of the rest," said Jessica. ''Huh! Darling wife?


    Edward, your wife is me, not that woman whoes from nowhere. That''s the truth.'' Jessica thought.


    In Jessica''s eyes, Daisy was the kind of woman who posed no threat to her. If Daisy came from an


    affluent family, Jessica would have known about her. But she had no idea who the woman she saw in


    Edward''s phone was. So she assumed she would certainly beat her in the aspect of background.


    When Edward came back, his face was still as cold as ice. He felt talking further with Coco was


    needless. The only reason he agreed to do this was that she had refused to talk to anyone except for


    Edward and was determined to meet him. Otherwise, he would not waste his time talking rubbish with


    her.


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    Edward felt helpless about this situation. It seemed that he was constantly pestered by women. First, it


    was Belinda and now Coco. They all insisted that they must meet with him in person.


    "Miss Coco. I think there''s nothing more to talk about. If you need anything else, you can go to Mr. Rain


    or Mr. Aaron. I won''t ept any threat from you and I certainly won''t help you y this tedious game."


    Edward didn''t want to sit down. He grabbed his phone from the table and looked frigidly at their delicate


    faces concealed with heavy makeup. He felt Daisy''s natural look with no makeup was more attractive


    to him.


    "Huh! You are in such a rush! You are a business tycoon. Are you afraid of me- a little woman?" said


    Coco. She was trying her best to retain Edward in order to help Jessica.


    "Huh! To tell you the truth, I really don''t fear you. I just don''t want to deal with you." Edward sneered.


    He ignored her provocation and turned around to leave. To his surprise, Jessica suddenly held his


    waist from behind.


    "Edward, don''t go! We can find a solution. Can we discuss this please?" said Jessica. She didn''t expect


    that Edward would leave so hurriedly, so she held him desperately.


    "Get your hand off me. We have nothing to discuss." Edward said in a cold voice. If she had not been


    pregnant, he would fling her off, rather than let her hold him.

 Chapter 199 Not For You

    Chapter 199 Not For You


    "No. Not unless you promise me that you won''t leave me again." Jessica eagerly pressed her face


    against Edward''s back. She hadn''t touched him for a long time. God knew how much she missed him.


    She was delighted when Edward didn''t push her away.


    "Jessica, don''t push your luck. I don''t want to beat a pregnant woman." A chill crept over Jessica at


    Edward''s words. Instead of letting go of him, she held him tighter.


    "Edward, you do care about the baby inside me, don''t you?" Jessica deliberately filtered his words, and


    only paid attention to what she wanted to hear.


    "Yes, I do. But not in the way that you think. I won''t hurt any pregnant woman, because every child is to


    be cherished, even if it''s unborn." Edward tried to peel her hands off his waist. He remembered Daisy


    told him to keep other women at arm''s length.


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    "No. You''re lying! You still love me; you just don''t realize it!" Desperately, Jessica gripped his waist


    tighter. She finally found a chance to fight for herself, and she wouldn''t let it slip through her fingers.


    Edward gritted his teeth in fury. He didn''t dare to push her, in fear of hurting the unborn baby. To break


    free from her grip, he suddenly turned around. Not expecting the movement, Jessica staggered


    backwards and almost fell to the ground. Edward grabbed her hand just in time.


    "Jessica, listen to me. I have never loved you; it was just a game between the two of us. As for the


    baby, I''m pretty sure it''s not mine. I don''t want to see you again. If you dare show your face to me


    again, I''ll personally show you how ruthless I can be." Edward gripped her shoulders tightly as he


    spoke coldly.


    "No, that''s not true! I''ve never been with anyone else! Edward, it''s your child!" Jessica didn''t


    understand why Edward was so certain that the baby wasn''t his. Jessica suddenly felt frightened at the


    possibility.


    "Have the baby and we''ll see. If it''s really my child, I''ll be responsible for it, but not for you." Edward


    narrowed his eyes at her. ''You haven''t been with anyone else? Then how did you get yourself


    pregnant? Why does she keep saying that it''s mine? Could it be true and... No, it''s impossible!'' Edward


    shook his head, trying to get rid of the thoughts. He decided to go to the hospital to get some tests


    done.


    "Fine, I''ll prove it to you. Don''t forget what you just said." Jessica found a glimmer of hope in his words.


    As long as he epted that he was the father of the baby, she could find a way to stay by Edward''s


    side. After all, she was his child''s birth mother.


    "Good luck with that. I wonder if you can still smile when you find out that it''s not mine. I have much


    more important things to deal with than waste my time with you." With a sneer, Edward cast Jessica a


    cold look before leaving.


    Jessica tottered towards the couch and sank into it. Edward''s confidence shook her certainty. Was it


    really his? She wasn''t sure anymore. Remembering what happened that night, she shook her head and


    reassured herself, ''There are no such things as coincidences.''


    The summer night was beautiful. The starry sky reflected the cityscape lights. The gentle night breeze


    blew against the trees along the road, disturbing Edward''s restless mind.


    Edward sat silently in the car and didn''t start the engine. He leaned back against the seat with a frown.


    So many things happened in the past few days, and he was a bit overwhelmed.


    He had no idea why Jessica insisted that he was the father of her child. He started to be anxious


    the more she said it. He knew it wasn''t possible, but what if she was right? He decided not to believe it,


    for it would only bring him and Daisy more trouble.


    Edward sighed heavily. After looking at his watch, he started up the car and drove away. As always,


    Luke followed behind him. Edward seemed distressed. Luke had never seen him like that before. He


    figured it had something to do with Daisy. Edward only behaved strangely when it came to Daisy.


    It was alreadyte when Edward arrived at the vi. Looking out of the car window, he saw that the light


    in the study was lit. He couldn''t help smiling gently.


    Edward hastily parked the car and went inside the house. As soon as he pushed the study door open,


    he saw the woman he had been missing the whole day. Bathed in warm light, Daisy sat at the desk as


    she focused on her work. The sight made Edward''s worries suddenly vanish into thin air. Daisy looked


    even more attractive when she was focused. He didn''t realize how much Daisy meant to him until this


    moment.


    He stepped towards her and gently pressed his chin against her shoulder. Wrapping his arms around


    her slim waist, he breathed in the faint fragrance of her body. Her presence calmed him instantly.


    "You''re home." Daisy whispered, gently covering his hands with hers. The tired look on her face


    brightened when she realized he was back.


    "Yes. Why haven''t you gone to bed?" Edward kissed her neck, making Daisy shudder and let out a low


    moan.


    "I need to read through these reports. How about you? Are you done with your work?" Daisy turned


    around to look into his eyes. When he got a call after dinner, he told her that he needed to go out for


    work. Daisy didn''t expect him to return so soon.


    "Yes. It wasn''t anything important. Don''t worry." Edward pulled her up from the chair. He sat on the


    chair and made Daisy sit on hisp.


    "Ah! What are you doing?" Daisy was puzzled as she leaned on his chest. Edward would behave


    strangely every now and then, startling her every time.


    "Keep still. I just want to hold you." Closing his eyes, Edward pressed his face against Daisy''s chest.


    Her warm body was afort to his anxiety. He just wished that everything could stop at this moment.


    He wouldn''t have to worry about Jessica or her unborn baby. It would just be him and Daisy, the love of


    his life.


    "Honey, is there something wrong? You seem troubled." Daisy gently stroked his hair with a frown. She


    could sense that Edward was feeling down tonight. She hadn''t seen him like this since they got


    together. Did it have anything to do with the business he had to deal with? It must be reallyplicated


    to make Edward so depressed.

 Chapter 200 Only Yours

    Chapter 200 Only Yours


    "Honey, do you remember your promise?" Edward looked up from her chest, staring at Daisy hopefully.


    He wasn''t sure if this counted as love, but all he wanted at this moment was Daisy''s trust.


    "Yes, of course. Why are you asking me this all of a sudden?" Daisy asked curiously, wrapping her


    arms around Edward''s neck.


    "Nothing. I was just afraid that you might have forgotten." Not wanting the matter to affect Daisy''s


    military exercises, Edward decided to lie about it. Because things have reached this point and his


    uncertainty grew. Jessica''s confidence made him panic. He had to get to the bottom of it carefully


    before he could know everything.


    Daisy made a face at him. "You''re treating me like a three-year-old kid! Rx, your colonel isn''t that


    forgetful." Daisy yfully pinched Edward''s face. She had to pinch a bit harder because his skin was so


    smooth. How could his skin be so delicate?


    "Ouch, are you trying to ruin my face?" Edward grabbed her hand, wondering if Daisy had something


    against his face. Why did she pinch him so hard?


    "Yes! After I disfigure you, you''ll only be mine." Daisy looked at him seriously with a sly look in her


    eyes. She was happy as long as Edward didn''t look as depressed as he did earlier. Seeing him like that


    only made her upset.


    "Don''t worry. Even if I''m not disfigured, I''m still only yours." Edward didn''t care if Daisy was serious or


    not. He was willing to believe everything she said, even if she was justforting him. He was willing


    to ept them all.


    "These are your words! Don''t flirt around behind my back, or I will destroy you." Daisy came closer,


    whispering the threat in his ear.


    "Honey, why don''t you just destroy me right now? I''d love to be ravished by you." Edward grinned


    wickedly. His hands on her waist started to roam.


    "Stop it. I haven''t finished reading the reports." Daisy caught Edward''s wandering hands. She tried to


    pull herself away from his embrace, but he suddenly swept her off her feet and carried her in his arms.


    "Edward Mu, what are you doing?" Daisy shrieked as she held onto Edward''s neck.


    "Finish reading the reports tomorrow. We''re going to bed now." Edward said shamelessly. Carrying


    Daisy, he strode towards the bedroom with purpose.


    "But I have other work tomorrow!" Daisy rolled her eyes. Edward''s intentions were too obvious. He


    would devour her again tonight.


    "You make too much noise." As soon as Edward entered the bedroom, he couldn''t wait to give Daisy a


    kiss. She felt a surge of sensation from his touch.


    "Hm..." Not expecting him to be so enthusiastic, she responded to his passion instinctively.


    Edward led her to the bed. With a quick tumble, he was hovering over her on the soft mattress. He


    panted slightly as they looked deeply into each other''s eyes.


    "Honey, I want you." Edward smiled naughtily. His polite words contradicted his lewd actions, making


    Daisy want to p him. Wasn''t he already on top of her? Why did he have to say that?


    Daisy wrapped her arms around his neck and without warning, gave Edward a passionate kiss. It


    caught him off guard. The woman always knew how to surprise him.


    "Honey, you''re not paying attention!" Daisy''s seductive voice rang through his ears. If Edward was


    going to leave her hanging a while, she was definitely going to show him what true dominance was.


    Edward grinned in delight. "Baby, you''re getting bad!" Admiration andughter shone in Edward''s eyes.


    He raised his eyebrows at Daisy as he looked down at her.


    "Shit! You''re the one who taught me all this!" Daisy couldn''t help cursing him when she saw his wicked


    smile. When did he be so coy? Why couldn''t he just get it on?


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    Ha! If Edward knew what Daisy was thinking now, his face would probably look very different. It


    definitely wouldn''t be the happy smile he had on right now.


    "Okay. I''m teaching you to be really bad right now." Tangling his hands in Daisy''s hair, Edward closed in


    until he was kissing her.


    Daisy''s eyes shone with happiness as she responded passionately. Her body grew soft under his


    ministrations.


    In bed, Edward usually acted like a noble prince, kind and gentle. But tonight, there was something


    different about him. Probably because of Jessica''s words, he treated Daisy more roughly.


    He let out all his distress and anxiety in his lovemaking. Only then would he feel reassured that the


    enthralling woman below him was truly his. No one and nothing could change that fact.


    Feeling Edward''s anxiety through his actions, Daisy didn''t say anything. Instead, she arched up against


    him to press herself closer to him. She would give anything to this man without question. No matter


    how cruel he used to be, he was the only person that she loved.


    But Daisy didn''t let him know how she felt. Until she was certain that he belonged to her, this was her


    last line of defense. Without it, it would be the end for her. She couldn''t afford to lose him again.


    Edward obsessively provoked all the desire and lust out of Daisy, hoping that every one of her enticing


    expressions was because of him. Why would Jessica give him a problem now? Was it a calcted


    move, or was it just coincidence? He had to figure out these things.


    So he panicked and messed up. All of his unusual behaviors led him to face one unavoidable fact:


    Daisy was no longer just an obligation to him. There were a lot of emotions involved that he couldn''t


    understand.


    The night progressed with the lovemaking between the flushed woman and the intoxicating man. The


    bright moonlight shone through the windows andyers of silky curtains until the room was filled with


    warm light. The air grew heavier as their actions became more frantic...

 Chapter 301 To Hell With Your So Called Sister (Part Two)

    Chapter 301 To Hell With Your So Called Sister (Part Two)


    "Brian, don''t be ridiculous. Only you take her for a sister. Since she married Edward, the CEO of FX


    International Group, she stopped regarding us as her family. Why do you expect that she will admit she


    knows you? She doesn''t want to know any of us, her poor rtives now." Mary resented both Brian and


    Daisy for the difference in the ways Brian treated Daisy and her. They were both his sisters, but Brian


    always favored Daisy and treated Mary as a stranger. Why was Daisy so perfect for him?


    "Really? You''d better wish I wouldn''t find out that this matter involves you. Otherwise, you can imagine


    the consequences. I''m not threatening you. Things are different now. I''m not a little boy anymore. I can


    handle you."


    Brian still looked a little childish, but his words sounded ruthless. He stared at Mary gravely, half


    smiling, half serious.


    "Why? Why everyone likes that bitch so much? What about me? Brian, I''m also your sister. Why are


    you biased against me?" Mary couldn''t take the unfair treatment anymore. She screamed hysterically.


    Two men had threatened her because of Daisy in these two days. She was filled with hate and envy,


    and she finally lost control over her emotions.


    "Sister? Mary, don''t taint this sacred word. It is a waste to use it on you. To get others'' respect, you got


    to be honest first, then we will see whether you deserve it or not," Brian said to Mary. Earlier, he hadn''t


    been strong enough to fight against Mary, but now he was, and so he would. He had put up with her for


    many years. He had watched how she bullied Daisy since he was a little boy. Back then, he wasn''t


    strong enough to protect Daisy, all he could do was to reduce Daisy''s sufferings. Now that he had


    grown up, he wanted to see how aggressive and arrogant Mary could get.


    "You ... You ... Brian, what did that bitch Daisy do to you? Why are you protecting her so much? Look


    carefully. I''m your biological sister who shares the same mother with you. Daisy is just an outsider."


    Mary hadn''t seen Brian for many years. She didn''t understand why he suddenly turned against her. He


    didn''t like her before either, but at least he wouldn''t talk to her in such an impolite tone. The change


    was overwhelming for her.


    "Haha! Who would think the moneying out of the ATM belongs to the ATM? Of course, it belongs


    to the person who inserted the card. So who do you think I should be close to? Sis Daisy or you, the


    ATM that is everywhere on the street?" Brian said sarcastically. He nced at Mary,ughing insolently


    and disdainfully. Mary was devastated.


    "..."


    She red at him, her face turning pale instantly. What Brian had said was true. She couldn''t say


    anything in reply. She gritted her teeth and kept cursing Daisy in her heart. She med her for


    everything. ''If Daisy doesn''t exist, I wouldn''t have been subjected to so many humiliations, '' she


    thought.


    "Do you really care so much about Daisy? What if she isn''t your sister? Would you still like her?" Mary


    bit her lips lightly. She had overheard that Daisy wasn''t Leo''s biological daughter. Growing up, she had


    always been curious why Leo didn''t care at all when she was bullying Daisy. And no wonder he hadn''t


    stopped Mary and her mother from kicking Daisy out of the house. Now it all made sense. But, if Leo


    wasn''t Daisy''s father? Who was? Perhaps Daisy''s mother had cheated on Leo? She had suspected it


    more than once. But she couldn''t confirm it.


    "Yes, I''ll protect her even if she isn''t really my sister. I won''t allow you to scheme against her as long as


    I am around. Is this what you want to hear?" Then he thought, ''Daisy isn''t dad''s daughter? Mary, do


    you think I am as ignorant as our dad? Mom has been lying to dad for years, but he doesn''t have a


    clue. I can''t defy her because she is my mom. That''s why I have been keeping it a secret. If it were


    someone else, mom''s scheme would have been revealed a long time ago and she wouldn''t have been


    leading afortable life like a queen.''


    "But you saw Daisy and she pretended she doesn''t know you. See? Brian, you think about her, so


    what? She doesn''t even care. You are just insulting yourself. You think I''m not good enough to be your


    sister? I couldn''t care less to have a stupid brother like you. Go and find your dear Sis Daisy! Get out of


    my way!"


    Mary startedughing uncontrobly and thought, ''Why do I have to lose to that hateful Daisy in


    everything? First, in family background, then in marriage. She got married to prince charming Edward


    easily. Now, my only brother has also picked her side and started to insult me. She has got everything


    but is still pretending to be righteous and miserable as if everybody owes her. How repulsive!''


    "How Daisy treats me is an issue between her and me. It''s none of your business. You better


    remember my warning. If you dare y your dirty tricks, I will be merciless." Brian sneered. The bright


    smile on his face had been reced by frigidness and cruelty. He turned around and left without one


    more nce at Mary. His slender figure could give people chills even in the morning sunshine, which


    proved how much he despised Mary.


    ''Humph! To hell with your so-called sister! If we weren''t rted, you wouldn''t have lived here either! I


    would have kicked you out too! Don''t preach your ridiculous rtive theory to me. If you don''t like me,


    so be it. I''m not obligated to kiss your ass, ''


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    Mary stood there and swore. Full of malice, her pretty face had turned hideous. ''Daisy! Daisy! Why


    does everyone think of that damn Daisy only? Does anyone ever think of me? I''d love to see how you


    would protect her if she didn''t exist anymore!''


    Hate made a heart ugly and a person reckless. A person blinded by resentment would do everything to


    achieve his or her purpose, even at the cost of human kindness. Consequently, such people embarked


    on a road of no return. When they wanted to head back, their chances would be gone.

 Chapter 302 Dont Be Absurd (Part One)

    Chapter 302 Don''t Be Absurd (Part One)


    At FX International Group


    "Mr. Mu, I''ve finished the investigation...with your father''s help. Here''s the report." Luke hesitated for a


    moment. Since Edward said he didn''t want his father to intervene, Luke didn''t ask Jonathan for help.


    However, Jonathan found out and offered the information to him. Luke wasn''t sure whether Edward


    would ept that or not.


    "Did you go to him for help?" Edward absently asked Luke while scanning through the report. Luke


    couldn''t see any emotions on Edward''s face and this made him nervous.


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "No. He noticed what I''ve been working on and..." Luke knew Edward. He wouldn''t ask for his father''s


    help, no matter what. That was why he cared where the information came from.


    "Nevermind if he insisted to help. He saved us a lot of time" Edward sneered and replied casually.


    While reading the report, he frowned at the findings. He had been wondering for a long time why Leo


    thought that Daisy wasn''t his daughter. It turned out that there was a huge conspiracy against Daisy!


    Despite the rage he felt at this moment, Edward had to admit that he was impressed by how thoroughly


    the culprit had nned to harm Daisy.


    Luke sighed in relief as he heard Edward''s words. As long as Edward didn''t me him for epting


    Jonathan''s help, it would be fine. To be honest, Luke had no idea why Edward and Jonathan behaved


    like arch enemies instead of father and son. It seemed like they were ready for a duel every time they


    met.


    "This report seems old. Did he acquire it a long time ago?" With his eyes still fixed on the report,


    Edward asked Luke again. He finally felt at ease when he noticed something in the document. Although


    he had guessed the answer, he needed a proof in ck and white. Luckily he found the truth,


    otherwise, he wouldn''t be able to face Daisy.


    "Yes. father said he had The Mayfly look into it a long time ago. But the critical evidence was


    overturned by the direct party, so the investigation was suspended thereafter." Luke sincerely conveyed


    everything he had learned from Jonathan as he carefully observed Edward''s look.


    "Really? Even they couldn''t find more evidence? How strange. So the case is unsolved till date?"


    Edward tossed the paper aside and leaned back with a sneer, ''Things are getting more and more


    interesting.''


    "Not unless the direct party decides to stand out and testify." Luke agreed with a nod. Gazing at


    Edward with great interest, he wondered what Edward was going to do in the current situation. He had


    worked for Edward for years, and he understood what kind of person Edward really was. Edward was


    always excited to take up challenging tasks.


    "Great. Then I''ll have to meet this shameless woman." Edward casually fidgeted his pen while


    narrowing his eyes, his lips curled into a sneer again. ''Yakira, right? We''re going to have so much fun!''


    Edward thought to himself.


    Luke shuddered. He knew once Edward had that sneer on his face, someone was going to be in big


    trouble. He felt sorry for whoever that was. But since that person got the nerve to piss off Edward, he


    practically asked for it.


    The most fascinating thing about the sun was that it not only gave away its light and warmth but also


    reflected how ugly a soul could be. Standing in front of three disciplinary inspectors, Daisy was in a


    state of trance. The moment she figured out why she was summoned, she frowned with a sneer. She


    realized that someone was desperate to pull her down. They couldn''t wait to get her into trouble before


    the promotion was granted to her.


    "Colonel Daisy Ouyang. We are investigating something and I''m afraid we are going to need your


    cooperation." One of the inspectors spoke sternly, having no apprehension about the fact that Daisy


    had higher ranks than they did.


    "Okay. What''s the matter?" Daisy replied calmly. Although she was a bit nervous about what they were


    going to ask her, she didn''t reveal her fear on her face. She believed she was innocent and there was


    nothing they could do to her.


    "We''ve received an usation, stating that you are having an unusual rtionship with some CEO in


    the S City. Can you exin it?" The inspector continued with annoyance as if Daisy was a mistress


    who was trying to ruin a couple.


    "I have unusual rtionships with several CEOs in the S City. I wonder which are you referring to?"


    Daisy was telling the truth; she did have many friends who were CEOs. Edward for one, and then there


    were Duke and Belinda. Even Rain was a vice CEO. She really didn''t know which CEO they were


    talking about.


    "What? Colonel Ouyang, do you mean that you have affairs with a lot of CEOs?" The inspector got


    annoyed with Daisy''s casual attitude. Being a colonel, how could she be so lewd and have no self-


    respect? No wonder someone reported her to them.


    "I''m reminding you to be careful with your words. I do maintain unusual friendships with some people


    who happen to be CEOs, but not in the way you think. Don''t apply your filthy thoughts on me." Daisy


    immediately retorted with her eyes wide open. She didn''t care if they were disciplinary inspectors or


    not. She wouldn''t stand there and let them insult her because of something she didn''t do.


    "Colonel Ouyang, we apologize for being rude. But I''m sure you know that we won''t have summoned


    you here today without any solid evidence?" They thought Daisy was an easy target because she was


    a woman. However, awed by Daisy''s aura, the inspectors became more polite.


    "In that case, I''ll cooperate with your investigation. I won''t ask who reported me since I already know


    that you won''t tell me. But I want to be clear, I didn''t do anything to disgrace my uniform." Daisy''s lips


    were slightly trembling out of rage. She had served the army for years, and it was the first time she was


    reported to have improper behavior. She wondered who reported her.


    "Don''t worry. We''ll look into it. We''ll clear your name if this turns out to be a false usation. But if it''s


    true, I believe you know what the consequences will be." Compared to their initial aggressive approach,


    the inspectors became more polite now.

 Chapter 303 Dont Be Absurd (Part Two)

    Chapter 303 Don''t Be Absurd (Part Two)


    "I know. Please continue with the proceedings." Daisy didn''t like to use her higher ranks to get


    privilege. She chose to cooperate with the investigation. She was also curious to find out what her


    ''improper behavior'' was.


    "Colonel Ouyang, do you know Edward Mu, the CEO of the FX International Group?" The inspectors


    cut to the chase and directly asked Daisy since she seemed willing to cooperate.


    "Edward? Yes, I know him." Daisy bit her lip and answered honestly. Of course she knew her own


    husband! What kind of question was that?


    "His wife has reported that you are having an affair with him. What do you have to say for yourself?"


    With his eyes fixed on Daisy, the inspector continued. He noticed that she bit her lip. Maybe she was


    nervous; maybe she really did something disgraceful.


    "What did you say? His wife? Are you sure about that? It''s impossible!" Daisy was confused. Why on


    earth would she report herself? She wasn''t that bored. She had been really busy with her work.


    "That''s right. We have proof." The inspector considered that Daisy probably didn''t know that Edward


    was a married man. He suddenly felt sorry for her.


    "May I ask who his wife is? Who''s impersonating me?" Daisy wasn''t stupid. She had pieced things up


    and knew exactly what had happened. Jessica''s face suddenly shed through her mind. ''It''s you


    Jessica, isn''t it? Why are you still stuck on this?'' Daisy was furious. Jessica still didn''t believe that she


    and Edward were married. She was pushing her luck again and again. Daisy decided she wouldn''t let


    her off this time.


    "Sorry, we can''t tell you that. Just tell us if it''s true. We need to hear your side of the story so that we


    can investigate further." The inspector didn''t notice thest line uttered by Daisy.


    "What if I tell you that Edward, the CEO of the FX International Group, is my husband? Do you still


    think we have to continue this investigation?" All Daisy wanted was to stay away from trouble. But


    clearly, someone else didn''t want her to do that. She was worn out because of the military exercises,


    and yet problems kepting her way. First Jessica, and now the inspectors. She had to admit that


    Jessica was quite capable. In such a short time, she found out what army she served and instigated a


    disciplinary inspection against her. Daisy was kind of impressed.


    "Don''t be absurd, Colonel Ouyang. Though we barely know each other, we''re aware that you are a


    single mother. Please answer our questions honestly." The disciplinary inspectors had the right to


    investigate every soldier and officer in the army. They had dealt with many soldiers with a violent


    streak. Daisy''s stern look didn''t intimidate them.


    "I''m telling the truth. You can verify it if you like. I won''t stop you. Is there anything else you want to ask


    me?" Daisy retorted with a sneer. She felt sad deep down. It seemed that the entire army base thought


    she was a single mother. But there were some other facts that they didn''t know about. Or they wouldn''t


    be asking her these questions.


    "Last question. It hase to our knowledge that you have epted a luxury car as a bribe. Is that


    true?" The inspectors hesitated for a while. It seemed that Daisy wasn''t lying. Was the CEO of the FX


    International Group really her husband? It''s impossible! No one had heard about that ever before!


    Perhaps it was a new status that Mr. Mu had promised her?


    "I swear on my reputation that I have never taken any bribe. I did drive a luxury car once. But is it a


    crime to drive your own husband''s car?" Daisy closed her eyes and sighed heavily. She knew she


    would get into trouble for driving Edward''s Ferrari into the army base. She had tried her best to avoid


    such things. She only drove his car once, and that was enough for the person who was trying to hurt


    her.


    "Okay, we''ll look into it. We hope you will be supportive when we carry on with the investigation. It''s


    nothing personal, just our work." Although the disciplinary inspectors had the right to investigate


    soldiers and officers concerning disciplinary vitions, Daisy was higher than them in ranks. They were


    rude when the questioning first began, but they didn''t forget that Daisy was a colonel. Now that they


    saw Daisy''s furious expression, they wouldn''t dare to provoke her anymore.


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    "I''ll excuse myself if we are done here. I hope you''ll find out the truth soon and clear my name." As


    soon as she finished talking, Daisy strode out of the room. She felt exhausted. Trouble would always


    find you no matter where you ran, and you could do nothing but to face it.


    "Colonel, are you okay?" Mark walked up to Daisy right after he saw her. ''Damn it! Who''s got the nerve


    to pick on her?'' Mark was furious. The award ceremony of the military exercises hadn''t even begun,


    Daisy was questioned. It was obvious that someone didn''t want her to get the promotion!


    "Yes. I''m fine. I''ll leave early today. Will you tell themander for me?" Daisy felt distressed. It


    wouldn''t take long for everyone in the army base to know that she was questioned because of


    ''improper behavior''; they wouldn''t care whether it was true, they just needed something to gossip


    about. She couldn''t stay here. Hence she decided to take a day off and prepare herself for that.


    "I will. But are you okay by yourself?" Mark was worried because Daisy looked as pale as a ghost. He


    med himself for not taking better care of her. He wondered why the disciplinary inspectors were after


    Daisy. Judging from Daisy''s look, he knew it was something really bad.


    "I''m okay. Just call me if there''s an emergency." Daisy replied dispassionately and walked past Mark


    towards the parking lot before he saw her red eyes. Her little figure seemed fragile and lonely. Mark


    couldn''t help but get worried. However, he didn''t dare to follow her since Daisy forbade him to do so. To


    stick to the order was one of the most important rules for an aide like him.

 Chapter 304 But Honey, You Are Crying (Part One)

    Chapter 304 But Honey, You Are Crying (Part One)


    Daisy rushed out of the front door of the army base driving a Humvee. Her serene face had no sign of


    cidity. She looked straight ahead, her eyes bright and spirited. Her hands kept turning the steering


    wheel, revealing her expert driving skill.


    She might have cried over what had happened. But as a soldier, she couldn''t show her weakness in


    front of people, so she tried her best to remain in control. Now that she was alone, her tears started


    rolling down like pearls.


    Daisy rarely cried. She didn''t shed a single tear when she was thrown out of Ouyang''s house. She


    gritted her teeth when her life was on the line. Life was tough for a young mother raising a son by


    herself, but she kept doing that for all these years, without showing the faintest sign of weakness. From


    the moment she became a soldier she had sworn to herself that she would never disgrace the sacred


    uniform. Getting used of epting a bribe and being a homewrecker broke her today.


    She felt that she had been thrown out again from the army base that she had treated as her home.


    Every time she started a life with great enthusiasm, it ended miserably. Why was it so difficult?


    Feeling totally confused, she brushed her tears coarsely. Jessica''s prosecution letter would bring her


    many troubles, and there was no way she could fix this. No matter what the result would be, this


    investigation would be recorded in her archive. It would be a permanent stain on her military career.


    Every time she got moved or promoted, the file would be checked. Why on earth did Jessica hate her


    so much?


    She closed her eyes momentarily and then opened them again. She turned the wheel swiftly and


    decisively, and the Humvee started moving towards the suburb, instead of the wide road leading to the


    city. The driving speed was slower now.


    Leaves were fluttering down in the soft autumn breeze. The photo in the tombstone was still vivid after


    all these years. Daisy''s sadness ebbed a little as she sat on the ground next to the grave. Her fingers


    traced her mother''s pretty face in the photo and she gradually calmed down.


    "Mom, It''s been a long time. Do you miss me? I guess not. But I miss you a lot." Daisy murmured in a


    soft voice. She looked invincible in her uniform. But at this moment the military uniform couldn''t cover


    the fragility of her heart. She was shrouded in the gloomy emptiness of the cemetery and the shrill of


    strange insects, but her eyes were fixed on the smiling woman in the photo, she wasn''t afraid at all.


    "Why don''t you answer me? Why don''t you just tell me that you miss me too? You know what? You are


    the first person I think of when I am sad. I am really sad today, but you can''t say anything to console


    me. That makes sense. After all you never loved me. Or else why would you leave me at such a young


    age?" Daisy answered her own questions, sniveling. She wanted nothing more than throwing herself


    into her mother''s arms and drowning in her tender embrace like a little girl. But as always, what she got


    was the same dead silence.


    "They say I''m cheap. Maybe it''s true. I''m begging for your pity, but you just don''t care. I''m tired, mom.


    Will it be easier if I just lie here quietly like you? No more exhaustion. No more dejection. I''ve led a


    completely different life without you by my side. I desperately chase the pleasure of fame and wealth.


    I''ve spent the best years of my life loving a man who didn''t even know of my existence. When I was


    finally allowed to feel some happiness, fate fooled me again, pushing me into another dirty plot. What


    do I have to pay this time?"


    She smiled at herself mockingly. The tears on her face made her look miserable. She sat alone in the


    cemetery, whispering in a low voice until she had nothing more to say. When she left the cemetery,


    there was no trace of tears on her face other than her red eyes. And she was again the spirited


    Colonel, the mean instructor in soldiers'' eyes.


    Daisy got back in the car and checked the time on her watch. Although she felt a little better now, she


    was still a little frustrated. Where should she go now? She leaned backzily in the car seat and made


    a decision without too much thought. ''Maybe this is stupid, but who cares? He loves me and that is


    enough.''


    "Mr. Edward, here is the schedule for thepany''s anniversary celebration tomorrow. Please let me


    know if we need to make any adjustments." Annaid a thick stack of papers on Edward''s desk, then


    she stepped back and waited for his instructions.


    "Um. This will do. No need to change anything," Edward said and put the file back on his desk. He


    frowned a little, feeling uneasy. He had a hunch that something bad was about to happen and he


    couldn''t focus on his work.


    "Okay. By the way, what about Mrs. Mu''s dress? Should we get a tailored dress or choose something


    from the counters?" Anna asked before she was about to leave.


    "I have it ready. Please don''t tell her. I want to give her a surprise." Edward''s face grew thoughtful as he


    said this and a yful smile curved his lips as if to say how remarkable his n would be.


    "OK, I got it. Mr. Edward." Anna gave a knowing smile and left his office silently. It seemed Mr. Edward


    was being mysterious again. That would be worth looking forward to.


    Edward rubbed his aching forehead to ease the tiredness. He got up from his chair, paced to the


    window and looked at the clouds in the sky. One hand half-stuck in the pocket of his trousers, his lean


    body silhouetted against the light from the window. He looked extremely confident and his usual faint


    smile enhanced his charm.


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    Tomorrow night he would announce to the world that Daisy was his wife, the mother of his only son. He


    would im his love for her and clear all hispetitors out of the way. This would also be a good tip-


    off for the task he had assigned to Rain. After the deration, people would think twice before rejecting


    her promotion.


    A pair of lovely and tender hands wrapped around his waist silently from the back. Edward frowned at


    this unexpected hug and tried to break free, wondering who was bold enough to sneak up on him. But


    he stopped quickly as he recognized the extreme familiarity of Daisy''s head pressed against his


    back.

 Chapter 305 But Honey, You Are Crying (Part Two)

    Chapter 305 But Honey, You Are Crying (Part Two)


    "Honey, What''s wrong?" Edward reached out and held her hands. He wanted to turn around to check


    up on her. Why was she in his office at this time? He remembered she had a report to write. Perhaps


    she had finished it already.


    "Don''t move. I want to stay like this for a moment." Daisy sensed his movement and tightened her arms


    around his waist, her eyes closed, indulging herself in the faint Jasmine scenting from him. She


    realized how reassuring it was to know she could rely on someone when she was wronged. It felt like


    nothing mattered any more and everything would be fine as long as he was by her side.


    "So, what happened?" Edward asked, his voice was never so soft. He didn''t move as she had asked.


    He realized this was the first time she revealed her vulnerability in front of him, which was very rare


    since she always appeared strong-minded and resolute. He wondered what had happened at the army


    base? Did she get in trouble for a bad report? Or someone took her promotion again? Last time she


    called Justin and cried on the phone for this. But none of this made sense. The military exercise had


    just ended. Although he wasn''t familiar with the way the military operated, still he knew it would be too


    soon to get a result. So what on earth was going on?


    "Don''t ask. I don''t want to talk about it." How could she tell him she had been used by someone,


    especially when she had promised she wouldn''t do anything to interfere with the investigation. Besides,


    she wasn''t sure that Jessica was behind this. If Edward knew about this he would definitely step in,


    which would break the promise she made to the inspectors. It was all she could do to remain silent.


    "Okay, I won''t ask anything. Just tell me about it whenever you want. Let me have a look at you, okay?"


    He was feeling frustrated by this situation. He could tell from the way she behaved that something


    really serious had happened. He couldn''t just stand there and do nothing, he wanted to hold her tightly


    in his arms, console her with the warmth andpassion she needed.


    "No, you will make fun of me." Daisy refused. Earlier in her car, she''d noticed her red swollen eyes in


    the rearview mirror, and she had to draw her hat over her eyes on the way up to his office. It would be


    embarrassing for her to have anyone see her like this. And she especially hated to let him see her like


    this.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Honey. I promise I won''t. I can''t see you and I''m really worried." Edward tried to coax her. He could


    feel his shirt was getting wet. Knowing that she was crying made his heart ache. It wouldn''t take much


    effort to turn around, but he didn''t want to make her unhappy and increase her sadness. It was painful


    to feel her grief, but he had to remain in control so he just stood still.


    "No. I will be fine, just give me a moment." Daisy said as more tears welled up in her eyes. It didn''t


    matter how other people treated her, she could handle it. But just a word of concern from him made her


    pretense crumble to pieces and more tears oozed out.


    "But honey, you are crying. This is tearing me apart." Edward''s hands that covered hers began to


    tremble slightly. Her silent tears sent him into a panic. He couldn''t just stand there and let her cry


    silently. So he turned around and saw her face, the image sent a sharp pain through his chest. Her


    swollen red eyes told him that she had cried before she came to him, and he wasn''t her first choice


    when she was sad.


    "Don''t look at me. I''m ugly." Daisy pressed her face tightly against his chest, trying to hide her terrible


    face from his eyes. She was a woman, and like other women, she always wanted to show her lover her


    best side.


    Edward kept silent. He pulled her out of his arms carefully and frowned as he saw her wet face. Never


    in his life had he hated himself so much. He was such a horrible husband, he didn''t even know why she


    was crying.


    His thin lips fell gently on her forehead, then on her swollen eyes. He was telling her with this fond kiss,


    that he epted all sides of her. You felt pain and torment when you loved someone, Edward realized.


    Her feelings decided his mood. He felt what she felt, the pain, the joy, all of it.


    The tenderness in his kiss stunned Daisy. She felt a strange fluttering feeling inside, which was


    incredible and moving. He stood before her and with a gentle kiss he tasted her sadness and filled her


    with his deep affection. The warm touch of his lips brought her the kind of happiness that she had


    never experienced before.


    The moment he took her lips, she surrendered and becamepletely submissive to his sweet kiss.


    He was so gentle today that she could feel his lips trembling slightly. Was he feeling sad for her? Was


    he taking pity on her? She couldn''t figure it out. But nothing mattered now because she just wanted to


    sumb to the temptation and drown herself in his love.


    Edward couldn''t be more careful right now. He traced her lips and tongue intently, but there was no lust


    in his kiss. He was trying to chase away her tears to make her happy again. She was always in fighting


    spirit and never in apromise position. This tearful face seemed strange to him. The strangeness


    came in such a hurry that he was nked in an instant; uncontrolled panic was spreading through his


    body.

 Chapter 306 Are You Jealous

    Chapter 306 Are You Jealous


    Daisy ced her hands around his neck and enjoyed the kiss. She felt lucky that she was loved by


    such an extraordinary man, that her love for Edward had a happy ending and that her dream came


    true. She asked for no fame and fortune. All she wanted was to spend the rest of her life with him.


    "Now, tell me what happened?" asked Edward. He let go of Daisy and fixed his gaze on her. He wanted


    to know the answer.


    "Nothing, I was just feeling a little depressed," replied Daisy. Daisy tried to avoid eye contact with him,


    in case he saw something in her eyes.


    "Honey, I don''t buy it! I love you, so I can sense the subtle change in your behavior. You can''t fool me,"


    said Edward. He frowned and started to fix her rumpled hair. She couldn''t tell what he was thinking.


    "Honey, I don''t want to talk about it right now. Give me some time, Okay?" said Daisy in a gooey voice.


    Every time she spoke in this voice, she got what she wanted. In this regard, Edward was like every


    other man, proud and childish.


    "Alright! But you look ugly now." said Edward. He gently caressed her cheek, then held her tightly and


    kissed her repeatedly. She was very dear to him.


    "Edward, you promised not to make fun of me,"ined Daisy. She left his hug and looked at him


    sadly. She knew she looked ugly but she didn''t want to hear it from Edward.


    "Yes, I promised. But that was a moment ago. The promise is invalid now," teased Edward. He did it on


    purpose, to make her argue with him. He wanted her to be lively instead of being depressed. He


    med himself for her sadness.


    "Humph! I know I''m not as pretty and charming as your ex-girlfriends. That''s why you don''t like me,"


    said Daisy. Knowing his intentions, she joked with him. She pretended to be offended, ran straight to


    the sofa and sat down.


    "Honey, are you jealous?" asked Edward. He casually walked up to her and gazed down at her with a


    meaningful look on his face. She could make fun of him as long as she was amused.


    "Fuck off, I''m not jealous at all," Daisy looked up at him. Suddenly she felt anxious.


    "Daisy, you''re swearing again," Edward frowned. An aloof beauty like Daisy could also swear under


    some circumstances. How peculiar she was.


    "Phew! Don''t make a fuss. I swear frequently and you know that. Luckily you''re not one of my soldiers.


    They''ve heard filthier words," said Daisy casually. She rolled her eyes. What else could she do? You


    couldn''t be too graceful if you stayed in the army for as long as she did. She was known as the devil


    drillmaster because she had to be tough while training soldiers.


    Edward was speechless, he thought, ''Is she a hoodlum? The longer I''m with her, the more she


    astounds me. I must have been taken in by her appearance!''


    "Fortunately I am not your soldier, or I''ll report you every day for your impolitenguage, ''''said Edward.


    The smile on her face suddenly wavered and disappeared. Seeing that, Edward recollected what he


    had said just now. The word "report" had made her unhappy. He realized, perhaps someone was trying


    to set her up. Who would do that anyway?


    "Honey, carry on with your work! I''ll take a nap. Wake me upter." said Daisy. She became upset


    when she heard the word "report". Having cried for a long time, she was tired now.


    "Are you okay? How about we go home now?'''' asked Edward. Edward wanted to hit himself. He had


    tried so hard to make her happy. But now all the efforts were in vain.


    "No, please go ahead with your work! I''m okay." said Daisy. She leaned back on the sofa and closed


    her eyes. She was hinting to end the topic.


    "Alright, have a sound sleep. I''ll wake you up after work, '''' said Edward. He gave a tender kiss on the


    forehead, turned around and walked to his desk. He thought, ''She must be really exhausted. I''ve never


    seen her like this.''


    Then he called Anna. Anna asked," Mr. Mu, what can I do for you?"


    "Anna, don''t let anyone in unless there is something important. I don''t want to be disturbed." Edward


    told Anna. He was implying Rain and Aaron. They both knew nothing about being polite.


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Okay, Mr. Mu, anything else?" asked Anna. She wasn''t surprised at his orders because she saw Daisy


    entering his office, teary-eyed. Anna knew they might need some space.


    "No, bye!" Edward hung up the phone. He picked up the remote to regte the room temperature. He


    knew she was awake. He was reading his files, trying not to stare at her and make her nervous.


    Daisy wasn''t just tired, she was also trying to avoid his questions. Revealing her emotional side made


    her vulnerable and weak. She loved him, so she didn''t want to look weak in Edward''s presence.


    Edward, however, thought differently, ''Her keeping things from me means that she doesn''t trust me.


    She can''t rely on me that''s why she won''t let me in. She pretends to be ignorant whenever I show my


    care for her. In a word, she doesn''t trust me. Every time I take a move, she steps back. She is really


    living up to her identity as a soldier. She is really good at applying military tactics to daily life.''


    Time is a great healer. Daisy fell asleep soon. Edwardid her down on the sofa and covered her


    gently with his suit. Relieved, he sat casually on the floor and brushed a strand of hair out of her face.


    He wanted to touch her smooth face, but it might wake her up. So he just stared at her. She frowned


    even when she was asleep.


    He thought, ''If it is possible, I want to get into your mind and find out what you''re thinking. It was fine for


    you to shut me out of your inner world when I didn''t say I love you. Because no one would reveal their


    true feelings to someone who doesn''t love them. But I said I love you. Why do you still shut me out?''


    Why?


    Time was ticking and Edward kept staring at her. When he couldn''t feel his legs, he stood up and


    walked towards the window. He looked outside the window and wondered, '' I''ve been keeping busy


    recently. Am I the reason behind her problems?''


    Heughed at himself and thought, '' I am the Prince Charming of S City and I never care about what


    those women think or feel. Now I''ve fallen in love with Daisy and my mood is deeply influenced by what


    she does.


    Am I lucky or unlucky to be in love with such an independent woman? Luckily she never argues with


    me when she has something on me. Sadly, she is too independent. She never relies on me.''


    At that moment, someone knocked at the office door. Edward turned around and looked at Daisy.


    When he made sure that Daisy wasn''t awake, he walked towards the door in silence.


    Edward walked out of the office and closed the door softly. He asked Anna, "What''s up?"


    "Mr. Ouyang is here."answered Anna. Instead of stepping inside the office after knocking as usual, she


    waited outside the office. Because she knew Mrs. Mu was in the office.


    "What''s he doing here?" asked Edward. He was a little worried. What if she woke up suddenly and saw


    Leo?


    "I have no idea. I asked him to wait in the sitting room because you said you don''t want to be


    disturbed," Anna didn''t understand the strange rtionship between Edward and Leo. But she wasn''t


    curious about it. As Edward''s secretary, she had to be cautious with everything she did and she knew


    well about the boundaries. Otherwise, she''d be in trouble.


    "Okay! I will go there and meet him. If Daisy wakes up, tell her I''m in the sitting room and I''ll be back


    soon," said Edward. Worrying about Daisy, he was reluctant to leave her alone even for a second. He


    was afraid she would feel lost if she didn''t see him when she woke up. But he had to figure out what


    Leo wanted.


    "Okay, Mr. Mu, I got it," smiled Anna. Mr. Mu was being considerate towards a woman. This had never


    happened before. It seemed that Mr. Mu really loved Mrs. Mu.


    Edward looked at the office door and then walked towards the sitting room. He wanted to know why


    Leo was here, ''Is he here to talk about Mary? Or he just needs my answer? Anyway, I despise him,


    even if he is Daisy''s father. If he wasn''t overwhelmed by hatred, Daisy would have been in a different


    situation now. But in that case, would I have been able to marry Daisy?'' The thought of not being


    married to Daisy terrified Edward. Now he felt confused. Should he hate Leo or thank him? If it hadn''t


    been for Leo''s hatred for Daisy, Edward would never have the chance to marry her.

 Chapter 307 Take Me Home

    Chapter 307 Take Me Home


    "Mr. Ouyang, what can I do for you?" Edward asked casually, hands in his trouser pockets. It was


    difficult to tell whether the faint smile on his face was contemptuous or a mischievous one.


    "I want to apologize for what happened in the restaurant the other day. My family was rude and


    disruptive while you were having dinner with your family. I''m really sorry. Mary said some offensive


    remarks because she likes you as you know." Leo apologized obsequiously. Mary had been acting like


    a spoiled child in front of him to get him toe here. Atst he had no choice but toe.


    "So you came here for Mary?" The smile on Edward''s face grew. A hint of disdain flitted over his


    handsome face. His opinion of Leo worsened. Daisy was in his office right now. He wished he could


    leave at once and go to her. She was the only one that mattered to him.


    "Mr. Edward, what do you think of Mary? She kept asking me toe and since I''m here, I want to ask


    that for her. But Ie here mainly for the findings of your investigation."


    Leo said hesitantly. No matter what the results were, they wouldn''t be good news for him. If Daisy was


    really his daughter, his neglect of her in the past would be like a de that left a permanent scar and


    endless pain in them. It would make him regret his actions forever. If she wasn''t, he would be haunted


    by the memory of his wife''s betrayal for the rest of his life. Either way, he would suffer.


    "Humph, why do you even care? What you''re doing clearly shows where you stand. Mary has been


    always the only daughter in your heart. Since neither Daisy nor Mary is your biological daughter, why


    do you treat them so differently? And are you certain that you and Daisy aren''t rted at all? "


    Edward had be irritated. ''Leo, you''re still trying to bring me and Mary together. Good for you! Do


    you ever think about Daisy? Do you have any idea how embarrassing this is to her? She is your


    daughter after all, how could you treat her worse than an outsider?'' he thought.


    "What are you talking about? If I''m not his daughter, then who''s my father?" Daisy stood at the door of


    the sitting room, deathly pale and dumbstruck. Her eyes were devoid of emotions, and she looked


    about to copse at any minute. Now, she understood why her father had been so distant to her. But


    what hurt her the most wasn''t the fact that she was''t Leo''s daughter, but her mother''s betrayal. Daisy


    had respected and loved her so much. She couldn''t believe that her mother was a woman who had


    slept around. Her parents had loved each other so deeply, how was it possible for her mother to have


    an affair?


    Daisy''s head was full of questions. It was a heavy blow to her sinking heart. It hurt so much that her


    body couldn''t support herself anymore and she slowly started copsing. Suddenly, a big hand caught


    her and pulled her into an embrace, where she felt warm and stayed motionless.


    "Honey, don''t be foolish. It''s not as it seems. I''ll tell you everythingter. Now, stop thinking nonsense.


    Just stay in my arms." Daisy''s body was shaking. Edward patted her and kissed her head several times


    to soothe her. ''What was Anna doing? She was supposed to keep an eye on her. How could she let her


    in?'' he thought angrily.


    "I''m sorry Mr. Edward. I had to go away for a minute, so I didn''t see Mrs. Mue in." As Edward


    med her, Anna rushed over on her high heels and shot Edward an apologetic look. She had to


    deliver a file to the vice general manager''s office, but when she came back, Daisy was already at the


    door. One could never be too careful. Sometimes, the consequences of being careless could be very


    serious.


    "Never mind. Go back to your work." Edward said, waving his hand. Daisy had to face the matter


    sooner orter. It''s probably better for her to go through all the pain once and for all. Then, she wouldn''t


    be able to feel the pain in the future anymore.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    "Is this Daisy?" Leo asked in confusion. Looking at the aloof woman in military uniform in Edward''s


    arms, he couldn''t believe his eyes. When did she be a soldier? He remembered that she went


    abroad for further studies. How did she be a military officer? From the epaulets on her uniform,


    she seemed to hold a high position.


    "Mr. Ouyang, don''t you think your question is ridiculous? As a father, shouldn''t you recognize your own


    daughter?" Edward said icily, casting a fierce look at Leo. How could a father not recognize his own


    daughter? It''s unbelievable! But he never treated Daisy as his daughter, so his actions made sense. In


    this case, it wasn''t necessary for Edward to be cordial to Leo anymore.


    "Honey, take me home. Let''s get out of here," Daisy said to Edward. She thought that if they met again,


    she would be able to treat Leo as a stranger without any trace of love or expectation. But it turned out


    that she still longed for family affection. Knowing that she wasn''t his daughter was a blow to the head,


    but his question was a stab in the wound. She instantly lost all hope, and her attachment to him


    vanished into thin air.


    "Alright, let''s go home now." It took Edward by surprise that Leo could still hurt Daisy so much. He had


    thought that after so many years, she had gotten used to the feeling of being abandoned by her family.


    But Leo''s actions still tore her heart apart. Blood is thicker than water. It seemed that family ties couldn''t


    be forgotten or severed no matter how hard you tried. Even a soldier as gritty as Daisy couldn''t dismiss


    such emotions.


    "Mr. Edward, I..." Not getting the answer to his question, Leo became anxious when he heard that they


    were leaving.


    "Don''t worry. I''ll make you realize how wrong you are. Luke will give you the answer you want, but I


    hope you can keep your promise. Don''t regret it," Edward said, raising his eyebrows and ncing at


    Leo scornfully. Reluctant to say another word to him, he took Daisy out of the sitting room.


    Leo stood there, thinking about Edward''s words. If Daisy was his daughter, how did it exin the


    evidence that Yakira hadid in front of him years ago? Had she deceived him? But why? If it was true,


    what a horrible woman she was!


    Daisy leaned against Edward. The series of blows had exhausted her. She wasn''t the high-spirited and


    vigorous military officer anymore. The aloof bearing also disappeared. At this moment, she was just a


    weak and sad figure beside Edward.


    "Mr. Mu, what happened?" Seeing Daisy''s pale countenance, Luke frowned. He wondered if Daisy had


    seen the file saying that her mother''s death was part of a conspiracy. That would have devastated her.


    "It''s fine. Please give the file to Mr. Ouyang. He needs to know what he has done in the past years,"


    Edward said to Luke, without looking at him. His attention was focused on Daisy, who was wearing a


    nk expression.


    "Yes, Mr. Mu." Luke was worried that Daisy was too weak to handle any contingency. But he had to do


    as Edward instructed. It was of great importance. The file revealed the skeleton in the closet of the


    Ouyang family, and it was in Daisy''s immediate interests.


    In the car, Edward bit his lip anxiously. Hands on the wheel, he kept checking on Daisy, who looked


    lifeless beside him. Worried that the people in his home would ask some questions that could pressure


    Daisy too much, he drove to Maple Night instead. She could enjoy a good rest there; she was too tense


    right now.


    Daisy didn''t say a word on the way and pretended to sleep. She didn''t know where they were going


    until she saw the maple trees around the house when they arrived.


    "Why are we here?" Daisy winced. This ce brought dreadful memories to her. She and Edward


    spent their first night here, and she lost her virginity to him that night. Now that she was here again, her


    mind couldn''t help wandering back to the morning after, when he kept telling her the same thing


    repeatedly.


    "It''s quieter here. If we go home, my mom would keep asking you questions about your uniform. It''s for


    the best for us to stay here. I remember you said you are tired. Have a bath upstairs. Rx. I had it


    renovated."


    They got homete the night before, so Cynthia hadn''t seen Daisy''s uniform and hadn''t bothered them


    for that. But if they went home now, Cynthia would throw all kinds of questions to their faces. Edward


    knew that this ce was sad and ufortable for Daisy, but it was better than facing his mom''s


    curiosity.


    "When did you have it renovated?" Daisy hadn''t spent much time with Cynthia, but she came to know


    her personality. Most elders were stately and lofty, but Cynthia always spoke bluntly and innocently like


    a teenage girl. Because Jonathan spoiled her a lot, she wasn''t like an elder at all. Daisy envied her


    sometimes.


    "When you were at the war games. I missed you so much that I looked for anything that reminded me


    of you. Then I came here. Love is miraculous. It makes you do things that you never thought you would


    do in the past." Edward said with a wry smile, his eyes full of love.


    "It''s beautiful." His affectionate remarks made Daisy blush. Her heart was racing. Not knowing how to


    respond, she looked at the maple trees and pretended to appreciate the view.


    "Yes. It will be more beautiful when the maple leaves turn red." Edward intended to let her rx, so he


    didn''t mind her reaction. He followed her eyes to look at the maple woods.


    The maple is a deciduous tree in the subtropical area that blossoms in spring. Because its hand-


    shaped leaves turn red in fall, especially inte fall, people also call them red maple leaves. In the


    autumn season, you can asionally find orange and green among the ming leaves. In a strong


    wind, the leaves fall gracefully like dancing snowkes dyed in different colors. At that moment, no


    ce in the world was as beautiful as this ce. Soon enough, he would take her here to share that


    wonderful moment with her. Although thest time he was in that kind of romantic atmosphere had


    been a long time ago, he still cherished the sweet memory.

 Chapter 308 What Are You Thinking About (Part One)

    Chapter 308 What Are You Thinking About (Part One)


    "Mr. Mu, you''re here! Is this... Mrs. Mu?" The butler walked to Edward as soon as he saw them. But he


    became a little hesitant when he saw Daisy. Because he had only seen her once on the wedding day,


    he didn''t recognize her immediately. Besides, Daisy was currently dressed in a military uniform. She


    looked very different from what she used to look like, it was reasonable that the butler failed to


    recognize that she was Mrs. Mu.


    "Yes. We juste over to have a look. You don''t need to serve us." Edward said with a frown. He took


    Daisy here to let her have a good rest. He didn''t want her to be disturbed.


    "Okay, Mr. Mu. I sincerely apologize for not recognizing Mrs. Mu immediately. I''m so sorry, Mrs. Mu."


    The butler apologized profusely, his eyes gazing at Daisy in a trance. Why didn''t he know that Mrs. Mu


    was a soldier? He was so confused. He couldn''t believe that the soldier standing in front of him was


    Mrs. Mu.


    "That''s alright. I haven''t seen you for years. Is everything okay with you?" Daisy asked with a forced


    smile. But her cold demeanor still made her look very indifferent. Her intimidating nature made it


    difficult for people to get close to her.


    "Yes. Everything is okay. Thank you for your concern. I will take my leave. Please don''t hesitate to ask


    if you need me." The butler wasn''t oblivious. He could tell from the expressions on their faces that they


    wanted to be alone. He stopped bbering and nodded at them before leaving.


    "Let''s go. We can go upstairs to see if you still remember something." Edward suggested as he held


    her waist. He wanted to get her to rest as soon as possible, so that he could ask about what had


    happened in the military base. Otherwise, he would be on the receiving end of everything if he was


    completely ignorant of them.


    Daisy''s face blushed at his words. She wasn''t sure what he meant by saying that. Was he referring to


    their wedding night?


    Or was he just talking about theyout of the mansion? She chose to remain silent until things were


    clear.


    Entering the master bedroom where they had stayed only once, Daisy felt very emotional. It never


    urred to her that she woulde back after so many years. Edward was so determined to get


    divorced the day after their marriage. And there was no room for negotiation. After she left that


    morning, she didn''t expect that they would fall in love with each other one day. Touching the strange yet


    familiar furniture, a feeling of distress came over her. She lived with the hope to win this man''s love. If


    he didn''t fall in love with her, would that mean her life was wasted in vain?


    The first thing Edward did when they came upstairs was to take a shower. After he walked out from the


    bathroom, he was surprised to see Daisy absorbed in her thoughts. Edward held her slender waist from


    behind and ced his jaw on her shoulder. He asked in a gentle voice, "What are you thinking about,


    honey?"


    "Fate is a very strange thing. This is where we parted and went on separate paths but in the end, we


    come back to the starting point again. Now, our thoughts and feelings for each other have changed.


    And most importantly, you''re mine now." Daisy said emotionally, interlocking her fingers tightly with his.


    As the saying goes, "Hold your hand and grow old together with you." May this wonderful momentst


    forever and never change. Otherwise, she would break down. If she had never felt the happiness of


    being deeply in love with him, she would still be dreaming of him and hoping for a miracle toe. But


    if he suddenly stopped loving her after she''d enjoyed his ardent love, all her beliefs would disappear.


    "For as long as you want, I''m willing to give everything I have to you, including my body and my soul.


    They exist for the purpose of loving you. Are you satisfied with my answer, darling?" Although Edward''s


    tone was teasing, this was exactly how he felt. He wouldn''t hesitate to give her everything as long as


    she wanted.


    "Okay, I''ll believe some of your words. The rest will depend on your actions." Daisy turned around and


    looked at him, her nk eyes finally shing with a smile. She didn''t look as depressed as she did just


    now.


    "Oh! My dear, do you find my actionscking? Okay, I''ll show you how I feel. I''ll let you see how much I


    love you." Edward smiled mischievously. His eyes narrowed as he gazed hungrily at her lips. He looked


    eager to pounce on her for a taste.


    "I... I''m tired..." Daisy definitely knew what Edward meant, so she had to nip it in the bud before it went


    out of control. It seemed she had to be careful in saying things in front of him. Edward was a cunning


    guy, he would definitely think about sex.


    "Okay. Go take a shower, I''ve filled the tub with water for you." Edward stopped teasing her when he


    heard her reply. He was only joking earlier. He brought her here to let her forget the unhappy things she


    had suffered, not to stress her out.


    "Honey, thank you for all the things you''ve done for me." Daisy gazed lovingly at him and said firmly.


    She wondered when the arrogant and conceited man became so considerate to her. She had always


    admired his domineering and graceful manner. But now, he was willing to degrade himself to do trivial


    things such as preparing bath water for her. How could she not feel moved with this affectionate


    behavior?


    "Why are you staring at me? Do you want me to rub your back for you?" Edward intentionally changed


    the topic. He didn''t want her to express her gratitude, it made them seem estranged. As her husband,


    he wanted everything he did for her to be taken for granted. He didn''t want her to be so polite when he


    took care of her.


    "No. I don''t need it." Daisy said, rushing into the bathroom. Edward narrowed his eyes at her actions.


    Was she so muddled today? She forgot to bring her clothes to the bathroom. Or she probably didn''t


    know that he had prepared many clothes for her in the closet.


    Edward shook his head helplessly. He wondered how she became a colonel with her


    absentmindedness. He took out his cellphone from his pocket and flipped through his contacts as he


    walked around in the room. Finally, he found the number he wanted and dialed it.


    "Oh, hello! Mr. Mu, is there anything I can do for you?" Mark found it strange that Edward was calling


    him, he had never received a call from him before.


    "Yes. Did anything happen to your Colonel in the military base today?" Edward asked in a low voice,


    looking at the bathroom door.


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    "Mr. Mu, is the Colonel with you now?" Mark didn''t dare to say anything without Daisy''s permission,


    otherwise he would face military punishment.

 Chapter 309 What Are You Thinking About (Part Two)

    Chapter 309 What Are You Thinking About (Part Two)


    "Yes. But does it have anything to do with my question?" Edward asked with a deep frown. He was


    confused by Mark''s response.


    "Sorry, Mr. Mu. If the Colonel is with you, please ask her yourself. I fear that I''d be severely punished if I


    say something I shouldn''t say." Mark was a simple and honest man, but that didn''t mean he was stupid.


    Since Daisy didn''t tell Edward herself, then it was improper if Edward found out from him.


    "Oh, it seems something really happened. Could you tell me what it was about?" Edward didn''t give up.


    He was cunning, he tried another way to get what he wanted.


    "I don''t know the details. But everyone in the military base is talking about it." Ah! Mark was definitely a


    person who couldn''t go through an interrogation. He revealed everything so soon. He would be


    severely punished by his colonel for this. It seemed that Mark fell into traps easily.


    "Oh? What were they talking about?" Edward asked casually. Edward thought that Mark and Daisy


    were really perfectly matched to work together, as they were both easily befuddled. No wonder they


    were always being used by others.


    "They''re saying that the reason why the disciplinary department summoned the Colonel for an


    investigation was because the luxurious car she drove recently is a bribe." If Mark lived during the war,


    he would absolutely bebeled a traitor. He was easily manipted by Edward and doomed to suffer


    from his mistakes. The prospect of a 10-kilometer cross country run was looming over him.


    "What? Bribe? Bullshit! Why didn''t they say that she stole them? They are all talking rubbish nonsense,


    idiots!" Edward immediately became furious at the news. Who would tantly seek attention by driving


    a car gained from bribery? Would anyone be so stupid as to announce to the world that they had taken


    a bribe this way? Only idiots who bumped their heads into a door would do something so stupid. Daisy


    wasn''t an idiot. That would be taking the bull by its horns, Edward thought.


    "Er... Mr. Mu. I didn''t say anything to you. Please don''t let the Colonel know that you got this from me,


    otherwise I''ll be doomed!" Mark really wanted to p himself. He was finished, he had been tricked by


    Edward. Why did he have such a big mouth? He foolishly told Edward what happened to the Colonel. It


    seemed that he couldn''t escape the Colonel''s punishment. He only hoped that she would have mercy


    on him since he followed her for so many years. He hoped his punishment wouldn''t be severe.


    "Don''t worry. At most, she''ll make you do some physical exercises." Edward said lightly. Since he


    wasn''t the one who would face Daisy''s punishment, he gave a careless response.


    Meanwhile in the FX International Group conference room, Leo had been in trance for nearly half an


    hour. He still couldn''t believe his eyes. He couldn''t convince himself to believe the fact that Daisy was


    really his biological daughter. Remembering what he had done to Daisy in the past and his brief


    interaction with her earlier, he unconsciously clenched his fists in anger. How many things did Yakira


    hide from him? She dared fabricate so many things to separate him from his wife and daughter, while


    she brazenly enjoyed all the things that were rightfully theirs.


    Leo closed his eyes as he tried to get himself together. His mind was full of questions. If Daisy was


    really his biological daughter, how could he make up for abandoning her for so many years? How could


    he win back her affections? She looked so indifferent to him earlier. It would be difficult to get her back.


    She probably hated him. She even seemed reluctant to look at Leo.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    He cursed Yakira in his mind, wishing that the information before him was all fake. Otherwise, she


    really turned him into a jerk who abandoned his own daughter and deprived her of her father''s love.


    There was no way to make up for this. If he found out that this was all true, he would not forgive her


    ever and she couldn''t me him for being ruthless and not treasuring their rtionship as husband and


    wife. She dared to do so many ugly things behind his back and make him an oblivious viin who had


    driven his own daughter away.


    Leo was really very pathetic. When he found he had made a mistake, his first thought wasn''t to reflect


    on himself, but to put the me on others. It never urred to him that he was the decisive factor in


    Daisy''s expulsion from the family. If he hadn''t acquiesced, Yakira wouldn''t have been so bold as to treat


    Daisy like dirt.


    Luke red at Leo the whole time. He didn''t say anything. If Leo wasn''t Mrs. Mu''s biological father, he


    wouldn''t have waited patiently for such a long time. His duty was to ensure Edward''s safety, not to


    waste time with Leo.


    "Mr. Ouyang, if you''re done, I''ll take it back. This document was borrowed, so we need to return it


    afterwards." It was true. The document with the information was borrowed by Jonathan from The


    Mayfly. It needed to be returned.


    "Oh! I''m sorry. I''m finished." Leo came back to his senses and handed the document he''d been


    grasping to Luke. He stood up from the chair, looking distressed. He needed to go back to confirm all


    the information he had read. If it was all true, how could he get back Daisy?


    Looking at Leo''s retreating figure, Luke felt a trace of pity. He had taken another''s daughter as his own


    and regarded her as the apple of his eye, while abandoning his actual daughter and trampling on her


    like she was garbage. What a pathetic man. He was suffering the consequences of his own actions. He


    didn''t deserve anyone''s sympathy.


    Unlike Leo, Edward acted quickly. As soon as he heard what happened from Mark, he sent a number


    of instructions through his phone. He didn''t intend to make things public, but to prove Daisy''s


    innocence, he had to add something special to tomorrow''s anniversary celebration. This was the only


    way he could do to get quick results.

 Chapter 310 Daisy Had A Fever (Part One)

    Chapter 310 Daisy Had A Fever (Part One)


    Daisy stepped into the tub and sighed with relief. The bath water smelled great. She realized Edward


    must have added essential oil to the water so that she could rx better. She smiled sweetly while


    thinking how considerate he was.


    As for the usation, she could have overturned it and cleared her name by showing her marriage


    certificate to the inspectors. But she was reported, and that would always remain as a stain on her


    profile. It would have a negative impact on her future career. Daisy cupped a handful of water and


    sshed over her face. She panicked when the disciplinary inspectors summoned her; it didn''t ur to


    her that she could prove her rtionship with Edward. She remembered that she asked Edward to


    keep their marriage certificates several months ago. What could she do to smuggle out the certificate


    without raising his suspicion?


    She had thought that she couldn''t feel any worse after the interrogation. However, she reached a new


    low when she got thrilled to see Leo, but Leo forgot herpletely. He acted as if he never had a


    daughter called Daisy in his life.


    Thinking of Leo''s pale face earlier, Daisy wondered what Edward had told him and what Luke had


    shown him. Did it have anything to do with her? Daisy sighed heavily. Random thoughts brewed in her


    mind. The more she thought about them, the more tired she got. She felt sleepy soon, partly because


    of the fatigue and partly because of the hot bath.


    Daisy had been in the bathroom for a long while; Edward rechecked his watch and wondered why she


    hadn''te out yet. Did she fall asleep? Edward grew nervous at the thought and immediately walked


    into the bathroom. Damn it! How could he forget about that? She was exhausted. What if she fell


    asleep and the water got cold? She might catch a cold!


    Edward pushed the door anxiously. Luckily, she hadn''t locked the door from inside. Edward frowned


    with worry as he saw Daisy sleeping in the bathtub with an arm on the edge of the tub. He knew it! He


    thought the essential oil would help her rx, so she would be able to sleep well tonight. However, he


    didn''t expect that she would fall asleep in the tub.


    He grabbed a towel from the shelf and lifted Daisy from the tub. After drying her up, Edward tossed the


    towel aside and went back to the bedroom with Daisy in his arms. Instead of digging the closet to find


    her pajamas, Edward covered her with a quilt. As he held her in his arms, he could sense that she was


    burning up. She probably got a fever.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    After touching her forehead to recheck her body temperature, Edward frowned in remorse. Eyes still


    fixed on Daisy, he reached for his phone and called someone. She had to attend the anniversary party


    with him tomorrow night, and she couldn''t be sick at this crucial time. Otherwise, all his preparations


    would go to waste.


    "Hello? Tom,e to Maple Night at once! I think Daisy has a fever. Be quick!" The moment the call


    was connected, Edward gave orders to Tom. He walked to the closet and searched for Daisy''s


    pajamas. He couldn''t leave Daisy naked now that another man was about to visit them. Though a


    doctor didn''t care whether his patient was a man or a woman; Edward wouldn''t allow his wife to be


    exposed in front of anyone but him.


    "What the heck? Send her to the hospital! Are you trying to misuse my talent?" Although Tom retorted


    sourly, he immediately started packing his medical kit.


    "Cut the crap, Tom! I''ll blow up your hospital if she''s not better by tomorrow." Edward was anxious and


    aggressive. He rarely spoke to his friends like this; and when he did, it meant it was crucial to him. Tom


    paused in surprise and sighed heavily. Then he went back to his desk and took something out of the


    drawer. Gazing at the bottle that cost him a fortune, Tom decided to make Edward pay for his research


    someday!


    Edward hung up on Tom as soon as he finished speaking. Tom had been to this mansion several times;


    therefore Edward wasn''t worried that he would get lost. Looking down at the pajamas in his hands,


    Edward closed his eyes and swallowed hard. He nced at the quilt and shook his head slightly. It was


    an ultimate test for a man to change the pajamas for the woman he was madly in love with and yet do


    nothing else.


    Edward sat at the bedside and felt Daisy''s forehead again, it was hot. But as he removed the quilt,


    Edward found that he was also burning inside. He decided not to look at her body while changing her


    pajamas; still, he was turned on. Edward had always been able to control himself; if he didn''t want it, he


    wouldn''t feel anything even if a naked woman tried and seduced him. Yet, he had an erection just by


    looking at Daisy lying there quietly.


    Small beads of sweat formed on Edward''s forehead after he dressed Daisy. With a loving smile, he


    gently caressed her nose tip before entering the bathroom. He had to take a shower and deal with


    something else before Tom got here.


    Edward turned on the tap and let the icy cold water ssh all over his body. Keeping one arm on the


    wall, he closed his eyes and sighed with relief. The cold shower quenched his burning thirst. Edward''s


    lips curled into a big smile, thinking about tomorrow night. He usually brought the actresses of his


    company as his date for the anniversary party; it would be the first time when he attended the event


    with his wife. Edward couldn''t hold back his excitement.


    Lots of celebrities would attend the anniversary party of the FX International Group, and Edward had


    nned to introduce Daisy as his wife to all of them proudly. Edward beamed and thought to himself,


    ''So that''s how it feels to love someone. I want the whole world to know that she belongs to me, yet I


    also want to hide her in my pocket and carry her around so other men wouldn''t drool over her.''


    Edward looked graceful and sexy even in casual and loose outfits. His hair was still wet and was falling


    on his forehead; he didn''t bother to pull it back. He was very handsome in this way.


    That was what Tom saw when he arrived at the house. Leaning idly against the doorway, Edward


    narrowed his eyes and gazed at Tom quietly. Tom shuddered all of a sudden. ''Is he mad at me for


    beingte? Or is he surprised that Ie so soon?'' Tom had no idea what was on Edward''s


    mind.

 Chapter 311 Daisy Had A Fever (Part Two)

    Chapter 311 Daisy Had A Fever (Part Two)


    "Did you crawl all the way here? I''ve waited for you for half-an-hour! Is this how you treat your


    patients?" Edward was standing by the doorway because he had been going up and down the stairs to


    wait for Tom and check on Daisy simultaneously. And thest time he checked, Daisy''s forehead was


    burning. He was terrified, so he ran downstairs and anxiously waited for Tom.


    "Come on! It''s miles away from my ce! I literally risked my life and rushed all the way here! You


    should thank me! I wouldn''t ever make a house call for anyone else." Tom rolled his eyes and replied


    sourly. Who did Edward take him for, a cheap doctor? Edward had practically ordered Tom, the


    legendary genius of the medical world, toe here because his wife had a fever!


    "Shut up! Just go upstairs and have a look. Her body temperature seems really high." Normally,


    Edward wouldn''t spare Tom so easily, but since he only cared for Daisy''s wellbeing right now, he chose


    not to bicker with Tom.


    Tom shrugged as he followed Edward. ''Daisy has a fever, not cancer! What''s all the fuss about?'' Tom


    felt Edward was overreacted. Tom had never seen Edward so anxious and frightened; he had a feeling


    that Edward had really fallen in love this time. He was a bit surprised that the famous yboy Edward


    would give up his whole world for a woman. Life was full of surprises indeed.


    "How did she get the fever? What did she do? Would you put this under her arm or should I?" asked


    Tom while taking a thermometer out of his medical kit. Tom didn''t think it was a big deal until he ced


    his palm over Daisy''s forehead.


    "I''m not sure. She got some terrible news earlier. And she fell asleep in the tub." Ignoring the option


    Tom had offered, Edward took the thermometer and carefully ced it under Daisy''s arm. He frowned


    while touching her burning hot skin.


    Tom grabbed Daisy''s wrist to feel her pulse. Suddenly, he felt sorry, not for Daisy, but for the medicine


    he had developed. He just brought it with him as insurance. But it seemed that he might have to use it


    on Daisy. Tom strongly believed that Edward would blow up his hospital if Daisy didn''t recover by


    tomorrow.


    "What? Is it bad?" Edward''s heart sank when he saw Tom''s frown. It must be really serious. Otherwise,


    Tom wouldn''t have that look on his face.


    "Yes. Really, really bad! I''m so sorry." Tom didn''t mean to fool Edward; he blurted out those words as


    he was thinking about his precious medicine. He had spent a lot of time and energy developing it. He


    didn''t expect to use it on someone who just got a cold. However, Edward didn''t know that Tom was


    talking about his medicine. Edward''s face changed as he heard Tom.


    "What should I do? Should I take her to the hospital?" When it came to Daisy, Edward didn''t act


    prudently. He was too anxious that he couldn''t see things straight. What''s more, he didn''t know that


    Tom had brought his stashed medicine, and Tom felt sorry to waste his medicine on such an


    insignificant illness.


    "What? Why the hospital? Do you doubt my ability? Then why did you call me in the first ce?" Tom


    had no idea that Edward had misunderstood his words. When he heard that Edward was nning to


    send Daisy to a hospital, he thought Edward was questioning his ability.


    "Damn it! Didn''t you just say it''s really bad?" Edward was pissed off. He was freaking out, and Tom had


    the nerve to joke. He would have knocked Tom out if he wasn''t counting on Tom to cure Daisy.


    "Did I? Oh, I''m sorry. I was talking about my secret stash! I''m going to use it on someone with a mere


    cold! What a waste!" Tom soon understood what Edward was talking about and started to exin


    himself. However, Edward furiously threw his fist on Tom''s face before he finished speaking.


    "How about now? Spare some time to feel sorry for your eye! You asked for it! Don''t you dare fool me


    again!" Edward was worried to death, and Tom was feeling sorry for his medicine? Edward was furious


    and thought that Tom deserved to get punched!


    "Holy crap! I told you not on my face! Not on my handsome face!" Edward had given him panda eyes


    for the second time that week. Tom felt abused. Edward would rob all of his invaluable medicines if this


    situation continued!


    "Aren''t you sorry for your medicine? So be it! I don''t give a damn! But I''m warning you if you dare fool


    me again..." Edward sneered as he watched Tom rub his bruised eye. Sometimes Tom behaved like


    Rain, as they both had the habit of crossing his line without knowing it. Therefore they needed a


    serious lesson every now and then.


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    "Humph." Tom snorted while spreading his hand in front of Edward. Tom swallowed his pride and


    red at Edward. He knew he couldn''t do anything to him. Edward had a way with him.


    "What?" Edward was confused. What was Tom up to this time?


    "The thermometer of course! Do you want me to take off her clothes and get it myself?" Damn it! Tom


    felt so distressed at this moment. He came back from abroad just two weeks ago, yet Edward had


    bruised his eyes, twice! What''s worse, Tom had to do what Edward wanted even after getting beaten!


    Gritting his teeth, Edward suppressed the urge to punch him again and gently took the thermometer out


    of Daisy''s arm and handed it over to Tom. Edward smirked when he saw Tom''s bruised eye. He


    covered his mouth with his palm and pretended to cough, trying not to burst intoughter.


    "Go ahead andugh before you choke yourself and ask me for help." Tom retorted sharply. He threw


    an annoyed look at Edward and carefully checked the thermometer. ''Jeez! Almost 104¨H? I have to get


    her an IV drip before she burns her head, '' thought Tom while quickly preparing the medicine for


    Daisy.

 Chapter 312 Wild Cat To Charcoal Cat (Part One)

    Chapter 312 Wild Cat To Charcoal Cat (Part One)


    "Should we put her on IV?" Edward ignored Tom''sints. He furrowed his eyebrows in worry while


    he watched Tom mix the medicines.


    "Yeah! The recovery will be faster. Help me steady her hand in case she makes any sudden


    movements." Tom signaled Edward to hold down Daisy''s hand. If he missed the first attempt he would


    need to make another injection.


    "Take it easy!" When Tom was pushing in the needle, Daisy frowned unconsciously. Edward felt


    empathetic towards her; he cautioned Tom to be careful. It seemed as if he was going to eat Tom.


    "Please. It''s just an injection. I am not performing surgery." Tom rolled his eyes. He carefully fastened


    the needle with medical gauze. People said that women lose their senses in love. But in this case, it


    seemed that this applied to men as well. Tom was looking at one such man right now.


    "Cut the crap. Of course, I know it''s just an injection. I''m just asking you to take it easy. Why are you


    arguing?" Edward was surprised by Tom''s grouchy mood today. What made him so agitated?


    Edward Mu had very conveniently forgotten that he had hit Tom moments ago. He shouldn''t expect


    Tom to behave courteously. If it were someone else, they would have shut Edward up from the


    beginning.


    "Buddy, do you think Daisy''s made of wax? She''s a soldier, OK? This tiny sting won''t matter to her.


    What are you worrying about?" Tom didn''t know what to do with Edward. It was only an injection; there


    was no reason for Edward to be so aggressive.


    "What''s all this noise..." A faint whisper interrupted the two bickering men. They both turned to the


    woman quietly lying on the bed, but they realized that she only uttered one sentence without any more


    movements. It seemed that Daisy was really disturbed, so she protested out of instinct.


    "Here! Here are her meds. I''ve written down when to take them. It''s your job to give them to her on


    time. This is the IV liquid, change it once this bottle is finished. This is an ice pack to lower her body


    temperature. You can help her cool down with this; it would make her morefortable. I don''t want to


    overstay my wee, so the rest is up to you now!" Tom lowered his voice while giving the


    instructions. He had done his part. Daisy just needed to take his specially mixed medicines. By


    tomorrow morning, Edward would have his active and lovely wife back.


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "You aren''t staying? What if her condition gets worse?" Edward wouldn''t let Tom off so quickly. He


    wanted to keep a doctor at hand for his peace of mind.


    "Are you doubting my skills? It''s just a cold. Why are you being so paranoid?" By now, Tom was quite


    irritated by Edward''s paranoia, and he began to raise his voice slightly. Tom felt that he was also a


    victim! He was punched in the face by Edward. If he didn''t go home and put something on it, the


    swelling would take much longer to fade away. The injury needed immediate attention. Tom didn''t want


    to go to thepany''s anniversary party with a ck eye.


    "You can''t leave the mansion before her temperature drops. There are a lot of guest rooms for you to


    choose from." Edward wasn''t ying by the rules, so he ignored Tom''s anger and was determined to


    keep him here.


    Tom curled the corner of his lips on hearing Edward''s unreasonable request. He almost regretted his


    decision toe back to the country. But what he regretted even more was the decision to make an


    appearance at Edward''s doorst time, because that was what led to this disastrous oue. At this


    point, this line perfectly suited Tom''s situation: ''A tree falls the way it leans.'' He was now suffering from


    his own actions. It was clear to Tom that he couldn''t leave, so he set out to find something for his


    bruise.


    "Where are you going?" Seeing that Tom was stepping away silently, Edward called out in a flurry.


    Edward was afraid that in Tom''s absence he''d spend the whole night worrying about Daisy.


    "I''m going to the bathroom. Do you want to see how that goes as well?" Tom usually acted gentle and


    kind in front of others. But the way Edward pestered him made Tom lose his patience, and he walked


    out of the bedroom furiously.


    Edward paused for a few seconds and put on a slight smirk. He was d that Tom was staying after all,


    and he decided to deal with himter. Edward was shocked at Tom''s irritable behavior. He thought


    Tom''s life must have been quite easy.


    Edward leaned towards Daisy and caressed her burning forehead. Then he ced Tom''s ice pack on


    her head. Even though he had been as slow and careful as he could, the sudden coldness made


    Daisy''s head twitch. Another low whisper followed: "Mom... Don''t leave me..." Both her hands reached


    out as if she were trying to catch something in the air.


    "Honey, don''t be afraid! I''m here and I won''t leave you." Edward took her hands. Although she was not


    calling for him, he still decided to lie down beside her, caressing her tenderly. Daisy felt his deep


    affection, which made her sleep peacefully.


    It was the first time Edward got to look at her so closely. He reached out and stroked her face softly.


    Perhaps because of her military career, Daisy had amanding aura that no other woman


    possessed, making her extremely attractive. Edwardughed at himself for this realization. Didn''t he


    fall in love with her because of these unique features? That sense of mystery made him swoon and


    drew him closer to her. Eventually and inadvertently, he got lost in her charm. But Edward liked the


    feeling of being in love with Daisy. There was no hesitance. He was willing to be the one for


    her.

 Chapter 313 Wild Cat To Charcoal Cat (Part Two)

    Chapter 313 Wild Cat To Charcoal Cat (Part Two)


    He kissed her lips softly. Her usual aloof disposition disappeared, and now her frail body was a tender


    sight. She was just like any other woman, soft and fragile, almost breaking Edward''s heart.


    ''My little wild cat, be well soon! I can''t get used to you lying next to me so quietly. I would rather have


    you use all your fury on me. At least you will be lively. I guess I am just a masochist. I want you to kick


    me around all day long. Tell me, am I being too goddamn insatiable?''


    Edward didn''t eat much at dinner, probably because he was worried sick for Daisy. After a few quick


    bites, he went upstairs to her, leaving Tom alone with a table full of food. Tom was not pleased,


    muttering to himself that thank goodness Daisy was only down with a cold. If it were some serious


    illness, he might have to give up on Edward.


    The night felt endless to Edward. He was feeding medicines to Daisy, changing the IV bottle, wiping her


    sweat while responding to her spontaneous murmuring. He barely got a moment to rx, yet Tom


    didn''t show up even once as long as Edward didn''t call for him. Edward guessed that he must have


    fallen asleep in the guest room.


    By the time Daisy''s body temperature dropped back to normal, he was too tired to go on. He carefully


    changed her pajamas and held her in his arms. He closed his eyes and fell asleep because of


    exhaustion.


    Daisy''s circadian rhythm jolted her awake at the usual time. She slowly opened her eyes after a night


    of deep sleep. She tried to move her limbs a little but found it difficult to exert any strength. She


    wondered what had happened to her. Thest thing she remembered was taking a bath in the


    bathroom. Then how did she get in bed?


    She looked around and immediately noticed Edward''s extraordinarily handsome yet frowny face. She


    felt that she had lost a part of her memory. She couldn''t seem to connect the dots and exin how she


    ended up here. Daisy had no idea what had happened. She didn''t want to think that she passed out.


    That''d be impossible! She had been healthy for years. Other than some injuries suffered during


    missions, she didn''t even have a slight cold. How could she pass out for no reason?


    Daisy turned around, unsure why her whole body was sore. She couldn''t even tell the time. Was it


    evening already?


    "Honey, you''re finally awake. How do you feel?" Edward couldn''t sleep too soundly, so her slightest


    movement was enough to wake him up. The first thing he did was to feel Daisy''s temperature by


    touching her forehead. He was relieved that the fever didn''t return.


    "What happened to me?" Daisy asked in confusion. She seldom lost her consciousness unless, of


    course, she suffered some serious injury. She remembered that she had once fallen into a week-long


    coma after being stabbed by a thug. Justin cried his eyes out when that happened; the memory made


    her heart ache. He was only two years old at that time, so he didn''t understand what was going on


    exactly. But he did know that his mother wasn''t responding no matter how hard he tried to wake her.


    That was one of Daisy''s most severe injuries. There was also a gunshot wound beside this knife


    wound. That time she had to stay in the army base hospital for two months before she fully recovered.


    "Silly girl, you fell asleep in the bathtub. You had a cold because of that!" Edward gently pinched


    Daisy''s pink cheek. Her goofy look was adorable.


    "What? You mean I have a cold? How''s that possible?" Daisy couldn''t believe she had a cold. Was that


    why her body felt so weak, and her head hurt?


    "Yeah! The little wild cat was almost baked into a little charcoal cat. You were burning to a crisp."


    Realizing that Daisy was no longer feverish, Edward joked with herfortably.


    "Howe I don''t remember a thing? You looked after me?" Daisy asked as she saw Edward''s tired


    face. Before she realized, her hand was already caressing his face. She didn''t like it when he furrowed


    his eyebrows. So she carefully brushed her fingers between Edward''s eyes.


    "You had been burning up all night. You must be hungry. I''ll get you some porridge. The butler has kept


    it warm for us." Edward held her hand, asking her pleadingly.


    "No! Get some more sleep. You clearly didn''t sleep much because you had to take care of mest


    night. Besides, I should get ready for work anyway." As she spoke, Daisy tried to get up, but Edward


    wrapped his arms around her waist.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    "Don''t go. You are really sick. You can''t go to work like this. Rest at home. I''ve already called the army


    base for you." Edward never held Daisy back from her work. It was his promise to her from the very


    beginning, but he couldn''t allow her to neglect her health. Edward insisted on this. So he already had


    Mark call in sick for herst night.

 Chapter 314 You Little Monkey. That鈥檚 What You want, Right (Part One)

    Chapter 314 You Little Monkey. That¡¯s What You want, Right (Part One)


    "But you promised that you wouldn''t interfere with my work. I haven''t finished my report yet." Daisy was


    very serious about her work, so she was displeased with Edward''s decision, but didn''t me him. She


    knew Edward did that because he cared about her health, so she spoke not so much in anger as in


    coquetry.


    "Yes, I did say I wouldn''t interfere with your work, but that''s only when you are taking care of yourself.


    Anyway, you can write your report at home. Just ask Mark to send you the material." Edward didn''t


    want to upset Daisy again, so he said that on purpose. The truth was that when he called up Markst


    night, Mark told him that there was no need to ask for leave because the higher administration had


    decided to suspend all her work in the military base. Even if Edward hadn''t called Mark, Mark would


    have called him to convey the same. It was just a matter of who called first.


    Edward was delighted by the higher administration''s decision. He knew Daisy didn''t embezzle money


    or engage in any corrupt practices, so he was not afraid of the so-called investigation they had initiated


    against her. Anyhow, they would know the truth tonight, and they would pay for the wrong decision


    made by them. His wife was sick, and he desperately hoped that Daisy wouldn''t have to go to work.


    The investigation helped serve his purpose.


    Edward knew that Daisy was used of bribery, but it was not so simple. In addition to being charged


    with bribery, Daisy was also used of being a homewrecker. That''s why this matter was so


    complicated. Daisy could get reprimanded, either by being dismissed from the military or by being


    demoted if either of the two usations was proved to be true. She knew the gravity of the situation,


    that''s why she was so upset.


    After hearing him, Daisy stared at the ceiling without saying anything. In spite of the surprise in


    Edward''s eyes, Daisy pulled up the quilt and prepared to go back to sleep. She thought, since he had


    already arranged everything, she shouldn''t waste time in discussions. She knew that any protest would


    be useless now.


    "Babe, why are you so submissive today? I am really ttered." Edward smiled and thought how


    unpredictable Daisy was, even when she was at odds with him. Edward had been really stressed


    wondering how to convince Daisy to not go to the military base. Surprisingly, Daisy didn''t struggle with


    the issue at all. She just went back to bed. She amazed him every single day.


    "Humph! Can I be unsubmissive? No, I can''t! Then why discuss it? I''d rather sleep and ck off for


    once. It feels so good toze around." Daisy went into Edward''s arms as she spoke. She felt sorry that


    he took care of her all night, so she wanted to sleep with him for a while. If she got out of bed right now,


    he would be reluctant to continue sleeping. In order to let him have a good rest, she was willing to take


    rest. It wasn''t clear what decisions the higher leadership would make.


    "OK, let''s bezy together today!" Edward still felt quite sleepy. He cared about his sleep very much,


    and he might get up on the wrong side of the bed in the morning, especially when he was woken up by


    others. Because of Daisy, however, he changed a lot in these aspects as well. No wonder people said


    that adjustment was the most important thing to make a marriage work.


    Daisy did not answer him, she drew circles on his chest with her fingers. Although Edward was sitting


    in the office every day, he not only had strong muscles but also had smooth skin. He was indeed god''s


    favorite child, who got everything that others could only dream of. It seemed that god was really unfair


    to create such a perfect man.


    "Stop it; I''m not vicious enough to have sex with a patient." Edward grabbed her little hands. No matter


    what she did, it was always easy for her to arouse his desire. Therefore, to keep her from suffering he


    stopped her from touching him. It was a wise choice. Otherwise, he would have ended up suffering.


    However, the more Edward resisted, the more Daisy wanted to tease him. She raised her head from


    his arms, gave him a yful wink, and then kissed his thin lips to tease him some more. Daisy liked this


    feeling because she felt delighted when he restrained himself for her. She used to pretend to be aloof


    in front of everyone, but in front of Edward, a man she loved, she didn''t want to pretend anymore. She


    wanted to be the apple of Edward''s eyes. But when she was in her army uniform, she had to be strong


    and brave, and that was the only way for her to be respected by others.


    How could Edward control himself when Daisy kissed him like this? So, Edward kissed her back


    passionately, gently responding to her clumsy kisses. Edward was a good kisser, Daisy waspletely


    lost in his kisses and she forgot that she just wanted to flirt with him.


    "You little monkey. That''s what you want, right?" Edward felt very helpless looking at her cheerful face.


    He didn''t dare to do anything to her again, because he was afraid that he could not help having sex


    with her. After all, she was still sick.


    "Well... Uh... I..." Daisy blushed. Daisy knew she had aroused his desire, so the most important thing at


    this time was to stop what he was going to do next. Although Daisy''s hand was still on his bare chest,


    she was afraid to do anything else, because she had felt his intense desire.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Don''t tease me unless you can bear the consequence." Edward said that in a hoarse voice. If she


    wasn''t down with fever, he would have done what he wanted to do, and he wouldn''t have to control


    himself anymore.

 Chapter 315 You Little Monkey. That鈥檚 What You want, Right (Part Two)

    Chapter 315 You Little Monkey. That¡¯s What You want, Right (Part Two)


    Daisy stared at him for a few seconds. She said nothing but made a bold move. She took off Edward''s


    clothes, which shocked Edward. Looking at his surprised look, she smiled and then kissed his eyes


    with her cherry-like lips. That way, she could cover his probing eyes. Otherwise, she wouldn''t dare to


    do what she intended to do.


    Edward smirked. He had wanted Daisy to take some rest. Since she didn''t want to rest, she couldn''t


    me him. Edward said "Honey, are you sure you want to do this?"


    Although he was thrilled by her move, he still asked her one more time out of respect. He didn''t want


    her to pass out halfway through for being too tired.


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    Before Daisy could answer, there was a loud knock at the door. It made Edward so angry that he


    wanted to tear the person who knocked on the door to pieces. Perhaps that would help him vent his


    unfulfilled desire.


    "Ah!" Daisy couldn''t helpughing, seeing Edward like this. But secretly she also wondered who was


    bothering them so early in the morning. Daisy could not bear to see him controlling himself like this.


    She didn''t expect that such an ident would happen at this critical time. She began to pray for him.


    Edward was so angry that whosoever had bothered them was going to meet his misfortune. Who would


    be the "lucky dog"? She knew that the person who had knocked on the door couldn''t be the butler,


    because the servants were aware that he didn''t like to be disturbed when he was upstairs. They would


    note upstairs to bother him, especially at such an early hour.


    Edward gritted his teeth in an attempt to calm his desire. Without doubt, it must be Tom who knocked at


    the door. He wondered why Tom came to his bedroom instead of sleeping.


    As Edward thought about that, there was another knock on the door. It was impossible to not let Tom


    come into his bedroom.


    "Come in." Edward quickly got up, took the quilt and covered Daisy. And then, he spoke angrily.


    "I am sorry. Ie here to check her condition." Tom looked so serious that no one could tell that he


    was joking. He was very responsible for his patient.


    Daisy was puzzled when she saw Tom. She just caught a cold. She didn''t expect Edward to hire the


    most genius doctor of S city for her. Edward might have forced him to do that.


    "Damn it! You''d bettere here for checking her condition as you said. Otherwise, I''ll burn your


    doctor''s license." Edward red at Tom. Damn it! Tom didn''t show upst night when Daisy had a


    fever. When her fever was gone, he finally appeared. Why did he show up when he was ame with


    sexual desire?


    "Daisy, you finally woke up, so I can go home now." When Tom saw Daisy awake, he started to get


    busy,pletely ignoring Edward. Tom reached out his hand to touch her forehead and then felt her


    pulse. Tom heaved a sigh of relief. It seemed that he had saved his hospital sessfully. If Edward


    decided to shut down the hospital, he would get in trouble.


    "Sorry to bother you again, Tom." Daisy blushed a little. Daisy had been wounded by a knife before,


    and Tom was called to treat her in the evening. It wasn''t long before he was called again. So Daisy felt


    very sorry.


    "Don''t say that. It''s all right." Tom smiled softly. It seemed that Tom could be a gentleman as long as he


    didn''t have to face Edward.


    "But, what''s wrong with your eye?" Daisy frowned, and asked him why one of his eyes was swollen.


    "Well, I was beaten by a crazy man." Tom looked at Edward defiantly. He didn''t want to disturb them so


    early in the morning. He wouldn''t havee to check up on Daisy if he didn''t worry that Edward would


    call him after he had gone home. He was really upset when he thought about that. He was losing his


    confidence because of Edward''s skepticism.


    "Tom, so, you wanna be beaten again?" Edward said coldly. He couldn''t believe that Tom said he was


    crazy in front of him. He thought Edward would beg him just likest night? Since Daisy was out of


    fever now, Edward should give him a good lesson.


    "Daisy, I really should go now, or my other eye would also get in trouble. Have a good rest! See you


    tonight!" Tom said this and left with his things hurriedly, without looking at Edward. He really needed to


    take care of his eye, or how would he see anyone when he went to the party at night?


    Edward was really upset as Tom was ignoring him? He couldn''t believe that Tom would be so


    unfriendly to him in front of Daisy. Edward wanted to beat him harder! Perhaps then Tom would be


    respectful again.


    Daisy wasn''t curious about Edward''s angry face. But Tom''s words "See you tonight," made her wonder


    what he really wanted to say. It must be a special night, or he wouldn''t say such words without


    reason.

 Chapter 316 Where Is Your Colonel (Part One)

    Chapter 316 Where Is Your Colonel (Part One)


    The sky was still dark at dawn. A beautiful woman slowly stepped out of the international terminal of the


    airport. Leena took a deep sigh and nced at the quiet road and dim streemps. She stood there


    and gazed into the horizon for a while before she headed to the parking lot with her suitcase.


    Leena ced her luggage in the back seat of her Ferrari and got into the driver''s seat. Suddenly, she


    remembered something. She turned around to search for her cellphone. The phone was dead because


    Leena had left it in the car when she went to Paris. She kept it in her purse in case she forgot it again


    when she got home.


    All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    The red Ferrari drove away in the cold morning of early fall. Leaves slowly swirled around the rim of the


    empty street because of the wind as Leena sped away.


    The day broke brighter as she arrived at Kevin''s apartment. Leena smiled sweetly as she jumped out of


    her car. ''Kevin, I''m home!'' Leena wanted to shout it out loud. Although she chose to ignore it, her


    feelings for Kevin had somewhat changed during these days.


    Kevin was having breakfast when he heard someone open the door. He paused in surprise, ''Who could


    it be at this hour? A thief?'' Thinking of that someone was breaking into his apartment, Kevin dropped


    his fork and tried to find something that he could use as a weapon. His eyes were fixed on the


    doorknob warily. Leena didn''t expect to see Kevin standing behind the door. Startled, she froze and


    dropped her keys. For a moment, both of them stared nkly at each other until the sound of keys


    falling on the floor shook them up.


    "Am I so scary?" With a gentle smile, Kevin approached Leena and picked up her keys, gazing at


    Leena''s cute keychain with great interest.


    "What? Oh no. I just...I didn''t expect that you''d be at home." Leena blushed. She assumed he would


    have left for the army base by this hour, or he might not havee back home from the military


    exercises. That was why she was startled to see him.


    "Why didn''t you call me to pick you up?" Kevin asked with a frown. She must have arrived quite early.


    Wasn''t she frightened? And she was driving a Ferrari! Didn''t she know how dangerous it was for a


    beautiful young girl to drive alone on empty streets?


    "It''s fine. I can drive. I didn''t want to bother you. Besides, my phone is dead. I identally left it on the


    back seat when I went to Paris." Leena answered casually while dragging her suitcase inside the


    house. She didn''t notice Kevin''s anger.


    "Leena, what do you mean you didn''t want to bother me? Do you think it''s inconvenient for a husband


    to pick up his own wife?" Kevin didn''t notice what Leena had said about her phone; he got irritated


    when Leena used the word ''bother.'' It was true that they were not in love with each other, but he didn''t


    like it when she seemed to keep him at arm''s length deliberately. He didn''t realize that he overreacted.


    "Come on! Why should I call for help when I can manage it myself? I''m not a three-year-old child."


    Although Leena was born in an affluent family, she wasn''t spoiled. She grew up like any othermon


    girl, who was considerate and caring.


    Kevin sighed with a tiny smile. Sometimes he wasn''t sure whether or not he was okay with her


    personality. Of course being independent was good, but he hoped she could rely on him more in the


    future. It hadn''t urred to her that she could turn to him for help. Was it because he didn''t pay enough


    attention to her? Or perhaps because she didn''t care whether he cared about her or not?


    "Kevin, are you mad at me?" Leena was confused. Shouldn''t he be happy that she could manage


    things on her own without bothering him? Why did he seem annoyed? He acted like he really cared


    about her.


    "No, I was being self-absorbed. You must be tired after a long flight. Go take a shower and then have


    some breakfast." Kevin realized his words didn''te out right; he didn''t mean to use her. He took


    Leena''s suitcase and marched upstairs. Perplexed, Leena followed him while wondering how


    unpredictable Kevin was.


    Although Kevin was a soldier, he was also quite considerate. After putting Leena''s suitcase in the


    bedroom, he went to the bathroom to fill the tub for her. Leena stared at the bathroom door confusedly.


    Wasn''t he mad at her? Then why was he doing all this for her? What was he thinking?


    "Kevin, aren''t you going to work today?" Justing back from Paris, the fashion capital, Leena was


    dressed in fashionable clothes and essories.


    "I am, but not in a hurry. I just came back from the other unit yesterday afternoon. I can go to the base


    later today." Kevin didn''t go to the base on time that morning, and that was why he didn''t know that the


    disciplinary inspectors had summoned Daisy. He would have supported Daisy if he knew. Daisy was


    the only woman he loved. He couldn''t let her get hurt without doing anything.


    "I see. Thank you." Leena expressed her gratitude sincerely. She knew their marriage was only a


    bargain with mutual benefits. However, instead of treating her like a stranger, Kevin tried to fulfill his


    husbandly duty towards her as a real husband. His behavior touched Leena.


    "You don''t have to say that. Just one thing, I want you to remember that you''re my wife."


    Kevin didn''t know why he was upset. But Leena''s polite behavior bugged him. He felt powerless and


    angry every time she said ''thank you'' to him.


    "Kevin, please don''t get me wrong. I said ''thank you'' because I am really grateful to you, not because I


    forgot about our rtionship."


    Leena expressed her feelings bluntly; she didn''t expect that Kevin would react so furiously. As she saw


    his face change, she quickly presented an exnation.


    "Never mind. Go have a bath. I''ll make you some breakfast. Then you can take some rest to ovee


    your jetg." Kevin had no idea what was wrong with him. Why did he pick on Leena''s words like that?


    He was not himself. He was having a bad feeling about this.


    "By the way, are you free tonight?" Leena asked Kevin abruptly, thinking of the anniversary party. She


    had to attend the party, and she needed an escort. Who was better than her own husband?

 Chapter 317 Where Is Your Colonel (Part Two)

    Chapter 317 Where Is Your Colonel (Part Two)


    "What''s the matter?" Leena had never asked about his schedule. Kevin was a bit surprised. He


    wondered what she had in mind.


    "There''s a party tonight, the anniversary party of the FX International Group. I am wondering if you can


    come with me." Somehow Leena felt Kevin seemed quitemanding that morning. Was it because of


    the serious look on his face? Or perhaps she was just being paranoid? Either way, Leena couldn''t dare


    to look into his eyes.


    "Sure. I think I can make it. I''ll be there with you unless something urgentes up at the base." Kevin


    answered absently with a frown. The anniversary party? Why didn''t Daisy mention it before? There


    would be a lot of celebrities at the anniversary party. To be honest, Kevin didn''t want to go. However, he


    had to because he was now Leena''s husband. More importantly, Daisy would be there. He had tried his


    best not to think about her anymore; but no matter how hard he tried to run away from her, his path


    always led him back to her. And Kevin hated himself for being such a spineless coward.


    "Okay. I''ll prepare your clothes." Leena was a professional designer, and she didn''t need to use the


    measuring tape. She gauged Kevin''s size with her eyes and started thinking about what she should


    pick for him tonight.


    "Go have a bath. I''ll be downstairs making breakfast for you." Kevin didn''t mind what Leena would do to


    him. But he felt that being too polite to each other would make them seem like friendly neighbors rather


    than a couple. He hoped they could be more casual and rxed.


    Lost in thought, Leena bit her lip, watching him leave the room without saying anything. The more time


    she had spent with Kevin, the more confused she became. Leena could sense that Kevin was deeply in


    love with someone else, and she knew she was only a recement, or more sadly, a rebound. She


    might be mistaken, but Kevin''s strange behavior somehow confirmed her assumption.


    Kevin knew he was not himself in the morning, so he went to the shooting range as soon as he arrived


    at the army base. He wanted to get rid of the troubling thoughts hovering in his mind. Kevin was always


    calm and focussed. So why did he get so grumpy earlier that morning? He shouldn''t have lost his


    temper, Leena didn''t do anything wrong and she didn''t deserve it.


    He became more frustrated by the thought of the party. After tonight everyone would know him, he


    didn''t care how the media would portray him, but he couldn''t ignore Leena''s brother and his friends.


    After all, Kevin had stolen their little princess, and they wouldn''t let him go so easily. What they would


    do to him was Kevin''s biggest concern now.


    "Mark, where''s your colonel?" After Kevin stepped out of the range, he saw Mark rushing somewhere.


    Shouldn''t he be in the office with Daisy at this hour? Why on earth was he wandering around?


    "Major General Gu, there you are. I''ve been looking for you." Mark wiped the beads of sweat off his


    forehead and sighed with relief. He had been looking around for Kevin ever since he saw his car in the


    parking lot.


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "What? You need something from me?" Kevin''s heart sank as he saw Mark''s anxious look. Did


    something bad happen?


    "Yes! I was hoping you could ask themander when our colonel would get reinstated." Mark was


    pissed off because Daisy was suspended. It meant that she could lose the chance to get a promotion!


    He felt he must do something to help her. He decided to find out what had happened to Daisy. But


    Edward had forbidden him to tell Daisy that she was suspended. With no one to turn to, Mark became


    more anxious as time went by.


    "What do you mean by ''reinstated''? I left for just half a day! What on earth happened to her?" Kevin


    became nervous when Mark implied something terrible had happened to Daisy. He had a bad feeling


    when he saw Mark run off in a hurry, but he didn''t know how bad it was until now.


    "Don''t you know? The disciplinary inspectors summoned our colonel." Mark replied honestly, while


    scratching his head. How could Kevin not know something this important?


    "When? Damn it! Why didn''t anyone tell me about this?" Kevin frowned and raised his voice. He looked


    worried.


    "Yesterday afternoon. I thought it wasn''t a big deal. But I was shocked when they decided to suspend


    her. I forgot to call you because I was freaked out and didn''t know what to do." Mark hastily followed


    Kevin and exined the whole thing to him. They might still have a chance if Kevin was willing to help.


    However, Mark remembered that even themander couldn''t change the inspectors'' decision, then


    what could Kevin do to help? Mark was getting anxious again.


    "Do you know why they suspended her?" Kevin asked as he walked toward themander''s office.


    What could Daisy possibly do that got her inspected? She was the epitome of discipline! All these


    years, she hadn''t vited a single rule. There''s no way that the inspectors would go after her.


    "I heard that someone reported her for bribery." Mark was furious about this usation. What bribery?


    Whichw stated that military officers couldn''t drive a luxury car? There was no such aw! So why did


    they suspend her? It was evident that they were picking on Daisy because she didn''t have a strong


    background.


    "What did you say? Bribery?" Kevin stopped abruptly as he heard the word. Mark almost bumped into


    his back.


    "I only heard their discussion. Colonel wouldn''t tell me and she forbade me to ask," answered Mark. He


    lowered his head and shuddered when he saw the rage in Kevin''s face.


    "Fuck them! Her husband is the CEO of the FX International Group! Any one of his affiliated


    companies'' taxes were more than what amon enterprise could earn annually! Why should she


    take any bribe?" Kevin felt he just heard themest joke in the world. And instead ofughing out loud,


    he wanted to strike whoever had dared to report Daisy with such ame excuse. Meanwhile, Kevin was


    rxed. He knew about Daisy, and he knew the report was not true, which meant Daisy''s name would


    soon get cleared.

 Chapter 318 The Anonymous Tip

    Chapter 318 The Anonymous Tip


    "Of course there''s no reason for the Colonel to take someone''s money. We know that for sure. But not


    everyone knows that her husband is Edward Mu, the CEO of the FX International Group. So someone


    just seized the opportunity to frame her and use her of bribery." Mark''s strained voice dropped to a


    murmur, as if he wanted to say more, but he changed his mind.


    "Fine, I''m going to themander. Has Mr. Mu been informed of this? What is he going to do about


    it?" Kevin figured that Edward would fix this mess as soon as he learned of it.


    "Yes, he has. Mr. Mu was informedst night. But the Colonel doesn''t know that she''s been suspended.


    He told me not tell her anything about it since she''s still ill. Mr. Mu must already have a n in action to


    deal with it. He told me not to worry and that he would take care of everything." Mark was still worried


    despite Edward''s assurance. He told Kevin about the anonymous tip, hoping to know more with Kevin''s


    help. After all, everything Mark knew was hearsay and he couldn''t confirm anything he was told.


    "What? She got sick? Is it serious?" Kevin asked with so much concern that Mark stared at him in


    confusion. ''Does he still have a crush on Colonel? Isn''t he already married? Oh my god, what is this


    man thinking about?'' Mark thought to himself.


    "Don''t worry. She just came down with a fever." Mark ryed what Edward told him. He had no idea


    what was actually going on. But he believed Edward since there was no need for Edward to lie to him.


    "I see. Is the Commander in now?" Kevin looked at his watch with a frown. Themander was


    probably pressured by the higher officials to suspend Daisy. Otherwise, he wouldn''t suspend her since


    Daisy was his most valuable officer.


    "He''s in the office. I saw him there." Since Mark had been following the development of this matter, he


    kept an eye on everyone involved.


    Actually, themander was surprised when he learnt of the matter. Not long ago, he reminded Daisy


    to be careful. He didn''t expect someone to target her so soon. Even though themander didn''t


    believe the usations against Daisy, he knew that Daisy must have some vulnerable points that


    others could capitalize on. Themander was in deep thought when Kevin walked in.


    "Commander, why did you suspend the Colonel?" Kevin didn''t beat around the bush. Themander


    obviously knew what he came for.


    "I received orders from the top. The anonymous tip is from someone who knows very well how things


    work in the military base. The person sent a copy of the letter to the top officials'' public e-mail.


    Otherwise, I could''ve handled it myself. What''s done is done. Daisy must rest at home for a while."


    Themander couldn''t believe that Daisy was a CEO''s mistress as the letter had said, but there were


    pictures attached. Unable to deny the usations, he had to follow orders.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    "Who framed her? Commander, don''t tell me you also believe this nonsense. You know her well. Daisy


    is by no means the kind of person who would take someone else''s money." Kevin''s voice trembled with


    emotion. What was the discipline inspection department doing? How could they ignore people who


    were actually receiving bribes and focus on an innocent person like Daisy?


    "I definitely believe in her! But it doesn''t matter since it''s not my decision. On top of that, there''s another


    usation against her besides the bribery. How can I defend her now? We can''t do anything but wait


    for the results of investigation. It''s a pity, I was nning to give her a promotion since she did so well


    during the military exercise. I feel so sorry for her. Life can be unpredictable."


    Themander sighed. It made his heart ache a lot to see Daisy being attacked by someone in this


    crucial moment. He had known Daisy for so many years and treated her as a beloved daughter. How


    could he calm down when Daisy was being investigated by the discipline department?


    "Two usations? What''s the other one?" Kevin frowned, taking a swig from the bottled water in front


    of him. He had to hydrate himself in case another blow wasing.


    "Do you know anything about Daisy''s private life?" Since Daisy stopped staying in the army base,


    something must have changed in her life recently.


    "Which aspect of her private life?" Kevin asked, lifting one of his eyebrows. Why was themander


    asking about her private life? Was it rted to the case?


    "For example, does she often meet with some of the well-known CEOs in S City?" Themander


    asked vaguely. He didn''t mention the abusivenguage in the letter. The sender inappropriately called


    Daisy a slut.


    "Isn''t it normal for her to meet some of them? I thought it''s natural. Do you forget who her husband


    was?" Kevin thought the question was silly. Themander must''ve seen Daisy''s personnel file and


    knew who her husband was.


    "It has nothing to do with her husband. I''m asking you if she has a close rtionship with some of the


    well-known CEOs in S City, not her husband!" Themander got impatient at Kevin''s evasiveness,


    especially when he mentioned Daisy''s mysterious husband.


    "Yes, it does. Since Edward is the CEO of the FX International Group, people around him must be


    some well-known CEOs. As his wife, it''s natural that Daisy would meet some of them." Kevin thought


    themander was getting senile. Why would he ask such silly questions? The answer was obvious.


    "Wait, what did you say? Did you say that the CEO of the FX International Group is Daisy''s husband?


    Then the tip-off makes no sense!" Themander was shocked by what he just heard. It made no


    sense that someone would use Daisy of stealing someone else''s husband, when Edward Mu was


    her husband. In that case, the sender was deliberately trying to sabotage a military officer''s marriage.


    "What? I thought you knew that. I want to see the letter." The corner of Kevin''s mouth twitched. No


    wonder themander kept asking odd questions. He had no idea who Daisy''s husband was.


    "Since when did you know that? Why didn''t you tell me? Is your information reliable?" Themander


    took the letter out of the drawer in a huff and tossed it to Kevin. If Edward Mu was Daisy''s husband,


    why hadn''t he made an appearance in front of them for so many years? Besides, Edward Mu owned


    the entire FX International Group. How could he let Daisy be a single mother and raise their son alone


    without supporting her?


    "It''s definitely true. My wife interacts with them a lot." Thinking about Edward and his celebrity friends in


    S City gave Kevin a headache. Because they were high-profile and made trouble everywhere, Kevin


    didn''t like attending the anniversary party of the FX International Group. He worried about getting


    involved in some trouble with them.


    "If that''s the case, we don''t have to worry about it anymore. The problem is solved." Themander


    breathed a sigh of relief. That would exin why Daisy drove a posh car and would prove that the


    usation of her stealing someone''s husband was absolute nonsense.


    "Who took these pictures? It looks like they were taken at the gate of our base." Kevin asked as he


    studied the pictures attached to the letter. It made his heart ache to see Daisy and Edward embracing


    each other. He shook his head and pulled himself together.


    "How could I possibly know that? Maybe the one who sent the letter took these pictures." The


    commander was contemting how to deal with this whole thing. Should he report it to the leaders? Or


    should he wait until they found out themselves? He decided to report it. Themander was


    concerned that Daisy might get a low score in the performance assessment because of it.


    "The person who sent this letter is an ignorant jerk. How could someone use Daisy of being Edward


    Mu''s mistress before investigating further?" Kevin angrily tossed the letter on the table. Who on earth


    was this bastard? The person was probably mentally-ill. No wonder Daisy came down with a cold. The


    disciplinary investigation must have been torture to her. Daisy was good at disciplining herself and


    never caused any trouble. The letter must have been sent by one of Edward''s exes. Daisy got into


    trouble because of him.


    "Kevin, do a secret investigation and find out if one of our men sent this letter. The person who sent it


    seems very familiar with us." As he spoke, themander thought of someone. But he shook his head


    at the possibility. Even though the guy was narrow-minded, he wasn''t stupid enough to do something


    like that. If he was discovered to be the person behind this, his whole career would be ruined.


    "Copy that. I''m relieved to get things straight. The usations in the letter arepletely false." Kevin


    was worrying about the letter on his way to themander. He didn''t expect that the problem could be


    solved quickly by simply telling the truth. Kevin was certain that Edward would take care of everything.


    But he wasn''t sure if Edward had been informed that Daisy was also used of stealing someone


    else''s husband. Daisy would probably love Edward even more after he fixed things for her.

 Chapter 319 Pledge of Eternal Love (Part One)

    Chapter 319 Pledge of Eternal Love (Part One)


    "Are you feeling better? I''ll take you outside for a walk. It''s good for your recovery," Edward said to


    Daisy. Shuttling back and forth between home and the military base every day, Daisy hardly had time


    for herself. Edward wanted her to take some time off to get a good rest.


    "Outside? Isn''t Justining over?" Daisy raised her head and looked at Edward with a hint of


    excitement on her face. She seldom had the chance to stroll about the streets and shop with him.


    Despite the military uniform, she was just an ordinary woman who looked forward to going out hand in


    hand with the man she loved.


    "We can have the chauffeur drive him to the city center. Then I''ll show you and Justin around the city.


    What do you think?" Edward felt guilty about leaving Daisy and Justin all alone in the past. He had


    missed years of taking care of Justin and fulfilling his responsibility as a father. His deep feeling of guilt


    had be mental shackles that he couldn''t escape.


    "But don''t you have to go to the office today?" Daisy kept asking him about this today. Although she


    loved having him around, she didn''t want him to put work aside for her. It wasn''t her intention. All she


    wanted was to hold a spot in his heart. He didn''t have to think about her all the time, but she wanted to


    be the first one he thought of at the most critical moment.


    "Honey, are you worried that I won''t make enough money to support you if I don''t go to work?" Edward


    asked as he picked clothes for her. As a man with broad experience, he knew what kind of clothes


    suited her best.


    "Humph, me? I don''t need your support. Actually, I don''t have to count on any man," Daisy replied. She


    twisted her mouth scornfully at Edward''s remark. When it came to arrogance, she had always been the


    best. She wouldn''t let Edward get the upper hand.


    "Good. Then if the FX International Group went out of business, could I count on you?" Edward burst


    intoughter and shook his head. Daisy was like a hedgehog covered with sharp spikes. Once being


    pushed, she would fight back immediately. No matter who her opponent was, she needed to be the


    toughest one. It was her means of self-preservation, it was all she had.


    "No, I wouldn''t support you. If that happens one day, it would prove that you are a wastrel. I''d kick you


    out right away. If you can make such a bigpany go bankrupt, then anything''s possible. You might


    also make me lose my home one day. I don''t want to be homeless and end up on the streets, "


    Daisy said seriously, her hand under her jaw. She looked up at Edward''s tall figure with a mischievous


    look in her eyes, but her heart was filled with happiness. She wasn''t actually serious. Even if he lost


    everything one day, she would still feel the same about him. All that mattered to her was Edward. As


    long as he loved her, she would keep her pledge of eternal love to him and share weal and woe with


    him.


    "Since you have the heart to do it, I''m fine with it. But I''m afraid you would hold onto me and wouldn''t


    let me go if that happens." Edward chose a monochromatic jumpsuit for Daisy. He believed its simple


    and graceful style fit her aloof personality. She would look stunning in it and attract a lot of attention.


    "I can assure you that my hands are used to hold guns. The police are the ones who would ''hold onto''


    people, and I''m not one of them. Turn around. I''m going to change." Daisy took the jumpsuit from


    Edward. She was shy by nature. Although they''d slept together, she was still too shy to strip herself in


    front of him.


    "Maybe you could stay cool and calm if it was another man, but we''re talking about me. There are a lot


    of men in the world, but there''s only one me. Would you still be willing to let me go?" Edward gazed at


    her mischievously. There were a lot of beautiful women in the world, but there was only one Daisy for


    him, the one he loved ardently.


    "Isn''t that good? Then I can find out how it feels to be in love with another man; if my heart will race


    uncontrobly when I''m with him; if it will hurt unbearably to see him kissing another woman; if it willN?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    suffice for me to look at him from afar when I can''t be at his side; if I won''t care whether he loves me or


    not, as long as he lets me love him."


    This was how she felt for Edward, her deep feelings from the bottom of her heart. She wasn''t sure if


    she could love another man as humbly and firmly as she loved Edward. She didn''t think it was


    possible. Daisy was a traditional woman, whose love was pure and innocent.


    "Woman, are you reminding me of how badly I treated you in the past? Or are you trying to embarrass


    me?" Edward sighed and suddenly took her in his arms. He couldn''t find any excuse to refute her


    usations. His heart ached. He vowed, ''Daisy, I''ll follow you everywhere in the future. You don''t have


    to keep pace with me anymore."


    Daisy wasn''t used to being the kind of person who would y coy. But as time psed, she enjoyed


    the feeling of being embraced by Edward. His love warmed her heart. She was thankful for having this


    fantastic man. Unconsciously, she had be attached to the feeling of being spoiled in his arms. She


    realized that she had turned into a person she disliked, but what about Edward? Did he like the new


    her? Did he regret falling in love with her?

 Chapter 320 Pledge of Eternal Love (Part Two)

    Chapter 320 Pledge of Eternal Love (Part Two)


    "Edward, how long will your love for mest? Will you walk out of my life someday? Will you leave me


    when I get old? Will you suddenly let go of my hand? Will you eventually get tired of me?"


    Daisy put her hands around Edward''s firm waist and held him tightly. Worried that he might have lost


    interest in her while he was trying to answer her questions, she kept her head down, afraid to look at


    him in the eye. She had gone through so many things in the past that she didn''t even have enough


    strength left to make an effort for him. If Edward hurt her, she would fall apart.


    "Honey, how little faith you have in me to think such nonsense! I admit that I was a yboy, I never


    deny it. But that was back when I couldn''t find a ce to repose my heart. I kept looking until I was lost


    in the world of turmoil. But I have you in my life now, and I love you. Although I can''t promise you the


    next life, I will love only you in this life."


    Edward stroked her lustrous hair gently. His intense eyes looked distant, making him seem like a


    wandering soul looking for security. His heart hurt deeply for the days without her, for the rotten lifestyle


    he once had, for the fact that he almost lost her for good, and for the insecurity at the bottom of her


    heart.


    Some said that loving someone was easy, but it was easier said than done. No matter what, he was


    willing to drop his pride and dignity to give her the deepest love. That was what he wanted to do for her.


    Besides, he owed her that much. He would rather betray the whole world than let her down.


    Daisy realized that her worries were unnecessary. The pleasant air in the room had be


    depressing due to her groundless suspicions. She still had faith in him, but she had lost confidence in


    herself. Having seen so many beautiful women around him, sometimes she couldn''t help questioning


    herself. Could she be as attractive or captivating as the women around him? The answer was usually


    no.


    As Edward expected, Daisy drew the attention of the passersby in the streets. But they looked away


    quickly because of her aloof bearing. Her beauty was unique and natural, which could be reflected


    without excessive movements.


    "Mommy!" Justin eximed. He started to run towards Daisy as soon as he got out of the car, but


    Edward stopped him immediately.


    N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    "Son, don''t you know that your mom hasn''t recovered from her cold? You''d knock her over and make


    all her four legs in the air if you''re reckless like this," Edward said to Justin. He pinched the boy''s


    chubby cheek in rebuke, his face full of indulgence.


    "Humph, daddy, you referred to mom as an animal. You called her someone with ''four legs.'' Mommy is


    a person. People only have two legs." Justin looked at Edward disdainfully, as if he thought his father


    was ignorant. Actually, Justin said this on purpose. He was mad at his dad. Recently, Edward kept


    Daisy to himself and left little time for Justin to spend with his mom. Furthermore, his parents didn''t


    come home the night before. Justin had waited for them for a long time.


    "That was only an exaggeration. I wasn''t referring to your mom as an animal. You''re the only one who


    thinks so," Edward said. Justin was twisting his words to turn them against him, but he wasn''t stupid


    enough to fall for it.


    "I knew you''d deny it! Mommy, you heard it. You must be my witness. Otherwise, I''d be all by myself."


    Justin kept blinking his eyes and acted sad and cute, fixing his wide eyes on Daisy. He knew his mom


    would soften at the pitiful expression on his face.


    "Sorry, sweetie. I''m staying neutral. I''m not going to get involved in your meaningless war," Daisy


    responded with a faint smile. Her affections for her family were all over her face. The joy her family


    gave her allowed her to temporarily forget the pressures from the military base and the pain that Leo


    caused.


    "Mommy, how could you? You and daddy don''t love me anymore." Justin pretended to be sad. His


    mom had always been healthy and strong. She had never gotten sick in the past no matter how tired


    she was. Butst night, she got a fever. He didn''t know what caused it. He guessed it was partly


    because of too much work, but mostly because she was under too much pressure. But he had no idea


    where the pressure wasing from. His current task wasn''t to ask for her love, but to try to make his


    mom happy by distracting her from upsetting things. That was his goal for today.

 Chapter 321 Call Me Mrs. Mu

    Chapter 321 Call Me Mrs. Mu


    Daisy pursed her lips at Justin''s words, but said nothing in the end. Although Justin was always cute


    and adorable in her presence, Daisy knew that he was just as cunning as his father. He might think that


    he hid it well from Daisy, but how could a mother not know her own son? But she never thought of


    exposing him, mostly because she enjoyed it when he made herugh and acted cute in her arms.


    Daisy always felt rxed around her son.


    "Let''s go. Let''s have lunch first. Then you can decide what to do next." Due to his handsome face and


    elegant manners, Edward was always the center of attention wherever he went. Standing with an aloof


    beauty and an adorable little boy, Edward and his family immediately drew a lot of attention.


    "Yeah! Delicious food! Daddy, you really are the worm living in my tummy; you always know what I''m


    thinking about! I was just thinking about food, and you said ''let''s have lunch''!" Justin loved delicious


    food. It was his ambition to taste all the delicacies all over the world. Although he was just a little boy,


    Justin already knew how to appraise food. Edward was confused by this. Both he and Daisy weren''t


    obsessive with food, he had no idea how his son turned out to be a foodie.


    "I''m not a worm! That''s disgusting. Just tell me what you want to eat." Edward red at his son and


    walked to Daisy''s side. Justin''s description was disgusting. He had to keep his son at arm''s length or


    he wouldn''t be able to eat anythingter.


    Daisy wore a small smile as she watched her husband and son bicker with each other. Edward and


    Justin were her whole world. As long as she had them by her side, she wouldn''t ask for anything more.


    She wouldn''t be needing her career or her father. The only thing she really wanted was to live happily


    together with her beloved husband and son.


    The three arrived at a fancy restaurant and ordered some food. While they waited for their dishes, a


    soft voice was heard, "Edward, it''s you! I thought I mistook someone else for you." Surprised, they


    turned around to find a young beautiful woman standing beside their table.N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    "Hello, Rachel. I haven''t seen you for a long time." Edward greeted Rachel with a frown. Rachel used


    to date Duke, but they suddenly broke up one day and she went abroad and got married. They had


    never heard from her ever since. Edward wondered why Rachel suddenly showed up. Did shee


    back for Duke? He could still remember how Belinda got drunk and upset thest time she saw Rachel.


    "May I sit down with you?" Rachel was a bit self-centered. She only saw what she wanted to see, while


    she ignored the rest. At that moment, she deliberately ignored Daisy and Justin. She didn''t think a


    woman and a child would mean anything to Edward, so she pretended not to see them.


    "Sorry, you have to ask my wife. It''s fine by me if she says yes." Edward''s face changed. He didn''t like


    it when people treated Daisy as if she were invisible. Rachel had crossed a line.


    "Wife? You got married?" Rachel frowned in surprise and turned to the woman sitting next to Edward.


    Rachel''s first impression of Daisy was that she was aloof. Sitting there quietly, she looked distant yet


    beautiful. She looked nothing like the women Edward used to date. No wonder Edward fell for her.


    "Sorry to interrupt. But to be more precise, he''s now a married man with a son." Justin also hated it


    when people ignored him. He would normally ignore them in return, but this woman clearly came for


    Edward. He couldn''t sit back and tolerate it.


    "Have a seat." Daisy said briefly. She seemed generous, as if she didn''t mind that the woman had


    ignored her just a few seconds ago. She still looked distant as she nced at the delicate woman in


    front of her. Daisy wondered if she was one of Edward''s ex-girlfriends.


    "Thank you. My name is Rachel. Nice to meet you." Rachel bit her lip in resentment and forced a smile.


    She felt ufortable with Daisy''s cold attitude. But since she was Edward''s wife, they would most


    likely meet again. Rachel figured she might as well y nice for the time being. She had a lot of


    opportunities to get back at Daisy in the future.


    "Hello. I''m Daisy. Nice to meet you, too." Daisy curled her lips into a polite but emotionless smile. She


    had to admit, Edward had a good taste. The woman looked no less beautiful than Jessica, and her


    curves were tantalizing. Daisy wondered why Edward would lose interest in her.


    Poor Edward! If he knew what Daisy was thinking about at this moment, he would feel so wronged.


    After all, Rachel was Duke''s ex, not his.


    "Miss Daisy seems so young. I''m surprised that you already have a son." Rachel pretended to be kind


    as she gazed at Justin, even though she actually hated kids. Aside from the fact that her husband


    cheated on her, the main reason she got divorced and went back home was because her inws kept


    nagging her to give them a grandchild. Because of this, she found kids annoying.


    "Please call me Mrs. Mu or Daisy." Daisy never cared about what people called her, but she didn''t like


    Rachel for some reason. It had nothing to do with the possibility that she might be one of Edward''s old


    lovers, but with the contempt emanating from her eyes as she spoke. If she didn''t like someone, she


    would just walk away and wouldn''t look down on them. This was the way Daisy lived her life. Since


    Rachel had offended her, she didn''t have to be nice to her.


    "Forgive me, Mrs. Mu. I''ve been abroad for many years, and I''ve be a little rusty with these titles."


    Rachel''s face changed when Daisy snapped at her. Since Edward showed no intention of intervening,


    she had to apologize to Daisy.


    Surprised, Edward fixed his eyes on Daisy with great interest. There was a ghost of a smile on the


    corner of his lips. Was his wife jealous? As Edward enjoyed Daisy''s jealousy very much, he didn''t have


    the heart to tell Daisy that he wasn''t actually familiar with Rachel. Edward figured that Daisy must have


    mistaken Rachel for one of his ex-girlfriends. He was secretly happy to see Daisy showing her feelings


    this way. At the same time, Edward wondered how Daisy could be indifferent in front of Jessica, a


    woman he actually dated before, but overreact like this when Rachel had nothing to do with him.


    "It''s fine. You don''t have to apologize. What does Miss Rachel like to eat? We can order some more."


    Daisy didn''t know what was wrong with her. Maybe the emotions she had suppressed desperately


    needed a outlet, and this Rachel happened to be thest straw. Daisy felt that she might have


    overreacted. However, since Edward introduced her as his wife, anyone would''ve called her Mrs. Mu.


    When Rachel called her ''Miss Daisy, '' it seemed like she was deliberately ignoring her rtionship with


    Edward.


    "It''s okay. I''m not picky with food." Rachel was a bit confused. Daisy seemed quite unpredictable. One


    minute she was snapping at Rachel with a sullen face, and in the next instant, she was amicably asking


    her to join them for lunch. Maybe she was not as aloof as she looked. Or maybe she''s picking on


    Rachel. To marry Edward, Daisy must be a cunning woman. Rachel narrowed her eyes at the thought.


    "Are you here for a short trip or are you moving back?" Edward noticed Daisy''s unusual behavior, but


    he didn''t give it much thought. He knew Daisy was a sophisticated and elegant woman; she wouldn''t be


    rude to anyone. That was her biggest virtue. But because of this, some people thought she was an


    easy target and would try to hurt her.


    "I''m moving back. Actually, I met Duke earlier. He seems to have changed a lot." Rachel suddenly


    recalled the scene of Duke passionately kissing another woman in front of her. Didn''t he say that he


    loved her more than anyone in the world? It had only been a few years, but he already had a new lover.


    Was he lying about his feelings for her?


    "Really? I guess it''s because he''s a married man now. You know how marriage changes a person in


    many ways." Edward reached for his ss and took a sip of the lemonade as he studied Rachel. To be


    honest, he thought that Belinda was more suitable for Duke. They were like fire and ice, and everything


    melted into a sweet river of love when they were together. Rachel was beautiful, but she was


    pretentious. That was the reason Edward never got along with her. When Rachel left Duke, Edward


    was secretly happy for his friend.


    "What did you say? He''s married? That''s impossible! He told me that he''d love me forever!" Rachel


    froze in shock. Didn''t Duke love her? Did he really change his mind and give up on her? Was it


    because of the woman she saw the other day? Rachel nked out all of a sudden. It turned out that no


    one would remain in one ce and wait for someone forever. Everything changed as time went by.


    What should she do now that he was married? She divorced her husband and came back for Duke, but


    it turned out that he already married another woman. Were they not meant to be together?


    Upon hearing Rachel''s words, Daisy looked at her in surprise. Did she misunderstand something?


    Rachel wasn''t Edward''s ex-girlfriend, but Duke''s! No wonder Daisy didn''t like her, she was Belinda''s


    rival in love. Daisy wouldn''t let this woman hurt her best friend. She knew what her friend had been


    through. She unconsciously picked on Rachel because she and Belinda had experienced the same


    thing.


    "Miss Rachel, forgive me, but aren''t you thinking too highly of yourself? Duke loved you before, but who


    would give up everything for a love long gone? No one would be that stupid." Edward cast a look at


    Daisy as he spoke calmly. Actually, Daisy was that stupid. But he was d that she didn''t give up on


    him, and now they were finally together. He felt extremely grateful to Daisy for loving him


    unconditionally all these years.


    "No! You''re lying! He wouldn''t leave me and marry someone else!" Rachel wondered if things would be


    different if she stayed with Duke. She didn''t stay because she thought he was poor, she dumped him.


    She could still remember the way he begged her to stay. But she determinedly left and married a rich


    guy. When she found outter that Duke wasn''t a penniless man but the heir of the noble Leng family,


    she regretted her decision.

 Chapter 322 Behave Yourself

    Chapter 322 Behave Yourself


    "Humph! Rachel, you left Duke and married someone else back then. Why would you think it''s his fault


    now?" Edward sneered as he gazed at Rachel, his face full of contempt and sarcasm. Just like Jessica,


    Rachel was obviously too full of herself. Edward felt obligated to help here back to reality.


    "I admit I was too rash back then. But he also lied to me! Why would I choose someone else if he had


    told me that he is the heir to the Leng family?" Rachel was pissed off while thinking of this. Duke came


    from a wealthy family, but he never mentioned it to her. She had always thought that Duke was only


    one of Edward''s sidekicks. That was why she left him and married a middle-aged rich guy. It was too


    late when she found out from the TV news that Duke was actually a prince charming, rather than a


    penniless beggar.


    "You mean you only love Duke''s money, not him?" Daisy was surprised how cheeky Rachel was. She


    was as self-centered and selfish as Jessica! And they both enjoyed ying with others'' feelings. Daisy


    suddenly realized Rachel and Jessica could be best friends if they were introduced to each other.


    "Mrs. Mu, are you telling me that there''s pure love between you and Edward? Without any strings?


    Come on! I don''t buy it at all. Everythinges down to money in the end!" Rachel snapped at Daisy


    with a sneer, her eyebrows raised in contempt. She despised Daisy. ''What a condescending bitch! Mrs.


    Mu? I never knew that Edward got married! How shameless she is to call herself Mrs. Mu! And look at


    her bastard son! How filthy! And did she just give me a lecture about love trumping everything? What


    an ignorant and stupid woman! Who cares about love these days? Money is the only thing that


    matters!'' Rachel thought to herself.


    "Strings? There is. And it''s quite simple. I just want him. Money is not important to me since I won''t be


    needing that much anyway. The only thing matters to me is Edward himself." Staring right into Rachel''s


    eyes, Daisy calmly replied as she casually yed with her ss. She wasn''t mad at Rachel''s


    usation, because she knew Rachel was wrong. Not every woman cared only about money; take her


    for example, she just loved Edward and wanted to be with him.


    Surprised, Edward turned to Daisy, his eyes glowing with excitement. Daisy had never told him this


    before; and he certainly didn''t expect he''d get an idea of her true feelings in this conversation.


    Meanwhile, Edward felt even more grateful to have Daisy in his life. He had never felt more ashamed of


    himself until this very moment, when he finally realized how pure his wife''s love for him was.


    "It seems I''m being shallow here. But you know what? I don''t care whether he is married; I won''t give


    up on what belongs to me! As long as I want him, he must be mine! I wouldn''t say the same about


    others, but I know Duke. And I know he would want to be with me." Rachel snorted and red at Daisy,


    as if Duke was already groveling at her feet.


    "Rachel, I don''t know why you''re so arrogant and think Duke is still in love with you. But I''m warning


    you, don''t ever try to ruin his marriage; or I won''t let you off easily. You know I am a man of my word.


    So behave yourself and don''t do anything you''ll regretter."


    Edward''s voice was as cold and dangerous as the look on his face. Duke was his best friend. Rachel


    had hurt Duke once; he wouldn''t give her the chance to do it again. Not to mention that Duke was


    married to Belinda, Daisy''s best friend. There was no way that Edward would stand there and watch


    Rachel break them up. Daisy would be upset if Belinda was sad; and it wouldn''t be easy for Edward


    when Daisy was upset.


    "Edward, are you threatening me? You said I hurt him, but what about the fact that he lied to me? You


    don''t scare me. It''s not that simple -- you don''t know the whole story. You only saw his wounds, don''t


    you see mine?" Rachel was getting furious. Why did Edward seem to always pick on her? He never


    liked her; and after all these years, they still couldn''t see eye to eye. ''Does he really hate me that


    much?'' thought Rachel gloomily.


    "Yes, I am threatening you." Edward frowned impatiently. What on earth did Duke see in her? Luckily


    she gave up and left; Edward believed they wouldn''t be happy if they had gotten together. Duke


    deserved someone better than her.


    "I''m sorry, but I have something else to deal with. Enjoy your lunch." Rachel blurted out a random


    excuse and stood up abruptly. She really hated it when Edward sneered like this. She wanted to p


    him, but she couldn''t. Hence she could only leave. She came to Edward because she was hoping he


    could help hook her and Duke up. Now, after their conversation, the only thing she could hope for was


    that Edward wouldn''t interfere with her ns to get Duke back.


    "Sure. Goodbye, Miss Rachel." Daisy felt more than happy to hear that Rachel was leaving. She had


    no intention to make her stay since she practically didn''t know her. What''s more, Rachel''s return might


    threaten Belinda''s interests, which made Daisy even more angry. But after she talked to Rachel, Daisy


    actually felt more at ease. She believed Duke would choose Belinda over Rachel unless he was


    insane.


    "Goodbye!" Rachel said as she strode away arrogantly. Gazing at her back, Daisy was lost in thought.


    She didn''t worry about whether Duke would take Rachel back; the only thing that concerned her was


    whether Belinda would get hurt. Daisy knew Belinda had fallen in love with Duke, and she believed


    Duke felt the same thing for Belinda. But Rachel''s sudden return would definitely cast a shadow over


    their rtionship. And that was what Daisy was worried about.


    "Mommy, why don''t you eat? What are you thinking about? You seem like you''re thinking hard about


    something." Justin gripped the edge of the table with one hand and waved the other in front of Daisy''s


    eyes, trying to get her back here and now. He had grown used to running into annoying acquaintances


    in S City. It seemed there was a never-ending parade of them now.


    "What? Oh, I''m sorry. I was thinking about something." Daisy smiled gently at Justin while fondling his


    head. She noticed another man at the table was also staring at her.


    "Don''t worry. Duke can handle this." Edward tried tofort her. He knew exactly what Daisy was


    worried about. He also knew it was Duke''s personal life, and there was nothing they could do no matter


    how much they wanted to help them.


    "I know. I just worry about Belinda. You know how reckless she is. By the way, do you guys know


    anyone who is not nuts?" Jessica was mad enough; Rachel was even more unreasonable. Did Edward


    and his bros have a type? Did they go for crazy women?


    "I''m sorry. Just eat something. And we can do some shopping or anything you like." Edward didn''t want


    to bring up Jessica again because he had nothing to do with her now, and he knew Daisy didn''t like


    her. He didn''t want to ruin Daisy''s day, so he simply changed the topic.


    The FX International Group contributed a lot to the economic prosperity of S City. Right now standing in


    the MY Mall, Daisy was dumbfounded to see a bunch of senior executives there to greet their arrival.


    Then she suddenly remembered the mall belonged to the FX International Group.


    N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    "Mr. Mu. Are you here to inspect or to shop?" The manager walked up to them and asked politely. The


    security guards reported it to him as soon as they saw Edward enter the mall. The manager soon


    gathered up the senior executives to greet Edward. They could still remember thest time Edward


    came here, and his visit didn''t end up well. Hence they were extremely careful this time.


    "Don''t mind us. We''ll just look around on our own. Go back to your work." Edward knew Daisy didn''t


    like to be surrounded by too many people, so he told his subordinates to leave them alone.


    "Yes, Mr. Mu. Have a good day." The manager figured that Daisy might be Edward''s wife; but since


    Edward didn''t introduce her, he wouldn''t dare to address her ''Mrs. Mu'' imprudently. He simply nodded


    at Daisy and Justin before stepping aside.


    Edward nodded with a frown. Their inquisitive looks made him ufortable. He didn''t told them who


    Daisy was because he would save the answer for tonight''s party. He would proudly tell the world that


    Daisy was his wife. Besides, he knew Daisy didn''t like to associate with strangers, so he didn''t force


    her.


    "Daddy, are we shopping? I thought we were going to the amusement park!" Justin pouted while


    ring at his father with discontent. He hated it most to shop with women! And he couldn''t even


    comin because it was his dear mother whom he was going to escort today. Justin suddenly wanted


    to tell them that he was tired and needed to sit there to get some rest; and when they left, he could


    sneak into the amusement park by himself!


    "We''re not! We''ll listen to whatever mommy says today and go wherever she wants to go. No


    comints." Edward read his son''s mind. He just didn''t bother to pay any attention to Justin''s desire.


    He knew Justin would go crazy every time he was in amusement park, and he and Daisy would have to


    run after him in case he got hurt. The day was about making Daisy happy, so Edward immediately


    crossed Justin''s proposal off the list.

 Chapter 323 Wow Youre Ignorant (Part One)

    Chapter 323 Wow You''re Ignorant (Part One)


    "Mommy, I just realized that my ce in this family has reached a new low." Justin pouted and tried to


    make onest attempt to trick Daisy into taking him to the amusement park.


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Really? Why would you think that? It''s not like that at all! You''re still my sweetest baby!" Upon seeing


    Justin widen his watery eyes and y cute again, Daisy crouched down in front of him and pulled her


    loving mommy act. She knew she had been busytely and had no time for her son. And she felt sorry


    about that.


    "I don''t believe you. Daddy is now mommy''s sweetest baby, not me! Don''t you like me anymore?"


    Justin felt so frustrated. Although he meant to hook his parents up so that he could have a loving


    family; but now that those two were spending more time together, Justin started to wonder whether


    there was any room left for him in his parents'' hearts.


    "Haha! Is my baby being jealous? You know what? You and daddy are both the most important men in


    my life. I couldn''t bear to lose either one of you. Do you still think that I don''t like you anymore now that


    I have daddy?"


    Daisy wouldn''t care what others thought about her, not even Edward; however, she couldn''t ignore


    Justin''s feelings. It was Justin who stayed with her to support her and make herugh when Edward


    was not around. Justin was so adorable and considerate, and Daisy felt life wouldn''t be that hard even


    if Edward didn''t love her, as long as she had her baby boy. Although she was with Edward now, Justin


    was still her favorite.


    "I''m sorry, mommy! I was just kidding! Please don''t be sad!" Justin noticed the change in Daisy''s look.


    He knew Daisy must have thought of those painful days. He didn''t mean to stir things up in the first


    ce, let alone make his mommy sad. How careless he was to say such foolish things! He knew it


    would hurt Daisy to bring old things up, but he just blurted it out without thinking it through.


    "It''s fine. The past is gone. I just want to live happily ever after. It is just a sad memory; I won''t cry over


    it anymore," replied Daisy, wearing a gentle smile, caressing Justin''s chubby face. She didn''t like to


    hold on to the past. She would think of what she had been through every now and then, but most of the


    time, she chose to put things behind her. She didn''t want the pain to cloud her life.


    Daisy''s calm words bruised Edward''s heart. He felt like a ruthless butcher because everything his wife


    and son had suffered was because of him. He knew how painful it must have been, and he only wished


    he could go back in time and change it. He would have chosen his wife and son over anything. But he


    couldn''t; nobody could. The only thing Edward could do was to cherish them more and to at least make


    up for all the years he had missed.


    "Honey, I''m so sorry. You wouldn''t have had to go through all those things if I had been a better man.


    But I was a jerk and I''m really, really sorry." Eyes fixed on Daisy, Edward sincerely apologized to her. At


    this moment, he could see no one but Daisy.


    "What? What''s wrong with you two? Aren''t we here for fun? Why is everyone confessing all of a


    sudden? It''s nobody''s fault. Things just didn''t happen in the right time or right ce." Daisy was not a


    sentimental person, and she felt strange when people started to confess and shed tears. She did


    me Edward, but not for long. She understood Edward''s fury because no one would be happy to find


    out that their marriage was only a set-up. She was not being unreasonable, and she knew it wasn''t


    Edward''s fault.


    "Right, let''s go! Pick whatever you like, and put it on my tab!" Edward announced with a big grin. Daisy


    and Justin were both speechless. Put it on his tab? Seriously? This man owned the MY Mall!


    Everything in this mall belonged to him! Speaking of which, why did he mark things up so much? There


    was nothing to be had cheaply here! He was such a capitalist!


    "Wow! Look at who I found! Edward, Sis! Are you here to shop?" A sweet voice came from behind and


    interrupted the three of them. They turned around and found it was Leena! Leena was excited! She just


    came back home from Paris earlier, and now she got to see the people she liked very much!


    "Leena! When did youe back?" Edward was pissed. He had prepared so many tricks and saved


    them specially for Leena''s future husband when he proposed. But Edward wouldn''t have the chance to


    pull anything because Kevin had married Leena without even notifying their parents and friends! How


    could he not be angry?


    "Early this morning. I slept a few hours. I didn''t expect to meet you guys here! It''s so great to have


    company so I don''t have to shop alone! Hooray!" yelled Leena as she shoved Edward over and held


    Daisy''s arm firmly. Aside from her sister-inw, she loved Daisy the most. She had to grab every


    chance to cultivate their sisterhood.


    "You know what? I actually feel worse after seeing you." Justin put on a long face and grumbled. He


    and Leena always teased each other every time they met up. They actually enjoyed this little game


    between them.


    "What, little boy? Aren''t you happy to see your auntie? Answer carefully!" Leena had always adored


    little boys, especially someone as cute and smart as Justin. Therefore, no matter what Justin said, she


    still wanted to y with him.


    "What auntie? Haven''t you always called yourself my sister?" Justin burst intoughter. Leena could be


    sly sometimes, but she was a pure and innocent young girl in nature.


    "What? Don''t you know? Your daddy is my big brother! Of course I''m your auntie! Didn''t you learn that


    in school? Wow you''re ignorant!" Leena snorted and shook her head violently, as if she were shocked


    by Justin''s empty-headedness.

 Chapter 324 Wow Youre Ignorant (Part Two)

    Chapter 324 Wow You''re Ignorant (Part Two)


    "Yes, I am quite the simpleton. So would you please tell me how should I address you when you call


    my mommy ''sis''?" Justin wouldn''t give up easily. He was quite confident when it came to debating.


    After all, he learned from the master - his father.


    "Seriously? Sis, what''s wrong with your son today? Why does he keep asking stupid questions?"


    Leena asked as she reached her hand down to feel Justin''s forehead. Ignoring Justin''s grumpy look,


    Leena withdrew her hand and touched her face while muttering, "That''s strange! You don''t have a


    fever. Why do you keep speaking nonsense?"


    "I''m perfectly healthy! You''re the one losing your mind!" Justin waspletely speechless at Leena''s


    chaotic thoughts. He had decided he''d better team up with his daddy and stay away from her in the


    future, in case she caught him off-guard again.


    "Just ignore her. She needs to be taught a lessontely." Trying to suppress the urge to burst into


    laughter, Edward casuallyforted his son. Who would believe that Justin could be bested by a girl?


    ''Leena must be as sly as me! And that''s why Justin always treats her like his arch enemy!'' Edward was


    actually quite impressed.


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    "Edward, I can hear you. I know you''re trying to soothe his butthurt, but do you really have to say that


    out loud? What have I ever done to you? Jeez!" retorted Leena sourly with a pout. His words hurt her


    feelings.


    "What have you done? Do you really have to ask? You drugged Belinda, and you got married without


    telling us! You tell me whether you deserve to be taught a lesson or not!" Edward narrowed his eyes


    dangerously. ''Now be careful with your answer.'' Edward thought to himself.


    "Well... You''ve made them sound really wrong." Leena would never admit that she did anything wrong.


    Duke wouldn''t be with Belinda so soon if she didn''t put something in Belinda''s drink. They loved each


    other, all she did was to speed things up. As for her sudden marriage, Leena would have been exiled to


    France by her brother if she hadn''t married Kevin. Compared to being grounded by his brother in a


    foreignnd, Leena thought marrying someone was a better choice.


    "What? She''s married? Who''s the unlucky guy? Is he blind? Or did she force him with a knife?" Justin


    gasped loudly while making a gesture of cutting his throat with his fingers. What was wrong with that


    guy, marrying a troublemaker like Leena? Justin was in awe!


    "What did you just say? You little brat! Are you looking for trouble?" Leena was furious! Did Justin mean


    that she was annoying and no one would marry her? She actually had tons of suitors who would be


    thrilled to marry her!


    "Oh, I''m sorry. What I''m trying to say here is how selfless that man is to sacrifice himself and save


    every other man in the world from the fate of marrying you." Justin smirked as he saw Leena''s angry


    face. Point to Justin!


    Leena was so furious that her mind was a mess, and she couldn''t think of any appropriate retort. She


    rolled her eyes and directly turned to Daisy for help, "Sis! Look at your son! He''s bullying me!"


    "Justin, don''t be rude to auntie Leena. She is your auntie after all." Daisy put on a serious face and


    scolded Justin. She would haveughed out loud if she didn''t have to save Leena''s dignity. These two


    were really delightful.


    Justin''s face twitched as Leena made a face at him behind Daisy. He humphed and didn''t say anything


    else. How shameless Leena was to turn to his mommy for help! She did it on purpose because she


    knew he would never defy his mommy! He swallowed his pride. Justin could only wish that she had


    married a gori.


    Right at this moment, hundreds of miles away from the mall, Kevin shuddered all of a sudden. He felt a


    sudden chill shivering through his spine. Howe? Confused, Kevin looked at the roasting sun and


    wondered if he caught a cold. But he''d been working out and was perfectly healthy. Besides, he didn''t


    feel like he had a cold.


    "Don''t you get it? Women always team up and cover each other. Don''t count on your mommy too


    much." With a big grin, Edward gently patted his son on the back of his head.


    With a pout, Justin held Edward''s hand and gloomily followed behind Daisy and Leena. He humphed


    every now and then and secretly cried out in his mind, ''Evil! Leena is so evil! I don''t want to talk to her


    anymore!''


    Leena went to the mall because she wanted to pick up a suit for Kevin for the anniversary party tonight.


    She wasn''t really mad at Justin. How could she be mad at such a cute little boy? She just enjoyed


    teasing him. Now that he was quiet, Leena felt it was not the good time to start another round with him.


    She decided to take a break, since Justin''s sullen face was also super adorable!


    Once again stepping into LN shop, Daisy was surprised to find the style of the collection had changed.


    It seemed less teenagery and more elegant. The turn was delicate and the two elements emerged well


    in the new collection of this season. Daisy thought the designer must have experienced some kind of


    spiritual baptism and matured overnight.


    "Hello, Mr. Mu and Mrs. Mu. We have some new arrivals of this season. Would you like to try on?" The


    shopping assistant immediately walked up to them and greeted them politely as she saw them step in.


    It was the same girl that Daisy had met before. She could clearly remember Daisy. How could she ever


    forget? She used to take Daisy as some poor girl who wouldn''t be able to buy even a button in their


    shoppe.


    "It''s okay. We''ll just look around on our own. You don''t have to look over our shoulders." Daisy waved


    her hand at the girl and answered casually. It was Leena who had practically dragged her into this


    shop. And she made a beeline to the menswear section. ''Does Leena want to buy something for


    Kevin?'' Daisy secretly wondered.

 Chapter 325 Do As Mrs. Mu Said

    Chapter 325 Do As Mrs. Mu Said


    Although Daisy asked the sales clerks in the mall to ignore her and Edward and go back to their normal


    work, the clerks wouldn''t leave them alone. They were Edward''s employees, so it was his thoughts and


    orders that mattered most to them.


    "Do as Mrs. Mu said. Get back to work," Edward said softly. He understood that since he scarcely ever


    turned up in the mall, the employees got nervous to see him there. So he didn''t act bossy today. He


    almost never insulted his employees, because he thought that would mean that he was a lousy


    manager.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    "Yes, Mr. Mu." As the CEO of FX International Group, Edward was extremely well-mannered, but


    overbearing as well. Few people dared look him in the eye, let alone his employees. With Edward''s


    permission, the sales clerks went back to work. They felt overwhelmed by his bearing.


    Daisy stood there quietly, tender eyes fixed on Edward. Just as she had surprised Edward, she had


    found her husband had many surprising sides as well. She had always thought that the rich and


    famous tended to look down on ordinary people. She discovered that Edward wasn''t one of them. He


    treated everybody equally and thought of himself as nothing but amoner. He didn''t discriminate


    against anyone. These were his merits and they appealed to her strongly.


    Looking at the fashionable clothes that she designed herself, Leena couldn''t help smiling. LN was a


    fashion brand Leena created. As a rising new star in the fashion world, it had enjoyed global poprity


    in two years'' time, standing alongside other popr brands. It wasuded for its originality and keen


    insight in fashion, enjoying a high reputation among European aristocrats. It had been taken as a great


    example of the brands which were all the rage at the time in fashion industry.


    One thing that made Leena stand out as a designer was that besidesdies'' wear, she also designed


    menswear for cultivated tastes, suitable for many different asions. Leena was confident in her


    designs and decided to pick a dress of her own design for the party tonight. There were several styles


    of menswear that fitted Kevin perfectly. With his outstanding appearance, he would look smart and


    dashing in them.


    "Leena, are you picking out suits for Kevin?" Seeing her wandering about in the menswear zone, Daisy


    came over. She was curious.


    "Yes, sis. But don''t you want to know about something else? My lightning marriage, for example." From


    the way Daisy had asked her, Leena sensed that she knew about their marriage. A bright red flush


    spread over Leena''s face, making her more charming than ever.


    "I just want to say that Kevin is a man of not only good looks but also integrity. You''ve made the right


    decision, and you won''t regret it." Daisy knew Kevin well. Once he made the choice, he wouldn''t back


    down, no matter what.


    "Thank you, sis. You''re the second person to support me in this matter," It was true. Before Daisy, no


    one agreed with Leena''s decision except for her father. So she had started to have doubts about her


    marriage, although she pretended to be calm. She had thought that she might have made a mistake.


    Daisy''s opinion reassured her and strengthened her confidence in her marriage.


    "Are there many people who disapprove of your decision?" Daisy smiled faintly. Leena had been


    spoiled since she was a baby girl. Naturally her marriage would arouse a great deal of concern. And it


    was quite normal for the people around her to be angry when she didn''t ask their permission.


    Sometimes this concern was annoying, but mostly, it was enviable. Daisy, for one, wished there had


    been someone that cared about her so much growing up.


    "That''s it. Let''s talk about something else. Sis, would you like to choose some clothes for Edward? I


    designed quite a few clothes ording to his style," Leena said. She hadn''t intended to brag. She just


    blurted it out. It was toote when she realized it.


    "What? You designed all these?" Daisy asked. She had gotten a weird feeling about these clothes, but


    hadn''t known why. It all made sense now. What a surprise! Who would expect a muddled girl like Leena


    to be the designer of a global brand? Like they say, the better you feel about yourself, the less


    you need to show off.


    "Haha, I don''t think my designs are good enough, so I was too embarrassed to tell you guys. But, me


    and my big mouth..." Leena gave an embarrassed smile. Leena didn''t think she was qualified to be


    ranked among the best designers, so she felt bashful in front of Daisy, who was sort of a rtive to her.


    "No way! Aunt Leena, did you really design all these clothes yourself? Promise you aren''t just taking


    the credit for someone else''s work?" Justin happened to hear Leena talking as he got closer. He looked


    at the ornately designed fashionable clothing around him and didn''t believe careless Leena was the


    designer. He wouldn''t have called her aunt if his mom hadn''t asked.


    "Well, didn''t you refuse to call me aunt just a short time ago? Why have you changed your mind? What


    trick are you up to?" Leena didn''t believe Justin had changed his mind for no reason. He might be


    nning to start his sarcasm the next minute.


    "Huh! Do you have a persecutionplex? I just heard that you said you designed these clothes


    yourself. Maybe there is really something wrong with my ears. Just think about how active you are.


    Designing is boring. How could you possibly focus on such dull work?" Pretending there was really


    something wrong with his ears, Justin rubbed them with a cute facial expression. Leena would have


    loved him if he hadn''t despised her so much.


    "It''s a pity that it is really me who designed them. I''m sorry to disappoint you." Provoked by the little


    boy, Leena answered back sarcastically without thinking and forgot her intention to keep a low profile.


    Watching Justin and Leena, Daisy touched her forehead resignedly and wondered why they were


    fighting all the time. Was it so difficult to tolerate each other for them?


    "Duke told me that you created your own brand. So it''s LN. It seems that we underestimated you. It


    took up a lot of time and energy for us to be your brand''s agent. It would have been much easier


    if I just went through you, "


    Edward said approvingly, leaning on the counter and looking enchanting. He had engaged in the


    negotiation for the agency himself. He had been curious about the designer. He had wondered who


    could be so important as to make him put everything aside for his or her luxury brand. Because of


    either its high quality or the good materials it used, LN''s price was rather high, higher than its like


    products. Hence, it was considered a luxury brand.


    "Oh. How did Duke know? I didn''t tell a soul." Leena frowned in confusion. She had been happy that


    she had done a good job hiding it from everybody. But now it seemed Duke had already known about


    her secret for some time.


    "He knows that you''ve created your own fashion brand, but he doesn''t know it is LN. He will be thrilled


    if he knows it''s such a well-known brand. He''s always proud of you."


    Edward could imagine how happy Duke would be if he knew about it. He always took pride in Leena.


    He was more of a father to her than a big brother. He spoiled her so much that he became a different


    person around her. If Leena hadn''t gone abroad to study fashion design, he would still be her


    overprotective brother.


    "I was considering giving him a surprise in a few days. Leena patted her chest as she was saying this.


    Seeing her movement, Justin rolled his eyes at her and thought it childish and stupid. ''God, how could


    you let a befuddled and evil woman like Leena be a fashion designer? Maybe you are just as


    muddled as she is, '' Justin thought.

 Chapter 326 I Have Better Things To Do

    Chapter 326 I Have Better Things To Do


    The Mu''s changed ns because Leena suddenly joined them. Daisy had a feverst night, and


    Edward didn''t want to wear her out by doing too much walking. After Leena had picked up a suit for


    Kevin, instead of continuing their shopping excursion, they found a cafe to rest, which was exactly what


    Justin wanted.


    "How do you feel? Are you tired?" As soon as they sat down, Edward asked worriedly, face full of


    concern. It looked like he really cared about Daisy.


    "I''m okay. I''m not a fragile doll. I am a soldier, okay?" Daisy wouldn''t be a fearless colonel in the army if


    she was easily beaten by a small fever. Everyone in the army was iron-blooded, including Daisy


    herself.


    "What''s wrong, sis? Are you sick? Did you get Tom to have a look? Tell you what, Tom is a genius


    doctor!" Leena noticed Daisy''s pale face right after she saw her, but she thought it might be due to the


    lighting in the mall. It turned out Daisy was not feeling well!


    "Yes. I''m fine now, thanks to Tom." When she mentioned Tom''s name, Daisy suddenly blushed.


    Memories of seducing Edward that morning shed through her mind. She became a little nervous as if


    everyone knew what she had done.


    Edward immediately picked up on what Daisy was thinking about as he saw her rosy cheeks. It was the


    very first time that Daisy had ever tried to seduce him! Damn Tom, barging in on them! And Daisy


    wouldn''t let him continue even if he had driven Tom away. Edward swore that he would make Tom pay


    for that.


    "Right? Tom is famous for his excellent medical skills. You can trust him! But geniuses are always


    unpredictable; he chooses his own patients rather than the other way around." Leenained to


    Daisy with a frown. Tom wouldn''t care if his patient was the mayor as long as he didn''t feel like treating


    anyone. But Leena guessed Tom acted like this because he could! However, Leena was surprised that


    Tom had never turned down Edward, and he almost showed up instantly after Edward called him. How


    peculiar!


    "Really? I''m ttered." Daisy had only met Tom twice, includingst night. So she had no idea how


    brilliant a doctor Tom was. She used to think he was just one of Edward''s friends who happened to be


    a doctor. But he seemed so gentle and approachable. Was he really unpredictable like Leena said?


    "He should be ttered. He got the chance to meet a colonel. Not something that happens every day,"


    snorted Edward coldly. He hadn''t forgiven Tom for interrupting his romantic moment with Daisy, how


    could he ever admit that Tom was a genius doctor at this point? The only thing he could do was to try


    not to trash him too much, for he did cure Daisy after all.


    "Wow! Edward, are you jealous?" Upon hearing Edward''s sourment, Leena couldn''t help


    snickering. She had never seen Edward green with jealousy like this. She made a point of mentioning it


    in front of Daisy.


    "Jealous? Me? He''s not that brilliant, okay? He''s just some ordinary doctor!" Although Edward was


    impressed by Tom''s medical skills, he would never admit it in front of Daisy. He wouldn''t allow her to


    think that there were other men who were as brilliant or even more brilliant than him.


    Daisy cast a curious look at Edward, wondering since when Edward started to trash talk his friend?


    Why would a mature man like him act so childish? Daisy was puzzled, having no inkling what Edward


    was thinking.


    "Humph! It''s just sour grape! Why did you let him treat sis if you think he''s merely average?" Leena


    seemed to pick on Edward''s words today, which confused Edward. ''Did something happen? Leena


    seems strange.'' pondered Edward.


    "Because he''s the only doctor I know. Who else could I call? You? I''d better stick with Tom. We''re


    talking about saving lives! You may kill somebody if I call you instead." Edward sipped in his coffee


    while gazing at Leena. The smirk on his face annoyed Leena. ''He must be making fun of me on


    purpose!'' Leena felt like punching Edward all of a sudden.


    But instead she banged the table and pouted, "You are bullying me as well! Humph! I''m going home!"


    Leena stood up abruptly. Not just little Justin, but Edward as well! Edward used to be fond of her!


    Leena felt so heartbroken and decided to leave first.


    "Leena, ignore them. They''re crazy. Please stay." Daisy rolled her eyes at Edward and hastily grabbed


    Leena''s hand, trying to make her stay for a while longer. ''What''s wrong with Edward? Doesn''t he adore


    Leena? Why is he so mean to her today?'' Daisy was confused.


    Surprised, Edward and Justin looked at each other with their eyes wide open. Did Daisy just me


    them for bullying Leena? And she said they were crazy? It was just a small joke on Leena! Did she


    really have to turn against her husband and son?


    "Never mind. I''m too generous to hold a grudge against them. I''ll see you tonight, sis. I''ll need a spa


    first!" Leena smiled sweetly at Daisy and said goodbye to them. Her words puzzled Daisy. ''Again?


    What''s it so special about tonight? Why everyone keeps telling me that they''ll see me tonight?'' Daisy


    thought to herself as she saw Leena leave cheerfully.


    "Let''s go. We should get back as well. There are a lot of preparations to be done before it gets dark."


    Edward noticed Daisy''s perplexed look; but he simply smiled and said nothing. He would save the


    answer forter.


    "Preparations? What do you mean? Are you keeping something from me? Why is everybody acting


    strange and saying they''ll see me tonight? What day is it today?" Daisy looked right into Edward''s


    eyes, as if she wanted to find the answer on his handsome face.


    "Don''t stare at me like that, honey. You have no idea what that means. We couldn''t be that bold even if


    you really want me here. We''re not in our bedroom after all." Edward leaned forward to whisper in


    Daisy''s ear, his breath brushing her earlobe. Daisy shuddered all over and blushed. When she realized


    what Edward had just said, she immediately kicked him on his calf. Damn it! Did he just flirt with her in


    public? How shameless!


    "Ouch! Daisy! Are you trying to kill me?" Daisy caught him off-guard again! How could he forget about


    this? She had done this to him before! And she kicked him really hard this time. ''It must be bruised


    now, '' Edward thought gloomily.


    N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Justin red at his father and said nothing. Although Edward had leaned forward to make sure only


    Daisy could hear him, sitting right next to them, Justin heard him too. And he felt no sympathy for his


    father.


    "I don''t breakws andmit murders. Besides, I have better things to do than kill you." Daisy


    shrugged with a sneer. However, when she saw the agony on Edward''s face, she became worried,


    ''Does it really hurt that much? I didn''t kick him that hard.'' Daisy just wanted to give him some


    punishment for flirting with her in public; she didn''t mean to injure him.


    Edward froze as he heard Daisy''s words. Why did his wife constantly pick on him today? Was she


    bored of him? That probably exined her strange behavior.


    "Woman, are you trashing me?" Edward narrowed his eyes, which was a sign of danger; his eyes


    glowed with a spark of rage. Maybe he was too good to Daisytely, and she seemed to forget who she


    was!


    "I''m not trashing you. I''m just ignoring you. Come on, aren''t we leaving? Or do you want me to kick you


    again?" Ignoring Edward''s warning, Daisy retorted with a smirk and walked away without any


    hesitation. She would have been intimidated by his devilish look; however, he didn''t scare her anymore!


    She knew he wouldn''t do anything to her no matter how angry he got. And the reason was simple:


    Because he loved her.


    "Haha!" Justin snickered while casting a sensitive look at his father. ''Don''t me me, daddy. If I side


    with you, mommy will definitely punish me and have me do 100 push-ups! Sorry!'' Justin stuck his


    tongue out and hurried to follow Daisy.


    Edward finally understood that he had been abandoned by both his wife and his son. Seeing them walk


    towards the front gate without even looking back at him, Edward felt distressed. Were they so sure that


    he would follow without anyint? And yes, of course he would. But that was not the point!


    Eventually, Edward smiled while shaking his head, and quickly strode forward to keep up with them. He


    had no choice but to give in, because he loved them too much.

 Chapter 327 Its You Mary

    Chapter 327 It''s You Mary


    It was bound to be a remarkable night in S City tonight. All the senior executives from different


    companies gathered in the most luxurious Kate Hotel to attend the anniversary ceremony of the FX


    International Group. The exceptionally grand asion was unprecedented in S City. It was the most


    important business party wherein businessmen could seize the opportunity to create numerous hidden


    business opportunities. Many people felt lucky and excited about attending the ceremony, because in


    the next second, the chance of being a millionaire could fall for them.


    The Kate Hotel belonged to the FX International Group and was the only six-star hotel in S City. It


    upied and of 300 acres, adjacent to a diversified virgin forest park. The surrounding area was a


    variety of shops andmercial office buildings. The transportation in the vicinity was very convenient.


    The hotel boasted of spacious and brightly lit hotel rooms, along with the uniquebination of


    European concept and Chinese style in interior design. The hotel left a deep impression on its guests


    with its grandeur, while simultaneously making them feel at home. The guests could also enjoy the


    convenientmunication, audio-visual entertainment system, and wireless broadbandwork.


    Beautifuldies and luxurious cars were typical for any party. When the sunset gradually faded from the


    horizon and the street lights began to light up the sky, luxurious cars swarmed in. As the acting CEO of


    the Lin Group, Jessica was among the guest list. In the past, she always walked haughtily in her high


    heels while holding Edward''s arm as they entered the hotel. But this time, she came alone and kept a


    low profile.


    Due to the pregnancy, her waist had be a little round. But it hadn''t affected her overall attractive


    image. She intentionally chose a strapless evening dress that made her figure look more impressive,


    especially her plump breasts. Her alluring breasts danced along with her pace, as if they would fall out


    any time. Jessica triggered all the men''s imagination with her slip skirt. Glimpses of her legs


    underneath gave a hint of sexy appeal with her every step. It was unquestionable that such a gorgeous


    woman would be a stunner in the eyes of men.


    Standing at the entrance of Kate Hotel, she had to take a deep breath to conceal her abjection. What a


    ridiculous turn of events! At the same timest year, she swaggered past all the women that Edward


    had abandoned before. But now, she was the one thrown out of the game. She couldn''t ept this


    fact.


    "Oh! Who might this be? It turns out to be the famous Jessica Lin!" As soon as Jessica paused at the


    entrance, someone''s mocking voice rang loudly. Jessica inadvertently frowned and wondered who


    would be so bold as to intentionally add insult to injury.


    "Oh, it''s you, Mary." Jessica felt reluctant to keeppany with people like Mary who had humble


    origins. So when she saw Mary''s ostentatious attire, she wasn''t inclined to chat with her.


    "Yes, it''s me. Why do you seem so surprised? As far as I know, you''ve be the woman of Edward''s


    past. I wonder what gives you the courage to attend such a grand party? Don''t you fear losing face in


    public?" Mary stroked her hair coquettishly and narrowed her eyes at Jessica. She could feel the


    contempt in Jessica''s eyes towards her. Jessica was just another woman whom Edward had


    abandoned. How could she still be so arrogant?


    "Don''t be ridiculous. Why should I fear losing face? No one knows who the final winner is. While you,


    Mary, you can''t even get a chance to touch Edward''s sleeves. Don''t deny that you have feelings for


    Edward," Jessica sneered. Beneath her delicate face covered with heavy makeup, her heart was filled


    with the intense desire to tear Mary''s foul mouth apart.


    "Ha! Jessica, don''t tell me that you still have an ace up your sleeve. You can''t get Edward back even


    with the child in your womb. What else do you have?" Mary raised her chin smugly. If the Lin Group


    hadn''t suffered the financial crisis, Jessica might have the nerve to challenge Mary. Since the Lin


    Group was on the verge of bankruptcy, Mary wondered what Jessica could use against her.


    "Mary, don''t you find yourself ridiculous? We''ve never interacted before. Why do you keep pestering


    me?" Jessica raised her head and received curious gazes from other guests. She bit her lip, her face


    turning red with anger. Mary''s words hit home, and she was heartbroken with this fact. Edward refused


    to get back with her despite her pregnancy. Even worse, he had be more indifferent to her. She


    didn''t know what else she could do to win him back.


    "Huh! Yes, you''re right, we''ve never interacted, but your haughty behavior in the past has been a


    constant eyesore. The sight of you is offending." Mary detested it when other people intentionally


    disyed their superiority in front of her. She always felt insecure in the face of Jessica''s arrogance.


    Most importantly, she felt extremely jealous that Jessica had enjoyed Edward''s affections for so many


    years.


    "You''re crazy, Mary. I''m warning you, you''d better not provoke me tonight. I think you don''t need me to


    remind you, you know how I deal with things. You and I are the same kind, so you can imagine what to


    expect if you dare anger me." Jessica was a woman with not just beautiful looks. She was more clever


    than Mary. She could easily figure out what was on Mary''s mind.


    "You''re fucking crazy. Jessica, if we weren''t at this ce, I would make you pay for your insults. As


    you''ve said, you and I are the same kind. I would never do anything that would make me lose."


    Although Mary was usually oblivious, she didn''t dare to make a scene on thend that belonged to the


    FX International Group. She decided to remain silent in the face of Jessica''s challenge.


    The unpleasant confrontation didn''t affect the ambiance of the party that was about to begin. But it


    definitely nted deeper hostility between the two women. Nevertheless, they got into contact


    frequently since then, leading to a partnership between the two. They would eventually regret this


    because their partnership would lead to a bigger mistake.


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    Compared to the two antagonistic women, Brian looked carefree in his seat. He attended the party for


    the purpose of seeing Daisy. Since he heard that Daisy had gotten married to the CEO of the FX


    International Group, he had been looking for a chance to find out why Daisy refused to recognize him.


    He also wanted to know if Daisy was happy with her current life. As long as Daisy was happy, he didn''t


    care if Daisy still remembered him or not.


    Because he lived overseas and he didn''t have many acquaintances in the country, few people in the


    party knew him. He sat alone in a corner, carefree and unnoticed by anyone. His solitude allowed him


    to overhear conversations he shouldn''t have heard.


    "Have you heard? Apparently, Mr. Mu has be a faithful man from a womanizing yboy! He has


    lavished his affections on the mother of their lovechild. There''s also word that he will introduce the


    mysterious woman to the public tonight." Women were always purveyors of gossips, but at the same


    time, they were also the victims of gossips.


    "Oh no, that''s impossible! I heard that that woman looks shabby and is of humble origins. Is it suitable


    for her to appear at such a grand asion? Apparently, she''s not as beautiful as Mr. Mu''s ex-girlfriend


    Jessica." As several nobledies heatedly discussed among themselves, Brian started to look


    concerned. His eyebrows furrowed in disapproval and he became furious at the news.


    ''Edward, how dare you hurt my sister and bring your lover to such an important asion? This is a big


    insult to her. Do you really think that she has no one to back her in her family, that you can willfully


    break her heart? Don''t forget that I''m here to support her. No matter what happens, I will never let you


    hurt her, '' Brian thought in rage.


    "Who knows? This is only hearsay. But one thing''s for sure, Mr. Mu really loves the woman. Otherwise,


    how could he change to apletely different person? Besides, it''s been a long time since thest


    time there was news about him with a woman. Maybe this woman will be his wife because they


    have a son." The gossip continued, while Brian hadpletely lost his cool. His handsome and bright


    face was ming with rage.


    That bastard. It seemed that Edward was treating his sister as if she was invisible. How dare he keep


    such a dirty affair with another woman! He''s gone too far. Besides, wasn''t Daisy a female soldier? Why


    would she keep silent at such a vicious man''s insult? Wasn''t sabotaging a military marriage a criminal


    offense? Why would Daisy let Edward bring his lover and his lovechild into their home and not do


    anything about it?


    Brian smiled painfully at the thought. It seemed that god didn''t bless good people. Otherwise, why


    would he make his sister endure so much sadness and pain? No wonder she was reluctant to


    recognize him that day. She probably didn''t want him to know about her painful life. That was why she


    had firmly stated that she didn''t know him.


    Brian closed his eyes in agony. When he opened them again, there was firm determination in his eyes.


    He couldn''t help Daisy to get out of her distressful life in the past, but from now on, Brian would


    officially dere war against Edward. He''d better not die soon, Brian would definitely make his life full


    of surprises.

 Chapter 328 Soul of Tears

    Chapter 328 Soul of Tears


    As night fell, the Kate Hotel started being filled with celebrities. The upper-ssdies were all dressed


    to kill and constantly evaluating each other''s luxurious attire. After ncing around therge crowd of


    elite men present, the rich girls instantly knew their backgrounds and assets quite well. Keen on finding


    the perfect match for themselves, they desperately wanted to earn the favor of the certain rich men


    who were known for their handsome looks and financial status. But none of them had shown up yet,


    even when the party started. No wonder the women were a bit disappointed.


    While the women hunted for the perfect husband, the men were ncing around to check the female


    party guests. They were all dazzled at the sight of Jessica who wore a long revealing gown. Her big


    breasts aroused their wildest fantasies. They had been longing to get an eyeful of her curvy figure for a


    long time. But with Edward at her side, they dared not stare at her. Today, they could finally feast their


    eyes on her. Despite how attracted they were, no man stepped forward to flirt with her. After all, Edward


    hadn''t announced their break-up. They didn''t want to cross Edward and risk theirpany for a


    woman. So they remained in ce and continued fantasizing without taking any action.


    Seeing Jessica in the limelight made Mary huff angrily. She intentionally chose an elegant and


    conservative dress to impress Edward, but every man''s eyes were glued on Jessica''s captivating


    figure. Not even the slightest bit of attention shifted to her. It seemed her orthodox outfit was her


    biggest mistake tonight.


    In contrast to Mary''s regret, Jessica was quite delighted with all the attention. As if on purpose, she


    stroked the precious ''Soul of Tears'' ne several times around her neck. It was a present from


    Edward. She wanted to wear the ne as a reminder of her ce in Edward''s heart. She smiled


    and moved gracefully, exhibiting her charm and allure. She was determined to win over Daisy tonight,


    then Edward would see who was the perfect woman to stand by him.


    The story behind the ''Soul of Tears'' ne had widely circted in the upper-ss society. It was


    difficult to forget indeed. After all, Edward paid ten times the original price for the ne, just to make


    Jessica happy. His generous purchase made the headlines in S City, bringing quite a lot of readers to


    outlets and plenty of pride for Jessica. But things had changed. A lot had disappeared, including


    Edward''s affections for her.


    Jessica strode through the hall and nced around, but didn''t find the figure she was looking for. A


    trace of displeasure crept up her face. But she remembered that Edward usually came to these events


    late. Of course, he wouldn''t be here yet. As she roamed the room, she felt a pair of harsh eyes boring


    into her. But when looking around, she didn''t find anything amiss.


    Jessica''s senses were right. Someone was ring at her figure the whole time, more precisely, at her


    stomach. It was as if the observer was trying to check if she was really carrying a baby. The observer


    didn''t even blink her eyes, she didn''t want to miss a thing. Then, she started wondering if Jessica''s


    shoes were a bit too high for a pregnant woman.


    "You''re not even looking at where you''re going," Dukeined. Belinda was too busy staring at


    Jessica to pay any attention to herself. She didn''t take back her gaze until she almost tripped over her


    dress. But luckily, Duke caught her in his arms. In hervender trailing gown, Belinda looked noble and


    elegant. She emanated strength, beauty, and innocence as she walked through the crowd.


    "Thank you!" Belinda immediately pulled out of Duke''s arms. She was still mad at him. With her


    problem with Duke in mind, she wasn''t in the mood to ask Daisy how she was doing after her return


    from the military exercises. This was why she arrived at the party so early, to see Daisy as soon as


    possible. She wanted to check if the tension between her and Edward had diminished. But her goal


    was stalled once again.


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    "Belinda, do you have to act so indifferent towards me? You should at least tell me what I did wrong


    before you shut me off." With Rachel''s harassment and Belinda''s anger, things had been tough for


    Duke recently. Now, Belinda even stopped preparing for the wedding that they had been nning


    together, and he couldn''t figure out why.


    "You did nothing wrong. It''s me. I''m just not in a good mood." Belinda answered hesitantly. Her tone


    showed her reluctance. She was mad at him and Rachel. She knew about their history. Although she


    didn''t mind their romantic past, it didn''t mean that she could just ept this self-important woman


    waltzing into her life. She couldn''t believe that Duke was over Rachel. If he didn''t have feelings for her


    anymore, he would''ve deleted her number. But he still kept her number in his phone. It could only mean


    that he still liked her. Why else would he put up with her harassment? She really hated the way his


    phone rang endlessly in the past several days. Every time it rang, Duke purposefully hung up in front of


    her. What was he trying to prove?


    "Have I ever told you that you''re a terrible liar?" Duke fixed his cold eyes on her. He had had enough of


    her surly and odd behavior in the past several days. He wanted to discuss their problems, instead of


    pushing them aside.


    "You have to let me go first." Noticing that they were gaining some attention, Belinda was embarrassed


    to stay in Duke''s arms. After all, only close friends knew about their marriage. She didn''t want to make


    their rtionship public and be the topic of gossip in S City.


    "What if I say no?" Duke looked up, meeting the women''s shocked eyes. They should be surprised.


    After all, he never flirted with or approached any woman, let alone disy his affections in public.


    "If you want to be tomorrow''s headline, then hold me as long as you want." Knowing how much Duke


    hated exposure, Belinda used it against him.


    "I wouldn''t care about being on the news if you''re with me." Duke curled his lips into a mischievous


    smile, winning the hearts of all the women present. Duke was no less popr than Edward, but nobody


    ever flirted with him due to his indifference. No matter how many women wanted him, his cold eyes


    instantly extinguished any idea about approaching him. They wouldn''t even dare talk to him.

 Chapter 329 Are You Jealous (Part One)

    Chapter 329 Are You Jealous (Part One)


    "Yo! I was wondering who are engaging in a public disy of affection here. Edward and Daisy aren''t


    here yet; isn''t it too early to steal the spotlight?" Rain casually approached Duke and Belinda and


    teased them with his eyebrows raised. He was wearing a gray suit, exquisitely tailored.


    Rain had been calling Annie ever since she disappeared after that night. He felt distressed when her


    family told him that she wanted to be left alone for a while. He finally stopped trying to track her down.


    He believed that Annie woulde back to him if she really loved him! And he would wait patiently


    until she did. The earth is round. Even though they parted here and headed different ways, they would


    eventually meet again someday somewhere if they were meant to be together. If Annie didn''t love him,


    there would be no point in finding her. We can''t force people to love us. And there would only be


    endless sorrow and pain for people who were thrown together in a loveless rtionship.


    "What? Are you jealous?" Duke retorted sourly, rolling his eyes. ''What''s wrong with him? Can''t he see


    that I''m in the middle of a conversation with my wife? What''s he doing here?'' Duke was annoyed.


    "Yes! I''m jealous to death! Okay, I''ll leave you two alone and spread my charm over there. Go back to


    whatever you were doing." Rain put on a devil-may-care smile in front of everyone, but he was


    breaking down inside. It seemed every one of his friends had someone to love, someone who loved


    them, except for him!


    "Fuck off! No wonder Annie left you! Look at yourself, fluttering around like a butterfly!" Duke was


    pissed. He was in the middle of something really romantic and intimate with Belinda. And Rain had


    ruined everything! How could they continue after being interrupted?


    "Don''t you know? I''m helping them out! Look at all those pretty girls. They''ll wither without my love!"


    Rain folded his arms in front of his chest and leaned against the pir. He wore his signature smirk; his


    amethyst ear studs flickered as he turned his head toward a gaggle of girls standing nearby. With the


    "That''s bullshit! You''ll only hurt them in the end. Stop bragging, you jerk!" Belinda had realized that she


    and Duke drew too much attention; now that Rain joined the party and made things even worse! This


    man didn''t know how to spell the word ''low-key'' -- he only knew how to call attention to himself! Almost


    every woman''s gaze was riveted where they stood.


    "Belinda! You wound me! Hurt them? Nonsense! You should worry more about me. I''m the one who


    has to attend to the needs of all these lovely women!" Rain pretentiously brushed his hair with his


    fingers and winked at Belinda, who shuddered all over and wanted to throw up all of a sudden. No


    wonder they said Rain never yed by the rules! They were arguing and he was suddenly being


    flirtatious? Belinda was in shock.


    "Oh cut the crap! Look! there''s a...um..rgerdy over there, and she''s been checking you out since


    you got here. Why don''t you go after her?" Belinda raised her eyebrows and gestured towards the


    woman in question with her head.


    Rain had just taken a ss of champagne from the waiter with the tray; he spurted out the liquid and


    coughed violently as he heard Belinda, his eyes full of disbelief. He had underestimated her! How could


    she even make such a disgusting proposal no matter how much she hated him?


    "What the hell are you doing? I swear I''ll kill you right now!" Duke furrowed his brows as he red at


    the beads of champagne on his suit, and then Rain''s face. Why on earth was he always the one to get


    run into, or have a drink spilled on? So unlucky! Why did Rain spurt liquid like this? Did he think himself


    a sprinkler?


    "Hey, it''s not my fault! me your wife! She wants me to sleep with that woman! Have you even seen


    her face? I''d rather die!" Rain shuddered. Come on! If he really slept with that woman, he wouldn''t beN?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    able to recover from that for the rest of his life. He might even be impotent and lose interest in all


    women.


    Duke was curious and looked in the direction Rain was pointing. His face twitched at the sight. ''Damn


    it! Why should I care what he saw?'' Duke knew he should have just ignored Rain. The woman


    misunderstood them, and she even winked at Duke as he turned around. Duke felt like he was going to


    have a heart attack!


    "Do you two have to act like this? She is just a tiny bit plus-sized, with heavy make-up, and a unique


    style. Everything else seems fine!" Belinda held back the urge to burst intoughter and blurted out


    random sentences with a serious tone. The corners of her lips were twitching because she really


    wanted tough out loud.


    "Belinda, are you serious? Do you even know what you are saying? Plus-sized? She''s twice as big as I


    am! Just imagine how much pressure she''s putting on the earth. And look at her make-up! We''re at a


    party, not the theater! And what else? Oh, a unique style? Listen to yourself! I didn''t say fat is ugly, but


    does she have to wear a skin-tight dress like that? You know what? I''m terrified by the thought that her


    dress will pop open any second!"


    Rain blurted out without stopping, in the end, he even shivered violently.


    Duke felt exactly the same. He cast a curious look at Belinda, wondering what was wrong with her. She


    sounded calm and sincere as she described the woman just now, as if the woman was just some in


    and ordinary female rather than a hideous monster.

 Chapter 330 Are You Jealous (Part Two)

    Chapter 330 Are You Jealous (Part Two)


    Belinda was about to say something, but she suddenly stopped because something more interesting


    caught her eye. She saw Leena walk into the venue with a tall and handsome man. Both she and Duke


    were surprised that Leena suddenly married this man without telling them beforehand, and Duke kept


    nagging her, enraged about this. But Belinda never actually met Leena''s husband until tonight, and she


    felt it strange to hear Duke''s constantining about someone she didn''t even know! She just had


    to get to know this guy first, for he was able to piss off Duke, the iceberg famous for his apathy.


    This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.


    Leena was an edgy fashion designer with excellent taste in clothing and essories.The wardrobes


    she had chosen for Kevin and herself perfectly matched. The pink dress made Leena''s skin tone look


    fair and smooth. Pink was a color adored by women because it was light and tender, symbolizing both


    innocence and elegance. It was simr to white, but much lovelier, and suited people with fair white


    skin tone. Leena knew about colors; she also knew what suited her best. Her choice was great; she


    looked stunning in that pink dress.


    To go with her dress, Leena picked a slim-cut navy blue suit for Kevin. He was tall and masculine, and


    Leena was petite and lovely. They made a great couple. Kevin didn''t know much about fashion, for he


    barely had the chance to wear anything besides his uniform. He trusted Leena because it was her area


    of expertise. He nced at his own suit and was once again convinced that Leena had a great taste.


    "Hey, Leena. What are you looking at? I''m here!" Rain noticed Belinda''s absent look. Following her


    gaze, he immediately saw Leena and Kevin. He called out loud for them, a hint of slyness glowing in


    his eyes. ''Great! We meet again! But you are now Leena''s husband, aren''t you? Tonight is going to be


    so much fun!'' Rain got excited. Kevin was quiet and Leena was lively; even Rain had to admit that they


    did make a cute couple, just like the dress and the suit -- they wore those items perfectly.


    "Brother, Belinda, Rain! You''re here! I thought you guys hadn''t left home yet and I''d have to wait for


    you." Leena stopped looking around as soon as she heard Rain''s voice. Holding Kevin''s arm, she


    approached the group directly. Excitement was written all over her face.


    "We meet again, Mr. Gu." With his eyes fixed on Kevin, Rain greeted Kevin aggressively before he


    could say anything.


    "Hello to you too, Mr. Xia. I know we had some misunderstanding earlier, and I sincerely hope we can


    put it all behind us and start over again." Right after Leena invited Kevin to escort her to the party,


    Kevin had spent the whole day memorizing her friends that he might meet at the party. That was why


    he knew who Rain was so soon. However, Kevin still couldn''t figure out what had he done to him to


    cause Rain hate him so much.


    "Don''t mind him. Kevin, right? Nice to meet you! I''m Belinda, Leena''s sister-inw." Belinda red at


    Rain and warmly greeted Kevin. What was wrong with Rain? Why did he seem to attack every one he


    met tonight? No matter what Duke and Rain thought of Kevin, Belinda found him quite agreeable.


    "Hi, Belinda. We should have visited you right after Leena and I got married. But I''ve been busy and


    couldn''t find the time. Please ept my sincere apology." Because Duke hadn''t announced his


    marriage with Belinda to the public, Kevin hardly knew Belinda until she just introduced herself as


    Leena''s sister-inw. Nor did Kevin know that Belinda was also Daisy''s best friend, and the CEO of the


    YS group.


    "It''s fine. I heard that you''re in the same unit with Daisy?" Deliberately ignoring Duke''s cold gaze,


    Belinda started chatting with Kevin like long-lost friends. Duke made her angry before, and she


    determined to teach him a lesson until he realized he was wrong. Belinda would never spoil him, in


    case someday she had to swallow the bitter fruit herself.


    "Yes. Colonel Daisy is a fearless heroine! We''re all so proud of her!" Although Kevin had no inkling that


    Belinda and Daisy were best friends, he knew Duke and Edward were. Therefore, he assumed they


    knew each other because of their husbands. Thinking of that, Kevin was more friendly to Belinda.


    "Haha! I''m just asking. You don''t have to give a serious answer like that." Belinda was amused by


    Kevin''s words. She covered her mouth and chuckled. She was no journalist; why did he praise Daisy


    like he was in a press conference?


    Kevin realized he got emotional, so he smiled awkwardly to Belinda. Maybe he was used to praising


    Daisy. He overreacted every time when it came to Daisy. He wasn''t sure if it was a good behavior.


    "Brother, are you still mad at me?" Leena had been studying Duke''s face ever since she saw him. But


    to her surprise, her brother didn''t look at her at all. Leena felt her heart being torn apart. Duke used to


    love her so much, for she was his only darling sister. Leena knew it and she loved her brother. Leena


    knew she would lose a lot of precious things in her life if she and her brother continued fighting like this,


    which was thest thing she ever wanted.

 Chapter 331 Mrs. Mu

    Chapter 331 Mrs. Mu


    There were many guests present at the ceremony. Besides the elites from various industries, the


    entertainers of FX International Group were the most dramatic. Dressed to kill, they drew the admiring


    gazes of men and aroused jealousy in women.


    Then some military officers showed up at the ceremony too, which had never happened before. They


    were no ordinary soldiers. The epaulettes on their uniform told people that they were of high military


    rank. Their appearance provoked spection. People were wondering if FX International Group had


    gotten into huge trouble.


    Kevin was surprised to see these officers. He wasn''t informed that any officers wereing to the


    ceremony. He wondered whether they had been invited or they were here for the matter concerning


    Daisy. His heart grew heavy. Then he nodded to the people beside him and walked quickly toward the


    officers.


    "Army Commander, Commander, why are you here?" Kevin said to his two superiors and then nodded


    to the other officers. He frowned at seeing Hank among them and wondered why themander had


    brought him along.


    "Hello, Kevin. Fancy seeing you here. I was just wondering why yourmander didn''t keep you, the


    dark horse, at his side. It turns out that you got here ahead of us. I heard that you did a great job in the


    war games." The Army Commander was much younger than the Commander. They were of the same


    military rank and their posts sounded simr. But the Army Commander led the group army while the


    Commandermanded an army base of the group army. So there was an essential distinction


    between their posts.


    "Thank you, sir. It''s the oue of the concerted team work of the soldiers. I''m just a member of the


    team." Neither the Army Commander nor the Commander answered Kevin''s question. Underneath his


    superficial calmness, he became worried. He kept casting looks at the Commander, hoping he could


    give him a hint.


    "Kevin, you are being modest. Your father hopes you can go back to the capital city. What do you


    think?" The Army Commander looked around and wondered why the CEO of FX International Group


    invited them to the ceremony. When they were negotiating about the sponsorship for military


    equipment, Edward didn''t engage in it at all. During the whole process it was Mr. Rain that had


    negotiated with them on behalf of Edward.


    As to the reason why they were invited here, the Commander was confused too. That morning, he had


    just heard that the CEO of FX International Group was Daisy''s husband. An invitational phone call


    came before he could report the news to his superior. He saw Kevin''s inquiring eyes, but he had to


    shrug to indicate that he was clueless.


    "I talked with my father about it. I prefer to stay in the city," Kevin replied. In the capital city, people


    would only regard him as the son of some authority. If he stayed here, he would be away from that


    atmosphere, be himself, and lead a more meaningful and fulfilling life.


    "Ow, really? Your father will be disappointed. He looks forward to you going back to the capital city."


    The Army Commander patted Kevin''s shoulder significantly. Its implication was self-evident. Back in the


    capital, Kevin would have more opportunities to put his skills to good use and get promoted, because


    that was his father''s territory, after all.


    Kevin gave a faint smile and said nothing in response. He understood what the Army Commander


    meant, but he was too proud to rely on his father. It was an approach he loathed. He''d be frustrated,


    because his image as a self-made soldier would be shattered, and people would see him as a guy who


    got promoted through his father''s connections, and not his own skills.


    "Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention? I realize we''re all having fun, so... thank you very


    much foring to ourpany''s anniversary ceremony. Now I give you Aaron, the personal assistant


    to the CEO. He''s going to address the ceremony, so give him a little apuse." The MC''s sudden


    remarks quieted the guests down. Everyone started to look toward the rostrum, and then the room


    erupted into apuse.


    Aaron hated making long speeches. He felt it a waste of time. But since Edward hated it too and Aaron


    was his assistant, he had to do it for him.


    "Good evening,dies and gentlemen. I''m Aaron. I''ll do away with the formalities. On behalf of our


    company, I would like to thank you for your concern and support for ourpany." Aaron raised his


    head to look around, but Edward was nowhere to be seen. He was alwayste for everything.


    "This year''s cocktail party will be a little different from previous ones. The model employees will be


    awarded a prize and a generous bonus. The special guest who will give the prize to them will be a big


    surprise. Be prepared to be amazed." Aaron''s announcement sparked the room into cacophony.


    Everybody wondered what kind of novel activity FX International Group came up with this time. Was it


    rted to the military? The officers'' arrival couldn''t be just a coincidence.


    Jessica''s face darkened to hear Aaron''s words. She assumed that the mysterious special guest must


    be Daisy. She pursed her mouth in scorn and thought, ''Edward, how much on earth do you care about


    this woman? You have made such a brilliant n for the cocktail party just to introduce her to


    everybody. You would think it beneath you in the past. What do you see in her that makes you change


    so much?''


    Brian sneered at the announcement. He was waiting to see how this woman would amaze the guests.


    By her beauty or her identity of Edward''s lover?


    "Are you curious about our mystery guest already? Then let''s wee the model employees. If you''d


    come up to the stage, please." Aaron seemed calm. but he was actually terribly worried, because


    Edward still hadn''t showed up yet. Aaron didn''t know what to do next. This kind of thankless things kept


    falling into hisp. He got impatient.


    Watching the employeesing up one by one, Aaron felt desperate. Edward had called to tell him


    that he was here, but where was he? Aaron hoped that Edward hadn''t run into some snag. Otherwise,


    he would be screwed, because he wouldn''t be able to find another important guest in such a short time.


    "We all know that our CEO has a cute son. But do you know the CEO''s wife?" Aaron paused. Then he


    saw a figure approaching steadily. He exhaled deeply. ''Boss, thank God you''re here. You scared the


    hell out of me, '' he thought.


    The guests were all intrigued by Aaron''s remarks. Was the CEO of FX International Group really


    married? That was the one thing the guests were dying to find out. They all gazed at Aaron and waited


    for an answer, but he kept them in suspense. The guests all felt annoyed but couldn''t do anything but


    hold their breath and wait.


    "Now please Mr. and Mrs. Mu,e to the rostrum to award the prize to the model employees." When


    Aaron finished, he felt greatly relieved. The guests shifted their gaze from Aaron to the entryway.


    Aaron''s announcement took Daisy by surprise. Sensing everyone was watching her, she paused for a


    few seconds, then collected herself and calmly walked in with Edward, arm in arm.


    Everybody was amazed to see how perfect they looked together. Daisy was wearing a long white


    strapless dress, patterned in diagonals with big sparkling sequins. Her skin was snow white. She


    looked like a fairy in that mermaid-shaped dress. Daisy''s fair skin and the dress were of the simr


    color. She seemed to be glittering. Together with her aloof bearing, she looked sacred and


    distinguished. She walked elegantly and all eyes followed her. The guests gasped with admiration at


    her grace.


    Edward and Justin were in dark blue mercerized clothing, which served as a soft and elegant foil for


    Edward''s perfectly-proportioned sexy figure. The colors and the materials of his shirt, tie and suit


    reflected his delicate features and elegant bearing well. Together with Daisy, they became a


    picturesque image, having a visual impact on the guests.


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    Edward gloated inwardly over the dress he had picked out for Daisy. The white color and her aloofness


    blended well in a distinctive style on her. Instead of innocence which white color usually reminded


    people of, it now set her cold gorgeousness off to advantage, mixed with her upromising and


    heavenly temperament. Edward was stunned at her charm.


    Before they set off, Daisy wasn''t informed that tonight was the anniversary ceremony of FX


    International Group. She was confused when Edward asked her to put on this beautiful dress. When


    Tom and Leena indicated that they would see her at night, she was really puzzled. So she had refused


    to put it on until Edward exined the reason to her. Aaron''s introduction had shattered her n to stay


    low-key. All eyes were on her now. She was even more nervous than when she was facing tens of


    thousands of soldiers.


    "Mrs. Mu is not only the wife of the CEO, her other role will make the teenage girls scream in


    excitement. We all know that there''s a young legendary female colonel in the city, who is an idol to


    many young women. However, since the colonel always keeps a low profile, few have seen her. She is


    our mystery, our urban legend. People talk about her all the time. Tonight, this mysterious colonel is


    right here -- Mrs. Mu! Now let''s warmly wee the CEO and his lovely wife to award the prize to the


    model employees.


    People started apuding them as soon as Aaron finished the sentence. Meanwhile, someone was


    deeply frustrated and resented Daisy even more.


    Unusually, Justin behaved himself today. He looked here and there. Hearing Aaron say his parents


    were going to confer awards, he let go of his dad''s hand and ran toward his grandparents. Edward and


    Daisy were a little bewildered. Seeing the guests around them, they looked at each other and smiled,


    which was caught by the media at the scene. They started taking pictures eagerly, making the


    affectionate smiles evesting, immortalized.

 Chapter 332 Daughters and Dead Fish Are No Keeping Wares (Part One)

    Chapter 332 Daughters and Dead Fish Are No Keeping Wares (Part One)


    "I''m not mad. It''s your life, and I can''t make choices for you. Your happiness is what matters." Duke


    was cold to everyone, but never to Leena. No matter how bad her actions made him feel, he would


    bear it alone, and would not make her feel bad.


    "Duke, I am so sorry! I promise I will be happy." Hearing what Duke had said, Leena smiled with joy,


    and jumped into his arms like a spoiled child, which made Kevin feel better. He didn''t want to drive


    Duke and Leena apart. That wasn''t why he married her, and he knew she wouldn''t be happy if that


    happened.


    Duke gently pinched her pink face, the way he always did. But he still stared at Kevin with a stony face.


    Although Duke didn''t me Leena for not telling him in advance, he couldn''t ept that Leena would


    marry Kevin, so he still was very angry when he saw the soldier.


    Kevin could certainly understand why Duke was so angry with him, so he was ready to take the heat


    before he got there. He didn''t react to Duke''s rudeness either. If he were Duke, he''d be angry too. He


    totally understood and epted it.


    Belinda rolled her eyes at Duke, and thought this guy was so vindictive. Even though Kevin married his


    baby sister without his consent, he shouldn''t be like he was suffering bitterly and nursing some


    seriously deep hatred. Besides, didn''t she marry him because of his dirty tricks? Then, was she


    supposed to be unfriendly just like him?


    After being teased by Belinda, Rain said nothing more but simply watched them. Sometimes it seemed


    the atmosphere was tense, but it was actually happy. Feelings of loneliness overcame him then. He


    thought, did Annie really not love him? Was that why Annie left him? Annie was so ruthless that she left


    him without giving him any chance to ask her to stay. Did she ever think how upset and helpless he


    would be when she left?


    Although the party had not yet officially started, the atmosphere here became warmer and warmer as


    the time went by. There were a lot of handsome guys and lovely women at the party, and their


    greetings made the noise level rise. However, most people couldn''t help but secretly steal nces at


    where Duke and others were standing, because they could always get attention. But Duke was so aloof


    that others were afraid to gaze too long.


    "Look who are here!" Duke raised his eyebrows and motioned for everyone to look toward the door. He


    only knew that his father was good friends with Jonathan Mu, but he did not know that his father was


    also very familiar with his parents-inw. The thought finally urred to him that all of these were once


    the big names in the city, so how could they not know each other? Uncle Jonathan and Aunt Cynthia


    looked so young. Why did they look so different from others around them, though they were about the


    same age?


    "Wow! Aunt Cynthia, Uncle Jonathan, and Daddy are here. OMG, they look gorgeous! But who are the


    other two?" Leena liked Cynthia a lot, because she was so graceful and attractive. When she was a


    child, she liked to go to her house because she could see her. After all, she was so charming that even


    a little girl would be attracted to her. But Jonathan was so possessive that Leena would get red at by


    Jonathan whenever she tried to hug his wife.


    "The two are the parents of your brother''s wife. Haven''t you seen them before?" Duke frowned, and


    then said slowly," Oh, you haven''t."


    Belinda was also curious about who the young couple were. The woman looked very gentle and lovely,


    while the man looked cold. It wasn''t hard to see that the man loved the woman deeply. He held her


    gaze just a moment longer than normal, the light in his eyes was because he looked at her. It was


    obvious.


    Rain smacked his lips in surprise when he saw Jonathan and Cynthia. They looked so young that they


    shocked him deeply. What would he do if he got old but they were still young ten yearster. That


    would be awkward for him.


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Aunt Cynthia, I haven''t seen you for so many years, you are still so young and beautiful." When Leena


    saw them, she went to them and gave Cynthia a gentle hug, but she did not dare to hold her for long,


    because she had already seen Jonathan begin to frown.


    "You are such a sweet girl. You are all grown up and even more beautiful than you were years ago."


    Cynthia was happy to see Leena, too. She had always wanted a daughter, but Jonathan didn''t want


    another child after she gave birth to Edward. So she always treated Leena like her own daughter.


    "No matter how beautiful I am, I still can''tpare to you. Am I right, Uncle Jonathan?" Leena yfully


    took Cynthia''s arm and looked at Jonathan with a smile. There was a sense of mischievousness in her


    bright eyes.


    "Ha-ha! It looks like my daughter can only see you, not me. I''ve been here for a while and look -- she


    totally ignores me." Lloyd joked. Heughed heartily, which was totally different than Duke. Unlike


    Lloyd, Duke was a very aloof person. For those who didn''t know them, they didn''t seem like father and


    son at all.


    "Dad, I am not ignoring you. It is only polite to greet them first. You''re not jealous, are you?" As soon as


    she heard her father making fun of her, she hugged him with a sweet smile on her face.


    "Dad, mom, you''re here. Uncle Jonathan; Aunt Cynthia. Long time no see. I can''t believe you''re still as


    young as ever." Duke still seemed to ignore his dad. He only greeted his inws and Edward''s parents.


    "Ah! It seems that you are getting more and more aloof, just like your Uncle Jonathan." Sometimes


    Cynthia thought Duke was her son, otherwise, how could he be like Jonathan?

 Chapter 333 Daughters and Dead Fish Are No Keeping Wares (Part Two)

    Chapter 333 Daughters and Dead Fish Are No Keeping Wares (Part Two)


    "Ha-ha Aunt Cynthia, don''t you know that he has a psychological defect? Something is missing in him."


    Rain yfully teased Duke, but he didn''t expect he would also offend Jonathan, who looked at him


    coldly.


    "What is he missing, Rain?" Leena asked quizzically. She was curious now, not entirely understanding


    it was a joke.


    "Well, he..." Ah! Rain realized that he shouldn''t say that. How could he forget that Jonathan was here?


    Jonathan''s cold stare shut him down, A look from the man would stress anyone out.


    "Hi! I''m Belinda." If Belinda listened to their conversation and still didn''t know who they were, she must


    be a fool. She just couldn''t figure out why Edward''s parents looked so young. If she hadn''t known that


    Edward had no siblings, she would have thought they were Edward''s brother and sister.


    "Hi, Belinda. I remember when I saw youst time, you were still a tiny little girl. I didn''t expect you to


    be so capable now. I heard you married Duke. Wee to the family." Cynthia knew what kind of


    person Jonathan was. Apart from her, he would not look at any women who greeted them, regardless


    of their age. So, for those who greeted them, she would tactfully handle them alone.


    "That''s right. We were thinking how we could convince them to be together. But they still got married


    without our help." Sherry Ai liked Duke very much. She had worried that an excellent man like Duke


    wouldn''t like Belinda. After all, Belinda was a hot-tempered girl. Their marriage was no doubt a big


    surprise for her.


    "Mom..." Belinda red at her mother shyly. She didn''t know why her mother had to tell other people


    everything, Especially today. Now the party would be very awkward for her!


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    "Well, I won''t talk about it anymore." Sherry knew that Belinda was not picky, person, but she was very


    shy about these things, so she stopped making fun of Belinda. As for Zachary Shangguan, he just


    smiled and looked at the mother and daughter who were joking with each other. Obviously, the women


    were the ones to make the rules of the roost.


    "Hello, everyone! I''m Kevin." Kevin stood in the back as everyone made their introductions, so he was


    thest person to greet them. In fact, he didn''t know any of them except Lloyd, but he should be polite


    anyway.


    "So, you are Kevin! I wanted to meet the man who was so brave that he dared marry our only little


    princess quietly," Cynthia said. She was surprised that Leena got married so soon because she still


    thought of Leena as a child. So, when Lloyd was talking about it, Cynthia couldn''t believe it was true


    "I''m sorry. Please ept my humble apologies." Kevin smiled, which made him look more handsome.


    And his stiff body began to rx.


    "Ah! Aunt Cynthia, don''t say that, please," Leena cried out. Leena didn''t want to see Kevin so


    embarrassed, so she began to act like a spoiled kid. Leena held Kevin''s thick hand with her soft hand


    to show that she really liked him. Only in this way would those who loved Leena be more likely to


    ept that she married Kevin so quickly without telling them in advance.


    Kevin''s hard heart suddenly softened as he touched Leena''s soft hand. He turned to her and smiled,


    trying to tell her he could handle it. After seeing that, Duke felt very sad, thinking that his baby sister not


    only no longer needed him to protect her, but also learned how to protect someone. And the person


    she wanted to protect was not him, but someone else. Did that mean he was no longer important to


    her? And what did that mean for him?


    After seeing Duke act like that, Belinda smiled, and then put her hand in his palm. She wanted to tell


    him that although his baby sister married to a man, she would be with him forever. Of course, She was


    still mad at Duke for even talking to Rachel, but she knew that she couldn''t ignore his sadness at such


    times. She knew that smart women shouldn''t make such mistakes. It turned out that she was right. It


    was because of her small gesture that Duke was not as sad as before.


    "It really is true that daughters and dead fish are no keeping wares. She''s already defending her


    husband." Cynthia felt happy when she said this, because she wanted her children to have a happy


    life. There was nothing more important to her than that.


    Everyone looked at Leena after hearing this, making her pink cheek redder. Leena felt so shy that she


    had to bury her head in Kevin''s chest to avoid the attention of the guests. This move made people


    smile even more, so she had to bury her head further. Could she be any more embarrassed?


    Kevin chuckled and put his arm around Leena''s waist. He felt so surprised that such a lively and


    cheerful girl would be so shy. Seeing her falling into his arms so naturally, Kevin felt so conflicted. He


    worried that he would never be able to forget Daisy and fall in love with this lovely little girl.


    He had already told himself more than once that he was married to Leena. He should not pay any


    attention to Daisy. However, he couldn''t easily forget her, since he had carried a torch for her for so


    long. Now he felt that he was sucked into a giant maelstrom. He wanted to get out but didn''t know how


    to forget these kinds of feelings. Every time he came up for air, his feelings would wash over him in a


    big wave, threatening to drown him. That''s why he felt so helpless, not knowing how to deal with all


    that. Sometimes it seemed the maelstrom might win.

 Chapter 334 Till Death Do Us Part (Part One)

    Chapter 334 Till Death Do Us Part (Part One)


    Daisy walked gracefully to the center of the stage, appearing in all her glory. Probably because she


    was a soldier, the heroic spirit shown in her firm gaze added an imposing and intimidating touch to her


    appearance. Standing next to Edward who was handsome and fascinating, Daisy looked like a perfect


    match for him. Thedy was graceful while the man was handsome, the couple were made for each


    other.


    When Leo and Yakira arrived at the hotel, they happened to see Edward and Daisy appear on the


    stage with the cheering of the crowd. But their thoughts and reactions were different. One was smiling


    with delight, the other was sneering with contempt and hatred. Although Leo felt suspicious of Yakira


    after he saw the document Luke had shown to him, he didn''tpletely believe it. There wasn''t


    enough evidence in the papers to convince him.


    Looking at the noble and gorgeous Daisy, Yakira shed a vicious smile in her eyes. She didn''t expect


    she would be transformed into a gorgeous beauty from a normal girl in these years. What vexed her


    most was that Daisy received Edward''s love and affection, and this was all the more insufferable to her,


    who was intolerant of anything from Daisy. She was extremely upset.


    Daisy seldom smiled, but today, she had a gentle smile on her face all the time. Though the smile


    wasn''t obvious, it added a soft touch to her usual cold demeanor. During the whole process of giving


    the award, she left a good impression on all the employees as an approachable person, without any


    trace of arrogance.


    "Colonel Ouyang, on this special day, do you have anything to say to all the guests here?" Daisy had


    thought that the award ceremony was over, and she could finally escape from being the focus of every


    guest''s attention now. Aaron''s suggestion made her blood and her smile freeze. Nevertheless, she


    reluctantly took the microphone from Aaron''s hand and said, "Hello, I''m Daisy Ouyang. Thank you for


    your help and support for my husband''s work. I hope you can continue to follow the events and


    development of FX International Group in the days toe. Thank you!" Daisy''s short speech was


    simple and concise, it well matched her usual way of keeping a low profile. She always did things


    neatly, not sloppily. She would never make a lengthy speech to intentionally please the public.


    Yakira waste when she arrived, so she missed the part when Aaron introduced Daisy to the guests.


    She was bbergasted when she heard Aaron call Daisy "Colonel". Her eyes went wide, and she


    wondered if she misheard him. In fact, she was not the only one who had the same doubts here.


    Mary was still lost in Daisy''s gorgeous appearance with the morous dress and delicate makeup. And


    Aaron''s introduction of Daisy made her more confused. She was dumbstruck now. She couldn''t believe


    that Daisy could make such astonishing achievements without the support of her family.


    She knew that Daisy was born into a noble family and was nurtured with good manners and


    temperament, and she could not surpass Daisy in this aspect. But she thought she could beat her by


    being more educated than her. Since Daisy was expelled from the family, she would have no money to


    get a better education. But it surprised Mary that Daisy climbed up to such a high rank as a Colonel. No


    wonder Daisy pped her without any hesitation in the department store the other day. It seemed that


    she was no longer the maid who was left to be bullied at the mercy of Mary. On the contrary, she


    became a very confident andpetent fighter, and Mary became the one who was intimidated by her.


    "Mr. Mu, what about you? Do you have anything to say?" Aaron took the microphone from Daisy, and


    felt a little frightened when Daisy stared hard at him. He wondered whether she would give him a shot


    after the ceremony was over. But this was only a passing thought. It was a good opportunity to


    embarrass Edward in public when he was totally unprepared. How could Aaron miss such an excellent


    chance? So he made the bold decision to propose a speech from Edward.


    Edward smiled slyly and took the microphone with delight. Wasn''t it about speaking some words to the


    public? He was good with words. Even if Aaron didn''t propose it, Edward would make a speech


    anyway. He specially held the event for the purpose of making Daisy and him the center of attention.


    He wouldn''t back down from it now.


    "Hello, everyone. I don''t think I need to repeat what you''ve seen here. This is the first time that I have


    brought my wife to attend the anniversary ceremony of FX International Group. Maybe you have all


    kinds of doubts about this, but Daisy is really my wife -- we were married many years ago. As for why


    she has never appeared in public, it''s personal and I am not going to exin it today. What I want to


    say now is only this, that I love her, till death do us part!"


    N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Edward said while looking affectionately into her eyes. Edward''s sudden confession made Daisy blush


    immediately. She was surprised that a noble, arrogant and dignified man as Edward would say such


    passionate and sweet words to her in public.


    At the same time, she thanked him for not mentioning the fact that she was once abandoned by him in


    public. He took all the me by saying that it was his personal factors that caused no one to know


    about their marriage. She appreciated him for this. Because she didn''t want their marriage to be


    the topic of gossip. This was the least she would expect. He knew what she was thinking about, so


    Daisy really felt very grateful to him.


    Jessica''s face was more ghastly pale than it had ever been. It turned out that what Daisy said the other


    day was true. It was real when she said she was married to Edward. It was not a random excuse she


    used to cheat her. This realization deprived her of herst hope for getting Edward back. And the


    confidence she had finally built up fell to pieces when she heard Edward''s words.

 Chapter 335 Till Death Do Us Part (Part Two)

    Chapter 335 Till Death Do Us Part (Part Two)


    He said he loved Daisy, till death do them part. What a firm promise! But it was not for Jessica. He


    gave the words to another woman. He even didn''t care a bit about Jessica. She touched her belly, and


    wondered what else she had to do to win this excellent man back. Because he seemed not interested


    in her anymore. He had paid no attention to the child in her womb, let alone acknowledged the child


    was his.


    ''Edward, why do you hurt me like this? In fact, I don''t want much from you. I do not imagine you would


    really love me. I only want to continue to stay with you. But you give all your heart to another woman.


    You don''t even respond to my pleading. You love Daisy wholeheartedly. But have you ever thought of


    me for one second?'' Jessica cried in her heart.


    Among the guests, another person who had the same reaction as Jessica was Hank. His face grew


    pale, too. He had never imagined that Daisy was the wife of the CEO of FX International Group. Then


    the letter he managed to send to the leaders was a false usation. Thinking of this, he lost his cool.


    Because if they found that he was the person who sent the letter, he would face a loss of rank, or even


    worse, being expelled from the army. He would really be doomed by Jessica''s tricks. She told him that


    she was married to Edward, but it wasplete bullshit, Hank thought. But wasn''t it toote for him to


    realize this? Because the misunderstanding and mistake were already made.


    Now he finally came to understand why Daisy would drive that luxurious car into the army base without


    any fears that her car would be mistaken as bribe. Because with the wealth of FX International Group,


    no one would feel strange even if she took a helicopter to work, let alone a luxurious car. He regretted


    that he had been used by Jessica without knowing it. And he mistook the car as her bribe. He felt


    troubled at how to end this drama. He knew the top leaders had already started the investigation about


    the content of the usation letter.


    When Hank was lost in hisplex thoughts, Aaron announced the opening of the party. While on the


    stage, Daisy noticed that among the guests dressed in shy party dresses, there was a group of


    people wearing troop uniforms which she was quite familiar with. But the guests were so crowded


    together, she couldn''t figure out whether she knew those people or not. But Edward knew who they


    were. No matter how the public reacted to this news, he achieved his goals. He wondered now that the


    officials from the Army Group knew that Daisy was his wife, would they continue to think that Daisy had


    no background and was an easy target?


    Except for the Commander who had known about Daisy''s identity before, other guests from the army


    were surprised to know that Daisy was married to Edward. At the same time, they figured out why FX


    International Group would suddenly invite them to attend the ceremony. Thepany wanted them to


    know that they financed the military equipment purchase because of Colonel Ouyang, not because of


    any other factors. It seemed that Edward''s final goal was to warn them that the whole FX International


    Group was behind Colonel Ouyang and she was never supposed to be trifled with. Otherwise the


    company would not invite them to the ceremony. It must be connected to the case of Colonel Ouyang''s


    suspension from her position, they thought.


    It was the first time for Kevin to see how beautiful and graceful Daisy was at such a grand asion. He


    was surprised to see that taking off the uniform, Daisy could be so fascinating and attractive when


    dressed in such borate clothes. He sneered with self-mockery. When Daisy and Edward was about


    to reach the ce where he and the army people stood, Kevin immediately concealed his downcast


    look. Because Edward had a sharp eye, he would easily catch other people''s hidden thoughts. Kevin


    didn''t dare to show too much of his emotions.


    "Army Commander, Commander, why are you all here?" When Daisy approached them and saw


    clearly who they were, she was frightened. She couldn''t understand when the army was connected


    with the FX International Group. Why didn''t she hear anything from Edward about it?


    "Oh! I invited them. Hello! Nice to meet you! I feel honored that you coulde here to attend our


    ceremony." Edward shook hands with them one by one with gracefulness. His fascinating smile


    stunned all army officers present.


    "Mr. Mu, you''re very modest. We are the people who should say thanks for your generous financing."


    The Army Commander''s loud and clear voice matched his manner as a soldier. It was the first time he


    had met with Edward, so he acted very politely. He didn''t dare to underestimate Edward who smiled


    broadly. Because he knew that though the man was smiling, an iron hand might be hidden in a velvet


    glove. So he felt the need to be cautious when dealing with Edward.


    N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    "Every citizen has a responsibility to support the country''s military. I only did what I should do within my


    ability. Don''t be too polite. For our good partnership, I propose a toast!" Edward said while taking the


    ss of wine from the waiter. He knew how to handle it appropriately. He was neither very hospitable


    nor very indifferent to them. Instead, he kept his graceful manner all the time. As a business man, he


    never acted on impulse without due consideration. So this time he used his intelligence and wisdom to


    deal with this group of people seriously. It was what he was good at.

 Chapter 336 Scheming Edward

    Chapter 336 Scheming Edward


    "Mr. Mu, a toast in the spirit of good cooperation! I never imagined that Daisy is your wife. She is an


    excellent officer in our army. We''re on the same side and we should support each other, ha, ha!"


    toasted the Army Commander. He downed his drink with one gulp. The implication in his words


    revealed that he was indeed a mighty and smart leader. After all, an average man wouldn''t reach his


    status.


    "Thanks, Army Commander. I also consider my wife excellent in every aspect. It seems that we have


    the same view on that," said Edward. Of course, Edward, a scheming businessperson, could read


    between the lines. He understood what the Army Commander was implying. So he got the hint and


    continued.


    "Ha, ha! You''re living up to your status as an elite in the city, considerate and thoughtful. Don''t worry!


    She''s always been one of the most powerful and efficient officers on base," said the Army Commander.


    He thought, ''Edward looks prettier than most women, but he doesn''t behave like a woman. Instead of


    beating about the bush, he is negotiating with me in a different way. Every line he said seems simple


    and normal, but he was hinting his purpose. And I couldn''t say no to him. He is really crafty.''


    "That''s very nice of you. You''ve given your word, then I have nothing to worry about, '''' replied Edward.


    He put on a meaningful smile on his face when his purpose was understood by the Army Commander.


    He thought, ''The Army Commander is clever. I thought there would be a lot of talking. But he is wise


    enough to make the conversation easier. I like to talk with intelligent people, because I can get what I


    want a lot quicker. Meaningless talk is just a waste of time.''


    On the other hand, Daisy frowned and was a bit confused. She failed to follow their way of talking and


    thinking. She felt that there was a hidden meaning behind their words. When she tried to figure out


    what they were talking about a moment ago, they seemed to turn to another topic. In fact, the rest felt


    the same way. Edward and the Army Commander talked as if they were good friends who had known


    each other for a long time. In fact, it was the first time they had met. The words meant more than they


    said.


    "Commander, a toast to you! Thanks for your caring and help to my wife all these years," said Edward


    sincerely. Some time ago, he had overheard Daisy talking with the Commander on the phone. He knew


    that the Commander truly cared about Daisy. Therefore, Edward sincerely respected him.


    "Mr. Mu, you''re wee. Daisy is a talent, I''m just a talent scout. I don''t take the credit for her sess


    and honors. She has earned them the hard way," replied themander. He appreciated the


    sophisticated way Edward dealt with people. He understood the implied meaning, so he had to be very


    cautious when he talked with such a scheming man like Edward. Or he would be screwed.


    Edward was amused. He realized that themander must have known exactly what they were talking


    about. That was why themander was cautious and alert when talking with him. But right now,


    everything Edward had said was honest and sincere. There was no implied meaning in his words.


    "Excuse me, I''ve got to leave now. Please help yourselves," said Edward. He had to leave and say hi to


    his business partners because they were beckoning to him. He loved Daisy, so he came to greet her


    leaders first. Now that he had gotten what he wanted, it was time to do his own business. Edward didn''t


    take Daisy with him because he knew Daisy was ufortable in social situations. And the most


    important reason was that he didn''t want her to be noticed by those men, who liked to hook up with


    women, just like he did in the past.


    Kevin had stood there listening to them all the time. He could do nothing but mock himself when


    Edward overlooked him. Edward didn''t like Kevin because Kevin adored Daisy. Now Kevin was married


    to Leena, what would Edward think of him? That was why Edward had cast a warning nce at him in


    the beginning. Obviously, he did it for Leena. Because he knew Kevin was not a rival or a threat. Daisy


    loved him only.


    "Colonel, you''ve kept the information from us! We didn''t know that you are the wife of Mr. Mu, the boss


    of the FX International Group, therefore we have suspended you from your duties. You must feel


    wronged. Fortunately, your husband is so considerate to you that you don''t have to worry about the


    suspension. We''ll dere your innocence," said the Army Commander seriously and sincerely.


    He was the superior among them, therefore he didn''t have to be cautious any more. He valued Daisy


    and her talents. After all, what she had learned abroad was what they needed domestically.


    "Thanks, Army Commander, I''m fine," replied Daisy. Daisy had always been calm and cold, so she


    didn''t look surprised when she heard that she was suspended. But deep inside, she felt grieved.


    Without any further investigation, they just suspended her. She wondered whether it was because they


    were efficient or because they had a problem with her.


    At this time, a kid shouted, "Commander, it''s you. I miss you so much," It was Justin. He then rushed at


    themander and hugged him.


    "Ha, ha! Kid, I miss you too. I haven''t seen you on base for months. I thought you''ve forgotten me," the


    commander smiled. Themander was truly happy. They used to see each other every day. But he


    hadn''t seen Justin since Daisy took him away to live with Edward months ago. He really missed him.


    "Commander, you''re so naughty. You''ve arranged too much work for my mommy when I am not in the


    army base. She fell ill because of overwork,"ined Justin. His childish remarks caused an


    outbreak ofughter and also attracted attention from the crowd, including Tom, who just walked in the


    room.


    Tom held his breath when he saw Daisy in her pretty dress. He thought, '' She is such an aloof beauty.


    No wonder Edward fell in love with her. She is an uncut jade. A little makeup would make her more


    charming and even prettier. She looks like a fairy!Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    She doesn''t look pale. Thanks to my effective ointment and her good physical state, she is delicate and


    charming now.''


    "Tom,e here," Rain beckoned him over. Rain was responsible for all the negotiations about the


    sponsorship with the military. Therefore he was going to say hi to the Army Commander. But when he


    saw Edward and Daisy talking with the Army Commander, he stopped, sat alone in the corner and


    sipped at his wine with pleasure. Then he saw Tom who waste for the party.


    "What are you doing here? Drinking alone? It''s not like you. Why don''t you hook up with those


    beauties," teased Tom. He strode toward Rain and was a little surprised that Rain would be sitting in a


    corner alone. ''A yboy without women? You gotta be kidding me, '' he thought.


    "What''s wrong with you? Why are you sote?" asked Rain. He squinted down at Tom and refused to


    answer his questions. He was not interested in those beauties, especially those who went past them


    deliberately. But he looked sexier when he waszy, which had won the hearts of young women.


    "I was needed in surgery. What''s up? Did I miss anything interesting?" asked Tom. He sat elegantly


    next to Rain, held a cup of wine casually and sipped it. When the aroma was released inside his mouth,


    he frowned and wondered, ''What is it? It tastes strange.''


    "Of course, you missed the moment when Edward said ''I love you'' to Daisy in public. It was a once-in-


    a-lifetime moment!" said Rain bitterly. If it was possible, he wanted to say ''I love you'' to Annie. But how


    could he say it to her when he didn''t know where Annie was now?


    "Oh my God! He can''t be so dramatic. It''s not like him. You''re fooling me!" said Tom. It was beyond


    belief that a proud and arrogant man like Edward threw off his airs and said ''I love you'' to Daisy in


    public. In his mind, Edward had always resisted baring his heart in public. When did Edward change?


    But Tom didn''t want to jump to conclusions. He remembered that Edward punched him the night


    before.


    "Tom, you''re here. I thought you were in yourb again," said Leena. At the beginning of the party, she


    was with Mr. Cold and others. But they had to socialize with their business partners. Even Edward''s


    mother went to talk with her friends. Leena was left alone. Therefore Leena was very happy to see Tom


    and Rain.


    "Hi! Leena, why are you alone? Aren''t you married?" asked Tom. He looked up and found no one with


    Leena. He frowned deeply.


    "Tom, I''m sorry I didn''t tell you I got married," apologized Leena. Shy, she stuck out her tongue at him.


    She felt embarrassed and sorry for not telling him about her marriage in person. After all, Tom was like


    one of the family, who alwaysvished their affection and time on her.


    "What? You''re sorry? How could you have the nerve to marry a man shortly without telling us first.


    What if he is a bad guy!" asked Tom. He was shocked when he heard the news. He couldn''t imagine


    such a lovely and good girl would get married so quietly and quickly. It was not like Leena at all.


    "Yeah, I know he''s not! Tom. I''m not stupid! I''m too smart to be cheated. Don''t worry," replied Leena.


    With a forced smile on her face, she was crying inside, '' Why? Why does everyone keep asking about


    my marriage? Is Kevin really that bad? He seems to be unwee and unlikable.''


    At the thought of Kevin, she looked around and tried to find out where he was. She thought, ''Kevin


    hasn''te back for me since he went to greet the officers. Does he get stuck on the way here? Or


    has he totally forgotten me? No, that''s impossible! Even if I''m not the one he loves, I''m his wife. I must


    mean something to him, right?'' At the thought of this, her heart sank. The smile on her face suddenly


    wavered and disappeared.

 Chapter 337 A Sublime Melody (Part One)

    Chapter 337 A Sublime Melody (Part One)


    "Mu, what you said isn''t true, is it? How could she be your legal wife? If that is true, howe she


    didn''t show up earlier? You are deliberately making me give up, that''s why you are making her y


    along, aren''t you?"


    Jessica caught Edward when he was standing alone. She wouldn''t ept her defeat. Her outfit and


    makeup were captivating enough to amaze every onlooker, yet Daisy Ouyang''s pure and intense aura


    trumped them. Initially, all eyes were on Jessica, but when Daisy entered the venue, all the attention


    shifted to her. Jessica was jealous of both Daisy''s gorgeous figure and noble background.


    "Jessica, it''s you. Do you think you are so important that we have to put up a performance for you?


    Don''t think so highly of yourself. We don''t consider you a threat. Since we''ve known each other for


    years, let me give you a fair warning! Don''t do anything stupid that doesn''t match your status."


    Edward noticed Jessica''s pale and soft hand holding onto his sleeve. He raised his eyebrows and


    ordered her unmercifully, without a hint of emotion. His frigidness was like the severe winter wind that


    erased all traces of warmth.


    "Do you really love her? Till death do you apart? It''s not just a lie?" Jessica bit on her lip. No matter


    what, she couldn''t believe a phnderer like Edward could give up on his lifestyle for one woman, for


    one icy bloom named Daisy. Jessica was determined to reveal what was behind Edward''s facade.


    "What do you think? Are you curious? But why should I tell you? I''m not obliged to do that, am I?"


    Edward smirked and pulled back his sleeve assertively. His love for Daisy was sacred and personal,


    and he had no reason to exin his emotions to an irrelevant outsider. He did not expect everyone in


    this world to understand his affection for Daisy. All he wanted was her trust. He couldn''t care less what


    other people thought.


    Jessica tripped because of Edward''s unexpected reaction. Luckily, the bar table was right next to her,


    so she was able to find bnce. But her already wounded heart was hurt by Edward once again.


    "Are you afraid to admit it, because you don''t love her? All of this is just a hoax you have used to fool


    people. Am I right?" Jessica ignored the prying looks of the bystanders. Under her gorgeous


    appearance was a woman in despair, hopelessly begging for a final confirmation. Jessica was too


    stubborn and proud to admit defeat against Daisy.


    "Tsk! I must say you''re seriously self-absorbed. It doesn''t matter if what I said is true or not; what


    matters is that my heart beats for her. Do you get that?" Edward frowned at Jessica''s constant


    pestering. He had lost the patience to deal with her. If they were somewhere else, he wouldn''t even


    bother acknowledging her, let alone giving an exnation.


    Jessica''s lips trembled, she bit on them. Just as Edward turned around to leave, she forgot all her


    inhibitions and held onto his body. Edward wasn''t expecting the sudden embrace. He didn''t know how


    to react. Meanwhile, melodic piano tunes started ying at the venue. The entire ce turned silent.


    There was no other sound except the music.


    And there she was; Daisy Ouyang''s pristine white dress almost blended with the color of the piano,


    looking magnificent and elegant. She was sitting right in front of the piano. Her spellbinding appearance


    showed no regard for worldly matters. Her long, fair and dainty fingers danced gracefully on the keys,


    sending waves of melodious notes. The music was like a clear pond, coolly whisking through the hearts


    of everyone present. It was like a cool night breeze sweeping over a summerke, soothing the spirit


    and clearing the mind.


    Everyone was attracted to her beautiful curves. They were shocked to see that a tough military officer


    was capable of such a delicate art. And it was not just a rookie show of skills; Daisy''s performance was


    clearly well-crafted, showing years of practice.


    Everybody was charmed by the smooth stream of Daisy''s music. The sound suddenly took a sharp turn


    with a flick of her fingers and rose to the heavens as if countless wild horses were charging ahead,


    fierce and intense. The listeners didn''t find the shift jarring; they became more invested as they melted


    into the song.


    However, Daisy''s gaze was fixed on Edward and Jessica. On her carefree face there was a slight


    sense of sarcasm. She trusted her husband, but she didn''t appreciate the fact that another woman had


    her hands on Edward. Therefore, when Daisy saw the two arguing, she started to y. Since she


    couldn''t just interrupt them and express her distress, she thought of this other approach to get what she


    wanted. She was ying a soothing song, but when she saw Jessica embracing Edward, and he didn''t


    push back right away, Daisy decided to use impassioned melodies to express her anger.


    Edward was stunned by Daisy''s unanticipated solo performance, that''s why he forgot to push away


    Jessica immediately. He didn''t know that Daisy was so good at ying the piano. She gave him such


    pleasant surprises every so often in their rtionship. Edward wondered how many delightful surprises


    awaited him. His own imagination overcame him.


    So when he realized the tonal shift in her music, he understood the reason instantly. The woman was


    angry at him now. Thinking about this, he gave a broad smile and unflinchingly pushed Jessica off of


    him. Edward did not want to be butchered by Daisy''s sharp notes, which might happen if this went on


    any longer.


    Edward wasn''t the only one shaken by Daisy''s music. Everyone present was overwhelmed by her


    breezy yet stern, subtle yet sublime tunes. When she finally finished her song, Daisy gently smiled and


    stepped off the stage cautiously. The mellow aura still lingered on people''s ears. By the time she


    approached Edward, thunderous apuse was exploding from every corner of the room. Every man in


    the room stared at Edward with obvious envy, feeling jealous that they didn''t have a gifted woman like


    Daisy.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 338 A Sublime Melody (Part Two)

    Chapter 338 A Sublime Melody (Part Two)


    "Jessica Lin, I didn''t expect to see you so soon. You can hug other men as much as you like, but don''t


    you daree near my man. I remember warning you; it seems that you have a short memory." Daisy


    frowned slightly, ncing at Edward with usation. She wasn''t pleased that this man had made her


    so jealous that she had to perform in front of everyone on an instrument that she hadn''t tried for the


    longest time. Luckily Daisy hadn''t lost her touch. Otherwise, Edward would be in serious troubleter


    that night.


    "Don''t forget that he used to be my man as well. You shouldn''t be so confident. Your man will ultimately


    go to some other woman. I believe, at that time someone will say the same thing to you! Are you still


    sure that this man is solely yours?" Jessica had lost Edward, but she still fought for her dignity. No


    matter what happened, she wouldn''t concede to Daisy so easily.


    Edward turned to Daisy with worry, upon hearing Jessica''s attempt to disparage his rtionship with


    Daisy. He quickly pulled her close to him. When he turned back to face Jessica, darkness appeared on


    his handsome face. ''Jessica, you''ve ruined everyst bit of kindness that existed between us. Now I''ve


    seen how nasty you really are.''


    "Oh? Is that so? I''ll be waiting for it! I don''t care how many women he had or is going to have. He is


    mine now, and every bit of him belongs to me. If anyone tries to get a piece of him, she''ll have to go


    through me first."


    Daisy sneered and didn''t react to Edward''s action. Her bright eyes taunted Jessica. Daisy didn''t like to


    engage in arguments for anything, but that did not extend to Edward. So as long as he didn''t tell her


    that he had had enough of her, she would defend her love from any pursuers no matter what.


    "Jessica, you can''t take a hint, can you? Even on such a momentous asion, you have tried to create


    a scene. I seriously can''t tell if you are stupid or simply insane. Can''t you see how much they love each


    other? Why are you getting in the middle of this?"


    Belinda had been quietly observing Jessica. So when an argument broke out between Daisy and


    Jessica, Belinda couldn''t help but step forward to bring Jessica down. Belinda had long detested the


    drama queen. Since Jessica badly wanted to make a scene, Belinda decided to let her have it. Earlier


    when Daisy started ying the piano, she was also puzzled. Now she realized that it was all because


    of the shameless Jessica!


    "Belinda, I don''t remember crossing you ever, aren''t you out of line for making these usations?"


    Jessica was annoyed when Belinda suddenly intervened, so her tone turned hostile. Jessica had never


    really known Belinda on a personal level, but she had heard about Belinda''s resoluteness. And since


    they both came from wealthy families, Jessica knew a bit about Belinda by reputation. But she couldn''t


    remember any past encounters between the two, so Jessica didn''t know why Belinda provoked her.


    "You didn''t cross me, but you''ve crossed Daisy, which means you indirectly got on my nerves as well.


    That''s why I don''t like you." Belinda wasn''t afraid of getting into arguments. In her eyes, Jessica was


    just a mistress out of favor. Belinda didn''t need much effort to deal with her. She wasn''t courteous like


    Daisy. Belinda didn''t hesitate to hit where it hurt the most. She didn''t believe in the idea of pity. Belinda


    never harped on concepts like "kindness," therefore she didn''t care for women like Jessica.


    "Are you ganging up on me? Or perhaps you are just bluffing?" Jessica clenched her fists. She couldn''t


    understand why everyone cared about Daisy but ignored her wounds. She felt that she didn''t deserve


    such harsh treatment for falling in love with a man.


    "Ha! Jessica, I''ve always known how brazen you are, but I never expected you to be so ignorant.


    Ganging up on you? On you? We don''t need to do that. Why don''t you take a look at yourself? And ask


    if we were bluffing. I can destroy a woman like you who knows no shame and still have time to spare.


    Why would I need anyone''s help?" Belinda stared at Jessica''s belly as she spoke, contemptuously


    wondering if Edward was really the father of the child. Otherwise, why would this womane after


    him again and again?


    "Belinda, leave it. Calm down. People are watching. Let''s not make this ugly." Daisy didn''t want to spoil


    the party because of their personal affairs. She was familiar with Belinda''s temper. Belinda would easily


    get riled up about anything rted to Daisy, so she had to be stopped. Moreover, Belinda was now a


    CEO of a bigpany. Many people from the business world were looking at them. Daisy couldn''t


    afford to let her reputation be damaged. That would be detrimental to her career growth. Besides, her


    superiors from the army were also here, so she had to contain herself.


    Belinda looked around at the curious eyes staring at them and unwillingly decided to stop humiliating


    Jessica. She had to keep things cool for Daisy''s sake, so she left Jessica with a threatening look. Deep


    down, she tried to tell Jessica that she would not lose to anyone even if she had to y dirty. Other


    than that sly Leena Leng, Belinda had never been defeated by anyone.This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.

 Chapter 339 What Are You Doing (Part One)

    Chapter 339 What Are You Doing (Part One)


    Jessica gritted her teeth as Edward left determinedly. She wanted to hold on to him, but she knew


    Belinda was right; she couldn''te between Edward and Daisy. Stealing him back was out of the


    question.


    "Daisy, you look gorgeous tonight! You practically steal the show." After Edward left, Belinda ignored


    Jessica and chatted with Daisy joyfully. Daisy was beautiful, but she always kept a low profile; when it


    came to clothes, she usually chose casual andfortable outfits. Besides, she barely had the chance


    to wear anything other than her uniform, let alone a gorgeous gown like she wore for the party tonight.


    "What? Are you spellbound by my beauty?" Daisy took a deep breath and smiled at Belinda, trying to


    calm herself down with a little banter. She was really nervous. After Edward introduced her as his wife,


    everyone was staring at her either curiously or viciously. It was difficult for her to enjoy the party.


    "Yes! But I think I''m not the only one enchanted by you tonight. Do you see that handsome guy over


    there? He has been gazing at you for quite some time." Belinda raised her eyebrows and pointed in a


    man''s direction.


    N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    "Who are you talking about?" Following Belinda''s gaze, Daisy curiously turned. The smile on her face


    instantly disappeared as she saw the young man. It was Brian. Brian was sure that he didn''t mistake


    someone else for Daisy. After all, Edward introduced her and then confessed his love for her in front of


    all the guests.


    "Do you know him?" Belinda noticed a change in Daisy''s look. She was confused, so she turned


    around again to look at the young man.


    "Yes, I do. Sorry, Belinda. Please excuse me for a second." Daisy knew sooner orter she had to face


    Brian. She missed him so much. But when they met the other day, she had to say she didn''t know him.


    Although she didn''t want to, she had her own difficulties. Now that everyone knew who she was, she


    couldn''t pretend not knowing him. After all, Brian hadn''t done anything wrong, and he didn''t deserve


    this.


    Brian was in shock the whole evening. He thought Edward would bring one of his girlfriends to the


    party, but he hadn''t expected that Edward would show up with Daisy. He felt relieved when he saw her,


    but he got baffled at the same time. Did it mean Mary was telling the truth? Mary said that Daisy


    pretended not to know him not because the Ouyangs had mistreated her, but because she had married


    a wealthy man and didn''t want anything to do with the Ouyangs anymore. Brian was thrilled to see


    Daisy again; but as he thought of Mary''s words, he suddenly got distressed.


    Brian wanted to tell Daisy that even if she decided to treat him like a stranger, he wouldn''t mind as long


    as she lived happily. If she wanted, he wouldn''t disturb her by showing his face again. He would stay


    away from her life, because he was happy when she was happy.


    Daisy always surprised him. He became extremely excited when he saw Daisy stepping into the venue


    elegantly; all his sorrow and anxiety vanished into thin air by simply looking at her. Daisy was always


    outstanding to Brian. No one could ever rece her in his heart. He had been watching her, and clearly


    so had everyone else. She had the aura that easily made her the center of everyone''s attention; Brian


    always noticed her wherever she went.


    "Brian, how have you been doing all these years?" Daisy smiled gently as she gazed at the brother she


    hadn''t seen in years. Brian was the only person in her family that really cared about her. Daisy


    suddenly felt like crying. The little boy who used to follow her around and keep herpany had grown


    into a handsome young man. Although they were not kids anymore, Daisy could still remember the


    moment when he wiped off her tears with his chubby little fingers and told her not to cry. That was the


    warmest moment that she had ever experienced during those years.


    "Daisy, you won''t run away from me this time, will you?" Brian gazed at Daisy as she walked up to him


    and greeted him. His mouth dropped open in shock. Just a few minutes ago, he was ready to walk out


    of her life and never bother her again. He couldn''t give her the happiness she wanted, so he thought he


    should step away. But to his surprise, Daisy came to him and talked to him like they did when they


    were young. His heart warmed up with excitement.


    "I''m sorry. Brian. Are you angry with me?" Daisy bit her lip nervously. She wondered whether she was


    too unkind to Brian. She shouldn''t have left like that the other day when they met identally. She


    knew that Brian was the only person in Ouyang family that cared about her. She saw how his eyes lit


    up when he met her. But she broke his heart by pretending not to know him. Was she ruthless?


    "Daisy, you should have known that I wouldn''t mind even if the whole world turns against me, but I


    couldn''t bear it when you do. But no, I''m not angry with you. Actually, I''m thrilled to see you this happy,


    even without me in your life." Brian forced a bitter smile as he replied. A glint of sadness clouded his


    handsome face, which bruised Daisy''s heart. His words made Daisy feel so ashamed of herself.


    "Brian, it''s all my fault. I shouldn''t have pretended that I didn''t know you. I''m so sorry. I promise it won''t


    happen again." Daisy pulled Brian into her arms and gently patted his back, her look no longer cold and


    indifferent. If Edward was now the beacon of her life, then Brian was the light that guided her way out of


    the pain and sorrow when she was a child. But what had she done! How could she hurt her only


    brother? Was she as heartless as Leo? Although his love and concern for her remained unaltered, how


    could Daisy face him again after what she had done to him?


    "I''m fine, dear sister. I''ll be happy as long as you''re happy." Brian''s eyes became red. He closed his


    eyes and sighed with satisfaction. He hadn''t held Daisy for years, and he missed her embrace. He felt


    love and warmth only when Daisy hugged him. He had never felt the same thing from any other


    member of his family, not even his own mother. Perhaps it was because his mother loved and cared for


    no one but herself, and the only thing she did was to plot against others.


    "What are you doing? Am I invisible to you now?" As the brother and sister were enjoying the happy


    reunion, Edward suddenly showed up behind them. He pushed Brian away and pulled Daisy into his


    arms as he red at the man who dared to embrace his wife. His eyes were full of rage.


    Although Edward was having casual conversations with his clients, his eyes followed Daisy as she


    went around the venue. When he noticed how many men were drooling over Daisy, he immediately


    regretted choosing such a stunning dress for her. He knew better than anyone that she was irresistible.


    While chatting with guests, he kept an eye on her, in case someone would try to hit on her. Edward got


    furious when he saw a man hugging Daisy in front of everyone. Was the man desperately seeking his


    death? He''d be happy to help him if that was the case.


    "Edward! What are you doing? Are you okay, Brian?" Daisy hadn''t expected that Edward would


    suddenly attack Brian. She was so worried about her brother that she didn''t notice Edward''s


    anger.

 Chapter 340 What Are You Doing (Part Two)

    Chapter 340 What Are You Doing (Part Two)


    "You owe me an exnation." Until this moment, Edward didn''t know he could be jealous of a young


    man. He was green with envy when he saw his wife cared for another man. His heart was filled with


    fury and jealousy, and he was about to explode. Usually, women would fight for his favor, since when


    did it shift the other way around? However, Edward had no time to think about that. The only thing he


    could think of was to protect his wife.


    "Exnation? Didn''t you see everything?" Daisy assumed Edward knew that Brian was her brother;


    what she meant was that it wasmon for a sister to embrace her brother, especially after they had


    been parted for years. However, Edward didn''t. In Edward''s eyes, Daisy was challenging him. He had


    just announced to the world that she was his wife; how could she embrace another man like this? It


    was uneptable!


    "Daisy, are you really that desperate? Huh? You won''t even exin it to me. Or perhaps you are trying


    to upset me because of Jessica? That''s why you are hitting on another man." A moment ago Edward


    was in the seventh heaven, and now he was falling from cloud nine. How could he ept this calmly?


    "Edward, don''t make a fuss out of nothing. Are you out of your mind? I have no idea what you''re talking


    about." Confused, Daisy reached out her hand, trying to feel his forehead. But she missed him because


    he turned his head aside angrily. Daisy was sure that Edward was mad at her. But why?


    N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    "Am I making a fuss out of nothing? I saw with my own eyes that you were holding this boy toy! Don''t


    you think I deserve an exnation?" Edward was being ridiculous. Did he forget that he was holding


    Jessica just a few minutes ago? How could he me Daisy when he had made the same mistake?


    "Boy toy? You mean Brian?" Daisy was puzzled, and she turned her eyes to Brian. He looked


    masculine and handsome. How could he be a boy toy? Did Edward mean someone else? Who could it


    be?


    "Brian... You''ve never been that gentle while calling out my name." Edward got more irritated, Daisy


    always called everyone she knew by first names or nicknames, but she usually addressed him by his


    full name! Did she hate his name? Or did she hate him?


    "Haha! Honey, are you jealous?" Daisy finally understood why Edward was angry. He was jealous of


    Brian! Didn''t he know that Brian was her brother?


    "No. I''m many things, but I''m not the green-eyed monster." With his eyes steadily fixed on Brian,


    Edward answered Daisy. He wondered what Daisy saw in that man. ''He''s still wet behind the ears! How


    could he possiblypete with me? The only advantage I can see is that he is a couple of years


    younger than me. So what?'' Edward thought to himself gloomily.


    "Since Mr. Mu is not jealous, may I borrow Daisy? I''ll be the jealous one if you keep holding her like


    that." With a hint of slyness glowing in his eyes, Brian deliberately chose vague words. He wanted to


    get back at Edward by tricking him because he pushed him hard before figuring out the situation.


    Luckily, Brian had no idea how badly Edward had hurt Daisy before. Otherwise, he wouldn''t just trick


    Edward. Edward was lucky that Brian hadn''t found out what he had done to Daisy. Brian loved his


    sister more than anyone. If he ever found out that Edward had hurt her, he would make sure that


    Edward paid for that.


    "Do you know what you are talking about? Who are you to borrow my wife and to be jealous?" Edward


    fell for Brian''s trap. He got more furious and jealous when he heard what Brian had said.


    With a frown, Daisy watched the two men bickering with each other. Somehow she felt very happy at


    this point. They were both important to her, and they were defending her in their own ways. Daisy felt


    so blessed to be loved and cherished by them. Then she was surprised that she became this


    sentimental all of a sudden.


    "Who am I? That''s an interesting question. But why don''t you tell me first why I can''t borrow her?" With


    his arms folded casually, Brian raised his eyebrows and smirked. He didn''t miss the rage in Edward''s


    eyes. Brian knew that the more furious Edward got, the more he loved and cared about Daisy. Instead


    of being mad at Edward, Brian was quite happy to see Daisy had found someone who truly loved her.


    "Alright, Brian. Stop it. He''s taking it seriously." As much as Daisy was giggling inside, she didn''t want


    to see them start a fight. When she noticed that Edward''s look grew darker with Brian''s provocation,


    she immediately stopped them before Edward lost his temper and attacked Brian again.


    Upon hearing Daisy, Brian smiled and held out his hand to introduce himself to Edward, "Hello, brother-


    inw! My name is Brian Ouyang. Nice to finally meet you. Please don''t take it to heart; I was only


    joking." Although he wanted to keep tricking Edward, he would stop if and when Daisy wanted him to.


    He would do whatever his sister wished. As long as Daisy wouldn''t drive him out of her life, he could


    ask for nothing more. He felt strong when she treated him as her dear brother.


    "What did you just call me? Brother-inw? You said you''re Brian Ouyang. Are you Daisy''s brother?"


    Surprised by Brian''s words, Edward murmured as he sorted things out in his mind. He threw a shocked


    look at Daisy when he realized who Brian was. Jeez! Was Brian really her brother? Did he just mistake


    his wife''s younger brother for her secret lover? Edward went nk because of both shame and shock.


    "Bingo! One point for you! I''m Daisy''s only brother - Brian!" Brian emphasized the word ''only'' because


    he was her only family. None of her other family members from the Ouyang family cared about her or


    treated her good.


    "I''m sorry. Did I make a mistake?" Feeling awkward, Edward brushed his hair with his fingers and


    turned to Daisy. Daisy shrugged and gave him a tiny smile.


    "Yes, you did. Please find out who you are throwing your fist at before you get jealous next time. Or


    you''ll end up embarrassing yourself." Daisy had no choice but to give in when Edward stared at her


    with puppy eyes. Although sometimes she regretted spoiling him, she always found a reason to forgive


    herself for doing so. No matter what, she couldn''t stay mad at him.


    "Yes, you''re right. Next time before I hit him, I''ll definitely tell him why." Edward smirked at Daisy.


    Although he misunderstood their rtionship, Brian still embraced Daisy. The only man in the world


    who could hug Daisy was Edward himself! Brian was not allowed to do so, even if he was her brother.


    Edward noticed that Brian was special to Daisy. She had cut off all her connections with the Ouyangs,


    but not with Brian.


    Daisy was speechless when she heard Edward. What did he just say? Did he mean that he would still


    attack Brian? Did he think that it was the right thing to do? How dare he stand in front of her and


    threaten her brother? Wasn''t he afraid of her? Daisy would like to see what Edward was going to do to


    Brian because no matter what Edward did, she would do the same thing to him! She wouldn''t tolerate


    him ignoring her and bullying her brother!

 Chapter 341 The Higher You Stand, The Heavier You Fall (Part One)

    Chapter 341 The Higher You Stand, The Heavier You Fall (Part One)


    "Let''s go. Let me introduce you to everyone." Edward was just threatening him. He didn''t attempt to


    teach Brian a lesson as Daisy''s squinted eyes already implied danger. He could dismiss Brian, but not


    Daisy''s feelings.


    "Do I have to? I''m not good at forcing a smile." As much as Daisy disliked these social engagements,


    she tried to present her best self for Edward''s sake.


    "Please join me. Don''t worry. I''ll be with you." Edward knew why Daisy was concerned, but he hoped to


    present a different side of himself, a businessman instead of a familyman. He didn''t want to limit


    himself. He wanted Daisy to know every aspect of his life, his connections, his extraordinary


    aplishments, and more. Edward was eager to show to her everything.


    "But Brian..." Daisy looked at Brian hesitantly, not knowing what to do. She just saw him after many


    years; Daisy didn''t want to leave him behind or have himin about her behavior. Besides, she


    wanted to know everything that had happened to him these years.


    "Daisy, I''ll be fine by myself. You should go with Edward. We''ll have plenty of time to shoot the breeze


    later." Brian answered while giving a handsome smile. He had seen through Edward already. On the


    one hand, Edward wanted to unt Daisy in front of his friends. On the other hand, he hoped to disy


    his wisdom and sophistication in front of Daisy. Either way, Edward would win praise. He was


    calctive, thoughtful and determined. Sophistication was embedded in his DNA.


    Edward lived up to the status of the business elite, even an outsider like Daisy admired his tactics and


    ability to overshadow others in casual conversation. Just like Edward said, as long as he was with her,


    she had nothing to worry about. All she needed to do was to say hello. Then Edward would take over


    and handle the rest.


    Yet being next to such an extraordinary man didn''t cheer up Daisy; instead, it worried her, because she


    wasn''t sure whether Edward would get bored and leave her. After all, he was an extremely outstanding


    man in this world filled with temptations.


    Throughout that night, Daisy was focused on Edward rather than the other way around. She kept a


    close watch on the luscious eyes fixed on Edward. It stung her heart. Edward was the brightest star at


    the party. That''s why she was worried about losing him. That terrifying thought made her quiver


    unconsciously. She held him closer.


    He smelled like strong alcohol. He drank quite a lot. He even gulped up the sses toasted to her. That


    made her concerned about his health. Especially because he was drinking on an empty stomach.


    "What''s the matter? Are you tired?" Edward asked. While conversing with others, Edward kept an eye


    on Daisy all along. So when he noticed her troubled look, he began to worry.


    "No, I''m fine. I just zoned out. I will go to find mom and dad. See you around. Don''t drink too much."


    Daisy curled her lips and gave an apologetic smile. She had to leave for now because Cynthia just


    waved to her.


    "Okay, go. I''ll meet youter." Edward figured that Daisy must be bored with all the introductions. She


    preferred peace and quiet. Besides, she shouldn''t stand for too long as she had just recovered from a


    cold. So Edward let her go instead ofpelling her to stand beside him.


    "Daisy, it''s still too early to be smiling. Haven''t you heard of the adage, ''The higher you stand, the


    heavier you fall.''" Before Daisy approached Cynthia, Mary appeared in her way. Mary couldn''t hold a


    candle to Daisy as Daisy was everyone''s favorite. It was impossible for Mary not to hold a grudge


    against Daisy.


    She especially hated Daisy''s poise and elegance. Just when she thought that Jessica was the ultimate


    attention-seeker, Daisy captured everyone with her mystifying charm and majestic personality. Daisy''s


    aura was invincible, especially with an extraordinary man like Edward around. Every trace of Mary''s


    confidence dispelled. Now she had no pride.


    "Is it a warning or a sign of your envy? It couldn''t be out of care for me, could it? You don''t strike me as


    a warm-hearted person." Daisy never provoked trouble, but she didn''t dodge it either. Back in her


    childhood, she might have taken this as water under the bridge, but now she wouldn''t ept getting


    bullied.


    "I just want to enjoy the show. I wonder what will happen to you after Edward abandons you. I''m sure


    your pitiful look will be a delightful image for me." Mary sneered. She didn''t believe Edward''s words


    when he said that he''d love Daisy till death parted them. These sweet talks might be able to trick the


    gullible Daisy, but not her.


    "Sorry, I''m not an actress, so there''ll be no show. It looks like your little hopes will be smashed." The


    truth was that even Daisy didn''t know how long Edward would love her, but she would by no means


    expose her concern in front of Mary.


    "Huh! Self-belief is good, but narcissism brings pain. Don''t you think you are overconfident?" Mary


    hated to see Daisy''s smug look. Daisy''s radiant face aroused jealousy in her evil soul.


    "Isn''t it customary for the women of the Mu family to be confident? We have what it takes to be


    confident. If I remember it correctly, you must be Mary, right? Now what? Haven''t you learned enough


    from the lesson Edward taught youst time? Howe that memory didn''t stick?"


    Cynthia looked at Mary disdainfully. She had seen Daisy approaching, yet Mary unexpectedly stood in


    the way. She had no choice but toe to Daisy''s rescue. Cynthia honestly didn''t think anyone would


    ever like Mary''s spiteful words. It seemed that if Mary couldn''t have something she wouldn''t let anyone


    else have it either. What a morbid thought!


    "I..." Mary remembered Cynthia fromst time. So when she saw her again, she lost the courage to say


    another word. She went nk.


    "Daisy, let''s go. I''ll take you to meet some friends." After giving her warning, Cynthiapletely ignored


    Mary. She never paid any attention to the people she didn''t like. Now all she could see was her sweet


    daughter-inw.


    "Sure." Daisy took a deep breath, her head was filled with Cynthia''s words, Edward had taught Mary a


    lesson? When did that happen? Howe Edward had never told her about it? Was Edward also


    hiding other things from her? He exined himself only after she found out things, like the things with


    Leo and Jessica. He never offered to tell her anything. That thought made her heart sink. She began to


    lose her cool as she kept thinking about Mary''s warning.


    "Uncle, Aunt, long time no see. How are you doing?" Daisy was thrilled to see Belinda''s parents here.


    She hadn''t noticed that Cynthia was taking her to meet them. She hadn''t seen them for years. In fact,


    she hadn''t seen them since she went abroad for studying in the military school. Over a decade had


    passed. Many things had changed, but her affection for them remained as it was.


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    Belinda''s home was like a haven for her. She loved the soothing smile of Belinda''s father and the


    gentlefort of her mother. It was a treasured memory for her. After all these years, she still


    remembered it.

 Chapter 342 The Higher You Stand, The Heavier You Fall (Part Two)

    Chapter 342 The Higher You Stand, The Heavier You Fall (Part Two)


    "Daisy, I thought you forget about us. Why didn''t youe to visit us for all these years?" Sherry


    controlled her tears of happiness. She had been quite emotional and excited from the moment she saw


    Daisy walking in with Edward. There was a Chinese saying "A girl changes fast in physical appearance


    from childhood to adulthood" and Daisy was a living example of it. After all these years, Daisy had


    grown into an elegant and gorgeous woman. That made Sherry relieved as well as nostalgic.


    "I see, you already know each other." Cynthia had nned to introduce them to each other. But before


    she did, Daisy and Sherry had already hugged each other.


    "Yes, we know each other well. When they got married, we were abroad. That''s why we couldn''t attend


    their wedding ceremony. No wonder I didn''t know that Daisy is your daughter-inw. She is like a


    daughter to me." As Sherry examined Daisy, she became more content.


    "Haha. Destiny is mysterious. It has closely connected our families." Cynthia was overwhelmed with joy


    to see them catching up. After all, it was easier to get along with someone you already knew than a


    total stranger.


    Jonathan always wore a poker face. As much as he appreciated Daisy, he didn''t reveal his admiration


    on his face. He just sat there quietly without making anyments. Those who knew him also knew


    his temper quite well, so they were used to it. But Daisy felt a bit awkward in front of him, possibly


    because of her outfit. She felt morefortable around him in her military uniform.


    Simr to Daisy''s embarrassment, Kevin was also like a cat on hot bricks. He noticed everything that


    was going on around Leena from where he sat. He knew Rain who was seated beside Leena. But who


    was the other gentleman next to her? Kevin could tell from their intimacy that they must know each


    other quite well.


    Kevin frowned helplessly. He knew that there was no love between him and Leena, but she was his


    wife anyway. So he couldn''t be fine with another man lingering around her. However, with his superior


    officers sitting beside him, he couldn''t just walk away. So he sat still, but he was constantly looking in


    Leena''s direction until he saw her smiling and falling into the man''s arms. Finally, he lost his poise.


    After giving an excuse to the armymander, he walked to Leena, his figure tall and bulky.


    "Honey, what you are talking about? You all seem to be enjoying." Kevin thought that he was hiding his


    feelings quite well, yet his concern surfaced when he saw the man caressing Leena''s nose.


    "Huh. Kevin, are you free now?" When Kevin abruptly said "Honey," Leena jerked out of Tom''s arms.


    When she jumped up, she identally hit Tom''s chin, making him say "ouch." ''What the hell. What


    crime have I done? Why is my face fated to go through so much pain? At first, it was the arrogant


    Edward, now the tiny Leena. Is this the oue of a jinx? Why''s everyone aiming at my pretty face?''


    Tomined privately.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    "I''m so sorry. Tom, I''m really sorry. I didn''t do it on purpose." After seeing what she had done, Leena


    began stroking Tom''s chin. Her care for Tom made Kevin''s heart ache. Though slight, Kevin still felt the


    sting. But soon he marked this abnormality as a just sign of aversion.


    "Thank goodness that you didn''t do it on purpose, or my handsome face would be ruined." Tom


    grasped Leena''s hand. He felt that his injury might get worse if Leena continued her massage. He


    caught Kevin''s grave eyes and considered that he could get another blow from this man. He had to


    stop being so intimate with Leena.


    Rain kept a close eye on Kevin and Tom. Soon he spotted something unusual. His eyes turned sly.


    ''There have to be a show today'', he concluded.


    "Wow. You two are still so intimate after so many years. It really makes me jealous." Yes. Rain was


    trying to elevate Kevin''s misunderstanding. That was why he spoke so ambiguously.


    "What? You''re jealous? Then go and get a girl to fill your empty heart. Stop moping around." Tom knew


    what Rain was trying to do, but he yed along with Rain who was always looking to stir up trouble.


    Plus, he also wanted to teach Kevin a valuable lesson. Kevin shouldn''t have married Leena so secretly


    and left her alone for so long. Luckily she had them to keep herpany, or she would have been


    bored to death. Yet without any mention of gratitude, Kevin just waltzed over and red at him. Tricking


    Kevin would be the best remedy for his injured chin.


    "Exactly. Your intimacy has made my eyes green and my heart broken." If he was not in the business


    world, Rain would have made an excellent actor. Right now he was presenting his best performing


    skills, his eyes looking at Kevin defiantly.


    Confused by Rain and Tom, Leena stood still. Her reaction confirmed to Kevin that what Rain had said


    was true, that she and the man were indeed lovers. But if she loved the man, why did she marry him?


    Didn''t she know what it meant to marry a military officer? Getting a divorce would be hard, and she


    would get penalized for cheating on him.


    "Honey, don''t you want to introduce me to your friends?" As peeved as Kevin was, his military discipline


    prevailed. He told himself again and again that he couldn''t fight in public, that he must keep his


    composure, that Leena was not a shameless woman and that she wouldn''t be stupid enough to flirt


    with another man in public. He believed in his own judgment to choose a faithful wife, and he was sure


    that Leena wasn''t an infidel woman. That''s how he managed to keep his cool.


    "Well. Well, this is Tom, he''s a doctor. If you get sick, you have to go to see him. His healing skills are


    superb." After hearing Kevin''s question, Leena moved away from Tom to hold Kevin''s arm, her face still


    radiated with pride for Tom. She remained oblivious of Kevin''s clouded expression.


    "Huh..." Leena''s rmendation of Tom made Rain and Tom spit out the wine in their mouth. They


    had never seen anyone rmending a doctor to perfectly healthy people. Leena''s rib-tickling side


    was fun to be around. No wife would ever wish her husband to get sick. They knew Leena was just


    rmending without meaning anything else. She had nned ahead for future ailments. But it was


    still quite funny for someone to say such a thing, so Rain and Tom justughed out loud.


    But Kevin was in no mood tough. His mouth twitched, not because of the doctor referral, but the


    confusion that how many more friends like this did Leena have. He hoped it wouldn''t be as many as a


    toon, because that would be hard for him to deal with.

 Chapter 343 Ambiguous Relationship (Part One)

    Chapter 343 Ambiguous Rtionship (Part One)


    "Uncle Kevin, so you are the unlucky guy." Kevin was deeply troubled by Leena''s poprity. He felt


    embarrassed, just then Justin appeared in front of them. He had been running all over the venue


    throughout the party. His red and radiant face revealed that he was having a good time.


    "What unlucky guy?" Kevin was confused by Justin''s sudden remark which came out of nowhere. He


    looked at Justin dubiously. Everything was going rather smoothly with him. He couldn''t remember


    anything unlucky happening to him recently. So why did Justin see him as an unlucky guy? Kevin


    wondered.


    "Oh, well! That''s because you are the hero who has saved all men in the world by sacrificing yourself to


    marry Aunt Leena. You''re awesome, Uncle Kevin!" Justin stared at Kevin impatiently, as if mocking him


    for his stupidity. Justin believed that his Uncle Kevin was doomed for getting married to that wicked


    Leena. He already seemed so baffled, probably because of Aunt Leena''s torture. If Uncle Kevin


    continued to live with her for the rest of his life, his life would be totally ruined by her, Justin thought.


    "You brat, you dared to speak ill of me. Wait and watch how I will get back at youter." Leena didn''t


    know when and how she had offended this charming boy, and why he went against her all the time.


    Was she really as bad as he said? He made it sound like she was disagreeable to everyone, but that


    wasn''t true, Leena thought.


    "I wasn''t speaking ill of you! It''s a fact. Uncle Kevin, why didn''t you consult me before you decided to


    marry Aunt Leena. I would have saved you from her torture. It was truly an unwise decision, and your


    glorious image is ruined in my eyes now." Justin didn''t have the slightest concern about Leena''s threat.


    He knew she was all talk and no action. To put it more clearly, her bark was worse than her bite. So he


    didn''t care about her warning at all.


    "Kevin, you tell him, have I ruined your glorious image? Justin, you are so wicked, you really piss me


    off!" Leena''s biggest weakness was that she couldn''t handle provocation. She got irritated by Justin''s


    words immediately and lost her cool. She turned to Kevin to find support.


    After hearing Leena''s words, everyone present went silent. They got confused by Justin and Leena''s


    conversation. Should Leena argue to death with a little boy like Justin? They wondered. So they


    unanimously shot a pitiful look at Kevin. They shared amon thought that if they wanted to


    embarrass Kevin, they only needed to send Leena, this lovely but roguish woman, to him. They


    believed it would be better to let Kevin handle this obstinate woman.


    "No, of course not. Don''t mind what Justin said. He was teasing you purposely. If you lose your temper,


    then it''ll prove that he has tricked you." Kevin knew Justin very well. He was a mischievous boy who


    always stirred up trouble. For many years he had been with Justin in the military base, he often saw


    him make fool of the soldiers to annoy them.


    "Oh, no! Uncle Kevin, you''re hopeless. You''ve changed sides already. Your bad days are upon you.


    She will torture you and make you regret your decision, you just wait and watch." Justin pouted in


    disappointment. He wondered why such an aplished man like Kevin would marry a sly woman like


    Leena. Wasn''t she destroying the backbone of the country?


    The whole scene caused a lot of uproar. Rain and Tom, who were irrelevant to the topic of the


    conversation, couldn''t help butugh on Justin''s amusing remarks. And this attracted the attention of


    other guests, including Mr. Cold who was also a trouble.


    "The crowd seems boisterous here! You''ve be the focus of the party." Duke walked towards them


    gracefully, while slightly swirling the ss of wine in his hand. He narrowed his eyes and looked at


    Leena who was leaning on Kevin''s arms; then he shifted his focus away.


    N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    "Uncle Duke, you missed the better part of the show. It''s over. I think you should find somewhere else


    to get amused. I don''t think I have anything inmon with you adults! Ah! It seems that the adult


    world is not a right ce for an innocent boy like me." Justin said while feigning a helpless expression.


    His demeanor was quite charming. At the sight of such a lovely and sweet boy, everyone wished he


    was their child.


    "Ha..." This was the second time that Justin had prompted a burst ofughter since he came here. But


    this time, theughter wasn''t from Rain and Tom, but from Duke who just came over. The wine spilled


    out from his mouth withughter and spilled all over Rain, causing amotion.


    "Huh! Duke, behave yourself!" Rain sprang at Duke''s abrupt spill and hurriedly took some tissues to


    wipe the wine on his clothes. He stared at Duke in disgust. His image was totally ruined, he felt that he


    was down on his luck these days. Rain grumbled, thinking why he was always the one who got


    spattered with wine.


    Tom couldn''t helpughing out loud. He wasn''t the only unlucky chap today; Rain was also having a


    bad day. Tom felt relieved that God didn''t ignore himpletely. He found apanion for him.


    "I didn''t mean to be impolite. But didn''t you hear what Justin said?" Duke took a piece of tissue to wipe


    his mouth. He was shocked when he heard Justin describe himself as "innocent." Justin was a clever


    and mischievous boy. He had quite the nerve to use a beautiful word like "innocent" for himself. If Duke


    hadn''t known him, he might not have reacted like this. Everyone present here knew how cunning Justin


    was. But Justin seemed unaware of this. He dared to brag about himself without any shame or


    hesitation.


    "Do you think we all are deaf? And what does Justin have to do with your manners?" Rain stared at


    Duke with rage; he felt that Duke''s question was stupid.


    "Tom, you''rete, you must punish yourself by drinking three sses of wine first." Duke changed the


    topic intentionally. He knew that Rain lost his temper rather quickly since Annie left. So he thought it


    would be better if he didn''t irritate the already grumbling man. Also, Justin who had ignited this frenzy


    was already gone. He felt it needless to defend himself now.


    "Who said I''mte. I came here early, even before the ceremony started. You didn''t see me because all


    your attention was focused on your wife." It appeared that Duke wanted to use Tom to distract Rain''s


    anger. But, Tom wouldn''t admit he waste so easily. There were so many people at the party, it was


    understandable that Duke didn''t pay attention to Tom.

 Chapter 344 Ambiguous Relationship (Part Two)

    Chapter 344 Ambiguous Rtionship (Part Two)


    "You''rete, don''t try to hide it. You came after me." Edward raised his eyebrows and looked at Tom


    with a cunning smile. Tom looked good today. Edward punched his eyes earlier, but now there were no


    traces of wounds on his face. It seemed his ointment was very effective. It''s ability to heal the wounds


    was surprising.


    "It was all your fault. Don''t you remember what you did to me yesterday night? And still, you have the


    nerve to me me for beingte.'''' Tom stared at Edward with irritation. If Edward hadn''t asked him to


    watch over Daisy whole night, he wouldn''t have had to work on the surgery ns for a critically ill


    patient this morning. The surgery got dyed for several hours, Edward''s call had caused all this dy,


    and he waste for the party.


    "Yesterday night, wow! It appears that something interesting happened yesterday. And you two were


    together? Your words are ambiguous, and that can trigger a lot of imaginations." Rain gossiped as


    soon as he sensed Edward and Tom''s peculiar behaviors. Apparently, he had forgotten that he was


    sshed all over by Duke moments ago.


    Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "Yes! Do you want to know what we did yesterday? Are you feeling curious?" Edward sneered slyly and


    narrowed his eyes to stare at Rain cunningly.


    "Err... Well... Not exactly. I''ll pass." Rain gave up his prying when he saw Edward''s yful smile. He


    knew that every time Edward gave this expression, someone was bounded to suffer. He wasn''t stupid


    enough to find trouble for himself.


    "Edward, tell us. What did you guys do yesterday? Your rtionship seems shady!" Rain didn''t dare to


    ruffle Edward''s feathers, that didn''t mean Leena also felt afraid. Therefore when Rain stopped


    pestering Edward, Leena began to question curiously.


    Edward pursed his lips. Damn, why did he forget that the nosy Leena was also here?


    "Leena, when did you be so evil? Was it after you were tricked into marrying someone?" Edward


    looked at Kevin with raised eyebrows. He couldn''t get along with a man who also fancied his wife, so


    he used every opportunity to insult him.


    Kevin smiled gloomily, although he had expected that they would treat him poorly, he was surprised


    that they all went against him. He didn''t react to Edward''s words. He was very calm and didn''t say


    anything because he knew it needed time to get along with anyone. He wasn''t worried about his


    present situation. He believed that when everyone finally epted Leena''s marriage with him,


    everything would be better. They mistreated him now because they were still in the shock by their


    sudden marriage, Kevin thought.


    "It''s not my fault. You spoke about that ambiguous rtionship and triggered our curiosity." Leena


    pouted and grumbled, still arguing. She looked at Kevin apologetically. It seemed that everyone disliked


    him here. She wondered whether he was hurt. He was a person of high status. A Major General didn''t


    need to stay here and endure such arrogant remarks.


    "Mr. Mu. I really can''t handle it anymore. Several dignitaries are insisting on having a drink with you."


    Before Edward could respond to Leena''s words, Aaron came over. His face was red. He seemed to


    have drunk a lot.


    "Rain, please go and have drinks with them. As the vice president of FX International Group, it''s time


    for you to step up. You have hidden behind the shadows long enough." Edward knew that Rain was


    totally focused on Annie, so he ignored it when he saw Rain sitting alone in the corner enjoying his


    solitude. But now people were asking to have a drink with Edward, so he cunningly nned to have


    Rain deal with these people.


    "Oh, no! Boss. They are asking for you. Why are you forcing me to entertain them?" Rain wasn''t in the


    mood to socialize; he even gave up the opportunity to flirt with beautiful women tonight. But now, his


    repose was over because of Edward. It was really annoying.


    "Because I''m your boss. How dare you question my order!" Edward narrowed his sinister eyes. Did


    Rain think that Annie woulde back to him if he continued being distressed like this? Did he want to


    enjoy solitude? Edward decided to find something for him to do so he could forget the things that were


    distracting him from his work.


    "I wouldn''t dare to disobey you. I am just some poorbor, who is suppressed by a wealthy capitalist,


    How pitiful is this!" Rain said while standing up, his handsome face showing a yful smile. His


    expression revealed his feelings. He seemed indifferent to everything now.


    Both Rain and Edward looked handsome, but their appeal was different in their own way. In


    comparison to Edward''s gentle and graceful manner, Rain enchanted many more women with his


    yful face and slick style. So as soon as he walked out from his solitude, he attracted the attention of


    numerous women. They went crazy for him. But Rain no longer had the desire to flirt with them like he


    used to do before.


    "Is Rain okay?" Duke looked at Rain''s deste and distressed face and asked with concern. Although


    they liked tough at each other''s weak points, that didn''t mean they were taking pleasure in other


    people''s misfortune. This was their way of showing care for each other. They always rubbed salt on


    wounds so they would feel numb to the unbearable pain.


    "Let him be. He will be better after a while. But I wonder what''s going on with Annie. She used to love


    Rain. They why did she run away without any intimation? Ah! Women are strange! It''s so difficult to


    understand them. As the saying goes, a woman''s heart is like a needle at the bottom of the ocean."


    Edward shook his head nomittally, his eyes focusing on Daisy who was standing beside Belinda.


    His eyes inadvertently beamed with tenderness and joy.


    Kevin liked how they got along with each other. They always made fun of each other on the surface,


    but they cared about each other in their hearts. Kevin was moved by their friendship. At the same time,


    he felt sad, because he thought that it was a long way for him to fit into their world. It wasn''t about the


    difference of status, but the state of mind. Their friendship wasn''t built in one day, the trust and love


    they shared was the result of years of togetherness.

 Chapter 345 I Dont Hate You (Part One)

    Chapter 345 I Don''t Hate You (Part One)


    "Daisy, you look very beautiful tonight. You remind me a lot of your mother." Leo hesitated for a while


    and finally was defeated by his curiosity. He walked up to Daisy to greet her. He noticed that Daisy was


    greeting guests all over the venue, and she didn''t even look at him as if he were invisible. It bruised


    Leo''s heart. What if she really was his daughter? She must have hated him so much that she wouldn''t


    even want to talk to him.


    "Thank you, Mr. Ouyang. But please don''t mention my mother in front of me. You are in no position to


    do that." Daisy''s words were as cold as the look on her face. She was indifferent to the man standing


    before her. She had believed that she wasn''t his daughter, because that was the only exnation why


    he was heartless to her. But after Edward told her the truth this morning, she lost herst hope about


    this man, her so-called father.


    Daisy curled her lips into a sneer. If she was right, Leo must still doubt whether or not she was his


    daughter. Otherwise, he wouldn''te up to greet her like this. But Daisy couldn''t care less. Even if


    she could forgive her father for all the pain he had caused her, she would never forgive that he insulted


    her mother, using her mother of cheating on him.


    "Did Mr. Mu say something to you? Do you hate me because of that?" Leo thought that Edward had


    told Daisy that Yakira was responsible for her mother''s death, and that was why Daisy was angry with


    him. He felt sorry for her mother as well.


    "No. I don''t hate you. You don''t deserve my any feelings, including my hatred. Are you satisfied, Mr.


    Ouyang?" Daisy snorted inside. What she didn''t say was how could she hate him when she didn''t love


    him? How could she hate him when she couldn''t feel anything for him? For all these years, she had


    grown used to doing things on her own without a father by her side. Did she hate her father? Perhaps


    she did at first. But over the years, he just proved to be a disappointment. Daisy had learned to let it go,


    because she felt she''d be wasting her time to hold a grudge against such a man.


    "Daisy, how could you be so mean? You were not like this when you were little. You were so sweet and


    nice back then." Leo hadn''t thought Daisy would be so cold to him. Gazing at her uncaring look, he felt


    a bit awkward.


    "Me? Mean? I didn''t know I am capable of that. Thank you for youpliment, Mr. Ouyang." Daisy''s


    heart bled as she replied. See? Would a good father describe his own child as ''mean?'' Leo not only did


    that, but also reopened old wounds by mentioning her mother and her childhood. How brutal he was to


    Daisy aspared to the way he treated Mary.


    "You know I didn''t mean that. Why do you have to address me as ''Mr. Ouyang''? You know I''m probably


    your real father!" Annoyed by Daisy''s sarcasm, Leo''s voice got grumpy.


    "I''m sorry. But I don''t really know Mr. Ouyang that well. I''d better stick with the title. As for the father


    part, I wouldn''t dare to dream. Please just drop it." Daisy''s face went pale. She knew it! She knew Leo


    wouldn''t believe what Edward revealed to him, at least he wasn''t fully convinced. Although she knew it


    already, it still hurt to hear him say it out loud.


    "Daisy, even though I failed you before, you don''t have to act like this!" It was pathetic enough that Leo


    didn''t realize that he was the one to me; still, he scolded Daisy with every word that spilled from his


    mouth. He had no idea it would only drive them further apart.


    Edward noticed what was going on and came over. While holding Daisy''s trembling body, he retorted,


    "Mr. Ouyang, how low will you go? Is my wife saying anything wrong? You are not even worthy to be


    her father. That''s a fact we can''t deny." Edward''s face darkened with rage as he coldly gazed at Leo.


    He would have Luke throw Leo out if it weren''t for the fact that he was Daisy''s father, Edward''s father-


    inw.


    Although Edward was talking to his friends earlier, he kept an eye on Daisy. He had a bad feeling when


    he saw Leo approach Daisy. And Edward knew he was right when he came up to them. The reports heN?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    gave Leo didn''t fully convince him; otherwise, he wouldn''t have brought Yakira to the party as if nothing


    had happened. Leo didn''t realized how much it would hurt Daisy.


    "Mr. Mu, this is a private matter, one for our family only. You need to stay out of it." Leo''s face changed


    as Edward snapped at him. He hated it when Edward always seemed so superior to him in almost


    everything. ''Shouldn''t he show me more respect?'' Leo thought furiously, ''I may be his father-inw!''


    "Stay out of it? Mr. Ouyang, have you forgotten? Daisy is now my wife, which means that she is a Mu


    now. I don''t think she has anything to do with you and your family anymore. Besides, when did you


    ept her as a member of the Ouyang family? You never did! You threw her out of your house back


    then. Don''t you remember?"


    How ridiculous that Leo dared to tell Edward to stay out of his family issue. To Edward, Leo was the


    one who should stay out of all this. And how dare he say that this was a family matter? Didn''t he


    remember what he had done to Daisy, his own daughter?


    "What are you talking about? What...what do you mean by that? Dad, please tell me what''s going on,"


    stammered Brian, who was now in shock. He had no idea what had happened between Leo and Daisy


    back then. Maybe he heard them wrong; maybe they didn''t mean what they said. But what if it were


    true? What could he do if that was the case?

 Chapter 346 I Dont Hate You (Part Two)

    Chapter 346 I Don''t Hate You (Part Two)


    "Brian, it''s just a small misunderstanding. Never mind. I''ll take care of it." Leo tried tofort his son.


    Leo had no intention of exining the whole thing to Brian, because he thought Brian was too young to


    understand anything.


    ''A misunderstanding?'' Daisy forced a bitter smile; she looked devastated and exhausted. ''That''s what


    he thinks of me and all he has done - a simple misunderstanding. Why would I feel sorry for myself for


    not having a father, especially when my father is this despicable? It''s not worth it.'' Daisy thought to


    herself.


    "Dad, I was disappointed with how you treated Daisy when she was little. Now please don''t make me


    hate you. A misunderstanding, really? Now I get it. No wonder Daisy pretended not to know mest


    time we met. That''s the reason!" Brian tried to hold back the urge to burst into tears. He knew things


    wouldn''t be as simple as they looked; however, he had never expected that the truth would be horrible


    like this. He didn''t even know what he could do at this point.


    Edward said nothing but held Daisy tighter. Daisy had never told him that she met Brian before.


    Judging from their happy reunion, Edward could sense that she really loved her younger brother. And


    yet she had to pretend not to know himst time they met. It wasn''t hard for Edward to imagine how


    painful it was. But she did it, didn''t she? Her bravery broke Edward''s heart again.


    "Brian, how could you talk to your father like that? You don''t know anything!" Yakira interrupted her son


    sternly. She had no inkling that Leo would talk to Daisy when her back was turned. She was standing


    back just now, partly because she felt guilty for what happened back then, and she wouldn''t dare to


    confront Daisy, and partly because Edward was there. Yakira got frightened whenever Edward was


    around, and she was afraid that she might say something that should stay buried when she got


    nervous. But since Brian walked up to them, she had no choice but to follow him. And she was


    surprised by what she had heard.


    "Mom, it was all you, wasn''t it?" Brian knew his mother too well. Yakira had been bullying Daisy since


    he could remember things. Brian would never believe that his mother had nothing to do with what had


    happened to Daisy.


    "What? Why involve me? She married a rich guy now, don''t you know? She doesn''t care about us poor


    rtives anymore! Why are you so keen on defending her?" Yakira didn''t know what was wrong with


    her son; she''d even doubt whether he was her son if she didn''t see the doctor drag him out of her body.


    She had never gotten along with her son, but what pissed her off was that Brian loved Daisy more than


    anyone in the family. She tried and failed to nip their kinship in the bud, so she just let them be. Yakira


    didn''t know that Brian and Daisy were still close even though they hadn''t seen each other for a long


    time. She was angry and med Daisy for that.


    "Aunt Yakira, how can you say such a thing? Do you really think it is all my fault?" Daisy thought Yakira


    would be better after all these years. After Daisy witnessed how she turned things upside down just


    now, Daisy knew Yakira did be better in someway - a better liar. And she disgusted Daisy.


    "Look at yourself! You''ve never been nice to me even after all these years. You always put on that sour


    face in front of me. How do you expect me to get along with you?" Yakira squinted at Daisy and her


    stunning dress, and snorted in discontent.


    "Mrs. Ouyang, I hope you can keep that attitude during the next few days if you truly have a clear


    conscience." Edward sneered. He didn''t believe that Yakira would still be this arrogant when he ced


    the evidence before her.


    "What do you mean, Mr. Mu? You can''t just make things up. You''re the CEO of a bigpany, don''t


    you know the word ''defamation''?" Yakira was rmed at Edward''s words. She remembered Edward


    had warned her once with simr words; it seemed that he had something on her. Yakira knew she had


    done many bad things, so she was afraid that Edward had the evidence and would use it against her.


    But she couldn''t just stand there without doing anything and see Daisy parade around and show off her


    new life.


    "Don''t worry. I''ll personally teach you how to spell the word ''evidence''. I hope you remember every


    word you said today." Edward sneered again. Did she just threaten him? Did she even know what was


    waiting for her?


    "Honey, don''t mind her. Let''s go. Don''t you have many clients to greet?" Daisy stopped Edward with a


    tired voice. Daisy suddenly realized that Edward had once again witnessed her broken life. She didn''t


    want him to. She wanted him to love her because of who she was, not because he felt sorry for her.


    "Clients are not important, but you are." Edward said what he meant. He didn''t mind that others would


    hear and envy them. He had wasted too much time not knowing what was important to him. Now he


    finally found the invaluable treasure of his life - his wife and son.


    The only delightful moment that Brian had ever felt the whole night was when he reconciled with Daisy.


    Therefore, when Edward left with Daisy to greet other guests, he left the party without any hesitation.


    He had heard too much at one night, and he needed time to think it through. Then Brian thought of the


    promise he had made to the little boy; his lips curled into a tender smile.N?velDrama.Org owns this text.

 Chapter 347 You Again

    Chapter 347 You Again


    When Brian just walked out of the hotel, a scream rang out at the ceremony. Jessica covered her


    exposed chest awkwardly and furiously gazed at Justin who had embarrassed her.


    "Little devil, it''s you again! What did I do to you? Why is my luck so bad every time I see you?" Several


    months ago, Justin had also yed a prank on Jessica at the Leng residence. Today he embarrassed


    her again. Last time, Edward sat beside her and she was able to act like a spoiled child in front of him,


    but today, nobody could help her, which made her sad.


    "Aunt, I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to step on the trim of your dress to strip you. It was an ident." Justin


    pretended to sound sincere, but he was actually extremely happy. ''Stupid cow, what goes around


    comes around. You bullied my mommy, so you deserve this. I''m not a child who is ying around all


    the time. I keep an eye on the people around mommy. I even have gotten to know my young uncle, ''


    Justin thought. Justin and Brian agreed to keep their acquaintance a secret. Not even Daisy could


    know.


    "You little punk! You''re still making excuses to defend yourself. I''ll rip your mouth!" Exposed, Jessica


    felt embarrassed already. But Justin talked about it openly and loudly afterward, as if he wished


    everybody to know. Instantly, everyone was watching her. She thought Justin had stepped on her dress


    deliberately to make her dress fall off. Fortunately, she was quick enough to pull it upward. But some


    eyes still caught that embarrassing scene.


    Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Jessica hated Justin''s guts. If it hadn''t been for him, Edward wouldn''t have neglected her unborn baby.


    She wouldn''t have been abandoned either. So she thought that Edward would love her again if that


    bastard Justin disappeared.


    "Rip his mouth? Please, try it," a deep and cold voice said. Jonathan raised his eyebrows grimly like a


    devil out of Hell. He ignored Jessica and with a wince looked at Justin who was acting innocent.


    "It''s none of your damn business!" Jessica replied in a rude tone. She didn''t know Jonathan. When she


    was with Edward, Jonathan and Cynthia had been abroad on vacation.


    "Grandpa, I didn''t do it on purpose. Her dress is too long. I stepped on it by ident." Jessica was


    shocked to hear Justin call Jonathan Grandpa. She had noticed this man who was solemn and


    dignified as a king, but since she''d only been thinking about Edward, she hadn''t paid much attention to


    Jonathan. Knowing he was Edward''s father, she was too stunned to react to Jonathan''s words.


    "OK. Let''s go home." Jonathan was a self-centered man. He never gave a damn about how other


    people thought of him except Cynthia. So he wouldn''t even cast a contemptuous look at Jessica.


    Justin walked up to Jonathan obediently and took his hand. When they were leaving, he turned his


    head and made a funny face at Jessica. He had thought that she would have given up hope for his dad


    after thest trick he yed. This woman hugged his dad tightly in public even after hearing that his


    dad and mom were married. She made his mom sad. Justin swore to avenge himself on her. Tonight,


    she was so scantily-d that her dress had slipped with just a light step on the trim. So Justin thought it


    was her own fault. Thought Jessica was then almost naked, Justin didn''t see anything he wasn''t


    supposed to see. His mom told him that there were things that one shouldn''t look at. He did as his


    mom told him.


    Jessica''s lips moved a little, with the vicious light in her eyes. ''You little bastard, I hope you can be as


    aggressive as tonight when I figure out a way to deal with you. You humiliated me tonight and I''ll make


    you pay. You''re going to regret you ever messed with me.''


    Most people forgot the friction very quickly. However, there was one person who noticed Jessica and


    was eager to go up and kick her ass. But since his superiors were present, he couldn''t do such a thing.


    That bitch had told him that she was Edward''s wife, and tonight he had just learned that Daisy was


    Edward''s wife, not her. He was terrified, because he had done so many bad things for Jessica. If those


    things came out, he would lose his career over that woman. Now he realized that Jessica was an


    impostor, and regretted that he was greedy and jealous enough to believe her lie.


    Although Aaron and Rain drank a lot of wine on behalf of Edward at the party, Edward still got drunk at


    last. Daisy was worried about him.


    "Mrs. Mu, is Mr. Mu drunk again?" Luke came up as soon as he saw Daisy carrying Edward out of the


    hotel. It had been a long day for him. Running security at the party had kept him busy all day, so he


    hadn''t been able to be at Edward''s side during the ceremony.


    "Yes, he is. Does he get drunk at the anniversary ceremony every year?" Daisy winced. The dress she


    was wearing was very inconvenient. It was hard for her to carry Edward.


    "Yes. Sometimes Mr. Mu doesn''t like to act arrogantly, so he usually drinks when people toast him."


    Luke took Edward from Daisy. He would be off security duty as soon as Edward left the hotel. They rest


    of the work would be left to Luke''s subordinates. His task was to protect Edward. Other matters were


    insignificant to him.


    Hearing Luke''s words, Daisy''s brows knitted more tightly. She got in the car without one more word.


    Luke got Edward into the car and closed the door.


    Edward never threw a drunken fit and was cooperative all the way. The car was thick with the smell of


    alcohol as soon as Edward got in it. Daisy wrinkled her nose involuntarily.


    "Luke, open the car windows and turn off the air conditioner. Let the wind in." Daisy put Edward''s head


    on herps. Her brows were finally unknitted. Instead of the usual aloofness, she looked tender at that


    moment.


    "Yes, Mrs. Mu." Luke turned to look at her and Edward, and then curled up his lips. The strong smell of


    alcohol must have made Daisy ufortable. Although Luke had addressed Jonathan as dad, he


    habitually addressed Edward as Mr. Mu. Jonathan wasn''t around anyway. Besides, other forms of


    address were too awkward for him.


    "Thanks." Lying low on Daisy''sps, Edward held Daisy closer after a gust of cool wind blew when the


    car started, which warmed her cold heart. She smiled and pinched his high nose, at which he moved a


    little uneasily.


    This was the first time Daisy had seen Edward drunk. He was quiet. His skin felt smooth and tender.


    Since she hardly saw him use face cream, she wondered howe his skin was better preserved than


    that of most women. The Creator was miraculous to endow such a sessful man with good looks and


    make him masculine and enchanting.


    The night was cool in early fall. Looking at the streetmps, Daisy was lost in thought. She was curious


    about the decision of the military base. She also wondered when Edward had started to socialize with


    the high-level of the group army. What was he secretly trying to do? She had no idea about all this.


    She had been trying to figure out who had reported her to the military base. She thought it was Jessica,


    because she hated her most, but Daisy had no solid proof. Before she confirmed it, she couldn''t


    use her. It was a society which valued evidence after all. Daisy felt confused. Who else could it be?


    She couldn''t think of anybody who held a grudge against her except Jessica.


    At the ceremony party, Daisy didn''t get any good news from the Army Commander. It seemed that it


    would be some time before she got reinstated. Never mind. She would just consider it a long vacation.


    She would still finish the war game report as soon as possible, though, because as themanding


    officer of the red force in the war games, she was the most suitable person to do it.


    She had lost all hope in Leo. She would have no expectations of him in the future. With a sad twitch of


    her lips, she suddenly realized how pathetic she was. It was a solid fact that Mary wasn''t Leo''s


    biological daughter. Why did he treat them so differently? Did he really hate her so much? She


    wondered why.


    Daisy wasn''t narrow-minded. But she got emotional when she saw Jessica hugging Edward. As an


    ordinary woman, she got jealous. She recalled the sweet days they had spent together. Her heart


    ached. She had thought that as long as she loved him, she would be able to tolerate anything from his


    past. Now it seemed that she was wrong. The more she loved him, the more she cared about the little


    things. Gradually, she lost her confidence and worried too much. She took Jessica''s words to


    heart.

 Chapter 348 I Can Undress Myself (Part One)

    Chapter 348 I Can Undress Myself (Part One)


    Luke gazed at Daisy from the rear view mirror, hesitated for a moment and finally swallowed what he


    wanted to say. He thought he''d better wait for Edward to wake up. After all, it would be more


    appropriate that Edward handled it by himself.


    A Rolls-Royce Silver Charm dashing through the midnight street was definitely something eye-


    catching. It was rare to see such a luxurious car in S City. Besides, through the half-open window,


    people could see a young woman as gorgeous as an elven princess sitting in the back seat. Luke


    constantly heard tires squealing as drivers hit their brakes to avoid hitting anyone -- they were so


    distracted by Daisy''s beauty.


    A gentle night breeze brushed Daisy''s face through the window. She shuddered from the cold and


    came back to her senses. She looked down and saw Edward sleeping soundly on herp. He looked


    so handsome even when he was asleep. Daisy suddenly felt at ease. No matter what would happen in


    the future, at least she was happy for the moment.


    Gently caressing his eyebrows with her cold fingers, Daisy found herself spellbound by Edward''s


    sleeping profile. In contrast to being aggressive and appealing when he was awake, he looked quiet


    and tame right now. Somehow Daisy found him more attractive like this. She felt like she could see


    through him now. She was tired of trying hard to figure what he was thinking whenever she looked into


    his eyes. Perhaps she was being silly, but she was frightened because she was not a mind reader. She


    didn''t know if Edward loved her as she loved him; she would sometimes wondered whether all the


    sweet moments they shared were merely her wishful thinking.


    Luke could sense that Daisy was lost in thought during their way back. She was so focused that she


    seemed not to notice that Luke had stopped the car. Luke cast a hesitant gaze at Daisy and finally


    decided to interrupt her, "Mrs. Mu, we''re here."


    "What? Oh, I''m sorry. I was miles away. Can you help get him out of the car?" Daisy pulled herself


    together and smiled awkwardly at Luke. She could manage to carry Edward out of the car if it were not


    for the long dress she was wearing, which restricted her movements.


    N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    "Yeah. I''ll just carry him to the bedroom. You know what? It''s the second time this month that he''s been


    drunk like this." Luke slightly shook his head as he got out of the driver''s seat. He knew Edward seldom


    got drunk, but he did drink too muchtely.


    "What? Do you mean he''s been drinking a lottely? When did this start?" Daisy paused in surprise.


    She had stayed with him the past month, how could she not know he was drunk? Wait, then she


    remembered she left for the military exercises before. Was that it?


    "Not long ago. The night when you left for the military exercises. He drank a lot," replied Luke after


    carefully putting Edward on the bed.


    "I see. Thank you, Luke." Daisy bit her lip, feeling a little bit embarrassed. She remembered that night,


    and she remembered every word Edward whispered into her ear through the phone that night. She still


    blushed when she thought of it.


    "It''s fine, Mrs. Mu. I''ll leave you two alone. Good night." Luke simply blurted it out without thinking too


    much when he saw Edward got drunk again tonight. He didn''t have a big mouth, nor did he mean to


    harm Edward by talking behind his back.


    "Okay. Good night. You must be tired." Daisy gently bade Luke good night. She knew how many


    security guards Edward had stationed at the party; as the head of security guards, Luke had to see to it


    that everything went well during the event. He must have been weary because of the suddenly


    increasing workflow.


    "Okay," Luke briefly replied and walked away. He was a taciturn man. But he was a bit talkative when


    he stayed with Daisy. He seemed less cold and indifferent, and Daisy found him more amiable that


    way.


    Upon seeing Luke leave and lock the door behind him, Daisy turned around to study Edward''s face.


    She was a bit worried. She knew Edward was a neat freak who always went and took a shower right


    after he got home. But now he was drunk; Daisy had no idea whether she should just let him sleep or


    help him to the shower. Picturing that they would shower together, Daisy blushed.


    She bit her red lip while thinking about what to do. Finally, she decided to take off her dress first and


    change into something morefortable. Although the dress was gorgeous, Daisy was too nervous.


    She had to stand upright and remained elegant the whole night. In the end, she was aching all over,


    because such a dress was nothing like the casual outfits she was used to.


    Just as Daisy was about to reach for the zip, she suddenly remembered something and walked up to


    the bedside. She carefully studied Edward and even gently pushed his shoulder. After she was sure


    that Edward was sound asleep, she started to take off her dress. Although they were husband and


    wife, Daisy was still too shy to be naked in front of him. Now that Edward couldn''t see her, she felt


    more rxed. However, after she repeatedly tried and failed to unzip herself, Daisy got annoyed. Were


    it not for the fact that this dress cost a fortune, Daisy would have just ripped it off.


    "Honey, do you need some help there?" While Daisy was struggling to take off her dress with a frown, a


    teasing voice came from behind. Startled, Daisy turned around, eyes wide open, only to find Edward


    leaned against the bed and stared at her with a smirk.


    "You... Aren''t you drunk? Or did you just pretend to be drunk?" stammered Daisy in confusion. Deep


    down, she sighed with relief. Luckily she still had her clothes on; otherwise he would see her naked by


    now.


    "Take a guess." Edward winked at her. In fact, he wasn''t putting on an act. He wouldn''t be that boring to


    lie to her about this. He only got sober because of some kind of internal clock. As long as he didn''t take


    a shower, no matter how wasted he was, he would get sober the moment hey in bed. Even Edward


    himself was surprised by his quirk. He thought it might have something to do with his germaphobia.


    "Were you pretending to be drunk?" Daisy wasn''t sure. He seemed to sleep so soundly on their way


    home, and it didn''t look like an act. But if he was drunk, why would he suddenly wake up when she was


    taking off her clothes?


    "Will you believe me if I say no?" Edward smiled weakly as he rubbed his aching temples because of


    the alcohol, his eyes fixed on her plump chest, which was slightly quivering as she spoke and moved.


    He was getting turned on.


    "I''ll believe whatever you say." Daisy obviously didn''t just refer to what they were talking about now.


    Edward had done many things without telling her. Daisy tried to tell herself that Edward did what he did


    for her good, and he just didn''t want to see her get hurt.


    "Come here." Edward didn''t know why Daisy became sentimental all of a sudden, nor did he care. All


    he wanted for the moment was to hold her in his arms and calm himself with her unique scent. Her


    embraces had the magical power to restore him from any pain and sorrow, let alone a hangover.


    "Why?" Daisy asked nervously while covering her chest with her palms and staring at Edward warily.


    Did he think she didn''t notice where he was looking? She wasn''t blind! She might be slow in their sex


    life, but she was no fool. She could see a hint of lust in his eyes. She knew he must havee up with


    something, and she didn''t n to y along.

 Chapter 349 I Can Undress Myself (Part Two)

    Chapter 349 I Can Undress Myself (Part Two)


    "I''ll help you undress. What else do you think I want to do?" Edward smirked again. He had


    underestimated her! But no woman could resist his charm and reject him, and Edward believed Daisy


    would concede in just a short while.


    "Edward, you''re evil!" Daisy blushed again and looked away. She would definitely not approach Edward


    since he had stated what he wanted to do to her. She knew he wasscivious, but she didn''t think he''d


    say it out loud. She wouldn''t fall into his trap again!


    "What are you thinking, honey? You can''t reach the zip, can you? I''m just trying to help. Or do you want


    to do something else with me instead?" Edward was telling the truth. He did mean to unzip Daisy since


    she couldn''t take off the dress on her own. However, he also wanted to do something more intimate


    and romantic with her after taking off her dress. But he decided that Daisy didn''t need to know thest


    part of his n, yet. His image of a good husband in her heart might be tarnished in that case.


    "No, I can undress myself." Daisy decided to try again. Things wouldn''t be as simple as taking off a


    piece of clothing if she went to Edward for help. And she knew it well.


    "Are you sure?" Edward got out of bed as he asked again. Startled, Daisy staggered a few steps


    backward. She knew better than anyone what Edward was capable of when it came to seducing a


    woman. She didn''t want to y the part of his prey again tonight.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    "Yes." Hands still covering her chest, Daisy gazed at Edward defensively, in case he suddenly flung


    himself against her. She was wearing a dress, and she couldn''tst over 60 seconds in this dress


    before Edward took her down.


    "Okay. Good luck with that. I''m going to have a shower. I''m happy to help if you are still in that dress


    when I finish." With a sly smile, Edward shrugged and walked directly toward the bathroom. When he


    went past Daisy, he quickly held her chin up with his long fingers and left a gentle kiss on her rosy lips.


    Before Daisy realized what had happened, he let go of her andughed out loud as he disappeared


    behind the bathroom door. Daisy froze, ''Did he just stop forcing himself on me? Why does he never


    y by the rules?''


    While Daisy was still in shock, Edward was gloating inside the bathroom. He knew Daisy would still be


    struggling to take off her dress when he finished his shower, because she had no idea about the secret


    of her dress. To avoid wardrobe malfunction, the zip on the custom-designed dress wasn''t like any


    other ones; it had a small hidden hook. As much as the dress was expensive, almost half of the price


    he paid went to the zip.


    However, Daisy didn''t know about this. Therefore she couldn''t get out of the dress without Edward''s


    help, not unless she decided to destroy the dress directly. But he knew Daisy had always led a frugal


    life, he believed she wouldn''t tear the dress off violently.


    As soon as Daisy saw Edward head into the bathroom, she flung her arms behind her and tried again


    to reach for the zip. After ten minutes of trying and failing, she finally realized that why Edward didn''t


    force her and dropped the topic so easily. He knew exactly what he was doing! She couldn''t see the


    back of her dress, and she had no idea how the zip was hooked; therefore she wouldn''t be able to take


    off the dress on her own. Realizing that, Daisy gave up and threw herself into the bed. ''Well, that''s it.''


    she thought gloomily, ''I have to ask the devil for help.''


    Instead of taking a 3-minute quick shower, Edward spent quite a long while in the bathroom. When he


    finally emerged from the bathroom again, he didn''t know whether he shouldugh or sigh at what he


    had seen. While he was having a bath, Daisy fell asleep on their bed! How could she fall asleep like


    that? Wasn''t she afraid that Edward would do something to her while she didn''t even know it? Or did


    she believe Edward was a gentleman who wouldn''t make a move on her without permission?


    The truth was that Daisy was wide awake. She heard him walk out of the bathroom and hastily closed


    her eyes, pretending that she had fallen asleep. She did it because she was too embarrassed to ask


    him for help. After all, it was she who had sternly rejected him when he offered to help. She knew


    Edward would never leave her alone about this, and he would tease her before and after the dress


    came off. Daisy decided she''d better y dumb and pretend to be asleep. Even if he took off her dress


    for her, she could pretend she didn''t know it because she was supposed to be asleep. And she didn''t


    have to feel embarrassed that he saw her naked even though she was sober.


    "Asleep already? I wonder how you did anything without me all these years!" With his eyes fixed on her


    face, Edward mumbled as he tenderly caressed her creamy skin with a smile. He reached his hand for


    the hidden hook and pushed it. The hook popped open immediately, then he easily unzipped her dress.


    Daisy secretly sighed inside. She was annoyed! How could Edward remove a woman''s clothes like he


    had done it a million times before? He was such a yboy! Besides, how was she supposed to know


    that the zip was designed with a special hook? She thought she just needed to find the zip and pull it


    like she did to her other dresses!


    "Honey, time to wake up. Still pretending? I wouldn''t mind helping you with your shower in that case."


    Edward leaned close to whisper in Daisy''s ear, his warm breath brushing her earlobe. He really thought


    she was asleep until she quivered when hended his fingers on her smooth skin. Edward instantly


    realized that Daisy was putting on an act.


    ''No, he''s only bluffing! He can''t be knowing that I am pretending.'' Besides, she was half-naked at this


    point. How could she admit that she was conscious and let him undress her? Daisy made up her mind


    to keep her eyes shut and lie still, although she was really nervous.


    "Okay. So my honey is really sound asleep. But she needs a shower. What should I do? I think I''ll have


    to help her out." As soon as Edward finished speaking, he grabbed the dress and, with a sudden burst


    of strength, pulled the dress off her body. He determined to leave her no choice. Daisy let out a terrified


    scream as she felt her body exposed in the cold air. She hurriedly pulled over a quilt to cover her up.


    "Ahh! Edward! What are you doing?" Daisy hadn''t expected that Edward would suddenly strip her


    down. The first thing came to her mind was to cover herself up; she hadpletely forgotten that she


    was supposed to be asleep.


    "Nothing. Weren''t you asleep? As you can see, I''m helping you take off your dress and grab a shower."


    Edward put on an innocent look as he answered. However, he was smirking inside, ''Keep on ying!


    As if you could fool me.''


    "No. I can manage on my own." Was he kidding? Daisy would never believe that Edward would help


    her take a shower without doing anything else. She was no fool!


    "Are you sure, honey? You said you didn''t need my help with the dress, and here you are. Are you


    really sure this time?" The more Daisy blushed, the more Edward felt like teasing her. She was a tough


    girl; it was rather rare to see her surrender.


    "Absolutely! Now turn around! I need to go to the bathroom! Alone!" Daisy was a military officer, she


    was used to seeing topless soldiers and their broad chests after training. But now seeing Edward in


    front of her with only a bath towel around his waist, Daisy got nervous and didn''t know where to look.


    And did he just threaten her? Daisy believed that she didn''t need help taking a bath. She was a grown-


    up woman, not a 3-year-old child!

 Chapter 350 I Can Undress Myself (Part Three)

    Chapter 350 I Can Undress Myself (Part Three)


    "Go ahead. I won''t peep. But do you think there''s any part of your body I haven''t already seen?"


    Although Edward kept flirting with her, he turned around as she demanded. He knew Daisy was coy. If


    he pushed her too hard, she would really get angry with him. And Edward didn''t n to waste their


    night quarreling with her. He decided he''d better take a step back right now, so he could take things a


    step further after she finished her shower.


    Daisy obviously didn''t believe him. She wrapped herself with a sheet and hastily dashed toward the


    bathroom. Edward burst into snickers while hearing her hurried footsteps. ''Did she just say she didn''t


    need my help? Didn''t she notice that she didn''t bring her pajamas in?'' Edward beamed as he gazed at


    the closed door, ''Now, we''ll just have to wait.''


    N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    He casually grabbed a towel to dry his wet hair, then he threw the towel on the floor. As he was about


    to turn, Edward suddenly remembered what he had promised Daisy. He stared at the towel for a while


    and sighed. He picked it up and ced it on the back of a nearby chair. Daisy was a soldier; she liked


    to see things in order, and she brought her habits into her daily life.


    Edward turned around and saw the gorgeous and sexy dress Daisy wore that night. He could still recall


    how the other men drooled over his wife! He was so jealous that he really wanted to wrap Daisy up with


    his suit jacket to block other men''s lustful gazes. Then he thought of the purpose of the party was to let


    the whole world know how beautiful and brilliant his wife was. No matter how jealous he got, he had to


    keep it to himself for the time being.


    Daisy was definitely the focus of the whole party. She was the brightest diamond on the crown that


    outshone every woman present. She was stunning; she was Edward''s wife, and she was a colonel!


    Edward believed that she would make the headlines tomorrow. Every newspaper and media outlet


    would be dying to write reports about her. Everyone would know who she was by then. Edward initially


    meant to sponsor the army base to back her up; but since some people didn''t know she was Edward''s


    wife and tried to mess with her, Edward had to do something else. Now he was sure no one would bully


    Daisy and get in the way of the promotion she deserved.


    Edward knew Daisy was a decent and honorable soldier. She didn''t like to get her career involved with


    his business; she''d rather fight for her own honors and medals. That was why Edward had put Rain in


    charge of the affairs rting to the army base. He wanted to do whatever he could to help Daisy


    without getting in her way. He wouldn''t interfere in her job if that was what she wanted, but it didn''t


    mean he would sit there and watch others bully his wife. They picked on Daisy because they thought


    she was just an ordinary female soldier without a strong background, and Edward intended to show


    them how wrong they were. Daisy wasn''t just some woman; she had the whole of FX International


    Group to back her up.


    As for the usation of Daisy taking bribes, Edward didn''t even worry. The party tonight would sink a


    lot of rumors. Any sensible person would understand that how ridiculous it would be for Daisy to dig her


    own grave by taking bribes. She was seen driving a luxurious Ferrari once, so what? It was her own car


    rather than a bribe, and it wouldn''t match the wealth she had ess to as Edward''s wife.


    While Edward was lost in thought, Daisy realized she had been trapped in an awkward situation.


    Edward was right; she really needed his help even after she thought she could take care of everything


    now that she got rid of the dress. She could either ask Edward to pass her the pajamas, or she could


    walk out with only a bath towel like Edward did. However, women were different from men! Daisy


    couldn''t just wrap the towel around her waist, could she? But the towel was too short for her to cover


    her torso properly. She would be just as naked if she just wore a bath towel.


    Daisy looked at herself in the mirror, her face as red as an apple. She made a funny face at the mirror


    and then took a deep breath to calm herself down. She discreetly pulled the door slightly open, and


    peeped from the crack, trying to find whether Edward was still in the bedroom. Daisy was mad at


    herself. She always acted like a fool in front of Edward, such as dashing into the bathroom without


    bringing her pajamas more than once. What happened to the decisive colonel she used to be?


    "Honey, are you spying on some invisible enemy or trying to seduce me?" Although Edward was


    immersed in his thoughts, he kept an eye on the bathroom all the time. When he heard noiseing


    from the other side of the door, he strode forward and stopped in front of the door, waiting for Daisy to


    ask him to pass her the pajamas. But Edward hadn''t expected that instead of asking him for help,


    Daisy would furtively check outside the door. She looked nothing like a colonel but only an innocent


    little woman right now.


    "Ahh! How long have you been standing here?" Surprised to see Edward''s eyes when she opened the


    door, Daisy froze and stammered. She should have just closed the door directly! When she realized


    that she was practically naked, she wanted to m the door, but Edward wouldn''t let her. He stuck his


    feet into the crack and pressed his body against the door. Daisy could only get away if she just


    mmed the door without thinking whether Edward would get hurt; but she couldn''t do that.


    "When you finished your bath and didn''te out. I figured out what you were about to do," Edward


    replied with his eyebrows raised. He could feel that Daisy was pushing against the door from behind.


    From his angle, he could only see Daisy''s head. He wondered how sexy it must be behind the door


    where Daisy only wore a bath towel, or was even naked! Her curves were more appealing as she


    pushed hard and tried to close the door.


    "Honey, just back off and pass me my pajamas, will you?" Daisy gave up on the hard way and tried to


    y cute. It worked every time when she called Edward ''honey'' softly. Would Edward concede this


    time? Absolutely not! He was pissed when Daisy called another man by his first name on the party,


    even though that man was her younger brother. Daisy usually called Edward by his full name, and she


    only addressed him as ''honey'' when she needed something. Edward wouldn''t surrender easily this


    time.


    "Remember, you said you didn''t need my help. Did you forget already? I can''t help wondering whether


    you were washing your body or your brain for the past half hour, "


    Edward answered slowly with a smirk as if he had no intention to fetch her pajamas. Daisy, on the other


    hand, was anxious to death! She didn''t wear anything and she didn''t want Edward to see her like that.


    Meanwhile, she was afraid Edward would catch her off-guard and barge in. She had no choice but to


    press herself against the door, but she couldn''t push it too hard because it might hurt Edward''s feet.


    Looking up at the culprit who had put her into such a miserable situation, Daisy found his smirk really


    annoying and she wanted to kick him so badly.

 Chapter 351 Honey, Are You Ready

    Chapter 351 Honey, Are You Ready


    "When did I reject your help? Honey, you must have misheard me. You will help gather my clothes,


    won''t you? Please." Daisy''s girlish tone gave even herself goose bumps. It was hard for her to imagine


    how some women could spit out these corny words of coquetry. They must have been immune to


    Them thanks to frequent practice. Yet not her. She still felt ufortable doing that.


    "Daisy, wow. Are you denying what you just said? Are you also a liar in front of your soldiers?" Edward


    looked at her, eyes widened in surprise. Daisy was not who she had been before. She was foxier and


    more mischievous now, unlike the noble and serious army officer she used to be. Hopefully, she


    wouldn''t lead other soldiers to y rogue like her.


    "No. Because no soldier would get in my way like you do. They know I''d beat them up and punish them


    with 50k of cross-country running." Daisy would like to have Edward be her subordinate. This way she


    was able to m the door, or give him a suplex after putting on her clothes and train him for the whole


    day, without worrying about the consequences. Then Edward would be too exhausted to do anything,


    let alone block her.


    Edward responded with heartyughter. Meanwhile, a hint of foxiness rose from his eyes. At Daisy''s


    careless moment, he pushed the door and nudged into the room. Daisy was shocked. She immediately


    covered her private parts. Yet she still remained naked before Edward. So she rushed into his arms


    and embraced him tightly, this way Edward would see fewer parts of her naked body. Her abrupt hug


    caught Edward by surprise.


    "Honey, even though I''m delicious, you should keep your cool. Huh." Edward soon shook it off, and


    resumed teasing her. ''Doesn''t she know that she just sent herself, the prey, to me, the predator? She is


    all naked, pressing herself against me. No man could ever resist such temptation.'' Edward pondered.


    Daisy didn''t realize what she had done until she felt the warmth of Edward''s body. But she had done it


    anyway. She was too embarrassed to jump out of his arms now. She only wished to bury all of her into


    Edward''s arms. She dare not speak another word as she felt Edward''s erect member. She had no


    choice but to cling onto him.


    Edward''s Adam''s apple rolled as his desire rose. Next step he slightly bent down, held Daisy up, and


    walked to the soft bed.


    "What..." Finding herself suddenly off the floor, Daisy hugged Edward''s neck with fright, her cheeks


    growing rosier. Her shocked eyes greeted Edward''s affectionate look.


    With an evil smile, Edward nestled her on the bed, then pressed onto her red lips. His move was wild


    and eager. His French kiss was affectionate and sensual.


    "Ah..."


    Daisy groaned while frowning. She felt that all her air was sucked up by Edward. The wine aroma from


    his mouth was particrly enchanting, making her body soft as a noodle.


    "Silly, keep breathing." Edward bit her lips romantically, then kissed her all the way down her


    corbone. The fact that they were both naked saved him quite a lot of trouble. Soon his lips moved to


    her plump breasts.


    Daisy rolled her eyes, but still gave up struggling andy under his body willingly. She had to stop


    preaching gender equality to her soldiers. In terms of sex, there was no such thing as gender equality.


    Women were always at a disadvantage.


    "Ah! Be gentle." Edward''s nibble pulled Daisy out of her thoughts. Edward really liked nibbling during


    their lovemaking.


    "Are you trying to challenge me? Huh? How can you zone out at this moment?" Then Edward began


    squeezing her firm boobs while nibbling her ear lobe. His move made Daisy quiver with pleasure. She


    looked at Edward with sensual eyes.


    "I... I didn''t zone out," Daisy answered, her tone implying ack of confidence. She relished his big


    hands drifting around her body. The waves of pleasure gradually built into a sea of euphoria. Soon she


    began reacting to his flirtation.


    "Honey, you are so charming tonight." As eager as Edward was, he focused on the forey rather than


    just got in-and-out. He believed that if you truly loved a woman, you had to treat her like a queen on


    bed. Only in doing so would a woman''s hidden passion and all her love unleash. That was exactly what


    he desired----Daisy''s life-long love, not one-night pleasure.


    "Just tonight? I wasn''t charming before? Huh..." Daisy''s mouth was filled with Edward''s tongue again


    before she finished her words. He elerated his moves. With a violent pull, he threw the towel


    wrapped on his waist aside. Then he shoved his member between her legs, making Daisy a bit afraid


    and want to retreat.


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    "Honey, are you ready?" Edward''s forehead wore a film of sweat. He nuzzled against her nose and


    stared at her affectionately. The air smelled of lust and pleasure.


    Daisy didn''t answer but hugged his neck and pressed her lips onto his. Edward smiled tacitly, then


    pierced her softness. It was so tight that he grunted with exertion. He had slept with plenty of women,


    but only Daisy was the most wanted.


    Daisy seldom hid her love for Edward in private. Maybe she had been a bit shy at the beginning, but


    now she hade out of her shell. She crossed his well-built waist with her legs, helping move him


    deeper. Her face turned crimson and luscious from the pleasure.


    "Ah..." As Edward quickened his movements, Daisy couldn''t help groaning. With love and satisfaction,


    she looked at him and wiped away the sweat on his forehead with her fair hands. She couldn''t be


    happier. She was with him, her body and her heart. Like the other times before, she enjoyed their sexy


    time fully.


    "Honey... I love you." Daisy whispered beside his ear after Edward''s final robust pration. Her words


    made him grow more ecstatic.


    "Honey, I love you as well, more than any time." His tone was so seductive and mesmerizing that Daisy


    couldn''t help moving with his thrusts to release her stored passion.


    Maybe because of the alcohol, Edward was quite sentimental and enchanting tonight. He conquered


    Daisypletely. Even the Moon hanging on the sky now hid in the clouds coyly.


    At the other corner of the city, Kevin looked helplessly at Leena. She was sound asleep, probably from


    jetg. She was so tired that she fell asleep before he finished showering. Had he seen iting, he


    would have let her shower first. Now he didn''t know what to do.


    "Leena, can you catch a shower first before you sleep?" Kevin sat on the bed sill and shook Leena


    gently, trying to wake her up. Yet what he got in return was just murmuring. That left Kevin with no other


    choice. With a long sigh, he stood up and began to help change her burden of the evening dress.


    But he didn''t realize the difficulty of his task until he set his hands on it. He hadn''t had as many women


    as Edward had, so naturally he didn''t know much about how to take off their clothes. He took off her


    clothes only to the waist after a long while of hustle. And that had used quite a lot of his energy. On the


    one hand, he had to fight with the tricky dress; on the other hand, he had to resist the temptation of her


    curvy figure. Indeed, it was no easy job.


    Normally, Kevin''s clumsy movements would have awakened Leena. Well, not tonight----she drank too


    much alcohol to flee her bad mood. So she had no reaction, except some asional frowns indicating


    that she was disrupted. She had no idea that Kevin was struggling with her evening gown.


    "s! What a little trouble-maker." Kevin said gently. After a string of strenuous efforts, he finally


    changed her dress intofortable pajamas. Changing her clothes was even more tiring than a long


    day of military training. He had nned to wake her up and let her shower. But he gave up the idea


    after seeing her sleeping like a log.


    He caressed her smooth face with mixed feelings. He knew that he neglected her tonight. But she


    didn''tin about him, but defended him in front of Rain and Tom. Was it because that she didn''t


    love or care about him at all? Or was she just trying to y it cool? Anyway he felt that she was upset,


    or she wouldn''t have gulped down so much alcohol tonight. He wondered how he could make things


    better.

 Chapter 352 You Win (Part One)

    Chapter 352 You Win (Part One)


    Kevin walked to the balcony and looked into the sky. His handsome face seemed concerned. He


    smiled with self-mockery and wondered, what had happened to him. He had told himself repeatedly


    that he should not hope for the love which didn''t belong to him. So why was he still feeling sad when he


    saw their public disy of affection?


    He lit a cigarette. The peculiar smell of nicotine gagged him. He coughed lightly. The smell faded with


    the emission of smoke. He rarely smoked. Usually, he only smoked one or two cigarettes when he felt


    bored and lonely in the army base. He smoked tonight because his heart was overwhelmed.


    He didn''t deny the fact that he got married to Leena for selfish reasons. He wanted his father to give up


    on the idea of an arranged marriage, so he took advantage of Leena to reach his purpose. He used to


    consider such behavior as despicable. He was ashamed to admit that he had reduced to such an


    immoral level, just to be able to see Daisy regrly.


    In fact, he didn''t know why he was so persistent. He got used to watching the woman he loved and


    waiting. He got lost in his fantasies and didn''t know what he really wanted. If he was a stubborn man


    who only wanted Daisy and who''d never consider another woman, why didn''t he think about winning


    over Daisy? Or was his feeling for Daisy some sort of spiritual sustenance that had umted over


    the years. Perhaps, it wasn''t the deep love he had thought it to be.


    Kevin never considered himself as a sentimental person. But such annoying thoughts kepting to


    him recently; he couldn''t escape them. His mind was deeply troubled by theseplex thoughts. He


    had thought that Leena was from an ordinary family when she married him, and that she became


    superior by marrying a high-ranking official. He didn''t expect that she was the daughter of the owner of


    Leng Group. In that instant, he felt guilty for marrying the princess-like Leena who was the apple of her


    family''s eye. If it weren''t for him, she would find a far better match. At least then she wouldn''t have to


    live such a lonely and dull life.


    Kevin had noints about Leena. On the contrary, she made him feel that he should look at her in


    a new light. He had assumed that such a noblewoman from an affluent family would be arrogant and


    overbearing. But her behavior and manner changed his prejudice towards the heirs of wealthy and


    influential families. Or perhaps, he only changed his prejudice against Leena.


    Although sometimes she seemed slightly tipsy, she still looked lovely and adorable. Besides, she had


    unusual views on everything. She looked innocent, posing no threat to anyone. But she also had a


    sharp mind. This was all that Kevin knew about Leena as of now. He wasn''t sure if he would change


    these views with time. But the future was still very distant, wasn''t it?


    He breathed out a swirl of cigarette smoke and nipped the cigarette in the ashtray. He looked at the


    ck sky dotted with the bright stars one more time and silently turned back to enter the room. He


    inadvertently smiled while looking at Leena who was in sound sleep on the bed. .


    Mornings at FX International Group were always busy, this was especially true today. Telephones in the


    office were constantly ringing, calls were flooding to confirm the authenticity of today''s reports. The


    youngest female Colonel Daisy Ouyang turned out to be the wife of the CEO of FX International Group,


    and also the mother of their love child as per the newspapers and magazines. This big news became


    the blockbuster of the day. It stirred greatmotion in every corner of S City. People marveled at this


    powerful alliance.


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Edward, you look horny so early in the morning. And your obscene smile is disgusting. Is it because


    you were not satisfied yesterday night and you want to proceed with your lewd fancy with the beautiful


    woman in the newspaper?" Rain ridiculed Edward while leaning against the door and smiling


    mischievously.


    "Do you think that I''m like you, who has no one to love? Forget about those rubbish fancies, that''s your


    thing." Edward put aside the newspaper he had been reading carefully for a while. The picture on the


    cover of the newspaper was an erged photo of Daisy.


    "Oh, no! Don''t say that. I don''t fancy other women." Rain walked towards the table and picked up the


    newspaper with curiosity. When he saw the beautiful woman on the cover, he showed a understanding


    smile and teased, "Huh! I was wondering who this woman might be. It''s Daisy.


    No wonder you were smiling so obscenely. I''m surprised to see that Daisy looks so fascinating even


    when she''s not wearing her uniform."


    "Dish it out! What do you want to say? Don''t bber." Edward knew Rain''s personality very well. If it


    weren''t for something important, he would be cking at his office instead of visiting Edward''s office so


    early in the morning.


    "Bingo. You''re right. The Army Group called today." Rain paused intentionally and cunningly looked at


    Edward with raised eyebrows. He was wondering how much this topic would interest Edward.


    "Oh! What did they say?" He always paid attention to any news concerning Daisy. Edward also knew


    that Rain was intentionally keeping him in suspense, he was inclined to fall into his trap.


    "Boss, don''t you think that we have made a fortune this time?" Rain continued to talk in circles. Seeing


    Edward''s keenness, he tried to torment him some more. Generally, Rain was the one on the receiving


    end of torture. Today he wanted to turn the tide and enjoy the pleasure of torturing Edward.


    "I''ll give you a minute to spit out the relevant information. Otherwise, get out of here immediately!"


    Edward narrowed his eyes and coldly looked at Rain who was smiling smugly. ''Huh, how dare he y


    these childish games with me. Does he think that I''m weak and helpless today?'' Edward thought.


    "I know you''re impatient. You know what, you''re extremely mean to me, and you can''t stand the


    happiness of others. You should know that while we have spent a fortune on the army project, we have


    also gotten good returns." Rain was testing Edward''s limits. Edward wanted to punch him after hearing


    his reply because he didn''t say anything useful.

 Chapter 353 You Win

    Chapter 353 You Win


    Edward frowned. It appeared that he needed to teach Rain a good lesson after this topic was finished.


    He was disappointed because Rain hadn''t given him any important information yet.


    "Have you heard it? The Army Group was nning to invite bids for the construction of a modernized


    information building and new residential buildings for soldiers and their families. But now they''ve given


    up the n and handed over the case directly to the constructionpany of FX International Group."


    Enduring Edward''s threatening looks, Rain finally spat out the key points. After Edward heard them, he


    really wanted to beat Rain to death. Because Rain had tormented him for so long, but the content was


    not what he wanted to hear. It was a total waste of time.


    "You seem overjoyed by such a small project worthy of a small amount. Don''t forget that the money


    we''ve financed them on the military equipment is several timesrger than the money we will profit


    from this project." Edward stared at Rain. He regretted that he had chosen Rain to be the vice


    president of thepany. He felt that Rain was just a sandwich short of a pic. Especially after Annie


    left him abruptly.


    "I knew you''d react like this. But what if I have more news? Would you still say that I''m deliberately


    casting a mist on your eyes?" Rain said with ease. He was determined to tease Edward this time. He


    was sure that Edward would stop staring at him with such a sullen look when he heard what he had to


    say.


    N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    "More news? Does it have anything to do with Daisy''s discement?"


    This topic instantly cheered up Edward. As this concerned Daisy, he suddenly became rxed and


    everything seemed negotiable.


    "Yes, exactly. They said they wouldn''t record Daisy''s matter into the file to show the appreciation for our


    support. And they specially asked her to take two days off to make up for everything she has suffered.


    What do you think? Are you satisfied now?"


    Rain showed a charming smile with his head shaking slightly. The royal blue ear studs sparkled


    beautifully with his movement, making him look all the more fascinating. If Edward hadn''t mentioned


    Daisy''s trouble to him yesterday night, he would have been surprised by the call this morning.


    "That should be the case. I thought that they would continue to be stubborn about it. Have you found


    the person behind the plot?" Although the Army Commander had given his word to Edward yesterday,


    Edward wasn''t able to rx before everything finally settled down. Now that he had heard the news, he


    felt relieved.


    "No, I don''t have a clue. Can you think of someone?" Rain didn''t believe that Edward had no idea about


    who might have done it. It was too obvious. Rain considered that Edward probablycked the evidence


    to prove his doubt.


    "Yes! If she is responsible for everything that happened to Daisy, I think soon you''ll be busy again."


    Edward sneered, ''Jessica, I hope you remember what I said to you earlier. Don''t provoke Daisy, or


    even God won''t be able to help you this time, '''' Edward thought.


    "Why is it me again? Can''t you ask someone else to do it?" Rain got upset as soon as he heard


    Edward''s words. Last time, Edward asked him to punish the Lin Group. He had sex with Annie after he


    got drunk. And now, Annie had disappeared. If this time Edward asked him to obliterate the Lin Group,


    he couldn''t imagine what would happen.


    "You know how to handle such things. You''re the most suitable person to manage this. No one looks as


    idle as you do!" Edward ignored Rain''s dramatic look. Speaking of social skills, Rain was no worse than


    Edward. It mostly depended on whether he was willing to deal with someone or not.


    "What? Do I look idle? Boss, why don''t you go to my office and look on my table how many pending


    ns that need to be finished? I think I won''t be able to finish them by next month." ''Huh, Edward is


    indeed a heinous businessman. He knows how to use different ways to enve me. I''m just a poor


    bread earner. I wish I had four hands. Otherwise, I won''t finish all the work and the chances of taking a


    holiday are faint now. Then when can I find time to look for Annie?'' Rain grumbled in his heart.


    "This is all because you are so inefficient with your work. You should me it on yourself." Edward


    didn''t doubt what Rain had said about his workload because Edward gave him all the work. He did it


    intentionally so Rain wouldn''t have time to think about Annie. Why search for someone who didn''t want


    to be found, Edward thought.


    It would be better for Rain to get busy with work and forget the things that troubled him. If Annie really


    loved him and didn''t want to leave him, she woulde back to Rain one day.


    "Huh! You mean it''s all my fault. Can you exin why the files which should be handled by you are


    sitting on my table?" Rain stared at Edward, feeling speechless. ''Edward is so shameless to say such


    words. Obviously, he transferred his work to me. And he is so brazen to put all the me on me, '' Rain


    thought.


    "The reason is simple. I rarely get a chance to go out with Daisy. You need to help me manage all the


    work when I''m out. Otherwise, why am I paying you such a high monthly sry?" Edward didn''t have


    the slightest feeling of shame when he said this. Because in his eyes, the vice president was supposed


    to work for him passionately. No one else was more suitable for this job than Rain.


    "You win, okay? I will wait to see your miserable face when Daisy gets angry with you. You''re so


    cunning. I hope you screw up your date and get a thrashing from Daisy." Rain cursed and turned


    around to leave; his face was ming with fury. As soon as he opened the door, he bumped into Luke


    who was about toe inside.

 Chapter 354 You Used Me

    Chapter 354 You Used Me


    "What the hell? Luke, sweetie, I know I''m handsome, but you can''t just throw yourself at me so eagerly.


    I''m very reserved," Rain said, touching his high nose which hurt like hell after having been crushed by


    Luke. Luke was not a small man, and it felt as if his body were made of iron.


    "I''m not that horny yet. And don''t call me sweetie." Luke moved quickly around Rain with a cool


    expression and walked in the CEO''s office. Rain''s affectation was totally ignored.


    "Sweetie, what do you mean? Do you despise me? Am I not good enough for you?" Hearing Luke''s


    words, Rain turned around to step into the room. His feelings were hurt. ''Unbelievable!'' he thought.


    ''How could he indicate that an extremely handsome man like me was not good enough?''


    "I don''t despise you. I just don''t like you," Luke answered, looking at Rain without a hint of smile on his


    face.


    "Come on! That''s the same thing." Rain rolled his eyes and then realized that it was pointless to talk


    about like or dislike with Luke, because in Luke''s world only Edward mattered, and nobody else


    concerned him. He would be stupid to continue the topic.


    Edward was amused by Rain and Luke''s banter. Rain was always talking, yet Luke was not much of a


    talker. It was funny when they were together.


    "Mr. Mu, you''ve got to watch this video." If Luke disliked someone, he wouldn''t even look at him. It was


    who he was. At this moment, no matter what Rain said, he just ignored him and then calmly put his


    phone in front of Edward.


    "What is it?" Luke sounded serious. Edward looked at him, confused and nervous about what he was


    to see. Somehow, he sensed it was rted to Daisy.


    "y it and you''ll know." Luke sighed inwardly. Someone screwed up. He wondered how Edward would


    deal with this matter.


    "Er, maybe I should excuse myself," Rain asked cautiously. He stopped fooling around, sensing it was


    serious, "No, you don''t have to," Luke said simply. He didn''t ignore Rain this time. He just didn''t like him


    ying around. When it came to serious business, he could be easygoing.


    Edward took a deep breath and pressed the ''y'' button. After some rustling noise, a man and a


    woman were seen standing together. Since the woman was standing with her back against the camera


    in the dim light, it was uncertain who she was. But Edward had seen the man at the cocktail party the


    night before, the one who had been at the Commander''s side the whole time, hard to ignore.


    "Miss Lin, you used me. Colonel Ouyang was the wife of the CEO of FX International Group. Why did


    you deceive me into reporting Colonel Ouyang by telling me that you are the CEO''s wife?" The man


    sounded furious. His face was full of anger.


    "Hank, you knew all along that I was using you. What''s more, you wouldn''t have cooperated with me if


    you didn''t have a problem with Daisy, right?" Edward was familiar with the woman''s voice. His hands


    coiled into fists in anger. ''Jessica, it''s you. I know you aren''t as simple as you pretend to be. I''m


    impressed you found someone in the military to use so quickly.


    I thought Daisy was suspended because her superiors thought she had taken a bribe. It turns out it was


    a conspiracy by these two. Jessica, you think you deserve to be my wife? Don''t taint that title!''


    "Miss Lin, I wasn''t your partner. I was used by you when I was unaware of the truth. I hope you can


    shut your mouth during the following investigations, or I will be very angry." Hank red at Jessica with


    wide eyes, looking grim and vicious.


    "Haha, Hank, do you really think you can get off scot free? Don''t you forget that you took my check! Do


    you really think I don''t know why you were willing to conspire against that bitch Daisy with me? If I''m


    not wrong, it''s because her rank is higher than yours, isn''t it?" On hearing this, Edward, Luke and Rain


    looked at each other. They never thought Hank was a good person. But they couldn''t believe Hank had


    taken a bribe, because it was an especially severe crime for a serviceman. Didn''t he know that?


    "I''ll return the check to you right now. We''ve never met. Remember that. Don''t assume you know other


    people''s thoughts. It''s not good for you." Hank took out something out of his pocket and threw it at


    Jessica. Then he marched off. The video ended here. Edward''s face was flushed with rage -- the scene


    angered Edward enormously.


    "Mr. Mu, what do we do?" Luke took his phone back. He had recorded the video by ident. Hank and


    Jessica had been bold enough to talk about their dirty business inside Kate Hotel. Luke had put the


    entire hotel under surveince for FX International Group''s anniversary ceremony.


    "Rain, take action to wipe out Lin Group right now. Luke, find someone to keep an eye on Mrs. Ouyang.


    I''ll find something against her." Edward squinted his eyes grimly. Since Hank and Jessica were trying


    everything to ruin his woman''s life, he would mercilessly make their lives a living hell.


    "Ah, so soon? I''m still taking a break from myst assignment." Rain thought it would be some time


    before he got a new workload. Edward had just mentioned it several minutes ago. In this case, he


    would be too busy to eat, let alone think about Annie.


    "Don''t you know you should strike while the iron is hot? Since Jessica''s so eager to die, why don''t I


    redeem her wish? I''ll wait and see what dirty tricks she can y without Lin Group''s protection,"


    Edward said, but he didn''t know that Jessica could still stir things up even without Lin Group''s backing.


    "Boss, do you want it done fast or effectively?" Rain put his elbows on the desk and looked at Edward


    with his hands under his jaw. He hoped Edward could promise him some benefit for doing this task,


    because he would be exhausted from all this work. It had been awhile since he had a break.


    "What''s the difference?" Edward looked at Rain indifferently, sensing that he was up to something.


    "If you want it done fast, you have to reduce the quantity of the files on my desk by half and if you want


    it done effectively, you have to give me time." Rain put forward his terms leisurely. To get what he


    wanted, he had to withstand the killer look his boss was casting at him. Otherwise, he would not have


    the slightest second of personal time left.


    "I want both. But I won''t reduce the quantity of the files on your desk at all. I want the result in three


    days. As to how to do it, that''s your job." Obviously, Edward was a better game yer than Rain.


    Exploiting Rain was his entertainment. Otherwise, how would he have time to apany Daisy? She


    hardly ever had a vacation.


    Edward''s response was a heavy blow to Rain. He pressed his face against the desk. Instead of


    benefits, he got a pressing deadline. He felt desperate. "What? Boss, you can''t do this to me. I''ll die


    from exhaustion. What about assigning Anna as my assistant?"


    "You go ask Anna yourself. I have no problem with it if she agrees." Edward smiled mischievously.


    Anna had never engaged in major decisions-making and approvals, so she would only be able to help


    Rain with some simple files. Edward had intended to assign Aaron to assist Rain. Now that he asked


    for Anna, so be it. In this case, Aaron would be able to assist Edward with his work again and Edward


    would have more time for Daisy.


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    Hearing Edward''s words, Luke twitched his mouth violently and thought Edward couldn''t be more evil,


    because even if Anna agreed to assist Rain, as a secretary to the CEO, she would be concerned with


    the CEO''s office all the time and in return, she would have less time to help Rain, which meant she


    wouldn''t be of much help at all.


    "OK. then as of now, Anna''s main task is to assist me, so she won''t be your secretary, temporarily of


    course." Rain wasn''t stupid. He had chosen Anna for a reason, which he''d like to keep secret for now.


    "No problem. I''ll find somebody else to rece her." Edward gave an evil smile. He had thought Rain


    was sloppy, but today he was impressed with how shrewd Rain really was.

 Chapter 355 Curvy Body (Part One)

    Chapter 355 Curvy Body (Part One)


    Daisy woke upter than usual. She felt rather exhausted as Edward had been with her for the whole


    night. When she finally opened her eyes, the sun was high up in the air. She rolled over only to find


    Edward had left the bed.


    She quickly refreshed herself in the bathroom and felt much better. She came down the stairs with


    caution as she still felt vague pain in her leg muscles. Apparently, someone really wore her outst


    night.


    Today she carefully chose the outfit that suited her most. The elegant floor-length dressplemented


    her tall lean looks. As she walked down the stairs, her dress swiftly flipped around her ankles. She


    looked graceful and charming.


    "Daisy! You''re finally up! I''ve been waiting for you all morning." Daisy was still halfway on the staircases


    when Cynthia cried out to her in excitement. If not for the warning from her son this morning, Cynthia


    would have already dashed upstairs and woken Daisy herself.


    "Mom, sorry for getting upte. What''s the matter?" Daisy blushed as she felt a little bit guilty for being


    thest in the family to rouse herself. As the daughter-inw, she should have gotten up earlier.


    "It''s fine. I understand. I''m sure Edward tired you outst night." Cynthia''s words were direct and her


    smile was as bright as the sun.


    "Well! It''s not like that..." Daisy''s face turned even redder because of Cynthia''s words. She felt so


    awkward that she didn''t know where to rest her gaze. She wanted to dart out the door this very second.


    Her mother-inw was so direct and deadpan about such an intimate matter.


    "What do you mean it''s not like that? This morning when he set out, he specifically told me not to


    disturb you so that you could rest thoroughly. I am quite amazed at his change. For years, I have seen


    him being uncaring to others. You are actually the first one that he has ever cared about so much. I


    have never thought of that before." Cynthia sighed. Deep down, she wanted a more rxed


    rtionship with her son. She also hoped that one day, Edward would no longer fight with his father.


    "Mom, how are you feeling? You look rather pale today. Is everything ok?" Daisy earnestly asked. She


    saw the sad look on Cynthia''s face and was worried about her. She had no idea why all of a sudden,


    she looked upset.


    "It''s okay. Don''t worry about me. Go get some breakfast first! Then we can go shopping together."


    Cynthia gazed lovingly at Daisy. She had always dreamed of going shopping with her own daughter.


    Whenever she saw those women who walked the streets hand in hand with their own daughters, she


    felt the urge to do the same thing. Although Daisy was just her daughter-inw, she still considered


    Daisy her own daughter and loved her all the same.


    "Shopping? Just you and me?" Daisy was surprised to hear her suggestion. Her eyebrows slightly


    furrowed as she was used to being left alone. She would like to hang out with Cynthia, however, she


    did not know for sure how to get along well with her open-minded and straightforward mother-inw.


    "Yes! Justin''s out fishing with his grandpa. He said he wanted to have some peace and quiet before


    getting back to school tomorrow." Justin was a smart kid. As soon as he heard that his grandma was


    about to go shopping with his mother, he dodged that bullet. He made it clear that he would rather go


    fishing with his grandpa. He knew that shopping with women would bore him to tears.


    "Justin starts school tomorrow?" Daisy''s eyebrows furrowed tighter. She med herself for neglecting


    her son''s life. She was too focused on her own mood that she didn''t even notice when Justin''s school


    days would begin. Subconsciously, she relied way too much on Edward for everything. She felt that as


    long as he was by her side, she didn''t need to pay as much attention to the details as before.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    "Yes! We apanied him to registration the other day. Tomorrow is the first day at school for him.


    The school environment and the teaching quality at this school are the best in the city. Don''t you worry


    about that." Cynthia still vividly remembered the day when they went to the school to enroll their


    grandson. The teacher there mistook her and Jonathan as Justin''s parents. That crossed Jonathan


    greatly. His face was as cold as winter ice. For a moment, she thought that her husband was about to


    make a scene right there at the school.


    "Sorry about me being spacey these days. I hope I didn''t cause you much trouble." Daisy shyly rubbed


    her hands. She was not like this before. She used to treat anything concerning Justin as a priority,


    however, since she got back with Edward again, she was focused on her rekindled rtionship. She


    was not paying as much attention to her son as before. Deep down, she knew it was not the correct


    thing to do!


    "Hey, don''t say that. Justin is our beloved grandson, we''re family. You don''t need to act so formal with


    us. We have to put up with Edward''s coldness already, don''t you even think of treating us like


    strangers." Cynthia''s beautiful face turned gloomy. She was sad about the fact that her son was acting


    all indifferently to them. They had been home for a couple of days now, however, Edward hadn''t


    interacted much with them. She knew he held a grudge against them. Whenever she thought about it,


    her heart ached.


    "Mom, I know. I''ll have a word with him when I get a chance." Daisy noticed the strange way Edward


    treated his parents. She was confused and had absolutely no idea how to help them deal with the


    tension. She knew little about their history, or why Edward was so bitter.


    "Never mind. Let him be! Whatever floats his boat. Let''s get going, shall we?" Cynthia knew it would


    take a while for Edward to let go of the past. As the saying went, "Rome wasn''t built in a day." She


    understood that it would take some time to solve the issues between them and Edward.

 Chapter 356 Curvy Body (Part Two)

    Chapter 356 Curvy Body (Part Two)


    The early autumn in the city was still warm. The sunshine red down and made people sweat.


    Probably because the city was situated in the southern part of the country, it didn''t feel much like


    autumn to Daisy. As a soldier, Daisy was used to all kinds of situations. However, it really tired her out


    when it came to shopping with her mother-inw. Cynthia was way too passionate in picking out


    various kinds of clothes for her to try on. They had visited several stores and Daisy felt like as if she


    had tried on a million outfits. Right now, her dear mother-inw pushed her into a fitting room again.


    This time, she earnestly dumped a mini skirt into her hands.


    N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Daisy spent a lot of time in the fitting room, trying to put on the mini skirt. This was definitely the sexiest


    outfit she had ever worn in her life. The mini skirt came with a slim-cut top and she felt really


    ufortable as the outfit revealed way too much for her liking. She didn''t even have the courage to


    step out of the fitting room.


    "Daisy, how''s it going? Does it fit? It should fit! I chose this carefully ording to your size. I am


    actually very good at picking out clothes. I am sure it fits you perfectly." Cynthia became impatient as


    Daisy spent more time in the fitting room than she had expected. She wondered if she had picked out


    the wrong size. She shook her head as she was confident about her choice. The other clothes Daisy


    had tried on earlier were also the same size, so it couldn''t be wrong.


    "It fits. I''ll be out soon." Daisy took a deep breath, pulled the mini skirt downwards as much as she


    could and walked out of the fitting room.


    "Wow! I finally know why my son is so obsessed with you. No wonder he tangled with you all night long.


    Look at your straight legs and curvy body, I am surprised that he still has his senses when he is around


    you." Cynthia was absolutely amazed at Daisy''s beauty the moment she walked out. She knew the skirt


    would look great on her. This outfit really brought out Daisy''s charms and it could kill. With a smoking-


    hot body like that, Daisy didn''t look like a woman who had given birth to a child. She had tight waist and


    slim arms. Heads would turn at her curves. Thanks to her regr training at the base, Daisy was also


    proud of her own figure.


    "Mom..." Daisy''s face instantly turned feverish. Her mother-inw was a very charmingdy, however,


    she asionally would say something out of bounds. Especially now that they were in public areas,


    she really shouldn''t have said something like that. How could she just blurt out her love life with Edward


    in public? Did she have no tact? Daisy was really ashamed!


    "I''m sorry! Don''t be shy! I''ll stop talking about him. However, should I actually buy you the skirt? I


    wonder if someone would praise me or hate me for my extraordinary taste!" Cynthia looked at Daisy


    with appreciation. She really looked amazing in this sexy outfit and there was no doubt that heads


    would turn if she ever walked out in a skirt like that. Cynthia was concerned that her son would get


    jealous and tell her off for that. She didn''t want to make her son mad. Simply because whenever


    Edward talked back to her, her husband Jonathan would defend her and argue with their son. As a


    woman in the middle, she should do her best not causing any potential fights between the two stubborn


    men. For the sake of the peace at home, she probably shouldn''t buy the skirt.


    "Mom, are you even thinking about buying the skirt for me?!" Daisy was quite relieved when she heard


    Cynthia''s words. She didn''t want the skirt. It was way too revealing for her liking. She was also


    concerned about her husband''s reaction when he saw her in it. She didn''t have the courage to wear it


    and walk the streets in it. To be honest, she would rather do a 50k cross-country run than be seen in


    something like that.


    "Nope. I don''t dare to. I''m afraid your husband would kick us out if I ever give you the skirt as a gift."


    Cynthia knew her son well enough that she would never touch his bottom line. Edward took things


    seriously when it came to his beloved ones. He didn''t care about the rest at all, however, he would go


    all out for the ones he loved and cared. In order to stay with her adorable grandson and lovely


    daughter-inw, Cynthia decided to behave ording to Edward''s liking. She wanted her life to be


    interesting and fulfilling. It was not easy for her to have her current life. She finally started to feel at


    home. Although her son didn''t ept her whole-heartedly, she knew it was just a matter of time for him


    to fully open up. At least for now, she got along really well with her daughter-inw.


    "You really scared me! Even if you bought it for me, I don''t have the nerve to wear it. I don''t have much


    asion to wear casual clothes. Please don''t buy me so many clothes. You should focus on yourself


    and buy whatever you like!" Daisy said honestly to her. She really meant it. In terms of outfits, she


    preferred her military uniform to these prissy dresses. Her uniform defined who she was and resembled


    what she believed in. She held special feelings towards her uniform as it witnessed her growth and


    development as a soldier. Her faith was so strong that she would never get rid of it. It belonged to her,


    through and through.

 Chapter 357 Is She Your Daughter-in-law (Part One)

    Chapter 357 Is She Your Daughter-inw (Part One)


    "I love choosing clothes for you. You know what? That''s probably one of the happiest things in my life.


    Even if you never get the chance to wear them, I''ll still buy them for you! Who knows? You might need


    them one day. I mean you look proud in your uniform, but look at you! How could you waste such a


    nice body? You know how men are like. They''ll get bored if you don''t doll yourself up and change your


    style every now and then. You catch Edward''s eyes, you keep his heart."


    Deep down, Cynthia knew her son wasn''t that kind of man she was describing. Once Edward fell in


    love with someone, he would love and cherish her forever. But this was how the world worked. There


    were lots of women out there drooling over Edward. Although Edward showed no interest in them, it


    didn''t mean they wouldn''t do anything to seduce him or sabotage his rtionship with Daisy. Cynthia


    figured she''d better warn Daisy beforehand about it.


    "Okay. I see. Thanks, mom. Let me get out of this dress first. I''ll be quick." Daisy obediently answered


    with a nod. She knew Cynthia was trying to be nice, and she took her words seriously. It wasn''t like that


    she had no faith in herself or Edward''s feelings for her. The problem was that Edward was too


    amazing, and there were all kinds of women trying to lure him. There was a chance someday Edward


    would find Daisy boring and he needed some new excitement. Daisy knew love couldn''t be maintained


    by just exchanging ''I love you''. She was a woman, and women knew these secrets by nature.


    "Okay, take your time. We can find a cafe and have a rest after you''re done. And then we can go to


    another shopping mall." Daisy, who was on her way to the changing room, almost slipped and fell to the


    floor out of shock when she heard what Cynthia had said. ''What? Another shopping mall? Seriously?''


    Daisy didn''t know what to say. They had been shopping here, at this mall, for nearly two hours. And


    they had bought more things than they could carry. If Cynthia intended to go to another few malls and


    buy more clothes for her for the rest of the day, Daisy might need a new walk-in closet to fit her things


    in.


    "Watch out, my dear child!" Upon seeing Daisy stagger, Cynthia cried out worriedly. Her words


    surprised every one inside the boutique, including the shopping assistant. They all curiously gazed at


    Cynthia and Daisy all of a sudden. If they heard her right, Cynthia just said ''child''? They all thought


    Cynthia and Daisy were sisters! So did that mean they were mother and daughter? This was so


    unbelievable!


    Daisy blushed. She tripped over because of what her mother-inw had just said. But did she really


    have to cry out loud like that? Now everyone was looking at them. Daisy felt a little embarrassed.


    One of the shopping assistants couldn''t hold back her curiosity, so she approached Cynthia and


    discreetly asked, "Ma''am, is she your daughter? She is so gorgeous, and she has a nice body." She


    hesitated for a short while to consider how she should address the woman who seemed to be ''the


    mom'', and she thought it couldn''t go wrong to politely start with ''ma''am''. They all heard her call the


    other woman in the changing room ''my child''. Were they really mother and daughter?


    "No, she''s my daughter-inw. But she''s practically my daughter. She''s beautiful, isn''t she?" Cynthia


    beamed with pride when someone elseplimented Daisy. Shevished her love and affection on


    the girl. Daisy was beautiful and gentle and elegant, there was nothing toin about! She felt so


    lucky that Daisy had grown into such a wonderful woman, and she also felt delighted and relieved


    thinking about the promise she made to Daisy''s mother years ago.


    "What? Is she your daughter-inw? You are so close and cheerful while talking and choosing clothes


    for each other. And you both look so young. I thought you were sisters hanging out together! To be


    honest, your daughter-inw is really stunning, I hardly meet someone more beautiful. And her curves


    are perfect. She looks good in everything!" Right after she received a response from Cynthia, the


    shopping assistant immediatelyplimented Daisy again. Every word she said was heart-felt truth.


    She didn''t mean to tter them; she really thought Daisy was as beautiful as a goddess.


    "Haha! Is that so? Do we really look like sisters?" Cynthia burst into chuckles as soon as she heard the


    shopping assistant. It meant that in bystanders'' eyes, she and Daisy were more like families by blood


    rather than byw! That was exactly what Cynthia had wanted! She felt more connected to Daisy now.


    "You certainly are! Ma''am, you''re so blessed to have such a wonderful daughter-inw, with a beautiful


    face and a kind heart. I''d say both of you are blessed by God." The rtionship between mother and


    daughter-inw could be tricky. There was always a smokeless war between two women in many


    families. Based on their conversations, the assistant assumed they were from a affluent family. She


    figured the rtionship between them would be worse because rich people didn''t have feelings and


    married simply for interest. It was nasty when money was involved. But Cynthia and Daisy looked so


    close. She hadn''t seen a mother who would shop with her daughter-inw hand in hand like that


    before.


    "Thank you. All the dresses she has tried on, I want them packaged up and sent to my house. Here is


    the address," Cynthia replied with a joyful smile as she handed her card to the shopping assistant. No


    matter if the girl meant what she said or she just wanted to tter them so they would buy more,


    Cynthia was genuinely happy with what she had said.


    "All of them?" The shopping assistant was shocked. Every single clothing and essory in the


    boutique was beyond expensive. Besides, they had tried almost all the new arrivals of this season in


    their shop. Thisdy wanted to buy them all? How much money were they talking about? ''Wait a


    minute! Does that mean I''ll have extra bonus this month?'' The assistant was thrilled at the thought of


    extra money.


    "Right. All of them. She looks lovely in each one of these, doesn''t she? So why not buy them all?"


    Cynthia answered with a tender smile on the corner of her lips. Although she was talking to the


    shopping assistant, her eyes were fixed on the door of the changing room all the time. One could easily


    tell how much she loved Daisy from her look and tone.


    "That''s because your daughter-inw is so beautiful, and our clothes be more beautiful when she


    wears them. I''ll pack them for you at once, please wait just a moment." The shopping assistant was


    experienced and professional. Sheplimented Daisy while selling their goods. Every one liked to be


    ttered; it seemed that Cynthia was no exception. She was delighted even after they had left the


    boutique and sat down in a cafe. There was a big happy smile on her face the whole time as she


    hummed a cheerful tune every now and then.


    "Mom, you seem to be in good mood today," Daisy said and took a sip of her coffee. Although she had


    no idea why Cynthia was extremely excited, she felt satisfied as long as Cynthia was happy. She didn''t


    care why; she just wanted to see her family all happy and healthy.


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Yes! You know what? This is what I have wanted to do for so many years! Shopping all day long with


    my daughter, and buying her the most beautiful dresses in the world! I''ve always wanted a daughter.


    But clearly Jonathan doesn''t. So Edward is our only son, and I didn''t give birth to any other children. Do


    you know how much I envy my friends who could go shopping with their daughters and enjoy their


    precious mother-daughter time? And finally, you granted my wish today! I feel so happy right now.


    Thank you, Daisy!"

 Chapter 358 Is She Your Daughter-in-law (Part Two)

    Chapter 358 Is She Your Daughter-inw (Part Two)


    Holding Daisy''s hands lovingly, Cynthia exined it to her. She knew Daisy was a nice girl; and she felt


    so sorry for her at the same time. Although Cynthia had helped her and Edward a few years ago, she


    didn''t expect she would hurt her by doing that. She had been guilty ever since. Luckily, Daisy and


    Edward finally overcame all the obstacles and fell in love with each other, which made her feel much


    better. ''A good happy ending, '' she thought.


    "Mom, please don''t say that. We''re family, remember? I''m happy to shop with you whenever you like.


    But I have a question, do you and Dad have some misunderstandings with Edward? I feel things are a


    little weird between Edward and his father." In fact, Daisy had asked Edward about this before. But


    Edward simply shook his head and said nothing. Daisy knew he didn''t want to talk, so she didn''t force


    him. She knew everyone had some wounds that were better kept private. It had nothing to do with trust.


    Edward had kept his pain in his heart for so many years. He didn''t want to talk to anyone about this


    when he was little; and as time went by, it became harder to say it out loud. He couldn''t because he


    didn''t even know where to start. The only thing he could do was to run away when anyone stirred


    things up.


    "It''s a long story. You''ve probably noticed how much Jonathan loves me. He sees no one but me, and


    everything else in the world is meaningless to him. That is why he didn''t want me to have children back


    then. But I wanted a child so badly; he eventually agreed. Only one child, and I mustn''t love him any


    less even if I have the baby. This was his requirement I had to agree to if I wanted to get pregnant. He


    said he had to remain the most important person in my life."


    Cynthia paused and sighed heavily. Biting her lip while gazing into space, Cynthia was lost in thought


    for a while. Then she forced a bitter smile at Daisy, had a small sip of her coffee before continuing,


    "Back then, I wanted a baby more than anything; so I agreed without thinking too much. The truth is,


    we didn''t pay enough attention to Edward when he was little and needed our love. Later on,


    considering his safety, we had to send him abroad. He grew up without us by his side, so there isn''t


    much love and care we could ask from him, since it''s all our fault. That''s why he doesn''t want us


    around. He keeps rejecting us reflexively, maybe he still hates us for abandoning him."


    Cynthia had no intention to keep it a secret from Daisy, and she told her the whole story. Daisy was


    Edward''s wife, her daughter-inw; they were families. Even if she didn''t say anything, Daisy would


    find out on her own. But if she told Daisy, maybe she could talk to Edward as his wife, someone he


    would actually listen to. Maybe things wouldn''t get worse if they could heal Edward''s wound in his


    heart.


    Cynthia''s words bruised Daisy''s heart. She felt sorry for Edward. She had always thought Edward had


    a happy childhood since he was born into a wealthy family with nothing to concern him. But he didn''t;


    his childhood was almost as miserable as hers in some ways. But Edward didn''t get desperate; instead


    of being cynical and depraved, he was now a brilliant and sessful businessman. Daisy suddenly


    thought of the way he changed his girlfriends frequently and loved none of them, maybe he was too


    painful and he needed an outlet; he craved love, yet he was scared of being loved. he didn''t love


    anyone before because he didn''t even know how to. Daisy knew it because she was the one who lived


    day and night with Edward. She believed Edward wasn''t the yboy they had pictured on the


    entertainment news.


    "Doesn''t Dad like Edward?" Daisy asked hesitantly with a frown. Was it possible that a father didn''t like


    his own son? Even though Jonathan didn''t want to have a child at first, how could he still be indifferent


    when he saw the new life crying in his arms and growing up beside him? However, she was in no


    position to judge that. She knew that there really were some fathers who just didn''t like their own


    children. Take Leo for an example. Her own father didn''t like her, and he even doubted whether she


    was his real daughter. It pierced Daisy''s heart to think of that. She wondered whether she and Leo


    would someday make peace with each other, and he would love her like he once did. Sadly, Daisy had


    grown disappointed in her own father. After years of struggling, she had given up the idea of going back


    to him.


    "It''s not like that. He loves Edward; he just doesn''t know how to tell him. Also, he doesn''t know how to


    get along with his son. Jonathan loves me, and he loves his son; I guess it''s just a little confusing for


    him. And as time goes by, there is nothing he could do but remain silent. Even though Edward think his


    father doesn''t like him, Jonathan doesn''t know how to exin. That''s why they are acting like this now."


    Cynthia sighed heavily again. If Jonathan was the love of her life, then Edward was the pain of her life.


    She had always been regretting that she wasn''t there for him when he needed her. She never felt sorry


    for anyone or anything for her entire life, except for her own son. Cynthia wished she could have been


    a better mother, but it was all toote now. Whatever she tried to do now, it wouldn''t be enough to


    make it up to Edward since he couldn''t have his childhood back.


    "I think I know how Edward feels. Although he hasn''t said it, I know he doesn''t hate you. He''s just


    confused. He was hurt, but he still loves you. No children in the world will hate their parents, nor will


    they give their parents cold shoulders. He just needs some time to think it through."


    Daisy had been there, so she knew clearly how Edward felt at this moment. She spent many years


    hating her father while hoping he would ept her again as his beloved daughter. She knew how


    painful it was. Thinking of that, Daisy felt sorry for Edward. He was not as strong as she thought, he


    could be hurt as well. And she realized that she was not the only miserable person in the world, since


    everyone had their own crosses to bear.


    "I hope so. Sorry, Daisy. I need to go to the bathroom." Daisy noticed Cynthia''s reddened eyes. Given


    the fact she loved Edward very much, it must have been painful for her to admit how much she owed


    her son. Daisy thought maybe Cynthia needed to be left alone and cry for a while.


    Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "Okay. Do you want me toe with you?" But Daisy was a little worried about Cynthia. She looked


    devastated. Daisy couldn''t help but think whether she had said something inappropriate or not.


    Although Daisy didn''t approve of how they treated Edward when he was little, it wasn''t her ce to


    judge. She could only say something less blunt from the view of a bystander, and she really hoped she


    could help improve the rtionship between Edward and his parents.


    "It''s fine. I''m not a 3-year-old child. You don''t have to keep mepany. I''ll be back soon." Cynthia


    gave Daisy a tender smile. She felt much better to see Daisy being considerate. She pulled herself


    together and stopped thinking about Edward. She believed what Daisy had said, and she knew things


    would work out between Edward and them as long as she kept trying and never gave


    up.

 Chapter 359 But What About My Child (Part One)

    Chapter 359 But What About My Child (Part One)


    Daisy watched Cynthia disappear from the corner of her eye. She got lost in her thoughts while gazing


    at the coffee in her hands. People say that any two individuals who''ve shared a simr life experience


    are bound to be intimate. So did Edward really love her? Or did he choose to be with her out of


    sympathy? Perhaps the fact that they both had an unhappy childhood misled him into confusing


    sympathy with love. Was this the case? Daisy wondered.


    Daisy''s heart wrenched, thinking of such a possibility. The more Edward bestowed his intense love on


    her, the deeper she lost herself in that love. If all this was fake, what would she do? Would she run


    away without any hesitation as she did after their wedding day?


    She took a sip of her coffee, her gaze falling on the sensual woman who was walking in the coffee


    house. She unwittingly furrowed her eyebrows. This woman was unquestionably a stunner in the eyes


    of men. Her voluptuous figure and stunning appearance were both attractive. With every move, she


    looked gorgeous and fascinating.


    Daisy slowly turned her head to avoid being seen by the woman. She didn''t want to cause a conflict by


    conversing with her. So she chose to ignore her tantly. But things seldom went as per one''s wishes.


    Daisy didn''t want to cause trouble, but it didn''t mean that the other person shared the same thought.


    "Hey Daisy, you seem unhappy to see me." Jessica always discoursed in a condescending and


    arrogant manner. She noticed Daisy as soon as she entered the coffee house. She knew that Daisy


    had also seen her, but she didn''t expect that Daisy would turn her head and look away at the sight of


    her. Jessica was very proud of herself, she couldn''t stand being snubbed by anyone.


    "What do you expect from me? Should I scatter flowers to wee you?" Daisy didn''t know why she


    got so annoyed by Jessica. Her blood boiled at Jessica''s provocation and she was eager to fight back.


    She thought this was probably because Jessica used to be Edward''s beloved partner. She felt repelled


    by Jessica''s former status as Edward''s lover.N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    "Oh, that''s too much for me. I was just curious why the wife of the CEO of FX International Group is


    sitting here alone and dazed. Is it because you''ve already lost the favor of Edward? Isn''t it too soon for


    you to be dumped overnight?" Jessica said while stressing the words "The wife of the CEO", her eyes


    staring at Daisy viciously. She could not conceal the smug expression on her face. As long as she


    could hurt Daisy, she didn''t mind behaving vulgarly.


    "Thank you for your concern. But it''s none of your business. Why don''t you take care of your own


    business first? Besides, it doesn''t matter if I''m out of Edward''s favor or not. One thing is for sure, you''ll


    never be favored by him again." Daisy shifted her eyes away from Jessica. She casually stirred the


    coffee in the cup. The best way to deal with such a smug woman was topletely ignore her. But


    Daisy couldn''t help talking back, as she didn''t want Jessica to think that she was intimidated by her.


    "I think you won''t mind if I sit here. I am pregnant and I can''t stand for too long." Jessica said while


    looking at Daisy provokingly. She was pissed off by Daisy who was ignoring herpletely. Jessica


    was sure that the pretentious woman sitting in front of her would not behave so indifferently once she


    mentioned her pregnancy.


    "I don''t mind. This is not my home, anyone can sit here, pregnant or not!" Daisy sneered and thought,


    ''Jessica, you''re being unwise by snarling at someone who''s way out of your league. Didn''t you notice


    that I don''t have the slightest inclination tomunicate with you? Jessica, you have gone to great


    lengths to stay here. If I refused your request, I''d appear as a narrow-minded person. If you are trying


    to use the child in your womb to provoke me, I will not waste my time and energy by ying along with


    your drama.''


    "Thank you. Is there anyone else? Is my Mu here?" As soon as Jessica sat down, she noticed there


    was another cup of coffee on the table. She felt excited. ''Has Edwarde here with Daisy?'' Jessica


    wondered. But at the thought of Edward''s cold attitude towards hertely, she felt heartbroken.


    Besides, she was also a little afraid. Edward''s warning was still ringing in her ears. He had told her to


    stay away from Daisy.


    "Miss Lin, do you think it''s appropriate for you to call my husband so intimately? You will mislead others


    into thinking that you''re Edward''s wife." Daisy felt repulsed when Jessica addressed Edward so


    intimately. Although she figured that Jessica probably had gotten used to calling him ''my Mu'', it still


    stung when Daisy heard it. Daisy felt extremely ufortable as if someone had intruded on her


    private property.


    "Huh! Daisy, are you trying to dere your ownership to me? Don''t forget that Edward once belonged


    to me and I''m carrying his child now. Why shouldn''t I call him intimately?" Jessica narrowed her eyes


    and stared at Daisy. Nobody knew who would be the ultimate winner. She still thought she had a shot


    at winning Edward back.


    "Child? What child? Daisy, is she your friend?" Cynthia frowned at Jessica. She disliked her from the


    very first sight and she didn''t know why. It was probably because Jessica was too ostentatious.


    "No, we''ve just met a few times. Mom, please sit here." Daisy didn''t expect that Cynthia woulde


    back so soon. She felt flustered and Jessica couldn''t be counted as her friend anyway, they had met


    each other a couple of times. So what Daisy told Cynthia wasn''t a lie. She didn''t know how to exin


    about Jessica to Cynthia.


    "Oh, she''s not a friend? I assumed she''s your friend." Cynthia looked at Jessica doubtfully, the more


    carefully she examined her, the more she felt this woman looked familiar to her. She must have seen


    her somewhere, but at the moment she couldn''t remember who she was.

 Chapter 360 But What About My Child (Part Two)

    Chapter 360 But What About My Child (Part Two)


    "This woman is your mother?" Jessica looked at Cynthia with surprise. How could a stunning and


    youthful woman like her be Daisy''s mother? This woman seemed graceful and noble. Did she mishear?


    Jessica wondered.


    "Yes, to put it more urately, I''m Daisy''s mother-inw. So what can I call you, Miss?" Cynthia sat


    beside Daisy and racked her brains out, trying to remember who this woman was. But she failed to get


    any clues.


    "Hi, Auntie. I''m Jessica Lin, I''m stunned to see how young and beautiful you look." Jessica immediately


    realized who the woman was. She was Edward''s mother. This was great for her n. But howe


    both his parents looked so young? Jessica felt a shiver go down her spine at the thought of Edward''s


    indifferent behavior at the party the other day.


    "Oh! You''re Jessica!" Cynthia nodded. No wonder she felt she had met this woman before. She used to


    see all kinds of reports about Jessica and Edward in the newspapers. But why was she here with


    Daisy? Cynthia wondered.


    "Auntie, do you know about me? Did Edward mention me to you?" Jessica couldn''t help but feel


    delighted on hearing Cynthia''s words. It seemed that she still had a ce in Edward''s heart, otherwise


    how could his mother know about her? Jessica thought.


    "I have seen you in the newspapers. My son has never mentioned any woman to me, except for his


    wife, of course."


    Cynthia took a nce at Daisy. She felt relieved when she noticed Daisy''s calm manner. ''Ah! It is all


    Edward''s fault. He has put Daisy in an awkward position, I''m sure she feels stuck in the middle, ''


    Cynthia thought.


    "Oh? But you know about my rtionship with Edward, right?" Jessica felt annoyed that Daisy won


    again. She couldn''t bear that Edward cared so much about Daisy.


    "Miss Lin, I believe many people have close friends of opposite-sex when they are young and naive.


    But as time passes, people change. The past neveres back no matter how much you want. Your


    past rtionship doesn''t matter anymore, why are you still holding onto it?"


    Cynthia tilted her head and looked at Jessica. Was she iming war with Daisy now? But shouldn''t she


    argue with the man who dumped her? It was useless to argue with Daisy. Don''t forget that women were


    the ultimate victims in such cases. Cynthia thought.


    "Auntie, does this mean you don''t ept me either? But what if I tell you that I''m pregnant with Mu''s


    child? Would you still push me away?" Jessica bit her lip. She was sure that no grandmother would


    give up on her grandchild. She was determined to win by pulling all the tricks up her sleeve.


    "Miss Lin, even if you''re pregnant with Edward''s child, I''m sorry I still can''t ept you because I have


    already epted Daisy as my daughter-inw. And it''s impossible for me to ept any other woman. I


    hope you understand."


    Cynthia sneered. Was Jessica trying to bring up her pregnancy to win her heart? This would never


    work with Cynthia. She didn''t sumb to emotional traps, otherwise, she wouldn''t have been able to


    make a cold-hearted man like Jonathan bestow his affection only on her? Cynthia wasn''t an easy


    target. No one dared to challenge her, and Jessica wasn''t eligible to make such an unreasonable


    request.


    "Why? How can you ept Daisy''s child? While treating me like this?" This question had hovered in


    her mind for quite some time. She felt determined to get an answer today.


    "Miss Lin, Nothing is perfect in this world. Daisy got married to Edward several years ago. She has


    always been our daughter-inw. Can you give us any reason not to ept her child?"


    Cynthia felt a surge of guilt as she considered how much struggle Daisy must have faced to bring up


    Justin all by herself. She had to work hard to earn a living, at the same time, she had to endure her


    husband''s affairs with other women. She had suffered a lot to gain the rewards she had today. Daisy


    was quite persistent and determined. Cynthia felt sorry for Daisy''s troubles.


    "But what about my child? What about me?" Jessica couldn''t ept Cynthia''s exnation. Because


    even though Edward got married several years ago, he was staying with Jessica forst few years. She


    believed that Edward didn''t love Daisy at all. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have had so many women in his


    life.


    Daisy was sitting silently listening to their discussion. she suddenly felt that Jessica was a pathetic


    woman. Jessica''s situation was simr to Daisy''s when she was pregnant with Justin. But the


    difference was Daisy was sure that Justin was Edward''s child while Jessica didn''t even know the real


    father of her child. So she felt sympathy toward her and didn''t want to take her offensive words


    seriously.


    "I think Edward has given you all the answers. So it''s useless to argue with us here. Besides, I believe


    that my son is a responsible man. If this really is Edward''s child, he will give you a satisfactory


    response, but if it''s not, he won''t give a damn. Judging from Edward''s indifferent attitude towards you, I


    think it''s obvious that your child has nothing to do with him. So please behave yourself and stop


    harassing Daisy. After all, she had also experienced the same struggles."


    Although Cynthia didn''t spend too much time with Edward, as a mother, she knew her son''s likes and


    dislikes. She also knew quite well about his personality and character. She was sure that Jessica''s


    child had nothing to do with Edward. Otherwise, Edward wouldn''t be so rxed when he was with


    Daisy.


    "It''s impossible. I have been with one man only and that''s Edward. If Edward is not the father of my


    child, then who else would it be? Why? Why are you all so sure?" Jessica shook her head frantically.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    She had heard these words many times. Edward had said those to her more than once, and every time


    he seemed quite firm about it. Was there something she didn''t know about Edward? She


    wondered.

 Chapter 361 Are You Trying to Avoid Me

    Chapter 361 Are You Trying to Avoid Me


    "Jessica, I assure you that your child has nothing to do with my husband. Even if you don''t believe me,


    you shouldn''t bother me. You should ask him directly, and he will prove it to you. I hope you won''t


    disturb our life anymore."


    Clearly, Daisy didn''t want to exin anything to her anymore. From the day she returned from the


    military exercise, she was cornered by Jessica on every step. It was like being hunted by a ghost.


    Every time they met, Jessica always said something that hurt Daisy. Truth be told Daisy hated Jessica.


    "OK. I will prove that this is Edward''s son and at that time, you''ll be sorry for everything." Jessica red


    at Daisy. She wanted to scratch Daisy''s pretty face. Perhaps then she wouldn''t act so proud.


    "Well, I''ll wait for that day toe. As a colonel, I never fight a war without preparation. You''re going to


    lose, Jessica," Daisy said with a smile on her face. Life seemed to be a continually changing battlefield.


    But she had to face it.


    "Ha-ha! Daisy, has anyone ever told you that you''re really annoying, especially with your arrogant


    looks?" Jessica gritted her teeth in anger. Since Edward''s mother did not like her, she didn''t have to


    pretend to be gentle and kind. She was a shrew not a noblewoman.


    "I know that, so don''t bother telling me again." Daisy didn''t think she''s excessively appealing. The


    soldiers in the military base were so afraid of her that they secretly called her the devil. Daisy was quite


    aware of this fact.


    "Humph!" Jessica knew that Daisy wanted her to leave. She would be more embarrassed if she didn''t.


    So she gave a cold look to Daisy and left. Jessica thought that she would take revenge soon. After all,


    the final winner was yet to be known.


    "Daisy, just ignore her. If you get bothered by such a woman, you will get the short end of the stick.


    Besides, it can''t be Edward''s son. I''m sure you''ve talked to each other about that, so don''t mind what


    she said." Although she was sure that it wasn''t Edward''s child, she was still a little worried. She wasn''t


    as confident as she had been.


    "I know, mom. He has exined that to me." Daisy smiled reluctantly. How foolish she would be if she


    cared about Jessica''s words. So she''d better face everything calmly. Worrying wasn''t going to solve


    anything. After all, nothing hurt more than being betrayed.


    Daisy liked to keep a safe distance from women like Jessica. She wondered why Jessica behaved so


    sleazily. Daisy was disturbed by Jessica''s mean behavior which made her look like an uneducated


    person. She was quite perturbed by her change. She worried that she would soon turn into a tacky


    woman who abused other females for a man. She involuntarily shivered at the thought that she might


    also be like that one day.


    With the cold breeze flowing, it wasn''t as warm as before. Strolling alone in the park, Daisy felt calm


    andfortable. Neither Daisy nor Cynthia wanted to visit another mall because of Jessica. And then


    Cynthia was called away by her friends, so Daisy was left alone. Not knowing what to do, she drove to


    a suburban park to rx for a while.


    Daisy strolled along the path in the park. The breeze blew, and her long hair flowed with her skirt. She


    looked as beautiful as a fairy. If anyone saw her right now, they would feel that they hade to a


    fairnd on earth. It was beautiful here, but it was too quiet for such a beautiful autumn afternoon. An


    average girl wouldn''t dare toe to such a remote ce alone, let alone take a walk.


    Just then, Daisy''s phone rang. The ringtone was so loud that the brave and vignt Colonel, was taken


    aback for a moment before she realized it was her own phone. Daisy was so absorbed in her thoughts


    that she didn''t react as she should have.


    "Hello," Daisy answered without saying her name. She knew Edward could recognize her voice. She


    didn''t understand why she was so sure about it. Maybe, it was an unspoken understanding between


    them.


    "Baby, where are you? Why do you sound so gloomy? I hope you have recovered from your cold."


    Edward was signing the papers when he called Daisy. He felt sorry to hear her voice because he felt


    she was very sad.


    "I am fine. I am just walking around in the suburban park." After hearing that, Edward thought Daisy


    must be distraught, otherwise, why would she go off to the suburban park alone? But why would she go


    there all of a sudden? He thought she was at home. After all, she liked silence and solitude.


    "Just tell me where you are. I wille to meet you." As he spoke, Edward fetched a pen. Anxiety was


    evident on his handsome face.


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "No, I want to be alone. Please take care of your work first! Just leave me alone. I will see you at home


    later." Edward knew how vulnerable Daisy was. She did not want him to think that she was a woman


    without the strength of character. Daisy wished that she''d always be the most special person for


    Edward. She wanted to be unique and irreceable in Edward''s eyes.


    "OK. I won''te, but you have to tell me where you are. I want to ensure you are safe." For Edward,


    Daisy was just his beloved wife, not a Colonel, so he was always worried about her safety.


    "Edward, I am not an ordinary woman. I can protect myself. Just leave me alone." Daisy was still mad


    at Jessica. It was really annoying to get bothered by her husband''s ex-girlfriend repeatedly. Daisy


    vented out her resentment against Jessica on Edward.


    "Daisy, are you trying to avoid me? Or, I shouldn''t ask you anything because I am snooping on your


    privacy?" Edward was so angry that the veins on his forehead protruded. His eyes were still cold.


    Edward had always been a proud man. He never cared about a woman as he did for Daisy. He didn''t


    like the fact that Daisy not only dismissed his concern but also med him.


    "I am so sorry! I didn''t mean it. Just forget what I said. I don''t know what I want to do." Daisy exined


    hurriedly. Daisy could hardly contain her tears. What was wrong with her? Why did she vent out her


    comints to him? Didn''t she tell herself not to care about his past? So then why was she feeling so


    emotional?


    "Just tell me where you are. I don''t care if you are an omnipotent female colonel or not. You are my


    wife, and I care about you." Edward picked up his car keys as he spoke and quickly left the office


    without saying a word to the group of secretaries outside. He was anxious about her safety when he


    heard her sobbing voice.


    "Why do you have such a horrible past and why do I have to face the painful memories?" Daisy cried.


    Edward and Jessica''s past bothered her. Every time Daisy saw Jessica, she couldn''t help but imagine


    how much they had loved each other in the past. Though Daisy pretended not to care about that, she


    was in deep pain.


    After hearing her, Edward stopped unwittingly. His instinct told him that Daisy must have met someone


    today; otherwise, she wouldn''t behave like that. He knew Daisy would never question him like that, no


    matter how sad she was.


    Edward knew his past was horrible, so he epted Daisy''s criticism. He wished he hadn''t been a


    yboy. At that time, he had chosen the dissolute lifestyle to bnce his life.


    Edward thought Daisy didn''t care about his shameful past. He didn''t know that she just pretended not


    to care. Daisy kept trying to control her emotions, but the feeling was growing deeper than she could


    bear. That''s why Daisy was so uncontrobly emotional.


    Edward came out of the FX International Group building, and immediately left in a royal blue Maybach.


    Edward drove as fast as the F1 drivers. Luke followed Edward closely. He didn''t know what was going


    on; he was worried about him, but he knew there was only one person who could make Edward so


    insane, Daisy.

 Chapter 362 Do You Have The Guts To Say It Again

    Chapter 362 Do You Have The Guts To Say It Again


    Daisy feebly leaned against a tree along the path and thought to herself, "Am I crazy? Why am I being


    so emotional?" She didn''t know how to face Edwardter. She couldn''t wait to run away, but she was


    afraid that Edward would get angry if he didn''t see her here. She had felt his rage by the way he yelled


    at her on the phone moments ago.


    Daisy bit her lips and asked herself, "Since when did I be a stereotypical sentimental woman?


    From the sess of FX International Group, I should have known that he''s not as benign as it appears.


    Why did I make his repressed viciousnesse out?"


    Edward sped off along the way. Luckily, it wasn''t the rush hour, so he didn''t meet an ident. But when


    he got out of the downtown area, he began to slow down, to avoid any mishaps. Luke was driving


    behind him insanely to follow his car.


    Blue eyes, pointed nose, soft lips, and a chiseled jawline, his handsome face was still attractive even


    when he was angry. Edward moved his lips coldly and began to feel a sting in his heart. ''Was she


    ming me?'' He thought to himself. ''She probably despises me. Does she think I am lewd because I


    have slept with countless women?


    She doesn''t know that I may seem like a womanizer, but I have only slept with a few of those women.


    The rest of the women were just a cover for me to confuse people into believing that I''m a promiscuous


    yboy.''


    The truth of the matter was, he did all of that to attract his parents'' attention. Even though they were


    traveling around the world, Edward knew that his parents were keeping an eye on him. He deliberately


    led a dissolute life to attract their concern. But in the end, it was all in vain because it proved to be


    meaningless for them.


    Edward never doubted the power of true love; his parents were living proof of eternal love. But he had


    never found anyone who could pull his heartstrings before, so naturally, love was out of the question.


    However, one fine morning a few months ago, Daisy suddenly showed up, without any greetings,


    exnations or even eye contact, she left Justin to him and walked away. She was arrogant and cold


    like the wintersweet. Edward was attracted to her personality, and right at that moment, something in


    his heart changed.


    N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Gradually he walked towards her, and he lost his heart with every step. He made every effort to keep


    Daisy in his life; he even gave up his dissolute life. Soon his love turned boisterous, and hended in


    her love trap. But he didn''t n to run away. Instead, he was willing to be imprisoned by her love.


    However, he felt Daisy didn''t appreciate all that he had done for her.


    He thought to himself: "Daisy, I thought you understand me well and you feel the pain hidden inside


    me. But it seems that you don''t understand me at all. You''ve made me doubt your love for me. I thought


    you loved me unconditionally and epted all my weaknesses and strengths, but perhaps you are like


    all the other women, who just loves me for my appearance and fortune."


    ''No. I shouldn''t think about Daisy this way. I shouldn''t devalue her love for me. Who else can I trust but


    her?'' Edward thought. ''If I am not moved by all the pain and bitterness you have faced through the


    years, then I don''t deserve your love. Your words really hurt me, but as long as you stay with me, I can


    ignore it.''


    A screech of breaks broke the quietness of the afternoon garden; it also stirred Daisy from her reverie.


    She looked at the familiar car and thought: ''How could he get here so fast? Even if he drove at full


    speed, he couldn''t reach here in less than an hour. How fast did he drive to arrive here in half an hour?


    He could have met an ident.'' Daisy''s face grew pale by this thought.


    Edward was quietly sitting in the car while looking at his graceful wife who had a cold look on her face.


    He frowned and began to study her carefully through the thick windshield. He took a deep breath when


    he discovered that Daisy was safe and sound. He didn''t move but continued to stare at her cold but


    beautiful face with his blue eyes. He didn''t move because he had run out his energy in driving and he


    couldn''t feel his legs.


    Why wasn''t he getting out of the car? She expected him to get off as soon as the car stopped and rush


    to me her! But he was just sitting there still. Daisy felt confused by this, she didn''t dare to take any


    action. She just looked at Edward''s gloomy face, through the windshield.


    Luke, who was sitting in another car close to Edward''s, frowned, wondering what had happened to


    Edward. He escorted Edward while he drove insanely and dangerously fast. Now Edward was just


    watching Daisy from a distance, pretending to be cool. What was wrong with him? ''I was scared to


    death, and I almost turned into a lunatic on the way here'', Luke thought. If Edward wasn''t in a hurry,


    why did he drive so fast? Was he trying to show off his driving skill? Luke knew that even if he stomped


    on the elerator pedal with all his might, he wouldn''t catch up with Edward''s car which was excellent


    in performance.


    Edward was waiting for Daisy toe to him. He was contemting if she was a superficial woman


    who loved him only for his appearance. He was angry at Daisy for standing there still and noting to


    him. If he could, he would have held Daisy in his arms right away and kissed her hard. Edward wanted


    to figure out whether she still thought he was lewd. But he couldn''t because thest words she had


    said to him were still ringing in his ears.


    "Edward, I wish I won''t fall in love with you in my next life as I have been deeply regretful for that in this


    life." These words were the reason why Edward drove at full speed, regardless of the danger. There


    was only one thing in his mind at that time: he would ask her if she felt regretful to fall in love with him,


    face to face.


    Daisy bit her lips, realizing that her yelling and usations on the phone were way too harsh and they


    forced him to yell back. She didn''t have the courage to apologize to him as his words were ringing in


    her ears too.


    "Daisy, what did you say? Do you have guts to say it again? If you dare do it, I promise I would spank


    you hard. Now you''d better stay there. Otherwise, be prepared to get bedridden for a month and then


    I''ll see if you dare say such things again." She knew that Edward would do as he said, so she stayed


    where she was and kept still even when he showed up.


    He must be still mad at her! Because he had been there for a while, but he stayed in the car. Did he


    take her impulsive words seriously? Or was he feeling regretful now? She felt disconcerted by this


    thought. If it was true, what should she do?


    "Hey, are you sure to continue this cold war with me?" Edward said, with his slender body leaning


    against the car door like a weary lion. He had gotten off the car when Daisy was in deep thought, so


    she didn''t notice him. It was hard to perceive his thoughts from his deep eyes, but the sarcasm on his


    handsome face was quite obvious.


    He thought she woulde to him to exin her outburst on the phone. He had waited for quite some


    time now, but she didn''t take action. Finally, he took action although his feet still felt a little numb.


    Fortunately, he could rely on the car door. He really wanted to sort things out with Daisy who looked


    disturbed.


    Edwardughed at himself and thought, ''Edward, because of Daisy, you have experienced thousands


    of the first times; you swallow your pride; you value her tears; you drop your attitude; you get frantic;


    you feel heartache; you begin to step forward first; you love; you hate, and you enjoy every bit of it.''


    "You told me to stay put on the phone." Daisy murmured with an innocent look on her face. She was


    scared to make eye contact with Edward''s keen eyes, so she just yed with a little rock on the ground


    with the tip of her shoe. Daisy had no idea why she was afraid of him. Although she was a Colonel and


    she was supposed to be fearless, she followed his orders and fulfilled them. Perhaps it was because


    she had loved him intensely, wasn''t it?


    "Pff! Daisy, are you sure you didn''t y a game of badgering to attain your military title? I can''t believe


    that you would follow such a stupid order. I''ve never seen you behave so deferentially as you do today."


    Edward said and smiled, which was the first rxed smile on his face since he came here. All his


    comints and distrust had vanished because of her silly words. It also reminded him why he had


    desperately fallen in love with such a cold and stubborn woman. He was fascinated with the naive look


    on Daisy''s face.

 Chapter 363 It Has To Be Me

    Chapter 363 It Has To Be Me


    "Don''t try to nder me. I earned my ce. Unlike you, I don''t sell beauty. And who wants to stay in


    bed for a month?" Daisy''s voice grew fainter and fainter until it faded to whispering. She flushed


    instantly as she thought of what he had done to her in bed.


    "You really take every word I say to heart, don''t you? Come here. Don''t tell me my beauty can''t work its


    magic on you anymore."


    Edward caught her almost inaudible murmuring and his darkened mood turned bright immediately, a


    brilliant smile lighting up his handsome face, his eyes shining with deep affection. He had remarkable


    hearing and heard what she said clearly. But he couldn''t help but surrender to her miserable face. His


    heart softened at the sight of her, and all his anger ebbed away.


    "Why don''t youe over here?" It seemed to her there was something dangerous about the car. She


    would be stupid to go near the car. Too many things could be done in a car, and God knew what he


    would do to her. She believed she would stand a chance in a fight with him, but it wasn''t a guaranteed


    win. Even by her standards, he was good at fighting, if not better.


    "Daisy, are you sure you just want to stand there?" His lips curved into a slow, affectionate smile, his


    intense blue eyes fastened on hers. For a few long seconds, she was riveted by his breathtaking


    beauty. But when she regained control, she still didn''t step forward.


    "You promise you won''t get mad at me again. Then I''ll decide." Daisy was nervous. She had no idea


    where this would lead. She tried to strike a bargain with him cautiously. She was a soldier, but like other


    women, she would be willful and intractable sometimes.


    "Well. I promise. Rx. I can''t feel my feet now. I can''t do anything to you like this." If it hadn''t been for


    his feet, he would have already hugged her tightly instead of just stood here trying to make a deal.


    Damn his luck!


    "What''s wrong with your feet? Let me have a look." Daisy hurried forward as soon as she heard his


    words. Was there a car ident on the way? Did he get hurt? It was highly possible considering his


    almost uncontrolled driving speed.


    "God, you are driving me insane." As soon as she got near him, he reached out to pull her in his arms


    and kissed her eagerly. She had no idea how he had felt on the way here, that he had listed countless


    exnation for what he had done, that his heart twisted painfully at the thought of her, that his world


    would have copsed without her.


    "Um¡­" Daisy''s eyes widened. She was tricked by him again! So the feet were just an excuse to get her


    toe closer. She had known it was not safe to get near the car. Now things went his way again.


    Frowning, Edward covered her eyes with his hand. It seemed she always got distracted when they


    kissed. She would forget to breathe, or just stare at him with her bright wide eyes, and she looked so


    pure and innocent that he felt he was defiling her.


    Daisy''s calm eyes were tinged with pleasure. Though blinded by his warm hand, she could still feel his


    passion from this aggressive kiss, feel his worry and anger from his trembling body.


    Without knowing it she wrapped her arms around his neck. Carefully she chased the tip of his tongue


    between her lips and teeth, melting in the fondness of this deep, urgent kiss. She never dared to show


    her true thoughts, but at this moment she just cut loose and followed her heart, baring all her feelings to


    him.


    "Do you really regret it? Um?" Edward forced her face up and his eyes locked with hers. His breathing


    was still ragged, but he just couldn''t wait to get a answer from her. Did she really regret loving him? Or


    did she just say it in the heat of the moment?


    "If I say yes, will you believe it?" Daisy tilted her head and her eyes glittered with mischief. She studied


    him, trying to be defiant, though her face, burning from the kiss, weakened her words and betrayed her


    real thoughts.


    "I don''t believe a single word of it. You''re madly in love with me. You can''t do without me in this life. It


    has to be me." Reaching out, he tapped her nose with his knuckle. Since her usation sounded so


    heartbreaking, for a moment he had believed that she had second thoughts. But when he calmed down


    and thought this over, he knew she was just being petnt.


    "So confident that it has to be you? Then why were you so mean to me?" Daisy twisted her mouth and


    suddenly grabbed his cor, ring at him usingly. No wonder the CEO of FX International Group


    was known for his slyness and cunning. He had all this nned pretty well. He had shouted at her to


    get control of the situation first, then got her to drop her guard step by step. He was indeed a crafty


    businessman. Even she got conned by him!


    "I was so pissed off at you. I could barely think straight." Edward indulged her, letting her do what she


    wanted. Compared to the words about regret, this little threat was totally eptable.


    "So what about your feet? ying the sympathy card?" Remembering why she hade over here


    without thinking, she looked down to study his feet.


    "It''s okay. I drove too fast and the tension caused some numbness in my feet." He reached out and


    tucked her hair behind her ear, his warm fingertips rested on her earlobe and rubbed it gently. Her


    earlobes felt so tender and maybe this was why she was so sensitive every time he kissed them.


    "Edward, can you promise me one thing? Never risk your life no matter how bad the situation is. You


    should know how cruel that is to me." As Daisy said this, she never thought that one day she would see


    him fall over her, his body covered with blood. Of course that was forter. At this moment she was so


    worried about him that she couldpletely ignore his hands moving over her body.


    "Okay. I promise. My life belongs to my wife, Daisy Ouyang. Even God can''t take it without my wife''s


    permission. Colonel Daisy, are you satisfied with my promise?" Edward felt this topic was too heavy, so


    he made the vow in a joking manner. But at that moment he never imagined that he would break his


    promise in the future.


    "I mean it. Don''t make light of this." Daisy frowned at his light-hearted attitude. She knew he was trying


    to make her happy, but she also knew how fragile life was after she had been through too many scenes


    where lives were hanging on the line. Death oftenes at a delicate moment and there is no way to


    guard against that kind of thing. She learned to respect life and wished the man she loved would


    cherish his own life more than anything else.


    "Honey, what are you worried about? Rx. I will live long and well for your sake -- and Justin''s"


    Edward hugged her again. He didn''t know why she became so emotional today, but he knew what she


    wanted. So he made this promise to her, and also to himself.


    Daisy''s lips twitched slightly. She thought for a moment and then decided not to dwell on it. She rested


    her head against his chest and listened to his strong heartbeat, filled with nothing but love and


    happiness at the moment.


    The faint Jasmine scenting from him gave her a sense of satisfaction. His embrace was what she


    desired so badly, a ce she could rely on. But it had belonged to other women once, no matter how


    much she wanted it.


    And now he stood right before her, hugged her. He was hers, truly andpletely. No one could take


    him away from her, she wouldn''t let that happen.


    She had overreacted today. But she didn''t regret it. If she couldn''t express her feelings, frustration and


    anger would keep building up in her heart until one day she couldn''t take them any more and explode.


    If he truly loved her, he should be able to tolerate her asional emotional fits.


    Normally she was quite rational. She had intended to have a walk and get rid of her bad mood. But his


    call just pushed her buttons and before knowing it she snapped, all the resentment built up over the


    years exploding out of her.


    "Edward, if one day you decide you don''t love me anymore, just forward me the divorce papers by


    messenger or something. I''m afraid I won''t be able to control myself, and who knows what I''d do, I


    might shoot you if I see you in person at that time."


    Daisy always felt insecure about their love, not sure where this rtionship was going. A faint sadness


    was lurking in the deep corner of her heart like a ghost. Every time she saw his handsome face, the


    bitter feeling lingered in her mind.


    "Are you seriously trying to annoy me? If I divorce you, I''ll kill myself before you shoot me. I''m not


    kidding -- you know how I am when I lose control. Don''t ever say the ''d'' word to me again, okay?"


    He was just a jerk in her eyes. She didn''t trust him, had no faith in their love. The knowledge of her


    insecurity was almost unbearable for him. But what was more galling was the word ''divorce'' from her


    mouth, it hurt him much more than having his chest blown open by a bullet.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 364 I Dont Trust Myself (Part One)

    Chapter 364 I Don''t Trust Myself (Part One)


    "I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to hurt you. It''s just...something happened and I''m a little distracted. Please


    don''t take it to heart." ying with the buttons on Edward''s ck shirt, Daisy lowered her head and


    answered absently. She didn''t dare to look into Edward''s angry eyes. She knew she had upset him


    again. He was like a lion that just woke up from its sleep; he was angry and aggressive. Daisy didn''t


    have the courage to face the disappointment in his eyes.


    With his eyes fixed on Daisy''s hands, Edward quietly watched Daisy y with his shirt and said nothing


    to stop her. After a while, he finally broke silence, "Now tell me. Who did you run into today? Was it


    Jessica? Or someone from the Ouyang family? What did they say or do to you to make you act like


    this? Don''t ever try to deny this or lie to me. I know you don''t want me to worry, but it doesn''t work that


    way. I just need the truth."


    Mixed emotions surged in his eyes. Something must be wrong, otherwise Daisy wouldn''t be acting like


    this. Although Edward didn''t want to force Daisy into talking, he knew there were things they had to


    solve sooner orter. The sooner they took care of them, the less pain they would suffer. It had


    suddenlye to him that it was time for him to take care of a lot of things before they got worse.


    "Edward, would you mind telling me something about Jessica? I''m really curious. You were never short


    of dates; so what did you see in her that made you be with her for all these years? Her beauty? Her


    body? Maybe something else?" Daisy wasn''t foolish. She knew the rtionship between Edward and


    Jessica wouldn''t be just as simple as friends with benefits. If it was merely sexual, there were so many


    women would die trying to crawl into Edward''s bed; he didn''t have to hold on to Jessica. Therefore, the


    only reasonable exnation left was that Edward had some other feelings for Jessica. That made


    sense to Daisy.


    "So you saw Jessica today. What? Do you really want to hear me talk about her?" asked Edward as a


    hint of desire shed through his eyes. He grabbed Daisy''s hands to stop her from further turning him


    on. He was aroused by her simple moves even if she didn''t mean to seduce him. Edward knew he


    wasn''t ascivious man, yet Daisy could easily turn him on with only a smile or a touch. Never before


    had any woman been capable of that, and Daisy did it without even knowing it. Edward suddenly


    realized he was madly and deeply in love with her.


    "Yes. I want to know. Would you tell me?" Of all Edward''s ex-girlfriends, Daisy chose to ask about


    Jessica because she was the one who had stayed with him for the longest time. Daisy wondered why


    she was different and how Edward felt about her.


    Edward gently kissed her forehead and rested his chin on her shoulder, his arms tightly around her slim


    waist, as if he was afraid that she would disappear the next minute. Then he whispered in her ear,


    "Would you believe me if I tell you that I didn''t break up with her simply because she helped me drive


    away those women I don''t like?"


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "I don''t understand. For all these years, I have only seen how differently you treated her, and how


    special she was to you. Your story sounds so feeble. I''m not sure whether or not I should believe you.


    The truth is, I don''t even know what to believe."


    Daisy had kept a whole stack of newspapers and magazines with pictures and reports about the sweet


    story between Edward and Jessica during the past six years. How could she ever forget about those?


    She spent so many days and nights watching him from pictures, shedding tears and envying Jessica,


    because Jessica could stand by Edward''s side as his girlfriend while Edward didn''t even remember


    who Daisy was. Now that Edward told her there was nothing special going on between him and Jessica


    and he was only using her, should Daisy trust him? Daisy was confused.


    "That''s why I said you''re too simple to be a colonel sometimes. Don''t you get it? If I didn''t treat her


    differently, would other women be convinced that we were in a rtionship and stop bothering me?"


    Edward knew Jessica wasn''t as sweet and innocent as she appeared to be, but he couldn''t care less.


    After all, he had no intentions to seriously date her. He behaved as if they were lovey-dovey in public;


    however, he was just putting on an act. He merely took advantage of her and used her as an excuse to


    turn down all the other women chasing after him. He had no feelings for Jessica. If he did, he wouldn''t


    have broken up with her immediately when he noticed that Justin didn''t like her.


    "Didn''t you enjoy it? Being chased after by all kinds of beautiful women and watching them fight for


    your attention. Why would you want to turn them down?" Daisy was more confused by his words. Was


    there anything she didn''t know? It seemed he was different from the man she thought he''d be. Daisy


    noticed long time ago, no woman could stay with Edward for more than three days, except for Jessica.


    Didn''t that mean she was special to him?


    "Okay, I''ll tell you everything you want to know. Take it as a little treat." Edward said as he opened the


    door and sat into the backseat; then with a sudden burst of strength, he dragged Daisy into the car and


    made her sit on hisp, his arms around her waist. The position was too flirtatious that Daisy blushed


    with embarrassment. She wriggled and tried to break free from Edward''s grip.


    "Hold still. Unless you want me to do you right here and right now." Edward held her tighter and leaned


    forward to whisper hoarsely in her ear, his warm breath falling on her earlobe. His warning was blunt


    and sexual; Daisy froze all of a sudden and wouldn''t dare to move a muscle again. She knew Edward


    was a man of his word. He always meant what he said. Therefore she wouldn''t dare to move at the


    moment.


    "Edward, you''re a jerk!" Daisy gradually came to realize that she always gave in when Edward


    threatened her with such things. There was nothing she could do about it. She got annoyed. Was


    Edward the death of her? Edward was the man she could never turn down. Whatever he wanted her to


    do, she would be doing it without any hesitation or regret because she loved him so much. She didn''t


    know how to reject him, for such a thing didn''t even exist in her world.


    "What jerk? That''s just a normal physiological reaction! Any man will be turned on with the love of his


    life in his arms, unless he''s impotent. But I''m not, and I love you."


    Edward calmly excused himself with a smirk, as if he was telling Daisy something as simple as one and


    one equals two. However, Daisy found his look very annoying, and she really wanted to punch him in


    the face. ''Maybe he''d stop teasing me and be quiet for a while with a ck eye.'' Daisy thought to


    herself sulkily.


    "Are you trying to distract me so you wouldn''t have to talk about Jessica with me?" Okay, if he wanted


    her to sit on hisp, then she would. Big deal! Daisy shrugged and remained still in his arms. She didn''t


    wear her uniform today, so she wouldn''t bring shame to the army if someone should pass by and see


    them like this. Besides, it wasn''t the central park downtown, they hardly saw anyone around. The only


    sound they could hear was birds singing joyfully on the branches above them.

 Chapter 365 I Dont Trust Myself (Part Two)

    Chapter 365 I Don''t Trust Myself (Part Two)


    "Okay. Let''s get down to business. You are curious why I seem so distant to my parents, aren''t you?"


    What had been going on with him and Jessica was a long story, which was tooplicated to be


    finished within just a few sentences. Edward didn''t n to cut the long story short, so he took Daisy


    into the car and sat down before they talked. He had decided a long time ago he wouldn''t tell anyone


    about the pain and sorrow during his childhood, because it hurt him to repeat it over and over again;


    but if Daisy wanted to know, he wouldn''t keep it a secret from her. He wanted her to know everything


    about him - his good, bad or even desperate self. The other reason he decided to reopen his wound


    was because what he had been through when he was little yed an important part in his life.


    "Yes, I am." Wrapping her arms around his neck, Daisy nodded firmly. However, all of a sudden, she


    noticed that Edward''s face changed; he looked sad. Daisy got frightened and nervous. Her instincts


    told her that she should stop right there, but deep down, another voice was whispering, pushing her to


    go after the answer she wanted the whole time. Gazing at his face, Daisy wondered whether she was


    too heartless to him; she forced him to reopen his wound and watched him bleed just because she


    wanted some answers.


    "Everyone thinks I''m sessful and I have everything I want within my reach. But the truth is, my


    parents weren''t really a mother and father to me. I''m the child that they have never liked. I have always


    been like an invisible member in my family for all these years." Edward forced a weak smile as he


    started to speak. After the bitter opening, he pursed his thin lips and remained silent for a short while,


    trying to hold back his emotions; then he continued, "I had to live abroad, alone, by myself, when other


    kids could still hug their parents and ask for what they wanted, candies, new bikes, love and attention.


    And I had to learn how to run the business and even take over thepany when other kids were still


    learning their trades in the ssroom."


    Edward''s voice was trembling as he let out a muffled sob. For all those years, he had tried so hard to


    win his parents'' approval and praise. He wouldn''t mind how tired he got or how much he had suffered,


    as long as they could look at him and tell him ''son, we''re so proud of you.'' But he received nothing from


    them no matter what he did, no matter how excellent his performance was. Jonathan had never given


    him a single look of approval, let alone something like a loving hug.


    "You know what? I was an ident, a child who wasn''t meant to be born. I wasn''t born with my


    parents'' earnest expectation. When I was little, I was so jealous of other kids, because they could go


    out with their mom and dad by their sides. But I had no one. How I wished I could be like them, with


    someone to hold my hands and hug me and kiss me. I waited day after day, and there was nothing. I


    finally realized that what I was dreaming would never happen, because I was in no position to wish for


    anything, because there was no my ce in that family. Even the reason I was born was only because


    my mother begged my father to give her a child. To be honest, I rather wish I hadn''t been born in the


    first ce." Edward smiled bitterly. It had been so many years; all those things that he thought he had


    already forgotten were shing through his mind frame by frame. No matter how hard he tried, he


    hadn''t forgotten a thing. On the contrary, they grew more clear and painful in the hidden corner of his


    heart as time passed. They stayed with him.


    "I''m so sorry, honey. I shouldn''t have forced you to tell me this. Please just stop. You don''t have to tell


    me; I won''t bring it up anymore." Daisy held Edward tight in her arms. Edward''s words bruised her


    heart, it felt like someone was tearing her apart, but the pain was nothing aspared to what Edward


    had suffered. Though Cynthia had told her something earlier, Daisy hadn''t expected that Edward''s


    childhood would be more miserable than hers. At least she was the princess to her parents until she


    turned six, they loved her and gave her everything she wanted. But Edward had never experienced the


    love and warmth from his parents, not even for one day. Although he grew up in a rich family, that


    wasn''t enough for a little child who craved something else - his parents'' love.


    "I''m fine. You don''t trust me, do you? Because you didn''t know much about me. So I''ll tell you


    everything about me, and you''ll know me better. Maybe you''ll trust me more in the future. Come on, it''s


    not something happens every day! To be honest, I finally gathered up all my courage and want to tell


    you everything about me. No one has ever heard this from me before. It''s now or never. If you want me


    to stop, probably I won''t be brave enough to bring it up ever again for the rest of my life."


    Edward gently kissed her on the forehead. He was too exhausted after carrying the burden alone for all


    these years. Sometimes he also wanted someone he loved to share his story. He didn''t want pity or


    sympathy from others; he just needed someone to listen. Now that Daisy wanted to know, he decided


    to hold nothing back. He wanted her to see the real Edward. Edward also hoped Daisy to know more


    about him. Maybe when she knew about his past, she wouldn''t judge him; maybe she would


    understand that he hid himself behind a mask only because deep down he felt insecure.


    Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "Yes, I trust you. I just don''t trust myself." Daisy was frightened. She didn''t mean to hurt Edward in the


    first ce. But look at what she had done! Although Edward said those words in a cheerful tone, Daisy


    knew he was bleeding inside. And it hurt her ten times to see him in agony.


    "Don''t you want to know my past? Don''t you want to know why I turned to a yboy? Yes, you do.


    Deep down, you still want the answer. We''re the same type of people. No matter how much we want to


    know what the other think about us, we run away simply because we''re too scared to hear something


    we couldn''t ept. In the end, nothing solved, and everything just repeats itself again and again. We''ll


    still doubt and quarrel and eventually get hurt, because neither of us really knows what happened. So,


    are you sure you don''t want to listen anymore?"


    Edward knew Daisy stopped him because she didn''t want to see him stir things up by showing her his


    bleeding wounds. But he owed her an exnation, something he should have given her long time ago.


    Edward knew what happened today would probably happen again in the future, so he''d better tell her


    everything now once and for all. Edward almost broke down and lost his mind when they had a fight


    before. It was too painful, and he didn''t want to go through it again, ever.

 Chapter 366 Changed a Lot Because of You

    Chapter 366 Changed a Lot Because of You


    "But I feel like I''m being cruel to make you talk about the past. I don''t want to see you get sad. My heart


    will hurt too, "


    Daisy said affectionately. At this moment, she wasn''t the shy woman anymore. She extended her


    slender hands to rub Edward''s knitted eyebrows. She didn''t like seeing him wincing, because it meant


    he was being troubled by something and her heart would ache.


    "I''m not sad, just resigned. I''m fine." Feeling Daisy''s hands tremble, Edward sighed. He could see that


    although she appeared aloof, she was full of passion. And all that passion was for him, which he


    considered a blessing. He was willing to go through anything with her.


    "OK. If you feel sad, you can stop talking anytime. Although I hope I can know everything about you, I


    don''t want you to get upset, so don''t worry about me." Daisy''s heart was aching, because she was


    familiar with the feelings of being ignored by family members, which was her life story. She understood


    Edward.


    "Maybe you won''t believe me. My father has never held me once since my childhood. I have no idea


    how it feels to be spoiled by a father. At first I envied those people who have a happy family, then I


    started hating them. I was bitter. I was once filled with those deep feelings because of my own family.


    Although my mom loves me, I will never be as important as my father to her. So when they sent me


    abroad to live alone, I didn''t feel sad but relieved."


    Edward still remembered how thrilled he had been that day. He had wondered if he would be their


    sole concern after he parted with them. He had worked hard because he had hoped to be the


    best person he could be so that his father would like him. However, letdown after letdown, he finally


    knew. He found that no matter how hard he tried, he would always be the fifth wheel in that rich family.


    He was destined to be neglected by his parents.


    Day after day, it didn''t matter to him anymore. He stopped longing for care and love, because he


    realized that he would never get them. All his effort would be to no avail. It was meaningless to keep


    wasting his time.


    "Then I promised myself that if I couldn''t be a responsible father, I wouldn''t have a child. So although


    there was a lot of gossip about different girls and me, I had sex with almost none of them. The image of


    a licentious lifestyle was just a cover. In this way, I thought, I could anger my parents and avenge


    myself on them for the arranged marriage. Sadly, I hurt you deeply. I was wrong. I am very sorry for


    everything."


    Edward looked at Daisy earnestly. Yes, he owed her an exnation, and ate apology too. He had


    been furious then because it had baffled him why his parents, who had never paid attention to him,


    suddenly cared about his marriage. Inside him, he had resisted his marriage strongly. He had taken it


    out on Daisy, who was young and clueless, and then left coldly at that time.


    Hearing this, Daisy smiled and said nothing. She knew he had a lot to share. She just needed to be a


    good listener. He needed no response, because however beautiful sentences couldn''t make up the


    void from the past in his heart.


    "Realizing that I had slept with you the next morning, I was terrified by the fact that even if you didn''t


    want to have sex with someone, you could still be drugged and end up with a baby. To prevent it from


    happening again, I went under the knife and Tom gave me a vasectomy. Unexpectedly, you were


    pregnant that night."


    Edward didn''t know whether he should feel sad or excited about bing a father, for he almost


    became who his father was -- an irresponsible father. Fortunately, after having been apart for so many


    years, Daisy had sent Justin over and his life was happier. He should thank her for it, for her generosity


    and self-control, for her sense and kindness, and for bringing family affection into his life.


    Knowing that Edward hadn''t been mad at her in the first ce but at his parents for setting him up,


    Daisy kissed him on the forehead. She understood why Edward had taken it out on her. Yet, she was


    dying to know whether Edward had thought about her at all during those years.


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    "Are you wondering why I never contacted you and even almost forgot you?" Edward asked Daisy, as if


    he could read her mind. Daisy was so surprised that she was in a daze for a few seconds. Was this the


    connection between lovers? she wondered.


    Actually, Daisy was an open book. All her thoughts were on her face. As a businessman who had seen


    the world, Edward could read her expressions easily.


    "Yes, I am. Would you care to tell me why?" Daisy responded. She didn''t think anybody could forget his


    own wife, no matter how forgetful he was or how much he hated her. One''s memory couldn''t be erased


    completely.


    "When you reject someone in your heart, you reject everything that is connected with them. That was


    what I did. Because I was repulsed by my parents, I shut you out of my heart too. I didn''t really forget


    you, but somehow chose not to remember you. So it was impossible for me to contact you. I figured I


    already had fulfilled my responsibility as long as I wired money on a regr basis to Maple Night,


    where I thought you lived. That''s it. Nothing personal, just because you were the woman my parents


    picked out for me. I''m sorry I had put you through so much pain."


    Edward pinched her delicate nose. It didn''t hurt as much as he had thought to share his past with


    Daisy. He had thought he would never be able to talk about it again. Now that he opened his heart to


    Daisy, he wouldn''t close it again. He wanted her to know everything about him.


    "It seems that I became a sacrifice in the battle between you and your parents and you would rather let


    me die in the battle. You brutal monster!" Daisypared Edward''s rtion with his parents to a battle.


    Typical military style. What a dedicated officer she was!


    "Yes, I was indeed brutal to you. I made a mistake. But in the past three months, I have changed a lot


    because of you. For the first time I waited for a woman; for the first time I felt insecure in a rtionship;


    for the first time I let a woman kiss my lips; for the first time I know how wonderful it is to love someone;


    and for the first time I know I can drop my pride for a woman."


    If these things were the punishment for his cruelty to her, he was willing to take them, because he owed


    her. And because it was for Daisy, the woman he would be devoted to for the rest of his life.


    "Is all this true? Am I that woman?" Daisy asked and looked at Edward with an enchanting and


    passionate smile. He was amazed to see how charming she was at this moment. That smile was like a


    breeze caressing his cheeks and softening his heart, brightening his years. It was engraved upon his


    heart so that he would still be able to recall it even after a long, long time.


    "Who says it is you? Colonel, you''re so full of yourself." Edward teased her. She was rarely tender like


    today. Normally, she would just kick him or cold shoulder him.


    "Not me? Not even when I''m doing this?" Daisy kissed Edward on the lips before she finished her


    sentence. He had said that no other woman had kissed his lips but her, which excited her. She was


    d that he had been telling the truth before. Those lips had never been touched by any other woman.


    They were all hers.

 Chapter 367 Daisy You Are Too Cocky (Part One)

    Chapter 367 Daisy You Are Too Cocky (Part One)


    Edward narrowed his sinister eyes and looked at Daisy, was she flirting with him on her own initiative?


    Wouldn''t she feel he was cold and unromantic if he didn''t savor the feast that came to him by itself?


    With the thought, he immediately took control. Because Daisy''s kissing skills really sucked. Of course,


    he wouldn''t let her know this, otherwise he couldn''t imagine what she''d do. He would certainly be


    doomed.


    He kissed her passionately. But his kiss was also very gentle and sweet. This made Daisy who had


    expected a light kiss lost in the endless sensual delight created by Edward. He was such a good kisser.


    If he hadn''t mentioned it to her repeatedly, she wouldn''t believe that she was the only woman who had


    kissed him.


    N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    "Then just admit the woman you were talking about is me." Daisy gasped hastily and reluctantly left his


    thin and sexy lips. She gazed at him gently. Her face turned red and dewy-like after the passionate


    kiss, making anyone who saw the face want to have a bite of it. She had gone to great lengths to


    sacrifice her kiss in order to get answers, she didn''t believe that this hateful man would continue to be


    pretentious.


    "If you continue to please me, I''ll consider saying it''s you. What do you think? Does Colonel Ouyang


    want this honor?" Edward looked into Daisy''s eyes slyly, a cunning smile climbing to his handsome


    face. That expression was fascinating.


    "Really? I''d rather you keep this honor to another woman. As a Colonel, I don''t care about it. The world


    may be short of many things, but I''m sure there is nock of two-legged men."


    Daisy looked at Edward mischievously while raising her eyebrows arrogantly, a charming smile


    crossing her face. ''Huh, Edward, you''re really that kind of guy who wants to take a mile if I give you an


    inch. You dared to ask that!. I already mustered enough courage to initiate the kiss. It''s impossible for


    me to please you. Moreover, we''re in the woods. I''m not that open-minded as to have outdoor sex, ''


    Daisy thought.


    "Daisy, you are too cocky! You dared topare me with other shallow men! Two-legged men are


    indeed easy to find, but do you think a noble and handsome man like me would be found anywhere on


    the street?" Speaking of this, Edward felt the impulse of pping himself. What was he talking about?


    He was lowering himself when he mentioned himself with those shallow men. He felt ashamed to talk


    about such bullshit with Daisy.


    "Edward, have anyone mentioned to you that sometimes you are extremely narcissistic, giving people


    the urge to give you a good beating? But even so, I still like you, Haha!" As soon as Daisy finished her


    words, she freed herself from his arms and ran away jubntly. Her silveryugh came through loud


    and clear. Her voice rang through the woods. This sudden move shocked Edward and also startled the


    birds, making them fly away immediately.


    Edward was dumbstruck by Daisy''s beautiful figure and graceful movement. He had known that his


    wife was pretty and amazing, but he had never seen her so lovely and yful as today. She had never


    shown this side to him. He lost his mind in the moment and forgot how to react. Heughed and


    followed her steps with his passionate eyes.


    The evening glows in the sky left by the sunset were very beautiful. The person we love is beautiful,


    because we have put our love and gentleness on him or her. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This


    only exists between lovers. They deemed each other as the most beautiful scenery in their hearts, and


    anyone else was only a gentle breeze passing by. And a gentle breeze wouldn''t cause too many


    ripples.


    Contrary to the tender love and sweet atmosphere in the woods, the Lin Group fell into a state of panic


    due to a simple order made by Edward this morning. It was as if doomsday wasing like in those


    disaster movies. "You win some, you lose some," as the saying goes.


    "Miss Lin, what should we do? Our stock suddenly plummeted after it went into the market today, as if


    someone is manipting things under the table. No matter how hard we have tried to mend things, it


    was useless. And some secret party is constantly buying the stock of ourpany, and they now hold


    40% of our equity, 10% more than we do. The rest, 30%, is still in the hands of our stockholders. We''re


    in trouble now. What should we do?"


    The special assistant looked at Jessica nervously. It was not long after they lost the construction


    business, he didn''t think that they would face plunging stock values so soon. Would Lin Group be


    finished this time? But who would bear so much hatred towards Lin Group? Was it FX International


    Group again? Since they didn''t destroy Lin Grouppletelyst time, they thought they didn''t really


    want Lin Group to go bankrupt. They wouldn''t make aeback to thepany so soon, unless their


    CEO irritated Edward again. Which was why he went against his own code and caused all this


    mayhem. That was unusual for him. He was not that kind of man, the assistant thought.


    "Why are you asking me? Why is it whenever something happens you only think to ask me? If I know


    the solution, why would I need you? You''re useless, all of you! Just think of a way to satisfy the


    shareholders. No matter what, don''t let them sell our stock! Do you need me to remind you of such a


    simple thing? Why are you still here, you pieces of shit?" Jessica ground her teeth and screamed


    furiously. Daisy pissed her off when they met today, she didn''t expect to hear such bad news when she


    came back to thepany. How was it possible for her to be calm now? She was going ballistic.


    "Okay, Miss Lin, we will go to talk with our shareholders now. But what should we do to save the stock


    which continues plummeting?" The special assistant looked furtively at Jessica, fearing of inviting a


    blow from her. His voice trailed off.

 Chapter 368 Daisy You Are Too Cocky (Part Two)

    Chapter 368 Daisy You Are Too Cocky (Part Two)


    "I will think about it. Go finish the things I asked you to do first." Jessica lowered her head, holding her


    head in her hands. She seemed lost in thought. Who was behind all this? She had the same idea as


    her special assistant did. She didn''t believe it was Edward again. If he really wanted to make Lin Group


    go bankrupt, he wouldn''t have let it gost time. But who would have such a big grudge against Lin


    Group? She was confused.


    She touched her belly gently, and her heart sank deeper. Her father had been sent to overseas to have


    a good rest there. She did this to hide her pregnancy from him. If he found that she was pregnant, he


    probably would pass out again. But this time, thepany was confronted with such a serious


    problem, she feared that she was unable to handle it by herself. To tell the truth, after the heavy blow


    last time, the Lin Group was very vulnerable now. If she could not find capital to put into thepany,


    she had no other option but to dere bankruptcy.


    But where could she get suchrge amounts of capital in such a short time? She didn''t have very close


    friends in this trade. She used to think that she had Edward with her. So she was always very arrogant


    and set her sights high. She ignored all the other rich men who ttered her. Because in her heart, she


    was the one who was bound to be Edward''s wife. But she didn''t expect that Daisy would get in


    the way and shatter all her dreams. This was a deadly blow which surprised her a lot.


    If she went to Edward and begged him for help, would he help her because they used to be lovers? But


    when thinking of his cold attitude towards her, she hesitated doing this. Because in front of that man,


    she already lost her love, she didn''t want to beg him to keep her dignity in public.


    She stood up and walked to the windows. Looking at the hustle and bustle on the street, she frowned


    deeply. If Lin Group really dered bankruptcy, she would fall from riches to rags and live a normal life


    which she hated before, which was impossible for her to ept. This was actually worse than being


    killed by others for her.


    No, she couldn''t allow that to happen, otherwise she would lose the battle with Daisy. She must find a


    way to change the situation. So even if she knew that Edward would not speak to her, she wanted to


    try. In her social circle, Edward was the richest and most influential person, if he didn''t want to help her,


    no one else would be willing to, Jessica thought.


    When the phone rang, Edward was on his way home with Daisy. Apparently, Luke needed to send


    someone to drive Daisy''s car back this time, because Daisy was now in a sound sleep in Edward''s car.


    So when Edward heard the phone, he furrowed his eyebrows. He picked up the phone immediately


    without checking who was calling. He was so eager to stop the ring tone from waking up Daisy. .


    "Hello, who is that?" Edward held the steering wheel with one hand while plugging the earphone with


    another hand. He nced at Daisy who was asleep and then focused his attention on driving the car.


    "Edward, it''s me. Do you have time now? I want to see you." Jessica finally made the call. Because she


    firmly believed that no matter how Edward treated her now, he would not be so ruthless as to watch her


    die. So no matter what, she decided to at least have a go, she didn''t want to see Lin Group destroyed


    in her hands.


    "Oh, it''s you? Sorry, it''s not very convenient now. And I don''t think there is any need for us to meet."


    Edward''s voice became cold instantly. ''Jessica, how dare you call me again? Do you really think that


    your n was wless?'' Edward thought.


    "Well, when do you have time? I can wait for you. How about tonight? We haven''t been to the Sexy


    World for a long time. Would you like to grab a drink there?" Jessica knew it was difficult to get him to


    change his mind, but she didn''t expect that he would refuse her so harshly. She was heartbroken in an


    instant and lost her mind. But since she had proposed it, she must see him today, otherwise she really


    had no other way to get herself out of trouble.


    "Huh! Jessica, you may have time to wait, I don''t really have time to waste on you. So stop dreaming


    about it. You should know that once Ie at you, that means something bad will happen," Edward


    sneered. It seemed that Rain had already taken action. Otherwise Jessica wouldn''t be so eager to see


    him. But didn''t she feel it was toote now? Since she feared so much what he''d do, she should have


    kept his warnings in mind. But she seemed to go the wrong way, she dared to made the same mistakes


    despite his repeated warnings. If he didn''t punish her severely, would she ever take him seriously? She


    needed to be taught a lesson.


    N?velDrama.Org owns this text.


    "Don''t get angry, Edward. You know that I rarely ask anything of you. Even if you forget the fact that we


    have been together for so many years, you should think about our child." Jessica begged, crying. She


    had lost her dignity in front of this man early on, so she really had nothing to lose now.


    "Our child? Jessica, how many times do you need me to tell you that your child has nothing to do with


    me? How many times will it take to get it through your thick skull? Please don''t force the baby on me,


    okay?" Edward sighed. Why did he forget to give his health check report to that conceited woman?


    That would save him from iming for himself over and over again. It was because his carelessness


    that he didn''t take the matter of the child too seriously, so that Jessica got a chance to make a fuss by


    using the child.

 Chapter 369 The Romantic Date

    Chapter 369 The Romantic Date


    "Fine. Let''s not talk about the baby. But please meet me. I have to discuss something important with


    you, "


    Jessica implored while biting her lower lip. She had never been so humble in her life. She knew that


    this was herst chance. If she missed it, she would be in a more embarrassing situation, so she


    discarded her usual haughty attitude and pretended not to feel her aching heart. Besides, when it came


    to Edward, her pride always got undermined.


    "We can talk on the phone. You have five minutes." Edward raised his voice a bit. Daisy, who had been


    sleeping in the passenger''s seat, was awakened by his voice.


    "Have we arrived? Oh, you are on the phone." Daisy sluggishly looked at Edward with droopy eyes.


    She looked innocent, adorable and feminine.


    "Not yet. Go back to sleep. It''s not an important call. Did I wake you?" Edward said gently, totally


    ignoring the person on the other end of the phone.


    Hearing what Edward had said to Daisy, Jessica''s expression changed unwittingly. She knew that he


    was with Daisy in his car. She remembered that he used to talk to her in that gentle tone back then.


    She used to stay in his arms like a spoiled child. There was a time when she was the happy woman


    sitting in the passenger''s seat next to Edward. But now, she was nothing to him.


    Bygones were bygones. Jessica was just a meaningless fling to Edward. She closed her eyes in grief


    and listened to him affectionately talking to another woman. Her heart was bleeding.


    She hung up the phone in silence, tears streaming down her pretty cheeks. Right now, there was only


    one person in Edward''s heart -Daisy. Jessica was in no ce to talk. Whether what she had heard was


    an act or not, she had lost herst bit of confidence.


    Jessica sat on the chair helplessly. Her youth, her love, and her upper-ss lifestyle had all gone, for


    nothing. Her years of love and obsession for Edward eventually lost to Daisy.


    She sneered. She used to think that she was special to him, that was why she never believed it when


    people used to say that the CEO of FX International Group was insensitive and ruthless. But now,


    seeing how he treated Daisy, she realized that it was true. He could be so cold and cruel to the people


    he didn''t care about while doting on the woman he loved. He had never treated anybody the way he


    had treated Daisy. Hard to believe. But since Jessica had seen it so many times, she had to ept the


    fact that Edward was really in love with Daisy. He wasn''t seeking a fling in Daisy.


    Edward heard the beep on the phone. He made a sinister smile and thought, ''Good. Jessica, you


    should realize your worth. Don''t me me for being cruel. You shouldn''t have fought a hopeless battle.


    You broke the rules of the game, and now you are reaping the bitter fruits of your mistakes. In love, I''m


    neither a phnthropist nor a monopolizer. I''m just a man trying to be faithful to the woman I love.''


    "Aren''t we going home?" Daisy asked, while withdrawing her eyes from the view outside the car


    window. Edward smiled mischievously. Daisy looked at him with her head tilted and thought he might


    be considering something naughty, which was typical of him.


    Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "We''ll eat out tonight. Let''s go on a romantic date, like other couples." Edward turned to Daisy and


    gave her a warm smile. Justin was growing up, but they had never been on a date. It was a pity and


    Edward med himself for it. He resolved to make up for it in the future.


    "Are we? I was thinking about making dinner for your parents. I was too busy to do it before, but now


    that I have time I feel awful for not doing it."


    Daisy frowned. She was longing to be alone with Edward, but as a daughter-inw, she felt obliged to


    spend time with Edward''s parents. Moreover, she hoped she could help Edward to get along with his


    parents. In her opinion, their biggest problem wasck ofmunication and interaction. If they could


    spend more time together, they would have a better rtionship.


    "Don''t worry. They will understand." Edward sneered. Since he thought Jonathan didn''t like Edward, he


    never cared for family courtesy and gave no importance to such formalities in his carefree life. So


    Edward was sure that his parents wouldn''t mind if he and Daisy went out to spend a romantic evening


    alone.


    They went to a Western restaurant, the decor of which was unique. Edward pulled his Maybach, into


    the parking lot and then they went in. The food and atmosphere of the restaurant were excellent. It was


    an ideal ce for lovers. Edward had been there a couple of times, for business. This was his first date


    here.


    Edward and Daisy intimately walked inside arm-in-arm. Wherever Edward went, he was the center of


    women''s attention. But today, not only women but also men were attracted. Men marveled at Daisy, the


    perfect creature of elegance and aloofness, whom they could just admire from afar.


    "Let''s sit here." Daisy picked a window seat. She preferred seats with a wide view, from where she


    could clearly see everything. Maybe it was because of her profession.


    "OK. As you say, honey." Edward usually made decisions as per his will. But he didn''t mind sitting


    anywhere as long as Daisy liked it.


    Daisy still wasn''t used to hearing his sweet words. She blushed. She got nervous, every time she


    heard those words, especially when they were in public.


    "Why are you blushing? Are you thinking about something naughty?" Edward whispered into her ear


    while he was pulling out the chair for her. His moist warm breath caressed her ear. Her cheeks became


    rosier and prettier, softening her aloofness.


    "I''m not as shameless as you are." Daisy rolled her eyes at him and sat down gracefully. Although the


    majority of her co-workers were men, she was born with elegance, which was embodied in her every


    move.


    "You know I can''t do shameless things by myself. You must be with me." Edward sat opposite Daisy,


    wearing a teasing smile.


    "You are getting worse by the day. Your mind is filled with filth. What do you use it for, I wonder?"


    Daisy tried to pull herself together. If Edward noticed her uneasiness because of his tease, he would


    enjoy it and ridicule her all tonight. Darn! Being in a rtionship with such an evil guy was exhausting.


    You had to be very careful with his tricks all the time.


    "Honey, be reasonable. You were naughty first. I just disclosed what you were thinking. Howe I am


    getting med?"


    Edward pretended to be wronged. He acted innocent, but actually, his head was filled with dirty ideas.


    No one could win over him in shamelessness. More lewd remarks mighte out of his mouth. So to


    shut him up, Daisy had to acquiesce to his words, although they were just nonsense.


    "I would be a fool if I continued to argue with you over this." Daisy drank a mouthful of water from the


    ss on the table. She was in no mood to carry this topic forward because she knew she would be at a


    disadvantage.


    "OK. Let''s order a set meal for a couple." Edward knew well what she was capable of. Once the tiger


    was awakened in public, his reputation would be ruined. So he dropped the topic immediately.


    "A set meal for a couple? Count me in," a vigorous voice said. It was Brian. He smiled mischievously at


    Daisy and Edward, his nce shifting back and forth from one to the other. He just came in to grab a


    bite and hadn''t expected to bump into them. His luck had been goodtely. What a beautiful life!

 Chapter 370 How Horrible You Are (Part One)

    Chapter 370 How Horrible You Are (Part One)


    "Are you out of your mind? We are ordering a couple set, for God''s sake! It''s a set for two! We''re on a


    date, not a family night out with child. I''m sure you don''t want to be the third wheel, do you?" Edward


    growled at Brian. He wanted to share a romantic night with Daisy, filled with candles, flowers, delicious


    food and sweet conversations. But Brian suddenly showed up and ruined everything! The romantic and


    intimate ambiance he had been hoping for had vanished because of Brian''s sudden appearance.


    "My dear brother-inw, don''t you know? If one set isn''t enough for the three of us, you can always


    order another set. One for the two of you, and the other for me! After all, I''m still a growing boy, and I


    need some extra nutrition. Don''t worry; I can eat all of it. Don''t mind me and please go back to


    whatever you were doing. I''ll just sit here quietly and enjoy my food. I won''t bother you. I promise you


    won''t even know I''m here!" Ignoring the rage in Edward''s eyes, Brian shrugged and gave an ear-to-ear


    smile, as if he didn''t notice how furious Edward was because he invited himself to join them for dinner.


    "What? You? Still growing? Come on, don''t be ridiculous and try something more realistic! Something


    like you''re putting on weight! And what did you just say about ignoring you? Buddy, you''re not invisible,


    okay? Look how enormous you are! And you''re sitting right here at the table. I''m not blind; how am I


    supposed to pretend that I can''t see you?" With rage still burning in his eyes, Edward red at Brian


    and sharply retorted. His anger was evident in every single word that came out his mouth. It seemed as


    if he wanted to skin Brian alive.


    "Don''t mind him, Brian. Come here and have a seat with us. He''s crazy. Just ignore him." Daisy knew


    why Edward was angry. He had nned to spend a romantic night with Daisy; they hardly got the


    chance to do sotely. Edward had every right to be mad. Now that he was picking on Brian, Daisy


    thought she''d interrupt before Edward lost his temper and picked up a fight with Brian. She invited


    Brian to sit down with them and deliberately med Edward for his rudeness; she knew her words


    might upset Edward, but he wouldn''t be angry with her, no matter what.


    "Really? Is that so? Hmm...I see. Okay, in that case, I''ll forgive him. Daisy, I haven''t seen you in ages! I


    miss you so much! Do you miss me?" Brian eximed with an exaggerated tone as he leaned forward


    to embrace Daisy. Edward, on the other hand, just sipped his water. Brian''s words made him spurt out


    the water. He was coughing violently; his face turned red because he was out of breath. He stared at


    Brian in disbelief. ''Damn it! Could he be any more shameless? He hasn''t seen Daisy in ages, what


    does that mean? They just metst night at the party! Has he forgotten that already? Or does he live on


    another standard time? Even if he does, that''s a few time zones away, not a fews away! Hardly


    24 hours have passed sincest night, and he''s describing it as ''ages''? Where is this time difference


    coming from?'' Edward thought to himself gloomily.


    "Haha! Slow down, my dear brother-inw. No one is snatching your ss of water." Brian smirked with


    his eyebrows raised. He stroked the hair falling on his forehead with his fingers and leaned closer to sit


    right next to Daisy. His eyes were steadily fixed on Edward as if he was plotting to outwit him the whole


    night.


    "Are you okay?" Ignoring Brian''s deliberate provocation, Daisy worried about Edward''s cough. She


    wondered how he got choked by water. He was a grown-up man, not a 3-year-old child. Even Justin,


    their little son, didn''t get choked by his beverages. At this moment, Edward wasn''t acting anything like


    the mature CEO he was supposed to be.


    "I''m fine. Brian Ouyang. I just need to understand one thing, what did you mean when you said you


    haven''t seen Daisy in ages? Why don''t you exaggerate some more and say that you haven''t seen her


    since previous life?" Edward had always thought he was the most shameless and glibbest man, but


    Brian surprised Edward because he was smoother than him!


    "You have no idea. Being away from Daisy for a year seems as long as my whole life. It has been


    nearly 24 hours sincest night, so it seems like ages to me. Am I wrong? Do you have any issues


    concerning my close rtionship with my beloved sister?" Brian was intentionally provoking Edward,


    that was why he used vague words to make his speech sound like a passionate confession of love for


    Daisy. Perhaps it was too much, but it amused Brian to trick the arrogant Edward. The more jealous he


    got, the more he must care about Daisy. Knowing that his sister had found someone who loved her


    from the bottom of his heart delighted Brian more than anything.


    "Absolutely not. Why should I have any problems with that? In fact, I have to thank you for caring so


    deeply for my wife." Instead of getting mad, Edward calmed down and gave Brian a smirk. He knew


    exactly what Brian was up to, and he also knew he would seem meanspirited to Daisy if he kept


    bullying her younger brother. While Edward really wanted to punch Brian and throw him out of the


    restaurant so that he could continue his date with Daisy, yet, he wore a polite smile and acted


    generously. Edward knew Brian intended to piss him off, but he didn''t fall in his trap. Edward was


    nothing like his father, who got jealous of any male creature that ever dared to approach his mother.


    Even if he got jealous, he wouldn''t let Daisy notice it.


    "Hmm. That''sme. You''re a hypocrite. Your mouth isn''t saying that, but your eyes are doing all the


    talking. I know you''re jealous as hell, am I right? Look at you! Pretending to be kind and generous while


    the truth is you are none of these things. You are really a horrible man who lies even to yourself." After


    he returned from abroad, Brian had finally found something worth living for. Teasing his new brother-in-


    law had officially be histest hobby! Nothing gave him more pleasure than to see Edward''s angry


    face when he kept pushing him. Brian enjoyed seeing Edward hold back his rage because he couldn''t


    attack him in front of Daisy. ''You asked for it! You are the one who threw the first punch at mest night!


    I won''t be me if I don''t make you pay with interest!'' Brian was gloating secretly.


    "Dude, how long have you been abroad? You can''t even say your mother tongue properly now?" With


    his eyes fixed on Brian, Edward said those words between his gritted teeth. He pretended to be calm,


    but the wrath burning in his eyes gave him away. ''Hypocrite? Seriously? Is that how he should address


    his sister''s husband? Damn it! Am I a jerk in his eyes? Maybe that''s why he keeps picking on me.


    Perhaps he hates me because he thinks I''m not good enough for Daisy.'' Edward thought to himself


    gloomily.


    "Alright, stop it, both of you. Did something happen between you two earlier that I don''t know about?


    Why do you act like arch enemies every time you see each other? You are grown men, not 3-year-old


    kids!" Daisy rolled her eyes and tried to stop the childish feud between her husband and her younger


    brother. They both were the most important people in her life; she sincerely hoped they would get along


    well with each other. Even if they didn''t like each other, couldn''t they pretend to be nice for her


    sake?Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 371 How Horrible You Are (Part Two)

    Chapter 371 How Horrible You Are (Part Two)


    "Who? Him? I''ve never seen a man like him in my whole life!" Edward retorted sourly and gulped down


    his ss of water; he was parched after arguing with Brian. Edward just met Brian at the partyst


    night. He had no idea Brian was Daisy''s younger brother, that was why he mistook him for her ex-lover


    and got green with envy. The second time they met was here at the restaurant tonight; and once again,


    Brian stole Daisy''s attention from him when he intended to have a romantic date with her. How could


    Edward put on a happy smile and greet him?


    "Daisy, why did you choose to be a soldier? I have no idea about that," asked Brian. Brian dropped the


    topic as soon as Daisy told him to. He always followed whatever she said. He knew Daisy loved


    Edward and didn''t want to see them fight, so he changed the topic and asked Daisy the question that


    had been lingering in his mind for quite a while. They grew up together, and he certainly knew Daisy''s


    dream career when she was little, and it had nothing to do with the military. He wondered what made


    Daisy change her mind all of a sudden.


    "Nothing special. I guess I just felt like it. Why did you ask? You don''t want me to be a soldier?" Back


    then, Daisy gave up everything and chose to be a soldier because when she first met Edward, he said


    he didn''t like weak people. Edward might have forgotten this, but on that day Daisy decided she had to


    be strong. However, Daisy figured Brian didn''t have to know those details. In fact, even if she had


    chosen to live a different life because of what Edward had said, still she was utterly devoted to her


    career. The new identity had been her redemption.


    After spending more than a decade building her strength in the army, she was no longer the weak girl


    who used to weep tears of grief. She was a fierce and strong female colonel with numerous honors and


    medals. It wasn''t easy for a woman to gain so many achievements in just a few years. Daisy had


    learned a lot after wiping her tears and bravely facing the tough training. She wasn''t scared of the


    terrible conditions of the jungles. She didn''t feel frightened when she fought criminals. She was brave


    and strong because she had the faith; Edward, the man she had fallen in love with when she first saw


    him, was the source of her courage. She wasn''t weak and afraid anymore, and it was all because she


    loved him.


    "No. I''m just a little surprised since it''s quite different from what you wanted to do when we were little.


    Whatever you do, I think it''s okay as long as you''re happy. I was shocked to see you in uniform the


    other day; you looked so dignified and elegant!" Brian used to follow Daisy around when they were


    kids. He loved her unconditionaly. Therefore, whatever Daisy chose to be, Brian believed that she had


    her own good reason; and he would support her with all his heart.


    Edward remained silent as he listened to the brother and sister catching up with each other. He knew


    Daisy and Brian hadn''t seen each other for years, and they must have much to talk about. Therefore,


    Edward quietly took Daisy''s te and helped her cut the steak into small pieces. He didn''t interrupt


    them because he knew how much his wife cared about her younger brother, and Brian had been there


    for Daisy before she met Edward; their time together meant a lot to her. As her husband, Edward knew


    all he needed to do now was to sit back and let them talk.


    "Things change, as we do, including dreams. After all, we don''t always have a choice. Sometimes


    things just happen whether you want them or not. What you can do is to either face them or run away."


    Daisy forced a bitter smile. Dreams were always bright and beautiful, yet the reality was dim and


    desperate. It was almost a miracle that she had survived her stepmother and stepsister''s torture when


    she was little. How could she dare to think about her dreams? But still, she was somehow grateful to all


    the people who had hurt her. Because of their repulsive behavior, she had grown into a strong woman.


    No matter what they did to her - gossiping, torturing, back-stabbing, Daisy took them all in and swore to


    be a stronger person. And she did it.


    "I''m sorry, sister. I was too young and weak, and there were too many things beyond my power. I


    couldn''t do much to help you. Now that I''ve grown up into a strong man, I can protect you with my


    strength; however now you are stronger than I am, and you don''t need me to defend you anymore. In


    the end, I couldn''t do anything for you, and that''s my biggest regret."


    With his eyes fixed on the tablecloth, Brian confessed his true feelings to Daisy. He was like a little tail


    following her around when they were little; there wasn''t much he could do for her since he was too


    small. However, he usually tried to seek warmth and love from Daisy since he couldn''t feel them from


    his own mother. Brian suddenly realized that he was no different than his mother; he had never


    considered things from Daisy''s view or done anything useful for her.


    "It''s okay, Brian. I''m fine now. Everything is fine. Can we put it behind us? Now tell me something about


    yourself. How have you been doing abroad all these years?" Daisyforted Brian with a warm smile.


    Past should stay in the past; there was no point bringing it up over and over again. We all had a life to


    live, and we couldn''t let ourselves get lost in sad memories forever. Grieving over the past would do us


    no good, it only made things worse if we were crying for the lost and paying no attention to the present.


    Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "I''ve been doing okay. Nothing particrly interesting. I was just studying there and enjoying life." Brian


    curled his lips into a weak smile. He didn''t mean to show off that he had been living an affluent and


    carefree life when Daisy was suffering in the army. He felt ashamed of himself because of his


    purposeless way of life.


    Edward cast a surprised look at Brian when he heard what he had said. The look on his face seemed


    sincere; it didn''t look like he was lying. Then Edward frowned and was lost in his thoughts. He realized


    that although Brian came from the Ouyang family, he wasn''t like the other members of his family. Brian


    was nice and decent, unlike his arrogant and spoiled sister Mary. No wonder he got along well with


    Daisy. Edward suddenly felt sorry for him. It must be hard for Brian to choose between his parents and


    his beloved sister. But he was an Ouyang, and that was the problem he had to face. Edward figured


    that life didn''t go easy on anyone, and every family had their own problems to


    solve.

 Chapter 372 Im Not Going To The Hospital (Part One)

    Chapter 372 I''m Not Going To The Hospital (Part One)


    It was supposed to be a date between lovers. However, with Brian joining them it had turned into a


    party for friends who hadn''t seen each other for a long time. Edward, who should be the male


    protagonist in the date, looked deserted in this gathering. He just listened quietly while Daisy and Brian


    chatted fervently about their past that had nothing to do with him. It seemed that he was the third wheel


    in tonight''s date. Although Edward was left out in the cold, he felt neither embarrassed nor angry. He


    sat silently on his seat, ate his beefsteak and gracefully sipped the red wine. He looked so noble and


    so charming that he had be the focus of attention at the restaurant. Many guests were peeping at


    him. But he paid no attention to them and casually went on dining and drinking. Every few minutes, he


    raised his head to cast an affectionate look at the woman sitting opposite him. His mour appeared in


    every gesture and every glimpse of him.


    This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    Daisy didn''t shift her gaze from Edward when she was conversing with Brian. She enjoyed talking with


    Brian, but she could not help herself from ncing at Edward, as he was always the focus of attention


    for her. Edward was the only man that Daisy wanted to love for the rest of her life.


    Daisy and Edward cared about each other, although at times they tried to behave otherwise. Brian had,


    of course, noticed their sweet gestures. Brian saw that Daisy and Edward had fallen deeply in love with


    each other. Brian felt happy for Daisy; her happiness was one of his greatest wishes. Although he loved


    Daisy too, he didn''t mind that his beloved woman was in love with another man. He just wanted her to


    have a happy life and was willing to do anything to make that happen. But like a spoiled boy, Brian


    could not help himself from approaching her and had tried his best to attract her attention.


    At the same time, Leena was having an unfavorable night. It all started when she burned her hand


    while cooking in her apartment. She looked at the scalded skin with a frown. Tears were welling in her


    eyes. Leena med herself for her carelessness. While she was cooking, she recalled what had


    happened at the cocktail partyst night. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn''t pay


    attention to the soup pot until the soup spilled out. Leena''s first reaction was to remove the pod lid to


    stop the spilling. But the pot lid was so hot that her hand got burnt.


    Leena bit her lip to suppress the painful sting in her hand. Although she had washed the burned area


    with cold water, she could still feel the scalding sting on her skin. Leena had no idea what to do next.


    She just nkly stared at the burnt skin. Then she got lost in a daze, as Kevin''s aloof attitude towards


    her atst night''s party upied her mind again.


    Leena softly let out a sigh of defeat. Although she dreamed of an independent lifestyle, she could not


    stand Kevin''s indifferent attitude towards their marriage anymore. He didn''t care about her and never


    took an interest in what she did. Leena didn''t mind who Kevin loved in his heart. But she did mind


    whether Kevin showed concern for her in front of those people who cared for her. She hated his


    aloofness towards her in public. Now, she had no idea how to maintain the confidence of her beloved


    family and friends in her marriage.


    Leena understood that Kevin had to entertain his superiors at the party. But as his newly-wed wife,


    didn''t she have the right to get introduced to his superiors and colleagues? Was Kevin feeling ashamed


    to introduce her as his wife? Leena couldn''t help but feel depressed when this thought crossed her


    mind. ''Yes. He must have felt ashamed of me!'' thought Leena. ''I''m just a silly girl in Kevin''s opinion. He


    doesn''t feelfortable standing with me in public because I''m not a graceful woman. Why would he


    introduce a little girl like me to his leaders and colleagues? They are all high-rank military officials and


    leaders. I''m just the dirt on the ground that no one likes to look at. As an ordinary girl, I have no means


    to connect with them no matter how hard I try. Isn''t that true?''


    Leena felt as if her heart was being stabbed. ''What is wrong with me?" Leena asked herself. She


    wondered why she had be so concerned with Kevin''s social circle. ''Do I feel differently towards


    him now? Have I fallen in love with him? Why am I fussing over him and raising my expectations?''


    Leena was disturbed by this thought. Her eyes were filled with bewilderment as she considered the


    possibility of falling in love with Kevin. No! It couldn''t be right. They had known each other for a long


    time. If she had fallen in love with Kevin, she wouldn''t have realized it sote! If love was not the right


    answer, then what was the reason behind her abnormal behavior and irrational thoughts?


    "What are you thinking about? Don''t you smell something burning?" A sudden ming voice brought


    Leena back to reality. After regaining herposure, Leena realized that she was cooking in the


    kitchen. But the braised pork leg was already burnt. In an effort to save the pork leg from getting worse,


    Leena stirred it with a turner. Hurriedly, she held the turner with her burnt hand. As soon as the burnt


    part of her hand touched the turner, a sharp pain stung her. The pain was so fierce that Leena dropped


    the turner, which fell on her foot. What a lucky day for Leena!


    Kevin frowned on seeing the turn of events. He turned off the gas stove quickly. Then he grabbed


    Leena into his arms, lifted her and carried her out of the kitchen. His face darkened when he carried


    her towards the living room. Leena noticed his worried expression. She wondered why Kevin got so


    bothered all of a sudden. Did he feel sad for the broken turner or did he get mad at her for the mess in


    the kitchen? But Leena could not find the answer to her question.


    "Kevin, I can walk." Leena witnessed Kevin''s cold expression for the first time today. He looked quite


    stern and terrifying when he was in a serious mood. Leena stared at his darkened face until she was


    breathless with nervousness. She assumed that she was the reason behind Kevin''s rage. But Leena


    wondered what she had done to enrage him. She thought about everything that had happened, but


    nothing seemed peculiar in her opinion. Did Kevin get angry because she messed up the pork leg?


    "Shut up." Kevin carefully ced Leena on the couch. Instead of saying something to her, Kevin ran


    straight upstairs. This puzzled Leena. She had no idea what Kevin intended to do. As Leena knew


    nothing about the cause for Kevin''s anger, she had to stay where she was and wait for his return lest


    she might enrage him further.

 Chapter 373 Im Not Going To The Hospital (Part Two)

    Chapter 373 I''m Not Going To The Hospital (Part Two)


    Kevin scurried into the study, fetched the first-aid-kit, and returned downstairs soon. Even he had no


    idea why he got enraged. But he clearly felt a sense of pain and sadness when he saw Leena getting


    hurt by the turner. The feeling was so intense that it swelled rampantly in his heart. He felt terrible at


    that moment. But he wasn''t sure about the reason behind this ufortable feeling. Did ite as a


    result of his care for Leena or was it just guilt for failing to take good care of her?


    "Stretch out your foot, let me put some medicine on it." Kevin dropped the first-aid-kit. He still wore a


    gloomy face. But his tone was softer than before.


    "Hmm! Kevin, I''m fine." Leena slightly moved her foot backward. Although they were married now, she


    felt awkward to approach Kevin, especially when they were at an intimate distance. She didn''t know


    what was wrong with her. But she got extremely nervous whenever Kevin came close to her.


    "You sure you are okay? Because there is a huge bruise on your skin." Kevin looked at Leena''s fair-


    skinned foot. There was a massive bruise on it. Kevin again got furious at the sight of the ugly bruise.


    ''Can''t you take care of yourself?'' Kevin roared at Leena in his heart. He wondered what she was


    thinking right now. She was severely hurt but was still refusing his help.


    "You can hand the medicine to me! I can do it myself." Leena stretched out her hand for the medicine.


    But she had forgotten that her hand was even more severely hurt. So, Kevin''s reaction at sight of the


    burn on her hand was indeed beyond her expectation. Kevin squinted his eyes to examine the burnt


    part carefully. The sternness in his eyes, like that of a ferocious eagle, was so terrifying that Leena


    didn''t dare to speak.


    "Leena, do you think that you can apply medicine on your wound with a burnt hand? What the hell did


    you do to get so badly burned?" Kevin closed his eyes in despair. Was he wrong in marrying her?


    Leena was born into a wealthy family. Her parents treated her like a princess. She didn''t need to lift a


    single finger for her daily affairs at home, as her servants took care of everything. It was unimaginable


    that a princess like Leena would do chores and household work. But ever since their marriage, Leena


    had taken the responsibility of running the house. She had rearranged the furnishings in the apartment


    and had cleaned and tidied everything. Kevin had noticed the changes in his house when he returned


    from his military exercise, and was surprised by the renewed decorations. After taking a closer look at


    his house, he had even found many new small artwork disys in the rooms, due to which the home


    seemed more beautiful and morefortable than before.


    "I..." Leena didn''t dare to tell Kevin what had happened. She wanted to defend herself. But the fact was


    that she was distracted while she was cooking in the kitchen. She could not tell Kevin that she was


    thinking of their rtionship when she was cooking. Leena had to swallow the words that were at the


    tip of her tongue.


    "Let me treat your wound by applying some medicine on it! If it still aches, I''ll take you to the hospital for


    better treatment." Kevin held Leena''s hand and scrutinized it. He furrowed his brows at the sight of


    Leena''s swollen red hand. It was severely hurt. What the hell had she done to hurt herself so severely!


    Kevin wondered.


    "I''m not going to the hospital. My burn will be fine with the ointment." Leena hated the smell of


    disinfectants in the hospital. She got sick with nausea whenever she went to a hospital. If she just


    suffered from some mild diseases, a family doctor was hired by her parents to treat her at home. So,


    Leena seldom went to hospitals.


    "Don''t move. It may sting a little. But you have to bear it." Kevin gently applied ointment on Leena''s


    hand burn. He was so careful and attentive that sweat beads were visible on his forehead. He was


    afraid of hurting her again.


    "Ouch!" Leena let out a scream because of the unexpected sting brought on by the ointment. She


    clenched her teeth to suppress the pain. She had been sensitive to pain ever since her childhood. The


    slightest pain, in other people''s opinion, would amount to unbearable suffering for her. Tears already


    welled in Leena''s eyes. She had the strongest impulse to cry. But she repressed the impulse as soon


    as she thought of her current situation.


    "Does it hurt? I will be gentler. Don''t bite your lip. You might hurt yourself again." Kevin raised his head


    to nce at Leena. This was his first time offering medical assistance to a female. He did it awkwardly.


    He had, of course, helped soldiers treat their wounds when he was in the army. But he did it more


    coarsely. Those soldiers were sturdy men with rough skin. Leena, on the other hand, was quite


    different. She was delicate and fragile.


    "It''s okay. I''m fine." The scalding pain was so harsh that Leena could feel her heart trembling with the


    sting. But she had to brave it out with clenched teeth. If she was not allowed to bite her lip, secretly


    clenching her teeth was the best way for Leena to suppress her agony.


    "Why are you so careless?" In order to ease Leena''s suffering, Kevin softly exhaled his breath on her


    hand. He was so gentle that it looked ipatible with his military uniform. Ordinarily, he was a tough


    soldier.


    "I should have been focused while cooking." Leena said with a sneer. Kevin''s concern towards her


    moved her. She looked at Kevin and measured him carefully. Kevin wore his military uniform in front of


    her quite often, but she seldom paid attention to it. Today, for the first time since their marriage, Leena


    examined Kevin in his military uniform from a close distance. Unlike her brother''s elegance and


    courtesy, Kevin was handsome with masculine charm. He looked calm and stern, which might be due


    to his military uniform.


    "Raise your foot up. Hurry!" Kevin put down her hand carefully. ''It was severely hurt. It will probably get


    infected without proper treatment by a doctor, '' thought Kevin.


    "Hmm! The foot - that might be unnecessary!" Leena eyed Kevin carefully and said in a doubtful tone.


    She intended to turn down his suggestion, but she was afraid that her refusal would enrage him again.


    As a result, her refusal didn''t sound determined. Leena felt a change in her attitude towards Kevin. She


    didn''t use to care about his mood swings or anger. In recent days, however, she had spent too much


    time obsessing about his feelings. That might not be a good sign!


    "Of course it is necessary. I must rub your foot with some herbal wine. And the spray will help your


    bruise to recover faster." Kevin frowned while speaking with Leena. Getting no response from her,


    Kevin grasped Leena''s foot all of a sudden and put it on his leg. In Kevin''s opinion, Leena was not a


    coy woman. But to his surprise, she looked quite conservative and shy today. Kevin tried to figure out


    the reason behind Leena''s abnormal behavior. Why was she behaving so strangely today? She wasn''t


    the woman that he had known anymore.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 374 The Lady with Attitude (Part One)

    Chapter 374 The Lady with Attitude (Part One)


    Leena blushed and felt shy as she watched Kevin. She felt a strong impulse to pull her foot back. Kevin


    was the second man who had held her foot so closely. The first was Mr. Cold. The situation here made


    her feel a bit awkward.


    "Don''t move. It''s blue already. I''m gonna apply the medicine on your foot a little more and it''s gonna be


    painful. Are you ready?" Kevin frowned, looking at the wound on her instep. He thought, ''well. Her hand


    and foot are really burned. Looks like it hurts, too. How did she get this unlucky?''


    "Um!" Leena said and nodded. Actually, she wasn''t sure about it, because she didn''t know what exactly


    "painful" meant. How much pain? She felt worried, but still forced out a word.


    "Rx. I''ll just need a few seconds." Feeling how stiff Leena was, Kevin loosened his grip some,


    hoping to hurt her ankle less.


    "Ah! It hurts!" Kevin put a few drops of the medicinal liquor on his hands, but the minute when he


    rubbed it on her instep, Leena cried out loudly. It was obvious she was in deep pain and burst into a


    flood of tears, which she had tried to hold back for a long time.


    "Does it hurt a lot? Please don''t cry. I''ll try to be more gentle. Can we do more?" Kevin couldn''t help


    feeling tense at the sight of Leena''s face wet with tears. He thought if he didn''t do it for her now, she


    would suffer from even more pain in the future. So he decided to get it done although he didn''t like her


    reactions.


    Leena automatically nodded her agreement after Kevin said those sweet and soothing words to her --


    although she was reluctant. Meanwhile, she felt a little ashamed as well, because she couldn''t even


    bear the pain.


    With her permission, this time Kevin did it with less strength but faster. So he finished before Leena


    could cry out in pain.


    "All done?" Leena asked. She had her eyes closed the whole time. She avoided watching, because


    she would feel more pain. She didn''t open her bright and clear eyes until she felt it was done. She was


    even cuter and more delicate after crying.


    "Yes! All done. I''ll wash my hands now. Just sit here and try to rx." Kevin said and stood up, the olive


    green uniform on him making him more charming and exude a kind of hot-blooded man''s


    righteousness.


    This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    Leena stood up cautiously after Kevin left her sight. Feeling pain when her scalded foot stepped on the


    floor, she still chose to move to the kitchen in baby steps when thinking of the burnt food.


    "Leena. What are you doing? Didn''t I tell you to sit?" Kevin cried anxiously when he saw Leena


    approach the kitchen, which startled her. She froze in ce and turned around, looking at him with an


    innocent face.


    "I''m not done cooking yet." Leena bit her lip and said to herself: ''Oh my god! Help me! Why am I so


    miserable now, like a bullied little wife? Where is my fearless personality? Why do I be so unsure


    of myself in front of Kevin?''


    "Sit tight and don''t move. The rest is on me." Kevin rushed towards her and picked her up in his arms


    again. This time he didn''t carry her to the couch, but set her on the chair next to the dinner table.


    "You? Cook? Are you sure about this?" Leena asked, gazing at Kevin hesitantly. She didn''t mean to


    doubt him. But she had seen many people who were ignorant when it came to cooking. It was a


    vanishing skill. Weren''t the CEOs or elites around her good examples? They were all magnates in


    business, but when it came to cooking, they were all chicken.


    "What? Don''t you believe in my cooking? Not as good as yours, but it won''t be too bad. Just wait. I''ll


    show youter." Not sure about his motives, he couldn''t help himself rubbing her tiny nose with his


    finger when he saw her cute and naive face. Then he walked to the stove with a delighted smile.


    In fact, Leena had finished preparing most of the food items, so Kevin didn''t have any trouble cooking.


    What he needed to do was to fry various stuff together. In a word, he was just finishing up what Leena


    was doing.


    Leena waited, her attitude skeptical. She had Kevin''s assurance, but he was really the child of high-


    ranking officials. He had it easy, not having to cook like amon man. So how could he know what


    he was doing? Now that she wasn''t allowed to move, she had to wait and see what would happen. She


    hoped his cooking wouldn''t be as bad as she thought. Then she wouldn''t have to mistreat her own


    stomach.


    She could ept anything, good or bad, but when it came to her food, she was extremely serious.


    There were good reasons why she learned how to cook. Monotony was one reason, but the main


    reason was that she was very particr about food. Since she was abroad, her menu was limited. She


    couldn''t stand the Western-style food anymore, so she took steps to teach herself how to cook the


    dishes she liked.


    "Herees the food! Try it. See if it''s any good," Kevin said. He served all the food he cooked, and


    looked at Leena expectantly. He didn''t consider himself to be a gourmet chef, but he thought he was


    not bad at cooking. He beat out all the other cooks in the military familymunity. He would have


    snagged the top rank, except Daisy was actually better.


    "Um! They look good. Color''s nice. Don''t know what they''ll taste like." Leena took the chopsticks,


    picked up the nearest Stewed Chicken Wing in Ginger Coca-c, put it into her mouth and chewed


    slowly. It tasted so tender and soft that Leena gave him a thumb up. His cooking ability was no doubt


    very good. This tasted so good, he was something of an expert.

 Chapter 375 The Lady with Attitude (Part Two)

    Chapter 375 The Lady with Attitude (Part Two)


    "What do you think? Not as good as yours, but not bad! Right?" Kevin smirked. Having lived in the


    army for so long a time, how could he be a pampered goofball? He had to know about everything so


    that he couldn''t be worn out. Otherwise, only one field training exercise could make him suffer terribly.


    "It tastes good. Kevin. How did you learn how to cook?" In Leena''s eyes, the people who were good at


    cooking must have received specialized training. Wasn''t she an example?


    "No. I just have cooked quite a lot. " Kevinughed at himself. He remembered that in the beginning the


    food he cooked could not just be described as "disastrous". A better description would be "disgusting".


    Even he couldn''t take a bite, let alone other people.


    "You cooked such delicious food. If I don''t know better, I''d think you were born in a chef family!" Leena


    hadn''t poked into how noble his birth was, but she could tell from his manner and temperament that he


    wasn''t as ordinary as some children of high-ranking officials. As such, how could a girl like her, who


    almost knew nothing, get the approval of his parents? ''What if they both don''t like me?''


    Leena''s heart suddenly sank at the thought of this possibility. She didn''t know why she began to pay


    more attention to everything rted to him. Even stranger for her, she thought about more about him


    gradually.


    "There''s a saying: ''Don''t judge a book by its cover.'' It makes sense. When you see something, don''t


    only focus on the appearance. The most important thing is to discover the inner qualities. You only


    know what''s in a book by opening it. You only know who I am by getting to know me."


    Kevin put one piece of Sweet and Sour Pork into her bowl. Seeing her struggle with eating with her


    burnt hand, he frowned, then he got up to the kitchen immediately, fetched a spoon quickly and walked


    back out.


    "You can use this for the moment! At least while your hand is still healing." Kevin put the spoon he held


    into her bowl and carefully loaded it with food.


    "Thanks!" Leena said, returning a sweet smile to him. This casual smile made Kevin into a drooling fool


    at first, but he struggled back to reality quickly.


    When the lovers were together, they didn''t need too many sweet or romantic words. Sometimes, a


    soothing smile or an admiring gaze would be enough to express their true inner thoughts. Leena was


    the one who was getting close to this every day. Finally, would she lose her heart step by step?


    The dazzling lights at night lit up everything, but they couldn''t light up someone''s heart. Most of the


    time, not everyone would pray for the beautiful image: All shall be well, Jack shall have Jill. Instead,


    they chose to ruin it deliberately, by taking the "all or nothing" approach. And Rachel was exactly this


    kind of person. So when she saw Duke and Belinda in Sexy World, Rachel snorted coldly and then


    stepped forward to greet them snarkily.


    "Duke, What a coincidence! I never expected to see you here." Rachel deliberately ignored Belinda


    again. She could still rememberst time when Duke, not caring who saw him, hugged and kissed this


    woman in public. She didn''t know if this woman was the same one that Edward said Duke was married


    to. If what Edward said was true, she would like to know what was so unique and special about this


    woman. What made Duke throw away his low-key style and engage in public disys of affection with


    her? What was up with that?


    "It''s you. Need anything?" Duke said and frowned. He was surprised to see Rachel here, but this time


    he didn''t let go of Belinda''s hand. Instead, he held it even more tightly. He wouldn''t let her get to him


    again.


    "Is this your secretary? Why else would you take her with you everywhere?" Rachel said and nced


    at Belinda. Although she knew Belinda was not just his secretary, she couldn''t help trashing Belinda


    because of her selfishness. She always thought she was the right woman who should stand beside


    Duke. Only Rachel, not Belinda.


    "Rachel, do you know anyone who takes their secretaries with them after work? It''s personal time now.


    Lover or wife, which do you think is more likely?"


    Duke nced at Rachel without warmth. The coldness from Duke flew through Rachel''s whole body


    and chilled her to the core.


    N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    Belinda was standing there still, gazing at the entrance of Sexy World. Her beautiful face showed no


    emotion. She didn''t even spare a look of contempt for Rachel. She regarded her like the air. You


    breathe it, and not think about it.


    She didn''t like the women who were arrogant or put on an attitude. She didn''t take any of Rachel''s


    words personally. She knew the truth, and nothing would change no matter what Rachel said or what


    she tried to make up. Last time, she was ufortable when she saw this woman. She couldn''t


    believe that Rachel had the guts to insult her again. Belinda thought she might be out of her mind.


    "Duke, you didn''t use to talk to me this way. Why have you changed so much. If I recall correctly, you


    used to call me "Ray" affectionately, quietly. Why are you so distant to me now? Rachel bit her lip and


    couldn''t ept Duke''s "sudden" change or his cold attitude. She was still living in the past when Duke


    treated her gently, overlooking the fact that people change over time. Given enough time, everything


    changed.

 Chapter 376 Who Is That Handsome Guy (Part One)

    Chapter 376 Who Is That Handsome Guy (Part One)


    Belinda let out a scornful chuckle. She said, "Miss...Qin? Don''t you think that was a redundant


    question? You''ve already said it was something that happened a long time ago. Why do you have to


    mention it now? Should we be haunted by our past?" Belinda said, with a mocking sneer on her face,


    Belinda turned her gaze to Rachel. She''d like to know whether this woman had something called


    boundaries. How insolent of her to talk about her past rtionship with Duke publicly! Who did she


    think she was? And how dare she insult Belinda this way!


    "Who the heck are you? I''m talking about my rtionship with Duke. Who do you think you are to


    meddle in our private affairs?" Rachel retorted arrogantly. Studying Belinda up and down, she thought


    so little of this woman, and couldn''t imagine her as a rival for Duke''s affections.


    Amused, Belindaughed out loud. She then walked to Duke and stood tiptoed to kiss him on his lips.


    That done, she nced at Rachel from the corner of her eye triumphantly. She had replied to Rachel''s


    question with the act.


    "What now? Do you still think it''s nothing to do with me, Miss Qin?" Belinda was not like Daisy. She


    was an aggressive and strong woman. She wouldn''t deign to exin herself when she was set up, nor


    would she sit there and try to defuse a fight. Her only solution to problems was to fight back directly.


    However, her aggressive gesture not only shocked Rachel, but also petrified Duke. A secondter,


    Duke recovered, and smiled charmingly after she did that. He gazed into her eyes dangerously, as he


    wondered, whether her kiss meant that she had forgiven him. Her resentment had been hovering over


    them for days.


    "You! You''re so shameless!" Because Belinda remained silent at the start, Rachel had imaged her as a


    weak woman. She never expected Belinda to behave so aggressively, and couldn''t think of a way to


    fight back, but to sputter in exasperation. She wanted Duke''s kiss desperately. She had missed him


    and his kiss over the years. The soft touch of his lips was the most precious memory in her heart. It


    embodied her first love, which had passed away due to her stupid mistake.


    "What? Did you say shameless? Why? Because I kissed my husband? In Miss Qin''s opinion, it''s


    shameless for a wife to kiss her husband? How ridiculous." Belinda smiled wickedly. Her every word


    pointed at Rachel, as she not only unted her ownership of Duke but also ridiculed Rachel as an


    irrational woman.


    Rachel turned to Duke in shock. "Duke, is this true? How can you marry this worthless, no good


    woman? How can you forget our promise to each other in the past?" She ignored Belindapletely.


    Despite Belinda''s sarcastic words, she looked into Duke''s eyes intently. She always believed that he


    loved her deeply in his heart. And even when other women got their hands on him, she would be his


    only love.


    "Promise? Have we made any promises to each other? I can''t remember such a childish behavior.


    Sorry, Miss. Right now, I am a married man. And the only person I care about is my wife. The


    rtionship and entanglements from my past have be history, so have you. You are no more than


    a passerby in my life, nothing more, and nothing special to me, "


    Said Duke with the slightest hint of smile. He red at Rachel coldly, which made her feel that her


    heart was enveloped by ice. Duke sneered inwardly as he thought of their past rtionship, ''My


    promise? Yeah, I promised you, Rachel Qin. I was young and stupid then, also naive and ignorant to


    believe that you were the love of my life. But I woke up from my evesting dream, and learned you''re


    nothing but an illusion from my past. My feelings for you are long gone, along with that younger and


    more vulnerable man.''


    Rachel was scared. She yelled, "No! You can''t! You didn''t mean a word you said! You''re lying to me,


    aren''t you? You won''t admit the truth because of her here! But deep in your heart, I was, am and will


    forever be your true and only love! You''ve always admired me and treated me as a goddess. How can


    you ignore me, and stop loving me?"


    Rachel still remembered every second of their time together. She remembered how his eyes sparkled


    with love and enthusiasm for her. She remembered their kisses and intimacy. She remembered how he


    expressed his feelings for her from time to time, saying that he missed her, she was the only love in his


    life, and his feelings for her would never change, nor could death tear them apart. She also


    remembered the end of their rtionship. The night she told him it was over, he begged her


    desperately, tears welling in his eyes. That night was as clear in her memory as yesterday. But, since


    when did he change? When did he stop loving her?


    Belinda was amused again. Sheughed loudly. "Goddess? Seriously, what kind of woman would call


    herself that? You''re more like a THOT. Anyone who calls herself a goddess is not right in the head. And


    I think it fits here. How can a sane person shamelessly talk about her former affection with a married


    man in public?" That said, Belinda shed a sneer. She would not let Rachel off the hook easily. This


    woman had the nerve to seduce her man in her presence. She took it as a sign of a death wish, and


    Belinda would dly grant her wish. Sneering, she thought to herself, ''I don''t care how others will solve


    the worst problems with a smile or what. I am not going to offer my other cheek to the person who has


    pped me. So now that you have stirred up the anger in my heart, my anger will be well borne by


    you.''


    "Duke! She''s calling me a nut!" ring at Belinda, Rachel was both embarrassed and angry. She


    turned to Duke, put on her most innocent face and sought his help. She never expected that damned


    woman to be so sharp-tongued. How dare she humiliate her like this?


    "Daisy, over here!" However, Belinda didn''t even look at Rachel. She ignored herpletely, as she


    called for Daisy when she saw here in. She wasn''t here to bicker with this Rachel Qin. She was


    waiting for Daisy. Why should she dignify Rachel''s bullshit with ament? And now that Daisy was


    here, she had another one on her side. That Rachel could have Duke, however long she wanted, and


    whatever she wanted him for. Belinda didn''t care a bit. After all, she had nothing to do with their old


    love affairs, nor with their romantic entanglements.


    Duke also looked at Daisy as he noticed Belinda waving to her. As no one was paying attention to


    Rachel now, Rachel was enraged. With her pride swelled to the utmost, she also red at the entryway


    with anger. However, when she spotted Edward and Daisy together, she was scared, as the sight


    reminded her of the earlier warning made by the urbane man. But when sheid her eyes on Duke, she


    calmed down a little. He would forever protect her from danger.


    "How long have you been waiting?" Daisy asked as she approached them with a slight hint of smile on


    her face. However, when she saw Rachel with them, she frowned. How could this woman be here, too?


    She then shot a caring nce to Belinda, as she knew about Rachel''s rtionship with Duke. She


    wondered how Belinda would react in this situation.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 377 Who Is That Handsome Guy (Part Two)

    Chapter 377 Who Is That Handsome Guy (Part Two)


    "No, we just arrived. Let''s find a seat together. By the way, who''s this handsome guy? Won''t you


    introduce us?" Belinda winked to Daisy as she saw the other maning with Edward and her. If she


    was right, the man with Daisy was the same young man she had met yesterday, who stared at Daisy


    the whole night. Howe they were all together? And howe Edward wasn''t jealous?


    "Why, you''ve forgotten me, Belinda? I''m so sad!" Said Brian with a smile as he winked to Belinda


    merrily. He had also spotted Belinda yesterday night, though he didn''t talk to her. Part of the reason


    was that he was keeping a low profile, and part of the reason was that he had sensed that Daisy was


    trying to keep him away. He wouldn''t enter her social circle without her permission, so he didn''t bother


    her friends ordingly.


    "Haha! I remember something. But you can''t be the sniveling boy who followed Daisy everywhere like a


    little puppy dog, can you? You''re too handsome to be that brat. However, there''s an old saying, ''A boy


    changes fast in physical appearance from childhood to adulthood.'' So, you are an adult now?" Belinda


    quipped as she looked at Brian from head to toe. She couldn''t believe her eyes. How could this


    handsome young man as bright as sunshine be that weak, little boy from her memories?


    To everyone''s surprise, Edward was the first to be amused by Belinda''s words. Heughed out loud at


    her joke. He always enjoyed watching her belittling random men other than him. Belinda was a master


    at witty words. She should be the only person that could humble Brian that effectively. The whole night,


    he had been so angry with this Brian, but had to put up with him because of Daisy. Right now, since


    Belinda had mentioned his embarrassing past, Edward was so overjoyed. Finally, someone put down


    this arrogant boy. He''d like to see how Brian would react.


    However, Brian wasid back. "Belinda! How ungrateful of you to say that! I''ve always remembered


    you as my pretty sister, but you''ve totally forgotten about how handsome I was. How mean! How can


    you treat me like this? I have missed you so much! You should be punished! Let''s say, a kiss as


    compensation." Said Brian, with pretended sadness. He pressed a hand at his chest as he spoke, and


    put on a sad face. He made a show of disappointment. However, the expression in his eyes was


    naughty and cunning, and the slyness that asionally appeared in his eyes had betrayed his


    disguise, making it look a bit like flirting.


    "Cut the bullshit. You''ve missed me? Then why didn''t youe and chat with me the other night, but


    instead huddled in your corner and yed hard to get?" Belinda debunked him mercilessly. She was


    puzzled by his gazest night, and studied him from time to time in secret. At the time, she wondered


    who he was, and why he was looking at her. She even wondered whether she was too beautiful for the


    young man to move his eyes away. Nervous as she had been, it turned out that the young man was


    Brian, her old acquaintance.


    "Hard to get? No, not me! I wasn''t ying hard to get. I was nervous, and didn''t want to talk to you first.


    I was wondering whether you still remembered me, or even recognized me. Besides, I won''t bother


    Daisy''s friends...I don''t even know if you want to be bothered. But in the end, you ignored me, and I


    had to chew my sadness alone, thus I left." Brian had a strong and rich facial expressions, and a ir


    for dramatic acts. He pleaded like a wronged victim. Edward, who knew about the whole event, was


    impressed. Brian was so good at telling lies, andpared to him Edward''s ability was so much


    cheaper melodrama. With such ability, this Brian would definitely survive and thrive!


    "Okay, that''s enough. You two will have more chances to talk about the old days. But now, let''s get in


    and take a seat," Duke reminded them, frowning. His face was emotionless as always, whereas his


    heart was overwhelmed with a surge of feelings. He wondered who this young man was, and what


    were his true intentions? Why did he pop out from nowhere? And why did he talk with his wife like they


    were old friends?


    This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    "That''s right! Let''s get inside. And you can tell me how you got so gorgeous after Ist saw youter


    on." Still ignoring Duke, Belinda took hold of Brian''s hand, and led him into the booth they normally met


    at, despite Duke gnashing his teeth in anger.


    "Miss Qin, we meet again. Are you still stuck in the past?" Daisy didn''t want to talk to Rachel. But she


    had to greet her, for Belinda''s sake. She needed to make sure that Rachel wasn''t blind to the facts. The


    past should always be the past, even if one wanted to redeem themselves, it would only be a waste of


    effort.


    "Mrs. Mu, I have no idea what you''re talking about." Rachel''s eyshes flickered as she averted her


    eyes. She knew what Daisy meant, but she had to y dumb. Daisy and Edward were both beyond her


    reach. If her real thoughts were revealed, she would be doomed. She was not so stupid to let them pry


    in her innermost secrets.


    "Really? Never mind then. But always mind my words. Never insist on something that doesn''t belong to


    you. And most importantly, don''t hurt Belinda. If you do, I will stop you." Daisy narrowed her eyes. If


    she was right about her guess, Rachel and Belinda must have discussed this matter earlier. Or else,


    Belinda wouldn''t ignore Duke and pretend to be familiar with Brian.


    "Hurt Belinda? I would never do that. And rather, I am the one to be hurt. Don''t you think so, Mrs. Mu?


    After all, I am the one who was dumped." Rachel hated Belinda more as she started to realize that so


    many people were her friends. She retorted angrily to Daisy''s words.


    "Miss Qin, I am not trying to interfere in your private affairs with Duke. All the entanglements are


    between the two of you, and it''s not for me to judge who''s right and who''s wrong. But I want to protect


    Belinda from all this. And I want everything to be settled soon. After all, Belinda is now Mrs. Leng, and


    you are a mere ex-girlfriend of Duke. You should know what I''m talking about now. You''re just unwilling


    to ept the fact."


    A touch of impatience appeared on Daisy''s face. She wondered why every man had to have annoying


    ex-girlfriends? Edward was adies'' man. It was understandable for him to have these affairs. But


    Duke had little interest in women. Why would he be involved with this woman? Men were a strange


    breed.

 Chapter 378 Edward, Are You Angry

    Chapter 378 Edward, Are You Angry


    Stunned, Duke looked at Daisy. If he remembered correctly, she didn''t know Rachel. However, judging


    from what she said just now, they knew each other, and they had a quarrel before. Duke knew clearly


    that Daisy was defending Belinda.


    "Mrs. Mu, you''re trying to make me do something I can''t do. If another woman forced you to leave


    Edward, would you listen to her?" Rachel sneered at Daisy. She bet Daisy wouldn''t say "yes". She had


    to draw an analogy, so that Daisy would know how bitter it was to end a rtionship.


    "That depends on whether Edward and this woman love each other dearly. If yes, I will definitely leave


    without hesitation. If not, I won''t give up without a fight. I love him, so I won''t give him to another


    woman easily." Daisy said coldly. This was the first time that she had expressed her deep affection for


    Edward in public. She might be ashamed on other asions, but when asked by Rachel, she frankly


    said what she thought, so she didn''t feel embarrassed.


    Daisy''s words surprised Edward. Although he always knew she loved him, it was different to hear she


    say it out loud in public. He was happy about her saying "I love him", so he gave her a loving look.


    "It''s easy for you to say that. Only when you really experience it will you know how bitter it is. I don''t


    believe you can be so calm about it." Rachel didn''t believe what Daisy said. All women in love were


    selfish. No matter how proud and aloof Daisy was, she was just an ordinary woman, not an other-


    worldly fairy without the desire for love.


    "Miss Qin, why not give up on a man who doesn''t even love you? You try to stay by his side, but you


    ignore what he really thinks. It''s very selfish of you to do this. You think you love this man dearly, but


    you just love yourself."


    Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Daisy had personally experienced it, or she wouldn''t have once left life and death out of consideration.


    She knew how miserable it was, so she hoped the external factors wouldn''t affect the two people in


    love. The terrible pain had cut her to the quick, so she didn''t want to feel it again.


    Edward tightened his embrace. He was touched by Daisy''s reason, open-mindedness and


    immeasurable love for him. She said those words to him, rather than to give a warning to Rachel


    because she had poured out her innermost feelings. Edward loved this remarkable woman so much


    that he would never let her go in his lifetime.


    "As long as I can keep him by my side, he''ll fall in love with me one day. If I don''t love myself, how can I


    love someone?" These general principles were widely known. Daisy had a sharp sense of integrity,


    while Rachel was difficult to deal with. She responded to Daisy''s morality and justice with her absurd


    ideas.


    "Rachel, you''re confident. However, if that ''someone'' is me, I can tell you I will never love you. I don''t


    like to recycle garbage."


    Duke stared coldly at Rachel. What did this woman think of him? Did she think she could have him at


    her disposal? Duke was a married man now. Even if he was still single, he wouldn''t be her exclusive


    garbage bin. There was recyble and non-recyble garbage. Rachel was no longer of use to him,


    just like non-recyble garbage.


    "In your eyes, is she so good? Do you forget the sweet time we spent together? If your love can be


    gone so easily, then you have never loved me." Rachel sadly closed her eyes, and tears started


    pouring from her eyes. She gave up everything and was ready to keep Duke''spany for a lifetime,


    but ironically, he didn''t love her anymore. What was lost couldn''t be recovered. Now she finally knew


    that no matter how hard she tried, Duke wouldn''t go back to her again.


    "Well, I''m not sure of it. For me, you were like a toy that I yed with when I felt bored. I didn''t love you


    at all. I was reluctant to say goodbye when you left because I couldn''t bear my beloved toy to be taken


    away by others, so you have an illusion. It''s my fault. To square myself, I have to patiently exin it to


    you, or I won''t waste time talking to you."


    Duke used to love Rachel, but he was now disappointed with this selfish woman. She always


    considered her own interests and never thought about others. Fortunately, she left him in the first ce,


    or he would have married her. This thought gave Duke a chill.


    "Ha-ha! A toy? Duke, it''s very cruel of you to undermine my self-confidence and self-image over the


    years. I thought I could live a carefree life because you loved me dearly. I firmly believed you would


    wait for me until I went back to you, so I was indifferent to everything, but it turns out that I was just a


    toy."


    Rachel shook her head in disbelief. After casting a sorrowful look at Duke, she staggered out. It was a


    big blow to her. She didn''t know how to heal her broken heart. All she wanted was to leave this sad


    ce.


    Watching Rachel''s sorrowful exit, Daisy felt pity for her. As a woman, she knew Duke''s harsh words


    broke Rachel''s heart. However, she must help Belinda to defend her sweet, budding marriage. As the


    saying went, ''if you do what you''ve always done, you''ll get what you''ve always gotten.'' Even if she felt


    pity for Rachel, she wouldn''t sympathize with her.


    The corners of Duke''s mouth twitched. Were his words too harsh? Now he didn''t love Rachel anymore,


    but his obsession with her in the past couldn''t bepletely erased no matter how hard he tried, so he


    said those cruel words to force her to leave him, because the woman he wanted now was Belinda, not


    Rachel.


    "Let''s go in. Let it go. They''ve been waiting a long time." Edward patted Duke''s shoulder and walked in,


    his arm around Daisy''s waist. He had gone through it all, so he knew very well Duke was in a dilemma


    now. The difference was, Duke really loved Rachel in the past, but for Edward, Jessica was just a sex


    partner.


    "Is he all right?" Daisy saw Duke frozen in ce, frowning. As he said, he didn''t love Rachel anymore,


    but it seemed that he still had some affection for her.


    "Don''t worry. He''ll get over it. He has Belinda to help him." Edward turned to kiss Daisy''s hair and held


    her tighter. He was afraid that he would lose her, so he protected her carefully.


    "I hope so." Daisy smiled gently to show her tenderest love for Edward. Edward captured this subtle


    expression and kissed on her forehead affectionately. The tenderness in his eyes was enough to


    eclipse everything around.


    "Come on! Don''t set a bad example for the kids. It''s offensive to society''s morals to have a public


    disy of affection." Rain ridiculed Edward and Daisy. Only he dared to repeatedly stir up trouble in


    front of Edward. Just like a cockroach which wouldn''t die even after its head was cut off, Rain always


    rose to the challenge and had to learn the hard way. He liked to intensify things and watch the fun.


    "Go to hell. There are no kids here. I just politely kissed her forehead. I even didn''t touch her lips, so it''s


    not offensive to anything." Edward didn''t look back at Rain. His words had silenced Rain, but he was


    taken aback by a young voice.


    "Daddy, you mean I''m an adult?" Justin was happy to see his parents were devoted to each other.


    Edward and Daisy didn''t look back, so they didn''t notice Justin hade. Justin was upset and


    seemed like he lost something.


    "Justin, what are you doing here? Rain, why''d you bring him here?" Edward red at Rain, and


    squatted down to pick up Justin. Then he kissed Justin on his tender face. This made Justin happy.


    "Don''t re at me. I''m just the driver. Go on with what you''re doing. I''m going in." Rain felt wronged. He


    had to deal with Jessica''spany in the daytime and drove Justin here at night. He could imagine


    that his entire life would continue being so miserable. Because, instead of being grateful to him,


    Edward gave him the cold shoulder, despite of everything he had done.


    "Mommy, I miss you so much. Why didn''t youe back home after you finished shopping with


    grandma? I kept waiting for you, but grandma came back alone. I wanted to show you the fish I caught


    with grandpa today, but I didn''t see you the whole time. I was so sad."


    "Sorry, I forgot to give you a call. I also miss you." Daisy stood on tiptoe to kiss Justin on his face.


    Everyone envied this warm and beautiful scene. Edward was handsome with an imposing appearance,


    Daisy was beautiful, noble and elegant, and Justin in Edward''s arms was so cute and handsome. They


    won everyone''s admiration.


    "You went shopping with my mother today? Why didn''t you tell me that?" Edward frowned. He knew his


    mother well, but he didn''t imagine that she would go shopping with Daisy. She was always chasing the


    latest fad. Daisy must be tired after apanying her for a whole day.


    "Why should I tell you that? Do I need to tell you before I go shopping with your mother?" Daisy knew


    Edward didn''t mean to me her. She just wanted to tease him, annoy him a little. She felt happy to


    see that he was worried about her.


    "Daisy, why did you twist my words? I was trying to be nice." Edward rolled his eyes. He turned his


    back and ignored Daisy. Didn''t Daisy like how much he cared about her? Why was she being


    aggressive?


    "Edward, are you angry?" Daisy looked at Edward and asked. Women were attractive when they were


    angry, and some men were also charming when they were irritated, Edward included.


    "No." Edward snorted. He sulked, still ignoring Daisy and kept walking ahead with Justin in his arms.


    His awkward look tickled Daisy. She knew Edward was angry. Daisy knew a little more about Edward,


    thanks to this test. Sometimes men were petty.

 Chapter 379 Rain, You Are Courting Death (Part One)

    Chapter 379 Rain, You Are Courting Death (Part One)


    "Mommy, let me tell you a secret!" Justin turned in Edward''s arms to look at Daisy who followed behind


    them; he leaned forward and cupped his little hands around his mouth before shouting, "You know


    what, mommy? Daddy is not angry with you! He is just pretending to be and he wants you to say nice


    things to him and be charming!" Though Justin said it was a secret, he didn''t even keep his voice down.


    He practically shouted it out loud. Obviously, he wanted his daddy to hear him.


    "What did you just say? You little brat! Are you teaming up with your mommy and bullying me now?


    Great. That''s just great. I won''t hold you anymore if you''re not on my side. Now walk on your own." It


    seemed that Edward was really angry this time. He put Justin down and then entered the box without


    looking back at his wife and son again. Both Daisy and Justin didn''t see thising; they froze in


    bewilderment for a while. A few secondster, they looked at each other and exchanged confused


    looks; they both shrugged and smiled. Maybe they were teasing Edward too much, and he really got


    upset.


    "Hey, Edward. Why are you alone? Where are Justin and Daisy? Weren''t they with you just now?"


    asked Rain as he saw Edward push open the door. He looked over Edward''s shoulder and tried to find


    Justin and Daisy. After he was sure that no one was behind Edward, he got confused. Rain gazed at


    Edward with a frown as if Edward had the answer he wanted written on his face.


    "I don''t know. Why ask me?" retorted Edward sharply while rolling his eyes at Rain. Edward sat down


    and looked around the room with a sullen face. When he saw Brian and Belinda were chatting happily


    with each other, his lips curled into a smirk. Thinking about what Duke would feel when he came in and


    saw this, Edward thought to himself, ''That Brian has been bothering me for the better part of the night.


    Now it''s your turn to get tortured, dude. You''d better prepare yourself and enjoy the jealousy and fury


    that follows, because your wife is not on your side this time. Although it is probably Rachel''s fault,


    women just don''t care what''s the real cause. After all, Rachel is your ex, and that''s enough for Belinda


    to find you guilty. You''re practically asking for it. I pity you. Both Brian and Belinda aren''t easy to deal


    with, especially if they team up to pick on you. You''d better give in and beg for mercy as soon as


    possible.''


    "Damn it! Are you kidding? What do you mean by ''why ask you''? They are your wife and son! Who else


    am I supposed to ask?" Rain pounded the table and yelled loudly as Edward gave him the cold


    shoulder. The family seemed happy and sweet just a few minutes ago; Rain wondered what happened


    and why Edward would put on a long face.


    "Uncle Rain, was someone forcing himself on you? I could hear your scream from the corridor! You


    were so loud and it almost made my ears numb." With a sour face, Justin came in andined,


    rubbing his ears with his hands, as if he really could hear Rain''s loud voice from even outside the club.


    "Me? Watch what you say, little boy. Now look around, there are only a few of us here. If someone was


    forcing himself on me, who do you think it would be?" Instead of getting mad, Rain curled his lips into a


    smirk and bent over in front of Justin. Although he was asking Justin, he deliberately stole a nce at


    Edward and turned back to Justin with his eyebrows raised. It was obvious that he was implying that if


    anyone in this room should flirt with him, it would be Edward.


    Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "Rain, you''re courting death." Edward narrowed his eyes and squinted at Rain, a hint of dangerous light


    glowing in his jet-ck eyes. He calmly threatened Rain with a sneer and thought to himself, ''Great.


    Another one picking on me tonight. Am I an easy target here?''


    "No, no. I didn''t say anything. Just ignore me." Rain could sense the dangerous aura emanating from


    Edward, and he knew it was not the right time to joke; so he immediately dropped it. However, he


    looked at Justin, who seemed to be secretly snickering, and asked silently with his puzzled look,


    ''What''s going on here?'' Edward and Daisy were lovey-dovey outside the club when Rain showed up


    with Justin, and Edward seemed happy to see his son. So why would Edward be so gloomy now?


    Rain felt lucky that he stopped talking just in time and dodged the bullet.


    Following behind Justin, Daisy stepped into the room. She looked around and saw Edward. Then she


    casually walked up to him and sat next to him. Edward, however, was still angry with her; he didn''t look


    at her but slightly moved aside with a snort. It seemed that Edward wanted to keep Daisy at arm''s


    length. Seeing his childish move, Daisy was a little surprised; however, she wasn''t mad. Instead, she


    curled her lips into a small smile and said nothing. If Edward wanted to y, then she would y along.


    She wondered how long Edward could stay mad at her this time.


    "What''s going on between them? Is everything okay?" Brian asked worriedly. Although he was talking


    with Belinda, he noticed Daisy the moment she came in. Nothing got past his eyes when it concerned


    Daisy. He knew how much Daisy and Edward loved and cared about each other; just a few hours ago,


    Edward was trying every mean to get rid of him so he could have an exclusive date with Daisy. They


    looked perfectly happy during the dinner. Why did he seem to be mad at Daisy at this moment? ''Did


    something happen? Did I miss something?'' Brian got nervous all of a sudden.


    "Rx. Don''t worry about them. Daisy has the upper hand. She always does. Consider it a little game


    between husband and wife. Have some confidence in her. She''s a colonel. How could she lead her


    soldiers and fight her honors if she couldn''t even take care of Edward? I''ll tell you what. Your brother-in-


    law can sometimes be unreasonably arrogant, so it''s necessary for Daisy to teach him a lesson every


    now and then."

 Chapter 380 Rain, You Are Courting Death (Part Two)

    Chapter 380 Rain, You Are Courting Death (Part Two)


    Although Belinda was talking to Brian, she seemed absent. She fixed her watery eyes on the closed


    door the whole time. Her heart kept sinking because Duke hadn''t shown up yet. The longer she waited


    for him, the more nervous she became. She was getting desperate. Was Duke still outside because he


    was catching up with Rachel, his old lover, and he had no time to care about Belinda? Or did he just


    decide to dump Belinda and leave with Rachel? Maybe he had made up his mind, and he just didn''t


    know how to tell Belinda. That was why he didn''te into the room -- he was trying to make up a


    story to break up with Belinda. Lost in her own distracting thoughts, Belinda couldn''t help but clench


    her fists in agony.


    "Hey, little boy. What happen to your dear mommy and daddy? Are they mad at each other?" After


    helping Justin climb up the seat next to him, Rain gently nudged Justin and turned his head to Edward


    and Daisy sitting not far away. He went straight in after he handed Justin to Edward outside the club.


    Edward was kissing Daisy''s forehead back then! Why was he wearing a sullen face all of a sudden?


    Why was everything turningpletely upside down? What could possibly happen in such a short


    time? ''Did I miss something? I shouldn''t have left so soon! What a pity!'' Rain thought to himself.


    "What could be wrong? Don''t make a mountain out of a molehill! They are not mad at each other!


    Daddy''s only pretending to be angry. He wants mommy to sweet-talk him!" Just like a few moments


    ago, Justin once again blurted out without keeping his voice down. Edward had a mouthful of liquid; he


    couldn''t help but spurt it out and cough violently as he heard what his son had said. ''Me? The CEO of


    the FX International Group, is pretending to be angry because I want some woman to sweet-talk me?


    Are you kidding me?'' Edward red at his son in disbelief. When his eyes met Justin''s innocent ones,


    Edward rubbed his face and sighed heavily. Justin really was the death of him.


    "No freaking way! Edward, is that true? I was wondering why you suddenly put on a sullen face. It turns


    out that you want to hear some sweet words from Daisy? What a loving couple you are! Come on, don''t


    be shy! You should just say out loud what you want! If I had known about this earlier, I''d definitely have


    invited more people tonight. And we could record this moment and burn some DVDs for each one of


    us. I will personally add it into my favorites collection. Think, man! If you ever try to bully me again, just


    think about how many people would see this video!"


    Rain got excited after he heard Justin. He had seen so many women fight for Edward''s attention


    before, but he had never seen Edward do anything like this to get a woman''s attention! It wasn''t


    something happened everyday! And it was totally the moment to remember. As if he had already had


    the moment recorded, Rain began to n cheerfully in his mind on what was going to happen if he


    uploaded the video to the Inte. Would the stock price of the FX International Group suffer a major


    drop because of it? Or would it help boost thepany''s business? Maybe he could seize the


    opportunity to make a fortune and resign, so Edward wouldn''t have the chance to bully him again. As


    Rain was thinking about how bright and beautiful his future would be, he heard Edward''s cold voice,


    "Rain, I can assure you that you''ll suffer a long and painful death if you dare to do it. Just try it if you


    don''t believe me." Edward soon came back to his senses. He cleared his throat and had another sip of


    his drink before he finallyposed himself. He then threw a cold nce at Rain with obvious threats


    in his look. He didn''t take Rain''s words seriously, because he didn''t believe Rain had the nerve to do


    what he just said. Edward knew Rain liked talking nonsense all the time, but Edward also felt like he


    should warn him every now and then in case Rain forgot to behave.


    At the other side of the table, Daisy bit her rosy lip as she tried to suppress the urge to burst into


    laughter, her shoulders trembling because of it. ''He wants me to sweet-talk him?'' Daisy thought to


    herself. She thought of Edward''s words and look before they went in. ''It makes sense.'' Daisy secretly


    nodded her head inside. Then she pictured that Edward gazed at her with a pout, waiting for her to


    coax him. Daisy suddenly shuddered in terror at the thought. ''No way! I think I''ll pass. Edward with a


    pouty face? That''s horrible to even think about.'' Daisy thought to herself as she trembled all over again.


    "Damn it! Why do you have to threaten me every day? Thepany would still be there if you spare


    me for even just one day!" Rain pursed his lips in grievance. ''Why does Edward bully me every day?N?velDrama.Org ? 2024.


    He is truly a demon!'' However, Rain wouldn''t dare to say it out loud, for Edward was his boss who had


    a say in the numbers on his paycheck and everything else. Therefore, no matter how much he wanted


    to fight back, Rain could only swallow his pride and keep quiet.


    "Yo! You guys are having a good time. Wait, what happened? Why does everyone seem strange? Am I


    late? Did I miss anything fun?" Another voice came from the door; it was Tom. Tom was a genius


    doctor; he always looked nice and gentle. But his guard was up whenever Edward was around. He


    became wary and alert, like a prey in front of predator whenever he saw Edward. Tom could still


    remember how Edward bullied him by robbing his invaluable medicine and giving him ck eye, twice,


    after he came back from abroad for barely two weeks. Tom decided to keep Edward at arm''s length, for


    fear that he got himself into trouble again.


    "Don''t ask me. I won''t say anything. My life is full of so many wonderful things, and there are so many


    pretty girls waiting for me to love them. I''d rather stay alive and enjoy my life." Noticing Tom''s inquisitive


    look, Rain shook his head and looked away. He was boring, not crazy. He thought he could y a little


    joke on Edward, but clearly it wasn''t the right time. After being threatened by Edward so bluntly, Rain


    wouldn''t dare to say anything ever again. For God''s sake, he was the one who had to work for Edward,


    not Tom. If he told Tom anything, he wasn''t sure whether Edward would do something to Tom, but Rain


    was sure that Edward would make his life more than miserable.


    "Uncle Tom! Let''s make a deal! If you teach me how to be a doctor, I''ll consider telling you what


    happened. What do you think?" Eyes wide open, Justin put on a sweet smile while eagerly shaking


    Tom''s arm. If Tom didn''t catch the glimpse of slyness glowing in his eyes, he would believe that Justin


    was such a sweet and innocent child. But unfortunately, he did.


    "Hey, little one. Are you trying to bargain with me? You''re almost as sly as your dear daddy! Nice try.


    But it doesn''t work that way." With a loving smile, Tom bent over and gently pinched Justin''s chubby


    face. He sat down next to Justin and looked around the room. When he saw Brian, Tom politely nodded


    his head but said nothing to greet him.


    "You''re wrong, uncle Tom. My daddy isn''t sly. It''s called being prepared. It''spletely different. How


    could you describe someone as smart and excellent like my daddy as sly? It''s unfair. Besides, you


    know the old saying, ''everyone does everything for their own benefit''. People didn''t just make that up


    out of nothing. A lot of wisdom is in that." Justin replied slowly with his head shaking up and down, as if


    he were some ancient wise man.

 Chapter 381 Rain, You Are Courting Death (Part Three)

    Chapter 381 Rain, You Are Courting Death (Part Three)


    Justin''s little speech rendered Tompletely mute. He wondered, ''where did Justin learn those


    sayings from?'' At the same time, Tom had to admit that Justin was really good at debating. Although


    Tom was good at holding a scalpel, he knew nothing about how to debate with others. Now that Justin


    stated his opinion sternly and seriously, Tom''s mouth dropped open. He froze for a while and still didn''t


    know what he could say to fight back.


    This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    As much as Edward was angry that Justin gave away his real thoughts, he was now quite proud of his


    son. They were family. No matter how mad they got at each other, they should stick together against


    their enemies. ''But did he really have to bring up that saying?'' Edward pondered, ''What did he mean by


    ''everyone does everything for their own benefit''? Was he really trying to defend me? Or did he just


    insult me?''


    After hearing the whole conversation, Brian gave his little nephew the thumbs up. He only met Justin


    for the first timest night at the party; but after talking with him, Brian knew that this little boy was


    much smarter than his peers. Brian knew Daisy was kind and gentle, so Justin must have inherited his


    slyness from his father, because Edward was also a cunning man. Like father, like son. Brian suddenly


    had a feeling that the FX International Group would take off again when Justin took over the business


    from his father. After all, Justin''s talent had already flowered at such an early age.


    "Justin, you sound like some ancient sage. Did you time travel in your dreams and learn those words of


    wisdom from some wise manst night? I couldn''t think of where else you could learn these words!"


    Belinda was still depressed and thinking about Duke, but when she heard Justin saying something wise


    with his childish voice, she couldn''t help bursting into snickers. She chipped into their conversation and


    made fun of Justin, which finally distracted her from Duke and made her feel better. Therefore, when


    she saw Dukee in the room, she didn''t feel as happy as she thought she would be.


    "Auntie Belinda, I know you didn''t meet the sage in your dreamst night, because you must have been


    busy looking for uncle Duke. You couldn''t spare any time for someone else. Am I right?" As soon as


    Justin heard Belinda''s voice, he turned around and made a joke of her. Although he was only a 5-year-


    old kid, there was a hint of slyness and devil-may-care smile glowing in his eyes, which didn''t befit his


    age at all.


    "Hey, little one! I was praising you! Do you want to get punished? Dreams are supposed to be warm


    and sweet! Who would look for an iceberg in their dreams? I''m not crazy!" Belinda immediately retorted


    as she withdrew her hand from Duke, who sat right next to her and held her little hand just a few


    seconds ago. Besides, Belinda acted as if Duke was carrying some deadly disease; she moved aside


    and almost leaned against Brian without even ncing at Duke the whole time. She determined to


    keep Duke at arm''s length.


    With a frown, Duke reached out his arm, and with a sudden burst of strength, he held Belinda''s slim


    waist and pulled her away from Brian and back to his arms. After that, he gazed at Belinda and curled


    his lips into a small sneer. At that night, Duke drove away Rachel and enjoyed the love of his life


    leaning against his chest. He couldn''t be happier at the moment.


    Brian was confused why one minute Belinda was leaning closer to him, and the next she backed off.


    Then he noticed the strong arm around Belinda''s waist. Following the arm, Brian saw Duke''s smirk,


    and he suddenly let out a tacit smile. It turned out that when men were in love, they became childish


    and unreasonable and got jealous of almost anyone and anything without a proper reason. Edward


    was a perfect example. However, Brian was surprised that someone who seemed as cold and


    indifferent as Duke would also act like this. Brian suddenly felt lucky that he hadn''t fallen in love with


    someone. Picturing himself getting jealous and desperately needing a woman''s attention, Brian


    shuddered in terror all of a sudden.


    "Alright, everyone is here...except for Leena. What happened? Didn''t anyone call her?" Tom looked


    around the room and asked doubtfully. No way! Did anyone remember to call their little princess? Or


    did everyone think someone else had called her?


    "Don''t ask me, I have no idea what happened. Anyway, I''m more interested in whose idea it is to get us


    all together. Even Justin is here. It''s a nightclub, for Christ''s sake. I don''t even know why I''m here; how


    should I know whether or not someone called Leena?"


    Edward was bewildered. Edward had nned to have an romantic dinner with Daisy, but Brian''s


    sudden appearance ruined everything. Finally when the dinner was over and Edward thought he could


    get rid of Brian and bring his wife home to have some really intimate moment, he received a call from


    Duke, telling him toe to the club. He had to change his n again after that call. It seemed to


    Edward that Daisy had no idea how much he loved and cared for her, and she was giving him the cold


    shoulder, which made Edward feel more depressed. They hade into the room since awhile ago;


    why didn''t she try to coax him? Edward wasn''t really mad at Daisy; he just wanted her to say


    something nice and sweet so it wouldn''t be too awkward for him to talk to her again, since he was


    supposed to be angry. However, sitting right next to him, Daisy seemed to have no intention of talking


    to Edward, which made Edward feel frustrated. Although he really wanted to make peace with Daisy


    and hold her in his arms, he couldn''t do anything if Daisy didn''t say something first.


    "Justin is the reason why we''re here tonight. Never mind Leena, who knows where she is. Now, let me


    tell you why we''re here! We''re here to celebrate that Justin has officially be a student in


    elementary school! That''s the very first step to taking over his father''spany and conquering the


    business world! Let''s bring out the cake!"


    Rain was always energetic and loved these sorts of events. After he excitedly announced the reason


    why they were here, everyone in the room became cheerful, even though some of them were wearing


    a long face just a few moments ago. Because of Rain''s words, Edward and Daisy exchanged surprised


    looks, which was the very first time they looked at each other after they stepped into the room. Edward


    suddenly remembered that he was supposed to be angry with Daisy, so he immediately looked away


    before Daisy could say anything.


    "Wow! Really? A cake? You''re not lying to me, are you, uncle Rain?" As a foodie, Justin was excited as


    long as there was something delicious. Everything else could wait when it came to food. Upon hearing


    the word ''cake'', Justin''s face lit up, his eyes turning into crescent shapes with joy. He looked adorable


    like that.


    "Hey, little boy. Aren''t you going to give a toast? Why do you only think about eating! To those who


    know you well, they know you''re a foodie who couldn''t wait to have a taste when you see food; but to


    those who don''t know you, they might think you have been abused by your parents and starved for


    days!" Rain wouldn''t waste even the slightest chance to get back at Edward. Now that seeing Justin


    eagerly waiting for the cake, Rain couldn''t help but strike again. Only this time, he made it seem like he


    was teasing Justin, but incidentally involved Edward on his joke. He felt justified, and the idea amused


    him.

 Chapter 382 I Love You The Most (Part One)

    Chapter 382 I Love You The Most (Part One)


    "The economy is at a downturn now. To ensure better development for the FX International Group in


    the future, I have no choice but to take only one meal in a day. Uncle Rain, I heard that you enjoy a


    high sry and bonus every month, how about you pay for all my expenses? Don''t worry. I''m easily


    satisfied. You only have to buy a lot of delicious food for me, like lobsters, crabs, cubilose, and the like."


    Justin said as he counted his favorite food with his fingers. His words sent a shiver down Rain''s spine.


    Feeling weak, he copsed into the sofa. ''My God! Is this what Justin meant by ''easily satisfied''? What


    about the children who grow up eating only vegetables? Does that mean that they are never satisfied?''


    Rain thought.


    Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Haha! Justin, you''re indeed easily satisfied. You''d better live with your Uncle Rain, so you won''t starve


    again. Then you can eat all your favorite food, which ismon to him everyday."


    Tom gloated mischievously, fueling the me. He marveled at Justin''s imagination. He casually


    demanded for rare and luxury food as if it wasmon. And he shamelessly imed that he was


    easily satisfied. Was he joking? He felt lucky that Justin wasn''t telling him that, otherwise he would go


    crazy.


    "Damn it, Tom! You''re not standing in my shoes and you''re talking irresponsibly. Only a rich man like


    our boss can reach his standards and afford such a life. But I''m only a poor breadwinner, how could I


    possibly satisfy the simple needs he mentioned just now? But I don''t think it will be a problem for you. I


    heard that running a hospital is very profitable, you can earn easy money by finding ways to exploit


    patients. Since you''re the superintendent of the hospital, does that mean you get the most profit?"


    When it came to verbal arguments, Rain couldn''t beat Edward. But if the opponent was Tom, he was


    confident that he wouldn''t lose to this gentleman. If Tom wanted to set him up, it was next to


    impossible.


    "Okay, stop arguing. Let''s share this cake to celebrate the event!"


    Duke looked sullen the whole time. Belinda seemed indifferent to him today. Although he took her in his


    arms, she stillpletely ignored him and chatted cheerfully with the handsome Brian next to her.


    Duke was pissed off, he really had the urge to give that guy a good thrashing. But Daisy brought him


    here, so he couldn''t do anything to him. He had to suppress the anger in his heart and remain silent.


    "Come on! Little boy, let''s see if you''re able to eat such a big cake." Tom ced the two-tiered cake on


    the table. At the sight of the cake, Justin eximed excitedly to himself, ''Wow! It''s a French mousse


    cake!'' He knew that French mousse cakes were delicate in shape, and rich in color and taste. He liked


    the pure and natural taste. It was extremely delicious when served chilled. Its one-of-the-kind vor


    made it unique in everyone''s eyes. A foodie like Justin certainly couldn''t resist such temptation.


    "Uncle Tom, I love you the most! I''ve changed my mind. I''ve decided that I will follow you in the future. I


    can learn medical skills from you and also have delicious cakes to eat. That''s wonderful!" Justin said,


    jumping to Tom and nting a kiss on his cheek. Tom was shocked by his sudden remarks and his


    actions. This naughty boy! He shouldn''t scare him like that! He would really shock people to death with


    his careless remarks. Justin had better find someone else to y this game with. Tom couldn''t stand


    his whimsical jokes. It would drive him nuts.


    "Oh, don''t do that. I think you''d better go back to your own house. My ce is too small, and you''re


    such an honorable guest, I''m afraid that you won''t feel veryfortable in my house." Tom figured he''d


    better keep a distance from Justin to avoid any trouble, so after he finished cutting the cake, he


    immediately fled away. He didn''t want to be the recipient of Justin''s shocking remarks again. If he


    continued to stay with Justin, he would unwittingly fall into his trap.


    "Uncle Ouyang, they all dislike me. Will you take me with you? I don''t want to be starved." Seeing Rain


    and Tom running away from him as if he was a monster, Justin turned to focus his attention on Brian,


    who was drinking red wine leisurely. Justin''s appetion to Brian made people who wondered about his


    identity realize that he was from Ouyang family. They looked more puzzled, why was the man with


    Daisy? Wasn''t Daisy estranged from her family?


    "Okay. But I have some rules. If you want to live with me, you''ll eat with me, no other conditions. You


    can only eat whatever is prepared for us. Do you still want to live with me?" Brian disyed a charming


    smile. He looked agreeable with his bright grin. Such a warm smile made him look rxed. At the same


    time, it was a visual delight to others. After he finished speaking, Tom and Rain who had hidden


    themselves from Justin shot an admiring look at Brian. His answer was very wise. He showed his


    generosity withoutpromising his principles. Compared to Brian, Tom and Rain weren''t good at


    handling such matters. As the saying went, ''As in the Yangtze River the waves behind drive on those


    ahead, so each new generation excels thest one.'' Brian, as a representative of the new generation,


    really bested them in the wisdom of words.


    Daisy looked doubtfully between Justin and Brian, wondering when the two got to know each other.


    She was surprised that they seemed to get along well even without any introduction.


    "Ah! No conditions? Can I have some requirements?" Believing Brian was the only people in his


    mother''s family who was good to her, Justin liked talking with him. Otherwise, he wouldn''t even nce


    at him.


    "Little boy, what do you want?" Brian looked at Justin, shing a bright and yful smile. He


    remembered that when he was Justin''s age, he often followed the mncholy young girl who was only


    a few years older than him. Time flies, and everything had changed with the passage of time. The


    young girl in the past had be the mother of a small boy, while he became a real man. Seeing the


    lively Justin in that moment made him feel very emotional.

 Chapter 383 I Love You The Most (Part Two)

    Chapter 383 I Love You The Most (Part Two)


    "Okay! I''ll find someone else who''d like to take me." Justin nced over the room and finally settled on


    Duke, his eyes shing a cunning smile.


    "Justin, don''t even think about it. Although I can provide the food you want, your mischievousness is


    unpredictable, I don''t know what else you''ll demand from me. You''d better go back to where you


    belong! I don''t want my home to be the trial base for your destruction."


    Duke made himself clear before Justin said anything. Duke wasn''t an idle man who had time to find


    trouble for himself. He decided to keep a distance from the wicked boy immediately. He was already in


    trouble, he wasn''t in the mood to deal with Justin now.


    Justin pursed his lips and sniffled, pretending to be hurt. He suddenly turned around and ran towards


    Edward. He threw himself into Edward''s arms, regardless of everything. The cream on the corner of his


    mouth fell on Edward''s ck shirt as he cried bitterly, "Dad, they all hate me! Since you''re my dad,


    promise that you won''t abandon me like they did." Justin tucked his head on Edward''s shoulder,


    rubbing his head like a spoiled child. He seemed to havepletely forgotten that he had irritated


    Edward earlier.


    "You finally realize that I''m the best. But why did you help someone anger me earlier?" Edward


    frowned. He patted Justin''s back infort while despairing of his new shirt that Justin had just ruined.


    When he mentioned "someone," he nced at Daisy.


    "I''m sorry! Dad, you''re the best father in the world. I promise I won''t make you angry anymore."


    Everyone present thought that Justin was such a brown-noser. They wondered why such an intelligent


    man like Edward would ept such ttery. What a strange world!


    Daisy smiled. It surprised her to see Edward holding a grudge for such a trifling thing. She''d never seen


    this childish side of Edward before. She thought that an arrogant and noble man like Edward would


    always look superior and be cool about everything. But Daisy thought that Edward seemed narrow-


    minded by saying that.


    While everybody was enjoying themselves, a piercing ringing suddenly filled the room. The creepy


    ringtone was the kind of music in the horror movies, shocking everyone into silence. They turned to the


    direction of the ringing. When they finally pinpointed the person responsible, they were horrified. Wasn''t


    he worried that such a ringtone would frighten the already fragile patients in the hospital? Or was he


    doing it on purpose so he could charge fees for saving them when they fainted? It was really a dirty


    business. This must be how they made money in hospital.


    "Sorry, I have to take this call." Under the pressure of being the center of everyone''s attention, Tom


    took out his phone from his pocket and pretended to look embarrassed. But when he saw the name on


    the screen, he unwittingly frowned and wondered why she was calling him sote.


    Everyone shot him a disapproving look at his apology, but when they heard the name Tom spoke on


    the phone, they focused their attention on him again. Tom had to continue talking on the phone despite


    knowing that everyone was staring at him.


    "Yes! Okay, I''ll go there right now. Send me the address." Tom hung up the phone under everyone''s


    prying eyes. At the same time, he hurriedly prepared to leave.


    "What happened to Leena?" asked Duke who vishly doted on his sister. Wasn''t Kevin at home? Did


    anything bad happen to Leena? Duke looked deeply concerned.


    "Her hand got burned during cooking, and it seems a little serious. You know that she can''t stand the


    smell of disinfectant in the hospital. I have to go to her ce myself. You enjoy yourselves. I''ll take my


    leave." Tom exined hastily. Because he spoke to Kevin over the phone and not Leena herself, he


    had a feeling that Leena''s condition might be a bit serious, otherwise she would''ve called him herself.


    "What? Leena got burned? I''ll go with you." As soon as Duke heard the news, he immediately stood up


    and was eager to see her. Although Leena married Kevin without his consent, he would always love


    and care about her. He got worried when he heard that Leena was hurt.


    "Let''s go. We''reing with you, too." Edward said, standing up with Justin in his arms. Edward


    always treated Leena as a sister. He became restless when he heard about Leena''s situation and


    wouldn''t feel relieved until he was sure that Leena was okay.


    "So that''s it for today. I''ll go with you and visit Leena." Rain said. He got worried at the news. She used


    to be a popr woman among her male friends before she got married. Everyone felt flustered at the


    bad news. They wondered how Kevin would react when he saw so many people at his house. He


    would probably get very nervous. He only called for a doctor. He probably didn''t expect his call to bring


    the most prestigious CEOs in S City to his house.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

 Chapter 384 A Precious Person (Part One)

    Chapter 384 A Precious Person (Part One)


    Justin was thest one to leave. He wanted to finish his mousse cake! What bad luck, he just started


    enjoying it. Can''t he finish the cake first? But everyone was busy leaving and no one noticed his


    reluctance to go. They filed out of Sexy World in a few minutes.


    "You can just go home, Brian. We''re going to visit a friend." Daisy stopped to exin to Brian.


    "I see, Sister. Take care." Brian reached out and hugged Daisy, leaving a gentle kiss on her forehead.


    Edward turned around and caught the moment. He got angry and his eyebrows went up. He had


    thought that Duke would be pissed off by Brain. But he didn''t expect the curtain to fall before the drama


    could be yed out. In the end, he was the one who got upset.


    "Okay. You have drank a little just now. Be careful and drive slowly." Daisy smoothed the folds of


    Brian''s clothes. It was an ordinary yet intimate action, making Edward''s jealousy grow. The car sped


    wildly down the road. He didn''t speak to Daisy during the whole ride. He bottled up his unhappiness


    and stewed in silence.


    The stars in the evening sky seemed to sparkle more in the gentle breeze in S City. Daisy looked out of


    the window during the drive, watching the street lights pass by in a sh. She was also curious why


    Leena got scalded while Kevin was home. Although many soldiers weren''t so careful, Kevin was


    different. He always acted elegantly in public, as if he was born into nobility. While some people might


    lose theirposure during training, Kevin always looked like energetic and dynamic. Other officers


    and soldiers admired him a lot. It''s probably attributed to his family background. Otherwise, could


    anyone else disy such elegance so perfectly?


    Edward was tight-lipped. There was nothing but calmness on his handsome face. No one could read


    his mind as he stared at the road ahead. His big hands and long fingers held the steering wheel firmly.


    He seemed to be venting his anger out on the steering wheel.


    In the backseat, Justin felt stressed out by the weird atmosphere. He shot concerned looks at his


    parents. His dad always doted on his mom. He couldn''t understand why his dad suddenly seemed so


    unhappy with his mom today. As a child, Justin had difficulty understanding what adults were thinking.


    In his luxurious house, Kevin had no idea what he was about to face. He walked to the door when he


    heard the doorbell. The moment he opened the door, he was stunned by the sight of therge number


    of people at his doorstep. He froze, at a loss with what to do. Some of his guests didn''t even greet him


    and walked straight into the house.


    Seeing Kevin''s shock, Daisy smiled in amusement. Major General Gu always seemed so capable. It''s


    rare to see such an awkward expression on his face. She didn''t enter the house immediately. She


    stood at the entrance to tease him.


    "What, have we caught the Chief of Staff off guard?" Daisy blinked, smiling meaningfully. She patted


    him on the shoulder before entering the house. The scene didn''t escape Edward''s notice. His cold face


    darkened even more. It turned out that Daisy wasn''t unwilling to show her naughty side in front of


    others. It all depended on whom she''s talking to, and judging from what he just saw, she regarded


    Kevin as someone more important than the rest. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have acted so casually with


    him.


    Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Leena was also inside. Obviously, she didn''t expect this situation either. The moment she saw the


    group of people, she suddenly froze just as the great Chief of Staff Officer did. She just called for Tom.


    Why was everyone suddenly in her house?


    "How are you, Leena? Does it hurt a lot?" Duke asked anxiously, rushing to Leena who was sitting on


    the sofa. She seemed to be suffering from a great deal of pain.


    "Brother. Why are you here? It''s just a minor injury. There''s no need for all of you toe here and visit


    me. You are giving me a big shock." Leena moved her hand to hide it. She was afraid that Duke would


    get mad if he saw the blisters on her hand. She knew his temper well. She was the apple of his eye. If


    he found out that her wound was actually quite severe, he would get extremely worried about her.


    Moreover, she was worried that her brothers would me Kevin for her injury.


    "Could you give me some space? Let me check her hand first!" Luckily, there was always a medicine


    kit in Tom''s car, and there was no need to worry about getting supplies. Besides, he always stocked his


    kit with efficient medicine. A talented doctor like him could cope well with minor scalds.


    Everyone was concerned about Leena''s injury, but none of them were doctors. Even though they were


    unwilling to leave, they moved away and allotted some space for Tom. It would be terrible if Leena


    wasn''t treated carefully.


    "Show me your hand, Leena." Tom sat down beside her. He took out all the scald medicine in his kit


    and set them somewhere essible.


    "Now? Really?" Leena looked at everyone in hesitation. She didn''t think that her injury was severe at


    all, but Kevin insisted on taking her to the hospital. Because she didn''t want to, she turned to Tom. But


    she didn''t expect everyone to show up. How could she expect something like this? If she had known,


    she''d have gone to the hospital and endured the smell of disinfectant instead of called Tom.


    "Yes! Let me check, so I know which medicine to use." Tom looked at Leena sternly, trying to see her


    hidden hand. He frowned slightly. If his guess was right, her injury wasn''t minor at all. Or she wouldn''t


    hesitate in front of everyone.


    Kevin was thest one to enter, so he was isted from the crowd. Looking at everyone''s concern, he


    realized for the first time how Leena was important to them. Meanwhile, he was also getting a little


    stressed. He could hardly imagine how they would react when they saw the blisters on her hand.

 Chapter 385 A Precious Person (Part Two)

    Chapter 385 A Precious Person (Part Two)


    At first, the skin on her hand just turned red when he applied some medicine. But he didn''t expect big


    blisters to appear after dinner and he got increasingly worried. He persuaded Leena to go to the


    hospital, but she refused to go no matter what. He decided to ask the doctor from the military base to


    come and look at her hand, but Leena insisted that it would be troublesome and she''d call Tom instead.


    Recalling what she saidst night about Tom being an excellent doctor, he agreed. But he didn''t expect


    so many people to arrive.


    Knowing she couldn''t hide her hand anymore, Leena showed it reluctantly. She herself felt terrible


    when she saw her hand. As expected, everyone gasped at the sight.


    "How did it be so severe? Didn''t you wash your hand immediately after?" Tom frowned. He


    sighed, internally despairing for his medicine. He seemed to be losing a lot these days.


    "I did wash it. But I forgot to use the medicine afterwards." Leena stuck out her tongue awkwardly. She


    completely forgot about it. If Kevin hadn''te back and noticed her hand, it would have probably


    been worse.


    "Damn it. What on earth did you do to hurt your hand like this?" Duke seldom yelled at Leena. Even


    when he heard that she married Kevin, he didn''t shout at her. But seeing her hand covered in horrible


    blisters, his heart suddenly tightened. He couldn''t help yelling at her.


    "It''s no big deal. I wasn''t careful enough while I was cooking. It''s not that bad. It''ll probably heal in a few


    days. Right, Tom?" Leena shot Tom a meaningful look, hoping that he would help her out and y


    along. She didn''t know what Duke would do to Kevin if he was this angry.


    "What? You can cook?" Duke got confused with her response. He looked at her in puzzlement.


    Everyone else also felt confused. Besides Kevin, everyone doubted that Leena could cook. But they


    came to the conclusion that she hurt herself because she wasn''t a skillful cook.


    "Well, just a bit." Leena inwardly cursed herself. This was bad, she never cooked for Duke or anyone


    else. Since she said she was cooking, there were bound to be moreints. But it wasn''t her fault.


    It hadn''t been long since she returned to the country. How could she have an opportunity to cook for


    them?


    Duke didn''t care that the others were unhappy about it. He became jealous at Leena''s response and


    nced coldly at Kevin. Kevin frowned at Duke''s dark look. Wasn''t itmon knowledge that Leena


    could cook? He didn''t know that she never cooked for anyone else. At the thought,plicated


    feelings surged in his heart. Even he couldn''t understand what he felt about her.


    "Hey, girl. Don''t you trust me? I can''t guarantee what other doctors can do. But for me, I''m going to


    treat the scald on your hand. My medicine is quite precious, so don''t move and make sure the medicine


    doesn''t spill over. Just to be clear, you might feel some pain, but you have to hold it in, okay?"


    Tom broke the angry atmosphere and exined the procedure to Leena. He anticipated that Leena


    might move her hand due to the pain when he applied the medicine. He raised his eyebrows and


    looked at Duke meaningfully, conveying that he should hold Leena''s hand to prevent the medicine from


    spilling over. He had spent a lot of effort on his research on the scald medicine. That was all he had of


    this medicine and once wasted, there wouldn''t be any more.


    Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Duke frowned. Despite that he had a lot ofints and negative feelings about Kevin, he sat down


    next to Leena. He held her in his arms and put her face against his chest to prevent Leena from seeing


    the treatment. Everyone knew that Leena was afraid of pain. The best way to treat her was to apply the


    medicine on her hand before she could realize it.


    Tom nodded to Duke, indicating him holding Leena''s hand firmly. Duke frowned tightly. To tell the truth,


    he also felt nervous. He was afraid that his heart might soften and he would withdraw her hand. He


    didn''t believe Tom when he said that it would hurt a little. If that was really the case, he wouldn''t have


    asked him to hold her hand. Duke got worried that he couldn''t stand it.


    Edward also knew that Tom was downying the truth to Leena, so he clenched his hands anxiously.


    He recalled how Leena had been in her childhood. She cried so hard when she got pricked by a rose


    thorn. Seeing therge blisters on her skin, he couldn''t help getting anxious too.


    Cold fingers held Edward''s quivering hand. Daisy smiled at him when he turned his head to look at her


    in surprise. She understood his feelings about Leena more than anyone else. He didn''t feel much love


    from his family. He considered Leena as his family and gave his affections to her instead. That was


    why he always doted on her. He must be heartbroken to see Leena hurting so badly. Edward regarded


    Leena as one of the most precious people in his heart. His feeling for Leena was definitely different


    from what he felt for Daisy and Justin, and there would never be any conflict between them.

 Chapter 386 Injured

    Chapter 386 Injured


    Tom took a deep breath, exchanged a look with Duke, then sprayed the medicine he brought on


    Leena''s hand. Leena screeched in pain. Tom knew she would, but he figured he had to treat her


    anyway.


    "Ouch! It hurts, Tom! You lied to me! You said I wouldn''t feel a thing." The sudden pain pulled not only a


    scream out of her, but her head from Duke''s arms. She struggled to get her hand free, but it was


    grasped firmly by Duke. She had no choice but to look at Tom pitifully. Her tears were the silent


    allegation of Tom''s lie. She felt something! A big something. It hurt so much. Throwing the fact that she


    was surrounded by many people to the wind, she began to cry sadly. At the same time, her eyes drifted


    around the crowd. The sight of Kevin somehow made her feel quite reassured.


    Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "But if I didn''t lie to you, you wouldn''t let me apply the medicine. What else could I do?" Then Tom took


    out a small bottle of white powder and sprinkled it onto Leena''s injured hand. He did it so carefully,


    maybe because he didn''t want to hurt Leena, or maybe because he was feeling reluctant to use the


    expensive powder. Anyway, with the medicine applied, Leena''s pain went away.


    Kevin was almost heartbroken to see Leena cry. So now he also looked at Tom worriedly, afraid he


    would use other painful medicines. Luckily, Tom packed up his medical kit after sprinkling the powder.


    That meant that Leena didn''t need to go through anymore pain from the treatment.


    "Take a look at her foot too." That was the first time Kevin said something since they all came in. And


    his words were quite explosive as now all their attention shifted to Leena''s foot. All of them waited,


    holding their breath, not knowing what other injuries they were going to see.


    "It''s not necessary. I''m alright." Leena dreaded pain. She didn''t want more done with her foot. She was


    tired of feeling pain -- she''d been through enough.


    "Your foot got scalded too?" Duke cared about Leena so much that he held her foot up right away after


    hearing about any more injuries. When he saw her bruise, his eyes grew even colder.


    "No." Leena murmured. She knew that Duke was already quite angry about her scald. Another bruise


    would only add insult to injury. She didn''t want to see Duke fly into a rage and make a big deal out of


    her injuries. She was already in pain -- she didn''t need to deal with him too.


    "You must have been hit by something. But lucky you, it''s not serious. I''ll write up a prescription for you.


    You''ll be fine." Tom smiled tacitly. He felt Leena''s quivering foot and he knew what Leena worried about


    was more painful treatment.


    "Okay. Thank you, Tom." Leena was relieved that she didn''t need to be massaged like the treatment


    Kevin had given her. Yet when she saw the expressions on everyone''s face, she sensed something


    bad might happen. ''Would Duke me Kevin for my injuries? Hopefully not! I was careless. That''s why


    I got burned and bruised. Kevin had nothing to do with it. What kind of wife would I be if I let him take


    the me? Justin will call me a trouble maker again then, '' Leena pondered anxiously.


    "Kevin, this is why you tricked my sister into marrying you? You just want her to get hurt? Is your so-


    called happiness purely based on injuries?" Duke questioned Kevin. Leena''s premonition was right.


    Panicked, she embraced Duke tightly in case he stood up and picked up a fight with Kevin.


    "Sorry. It''s all my fault. I will be more careful." Kevin didn''t exin. He took all the me willingly. For


    him, it was kind of his bad for not taking care of his wife Leena well. Even if Duke didn''t pound him for


    her being hurt, he would me himself for it.


    "Humph. Sorry? You think a sorry is enough? Kevin, you should know that I have never let Leena get


    hurt, not even for once, let alone the serious scald like today. And you think a sorry could wipe all these


    efforts off? How can I trust you with my sister again?"


    Duke''s words were aggressive and domineering, maybe because he hadn''t quite gotten used to their


    sh marriage. That was why he was never kind to Kevin. Duke spent most of his time loathing the


    man.


    "Duke, it''s my own fault. It has nothing to do with Kevin. Please don''t me Kevin for it. Besides, he


    wasn''t even at home when I got injured. He doesn''t deserve your negativements." Leena


    defended Kevin worriedly, hoping to dispel Duke''s anger. She didn''t want her mistake to worsen their


    rtionship.


    "Leena, do you mean that I am being nosy, that I am ming the wrong guy? Or you think that I have


    been overprotective for all these years and that has made you not able to take care of yourself and get


    injured so badly?" Duke squinted his intimidating eyes. Did their twenty-odd years of bonding lose to


    her twenty days of life with Kevin? And why couldn''t Leena see his love for her, and only thought about


    Kevin''s feelings?


    "I didn''t mean it. I''m just saying that it''s all my bad. It has nothing to do with any of you." Leena


    caressed her forehead in relief. She felt this exnation was enough to clear things up and to smother


    Duke''s rage.


    "Duke, no one wanted this to happen. The most important thing is to let Leena rest and recover. So if


    we''re done here, maybe we should all go home now. That way she can get as much rest as she


    needs."


    Daisy tried to smooth things over after sensing the tension. She sounded like she was letting Kevin off


    the hook too.


    "Right. Uncle Duke, we should just go home. Remember, you need to drive me to school tomorrow.


    And we can''t bete for our first day. If you are still mad, you can talk with Uncle Kevin another day.


    He''s always there anyway."


    Justin would support whatever Daisy did. So he joined his mom in rescuing Kevin.


    "Justin, what are you trying to do? Howe I feel that you just set a trap for them both?" Rain


    quipped to downy the tension. He knew it was no use arguing over who was to me and he didn''t


    want everything to blow up.


    "Well. No way. You saw through my trick so quick. I gotta hone my skills someday." Justin was smart


    enough to see what Rain was trying to do. So he echoed Rain''s words. His foxy eyes revealed his


    sophistication.


    "Huh. Hone your skills? You want to be a con artist or what? Focus on your studies," Tom added, trying


    to lighten the mood. He didn''t like the depressing atmosphere just now. Justin''s words just helped save


    the day. Tom chuckled while he put other medicines on the table.


    "You can''t stir up any trouble now. If you''re resting, then you''ll have no time to think of some other


    scheme," Belinda said. Her words might have sounded as if she were gloating over Leena''s injury, but


    that was who she was. In fact, she cared about Leena a lot. It was just that she showed her concern


    differently than other people.


    "No way. Belinda, you are still holding a grudge over me drugging you? So now you make sarcastic


    remarks when I''m hurt, too weak to fight back." Leena knew that Belinda didn''t mean to make fun of


    her. But still she quipped back as revenge for Belinda not persuading Duke to go back home.


    "Cut the crap. You should spend more time taking care of yourself and not getting hurt again. Duke,


    aren''t you going back with me?" Belinda frowned and looked at Duke. ''Duke really loves his sister. You


    could see the worry in his wrinkled forehead after seeing Leena''s injuries. He could have handled it


    better, though. He has brought the group''s mood down by ming Kevin, '' Belindained to


    herself.


    "Don''t worry, Leena. It''ll only take a few days. We see this stuff in the army all the time. So just take it


    easy, and be careful not to get your wounds wet." Daisy curled her lips into a smile. In the army, you


    weren''t really hurt unless your broke a limb. Bruises and scalds weremon on base. You just had to


    grit your teeth through every ache and pain. There were no wusses in the military -- every injury was a


    badge of courage.


    "Okay, Daisy, I''ll get some rest." Leena was already a big fan of Daisy. Now she admired her even


    more.


    Then, all of them walked out of the house, totally oblivious to Kevin, just like when they first came in.


    Only Tom stopped to talk to him, but just to tell him how to use the medication. Because he knew


    Leena wouldn''t follow his directions, so he had better find another person to remind her.

 Chapter 387 Hes Right (Part One)

    Chapter 387 He''s Right (Part One)


    "I''m sorry. My mistake got you a tongueshing from my brother." Leena bit her lip sorrily. She knew


    that Duke leveled those harsh usations at Kevin only because he loved her too much. Duke was


    always overly tense when it came to her.


    "No, he''s right. I didn''t take care of you. It''s my fault. I don''t feel like he was out of line." In fact, it was


    already the best thing that could happen. He had thought that Duke would beat him up. Yet he had only


    got yelled at. How lucky was that? But he was also aware that this was not over, that Duke might get


    even with him someday.


    "No, please don''t take Duke seriously. It''s my fault. I''ll be more careful. Please don''t me yourself for


    me being careless." Leena didn''t know whether Kevin had said all those things out of sincerity or pure


    anger. But she felt like a loser for not being able to take care of herself. No wonder Kevin would be mad


    at her.


    "We should hire a maid. This way you would be taken care of when I''m not at home." Kevin took


    Leena''s injuries seriously. Preferred to be alone, he never hired any help. But now with Leena here, he


    must hire one to make sure she was okay.


    "Why? I can look after myself well enough. Today was just an ident. It will never happen again.


    Besides, I don''t like strangers walking around my home. It makes me ufortable."


    Back in the Lengs'' house, she hated it when the house maids walked around and interrupted her


    designing. She often wished that she could just be alone. After all, inspiration didn''t always knock on


    the door. And it always took her time to get back into the groove when she was disturbed. Now the


    marriage finally gave her some space. She didn''t need to worry about anyone infringing on her and


    driving away her inspiration. After Kevin went to work, she would be alone in this house. That was


    exactly what she hoped for all along. So she must prevent Kevin from hiring help.


    "You might as well put up with it for a bit. At least during your recovery, we need a nurse to check on


    you. How about an hourly worker? This way you wouldn''t be interrupted."


    Kevin was quite puzzled about Leena''s insistence on not hiring anyone. After all, as a daughter of a


    well-to-do family, she must have grown up surrounded by maids. Howe she was not used to it?


    "Please don''t hire anyone, Kevin. I promise I can look after myself. This will never happen again.


    Besides, it''ll get better in a few days, like Daisy said. There is no need to hire anyone in particr."


    That was the first time that Leena was extra nice while talking with Kevin. she was all smiles, her


    piteous eyes full of pleading and puppy dog innocence fixed on him. He folded.


    "Are you sure? You know that I have to go to work everyday, so I can''t take care of you. So, we need to


    figure out what to do about meals." While saying this, Kevin lifted Leena from the sofa quite


    unexpectedly. With a poker face, he walked upstairs.


    "I know. I can cook meals myself or I can order for delivery. That''s not a problem. Don''t worry. I wasn''t


    born yesterday. I can deal with this." Leena then draped her fine arm around his neck. She was now


    used to his unexpected hugs after what had happened before dinner. This was all natural to her now.


    After all, Kevin was her legitimate husband. It would be strange to act coy.


    "Okay, as you wish, we won''t hire anyone. I will prepare breakfast for you before I go to work. You deal


    with lunch. As for dinner, I will try to get back early and cook for you. And I will do all the housework.


    Does that work for you?" Kevin then ced her on the bed, his handsome face implying his


    helplessness. Now he understood why her brothers gave her so much attention. No one could ever


    resist her charms, not even him.


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    "Thanks, Kevin. I promise I will never do anything to make you worry before I recover." Kevin''s consent


    made Leena''s smile grow brighter. It was so charming that Kevin even forgot what he was doing. He


    just stared at her for quite a while until he noticed his own gaffe and he looked away. He coughed


    gently as a way to hide his embarrassment.


    "You sit here tight. I will turn on the water for your shower." Without waiting for Leena''s response, Kevin


    walked into the bathroom. On the way, he pondered, ''Why am I mesmerized by Leena''s smile? This


    isn''t normal.''


    "Ah! Taking a shower? How am I supposed to wash myself like this?" Leena murmured as she looked


    at her scalded hand in worry. Yet Kevin didn''t notice Leena''s words for he was troubled by the same


    question.


    Leenay down and closed her eyes. She found that she might have fallen in love with Kevin gradually.


    Just now when Duke med Kevin, the first thing crossed her mind was not her brother''s feelings, but


    Kevin''s instead. She didn''t want Kevin to feel like he was treated badly. That was why she defended


    him so eagerly, and it disappointed Duke. Duke must have felt hurt that his own sister talked back to


    him for a man she married for only a handful of days. You could see it in his eyes.


    She sighed. She knew how Duke felt. She still remembered why she slept with Kevin in the first ce --


    purely out of disappointment for another man. What she didn''t know was whether her feelings for Kevin


    were really love or a mere crush? If she was in love, would the love grow so deep that she could never


    forget?

 Chapter 388 Hes Right (Part Two)

    Chapter 388 He''s Right (Part Two)


    "Leena, are you asleep?" Kevin''s low voice came to her ears just when Leena was daydreaming,


    dispelling all her thoughts. She opened her eyes and saw Kevin''s handsome face right in front of her,


    frightening her into sitting up. Her move was so quick and sudden that she almost bumped into his


    gorgeous face. Luckily Kevin dodged aside out of his military instinct and adeptness. But still, his nose


    was hit.


    "Sorry. I didn''t do it on purpose. Are you okay?" Then Leena reached out to his nose but soon drew


    back out of pain. She totally forgot about her injured hand.


    "Forget about me. What about your hand? Let me see if you''re alright." Kevin frowned with care. Right


    now he had no energy to think about his nose. Leena''s hand was his primary concern.


    "It''s alright. I just forgot about it. How about your nose? Does it hurt?" Apologetically, Leena stuck out


    her tongue and twitched her mouth. Her smile was no better than her crying face now.


    "It''s nothing. Let''s go. I''ll help you with the shower." Kevin''s words made Leena''s eyes widen in


    disbelief. ''OMG! Does he even know what he is talking about? Helping me with the shower? Is he out


    of mind?'' Leena thought in embarrassment.


    "Well. Kevin, you don''t need to help me. I can do it myself," Leena said, blushing. As much as she


    doubted her own ability to bathe herself, she would not acknowledge it and have Kevin help her. Or she


    would have to bepletely naked in front of him. Leena shook her head gently. No, she couldn''t let


    this happen. Or how could she stayfortably around Kevin, or anyone who knew about this?


    "This is not open for negotiation. Keep your promises to yourself." Kevin didn''t believe that she could


    do it alone. Besides, just now Leena forgot and moved her injured hand. So now he didn''t quite believe


    in her promises.


    "Seriously, you will help me shower? Or is this your idea of a joke?" Leena was speechless. No, she


    didn''t want a man to wash her. She didn''t even dare to imagine it. She was not bold enough to stand


    completely naked and let a man move his hands all over her, even if that man was her husband. Being


    conservative, she preferred not to bathe rather than let him shower her.


    "Don''t forget that I''m yourwful husband. I''ve seen your body. There is no need to be shy." Alright!


    Kevin didn''t know whether he could control himself, seeing her naked. Hopefully, he wouldn''t do


    anything improper when they were in the shower together.


    "That''s different." Leena was so ashamed that she almost wanted to bury herself in a hole. They slept


    only once, and that was simply because she had been drunk. A drunk woman obviously wouldn''t know


    what she was doing.


    "There is nothing different. We''re the same people. Don''t be embarrassed. You want to walk in yourself


    or you want me to carry you in?" Kevin asked earnestly, leaving no room for Leena to retreat.


    "I... I... How about not showering?" Leena was almost pleading now. She would rather give up her habit


    of a daily bath than ept that possibly sweet shower.


    "Looks like you want me to carry you in." Then with an evil smile, Kevin bent down and lifted her up.


    Leena screamed in fright as she was still bargaining and never saw thising.


    "Ah! Kevin, you can''t do this to me." Leena panicked. She looked at Kevin, hoping that he would


    change his mind. Yet his face showed there was no wriggle room.


    Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "Take it easy. I have no interest in your youthful body." Kevin put her on the bathroom floor and looked


    at her up and down teasingly.


    "If you are not interested, how about you getting out? I can take a shower all by myself." ''How dare you


    insult my figure. My body''s fully developed. My breasts may not be asrge as a D-cup. But they''re


    larger than a C-cup.'' Leenained deep down.


    "Seems like you wish me to take off your clothes as well." Kevin was a doer. Just a few minutes after


    he said so, he already stripped Leena and put her into the bathtub. Carefully, he ced her injured


    hand on a stack of dry towels to protect it from the spray. Deep down, he regretted making fun of


    Leena''s body. Because no man would ever dismiss such a curvy figure.


    Though basked in the warm water, Leena remained fairly stiff. Especially when Kevin''s hand moved to


    her breasts, her heart almost jumped out. Fortunately, he was a gentleman. He didn''t take advantage of


    her, but focused on showering. As his hand moved down, Leena grew more nervous. When it was


    about to reach her private area, she caught his hand with her other hand that was not injured.


    "I can wash this ce myself." Leena felt her face was burning hot. ''God, just kill me already. This is


    too embarrassing. My good image is ruined."

 Chapter 389 Sexy

    Chapter 389 Sexy


    "You still mad?" Daisy asked Edward, who was going straight toward the bathroom with a long face.


    She grabbed him and smiled. This petty man had stayed mad at her the whole night. Fine. She yielded.


    It hurt to see him with an angry expression.


    "No, I''m not," Edward answered without even looking at Daisy. His face told her otherwise. Yes, he was


    still mad. Daisy knew he would deny it.


    "Really? Then why do you ignore me?" Daisy felt he was adorable when he was mad. And she was


    proud of herself, because Edward almost never got angry, and she kept him mad all night.


    "I ignore you? You are the one who is ignoring me!" Today he would let her know how it felt when she


    was ignored. Then she would stop taking him for a pushover.


    "Listen to you. Obviously you are mad about something. Tell me what you are mad about." Daisy


    pinched his cheek lightly. She was devil-may-care sometimes and didn''t pay much attention to details.


    Edward had been mad for so long, she didn''t think it was because she and Justin had ridiculed him at


    Sexy World. It must be because of something else. She decided to find out so that she could know


    Edward better and avoid the same mistake. He was thest person in the world she wanted to hurt.


    Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "OK. Colonel, so what is your rtionship with Kevin? What do you feel about him?"


    His blue eyes were fixed on Daisy. Edward waited, fidgety, afraid that he might hear a reply dreadful


    enough to drive him crazy.


    "Kevin? He''s my superior and cares about me like a brother. That''s all." Daisy looked at Edward in


    confusion, wondering what it was all about.


    "That''s all? Do you really think he just wants to be your superior or brother? Don''t you see that he


    wants something more?"


    Edward felt he might as well drag it out into the open. The truth woulde to light sooner orter. If


    Daisy knew about Kevin''s feelings for her, she would be scared and Leena might get hurt at the same


    time. Although young, Leena was sensitive to feelings. As time went by, she might sense Kevin''s


    hidden longing for Daisy. So Edward thought he''d better remind Daisy ahead of time to avoid problems.


    Edward hadn''t figured out why Kevin married Leena, but he was sure Kevin didn''t love her, because he


    had lost his heart to Daisy and he couldn''t have shifted his affection to another so soon. Edward hoped


    Daisy would realize it and keep a distance from Kevin from now on so that Leena wouldn''t have to


    worry.


    "That''s crazy! Edward, are you sick? Why are you talking nonsense? Kevin always sees me as a sister.


    It''s impossible for him to have other feelings for me, "


    Daisy said. But actually she started to realize something. Thest time they trained, Kevin had been


    strange around her and had uttered something confusing. He had also be mad at her all of a


    sudden. She remembered all this yet had been unable to figure out any of those puzzles. Now, hearing


    Edward''s words, she wasn''t sure about her thoughts.


    "That''s what you think. Anyway, he definitely has a thing for you. It''s not that I don''t trust you. I just want


    to remind you of it in case Leena misunderstands anything. You know how much that girl looks up to


    you. If anything goes wrong, she''ll be devastated. So let''s do our best to avoid it."


    Edward frowned. He really hated telling Daisy about Kevin''s feelings for her. It would only add to the


    burden on her mind. And she would pay more attention to Kevin. That was totally thest thing he


    wanted.


    "Plbbt! Is that all this evening about? Don''t worry. I know what to do." Daisy didn''t like to have a


    dubious rtionship with anyone. If what Edward had said proved to be true, she would settle the


    matter effectively and thoroughly. She wouldn''t put herself into a messed up situation, no matter what.


    "Are you happy to see me in a bad mood?" Edward flicked her bare forehead. With her promise, he felt


    relieved. She always dealt with things briskly.


    "Of course! It feels great to make a yboy like you get jealous." Edward took Daisy''s words as a


    mockery.


    "Jealous? Who told you I am jealous? Huh?" Edward took Daisy into his arms and started biting her ear


    gently. His teasing turned Daisy on and she nearly forgot that they were still in the middle of an


    argument.


    "Sure. You aren''t jealous. You just have had this sour face all night because of Kevin." Daisy didn''t


    struggle to break free from his embrace. He liked to have her in his arms. She had been ustomed to


    it.


    "Have I? Then have a taste to see whether it is really sour." Edward lifted her face and kissed her


    tenderly. Her mouth, her lips, he wanted them all. He had been repressing his urge to kiss her while he


    was mad. But thinking of the reason why he was mad, he was too proud to make the move. He had


    been waiting for the best timing. Luckily, Daisypromised. He loved her even more for her good


    sense.


    OK. Payback time. Daisy bit him lightly on the tongue. Damn, she had to use her tenderness every time


    to please this man. Yet, who was to me? She loved him so much as to let him get his way every


    time.


    "When did you be a puppy, sexy?" The faint pain on Edward''s tongue made him stop. He felt


    resigned. It seemed Daisy was angry about something and was trying to get back at him through her


    teeth. She bit the muscle he used every day.


    "So what? You started it." Daisy touched her earlobe. This guy bit her first and now he was ming her


    for doing the same thing to him. ming others for the things he started. Typical of him.


    "How can you be so petty? It doesn''t match up with your profession." Edward pinched her nose hard.


    But he felt happy inwardly. He liked the Daisy who joked freely with him, not the one who had been


    aloof and had pressured him when they first met, because he didn''t want a gap between them, neither


    mentally nor superficially.


    "Soldiers aren''t saints. We fight against unfair treatment too so that we can honor the uniform." Most


    people thought that soldiers should put civilians first. Yes, civilians were important to Daisy. But when


    one assaulted her, she was in danger and had to fight back. Soldiers were also ordinary people with


    thoughts and emotions.


    "We''ll talk about this in bedter. I''m gonna take a shower. Feel free to join me." Apulsive


    germophobe, Edward took a shower within half an hour after he got home every day. Every minute


    beyond it, he would get more and more fidgety and anxious.


    "You wish. I''d rather yputer games in the study. I enjoy the serenity, without reports to write or


    training or war games to attend. This lifestyle is awesome! I actually enjoy it." Daisy turned and walked


    toward the study. But her remarks set Edward''s mind wandering.


    Was she tired of military life, which was filled with gun smoke and endless drills? Or had she just said


    that merely because she really enjoyed the present moments? Edward wondered, standing under the


    cold shower. Thinking about the hardships she had undergone in the past few years, his heart started


    aching.


    He couldn''t imagine what had driven her to be a tough military officer. Quite a transformation from


    the weak girl who had cried every time she had been bullied. What had made her change? Was it


    resilience? Willpower?


    Almost none of the women he knew were as reasonable as Daisy. She could be angry sometimes, but


    wouldn''t hold onto others'' mistakes and use them as weapons to fight back. For example, she disliked


    his old lifestyle, but she eventually let it go and hadn''t mentioned it ever again. She wasn''t the kind of


    woman who got paranoid merely because of the past and started hurting the man she loved. Today,


    she wouldn''t have reacted so strongly if Jessica hadn''t provoked her. He knew her.

 Chapter 390 Throw Him Into the Crocodile Pool

    Chapter 390 Throw Him Into the Crocodile Pool


    As a qualified military officer, Daisy liked ying games to improve her action thinking. She was now


    rapidly assembling and disassembling guns. Before Edward entered the study, he heard the sounds


    and knew what she was doing.


    "What''re you ying?" Edward rested his head on Daisy''s shoulder from behind and looked at the


    high-end guns on the screen.


    "It''s been a long time since Ist practiced. I want to see whether I get slow. Why don''t you dry your


    hair?" Daisy frowned when Edward''s wet hair touched her face. Then she put aside the game, picked


    up a clean towel beside her and stood up.


    "What''s the result?" As Daisy stood up, Edward sat down obediently. It had been a routine recently, and


    Edward had be ustomed to it. In fact, he did not dry his hair deliberately because he liked to


    see Daisy''s unintentional ardent love and care for him. In doing this, he knew how important he was to


    her.


    "Not satisfactory. I am not fast enough." Daisy gently dried Edward''s ck hair with the soft towel.


    Edward didn''t like to dry his hair. He didn''t care about the drips of water, so Daisy habitually prepared


    some clean towels in the study for unexpected needs.


    "Don''t force yourself. It makes my heart ache." Edward pulled Daisy onto hisp and kissed her lips. He


    twined his hands around her waist.


    "Really?" Daisy caressed Edward''s handsome face. In the beginning, Edward''s cuddling would fright


    her, but now, she had gotten quite used to it and didn''t think there was anything wrong with it.


    "Yes, I mean it. So, don''t make me worry." Edward looked Daisy straight in the eye. He was afraid


    Daisy would question his words.


    "Okay. I promise I''ll always take your feelings into ount." Daisy knew Edward''s words had many


    meanings, but no matter what he meant, she would put him in first ce. Over the years, she had been


    prepared, knowing she would meet this man again. She had even lived only for him for a while. Her


    deep love for him enabled her to go on living.


    "Honey, thank you." Edward leaned his head against Daisy''s chest to feel her strong heartbeat. It was


    the simple happiness that he had always sought. Even a small thing like this could delight him.


    "For what?" Daisy caressed Edward''s soft hair. She liked to stay with him. At this moment, she felt her


    life was meaningful.


    "For everything." Edward had once wondered where he could find another woman to love if Daisy didn''t


    appear, and thought that she would have never walked into his life if it hadn''t been for Justin.


    Fortunately, things happened as he wanted. Now she had be a part of his life.


    The night was a warm harbor where lovers expressed their affections. It also witnessed various crimes.


    "Boss, it''s him." It was dim in the room, but Luke could see clearly the man kneeling on the ground. In


    his fifties, the man''s wandering and furtive eyes revealed that he was not a good man at first nce.


    "What do you want? We live in a country withws. Let me go. It''s a crime to detain me." The man


    struggled hard, trying to untie the rope that bound his hands.


    "Oh? I thought you are ignorant of thew. Sorry if I underestimated you." Luke sneered coldly and


    evilly.


    "Who are you? Why did you tie me up? I just came back to the country not long ago. We''re not


    enemies. You''re making a mistake." The man looked at the cold man standing in front of him, shivering


    in fear. What god did he piss off to run into such a devil?


    "Are you Paul Du, Mrs. Ouyang''s distant cousin?" Luke looked down at him with an impatient look on


    his face.


    "I don''t know any Mrs. Ouyang. I''m not Paul Du." The man began to panic. He didn''t know what Luke


    was up to.


    "You don''t know her? You should know Yakira Mo." Luke wouldn''t bring Paul Du here if he didn''t have


    total confidence. Paul Du was scheming, but he wasn''t a match for Luke.


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about." The man looked away. He had decided to deny it.


    "Really?" Do you want me to resort to force? Do you think you can cover up the crime youmitted


    by changing your name? As the saying goes, if you don''t want someone to know anything, then don''t


    do anything. I can dredge up what happened more than 20 years ago if I want to."


    Luke knew Paul Du was acting dumb. He wouldn''t forget what he had done. Luke gave the sign, and


    another man stepped forward out of the shadows. He rocked Paul''s head with a hammer-like fist.


    Another man hauled his head up by the hair, and pounded his face again. A foot shed out of the


    darkness and knocked him to the ground. He heard his ribs crack and he spat blood. Another kick


    rolled him over onto his back, and a fist came down again, shattering his nose and covering him in


    blood.


    "Ouch! Help! I really don''t know who these people are. Even if you kill me now, I still don''t know who


    they are," Paul Du gasped, forcing the words past ruined lips. Luke ignored Paul Du''s screams. Such


    scum must be tortured cruelly, or he wouldn''t divulge anything useful.


    "You don''t know them? Fine, since you know nothing, you''re of no use to me. Guys, throw him into the


    crocodile pool." Luke let out a cold smile. All people feared death. Those who liked scheming were


    more afraid of death. Luke was sure that Paul Du was no exception.


    "Yes, boss." There was really a crocodile pool. On their way here, they showed the pool to Paul Du on


    purpose to threaten him.


    "Don''t! Don''t throw me in! I''ll tell you everything!" Paul Du broke out in a cold sweat at the thought of


    what he had seen in the pool. Hundreds of crocodiles greedily stared at him with their mouths open. He


    was so scared that he almost peed his pants. Living is better than dying. Before he figured out what


    Luke really wanted, it was better to stay alive. And more importantly, with all his limbs.


    "Good. Tell me, are you Paul Du, the cousin of Mrs. Ouyang from Ouyang Foreign Trade?" Luke yed


    with the automatic pistol with a silencer in his hand. He spun it idly around one finger.


    "Paul Du is my former name. If Mrs. Ouyang is called Yakira Mo, I''m indeed her cousin. But why you


    ask me about this?" Paul Du was scared, but it was nothingpared to the pain they inflicted on him.


    He couldn''t understand why he was arrested so soon after he returned to the country. Luke even knew


    the name he used more than 20 years ago. So someone knew what he did back in the day? It couldn''t


    be. There would be no trace if Yakira didn''t betray him.


    "Tell me how you conspired to kill the former Mrs. Ouyang more than 20 years ago." Edward was


    clever. He had tried everything to freeze all the ounts of Paul Du and forced him to return to the


    country to ask Yakira for help, so that he could control him. Yakira was doomed.


    "I didn''t do that! I do know Yakira Mo, but I didn''t kill anyone. I really don''t like death. Or blood," he spat,


    blood flying from his mouth. "Why would I kill anyone?" ''I can''t admit it. He''s fishing for information. He


    doesn''t have any strong evidence against me. I can''t tell him what he wants to know, '' thought Paul Du.


    "Paul Du, don''t y the fool! We have total confidence that you did this, so we''re holding you here. I


    think the crocodiles will eat well tonight." Luke bent to raise Paul Du''s chin, grinning wickedly.


    "No! God! Stop threatening me with that! I really don''t know anything. What do you want me to say?"


    Paul Du thought to himself, ''I can''t admit it. They won''t feed me to the crocodiles. Either way, I can''t


    live. The crime Imitted is beyond forgiveness. I killed the former Mrs. Ouyang and her unborn


    baby. Back then, Yakira had just made a wedge between the former Mrs. Ouyang and her husband,


    and when Mrs. Ouyang got pregnant suddenly, Yakira had no choice but to kill her. We conspired to


    stage an ident. If the police finds out the truth, I will be an aplice of the murder. Before this


    man has strong evidence against me, I have to keep my mouth shut.''


    Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "Fine. You know nothing about it? I have told you what would happen. Guys, hang him over the


    crocodile pool. Let''s see how long he can keep it up." Luke thought, ''Do you think I won''t kill you before


    I get the evidence? Fine, let''s do something fun. I won''t feed you to the crocodiles. Instead, I''ll hang


    you over the crocodile pool. Seeing hundreds of hungry crocodiles open their mouths in the pool, you''ll


    surrender out of fear.''


    "Boss, do you mean it?" A subordinate hesitated. He didn''t know whether Luke really meant it or just


    wanted to intimidate the guy. No matter how bold Paul Du was, he would go crazy if he was really hung


    over the pool. Some ferocious hungry croc might jump up and take a bite.


    "What''s wrong with you? Did I stutter? Hang him! Cut him down when he''s ready to tell me the truth."


    Luke thought, ''Humph! No one can bluff me so easily. I''m never kind to anyone. ''


    "Got it. We''ll do it right now." The shouts and cursing faded away as Paul Du was dragged out. Luke


    put the pistol into his holster and sneered. ''Paul Du, you''ll get the bird''s eye view of the pool tonight.


    Maybe you''ll count their teeth to pass the time, '' thought Luke.


    "Be careful. See to it that the crocodiles won''t swallow him before we get the evidence." Luke gave an


    order to the rest of his men. He wasn''t concerned about the death of such an insidious viin as Paul


    Du, but he didn''t want to run into a dead end again. He couldn''t make trouble for Daisy, or he would


    suffer.


    "No problem. Boss, we won''t let you down." All of them were cautious. In the past, they didn''t care


    about these things at all, but after they knew Daisy''s identity, they had to strictly follow the rules. As


    Edward ordered, they had to give priority to Daisy''s interests. They couldn''t let others have anything


    against Daisy. Otherwise, the consequences would be too ghastly to


    contemte.

 Chapter 391 The Perfectly Matched Couple

    Chapter 391 The Perfectly Matched Couple


    Luke raised his head and nced at everyone. He had heard Paul shouting and swearing loudly, which


    sounded even more shrill in thete night silence of the outer suburbs.


    Luke checked his watch. He frowned frigidly and drove away without any hesitation. He didn''t care how


    long and how loudly Paul would continue screaming. No one would hear him in such a remote and


    private ce, anyway.


    Soon, the car disappeared in the night. But things didn''t get any quieter. In spite of his leaving, the


    ce was continuously filled with screaming and crying. No matter what Paul did, Luke didn''t care at


    all, because he knew that the coward would pass out soon. Then everything would be quiet again.


    After the long night, the warm sunshine in the morning inspired everyone. Justin had never been as


    happy as he was today, it was because both of his parents were apanying him to the school for


    the first time today. His parents had never done that together before, that''s why he was thrilled.


    "Mom, Dad. I finally feel like the other kids." Justin leaned against the back of the front seat, and looked


    at his parents happily.


    "Oh! Son, why do you say that?" Justin''s remark amused Edward, so he turned to Justin facetiously,


    and then continued to watch the road ahead.


    "I used to see other kids at school with both their parents, but I only had my mom with me. Today, you


    bothe to drop me off, so I finally feel as happy and normal as the other kids."


    Justin suddenly felt a little sad when he said this. He didn''t want to hurt his mother, so no matter how


    much he envied other children; he never said these things to her. He knew his mother was more upset


    than he was, so he didn''t want to hurt her more.


    "I am sorry. It''s my fault." Edward said regretfully. His eyes dimmed, and his smile disappeared. He


    knew that he had missed Justin''s childhood and had failed to take on the responsibilities of a father.


    "Dad, I am fine. It was just a fleeting thought. As long as you and mom stay with me, I would be the


    happiest kid in the world. The grievances of the past are just a preparation for today''s happiness. I will


    cherish every moment with you and mom, "


    Said Justin, with his hand on Edward''s shoulder. He knew that Edward didn''t live with them because he


    didn''t know of Justin''s existence, it wasn''t because Edward didn''t love him. For the past few months,


    Edward had showered immense love on Justin. No matter how upset Justin had been with Edward in


    the past, now he didn''t resent Edward at all.


    "Yes. I also cherish every moment with you. You and your mom are priceless treasures for me,"


    Edward said while holding Justin''s chubby little hand. He was d he had such a sensible son. He


    knew only a good mother could raise such a kind and sensitive child, so he thanked Daisy for what she


    had done.


    While Edward and Justin were talking, Daisy looked at them with a smile on her face. Her sweet smile


    only appeared for her beloved son and husband.


    Edward''s limousine drew everyone''s attention as soon as it stopped at the school''s gate. It was an elite


    school with everyone arriving in fancy cars, but a car like Edward''s was rare. When the door opened, a


    handsome and cute little boy stepped out of the car, which caught everyone''s attention. People started


    to wonder who were the parents of such a good-looking boy.


    Edward shook his head when he saw Justin get out of the car. He knew that this little guy wanted


    people to know he had a dad, that he wasn''t a bastard. That was what Justin cared about most.


    Suddenly he was reminded of the woman he saw on the first day when he sent Justin to kindergarten.


    That tacky woman must have been frightened by him. Because when Edward went to pick Justin up


    that afternoon, she stayed away from them. He didn''t want to see that tacky woman again, so he


    changed Justin''s school the very next day.


    "Dad, Mom, hurry up!" Justin looked at the new school with a smile. He noticed that his parents hadn''t


    stepped out of the car yet, so he began to urge them hurriedly. Justin was not the only one who felt


    anxious. Other parents who were there to drop off their children also were anxious to see Justin''s


    parents.


    "Little fellow, don''t worry. You won''t bete for school on the first day." As Edward said, he got out of


    the car. His handsome face and gentle smile instantly attracted many women. All the men present were


    feeling disheartened.


    "Are pigs flying today? Why are you so eager to go to school today?" As Daisy said, she also stepped


    out of the car with her head lowered. Her dark hair covered her face. She shook her head slightly,


    revealing her small, pretty face. Daisy was wearing a ck jumpsuit, which made her pink skin look


    even more delicate. She smiled and tenderly looked at Edward and Justin. But when she nced at


    other people, she immediately turned back to her cold demeanor.


    What an aloof beauty! Daisy was so beautiful that all the men present were astonished, and couldn''t


    help but exim at the wonder of the creator. One minute ago Daisy looked as gentle as the spring


    breeze, but the next minute she seemed as cold as ice. What kind of a woman was she?


    "Is that the CEO of FX International Group?"


    "That woman seems to be Colonel Daisy Ouyang?"


    The other parents whispered something that also resolved all the doubts. They finally knew who the


    beautiful woman was. That was Daisy. She was the colonel of the garrisonmand in S city, which


    was reported in the headlines yesterday, and she was also the wife of FX International Group''s CEO. It


    was hard to believe that she was even more beautiful in person than she seemed in the photos. She


    was the most legendary and mysterious woman in S City. No wonder she looked so charismatic.


    "They''re perfect for each other, aren''t they? Even their child is more handsome and cute than his


    peers''." The people at the entrance of the campus kept talking about them. Surprisingly, on the first day


    of school, Justin was being talked about by everyone just as before. Only this time, instead of being


    ndered, he was being envied and praised.


    "Yes, you are right." Only a wonder woman like colonel Daisy Ouyang could win over a yboy like


    Edward. Did you notice that there hasn''t been any gossip or scandals about himtely?" Women were


    way better at spreading gossip than any advertising. They could easily pry into other people''s private


    lives.


    "Why didn''t colonel Daisy Ouyange out with the truth before? Isn''t that weird? Why did she wait


    until her son grew up before she appeared in the public eye? Doesn''t Edward love her? Did he marry


    her just because she has a son?" Well. It seemed that wherever there were women, obviously there


    were rumors.


    "Who knows? Perhaps it was colonel Daisy Ouyang''s profession that prevented her from appearing in


    the public eye. So I wonder if everything Edward used to do before was intentional. Perhaps he wanted


    to help her disguise her true identity." The women said it as if it were true, making people around her


    believe her immediately. Several versions of Edward''s private life were spreading this morning. Within


    three days, he would be seen not as a yboy any more but as a good man who would do anything to


    protect his beloved woman.


    "Why are you women so gossipy?" Edward curled his mouth furiously. Everyone around him had begun


    to talk about him. Women were really good at spreading gossips.


    "Please watch yournguage. I am not that kind of a woman." Daisy frowned. That was why she didn''t


    want to appear in public. She turned down people who wanted to do interviews with her because she


    was afraid of being in the spotlight like today.


    "Aren''t you? You are also a woman." Edward smiled. He took his wife and son away and ignored


    everyone''s attention towards them. He had always been the focus of the crowd, and he had be


    ustomed to the attention.


    "I am a woman, but I don''t like to judge people. Everyone''s value and outlook on life are different, so I


    don''t want to spend time with people who have nothing to do with me." Though Daisy said she didn''t


    like being talked about and noticed, she didn''t seem unhappy when Edward held her hand in the


    campus.


    This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    "I know my beautiful colonel only cares about my son and me, so she doesn''t have time to gossip


    about others. Am I right?" Edward smiled yfully. He looked tenderly at his special woman. He knew


    she was different from others. She wasn''t ustomed to so much attention. She was tightly holding


    Edward''s hand, so Edward joked with her to calm her nerves.


    "That''s not a nice statement, but because of your good attitude, I will take it." Daisy knew Edward was


    teasing her; she didn''t want to take him seriously. When she tried to be serious with him, she always


    lost in the end. So she changed her mind and epted his ttery with open arms.

 Chapter 392 You Really Know How To Present Your Charm

    Chapter 392 You Really Know How To Present Your Charm


    At first, Edward''s expression didn''t keep up with his thoughts as Daisy''s response came to him as a


    surprise. But soon he wore an enchanting smile, mesmerizing every heart in the crowd.


    "You really know how to present your charm." Daisy teased him while she twitched her lips in


    annoyance. Now she knew why women constantly threw themselves on him----he seduced them with


    his charm.


    "Honey, are you jealous?" Edward whispered in her ear. Their intimacy made a lot of people jealous.


    "Jealous? I''m not as narrow-minded as you are." Daisy rolled her eyes at him to show her protest.


    When they reached Justin''s ssroom, they were surrounded by a lot of hovering parents. Their


    obsession made Daisy frown with concern. She pondered, ''All parents are alike. They worry too much


    about their kids which in some way confines the children''s room to grow and undermines their


    understanding of independence.''


    "I''m happy to turn into a jealous fellow for you." Edward quipped, oblivious to the burning eyes fixed on


    them. He flirted with Daisy as if there was no one else present there.


    "Mom, dad, goodbye. As for the jealousy problem, I suggest you discuss it at home." Justin rolled his


    eyes at them. Edward shouldn''t have flirted with Daisy in public. She was too shy to handle it.


    "Okay. Have a nice day. We will pick you up after school." Just as Justin had predicted, Daisy blushed


    with coyness. It made her all the more charming. Her frigidness had diminished, thus making her more


    approachable.


    "But mom, aren''t you supposed to go to the army base? I remember your vacation has been over


    already." Justin looked at Daisy confusedly. He figured it would be toote if he waited for Daisy for


    picking him up after returning from the army base.


    "I don''t have much to do at the base. So I am nning to extend my vacation? You are not happy with


    that? You used to love it when I took a few days off." Daisy bent down and caressed his cute nose. As


    young as Justin was, he cared a lot about Daisy. Back in the day when they lived at the army base, he


    often asked about her work in case anyone was bullying Daisy. And he often pleaded themander


    to give her less work. Yet what he didn''t know was that those assignments weren''t assigned by the


    commander, but requested by Daisy herself. Only in this way could she get a quick promotion. Then


    she could prove to Edward that she was not weak. She knew that Edward didn''t notice her efforts, but


    she never gave up. She was growing stronger just for what Edward had said to her earlier.


    "Mom, you are lying, right? The military exercise just ended, so customarily you won''t have too much


    leisure time. Something terrible has happened, right? Is Hank messing with you again?" Justin disliked


    Hank. At the time when he lived in the base, Hank often called him a "bastard" when there was no one


    around. In addition, hepeted with Daisy for almost everything. Usually, the contest ended in his


    failure, yet he never learned a lesson from it. He was devious and ipetent.


    "No, no one is messing with mom. you focus on your study. Tomorrow will be thest day of my


    vacation. So don''t worry about me." Justin would always be her baby. She felt lucky that she had given


    birth to him ignoring all the obstacles and consequences. He was the hope that supported her through


    all the hard times.


    "Okay. Mom, dad, goodbye." Justin didn''t buy Daisy''s words. But he stopped questioning as he knew


    that no matter how many questions he asked, Daisy wouldn''t tell him if she didn''t want to. But deep


    down he was determined to get the answers one way or the other.


    Edward envied the intimacy between Daisy and Justin. Their closeness was something he could never


    have with Justin no matter how much time they spent together. After all, he was not present during their


    hardest times. But what''s done was done. He couldn''t go back to those days, and he couldn''t me


    anyone else for it.


    But "Hank" attracted his attention. If he remembered it correctly, Hank was the evil man who plotted


    with Jessica to impeach Daisy. Edward felt he must meet with Hank and see how bold he really was to


    mess with Daisy.


    After greeting the teachers, they held hands and strolled out of the school. Compared to the


    nervousness Daisy had felt when she first stepped into the school, she was more poised and


    composed now, but her face was still full of coldness.


    "Would you pleasee to work with me today?" Edward pleaded the minute they buckled up. He


    wanted to spend more time with her as they got very little time together.


    "Can I say no? I know nothing about your job, so I can''t be of any help. To make things worse, I might


    disturb your work." Daisy nted her head and waited for Edward''s reaction. She didn''t want to upset


    Edward, but she really didn''t know what she could do there.


    "You don''t need to do anything. I just want you to stay with me." Edward said while he flicked the wheel


    with his long fingers. He looked at her, eyes full of expectation.


    "Okay. But if you can''t finish your work, you can''t put that on me." Daisy answered with a sigh. She was


    always unable to say no to Edward. One pitiful look from Edward made her give up and say yes.


    "If that''s the case, it''ll only prove that you are so tempting that I can''t concentrate on my work." Without


    finishing his words, Edward elerated the car and drove away for the fear that Daisy might flee out of


    the car. This way even if she regretted her decision, she would have no choice but toe with him to


    the office.


    Daisy sneered. Edward shouldn''t have thought that a speeding car would be enough to stop her from


    getting off. If she wanted to, she could jump off the car even at the current speed. Jumping-off-the-


    running-vehicle was a training project to which she had devoted a lot of time and energy in the military


    school. She almost died because of it. She didn''t believe in challenging fate, but she could if she


    wanted to.


    Soon they arrived at thepany. Just as they reached the top floor, Edward heard yfulughter


    coming from inside. His face darkened. As he nced around, the room fell into silence right away.


    They all lowered their head and started shuffling their documents, paying no more attention to the


    culprit who had induced theirughter.


    "Edward, you are here." The crowd''s reaction notified her about Edward''s arrival. But shepletely


    ignored Daisy. A minute ago she was boasting herself as Daisy''s sister, yet now she wouldn''t treat her


    like one.


    "Mary, I clearly remember that I''ve barred you from entering FX International Group. Why''re you here?"


    Edward was always gentle and elegant in public. But his face fell right now as he wondered what Mary


    was doing here today.


    Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "Edward, my father said that I still have a lot to learn in yourpany. So here I am." Mary said with a


    coquettish tone; her eyes were glued to Edward''s handsome face.


    "Does Ouyang Foreign Trade think that FX International Group is your backyard, where you cane


    as you please?


    I don''t think that we are that close." He wanted to destroy the Ouyang family when he thought about all


    the cruel things they had done to Daisy. But he was aware that he couldn''t do it because to Daisy, Leo


    was her father no matter what he had done. Even if he didn''t ept her as his daughter, he was her


    biological father nevertheless. Besides, there was another person in the Ouyang family that she cared


    a lot about----Brian. That''s why Edward had to refrain himself from ruining the Ouyang n. But this


    didn''t mean that he had to put up with Mary as well.


    "Edward, can we talk about this inside? Daisy, my dear sister, don''t you agree?" Mary felt quite


    embarrassed. Moments ago she was bragging about her closeness with Edward. But now Edward''s


    aloof and distant words presented another reality. She didn''t want to be aughing stock in the


    company. So now she sought help from anyone to get out of this dilemma, even the person she hated


    most----Daisy.


    "I''m not your sister. But indeed we should go inside so we don''t disrupt their work." Daisy sneered.


    Mary never behaved like her sister. ''Mary, what are you trying to steal from me this time? I''m interested


    to know. But I won''t give away no matter how hard you try. You should drop the idea already. I''m not


    that weak Daisy whom you knew a few years ago.'' Daisy thought to herself.


    Edward frowned but still moved towards his office. He hadn''t nned to waste his time with Mary, but


    now he had to let her in since Daisy had said so.

 Chapter 393 You Will Be Abandoned Like Jessica

    Chapter 393 You Will Be Abandoned Like Jessica


    "Let''s go inside." Daisy darted a look at Mary and brushed past her. She knew Edward was angry. The


    reason was simple; he didn''t want to talk to a petty person. However, he had topromise on his


    standards today.


    Mary bit her lip and gave Daisy a fierce stare. ''Daisy, all your arrogance will disappear once I get a


    chance to sleep with Edward. When that happens, you can''t be rude to me, can you?''


    "Edward, you misunderstood me. This time I came here just for my studies. For the sake of the


    friendship between our families, can you please make an exception?"


    With dejected eyes, Mary wore a fascinating and charming look. However, Edward didn''t show any


    sympathy for her. Instead, he felt sick.


    "Friendship? Ha-ha!" Edward squinted at Mary, "Miss Ouyang, are we on good terms with each other?"


    "Without question. Isn''t your wife a member of the Ouyang family?"


    Edward''s cold look scared Mary, but to achieve her ultimate goal, she couldn''t retreat.


    "Mary, how does your conscience allow you to say such words? Don''t you feel ashamed?"


    Daisy sneered. When did she be a valued member of the Ouyang family? Why was she unaware


    of such great news?


    "Sis, what are you talking about? You have always been the little princess of our family. Why did you


    start treating us as outsiders after you got married?" No matter how much Daisy ridiculed Mary, she


    had to swallow humiliation and put on a smiling face to please Daisy. That was the only way to get what


    she wanted. At this moment, ridicule and sarcasm meant nothing to her.


    "Save your breath. Don''t cotton up to me with your sweet-talk. Just tell me what you want. You are the


    little princess of the Ouyang family, not me. I''m not eligible to have such a privilege."


    "What do I want? I want to continue to learn management in the FX International Group. Can''t you fulfill


    this small request?" Mary raised her eyebrow and looked at Daisy and Edward with a smile.


    Edwardughed sneeringly and refused, "Sorry, I can''t. I''m not obligated to do that. If there is nothing


    else, please leave."


    Mary was shameless. Edward had ridiculed her many times, but she still tried to invite humiliation.


    "Why?" Mary was disappointed. Edward''s decision prompted her resentment. Was he behaving like


    this because of the bitch Daisy?


    "The reason is very simple. My wife doesn''t want to see you here. I think it would be best if you just


    give up now." Edward didn''t care about any other women but Daisy, so he snubbed Mary.


    Mary bit her lip and looked back at the abominable, arrogant bitch, "Daisy, you must be feeling proud.


    Watching me make a fool of myself must please you very much. Don''t pretend to be innocent and


    noble."


    Sure enough, Edward declined Mary''s request for Daisy''s sake. She didn''t understand what this


    woman had. Edward loved her, and even Brian spoiled her. Edward treated Mary as a passerby on the


    street and always insulted her.


    "Do you think I still care about what others think of me? I think we are done here; you should leave."


    Daisy''s frigid tone had contempt written all over it.


    "Humph! I bet you will be abandoned like Jessica." Chin up, Mary turned away proudly, but this didn''t


    mean that she was giving up on Edward. No conclusion could be drawn until thest minute.


    ''I''ll be abandoned like Jessica?'' Daisyughed at this thought. She had experienced something more


    unbearable than Jessica had, so Mary''s threat didn''t affect her.


    "Why are youughing? I hope you are not taking her words seriously." There was a menace in


    Edward''s eyes. It was a bad sign. If Daisy dared to say ''yes'' to him, he would make her suffer.


    "Is it necessary? Are you nning to abandon me?" Daisy stoppedughing, raised her eyebrow and


    responded with a question.


    "As you said, is it necessary?" Edward walked up to Daisy and pulled her into his arms.


    "Then what are you mad at? Go on with your work. I don''t want to be your scapegoat again." Daisy


    turned around and gently pushed herself out of Edward''s arms. She elegantly sat on the couch.


    Edward shook his head and grinned. This was what made Daisy special. Other women would take this


    opportunity to seduce him, but Daisy had her own unique style and sophistication. She didn''t make a


    fuss over Mary''s provocation. This was very simr to her impressive style when she wore her military


    uniform.


    Edward reluctantly sat back in his chair. He heard a knock at the door before he could pick up the


    documents on his desk. Anna came in with arge stack of papers in her hands.


    "Mr. Mu, you need to review these documents today." Anna carefully ced the documents on his


    desk. She was shocked to see Daisy in the office. With a bright smile, she quickly gave a friendly nod


    to Daisy and turned around to wait for Edward''s answer. She secretly abused the people outside


    because they didn''t tell her Daisy was here. She shouldn''t havee in so recklessly. What if Edward


    and Daisy were in the middle of something?


    "All of them? Howe there are so many documents?" With knitted brows, Edward looked at the


    large stack of documents in front of him.


    "Some of them were to be reviewed by Mr. Xia originally. He said he wanted to concentrate on the Lin


    Group''s case, so he asked me to bring his work here." Anna was in Rain''s office; that''s why she didn''t


    know Daisy hade here.


    "What? How dare he ask me to do his work?" Edward gnashed his teeth with hatred.


    "Mr. Mu, Mr. Xia asked me to tell you something." Anna hesitated. This was the first time she saw


    Edward being so angry at Rain.


    "Tell me." Edward wondered what excuse Rain had invented to trick him into doing his work.


    "Mr. Xia said, if too many things bother him, he may mess up the Lin Group''s case. If you still have an


    objection, you can return the documents to him." Edward sulked, and Anna''s voice faded. She knew


    what she said would irritate Edward, but she had to obey Rain.


    "Oh? Send the documents to his office right now. Tell him if he messes up the Lin Group''s case, I will


    transfer him to Thand and do more."


    Edward thought, ''How dare Rain do this to me? Does he think I can''t punish him?''


    "But¡­" Anna took a deep breath, preparing herself for Edward''s howling at what she was about to say,


    "Mr. Xia has left. He said he''s going to make intimate contacts with the customers by ying golf with


    them."


    "What? ying golf?" Edward closed his raging eyes. When he opened his eyes again, he had already


    calmed himself down and thought, ''Rain is showing off. Fine, he can enjoy himself now. I''ll make him


    suffer after the sess of the Lin Group''s case.''


    "Yes. Mr. Mu, any other instructions?" Anna carefully observed Edward''s reaction. She had an urge to


    leave the office before Edward was aze with anger, so she forgot that she hadn''t given the schedule


    in her hand to Edward.


    "Is there anything important besides this?" Since Rain had already left, it was useless to be angry, so


    Edward decided to put aside his anger and seek revenge some other day.


    "Well, there''s a charity event tonight. Will you attend it or appoint someone else to go?" Luckily, Anna


    didn''t forget such an important thing.


    "An event? Let me think about it. I will let you knowter." Edward looked at the pile of documents and


    sighed. He would be exhausted after finishing these documents and wouldn''t have the energy to attend


    the event. However, he wanted to take Daisy to the event.


    "OK. I''ll leave then." Seeing that Edward had calmed himself down, Anna breathed a sigh of relief. She


    turned around, nodded to Daisy once again and left gracefully.


    Edward was staring at the documents. He was lost in his thoughts. Daisy looked at him with a smile.


    "Can you finish them just by staring?"


    "Honey, we''d better leave. I will be exhausted after finishing them." Edward gazed at the documents


    with anger.


    This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    "If you don''t want the FX International Group to go bankrupt, you have to finish them,e what may."


    Daisy stood up from the couch. She went to flip through the documents, pulled out one and ced it in


    front of Edward.


    "Start working. I''ll help you." Daisy looped around the desk and walked up to Edward. Putting her


    hands on Edward''s shoulders, she began to massage him gently. Truth be told, even Daisy had gasped


    when she heard Anna saying that all these documents had to be reviewed today.


    Perhaps most people just saw Edward''s sess, but they didn''t know how much effort he had to put in


    to achieve what he had today. The world was fair to everyone - no pains, no gains. If Daisy were


    overwhelmed by the pain imposed by others and didn''t work hard, she wouldn''t have the sess and


    status she had today.


    "Thank you. Have a seat, or you''ll be tired as well. Don''t tell me that you are a strong woman. In my


    eyes, you are just my wife, not a colonel."


    Edward put his hands on Daisy''s. He wanted her to sit in his sight without doing anything for him.


    "Okay. Come on!" Daisy kissed Edward on the top of his head and didn''t retort. After taking off the


    military uniform, she was just a woman who wanted to be loved. So, she was obedient and didn''t argue


    with him this time. She walked back to the couch and sat down, flipping through the magazine ced


    on it.

 Chapter 394 A Cup Of Tea (Part One)

    Chapter 394 A Cup Of Tea (Part One)


    Edward gazed at Daisy intently. His heart filled with happiness as he studied her. He liked it when she


    stayed within his sight.


    He felt guilty when he thought about the few years that he hadn''t spent with her. He felt bad about his


    prodigal years, but he also knew that no matter how much remorse he felt, it would never bring him


    back to the time they first met. He could only dote on her in the days toe, so his heart wouldn''t be


    engulfed by bitter regret.


    He looked deeply at her again before picking up the thick stack of documents on his desk. As soon as


    he saw the figures and projects he was familiar with, he became immersed in his own world.


    Time passed quietly. Daisy watched Edward''s serious face as he worked with great affection. With a


    hand on her chin, a faint smile graced her lips.


    Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Edward was definitely a good-looking man. He was handsome from every angle. Especially at that


    moment, the focused look on his face as he looked through the documents intently gave him more


    charm.


    It was true that when a man was working, he was most charming. Watching him quickly scrabble on a


    document and gaze at theputer screen had Daisy entranced. The deepest part of her heart melted


    at the sight.


    Looking at her watch, she frowned slightly. She then stood up decisively and turned away.


    "What''s wrong? Are you bored?" Edward asked, raising his head. He had been discreetly paying


    attention to Daisy the whole time, so he sensed even the slightest movement from her.


    "No, I''m not bored. I''m going to make you a cup of coffee." Daisy replied, turning back to him. Wasn''t


    Edward busy reading the documents? Why was he still able to notice her movements?


    "Oh, thank you. Espresso, no sugar." Edward wasn''t expecting so much work. When he started, he


    intended to finish his work quickly and spend some time with Daisy. But his n was disrupted by Rain.


    He felt a little bad. Daisy had spent her free time with him, but she spent it sitting alone while he dealt


    with work. He readily agreed when she offered to make coffee for him. That way, she could move


    around for a bit.


    "You don''t want any sugar? What about milk?" Daisy said with a frown. Espresso without any sugar


    was too strong for Edward''s heart. Although she knew that coffee had many advantages and could


    help energize him, it wasn''t good for him to drink too much ck coffee, especially when he hadn''t


    eaten anything yet. She was afraid that he might get a stomachache.


    "No, coffee with milk is tasteless. And I don''t like the taste of milk." Edward looked at her imploringly.


    He hoped Daisy wouldn''t actually add milk to his coffee.


    "Never mind, then. I''ll make a cup of tea for you." Daisy quickly walked out of the room without giving


    him a chance to protest. She would never make him a cup of ck coffee.


    Edward''s eyes narrowed as he watched Daisy''s figure disappear from his sight. Was she making


    decisions for him now?


    "Mrs. Mu, what can I do for you?" As soon as she saw Daisy step out of the CEO''s office, Anna quickly


    approached her. She was tasked to help Rain, but the arrogant bastard had suddenly gone to y golf


    with clients, leaving her idle in thepany.


    "Yes, thank you. Miss Anna, where''s the tea room, please?" Daisy looked around, but failed to find any


    signs of the tea room.


    "What do you want to drink, Mrs. Mu? I''ll bring to you." Anna couldn''t help ming herself. In an effort


    to avoid disturbing their privacy, she forgot to make coffee for them. The CEO normally consumed a


    cup of coffee every two hours at work.


    "No, thank you. Just tell me where the tea room is, that would be enough. I''ll make a cup of tea for


    Edward." Although Daisy''s voice was cold, it never made people feel ufortable.


    "But Mr. Mu doesn''t..." Anna quickly stopped talking. She was about to say that Mr. Mu didn''t like tea,


    but she was worried that it might give Daisy the impression that she knew too much about Edward''s


    preferences. She swallowed her unfinished words.


    Daisy chuckled. "I know, Edward doesn''t like tea." She finished Anna''s sentence with a smile.


    "Yes, he only drinks ck coffee because of the heavy workload. He always needs something strong to


    stimte him." Anna smiled in embarrassment. She didn''t expect Daisy to speak her mind.


    "Yes. But that''s not healthy for Edward. I want him to drink some tea instead of strong coffee. Is there


    any good tea in store?" Daisy asked. In such a workce that brought together the business elites of


    all fields, the employees must be drinking coffee everyday. She wasn''t certain if they had any tea here.


    "We have a variety of tea in store. When we receive guests, we need to have tea ready. I''ll lead you to


    the tea room, Mrs. Mu."


    Anna grinned. FX International Group was the leadingpany in S City. It nevercked luxury goods.


    "Okay. Thank you." Daisy realized that the FX International Group was argepany. She shouldn''t


    have asked if they had any tea. She flushed crimson because of her silly question.


    "With pleasure, Mrs. Mu. This way, please." Anna''s smile wasn''t disdainful. She didn''t mean to mock


    Daisy. Instead, she found Daisy''s question cute. As a high-ranking official in the army, she could still


    make a fool of herself.


    Daisy''s tea-making technique was very good, it was well-known in the military. When Anna saw her


    technique, she couldn''t help admiring it.


    "Have you studied the tea ceremony, Mrs. Mu?" Usually, when a guest asked for a cup of tea, Anna


    and the other secretaries always made it casually. She never thought that tea-making could be so


    complicated.


    "No, I haven''t. I''ve learned something about tea-making by watching other people make tea." Daisy


    raised her head, smiling to Anna. Her serious face was softened by the smile.


    "You are so talented, Mrs. Mu! If I didn''t know that you''re a soldier, I would think that with such skill,


    you''re a tea master."


    Anna''s words weren''t exaggerated ttery, but pure admiration. In her opinion, soldiers were all


    righteous, brutal, and wild. She thought that even female soldiers weren''t interested in self-cultivation.


    But Daisy had broken her stereotype.

 Chapter 395 A Cup Of Tea (Part Two)

    Chapter 395 A Cup Of Tea (Part Two)


    "You''re ttering me, Miss Anna. I don''t know much about the tea ceremony. I''ve only learned a little


    about tea-making process, I haven''t mastered the essence of tea-making. Here, have some." Daisy


    carefully poured the brewed tea into a small cup, offering a cup of fragrant tea to Anna.


    "Thank you, Mrs. Mu." Anna didn''t refuse Daisy''s kindness. She took the cup and had a sip. The sweet


    and fragrant taste lingered in her mouth.


    Anna couldn''t help but gasp in admiration.


    "How does it taste? They say the vor will linger in your mouth for a long time." Daisy nced at her


    with a smile on her face, making another cup for Edward. She didn''t forget that she came here to make


    tea for her husband.


    "Indeed, what a marvelous taste! It''s so amazing. Although we use the same tea leaves, yours tastes


    completely different from the tea we make." As a secretary of a multinationalpany, Anna had some


    knowledge nearly in all fields. But since her boss didn''t like drinking tea, she knew very little about tea-


    making.


    "The taste is influenced by the process and equipment used in brewing it. Of course, water temperature


    is also very important. I need to go now, but I can teach you how to brew tea when I''m free another day.


    Then you can serve Edward some tea." Daisy picked up the tray with the tea, and walked out of the tea


    room in satisfaction. She smiled merrily as she walked away. The bright smile on her face was so


    different from her usual nk expression, that Anna almost doubted her eyes. But she dared not offer


    tea to her CEO unless he asked. After all, she didn''t have Mrs. Mu''s skill. It wouldn''t end well if she did


    that.


    As Daisy returned to the CEO''s office, the fragrance of the tea she brought filled the room. Although it


    smelled better than a strong shot of coffee, the warm aroma put a pained expression on Edward''s face.


    Heined, "Honey, I don''t want to drink tea." Edward stared at the steaming tea in disgust with


    deeply furrowed eyebrows.


    "But you have to. Don''t worry, I didn''t poison your tea. Don''t act like you''re being served poisonous


    wine. It''s just tea." Daisy didn''t expect such a strong resistance from him.


    "Do I have to drink it? Please." Edward made onest protest. There was a time when he was in a


    meeting with a guest, he took a sip of the tea made by his secretary, and the bitter taste almost made


    him spit the tea on the table. Why did his wife want him to consume such a horrible drink? It was


    difficult for him to refuse when she was looking at him so expectantly.


    "Just have a sip. If you don''t like it, I''ll make you some coffee instead." Daisy didn''t like forcing Edward


    to do things he didn''t like. If drinking too much coffee wasn''t bad for Edward''s health, she wouldn''t even


    suggest he drink tea instead.


    "Alright! I''ll drink anything my wife brings to me, whether it''s poison or tea." Putting on a brave face, he


    took the cup and had a sip. But strangest thing urred. The tea didn''t taste as astringent and bitter as


    the one he had before. It tasted sweet and fragrant, and warmth permeated his limbs. He couldn''t help


    but finish the tea in one gulp.


    "See, I told you a cup of tea wouldn''t hurt you." Daisy was confident with her tea-making technique.


    She had never heard anyints that the tea she made wasn''t good. It was evident in Edward''s


    eagerness in finishing his tea.


    "Not bad. It''s unlike anything I''ve ever had before. How did you manage that? Or is it sweet and


    fragrant because my wife made it with love?" Edward quipped with a smirk.


    "Well, pay me in full. I will consider teaching you." Daisy winked at him, stretching out a hand.Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "I''m yours, honey. And all my money is yours. I have nothing to pay for the lessons," Edward retorted


    with a wry smile. He massaged his chin as he pleaded. He liked the coquettish expression that Daisy


    was unconsciously showing him. Only this way did he feel that she needed him, and that she wasn''t


    always independent.


    "Perhaps you can pay for the lessons in a different way." Daisy regretted her suggestion immediately.


    After seeing his happy grin, her cheeks flushed red.


    "I''d love to. Perhaps I can also satisfy your demands in a different position too." The more time he


    spent with her, the more he enjoyed flirting with her. Who would''ve thought that such a domineering


    officer could be so shy in private?


    "That''s enough. Get to work. Do you really want to do overtime? I see you still have time to tease me."


    Daisy''s face sank. Her cold tone returned as she nced at the desk.


    "Overtime? That''s out of the question. Don''t forget that I''m the boss of thispany. I''m the one who


    decides who stays for overtime and who doesn''t." Despite his words, Edward obligingly picked up the


    files on the desk and continued to read the documents. He didn''t have the heart to make her


    apany him any longer.


    Daisy refilled his cup with tea and put it somewhere essible for him. Then she turned around and


    ced the tray on the coffee table. She took a seat at the sofa, gracefully picking up the magazine she


    hadn''t finished and resumed reading it. Because so many financial reports were centered on Edward,


    she wanted to know what the various articles said about him.

 Chapter 396 Not There (Part One)

    Chapter 396 Not There (Part One)


    Edward was busy reading reports and signing papers the whole morning. He didn''t have the time to


    leave his office. He couldn''t even go out and have lunch with Daisy in some fancy restaurant. Daisy


    had to eat alone and order delicious and healthy takeout for Edward. Edward ate in his office after


    Daisy came back, and soon went back to work after his quick lunch.


    After signing his name on thest document on his desk, Edward took a deep sigh and tiredly leaned


    against his chair with closed eyes. He rubbed between his eyebrows and took a short catnap. When he


    reopened his eyes, Edward found Daisy sleeping soundly on the couch. There was a faint smile on her


    face, her eyshes quivering slightly as she breathed. Edward''s lips curled into a tender smile at the


    sight.


    ''What a sleepy head! She''s been sleeping for hours, and she hasn''t woken up yet. Did I wear her out in


    bedst night?'' Edward wondered as he gazed at Daisy''s sleeping face.


    Edward wasn''t a man who liked indulgence. To him, sex was merely a way to satisfy physical needs.


    But after meeting Daisy, everything changed. For some reason, he lost control of himself whenever


    Daisy was around.


    Edward looked at his watch to check the time. Then he rose from his chair and walked up to Daisy. He


    sat on the edge of the couch, lovingly caressing her face with his long fingers. He shook his head with


    a small smile. Was she really a colonel? Her vignce was so poor.


    "Honey, wake up. It''s time to go home now." Edward gently pinched the tip of her delicate nose, leaning


    forward to whisper in her ear. Disturbed by his actions, Daisy pped his hand away and grumbled


    incoherently. She turned away, still sound asleep.


    Edward paused, his smile growing. If he couldn''t wake her up like this, he didn''t mind trying a different


    method.


    With a smirk, he leaned closer and pressed his lips to hers. The sleeping woman suddenly opened her


    eyes and subconsciously flung her fist towards Edward''s stomach. Although Edward sensed Daisy''s


    sudden movement, it happened too fast for him to react.


    "Ouch! Damn it! Daisy, are you trying to kill me?" Edward immediately jumped back, wrapping his arms


    around his stomach. He red at the culprit rubbing her eyes obliviously. Did she take him as some


    jerk who was trying to force himself on her?


    "What? What happened? Oh, I''m so sorry! I didn''t know it was you. You shouldn''t sneak up on me while


    I''m sleeping." Daisy apologized with a frown. She didn''t even notice that Edward was sitting next to her.


    How could she let her guard down and be so careless whenever she was with Edward? She was


    supposed to be a discreet and vignt soldier. She didn''t notice Edward''s presence until he tried to kiss


    her.


    "It''s not my fault, woman. I tried to wake you up, but you were sleeping like a little pig andpletely


    ignoring me." Edward retorted sharply. Daisy was the one who didn''t hear him and punched him, how


    could she me him for finding a more effective way to wake her up?


    "Were you trying to wake me up?" Daisy smiled sheepishly and touched her nose. She didn''t hear


    anything; she must''ve been sleeping so soundly.


    "No. I was trying to wake up a littlezy piggy." Edward turned around and directly walked into the


    restroom inside his office without ncing at Daisy. The injured look on his face worried Daisy.


    Daisy had no idea what to do. She didn''t mean to hit Edward, it was a subconscious reaction. But he


    seemed angry. Daisy sighed heavily and looked up. She was shocked to see Edward''s empty desk.


    The whole stack of reports had disappeared. Did Edward finish reading them all? Struck with a thought,


    Daisy nced at her watch. ''What the hell? It''s already sote. How long have I been sleeping?'' Daisy


    couldn''t believe her eyes.


    She rose from the couch and stretched. With a sweet smile, she slowly walked towards the restroom.


    Leaning against the door with her arms folded over her chest, Daisy watched her husband ssh water


    from the tap on his face.


    "Honey, are you mad at me?" Daisy asked sweetly. Edward froze for a while but didn''t say anything. He


    grabbed a towel from the shelf to wipe his face.


    After he was done, he answered shortly, "No." Instead of looking at her, he turned around to get


    another towel and soaked it with water.


    "Are you sure..." Before Daisy finished talking, she felt something cold and soft on her face. With a


    sullen look, Edward gently cleaned her face with the damp towel.


    "Look at you. You have drool and eye gunk all over." Edward teased, gently washing her face for her.


    How could he get mad at her? He loved and cared for her deeply. He was only joking.


    "You think I''m messy." Daisy wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned against his chest to let him


    clean her face for her. She looked up at Edward, her eyes filled with deep affection.


    "Yes! And I have no interest in a messy little piggy." With a tender smile, Edward gently pinched Daisy''s


    rosy cheek. She looked so adorable. To Edward, Daisy wasn''t a fearless and proud colonel. On the


    contrary, she was his wife, a woman who needed him to love her with all his heart.


    "Are you sure?" Daisy narrowed her eyes with obvious threats. Before Edward could say anything, she


    grabbed his cor and tiptoed to press her lips on his. Her kiss was soft and light like a gentle breeze.


    Before Edward could kiss her back, she pushed him off and looked at him with a sly and challenging


    look.


    "Woman, are you flirting with me?" Edward ran his finger over where Daisy had just kissed him, fixing


    his jet ck eyes on her. He narrowed his eyes at her dangerously as he looked her up and down.


    "You''re wee. I was just returning the favor." Daisy moved her hands to his stomach, rubbing it


    gently. She hit him hard earlier, and it must hurt a lot. Eager to alleviate his pain, Daisy slipped her


    hands into Edward''s shirt without much thought to give him a massage. Edward gasped loudly. Was


    Daisy trying to turn him on?


    "Honey, do you have any idea what you''re doing right now?" Edward leaned forward to whisper


    hoarsely in her ear, his warm breath tickling the back of her ear.


    "Hold still. I''ll give you a massage. Does it still hurt?" Focused on her task, she didn''t notice the change


    in Edward''s tone. She kept gently massaging his abdomen.


    "Yes, but not there." Edward repliedzily, curling his lips into a devilish smile. Although he was about


    to explode at any second, he didn''t stop Daisy''s cold fingers from moving on his stomach.


    "Really? Still hurt? Where? Is it bad?" Daisy got nervous all of a sudden. She was afraid that she hit


    him too hard and hurt his organs.


    This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    "Lower, all the way down there." Edward suppressed the urge to burst intoughter. He yed it cool


    and put on a poker face, to avoid suspicion from Daisy.

 Chapter 397 Not There (Part Two)

    Chapter 397 Not There (Part Two)


    "Where? Over here?" Daisy didn''t expect Edward to tease her at this moment. She actually thought


    that Edward was hurt. She dutifully followed his instruction and moved her hands lower. When she


    reached his belt, Daisy suddenly realized something wrong. She blushed and instantly withdrew her


    hands as if she was burned. Without any hesitation, she lifted her leg and tried to kick him. But Edward


    anticipated it this time and deftly stepped aside to dodge the attack with a sigh. ''She''s still as violent as


    usual!'' Luckily, he was prepared this time.


    But Edward had underestimated Daisy''s wrath. She threw her fist to his face as soon as he dodged her


    kick. Edward couldn''t believe that this violent and ruthless woman was the same person who was


    submissively leaning against his chest and kissing him tenderly just a few minutes ago.


    Alright, maybe he went too far. Edward shifted sideways to avoid her punch.


    "Whoa, the messy little piggy turned into a wild cat." Edward knew his words would only aggravate her,


    but he couldn''t help teasing her. He wanted to see her angry face. As mush as he loved her sweet and


    gentle side, he also liked seeing her so energetic and wild.


    As expected, Daisy struck again, quick and hard. If not for the limited space, Daisy might have geared


    up for a good fight against him.


    "Okay, okay. Stop it. I''m tired." Sometimes surrendering didn''t mean losing, and it was just another way


    to get what you wanted.


    "Don''t you dare tease me like that again." As soon as Edward said he was tired, Daisy stopped


    abruptly and red at him. She knew how much work Edward had done today. Although she was still


    angry with him, she didn''t try to attack him again.


    "I wouldn''t dare. Let''s get out of here and have dinner, then I''ll take you to an auction." Edward stopped


    teasing Daisy. He was tired after a long day at work, but he felt refreshed after horsing around with


    Daisy.


    "An auction? But aren''t you tired?" Daisy asked with a frown. She thought that they could go home so


    he could rest early.


    "It''s fine. I''m used to it anyway. Come on. Let''s go have dinner. I''m hungry." Edward took her hand and


    led her out of the restroom. He moved back to his chair to grab his suit jacket and cellphone. As they


    were about to leave the office, Daisy let out a loud scream, startling Edward. He stopped and turned


    around to look at Daisy in surprise.


    "Oh no! Ipletely forgot that we''re supposed to pick up Justin! It''s his first day at school and I


    promised him this morning! What should we do now?" Daisy nced at her watch, turning to Edward in


    dismay.


    "Rx. You were sleeping. I didn''t want to disturb you, so I called mom and dad to pick Justin up from


    school." Edward shook his head. Justin''s sses ended in the afternoon. Did she just remember to


    pick up her son now? He suddenly felt lucky that Daisy hadn''t lost their son all these years.


    "Justin must be very disappointed with me. Why didn''t you wake me up?" Daisy hit her head with her


    palm in remorse. This wasn''t good. She got so focused on Edward that she seemed to forget


    everything else when she was with him. His presence rxed her and cleared her head of all her


    worries.


    Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "Don''t worry. I''ve exined the situation to him. He''s okay with it. He also told us to have fun and not to


    worry about him." Justin called them as soon as his sses were over. After Edward told him that


    Daisy was tired and sleeping and that they would go to an auction tonight, Justin was a little


    disappointed. But being a nice boy, he understoodter and waited for his grandparents to pick him up.


    "But what about my clothes? Will this dress do?" Daisy couldn''t say that she was fashionable. Probably


    because she barely had the chance to wear anything besides her uniform, she knew little about


    fashion. All her clothes were simple and casual outfits. But if she was to attend a special asion as


    Edward''s wife on behalf of the FX International Group, she didn''t want to bring shame to Edward by


    wearing something shabby.


    "It''s perfect. We''re going to the auction as guests. We''re not opening the show. Don''t worry about it."


    What Daisy didn''t know was that the dress she was wearing was one of the current season''stest


    collections and was designed by a famous designer. It was one of the outfits Edward bought for her


    when she came to live with him. It was perfectly suitable for the event tonight.


    "Okay, if you say so. Just don''t make me wear an evening dress likest time, and I''ll be fine." Daisy


    felt her stomach twist ufortably when she thought of the dress she wore at the anniversary party.


    Although the dress was stunningly beautiful, she couldn''t move properly in the restricting dress.


    "Let''s go. No one will force you into an evening dress tonight." Edward wrapped his arm around her


    slim waist and walked out of his office with her, his gaze full of love and tenderness.


    "Mr. Mu, Mrs. Mu. Are you heading back?" Anna stood up to greet them when they stepped out.


    "Anna, why are you still here? Shouldn''t you be gone by this hour?" Edward asked in confusion,


    ncing around the empty office in this floor.


    "How can I leave while you''re still working? And you haven''t told me if I should send someone to the


    charity auction tonight." Anna knew Edward was extremely busy today, so she wouldn''t dare leave first,


    in case something unexpected came up and Edward needed her assistance.


    "Thank you, Anna. You can go home now. I''ll go to the auction with Daisy. You don''t have to send


    someone else." Edward knew he would have to spend a fortune at the charity auction, whether he


    attended or not. He might as well bring Daisy, in case she found something she liked. If she did, maybe


    the money would be well spent.


    "Okay, I''ll leave now. Have a fun evening, Mr. Mu, Mrs. Mu." Anna replied with a gentle smile. She was


    once again amazed by Daisy''s beauty and elegance as she gazed at her. No wonder Edward married


    her, she was definitely one in a million.


    "Thank you. Take care." Daisy was fond of Anna. She wasn''t arrogant or flirtatious. Every time Daisy


    saw her, she was always calm and confident. In Daisy''s eyes, both Anna and Belinda were great


    business women.


    "You too. Goodbye." Anna smiled and nodded at the both of them, walking towards the elevator. Daisy


    then noticed Anna''s graceful and attractive figure.


    "I think you should give Anna a raise. Look how hardworking she is! She stayed overtime to wait for


    your instructions." After watching Anna get into the elevator, Daisy turned her eyes to Edward and


    teased him with a mischievous smile.

 Chapter 398 A Beauty鈥檚 Tears Of Blood (Part One)

    Chapter 398 A Beauty¡¯s Tears Of Blood (Part One)


    "Honey, are you speaking for Anna? Why don''t I know that you two have gotten close to each other?"


    Edward held Daisy''s hand as they walked into the elevator. He pressed the button for the first floor.


    "I''m not speaking for her. I only appreciate her attitude towards work." Daisy smiled gently. Few people


    could arouse her interest and Anna was one of them.


    "Oh! Since Colonel Ouyang thinks highly of her, it seems that she deserves to get a raise. Even if it isn''t


    for her good work performance, I will do this for your highpliment," Edward said.


    Actually, Anna''s sry was among the top in this trade, almost at the same level with Aaron''s. This


    would never happen in otherpanies. Nheless, since his beloved wife proposed it, Edward


    didn''t mind increasing her sry a little bit.


    The night gave off a mysterious air with the dazzling lights, which was tempting especially in those


    high-end luxurious ces where temptation existed in every corner.


    Being one of the elites in S city, Edward was no stranger to the Royal Shore. He was often invited as a


    distinguished guest to attend the high-end auctions organized here. After dinner, he took Daisy and


    walked leisurely into the luxurious ce. The architecture and the event inside exuded mystery.


    As soon as Edward entered, he was taken by a veteran staff member to a secluded VIP box due to his


    noble status. The atmosphere in the private room matched Daisy''s preference for quietness.


    This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    "There''s a strong sense of ss consciousness here." As soon as the staff left, Daisy looked out the


    carefully designed window of the private room. Compared to the noisy crowd outside, the box was


    indeed a lot quieter. But they could still hear some sounds when people talked very loudly.


    "This is how the social system works. There''s no ss hierarchy." Edward said with self-mockery. He


    knew that Daisy would mock him for this. In Daisy''s eyes, he would always be a cunning businessman


    who put money first, and he felt he could do nothing to change her views.


    "Huh! You''re good at making excuses for yourself. Cunning businessmen are always so clever, their


    sordid ways of doing business and vulgar manners can never be changed."


    As Edward had expected, Daisy showed her disapproval. She seized the chance to jeer at him without


    mercy.


    "If I''m a cunning businessman, then as my wife, you certainly can''t keep your hands clean from my


    business." Edward smiled slyly while ncing at the crowd of people outside.


    "Don''t associate me with you. Our troop''s good image will be damaged." Daisy suddenly felt a resentful


    re boring into her. She sneered when she saw Jessica. Why would Jessica show up here? Hadn''t


    she given up on Edward yet?


    "Without our vulgar businesses serving as a foil, how can you highlight your noble cause?" Edward


    also noticed Jessica''s re. He narrowed his eyes, his expression turning cold and intimidating. Wasn''t


    she supposed to be finding a way to solve the Lin Group''s crisis? How could she have the time to


    attend an auction?


    "I don''t want to discuss this matter with you. When will the auction begin?" The event was only a charity


    auction by name. Who knew how many business deals would be made under the table during this


    event? Daisy didn''t believe that these people really came here to do charity. They wouldn''t be stupid


    enough to put outrge amounts of money for this. In the end, the money they imed to be for the


    charity wouldn''t reach the people who were really in need. On the contrary, it would go to the pockets of


    social climbers. She scorned these kinds of events. Compared to using the money to bid on some


    useless items, it would be more efficient to give the money directly to the poor.


    "It will start soon. Are you getting impatient?" Edward knew she didn''t like the boisterous scene. He


    reduced his presence in such business events and usually asked Rain to go for him.


    "No, I''m just bored." Daisy said, keeping her gaze focused on Jessica. If they weren''t enemies, she


    would admire Jessica''s courage. If she were in Jessica''s shoes, she couldn''t go to such great lengths


    and sacrifice her dignitypletely.


    But they were standing on opposite sides. Not everyone had sympathy as Daisy did, Daisy was too


    kind. Meanwhile, Jessica was ring at Edward and Daisy''s private room, her fists clenched in anger.


    Although the interior of the private room wasn''t visible from the outside, Jessica knew they were there.


    She had watched them enter with her own eyes.


    She used to proudly enjoy the privilege of staying there with Edward. But this time, he was with another


    woman. There was a big difference in how she was treated before and now. She had arrived early to


    get a chance to be close to Edward, but she didn''t expect him to bring Daisy with him. When she saw


    them enter the venue holding each others'' hands, she red at them with fury.


    Why was this happening? Daisy hadn''t shown up in Edward''s life before, so why did she show up now?


    Why did she suddenly change her mind and destroy all the things she had strived for?


    Jessica closed her eyes in anguish. Even her heavy makeup failed to conceal her dejection. She was


    exhausted from being busy all day finding a solution to get the Lin Group out of trouble. She thought


    abouting here to take a chance on her luck, but she didn''t expect to be greeted by such a


    heartbreaking scene.


    "Edward, what do you think makes a woman so persistent to hold onto a man? Is it really just love?"


    Daisy shifted her eyes away from Jessica and looked at Edward casually, suddenly feeling very sad.


    "It''s difficult to say. Sometimes it''s closely rted to wealth and social status." Edward knew Daisy must


    have seen Jessica, or she wouldn''t have asked this. But he didn''t think what Jessica felt about him was


    actually love. In his eyes, she loved him because of glory and vanity.


    "It''s starting." Daisy changed the topic. She didn''t want to bother herself with this and make things


    awkward with Edward. Not only would she feel troubled, but she would also end up hurting other


    people if she continued to cling to it. This was an unwise choice.

 Chapter 399 A Beauty鈥檚 Tears Of Blood (Part Two)

    Chapter 399 A Beauty¡¯s Tears Of Blood (Part Two)


    "Okay. Look carefully. If you see something you like, just bid for it. Don''t save money for me. We can


    afford anything here." Edward touched her hair tenderly and nted a gentle kiss on her forehead. He


    was prepared to answer her questions about Jessica. But he didn''t expect her to drop the subject so


    soon. He sighed in relief. He feared that he might say something wrong and upset her, leading to a fight


    that would put a strain on their rtionship.


    "But I can''t afford them. I won''t waste my hard-earned money on such useless things." She didn''t want


    to carelessly spend Edward''s money either, he also earned his money through hard work. It just wasn''t


    her character.


    Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "My sweet miser, you don''t have to spend your money. Just use mine. Besides, doesn''t everything I


    own belong to you?" Edwardughed and pinched her nose. If the public knew that the wife of FX


    International Group''s CEO was such a miser, what would they think of her? Regardless how people


    would perceive Daisy, Edward liked her straightforward mindset, it was her true disposition. And this


    side of Daisy touched Edward''s heart and made him love her even more.


    "Okay, since you say that what''s yours is mine, I''ll use your money." Daisy realized that she had never


    been so brazen before. She immediately blushed after the words slipped from her mouth.


    The auction outside was in full swing. People constantly raised the price for the items, as ifpeting


    with each other to show off their wealth. Inside, the couple chatted as if the auction had nothing to do


    with them. What would the organizers think if they knew?


    Edward smiled at Daisy''s witty reply. He constantly swiped his fingers on the touch screen at his side,


    and found a best view for Daisy to watch the auction.


    Suddenly, a ne caught Daisy''s attention. It didn''t look anything special at first nce but upon


    closer examination, it was magnificent. As soon as Daisy saw it, she tightened her grip on Edward''s


    hand. Her unusual reaction immediately attracted Edward''s attention.


    It seemed he was wrong to think that Daisy didn''t have an eye for such items. Did she also notice the


    special features of the ne? The ne was the highlight of the auction. It was said that the


    ne belonged to one of the highest-ranking imperial concubines in the Qing Dynasty. A moving


    love story was rted to the ne. Of course, the information was sensationalized by the


    auctioneer. Edward wasn''t interested in antiques. But noticing Daisy''s great interest, he was


    determined to acquire it at all costs.


    "You seem interested in the ne. You have a good eye for jewelry, it looks very beautiful and


    elegant," Edward said.


    "Yes! It has a very beautiful name, ''A Beauty''s Tears of Blood.''" Daisy replied, her voice trembling. This


    was her mother''s ne. She had seen it when she was very little. Her mother told her that it was a


    family heirloom, and that she would pass it onto Daisy as a dowry when she got married. And Daisy


    was supposed to pass the heirloom to the next generation. But the ne disappeared along with


    her mother''s sudden death. Daisy didn''t expect it to appear at the auction.


    "How do you know that?" Edward frowned, searching for information about the ne immediately.


    The name of the ne was indeed "A Beauty''s Tears of Blood." But how did Daisy know that? The


    screen didn''t show details about the item until you selected it to show further information.


    "Edward, please do one thing for me. No matter how much you have to pay, please buy the ne


    for me. I''ll pay you backter." Daisy implored with a determined look. She was oblivious to how hurtful


    her words were to Edward.


    "What if I say no?" Edward''s face darkened immediately, his voice turning cold as ice. Why did Daisy


    still not consider them to be one? Did she think his money dirty because she thought he earned it by


    exploiting people?


    "Why?" Daisy turned to gaze at Edward. She was surprised that he refused her.


    "Daisy, who am I to you?" Edward''s eyes became dim. He raised his head to look into her eyes. Didn''t


    she say that he was the person she loved most? Why did he feel particrly helpless every time


    something like this happened?


    "My husband, of course. What''s wrong? Do you want me to treat you as someone else?" Daisy was


    eager to watch the auction process outside, because the next item to be auctioned was the ne.


    She didn''t know why Edward was being difficult at such a critical moment.


    "Since you know that I''m your husband, why do you think you need to pay me back the money? Am I a


    man who''s unwilling to spend money on his beloved woman''s favorite things in your eyes?"


    Edward furrowed his eyebrows deeply. In some aspects, Daisy was very independent. But this wasn''t


    something that pleased Edward. As her husband, he wanted to be the man whom she couldpletely


    trust and rely on. Daisy''s independence about money made him very ufortable.


    "I''m sorry! I didn''t meant it like that. I just momentarily forgot that I can use my husband''s money."


    Daisy immediately realized that her careless words injured his self-esteem. She unintentionally treated


    Edward as an outsider with her hurtful words.


    "Honey, you should know that I don''t want to hear your apologies. What I want is for you to feel


    comfortable about relying on your husband. I want you to feel this deeply in your heart, then I''ll know


    what role I am ying in your life."


    Edward sighed. He knew she never wanted to use his money. She put the credit card he had given her


    on the desk in the study and hadn''t touched it since. He felt upset and frustrated. It was meaningless


    for him to have so much wealth if Daisy didn''t use it. He always got the urge to torture himself


    whenever he was struck by such frustration. He even fantasized about bing a poor man overnight.


    Maybe then, Daisy wouldn''t treat him like an outsider.


    "Okay. I''ll keep that in mind. I''ll never apologize to you again." As Daisy said this, she never expected


    that she would end up apologizing a thousand timester with an extremely grieved look on her face.

 Chapter 400 100,000,001

    ,000,001


    Edward said nothing and looked at her quietly. Finally, he sighed and embraced her. For a woman with


    a strong personality and identity like Daisy, he could do nothing about it.


    Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "Is this important to you?" Edward murmured, keeping his eyes on the ne that Daisy was looking


    at. He wondered what the ne meant to Daisy.


    "Yes. It belonged to my mother before. I have to get it back." Daisy had a determined look on her face.


    She had to get the ne back at all costs.


    "What? This was your mother''s ne? How did it end up at the auction?" Edward started to take


    the auction seriously, and his gaze bing sharp.


    "I don''t know. It disappeared with my mother''s death. I didn''t expect to see it here. I''ve never thought I''d


    ever see it again."


    Daisy''s lips curled upward, but the smile didn''t reach her eyes.


    "Don''t worry. I''m here." Since it was his mother-inw''s legacy, he would definitely get the ne for


    Daisy. After all, it was the first time she asked him for something.


    "Well..." Daisy opened her mouth to thank him. But remembering Edward''s anger, she swallowed back


    the words. When Edward said "I''m here," Daisy was deeply touched. In many cases, the most touching


    words weren''t "love you" or "together", but "I''m here."


    "Ladies and gentlemen, we''re now going to bid for a precious item from an imperial concubine in the


    Qing Dynasty. Look carefully, it has a high collection value that ordinary treasures do notpare with.


    It also has a sad but beautiful name, ''A Beauty''s Tears of Blood."


    The host deliberately paused to add suspense and arouse the audience''s interest. Looking at the


    audience''s excitement, the host continued, "This is the most precious item for the auction, so there''s no


    need to mention how expensive it is. Its starting price will be much higher than the rest."


    As soon as the host finished speaking, the guests immediately got excited. Everyone wanted to know


    how expensive the item was.


    "Alright, please calm down. Now, the hostess will show you the item." The host waved his hand,


    signalling for silence.


    As the guzheng music slowly yed, an extremely attractive hostess appeared onstage in an evening


    gown. The moment she came into view, everyone was fascinated by the ne on her neck.


    No words could be used to describe the beauty of the ne. It was a string of bright tourmalines,


    with a blood-red transparent crystal in the shape of a teardrop at the bottom, which clung to the model''s


    white skin like the tears of blood shed by a beauty. The blood-red jewel sparkled brightly like a beautiful


    sunset, giving the impression that your hand would be stained with blood if you touched it. It was so


    beautiful that it made you not able to take eyes off it and made you feel thrilled.


    Illuminated by the lights, the sparkling teardrop crystal resembled flowing blood. The ne was


    even more beautiful and striking in contrast to the model''s white skin. The entire room collectively held


    their breaths, no one daring to make a sound. Everyone was captivated by the enchanting sight.


    Seeing everyone''s reaction, Daisy grasped Edward''s sleeve tightly. She got anxious that the ne


    would be purchased by someone else.


    Frowning slightly, Edward took her hand quietly. He nced at the audience with a wicked grin that


    was just as captivating as the ne.


    "All right, the auction will begin now. The starting price for the item is 10 million. Let''s see who will get


    it." As soon as guzheng music stopped, the host''s voice filled the room. What a high starting price!


    "20 million."


    "25 million."


    "27 million."


    The temperature in the room rose, everyone eager to get the ne. The price kept soaring as


    everyone made their bids on the rare treasure. Everyone wanted to know who would acquire the


    treasure in the end.


    As the price continued to rise, Daisy started to get worried. She couldn''t help but look at Edward, who


    looked rxed throughout the whole process. "We''re not bidding?"


    "Don''t worry. After everyone bids, we''ll ce a bid. It won''t be toote." Edward gave her a reassuring


    smile, ncing at the bidders with a sneer in his eyes.


    The price was already high, but people kept raising it. Either these guys were rich or they were coerced


    by their wives. Otherwise, why would they keep bidding? Perhaps they had made a lot of money from


    cooperating with the FX International Group. In that case, he would be happy to raise the price of the


    cooperation n by one percent to see if they still had the extra money to purchase the luxury goods.


    "The ne is already very expensive. Why do they keep raising the price? This ne is special


    to me, but it''s just a luxury item to them."


    Daisy got increasingly nervous when the price reached 80 million. She told Edward that she would pay


    him back for the ne, but her savings were less than a million. Who knows how she would pay


    him back?


    "People can be very stubborn with the things they can''t get. It''s been like that since ancient times, it


    can''t be changed. That''s human nature."


    As Edward spoke, he quickly tapped on the screen with his fingers, sending a string of numbers that


    Daisy couldn''t understand. His strange behavior puzzled Daisy.


    "Look up." Edward smiled gently, gesturing to the screen above the host.


    "What do you mean?" Daisy got even more confused. She had no idea what the numbers on the


    screen meant.


    Edward chuckled. "The host will understand." That was one of the privileges of being in a private room,


    your bid would be sent out with a mere tap of your finger.


    "Ladies and gentlemen, the price has reached 100 million already. Mr. Mu said that no matter what


    price you give, he will add one dor to it."


    As soon as the host finished speaking, everyone began to talk. Everyone who knew the rules here


    turned their eyes to the room. It turned out that Mr. Mu wanted to buy the ne too, that meant he


    would definitely get it in the end. But no one knew for whom Edward would spend so much money on


    the ne.


    "One dor?" Daisy didn''tment any further but rolled her eyes. How could he say that? People


    would be upset at his words. No matter what the final price would be, he would win the auction for a


    single extra dor, while everyone missed the opportunity due to this. This man was really wicked.


    "Yes! One dor. Silly girl, this is the best way to win. No one would dare to raise the price once they


    see my bid."


    Edward drummed his slender fingers on his thigh, wearing a mocking sneer on his face. He wanted to


    see who didn''t want to continue cooperating with the FX International Group in the future.


    "Why?" Although Daisy knew that they couldn''t be seen from the outside, she still felt ufortable to


    be under everyone''s attention.


    "It''s a secret business strategy. If you want to know, pay me for lessons. I''ll consider teaching you."


    Edward repeated Daisy''s earlier words from this morning, not caring about themotion he had


    caused.


    "I don''t want to know. I just want to get my mother''s ne back. If you can''t do that, you''re sleeping


    in the study tonight." Daisy smiled smugly. Since Edward wanted her to exercise the privileges of being


    his wife, she didn''t mind taking advantage of them.


    "If that''s what you want, I don''t mind." Edward frowned at the host. ''Why hasn''t he started the bid? It''s


    been a long time.''


    "100, 000, 001, going once. Does anyone want to raise the price?" The host was also shocked by


    Edward''s unconventional move. He wanted to pretend that he didn''t understand what the numbers sent


    by him meant. That way, the price would continue to rise, and he could get moremission. Now


    because of that extra dor, no one was interested in the ne anymore.


    "You really aren''t worried about how that''s gonna make you look?" Despite her words, Daisy felt very


    happy. After all, she would get back her mother''s ne that had been missing for years. This would


    be the first time she would possess something that belonged to her mother. How could she remain


    calm?


    "Don''t underestimate the power of one dor. Even a single dor in bids may reverse the whole


    situation." As a business genius, Edward knew this very well. This was why he won most cases. After


    all, no one couldpare to him in wisdom and wealth.


    "100, 000, 001, going twice. Ladies and gentlemen, does anyone want to raise the bid?" As the host


    spoke, he knew that the price wouldn''t go up anymore. But he still hoped that there would be one or


    two people daring to set themselves against FX International Group, so the price might increase.


    "100, 000, 001, going thrice. Sold! ''A Beauty''s Tears of Blood'' now belongs to Mr. Edward Mu of the FX


    International Group." After the host''s announcement, Daisy finally got her mother''s heirloom back.


    "Honey, thank you!" Daisy couldn''t help kissing Edward before turning to look at the beautiful ne


    with a bright smile. It was evident how happy she was.


    "You look so happy." Edward gently pinched her nose, his eyes full of tenderness.


    "Yes!" After removing her identity as a female officer and taking off her military uniform, Daisy was


    easily moved like any other woman.


    Jessica''s face turned pale at the result. She clenched her fist so hard that her nails dug into her skin.


    But she didn''t feel any pain. This must be love. Why did Edward spend 100 million to please Daisy?


    Didn''t he know how much that would upset her?


    When Edward bought the ''Soul of Tears'' ne for her that cost him 20 million, Jessica thought it


    proved Edward''s love for her. But today, he spent 100 million on Daisy, making her realize how


    ridiculous her previous thoughts were and how fragile her pride was.

 Chapter 401 Suspicious Vehicles

    Chapter 401 Suspicious Vehicles


    One hundred million and one was arge sum of money to Daisy, but it was only a fraction to Edward.


    With an elegant stroke of his golden pen on the check, ''A Beauty''s Tears of Blood'' now belonged to


    Daisy.


    As Daisy''s slender fingers stroked the seemingly pulsing crystals of the ne, she felt her mother''s


    warmth. When her fingertips touched the bloody teardrop-shaped stone, she felt suffocated.


    In Daisy''s memory, her mother was a gentle beautiful woman with a delicate ssical bearing that few


    modern women possessed. Eyes would follow her at the sight of her striking elegance. Daisy''s heart


    trembled when she touched the sparkling stone. It felt as if she could feel her mother''s tears and blood.


    "What''s wrong?" Seeing the mncholy on Daisy''s face, Edward frowned and wondered what


    triggered her emotions.


    "This ne used to belong to a royal family in the Qing Dynasty. In that case, my mother was the


    offspring of an aristocratic family. That''s why she seemed so distinguished, "


    Daisy replied offhandedly, without moving her eyes away from the ne in her hands.


    "Then it sounds like I married a member of the royal family. My status seems to have been elevated.


    I''m rted to an emperor now. You can''t call me a sly businessman anymore."


    Unable to see Daisy so sad, Edward made a joke every time she got upset to distract her.


    "Hey! You''re haggling with me again. This is exactly why you''re a sly businessman." Daisyughed at


    Edward''s quip, temporarily forgetting the painful memory about her mother.


    "Let''s get out of here. Time to go home, honey." Edward smiled affectionately. He didn''t mind what she


    said, as long as she was happy. All businessmen had to be sly to seed. Edward took Daisy''s words


    as apliment.


    "Okay." Daisy carefully put the ne back into the case before walking outside with Edward.


    Everyone around them cast envious looks at her when they passed by.


    "Wait!" Jessica shouted behind them just as Edward and Daisy were about to enter the car.


    "What can I do for you, Miss Lin?" Instead of the indifferent mask she usually wore, Daisy had a happy


    smile on her face. It seemed the ne made her very happy. But in Jessica''s eyes, Daisy''s smile


    was mocking.


    "Edward, the Lin Group''s stocks keep dropping. Do you have anything to do with it?" Jessica ignored


    Daisy and fixed her eyes on Edward.


    "Yes, I do," Edward said indifferently. Jessica was lucky that he hadn''t gotten even with her yet. She


    was bold enough toe to Edward like this.


    "Why?" Hearing Edward''s response, Jessica staggered with shock. Reality was so cruel. Edward


    admitted it so easily, he didn''t even care to deny it. Jessica was mortified, she felt like a clown in


    Daisy''s presence.


    "Think about what you did! Since you didn''t take my warning seriously, prepare for the consequences!"


    Edward retorted, ice shing in his blue eyes. Jessica''sst hope shattered.


    "I... I don''t know what you''re talking about." Jessica averted her eyes nervously. What did Edward


    mean? Had he found out what she and Hank had done to Daisy? No. That was impossible. She had


    been so careful. Edward couldn''t know. But something upset him. What was it?


    "Hmph! You don''t know? You''ll find out soon." Edward smiled coldly. It wasn''t time to alert his


    adversaries yet. Jessica would find out what she had done wrong after Edward dealt with Hank.


    Daisy watched Edward and Jessica quietly. She didn''t know what was going on between them, so she


    didn''t engage in their conversation. But from Edward''s ruthless words, she figured Jessica must''ve


    crossed the line. Otherwise, he wouldn''t be so pissed.


    "You... Do you have to destroy the Lin Group? What about me and the unborn baby?" Jessica thought


    her baby was herst weapon to change the situation. Even if Edward didn''t care, the child was real.


    "What about you? There''s no connection between us. As for the baby, it has nothing to do with me.


    Luke, give her the medical examination report."


    It was a mistake to try to fool Edward.


    "Yes, Mr. Mu." Luke was waiting by the car. Edward had asked him to bring back the medical


    examination report from the hospital a couple of days ago, so he knew exactly which report Edward


    meant.


    "Everything you want to know is in that report. Don''t ever mention that your baby is mine again! Honey,


    let''s go."


    Edward gave Jessica a cold look and got into the car with Daisy. His indifference made Jessica''s face


    deathly pale. What report? Did Edward have something against her? Jessica got flustered at the


    thought.


    "Miss Lin, this is Mr. Mu''s medical examination report. I hope you can stop disturbing Mr. and Mrs. Mu''s


    life. They''re very happy together, and that''s not going to change."


    Luke handed Jessica the report and left indifferently. His responsibility was to protect Edward. He


    wasn''t interested in seeing Jessica''s embarrassed reaction.


    Jessica had an idea what the report might say. Looking at the folded piece of paper, she felt her heart


    sink. She was afraid her worries woulde true.


    She opened the paper with trembling hands and felt devastated after reading its contents.


    No! This couldn''t be true! How could Edward have had this surgery? If this was true, where did that


    bastard Justine from? Was this a fake report that Edward fabricated to deceive her?


    This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    It had to be. Edward was trying to get rid of her this way so he could live his happy life. But Jessica


    wasn''t stupid enough to believe him.


    But if the report was true, then who was the father of her baby?


    Scenes from a few months ago shed into Jessica''s mind.


    Her thoughts stopped at an extremely vulgar scene. Jessica became light-headed and her body


    swayed. Had it happened that night? Jessica had no idea about the identity of that man because she


    had been too wasted to see his face.


    The sapphire blue Maybach drove slowly on the street. Its mysterious color seemed even dreamier and


    more delicate under the street lights.


    Edward bit his lip, indifference written all over his face. Through the rear-view mirror, his sharp eyes


    kept looking at the ck BMW that was following them closely.


    A ssical ringtone filled the car, and Edward picked up his phone immediately.


    "Yes. What''s wrong?"


    "Mr. Mu, we havepany," Luke said urgently in a cold voice.


    "Yes, I''ve noticed," Edward said, turning to Daisy who was still absorbed in the ne.


    "Mr. Mu, speed up first. I''ll stall them," Luke said coolly.


    "No. We don''t know how many they are. It could be dangerous if you deal with them alone. Call in


    reinforcements."


    Edward took off the bluetooth earpiece and threw it aside.


    "Is something wrong?" Daisy asked. She put the ne away and looked up at Edward.


    "Yes, somebody''s shadowing us. But we don''t know who or how many they are yet."


    Edward winced in worry. He wouldn''t be worried if he were alone in the car. But with Daisy sitting next


    to him, he couldn''t help showing his anxiety. Even though he knew that Daisy was tough, he had to


    protect her.


    "There seems to be two cars, one following closely and the other at a near distance." Daisy twitched


    her mouth. She was able to catch every move through the rear-view mirror. She had to figure out their


    target. Was it Edward''s life or the ne?


    "Excellent observation. You deserve the title of the best female colonel in the city. But don''t be a hero,


    safety first." Edward gazed at her affectionately.


    "Don''t worry. I don''t want to die yet. Besides, these jerks are too green to take my life. If they want to kill


    me, they should wait a few more years." Daisy smiled in self-satisfaction, absolutely arrogant and


    overbearing. At that moment, she disyed the true qualities of a military hero.


    "Don''t let your guard down. They''re cold-blooded. Here, take this." Edward handed Daisy a gun.


    "This is a USP pistol produced by the HK Company. It has excellent precision and controble recoil,


    better than the Glock in terms of direction and structure. Each magazine has 12 bullets, not many, but


    it''s very powerful and expensive. Where did you get it?"


    Daisy listed the weapon''s assets as she explored the exquisite handgun. Her strong suit was the rifle,


    which she used a lot in military school.


    "Wow, impressive. I see you learned a lot in military school. Let''s see your performanceter." Edward


    gave Daisy the thumbs-up in appreciation.


    "Don''t change the subject. Where did you get the gun?" Daisy rolled her eyes and fixed Edward a look.


    "Do you think I''ll carry a gun illegally? Rx. I have a permit." Edward smiled. The people following


    behind were just a piece of cake in his eyes. Because he''d been in this kind of situation every now and


    then, he''d gotten used to it. Obscure hooligans had stalked him in the past. Would they encounter big


    bosses this time? He was actually looking forward to facing them.


    Meanwhile, in the garrison headquarters of S city, the warden stood in front of the furiousmander


    and Kevin. He kept his head bowed down, too frightened to look at either of them.


    "When did this happen? Why did you wait so long to report it? This is outrageous!" Themander


    rarely got mad, but he was now burning with anger. His sharp eyes nced back and forth between the


    warden and the chief of the Public Security Bureau.


    "It happened three days ago. We nned to catch them by ourselves, but we failed to track them and


    had to call in support, "


    The chief answered timidly, his head kept low.


    "How did he break out?" Kevin asked with knitted brows. He wasn''t afraid that they couldn''t find the


    escaped prisoner, but that he might take revenge on Daisy. After all, she was the reason the prisoner


    had been caught. With Daisy''s recent appearance at the anniversary ceremony of the FX International


    Group, news about her was everywhere. She could easily be their target.

 Chapter 402 Sniper Rifle AS50 (Part One)

    Chapter 402 Sniper Rifle AS50 (Part One)


    "We were negligent. He intentionally went out looking for a fight, and was mauled by a group of


    gangsters. He was seriously injured by the beating, andter sent to the hospital for treatment. But he


    was secretly taken away by someone at the hospital."


    The warden felt a shiver down his spine when he received Kevin''s cold and ruthless stare. It seemed


    that Major General was more intimidating than the Commander, the warden thought.


    "Obviously, he is a dangerous man, you should have known that, why weren''t there any precautions to


    prevent his escape? Do you know how much effort we put into catching him?"


    Kevin raised his eyebrows, the cold and intimidating stare swept over their faces, making them tremble.


    "Sorry! This is our blunder. We will write a report for self-reflection." ?The Chief of Public Security


    immediately admitted their mistake. He was quite responsive now.


    "Okay, it''s not the right time to find out who is to me. General Major, you''ll handle this task from now


    on. You must catch them all this time."


    The Commander was a veteran who had been in thousands of battles, he soon resumed his cool and


    quickly gave the orders.


    "Yes, sir, I guarantee I willplete this mission," Kevin said, saluting sharply.


    "Okay, go then. Don''t forget to notify Daisy about this situation and remind her to be prepared." The


    Commander''s words echoed Kevin''s thoughts precisely. Daisy''s identity as a Colonel and her title as


    the wife of the CEO of FX International Group made her an obvious target of the criminal.


    "I''ll get going right now." As soon as he finished his words, he turned around to leave. When he saw the


    two officers standing there with their eyes looking at their toes, he paused and said, "You''d better pray


    that nothing bad happened, otherwise, besides the garrison headquarter, the FX International Group


    alone will skin you, and make you into shoes."


    What Kevin said was not just a threat. Anyone who knew anything about Edward knew he could be


    very cruel and heartless when someone crossed the line. If anyone offended him, they were surely


    doomed.


    At the mention of FX International Group, the two raised their heads and looked at Kevin doubtfully.


    They wondered how this case had anything to do with the FX International Group. But Kevin had no


    time to exin his reasons, he was eager to inform Daisy of the case and remind her to be cautious.


    The enemies she would face this time were notmon gangsters, they were cunning and vicious


    arms dealers.


    As soon as Kevin walked out the office, he took out his phone and quickly dialed Daisy''s number. He


    listened carefully and waited Daisy to pick up the phone. But the phone rang and no one answered.


    This was unusual for Daisy. Because of her special upation, she was supposed to answer the


    phone at any moment. What happened to her? Kevin wondered.


    "Aren''t you going to answer that?" Edward nced at Daisy. She was busy looking behind them. The


    car behind them still seemed to be following their car. There was great concern in Edward''s handsome


    face.


    "Changenes, these guys are tricky, they are not easy to deal with." Daisy continued to analyze the


    situation, as if she hadn''t heard Edward''s question. But she still reached out to pick up the phone.


    "Hello! This is Daisy," Daisy answered politely. Her good bringing-up told her to remain calm and polite


    at any time, even in such a dangerous situation.


    "It''s me, Kevin. The arms dealer broke out of jail. You''d better pay special attention and be careful,"


    Kevin said eagerly. He even spoke in a louder volume to make sure that Daisy could hear him clearly. It


    was important she heard every word.


    "What? When did this happen?" Hearing this, Daisy immediately looked back and then turned to


    Edward, "Honey, lead them into the suburbs. Kevin said they might be the arms dealers."


    "What happened? Have you already been spotted?" Tell me where you are. I''ll take off immediately."


    Hearing what Daisy said to Edward over the phone, Kevin instantly became very nervous. He hurriedly


    quickened his steps and rushed to the base where the Falcon was staying The special contingent had


    been exhaustively trained by Kevin and Daisy to cope with difficult tasks.


    "We''re heading to the national highway. We''re going to lure them to the outskirts of the West Mountain


    area which is far enough from downtown to avoid any civilian casualties." Daisy''s eyes darkened.


    ''Damn it! He was supposed to stay in jail. Why suddenly pop up here?'' she thought.


    "Okay. I''ll be there soon with the Falcon detachment. Sit tight -- and be careful." Kevin hung up right


    way. He was very worried. Those people were not ones to mess around with.


    "Do you have a sniper rifle in the car?" Daisy put the phone aside and asked. If the followers were


    really arms dealers, the USP wouldn''t work for them. So they must be equipped with more powerful


    weapons.


    "Yeah, I actually have one here. I watched you studying weapons the other day. You seemed to be very


    interested in the sniper rifles, so I asked Luke to get one for me. He put it in the car this afternoon.


    Lucky thing, huh?"


    Arms dealers? Edward had never tangled with arms dealers before. He needed to let Luke know. He


    might need his help. At this thought, he immediately took up his phone and dialed.


    "Mr. Mu." Luke''s cold voice immediately came through.


    "Luke, pay attention. They are arms dealers. You must be careful." Edward sped up and drove to the


    national highway, the direction Daisy had given to Kevin.


    "Okay, Mr. Mu, you be careful, too. I''ve got my men on this." Luke frowned. Damn it. As nothing special


    happened recently, he didn''t pay any special attention to safeguards. And some bodyguards were sent


    to watch that asshole Paul, so he didn''t have any other bodyguards with them today. He didn''t expect


    that they would encounter the arms dealer. But he remembered they had no connection with such


    people, why would they be after his boss? Luke wondered.


    "Okay." Edward looked at the ck BMWing up on them, he narrowed his dangerous eyes.


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    "Luke, make way for them, don''t intentionally block them," Daisy interrupted. She turned around to grab


    the sniper rifle Edward had mentioned.


    "Luke, Daisy said you need to make way for them." Although Edward didn''t know Daisy''s intentions, he


    passed the message on to Luke.

 Chapter 403 Sniper Rifle AS50 (Part Two)

    Chapter 403 Sniper Rifle AS50 (Part Two)


    "No, I can''t. It''s too dangerous. Let me handle them." Luke would never let Edward step directly in the


    path of danger.


    "We''ll be okay, just follow Mrs. Mu''s instructions." Once Edward ordered something like that, Luke knew


    there was no room for negotiation.


    "Okay, Mr. Mu. Should I notify Mr. Jonathan?" Luke pursed his lips. He knew his young master''s


    temper. He had to follow orders, as much as he didn''t want to.


    "No. Kevin has a troop detachment heading our way." Edward remembered he hadn''t mentioned


    Jonathan''s secret identity to Daisy before. He thought it was not the right time for her to know about it


    now. So he decided to tell herter. They were two kinds of action-oriented people in the world, and


    they were opposite sides of the coin. One was the shady figure from the underworld, another was the


    righteous army soldier. He couldn''t imagine how they could get along if Jonathan''s true identity was


    revealed.


    "Okay." Luke slowed down. Since he knew the army would step in, he wasn''t as nervous as before. But


    it was still a long way from the army base. Would they get here in time? Luke wondered.


    "Sniper rifle AS50, 14.1 kg unloaded, magazine holds fifty 12.7 mm bullets, floating muzzle design,


    long range, fast ejection with little bacsh, high rate of fire, high lethality, anti-materiel. Can prate


    armor and deal with tanks and armored vehicles. You do know how to get a girl the sweetest gift."


    Daisy smiled charmingly. She felt excited whenever it came to the things that interested her. So she


    couldn''t help blurting out more details about the sniper rifle.


    "Of course. I''m Edward Mu. I can get all the nice things in the world." Edward was happy to ept the


    praise. He was easy to please. As long as Daisy gave him a little appreciation, he would feel like


    walking in the air.


    "Pay attention. They''re gaining on us. Don''t give them the chance to touch our car." Daisy raised her


    head and looked at the byway which led to the rural area. She sneered and quickly assembled the rifle.


    "Okay!" Edward smiled conceitedly and floored the pedal. The car whirred by like the wind, picking up


    the leaves and making them swirling down. They left that scene behind in a second. His woman was


    indeed extraordinary. She was beautiful as she pieced the rifle together, and she did it blindingly fast.


    "When we hit a deserted area, I''ll use the rifle to blow out their tires. Judging from their shlights, they


    are speeding to keep up with us. Seems we''ve fallen into their trap, and they had this nned out.


    Apparently, they''re using a lift kit, otherwise they wouldn''t be able to follow so closely, "


    Daisy analyzed calmly. She observed the ck BMW which had nearly touched their car several times.


    "Got it! You be careful.. Although our car is equipped with bullet-proof armor, they are arms dealers. We


    can''t rule out the possibility that they have more advanced weapons."


    Edward also noticed the opponent''s movement. He agreed with what Daisy had said. But he felt a little


    worried about Luke who was following behind. He might be affected by their n.


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    "I know. So tell Luke to keep a certain distance from them to avoid being involved once their car loses


    control."


    The shing lights of the car seemed hauntingly weird in the middle of the night, while Daisy still


    remained calm and showed her wisdom at such a critical moment. She was a well-trained soldier.


    "Mr. Mu, what should I do? It is a trap. They have reinforcements. And our support team is still on the


    way." As soon as Edward picked up the phone, Luke spilled everything anxiously.


    "Don''t panic. Keep your distance. Daisy has this under control." As long as he was with the woman he


    loved most, he handled things with ease, no matter how dangerous the situation was.


    "Okay, I''ll bring up the rear." He knew the arms dealers would be targeting Edward''s car. They showed


    no interest in Luke''s vehicle, because they didn''t try to keep him in check. So it was easy for Luke to


    keep his distance from them.


    "Speeding up. Be careful and evade." Daisy''s face became stern as soon as she saw Edward finish the


    call. She opened the door of the car with her right hand and swiftly grabbed the USP pistol with her left


    hand. She pulled the bolt and unlocked the safety. She lowered her head and leaned out, holding the


    door of the car with her right hand for bnce. At the same time, the gun in her hand was aimed at the


    closest car which followed them. She saw clearly that there were four people in the car, two in the front


    seats and another two in the backseat.


    At this moment, Daisy''s eyes shed a sinister smile, she squeezed the trigger, and the shot fired. The


    high-energy bullet flew in the direction of the car behind them like lightning, trailing sparks.


    With the sound of the gunshot, the target car wobbled when the wheel was shot. She wasn''t sure what


    was louder -- the pistol or the blown tire. The racing BMW immediately lost control and began to swing.


    With the screeching of tires breaking the silence of the dark night, the target car violently collided with


    the car that followed it. The cars crashed with the sound like roaring thunder, followed by the mes of


    the crash which lit up the dark sky. What a grand scene with the dazzling fire burning furiously and


    leaping into the sky.


    But Daisy wasn''t going to stop here. As soon as the arms dealers'' cars lost control, a sneer climbed to


    the corner of her mouth, and a sinister smile crossed her face, this made her cool and beautiful face all


    the more fascinating. And she looked wildly arrogant and aggressive with that expression. She was a


    battle maiden, and she was in her element.

 Chapter 404 This Woman Is So Cool. I Like Her. (Part One)

    Chapter 404 This Woman Is So Cool. I Like Her. (Part One)


    "Nice shot. Be careful." Edward admired Daisy''s boldness. He helped Daisy by paying close attention


    to what was going on behind their car.


    "OK! Drive safely. They''re firing back." Daisy squinted her eyes and aimed at one car behind them.


    Before the pursuers were able to squeeze their triggers, Daisy shot their car. Since Edward was driving


    too fast, Daisy missed the shot. "nk", the bullet hit the steel hood of the car with a spark.


    Daisy reacted quickly to her mistake. She turned around fast and sat in the car before she closed the


    door. She did it rapidly, unconcerned about the shot she missed. She was as cool as ice.


    "nk!" The pursuers took their shot. The bullet hit the door as soon as Daisy closed it. It all happened


    so fast that Edward''s heart almost stopped. That was too close. If anything happened to her...


    The brakes screeched as the pursuers'' car stopped. With a massive sound of cars crashing into each


    other, Daisy was sure that the shot she had taken again hit the target.


    "Drift. Don''t drive in a straight line, or they''ll easily shoot our tires."


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    Coldness reflected in Daisy''s eyes. She frowned as she saw the situation behind them through the


    rear-view mirror. There were many more cars than Daisy had expected. This was why Daisy and


    Edward found it hard to get rid of the pursuers.


    "Yes, my love." Edward was confident in his driving skills. Even though he couldn''t drive as good as


    Daisy did, he still drove so much better than most drivers.


    "Oh no. Luke''s surrounded by those thugs. Slow down. Let Luke keep up with us. Or tell him to change


    lanes at the next crossing. We need to keep him away from the gunfight. Since I''m the main target, the


    pursuers won''t chase Luke."


    Then Daisy rolled down the window. Without hesitation, she pulled the trigger at the person who kept


    shooting at them in a Passat. After a clear nk, the bullet went through the car window. The shot was


    true, and the driver of the Passat had a hole in his head. His brains and blood sttered the insides of


    the car. The man was killed on the spot.


    The Passat lost control with its driver dead. It started drifting around like there was a drunk driver at the


    wheel. After seeing what had happened minutes ago, other cars didn''t dare to get close to this


    obviously dangerous car, for fear that they would be hit by it and explode with it. They all drove past the


    Passat and elerated to Edward''s car before firing on it.


    "Woman, be careful. Watch out for yourself." Edward was busy driving while dialing Luke''s number and


    paying attention to Daisy at the same time. ''She is so arrogant. But she has every right to be that way.


    She is excellent at everything, apparently even marksmanship.'' Edward thought to himself.


    "I know. Don''t worry about me. Look out for yourself." Daisy smiled confidently to Edward. Different


    from her usual expression, Daisy looked excited as she was experiencing something thrilling. The


    sparks in her eyes made her look so charming.


    "Mr. Mu, what Mrs. Mu did was really awesome." Luke admired Daisy so much that he could bow to her


    in admiration. Edward was driving crazy fast, but she still managed to open the door and shot the


    pursuers with the heavy sniper rifle. Her shooting was so urate that she hardly missed a single shot.


    This was something hard for Luke to achieve even in the daylight, but Daisy did it in the dark of night.


    For a moment, Luke thought he was watching a movie. He almost couldn''t believe his eyes.


    "Yeah! She''s perfect. Luke, you need to changenes now. Don''t follow us too closely. Wait for the rest


    of our people to catch up. Then we can fight these bastards from both sides." Edward looked proud


    when he heard Luke''spliment. ''Daisy is my wife. Of course she is cool.''


    "No, I can''t do that. You''ll make yourselves easy targets." Luke disagreed with Edward and Daisy''s n


    as he noticed the crack on his car window. It was made of bulletproof ss, but the window still slightly


    cracked when it was shot.


    "Luke, this is an order. They have surrounded your car. You are putting yourself in danger." Edward


    frowned and said in a low voice. He looked serious when he gave the order.


    "This is nothing. I can easily get rid of them and keep up with you." Luke disobeyed Edward''s order as


    he sped up the car and shed his headlights to distract the enemies.


    "Whatever!" Edward sighed. Since the gunfight had turned fierce and bullets were being shot


    everywhere, it was hard to stop Luke. Edward could only respect Luke''s choice. After all, Daisy offered


    two options for Luke. If Luke didn''t want to changenes, it was OK for him to keep up and fight


    together with them. Edward didn''t mind either option.


    "Shit! What the fuck do they drive so fast for? Are they seeking death?" This was not the first time that


    Daisy swore before Edward, but Edward was still shocked at what Daisy had spoken. ''Who says she''s


    elegant? She is a bandit!''


    "Luke is keeping up with us." Edward said to Daisy. He noticed from the rear-view mirror that Luke was


    trying his best to avoid the gunshot and drive close to them.


    "OK! I saw his car. I can help him get rid of the pursuers. Edward, Help me." Daisy exchanged a look


    with Edward. Edward knew what she wanted to do. He quickly spun the car around for Daisy to open


    the door. Daisy grabbed the door with her right hand to support her body and stuck her top half out of


    the car to shoot the cars chasing after Luke. "m! m!" After a few shots, Daisy sessfully


    diverted the pursuers'' attention from Luke to her.


    "Holy shit, this woman is so cool. I like her." In a Rolls-Royce Phantom that was chasing after Luke, the


    person who led and started the chase saw Daisy and drooled over her beauty. He began to fantasize


    how Daisy would look in bed with him.


    "Boss, we''ll catch her and throw her into your bed." One of the minions knew that their boss was


    interested in the arrogant and skillful woman in the car in front of them. He quickly offered something to


    tter the boss.


    "Well, then you''ll have to try hard. That woman is like a wildcat. She can not be easily dealt with." The


    arms dealer was not old and even looked a little bit handsome. But the dirty smile on his face ruined his


    appearance and made him look terrible. He left the impression of a morally corrupt person.

 Chapter 405 This Woman Is So Cool. I Like Her. (Part Two)

    Chapter 405 This Woman Is So Cool. I Like Her. (Part Two)


    "Bullshit, she''s just a woman. Piece of cake. Besides, we have a lot more people than they do. It''s


    impossible for them to get away from us." A freckle-faced man talked confidently. He didn''t think Daisy


    was a tough woman to deal with. He only thought Daisy was good at shooting, and there was nothing


    more of her than that. So he didn''t fear her.


    "Don''t forget the number of the stars on her epaulet. Anyone with such a high position in the army must


    have earned it the hard way and is worthy of the title. Don''t underestimate her." Boss was boss. Even


    though he could be lecherous sometimes, he was still calm and resourceful on important asions. As


    for Colonel Ouyang...... ''Well, I''m d we bumped into each other this soon, '' thought the arms dealer,


    who was very excited to meet Daisy again.


    "So what? Even if she has many stars on her epaulet, we can still deal with her easily. We have a lot


    more people on our side." A man with a long scar on his face disagreed with his boss''s cautiousness.


    He sneered at Daisy. To him, a woman was no one to fear.


    "You''re right. Boss, don''t admire her too much. We can''t underestimate ourselves in front of a woman.


    I''ve fought for many years. I can guarantee from my experience that we''ll get her tonight and give her


    to you as a sex partner." Judging from the confidence in their conversation, they were not normal


    gangsters. It seemed that the minions who had been killed just now were nothing to them. They


    probably hadn''t showed what they were truly capable of yet.


    If Daisy had known what these guys were fantasizing, she would have picked up the sniper rifle and


    shot them continuously. She couldn''t bear being thought about that way.


    "Alright! Luke is driving near us. Speed up. I need a perfect ce to snipe them." Daisy''s eyes reflected


    cruelty and excitement. She could be nice to anyone who agreed to be nice in return, but she had no


    mercy for brutal killers.


    "We are too close. Can you find a sniper site in such a short time?" Edward was worried about how


    close they were to the pursuers. So he raised his concerns about Daisy''s suggestion.


    "Yeah! I''m sure we''ll find a good ce to snipe. It doesn''t have to be perfect. I just need some extra


    help from the terrain. Just keep driving as fast as you can. I''ll tell you where to stop." While talking to


    Edward, Daisy gestured at Luke to tell him to speed up, as Luke was falling behind Edward.


    Daisy had experienced dangerous situations so many times. Now her mental state and fighting skills


    had reached a fairly high level.


    "OK. In that case, I''ll obey your orders. I trust you wholeheartedly." Edward had run into several


    assassinations due to the important position he was in. But he had never been chased after by so


    many killers like this. He admitted that Daisy did better than him in handling these situations. So he


    could only help and trust her to keep them alive.


    Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "See? There''s a slope in front of us. I need you to drive at maximum speed. I will use the slope as my


    sniper point. You need to drive close to the highway. I can jump out of the car." After she said that,


    Daisy picked up the AS50 Sniper Rifle that she had assembled. She started to estimate the wind speed


    and humidity, which were important factors for a professional sniper to take into ount before they


    popped off a shot.


    "No, that''s too dangerous. I can''t let you leave me." Hearing that Daisy was going to jump out of the car


    and face the fierce attack from the arms dealer herself, Edward strongly opposed the idea.


    "Don''t worry. I''m not asking you to leave. ording to my memory, there should be open t ground


    behind the slope. You can drive to that area and hide yourself there. I''ll meet you when I''m finished.


    You''ll need to cover me then."


    Daisy cracked a smile at Edward''s words. She reached out to touch Edward''s handsome face as she


    felt guilty about having to do this alone. She knew the arms dealer wasing after her, but she


    couldn''t tell Edward. If she told Edward that she wanted to solve the problem alone, Edward would be


    mad that she didn''t want his help. So even though Daisy felt so sorry for not telling Edward the truth,


    she could only apologize to him in her heart. She couldn''t say anything.


    "OK! I will be careful. Watch out for yourself, too. I''ll slow down when you''re ready to jump." Edward


    nced around, and quickly spotted the slope Daisy had mentioned.


    "Don''t slow down, or you''ll draw our enemies'' attention. Maintain your speed." Daisy knew why Edward


    offered to slow down the car. But there was nothing for Edward to worry, as jumping out of a moving


    car meant nothing for a well-trained woman like Daisy. She just needed to use her skills to keep her


    from being hurt.


    "But you''ll put yourself in more danger in that way. I must slow down the car." Edward couldn''t agree


    with Daisy as he was too concerned about her safety. He was driving the whole night and couldn''t do


    anything but watch Daisy risk herself shooting and avoiding bullets in the gunfight. His fright grew with


    each dangerous situation he saw Daisy put herself in. But he tried his best not to express his concerns


    since he worried that his anxious attitude might influence her. That was why Edward had forced himself


    not to think about the possibility that Daisy might get shot.

 Chapter 406 An Expert Sniper

    Chapter 406 An Expert Sniper


    "Don''t worry. I trained for this in military school." Daisy knew that Edward worried about her. She would


    do the same if Edward were in her position. They both cared a lot about each other.


    "Promise me: stay safe. If not for your own sake, at least do it for me. Be careful, "


    Edward urged, his eyes full of concern and affection. Yet Daisy suddenly jumped out just after he


    finished his words. She was as quick as a viper''s strike that no one ever saw her. Not even Edward


    who sat beside her had expected her sudden and fast action.


    But she was right. She was trained for this. She wrapped herself in a coat, assessed the angle, opened


    the door, and she was out, rolling. She got up and trotted up the hill with no time to check her grazed


    skin. As much as she had used all her skills, she still moved slower than usual due to the inconvenient


    outfit. That was a performance gap she didn''t want to see.


    Yet she was also aware that she had no time left to mourn this painful disparity. At this moment, time


    meant life. She found a vantage point to set up the rifle.


    She set up the sniper rifle, got down on the ground, found the target, pulled back the bolt, and got


    loaded. With the target aimed at and all other factors calcted, she adjusted her breath, then


    squeezed the trigger. Her moves were smooth and skilled. The bullet she fired hit the driver of the


    leading car in the head.


    She was bold and quick. After her first target was down, she now moved onto the next car. With the


    curl of finger, she shot out the second bullet right into the moving car.


    "Crap. There''s an expert sniper hiding somewhere. Ry that to the boss," said a man in the car that


    was about to lose control and hit the tree beside the road. But his reasonable analysis was toote.


    Their car ran into the tree and died, so did the men in the car.


    Daisy curled her lips and formed a cruel smile. Yet she dare not underestimate her rivals. She was


    good, but someone else in the group could be just as good -- or better. She picked up the rifle and


    moved to a different firing position.


    "Mr. Mu, are you alright?" Edward followed Daisy''s instructions and parked his car in a more secluded


    spot. But even so, Luke still found where he was by the dim light from the streemp.


    "I''m okay. Go find a ce for us to fight back." Edward sneered and ran into the bushes beside with


    guns in both hands.


    See that Edward was all safe and sound, Luke also entered the grove with both a gun and diamond-


    shaped darts which could kill people in short distance without making any noise.


    "Fuck! Where are they? They flee so fast." Daisy had climbed up the hill at full speed, yet two cars still


    escaped before she started shooting.


    "Be careful. I saw the car light go off over there. So they must be hiding somewhere around here. Pull it


    together. The Boss is quite interested in that woman. If you find them, kill all the men, only capture the


    woman for our boss''s pleasure." A man ordered. His conceited tone implied that they thought of Daisy


    only as some weak girl. They underestimated her.


    "Exactly, our boss has had almost all types of women. But he''s never slept with any woman in the army,


    let alone a female colonel. He''d have a great time," The other man said,ughing loudly. ''What a sick


    man! And lusting after my wife? Yeah, I''ve got a bullet with his name on it, ''


    Edward thought, sneering. He might be no good sniper, but that didn''t mean that he was lousy at


    shooting. To Edward, that man''s days were numbered the moment he fantasized about Daisy. Without


    thinking about it further, he squeezed the trigger and gave the man what was due.


    "Ambush! Watch out! Split into groups and root them out one by one," the gang leader ordered. It was


    quite intimidating to see a man speaking andughing one minute ago and then cold and dead the


    next.


    ''Huh. Split up? Then it''s easier to deal with you, '' Luke figured and threw a diamond-shaped dart. It


    buried itself in the throat of the man nearest him, leaving that underling no chance to breathe, let alone


    to call for help.


    Edward, at the same time, also waged his one-man war. He fired several shots at the gang, a disdainful


    look still on his face. He found it hard to believe that these horrible cowards could survive the cutthroat


    world of gunrunning. Their boss must be either a moron or a careless yboy. Or maybe he''s a


    licentious fool, or he wouldn''t have wanted toy a finger on Daisy.


    Edward''s intense shooting spree soon gave away his hiding ce. Then the gang fought back violently.


    But Edward had already thought of that and hid behind a big tree. He was smart about it, and managed


    to evade their shots. But the bullets mming into the bark so near his head still frightened him.


    Seeing Edward was in danger, Luke stopped lurking and began shooting back to divert their attention


    away from Edward. He didn''t kill any, but helped drain their ammo and distracted them, giving Edward


    better odds of survival.


    The worst thing you do in a gunfight is giving away your position but still having no clue where your


    enemy is hiding. This was what the gang was doing. Half of their men were gunned down, but Luke,


    Edward, and Daisy were nowhere to be found. They were hidden killers, striking from the shadows then


    ducking back into the darkness. The gang figured out they were at a disadvantage and searched for a


    hiding ce as well. If they couldn''t find one, they had to stall for more time. They had to wait for the


    reinforcements to show up and save them.


    Indeed, the gang also had snipers. Daisy found out that fact when a bullet flew past her ear. So under


    the cover of the dark night, she changed to another hiding ce. She was close to where Edward


    parked. And she must make the best use of her small unit tactics until the backup forces came.


    Daisy was covered with hay dregs and dirt. But it didn''t make her look any less beautiful. She was even


    more eye-catching with that wildness on her.


    "The trap we set may be of no more use. They choose to fight here. Then let''s show our true power in


    this gun fight. We''re gun runners. We can''t lose with all these advanced weapons," the big boss said,


    stroking his chin in contemtion. He looked at these luxurious cars burning in the sea of fire without


    the slightest sympathy for his dead underlings.


    "Boss, they have an awesome sniper. We''ve lost so many people just because we haven''t found out


    where he''s hiding." As all the gang cars stopped, Daisy began to worry about Edward. There were too


    many of them. She had destroyed quite a few of their cars, but there were still a dozen more. So it was


    not hard to estimate how many people were up there.


    Unlike her, Edward had never been trained for fights like this. Nor had he faced any situation this


    dangerous. She didn''t know whether Edward could deal with all this. She had to get to Edward as soon


    as possible, or she would remain concerned. And that was a distraction she could''t bear.


    "Mr. Mu, what should we do? There are more of them, and we''re running out of bullets," Luke slid


    toward Edward and said in a low voice.


    "Don''t worry. We''ll find Daisy first. Let''s go to the foot of the hill and meet her there," Edward answered


    while shooting another potential killer dead. As messy as he was, he was still that gorgeous man, as he


    had always been.


    "Okay. Our people are on the way. We just need to hold out until they get here," Luke said. They


    deserved to be arms dealers. The weapons they used were all superb and advanced. Besides, the


    gang outnumbered Edward and Luke, thus turning them from offense to defense.


    This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    The moment Luke finished his words, the man nearest to him had been shot dead and the bullet aimed


    at him now flew to the sky. The man copsed on the ground.


    "Watch out!" Daisy''s elusive figure slipped to their side. The smoking gun in her hand told them that it


    was her that shot the man dead -- and saved Luke''s life.


    "Thank you, Mrs. Mu," Luke knew that he had been too careless just then. If not for Daisy, he would


    have been seriously injured, or even worse, be a corpse. He needed to stay alive, if only to


    protect Edward.


    "Honey, are you alright?" Edward was thrilled to see that Daisy was all safe. But his heart instantly fell


    when he saw the blood on her face. She was a mess, so she must have tussled with those arms


    dealers at close range.


    "I''m okay. Now quick! Behind the hill! I need to set a sniper point there. Hurry!" Daisy felt so lucky that


    she knew all about this city, its terrain in particr, only because she could find out the best shooting


    points there so quickly.


    With the bright Moon, they could see clearly what the gang members were doing. And the gang''s car


    lights actually made them more visible in the dark night.


    "Is it heavy?" Edward felt so bad that Daisy had to carry such a heavy rifle, yet he couldn''t help her


    carry it. For snipers, the rifle must be brought with them. So he just looked at her affectionately.


    "I''m used to it. Come on, find your hiding ce." Just like Edward thought, by the time Luke and him


    had found decent hiding ces, Daisy had set up the rifle, got down, aimed at the target, loaded and


    shot. She did all these in mere handful of seconds. She was quick and smooth.

 Chapter 407 The Harley Girl (Part One)

    Chapter 407 The Harley Girl (Part One)


    One shot, one dead. Almost every sniper should be capable of this. Daisy was a maestro of military


    skill. So it was a piece of cake for her.


    She fired five shots continuously and hit her targets with each bullet. She was just an amazing sniper!


    One would hardly guess that ady would have such a masterful sniping style. But Daisy had that and


    more. And she was a female high-ranking military officer, to boot!


    "Shit. Howe the snipers are everywhere? Where the hell are our snipers?" Though these


    desperadoes were used to the fugitive life, their hearts were stricken with fear when seeing their


    confederates fall suddenly in front of them. They stopped and dared not to step any further. They were


    scared that they too would earn a bullet for their indiscretion.


    The corners of Daisy''s mouth turned up slightly. She trained her gun on the next target. She was not a


    killer. However, being kind to your enemies sometimes is the same as being cruel to yourself. She


    always kept this principle in her mind. Therefore, the more dangerous the situation got, the crueler she


    should be to avoid being killed by others.


    The hiding ce is extremely important to professional shooters. Once they are discovered by the


    sniper of the other party, they either change their hiding spot, or die. And Daisy knew it well. So she


    would carefully watch her surroundings to see whether she was noticed by others or not each time after


    she fired. Once she felt that she was exposed, she would leave without any hesitation.


    Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    A sparking bullet whistled past Daisy''s ear once again. ''Oh, bad!'' Daisy thought to herself, ''I''m


    exposed. Fortunately he doesn''t know the exact spot. That''s the only reason I''m still alive. Damn! I


    have to be more careful!''


    But even it was a minor mistake, Daisy took advantage of it and shot back sessfully. Her target


    groaned and then fell down. She hit the target with deadly uracy. And she broke out in a cold sweat


    as well. She could do this all day, except for the fact that they were running low on ammo.


    "Let''s move." said Edward. He figured out that she was discovered. So when another man approached


    them, he raised his gun and shot the man immediately.


    On the other side, Luke threw out several darts without hesitation. Though not every dart cut a throat,


    he sessfully brought down the pistols leveled by the desperadoes, and bought lots of time for Daisy


    to locate another sniping spot.


    However, more and more of them were gathering and shooting at them. They found it more and more


    difficult to whittle them down, especially when they were running out of bullets. So Daisy, Edward and


    Luke soon went to ground and hid themselves in the bushes. They were staring at the people


    approaching them.


    "Colonel, stop fighting! You know it''s in vain! You''d better show up. Be a good girl and ept my


    affection! I promise you''ll love it!" He was indeed a hawk. Even in such a dangerous situation, he was


    still showing his lust.


    Edward''s eyesight froze all of a sudden when he heard it. Even though he might expose himself, he still


    raised his gun and spat a bullet at thatscivious man. Everyone had thought the hawk would surely be


    shot. However, he pulled one of his men nearby to him, and positioned him in front of himself. The poor


    boy was used as a shield and got killed by the bullet. What a sinister and ruthless man he was!


    Everyone paused for a few seconds, frozen due to what they saw. Daisy took advantage of the time


    and pulled the trigger nonstop and fired at the batch of bandits. Meanwhile, Luke kept throwing his


    darts in the melee. Several darts left his hands immediately and flew out into different directions.


    The screams and cries came out at once. When these bandits realized what had happened, they


    started sting bullets crazily into their hiding ce. They couldn''t move, they couldn''t even breathe,


    and they were perilously close to being shot more than once.


    At this moment, a scream broke out. It was especially shrill in the suburbs at midnight. And it was


    getting closer to the battlefield.


    "Ahhh! Ahhh! ... Everyone move! Move! It''s out of control! Move NOW!" A pretty girl was riding a Harley


    dashing towards them, with the head of the motor lurching to one side. Obviously, the brake failed to


    work.


    "Oh damn it! Who''s that girl?" said those bandits in surprise. As a matter of fact, they could just shoot


    her to avoid being hit by the motor. However, the problem was that there were cars following her. Those


    cars were shing their high beams. They could even hardly open their eyes due to the strong light, let


    alone handle Daisy and others. They could do nothing but bumble about to avoid being hit by the


    rushing Harley.


    The bandits'' cars were just stopped there and the Harley zoomed to one of them and kissed it. Then a


    loud noise of "boom" burst out and everything went silentter on. Unavoidably, the girl on the Harley


    was thrown from the motorbike and flew through the air. Luckily there was a thickyer of hay so she


    did not get hurt much, though shended hard. She escaped broken bones, but there were a few raw


    patches.


    "Miss, Miss, are you alright?" The cars following her jammed on their brakes sharply. They left their


    cars, and all the men rushed out anxiously to the diminutive girl and lent a hand to set her upright.


    "Shoot! I''m alright, but try anything and you won''t be! Damn it. I''ll get even with that thieving vendor. He


    sold me a defective motorbike!" The girl cursed arrogantly and aggressively. Her face was full of


    unruliness and anger.


    "Yeah, we need to go find that guy! Though the bike was stolen by us, he was misleading us with a


    defective bike first. We could have been killed!" Several men in ck shouted their agreement with the


    girl. They did not care about the danger surrounding them at all.


    "Yeah, you''re right. I am not bad at driving a motorbike. It''s the bike that is wrong and caused this


    mess," said the girl as if she was redefining reality. And she was ming anyone but herself. And


    anyone could tell that what happened today was definitely not for the first time.


    "What The Fuck? Are you fucking blind? What are we to you? Dead?" The man with a scar on his face


    lost his temper and yelled loudly at first. Looking at these people who were ignoring thempletely,


    he got extremely angry.


    "Uh! I''m sorry! I forget that you are here. But what are you doing here at night? Shooting a movie?


    What''s the name of it? Probably ''Midnight Ghosts''?" The girl raised her beautiful face and a sh of


    interest and willingness was shining in her eyes.


    "''Midnight Ghosts'', that''s not bad. Little girl, you know what? Our boss will definitely please youter


    on. God knows that a female military officer is not enough, so he sent another little girl to our boss?" A


    man with a pock-marked face said with a lewd smile and shook the gun in his hand in front of the girl,


    trying to frighten her. Her scream would make him happy.

 Chapter 408 The Harley Girl (Part Two)

    Chapter 408 The Harley Girl (Part Two)


    "Well! Isn''t it just a prop? Who would be scared of that? Old man, you look like a fool to me. And you''re


    trying to make me look like a fool too," said the girl. She was supercilious towards him and did not


    consider the big gun in his hand as something terrible at all. The pock-marked man was irritated so


    much by her arrogance that he fired a shot beside her feet.


    "Ouch! Oh my god! It''s a real gun! So you are actually using a real gun while shooting a movie?" The


    girl was frightened so much that she lept away, and then tried to put some distance between him and


    her. She stared at the gun in the pock-marked man''s hand with fear in her eyes. The gun was still


    smoking, and the faint smell of gunpowder wafted through the air.


    "It seems that they are not shooting a movie now, Miss. Take a look, there are no cameras." A cool


    man followed her. He came close to her and whispered. Meanwhile, he put his hand into the pocket of


    his suit as if he was trying to take something out.


    "Well, well! Uh, it seems we went in the wrong direction just now. No, we are sleepwalking now. So you


    can just ignore us. Go on, please! ... Please. You idiots, just run!" Just then, the girl took to her heels


    and ran into the bushes. Oh my God! Did she happen to run into a real gunfight? Just took a look at


    those big guns in their hands! They were much better and more advanced than the ones her Dragon


    Faction had. Fight if you can, run away if you cannot. That was her motto. So she escaped away


    immediately when she found something unusual. Only a fool would still stay there and wait for bullets.


    What a dramatic scene! Daisy and others were hiding themselves and they saw everything. If they


    were not trapped in danger now, they would definitely treat it as aedy. However, their situation was


    serious and there was no time for them to think, much lessugh. So they changed hiding ces


    secretly while they listened to the nonsense conversation.


    Gunshots rang out fiercely once again. However, they were not targeted at Daisy and others. Instead,


    they were firing at that cute and lovely girl and her men.


    "Oh damn it! Why, these people aren''t funny at all! Come on, it was just a joke. You''re seriously going


    to kill me for this? I''ll stop! Okay?" The girl was shouting while running around. She was yelling so


    loudly as if she was afraid that they could not locate her. However, there seemed to be a pair of eyes at


    her back and none of the bullets met her.


    "Stop shouting anymore, Miss. Or we''re all gonna die." A man at her heels reminded her. At the same


    time, he kept shooting backwards to fight back against those bandits.


    Daisy frowned slightly. Seeing there were several men running after the girl, she squeezed the trigger


    with her finger. Several bullets flew out like the strong wind and shot them between the eyes on the


    heads. One kill with one shot. Each gunshot was decisive and murderous.


    As a soldier, she would never leave innocent people behind. So even running the risk of being


    discovered, she had to do something and shot back. Otherwise, she would not deserve to be a soldier


    and wear the handsome olive-green army uniform.


    "Wow... No way! It''s really a gun fight." The girl was still babbling all the way. Soon she ran into the


    hiding ce where Daisy and others were. She was about to open her mouth and shout when Luke


    moved closer to her and pped his hand over her mouth to stop her from screaming out. Meanwhile,


    he wrestled her to the ground.


    The girl was staring at Daisy and the others with wide eyes, trying to decide whether they were good or


    bad.


    This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    "Miss, Miss, where are you?" Her entourages were following her, yet lost their girl all of a sudden. How


    weird! They grew anxious and started shouting loudly. At the same time, they had to handle those


    bullets being fired at them.


    Looking at this noisy girl, Daisy had to do something. "Hush," Daisy said in a low tone to keep her


    silent. Then she signaled Luke to remove his hand from her mouth.


    "Don''t worry. I am Daisy Ouyang, the Colonel of the Headquarter of Garrison Command in the city. Tell


    your men to find a ce and hide themselves carefully. Those men are evil gunrunners They are cold


    blooded monsters who even wouldn''t blink their eyes when killing people. So follow my words now.


    Don''t act on impulse."


    Daisy knew that everyone, no matter who he or she was, would feel scared when facing this situation.


    She had no way out but to reveal her identity to convince her.


    "Who? Colonel Ouyang? The woman hero whose image was zed all over the daily papers a few


    days ago? Wow! You are really my idol! Hello, Sister Colonel! I am Michelle. My friends call me Mish.


    Wow so it''s really you. Do you know you''re more beautiful than in the newspapers?"


    The girl still wouldn''t shut up. Instead of keeping quiet, she just continued going on and on about Daisy.


    Her eyes were full of excitement.


    Daisy could not help twitching the corners of her mouth heavily. If possible, she really wanted to p


    her until she fainted with all her strength before she told her everything. They were now in great


    danger. She did not think about it at all, and even started to give away their position by opening her


    mouth.


    If it happened in an ordinary situation, Edward would definitely feel pleased to hear other praise his little


    wife so much. However, he was thinking the same as Daisy. How he wished to p her unconscious!


    But he remembered that her appearance had bought some time for them and they got out of the


    troublesome moment. So he decided he would just ept it and keep quiet.


    "Mish, right? What I need you to do is very simple. You just keep silent. You can say as much as you


    like and no one will interrupt you -- after we solve our current problem."


    Daisy frowned. Then she aimed and fired again. An enemy was killed and fell down, and you could


    hear his painful scream. Daisy was excellent at both sniper and pistol. And it was going to be a long


    night.

 Chapter 409 He Fantasized About Sex with You (Part One)

    Chapter 409 He Fantasized About Sex with You (Part One)


    Michelle smiled in embarrassment when her guard shouted at her. She threw a stone at him to catch


    his attention. When the guard spun, ready to speak, Michelle put her forefinger to her lips to hush him


    up. Then she made gestures to show that she was fine and that they should actually stop what they


    were doing and hide.


    Michelle was by no means an easy-going girl. Irritated by Luke''s rude conduct toward her moments


    ago, she began to find fault with him. It seemed she had forgotten what Daisy had told her. Michelle


    said to Luke in an angry tone, "Well, you... should apologize to me."


    In contrast to Daisy''s tolerance to Michelle, Luke was savage in the way he treated this naughty girl. He


    pped her without hesitation. It was so fierce that Michelle passed out. He seemed to have no


    sympathy for any girl. He was really cold-hearted in giving Michelle such a heavy p. What a rude


    monster!


    Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Edward gave Luke a thumb-up approvingly for his brave conduct. At this critical moment, Luke seemed


    to be the only man who was fearless and decisive enough to take action against a capricious girl.


    However, Edward wondered what kind of hell Luke would catch when she woke up. Probably too much


    hell, but too much fun for the rest of the group. To be frank, Edward longed for that moment a lot.


    Daisy''s lip curled to show a trace of disapproval. Although Michelle was behaving improperly, she was


    a tender, pretty young girl. Luke didn''t consider this at all, and pped her to show his displeasure with


    her actions. It seemed he wasn''t willing to spend time and energy in understanding a woman. If this


    was how Luke treated all women, he''d probably find himself perpetually single in the end. And even if


    anyone would marry him in the future, she''d probably get angry with his attitude all the time.


    "It''s quiet now." Luke noticed that Daisy and Edward were looking at him because of his audacious


    behavior, so he curled his lips to force himself to smile. But his attempt only turned out to be futile.


    Actually, he felt no guilt for pping Michelle. He could not smile sincerely enough to defuse the tense


    situation at all. His smile was so perfunctory that they could see through himpletely.


    "How many bullets do you have?" Daisy lowered her voice and asked. They should save their bullets


    as much as possible when Michelle''s men were fighting with the gangsters.


    "Just a few. We''re almost out." Edward furrowed his brow. None of them had imagined that there were


    so many gangsters who were so well equipped. His group had consumed the majority of their bullets in


    the fighting.


    "We must use the rest of our bullets economically! Don''t waste any ammo. Every bullet must be saved


    for a critical moment. If you don''t have a clear shot, don''t waste the bullets." Daisy raised her head to


    look at the gangsters who were approaching inch by inch. A trace of coldness shimmered in her


    sparkling eyes. Then she raised her weapon and targeted at a man hiding behind a tree. She popped


    off a shot as soon as he leaned out from behind the tree to peep.


    Edward looked at Daisy when she was shooting. She was quite decisive and ruthless. She aimed at


    her enemies'' heads, and none of her bullets had missed their target. The enemies died before they


    could breathe theirst. Daisy was indeed calm and cool in killing those gangsters. If he hadn''t seen it


    with his own eyes, Edward would never equate Daisy, the woman who blushed easily in his arms, with


    such a cold-blooded killer.


    "Don''t stare at me. Watch our enemies. This is the moment of death or survival. Even the smallest


    mistake could mean your death."


    Daisy''s face darkened when she spoke to Edward. She clearly understood that Edward would certainly


    have a different opinion toward her after this bloody killing.


    Daisy, of course, wanted to hide her dark side from Edward, if possible. But to survive this, they had to


    kill everyone. No time for mercy, no time for remorse. Mercy would mean they''d be sitting ducks, and


    the gangsters would be the duck hunters. She knew this instinctively, but she wasn''t sure if Edward and


    Luke did.


    Edward frowned at Daisy''s darkened face. Her expression and tone indicated a trace of anger at him.


    ''Did I enrage her? Why does she get mad at me?'' Edward asked himself while looking at Daisy.


    Edward understood what Daisy had said was exactly right. He could not afford to pay attention to


    something else other than the fight at this critical moment. Then he joined the fight again with all his


    attention and strength.


    Their enemies were apparently stunned by Daisy''s urate shooting. As a result, they hid themselves


    and held their fire to some extent.


    "Shit! You''re all fools! Find them! They''re just a couple of people, and you outnumber them! All of you


    are ipetent idiots. What are you waiting for? You want me to be arrested by the special troops


    again!"


    Hawk cast a nce at his watch, and calcted the shortest time the troops could arrive in. He had


    nned to leave the city as soon as he escaped from the prison. However, he identally read an


    article about the wife of the CEO of the FX International Group. He recognized Daisy, as she was the


    female colonel who had plotted to seduce him and arrested him in the bar.


    Daisy was stunningly beautiful. Hawk was fascinated by her from the time they first met. She looked


    sexually delectable with delicate make-up. But Daisy didn''t wear any make-up on the picture of the


    news. Her beauty was natural. There was no ws in her whiteplexion. And her aloof manner


    added attraction to her elegance. That was a different kind of beauty that Hawk had never seen before.


    Hawk had, of course, vowed to take revenge for his arrest. So he waited after his escape from prison.


    He must sleep with the beautiful colonel before he ended her life. But he had never imagined that his


    men were so stupid. They couldn''t find Daisy and capture her.


    As Hawk had already issued the order, everyone had to obey it. They all rushed out from behind their


    hiding ces. Hawk''s closest bodyguards joined the fight as well.


    "Shit. It seems they want to kill all of us. What do you think?" Daisy was calm and cool all the time. But


    she began to feel nervous while seeing those gangsters rushing towards them. The bullets whizzed


    past their ears and whooshed into the brush behind them.


    "Listen to me. You must capture that female colonel alive. How can I sleep with a dead woman?"


    Although Hawk was a lecher by nature, he was not a necrophilia man.


    "Fuck! You''ve sealed your fate, bastard!" Edward got irrigated again by Hawk''s remarks. He cared


    nothing about the distance between him and the enemy. He raised his gun, aimed at one of the


    gangsters, and shot.


    "Edward, quit wasting bullets and protect yourself!" Daisy turned to pull down Edward, who was


    shooting at the enemies in fury. No sooner had they hid themselves than several bullets were shot into


    the tree behind Edward where he had stood just now. It was so dangerous and so lucky. Daisy felt her


    body drenched in cold sweats.

 Chapter 410 He Fantasized About Sex with You (Part Two)

    Chapter 410 He Fantasized About Sex with You (Part Two)


    "Sorry! Are you okay?" Edward bit his lip in anger. Although he was a polite gentleman, he would go


    mad when it came to matters concerning Daisy. He was even unable to think like a normal person.


    "I am fine. Don''t do that again. Don''t pay attention to what he said. It''s just talk. He cannot rape me with


    his imagination," Daisy rolled her eyes while speaking with Edward furiously. Due to his recklessness,


    they must have exposed themselves now. It would be more difficult for them to deal with those


    gangsters.


    "But he fantasized about sex with you. I can''t let him live." Edward said furiously. If they were in a safer


    ce, Edward would have pushed Daisy down on the bed for her contemptuous attitude just now. He


    liked to punish Daisy with his kisses and caresses for every arrogant thing that she did.


    "Hmm..." Edward''s jealousy delighted Daisy. She had been tense since the beginning of the fight.


    However, Edward''s childish remarks struck her as funny. She shed him a brilliant smile for the first


    time tonight. When she raised her head to nce at the sky, she noticed a ray of purple light


    shimmering in the air. Daisy could not help butugh heartily, as the Falcon soldiers wereing.


    The purple light was a special sign for all Falcon members. Only Falcon soldiers could recognize this


    encrypted sign and decipher its meaning. Even themander had no way to understand it.


    "Hold on. Just in ten minutes, everything will be fine here." Daisy''s eyes swept around the


    surroundings. She finally let out a sigh of relief after seeing the Falcon soldiers who were secretly


    surrounding the area.


    "Colonel Ouyang, are you okay?" A Falcon soldier in camouge coat suddenly appeared. It was so


    unexpected that he seemed as though he were a ghost from under the ground.


    "We''re all fine. Hawkeye, are all of you here?" Daisy said with a frown. She didn''t think that even


    Hawkeye woulde here to their rescue. Didn''t Major General make a fuss over a trifle by sending


    her so many excellent soldiers like Hawkeye?


    "No, just half of us. Major General has deployed forces around the area. I juste to verify your


    location." Hawkeye was thickly camouged. The only exposed parts were his eyes. As a result, no


    one could know what Hawkeye really looked like.


    "Hmm! Understood. You can take action now! Please capture Hawk alive. I need him alive." Daisy


    regained her calm and coolness as a female colonel. She looked stern and dignified even without her


    olive-green military uniform.


    The result was predictable. Arms dealers and rogues were by no means matched for experienced


    professional special soldiers. The gangsters suffered tremendous losses as soon as the Falcon


    soldiers joined. Like Daisy had expected, silence dominated this ce in just ten minutes. Compared to


    Daisy, the Falcon soldiers seemed faster and much more ruthless. They were brutally efficient. They


    were like bloodthirsty animals. With gun in hand, they could easily end a life without hesitation.


    Although the enemies were evil gangsters, their distressing deaths would have shocked and terrified


    ordinary people as well.


    "Let''s move! We''re clear." Daisy smiled proudly. Falcon was indeed an elite troop. The mission ended


    much earlier than nned. It seemed Major General had spent too much time and energy training the


    soldiers.


    "So are all of you this fast in achieving mission objectives? This action ended in just a few minutes. Is


    this your ordinary speed?" Edward said in a gentle tone while looking at Daisy. He stretched out his


    hand and pulled out a stalk of grass from her hair.


    "It depends on who the enemy is. For disorderly mobs like these, this is how fast we can terminate


    them. But for some well-trained and well-armed gangsters, a few minutes are, of course, not enough. It


    usually takes us several hours to end a fight with them.


    Daisy smiled in embarrassment. It was fortunate that gangsters here tonight were ordinary rogues. So


    they could fight against them for quite a long time. Had they encountered some drug traffickers or


    mercenaries, they would have been dead in thirty minutes after the start of the fight. In that case, they


    would have had no chance to wait to be rescued.


    "Commencing my report, Colonel. Missionpleted. 45 dead, and 30 captured alive. We suffered no


    casualties. Major General is contacting the Police Station for cleanup." A Falcon soldier came to report


    to Daisy when she intended to leave. He wore a camouge coat and his face was painted with colors


    as well. He looked very much like Hawkeye. It was due to his voice that Daisy could distinguish him


    from Hawkeye. She wondered if she''d be expected to write this up.


    "All right. I got it. Did you capture Hawk or not?" Daisy asked, walking towards the Falcon group. Hawk


    was a bastard. He had too many dirty ideas. Daisy was considering a perfect ce for him. As he liked


    to fuck, why not shut him up with known felons? Then he would have a nice experience being their


    prison bitch. Daisy wondered if they would make him wear a wig? Daisy made up her mind to tell the


    warden her idea.


    "Colonel Ouyang, Mr. Mu, are you okay!" Kevin threw Hawk aside when he saw Daisy and Edward


    walking towards him. Hawk was unwilling to keep quiet even if he was captured. He roared dirty words


    at Daisy when he saw her.


    "We''re fine. We are so lucky that you arrived here in time." Daisy looked around the surroundings, and


    then gazed at Hawk who had yelled and dreamed of bedding with her. She sneered. But Hawk was a


    loser worthy of no her feelings, even contempt. Daisy showed him her cold face, saying nothing, and


    then left.


    "I''m hard to kill." Edward always behaved slovenly and casually in front of Kevin. Although he was


    terribly disheveled, he still retained an air of nobility. The noble quality was deeply ingrained in his


    blood.


    Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "Help! These soldiers..." Hawk spat the words, "killed people! I will report your crime to the court. You


    killed so many innocent people. Dare to take a singlebat with me? Alone? You''re only capable of


    bullying the weak." Vile people could never get rid of their vile qualities. People like Hawk, were the


    most shameless bastards among them. He, of course, knew that his men had outnumbered the Falcon


    soldiers to arge extent. He initiated the fighting and intended to kill each and everyone of them. He


    was a criminal. But the criminal was shameless enough to distort the truth. He seemed like a thief who


    was yelling "Catch the thief!" when he was arrested by the police. Hawk was


    despicable.

 Chapter 411 Edward Got Shot (Part One)

    Chapter 411 Edward Got Shot (Part One)


    "Shut the fuck up! Trying to y innocent now? Innocent my ass!" A special trooper grabbed Hawk


    tightly, and kicked him forcefully in the butt.


    "Are you saying that you are weak? Did you feel that when you were trying to kill us? Don''t you see that


    you are outnumbering us. You talk about ethics when you are weak, and throw ethics to the wind when


    you''re strong." Raising her eyebrows, Daisy red at Hawk mockingly. The expression in her eyes was


    disdainful.


    "Bah! They say Colonel Daisy Ouyang won her position through her own strength and military prowess,


    but I don''t believe it for a second. If you want to convince me, you''ll have to beat me one on one, "


    Retorted Hawk, changing the topicpletely. Sneering wryly to Daisy, he cast a evil nce at her as


    he spoke. As he couldn''t have Daisy, he felt more itchy for her. Especially when she was so close to


    him, he was even more hell-bent to have her in his bed.


    "How dare you! Do you think you''re worthy enough to challenge her? Know your ce, scum! You


    have to go through me first!" snapped Hawkeye. He went over and grabbed Hawk by his cor.


    Beneath Hawkeye''s face paint was a face darkened in anger.


    "Fuck you! Why do I have to beat you first? I want to fight Colonel Daisy!" Hawk spat at Hawkeye as he


    spoke, making a defiant mockery of him.


    Hawkeye was enraged. He threatened, "Be quiet, scum! One more word, I''ll shoot you on the spot.


    Don''t spit on me, fartknocker!" Gnashing his teeth, he hit Hawk in the jaw with the gun''s stock, eyes


    burning with fury. Hawk was knocked to the ground.


    "What? You want to shoot me just because you''re pissed? How dare you kill an innocent citizen at will!


    What an awful soldier you are!" Hawk started yelling dramatically, with unprecedented exaggeration


    and shamelessness. He was a much better actor than Edward.


    "Step aside, Hawkeye. If he wants to have a taste of my iron fist, I can grant his request. How can I be


    so heartless as to refuse his death wish?"


    Daisy suddenly ordered, gesturing Hawkeye to stand aside. Her expression was cold and solemn,


    without revealing any of her true feelings.


    "Colonel..." Hawkeye hesitated. He didn''t want Daisy to fight Hawk. In his opinion, the colonel deserved


    better than apetition with a cunning hoodlum.


    Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    "Are you questioning my orders, soldier?" snapped Daisy with unquestionable authority.


    "No, Ma''am." Hawkeye reluctantly answered. He was still angry with Hawk, so he grabbed his body


    and mmed him down hard.


    "Okay now. How do you want me to prove my military prowess?" Daisy asked arrogantly. At the same


    time, she started warming up. Sheced her fingers and stretched out her arms, cracking her knuckles.


    "I''d like apetition of marksmanship, but you won''t trust me with a firearm. Let''s just have a fist fight!


    Do you know martial arts?" Hawk sneered wickedly. He did not believe that a woman would be strong


    enough to beat him. Besides, at close range, he could cop a feel in some way. You could see the


    lecherous look cross his face.


    As an old saying went, "It would be so romantic to die under a pretty woman''s skirt." The same went for


    hand to handbat with a pretty colonel. Although Hawk was captured, he''d never give up his lustful


    nature.


    Martial arts? Daisy snorted. Give it another twenty years. Only when Hawk was as good as Kevin at


    martial arts would he stand a chance beating her.


    Standing aside and watching, Edward was not at all nervous. He had seen the strength and the great


    skills possessed by his little woman. Compared with her, a lecherous man like Hawk wasn''t nearly as


    fit. And he was sure that Daisy must have her own thoughts about this. With all the wretched things


    Hawk had just said, Daisy would definitely beat him up. Or else she wouldn''t ept his challenge.


    "I do. Let''s start." Daisy was d that she was wearing a jumpsuit today. If she were wearing a skirt,


    she would have to avoid fierce movements.


    Hearing that, Hawk smirked. He got up from the ground, and approached Daisy slowly. His eyes


    roamed around her body greedily, as he wondered how he could get his hands on her.


    Daisy was not a cruel person, but she wasn''t so generous to forgive a man who was coveting her. As


    she noticed his creepy gaze, her face fell with anger. Eyes narrowed and lips tightened, she rushed


    forward, aiming a punch at him before he could even pose for the fight. Her attack was aimed at his


    eye, as he was licking every inch of her skin with his gaze.


    Although it looked like an ordinary punch, people who studied martial arts could see how powerful


    Daisy''s punch was. Except for the people who had known her well, everyone was in awe of her


    powerful blow. They marveled at her prowess, as such a delicate beauty was unexpectedly good at


    martial arts.


    "Nice punch,"plimented Hawk. He was lustful, but still, he was also a master of martial arts. After


    all, he was a member of the criminal underworld, and if he hadn''t known how to fight, he would''ve been


    long dead. Thus, as Daisy''s attack headed his way, he easily stepped aside and dodged. He dodged


    so easily that he was even able to fight back, reaching out a hand to take hold of Daisy''s waist.


    But Daisy saw through this ruse. She swiftly drew her fist back and kicked him in his shin instead. As


    Hawk tried to evade her attack again, she took the chance to punch his face, and sessfully caught


    him off guard. Her forceful blownded on Hawk''s eye hard.


    Hawk groaned in pain. As he was hit, he became more cautious, daring not to underestimate his pretty


    opponent. However, although he paid great attention to Daisy''s movements, he still failed to follow her.


    This time, Daisy didn''t punch his wounded face, but instead, she stepped on the tree trunk to steady


    herself, then jumped up, and rotated in the air, andnded, kicking him with all her strength. Before he


    could respond, her fist also swung violently and hit him hard on the chest. Hawk winced in pain, but at


    the chance, Daisy kicked him again in the knee, and brought him to the ground.


    "Well fought! Colonel! Colonel! Colonel!" Chanted the special soldiers who were present. They all


    cheered at the sight of their colonel beating the gangster up.


    Edward was also daunted by her elegant and efficient moves. It turned out that her skills in martial arts


    were better than he thought. Did it mean that when they fought with each other for fun, she wasn''t


    fighting with her true strength, but gave in to him on purpose? His "winning" her in fights was merely a


    fluke...


    "What do you say, Hawk? Have I proved myself?" Panting, Daisy looked down at Hawk triumphantly.


    Although her face was as nk as always, in the depths of her eyes, there was a wonderful light,


    dazzling and iparably bright.

 Chapter 412 Edward Got Shot (Part Two)

    Chapter 412 Edward Got Shot (Part Two)


    "Bah! It''s only a fluke." Hawk resisted. However, deep in his heart, Hawk knew that he would never


    beat her in a fight. After all, during the whole fight, he was the one getting beaten, unable tounch an


    attack back. His original n of taking advantage of her was in vain. The woman was so good at


    martial arts, but her skills with a gun were just as good. She had just disyed her shooting skills on a


    racing car. The colonel was so versatile, and skilled inbat.


    "Fluke? But you sucked so bad. You showed nothing but arrogance and stupidity in our fight, which is


    why you failed." That said, Daisy cast ast nce at her opponent before she turned away, and


    walked towards her Edward, knowing nothing about the danger that was about to ur.


    "Watch out, Honey!" Before she knew it, she heard Edward''s anxious shout. Edward grabbed her and


    swung her around, as a gunshot rang out and a bullet mmed into him. Scared, Daisy raised her


    head. She saw the scarred man holding a smoking gun fall to his knees, hands held to his bloody


    abdomen. She turned her attention to Edward, his muscles stiffened in pain. He whispered in her ear,


    "I''m d I protected you from danger." His voice was hoarse and deep, a little louder than murmur. But


    Daisy was thunder struck and horrified. She trembled as she felt the moist and warm blood. An


    unspeakable fit of terror engulfed her.


    "Edward! Stay with me! Stay with me!" She held him in her arms, supporting his slowly falling figure.


    She never felt that his body was so heavy as a sack of lead. Her mind had gone entirely nk, as she


    shook her head crazily, refusing to believe what had happened. She said to herself, it wasn''t true...


    "Edward...No, stay with me, Edward..." Blood oozed from Edward''s wound, and quickly his clothes


    were soaked with blood. Daisy suddenly wanted to cry, not knowing how to bring her lover back from


    death. Luckily, a voice was heard from the crowd, wakening all the scared soldiers. It said, "Call the


    ambnce! Someone do it! Now!" All the people present were shocked by this sad scene, but when


    Kevin gave his orders, they started moving quickly. Who would have thought that a man who had been


    shot could stand up and attack them? They were temporarily overwhelmed by the sense of joy brought


    by Daisy''s victory, and hadn''t paid attention to the criminal that escaped the.


    "Mr. Mu! Mr. Mu! Are you alright?" Called Luke, who just got out of his daze. It was his duty to protect


    Edward, but now, the CEO was wounded and lying on the ground, whereas he was standing still, intact.


    A mistake like that was something that he could not ept.


    "Luke! Hurry up! Call Tom, hurry!" Daisy shouted to him, her pretty face covered in tears. She did not


    know how badly Edward was wounded, and the wound was on his chest, where she dared not press


    with her hands to stop bleeding. All she could do was holding him tight. She could feel his faint breath


    slowing down as sheid his head against her chest.


    "Ro...Roger that! Mrs. Mu! Don''t worry!" Replying to Daisy incoherently, Luke stumbled to grope for the


    phone, eyes filled with fear and panic.


    "Daisy! We can''t dy! If we wait for the ambnce, it will be toote! Hurry, let''s get him into the


    hummer! We''ll drive him to the hospital!" Kevin frowned as he spoke. This ident was caused by his


    neglect. As themander of the whole unit, it should''ve been his duty to confirm whether the


    enemies were down or not. He med himself because it was all his fault.


    "Yes, humvee...humvee...Hawkeye! You drive! General Gu, help me put him into the car!" Daisy was so


    panicked that her whole body was drained of strength. She did not imagine that he would suddenly


    rush forward, still less that he would be so determined to block the bullet aimed at her with his body.


    And the moment he passed out, he was still concerned for her safety. They said that at the crucial


    moment, one tended to reveal his true feelings. She now knew that he loved her so deeply.


    "Yes, colonel!" Hawkeye answered immediately, and ran to the car. Their car was a modified off-road


    vehicle. It had good stability and safety at high speed. It would be nice to use it to transport the


    wounded.


    For the first time, Daisy cried in front of her soldiers. At this moment, she was no longer the colonel


    whose tactics and tenacity were unmatched, nor the dignified tutor of the new recruits, but a crying,


    helpless woman.


    Before long, Edward was carried into the car by Kevin and a special trooper. Daisy helped him lie


    down, settling his head onto her chest. Her face was as pale as Edward''s. The color had drained out of


    her from the fear.


    Belongs to N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "Daisy, don''t worry! Mr. Mu is a strong man. He''s going to be fine. I''ll stay for a moment to clear the


    spot, then I''ll meet you in the hospital." Kevin wasn''t certain when he said Edward was strong, but he


    really did not know what else he could do besidesfort her.


    "Sure! It''s going to be okay...I know it...He''ll be fine..." Daisy echoed eagerly, as sheid a gentle kiss


    on Edward''s hair. Like so many times before, she kissed him tenderly.


    "Mrs. Mu! I''ve called Tom, and he asked us to bring Mr. Mu to the hospital. He''s waiting for us there,"


    said Luke to Daisy. It was not hard to see how nervous and scared he was from the look on his face.


    "Okay! Get in! We don''t know where his hospital is. You need to lead the way." Daisy''s voice was still


    trembling, but she had slowly ovee the helpless horror.


    "Hey? What are you doing? Where are you going?" Just as Luke opened the car door and squeezed in,


    a feminine voice suddenly called. It was Michelle, who just woke up from hera. She had no idea


    what was going on, but as she spotted Luke get into the car, she rushed to him, asking curiously.


    "Get lost!" Luke nced at her from the corner of his eye, and cursed coldly. He then mmed the


    door shut, and the car flew off like an arrow. It rushed at such a high speed that when it passed, the


    fallen leaves floated up and the air stirred.

 Chapter 413 The Warning Lines (Part One)

    Chapter 413 The Warning Lines (Part One)


    The armoured vehicle dashed towards the city. The piercing siren prated the cold night, petrifying


    the creatures of the vast wilderness. Daisy turned a deaf ear to her surroundings. Her heart beat fast


    as she was greatly concerned about the man lying on her chest. He was all she cared for now.


    "Huh..." He slightly coughed in her arms. His sound was so weak, yet it still made her heart skip a beat.


    She was delighted to see his movement. It meant he was still alive. However, what happened the next


    second made her heart freeze. Daisy felt as if she couldn''t breathe anymore.


    "Mrs. Mu, it''s getting worse. Mr. Mu is coughing up blood now. His nose is also full of blood." As he was


    facing Edward, Luke noticed what was going on straightaway.


    "Hawkeye, floor it. Hurry up!" The distance seemed endless. Daisy''s heart was heavy with heartache.


    She felt hopeless as the destination seemed impossible to reach. She hated to admit that she was


    weak and helpless. At this moment, a horrible desperation seized her. She had never been this


    petrified before, even when she was chased away by the Ouyang family.


    "Yes, Colonel." Despite the vehicle already reaching top speed, Hawkeye still obeyed hermand.


    He knew right now, the Colonel''s attention was not on their speed at all, but on the heavily wounded


    handsome man in her arms.


    "Honey, please don''t scare me like this. You haven''t finished the things you promised me yet. You can''t


    leave me alone like this..." Daisy''s hands trembled uncontrobly. She had never been this desperate.


    Even when she was walking between life and death, she was not this scared. She couldn''t possibly


    figure out how to carry on with her own life if she ever lost him.


    "I am so sorry! So sorry! So sorry! I... shouldn''t have acted impulsively. I shouldn''t... have stayed there


    and tried to teach Hawk a lesson. Otherwise, we could have retreated earlier and you wouldn''t get hurt


    rescuing me."


    Although she promised him that she would never say "sorry" to his face, she couldn''t help apologizing


    to him right now. She only hoped that by saying sorry to him, things would go back to normal, to a time


    when he was still safe and sound. The guilt and remorse nearly broke her heart, and tears filled her


    eyes. She wanted nothing more than hispanionship for a lifetime. As long as he could make it, she


    would rather him get annoyed by her mumbling "sorry" to his face, than see him lying motionless in her


    arms.


    As if he heard her words, Edward''s eyebrows slightly furrowed. His palm in her hands also moved a


    little. It seemed that he was really bothered by her apology. Even if he was heavily wounded, he still


    cared about the issue of hearing her saying sorry.


    "Mrs. Mu, don''t worry too much. Mr. Mu is a lucky man and he will survive this. We won''t lose him."


    Luke was also petrified by the situation. He saw the preupied Daisy and felt greatly sorry for her.


    However, as a brave man, he must take control of the situation and remain calm. Right now, he needed


    to focus so he could attend to Edward better.


    "Luke, are we there yet? Is everything gonna be alright?" Tears kept running down her cheeks. Daisy


    couldn''t help crying. She cried as if life itself were going to end. All these years of hardship and sorrow


    flooded towards her, Daisy found it hard to wipe away the tears that refused to leave her eyes.


    "We are entering the downtown area. I hope the road is smooth." Luke raised his eyebrow. He was


    concerned about the traffic in the city. Although it was midnight, the streets were still asionally


    packed with cars. He was afraid that the traffic lights would also dy their progress.


    "Hawkeye, please notify the city center of our location and apply for a green path." A green path meant


    that cops would block off intersections -- they wouldn''t have to deal with other vehiclesing in from


    sidestreets. Daisy finally came to her senses and hastily gave orders to Hawkeye. It was critical that


    they could move along as smoothly as possible.


    "Colonel, don''t worry. Major General Gu has already approved the green path for us. Otherwise, we


    wouldn''t be moving along this smoothly so far." Hawkeye knew Kevin well enough. The Major General


    was a man who paid great attention to elementary details. Therefore, it came to him as no surprise that


    as soon as they entered the city, each intersection was blocked by police cars with ring lights.


    Behind them, the traffic was also efficiently stopped by the traffic officers.


    The whole city was suffering a tension at midnight. People could feel it in the air. Pedestrians and cars


    were diverted to a different route. Everyone could tell that something major had happened, however


    they didn''t have a clue what exactly was going on. The traffic officers who were on holiday were


    urgently called back to be put on duty. Under the direct order from the Department Chief, warning lines


    were put all around the city.


    It was at this moment that Luke felt the vast difference between civilians and army officials. His young


    mistress could easily get things done and got them a green path. The whole city was making a way for


    them to travel through without any glitch. It was not something that mere money could manage. It


    urred to Luke that sometimes power outweighed money.


    The dark green coloured AFV dashed toward Tom Qin''s privileged hospital like a storm. With the help


    of both the traffic department and police department, they were unstoppable all the way. The traffic


    lights were always green and the streets were thoroughly emptied for them. Apart from police officers,


    they didn''t see any civilians in the streets. The Major General had done them a great favor and made


    things possible for them.


    Heads turned to the AFV as it stormed into the far distance. People started to guess who on earth was


    inside the vehicle. He must be someone of great importance as all the policemen in the city were called


    to make way for him. He couldn''t be some mere low-ranking official. People used to gossip about the


    youngest female colonel in the city being the wife of the CEO of FX International Group, and now there


    was something new for them to gossip about.


    "Move, move, move. Everyone, hurry up!" As soon as the AFV pulled in front of the hospital, the waiting


    medical team jumped into action. It was a matter of life and death, no one dared to ck off at this


    critical moment. The patient must be someone important, as the head of the hospital had given clear


    orders to treat him with priority.


    Edward was efficiently transferred onto a stretcher. An oxygen mask covered his face. Daisy''s clothes


    were stained with his blood, but she couldn''t care less about how she looked right now. She held onto


    his hand tightly, she simply couldn''t let him go.


    Tom had fully prepared for the forting surgery. He cautiously paced in front of the surgery room,


    his face looked serious. He was concerned about Edward''s wound. He knew he was shot in the chest


    but he had no idea where exactly the bullet entered. The limited information he got from Luke''s call


    didn''t help much as he couldn''t make an educated guess and foresee the oue of the surgery.


    Finally, with the stretchering to his way, Tom breathed a sigh of relief and earnestly guided them


    into the waiting room.


    "Daisy, rx please. He will make it." Tom quickly checked Edward''s wound whileforting Daisy so


    she could calm down.


    "Tom, please, please save Edward''s life for me." At the sight of Tom, Daisy felt much better. She finally


    saw a glimpse of hope in his gaze. Edward once told her that Tom''s medical skills were extraordinary.


    This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    "Trust me. I won''t let you down. I will save his life and nothing can take him away from you." Tom made


    a swift yet thorough check on Edward. He was heavily wounded, worse than he had expected.


    However, he was confident he could use his surgical skills to bring him back to health. Tom was


    determined to give Daisy a hale and hearty Edward through his skills.


    "Hurry up. Get him onto the table. Set up an IV line ASAP. Start transferring blood to the patient and


    bring his oxygen levels up. Prepare Coramine 0.375g and Robeline 3mg to drip."


    Tom rapidly spoke to his assistants, his voice was calm and authoritative. Then he nodded to Daisy and


    walked straight into the surgery room. The door slowly closed in front of Daisy, her heart seized.


    "Doctor Qin, the patient has a low heart rate and his blood pressure is plunging." The assistant kept a


    close eye on the situation and updated Tom.


    "Insert 1mg epinephrine through IV line and use Dopamine to increase the pressure." Tom''s eyebrows


    furrowed more deeply. It was quite normal toe across abnormalities during a surgery. However, as


    a trained professional, he knew how to remain calm. In the face of danger, the calmer he was, the


    better solution he coulde up with.

 Chapter 414 The Warning Lines (Part Two)

    Chapter 414 The Warning Lines (Part Two)


    Meanwhile, Daisy couldn''t rest at all. She kept pacing restlessly outside of the surgery room. Heads


    turned, eyes went wide for her as her clothes were stained with Edward''s blood.


    "Mrs. Mu, please sit down and rest for a while! I have just called your inws, I am sure they''ll be here


    in no time." The moment Edward was sent into the OR, Luke immediately called Jonathan. He felt


    obliged to inform Edward''s parents about their son''s situation. Jonathan paused for a long time on the


    phone. Luke could imagine how devastated the old man was when he heard the sad news.


    "Luke, Tom is renowned for his extraordinary skills, isn''t he?" Daisy felt nervous about the surgery.


    Although Tom had promised her that he would deliver a sound Edward to her in no time, she still


    couldn''t help thinking about the worst.


    "Of course, domestically, he ranks among the top surgeons. However, I don''t know what is his


    reputation across the globe." Luke only cared about Edward, he didn''t pay much attention to Edward''s


    friends. Therefore, he couldn''t give Daisy an objective review on Tom''s medical skills.


    "Colonel, have a sip please." Hawkeye gently handed a cup of hot coffee to Daisy. His boss was


    always a tough woman. Right now, he was not used to seeing her being scared and weak.


    "Thank you! You should head back and support them! I will be fine." Daisy took a sip of the coffee to


    soothe her nerves. Edward was still in danger and she needed to be brave for him. She was also


    surprised to see Hawkeye''s kind gesture. Her soldiers were all tough men who underwent hard training


    day and night. However, they were also gentle and considerate when they needed to be.


    "Yes, Colonel. I will set off now to support them. Please take good care of yourself and don''t worry too


    much. I am sure Edward will be fine." As a special forces soldier, he had faced many critical situations.


    He was quite indifferent to death itself. However, he was greatly moved by the love between his


    Colonel and her husband. He couldn''t bear to see the sad look on her face.


    "Sure. Go ahead! Be safe." Daisy lifted her hand and brushed the loose hair away from her eyes. Her


    heart and soul were filled with a sorrow and loneliness that epassed her entire being. It was once


    Edward''s favorite thing, he loved to tidy her hair for her and she enjoyed every bit of his gentle touch.


    He treated her as the apple of his eye when he moved some of her hair away from her eyes. She knew


    that was his unique way of saying "I love you". But right now, he was lying there on the cold surgery


    table, not knowing how desperately she wanted him back.


    Hawkeye stood straight, solemnly saluted to Daisy and strode away. Although his face was covered


    with greasepaint and his look couldn''t be read easily, Daisy still could sense his deep concern for her


    from hisst heated gaze.


    All of sudden an rm went off. The surgeons scrambled to different positions to respond to this new


    development. "Doctor Qin, the patient''s heart just stopped!" The sudden panicky shouted from the


    assistant made Tom raise an eyebrow. He was not pleased at his assistant''s reaction. When operating


    a critical surgery, one should always remain calm. He wondered if he had used the wrong guy for this


    job. Was this actually his first time in surgery? How could he possibly not foresee a situation like that?


    "Insert 1mg E and 0.1g Lidocaine and 1mg Atropine now. Start the closed thoracic drainage and keep


    the blood transfer smooth." Tom straightened his back as he calmly gave a string of orders to the rest.


    Sweat beaded on his forehead, but his hands were steady and his attention was fully focused. The


    bullet went through the lung, but fortunately it missed the heart. Otherwise, Edward would have died


    onsite and they wouldn''t be able to rescue him right now here in the hospital.


    The surgery went on for a long and tedious time. Anything could happen at any time. Cynthia rapidly


    walked over with Jonathan''s arm around her waist. The moment she learned about the tragedy, she


    fainted. Jonathan picked her up, and it was his strong arms that enabled her toe to the hospital.


    Justin was walking beside them, his eyes were red and his tiny face was covered with the salty trails of


    dried up tears.


    "Mom, Dad." Daisy painfully bit on her bottom lip. Tears welled up in her eyes again as she saw her


    family walking toward her.


    Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "My dear child, don''t be afraid. Everything will turn out fine." Cynthia opened her arms and embraced


    Daisy tightly. She didn''t care about the blood stain on her clothes at all. At this moment, all she wanted


    to do was to give Daisy a warm hug andfort her trembling heart. Cynthia patted Daisy''s back softly.


    She was petrified herself but she couldn''t show her weakness as she knew right now Daisy needed the


    comfort.


    "Mom, I am so sorry. It was all my fault. He only caught the bullet to rescue me. If I ...If I..." Tears


    rapidly ran down her cheeks. Standing right in front of the surgery room where the love of her life was


    lying, Daisy was no longer a tough female Colonel, nor was she a cold-faced fighter confronting


    gangsters. Right now, she was just a weak woman who cared greatly about the life of her husband.


    "Don''t talk like that. It is his responsibility to save your life. Please don''t me yourself for what


    happened, otherwise he''ll feel bad when he wakes up." Cynthia shook her head and tried her best to


    comfort Daisy. However, as a mother, she couldn''t help worrying about her son. She trembled


    uncontrobly at the thought of the worst oue.


    "Mommy, is Daddy still being operated on?" Justin raised his head and tried to ask her in a calm voice.


    He was scared, sad and yet he had to pretend that he was brave enough to face the tragedy. In front of


    his beloved mother, he was always the devoted son who would provide support andfort for her


    anytime and anywhere. Right now, he needed to be strong for her.


    "Justin." Daisy left Cynthia''s arms, knelt down on the floor and hugged Justin with all her force as if


    someone was going to steal him away from her.


    "Mommy, stop crying. Otherwise, you won''t look pretty anymore! Daddy only loves prettydies. So you


    should stop crying and make yourself pretty so that when Daddy wakes up, he gets to see the best


    version of you." Justin bit on his bottom lip hard. He bravely raised his head and forced himself to look


    at the ceiling. He couldn''t let tears run down his cheeks in front of his mother. He believed that his


    father would be fine eventually. He wanted him back. He had just had a taste of Father''s love, it would


    be way too cruel to be deprived of that so soon.


    "What''s going on, where are all the bodyguards?" Jonathan cast a nce at Luke. He raised his


    eyebrows in distress. He thought Cynthia was all he could care about in his heart, however it turned out


    that he cared about his son just as much. The moment he received Luke''s call, he felt dizzy. What Luke


    said to him gave him such a huge blow that he almost passed out.


    Deep down, he cared. It was only when he was about to lose him that he realized how much he


    cherished his son. For years, he thought Edward was just a gift that he gave his wife under her


    constant begging. Subconsciously, he had always kept his distance from his son. Judging from his


    reaction today, it was not that simple. He was not that emotionally detached from his son as he thought


    he would be. He had missed a lot of things in his rtionship with his son. The bond seemed much


    stronger than he had thought. He hated to admit that, for years, he had been taking things for granted.


    Some feelings were hard to describe and yet he had to face them and make it up to his son as soon as


    he woke up.


    "Dad, I''m terribly sorry. It''s my fault. I thought that with the help of Mrs. Mu, I would be able to handle


    the situation. I never thought things would get that nasty and cause this tragedy." Luke''s face turned


    dark at the thought of the bodyguards. He med himself for not training them as efficiently as he


    should have. They didn''t get there until the fighting was done. Edward was already wounded by then,


    therefore their arrival appeared ridiculously useless. He just hoped that Tom could salvage things


    where he had failed.

 Chapter 415 Rh-negative Blood

    Chapter 415 Rh-negative Blood


    "Who are they? Why didn''t you inform me immediately?" Jonathan looked grim. He didn''t mean to


    me Luke. He was anxious.


    "Arms dealers. Apparently, they escaped from prison, but the news hasn''t been made public. Mrs. Mu


    put them into prison; hence they were nursing thoughts of revenge." Luke told Jonathan what he knew.


    He really admired Jonathan for his amazing attitude.


    "The cops are useless! They let that prisoner break free. What''s worse, they don''t even issue a wanted


    circr. It''s their fault that the escaped prisoner couldmit a crime again. They should have been


    more vignt!"


    Jonathan was burning with anger. He could easily have those ipetent senior officials fired for


    misconduct.


    Luke opened his mouth, but he didn''t say anything. He felt guilty as he failed to protect Edward. He


    was too ashamed to criticize others.


    "Luke, how is it going? Who is the doctor?" Cynthia frowned. It wasn''t the right time to discuss who was


    to me. She was worried about her son more than anything else.


    "It''s Tom Qin. We haven''t received any update yet." Luke looked Cynthia straight in the eye. He was


    cold to others, but he became gentle in front of Cynthia.


    "I can rx my mind then. Luke, don''t me yourself. You can''t avoid every ident." Cynthia patted


    Luke''s shoulder; he looked grim. Luke took everything to his heart. He was always very meticulous.


    Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Dr. Qin, we don''t have enough blood!" The assistant yelled again, which shocked Tom.


    "I asked you to collect all the Rh-negative blood in the hospital. Doesn''t that suffice? Tom shouted while


    gaping at the assistant. There was 2, 00 of blood, but he said it wasn''t enough.


    "60 was transferred to another hospital some time ago, and the worker at the blood bank forgot to


    update the inventory level." The assistant answered with fear.


    "Why didn''t you tell me that?" Tom closed his eyes in anger. Without blood, his excellent medical skills


    would be of no use.


    "I thought the blood would be enough for the operation, so I didn''t tell you. I didn''t think Mr. Mu has lost


    too much blood before he was brought here." The assistant took a look at Tom and quickly lowered his


    head. He didn''t expected that Tom, who had always been cordial, polite and dignified, would lose


    control of his emotions.


    "Damn it! Hurry up and arrange more blood!" This was the first time that Tom had uttered the four-letter


    word during an operation. Gnashing his teeth in anger, he scowled at everyone present in the room.


    "Okay. I will go right away." A nurse immediately walked out of the operating room. She took the blood


    here, so she had to take some responsibility for the mistake.


    As soon as the door of the operating room was opened, the people waiting outside surrounded the


    nurse.


    "Miss, is the operation over?" Daisy asked anxiously.


    "Is it over? Is my son all right?" Cynthia was nervous. She trusted Tom. If he couldn''t save Edward, no


    one could.


    "My dad''s operation is sessful, right?" Justin jumped with joy, but he was also worried at the same


    time. He had seen on TV that when a nurse suddenly came out of the operating room, it usually meant


    bad news. So he clenched his fists fearfully.


    "The operation is not over yet. Please make way for me. We don''t have enough blood. I have to


    arrange more blood from some other hospital." The nurse had to shout loudly as she was surrounded


    by the crowd.


    "What? You don''t have enough blood? Draw my blood. I''m in good health." Daisy went nk on


    hearing the nurse''s words. She didn''t even consider whether or not her blood type matched Edward''s.


    "Draw mine. I am also healthy." Justin was afraid the nurse wouldn''t believe him, so he rolled up his


    sleeve, eyes wide open.


    "Please be quiet. The patient has Rh-negative blood. Do any of you have the same blood type as him?"


    The nurse rolled her eyes. It was a rare blood type, and very few people had it. That''s why she was so


    anxious.


    "What? Rh-negative blood?" Daisy was stunned. There was a low stock of this blood type. Could other


    hospitals provide it so urgently? In this case, there were someplications in this surgery, which


    meant Edward was in greater danger.


    "Draw my blood. I have Rh-negative blood." Jonathan said in a low voice. His cold tone cheered up the


    others like an unexpected ray of sunlight in the winter, which made them feel warm.


    "Really? Are you sure you have Rh-negative blood?" The nurse breathed a sigh of relief. In that case,


    the sess rate of the operation would be much higher. Without blood, the operation couldn''t be


    continued.


    "I''m his father. I won''t lie." Jonathan looked coldly at the nurse. What a stupid question she had asked.


    "Sorry, I didn''t mean that." The nurse blushed with shame. She didn''t expect that such a young and


    handsome man would be Edward''s father. In fact, no one expected that.


    "Dad, thanks." Daisy thanked Jonathan with tears in her eyes. Jonathan loved Edward, and he really


    cared about him too, but he always kept his feelings hidden.


    "He''s my son." Jonathan frowned dispassionately, but Daisy could feel his care.


    "Please follow me. We don''t have much time." The nurse asked Jonathan to follow her. Every second


    counted in the operation, so that the sess rate of the operation could be greatly increased.


    "Daisy, I''ll go with them. Don''t worry." Cynthia then left with the nurse and Jonathan. She perceived that


    Jonathan might get dizzy after donating blood. Moreover, the amount of blood needed wasn''t known.


    Jonathan was fussy and hard-to-please. If Cynthia didn''t apany him, some ident might


    happen, and the nurse would be petrified.


    "Mr. Mu, generally we draw anywhere between 200 to 40 of blood. If you don''t suffer from low blood


    pressure, I suggest drawing 40." The nurse hesitated. Jonathan''s cold face scared her.


    "It''s okay. You can draw more. I''m worried 40 won''t be enough." Jonathan rolled his sleeve, and


    without hesitation, he extended his arm toward the nurse.


    "Please clench your fist but don''t tighten your muscles." The nurse began to draw Jonathan''s blood


    carefully. It was the first time that she had seen such a noble and reserved man. His handsome look


    attracted her, but she didn''t dare to look him in the eye. She drew 80 of blood as he had insisted.


    The expression in his eyes was frightening as if he would make her suffer if she didn''t continue to draw


    his blood. Unexpectedly, he was all right after his blood was drawn, except for his pale face.


    "Please take some rest here. Don''t get up right away. I will send the blood to the operating room." The


    nurse nodded to Cynthia, who was nervously viewing the whole process. She signaled Cynthia to take


    care of Jonathan. Then she rushed to the operating room.


    "Thank you, honey!" Cynthia had tears in her eyes. For years, she had been trying to improve the


    rtionship between Jonathan and Edward, but she didn''t seed. She was d when Jonathan


    acknowledged Edward as his son in front of Daisy.


    "Sorry. I have been too selfish." Jonathan looked at Cynthia who still looked quite beautiful. He knew he


    had deeply hurt her feelings by rejecting his son. Jonathan had often forced Cynthia to choose between


    him and Edward. Seemingly, he loved her dearly. However, he repeatedly put her through this dilemma.


    "No, I''m to me. I know you don''t want anyone else to share my love for you, but I still went my own


    way. In doing so, I may have hurt you both." Cynthia bit her lip. She always desired the happy life of a


    family of three. She insisted on bringing Edward to this world although Jonathan strongly objected. If


    she had handled things differently, Edward wouldn''t have lived an unhappy childhood.


    "No. To be precise, I hurt you. Let''s go. Let''s go back. It''s not the right time to me anyone." Jonathan


    wanted to get up, but Cynthia stopped him.


    "Lie down. You have just given 80 of blood. Don''t move. If something happens to you, Daisy will not


    be able to bear it. She may seem strong, but I know she''s fragile."


    Jonathan wanted to go back despite Cynthia''s opposition, but after listening to her reasoning, he


    obedientlyid back down.


    "Dr. Qin, the blood is only sufficient for five minutes. Even if we go to the nearest hospital to get the


    blood, it is estimated that it will take about twenty minutes." The assistant didn''t dare to shout again.


    Instead, he reported calmly.


    "Wait a minute. If there is not enough, implement n B. " Tom nced at the blood bag and continued


    to concentrate on what he was doing.


    "Blood! I got the blood!" The nurse ran in excitedly, with the recently collected blood in her hands. Her


    words cheered up everyone in the room. The gloomy atmosphere was swept away.


    "So fast. Have you confirmed the blood type?" Tom had lost confidence in the staff. After the operation,


    he would take necessary measures to discipline them, so that they wouldn''t be careless and sloppy.


    "Yes. It''s the patient''s father''s blood. I have drawn 80." With these words, the nurse dexterously


    suspended the blood bag.


    "In that case, we can use the blood." Tom knew Jonathan also had Rh-negative blood, but he didn''t


    expect that he would do this for Edward. As far as he knew, Jonathan didn''t like Edward and treated


    him like a stranger. However, he quickly came to the hospital tonight, and he offered so much of his


    blood. It was beyond Tom''s expectation.


    His surprising move had bought a lot of time for Edward. Otherwise, some unforeseen ident might


    have urred because of the shortage of blood. As a doctor, it was thest thing that Tom wanted to


    see.

 Chapter 416 God Bless Him

    Chapter 416 God Bless Him


    The surgery could proceed because of the blood supply. Through this operation, everyone present got


    to know the president of the hospital better. He was an elegant and decent man, yet he was cool-


    headed and indifferent too. Probably that was because there was a deep friendship between Edward


    and him! His best friend was lying on the operation table, so no wonder he lost control of his feelings.


    "Mrs. Mu, perhaps you should take a seat for a while! Or you might get sick before Mr. Mu''s operation


    is done." Luke said in a worried voice, looking at Daisy who seemed to be on the verge of a nervous


    breakdown.


    "I''m fine." Daisy moved her mouth a little and forced a response. Her tired face was still pale.


    Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Just then a loud sound of hasty footsteps approached them. Soon, Rain, the charming devil, appeared


    in front of them.


    "Daisy, how''s Edward doing?" Rain panted slightly and asked. When he got the phone call from Tom,


    he was apanying the clients in a resort of a remote vige. He drove back as fast as he could


    upon hearing the news. But there were traffic jams all over the city. That''s why he came sote.


    "How did youe to know, Rain?" Daisy bit her lip a little and forced the corners of her mouth to


    move upwards bitterly. But there was no sign of a smile. She looked miserable and lonely.


    "Tom called and told me. Don''t worry, Daisy. He is a gifted doctor." While talking, Rain took off his coat


    and put it on Daisy. It happened so spontaneously that one could easily perceive that he was a man of


    subtle and refined sensibility. He cared about others for the smallest of things. However, he kept a safe


    distance from Annie, which was what he regretted the most.


    "Yes! Thank you!" Daisy gathered and closed his coat around her. Thanks to his kind act, she could


    cover the gruesome blood stains on her clothes.


    More hurried footsteps were approaching them. Daisy raised her head and saw Duke and Belinda


    walking quickly towards her. Their faces were drenched with worry. They must have headed for the


    hospital in a hurry. Looking at all this, Daisy felt a lump in her throat. They were what people called


    friends! No matter how many times they had mocked each other, everyone was worried sick because


    of this sudden crisis. This was what real friendship looked like. They stood by each other through thick


    and thin.


    "Are you alright, Daisy?" asked Belinda. She was a true friend. Belinda cared about Daisy the most. So


    when she saw Daisy sad and depressed, she immediately asked her in an anxious tone. She didn''t


    even mention Edward who was on the operation table.


    "Why would all of youe here, Belinda?" It seemed that Tom had informed them. After all, only a


    few people knew that Edward was severely injured.


    "Girl, this is so critical and urgent. How could we just stay at home and wait?" They got a call from Rain


    and were able to get the information from him. However, the whole city was trapped in a massive jam.


    It was quite unusual to find this much traffic at midnight.


    "Thank you!" Said Daisy. She did not know what else she could say to express her emotions except for


    these two words.


    "Hey, girlfriend! We are best friends! Don''t be so formal with me." Belinda softly hugged Daisy. She


    knew what Edward meant to Daisy. So she understood very well how helpless and afraid Daisy must


    be feeling. She had been chasing after him for so many years, and finally, she had seed. But


    Edward was in terrible danger now. There must be a horrible stillness in her heart!


    "Don''t worry, Justin. Your dad is a good man. God will bless him, and he will live a long life." Rain sat


    down beside Justin. The usual cynical smile had disappeared from his face. Instead, he was being


    calm andposed which was quite different from his usual self.


    "I know uncle Rain. I am not worried, because daddy is the greatest man ever and so is Uncle Tom. I


    trust them." Justin''s childish words inspired everyone. Indeed, Tom was the best in the medical field. If


    he couldn''t treat a bullet wound, they would be the first to ruin his reputation.


    "How''s it going inside?" Duke frowned and stared at the closed door intently as if he could see


    everything inside.


    "I don''t know. I just arrived. But no news means good news, right? It''s probably going well." He arrived


    after the blood shortage conundrum had been averted. Otherwise, he would not have used the words


    "going well".


    "Luke, how did this terrible situation ur? Aren''t your security procedures always well-ced?" Duke


    said in a cold voice while looking at Luke. He didn''t understand how Edward got hurt in the presence of


    his bodyguards.


    "I was careless, I didn''t send any bodyguards to follow him tonight." Luke openly admitted his mistake.


    He didn''t make any excuses for his failure. His conscience wouldn''t allow it.


    "It''s not Luke''s fault. Those men were targeting me. He couldn''t anticipate this. I am the one who


    should be med." Daisy was not as panicked as before. Her friends and family were caring about


    Edward and apanying her, how could she be afraid now? So she immediately gave an


    exnation when she overheard their conversation.


    Duke moved his lips but did not say anything. Actually, he didn''t mean to me Luke. He knew Luke


    was loyal to Edward, and he would rather get hurt himself than see something bad happen to Edward.


    "How''s it? How''s it?" A girl rushed to them in haste. It was Leena. It was evident from the tear-stains on


    her face that she had been crying. She was carrying arge bag while raising her injured hand. Did she


    just finish shopping, but it was quitete! Or was she carrying something valuable with her?


    "Why do youe here alone at such ate hour?" Duke reached out and held her slender body into


    his arms. He took therge bag from her hand. He wondered why Kevin didn''te with her. Going


    out sote at night was dangerous for a woman.


    "Kevin told me and asked me to wait for him. He said he''d pick me upter. But I couldn''t wait, so I


    came here alone." Leena knew that Mr. Cold would be ming Kevin again in his heart. She instantly


    gave an exnation so no one would find fault with Kevin.


    "Sis, don''t worry. Tom will definitely return you a healthy Edward. Look at the wound on my hand. Tom


    treated it, and it is healing quickly," Leena said. She walked to Daisy to show her scalded hand. Tom''s


    treatment was really effective, and the wound was getting better.


    "Yes! I''m not worried, because all of you are here with me. He would be unwilling to leave us." Daisy


    touched Leena''s head. In her eyes, this little girl could please everyone. No matter what happened, her


    sweet smile made other people feel a spring-like warmth.


    "Yes, yes! Hold on, please. I brought you some clothes! You can take a warm shower in Tom''s office


    and rx for a while. Then Edward can see a beautiful you once the operation is finished. Let me tell


    you a secret; Edward likes beauties!"


    Leena raised herself on her tiptoes and whispered in Daisy''s ear. Edward sounded like a lewd man in


    her words. Her arch eyebrows moved a little while she was talking to Daisy. She was genuinely


    adorable!


    Her gesture was very thoughtful. "Daisy, you can go and tidy yourself up first. There''re blood stains all


    over your clothes. At least, go and change your clothes. How can you take care of Edward wearing


    such filthy clothes?" Belinda lightly pinched Leena''s cheek. Although Leena seemed like a young and


    naive girl, Belinda was surprised to see that she could be so considerate as well. No wonder so many


    people doted on her. Belinda felt that she didn''t know Leena all that well!


    "But I am anxious." Daisy looked at the "IN OPERATION" sign with hesitation. She knew she looked


    afflicted with all the bloodstains on her clothes. But she didn''t have the nerve to leave before the


    operation finished. She wanted to stay close to Edward to make him feel how much she wanted him.


    She couldn''t bring herself to leave.


    "It''s okay. We''re here, aren''t we? Take it easy. Just go and take a shower! Besides, you are a soldier. I


    think it is easy for you soldiers to take a quick shower, isn''t it?" Belinda patted Daisy on the shoulder.


    She didn''t know Daisy''s clothes were bloodstained and wondered how Leena had anticipated that. No


    wonder Leena had brought arge bag with her.


    "Let''s go! I''ll show you the way, Sis. I know where''s Tom''s office." Leena supported Daisy with her


    uninjured hand. She worried about Edward a lot, and she didn''t want him to see his wife soaked in


    bloodstains. He would feel heartbroken. Daisy was the first woman he loved from the heart. So she had


    to take good care of Daisy, to repay the favors he had done to her through the years.


    "Yes! Mom, I''m also here with Daddy. Don''t worry! Think about it. Daddy has a fetish for cleanliness!"


    Seeing so many people around, Justin wasn''t as depressed as before. He seemed relieved.


    "Why is everyone here?" Cynthia and Jonathan returned just when everyone was persuading Daisy.


    Cynthia was surprised to see all of them there.


    "Dad, are you okay?" Daisy looked gratefully at Jonathan''s pale face. The man lying on the operation


    table was Jonathan''s son. She couldn''t help but feel grateful for everything.


    "He''s fine. I''ll get him some blood-tonifying foodter. Don''t worry dear." Cynthia knew Jonathan wasn''t


    the talkative kind. To prevent Daisy from overthinking about his silence, Cynthia intervened and tried to


    make up for his quietness.

 Chapter 417 The Surgery Is A Success (Part One)

    Chapter 417 The Surgery Is A Sess (Part One)


    "Blood-tonifying? What do you mean? Uncle is also injured?" Rain had assumed that Edward''s parents


    hadn''t arrived yet. But judging from Daisy''s words, Rain figured that they hade to the hospital


    much earlier. After all, they lived very near to the hospital. But why did Edward''s father need to blood-


    tonify? He couldn''t figure it out.


    "Uncle Rain, that''s because grandpa donated a lot of blood for dad." Justin said while sitting on Rain''s


    lap and swinging his legs leisurely.


    Justin''s words turned all eyes on Edward''s father, Jonathan. They knew him quite well and had always


    known that he didn''t like Edward. So howe he gave his blood to his much-disliked son? Maybe it


    was solely because of the biological father-son bond?


    "Why are you all looking at me? I''m not a freak." Jonathan frowned and looked back at them coldly.


    Though his face looked pale because of the blood drawing, his majestic aura still captured them.


    "Grandpa,e and sit here." Justin slid down Rain''sp and pulled Jonathan to the seat near him. As


    he focused on his grandpa, he forgot about urging Daisy to shower.


    "Sis Daisy, let''s go. There are so many people here waiting to take care of Edward. You don''t have to


    worry." Leena advised Daisy to get freshened up; she had already arranged her clothes. She brought


    the clothes not because she had expected Daisy would need a shower; she did it because Kevin had


    reminded her. That''s why she brought one of hertest collection which she was going to gift Daisy


    anyway. She just gave it to her ahead of time.


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    "But.." Daisy looked at her messy clothes, then the operation room. She still didn''t want to take a


    shower. She didn''t want to be too far away from Edward.


    "Aunt Cynthia, what do you say? Daisy needs to go freshening up, right? And the cuts on her face


    should be treated. Or they might get infected and ruin her face." Seeing Daisy''s hesitation, Leena


    asked for Cynthia''s help.


    "Leena''s right. Daisy, you should take a shower first. You will have to take care of Edwardter. It''ll be


    fairly tiring. Leena is being quite considerate."


    Cynthia patted Daisy''s shoulder to reassure her. Her pretty face showed her concern. Although Daisy


    was tough, she became vulnerable when it came to love.


    Finally, Daisy yielded to their persuasion and took a shower. But she bathed so quick that it took less


    than ten minutes. It was obvious that she worried a great deal about Edward.


    The clothes Leena brought also helped. The size was a perfect fit for Daisy; only the style was not what


    Daisy used to carry. She looked hot and sexy in the clothes. If Edward were unharmed, he would


    undoubtedly flirt with her.


    The night was quiet. It was even quieter and isted in the hospital. All eyes were fixed on the closed


    door of the operation room as if the door had glued their eyes on to it.


    Tick, tock.. When the operation was done, it was already five o''clock in the morning. Justin was asleep


    in Rain''s arms. After all, however mature he might act, he was still a little kid----his body was not ready


    to stay up for so long. Besides, even a grown-up like Leena had dozed off in Kevin''s arms.


    "How are things going, Tom? Is Edward okay?" Seeing the door open, Daisy instantly moved forward,


    But she only saw Tom, no Edward. That gave her a bad feeling.


    "Daisy, don''t worry. The surgery is a sess. But Edward has to stay in the ICU. If he remains stable


    for the next 12 hours, he''ll be transferred to ward."


    The long time taken to perform the surgery made Tom look exhausted. But he was also relieved to


    have saved Edward''s life. There were someplications, but nothing he couldn''t handle. When


    Edward was brought here, he was in a critical situation. Tom wasn''t quite sure if he would be able to


    save Edward, but he didn''t reveal his concern in front of Daisy. Thankfully, Edward''s condition was


    much better now.


    "Can we go inside and see him now?" They surrounded Tom and asked. Their eyes were filled with


    expectation.


    "Well, you can only see him through the window. We need to keep him in a sterile environment, and


    visitors might bring germs which can lead to infections." Tom knew how much they worried about


    Edward. But he couldn''t allow them to visit at the risk of Edward''s life. He had to follow the course of


    action that was in Edward''s best interest.


    "Okay, we will stay outside. Thank you, Tom" Daisy said earnestly. She knew that if it hadn''t been for


    Tom, Edward might have suffered greater risk in surgery. The bullet was in a crucial part of his body. He


    might have got killed, had there been any oversight in the surgery. Only Tom''s superb medical skills


    could be trusted.


    "Daisy, no need to be so courteous to him. It will make him arrogant." Rain quipped, with Justin in his


    arms. They were all relieved to know the operation was a sess.


    "Tom, thank you." Cynthia held Tom''s hands, and her eyes turned red. That made Jonathan frown a bit,


    but he didn''t obsess over it as Tom had saved his son. The past few hours had felt like a dozen years


    to him. During that time, he had straightened out a few things in his mind, things that he had been


    struggling with for many years.

 Chapter 418 The Surgery Is A Success (Part Two)

    Chapter 418 The Surgery Is A Sess (Part Two)


    "Aunt Cynthia, that''s my duty. No need to say thank you." Tom answered while peeking at Jonathan.


    Tom felt reassured when he saw that Jonathan wasn''t angry.


    They followed Tom to the ICU to see Edward from outside. As they looked through the window, Daisy


    felt anxious, and her heartbeat quickened its pace. She could barely see Edward''s face with the


    oxygen mask. Lots of shing medical equipment surrounded him, which she hadn''t seen before. Daisy


    stared at his chest, but with the quilt covering his body, she couldn''t see it either.


    She wanted to caress his face and tell him that she would never doubt his love, ever. She wanted to tell


    him that a world without him was sheer darkness for her, that she would never hide her love ever again,


    that every day she would tell him how much she adored him... She had so much to say to him, but she


    didn''t know where to start. Her thoughts were messy and cluttered.


    Others hadn''t seen the horrible scene of Edward covered in blood. But the view of himying listlessly


    on the bed was enough to sting their hearts. They were so used to the lively and arrogant Edward. This


    sudden change caught them by surprise. ''Maybe I should change the way I get along with him. We are


    father and son, not enemies, aren''t we?'' Jonathan thought to himself.


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    "Uncle Tom, is my dad sleeping now?" Justin''s eyes went red at the sight of Edward plugged with all


    kinds of equipment. He had been asleep, but he struggled to wake up when he heard their voices. He


    wanted to touch Edward. Yet, he could only see him through the cold, thick window. Justin got a bit


    upset. "Daddy doesn''t like me anymore? Why won''t he open his eyes and look at me?" Justin


    questioned.


    "No, Justin, your dad loves you. He is just too tired. And the anesthetic is still working on him. That''s


    why your dad is sleeping. You miss your dad?" Tom exined and caressed Justin''s chubby face. All


    his fatigue vanished in front of the adorable Justin.


    "Uncle Tom, I will be a good boy, and I won''t bother dad. Then after dad is awake, he would y with


    me, right?" Justin replied. Children were so innocent that they didn''t consider bad things, but focused


    on their honest wishes.


    "Sure. Justin you are so cute. Your dad will wake up soon and y with you." Tom figured that the


    biggest blessing for Edward was to have Daisy and Justin. Such a good family was a distant dream for


    many people, but it was a reality for Edward. He deserved to be envied.


    "Okay, it''s almost sunrise. You should all go home and have some rest. You''ll have to go to work after a


    while. You can''t be with him in the ICU anyway. It''s better toe around after he wakes up." Cynthia


    advised, her heart full of gratitude. She was thankful that during all those years when she was away,


    these people had kept Edwardpany so that he wouldn''t feel lonely.


    "Right. You all should go back. Don''t worry. I will stay here with Edward. Dad, Mom, you should also go


    home with Justin. Dad needs to rest after the blood transfusion." Daisy licked her parched lips and


    looked gratefully at them for supporting her in her time of need. For the first time, she realized the


    magic of fate. What we lose on the swings we gain on the roundabouts. After she lost her beloved


    mother, she gained another lovely family.


    "Mom, I''m okay. Grandpa and grandma can go back. I want to stay here with you and dad." Justin


    moved towards Daisy and held her hand. He wanted to wait at the hospital for his dad to wake up and


    y with him.


    "Justin, be a good boy. Come backter with grandpa and grandma. You can visit daddy after you take


    some rest." Daisy answered while kissing his forehead. She had regained herposure and decided


    what had to be done.


    "Daisy, we''ll go home then. We wille backter to substitute for you and then you can take some


    rest. Call me if anything happens." Cynthia was aware that Daisy wouldn''t leave anyway, so she didn''t


    bother to try. She knew that Daisy loved Edward too much to leave him at this time. She had been


    through this after all.


    "I know. Drive safe." Daisy curled her lips with an attempt to give a smile, yet was in vain.


    "Are you alright?" This was the first time that Kevin had spoken to Daisy since he got to the hospital.


    He didn''t want to bother her as she was already disturbed and anxious. So he just remained silent, but


    he hadn''t taken his eyes off her for a second.


    "Kevin, I''m okay. How are things going with the gangs?" When she was extremely vulnerable, Daisy


    would always put aside their superior-subordinate decorum and treat Kevin just as a big brother. That


    was an old habit.


    "We have locked all the gang members in prison. The police have gone there to collect evidence. So


    you don''t need to worry about that. Take care of yourself. Edward needs you." All this while, Kevin had


    resisted the urge to pull her into his arms. Because he had realized that no matter how vulnerable


    Daisy was, he would never be the one whom she resorted to. It would always be Edward.

 Chapter 419 The Special One for Kevin Was Sis Daisy (Part One)

    Chapter 419 The Special One for Kevin Was Sis Daisy (Part One)


    "I will, thanks. Please ask the Commander to sanction a two days leave for me. I will submit the


    application when I go back to work." Today was a day full of gratitude for Daisy. She felt appreciative


    towards everyone who had shown theirpassion for her suffering.


    "Don''t worry, I will exin it to the Commander. You need to take good care of Mr. Mu." Kevin gathered


    himself, trying to suppress all his emotions for Daisy. But his eyes betrayed him. Daisy sensed his


    feelings in his eyes. She frowned and remembered what Edward had told her about Kevin. Edward had


    said that Kevin''s feelings for her weren''t limited to those for a close friend or a sister in the


    neighborhood. He had inferred that Kevin had strong feelings for Daisy. Perhaps Edward wasn''t joking


    about it, Daisy thought.


    "Okay. Leena, go home. Be careful with your wounds. You will have problems with drawing your design


    sketches if you don''t pay attention to them." Daisy gently caressed Leena''s hair. Looking at the kind


    and lovely girl, Daisy suddenly felt a surge of guilt. It was probably because she sensed Kevin''s


    feelings for her today.


    "Sis Daisy, would you be okay staying here by yourself? It would be better if I stay here and wait with


    you till Edward is conscious." Leena smiled sweetly, trying to hide her uneasiness about Kevin''s strong


    feelings towards someone.


    She wasn''t sure whether she was being too sensitive about it, because she had sensed Kevin''s


    passionate gaze on Daisy. Although he was sitting right beside her, his attention was constantly


    focused on Daisy. There was an unspoken concern and worry on his face.


    She had known that there was someone special in his heart, but she never pried because she knew


    she didn''t love him. Then why was she feeling sad about it today? Was it because she realized it was


    quite possible that the special one for Kevin was Sis Daisy? Thinking of this possibility, Leena felt the


    need to reconsider everything, such as their marriage, what was his real intention behind marrying her?


    There were many more questions hovering over her mind.


    "It''s okay. I can deal with it myself. You''d better go home now. Kevin, take care of Leena. She is


    reckless, and she always ends up hurting herself carelessly. You need to keep a watch on her." Daisy


    pushed Leena into Kevin''s arms, looking determined.


    "Okay, we are going to leave now. You take care, too." Kevin smiled lightly and turned around to leave


    with Leena. He was calm on the outside, but he felt heavy with every step. It was as if he had left


    behind the most precious thing in his life. He felt very distressed.


    "Rain, you should go home, too. You''ll have to take care of the business in thepany." Rain always


    seemed rxed and carefree to Daisy. But the way he behaved today offered a new side of him in front


    of Daisy. Her view changed towards this handsome man who always wore a smile.


    "It''s okay. I''m still young and healthy. I will stay with you." This was what Rain was really like. He


    seemed not to care about anything, but nothing escaped his attention. He was the kind of man who


    always offered his help in times of need. Such a thoughtful man touched others with his kindness.


    "I really appreciate your kindness. Don''t worry about me. I will be fine. Don''t forget that I''m a Colonel."


    Daisy saw a slight shadow of herself in Rain, they both became very emotional after they suffered a lot


    of pain inflicted by their families.


    "Daisy, I know. I''m alone, and as a matter of fact, I don''t have anyone to go home to. I''d better stay


    here with you. At least I have yourpany here, so I won''t feel lonely."


    Rain leaned against the wall and looked through the thick ss at Edward who was lying on the bed


    unconscious. He wondered if he was the man lying there, would Annie stay by his side the way Daisy


    did for Edward? He shook his head and scoffed at himself. Why was he thinking of that heartless


    woman? She didn''t care about him one bit. Why was he still holding onto her?


    "Do you miss Annie?" Daisy leaned against the wall beside him and also looked at Edward who was


    lying on the bed motionlessly. Annie, whose name was just like her person, graceful and serene,


    always seemed mncholy. Moreover, Annie seemed more aloof than Daisy. But why would such a


    gracious and gorgeous beauty fall in love with Rain who had such an unpredictable personality? Daisy


    wondered, she was very curious about this question.


    "Not really. Since she was determined to leave, it''s useless for me to miss her, isn''t it?" Rain shifted his


    gaze from Edward to Daisy, he frowned when he noticed the scratch on Daisy''s face. He felt the need


    to ask Tom to apply some medicine on her face. It would be a great pity if there was a scar on her


    wless face.


    "Don''t be reckless. In fact, love is very simple, but we oftenplicate it. The reason why she left is not


    certainly because she doesn''t love you any more. Probably because she loves you too much and this


    is her way to test you to see how much you love her."


    Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    Daisy sneered with a self-mocking smile. She felt like she was talking about herself. She remembered


    she left Edward back then because she loved him and didn''t want to cause any trouble for him. Out of


    this love, she felt that as long as he was happy, she was inclined to keep all the pain and sorrow to


    herself. And his happiness was the biggest constion for her.


    "Daisy, so is this just like what happened between you and Edward? But not all the women in the world


    are as devoted as you are to Edward, isn''t it?" Rain pursed his lips lightly and sneered. There was a


    touch of sadness looming in his eyes.


    He said it nonchntly as if he didn''t care about Annie anymore. But deep in his heart, he was


    struggling with theplicated emotions that were ripping apart his heart. All of this was happening


    because there was no news about the woman he loved. It was as if she hadpletely disappeared


    from his world and there was no trace of her to be found. How could he not worry about her? It was


    impossible.


    "Do you think the woman you love is not as good as you have anticipated? Do youck confidence in


    yourself? Or you don''t believe in the woman you have fallen in love with?"


    Daisy took back her gaze which had been focused on Edward for a long time and nced at Rain. She


    examined him closely with curiosity.


    "Who says that I have fallen in love with her?" Rain''s face flushed at Daisy''s inquisitive gaze. In an


    attempt to hide his emotions, he looked away evasively. He felt relieved when he saw Tom quickly


    walking towards them.


    "Your words deny it; but can your heart do the same?" Daisy smiled gracefully. She wondered whether


    all men were conflicted about love. They were always more nice than wise. The man lying in the


    hospital bed was also one of them, he was always pretentious in front her.


    "What are you two chatting about? The atmosphere is weird here." Tom shifted his nce between


    Daisy and Rain. He had taken a shower, the scent of the body shampoo made him feel calm and fresh.


    "Nothing special. I''m persuading him to go home." Daisy replied softly, looking very calm. She didn''t


    n to tell Tom what they were talking about. It was Rain''s private matter, and she was not in the


    position to disclose it.

 Chapter 420 The Special One for Kevin Was Sis Daisy (Part Two)

    Chapter 420 The Special One for Kevin Was Sis Daisy (Part Two)


    "Daisy, let me help you to fix the bruise on your face." Tom ced the medical kit on the chair beside


    him. He also noticed the scratch on Daisy''s face.


    "It''s okay, it will heal by itself in a few days, don''t worry." She was not as fragile as other women were.


    She had endured more severe injuries in the past, and in most cases, the wounds healed naturally.


    "But it''s on your face. I''m afraid there would be scars if it is left untreated." Tom frowned. If the scratch


    was on any other part of her body, he wouldn''t push her. But the face was the most important feature of


    a woman''s body. As a doctor, he couldn''t leave it as it was. She was spoiling her beauty by refusing to


    receive the treatment, and he would not let that happen.


    This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    "Yes, he''s right. Daisy, you''d better let him apply some medicine on your face. Edward would be


    unhappy to see your injured face when he wakes up." Rain raised his eyebrows mischievously. He


    nced at Edward who was lying in the ICU and shook his head with a sigh. If Edward were awake


    right now, he would scold him severely.


    "Okay." As soon as she heard Edward''s name, she immediatelypromised. Edward was her soft


    spot, and this wouldn''t change as long as she lived.


    "It might be a little painful. I will clean up the wound to remove the dirt and then I will disinfect the


    wound." Tom said while rubbing her wound gently with a cotton swab wetted with iodine. Although he


    was cautious about the pressure, the stimtion of the iodine made Daisy feel a piercing pain. She


    unwittingly furrowed her beautiful eyebrows.


    "Tom, be gentle! Don''t you see Daisy is frowning because of the pain?" Rain eximed as he saw


    Daisy''s distressed face. He seemed more nervous than Daisy who was actually getting the treatment


    and suffering the pain.


    "How about you do it then?" Tom stared at Rain. Did Rain think that Tom was happy to ept this


    difficult task? If he didn''t clean the dust on the wound now, how would the wound heal faster? Rain was


    an idiot for being unaware of thismon knowledge. And to make things worse, he was causing


    distraction, Tom thought.


    "Oh, don''t ask me to do it. This is not my profession. You do the job." Rain turned his head away. "Out


    of sight, out of mind," as the saying went, he felt better if he didn''t watch it himself.


    "Daisy, does it hurt?" Tom asked while continuing to mend the wound. He attentively rubbed every


    scratch on her face; he wondered how she got injured like this because all her wounds were covered


    with a thinyer of dust. Had her face been rubbed on the ground? Tom wondered.


    In fact, she didn''t rub her face on the ground. The sniper rifle in her hands stirred her when she jumped


    out of the car, and she fell onto the ground with her face down, that was how she got hurt.


    "No, don''t worry about me. I didn''t adjust to the burning sensation caused by the alcohol at first. It''s


    better now." Daisy closed her eyes firmly. She could still feel the unbearable burning pain, she didn''t


    show any expression that indicated she was suffering. Her face looked as calm as always.


    "Okay, I will finish it as soon as possible." If it were any other woman, probably she wouldn''t be able to


    endure so much pain as Daisy did. It was really excruciating at the moment when the iodine was


    applied on the wound. He had experienced it himself in the past, and he would never forget that pain


    for the rest of his life, Tom thought.


    Tom quickly finished his treatment to the wound. He applied some medicine, and then took out his


    treasure - the special ointment. He felt it was a great loss to him. Edward had ckmailed one bottle


    from him. And the remaining one only had little left in the bottle. And in the end, he still had to use it on


    Daisy. He thought that when Edward woke up, he would definitely ask him topensate for his loss.


    "Jerry, what''s this medicine? Why does it have a light fragrance?" Although Rain didn''t want to watch,


    he turned his head at them when he sensed the fragrance. He curiously gazed at the small bottle in


    Tom''s hand.


    "It''s ointment. Of course it has medical fragrance. Why do you look so surprised?" Tom quickly ced


    the ointment back into his kit, fearing that other people would again snatch his treasure. If something


    like that happened, it would be pitiful for Tom, and he wouldn''t know where to shed his tears.


    "Huh! I''m just asking, don''t be so neurotic!" Rain smiled nonchntly. If he really wanted the ointment,


    he would not snatch it in broad daylight. He would secretly steal it from Tom, as that would save him a


    lot of energy.


    "Don''t have an eye on my ointment, if it disappears, it will certainly be your doing." Tom knew what was


    on Rain''s mind, so he showed his firm attitude to warn him against stealing his ointment. He knew that


    moral conduct meant nothing to Rain, he never took it seriously.


    "Jerry, are you crazy? If any of your things disappears what does it have to do with me?" Although he


    had the thought of stealing it, he hadn''t put it into action yet. Tom was reckless to use him before


    anything happened, Rain thought.


    "Rain, are you going home or not? Don''t you need to go to the office today? Or do you want the whole


    world to know that the CEO of FX International Group is lying in the hospital and the stock prices to


    plummet?" Tom lifted his hand and looked at the time in his watch. He wondered why Rain had spare


    time to stay here. Edward was still unconscious, the business of the wholepany was left on his


    shoulders. But he seemed so indifferent. Tom was surprised that Rain had the time and temperament


    to tease him here.


    "Huh! Do you think that our FX International Group is that vulnerable? Do you really believe that a


    small ident will affect the stock of thepany and make it fall? Okay, that''s the end of this topic. It


    will never make sense to a nerd like you no matter how hard I try to exin. Daisy, I will take leave of


    you now. I have to take care of some work. Moreover, Tom is here so everything will be fine." Rain


    waved his hand; he didn''t want to discuss that topic with Tom any more.


    "Okay! Take care!" Daisy smiled lightly. In fact, she took delight in their banters. Such a rtionship and


    a way of getting along with each other was a kind of thing she would never understand.

 Chapter 421 Post-operative Complication (Part One)

    "Good day." Rain waved and turned away while bidding goodbye. He left behind a long, lonely and enchanting shadow. "This guy loves pretending to be cool. I can''t stand it." Tom said and rolled his eyes as he saw Rain behaving like a punk.


    "He can y to his strengths, right? Maybe that''s his style." Daisy said and smiled softly. She admired Rain''s personality. It felt honest and real to her. And she thought that his personality was the reason why people liked to get close to him.


    "I couldn''t agree more but at the same time he is really pretentious. I bet all his bad habits have derived from being spoiled by women." Tom said and smiled, putting away the pill bottles on the seat.


    "Do you mean he has a lot of girlfriends?" Daisy asked while frowning. Earlier, she never paid attention to anyone but Edward. Therefore, she didn''t know much about Rain.


    "Not exactly. I can only say that Rain is quite thedies man. Daisy, why are you suddenly interested in this?" Tom asked and looked at her suspiciously, wondering if she''s trying to dig out something regarding Edward''s past affairs!


    "Oh! No reason. I was just asking." Daisy said with cloudy eyes. It was not her style to pry into other''s personal business. She just wanted to find the real reason behind why Anna left. She felt a little awkward when Tom questioned her intentions in this way. "Daisy, forget it. I think you should go to my office and have some rest! I''ll take care of everything here. Besides, doctors are looking after him, right? Everything will be fine."


    Tom suggested. On observing Daisy''s expression of fatigue, he presumed Daisy must have spent a lot of energy in the fight. As if that was not enough, now she was suffering from fear because of Edward''s gunshot wound.


    "No, thanks. I wanna be here with him, so he would know that I''m worried about him and I need him very much. Perhaps then he would wake up from his sleep." Daisy said and stood up, leaning against the wall tiredly. Her fingertips slightly scratched the ss and her eyes were filled with a sense of deep attachment.


    This was the first time that she had admitted her love for Edward in front of other people. After this ident she no longer wanted to hide her expression of love towards him. Love was love. If she kept pretending, it would be very hypocritical for a hot-blooded soldier with iron bones.


    "Daisy, can you tell me how you have managed to love Edward for such a long time, without any regrets and thought of giving up." Now that she had decided not to take rest, Tom tried to distract her! At least she wouldn''t be too anxious. He couldn''t promise that Edward would wake up in 12 hours, because that depended on his mind power. Edward had lost too much blood on the way to the hospital. He would be really lucky if he survived, but he might suffer some seriousplications after the surgery. Tom couldn''t tell Daisy about this, fearing that she wouldn''t be able to ept it.


    "Without any regrets? Tom, to tell you the truth, I am not as great as you think. I med and regretted, but I never hated him. I med myself for falling in love with him at the first sight. I regretted choosing him as the only one for me. I often asked myself, isn''t there anyone else whom I could love? And even though I have gone through so much, I still haven''t found the answer yet."


    Daisy said andughed at herself. All her me was to herself. She took Edward as her one and only and she didn''t want to me him for anything.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Daisy, I''d like to thank you on his behalf! Thank you for your tenacity, and also for not giving up. Only you can make him behave like a normal man."


    Tom frowned and said sincerely. His gaze was fixed on Daisy''s intense face.


    "Why?" Daisy asked with her head leaned on one side. She didn''t understand why Tom was suddenly so emotional. They had met just a few times. They didn''t even know each other that well.


    "You might have noticed that we are the kind of people whock love and emotions. We, especially Edward and Rain, get together for seeking love from each other. They bothcked family''s love when they were little, so they chose to live a dissolute life. Edward has been saved since you showed up in his life."


    Tom said and sighed,pletely lost in his emotion. Anyone would be moved by the morose look on his face.


    "Tom, I also need to thank you guys. Thank you all for your sincere friendship with Edward, which allows him to feel the love he has never gotten from his family. Actually, in his world, all of you are the most valuable spiritual wealth."


    This was Daisy. She was a special woman who was reasonable and not self-conceited. She never demanded credit for herself, neither did she ignore what others had done. She always kept other''s needs before her own.


    "No. He needs you. We could never walk into his heart, but his heart is open to you. That''s the difference between you and us." Tom said and pursed his lips. His eyes looked deep and obscure, there was no end to their depth.


    "Is that so? I thought he was just attracted to my special identity! I wonder if I didn''t show up, could anyone else be his special someone?"


    Her heart was getting torn with this thought, Daisy slowly closed her tired eyes. She couldn''t exin the sudden feeling of bitterness.


    "You''re wrong. He fell in love with you because it was you. No matter how special other women are, they can''t attract his attention. You can see how important you are to him by the fact that he took a bullet for you. It''s known that Edward is indifferent to women, but for you, he even risked his life. You can see how much he loves you."


    Tom said and frowned, with his dark eyes staring at Daisy. It seemed like he could look into her heart and put all the things into perspective.


    "Tom, do you think I''m too indifferent and apathetic? He has done so much for me, but I am still suspicious about his love."


    Daisy said while smoothing her hair with her fingers. The strain between her eyebrows was showing her frustration and powerlessness, yet she was looking lovely and charming.


    "Daisy, I think I understand your feelings. After all, he has a past. But let me assure you it was just superficial. I bet you know better than me, what kind of man he really is."00000

 Chapter 422 Post-operative Complication (Part Two)

    What you see from the appearance of a person isn''t always real. It is just a body covered by some protective coloration, which forces people to neglect his inner qualities. So don''t be misled by appearance when you want to know someone. Otherwise, you would miss the chance to give the right judgment. "Tom,e in quickly. The patient is short of breath." A doctor rushed out right at the moment when Daisy was about to answer Tom''s question. Daisy''s heart almost leaped into her throat upon hearing this.


    "Don''t panic. I''ll go and check." Tom said while hurrying towards the ICU, which involved the long but necessary procedure of changing clothes, disinfection and changing shoes.


    The first action Daisy took was to look into the ICU with her back straightened up. But the minute Tom began to check Edward, the nurse pulled the curtain, then she couldn''t see any more. Daisy clenched her fist and bit it hard, tears sliding down silently. Did he sense? Daisy thought. He did sense her suspicion and mistrust of him, so he began to breathe hard.


    ''No...... It''s not like that. I didn''t mean to question or distrust your love. I am just not confident of myself. Is that so wrong? I shouldn''t have this thought in my mind since I am sure that you love me. The only thing I should do is to give myself to you, '' Daisy said to herself. Blood was seeping from her soft and white hand which she had been biting hard. She didn''t feel it as she was dwelling in deep regrets. She had been waiting for him for twelve years, why was she bing so greedy when she had finally got him? Hehe...... Daisy thought to herself, "You are a real hypocrite. You act with proud attitude and seem careless about everything, but actually, you have nothing to show off. You are an unbearably pretentious woman."


    "Mrs. Mu, what''s the matter? Is Mr. Mu''s condition getting worse?" Luke asked, catching sight of Daisy sitting on the floor absently. He felt really upset when he saw this, especially when he spotted that the window of the ICU was covered with a thick curtain. "Luke, Edward is a kind man, right? He wouldn''t be angry with me because of my half-hearted words, right?" Daisy said while bringing down her hand from her mouth. She was looking at Luke expectantly, the tears on her face looked adorable.


    "Did Mr. Mu wake up? What did you say to him?" Luke asked, he was confused by her strange words. Judging from Daisy''s behavior, he could make out that something terrible must have happened to Edward. Because Daisy always kept her calm even in front of the mobs, but right now she looked too scared to be normal. She only got so emotional when something happened to Edward.


    "No. I''m Sorry. I lost control." Daisy said and snuffed. She looked up at the ceiling to force back the tears in her eyes. She didn''t cry. But her tears weren''t in her control right now. She was a soldier. As a soldier, she could sweat and bleed but never cry. However, today she did all the inappropriate things which were against a soldier''s image. She still couldn''t help but cry when she thought of Edward''s situation.


    "Mrs. Mu, your hand is bleeding. What happened? Let me ask a nurse to treat you first?" Luke said and frowned. He began to worry about Edward. It hadn''t been a long time since he left the hospital to send Justin and Edward''s parents home. Why did the new crisis ensue in such a short time?


    "No. I''m fine. Why did youe back?" Daisy asked, raising herself on tiptoe in order to check what was going on in the ICU. But it was in vain because all she could see were the curtains.


    "I am worried about Mr. Mu, so Ie back. Is his condition getting worse?" Luke asked and looked inside by leaning against the window. He didn''t have X-ray vision, so, just like Daisy, he couldn''t see anything either and he became more upset.


    "I have no idea. Tom is inside. Edward is going to be okay, right?" Daisy asked but it sounded more like she was talking to herself. Her clear eyes were turning hollow and dull.


    "Don''t worry. Perhaps it''s just a minor problem. Don''t frighten yourself. You should believe in Mr. Mu if you don''t believe in Tom. Mr. Mu wouldn''t like to see you sad." Luke never spoke much with anyone, let alone suchforting words. He could only talk so openly with Daisy, which was weird. Sometimes he also found his behavior to be odd.


    "Thank you Luke! Do you me me for putting him in danger?" Daisy asked. She knew that the friendship between Luke and Edward was very deep. The whole thing happened because of her, so she wanted to know how Luke saw this situation.


    "If you were the one lying in that bed, I can imagine how grief-stricken Mr. Mu would be. So I respect his decision." Luke said. He knew Edward''s love for Daisy so well that he couldn''t me anyone. If someone had to be med, it should be him. After all, he was Edward''s bodyguard.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Sorry." Daisy said and pursed her lips. Everyone knew that she was special to Edward, but she avoided to face the facts. She wasn''t sure if her rtionship with Edward was real or not, maybe she was torturing herself or maybe she felt the happiness spreading so fast that she couldn''t believe it was real.


    Daisy raised her chin up with firm eyes, looking sad but beautiful. ''Edward, don''t be a coward,'' she thought. ''I would follow you until the end of my life. I won''t let you go as long as I''m alive, because you belong to me. Even if the Devil wants you, he''ll have to ask for my gun''s permission.''0000000

 Chapter 423 Brutal Training In JC Military Academy (Part One)

    Daisy''s nerves were tensed as it seemed like a century had passed before the closed door of the ICU showed a sign of opening. Looking at Tom who appeared utterly exhausted, she couldn''t bring herself to ask him about Edward''s situation. She stood listlessly and was afraid to hear any bad news from him.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Tom, how is everything?" Seeing Tom stepping out of the door, Luke walked to him first and asked worriedly. He shot concerned looks into the ICU but failed to see anything.


    "Everything is fine. We made it." Tom was so exhausted that he slowly sat down on the chair. The thoracotomy surgery was highly risky because it was operated near both heart and lungs. So rtively severe post-operativeplications might transpire ordingly, such as a pulmonary cyst or a heart failure. Edward was in theter situation. It was more dangerous than a pulmonary cyst.


    "He''s alright, isn''t he?" Daisy asked tentatively, with an expression of great hope on her face. She stared at Tom, expecting to hear some encouraging news.


    "Yes, for now. But we''ll have to wait for three days before hepletely gets out of danger. Let''s see whether he''ll wake up in the next 12 hours." Tom pressed his eyebrow. He had already been very tired after the operation. Afterward, the one-hour long emergency rescue pushed him to his utmost limit both physically and mentally.


    "Thank you, Tom. Can I go inside to see him?" Daisy kept rubbing her hands. She was still very nervous.


    "Well... Fine! It''ll probably be good for him. He might respond if you stay with him and talk to him." Tom thought for a few seconds. He felt whether the patient would make it through or not essentially depended on the sess of the operation. But the patient''s desire for life was equally crucial. In some instances, it proved to be more effective than other factors.


    "Really?" Daisy was excited. She had been parted with him since he entered the operating room, that was roughly eight hours ago. Though she could see him through the cold ss window, she couldn''t touch him. In that sense, he felt unreal to her. He was so near to her yet so far too.


    "Let''s go! I''ll get you sterilized." Tom forced a weak smile. Seemingly he was also disturbed by Edward''s condition.


    Finally, Daisy was able to see Edward''s handsome face closely. She couldn''t help clenching her fists at the sight of the various medical equipments and rted pipes on his body.


    His face still looked pale. Even with the help of all the machines, Daisy could clearly see the pain in his face. His dashing brows, deep blue eyes, elegant nose, soft lips, everything looked so special that Daisy saved this memory deep in her heart. He became a bright and beautiful view that was ingrained in her mind. In her eyes, he was more attractive than any beautiful exhibition of pictures.


    Tom signaled the staff with a wink, conveying that they should step back. Then he also left the room. He knew Daisy must have a lot to say to Edward. So he decided to stay outside.


    Daisy bit her lip. She reached out with trembling hand and held Edward''s strong masculine hand. But she couldn''t feel the usual warmth he used to have. She felt a pang of sorrow because of that.


    She slowly sat down on the chair beside him. Her cold fingers touched his head. His eyebrows were frowning even in this state of unconsciousness. She stroked his brows slightly. She remembered that she had told him once that she didn''t like it when he frowned. She hoped he would be happy every day. But, he was frowning so much right now. She wondered, was it because of her?


    Until this moment she hadn''t noticed how long and thick his eyshes were. They were lying together gently, and he had hidden all his talents deep in his eyes. He looked so quiet and gentle.


    Once again tears burst out of Daisy''s eyes. Normally, she was not a big crier. But ever since Edward was hospitalized, she had cried more than she ever did for thest 20 years.


    She held his hand which was not infused, and ced it on her face lightly. She then kissed it gently. She kept feeling his presence that he was bringing to her silently.


    She couldn''t imagine how she got through life without his support in the past. They had been apart for just a few hours. But to her, it felt like it was as long as a century. She was about to copse due to the helplessness she felt because she couldn''t touch him or feel him. But now she had seen him, and she had touched him too, yet her heart was hurting badly. It felt as if there was a massive stoneid on it.


    "Darling, are you really feeling tired? Or are you avoiding me? You promised me you''d never risk your life. But you didn''t keep your words and hurt yourself. Though you did it to protect me, it''s still your mistake for not keeping your promise. Don''t me me for my unreasonable words. You made me say it. If you feel wronged, you must steel yourself. I am waiting right here, for a convincing exnation from you."


    The sad and hoarse voice was apanied by the hum of various instruments sounded heavy, and the people present couldn''t help but feel sad. They knew this beautiful yet indifferent young colonel from the anniversary celebration party of FX international Group. They felt sad for her while admiring her.


    "Do you know? The afternoon twelve years ago was the most precious moment in my life. It''s way back in the past yet it jumps in front of my eyes every day. Although you only said a few cold words to me, they changed my whole life." Daisy raised her lips slightly with a sweet smile as if the afternoon twelve years ago had appeared in front of her again. It felt so real to her.0000000000000000

 Chapter 424 Brutal Training In JC Military Academy (Part Two)

    "JC Military Academy is a training base regarded as living hell on earth in the eyes ofmoners. But I joined it because of your words, because I wanted to prove to you, I, Daisy Ouyang, am not a weak woman. In that ce, you can get hurt, but you can''t fall behind. Her fingertips unconsciously swayed in his palm. Daisy waspletely swept over by her memories while telling him about the hard times she faced when he was not with her. She didn''t want to tell him that she had a difficult time. She just wanted to let him know how she came closer to him.


    You can have no personality, but you must have courage and strength. You can shed blood and sweat, but you can''t be weak and ipetent."


    "Do you know how I made myself push the 200 L oil cans up the steep slope within the stipted time? Do you know how scared I was when I almost got crushed to death under the flying wheel during the challenge of vehicle bump training? Do you know how I spent a month by myself during the field exercise in the forest? There were strange experiences like snakes wrapping themselves around me while I was sleeping. Various fierce beasts suddenly came close to me while I was walking. I also got trapped into the swamp and was almost unable to get out of it. The things I ate were so disgusting that you won''t be able to imagine."


    The medical staff who were waiting on the sidelines were so shocked by Daisy''s muttering that their eyes nearly popped out of their heads. They stared astonishingly at the young female colonel of S city who looked so gorgeous. It turned out that beneath her glorious beauty she had gone through lots of hidden hardships.


    "Perhaps you don''t know; I''m also expert at driving. I will show you someday, okay? You''ll see that I can evenpete with the F1 racers. Maybe they pay more attention to skills, but I drive strategically. Are you feeling proud of me on hearing all this? You should, because such an excellent woman belongs to you, Mr. Mu."


    Daisy clenched her lips. Not everyone could im that they could be a race car driver. She also made great efforts to gain this excellent skill while practicing driving. But she didn''t want to unt it in front of anyone.


    "I could have be the best foreign teaching member in JC Military Academy with my achievements. But I still gave it up. I came back without any hesitation because you were not there and it meant nothing to me no matter how good it was. I started again as an ordinary nonmissioned officer and climbed to my present position step by step. All previous efforts were not recognized here since I needed to prove myself in a new domestic army environment. Despite all this, I''ve never regretted anything, because finally I can stand on the samend and breathe the same fresh air with you. This is what I am excited about most."Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    Daisyughed bitterly at herself. She told him so many things, but she wasn''t sure whether he heard her or not. But she still wanted to share those experiences that she had never told to anyone. She was sure that he loved her, so she didn''t care whether he would praise her for these unique experiences. All she wanted was his understanding.


    "But you were as forbidden as ever for me. All the women around you were young girls from prominent families and famous stars. How could you notice someone like me, who didn''t have a strong background? A poor female soldier with no identity at all. So when I heard the news that I was about to marry you, I managed to prepare all the procedure for a military marriage within one day. You can tell how desperate I was to marry you. But I didn''t expect that you would have me sentenced with a lot of charges and then you''d walk out of my world without hesitation. You know, you were really cruel to me at that time."


    Daisy wrinkled her nose. She couldn''t help but appreciate his hand. His fingers were very slender, and his nails were well trimmed. Apparently, her man was prudent to pay attention to these tiny details. That''s why he tidied himself so much. Probably this had a lot to do with his fetish about cleanliness.


    "When I appeared in front of you with Justin, you were too shocked to say anything at the sight of us. You didn''t expect it, and that''s why you could only listen to what I was saying. But do you know? Your reaction at that time hurt me deeply. People always say that a day together as husband and wife means endless devotion for the rest of the life. But you didn''t remember me at all. I lost all my kindness on the spot when I realized it. So I didn''t give you a chance to ask any questions and turned to leave in a hurry."


    People had always been inquisitive about how Mr. Mu and Colonel Ouyang, the legendary woman in S. City eventually married. They had figured out various plots for their love story before today. They didn''t expect the reality to be so sad. Therefore, they felt greaterpassion towards this beautiful female colonel and silently gave more blessings for their love.00000000

 Chapter 425 Sleeping Beauty (Part One)

    "I didn''t mean to me you for not being a responsible father. All I ever wanted was for Justin to be happy. I gave you three months to be with Justin, because I wanted our kid to feel that his longed-for fatherly love was as warm as he had imagined. He had never showed


    me how much he yearned for you, but I felt a longing in his heart, and I sent him to live with you."


    Daisy''s heart broke whenever her son behaved intelligently, sensibly, and thoughtfully in front of her. Her son was still little, but had learned to be mature. He had also learned to support his mother, and stayed with her throughout the lonely times. Without him, she couldn''t imagine how she could get through those days. He was her rock.


    "To tell the truth, at the start, I thought you might not ept him, so when I brought him to you, I also brought the marriage certificate. And once I was finally face-to-face with you, I was struck speechless. Fortunately, I managed to get some words out. But if you had paid attention, you would have seen that I was averting my eyes. I didn''t dare to meet your gaze from beginning to end -- I was afraid that I might end up in a situation even worse than before. I couldn''t bear that."


    As she talked, she asionally stopped to wipe the tears on her face. A bitter smile graced her lips the whole time. It was hard to tell whether she was self-deprecating or lost in her own memories.


    "After that, I was in training. Luckily it was rigorous enough to make me forget about you in the moment. The intense and exhausting training consumed me physically and mentally. I had no spare time to care if you two were okay. But I firmly believed that you would be kind to him, as I believed that I was a good judge of character."


    That was true. She had always enjoyed training and working out, because when immersed in her own world, she would temporarily forget about him. It was only when she forgot about him that her heart wouldn''t ache for him.


    "Later, the evaluation of my performance waspleted. I knew there was no chance of a promotion, as I didn''t have any high-ranking officials as my rtives. So I felt wronged and ill-judged. I had to call our son to talk with him. Because, in my heart, he was the one closest to my heart, not you."


    Her heart sank once more as she looked through her teary eyes at his still sleepy face. Sadness enveloped her, leaving her with no way out. She sniffed, and her cold voice sounded again, as she continued her story.


    "The first time I got your phone call, it made me feel so unreal. So much so that every muscle in my body stiffened because of it. I wondered if this meant that you cared a little bit about me, after all. But when I listened with delight, what you said shattered all my hopes once again."


    At the time, she thought that his phone call might be proof for his care for her. But her illusion was shattered by his words, into thousands of shreds that could never be collected into a whole again.


    "Six yearster, I woke up in your arms again. I was panicked, but also thrilled. Every midnight, I would dream about being held by you, leaning against your chest. But when the dream came true, I hesitated. So when you proposed that we should give each other a chance, I hesitated, but finally agreed. My desire of getting close to you was so strong, that atst, reason sumbed. Are you d to hear that? Yeah, I''ve always loved you, very much."


    Daisy raised her hand, and caressed Edward''s cheek. But when her finger was blocked by the re-breather, she shuddered as anxiety filled her heart.


    "Oh, and Jessica. She was so special to you. Whenever I saw you out with her, I was so scared, that I couldn''t convince myself to bepletely open to you, lest that I was a mere prey in your eyes, not the woman you loved, and every fit of temper would drive me away from you. So I deliberately hid my real feelings from you, not wanting you to realize that in fact, I have already fallen for you, because of your noble temperament and handsome appearance. Even though I love you, I still wanted to keep a little bit of self-respect, because I didn''t want to appear so submissive in front of you."


    Jessica, the beautiful woman, had always been a huge obstacle that Daisy could not ovee. Of all Edward''s ex-girlfriends, Daisy had a special sensitivity to Jessica in particr. She had envied her for so many times, as she read the reports about their love affairs in the newspaper, in magazines, and even in the news. Every time, her heart ached like it was trampled countless times, in jealousy of Edward''s tenderness for Jessica. How could she evene close to that?


    "Maybe you don''t know, but Jessica sent me a picture of you hugging her. Although I ostensibly refused to believe her when I confronted her, my heart began to waver. Since then, I''ve always had a distrust for you, especially after seeing what you did in the office, my heart was once again broken by you -- however hard you tried to mend it, it would never be cured."


    At that moment, she really wanted to convince herself to trust him. After all, what she saw was not necessarily truth. But when she remembered the picture she had received, in her heart, bitter doubt grew. Though she had promised him that whatever happened, she would stand beside him and listen to his exnation, when this happened, she suddenly found, that she couldn''t be so rational -- she couldn''t stay and listen and believe in him. She couldn''t reasonably judge which version of the story was the truth, Jessica''s, Edward''s, or hers, thus she escaped, and went to the military exercises without bidding him goodbye.


    "I had never imagined that you would ever see the huge stack of newspapers that I stored in my room in the army base. It wasn''t just a stack of newspapers, but also a record of all the feelings I had for you over the years, and what I felt about every piece of news about you. In a moment I felt bare and naked before you, and could never hide from you again, as you''ve seen through me, both body and soul. As I was panicked and scared, out of my expectation, you responded with an ''I love you". At the time, tears trickled down my cheeks. Hearing your words, I felt that I was the happiest woman in the world. The deepest spot in my heart was melted."Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Daisy narrated with a sweet smile. The smile on her face was so bright, as if happiness were really in front of her, as if she reached out and could pluck it like a ripe apple from a tree.

 Chapter 426 Sleeping Beauty (Part Two)

    "However, good things neverst. When the military exercise was over, Jessica came to me. It seemed as if she had arranged someone to spy on me and had learned about my every movement, because as soon as I got my phone back, I received her phone call. In the


    call, she arrogantly dered a war on me. What a coincidence. Why does every happy moment have to end with sorrow?"


    Daisy had always thought that since Edward had loved Jessica so much, she must be both excellent in appearance and nature. However, since she started to deal with Jessica, she suddenly found out the woman was a mere brainless beauty, vulgar and thoroughly miserable. How could Edward keep Jessica around for so many years? At the time, she thought, perhaps Edward had a fetish for such women, or perhaps he was such a kind soul that he couldn''t bear to abandon her because she had spent so many years apanying him.


    "Then I got my heart broken. She said she was pregnant, and you were the father. Do you know what I felt when I heard that? Do you have any idea that I was wounded deep in my soul? Although I was trying to be calm, and tried to stand in sharp opposition to her, not yielding an inch, in fact, I was horrified and scared. I was scared by her words again, and started to doubt you all over. It wasn''t until you told me you''d had a vasectomy that I was a little bit reassured, but I didn''t fully believe what you said, and I took the whole thing with a grain of salt." Daisy stopped, and shed a bitter smile. She had never wanted to show her inner world to him. There were so many things she would never have mentioned to him had it not been for this ident, and she certainly wouldn''t spend so much time doing it. But what did she have now but time? "When you rushed forward and took the bullet for me, my mind was nk. It all happened so fast. When you lost consciousness and fell from my arms, my heart stopped beating. I couldn''t think or do anything. I was overwhelmed by the feeling that your love for me was so deep that it could cost your life."


    It never urred to Daisy that one day a man would be so desperate to ward off a deadly bullet for her with his body, let alone her only love in her life. She was shocked, but she did not feel a sliver of joy. If he had to risk his life to prove his love for her, she would rather not have his love. She''d rather him be healthy and not love her, instead of lie ina in front of her.


    "Oh, you have met Hawkeye. Perhaps you''ve only noticed the paint on his face. But tell you something, under all that paint, he''s really handsome. What''s more, his pecs are firm, and those washboard abs! Better than you, I''m afraid to say. You should understand here! If you don''t wake up, well, everything will be beyond your control. Because there are so many handsome guys like him in the Falcon, all hand-picked by General Gu and me. If you don''t believe me, just look in the mirror. You can see your wife loves you because of your handsome face. And that''s also the only standard by which she chooses her soldiers."


    Daisy threatened him fondly. Then she sighed. After all this, she could feel her lips cracking in thirst, but he did not respond to her at all. He was still lying so still. What did he think he was? Sleeping beauty? But she wasn''t the princess charming, and couldn''t wake him up with a kiss.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Edward, I promise you, if you wake up, I will be nicer to you. I will call you dear, honey, baby as you have been longing for. If you want to hear it, you need to wake up quickly, otherwise the promise will be voided."


    She knew that up to this matter, this man had been very persistent, and had protested many times against what she called him. But every time, he would give in to her as long as she was being nice. As long as she begged softly, he would never have the heart to force her to do anything she didn''t like. But now the magic didn''t work, she had been begging him so hard, so long, but he didn''t even move so much as an eysh.


    Time passed by second after second, Daisy was still tirelessly talking to Edward. Her love for Edward even moved the present medical staff. In order not to disturb her, they didn''t make a sound when they changed the IV bottle and checked Edward''s vital signs quietly. Fortunately, although he didn''t wake up, Edward''s physical condition didn''t get worse.


    "Tom, how is Edward? Where is Daisy?" At the same time, Cynthia and Jonathan, along with Mrs. Wu arrived at the hospital. They asked as they spotted Tom and ran to him. They looked around for Daisy, but didn''t see her.


    "He''s okay for now, but he''s still ina. Daisy is in the ICU. She''s talking to Edward. Are you all here visiting him?" Tom and Luke stayed in the corridor the whole time. They didn''t even leave when they needed to nap, but sat there on the bench and slept.


    "Not just him, we''re here for you and Daisy and Luke, too. I''ve prepared some food for you two and Daisy. Ask her toe out here, and have some food. If she doesn''t eat anything, how can she take care of Edward? I''m afraid there will be many things for her to do." Cynthia frowned slightly. When Daisy fought with the mobstersst night, she was almost consumed. Now the pressure was even worse. She was worried that Daisy would fall ill before Edward woke up.


    "Yes, that''s true. I''ll call her out here." Tom agreed with Cynthia. He had a look at his watch and walked to the ICU. But when he saw the scene inside, he turned and walked out.


    "What happened? Where''s Daisy?" Cynthia asked anxiously. He came back alone.


    "Oh, she is sleeping. Perhaps she is too tired. Let''s not wake her up now." As Tom entered, he saw Daisy sleeping at Edward''s bedside, her hand holding Edward''s. The scene was so peaceful and beautiful, only the tear stains on her face indicated that she had just wept.

 Chapter 427 You Can鈥檛 Afford To Drive Me Out

    "Tom, Luke, eat something. Go to sleep after you finish your meal. We''ll stay here to keep an eye on Edward." Although Cynthia knew that Tom was the best person to take care of her son, still she couldn''t bear to see him so exhausted. She felt he would be able to help Edward better once he had well rested. "Mom, I am fine. It''s Tom who needs to sleep after the several-hour-long surgery." Jonathan had once threatened Luke that he would fire him if he didn''t change his way to address Cynthia and him, so Luke did as Jonathan had asked.


    "You both go. You can''t stay here. We have to take care of Edward in turns. If we don''t rest, we won''t have the energy. I know I can''t persuade Daisy to rest, as she doesn''t want to leave Edward at all. She is asleep now. Don''t wake her up. She needs a good rest. She won''t sleep again if she wakes up." Cynthia looked feeble, but she managed things efficiently.


    Jonathan kept silent. He looked at the drawn curtain. With a frown on his face, he was lost in deep thoughts. He was sure Edward was rescued again. Why else would the curtain be suddenly drawn, and why would Tom ask Daisy to go in to speak with Edward? However, he didn''t ask about it lest Cynthia might be worried. He hoped Edward was out of danger now.


    "Okay. I will take a rest in my office. Let me know if something unexpected happens." Tom realized that as a doctor, he had to be clearheaded, so he epted Cynthia''s offer. After having some food from the food box in Mrs. Wu''s hand, he headed for his office. "Mom, I have to do some work. I have to leave now. I don''t have time to eat." Paul Du was still hung over the crocodile pool. Luke wondered whether Paul had admitted his guilt after two days and one night. It was quite possible that Paul had passed out due to fear. "Okay. Go. Be careful." After Edward was hurt, Cynthia became more cautious, so she urged Luke to be careful.


    "Okay. I''ll be right back." Luke grinned as he saw Jonathan stare at the ICU. It was obvious that Jonathan was concerned about Edward. Otherwise, he wouldn''t fix his gaze on the ICU. He used to fix his eyes on Cynthia only, but he acted differently now. "Take your time. We will take good care of Edward. Go ahead with your business." Luke never looked out for himself. Instead, he was always attentive to Edward''s needs and wellbeing. Cynthia regretted this. She felt she shouldn''t have imposed such a heavy burden on him. The corridor grew quiet after Luke left. Cynthia was worried as she couldn''t see what was going on in the ICU. She had a worried expression on her face.


    "Don''t worry. He''ll continue to fight me. He won''t die. Do you think your son is a coward?" Jonathan pulled Cynthia into his arms. His stiff expression turned mild in front of Cynthia.


    "Honey, please be nice to him. You are his dad, not enemy." Cynthia pleaded. Several decades had passed, but Jonathan was still as handsome as before. Cynthia couldn''t understand why Jonathan and Edward didn''t make peace. Their hostile rtion annoyed her. "Are you criticizing me for Edward?" Jonathan frowned and squinted at Cynthia. He knew that if he tried to be nice to Edward, Cynthia would be insatiable, and she would focus on Edward only. He couldn''t bear to be ignored by Cynthia.


    "No, I treat both of you equally. I love you both, so I won''t prefer either one of you over the other. I can''t bear to see you hurting each other." Cynthia told Jonathan what she thought while looking him in the eye determinedly.


    "I know. I''m sorry I made such a scene." Jonathan closed his eyes sadly. He shouldn''t have made a fuss about this matter again.


    "Honey, thank you for sincerely epting Edward. We owe this to him. He didn''t get to enjoy parental love throughout his childhood."


    Cynthia sneered at herself. She was the one to be med for all this. Jonathan didn''t like Edward because he thought Edward was a burden. Cynthia was filled with regret for being unable to handle this matter appropriately.


    "As I said, he is also my son." Both Daisy and Cynthia had thanked Jonathan for Edward. Jonathan didn''t like epting their gratitude. It made him feel like they belonged to the same family, while he was an outsider.


    Mrs. Wu wiped away her tears. Jonathan finally admitted Edward was his son. He had never cared for Edward over the years. Those who didn''t know them well assumed Edward wasn''t his son. What a happy ending. However, Edward wasn''t out of danger yet. "Mrs. Wu, you can go back. Daisy doesn''t have time to eat breakfast. Why don''t you make something nice for her?" Cynthia thought of Mrs. Wu and turned to her.


    "Okay. No problem. I''ll prepare her favorite dishes." Mrs. Wu''s tears turned into smiles. She liked Daisy''s warmth and tenderness. Although Daisy looked cold, she didn''t put on airs or make things difficult for the servants.


    After Cynthia sent away all the others, the corridor became very quiet. She knew the medical staff were taking care of Edward in the ICU, but she still felt uneasy. Her eyebrows knitted in a frown. What Jonathan said didn''t ease her anguish.


    On the top floor of the FX International Group, Rain saw a delicate silhouette when he walked out of the elevator. He slowed down for a few seconds. But soon he picked his pace again and walked to his office with an enchanting smile. The woman stopped him. "Miss Lin, what''s the matter?" Rain raised his eyebrow and unted a charming look. Even Jessica was besotted with him at this moment.


    "You are purchasing the stock of the Lin Group, right?" Jessica looked at Rain with fierce eyes. She knew Edward wouldn''t treat her with such ruthlessness. Rain must be behind this.


    "Yes. So what?" Rain made a face, grinning wickedly.


    "Why do you do that? Edward would disapprove if he knows about it." Jessica heard from the shareholders that Rain went to discuss business with them. Otherwise, she wouldn''t know that Rain was behind all this.This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    "Miss Lin, how naive can you get? I''m a busy man. Why would I bother to purchase the stock of your smallpany if Edward didn''t give the orders?" Rain always gave a hard time to those whom he didn''t like. Jessica was at the top of his list.


    "Rain, don''t be so arrogant. You''re just a low-status employee at the FX International Group. You have nothing to show off." Jessica bit her lip. Her face twisted with anger.


    "I admit that I am an insignificant man, and you are a noblewoman. So why are you getting off your high horse to talk with me?" Rain''s smile became more charming. Those who knew him well knew that he was just like Edward in some way. The more intoxicating his smile was, the more furious he was.


    "Where is Edward? I have to talk to him. I don''t want to argue with you." Chin up, Jessica spoke with a condescending attitude. There was contempt in her eyes.


    "Sorry, Edward is away. I''m in charge of the FX International Group in his absence. If there is nothing else, I''ll request you to just fuck off." Rain cast a cold look at Jessica, much different from the enchanting look he was wearing moments ago.


    "What if I don''t? Don''t you forget who I am? You''re not fitted to talk to me." Born with a silver spoon in her mouth, Jessica acted as if she was naturally better than other people. Except forpany bosses, all the employees were inferior in her eyes, and they were not qualified to talk to such a woman of quality and stature as her. She was so arrogant that she even despised Daisy and Luke.


    "Anna, ask security to drive this crazy woman out. She is not allowed to step into the FX International Group again. Anyone who lets here in will get fired." Rain gave the order coldly, making everyone shudder.


    "Rain, how dare you!" Grinding her teeth, Jessica became purple with rage. Her lips were trembling.


    "I dare to do everything. Don''t think you are special. In my eyes, you''re like a prostitute in a bar. When you see me next time, I advise you to change your path. I don''t want to see you again."


    Rain said harshly. He was annoyed because Edward was hurt, and Jessica brought annoyance to him in the early morning, so now he bulged with anger.


    "Why are you standing still? Didn''t you hear me?" Rain was always cordial with his subordinates, and he never acted all high and mighty, but Jessica''s humiliation irritated him.


    "Mr. Xia, I''ve called the security. They''re on their way." Anna never disobeyed Rain. All the employees of the FX International Group knew that Rain represented Edward, and his orders were as important as Edward''s.


    "You can''t afford to drive me out. I''m pregnant with Edward''s baby. If I lose the baby, he will make you suffer bitterly. Rain, I hope you know the consequence of your actions!"


    Jessica sneered, smugly looking at Rain''s angry face. She became much more arrogant.


    "Ha-ha! Jessica, I didn''t expect that you are such a shameless woman. I don''t believe you''re pregnant with Edward''s baby. Neither he would sleep with you, nor would he get you pregnant. You can cheat others, but you can''t fool me. Now I know how evil you are." Rain wagged a disapproving finger and mocked Jessica unmercifully. He put Jessica to shame just like what Jessica had done to him. He was not as cruel as Edward and Belinda, but his bitchy words still silenced Jessica.000000??????

 Chapter 428 How Dare You Insult Me Like This (Part One)

    "Nonsense! Of course he is my baby''s father. Who else could it be? The whole city knows bloody well Edward is the only man I''ve ever slept with!"


    Luke had handed her the test results, but she didn''t believed them for a single second. Edward didn''t want to hurt Daisy and so he had forged the report to fool that stupid woman, who was too thick to see the truth. But it didn''t mean that she, Jessica, would y their ridiculous game. "Tsk-tsk! Miss Lin, I think you of all people should know who the father is. Or have you slept with too many men that even you can''t be sure, so you make Edward the perfect scapegoat?"


    Rain sneered. If it was true that she hadn''t slept with anyone except Edward, how could she get pregnant? She must think they were real idiots.


    "You..." Enraged, Jessica raised her hand and swung it at Rain''s face. Never in her life had she been so vilely treated and Rain was the first one who dared throw insults in her face.


    "So are you getting angry because you feel guilty and ashamed? Trying tosh out at me?" Rain caught hold of her wrist firmly. Had she really thought about it before she acted? She couldn''t expect him to stand there to take the p, could she?Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Let go of me! How dare you insult me like this?" Stung by his harsh words, Jessica felt the heat rise in her, her whole body trembling like a leaf in the wind.


    "Miss Lin, the only reason I show you any respect is because your father was my business partner for many years and I feel it a professional courtesy. But it doesn''t mean you can do whatever you want."


    Rain flung her hand away roughly, and a hint of disgust crossed his eyes. His pretty face was hard and tight, darkened with icy cruelty.


    "Don''t take yourself too seriously. I don''t need your revolting courtesy. It''s an utter disgrace just to stand here with you."


    Jessica staggered back a step and red at this impassive man in front of her, her eyes zing with anger. He was always a nobody to her and she never really honored him with a nce, but at that moment she couldn''t help feeling a cold fear in her heart, although she had managed to put a bold face on.


    "That would be convenient for everyone. But do you really think you have any grace left in you?" Something flickered in Rain''s eyes, then his lips curved to an elegant arc and his face broke into a wicked smile.


    "Even on my worst day, we''ll never be in the same league. How ridiculous to hear a bastard son talking about grace! You should never forget who you are and where you stand." Jessica gave him a triumphant smile. Did he truly believe he could hide his little secrets in the dark forever? Any private detective could easily dig into his past and bring his family tree to light. Indeed, he had the blood of a noble family, but his identity had never been admitted publicly. So he was just a bastard son with nothing to inherit and in no position to defy her. "In that case, let''s save some time for both of us. Security! What are you waiting for? See her out."


    Rain had never tried to hide his identity and neither did he feel shame about it. He earned what he had and couldn''t care less about what anyone else thought of him. There had been a time he felt frustrated and depressed, but he had learned to let it go. He hoped Jessica would be able to hold her head high several days after this, when anyone with a job would have more dignity than her.


    "Please, Miss Lin. Don''t make this difficult." The security guards didn''t dare to anger Jessica. Like any other normal men, they had a soft spot for beautiful women, not to mention this woman who had been their boss''s lover for a long time. Yet they had to obey Mr. Xia''s order to walk her out.


    "Out of my way! You plebs, don''t you dare touch me! You''re making a mistake, Rain, you will regret it. I will make you pay for this." Furiously, Jessica turned to leave, her teeth gritted and her eyes gleaming with malice.


    "You''re right. Someone is going to pay the price. Let''s just wait and see." Rain smiled blithely. He never liked this woman. She could threaten him all she wanted and he didn''t bother to pay her any attention. "Mr. Xia, is it true Mr. Mu won''t be in the office for awhile?" Anna asked as soon as Jessica took her leave, thinking about what Rain said to Jessica.


    "Has Aaron arrived yet? Get him and meet me at my office." Rain ignored her question and nced over the room. All workers who had been waiting for his answer lowered their heads quickly and pretended to work. "He''s here, I''ll get him." Anna felt a vague sense of unease about his words, though she didn''t know why.


    Rain nodded briefly, and then strode toward his office with a mocking smile on his lips. Jessica ttered herself too much to think she was special to Edward. Edward was a walking pheromone; he attracted women like honey attracted bees. He was just using Jessica to get rid of those women. This was the only reason Edward kept her at his side for so long.


    Tired, Rain sank into his chair, frowning. He had a prettyrge workload already before taking over Edward''s work. He was praying he would not work himself to death before Edward returned to work from the hospital.


    His musings were ended by a crisp rap on his door. The door opened, Anna and Aaron came in. Anna, of course, was the one who knocked. Aaron had Rain''s character and in his opinion the door was only a tool to lock things away.


    "Make it quick. I have too much going on right now." Impatiently Aaron rolled his eyes at Rain, wondering what Rain was up to and why Rain summoned him all of a sudden.


    "Edward was seriously wounded yesterday, and he''s still in critical condition," Rain said in a calm tone, not caring how his words would surprise them.


    "Damn it Rain! That''s not funny!" For a moment, Aaron didn''t seem to understand what Rain was saying. Rain''s face betrayed no hint of a smile. Maybe he wasn''t joking. But just a while ago, Aaron had received the bill from the auction, showing Edward had spent tons of moneyst night. How could he get hurt suddenly??????????????0

 Chapter 429 How Dare You Insult Me Like This (Part Two)

    "What should we do now?" Compared with Aaron, Anna took the news better. Just not long ago Rain had mentioned in his conversation with Jessica that he would be in charge of FX International Group. She had guessed that maybe Mr. Mu was going to take a holiday


    and travel with Daisy. But she never thought this would happen.


    "We have to keep the news under control. Make sure the media won''t get wind of it. If anyone asks, Edward is on a business trip abroad." Rain ignored Aaron''s words and gave hismand decisively. He believed that their stock wouldn''t take too much damage, but it was likely someone would want to exploit the opportunity and reap some benefit. He would like to err on the side of caution.


    "You''re serious. How is Mr. Mu now?" Aaron realized how serious Rain was and soon knew this was not some joke. The fact that Edward did get hurt worried Aaron immediately.


    "Of course I am serious. I''d have to have a pretty sick sense of humor to tell a lie like this. I can''t do all the work. So everyone needs to stay sharp, especially you -- Edward''s special assistant."


    Rain rolled his eyes at Aaron. It was true that he liked to have fun, but he would never make jokes of someone''s life. Life was too heavy a thing for him to make light of.


    "Jeez! Can you just tell us how he is first?" Edward was the only one in thepany Aaron would show any respect to. He had a very casual manner when he worked with other person, including Rain, the vice-president. They were all used to his bantering and joking. That was just how Aaron was.


    "Do you have a problem with your ears? Didn''t you hear what I just said? He is still in critical condition," Rain raised his voice like Aaron did. This scene almost made Anna speechless. She couldn''t help but twitch her mouth. What was the point of arguing about this? What they should do was to solve the problem they faced.


    "When can we visit him?" Aaron asked. Edward hired him right after his graduation. To Aaron, Edward was like family. Edward could be a little aggressive or maniptive asionally, but he was a great boss, friendly and essible, and never judged people by their positions.


    "Don''t be too rash. Better to wait until he is out of critical condition. Now he is still ina, our visit won''t change that. At the moment, we''d better keep our minds on work." Rain was also anxious about Edward''s condition. But he was no doctor, what he could do to support Edward was to make sure thepany was running perfectly.


    "How could this happen? Luke is responsible for his protection. Edward has his bodyguards constantly protecting him, right?" Aaron tried to get a grip on himself, though he couldn''t figure out why Edward was hurt under the protection of so many bodyguards. And he knew Luke wouldn''t shirk his duties. How had this happened?


    "I don''t know about that yet. Well, let''s focus on work and just get everything done. You know what I asked you to do." In fact Rain did know some details, but he decided to simplify this matter. Something was safer kept hidden. Arms dealers seemed to live in different world, and it would be better for them to keep a safe distance.


    "Ok. I''m on it. I''ll keep it quiet and contained." Aaron was certain that Rain was hiding something, but Rain must have a good reason for doing so, so Aaron just let it go. The most urgent priority, apparently, was to concentrate on their work.


    "Anna, I need you to go over the agenda and dy all those unimportant matters." Rain had intended to dy purchasing Lin Group''s stock. But since Jessica came here asking for a fight, she should be prepared for any possible oue. He decided to make haste and buy her out as soon as he could. He hoped Miss Lin would enjoy thest days of her luxury life.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Okay, I got it." Anna tightened her lips. Panic wouldn''t do her any good. She had to calm down to get things done properly, especially when things were hard. She had to believe modern medicine would bring Edward back soon.


    When both of them had gone, Rain sighed lightly. Daisy''s question popped into his head, did he miss Annie? He missed her and he couldn''t lie to himself.


    During all these years, that lovely sweet girl always held a special ce deep in his heart. When he finally met up with her again, he realized she had changed over the years, but still she was the one in his heart. Even so, at this moment he could only sit here, not sure how far away she was from him, wondering if he would ever see her again.


    He rubbed his painfully throbbing forehead; he had not sleptst night and stayed at hospital all the time before he could rush back home, took a quick shower and changed for work. But it was the situation troubled him rather than the fatigue.


    He was surprised when he heard that Edward took a bullet for Daisy. Edward was such a proud man, it was hard to believe one day he would risk his life for a woman, but not very long ago it was also hard for Rain to imagine Edward could be so deeply in love with a woman.


    Rain smiled when he thought of this. Edward was a man who didn''t hesitate to act and never gave up on his goals. He was certain Edward would never hurt Daisy again after what she had been through all these years. It was certain that Edward would never love anyone else except Daisy all his life. This was Edward. He loved with all his heart and gave his all without reservation. When they were willing to die for each other, love was too weak a word to describe what they had.0000000???????

 Chapter 430 Grace

    Luke sped toward the countryside where they locked up Paul Du. His face was cold and aloof, eyes fixed on the road ahead. No one could see through his poker face.


    This was the first time he''d been unable to protect Edward, and now his boss was badly injured. He felt both concerned and frustrated. He med no one for it but himself, his own carelessness.


    He had thought that these few days would be peaceful, so he hadn''t taken precautions. Yet, things happened. He made the most foolish mistake as a bodyguard -- being careless.


    "Boss! You''re here! How''s Mr. Mu?" An underling came forward and greeted him just when he stopped his car.


    "He''s alright. Has the guy confessed?" Luke asked, his tone cool but also a bit mad. He was angry that his people hadn''t arrived at the scene in timest night.


    "No, he''s still in aa. We don''t know whether he''s really unconscious or just faking it." The man answered timidly while keeping an eye on Luke''s expression. He was trying to suss out Luke''s mood right now. Was Luke sullen or about to hit the ceiling? He could only tell that Luke was definitely not in a good mood.


    "Have you ever thought of waking him up?" Luke stopped, turned around and cast a cold look.


    "Well... We thought you want to interrogate him yourself," The man replied inconsistently. Luke''s eyes were so intimidating that he even lost the ability of talking smoothly.


    "What? Is this your first day or...I don''t know. You can''t even handle such a minor thing?" Luke said. His eyes grew even colder. He stared at the underling as if he would blow off his steam at any minute.


    "Sorry, boss. We''ll do better next time." The underling bowed his head, afraid of meeting Luke''s cold eyes.


    Luke frowned and felt quite enraged. Maybe he should have given them more discipline and training. They couldn''t do anything right. He hadn''t punished them for arrivingtest night, and now they left him another new problem. Was there a negligence in the hiring process?Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    "Where is he? Take me to him." He had to get everything he needed from Paul''s mouth. Edward had given the order. And he wanted to get the job done before Edward woke up, so he must do it quickly.


    "He''s in the basement. Are you going to question him right now?" Luke didn''t answer, but walked towards the basement. Maybe it was Edward''s injury that made Luke colder than usual.


    The underling didn''t dare to fall behind, so he mustered his courage and did his best to keep up with his boss.


    "Boss." The two guards quit chit-chatting and stood up immediately at the sight of Luke. They got nervous when they sensed his somber mood. Their hearts sank, not knowing what might happen.


    "Wake him. If he''s still in aa, just ditch him in the crocodile pool. We''ll chalk it up to you win some, you lose some." Luke ordered after seeing Paul on the ground. If he was faking, they''d soon know. He wondered if Paul would continue to fake unconsciousness after hearing what he said.


    "Yes, boss." The guards around took action right away. They fetched a barrel of water and poured it on Paul.


    The sudden cold water made Paul shiver, which gave away the fact that he was awake.


    "Quit faking. Just tell me. I don''t have much time to waste on you," Luke said, and sat down on the bench. He looked at him yfully while crossing his legs domineeringly.


    "What do you want to know? You have to tell me that at least." Paul asked. He had nned to ignore Luke''s questions, but the threat of being fed to the crocodiles made him change his mind.


    "Don''t even try to y tricks on me. You are not ready for the consequences." Luke cast him a disdainful look, then shook his legs leisurely as if he wasn''t affected by Paul''s denial, not at all.


    "I know nothing. What do you want from me?" As much as Paul dreaded being thrown into crocodiles, he was more aware of the explosive consequences of telling the truth. So he nned to stall as long as he could.


    "Laong, cut his hand off. The crocs are hungry," Luke turned to a subordinate and ordered. It looked like that the man would not tell the truth until he was taught a lesson.


    "Yes, boss." Laong pulled out the sharp knife from his waist and walked to Paul, smiling evilly. As he twirled the knife, it became more frightening with the reflected light.


    "What... What do you want to do?" Paul kept retreating, his eyes focusing on the bright knife dreadfully. His voice quivered in fear.


    "Nothing. It''s just that our boss wants to use your hand to feed our crocodiles." Laong was originally a gangster. He became a guard only after he worked for Luke. But he didn''t forget how to y a viin.


    "No... Please don''t. My hand is not big enough to be an appetizer for the crocodiles." Paul swallowed slobber in fear and widened his eyes at the knife. He was afraid that his hand would be separated from his body in a minute.


    "Huh. Turns out you are so considerate to the crocodiles. Okay, then I''ll just toss all of you in. This way you''re definitely more than an appetizer." Laong put on a wicked smile and began rubbing his knife against Paul''s clothes. He ridiculed him with an evil look which almost scared the shit out of Paul.


    "Wait, wait, wait. I''ll tell you anything you want." Paul yielded. The knife never cut him, but he felt like the cold steel had been pressed against his skin. He was scared.


    "Fuck! You could have told us earlier. You''ve wasted so much time," Laong said and kicked Paul as a way to let out his anger. His aggressive look was indeed like that of a street gangster.


    "Spill it. Tell us how Yakira plotted against Grace, the ex-wife of the president of Ouyang Foreign Trade. This time I want a clear answer." Luke emphasized with a darkened face.


    "Can I have a cigarette first?" Paul pleaded as he shook away the water dripping from his head, his lips pale. He knew how cruel Luke could be. The other night Luke ordered his men to hang him above the crocodile pool, making him pass out in fear.


    Luke consented and cast a look at Laong. His handsome face put on a relieved expression and a victorious smile. In contempt he then looked at Paul who gazed at him in terror.


    Paul took the lighted cigarette Laong gave to him, took a deep drag on the cigarette and blew a series of smoke rings slowly. Through the smoke he cast a look at Luke, he then revealed the secret that was hidden for years.


    "Twenty years ago, Yakira, my cousin, couldn''t take the fact that she was married to a poor blue-cor worker. So she started working as a prostitute to make more money. She was hired to attend a gathering with Leo and other business partners there. Leo didn''t take her seriously. But just like in all the TV dramas, Yakira fell in love with him at first sight."


    Paul didn''t continue until he took another smoke. Meanwhile, he tried to regain hisposure while looking at Luke, but his trembling hands betrayed him.


    "After finding out that Leo was the president of Ouyang Foreign Trade, she became more obsessed with him. She set up all kinds of coincidental meetings. She even hired a private detective to find out all things about him. That''s how she knew that Leo had a sweet family with a cute daughter and a perfect wife. Then she began her n to turn Leo into her man."


    Paul sneered in self-mockery. He would have never agreed to cooperate with Yakira if he hadn''t owed the usurer so much money. He had to pay his debt or he would be killed. So he chose the lesser of two evils, i.e. paid the debt and saved his own life first.


    "But what she didn''t know was that Leo loved his wife very much. He didn''t even respond to Yakira''s seduction and kept a proper distance from her. His coldness worried her so much that she drugged him and faked a one-night stand with him. And this was just the first step."


    Paul contributed a lot to this first step. He had used great effort just to get Leo on that bed. Though knowing that Leo was unconscious, he was still quite nervous as it was the first time that he had done something like this.


    "You''re so shameless. Go on." Luke sneered and ordered. He had met with Yakira and knew a bit about her. Outside, she always put on airs as some noble woman. Who could have guessed that she was so filthy and evil inside?


    "Men will be men. After the first one night stand, Leo didn''t reject the second time, then the third...He began treating Yakira as his mistress and wrote her big checks without any hesitation. His generosity just confirmed Yakira''s calctions about his affluence and massive assets. So she grew more and more unsatisfied -- and greedy."


    Paul spat out a puff of smoke and licked his lips. Finally he was calmer than he had been. At least he stopped shivering.


    "Give him a cup of water." Luke ordered and frowned. He figured that the story was going to take a while and determined to listen patiently.


    "But Yakira wanted much more than just being a mistress to Leo. After she hooked up with him, she managed to divorce her husband. Her aim was clear: bing Leo''s legal wife. She implied one way or another that she wanted to be his wife, but Leo kept avoiding her after knowing her intention. It almost smashed her ultimate dream."


    This was how Yakira determined to get her hands on Grace. After all, women were easier to deal with. Every woman, whoever she was, however much she thought she could take, would never be fine with her husband''s affairs. And Grace was no exception.0000???????

 Chapter 431 The Murder of a Pregnant Woman

    "Grace, whose name fitted the person, pure, elegant and beautiful. She was ady with a ssical and aristocratic bearing, as if she were one of the goddesses in ancient times. Yakira was no match for Grace in appearance or bearing. No wonder Leo refused to divorce


    Grace and marry her instead even after Yakira had pressured him in so many ways."


    Paul''s mind wandered back to the first time he met Grace. She was like a fairy. He had never met a woman as beautiful as Grace. She was so sweet and tender, whom no one would have the heart to harm. At one point, Paul hesitated, he didn''t want to be part of Yakira''s evil n anymore, but this thought had onlysted for a few minutes.


    "My cousin Yakira had been jealous of Grace ever since she met her. At first she just wanted to force Grace to leave Leo. But having seen how beautiful Grace was, Yakira knew that she could neverpete with her. She was worried that Leo would never get over her even after Grace left him. To get rid of Grace once and for all, Yakira came up with a scheme to cook up a car ident, and Grace would disappear forever from this world, or at least be a vegetable so that Leo would eventually be able to forget her." Hearing this, Luke''s brows knitted tightly. He figured Daisy had inherited her mom''s genes, although Grace''s beauty was beyond his imagination.


    "Having felt Leo''s indifferent attitude after herst attempt, Yakira stopped pushing him to marry her. She started trying to let Grace know about her existence and cause her to be suspicious of Leo. Then she began carrying out her n. In the scheme I pretended to be an informant. I called her and led her to the apartment where Leo was cheating on her with Yakira. Sure enough, when Grace got there she saw Leo in bed with Yakira. She copsed, but said and did nothing but left with a deathly pale face. Everything was going as expected for Yakira. A perfect n. Leo never knew his wife had been there that night."


    Paul drank a mouthful of water. He was scum, but even he had felt guilty when he saw a reasonable, beautiful woman like Grace be suddenly afflicted by grief. However, the skin is closer than the shirt. In order not to be killed by loan sharks, he disposed of hisst trace of conscience and helped Yakira be the wife of the CEO of Ouyang Foreign Trade.


    "And you sabotaged Grace''s car, didn''t you?" Luke asked, gritting his teeth. His icy voice sounded menacing and even louder than it actually was in the quiet room.


    "How did you know?" Paul looked at Luke in shock. He had made sure everything was perfect. He couldn''t believe anybody was able to find any w.


    "I also know that you used to be an expert in refitting posh cars. You were even faster than the mechanics at Form 1 World Championship. And the loan sharks put a hit on you because you were deeply in debt through gambling losses. Keep talking."


    Luke sneered. The file Jonathan had offered recorded details of Grace''s car ident, but it couldn''t be proved that the device in the car had been sabotaged, because the person who had done it had considered the car''s performance, parameters and even errors during his dirty work. Only professionals could have noticed anything unusual. Paul had covered his trail well and sessfully fooled the police. The car ident case had been closed sloppily. But unluckily for Paul, in the Mayfly there were elites at refitting cars too, who had seen through his little game.


    "I messed with Grace''s car a little when she was upstairs. That night Grace drove away with a sad, absent look on her face. She stepped on the gas and sped all the way just as Yakira and I had expected, because one is liable to lose control over their emotions and be irrational when devastated. Flooring the elerator, as Grace did, is the most dangerous thing one might do in an unstable mental state."


    Paul closed his eyes. He had followed Grace in his car that night. He had been pleased that everything had gone well, just as Yakira had nned. But meanwhile, his remaining conscience had been praying that Grace wouldn''t suddenly step on the brake. If she hadn''t, things wouldn''t have turned out to be that horrible after the car crash. Grace would have been severely injured at most instead of been killed.


    "You knew what would happen. That was why you chose that means to take her out, not to mention her child. Did you know about Grace''s pregnancy before that night and step up your ns to kill her? Or was that just a coincidence?" Luke''s fists were clenched tightly as if he couldn''t wait to kill Paul on the scene. An innocent fetus had been murdered even before it was born just because of someone''s vicious private agenda. It was unbearably brutal and inhuman. Hadn''t they feared that they would meet their end one day for their sins? "Yes. At first my cousin just wanted her to be a vegetable or a cripple. But she changed her mind after she identally found out that Grace was pregnant. Because Leo didn''t know Grace was pregnant yet, Yakira was worried that Leo might dump her if he knew, so she decided to make Grace disappear before Leo found out about the baby."


    Paul didn''t think he was ruthless. It was a dark, cold world. To live a better life, you had to cash in on someone else''s life. Anyone else would do the same thing as he did. After all, who would give up a chance to live? And who didn''t want a better life except dumb asses? "You have been living afortable life after killing an innocent woman. I have to say you are the most despicable and cold-blooded person in the world." Luke looked at him with contempt. Luke might not be noble, but he wouldn''t harm innocent people, let alone women and children. All he handled was dangerous people who endangered Edward.


    "Not even close. I have been having nightmares in the past twenty odd years. The dreadful scenes of Grace''s car crashing into a big truck kept shing back to my mind. When she was pulled out of the car, she was drenched in blood. That image has always been part of my nightmares which haunt me every night."This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .


    Paul got chills every time when he recalled how Grace had used herst gasp to beg people to save her baby when she hung between life and death. Out of great motherly love, she chose her baby''s life over her own, a fetus that wasn''t even mature yet. She knew she didn''t have long, but she didn''t want her child to die with her. Even Paul was touched.


    "Son of a bitch! Piece of shit! You don''t deserve to live." Laong kicked Paul angrily. He had never thought of himself as a good person, yet he felt damn good about himselfpared with this asshole.


    "Then Yakira moved into the Ouyang residence and married Leo as she wished. You also got what you wanted and fled overseas, afraid that your conspiracy woulde out one day. For twenty odd years you have been too frightened toe back and never contacted Yakira. But a couple of days ago, your bank ount was frozen. You were forced to sneak back. Am I right?"


    Luke had never talked so much. He had never been so angry either. He was worried about Daisy. The truth was too much for her. Edward''s critical situation had already stressed her out. Luke didn''t want to add to her anxiety by telling her the truth. He would wait until Edward was out of danger.


    "How did you know all this? Did you freeze my bank ount by some trick so you could force me toe back and catch me?"


    Paul suddenly realized he had fallen into a trap. He had been wondering how he had gotten caught as soon as he came back. It turned out he had been exposed a long time ago and every move of his had been watched. He regretted trusting in his luck. There was no concealing the truth. It was just a matter of time.


    "Evils bounce back." Luke sneered. You reap what you sow. How did Paul even have the guts to ask? He should have known better.


    "Now that I''ve told you everything, you should let me go." Paul looked at Luke with a pleading expression on his face. He wondered who these people were and why they were interested in a tragedy that had happened many years ago. They looked like neither gangsters nor the police. Had Yakira screwed up and Leo started to suspect the car ident wasn''t so idental? Did these people work for Leo? Had Leo set him up to get a confession?


    "Let you go? It''s not my call." Luke disdainfully nced at Paul who was gazing at him with pleading eyes. A sneer flitted over his face. Since when did hunters free their prey? Maybe fishermen would, but they were not near any water.


    "Who are you people? Did Leo send you over? Did my cousin offend you so you kidnapped me to threaten her?"


    Besides Leo, Paul couldn''t think of a second person that would be interested in the things that had happened more than twenty years ago. Wait. There had been a handsome young couple whose bodyguard had rescued Grace. But they were just passers-by. They shouldn''t be interested in the matter. Furthermore, even if they wanted to find out anything about it, they wouldn''t wait for over 20 years. If it wasn''t them, who was it then? Paul was baffled. It was beyond imagining.00000

 Chapter 432 I Only Want The Truth (Part One)

    "Leo? Do you really think that he can even notice this? If he could, he wouldn''t have been fooled by you and your evil cousin for all these years!" Luke retorted sharply with a sneer, his eyes filled with contempt. He had already given Leo all the reports he had investigated the other day. Leo knew what happened to histe wife and who did it to her; still, he did nothing about it. On top of that, he had the nerve to attend the FX International Group''s anniversary party with the vicious woman who had schemed to kill his ex-wife and tortured his daughter. It was obvious that he wasn''t convinced by what Edward and Luke told him. Luke felt that Leo was so stupid and ignorant that he deserved to be set up, but Luke only felt sorry for histe wife, who was innocent the whole time. Luke wondered how Leo would react when he realized that Edward was telling the truth. To be honest, Luke usually had no interest in other people''s personal lives, and he didn''t like to gossip. However, he was triggered this time because they had hurt Edward''s wife. He and Edward were like brothers; he cared about Edward, and so he consequently cared about everyone Edward loved.


    "Who else would hold onto this after all these years? Just tell me who you are and what you want from me!" The feel of insecurity and uncertainty sent chills down Paul''s spine. He was trembling all over in terror. This man had kept him captive for days. However, Paul didn''t even know who the man was and what he was going to do to him.


    "What I want is quite simple. I only want the truth from you. As for who we are, you''ll find out when the time is right. Don''t worry, we''ll make sure that you''ll never forget. Now, just shut up and behave. You''ve escaped the rule ofw once, but you won''t get away with it again this time."


    Since Edward was injured and unconscious in hospital, Luke had to postpone a lot of things that needed his instructions and permission to carry on. Edward didn''t tell Luke how to deal with Paul after he confessed, therefore Luke wouldn''t dare to do anything to him yet. Luckily for Paul, he could still enjoy hisst few days away from jail before Edward woke up. They had recorded his confession, which was enough for them to send Paul behind bars. The only problem left was how to make Yakira confess her evil deeds. "Man, please. I know I''ve done something really wrong, and I shouldn''t have done that. But I''ve told you everything I know. So please! Please just let me go. I''ll go. I''ll leave at once! Go abroad and nevere back. You''ll never have to see me again. I promise. Please just let me go."


    Paul might be evil, but he was not stupid. He knew it clearly that he had messed with someone he shouldn''t have. They took all the trouble to take him here and make him talk; now that they had what they wanted, nothing good woulde of it. Luke wouldn''t tell Paul who he was, so Paul got more frightened. The desperation and fear were gnawing at him and driving him crazy.


    "Cut the crap. You should have seen iting when youmitted the crime. You want us to let you go? Did it ever ur to you to let go of Grace back then? She was innocent! What had she done to you? Nothing! Yet you killed her for your own interests. You should have known well that karma is a bitch and sooner orter you''d have to pay for what you''ve done."


    Luke was a taciturn man. It was unusual that he would say so many words at a time. However, faced with Paul, Luke was shocked by how evil he had been. Paul''s maliciousness had bruised the soft spot on his heart. Luke couldn''t help but speak up for Grace, even though he didn''t even know her.


    "You''remitting a crime as well! It''s illegal for you to keep me captive against my will!" Paul yelled hysterically, expecting that someone would hear him ande to his rescue. He didn''t want to stay at this damp and dark basement anymore.


    "Wow. So you know about thew. Do you know what kind of sentence you''ll receive for what you did? Execution? Life imprisonment? A slow and painful death with all kinds of torture before you die? Or perhaps I should just throw you into the pond to feed the crocodiles. Which one would you prefer, huh?" Luke asked casually with a sneer as he suddenly gripped Paul''s jaw.


    "No, no, please. Since I''m a criminal, you should just hand me over to the police." Police interrogations sounded far more better than crocodiles, at least Paul could manage to fight for the chance to live. After all, it had been more than two decades, and it was hard for the police to find any new evidence against him now. Paul thought that there was a good chance that the police wouldn''t find anything to charge him and would have to let him go.


    "The police? Do you really think that we''re that stupid and we''ll let you off without paying? Just stay here. You have to pay the price." Luke snorted and threw him to the floor. He wouldn''t take Paul to the police until Daisy decided what to do to him. Daisy was the direct victim of what Paul had done. She lost her dear mother and was tortured by her stepmother, Paul''s evil cousin, and she should have a say in his punishment.


    "You guys, keep an eye on him. Don''t let him starve or lose weight. I don''t think our crocodiles would like to eat skinny ribs." Luke nced around the room and told his people, his voice as cold and ruthless as his look.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Yes, boss!" The people in the room replied loudly in unison. Although they were all Edward''s bodyguards, they were directly led by Luke. Compared to Edward, they were more scared of Luke, who was colder. They knew the other batch of bodyguards didn''t make it on time to protect Edwardst night, and Luke must be furious about that. Although they were assigned to watch Paul here and didn''t have to go to the scene, they wouldn''t dare upset Luke at this point. Who knew when Luke would punish those bodyguards fromst night and whether they would be caught in the crossfire. Therefore, they''d better stay alert for the time being.


    Luke turned around and gazed at Paul again with a frown. He then left the basement without any hesitation. On his way out, Luke could hear Paul begging and crying with his trembling voice behind him. Paul kept repeating sentences like ''please let me go'' and ''please forgive me''. ''Let go of you?'' Luke sneered and thought, ''you wish!'' Why would Edward go through all the trouble to force Paul back from abroad and hold him captive to interrogate him if Edward intended to let him off in the first ce?


    A luxurious Lamborghini soon sped away from the ce where they kept both Paul and the crocodiles. The Lamborghini wasn''t Luke''s own car. He asked a bodyguard to bring a car from the Mu''s house for him for temporary use, because he had left his own car in the suburbsst night. Edward was injured, so Luke went to the hospital with him and Daisy in the Armored Fighting Vehicle. Luke wondered whether Kevin had brought his car back. He also wondered whether the ne Daisy had boughtst night was still in the car. It wasn''t just some ordinary piece of jewelry. It was said that it once belonged to a nobledy of the Qing dynasty. Although Luke couldn''t tell why, he could sense that the ne was somehow very important to Daisy, otherwise she wouldn''t gaze at it as if it was a long lost family heirloom, and Edward wouldn''t have spent a fortune to buy it for her.


    Time slowly went by, and it was already noon when Daisy woke up. She had slept soundly, perhaps it was because she was too tired, both physically and mentally. When she opened her eyes, she was still in a daze for a second or two. She nked out for a short while, not knowing where she was or why she was there. She took a deep breath and blinked for a few times, her long eyshes slightly quivering. As she saw Edward lying on the bed next to her, Daisy''s heart stopped for a second and she suddenly remembered everything. Memories immediately flooded into her mind. The fight, the gunshot, the blood oozing from his chest.


    What happenedst night kept ying on a loop inside her mind. Daisy shook her head and made sure that she wasn''t in a dream. Frightened, she reached for Edward''s palm. She eagerly wrapped her hands around his palm and even put his palm over her pale face. When she felt the warm and soft touch of his skin, Daisy finally felt relieved. As long as Edward was still alive, everything else wouldn''t matter.00

 Chapter 433 I Only Want The Truth (Part Two)

    Daisy roughly brushed her hair with her fingers, gently patted her face to sober herself up. She was still dizzy. She had been crying and confessing her love for Edward before she was too exhausted and fell asleep. The doctors and nurses must have heard her, and Daisy felt a little embarrassed to see them now. Therefore, she lowered her head and fixed her eyes on Edward to avoid eye contact with the doctor and asked, "Doctor, how long have I slept? Did he wake up when I was sleeping?"


    "Not long, just about three hours. Mr. Mu hasn''t woken up yet. But all his signs are stable now. You don''t have to worry too much." A man calmly answered her. He looked like a doctor. With his eyes fixed on Daisy all the time, he was actually very excited. He was talking to the most fierce and beautiful colonel in the city ever. She was literally a legend! Were it not for the fact that it wasn''t the right time, he would definitely ask Daisy to give him an autograph. His girlfriend was a huge fan of everything to do with the military, and she admired Daisy. When she found out that her boyfriend worked for Tom, who was one of Edward''s best friends, she asked him if he could get a chance to get Daisy''s autograph.


    "Really? Are all the signs really stable? Does that mean he will be okay? I know he will. Why wouldn''t he? Anyway, thank you very much, doctor." Daisy cheered up a little. ording to the doctor, Edward was doing fine now. Perhaps he would wake up soon. Her heart started beating fast at the thought. She couldn''t hold back her excitement.


    "You''re wee, Mrs. Mu. Mr. Mu is a man with strong will. We only did what we have to do. It''s our job as doctors." Everyone knew that Edward was best friends with Tom, the president of the hospital they worked for. Therefore, none of them would dare ck off; they were doing their utmost to make sure that Edward received the best treatment and care until he was out of danger. They knew this matter was of vital importance. If anything should happen to Edward, there went their careers. They would lose their jobs for not taking better care of Edward. On top of that, once they were fired by Tom, no hospital would dare to hire them, because Tom''s name was practically equal to the word ''authoritative'' in the medical industry. He wouldn''t fire someone without a good reason. And once he did, his decision was final and the person was done for.


    "I know you''ve done a lot. Thank you, all of you." Daisy tried to curl her lips and gave him a weak smile. Her soldiers would secretly call her ''devil instructor'' because she was harsh and strict to them during the training. However, apart from that, Daisy was a nice and gentle person. She wasn''t arrogant and didn''t like to show off her identity as a military officer.


    "Who''s done a lot, Daisy? Are you talking about me?" Just as the doctor didn''t know how to reply, Tom stepped into the ICU. He had spent several hours performing the surgery for Edward, and he was driven back to his office to get some rest by Cynthia just a while ago. He felt refreshed as he had just slept for a short while. Now he looked as gentle and polished as he always did.


    "You''ve done a lot, Tom. I couldn''t thank you enough. Did you stay outside the ICU all the time?" Daisy was a little embarrassed. She was supposed to keep Edwardpany and talk to him. She had no idea when she fell asleep. Perhaps she was exhausted because of the gunfight earlierst night, and then Edward''s surgery and postoperativeplication. Frightened and stressed, Daisy had felt like she was on the verge of breakdown. Later when she knew Edward would live, it felt like all the strength was drained out of her body and she could finally breathe again. She couldn''t take it anymore and fell asleep.


    "No, I slept for a while this morning. But uncle Jonathan and auntie Cynthia are outside in the corridor. Mrs. Wu has just brought some lunch here for you, they want you to have some." Tom usually spent a lot of time in hisb doing important research and developing new medicines; he sometimes would forget to eat or sleep. However, his body had gotten used to this way of life, so only a couple hours of sleep would help him restore his energy.


    "What? When did theye? Why didn''t they wake me up?" Daisy was so eager to greet her inws that she stood up abruptly as she spoke. However, because she had maintained a posture for too long, her legs were numb and she could barely stand. Fortunately, Tom reacted quickly and held Daisy, otherwise she would fall t onto Edward''s body. Daisy''s face grew pale all of a sudden after she realized what had happened. She wouldn''t dare even imagine what would happen if she fell on Edward and caused his wound to re-open. "Thank...thank you, Tom." Daisy stammered as she was still in shock. She immediately turned around to look at Edward and ran her hands over her chest, trying to ease her beating heart. She was scared to death just now.


    "It''s fine. Let''s go. You need to eat something, so you can stay strong and healthy and look after Edward." Tom let go of Daisy and gave Edward a quick checkup. To his relief, everything appeared to be normal. If nothing went wrong and no other adverse reactions kicked in, Edward would wake up on time as he had expected.


    "How''s he doing? Is he alright? Is there anything wrong?" asked Daisy eagerly. Upon seeing Tom performing checks on Edward, Daisy was frightened again. Until Edward woke up and got better, she might be trapped in a state of endless worry and anxiety. "Everything is fine, and no adverse reactions yet. I''m just doing some routine checks. You don''t have to worry. Just try and rx a bit. You will get yourself sick if you are always this intense. What if Edward finally wakes up and you''re ill?" Tom frowned worriedly when he noticed how pale and weary Daisy looked.


    "Don''t worry about me. I''ve always been healthy. Trust me, I''ve been through a lot more. I''ve trained hard in the army. I can handle this." Daisy hastily tried to prove her strength, but she seemed to forget that she had just recovered from a fever not long ago. "I hope so. Otherwise Edward will tear my hospital down if he wakes up and finds you''re ill again." Tom shook his head with a small smile. Daisy seemed cold and indifferent when they first met. But as he got to know her better, he found that she was actually kind and gentle like a little sister next door, who was lovely and lively.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    "Is he really that violent?" Daisy asked with a frown. She was a little surprised at Tom''s words. Then she remembered that Tom did have a ck eyest time she had a fever. It was obvious that someone had hit him in his eye. Could that someone be Edward? Daisy suddenly realized that Edward did have a bad temper if he was really the one who hit Tom. How could he just attack his own best friend over trifles? After all, Tom cured her, and he deservedpliments rather than a punch to the face. Daisy sighed heavily and thought, ''People always say that the good usually die young and the bad will live long. Edward, you''re not really a good man. So please don''t die. Please just live a long time and stay with me forever.''??????00

 Chapter 434 A Real Tyrant (Part One)

    injuries. And he didn''t need that. He was a top-notch doctor, and he had no intention to be a poor patient.


    "I won''t say he is violent, but he is a real tyrant." Tom pursed his lips awkwardly. He''d onlyin about Edward when he was lyingatose. He definitely wouldn''t say anything about him if this guy was awake. He might end up with a ck eye and likely a host of other Thinking about it, he felt very strange! Everyone else could tease the man, orment on his faults. But Tom was the one who usually felt the brunt of Edward''s anger. Tom was even-tempered, so why was he always the one Edward bullied?


    Daisy suddenly twitched her mouth and her mouth trembled a little. She didn''t say anything. She turned her head to look at the man on the bed. Though he was unconscious, he still showed his nobility. A shallow smile slowly appeared in the depths of Daisy''s eyes at the sight of the man. She then walked out of the door happily.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    Tom touched his head and wondered what made her change her mood suddenly. It was the first time she smiled after Edward got hurt. So he turned his head to look at Edward. But he didn''t feel anything special at all! He shrugged his shoulders and walked out too. He stopped suddenly when approaching the door and took a look at the medical staff who were staring at him.


    "Don''t tell anyone else what Mrs. Mu said to Mr. Mu. there will be consequences. I wouldn''t risk it." He stepped out after he said this. The medical staff left in the room stared at each other. They reminded themselves in their hearts to keep the secret and not to say anything. Otherwise, they would be fired.


    "Daisy, are you okay? Is Edward okay too?" Cynthia stood up at the sight of Daisying out of the room. She felt relieved to see that Daisy was not so pale as before.


    "Mom, we''re fine. Why are you still here? And Dad, you just donated blood. Why don''t you guys get some rest?" Daisy looked at Jonathan worriedly. Though they were not close to Edward, as their daughter-inw, she was supposed to get them closer to each other and be more intimate. That was her responsibility. What''s more, as a soldier, she should set an example.


    "It''s good to know you''re fine. Come and have some soup! Tom, you too." Cynthia greeted Tom when she saw him.


    "Sure. My taste buds are going to be satisfied today. It''s been a long time since I enjoyed Mrs. Wu''s cookingst time. Besides, I''m starving." Tom didn''t decline the invitation and followed Daisy over there.


    "Mr. Qin, help yourself and eat whatever you like." Mrs. Wu grinned from ear to ear because of his praise.


    "Yes. I''ll eat everything for sure." That was Tom''s personality. As a gentleman, he always disyed his modesty well in front of everyone.


    "Mrs. Mu, you need to eat something too! I''ll stay here and take care of Mr. Mu." Mrs. Wu cooked many delicious dishes. She asked the bodyguard at home to bring them to the hospital with her, so there would be enough food for them to eat well.


    There was a difference between a high-ss hospital and a normal one. In a high-ss hospital, all the facilities were fully equipped. It not only had afortable rest room but also a small dining room. It made people feel very warm. People could rx while taking care of the patients. It''s really something a normal hospital could never afford.


    Though Daisy had no appetite at all, she forced herself to eat a little in order not to make others worry about her. After all, as a soldier, she understood the importance of bodily strength and eating well better than others did.


    "I''m done. Take your time, please." Daisy smiled apologetically and stood up. She was desperate to go back to the room and stay at Edward''s side. Although it was only a few steps away from the intensive care unit, she was still uneasy when she couldn''t see him. "Why don''t you eat more, Daisy?" Cynthia paid close attention to Daisy. So she began to worry when she saw Daisy only ate a few bites.


    "Aunt Cynthia, it''s okay. It''s not good for her to eat too much in situations like this. Or she might get sick. Let her be!" Tom watched Daisy leave and walk towards Edward''s ICU. He muttered that maybe she was too worried about Edward to eat much. Jonathan frowned slightly. Still no expression was shown on his face. He just looked quietly at Daisy as she excused herself, and then continued to have his lunch. But tons of thoughts had emerged in his mind. He didn''t think Edward was wrong to take the bullet for Daisy, and his wife thought the same way. No matter who Daisy was, she was simply a wife in front of his son. As a man, he wouldn''t deserve love if he couldn''t protect his woman in an emergency. So Jonathan didn''t me his daughter-inw at all and thought everything happened naturally.


    "Colonel." Daisy caught the sight of Mark rushing towards her when she just walked out. She felt a little surprised seeing him suddenly here.


    "How did you know I am here, Mark?" Daisy couldn''t help regretting it right after finishing her words. Why bother asking? Of course it was Kevin who told Mark where she was. Who else would it be? Although Hawkeye also knew, he would never disclose her whereabouts without her permission. Because for a special soldier, the most vital principle was to keep secret. Therefore, the one telling Mark she was in the hospital must be Kevin.


    "Major General asked me to give this box to you. He told me the thing inside is very valuable." Mark took out a box from his briefcase and handed it to Daisy. He looked at her worriedly and decided not to ask about Edward''s injury.


    It''s "A Beauty''s Tears Of Blood". Looking at the box in her hand, Daisy paused for a second. How could she forget such an important thingpletely? It''s because her mind was on Edward alone. Other things were unimportant, and he had a special ce in her heart.

 Chapter 435 A Real Tyrant (Part Two)

    "Not very valuable. But it''s very important to me. Thanks!" Daisy meditated a little and opened the box. She sighed with relief seeing it was keptplete. It was the only thing her mother left in the world. She couldn''t get it lost anymore. "Colonel, are you... okay?" Although he decided not to ask about Edward, he was still concerned about her. So he asked in a roundabout way.


    "Oh! I''m fine. Put it in your bag! Bring it to my hometer." Daisy handed the box back to Mark. Although she said it was not very valuable, it was an antique worth hundreds of millions of dors. So she decided it was better not to carry it with her. She might lose it identally, and it would be a huge loss. She had spent a long time searching for it and finally found it. She couldn''t be careless anymore.


    "Yes. I''ll take it back to your home and then return to the army base to get you the file." Mark put the box back to his briefcase carefully. Could he do any less? The Colonel said it was very important to her.


    "File? What file?" Daisy frowned slightly. Didn''t she let Kevin ask for a few days off for her? Why was there still some file she needed to deal with? Was it about the yearly elite soldier selection event? Was she appointed director again? She had assumed responsibility for this event for the past few years. Couldn''t he appoint other person to do it this year? For example, he could use Hank, who always gave her a hard time, to handle the event. He had always wanted to participate in it. Just let him do it and he would know what a pain it was. Or he would always consider it light duty every year and taunt her due to some stupid thing or another.


    "I don''t know either. I received the phone call as soon as I arrived at the hospital gate. So I''ll have to go back to the base again." Mark touched his head in sympathy. He didn''t know what the file was about either and why it had to be handed to the Colonel right this moment.


    "Okay. I see. Go get it, I guess." Although she was very worried about Edward''s injury, she couldn''t forget she was a soldier with duties. If the higher-ups told you to do something, you did it. After all, every soldier''s duty was to obey orders.


    "Yes, Colonel. I''m taking off." Mark made a standard salute with the sound of "pat". He turned and walked away at a steady pace. He made a sudden exit, just like his sudden arrival.


    Daisy sighed resignedly, and kept walking towards the intensive care unit. She wouldn''t shake this anxious feeling off until Edward woke up.


    "Have you eaten anything, Mrs. Mu?" Mrs. Wu asked in a careful tone, seeing Daisy return so quickly.


    "Yes! I''ve already had some. You cooked well -- the meal was delicious." Daisy smiled a little. Although she didn''t try every dish, she knew they all were what she liked to eat normally. So she didn''t spare her praise. What made her feel better was that the curtain of the intensive care unit was pulled open again. She could see him through the ss window, and not have to worry too much. He''d been asleep for a long time and was still lying quietly on the bed. He hadn''t moved. She was relieved to see there weren''t any sudden severeplications.


    "It''s no big deal. My work isn''t hard at allpared with Mr. Mu''s life!" Mrs. Wu wiped her wet eyes. She had been tending to Edward for many years. Her heart was full of sadness when she saw him lying without any movement. Edward was kind. And an upper ss kind- hearted person was rare indeed. He was easy-going most of the time as long as he was not offended. So all the servants did things for him carefully.


    Daisy bit her lip and didn''t say a thing. She suddenly found the air here was very stuffy and suffocated her. She needed to get away, to escape that environment.


    "Mrs. Wu, I''m going to the garden to get some fresh air. Let me know immediately if there''s anything wrong." Daisy turned and walked out without waiting for Mrs. Wu''s response. There were swimming tears in her eyes. Mrs. Wu''s words stung her heart again. Her guilt welled up in her heart. She felt that she was the one to me for Edward''s condition.


    "Did I say something wrong?" Mrs. Wu muttered to herself. Daisy''s quick exit bothered her. She really couldn''t understand why Daisy would need to go to the garden suddenly since she was calm a minute before.


    Daisy rushed to the garden and stopped, panting. She made a fist and pressed it against her mouth to prevent herself from crying out. She looked up at the sky to keep the tears from falling from her eyes.


    This situation reminded her of the afternoon twelve years ago when they met. He was spirited at that time, but now he was weak. She couldn''t help feeling heartbroken because of it.


    She leaned weakly against the big tree behind her. The bright sunlight shone on her pale beautiful face through the leaves and finally made her feel a trace of warmth.


    In the eyes of many people, she must be strong as a soldier. But she was also a woman. Sometimes she could feel weak and sensitive as well. That''s why she almost burst into tears when hearing Mrs. Wu''s words: "My work isn''t hard at allpared with Mr. Mu''s life". If he didn''t run to her suddenly and take the bullet for her, she would be the one lying in the room! She should be the one lying there! In that case, would he feel the same way? Consumed with guilt because of her grave injury? After all, he was innocent from beginning to end, wasn''t he?This content belongs to N?/velDra/ma.Org .

 Chapter 436 A Slap In Daisys Face (Part One)

    her. Yakira.


    "Daisy Ouyang, why are you here?" When Daisy was struggling with her thoughts, a voice cut through her musings. Daisy marshaled her emotions immediately due to this sharp voice. She nced coldly at the hateful woman with full make-up who just appeared in front of "Yes?" Daisy responded in an indifferent and distant tone without any emotion. She showed great reluctance to see her.


    "Nothing. I just care about you. You look pale." She was gloating over rather than caring for her. She hated Daisy so much since Daisy had been stealing the show recently. It was rare for her to see Daisy alone. Unless her eyes deceived her, she was crying just now! She knew that an outstanding man like Edward Mu would never fall in love with her! So she was crying secretly at this moment, wasn''t she?


    "No need. I don''t need or want your caring. Please leave if you have nothing more to say and don''t disturb me," Daisy said. Her eyes were cold, her face bearing an expression that said Yakira had better go away and not approach her.


    "Daisy Ouyang, you ungrateful animal! Do you really think you are so capable? You''re nothing! If not for your father, I''d never say a word to you!"


    Yakira snorted. She was the wife of a president anyway, and the elder. But Daisy always ignored her. Herplete ignoring her irritated her and she could not help raising her voice.


    "Pooh! Father? Sorry. I don''t remember the time when I had a father. So you don''t need to ''care about'' me for my ''father''s sake.'' Again, please leave me."


    That''s Mary''s father but not hers. So he was nobody to her at all. She didn''t and couldn''t value him.


    "You heartless bitch! You don''t want your father since you have be the daughter-inw of the Mu family, right? And you even incite Brian to hate me! I have to admit: you are really good at ying tricks.


    Yakira was extremely resentful at the thought of Brian''s attitude towards her these days. She shunted the me onto Daisy. She believed it must be Daisy who told something to her son. That''s why he was so scornful of her, his mother.


    "Tricks? Isn''t it you who are good at ying tricks? What? Are you being punished so quickly? Even your own son thinks you''re dirty." Daisy cast a sidelong nce at her coldly. She felt that she could see Yakira and her daughter were everywhere. Why could she always meet one of them.


    "You... I''m gonna p you until you die. I won''t let you say those offensive words to me." Yakira raised her hand, trying to give Daisy a p. But Daisy vigorously held her hand back before she approached her.


    "Hum! Yakira Mo, do you think I am still the girl twenty years ago who let you bully me whenever you wanted? How dare you p me? Do you know what you will be used of if you attack a military officer? Do you need me to exin it clearly?" Daisy shook her hand off emphatically. Yakira took a few steps back to steady herself. She staggered deliberately and fell when she noticed a particr person appear.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "She dare not, but I dare! Why don''t you tell me what I will be used of if I attack a soldier?" As the voice rang out, Leo Ouyang stepped into view. Looking at this nominal father, Daisy bit her lip unconsciously. But soon a sneer slowly spread over her mouth. ''Yakira Mo, I didn''t imagine you would still be as good an actor as in the past. I have to admit I''m outssed here, as I always was. I can''t act as well as you do. You fell deliberately in front of Leo Ouyang, pretending that I''m bullying you. You are such a sly actor, '' Daisy said in her mind.


    "Dear, you saw it. I was just telling her how much I care about her when I saw her standing here alone. But she flung me to the ground."


    Yakira pretended to be aggrieved, and did not care how a squatting position on the ground was so inappropriate for ady. She whined at Leo affectionately. The shivering foundation on her face disgusted Daisy.


    Leo reached out and helped Yakira to stand. But his eyes stared firmly at Daisy. She never showed her kindness to him during their several meetings. Though he did not care for her, she should at least be grateful that he raised her all those years. But she wasn''t. She treated him as if he was her enemypletely. Now he doubted it that whether the documents Luke gave him were true. If they were real father and daughter, why didn''t he feel it at all?


    "Is this the virtue of a soldier?" Leo walked towards Daisy and questioned her in an arrogant manner. His eyes were drenched with anger.


    "Tit for tat is fair y. It should be a principle everyone keeps in mind! So you don''t need to remind me of how to be a soldier. My virtue is only for human beings. As for an animal, it doesn''t deserve it."


    Just then, a loud p sounded on her face immediately before she could take a breath after finishing the words. It was particrly clear in such a quiet afternoon. Daisy stared incredulously at the man in front of her who still had his hand raised.


    "I..." Leo looked at his own hand. He didn''t mean to hurt her. He was just irritated by her aggressive words. He was too shocked to say a thing, staring at the red fingerprints on Daisy''s face.


    "Haha! Good. Though there was some feeling I''ve had for you, it''s gone now. You will be nobody to me at all starting now. Please keep an eye on your family and don''t let them disturb me. Or I''ll make Ouyang Foreign Trade disappear in this city. You should know this: I''m more capable than you can imagine."


    Daisy sneered. The scorching pain on the face made her frown. She raised her hand and wiped the blood at the corner of her mouth. It felt like Leo pped her with all his might. She realized that he didn''t love her at all. She felt she was surrounded by a freezing air realizing this fact. She felt achingly cold.


    "Daisy Ouyang, how dare you! Don''t believe that you can do whatever you want as the wife of the CEO of FX International Group. If you''re really capable, don''t rely on Edward Mu."0000

 Chapter 437 A Slap In Daisys Face (Part Two)

    Ouyang Foreign Trade could really be a part of this city''s history.


    Upon hearing Daisy''s words, Yakira began to panic, because she knew that Ouyang Foreign Trade was just a smallpany, insignificantpared to FX International Group. It was a multinational group and Daisy was not talking big. If FX International Group wanted, "Pooh! Do you think I, as a colonel, need to rely on his power? I can raze it to the ground without a tank battalion."


    Shoot. Did she think she was a fake colonel? How dare she provoke her! It''s just Ouyang Foreign Trade! It was a piece of cake to erase it. It all depended on whether she wanted to do it or not.


    "Are you threatening me? Do you want to use the power of the state for your own private revenge?" Though Leo was still feeling guilty due to the p in her face, he grew angry once again when hearing her arrogant words.


    "Mr. Ouyang, let me ask you. What identity are you using to question me now? A public one? Or a personal one?" Hum! Threatening? Yes, yes, she was! She was capable of it, wasn''t she?


    "Daisy Ouyang, are you trying to irritate me again? Don''t forget it. Yourst name is still Ouyang." Leo didn''t anticipate that she was still so aggressive now and didn''t show any softness. She waspletely different from her former weak self. "Ouyang? To tell the truth, I feel shame in bearing that name. If possible, I''d rather never have thisst name at all." Daisy gritted her teeth. Her words showed nopromise at all, as if she was trying to make Leo mad on purpose. "You..." Leo was too angry to say anything but raised his hand again. But he stopped, freezing when he caught the sight of Daisy''s inmed face. He made no further movement.


    "What? Are you going to p the other side of my face? If so, just do it as early as possible. I will take it no matter how hard you beat me and won''t fight back. But after today, sorry, I will never allow it if you dare beat me no matter who you are." Did her heart die? Yes. At this moment, her heart couldn''t be frozen any more than what it was. He got to p her, because she didn''t expect him to do so. Though he hadn''t cared about her in the past, he still had never hit her.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    But today, her father didn''t say a single word tofort her when she was worried about her husband so much. Instead, he pped her in the face for the honor of a trickster. Think about it, how could she keep her heart peaceful to face this fact? Daisy was about to burst into tears. But she looked up at the sky and stubbornly held the tears back. She didn''t deny it that she said those words somewhat to irritate Leo Ouyang. She felt guilty for Edward''s injury. Although nobody med her for it, she just couldn''t forgive herself because Edward got hurt due to her carelessness. So she didn''t get along with herself rather than Leo Ouyang.


    "Daisy Ouyang, are you doing this on purpose? Because of this situation, now Edward can find fault with Ouyang Foreign Trade. You want to destroy it. I didn''t know that you''d be such a narrow-souled soldier. You''re so vicious!"


    Yakira hesitated. This Daisy was totally different from the girl who never fought back in her memory. She wondered how much she could trust her words at this moment.


    "Vicious? Don''t forget, you made me vicious. Who are you to sit in judgement on me? Look in a mirror first!" Daisy stared at Yakira coldly. There was nothing but a sneer on her beautiful yet cold face. But the inmed face destroyed her elegance.


    Was she vicious? Perhaps! Or she wouldn''t have left her husband who was still struggling for life ande here for a beating. Judging from this, she wasn''t wee at all. She became the sinner to everyone.


    "Don''t me us for your already twisted life. We''re just ordinary people and don''t have the ability to antagonize a military officer. We might end up with the usation in a military court, if we dared to offend you."


    Yakira caught some minor information from Daisy''s words and jeered taking advantage of it. Daisy didn''t get angry. Instead, sheughed.


    "Yeah! My life has already been twisted. So aren''t you the jerks to provoke me? As for the military court, do you think any dogs or cats can be sent to it? Let me tell you, you''re not qualified."


    Today''s Daisy Ouyang was not willing topromise in words at all. Every sentence she said was so forceful and aggressive, as if they were in a war that would not end. She had been indifferent and cool in the past. She was different from who she was in the past, now she was a little hedgehog covered with prickles. Anyone who touched her weak nerves slightly would get pricked by her.


    "Good, good. After all these years, nothing''s changed except that you''ve be so voluble. I have to say it''s terrible without family education. Even the fine tradition of respecting your elders is discarded to the remote country of Java by you." Yakira was not a kind- hearted woman. She had some concerns when Leo was there. Otherwise, she would have said harsher words to suppress Daisy''s arrogance so as to stop her from insulting her.


    "Family education? Sorry, I don''t know what it is, as someone who never felt a family before. Why do you think I have such a luxurious thing?" Daisy''s extremely cold eyes bored into Leo while speaking. It was them who deprived her of the little family warmthpletely. How dared they mention family education to her. Was it because she had been in the army for too long? She couldn''t even figure out their logic nowadays.0000000

 Chapter 438 Raise Your Head

    "Indeed, like mother, like daughter. You are just as terribly hostile as your mother." Yakira still remembered how desperate and envious she felt at the first time she met Grace. Grace was so noble, elegant and confident. She was a goddess-like woman.


    "You met with my mother?" Daisy ignored her abuse and asked curiously.


    Leo, meanwhile, also fixed his eyes on Yakira. With the look, he grew more confused. He wanted to know the answer as much as Daisy did.


    "No.. No, I didn''t see her. I don''t even know her." Yakira hastily answered. Deep down she med herself for her being careless and almost letting the cat out of the bag. She might as well be more careful next time. Or her years of efforts to bury the secret underground would vanish overnight. It''s worth noting that no one, not even Paul knew about her meeting with Grace.


    "Don''t you think it''s highly inappropriate to judge someone you have never seen? Or this is the family education you are talking about? Save it for yourself." Daisy talked back as if she was just trying to work against them.


    "I don''t need to see her to know about her. I''ve said, like mother, like daughter. You''re so rude. So how much more cultivated could your mother be?"


    Yakira looked at Daisycently, her eyes implying her contempt against Daisy. She must win over Grace today, even just verbally. She couldn''t stand being overshadowed by Grace every time.


    "Yakira, I called you Auntie for Brian''s sake. But that doesn''t mean that I''ll put up with you or whatever you do. Don''t insult my mother." Daisy made her point clear. Then next thing you know, she grabbed Yakira''s neck. It took merely seconds. She was as quick as a stroke of lightning.


    "Koff... Koff..." Yakira widened her eyes in fright. Breathlessly she stared at Daisy who was as intimidating as a hell-spawned Devil. For the first time in her life, she felt close to death.


    Leo, on the other hand, was frozen in shock. He was totally astonished. Instead of saving Yakira, he stood still silently. He couldn''t even imagine how Daisy made it past him to choke Yakira in just a blink of the eye. And then, there they were. Luckily they were not in a Real war, or they would already been ughtered by Daisy.


    "Daisy, you really want to go to jail? You are in the military. Stop. Let her go." The minute Leo regained his poise, he started shouting madly at Daisy. He could see Yakira''s face turn purple. He suspected that Daisy might really strangle her to death judging from the strength she used.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Remember, you can gossip about me all you like. But never, ever say anything about my mother. That''s the bottom line,"


    Daisy said decisively, her sharp eyes meeting Yakira''s frightened look. To be honest, Daisy wouldn''t kill Yakira. She didn''t want to dirty her hands.


    With a heavy push, she threw Yakira aside. And since Yakira was still shocked and weak, she was tossed like a leaf blown by the wind.


    "You... You''re unbelievable. She is at least your aunt. How can you do this to her?"


    Leo looked at Daisy angrily. Deep down, he condemned, ''Daisy is growing rebellious. She has no respect to me, her father.''


    "Aunt? Then she should act like one. I just warned you to keep an eye on your family and don''t mess with me. But she just wouldn''t listen. She asked for it." Daisy retorted.


    She was unbelievable, so what? If she acted meek, she would only end up being bullied. She had had enough, and she would not be messed with any more. No one would remainfortable being prey. And she wouldn''t, either. She would not get bullied, not any more. "Daisy, you think that I won''t hit you again, huh?" Leo was irritated by Daisy''s aggressive words. He stared at Daisy domineeringly as if to eat her alive.


    "Who dares toy a finger on my family?" A cold and cruel voice rose, making people feel like it was already winter. It was Jonathan speaking. He leaned against the pirzily, his face with a sneering smile. He looked too sacred to be vited.


    "Mr. Mu, what are you doing here?" Leo said awkwardly. He was only slightly younger than Jonathan, yet he couldn''t even hold a candle to him. Jonathan was noble and majestic like a king. His aura frightened Leo. Besides, Jonathan caught him abusing Daisy, now he was too embarrassed to respond properly.


    "If I''m not here, will Mr. Ouyang beat up my daughter-inw?" Jonathan said and walked slowly over. His movements were both calm and elegant.


    "No, how would I possibly do that? I am just criticizing Daisy for not respecting me." Leo was all smiles. But deep down he was quite confused that Jonathan even cared about any other woman besides Cynthia. But he dared not take the chance to mess with Jonathan who had been fairly ruthless and cruel before, so he answered quite meekly.


    "Dad," Daisy greeted Jonathan while lowering her head. She didn''t want him to see the p mark and say anything. It would be a pure waste of time.


    "Raise your head." Jonathan never wasted words. Most of the time, he stayed quiet. So Leo was used to not getting any response from him. But this time was different as Jonathan told Daisy to raise her head. Now he was worried. He didn''t know why Jonathan suddenly cared about someone else. After all, he didn''t even want to talk with his son, Edward. His seclusion was well-known in the upper ss circles of the city.


    Daisy, on the other hand, frowned at Jonathan''s words, yet she dared not disobey his order. She could dismiss Leo, but never Jonathan. Thus under Jonathan''s pressing eyes, she slowly raised her head. When she locked eyes with him, his chill made even a powerful woman like her tremble.


    At the sight of Daisy''s swollen face, Jonathan squinted his eyes in anger. Indeed, he didn''t care about others, or what they thought of him, but he couldn''t tolerate them bullying his family.


    "That''s your so-called criticizing? Then Mr. Ouyang must be quite evil-tongued that just by talking you left a p mark on my daughter-inw''s face. Your bark is certainly worse than your bite."


    Jonathan''s words finally gave Daisy the idea of where Edward''s silver tongue came from. Obviously, it was from Jonathan. He could even kill a person with words. He was the father of sharp tongues. And he was saying that Leo''s bark was worse than his bite. It should be Jonathan that had that reputation.


    "Please watch your words. Don''t think that you can insult others just because you are powerful and wealthy. You should sort things out first. There is no way that we can bully her considering how agile she is now. She started this." Yakira retorted. Indeed Yakira was still under the influence of Daisy''s cruelty. But as arrogant as she had always been, she would not let others pick on her. So she would talk back no matter what. She didn''t think this man Jonathan could do anything to her.


    "I don''t care who started it. Even if what my daughter-inw Daisy did is wrong to you, it''s right to me anyway. She is my daughter-inw. And because of this, our family will always support her and care for her." Jonathan sneered. He looked both cold and handsome. Indeed, all the men of the Mu Family were so gorgeous that no matter what type they were, their charm would never be hidden. Just by their looks, they would stand invincible, let alone their unparalleled wealth. So Jonathan didn''t care what other people said about bullying them with his wealth. It was his money, he''d do as he pleased.


    Hearing Jonathan''s words, Daisy was first stupefied, then deeply touched. Now she knew what it felt like to have your family love you. It meant that no matter what bitter pills you swallowed outside, you always had your family''s support at home. It meant that she didn''t need to go through the hard times all by herself.


    But Leo right now was quite upset about Daisy addressing Jonathan as father. She never even called him, her biological father, dad. Yet she was that close to Jonathan. Such a sharp contrast made him mad but helpless.


    "No wonder you are so unruly. Everyone in your family is a lunatic!" Yakira shouted. She was totally enraged by Jonathan''s conceited words. So she talked back without carefully choosing her words. She didn''t even think about how scary it was when Jonathan lost his temper.


    "Thank you for yourpliments. That''s what makes us special. Well, Mr. Ouyang is a man with terrible taste. Howe you chose such a lousy wife, a woman that no man would ever want? I have to say that your taste in woman is quite unique. A fetish, perhaps?" With just a few words, Jonathan retorted brutally, ignoring Yakira''s abusepletely. He never cared about what anyone thought anyway. All he cared about was howfortable he was. People''s judgements had nothing to do with him.

 Chapter 439 A Dowry of Five Hundred Million (Part One)

    "You... Don''t push me. How dare you say I am a lousy wife?" Yakira was not pleased to hear that. How could someone insult her like this? Her anger lit up immediately.


    "I''m just giving the term to whoever''s yapping. And, Mr. Ouyang, whatever happened today, I don''t want to see something like this ever again. I will let it slide owing to our past rtionship, but please remember, Daisy is a member of the Mu family. No one should mess with her. Even though you are her father, I''d still advise you to stay away if she doesn''t want you around."


    Jonathan''s lips tightened. This was the first time that he had argued for the sake of someone else. Ever since he returned to S City, "first times" like this were adding up every so often. He was not sure when he would get sucked into that warm family atmosphere.


    "Mr. Mu, aren''t you being a little rash with your words. Even though she''s married into the Mu family, she''s still the daughter of the Ouyang family. As I remember, my daughter was married, not sold."


    Even the most harmless kitten would extend its sharp ws if a tiger kept provoking it. So when Leo heard Jonathan''s insolent warning, he couldn''t help but counter with a deration of his own ego.


    "Oh? You didn''t sell her? Then how do you exin the hundreds of millions that FX International Group invested in Ouyang Foreign Trade?" Jonathan frowned, his sharp gaze was intensely aimed at Leo. If Jonathan hadn''t paid five hundred million to have Daisy married into the Mu family, Leo wouldn''t have been so eager to make peace with Daisy back then.


    Daisy was shaken by the mention of the hundreds of millions. Earlier, she had ensured Jessica that she didn''t fall in love with Edward because of his money, but now she had lost that confidence. It turned out that Daisy was not that different from women like Jessica. In fact, she had been even worse. Jessica at least knew how much she was worth, but Daisy had been totally oblivious to the truth. She was so naive and gullible. Not only was she banished from her family, but they betrayed her and sold her. This was the whole reality of her life, filled with dark and hidden forces. What would she do next? Daisy was afraid that she would hear even more soul-crushing truths.


    "What hundreds of millions? I''ve never heard about this. Mr. Mu, are you trying to extort me?" Leo was totally confused by Jonathan''s words. Yakira handled everything when Daisy got married to Edward. Leo didn''t participate in any of it. He was only responsible for getting to Daisy through the phone and had no idea of how everything else went on.


    "Then you should talk to Mrs. Ouyang about it. After all, we signed the check, and nobody can deny that! There are records at the bank." Jonathan let out a sinisterugh. He realized what had happened and decided to wait for the Ouyang family to tear itself apart from the inside. He didn''t have to do anything. However, Jonathan couldn''t help but admire Yakira who was bold enough to pocket that much money. The woman was indeed a force to be reckoned with!


    "What do we have to talk about? I never took your five hundred million." Yakira tried to hide her growing anxiety. She didn''t expect that the topic would change to Daisy''s dowry money. She was surprised that Jonathan would go this far to ruin her. She had secretly transferred the money into her personal ount, and she didn''t even tell Mary for the fear that the girl would bber it in front of someone and reveal the truth. Yakira was not prepared with a suitable defense when Jonathan brought up the topic after all these years. "Oh? If you never took it, then how did you know we gave out five hundred million?" When it came to being devious, Jonathan was much superior to his son. No one couldpare to his slyness. With just a few words, he had easily set the Ouyang couple''s rtionship on top of a burning me.


    "I just guessed a random number. The way I see it, you havee here today to scheme against me. So any number I say would be the right number for you, wouldn''t it?" Yakira gritted her teeth and red at Jonathan. She med herself for her stupidity. She managed to inadvertently fall into the hole that he had dug out for her. Now she was in an awkward position because she knew Leo would give her a thorough grilling because of her answer. And that unbelievably enormous amount of money would be taken back by Leo. Yakira thought this was all Daisy''s fault; why would the bitch draw over a nasty figure like Jonathan Mu to her side?


    "Scheming against you? That''s not necessary. Do you really believe that I have enough spare time to y such petty games with you?" Jonathan smirked coldly. There was a faint smile on his cruel yet handsome face, but before it could reach his eyes, it disappeared without a trace. The fleeting smile fully exhibited his mischievous personality. The expression was quite a spellbinding sight for the afternoon.


    "Yakira, don''t you think it''s time for you to tell me exactly what the hell is going on?" Leo was aware that the woman was greedy, but he tried very hard to hold onto his marriage since he didn''t want to acknowledge what a terrible mistake he had made by marrying her. Leo didn''t want to be a subject of vicious rumors. Despite what was going on in his personal life, he always maintained a reputable and presentable facade. But, he could never imagine that she would dare to keep as much as five hundred million all for herself. Leo had to admit that he didn''t really know Yakira, his own wife.


    "I... Don''t believe his nonsense! I don''t have five hundred million. He''s trying to put us against each other. Can''t you see that he is trying to take Daisy''s revenge because you pped her?" Today, Yakira realized that she had made a colossal mistake by crossing Daisy. Otherwise, the secret that had been hidden for so many years wouldn''t have been revealed by Jonathan, a man crammed with viciousness and deviance. She couldn''t figure out how a man at his age could retain the looks of a handsome young man. Was he even human? Just the thought of that possibility gave Yakira a chill.


    "Rumors don''t start for no reason; there''s no smoke without fire. If you didn''t do it, why would he say so?" Although Leo hated Jonathan''s overbearing manner, he still knew Jonathan to be an ethical man after all these years of association. So Leo was convinced that a man as proud as Jonathan would never make something up like this. Besides, Jonathan was smart enough to know that there was no need for him to y dirty tricks for achieving his goals.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

 Chapter 440 A Dowry of Five Hundred Million (Part Two)

    "Let''s go!" Jonathan was not nning on staying back to watch the Ouyang couple fight. He just wanted to light the fire, and he didn''t care to extinguish it. Let them argue between themselves! Jonathan had no interest in staying any longer, and this was his mellow side as he had grown older. If the same situation had presented itself in the past, he wouldn''t have wasted words on Yakira. Instead, he would have sent his bodyguards after her and left straight away.


    "Yes." Daisy calmed herself and looked at Leo Ouyang with her perplexed eyes onest time. Giving a slightly sarcastic smile, she exited this tainted ce with Jonathan Mu without turning back. Five hundred million. As a matter of fact, Daisy never realized that she was worth so much. But now that she knew all the facts, how would she keep her head high in front of Edward? It seemed to her that once again she had fallen into a boundless abyss, and once again she made her own cage.


    "Daisy, what happened to you?" When Daisy and Jonathan reached back outside the ICU, Tom caught something unusual on her face and his casual look immediately disappeared and was reced by an uneasy one. "Oh! Nothing, I bumped it by ident." Daisy secretly examined Jonathan and bent down her head timidly. She was afraid that he would suddenly burst out and reveal the truth. After all, the man was an enigma. "What''s wrong? Let me take a look." Cynthia said as she approached Daisy. She gently lifted Daisy''s face. The moment she saw the severe swelling on Daisy''s face, Cynthia became worried like Tom did.


    "What do you mean nothing? The whole side of your face is swollen. Tom, look at this. Put some ointment on her or use an ice pack or something. Such a serious injury must hurt really bad!" Cynthia''s delicate face wrinkled with worry. It seemed as if an intolerably painful injury was inflicted on her, making her furrow with pain.


    "Mom, it''s nothing. Don''t trouble Tom anymore. How''s Edward? Is everything all right?" Daisy knew what she said might be able to fool Cynthia, but that didn''t mean that she could fool Tom. If he could check out her face up close, then she would have nowhere to hide. That was why she tried to distract everyone by bringing up Edward''s condition.


    "He''s not awake yet, but things are looking up, so you don''t need to worry. Please let Tom take a look at your face! Otherwise, Edward would get agitated when he wakes up and sees you hurt like this." Cynthia was certainly treating Daisy as her own daughter. She showered Daisy with all her love. Seeing that her face was so severely injured, she couldn''t just ignore it because she was concerned.


    Jonathan didn''t say anything; he just stood beside them in silence. He first nced at the unconscious figure in the ICU bed and then locked his eyes on Cynthia without turning away even for a second. Watching how much Cynthia frowned for Daisy, he couldn''t help but feel sad for Daisy. Jonathan detested Leo even more now.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    But since Daisy didn''t want others to know that she was hit, Jonathan wouldn''t break the news to anyone. He wasn''t that kind of a man. He had never been the intrusive kind, so normally he would not care about other people''s argument at all, but this time he saw that his daughter-inw was involved. At that moment, he paused for a bit but didn''t intend to step forward. He was going to leave quietly as if he hadn''t seen anything, but when he heard that Leo was going to hit Daisy, he couldn''t help but stay. And the rest was history. "Daisy, let me take a look at it for you!" Tom was worried that her new injury might worsen her old wounds which didn''tpletely heal yet. He didn''t believe that a fine woman officer would bump herself so severely. Something must have happened, and they just didn''t know about it! But she wanted to keep it a secret, so Tom would y along and pretend he hadn''t figured anything out. Besides, he believed that Cynthia had the same idea. After all, with her intellect, there was no way for her to buy Daisy''s excuse.


    "Okay, thanks!" Daisy bit on her lip, but she didn''t expect the small bite would actually hurt the corner of her mouth. She felt a sharp pain and furrowed her distinguished eyebrows.


    "It''s very serious. We must put some ointment on it. I don''t have my bruise medication with me, so right now I''ll do some basic treatment to alleviate the burning pain. Later I''ll go home and get you the proper meds." As soon as he looked at the injury, Tom knew that Daisy was pped in her face. Only he didn''t know who would be cruel enough to do that, and who couldpel her to just stand there and take it. Because with her training, an average person wouldn''t even be able toe close to her.


    "OK." Daisy knew that Tom had found out her secret, so she didn''t argue against his suggestions. Meanwhile, she thanked him for being understanding. Whatever he said, she tried to amodate.


    "Wait for a moment." When he finished, Tom walked to his office. He needed to fetch some ointment. Even though it wouldn''t be as effective as the one he appliedst time, it would still help. He hoped that by the time Edward woke up, Daisy''s injury would be unnoticeable. If Edward knew that Tom allowed Daisy to get hurt like this in his own hospital, Tom would get all the me. He was not sure when Edward would take his revenge, but he sure as hell wouldn''t let this go away so easily.


    In the end, the violent man lying in bed was still the one to me. If Edward hadn''t beaten up Tom thest time, Tom wouldn''t have forgotten to bring back the medicine when he took it home for treatment. So ultimately Edward was to me. If Tom could apply his own medicine on Daisy''s swollen face, she would be as good as new in a couple of hours, and Tom wouldn''t need to get paranoid about Edward all by himself right now!D

 Chapter 441 The VVIP Ward (Part One)

    Daisy stood up after she saw Tom''s silhouette disappeared around the corner. She came close to the window and focused her eyes on the man that she loved most. Even though it was hard to see Edward''s handsome face clearly from a distance, she still enjoyed being with him like this. Just looking at him was a thrill for her. Daisy sighed before she turned to Cynthia, "Mom, you and dad can go home and get some rest. I''ll stay here and look after Edward."


    "Alright. It''s also time to pick up Justin from school." Cynthia didn''t say no to Daisy''s suggestion. Even though she worried about her son, she felt assured with Daisy staying in the hospital. Besides, she was also concerned with Jonathan. So Cynthia agreed with Daisy and decided to pick up her grandson after two or three hours.


    "OK! Thanks, mom." Daisy felt guilty for not spending a lot of time with Justintely, so she appreciated Cynthia''s help for picking him up from school. Justin had been hanging around with his grandparents these days, so he didn''t depend on Daisy as much as he used to. "Come on, you''re being too polite. We''re family. Don''t thank me next time." Cynthia didn''t like Daisy being too polite to her, so she told Daisy to feel at ease when they were together.


    "OK, I won''t do it next time." Family? What a beautiful word. Daisy liked the word so much. Family was the warmest and most inspiring word in the world.


    "Alright, we''re headed home now. Ask Tom to ice your face. It looks pretty bad. I wonder who did that to you? It''s too much."


    Cynthia shook her head before she linked arms with Jonathan and left. She didn''t know how much her words meant to Daisy. She was shocked at the warmth in Cynthia''s words.


    Before Cynthia said that, Daisy thought her mother-inw didn''t know how she had got the bruise. It turned out that Cynthia knew it from the beginning. But she didn''t expose Daisy''s lie. She just pretended she didn''t know so that Daisy wouldn''t feel embarrassed. After the love and care Daisy had felt from Jonathan, this was the second time that Daisy felt love and care from a family member.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    ''Edward, when will you wake up? Do you know that I''ve never been this grateful to you? Thank you for bringing me to your family. Thank you for falling in love with me and making me feel like I own the whole world with you around. You''re so important to me. How can you not wake up and still keep me worried?


    I miss your hugs so much. I miss your kisses. The tender kisses. The passionate French kisses...... I miss it when you get angry with me. You must think I''m being silly. No one likes it when someone''s mad at them.


    But I miss your angry expressions. I miss your strong emotions. When you''re angry, you''re so real and so alive. I don''t like it when you lie on the bed and don''t react to my words, like what you''re doing now. You don''t know how afraid and helpless I''m feeling now. You''re just lying in bed quietly and not giving me warm hug or smile to encourage me. Is this the way you show your love?


    You''ll never know how I felt when I learned of the fact that you spent five hundred million marrying me! It makes me look like a gold digger. I feel that my love for you suddenly be cheap. Though I want to deny it, I have to admit that I couldn''t stop thinking about that huge amount of money.


    Maybe five hundred million is nothing to youpared to your assets. But to me, it is a huge amount of money. The money has be a heavy stone ced on my heart leaving me unable to move a step. It shatters my dignity and confidence all at once.


    I''d love to hear you call me "honey" again with your sweet husky voice. I miss the smile you have when you''re plotting something. But it''s hard to see your smiles or vivid expressions now. I realize how happy my life has been with you around. Now with you in bed unconscious, I''m left with nothing.'' Daisy fixed her eyes on Edward through the window and buried herself in sad feelings.


    "Daisy, are you OK?" Tom didn''t mean to bother Daisy at first, but he changed his mind after seeing Daisy lost in thought. She had stood there for such a long time, unaware of his presence. Out of curiosity and concern, he had to make some noise to remind Daisy that he was there. He wondered what was on her mind.


    "Oh! It''s nothing." Daisy sniffled and forced the tears back. She suppressed the negative feelings and smiled to Tom. With tears still in her eyes, Daisy''s smile looked so delicate and attractive. Even a gentleman like Tom couldn''t help but fall for the expression on Daisy''s face. His heart stopped beating for a second.


    "I''ve brought you an ice pack for your face. I''ll apply some ointment to your face afterward." Tom forced himself to concentrate on the patient and stop thinking about how beautiful Daisy was. He couldn''t be too involved in admiring Daisy''s beauty even though he knew she was a charming woman. To him, she was someone he shouldn''t get too close to. He could only admire her from a safe distance. After all, she was her best friend''s wife. Tom shouldn''t have any inappropriate thoughts about Daisy.


    "Thank you!" Daisy took the ice pack from Tom and softly ced it on her wounded face. The coldness felt on the cheek was so healing that she couldn''t help but moan out of enjoyment.


    "It must hurt a lot!" Tom sat on a chair beside Daisy. Instead of sitting too close to her, he kept the necessary distance, which left an impression of a well-educated man.


    "No, not really. Not a big deal. But... Tom, are you sure it''s OK for you to stay here and be with us the whole day? What about your other patients?" The ice pack started to have more of an effect as they talked. Daisy''s expression shifted slightly from the pain. But she hid her feelings and concentrated on the conversation.


    "They''ll be fine. I''ve re-arranged my schedule, so all my consultations and surgeries will wait until tomorrow. My colleagues will also help me with other patients." Tom cozilyy his back on the chair as he answered Daisy''s questions. He was worried that Edward''s case might beplicated, so he had put off new surgeries in advance to avoid the dilemma of having to choose between different patients.


    "Then you''ll be super busy tomorrow." Daisy felt sorry for the inconvenience they brought to Tom. She knew Tom did it for Edward. The friendship between Tom and Edward was so powerful that Daisy found it hard topletely understand. The two men were like brothers to each other. If either of them got hurt, the other one would show great love and care.


    "I might be. But I can handle it." Tom raised his hand and frowned after he checked the time on his wristwatch. But he didn''t react to his worries at all. He didn''t want to scare Daisy. Tom predicted that Edward would wake up twelve hours after the surgery. And that diagnosis had already taken unexpected factors into ount. Normally, Edward would wake up within eight or ten hours. ''What''s wrong? Is it because of theplication that Edward had this morning? Is that why Edward hasn''t woken up?'' Tom mulled over possible exnations.

 Chapter 442 The VVIP Ward (Part Two)

    "You can attend to it if it''s an urgent matter. Leave the ointment with me. I''ll apply it myself." Daisy was so observant that she noticed the slight change in Tom''s expression. But she took it wrong and thought he had something urgent to attend to.


    go in and check on the patient.


    "It''s nothing. Remember to apply the ointment. I''ll go in and check on Edward." Tom didn''t tell Daisy what he was worried about. He stood beforeforting Daisy with his calm voice. There might be something wrong with Edward. Tom sensed the anomaly and decided to Daisy''s heart sank when she heard Edward needed to be examined again. She was so worried about Edward that she forgot about the ice pack on her hand. Before she realized it, the pain in her face reminded her that she had pressed the ice bag too hard. Daisy regained herposure and focused on Edward''s condition.


    "Has the patient showed any unusual symptoms? Show me all the data." Tom busied himself the moment he stepped into the ICU. He instantly started flipping switches, turning dials and checking gauges against the chart, examining Edward. "The patient has been in stable condition. There have been no major spikes in his vitals, nothing to affect the data." The paramedics handed a stack of ECGs, BP Logs and other medical records to Tom before they stepped aside and waited.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    "OK! He''s in good condition. Keep paying close attention to him. If there are no otherplications, send him to the VVIP ward at once." Tom looked carefully at Edward''s medical records. Hepared the records to the results he just obtained from the exam, and found no major differences. Tom was relieved. Now he knew why Edward didn''t wake up as he had expected. Since Edward was seriously wounded and lost so much blood, he was undergoing cerebral anoxia, which took him more time than usual to recover from. The cerebral anoxia was something that Tom didn''t take into ount.


    "The VVIP ward that no patient has used before?" The medical staff interrupted Tom''s thoughts and asked. They asked to make sure they had heard Tom right. The VVIP ward that Tom mentioned held such a strict standard to patients that no one had sessfully moved in till now. They didn''t expect that Mr. Mu would be the first one to have the honor.


    "Yeah. What? Is there a problem?" Tom raised his head, and sized up his staff from head to toe in a provocative way. They didn''t know how to react to the obvious anger in his eyes. This was the first time they had worked with a doctor who didn''t y by the rules and acted casually. As the old saying went, live and learn. This was the first time that the health professionals learned how arbitrary their director was. They still needed time to get ustomed to his style, given that they had been and would be surprised by Tom for many years.


    "No problem. We were just wondering when it would be OK to transfer Mr. Mu to the VVIP ward. Obviously, we need some forms signed as well, insurance, etc." The staff didn''t dare to reveal their true feelings in front of Tom. After the snafu with the blood supply, they learned their lesson. Be prepared, and never question Tom''s orders. Even if Tom didn''t threaten their jobs at the moment, he would probably go after them afterward someday. That was why the staff needed to work harder than they ought to and acted as cautiously as possible. Tom raised his hand and checked the time again. He looked at the changing data on the screens of the monitoring devices before he said to his subordinates, "If everything goes well, move him in an hour. The VVIP ward has all the equipment we need. I''ll run more tests on the patient after he''s transferred there."


    "Understood, Doctor." The VVIP ward was called VVIP for a reason. It was a luxurious suite with living room and kitchen equipped. The medical equipment in the VVIP ward was more advanced and precise than equipment used in normal VIP wards. There were also specific techs hired to inspect and clean the equipment every day, which gave the VVIP ward an incredibly high price tag -- not just anyone could afford it. That was one of the reasons that no one had moved in before. Thinking about that, the paramedics had a feeling that their lead doctor was trying to extort Edward''s money by transferring him to the special ward.


    "Pay more attention to the patient. Don''t make any mistakes." After giving his instructions, Tom walked out of the ward without looking back. He still remembered the bruise on Daisy''s face that he needed to attend to.


    "Tom, is Edward OK?" Daisy asked, worry lining her pretty face. Her fears were relieved after she saw the peaceful look on Tom''s face. No trace of the anger he showed moments earlier was visible now.


    "If everything goes well, he can be transferred to the general ward in an hour. Don''t worry." Tom smiled to reassure Daisy.


    "Really? Thank you so much!" Daisy clenched her fist and put it on her lips to keep her from shouting out of joy. Her eyes became wet. The good news came to her so suddenly that Daisy needed time to process it. She almost burst into tears at Tom''s words.


    "Now let me help you with the ointment. There''s no need to thank me. I''ll be grateful if Edward doesn''t me me for not protecting you well after he wakes up. I''m sorry that you were hurt in my hospital." Tom said to Daisy as he gently applied the ointment to her face. He did it with full attention and as gently as he could. He didn''t want Daisy to feel more pain, as the wound was already painful.


    Daisy blushed at Tom''s words. She felt surprised that Tom brought up the wound again. She thought no one knew how she got it, but it turned out everyone knew she was pped in the face. Daisy knew Tom said the words in jest. He was doing his best to keep her from being embarrassed in front of other people. Daisy didn''t know what to say. She just kept her eyes closed and sat still while letting Tom apply the ointment to her.


    Time passed slowly. An hour was so long for some people, yet short for others. As Daisy waited for Edward to get better, Mark stood aside and studied her. He was standing straight with his uniform on. Mark kept staring at Daisy as he felt curious about the wound on her face. ''What happened? The colonel was fine just a bit before. What has she done to get a face like that in less than two hours?'' Mark wondered.


    "Colonel, what''s wrong with your face?" Mark was the kind of person who talked straight. He couldn''t hide his curiosity. He found it hard to figure out a possible exnation, so he asked.00

 Chapter 443 Another 500 Million

    "I ran into some bandits." Daisy joked, which was rare. Since she had been smacked for defending herself, she didn''t see the difference between the Ouyangs and some bandits. It felt like she was attacked by some bandits. "What! Bandits? If they can hurt you in broad daylight, they must be good." Mark could be quick sometimes, but he was too trustful. Since he had never seen Daisy joke before, he took her words seriously without questioning. Daisy twitched her mouth in resignation. She hadn''t expected Mark to take her joke seriously. For the first time, she felt defeated by him.


    "Daisy, this soldier of yours is hrious!" For the first time since Edward got injured, Tom smiled. No one in his circle was as simple as Mark.


    "Sorry about that." Daisy gave a smile. She found it hard to believe that Mark couldn''t tell a joke from a serious remark.


    "Colonel, did I say something wrong?" Hearing Tom''sment, Mark blushed with embarrassment.


    "No, it''s nothing. Did you bring me the file?" Daisy took a deep breath. She had to ept Mark for who he was. His ingenuousness didn''t necessarily have to be a disadvantage.


    "Yes, I did. Do you want it now?" Mark moved to take the file out of his briefcase.


    "No. Give it to meter." Although Daisy was certain that Tom wouldn''t be interested in the file, military documents were confidential. Even though she trusted Tom, she had to be responsible and observe discipline, which was fundamental to the code of conduct of a military officer.


    "Tom, the patient''s condition is stabilized. Shall we transfer him to the VVIP ward?" A paramedic came to seek Tom''s medical advice. "Good. Wait until I''ve checked his vital signs again." Tom stood up and left with the doctor. Daisy was thrilled to hear the good news.


    The transfer was a simple procedure that took less than 20 minutes. Now that Daisy could be near Edward again, her eyes got wet with tears.


    She reached out and took his hand in her palms, her heart racing. Without the respirator, she was able to see his face again. Looking at him affectionately, she was overwhelmed with gratitude and happiness. She felt like she had been apart from him for centuries. "Daisy, Edward will be able to wake up within two or three hours, so don''t worry too much. I''ll be in my office. Come see me if you need anything," Taking the stethoscope off his ears, Tom spoke quietly. He didn''t have the heart to disturb her happiness at the moment, but he hoped he could ease her worries.


    "Okay. Thank you. Go back to your work," Daisy replied, keeping a tight hold on Edward''s hand.


    "If Edwardes around, let me know. I''ll give him a thorough examination." Although operations for the other patients had been postponed until after tomorrow, he needed to prepare in advance. Now that Edward was out of danger, Tom felt relieved and could go back to his office and get some work done.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "All right." Daisy nodded. She watched Tom leave before turning back to Edward. Gradually, the other doctors and nurses also left the ward. Only Mark remained with Daisy in case she needed him.


    "Colonel, was Mr. Mu badly injured?" Mark asked, unaware of how inappropriate it was to speak right now. But Daisy was used to his personality, so she didn''t find Mark disruptive to her peaceful moment with Edward.


    "Yes, he was. That''s why he hasn''t woken up after the operation yet." Since Mark had been working with Daisy for a long time, she didn''t intend to hide the truth from him.


    "Oh..." Mark touched his head, at a loss with how tofort her. How could he ask such a silly question?


    "Pass me the file." Daisy figured the file must be important since themander had told Mark to bring it to her despite knowing that she was distressed about Edward''s condition.


    "Okay." Mark took out a thick file from the briefcase he was carrying and handed it to Daisy. He didn''t know about its contents. Throughout the many years he''d been working with Daisy, he''d stuck to his principle of only reading things he was supposed to.


    Daisy frowned at the sight of the sealed file, indicating its confidentiality and urgency. What was so important that it had to be delivered to her? Was it rted to her?


    "Did themander mention when will he want the file back?" Daisy didn''t open the file immediately and looked up at Mark instead.


    "He said that the file has to be sent to the army by tomorrow, so it''s best to hurry." Mark didn''t ask about the file although he was curious why themander wanted him to deliver as soon as possible. He knew he wasn''t in the position to ask. The seal was enough to tell him how important and confidential it was.


    "Okay. Are you going back to the military base? Or staying here?" Being Daisy''s aide, Mark was supposed to be at her side at all times. But because Daisy didn''t like being followed around, she usually refused when Mark offered to keep herpany.


    "I''d like to stay. If I had been aroundst night, you and Mr. Mu wouldn''t have been in such danger." As the aide of the colonel, Mark had to be very capable to protect her. He was right, but did he have to be so conceited? Daisy twisted her mouth in dissatisfaction. Would the arms dealers have given up their attack if he had been around?


    "Are you confident that you''d be capable of resisting a hundred enemies on your own?" Daisy turned around and couldn''t resist rolling her eyes, which she had done a lot since she''d been with Edward.


    "Um... No, but at least I could''ve helped you." There was a wide gap between Mark''s and Daisy''s capabilities. On the military base no one couldpete with Daisy except for Kevin, not to mention Mark who hadn''t spent much time training. "Why do I feel like you''re holding me back?" Daisy said quietly to herself, but Mark still picked it up. His habit of sniffing around had finally paid off. It seemed his hearing had improved a lot and be much better than that of others. "Colonel, you''re belittling my ability." Fortunately, he said "my" instead of "Mark''s." Otherwise, Daisy would haveughed her head off. Thebination of Mark''s feminine tone and ingenuous air would have made an extremely awkward image.


    "No, you''re thinking too much. I''d like you to fetch me myptop now. I might need itter." Daisy stifled herughter and changed the subject. Mark tended to take things seriously. Daisy didn''t want him to misunderstand her and feel bad about himself. She wondered where Mark had picked up his manner of speaking. Was it from Rain and the other guys that he usually hung out with? Whenever he spoke now, he sounded too gentle to be a soldier.


    "Yes, colonel." Reassured that Daisy still valued him, Mark saluted her excitedly. Daisy was startled by his abrupt action and immediately wanted to take back her words.


    After Mark left, Daisy opened the file. It was regarding another 500 million. Her eyebrows furrowed tightly. What had been going on recently? Why was her life suddenly linked with one 500 million after another? She hadn''t figured out the story behind the first 500 million yet. Now, there was another 500 million. She suddenly felt like she was worth a lot. It seemed she was worth 500 million in every respect.


    She turned to look at Edward who was lying unconscious in silence. All of a sudden, she felt as if they were drifting apart and she didn''t know him anymore. She wondered what his world was like. The way he spent 500 million with an easy stroke of his gold pen gave her a lot of pressure. Money seemed to be an impossible mountain lying between them. It was like an obstacle she could never ovee.


    She knew that the army was considering purchasing a batch of military weapons. She hadn''t expected Edward to be the sponsor. He must have had done it for her, because she knew that associating with the military didn''t fit Edward''s business philosophy.


    Jeez! Daisy let out a heavy sigh, suddenly feeling depressed. Now she knew why themander wanted her to have the file. Because the 500 million was Edward''s call. But the army was going too far to mention it at this point. How could they make her think about such matters when her husband was in aa? Didn''t her superiors know what had happenedst night? Even if the army didn''t know about it, themander definitely did. Kevin must have reported the matter to him.


    Daisy sat on the sofa, deep in thought. Besides Edward''s signature, the file included a detailed report she wrote on the performance of the new types of weapons and how theypared to simr products. She seemed to have made the right decision to ask Mark to fetch herptop, it looked as if she could foresee what wasing. She couldn''t help but wonder how many things Edward was keeping from her. What was this huge sponsorship for?00000000

 Chapter 445 What Happened To Your Face (Part Two)

    "Oh! Will hee over if I ring the bell?" Daisy asked, her eyes filled with doubt. Her face was flushed with excitement. If he ignored the swollen half of her face, she looked really lovely and attractive.


    "Of course. Unless you''re eager to leave me." In Edward''s world, everyone bent to his will. He was never in a situation wherein he had to amodate himself to others. Not to mention that the person involved this time was Tom. He definitely wouldn''t cater to Tom in any way. "No, I don''t want to leave you." The joy of getting Edward back got the best of her emotions and overpowered the principles she once held onto. Daisy didn''t want to deny her true feelings. She didn''t want to leave Edward for even a second.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Daisy''s prompt reply dumbfounded Edward. He internally wondered when Daisy became so open about her feelings. She had always kept her emotions deep in her heart and seldom expressed herself to others. But this time, she blurted out her feelings without hesitation. He was overwhelmed by the sudden change in her attitude towards him. Did something happen while he was unconscious? What happened to her face? His question was still left unanswered.


    "Are you okay? Do you feel any pain?" While Edward was shocked into silence, Daisy started getting anxious. She feared there were some side effects caused by the operation. If that was truly the case, she definitely couldn''t handle another deadly blow.


    "No, I was just thinking that you''re very different from the Daisy I know. I''m shocked." Edward released her hand and gestured for her to sit down. With her standing in front of him like this, he felt as if they were separated by a great distance and everything seemed unreal.


    "Very different? How about this?" Daisy hurriedly kissed his lips before her voice trailed off. This had gued her mind for a long time. She didn''t do it before because his face was covered by the respirator. Now that the respirator was gone, she had no scruples about doing this. She didn''t feel embarrassed by her bold actions. After the incident, she realized that she shouldn''t have any qualms if she really loved him. There was no need to care too much about her image and pride. Being shy and reserved was eptable, but being ridiculously proud and pretentious would do more harm than good.


    Edward didn''t expect his wife to suddenly be so passionate with him. His eyes widened as he stared at her in disbelief. Where exactly did he get hurt? Was there something wrong with his eyes or his brain? The whole situation felt like a fantasy.


    "Close your eyes and remember to breathe," Daisy reminded him in a low voice, the same way he did to her before. Her tone was domineering and bossy, like the tone of a female bandit. But there was also a touch of feminine gentleness behind it. Hearing her words, Edward''s jaw dropped again. Why was she behaving so strangely today? What caused this sudden change?


    "Huh... Excuse me, sorry to interrupt! Daisy, Edward just woke up. He''s not in the condition for such temptation." Seeing Edward awake, Tom breathed a sigh of relief. He couldn''t help teasing Daisy.


    At the sudden sound of Tom''s voice, Daisy immediately pulled away from Edward. Her face flushed a deep shade of red at his teasing. She suddenly felt the bolt of the thunderstorm cracking in her world. She felt very embarrassed at being caught on the spot and she desperately wanted to find a hole to bury herself into. She didn''t know how to respond to Tom''s remarks.


    "Why are you still here if you know you''re interrupting us? Get out. Did you learn your manners from your physical education teacher?" Although Edward felt very weak and didn''t have much energy to argue with others, it didn''t mean that he was less eloquent because of his injury.


    "Get out? I don''t remember learning this before. How about you show me how to get out, then I''ll follow your demonstration step by step. You should know that I''m a fast learner and a studious student, as you can see from my achievement of bing a doctor today." Tom chattered happily as he examined Edward. Tom''s quip gave Edward the strong urge to give him a good thrashing. It was a pity that he couldn''t move at the moment, otherwise he would''ve given this cocky and arrogant man a good kick. Then he wouldn''t have a chance to show off in front of him.


    "Jerry, do you think that I can''t get back at you just because I''m currently injured? Don''t be too cocky. Have you forgotten the saying, it''s never toote for a gentleman to avenge himself? And don''t tell me that you have put me in the most expensive ward in your hospital. If you did, I''ll show you how it feels like when this ward is razed into the ground by me."


    Edward looked around the room. The more he examined it, the more he felt that this room was very familiar. He remembered when Tom first built this ward, he was very scornful about it. He derided that only stupid people would spend their money on this room. Compared to the other wards in this hospital, this cage-like ward cost ten times more than the other wards. The only difference was that this ward was furnished with luxurious decorations, theyout wasplete, and the equipment was more advanced. But this cunning Tom dared to tag it with an exorbitant price. Wasn''t this a typical way to rip off patients? Edward didn''t want to be Tom''s first victim to be ripped off because of the ward. This had nothing to do with money, he just didn''t want to be set up by Tom.

 Chapter 446 I Love The New You (Part One)

    "Well, how do you know, Edward? You are staying in the VVIP ward of my hospital. Consider it as the presidential suite of some hotel if that''s easier for you to ept. Look how well I''ve treated you! See? You''re the very first patient to stay in this ward! Are you ttered? Yes, you must be!" Tom wore an ear-to-ear grin as he replied to Edward. He didn''t mind Edward''s threat of tearing down his hospital at all. After all, Edward had enough money to build him another hospital somewhere else.


    "Damn you Jerry! You did it on purpose! Am I supposed to be grateful to you and take three bows to you to express my sincere gratitude? Is that what you want?" Edward said between gritted teeth. He resorted to the pejorative nickname he had for Tom, "Jerry," after the titr cartoon mouse. Although he was pale and weary because he was injured, he still looked imposing; the overwhelming aura was born in nature.


    "Absolutely not. Edward,e on. I simply thought you would be morefortable in this ward. How could I let you stay in an ordinary and shabby patient ward? Someone like you deserves a well-equipped VVIP ward like this! As for the bows, well three bows are too much. I think I''ll take two, and you can save thest one for someone else. What do you think about that?" Tom pretended to answer casually, yet he wasughing out loud inside, ''Do you think I''m stupid? Do you really think you don''t have to pay for the invaluable medicine you took from me before? And don''t forget you punched me twice right in my face! My handsome face! I had to walk around with ck eyes in front of my subordinates and my patients! Do you think you can get away with all that? No freaking way!'' Tom decided he would make Edward pay for what he had done, starting with paying for this exclusive yet extortionately expensive VVIP ward. Tom had nothing to worry about since Edward was badly injured and couldn''t move even a muscle to do anything to him now. That was why he transferred him directly to this VVIP ward, partly because Edward did need better care, and partly because he could charge him more aspensation.


    "What do I think? I think you''re mocking me! You think you have me over a barrel! You must be gloating inside! Do I look stupid to you? Huh?" Edward was furious that he raised his voice. But he frowned all of a sudden because of the sharp paining from his chest area. It seemed he was really badly injured, and he couldn''t be emotional or even raise his volume at this point. Edward took a deep breath and tried to calm down.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    "No, no, no. You''re overreacting. That''s all. Now that you have the energy to quarrel with me, I think there''s nothing wrong with you for the time being. So why not go back to whatever you were doing just now? Just ignore me. I''ll leave you two alone. Oh, FYI, as a responsible doctor, I must point out that in your current state, you shouldn''t do anything too vigorous; so you''d better keep it slow and gentle. You got it? Great! Then I''ll see myself out."


    As soon as Tom finished speaking with a smirk, he dashed towards the door and left immediately before Edward could say anything to fight back. Even though Edward was injured and lying in bed, he could still send chills down Tom''s spine with his fierce, cold nces, not to mention the sharp and vicious words Edward could hurl at him. Tom only teased Edward because he knew Edward couldn''t get up from the bed and punch him this time. Now that he got what he wanted, he''d better stop before he went too far, in case he would end up with no money but a few more bruises on his face. He never doubted what Edward was capable of.


    Daisy, however, suddenly blushed when she heard Tom''s words and realized what he was referring to. Her face was glowing with both embarrassment and coyness like a ripe and sulent apple. To hide her shyness from Edward, Daisy deliberately crouched down and started to gather the papers that were lying scattered on the floor. She had no idea why she would be so bold and kiss Edward, neither did she expect that someone would barge into the room and see them kissing. That was so embarrassing! Daisy thought about Tom''s words again and she was a little surprised. She always thought that Tom was a nice and polished gentleman, but it turned out that he could be as cunning and evil as Edward and his other friends were.


    Edward said nothing but gazed at Daisy with great interest as she hurriedly organized the papers in her hands. What happened? He wondered whether his coy wife gained another personality overnight and became bold in expressing her love to him. But now it looked like she was still the same woman who would blush every now and then in front of him. Edward couldn''t help noticing that Daisy had been avoiding answering his question: what happened to her face? ''Did someone p her? Who could that be? Why wouldn''t she tell me?'' Edward was confused.


    Daisy picked up all the papers from the floor and ced them on the table. She could feel Edward''s inquisitive look boring into her all the time. When she turned around and stole a nce at Edward, who was still eagerly looking at her, trying to find some answer, Daisy was somehow awkward. She nervously looked away and tried to find something to distract Edward''s mind. Then she suddenly remembered that his lips were a bit chapped when she kissed him, so she asked, "Are you thirsty? Let me get you some water." "Forget about the water. Daisy, where''s my answer?" Edward didn''t quit. He asked determinedly as he saw Daisy turn around again to pour him a ss of water. He knew she was deliberately avoiding eye contact with him, but he didn''t intend to drop it until he had the answer he wanted.


    "What answer?" Daisy gazed at him with a confused look, as if she had no inkling what he was talking about. She took a small sip of the water to see whether it was too hot for Edward to drink. When she found that it was perfectly lukewarm, she then went back to his bedside with the ss. Just when she was about to hand the ss to Edward, Daisy realized that Edward couldn''t sit upright, let alone drink the water by himself. She frowned and thought of how careless she was to miss that. She looked around the room, trying to find a tea spoon or something that she could use to feed Edward.


    "I wouldn''t mind if you feed me with your mouth." Upon seeing Daisy look around, trying to find something, Edward immediately realized what was in Daisy''s mind. He couldn''t help teasing Daisy again. He decided that he could find out what happened to Daisy''s faceter since he would always find out the truth one way or the other; however, Daisy''s forwardness wasn''t something that happened every day. Edward had no idea why Daisy seemed so forward and bold today, neither did he really care. All he wanted for the moment was to seize the rare opportunity and take advantage of her as much as he could, in case she changed her mind the next second.????????????????

 Chapter 447 I Love The New You (Part Two)

    "Honey, are you flirting with me? Or do you think I wouldn''t dare feed you with my mouth?" Daisy raised her eyebrows and gave Edward a pretentiously flirting and seductive smile. However, Edward shuddered all over in horror all of a sudden. Daisy had never smiled like that before. What happened to her? Was she really Daisy? Edward suddenly had a bad feeling about what she was going to do to him. Was she nning to torture him? Edward had no idea what to think. Everything had been extremely strange about Daisy ever since he woke up. He even wondered whether he woke up in a parallel universe where Daisy''s evil and seductive twin sister lived. "Well, well. So would you dare or not? I''m really curious." Perhaps it was because he lost too much blood before, and he just went through an hours-long surgery and was unconscious for several hours, Edward hadn''t fully recovered and restored his energy. After quarreling with Tom and talking with Daisy, Edward felt tired and sleepy again. But he wanted to talk with his wife, tease her and see the blush on her cheeks, especially when he almost died before. He cherished every moment he could have with Daisy, so he tried hard to stay awake.


    Hesitant, Daisy nced between Edward and the ss of water in her hands. She bit her lip for a short while and finally made up her mind. She took a small sip of the water, and with a hint of slyness glowing in her watery eyes, she leaned forward to press her lips on Edward''s, and then she fed him the warm water in her mouth. She even mischievously licked his lips with the tip of her tongue before she sat back with a smile.


    Her sudden bold action with obvious sexual indication startled Edward. Gasping loudly in shock, Edward froze for a while and even forgot to kiss her back like he always did. Was Daisy flirting with him? Smiling sweetly at him, Daisy looked so delicious. Edward couldn''t help but narrow his eyes with both astonishment and desire while swallowing hard.


    ''Great. You''ve learned how to y with fire now. Are you seducing me because you''re sure that I couldn''t do anything to you now? Don''t forget I won''t be in this bed forever. Sooner orter I''ll recover; and when I do, I swear to God I''ll make you pay for what you did to me, both you and Tom. I''ll definitely beat him up again. As for you...'' Edward mulled the thought over in his mind. He was secretly plotting what he was going to do to Daisy, including what positions they should use, because he wouldn''t give her the chance to leave their bed for at least a week! Or maybe two weeks. Since she dared to seduce him, she should be aware of the consequences.


    "What about now? You tell me if I dare or not!" After she finished speaking, Daisy deliberately licked her own lips and winked at Edward. The seductive and sexy smile on her face once again made Edward doubt that the woman sitting in front of him was actually Daisy''s lustful twin sister or someone else with the identical face as Daisy. That must be the case! Otherwise how would his wife be so bold and keep seducing him like this? No warm up, no blushing, no shyness. It didn''t make any sense to Edward. But the affectionate love in her eyes, the touch of her lips, and even the scent of her hair were all so familiar to Edward, and they all indicated that the woman in front of him was truly his wife.


    "Brilliant. I love the new you. I think people will have to reconsider your image as a fierce and serious colonel. Someone might be shocked by your actions. Or should I say he already is?." Edward didn''t mean to tease her this time, but he felt he had to warn her since Mark had just walked into the ward and seen everything. In the end, the words that came out his mouth still sounded like teasing.


    "Who is he talking about?'' Daisy felt bewildered. Edward used his head and nodded in the direction of the door. Daisy took the hint and suddenly turned over. When she saw Mark standing by the door, his eyes filled with disbelief and his mouth dropping open in shock, Daisy pretended to clear her throat and put on a calm look, trying to cover the blush on her face and hide the embarrassment that simmered inside her mind.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    Daisy knew Edward must be gazing at her with an annoying smirk and wanting to see how she would handle the awkward situation. She ignored him and turned to Mark, asking him with a stern voice, "Where''s myptop? Did you bring it? Give it to me now." In fact, she didn''t need herptop right now. The work could wait, but her embarrassment couldn''t. She had to say something to distract both Mark and Edward as well as help her forget the awkward scene.


    "Oh yeah. I''ve brought it over. Here you are. By the way, Mr. Mu, I''m so d that you finally woke up." Mark noticed the change on Daisy''s look, and he knew she was talking to him as his superior now. No matter how much he was curious about what was going on, Mark knew that he was a soldier and he must obey Daisy''s order as her aide. So he got rid of his random thoughts quickly and reported to Daisy. When he saw Edward look at them, he also greeted him.


    "Thank you, Mark." Edward tried to hold back the urge of bursting intoughter. It amused him to see Daisy get knocked down a notch in front of her subordinate for a change. She was always cold and indifferent in the army, maybe they should know that she actually had a lot of unrevealed faces other than the ''devil instructor''. She could be nice and gentle in private.


    "Colonel, here''s yourptop." Mark handed theptop over to Daisy while gazing at her, a hint of curiosity flickering in his eyes. He hesitated because he really wanted to say something, and yet he was afraid that Daisy would get angry about what he was going to say.


    "Do you have something else to say to me? Just spit it out now." Daisy nced at Mark and calmly said. She knew about Mark. He would hold onto a matter for as long as one could imagine until he got some answer. Judging from his look, he must have something to say at the moment. Daisy saw through his hesitation and decided to save him some time by asking him to say it out loud, in case he kept it to himself for too long and got depressed.0000

 Chapter 448 I Love The New You (Part Three)

    "Well, it''s no biggie. But...colonel, are you also ill?" Mark hesitated for a moment and finally spoke his mind. What he had witnessed was too shocking to believe. Was the woman with sly yet coy smile on her face who was passionately kissing Edward really his Colonel Daisy, the one who was known for her indifference and coldness in the military? Were it not for the fact that Mark saw it with his own eyes, he would never believe it. In fact, he was still doubting it.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Why? What do you mean?" Daisy took theptop and put it on the nearby table. Upon hearing Mark''s question, she turned around and asked with a confused look. She didn''t know what Mark meant or why he would suddenly think that she was ill.


    "Because you''re acting strange. I mean, it''s not like you or what you would do. I''ve been your aide for many years and I''ve never seen you like this. So I think maybe you''re also severely ill, the kind that will affect one''s behavior, which may probably exin why you''re not yourself and acting weird." Mark said discreetly as he stole a nervous nce at Daisy. Although he was speaking the truth, he was afraid that Daisy would get upset and kick him. He couldn''t fight back and attack his superior, so he''d better prepare himself for some proper self-defense.


    "Haha!" Edward couldn''t help but burst intoughter, but it was soon interrupted by violent coughs. Edward was amused by Mark and his whimsical words. However, heughed too loud that it tore the wound. He felt a sharp paining from his chest area all of a sudden and cold sweat began to form on his forehead as he coughed and panted heavily.


    "Are you okay? How do you feel? Is it hurt?" As much as Daisy was annoyed that Edward was secretly gloating at her, she got nervous when she heard him coughing and saw him in pain. Instead of getting angry with him, she immediately leaned forward to check if he was okay.


    "I''m fine. You guys can carry on." Edward said with a smile as he pursed his lips to rey the soft and intoxicate taste of her lips on his own just a few minutes ago. However, in Daisy''s eyes, it felt like that he was flirting with her outright with such a move. She once again regretted her reckless move of kissing him. The more she thought about it, the more embarrassed she felt.


    "You''re gloating." Daisy red at Edward as she spoke. Although Edward was pale and weary, lying in bed and not able to do anything, he could still enjoy seeing Daisy make a fool of herself. He was obviously amused by what he had seen, which irritated Daisy. "No, you''re wrong," Edward said in a low and soft voice, which sounded almost like a whisper to Daisy. He felt his eyelids bing so heavy and his mind melting away that he couldn''t stay awake any longer. The smile on his face also became a bit stiff. He wondered what had happened to him. He had always been a strong and vigorous man, but why would he get so tired after only a couple minutes of talking?


    "Are you tired? Just close you eyes and have some rest." Daisy could notice even the slightest change on his look. When she noticed his eyes losing focus and his voice getting soft, she knew he must be too tired to stay awake. After all, he took a bullet for her and lost a lot of blood, and Tom performed an hours-long surgery to bring him back from thend of the dead. He was just starting to recover. It was quite normal that he wasn''t strong enough and he needed more rest to restore his energy. Daisy knew that well and she couldn''t let him wear himself out at this critical moment, so she insisted he should rest.


    "I''m fine, don''t worry about me. Mark, tell me what happened to your colonel''s face." It turned out that Edward hadn''t forgotten about the matter, and he wouldn''t go back to sleep again until he had the answer he wanted. Even though he was too exhausted and was about to fall asleep on any second, he tried hard to stay awake. Since Daisy wouldn''t tell him what happened, Edward turned to Mark and hoped he had the answer he wanted.


    "I''m not sure about that. Nothing happened before noon. But her face has be swollen and red like that when I returned from the army base to fetch some documents for her. She said that she bumped into some bandits and that was the end of the story." As long as it wasn''t rting to confidential knowledge in the army, Mark would answer whatever Edward asked him, especially when it came to Daisy. Daisy was so frustrated and even wondered for more than once that who Mark really worked for. Was Mark her aide or Edward''s? Shouldn''t he be taking her side and helping her? Daisy felt like that she couldn''t hide anything from Edward since Mark would always gave her away.


    "Bandits in Jerry''s hospital? How is that even possible?" Edward turned his eyes to Daisy with great interest as he muttered. It was obvious that he didn''t buy her story at all. But to his surprise, he had never thought of that Daisy would just blurt out something ridiculous to lie to someone as simple and honest as Mark, who seemed to be convinced by Daisy''s story. That was quite impressive.


    "Why are you looking at me like that?" Daisy looked away nervously to avoid eye contact with him. She acted as calmly as she could pretend, however, deep down, she was cursing Mark silently for a million time. If only they were in the army base right now! She would definitely punish him and make him do all the training programs to make him remember whose side he was on. Daisy thought that might be the only way Mark could learn his lesson, keep his mouth shut, and side with Daisy next time.


    "Don''t you think you owe me an exnation? Or do you think I''ll actually believe that you ran into some bandits in a hospital which is well-equipped with security guards? Mark may buy your story, but I''m not him. Do you think you can fool me with thatme exnation?" Edward had no intention of dropping the topic. He had to figure out who would be so bold and ignorant and desperately court his own death by attacking his beloved wife. Once he found out who the culprit was, Edward wouldn''t mind finishing the person off himself.000000000?????

 Chapter 449 To Have And To Hold Till Death Do Us Part

    Mark unconsciously twitched his mouth. He didn''t know whether Edward was praising him or debasing him. No one would ever praise like Edward, the master of backhandedpliments. He''d pick you up one moment and bring you down the next. "Mark, you go out first." Daisy ordered, frowning. It seemed that Edward was determined to get an answer today. So she decided to tell him. She would always give in and tell him anyway.


    "Yes, colonel." Mark smiled tacitly and walked out. He was used to it -- his colonel yielding to Edward. That happened every day recently. What confused him was the U-turn she made, from a tough military officer to a meek little woman. And Edward had everything to do with it. Indeed, love had scary magic. He preferred not to experience love for fear of ending up like Daisy.


    "So... What do you want to know?" Daisy pulled a chair up to the bed and sat down. She stared at Edward and determined to tell him whatever he wanted to know.


    "Who pped you? If I have to guess, it was Leo, right? That''s why you didn''t dodge or fight back."


    Edward''s eyes were as sharp as an eagle. He knew with only a nce that Daisy''s swollen face was because of a heavy p. But Daisy was too capable to let that happen, unless she was willing to take the p. But who would have that effect on her? It must be someone that meant a lot to her. So quite naturally, Edward figured that Leo must be the one that pped her. He knew that though Daisy was tough, she always desired her father''s love.


    "How do you know it''s him? You must think that I''m stupid, right? I know he doesn''t love me, but I just hope that maybe, maybe he would change his mind some day and take me as his daughter, you know." Daisy bit her lip in sorrow and smiled in self-mockery. She looked both sad and lonely. She should have understood that Leo didn''t see her as a daughter when she was kicked out of the Ouyang Family twelve years ago. But she always remembered how much Leo indulged her in her childhood. She always hoped that his aloofness was just a bad dream, that deep down he still loved her.


    "Yes, you are stupid. But you''re also kind and sweet. Does it still hurt?" Carefully Edward caressed her swollen face, his hand quivering for fear of hurting her. Then he helped brush her hair behind her ears, like he used to do. That long-absent move made Daisy''s eyes red.


    "It hurt initially, not physically, but mentally. But when I saw you wake up, it didn''t hurt any more. Having you is like having the whole world."


    Daisy held Edward''s hand, gently rubbing her face against his big warm palm. Her eyes were full of happiness. She knew that even if she lost everything, she would still have him with her. And that was more joyous for her than anything else. Luckily, she had him. "Don''t ever let anyone hit you again, okay? It''ll make my heart ache." Edward urged, frowned. ''Leo, it seems that you just can''t realize your mistakes. Even such arge pile of documents couldn''t convince you. You are such a pity -- toss aside your daughter who loves you so much, but dote on a woman to whom you mean nothing. Since you don''t think of Daisy as your daughter, I wouldn''t regard you as my father-inw, '' Edward pondered.


    "I know. After this p, I will hold no more illusions about him. From today on, he is not my father. And we are just strangers." Daisy said so, but her heart ached. After all, blood is thicker than water. No matter how cruel Leo was to her, he was a father to her anyway. But after everything he''d done, she figured out that no matter how much she loved him, she was still nothing to him. All she did was just ridiculous in Leo''s eyes.


    "Don''t be sad. You have us. We will always be your family." Edward put on a reassuring smile. He really wanted to hold her in his arms if he could. Plus, he would deal with Tomter. Tom should have done better than to let Daisy be pped in his hospital. Besides, Tom put him in the most expensive ward. That''s a bill they would settleter.


    "Yes, I have you. So, next time we face this kind of ident again, you can''t do the same thing. You shouldn''t have taken a bullet for me... I would rather be the one that gets shot than watch you do that," Daisy said earnestly, her fingers shuffling through his hair. She dreaded the feeling of almost losing him. So if they were in danger next time, she hoped that it would be her falling in his arms, not like this time when she held his bleeding body and felt it gradually turn cold. It made her vision go ck as if even her soul was sucked up by something invisible.


    "You are being selfish, you know? Seeing you fall would also tear my heart apart, same as you. It would be cruel if you ever do that," Edward answered and lightly shut his eyes. He didn''t know whether he should be enraged or touched by her words. But one thing was clear -- he loved her with all his heart and soul. He would shudder just to listen to what she had said.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Please let me be selfish for one time. Without you, my existence will mean simply nothing. For all these years, I have been following your steps. You have be an indispensable part of my life. You are, indeed, my life''s aim. Without you, I''ll crush and copse. So please take good care of yourself for my sake."


    Daisy''s eyes were all about love. She stared straight at Edward without the slightest feeling of timidness. You could tell that she really changed a lot today. After all, she never spoke out her love before. So her sudden switch caught Edward quite by surprise. He sensed that something must have changed fundamentally during hisa.


    "Sorry. If that promise is at the cost of your life, I can''t let you be selfish and sacrifice yourself. Don''t forget that you are my wife. If I can''t protect you from harm, then I''m not a good husband and won''t deserve your love and trust, " Edward said, his voice


    a bit hoarse. But it didn''t weaken his determination on this. He didn''t want her harmed, not even a little bit, under his watch. Or he would prove untrustworthy to her and not deserve her affection. "Edward, you don''t even consent to my simple request. You don''t love me at all," Daisyined, then bit his lips as punishment. As touched as she was to his confession, she was also mad at Edward''s denying her. So right now she was staring at him grudgingly, her lips pouted. But the scene was more attractive than threatening.


    "So you''ve been by my bedside the whole time. How long have I been out? I was gone for just a little while and everything seems to have changed." Edward began to lose his cool. ''Was I in aa for months? Why did Daisy change so much? But her clothes don''t seem like any winter outfit. Maybe a year has passed? OMG!'' Edward pondered.


    That possibility made Edward widen his eyes in surprise. He gaped at Daisy, desperate for an answer. ''Was I really in aa for an entire year? That''s why I can hear her cry andin in my dreams? But if a year has passed, howe my chest still hurts? The wound hasn''t recovered after a year? If so, I must beat up Tom, the quack. But Tom is a superb doctor. So what''s going on?'' Edward felt a turmoil of thoughts surging in his head. A multitude of spections sprang up in his mind.


    "From the time you got shot til now, twenty hours have passed. Why do you ask? You have somewhere you need to be besides here?" Daisy answered and checked her watch. It was about six o''clock p.m.. Edward woke up half an hourter than Tom expected, but he woke up anyway. That was what mattered.


    "Oh. Nothing. I thought a year had passed." If not for the pain on his chest, he would really think that a year had gone by. After all, Daisy was poles apart from her usual self. Luckily, it had just been dozens of hours. He wouldn''t want to lose a year in his happy life with her. Edward''s answer made Daisy twitch her mouth in confusion. What gave Edward such a strange idea? Maybe because she was too outgoing today? Maybe Edward didn''t like it?


    "Do you think that my change is too weird?" Daisy shut her eyes in a bit of embarrassment. She herself also thought that she deviated from her usual self too much. It was a bit unlike her, truth be told. But she had promised to never hide her love for Edward any more. Though unconscious Edward hadn''t heard about her promise, she must deliver it anyway. She didn''t want to regret not disying her love to him should she lose him again.


    "No. You know I love you no matter what kind of person you be. You will always take a lion''s share of my heart. Besides, I love your change. You''re more lively and vivacious now. I like it."


    Edward held her head in his arms and kissed her hair affectionately. Though he was a bit tired now, he didn''t let go of her. In his eyes one could only see love. They were the living example of the oath "To have and to hold till death us do part".0000

 Chapter 450 Very Insane Person (Part One)

    eyes. His heart was beating fast because Edward was awake. It beat erratically in excitement.


    "Oh ho! What do I see? I''ve never imagined I''d see such a tear-shedding scene. What''s this? A special show for us?" Quipped Rain, who leaned against the door leisurely. With witty words, he managed to conceal his own feelings, though tears of joy were welling up in his Daisy was embarrassed. She quickly moved out of Edward''s arms, face flushed crimson. She should''ve controlled her feelings. How bashful it was to be caught like that.


    "It seems you''re idle enough to hang out here. I should trust you with more work, Rain," said Edward with a slight frown. God damn his ungodly friends. Why did all of them have to show up at the most inappropriate times, and interrupt his private moment with Daisy? "Hold your horses, man! Don''t you ever enve me again. Tell you what, this whole day, I''ve worked like a ve. And I''ve decided to have some rest as soon as you cane back to work. Please, don''t pile any more work on me, or I''ll die like a withered flower."


    Rain whined dramatically. At the same time, he studied Edward''s pale face and emaciated body cautiously. Although he seemed pale and weak, Edward was in good spirits. It seemed that he was out of danger, and would soon recover. And since Edward had woken up, Rain just hoped he''d recover quickly and return to work as soon as possible. During the past few hours, overwhelmed by workloads, Rain was certain that he wasn''t cut out to be a CEO. He worked around the clock, although he had only picked the urgent documents to read. How could Edward think about giving him more work? He would certainly not ept it! This guy in front of him was a pervert. He couldn''t even imagine how Edward had managed to aplish such arge amount of work everyday, and leave some free time for himself to go to the club. Fortunately,pared to Edward, there was not much work in Rain''s hands. Otherwise, he would throw his responsibilities and brotherhood to the wind.


    "Don''t bargain with me. First thing at first, have you settled the matter I told you to?" Daisy had always been Edward''s top priority. Even now he was lying in bed, he couldn''t forget about the matters rted to her. It could be seen that when an excellent and extraordinary man fell in love with a woman, he would pour himself into her. To the excellent man, love was not just a word, but his full heart.


    "Not yet! Don''t rush me! Do you really think it''s as easy as just saying it? It''s not like bringing a supermarket to bankruptcy. I need time to do it. It may appear to you as nothing, but it still is a bigpany, not a supermarket. Whoa! Daisy? What happened to your face? Jeez, I can''t imagine who would dare to do this to you..." Rain suddenly eximed after a nce at Daisy''s face. He wondered what had happened when he was away.


    Jesus! Not again! Hearing that, Daisy rolled her eyes. It seemed that these people were too idle, and had enough time to care about her face. If everyone of them had to ask about what happened to her face, she was afraid that she might have to post an announcement online to save the trouble. But she was a polite person. Since Rain had asked, she would have to give an answer, however unwilling she might be. Thus, she was determined to answer him, although she had been asked about her face so many times already. Telling a perfunctory exnation or the truth, whatever her method was, an answer was an answer. But what excuses should she make now? Should she use the same exnation she gave to Mark, that she encountered several bandits? But Rain would surely not be so credulous as Mark, at very least, he was a businessman... Daisy racked her brains for an answer. Although it was okay to tell Edward that she was hit by Leo, her father, she didn''t feel like telling everyone about the incident. Deep in her heart, she was too proud to do that. However, Mark didn''t have any idea that he was fooled. Standing outside in the corridor, he suddenly shuddered. He didn''t know it was because that he was being talked about, but attributed it to the cold weather.


    "Nothing happened. I was lost in thought, then I bumped into the wall when I should have turned." Finally, Daisy found an excuse, which she believed to be fair and reasonable. After such a long time, the finger marks should be gone, although the bruise remained. She believed that her excuse would be unassable.


    "Bro, it''s all your fault! See? You''re too charming, and you lured Daisy into thinking of you all day long. Or else, she wouldn''t have bumped into a wall!" But Rain had known that it was an excuse from the start. He was too smart to be fooled. Unless she was running into a wall at her full speed, her face shouldn''t be like this. In the worst case, it would only leave a small bruise. How could her whole cheek possibly be bruised and swollen just because she bumped into a wall? But since she intended to avoid his question, he wouldn''t force her to answer. He knew better than push others too hard. And by pretending to be fooled, he could also tease Edward. He always enjoyed bullshitting him.


    "Well said. I see you''re getting a spine now, and have enough guts to fire back at me. What? You truly think I couldn''t beat you up just because I''m lying here in bed? Come on, I can still bring it to your sorry ass,"


    Said Edward. He knew that Daisy was too proud to tell the truth, and he decided to change the subjectpletely. If Rain went any further, Daisy would even be too ashamed to show her face.


    "No, no, no! I didn''t mean a word I said. Oh, by the way, how''s the recovery? When do you think you can go back to work?" Knowing what Edward truly meant, Rain decided to dump the topic and talk about work.


    "Work? How can you expect him to go back to work? He needs at least one more month''s rest!" What Rain wasn''t expecting was where the answer came from. Daisy, not Edward. That was out of blue. He fell into a daze and stared at Daisy, without saying a word. After a long time, he yelled, appalled.


    "Daisy! One month is too long! He looks healthy already! I''m sure he''s strong enough to go back to work within a week. If it takes another month, I would go mad!" It seemed that Daisy was crueler and more merciless than Edward. If he had to be the acting CEO for another month, he would go insane from the heavy workload. And the girls in the clubs were still waiting for him to return! And, what was more, although he was the deputy CEO of FX International Group, his strong suit wasn''t operating apany, but talking business with others or contacting clients, etc. Hearing that he had a heavy workload for nearly a month, he almost wanted to run away. And he feared that he would die because of the heavy load. And even worse, he might be half dead.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.

 Chapter 451 Very Insane Person (Part Two)

    "Honey, I think you got a point. I think I should just rest for a month, and give myself a break. At the time, I can also spend the vacation with you and Justin. Well, it seems one month is not enough, let''s say, two months,Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    Edward added, smirking. He liked it when Daisy behaved so protectively of him. Since she was fighting for his right to have a rest, he decided to take this chance and spend more time with her.


    Hearing his words, Daisy flushed red. She also wanted to spend more time with him, but her schedule was too crowded, and that could only be a happy wish, but not practical. The New Year was about to arrive, and the busiest period at the military base hade. The veterans were about to retire and new recruits were enlisting, which required tons of hands to take care of the matters. The recruiting in Daisy''s army base was different from themon recruit, as everyone of the soldiers there was to be as excellent as others. The soldiers in Daisy''s base were rare talents, one-in-a-thousand men. However, although the talents were rare, not all of them were qualified in Daisy''s eyes. The selection of talents needed to be dealt with carefully.


    "No! No! Forget about everything that just happened! I am never here! I did nothing and said nothing! I''m merely daydreaming!" Rain was about to weep when he heard the words "two months". He was so resentful that he almost wanted to p himself. What had hee here for? There were tons of people for him to pick on. Why did he have to joke with Edward and Daisy? It didn''t seem like that he would be released from the burden, but rather, he would be enved with heavy workloads for two more months, if not worse. What had he done to deserve this? He was just trying to be the ice breaker, but it seemed he was trapped by his own words. What a cunning bastard Edward was! And he had also corrupted Daisy!


    "Daydreaming? No, I don''t believe it. You''re too smart to have a daydream. Besides, every word you''ve just said was all truth. They were structured with good points and awfully inspiring. I''m now enlightened, and also have decided to have some rest." Edward was having great fun when he was torturing Rain mentally. He was sleepy at the start, but as the conversation went on, he became more and more awake. He was merely ying with him at the start, but now, he was seriously thinking about taking two months'' leave. A vacation sounded so alluring.


    "It seems that you''re fully recovered, Edward. We heard the mor from far away in the corridor." A man''s voice suddenly sounded from outside the door. The next moment, Duke and Belinda both entered.


    "Belinda, Duke, d to see you." Daisy smiled gently. It was obvious that all of the visitors had rushed towards the hospital immediately, as soon as they were off work. The friendship between them and Edward was good, and she assumed that they were as good buddies as she and Belinda. There were always people who would help their friends at the loss of their life, and friends with whom one could share weal and woe.


    When Belindaid eyes on Daisy''s bruised cheek, she cried out. Despite Edward''s wound, she red at him angrily, and yelled, "Daisy! What happened to your face? Edward! Speak up! Did you hit her?"


    Hearing that, Daisy was both ttered and embarrassed. She just wanted to dig a hole and hide inside, as she had used up every excuse for her swollen cheek.


    "Belinda, it''s not what you think. I''ll tell you about itter." Daisy didn''t intend to keep Belinda in the dark. After all, they had known each other for over twenty years; she didn''t need to hide anything from her. But they had to talk about the matterter. It would be too awkward to say it in front of so many people, especially one of whom had already heard a version of the "truth".


    "Not him? Good! I dare him toy a finger on you! Or else I''ll make him lie in bed for another two months!" said Belinda. She raised her eyebrows and red at Edward provocatively. She had never beat him at anything before, but now everything changed. He was in the bed. How could she not take the chance and bully a defenseless Edward?


    "Oh my! Belinda, you''re like a goddess! You''re my new idol! You''re the VIP in my heart!" Rain felt superb whenever he saw Edward being bullied. He didn''t care about the cause or root of Belinda''s debate with Edward, as long as Edward was at a disadvantage, he was feeling great.


    But Belinda wasn''t as happy as him. She raised her eyebrows, and snapped, "Rain, what the hell is wrong with you? Have a closer look. I, Belinda Shangguan, am not your Annie. What the hell are you paying mepliments for? Did you lose in a truth or dare, and give me a scolding that was covered up like praise? What the fuck does VIP mean? Is it a cuss word?"


    She didn''t believe he was so kind to praise her. What was more, this Rain had spent so many years with Edward, and must have be as calcting and scheming like his shameless friend. As an old saying went, "He that lies down with dogs must stand up with fleas." She was sure as hell that he was trying to curse her with sweet words. And smart as she was, she would never be trapped. She would fight back and kick his sorry ass!


    "You misunderstood. I''m merely giving you a sincerepliment. Why would I curse you for no reason? There''s no dispute between us, and what''s more, like I''ve said, you''re a goddess to me; I dare not pick on you. And if I did pick on you, Duke would break my neck and throw me into the sea as fish feed. Trust me, I was merely giving you a purepliment, 24 carat." However, Rain was pissed. This woman was unreasonable. To her, debating with other people was like a habit. He meant to praise her. How could she interpret it as an insult? What could VIP mean, except for Very Important Person? He was just expressing his admiration to her.


    Although enraged, Rain dared not reveal his anger. He cursed Belinda in his heart. Suddenly, he came up with an idea, and smirked inwardly. ording to Belinda''s words, he finally thought of an interpretation that fit Belinda well. Enlightened by Belinda, he suddenly felt that VIP could also mean Very Insane Person. And Belinda deserved it. How dare she mention Annie in front of him, and jeer at him? At her mention of Annie''s name, Rain''s heart cramped and ached. He had decided the new meaning of VIP, but for now he''d keep it in his heart. He would never speak it aloud. If he ever dared to mention her as the "Very Insane Person", he would be fixed not only by Belinda, but also by Duke. And he knew well that it was like waking a sleeping tiger.0000

 Chapter 452 A Heartless Couple (Part One)

    "No. Judging from your character, I don''t think you areplimenting me at all. Tell me, what do you mean? Or I will borrow Daisy''s revolver and I''m tempted to use it. I''d like to see how you''re going to flirt with the girls at that time with a hole in you." could hardly make it. So it was almost impossible that she could be tricked.


    Who was Belinda Shangguan? She was the dragondy in the business field. If she didn''t have any real talent, how could she manage YS group so well? After she took over the group, it did not lose money. Instead, earnings soared to a new peak. An ordinary person


    "Shoot! Don''t be too harsh on me! I''m telling the truth! Why do people doubt the truth nowadays? Is everyone suffering from persecution mania? Don''t lose the most wonderful thing called trust even in this terrible world. Oh, what''s more, I don''t flirt with the girls. Instead, they flirt with me, okay?"


    Rain tucked his neck in, hunched his shoulders, trying to protect himself, as if she was really going to shoot him soon. He knew well that this woman was prone to violence. He still remembered that she even pped Duke, the cold man, in the face once. He knew she was definitely not a simple woman. He concluded he had to keep a safe distance from her to avoid being disfigured. She could p hard! Hell, look at Daisy''s swollen face. It was going to take a long time before the red mark disappeared.


    "Go to hell. Don''t try to find any fucking excuses. The better the words you use with me, the more likely you''re cursing me in your mind. I even don''t need to ask anyone else. I can tell it from your undisguised face." Belinda shot a fierce stare at Rain. She looked so arrogant that people dare not look straight into her beautiful eyes.


    "Watch yournguage." Duke cautioned, frowning unconsciously. He didn''t like her cursing, nor could he understand why they always ended up in a quarrel every time they talked.


    Belinda moved her lips a little, trying to retort. Finally, she did not say anything. Recently, because of Rachel, she always felt there was something between Duke and her, stopping them from walking into the depths of each other''s hearts. Sometimes she thought it was actually not bad. She would not get hurt badly if she didn''t enter his heart! She didn''t want to hold a wedding ceremony quickly before she figured out what was going on between Rachel and him. So she postponed their wedding on the grounds of her busy work schedule. "People always say that a girl is just like a scorpion. It seems to be true. You always get touchy and threaten to kill somebody." Rainined and then said to Duke, "Mr. Cold, stop your wife from saying these things, please." Rain didn''t know what went wrong between them and continued teasing Belinda. He didn''t feel the weird atmosphere between them at all.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    "What she said pretty much jibes with what I think. Why should I stop her?" Duke was annoyed these days too. He didn''t know why Belinda was getting so confrontational these days. Consciously or not, she always avoided his touch. She even didn''t answer his phone sometimes and she had various excuses. What''s more, she even changed the wedding date and cancelled the reservation at the church without informing him.


    Fine! He could stand all of these things silently. He kept telling himself that she was already his wife legally and she could do whatever she wanted! It''s not like she needed protecting 24/7. Anyway, it was just a matter of time until they held the marriage ceremony. He didn''t worry that she might escape. But he didn''t expect her to adjust her working hours to avoid meeting him. That was why he couldn''t pick her up after work. If they weren''ting to the hospital today, probably she might have hidden herself from him and run away as early as she could!


    "Shoot! What a heartless couple." Rain finally understood that even the stone cold Dukes of the world would yield to their Mrs. Rights. It was too amazing! Then what kind of things were impossible in this world? So he came to a conclusion that Annie would suddenly walk into his life someday!


    "Wow, so many people here. Did my Mr. Mu wake up?" As a childish voice sounded, a short figure scampered into everyone''s view. It was Justin. He grew excited at the sight of Edward looking at him with his blue eyes. He couldn''t help trying to climb onto the bed to lunge at him. Luckily, Daisy was eagle-eyed. She hugged Justin to stop him immediately. Otherwise, the stitches in Edward''s wound would definitely break because of Justin''s carelessness, and poor Edward would need his stitches redone.


    "Justin, what are you doing? Don''t you know Daddy got hurt and is still weak now?" Daisy went pale. If she didn''t grab Justin immediately, Edward''s wounds might re-open. In that case, no one knew what might happen, what kind ofplications they''d see. For thest twenty hours, she''d seen too many idents to stay calm, despite the fact that she was a soldier. So her tone was harsher than usual.


    "Sorry, Mommy. I got thrilled seeing Daddy awake. That''s why I made such a terrible mistake just now. Don''t get mad at me, okay?" Justin bit his lip. As a matter of fact, he felt quite sad due to his mommy''s shouting. But he knew he was indeed wrong. So he held it in and didn''t cry. Instead, he lowered his head and kept apologizing to Daisy.00000000??????

 Chapter 453 A Heartless Couple (Part Two)

    "Sorry, honey! Mommy is too concerned to control her emotions. Don''t take it seriously, okay?" Daisy left a gentle kiss on his face and apologized too. She realized that she was not herself and lost her mind when shouting at Justin. After all, he was still a child. Though he usually acted like an adult, he could make mistakes too. She slowed her fluttering heart and realized how badly those harsh words could have hurt Justin''s feelings. So she apologized to Justin at once.


    "Mommy, no problem. I get it. You''re worried about daddy and afraid that I might open daddy''s wound. That''s why you shouted at me like that, isn''t it? I don''t mind. I mean it." Justin was a sensible boy. He didn''t me his mommy. Instead, he exined Daisy''s concern for his daddy to conform her. Although tears glistened in his eyes, he still fought them back. Everyone there was touched by how thoughtful he was. He was so considerate. He couldn''t have been trained to be so mindful in a short period. It must have taken years to form his charming personality with great care, love and wise guidance. That''s why he was such a wonderful boy. And the one who loved and cared for him was nobody other than Daisy.


    "Justin,e here." Edward felt tortured in his heart upon seeing his son''s hurt expression. Though he was usually infuriated by his little boy, he couldn''t help feeling a pain pricking his heart at the sight of Justin''s downcast face. So he called Justin toe closer to him and wanted to protect him.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Daddy, I miss you so much." Justin was very careful this time. He even didn''t touch Edward. He just stood there, looking at Edward and revealing his sweet smile to him. He was afraid he might touch the wound and hurt his daddy.


    "Yes! Daddy misses his Justin too." Edward reached out and lightly pinched Justin''s milky cheek, with afortable smile resting on his mouth. He understood Daisy probably freaked out because of his injury, so she shouted at the little boy without any concern for how it might make him feel. Daddy, is it still hurting a lot? Let me blow on the wound to ease the pain, okay?"


    Despite his words, Justin was still reserved. He dared not rush into his arms and ask for affection as what he usually had done before. He knew it wasn''t the proper time today and he couldn''t do whatever he wanted.


    "No, it''s not. Daddy feels much better seeing you. It looks like my baby is the best medicine." Edward reached out and pulled Justin into his arms. He gently kissed his hair tofort him just like with Daisy. He knew his little boy was afraid for his daddy. So was Daisy. After all, they had just reunited and be a family. They still felt unsafe, not knowing whether things wouldst. They''d definitely grieve if they lost him. And he would rather die than lose them.


    "You woke up, Mr. Mu." Luke was the one who brought Justin to the hospital. He walked while Justin ran. He just got here now, after checking in. He also sighed with relief seeing Edward awake. He felt much better and less guilty about letting him get shot. "I''m good. How''s it going? Did everything get done?" It was the second time Edward asked someone about his orders. They must be of great importance to him. That''s why he wanted to know the result as soon as possible.


    "Yes! Almost done. As for the rest, maybe you need to show up in person." Luke never saw himself as Yakira''s enemy. He knew that he was inferior a lot to Edward both in strategy and in speaking. So he was concerned that Yakira might find him out if he got careless. He decided to leave Paul to deal with those crocodiles for a while! After all, Edward just came back to life. It would take at least half a month for him to recover!


    "Okay, I see." Luke didn''t say what Edward''s orders were. Meanwhile, Edward asked him vaguely. No one knew what they were talking about except them. Everyone was sensible and didn''t ask them about it. If they were supposed to know it, Edward wouldn''t hide it from them. They would know anyway. It was just a matter of time.


    "It looks like I am thest one. It makes me look like I don''t care." Leena wore a maxi skirt today. It was inconsistent with her usual cute and lovely dressing style. She walked towards them in a slow pace and looked unnaturally grand. The long skirt showed off her femininity. Everyone was puzzled by the unusual look Leena sported, but Leena seemed to not notice their confusion and walked straight to Edward.


    "Edward, congrattions! You won in the fight with death and came back to us." Leena lowered her head and left a gentle kiss on Edward''s cheek. She looked so lovely and charming. It seemed that no matter what kind of clothing she wore, everyone considered her to be the cutest girl they loved so much.


    "Leena, are you alright? Are you scared silly by Edward''s injury?" Rain could never keep calm when something unusual happened. So he questioned Leena about her elegant dress.


    "What? Do I look weird in this dress? Don''t you think I am very elegant today? Fine!" Even she didn''t know why she picked this dress out. It''s possible she was shocked by the thought about Kevin and Daisy. So she adjusted her style of dress ordingly.


    She didn''t feel wrong at all while she was heading for the hospital. Not until she got off the taxi did she realize what she had done. But there was nothing to be done for it. She had no time to go back and change! So she gritted her teeth and walked in, hoping that no one noticed her unusual mode of dress. She didn''t think that everyone would be shocked. But she showed her big sweet smile to them, pretending she was calm and nothing happened to her. A cute and lovely girl was what everyone was familiar with, right?000000

 Chapter 454 I Wont Bite You (Part One)

    "You certainly look quite elegant and tender today. But I prefer the former Leena. You seem a bit dismal aspared to her. I also feel that this new Leena is detached from me."


    Edward had a sharp perception. Leena couldn''t hide the slightest change in her personality from him. He didn''t know what made her change her dressing style. Did she find something unusual? Or did Kevin do something to bring about this recent change? "Puff! Edward, are youposing a poem? What do you mean by ''dismal''? Don''t forget; I am a happy angel." Leena smiled at her own remark. Despite the bright smile on her face, she had a slight feeling of tightness in the chest, and she didn''t know why. "Hope we are just perceiving you wrong. You are still an adorable and angelic girl." Edward smiled and said in a cosseting tone. No matter how far and fast time flew, Leena always had a ce in his heart, and that would never change. She was the first person who had shown her kindness and warmth to Edward.


    "Of course I''m still myself! Am I looking like a leprechaun? What''s wrong with you, Edward? Did you hurt your head? Or else why would you say such strange things to me that I can''tprehend."


    Leena''s eyes sparkled with a deceptive light. As a matter of fact, she knew very well what Edward meant. But after everything she had been through, she was no longer the innocent girl who didn''t have any secrets in her heart. Leena was a wife now. Although there were still lots of things that she needed to learn to make a good wife, at least she had turned into an adult. Sometimes Leena couldn''t tell them everything. She wasn''t asfortable in asking forforts or suggestions as she had been in the past.


    "You came here alone." Duke took a look at the green wound on her hand. Then he turned his eyes to the door, trying to see if Kevin wasing. But he wasn''t. Duke got angry, as could be told from his frigid face. He got mad when he realized that Kevin had left Leena and he hadn''t apanied her to the hospital.


    "Yes! It''s much easier to call a cab." She couldn''t drive for a while due to her injured hand. But she felt guilty when she responded to Duke because Kevin had told her to wait at home before he went to work in the morning. He told her that he would pick her up after work and take her to the hospital. However, as soon as Kevin went off to work, she grew anxious. So to avoid meeting him, she left for the hospital before Kevin came back. Leena didn''t know why she behaved in this manner. She just felt empty and didn''t know how to get along with him. She knew she was behaving oddly, but she couldn''t figure out why.


    "It''s fine. It''s daytime now. Cabs are safe. Perhaps Kevin is busy with his work. He probably has tons of work to take care of, especially after what happened yesterday." Daisy smiled softly. She figured out that Duke was displeased with Kevin again. So she exined to ease the tension. She was not trying to praise Kevin because as a military officer she knew the procedures Kevin needed to arrange. Last night, the gunfire was so violent that there must have been a series of things involved in it. As the most capable officer in the army base of the city, Kevin would be held responsible for it without question. He was quite busy for sure.


    "Yes! Daisy''s right. He called me and told me that there''s a lot of work that needs his attention. He didn''t even have time for lunch. So he mighte back home a littlete in the night." Leena knew her brother''s anger very well. He always felt high resentment towards Kevin. She also regretted that she hadn''t taken everything into consideration. She was pleased with herself by leaving Kevin behind anding to the hospital alone. But she forgot that Kevin would be the one to get med by Duke. Considering this, Leena immediately exined and chimed in with Daisy. She wanted to find some excuse for Kevin though she was telling a lie at this moment. She prayed her words would be convincing. But the fact was that Kevin seldom called her, and most of the time she made the phone calls to him. "Hey! You are such a charming girl, but is Kevin really that good? You always say the nicest things about him. I suppose the old adage is true - ''Daughters and dead fish are no keeping wares!'' You haven''t been married for too long, but it seems you have forgotten all of us and our love for you." Rain gazed at Leena with a naughty look. A teasing smile appeared on his face. It was hard to tell whether he was being serious or making a joke.


    "I haven''t forgotten anyone, Rain. You''ve always disliked him. You try to keep him away from us. Why do you have such hatred against him?" Leena pouted and amusingly stamped her feet. She looked attractive and charming, but her look was quite inconsistent with her elegant maxi skirt.


    "If he informed us about your marriage in advance, we wouldn''t dislike him or have resentment against him." Rain didn''t hide his resentment towards Kevin. He said it clearly and didn''t pretend to conceal his thought. His actions matched his personality.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    "Hum! I''m not talking to you anymore. I''ll go and find Tom to put some medicine on my hand. Hey little pal, do you want to apany your aunt?" Leena knew that it would be impossible for them to change their attitude towards Kevin in such a short time. She decided to let it be. Time would heal everything! The harder she tried to take Kevin''s side, the greater scunner they took against him. So she thought it would be best for her to give them space and time to ept the situation.


    "Can I refuse it?" Justin firmly held Edward''s hand. He felt something terrible would ensue if he apanied his guileful aunt. So he decided he should act prudently. All the offensive things she had done in the past had always shocked everyone.


    "My answer would be - no! Hurry up. You are a just little boy. Why do you always overthink everything? You''re not an old man in his seventies! Why can''t you be sweet?" Did Justin think it would be easy to refuse her? No way. Did he think she didn''t know what he was thinking? Perhaps he forgot that they were the same kind. Both of them were guileful.


    "Daddy..." Justin looked at Edward and said in a weak tone as if trying to ask for Edward''s help to reject Leena''s invitation. Though Justin was also difficult to deal with, he was definitely the one to be fooled if they stayed together because Leena was far more nerve- wracking than him. Just like the saying went, "if two men ride on a horse, one must ride behind".

 Chapter 455 I Wont Bite You (Part Two)

    "You should go with her! It''s fine. Don''t worry, it won''t take long." Edward felt a little odd. He wondered, why his little boy wasn''t scared of anyone except Leena? Leena was sweet and adorable. Then why was she so frightening in Justin''s eyes?Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    "But... Fine!" Justin had no alternative but to let go of Edward''s hand. He pouted to show his reluctance. He took a look at everyone but failed to find anyone who was about to save him from the impending misery. He felt very disappointed. He looked down gloomily and gave an unflinching expression.


    "Let''s go! Little buddy. I won''t bite you. What''s more, I''m not interested in human flesh, let alone your flesh which is probably mixed with ink." Leena moved her eyebrows at Justincently. Justin was not the only option she had. She insisted on taking Justin with her because no one else would offer to apany her now that she had asked Justin to go with her. After all, they doted on her so much that they would never allow her to go alone. But she would be unwilling to be with anyone else now. So she had to pick someone in advance instead of waiting for their offer. Otherwise, she would be really annoyed if someone of them apanied her.


    Justin twitched the corners of his mouth. Finally, he decided not to say anything in response. Any normal person would not be interested in human flesh unless he had lost his mind. So should he respond her, no matter what he said as the response, it seemed that there would be only one conclusion; he was not a human being. Come on! He hadn''t lost his mind! He was clever and he would never fall into her trap.


    "Tell me! Why do you want me to go with you? And please don''t say its because you like me. It''s not convincing at all." As soon as they walked out of the ward, Justin asked about it. He didn''t believe that the little witch had suddenly changed her evil ways and stopped digging a pit for him.


    "Hey, little pal. You''re just a baby boy! Why do you always think you might fall into some sort of a trap? Is it because the world seems too dark to you now? Or perhaps you are evil?" Leena reached out her finger and lightly tapped on Justin''s head. It''s not such a bad thing that this child was smart and sensible. But he would be not that cute and delightful if he was too wise. That would also make him less interesting, wouldn''t it?


    "Don''t touch my hair. You''re spoiling my hairstyle." Justin moved away to escape her reach. He was not a pet and he certainly didn''t like being treated like one by Leena.


    "So what! Your hair looks just like a messed up seaweed. You call this a hairstyle? Well, I beg to differ!" Leena sneered at him belittlingly. She found it really difficult to understand why her little nephew acted so cool. He was just a little kid! But his words and actions seemed too mature for his age.


    "Seaweed? How do you figure? What is the connection between my hair and seaweed? If I remember right, seaweed is green in color! I don''t have a wife. Anyone with a decent vision can see that there''s a vast difference between my hair color and the color of seaweed. Okay?" He, of course, knew what green hair meant. People would say a man was wearing a green hat when they knew he was being cheated on by his wife. Though he was a little boy, he was not foolish and got to know all of this from the shows on the TV. So there was no way Leena could make fun of him. No way!


    "Ur... Well... Puff..." Leena paused a little on hearing his words. Then she realized what he was talking about and she could not help bursting intoughter. She wasn''t expecting that such a little boy would be so smart that he would be able to associate seaweed with green hat. He even knew what green hat meant. He really seemed like a grownup.


    "Why are youughing? Did I say something wrong?" Justin felt a little embarrassed by her roaringughter. He didn''t know why Leenaughed and thought maybe he misquoted something to make herugh like this. Perhaps, that''s why she giggled so loudly that every passer-by looked at her with a weird expression on their face. But she didn''t care about them and continuedughing. Her behavior was totally inconsistent with herdylike dress.


    "Ha-ha! Come on. I meant your hair is just like the short seaweed. It isn''t long enough to form a hairstyle! I didn''t think that our great visionary Justin is so imaginative that he''ll figure out some deeper meaning hidden behind my words."


    Leena struggled to stop herughter. But she failed to hold back at the sight of Justin who looked like an old pedant. She didn''t understand how he got to know all these grownup stuff. Wasn''t he afraid that he might lose the innocence of a child if he knew too much about the adult world?


    "You deliberately misguided me! Huh! I know it, you have some cruel intentions behind asking me here. I can see the truth now!" Justin sharply moved forward with anger. He wanted to keep a safe distance from Leena so that she would not see his embarrassed face. "Hey! Buddy! Walk slowly! And why are you lowering your head almost to the ground? You will bump into somebody. That would be terrible." Fine! It was quitete! Justin had already bumped into someone in his mad rush. The man was none other than the man they were looking for, President Tom Qin.


    "Watch out. Why are you so careless? Where are you going in such a hurry?" Tom reached out and caught Justin who was about to fall when they hit each other. Tom frowned slightly and warned him in a low voice. He didn''t mean to me Justin; he was just worried that Justin might hurt himself.


    "Sorry, Uncle Tom! We were looking for you." Justin was still in a state of mad fury. He decided not to apany his evil aunt to do something anymore. Otherwise, he would again get teased by her.


    "Me? Why? What''s the matter?" Tom frowned slightly. He remembered that he didn''t apply any medicine on Daisy''s face and he was thinking about what corrective measures he could take. Hopefully, Edward wouldn''t find out that Daisy was pped in the face in his hospital. Tom was worried that even if he could erase the inmmation on Daisy''s face now, it was still toote and Edward had already got mad.000

 Chapter 456 Do You Like Pain (Part One)

    "Tom, I was looking for you. Here!" Leena said and lifted her hand, pouting in a cute way. She reached out her wounded hand to show it to Tom.


    "Oh! Damn. How could I forget about your wound? Come here! Let me help. Let''s get you checked out and I''ll change the dressing." Tom forgot about Leena''s woundpletely because he was busy with Edward''s surgery. He couldn''t remember there was still a little patient waiting for him until Leena came to him.


    ''But what''s the matter with those people?'' Tom thought to himself. ''Do they think that I have nothing better to do so they get injured one by one? And what''s worse, each person is more wounded than the one before them. They should feel lucky that I am here. Otherwise, no matter how good I am or how effective the medicine is, it wouldn''t help. After all, while the grass grows the horse starves.''? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "Uncle Tom, do you have some medicine that hurts a lot but works really well for her hand?" Justin asked with sly eyes, showing his canine teeth. He said to himself while looking at Tom excitedly, ''You always make fun of me, Leena. Now I''ll show you how it feels. Watch the true master at work!''


    "What? Are you worried about your aunt''s wound? So you''re asking for a good medicine for her now?" Tom asked, scratching his head and smiling. He knew very well about the rivalry between Leena and Justin although he didn''t spend too much time with him. He had no idea what tricks this little boy was ying, but he was sure that Justin''s advice wasn''t out of real concern for his aunt.


    "Ya! I''m worried." Justin said cheerfully and didn''t notice that his aunt, who was standing steps away, was staring daggers at him. It seemed as if the rage in her eyes was on the brink of explosion. If someone triggered her, there was no doubt that all the creatures around here would be dead, and not a de of grass would grow.


    "Little boy, do you like pain? Huh?" Leena yelled at Justin between clenched teeth. ''Doesn''t he know she is scared of pain?'' she thought. It was okay if he didn''t help her, but he even made things worse. Wasn''t he asking for a beating?


    "No. I was raised in a healthy home, so I don''t have a sick soul. But it seems you''re pretty familiar with it." Justin said. No way. He wouldn''t be Edward''s son if he didn''t take revenge. If there was no opportunity to fight back, he would create one. He wouldn''t lose. Couldn''t lose. Like father, like son. How could he do any less for his dad?


    "I''m normal. You really talk big. Are you sure you didn''t fall out of the stupid tree and hit every branch on the way down?" Leena didn''t understand why she would get so angry every time she saw Justin. ''Ordinarily, I don''t offend him too much! I just use the kid as a shield sometimes. Does he need to be so resentful?'' Leena thought to herself.


    "Enough. You can stop now. I really can''t stand that you two are stretching the truth too much here. Don''t you need me to apply the medicine to you? Well. You can keep arguing. I''ll show up when you''re finished, "


    Tom said and shook his head helplessly. He couldn''t understand their behavior. Neither of them was willing to makepromises and every word they said to each other was harsh. It seemed that both of them were the kind of people who hated to lose! "Hmph!" Justin turned around and red at Leena. The cool and aggressive look on his angry face was simr to Edward''s, which made Leena feel that the little boy standing in front of her was just Edward, a small version of Edward.


    "Little boy, you hold grudges. Not a good habit!" Leena didn''t forget to make fun of Justin at thest minute. It was obvious that she was as unforgiving as Justin.


    It was not as horrible asst time when Tom applied medicine for Leena. After all, most of the wound scarred, so she could hardly feel the pain. Justin felt unhappy with this, because he thought he could take this chance tough at her. To his surprise, he didn''t even hear her cry once. He remembered that she cried out of painst time. He wondered why it was different this time.


    Leena looked at Justin from the corner of her eyes gleefully, with a big smile on her lips. ''This little boy wants tough at me. Humph!'' Leena thought. She would not make his wishe true! Why she knew that? The reason was obvious and simple: They were the same type of people.


    ''Bah! What have you got to be proud of?'' Justin thought. How could a woman, who wasn''t as brave as a child, be shameless to behave so ted? She should still remember the tearjerker scenest time when she got scalded. Justin looked at Leena with a sneer and his eyes were filled with sarcasm. Leena was really pissed off at him. She was desperate to frustrate him again in case he spoke rudely to her. Her gaze said ''I dare you.''


    Although Tom was concentrating on applying medicine for Leena, he was quite clear that there was a secret war happening between Justin and Leena. One cunning woman with one cunning boy, who woulde out on top? Of course it would be unwinnable. So Tom decided not to offend or provoke either of them because he didn''t want them to gang up on him. Just let them be! He tended to sit on the fence at this.


    With each one holding an idea in their heads, the whole procedure of applying medicine came to a perfect end. Having wasted too much time watching the war between Leena and Justin, Tom found that Luke, Belinda, and Rain had been away when they returned to Edward''s room. The three must have gone back home, Tom thought. Because they had seen the people whom they wanted to see and made sure that Edward was well, so they didn''t need to worry too much. Besides, Tom, who was a medical genius, was Edward''s surgeon, so they didn''t have to stay there any longer. After all, air cirction was good for the patient''s health.00000000000

 Chapter 457 Do You Like Pain (Part Two)

    "How is she? The wound on her hand has scarred, hasn''t it?" Edward asked Tom with a smile, looking agreeable but more creepy in Tom''s eyes. Tom was so scared to step into this. It might be a trap.


    "Um! Yes, it has. I''m sure her wound will be healed faster if you put away your soft and enchanting smile." Tom replied, raising his eyebrow to Daisy as a signal to ask what was going on here. Tom felt like he was falling into a trap. But Daisy couldn''t figure out what he was getting at. With a confused face, she just replied Tom with a shrug and a helpless expression.


    "Oh! You do look guilty! So do you want to give me a good exnation now?" Edward asked, wiped the smile off his face and turned to Tom, with his deep and sharp eyes staring at him.


    "I can make it up to you right now! Okay?" ''Oh my god!'' Tom thought to himself, ''Daisy, you were so ruthless to have told Edward the truth already. I knew it was unintentional, but you are pushing me hard towards Edward. The man''s a devil!''


    "So tell me," Edward said, lifting the corners of his mouth and a smile ying across his lips. It was so dazzling that Tom couldn''t help blinking his eyes, but he had no idea what that smile meant.


    "No, I can''t," Tom replied listlessly, without any enthusiasm. He knew that his n of having Edward pay the exorbitant price for the suite fell through right when he spoke those words. Instead of gaining huge profits, he even paid him his expensivebor. Think about it: If you were him, would you cheer up? "There''s many a slip twixt cup and lip." Like the proverb said, everything was going wrong.


    "Well...... I think you know what to do now," Edward said with a faint smile on his face and thought, ''Very well. He is smart enough to realize his mistake so soon. It''s worth it for me to act so harsh in front of him. He really underestimated me if he wanted to extort money from me!'' Anyone should feel lucky if Edward didn''t n to set him or her up. Now someone tried to set up him. It was obvious that he was asking for trouble.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "Yes, I know. I will go back home to fetch the medicine right now." Oh...... His money! His medicine! All of them were plundered by this unscrupulous and cunning Edward, leaving nothing to him. Tom thought. He med himself for learning this from Rain. He was clear that he couldn''t be a match for Edward, but he offered himself to Edward to be abused again and again and never learned his lesson from it. He thought he was too stupid. He should have done some tricks to damage Edward''s brain when he did the surgery for himst night. In that case, he wouldn''t have had to worry about being robbed by him.


    "What are you talking about? Why can''t I understand what everyone''s talking about? And Daisy, what''s wrong with your face?" Leena asked anxiously. She didn''t notice Daisy''s face until she stood close to her. No sooner were the words out of her mouth than Tom wanted to die. He regretted desperately and med himself for pursuing beauty as Rain did. If he hadn''t pursued it, he would have avoided taking the medic¨ªne home. Then all these bad things wouldn''t happen in quick session.


    "Um! Mom, I also want to know." Actually, Justin wanted to ask about it at the beginning. As he was lectured by Daisy, he couldn''t find a suitable chance to speak out. Now that Leena mentioned it, he took the chance to pursue this subject.


    "Uh! Well......" Daisy turned to Edward for help with a pathetic look on her face. She had concocted a number of exnations for her face all day long. She thought she had avoided the nervous attention on her from Justin, but she couldn''t anticipate that there was another person as curious as Justin. That was Leena. It was too sudden for her to cover up herself with a good excuse.


    "It''s fine. Not a big deal. She was just careless and hurt herself. Can you stop being curious now? Tell me! Did you get along well on the way back?" Edward said but shook his head helplessly when receiving the signal of help from Daisy. He had to distract their attention even though he knew his words would cause another war between Leena and Justin. But for the sake of his cute wife, he had no choice but to do so.


    "Yes." Justin gave a positive answer.


    "How could it be no?" Leena denied that she was so childish to fight with a child. Although Justin''s intelligence was simr to that of an adult, she was still unwilling to be treated in the same way as Justin.


    They answered in chorus. Although their tone were different, they meant the same. This kind of harmony surprised Edward. Tom, the beautiful but aggrieved man who was just mistreated by Edward, rolled his eyes after hearing their replies. These two people were so shameless in front of him the witness, Tom thought. Or in their eyes, he was simply too weak to pose any threat to them, so they chose to neglect him?

 Chapter 458 All Is Fair in War (Part One)

    tired again. His head got heavier and his smile was a bit stiff, as if he would fall asleep any second.


    "Why do your answers sound so thin and unconvincing to me?" Edward was just starting to recover after the surgery, and he was still too weak to stay awake for a long time. All his friends came to visit him after work today, and after talking with them all, he began to feel "Daddy, look at me! How could I ever lie to you? How could a liar have such a sincere and innocent look?" Justin hurried to exin himself as he ran towards Edward''s bedside with a sweet smile. He grabbed Edward''s arm and leaned forward to press his chubby face on Edward''s, wriggling his little body like an excited puppy.


    "Don''t lie, you little devil. Look at Auntie Leena, staring at you with a sharp nce. If her eyes could kill, you''d be dead a thousand times over. Are you sure you want to stick to your answer?" Edward smiled as he pulled Justin''s little head closer and whispered in his ear, a hint of slyness shing through his deep blue eyes.


    "What? No way! I''m not holding a grudge against her anymore; how could she be mad at me?" Justin immediately turned around. What he saw was that Leena was chatting with Daisy joyfully, blissfully unaware of anything else. She wasn''t ring at Justin at all! What did Edward say she was doing? The only conclusion Justin coulde to was that his dear daddy had just yed a prank on him. Justin was a clever boy, and he soon realized he''d fallen for daddy''s joke. He turned again to Edward, who smirked confidently and winked at him, which confirmed his suspicion.


    "Daddy! You lied to me!" Justin pouted and pretended to be angry with Edward. He threw himself back to Edward''s bedside to bury his face in his arm, and wriggled his little body again, as if he could shake all the embarrassment off in this way. Edward not only saw through Justin''s lie, but also tricked him. Justin felt embarrassed all of a sudden, and he didn''t want others to see his glowing pink cheeks.


    "All''s fair in war. What, little one? Who said that only you can trick me and I can''t do the same thing to you?" Edward gently pinched Justin''s adorable face and chuckled. Like father, like son. Justin might be as smooth and sly as Edward, but he was still a little boy. There was no way that he could sessfully fool his father, at least not now. Maybe he would seed one day in one, perhaps two decades. But not now.


    "Mommy, look at daddy! He is bullying me!" Now that Edward had seen through his little trick, Justin felt a little awkward to keep ying cute and innocent in front of his father. However, he didn''t want to be beaten by Edward like this, so he turned to Daisy for help.


    "Nonsense. Your daddy is badly injured and lying in bed. How could he ever do anything to bully you or anyone else? He should be d that people don''t take advantage of his being injured and bully him instead!" Daisy didn''t really know what happened between Justin and Edward, but she knew Justin said that because he was seekingfort. So she simply blurted out some random words tofort her son without thinking too much about it. However, when Edward heard what Daisy had said, he thought she was talking about something else. With a ghost of a smile on the corners of his lips, Edward narrowed his eyes while gazing at Daisy, ''Did she just doubt my ability?''


    Sitting quietly beside them, Luke had no intention to join their conversation in the first ce. He just wanted to be there and protect Edward. However, when he heard Daisy, he looked up at them in surprise. He nced at Edward, and as expected, Luke saw the devilish smile on Edward''s face. With deep sympathy, Luke turned his eyes to Daisy, who obviously had no idea what she had done and what kind of price she was going to pay for her words, even though she didn''t mean them. Luke sighed heavily in his mind. As far as he knew, Edward wouldn''t tolerate anyone doubting his ability, and Luke was sure that Edward would soon even the score by showing Daisy how wrong she had been.


    "Woman, are you doubting my ability?" Luke was right. He grew up with Edward and knew him well. Although Edward was easy to get along with, he got aggressive and arrogant whenever people doubted what he was capable of.


    "What? No... I didn''t mean that." Startled by Edward''s sudden question, Daisy paused for a second with confusion. She had no inking what she had done to Edward that made him unhappy again this time. She was only chatting with Leena. Why was he staring at her in that freaky way?


    "Haha! Sis, you did. We''ve all heard you. You just said that Edward was incapable of doing anything." Leena burst into giggles and quickly chipped into their conversation. Although she knew Daisy was merelyforting little Justin and she didn''t mean it in a sexual way like Edward did, how could she waste such a show, especially when she was sitting on the front row seat! This was going to be so much fun, and Leena loved fun!T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "But he is incapable of bullying anyone right now. Am I wrong about that?" Daisy had been in the military for too long a time. Due to the close-off management there, her daily routine was nothing but training and meetings. Therefore she was pure and simple in some certain ways, and she was especially slow when Edward flirted with her in a sexual way, because she didn''t think things that way in the first ce, like right this moment.


    "Haha! Edward, I feel bad for you. Sis seems to be quite slow in such things. But it could be a good thing sometimes, couldn''t it?" Leena''s smile grew bigger as she thought that things were getting more and more interesting. She had always thought that Daisy knew everything since she was a fierce colonel. But Leena was actually surprised to see the confused look on Daisy''s face for a change. It seemed that Daisy hadn''te to realize what they were talking about; the whole situation made Leena want tough out loud as she thought of how frustrated Edward must be feeling at the moment.


    Upon hearing Leena''s words, Tom''s mouth twitched. Only Leena would dare keep provoking Edward when he was on the verge of exploding without worrying that he would get back at herter. Even if she irritated Edward, she was still his beloved little sister, and he wouldn''t really get mad at her. Not for long anyway. Tom then thought of how miserably he had been treated aspared to Leena. Maybe things would be better if he were a girl. That way, Edward wouldn''t punch him or take away his invaluable medicine, and he could get back all the money Edward owed him, including the price of the medicine and this VVIP ward.


    "Little girl, aren''t you supposed to go home now?" Edward retorted sourly as he squinted at the beautiful girl whoughed so hard that she couldn''t even stand upright. Edward was a bit upset that Daisy didn''t get the hint of his flirtation but Leena did, and she was making fun of both of them. As much as he adored Leena, Edward wouldn''t allow Leena to stay here and watch as he made a fool of himself. Therefore he pretended to put on a serious face and drive her out.


    "I''m not in a hurry." Leena immediately saw through Edward''s intentions. The show had just started, how could she drop it and leave now? No way! She intended to stay for a little while longer here with them. ''I don''t have anyone to keep mepany at home anyway,'' Leena thought to herself gloomily.00000000

 Chapter 459 All Is Fair in War (Part Two)

    But the next second, she was shocked by her own thoughts. What happened to her? Didn''t she always enjoy being alone by herself? She could make her life fun on her own! How in the world did she suddenly get bored of the solitude that she had always been longing for? Where did the idea evene from? Leena tried to sort things out in her mind. She believed that she only married Kevin because he promised her absolute freedom to do whatever she wanted to, and he wouldn''t stand in her way. However, as time went by and she got to know him better, she started to change her mind. The freedom she desired for the longest time seemed less appealing to her at the moment. Leena was baffled, because she had no idea why she would suddenly feel like this.


    "Jerry, aren''t you going back to fetch the medicine? You can swing by and drive Leena home." Leena might be naughty sometimes, but Edward always had a way with her. They had known each other for many years, and as her big brother, Edward knew well enough as to when he should encourage her with a treat and when he should be firm.


    "Come on, Leena. We are both exiled by your dear brother Edward. Let''s get out of here." Tom forced a bitter smile as he once again thought about the money that Edward should have paid him. Tom had nned to transfer Edward to this expensive VVIP ward so he could charge Edward a pretty penny even if he couldn''t get back those invaluable medicines taken away by Edward; but it was likely that he would end up with neither the medicine nor the money. Depressed, Tom sighed heavily at the thought.


    "I didn''t say I want to go home now! Edward, how could you make decisions for me without even asking my opinion again? I don''t like this! I''m not a child anymore; I can make my own decisions about what to do. I don''t need you butting in and making me mad." Leena used the word ''again'', because not only Edward, but Duke and the others would sometimes arrange things or even n the life path for her beforehand. Because she was the only girl in the pack, they all treated her like their own beloved sister, a little princess. Besides, they were much older and experienced than she. It was natural that they would think that they knew better to arrange whatever they thought would be the best for Leena. And Leena never had a say in it, because what they did was for her own good.


    To be honest, although Leena couldn''t say anything against her brothers, she really didn''t like it when they did things for her without even asking what she wanted or how she wanted things to be. She understood that their actions were out of concern and love. However, she also felt depressed since her opinions seemed like nothing to them, as if they didn''t care about how she felt or whether she was happy. She had been trying to figure out what she felt about Kevintely, and today she was extremely upset because of that. She didn''t want to go home because she didn''t know how to face Kevin at this point.


    Leena might be naughty and mischievous, but she wasn''t unreasonable and she never made a fuss out of nothing. She loved to have fun, but she never crossed the line by joking with something as important as a matter of life and death. She enjoyed tricking others, but she knew when to stop before she went too far. She knew she was wrong by tricking Belinda into marrying Duke with some dirty tricks, but they fell in love with each other in the end. It made her feel less guilty to see them happily together. Now that Edward had dropped thest straw by ignoring her wish to stay here with Daisy and everyone, and directly asking Tom to drive her home. It felt like all the emotions she had been suppressing suddenly broke out, and Leena retorted sharply before she could realize. She didn''t mean to be rude or aggressive; she was just stressed out. As soon as she finished speaking, Leena was also shocked by what she had just said. She covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes wide open with horror. A short momentter, she hurried to apologize, "I''m sorry, Edward. I''m so, so sorry. I got a little emotional. Tom, let''s go." Before Edward could say anything in return, Leena forced an apologetic smile at Daisy and strode towards the door without waiting for Tom.


    "Daisy, I''m leaving for a while. I''ll tell the doctors and nurses to be more careful and stay alert while I''m gone. Call me if there''s anything." Tom nodded at Daisy and checked the data on the screens of various monitoring instruments around Edward''s bed before leaving. Instead of chasing after Leena, Tom found the staff assigned to look after Edward and told them to pay more attention to Edward''s condition. Then he ran after Leena.


    "What happened to Leena? She seemed strange. She wouldn''t normally talk to you like that," asked Daisy with a frown as she gazed at Leena''s figure disappearing behind the door. Daisy was surprised at Leena''s sudden outburst. Because of the unexpected episode, she hadpletely forgotten that Edward was somehow angry with her a few minutes ago.


    "I''m not sure. Maybe she''s on her period." Although Edward answered casually, he actually felt like there was a huge tornado sweeping around his heart. He had known Leena since she was a little girl, but he seldom saw Leena act like this. There must be something wrong and she must be upset, otherwise she wouldn''t have talked to him like that. But what could be wrong? Did she find out about Kevin''s feelings for Daisy? Edward suddenly had a really bad feeling; he hoped he was only overthinking it. After all, it was true that Kevin liked Daisy, and Daisy was Leena''s favorite sister. Edward couldn''t imagine how Leena would feel or what could he do to help after she found out.


    Eager to leave the hospital, Leena was striding so fast that Tom had to run after her to catch up with her. Tom grabbed Leena''s unharmed hand, and with a sudden burst of strength, he pulled Leena into his arms. He gently patted Leena''s back as she buried her face in his warm chest.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Leena, what happened? Is something wrong? You seem really upset. Why did you talk to Edward like that? It''s okay, you can tell me," asked Tom softly as he slightly pushed Leena off of his arms. He reached out his long fingers to raise her delicate jaw, but his heart stopped when he saw the tears in Leena''s eyes. The sorrow in her watery eyes bruised Tom''s heart all of a sudden. Worried, he frowned.


    "I''m sorry, Tom. I didn''t mean it. Is Edward mad at me? How could I ever talk to him like that? He''s injured, and I shouldn''t have been rude to him. Will he be alright?" Leena sniffed as she spoke between sobs. She felt so ashamed of herself for throwing her tantrum like a baby still in diapers. Edward had just been through a brutal gunshot wound and surgery, and he just woke up not long ago. She should have tried her best to make him happy so he could get better soon. However, she just lost her temper and said something really harsh and rude to him. Leena felt so guilty and worried; she wondered whether Edward would get upset because of her words, and his recovery would suffer for it. Then she would be the one to me.0000

 Chapter 460 A Burnt Child Dreads The Fire (Part One)

    day. It seemed to be a daily chore and a necessity. Edward loved her a lot. It was impossible for him to me her from his heart.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    "Don''t worry! He won''t me you. Don''t cry, okay? Or else you''ll look messy." Tom wiped the tears on her cheek with his fingertips. Anyone could get mad at this little girl except Edward. Before Daisy and Justin stepped into his life, Edward had doted on her every single "Really? He won''t be disappointed with me? Can you promise that?" Leena sniffed. She was not sure whether Tom was telling the truth or not. She was so concerned about this that she even ignored the word "messy".


    "Yes, I promise you. Let''s go! I''ll drive you home." Tom smiled and lightly pinched her tiny nose. Her little nose had turned red because she had been crying. Leena looked really innocent. She was mischievous and guileful yet kind-hearted. That was why she was the apple of everyone''s eye. Everyone loved her.


    "Yes! Thank you, Tom." Leena immediately smiled through her tears as she feltforted by Tom''s promise. She was not the typical crying type. However, when she ran out today, she failed to hold back her tears because tons of emotions had emerged in her mind all of a sudden.


    Kevin must have ignored her again! Otherwise, he would have called her by now. But the truth was that she didn''t get any phone calls from him. Leena felt miserable, but sheforted herself somehow. After all, they had married each other without love, so it made sense that he didn''t bother to call and ask about her whereabouts!


    Soon they arrived at Leena''s luxurious apartment. Leena said goodbye to Tom and then walked home. She felt that she wascking courage to go home. So she slowed down. But no matter how slowly she walked, she arrived at her home. She turned on the light, knowing Kevin was not home. There was nothing but loneliness in this big room. Leena had to face it alone.


    She cozily nestled herself into the soft couch. It was the first time that she got to know what it meant to be lonely. She poked fun at herself; loneliness? What was loneliness? It had been a "luxury" for her in the past since she didn''t find any time to be alone. But now she felt nothing but lonely all the time.


    As the clock was ticking, her soul was sinking bit by bit. There was a twisted feeling lurking in her heart. She was drenched with this feeling and was losing herself. It was the first time that she questioned herself about their marriage. She didn''t know whether she had made the right decision by marrying Kevin in such a rush.


    She had assumed that she would never fall in love with him. Although she had sensed it on an intuitive level that he was in love with someone else, she chose to ignore the feeling and made herself believe that it would not be a problem between them. But she hadn''t anticipated that the woman in his heart might be sis Daisy. It shocked her so much that she could not help but feel deluded and sad.


    Daisy was undoubtedly the finest one among all the women Leena knew. Even Leena, a woman, was deeply attracted towards her elegance and poise. No wonder Kevin had affection for her. Leena was not surprised about this at all. Anyway, he had stayed with Daisy for too long, and it made sense that he was attracted to Daisy! Shepletely understood his feelings. But what made her annoyed was the fact that she had suddenly started caring a great deal about Kevin. Did she have some special feelings for him? But they had not been together for that long. She didn''t understand what was wrong with her.


    Leena couldn''t help the shivering when she thought about this possibility. No, she couldn''t let it happen. She clearly knew that she would end up with a broken heart if she fell in love with a man who loved someone else. Leena didn''t want herself to be in such a terrible situation. Now that she was trying to convince herself that she didn''t love him, why was there nobody but Kevin in her mind all the time? Leena grew perplexed with these thoughts.


    The night began to fall. Edward had already fallen asleep because he was tired when Cynthia and Jonathan arrived at the hospital. Knowing that he had recovered from thea, both Cynthia and Jonathan sighed with relief and thanked God in their hearts. During this time, Daisy took a break and went home to take a rxing shower. Then she came back to the hospital with her briefcase and some daily essentials. It seemed that she was going to spend a lot of her time in the hospital, this ce had be her home away from home. The ticking sound of typing on the keyboard was quite distinct in the silence of the night. Daisy flipped through the file and typed different numbers and words into the document. asionally, she raised her head to look at the quietly sleeping man. How handsome he was! A gentle smile always rested on her lips.


    She was working on the report that had to be submitted by tomorrow. Though it was somewhat urgent, she could manage it as long as she worked overtime. But how would she go to the office tomorrow? She was still anxious about Edward''s health. But she had already used up all her leaves, and she was struggling to find any good reason for another vacation in such a short time. Besides, Edward was out of danger now. She couldn''t continue to extend her leave of absence anymore.


    "Colonel, here you are, have some coffee. You''ll feel fresh." Mark stayed outside the room, watching TV. He couldn''t leave before Daisy went to sleep because he was her aide, and was responsible for taking care of her well-being. So he went out and bought a cup of coffee seeing Daisy was still working so hard.


    "Yeah! Thanks! Mark. Why are you still here? It''s reallyte now. Didn''t I tell you to go back home and take some rest? I just need you to pick me up tomorrow morning. I have some work at the office."


    Daisy didn''t realize it until now that he was still here. She frowned slightly, thinking that he had already gone home. It surprised her that he was still here.


    "But Colonel, you are still working?" Mark stroked his head awkwardly. He smiled withpassion.


    "No worries. You can just go home! I have to take care of this document. Tomorrow is the deadline." Daisy was fully dedicated to her job. So whenever her superiors gave her some job, she always tried to finish it as soon as possible no matter if it''s urgent or not. Besides, she only needed to manage a document this time.00000

 Chapter 461 A Burnt Child Dreads The Fire (Part Two)

    "Yes, tomorrow is the deadline. But you don''t have to submit it in the morning. You can do it in the afternoon and submit it before the end of day." Was Mark a cker? Not necessarily! He sometimes liked to find the loopholes in things just like he did right now. Anyway, there were no constraints about the exact time of submitting the file, so one could just consider thest minute to be the deadline. He was notzy at work. It''s just that they did not specify the deadline.


    "No. There are probably tons of things I need to manage after I reach the army base tomorrow." Daisy continued her work while she was talking to Mark. Her fingers kept swiftly typing on the keyboard. She wasn''t thezy kind. Although she knew what Mark had said was right, she was also aware of the fact that she hadn''t gone to the army base for quite a long time and there would be tons of work umted for her. She would have no time for this document because she''ll have to look over those things first. So she discerned that it would be better to finish the document tonight when she had some free time! Or else she would be running around all day long tomorrow.


    "But Colonel, didn''t you ask for two days'' leave? There''s still one day remaining. If you are going to work tomorrow, who''ll take care of Mr. Mu?" Mark looked at Daisy with a puzzled expression. He heard it when Mr. Gu spoke to themander and asked for two days'' leave for Daisy. Wasn''t it a loss if she went to work tomorrow?


    "It''s fine. I''ll manage. I don''t have to go to the army base, but this file needs to be sent back to the base tomorrow anyway. It''s just a matter of time. You can just go home and take a rest!" Daisy raised her eyes and took a look at Edward. She was thest person to leave him alone and go to work. But Daisy was a soldier. When there was a conflict between the country and her personal interest, she had to choose the country. This was the basic code of conduct that a soldier had to follow.


    "Yes, Colonel. Ok then take care." Though those arms dealers had already been taken into custody, it was still possible that some of them escaped. So it was not the right time to lower their guard.


    "Yes!


    Go home!" Daisy twitched the corners of her mouth. He was acting like a burnt child dreading the fire! Why was he being so high-strung about her safety all the time? She remembered that in the past, whenever she executed a task, no matter how dangerous it got, he didn''t seem to be so concerned. Now she was slightly surprised by the anxiety he exhibited.


    Daisy picked up the coffee and took a sip. The silky wheat scent instantly filled her taste buds. She let out a rxed sigh and then got involved in her work again. But suddenly a terrible thought emerged in her head. She was really frightened, and she ran to Edward. She extended her finger and ced it beneath Edward''s nose to feel his breath. When she sensed the steady breathing, she could not helpughing at herself. It seemed like Mark was not the only one acting like a burnt child dreading the fire, she was the same! She looked at Edward soulfully. He had been asleep for a long time. It had been four hours already, why wasn''t he waking up? Was he exhausted due to the series of visits?


    Daisy left a gentle kiss on his forehead. She felt ted at this moment. She was easily satisfied by the simple pleasures of life. She didn''t care if Edward could talk to her or not, as long as she could see him now. She didn''t care whether he would value her in the future, as long as she was in his life right now. She didn''t care how many women he had had before, as long as she was thest woman in his heart.


    Daisy reached out her hand and smoothed the wrinkles between his eyebrows. There was always a slight smile resting on her lips when she looked at Edward. She had never made any unreasonable demands like apanying him everywhere, let alone asking him to fall in love with her. So when he said he loved her, she was thrilled, and her heart could not help burning heavily. No matter how much time passed, he would always be the man who made her heart flip, just like the time when they first met.


    Daisy walked back to the desk. She bit her lip slightly and then continued her work. asionally, some medical staff came in to change the transfusion bottle. She just raised her head and took a quick look at them. She didn''t pay much attention because she had to finish the work before 3 a.m. so that she would have one hour left to take a quick nap. She would have no time to rest whole day tomorrow as she would get extremely busy.


    She was aware that she should speed up with the file. Yet, she kept walking towards Edward to feel his breath from time to time. She was afraid that some unfortunate incident might ur. Now she doubted whether she had the heart to leave him alone and go to the army base. She was so concerned even when she was sitting right beside him. What would happen when she was away from him at the army base? She knew she would struggle to concentrate on her work if she went to the office tomorrow!


    It was almost 4 o''clock in the morning. Edward woke up again. He had fallen into a deep sleep and felt quitefortable after waking up. So when he opened his shining blue eyes, he had already recovered himself. He felt fresh as usual. There was no tiredness on his handsome face anymore.


    He raised his eyes and saw his adorable and dainty wife sleeping face down. The wrinkles on his forehead that Daisy had tried to smooth down appeared again. He tried to move his body slightly, but he found he was too weak to move. Now he finally understood why his wife had said he was in no position to bully others. It was indeed proving to be true! He couldn''t even turn over to his side, let alone touch her from the bed.


    He couldn''t move. But he could not bear watching Daisy sleeping in such an ufortable position. He had no alternative. He took back his pride and pressed the bell near the head of the hospital bed to call the staff. He was worried that if he didn''t do anything his beloved wife would have severe pain all over her body after she woke up.00000000Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.

 Chapter 462 An Overarm Throw (Part One)

    "Mr. Mu, what can I help you with? Are you okay? Is there anything wrong?" The nurse said softly. Because Edward put his index finger in front of his mouth to indicate her to be quiet. "I''m okay, send for your director. I need to see him. Thanks," Edward said, also in a low voice. He acted very politely, and he didn''t show the slightest trace of putting on airs.


    "Are you asking for the director? I''m afraid that these are his off-duty hours. He''s not usually here. But since you asked, I''ll go to his office and try my luck." The nurse walked out as soon as she finished her words. She knew that usually the director would note to the hospital, except if there were special circumstances. She wondered whether Mr. Mu was one of those special cases.


    Edward didn''t worry that Tom wasn''t here. Because he knew as long as he was there, Tom would not dare to go home to sleep. Because it would take more time for Tom toe from his ce thaning from his office. So Edward predicted that Tom would stay at the hospital overnight in case Edward needed him at any time. It was safer that way. Just like now, Edward happened to need Tom. Although he didn''t know how long he had slept, Daisy had already fallen asleep with an exhausted look on her face, he was sure that it was past midnight now.


    Just as Edward had predicted, Tom didn''t head home after he applied the medicine to Daisy''s face. Instead, he slept in the lounge in his office. Because Edward was such a distinguished guest staying in the hospital, he had to gather his energy and be prepared to be called by Edward at any time. Otherwise he would not be sure whether his hospital could keep running as it did before. So this time when he received Edward''s request, although he cursed Edward thousands of times in his heart, he still got up and went to Edward''s ward. "Edward, don''t tell me you stay upte because you want to chat with me at this insane hour," Tom said with sleepy eyes. His steps were unsteady because of his drowsiness. Obviously, it was miserable to get up in the middle of the night.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    "Hush! Lower your voice. Don''t you see that Daisy is asleep?" Edward was irritated by Tom''s sudden high volume. He was relieved when he noticed that Daisy was not awakened by him. Probably because she was too tired. She was still in a sound sleep. "Oh! Daisy fell asleep." Tom scratched his head and lowered his voice. No harm, no foul. He didn''t raise his voice intentionally.


    "No more nonsense, what do you think I''m calling you for? Do you really think that I''m out of my mind and want you toe over to have a chat? Moreover, do you think that you''re more attractive than Daisy and I would ignore the person right under my eyes yet try to seek what is far away by waking you up in the middle of the night?"


    Edward stared at Tom peevishly. Did Tom really think that he was so bored as to want to chat with him sote? He wouldn''t have called Tom if he could move.


    "Oh, no. How can I everpete with Daisy who is so beautiful, ethereal and aloof? Are you teasing me? Or do you just want me to put Daisy on the bed for you?" Tom waved his hand while stepping back. Even Edward allowed him to do so, he would not offend Daisy or him. Who knew whether this mercurial guy would take offense and take revenge?


    "Why not?" Edward rolled his eyes and smiled cunningly. He wouldn''t mind letting Tom carry his beautiful wife, even if it would make him feel jealous. Why did Tom seem to have an issue with it?


    "Are you sure if I get near Daisy, she wouldn''t suddenly give me an overarm throw, based on her sharpness as a soldier?" Tom thought that Edward was joking about it. If he really dared to irritate Daisy who was like the sleeping lion in the middle of the night, it was only because either he was a moron, or he was still drowsy and not clear about what he was doing.


    "Don''t worry. She''s probably exhausted. If she wasn''t sound asleep, she would have immediately woken up when you came in, and you wouldn''t stay here unharmed while talking about her like this."


    Although Edward was given to exaggerating about Daisy, this wasn''t one of those times. As a soldier, she had sharp senses. She was highly vignt and very sensitive to every unusual sound. But she didn''t stir when Tom came in. Normally, she''d stand bolt upright. Left to her own devices she slept lightly. One reason might be that the gunfight had consumed most of her energy, and another might be that she didn''t rest well, worried about Edward when he was still in aa. And once Edward woke up, she suddenly felt relieved, so she could fall into a sound sleep now. She could make up for all the rest she didn''t get.


    "Easy for you to say. You''re not the one bothering her. If she knocks my block off, I''ll me it on you." Tom looked at Edward with a somber look while approaching Daisy with small steps. He was doing it with desperation as if he were sacrificing himself by taking the tough stuff.


    "Okay, I guarantee nothing will happen." Edward wore a cunning smile. There''s no telling how Daisy would react when someone touched her. Edward would pay if he were wrong about this. Tom would avenge himself while checking on Edward. Maybe taking his temperature by putting the thermometer in a very ufortable ce... Tom was a doctor, and he had plenty ways to deal with Edward who was unable to move now.0000

 Chapter 463 An Overarm Throw (Part Two)

    sound asleep moments before. He looked amusing and pathetic. Even Edward was dumbstruck by Daisy''s sudden move.


    Tom had a miserable look on his face. He moved Daisy''s hand from theptop -- a risky move -- but as soon as he touched her, what he had predicted came to pass. Before Tom could figure out what happened, he was mmed hard onto the ground by Daisy, who was "Ah! It''s you! Tom, I''m so sorry. It''s just instinct. Are you okay?" Daisy pursed her lips, feeling guilty. She hurriedly reached out her hand to lift him up. She looked a little embarrassed.


    "Huh! Daisy, are you trying to kill me? Even so, you should tell me beforehand, at least I can be mentally prepared." Tom rubbed his butt with his hand. His backside hurt, but this move was very unsightly, especially for a gentleman like Tom. His actions made Tom seem more like Rain, who was always frivolous.


    "Sorry, I might be stressed and nervous recently. So I instinctively fought back at any sign of trouble. Next time if you see me asleep, don''t try to touch me. Just try and get me to wake up by calling my name."


    Daisy bit her lip and felt apologetic towards Tom, she wondered why he was here at this time. Did something happen to Edward?" Thinking of this possibility, Daisy immediately turned her head to Edward. When her eyes met with his blue eyes which showed a yful smile, she felt relieved. And this charming look made her heart beat slower.


    "Daisy, it''s all Edward''s fault. I was asleep in my office, and was suddenly awakened by the nurse. Edward sent her to fetch me. He might have been bored after he woke up, and thought of waking everyone up to keep himpany."


    ''Huh, this is definitely a trap set up by Edward. He had the nerve to guarantee something he waspletely unsure of, '' Tom thought. He tried to fight back. He didn''t want to be the only one to take the me while letting Edward lie on bed leisurely, mocking him. "What happened? Do you feel ufortable anywhere?" It surprised them that Daisy didn''t feel angry at all. On the contrary, she talked to Edward with concern in her voice. And the difference between how she treated Edward versus how she treated Tom left the director bbergasted. He widened his eyes trying to take this dramatic change in. He then realized why Edward would be so confident about his guarantee. It turned out that Edward firmly knew that he would be absolved of any me. And that was how Tom unknowingly became the scapegoat for him.


    "No, nothing happened. I just felt that you may be ufortable sleeping there. I have nned to ask Tom to put you onto the bed without waking you up. I didn''t expect that you would be awakened by us." Edward smiled gently. He ignored Tom''s hard stare boring into him. Tom looked furious, as if wanting to swallow Edward right now.


    "Oh! I''d intended to sleep after I finished organizing these files. I didn''t imagine that I would fall asleep. In fact, you could have woken me up, why take the trouble of sending for Tom? I''m so sorry, Tom." Because of her carelessness, she knocked Tom down and sprawled him on the ground. She still felt the heat of embarrassment. She still felt guilty about Tom and didn''t dare to look at him.


    "Yes, why did you wake me up? Don''t you know that I have an operation to perform tomorrow? Yes, please give us an answer. I''d love to hear it." Tom seized every chance to avenge himself on Edward. Daisy''s throw was a professional one. He could still feel the burning pain on his buttock now. He wondered why he was so unlucky recently. Why every time he was close to this couple, he needed to be prepared to be hit at any time.


    "Tom, if you have nothing to do here, get out of here and get back to sleep." Edward definitely belonged to the kind of people who kicked thedder away after they got to the top. He ignored Tom''s questionspletely.


    "Oh, no! Even if you''re my boss, you can''t treat me like this. You throw me out after you used me. No one bullies others like you do to me." Huh! Edward asked me to go back to sleep. I am not going. I''ll stay here and be the third wheel. I am totally awake after Daisy''s throw, '' Tom thought. He decided to stay here and irritate Edward.


    "Jerry, are you sure you''ll stay?" Edward didn''t be angry, on the contrary, he smiled. But the underlying meaning behind the smile made Tom feel nervous.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    "You... What are you up to?" Hearing Edward''s words, Tom was frightened. He didn''t know what was on Edward''s mind. He feared that he was up to something, maybe threatening him again. Edward was a cunning guy. And Tom was overwhelmed by the depths of Edward''s cunning.


    "You see, I''m lying on the bed, what do you think I can do to you?" Edward''s smile became more unfathomable. He looked gentle on the surface with the smile, but the more he smiled to him, the more Tom felt his blood freeze. He was positive that he was right and this was a bad thing. Edward was up to something.


    So before Edward announced his n, Tom thought it was safer for him to run away. Many people might be cheated by his gentle, kind and innocent face, Tom knew that Edward was sly. Edward could make him break down only by using psychological tactics. And Tom was not inclined to continue to stay here and take the risk of being tortured by him.0000000

 Chapter 464 Who Else Would You Want to Sleep With (Part One)

    would assign to me then? I must run off now in order to avoid all possible troubles.''


    "It''s quite possible. haha... My head feels dizzy. I should go back to sleep. Ciao." Tom said. Meanwhile, he was thinking, ''Now is the best time for me to escape. Otherwise, Edward might expose his intentions at any second. Who knows what kind of challenging task he "What''s the matter with him? Why did he run away so abruptly?" Daisy spotted Tom running and asked in confusion. She wondered if Edward''s joke had scared him away.


    "Just ignore him. It''s quite possible that he has too much on his te." Edward answered. But he didn''t tell her the truth. The fact was that Edward was ying some psychological tactics with Tom. And Tom had lost the battle, so he fled. But Tom shouldn''t have escaped in such a hurry. After all, Edward was still too weak to do anything to him.


    "Would you like some water?" Daisy asked, getting over Tom''s sudden sprint. She was not nosy. Since Edward said that nothing was wrong, she stopped further questioning.


    "If you would feed me from your mouth, I would definitely love some more water." Edward put on a luscious smile. He loved the softness of Daisy''s lips.


    "Then I will pour you some water." Daisy smiled slyly and handed over a cup with a straw to Edward. Daisy had already seen through Edward''s tricks -- he just wanted to take advantage of her. So she had prepared all daily necessities beforehand and caught Edward by surprise.


    "No way, honey. Are you going to feed me water like this? It''s some and sissy." Edward frowned in rejection. ''The reality is miles away from what I was imagining. I thought I could drink the water from her mouth, and I''ll get to kiss her. Not only do I not get the soft kiss I was hoping for, but I''m also being forced to drink through a straw. Daisy treats me like a child.'' Edwardined in his mind.


    "Sissy? Not at all. I think it''s cute." Daisy examined the cup and frowned as if in serious contemtion. She looked truly innocent.


    "Seriously? Now you areparing me to cute things?" Edward distinctly enunciated each word. He was a handsome and well-built man. How could someone call him cute? It was a feminine word. Daisy was probably lost in her dream world, and that''s why she didn''t notice his macho personality.


    "No. It has nothing to do with you. I''m just saying that the cup is cute. Stop ying your dirty little tricks on me. Rest assured, I would not feed you water through my mouth." Daisy made her point; then she ced the straw into his mouth. With a curl of her brow, she hinted to Edward to take a quick sip of the water.


    "What if I ask you to feed me through your mouth?" Edward licked his mouth with the tip of his tongue. His sensuous gesture was so tempting that Daisy''s hand quivered in response. Noticing her own gaffe, Daisy reminded her inner-self, ''Daisy, you are in the military. You can''t get mesmerized by Edward''s good looks and charm.''


    She somehow managed to regain herposure and said, "Do you seriously think I will feed you that way?" Without further bargain and negotiation, Daisy just stuffed the straw into Edward''s mouth. Her action wasn''t the least bit tender; rather it was quite rough just like a bold soldier.


    "Hey, are you trying to murder me? Be gentle." Edward rolled his eyes in annoyance, and he finally gave up the idea of mouth-to-mouth feeding. Instead, he took several sips, then turned his face to the other side as an indication of his anger. Hisining look really got to Daisy. But she loved him too much to bash him up.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Then she decided to ignore him and began to think about asking Tom what diet and exercise were rmended for Edward after the surgery. This way she would be able to give better care to Edward and it would also help speed up his recovery. As her little quibble with Edward had alleviated her sleepiness, she decided to finish her work instead. Edward continued his moping, but she decided to let him be for a while. She thought it would be best if she waited till his anger subsided. In doing so, she had to dismiss him from time to time. Otherwise, he would think that she couldn''t live without him.


    Edward was waiting for Daisy to console him, but his wish didn''te true. For a long while, he just heard the firm sound of tapping on the keyboard and nothing else. It totally shattered his confidence.


    Perplexedly, he turned around and what he saw was quite a sight. Daisy was working intently. He had nned to get her attention, but now he didn''t want to disturb her. It must be some urgent work, or else she wouldn''t need to burn the midnight oil. But wasn''t Daisy on vacation? How urgent was the task that she had to finish it now?


    Daisy, on the other hand, noticed his stare, yet pretended not to see it. She continued her work, typing into the document her insights and the contrasting parameters of various weapons. Since there wasn''t much left to be done, she decided to finish her work first before talking to Edward again.


    Tick tock... Edward''s eyes were fixed on Daisy. ''Tom must have applied some ointment on her face. That''s why it''s turning rosy now. Huh, Tom may not be reliable in other matters, but he is one hell of a doctor for sure. His treatment takes effect rather quickly.'' Edward thought.000000000???????

 Chapter 465 Who Else Would You Want to Sleep With (Part Two)

    Well, Edward admitted to himself that he was a bit chauvinistic most of the time, but that didn''t make him an unreasonable man. He never forced his decisions on her, unless there was something that would harm her. And no matter how much Daisy enraged him, he would put up with it, and he never took it out on her. He took her as a challenge, one that he would slowly conquer with persistent efforts.


    The next step required him to take care of a series of actions. First, he would teach Jessica and Hank a lesson for attacking Daisy. Then he would need to figure out a way to make Yakira turn herself in and confess what she had done to Grace. But he was also worried about Brian. Would Brian find the truth too harsh to absorb? He was so close to Daisy. The truth would break his heart. But that was something he couldn''t avoid. After all, Daisy called the shots. In this scenario Edward was merely a projector that screened the truth. Then Edward dragged his mind back to reality. He was gettingpletely ignored by Daisy. He had been staring at Daisy for so long, yet he didn''t get a glimpse from her in return. Did that mean he was not as important as the work she was doing? Now Edward shifted his eyes from Daisy to the nk ceiling. The first thing that ran through his head was that he must advise Tom to hang some interesting paintings on the ceiling so that people wouldn''t feel as bored as he was feeling right now. At least they could stare at the pictures to kill time.


    "What are you looking at? You seem so serious." Daisy followed his look and found only the nk ceiling. Nothing else. She wondered what Edward was gaping at. Perhaps it was some ghost she couldn''t see?


    "Humph!" Edward growled and turned his face to the other side once again. It seemed that he was still mad. He was being quite childish.


    "Ah, I''m so sleepy. My eyes can barely stay open." Daisy didn''t take offense at Edward''s attitude and buried her head into his arms. She was really exhausted as she had slept only for an hour.


    "Get on the bed." Edward ordered. He couldn''t be cold-hearted towards Daisy. Daisy seemed to know him quite well, so she just acted intrepidly. He wondered whether it was a blessing or a curse.


    "With you?" Daisy asked hesitantly. That bed was bigger than the ones in the regr ward. But she didn''t feelfortable to let Edward, the patient, make room for her. As much as she loved sleeping in Edward''s arms, Edward was severely injured, not her. She was afraid of bumping into his wound in her sleep. That could turn out to be bad for Edward. She usually slept in a still position. But what if she identally touched his wound? That was a possibility she had to take into ount.


    "Who else would you want to sleep with?" Edward smiled at Daisy yfully. He constantly pushed his agenda in front of Daisy. If she budged, even a little bit, it was enough to make him forget all the bad things she had done and he considered her the best again. "Of course only you. You want me to go and get someone else?" Daisy replied, trying to cheer up Edward. She knew that she couldn''t mess with him at this time as he had just undergone a major surgery. It would be better for his recovery if he stayed calm andposed. "Good girl. You''re sleepy, right? Come on. Lie down here with me." Edward tried to make some room for Daisy, but he found that he could hardly move. ''Ah, what the hell. This is the VVIP ward, right? The price is high, yet the treatment is no better.'' Edward cursed deep down.


    "But..." Daisy hesitated. She didn''t think it was appropriate. Besides, what if the nurses came inter? How was she supposed to exin why she was lying on the bed with the patient? And she was an army officer. She had to be more careful with her behavior. "What? Are you worried about me raping you? Come on. I can''t even move. You know this." Edward stared firmly at her and pondered, ''Daisy used to be bold and decisive. How did she be so hesitant? It''s just getting on the bed and having a nap. What''s taking her so long to consider it?''Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    "Come on. I''m not as shameless as you. At least I don''t worry about that." Daisy stopped deliberating andy down beside him. But she was cautious. She kept a proper distance from him, particrly his left hand with the IV drip.


    "Sleep tight. I''ll be quiet." Edward soothed and caressed her hair. Edward knew that Daisy was madly in love with him, he could even determine this from her hair. She was aware that he liked women with long hair. That was why despite all the hassles she kept her long raven hair even in the military.


    In his familiar arms, Daisy soon fell asleep as she was indeed exhausted. She had slept for less than four hours from the time Edward got shot to now.


    "Lazy bug." Edward stroked her nose affectionately without any worry of an attack in return because she always slept like a log in his arms. She wouldn''t wake up no matter how much he caressed her. But he was quite confused why Tom got mmed by her just for touching her. He needed to ask her and figure it out after she woke up. That way he would know her better.

 Chapter 466 Morning, My Lovely Wife

    Daisy felt safe andfortable as long as Edward was around. The faint jasmine scent on his body reassured her that he was there and she could rely on him no matter what happened. This was what love felt like. When the first morning light quietly came through the curtains, Daisy opened her eyes to find that Edward was affectionately watching her sleep. She rubbed her bleary eyes and gave him a faint smile. "Morning, honey. Didn''t you sleep at all?" Daisy asked. Now that she was awake, she didn''t have to worry about touching his wound identally. She got into his arms, immersed in the familiar feelings his embrace gave her.


    "Morning, my lovely wife. You were drooling. Be careful with the saliva on the corners of your mouth. My clothes might get stained." Edward hadn''t slept since Daisy fell asleep. He had been watching her sleeping. His eyes hadn''t left her even when the nurse came in to change the drip. The affectionate light in his eyes had made the nurse envious and wish she were the one he had been gazing at.


    It made sense. After all, Edward was the ideal lover of the women in the entire city. All of them dreamed of being treated that way. At that moment, he looked at the woman beside him so gently and attentively it was an image beyond words.


    "Drooling? No way!" Daisy was doubtful about his words, but she still wiped her mouth. When she found there was no saliva, she stared at Edward angrily. Damn it! She fell for his trick again. How could she have fallen for that since she had never drooled in her sleep? "Aha, look at how silly you are, but I like it." Seeing his trick seed, Edwardughed and kissed the corner of her mouth. At this moment, she wasn''t aloof at all but adorable and delicate like an ordinary woman.


    "Hey, can''t you two be a little discreet? I don''t have a girlfriend yet. How about thinking of my feelings when you behave so intimately?" Tom walked in suddenly without knocking the door. It seemed under Rain''s influence he had lost all his manners.


    "Um... morning, Tom," Daisy said and jumped off the bed immediately, feeling her face burn with embarrassment. This was the second time Tom had caught them making out. Wishing there were a hole she could crawl into, she fled into the bathroom as fast as she could. "Edward, what''s up with Daisy? Am I that terrifying? Why is she avoiding me?" Tom asked, rubbing his head.


    "Are the doors to the wards in your hospital just ornaments? Why didn''t you knock? Why are you here so early?" Edward felt speechless at Tom''s abrupt appearance. Daisy was shy, she was ashamed enough when Tom had caught them then and there, but Tom had to joke about it after that. Of course Daisy had run away from the embarrassing scene. Couldn''t he see he had put Daisy on the spot?


    "You think this is what I want? It''s a ward round." Tom shrugged and ignored Edward''s first question. He wasn''t impolite, just tended to forget his manners.


    "This is the first time I''ve heard of rounds starting at 7 a.m. Is this a preferential treatment of this damn VVIP ward?" Edward gritted his teeth, looking at Tom. He had identally noticed there was a clock at the opposite end of the wall, a bonus of his dullness. That was why he knew the time.


    "Haha, of course not. I''m special. Do you have a problem with it?" Actually an operation was scheduled at 9 a.m. Tom had made the time to check on Edward''s wound before surgery. But instead of telling Edward the truth, he wanted to take this chance to annoy him, because the chance might nevere again.


    "Not really. My life is in your hands now. That would be too much of a risk to take." Edward managed a pathetic tone. He had to admit he was in no situation to negotiate with Tom. He had to put up with him for a few more days. There would be a serious reckoning after he recovered, however.


    "Wow, it turns out you know quite well the pickle you''re in. I thought you had no sense of danger." Tom began to check on Edward''s wound carefully while he was joking. But he felt like one of his employees and he hated that feeling, so he pinched the area near his wound lightly. It wouldn''t reopen the cut, but it definitely hurt.


    "What the hell? You did it on purpose, didn''t you?" Edward twisted his mouth with pain and shot a grim look at Tom. He didn''t think that was a mistake. He was sure that he was abusing his authority to get back at him.


    "It''s not what you think. I was just checking if the muscle around the cut had necrotized. Give me some credit." He had done it on purpose. So what? Deal with it. Tom got cocky, forgetting what a bully Edward could be. He didn''t know yet that he wouldn''t get a penny for the treatment on the day Edward was discharged from hospital.


    "You''re quite full of yourself right now." Edward nced at him, all smiles, repressing his anger. The ones unacquainted with him might thought he looked amiable, yet to the ones that knew him well, such a smile meant someone was in serious trouble.


    "No, no, no. Well, I have some work to do so I''m going back to my office and leaving you alone. The nurse wille and change the dressing on your woundter." Gosh! Who said he was weak after the injury? Seeing that evil smile Tom couldn''t even feel his legs anymore. He decided to take flight at once.


    "Tom, wait a minute. I have to ask you something," Seeing Tom leaving in a hurry when she wasing out of the bathroom, Daisy called out.


    "Um... Yeah. What can I do for you, Daisy?" Although he was dying to leave, now that Daisy called his name, he couldn''t pretend he didn''t hear it and make his way out. In that case what he got from Edward wouldn''t be just a stern look. He would be dead meat. "I''d like to ask about your advice on Edward''s diet and exercise." Daisy had been thinking about it. That was what you did when you cared about someone.


    "Oh, I see. No problem. After the surgery, the cut will hurt for some days. His arms and shoulders will be unable to move freely. I can suggest some movements to help him recover. To exercise his shoulder joints, he can stretch his arms upward, backward, outward, and then take them inward, and swirl them clockwise and anticlockwise. For his elbow joints, he can bend his arms or twist them."


    Tom frowned. He thought Edward was actually doing very well, much better than the other patients with the same issue. Maybe partly because that guy was tough, partly because the medicine Tom had prescribed was tremendously effective. After all, the medicine used on Edward was expensive. It would be uneptable if it didn''t do the trick.


    "Then?" Seeing Tom suddenly stopped talking, Daisy urged. She was anxious to hear him out.


    "Excuse me. I was thinking about something else. On the second day after the surgery, the main exercise should be started. Exercise his leg joints. Help him sit, which will reduce the pressure of the cut on the wound. When the drainage tubes are removed, encourage him to get out of bed. Sit on the bedside at the beginning, feet hanging, then stand at the bed. The exercise should include both indoors and outdoors. The kinds that help him adjust to daily life will suffice,"


    Tom said earnestly. Daisy had listened attentively but the patient kept rolling his eyes on the hospital bed. Damn Tom, stop talking nonsense already! ''How could you treat me like a baby?'' He thought.


    "What about diet?" Daisy knew what would affect Edward''s recovery. She wouldn''t miss anything helpful.


    "About his diet, the nurses will provide his meals. And they will be customized. But since you asked, I''d like to make somements on it. After the surgery, when the stomach and intestines can function normally and the tulence disappears, he can eat a little liquid food. When he gets better, he can have as much liquid food as he wants. Then semi-liquid food." Feeling the scorching stare behind, Tom paused to look at Edward and gave him a meaningful smile. Then he continued, "The trauma is usually enormous to the patients, so nutrients are essential for the healing and recovery. Food high in calories and vitamins will be rmended. Spicy food will only worsen the condition. That''s all. I hope I have made it clear."


    Tom felt his back sweat. These measures would help a lot with his recovery. Besides, Daisy had asked his advice, he couldn''t refuse to answer her questions. Did Edward have to cast him those scary looks? He felt pressured.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    "Oh, I''ll remember them. Thank you, Tom." Daisy smiled faintly, thankful for his patience in giving detailed advice.


    "Daisy, don''t mention it. I should have told you about this earlier. Your thanks make me feel more embarrassed." Tom was drenched in sweat. He wished he hadn''te. He couldn''t figure out why Edward was fixing his killer eyes on him? He was fidgeting. Edward was still smiling mischievously. The intensive blue eyes were like a pool of deep water, his thoughts were well hidden under them, nothing revealed. Tom felt creepy, worried about what Edward might do to him next. He felt as if Edward were a god of gue around him, who was going to explode in anger anytime.


    Edward kept thinking about the liquid diet Tom had mentioned. He was angrier about the diet than the exercise he had suggested. It made him look weak and delicate. It seemed Tom had really decided to treat him like a newborn baby. Did he really think he was so fragile that he needed to be "reborn" and start over after an injury? Or maybe this was just one of his practical jokes. If that was the case, he would like to cooperate, because it would make a perfect excuse for Edward to deal with him. Now that Tom had presented the excuse himself, it would disappoint him not to use it.0000

 Chapter 467 A Frank Exchange Of Opinions (Part One)

    "Anyway, I shall thank you. Please ept my appreciation. You can leave if you have something to do! I''m sorry to have taken up so much of your time."


    Though Daisy had a cold voice, she thanked Tom in a polite tone. However, all Tom wanted to do was to rush out of the room due to her excessive politeness. He couldn''t take credit for himself. Or there would be severer consequences that he would faceter. Come on! Who would dare to ept appreciation from Daisy, the wife of Edward Mu? Was he asking for death?


    "I''ll leave now, Daisy. If you have any questions, you can ask the staff." How Tom wished there was a pair of wheels under his feet so that he could run out of this ce full of threats. The longer he stayed, the angrier Edward would be at him.


    "Did I scare him?" Seeing Tom disappear in a second, Daisy turned to Edward and asked in a puzzled tone. She felt that these days she had be more gentle than before. She shouldn''t have scared him to make him run away.


    "No. There''s something wrong with his brain. Don''t consider him a normal person." Edward slightly raised the corners of his mouth. There was a sly glow flickering in his eyes, ''Tom, just run!'' He woulde back to him sooner orter. As for Edward? All he needed to do was to wait for Tom to walk right into his trap.


    "Oh! Before I forget, there''s a file you need to sign." Daisy bent down and picked up the file Mark had brought to her earlier. Meanwhile, she murmured in her mind that the leaders of the army group must have the ability to foretell the future. They even anticipated the time when Edward woke up. It seemed like they were more potent than Tom, the gifted doctor.


    "What file?" Edward frowned slightly. The file Daisy was asking him to sign must be rted to the sponsoring. But how did she know about it? It seemed that they reacted quickly to find out a useful trump card for themselves. What excellent yers! It would be easier for them to ask Daisy to get the file signed instead of negotiating with him face to face. After all, he didn''t show respect to everyone. But he invariably respected Daisy. So they took advantage of it and arranged for her to do it! After all, she was the wife of the president of FX International Group.


    Considering this, Edward could not help but sneer to himself. Nowadays, conspiracies were everywhere in the society. You would set up somebody or be set up by someone. You would have to choose between the two options. That''s the rule in this jungle.


    "You''ll know it when you take a look!" Daisy said in a fit of annoyance. If the leaders hadn''t asked her to get this file signed, how long was he going to conceal this thing from her?


    "I can exin it. It''s just sponsoring. I don''t have any other purpose. Don''t get angry, please." Edward took the file from her hand and exined. He was certain that she must have misunderstood him. That''s why he started exining in a hurry.


    He didn''t deny that he had decided to sponsor this project because of Daisy. But he definitely didn''t ask them to favor Daisy and treat her nominally. He didn''t want to make her trapped into nepotism, nor did he disrespect her.


    "I won''t get angry. I don''t have to, do I? Anyway, it''s not my money but yours." Daisy passed a pen to him. Although she said she was not angry, Edward could still feel the turbulent air around her.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    "Sorry. I see your point! Are you angry because I didn''t tell you about it in advance? I can exin it too." Edward understood the more Daisy wanted to iste him from her, the more she cared about it. Meanwhile, she would also feel unhappy with him. "Fine. Try me. There''s only one thing I want to know. Why didn''t you tell me this in advance? As for others, they are none of my business. That''s your cooperation. I won''t participate in it, nor make anyments."


    She didn''t know the benefits in their cooperation; also she didn''t want to interfere with the business in hispany. All she cared about was Edward and Edward alone. So she was somewhat bothered due to his deliberate camouge. She felt he didn''t attach much importance to her.


    Edward looked through the file roughly. He signed his name worth of 500 million at the end and handed it over to Daisy. He slightly puckered up his lips and shook his head helplessly. His adorable wife seemed to be a nutcase. She didn''t pay attention to certain important details. Instead, she got stubborn at the most irrelevant points. Should he feel lucky about her considerate mind? Or should he stand in silent mncholy because she didn''t care about his money?


    "I chose not to tell you because I didn''t want you to have any burdens in your mind. Or you may have felt suspicious of yourself and about what you''ve achieved in your work. You may question your ability because you think you take the lead because of my money. In that case, I''ll think what I''ve done will bepletely meaningless."


    Though he did this for her, he didn''t mean to request them to give special treatment to Daisy for his sake. All he hoped was that they would not give the honor that was supposed to go to Daisy to someone else. Daisy struggled for those honors. She earned them with her ability. He would feel heartbroken if she was reced by someone else.


    "Do you think I am the kind who lives for others'' opinions?


    Or am I too stupid to trust myself?" Daisy pursed her lips. She wasn''t arrogant, but she knew her capability and was sure that no one in S city could be her opponent except for Kevin. Of course, the Commander was not included. Nobody could tell who was the best because she never fought with Kevin. Just think about it, why wouldn''t she be confident about herself???????????

 Chapter 468 A Frank Exchange Of Opinions (Part Two)

    "I was afraid that you would get hurt by this. You should know, no matter what I do, it is only for your happiness. I have donated some money to the army base to purchase munitions this time, not because I want to ask for promotion prospects for you. I know who you are. You wouldn''t be unworthy of it. All the things I have done are to tell them that you are not alone. You are with me, and FX International Group. We''re right behind you." Edward looked at her with a firm gaze. He promised he would never interfere with her work and kept his words. So he could tell her frankly that he didn''t drag her down.


    "Sorry. I am too sensitive. I didn''t mean to me you. It''s just that I dislike it that I am always thest one to know everything. I want to feel that I''m worthy of your trust. You are my love and I don''t want you to set me apart from your world on purpose. I hope you understand me. I don''t want any secrets between us. Of course, I am not saying that you need to show everything to me and be ''transparent''. I don''t want to make a bigmotion about nothing. I just hope that I can know the things rted to me in advance. I don''t want to be a puppet."


    Daisy steadied her rising anxiety. The moment Edward got hurt, she decided that she would never ponder over anything alone no matter how many questions she had. She wouldmunicate with him frankly about everything. Only through this way could she save her rtionship and nobody would be able to take advantage of their mutual suspicion.


    "Come here." Edward signed slightly. This was just a small thing. She got extremely upset about it. What if she got to know that he was hiding something more important? She might get mad about that too! Despite all this, he could not tell her until he made everything clear. He didn''t want her to get distracted because of it. All she needed to concentrate on was to stand out in the military exercise report this time. As for other things, she didn''t need to worry. Or she might lose her chance of promotion. Although she didn''t reveal her eagerness for the promotion, he knew she must be desperate for it. Because as a hot-blooded soldier like Daisy, a military medal would confirm her capability. Any other praise could hardly match it in her mind.


    "What?" She didn''t walk towards him. Instead, she took a few steps backward. She didn''t know what she had said to irritate him. But she was just expressing her thoughts. So she didn''t think she did anything wrong.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "What? You are a colonel, and I am just a patient. Would a colonel be afraid of a patient?" Edward felt his girl was quite funny. She just made tons of suggestions andments to him and he was almost stunned and speechless. He didn''t know when she became so logical and talkative. But now she got confused in a second.


    "I''m not afraid of you! I''lle." Daisy puckered up her lips and moved her feet towards his bed gradually. She was very careful and looked quite gentle. She was quite lovely and adorable! There was a sharp contrast between her cute expression and the cold air. But she was still exhibiting a heroic spirit.


    "Wind up the bed for me. I feel tired lying on the bed all day long." Edward smiled. He stopped making fun of her. Lying in the same position made him feel tired. That''s why he wanted to sit up. But there was another more important reason; he didn''t want to look up at her. He wanted to be at the horizontal line with her. Now he had difficulty making it, but he could at least sit up a little to get closer to her. In that situation, he wouldn''t feel the distance between them. Moreover, he asked her to do this because he wanted to distract her attention. He feared that he might tell everything he had done and was doing for her if she forced him too much. In that case, all his work would go to waste.


    "Is it okay? It may press your wound. I''d better ask the nurse to approve it." Daisy was in action; she rushed out to call the staff before she finished her sentence. But she hit Mark on her way out as he was about to enter the room.


    "Ah! Colonel, are you okay? I''m sorry to hit you." Mark stepped backward. He was in big trouble! Wasn''t he throwing himself on the path of death? He still remembered the time when he was punished to take the cross-country race of 15-kilometer because he had been too impatient. Was he going to have a longer one today? But it seemed that he was not responsible for it. His colonel ran into him and hit him. She would not punish him indiscriminately, would she?


    "Oh! I''m fine, wait a moment." Surprisingly, Daisy wasn''t angry at all, but she hurriedly went out in a quick yet steady pace.


    "Good morning, Mr. Mu. Where is our colonel going in such a hurry?" Mark turned his head and pondered. He ced the breakfast he brought from Mu House on the coffee table aside.


    "Mark, are you curious about it?" A meaningful smile appeared on Edward''s mouth. He was really interested in Daisy''s aide. It seemed that he was too bored these days and he was considering finding something interesting. Or he would feel the minutes dragging like hours staying there before he came out of the hospital.


    "Yes! She is usually patient and calm. And she would definitely punish me in that situation. But I am safe for now. That''s why I am a little bit curious about what made her rush out like this." Mark was a honest man. He didn''t know Edward''s ns and he shared all his thoughts with Edward.000

 Chapter 469 Kevins Feelings For Daisy (Part One)

    "Well. She''s back now. You can just ask her!" Edward saw Daisy who was already back. A touch of exciting energy gleamed in his eyes.


    "What are you going to ask me?" Daisy raised the head of the bed upto about 45 degrees while asking Mark. She just confirmed with the nurse that 45-degree was fine and wouldn''t press Edward''s wound. So she immediately took the action as soon as she came back to make Edward feel better by sitting up for a while.


    "Oh! Nothing much, Colonel, the weather seems good today." Mark twitched his mouth. He realized how sly Mr. Mu was! It''s fine he didn''t tell him the answer. He even sent him in front of the gun. His colonel might punish him to take another cross-country race! He was honest. That was true. But he was not silly enough to mention to her the fact that he had just hit her! He didn''t wish to ask for trouble.


    "Of course it is. Why are you talking nonsense? Autumn Weather is always good. You are asking a silly question." Daisy frowned slightly and shot a re at him. Then she began to collect her documents andputer. She had already got everything ready. All she needed to do was to print the file when she arrived at the office.


    "Ur, yes! Are we going to the army base now?" Mark was speechless due to Daisy''s speech. He stroked his hair awkwardly and smiled affably.


    "Wait a moment. There''s no hurry." She couldn''t rx leaving Edward alone in the hospital. She didn''t want to go before someone took over here.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    "Honey, are you going to the army base today?" Edward''s eyes darkened. But he didn''t show any sign of unhappiness. He had married a soldier, and he felt a sense of bittersweetness in this situation. She couldn''t always stay beside him even in this particr situation when he was hurt. But he would definitely keep his promise that he would nevere in the way of her work no matter what happened.


    "Yes! I''ll go when Luke''s here. Is it okay if I won''t be here for a while?" Daisy asked him in a careful tone. Meanwhile, she started to massage his arms and shoulders slowly following Tom''s advice.


    "It''s okay." Edward smiled at her. Though he didn''t want her to leave, he still behaved sensibly and didn''t reveal any unhappiness. A bright and big smile spread at his mouth.


    "Are you sure about it?" Hearing his response, Daisy felt relieved yet deste. If he requested her not to go to the office and to apany him at the hospital, she wouldn''t go and would stay with him because she still had one more day''s leave. But she didn''t expect that he''d give her such a positive response without hesitation. It seemed that he wasn''t going to ask her to stay.


    "Yes, I''m sure. No matter how far away you are, you''ll always stay with me in my heart. No matter how long we''ll be apart, I''ll wait for you here." Edward smiled softly. He was so warm and kind-hearted. Daisy felt touched by his words. Now she came to realize that he was reluctant to leave her too. He wanted her to stay. But he did not ask for it because he knew her responsibilities. This arrogant man was caring for her in his own unique way. He made concessions for her sake. He loved her so much. How could she stop her heart from loving him?


    It waste morning when Daisy and Mark reached the army base. She went to her office and changed into her army uniform. After she prepared everything that she needed, she knocked at the door of the Commander''s office. It was almost 12 o''clock. Unexpectedly, Daisy saw Kevin in the office. He looked exhausted.


    "What are you doing here?" Kevin was surprised to see Daisy. He asked her abruptly without realizing where they were right now.


    "I''ll exin to youter." Daisy nodded to him and walked straight to themander''s desk. As always, she looked brave and courageous in her uniform.


    "Commander, here''s the file." Daisy passed the file to themander with frowned eyebrows. She remembered yesterday''s incident when Leena ran out gloomily. Although Tom confirmed that Leena had calmed down, Daisy still felt a little suspicious whether Leena was fine or not. From the sight of Kevin''s weary face, she gathered that he had again worked overtimest night. She doubted that Leena probably didn''t have afortable night at home yesterday.


    "Sorry, Daisy. The superiors are urging for the file. So I had to give you this urgent task. I had no choice but to ask you to finish it as soon as possible. Is Mr. Mu better now?" Themander was a little embarrassed in front of Daisy. He made such an inconsiderate request by asking her to handle an urgent assignment while looking after a patient. But it was an order from the superiors. As a soldier, he had no choice but to obey.


    "It''s okay. He is better now. Thank you for your concern, Commander." Daisy was the kind of woman who would cite right from wrong. Therefore, she understood themander with respect to this situation. She didn''t see the need toin to him. "Good. Then what''s your opinion about the recent prison breakout?" Themander didn''t rush to open the file. Instead, he solemnly asked Daisy about her opinion on the prison breakout of the arms dealer as well as the firefight following that.


    "I don''t think my opinion matters much in this case. Anyway, it has already happened. The most important thing to consider now is whether they would acknowledge the mistake and how we are going to deal with it afterward. I am not supposed to make the judgment, right?" Daisy didn''t like to nitpick about the mistakes of other people. Another reason why she chose to be generous was because Edward was better now; otherwise, she would not have acted so calmly.


    "I have already reported it to the superiors yesterday. Now that you''re not going to deal with it yourself, let''s wait for their verdict! Kevin, are you done with the follow-up?"


    "Yes! I''m almost done, they have sent a couple of police officers to offer help. So everything is going smoothly. Colonel Ouyang managed it well, so no other vehicle got involved and there weren''t any misfires either. Besides, the fire field was rtively far, so there wasn''t any panic caused in the surrounding."


    Kevin''s voice grew hoarse. The non-stop work made him a little tired. But still, he was able to endure it. So he had sat up all night to document the entire process in formalnguage. All he needed to do was to ask Daisy for some details and add them to his document.

 Chapter 470 Kevins Feelings For Daisy (Part Two)

    "Good. Then hand over the report to me as soon as possible. And Daisy, have you canceled your vacation in advance? If yes, then write the process as a report and hand it over. Well, you can leave if you are done here."


    Themander knew that they had a lot of work, so it was inappropriate to hold them. The tasks they were about to manage were quite significant. A massive gunfight had urred. It must have caused a certain degree of disturbance in the society. The leaders in the military would definitely keep a keen eye on this issue. So they needed to prepare a detailed report. "Yes, Commander, I am going back to work today, and I will finish the task immediately." Daisy frowned, but still took the order and left. Kevin left with her too.


    "Why don''t you take another day off? Is Mr. Mu recovering well?" They walked side by side. Kevin sighed with relief in his heart seeing Daisy wasn''t as disturbed as yesterday. She was recovering from the depression and helplessness.


    "Ohe on, you know everything, there''s a lot of pending work. As for Edward, he is doing good, thank you! Didn''t you go homest night?" Daisy always turned soft when she spoke about Edward. But soon her tone got worried as she recalled Leena''s unusual behavior fromst night.


    "Yeah! I''ve been working continuously. Forget about going home; I didn''t even get the time to eat." Kevin extended his hand and lightly patted his aching temple. Heughed at himself helplessly, and a sense of tiredness spread over his handsome face.


    "Have you called Leena?" Daisy paused a little with eyebrows frowning. She was afraid to hear a negative answer from him. She knew Kevin. He would always forget everything and everyone around him once he got involved in work. So she was concerned whether Leena had adjusted her mood and stayed safest night.


    "Ah! I forgot it. Did you see her? Is she fine?" Kevin frowned. Damn! He had told her to wait for him toe home and they were supposed to visit Edward together! Not only did he forget it, but he didn''t even make a phone call to her! A good husband would not let this kind of a thing happen! He was indeed a lousy husband in this respect.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "How could you forget such an important thing? You know what, she surprised and shocked everyone when she appeared alone at the hospital yesterday! You realize how much those guys dote on her? She is really precious to them. I hope you understand what you''ve done! You are saying that you forgot her! Do you know she kept giving exnations for you all night? But you are hurting her feeling. This is the way you repay her."


    Daisy gave out a speechless sigh. Leena was a little girl loved by everyone. But she met Kevin, a mancking the sense of romance. It seemed that she was going to have a hard life in the future.


    "Sorry! I''ll exin everything to her after work." Kevin often forgot the fact that he was married now. He was also annoyed at himself because of his heedlessness. He felt sorry for Leena.


    "Don''t say sorry to me, save these words for her. Anyway, she was really disturbedst night. I hope you canfort her. Also, I don''t need your sympathy and care, quit paying so much attention to me from now on. Don''t try to convince yourself that whatever you''ve done for me represents true love. I hope you won''t be stubborn about this because as long as you calm yourself down, you will discover that I am just an impossible dream for you. It is not necessary to be too friendly to me."


    Daisy remembered what Edward had always warned her about. She''d only promised she would talk to Kevin seriously tofort Edward. But she never actually carried it out because she didn''t think that Kevin would fall in love with a married woman with a child. He was such a great catch that he could have any young and beautiful girl. Butst morning, she had felt his loving gaze on her. So she decided to reconsider this problem carefully.


    "When... When did you feel that way? Did Mr. Mu ask you to keep a safe distance from me? Although, he had already warned me against revealing my feelings for you for the rest of my life. Why did he change his mind and spoke to you about it?" Kevin smiled bitterly. Daisy finally discovered his feelings for her. However, he did not feel the slightest bit of panic. Instead, he felt quite relieved. There had always been a rock crushing his heart. Now he felt that the rock was gone. He was not as ufortable and depressed now as he had been before.


    "What? You discussed something about this matter with Edward? Why I don''t know about it." Oh, Edward! How many things was he hiding from her? She had no idea about Kevin''s feelings until recently. Then how did Edward manage to know about it in advance? Was she just a transparent person with no secrets at all?


    "Do you think this is important? Have you decided to keep a certain distance from me?" Kevinughed at himself. He feared that they would not be friends once Daisy came to know about his real feelings for her. That''s why for years, Kevin had hidden his unrequited love for her with great difficulty. But ultimately he could not help revealing his feeling, and now she had discovered it.


    "No, you don''t love me. You only love the illusion of me. You think I''m feeble. What you feel for me is sympathy, not love. You have forced yourself to confuse sympathy with love. As time goes by, an illusion emerged in your mind, you think you''ve loved me for a long time, and it''s not a passing whim. I don''t know whether you agree with me or not."


    Daisy watched him. They had known each other for many years and they got along really well. Although she didn''t have much experience in love, she knew how people felt when they were secretly falling in love with somebody. They felt grieved when they could not show their love and they didn''t get a response from the one they loved. She didn''t have such feelings for Kevin. Instead, she had only felt it for Edward.0000

 Chapter 471 A Clean Hand Wants No Washing (Part One)

    "I wish I could be like that. I wish that I am attracted to you for other reasons, and not true love. If that were the case, I could put some distance between us. I''d hurt initially, but not for long, and eventually there wouldn''t be a hint of regret surging in my heart."


    Kevin closed his eyes in pain. In fact, many times, he also had doubts about his true motion. However, his heart was haunted by Daisy''s beautiful silhouette when he thought of her, and when she was around his eyes were fixed on her, no matter how beautiful other women were. He couldn''t stop paying attention to her, nor could he give up his love for her.


    "Good. Let me ask you another question. How do you feel when I snuggle in another man''s arms? Would you feel your heart bleed, but stille up with all kinds of excuses to justify me? And will you suffocate when you see my tears fall because that man is sad, and my smiles blossom because that man is happy? And what if I am nice to everyone, except you? Will you still feel okay if I ignore you? Do you feel the pain of your heart being torn apart if that happens? Tell you what, I did feel that way. My heart was torn apart when Edward was messing around with other women."


    Daisy''s voice trembled as she slowly revealed her heart. Her eyes were filled with tears as she recalled her agonizing past. These were her most tormenting memories, full of grief and helplessness, leaving behind a wound that would never be ignored or healed.


    "Have you ever regretted it? Is Edward worthy of that?" Asked Kevin. At the start, he imagined Daisy''s marriage with Edward to be one without love. Thus he thought that married as she was, he could still win her heart. But today, after listening to her story, he suddenly realized that he would never be able to do that. Edward was the winner; he had already taken her heart. But he pondered Daisy''s questions. Had he ever had such feelings for Daisy, like hers to Edward?


    No, he didn''t think so. When he watched her affectionate interaction with Edward, it was sad for him, but not to the point of grief. Seeing her tears and smiles caused by Edward''s misfortune or luck, he felt lonely, but never felt that he had to separate them and rece Edward. If he had felt for Daisy the feelings she had mentioned, he would not have married Leena. But if he was not really in love with her, what had he insisted on all these past years?


    "When you finally fall in love with someone, you will understand. Whether she''s excellent or mediocre, rich or poor, she''s always shining in your eyes. You will always love her, despite everything and everyone. And her merits and the foibles could only lend charm to her. She''s so unique to you and you can''t bear to be separated from her. She''s your only love."


    The expression on Daisy''s face softened as she spoke. A faint smile graced her lips, and sparkled in her eyes. As long as she thought of her love for Edward, she was radiating happiness.


    "Daisy, you love Edward so much. But are you really happy with him, even if you are crawling, begging for his love?" asked Kevin, who leaned against a pir. As he gazed at Daisy, his eyes were filled with sadness. He even thought to himself, that her description about love was too good to be true. Were these words her excuses, with which she wanted to scare him away? Nheless, he would do what she wanted, and he had already decided to let go. What was more, he was now a married man. He shouldn''t get involved in an extra- marital affair. If he didn''t let go, he would only prove that he was a shameless person, who didn''t deserve anyone''s love.


    "Yes, I am happy with it. As long as he is with me, even if we are under the bottom of the hell, it would be a paradise for me. Speaking of which, Leena is a good girl. As long as you try to love her, she would never betray you. And with time passing by, you will fall in love with her eventually. You''re worthy of her love, and she you."


    Daisy smiled. Leena was a pretty and lovely girl. Even an indifferent person like Daisy would be deeply attracted by her, let alone Kevin. All they needed now was time. She believed that in the near future, they would fall in love with each other, and be an enviable couple.


    "I know she''s a good girl. Rest assured, Daisy. Since I married her, I''ll be responsible for her. As for love, let nature take its course. As an old saying goes, ''Where the heart leads, a man must follow.'' I believe my heart will guide me along my path. I hope for a day when she is the only one in my heart, and my love for her as great as my love for you."


    He was not sure what was bound to happen in the future. But he was willing to try and love her. Anyway, having chosen her, he needed to make an effort for their happiness.


    "Pay more attention to her. You''ve seen that she is well-loved back home. Knowing that choosing a soldier as her husband is the same as choosing loneliness, she was still willing to marry you. Knowing this, you can''t do her wrong, whatever happens."


    Daisy knew how it felt when she loved Edward but wasn''t loved the same way in return. She wasn''t so sure whether Leena was in love with Kevin as she thought, but she didn''t want her to feel the same agony she had felt. Her agonizing past didn''t suit anyone, especially a lovely girl like Leena.


    "I''ll pay attention to that. And thank you again for not distancing yourself from me." Kevin smiled. To tell the truth, since their first meeting, he had never seen through Leena Leng. It seemed that she was pretty self-willed, but every time she would behave considerately. It was impossible for him to tell exactly what kind of woman she was.


    "Why should I distance myself from you? In my heart, you are like my brother. There''s no need for me to stay away from you just because of things that aren''t true. You''ve aided Justin and me when we were deserted, and never stepped aside when we were in need. And today, I didn''t mean to me you or scold you. What I''m doing now is trying to tell you the truth, like a real friend has to do. And I mean to protect Leena, nothing more,


    Said Daisy with a slight frown. She didn''t want their rtionship to be stiff, so when she was talking to Kevin, she tried her best to avoid tough words, so she wouldn''t hurt him.


    "I''m happy to hear it. I think you''ve got a lot on your te, so you probably need to go get some work done. I''m good, and I need some time to sort things through. But you can rest assured. I''ve been able to handle this matter so sensibly for so long, I won''t do anything inappropriate in the future. I''ve had no improper thoughts since I got married, because I take my title as husband seriously. And let bygones be bygones. My love for you is merely a beautiful memory."


    Kevin forced a smile. Then he turned away to his office, lips tightened into a line. Although with a touch of sadness, his handsome face was still full of a soldierly demeanor.


    Daisy sighed inwardly as she watched him walking away. She had said everything she could to advise him. And now she had to leave it to time. She hoped he could lift himself out of this, and live happily ever after. People were always stuck in small problems. But once they got free of their improper thoughts, and stopped overthinking everything, all of these things woulde together.000000??????T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 472 A Clean Hand Wants No Washing (Part Two)

    Slightly shaking her head, Daisy also turned away. Since Kevin''s matter was temporarily solved, Edward once again upied her mind. He was so wicked and charming at the same time. She wondered if he was feeling good at this moment, and whether he was doing what the doctor had ordered him to do. She also wondered whether he was thinking of her just like she was thinking of him... "Colonel Ouyang, please wait for a moment." Just as Daisy was about to enter her office, a deep voice sounded behind her. She paused and looked back.


    When Daisy recognized Hank''s face, she frowned, and coldly questioned. "What do you want? If you want to fight me again, I''ll have to decline the honor. I''m very busy today, and I''m not in the mood to do anything, so just go away if you''re looking to cause problems." That said, she nced at him out of the corners of her eyes. Daisy didn''t want to pay attention to him. She had no idea why this man had to keep on getting on her nerves. There were so many people for him to pick on; why did he have to pick on her? Did he think that she was an easy target, just because she was a woman? Or, did he think that as a man, he should''ve outranked her? But one''s rank was rted to one''s ability. If he didn''t like to be a low-ranking official, he should work harder and win a higher rank. But instead of that, every time he bumped into her, he would find some reason to harp on her. When he started doing it, she thought he might want topete with her, but more often she started to think it was a deliberate act of revenge.


    "Why are you so busy, Colonel Ouyang? Oh, ording to my new findings, should I salute and call you Mrs. Mu? You always say that you earned your position, which turns out to be a lie. I never thought that the wife of the CEO of FX International Group would keep such a low profile. Are you trying to avoid attention? Or, are you trying to cover up something?"


    Said Hank sarcastically. Gazing at Daisy, he raised his eyebrows and sneered aggressively. Every word he had said was so mean, but apparently he didn''t think he''d gone too far.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    He was a shallow, narrow-minded man. He hated the people who had talent, those who were gifted in their fields. And he vented his anger at every chance. He had never been pleased because Daisy outranked him, and hated her more because of her husband. How could this no good woman be a CEO''s wife, and not just an ordinary CEO, but the one of FX International Group. He had never expected that.


    "What a beautiful speech, Hank, though I don''t understand a word. Would you be so kind to simplify it, and tell me what the hell you want?" Biting her teeth, Daisy sneered. It seemed that even if she was trying to stay away from trouble, trouble would stille to her. There were always people like Hank, who liked to stir up trouble and never give anyone a moment''s peace.


    "Pfft. I knew you''d y innocent. But let me make this clear. I''m saying your promotion was because of FX International Group. So are you going to lie and tell me you earned your position, instead of by bribery?"


    When Hank learned about her true identity, he was shocked. But then, anger started to flow in him, along with hatred. What a calcting and scheming woman she was! She had always behaved like a wronged and deserted woman, but now her performance had turned out to be a disguise. She did it on purpose. If she acted that way, it would cover up the fact that she had acquired her rank and position not because of her own strength, but her marriage. And that was why she dared not let other people know who her husband was, lest they would know the fact. He always thought that he shouldn''t fail when he was given a qualification test, and wondered why Daisy had beaten him. Now it turned out that someone was pulling the strings in the dark.


    "Watch yournguage, Mr. Hank. Don''t let your words slip. Everything can be faked, but the results in our tests were not. I earned my position with my strength and prowess, and the badge on my uniform is the reward. Besides, my every deed is watched by our nation and our people. How could I possibly fake it? If you really think I''m faking it, then I don''t mind you making aint to our superiors, or even better, the supervisory board. I''m looking forward to it."


    A hint of anger appeared in Daisy''s tone. She could tolerate Hank''s incessant harassment and self-pitied whine. But he shouldn''t bag on the qualification tests. This was a huge disrespect to Daisy, and it was a slur ced on the sacred career of a soldier. No matter how fake other people''s military medals were, she thought hers was real and she was worthy of it.


    "Colonel Ouyang, don''t be mad. I''m just telling the truth. And it''s no use to quibble with me, because the truth is indisputable. If your promotion had nothing to do with Mr. Mu, how would the army officers of high ranking have been invited to his group''s annual cocktail party?"


    Hank smirked triumphantly. He was sure that his findings were solid proof of Edward''s liaisons with the army, and waited for Daisy''s confession arrogantly.


    "Then you should ask these officers about what kind of partnership they have with FX, or what kind of deal is going on. In this respect, I have no obligation nor any interest to exin to you. If there''s nothing else, please don''t get in my way. I need to work. I''m not as idle as you are, wandering around all day long, hunting for rumors and gossip."


    As an old saying went, "A clean hand wants no washing." Daisy wasn''t at all worried about his empty doubts. She hoped that he would learn to present his evidence, rather than just wildly specte. She wasn''t a mean person, and could tolerate some of his stupidities. But her tolerance had a limit. And remaining silent in the face of repeated teasings was to appear coward. She had learned about this during her time in the JC Military Academy.


    "What now, colonel? Are you trashing me by calling me ''idle''? Are you trying to say thatpared to you, I''m nothing?" retorted Hank exasperatedly. He glowered at Daisy with hatred, as the word "idle" had wounded his pride. For a long time, there had been many important tasks and special cases. But themander had entrusted them all to Kevin and Daisy. Comparatively speaking, he waszier than them, which was something he had known. But it didn''t mean that he had to take it when Daisy mentioned it to his face. He felt she was using that as an excuse to hate him, and flew into a rage out of humiliation.


    "You said it, I didn''t. But if you have to think that way, I won''t stop you. I can''t tell you what to think, can I?" Daisy''s patience was running low. She decided to leave Hank be. He was entitled to enjoy his hallucination. But she wasn''t going to listen to him rant. She didn''t want to talk with him for long, as every word could only pile up resentment in his petty heart.


    "Colonel Ouyang, don''t get too cocky! If you are as decent as you think you are, you wouldn''t be reported, am I right? What''s more, do you really think I know nothing about your history? Do you really think that the CEO''s wife should be you, not someone else?" Hank was totally enraged by Daisy''s apathy. He had forgotten to hide his secret up his sleeve, andid it out in. He outlined Jessica''s n by opening his big mouth.00000000000

 Chapter 473 Marys Invitation (Part One)

    "Wait, what do you mean? There was an anonymous tip-off about me some days earlier. Do you have something to do with it? Or you wouldn''t know The Investigation Department''s real purpose talking to me."All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    Daisy shot a stern re at Hank. If he didn''t have anything to do with the tip-off, he wouldn''t know its content because The Investigation Department would never disclose this kind of thing to others just off the cuff. And she didn''t believe that themander would be so


    careless to tell him about it. So the only exnation would be that he had known it in advance.


    "I have something to do with it? What are you talking about? There''s a saying: there''s no smoke without fire. Do you know it, Colonel Ouyang? The day has eyes, the night has ears. If you want to keep something a secret, the best way is having no secret. What? I was just guessing. Did I hit it?"


    Gosh! Hank broke into a cold sweat secretly. He was annoyed with himself that he didn''t remain calm while talking to her. She might have found him out! It looked like that this woman was not the kind who could be fooled easily. He must be careful dealing with her. Otherwise, his life would be destroyed!


    "Oh, sure! Lieutenant Colonel, you''re really lucky. You know the so-called truth with just a random guess. You''re pretty clever! You seem to be much more brilliant than a fortune-teller. Do you know what I am curious about? I wonder what Jessica Lin has promised you so that you were willing to give up your career and side with her to set me up."


    Guessing? Who couldn''t do it? The point was whether you''d like to do it or not. She always remained suspicious about Jessica Lin. Now that Hank said he was just guessing, Daisy thought she could do the same too. She decided to make a bold guess that they colluded to set her up and that was why she had got the tip-offst time.


    "What? Jessica Lin? I don''t know her. Don''t ever try to get words out of me. Or are you taking the opportunity to take revenge on me because I''ve seen through your secret?" Hank shifted his eyes to avoid eye contact with Daisy. He was somewhat guilty and dared not face her questioning. But Daisy was an acute observer. She knew there must be something between him and Jessica Lin judging from his reaction. The only thing she didn''t know was what their game was.


    "Revenge on you? You really have a persecutionplex, Lieutenant Colonel. Didn''t you make a guess just now? I am guessing too, just like what you did. Did I hit it? Did I guess it right about you and Jessica Lin?"


    Daisy smiled coldly. No one could cash in on her as long as she didn''t want to give up, no matter if it was physicalbat or a war of words. She disliked to give tit for tat to other people. It was not because she was not eloquent. She just disdained to do it. "Well! Let''s leave it to time to clear the matter up. Save yourughter for the end of the race." Hank gritted his teeth. He flew into a rage at Daisy''s response. He went for wool and came back shorn. He had nned to tease her. But in a heavy reversal, he ended up being teased by her. He was not happy.


    "If you want. I never fear threats or provocations," Daisy sneered. She watched Hank walk away quickly due to his annoyance. If he hadn''t talked to her and tried to tease her deliberately, she wouldn''t have linked him with the anonymous tip. Now that he reminded her of it, why didn''t she investigate it, now that she had another clue to follow? ''Jessica Lin, it seems we''re going to meet each other. I just wonder if you''re ready?'' Daisy thought.


    A busy day full of work tired Daisy out. She hadn''t slept well for thest few days because of Edward. So she was so weary that she fell asleep heavily soon after she sat in the Hummer. When the car was about to hit town, her phone rang. Her eyes snapped open. "Hello! This is Daisy Ouyang. Who''s speaking, please?" It was an unfamiliar number. Daisy frowned. Yet she felt rather cozy after she had taken a rest. She hoped the person on the other end wasn''t looking for trouble. She had been busy all day and didn''t want to deal with other people.


    "Daisy Ouyang. I want to see you! I have a question for you," Mary Ouyang yelled in anger. Her mother and Leo went home, and they were not happy. They even hadn''t stopped arguing at home. After some probing, she found out the reason for the argument: it was Daisy Ouyang. She was furious. So she called Daisy and demanded to see her. She had already had a n to stop her arrogance. Or she would always have this rage in her heart, making her angry.


    "What''s the matter? You can talk about it over the phone! I''m busy." Daisy raised her hand and took a look at her watch. She didn''t n to say yes. Edward was still in the hospital and she wanted to stay with him. Why would she waste her time to see someone who she disliked? She''d much rather spend time with her husband. To her, that was time well spent.


    "What? You can do whatever you want as a colonel? Don''t give me ck! Soldiers like to im that they are here for the people, for themon men. That they exist to protect the rights of everyone. But here you are, refusing to see me, a civilian. I want to see you. What a simple request. Can''t you even do it? Now I really doubt what kind of promises you, and the army, can keep."


    Just then Mary stopped her tirade. She was defeated by Daisy''s elegance and beauty that day on the cocktail party for FX International Group. She was upset, but more by her own self. So she was desperate to overshadow Daisy. She wanted to prove that she was the real princess.


    "You''re talking nonsense. You should know, the army doesn''t exist for you. And I don''t have to satisfy you because you are making trouble out of nothing. But now that you bring up thatmon man crap, and insist you are a civilian that needs my help, I''lle see you. I won''t let you bring a false charge against me. You insist on seeing me, right? Well, let''s decide on a ce."

 Chapter 474 Marys Invitation (Part Two)

    Daisy gave a snort of disgust. She smiled scornfully. ''Mary Ouyang, I know what kind of tricks you''re nning to y! Have you figured out some new ones? Quit bitching that I, as a colonel, bullied you. You''re great at lying, no matter to whom. Just like your mother. "Sunset of Dusk''. I''ll see you there." Mary hung up immediately after she finished her words. She picked out the lip stick and applied it carefully to make her lips more beautiful. Then she finished her make up with great satisfaction. Meanwhile, a sense of ignorance emerged in her heart. ''Daisy Ouyang, you are still so innocent. You can''t control your temper as long as I irritate you, right? You are really such a stupid soldier. You can''t bear it at all when someone nders you. This is why you are pathetic! I am curious what a colonel can do in the army. You value the army so much.''


    "Mark, let''s go somewhere else! ''Sunset of Dusk'', do you know where it is?" Daisy lowered her hand holding the phone. She asked with slight frowning.


    "Colonel, no problem at all. Even if I don''t know, we have our GPS." Mark turned the wheel sharply. The car original had been heading for the hospital. But now it was going in another direction.


    "Yes! No need to rush. Drive slowly. We are not in a hurry." Edward disliked it when he had to wait for someone during a date. As his wife, she was supposed to do the same, wasn''t she? Because a good Jack makes a good Jill. And now she was not in a hurry to see someone she hated.


    "Yes. Colonel, are you going to put the fear of God in that guy?" Mark watched her through the rear view mirror in the car while driving the car steadily. He inferred that the woman called her must be someone she disliked a lot. Or she wouldn''t have asked him to slow down.


    "Well, sort of! I don''t need to treat a loathsome person who uses force and trickery with politeness, huh?" Daisyughed at herself. All the people she met with today were vain and full of themselves. They were really annoying.


    The Hummer had been running fast. Mark slowed down immediately once he heard Daisy''s words. It seemed that they were enjoying the beautiful scenery in the street and felt quite cozy. It''s already more than one hourter when they arrived at ''Sunset of Dusk.'' It looked that they had been driving like a turtle!


    "Colonel, do you want me go with you?" Mark asked before Daisy opened the door and got out. He didn''t know who was waiting for her. So he felt a little worried.


    "Oh, no. It''s okay. I''ll be back soon." Daisy didn''t think there was anything important she needed to say to Mary. So she believed she wouldn''t stay here for long.


    Daisy was a beauty. Her tall and slender figure with her beautiful face would surprise everyone. What''s more, she was wearing a uniform. So everyone was attracted by her as soon as she appeared at the door.


    She had been staying with Edward and always received this kind of attention. So she had already gotten used to it. She stayed cool and took a look at everyone, trying to locate Mary. Finally, she smiled brightly at the sight of Mary and walked towards her.


    "You can say it now! I''m here. What''s the matter?" She sat down, showing a heroic spirit. Mary was wearing delicate make-up on her face. Daisy was not interested in her face at all. She just picked up the cup on the desk and took a sip of water. "Daisy Ouyang, are you trying to be bossy in front of me? I''ve been waiting here for almost a half-hour! As a soldier, you should be punctual at least!"


    Mary howled with her teeth gritted. She had thought she could show off herself in front of her. But she hadn''t expected that she''d be waiting in the coffee shop for such a long time before Daisy arrived. Fine! She had believed that her careful make-up and clothes would overshadow Daisy. But what about now? Daisy was extremely valiant and heroic in bearing the green army uniform. This was the first time she saw her in the uniform. At the same time, she realized it that the little maidservant in the past had been gone. She couldn''t imagine that a woman could be so handsome and heroic in an army uniform without any decorations.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Sorry. I seldom go to such an exclusive ce. So it took me some time finding the way here." It looked like she was not the only one who nned to put the fear of God in her opponent. Mary was thinking the same too. Otherwise, she couldn''t have found such a luxurious coffee shop both in exterior and interior design. ''Sunset of Dusk'', what a poetic name! Mary had been nning to embarrass her!


    "Hum! How could it be possible that a wife of a president has never been to a ce like this? Do you think I''ll believe it?" Mary stared angrily at Daisy who was sitting opposite to her. She looked so cozy and elegant. Mary hated it so much that she couldn''t wait to leave a p in her face topress her confidence. She indeed had wanted to see her embarrassment at first, but she didn''t expect her toe in the military uniform. Daisy was not embarrassed at all. Instead, she stole her thunder. Mary was extremely upset about it. "Come on. I don''t care whether you believe it or not. It seems that you didn''t set a time for the appointment on the phone, right?" Daisy sneered. Then she pointed at the coffee and said to the waiter, "Can I have a cup of Costa Coffee? Thanks."


    "Are you living in the suburbs? You spent almost one hour driving here. It''s only a 10-minute car ride." She had thought Daisy didn''t know much about coffee. But she had ordered a cup of Costa Coffee. That kind of coffee had an excellent favor. It tasted smooth with rtively higher acid and an attractive aroma. It''s quite popr in the upper ss. The drink of choice was for the rich.

 Chapter 475 Shut Up (Part One)

    "Although I don''t live in the suburbs, I work on the military base, it''s far from here. Got a problem with that?" Daisy squinted at Mary. She wore her uniform today, so she sat up straight, as a good soldier should. She looked very spirited and there was no trace ofziness in her image. "Okay, I''ll drop it. I only want to know why you caused problems between my mother and my father. Do you still want toe back to our house? Do you think it possible?"


    Mary turned the cup in her hand and stared at Daisy in an aggressive manner, her eyes full of contempt. She hated Daisy to the core. Why she was always blessed by the gods? Why did she easily get all the nice things in the world? First, she was born into a good family. Then she got married to a handsome man and became the mother of an adorable boy. What was more irritating to Mary was that Daisy climbed up to the high position of a Colonel at such a young age. All these were something she couldn''t get even if she toiled and struggled for her whole life, while Daisy getting them so easily as if they were at her fingertips. How could she not feel envious, jealous and hateful?


    "Your house? Huh! As a Colonel, I don''t miss that dirty ce at all! Why do you think I''d even want to?"


    Although she said it easily, she felt very sad in her heart. Mary said "my father", yes! From the moment when Mary and Yakira entered the house, Daisy''s father had be Mary''s father. Daisy couldn''t remember any moment that she could feel her father''s love for her since they came. So Mary was right. It was Daisy''s fault to still hold onto the sweet memory she enjoyed in childhood, even her rtionship with her family hade to this hopeless point.


    "Since you don''t miss the ce, why did you start trouble between my parents by saying that my mother took 500 million from Edward''s family? Do you think you''re really worth such a huge amount of money?"


    Mary hummed with a sneer and looked at Daisy closely from head to toe, showing a disapproving and contemptuous look. It was true that Daisy had a good family background and had a good look, but Mary still didn''t believe that Edward''s family would spend 500 million on the marriage. It was an exorbitant amount.


    "I have never thought that I could be measured by money. Are you saying that you can be bought by the pound? As for whether your mother has taken 500 million or not, you''d better ask your mother yourself. Because she was the one who said it."


    Daisy took a sip of the coffee the waiter served moments ago. She narrowed her eyes and looked at Mary with derision. Mary was obviously pissed off. She looked furious as if she wanted to swallow Daisy raw and whole. In Daisy''s eyes, life couldn''t be measured by money. People should learn to treasure life, only by doing so would they show respect to life. So Daisy would never y with her life, not to mention gambling on other people''s lives.


    "Bought by the pound? Are you calling me a prostitute? You''re not hot stuff to me. Even if you are a Colonel, you''re nothing but a humble maid in my house!" Mary failed in her attempt to insult Daisy, on the contrary, she was degraded by Daisy''s remarks. Mary felt resentful. In her eyes, Daisy was always the girl who swallowed the insult. But when did she be so eloquent?


    "Humble maid? Miss Ouyang, do you mean I should be grateful because you took my ce? It is hardly possible for a crow to be a phoenix, but for a princess to be reduced to poverty? That couldn''t be easier. I''m curious why a noble person like you would want to meet humble person like me. Aren''t you afraid that you will degrade yourself by speaking with me? You have such a superior identity as a noble princess."


    Daisy said ironically. She didn''t care whether she would irritate Mary with her sharp remarks. She sneered while raising her eyebrows. There was even a yful smile in her eyes. It seemed that after being with Edward for a long time, the innocent Colonel Ouyang was influenced by Edward and had also be wicked.


    "You bitch, do you think that I really want to see you? Who do you think you are? If you didn''t try to ruin our family, if you didn''t cause problems here, do you think I''d be willing to speak to you?" Mary was enraged by Daisy''s words. This woman had belittled her enough. She began to speak without thinking.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    "You bitch! What makes you think I''m a bitch? I''m a Colonel, I earned every de. Did I steal other people''s fathers? Or their husband? Aren''t these the things you and your mother excel at?" Daisy said coldly. Within a second, Daisy already crossed the table in front of her, her tender fingers firmly grasping Mary''s lower jaw, her eyes ring at Mary ferociously.


    "Daisy, what are you doing? Are you going to beat me up right here? Aren''t you afraid that you''ll be punished by the army?" Gazing at Daisy, she could see the colonel had a sinister look on her face. Mary was frightened. She couldn''t imagine that the cruel woman before her was the Daisy she knew. Daisy used to be a very weak and vulnerable maid in her house. And she felt horrible, Daisy was like the evil god Sura from Hell.


    "Punish? I''m a Colonel, do you think anyone will trust you? Do you think that I will be punished because I beat a woman who insults a military officer? What can you do if I send you to jail today? Let alone beat you here. You''d better watch your vicious foul mouth, or you''ll quickly find a bullet in your head. You disgust me!"


    It was true that Daisy''s attitude was imperious, but she really had the ability to mess with Mary. If she really became ruthless, it was a breeze for her to get rid of her. It depended on whether Daisy was willing to dirty her noble hands to do it.000000

 Chapter 476 Shut Up (Part Two)

    "Ah! Help! Sh-sh-she''s going to kill me!" Although Mary''s jaw was firmly gripped by Daisy''s hand, she began to call for help. Who knew if Daisy meant it or not? But if you looked at how cold she was, the rage in her eyes, it looked like she was serious. "Kill you? Do you think you deserve to be killed by a Colonel? Shut up, or I might carry through on my promises. The more you smart off to me, the angrier I''ll get. I think you don''t need me to remind you of this. This is what I''m like. Surprised by my little hobby, huh?" Daisy sensed the gaze of other people boring into her from the corner of her eye. She narrowed her eyes and released Mary. Ultimately, she was helpless. She didn''t want to ruin her good image and the image of the whole troop. So she couldn''t do anything to this hateful woman. But at least she vented her anger by intimidating her.


    "You... You..." Hearing Daisy''s words, angry as she was, Mary didn''t dare spit out any more insults. Mary was terrified by Daisy''s evil look. Besides, the dignified uniform Daisy wore alone would have made Mary humble herself in the presence of Daisy.


    "What else do you want to say? If you''ve nothing else to say, I''m leaving." Daisy knew she already attracted attention from other people around the ce, so she must leave here as soon as possible. If she was recognized by anyone, she would get into trouble. She didn''t want to make the headlines of tomorrow''s newspapers because of this.


    "Haha! Daisy, is this how you abuse your position? So bullying innocent citizens is also your duty." Followed by sweetughter, Jessica appeared before them. She came with another woman, who looked prettier than her. But the woman seemed more aloof and she looked graceful with good temperament.


    "It''s you, Jessica. What a coincidence!" Daisy had nned to leave, she didn''t expect that she would meet Jessica here. She smiled helplessly. She shouldn''t have gone out today. Everyone she met today made her feel sick. She felt lucky that she didn''t have dinner yet, otherwise she would throw up immediately.


    "Yes, it''s such a coincidence. Otherwise I would never know that the famous Colonel Ouyang of S City would bully a defenseless woman." Jessica was smarter than Mary. She knew how to hurt others while not showing it too obviously. Although in her eyes, Mary was not easy to deal with, her goal was Daisy now, so she didn''t mind taking sides with that brainless woman for the moment.


    "It is not toote if you realize it now. Or Miss Lin, Do you also want to know how it feels?" Daisy raised her eyebrows and examined Jessica closely. She could hear the derision in Jessica''s words. She nced at the woman standing beside Jessica with interest. The woman stared at Daisy in disgust. Daisy didn''t remember when she had offended this woman and triggered that resentful look.


    "...Do you really think that I will be intimidated by you? Ha! It''ll never happen. And by the way, does Edward know that you are a two-faced woman?"


    Jessica pulled out a chair and sat down. There was no reason for her to stand while let Daisy sit there steadily. She was not a maid or a waitress, so she was reluctant to degrade her noble identity in front of Daisy.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "Oh! Yes. So Hank has your back. And of course you don''t need to be afraid of me. But the fact is he''s in trouble now, and he has no idea what will happen to him. Do you think you can keep yourself out of this business? As for what kind of woman I am, sorry to disappoint you. My husband has told me that no matter what I be, I''m always the only one in his heart." Daisy tapped the table with her fingers. Since Jessica just magically showed up here, she wanted to cut to the heart of the matter, and find out if Hank and Jessica really had a connection with each other and nned to cooperate with each other as she had predicted.


    "What does it have anything to do with me if he is in trouble now? I don''t know anyone named Hank, so why do you say he has my back? So what if you''re happy? What is it to me? Why should I care? Do you think I will envy you? Don''t forget that Edward once belonged to me, he was my man." Jessica looked evasive. That Damn Hank, he failed to carry out the n as she had anticipated, moreover, he dared to threaten her. He had underestimated Jessica. She would not be afraid of this useless man.


    "Oh! Since you have mentioned that he once belonged to you. You said ''once.'' So it was a fling in the past. And I don''t really care about what happened in the past. But you really don''t know Hank? Then it''s so strange. Did I mishear this morning? I''m sorry, my life has been too sweet recently and sometimes I get lost in thought. Otherwise I would not have misheard this morning that Hank mentioned something like he had a one-night affair with the daughter of the CEO of Lin Group."


    Daisy scratched her hair and pretended to be innocent. She was ying the trick of pretending to be as weak as a pig, luring the tiger to her trap and getting the prey. She didn''t believe that Jessica wouldn''t care when she talked about how happy she was with Edward. Daisy knew Jessica was deeply obsessed with Edward, so after Jessica heard Daisy''s remarks, she would certainly be very annoyed. Then Daisy would see whether she would lose herposure and fall into her trap.

 Chapter 477 Sleeping Around

    "People talk. If I took every rumor seriously, I''d have no time to eat or sleep. That''s the life of us rich and famousdies. Everyone brags and gossips about us, and wishes their lives are somehow connected with us. How many of them do you think are telling the truth?" Jessica said. Then she thought, ''Humph! Daisy, you want to anger me? In your dreams! It might be a good n, but I''m not as stupid as Mary, who gets irritated easily by a few words of yours.''


    "I''m not from a wealthy family, maybe I was wrong, but there''s no smoke without fire. Sometimes the truth emerges after someone stirs things up. Isn''t that the favorite trick of the so-called upper-ss?"


    Daisy''s eyelids drooped, as if she was staring at the coffee mug, but she stole a nce at those hostile women every now and then.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "You seem to have a problem with the upper-ss. Do you think it is appropriate to hate rich people so much, as the wife of the CEO of FX International Group?" Coco held Daisy responsible for her being shut out of entertainment business by Edward, because she thought if Daisy hadn''t showed up in Edward''s life, he wouldn''t have dumped her cousin Jessica, and things would have been different. She would have remained a superstar in the spotlight.


    "I have never hated rich people. Being rich or poor depends on your attitude, that is, how much you think is enough. I never force myself to work for money. I''m contented with afortable, happy life. By the way, we''ve never met. Do you think it is appropriate to talk with me in that tone?"


    Daisy didn''t recall she had offended this pretty woman.


    "Gee, how embarrassing! You don''t even recognize Coco, an international superstar. What a hillbilly! Don''t ever tell anyone you''re an Ouyang. You''re a shame to that name." Now that other people were here, Mary wasn''t afraid of Daisy anymore. She sneered at her and started to humiliate her as much as she could.


    "Why should I know her? I''m not a teenager who spends every waking hour keeping up with her favorite stars. And I''m not a silly girl chasing meaningless things. As for the name Ouyang, I wish it had nothing to do with my life. So stop pretending it is an honorable name, you make me want to puke."


    Daisy didn''t care if her family background was revealed. She wasn''t worried about what kind of verbal attack mighte at her next. No one had ever scared her in her entire life. At this moment she faced her enemies bravely.


    "Interesting. Daisy, as I recall I asked youst time whether you knew Mary or not, you said no. But from the current situation, apparently you know each other. Any exnations?"


    Jessica was intrigued by the topic andughed. She forgot all about the problems herpany faced.


    "I don''t know her, but she is dying to get into my life. What can I do? Besides, it is my private life, why should I tell you about it?" Daisy seldom smiled, but today a faint smile lingered on her mouth all the time. She remained calm, making it impossible to figure out what she was thinking or how she was feeling.


    "That''s a load of crap! Since when did I try to do anything regarding you? I would not see you again if you didn''t try to ruin my parents'' rtionship and break up my family!" Mary thought she would get the upper hand with Jessica and Coco on her side. She was trying everything to get back at Daisy for the embarrassing situation she had put her in just now.


    "Jessica, it''s getting more and more interesting, isn''t it? It turns out Colonel Ouyang likes being a home wrecker. What a special hobby! I wonder why she fell in love with Mr. Ouyang instead of Edward who is handsome and distinguished. This is the most hrious joke I''ve heard this year."


    Humph! Daisy had said she didn''t know Coco, who had been a household name in the city. As a person who was used to ttery and fame, naturally Coco couldn''t tolerate such contempt. In addition, both she and Daisy had that aloof bearing, but Edward had fallen in love with Daisy instead of her and never paid any attention to her, which deepened her resentment toward Daisy.


    "Since you think it''s a joke, I will justugh at it and will overlook the fact that you just insulted my sister," A male voice said, disturbing everyone. He handily disrupted their scheming. They all looked up to find a handsome lively young man smiling mischievously. He was standing right next to them.


    "Brian, what brought you here?" Seeing Brian, Daisy was very excited. The cold expression on her face turned into a smile full of tenderness. She was so happy that she had totally forgotten they were not alone. Their closeness made the rest jealous. "Isn''t it wonderful? I was thinking of you, then here you are, in front of me. It seems that there''s really a strong connection between us. Are you happy to see me?"


    Brian bent over and kissed Daisy''s cheek gently. Then his eyes swept the others. When they met Mary''s eyes, a cold, cunning smile flitted over his face.


    "It seems Colonel Ouyang really sleeps around. We''ve just heard she is having an affair with Mr. Ouyang, now she''s being intimate in public with this man who obviously is merely a pretty face. I wonder what Edward sees in such a slut!"


    Jessica said viciously, jealous of and disgusted by the intimacies between Daisy and Brian, but as soon as she finished those vulgar words, a loud smack fell on her cheek. It was so hard she felt herself deaf shortly. She gazed at the young man who had hit her in astonishment.


    "Stupid woman, I don''t care who you are or who is behind you. I''ll hit you again if you say anything like that. It doesn''t matter what you say about me, but you shouldn''t have used that filthynguage on my sister. This is the first time I have hit a woman, I hope it is thest time. But it won''t be if you insult her again.


    Brian wasn''t a man keen on fixing problems through violence. But Jessica''s words enraged him enormously. He would have let go if she had only insulted him, but she had made a huge mistake when she said Daisy, the woman he respected most, was a slut. He wouldn''t put up with it, so he pped her without thinking. Some people deserved to be hit.


    "What''s wrong with you? Why did you hit my cousin? She was telling the truth! Do you think we''re blind? Clearly there''s something going on between you two." Coco collected herself from the shock and red at Brian.


    "Your eyes are fine, but you have foul souls. Who says siblings can''t be affectionate? Is that aw made by your family?"


    Brian had a character simr to Rain''s. They both liked giving evil smiles. Right now he acted like a hooligan.


    "Brian, are you out of your mind? Daisy doesn''t have anything to do with us. Don''t forget I''m your sister. That woman is nobody." Mary hated being ignored. She shared the same mother with Brian, but he was never close to her. Instead, he was always protecting Daisy and behaved affectionately toward her in front of Mary. She couldn''t take it anymore.


    "Blpph! Mary, did you get kicked in the head? You have forgotten everything I told you. I have only one sister and that is Daisy. You? You don''t deserve to be anybody''s sister. I''ll deal with you about what happened today at home. I warned you not to bother Daisy again. But you not only didn''t listen to me but also allied yourself with these loose women and humiliated her. What should I do with you? Huh?"


    Brian gave a bigger smile. In truth he didn''t just bump into Daisy. He had called her up and Mark told him that she was here. So he hade to see her, but only to find that several women were bullying her. He couldn''t help getting involved.


    "Watch your damn mouth! Who were you referring to as loose women?" Coco warned. She was pompous and wouldn''t stand anybody talking about her like that.


    "Whoever responds to it. I never mentioned a name." Brian smiled evilly and nced at Coco with his eyebrows raised. Another disgusting, pretentious woman pretending to be innocent and noble.


    "You say Daisy is your sister and Mary says she is your sister too. Is Daisy a member of the Ouyangs? But why did I never hear about her? Is she a bastard?"


    Jessica asked Brian with her hand on her cheek. It still stung, and was turning red. That was the question on her mind. But her eyes were fixed on Daisy resentfully. Why did everyone love her? Both her inws and the others around her. Why was she so perfect in their eyes that they were willing to do everything to protect her?

 Chapter 478 The Princess Of Ouyang Family (Part One)

    "Bastard? Are you talking about yourself? My sister is the real princess of Ouyang Family. She is a pure Ouyang but never shows off. Oh, talking about showing off, one of us is clearly inferior. She goes around showing off, proiming she''s highborn when she''s not. Oh my God, I''m so sick of it." Brian had a sharp wit. Not only was he making fun of Mary, but he skewered all the upper ss people with their noses in the air, who were mean simply because they''re rotten people. He had a discerning eye, and regarded them as inferiors.


    "You lie! How could she be the princess of Ouyang Family. If she really is, why have I never seen her at those grand cocktail parties? She doesn''t even attend any social activities. Are you trying to confuse us?"


    In Jessica Lin''s opinion, Daisy Ouyang had been, was, and always would be a woman of humble birth. It was a fact that could never be changed, even if she was a colonel, an invaluable military officer. So she always had a condescending manner. The only advantage she had was the higher-ss blood that flowed in her veins. But what was Brian saying now? That Daisy Ouyang was the princess of Ouyang Family! If that were true, then Jessica''s advantage was gone. After all, Ouyang Foreign Trade was asrge as Lin Group.


    "Hum! Do you think I''m the kind who always ims to be rted to others? Of course my sister is the princess. Oh, it depends on whether she''s willing to im she is a member of Ouyang Family or not. Do you know Cheng Financial Group? It was a consortium that belonged to Daisy''s grandfather on her mother''s side. It''s the predecessor of Ouyang Foreign Trade."


    At first, Brian didn''t know the history of Ouyang Foreign Trade. After the cocktail party of FX International Group, he made some further inquiries and found out that it had been a consortium of Daisy''s grandfather of her mother''s side. It had been quite prosperous for its time before it became Ouyang Foreign Trade. But it somehow spiraled downward after his father took over and changed the name.


    "Brian, don''t talk nonsense. What is this Cheng Financial Group? I''ve never heard of it." Mary grew flustered first. If Brian was telling the truth that Ouyang Foreign Trade was the heritage of Daisy''s grandfather of her mother''s side, she would lose everything. Because in that case, no matter how much Leo Ouyang loved her and how luxurious a life she lived, everything she had would all be owed to Daisy, and she''d have to depend on Daisy for support. All the things such as fame, money and status Leo Ouyang owned were gained from Daisy''s side. She would always live in Daisy''s shadow. It was uneptable to her.


    Daisy didn''tment on what Brian said. She just frowned for an instant. She chose to keep silent because she couldn''t tell how much she could trust him due to his mocking smile. So she concluded that he was just exaggerating the facts in order to vindicate her honor. Jessica and Coco stared at each other in consternation. They had heard their family mention Cheng Financial Group. But they didn''t know whether it was the predecessor of Ouyang Foreign Trade or not. After all, the Chengs were a rich family, the head was a business tycoon at that time. Cheng''s power at that time equaled (or was even greater than) FX International Group today. So they never imagined rting it to Ouyang Foreign Trade, arge or just medium sizedpany.


    "It doesn''t matter if you''ve never heard of it. Well, now you know. So don''t forget one thing; you''re enjoying a charmed life because of Daisy instead of Leo Ouyang. And you''d better stop showing off and being arrogant. Next to her, you''re nothing but a little person, which you used to deride in the past."


    Brian never considered Ouyang Foreign Trade as some powerfulpany. He didn''t value it and wasn''t interested in it at all. He had his own goals and ambitions, and he was forging his own path in business. It wouldn''t be long before he developed a more powerful enterprise.


    "Why should I do that? Brian. Why are you protecting her? So you have nothing but good things to say about Daisy, but you mock me! I AM your sister, not her! Oh, you''d better keep this in mind too; if I''m little person, you are too! After all, we have the same mother." Mary got more and more agitated. How could it be? For all these years, she had been moving in high society and trying to get acknowledged. She thought she had behaved well because she always treated her behaviors seriously no matter what. She had considered herself to be the true princess. Now what Brian said broke her tender heart. But why couldn''t she shed her humble birth atst?


    "Oh, thanks for the reminder. But I don''t need it because I''ve never considered myself noble. As you know, I never show off and always keep a low profile. The so-called upper-ss life in your words is way beyond my reach." Brian picked up Daisy'' coffee and took a sip. He gave Daisy a thumbs up, conveying that the coffee tasted good and she must have a deep understanding about coffee.


    "Well, well, well! What an intimate picture..." Coco lifted her eyebrows andughed disdainfully at Daisy. She didn''t care about everyone else''s opinions of Daisy. All she wanted was to find every opportunity to tease and embarrass Daisy and her alone.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    "For sure. I saw it too." Although Jessica''s face was still slightly red and swollen, it was not as serious as Daisy''s face had been yesterday. Probably because Brian hadn''t pped her with much strength. You''d hardly notice it. Jessica grew quite jealous at the sight of Brian sipping the coffee and getting along well with Daisy. It was totally an eyesore for her. She felt that Brian and Daisy were so close, so in sync, that no one could keep them apart. She couldn''t figure out how she felt about it, either. Envy? Or Admiration? She didn''t know. Daisy didn''t say anything. Her slight and indifferent smile resting on her mouth made it difficult for others to read her mind. It seemed that they were not talking about her but others. She seemed to be lost in her world.00000000000000

 Chapter 479 The Princess Of Ouyang Family (Part Two)

    "Intimate? I don''t think so. There is only one reason for your dirty mind; you have a problem understanding others. It looks like that we are on different mental levels because I am far smarter than you."


    Brian had been abroad, and hadn''t been back in the country for long. So he didn''t know the two aggressive women. But he would never miss the opportunity to speak up for Daisy without hesitation as long as someone, no matter who they were, talked badly of her. No matter how powerful their family might be, he would always be on Daisy''s side. Daisy was the most important person in his mind.


    "Hey boy! Is this the family education of Ouyang? Watch your manners. How can you be so rude talking with your elders?" Coco disliked Brian''s easy smile. Also, she hated it when he made fun of her intelligence because she had done terrible in school. Else she wouldn''t have decided to give up on university and be an actress. It was a sensitive topic for her.


    "Colonel, Mr. Mu''s calling." The moment Brian was about to move his lips and retort, Mark suddenly walked in and passed the phone to Daisy respectfully.


    "Hello! This is Daisy." Daisy believed it was hard to tell whether someone in a manner matched their family education or not. Just examining the words would be not enough. Actions speak louder than words. So she just turned a deaf ear to them.


    "Honey, are you busy at work?" Edward had been waiting for quite a long time, but he didn''t see his little woman. So he got the phone from Luke and made the call. He didn''t mean to nag her. He was just a little worried.


    "Oh, a little bit. But I''m already back in town. Are you feeling okay now?" Daisy frowned for an instant. She had wanted to go to the hospital as early as possible, but her original n was disturbed by these shrews who asked for trouble. It was already sote now! "I''m good. Take care and don''t worry." Though he had round the clock care, he couldn''t stop missing her all day. He didn''t know if it was because he had been wounded or if he loved her that much. Maybe a lot of both. That''s why he missed her so much. "Yes! I see. I''ll get right back to your hospital suite as soon as I finish up. Don''t worry about me." Daisyforted Edward softly. Daisy''s gentle voice seemed to be a flea in Jessica''s ear. There seemed to be fire burning in her heart. She felt so heartbroken. Oh, Edward, what a proud man! When did he care about her like this? Even during the time when they were getting well along, he didn''t make any phone calls to show he cared. But now he worried about and loved Daisy Ouyang so much. How could she not hate him?


    "I''m not worried. I''m just missing you." Edward had already be an old hand at saying those sweet words. Unlike the former Edward, he didn''t refrain from showing his love for Daisy at all. He was sure about one thing; all his love, gentleness and tenderness belonged to Daisy and he would never be stingy with them. He would take advantage of every opportunity to care for and love Daisy.


    "I miss you too. Bye." Just then, both Daisy''s ears and delicate face flushed all of a sudden. She looked so cute and gorgeous.


    "Wow." Brain always showed his angry face to those women who made fun of Daisy. But now he whistled to encourage Daisy when he heard her express her love to Edward so boldly.


    "Brian, I need to go now. Are youing with?" Daisy passed the phone back to Mark. She felt a little shy about his whistling. But she had already get used to it because she could always hear such whistles in the military. So she didn''t mind it at all.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Of course I''ll go with you. I''d have to be insane to hang out with these old hags. It''s a waste of my time." Brain was never afraid of abusing and offending people when he was speaking. He was somewhat like Belinda in this respect. Both of them were very blunt and direct.


    "Then let''s go!" Daisy smiled. Of course it would be a waste of time staying with them. What''s more, I was torture talking to women who thought too much of themselves.


    "Daisy Ouyang, wait, what''s wrong with Edward?" Jessica overheard Daisy mention something about a hospital, and she was worried. Edward didn''t love her, but she still had feelings for him. So she became quite anxious, afraid something had happened to Edward. Seeing Daisy turn to leave, she reached out to grab her hand. But Mark stepped in her way.


    "Sorry, miss. Watch your manners, please. The Colonel doesn''t like it when someone approaches her like that. Please keep your distance." Mark was quite familiar with Jessica Lin. He had stopped her from pping Daisy in the facest time, he was supposed to do the same this time. He didn''t know the history between Mr. Mu and her, but he would never allow her hurt his colonel.


    "You again! Are you a dog? Why are you always following her?" Jessica had only concentrated on the words ''Mr. Mu''s calling'' when Mark came in just now. She hadn''t paid much attention to other things. But now seeing Mark standing in front of her, she recognized him as the guy who grabbed her hand when she was about to p Daisy.


    "Sorry, no! I''m a dragon, not a dog. But how kind of you to ask about my birthday. Oh, what''s more, I''m Colonel''s apanying officer, namely her bodyguard. I''m in charge of her daily life and safety. So it''s reasonable that I am always following her."


    Mark exined in a serious manner. His words, together with his good-natured expression were so funny. If they were not in the wrong ce at the wrong time, Brian would burst intoughter at what he saw now. Mark looked like a good-natured man, but he actually insulted Jessica. What he said was damn ironic! He mocked her without a single dirty word.000?????????????

 Chapter 480 I Have A Gun and Im Not Afraid to Use It (Part One)

    "Miss Lin, you don''t need to worry about him. You''d better take care of yourself! After all, you are pregnant now, aren''t you? Mark, let''s go." Daisy left without hesitation as soon as she finished speaking. She looked extremely charming in her olive green military uniform when she walked towards the entrance of the cafe. Daisy was tall, slender and good-shaped. But her face was cool and solemn. She looked too dignified and too aloof to wee attention from anybody.


    "Behave yourself. Next time I hear you insulting our colonel, you won''t get off easy. I have a gun, and I''m not afraid to use it." Although Mark still looked like a simple honest boy, he tried his best to speak like a mature senior officer. He would despise himself if he behaved otherwise in front of this arrogant woman. No sooner had Mark finished speaking he scurried to catch up with Daisy. He cared nothing about who Jessica Lin was and what she could do! Mark respected Daisy a lot. He was willing to defend and fight for her, and would turn into a tiger in front of those who intended to hurt Daisy.


    "Mary, we''ll discuss this when we''re back home. I''m going to give you a piece of my mind." Brian swept a nce at the girls before finally settling his gaze on Mary. Then he turned and left without hesitation.


    Jessica bit her lip in fury, and clenched her hands tightly into firm little fists. When she thought of Daisy''s arrogance, she felt a strong desire to tear her apart. Everyone had warned and threatened her, taking Daisy''s side. She hated that feeling. Jessica wondered whether she was a pushover in everyone''s opinion. Even a young soldier dared to insult and threaten her. Who the hell did he think he was? Jessica would stand for no more of this humiliation. She must fight back and take revenge! ''Just wait and see, Daisy!'' Jessica said to herself, ''I will never forget what happened today. And you are the one who humiliated me to the point of no return. You are the one! I will never forget what you did to me. And the day wille when I settle all the grudges between you and me!''


    "So that''s it?" Coco asked Jessica with a frown. She knew Jessica very well. It was impossible for Jessica to swallow any indignity. Blood for blood, that was the principal philosophy that Jessica believed in her life. She would do everything she could to take revenge for the embarrassment she suffered. And she never failed in carrying out that philosophy. The only difference was how she did it.


    "But what can we do now? Do you have any better ways to shame her? Can''t you see that she has a bodyguard who will protect her? Do you really think we''ll get the chance to defeat a well-trained colonel, even she is alone without her bodyguard?" Jessica rolled her eyes to show her helplessness. Brian had every reason to mock them for their stupidity. Her aplices were no better than idiots. Coco was ignorant enough to raise such a stupid question. She either overestimated them or underestimated Daisy. Even Jessica herself could not help but deride Coco in her heart for her foolishness.


    "We can''t teach her a lesson now. But it doesn''t mean no one else can!" Although Mary disliked, and even hated, Jessica for her arrogance, she viewed Jessica as an indispensable ally to deal with Daisy.


    "You mean..." Jessica frowned after hearing Mary''s suggestion. She despised Mary for her status as a step daughter. But like Mary, Jessica was willing to forget her prejudice against Mary as long as they could plot together against theirmon enemy, Daisy. "Isn''t Daisy proud of and confident in her pureness and chasteness? How about we find some guys to fuck her? Do you think Edward will still love her with a loyal heart if that happens?"


    Mary''s eyes revealed a trace of viciousness. She hated Daisy for her nobility. It was unfair that Daisy was bestowed with every perfect quality. So wasn''t it fair to destroy her? Mary was waiting for the day when Daisy became a whore that every man could ride. She wondered how Daisy would retain her crystal clear purity in front of her if that happened.


    "So do you know some guys who can do this for us?" Jessica felt interested when she heard Mary''s suggestion. Edward was obsessively neat. She didn''t believe that Edward would treat Daisy as nicely if she was raped by other men. If that became true, would she be given a chance to win Edward''s heart again?


    "Daisy is beautiful. No man will refuse such a wonderful task of sleeping with that hottie. Besides, Daisy is Edward''s wife. It will be a challenge for somebody to bed the wife of FX International Group''s president." Mary was a wanton girl in private. But she hated to reveal herck of morals in front of Jessica. So, she didn''t mention her rtionships with gangsters and rogues. That was her secret to keep.


    "That''s a good idea. But difficult. You can''t just casually mention this to someone. It has to be carried out professionally and discreetly," Coco said apprehensively. But her worry and conscience soon gave way to jealousy. The three vicious women discarded their dislike of each other and, after reaching consensus in setting up Daisy, began to devise their wicked ns.


    A cold wind blew before Daisy was ready to step into the car. She shivered and felt chills down her spine. Daisy furrowed her beautiful brows as a strange feeling had caught her. She turned to nce at the cafe behind her. This kind of strange feeling emerged in her heart all of a sudden. But she couldn''t exin why.


    "What''s wrong, sis?" Brian asked, noticing the change in Daisy''s expression. He was worried. He turned to look at the cafe too, but could not spot anything particr. Brian wondered what Daisy was looking at.


    "Oh! It''s okay. Maybe I''m being overcautious!" Daisy shed a smile at Brian while speaking with him. It seemed she had grown more suspicious and worried because of Edward. She could never imagine, however, that her premonition was urate, as a terrible fate awaited her.


    "Are you still thinking of what happened just now? Don''t let them bother you. They''re just jealous. Just let it roll off your back. But who are the other two girls? Why did they gang up on you like that?"


    Brian had lived abroad for many years and had known little about what went on before his return. He, of course, knew nothing about what happened between Jessica and Edward while he was away. Naturally, he was confused about the incident in the cafe.


    "I don''t know too much about them. As for the reason, I don''t know that either." Daisy stopped to ponder this matter before stepping into her Hummer. She knew why Jessica hated her, and understood it quite well. But she could not help but feel puzzled about Coco''s hatred toward her, as they had never met each other until today. Was it possible that Coco was one of Edward''s ex-girlfriends?Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Was it because of Edward?" Brian asked tentatively. Fighting over a man was the mostmon cause for the enmity between women. Edward was charming and was born into a wealthy family. Brian believed that many women were willing to vie for his love. He was fully aware why those woman hated Daisy so much.


    "Just forget it! They are just exes. Whatever happened between them and Edward is over. I don''t want to spend too much time and energy on the past. It means nothing to me. The future is the only thing I want to look forward to. Obsessing over the past will not help me to build a better future." Daisy didn''t want Brian to know about her embarrassing past. Even she herself felt ashamed about it. What would happen if Brian knew? He always tried to protect her. Could Brian stay calm after knowing all this about her miserable past? Daisy didn''t want to ask for trouble for her own sake.


    "Okay, let''s look forward to the future. The past has nothing to do with us. But what matters now is where we are heading?" The question suddenly struck Brian when they were far off from the cafe.


    "The hospital. Edward was injured." Daisy trusted Brian a lot. She had no intention to hide Edward''s injury from him. Besides, there was something Daisy wanted to know from Brian.


    "What? Was it serious? How did it happen?" Actually, Brian didn''t ask for Edward''s sake, but Daisy''s. He just worried about her. Edward was the man Daisy loved, after all.


    "It was my fault he got into a gunfight. He would be perfectly fine otherwise. Lucky for us, the wound wasn''t fatal. He''ll recover soon."?????????

 Chapter 481 I Have A Gun and Im Not Afraid to Use It (Part Two)

    Daisy forced a bitter smile. She didn''t want to experience anything terrible like that again. Gunfights were stressful all on their own, let alone this one. Killing was never easy. If it was, you''d be insane. The battle had frayed her nerves. Daisy had to admit that she was incapable of facing such a scene again. "Are you okay? Did you get hurt?" Brian asked and studied Daisy carefully up and down. He only felt rxed when he was sure that Daisy was not hurt.


    "I didn''t get hurt. But I would be the one lying on the bed in the hospital but for Edward. He used his body to shield me and was shot as a result." Daisy stretched out her hand and touched Brian on his head. She fondled his hair in an amiable way. She was satisfied with her life. She had everything that all women were dreaming of: a husband who loved her heart and soul, a cute son, and beloved family members who cared for her very much. Now, Brian, her lovely brother, was back. She had one more person to love and one more person to love her. She was given everything she longed for, she couldn''t wish for more!


    "Sis, it''s okay." Brian took Daisy gently into his arms. He knew well that Daisy was still haunted by bad memories arising from the horrible gunfight, even if it was in the past. Brian could feel how Daisy felt about Edward from her words and actions. She must love Edward very much. She looked gentle and affectionate whenever she mentioned Edward. But Edward almost died for her. How could Daisy bear the terrible memory of the ident that had nearly killed him?


    "Thank you, Brian!" Brian''s gentle hug was different from Edward''s. Edward always smelled of a hint of jasmine, a scent that was sexually alluring to Daisy. But in Brian''s arms, what Daisy felt was the vigor belonging to a young man. Brian''s hug was as warm as sunshine, and gave Daisy the energy and vitality that she needed when she was in the darkness. Daisy felt peace in Brian''s hug, and lingered longer in his arms to absorb the positive energy she needed.


    Mark knew nothing about Brian, he didn''t even know he existed. He felt puzzled when he picked up and answered Daisy''s cell phone that she had forgotten in the back seat. He wondered where the hell this so-called brother came from. Daisy seemed like a riddle in Mark''s opinion. He never heard anything about Daisy''s husband and brother. Both of them popped up all of a sudden. Was there anyone else that Daisy would introduce to him in a sudden surprising way?


    It was natural for Mark to feel confused about Daisy''s personal rtions. After all, he had been Daisy''s aide for quite a few years. He had never heard of or seen any of them. And it indeed surprised him that Daisy''s brother was the handsome man who had crashed into his car the other morning. As far as Mark recalled, however, Daisy seemed to be aloof to her brother on that day, as though they were strangers. But they were close to each other now. What the hell happened? It seemed Daisy''s love affair was not the only thing that Mark didn''t know about. Even Daisy herself had turned out to be a mystery.


    "Why are you here?" Edward frowned when he saw Brian step into the so-called VVIP ward. He wondered whether Brian was here to screw up his moment with Daisy again. He would never forget how Brian had messed up his date with his beloved wifest time.


    "Just to have a look at the hospital, of course! Why do you ask? Do you think I''m here to pay you a visit?" Brian paid no attention to Edward''s unwee attitude. He understood the more Edward behaved disagreeably toward him, the more threatened Edward must feel. Edward''s jealousy would mean that he was truly in love with Daisy. Otherwise, Edward wouldn''t care about his close rtionship with Daisy at all.


    "I''m sorry. You must have misunderstood me. I really don''t think you are here to visit me. So please, be my guest. Have a look around the ward. Stay as long as you like. Maybe you''ll need it in the near future. It''s good idea to get to know the ce in advance." Edward didn''t give up easily, and was always spoiling for a fight. He gave no quarter, and asked none. He was always the man who mocked and never the man who was mocked.


    "Go to hell! You''re talking trash! You should brush your teeth afterwards. But as you were hurt so badly, you may be incapable of doing that for awhile! But don''t worry, I''m an understanding guy." Brian shed a mocking smile at Edward. He would feel embarrassed if Edward treated him politely. But he wouldn''t back down from a fight either. It was the unstoppable force versus the immovable object.


    "Hey, Brian. Youe here looking for trouble? Do you want your ass kicked?" Edward was irritated by Brian''s mocking his ipetence. He couldn''t do things as well as he used to now that he was injured. And now both Daisy and Brian were making fun of him -- at least, that''s how he felt. Edward was enraged.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "It depends on whether you have the strength to leave the bed." Actually, Brian was not good at quarreling. But he enjoyed seeing Edward have to suppress his fury in Daisy''s presence. Therefore, he liked to provoke Edward as much as possible.


    "That''s enough. You behave as if you were foes in your past lives! Why do you fight each time you meet?" Daisy rolled her eyes when she saw Edward and Brian quarreling again. In Daisy''s opinion, Brian was too young to behave like a mature man. But Edward... He was old enough and mature enough. But, somehow, he seemed so childish getting into it with a kid.


    "Edward started it. You are here, you saw it, sis. I said nothing," Brian exined to Daisy. He noticed Daisy''s darkened face and realized she was upset. His exnation enraged Edward further. Edward clenched his teeth, and tried to sit up with all his might. He had a strong desire to give this honey-tongued guy a heavy beating.


    "Never mind Edward. I''ll deal with himter. Brian, follow me. I need to talk to you." Although Daisy said it in a cold tone, she stared at Edward with a gentle look. Daisy apparently said such words tofort Brian. Brian could clearly feel it.


    "I want to ask Brian something. I''ll be back soon." Daisy gave Edward a gentle peck on his forehead. Although the kiss was as mild as a drop of rain falling into ake, it immediately appeased Edward and quenched his wrath. Edward smiled heartily.


    "Hmm! I''ll wait for you." Although Edward had no idea what Daisy wanted to get out of Brian, he had no desire to figure it out. Everybody had his or her privacy. Even the most intimate lovers had their own secrets. Edward didn''t mind if Daisy told him everything about her or not. He just hoped that Daisy was honest with him and was willing to tell him her true feelings if she had any doubts about him. Frankness and honesty were the only ways to dispel misunderstandings.


    "Okay! I must be as transparent as the air. You guys were going at it like I wasn''t even here," Brian grumbled and expressed his disapproval. But he felt happy in his heart when he saw Daisy and Edward were in such a close rtionship. Daisy''s happiness was his greatest wish as well as his greatestfort. But he wondered what Daisy wanted to know from him.


    "Sorry if we two lovebirds upset you so much, why don''t you find a girlfriend, and get intimate with her in front of us? Then we''ll be even." Edward said and looked at Brian with a satisfied expression. He smiled at Brian like an immoral winner would smile at a pitiful loser. Edward was so mean that anyone would fly into a rage over what he just did.00

 Chapter 482 The Dowry Was The Whole Property Of The Company (Part One)

    "Not for me. Women are all unreasonable creatures. Of course, my sister is an exception." Brian reached out his index finger and shook it to show his disapproval. He was not a nut. He wouldn''t be that bored as to have to find a woman to torture himself.


    were the true emotions they had developed in their childhood.


    "Let''s go! you''re talking too much!" They were separated for too long, and inevitably they both had changed much since they parted. But one thing always remained the same, their feelings for each other which they treasured in their hearts would never change. These "Okay, spit it out! If I know the answer, I''ll tell you all the things I know. If not, you''ll have to suffer," he teased. As soon as they walked out of the ward, Brian sat down on the sofa in the small living room, looking utterly carefree.


    "Is it true about what you said back there? That Ouyang Foreign Trade is the asset left by my grandfather?" Daisy actually knew nothing about her mother''s family background. It wasn''t because she didn''t remember anything, it was because her mother had never mentioned it to her. So she was very curious when Brian brought up the topic about her grandfather.


    "Yes, probably everyone in the upper ss knows about it. It''s old news, so maybe it looks like more rumor than truth. But if you really want to know the truth, it''s not difficult,"


    Brian sneered in self-mockery. In fact, he had already lost his faith in his so-called family. He couldn''t feel warm with his family anymore, on the contrary, it pushed him to desperation, he felt even colder in his heart. He viewed them with disdain. In his family''s eyes, interests were the first priority. They never considered how other member in this family felt about. Otherwise, they wouldn''t have driven Daisy away from the family.


    And now it turned out that Daisy''s mother was the reason why they could afford such a luxurious life. But they seemed to have ignored this fact. He wondered how they could sleep at night, knowing that their noble life was inherited from Daisy''s heritage. It was understandable if Mary and her mother didn''t know about this. But for his father who was supposed to know everything, how could he not have the slightest feeling of guilt about this? Moreover, he had disowned his only biological daughter. How could he really be so ruthless? Or did he really take the hypocritical Mary as his biological daughter?


    "Well, are there any rtives of my mother still living?" Daisy felt a little more cheerful as she really wanted to know more about her mother. Only with more information could she find out the real origin of "A Beauty''s Tears of Blood." And then she would not feel that she was a rootless person in the world.


    "Haven''t found one yet. The report only mentioned that the CEO of Cheng Financial Group married off his daughter, who was the apple of his eye, and the dowry was the whole property of thepany. This was quite a sensation at that time. You can search for it online. There are a lot of articles about it."


    In fact, Brian only investigated it out of a sudden curiosity. He was surprised that there were so many stories he didn''t know. Truth be told, he was dumbstruck when he found out the news. He wondered why his father changed the name of thepany and took it as his own.


    "What about my grandfather and grandmother? Is there any news about them in the report?" She asked this question not because she thought that they were still alive. She only wanted to know more things about her mother. Because she knew that if they were still alive, It was impossible that they didn''t have any connection with her mother. And she wouldn''t have known nothing about them.


    "Yes, I have seen a few reports about them. It mentioned in the news that they both died in an airline crash. They took a trip not long after they married their daughter," Brian replied, a little hesitantly. He looked at her with concern. He didn''t know whether Daisy could ept this sad fact.


    Hearing the news, Daisy''s lips trembled, her eyes bing hollow and dim. They died of an ident. Why did it have to be an ident again? Her mother died in an ident, why did his grandfather and grandmother have to suffer the same fate? God was so unfair! He was ruthless to make her most intimate family members die an unnatural death. She unwittingly stepped back. She almost fainted at this thought.


    "Sis, you...are you okay?" Seeing that Daisy''s face suddenly darkened, Brian changed his carefree manner and looked very concerned.


    "Oh! I''m okay." Daisy came back to her senses and forced a smile. In fact she only felt sad about her mother''s misfortune. Not because she was shocked by her grandparents'' death. After all, she had never seen them before or spent time with them, so she didn''t have deep feelings for them, let alone be heartbroken for their death.


    "Mommy! Uncle Brian!" Before Daisy could regain herposure from the sadness, Justin ran towards them with a sweetugh, followed by his grandparents.


    "Ah! Justin, you''re even more handsome now!" Brian opened his arms and took Justin into his arms. He intentionally rubbed his barely-visible stubble on Justin''s tender cheeks.


    "Dad, Mom." Daisy smiled gently, trying to hide her sadness.


    "Daisy, why don''t you get some rest at home? Besides you, there are many people working for the army. What if you fall ill due to exhaustion? We''d feel bad." Cynthia frowned and was very worried about Daisy''s health.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "I''m fine. I''m used to it. Don''t worry about me." She liked to be cared for like this, she felt very warm in her heart when she was cared for by others.


    "It makes me more worried if you have already gotten used to it. I can''t imagine how much work you are doing every day that the toil has already be a habit for you."???????????

 Chapter 483 The Dowry Was The Whole Property Of The Company (Part Two)

    his cold heart had already been melted by this love. Blood is thicker than water, the saying goes, and this seemed to hold true now.


    Cynthia reached her hand and slicked back Daisy''s hair. Such a gentle move gave Daisy a familiar feeling. Edward also liked to twiddle with her hair, Daisy realized this habit was inherited from his mother''s tenderness. No matter how much he rejected her mother''s love, The leaves on the trees by the side of the road moved with the gentle breeze, like mischievous spirits dancing wantonly. Kevin drove fast along this road. He felt anxious about what Daisy had said to him this afternoon. He had thought to call Leena to show that he cared, but he always got a busy line when he called.


    He licked his chapped lips caused by the dry weather in the autumn, his eyebrows furrowing deeper. He could have gotten off work earlier. But he was dyed by some urgent affair. This was ordinary as a soldier and Kevin couldn''t do anything about it. He actually had no time at his disposal.


    It only took half an hour for Kevin to arrive at his apartment, he usually would spend an hour in traffic. Obviously he drove very fast. He took a deep breath in front of the door. He had thought to ring the bell, but he paused before pressing the button. He gave up on the idea and took the key out of his briefcase.


    He had imagined that at the moment he opened the door, he would see a sweet scene as Leena would smile gracefully at him under the soft light in surprise. It was his turn to be surprised, for when he opened the door, what embraced him wasplete darkness in the house.


    He turned on the light in doubt, the whole room was lit up immediately. He nced around the room with his sharp eyes. But he didn''t find Leena anywhere. His thick eyebrows furrowed deeply. He hurriedly ran to the bedroom on the upstairs, but what was waiting for him was also silent darkness there. A sense of uneasiness rose in him.


    Kevin anxiously ran into the bathroom, but found no one. He took out his cellphone and dialed the familiar number. What he heard was still the busy tone. He helplessly turned around and went back downstairs. He was thinking about looking for Leena at her family''s mansion. But he had to face Duke''s ice-cold face again. And he was not sure Leena would be there.


    At the moment when Kevin tried to open the door and go out, the door suddenly flung open. Leena''s beautiful and graceful face appeared. Looking at Kevin''s handsome face so closely, Leena became bbergasted for a moment. But soon she regained herposure and weed him with a broad smile.


    "When did youe home? I thought that you might stay at the military base tonight. So I went out to have a walk. I didn''t prepare dinner." What Leena said was true, because except for the keys, there was nothing in her hands.


    "Is your cellphone a decoration for you?" When Kevin saw Leena, he felt surprised. But remembering that he could never reach her through the phone whenever he urgently needed to find her, he became very annoyed and uttered the harsh words in desperation. Last time when she went abroad, he couldn''t reach her because she had left her phone in the car. But what about this time? What was the reason behind it? Why was she always careless about everything?


    "I... I''m sorry. I forgot to bring the cellphone along. And I''m not a prophet with ability to predict that you will call me. Sorry. Next time I''ll consult my crystal ball." Tears began to well up in her eyes. Leena felt hurt by his harsh words. She bit her lip firmly, trying to hold back her tears. She hurriedly walked past Kevin and ran upstairs.


    Kevin was dumbstruck by Leena''s sudden move, then he followed her steps and tried to catch up with her. But he was toote. When he got to the top of the stairs, Leena shut the door in his face and locked it. She moved quite swiftly, as if she had been trained to do all these movements from birth.


    Kevin shook his head in helplessness. He realized that his tone was too harsh as soon as he finished saying it. But before he could offer an apology, Leena lost her cool and stalked off. Even he wanted to remedy the situation, he had already lost the chance. Leaning against the door, Le slowly copsed to the ground, the long suppressed tears streaming down from her eyes like broken strings of beads. Wasn''t her cellphone a decoration in Kevin''s eyes? When did he ever take the initiative to call her before? And when did he care about her?Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    She stupidly waited for him the whole night yesterday, because she still had a glimmer of hope for him. But she had already be numb and desperate after waiting for him so long till now. From the moment when she came back home from the hospital, she had imagined numerous scenes how she could face him when he came back. But he didn''t show up the whole night, and worse, he didn''t even call.


    Okay, he was a soldier, and probably there were cases when it was not convenient for him to make a call. For that she would not take offense and it was forgivable. But from yesterday night till tonight, she didn''t eat anything. She had tried hard to persuade herself to go out to rx a bit, because she worried that her mind would explode with nervous tension. but she didn''t think that she''d be confronted with Kevin''s harsh interrogation the moment she walked in the door. And this finally led to the burst of her emotions which had umted in her heart for awhile now. It had been a long timeing.

 Chapter 484 Take My Responsibility As Your Husband (Part One)

    Kevin heaved a deep sigh as he stood still, trying topose himself. He then gently knocked on the door and said, "Leena, please open the door. I''m sorry for what I said; but believe me that I didn''t mean it. I can exin. Would you please open the door for me?" Kevin didn''t mean to me Leena or anything. He only raised his voice because he was worried about her, a beautiful young girl wandering around alone in the night. He made a mistake by blurting out those harsh words without thinking too much about it, and he didn''t expect that it would hurt Leena''s feelings.


    Inside the bedroom, Leena remained silent the whole time. She didn''t know what was wrong with her either. Why would she get upset and sad like this simply because of something he said? She knew that he wasn''t really mad at her, nor did he try to give her an earful. Leena had always been a generous girl, who never held grudges against anyone who didn''t mean to hurt her. But why would she act like this? Was it because the person was Kevin?


    "Leena, if you don''t open the door for me, I''m afraid I''ll have to break the door. You should know that I''m a soldier, and this door won''t stop me if I want to go inside."


    Leaning against the door, Kevin tried to be as patient as he could with Leena. In fact, he hadn''t had slept properly for two whole days. Almost on the verge of breakdown, he was too exhausted to have a fight with Leena. He only hoped she could open the door and listen to him, and then maybe he could get some sleep.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "I... I''m fine. Don''t worry about me. I just want some time alone. Please don''t mind me." Trying to suppress the urge to burst into tears, Leena said between silent sobs. She had to make some random excuse in case Kevin did break in like he said. She didn''t know how to face him at this point. Her mind was in a mess; neither usation nor suspicion was the way she wanted to use to settle what had been going on between her and Kevin.


    "You''re crying!" Kevin said, as he heard Leena''s slightly trembling voice. He went nk for a second. He then got even more anxious. He thought Leena locked the door simply because she was annoyed and didn''t want to talk to him, because of what he had said downstairs. He had never expected that Leena would cry over that. He did put on a stern face, but everything didn''te out right and he didn''t mean to scold her in the first ce. But crying? Why?


    "No, I''m not. I''m just a little tired, because of the walk." Leenaposed herself as she wiped the tears from her face. She pretended to be tough because she didn''t want Kevin to see her as a weak and fragile little girl, easily hurt by his words. Although they were legally husband and wife, they were more like two strangers in reality. They hadn''t had enough time to get to know each other ever since they got married. Maybe it was because neither of them had such a thought in the first ce, since Kevin had someone else special in mind and Leena only agreed to marry him so she wouldn''t be sent back to France by her brother.


    But as time went by, Leena''s heart would skip a beat whenever she saw or thought about Kevin. She wasn''t sure what the mysterious feeling she had for Kevin was. However, she wasn''t a naive teenage girl anymore. She knew Kevin had someone else on his mind, and she didn''t think she would fall in love with him. She told herself that she wasn''t crying because she was upset or anything; it was just tears rolling down her cheeks and she somehow couldn''t help it.


    "Leena, I want to apologize to you, for what I said downstairs, and also for the fact that I''ve been neglecting you for such a long time. It''s all my fault. But can you give me a second chance? I promise you I will take my responsibility as your husband seriously and take better care of you. I''ll treat our rtionship better this time, and let''s both work on it and try to live together as a couple, shall we?"


    Kevin forced a bitter smile since he was left with no choice now. Daisy was happily together with Edward and their precious son, and he had also married Leena. He could no longer avoid facing the situation as well as his true feelings anymore, because it was unfair to all of them. He wasn''t sure whether he would fall in love with Leena, but at least he needed to try. Even if he couldn''t give up on Daisy in the end, he could face himself honestly and say that he had tried every means and failed to forget her.


    "I''m not angry with anyone, nor do I have anything toin about. I''m really just tired. Can you leave me alone for a while? Just a little while, please." Leena sniffed as she stood up from the floor, staggering toward the bed. She hadn''t eaten anything for the day; and because of the walk, the sudden emotional upheaval, and all kinds of thoughts simmering in her head, Leena felt exhausted and dizzy, as if the whole world was melting away in front of her. She was too tired to hold on to the matter with Kevin. All she wanted for the moment was to throw herself into the soft and warm bed to have a really nice sleep.


    And she did. When she felt the softness of the quilt, Leena took a deep sigh with relief. Lying in the bed idly, she was like a little kitten. Eyes closed, Leena could feel the faint smell of mint lingering in the bedding and flirting with her nose. It was Kevin''s unique scent. Although they seldom had chances to sleep in the same bed because he was always too busy with his work, somehow with the scent, Leena felt as if they had been together for a long time in this house as a loving couple.


    Leena wondered when she became such a sentimental person. But she missed everything before her marriage. She missed her mentor in Paris and the fashion shows in Mn. She was a little princess to Duke and her other brothers; they pampered her and gave her all the best things in the world so that she wouldn''t have anything to worry about except how to make more fun. She was also a talented designer; she would fly around the world to watch fashion shows and chase her inspirations to design her own collection of clothes and essories. How happy she was before she got married! However, she hadn''t felt that happy ever since she married Kevin. Looking back at her days of indulgence, Leena felt as if it had been ages, and all the happiness was floating in the air, in the distance and covered with mist.


    Maybe she was really exhausted, or maybe she was telling herself that she needed to fall asleep to help her forget things she didn''t want to think about anymore. Either way, Leena was worn out, both mentally and physically. She soon fell into slumber. Only in her dreams could she forget about the disturbing thoughts, the sharp pain in her heart and the deep sorrow that couldn''t find a outlet. What''s more, only in her dreams could Leena avoid facing Kevin or thinking about what exactly she felt about him.


    After hearing Leena''s words, instead of waiting outside and trying to talk Leena into opening the door for him again, Kevin decided to respect Leena and give her some space as she wished. There were too many problems going on between them two, and what they really needed was a sit-down and face-to-face talk rather than guessing one another''s minds through a closed door. Keeping things to themselves would do them no good in the long run as a couple. Kevin knew they needed to talk, but now wasn''t a good time. Leena got a little emotional and upset, so he''d better wait for her to calm down first. Having made up his mind, Kevin turned around abruptly and went downstairs. He went directly into the kitchen to make some noodles for both him and Leena. He could sense that Leena didn''t have any dinner just like him. Although he wasn''t sure whether Leena would forgive him and eat the noodles cooked by him, he had to try his luck, because he couldn''t sit around and let her starve, at least not in his house.????????????

 Chapter 485 Take My Responsibility As Your Husband (Part Two)

    After a while, Kevin went back upstairs with the noodles. He gently knocked on the bedroom door again, but he heard no response from inside the room. With a frown, he tried again and knocked harder on the door. Still, Leena didn''t open the door nor make any sound. He could only hear the sound of his knocks echoing in the corridor.


    Kevin tried to turn the knob, but to his disappointment, Leena had locked the door from inside when she came into the bedroom. Staring at the closed door for a short while, Kevin turned around and headed to his study. If Leena wouldn''t open the door for him, he could always use the spare key to open the door himself! After Kevin fetched the spare key and opened the locked bedroom, he was stunned to see the woman who was soundly sleeping in their bed. Holding the noodles, Kevin suddenly had no idea what he should do at the moment. He wasn''t gone for long, and he definitely didn''t expect that Leena would fall asleep so soon. He thought maybe she was just locking herself in the bedroom and secretly angry with him.


    Slowly and gently, Kevin made a beeline for the bedside. Leena was curling herself up like a little kitten, a delicate porcin doll. No matter what Kevin felt about Leena before, his heart softened all of a sudden at the sight of the sleeping beauty. Men were always like this. They had an issue with the heroplex. They tended to y the alpha male and protect the weak and delicate. As a man, and more importantly, a Major General in the army, Kevin couldn''t help feeling like keeping Leena under his wings to protect her from any harm all of a sudden.


    Kevin pulled the quilt over to cover her in case she would catch a cold. Then he gently tucked the hair falling on her face behind her ear. Upon seeing the tear stains on her pretty face, Kevin froze for a while. Her tears somehow bruised his heart.


    Hesitant, he reached out his fingers to caress her creamy skin. The touch of her fair skin was so fascinating that he couldn''t help but slightly pinch her rosy cheek before wiping the tear stains for her. He went nk for a few seconds as his fingers met her tender lips. It felt like he was spellbound and couldn''t move his eyes away from her. Finally, Kevin forced a bitter smile and leaned forward to kiss her forehead. He then sat back while fixing his eyes on Leena''s sleeping profile. He sighed heavily as he thought that he''d have to finish up all the noodles by himself. Although they hadn''t spent much time together, Kevin had known that it wasn''t easy to wake Leena up once she fell asleep.


    In the meanwhile, Kevin himself was also exhausted because of days of nonstop work. He rushed through dinner. Instead of staying in his study to continue working like he usually did, he took a quick shower and directly went to bed. Leena was frowning with a pout even when she was asleep, which made Kevin wonder what was in her dream that made her unhappy. With a smile, Kevin pulled Leena into his arms and soon fell into sweet dreams.


    When the first beam of warm sunshine prated through the curtain and danced tenderly in Leena''s face, she opened her watery eyes with a huge yawn. She wasn''t surprised to see that the other side of the bed was cold and empty. She sometimes even wondered whether Kevin really slept in this bed. Had it not been for the faint and refreshing scent of mint from the pillow and the quilt, Leena would have thought that the man she thought she had married was only her own illusion. However, Leena was struck by another question all of a sudden. She remembered clearly that she locked the doorst night. So how did Kevin get in? ''Perhaps he has superpowers and he can walk through walls!'' Amused by her own thought, Leena burst into giggles.


    Leena stretched with another yawn. After staring nkly at the ceiling for a short while, she got out of bed on barefoot and walked towards the bathroom. She decided to let go of how Kevin got in the bedroom, since she might as well ask himter in person. She was too tiredst night that she fell asleep without taking a shower; therefore she felt sweaty and ufortable now. All she wanted for the moment was a long hot bath to rx.


    Kevin was a soldier who had a strict timetable of when to do, what to follow. Every morning he would get some exercise; even if it was his day off, he would also run in the gym near his apartment. Habit was something like this; it gradually changed you before you could realize, like his internal clock, like his feelings for Daisy. He wondered whether someday he would get used to Leena''spany and let go of his obsession with Daisy. Because Leena was in low spiritsst night, Kevin decided to take a day off to stay with Leena and cheer her up a little bit. It was still early in the morning after he had done running, and he wondered if Leena was awake by then.


    He bought some breakfast from the store near his apartment before heading back home. He just ran for miles, and he was sweating all over. As soon as he walked in the house, he put the breakfast on the dining table and decided to shower off the sweat and change into some dry clothes before waking Leena up to enjoy breakfast with him.


    He thought Leena was probably still sleeping, and he didn''t want to wake her up. So he walked lightly as he approached their bedroom. But to his surprise, when he pushed the door open, he saw something really arousing. He stopped out of shock, his eyes wide open and his jaw dropped to the floor.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Ah!" A shriek pierced through Kevin''s ears and brought him back to reality. Leena had thought that Kevin had left for work like he always did. But why was he here? She was naked at the moment for God''s sake! And he saw it all!


    "I..." Kevin froze by the door. He neither turned around nor closed the door; he just nked out and couldn''t think of anything to say or do. He initially wanted to exin himself or apologize to her, yet he didn''t know what he should be sorry for. While he was still in a daze, Leena quickly pulled over a sheet to cover herselfpletely within a split second, which made Kevin once again amazed by how deft she was.


    "What? Turn around now!" Leena was burning up with embarrassment. She was sure that her cheeks were hot enough to fry an egg. She thought Kevin had gone to work and she was the only soul in this house. That was why she didn''t bring her pajamas or changing clothes with her into the bathroom. When she got out of the tub, she just casually dried the water off her body and walked to the closet to find something to wear. While she was humming a tune and going through her closet, naked, Kevin, the one who she thought couldn''t be there, showed up at the door.


    Kevin''s face slightly twitched. He felt a bit awkward because he had seen everything whether he intended to do so or not. Now that Leena had wrapped herself up, was it necessary for him to turn around? He didn''t see the point anyway. But he knew she was coy and embarrassed at the moment. Thinking about all the problems between them that they hadn''t found a proper way to settle and make their rtionship less awkward, Kevin then decided not to provoke her any further and simply turn around as she demanded, in case she got mad at him this time.


    Upon seeing Kevin turn around with his back to the door, Leena turned to the closet and randomly grabbed her underwear and her clothes before hastily dashing into the bathroom again. She blushed as she ran. She secretly med herself for not checking whether she was really alone in the house before she went out of the bathroom without wearing anything. She was a married woman and this was not her home; she should have been more careful! Leena felt so humiliated that she didn''t even know how to face Kevin right now. What would he think of her? What could she say to exin herself? Leena could only sigh heavily in distress. This was going to be harder than she thought.0000???????

 Chapter 486 Watch This Video

    Leena stumbled into the bathroom. Hearing the noise behind, Kevin couldn''t help but turn his head to see Leena trip over the long sheet. Fortunately, she didn''t fall down. Kevin strode to pick up the bra that Leena dropped in a panic. There was a wicked smile on his handsome face. He knew that Leena would be upset once she realized that her bra was missing. Sure enough, Leena pulled a long face when she couldn''t find her bra. She muttered to herself, ''Come on! Where''s my bra? I remember bringing it with me. Why can''t I find it?''


    Kevin stopped outside the bathroom. Pursing his lips, he cleared his throat and knocked at the door to attract Leena''s attention. He could imagine how anxious Leena was in the bathroom. "Please wait a few more minutes. I''ll be ready soon." Leena looked into the mirror sullenly, on the verge of tears. She racked her brain for solutions regardless of her restlessness.


    "Are you sure you only need a few minutes? Do you need my help? I have something in my hand." Kevin fiddled with thece bra that he picked up from the ground. He didn''t expect someone who seemed petite and cute like Leena to have avant-garde ideas and good taste for clothing.


    Leena blushed at Kevin''s words. Thinking of Kevin shaking his head at her bra in disdain, she subconsciously looked down at her small but plump breasts. She got angry at her carelessness.


    "Give it to me." With a flushed face, Leena opened a crack in the door and stretched out her delicate hand. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears as her nervousness grew.


    "The pattern and color look nice, but it''s a bit small." Kevin smirked, cing the bra on her shaky hand.


    "So what? You''re behaving indecently." Leena withdrew her hand as soon as she got the bra and immediately closed the door. To be sure, she deftly locked the door.


    "Hey, do I behave indecently?" Kevin was stunned. He had always been a wless man in the eyes of others. Why did Leena say that he behaved indecently?


    "Yes. Beyond the shadow of a doubt." Leena shivered at the thought of Kevin holding her bra between the fingers and staring at it with lecherous thoughts.


    "As the saying goes, he who wants to beat a dog will easily find a stick. It''s difficult to get along with women and viins. Fine. I won''t argue with you. Come out after you get dressed. I have to take a shower."


    Kevin smiled helplessly. This was the real Leena, charming and energetic. Mncholy didn''t suit her at all. Instead, she was supposed to be cheerful and outgoing.


    "I''m ready." The mini skirt and chiffon blouse gave Leena a graceful, aristocratic and elegant temperament. The stic high-quality skirt wrapped tightly around her hips, revealing her beautiful slender legs. The sultry and enchanting look was a lot different from her original fresh and refined style.


    "It this your dress today?" Kevin frowned. Leena''s attire looked good, but Kevin didn''t want her to unt herself like this. It made him feel very ufortable.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Is there anything wrong with it?" Leena looked down at her dress. She was a top designer at an international brand that had good taste for fashion and clothing. She was quite satisfied with the dress she designed herself.


    "No. Go downstairs and have breakfast. I''ll take a shower." Kevin''s eyebrows were still furrowed tightly. As he said, her dress looked good, but it was too sexy.


    "Aren''t you supposed to be at work today?" Leena rarely saw Kevin in the daytime, so she walked out of the bathroom naked. Otherwise, she wouldn''t be brave enough to do that.


    "I take a day off. Why, don''t you want to see me at home?" Kevin smiled gently, emphasizing his handsome, captivating, and evil look. Every excellent man boasted his own charm. One man''s meat was another man''s poison.


    "I... That''s not what I meant. I''m just curious. I''ll go downstairs." Leena brushed against Kevin and stumbled down the stairs. Neither of them mentioned what happenedst night. It was as if they deliberately tried to avoid it to cautiously get along with each other, but it didn''t mean the matter no longer existed. They didn''t mention it for the time being. It would surface at the right time.


    "Mind your step." Kevin worriedly warned Leena to be careful. He followed her to the door and didn''t feel relieved until Leena was safely at the bottom of the stairs. Then he returned to the room.


    Leena''s hand injury had almost healed, so she could do some simple work. She skillfully put the breakfast Kevin bought on the tes. She was so hungry that her stomach began to rumble, but she didn''t eat the breakfast in a hurry. Instead, she quietly waited for Kevin like a properdy.


    Kevin was always busy with work, but he took a day off today. Deep in Leena''s heart, she was excited about this. She took Kevin''s care for her for granted and didn''t think about why she needed his care. The smile on her face had happiness written all over it, but when she saw Kevin running downstairs in his olive-green military uniform, her face fell.


    "Leena, I''m sorry. You have to eat breakfast alone. I have to go back to the base immediately for something urgent. I''ll apany you on the next vacation." Kevin quickly put on his boots as he exined to Leena. He didn''t notice the subtle change in Leena''s facial expression as he went out, leaving her lost in thought at the table.


    Kevin sped away on his Humvee and soon arrived at the base. He rushed to themander''s office after parking the car.


    "Commander, what did you mean on the phone? What did Hank do?" Kevin asked anxiously as he walked into the office. He was deeply worried about this matter.


    "Look. Someone sent a video. If I''m not mistaken, this is ording to Mr. Mu''s instructions, or it wouldn''t request a severe punishment for Hank." Themander sighed. It seemed that Hank was in serious trouble this time. Would Daisy let him go as his colleague? "Does Daisy know about this?" Kevin picked up the U disk on the table and inserted it into theputer. After watching the video, he wondered if Daisy was aware of this. He knew that Hank was jealous of Daisy, but he didn''t expect Hank to collude with people in society to achieve what he wanted. The anniversary celebration of the FX International Group put a stop to the rumors against Daisy, nipping his scheme in the bud.


    "She must be unaware. I''ve sent someone to inform her. No matter what, she''s the one affected most by this. I don''t think we should hide it from her." Themander wasn''t certain if Daisy knew about the matter. Edward was her husband. He should have told her about it. "Commander, what''s wrong?" Daisy asked as she walked in. Since Kevin didn''t close the door when he came in, Daisy didn''t need to knock. She frowned unconsciously at the sight of Kevin. ''Didn''t he take a day off today? What is he doing here?'' "Daisy, watch this video." Themander moved aside to make room for Daisy, so she could see the video more clearly.


    "Who sent this?" Daisy looked calm after watching the video. She had doubts about Hank and Jessica, but she didn''t know why Hank would do this to her. Was she really the reason why he didn''t get promoted? His deep resentment must be the reason why he wanted to bring her down.


    No matter how much Hank had provoked Daisy, she thought that he only desired to excel over her. She didn''t think that he would be so narrow-minded. He assumed that he would get what he wanted and be promoted if he brought Daisy down. What a pity. Didn''t he know that he had to pass various assessments before he could get a promotion?


    "You really have no idea of this? I assumed it was sent by order of Mr. Mu. I thought you would know something. Now I''m confused." Themander started to doubt if the video was sent by Edward. By the look of things, Daisy seemed to be ignorant of the matter. "Did he? I didn''t even know that he had this video. When did he find out that someone filed an usation against me?" Daisy was stunned. She didn''t mention it to Edward, but it seemed that Edward knew about it. Mark most likely told Edward about it. He catered to Edward''s wishes so much that it looked like he worked for Edward.


    "The background of the video is the anniversary venue of the FX International Group. Someone clearly recorded the conversation between them. I think only someone who works for Mr. Mu would link the rtionship between the two. Otherwise, who else would know you were being investigated in the army base?"


    Kevin analyzed calmly. He had carefully observed the security situation at the venue and found that it was heavily guarded. This must be credited to Luke. Luke was apparently Edward''s bodyguard. Impressively, he considered every aspect of the security. He shouldn''t be underestimated.00000000

 Chapter 487 No One to Blame but Himself (Part One)

    "There''s a reason behind his actions. He sponsored the military equipment purchase and invited the military officials to attend the anniversary party. He did these things for me, didn''t he?"


    Complicated feelings surged in Daisy''s heart. She didn''t know how to describe how she felt. Edward had done so many things in secret for her. Usually, she would be angry that he had kept everything from her. But at this moment, she wasn''t upset at all. Instead, she felt warm-hearted. Was this how it felt to be doted on by Edward? He removed all the barriers for her and never talked about his ns to her. All he showed in front of her was his sweet concern. Sometimes, he pleased her through ttery.


    "The sponsorship cooperation started before you were reported anonymously. We discussed about it during our meeting. At that time, we thought the president of the FX International Group was strange, because he didn''t state any terms that would be advantageous for hispany. He only reserved rights for one requirement. As for what he wanted in detail, none of us knew. But he promised that his requirement would not pose any threat to the army and cause any problem. He said it would just be a minor requirement. Now, I understand him. He reserved the rights for you."


    Themander had a high opinion of Edward. He was young, but he managed such a bigpany. What''s more, FX International Group was well-developed in every aspect under his management. Though it was a family business he took over from his father, it couldn''t have developed into such a grand tycoon without his clever brain and diplomatic shrewdness. The FX International Group was currently part of the top 10 most powerful corporations.


    "I don''t know. He didn''t tell me about it at all. I only found out about the sponsorship the day before yesterday." Daisy grew slightly flustered. She had talked with Edward about it yesterday morning. Although she had been a little aggressive at that time, she didn''t me him for it. She just didn''t like it when he kept things from her. She understood that it was his unique way of protecting her. But she preferred to face all difficulties together with him instead of being under his protection.


    Kevin''s heart jolted at Daisy''s words. This was how Edward loved her. He had spent a lot of money on a project for Daisy and he did it discreetly. He chose not to let her know so as not to trouble her. What a considerate man! All of Edward''s actions showed his care and love for his wife.


    Kevin knew that Edward was arrogant and domineering. He was extremely rich and was a resourceful and astute strategist in the business world. He was so particr that even his way of caring for and loving his wife was so unique. He must love Daisy deeply in his heart.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Yes, Daisy. Now you know everything. Actually, the military officials should have been aware about your situation. Despite this, I''m afraid this video has to be handed in in order to reveal the truth and prove your innocence. Besides, the investigation department has been keeping an eye on this matter. If we don''t show them the video, they''ll never let it go."


    Themander knew Daisy was kind-hearted. If Hank crossed her, there was a high possibility that she would let it go. But Hank was a narrow-minded man. He was worried that Hank might keep setting her up in the future, so he brought up handing the video in without waiting for Daisy''s opinion. Sometimes, amander''s suggestion was more like a decision. In this case, Hank wouldn''t be able to do anything simr in the future.


    "You can deal with it by following the standard procedure. I don''t have any opinion about this." Knowing that this was the result that Edward wanted, Daisy agreed with themander''s decision despite feeling pity for Hank. Edward would be disappointed if she chose not to hand the video in. He was the most important person in her life. She didn''t want to see him unhappy. Besides, he had done all these things for her sake.


    "Good. I''ll handle itter. As for Hank''s punishment, we aren''t certain. But judging from the cooperation between Mr. Mu and the military, I''m afraid that Hank won''t get away with a p on the wrist."


    Hank had been working for him for a long time. Although he wasn''t satisfied with him in many respects, he still felt some sympathy for him and didn''t want him to end up with nothing. Though he was narrow-minded, he made a great deal of effort to reach his present position.


    "He''s supposed to know the consequences of his actions when he decided to do it. He should have no one to me but himself. Commander, don''t feel sorry for him."


    Everyone knew that Hank always gave Daisy a hard time. Kevin took a scunner against him because of it. He didn''t feel sorry for Hank at all. Everything happened for a reason and Hank deserved what''sing to him. Kevin held no sympathy for Hank in any way. "Commander, I''ll respect whatever the officials decide on. I don''t have anything to say as long as I can be proven innocent. As for the details, I don''t want to worry too much about it."


    As a colleague, Daisy knew clearly how difficult it was for Hank to be in his present position. He must have strived a lot with his own sweat and blood. She wasn''t the kind of person who hit a man when he''s down. Although he was the one who started it, everything was moving along the projected path. Daisy decided not to be stubborn about it.


    As for Jessica, since Edward already had this video, he must have known that Jessica had something to do with it. Daisy didn''t know how Edward would deal with Jessica. Would he be merciful to Jessica because of their history? Daisy didn''t care about it. It wasn''t important to her. What she wanted was simple. As long as she could stay with her husband and son and live a happy life together, she would be satisfied. She didn''t want to trouble herself with irrelevant things.


    Meanwhile, Edward was looking out the thin ss window. He watched the clouds float across the sky. He was bored with his lonely life in the hospital. There was nothing he could do as a patient. He fiddled with his new cell phone. It was one of thetest mobile phones with a modern and unique design. But he wasn''t used to it because there weren''t any pictures of Daisy in it and he couldn''t save one as the screensaver. He wanted to see her beautiful face every time he unlocked his phone. Now, the phone was just a cold electronic product to him. He''d rather watch the changing clouds in the sky. It would be more interesting.


    "Mr. Mu." Luke caught Edward''s lonely face when he came in. He knew Edward must be feeling quite bored in the hospital. Otherwise, he wouldn''t be showing such a dull and lonely expression. Luke anticipated that he would grow bored, so he went back to the hospital as soon as possible. But he first went to the suburbs after handing the video in, afraid that his men might torture Paul Du to death. Before everything was clear, he didn''t want him to die.


    "Yes! You''re back. How are things going?" Edward tore his gaze from the clouds. He already anticipated the result. Although Daisy looked cold and indifferent, her soft heart might make her forgive Hank if he begged her. That was why he deliberately didn''t tell her about it. He didn''t want Hank to get away without any punishment after all the things he had done to set Daisy up. Hank was a sinister man who deserved no mercy.D

 Chapter 488 No One to Blame but Himself (Part Two)

    Daisy must have seen the video by now. Edward wondered how to exin it to her when she came back. He was a little worried that Daisy would be upset with him. After all, she had emphasized yesterday that she didn''t like it when he kept things that concerned her from her. But what about now? He had thrown out a grenade. How would she react to it? Edward had his doubts. Moreover, there were more powerful bombs in the future. He felt like he was walking towards his deathbed.


    "I didn''t show myself. I asked someone to hand it in. But I think they must have figured that we have something to do with the video. Anyone with a brain could easily link it to us. Otherwise, there would be no one smart enough to manage other people''s business. Besides,


    apart from the army and us, no one knows the tip-off about Mrs. Mu."


    Luke looked at Edward with a firm gaze. He shared his reasoning and thoughts with Edward. No one in the army was mediocre. They could easily figure things out and find out a reasonable exnation for the whole matter if they put a little thought to it.


    "I''m aware of this. Besides, we did it because we want them to know that the video came from us. This way, they will have no excuse to cover someone up." Edward chuckled to himself. He didn''t care about their thoughts. All he wanted to know was Daisy''s opinion. As for the other things, he didn''t want to waste his time pondering about it.


    "But Mrs. Mu..." Luke hesitated. He didn''t know if Daisy would me him because he hadn''t discussed it with her before making the decision about the video. But it seemed that he didn''t need to worry about it. Anyway, Edward would be the first person that Daisy would be upset with. Even if a meteor were to hit earth, Edward would be the first one to hold the responsibility. He had little to do with it.


    "It''s fine. I''ll exin to her. Tell me what you''ve gotten from Paul. I need to plot carefully as soon as I get discharged. A long dy may cause trouble." Edward didn''t like staying in the hospital. He needed to find a way to recover quickly and leave the hospital at once. It was more convenient to deal with these things at home than in a hospital. Maybe he could ask Tom to go to his house and check up on him every day, so he wouldn''t have to stay in the hospital anymore. Since Tom wasn''t generous with his precious medicine, he''d better order some medicine from him. Daisy would most likely agree with him and prefer him to be at home as well.


    "I''ve recorded what he said. Here you go." Luke took out his phone and yed the recording from beginning to end. Edward frowned tightly as he listened to the contents of the recording. His eyes narrowed into slits, conveying a sense of danger.


    Now he knew the truth. That was how they had treated a delicate pregnant woman. They didn''t even feel any guilt about it at all. To make things worse, they had taken advantage of her and lived a luxurious life that they couldn''t originally afford. Weren''t they afraid that the dead would haunt them at night in their sleep?


    What a tragedy! He was worried how Daisy would take this deadly blow. Her mother had been murdered with her unborn baby. Cruel demons! They didn''t deserve to be called human beings. Even an animal would never do such brutal things. But they had done it with purpose. They harmed innocent lives to reap their benefits and live afortable and prosperous life. From beginning to end, they trampled on the lives of others for their own selfish interests.


    "What do you think about it?" Edward''s lips trembled with anger. The victim was his wife''s most cherished woman. He felt distressed for Daisy. He couldn''t help feeling heartbroken at the thought that she was about to face this. If possible, he wanted to bury this brutal truth and never let her know about. Then, she wouldn''t be burdened with the knowledge. But he couldn''t do that because these monsters would remain unpunished. He couldn''t make such a decision on Daisy''s behalf. Daisy had the right to know the truth.


    "As far as I''m concerned, if Mrs. Mu were to handle this, she would definitely follow thews strictly as a soldier. She will leave it to the police to take care of it. But it doesn''t mean that there''s nothing we can do right now. There''s a great deal of things we can do to them before the police find them." Luke gave a snort of disgust. It would just be a minor punishment for the culprits if they were handed over to the police. But he didn''t have a choice because Daisy wouldn''t let them do anything besides surrender them to the police. In that case, he could at least torture them secretly before they were handed over. He wondered how psychologically strong they were.


    "Well, it seems that you''ve already got a n." Edward rested his chin on his slender hand. He wanted to see how could Leo keep calm after learning of this. Now, even if he wanted to recognize Daisy as his own daughter, Daisy would not necessarily express any kindness or gratitude. It would be difficult for him to earn Daisy''s forgiveness. He had hurt Daisy so much. How could she open her heart to him so easily?All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Not really. I can only deal with Paul. He''s the kind of person who disys cowardice when faced with death. As for a bitch like Yakira, no one is devious enough to handle people like her except you." Luke didn''t mean anything else by his words, but Edward caught a different understanding when he heard them.


    "Are you saying I''m more devious than her?" Edwards narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at Luke. Oh, good. He was evenpared to such a vixen! Was he such a despicable man in his eyes?


    "No, sir! Mr. Mu, I didn''t mean it like that. You know how bad I am at getting along with women, unlike you. You''ve always been expert at dealing with them." Luke immediately exined. But he hadn''t expected his response to cause even more dissatisfaction. "Oh, I see your point. So you mean to say that I''m always involved with women, right?" Edward said in a mischievous tone. Why didn''t Luke keep his thoughts to himself? It would be a disaster if Daisy heard them. Daisy might think he was flirting around with other women! He couldn''t afford living like that anymore.


    "I..." Luke immediately regretted his reply as soon as he spoke. He realized that no matter how he exined himself, Edward would find fault in his words. So he decided to keep silent and not say another word. The more he spoke, the more mistakes he might make. He would be safe if he didn''t say anything.


    "No more excuses? It seems that I read your mind," Edward quipped. He enjoyed asionally teasing Luke who always seemed so serious. He considered it a way to relieve his boredom. After all, it was extremely boring to stay in the hospital all day long.000

 Chapter 489 Rip Off (Part One)

    an ailing patient like Edward could effectively look over this much paperwork?


    "Oh, Luke, are you out of your mind? How dare you act so cool in front of your boss?" Rain smiled yfully while leaning against the door. He had a pile of documents in his hands. Luke wondered why Rain had brought over so many papers here. Jesus, did he think that "You''re barking up the wrong tree." Luke rolled his eyes and sulked. He turned his back to Rain and decided against interacting with him. He was always quiet and was unwilling to argue with anyone.


    "Oh, Is that so? So do you think Edward was just teasing you?" After putting the papers on the table, Rain kept on ridiculing Luke. He wanted to test Luke''s limits to see how far he could push him. For Rain, teasing Luke was one of the biggest joys of his life. Unfortunately, Edward was there, too. In the end, Rain failed to provoke Luke to violent rage, but he unwittingly offended Edward.


    "Rain, what the fuck are you doing here during working hours? Go back to the office and get to work right away! Or I won''t mind giving you a beating of a lifetime." Edward said menacingly. He stared at Rain with an intimidating gaze. ''Is Rain implying that he is a homosexual who has fallen for Luke? Maybe Rain doesn''t have enough work to keep him busy.'' Edward started thinking about the tasks that could be assigned to Rain.


    "Damn it! Don''t nag me. The papers need to be signed by you. If I can''te here, would youe to the office in person? I don''t mind carrying you on the stretcher." Rain Xia shook his shoulders as he spoke. The implication was clear, he did this out of kindness. As a matter of fact, Rain hadn''t even read these papers. Since Edward signed the papers, there was no need for him to review. He always did it like this.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "So you think I well enough to work now." Edward said in a low voice, with his beautiful eyes viciously sizing up Rain. He knew Rain was good at dumping the work on him. He wondered what excuse Rain had cooked up this time.


    "Come on, dude. You have just hurt your chest, not your brain and hands. I am sure you can write and think normally. Then why can''t you sign the papers?" Rain was thinking about the two-month holiday Edward had mentioned earlier. He didn''t want to ept that. Thus he had to allot the work to Edward before it was put into effect. He was not afraid of Edward''s refusal because he was well aware that Edward was quite concerned about these programs.


    "Gosh! How can you say that? Rain, you are mistreating my recovering patient? Why are you so cruel?" said Tom. Tom had juste back from his ward round. He was wearing the doctor''s white coat, with a stethoscope around his neck.


    "Jerry, I must admit that your medical skills are really poor! Edward has been hospitalized for many days, but he hasn''t recovered yet. How can people call you a talented doctor when you are so bad at your job." So far as sharp tongues were concerned Rain was sure to be annihted by Edward. But when it came to Jerry, it was a different story altogether.


    "You think it''s not a big deal, just like a minor wound by a knife or a tiny bite by you? You brainless stupid jerk! Stop your pretentious rubbish, OK? It is in his heart. I am more professional than you. I would make you lie in the hospital bed in a second. Do you want a go at it?"


    Tom rolled his eyes. It was fine by him when Rain was messing with Edward, but he couldn''t stand it as Rain questioned his art of healing. In Tom''s opinion, Rain was the most idle person who was stupid enough to pick a fight at the hospital.


    "Knock it off. I know you are going to be finished soon. You tricked Edward by providing him the unnecessarily extravagant ward. In fact, I believe you ripped him off, like someone who kills a pig to get the most pork. Money is all you''ve ever wanted." Rain smiled evilly, staring at Tom, but he didn''t notice how dark Edward''s face was.


    "Aha, now you are dead, too," said Tom happily. At the same time, he carefully checked Edward''s wound, making sure his body blocked Rain''s view of Edward''s angry face. He realized Edward was displeased and a thunderstorm was about toe, but Rain was unaware about it.


    "Just you? It''s impossible for you to kill me. You are too weak." Rain nked himself into the sofa, crossing his legs like a wicked gangster.


    "What about him and me? Is that possible?" A cold voice whispered in his ears. Rain got so scared that he jumped up from the sofa in a sh. He didn''t understand it, why was Mr. Mu telling him off?


    "Err... It''s highly possible. But in that case, would you do me a favor first? Tell me what I''ve done to upset you, my dear Edward." Rain Xia was confused and totally nervous. He craned his neck to peer at Edward. Even over Tom''s low-hanging shoulder, he still felt as cold as falling into an ice house.


    "Did you justpare me to a pig? Uh-huh!" In fact, Edward had declined this damned ward. But Tom had made great efforts to arrange him into it, and he finally had to ept it. But now Rain brought up the subject again. No wonder he was furious with Rain. Besides, Rainpared him to a fat pig. Edward had been away for just a few days, had Rain forgotten who the boss was?


    "Err! I never said that." Rain shook his head, trying to recall what he had said moments ago. Suddenly, he stared at Tom with his eyes wide open. Rain was disappointed with his dimwitted words. Tom continued to smile vaguely. ''Am I had by Tom?'' he thought quietly. "Do you remember now?" Said Edward calmly with his eyes fixed on Rain. There was no smile on his face but a cold fury in his heart.


    "No!" He wouldn''t admit it even if he got killed. Because that would be worse than being killed if he admitted his mistake. He was no fool.


    Luke curled his lips mockingly. Rain was an excellent actor. He said it just a few minutes ago, but now he was pretending that he had lost his memory. It wouldn''t work with a smart man like Edward.000

 Chapter 490 Rip Off (Part Two)

    "No? Well, I get it. You can go now." Although Rain feigned ignorance, Edward showed as if he didn''t mind it. Edward knew that he would get lots of chances to torture Rain. "Please sign the papers before I go." Rain was stunned. Edward mentioned nothing about the papers just because of his small slip up. What a narrow-minded man.


    "What papers? Sorry, I have no idea." Edward lifted his eyebrows and shook his shoulders as he said this. He looked extremely innocent.


    "Boss, please don''t pull my leg. I''m really sorry. I beg you to forgive me. Your Majesty, sign the papers, please. I''ll take the papers after work." Rain had nned to give his work to Edward, so he couldn''t leave before he got what he wanted. Otherwise, his visit would have gone in vain.


    "So you are allowed to y tricks, but I am not?" said Edward. Although Edward seemed disinterested, the truth was that he felt bored as he did nothing buty around in the hospital bed all day. Reading the papers might be a pleasant distraction for him, after all, it would kill time. Wouldn''t it? But these were just some thoughts in his mind; he didn''t say them out loud in front of Rain. He was afraid that Rain would be eaten up with pride if he realized that what he thought was just what Edward needed at this time.


    "It is the case about the Lin Group. Are you sure you want to postpone the paperwork?" Rain could not believe that Edward could stay so calm after hearing his words.


    "What? Lin Group, Give it to me at once." Just as expected, Edward got in a frenzy on hearing his words. Anything rted to Daisy Ouyang was always his first concern.


    "Yes, sir. Here you are. By the way, except the Lin Group''s case, there are also some cases about the partners of Lin Group for you. Make a good evaluation. In my opinion, a top shot like you won''t be satisfied only with the acquisition of Lin Group. You must n to purchase the associatedpanies as well. After all, we are smart businessmen who are here to earn good money."


    Rain smiled evilly. Lin Group was bound to go bankrupt. He was raring to see the despairing look on Jessica Lin''s face. She always strutted lofty and proud in front of him. He wondered whether she would still feel superior to him?


    "I got it. Don''t worry. I''ll keep an eye on them." Edward Mu got active and focussed as soon as it came to work.


    "Now I must get back to the office. Boss, do take care of yourself. Damned Jerry, use all your medical skills to cure Edward. Don''t use fake medicines,e up with some effective cure."


    Rain didn''t forget to take ast jab at Tom before he left. Everyone else in the ward, especially Edward was speechless. How could Rain be so shameless? He came here with an ulterior purpose. After he got what he wanted by handing over the work to Edward, he began to show the concern for the patient by saying such false sweet words. He was as cunning as a fox. But people had to respect his distinctive wisdom, which made him attractive and admirable. He always pretended to be thoughtful for others, which influenced people to do as he said willingly. Just like now, Edward not only epted his suggestion about the acquisition of Lin Group and other relevantpanies but also agreed what he said about the effective cure. He needed the medicine that took a fast effect.


    "Get out! Cut the crap." Rain''s lewdnesspletely defeated Tom. Edward had an operation just a few days ago, but Rain still asked him to work. Tom had never imagined such a thing.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    "I''m going now. Don''t miss me. I''ll certainly be back on time after work." Rain smiled enchantingly to show his charm. Women would be driven mad by his appeal. Unfortunately, there were no women; just men present there. Instead of being charmed by him, all of them felt sick. "Boss, I''ve got to get back to work. You can read the papers. But you should also pay attention to your health. Try to get more rest, only then you''ll be able to recover soon." Tom had already finished the checkup; he could say that Edward was recuperating well. It seemed like Edward was in very good physique.


    "Wait a minute. Give me all your best medicine at once. I have no time to waste now. The ward makes me choke like I''m inside a coffin." Edward announced his intentions clearly, giving no chance to Tom to refuse because he didn''t want to waste any more time. "Err! Best medicine? Yes, my boss, we are using the best medicine in our hospital now. I can''t find a better one." Tom was freaked out, but he still pretended to be calm. He began to worry about the few medicines developed by him. The best medicine was the fruit of his painstakingbor. It meant a lot to him. Nobody could rob it from him, not even Edward.


    "Don''t y innocent. Try your best to cure me with your best medicine and skills, and help me get out of here. Otherwise, I will consider canceling the investment on your test. Which is more important, medicine or test? Have it your way!"


    Threatened Edward. He was confident that Tom would give him the best medicine when he controlled the finances of Tom Qin. As a person who was too keen to do tests, Tom Qin could not resist the temptation of a significant investment in his tests.


    So finally Tom reluctantly offered his treasured good drugs to Edward and cursed him in his mind, without showing any reluctance on his face. He waspelled to suffer in silence in order to get free investment from Edward. But, he only lost time and energy, and he wouldn''t be hurt by anything. He would get more from Edward than what he suffered. Just wait and see.0000000000000000

 Chapter 491 It Feels So Good To Come Back Home (Part One)

    When they were busy, people often felt that time flew quickly. And it was true for Edward who was recovering from his injury. So when the phone beside his bed rang, he immediately picked it up and answered without even bothering to check who was calling.


    "Hello, who''s calling?" This was Edward''s unique way of answering the phone. He was not like Daisy who always answered the phone with politeness, nor like any other gentlemen who gracefully introduced themselves as soon as they picked up the phone. His style was influenced by arrogance and mboyance, yet not going too far to make people feel ufortable. Although he was answering the phone, his attention was still focused on the report in his hands.


    Daisy frowned when she heard Edward''s voice. This was not what she had expected to hear from Edward. Wasn''t her number saved in Edward''s phone? Why else would he ask who was calling? This was not like Edward''s usual style. The only possibility was that he was in the middle of doing something, and he answered the phone without even noticing who was calling on the phone''s screen. He was a patient, what would he be so engrossed in? Daisy''s mind was filled with numerous questions.


    "What are you doing?" Daisy ced the file on the table andid back in the chair, waiting to hear his reply.


    "Work." The reply was simple and to the point. He hadn''t shifted his attention from the document to the call.


    "Work? What work?" Daisy narrowed her clear and aggressive eyes and wondered, Edward could hardly walk and he dared to tell her that he was working, was he ying with his life?


    "Oh! Honey, it''s you! No, I didn''t mean work. I was just talking with Luke." Edward was shocked by Daisy''s anxious voice and came back to the call. He immediately made up for his slip of the tongue.


    "Edward, do you think that I could be fooled around so easily? Daisy yed with the golden pen in her hand and expressed her firm attitude that she didn''t believe what he had said. If he was just talking to Luke, howe he hadn''t noticed that the call wasing from her?


    "No, even if I want to cheat someone, I don''t have the nerve to cheat the Colonel Ouyang. Aren''t you busy with your work?" Edward knew Daisy cared a great deal for him, so he purposely shifted the topic and tried to divert her attention.


    "There''s no need for you to concern yourself with my work. What I care about is what you''re doing right now." How was it possible that she wasn''t busy with her work? If she wasn''t busy, she wouldn''t dy the call to Edward until afternoon. In fact, she had been thinking all morning about one thing only; she felt it necessary to say thanks to him. But as she remembered what he had said to her earlier, she realized that a simple thanks would not be enough to show her gratitude towards him. Moreover, Edward might get angry at such formal etiquette. It was tooplicated, and in the end, Daisy didn''t blurt out anything.


    "I... I''m not doing anything. Don''t you believe me?" Edward smiled helplessly. He did not intend to deceive her. He just didn''t want her to be worried about him.


    "Yes, I don''t believe you because you have no credibility. I remember telling you that I don''t want to be thest one to know anything about you. Apparently, you haven''t kept that in mind. I wonder how you would exin this to me."


    Although she knew that what he had done was for her benefit only, she unwittingly took offense because he had purposely held it from her. She had promised to share her feelings with him whenever she had doubts or misunderstandings. So she always kept this promise and stopped keeping her feelings buried in her heart.


    "You... You already knew.'' Edward bit his lip and asked hesitantly. He knew she would me him, but he didn''t expect it woulde so soon. He had thought that Daisy might question him when she got off work.


    "Yes, why didn''t you tell me in advance? This time I want to know what''s your reason for hiding it from me." Daisy took a sip of tea and licked her dry lips with the tip of her tongue. Such a sexy gesture would look really charming to any man.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "There is only one reason, that is I want to be the one behind you who protects you from any suffering. No matter what happens, I hope you will never be the one who''s hurt. This is my promise to you."


    Edward''s eyes looked deep and enigmatic. He felt that she still had many doubts about him. But he couldn''t me her. He had a bad track record in the past. And that made it difficult for Daisy to trust him again.


    "This reason is indeed convincing, and it moves me. But that doesn''t mean I won''t mind the fact that you have hidden the truth from me. So I hope you can give me a more valid reason."


    Daisy''s eyes got a little red. After hearing Edward''s words, she thought she would be cheating herself if she didn''t say anything. But she didn''t want him to know how she really felt about this situation. Otherwise, he would certainly be more unscrupulous in the future. He would try to manage everything by himself and hide everything from her while iming it was for her own benefit. This was uneptable for her. Because if it really went like that, she would feel that she wasn''t equal to Edward and they didn''t stand on the same level as he''d be the only one facing all the problems. She would indulge herself in enjoying all his achievements. This was the most humiliating thing for a soldier. She was not inclined to bing a worthless person. Moreover, she didn''t want to be the woman who hid behind his back and squandered all the things he achieved with his selfless efforts for her.


    "Honey, you know how it is, right? The most convincing reason you''d like to hear is that I love you. You know that I''m too shy to say it, but you push me to say it. You are awful!" Edward said with a bashful grin and acted sultry as if Daisy was actually standing in front of him. Hearing Edward''s words, Daisy slipped and almost fell down from the chair. He said he was shy, huh, if that was true, then there were no shameless people in the world. He tried to tell such a brazen lie to her; it was insane. Daisy felt that she had underestimated the extent of his shamelessness. where did he get to learn these sissy words? His tone was so effeminate!

 Chapter 492 It Feels So Good To Come Back Home (Part Two)

    "Edward, can''t you talk like a normal person? You almost made me throw up my lunch." Daisy scratched her ears and wondered if she had misheard him. Wasn''t that effeminate demeanor Rain''s specialty? When did Edward begin to behave like Rain?


    end, he got the oue he desired. And he chose to ignore the means of achieving it.


    "I''m talking like I always do. Nothing is wrong. No crap." Edward slightly heaved a sigh of relief. As long as Daisy didn''t bother him to give a better exnation, he didn''t mind acting like an effeminate guy. Although, Edward also felt creepy about what he had said. In the The usatory call ended with Edward''s trick of ying effeminate. A few dayster, Edward was discharged from the hospital, and he left that insanely expensive ward. He missed his home immensely, and he was finally back.


    "It feels so good toe back home." Edward threw himself on his bed and indulged himself in the feeling of getting his old life back. The week-long life at the hospital had driven him crazy. He was a bit of neat freak. But during the days in the hospital, he was unable to take a shower. They simply wiped his body with a wet towel, but that didn''t work for him. It was useless because it didn''t feel any different. He felt like he was drenched in sweat.


    "Does it really feel that good?" She ced his things in order and smiled at Edward''s amusing and exaggerated remarks. She shook her head helplessly. While she asked the question, her eyes were full of affection and tenderness.


    "Yes! I''m going to take a shower now," Edward said, and then he reluctantly left his soft bed and walked towards the bathroom. He couldn''t stand the cleaning process at the hospital. He desperately needed a real good shower.


    "Be careful. Although the wound has healed, you are still at risk of infections. It would be better if you don''t take a shower right now." Daisy knew about Edward''s likes and dislikes. But that didn''t mean she would allow him to be careless about his health. In fact, Daisy was surprised that Edward was allowed toe home so soon. She didn''t want something unpleasant to happen to him again.


    "If you are so worried about me, I wouldn''t mind if youe to help me in the shower." Edward paused and teased Daisy with a cunning and flirtatious smile. He turned around and looked frivolously at Daisy''s aloof and beautiful face which also seemed a little concerned and nervous.


    "I will rub your skin until it peels off. Do you still want me to help you?" Daisy did not evade his eyes, she looked back at him with the same sly expression. She wanted to wait and watch who would lose in this battle of words.


    "Whatever you like! I''m willing to leave myself fully at your disposal." He gently ced his thin lips upon her and amorously tasted her lips. He merely caressed the surface of her cherry pink lips and didn''t show the intention to move further. He couldn''t get enough of her. She didn''t protest; instead, she enveloped his strong waist with her tender arms. She enjoyed his gentle bites and intimate kisses. Her bright eyes dazzled like stars gazing at his handsome face that was so close to her eyes. A gentle smile rose to her eyes; she was deeply in love.


    "Ah! I didn''t see anything. You can continue." While they were lost in the kiss, Justin''s childish voice suddenly broke in. He covered his eyes with his hands while furtively looking at them through the gap between his fingers. As soon as he came home, he heard that his dad hade back. He felt very excited and couldn''t wait to see him. He ran upstairs but didn''t expect that he would see them kissing each other.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "Justin, you said you didn''t see anything, but why are you still peeping at us?" Edward reluctantly left Daisy''s luscious lips and looked at Justin who behaved oddly with his furtive look. Edward still firmly held Daisy, who blushed and buried her head into his arms. Even under such circumstance, she carefully avoided touching the wound on his chest that was still recovering. From such a small gesture, one could perceive how important Edward was in her heart.


    "Dad, I''m not peeping. I can''t stand looking at you." Hearing his dad''s words, he put down his hands and approached them briskly. He knew he could hide his dirty mind from his mom, but his wicked dad would see through him in a second. It was meaningless to y innocent any more.


    "Really? You can''t stand it? Why didn''t you knock on the door before you came in?" Edward helped Daisy to smooth her hair after she left his embrace. Then he turned to Justin and squatted down and looked into Justin''s eyes. When he spoke, he wanted to give Justin the feeling that they were on equal footing.


    "Haha, the door is open. So I forgot to knock on the door." Justin had thought of jumping into Edward''s arms, but when he remembered thatst time his mom had scolded him harshly in the hospital, he didn''t dare to go ahead with that n.


    "Really? Did you forget it or did you do it purposely?" Edward gently pinched his lovely face and gave a yful smile. He knew Justin was naughty, so he didn''t believe Justin''s far-fetched exnation.


    "No, definitely not. Mom, you believe me, right? Because you love me the most." As per Justin''s theory, it wasn''t embarrassing to act adorable. On the contrary, he believed he was a lovely boy and he would feel ashamed if he didn''t take advantage of it. So he kept using his trump card and pulled his mom to his side.


    "No, I don''t believe you. You''re more like your dad now. You are bing more cunning and less reliable. So you two can continue to argue about this topic. I will go down stairs and help Mrs. Wu to prepare dinner."


    As soon as she finished her words, Daisy turned around and walked out of the room. She didn''t want to be involved in the mischievous arguments between the father and the son. Because she was eager to go to the kitchen and prepare nutritious food for Edward. Only by eating food with rich nutrition for the dinner could he recover faster. Then she didn''t need to be worried about his health condition all day long.0000000

 Chapter 493 Who Wants a Divorce

    To celebrate Edward''s return to home, Cynthia threw him an impromptu party. Only a few close friends, as well as Anna and Aaron, were invited. As soon as the evening fell, the Mu''s vi was bustling with noise and excitement. "Belinda, why is your wedding put off?" Daisy asked softly when Belinda was alone. She somehow sensed that it had something to do with Rachel.


    "It''s nothing. I have started feeling that we know very little about each other. So I thought it would be wise if we took some time to get to know each other before getting married." Belinda was optimistic. She smiled even when she was talking about such an unfortunate event.


    "Come on! I know you. It''s about Rachel, isn''t it? You''re upset that she is back, which means you really care about Duke." Daisy sounded positive. She thought if Belinda hadn''t liked Duke, she wouldn''t have postponed her wedding just because Rachel suddenly showed up.


    "Daisy, have you lost your mind? Why would I care about him? We''re together only because Leena set us up. We don''t love each other."


    Even though Daisy was right, Belinda was too proud to admit her feelings for Duke, which kept growing as the days went by.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "Belinda, did I do it wrong? Is that why you are angry?" A voice asked timidly. It was Leena, who was looking at Belinda while biting her lip and tilting her head. The joy on her face was reced by gloom.


    "Um... Leena, when did you get here? Did youe here alone?" Belinda didn''t answer her question. She looked around, but Kevin wasn''t there. She frowned and wondered how angry Duke would get if he saw this. It appeared she had already begun to worry about the people Duke cared about no matter how hard she was trying to conceal her feelings for him.


    "Yes, I came alone. You haven''t answered my question yet." After months of married life with Kevin, Leena gradually realized the importance of love in a marriage. She understood why Belinda wasining. She felt sorry about what she had done.


    "It''s toote to talk about right or wrong, isn''t it? So don''t think about it. If I didn''t want to marry your brother, I wouldn''tpromise. You know that. If anybody is wrong, it''s me. But since I''ve made my choice, I won''t regret it."


    Belinda was the kind of person who went through her decisions. Now that she had decided to marry Duke, she considered him hers and wouldn''t let him marry someone else, no matter how mad she was at him.


    "You are right. We share the same personality in this regard. We stick to our choices. So don''t worry about it, Leena. Your brother and Belinda''s rtionship might be full of twists and turns, but the oue will be perfect."


    Daisy stood up and pulled Leena over so that she could sit beside her. She affectionately stroked her hair which was messed up by the wind probably because the roof of the sports car had been lifted.


    "Who shares the same personality with you? I''m not as silly as you. Leena, remember, don''t make yourself go through pain for a man like Daisy does. She is a bad example. We Lengs are not like that."


    Belinda didn''t realize she sounded just like one of the Lengs. Apparently, inside her heart, she had already seen herself as a member of the family, although she kept saying Duke repulsed her.


    "So, now you are saying that you are the daughter-inw of the Lengs? I remember someone just said she needed some time to know each other better." Daisy said. Belinda''s remarks had touched her sore spot, but she wasn''t offended, because Belinda was telling the truth. Most importantly, Daisy was happy now, so it didn''t matter if other people knew about the pain she had gone through to earn her happiness.


    "I said the wedding was postponed. I didn''t say I had nothing to do with the Leng family. Besides, I have already been tricked into registering for marriage. We''re legally married now; I can''t undo it. Even if I file for divorce, I''ll be a divorcee. I''m too smart to make that mistake."


    Belinda carelessly flipped back her curly hair. She certainly didn''t want to have the wedding ceremony so early, but she wouldn''t give up on Duke and let Rachel get her wish.


    "No way! Belinda, you just got married. And you are already thinking of getting divorced? I haven''t even been invited to your wedding yet, how can you two break up so soon?" Rain eximed loudly. Everyone started looking at them. At first, Duke icily nced at Rain and then Belinda. His eyes were fixed on her like cold arrows going through her body.


    "Perfect! Duke heard you, and now he''s angry at me! Rain, what did I do to you? Why did you say I wanted to get divorced? I heard that it''s you and your precious Annie whose rtionship isn''t working out. Why are you dragging me into it?"


    Belinda leaned toward Leena with fright. She got chills from Duke''s grim stare. She couldn''t imagine how furious he was right now.


    "Am I wrong? I swear I heard you say divorce. Are you saying that you are not the one who wants to get divorced? Is it Leena then? Don''t tell me it''s Daisy. Is it?"


    It seemed Rain wasn''t going to drop the topic; he was making things worse. His words were like bombs exploding amidst the crowd one after another and no one could escape.


    "Hey! Rain, this is a sensitive topic. Tread carefully. Nobody here wants a divorce. Don''t start rumors. Seriously, people can get hurt, "


    Leena exined in a state of turmoil. She hadn''t expected herself to be involved. Duke''s gaze had shifted from Belinda to her. She enjoyed her life and didn''t want to die yet. She hated Rain for his big mouth and high-pitched voice. If Kevin had been here, he would have misunderstood her. Somehow, thinking of that handsome man hurt her. She felt depressed.


    "So...it''s Daisy then. I totally understand. If youe to think of it, any woman who has to live with my shameless, evil Boss would make the same choice." Rain sighed. Edward was instantly enraged. The look he threw at Rain was even more frigid than Duke''s. "Oh. It makes sense. I should think about it." Daisy pretended to be thinking carefully, ignoring Edward''s killer gaze, as if she was really interested in the idea. Her behaviour at this moment was totally opposite to her usual solemn demeanor.


    "Rain, if you wish to die, I can make it happen right now!" The frigidity in Edward''s voice filled the entire room. With hisst bit of courage being shattered by Edward''s overwhelming presence, Rain immediately ran to Cynthia and Jonathan. He was worried that Edward was furious enough to ignore his wound and kick his ass, although he had just been discharged from hospital. Considering Jonathan was Edward''s only match among the people present, Rain thought it would be safe to stay near him. "Uncle Rain, you are screwed. Wait and watch how my dad makes you his ve now. It doesn''t have to be miserable, though. ording to the past, he will only increase your workload, no big deal. The worst case will be to send you to a crappy country to do marketing. Not too bad, right? So, chill,"


    Justin said while he was ying chess with his grandpa. He was smiling, but the mischief in his eyes was evident. Cynthia fed him a slice of fruit when he finished hisment. The onlookers couldn''t help but exim he was living the life of a crown prince.


    Jonathan listened quietly to their jokes without raising his head or making anyments. He focused on the chessboard except when he affectionately looked at Cynthia, who still took his breath away in spite of her age. When his eyes fell on her, he was filled with happiness. It was such an intoxicating feeling he couldn''t spare attention for what was going on between Rain and Edward.


    "Why did you have to aggravate him? You know it won''t do you any good. Haven''t you learned your lesson yet?" Cynthia sighed resignedly. She wanted to help Rain but she couldn''t because Edward wouldn''t listen to her. Rain hade to the wrong ce. The safest strategy was to stay with Daisy. Since she was the one who mentioned thinking about divorce in front of him, she must have a way to deal with Edward. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have attempted to echo Rain''s remarks.


    "But auntie Cynthia, those women started the topic. I just picked up the thread of the conversation. Why is he only staring at me, but not them? It''s unfair." Rain said to Cynthia dismally. He timidly used his hands as a shield against Edward''s icy stare.


    Daisy sipped a mouthful of tea from the cup in her hand. She casually nced at Edward. She was enjoying seeing Edward so angry. She found it amusing to provoke her arrogant husband now and then.


    "Maybe you didn''t start it, but you aggravated the tension. Of course, you are the one to me." Tom gracefully swirled the wine ss in his hand. He took a sip asionally. To him, Rain was a troublemaker. There was actually nothing he could do about it. Perhaps influenced by him, Tom had made a few mistakes in front of Edward recently, which had continuously put him to a disadvantage.


    Thinking of the check Edward signed that morning for hospitalization expenses, Tom felt his heart was bleeding. He drowned his cares in wine with knitted brows. Tom not only didn''t make money from Edward''s hospitalization but also lost a lot of it because of the expensive medicine he had used on him. He felt as if he had been cheated. The fruit of his hard work vanished in a second. With a stroke of Edward''s gold pen, everything was finalized. He had been shocked to see it happen. He had known from the beginning that Edward wouldn''t willingly ept the rip-off, but he hadn''t expected him to rip him off instead. He felt restless in such a pathetic situation.00000000

 Chapter 494 Insurmountable Barrier

    "Shit! Jerry, what the hell is this? You look all upset like someone''s been up your butt!"


    This was exactly like Rain, always restless. Before one thing ended, he was already ready to stir up some new trouble. He was indeed a troublemaker! "Up my butt? Wish fulfillment? You look so much like a permanent bottom that it gives me chills." Raising his eyebrows, Tom looked at Rain in disgust. "Damn, Jerry. Are you jealous that I look better than you? Is that why you''re trying to ruin my reputation?" Rain was simply pulling Tom''s leg, because he realized the boss already turned his fatal gaze to Daisy. So Rain had to get himself out of this mess, and the most effective way was to try to change the topic. Otherwise he''d meet a terrible fate.


    "Narcissist. You''re not good-looking, just girly." Aaron looked very much lost in thought and bored as he teased him. Although he didn''t really consider Rain effeminate, but Rain did have an enchanting charm that was even more seductive than a woman''s. Aaron felt justified in calling Rain girly. Besides, Rain had put a lot of work onto Aaron''s shoulders these past few days. So Aaron wanted to get back at him to let out of some of that bottled up anger.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Aaron baby, are you sure you want to be a part of this?" Instead of getting fired up, Rainughed. Since Aaron threw a barb at him, Rain decided to give him a nice whirl.


    "Forget it. I was just venting, so please ignore me. You guys continue, and I''ll just watch. And stop calling me baby. It makes my skin crawl." Aaron had no intention in being caught in their meaningless "fight." At this crucial point, he only wanted to protect his own skin. Although Rain couldn''t really affect his daily life, it would be a different story at his job, since his position was one level lower than Rain''s.


    "Coward, I''d ept his challenge." Anna looked contemptuous. Rain had given her quite a hard time when her actual boss was in hospital. She was exhausted by the overtimes, so she had a lot against Rain. Edward was extremely efficient whereas Rain always drove her like a ve. How could such different people hold the reins of power here?


    "Anna, if that''s the case, then you go, girl! I''m out of this." Aaron would be insane to cross the newly ascendant and insidious acting president. Or by tomorrow, the unbearable workload would crush him, and even breathing would be a luxury.


    "Ady won''t fight a man. I''m not interested in this childish scuffle between you men." Anna smiled coldly. Every man seated here ranked higher in thepany than she was, so targeting any one of them would end up badly for her. Why would she recklessly cause herself trouble?


    "A gentleman doesn''t fight a woman is the expression. Please, Anna, don''t take liberties with ancient proverbs." The argument seemed to shift from between Aaron and Rain to between Aaron and Anna. What an intriguing sight!


    "They mean basically the same thing, don''t they? What''s there to argue about?" Anna frowned and peeked at him from the corner of her eye, unable to figure out what was wrong with men nowadays. They always seemed to be fixated on some irrelevant thing, causing grief for everyone.


    "Uncle Aaron, are you secretly dating aunt Anna? You two look suspicious!" Nobody knew when exactly Justin stopped whatever he was doing. He was now carefully examining the quarreling couple.


    "Um. Justin, don''t say such things. I could be dating anyone but him." Anna rudely curled her lips as if Aaron was the worst man in the world.


    "The same applies to me. So, little guy, don''t start matchmaking around here! If I ever am interested in anyone, she sure wouldn''t be some spinster." Aaron counterattacked with equal ruthlessness, pulling no punches simply because he was up against a woman. "Damn you! Who is a spinster! I am a virgin, but I''m sure as hell not an old fart like you!" Riled up by Rain''s words, Anna instinctively retorted. When she realized what she just said, her face immediately turned red. Luckily she wasn''t being too loud, so other than the people sitting at the table, no one else noticed her impropriety.


    "Listening to you two, I agree with Justin. Are you two dating? You guys are quarreling like husband and wife." Rain was one of the people sitting close to Anna, so unfortunately for her, he heard everything the squabblers had to say.


    "Uncle Rain, you think so too! Look, guys, you''re both single. It''s very possible. If you''re dating, there''s nothing wrong with that. Why are you trying to hide it?" Justinughed mischievously. His pink face was colored with delinquency while his eyes looked back and forth at Aaron and Anna. His fascinated gaze was giving the two quite a cold fright.


    "Yeah, Aaron. Admit it! And rest assured, even though our president doesn''t like office romances, there aren''t any rules forbidding employees having a rtionship. So you don''t need to keep pretending."


    Rain was suspicious anyway, and his gossipy personality came bubbling to the surface. He was beginning to wonder if there really was something going on between the two. Though Justin meant it as a joke, it didn''t mean that there wasn''t a kernel of truth. Recently, both Aaron and Anna seemed to have a lot to hide from Rain. Rain came to the realization that his excessive workload on the two might have deprived them of their time for romance. That was why the two wereining so much. But these two people were truly an interesting couple. They saw each other at thepany every day, why would they even need extra time for dating?


    "Damn it. How can I admit to something that''s not real? All you know is gossip. Why don''t you go get Annie back, huh? It''ll give you something else to do." It hurt. Aaron was not nning to poke at Rain''s wound, but he wouldn''t have done it if Rain hadn''t been teasing him all this time. Yet Aaron had learned from the best. If you wanted to hurt someone, you found a weakness and exploited it. If you did that, you''d be the oneing out on top. He had learned too well from Edward.


    After Aaron finished, he sessfully reduced Rain to a sullen silence. Annie was truly a painful topic that Rain couldn''t get over. No matter how many days had passed, Rain''s feelings for her only intensified, to the point that just the mention of her name could strip him of all his happiness and charm. He turned into a lonely and pitiful man.


    Nights like these had always been dreamy and enchanting. After a round of teasing, silence returned to the Mu family mansion. An ambiguous smile was on Daisy''s face throughout. She curiously looked at Edward who was still somewhat annoyed with her, but she didn''t beg him to lighten up. Instead, she took out some documents from her briefcase and started actually working.


    Edward thought that she would exin what she said earlier. He didn''t expect her to be so calm and unaffected. She was not even intent on talking to him, let alone helping him cool off. So he silently went into the bedroom out of anger andy down. After all, today was his first day out of the hospital, and his bodily functions hadn''tpletely recovered yet. At this point, he was feeling a bit tired.


    Seeing Edward leaving in anger, Daisy frowned slightly. She thought the man would stay with her in the study exactly because she gave him the silent treatment. She didn''t think he would simply turn away and leave so easily. This unusual action really surprised her.


    She said what she said to Rain so that Edward would reprimand him. She was upset that Rain took advantage of her going to work on base, and sent Edward back to work before he could fully recover. But things went sideways. Edward took her seriously, and gave her the silent treatment. He wouldn''t even say one word to her -- just fixing her with that lethally chilling gaze.


    Compared to Daisy''s situation, Belinda''s was equally difficult. Duke Leng didn''t pester her anymore to get her back to the Leng mansion. Instead, he simply dropped off his car keys and took off with Leena in her car. Belinda was too shocked toprehend why he blew his top this time. She already told him that the gossip was only a topic for chit-chat, but he also took things seriously. And his already unweing face became even colder and unforgiving. Without evening close to him, one could already feel that sense of severity. "Brother, are you sure it''s a good thing to leave my sister-inw like that?" Leena was actually concerned for her own health, too. When Duke grabbed her keys and got in the driver''s seat, she didn''t dare to say anything in protest, and just followed him in the car. Now that Duke''s face appeared less austere, Leena quietly asked the question. In the meantime, she was cursing Rain as much as she could in her mind. He had created such a mess that not only Mr. Cold but also Edward would be unapproachable for the rest of the night. Duke terrified Leena so much that she didn''t even attempt any sudden movement in fear that he would take it out on her. If that happened, Leena thought, she would have no one to turn to.


    "It doesn''t matter if it was a good thing. How have you been? And tell me about Kevin." Duke tightened his lips. Although he said he wouldn''t care, he still checked the rear view mirror asionally to see how Belinda acted. Seeing that she froze at where he left her, his eyebrows furrowed automatically. He closed his eyes for a moment and kept the thought of her out of his mind. He then stepped on the throttle and quickly sped away from Belinda.


    "I''m fine! Kevin is doing some field work. He''ll probably be back tomorrow." Leena avoided eye contact. She didn''t want Duke to see her sorrow. She felt like there was an insurmountable barrier between her and Kevin. She wouldn''t cross over and neither would he. Both were just staring each other across the barrier, as if waiting to see who would be the one to volunteer his or her body and soul. And because of Kevin''s feelings for Daisy, no matter how their rtionship turned out, Leena knew that she would be the person who got hurt the most.00000???????

 Chapter 495 Do You Regret It (Part One)

    "Do you regret it?" Duke turned around and shot a concerned look at her. He was worried about her. She was his only sister and he devoted himself to love and care for her. Though she had married and became the wife of another man, she was still the little sister needing


    his protection in his eyes. She would remain one of the most precious people in his heart.


    "No. Why should I regret it?" Leena raised her eyebrows and smiled brightly. She looked so adorable with her sweet smile. But she could not help questioning herself in her heart; Really? She didn''t regret it? But why did she feel a pang of sorrow and sadness in her heart when she felt that Kevin thought nothing of her at all?? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "I''m d you don''t regret it. It''s your choice. So I hope you''ll be responsible for it and don''t give up halfway through. It shouldn''t be easy to end a marriage." Duke disliked Kevin and still resented him, but he still hoped his younger sister could live a happy life with him. After all, they were wife and husband. So no matter what happened, he didn''t want to see them end up in tragedy.


    "Don''t worry, brother! I''m a grownup now. I know what I''m doing." Leena certainly knew what he meant. She understood how he cared for her. He was her brother and she was his beloved one. So she always kept his words and suggestions in her mind. "Well, perhaps you''ll need a nanny? Or a part-time maid or someone? In that case, you''ll have more time to concentrate on your fashion design and we won''t feel so worried about you." Duke couldn''t help shivering in his heart at the thought of Leena''s scalded handst time. He didn''t want that kind of thing to happen again. It would definitely be a great challenge to him because thest thing he wanted was to see Leena get hurt. He hated it when he had to endure the possibility that Leena might hurt herself. He didn''t want to have another terrible experience.


    "Oh, thanks, but I''m fine and I don''t need any nanny or maid. It''s not a big house, and I can take care of it by myself. Besides, I don''t like strangers staying in my house. It feels so weird." The reason she had agreed with Kevin on their marriage was that she had wanted an utterly private space. So she politely declined Duke''s suggestion. Now she had the spacepletely to herself, but she found that she didn''t want to be alone anymore. What happened to her?


    "Fine! But anyway, take care of yourself. You can call us anytime no matter what happens. I''ll transfer the money to your bank ount on time." Duke turned the wheel and the red Ferrari stopped in front of the building of Leena''s apartment. He turned around and looked at her with a firm gaze. He seemed to tell her that no matter what happened, he would always stand by her and protect her from any pain.


    "Brother, you don''t need to send so much money to me anymore. You''ve already given me lots of money and it willst me a long time. Besides, I can also earn money now." Leena didn''t know what Kevin would think of her if she was still receiving money from her original family. And subconsciously, she didn''t want to receive the money support anymore. Because she reasoned that if she continued to ept the money, Kevin would mind it a lot, as he was a very proud man! He had given his bank card to her, which meant he had agreed that Leena could have all his money and spend it on their family. If she, as his wife, still kept epting money support from her original family, it would make him seem to be an incapable man, unable to provide for his wife. Other people might feel that he was so useless that he couldn''t afford a good life for his wife and support their family. A real man would hate such questions and never want this kind of rumor spreading about him!


    "Oh, don''t overthink it. I am just giving you the stock dividends you deserve. That''s all. I don''t intend to give you more than that. Don''t get it twisted." Duke frowned slightly. He knew Leena refused his money suddenly because of Kevin. She didn''t want Kevin trapped in some rumor mill! But he really didn''t have other intention. All the money he gave to Leena was the stock dividends from thepany under her name. He didn''t mean to embarrass Kevin and suppress his pride at all.


    "But you''re taking care of thepany. I''ve never made any effort to do that and now I''m reaping the profits. Are you sure it''s alright?" Leena understood that it was not easy to manage apany well. It would cost lots of effort to develop it into a biggerpany. So she felt a bit embarrassed to ept the dividends.


    "Or what? Do you want to go to work?" Duke''s eyes darkened. Since when, she had regarded him as an outsider and be so polite with him. There''s a Chinese saying: "a married daughter is like spilt water." Was this really the case? That''s why she minded this kind of thing and became more cautious, less willing to ept the money from him. She had never been a stranger to him before she married Kevin.


    "No way! You know me, I might be great at something such as fashion design. But when faced with those numbers, I can''t think straight. They are almost always puzzles to me! Soe on, give me a break if you don''t want me to destroy thepany! I''m an artist, not really a 9 to 5 girl."


    Leena was trying to find a way to wriggle out of that kind of responsibility. If she had been really interested in managing apany, she wouldn''t have chosen fashion design as her major. So she shook her head immediately to refuse the offer from Duke.


    "Well, good. Then don''t be a stranger to meter. Let''s go! I''ll walk you upstairs." Before finishing his words, Duke opened the door and got out without waiting for Leena to respond. He stood by the door, waiting for Leena to get out.


    "Brother, I can go upstairs on my own. You''d better go and talk to Belinda! We were just chatting. No one''s getting divorced. Don''t listen to Rain." Leena was concerned about Belinda. As a wife, her husband left her and went away with another woman. Although the woman was his sister, she must feel a bit unhappy in her heart!


    "I see." Dukeughed at himself. He knew he should go and care for Belinda. But he chose not to talk to her deliberately. Recently, he felt frustrated, and he had never felt that way before. He couldn''t figure out why Belinda was getting so confrontational these days. He felt she was so near to him, yet so far too. He disliked this kind of feeling, as it made him feel terrible, as if there was a cat scratching his heart with its septic ws.0000000

 Chapter 496 Do You Regret It (Part Two)

    "You see? Then why did you get angry with her? When a man acts childish, and makes mountains out of molehills, he''s more difficult to be understood than a woman! This much is true!" Leena shook her head. She could notprehend this line of thinking. Meanwhile, she got more curious about Kevin. He looked mature and serious. Would he sometimes also act childishly like her brother did? She paused for an instant; she thought of him again! Why did hee into her mind? People always say that the more difficult it was to reach something or someone, the more interested one would be. Was it true?


    "My dear girl, when did you see me get angry with her? I just don''t stay around her. Is that a mistake too?" Just then Duke started to walk towards the building. Leena had no alternative but to follow him inside. But a man always walked more quickly than a woman. So Leena was left behind a little. She didn''t catch up with him until when the elevator reached the first floor.


    "The fact is that this is *not* normal. You''re acting strangely, and now she''s back there, confused and hurt! Is that what you want? You''re not afraid that Belinda might think badly of you because of it?" Leena ran and caught up with him. She leaned herself on Duke, panting slightly. She felt her heart beat violently and attributed this phenomenon to theck of exercise. She thought to herself; maybe from next week, she should go hiking, or do some sports in the gym. Or else, she might get fatigued easily!


    "What? Are you tired already? You haven''t got any exercise recently, have you?" Duke reached out to soften her breath. Leena had a weak constitution. She used to be weak and sick when she was a baby. He knew about her condition, so he had spent years training her in proper fitness and nutrition to strengthen her. And as expected, Leena was much healthier than before. He didn''t want her to hurt herself again.


    "I''m fine. I''m just catching my breath. Probably because the air is too dry in autumn. And yes you are right, I haven''t been to the gym for a while. That''s another possible reason. I''ll get moving soon. So, don''t worry about me. You''d better concentrate on Belinda!" With a "ding", the elevator stopped on the floor of her apartment. Leena stepped out before Duke. She took the key out of her small bag and stuck it into the lock. Then she entered the password and opened the door.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Come on Leena, do you think I''m the kind of man who would submit to a woman easily?" Duke didn''t consider himself a stranger and walked inside the house, following Leena. He had been to Leena''s apartment once. But at that time, he had been unhappy about Kevin, so he hadn''t taken a close look at it. Now he checked it carefully. He hadn''t anticipated that Kevin had the apartment warmly decorated as he was a careless soldier. He had looked down upon him in this respect.


    "Well. I wasn''t sure before. But now I don''t think you are. You love Belinda from the bottom of your heart! But you''ve been hiding your feelings because of your arrogance. It''s been so many years, are you still thinking of that woman?"


    Leena poured a cup of water for him and stared at him, frowning. She didn''t like Rachel very much. But Duke had chosen her before he met Belinda. So she hadn''t made anyments on their rtionship at that time. She just had refused to talk to her a lot. "Who? You are the only woman in my heart. There''s no other." Duke disliked it very much when she mentioned Rachel. Because of Rachel, something unpleasant happened between him and Belinda. Belinda even had postponed their wedding ceremony. He didn''t think he had any feelings for Rachel anymore these days. He felt nothing but bored by her.


    "That''s totally different, okay? I am your sister. Sister and girlfriend are different. So, don''t ever try to use me as your shield. It''s just not cool," Leena said crossly, rolling her eyes at Duke. So Mr. Cold learned the art of deception from Edward. Birds of the same feather tend to flock together!


    "Ok. Take care of yourself. I''m leaving now. Oh, I''ll drive your car and ask the driver to send it back to you tomorrow." Dukeughed at himself. Of course he knew that a sister was different from a girlfriend. But he told the truth as well. He had devoted himself to Leena all these years and hadn''t had any time to think about other women. Even when he thought of Rachel, it was just a sh at midnight and didn''t stay long in his heart.


    "Yes! Drive carefully. Don''t forget what I said, exin everything to Belinda in detail." Leena didn''t n to keep him home for a long time. She understood Mr. Cold. Though he always made a show of not caring at all for anyone, his heart already belonged to Belinda! He just pretended to be cool in front of her.


    "Yeah I get it. Who are you? My secretary? Remember to lock the door." Duke couldn''t wait to walk out as soon as he finished talking. He tried to call Belinda but failed. He just got a busy signal. It seemed that Leena was right. Belinda was angry at him. That''s why she didn''t want to answer his phone.


    Duke Leng grew chagrined. He threw the phone in the passenger seat as soon as he entered the car. He started the engine and drove towards Leng House. He started thinking about this. If she wasn''t answering her phone, then she''d probably refuse to talk to him, even if he showed up wanting to talk face to face. So it would be a good idea to calm down, and let her do the same. Maybe they''d be calm enough to deal with things if they slept on it.


    However, Daisy was a master strategist -- the kind who would figure everything out as soon as disagreements cropped up. So she immediately went back to the bedroom once she finished her work. She sighed, looking at the sleeping man. He really seemed to be angry with her, so he hadn''t waited for her toe to bed like in the past.


    Daisy walked carefully towards him to avoid making any noise and left a gentle kiss on his forehead. Then she turned around and walked to the bathroom. She had different living habits than Edward. She didn''t like to take a shower as soon as she got home. Usually, she would take a warm shower after she finished her work before she went to sleep. That way, she could rx and feelpletely relieved after a busy day to sleep soundly.??????????????

 Chapter 497 The Devil Rebuking Sin

    Edward opened his eyes the moment Daisy turned around, but kept quiet, only caressing the ce where she kissed. A sweet smile crept over his face. The truth was that without her around, he couldn''t sleep well, however tired he might be. He just pretended to be asleep when he heard the sound of the door opening. He didn''t want Daisy to know that he stayed up to wait for her in case she forgot he was around. It would make the surprise that much sweeter.


    Daisy, on the other hand, had no idea Edward had these thoughts. After showering, she got into bed and cuddled into his arms as usual. It had been a long time since she could enjoy his hugs so freely. After all, before Edward recovered, she was worried about either his wounds or being seen by medical staff in the hospital. But tonight she could savor his embrace without any concerns.


    She moved her hand and stroked his handsome face. Atst she began smoothing his knitted brows. Her movement was so gentle and affectionate. She wondered why Edward had so much to worry about. Did his worrye from her?


    Honestly, even today when they loved each other so much, she still felt him hard to see through. He was like an inviting enigma -- making her constantly ponder all the possible ways to walk into his world, not the real life world of course, but his world of thoughts, or even his soul. She wanted to know him, his head, his heart, all of him.


    But that was a pure wish, a remote dream. But surely she was happy enough now as Edwardy beside her. She could snuggle him into her arms by only reaching out one hand. It was so warm a hug that it always set her heart racing.


    But at this sweet moment, Edward turned his back to Daisy, which seemed to be an idental move. That sent Daisy from the apex of happiness to the valley of distance. Aggrieved, she bit her lip, then turned a cold shoulder to him as well. They remained back to back till the next morning. She could tell now that Edward was mad at her, but judging from what happenedst night, there was no way that she would budge. They would just wait and see who lost their cool and made a concession first.


    Too sullen to eat any breakfast, Daisy went to the army base early in the morning. Yet there was no peace to be found on base either. When she got out of the hummer, she found herself face to face with Hank, fists up, ready to fight. Daisy prepared as well as she could, but Hank stillnded a blow on her. The fit of pain made her frown.


    "Hank, are you serious? You want to fight me?" Daisy scolded and dodged, her eyes cold. She was just upset and mad about Edward ignoring herst night. She would love to take it out on someone. But she didn''t expect to find a human punching bag so soon. "Cut the crap. Today, we will see who wins." Hank assaulted Daisy ruthlessly like a mad dog. His cruelty left Daisy no choice but to ditch her briefcase, leaving it with Mark, who hurried to catch up with her so he could take the important documents out of her way. She dropped into a fighting stance.


    "Why are you doing this? Nothing worthy of your jealousy happened to me recently." Daisy asked. First she blocked his fist with her hand, then threw him down the ground with a sweep of her leg. Her move was quick and smooth.


    "Humph. Cunning fox," Hank retorted. He had regarded Daisy as open-minded, yet this morning he went through arbitration, and ended up with a demotion. It turned out that Daisy was just a cunning bitch who stabbed others in the back. And he wouldn''t even have known it was her that conspired against him if he hadn''t rushed over to themander and watched the video.


    "Are you saying I''m cunning? Don''t you think you''ve gone too far?" Daisy frowned, but didn''t slow her pace anyway. She dodged, swirled and attacked -- all her moves were powerful and decisive.


    "I''m talking about you. Like I''ve always said, you are just a bitch who makes use of your beauty to climb up the militarydder. You are a ck sheep in our military." Hank was aware that when his plot against Daisy was exposed, he would be punished and demoted. Yet it never crossed his mind that he would be busted back down to lieutenant. That meant suddenly his years of hard work were in vain. There was no way he would just swallow that bitter pill willingly.


    "Hank, before you start all this, can you just present your evidence? When did I bring shame to the military?" Daisy tilted her head and avoided Hank''s heartless attack. With a kick, she tossed him to the ground. "When? Everybody knows when." The throw just enraged Hank even more because he felt such shame, losing to Daisy in front of so many fellow soldiers. So he sprang up immediately and started to hit Daisy''s soft spots.


    "Everybody knows? I think you just pulled it out of thin air. Stop finding excuses to pick on me. You keep it up, and I can''t be responsible for what happens next." Daisy was angry at his sudden attack and abuse, but she never thought of injuring him. She fought back just to keep herself safe. Yet what she got in return was not concession, but even harsher fists and kicks. In this case, she didn''t need to give way anymore. So she showed her true colors and moved in quickly with a joint lock. She easily brought Hank under control -- he couldn''t move without causing extreme pain to himself.


    "Bravo..." Soldiers on site suddenly apuded and cheered. It was once in a blue moon to see two military officers fight each other. And it was even rarer to have Daisy in the fight.


    "Can you swear that you have nothing to do with my demotion this time?" Hank stopped fighting and asked bitterly. He wouldn''t want to shame himself again in front of the crowd.


    "Disperse. As you were," Daisy ordered and tidied up her uniform. She regarded the crowd coldly. Immediately all the soldiers scattered for fear of Daisy''s harsh punishments -- none of them felt the need to do 200 push-ups.


    After clearing the site, Daisy dialed back her coldness, turned around to Hank and said, "Hank, you are just the devil rebuking sin. You are the one who stabbed me in the back first."All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Then you admit that it was you who sent the video to themander." Hank clenched his fist and red at her as if he would shred her to pieces. But he didn''t mention his framing of Daisy at all.


    "If I say it wasn''t me, will you buy it?" Indeed she would have known nothing about the video hadn''t themander called her over that day. So she could tell him resolutely that it was not her that sent the video to him. But it was Edward. So she wasn''tpletely innocent in this.


    "You think I''ll believe you? No way. I wasn''t born yesterday. The video was taken at the party for the FX International Group. Even if the person who taped it was not you, it must be someone rted to you. Or who would be so bored to film somethingpletely useless to himself?" Hank answered while he dusted off his clothes. He wouldn''t buy it that Daisy didn''t know where the video came from.


    "Hank, I remember asking you if you know Jessica. And you said you didn''t know her." Daisy sighed. If it wasn''t the video, she would be wronged and unable to get the justice. How did Hank, the one who plotted this, even have the right to stand there arguing with her? He was so shameless.


    "You already turned in the video then? And you acted as if you knew nothing and questioned me. You are indeed calcting."


    That was ssic Hank -- awfully arrogant and selfish. He picked on others but never admitted his own mistakes. He acted as if all the bad things happened to him were engineered by others, but thought it was okay to gain benefits by hurting others.


    "Suit yourself. I don''t care what you think. I will not deny what I do, but equally I will not be used for things I didn''t do. Yes, the source of the video has something to do with me. But I''m not involved in this. So if you want to find out who sent it, go to the FX International Group. I''m sure they''ll give you a satisfactory answer,


    Daisy sneered. She knew that Hank wouldn''t dare seek justice from Edward. it would only make Edward angrier, and demotion would feel like light punishmentpared to what Edward would do.


    "Colonel Ouyang, you are just throwing your weight around now. You are so proud to be the wife of the president of the FX International Group." Hank would be Hank. He could talk ck into white. He was really good at distorting what anyone meant.


    "I don''t think there is anything to show off as the president''s wife. The only thing that makes me proud is the military uniform on me. So...it sounds like something else makes you proud. Mind telling us what?"


    Daisy slightly shut her eyes in displeasure. After all, it was not so cheerful to stand here and argue with him early in the morning. Consequently her tone grew frigid and more aggressive. Her look was all chilly and impatient. Hank had better choose his next words carefully.

 Chapter 498 Be Relegated to A Lieutenant

    "Huh. Everyone knows how to make excuses. If you could get promoted on your own, why would Edward woo the military chiefs? It must have been for the uing appraisal cycle. Rumor has it that Colonel Ouyang stands a big chance of getting a promotion. But the problem is what you have traded for this promotion."


    Hank questioned and startedughing loudly. He stared at Daisy with contempt as if Daisy had pulled some strings to get promoted this time. He believed there was an ulterior motive behind inviting the military chiefs to FX International Group''s anniversary party. Hank believed it was nned to gain the army leaders'' favor.


    "You seem to be obsessed with my business. You must know a lot about me. There is no need for you to ask me any more."


    Daisy sneered and turned around. It seemed that she wouldn''t be able to persuade certain people that she got promoted simply because of her outstanding performance. So far as Hank was concerned, Daisy had climbed up the militarydder only because of her connections. No matter how much she exined, Hank just insisted on his own view. Then Daisy decided not to waste any more time in giving exnations to him.


    "It''s not just me. All the military officers in the army base are of the same opinion. It''s quite unlikely to have a young woman like you in such a high rank. I am sure there have been plenty of dirty deals behind the curtain." Hank didn''t let go of Daisy, he followed her closely and continued his insults.


    "If they have a problem with my promotion, they should report to the superiors, instead of sending you as their representative to bother me. I don''t call the shots. As for the so-called dirty deals, you specte that because I am a woman. In your mind, women cannot have any achievements without an inappropriate rtionship? You sound quite sexist."


    Daisy hated such office politics. She hadn''t done anything yet. Still, she was being dragged into all these disputes. ''Am I really that invidious in their view? Or they just regard me as a pushover who can be bullied by anyone? They couldn''t possibly get through a day without defaming me?'' Daisy condemned deep down.


    "Indeed. Mr. Hank, why do you always bother our colonel? If you feel anything unreasonable is going on, you should discuss it with themanders. Our colonel doesn''t have a say in the promotions."? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    Mark retorted. He was sick of Hank''s persistent provocations. If it hadn''t been for Daisy''s kindness, she or any other officer in her position would have already beaten up Hank or even kicked him out of the army. An officer in Hank''s rank wasn''t supposed to defy officers of higher rank.


    "Who are you to interrupt our conversation? You are merely a sergeant. Colonel Ouyang, you seem to be too tolerant of your subordinate." Hank said while casting a cold re at Mark. He couldn''t take it out on Daisy because she was in a higher rank. But he couldn''t allow a sergeant to scold him.


    "Mark, go finish aplete set of basic military exercises. That''s your punishment for interrupting. Are you fine with that?" With a frowned face, Daisy paused and ordered. ''Mark should have known better than to give Hank a hard time. Hank was just looking for excuses to nder me. Now he found one and Mark became the victim.'' Daisy thought to herself.


    "Yes, colonel. I''m on my way." Mark gave a salute, passed the briefcase to Daisy and then ran towards the training field. On the face of it, he seemed calm andposed, but deep down, he had already cursed Hank thousands of times, ''Hank is so mean and evil that he tried to demean Daisy with my interruption. But I am the one to be med; my carelessness invited trouble.''


    "Hank, are you satisfied with this punishment?" Daisy asked. She announced the punishment first to gain the initiative, or else Hank, the despicable man, would have proposed an even harsher penalty.


    "He is your aide. You can give him any punishment as you see fit. But a set of military training seems a bit too much, doesn''t it? After all, what Mark said was just to defend you."


    Hankughed evilly. He pretended to be thoughtful towards Mark''s interests, but deep down he was quite upset about Daisy''s quick response. She gave the punishment even before he could speak. Now what''s done was done. He couldn''t reveal his discontentment towards her order no matter how mad he was.


    "He deserved it for offending an officer in higher rank. Rules are the pirs of our society, after all." Daisy sneered while she thought, ''Too much? He would be more bothered if you were to name the punishment.''


    "Is this statement by Colonel Ouyang indirectly implying that I have no concept of superiority?" Hank''s tone became cold. He felt that Daisy''s words were directed at him.


    "If you think so, suit yourself. If there''s nothing else, I should get back to work now." Daisy stopped at her office without any hint of inviting him in.


    "Don''t you think you should give me an exnation? Or a solution?" Hank said, making it clear that he wouldn''t let go the matter of that video and his demotion. He asked Daisy to give him a solution. Yet, his attitude didn''t have the least bit of humbleness. He acted as if he deserved a conciliation n. s, no one would ever get along with such a man.


    "Hank, don''t you think your requestcks reason? Like I''ve said so many times, I am not the one in charge. So if you''ve got a problem with your demotion, go to your superiors. Don''t waste your time on me."


    Daisy was speechless. She didn''t know what part of her words Hank didn''t understand. Why was he persistently bothering her for a solution? Were her words that hard to understand?


    "That video was turned in by Edward, right? If you ask Edward to tell themanders that he faked and fabricated the video, then I won''t get demoted." Hank said. He was so arrogant that he proposed such an unreasonable demand.


    "Then why would he fake a video to throw dirt on you? Hank, I didn''t give you a hard time even when you defamed me because we are in the same army. But there''s no way that I''ll bring my husband''s integrity into question. If the video really is fraudulent, I would tell the truth. But you know it''s real."


    Daisy''s tone turned harsh, and her face grew more frigid. She wouldn''t do anything to hurt Edward even if it was for her own interests. And she certainly would not let Edward get used of lying for Hank.


    "But you wouldn''t lose anything in doing so. I have been demoted to a lieutenant. As an army officer, you surely understand what a consequential loss it would be for me. Edward just needs to say the video is fake, that way I''ll be able to keep my rank. A few words can save my career."


    For Hank, others'' dignity was worth nothing. He only valued his own reputation. That was why he said that way, making nothing of others'' integrity.


    "So in your view, Edward should be used as a liar for you? Cut the crap. You are asking me to debase his noble status for you? Not a chance. So stop building castles in the air. Besides, aren''t you always saying that I got promoted by using connections? So I certainly wouldn''t know what a grave loss the demotion would mean to you."


    Daisy retorted. She believed, when dealing with a nuisance like Hank, it would be best to use his own words to fight against him. As for Edward, one thing was for sure that he would never debase himself for Hank. He wouldn''t even sumb to themanders. "Colonel Ouyang, so you''ll just stand by and watch me go down?" Hank''s face turned pale. Yes, he had always been trying to keep her down all long with these connections gossip, but she had also consistently imed that she climbed up all by her own efforts. But now she was acknowledging the use of connections?


    "Hank, what do you expect her to do then?" Kevin came over, looking fairly tired. It was apparent that he had just returned from outside.


    "Major General Gu, this has nothing to do with you." Hank dreaded Kevin''s high rank, but he also resented him defending Daisy, especially at this moment.


    "Of course it''s my business. As your superior, I''m supposed to help you address your disputes. You don''t want to be used of viting military discipline, huh?" Kevin guessed that their disputes stemmed from the arbitration concerning Hank. The army work was quite efficient.


    "No, I wouldn''t want to be used of that." Hank didn''t dare to mess with Kevin. After all, he intended to spend the rest of his life in the military and Kevin was in a much higher rank than him.


    "Then you should leave and get back to your work. Tick tock..." Kevin seldom put on airs as a senior officer. But he disliked Hank too much to be enough polite to him.


    "I..." Hank would have continued but stopped when he saw Kevin''s cold look. After all, Kevin was much more difficult to deal with. Daisy might look aloof, but she was a woman, thus no matter how cold she seemed, she would never be so brittle. But Kevin was different. He might be easy to get along, but if you messed with him, you would face dire consequences.


    "Thank you for saving me from the trouble. Did you juste back from the grassroots? You must have started offst night since you arrived at this time." Daisy asked after Hank was out of her sight.


    "Yes. I came back as soon as I finished the inspection. Recently the army base may not be too amicable for you. Watch out for any possible traps set by others, especially the devious ones like Hank." Kevin said. He knew Daisy''s bark was worse than her bite. She might act aloof and cold, but deep down she was kind and sweet. Or she wouldn''t possibly put up with Hank''s provocation again and again.


    "I will. Every year before themendatory ceremony, there are some unavoidable ''incidents''. I survive them every year. Don''t worry about me. You seem quite tired. Maybe you should go home first and get some rest."


    Daisy didn''t ignore Kevin just because he had feelings for her. She believed in Kevin''s integrity; she didn''t think Kevin would go overboard.00000000000000

 Chapter 499 As Bold As Brass

    "It''s okay. I will go home to take a shower. What did Mark do? I saw him squirming through the 300-meter barbed wire alone at the training ground."


    ording to the past experiences, Kevin knew something was up. If Mark was doing the physical training alone, he must have made an unforgivable mistake and so Daisy had to punish him. What mistake did he make this time? "He deserves it. It''s a well-known fact that Hank is an expert in saving face, yet, he offended him. He just asked for trouble." Daisy knew that Mark was quite right and he didn''t mean to contradict Hank, but Hank didn''t think so.


    "It doesn''t matter. He has been idle for a long time. He needs some exercise lest his skills may not be as good as before. What''s his punishment this time?"


    Kevin was curious about what Mark''s punishment was this time. Daisy always punished him in different ways, so Kevin was prying to know more about it.


    "A full set of daily physical training. Am I being too cruel?" Daisy pushed the door open and walked in. Kevin followed her behind. She hadn''t given the answer he wanted.


    "Wow, it''s a really strict punishment. After he finishes, he will be tired out." Kevin leisurely sat down on the couch as if it was his office.


    "If I didn''t punish him, do you think Hank would let him go? I will make some tea for you." Daisy turned to look back with a frown.


    "Don''t bother. I will leave now. I bet you have a lot of work to do. I won''t bother you. By the way, has Mr. Mu recovered?" Kevin gave a soft smile. He sat cross-legged casually and cozily.


    "Yes, he has recovered very well. He was discharged yesterday afternoon. Thank you for your concern." Daisy gave Kevin a cup of warm water with a bright smile. She felt warm at the mention of Edward.


    "d to hear that he was discharged from the hospital so soon. He must have strong resistance to illness." Kevin took a sip of water. He detested his feelings in the face of Daisy''s winsome manner at the beginning, but now he had be ustomed to it. "Indeed. It was a bit beyond my expectations." Daisy was also confused about this. Ordinarily, any patient who had undergone the thoracotomy procedure couldn''t be discharged so quickly, but Edward left the hospital as approved by Tom. Daisy didn''t ask any questions. Going to the hospital every day had wearied her.


    "Anyway, it''s a piece of good news. I will go home. Carry on with your work." Kevin ced the cup on the tea table and stood up.


    "Okay. Take a break before you resume work. Or you may run off your legs." After Edward got injured, Daisy began to feel worried about the people around her.


    "Okay. Don''t worry." Kevin walked away with a contented smile. He knew he couldn''t fall in love with Daisy, but he enjoyed her asional care. He didn''t have any extreme demands. He cherished these small opportunities to get along with her.


    Daisy bit her lip. After she discovered Kevin''s love for her, she always felt sorry. No matter what kind of feelings he had for her, she would definitely let him down. She was faithful in love, so she didn''t have feelings for any other man.


    By now, Edward had alreadymenced his first n after leaving the hospital. In a casual dress, he appeared in front of Luke. He looked handsome no matter what he wore. The clothing fitted him perfectly, giving him a dashing look.


    "Mr. Mu, are you going out?" Luke asked. Edward was discharged from the hospital yesterday. And he was already beaming and buoyant in spirits as if he wasn''t hospitalized before.


    "Yeah. Didn''t you say yesterday that Yakira would appear in Tender Whispers? Let''s go meet her there." Edward grinned evilly. This chased away his depression fromst night. After he listened to the recording, he asked Luke to keep watch on Yakira''s movements. He had to know her well before he could defeat her.


    "Mr. Mu, you have just recovered." Luke was worried. He didn''t know if it would lead to something wrong. He was not a doctor. If something unexpected happened, what would he do?


    "Rx. I just want to alleviate the boredom. Let''s go and pick up Leena." Edward thought to himself, ''Yakira, you have enjoyed a carefree life for a really long time. It is time to make you suffer, or you will ruin my happy life."


    "Okay, Mr. Mu." Luke was also disgusted with Yakira''s ugly features, but he didn''t understand why Edward was involving Leena in this. He knew he shouldn''t ask why. Edward must have his reasons for this.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    Luke chose Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost today. Speeding in phantom-like silence, it boasted quick and powerful eleration, smart and humanized control, andfortable and quiet operation. It was suitable for Edward who just left hospital yesterday. However, it was used very rarely because its cost was enormous. With a price of 1.55 billion, it was a favorite of the royal family. Less than ten such cars could be found in the world.


    The gentry who drove the Silver Ghost felt like they were riding the devil. Nothing could be more ecstatic than this. Anyway, Rolls-Royce presented to the world the taste and style of royalty. Perhaps only its legends would be spread in the future. Rolls-Royce was the product of an era. Without the real grandeur, there was no Rolls-Royce. It created the nobility, and it was also thest nobility.


    The car attracted everyone''s attention on the way. For them, its all-silver reflective color and inherent royal quality were within sight but beyond reach. Well, it should be said that they could hardly witness it.


    "Edward, why did you suddenly ask me to go out for lunch? It''s still early." Leena got in the car with a sweet smile. She had been thinking about this question after hanging up the phone. She couldn''t figure out why, so she asked Edward as soon as she got in the car. "It''s not early. It''s the right time. Let''s go." Edward stroked Leena''s hair. He was quite satisfied with the dress she was wearing. This would be really helpful for his next move.


    "Well, you didn''t have breakfast this morning, right? Why did you ask me to wear a tube top skirt? The weather is a bit cold." Leena had a puzzled look on her face. She didn''t know what Edward was up to.


    "How about now?" Edward took a coat and draped it over Leena''s shoulders. Then he took out a charming ne from his pocket and carefully put it around Leena''s neck.


    "Edward, this ne is stunning. But why should I wear it? Don''t you think it''s a bit old-fashioned?"


    Leena stretched out her hand to feel the blood-red crystal like a drop of water. It was enchanting and tempting. She felt as if she was touching blood. She trembled with fear and didn''t dare to touch it again. However, when it was against her skin, she didn''t feel its cold texture. Instead, it merged with her body temperature, which made her feel curious.


    "It''s certainly old-fashioned because it''s an antique. Its owner was the highest-ranking imperial courtesan of the Qing Dynasty. It has a very beautiful name, A Beauty''s Tears of Blood. Daisy likes it very much. Don''t lose it, or she will be mad at me."


    Edward looked grim. Daisy had an obsessive look when she stared at the ne. She loved the ne and Edward equally. He wasn''t sure what she would prefer between the ne and him.


    "If it is Daisy''s favorite, why did you have me wear it? Don''t me me if it goes missing. I don''t want to take the responsibility for you."


    The ne was beautiful, but the thought that it was a funeral object made Leena''s hair stand on end. She had watched many time-travel TV series. The leading female actresses went back to the past because of some ancient objects or insignias. Leena wondered, ''Will I be ill-fated and get transported back to the Qing Dynasty?''


    "It is hard to say. I have to protect myself from something unfavorable. If that happens, I will have no choice but to make you the scapegoat. Anyway, Daisy won''t do anything to you, but if anything goes wrong. she''ll be harsh on me."


    Edward was as rude as ever. He went so far as to make these thoughtless remarks. If Hank was shameless, then Edward was as bold as brass.


    "Please take off the ne. I don''t want her to hunt me down with a gun. I will be exhausted. Moreover, I am not nning to go abroad any time soon. Please raise your hand high in mercy. Don''t involve me."


    Leena was scared. She wanted to take off the ne. She assumed that Edward gave this ne to her for a specific purpose. But she shook in her shoes when she thought that she''d have to run for her life and live a wandering life if she lost the ne. Before Edward dragged her into the mire, she had to save her life.


    "Leena, I know you are an outstanding fashion designer. Surprisingly, you are also talented in acting. How about joining the entertainment circle? The entertainmentpany under the FX International Group grows regrly. You can receive some training. I promise that I will make you famous."


    Edward chuckled and grabbed Leena''s hand. If Leena quit, he wouldn''t be able to continue his n.


    "Edward, don''t make fun of me. The entertainment circle is dirty. Do you want to see me in the headline news in theing days? It may say, Leena is taken out by someone born with a silver spoon in his mouth, or Leena''s nude photos are made public. Let''s leave these things aside. Do you think Duke will let you off?"


    With a naughty grimace, Leena politely declined Edward''s request. She enjoyed her life now and didn''t want to go to the bad. Moreover, she had more than enough money, so she didn''t need to go that far. She was only posing, and she didn''t really want to take off the ne.000000????????

 Chapter 500 Who Are You Calling Aunt (Part One)

    "Leena, don''t forget who is running the business. Unless I intend to do so, do you think it''s possible that I would let these negative reports appear on the newspaper? Don''t underestimated me." Edward smiled conceitedly. Did Leena really think that these ugly news were dug out by the paparazzi? Without his permission, they wouldn''t have had the nerve to report any of these at all.


    "Yes, it seems so. Whoever upsets the FX International Group would pay for it with their life and career. No wonder Rain always ims that you''re a vicious, greedy, and ruthless capitalist who always enves workers and watches them work themselves to the bone." Leena narrowed her eyes and pretended to look at him with disgust, as if Edward really worked his employees to death.


    "Leena, are you praising me? Or ming me? Why do you sound so strange? Or do you really believe what Rain said about me? You know how Rain is, he likes to exaggerate things." Edwardid back against his seat like azy lion about to go out to hunt for prey. There was a gentle smile on his handsome face, resembling warm and hazy morning sunshine.


    "Of course I''m praising you. But whom are we meeting with?" Leena was very clever, she quickly realized Edward''s true intentions for inviting her out. If it hadn''t been to ask her to meet with someone, he wouldn''t have demanded her to dress like this for a simple meeting. Moreover, he put the antique ne around her neck.


    "You''ll find out when we arrive. Don''t ask any questions when we get there and don''t talk too much. Just follow my lead and do as I say." Edward was a fascinating man. Every movement he made looked graceful and dignified. Even when he reached out his hand to pinch Leena''s cheeks, the charming smile he showed could take anyone''s breath away.


    "Why are you treating me like a fool?" Leena gently waved his hand away. The more he spoke, the more she felt like she would need to act dumbter. She wasn''t allowed to ask or say anything. Was she a fool in everyone else''s eyes?All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Haha! Yes, you''re such a lovely fool." Edward smiled gently and continued to pinch her nose. It amused him when he asionally teased Leena.


    "Mr. Mu, we have arrived." Luke had been watching their exchange through the rear-view mirror. The scene looked very warm and harmonious. He didn''t know much about Leena, but he knew how much Leena meant to Edward. Before Mrs. Mu, Leena was probably the first woman who Edward was willing to share his true feelings with. Even Edward''s mother didn''t have the chance to enjoy this privilege.


    "Okay. Leena, let''s go." As soon as he spoke, Edward opened the door and got off the car first. Then he reached out his hand to gracefully help Leena out of the car. When Edward turned around and moved to walk into the restaurant, Leena stopped him.


    "Edward, wait a moment. I''ll take off my coat." Leena took off the coat that Edward had asked her to wear. It was fine to wear it in the car, but she felt it was inappropriate to walk into the restaurant dressed like this.


    "Didn''t you say that you feel cold? You can keep wearing the coat." Edward frowned. Although he thought that the coat might cover the ne and prevent it from attracting attention, he felt that it was more important to protect Leena from cold.


    "Oh my god, don''t you think I look awkward with this coat?" Leena felt annoyed and gently touched her forehead. As a fashion designer, the thing she despised the most was to see people ruin the value of every piece of clothing. It was impossible for her topromise her aesthetic views. This would make her look very unprofessional.


    "I don''t think so. You''re a married woman, who would be interested in looking at you?" Despite Edward''s harsh reply, he still took the coat from Leena''s hand. The temperature in the car was cool, but now that they were standing under the sun, they felt very warm now. "Huh! Do I look like a married woman? Can''t you see that I look as young as a middle school student?" Leena refuted as she caught up with Edward''s pace, her alluring red lips pouting. Edward''s remark drove her crazy.


    "Even if youpare yourself to a primary school student, you''re still a married woman, it will never change." Like Duke, Edward couldn''t understand Leena''s sudden marriage either. So he asionally brought it up to tease her.


    "Yes, I''m married. But what makes you think that I look like a married woman?" Leena lowered her head to examine her clothes. The dress was thetest style in fashion design. She thought it looked modern and stylish. But why would Edward speak as if she really looked distasteful?


    "You look like a married woman from head to toe." Edward nced over the restaurant with his cold blue eyes. He came to a conclusion without even looking at Leena. They had arrivedte, because most of the best seats were already taken. It would be optimal to carry out his n in a good spot.


    "Huh! You either have poor eyes or have a senile mind." Leena continued to argue with Edward, not noticing that they were attracting the attention of everyone in the restaurant. Edward was handsome and Leena was graceful, not to mention the gorgeous ne that Leena wore on her neck. The patrons in the restaurant were so fascinated by the ne that they couldn''t take their eyes off it.


    "Let''s find a table that will be easily noticed and sit down. Then we can take it easy and discuss this question." Edward led her to the table situated in the middle of the hall and near the entrance. Then he sat down with Leena on the same side, facing the entrance. The position put them in a good view for the public. Whenever customers entered, they would easily notice them.


    "Edward, do you think you''re not striking enough? Why do you want us to sit here?" Leena drew back her neck. She regretted giving the coat back to Edward, because the glowing eyes boring into her from the crowd almost melted her. Their attention was focused on the sensitive spot under her neck. Although she wasn''t that curvaceous and her breasts and hips weren''t that sexy, she was a gracefuldy with a slim and tall figure. They all gazed at general direction of her breasts. Even though Leena knew that they were intrigued with the ne, she wasn''t used to being under the spotlight like this.


    "This is exactly the effect I want. Just wait patiently. We''ll watch a good showter. But before that, let''s eat something. I''m afraid we won''t feel like eating once the drama begins." Edward grinned yfully at her. On a regr asion, he would have gone to a private box, instead of sitting out here and being watched like monkeys. But because they came here with a special purpose this time, he needed to keep a high profile.???????

 Chapter 501 Who Are You Calling Aunt (Part Two)

    "Edward, why does it seem like I''m in the tiger''sir right now? Are you going to sell me here?" Leena wrinkled her nose, looking yful and lovely.


    "Yes, I had this idea earlier. Since you bring it up, I''ll reconsider it now. I wonder if someone will offer a good price. I don''t want to make a loss in doing business." Edward lifted the fragrant tea that the waiter had just served and took a sip, looking contemtive. "Never mind, forget it. I''m not angry. I really don''t care about it. I''ll go along with it as if I''m doing it for charity. I won''t die for the sake of entertaining someone else anyway." Leena fiercely ate the snacks in front of her and bit them hard. She looked as if she were biting Edward''s head instead of the snacks.


    Edward smiled gracefully at Leena''s actions. There was deep fondness on his face. He asionally nced at the direction of the entrance with a carefree look on his face.


    Time passed by as they teased each other and enjoyed their delicious meal. They didn''t look like they were waiting for someone. Instead, their intimate behavior made them look more like a couple in love. They caught the woman''s attention as soon as she entered. Her eyes brightened at the sight. Then she grinned wickedly.


    "Oh! Isn''t it Mr. Mu? Wow! You have a different woman with you today. It wasn''t long ago that you showed your love for Daisy in public. Things change so quickly. The true nature of men never changes." Yakira smirked. But as soon as she noticed the ne, her smile froze and her face became pale.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Edward, it''s you! What a coincidence to see you here! Where have you beentely? I haven''t seen you around. I missed you so much!" Mary greeted with a flushed face. She didn''t expect to see Edward here. The pleasant surprise excited her a lot. As soon as Mary finished talking, Leena couldn''t hold back the urge tough and spit out the water she just drank.


    "Oh! Please excuse my rudeness. You may continue." Leena''s beautiful face turned red from choking on her drink. She was shocked by Mary''s pretentious remarks and affected voice. She missed Edward? Who did she think she was? Had she looked in the mirrortely? Leena didn''t find anything wrong with being a little pretentious and acting lovely. But this woman was too old to do that, and it was disgusting. No wonder Edward told her to eat something beforehand. It turned out he was right. How could Edward stomach such a disgusting woman? Wasn''t he worried that he would throw up what he just ate?


    "Be careful and drink slowly. Nobody is going to take away your drink." Edward ignored the neers and anxiously rubbed Leena''s back with concern.


    "I know nobody will take it away. I just found something amusing, that''s all." Leena took a sip of water and recovered from the small ident. She was taken aback by Mary''s stunning remarks and choked on her drink. What an unlucky day.


    "Do you mind us sitting here?" Although Yakira was reluctant to sit with them at the same table, she was curious why the ne would appear on Leena''s neck. She clearly remembered giving it to Paul. Was it just a coincidence or was it possible that there was another simr ne in existence?


    "Yes! Edward, all the other tables are upied. We''re acquaintances. How about sharing a table together?" Before Edward could reply, Mary helped herself and sat down. The suggestion was more of a statement than a request.


    "Whatever. We''re finished eating our meal anyway, so we don''t need to worry about losing our appetite at the sight of some unpleasant things." Edward sneered. He actually meant to let them sit down. But when he spoke, it sounded a little different.


    Yakira frowned. If not for the ne, she would have turned around and left at his words. But she really wanted to know where they got the ne. She had no choice but to suppress her anger and sit down.


    "Wow! What a beautiful ne! But it doesn''t seem to fit this youngdy. The ne has a luxurious and dignified look."


    Mary''spliment about the ne was from the bottom of her heart. But remembering Edward''s intimate actions with Leena, she got jealous and pouted. She tried to nder Leena''s good temperament. She firmly believed that Leena was Edward''s new girlfriend. Assuming that Leena did note from a noble family because she looked very innocent, Mary insulted her without any scruples.


    "Oh! Aunt, I share the same view as you. I told Edward that my temperament is not suitable for such ssic and graceful antique ne. I don''t know what''s wrong with him today. He made me wear it and said that I look perfect with the ne. Don''t you think he was just bullshitting me?"


    Leena smiled sweetly at Mary. She cleverly scorned Mary and med Edward in her response. She acted like the innocent girl that Mary thought to be, and pretended not to know anything.


    "Who are you calling aunt?" Mary was pissed off. She wondered where Edward had found this hateful woman. Leena indeed looked young, but she wasn''t young enough to call Mary aunt! The only possibility was that Leena was ying a trick and pretending to be a weak pig luring the tiger to fall into a trap. Leena was not as innocent as she had thought. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have implied that Mary was old.


    "Um... Sorry. Edward, did I say something wrong?" Leena stuck out her tongue and acted like an innocent child who made a mistake. In truth, she was very proud of herself. Mary dared to say that Leena''s temperament was not fit for the ne and even went as far as to say that Leena failed to show off the luxurious and dignified property of the jewelry. Although she found it to be true, it was really humiliating for her to have Mary say it in front of her face. ording to Leena''s personality, she would seize every chance to avenge herself. An eye for eye, a tooth for tooth. If she didn''t upset Mary enough to make her explode today, she would be ashamed of herself.


    "For this question, it''s better to confirm with Miss Ouyang herself. I''m not sure of her age. I don''t know if it''s more appropriate to call her big sister, or aunt." Edward smiled lightly. He knew it was impossible for Leena not to say anything. He decided to let nature take its course. There was nothing wrong with it. The process wasn''t important, he only needed to reach his goal.


    "Edward. That''s not fair. Why are you also mocking me?" Mary acted coquettishly, looking at Edward''s handsome face obsessively. Her obsession with Edward grew every time she saw him. She was even more determined to win him over.00000000

 Chapter 502 Making a Fool of Yourself (Part One)

    Leena burst into a fit of coughs. She couldn''t help choking when she heard Mary''s tone as she talked to Edward. She kept coughing and felt rather ufortable. She swore not to eat anything until Mary and Yarika left, including her favorite dessert that she had started enjoying just now.


    "Are you okay, Leena? Even if you lose your appetite from someone''s way of speaking, you still need to make sure you don''t hurt yourself." Edward was also extremely shocked by Mary''s words and tone. But he kept his expression calm and didn''t show any emotion on his face. "I was just caught off guard. I promise I''ll pay attention and not be so careless next time." As a matter of fact, Leena knew Yakira Mo. But she didn''t know that she was Daisy''s stepmother. As for Mary, she didn''t know her at all.


    "Edward, who is she? Are you not going to introduce us?" Mary red at Leena coldly. She was resentful that Edward and Leena were so close. But when she turned to face Edward, she revealed a sweet and gentle smile. Despite how much his words hurt her, she just couldn''t help being attracted to him. She chose to ignore his taunt about her and smiled brightly.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Oh, yes! Mr. Mu, who is this pretty and elegant girl?" Yakira was a well-informed and shrewd woman. She wasn''t as shallow as her young daughter who mistakenly thought that Leena was a girl of humble birth. Yakira immediately realized that Leena was born and raised in a prominent family at the first sight of her. Moreover, she confirmed that Leena wasn''t a sophisticated girl for her innocent personality. Yarika could tell clearly that Leena was well-protected by her family for her to keep up her innocent act.


    "Mom, are you trying to embarrass Edward? This woman isn''t pretty or elegant at all. Who knows where this bumpkin came from? She looks really tacky."


    Mary pursed her lips for an instant. Yes, the dress that woman was wearing was thetest Chanel, but Edward must have bought it for her. Looking at her almost nude make-up, Mary further confirmed that there was no way she was born in a rich family. Nowadays, almost every rich girl from a prominent family would have borate make-up on a date. Only a vulgar woman like Daisy always appeared in public without any make-up. She had no idea about the basic social etiquette of using make-up at all.


    "Yes, I''m just a bumpkin. Don''t even try and ask me who I am. A bumpkin doesn''t deserve your attention." Leena didn''t mind her scathing remarks at all. Instead, she smiled sweetly in response. Besides, actions speak louder than words. She wasn''t stupid enough to forget her task today. She was supposed to work hard and act with Edward. As for irrelevant people and their remarks, she turned a deaf ear to them and didn''t bother herself with them.


    "Mary, apologize to thisdy right now! Behave yourself!" Yakira''s eyes turned cold, giving Mary a look of bitter reproach. She was trying her best to gain some information, but her daughter kept dragging her heels.


    "Mom, why should I apologize to her? She''s definitely a bumpkin! I didn''t say anything wrong." Mary pouted and rolled her eyes. She couldn''t figure out what''s wrong with her mother. She was always on her side and used to readily agree with her in the past. Why was she changing her tune today? She kept going against her.


    "A bumpkin? Let me check. Oh! Yes, definitely a bumpkin," Edward replied as if he actually agreed with Mary. But he cast a cold sidelong nce at Yakira. The woman had been paying attention to the "A Beauty''s Tears of Blood" ne since the moment they arrived. Edward confirmed from her actions that she must be directly involved with the theft of the ne.


    "Yes, you''re right, Edward. We share the same view!" Mary was immediately delighted to hear Edward agree with her. She got it right! How could this old-fashioned woman be born in a prominent family? She didn''t behave like a rich girl at all. There was no need for her mother to worry about anything. And she didn''t need to apologize to this woman either. She would demean herself by doing so. Her mother was talking nonsense.


    "Mrs. Ouyang, you seem to be quite interested in Leena''s ne. Have you seen it before?" Edward said with a wicked smile. He didn''t want to talk to irrelevant people. It would be a waste of time. He turned a deaf ear to Mary who was full of herself.


    "Oh, no! I just find it very beautiful, so I can''t help looking at it. I wonder where Mr. Mu bought it from? It must be very expensive." Yakira shifted her eyes to avoid eye contact with Edward. The more she looked at it, the more she felt that it was the same ne she had given to Paul. But why did Edward have it? Did Paul sell it for money? But that didn''t make sense! She''d been sending him arge amount money every year. That would be enough for him to live a luxurious life abroad. He didn''t need to sell the ne to earn money for afortable life.


    "I bought it from a middle-aged man whosest name was Du. He said he just returned to the country and was in need of money, so he decided to sell his heirloom. I bought it from him when I met him. I also heard that it used to belong to some imperial concubine from the Qing dynasty, but I''m not sure if that''s true or not."


    Edward observed Yakira''s reaction as he spoke. He bet that she had given the ne to Paul Du. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have turned white as soon as she saw it. The purpose of having Leena wear the ne was to try and sound out Yakira with it. But after seeing her noticeable reaction, he decided to change his original n and strike from the sidelines.


    "Who? A middle-aged man called Du?" Yakira immediately grew anxious. But sensing her improper reaction, she forced herself to calm down and pretended to cough. She looked away to avoid Edward''s scrutinizing gaze.


    "Yes, a Du. Do you know him, Mrs. Ouyang?" The corners of Edward''s mouth turned up slightly. He raised his eyebrows and looked at her intently. He was curious how Yakira would respond. Would she leave anxiously? Or would she stay here and act nonchnt? No matter how she responded, it didn''t matter to Edward. He''d already gotten what he came here for.0000000000000000

 Chapter 503 Making a Fool of Yourself (Part Two)

    "No, I don''t know any Du." Had Paul returned to the country? Why was shepletely unaware? Oh, god! How could he sell the ne to Edward? What a devil! Did Daisy remember it? If she recognized it, she might look into it. That would cause a lot of trouble! Yakira hated Paul for not keeping his promise. He had promised her that he would never return to the country. But why did he break his word? Wasn''t he afraid that people would find out what he had done to Daisy''s mother?


    "Oh, you don''t know him! I thought you knew each other from your reaction just now." Edward didn''t expose her lie. He had decided to wait for her in the restaurant today only to see her reaction. He hadn''t expected her to admit it so easily. He''d gotten what he wanted and didn''t waste any more of his time.


    "Are you making fun of me? How could I know some middle-aged Du? Excuse me, but we won''t be able to stay any longer. Mary, let''s go!"


    Yarika stood up as soon as she finished talking. She had to confirm one thing as soon as possible. Did Paul Due back? Or was the man Edward talked about another person who happened to have the same ne? But this kind of coincidence was a million to one! Yakira got increasingly anxious at the thought.


    "But aren''t we going to eat something? Why can''t we stay a bit longer? We don''t have anything to do now." Mary frowned. She didn''t want to leave with Yakira at all. She stubbornly kept looking at Edward with her eager eyes. She didn''t have many opportunities to see him. Now that she finally bumped into him here, she didn''t want to leave at all.


    "Just do as I say and leave with me! Don''t stay here anymore. You won''t die without this meal." Yakira felt helpless with her daughter''s obsessive behavior. She had warned her many times before that she couldn''t handle an excellent man such as Edward Mu. But her daughter kept turning a deaf ear to her words. Well, let her suffer by herself! Even as her mother, she couldn''t stand to look at her embarrassing actions towards Edward.


    "Fine! I''ll go with you. Why are you so angry? Bye, Edward. I''ll talk to you next time." Mary thought Edward would at least pretend to ask her to stay. But Edward didn''t look at her at all, let alone talk to her mother and urge her to stay.


    "Hurry up. Stop making a fool of yourself!" Regarding Edward''s arrogance, Yakira could do nothing butin in her mind despite being angry with him. He was one of the most powerful people in the city. No matter how upset she was, she couldn''t offend him in any way despite her immense anger. Besides, she had something more important to do now.


    "Mom, what''s wrong with you today? Why are you so moody? We came here for meal, why can''t we stay any longer? You didn''t answer any phone call." Mary pursed her lips. She was unhappy that Edward didn''t want to talk to her. And now, even her mother was berating her like this. She got more and more upset.


    "You can''t keep acting like some shameless groupie! Didn''t you notice that he didn''t want to talk to you at all? Let alone stay with you! Stop thinking about him! There are so many good men in the world, Edward Mu is only one of them! Besides, he has a wife! Don''t you know that you will be charged for a crime if you harm a soldier''s marriage?"


    Yakira paused for a moment. She turned around and rolled her eyes at Mary. She was a clever woman, why was her daughter such a fool? Edward acted and spoke so affectionately to Leena while he treated Mary so lowly. Was Mary blind?


    "There are definitely a lot of good men, but Edward is a special man. You don''t understand because you''ve never loved someone from the bottom of your heart. You love no one but yourself! Why else would you keep 5 million for yourself in secret?"


    Mary didn''t care about harming a soldier''s marriage at all She didn''t care about anything as long as she could have the man of her dreams. She firmly believed that Edward would be hers as long as she didn''t stop trying.


    Smack! A distinct p sounded loudly. Mary clutched her face with her hand, staring at Yakira with wide eyes. She couldn''t believe that her mother had just pped her.


    "Mary Ouyang, I don''t care if other people consider me a selfish woman. But I never expected you to say such words to me. I''ve sacrificed so much for you in all these years. But what about you? What do you do to repay me? Now, you even consider a man who keeps dismissing you more important than your own mother! This really hurts my heart."


    Yakira never wanted to hit her own daughter. But she couldn''t help pping Mary''s face just now. If she hadn''t gotten anxious because of Edward''s words a few moments earlier, she wouldn''t have hit Mary.


    "Don''t make up some eptable excuse for your selfishness. That''s the way you want to live. I''m only following your lead. After all, like mother, like daughter. If you didn''t divorce my father and insist on marrying Leo Ouyang, I wouldn''t be a stepdaughter! And I wouldn''t turn out to be such a selfish person either! Besides, Edward is not dismissive towards me. He has the same attitude towards all women."All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    Mary got pped in the face. She had already been feeling inferior because of her miserable experience and now, her mother was rubbing salt on her wounds. Because of this, her tone got more and more agitated. She shouted so loudly that every passer-by looked at her with an odd expression on their face. But she didn''t care about them. She also ignored how her words might hurt Yakira badly.


    "Then are you saying that I did a bad thing to you? Do you think that I wanted to take you with me to the Ouyang family?" Yakira''s lips couldn''t help trembling. She didn''t mean what she said, but she got so angry at Mary that she spoke without thinking.

 Chapter 504 Are You In Love With Him (Part One)

    "See? I knew it! I know everything you have done serves a purpose. You''ve been using me in your own ns, even when you were driving Daisy away from the Ouyang Family, you used me to achieve your goal. No wonder Brian has been hostile to you the whole time. He must have learned about your malicious nature!"


    Said Mary with hatred, every word cold as ice. She hated it when Brian ignored her. If it weren''t for Yakira, Brian would treat her as good as he did to Daisy. But now he was indifferent to Mary, but behaved lovingly to Daisy. The difference between them drove her crazy. "How dare you! How can you talk to your own mother like this? Where are your manners?" Yakira was both ashamed and angered. She raised her hand and yelled at Mary, threatening to p her again. Brian''s indifference had wounded her deeply, thus she couldn''t bear to hear Mary to mention that again. Why would a son treat his own mother as aloof as a stranger? And why would a daughter yell at her mother in disgust?


    "What? Do you want to hit me again? Do it then! But don''t you mention manners to me again, because you have none! If you knew what decency was, you wouldn''t be Leo Ouyang''s wife. And the CEO of Ouyang Foreign Trade''s wife would be someone else."


    Eyes wide open, Mary glowered back at her mother. They red at each other with hatred, as if their opponent was their mortal enemy. Mary always hated her mother for the original family she was born to, and even more for making her a stepdaughter of a sessful entrepreneur. For that, the youngdies of wealthy families never thought much of her.


    "Alright! Whatever! You''re too young and stupid to know what is right and what is wrong. And you are too self-centered to heed my advice. Whatever I say or do, you would think it is an excuse. But just wait and see! One day...one day, you''ll understand everything I''ve done is for your own good."T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    That said, without looking at Mary, Yakira got in the car and drove away. Her daughter''s every word had wounded her badly, making her heart cramp in pain. She wondered whether this was her retribution. Perhaps, because of her sins, she was punished by heaven. To win Leo''s heart, she had framed Grace and cast Daisy away. And that was why she was doomed to be despised by her own children. Mary and Brian had never treated her as their mother, but an enemy.


    Mary bit her lower lip as she watched her mother''s car drive away. She never thought that her mother would heartlessly leave her behind. Her car was not there, thus she had to call a cab to get back. Though she always hated taxis, she had to endure it for the moment. Gathering her wits and emotions, Mary walked to the curbside, and hailed a taxi. For the first time ever she had a quarrel with her mother. But she didn''t look deep inside herself and think of her own faults, but attributed the whole mess to Daisy. In her opinion, Daisy was the root cause of Brian''s indifference to her and her mother''s anger. She wondered why Daisy had all the good things she had yearned for?


    "Edward, what''s going on here? Did they just fight with each other?" Having watched the whole drama, Leena giggled delightfully at the scene. When she smiled, she radiated a youthful charm of her age, shining like a peach blossom from a February garden.


    "I think so. Anyway, let''s go. I''ll drive you home." Edward sneered disdainfully. He had no interest to settle the dispute between Yakira and Mary. Even if they were going to fight to the death, he would stand by and watch, if not help them gut each other. Thinking that through, he raised his head and looked up to the bright sky. The midday sun hung suspended in cloudless space, like a zing disc of fire. Edward slightly frowned in the sweltering weather.


    "No, thank you, Edward. I''ll hang out here a little longer. You''ve just recovered from a gun shot wound. You should go back home and rest," said Leena. Since the newly-married passion faded away, the true nature of marriage had been revealed to her. Marrying a man didn''t feel so good; not half as good as she had imagined it to be. For a time, she had always wanted some personal space, and her wishes came true. Since her marriage with Kevin, she had spent many nights waiting alone in the house for his return. She found that the house was so empty, and time passed so slowly when silence reigned over everything. She craved connection.


    "No, I''m okay. If you don''t want to go home, I can also hang out with you for a while. I have a lot of free time now, and can apany you for even the whole day." Right now, Edward was no longer burdened by his heavy workload. Since he had plenty of time, he felt like hanging out with Leena and rxing.


    "Oh, that''s very kind of you, Edward! But I have to decline the honor. If I kept you out toote and exhausted you, Daisy would beat me up. You can just help me remove this ne. I want to spend some time alone." Out of nowhere, Leena was overwhelmed by a feeling of loneliness. She didn''t want to go back to her cold house, nor did she want the feeble Edward to apany her. She just wanted to feel the lively atmosphere in the crowded ce.


    However, Edward resisted. "It doesn''t matter. I always like a brisk walk. But let''s remove that ne. I don''t want you to get robbed," he said. Edward sensed that there was something wrong with her. Or else, she could never be so depressed.


    "But you are never interested in going shopping with women, Edward. What''s gotten into you? Normally, when the subject is brought up, I invite you all the time, and you just say no," said Leena with a smirk. She was happy to be hanging out with Edward. But she looked up to the sky and paused for a while, as if she was considering whether she liked the idea or not.


    "I am not keen on shopping. But since I''m married to Daisy, I am used to it." Edward smiled fondly, as the topic reminded him of Daisy. Then he reached out and removed the ne from Leena''s neck. He missed the happy hours when Daisy and he were wandering on the snack street and eating, even if a lot of it was foreign to him. And he was lost in his thoughts as he was thinking of the three of them living happily together.


    "That''s right. The conqueror is now conquered. Let''s go and have fun then. To me, having a handsome guy aspany is fun enough, however much fun we''re going to have," Leena giggled. She shouldn''t refuse him again. Thus she delightfully epted his offer. "Mr. Mu, would you like me to drive you home?" asked Luke curiously, as he saw that Leena and Edward weren''t walking back to the car.0000000000?????

 Chapter 505 Are You In Love With Him (Part Two)

    "No, thank you. I''m going shopping with Leena. And I''d like to have a nice, long walk." That said, Edward followed Leena away. He had no idea how horrified and helpless Luke was when he heard his decision. Although Luke was unwilling to ept it, he couldn''t talk back to his boss nor could he try to change Edward''s mind. All he could do is to follow his order, and to call up another bodyguard of Edward''s, asking him to drive Edward''s car following them, in case Edward was tired or needed to get in the car.


    Edward didn''t know his bodyguards were having such a dilemma. Being the center of everyone''s attention, he was enjoying his time, and gazing at the goods through the shop windows casually. At this moment, he felt joyful and care-free. He was no longer the CEO of FX International Group, nor the dream lover ofdies, the Mr. Mu, but a happymoner, who was enjoying himself freely.


    "Edward, can I ask you a question? What does it mean if the same person pops into your mind from time to time? And what does it mean if you can''t helpparing other men to that person? Does it mean that he''s special to you? Does it mean he''s the right one? I don''t even know how to put this..." Leena suddenly asked. Her voice was low and uncertain, little greater than a murmur. She sounded like she were questioning herself rather than asking for Edward''s opinion.


    "I think so. Are you talking about Kevin? Are you in love with him?" When he heard her question, Edward paused for a while, and asked. The one who fell in love first was often the one who suffered greatly, whose heart was hurt. Love was painful sometimes. He didn''t want to see the lovely Leena struggle in pain. Moreover, it reminded him of Daisy. He had wronged her for so long a time...


    "No, just asking. I''m not into him yet. Speaking of which, Edward, why have you never asked me how I met Kevin?" Leena turned her head to Edward, and shed a gentle smile. Although the sun was scorching, since the sides of the street were equipped with rows of trees, Edward wasn''t feeling too awful. He felt pretty good in the shade.


    "I don''t feel it necessary. I have a feeling that even if I ask, you wouldn''t tell me. And even if you tell me, it wouldn''t be the truth. So, why ask? If you really want to say something about it, even if I don''t ask you, you would say it anyway. I just decided not to bother."


    Edward returned her smile. In his opinion, everyone had a secret in their heart that they didn''t want to reveal. The reason that stopped him from asking was not that he didn''t care about his friend, but the fact that he respected others'' privacy and understood the boundaries in social situations. When his friends were in trouble, he knew exactly when they needed him to help them out and when he should step back and turn his eyes away.


    "Well, I don''t know. I think you''ve seen right through me, Edward." Leena giggled as she spoke, but she didn''t reveal any details about she and Kevin''s past. As friends, she and Edward knew each other very well. But however friendly she was to him, she had to keep him in the dark on some things. How could she tell Edward about her one night stand with Kevin back in the bar? It was not something she could speak freely without any feelings of doubt.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "It doesn''t matter. What matters now is your rtionship with Kevin. If you truly love him, you should tell him about your real feelings. You shouldn''t be overcautious and indecisive in love affairs, nor should you worry about things that haven''t happened yet. It''s too difficult for someone to meet their true love in her lifetime." Edward wasn''t too curious about how Leena and Kevin got together. What mattered now was that she had started to have feelings for Kevin. The feeling of love wouldst forever, and outlive life and death. Even when everything in this world had turned to ash, it still remained.


    "But what if he doesn''t feel the same way about me like I feel about him? What if he loves some other woman whom he should never want, never be with? If that were the case, do I still have to love him, like always?" Asked Leena sadly. Although the sun was shining brightly, her heart felt cold and lonely.


    "So you''ve already known it. No wonder you haven''t been yourself these days. Are you regretting your marriage to Kevin now? Do you me Daisy for winning his heart?" Edward led her into a bower in the central park. They took a seat together on the bench. After a short walk, he felt his strength draining away, presumably because his body had not fully recovered.


    "What? You already knew Kevin''s feelings for Daisy? Does it mean that all our friends know? Is that why you''re so critical of him, and have to pick on him every time?" Leena was shocked. She thought that she was the only one who had seen into Kevin''s heart. She didn''t expect it to be an open secret.


    "That''s not possible. Rest assured! They''re not as smart as I am. So far, I am the only one who has sensed Kevin''s feelings for Daisy. I''ve also talked to Daisy several times about it, and asked her to pay attention to that, to take care, lest you get caught in the middle of what''s between Kevin and Daisy. However, there is no hiding the truth, and you figured it out much earlier than I expected you to. Okay then. If you didn''t figure it out, when your feelings for him get deeper, you''d be hurt even more. But now you''ve known, and that''s a good thing. You should get prepared for whatever is going to happen next."


    That said, Edward patted Leena on her shoulder. Leena was more sensible than she looked. She tended to observe the subtle changes that other people would overlook, but it was also easier to hurt such a sensitive heart.


    "That''s such a relief. It would be a disaster if all our friends thought that he was hot for your wife. By the way, does Kevin know that you know?" Asked Leena. She cared so much for Kevin, and didn''t want him to feel guilty or resentful, for whatever reason.


    "You tell me." Edward didn''t give a direct answer. He intended to help her forget about Kevin, and had teased her more often than before. Knowing what was bothering her now, he just hoped that she wouldn''t get too carried away. Since she had started to fall for Kevin, it would be highly likely for her to fall in love with him. Though he was once a romantic rival, Edward couldn''t deny that Kevin was a charming man.0000000

 Chapter 506 The One And Only (Part One)

    "I know you well enough to know one thing. You won''t stand by and watch someone drooling over the woman you love. You must have warned him, am I right?" A steamroller, that was how Leena saw Edward. So it was easy for Leena to guess what he did.


    "You know me too well. I''ve been taking care of you all this time, and it clearly paid off. Let me think, what can I give you as a reward? You''re very clever." Edwardughed. Leena saw right through him. But he was not embarrassed at all by her words. He did whatever he wanted and never cared what people thought.


    "Did you forget? I''m a fox, the one and only fox. I know every trick you y," Leena said, making a funny face at him. Edward looked at her and let out a loudugh. Ande to think of it, she had a point there and that was what made her so special. That was what made everyone like her so much.


    "Now you know that he loves someone else, how do you feel? Sad and lost?" Edward handed her the drink Luke had brought them and screwed open one bottle himself and drank. Luke was tall, robust and masculine, yet he was way more thoughtful and observant than he looked. He took care of even the little things, like bringing them some cool drinks to drive away the heat.


    "Not that bad. I''m not that into him. Maybe I''m a little unhappy but I am sure this feeling will fade soon. I''ll be fine. Don''t worry."


    Leena took a sip of the drink and licked her lips. She tried to look upward at the sky high above but was blinded by the brilliant sunlight.


    "I am d to see you''re as upbeat as ever. That''s a relief," Edward said with a soft warm smile on his face. Everyonevished their care and attention on her, yet she wasn''t spoiled rotten. He believed that she would find happiness in the end. After all, God is just, he will always treat everyone fairly.


    "What do you expect? I don''t feel like I have too many options. Crying and arguing over something that doesn''t belong to me? That''s not me." Leena breathed slowly and stared at the street full of people. She suddenly realized she hadn''t gone out with Kevin even once. This thought gave her a bitter taste.


    "You feel better now?" Edward asked, ruffling her soft hair. And he was dazed by the smooth touch when his fingers ran through her hair, for his wife also had long flowing hair.


    "Yes! Thank you, Edward. I feel more rxed after talking with you." Ofte she had too much on her mind. It was a relief to have someone to talk to about her thoughts. Love was unfair, and she had to learn to let it go. If she met someone she truly loved, she would make a move as Edward told her. And no matter what the ending was, she wouldn''t regret it if she tried her best.


    "So, what now? Shall we head back?" Edward frowned a little as the sun zed overhead and made the air burn hot. He was afraid that she would be feeling down, and tried to console her despite how much he hated the wicked heat and exposure to the sun.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Well, no more acting?" Leena looked at him with a mischievous grin. All Edward''s friends knew that the first thing he would do after he got home was to take a shower, and they also knew how he hated the heat. Leena had wondered from the beginning how long Edward could stand to be exposed in the burning sun. It was much longer than she had expected and his kindness touched her.


    "My bad. My acting skill has fallen off a bit. Let''s go." Edwardughed, shook his head and pulled Leena to her feet. They walked casually towards the Rolls-Royce that followed them all the time, not knowing Yakira was on the edge of a breakdown.


    Yakira had kept dialing Paul''s number since she got in her car but her calls went to answering machine or voicemail all the time. This was very unusual and Yakira was getting more and more anxious.


    If Paul hade back, the situation would be very tricky. Edward must have sensed something, so he had that woman show up at the Tender Whispers with Grace''s ne. The whole thing was a set-up. And this could exin why Edward had been acting oddly today. Normally he had barely looked at her, but today he was so talkative and asked her so many suspicious questions.


    "What happened? You look terrible. You''re acting like you''re being chased by some ghost." It really irritated Leo that Yakira secretly took the whole five hundred million dowry. And what was more infuriating was that she just refused to admit it.


    "Ah... Why are you home? Shouldn''t you be at thepany?" Leo''s sudden voice shocked Yakira so much. She couldn''t help staggering back a few steps and her handbag slipped from her fingers and dropped to the floor.


    "This is also my home. Do I have to get your permission to be here? Why are you panicking? Have you done something wrong?" Leo asked. His tone was almost sarcastic. He had seldom spoken to Yakira this way. What angered him most was her deception rather than the five hundred million. And now her shifty behavior fueled the suspicion.

 Chapter 507 The One And Only (Part Two)

    "No, I didn''t mean it like that. You just appeared out of nowhere. I was scared." Yakira crouched down to pick up her bag. She dusted off the bag, carefully avoiding Leo''s prating gaze. She didn''t dare make eye contact with him, fearing that her look might betray her secrets. "Scared? Do you seriously expect me to believe that? You went behind my back and secretly took five hundred million from somebody. You know I''m not happy about that. But you don''t seem like someone who gets scared very easily. How could my words frighten you?" Asked Leo with a sneer. He looked at the woman and began to wonder if he had made a mistake to trust her. And then his mind went back to the report Luke gave him. He had refused to believe it was true, but now he kept thinking that maybe it was not forged after all, that maybe Yakira had nned all this and he fell for her trap like a fool.


    "Why do you still believe that? There is no five hundred million! Jonathan Mu made the whole thing up! He set me up! He wants to turn us against each other. He wants to avenge the p you gave Daisy. Don''t you see what he''s doing?"


    Yakira never dreamed that Jonathan would mention the money again. After all these years, why did he try to stir things up now? Hatred for the man ran like poison through her every thought.


    "Of all people, why do you think he chose to set you up? Your defense is a little weak, don''t you think? Five hundred million! No wonder Jonathan used me of selling my own daughter. You are indeed a good wife! Well done! I''ve never felt so mortified in all my life!" Leo gave her a look of deep disgust. All of a sudden her customary heavy makeup seemed almost horrifying. He wondered how could she allow herself to be seen like this. And then he thought of Grace, who never wore makeup but her look was ever so beautiful and breathtaking. What a pity Grace died so young!


    "What are you talking about? Is that true? You took five hundred million to marry Daisy to Edward? I can''t believe my ears!"


    Brian closed his eyes and opened again, bitterly disappointed with what he had seen and heard ever since he went back home from abroad. These people were his closest family, who should look out for each other. But what had they done? They behaved worse than animals. No wonder Daisy didn''t like them. If it were him being treated this way, he would dislike them even more.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "Don''t listen to your father, Brian. There is no five hundred million! You really believe that someone would pay that much for Daisy? Don''t make meugh!" Yakira gave her son a nearly obsequious smile, trying to please him. But Brian just stared at her with his cold eyes as if he could see into her mind.


    "You think Daisy is not worth five hundred million? You think that''s funny? But to me, Daisy is priceless. She is not for sale. I wouldn''t give her away for all the money in the world. She is special, unique, the one and only!" Brian didn''t believe what she said. His mother was an expert at deceiving and scheming ever since he was a kid. All these years his resentment against her deepened as he discovered more and more about her personality.


    "Have you lost your mind? Do you really know who your mother is? It''s me who gave you your life, me who raised you! Not the woman called Grace! And how can you treat her daughter like gold and treat me like dirt? Has it ever urred to you that I''m a human being, that I can feel pain?"


    Yakira snapped almost before Brian could finish his words. She was in such a fury that she blurted out the name she had been avoiding to mention for a very long time.


    "How do you know her name?" Shocked, Leo leaned over and grasped Yakira''s chin tightly. He had never talked to her about Grace. How could she know? Was there something else she hid from him?


    "Well... A housekeeper told me. Is her name a taboo? Am I not allowed to mention it?" At this moment Yakira finally realized one thing, after all that she had done for Leo, after so many years of being together, she was still no match for Grace. Just her name could make Leo lose control. What would he do if he found out that she was partly to me for Grace''s death? Would he kill her?


    "Huh! You know what she means to me. If I find out you crossed the line, I will make you suffer. I promise you this, you don''t want to feel my wrath."


    It seemed very normal if the housekeepers told Yakira something about Grace. After Grace died, he didn''t change the housekeepers, yet Yakira said she was the woman in charge of the house now and would need some submissive housekeepers, so slowly she had fired everyone who had been in service to Grace. Dismissing some housekeepers was not a big deal and he took no notice. But now as he listened to her exnation, he sensed something fishy. Was it possible that deep in his mind he just didn''t trust Yakira anymore?0000000????????

 Chapter 508 The Lin Group Changes Hands

    "Grace died many years ago. Leo, why don''t you just forget her? Why do you still love her so dearly? Even if she cheated on you, you still value her?"


    Yakira stroked her sore chin. She harbored serious jealousy against Grace. So many years had passed, but she still couldn''t win Leo''s love. Why? Leo was always courteous to Yakira. But Yakira had never gotten the love she wanted from Leo.


    "In the past, I was convinced that she cheated on me, but from today on, I won''t believe anything you say. You''d better tell me the test report you gave me is authentic; otherwise I can''t guarantee if you''ll still be able to stand in front of me safe and sound." Once a couple ceased to trust each other, the good feelings between them would be gone. Yakira was trapped in a loveless marriage and felt helpless.


    "Why are you so cruel to me? You should know she didn''t leave anything for you, but I gave you a son to carry on the family name. You can''t doubt my loyalty to you." Yakira thought, ''Has something changed quietly? Why did he suddenly mention the test report?'' "Don''t use your son as a bargaining chip after you make mistakes. It''s true that you gave me a son, but thanks to you, I have lost my daughter. Wait and see. Once I find out the truth, I will drive you out of my house!"


    Leo looked at Yakira with contempt. It was necessary to re-do a DNA test. He decided not to trust anyone else. To set his mind at rest, he had to do everything on his own.


    "Mom, what is dad talking about? What''s the test report? Is it about Daisy? You gave dad a false report, so dad kicked Daisy out?"


    Brian quietly listened to Leo and Yakira at the beginning. He gradually figured out what was going on from what they were saying. As he said, Yakira gave Leo a fake DNA test report, so Leo said he lost a daughter because of her.


    "That''s what you think of me? Now I know I''m of no importance in this family. All of you can criticize me indiscriminately. Brian, mind your own business. Stay out of this matter."


    Yakira didn''t think that her son would help her. Her mood could not have been grimmer, so she didn''t want to argue with him. Brian always defended Daisy and treated Yakira as a stranger.


    "Do you still care what I think of you? I couldn''t show any respect for you starting at about age five. You''re not fit to be a mother! Don''t talk about the mother-child rtionship. It means nothing to me!"


    Brian produced a forced smile. He saw how his mother cruelly abused Daisy. She gave Daisy the leftovers and even spit on the food. Brian was young and innocent at the time, but he could distinguish between right and wrong.


    "Brian, I don''t know what I did to you. Your hatred for me is so intense. But why? I don''t think I have treated you shabbily." Yakira didn''t know why Brian hated her. As his mother, she couldn''t bear to hurt him. Instead, she loved him with all her heart.


    "Don''t you know why? As a mother, you should have instructed and influenced me by your words and deeds, but what did I see? You schemed against others and yed dirty tricks. With your bad influence, do you think I can admire you as my mother?" Brian said in a self-deprecating tone. It was lucky for Yakira to have Brian as her son. Yakira set a bad example, but Brian was kind and honest.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "So you dislike me. If I don''t help you to remove all obstacles, you wouldn''t be able to take charge of Ouyang Foreign Trade or serve as the CEO without making any effort."


    I threw Daisy out for your sake. Look what you have today. You should thank me. How can you look down on me?"


    "Don''t you think it is ridiculous? As you said, you removed the obstacles for me. You treated Daisy as a stumbling block, so you tried every means to get rid of her. Unfortunately, I am dismissive of the position of CEO. You did all this for yourself, not for me! Don''t use me as an excuse. I won''t stand for it."


    Brian squinted at Yakira. He hated her for what she did, but she was his mother, so no matter how he disliked her, he could notpletely ignore her.


    "I admit I find vanity appealing. I did everything for my own sake, so you criticized me. In this case, I don''t have to continue pretending. Think whatever you want!" Yakira sniffed back her tears and staggered to her bedroom. ''Did I really make a mistake? Both Mary and Brian doubted me today. I have plotted against others over the years, but what do I get? Everyone thinks I''m a vicious woman. I even have no dignity as a mother.''


    Brian frowned and sighed. His face was shaded with mncholy. In this already shattered home, everyone had his own axe to grind. He wished he were an orphan. Then he wouldn''t need to worry too much about the mess.


    Now the Lin Group was also a mess. From today on, it would be a thing of the past in this city. Jessica''s legs gave way and she fell to the floor. She might look unyielding usually, but she couldn''t hold back her sad tears in the face of such a drastic change. ''Edward, why? Why do you leave no way out for me? I love you dearly, but you still treat me cruelly. I shouldn''t have fallen in love with you in the first ce."


    "Miss Lin, well..." The assistant looked at Jessica helplessly. The centuries-old Lin Group went bankrupt overnight. What should the employees do? "What else can we do? Do you think we can turn the tables under the nose of the FX International Group?" Jessica wiped her tears. What a miserable day.


    "You are right. Miss Lin, you know yourself well enough." Rain grinned evilly. Instead of showing sympathy for Jessica, he jeered at her misfortunes. What a terribly rude man he was.


    "Rain, what are you doing here? Get out! You are not wee here." Jessica looked pitiful, like a drowned rat, but she didn''t want to show any weakness in front of Rain.


    "Miss Lin, you know what? Just a few minutes ago, the Lin Group became part of the FX International Group."


    Rain didn''t like Jessica, but he was impressed by her attitude. The Lin Group had dered bankruptcy, but she was still proud and arrogant. Truth be told, she was an able woman, but she shouldn''t have offended Daisy or tried to lie to get her way. If she had just applied herself, she would have made a difference. Pitifully, she failed to see the truth and had extravagant hopes for something that didn''t belong to her.


    "Where is Edward? I want to see him! What did we do? Why does he have to eliminate us?" Jessica suddenly rushed over to sway Rain.


    "Sorry. He doesn''t want to see you. I am in full charge of the handover. As a matter of fact, you didn''t provoke him, but you really shouldn''t have offended Daisy. You make trouble for yourself. You can''t me others."


    Rain shook Jessica off. If her assistant hadn''t caught her, she would have fallen to the ground.


    "Is this because of Daisy again? Why is she involved in everything? Why do all of you like her so much? She is the apple of your eye. Daisy, I hate you! Wait and see. You''ll regret it!" Jessica pushed her assistant away and screamed hysterically. Her eyes were blurred by tears, but the vicious expression was apparent.


    "Hey, bitch! Leave Daisy out of this. You framed her in the first ce. Try to be sensible about this, okay?" Rain hadn''t thought that Jessica would overreact. She actually med Daisy for what happened to her.


    "How can I be sensible? Can I regain the Lin Group? Can the baby in my belly enjoy his father''s love after hees into this world? Can the bitch Daisy give Edward to me? No! Then why should I be sensible? It means nothing to me!"


    Jessica angrily swept the items on the desk down to the ground. She had lost her mind and closed her ears. She firmly believed that Daisy caused all this. To vent her hatred, she swore to make Daisy''s life more miserable than hers.0000000

 Chapter 509 Impatient

    "Jessica, watch your mouth! Or I will take you to a veterinary hospital to cleanse it. Bitch is a more suitable word for you." Rain hated the way women fought. Particrly the ones who used foulnguage. So when Jessica tried that, his brows knitted and his face darkened. The cheeky grin on his face a minute ago was nowhere to be seen. "Huh! Good! You''re all protecting her. I wonder if you will still think she''s a goddess when you find out she is actually a tramp!" Jessica''sughter sounded creepy in the afternoon sun. Her insolent tone made Rain feel uneasy and get goosebumps.


    "Listen up. Don''t y dirty tricks. You should know youe to a sticky end every time you mess with Edward. Just think about what happened to Lin Group. Are you still willing to take that risk?"All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    Rain thought she was bluffing and wouldn''t do anything to Daisy. Besides, it would be a piece of cake for Daisy to handle her. "Things have gone this far, I have nothing left to lose. But you, on the other hand..."


    Jessica looked at Rain with a sarcastic light in her eyes. Her hands touched the desk that she had used for many years. From now on, she would live a life that she had always despised. Every day was not Sunday. She was arrogant, and had every right to be. But now, she was on the lowest rung of the socialdder. Her father would fall ill again with the news. In that case, she would be too ashamed to see him. "I wouldn''t know. Miss Lin, time to pack your things and leave.


    I need this desk to reassign work." Rain smiled. Did she really have nothing to lose? Fine. Now that her mind was made up, he wouldn''t waste any more time to talk her out of it. "What can you do if I don''t leave?


    You''re acting like a bunch of bandits." Jessica gritted her teeth. She was used to kicking someone out, but now she was the one being kicked out. "Bandits?


    I like that title. Today I''ll show you what a real bandit is like. Security, get her out of here!" Rain was special in some ways. Ethics and courtesy didn''t work on him. Since they didn''t matter to him, he didn''t extend them to others, either. "Miss Lin, we''re sorry.


    But we''re only acting under orders. So it would be better if you leave under your own power. Then it won''t be too awkward for us." Two guards walked up to Jessica, embarrassed. They didn''t drag her out but asked her to leave willingly in a friendly way. After all, she used to be their boss, who paid them. Since she wasn''t anymore, they had to follow their new boss'' order to save their means of livelihood. "You!


    You flunkeys! You used to be just my dogs. Now you are groveling to your new owner. You disgust me! Go away! Keep your dirty hands off me!" Jessica nced at the guards coldly. She was furious. "Rain, you asked my own employees to throw me out. It''s an evil move worthy of your vile character. Well done!"


    "Miss Lin, I strongly suggest you not use the word dog. Every dog has his day. You never know. A dog ends up as god if you flip the word around. Things change all the time." Rain frowned. Was this the so-called well-educated woman? Was this the virtuous daughter of an illustrious family the upper-ss had cultivated? It seemed the cultivation had failed. The woman in front of Rain obviouslycked refinement.


    "Shut up! No matter how pathetic I am, you have no right to preach at me. Don''t be cocky. We''ll see who will have thestugh. You will return the Lin Group to me very soon!" Jessica wouldn''t give up on the Lin Group easily. She wouldn''t let Edward get his wish. "Okay. Let''s wait and see." Rain shrugged. To tell the truth, a beaten Lin Group wasn''t worth much anyway. FX International Group wouldn''t have taken it over if it hadn''t been for the employees. They would have lost their jobs. Butter, he wished he had taken her threats more seriously. It would have helped to tell Edward.


    Jessica packed up some important files and left the office which used to be hers. Standing in front of the majestic building, her heart sank deeper. Would she really be able to win the Lin Group back from the powerful FX International Group?


    She stroked her swollen belly. Could she still keep her baby? Was the medical examination report Luke gave her real? If it was, who was the baby''s father? It couldn''t havee from nowhere.


    "Jessica, here you are! I''ve been waiting for you. I thought you''d avoid me forever." Hank spoke between his teeth, ring at her, as if he was about to tear her into pieces.


    "Waiting for me? Don''t be ridiculous. I don''t remember that we are all that close. What do you want? Be quick! I''m busy. I don''t have time for someone like you." Jessica suddenly became harsh and fierce, without the slightest air of dejection about her. "Someone like me? Be specific. What kind of person do you think I am?" Hank yelled. Since he was in in clothes, he didn''t care about his image anymore.


    "You should know yourself better than I do. Why ask me?" Jessica smiled with contempt. She was in no mood to speak to him. If she had had somebody else to cooperate with, anybody, she wouldn''t have chosen a wimp like Hank, who wasn''t manly at all. She wondered how he got up the nerve toe here reasoning with her.


    "You proposed the plot against Daisy. Of course I should ask you. And you put me in a very difficult position. Tell me, how should I discipline you?" Hankid his hand under her chin and lifted her face with a lewd smile like a scoundrel. What did Edward''s former girlfriend taste like?


    "Me? How? Did I put a knife to your throat? Did I point a gun at your head? You seem to forget you did it willingly for your own agenda. You didn''t do it just for me. It''s all your fault. So stop ming me for it. I''m ttered, though, that you think I have that much power over you."


    Jessica tilted her head and took several steps back to get away from him. Out of the blue, she felt he was scary, maybe much more horrible than she had thought.


    "True. I did it for myself. But you shouldn''t have made things up. It caused some really serious problems for me." Hank hadn''t expected Jessica to cut herself loose and make him the fall guy. He was enraged by her remarks.


    "It''s not my fault that you aren''t patient enough. I''m going home. Out of my way!" With so many files in her hands, after such a long time arguing, her hands were going numb.


    "I''m impatient? How about you being too vain? But it doesn''t matter anymore. We have the same enemy. Before I came here I had thought about pping you good. But as soon as I got here, I heard the Lin Group had been bought out by the FX International Group. So it''s not just me. Edward is giving you a hard time too. Now I feel better." Hank sneered. Wonderful! The princess had turned into Cindere. Just what he wanted.


    "What did you just say? What did Edward do to you? Did he find out about us?" Jessica was stunned. It turned out to be because of Daisy, just as she had thought, that she had lost herpany.


    "What do you think? He has the videotape of our conversation at the anniversary ceremony. It''s solid proof. Otherwise, it wouldn''t be so easy for him to knock me down. So stay on your toes. The investigation department of the army will summon you." Hank nced at Jessica''s pale face. The woman wasn''t as aggressive as she had been a moment ago. Nothing left on her face but misery. He found her pitiable.


    "Why would they summon me? I did nothing wrong. It''s my right to report someone as a citizen." Hearing the investigation department would cite her, Jessica was flustered. All she did was write a letter. Howe it had be so serious?


    "Do you think the army is full of dumbasses? You reported a colonel, not just some average soldier. Of course it would attract a lot of attention. Forget it. You wouldn''t understand. You have no idea how strong ss awareness is in the army." Hank waved his hand. The ferocious look on his face disappeared. It seemed that Daisy was the only pain in the ass to him. He had a heart for others after all.


    "What do I do?" She asked in despair, clutching at straws. Suddenly Hank became herst hope, like thest piece of floating ice in the vast ocean.


    "Keep saying you know nothing. They can''t torture you anyway. Since you are already in a fine pickle, I don''t want to make it worse for you. Take care. I hope we can still be friends. Bye!" He cast a lustful look at Jessica''s pretty face and gave a vile smile. Then he turned and got into the Jeep parked at the roadside. He would definitely make that woman his if it weren''t for his identity''s sake, he thought.


    Watching the Jeep drive away, Jessica fell into a daze, uncertain if Hank was telling the truth. Could she be under investigation merely for writing a fraudulent letter? She felt like a traitor.


    She threw the files into her car and exhaled deeply. Her eyes hurt. She closed them, crying inside. She had lost everything, all for the sake of a man who didn''t love her. Even the Lin Group was gone. But he still didn''t love her. Was he really worth it? Or maybe she just hated to see Daisy win.

 Chapter 510 Jonathans Tea (Part One)

    "Have you fully recovered? Where were you going?" The moment Edward stepped into the living room, a cool and calm voice sounded. There was a pot of fresh-made tea on the table. Jonathan sat alone, slowly pouring the tea into the cup. His cold handsome face concealed his real emotion. You could never tell whether he said those words out of care for Edward or to tease him. But no matter which one was right, in Edward''s mind, Jonathan would be thest to care about him


    "What do you care? Why does it matter whether I''m fully recovered or not?" Like always, Edward said this in a cold tone. No one talked to Edward about the situation surrounding his surgery and recovery. He didn''t know that Jonathan had donated his blood to him. Therefore, Edward had no clue that Jonathan actually loved his son. He didn''t show his love because he wasn''t good at expressing himself.


    "It doesn''t matter. I just don''t want you to run FX International Group into the ground. Since without a strong and healthy body, you could never manage such a grandpany." Jonathan said indifferently. He wasn''t impatient or angry. He cozily nestled himself into the soft couch, enjoying the tea in his hand.


    "You don''t need to worry about it, since even if you were sick, I would be still strong and healthy. So FX International Group will never step off the stage of history under my management." Edward frowned for an instant. His father never allowed him to defy his authority. But what happened to him today? Why didn''t he get furious at all?


    "I don''t have the time to worry about it. Even if FX International Group copse some day, I would still have enough to eat and drink, unless you are too useless to afford your parents," he said with a wicked glint in his eyes. Jonathan raised his eyebrows and took a look at Edward. His face, originally without any emotion, finally showed an expression of amusement.


    "So what? You finally realize that your role is a father now? But don''t you think it''s a littlete?" Edward said with a teasing smile on his face. He had originally nned to go upstairs. But he changed his mind and turned around. He walked to the couch and sat down. His father never wanted to talk to him much, let alone made fun of him like this time.


    "Late? I don''t think so. Would you like a cup of tea?" Jonathan was pouring the tea into his cup. He raised the pot in his hand a little to Edward, punctuating his offer. Although he was cold like always, his voice turned quite soft and not so chilly as before. "Do you think the tea you made is tasty?" Edward didn''t like tea -- except tea made by Daisy. He doubted that if this man had the skills to match the tea made by his wife. So he decided to try it.


    "How would you know if you don''t give it a try?" Jonathan was unusually kind today. No matter how Edward challenged him, he responded in an easy way. He didn''t mind Edward''s aggressive words at all, and picked up a cup and poured some tea for Edward.


    "Do I need to try it? I can tell, judging from the steps you followed when making tea just now." Edward was the kind used to being of duplicity. Somehow, he was a bit nervous in his heart. Although every word he said conveyed that he didn''t trust Jonathan''s skill in making tea, he still picked up the tea and took a sip despite that he was picky, and certain that he wouldn''t enjoy it. Then he frowned tightly. He had anticipated the result. How could a man, who never liked tea just like him, suddenly know how to make tea?


    "Does it taste that bad?" Jonathan also thought that he was bad at making tea. He had tried many times, but he failed. No matter how many times he tried, he couldn''t produce the attractive aroma as the one Daisy had produced. He followed Daisy''s method, but why did the tea he made taste so bitter?


    "Aren''t you drinking it all the time? And since when have you be interested in tea?" Although Edward said that the tea tasted bad, he still kept taking a sip from time to time. Because in his impression, this was the first time he had been in harmony with his father. Although the conversation between them was full of aggression and sizing up, they were not that detached from each other. What''s more, this was the tea his father personally poured for himself, so even if it was not tasty, he would be willing to drink.


    "When you were in the hospital, Daisy made tea for me several times. It was not bad. So I started trying to make tea for myself. But somehow, I can''t get it right. The tea I make doesn''t have that kind of aroma and taste." Jonathan took a look at his tea bag and the tea set when he spoke. He didn''t know where he went wrong.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Of course. She is my wife." Edward became highly pleased when he spoke about Daisy, though he was angry with her now. His wife was praised, which meant he was indirectly praised too, wasn''t it? So he felt quite ted at Jonathan''s words.


    "You are proud. Would you like to try to make a cup of tea?" Jonathan said in an interested tone. He pushed the tea set in front of Edward and leant backward. He raised his eyebrows at him.


    "Do you think I''ll do as bad as you?" Edward said easily, raising his eyebrows defiantly too. It was as if he was really an expert at making tea. But he didn''t have any confidence in his heart at all. After all,st time when Daisy made tea, he didn''t see the way she made it at all. All he had done was merely drinking some tea. So he had no idea about tea-making at all.000

 Chapter 511 Jonathans Tea (Part Two)

    "Actions speak louder than words! Show me. I never hurt people''s feeling without any reason." Jonathan smiled tenderly. It turned out that being a good father was not that difficult. The point was whether you would like to show your kindness and tenderness at first.


    "Well, I''d better stop. My wound hasn''t fully recovered. Tom said I can''t drink something that''s too much of an irritant." Every child wanted to be the excellent child in front of his/her father. This thought had nothing to do with age but the eagerness to show off his/her talent. That''s why Edward didn''t want to act clumsy in front of Jonathan and tried to find any excuse. Although his father would not necessarily pay attention to him, he still unconsciously avoided this kind of situation.


    "Tea can''t be an irritant. Are you trying to find an excuse?" Jonathan continued enjoying his tea. Although it was really hard to drink, he kept calm on his face and didn''t show it at all. There was no emotion showed on his face. He was such a calm man. No wonder he was a masterful figure.


    "No, I am not finding an excuse. You don''t believe me? You can call Tom." Edward was sure that Jonathan would definitely not call Tom himself. So he wasn''t worried that he would see through his lie.


    "He is your friend. Of course I can''t get any useful information from him." Was he getting old? He felt touched by the conversation with his son, though they kept pointing barbs at each other.


    "Well, now that you won''t call him, I don''t know what to do now. You can just stay here and enjoy your tea! I''m going upstairs to take a shower." Edward didn''t continue giving tit for tat to him. Instead, he smiled brightly, stood up and walked away.


    Jonathan''s mind nked out for a few seconds when he saw Edward turn around and walk away. They got along with each other quite well just now. Would his son make a big step towards him if he took one more small step toward him?


    "You see! He will show his kindness and brightness to you when you are kind to him. Actually what our son wants is very simple. He doesn''t require you to care about him all the time. As long as you can show your love and warmth for him asionally, he will not stay cold anymore."All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Cynthia had been hiding in the corner. She saw the first peaceful conversation between Edward and Jonathan silently. She had been worried that Jonathan would be as cold as before. She didn''t expect that he could be humorous sometimes too. Although his face stayed cold and emotionless, there was an obvious change in the way and tone he spoke with Edward.


    "You told me to be nice to him." Jonathan frowned slightly. Everyone would never know the happiness they had until they lost it. He was no exception. So he started to value the time when he could get well along with his son.


    "Oh, should I thank you?" Cynthia rolled her eyes at him amusingly. She said that in order to make them get along with each other peacefully. Had anyone heard about a father and son who would be mean to each other whenever they were together? Not too often. Only her husband and son acted like this.


    "Oh, you don''t need to do that. But if you thank me in a special way, I wouldn''t mind it." Jonathan smiled evilly. He was digging a pit for her as could be told from his guileful eyes. Cynthia knew what he thought about at the sight of his eyes. Her face flushed immediately. "I''m not going to talk to you. Just enjoy your tea here! I''ll go upstairs to see how''s he doing." Cynthia felt that this man in front of her was totally a terrorist with a dual character. He was ruthless to others, but as long as he was alone with her, he was evil yet enchanting. She would be so shy to face such a man.


    Jonathan smiled without denying it. He didn''t try to stop her either. He was extremely generous today. This situation was impossible in the past. It seemed that he figured out many things this time from Edward''s injury.


    "Yes?" Edward just finished his shower and stepped out from the bathroom. He saw his mother look at him with an interesting smile. So he involuntarily pulled the bath towel on his body with the thought that he might not be well covered by it.


    "Nothing. I''m just bored. So I am here to enjoy spending time with my son after his shower." Cynthia took the clean towel aside and waved at him, indicating he should sit next to her.


    "You are bored? Didn''t you see someone lonely there?" Edward twisted his mouth. He was uncertain what his mother was nning in her heart. But he did what she had asked him to do and sat down in front of her. He acted like a cute boy. Well. He had no way to refuse his mother at the sight of her gentle smile. His heart would melt unconsciously and he would forget to keep his distance from her.


    "But why do I feel you''re even lonelier?" Cynthia wiped his wet hair gently. She felt a lump in her throat. This was the family atmosphere she wanted. She didn''t expect that Edward would be very close to them, but she wanted to change current situation and be more loving to him.00000000000000

 Chapter 512 I Dont Need An Apology From You (Part One)

    "Is it because you have something to say to me?" Edward''s voice trembled at the sudden care. Cynthia was very gentle to him today. Probably because he was used to the life without his parents'' love or concern, he felt a wave of sadness when he suddenly felt being


    cared for.


    "Is it so obvious from my look?" Cynthia asked in a tender voice, just like her temperament, which was as clear and pure as water.


    "You must have something bugging you. Otherwise why would you leave father downstairs alone ande up here looking for me?" Edward said with a bitter smile. He was not that narcissistic as to think that he was more important than his father in Cynthia''s heart. He was pretty sure that this would never happen.


    "Don''t you think that you and your father are equally important in my heart?" Cynthia sat beside him. She looked affable and approachable as any other mother did when they showed care for their children. But Edward didn''t notice the helplessness in her expression with his head down.


    "This thought is too distant from me. So I never overestimate myself in your heart. You only have each other in your hearts anyway. And I''m just like a toy to you, a disposable person. When you are happy, you will look at it. When you''re not, you simply take it back to the storehouse and will not remember it in ten days or half a month." Edward said it calmly with a smile, as if he was talking about anyone else.


    "Sorry!" Cynthia couldn''t think of any other excuses to spare herself except for this apology. The harm was already done. No matter how hard she tried to remedy it, there was already a scar in his heart.


    "Why do you always like to say sorry to me? You know what? I don''t need an apology from you. Not now. Not ever." Edward suddenly stood up and walked to the wardrobe. He chose a casual clothes and wrapped his perfect figure beneath. He didn''t have the slightest qualm when he quickly dragged the robe off and put on his trousers. No matter what kind of clothes he wore, the handsome Edward would always make all women crazy.


    "I know. So we will certainly make this up to you." Cynthia''s eyes became a little red. It was the first time that Edward had talked to her in such a loud voice. She was always the one who indulged herself in the love and affection of others. She felt hurt by Edward''s words. "I''m okay. I have already passed the age when I need to be cared for by parents. So you don''t need to make anything up to me." Edward softened his tone and looked at Cynthia who was about to cry. His heart would always unwittingly be soft when he saw her sad face.


    "I..." Cynthia bit her lip and spoke hesitantly. She looked at Edward''s gloomy face and didn''t know how to continue. This was not what she had expected. She had nned to have a talk with him. Obviously, she screwed it up.


    "I''m sorry, I lost my cool. Please don''t mind me." He stroked his hair and felt pretty annoyed. He didn''t know whether it was because of Daisy. He felt nervous tension all day long because he didn''t receive any call from Daisy. He wanted to find someone to vent his anger


    on.


    "I''m fine. I only hope you and your father can get along. In fact, he is not an indifferent father who doesn''t care for you at all. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have donated so much blood during your surgery. The volume of the blood transfusion was twice as much as the normal standard."


    Cynthia told this to him not because she wanted to specially show something to him. She only wanted to tell him that no matter how much they ignored him before, he was still their only son. It was not that they didn''t care for him or they didn''t love him. They were too humble in their way of showing their love to him.


    "What? He donated his blood to me? Mom, are you out of your mind? Or are you ill? Why would you make up such bullshit?" Edward strode towards her and touched her forehead. He wouldn''t have any doubt If the person she referred to was herself. But if it was Jonathan, he would never believe that he would do such thing for him. Because Edward thought that Jonathan always hoped that he had never existed in this world. So how was it possible that he would donate his blood to him?


    "Do you think it''s necessary for me to lie to you? I wish you had seen it with your own eyes. You didn''t know how nervous he was in the hospital. If it was not because that the nurse refused to take more blood from him, he would rather give all his blood to you. Only by then did I realize that he was wronged to be thought that he didn''t care for you. He is just used to cheating himself. He unconsciously hide his feelings for you deep in his heart and doesn''t want to touch them. But these feelings were awakened when you were in danger. He knew what he should do when he was thrust into that situation."All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Cynthia knew he would not believe her. If she were him, she would also have doubts. How could it be possible that a man who was always indifferent to his son would suddenly show his great love to him??????????

 Chapter 513 I Dont Need An Apology From You (Part Two)

    "Why didn''t you tell me?" Edward was deeply shocked. Because he had lost his hope for Jonathan long before. So he was ustomed to his indifference and estrangement. He felt it unbelievable when he heard the news.


    "Why would I bring it up randomly? I wanted to wait for a good time. If it was not for the painful words you said just now, I wouldn''t tell you this. Are you okay? Does the wound still hurt?" Thinking of the sight of the scar left by the surgery when Edward was naked just now, Cynthia felt heartbroken. At the same time, she was pretty depressed. Was it really so difficult to be close to him?


    "I''m fine. You may go downstairs first. I want to be alone for a while." Edward seemed to be in a trance. It was incredible to hear such news. He needed time to think about it.


    "Okay. Don''t feel trapped. We will pick up Justin at the schoolter. If you need anything, you can call Mrs. Wu." Cynthia looked at Edward with concern. She heaved a sigh and then slowly walked out the room. She knew Edward had always been emotional. So she understood what he might feel after he discovered this. He must be afflicted with mixed feelings.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    Edward threw himself on the big bed. His eyes were empty and his mind wandered. No wonder his father looked very strange today. He had wondered why he suddenly became so friendly to him. It turned out that there was a big secret behind it. But why did he do this? Didn''t he need only Cynthia? He acted that way all the time. Why would he suddenly care about him now?


    Edward raised his hand and looked at his veins. It was hard for him to believe that what Cynthia said was true even till now. Was it possible that there was another case? Probably it was wrong to think that Jonathan didn''t like him, his feelings for Edward was not that strong as to be called love. That man only had learned to love Cynthia in his whole life, and he didn''t know how to show his feelings to other family members.


    His mind wandered far and wide. It was uncontroble like an unbridled horse. He had been lying there silently and motionlessly for a long time. It was not until a familiar voice rang in his ears that he came back to his senses.


    "Penny for your thoughts? You seemed lost in them." Daisy finally sumbed. She had thought to be a little pretentious and wait for him to apologize first. But when she saw his distressed expression, shepletely forgot about her n to hold onto to her principle. Her voice was full of concern.


    "Oh! You came back from work." Edward''s tone was t and his expression was dispirited. He didn''t feel cheered up by Daisy''s appearance. And it was strange, it was impossible that he would behave so uninterested.


    "What happened? You look down." Daisy put her briefcase on the table. She frowned and wondered what had made the honorable Mr. Mu so petnt today.


    "About my father''s blood transfusion, why didn''t you tell me when I woke up?" Edward narrowed his eyes and looked at Daisy. His tone was weak. Although he was doubting her, his question was not intimidating and sounded impotent.


    "So you found out? Sorry, it''s my fault that I didn''t tell you in time. Because I was very nervous about your injury and I forgot all the other things. I thought to tell you some other dayter when the right timees. But I didn''t expect that you''d know it in advance. But what happened? Why do you look so troubled by this?"


    Daisy sat beside him on the bed and was confused by his strange reaction. Although she was clear that he would be surprised after he knew this, but she didn''t know that he would be so shocked. She was overwhelmed.


    "Nothing. Why did youe home so early today?" Edward took out his cellphone and looked at the time. It was just past five. Wasn''t she supposed to be at the army base now?


    "I went to the jail today. So I directly came home after I finished my task." In order to avoid the same thing from happening again, she had to go to the jail by herself. Her purpose this time was to interrogate the criminals and find out the hideout of the remnants of the arms dealers. But in the end, it was fruitless. It seemed that she had to change her strategy to deal with them. Some people were so stubborn. They would not confess if they were not tortured by force.


    "To the jail? Why did you need to go there?" Edward suddenly sat up from the bed and naturally put his hand on her shoulder. Daisy suddenly let off a light ouch at his act. Edward was surprised at her reaction and immediately took back his hand. Did he hurt her with his hand? He wondered. On second thought, it was strange. Even if he had used so much strength, was it necessary for her to be in such great pain? She looked anguished.


    "It''s about the gun fight. I have to write a report, so I need to know more about some details." Daisy looked evasive in Edward''s eyes. She hoped he would ignore the sound she uttered because of the pain. Otherwise he would be very worried.????????????

 Chapter 514 Do You Want Me to Undress You Again

    "What''s wrong with your shoulder? Let me have a look at it," Edward asked, easily undoing the first two buttons of her uniform. He turned the uniform out and saw the bruises. His eyes instantly turned cold. He stared intensely at Daisy, waiting for an exnation. "It''s nothing, just a couple of scrapes from training. I''ll be more careful next time." Daisy blushed, reaching for her uniform to put it back in order. Although she and Edward had already been intimate, she still wasn''t used to being naked in front of him.


    "Be still. Do you think I''ll get turned on right now?" Edward stared at her. There was underlying anger in his tone. He got off the bed and walked straight out of the door. Daisy watched his retreating back in slight difort. This was not how she had imagined things would go at all. He used to care about her so much. He wasn''t supposed to react this way at the sight of her bruises.


    Daisy bit her lower lip and sighed. She straightened her uniform and buttoned it up slowly, wondering what was getting on Edward''s nerves this time. What an arrogant and moody man! But it didn''t matter why he was mad right now, as long as he didn''t grill her about how she had gotten the bruises. She had no idea how to exin them.


    "I told you not to move. Why did you button up your uniform? Do you want me to undress you again?" Just as Daisy moved to stand up, Edward returned with a white porcin bottle in his hand. He walked up to her with furrowed eyebrows.


    "I..." Daisy twitched her mouth, feeling wronged and too upset to say a word. Should she have just sat there with her bare shoulder? That was not like her. And Edward wasn''t acting himself today either. He hadn''t said a single caring word to her yet. All she felt from him was cold anger, theplete opposite of how he usually acted towards her. She wanted to get away from him.


    "Unbutton your clothes," Edward said coolly. He hadn''t intended to use that tone with Daisy, but when the words came out of his mouth, he sounded like he was in a bad mood. He wasn''t upset because she hadn''t told him about the blood donation, he was upset because she never took good care of her body. Whenever he saw her get a new bruise, he felt helpless for not being able to protect his woman. But Daisy had a unique profession, there wasn''t much he could do about it.


    "Edward, what''s the matter with you? What are you so upset about? What did I do? Why do I have to unbutton my clothes?" Daisy raised her voice in agitation. Because her attention was focused on the expression on Edward''s face, she didn''t notice the bottle he was holding. She was irritated by his request. First, he ripped open her clothes and walked away without a word, now he was making her unbutton them herself. It was very irritating. Who did he think he was? She couldn''t stand him pushing her like that.


    "What do you think? Don''t you need some ointment for the bruises? Or do you think I want you right now?" Edward rolled his eyes at her. He was still angry aboutst night. And seeing her new bruises fueled his anger even more. Rage was building up in his chest. "Why are you acting like this? Why are you so angry?" Daisy pursed her lips, looking at him with pitiful eyes. He was currently acting so strange and distant towards her. Humans were greedy, they always wanted more. She felt hurt by his attitude. "It seems you don''t know me after all. It doesn''t matter. Do you want to apply it yourself or do you want me to do it?" Edward smiled casually. Apparently, women shouldn''t be spoiled. If they were, they would challenge you and ignore your feelings. "Won''t you help me?" Hearing Edward''s cold response, Daisy''s heart ached. She gazed at him tearfully.


    "Don''t you have your guard up against me?" His tone remained cool as he sat next to her with a frown. He hated how Daisy never let her guard down with him.


    "Never mind. This kind of injury isn''t a big deal for me. I''ll recover quickly even without the ointment." Daisy stood up angrily. Even though she loved Edward, she still had principles. She wouldn''t put up with this kind of unreasonable behavior. "What? Feeling upset now?" Edward reached for her wrist and took her into his arms with a tug. Finally, a faint smile appeared on his face.


    "What are you doing? Let go of me." Daisy struggled. But since he hadn''t recovered from his injury yet, she had to be careful.


    "What does it look like? I''m applying the ointment for you, of course. What else could it be?" Edward started to unbutton her uniform again. Because Daisy was being stubborn, he stopped teasing her.


    "Hmph! Weren''t you reluctant to do it before?" Daisy pouted and pinched him hard on his waist. He had to pay for making her sad.


    "Ouch! Are you really mad? I was only teasing you." Edward''s mouth twisted with pain. He definitely got a new bruise on his waist just now. She must be really pissed off.


    "Who would tease a person like that?" Daisy was tired of being strong and tough in the military. At home, all she wanted to do was be a delicate woman in front of Edward and have the man she loved spoil her.


    "I apologize. Now, tell me who did this. And don''t lie to me. I''m not as stupid as you think." Edward opened the bottle of ointment. A sweet fragrance immediately filled their noses.


    "What ointment is this? It smells lovely." It was umon for Daisy to see an ointment with such a strong fragrance. Daisy took a deep breath and overlooked Edward''s question.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "I have no idea. I just snatched it from Tom. It should be very potent." It seemed he came prepared when he took the medicine from Tom, because it looked like he would be frequently applying it for Daisy. She didn''t have a clue how to look after herself at all. "Are you a looter? Why are you always taking somebody else''s things? You even ripped Tom off with the hospital expenses. You are indeed a qualified sly businessman." Daisy felt the coolness when Edward''s fingertips caressed her skin. She flushed, as if her skin was being dyed red.


    "I''m the one losing money here. His experimental expenses are several times higher than this. I would be a fool if I didn''t charge him for interest." Edward''s fingers quietly slid down. When he was about to reach one of her sensitive parts, she pinched his fingers to stop him.


    "I knew you wouldn''t change. Aren''t you ashamed of yourself for calling yourself a gentleman?" Daisy looked at him with disdain and deliberately shot him a seductive look as she buttoned up her clothes slowly.


    "Woman, are you trying to seduce me? Or is this your way of avoiding my question?" Edward narrowed his eyes at Daisy. His gaze was filled with desire.


    "What do you think?" Daisy smiled gently. It was now her turn to tease him.


    "I think you''re seducing me. I must warn you that I''m nearly fully recovered. You might be unable to get out of bed." Edward smiled devilishly. His fingertips slid to her lips, his eyes full of lust.


    "Daddy, why won''t mommy be able to get out of bed?" And here came the third wheel. Edward knew that Justin was pretending to be innocent by asking that question. The little imp jumped out and ruined the moment every time he wanted to be intimate with Daisy. At that moment, Edward wished he could stuff the boy back into his mother''s womb.


    "Hey, buddy, stop pretending to be innocent. I know you." Edward sighed and let go of Daisy. Justin disyed a cunning smile as Edward red at him angrily.


    "Mommy, daddy doesn''t want to answer my question. Can you tell me?" Justin ran into his mother''s arms with a smile.


    "No, I''ll only say the same thing as your father did." Justin thought his mother couldn''t see him through, but he was wrong. Daisy knew that Justin was only pretending to be ignorant.


    Justin pouted. "My innocent heart is broken. What kind of parents are you?" Justin cried dramatically on Daisy''s shoulder.


    "Innocent heart? What innocent heart? Why don''t we see it right now?" Edward asked as he looked at Justin. He enjoyed family moments like this, something he had never dreamed of before. He originally thought that he would spend the rest of his life switching from one woman to the next as he used to, but not anymore. His family brought him so much happiness.


    "That''s because you don''t love me anymore. You both ignore me." Justinined about their recent neglect of him. He was about to shift to Daisy''s other shoulder when Edward stopped him.


    "Be careful. Your mom''s shoulder is injured." Edward pulled Justin away from Daisy. Apparently, he cared about her a lot. His cold attitude earlier was only a pretense.


    "Were you on an assignment today? Or did Hank pick on you again?" Justin stopped smiling. He guessed the answer was thetter. That guy was a troublemaker. He had picked on his mom a lot ever since they moved in the residential quarters. Luckily, she seldom got hurt unless she was distracted. Hank was far from her match. But why was she injured this time?


    "Hank again? I guess he never learns." Edward smiled grimly. This was the reason Daisy had been avoiding his question. But he had gotten his answer through Justin. He could stop pushing her now.

 Chapter 515 What Was Happiness

    "Rx. I can see why he was furious. He has been demoted to a lieutenant. It must be tough for him. We both got promoted on our own merits, so I know how difficult it can be. I don''t me him."


    That''s the kind of person Daisy was. No matter how much others provoked her, she would always put herself in their position to understand their perspective rationally. It was both a strength and a weakness. People took advantage of her kindness a lot, leaving her helpless because of this.


    "But I don''t think he understands you. Do you forget that he tried to bring you down? You''re considerate towards a deceitful viin like him, but he doesn''t appreciate your kindness. Look at your injury. This is the price you pay for being too kind."


    Edward''s eyebrows furrowed tightly. Admittedly, it was good to be kind, but Hank kept deliberately making trouble for Daisy because she was too nice. Edward didn''t agree with Daisy. Everyone needed to strive hard to achieve what they wanted, despite their different life experiences.


    "Daddy, you''re right. Mommy, don''t keep putting up with a wicked viin like Hank. Because he thinks that he can bully you, he keeps finding fault with you."


    Justin didn''t like Hank''s two-faced smile. The sight of Hank made him sick. Back when he lived in the army base, he often hacked hisputer and deleted all his files. Because Hank couldn''t recover the files, he had to retype everything. It took up so much of his time, that he didn''t have time to stir up trouble.


    "That''s why I didn''t intercede for him this time. Why are you both criticizing me?" Daisy felt that she was isted by Edward and Justin. She knew that she was too indecisive in dealing with the issue of Hank, but it wasn''t because she was afraid of him. She did it for the sake of his amiable mother. Otherwise, she wouldn''t bear his constant hostility patiently.


    "We aren''t criticizing you. We''re only giving you a piece of advice. Don''t treat us as your enemy and overlook the actual viin," Edward sighed. He didn''t think that Daisy was a cold woman. She was too easy on Hank, but she was fierce against him. She was never brusque with others.


    "I know what I''m doing. Do you really find me so weak? I just want to pay back his mother''s kindness. Although Hank is horrible to me, his mother was always kind to me. When I gave birth to Justin, she visited Hank in the base. She apanied me throughout the whole childbirth like a mother, and took care of me while I was in confinement. I can''t help but return the favor."


    Daisy was overwhelmed with gratitude whenever someone helped her and would always return the favor and pay back their kindness. She tolerated Hank despite how much he provoked her over the years. But because he went too far this time, she didn''t stop themander from submitting the video.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Because his mother helped you, you are tolerant of him." Edward felt guilty about Daisy''s suffering in the past. Although he wasn''t the reason why Daisy suffered, he had to take responsibility because it was indirectly caused by him. This made him feel helpless. "Yes. You know, I''m sensitive in this respect. I missed the kind of maternal love that she gave me, so no matter how much Hank provoked me, I was lenient with him. If his mother didn''t take care of me, I wouldn''t let him treat me so cruelly," Daisy sneered. When Edward took Hank as his enemy, Daisy didn''t bother to stop him this time. She wasn''t directly involved with Edward''s scheme and was a mere bystander. As long as she didn''t add to Hank''s misfortune, she wouldn''t go against her original intention. This was thest thing she could do for Hank''s mother.


    "Fine. I won''t keep pressing you about it. Let this matter go. But if he hurts you again, he will suffer the bitter consequences." Edward didn''t want to voice out his opinion. He had some reservations about the matter. As Daisy''s husband, he thought he also owed Hank''s mother a favor. But he would get what''sing to him one day. Edward didn''t want to see his wife get hurt again.


    "It seems you''re not only a robber but also a terrorist. How did I not see it before?" Daisy rolled her eyes. She breathed a sigh of relief when Edward didn''t pursue the matter further. Given what Hank did, if Edward continued to pursue it, Hank wouldn''t simply be demoted to a lieutenant. He might get discharged from military service.


    "It''s not toote to know about it now. You must regret not knowing my nature before." Edward raised his eyebrows and gave a captivating grin. He was a virile and enchanting man.


    "Yes, I definitely regret it. I was tricked into marriage. Can I divorce you?" Daisy teased Edward. Although he was angry about what she saidst night, he was no longer as indifferent as when he first returned home. Daisy''s heart was finally put at ease. Edward seemed to be insufferably arrogant in front of others, but he acted like a child whenever he was alone with Daisy.


    "What do you think? You''re my wife. You can never divorce me." Edward raised Daisy''s chin with a predatory look in his eyes.


    "Daddy, mommy, I have to interrupt you. Are you flirting in front of me?" Justin nced at his parents back and forth. They changed the topic all of a sudden. They were just discussing the matter of Hank a minute ago, but now they were flirting with one another. More importantly, theypletely ignored Justin''s presence.


    "You know what we''re doing. Don''t y dumb." Edward pinched Justin''s cheek yfully. Justin was a foodie. But fortunately, he didn''t get fat because of it. Otherwise, Edward would be depressed. He was a tall, handsome, and extraordinary man. If his son was a fatty, his good reputation would be ruined.


    "I mean, how could you ignore me? Did I suddenly be invisible?" Justin felt wronged. Did his parents really not find him important anymore?


    "Hah! Boy, I wish you were invisible. Then, you wouldn''t be able to disturb us." Edward teased Justin. He knew Justin well, so he ignored his pitifulint. How unfortunate for Justin to have Edward as his father.


    "Mommy, do you think so? Do you think I''m disturbing you?" Justin said in a wobbly voice. He looked like he was on the verge of tears. Hmph! Justin always behaved dramatically to attract attention.


    "What do you think?" Daisy didn''t give a direct answer. Instead, she asked Justin teasingly.


    "Mommy, I''m your only baby. You can''t treat me like this! Your response implies that you don''t like me anymore." Justin didn''t give up. He began to act like a spoiled child.


    "Boy, if you''re her only baby, then what about me?" Edward''s face fell. He was jealous.


    "Come on! Daddy, did you lose your memory? Don''t you know who you are to my mom? Apart from being her husband, do you have any other identities that I don''t know about? Let me guess. You can''t be her lover, because you''re not romantic enough. You can''t be her confidant either, because you keep flirting with her. You also often molest my mom. Well, it''s really difficult to describe what you are to her!"


    Justin counted on his fingers as he enumerated Edward''s behaviors one by one. He had a serious look on his childish face. The adorable expression on his face pleased Daisy.


    Daisy burst intoughter. She agreed with her son. Edward cast dark looks at him.


    "I''m not romantic enough? Tell me. What should I do to be romantic?" Justin''s words reminded Edward that he had never done anything romantic for Daisy, which made him feel guilty. Justin reopened Edward''s old wounds.


    "I don''t know. I''m an innocent child. Don''t you think it''s inappropriate to ask me this sensitive question?" Justin raised his eyebrows smugly. Because Edward ignored him, he wanted to embarrass him.


    "What? You, an innocent child? No one believes that. Don''t make meugh." Edward held Justin by the ear angrily. He was helpless against his mischief. Justin always did naughty tricks, but he often yed innocent. Edward wondered if he ever got tired of his antics.


    What was happiness? It wasn''t about a high status, expensive sports cars, or arge sum of money. Edward''s family was a perfect example. They enjoyed each other''spany andughed heartily. They loved each other. Although they kept teasing one another, they never bore grudges against each other. It was what Edward wanted. Every man who wanted a home felt the same way.0000000

 Chapter 516 The Birthday Party (Part One)

    Leena didn''t like to dwell on other people''s shorings, so she didn''t overreact when she noticed Kevin''s feelings for Daisy. She clearly knew from the beginning that they got married for convenience, and that there was no love between them. Before she married Kevin, she never knew that a military officer could be so busy. Kevin needed to participate in military exercises, go down to different grass-roots units, and execute many tasks among many others. Although they''d been married for quite some time, they didn''t spend much time together.


    It seemed that he never took the initiative to call her. But she was used to it, and she rarely called him to avoid disturbing him at work. She only did what a wife was supposed to do, cook. Although she didn''t know if he woulde back home tonight or not, she still waited patiently. She stared at the dishes she had prepared with a dazed look. This was bing a recurring scene as ofte. Recently, Leena had been spending dinner time waiting for Kevin.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    A gentle breeze blew as night gradually fell. The dark night seemed topel people to go home as early as possible. But Kevin wasn''t in a hurry to get home. He frowned slightly, staring at the soldiers who were training in front of him. "Major General." A strong and loud voice suddenly sounded in Kevin''s ear. He turned around to face the person.


    "What''s the matter?" Kevin asked. The man was one of themander''s bodyguards. Kevin didn''t know why the bodyguard woulde to him at such ate hour.


    "Major General, Commander is looking for you." Everyone said that Kevin was the mildest officer in the military base. But seeing how he hadn''t let his men go and still made them trainte at night, the bodyguard felt skeptical about it.


    "Isn''t he already back home? Why is he still in the base?" Kevin raised his hand to look at his watch. His frown deepened. It was toote now. He wondered why themander was looking for him.


    "Commander is not in the base. He called me just now and asked for you to go to his home," the bodyguard said solemnly. But his eyes shifted slightly as he answered Kevin. He wasn''t sure if the Major General would find fault with him after he found out the truth.


    "Go to his home? Why?" Kevin couldn''t help murmuring. Themander rarely asked him to go to his home. He usually managed work in the base most of the time and seldom had people go to his home.


    "I don''t know. Commander didn''t tell me." As a matter of fact, themander didn''t invite Kevin. But his daughter threatened him and made him invite the major general. He didn''t dare tell Kevin the truth.


    "Okay, I see. I''ll be there soon." What the hell? Why was themander acting so strangely? Were there any uing big tasks? If that was the case, he should discuss it with him in the base instead of discussing it at his home. Well, it was useless for him to contemte about it here. He would find out about it once he arrived.


    "Everyone, stop. That''s it for training today. Fall out, men!" Kevin whistled loudly and gave the order. Afterwards, he turned around and walked to the parking lot. He looked so powerful dressed in his military uniform.


    Kevin seldom went to themander''s home, but he knew where it was. He drove towards it as fast as he could and soon arrived at the ce. Themander''s neighborhood was different from regr ones as the men standing on the door were fully armed bodyguards instead of ordinary security guards. A clever man could discern from observation that there were high-ranking people living there.


    Kevin showed his military officer certification to the bodyguard to prove his identity before he was allowed to drive inside the premises. He parked his car in front of themander''s house. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and got out of the car. He was anxious because he felt that something bad was going to happen. He couldn''t exin it, but his intuition gave him a bad feeling.


    "Kevin. You''re sote!" The moment Kevin got out, an amorous woman walked out to greet him. She spoke in a lovely tone with a brilliant smile spreading on her beautiful face.


    "You are..." Kevin paused instantly. He tried to rack his brain for the woman''s identity to no avail. No matter how hard he searched his memory, he just couldn''t remember her.


    "It''s me, Louisa! Kevin, you don''t remember me?" Louisa Luo was themander''s youngest daughter. Both her face and her figure were exquisitely beautiful. Butpared to Leena, she couldn''t hold a candle at all. Leena was sweet while Louisa was sensual. "Oh, Louisa! I remember you, themander''s daughter. I apologize." Kevin smiled gently. He was a little embarrassed that he didn''t recognize her.


    "It''s fine. We just met once before, so it''s understandable that you don''t remember me. Besides, there are so many beautiful women around you," Louisa replied, trying to figure out if Kevin had girlfriend or not. She never imagined that Kevin was a married man at all. "What beautiful women? I''m surrounded by men." Kevin''s response rang true. He spent all day in the military base. Everyday people around him were male soldiers besides Daisy, who was a female colonel. He wasn''t exaggerating at all.


    "Are you telling a joke? Pleasee in!" Louisa was pleased to hear Kevin''s reply. It was good he didn''t have a girlfriend. This way, she wouldn''t be upset. At least, she didn''t need to figure out a way to steal him from another woman.

 Chapter 517 The Birthday Party (Part Two)

    "Yes, thank you." Kevin followed Louisa and walked in. Because every house in the residence had a garden, it was much warmer inside.


    Themander paused for an instant when he saw Kevin show up at the door. But he suddenly burst intoughter. "Kevin, I didn''t know you had the time to attend. I didn''t invite you because I knew you''re quite busy these days. I didn''t expect you to be here, what a coincidence!" "Didn''t you call your bodyguard and ask me toe here?" Looking at the guests in the house, Kevin frowned. He didn''t understand what themander meant.


    "Dad, I invited Kevin. It''s my birthday today, so I invited him to be here and attend the party in your name." Louisa giggled and walked to themander. She held his arm and turned the charm on her father.


    "Naughty girl. Kevin is too busy, and you tricked him intoing here. You''re making me worry." Themander doted on his little daughter. Her way of dealing with things was quite unique and he couldn''t control her at all. So he just let her be and didn''t restrict her so much as long as she didn''t go overboard.


    The corners of Kevin''s mouth twisted unhappily at the realization that he was tricked into attending a party. He had only met this girl once a few years ago. Why did she want him to attend her birthday party? He hadn''t prepared a present for her birthday at all. "Kevin, I''m sorry. I haven''t seen you for a long time. I wanted to invite you for dinner or something when I graduated and came back to the country, but I couldn''t find a reason. Today is my birthday. You won''t me me for doing this, will you?" Louisa exined so smoothly that Kevin didn''t have the heart to reject her. She looked at Kevin hesitantly, as if she was a child who did something wrong. Even if Kevin wasn''t happy about it, he didn''t show his displeasure. Kevin had no choice but to smile politely. "Happy birthday! Unfortunately, I didn''t prepare any present for you because I didn''t know that today is your birthday. I''ll make up for it another time." Kevin smiled gently. His warm smile was quite inconsistent with his identity as a soldier. It was the reason that Louisa fell in love with him instantly back when she saw him in the army base years ago. She never forgot about him after all these years.


    "Thank you! Kevin, your attendance is the best present for me, but I won''t mind epting another present as well." Louisa deliberately blinked her eyes coquettishly at him. The action seemed natural and graceful.


    "Okay. Let''s sit down! These are Louisa''s friends and ssmates. They''re nearly the same age as you. You may find something inmon to talk about." Themander kept his kind smile the whole time. He patted Kevin on the shoulder in sympathy. Louisa constantly gave him a headache, so he knew how Kevin felt.


    "Kevin,e here. Let me introduce you to everyone." In Louisa''s eyes, Kevin was her future boyfriend. She wanted to show everyone that Kevin was special to her during the party.


    Kevin smiled politely in response to Louisa''s deliberate affections. He didn''t turn her down on purpose to avoid humiliating her. But deep down, he detested her actions. He hated it when a woman was too familiar with him. It wasn''t because he was married, it irritated him in general.


    "Kevin, would you like a drink?" Themander didn''t know about his daughter''s feelings for Kevin. He thought that Louisa regarded Kevin as her elder brother, so he didn''t find anything odd with her affectionate behavior towards him.


    "No, thank you. I need to drive hometer. Let me fill your ss! May I substitute wine with tea to toast you?" Kevin poured a ss of wine for themander as he spoke. He had a smile on his face but his eyebrows were furrowed tightly. He felt quite ufortable at all because of the women''s attention on his face.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Themander chuckled. "You won''t get drunk with one ss of wine! Come on, Kevin. Let''s have some wine." Themander ignored his refusal and filled Kevin''s ss with wine.


    "Dad, I want to drink too! I need to toast Kevin to thank him for attending my birthday party. And we''re going to the bar for another round. Do you think Kevin can be our escort?" Seeing Kevin smiling the whole time, Louisa was encouraged and took it as confirmation that he must like her back.


    "Louisa, Kevin is kind enough to have dinner here. You can''t demand more of him. You can go and enjoy the bar on your own. Kevin was busy at work the whole day. He''s too tired to go with you. Besides, he''s wearing his military uniform. It''s not proper for him to go to a bar like this."


    Though themander berated Louisa, his voice was still gentle. He was gratified by Louisa''s change these past few years. Because no matter what, she was no longer the party girl that she used to be. He hadn''t expected her transformation at all. Despite her obstinate behavior, it was still much better than before. Because of this, themander wasn''t too harsh on her.

 Chapter 518 The Strong Perfume Smell

    shower this morning, but he was too busy to remember it. Kevin wondered if she''din about this.


    "Miss Louisa, I''m sorry. Another time? We''ll get together when I''m not so busy." Hearing themander mention he had been busy all day, Kevin realized that he forgot to call Leena to tell her he hade back from the grassroots unit. He had decided to call her after his "Well, in this case, Kevin, I''ll take a raincheck. And you can drop the ''miss'' moniker! Call me Louisa!" Although Louisa was a little arrogant and imperious, she would be thoughtful when she was around a man she liked. So she didn''t even let Kevin politely refuse her request. "Indeed! Kevin, you''re not a stranger. You are both young people, so you should feel free to call her by name directly." Themander thought highly of Kevin and liked him very much, because he was as capable as Daisy.


    "Okay. Well, I have to leave now. Enjoy your time! I''ll get you a birthday gift. Promise," Kevin said and stood up, wondering if Leena had taken good care of herself during these two days when he was away. He was desperate to get home and check on her. He realized she knew how to cook, but she still hadn''t gotten used to a lot of things as a daughter born to a rich family.


    "Ah! So soon? Kevin, are you sure you can''t stay for a while? Or, perhaps we could go together." Louisa wanted Kevin to go with her to the bar, which could also indicate that she was hitting on him.


    "No. I think we''re headed different ways. Commander, thanks for the nice time. Good night!" Kevin said and took his arm from Louisa''s hand naturally. He was unustomed to the strong perfume smell that Louisa was wearing. It smelt good, but she put on far too much. It made it hard to breathe.


    "Um! Have a safe drive home. Louisa, see him out for me." Themander didn''t persuade Kevin to stay, because he knew Kevin must be exhausted after a long journey from the grassroots unitst night. Moreover, he hadn''t taken a break all day, so themander understood how tired he must feel.


    "Got it. Kevin, let me walk you to the door!" Louisa said with a big sweet smile, because she thought her dad was giving her an opportunity for her and Kevin to be alone.


    "Don''t bother. I can see myself out. It''s better for you to stay with your friends, Louisa! No, really, have fun!" Kevin declined themander''s proposal, then took his briefcase and rushed out. He didn''t want to waste his time on this, so he was gone in a sh as if he were being chased by some predator.


    "Hey! Kevin, wait up!" Louisa didn''t imagine that Kevin would leave so quickly, so she shouted out his name.


    "Never mind. Just let him go. Stay here! Enjoy yourself! You don''t see your friends as often as you should. I guess he has other things on his mind." Themander stopped Louisa when she was about to go after Kevin. This would help the young soldier immensely. Kevin zoomed home, preupied with what awaited him at his house. Not until then was he aware of a harsh fact: he would inevitably forget Leena''s existence when he got busy with work. He didn''t think this was a good habit at all.


    Ten o''clock was the right time to start the night life for the people who haunted the clubs, but it waste for Leena, who had been waiting for Kevin the whole night. Sheughed at herself and began to eat the cold food in front of her quietly. The good thing was it was still autumn, so cold food was not that hard to swallow for her. When the weather turned it was best to have hot dishes.


    Did the food lose its vor? Or was it too tasteless when eating alone? Leena just took a scant few bites then lost her appetite, not even attempting to touch her chopsticks again.


    She thought she had to get used to this lifestyle. Otherwise, it would be very hard for her to endure the solitude in the days that followed. After all, this was just the beginning. She didn''t think the man who didn''t love her at all would spare her a second thought. He didn''t even call her during his two-day absence, which made her realize that she was simply a wife by agreement for him, no feelings there at all.


    Kevin stood at the door, hesitated for a second, then took out the key and opened the door. He was worried that a sudden knock at the door might frighten Leena. When he opened the door, he found her sitting there, looking beautiful but gloomy, which was totally different from the way she used to be. At least, in his eyes, she was a morous sunshine girl and she shouldn''t have a sad look on her face.


    "Why are you having dinner sote?" Kevin asked, ncing at his wrist to check the time. It was almost 11 o''clock. He wondered if she would eat her meals thiste whenever he wasn''t home.


    "Oh! You''re back. I shopped in the daytime and then had a nap, but overslept. So dinner really didn''t get done until recently. Have you had dinner yet? If not, I''ll heat them up again for you."


    Her smile was always her most charming attribute The rest of her was lovely to be sure, but her smile could warm the coldest heart. She grinned quickly, despite having apletely spaced out and listless expression before Kevin arrived. She didn''t want Kevin to feel her loneliness.


    "I''ve already eaten. Set your rm next time, then you won''t miss mealtime. Thanks, though," Kevin said and thought his eyes had deceived him. A sunny and beautiful girl like Leena shouldn''t have a gloomy look on her face.


    "Got it. I''ll be punctual next time," she promised, although it wasn''t the truth. But she showed no unhappiness on her face and no tone ofint.


    "I''m sorry! I was too busy to call you. I get way too wrapped up in work sometimes," Kevin apologized sincerely, sitting opposite to Leena with his eyes gazing at her.


    "It''s okay. Your work is special. I understand. Besides, nothing happened at home, so you don''t need to care about my feelings. Don''t worry," Leena said without looking at him. His gaze stressed her out.


    "Why do I hear a hint of anger in your voice?" Kevin asked, then took a look at the dishes on the table, picked up the chopsticks and took a bite. After tasting this cold food, he hesitated. It would taste better warmed up. "Absolutely not. You''re hearing things, Kevin. Now that you''ve had dinner, I think I should clean up the table." Leena grabbed the chopsticks from his hand eagerly, fearing that he would ask more questions about the cold food. Otherwise, she didn''t know how to exin her feelings to him. Kevin nced at his hand in the air, then gave Leena the stink-eye. She hurried into the kitchen. He felt a little frustrated, but he didn''t want to inquire more about it. He knew she didn''t want him to know the real reason. Or she wouldn''t get so flustered. Her tone was even, but you could see it in her eyes.


    By the time Leena walked out of the kitchen in trepidation, she found Kevin was gone. She felt relieved but a little lost for this, standing there in a daze.T¨ºxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Leena, Leena..." Kevin called her name when he found Leena standing there woodenly. His sudden absence was because he left his briefcase in the car and went downstairs to fetch it.


    "Oh! Sorry. I was kind of spacing out. Are you going out again?" Leena asked wonderingly and frowned, looking at the briefcase in his hand. She thought, ''he just came back! Did he get a new work assignment just now? He barely had time to sit down!''


    "No. I left my briefcase in the car, so I ran downstairs. What are you thinking about? So focused." Kevin asked and walked towards her to touch her forehead. He felt relieved when he made sure she had no fever.


    "You...did you drink?" Actually what she wanted to ask was where the perfume smell on him came from.


    "Yep. Good nose. I just had one, but you could still smell it," Kevin said and pinched her nose. He felt the faint flower scent from her more attractive after smelling the strong perfume on Louisa.


    "Definitely. People say I have a dog nose. So I could smell it if you ate secretly." Leena said and thought, ''So he went out for drinks with a woman. I can tell from the perfume. Who was she? A friend or a confidant? It can''t be the woman he loves, because Daisy never wears such a strong perfume.''


    "Girl, do you think I''m the kind of man who mistreats his wife? Would I eat in private and let you smell the odor of yummy food all through the house?" Kevin said, then flicked her forehead and held her hand walking upstairs with her.


    "It''s hard to say. A bad guy would never have the words ''bad guy'' written on his forehead," Leena said. She wanted to take her hand back, but she decided to quit after thinking about it for a second. She thought, ''we''re a couple, aren''t we? So a normal touch would be okay even if we don''t love each other.''


    "So, I''m the ''bad guy'' you''re talking about, right?" Kevin asked, tilting his head toward Leena, and thought, ''Being alone at home, this girl is still so optimistic. It seems I don''t have to me myself too much.''


    "I didn''t say that, but it''s not my fault if you pigeonhole yourself as the ''bad guy''," Leena said with her pretty face flushed. She felt her heart beating faster when Kevin was holding her hand. However, at that moment she could never anticipate that she would weep a lot in the future because she never confronted him directly about the perfume.

 Chapter 519 Show No Respect To Your Elders (Part One)

    The next morning, news of the acquisition of Lin Group by FX International Group was reported on the front pages of all the newspapers, and everyone was talking about this overnight. Some showed glee, just because of schadenfreude, a pleasure in seeing others suffer. Mary was one of the best representatives, because there would be noparison between her and Jessica any more. Jessica had turned into a poor Cindere from a noble princess. Mary thought to herself, ''I''d like to see how arrogant she''ll be in front of me in the future.''


    "Brian, you''ve been back awhile. You''ve had enough ytime, but like everything ytime ends. So you can start to go to work for thepany! It''s time for you to get familiar with the business."


    Leo put aside the newspaper. He didn''t talk about the acquisition of Lin Group by FX International Group, even though it was a top issue. It hardly surprised him. After all, Lin Group had been hit hard once before. Everyone in the business circles knew full well that it was Edward''s doing. So the acquisition would happen sooner orter if someone offended Edward the smiling tiger.


    "Can I say no?" Brian stopped eating his breakfast, frowning with a determined look on his face. He had no intention of working for thepany.


    "Dad, Brian just came back. Could you let him off a little longer so he can get used to all this? I''m still working for you, right?"All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Mary said. She got nervous hearing Leo''s remarks. She had nned to establish her own connections and strength her foothold in thepany before Brian stepped in. She didn''t expect to hear this kind of bad news in the morning at all. For her, if the bankruptcy of Lin Group was a surprise, what Leo had said was definitely a nightmare.


    "I agree with your father! Brian. Go back to work to give your father a hand! You can also gain experience, right? You need to know that Ouyang Foreign Trade will belong to you in the future. It''s time for you to get used to how they operate, "


    Yakira said. She could see through Mary''s thoughts immediately when she heard what the girl said. In the old days before she had an argument with Mary, she couldn''t get in the way. But since then she had her own ns. After all, the blood of the Ouyangs flowed in Brian''s veins, right? In the end, the only one she could rely on was Brian. Leo would never let Mary take over hispany as she was his step-daughter.


    "Is it mine? I don''t think so. We''ve learned thispany was a legacy of Daisy''s grandfather. It should belong to her. Since when has it be mine? Do you want me to steal it from her? I can''t do anything like that. So, you have to count on someone else!" Like thunder on a sunny day, Brian''s words astonished everyone around him. All of them turned to look at him.


    "Little boy. You can''t say it belongs to that girl, just because you don''t want to take over thepany! You need to be clear that it''s called Ouyang Foreign Trade, not Cheng. It''s ours, not hers." Yakira looked at Leo with nervous eyes after she said this. She didn''t want to piss him off, because he almost killed her when she mentioned Grace''s name. This was a touchy subject with him. She had no idea if he would freak out like yesterday.


    "Yes! Brian, since when has our Ouyang Foreign Tradepany belonged to that girl''s grandfather? You''re lying through your teeth. No matter how much you prefer for Daisy, you can''t say thepany is hers! You are so immoral. How could you change the fact that our dad worked hard to establish thepany so easily? Do you think you can alter history?"


    Mary said. She was no less nervous than Yakira. Brian mentioned it in front of Jessica and the others and she thought he was just trying to bolster Daisy''s reputation. She didn''t think he was in any way serious. But he mentioned it again in front of Leo. Did it mean that it was true that Ouyang Foreign Trade was once known as Cheng Group?


    "Whether it''s true or not, just ask dad in person. Then you''ll know, right? I think he has more of a right to speak than anyone," Brian said with an evil smile. He wondered if his remarks would create a disturbance in the family.


    "Indeed, it is true. But who told you about it?" Leo asked calmly, without any temptation to hide it from them. Because it was true. He changed the name of thepany, but its history couldn''t be changed. One person can''t change the past no matter how hard you try to rewrite it.


    "Don''t underestimate the inte. You can search for everything on it," Brian said. He thought his father might try to hide it and he had prepared to take over his dad''s anger. Unexpectedly, his father simply admitted it.


    "So what Brian said is the truth? Leo, was Ouyang Foreign Trade given to Daisy by her grandfather?" Yakira asked. She had to figure it out, because she didn''t want to get nothing in the end after all her hard work. "Exactly. Ouyang Foreign Trade was the former Cheng Group, which was a dowry given by her grandfather. It wasn''t a secret among the upper sses. As time passed, people have forgotten about it,"


    Leo said. It was always a load on his mind, because he had a reputation as a kept man. So he had to change the name of thepany which also led to temporary chaos and unnecessary losses. But he kept it afloat. And it turned thepany with deep pockets into a small scale operation.


    "Dad, will you leave Ouyang Foreign Trade to Daisy?" Mary asked and thought, ''No way!'' She was justughing to herself that Jessica had be the Cindere. She didn''t expect herself be as poor as her the next minute. If this happened, how would she show off in front of Jessica? This was not a big deal. The most important thing was she didn''t want to go back to the miserable life of her childhood. She had gotten used to life as a richdy over the past years at the Ouyang family. She would fall apart if she had to revert to living as one of the lower sses again.


    "Do you think she would be interested in Ouyang Foreign Trade? Don''t forget who she is now. How could a smallpany like Ouyang Foreign Trade attract her attention?" Leo said, frowning. He nced at them. He had to do the DNA recheck as fast as possible, but he had no idea what kind of excuse he could use to ask Daisy out. It seemed this was the only problem for him.0000000

 Chapter 520 Show No Respect To Your Elders (Part Two)

    "Am I sure she wouldn''t like it? I''m positive. I just don''t understand why you drove her out? Were you afraid that she would take control of thepany as soon as she found out?" Brian asked, smiling ironically while he squinted at Leo. He was wondering how his father would exin it to him.


    "You should ask your mom about it, who wouldn''t let her stay. I believe she will give you a satisfactory answer," Leo said, looking at Yakira with loathing. How could he have turned a blind eye to that if she hadn''tined about her day after day?


    "Why is it my fault? Besides, she was the one who was willing to leave. I never meant to kick her out of the house," Yakira said. She would never admit that she couldn''t keep Daisy around Brian. After all, he already had a problem with her. If he knew about it, then he would surely hate her, despite the fact that he was her son.


    "How could she do something like that if you didn''t pamper her?" Brian smiled coldly. Was it because Daisy wasn''t his daughter? So he treated her cruelly. But Mary wasn''t his daughter either. Why he could stand Mary but not be tolerant of Daisy?


    "Are you questioning me now? Keep in mind that I''m your father," Leo said. He almost lost it, when pushed by his son. He liked to think of himself as a calm man, but he had his limits.


    "No. I was just telling the truth. Now that it''s done and over with, why are you being concerned about what I said?" Brian said. It was obvious that he was challenging his father on purpose. Only he knew why.


    "Brian, how could you speak to your father like that? Leo, don''t take it to heart. He''s just talking nonsense," Yakira said. No matter how much Brian disliked her, he was still her son. So she couldn''t stay calm when her son deliberately annoyed Leo. After all, Ouyang Foreign Trade came with a lot of benefits. She couldn''t let Daisy take over thepany. Otherwise, all her efforts over the years would end in nothing.


    "You taught your son well. Hah! Whether you pissed me off on purpose or not, I still insist that you go to thepany now that you''ve graduated. You spend your days mostly loafing around. What good is studying if you don''t use it for anything?" Leo snorted. He red at Yakira, then stood up and walked out.


    "Brian, take your father''s advice! It''ll be good for you to learn new things," Yakira said and looked at Leo with fluttering eyes. She was exhausted because of the thing with Paul. So she didn''t want something unexpected to happen.


    "You mean it will be good for you! If you want me to take over Ouyang Foreign Trade, sorry, I won''t satisfy your ambitions. If you want it, just talk to Dad in person. It will not be difficult for you to bring him back to his obedient attitude. You did it once already."


    As a matter of fact, he didn''t care about Ouyang Foreign Trade. When he was abroad in the past few years, was he content to be a nerd? He was not that stupid. He had already established apany with friends as business partners. Although it was difficult in the beginning, it was going well now. He was confident that he would develop a cross boardpany which would be as great as FX International Group, although hispany couldn''tpare with even Ouyang Foreign Trade right now.


    "Mom, see? Like dad said, you spoiled him, so he shows no respect to his elders," Mary said. Brian was the stumbling block here. She wondered if he yed tricks privately, vying for power, even though he said he didn''t care about Ouyang Foreign Trade. So she thought she''d better be on her guard against him.


    "I show no respect to my elders? Mary, if I did, do you think you could sit there peacefully? Don''t try to offend me. You can''t afford to pay for it," Brian said. He was so smart that he could guess what Mary was thinking. His goal was not Ouyang Foreign Trade, so he just let her be. But it didn''t mean he would let her boss him around.


    "Mom, just look at him. He even threatened me in front of other people. Even worse, he does that for the bad girl Daisy every time," Mary said. She dared not mention Daisy as "a bitch" again based on thest experience, fearing that Brian would freak out again. After all, "the loss outweighs the gain."


    "Shut up. Get to work now. Didn''t you see your father leave?" Yakira had been in a mess already even if Mary wasn''t involved in it. So she didn''t have time to take Mary''s temper tantrum seriously.


    "I..." Mary wanted to retort, but Brian was there, so she chose to stamp her feet and went to work angry, no matter how reluctant she was.


    "Don''t expect to teach me anything, because you don''t have the qualifications. If you want to interact with me, please act like a mother," Brian said. He knew it was immoral, but it was true that he got no mother''s love from her.? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved.


    "In your heart, who has the qualifications then? What does it mean to you? What would make you feel like you have a mother? Don''t even tell me Daisy fits that role! Do you think you could have lived afortable life abroad without me? It is said that "parents do nothing wrong". If I didn''t act like a mother, did you act like a son?"


    Yakira said, and became a bit emotional. She epted less education and didn''t know how to teach her children, so her children looked down upon her and yelled at her. But was it her fault? Was she supposed to die because she fought for a better life for them? Finally they didn''t even take her seriously.


    "I admit I made a mistake, so I apologize sincerely. But don''t think you can direct the course of my life, because you can''t control me," Brian said with cold eyes on her. Then he turned on his heel and walked upstairs. He didn''t want to stay there arguing with her any more. She was right. As a son, it wasn''t proper for him to dictate to her.


    Yakira threw the tes in front of her with resentment. ''What a life I''m living!'' she thought. It was okay she wasn''t the woman that her husband loved. But at the time, her treasured son even didn''t take her seriously. How could she keep living this terrible life? Had the day of reckoninge for her?00000

 Chapter 521 Are You Trying To Turn This Army Into a Laughingstock

    "Hello. This is Daisy Ouyang." When the phone rang, Daisy picked it up without checking who was calling. She fixed her eyes on thetest missile test data disyed on herputer. She didn''t tear her eyes from the screen when she answered the phone. "It''s me. Are you free at noon? How about having lunch together?" Leo finally made up his mind to call Daisy. He no longer trusted any data provided by others, so he had to collect Daisy''s DNA in person.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "What''s wrong?" Daisy finally turned her gaze and listened to this familiar voice attentively. She sneered, ''Have lunch together? You must be kidding. We are on bad terms. Why should I eat any kind of meal with you?''


    "Really? You can''t even let your old man take you out to lunch? How rude." Daisy kept Leo at arm''s length, which annoyed him. Leo thought she should show her due respect as he was her elder.


    "The tension between us is palpable. Do you think we could dine together calmly?" It was presumptuous of Leo to think Daisy was rude. Years ago, Leo denied that Daisy was his daughter and kicked her out. Given what he did, Daisy thought he didn''t deserve any respect. Her bitter suffering gave her no illusions. She had given up on Leo, so she didn''t need to be nice to him.


    "Just tell me if you have time. Nothing else!" Leo didn''t want to snarl at Daisy, but what Daisy said made him fly into a rage. His heart pounded, face flushed -- he needed to blow off steam.


    "I can''t make it at noon. The army base is pretty far from the downtown area. I still have to work this afternoon. But we can have dinner together. Wherever you want is okay. I see no reason to refuse, really. I''m bighearted like that."


    Daisy said in a sarcastic tone. She knew Leo must be up to something and would hurt her again.


    "Okay. Let''s meet at Westin Western Restaurant. I''ll wait for you there." Leo hung up the phone immediately without waiting for Daisy''s answer. He was afraid that Daisy would change her mind.


    A faint sneer crossed Daisy''s face. She put the phone aside and went on with her work. She quickly dismissed all thoughts of Leo from her mind. Her calm look seemed to suggest that she never got his call.


    "Colonel, bad news! Our soldiers are fighting with Hank''s." Daisy was immersed in her work when Mark rushed in, gulping for air.


    "What? Why? What the hell is wrong with that guy?" Daisy sprang to her feet. As she told Hank, she was sympathetic to him but unable to stop any demerits he got. Why did he start yet another fight?


    "Hank isn''t involved in this. They started to fight with each other in the middle of a chat. Everything is spinning out of control, so I have to turn to you." Mark followed closely after Daisy. The toon leaders andpanymanders were also involved in the fight, so Mark had to ask Daisy for help.


    "Damn it! Why would they fight with each other over a few words? I haven''t drilled them for long, so they have nothing to do but stir up trouble!" Daisy said angrily. She stormed to the training ground. It was time for physical training, but the soldiers were not training there. They were breathing hard, some in fighting stance, some wrestling on the ground, some with their hair and uniform in disarray.


    "Well, shit." Daisy often said the four-letter word in the base, so Mark wasn''t surprised. However, when he lived in Edward''s house, he witnessed Daisy''s aristocratic and elegant life, so it seemed very out of ce.


    "What are you doing here?" Daisy stopped at the sight of Edward, who had a fascinating smile on his face. She looked Edward up and down with a frown. Mark didn''t expect that and bumped into Daisy. Daisy turned back and red at him, which made him break out in cold sweat.


    "What? Aren''t I allowed here?" Edward stepped forward elegantly. He yfully stared at the woman who was shocked by his appearance.


    "Of course you are, but I''m busy now. Whoever asked you here is probably waiting for you." Daisy continued to walk forward and didn''t mean to stay. She was afraid that there would be serious injuries if she waste getting there. It was thest thing that she wanted to see. No matter who got hurt, she couldn''t shirk her responsibility.


    "Mr. Mu, are you going to meet themander? His office is over there. We have something urgent to deal with. I hope you don''t mind if we don''t escort you right this minute." Mark pointed to the direction of the office building and strode to keep up with Daisy.


    "Mr. Mu, let''s go. Don''t keep themander waiting," Luke urged Edward. Edward defied themander. Like usual, he was veryte for his appointment, but he wasn''t in a hurry. Instead, he wandered around leisurely. In his words, he seldom came to the base, so he wanted to know the ce where Daisy worked.


    "Take your time. Let''s go see what the emergency is. She didn''t even spare a nce for me." Edward grinned and strode to catch up with Daisy. Themander would wait longer. Daisy was more important than him.


    Luke was helpless. Edward was always rxed when it came to punctuality. Luke was afraid that themander would be angry, but he didn''t dare to disobey Edward. Luke walked swiftly to keep up with Edward. All he needed to do was to follow Edward, and other things weren''t his concern.


    "Ten hut!" Daisy shouted angrily, calling the soldiers to attention. Watching the soldiers who were fighting fiercely, she furrowed her brow. Her frosty look scared the soldiers, but they were already filled with rage and didn''t listen to her. They just wanted to beat down their opponents.


    "Colonel, what should we do?" Mark didn''t think that the fight would get even worse after he came back with Daisy.


    "What can we do? Join them!" Daisy threw her cap straight into Mark''s hand and quickly ran over to join the fight. Seeing this, Edward gulped and also wanted to join the fight, but Mark stopped him.


    "Mr. Mu, don''t. You''ll get in the colonel''s way." Rage had consumed the soldiers. Edward hadn''t fully recovered. If he joined the fight, he would be hit. If he were injured again, Daisy would punish Mark severely because he didn''t stop Edward. Therefore, he couldn''t let Edward join the fight.


    "Mark, are you crazy? Dozens of soldiers are fighting, while Daisy is alone. She is outnumbered. Do you think she can defeat them all?" Edward roared at Mark. The soldiers started fights from time to time in the base. No wonder Daisy was often injured. At this thought, Edward couldn''t calm himself down.


    "Don''t worry. The colonel can deal with it. Wait and see." Mark asked Daisy for help because he believed that Daisy could bring the fighting to an end. Otherwise he would report it to themander. In that case, the soldiers who engaged in the fight would get a serious demerit. Mark didn''t want that happen, so he turned to Daisy.


    "How can she..." Before Edward finished his words, he was surprised to see that Daisy had stopped the fight adroitly. All the people stopped fighting and stood in two lines. However, none of them admitted defeat although they were injured. They breathed heavily and red at each other with burning eyes.


    "Why? Are you trying to turn this army into aughingstock? Tell me. Why didpanymanders and toon leaders also join in the fight?" Daisy wiped the sweat from her forehead. She panted for breath because her physical strength was severely depleted, and her hair was a little messy. Fortunately, she finally stopped them.


    The soldiers looked at each other and dared not answer. They turned to look at theirpanymanders and toon leaders, hoping that they could find an excuse to convince Daisy. Otherwise they would be hurting for days.


    "Say something! Cat got your tongue?" Daisy looked at the soldiers coldly and fiercely. The soldiers lowered their head and dared not catch Daisy''s eye.


    "Colonel, punish us. It has nothing to do with the soldiers. We stirred up the trouble," apanymander said in a serious tone, walking out of the queue. The bruise at the corner of his mouth damaged his overall image. He seemed less confident.


    "It''s good that you admit your mistake. Do you think you can escape punishment? But before we y the me game, tell me why you were fighting." Daisy was serious in speech and manner in front of the soldiers. She always looked cold and hard to approach. As usual, now she was poker-faced.


    "Colonel, could we write down the reason in the report?" Thepanymander bit his lip. He was embarrassed to tell Daisy why they started the fight. He had a dispute with otherpanymanders, which led to a fierce fight. The soldiers had no idea what was going on. They joined the fight to help theirpanymanders, so the scene was chaotic just now. No one was willing to admit defeat. Fortunately, Daisy came in time. Otherwise the fight would continue. Daisy rolled her eyes. This would be a long day.

 Chapter 522 So Nice To Be Young (Part One)

    "Well. Now fall in! Ten hut! Dress right! Eyes front!" Even if she tried her best to be cool, it was really hard to change her feminine nature that she was born with. No wonder there still was a sweet girlish tone in her pretended indifference when she shoutedmands. But,


    as a matter of fact, nothing could cover up the dignity of the blood that flowed through her veins.


    This was another side of Daisy that Edward saw for the first time. She waspletely different from the charming and soft woman in his arms. She was always abashed by his teasing when they were alone, but now she was so cold with a majestic and solemn face. Yes, she looked very regal. But there was something wrong. She looked so strange andpletely unfamiliar to him. Edward was puzzled by this, thinking, ''Oh, my god, what kind of person is she really? How many faces does she have and which is the real Daisy?'' Too many questions came to his mind. Just a few minutes ago, Edward still felt quite confident that he knew Daisy well. But now, he was aware of a brutal truth that he knew her so little and he had never gotten a deep understanding of the real Daisy.


    "All you men seem to have a problem. And you''re getting cabin fever. All energetic and nothing to do! Then I would like to do you a favor. I could give you something to do, to help release your pent up energy. I''m guessing you wouldn''t mind, right?" Daisy took a look at all the officers and men. Hearing her words, all the soldiers around her got goose bumps right away. But no one voiced aint. Even though everyone disagreed, they still held it in and stayed silent. Because everybody knew that she wasn''t named "Devil Drillmaster" for nothing. They would have iting if they dared toe out against her.


    "No Ma''am!" they said in unison. There were half of the soldiers under the direct administration of Hank, but Daisy was of a higher rank than him. So they had topletely obey her orders, without any objection.


    "All right, now listen to my orders carefully." She barked them out in session, giving them time to do as shemanded. "All of you, ten hut! Right dress! Eyes front! Five-mile cross country run! Now! Go go go!" Uh-huh, it seemed that they had a lot of excess energy. Okay. Then she wondered whether they would spare the extra energy to start fights when they werepletely exhausted.


    My God! Five-mile cross country run! The soldiers werepletely stunned when they heard the order. ''What a cruel woman Colonel Ouyang is!'' thought each and every one. They were just physically consumed. Instead of giving a break, they were ordered to run five- mile cross country right away. Obviously, what she wanted was just to tire them out on the way. They wondered how such a beautiful woman could be so cruel to them. No matter how they felt, military orders were imperative and could not be disobeyed. They had to run as fast as they could. Luckily, they were not ordered to finish the five-mile cross country run with full equipment. Otherwise they would get tired to death.


    "Mark, so that is who your Colonel really is! Shouldn''t they go to the clinic for medical treatment immediately when they are hurt? How could she know for sure that they could finish the five-mile cross country run?" ''She is so callous. Oh, thank God I am not one of her soldiers. It is so awful to be under hermand. Yeah, I have to be more careful from now on. I know she likes me now, but maybe some day, she will do the same to me.'' Merely thinking about the cruel treatment he might suffer, Edward broke out into a cold sweat. ''That would not be good, ''he thought.


    "We all call her ''Devil Drillmaster!'' She lives up to her name. But don''t tell her I told you that. Two days ago, she punished me with a whole set of daily physical exercise. I just finished it. I knew she did not want to punish me then, but I do not want to be punished again by her." Mark took a few steps back because the punishment had struck terror into his heart. The memory was still fresh for him. After finishing the whole set of daily physical exercise, he was unable to support himself and directly fell to the ground. After a long time, he was somehow able to straighten himself up to a standing position. No wonder he was so scared.


    "What? A whole set of daily physical exercise? What is that? Is it more horrifying than the five mile cross country run?" Edward was born in thep of luxury. Limousines were ready for him when he wanted to go out. As a matter of fact, he barely walked anywhere himself. Therefore it was hard for him to image the serious consequences of a whole set of daily physical exercise, five mile cross country run, or anything else physically strenuous.


    "What do you think? A whole set, not just one exercise. It was much more awful than the worst situation that you can image. Okay, here is the thing. You anger a sleeping dragon if you provoke Colonel Ouyang. You might be killed at any second." Just a smallint. Mr. Mu should not tell Colonel Ouyang. Mark thought to himself. Unfortunately, he did not notice the evil smile on Edward''s face.


    "Uh-huh, do you want to run five miles with them? I did not know you are such a grumbler." Daisy Ouyang came towards them, a serene look on her face. Since severalpanymanders and toon leaders were there, she worried about nothing and she knew they would manage the soldiers well. She would just wait and see.


    "No, I don''t. I promise I won''t do it again. Sorry, ma''am," Mark said in fear. Absolutely not. He was not masochistic. To run with them! Aha, that would be thest thing he wanted to do in the world. And it was almost lunch time. He was not so stupid as to leave his stomach empty.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Honey, how are you doing? Are you okay?" Edward carefully looked her up and down with worry. He dreaded that she might get hurt just now. He knew she was strong, but not so strong to be unharmed after fighting against so many soldiers.


    "What are you doing here? To pick up the treasure?" Daisy looked askance at him. Instead of answering his question, she asked him another question. That was because she did get hurt and she did not want him know it. He always worried too much. It was impossible to be safe and sound in such a chaotic scene. After all, she was made of meat and bone instead of steel. But it was just a flesh wound. The soldiers punched and kicked her only when they did not know it was her. And they stopped their attacks immediately once they saw who they were fighting against. After all, nobody was not afraid of being punished for attacking their superior.


    "Yes! I came here to pick you up." Edward did not mind her mocking words at all, instead, he took out a handkerchief from his pocket. Poor man. The yboy got used to carrying extra handkerchiefs with him all the time since he had a crush on her. Edward wiped her sweat softly with the handkerchief, then he kissed her on the forehead dotingly. Wow! Those who were out of breath and exhausted were taken aback. They could not believe their eyes. Come on, she was ''Devil Drillmaster''. How could he kiss her???????????

 Chapter 523 So Nice To Be Young (Part Two)

    In fact, they saw him as soon as the man came in. They all were trying to figure out who he was. The army was over-saturated with men, but not that kind. He was apparently a man of high rank and high taste. He looked so handsome and graceful. God must have given


    him all the best traits. They were all jealous. Now he got close to the Colonel and kissed her intimately. They were d to see how he would end up.


    "Are you deliberately shaking your ass to attract attention?" Daisy ground her teeth in anger. Her cheeks were flushed right away when he kissed her abruptly. She pinched his waist unnoticed with her hand, but her face looked so innocent. It was like she did nothing to him. "Uh-huh, aren''t you the joker? And you''re the only woman here, right? So whose attention am I supposed to attract apart from yours?" Edward ignored the pain where she pinched him. Hesciviously smiled and stared at Daisy with his beautiful eyes. Immediately, all the soldiers were stunned by his unique beauty. What a gorgeous and breathtaking man. And how could a man be seductive and fascinating like him?


    "It is hard to say. Maybe you prefer a man. There are a good deal of tough guys here." Daisy rolled her eyes and sulked. She turned around and left. It would not end well if she kept flirting with him here. That shameless guy might go further in front of her soldiers. In order to keep her good image in the future with the troops, she had better get away from him. She was not stupid enough to actively create headlines for their pleasure.


    "Man, a good idea. I should listen to you and seriously think about it. Could you find a man for me? After all you know them better than me. Rmend a pretty boy to me." ''Aha, dummy, how dare you taunt me? Do you think I am really easy to deal with? Okay! Now, open your eyes and see what''sing. Then you will know better who you are talking to. I always win when someone else attacks me. I have no problem winning here.''


    "Edward Mu, don''t push your luck! Are you serious? Do you really want me to rmend someone? Well, you remember Hawkeye? I think he is totally your type. What do you think?" Daisy specifically lowered her voice, for Hawkeye was part of a special mission force. The special team was hidden in the militarymand. Only few high-ranking army officers knew of it. It was a military secret, and should not be disclosed to others.


    "Do you mean the special forces guy with face paint? The only thing that we can see is his eyes. He must have a face that would stop a clock so he refuses to show us his real face!" Edward also lowered his voice and whispered in her ear. He got too close to her. It made her blush. Her heart rate had been elevated. But she still had a clear head. She knew he was joking. Although he said that, he did not mean it. He was not a fool.


    "All right. It is my fault that I brought it up. Let it go! Tell me, why are you here without letting me know? Why didn''t you call me before you came here?" Daisy kept walking, but slower than before. She could not walk quickly. During the fight earlier, a soldier took a big swinging kick at her foot. It really hurt her. But she did not want Edward to worry so she tried her best to walk normally and slowly. She was afraid that Edward would pick her up and carry her in front of all soldiers if he knew it. It would humiliate her. Yeah, it was fine by her to lose face, but she could not stand it if Edward reopened his old wound. Anyway, she had to keep it from Edward.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Oh, you are allowed to surprise me, but I am not? Honey, it is unfair," said Edward. Edward furrowed his brow. He disliked her distant look. Maybe she wanted to keep her standing and dignity in front of her soldiers. He had to cooperate with her even though he could not get used to her deliberate estrangement. He promised her that he would get out of her way whenever she was working. He must keep his word.


    All the soldiers along the way were very curious about Edward. They all wondered who he was and what his rtionship was to the Colonel. After all it was the first time that they saw the Colonel being so affectionate with a man. No wonder it was generally believed that Edward was her boyfriend rather than her husband. Everybody knew that the Colonel lived in the family dormitory building of the army for years. They had never seen her husband before. Edward''s true identity was always shrouded in mystery.


    Thanks to thew in the army. They only subscribed to the military newspapers, otherwise they would clearly know who Edward was. Because just a few days before,mon newspapers had yed up the anniversary celebration of FX International Group. While the army knew nothing about it. All they did all day was nothing but training. Therefore it was normal that they knew nothing about Edward.


    "Excuse me, when did I surprise you? Or am I a boring and idle woman to you?" Daisy nodded at the soldiers who saluted her while passing. She was cold and distant without any tenderness. she darted an angry look at Edward. As to his question, she did not want to answer it directly.


    "No, you are absolutely not boring and idle, but I am. So I am here to surprise you, and the purpose is to see how you make all the young boys crazy for you in the army," said Edward calmly. His handsome face bore an ambiguous smile. He would like to see how long a cool woman like Daisy could hold up in a war of words.


    "Do you get it now? Open your eyes and watch carefully how I show my charm to attract them." She knew he was mocking her up, so she would not hand over her arms and surrender easily as he expected. It was impossible to ruin her perfect image in the army. She wouldn''t let him win.


    "Yep, I have gotten a good look. I am sorry to tell you a cruel fact -- no one is fascinated with you. You were so fierce and malicious just now that all of them were scared away." Wow, the soldiers looked so young! They were full of youthful spirit. Edward, by contrast, was much older. Therefore Edward felt ufortable right away. Although he looked much like them, he was actually much older than them. Age was his most sensitive spot. He would never get over it. That''s why he said "so nice to be young."

 Chapter 524 Its Better For A Woman To Be Fierce (Part One)

    "Edward, I finally know why you''re here now. You''re here to make me angry." Daisy stopped suddenly. She raised her eyebrows and looked at Edward. Her behavior made her look a little arrogant and unreasonable. She seemed to be even more charming and attractive wearing the handsome olive-green military uniform. "Oh, I won''t make you angry. I want to live a long time." Was it true that he wouldn''t do that? His tone of speaking betrayed him. It seemed that he wanted to make her angry anyway.


    "You won''t? I doubt it. Are you telling me I''m a fierce woman and not gentle at all, and you''re not fond of women like that." Daisy pouted. This woman was the one Edward was familiar with when she asked for affection from him, instead of being cold as if she were about to reject everyone approaching her. The cold woman made herself a stranger to Edward. Edward didn''t like this feeling, so he said such things to irritate her deliberately.


    "Who said that I am not fond of you? It''s better for a woman to be fierce. This way, those lewd men will not try to get close to you. And I will feel better too." Edward looked back at her with a bright smile on his face. But Daisy was almost about to stomp her feet when he said that. It turned out he was just thinking of himself when he told her that.


    "Look at you. You''re obviously taunting me now. Well, forget it. Why am I serious about it? I don''t need to mess with you. I need to get back to work. So go! Stop following me. Or I might get in trouble for acting improperly on base. I''m not going to sacrifice my career for you." Although Daisy said it in a joking tone, this could still happen. The anonymous tip-offst time was a lesson.


    "Yes! Mr. Mu, you have an appointment with themander at 9. But it''s almost 11 o''clock now." Luke didn''t want to disturb them when they were flirting with each other at all. But they were in someone else''s ce and he was amander. So they should show respect to him anyway!All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "9 o''clock? Edward, are you challenging the authority of the military in public? You are alreadyte. And you''re wasting time here instead of hurrying to your meeting with themander." It made Daisy''s gorge rise to hear that they werete for their appointment. She stared at Edward fiercely, being angry. It was the first time she looked at him so angrily. It was not because he waste, but because he didn''t treat the military seriously and didn''t show any respect. In Daisy''s mind, if he didn''t respect the military it meant that he didn''t respect her as a soldier which she considered to be a sacred profession.


    "I am worried about you. You didn''t talk to me just now. So I decided to follow you and to see what happened." Edward''s voice got lower. Daisy was about to lose her temper, which made him want to leave as soon as possible.


    "Ok. I''m busy now. Themander''s office is over there. You can go by yourself." Just then, Daisy walked into her office immediately and shut the door heavily, leaving Edward outside. She wasn''t worried that the door might have broken Edward''s straight nose. "Luke, do you think I have tons of free time and have nothing to do now?" Edward looked at Luke remorselessly. He figured that he was detested by a certain woman now. She was busy? Wasn''t she indicating that he was an idle man?


    "Yes, Mr. Mu. You are quite free," Luke replied in a serious way. He told Edward clearly about what was on his mind, Edward was a free man. He didn''t care about the consequences he might face afterwards at all.


    "Well! It seems that I''m not supposed to have any free time. Let''s go meet themander." Edward smiled helplessly. He didn''t grow angry at Luke''s reply at all. He wondered if his actions had irritated hisdy. Probably, or she wouldn''t have shut the door in front of him. She didn''t intend to invite him to go inside and take a seat at all.


    As a matter of fact, Daisy did it on purpose. She was afraid that he would act shamelessly following her into her office, forgetting why he was there on base today. She wouldn''t do this to other people except Edward, because she couldn''t know his personality more. He was a man who did as he pleased and never cared about others'' opinions. He was arrogant and looked down upon the basic moral codes.


    "Mr. Mu. You''re here." Themander stood up as soon as he saw Edward. He didn''t feel unpleasant about his beingte at all. He thought Edward waste because he was still recovering from his injury. He figured it would take time for Edward to regain his full health. It had already pleased him that Edward agreed to meet him here.


    "Commander. I''m sorry. I got distracted when I arrived here, and took a little tour of the base. So I''m a bitte." Edward reached out to shake hands with themander with a smile. This was his diplomacy. It was his fault that he waste. But he said that he waste because he was dyed due to his tour of the army base. This way, he wouldn''t be responsible for beingte anymore.


    The corners of Luke''s mouth twisted heavily. He found that Edward had be more shameless. A tour of the army base? Not at all! He spent too much time at home, okay? Apart from that, he followed Mrs. Mu and kept talking to her. Now, he came to themander''s office unwillingly because he was kicked out of the office by Mrs. Mu.


    "No, no. You''re notte. It''s my honor that you''re here. Talking about this, I feel a little awkward. You just left hospital a few days ago. And now I''m asking you to drive all way here. Are you feeling better now?" Themander invited Edward to take a seat. He gestured to the couch and walked towards it, indicating Edward should sit there.000000

 Chapter 525 Its Better For A Woman To Be Fierce (Part Two)

    "Thank you for your concern, Commander. I''m much better now. But I''m wondering why you want me here." He wasn''t an expert at official manners. But he was able to speak in an official way. After all, he was a business man and it was a necessary skill for him to manage things tactfully. "You are too modest, Mr. Mu. I was supposed to pay you a visit. But I heard that you were staying at home, and not going into the office. And I don''t think it''s proper for me to go to your home. So I invited you here." Themander passed the tea prepared by an orderly to Edward. Because Daisy liked tea, so he thought Edward liked tea too. Therefore, he prepared the tea to treat him without asking him what he would like to drink.


    "It''s fine. I''ve wanted to find some chance to pay a visit here too. You did me a favor by inviting me here, Commander." Edward spoke his mind. He''d been on base twice, but the only ce he went was the residential area. Besides, it was at night. So he didn''t see the surroundings clearly. Despite that, he didn''t get a close look at the base this time either, he still had a rough impression of it but got to know it better.


    "Ha-ha! Maybe Mr. Mu is more interested in Daisy than theyout of the army base! That''s why you want to know more about her working environment." Themander smiled and was able to suss out what was on Edward''s mind. He knew how Edward cared about Daisy and reasoned that Edward intended to explore the army base because of her.


    "You know me, Commander. Now that you''ve read my mind, I would be pretentious if I continued to hide my thoughts."


    Oh, apparently it was obvious. Even themander knew what he was thinking about! But what about Daisy? She chose to ignore him! Besides, she was so fierce when she talked with him and wasn''t nice to him. It seemed that he cared for her in vain these days. "Oh, sure. I must say, you have good taste, Mr. Mu! Daisy is good at every everything. You are lucky to marry her and you''re going to live a happy life with her." Themander wasn''t ttering Edward. He did mean it. In his mind, Daisy was like his own daughter and he wasn''t exaggerating the fact at all.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "Thank you! Then let''s get down to business! You are quite busy at work and I don''t want to take up too much of your precious time," Edward said thoughtfully. Actually he wanted to finish the business talk as soon as possible so that he could go back to Daisy''s office and pay her a visit. He was here now and he was desperate to know everything about her in the base.


    "Ok. Here''s the thing. You have sponsored us on a newly developed weapons. And the military officials want to invite you to attend the prototype weapon exercise a few days from now. Meanwhile, they want to discuss the project with you. They expect some suggestions or opinions on the project."


    Themander picked up the ss and drank some water. He was surprised by the officials'' arrangement too. But he understood that they made every decision for the military''s benefit. So he didn''t ask too much about it and conveyed their invitation to Edward. "Oh! In this case, I can get close to our national defense?" Although Edward said this, he would never be interested in it. He was only interested in seeing his wife''s heroic figure. Therefore, he couldn''t agree with this proposal anymore. But regarding the army group and their project, he needed to consider it carefully. After all, he only heard Rain mention it before and never got a chance to investigate.


    "If you are interested, I''ll let Daisy exin to you in more detail after we finish our talk." Themander was a decisive man. He wasn''t concerned that Edward might know some secrets of the army due to his identity. What''s more, he only arranged Daisy to introduce some weapons to Edward, so the army''s secrets were well-protected. He wasn''t worried that Edward would know everything.


    "Thank you, Commander. You make too big a deal of me. Actually I am quite interested in the base. Why don''t we get started now?" Edward was interested by themander''s kind proposal. Now he would like to see how Daisy would refuse to talk to him. After all, her superior made her talk to him.


    The hours wore on. When they finished talking business, it was already lunch time. Through this negotiation, themander finally knew what a real negotiator was like. Edward convinced himpletely without any aggressive words and any personal attack. All he showed during the whole process was his manners as a gentlemen. He was so calm and nimble. No wonder he could manage such a big multinationalpany so well.


    "Mr. Mu. It''s already lunch time now. If you like, why don''t you have lunch here? You can see how our soldiers eat, and experience it for yourself." Themander stood up and shook hands with him. There was a big smile on his face. They hade to a fantastic agreement, and had a sessful negotiation.


    "What a nice invitation. I think it is better for me to ept it respectfully than to decline it. I''m sure it''ll be an unforgettable experience to have lunch with the soldiers.." No matter what suggestion themander would make, Edward would take it. He didn''t care about the lunch. He cared that he could have chance to stay with Daisy. That was the most important thing. He arranged everything for Daisy.00000000????????

 Chapter 526 Colonel Ouyang鈥檚 Husband

    different from the soldiers''. It was an open fact, so there was no need to hide it.


    "This way, please. I''m afraid you won''t like the food in our canteen," Themander said while walking toward the canteen with Edward. He hardly ate in the canteen himself. His food was usually brought to him from the canteen by his orderly. Of course, it was a little "Of course I will. I''m not a picky eater." Edward smiled faintly. Luke, who was following behind, rolled his eyes at him and thought, ''Since when?'' No one could have lied so naturally and easily as Edward.


    "Okay then. Let''s ask Daisy and Kevin to join us." Themander liked young men like Edward who were from a rich family yet not arrogant, so he was very happy to talk to him.


    "Commander, Major General Gu has left the army base for the army in H City," Themander''s aide reminded him. As themander''s confidential secretary, he had to know everything.


    "Oh, it will be the three of us then. Go find Colonel Ouyang." The smile on themander''s face paused for a second. He had thought if Kevin ate with them, there would be moremunication among them, since Kevin, Edward and Daisy were the same age. Unexpectedly, he had gone on an experience exchange visit to another army base.


    "No need. She''s alreadying." At the sight of that familiar figure, Edward smiled and winked at her.


    "Commander, have you two talked business yet? I want to make sure I''m not intruding on something." Daisy ignored Edward''s smile with knitted brows. He was either getting eye cramps or just showing off his teeth, she thought.


    "Yes. Daisy, how about having lunch with us in the canteenter?" Themander said, not noticing what was going on between Edward and Daisy.


    "Sure. But doesn''t Mr. Mu have to go?" Some of the people didn''t know Edward was Daisy''s husband, so they thought everything was normal. But the ones who did were surprised to hear how Daisy had addressed Edward. Edward smiled and could tell from her tone that she was still in a bad mood.


    "Colonel Ouyang, I''m not working right now. In fact, I''m not allowed to. You can say I am unemployed now. So since I''m here, can you buy me lunch?" She wanted to y? So game on. He had plenty of time.


    Luke and Mark looked at each other. Neither of them could understand what was going on. To them, couples were weird. They talked about so many things that other people wouldn''t understand.


    "Huh! You two are interesting. It''s all good. Young people like flirting with each other. I get it." Themander was confused at first, but soon from their words he realized that Edward and Daisy were having a fight. He had been young once after all.


    "I''m sorry,mander. We should wait until we get home, but it seems Colonel Ouyang couldn''t wait so now she''s embarrassed herself." Edward was eloquent. Somehow he had made it all Daisy''s fault.


    "Edward, you think it''s fun pissing me off, huh?" Daisy took a deep breath and quashed her anger. She tried to stay m. He hade to see her make a fool of herself. If she lost her temper, then he won. She wouldn''t like that. So she decided to talk to him in a different tone.


    "Not at all. I was just asking. Did I do something wrong?" Edward had been worried that she might kick him in public. In that case, everybody would know he was afraid of his wife. Was he? He was puzzled by that thought. But in a second it didn''t bother him anymore. Being a henpecked husband wasn''t humiliating. It had been said that the henpecked men were more likely to seed. He just needed to believe it. Then there would be nothing to be embarrassed about.


    "It''s just lunch. Since Mr. Mu has asked, of course I''ll be a good host. This way please, Mr. Unemployed CEO. I''m not rich, but I have enough to buy you lunch. However, if you want to have shark''s fin or lobster, I''m sorry, we don''t have any in our canteen." Daisy gave a pale smile, which made her seem cordial, but the ones close to her knew that that smile meant someone would be doomed. It was the smile of a shark.


    "Thank you for your generosity, Colonel Ouyang. Since I don''t have any ie presently, all I want is someone to buy me food. Nothing more." Was she pretending to be polite now? No problem. That he could do too. He was more than just a sly businessman. Wait. Since when was he a sly business man? It seemed he had started to think of himself like that too, after hearing Daisy refer to him as one so many times.


    "Don''t mention it. Let''s go." It seemed they were both enjoying the game. She wasn''t worried about losing. He was standing in her territory. How hard could it be to beat him?


    "Still mad?" Edward walked closer to her and asked quietly. But themander heard every word he had said. He was right. They were indeed having a fight.


    "What do you think? Isn''t this what you want? To make me mad, embarrass myself?" Daisy rolled her eyes at him. But her eyes looked so sad, as if they were telling Edward that he hurt her. He started to feel bad and sorry.


    "Okay, I was just joking. Couldn''t you see it? How could you take it seriously? Silly girl." Edward pinched her nose lightly. He would have taken her into his arms andforted her if they hadn''t been on the army base. But how quickly her attitude had changed! She had been pushy one minute ago, but now she was acting like a spoiled child. Women were really capricious.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    Themander saw the tender side of Daisy for the first time when they were on their way to the canteen. Only Edward could let her open her heart and be herself and thus, only when Edward was around could one see this side of hers.


    When the crowd showed up, the noisy canteen suddenly quieted down. Then all the soldiers stood up and saluted them, wondering why themander hade to the canteen. His orderly usually got him food, didn''t he?


    "Everybody, sit down. Rx. I just want my guest to taste our food. Oh, this is the CEO of the FX International Group, Mr. Edward Mu, also the sponsor of the new weapons we have bought recently. Meanwhile, Colonel Ouyang''s husband. Let''s wee him!"


    Themander had intended to keep Edward''s identity secret, because he thought that way the soldiers would be intrigued by his identity at the new weapon drill. On the other hand, he was worried that the closeness between Edward and Daisy might cause new rumors. In the end, he decided it would be appropriate to make Edward''s identity public. And then Daisy''s name could be cleared from the rumor that had gotten her summoned by the investigation department.


    Edward was used to apuse which had apanied him since his childhood. But today''s des meant a lot to him. He was proud of himself, not as a sponsor but as Daisy''s husband.


    "Thank you, everyone. Please help yourselves. I was just curious about what my wife eats every day and decided toe here to have a taste of it myself. That''s all. So pretend I''m not here." No matter how angry he made Daisy in daily life, in public Daisy would always be the one spoiled by him. He wanted her to be the center of attention.


    This was Colonel Ouyang''s husband? It seemed they had been all wrong in the past, the soldiers thought. Her husband being too ugly, running away with the other woman, going abroad, none of these conjectures had been right. If this man was ugly, then no one in the world was handsome.


    But a new question came along. Why did Colonel Ouyang live with Justin alone for so many years since she had such a wonderful husband? The soldiers had heard a lot about FX International, although they didn''t know its CEO. So they got even more curious. But it wasn''t something they could ask in person without being impolite, so they had swallowed their questions, and made up their own stories about him silently.


    They had already been discussing who this man was on the training field. Now they knew. They all agreed that only an excellent man like this deserved a brilliant woman like Colonel Ouyang.


    For the first time Daisy blushed in front of the soldiers, which had been beyond imagination before. Their gaze made her ufortable and unsure where to look. This lunchtime was turning out to be more interesting than she had imagined.000000??????

 Chapter 527 A Considerate Perfect Wife (Part One)

    "Okay, everyone. Sit down, continue eating." Daisy quickly regained herposure, recovering from embarrassment. She raised her exquisite eyebrows, her ordering through loud and clear. Her intimidating manner was felt in every corner. Edward felt delighted to see Daisy''s behavior. Because he hoped that Daisy would be forbidding and harsh to all the other men except for him. Then no one would think of getting their hands on his wife. He was such a cunning man.


    "Mr. Mu, this way, please." The Commander led Edward to a table which was prepared by the batman beforehand and asked him to sit down. The usually boisterous canteen became very quiet today because of the arrival of several special guests. All the soldiers kept quiet, it was obvious that they wanted to overhear any juicy tidbits they could.


    Looking at all the dishes on the table, Daisy bit her lip and walked towards the kitchen in silence. This strange act confused everyone, except for Edward. Because when Daisy frowned, he followed her gaze and found out she was looking along the table. So he was certain that she was dissatisfied with the dishes and wanted to find some food which would be helpful for the recovery of his wound. She did this every day since he got hurt. For this considerate care, Edward felt very warm in his heart. At the same time, he became ustomed to it.


    "What happened to Daisy? Are the dishes not to her taste today? She is never particr about food. Strange." The Commander looked at the dishes on the table. There was no such luxurious food as shark''s fins or cubilose. But the abundant fish and meat portions could make it a hearty meal. And that was a good enough treat for any guest.


    "Don''t worry. Probably it is because of me. She cares much about my health recently. So she is very careful about what I eat every day." Edward disyed a big smile on his charming face with delight as if bathing in the spring wind. Even his eyes reflected happiness. It seemed that no matter how angry Daisy was at him, she didn''t forget to care for him. He was deeply touched by her warm affection.


    "Haha! It surprises me that our irondy Colonel Ouyang is such a considerate perfect wife in private. Howe I''ve never noticed this before?" The heartyughter of the Commander could be heard in every corner of the canteen. All the soldiers knew that beneath her aloof appearance, their Colonel Ouyang also had her gentle and lovely side like many other women.


    "This is true. Daisy could manage everything well as a wife. As you just said, I''m lucky to marry her." Edward smiled. He praised Daisy generously. His deep and enigmatic eyes looked yful and cunning. He was a perfectbination of gracefulness and nobility. His temperament was noticeably different from other people, and it drew everyone''s attention. Even the movement of his mouth as he talked was a feast to the eyes.


    "Are you trash talking me behind my back?" Daisy didn''t mind the gazes boring into her from other people. She calmly ced the food she made just now in front of Edward. Her act was very natural without any trace of embarrassment or hesitation as if it was her daily routine.


    "No, we''re admiring you." Whatever the food was, as long as it was prepared by Daisy, he would ept everything, and he wouldn''t evenin. Because he knew what she did was entirely to make him healthy again. Therefore he tried his best to follow her instructions. Some of the food was not to his liking, but as long as Daisy thought that it was good for his health, he would eat it without hesitation. This unusual behavior had taken Luke by surprise, and he had been with Edward for many years. "Admiring me? But it didn''t sound like it. You are still recovering, you''d better eat lightly. It''s not appropriate to eat too much fish and meat. And you need more food with high protein and rich vitamins." Daisy kept what Tom had advised in mind, so she strictly followed what he suggested about Edward''s diet.


    "Thank you, Colonel Ouyang. I will firmly obey your order." Edward pulled out the chair beside him and gracefully let Daisy sit beside him. But his next move made all the other people feel shocked. He reached out his slim hand and gently slicked Daisy''s hair back to her ears. It was a simple act, but few men would do it so naturally in the presence of so many people. Especially for his deep blue eyes, they were full of affection. His love for Daisy was so obvious, he didn''t mind showing how much he loved Daisy in public. "You''re talking too much, eat! We''ll see whether the food can stop you from talking." Daisy blushed again because of his sudden gentle caress. Although she was a little embarrassed when Edward did such an intimate move in front of so many soldiers, she felt happy with the sweet move he would asionally do for her.


    The Commander had been wearing an affable smile all the time with an approving look. No matter what made them separate before, as long as they were happy together from now on, he would also feel happy for them.


    It was said that beautiful things always attracted people''s attention. During the whole process when Edward ate his meal, he disyed his graceful manner to the fullest. This influenced all the rough soldiers. They unwittingly slowed down the speed at which they ate. They all chewed carefully and swallowed slowly, totally opposite from the way they usually ate. Their typical speed was in a terrible hurry after being exhausted by the training.


    Daisy was surprised to see their change of manner. It seemed that no matter how hot-blooded the soldiers were, sometimes they would asionally show off a bit. They were also unwilling to lose to others, with a stubborn streak a mile long. Just like now, they were deeply impressed by the inborn temperament of Edward. It illustrated one thing: if you wanted respect, using force was not the shortcut to achieve it. Because the cultivation and temperament you showed could also be your trump card.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 528 A Considerate Perfect Wife (Part Two)

    "Is this your office? It''s very clean andfortable." Edwardid back on the sofa, rxing. His handsome face looked a little tired. The Commander found an excuse to leave after the meal, but he didn''t forget to remind Daisy to show Edward around the army base. So after the trip, he felt very tired. He was discharged from the hospital not too long ago. And he was not in the right condition to be fatigued. And Daisy had taken this into ount, so under all the soldiers curious eyes, she only showed him around briefly, not taking him to all the ces in the army base. The army base was veryrge, it was hardly possible for anyone to walk it through in such a short time. "Yes! Are you tired? Drink some water first!" As soon as Daisy entered the gate, she hurriedly poured some water for Edward. So when Edward sat down, a ss of water was handed him to drink.


    "It''s okay. Only the scorching sun was a little unbearable." Edward took over the ss naturally and then drained the ss. The sun was really hot, and it made Edward so thirsty that he forgot to keep his good manner and image when drinking the water. "You need to get out in the sun more frequently. You''re a man, you don''t need to be afraid of getting a little burned." Daisy pinched his face. His good skin made her feel quite jealous. She didn''t know that in fact her skin was also very good. Otherwise it would be impossible for her to protect her fair skin from the sun in the army base. It went without saying that it was attributed to the inborn good nature and quality of her skin.


    "Daisy, are you jealous of me?" Edward gave the ss back to Daisy and indicated to have one ss more. He didn''t have the slightest qualm when he showed his bossy manner. In the army base, only Edward felt at ease to order Daisy and ignored her identity as a Colonel.


    "Why should I be jealous of you? Do you think that my skin is not good enough?" Daisy handed the ss refilled with water to him and sat down beside him. She looked at him with disapproval.


    "Oh! That''s not what I meant." Daisy sat so close to him, with a wicked glint in her eyes. He would be joking about his life if he continued to tease her. There were only the two of them in the room. So Daisy would have nothing to stop her from doing what she wanted to do now, instead of controlling herself like what she was doing in public just now. As for her image? It was obvious that she never cared about her image in front of him. So now Daisy was indeed a very dangerous woman to him now.


    "I know you don''t have the guts to say it. I''m going somewhere else after work. I''ll be homete. Tell Mom and Dad they don''t need to wait to eat dinner." She had thought to call him to inform him of this. Since he came here by himself, she didn''t have to call him. "Okay, I know. Be careful." Edward smiled with affection. He reached out to wrap Daisy''s hands into his big hands, his thumb caressing on the back of her hand.


    "Don''t you want to know where I''m going?" Daisy was surprised he didn''t ask. She couldn''t believe that it was all that he wanted to say to her.


    "Do you want me to badger you with questions and get to the bottom of the matter?" Edward turned his head and gazed into her eyes. It was impossible that he was not curious. But he also knew that everyone had their own little secrets, even intimate lovers. So he reminded himself not to pry into that private part. This would save a lot of arguments between them.


    "No, I don''t. Compared with your questioning, I''m more inclined to ept your honesty. Because it makes me feel that you respect me." Daisy smiled gently and couldn''t help nting a kiss on his cheek. It was said that rich men tended to be self-centered and domineering, but the one in front of her might be a freak in other people''s eyes.


    "Okay, in this case, why would I take the trouble to irritate you?" This time, Edward didn''t seize the chance to take advantage of her. Probably because he felt it was not the right ce to do it. He smiled with self-mockery. Did he really know her? In fact, he was not very sure. The cold and stern manner she showed to the soldiers today was a side he had never seen in her before. Who could be one hundred percent sure that he knew everything about his lover? That was never possible.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "You''re very smart. I''ll tell you where I went after I get home." Daisy leaned into his arms and enjoyed the slight jasmine fragrance of him. He obliged her and draped his arms around her. She felt peaceful there. She felt relieved after pretending to be calm the whole morning. She didn''t feel nervous tension like she did this morning. Although she had constantly told herself that she didn''t care about her father. she still felt uneasy about the meeting with him tonight.


    If you want your happiness of love tost forever, you should learn to give your lover space, and time to get used to you while enjoying your time together. More importantly, you should trust each other; only by doing this can you be firmly bound together, and no one would have the chance to separate you. And you would not feel worried your love would change with the passage of time.


    Westin Western Restaurant was a yground for the very rich. The decorations and service were of the highest standard in the city. Many knew the delicious food in the restaurant was made by famous cooks, but only a select few knew that Edward was the boss in this establishment. FX International Group would set foot in every business that made money.

 Chapter 529 God Is Always Watching

    Unlike Edward who was alwayste, Daisy was a stickler for punctuality. She arrived at the restaurant right on time.


    Leo was already there waiting for her. Daisy strode confidently toward him. She looked fabulous with her neat uniform and her pretty face. Ordinarily she didn''t wear a military uniform when she was off duty. If she was going out, she wore civilian clothes, and how dressy she looked was dependent on the situation. She always avoided being the center of attention. But ofte she went to the Mu''s house directly after work and so now she was still in her uniform. "There you are, Daisy. I thought I''d have to wait longer for you. Come and sit down." Leo said in an almost unctuous way, considering that it would ruin his wholesome image if he had a fight with her here in public. What''s more, he hadn''t gotten what he wanted yet. "Punctuality is a basic principle for soldiers. I didn''t expect you to be here so early. Sorry to keep you waiting." Daisy''s voice was polite, but cold as if the man sitting opposite her was not her father but aplete stranger.


    "Check out the menu and order whatever you want. The food''s great here." Leo handed her the menu with a graceful smile on his face all the time. He behaved throughout like a perfect gentleman.


    "I will have the steak medium well and vegetable sd. Thanks!" Daisy said in fluent English without checking the menu. She was quite familiar with western cuisine, thanks to all those years spent training at JC Military Academy. "Okay. Coming right up." The waitress was a pretty foreign girl. She nodded to Daisy and left.


    "So why did you ask me toe here?" Daisy pressed her lips together and gave a sideways nce to the man sitting in front of her. A ghost of a mocking smile flickered across her lips.


    "Nothing special. I just want to have dinner with you," Leo said, and his eyes fell on the hat Daisy put aside on the table. He was trying to find a way to get a DNA specimen from her. It would be convenient if he could get a hair from her hat.


    "Do you believe that yourself?" Daisy asked and smiled, with a look that said she didn''t believe his words at all.


    "Am I such a horrible person in your eyes?" Leo managed to swallow his anger. He never understood why Daisy was always contentious and made their rtion tense all the time.


    "Ah. I''m no judge. You should know what you''re like. Don''t forget, God is always watching." Daisy said casually and toyed with the ss in her hand. She didn''t care if he was a horrible person or not. She knew he was not a dutiful father and that was enough. "Could I have a look at your hat?" Leo decided to ignore the defiance in her tone and focused on the hat.


    "Huh... that''s okay, but..." Daisy frowned a little, surprised by his request. But she handed him her hat all the same, confused why he would be interested in the hat.


    "Don''t worry. I just want a look. I won''t break it." As soon as Leo got the hat, he inspected the hat carefully yet he couldn''t find a single hair in it. When he realized it, his fluttering heart dropped like cold lead in his chest.


    "I''m not worried about that. It''s not easy to break a military hat. I''m just surprised that you are interested in a hat." Daisy was very confident about the quality of the hat. After all it was military grade.


    "Oh... It''s just that I have never gotten to know a soldier. So I''m curious." Leo didn''t find what he wanted and felt quite disappointed. But right before he decided to return the hat he spotted something. Without causing any attention, He picked up a single hair hidden in the seam carefully and handed the hat back to Daisy. After he put the hair in a stic package and sealed it under the table, a bright smile crept back on his face again.


    "Spit it out. What do you want?" Daisy didn''t believe a single word Leo had said. He had been cold and ruthless to her all these years. There was no reason he would change his attitude and invite her for dinner all of a sudden. This was quite out of character for him.


    "Kid, why can''t you trust me once? All I want is to have dinner with you. There is no reason. Enough with the third degree. Or is it true that all soldiers are overbearing and like to interrogate people?" Leo frowned at her disapprovingly. He didn''t like Daisy''s hostile attitude. Just an ordinary dinner date put her on her guard. She behaved like he had done something unforgivable to her.


    "Sorry. This is who I am. I get uptight when things don''t go the way they are supposed to. So you''ll forgive me if I only think the worst of you, Mr. Ouyang." Daisy gave him a mocking smile. Then the waitress brought Daisy her food. She nodded thankfully to the waitress. Daisy had good manners and she always remembered her courtesy.


    "I remember that you called me Daddy when you were a little girl. Now you call me Mr. Ouyang. True, when Yakira threw you out of the house I didn''t try to stop her, but there''s no need to be so distant. I was your father, once." Leo gazed at Daisy. She had Grace''s face. But the face made him think of the test results, reminding him how he was betrayed by her mother. Her continued existence was a humiliation that he couldn''t bear as a man.


    "You said it happened when I was a little girl. Things change all the time. The world has changed and none of us can go back." Daisy tasted the steak. It was tender and juicy, the vor exploded in her mouth and tickled her taste buds. The food was great here like Leo had said.


    "Never mind. We can discuss it after we get the result. You can call me all you want now." Leo decided to drop the subject first. If she was his daughter, everything would be different. At least it would be disrespectful if she kept calling him like this. It wouldn''t take long for him to get the result.


    "Result? What result?" Daisy put down her fork and shot him a questioning look, wondering if the result had anything to do with her.


    "Oh! It''s nothing. Let''s eat. The food is really good." Leo realized he had slipped and changed the subject quickly. Knowing Daisy was defensive around him, he tried to maintain a pleasing atmosphere.


    "Yes, the food is delicious," Daisy answered. There was no need to pick a fight with someone who was trying to be nice. Although why Leo changed his attitude still eluded her. Maybe he wanted to make up for the p he gave her. Anyway she would remain calm as long as he didn''t try to get under her skin.


    Leo was nice and essible all through the meal. Even Daisy''s coldness didn''t anger him anymore. Daisy was slightly surprised at his behavior. There must be a reason he acted this way but she didn''t have a clue what it was.


    While Daisy was trying to figure out what he was up to, Leo felt his heart was singing. After tomorrow he would know if this pretty girl was his biological daughter or not. And if she was, he would have to face a lot of problems. For one thing, Yakira was bold enough to trick and manipte him.


    When Daisy headed back home, a million thoughts raced through her mind. After the ne ''A Beauty''s Tears of Blood'' had been found, she felt she finally found peace of mind. The ne belonged to her mother and it had an emotional attachment for Daisy. Even it also made her resent the Ouyang family more. "Colonel. There seems to be a car ident ahead. Maybe we should take another route." Mark nced at her through the mirror. He didn''t mean to interrupt her thought but he had to ask for her advice before they got caught in the long line of cars.


    "Oh. Let''s stop and figure out what is happening there. Maybe they''ll need help." Daisy''s mind came back to the present. She rolled down the back window of the car and looked out before she gave hermand.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Yes. I''ll get right on that." Mark got out of the car and walked forward among the other vehicles. It took several minutes before he came back.


    "What is happening?" Daisy frowned. She didn''t like troubles. But she knew that being a soldier she should take more responsibility.


    "It''s not a big deal. A small car ident. A punk girl scratched a BMW X6. They''re arguing over it." Mark answered with a twist on his lips. That girl was very arrogant and nked by somerge men. But the owner of the BMW didn''t seem like a nice person either, and also surrounded by some bodyguards. So he didn''t ask around to get more details.


    "Shouldn''t the police be brought in to deal with it if they can''t reach an agreement? Why is the road blocked?"


    Daisy nced back to where more and more cars lined up. It was impossible to change another road now. They had to wait or she could try to solve it in person. But it was outside the scope of her authority and she didn''t like it. On the other hand she had a report to finishter. This really put her in a difficult situation.


    "The traffic officers are not here yet. Maybe no one called the police. So what now? The road is jammed with cars now and we can''t move at all." They wouldn''t get stuck if they had turned around as soon as they came on the scene of the ident. It was against the traffic rules but army cars always had priority over other road users. But now they could do nothing.????????????

 Chapter 530 Obstructing the Operation of a Military Function

    "Never mind. I''ll just go down there and see what''s happening." Daisy got out of the car. She saw heavy traffic with cars lined up on the street. The drivers were honking impatiently. Beneath the flickering street lights, she looked prettier than ever before as she walked past the long trail of cars. The military uniform that she was wearing amplified her beauty. She looked like a perfect amalgam of beauty and power.


    Mark closed the door, and followed her. Luckily, it wasn''t one of those busy traffic hours. Otherwise, the honking might have driven people crazy.


    "What''s the matter?" There was a hostile tension between the two parties. Looking at the tainted BMW, Daisy got a little impatient. It was just a scratch. The whole matter could have been settled with some repair and damagepensation. Why did people have to stand in the middle of the road and paralyze the traffic?


    "Why do you care? You''re just a poor soldier. Do you think you can fix this? Just take a look at the make of my car and then dare to open your mouth!" A middle-aged man, who was seemingly rich, looked at Daisy disdainfully and said. To him, she was just an ordinary soldier who knew nothing about the worth of this car.


    "Watch your tongue! If it weren''t for soldiers, you wouldn''t feel safe in your country, let alone drive a fancy car." Mark lectured him. Seeing the man disrespect Daisy, he was pissed. It was just a damn BMW X6. What was in it to show off? Although Daisy didn''t own a BMW X6, she did have a Lamborghini and a Rolls-Royce. It wasn''t this man''s fault that he hadn''t seen a really luxurious car in his life, but he shouldn''t have tried to show off in front of Daisy.


    "Are you going to beat up amoner? I''ll report this matter to your superior." The middle-aged man sneered, ncing at Mark in contempt. His eyes were filled with arrogance.


    "Mark, back down." This was why Daisy didn''t like interfering in other people''s business. She would have turned a blind eye to this matter if she hadn''t been in a hurry. But now that she was involved in this, she couldn''t let it go, no matter how powerful this man was. "Are you that colonel?" Suddenly, she heard a cheerful voice, and saw someone walking up to her.


    "You are-" Daisy didn''t recognize this wildly dressed girl standing in front of her.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "I''m Michelle. Don''t you remember me? Duh-duh-duh... Remember now?" Michelle made a gesture and sound of a shooting gun. She had the devil-may-care attitude, but she was smart enough to keep the gunfire matter low key since they were surrounded by people. "Oh, it''s you. What''s going on here?" Daisy was grateful to this little girl. No matter who she was, she once saved her life.


    "Sister colonel, it''s just a little scratch. Only some paint hase off. There is no other damage. I''m willing to pay for the repair. But he said I blew off a huge business for him that was worth hundreds of thousands of dors. He is asking that money from me," Michelle answered. She then turned to the man and said, "Do I look that stupid to you?"


    She red at him with resentment. She wasn''t interested in his business and definitely had nothing to do with his failure in business. She just identally scratched his car a little. And she wouldn''t let him rip her off for that.


    "You think you have nothing to do with my loss in business? Listen up, girl, if you hadn''t crashed into my car, I, wouldn''t have beente for the meeting with my client." The man absolutely wasn''t a nice guy. He thought he could handle this little girl easily.


    "Ridiculous! Don''t you dare make it my fault. You are incapable of making money. Stop taking it out on others! I should be ming you for wasting my time that I could have used on saving the lives of people. There are about a hundred people fighting right now. If anybody dies, it''s on you!" Michelle had always been famous for winning every argument. It was not possible for anyone to win in a argument against her.


    "Little girl, I''ll p you! Have your parents taught you nothing? As a young girl, don''t you have better things to do than to be a gangster?" The man was furious. He would hit Michelle if it weren''t for the hooligan-looking men standing beside her.


    "My entire n is full of gangsters. How can you expect a gangster couple to raise an obedient girl?" Michelle retorted. The fatty shouldn''t have involved her parents into this.


    "Okay, cut it out, both of you. It''s no big deal, so why don''t you bothpromise and reach an agreement? You can''t block the street like this." Daisy pinched her forehead resignedly. She wasn''t used to this entire street drama. But she knew such a small scratch could be taken care of with a stove varnish. With mutual understanding, it should have been settled within several minutes. But it was now taking forever. The street was a narrow doublene and now it had been severely jammed. As much as she hated it, Daisy had to get involved in this and work things out herself.


    "Sister colonel, it isn''t my fault. I admit I scratched his car and I''m willing to pay for the repair, but nothing more. Hundreds of thousands of dors is no big deal for my family, but I can''t encourage him in his arrogance."


    Michelle worshiped Daisy, and was willing to listen to her, but she wouldn''t let that scum rip her off. As the daughter of Dragon Faction''s boss, she had been merciful enough not to rip off others. So how could she let him act like a bully in front of her?


    "Mister, what do you think of yourself?" Daisy frowned. Just like Michelle, she didn''t like people who took advantage of others either.


    "Soldier, unless you are willing to help herpensate me for my loss, it is non-negotiable. But I doubt you can afford it." The man finally looked at Daisy with his eyes filled with contempt.


    "No problem, but let me just smash your car properly first so that the repair costs as much as your demanding." Daisy scoffed. The number the man had quoted wasn''t huge for her. Even if she herself couldn''t afford it, Edward could. He had more money than he could ever spend. "I dare you! My car is brand new. If you smash it, it bes old and its price goes down." The man seemed to know little about military ranks. He had no idea what the rank "colonel" meant.


    "Then why should I pay you hundreds of thousands of dors? Now you have two options. Option one, take a picture of the scene, move your car, and wait for the police toe. Option two, settle the matter privately, take the repair money and leave." Daisy sounded cold. She was bing impatient. "Bullshit! Why should I listen to you?" With the bodyguards around him, the man turned a deaf ear to Daisy''s advice.


    "Are you rejecting both of your options? Then I have to overstep my authority. Mark, move his car and confiscate the keys for obstructing the operation of a military function." Daisy hated oppressing people with her power. But the man was being unreasonable now. He was lucky to be the first one that she had used her power on.


    "How dare you! When did I obstruct the operation of a military function? Prove it!" Now he was starting to take Daisy seriously. Seeing her face, he felt familiar, but he couldn''t recall where he had met her before.


    "Easy. Your car is blocking my way." If it had happened in the past, she wouldn''t have bothered exining anything to him. Her heart had been melted by Edward so she didn''t mind talking more now. "Do you mean I deserve to get my car crashed?" For a few seconds, the man didn''t know how to respond to Daisy''s words, but then he started being unreasonable again.


    "Mister, for starters, this girl is willing topensate you for the repair; secondly, trying to rip off a little girl? Seriously? Don''t you have any sense of shame at all?" Daisy gave a cold and disdainful smile.


    "It didn''t happen to you, so it''s easy for you to say all this. Moreover, you know each other. You are biased in her favor from the beginning. In this case, why should I listen to you?" Although he still didn''t want topromise, he really got scared when Daisy said he was obstructing the operation of a military function. As people said, no good came out of confronting the government.


    "Then there is nothing to talk about. Mark, pull his car over." If it had been someone else, they wouldn''t have wasted their breath to reason with him.


    "Help! I''m being robbed by fake soldiers. You''re all witnesses." Just as Mark started to walk toward his car, the man began screaming like a horrified pig. His bodyguards started tounch attacks toward Mark. Yet as Daisy''s guard, Mark seemed untouchable to them. He got in the car after imposing several brisk moves.


    Seeing that Mark was already in the car, the bodyguards shifted their attention to Daisy. They charged toward her. Facing the bulky men, Daisy didn''t even blink. The bodyguards were already on the ground after a couple of rounds. She pped her hands without looking at them. The on-lookers were amazed by her. She had once stopped a fight of hundreds of soldiers and officers in the army within a few minutes. Handling these bodyguards was too easy for her.00

 Chapter 531 Change Your Mind

    "Is this enough? Do you want another fight? You could have just moved your car. Why did you have to go this far?" Daisy stepped aside. Mark had moved the BMW standing in their way. Now, the cars behind could finally move forward. "Which army do you serve? I''ll tell your leader that you abuse your power!" The middle-aged man had been reduced to absolute inferiority now, so he became angry and red-faced.


    "I''m Daisy Ouyang from the garrison headquarters in the S City. You canin against me to anyone you want." Daisy sneered. Another report? Hank had impeached herst time. The man now threatened toin against her. Daisy felt star-crossed. "Colonel, I have also parked our car. Should we go back now?" Mark ran over, but didn''t look at the middle-aged man. Michelle who was standing there attracted his attention. He wondered how Daisy knew this tomboy as she was totally different from Daisy in appearance and character.


    "You can''t leave. You have topensate me." The middle-aged man turned to Daisy, and ignored Michelle who hit his car. He was sure that Daisy couldn''t do anything to him in public.


    "Hey, you should turn to me forpensation. Why are you asking forpensation from Sister Colonel?" Michelle was chewing a gum. Her careless and casual manner suggested that she was a free and wild girl.


    "She offended me. I won''t let her go." The middle-aged man had decided to create a scene.


    "Mark, call the head of the transportation department. Ask him to personallye here, and solve this problem. I want to see how he arranges this work. The traffic congestion hassted for a couple of hours. Why isn''t the traffic police here?" Daisy''s eyebrows knitted in a frown. Since the middle-aged man wanted an exnation, she would satisfy him. He didn''t know what the probable consequences could be if the head of the transportation department personally came to settle the dispute.


    "Come on. I wasn''t born yesterday. Don''t try to browbeat me. How can a humble soldier like you invite the head of the transportation department here?" The man despised Daisy because he thought Daisy was a nobody. He did acquire a lot of wealth and stature, but failed to recognize Daisy.


    "Our colonel thinks nothing of the head of the transportation department. Do you know who she is? She is very influential in the S City." Mark didn''t exaggerate. No government officials in the city were as powerful as Daisy. They had to ept Daisy''s instructions without an argument.


    "Creak..." Following a long and harsh brake sound, a fiery red Maybach stopped at the roadside. Rain opened the door, and got off the car. His curly hair fell carelessly on his smooth forehead. His blue earrings looked even more dazzling under the neon light, highlighting his fascinating look against his mboyant style.


    "Mr. Xia, what brings you here? I owe you an apology for beingte for the appointment. Look, I didn''t lie to you. There is really a traffic congestion here." The middle-aged man let out a smile at the sight of Rain, and walked up to him tteringly. "Daisy, I''m so happy to see you here." Rain ignored the middle-aged man. He quickly walked up to Daisy. His smiling face had excitement written all over it.


    "Hello, Rain. Did you just get off work? Or are you going to meet your girlfriend?" Daisy teased Rain. Since Edward was on holiday, Daisy would often meet Rain. He wanted to have someone to delegate his work. Edward was also included in his list. "Daisy, don''t make fun of me. You know I don''t have a girlfriend." Rain stroked his nose. Whenever he felt embarrassed, he would habitually stroke his nose.


    "Well, Mr. Xia, who is she?" The middle-aged man was now anxious. He wondered how the colonel knew Rain. Hispany had to associate with the FX International Group for survival. Any mistake could lead to severe consequences.


    "Don''t you know her? She is the youngest female colonel in the S City and the wife of the CEO of the FX International Group. How ignorant you are. No wonder you still run a smallpany only." Rain blinked with a smile. His extraordinarily beautiful looks were enough to enchant everyone.


    "What? What did you say? She... She is Mrs. Mu?" Shocked, the middle-aged man broke out in a cold sweat. He was no longer conceited or arrogant. The colonel turned out to be Mrs. Mu. That was why she looked so familiar to him. The man deeply regretted everything that happened today. He should have watched the news and memorized her face. Then he wouldn''t have done anything to offend her.


    "It''s beyond the shadow of a doubt. Well, what you are doing here?" Rain suddenly thought of this matter and asked curiously.


    "It''s nothing serious." Daisy answered in an emotionless voice. She never made a fuss about such things.


    "Yes, right. We just had a little argument with each other. It''s not a big problem." The man breathed a sigh of relief as Daisy didn''t pursue the matter further.


    "Wow! Miss, where did you buy your earrings? They look stunning!" Michelle said in a brisk voice. She excitedly stared at Rain''s ears but didn''t notice that Rain pulled a long face after hearing what she said.


    "What did you call me? Miss? Look at me! I''m a man! A real man!" Rain calmed his anger down and turned back. He gave the girl who dressed herself entrically a ferocious stare.


    "Well, you look like adyboy." Rain''s stare scared Michelle. She took a few steps back. What was wrong with the appetion "miss"? Rain was definitely more stunning than most girls.


    "You make me angry! Girl, listen up. If I get vindictive, you''re doomed." Michelle didn''t expect that Rain, who was so charming, would try and cause trouble to her in the following days just because she addressed him as "miss."


    "Whatever. I''m not afraid. Everyone can see that you do look like ady." Michelle drew back her neck. Rain''s angry face frightened her. She mistakenly thought Rain was ady, but it seemed that Rain wasn''t too happy with this. A malicious look appeared on his face. "Stop. Now let''s get down to business." Daisy frowned. The sudden appearance of Rain brought a new angle to the whole fight, so now there was no need to invite the head of the transportation department here.


    "Since you''re Mrs. Mu''s friend, you don''t have topensate me. You can keep it as my respect for Mrs. Mu." He couldn''t afford to offend the FX International Group. If he still asked Michelle forpensation, he wouldn''t have any ce left in the business circle. "Come on. Mrs. Mu doesn''t need your respect. I was anyway ready to pay thepensation, but your arrogance annoyed me." Michelle scoffed at the man.


    "Out of blows friendship grows." The man put up a smiling face to please Daisy and Rain. Before Rain came, he had his nose in the air, but now he seemed subservient and servile.


    "Oh? What did I miss? Lewis Yi, do you have it in for Daisy?" Rain smiled evilly and looked askance at the man.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "I don''t dare. Mr. Xia, I simply can''t afford to offend Mrs. Mu." What Rain said threw Lewis Yi into a state of panic. Rain was the second chief in the FX International Group. Everyone knew that Edward and Rain were close friends.


    "What a hypocritical man you are. You asked Sister Colonel to pay you arge sum of money. Now you have changed your mind." Michelle didn''t want to let go Lewis Yi so easily.


    "Did I hear it right? Arge sum of money? Daisy, you owe him money?" Rain was shocked. How could this be possible? Edward was extremely rich. How could Daisy ever be in debt?


    "Do you think I owe him money? Michelle, solve the problem on your own. I have to go back." Daisy rolled her eyes at Rain. Rain was always nervous and restless. She didn''t want to discuss this matter with him in the middle of the road.


    "Okay. Sister Colonel, thank you. Hope we meet again some day." Michelle cast a sidelong nce at Lewis Yi. He could never extort money from her.


    "Okay. Bye. Mark, let''s go back. Rain, where are you going?" Daisy was poker-faced. She seldom smiled, but she was tender to Rain.


    "I''ll go home too. It''ste. I won''t go to visit Edward." Rain smiled. He had been ustomed to Daisy''s cold expression.


    "Okay. Drive safely." Daisy walked over to the Hummer which was parked not too far away. Mark followed her behind. He thought Daisy should seize this chance to embarrass Lewis Yi.


    "Mr. Xia, let''s meet some other day. What do you think?" As Rain said he would go, Lewis Yi''s face screwed into an obsequious smile.


    "No need. There is nothing left to talk between us." After Daisy''s car left, Rain jerked his head in Lewis Yi''s direction, with ridicule in his eyes.


    "What? Why?" Lewis Yi couldn''t believe his ears. He didn''t expect that Rain would say No to him. Rain himself came to him and showed his interest to cooperate with him. He used to be a partner of the Lin Group. After the Lin Group was purchased by the FX International Group, he fell into a passive position.


    "Why? It''s because you offended someone you shouldn''t offend. All our agreements are cancelled now." Rain was cold. Although he didn''t witness the whole argument, he learned from their talk that Lewis Yi made things difficult for Daisy. He didn''t allow anyone to bully the people he cared for. Since Lewis Li went against his rule, he wouldn''t forgive him ever.


    "Mr. Xia, would you kindly make an exception for me this time? Ignorance can be forgiven, right? I didn''t know that she was Mrs. Mu, so we had a dispute." Lewis Yi followed Rain to his fiery red Maybach and almost begged him for mercy.


    "Lewis Yi, you should be d that you meet me today. If my boss finds out what happened here, you won''t be able to stay in the S City. It''s known to all that he loves his wife dearly. You shouldn''t have offended his wife. Today might be the worst day of your life." Ignoring Lewis Yi, Rain got in his car and closed the door. After he pressed the elerator, the engine roared, and the car leapt forward and soon disappeared at the end of the road. Lewis Yi sat down on the ground, depressed and helpless.

 Chapter 532 Fight Between The Parents

    Yet Lewis Yi wasn''t the only one feeling weak in legs. Upon hearing the audio recording on the phone, Yakira was flustered. It was Paul. He had been out of touch for a while. Now it all made sense. He had been held captive by someone. Yakira wondered who had


    captivated Paul and why they had sent her the audio recording.


    On the recording, Paul listed all the things Yakira had done. Yakira''s face turned deathly pale while she was hearing it. In the end she was so furious that she picked up the phone and smashed it onto the floor. Seeing the phone broken into two pieces, she finally calmed down, as if by doing this the recording would disappear permanently and would no longer bother her again.


    But the peace didn''tst long. Her mind started wandering and all kinds of questions started popping into her head. Who could it be? Why had they made Paul confess the things she had asked him to do years ago? Did they want money? Was the recording a warning from one of her enemies who had been trying to get back at her? She had so many questions.


    Suddenly, a man''s image sprang to her head. Edward! It must be him! He was so distinguished and arrogant. He wouldn''t ever eat in a public seat unless he was up to something. However, the other day he hadn''t dined in the box. And he had asked someone to wear "A Beauty''s Tears of Blood" and sit in a conspicuous spot. He must have been waiting for her.


    At the thought of that possibility, Yakira''s face became white with fright. If that was true, what was she supposed to do? Had he nned the whole thing on his own? Had Daisy asked him to do this? Anyway, since they both hated Yakira so much, she would be doomed this time.


    "Mom, what''s the matter? Why are you sitting on the floor?" Mary was here to talk with her mom about something. She was surprised to see her mom so pale and miserable.


    "Mom! Mom-" Mary kept calling her, but Yakira didn''t respond at all, as if she was lost in her own world. Mary waved her hand before her eyes.


    "Oh, Mary, it''s you." Yakira finally came to her senses. She stood up in a hurry with her hair a little messy. Light came to her eyes.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Did you and Dad have another fight? Why did you smash your phone?" Mary asked as she picked up the broken phone. But Yakira rushed over and snatched it from her.


    "No. I just dropped it identally. What brings you here?" Yakira said and then hid the phone behind her back quickly. She didn''t look as calm as she sounded.


    "Nothing. I just wonder if you have any jewelry that I can wear." Mary knew her mom''s jewelry was all valuable, much ssier than hers.


    "Mary, do you still want to marry Edward?" Yakira already had an idea.


    "Mom, you know the answer." Mary replied quietly, holding her mom by the arm and blushing.


    "Okay then. Are you sure you can make him listen to you?" Yakira now pinned all her hopes on Mary. She was herst resort.


    "Of course. All men are the same. They think with their penis." Mary smiled, sounding confident. She believed as long as Edward saw how good she was in bed, he would be in her palm.


    "If I help you get what you want, will you help me too?" Yakira decided to give it a shot. There was nothing to lose anyway. Mary had lost her virginity a long time ago. There was a long list of men she had slept with in all these years. "Mom, for real? You''ve finally decided to help me!" Mary gave Yakira a big kiss on the cheek, which implied how happy she was.


    "Yes. But I can only help you get him on your bed. After that, It''s up to you to make him interested in you." Yakira sighed. It was a long shot, because it wouldn''t be easy for Mary to make Edward treat her differently. Yakira wasn''t looking down on her own daughter. To tell the truth, Mary couldpete with Daisy in neither appearance nor presence. They were like two different people from two different worlds. Herst chance to redeem him was sex. Yakira hoped Edward was as lustful as she had heard.


    "I know. Mom, as long as you help me, I can handle Edward." Mary fell into the fantasy of Edward''s handsome face.


    "I hope so. We need to make a n to set him up." There was a sly light in Yakira''s eyes. She hated Edward for digging her dirty things up. Since it was a long while ago, he should just let it go. She thought it might be one of his methods to please Daisy, but once the whole thing was made public, it would hurt Daisy deeply; he should have thought it through.


    "Whom are you nning to set up now?" A deep voice said. Yakira and Mary were startled.


    "Dad, why are you home sote? Mom and I were wondering if you were on a hot date." Mary was quick. She gave Leo a sweet smile and held his hand.


    "Yes. I was having dinner with a beautiful woman." Leo said honestly as he took off his coat. He was just telling the truth. Daisy was absolutely beautiful.


    "What? Leo, are you cheating on me? You used to be sneaking around all the while, but now you don''t even bother hiding it from me?" Learning about his whereabouts, Yakira became anxious. This was exactly how she had seduced him in the first ce. "Not everybody is as dirty as you. When did I sneak around? You are just being paranoid." Leo had sent Daisy''s hair sample to an acquaintance for a test. He wouldn''t get the result until tomorrow. He was getting more and more impatient with Yakira. "Paranoid? Leo, don''t you forget how you ended up with me! A leopard cannot change its spots. You want me to believe that you''ve never cheated on me? Yeah, count on that!"


    Obviously, Yakira didn''t believe Leo. To her, no man was reliable. She always knew she wasn''t the one he loved. He had been madly in love with Grace at first, but he was still unable to resist Yakira''s temptation and cheated on Grace atst. Although technically Yakira had set him up, she wouldn''t have seeded in it if he had been all saintly.


    ''Humph! Yakira, it doesn''t mean everyone is a bitch, just because you are one. I wouldn''t be so angry if you didn''t brought this up. Let me ask you something. Did you set me up in the first ce? Was that how I ended up in bed with you that year?"


    Leo red at Yakira. At the sight of the gloom on his face, Mary let go of his hand and stepped back. She looked at Yakira in shock and couldn''t believe her father''s words. Was that really how her mom had married her father? No wonder Yakira had said she had a way to help Mary get Edward into bed. Was she going to use the same old trick again? But the problem was that Edward wasn''t that simple and he certainly wasn''t as stupid as Leo.


    "Leo, you can doubt me, but you don''t get to run me down like that. You had sex with me after you were drunk, but now you are not only denying it but also framing me for setting you up? How can you live with yourself?"


    Yakira grabbed Leo''s sleeve like a virago. She had already lost parental authority over Mary. And now she also lost her dignity. How could she exercise her right on her as a mother ever again in the future?


    "Mom, let go of Dad. Whatever is the problem between you two, you can talk it through." Mary''s parents had seldom argued or fought in the past. But ever since they met Daisy again, they had been fighting a lot. She had torn her happy family apart. Right now Mary hated her even more.


    "You see how he treats me! If you were me, would you be able to talk nicely to such a man?" But Mary eventually managed to persuade her mom to let go of her father. Her hair had be disheveled after the drama.


    "You''re crazy! How on earth did I choose to be with you in the first ce? What was I thinking?" Leo said sarcastically. Looking at Yakira, he thought he must have been out of his mind years ago. Otherwise, how could he possibly have chosen such a vulgar woman over Grace, who had been a lot gentler and prettier than her.


    "What? Are you regretting marrying me? Or do you think I am not as good as that woman in your heart?" Ever sincest time, Yakira had never dared to mention Grace''s name in front of Leo again, no matter how angry she was, fearing that he might really be able to strangle her in a fury.


    "Don''t tter yourself. You and her are as far apart as heaven and earth. In which respect do you think you canpare yourself with her?" Leo smiled disdainfully. Grace had been a well-known beauty of the city, the daughter of an eminent family, adored by young sessful men. How dare a philistine like Yakirapare herself with her?0000

 Chapter 533 I Dont Think So

    "So that''s what you really think. Since she was so good, why did you betray her and choose to be with me in the first ce? Maybe the truth is you didn''t love her as much as you think," Yakira sneered in self-mockery. In Leo''s heart, she couldn''t hold a candle to Grace?


    But at least for all these years, it was her that was with him, not Grace.


    "Yakira, you''re asking for trouble. I would have never cast a second nce at you if you hadn''t seduced me," Leo answered coldly. Betraying Grace was a wound that he never wanted to reopen. Maybe it was just like what Yakira had said -- he didn''t love Grace as much as he thought, or he wouldn''t have fallen for Yakira''s trickery and betrayed Grace.


    "You..." She loved, but was not loved -- that was the sharpest pain for any woman and that''s the story of Yakira. As heart-broken as Yakira was, Leo added even crueler words. Now her heart was torn into pieces.


    "Dad, how can you say that? No matter what she did in the past, she''s loved you with all her heart and soul for all these years." Mary held Yakira tightly, her eyes full of ill will for Leo.


    "With all her heart and soul? I don''t think so," Leo sneered. He threw a re at Yakira, then walked out of the room resolutely as if he could leave Yakira forever without the slightest bit of regret. There was no affection left between them in that moment. "Mom, are you okay?" Mary asked with a caring tone after she carried Yakira to the bedside. Now she knew that her own ce in the family was threatened, as well as that of her mother.


    "I''m alright. Just leave me alone. I need some time to myself," Yakira answered. She looked so weak and fragile, like a fallen leaf waiting to be swept away with a gust of wind.


    The night was tranquil, but in that house their thoughts were stormy. All of them felt they''d been through a lot, and their thoughts were still roiling in their heads. Everything looked gloomy and chaotic, and the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel could not be seen. As the morning sunshine prated the dark night, people woke up from their dreams. Daisy opened her beautiful eyes, her long eyshes pping. After a long while, her eyes finally adapted to the bright sunlight. Today being a weekend, she sleptte. She stretched her limbs and turned around, hopeful of seeing Edward sound asleep, yet nothing. The fact that Edward was not by her side quite surprised her. She wondered when Edward got up and why she didn''t notice. Were her senses less sharp now? Or did it show that Edward was even more agile than her senses could detect, that he could sneak out without her notice?


    Her brows knitted, Daisy felt a sinking feeling, waking up and not seeing Edward around for the first time. She was used to opening up her eyes and looking at Edward sleeping like a log; she was used to his kiss in the morning. Now without his hug and kiss, she felt quite lost, even miserable.


    Yes, miserable. When that word sprang up in Daisy''s mind, she suddenly realized how much she was attached to Edward. Since when had she be so glued to Edward that even for one morning without him, she began to feel her life was iplete. Was such strong affection a manifestation of her love for Edward or she was just being too sentimental?


    "Mom, you''re up?" Justin trotted over the moment Daisy emerged from the stairway, his face glowing with happiness. He was so happy that Daisy didn''t need to go to the army base and could y with him today.


    "Hey, my boy. Did your dad go out?" Daisy bent down and held him up. She nced around, but found no one in the house, not even the maids. That abnormality confused her even more.


    "No, dad is racing with grandpa in the garden. Neither of them is willing to give up, and everyone in the house is watching the race. I wouldn''t have seen you if I hadn''te in for water." Justin reported what he knew excitedly, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "What? Running in the garden with grandpa? Doesn''t your dad usually go to the gym for exercise? Why would he suddenly work out at home?" Daisy asked confusedly, then she picked up Justin and walked out into the garden.


    "I don''t know either. It seemed that at first grandpa challenged dad''s physical strength, then dad started a race with grandpa to prove that he''s stronger," Justin answered while he fiddled with Daisy''s cascading hair. asionally, he sniffed the hair and found out that it smelled of jasmine, the aroma dad liked.


    "Isn''t your dad in rehab? Would such strenuous activity hurt him?" Daisy wondered. But next minute when she saw Edward and his father, she realized she shouldn''t have worried that much, because it looked more like they were strolling than running.


    "I''m not sure. Wow, I just went in to drink some water, and now they slow down again." Justin pouted his lips and nced around, his eyes wide open.


    "Are you sure they are running, not walking?" Daisy put Justin down. Lips curled, she looked thoughtfully at them. They walked while staring at each other, chests heaving. Somehow this scene touched her.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "At first they were running. But now two hourster they are too tired to keep going and too stubborn to give in. They wouldn''t stop no matter how hard grandma have tried to persuade them," Justin replied with a bright smile. He felt his father and grandfather were even more childlike than him.


    "What? They''ve been running for two hours? Is your daddy okay?" Daisy looked worriedly at Edward. He was sweating heavily. That made her even more nervous. Should Edward run for such a long time? After all, he hadn''tpletely recovered yet. "Don''t worry. He knows when to stop. Let''s just wait and see how long they can hang on. I''ve called Tom and he said a little exercise won''t hurt anything," Cynthia said in a soft tone the moment Daisy came to the garden. She looked at Daisy affectionately. "I know. I just don''t want him to hurt himself. By the way, why are they suddenlypeting against each other?" Daisy sat down, but never shifted her eyes from Edward.


    "Huh. That''s what confuses me as well. But it''s better than the time when they gave each other the cold shoulder, isn''t it?" Cynthia answered and sipped the coffee. It was her utmost wish to see the whole family live harmoniously and happily. She would consider it an improvement as long as they talked to each other. She wouldn''t mind thempeting with each other, because at least they would talk.


    "Sounds fair. But should they continue? They seem too tired to even walk." Daisy was never able to just stand by when Edward was suffering. She loved him too much. "They will stop. Rest assured. It''s just a matter of time. Let''s see who quits first." Cynthia wasn''t worried about them walking now. After all, she had seen them sprinting.


    "Mrs. Mu, I fetched your breakfast for you." Mrs. Wu was always the most considerate. The minute she saw Daisy, she had already went to the kitchen and prepared breakfast for her. Since all the other people, except Daisy, had eaten breakfast, preparation didn''t take a lot of time. "Thank you, Mrs. Wu. I''m the only one who hasn''t had breakfast yet?" Daisy asked and blushed for being thest one getting up.


    "Yes. Mr. Mu told us not to wake you up so that you could sleepte on the weekend. The breakfast is also prepared ording to Mr. Mu''s specifications. If you don''t like it, I will make you something else." Mrs. Wuid out the breakfast dishes one by one. They are all light food, perfect choices on such a day.


    "They''re all good. Cynthia, do you want some?" Daisy asked. She was a bit embarrassed to dine alone while the others all sat or stood aside.


    "No, I''m good. You should eat them now. Or they won''t taste so good when they get cold." Cynthia looked at Daisy''s outfit. She looked more approachable without the military uniform.


    "So do you give up?" Jonathan looked at Edward beside him and asked provocatively. No matter how young he looked, he had aged after all. That was why he sounded breathless now.


    "Why would I quit? You''re still in the game. Of course I won''t give up," Edward said, his teeth grinding bitterly. He would have already defeated Jonathan if he had beenpletely recovered. But he was still injured. So now they were stuck in this stalemate. Hares may pull dead lions by the beard.


    "Son, wouldn''t it be too much for your recovering body?" Jonathan asked whileining deep down, ''why can''t he just think of me and give up? I''m not young anymore. There are so many people around. He could just quit to save my face. If I were younger, I would be running far ahead of him and win the race. This way we wouldn''t be stuck in such a dilemma.''


    "Don''t worry about me. I''m okay. Just tell me, you give up or do we keep racing?" Edward frowned and cast a look at Daisy. She was being inconsiderate. He could barely walk anymore, let alone run. But Daisy just sat there and ate her breakfast. Was she enjoying watching him making a fool of himself?


    "Huh. Indeed, like father, like son. But being stubborn is no good thing. Alright, I will be the big man and quit first, just to save your face. After all, I''m your father. So I give in," Jonathan said, presenting himself as a fine gentleman. But the truth was that he couldn''t hold on any more. He was almost dehydrated. He needed water. You could hear it in his voice, along with thebored breathing. After all, sweat came from the water in his body. For the past two hours, he didn''t even drink a little bit of water. His mouth was already parched.00000??????

 Chapter 534 The Shocking DNA Result (Part One)

    "Are you sure you did it on purpose? It seemed like you had to stop because of the exhaustion." Edward shed a condescending smile as he fought the urge to cry. It was the first time his father gave in to him and let him win apetition. He had never expected the


    feeling of being loved and indulged to be so warm and satisfying. His heart softened.


    "Nonsense. No matter how exhausted I am, I can''t lose to an injured man," Jonathan retorted as he stopped to take a rest. He always felt like he owed his son a lot for the past many years. He had never pampered him, or been a loving father towards him. Today, he wasn''t just letting his son win, he was also trying to be a good father. He owed it to his son.


    "You''re lying, old man. I outyed you," Edward panted as he took a seat on the bench beside Jonathan, beads of sweat rolling down his handsome face and dropping onto the ground.


    "I''m sorry, son," Jonathan said all of a sudden. His apology came out of the blue, but Edward knew what he meant. Both of them fell silent as an awkward atmosphere surrounded them. If this had happened before he got shot, Edward would have brushed it aside as nothing. But he couldn''t do that now. He had learned about Jonathan''s blood donation, and was touched by his father''s actions.


    Knowing what his father wanted to hear, he replied, "It''s okay. I''m used to it." Men never held a grudge. No matter how much misunderstanding they had had in the past, they would let it go if the right time came. In the past, Edward thought that he would never forgive his father. But his heart softened in line with recent events. But even then, he couldn''t put aside everything in the past so quickly, as true forgiveness was not something that could be achieved overnight. But he believed that the day when they could get along well would eventuallye.


    "Dad! Did you win?" Justin ran over to them, practically jumping along the path. In children''s eyes, they always saw their fathers'' most powerful side, the greatest image their fathers showed. No matter how much they grew up, they would always remain children in their fathers'' eyes. Parents would always try their best to shelter them and provide help and protection.


    "Of course! Your dad is the greatest of all." Edward gave Jonathan an intense gaze. Because his father never treated him affectionately as son in the past, he had always been unkind and discourteous to his father and never treated him affectionately either. But what happened today was an ice-breaker. It was a significant event in his life, if not a milestone, which brought him the fatherly love that he never dared ask for.


    "Hurrah! Dad is the greatest!" Justin eximed. He kissed Edward''s cheek excitedly despite the sweat on his father''s face. The intimate interaction between the father and son made Jonathan envious.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "Justin, it seems like only your dad is awesome in your eyes. Am I not awesome? Am I not good to you?" Jonathan said jealously. His face was as cold as always, but his tone was gentler than usual.


    "Of course you''re awesome, grandpa! But I have already ranked our family members a long time ago. ording to my ranking, dad is the second coolest person in our family and you are the third, grandpa!" Justin climbed down from Edward''sp and ran into Jonathan''s arms. He counted on his fingers adorably as he spoke.


    "Oh, am I the second coolest person? Who''s the greatest member in our family then? Will you tell me?" Edward asked in dissatisfaction. It was hard for him to ept the fact that he wasn''t number one in his son''s heart.


    "Mom is the greatest! She''s like a goddess, don''t you think? Do you know how she does in the marathon? She ran a 15-kilometer cross-country race, back and forth in full arms! Unlike her, you only ran a short distance in casual shoes and sports wear. Of course, she is cooler!" Justin grinned smugly with an ted expression on his face. It was as if his mother''s achievement was his own.


    "Well... Of course, your mother is a heroine. We can''tpete with her. Besides, she''s a trained professional, and we are but amateurs inparison." Edward faltered at the mention of Daisy. He dared notpete with her for the top position in his son''s heart. He knew what his woman was capable of. Despite being a woman, she was incredibly strong and had beaten most men. He could only hope to be as tough as her in his wildest dreams.


    "Yes, mom is the best! Even in the military base, no one but Uncle Kevin could beat her. She''s the coolest person I''ve ever seen!" Raised in the military base by Daisy, Justin had seen his mother''s military prowess in various situations. He was impressed not only by his mother''s skills, but also by her toughness and perseverance.


    "Okay. Your mother is the coolest person in the world, as well as the greatest member in our family. We admit it. Are you happy, brat?" Edward was displeased to hear Kevin''s name. He wondered if Daisy had done what he told her to and had settled things between them. "Oh, I see. We have ourselves a hater. Of course, I''m the coolest person in your son''s eyes. Are you unhappy with it?" Daisy walked slowly towards them from her spot nearby. Although she had a smile on her face, she pretended to be angry. She studied Edward''s face as she put the cup filled with water into his hands.


    "Of course not! Even if I don''t usually support anyone, I would still support you, Colonel Ouyang. But what about you? I''m sweating blood to win apetition, while you''re enjoying your breakfast. Are you starting to ignore me already? Wow, that hurts." Edward drank the water in a gulp. Heid his eyes on Daisy as he whined and feigned anger.


    "I''m sure you''ve heard of the saying, ''Bread is the foundation of life.'' You can''t expect me to cheer you on while I''m hungry," Daisy said, averting her eyes. She had to be careful with her words, or her husband would be unhappy again.000

 Chapter 535 The Shocking DNA Result (Part Two)

    "Are you sure you were cheering me on, not adding insult to injury?" Edward rolled his eyes. He always saw through this woman.


    "Oops, you noticed that? I''m sorry, I''ll be more subtle next time." Daisy pulled him up to his feet. A sly smile shed in her eyes, though she dared not be too obvious about it. Her husband might get agitated and seize the opportunity to have a tantrum. In her eyes, men were even more unreasonable than women.


    "Next time? How dare you! Alright, I''ll forgive you this time in the spirit of generosity. But I feel so unwanted and unloved, and I have to lick my wounds alone." Oops. Men were indeed more unreasonable than women, and Edward Mu was especially so. He started whining already. Daisy didn''t even know what was worth all this drama, but she knew better than make things worse. No one said anything yet, but Edward had already started ying the victim.


    In response, Daisy tightened her grasp around his wrist. The expression on her face was still calm and cold, revealing no sign of her actual feelings. But Edward had been with her for a long time, he knew that she was giving him a warning.


    "What now, old man? Just admit it already, you''re but an old and grumpy grandpa." Compared to Daisy, Cynthia was much gentler in character. Although she wasining to her husband, her tone remained elegant and soft. She had the gift of expressing any emotion in a flirtatious manner.


    "I didn''t lose anything! I was being kind by letting the brat win. Do you really think there''s anypetition I couldn''t win? Didn''t you see how he was crawling and panting like a dog? He was exhausted from physical exertion, but I wasn''t!" Jonathan took the cup from Cynthia''s hands, and drank the water in a single gulp. He had always been unwilling to acknowledge defeat, even if the oue of thepetition was clear as day. He couldn''t bow to other men in the face of the woman he cared the most, even if the man was his own son. Every man liked to show off and keep a perfect image in the eyes of their beloved.


    "But I saw you stop first. And your son is injured. He''s barely recovered from the gunshot. How could youpete with him?" Cynthia asked. In every mother''s eyes, their child would always be their top priority. She was no exception. While she defended Edward, she forgot how dominant and bossy Jonathan could be. Fortunately, her husband didn''t feel offended, but jealous. He startedining with a dissatisfied frown.


    "Even though he''s injured, I''m an old man. It''s apetition between a healthy old man and an injured young man. I think our odds are even." Jonathan was jealous of his son. Since Edward was born, Jonathan was no longer the one and only in his wife''s eyes. She kept thinking more about their son. Perhaps she wanted topensate, or perhaps she was driven by the so-called motherly love. Whatever it was, Jonathan wasn''t happy about it, even though it was good for Edward. But he had also chosen his role between an authoritative parent and a loving father. He ced family affection above everything else, like a responsible parent should. It was now time for him to leave other thoughts behind.


    On the other hand, things were not going as well in the Ouyang family. Since his argument with Yakira, Leo had spent his night in the study, and hadn''t returned to the bedroom since then. Early in the morning, he woke up from his sleep in anticipation of the DNA test results. During his anxious waiting, he decided to do some overtime work to kill time.


    When the final report was presented to him a few hourster, his face turned pale from horror. His heart was enveloped by ice and his mind was a mess. He sagged into his chair as his eyes widened in shock. The report in front of him read, "The paternity test is a 99.99% match." The result left him in a shock greater than he had ever experienced, even when he learned of Grace''s car ident.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    His mind raced as he contemted on the situation. Who was to me for what went wrong? Who had deceived whom? At that moment, his mind waspletely nk, except for the severe pain growing in his chest. Whose fault was this? How did it end up like this? Was it Yakira''s fault? She had lied to him for such a long time. Or was it Daisy''s fault? She could''ve stayed in the Ouyang house despite everything, but she didn''t. No matter how much Leo tried to put the me on others, he couldn''t deceive himself. It was clear that everything was his fault, and he was the only one to me. He was stupid for questioning his beloved woman, just because someone defamed her and set her up.


    Leo always thought that he had been in love with Grace, but he finally realized today that he didn''t deserve to love her. He was a stupid and filthy man, just as Yakira said. His love for Grace was superficial and pretentious. He never ced a sliver of trust on her, so he didn''t trust her loyalty. Driven by jealousy and doubt, he even sent their daughter away on nothing but Yakira''s words. He thought that Daisy was the result of Grace''s extramarital affair, but it turned out that she wasn''t. She was their child, his child...


    Daisy, his good daughter, whom he had never loved. Now, fate pped him with the fact that he had always treated her horribly. It tore his heart apart. How could he possibly make it up to her? How could he have her forgive him, despite how cruelly he had pushed her away? He was haunted by remorse. As the sentiment took roots in his heart, it started to grow out of his control.

 Chapter 536 A Day at the Amusement Park

    Leo didn''t rush home to confront Yakira right after he got the DNA test results. He came to the graveyard. Standing in front of Grace''s tombstone, looking at her smiling face in the picture, he was enveloped by agony. He realized that his past was full of mistakes. He tried not to think about it, but it was useless. He felt trapped. He stroked the face in the picture that he was so familiar with, leaned against the stone, and fell onto the ground. The pain was too much to bear. He seemed to have aged a hundred years all of a sudden. And he felt so alone.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    He forced a sad smile and thought that he was the biggest failure in the world. He had doubted his own daughter and treated her badly just because of an unsubstantiated test report. How could he be such an asshole?


    Grace''s face was still so young, so beautiful. The smile remained captivating. But they were now so far apart. He would never be able to touch that face, see that smile, or hug her again.


    "I''m so sorry," Leo said to the tombstone. He knew he owed Daisy an apology too. But he had made too many mistakes in his life and had hurt her deeply. He couldn''t just say sorry and expect her to forgive him. He had to earn it. Now that he knew Daisy was his biological daughter, no matter how much she hated him, he had to try to make up for everything.


    On the other hand, how was he supposed to deal with Yakira? To kick her out of the house? Or let her stay and torture her? Yet neither of the two ways could properly vent his hatred.


    However, Leo didn''t know that something more agonizing was brewing. The truth would bury his happiness for the rest of his life and make him live in remorse forever.


    It was a fine day. On the day full of love, even the air was sweet. That was how Daisy was feeling -- happy. Nothing even approaching what Leo was experiencing. "Mommy, I want to ride that," Justin said excitedly, pointing at the busy mega drop tower not far from where they were standing. He couldn''t wait to have a ride.


    "No, it''s too dangerous." Daisy frowned. Other kids chose mild rides, but Justin liked the exciting ones. The pendulum swing he had just tried had almost scared the life out of her. She couldn''t let him try this one, no matter what. Her heart would burst from her chest if she rode it with him.


    "Daddy, I want to have a ride." Sensing his charm wouldn''t work on his mom, Justin turned to his dad. His face had turned redder in the sun.


    "Well-" Edward took off his sunsses and looked at Daisy, afraid to say yes, because Daisy was gazing at him, as if she was sending him a warning with her eyes, which said if he agreed to let Justin try on that ride, he should prepare himself for any subsequent punishment.


    "Mommy, just say yes," Seeing his dad''s reaction, Justin turned to his mom again and pleaded. He realized that his mom was the head of his family after all.


    "I said no. The rules specifically say it''s not for kids. The slypany that decided to provide such a dangerous amusement ride should be punished. " Daisy was a person of principles. To her, no meant no.


    "Are you using me?" Edward asked calmly. Many men were casting angry looks at him because the girlfriends passing by Edward were attracted by his outstanding appearance and smile.


    "When did I use you?" Daisy asked. She was just using thepany that provided the project. How did that involve him?


    "The slypany is mine. This amusement park is FX International''s property. Didn''t you notice that nobody checked our tickets the whole time?" He wasn''t bragging. FX International had expanded into all profitable industries in the city, not to mention its overseas subsidiaries. So it was no wonder that Edward was a very rich man.


    "Um... I thought you bought a ticket package." Daisy said, but on a second thought, she found that didn''t make sense. Even package deals should be checked at least once. But she had never seen any tickets in Edward''s hand.


    "As a military officer, how can you have nomon sense at all? In addition, didn''t you notice that all the rides in this park have long lines except the ones we were in? That''s because the staff arranged everything in advance. Do you think the people following us just happen to be behind us?"


    Edward flicked Daisy''s forehead. He knew Luke had told the staff about their schedule ahead of time. So the manager had checked them in as soon as they reached the park. He had followed them all the way afterward. Whatever ride Justin was interested in, the staff made corresponding arrangements quickly. Therefore, they didn''t have to line up for any ride even though the park was very crowded.


    "There are so many people here. I wouldn''t be surprised if some staff happened to be hanging around us." Daisy was embarrassed and blushed. What Edward had said had never urred to her. She had taken the people around them for visitors, whose family happened to be interested in the same projects as Justin. Since this was the first time they hade out of the house and had fun as a family, Daisy paid all her attention to Edward and Justin. She had ignored everything else. Edward had been right. It was an uneptable mistake for a military officer.


    "I wonder how you have earned your current position with such a low IQ." Edward had made fun of Daisy like this before. Practice made perfect. He was getting better and better at saying it. Only he got a kick at the shin this time. "Hard to say. Have a wild guess. Maybe I used my beauty and charm to get it." Daisy smiled. She had said that intentionally to piss Edward off.


    "Beauty and charm? Are you sure you have them? You''re as cold as an ice house. Men are terrified by you." Edward believed it, so he didn''t get jealous hearing Daisy''s words. Actually he trusted Daisy not to do something like that. "Edward, howe you aren''t scared away by me?" Daisy rolled her eyes and pouted, pretending to be mad. She was more like a spoiled child than an angry woman.


    "It proves only one thing. I''m much bolder than others." Here came the conceit again. But Edward was qualified to be conceited.


    "I don''t think I''ll have any more fun today. Because I''ve been standing here listening to you teasing each other, like forever." Justin was still looking at the mega drop tower. The more challenging the thing was, the more interested he was. That was why he was able to usher FX International into a new era in the future. However, his rtionships with women would be full of twists and turns, because he would choose a hot-tempered woman to pursue, which was like a new challenge to him.


    Hearing Justin''sint, Edward and Daisy looked at each other and smiled. They had totally forgotten about him. And he was the one that started them down that road. Justin should work on his skill to make his presence felt, in case his parents forgot about him again. "You can try everything else except that one." Daisypromised. She stuck to her principles anyway.


    "Yeah! I know mommy is the best. Let''s go!" Justin started running excitedly. Edward twitched his mouth resignedly. Since they had been there for half a day, he had thought Justin would have gotten tired by now, so that he could get out of the heat as soon as possible. However, Justin seemed to be getting more and more excited. For a second, Edward thought perhaps he should close the amusement park so as not to relive this kind of torture again.


    By afternoon, Justin had almost tried every ride in the park, from the Spider down to the carnival games where you tried to knock bottles over with a ball. Edward felt so hot that he grabbed a bottle of ice water as soon as he got in the car. He was about to gulp it down when it was snatched away.


    "There''s plenty of bottled water in the freezer. Why did you have to take mine?" Edward sighed and reached for another bottle in the freezer, but Daisy took it away too.


    "Drink this." Sensing Edward was going to get mad, Daisy smiled and handed him a bottle of cold water.


    "I want ice water." They came here in a camper. There was everything in it. Otherwise, Edward would have thought Daisy was trying to make him die of thirst.


    "You are still recovering. Ice water does you no good. You should pay more attention to your diet to help you heal," Daisy said as she opened the bottle for him, avoiding the angry light in his eyes.


    "Believe me. Right now I''m strong enough to eat you up," Edward said and didn''t mind Justin''s presence at all.


    "Should I excuse myself?" Justin asked, blinking. A sly smile appeared in his big eyes when he found that his dad was so angry but he couldn''t do anything about his mom.


    "What do you think, kiddo?" Every time they were together, Edward was amused and angered at the same time. He started to feel that Daisy and Justin meant to make him angry, that they teamed up on him on purpose. But he couldn''t just ignore them like he had ignored the others.


    "The RV is big enough, but daddy, don''t you think this is a bad ce for you to do it with mom? You should find somewhere quiet and secluded. Not in public. It''s bad for both your reps," Justin said earnestly, as if he knew a lot about sex.


    "Justin, noputer for you from now on!" Daisy said seriously. She felt awful. How could a kid say something like that? Should she me society? Had she failed as a parent? She always knew that Justin was smarter than other kids, but she couldn''t allow him to learn about things beyond his age. In a word, she thought it was a problem caused by the Inte which was developing faster than ever. Therefore, Daisy decided to take away hisputer until he could realize exactly what he had done wrong.00000000

 Chapter 537 I Want A Divorce (Part One)

    "There are so many people here. I wouldn''t be surprised if some staff happened to be hanging around us." Daisy was embarrassed and blushed. What Edward had said had never urred to her. She had taken the people around them for visitors, whose family happened to be interested in the same projects as Justin. Since this was the first time they hade out of the house and had fun as a family, Daisy paid all her attention to Edward and Justin. She had ignored everything else. Edward had been right. It was an uneptable mistake for a military officer. "I wonder how you have earned your current position with such a low IQ." Edward had made fun of Daisy like this before. Practice made perfect. He was getting better and better at saying it. Only he got a kick at the shin this time. "Hard to say. Have a wild guess. Maybe I used my beauty and charm to get it." Daisy smiled. She had said that intentionally to piss Edward off.


    "Beauty and charm? Are you sure you have them? You''re as cold as an ice house. Men are terrified by you." Edward believed it, so he didn''t get jealous hearing Daisy''s words. Actually he trusted Daisy not to do something like that. "Edward, howe you aren''t scared away by me?" Daisy rolled her eyes and pouted, pretending to be mad. She was more like a spoiled child than an angry woman.


    "It proves only one thing. I''m much bolder than others." Here came the conceit again. But Edward was qualified to be conceited.


    "I don''t think I''ll have any more fun today. Because I''ve been standing here listening to you teasing each other, like forever." Justin was still looking at the mega drop tower. The more challenging the thing was, the more interested he was. That was why he was able to usher FX International into a new era in the future. However, his rtionships with women would be full of twists and turns, because he would choose a hot-tempered woman to pursue, which was like a new challenge to him.


    Hearing Justin''sint, Edward and Daisy looked at each other and smiled. They had totally forgotten about him. And he was the one that started them down that road. Justin should work on his skill to make his presence felt, in case his parents forgot about him again. "You can try everything else except that one." Daisypromised. She stuck to her principles anyway.


    "Yeah! I know mommy is the best. Let''s go!" Justin started running excitedly. Edward twitched his mouth resignedly. Since they had been there for half a day, he had thought Justin would have gotten tired by now, so that he could get out of the heat as soon as possible. However, Justin seemed to be getting more and more excited. For a second, Edward thought perhaps he should close the amusement park so as not to relive this kind of torture again.


    By afternoon, Justin had almost tried every ride in the park, from the Spider down to the carnival games where you tried to knock bottles over with a ball. Edward felt so hot that he grabbed a bottle of ice water as soon as he got in the car. He was about to gulp it down when it was snatched away.


    "There''s plenty of bottled water in the freezer. Why did you have to take mine?" Edward sighed and reached for another bottle in the freezer, but Daisy took it away too.


    "Drink this." Sensing Edward was going to get mad, Daisy smiled and handed him a bottle of cold water.


    "I want ice water." They came here in a camper. There was everything in it. Otherwise, Edward would have thought Daisy was trying to make him die of thirst.


    "You are still recovering. Ice water does you no good. You should pay more attention to your diet to help you heal," Daisy said as she opened the bottle for him, avoiding the angry light in his eyes.


    "Believe me. Right now I''m strong enough to eat you up," Edward said and didn''t mind Justin''s presence at all.


    "Should I excuse myself?" Justin asked, blinking. A sly smile appeared in his big eyes when he found that his dad was so angry but he couldn''t do anything about his mom.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "What do you think, kiddo?" Every time they were together, Edward was amused and angered at the same time. He started to feel that Daisy and Justin meant to make him angry, that they teamed up on him on purpose. But he couldn''t just ignore them like he had ignored the others. "The RV is big enough, but daddy, don''t you think this is a bad ce for you to do it with mom? You should find somewhere quiet and secluded. Not in public. It''s bad for both your reps," Justin said earnestly, as if he knew a lot about sex.


    "Justin, noputer for you from now on!" Daisy said seriously. She felt awful. How could a kid say something like that? Should she me society? Had she failed as a parent? She always knew that Justin was smarter than other kids, but she couldn''t allow him to learn about things beyond his age. In a word, she thought it was a problem caused by the Inte which was developing faster than ever. Therefore, Daisy decided to take away hisputer until he could realize exactly what he had done wrong.000?????????????

 Chapter 538 I Want A Divorce (Part Two)

    Leo seized Yakira by the throat, with anger in his eyes. She had deceived him for years. He raised her daughter Mary as his own and drove his biological daughter Daisy out. Daisy lived as a drifter, and he became a cruel father. Yakira had to be responsible for this! "Dad, what are you doing? Let go of mom! You''ll kill her!" Mary opened her eyes wide, anxiously trying to loosen Leo''s hand. She had no idea what was going on. They used to be on friendly terms with each other, but recently, Leo was hostile to Yakira, making the atmosphere foul. Mary had never seen Leo be so indifferent in the past. In her eyes, he had always been gentle and cultivated. When did he begin to get angry so easily?


    "I won''t kill her. I don''t want my hands stained with her blood. Yakira, take a careful look at this!"


    Leo flung Yakira to the ground and mmed a piece of paper straight onto her face, covering her fearful look.


    "What''s this?" After reading the paper, Yakira looked green around the gills. Her lips trembled, and she could no longer say anything to defend herself. There was a look of horror on her face.


    "Let me see what it is." Mary took away the paper from Yakira''s trembling hand and read it eagerly. She didn''t expect it to be a DNA test report. When she wondered why Leo did this test, she saw the subjects were Daisy and Leo, which greatly shocked her. The simrity of 99.99% threw her into a panic.


    "Have you seen the test results? Tell me. Why did you turn me into aughing stock? Why? Tell me!" Leo talked down to them in anger. Now he also hated Mary because she used to treat Daisy with great cruelty in the past. He thought that Daisy was not his own daughter, so he turned a blind eye to what Yakira and Mary did. However, since he knew the true story now, he snubbed Mary whom he had pampered for more than 20 years.


    "Leo, you forced me to do that! When we just got married, you favored that bitch Daisy over me and my daughter. To win your heart, I had to eliminate her! You drove her out, not me. You can''t me me. It''s your fault!"


    Yakira glowered at Leo. At the very beginning, she also wanted to be nice to Daisy to cure her of her grief over her mom''s death, but Leo had eyes for Daisy only and ignored her and her daughter, which was thest thing that she could bear. In her opinion, after Grace died, he transferred his love for Grace to Daisy, so he doted on Daisy. On the contrary, her daughter Mary never drew his attention. Seeing that Leo showed partiality to Daisy, she decided to take action.


    "Yakira, how dare you call Daisy a bitch? I remember that I warned you that I married you not out of love, but for the baby you were carrying, that I didn''t love you and I would never fall in love with you, that no matter what you did, you could never win my heart. Little did I think that you had extravagant hopes for something that shouldn''t belong to you. Moreover, you told some whoppers to cheat me. I don''t think we have any more to say. I want a divorce. You don''t get a say in this,"


    Leo said coldly and emotionlessly, which shocked everyone present, including Brian who just walked in.


    "No, I don''t agree! Leo, you can''t get rid of me!" Yakira stood up with disbelief and walked up to Leo. In a panic, she pulled his sleeve crazily. She made a great effort to earn this rich life. She didn''t want to divorce Leo and give up a life of luxury. "You have no choice. I am not asking for your opinion now, but telling you my final decision." Leo took back his hand in disgust. The physical contact with this woman made him sick.


    "Leo, you can''t be so cruel to me. For the sake of our son Brian, you can''t divorce me, no matter how much you hate me," Yakira begged Leo piteously. What Leo said broke her heart into pieces. Her messy hair made her look like a drowned mouse. Shey on the floor holding Leo''s shin, stopping him from leaving.


    "Don''t use me as a tool to get what you want. You need to pay the price for your actions." Brian''s words cast a chill over Yakira. He picked up the test report. After reading what was written on it, he decided to distance himself from his mother. After stating his piece, he turned around and went upstairs. The test report fell on Yakira''s body as he loosened his hand.


    "Brian, stop! You''re being rude! She''s your mom! How can you talk to her like that? It''s ungracious and impolite!" Mary grabbed Brian''s wrist. Among all the people there, only he could turn the tables, so he was now the only life-saving straw for her and her mother. He couldn''t leave so easily. Mary wasn''t Leo''s daughter. If Leo really divorced Yakira, then it meant that she had to leave this family. She didn''t want to live a poor life as she did in the past, so Leo and Yakira couldn''t get a divorce.


    "Sorry, I don''t want to get involved in your vicious plot. If you hadn''t treated Daisy brutally in the first ce, we could have been a happy family. You asked for it. You can''t me anyone else,"


    Brian sneered. He knew how heartless his mother was. Years ago, Daisy was a weak little girl. To satisfy her selfish desires, Yakira treated her maliciously and even kicked her out of the house. With her as his mother, he felt too ashamed to face Daisy.


    Therefore, even though Yakira was in hot water now, Brian wouldn''t lend a helping hand. It was not because he wasn''t loyal to his family, but because he couldn''t ept that his mother was such a vicious person that she even faked a DNA test report. More incredibly, his father even believed her lie so easily and didn''t throw doubt upon the test report until more than twenty yearster. Was his father too stupid? Or was his mother too evil?N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "Pah! You''re so naive Brian! It''s not as simple as you think. Don''t you know who your mother is? Do you think that you can keep out of this?" Mary raised her hand with anger, trying to p Brian hard across the face.

 Chapter 539 Lose All Reputation (Part One)

    "Brutal and reckless as always, sis. You think you can p me and get away with it? Not today." With a mocking smile, Brian grabbed one of her hands that she was trying to p him with.


    "Why? Why don''t you feel sorry for your mother at all? Why are you so heartless to her? How can you just sit back and let Dad divorce her? Who do you think you are?" Pulling her hand away. Mary bombarded her brother with usations. She didn''t know why could he be so cold to his flesh and blood. "Why should I help her? Did she do something for me that I should appreciate? She''s the one who got herself into this. There''s nothing I can do."


    Brian looked at his mother as she slumped on the floor. Every word he just said was so merciless to Yakira that she couldn''t help bursting into a rage. She jumped to her feet and raised her hand to p Brian across his face, no longer caring about how Leo would think of her. But this time, Brian stood still and received the p without escaping.


    "Hahaha, look what a lovely boy I have! Now that you want to side with outsiders. I am not your mother anymore." Yakira thought Brian would dodge, or at least grab her wrist to stop her. She was surprised to see Brian stand still and take it without a word. It made her heart ache to see Brian was so determined to deny her. From now on, Yakira became a stranger who Brian had nothing to do with. Thinking of that, her face was convulsed with grief and she stepped back.


    Brian chewed his lower lip and walked upstairs silently. He responded to the mess as if he had nothing to do with it at all. But his swollen face proved that he was involved, whether he liked it or not.


    "Look how bad your parenting is! Even your own son doesn''t love you!" Leo squinted at Yakira with irony in his tone.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Father, do you have to break up with mother? She has been with you for so many years! Even though she did something wrong, it was only because she loves you so much!" Mary chewed her lower lip, trying to talk her stepfather into giving up on the divorce. "It''s true that she has been with me for many years. But don''t tell me she did something so nasty out of love. Love is supposed to be holy. She doesn''t love anyone. The only one she loves in this world is herself."


    Seeing Yakira being so miserable was not good enough for Leo. Instead, he got pissed off whenever he thought of what Yakira did. The thought of her trading Daisy for 500 million was the worst. Leo didn''t expect it was just the beginning.


    "No matter how much you hate me, there is no way I am going to divorce you. If you want to know what it''s like to lose all reputation, then have a try. Remember I am not a softie."


    Yakira said with a deste smile. ''You want to throw me out? Leo, I am not as soft as you think. It''s true that I am not as considerate as Grace, but I never lose when ites to manipting people.'' She thought to herself.


    "Hah! lose all reputation? Yakira, you think I still care about things like money and reputation? I am determined to divorce you no matter what I have to pay for that. Becausepared to losing my reputation, having such a merciless and brutal person as you around scares me the most."


    What Leo just said was full of self-deprecation. He always thought of himself as a smart person, but it turned out he had been manipted by a woman. How could such a loser care about money and reputation anymore?


    "No, you can''t do that to me! Is it Daisy who told you to do that? I know it! She has been holding a grudge against me, her stepmother. So she keeps sowing dissension among us. Yes, that''s it. She wants control of Ouyang Foreign Trade, so she wants me to be turned out. In that case, she could inherit all your money."


    Yakira said as her mind was in turmoil. What she did was typical of her, ming someone else for anything.


    "Then which one do you think is more powerful? FX International Group or Ouyang Foreign Trade?" Leo asked her in a weak voice. It made his heart ache to see his wife''s true colors -- she only cared about his money.


    "FX International Group of course! Ouyang Foreign Trade is equal to just one of its subsidiaries." Mary blurted out. Anybody in the city knew how powerful it was. The answer was so obvious.


    "Then why do you think Daisy cares about Ouyang Foreign Trade as her husband owns the FX International Group? That''s a stupid assertion. So stop finding excuses for yourself and ming someone else for what you did. I am divorcing you anyway! End of discussion! Take care!" Leo was done with the mess, He began to walk out in case Yakira should harass him again.


    "Leo, you''re such a heartless man! You must have a mistress! I know it! That''s why you threaten me with this report to get a divorce. You saw everything I did. How could you use me of being devious? You can''t hold me responsible for what happened! You''re such a loser!" Yakira shouted at Leo, but he left without looking back. What Leo wanted now was to leave this house full of bad memories.


    "Mother, what do we do? It seems that father is determined to divorce you. What if he takes all our money away from us? How could we support ourselves? Let me make everything clear first. I don''t want to be poor again!" Mary pouted. The first thinging to her was not how tofort her mother, but how to sustain her luxury lifestyle.00

 Chapter 540 Lose All Reputation (Part Two)

    "As long as you capture Edward''s heart, you will never be short of money through your whole life." Yakira wiped away her tears. ''Leo, you such a heartless jerk. You drove me to this. Since you think you can divorce me for that bitch, then don''t me me for destroying her. I look forward to see how you are going to stay cool when your beloved daughter is on the brink of breaking down. Let''s see who is going to win.'' Yakira thought to herself.


    "Mother, don''t worry. I won''t let you down as long as you can help me." Whenever it came to Edward, Mary forgot all her concerns and couldn''t help giggling. No matter how strong Daisy became, there''s no way she could take on Mary. Mary would steal her husband, the same as stealing her father. After all, Mary learned all her tactics


    From Yakira, the mistress of maniption.


    But Edward totally had no idea that he was an attractive piece of meat coveted by someone. That was thest thing he could have on his mind, for right now he stared at the man in front of him with a disgusted look on his face.


    "So you are Paul Du?" Edward sat there with such regal dignity, like a king sitting on his throne. He was born with amanding presence which made people want to worship him.


    "Yes, I am. Why am I here? Who are you? And what is all this about?" Paul looked upset and slouched over with a pale face.


    "You know what you did." Edward squinted at him. He always kept in mind being nice to others and tried to avoid sounding arrogant when talking to someone beneath him. But as for Paul, such a bastard didn''t deserve to be treated nicely. So Edward just did what came to mind.


    "But I''ve told you everything I know. Why do you still keep me here?" Paul avoided looking Edward in the eye. He was beautiful enough to make every woman in the world envy him and his intensely aristocratic nature distinguished him from ordinary people, making him too hard to look at for too long.


    "Don''t worry. I''ll let you go when everything is set up. I have a simple question: do you know anything about the ne, A Beauty''s Tears of Blood?" From the expression of guilty confusion that crossed Yakira''s face the other day, it was easy to confirm she was the one who stole the ne. But Edward still wanted to double check, so he asked Paul about it so that he could decide what to do next.


    "What''s A Beauty''s Tears of Blood? Am I supposed to know that?" Paul asked with confused eyes. He really had no idea what Edward was talking about and whether he had something to do with it.


    "Then look at this. You must have seen it before." Edward took the ne out of his pocket, dangling it in front of Paul. He worried that Paul hadn''t heard its name. The name was too elegant for ill-educated people, they didn''t run in the same circles with people who would know anything about it. So he brought the ne over. And what happened confirmed his spection.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Red Tear? Why is it in your hands? How did you get it?" Paul named it that, because it was in the shape of a tear and it was red.


    "So you do know something about it. Then tell me how did you know it and how did you get it." Edward put it back in his pocket carefully and asked with a cold voice.


    "My cousin gave it to me for what I did for her. Is there any problem?" Paul answered with an rmed face. He didn''t expect the ne could cause him some trouble.


    "Then how did the auctioneers get it?" Edward''s lips pressed together. Thankfully, he took Daisy to that auction the other day. Otherwise, only gods would know where the ne was now.


    "Once I lost in gambling and had no money to pay my debts. So I pawned this ne. I thought it was worthless, so I never thought of getting it back," Paul said carefully. He had been kept captive for nearly half a month. Even though they didn''t torture him or something, he felt scared all the time.


    "How much did you get for pawning it?" It cost Edward 100 million, so he was curious what Paul pawned it for. He hoped it wasn''t too low. Otherwise his heart would ache. Even though 100 million was just pocket change to him, it didn''t make him feel good to be such a soft touch anyway.


    "Not much, just around 50, 000. It is out-of-date and worthless. So I pawned it for a fair price." Even though Paul did think the ne looked pretty fancy, he didn''t expect it could be an antique. Besides, Yakira wasn''t generous enough to give him such a priceless treasure.


    "What did you just say? 50, 000? Shit." Even though Edward tried to be courtly, he could no longer hold back his rage. The ne which cost him 100 million was only pawned for 50, 000. How could he stay cool after finding that out?


    "Right. The price is reasonable! Think of it, 50, 000 for an out-of-fashion ne!" Paul said as he couldn''t sense how furious Edward was now. He exined it further to Edward.


    "Luke, take care of this guy. I don''t want anybody to think that I am easy to deal with. You feel me?" Paul should not have tried to exin anything. It wouldn''t do him any good and only added fuel to the mes. Edward got furious with him and told Luke to take care of him. Luke was his man and certainly understood what Edward meant -- teaching Paul a lesson. That was typical of Edward, He''d never curse you right to your face, but would certainly never let up when he wanted to teach you not to mess with the best.???????????

 Chapter 541 Lost Home

    "Yes, Mr. Mu. I understand." The corner of Luke''s mouth twitched. A rare smile appeared across his stern face. Even though it disappeared in an instant, it was already a miracle for it to happen. He was usually so reserved that he wouldn''t even say unnecessary words. Witnessing him smile was quite a luxury.


    Having confirmed the origin of the ne, Edward didn''t need to stay any longer and quickly returned downtown. Since he now knew everything that he needed to know, the next step would be toe up with a n to bring Yakira to justice.


    "Luke, are there any developments on Yakira''s side?" Edward leaned back against his seatzily, like a resting leopard waiting to pounce.


    He looked attractive and charming with his handsome and sly appearance.


    "Mr. Mu, ording to reliable sources, Leo is trying to divorce her. We haven''t found out exactly why." While driving the car, Luke turned his head to nce at Edward. He had long gotten used to his roguish young master but despite being a man, his heart still couldn''t help skipping a few beats whenever he saw Edward like this.


    "Oh! Is that so? Could it be that Leo has discovered something already? I wonder how different his findings are from what we have." Edward stared at the traffic outside. Faint sarcasm slowly appeared in his smile like a poppy flower that no one would discard.


    "I heard from the people working for them that Leo went straight to the Judicial Expertise Center after his dinner with Mrs. Mu. It''s not certain if these two events are rted." Luke spoke calmly. He never sent anyone to tail Daisy. He only had his people watch the actions of the Ouyang family. It was only a coincidence that he learned that Daisy had a meal with Leo.


    "Yes, I know. Daisy mentioned meeting with Leo when she came back the other day. But I didn''t realize Leo''s true purpose. What I want to know is how he was able to acquire a sample from my wife." Edward found it interesting that Leo never believed the documents he provided him. What happened this time? What made him so interested in seeking the answer himself? The question puzzled Edward.


    "I''m not sure, since we didn''t get near them at that time. Are we heading home right now?" Luke frowned. He was worried that Daisy would discover that his people were following Leo. When he learned that Leo was meeting her, Luke didn''t approach any closer and only observed from afar.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Yes, let''s head back. I already made up an excuse earlier today. It wouldn''t be good to go homete." It was alreadyte in the afternoon. When Edward got back from the amusement park, he immediately took a shower and left with Luke. It was about time that he went home for dinner. If he was still living alone like before, his cold home would be thest ce he''d want to return to. But everything was different now. Edward''s precious family was waiting for him.


    "Mr. Mu, are you going to tell Mrs. Mu about this?" Luke pursed his lips. Although the elders always reiterated that he also belonged to the Mu family, he couldn''t shake the habit of addressing Edward that way. It was a practice deeply ingrained in him, like eating and sleeping everyday. It was impossible for him to change.


    "Yes, I''m also thinking about it. I''m not sure if she could handle the news." Edward let out a soft sigh as he spoke. His face was full of worry. His beloved Daisy consistently maintained a tough facade, but she had quite the delicate heart. If she found out about all this, he wasn''t certain if she could keep her cool. She wouldn''t pick up a gun and go shooting people, would she? But Edward didn''t dare entertain the possibility on ount of her past violence towards him, which she didn''t seem hesitant to inflict in any way. Luke fell silent at Edward''s words. His young master was concerned with the same thing as he was. Daisy could be merciless in front of her soldiers, but she was just like any other woman when she changed out of her austere military attire, a sensitive woman.


    "But we can''t just keep this under wraps forever. She will find out eventually. I figure it''s best that we tell her before she senses something on her own. Otherwise, you''re definitely going to be in trouble." Luke calmly analyzed the possible scenarios with Daisy. From his observation on the way that Edward and Daisy treated each other, Edward would absolutely get the short end of the stick in the end.


    "Nobody''s arguing that. I''ll tell her soon." Edward wasn''t oblivious to the possible situation that Luke hinted at. But he knew that no matter what happened, Daisy would always give him a chance. And that would be his most powerful defense.


    Home did not equate to a tall building, a fancy car, or a big house. Home was a sense of belonging from deep within. It was an intimate dependence that demanded being cared for and being needed. Once you left this realm, your heart would be unsettled along with the departure. And at this moment, that was where Leo was standing.


    Looking down from the top of his office building, Leo never felt so estranged from the rest of the world. He felt too isted to even find his way home.


    A familiar chime suddenly rang. Leo picked up his phone from the desk behind him and took a brief look. His gloomy day improved slightly, and he was no longer lost in his sorrow.


    "Hello, how does it go? Did you find out anything?" Leo asked hastily. His calmness was reced by anxiety.


    "Mr. Ouyang, because it''s been too long, what we''ve gathered is limited. But we still got something valuable. Are you free now? Let''s meet, so I can bring you the file." A man''s voice came from the other line. He didn''t sound like he was in a hurry.


    "I''m free at my office. Why don''t you bring it here?" Compared to theid-back tone of the other man, Leo was obviously more nervous.


    "Okay, I''ll be there in half an hour." The man hung up immediately afterwards without even saying goodbye. Apparently, he was also in a rush.


    At the moment, Leo couldn''t make up his mind. He wanted to get the results, but he was also afraid that he couldn''t handle the truth. He fell into deep contemtion for a while. It wasn''t until his phone rang again that he collected thoughts. "Hello. Mr. Ouyang, I''ve arrived downstairs, but I was stopped by security." This time, the man started talking before Leo could speak.


    "Oh! I''m sorry! I forgot to let them know. One moment, please." Leo quickly rang the internal phone on the first floor of thepany to let the man up.


    He took a deep breath, hoping that Yakira hadn''t hidden any more things from him. Otherwise, it would take much more than a simple divorce to appease his hatred for her.


    "Mr. Ouyang, this is what you asked for." The man was young. Although he wasn''t really handsome, he wasn''t ugly either. He was the kind of person you''d find on the street, so he was the perfect private investigator. No one would suspect him. "Okay, thank you. Here''s the payment we agreed on." Leo passed him a bank card. Although he wanted to see the documents, he was not in a hurry to open the file. Leo looked calm and steady, like a properpany president.


    "Thank you. I''ll be on my way then. I hope the information inside is helpful to you. It was nice working with you." The man shook Leo''s hand and left without dallying any longer. He knew his business, and Leo wouldn''t want to open the package in his presence. He simply stepped out without even staying for a cup of tea.


    Leo didn''t try to keep him either. He paid for the job and the job was done. There was nothing else to talk about. All the private investigator''s findings were in the file. All Leo had to do was to open it and read the documents.


    He slowly unraveled the string binding the folder and carefully took out the files, but a picture inside immediately attracted his attention. It was a picture of Yakira and Grace. Although the picture was a bit blurry, he knew the two women too well to not recognize them easily. It seemed that Yakira had indeed lied to him. She contacted Grace behind his back.


    As Leo read on, his face turned paler and paler. ording to the materials that he had gone through, not only had Yakira contacted Grace, but she also intentionally provoked her on many asions. Leo always thought that he had hidden everything well, that she never knew that he had another woman outside his marriage. He didn''t expect her to have found out everything. How could she have endured this? She always appeared so unaffected around him. Did she not care because she didn''t love him? Or was she trying to keep their shaky marriage for the sake of giving their daughter a whole family? When Daisy was kicked out by Yakira in the end, he didn''t even bat an eye or try to stop her.


    But this was not enough to break Leo''s heart. Apparently, when Grace saw him in bed with Yakira, it was all ording to Yakira''s n. The car ident was all because of her. Leo started trembling at the realization. Ultimately, Grace''s death was not some random ident. He had indirectly caused it as well. The truth immediately turned Leo into a frail old man. He was utterly devastated.


    He turned page after page. As the man had said, there was not much to be found, but it was enough to open Leo''s eyes to Yakira''s evil machinations. One of the documents was a DNA report, but it was no longer important to him because he had already verified it himself. Because of this, his heart sank even deeper.


    Leo used to think that divorcing Yakira was a little too harsh for her. But right now, even ten divorces couldn''t diminish the hatred he felt for her. Yakira should be d that she was not here with him, or he would have choked her to death with his bare hands.


    Leo slowly put away the scattered papers. He wasn''t prepared for so much shock within one day. The DNA report had already angered him, and these documents pushed him further into an endless darkness, consuming him almost entirely.000000

 Chapter 542 Beautiful Woman (Part One)

    Daisy enjoyed her weekend a lot. She had tons of spare time, and she could finally spend more time with her family members. She would always take some time and cook something delicious for her beloved family. Her home-made food was both hearty and tasty, and today was no exception. As soon as Edward stepped into the house, he smelled something amazing in the air. It boosted his appetite in no time. "Hey you, we were just about to call you! Where have you been? We were looking for your everywhere! Come on then! Time for dinner! Where is Lukie?" Cynthia called out to Edward the moment she spotted him. She smiled warmly at him as she earnestly pushed him towards the dining table. "Maybe still outside, parking the car? He''ll be here in no time." Edward curled his lips. Lukie? What a childish nickname his mother had used for Luke! Edward found it absurd to call a tall and handsome young man like Luke such silly name! However, he did understand that his mother only used this name to show how much she cared about Luke. So he didn''t really tell her how he felt. That would be cruel. Instead, he onlyughed hard in his heart.


    "Daddy, why were you out ying again?" Justin really loved to stick around Edward as his father was seldom home. Recently Edward spent more time at home, therefore Justin took great advantage of the situation and spent as much time as possible with his father. It was a rare treat for Justin to have Edward''spanionship as usually he was always busy at work. Justin cherished every second spent with his father.


    Edwardughed and said, "I had some work to finish up. Nowe on, let''s wash our hands and get some dinner." Edward bent down and cradled Justin in his strong arms. Thanks to all the rehab and rest that he had, Edward was now fit enough to lift his son with little effort. The reason he recovered so soon from his injury was because of the medicine Tom created himself, and used on Edward. The meds had an immediate effect and worked like a charm. Edward took Tom''s effort for granted and did not show much appreciation, which distressed Dr. Qin a little bit. However, such distress was easily alleviated by a big fat check from Edward. Tom epted his due reward with the most splendid smile, for who didn''t love money? It was obvious that his assets were not even one tenth of Edward''s! "You guys need to hurry up! Otherwise we''ll eat everything before you get here!" Cynthia smiled at them and lovingly shook her head. Then she turned around and went to help Daisy. She was always amused at her son and grandson! As to her daughter-inw, she could not like her more. Daisy was such a wonderful woman. She was able to manage the house well, cook delicious food and remain presentable at all times. Compared to her own cooking skills, Daisy''s home-made dishes were truly remarkable. Cynthia was ashamed to admit that her cooking was not at all up to par.


    The ambience at the table was very cozy. Surrounded by his beloved family, Edward felt his heart warming. He knew it was not only because of thepanionship of family members, but also because the feeling they gave him was truly weing. He could not ask for a happier home. He had always longed for such sentiment and hoped that it wouldst forever. Now he was living his dream and was able to feel closeness and warmth with all his heart.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Grandpa, don''t you think that mom''s cooking is amazing?" Justin kept babbling at the table. He constantly pestered everyone about how good the dishes made by his mom tasted. Young and proud as he was, he had to tell the whole world what an awesome mom he had. Even with his mouth full of food, he kept boasting about his mother''s cooking skills.


    "Justin..." Daisy sharply called out his name. Then she realised she was too loud at the table. She curled her lips in subtle distress and quickly looked away. She felt embarrassed.


    "Of course! It tastes really good. Much better than your grandma''s cooking." Jonathan took his grandson''s question seriously. He was about to heap more food onto his te. However, on hearing the question, he paused and answered Justin sincerely. It was the first time he said something bad about his wife in front of others. It seemed to everyone that he really had a high opinion of Daisy''s extraordinary cooking.


    "Shut up! Let''s not talk about my cooking. I know I''m a bad cook, so you don''t have to keep harping on it." Cynthiaughed and shrugged her shoulders. She was not bothered at all that her dear husband joked about her cooking skills. She did not mind that he aired his opinion in public that Daisy''s cooking was far better than hers. She knew she was not a gifted cook to start with. For something she was not good at, she at least had the guts to admit it.


    "Grandma, you can''t lose to my mom in cooking! You need topete with mom for the title of Best Chef Ever! You should practice cooking. How about starting tomorrow?" Justin''s words caught Edward''s attention immediately. He turned in his direction and stared at him with a strange look. What was this kiddo on about? Was he this desperate for nice food? Didn''t he have the slightest idea that his grandmother really sucked at cooking? The food she cooked was certainly not poisonous but it would result in gastric distress for anyone eating it!


    "Well, regarding this issue, I personally think that I should stay away from it!" Cynthia hesitated for a second and said with a timid voice. She knew she was not a talented cook. Sometimes she found her own cooking skills unbelievably awful. She had definitely tried hard and copied from others'' recipes step by step, however, things always turned out disappointing. Her food literally tasted like poison. Eventually Cynthia gave up and refused to give it another try.


    "Mom, your decision is super wise and I support you one hundred percent!" Edward could not encourage his mother''s further attempts on more food creation. Before Justin could say anything, Edward jumped into the conversation and tabled the topic. He was afraid that if he didn''t speak out loud first, Justin might even convince Cynthia into more daring endeavors. After all, he hated to be the guinea pig for her creations!


    "I agree with Edward fully." Jonathan nodded his head sternly to show his support as well. It was quite rare for him to agree with his son. However, as he had been "poisoned" by his wife numerous times before, he knew what was the right thing to say now to avoid future tragedy. Just like Edward, Jonathan didn''t want to be the poor victim of some food poisoning crime.


    "Was my cooking this scary? Howe both of you are acting like cowards?" Justin was confused at their reaction. Their universal decision on forbidding grandma making more dishes made him wonder whether he should insist on his original proposal. It seemed that he needed to give it a second thought. As a kid who loved delicious food, nothing was more important to him than his own health. As long as he had a healthy body, he was able to enjoy the pleasure of devouring gourmet delicacies.


    "Just eat your food! Stop talking already!" Edward gave him a warning look and then quickly ced a big chunk of meat onto his te to make sure he didn''t talk anymore and ruin their n. Justin with his big mouth might cause them big troubleter on.0000000

 Chapter 543 Beautiful Woman (Part Two)

    Luke remained silent. He seldom talked at the table. As he had been an orphan since he was young, Luke suffered coldness and hunger. It was a very fortunate thing that someone would extend a helping hand and offer him some warm food. He couldn''t ask for more. Therefore, any food prepared by Cynthia he would finish it with a grateful heart. Although the food did not agree with his stomach and usually caused him loose bowels for some time afterwards, he neverined. For him, the food carefully prepared by Cynthia was a rare treat in the world and was simply precious. Right now, he heard them teasing each other but didn''t say anything. He just looked at them with a gentle smile, enjoyed the good ambience at the table, and appreciated the love and warmth he had felt.


    Daisy gently gazed at her precious family. Each one of them meant so much to her. The look on her face said it all: at this very moment, the cold female colonel was grateful for everything she had in her life: the caring family, an adorable son and a perfect husband. Daisy was intoxicated with her own thoughts. She felt so blessed.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The night was long, and the moon had generously shed its light all around. A beautiful woman bathed herself in the moonlight. Her fragrance seemed so close and yet her look seemed distant. Her lips were like the finest rare ruby and her hair was like the most expensive ebony satin. Her beauty easily took Edward''s breath away. His breath caught in his throat. He fondly gazed at her as he was powerless against the burning desire within him.


    "How''s it going?" He quietly approached her andid his eyes on her beautiful neck. He wickedly curled his lips as he secretly sniffed her fragrance, the unique flowery smell from her shampoo.


    "Fine! You done with the chess game?" Daisy raised her head and looked at him curiously. After dinner, Jonathan proposed that he would like to y chess with his son. This indeed surprised everyone as usually he would go straight to Cynthia and hang out with her alone. Everyone knew how important the sweet time he spent with his beloved wife meant to him. Now he actually suggested spending his leisure time with his son instead of his wife, no wonder everyone was shocked. Jonathan''s action caught everyone off guard and they started to wonder whether he was still alright. How strange!


    "It''s okay! The game was fun despite the fact that he constantly whined about every move. I won''t y chess with him anymore. He acted like a child. What a sore loser!" Edward scornfully curled his lips. He was not very pleased at his father''s attitude at the game. From what he could remember, his father was always solemn and serious. Howe when they were ying chess, he acted like a whiny brat and gave him a headache?


    "Sometimes the old behave like babies! As a devoted son, you should just ept their foibles and be more patient! He might still look young on the outside, however he''s still old. The funny thing is, he sometimes acts like a child at heart. That''s why we have a term for people like him, man-child. I am sure this is quitemon with old people nowadays." Daisy smiled generously at him as she extended her hand and squeezed his pouting mouth gently. He was the one being childish here! Anyway, as long as the two got along well with each other, she felt greatly relieved.


    "I behaved so well today. Where is my due reward?" Edward quickly caught her fingers and gazed into her eyes. His look was intense and his desire was obvious. Pale blush on the face, she could feel his strong love from the bottom of her heart.


    "Hey, it has nothing to do with me." Daisy tried to remain calm and ignore his daring gaze. She gave him a confused look, then she began packing the documents she had been processing earlier on. As soon as the documents were packed, she stood up and walked straight towards the door. His fond gaze was too intense for her to bear. She somehow had the urge to run away from his burning lust for her.


    "You don''t seem to have the slightest idea! I only acted as a bigger man in front of him for your sake." Edward''s face turned gloomy. His eyebrows slightly furrowed as he quickly followed her footsteps. What was wrong with this stubborn woman? Couldn''t she just turn around and face him? Was she even aware of how obsessed he was about her? How could she walk away from him like that! She couldn''t be bothered to cast one more nce in his direction. Edward was wondering whether his charm had faded during his recuperation. "Edward! What on earth are you talking about? Exin, if you can. What do you mean for my sake? It''s obvious the rtionship between you and your father has nothing to do with me! So, what exactly do you mean?" Daisy stopped and whirled around. Utterly confused by his words, she stared at his face and flung a question at him. She needed him to exin right now.


    "It has everything to do with you! You see, he praised you for your food at the dinner table in front of everyone this evening. I am thankful for hispliments about you, therefore, I kindly let him win at the chess game. I am not bothered at all by his man-child behaviour," Edward said casually, raising his eyebrow. He sounded very authoritative and Daisy almost believed him. She had the vague impression that Edward only behaved kindly to Jonathan because the old man showed affection to him first. Maybe her husband wasn''t used to such feelings yet.


    "Whatever! You''ll make up any old excuse as long as it suits you." Daisy curled her lips and rolled her eyes. As she had no intention to waste her time on him anymore, she walked straight to the bedroom. Little did she know, that was exactly what Edward was after. He wanted her so much right now.


    "What about my excuse? I think it''s a good one! What did you expect? We end up in a big fight over trivial things like that?" She was giving him the cold shoulder for no reason. Edward''s face turned darker. He was so innocent but she dared to use him of doing something he didn''t do! He never intended to argue with his father. However, ording to her, he was the bad one here and should be med. It made Edward pretty sad that his beloved wife actually saw him as a trouble maker.


    "You are still quite vulnerable at the moment. I don''t think you are a match for your father. He might be old, but he is definitely a tough guy." His back talk made Daisyugh. Greatly amused by his words, she deliberately mocked him. Then she bent down and picked up the clothes he had thrown randomly to the ground. It seemed that this nasty habit of his was really difficult to get rid of. As the saying went, "A leopard cannot change its spots." Edward was quite spoiled and she might need more time to correct his habits. What a big task life had given her!


    "Woman, are you doubting me now?" With these words, Edward moved to her and embraced her tightly from behind. Daisy was not a small woman but still he captured her easily in his strong arms. His burning gaze roamed over her tender and juicy lips. Time seemed still as his look got steamier and they both knew that something romantic was about to happen.00000000000

 Chapter 544 Celebration Of Their Love (Part One)

    "I''m not doubting you, I''m just being honest." Daisy clenched her hands into tight fists and put them above her head, hoping to put some distance between them. Because of Edward;s dangerous gaze, she felt a chill running down her spine.


    "The fact is, I''m going to kiss you..." Edward said slowly, putting emphasis on each word, and before finishing his words he hurriedly put his thin lips right on her mouth and kissed her fervently, passionately. His slender hands reached under her pajamas, gently touching


    and caressing everywhere. It seemed that he was yearning for her to melt into him.


    "Umm..." Compelled to respond to his passion, and with the words she wanted to say swallowed by his intense kiss, she couldn''t help but unclench her tight fists and snaked her arms around his firm waist, pulling herself closer to him.


    All his thoughts were lost in the sweep of his tongue against her lips. Their passionate love was like a cup of sweet milk tea, stirring the most primal desire in his abdomen. Both of them were lost in the heat, feeling the thirst from the deepest part of their hearts. With the expression of their love, a simple kiss was not enough to resolve the broiling sexual tension between the two. Edward''s lips explored, moving to kiss her neck.


    "Wait..." After what seemed to be an eternity Daisy finally found her voice again, but her sultry tone was not that convincing.


    "Um! How do you expect me to wait?" Edward caught her earlobe between his teeth with a smirk and nibbled at it. His heavy breath ghosted against the shell of her ear, hitting her most sensitive nerves, making her shiver involuntarily. She lowered her gaze to avoid looking into his lustful eyes.


    "Your body... is not healthy enough for this." Daisy was leaning bonelessly into his arms, breathing heavily. But she did not forget to remind him of this problem that couldn''t be ignored.


    "So you also think that our previous activities were challenging. Well, I aim to satisfy, ma''am. I''m pleased that the colonel is pleased." Edward smirked, because as they were talking, he had already stripped off half of her clothes, revealing her delicate corbones that always drove him crazy. Her intoxicating cleavage that brought him full of wild thoughts was also showing from time to time. But the little woman didn''t realize at all, still fully concentrating on his health.


    "Edward, I''m being serious right now! Stop interrupting me." Daisy''s pretty face was a little flushed, showing a wave of want that had been stirred up by his heated kiss and a bit of annoyance evoked by his teasing.


    "Woman, don''t you think what we are doing now is serious?" Edward started dropping featherlight kisses rapidly down her body, even softly bit her once to punish her for not being fully concentrated.


    "Ah! You..." Daisy gasped when she btedly realized that she was nearly half-naked. Her beautiful eyes widened in disbelief, and she even withdrew her arms from his waist back to her chest, trying to shelter herself from his overly intense gaze.


    "Do you really think that would work?" Edward grinned slyly, and mouthed the words directly onto her small pink lips. Daisy''s whole heart melted by his mischievousness. Eyes fixed on the charming face in front of her, Daisy couldn''t help but feel attracted to him, losing all rational thoughts.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "What do you say?" Daisy threw the same question right back at him, eyes gleaming with mischief. In the blink of an eye, her youthfulness was showing through her yful smile, flooding the whole room.


    "I''d like to use something other than words to give you the answer." Edward fell onto the bed beside them, pulling her down with him. As his words indicated, he was definitely a man with the moves.


    "There''s an old saying, perish with the rose, and die a romantic death. Now I finally understand what it really means. Isn''t it the exact description of our situation right now?" With a small smile on her face, Daisy hugged him so tight, eyes full of affection. He waspletely drunk on her tender love. "If you are the rose, then I would dly die a happy man. No regrets." Edward said these words earnestly, looking soulfully into her eyes.


    "Then fine, I''ll give you the chance." Daisy surged forward and caught his lips with her own. Unlike Edward''s passionate kiss, hers was more tender and slower. It was like being kissed by a breath of wind, intoxicating and enchanting, making you never want to leave. "Thank you, honey." Edward was full of happiness, just like a kid who had been told that Christmas wasing. He enjoyed their special flirtation like this. The little woman underneath him was nothing like her normal aloof self. She was giving off a different vibe. And that was exactly what he had been searching for.


    "Wait a minute, why do I have a feeling that I''m the one who''s pleading for your love?" All of a sudden, Daisy easily turned and flipped them over, hovering above Edward. Looking down at him, her face was all flushed. She was so lovely and enchanting.


    "I see. My honey likes to be on top. No problem." Enchanting was not a word that could only be used to describe a woman. When faced with a man who was as pretty as a beautiful woman, it was indeed the right word.


    "Nonsense! I don''t like being on top," Daisy retorted quickly, but didn''t realize that her words would be her undoing. Edward gave her a flirtatious grin and said, "So you mean that you enjoy being underneath me." Edward''s smiling eyes twinkled. No doubt that he was seducing her, but he was just teasing her relentlessly, not in a hurry to eat her up. He was like a sly cat, and she was his prey. A cat always loved to y with its catch before starting the meal.


    "I..." Daisy was at a loss for words, and Edward didn''t allow her another chance to speak. He leaned to press their lips together, taking the words right from her mouth. Dragging his tongue through her mouth, he easily gained entry into it. Their tongues dancing, it was a start of a wonderful journey.


    Her clothes were stripped off piece by piece. Daisy gradually lost her mind in Edward''s feverish kisses. She couldn''t think of anything else, only the fascinating man in front of her eyes. She was willing to show him all of her passion and ready to give him her everything. So when he turned them over andid on top of her, she was already boneless and unable to resist, submitting to his almost tyrannical assault.000000??????

 Chapter 545 Celebration Of Their Love (Part Two)

    Edward pressed his lips against her wless skin, trailing heated kisses all over her body in his wake. He indulged himself in her sweet taste, leading her into the wave of sizzling lust with endless tenderness. At this moment, the night was drunk as well. Her beautiful face seduced him, and he alone was enough. Therefore, she was not afraid to show him all of her charm and attractiveness. She had fallen for him, hard, she was already past the point of no return.


    The night was young, and the lust was building, charming and intoxicating. In this quiet night, their desires intertwined, making the lovey-dovey couple fall deeper in love with each other. They gave themselves to each other with no reserve. And during the endless celebration of the love between the two along with their sweet love-making, the moon hid coyly behind the clouds, too bashful to face the most primal activity of the couple.


    Usually, a brand new day always meant a fresh beginning and new hopesing. But for Yakira, it was an embodiment of disaster, because Leo was serious about divorcing her. It was not a spur of the moment decision. It had only been several days, but Leo had already had thewyer draw up the divorce papers. What''s worse, he didn''t even show up, he just had thewyer hand the papers to her in haste.


    "Where''s Leo? Why didn''t he give them to me himself? Is he really that embarrassed to face me?" Yakira didn''t spare a look at the divorce papers, she just aggressively bombed thewyer of Ouyang Foreign Trade with a series of questions.


    "Mrs. Ouyang, the president said that he would not be present before you sign the divorce papers. So I highly rmend that you sign as quickly as possible." As an employedwyer, he was helpless in the face of this situation. For starters, it didn''t seem right for him to pick sides at this moment. But he knew clearly who was paying him, so no matter what, eventually, he was going to support Leo.


    "You go back and tell him, he''s crazy if he thinks that I''m going to sign this without him here." After a night''s deep consideration, she would definitely not divorce Leo no matter what. She wouldn''t even consider living a poor life again after having been rich and powerful for so many years. Moreover, her son was still in this family. She was even expecting her son to support her. Why would she be willing to give up the only dream in her heart just because of Leo''s wish to divorce?


    "Mrs. Ouyang, please don''t make it any more difficult for me. The president has already made up his mind, no matter how much you fight this, he''s not going to change his mind. There''s nothing you can do about it." Thinking of Leo''s determined look when he told her about his decision, Yakira knew there was little chance for her to save their marriage. It was impossible unless something special happened.


    "Who are you? How dare you talk to me like that? Let me set you straight, shitelicker. You are just a flunky of Ouyang Foreign Trade." Yakira had an angry look on her face, and imperiously reprimanded thewyer sent by Ouyang Foreign Trade.


    "Mrs. Ouyang, please watch yournguage. I''m just employed by Ouyang Foreign Trade, not sold to them. So please watch how you talk to me, or I''ll sue you for personal insults." A minute ago, he had thought there might be a glimmer of hope for them to make up with each other, but after hearing her insulting words, he didn''t think there would be any chance for her to save her marriage right now. Because he would definitely nip any remaining chance in the bud.


    "Haha! A simplewyer dares to talk about personal insults in front of me! Don''t forget who''s paying you!" Yakira''s words were sarcastic and mean. She didn''t give a damn if her words would be a blow to the other''s pride. She only wanted to let her anger all out so that she could feel a bit better, whether the other''s heart was bleeding because of her mean words or not, she just didn''t care at all.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "The person that employs me is President Ouyang, so he''s the one who pays my sry. It doesn''t seem to have anything to do with you." Even awyer with extremely good temper would still be very mad when receiving such personal insultsing from Yakira, so he couldn''t care less if his tone was appropriate.


    "Huh! Good, I haven''t even signed these papers. How could you dismiss me so easily? Or do you not care if you can continue working for Ouyang Foreign Trade?" Yakira was used to being powerful, how could she stand a lowlywyer speaking so rudely to her? So she even dropped these threatening words.


    "Mrs. Ouyang, don''t forget that apart from the job in Ouyang Foreign Trade, I still have my ownw office. So I don''t solely count on Ouyang Foreign Trade to make a living. I''m just doing the job of a counselor for thepany. Losing this client won''t be a problem for me." Thewyer calmlyid it all out, not even paying attention to Yakira''s threats. After all, he was a hot-blooded young man, how could he be so easily hurt by others?


    "Huh! Big talk. But no matter what you say, there''s not a chance in hell for me to sign these today. So get out of here with your papers! You''re annoying me." Thewyer''s calm reply made Yakira suddenly feel so humiliated that she shouted at him, image be damned. "I will leave the divorce papers with you. Whether you decide to sign them or not, it''s between you and Mr. Ouyang. I won''t bother you again." After he said this, thewyer picked up his briefcase and quickly trotted out of Ouyang''s house. He was afraid that if he stayed a little longer, he would be unable to restrain himself and explode. That would make the situation tooplicated to handle.

 Chapter 546 Who Would Have the Last Laugh

    "Ah!" Not only did Leo treat her badly, but awyer disrespected her. Yakira lost her temper. She tossed the file on the floor furiously and then stomped on it hard to channel her anger.


    "Mom, what''s the matter? Why are you so angry?" Hearing Yakira''s shouting, Mary rushed downstairs, looking worried.


    "It''s nothing. Is Brian upstairs?" Yakira didn''t want to tell her daughter about her frustration. Leo had made her lose all confidence. She wanted to retain herst bit of dignity.


    "No, he might be gone. What''s all this about?" Mary asked and bent over to pick up the file.


    "Nothing. Give it to me." Yakira tried to get the file back, but Mary seemed to have anticipated her move and quickly took a few steps back, just out of Yakira''s reach.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "Mom, this is out of line. Dad just mentioned divorce yesterday, and today he has already signed the papers and had someone deliver it? How can he be such a bully?" Mary said angrily after reading the file.


    "A woman is better off marrying someone whom she doesn''t love than marrying someone who doesn''t love her. I''m a perfect example. And about Edward, you''d better think carefully before you do anything. I don''t want you to end up like me and regret everything. It will be toote by then," Yakira said. Since Mary had seen the file, it would be pointless to keep it from her. She felt obliged to remind Mary of the importance of choices.


    "Mom, we''re in totally different situations." Although Mary was worried about her parents'' divorce, she wanted Edward too much, she wasn''t going to give up her ns.


    "Don''t be too confident. Edward isn''t easy to manipte. Think about Jessica. Didn''t you see what happened to her? Do you really think you''re smarter than her?" Although Yakira was selfish and wanted to use Mary to get what she wanted, she didn''t want something bad to happen to her daughter. She had to help her think clearly. Sound advice often sounds harsh.


    "Men change. They all abandon the old for the new. Just wait. Edward will get tired of Daisy one day and I won''t miss that opportunity." Mary sounded sure of winning, as if Edward woulde to her with the slight move of her little finger.


    "Don''t underestimate her. She''s not the same girl we drove out. She''s stronger, more confident." Mary had thought that Daisy would be miserable and live among the dregs of society after she left the house. Unexpectedly, she had be a colonel. Now Mary regretted that she hadn''t kept Daisy in the house. In that case, by now she would have destroyed her and ruined her life. She wouldn''t have be so strong and powerful.


    "Humph, no matter how strong she is, I know better than her about how to treat men. So where shall we start? I want this n to go off without a hitch." Mary was anxious while her mom seemed calm.


    "Be patient. Timing is everything. How can you seed if you are always so impatient?" Yakira furrowed her brows. She didn''t believe a foolish girl like Mary would be able to steal Edward''s love. Unlike Mary, she was cautious. Although she had some personal business with Edward too, and it was pressing, she would wait until everything was ready, because Edward was too shrewd to take the bait and Daisy was tough.


    "But how long do we have to wait?" Mary was out of patience. Edward was too enticing to her. She wanted to get closer to him. Now.


    "A couple more days. Remember, a watched pot never boils. He will still be yours if he is meant to be." Yakira was a little annoyed. Her own matter hadn''t been settled yet, she wasn''t in the mood to focus on Mary''s.


    Edward was working on his scheme against Yakira while Yakira and Mary were discussing their conspiracy against him. But who would have thestugh?


    Days went by. The opportunity Yakira and Mary had been waiting for finally came. When they met Edward at the gate of Sexy World, they were both excited. They had been seeking an opportunity to get close to him. Now it presented itself. But they had no idea that Edward hade there on purpose.


    "Edward, fancy seeing you here. Are you alone?" Mary went up to him immediately, beaming with joy. She attempted to take him by the arm, but Edward moved away.


    "Yeah. Daisy went to inspect the troops in a neighboring city this morning. And my friends are all unavable, so I came here to rx." It was true that Daisy had gone to the neighboring city, but his friends were not unavable. Edward had gone there alone intentionally, because he was afraid things might backfire if they tagged along.


    "Mind if we join you?" Mary suggested. Yakira had been depressed these days because of the ongoing divorce, so Mary convinced her toe here and have a drink. She hadn''t expected to meet Edward here. In such a big city, they showed up in the same ce at the same time. Mary thought it was fate. She and Edward were meant to be together.


    "Um..." Edward pretended to hesitate, as if he had been put in an awkward situation. In the meantime, he stole a nce at Yakira, as if he was worried that she would disagree.


    "Mr. Mu, if it is Okay, let''s have a drink together. We are sort of rtives after all. Drinks on me." Yakira was reluctant to ept Daisy as a member of the Ouyang family. In addition, Leo was trying to force her into a divorce, and it was because of Daisy. But with all the despicable things she had done in the past, she had to put her dignity aside and invited Edward to a drink.


    "I''m ttered to be a rtive of yours. I will have that drink with you, though." Edward put on a cordial face. He secretly thought that if he epted them as his rtives, Daisy would beat him up. So he wasn''t too friendly with them.


    "Really? Let''s go in then." Mary wasn''t as sophisticated as Yakira. When she heard Edward agree, she jumped up excitedly.


    "Mrs. Ouyang, please," Edward said with a smile. He behaved politely, which helped him keep a distance from them.


    He had chosen his usual box. He was used to its decor and hated to adapt to new things. He was nostalgic.


    He gracefully strode over to the sofa and sat down casually, as if Yakira and Mary were not there. However, his behavior didn''t seem inappropriate but distinguished. He looked like a lion that had just woken up, sluggish yet domineering. Mary purposely sat beside Edward, and looked at him in admiration. Yakira was very disappointed in her and doubted she could do anything to attract Edward.


    "What would you like to drink? My treat," Edward said. Then he frowned at the perfume Mary was wearing. It was too strong. He preferred the jasmine fragrance Daisy usually wore. It was his favorite.


    "No. We agreed that it was our treat," Yakira said. Sexy World was a fancy ce and its customers were all upper-ss. However, Yakira felt ufortable there. As a senior, clubs didn''t suit her. Besides, she was conspiring against Edward, so right now she had a guilty conscience like a thief.


    "It''s okay. It won''t cost much. And you are a senior. I can''t let you pay," Edward said calmly. He had been polite the whole night. He used to be very aggressive every time he was around Yakira and Mary.


    "Mr. Mu, you are too polite. Okay, since you are familiar with this ce, I''d like you to order for me." Yakira didn''t say that out of courtesy. It was her first time to be in a club. She was clueless.


    "No problem. What about you, Miss Ouyang?" Edward asked. He sounded formal and indifferent. Tonight his target was Yakira, so he didn''t want to waste time on Mary. Yet he had to put on a performance, in case Yakira saw through him.


    "I trust your taste, Edward. Call me Mary. I am not used to you calling me Miss Ouyang. It sounds weird," Mary said, pouting. She didn''t like Edward''s indifference to her.


    "It''s just a form of address. There''s no need to take it seriously," Edward said with a smile. Things had just gotten started, he had to maintain his friendly attitude. Yakira was much smarter than Mary. His whole n would be finished if Yakira sensed something was amiss..0000

 Chapter 547 A Secret (Part One)

    "Mr. Mu, it seems like you are not very busytely. We run into each other often." Yakira said carefully, to see if he was busy investigating how her and Paul Du were connected. She had to proceed cautiously to see what he knew.


    "Yeah, that''s right! "I am on a vacation recently, so I have more free time. And with time on my hands, I have some things that I''m interested in." Edward grinned wickedly and his smile seemed meaningful. Because his injury was kept under wraps, no one knew about it.


    And thus, it became his best shield at this moment.


    "Really, Edward, these things must be important to you, right? As you have put aside your other work for them." Mary was secretly pleased, guessing that Edward was flirting with lovelydies. In that case, Daisy would soon be out of the picture. Mary also assumed that her opportunities to be Edward''s new lover were rtively much greater than before.


    "Well, It''s true that it''s very important. It''s also a secret which I discovered by ident." Edward was bending his head down, looking askance at Yakira. He wanted to know what reaction Yakira would have to what he said. Just as he had expected, Yakira''s face turned pale in an instant.


    "Um, about that... Edward, could you tell us what kind of secret you''re so interested in?" Yakira''s panic was only temporary, and soon she calmed herself down. She was thinking that, maybe what he said didn''t have anything to do with her. She could not fly off the handle before everything was clear. It might be none of her business anyway, but if she showed any irrational reaction, it might make trouble for her. That was not a good thing.


    "Speaking of this, I don''t know whether Mrs. Ouyang still remembers the ne named "A Beauty''s Tears of Blood''. You saw it a few days before." Edward smiled crookedly, and the indifference and calmness of his expression seemed to be very natural, as if he just asked casually without any intention and downyed his interest.


    "Is there any connection between the secret and the ne?" Yakira''s heart was about to jump out of her throat, worrying that his answer would make her regret asking him this question.


    "With regards to the connection, there are so many connections between these two things. Because the ne once belonged to my mother-inw when she was alive. However, it disappeared mysteriously after her death. Unexpectedly, it popped up for sale and I bought it back. You know, I always want to find out about everything that''s going on. As a result, I found out something unknown to everyone identally."


    Edward took a thoughtful look at Yakira. When seeing her pale face, he gave a mocking smile. Now he looked like a king looking down at his people from above, holding Yakira in his hand and ying with her slowly. What he wanted was to make her nervous, with her heart pounding madly in her body.


    "Really?" Yakira stretched out her hand and picked up the red wine that the waiter had just served. Because of Edward''s inquiring eyes, she took a gulp of wine unconsciously. Of course, she was choking and coughing. She regretted asking him about such a sensitive topic.


    "Edward, why are you drinking coffee, instead of wine?" Mary didn''t notice her mother''s unusual look, nor did she ask her whether she was all right. But she paid close attention to Edward''s every word and behavior.


    "Yes! My stomach doesn''t feel well recently and I could not drink too much wine. I hope you don''t mind if I just drink coffee." Unless he wanted to die, he dared not disobey his dear little wife''s orders. He could not sip even a drop of wine this month, otherwise he would be punished by his wife in a military way.


    "Ha ha! That''s fine. We don''t mind." Mary exchanged nces with Yakira. They had nned to drug him when he was slightly drunk, but did not expect that he would not drink wine. So how could they carry out their n now? Or they had to give up on the n this time and wait for the next opportunity. They were wondering how to move on.


    "That''s so great If you don''t mind. I''ll be more free and rxed." Edward took a sip of his coffee and had their every interaction in his sights. It made him feel strange and uncertain. He was afraid something bad would happen, so he quietly sent a text message to Luke who was waiting outside.


    "Edward, are you kidding! Who doesn''t know that youe here all the time? Why did you suddenly stop drinking? Does that mean you''re disrespecting us? A man never drinks with his enemies, but should drink with his friends."


    Yakira didn''t want to miss such a good chance, because it was too difficult toe across him in such a ce. So she had to do something tonight anyway. Fortunately, after they figured out a n, they got the medicine they wanted to use. There was no need for them to look for drugs everywhere. The only disadvantage of this drug was that it had to be stirred into the wine to get the best effect. So no matter what, she had to try her best to let him drink.


    "No, of course not. I totally respect you. After all, I have to show respect to you for Mr. Ouyang''s sake. No matter what happened before, he still is my biological father-inw, right?" Edward frowned lightly and deliberately emphasized the word "biological". His eyes were full of meaningful expressions. He could not understand why Yakira would suddenly be so picky. So just for a while, he was almost confused by her question.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Edward, my father has never admitted Daisy was a member of the Ouyang family. How could he possibly be your father-inw? It seems that you are really sick and quite ill. Otherwise why would you talk nonsense suddenly?"

 Chapter 548 A Secret (Part Two)

    Mary pouted her lips. What''s the use in obtaining a DNA paternity test? As long as she was still at home, that bitch girl would not get chance to step into the door of the Ouyang house. Anyway, as long as her mother didn''t sign the divorce agreement, she would still be the little princess of the family. It was such a noble position that she could not allow Daisy to take away. And not to mention that it was still a question whether the divorce would actuallye true. Even after so many days, Leo, her father hadn''t found any way to settle her mother''s hash, had he?Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Whether Leo is my father-inw or not, I think Mrs. Ouyang knows best. Am I right? After all, the DNA paternity test report is the reality and right in front of us." Hum! As a matter of fact, he himself didn''t want to call him father-inw. If it were not for some specific purpose, how would he possibly subdue himself to stay in the same room with someone like these two?


    "How do you know about that? Does that mean you gave it to him?" Suddenly, Yakira felt that Edward was bing more and more dangerous. Instead of plotting against him sessfully, she might find herself in some hot water.


    "And why would I do that?" Edward crossed his slender legs and shook them for a while. He looked very leisurely and at ease.


    "That''s it, mom, how could Edward be so bored to do such a thing? It is none of his business." Mary said to her mother,pletely standing on Edward''s side, She had never looked away from him even for a second, and her delicate body also intentionally leaned on him. "No, as long as it''s rted to Daisy, it''s all my business. Being her husband, it makes good sense for me to solve her problems." Edward kept a poker face, but from the bottom of his heart, he did really hate Mary''s closeness. He was repelled, but stayed quiet. "So, that is the reason why you''re stirring up trouble between Leo and me. Because you thought it was my fault she wasn''t well taken care of in her childhood and now, youe seeking what? Answers? Revenge, maybe?" Yakira was afraid that he might hold something against her in his hand. Otherwise, how would she try so hard to keep her temper quietly and notpletely lose it? Deep down, she felt that this matter must have something to do with Edward. Or, for so many years, why has Leo never considered doing another DNA test, but suddenly thought of it after meeting with Edward? Why? What was the reason behind this? It was well known now.


    "Mrs. Ouyang, do you think I have such big influence over Mr. Ouyang that I can make up his mind? You think too highly of me. But, tell me, who gave him the idea that Daisy wasn''t his daughter? Who would do this? Who could? That couldn''t be you, right, Mrs. Ouyang?" Edward intentionally emphasized thest few words. True, he did give Leo some documents, but yet Leo didn''t believe him at that time. Actually, he also felt very curious as to why did Leo suddenly wake up and decide to see the light.


    "Are you kidding! Why would I do such a thing? The very idea! Suggesting that I might have something to do with that! Do you think so little of me, Mr. Mu, that you think I''m the kind of person who can''t even tolerate a little girl?" By now, Yakira finally realized hat Edward must have discovered something. Otherwise, how could he always lead her around to that topic? It looked like that Edward wanted to irritate her on purpose. Every sentence seemed to contain some other meaning in it. The realization made her feel more worried, with her heart beating even quicker. Her initial excitement ofing across Edward today was vanished, and instead, an inexplicable panic aroused from the bottom of her heart.


    "Edward, what''s the matter with you two? We were having a good conversation just now, weren''t we? Why did you get all weird so suddenly? And, mom, can you say a little less! Don''t be so picky about everything!" Mary pouted her lips, acting all coy. And meanwhile she constantly winked at Yakira, as a sign for her to put her business away and stop stealing the show. She might spoil the chance she had with Edward.


    "It''s all right, conversation is always like this, isn''t it? Inevitably, there are always some arguments when chatting." Edward also found that his attitude was a little too strong. There was no answer to be found by now. And it wasn''t worthwhile to make mess of the thing because he lost his cool at this moment.


    "Very well, it''s good that Mr. Mu is also very clear and righteous too. You know that there are only some minor misunderstandings between us on some things. And You are not trying to start any arguments, right?" What Yakira said seemed to be very polite, but in her mind, she had scolded Edward thousands of times. It''s clear that he was the one who brought it up, but in the end, it was her who was described as "too picky".


    "I have never been interested in devising any plot against others. Only those narrow-minded people would do a harmful thing like that to hurt the interests of others." Edward would have stopped the argument. However, it was a pity that the other one didn''t think that way. If he couldn''t shut it down, he would go for the jugr and plunged her into the deepest misery.


    "I am Sorry! I got a little too excited, but please, Mr. Mu, please don''t tale what I said to heart. Maybe I''ve had too much wine, so I''m already a little drunk and start rambling." Yakira suddenly remembered that she did note here to argue with Edward, but had something else more important to do. So her tone was rxed and her words became peaceful. And their argument made Mary break into a sweat. She was afraid that her mother would spoil her good n again.

 Chapter 549 Conspiracy (Part One)

    "It''s okay. I''m not a vengeful guy. I didn''t get mad at Paul. Although he got me really angry, I let him go easily. I just hung him over the center of a crocodile pool. But is it true that Paul is not one of your acquaintances, Mrs. Ouyang?" Edward had an immediate impulse to punch Paul in the face, whenever he thought of the disparity in the price of the ne. So, it was obvious that Edward''s deration of his not being a vengeful guy was nothing more than a lie! But in the presence of the two women, Edward spoke in a subtle manner. He put it as if it was the most justified fact under the heaven. He was so brazen that he didn''t mind at all that the two women sitting here would spot his hypocrisy and feel ashamed of him.


    "Who is Paul? I know nothing about him." Yakira replied in a hurry. She could not help but feel nervous now, as she had figured out Edward''s intention to test her and get her into revealing something by mistake. So, Yakira thought carefully before giving any answers. As Yakira was engaged in fabricating her wless answers, she paid no attention to the few sensitive words in Edward''s sentence and the real threatening implication behind them. But those words did catch Mary''s attention. Mary was, of course, scared of Paul''s woeful destiny of being hung over the crocodile pool. It was terrible if it was true. Mary wondered whether it was just one of those Edward''s jokes. But in case she offended or cheated him in the future, would Edward treat her in the same manner he treated Paul? Mary was eager to know the answer.


    "Oh? You know nothing about Paul? But he told me otherwise. He said he is your cousin, and you two are on good terms. Did Paul lie to me?"


    Edward looked with a confused expression. He could not help but feel happy on seeing Yakira panic. In Edward''s opinion, psychologically tormenting someone was definitely a better way to torture his foes. Compared to physical pains, it was more agonizing, stressful and unbearable. Even tough people, who were fearless of physical affliction, tended to easily surrender when afflicted with psychological suffering. Edward was a pro in driving his enemies crazy psychologically. He was wondering how long Yakira would stand his psychological tormenting. "Edward, you must have been mistaken. As far as I can recall, I have never heard about any uncles from my mother''s side. How is it possible for the Pool or Paul you just mentioned to be a rtive of my mother then?" Mary shouted before Yakira could speak. As far as Mary could recall, she too never heard her mother mention anything about this so-called Paul. It could be a possibility that her mother knew nothing about this man.


    "Really? You don''t know who Paul is, do you? Mrs. Ouyang. Then how is it possible for him to tell me everything about your family? Everything! It seems he is very familiar with everyone in your family. Please don''t tell me it''s just a coincidence. Not too many coincidences happen like that! Paul even knows how you married Mr. Ouyang, Mrs. Ouyang. He told me everything about your marriage in detail. It was so detailed that I had no reason to suspect him. He seemed to be trustworthy. So, are you trying to tell me that he seeded in cheating me."


    Edward said in a cold manner. Although he seemed calm andposed as always, his eyes had a trace of satire in them. He looked straight at Yakira and observed every change in her expression. He was eager to know what Yakira would say next. Would it be the answer that he was expecting?


    "No, Paul didn''t lie to you. He is indeed one of my distant rtives. But we haven''t seen or contacted each other for many, many years. I almost forgot about him and his existence." Yakira sighed secretly. It finally happened! Even if Edward wanted to look into her legal liabilities, he had no way to find any concrete evidences. He could not take any legal action against her if she kept denying everything. So, it wouldn''t be easy to bring her to justice.


    "Oh, Mom, do you know who Paul is? You''re indeed rtives! But I have never heard you talk about him. Why?" Mary was never willing to y a neglected role by keeping silent in a party. So it was natural for her to cut in when others were talking. That was really impolite though.


    "Oh! We''re just distant rtives. I never thought we would get in touch with each other in our lives. So it was never necessary for me to let you know about his existence." Actually, Mary had no idea who got Paul captured. Now, she was quite sure that Edward could be behind all this. But it was beyond her knowledge why Edward would do all this and what was he even gaining out of all this? Irrespective of the benefits Edward wished to hunt, he would never be interested in the assets of Ouyang Foreign Trade! As Leo said, Ouyang Foreign Trade meant nothing in Edward''s opinion, as he was supremely rich. Wasn''t it true?


    "So, you really know him. Then those words that he told me... Should I take them to be true as well? Did Paul tell me the facts that really happened?" Edward smiled and squinted his eyebrows a little. While speaking, he paused on purpose to observe Yakira and Mary''s reactions to his questions.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "I''m sorry! What you and Paul talked about is none of my business. So I''m not going to answer your questions." Although both Edward and Yakira were fully aware what had happened and what the truth was, Yakira still pretended to be innocent. She maintained that she had nothing to do with Paul''s matter and would continue to do so as long as Edward didn''t directly use her of her evil conducts. She was certain about Edward''sck of evidences and his ipetence in putting her into jail. Yakira was sure that she could certainly escape justice this time.


    "Edward, we haven''t seen each other for a really long time. This opportunity doesn''te easy. Why do we keep talking about someone who has nothing to do with us? What a disappointing topic! Let''s drink and forget everything unpleasant! A little wine will not get you tipsy. Don''t be afraid!" The riddle-like conversation between Edward and Yakira puzzled Mary. She looked visibly upset. So she interrupted in between to divert the topic.


    "All right! As Mrs. Ouyang refused to answer my questions, I have to hand Paul over to the police." Edward didn''t believe that Yakira would have the luck to escape justice forever. She might not believe it either! But it was indeed difficult for him to bring her to justice at present. Except for one witness, he had no other evidence that would help to prove Yakira guilty. But a witness'' testimony was far from enough to convict Yakira. Powerful evidences would be needed. But where could he get the evidence he needed after so many years? As a result, Edward had to resort to other means to manifest Yakira''s guilt. But if Yakira insisted on her innocence and refused to confess her crime, even the court could not convict her because ofck of evidences. The evidence was the key! Edward would get mad whenever he thought of his inability to acquire those necessary evidences. He felt so desperate and helpless that he ran out of his patience to test Yakira any further.


    "Hmm! That Paul...What crime did hemit? Why will you take him over to the police?" Mary seemed to have grown more confused. The more she heard this conversation, the more she became perplexed.00000000

 Chapter 550 Conspiracy (Part Two)

    "You should ask Mrs. Ouyang about this! I think she can give you a more appropriate answer than me." Edward lifted his eyes in a resolute manner. His face suddenly became as cold as ice. He was no more the idle dandy in ordinary days.Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Mom, what is going on here? What happened?" If Mary was even half as smart as her mother, she would not ask such a stupid question at this critical moment. Mary was dumb. She did''t realize the subtext behind the conversation going on between Edward and her mother.


    "How would I know? Drink your wine and do not cut in, Mary!" Yakira rolled her eyes at her daughter. What a foolish daughter she had given birth to! ''Stupid girl! Do you want me to admit my guilt in front of Edward! How I wish that Edward could listen to my exnation and believe every word I say. But that might only happen when the sun starts rising from the west. It is impossible!'' Yakira could not help but sneer at her daughter in her heart.


    "Mom, why did you get angry? I''m just curious." Mary was irritated by Yakira scolding her in front of Edward. She felt embarrassed for her impaired dignity, and her face darkened.


    Edward furrowed his brows. He somehow felt helpless at Yakira''s obstinateness, which was far beyond his imagination. She carefully designed every word she said, and was clever enough to avoid every bait he prepared for her. It was difficult to convict her. Without her own testimony, there would never be a chance to bring her to justice. He knew she was the culprit, but he was unable to prove her guilty because ofck of evidences. It was unfair to Daisy. His beloved wife must have been sad to see his ipetence.


    The atmosphere became serious all of a sudden. The former tepid attitude of the three people in the room now led to an embarrassing silence. Both Edward and Yakira were racking their brains to find a means to their ends. To be frank, Yakira had consulted several legal documents to solve this problem. She was certain that no one would be able to convict her without evidences, provided that she refused to admit her crime. As for Paul''s usation against her, she could perfectly escape it, by charging him of defaming. It happened long back, after all! Even if some evidences were left then, they must have turned into ashes with the passage of time!


    "There is nothing interesting happening here. Control your curiosity. Don''t pry into anything that is not your business. It won''t do you any good." Yakira could not scream at her daughter in Edward''s presence, although she had already grown desperately mad at Mary. She had to lower her voice and suppress the fury in her tone. But she was really enraged by her daughter''s stupidity.


    "Excuse me, I have to answer this phone." Edward''s cellphone rang at this moment. He picked up his cellphone and stepped into the restroom in thepartment. Edward never imagined that this phone call could offer a good opportunity to his foes. Mary picked up Edward''s ss as soon as he left, and handed it over to Yakira sitting next to her. Yakira hesitated for a short while before dripping several drops of the drug that she had prepared in advance into Edward''s ss. The transparent liquid, which was colorless and odorless, immediately dissolved into the wine. The limpid liquor in the ss glistened like crystal under the light. Everything was perfect as if nothing had happened. Mary and Yakira were only one step away from their final end. How could they persuade Edward into drinking that ss of wine?


    Just in a couple of minutes, the Lady Luck seemed to have sided with the vile mother and daughter. Yakira and Mary were still fighting in a low voice, when Edward stepped out of the restroom. The scene was same as he had left for the phone call earlier. Nothing abnormal. So, there was no reason for Edward to be suspicious.


    "Why did you stop drinking? Do not spoil your spirit for my sake." Edward said while walking toward the table. He intended to change the seat and get far away from Mary as much as possible. But he gave up on such an idea atst. He would not spend too much time here. It was Daisy who had called him just now. She was driving toward downtown, and would be here in less than thirty minutes. He would leave soon. If no valuable evidence or testimony could be attained from Yakira, how about letting her pay her debt in a different manner? Maybe it would be better than bringing her to justice and putting her into jail. Her life might be more miserable.


    "Edward, don''t mind my mother. She must be suffering from some kind of menopausal syndrome. She gets irritated easily these days. Let''s drink and have a toast!" Mary spoke to Edward and took the ss that had been poisoned. With sheer calmness, she poured wine into the ss before Edward''s eyes. In view of Edward''s stomach illness, Mary didn''t add too much wine into the ss lest Edward would refuse to drink. If that happened, all her efforts would be in vain.


    Yakira still disyed an aloof attitude toward Mary. She kept her head down and silently sipped her wine. But she peeped at Edward and Mary from the corner of her eyes from time to time, wishing to know whether Edward would drink the poisoned wine or not. Her heart was in her throat, beating violently in fluster. Suddenly, Yakira thought of Luke, who seemed to follow Edward wherever he went. How could she and Mary move Edward to the room upstairs secretly once Edward became dizzy with the effect of the drug? It was impossible to move Edward upstairs in front of Luke. That was too risky! Luke would certainly discover their vicious n!


    "Okay! I can only have a sip of the wine. Actually, I wish to take none of it. But you will see me as a conceited man in that case." Edward was unwilling to drink the wine. But Mary had spoken up for him just now. He had to consider Mary''s feeling and save her face. She had already upset her mother and quarrelled with her for his sake. So, he had to ept her toast. It''s just a small ss of wine. No more than half a ss. A cool wind was enough to dispel the smell of the wine. There was no need to be afraid that Daisy would know about him drinking the wine. Besides, he had seen Mary pour the wine with his own eyes. There was nothing peculiar, and nothing to be afraid of! Just a small amount of the wine, and he could leave.


    "Thank you, Edward! You really are doing me an honor! Let me finish my drink first." Mary gulped down her wine while speaking to Edward. Regardless of the fact that wine was usually tasted by sipping, she swallowed the wine in one big gulp, as she was so eager for Edward to finish his drink as soon as possible. She got excited and was ted now. She settled her eyes on Edward and watched him raise the ss to his mouth. Edward looked elegant and charming while doing all this. Mary would be fascinated to him even if she wasn''t under the influence of alcohol. She felt a desire for Edward in her body. Edward would be hers after he gulped down his wine. Soon, they would have a happy moment on bed. Their bodies would belong to each other. In spite of her wantonness, Mary still felt flushed when she thought of the fantastic moment with the man she dreamed of.????????????

 Chapter 551 Mr. Mu Was Drugged (Part One)

    Yakira Mo was also quite nervous now. But she was nervous about very different things than Mary was. She remembered that Edward''s bodyguard, Luke, was waiting outside. He had a gaze that was cold enough to freeze others. If she left the room, what excuse could she use? Could she say that she needed to leave because Edward and Mary were having sex inside? And what of Luke? What would she do if he tried anything. She was in a real pickle right now. And this was the most troubling thing for her.


    Edward did not suspect anything at all as he did not believe that there was anyone who was bold enough to try and trick him. Therefore, he drank all the wine in the ss without hesitation. He was finally healed, and didn''t drink any alcohol during his recovery. So he was


    really craving a drink. Now he finally dampened his desire by drinking the wine.


    "Would you like another drink, Edward?" asked Mary Ouyang. She didn''t notice how worried her mother was. Instead she focused her eyes on Edward. And she was looking forward to the fierce and passionate scene that was bound to happenter.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "No, I have something else to do. I need to go," answered Edward. He checked his watch. He was supposed to meet Daisy outside the barter. He had gotten ustomed to making others wait for him, but he wouldn''t do this for his darling wife. He cared about her so much that he didn''t want to make her wait for him at all. Of course, she warned him not to drink when he called her there to meet up. But she didn''t ask who was in the bar with him, and Edward didn''t bother to tell her. Maybe she thought that Rain or some of his other friends were there. Therefore, she did not worry about him.


    "Ah! Why do you have to take off so soon? Why not stay here and have more wine? It''ll be reallyme if you leave. We''ll be sad," said Mary anxiously. If he left now, the good opportunity that she worked so hard for would be for nothing. Besides, she already drugged him. It''s a good thing she seeded this time -- it might not be this easy to get another opportunity. And she didn''t know if Edward would find out and seek revengeter.


    "Don''t be like that. You came here to have a good time and rx, right? Don''t get upset because of me," said Edward casually. He didn''t get the answers he wanted, so to him the conversation was over. He wouldn''t have even bothered to talk to them if he hadn''t had it in mind to help Daisy find out who was responsible for her mother''s death.


    "Mr. Mu, don''t you think you''ve done it too obvious?" asked Yakira. In order to help Mary keep Edward here, Yakira took a risk and started a conversation with this mysterious question. She deliberately piqued Edward''s interest, because she knew that if they failed this time, it would be impossible to get another chance. So the most important thing now was to keep Edward in the room. As for Luke, well, they could find ways to keep the two separated.


    "Why do you say that?" asked Edward. Suddenly, he was interested in what she had to say. Too obvious about what? Was this a plot to keep him here, and why would she want to? He knew why Mary wanted him to stay here. She wanted him, that was unmistakable. However, what about Yakira? What she was thinking? She knew that he was painfully aware of what evil she was involved in. She should want him to leave as quickly as possible, lest he asked her something incriminating. But what was she on about now? At this point, Edward was really confused.


    "Unless I miss my guess, we didn''t meet by chance today. You arranged this meeting, am I right?" asked Yakira She was definitely not a woman who was so easily deceived. Edward Mu, in her mind, was not a person who could so easily ept their invitation. Of course, he put up a fight, but he finally gave in. So he came there on purpose. Though she sensed his apprehension, she pretended not to notice, for Mary''s sake. She just sat there and yed psychological games with him.


    "I wonder why Mrs. Ouyang is so convinced that I''m waiting here especially for you. Anybody willing to give me answers?" Edward sneered. Maybe he''d finally met a worthy opponent. He was intrigued by what she would let slip out. If the opponent was as stupid as the pig, he would lose the challenge. However, if she could see things through, he would see her differently.


    "Hum! Haven''t you always been cold to us? So you''re suddenly friendly. Isn''t your change in attitude evidence that you were waiting for us?" Yakira was not as ignorant as Mary. Mary might think that he really wanted to apany them to have a drink. She didn''t believe that he could show them any respect if he hadn''t approached them on purpose. Everyone knew that the CEO of FX International Group wasn''t even willing to give face to the mayor. Why would he really treat them any differently?


    "Mrs. Ouyang seems to know me well. However, you think too much. Do you think that everyone is up to something? Quit projecting your passive-aggressive behavior on others. What''s more, don''t forget, I''m not you. I can''t do wicked things at the drop of a hat like you guys do. So unfortunately, this time, you''ll be disappointed. To be honest, you two are not worthy of my time," said Edward calmly.


    As proud as Edward was, even if his opponent saw through him, he would always maintain his dignity and honor, and would never get upset. So no matter what, he would not admit that he did anything on purpose.

 Chapter 552 Mr. Mu Was Drugged (Part Two)

    so arrogant to think that we would be willing pawns in your game!'' she thought silently.


    "So you''re saying I think too highly of myself? I hope it''s really as Mr. Mu said, that such unimportant people like us aren''t worth pulling a fast one," said Yakira. Her mouth raised up with a hint of irony. ''Edward Mu, no matter how evil and cunning you are, you wouldn''t be "Hum! May I also guess that all your attempts to keep me here are connected with the ss of wine which you have just given to me?" asked Edward. At the same time, he quietly phoned Daisy under the table, and in that moment, he suddenly felt his strength drain away. "You already figured it out, Edward?" said Mary. Mary wasn''t smart at all. She admitted that they drugged the wine right away. As a silly girl, she was also quite arrogant. So, even if Daisy weren''t in the picture, she still wouldn''t match up to Edward''s exacting standards. He was excellent, she was not.


    "So I''ve figured it out. Well, spit it out! What do you want? Do you want to turn me into the second Leo Ouyang? But do you think I will be as kind as he is? You messed with the wrong guy, and this won''t end well for you," As Edward was talking, he secretly nced down at the phone in his hand. When he found that the call went through, he was relieved.


    "What? Second Leo Ouyang? I have no idea what you''re talking about," said Yakira. She stared at Mary peevishly. Others would never admit what they did was wrong even if they were caught in the act. However, Mary herself admitted to her crime so quickly. Her ignorance was really annoying sometimes.


    "Do you really want all your dirtyundry aired in front of your daughter?" asked Edward. He pressed his lips together as he found himself growing increasingly thirsty. He was also getting horny. He frowned tightly. The drug was taking effect. His eyes fixed Yakira in an ice cold stare. As ugly as Mary was, she wasn''t capable of hatching a n to drug someone. So he didn''t need to ask, he knew it was Yakira who thought up this scheme.


    "Mr. Mu, don''t think that I''m scared of you just because you know some bad things I did. I''m not frightened a bit. But knowing me as you do, you should be frightened of me." Yakira just pretended to be calm. In her heart, she was a little worried. After all, as a mother, who would want to expose her scandal to her child?


    "Is that so? It seems that Mrs. Ouyang is very calm, or do you think that as long as I am drugged, I will lose all my sense of reason and have sex with any woman? Besides that, can''t you see how disgusting your daughter is?" As Edward said that, he felt his breath getting more and more irregr. His fingernails unconsciously dug into his hands. He tried to relieve the increasingly ufortable burning sensation of his body. If he were not powerless, he would get up and leave by now. How could he stay there and be controlled by them? "Edward, what''s wrong with you? Do you feel hot? Shall I ease the burning feeling for you?" Mary said as she leaned towards Edward''s body. She even intentionally flirted with all his sense organs by exhaling near his ear. On this point, she was smart enough. She could do well enough without her mother''s instructions. She had slept with a number of men, and knew exactly what she was doing.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "Mark, push the rm button and put the pedal to the metal. We''re going to Sexy World," instructed Daisy. Daisy''s face was even more cold and stern than before. She thought Edward was with Rain, so he''d be safe enough. For some reasons, he was with Yakira and Mary. She did not have time to think why he might have done so. She just knew one important thing now, which was Edward was drugged by those two people. She had already learned the dangers of the drugsst time. Therefore, she dared not to take this lightly. She did not know whether the drug they gave was the same asst time. However, aphrodisiacs always had the same effect in the end. The people using the aphrodisiac ended up in bed together. When she thought of Mary groping and kissing Edward at this point, her anger came to a boil.


    "Yes, colonel," Mark said as he put the siren on the roof of the car and pushed the button. For an instant, the harsh police siren screamed into the night along the city streets. They drove at full tilt towards Sexy World. To tell the truth, it was the first time for the colonel to sound the rm for a personal affair. Mark frowned. Except for Mr. Mu, no one could make her behave so oddly.


    At this moment, Edward stared at Mary angrily. He was angry that he had no strength to push her away. Under the circumstances, he was unusually curious. They drugged him with such a strong aphrodisiac. However, he could not move at all. Did they want to force him to have sex? Otherwise, no matter how big his erection was, he didn''t have the strength to take action!


    "Mary! I will send you to some ce where you can act as a whore if you touch me again," Edward said angrily. His whole face flushed red as he endured Mary''s caresses. They even could see his blood vessels expand. His forbidding eyes were so horrible. Anyone who bothered to look into them would see their doom.00000

 Chapter 553 I Dont Like Trash

    once.


    "Edward, believe me, you won''t want to blow me off anymore once you sleep with me," Mary said. Despite her mother''s presence, sheid her hands on Edward''s chest and moved them around with lust filling her eyes, as if she couldn''t wait to throw him onto the bed at "You? How many men have you slept with? C''mon, why would I want to have anything to do with you? I''m afraid I''ll have to pass, because I don''t like trash. So stay the hell away from me. Mrs. Ouyang, is this how you educate your daughter? You taught her to be a whore?" Edward asked Yakira sarcastically. Now he could see that she was trying to use Mary as bait to control him. Pathetically, she had chosen the wrong chess piece. Edward would rather be celibate than be with Mary. Daisy was the only woman in the world that he wanted, or needed. "Nothinges free, right?" Yakira said, afraid to look Edward in the eye. She knew Mary had lost her virginity a long time ago, but still, when she watched her teasing Edward so adeptly, she couldn''t help but blush with shame. She had to make Luke go away, so that Edward and Mary could be alone and she didn''t have to stay and watch that anymore.


    "Do you really think you''ll get your wish? You''re wrong. First of all, I''m not interested in Mary. Secondly, I''m not a puppet." Mary''s hands were all over Edward. He ignored them and looked at Yakira, her head bowed. Could she be ashamed to see her daughter like that? It seemed she still had some sense of shame after all.


    "It''s worth a shot. You''ll never know if it will work or not unless you try. If you think you can resist the drug''s potency, you''re being stupid. You will only make it stronger. No matter how much you resist, you''ll lose your rationality and mental power soon. Why don''t you just stop struggling? It''s useless,"


    Yakira said, but her mind was actually focused on making up an excuse to make Luke leave. The drug made the person very weak at first, but when it started to work, the person would be very strong. She was worried that things might get out of control.


    "To tell you the truth, I would rather hurt myself than touch your daughter. Although I''m not a saint, I''m afraid a loose woman like her would dirty me," Edward sneered. Beads of sweat were rolling down his forehead, although the box was air-conditioned. He was doing his best to resist the drug. In the meantime, Mary was shamelessly pressing her plump breasts against his body.


    "Edward, how do you have the heart to talk about me like that?" Mary said as her mouth approached his lips. She acted flirty, as if her mother weren''t there.


    "Mary, you touch my lips, you''re dead meat!" Edward rolled his eyes grimly. He didn''t care where else she touched, but his lips belonged to Daisy. Nobody but her could touch them.


    "I..." Mary had returned from abroad only recently. She didn''t know Edward''s lips were a forbidden area. She had been craving them for a long time. Now finally they were so near. She couldn''t wait to feel them.


    "Get off me! Or trust me, you''ll regret it!" Edward was a man of strong restraint. The drug made him horny yet he managed to maintain his pride.


    "I know you''ll throw yourself on me if I don''t behave. But I like it. I won''t mind." Mary was dying to know what it was like to have sex with such a handsome man. Were his skills in bed as good as his appearance? She smiled more seductively and wished Edward would pull her into his arms violently and treat her roughly right now.


    "Right, pounce on you like a predator. But someone else will do that, not me." Daisy was supposed to arrive any minute. She had been possessive recently. She wouldn''t allow anybody to tarnish her possessions. So when she heard everything on the phone, she would rush here in the car with the siren on. Edward understood how much she cherished him after she had lost him once, and almost lost him again.


    "Mr. Mu, do you mean Luke? Don''t worry. I''ll make him go away right now." Yakira stood up. The thing was, she had overestimated herself. Luke wouldn''t even give a damn about Edward''s best friends including Rain, not to mention her. She would only make a fool of herself.


    "He was talking about me," An aloof voice said. Daisy had arrived, still holding her phone to her ear. At the sight of what was going on, she squinted her eyes at Mary and tossed her phone behind her, for Mark to catch it. Within seconds, Mary was already thrown to the floor, lying there with a hideous expression on her face.


    Edward knew Daisy woulde as quickly as she could. He was much relieved to see her. Nobody could share him with her. Neither his body nor his lips.


    "Didn''t you leave the city?" Yakira had heard before that Daisy was a colonel. When she saw her in military uniform, the solemnity made her shake a little.


    "Is that why you are doing this? You think just because I am not around, you can steal from me? Why do you and your daughter enjoy taking other people''s things so much, like bandits? But even bandits have skills. What do you have?"


    Daisy looked at Yakira contemptuously. Then she bent and buttoned Edward''s shirt buttons which had been undone by Mary. She was filled with rage, not only because of Yakira and Mary''s shamelessness, but also because of Edward, who was leaning on her shoulder weakly. Luke had been just outside of the door. Edward could have dialed his phone and gotten this whole thing over with sooner. But instead, he had called her. She''d been far away in another city. Luckily, Yakira and Mary had just drugged him. What if somebody had wanted him dead? She wouldn''t have been able to arrive in time to save him.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "What do you mean by steal? Why do you get to have everything easily and I can only have the things you don''t want? I don''t deserve this. It''s unfair!" Mary red at Daisy. Almost. That dreamy man almost became hers. But everything was just the same as before, just because Daisy showed up in the nick of time.


    "Easily? You think I get everything just because I am lucky? I don''t have to earn what I want? How can you be so dumb? Nobody is that lucky. So stop ming others for yourziness." Daisy knitted her brows. Edward had be quite handsy. She had to keep taking his hands off her. Afraid that she might hurt him, she didn''t exert too much strength. He couldn''t help himself at this point.


    "Bitch, you''re just jealous that Edward is interested in me. That''s why you''re sabotaging our rtionship," Mary shouted at Daisy brazenly. As Yakira had said, after a while the drug would mess with the person''s awareness. So no matter how much Edward was repulsed by her, he would be powerless to resist. That was why they had been so certain things would be perfect tonight. However, Daisy ruined their ns.


    "Mary, watch your tongue!" Luke warned with a stern look. He had thought nothing would happen until he saw Daisy running inside. They had done such a terrible thing under his nose. Luke would haul them into ake if they weren''t Daisy''s rtives.


    "He''s interested in you? Why on earth would you think that? You have the nerve to steal my husband. Do you need me to tell you what crime you''vemitted?" Edward was trying to kiss Daisy. She pinched him hard on the waist. She had told him not to drink, but he drank anyway and got drugged. Daisy was angry. She decided to punish him for not listening to her by avoiding his kisses, no matter how much he wanted her.


    "Daisy, stop using your status to scare me. It was consensual. Do you think I could force him into making out with me if he didn''t want me?" Mary watched the intimacies between Edward and Daisy. She was burning with jealousy. She had tried everything to seduce him, but he didn''t respond to her at all. However, Daisy kept rejecting him and he kept trying again. What did he see in her to make him drop his pride and devote himself to her?


    "If you hadn''t drugged him, you wouldn''t even have been able to get near him. Stop dreaming. Seriously, You''re not his type." Edward kissed her on the lips as soon as Daisy finished herst sentence. She had to put his head in her bosom. She felt bad to see him like that, but he needed to learn his lesson and take her words seriously.


    "You! You think you are his type? Don''t be smug. A wonderful man like Edward wouldn''t need just one woman. Think about Jessica. You will end up like her one day." Mary said sarcastically without a trace of embarrassment for her behavior.


    "Never mind how I will end up. Start thinking about what will happen to you. Mark, put them in prison under the charge of physical assault. They can''t be released unless I say so." Edward''s condition seemed to be getting worse. Daisy decided not to waste any more time on Yakira and Mary.


    "Yes, colonel." Mark always acted quickly on Daisy''s orders. He was dedicated as a guard, and devoted to Daisy.


    "Daisy, your father won''t forgive you for doing this to us." Yakira had remained silent until now. No matter how cunning and shrewish she was, she felt she was in the wrong after being caught on the spot. So she didn''t dare to be too arrogant. Furthermore, she hadn''t forgotten that she was a senior here.


    "I fear nothing and I don''t have a father." Hearing Yakira mention Leo, Daisy became more upset and sensitive. Although she pretended she didn''t care about Leo at all, that was not true. She was Leo''s blood. Nothing could change that.00

 Chapter 554 Do You Know Who I Am (Part One)

    "Daisy, do you dare to tell me that it was''t you who told Leo to divorce me?" Right now, Yakira was like a mad dog that wanted to bite anyone who was in front of her. This was why she med her misfortunes on someone else.


    "I swear it wasn''t me. But for the sake of God, I''m so happy to hear such a delightful thing. I have to congratte you, this day finallyes. It seems that every cloud does have a silver lining." Usually, Daisy would not be the kind of person who would hit someone when they were down. But facing such an infuriating situation, she couldn''t help acting all snarky and mean when she was speaking. Even without a single dirty word, she could still take down the her enemy a few notches.


    "What do you mean? So you are saying that you''ve been hoping that your father would divorce me? For such an innocent face, you are really malicious inside." Daisy had always been the thorn in Yakira''s heart. Because right from the start, Daisy had never really cared about her, let alone called her mother. Ever since she joined Ouyang''s family, Daisy had always acted high and mighty in front of her, making her feel lowly and small before the girl.


    "No, I have never hoped for something so trivial and meaningless to me like that. Because it has nothing to do with me and isn''t worth my precious time. But speaking of being malicious, I would say that I can neverpete with you. So just set your heart at rest, you will always be the most malicious one. Nobody will ever take the title from you."


    Daisy just coldly raised an eyebrow, looking sarcastically at the shameless couple of mother and daughter who had no morals in her eyes. To be honest, she really felt very sorry for Brian. Who would have thought that such a reasonable big boy had such a mother who only had eyes for money. To be frank, it was truly an unfortunate thing that had happened to him.


    "You are not malicious? If you are not malicious, then why did you get Brian to ignore me, his own mother? If you are not malicious, why couldn''t you stand seeing our family happy? At the end of the day, is this just your revenge on me? Just because I made you leave this family before, you are going to make me miserable in this family."


    Just thinking of Brian being cold towards her, Yakira felt ten times more heartbroken than when hearing Leo was going to divorce her. After all, she had a feeling that she could only rely on Brian from now on. But if he didn''t even like her, how would she go on living her life? She couldn''t possibly count on Mary, her brainless daughter!Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Speaking of this, thanks for kicking me out of the family. If it wasn''t for you, I would never be this sessful today. I believe you can always find an excuse to me me. But to your disappointment, I will never admit something that I didn''t do. Brian has his own mind, he knows who''s good and who''s bad. So it''s in fact you who made him ignore you, not me."


    Daisy had to stop Edward from going too far, so she tightly trapped him with her slim arms, preventing him from stripping off her clothes. At the same time, she also had to deal with the me Yakira put on her for something she didn''t even do. To be honest, she was so angry that she was on the edge of exploding.


    "Bitch, how could you talk to my mother like that! It''s you who brainwashed Brian, and you didn''t dare to admit it! We are both his sisters, if not for your brainwashing, he wouldn''t treat you so good and treat me like dirt!" Mary took out all her hate on Daisy, especially when she saw Edward buried in the arms of Daisy without a care. Jealousy made her dizzy, but a p loud enough for the whole room to hear brought her back to reality.


    "Mary, that''s what you get when you disregard the warning." Luke said these words smoothly, and his face remained emotionless, as if it were not him who pped Mary. To see Edward being yed like that was infuriating enough for him, if he let Mrs. Mu be insulted by them when Edward was still out of it, then he wouldn''t deserve the right to stay by the CEO''s side.


    "Luke, how dare you p me!" Mary looked at Luke in utter disbelief. In her mind, this man was just a lowly bodyguard, so she didn''t give a damn about his warning at the very start. But much to her surprise, he actually pped her. This was something she could never imagine.


    "It''s my first time pping a woman. You should feel honored." Luke said coldly, his face showing no emotion. But Daisy on the other hand, was very pleased with his action, because she wanted to do it herself. But with Edward leaning on her with his whole body, she couldn''t get away and teach that girl a lesson. Mary deserved it for insulting her.


    "Mark, get them out of here." Daisy drew a few tissues from the napkin dispenser to wipe the sweat from Edward''s forehead. Though she was upset with him for not listening to her and drinking behind her back, she still didn''t have the heart to me him, like many times before. And this guy, he surely had a clue of what Daisy''s attitude would be when he acted without thinking, right?


    "Got it, colonel." Mark gave her a military salute, then turned around and looked at the two women that he didn''t like either. For a man who seldom frowned, he couldn''t help but frown and said: "Now! Are you leaving voluntarily or you want me to kick you out? The first choice will be so much better, while the second one will be really embarrassing for you two."


    "Why would we leave? Try andy a finger on us and see what happens. I will let everyone in the whole city know that you are using skills learned in the army to take vengeance on us. That you''re using your position to settle a personal score. A colonel bullying us ordinary people, what a joke!" Yakira didn''t want to choose at all. She had a personal dread of the police stations, so she didn''t want to be sent to one. Maybe this was her so-called guilty conscience.???????????

 Chapter 555 Do You Know Who I Am (Part Two)

    "You''re not leaving? Mark, call Mr. Yi toe here and take them to the police station himself. Yakira, you should be very proud of yourself! Picked up by the chief of Public Security Bureau. Luke, let''s go." The corner of Daisy''s mouth twitched, but the smile didn''t reach her eyes. She walked to the door, supporting Edward with her hands. If they would rather ride in a police car than in a military vehicle, then let them be. She would let them know what using her position to settle a personal score really meant.


    "Got it, colonel. Don''t worry about it." To be honest, kicking two struggling women out was not good for Mark''s image as a soldier. So what the colonel suggested was fantastic, and devious. He wouldn''t need to do anything himself to get this task done. And why not? "Daisy, you will go to hell for treating me like this! Won''t you even think of Brian''s feelings? I''m his biological mother!" Yakira didn''t expect that Daisy would set her mind on sending her to police station, without even considering Leo''s reputation. So eventually, she had to bring up Brian, to see if Daisy would change her mind.


    "Brian? I''ll exin it to himter. It''s none of your business. Mark, watch them carefully. Without my permission, nobody can let them out." After she finished talking, Daisy paid no mind to what the woman and her daughter were saying, and left without even looking back. She helped Edward out to the car.


    "Mrs. Mu, where are we going? Home or hotel?" Once out of Sexy World, Luke asked hurriedly, he himself also felt sorry for Edward. Who would have expected that a proud man like him would be drugged by two women? It might be the first time that this kind of thing happened to him. He could only imagine how furious Edward would be when he regained consciousness, not to mention what kind of revenge he would take on both mother and daughter.


    "A nearby hotel! Home is a little bit too far." Daisy knew clearly that she looked a little awkward right now, but she still kept the bearing of a soldier. And she also knew for a fact that Edward couldn''t hold out any longer, judging from his state now.


    "Then we go to our own hotel? It''s only a few minutes'' drive. And there is also Edward''s own suite. So we don''t have to worry about the rooms being all booked up." Luke knew that Sexy World also had guest rooms, but with Mrs. Mu being a soldier and all, she shouldn''t be there, in case someone took a photo. So even if Sexy World was the nearest ce to hole up, he didn''t rmend it.


    "Okay! We will go there!" Daisy found that she couldn''t contain Edward''s actions any more. So she knew it must be the time of the full effect of the drug right now, which didn''t leave her many choices.


    FX International Group had many fancy hotels in the city. You could practically see its specific sign on nearly every busy street. One could say that it monopolized the economic lifeline of the entire industry. Of course, Daisy, who didn''t care about FX International Group, didn''t know this. Because all she cared about was just ¨¦dward, not the assets attached to him.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Once in the car, Daisy could finally run a hand through her hair that got messed up during his random actions. In return, she received a bunch of heated kisses from Edward. She couldn''t worry about the presence of Luke any more, she just let him kiss her fervently. But she still paid attention to her clothes, in case Edward tore them up. Seeing Edward in this state made her eyes redden. So when they finally in the suite of Hotel Sofitel, Daisy didn''t resist his moves any more, instead went along obediently with him, letting him leave a trail of small kisses on her body in his wake.


    "Edward, do you know who I am?" Though Yakira said that this drug would make him lose his mind in the end, she still wanted to see if he would recognize her. This was something that every woman wanted to know, to see if she was really the only one for him in his heart like his words said. Daisy was a woman, so she also wanted to know the answer.


    But much to her disappointment, she didn''t get any response. Even though in her heart she knew that he was under the drug''s influence, she still somewhat felt injured. She saw herself as a tool, only for him to use as he pleased without a ounce of care for her. This realization made her much angrier at Yakira and her daughter, so when sheter dealt with Yakira, she took it personally.


    "Don''t cry, or I''ll feel sad too." The kiss was soft. Even though he was surely under the influence of the drug, he could still smell the slight aroma of jasmines from her body and feel the familiarity. It was the instinct of love that made him know this was the woman he loved deeply in his heart. So he really didn''t mean to be like this.


    "Honey, you know who I am." Daisy cried from pure joy. She didn''t me him for being rough. What she was worried about was that he didn''t know who he was going to sleep with, and that was the reason why she suddenly felt so sad. Now hearing hisforting words, her heart started to beat for him again.


    "Woman, in your eyes, is the man you love really that weak? Don''t you trust your judgement? Or don''t you trust me?" Edward said softly, eyes full of unfocused affection.


    "I just don''t trust myself. Because I''m rarely this lucky. But I''m really happy that I''m lucky enough to have you." Daisy put her mouth on his thin lips, even bit lightly on those lips with a hint of anger. Her eyes were still full of tears, but this time, they were happy tears.0000000000000000

 Chapter 556 I Always Know That (Part One)

    "Honey, I love you," said Daisy. She looked at Edward and locked her beautiful eyes on him with great admiration and love. At this wonderful moment, she didn''t want to spoil any of this happiness. She didn''t want to ask for too much. All she wished for was simply to be with him, to be with the man that she loved so deeply. And she did hope that from now on, they could go through all the hardships and difficulties together, and they would never have to be separated again. She was grateful to him, for the thoughtfulness and gentleness that he had kept even when he was drugged, for the care and respect he had given to her even when his mind was controlled by such a strong drug. She would love to thank him with her love for the rest of her life.


    "Sweetie, I always know that," said Edward. Sometimes, when love reached a certain state, they felt like they were bing immortal celestial beings who lived in heaven. Their love for each other was so deep and great that they wished this perfect moment would never pass, and their minds and feelings hade to a level beyond perfection.


    The night was long, but not as deep as their love. After experiencing all these hardships, they finally earned their precious love and happiness. They cuddled with each other and fell into a good night''s deep sleep underneath the night''s beautiful sky where stars were shining and reflecting each other.


    When the first morning sunlight came through the curtain and shone on this happy couple, Daisy didn''t wake up as usual. She was still sleeping sweetly, snuggling in Edward''s arms, like azy kitten, so petite and so cute.


    Perhaps for every man on Earth, sex with their loved ones could never be too much, and their bodies would never be too fatigued to have more. So just as every time before, Edward was still the one that woke up first after their love making. He opened his deep and intoxicating eyes, and what he saw first was his petite wife who slept like a cute baby, which had made up such an enjoyable scene that he felt a very profound peacefulnessing from his heart.


    Probably he had asked for too much from her body time after timest night, so she was too tired to wake up. Daisy was still sleeping quietly, and wasn''t even slightly affected by her biological clock that usually woke her up early in the morning. For Edward, it was quite unusual to be with his petite wife that was not as cold and aloof as she had always been. So when her warm and soft body fell into his arms, being close to his own, he found it too cruel to disturb her. But still, knowing that she would have to leave for her work anyway, his heart ached. Then he thought of Yakira, and his eyes narrowed, his gaze indicating some seriously dangerous thoughts. ''Yakira, you had once used that liitle stupid trick on Leo, but how dare you use it on me again! If you seeded this time, what would you want? Would you try to threaten me with it?''


    Edward''s lips moved a little and he gave out a cold sneer. The very person that could stay clear of his punishment after provoking him had not been born yet! Since Yakira had stepped over the line first, he would never let her get out of this easily this time. The mere mention of her divorce from Leo could make her react so strongly. What would happen if he handed Leo the evidence he collected? It would definitely be much more serious than a divorce!


    He kissed Daisy on her forehead affectionately, then went naked into the bathroom to take a bath. When Edward finally got his entire body immersed in the warm water, he feltfortable and his mind eased. The tension was driven away. Then he picked up his water- proof cellphone beside the tub, and dialed a number. The called was connected and Mark''s lively voice came on.


    "Hello! Who is it?" Mark answered the phone feeling a little uncertain. He tilted his head and thought to himself, ''It''s an unfamiliar number. Who could that be so early in the morning?'' After all, he spent almost the entire night in the police stationst night because of what Yakira and her daughter had done. And since the Colonel wasn''t there, it would have been impolite to leave there before the the chief of the police station left. He was still a little pissed now!


    "Mark, it''s me. Does your Colonel have any important things to attend to today ording to her schedule?" Edward was a man who always kept his promises. So from the moment he promised Daisy, he had been doing his best not to interfere with her work by his personal issues. He had promised so, and he had done so as well. Because from his perspective, it was the bottom line that he kept hismitment to his loved one.


    "Mr. Mu, it''s you!" said Mark. "Colonel doesn''t have any important things to attend to this morning, but she will have to attend a meeting this afternoon. But why would you ask me about her schedule? Isn''t she with you right now?" Mark was feeling more confused now. He was such an innocent boy that he would never think about the intimate behavior conducted by Edward and Daisyst night. No wonder he didn''t understand why Edward would ask him instead of Colonel about her own schedule.


    "Right!" answered Edward. "She''s with me right now. If there isn''t anything important for her to deal with in the army base, please ask for some time off for her this morning. She will attend the meeting this afternoon on time. And do NOT ask me for any exnations!" Edward said this quickly. Sometimes he thought Mark might be too innocent and it was impossible for him to exin the real reason to Mark. Besides, byparison with Mark, Edward would look like an evil man who had too much erotic passion.Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Yes, I know," said Mark. Then he looked at the cellphone that he had just been talking on. Mr. Mu had already hung up. He wondered confusingly, ''What''s going on with that guy? Why did he call me so early in the morning for such weird questions? Is this the capricious Mr. Mu that Colonel has always talked about? And why did he get so angry in just a second?'' But after heined about Mr. Mu''s weird behavior, Mark still had to obey his order. He called the army base and asked for leave for Colonel. Otherwise, if Commander couldn''t find the Colonel, he might make a series of desperate phone calls, which would definitely get everyone into trouble.


    After taking the cozy warm bath, Edward went out the bathroom feeling totally rxed, without the tension and fatigue that had covered him since he woke up. He waspletely refreshed now, even his mood got better. He took a look at the beauty on the bed, who was still in her sweet sleep, and he knew he didvish love and affection on her, because he just couldn''t help smiling when seeing her.


    He opened the wardrobe, looking at all the clothes of different styles. He thought for a moment, and then decided to put on a casual looking off-white suit. It was his habit that every hotel under FX International Group would reserve a suite for him, and there would always be all kinds of clothing for various asions in his suite, which would be much more convenient for him. But unfortunately, he forgot to ask his staff to get some clothing for Daisy in the wardrobe. It was his fault this time. Because after his reunion with her, he had never thought of spending a night with her in a hotel of this city. After all, their home was always much cozier and morefortable than a hotel room. Even if this was his hotel, it still couldn''tpare to their home, where he could feel the warmth of love.

 Chapter 557 I Always Know That (Part Two)

    Edward opened the suite door gently to get out, then he closed it carefully as well. He was so thoughtful and considerate that he tried to make his movements as gentle as possible, not wanting to disturb his petitedy''s sleep. He knocked softly on the door of the room next to his suite. Very soon, Luke came out and answered the door. "Mr. Mu, you''re up. Are you alright?" asked Luke. He nced at his watch, and didn''t expect Mr. Mu to be this early. He had assumed that because of what might have happened between Mr. and Mrs. Must night, Mr. Mu might get up muchter than this. "I''m fine. What about Yakira and her daughter?" What concerned Edward most was Yakira and her daughter. The moment he saw Daisyst night, the tension that had been tightened for too long in his mind had suddenly gone. Then he had fallen into some sort of disorientation. It wasn''t until he saw the tears falling down Daisy''s face that he gained his mind back a little. But he still didn''t know what had happened to Yakira and her daughter. He assumed that since he had been set up this time, Luke would never let them get out of trouble easily.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "They were sent to the police station by Mark. It was an order from Mrs. Mu," answered Luke. Just like reserving a suite for Edward in every one of his hotels, there would alsways be a room next to his suite reserved for his bodyguards as well. So Edward could be sure that Luke was in this room, which was something he had been so used to.


    "Oh! That''s unexpected. But what was the charge?" Edward frowned, then heughed yfully. He was quite curious about what kind of charge had gotten Yakira and her daughter in trouble with the cops.


    "It''s said that they were used of intentionally injuring another person," answered Luke. He believed that such a charge was somewhat unsubstantiated too, for they hadpletely forgotten about collecting evidence at that time, and if Yakira and her daughter denied the usation, there would be nothing else the police could do.


    "Oh! That''s pretty much like what she would do, as a soldier, solving these issues byw," said Edward. He didn''t think as much as Luke did. In his opinion, the reason why Daisy had done this was quite simple She had been trying to give Yakira and her daughter a warning, but she hadn''t meant to actually put them into jail. After all, she still had a sense of kinship with Brian, so she couldn''t just ignore his feelingspletely. And as for Brian, Yakira was always his biological mother. No matter how well he got along with Daisy, he couldn''t cut off his rtionship with Yakirapletely.


    "Mr. Mu, have you got an idea that you''d like me to act on?" asked Luke. He had known Mr. Mu so well that he was sure Mr. Mu would never havee to him this early if nothing had happened. Now that he hade, there must be something for him to deal with for Mr. Mu. As for what the thing would be, if he didn''t guess it wrong, it would have to do with what had happenedst night.


    "Yep! Send all the information we have about Yakira to Leo. I''d really love to see how he''s going to solve this problem this time." Edward gave Luke a wicked smile when telling him what to do. Edward had ideas alright. Since there was nothing he could do with Yakira right now, why not give Leo a chance to mess up with her ns a little? Probably by doing so, he would be able to gather some useful information against Yakira.


    "OK. I understand. But what about Paul?" asked Luke. At the same time, he also picked up his coat and was ready to go out. Luke was always a dutiful man who would give whatever Mr. Mu had told him to do the highest priority. He wouldplete his tasks as soon as possible.


    "Paul? Just release him! But you''ll really have to send someone to watch him closely, even the slightest movement of his! I''d like to know if he will contact Yakira as soon as he is released." Some sort of slyness could be seen in Edward''s eyes. There was no use detaining Paul forever. After all, he was not the police, and he couldn''t convict Paul. So instead of keeping him here, why not let him go and get him into the mess as well, making the situation even more troublesome for Yakira? Stir up the clear water. Edward was looking forward to seeing how Yakira would handle all these sudden events.


    "OK. I''ll get on this right now. And would you like me to call someone over to help?" Luke was a little concerned. He knew that Mr. Mu would definitely have exhausted Mrs. Must night. So in case of any emergencies, he believed it would be safer for them to have some bodyguards with them.


    "It''s alright. I don''t need them. Don''t forget about the officer by my side. No matter how exhausted she was, she would be able to beat up most viins. No one could hurt us easily." Edward was strongly confident of Daisy''s fighting skills. Plus, he himself was not bad at fighting either. So there was no need to sweat the small stuff.


    "That''s true. Then I''ll leave now," said Luke. Then he walked out of the room. And at the same time, he didn''t forget to make a call to ask for a car to wait here for them, so that when Mr. and Mrs. Mu needed to leave hereter, the car would be here already and they wouldn''t need to wait for the car toe, which could save them some precious time. Luke was a careful man and he always took care of the little things. That''s why Edward had trusted him all the time.


    After watching Luke get into the elevator, Edward got back to his own thoughts. He was quite excited about what would happen next. What kind of show would they be ying for him to watch? But before the showtime came, he would have to ask Daisy to release Yakira and her daughter first. Otherwise, if these two leading roles of the show were absent, how could the show go on? To be honest, Edward had to admit that he was quite an evil man from this point of view. He could always punish those who had offended and provoked him without getting his hands dirty or leaving a clue. This time, however, he would see if Yakira and her daughter were strong enough to take his punishment.


    Edward headed back into his room. He had thought that his petite wife would wake up now, but instead, he saw her still sleeping quietly, which made himugh at himself a little. It seemed that he exhausted herst night, or she wouldn''t have slept for so long without even the slightest sign of waking up.00000000

 Chapter 558 Just a Petty Official

    Edward moved over to the bedside and looked at Daisy with a tender expression on his face, as if she were a painting he never got tired of looking at. He was afraid that he would lose her one day. Daisy was always giving him surprises. He was touched. Edward pinched her nose lightly. Daisy woke up, batting her long beautiful eyshes. When she saw Edward, she closed her eyes again before suddenly sitting up in bed. But she had to lie back down because her body was so sore and numb. "Slow down. No need to be so excited to see me." Edward joked with a charming smile, but Daisy wasn''t attracted.


    "Edward, what time is it? Why didn''t you wake me up? Damn it. I''mte," Daisy said angrily. Edward seemed rxed while she was sore all over. She felt a lot more tired than usual after training. She just wanted to keep lying down and not move at all. "It''s okay. Go back to sleep. I already asked for leave for you." Edward sat on the bed andforted her. He patted her shoulder as if she were a baby.


    "Really? Okay, I''ll just sleep a while more. Then I''ll go to work." Daisy mumbled. She held Edward''s waist and stroked his arm. Feeling peaceful and safe in his presence, she soon fell asleep. Edward sat still helplessly. He wouldn''t be able to keep the same position for long. After a while, his body would be stiff.


    He sighed and climbed onto the bed. He lied down next to her and settled her head on his arm. He watched her quietly, feeling grateful to have her in his life. Otherwise, he would never have known what true love was.


    Yakira and Mary spent the night in the police station. Every person who went in and out looked at them curiously. The intense humiliation they felt made them hate Daisy even more.


    "Mom, it''s morning already. Is that bitch really so ruthless as to keep us here all night? Forget dad. You are Brian''s mom. He has always been good to her, she shouldn''t have thrown us here! We''re not even allowed to post bail. What the hell? Does she think we know nothing about thew? What''s wrong with the legal counsel of Ouyang Foreign Trade? I called him so many times but he never answered the phone. Is he trying to get fired?"


    Mary gritted every word through her teeth. Edward had been a sitting duck to her, but then Daisy came and ruined everything. After a night in the police station, her hatred grew. She had said those words to provoke her mother''s hate for Daisy. She wanted Yakira to hate Daisy as much as she did, because Yakira was not a forgiving person. She would get back at whoever offended her. In that case, Yakira would still be Mary''s ally and would keep helping her get Edward.


    "Shut up! As my daughter, how can you be so dumb? Not only can you not hold onto a man, but also you''re not perceptive at all!" Yakira was furious with how Mary had answered the police officer''s questions. She had been stupid enough to admit to drugging Edward. She even asked how the police knew about it! Thinking of her foolish actions, Yakira couldn''t help but snap at her.


    "What about you? If you hadn''t offended Edward, he wouldn''t have hated me so much." Mary pursed her lips. She didn''t find anything wrong with what she had done, and med it all on Yakira.


    "Mary, when will you grow up? Look at how sessful Daisy is, then look at yourself! Should I go on?" Yakira now realized the importance of fame and power. Daisy didn''t even need to show herself in person, just a call from her could make the chief of the Public Security Bureau immediatelye over and pick them up himself. Even Edward would not be able to do that. Compared to Daisy, Mary not only had no skills but also didn''t know how to adapt to the changing situation. Suddenly, it hit Yakira that she and Mary had been beaten by Grace and Daisy. Her face became extremely hideous at the thought.


    "Mom, how can you praise your enemy and belittle your own daughter? Daisy is just a petty official. No big deal. She might have traded herself to get that position. Who knows?" Mary didn''t think that Daisy was better than her. She only had a better family background and good luck.


    "At least she''s beautiful. Look at yourself. What do you have?" The imprisonment made Yakira anxious. No doubt that Edward would retaliate against her. The first person that he would find and ally himself with would be Leo, which would put her in a very tight spot. Helplessly locked up in the police station, she didn''t have a chance to exin herself to Leo.


    "Yes, I have nothing while Daisy is outstanding in every way. But don''t you forget, like mother like daughter. I got my looks from you, so don''t me me for my appearance." Yakira was a good teacher. By her example, Mary had be as calcting and vulgar as her. "Be quiet!" A policeman shouted just as Yakira was about to yell at Mary. Yakira and Mary dropped the argument in surprise. Seething in anger, they refused to talk to each other and fell into deep thought about different things. The harder it was to acquire something, the more valuable it appeared. Mary was thinking about Edward. She couldn''t get his handsome face and distinguished presence out of her mind.


    Meanwhile, Yakira was thinking about how to deal with Edward''s retaliation. Since Mary was so obsessed with Edward, Yakira had nned to let Mary take the fall for everything if their n failed. Then she could get more time to figure out her next move. Ironically, Daisy showed up and sent them to prison. It seemed that time had made Daisy ruthless. She was no longer a weak girl anymore.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "Excuse me. When can we be released? We''ve been kept here all night. If they want to file charges against us, don''t they have to present the evidence?" Seeing her mom wasn''t in the mood to talk to her, Mary turned to the policeman with a charming smile on her face.


    "How should I know? I was told by my superior that you offended someone important. It''s up to her when you get released." Actually, the policeman was also confused about the situation. There had been no interrogation since Yakira and Mary were brought in, but they couldn''t be released anyway. And the chief had picked them up himself. Everything left him puzzled.


    "Important? She''s just a colonel. Who cares?" Mary assumed that a colonel was simr to a manager in a firm. There was nothing to be afraid of.


    "What? Just a colonel? Tell me, what kind of position do you think is important enough?" The policeman stared at her in disbelief. He couldn''t believe his ears. These were the most ridiculous words he had ever heard. How could they be so arrogant? Were they more powerful than Daisy?


    "How powerful is a colonel?" Mary asked. They weren''t going anywhere and she had nothing better to do anyway. She took the opportunity to find out more about Daisy and why she was so haughty.


    Yakira''s mouth moved, as if she had something to say, but in the end nothing came out of her mouth. Daisy had made the chief of the Public Security Bureau pick them up himself, but her stupid daughter still couldn''t see Daisy''s power. Mary thought Daisy was only a petty official. Since Yakira was too pissed to talk to her, she decided to remain silent and let the policeman exin it to Mary.


    "What do you think? She doesn''t even give a damn about our chief, you can imagine how powerful she is. It''s not your fault that you can''t understand all this. After all, you''re not a politician. It''s bad luck that you have offended her, though! Pray for yourself." The policeman sighed and shook his head. He was rendered speechless by Mary''s ignorance. He decided to go back to work. It was always wise to talk less and do more work. He didn''t want to get into trouble.

 Chapter 559 Don鈥檛 Look At Me Like That

    "Really? Is it really that serious? I don''t think so. You must be exaggerating. Mom, what do you think?" Mary found what the policeman said a little hard to swallow. She didn''t expect that Daisy could wield such tremendous power. She was always eager to be superior over Daisy. But Daisy was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and was happily married to Edward who loved her dearly. On the other hand, Mary was a single woman from a poor family. Moreover, Daisy was a colonel, while Mary was an ordinary woman. In short, Mary was inferior to Daisy in every aspect. The harsh truth was devastating to her. "We''re currently detained in the police station. Why are you still asking such a stupid question?" Yakira replied angrily. She shouldn''t have offended thewyer of the Ouyang Foreign Trade a while back, or she wouldn''t be suffering bitterly here. But she would never beg Daisy for mercy. She would rather stay here than ask Daisy to release her. She wanted to keep her dignity.


    "Why did you yell at me? Wait and see. Daisy will pay the price soon." Mary disyed a vicious smile. A lot of people hated Daisy, and Jessica was at the top of the list. In that case, they could find a chance to cut Daisy down to size. They had to destroy Daisy. Then she couldn''t pretend to be pure and noble anymore.


    Yakira looked at Mary with a frown. She didn''t understand what Mary meant, but she knew her daughter like the back of her hand. Mary was an impetuous person and always acted without careful consideration. Ovee with rage, she would go to any length to get what she wanted. At the thought, Yakira couldn''t help but heave a sigh. She didn''t ask Mary about her n. As a result, Mary would repeat her mistaketer.


    Daisy ignored all the members of the Ouyang family, but because she cared about her younger brother Brian, she didn''t want to make any trouble. After waking up, she called the police station and told them to release Yakira and Mary. Deep in her heart, she didn''t want Brian to know that he had such a shameless and despicable mother. He would be heartbroken. She couldn''t bear to see that, so she decided to hide it from him and protect him from the painful truth. Brian was her only brother. She couldn''t afford to lose him.


    "Is it done?" Edward looked at Daisy tenderly. She didn''t open her eyes until noon, which surprised him. Instead of waking her up, he went back to sleep with her. When she woke up, he asked her to release Yakira and Mary. He had a bigger surprise prepared for them. "Tell me. Why did you want me to release Yakira and Mary?" Daisy narrowed her eyes at Edward, wondering. She just wanted to teach them a lesson, but Edward''s request was contrary to how he usually behaved. She didn''t know why he asked her to release them. "I''ll tell you tonight. Don''t you have to attend a meeting this afternoon? Let''s go have lunch. But before this, I think you need a bath." Daisy''s cleavage was partly visible under the nket. Edward stared at it with a wicked grin.


    "Don''t look at me like that!" Daisy blushed. She pulled the nket to cover her body and red at Edward disapprovingly. Edward shrugged his shoulders in response.


    "I can''t control myself. As a regr man, how can I turn a blind eye when there''s such a gorgeous woman in front of me? If I ignored you, I would appear sexually ipetent." Edward wagged his slender finger at Daisy in a flirtatious manner. With an mischievous smile on his face, he looked more enchanting.


    "You know what? You''re a vulgar man. Get out. I''m going to take a bath." Daisy gripped the nket to her tightly. No matter how skilled she was, she was at a disadvantage. Since she was naked on the bed, she had to protect herself.


    "Why should I go out when you take a bath? Rx. I won''t do anything to you. Even if you want to have sex now, I''m too tired to do that." Although Edward knew that it was not what Daisy meant, he still teased her. Her flushed face made her charming and cute. "Edward, shut up. I didn''t mean that! I''m not a sex maniac!" If Daisy weren''t naked, she would get up from bed and hit Edward. She didn''t want to have sex. Edward was the one who always had a desire for sexual intimacy. How could he turn it around and me it on her? "Well, it''s my fault. I''m sorry for smearing your reputation as a colonel. I''ll leave now. You can do whatever you want." Edward stood up. He was very fastidious about his clothing. He went back to bed in sleepwear earlier, so he decided to get changed before he left the room. He took off his clothes and took out a suit without any wrinkles from the wardrobe in front of Daisy. It was the casual clothes that he liked to wear when he didn''t go to work, because it made him look more easygoing, energetic, and friendly.


    "Where are you going?" Daisy asked Edward questioningly with a frown. She tightened her grasp on the nket. Edward was too shameless. He took off his clothes in front of her, and she was too shy to look straight at him.


    "Didn''t you tell me to go out? Don''t you want me to leave now?" Edward looked back at Daisy as he put on his trousers, disying his impressive abdominal muscles. Daisy didn''t think that Edward would suddenly turn around. She blushed in embarrassment, making her look attractive.


    "Get out. Go wherever you want. Don''t show off in front of me." Daisy shot Edward a reproachful pout as she spoke angrily. Her words were contrary to her thoughts.


    "Okay. I''m leaving. Don''t regret it." Edward gave Daisy a sly grin. Then he swaggered away, giving her a view of his handsome back. Daisy was left alone in the room. She began to regret throwing him out.


    Although Daisy knew that there was no one else in the room, she ran into the bathroom with the nket wrapped around her. But before long, she walked out because she forgot to bring her clothes with her. She rushed to the wardrobe to see if there were any clothes suitable for her. But the closet full of men''s designer clothes disappointed her. Edward had good taste. All his clothes were popr brands. Unfortunately, there were no women''s clothes inside. Daisy was pleased because it meant that Edward didn''t bring women here. Looking down at the nket wrapped around her, she was at a loss with what to do.


    Daisy bit her lip and finally decided to take out a shirt with a frown. She allowed herself a wry smile. Edward''s shirt was long enough to be a one-piece dress for her. She had no choice but to wear it now, like the female leading role in romantic fiction. She didn''t think it would ever happen to her, but now it seemed that she was wrong. The world was constantly changing, and no one could predict what was waiting for them.


    In the past, Daisy lived in the army base. She didn''t have a bathtub because the bathroom was too small. Moreover, because she was devoted to her work, she didn''t want to waste any time in the bath. But now, she found it was pleasant to sit in the bathtub. When she submerged her sore body in the warm water, she feltpletely rxed and forgot everything in herfort.


    Daisy was an intellectual woman who was outstanding in both intelligence and appearance, but she was never arrogant about it. Instead, she kept telling herself not to be self-conceited. Nobody was perfect. Everyone had to experience a lot of things before they understood the essence of life. This was why she always improved herself to achieve what she wanted. Since she never relied on anyone, she was afraid that she would be obsessed with the feeling. Even though she enjoyed the excellent conditions that her husband provided, she felt constantly uneasy.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    After the bath, Daisy''s skin became crimson and smooth, which gave her a delicate and morous look. Moreover, she looked petite in Edward''s baggy shirt. She felt like she was naked, and it made her ufortable. She kept pulling down the shirt, but no matter how much she pulled, the shirt didn''t be any longer. She was frustrated.


    Edward was greeted with the amusing scene when he pushed the door open. He couldn''t help but burst intoughter. He didn''t expect Daisy to be so adorable. This was a rare and good chance to see the brilliant Colonel Ouyang so charming and adorable in private. "Do you need my help?" With a gentle smile, Edward put the paper bag in his hand on the bed. Crossing his arms over his chest, he looked at Daisy with a mischievous look in his eyes. He couldn''t move his gaze from Daisy''s slender legs.


    "No, thanks. Get some clothes for me. I can''t go out like this." Daisy covered her thighs with her hands in embarrassment.


    "You look good. Don''t worry. No one willugh at you." Edward walked up to Daisy and gathered her into his arms. Looking at the woman in his shirt, he couldn''t help but nt a kiss on her forehead. She was the first woman to wear his shirt. Her stunning look fascinated him.


    "You''reughing at me. Don''t make fun of me." Daisy angrily pinched Edward''s waist. Edward was neatly dressed. But there were no women''s clothes in the wardrobe, so Daisy had to wear his shirt. She desperately wanted to wear her military uniform. But because Edward had violently torn the buttons off itst night, she couldn''t wear it anymore.

 Chapter 560 You Win (Part One)

    "Did Iugh? Are you sure about that? Your eyes are ying tricks on you. You must be so starving that you start seeing things." Edward reached out and smoothed her inky hair gently. In his arms, Daisy let her guard down and she looked more vulnerable and feminine.


    He loved this side of her as much as he loved the authoritative colonel in military uniform.


    "And you''re the one to me. This is all your fault!" Daisy tilted her head back to re at him. His words earned him a pinch on his waist. Even though she was angry, she didn''t pinch him in full strength. She couldn''t help worrying about him. If he got hurt, she would feel his pain. "Oh, you''re right. This is all my fault. How about I make it up to you by buying you dinner?" He hugged her tightly, his slender arms wrapped around her waist. He looked into her eyes and indulged himself in the soft touch of her warm body. It felt amazing. He was always so easily turned on by her.


    "Huh! I have money. I don''t need you to buy me dinner. I need clothes. Get me some clothes now." Edward tried to pinch the tip of her nose, but Daisy quickly evaded it. He liked teasing her like this. It always made her feel like she was a puppy. She refused to give him the satisfaction.


    "So... you want clothes. Tell me, how are you going to reward me after you get them?" Flirting with her was something he could never get enough of. Edward enjoyed spending time with her. He especially liked teasing her.


    "Damn it. That''s enough. Do you have to bargain with me over everything? I''ll just walk out like this, I don''t mind. I just hope you won''t mind either." She scowled at him defiantly, fully aware that Edward couldn''t bear the thought of her being dressed so revealingly in public. "You''re learning. You know all my weak spots and you know how to take advantage of them. Clever girl. I just fear that you will get arrested for going out like this, and I''ll have to bail you out. That will be very embarrassing."


    Edward never got bested easily. He was used to taking control of everything around him. Going down without a fight was not in his nature. He remained calm and collected as if her threat didn''t work at all. But deep down, he was anxious. Although he definitely didn''t want his wife to be seen like this, he just couldn''t give in easily.


    "You..." Daisy was about to retort, but thought better of it. Then she shed him a smile. Did Edward think she wouldn''t dare do it? She wondered if he could still maintain his calmposure after seeing her walk out of the door. Stepping back, she moved easily out of his arms and strode towards the door. She didn''t dare walk too fast, afraid that he wouldn''t have enough time to stop her. If that happened, she''d have no way out of this. She would have to choose between swallowing her pride and ruining her image.


    Edward just stood in ce and watched her, the calm and confident look on his face conveying his absolute certainty. But when she turned the knob and opened the door, all his certainty vanished. Before he knew it, he rushed forward and closed the door quickly. His face darkened as he pulled her closer, tucking her against his chest. Daisy gave him a mischievous grin despite his using re.


    "Fine! Here you go. You win." Edward reluctantly picked up the paper bag on the bed and handed it to her, afraid that she would pull the trick again. Even though he knew she was just threatening him, he couldn''t take the slightest risk of having her body be seen by another man.


    "You have my uniform! But you''ve just been out for a very short time. How did you get it so fast?" Daisy unpacked the paper bag and found her neatly folded uniform inside. She had no idea that her uniform was inside the bag he was holding when he came back earlier.


    "I have to take back calling you ''clever.'' You''re not clever, you''re the opposite. I just made a phone call to have someone send your uniform here. There''s no need to go back home in person to get it."


    Edward still seemed a little disgruntled, though he had to admit he could only me himself. He cared her so much that he walked directly into her trap. Fortunately, they were the only ones in the room, so he was spared from bing theughing stock.


    "Tsk! My silliness brought out your cleverness. But who did you ask to send this over?" Daisy asked curiously as she found her underwear in the bag. Whoever packed her uniform was very thoughtful.


    "Your aide. Don''t give me that look. Mom packed your clothes." Before Edward could say another word, there was a knock on the door. Daisy grabbed her clothes and rushed into the bathroom. Her quick reflexes showed her expertise as a soldier, but it also made Edward realize one thing. Given that she was so afraid of being seen now, he was stupid enough to believe that she would dare go out wearing nothing but a shirt. But it was no use crying over spilled milk now.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Come in." Edward opened the door to see a waiter outside with a food cart. He didn''t just go out to fetch her clothes, he also checked the food on the way. Since he didn''te to this hotel often, he wasn''t familiar with the food choices here. He carefully chose the food and had them sent to their room. It was more convenient for Daisy, and it also gave them more time to be alone together.000????????????

 Chapter 561 You Win (Part Two)

    "Yes, Mr. Mu." The waiter nodded politely. He knew the young and handsome CEO even though he didn''t see him frequently. He wheeled the cart into the room and put the food on the dinning table. His movements were quick and smooth the entire time. Edward stood aside and watched him with a smile. He waited patiently and didn''t say a word until the waiter finished all his work. Some guests might prefer to tell the waiter how to do his job orin while waiting, but Edward wasn''t like that. "It''s all set, Mr. Mu. Is there anything else I can do for you?" The waiter asked as his hand dropped to his side. He kept his head down, avoiding the eye contact with Edward. Though Edward seemed approachable and nice all the time, there was something intimidating about him.


    "No, that''s all. Thank you." Edward was always friendly with his staff. He wasn''t an overbearing, ill-tempered boss. This was the reason his staff loved him and respected him all the time.


    "You''re very wee. If you excuse me, I shall go back to work now." The waiter took his leave and closed the door behind him. He rarely met the CEO, only several times in a year at the most. Edward wasn''t a boss who would criticize people for no reason, but he emitted a very powerful aura with his looks and actions. Under Edward''s gaze, the waiter started to feel a cold sweat all over his body and couldn''t wait to get out of his sight.


    "Ah! That smells really good. When did you order room service? I didn''t notice." Daisy looked spirited and uplifting in her uniform. Military uniform definitely suited her personality better.


    "There are a lot of things you don''t notice. Sit down and eat. You have a meetingter. I''ll drive you to the army base." Edward had asked Mark about her schedule and knew she had a meeting. This was why he had asked Cynthia to get Daisy''s uniform ready. But he didn''t expect his mother to be so thoughtful as to pack underwear as well.


    "Mark will drive me. You should go home and take a rest. You don''t have to do that." Daisy sat down at the table. She was indeed very hungry. She didn''t eatst night when she came back from the neighboring city. After a whole night''s exercise, she waspletely exhausted. She needed to eat and get her energy back.


    "I insist." Edward frowned as something came to mind. He wondered if everything was going fine with Luke. ording to n, Paul should be free now. What would Leo do afterwards? Would he remain calm and pretend that everything was well after finding out the whole truth?


    "If you want to, do as you like. As long as you don''t find it a hassle," Daisy said as her observant eye took in every detail of her husband. Noticing the change on his face, she dropped the subject. Why did he go silent abruptly? And why was he with Yakira and Maryst night? Because he said that he was going to tell her everything tonight, there was nothing she could do but wait.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "How could a man be worth loving if he finds driving his wife a hassle?" Edward chose the food ording to Daisy''s taste. He had never tried to remember a woman''s likes and dislikes before Daisy. She was the only one. He had asked Justin about Daisy, taking the risk of beingughed at by his son. But he loved her a lot. Naturally, he wanted to know every detail and every part of her.


    "Why are you so serious all of a sudden? Are you in a bad mood? I feel like you are trying to anger me on purpose." Daisy put her chopsticks aside and studied him, waiting for him to exin.


    "No, I''m not. Eat before the food gets cold." Truth be told, Edward was a little agitated now. He had promised Daisy that he would tell her everything tonight. The truth would be a hard blow to her. It would be too much to take in. He wasn''t sure if she could handle it. If he had a choice, he would prefer to hide it and avoid the slightest possibility of her getting hurt. But it had to be done. It was about her mother and Daisy deserved the truth. At the moment, he was a bundle of nerves from the apprehension.


    If Edward''s worries were a fuse, then Luke was the one who ignited it. Leo was heartbroken when he read the report the private investigator had handed in. But the feeling was nothingpared to what he felt now. After he heard the audio tape that Luke brought him, he felt as if his heart was being pierced and twisted by a thousand knives. He sat immobile for a long time. His mind went nk, his face was grey, and his eyes looked empty and dead.


    Grace''s death wasn''t an ident. Yakira had ned everything. Not only did he fall for her lies, but he also married her. It was all unfair to Grace. He married the woman who murdered Grace without hesitation. He let that wicked woman take away everything that belonged to Grace. He remembered that he had promised Grace that he would love her forever. This was his so-called love and promise? What a joke!!

 Chapter 562 Dont Be Too Cruel To Me (Part One)

    Leo tried to slowly get up with his palms on the table supporting him. But a great cloud of grief came upon him again, his knees gave way and he eventually sank to the ground. What shocked him the most was the fact that Grace was actually pregnant at that time. The knowledge hit him like a sharp knife that ripped his soul and left him breathless. Bitterness started to creep in and ovee him, forcing the tears that had gathered in his eyes to stream down his face. Men only wept when they were deeply hurt.


    His mind was preupied with thoughts of Grace, his petite and gentledy. Her otherworldly beauty and deep affection for him added to his remorse. He couldn''t bear it anymore. Raising his hand, he pped himself across his face several times. The sound was so loud that it echoed throughout the quiet room. It still couldn''t drive away the chill of anguish that haunted and suffocated him.


    He suddenly burst into manicughter. ''Yakira, you nasty woman. Do you have any idea what a heartless person I''ve be because of you? Come what may, I must kill you today, or my rage will never subside. How dare you use me as a puppet! Well, I have to admit that you are indeed maniptive enough. You managed to wrap me around your fingers and lead a luxurious life, while sessfully hiding all your vicious behaviors from me. How cruel you are to me!''


    Leo started banging his head against the table, as if he could tear it open and see what exactly it was that had blinded him. He couldn''t believe that he had put his faith in such a scheming woman like Yakira. He then recalled the way he had treated Daisy, and what he had done to her. He felt too ashamed to even see her again now. Just imagine, would a real father help his step daughter take the husband away from his own daughter? Would a real father act aggressively against his own daughter every time they met? A good father would never have done that. But Leo had done all of these to Daisy, in the most obvious, thorough, and ruthless way. He must have broken her heart and made her suffer a lot.


    Came to think of it, Leo realized that he had been wallowing in the self-pity because of a baseless betrayal. Daisy reminded him of the betrayal every time he saw her, and that was why he would hurt her time and time again without any mercy. But after finding out that she was actually his own daughter, his attitude towards her changedpletely. Leo grew to care for this girl, something he would never have done before the DNA test. The tie of kinship was truly a magical thing, for it could change your mind and refresh your thoughts. He was caught off guard by his tenderness for Daisy, someone he had disliked until not long ago.


    Back then, Leo had done nothing to stop Yakira from throwing Daisy out of the house. If this was the biggest regret of his life, then meeting Yakira was his biggest misfortune. Originally, he had only nned to divorce her and pay for alimony. But hepletely changed his mind. Given all the misery she had brought him, Leo now thought that killing her would be too merciful. But he was unwilling to contaminate his hands with her blood. An idea lingered in his mind until he was ovee by it. He must think of a way to torture her, and let her end up worse than dead. Only in this way, Leo hoped, could Grace''s soul rest in peace.


    Leo put off all his meetings and social activities and locked himself in his office for a long time. He had been sitting in his chair for so long, that his body grew numb and seized up in this solitude. But he didn''t realize it, nor did he notice that time was passing by. When he finally managed to take his mind off the matter and awaken from his thoughts, he found that the day had nearly passed.


    He had resisted the urge to confront Yakira at once and decided to clear his thoughts and straighten things out first. To avoid falling into yet another trap set by Yakira, it was important that he stayed calm and acted with caution this time. Since he had already made unforgivable mistakes in the past, he wouldn''t be able to forgive himself if he continued to make more out of carelessness. He had hurt his daughter''s feelings, so he would try his best to avoid doing any harm to his son Brian. After all, it had all been the sinful Yakira''s doing from the very beginning, and Brain had nothing to do with it. To protect him from all the hurt, there would be a lot for Leo to consider before taking action.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    At the same time, Edward was struggling with the same kind of problem. He had spent the whole day trying to figure out a proper way to tell Daisy the truth about Grace''s death. The truth would definitely hurt her, and he wanted to make it less painful for her. But his efforts were to no avail. He had to surrender to the fact that since Grace was Daisy''s mother, the truth would be a devastating blow to her no matter what.


    "What''s on your mind, Edward? You look like you''re in a trance." Daisy frowned. She took some documents out of her briefcase carefully, andid them out neatly on the table. Edward seemed to be acting strangely the whole day, but she couldn''t figure out the reason. "Come here, honey," Edward gestured to her with a grim face. He found it difficult to imagine how she would react to his news. Would she storm off and rush to confront Yakira? Or would she simply be motionless and speechless from the overwhelming shock and grief? Edward was unwilling to see either of them.


    "What for? I''ve got work to do," Daisy replied solemnly. She was still in her military uniform, which added to her dignified bearing. Although she didn''t want to stop halfway through her work, she walked over to him because of his strange behavior the entire day.00000000000000

 Chapter 563 Dont Be Too Cruel To Me

    "Remember what I said this morning? Do you still want to hear it?" Edward took her hand in his and settled her on hisp, wrapping his long and slim arms around her waist. But he dared not look into her clear dark eyes, where he could see the reflection of a cruel man, a man who was about to tell her the harsh truth.


    "If you are able to speak it out, then I''d love to hear it. But if you are unwilling to talk about it, I won''t force you to." Daisy was quite rxed as she rested against his chest. She was very eager to know everything. But if Edward didn''t want to tell her about it, she wouldn''t


    make things difficult for him. She left it to him to make the decision.


    "I''m not worried about myself, I''m worried about you. If the news will cause you pain, do you still want to hear it?" He bowed and kissed her head gently. He never found himself to be an indecisive man. But he would always have trouble making up his mind when it came to matters that concerned Daisy. He would make every effort to make things less difficult for her every time. But every time, he found himself helpless to do nothing but watch her suffer in the end. To be honest, he often hated himself in those cases. He loved her deeply, yet he could not protect her from all harm. Most of the time, he could only watch her struggle painfully and shoulder the burden that had already be too heavy for her.


    "It sounds like it concerns me. And judging from your serious tone, is it safe to assume that something bad has happened?" Daisy asked, turning her face towards Edward all of a sudden. She looked him straight in the eye. Her gaze was full of innocence, as if she was earnestly trying to decipher the answer in his eyes.


    "Yes. Can you promise me that you will trust me and leave everything to me? Can you promise to restrain yourself and never put yourself in harm''s way?" Edward asked gravely. He didn''t refuse to meet her gaze. After all, he never tried to hide the truth from her. But his grave expression somehow disconcerted Daisy. She was beginning to think that it might be something she would never want to know, something that might depress her. Unconsciously, she suddenly wanted to escape from the truth.


    "Can I choose not to hear it now?" Daisy started to regret it. She shouldn''t have left the decision to him when she had no clue what he was about to tell her. Could it possible be the news that he no longer loved her? Or did he regret about their whole rtionship after being with her all this time? Either way, Daisy just couldn''t ept it. If he must confide this cruel truth to her now, she would rather that he had never raised her hopes and loved her in the first ce. That way, at the very least, she could still drawfort from her desire and pursuit. It was far better than gaining the love she yearned for, only to lose itpletely.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "Don''t worry. I know what you''re thinking about. But no, that will never happen. Daisy, please trust me. I''m thest person in the world who would want to see you get hurt." If they weren''t having a serious conversation, he would want to punish her for having these uneptable conjectures. It was too easy to discern what she was actually thinking about. Her eyes had given her away. But Edward could only me himself for this. She would probably put more trust in him if he treated her well enough.


    "I didn''t say a word. How could you possibly know what I''m thinking about? Don''t tell me you know how to read minds." Daisy wasn''t sure whether Edward had truly seen right through her or not, but his assurance rxed her. As long as he would not leave her, nothing else seemed to matter.


    "If I can''t understand you, then who else can?" Edward said with a great deal of frustration. He wondered how insecure this little and delicate woman was. Although he had risked his life for her, he still couldn''t earn her absolute trust. For a moment, he was torn betweenughing and crying. He didn''t know what to do about her distrust. But he loved her deeply, so he wouldn''t get upset about her heavy thoughts or show any discontent. He would only embrace her worries with more tolerance.


    "Fine. Tell me what it is about first. I reckon that you''ve already decided to tell me, and it''s something I need to know. Otherwise, you wouldn''t bother to test my reaction by asking these questions. I can only hear it since it''s something I can''t escape, but I have one condition: Don''t be too cruel to me. I may be tough on the outside, but my heart is not always strong. Just don''t pose any problems that are beyond my ability. I think this request is reasonable enough."


    That''s right, Daisy was scared. After enjoying the passion of love, she found the gut-wrenching harshness of death much harder to bear. Now, she had things that she held dear. This was the reason she was so afraid that something terrible and cruel had happened. She never liked it when other people thought of her as a weak person, but that didn''t mean that she was invulnerable.


    "As you recall, what was your mother like?" Edward asked softly. He was trying to make it seem like they were having a regr conversation, hoping to get into the main topic gradually. Because he also understood the duality of her character, she was both strong and weak. He wanted to reveal the shocking truth in a gentle and mild way.


    "My mother? Does she have anything to do with this? Or are you simply trying to change the topic?" Daisy was now confused. She didn''t have the slightest idea why Edward would suddenly mention her mother. Panic slowly began to set in.0000????

 Chapter 564 I Am Here For You (Part One)

    "What I am about to tell you is rted to your mother, so I would like to know your impression of her. Darling, what can you tell me about your mother?" If he did have another choice, he would not make Daisy relive the pain like that, but she had the right to know the actual cause for her mother''s death. Nothing could be hidden for very long, she would hear it from someone else sooner orter. Well, he preferred to tell her himself. Anyway he loved her and was always ready to console her when she felt sad or upset. Okay, it was time to let the cat out of the bag. He was well prepared to provide his shoulder for her to cry on.


    "From what I remember, my mother was a beautiful and gentle woman. She was full of ssical grace and nobility. Her gestures and the way she behaved would remind everyone of her noble elegance, and her blue blood. I could never learn that. She treated everyone she met with a sweet smile and friendliness. She was the ever-burning sun, shining every day of my life. She loved me very much and I just wanted to melt into her love."


    Speaking of her mother, her face showed signs of a happy smile. It was imperceptible but Edward noticed it. Daisy was lost in the memories about her mother. She admired her mother, and she really missed the woman. Edward could tell from her face and her words.


    "Wow, that''s a loaded description. And you almost never speak so highly of anyone. I''m really starting to wonder how beautiful your mother was." As a matter of fact, Edward was more interested in why Leo Ouyang betrayed her and preferred Yakira Mo when Grace was such an extraordinary beautiful woman and Yakira was such a disgusting vulgar sow. It was beyond his understanding. If there was an answer, only Leo knew what it was.


    "Err! There are all kinds of beautiful women in the world, but I have never seen the same beauty as my mother. She was elegant but mncholy, noble but friendly. She was a charming and soft ssical beauty and also a doughty and fashionable modern woman. She just was beloved child of God."


    Only speaking of her mother could get Daisy really excited. With a sparkle in her eyes, Daisy looked particrly beautiful. Edward was absolutely mesmerized and he could not take his eyes off her.


    "Well, have you ever doubted the cause of your mother''s death?" Edward asked tentatively. He was concerned but also expecting her answer.


    "Doubt? I was too young and I had no idea about death at that time. I am unwilling to think too much of it now that I''m an adult. Even though I think of my mother sometimes and doubt her death, I have never gone into action to find out the answer. It has been too long. It is very strange that you asked me this question. Edward, what do you know about it?"


    Daisy was confused. ''Gosh, did my mother die from other reasons? Is he going to tell me the actual cause for mother''s death?'' Daisy thought in her mind. She stared at Edward, trying to discover the answer from his face. His words indicated that her mother did not die in an ident, but from some other reasons that few people knew. Did Yakira have any direct connection with the actual cause of her mother''s death? So that''s why he wanted her to let them go in the morning. She had a million questions to ask him, but she did not know where to start. She looked at him with very confused eyes.


    "Yeah, I just know a little. But could you promise me that you won''t get too worked up before I tell you?" Edward hugged her tighter, for he knew what he was about to tell her would astound her. Although It had been too long, she still loved her mother deeply as before. To her, the actual cause of her mother''s death would be like a thunderbolt out of a clear sky.


    "Edward, don''t say that. You''re freaking me out." Her face turned pale and she was so frightened of the unknown. She had no clue what brutal truth he would reveal. Edward was a very straightforward man, and never beat around the bush. But now he talked in a roundabout way. There must be something wrong. She was aware of the gravity of the situation.


    "It''s okay. Don''t ever forget that I am here for you for good and all. Calm down and listen to me carefully. I will tell you everything I know." Edward felt like an executioner, who killed every ounce of perception that she had and pushed her into an abyss of suffering that she might not ever get out of. So he tried to console her by every means he could think of. He kissed her on the mouth slowly and tenderly, again and again. He wanted her to know how much he loved her.


    "Spit it out! Don''t worry! No matter what you say, I can control my emotions. Don''t forget I am a colonel. How could Imand my soldiers if Icked self-control?" Daisy tried to give him a reassuring smile by pulling her lips up. But she failed. Because her smile looked even more painful than crying.


    "If your mother was killed by a man-made ident, if it was premeditated murder, then how would you feel?" Edward was extremely worried about Daisy. He knew she waspletely stunned but he refused to look at her eyes, otherwise he could not move on. To add to Daisy''s suffering was thest thing he wanted to do. That would kill him.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "You''re kidding, right? This isn''t funny!" Daisy trembled all over. This was so dreadful. She could not believe it. If that was true, who could be so awful to such a good woman? How could he or she hurt such a beautiful fairy? Did he or she feel guilty after killing the most friendly and innocent woman?


    "I know this is important to you. I won''t make jokes. I wish it were one big joke, but sorry, darling, it''s true. I have a clear mind. I know you have the right to know the truth." Yes, he wished it were a bad joke that he made, so she wouldn''t be hurt. However, it was nothing but a brutal truth.


    "Who killed my mother? Don''t tell me it was Leo Ouyang." Her face looked nched. She was afraid her father killed her mother just as she suspected. What if father murdered mother? Mother used to love her so much but had been dead for years. Father had never liked Daisy but was the only person alive with a blood rtionship to her. What should she do? Should she avenge her dead mother, or let her father go? It was hard to decide. Whatever her decision might be, it was destined to be painful.


    "No, he wasn''t. He didn''t do it in a direct way, but he was rted to it indirectly." Edward paused. Daisy was a clever woman. She would figure it out when she got a hint that her mother was murdered and her father was indirectly involved.0000000

 Chapter 565 I Am Here For You (Part Two)

    "It was her. But for what?" Daisy swallowed hard. Her eyes were full of tears, but she fought them back. She grabbed his hand so forcibly and she forgot Edward was not the killer, but the man she loved and valued. Edward felt her emotions, he didn''t remind her although


    he felt the pain as she tightly held onto his hand.


    "Nothing but high position and great wealth could drive a heartless person to kill an expectant mother." Edward closed his eyes and decided to tell her all he knew. He ignored the pain from his hand. He would bear all the pain for her if she could feel better while holding his hand tightly.


    "What did you say?" Daisy squeezed his hand with more strength. Her eyes became terrible. She stared at Edward, struck with awe. She could not believe her ears. There was something wrong. Her mother was pregnant. No, it was not true.


    "I said your mother was pregnant at that time." Edward made up his mind to tell her the whole truth. She had already gotten hurt, so he should take the chance to speak everything out. It would be better to have short and sharp pains than long and dull pains. If she could not bear the pain like this, how could she face up to the following words that Edward was about to say?


    "Haha... Edward, very funny. Why aren''t you smiling? Don''t you think this is funny?" Her nerves were on edge for a long time and stretched to the breaking point. Daisy could not help but burst outughing. It broke Edward''s heart. He would feel better if she cried. He loved her so much that he would like to shield her from the wind and rain of the world. He wanted her to be happy forever.


    "Honey, it''s okay. I''m here for you. Whatever difficulties you meet, I will work them out. I will do anything for you. Don''t be brave. You can cry if you want to. Don''t hold back. I feel so bad when you hold pain back." Edward could not find any more words to console her. He pulled her into his strong arms and kissed her hair a million times.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Tell me it''s not true. You''re kidding me. Please. There is nobody heartless enough to kill a pregnant woman." Consoled by Edward, Daisy burst into tears. Her hands grabbed Edward''s cor forcibly.


    "Daisy, pull yourself together. I really wish it''s a joke. But it''s not a joke. It''s true. Whether we ept it or not, it really exists. Neither you nor I can change the fact." Daisy was a little crazy. She seemed to have lost her mind. She was hysterical. Edward was scared. He shouted at her loudly, hoping to bring her back to her senses.


    "Your promised me that you would never hurt me and you would never be cruel to me. You never mean what you say. How could you do that? How could you hurt me in so many different ways?" Daisy glowered at Edward with red eyes, as if Edward was her sworn enemy and she was going to kill him.


    "Okay. It''s all my fault. Come on, honey. I don''t like you this way. When I see you like this, my heart is breaking. It would be better to kill me. I love you and I don''t want you to be upset. Honey, please calm down. Deep Breaths. Just take slow, deep breaths." Edward hugged her tightly, no matter how hard she struggled. He wouldn''t let her go. He was afraid that she might do something to hurt herself. If that happened, he would never forgive himself.


    "Edward, tell me. Should anyone whomits a crime be brought to justice? But if she has blood on her hands, why could she hide from thew and live a good life. Why could she live in peace with herself? Why could she be so flippant and impudent? She killed my mother. Why could she live such a happy life without punishment from thew? Tell me. Just tell me why?"


    Daisy wept in his arms, with a sudden abandonment of struggling. She then managed to calm herself down a bit. She was heartbroken and could not breathe while thinking of the death of her mother.


    "Don''t worry! She will get what she deserves. I have a recording that talks about the murder. Do you want to hear it or not?" Edward asked cautiously. He knew she could not bear it. He understood how she felt. But he could not ept the fact that she might hurt herself if she continued losing control.


    "Yeah! I need to hear it. I am fine." Daisy attempted to wipe away all the tears from her eyes, but she failed as there were too many tears falling down. She was nothing like themanding colonel as she used to be. Instead, she looked delicate and touching. Anyone that had seen her like this would feel somewhat protective toward her.


    "Well. Please don''t lose control as you just did after you hear it. Just like you are fighting a war, you must keep a cool head to think things through. To get what you want, you must analyze calmly and precisely. Otherwise you will be defeatedpletely by the enemy. I guess, being defeated in a war is thest thing you want as a colonel."


    Edward cautiously talked this over with Daisy. He tried his best to persuade her to look at the brutal fact calmly. Because he knew she would feel more resentful after she listened to the recording. It was necessary to make a deal with her, just in case she wentpletely bananas and smacked him. He was not fully recovered from the gunshot yet, so he could not control her right now.


    "I promise that I will try my best, but I cannot guarantee that nothing would happen." Daisy bit her lip. She knew she lost control just now. Her ugly crying had ruined her perfect image. But she didn''t care. After all, he had seen worse. She would not feel embarrassed when he saw her crying. And she never made a promise that she could not keep. That''s why she promised him that she would try her best.


    "Okay! Good girl. That is the valiant Colonel Ouyang that I know." Edward gently wiped her tears away and lovingly kissed her mouth. Then he turned on theputer and yed the recording about her mother''s death. But unluckily, he obviously overestimated Daisy. Our valiant Colonel Ouyang did not keep her words. Yes, she tried her best to calm down while listening to the recording. She was absolutely quiet, as if it had nothing to do with her. But once the recording stopped, she ran to the door right away. She bristled with anger. Nobody dared get in her way, even the most ferocious dragon.

 Chapter 566 Daisy Went Bananas (Part One)

    "Daisy, stop!" Edward rushed out and tried to stop Daisy. However, Daisy was trained in the army. How could Edward even catch up with her?Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "What''s going on? Are you two mad at each other?" Hearing the noise, Cynthia walked out of her bedroom and tried to stop Edward and ask him what happened, but the answer she got was only his rapid footsteps.


    "Colonel, are you going out for a mission?" Mark also ran out with his gun. As a security guard, he did own a gun. He wondered why Daisy looked so angry and walked hastily. Did she receive a notice of some mission of prime importance? "Give me your gun. Don''t follow me." Daisy stopped and grabbed the gun from Mark''s hand. Before Mark could say anything, she continued to rush outside.


    "Mark, take your gun back!" Edward yelled anxiously. When Edward was running after Daisy, he lost his bnce and fell down on the stairs. Fortunately, he just missed a few steps, so he didn''t get hurt, but as he fell, Daisy ran further. "Colonel, where are you going? You took my gun!" Hearing Edward''s words, Mark began to run after Daisy, wanting to get his gun back. Daisy kept running forward furiously. Looking at her running like this, Mark thought there must be something serious. It wasn''t just any other mission.


    "Go back! This is an order!" Daisy raised her eyebrow and gave an order in a dignified voice. Mark stopped immediately and didn''t dare to go forward. As a soldier, he must obey orders, so he didn''t dare to act against Daisy''s order.


    "Mrs. Mu, where are you going?" Luke just came back from somewhere. Before he could get off the car, Daisy pulled him out and got in the car agilely.


    "Luke, hurry up! Stop her!" Since Mark failed to stop Daisy, Edward turned to Luke for help. His nervous yelling attracted many servants and bodyguards. They didn''t know why Edward was acting so strangely.


    Daisy didn''t give anyone a chance to stop her. As soon as she got in, she started the engine. The car picked up pace like the wind as her foot jammed against the elerator. Daisy quickly disappeared under the dim moonlight.


    "Mr. Mu, is it because you told her the truth?" Luke once urged Edward to tell Daisy the truth as soon as possible, but he didn''t expect him to tell her tonight. He tried to stop Daisy but failed. He wasn''t as quick as her, so he could only watch her running away.


    "Yes. Get a car. Let''s go to Leo''s home." Edward angrily thumped the column beside. He was worried that Daisy might have an ident because rage overpowered her now. She remained silent all this while. Edward could see this as the calm before the storm. However, he didn''t think much of it. If something bad happened to her, he would never be able to forgive himself.


    "Daddy, where is mommy going?" Justin also went downstairs when he heard the noise, but he only saw his mom get in Luke''s car and gallop away. He didn''t know what happened. In fact, he wasn''t the only one being confused. Except Luke, no one there knew what was happening and why.


    "Don''t worry. Stay at home with your grandparents. We''ll be right back." Edward bent to kiss Justin''s rosy cheek. Before Justin could say anything, he quickly got on the Lamborghini that Luke drove. Although he was worried about Daisy at the moment, he didn''t want to upset his son. He was afraid that Justin might be scared, so he tried to be calm.


    "Grandpa, grandma, they''ll be okay, right?" Justin looked at his grandparents, blinking innocently. However, he was worried in his heart. He didn''t know what drove his mom crazy. She remained calm even when Edward was in aa. Something terrible must have happened now.


    "Yes. Don''t worry. They will be alright." Cynthia was also worried. However, all the others had gone out of sight, without giving her any chance to figure out what happened.


    Jonathan frowned and gently cradled his wife in his arms. He believed that no matter what happened, Daisy would remember who she was and wouldn''t go too far. She was a colonel, and her military uniform carried the trust of the country and the people. "Luke, keep up with her car!" As soon as Edward got on the car, he urged Luke to drive fast. Anxious and panic-stricken, he looked at the direction in which Daisy left.


    Luke twitched his mouth. Daisy drove so fast that he couldn''t catch up with her. However, he reassured Edward, "You can count on me, Mr. Mu."


    Daisy drove the car like the devil. The tears rolled down her cheeks. The brutal facts that she heard from the recording kept resounding in her ears. She used to think that Yakira married Leo after her mother died, but the truth was that Leo had an affair with her long ago. The thought that her mother bore bitter pain tore her heart into pieces. Such a feeling was not alien to her. She could feel how devastated her mother must have been after she found out that Leo cheated on her. Being deceived by Leo who she loved so dearly, she must have been heartbroken.


    At the moment of the crash, she must have been scared. As a mother, she must have been frightened. She had always been a considerate woman. At that time, whatever she thought was definitely not to protect herself, but to protect the baby in her belly. However, the baby died against her will. Every hope she did have was killed, and her love for this world was over. She was reluctant to leave Daisy alone, but she couldn''t do anything.


    Daisy''s face was covered with tears, and her heart was broken. She had never felt like this before. She kept honking and overtaking other cars on the road. It was so cruel to deprive her mother of her hope. Leo''s betrayal had already disappointed her. What could be worse? The baby that she wanted to keep the most died. Worst of all, she also died. At this thought, Daisy felt breathless. Was this the so-called justice? It was totally unfair!0000000

 Chapter 567 Daisy Went Bananas (Part Two)

    Daisy thought to herself, ''Leo, now I feel very resentful and angry about what you did. No matter how cruel you were to me in the past, I never held a grudge against you. I just disliked you. However, now you have activated the hatred deep in my heart. I''m overwhelmed


    with this feeling. I''ll not think about our rtionship anymore. I won''t forgive you ever!''


    Wiping her tears, Daisy calmed herself down a little bit. She wished to shoot Yakira dead. This thought had consumed herpletely. She had forgotten her identity as a colonel, her family members who loved her very much, and her husband who would love her till hisst breath. She let these all go. She was blinded by hatred, and could no longer figure out who was the most important to her. She just stepped on the gas to the limit and drove amidst the constant flow of traffic.


    "I can''t see Daisy''s car." Edward was drenched in sweat of fear and anxiety. Although the car was air-conditioned, sweat dripped from his face. The thought that Daisy took away Mark''s gun in a violent rage scared him to the bone. He hoped Daisy could calm herself down on the way and wouldn''t make any irreparable mistakes.


    "Mr. Mu, shall we call Brian and ask him to stop Mrs. Mu?" Luke had been working for Edward for long, so he knew about their rtionship.


    "I forgot to bring my phone. Moreover, I don''t remember his number." Edward closed his eyes. He didn''t like to memorize phone numbers. He could rattle off the numbers of the people who were close to him, but others'' numbers were saved in his phone. He didn''t like Brian, so he didn''t memorize his number. Therefore, his number didn''t ring a bell.


    "Don''t worry. Mrs. Mu is sensible. She knows who she is. I don''t think she will really use the gun. At most, she will just use it to scare Yakira. Rx." Speaking of this, Luke was vexed. If he hadn''t gone back at that time, Daisy wouldn''t have snatched his car. If she had gone to the garage to pick up a car, Edward would have got more time to stop her.


    "You have no idea. She is totally behaving out of character today. I can''t set my mind at rest until I see her. I was too careless. I didn''t take precautions, so I couldn''t stop her from rushing out like that. Leave me alone. Drive attentively. Hope we can catch her up mid way only."


    Edward was anxious. Daisy gave him apletely strange vibe today. She always remained so calm, but today she was furious. If he hadn''t witnessed it himself, he wouldn''t have even believed that. Although he had guessed that she would be angry, sad and grieved, but he didn''t expect her to go bananas, so he failed to stop her.


    Luke frowned and drove at full speed. He clearly knew that Daisy was important to Edward, so he dared not take it lightly. Otherwise Edward might get a nervous breakdown because of this. It was the first time that Edward put aside his self-esteem and arrogance to love someone wholeheartedly. If Daisy met with an ident, he would also kill himself.


    Now Leo''s family was in a mess. He finally went back home after he left days ago. In the days when he was away, he led a miserable and frustrating life, something he never experienced before. He couldn''t forgive himself. The facts weighed upon his conscience, making him feel heartbroken.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Leo, you''re finally home." Yakira went to greet Leo happily, but before she let out a smile, Leo pped her on the face, hard. Everyone was dumbstruck, including Brian who was about to go out. They just couldn''t believe their eyes. It was not surprising to see them fighting with each other but it was the first time that Leo pped Yakira. So Brian stopped right there to watch the drama unfold.


    "Bitch! Go to hell!" Leo''s p was quite unexpected. He was burning with anger in his heart. He grabbed Yakira by the throat and looked at her with anger. The entire scene was dramatically different from the gentleness he depicted in regr times. Mary and Brian were scared, and Yakira felt that she was dying.


    "Cough..." Yakira couldn''t say anything to exin herself. She was just released from the police station at noon and didn''t expect that Leo would p her as soon as he returned. She was too weak to get herself free. Leo''s ruthless treatment made her feel sadder. She finally realized that she shouldn''t have extravagant hopes for what didn''t belong to her. No matter how hard she tried, she would gain nothing in the end. However, she didn''t regret falling in love with such a heartless man.


    "Dad, let go of mom! You''ll kill her!" Mary turned ghastly pale with fear. She stepped forward and tried hard to loosen Leo''s hand but failed. Leo was so angry that he further tightened his grasp.


    "Yakira, how do you want to die? How about throttling you? Or making it look like an ident?" Leo gritted his teeth. The gloomy atmosphere made everyone tremble with fear.


    "Brian, why are you standing still there? Come and help me! Dad will wring mom''s neck!" Mary snarled. Yakira''s face turned blue. She could feel her heart pounding.


    Mary''s yelling brought Brian back to reality. Although he didn''t like his mother, she brought him to this world anyway. If Leo strangled Yakira, he would be put in prison. In that case, Brian would lose his parents. It was thest thing Brian wanted to see, so he had to stop his father.00

 Chapter 568 A Substitute (Part One)

    "Dad, what are you doing? Can''t we just sit down and sort it out?" Brian stepped forward and pushed Leo and Yakira apart. After all, Brian was young and vigorous. He saved Yakira from Leo''s grip easily. "Ahem! Ahem!" Yakira began to cough violently after holding her breath for a long time. She leaned against Brian, feeling limp. She trembled with fear as she thought she would be killed by Leo today.


    "Brian, get out of my way! Otherwise, I won''t spare you. Do you know how evil this bitch is? She is utterly devoid of conscience. I must settle ounts with her today." Leo shouted as he tried to push Brian away, in an attempt to take Yakira by the throat again. He was blinded with rage. What he only desired now was to have Yakira dead.


    "I won''t move. If you want to kill mom, you will have to kill me first." Brian closed his eyes in despair. Had he known that so many bad things would happen, he wouldn''t havee back from abroad. He wouldn''t have been bothered like this, and he wouldn''t have been sandwiched between his father and mother now.


    "Dad, how can you do this to mom? You don''t even care about what happened to usst night? You only want to hit mom. What''s wrong with you?" Mary questioned as she stamped her foot angrily. She didn''t notice that Yakira was shooting her a warning nce. "Bah! No matter what happened to this bitch, she deserves it. If there is divine justice, why is she still alive? I don''t want to see her face ever again." Leo taunted. If Brian didn''t stand between Yakira and him, he would wring her neck in an instant.


    "Dad, why did youe back like this? You cared about me the most in the past. Why are you acting so strange now? Daisy made us stay in the police station for a whole night. Why don''t you hold her ountable?"


    Mary''sint not only annoyed Leo again, but infuriated Brian too. However, she didn''t even notice that andined without stopping. Yakira felt angry and she wondered why she had such a silly daughter. Why did Mary mention what happenedst night? Didn''t she know that Leo and Brian cared about Daisy very much?Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Why did you provoke her again? What did you do to her?" Leo turned to Mary and questioned her. He used to dote on her, but that was because he didn''t know the truth. Now he knew that Daisy was his daughter. He would not allow Mary to hurt Daisy again.


    "We didn''t provoke her. We just happened to meet Edward at Sexy World, and drank together. We didn''t expect that bitch to be such a mean person. She threw us into the police station just because of that." On seeing Leo''s angry face, Mary realized that what she said was inappropriate. She immediately exined to redeem the situation.


    "Mary, I remember I have warned you before as well. I said, don''t provoke Daisy and don''t try to seduce Edward. Why don''t you just listen to me? I won''t take your side this time." Brian stated in a serious tone. He cared about Daisy so much that he wouldn''t spare anyone who dared to harm her.


    "I didn''t provoke her. It was she who started the fight. You don''t even know the whole story. Can''t you just be fair and hear out what happened first? Why do you always me me instead of her? I''m also your sister, Brian. Why do you always take her side? She is not the only one who gets hurt! I get hurt too!"


    Mary yelled hysterically as tears streamed down her cheeks. She felt she had no ce in this family anymore. What she feared the most now was that Leo treated her like a stranger. She felt wronged. Why did everything change? Why did everyone treat that bitch as a treasure and treat her as a nobody? Did she do anything wrong? No! The only thing she did wrong was that she was born in the wrong family. Why did the man she loved so deeply belong to Daisy? It was not her fault to have fallen in love with him.


    "Bah! Only if you behaved yourself, I would treat you as my sister. However, you are so vicious that I''m not able to consider you as part of our family against my conscience. You should be the one held responsible for whatever happened. It''s not anyone else''s fault." Brian sneered. If Mary had never treated Daisy with such cruelty, he wouldn''t have treated her like this. If Mary had never tried to snatch everything from Daisy, he would have treated her as his sister. However, what Mary did was way out of line and Brian couldn''t force himself to consider her as his family now. He was not a sage and he couldn''t forgive anyone who dared to harm his family. He did a good job at blocking painful, unnecessary things from his mind and life.


    "Hahaha! Brian, stop making excuses and stop insulting me. I''m not that kind of evil person like you think of me. Actually we both know that you dislike me because Ie from a humble family. In your eyes, your sister shoulde from a rich and powerful family just like Daisy. I know I was from a poor family, and you look down on me. That''s why you never treat me as your sister."????

 Chapter 569 A Substitute (Part Two)

    Mary was a bit mad this time. She neither wanted to live in this house, nor she wanted to go back to the life she had lived in the past. Like Yakira, all of Mary''s hopes were ced on Brian. She believed that Brian would be nice to her since she was his sister. However,


    Brian had never regarded her as a sister and he only cared about Daisy. Mary was so envious of Daisy that she waspletely losing her mind.


    Yakira stood behind Brian, feeling much relieved. Mary had somehow distracted Leo and Leo forgot about her for now. Yakira finally got the time to think about why Leo behaved so weird today. Leo had mentioned "an ident" just now. Yakira realized that Edward must have retaliated for what happenedst night. Edward was indeed a man who fought over the smallest trifles.


    At this time, the doorbell came from the entrance, which startled the servants who were watching the drama. The butler ran to the entrance to find out who was there. Through the screen, he saw a female soldier standing angrily at the entrance. He turned to Leo, terrified. "Who is it?" Leo asked impatiently. The idea of the tragic death of Grace was a torture to him. He hated Yakira even more.


    "It is a female soldier. Shall I open the door?" The butler asked in fear. Leo had a straight face today, and just now he wrung Yakira''s neck. So, all of the servants were frightened and dared not look Leo in the eye.


    "A female soldier? It must be Daisy. Come on, open the door." Brian immediately demanded. The only soldier he knew was Daisy, so he believed it was her. It was veryte now. Why did shee here? The house was in chaos at this moment.


    Standing in front of the familiar gates, Daisy sighed with a mix of feelings. Behind the gates, she had experienced both, a happy childhood and many days. There had been cheerful chatting andughing with her mother as well as tears of grief after her mother died. She thought she had forgotten those days, but now she recalled everything.


    "How dare the bitche here? Butler, don''t let her in. She is not a part of this family anymore." Mary gnashed her teeth. Since Daisy appeared, her family sunk further into chaos. Mary detested Daisy.


    "I''m the head of this family. Butler, open the door and let Daisy in." The news dragged Leo out of his ck mood, and he was ted. He had been wondering how would he ask Daisy toe back home. He didn''t expect her toe back home first. Did it mean that she had forgiven him?


    "Yes." The butler pressed the button and withdrew in silence. He had served this family for more than twenty years and knew well about every family member. He was clear who was the head of this family, so he dared not go against Leo.


    "Dad, I thought you disliked her? You said I was your beloved daughter? Everything has changed. Why?" It was hard for Mary to ept Leo''s cold attitude toward her. When she came back from abroad, Leo was so nice to her. He even helped her snatch Edward from Daisy. What had happened now? Why was Leo so strange today?


    "Well, the reason is simple. Daisy is my daughter, and you are merely a substitute." To be honest, Leo didn''t want to hurt Mary like this. After all, he had treated her as his daughter and doted on her. However, when he recalled what Yakira had done, he couldn''t help but vent out his anger on Mary. His heart broke when he recalled he had allowed Mary to hurt Daisy before.


    "No! I''m not a substitute! I''m the beloved princess of this family. Daisy is just an outsider!" Mary murmured as she stumbled towards the gate, shaking her head. Her eyes were empty as she couldn''t believe her ears. She thought she was still Leo''s beloved daughter, but Leo''s words forced her to admit that she was lying to herself all this while. She could be anyone''s substitute except for Daisy''s. She couldn''t bear that Daisy was the princess while she was the cursed witch.


    At this moment, Daisy ran into the house and bumped into Mary. Daisy stood still, while Mary fell down heavily on the ground. Daisy was a firm, steady soldier. She looked coldly at Mary as if she was a ghost from the hell. Mary trembled with fear.


    "Bitch! How dare youe to our family? You have ruined our lives!" Mary yelled hysterically on the ground. She vent her anger on Daisy, not noticing how vicious Daisy was at this moment.


    "Bitch? Let me tell you, I''ve never tried to seduce someone''s husband nor hurt an innocent person like some real bitch did. You should feel lucky now as I''m not here for you. Otherwise, I would give you a lesson!"N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    Daisy stated coldly as she pointed her gun at Mary''s forehead. Mary widened her eyes and dared not say anything more. She was afraid that Daisy might pull the trigger out of anger. She crumpled to the floor, with no energy left to argue with Daisy anymore. Mary was not the only one who was shocked. Everyone present was frightened by Daisy''s movement and wondered whom she was aiming at.

 Chapter 570 I Will Pull the Trigger (Part One)

    "Daisy, we can talk this through. Let''s put down the gun, okay? This is getting really dangerous." After all, Leo was a seasoned man, so he immediately reacted to this situation. He looked at Daisy with concern. His uncontroble anger against Yakira turned into soothing tenderness for Daisy, but Daisy did not budge at all. "Ha! Dangerous? So Mr. Ouyang does know what danger means in this world. Then howe it eluded you when you were having an affair before? Howe you didn''t see the danger when your acts were leading to my mother''s death?"


    Daisy instantly shifted her target to Leo. Although he wasn''t the one who killed her mother, he was undeniably responsible. If he had ignored Yakira, no one could have had the chance to set him up. If he had been firm, then how could she have been able to exploit his weakness? So in the end, he was the person who needed to answer for his crime.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "I... So you know about it as well. Alright, I''ve never hoped to somehow exonerate myself. If you still consider my petty life worthy of anything, then kill me and allow me to use my own life to atone for the sin!" Leo closed his eyes, gravely saddened. He was wondering earlier why Daisy suddenly came over. It turned out she was here for revenge. If that was the case, then he had nothing toin. After all, he owed her that much.


    "Nonsense. Every injustice has its own perpetrator. Why would I take your life? Yakira, how long are you going to keep hiding? Do you think you can get out of this?" Right now, Daisy was acting extremely cavalier. She didn''t even care to scoff at Leo''s suggestion. Instead, she simply chided him unemotionally.


    "Daisy, calm down. I think we should sit down and talk about this." Brian was shielding Yakira with his back. He couldn''t understand what everyone was talking about, or what was so serious that her parents had to pay with their lives. He was protecting Yakira from Daisy not because he loved and respected Yakira, but because he didn''t want his dear sister to make such a mistake. Although he was not sure what mistake his mother did that could anger Daisy enough for her tomit murder. Given the circumstance, he still tried to make sure that no one got hurt.


    "Step away, Brian. Or are you going to lecture me as well? Do you want to protect that evil woman over me? And do you really think she''s worthy of your protection?" Daisy squinted her eyes and stared at him with provocation. If he had to stand in front of that woman, then Daisy was fine to let a brother like this perish. Even though she might be a little hurt, it wouldn''t be as painful as the agony she was enduring now.


    "No, I just don''t want you to do something that you''ll regretter. So, excuse me, even if you have to treat me as a stranger, I will not step away no matter what happens today." Brian''s eyes turned red. His bright and handsome face was upied by the look of anguish. As a son, no matter how awful the parent was, he had to do his duty as a child. As a brother, no matter how much he loved Daisy, he had to make the decision and take up the responsibility like a man.


    "Yeah? It seems like you''ve made your choice. Then don''t me me for being blunt." As she spoke, Daisy quickly turned to her side and bent down, her high-knotted hair drafted a pretty curve. She easily slid past Brian from under his arm. Her all movements were clean, smooth, and cool as ever. It seemed that Daisy''s tough words couldn''t conceal her actual concern for Brian. She didn''t intend to hurt him at all.


    "Ah! Daisy, what are you doing? Don''te close." If it were Yakira of the past, she would never grovel like this in front of Daisy. But in the face of a horrible gun, her usual imperiousness dissipated without a trace.


    "Tsk! Yakira, you do feel afraid! I thought your heart was made of steel. It turns out you''re still just flesh and blood! Then can you feel my mother''s terror while she was facing her death? Do you know how helpless she was at that moment? No, you can''t empathize, because you never have a heart. Otherwise how could you be so ruthless that you couldn''t even spare a pregnant woman?"


    The muzzle of the gun was stuck right in the middle of Yakira''s forehead. Daisy looked down at her with cold disdain. This woman unflinchingly destroyed her mother''s young life. This woman also brutalized the other life that never had the chance to face this world. And now she lived in a luxurious mansion with her conscience buried. She robbed everything that was supposed to be Daisy''s, and then lived her happy life in fine clothes and was served with delicacies everyday.


    "No, I didn''t do that. Brian, help me." Yakira stepped back in panic, but Daisy closely followed and kept the pressure up step by step. She was not giving Yakira any chance for escape.


    "You didn''t do it? You really didn''t?" Daisy abruptly burst intoughter which seemed so imposing yet so tragic. One couldn''t help but feel heartbroken at the scene.000000000000

 Chapter 571 I Will Pull the Trigger (Part Two)

    "Do you think you can fool me so easily? Let''s be clear, I am Daisy Ouyang, not Leo Ouyang." Daisy abruptly stoppedughing. She bent down and stared directly into Yakira''s eyes. A starkly chilling atmosphere wildly encroached on the space around Yakira. She realized "Daisy Ouyang, don''t think I''ll be afraid of you with a gun pointing to my head. Don''t you forget that murder is against thew. Even though you are a colonel, you aren''t above thew." Yakira was talking tough, but her trembling voice betrayed her pretense of fearlessness. As a result, her words sounded somewhat ridiculous. "Against thew? Not exactly! You''ve killed someone too, right? Then why weren''t you punished by thew? So thew is not omnipotent. So tell me, is it easier for me to simply shoot you here? Or should I send you to prison to spend the rest of your life?"


    how terrifying and unrelenting the soldier before her was. Compared with Leo who just now tried to kill her, Daisy instilled in Yakira an intense fear of death.


    A dark intrigue arose in Daisy''s eyes. She kept moving the gun gently against Yakira''s forehead, challenging the limits of her mental capacity. Yakira was filled with horrid guesses of where she would be shot today.


    Meanwhile, Edward raced all the way to the Ouyangs'' house. He saw the familiar car parked outside and was finally relieved that Daisy had arrived here safely. This was more important to him than anything. He was hoping that he got here in time, so he exited the car before even parking it properly. He darted through the open doors which were probably left that way because of Daisy''s fury. The whole mess did buy Edward some time. Luckily, the Ouyangs'' house was not tightly guarded as his own. Otherwise, he wouldn''t be able to barge in so easily.


    "Sister, please calm yourself down. Think about Justin. Think about Edward. Do you really want to leave them behind?" Brian was already covered in cold sweat at this moment, fearing that Daisy might lose control and allow the gun to go off. So he tried to get her back to her senses by bringing up the people she cared about the most.


    "Their future will be fine even without me in it, but my mother''s future had already been destroyed. If I don''t seek justice for her, then who will pay back her pain?" Daisy closed her starry eyes in distress. In fact, she could never leave those two men behind. Deep in her heart, they were her coziest anchor, the only healing refuge that she would need if she was hurt. But her mother''s undeserved death was too much for her to remain rational. She turned incredibly obsessed andmitted, as if killing Yakira was the only thing on her mind. Daisy couldn''t bear thinking about not getting rid of her.


    "No, without you, our lives will be plunged into darkness. Knowing that, are you still going to abandon us? Is a woman like that really worth for you to let go of all of us who love you so deeply?" Edward hurried in, staring at her with the utmost conviction. Although it was alreadyte autumn, he was still sweating a little bit, either because of the weather or because of his sincere concern for Daisy.


    "Edward, even you are forcing me to choose. Can''t you see my pain? Why are you putting me in this dilemma?" Daisy screamed hysterically. She knew that he would catch up, but she didn''t expect him to be so fast. But it was exactly his appearance that could disintegrate the defense she built around herself.


    "What about my pain? Daisy, you can''t be so selfish like this. Even if you don''t feel sorry for me, be it, but what about Justin? Are you going to let him go through all the pain that you have felt before? Let me tell you, if you really dare to fire this shot, I swear I''m going to find a stepmother even more devious than Yakira for him. I will let him have a childhood much more miserable than yours. So you''d better weigh these two options."N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    Edward approached her step by step. On his beautifully chiseled face there was only worry. Through his eyes, he begged and pitied her. As long as there was a chance, he would never let her do something stupid. He would not want to live a life that didn''t have Daisy in it. "Edward, don''te forward. I''m really going to pull the trigger." Because of Edward''s increasing proximity, Daisy suddenly grabbed Yakira and even more forcefully stuck her gun against her head. She tried to deter Edward''s incessant steps. Why couldn''t he arrive just a littlete? Daisy had driven the car as fast as possible, yet she still didn''t buy herself enough time.


    "Don''t be afraid. No matter how this ends, I will be there with you." Edward kept walking towards her without hesitation. It turned out that the most romantic line in the world was not "I love you," but "be with you." No one could notice its moving power, but he dropped it at such a crucial moment. He truly loved her just as much as she could imagine. It was an earnest affection that would dwarf millions of simple "I-love-you".000

 Chapter 572 I Don鈥檛 Want To Die (Part One)

    Daisy''s lips trembled, but she didn''t seem to have the slightest intention to release Yakira. She winked at Edward with her intelligent and artful eyes, indicating him not to force her to make a choice between Yakira and him. Because what she needed the most now was not hispany, but his cooperation. "Daisy, keep your hands off my Mom. Is it because of the drink? You don''t need to make a fuss about it and get everyone annoyed. As a soldier, you''re being too mean to hold a grudge on such a trifling thing."


    Mary narrowed her eyes and looked at Daisy with derision. The jealous feeling got the better of her, Mary forgot the terror she felt when the gun was pointed at her before. She only saw the affection in Edward''s eyes when he looked at Daisy. This got her insanely jealous. Why did Edward only care for that bitch Daisy? Mary also crazily loved him, but he seemed to havepletely ignored her.


    "Shut up! Are you trying to make more trouble for yourself?" Brian stared at Mary. He was angry that Mary didn''t realize how dangerous the situation was. She didn''t do anything to diffuse the tension. On the contrary, she was fueling the mes. He really didn''t know what was on her mind.


    "Didn''t you see? It''s she who started all this. Why are you angry at me?" Mary said while raising her chin. She was fed up with the different attitude people showed to her and Daisy. She was like a hateful tumor in their eyes. On the other hand, Daisy didn''t look wrong to them even when she held a gun and pointed it at anyone she wanted. Mary thought that she was onlyining about it. But why was Brian so angry at her? It was unfair. How could she be calm when she felt she was being ill treated?


    "You all shut up!" Edward suddenly turned his head at them and shouted with fury. His eyes reflected intimidating coldness. He looked ferocious like the evil god Sura from Hell, making everyone in the house be silent in an instant. Even Daisy was frightened. She trembled at the sight of his horrible expression. She had never seen him look so cold and stern. He had always been noble and graceful in her eyes, and she was surprised to see him so aggressive and intimidating.


    "Colonel Ouyang? What about you? Are you going to wilfully do what you want?'' Don''t forget that you''re a solder, not a judge. You''re a mother, not a killer. Have you forgotten all this? Look at the uniform you are wearing and look at me. I believe you are not a foolish woman."


    If possible, Edward would rather shoot the gun for her. Then the whole thing would not be so torturing. But he knew he couldn''t. Because if she lost him, her life would be worse than death. Therefore, they could enjoy their beautiful life only when both of them were alive and together.


    "I..." Daisy bit her lip and tipped him a wink furtively. Didn''t he see that she was only making a show?


    "Mrs. Ouyang, do you want her to shoot you or do you want to turn yourself in? I think you are very clear about the stake of the two choices." Edward smiled wryly in his heart. It seemed that Daisy was not only good at ying the gun but she was also good at acting. If he hadn''t caught the hint in her eyes, he would have thought that she really had lost the cool and spirit of a soldier. He realized that he thought too much. It was impossible that such an intelligent and wise woman like Daisy would do such a stupid thing. Probably it was because the more he was concerned of her, the more he was confused.


    "I will turn myself in. Mr. Mu, but you''d better take this crazy woman away. I don''t want to die." Yakira''s body trembled because of fear. She was a cunning woman, she would certainly choose the side that was to her advantage. If she was shot to death by Daisy, everything would be over for her. But if she turned herself in, probably she would have the chance to live. It happened many years ago, even if the judge wanted to dere her guilty, it would take some time to investigate the case and make the final verdict. As the saying went, "A living dog is better than a dead lion." She surely knew what was more important to her.


    "Turn yourself in? Yakira, do you think it''s so easy to solve everything? Do you really think that I don''t know what''s on your mind? I am telling you, no way. You''re dead today." Seeing that Edward stopped forcing her to make decisions, she breathed a sigh of relief. But she still looked intimidating with her menacing face.


    "But didn''t Mr. Mu just say I have two choices? You can''t eat your words." Yakira felt the silver lining that had juste to her went up in smoke at Daisy''s cold voice. But she was now kidnapped by Daisy, so she didn''t dare to show the slightest disrespect. She was worried that if Daisy got irritated by her, she might shoot her in the head. As the saying went, "The man who recognizes the facts of a situation is a paragon of men." She understood what it meant.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "He said that to you, but that doesn''t mean I agree to it," Daisy said. How could it be possible for her to not know Edward''s concern? But it was impossible for her to stay put nonchntly after she knew the truth. At least she needed to find someone to vent her anger on. And that person had to be Yakira. She would not let it end so easily.000

 Chapter 573 I Don鈥檛 Want To Die (Part Two)

    She could not kill her, but she could at least frighten her. It was impossible that she would risk her whole life and career for such an unworthy woman. She was not that stupid. Although in the beginning, she really wanted to kill Yakira but as a soldier, she was clear whatContent ? N?velDrama.Org.


    woulde to her it she did so. No matter how painful and furious she felt in her heart, she tried her best to get through this.


    "Brian, call the police now, I don''t want to die. I will confess to the police that I''m guilty." Yakira was so clever. What she said was only a tactic to gain some more time. When the alert was averted, she would tell the police that she was threatened by Daisy. In this case, she would ovee the fate of dying a miserable death. "No need anymore. We''re already here." While they were speaking, several policemen came in. One of them was special in his demeanor. He didn''t seem like amon policeman.


    "Ah! Sir! Help! This crazy woman is going to kill me!" Yakira was overjoyed at the sight of the chief of Public Security Bureau who took her away yesterday. ''Daisy, I will see how you end this drama today. Mr. Yi, the chief, has seen you kidnap me with the gun. I will use you of crime of intentional injuryter," Yakira thought.


    "Sorry, Colonel Ouyang, we arrived a littlete. Please let us handle the suspect." Yakira was surprised to see that Mr. Yipletely ignored her. Moreover, he behaved respectfully towards Daisy. She was dumbfounded and didn''t know what the situation was now. "Thank you, Mr. Yi, you came here just in time. I''m so sorry to trouble you toe here." Daisy skillfully took back the gun. If she had known that she had to go through the trouble to call the chief here, she would not have let Yakira out this afternoon.


    "You''re wee. It''s our responsibility to catch the suspect." The chief of Public Security Bureau showed great respect to Daisy. He nodded at Edward as a greeting. Although he knew the rtionship between Daisy and Edward, he didn''t want to behave too enthusiastic to him in Daisy''s presence. Colonel Ouyang was more powerful and aggressive in his eyes.


    "Oh! Dear chief, you are mistaken, she is a criminal. Didn''t you see that she was pointing a gun to me and threatened to kill me?" Yakira was confused why the whole thing had turned to the opposite side. She was the one who had been threatened, but how did she suddenly be the guilty one?


    "Colonel Ouyang is the criminal? You''re joking. She was just preventing you from escaping by scaring you with the gun." He was lying through the teeth. This was how the situation went now. Besides Yakira, everyone here waspletely taken aback by the sudden change of events. They had seen with their eyes that Daisy took the gun and threatened to kill Yakira. But why did she be the righteous one who helped the police catch the criminal?


    Edward smiled gently while standing beside Daisy. He realized that Daisy was ying the tactic of a thief shouting "stop thief." It was sad that Daisy didn''t tell him anything beforehand. He had been worried about her all this time and that was indeed a torturing process. But Daisy ingeniously carried out the whole n all by herself. If it was not for the wink she intentionally shot towards him, he really wouldn''t know how the show would end finally.


    "No, Mr. Chief, this woman was trying to kill me. It''s real. All the people here can testify for me. If you don''t believe me, you can ask them." Yakira panicked. It was not like what happened yesterday. If she was taken away this time, she would be treated differently. So she was determined that in no way would she let the police take her back to the Police Office today.


    "I didn''t see anything. I only received a call from Colonel Ouyang to take a suspect away. As for what really happened, we will investigate itter. You can be rest assured. Justice stands behind thew, it''s true to everyone, including criminals." Although Mr. Yi had seen that Daisy pointed her gun at Yakira, as a clever man, he knew how to talk to his advantage. Daisy was a Colonel, it was not possible that she would do anything against thew. So hepletely ignored Yakira''s usation. "Say something for me! Brian, tell the police what happened. It was really Daisy who threatened to kill me with her gun." Yakira looked at her family for help. But no one pitied her or said anything in her favour. How poor she was as the hostess of the house! "Can you tell me what really happened with all this? Dad, you know everything, right?" Brian closed his eyes, trying to pull himself together. He waspletely confused with the scene before his eyes. He didn''t know what unforgivable crime his mother hadmitted, that it had made such a scene and even invited the police.


    "Yakira, do you want me to state what you did one by one?" Leo narrowed his eyes and looked at Yakira with coldness. In fact, he didn''t want Brian to know what a vicious woman his mother was. He didn''t expect that Daisy would suddenly appear and create such a frighting scene. He had no reasons to hide it any more.

 Chapter 574 Frustrated Daisy (Part One)

    years ago? What did he gain out of all this? Could the deade back to life by doing so?


    "OK, fine. No need to do that. Police, I''ll go with you." Yakira gave Edward an angry look. It was definitely all his fault to push her in such a bad situation. Why did he have to bother himself with such matters? Why did he have to investigate the things that happened 20 "You two,e and take her back to the police station. Take note to put her through a thorough interrogation." Mr Yi, the chief of police,manded this to the policemen beside him. It was improper for them to get involved in that kind of family affairs.


    "Dad! Help Mom, please, help Mom! It was Daisy who rushed into our house armed with a gun. How could we let them take mom to the police station without any clear reason?" Mary helplessly pulled Leo''s sleeves and murmured to him. Her mother was her only shelter in this family. It was certain that if Yakira really had anything to do with some unknown crime, Mary would never be able to live the luxurious life as a rich man''s daughter. She even could not stay herefortably.


    "No one has wronged her in this, She always knows what she has done before. It is all her own fault. And she deserves it. Speaking of which, she must thank the police for taking her away from here. Otherwise, I am not sure what I will do to her in the future." Leo was reluctant to let Mary hold him tightly. As things hade to a point like this today, the situation was not something he wanted to see. But this was the consequence of her own evils that she hadmitted in the past. She had to swallow what she had reaped. No one would pay for her wrong doing.


    As soon as Edward saw Daisy handing Yakira over to the hands of the police, he immediately stepped forward and held her tightly in his arms. Irrespective of what she just did was acting or real, he was frightened by her irrational behavior all this while. Hence he wanted tofort Daisy and himself.


    "I am sorry, dear." He heard Daisy gently murmur in his ears. Daisy knew what she had done. And to some extent, it was just too extreme. When she was on the way to Yakira''s ce, she really wanted to shoot Yakira and get rid of her immediately. But she sessfully calmed herself down just few minutes before arrival. Moreover, as Edward said, she was a soldier, not a murderer. She pacified after making a call to Chief Yi with a car phone. Daisy exined him all that was going on, and let hime and arrest Yakira formally. However, she was still not willing to let her go so easily and wanted to do something to sooth her anger. Hence she decided to pull out this act.


    "Never, never say sorry to me, honey. Your safety is the greatest constion to me. I don''t need anything else." After a deep and affectionate kiss on her forehead, Edward firmly hugged her, with both his hands holding onto her waist. He was still consumed with fear and was afraid that she might just disappear in thin air any second.


    "Daisy, What kind of hatred do you have for my mother? Why do you want to send her to the police station again and again? What the hell is going on?" Mary suddenly ran up to Daisy and shouted. She wanted to angrily pull Daisy from Edward''s arms. But this was in vain. Edward quickly turn around to protect Daisy and keep her safe in his arms.


    "I think you can go up to your mother and ask her what happened. Maybe she will be willing to tell you everything. And for you, Mary Ouyang, do not challenge me and test my patience again and again. No one will tolerate your unreasonable conducts forever." Daisy struggled and came off the embrace of Edward, looking askance at her. She didn''t get the chance to settle things with Mary on what she did yesterday. ''She really has got no shame! How dare shee up to me and question me?'' Daisy thought.


    "Colonel Ouyang, Mr. Mu, it is almost time for us to go back to the office. We shall leave now." Chief Yi coughed a little and said. He had long wanted to leave. However, he hesitated to disturb the intimacy between the two of them. Now that the two of them temporary separated from each other, he finally got a chance to say it out.


    "Fine, Let us go out with you! It is time for us to go back too." Daisy walked out first after saying that. Everything in this house was so fascinating for her, for they reminded her of that period of happy times when her mother was still alive and lived with her in this house. However, what''s gone was gone, and it was no longer possible to restore it back. In that case, why should she be reluctant to leave?


    "Daisy, wait! Let''s talk for a while!" Leo chased forward, trying to stop her.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "Do you think it is still necessary to have a talk between us? Mr. Ouyang, do you still remember how my mother died? Tell me, what have you done in all these years? Tonight I didn''te after you but it was not because you are my father. Instead, it was because you were the only man my mother loved. I wouldn''t give you a chance to make up for what you have done. I am just feeling sorry for my mom. She would feel sad if I did anything bad to you. I hope you can see that I spare you only for my mother''s sake." Daisy said, with her footsteps stagnating a bit. However, all this while, she did not look at Leo, even once. She no longer intended to call him her father. Moreover, she did not even wish to have a rtionship with him. If they were not rted by blood, she wouldn''t mind beating him up. But she knew she could not do that. Because her moral philosophy and professional ethics did not allow her to take such a step. Even if she had so much resentment and anger for him, she could only hold back it to the bottom of her heart. "I know that you hate me now, but I still have the audacity to hope that you can consider talking to me, for the sake of all the love that I gave you while you were little." Leo said imploringly, with his mouth twitching slightly, His senile face looked much older. What? How dare he say that? "If you didn''t mention this to me, I might still have a bit respect for you. But how could you think that you can still have any rtion with me, after all that happened? Never say such things to me in the future? It is absolutely impossible for me to forget those things and forgive you." Daisy replied coldly, without filtering her words. She did not give any chance to Leo to speak further and walked out of the house quickly.00000000000000

 Chapter 575 Frustrated Daisy (Part Two)

    "Mr. Mu, please, please help me exin it to her." Leo turned to Edward, and said that. Hisst hope of having any rtionship with his daughter was Edward who was gently walking behind Daisy. Even though he knew this domineering man would be more difficult than


    Daisy tomunicate with, he did not want to miss any opportunity to ease the tense rtionship between him and his daughter.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    "Mr. Ouyang, your remorse came out prettyte. If you recognized your mistakes when I first gave those documents to you, I would be more than happy to help you. But now, as you can also see, the situation has reached to the stage where it is irreversible. I am sorry I can not help you this time. See youter. Goodbye!"


    Edward smiled, with his lip slightly up, He then turned around and walked out. No matter how deep resistance Daisy showed to Leo, nobody could deny the fact that he was her father. So on the whole, he still had a little respect for him, but that did not mean that he could ignore the harms Leo once brought to Daisy.


    "Mr. YI, thanks for your hard work," Daisy said, as she went out and saw Mr. Yi waiting for them in the doorway, She expressed her appreciation for Mr. Yi''s great support in this case.


    "You are wee, Colonel Ouyang. It is our responsibility to do this. And it''s worthwhile for me to remind you that in the absence of any evidence or witnesses, we can only detain her for the next forty-eight hours at most. Under normal circumstances, it is only twenty-four hours, but considering that the situation is very special, I can try to extend it to forty-eight hours."


    Mr. Yi said, short and to the point, with a sense of concern towards Daisy. He was afraid that Daisy might force him to abuse his powers. After all, such a thing was toomon in current politics environment.


    "Never mind, I fully understand the process of investigation. Please don''t consider me to be too involved in the investigation. The only reason why I asked you to take her to the police station was because I want to give her a small punishment. There is still a long way to go to finally convict her with sufficient evidence."


    Daisy frowned slightly. She suddenly thought of Brian and was confused on how she would face him now. She did not know how she would exin the things to him. Moreover, she was confused on how to even start amunication with him under the given state. After all, that woman was his mother, and she had the most direct blood rtionship with him.


    "That is so considerate of you. It is really great for our work. But be rest assured! Although it happened long time ago and it might be difficult for us to investigate the whole thing, we will certainly try our best to find out the evidence and convict her." Mr. Yi replied. He did not expect Daisy to be so reasonable and understanding. That surprised him greatly but he managed to hide such unexpectedness under his smiling face.


    "Thanks, and we will also provide you with all requisite assistance. Should you need anything more from us, please feel free to let us know," Daisy said in a cold tone. And this tone of speech perfectly synced with her cold appearance in front of other people.


    "Well, sure. Then I''ll go back to office now, goodbye!" Mr. Yi said and got in his car. The car went away and quickly disappeared into the vast darkness.


    "Let''s go too!" Daisy said, and closed her sore eyes, which were painful after a long cry. She did not know how long it would still take to finally convict Yakira. However, no matter how hard it would be, she was ready to go on to find justice on behalf of her mother. This was the only thing she could do for her mother, as a daughter.


    "Okay, but let me drive." Edward replied quickly. He was still so frightened by the flying speed with which she came here. So, he was not ready to let her drive again, otherwise, his heart wouldpletely stop beating.


    "Why not? You don''t trust my skills, do you?" Daisy said, with her face frowned and lip pouted, looking at him unhappily, "No, no, no, how dare !! I just do not trust my poor nerves!" Edward answered this with a little ttery. On seeing that Daisy was not so gloomy, he felt a little rxed. He had been afraid that she would break downpletely and just not get out of all the sadness.


    "Mr, and Mrs Mu, How about you two let me drive?" Luke said. To tell the truth, Luke did not feelfortable with either of them driving right now. After all, the previous splendid crazy racing was still yed back before his eyes.


    "No need. You can just drive your own car back." Edward immediately refused Luke''s suggestion. At this moment, he believed Daisy would like to be with him only. Even though, she seemed to be normal, superficially at least, it did not mean that her heart was no longer in pain.


    When they were discussing on who would drive the car, Brian followed them all the way out closely. Inparison to Mary''s cries and shouting, Brian looked very calm and indifferent, as if what happened there did not bother him. He looked subtle and peaceful. He was calm and quiet and just stood there silently watching them leave the house, without making a sound, After tonight, he clearly knew that, there was a tall wall erected again between Daisy and him. The wall was so high that it was harder than before for him to climb over it.


    As for Yakira, no matter how big her mistake was, he had to try his best to help here out of jail. All this was not because he had any love for Yakira but it was simply because she was his mother. It was his responsibility to do this for her as a son. He could not be too indifferent to her. Now he just hoped that the mistake she made was not so serious and it still could be redeemed. Otherwise, even though he wanted to help her, he might not have the ability to do that.

 Chapter 576 Lets Go on a Trip

    "Edward, sing to me," Daisy requested abruptly in the car. Upon hearing her words, Edward stepped hard on the brake. Fortunately, the traffic wasn''t heavy on the road.


    "Be careful." Daisy narrowly escaped bumping her head. Edward was worried that she might be a bad driver. But he didn''t seem to be any better than her. She stared at him angrily, seeming like it didn''t ur to her at all how much her words had affected him. "I''m sorry. Are you hurt?" Edward carefully scanned her. Assured that she was fine, he was relieved. Her words took him by surprise and they sounded illogical to him. He reached for her forehead to see if she was having a fever.


    "It''s just singing. Why are you acting so dramatically?" Daisy took his hand off her forehead angrily. She had be unreasonable and irritable, a sharp contrast to her usual self.


    "Honey, it''s not strange to sing a song. I''m just wondering why you suddenly asked for it under the given circumstance." Edward wasn''t mad. He was more than happy to tolerate all her unreasonable behaviors. This brought forth her feminine side and made him feel that she needed him.


    "I see. You must be a terrible singer. So you are scared. Don''t be. I won''t make fun of you." Daisy said. Edward didn''t know why she thought he couldn''t sing. He just wasn''t keen on singing.


    "Maybe you didn''t realize it. Your words sound sarcastic right now. But I don''t mind. You will know in the future whether I can sing or not."


    Edward smiled resignedly. So far she was the only one that thought he couldn''t sing. But he didn''t want to take it seriously. A song wasn''t really what she wanted right now. She was still in the shock that her mom had been murdered. What saddened her the most was that she knew who killed her mother, but she didn''t have any solid evidence to put the murderer away.


    "Honey, I don''t want to go home." Daisy leaned on Edward. She was exhausted. Her eyes wandered. It seemed she had said those words unconsciously. She might not even know what she was doing.


    "Okay. Where do you want to go?" Edward said. He thought it might be just a momentary thought of Daisy''s. She might change her mind very soon, but Edward was willing to take her wherever she wanted to go.


    "Let''s go on a trip. Leave the city and go somewhere nobody knows us." For the first time Daisy wanted to escape from everything. Thinking of the moment when she had left home earlier today, she was too embarrassed to go back home and face Jonathan and Cynthia. "Are you sure that''s what you want?" Edward pulled over his car. He would love to go on a trip with her, but he wasn''t sure her busy schedule allowed her to do such an impetuous thing.


    "I don''t know." Daisy felt so fragile, so delicate. She used to endure all the sorrows alone and weep helplessly. Now she had Edward. When she was tired, there was his shoulder for her to lean on. When she was hurt, he would take her into his arms. She wasn''t alone anymore.


    Edward took a deep breath. He straightened her messy hair affectionately. She looked so frustrated, which didn''t conform to the military uniform she was wearing. She was in too much pain to notice that. She looked lifeless as if she had been possessed. Edward had to think her words over.


    "Shall we go to Maple Night? It''s a great ce to rx." Edward carefully measured every sentence he said, trying to figure out what she really wanted.


    "Edward, are you kidding me? Maple Night is in the city." Daisy rolled her eyes. She wasn''t born yesterday.


    "Are you sure about the trip? Think carefully. Once it is decided, you can not change your mind again." Edward had suggested Maple Night only because he was worried that she would be too busy to make enough time for a long trip. But Daisy not only didn''t seem to appreciate it but also med him. Edward felt wronged. Since she sounded firm, he decided to set off right away. Taking her out of town was the easiest thing for him.


    "Blpph! Are you mad?" Daisy pinched his cheek. His skin felt so tender and smooth. She wondered how a man could have a skin fairer than women. She pouted and pinched it harder.


    "Hey! Are you trying to kill me? It hurts," Edward said, but he didn''t p her hand away. The pain on his cheek was nothingpared to the pain she had in her heart.


    "Don''t exaggerate it. It''s just a light pinch. It''s not going to kill you. Let''s go. To hell with work and everything. Tomorrow is weekend. No matter what happens, Kevin will be there and he''ll handle everything."


    In Daisy''s eyes, Kevin was outstanding. He made her feel warm and she looked up to him. Heroes admired heroes.


    "He sounds omnipotent. What do you think of me?" Whenever it came to Kevin, Edward couldn''t stay calm. No man could ever stand the love of his life praising another man, unless he was only pretending to be calm or he didn''t love her at all. All men wanted to be the best in the eyes of the woman they loved.


    "Hmm, you... I need to think about it. But I''m sure about one thing, that is, you are not omnipotent in military. Every trade has its own master. Kevin may not be able to do your job either. You two work in different fields and are good at different things. You have respective merits,


    Daisy said earnestly and didn''t realize that Edward was jealous. Edward was unhappy about it. He thought Daisy simply ignored his mood.


    "Never mind. You are mine, and your heart will be mine too." Edward started the car and drove his way out of the city. Since Daisy wanted to leave the city, he would give her what she wanted.


    "Where are we going?" The views on either side of the street shed back. Daisy was curious why Edward had chosen that route. It wasn''t the way back home.


    "I''m going to sell you." Edward gave a mysterious smile. Daisy had suggested a trip, but by now she hadpletely forgotten all about it. Edward wondered whether she was confused or she was just messing with him. No matter what, he had made his decision, and that was it. She couldn''t go back.


    "More likely, I''ll sell you. A pretty boy with fair skin like you is exactly what some perverts are looking for. If I were you, I would think carefully about where we are going right now." Daisy smiled. She had survived so many life-or-death situations, selling her definitely wouldn''t happen.


    "You are lucky that I love you. Otherwise, you would have been in trouble because of the ''pretty boy'' you said. Dispose of the filthy thoughts from your mind. I will never be some pervert''s toy boy."


    Edward hated it when someone described him with words like pretty or beautiful, as these were usually used for females. If Daisy hadn''t been the woman he loved, he would have thrown her out of the car.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    "Should I feel ttered?" Daisy smiled and secretly feltcent that she got him angry so easily. He didn''t seem to be as arrogant as people used to say. She wanted to tell him that he was the one who had filthy thoughts in his mind all the time.

 Chapter 577 Almost A Good Man

    "What do you think?" Edward bit his lip and said calmly. Resignation was written all over his face. He had been proud all his life, but in front of her, he had always been patient and he liked it that way. "Thank you, my lord. I just said it to satiate your arrogance," Daisy joked. As an excellent man, he had a thousand reasons to be arrogant. The women who had been pestering him were all charmed by him.


    "You''re being naughty. Do you want to see the ocean? There you can walk on the serene paths, enjoy the beautiful view, watch the streams running, and listen to the birds singing. Isn''t it great?" Edward said with a smile. The ce was not far from the city, only a three or four-hour drive. When they got there, it would be midnight at most. They still could get some sleep and then watch the sunrise in the morning. It was exciting to think about it.


    "Yes, it sounds great. But don''t we need some time to pack?" Daisy furrowed. She was anxious to be there, but she was also a little worried.


    "We don''t have to. Money is everything." Edward gave an arrogant smile. It was true. Money could buy everything. Except love. The love that could be bought with money wasn''t true love. It was just an attachment to wealth. Edward loathed that kind of rtionships. "Do you have your wallet on you?" Daisy sized Edward up. He was dressed casually. He must have been in a rush to catch up with her and must have forgotten to change. She figured that he had left both his phone and his wallet at home.


    "Luke will bring it with him. Don''t worry, honey. I won''t really sell you." Edward shook his head. She was too naive. He couldn''t imagine how much she must have struggled in the past years. Yet it was her simplicity that attracted him in the first ce and made him lose his heart to her.


    "Edward, sometimes it feels good to be around you." Daisy turned around and pressed a gentle kiss on his cheek, which was like a petal, soft and captivating.


    "Only sometimes?" Edward was surprised by the kiss. But he remained calm and looked at Daisy, smiling.


    "Yes. That''s what you do." Daisy forced herself to forget the pain. So she started to make fun of Edward, which was umon. Edward was impressed by her resilience. She knew how to change her mood. Maybe it was an ability she acquired from her profession. Right now she had regained her rationality.


    "I don''t think so. I can do much more. You know that better than anyone else." Edward looked at her with a mischievous smile.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Look now, whose mind is full of these filthy thoughts. I despise you." Daisy rolled her eyes at him, regardless of how disgraceful it was. He had a habit of associating everything with sex. More often than not, she had to think through her words before she spoke to him, fearing that he might misinterpret her words purposely.


    "You''re more than wee to despise me. At least it means you are interested in me." Edward smiled. He wasn''t embarrassed at all. Instead he seemed to be gloating over it.


    "Okay. Mr. Mu, you win. I have to say I am totally impressed by your shamelessness." Daisy looked at him with disdain, feeling that he was hopeless. She stopped talking, or else he would go on teasing her.


    Darkness crept over the sky. Only a few cars were running on the road. Daisy had nothing to do but talk to Edward. Wherever he was, she felt happy.


    The ck Lamborghini was speeding along the expressway. Luke''s car was following behind. They would reach the K City in the next few hours. Edward informed him on the vehicr telephone to arrange everything ahead of time. It was a tricky task. Luke frowned in deep thoughts.


    Since FX International had hotels in that city which had a special suite for Edward with all the essentials in it, it was easy for him to find a ce to stay. The problem was that there were no proper clothes for Daisy. Luke had to call the managers of the hotel and put them in charge of the matter. It waste in the night. So, they had to depend on their social skills to do their job.


    Halfway through the drive, Daisy fell asleep. She was too tired after the sharp turn of emotions that she went through during the day. To make her morefortable, Edward pulled the car into the service area to adjust her seat.


    Edward stepped out of the car. Luke quickly walked over. When he saw Daisy asleep, he suggested, "Mr. Mu, you can use my car."


    "There''s no need for that, since we''ll be there in another two or three hours. Is everything set?" This was what Edward was thinking about. Daisy wanted to rx. He didn''t want her to be unable to walk out of the hotel just because she didn''t have proper clothes. She would be disappointed. She couldn''t wear her uniform all the time.


    "Yes. I have asked some people to arrange the clothes for her. There will be no problem." Edward''s properties were all over the country, even the world. He could get what he wanted easily. All he needed to do was to ask for it. Even if all the department stores were closed, his own department stores would be at his service.


    "Good. Let''s hit the road again then. Drive safely." Edward got in the car and was on the road again. He called his parents and Justin to tell them they were fine and where they were going. Justin was too premature. Without his dad''s phone call, he would have indulged in some weird, wild imaginations.


    Daisy had a sound sleep. She was still sleeping when they arrived at the hotel.


    Edward checked the time. It was past 2 a.m. It wasn''t toote. His night activities would have just started if it had been in the past. He wasn''t sure whether he should wake Daisy up or not. He wanted to carry her to the room. But he was worried that his act might affect her image since she was wearing the uniform.


    "Are we there yet?" While Edward was thinking about what to do, Daisy woke up and looked out of the car window.


    "Yes. You slept well. I was working on a n to sell you." Edward smiled and stroked her head.


    "It''s an excellent idea. Maybe the buyer is even more wonderful than you. Then I''ll be with the best man in the world," Daisy retorted calmly with a stretch. Edward was angered. "Honey, am I not a good man? Huh?" Edward squinted his eyes at her smiling face.


    "Almost a good man. But since I haven''t met a better man than you yet, I''ll just make do with you for now." Daisy rolled her eyes cleverly, opened the car door and stepped out. She smelled the fragrance of jasmine in the air. It suddenly urred to her that Edward hadn''t chosen this city only for its views. There might be a story here for him to tell. Otherwise, why did he like jasmine so much? However, she didn''t intend to ask him about it. After all, the past stayed in the past. What they had now was the present.


    "Colonel Ouyang, what you just said makes my fancy run wild." Bending on the car roof, Edward smiled at Daisy. Apparently, he was trying to make a fuss about some words in her remarks again. He was good at twisting the meanings of her words. "Noment on that. Luke, Mr. Mu''s thoughts are filthy. Be careful when you are with him," Daisy said to Luke, who was walking toward them. She took a deep breath of fresh air. The air here was much better than that of the S City.


    Luke looked at Edward. Seeing Edward wasn''t mad, he twitched his lips awkwardly. Daisy was the only one that dared to talk about Edward like that. Edward hated two things. One was when people said that he was pretty or beautiful. The second was that people assumed he was gay. Therefore, normally, afraid of the consequences, people took care not to cross these lines with him. Surprisingly, Edward wasn''t affected by her words at all. He smiled and talked as if nothing had happened. He really doted on her.000000

 Chapter 578 Jasmine Fragrance Hotel

    Edward cast a sidelong nce at Daisy''s smiling face. He didn''t take her caustic remarks to heart. All he wanted was to see her happy face. Anyway, her caustic remarks wouldn''t do any wrong to him, right? Therefore, he didn''t care about Daisy''s taunts. Instead, he let out a doting smile. "Let''s go. Take a shower in the hotel to relieve the fatigue of the journey." Edward closed the car door and walked up to Daisy, leading her to the hotel with his arm around her slender waist.


    "Sorry. I don''t know when I fell asleep. You must be really tired after driving for so long." Daisy looked up at Edward. The expression in her eyes showed her affectionate tenderness and apology.


    "No, I am not tired. I''m just worried that you may be tired." Edward answered her with aforting smile. In fact, this was the first time that he had driven for such long hours. If he went on a long journey in the past, Luke would drive for him, or he would travel via his private ne. However, he decided to go on this trip hastily, and since the destination was not far away, he drove himself.


    "Mr. Mu, wee to Jasmine Fragrance Hotel." The hotel manager came up to greet Edward and Daisy just when they stepped into the lobby. He was a little bit surprised to see Daisy standing beside Edward. As a matter of fact, Daisy was also stunned. She thought the name of the hotel matched perfectly with the characteristics of this city, and she began to wonder who its owner was and why he gave this name to the hotel. Was it someone like Edward who had a special liking for jasmines?


    "Mr. Wu, thank you. We onlye here for a vacation and not for an inspection. You don''t have to worry about anything." Edward knew the name of every senior executive. It was not only because of his good memory, but because of his respect for his employees. After hearing what Edward said, Daisy was enlightened and smiled. It turned out that the hotel also belonged to the FX International Group. She was right. The owner of the hotel was really crazy about jasmines, but what interested her more was the story hidden behind it. "It''s our pleasure. You rarelye here. We are greatly honored by your gracious presence. If I am not wrong, this must be your wife, Colonel Ouyang." Mr. Wu asked with hesitation. In the past, their CEO only came here to inspect the work. It was the first time that he had brought a woman here, so he wondered whether this woman in the military uniform was Edward''s wife who gave rise to a lot of discussion among the employees recently.


    "Hello. I''m Daisy Ouyang." Daisy''s answer was concise and polite. It was neither too indifferent nor too intimate. As usual, she looked elegant and heroic.


    "Hello, Mrs. Mu. The female staff here admires you so much." Mr. Wu began to get excited as he was right in his guess. Although the staff didn''t have a chance to attend the anniversary party of the FX International Group, there were many reports and videos about Mrs. Mu on thepany''s internal website, so they felt great respect for her.


    "Admire me? Why?" Daisy frowned. If she recalled correctly, it was her first visit here. How could the employees here know her?


    "Yes. There are a lot of reports about you on thepany''s internal website, so they all know you." Mr. Wu rubbed his hands together. The FX International Group had its own internal website for employees to conveniently exchange work experience. They had to enter their employee numbers and passwords to log in. Moreover, various firewalls were also designed. In general, it was impossible to decipher the codes. However, that was another pair of shoes forputer masters like Justin.


    "So I have been tagged as the wife of the CEO of the FX International Group?" Daisy rolled her eyes at Edward. She was quite surprised that the FX International Group had assets all over the country. It seemed that she would be recognized wherever she went in the future, which was thest thing she wanted. She always led a low-key life, but now she was popr. She was afraid that it might cause her unnecessary trouble.


    "Don''t look at me. I didn''t upload the information. Anna is responsible for this. You can vent your anger on her." Daisy''s fierce look scared Edward. He unconsciously stepped back and shifted the me onto his secretary. It was indeed Anna''s work, and he really didn''t tell a lie.


    "Sorry. Did I say anything wrong?" Mr. Wu was nervous about the tension between Edward and Daisy. If they had a quarrel over what he said, he might even lose his job. Worst still, he wouldn''t have his ce in the service industry either.


    "No. We can go to the room on our own. Go back to sleep now." Before Daisy could say anything, Edward directly drove her into the elevator overbearingly yet gently.


    "Luke, are they alright?" Mr. Wu was still worried, so he hesitantly asked Luke who followed Edward and Daisy behind. Although Luke appeared to be a bodyguard, the insiders knew the subtle rtionship between him and the CEO, so they also respected him. "Don''t worry. It''s just a joke between them. Have you got everything ready as told?" This was the only thing that Luke cared about. He was afraid that things might not be ready before Edward''s arrival. If that happened, it would mean that he was inefficient.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "The departmental store has already got everything ready before youe here. I was wondering who woulde. It turns out to be Mrs. Mu." Mr. Wu wiped his sweat. He originally thought that the CEO would bring some youngdy here. Unexpectedly, Mrs. Mu came. Fortunately, he didn''t say anything wrong. Otherwise he would be doomed.


    "Good. Then I can set my mind at rest. You can go back. No need to serve us." Routinely, Luke''s room was just next to Edward''s. It was a fixedyout. Edward''s room, which remained empty at ordinary times, was exclusively reserved for him only. He was obsessively tidy, so he didn''t mind the waste of resources. He lived in his exclusive rooms in the hotels of the FX International Group only. This was why he had hotels built across the country.


    "Okay. I will go back. Good night." Mr. Wu then went back to his office. Since the CEO stayed at the hotel, he didn''t dare to go home to sleep because he feared that something unexpected might happen. So, he''d better be on call here.


    "Good night." Then Luke entered the elevator. Since Daisy was with Edward, it made his work much easier. At least he didn''t have to be on high alert all the time.


    The air in the K City was fresh and pleasant. Daisy pushed the ss window open and looked out. Although it was alreadyte at night, the stars were shining bright, and the city was aze with light. As she took a deep breath, she smelled a faint floral fragrance in the air. She liked the sweet air that the city brought to her. In this atmosphere, she temporarily forgot the sad pain buried deep in her heart. She was totally intoxicated by the faint floral fragrance, because this was the most familiar smell to her. It was the intoxicating jasmine fragrance that Edward exuded. Now, she felt that the smell was very close to her too.


    "It''s cozy here, isn''t it?" Edward was naked upto the waist. Looking far into the distance along Daisy''s sight, he saw the flickering light, as well as her mncholy, helplessness and sadness. "Yeah. You have showered? You know what? This is my first trip." Daisy turned her head. At the sight of Edward''s sturdy chest muscles, she blushed, making her look pretty and charming.


    "I know. I swear I will show you all the beautiful rivers and mountains of the world, if I can. Now go take a shower. I have already filled the bathtub with warm water." Edward kissed Daisy''s lips soulfully. He didn''t doubt her words, whether good or bad. He was deeply grieved by what she just said, so he made a promise.


    "Thank you. I''ll keep it in mind." Daisy smiled softly. She didn''t expect to really enjoy the beauty of the world, but what Edward said was the most beautiful scenery in her heart. It showed her the most luxurious trip of the world, because it was a painting he drew for her with his deep love and affection.


    "I will be with you wherever you go, even if it is the remotest corner of the world." After Daisy hurried into the bathroom, Edward stood by the window andmanded an open view of the distance. Smelling the floral fragrance, he seemed to see the girl in his memory. She was so close to him, but as he stretched out his hands to touch her, she turned into a cloud and drifted with the wind, and he could do nothing to stop her.


    Daisy was right. This city had the most profound meaning and nostalgia for Edward right from his childhood. He often thought of the girl who was as beautiful as a princess and missed the scene of their first meeting. However, like most storylines, they passed through each other and finally lost each other amidst the faint floral fragrance. They never met again after that.


    Edwardughed at himself. What happened? Why did he suddenly think of that distant memory again? Was it because he was now in this city? Maybe he had a different feeling for that girl, but he didn''t realize it. On this thought, he frowned at himself because he knew that this was not his purpose foring here today. He thought he owed Daisy an apology, because at this moment, he was thinking of another girl who was only a part of his distant memory.????????????00

 Chapter 579 Edwards Secret (Part One)

    Immersing her body into the hot water, Daisy finally let her tight muscles rx. Thefortable feeling that followed it, made her unconsciously close her eyes. Her mind suddenly travelled back in time, to the deepest part of her memory. This was the time, when she was still a highly enviable princess in her family, who had a loving father and an indulgent mother. They all lived happily together, making everyone else gasp in admiration.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    But all these things started to fade gradually with time, bing a distant dream for her. Moreover, now that she knew how her mother died, she felt herself slipping deep into a dissociative state, like a soulless body. So she decided to take some time off, splurge a little and be a little woman pampered by her husband. She hoped that all of this would change her mood.


    However, she was constantly irked by one thought. With her bodypletely drowned in water, she thought about Edward''s past. She was very eager to know about the story in his heart. Daisy badly wanted to know what kind of person that girl was. What made Edward constantly think about her, so much so that he ended up naming the hotel in such a special manner.


    The pressure of the water didn''t let her hold on long. She popped her head out of the water, suddenly remembering that she was nursing her broken heart. She had forgotten to ring her family to let them know that she was safe. They must be worried about her because of the riot she caused before she left the house! Thinking about this, she was not in the mood to bath anymore. She quickly finished her shower and walked out of the bathroom. Seeing Edward standing by the window,pletely lost in his thoughts, she suddenly stopped in her tracks and stared at him thoughtfully, tilting her head.


    "You got out of the shower so quick." Edward turned around first, and smiled when he saw her standing there still. Then he walked towards her, still wearing the expression he wore when he was enjoying the night view just now.


    "Oh! Have you phoned mother and father? How could Ipletely forget such an important thing?" Daisy, suddenly popped out of her trance, lifted the corner of her mouth and asked nonchntly. But there was still a hint of unsureness in her heart. Because she knew that Edward was definitely thinking about his past. But she didn''t dare to ask, and she couldn''t ask, so she just had to bury her curiosity in the bottom of her heart.


    "Don''t worry! I have already called them. Is this the reason why you got out of the shower in such a hurry? Your hair is still dripping." Edward frowned, grabbed the towel by his side, and started gently drying her hair. But in his mind, he still deeply med himself for his temporary emotional betrayal.


    "I''m d that you called. I was afraid that they might be worried about us." Daisy didn''t resist, she just stood there silently, letting his hands run through her hair. She suddenly felt that she was being ridiculous. Why must she care who had been in his heart in the past? As long as she was the one he loved right now, it should be okay, right?


    "So you know that they''d be worried! Then why didn''t you think twice when you stormed out of the house like that?" Edward didn''t say these words to me her at all, because he clearly knew that whoever heard such a cruel thing would definitely lose control. Right now, he was just teasing her.


    "I''m sorry! I admit that I wasn''t thinking clearly. Edward, when did you find out that my mother was murdered?" Now that she couldn''t think of his past, she focused her mind on something else, the thing that she wanted to know the most.


    "I found out identally but not long ago. I was going to solve it quickly, but because I was injured, it got a little dyed." Edward was a little worried, he was not sure if she would me him for hiding this from her. So he hesitated before answering her question. "Why didn''t you tell me before? You always act like this, why am I thest one to know everything?" As Edward had expected, she didn''t let that slide. It looked like he knew her very well.


    "I''m really sorry! I broke my promise again." Edward smiled helplessly. Like her words suggested, it seemed that he was lying to her again and again. Though he meant well, he still stepped on her sensitive nerve.


    "Never mind, I know you just want what''s best for me. No need to worry, and don''t look so forlorn. I''m not an unreasonable woman." Daisy raised her head and looked at him. No matter how days passed, she still didn''t like it when he frowned deeply. Because deep in her memory, his smile was forever radiant and enchanting.


    "Do you want to listen to a story?" All of a sudden, Edward badly wanted to tell her a secret that had been buried deep in the bottom of his heart. And in this way, it wouldn''t count as an emotional betrayal, perhaps! He never saw his feeling for that girl as love. He liked her but only treated her as a sister next-door.

 Chapter 580 Edwards Secret (Part Two)

    "No. I''m really tired. I just want to sleep." For some reason, Daisy suddenly felt very afraid of hearing him talk about the girl who had always been in his heart. So she refused to listen to anything connected to her subconsciously. Because the most terrifying thing between lovers wasparison. And she had always been somewhat unsure of herself. So she was worried that she wouldn''t be able topete with the beautiful girl in his heart.


    "You really don''t want to know the story? It might be a very sweet love story!" Edward raised one of his eyebrows, trying to get her interested.


    "Maybe some other time! When I really want to hear it." Upon hearing his words, Daisy''s heart started beating a lot faster. She didn''t dare to listen to his words anymore, so she just covered her ears to show that she really didn''t want to hear it.


    "Then okay! It''s reallyte. Let''s have a nice sleep. And tomorrow I will take you out and show you around town, to see the gorgeous scenery of this city." Edward reached out and touched her hair, feeling that it was almost dry. He stopped what he was doing, but still went on to get a hair drier and blowed her hair for a while. He never really liked men doing such things for women in general however after he met this little woman, he waspletely smitten.


    Seeing that he wasn''t nning on talking, Daisy breathed a sigh of relief secretly. That was when she suddenly realized that even though they had been through death together, she still couldn''t believe she was the only woman he wanted for life. With a slight stimtion, she would quickly arm herself and hide, to protect herself from getting hurt. Perhaps, it was because she had been hurt so many times that she was so reluctant to get herself hurt again.Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The night was mostly silent. It wouldn''t change for someone''s sleeplessness, nor stay for someone''s sorrow. The dawn still came as usual, and the sun still rose in the east, not waiting for anyone''s appreciation.


    Because Edward slept tootest night, he didn''t wake up at daybreak and missed his beautiful wish to watch sunrise with Daisy. His eyes fluttered open until about noon. Rubbing the painful area between his eyebrows, a sudden realization woke him from his slumber. He didn''t see Daisy around.


    He quickly jumped up from the bed and went to the bathroom without even putting on his shoes. But the bathroom was empty and quiet, he couldn''t find Daisy. He had a bad feeling about it. Edward was afraid that she was still bothered by what happenedst night. So he hurriedly ran to Luke''s room without changing his clothes.


    "Mr. Mu, you are finally up." As soon as Luke saw Edward, he quickly put down the newspaper in his hands and stood up from the sofa.


    "Yeah! Have you seen Daisy?" Edward ran his hand through his messy hair, and asked vexedly.


    "Yes, Mrs. Mu went out very early. She said that she wanted to catch some fresh air and see if the sunrise here in the K City was any different from that in the S City. So she told me not to bother you. She would be back soon." Luke seldom saw Edward this messy, so he knew that he must be very worried. So, he told him everything he knew.


    "She went all by herself. How did I not notice it at all?" Edward frowned to himself, feeling very frustrated. He was thinking that he could apany her. But he didn''t expect that he wouldn''t even notice her leaving.


    "Mrs. Mu said that she was just going out for a walk and you didn''t have to worry about her." Luke repeated Daisy''s words again. Seeing Edward this anxious, made him worried too. But knowing that she was not some ordinary weak little girl, he felt relieved. "Did she take the car? And did she carry some cash with her?" This was what Edward was worried about. Since they came here in a hurry, Daisy didn''t have the chance to bring any cash with her. What if she was in trouble?


    "No, she went by foot, and I don''t think she has any cash with her." Luke felt pissed at himself. He cursed himself under his breath. How could hepletely forget such an important thing? He was now anxious too. "What? Then I assume that she didn''t eat anything either?" After hearing this, Edward felt more and more guilty. He had a feeling that he failed as a husband, for he didn''t even realize when his own wife went out of the room.


    "I''m afraid so, Because she left quite early, just past six o''clock. How about this! I take the car and drive around the city to see if I can find her." The more questions Edward asked, the more guilty Luke felt of this matter. Even he started feeling anxious now.


    "Okay! We will split up to look for her. She''s not like herself now, she must have forgotten that she doesn''t have any cash on her. Whoever finds her first will contact the other via car phone." Edward said these words while walking up to change his clothes. In his mind, Daisy was not the almighty colonel right now, she was just his wife. That was why he got so anxious on her going out all by herself.00000

 Chapter 581 Dont Test My Patience (Part One)

    The sunlight inte autumn was not as scorching as it was in summer, but it was still intense enough to get someone''s delicate skin sunburned after prolonged exposure. Daisy took a break to rest for a while. She sighed as she looked up at the relentless sun. After getting


    her breath back, she suddenly realized how far she''de. Although the trip didn''t exhaust her, she was now dehydrated.


    Daisy raised her hand to wipe the sweat off her face. She assumed that she must look a lot more terrible than when she was doing field training at the base. At least at the base, she was wearing tbat boots instead of high heels and camouge attire instead of this full-length dress which trailed along behind her and made walking difficult. At the moment, she felt like a drowned mouse. But there was no one to me but herself. She originally just nned to walk around but before she knew it, she had strayed off the path and ended up on the peak of a natural forest park. Although she enjoyed the beautiful sunrise and the fresh mountain air, she found that wearing high-heeled shoes while trekking along the mountain was a big mistake.


    To be honest, when she opened the closet and found the glittering array of dresses this morning, her heart started racing. She stood in ce and stared at those women''s clothes for quite a long time without even touching a single one of them. She finally breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed that they were brand-new with price tags still attached on them, so they could not be some other women''s clothes. But she had trouble making up her mind while looking through the collection. There were a lot of brands and styles avable, but none of them seemed to suit her. All the clothes were either strapless or backless, even if the upper part was eptable, the lower section could barely cover her hip. In the end, she reluctantly chose this long snow-white dress, which further added to her aloof image and otherworldly beauty.


    Swallowing hard, she tried to relieve her thirst only to find that her mouth was dry. She could do nothing but continue to walk when suddenly, a pavilion drew her attention. She unconsciously stopped, not because she wanted to take a break, but because she found it familiar. She had a feeling that she could recognize it in her memory. It was strange because this was her first time in K City, and she had never visited this forest park before. It was impossible for her to have seen this pavilion before. But now, she could even vaguely picture a simr pavilion in her mind. However, when she tried to remember more details, the images became blurry and simply faded away.


    With a confused look on her face, she walked over and sized it up curiously. She admitted that it was merely a typical pavilion that people could easilye across in many tourist spots. There was nothing special about it, but she just couldn''t shake off the familiarity. Sitting down slowly on the stone bench inside, she did her best to search her memory for the reason. But every time she got close to an answer, it just slipped away.Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    ''It''s better to forget it. Maybe I''m just too tired and I''m imagining things,'' she thought to herself. After reassuring herself, Daisy decided not to linger any longer. She rose up and continued her trek down the mountain. Maybe she was distracted by the confusion, or the heels were too high for her, because she suddenly lost her bnce and sprained her ankle. She was already a bit tired after walking for so long, a twisted ankle would surely add to her woes. She bent down to stroke her ankle gently. As expected, she felt a dull pain in the joint. Luckily, it wasn''t very serious, and she could still get back on foot.


    As she hobbled along the steep mountain road, she got drenched in sweat from the heat and the aching pain. But years of military life had toughened her will, so she wasn''t frustrated or upset, nor did she show any delicacy or weakness that a regr girl might have done in this situation. On the contrary, she clenched her teeth and walked on, disying her tenacity and strong will as a soldier.


    Compared to Daisy, who had coped with her difficulties gracefully, Edward could barely stay calm and was on the verge of an angry rampage. He and Luke had literally searched every corner of the hotel and the area around, but could find no trace of Daisy. Edward was currently filled with both worry and anger. On one hand, he feared that something bad might have happened to her. On the other, she had riled him up by going out alone. How could she not even ask him to apany her? Edward came to feel useless, dispensable and unwanted as a husband.


    "Luke, how is it going? Are there any sightings of her?" He used the phone in his car to call Luke every ten minutes to ask about Daisy. It was clearly evident how anxious he was at the moment.


    "No. I''m sorry Mr. Mu, but I suspect that Mrs. Mu is no longer in the area. Shall we expand the search? I think I remember her talking about watching the sunrise. Perhaps we can go and try checking some higher ces where one can view the sunrise at the earliest," Luke said as he kept looking around the street, hoping to spot the missing woman.


    "Checking out higher ces? Wait a second, I might know where she is." Edward then turned the car around sharply. Luke''s words reminded him of a ce where people could see the first rays of sunlight in this city. But the odd thing was, that ce was quite far away from the hotel. If Daisy went out on foot, then she was less likely to have walked that far. Nevertheless, he still decided to try his luck and check it out. After all, it was better than running around like a headless chicken.


    In less than twenty minutes, he stood at the gate of a forest park. He wasn''t familiar with this park, but wasn''t a stranger to it either. Because it was exactly the ce he described to Daisyst night. It was a ce where people could stroll around in the secluded pathways and watch the mountain spring cascade into waterfalls. People who were unfamiliar with the ce could hardly be expected to know the existence of such a beautiful scenery.


    Edward trotted all the way up the steep and winding mountain road. He prayed in his heart that Luke was right, and that Daisy actually dide here to watch the sunrise. This way, he could put an end to his worries and their hit-and-miss strategy.0000000

 Chapter 582 Dont Test My Patience (Part Two)

    Probably because the heat was most intense in the middle of the day, Edward could only see a few people in the park. From his point of view, the ce looked more like a mountain than a park. Along the way, he had seen vast stretches of bushes,e across birds chirping melodious and soothing songs, and passed through woods where sunlight filtered through the tree leaves to create golden halos. The entire ce was quiet, peaceful, and sweltering. For a moment, Edward thought that he was visiting a tropical rain forest. After running continuously for a while, Edward found himself a bit exhausted. He stopped on a t ce, panting heavily. While he was trying to catch his breath, a familiar figure came into his sight. The woman was slowly moving down with her flowing white dress fluttering and dancing in the autumn breeze, like a fairy who lost her way deep in the mountains. Edward couldn''t take his eyes off her.


    By now, Daisy realized that her sprain was more serious than she thought. Half an hour had nearly passed and she had only trudged a short distance. How long before she could reach the bottom of the mountain at the speed of a tortoise? What a nightmare! She sighed and wiped off the sweat brought out by the pain from her, and looked down at the seemingly endless road in frustration. Suddenly, she caught a pair of ring eyes that stopped her thoughts. Then she saw Edward''s darkened face. Startled by the intense look, she subconsciously took a step back, only to trip over a small stone. When her sprained ankle twisted again, she was unable to maintain her bnce and fell on the ground.


    "Be careful!" Edward eximed while rushing up to Daisy quickly. Although he was fuming with anger, he got very worried when he saw her tumble down.


    "How did you know I am here?" Daisy asked, nearly moved to tears. Because she upheld her military training, she had been strong despite the pain and suffering she endured today. She believed that a soldier could shed blood and sweat, but never tears. But the moment she saw Edward, her nose couldn''t help twitching. Although his expression was grim, the sight of his faceforted her.


    "I didn''t, I was only trying my luck. Are you alright?" Edward replied angrily. He was still infuriated, but he helped Daisy up as gently as possible. After all, it was a big relief to see her safe and sound. He finally rxed the moment he touched her.


    "I''m fine. Thank you, Edward. I''m d to see you here anyway." Daisy didn''t tell him about her sprained ankle. Instead, she stared at him with delight. His sudden appearance seemed to have relieved much of the pain she felt.Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Why didn''t you wake me up? How could youe to such a remote ce alone?" Edward still looked upset despite her pleasant smile. But he reached out to dust the dirt off her dress.


    "You''ve driven for so longst night. I didn''t have the heart to wake you up because you were sleeping so soundly this morning..." Daisy replied in a low voice. Like a child being scolded, she hung her head low and kept her gaze at her feet. She didn''t dare to meet Edward''s angry stare. Because she knew that the man was just worried about her, she didn''t lose her temper in any way.


    "Are you telling me that I''m the one who should apologize? Fine. Let''s get out of this ce now," Edward said, turning on his heel in a fit of pique. He didn''t like seeing her act so politely with him. Although it sounded like she was showing her consideration for him, he only felt like she didn''t need him in any way. At this moment, his heart was deeply stung by her pride and independence. As her husband, it hurt him a lot to see that she didn''t seem to need him.


    Daisy was stunned by Edward''s reaction. She didn''t expect him to turn his back on her. The surprise made her freeze and gape at him as he walked away.


    "Now what? Are you noting with me? Don''t tell me that you haven''t had enough," Edward snapped. He turned to look at her in confusion when he didn''t hear footsteps following behind. Seeing that Daisy hadn''t moved a single step, he could no longer restrain himself from losing his temper.


    "..." Daisy bit her lip. The sudden sadness she felt made tears well up in her eyes. She subtly tilted her head to prevent the tears from falling down on her cheeks. She could easily turn a deaf ear to people''s malicious remarks, but like anyone else, cold words from family would always break her heart. In the face of Edward''s indifference towards her, she could barely hold back her tears.


    "Don''t test my patience, Daisy." Edward simultaneously felt bad as he replied coldly to Daisy. As a person from a rich and powerful family, he had long grown used to having people''s obedience. Earlier, he had been on the verge of a nervous breakdown because she went out without a single word. Everyone else would always be at his beck and call. Since when did he have to put up with a headstrong person like her? He was too exasperated to mind his words at the moment.


    "Sorry to have troubled you. You go ahead, I can go back on my own." Upon hearing his reply, Daisy straightened her face and looked very much the colonel she was. She stood with her back facing him and responded in an even colder and more distant manner.


    "So this is your answer?" Edward asked in a chilling hard voice, with veins throbbing in his temples. Gnashing his teeth in anger, he glowered at the back of the stubborn woman. He kept clenching and unclenching his fist, as if trying to control his rage. He firmly held the idea that Daisy was simply in a bad mood. He didn''t know that she was hanging behind because of her injury.


    "Yes. If you don''t mind." This was the way Daisy had always been. In a weak state, she was willing to throw herself into her beloved''s arms and act like a spoiled child in a delicate and sweet manner. But if anyone dared to offend her tender sensibilities, she would automatically put on a mask of indifference at once, and keep people at a distance with cold detachment.000

 Chapter 583 The Big Fight

    "Good! I shouldn''t havee to look for you in the first ce. I''m just a God damn fool making myself ridiculous!" Edward had been worried. After about three hours of searching for her, he got really irritated. Daisy''s words made him think that all the things he had done for


    her were unnecessary and she didn''t need him or his efforts. He lost his temper and for the first time he cursed in front of her.


    Daisy still didn''t turn around to look at him. She tried to hold back the tears, but in vain. Fierce tears filled her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. Watching her back, Edward felt she didn''t appreciate his concern at all. He closed his eyes dismally. When he reopened them, he walked down the hill, alone.Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    As Edward''s footsteps became thinner, Daisy turned around. She watched him go farther and farther away from her through tearful eyes. Grief ran through her.


    She always knew that a distinguished and arrogant man like Edward wouldn''t love her deeply enough to humor her all the time, and she had been reminding herself to be discreet. But when he got mad at her, the indifference he showed was still too much for her to bear. She felt as if she was reliving those painful days when Edward had treated her like no more than a stranger.


    Edward mmed the car door and sped away, as if he had forgotten the woman he loved was still on the hill. He looked grim, eyes elusive. His mouth was a tight line. One single nce at him could give people chills.


    "Luke, you don''t need to look for her anymore. I found her," Edward answered on his vehicr telephone and slowed down his car. Luke had been trying to reach him.


    "Mr. Mu, where are you? Do you need me toe over?" Hearing that Edward had found Daisy, Luke stepped on the brake and pulled over.


    "No. You go back to the hotel." Edward frowned and made a U-turn.


    "Okay, be careful." Usually Luke was at Edward''s side. He and Edward were now separated because they had gone in different directions to look for Daisy. He was worried to leave him alone. His ultimate aim was to protect him. Only when he was with Edward could he stop worrying.


    "I will." Edward hung up. The look on his face softened a little.


    Luke sensed Edward''s bad mood over the phone. He was worried and confused. Edward was supposed to be happy to find Daisy. Why did he sound angry? Had they been fighting? But since Edward always pampered Daisy, fighting seemed unlikely.


    Daisy was still in the same ce where Edward had left her. She was sitting on a rock, rubbing her sprained ankle, looking dejected just like the high heel lying aside.


    She forced a wry smile. Edward had left without looking back, as if she were just a stranger to him. She had believed he would tolerate everything about her. Now, clearly, she was proved wrong. In his heart she was not as important as she had thought her to be. From what happened today, she realized that in this world nobody could love and tolerate her as much as herself.


    She decided not to waste more time on self-pity. She took off the other shoe and started to walk down the hill with bare feet. The pebbles hurt the soles of her feet. It was much better than walking in high heels, though.


    Reality was cruel, but she was tough. Despite the absence of the shoulder she could lean on, she would rather endure the pain than cave in.


    She limped on the cobbled path. The passing by tourists gazed at her curiously. She looked embarrassed, but she kept walking, slowly and steadily. Years of military life taught her how to remain calm in difficult situations. This was just a tiny snag to her.


    She wetted her lips with her tongue. After the fierce training at JC Military Academy, there was nothing she couldn''t manage on her own. It was the mental pain that distressed her more. The mistake was mutual. She and Edward shared responsibility for the fight. For her part, she hadn''t processed the matter properly. She wasn''t understanding enough.


    The Lamborghini parked at the gate of the park again. Edward stepped out and walked toward the park. His presence and appearance drew much attention among the crowd. But he didn''t seem to have noticed people''s gaze and strode urgently on.


    Edward gasped. Maybe in front of her, he had to lower his dignity. He did leave angrily, but after a while, he calmed down and came back for her. He just couldn''t leave her there alone.


    He walked up the path. He wasn''t sure if she was still there, since he had been away for a while. If she intended to make him worry, she would have left and disappeared.


    However, that was what Daisy would have done if she hadn''t been hurt. At the moment, she was taking each step with enormous difficulty. Getting to the foot of the hill was a huge challenge for her. She felt like walking on needles, but she wasn''t going to give up. She was an example in the army from whom the soldiers took inspiration. She was not a wuss.


    Her dress was soaking wet. Her lips were parched from thirst. Her hair was slipping over her face. She looked like a princess who was suffering misfortune. When Edward saw her again, he was stunned. When he saw her walking without shoes, he felt a wave of pain in his heart. He ran up to her quickly.


    "Daisy, is this what you want to put me through?" There were too many feelings going on in his heart - ache, anger, and pride. He wanted to take her into his arms, but when he opened his mouth, he sounded aggressive.


    Daisy wasn''t d to see Edwarde back. She lowered her head to look at her toes, which were covered with dust and sand, because she didn''t want him to see her eyes which were red from incessant crying. She hid her shoes behind her, trying to conceal her fragility. "Have you lost your tongue?" Edward saw neither Daisy''s pale face nor her awkward feet hidden under her long dress. When he didn''t get an answer, his pride was hurt by her indifference.


    "Why did youe back?" Daisy would rather be left alone than let him see her in such embarrassment. She didn''t care about other people staring orughing at her, but this was Edward. She didn''t want him to feel sorry for her. "Would you spend the night on the hill if I didn''te back?" Edward said angrily and tucked the hair slipping over her face back behind her ear. He had been away for a long while, but she didn''t seem to have moved forward at all.


    "I bet you''d like that. Out of sight, out of mind. Right?" She didn''t want to talk like that. She had realized her own mistake a moment ago. But on hearing his hostile tone, she became aloof again. Despite the difficult situation she was in, she tried to maintain the upper hand. It was until now that she realized how much she wanted to win in everything.


    "Am I such a jerk in your eyes?" Edward clenched his fists, suppressing his anger. He hadn''t expected her to be so unforgiving with him.


    "No. I''m in a too embarrassing situation to see you." Daisy didn''t know why she was being so pushy. Where were all those harsh wordsing from?


    "Are you saying I can''t even take care of my wife?" Edward''s brows were tightly knitted. On a second thought, he did seem like an irresponsible husband. He didn''t even notice when she left the hotel.


    "I didn''t say that. Don''t fabricate charges against me." Daisy sounded frigid. If he couldn''t bring herfort, she would rather he stay away from her or ignore her. She felt extremely mortified right now.


    "It''s not about what you said. It''s what you did. Your behaviors make me feel that way. Why did you take off your shoes?" Edward took out his handkerchief from his pocket. He bent over to clean the sand off her feet. Nheless, Daisy took several steps back and tripped over her dress. She fell on the ground and the cuts on her feet were exposed to Edward.


    "What''s the matter with your feet?" Edward was surprised to see the small cuts on her soles. His gaze slid upward. What he saw next pained him as if the injuries were not on her body but on his heart.


    "None of your business." Daisy withdrew her feet and shielded herself from his cold gaze with her dress. He looked angrier than he had beenst night.


    "Daisy, I told you that you could do whatever you like, as long as you don''t hurt yourself. Is this how you keep your promise?" Seeing her covered with cuts and bruises, Edward shut his eyes. She seemed to have never taken his words seriously. A violent surge of rage forced its way through him.

 Chapter 584 I Dont Need Your Help (Part One)

    "External factors are beyond my control. It was my own fault that I didn''t take care of myself. But do you really care for me?" Daisy raised her head and looked at Edward with a questionable expression of satire. There was overt provocation in her eyes. "Damn it. Is it really necessary for you to speak to me in such a hateful manner? Daisy, do you know how badly I wish to care less about you? I even tried to ignore you as much as I could. But Daisy, I love you so much that I have no choice but to love you with all my heart."


    Suddenly, Edward took Daisy into his arms with all his tenderness. Yes! He was always the loser when it came to Daisy. He surrendered himself at the pitiful sight of Daisy''s helplessness, pain and suffering. His arrogance was gone. The only things he felt now were his reproach toward himself and the anguish when seeing Daisy like this.


    The warm embrace as well as the familiar scent in the embrace wasforting for Edward. However, it seemed strange to Daisy. The love was still there, but there was a stronger sense of frustration that overwhelmed Daisy. A realization dawned upon her. She understood that Edward was a man who was not to be tamed or perhaps, she was incapable of taming him. She underestimated his arrogance and spoilt temperament. He was no more than just a young master brought up in a wealthy family. She must have overestimated the love Edward had for her. She was depressed and gloomy. It was as if, she never really won Edward''s heart. Did she even know the real side of Edward? All Daisy felt now was confusion and helplessness.


    "Opportunities are always there as long as there is determination to grab them. But there is a vast gap between us, a gap that is almost equivalent to the distance between the sky and the earth. No matter how hard I try, your elevation is always going to be beyond my reach." Daisy put forth her innermost feeling of frustration for the first time since their marriage to Edward. She manifested her fragility and humbleness without sugar coating or anything. For the first time in her life, Daisy felt a surging impulsion to drive herself away from Edward''s embrace. She wanted to go as far as possible. She was now afraid that there mighte a day, she would get tired of this game of pursuing this unachievable thing.


    "No, Daisy. You don''t have to do anything to narrow down the gap between us. I''ll do it all myself. I will try my best to lower my elevation to sync with yours. I want to stand with you shoulder to shoulder. So, please stop having those vague assumptions. I said that rubbish because I was angry. I lost control of myself only because I was afraid of losing you. I cannot control myself on that. Sadly, this anger and frustration mighte back every time I feel that I am losing you. I''m sorry, Daisy. I got mad at you. I apologize. As a man, I should learn to control my temper."


    Edward was panicking. Daisy spoke as if she wanted to break up with him and stop seeing him forever. This thought almost drove him crazy. He was scared, and had to admit that his bad temperament was really hard to control when he was irritated. He was fully aware that because of his words Daisy felt deeply hurt. She never expected to see this side of Edward. Daisy meant everything in his heart. He tried to protect her and love her with all his strengths. However, this time, he actually aggravated Daisy''s hurt and anguish. He knew she was already hurting and his words only added to her grief.


    "No one is capable of giving up his supremacy. It is almost impossible for a man to give up his dignity and everything. I know I''m not capable of making you do that for me, and I dare not dream of being with you forever." Daisy struggled to get rid of Edward''s hug, and tottered down the hill. But Edward grabbed her as soon as she left his embrace. He took her into his arms again, and lifted her up. She was caught up again in his embrace.


    "Daisy, I have retained zero dignity in front of you. I don''t want to hear that topic again. Please stop talking like that with me. You mean everything to me. You have my heart. No one can persuade me to take my heart away from you. No one." Edward raised his head to scan around. Then he walked towards a huge rock nearby, and gently put Daisy down on it. His expression was tooplicated to decipher. A strong sense of perplexity and depression had seized him. He used to be confident that his love toward Daisy was crystal clear and Daisy knew about it well. But it was beyond his imagination that one tiny incident could ruin everything. One argument, and all his endeavors went down the drain.


    "Please stop looking at them." Daisy, with all her might, retrieved her feet that were in Edward''s firm grip. Without even taking a look at them, she could imagine how ugly her feet were. After all, what she walked on was not a cement road, but a rugged trail full of sharp rocks and pebbles. It was to her surprise that there still was such a primitive trail in this park. In many other natural parks, most mountain trails were changed to stone or wooden stairs along the slope, in order to provide visitors with a more convenient environment. Was this park trying to maintain its natural features? Maybe it was designed for the purpose of protecting the original environment of this natural park. With this primitive trail, this park indeed looked like a tropical rain forest. But it must be difficult for aged people to walk on it. Anyway, the design of this rocky trail was indeed a great disadvantage of this park. Daisy wondered why she was willing to walk on this rugged trail in her high-heels this morning. Was there anything alluring her on this trail? Was there any appropriate reason to exin her weird behavior?


    "Don''t worry. I will be careful." Regardless of Daisy''s struggle and reluctance, Edward gently wiped dirt and sand off her feet. He had to do it as gently as possible lest he would touch her wounds and aggravate her pain. Tears welled up in Edward''s eyes when he saw Daisy''s ankles. They were all red and swollen. Seeing Daisy''s wound, Edward was certain that she must have been injured when he came here earlier. She wouldn''t have had to take off her shoes and walk barefoot on this trail if he didn''t get mad at her and run off from here in anger. He was Daisy''s culprit for all the pain inside and outside.Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Edward finally understood why Daisy refused his care and love, and why she wanted to run away from him. Both his words and actions had caused pain and suffering for her. He wished to bring Daisy to this city for a happy and rxed time. But he never expected that this city would only add to her pains and suffering.


    Daisy bit her lip to prevent herself from peeping at Edward''s handsome face. She would rather turn to look at the trail leading to the foot of the mountain. A strange feeling seized her. She was trying to recall something, and a picture seemed to appear in her mind soon. But just in an instant, it was gone before it could manifest itself. Daisy racked her brain and tried to recall it as hard as possible. But nothing could be retained.

 Chapter 585 I Dont Need Your Help (Part Two)

    "Come on." Edward turned to Daisy, crouched in front of her, and signaled at her to climb onto his back. Now, he felt extremely heart-broken for Daisy''s injury and apologetic for his irrational words and conducts. He was depressed, and his arrogant temperament was gone. Even a trace of depression could be distinctly felt in his tone.


    "I can walk." Daisy said while casting a nce at Edward''s stalwart back. She was too shy to obey Edward''s instruction. Besides, she was worried about Edward''s body as well. He just recently recovered from a serious injury. Although Daisy wished to run away from Edward as soon as possible, she could not help but take his physical conditions into consideration. She had this habit of caring for him, no matter what happened between them.


    "You can walk! Daisy, do you want to embarrass me to the point of no return?" Edward was angry again. This time, however, he was angry at himself. It was all because of his male chauvinism and his arrogance that he had caused a wedge between him and his beloved wife. And in the end, he reaped what he had sown. He hurt Daisy, the woman he loved the most, and himself. How could he maintain his happiness if Daisy was in such great misery?


    Daisy didn''t show objection this time, and climbed onto Edward''s back like a docile cat. Her slim arms closely circled around Edward''s neck. Now, they were close to each other. Although they were the only people in this park, Daisy still flushed for such an intimacy between them.


    Daily kept silent all the way. Edward furrowed his brows as this really upset him. But he had no idea how he could pacify Daisy and eliminate her preventive attitude toward him. So, he kept silent, too. Neither of them had the nerve to break the ice. They just felt the heart beat of each other in sheer silence. But the beating of the heart was as elusive as their love for each other. It vanished before a clear throb could be felt. Although their bodies were close to each other at this moment, there seemed to be a great distance between their hearts.


    "Why didn''t you tell me about your injury when I was here earlier?" asked Edward sullenly. He finally surrendered. This question weighted like a heavy stone in his heart. He had to figure it out at the earliest.


    "You left me with no opportunity to speak." Daisy said while settling her eyes on the back of Edward''s head. She had wished to hide her injuries from Edward. But she had been fully aware that Edward would find it out by her strange manner of walking. So, there was no need of holding back her injuries from Edward. But it was beyond her thinking that both of them would lose control of their temper in such a short while. They just talked, and then a simple conversation escted into a quarrel. Everything was ruined. In Daisy''s opinion, both of them were stubborn and too rigid on their feelings. As a result, the only consequences were the fight, the pain, and the sad memory.


    "I''m sorry, Daisy. Please forgive me. I didn''t mean to hurt you and embarrass you. I just care too much about you. I''m irrational and impulsive whenever ites to you." Edward apologized again in a serious tone. If Daisy was facing Edward and looking at his face at this moment, she could clearly spot the deep feeling of regret and self-reproach in his eyes.


    "I know. This is why, I didn''t get angry. I just felt wronged." Daisy leaned her head lightly against Edward''s ear. It was true that she didn''t get angry at him. She knew it well that Edward was the guy she was willing to protect even at the cost of her own life. So, even if she felt wronged by Edward''s words and conducts, the grievance would vanish as soon as he treated her gently.


    "You didn''t expect that I would walk off and leave you behind like that, did you?" Edward smiled and said in a self-deprecating tone. It was even beyond his own expectation. His absurd behavior startled him too.


    "Hmm! You looked so terrifying, and so disgusting." Daisy grumbled about Edward''s heart-breaking conducts in a pitiful manner. Spoiled by Edward''s love and gentleness, Daisy had forgotten that he was also an ordinary man,posed of flesh and blood and had temper issues. Now, she realized it, and was willing to forgive him for his absurd behavior in spite of the anguish and wrongness she had experienced.


    "I promise you, Daisy, I''ll never leave you alone no matter how angry I am. Do you still feel angry and wronged?" A thinyer of sweat had already covered Edward''s forehead. It was anyway hard to walk on the rocky trail, but he was not only walking but also carrying Daisy on his back. He walked strenuously to steady his pace, lest Daisy might slip down from his back.


    "I''ll, of course, forgive you as long as you stop being mad at me." Daisy dared not move even a single finger while she leaned on Edward''s back. She had to stay put to not add on to Edward''s burden by any of her movements. Neither she dared to advise Edward of dropping her down. She knew Edward well. He was too confident in his strength to ept any suggestion that would make him feel that he was looked down upon.


    "I will surrender whenever I see you suffering, even if I''m extremely irritated." Edward breathed out a sign in relief. He had finished the rugged mountain trail and was walking on a t road now. He finally felt rxed. There was no need to worry that his carelessness or mistakes might lead to him and Daisy tripping or rolling down the mountain.


    "I''m sorry, Edward. I was wrong too. I shouldn''t have been here alone. It''s so remote." Bravely admitting her mistakes was Daisy''s most lovely quality. She never hesitated in apologizing as long as she realized her mistakes.


    "All right. Let''s stop reviewing our mistakes. Your injuries must be treated immediately. So, let''s go to the hospital as soon as possible!" Edward carefully helped Daisy sit onto the passenger seat in the front of the vehicle. He frowned at the sight of her slightly cracked lips caused by dryness. Then he went to the back of the vehicle, opened the trunk, and fetched a bottle of water for her.


    "Thank you!" Daisy was really thirsty. She took the water, and drank a mouthful of it. But she drank it in such a hurry that she almost choked herself. Daisy coughed violently.


    "Take it slow. Will you go out without your wallet next time? You''ll have no money to buy a bottle of water." Edward gently patted on Daisy''s back to relieve her choking. Then he picked up the car telephone to call Luke.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "Hello! Mr. Mu, where are you? Why haven''t youe back yet? What happened?" Luke seemed worried over the phone. He didn''t go back to the hotel as Edward directed, as he was worried about Edward and Daisy. He had been waiting in the car since Edward calledst time.


    "Hmm! Please call the hotel to check whether the doctor is present in the hotel. If the doctor is not in the hotel, tell him toe back immediately." FX International Group offered thoughtful services, like medical treatment, in its hotel. There was a clinic in every hotel owned by FX International Group in case of any medical emergence. This nice arrangement made guests feel asfortable as at home. It also won FX International Groupmany many loyal guests. FX International Group was famous for its people-oriented services as it always took guests'' various needs into consideration. Their guests were always their prime focus. To meet the guests'' requirements was the most important principle in FX International Group''s management.

 Chapter 586 Vacation Cut Short

    "Sure. Who is injured?" Luke was getting nervous upon hearing Edward''s words. He started the car and drove towards the hotel.


    "Well, Daisy hurt her feet." Edward briefly exined the situation and then hung up the phone. He stepped on the elerator and left the ce, where he experienced both happiness and panic.


    Daisy bit her lower lip, lost in thought. She had been too impulsive in the past few days. Was it because she had someone to rely on? She had been a calm and reasonable person all her life. But now she had allowed herself to be a wilful person. "Hey, Daisy! What are you thinking about?" Edward paid attention to her even while driving. He was afraid that she hadn''t forgiven him yet.


    "I have changed a lot recently. I have be more wilful and acted like a spoilt child. I feel a bit uneasy about it."


    Daisy sighed. People are never satisfied. In the past, she only wanted to have him by her side, but now, she wanted more.


    "I know. You have be more emotional. I don''t think it''s a bad thing. On the contrary, you are more real to me. You are no more a ghost wrapped in a cold skin."


    Edward didn''t expect Daisy to have so many thoughts after he lost his temper on her. He felt guilty, and became more aware of the saying that females are fickle by nature.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Bah! I''m not dead yet. I''m not a ghost." Daisy rolled her eyes at him, feeling more relieved.


    When they reached the Jasmine Fragrance Hotel, they found Luke waiting at the entrance. On seeing the familiar license te number, he immediately trotted towards the car.


    "Mr. Mu, the doctor is waiting for you. Is Mrs. Mu seriously injured?" Luke asked anxiously when Edward got off the car.


    "Well, she sprained her ankle. Ask the doctor toe over to my room and tell him about the condition." It would be better if Tom was here. Edward was worried that Daisy would be in great pain during the treatment.


    "Got it. I''m going to tell him right away." Luke turned around and walked towards the hotel. Edward was a little amused by his swiftness. He paused for a while, and then opened the car door for Daisy.


    "I''ll walk it through myself." Daisy said in a light voice. There were too many people around, and she might get embarrassed to be carried by him.


    "No! I can''t agree with you on this." Before she could say anything, he bent down and picked her up. He closed the door with his foot as if it was just another ordinary car and not some luxurious car worthy of tens of millions of dors. He walked towards the entrance with her in his arms.


    A handsome man and a beautiful woman - they were a perfect match. People stared at them enviously. Daisy was a little embarrassed and buried her face into Edward''s arms. She no longer wanted to escape from him.


    "Oh my god! It''s a very nasty wound." The doctor grumbled as he saw the sand and pebbles embedded in the soles of Daisy''s feet. But when he saw Edward''s gloomy face, he shut his mouth up and said no more.


    "Mrs. Mu, I will remove the pebbles with tweezers first and then wash the sand off with hydrogen peroxide. I know it''s going to be painful. Do you think you can stand it?" The doctor raised his head and asked Daisy.


    "It''s not a big deal. You can do it now." Daisy answered indifferently. It was just a minor wound for her. When she was carrying out amission in a remote area before, she had undergone several serious injuries. There were no doctors or hospitals there and she had to deal with the wounds all by herself at that time. Therefore, she didn''t think it was a big deal now.


    "Doctor, aren''t you going to use any anesthetic?" Edward asked nervously as he was very worried about her after hearing that it was going to be painful.


    "Mr. Mu..." The doctor didn''t know what to say. He didn''t think the anesthetic was necessary in such circumstances. The pain was totally bearable. Even normal people could bear the pain, let alone Mrs. Mu, who was a soldier. So the doctor believed that she would be fine with the pain.


    "Doctor, don''t listen to him. Just do as you said before," Daisy demanded. She knew Edward was so nervous as to put forward such a ridiculous request.


    "Well, I''m removing the pebbles now. If you can''t stand the pain, please let me now." The doctor took out the tweezers to remove the pebbles from Daisy''s feet. He was extremely careful. Edward was fixing his eyes on him. If anything went wrong, he would not be able to work with FX International Group anymore. He didn''t want to lose such a well-paid job.


    Daisy raised her head and looked at Edward. The nervous look on his face distracted her. It indeed hurt a bit, but she could totally bear it. She was a little worried that the doctor would wash the sand off with hydrogen peroxide. That would really hurt.


    Time went by slowly. Edward became more and more nervous. He took a paper towel to wipe off the sweat from her forehead.


    "Mrs. Mu, I''m going to wash off the sand now. It will hurt, but the sand must be removed. Otherwise, the wound might get inmed."


    Daisy didn''t cry during the whole process. The doctor had apletely new appraisal of her and believed that she could stand the pain caused by hydrogen peroxide.


    "Got it." Although Daisy was mentally prepared, she couldn''t help but gasp in pain when the doctor poured hydrogen peroxide onto her foot. She came out in cold sweat, but she clenched her teeth without crying. Edward''s heart broke on seeing her reaction. He pressed her head into his arms, in an attempt to relieve her pain. He didn''t expect that Daisy would be in danger in the future because of this wound.


    "Does it hurt? Doctor, why didn''t you use other medicines? Why did you have to use hydrogen peroxide?" Edward missed Tom so much at this moment. He believed that Tom would have used a better solution so that Daisy wouldn''t have to suffer like this.


    "I''m sorry, Mr. Mu. Hydrogen peroxide is the most efficient method. Now I''m going to apply medicine to her sprained ankle. It will also hurt. Please calm down." The doctor trembled with fear when Edward cast a stern nce at him, but he gathered some courage to tell him about his next move.


    "Don''t worry. Just ignore him. I don''t think it hurts that much." Daisyforted the doctor. Her clothes were wet because of the pain, but she didn''t cry at all. She was not weak like normal females; instead, she was a tough soldier.


    It indeed hurt in the following process. But Daisy felt much relieved as it was nothingpared to the pain caused by hydrogen peroxide. She hadn''t cried from the beginning to the end. Edward and the doctor were both impressed.


    The journey in the K City ended early because Daisy got hurt. On the way back, Edward was lost in his thoughts. Luke served as their driver, and Edward''s luxurious Lamborghini was parked in the K City.


    Edward had seen countless feminine and delicate women before, so he believed that all women were feminine and delicate. However, since he was with Daisy now, he realized how narrow-minded he had been. Daisy was so tough and strong. Shepletely changed Edward''s perspective of women.


    "You tried to tell me a storyst night. Are you going to tell me now?" Daisy asked as she stared out of the window and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. Suddenly, she was interested in the story. Maybe that was because she had left the city, or maybe because she now looked at things with a broader perspective. She felt she would now be able to ept any news from Edward.


    "How about another day? I will tell you the story in detail then." Edward rubbed her hair and gave a bitter smile. He wanted to smile to her, but she didn''t even turn to him. Heughed at himself and believed that she wasn''t eager to know the story. She just mentioned it casually. Judging from her behavior right now, Edward could tell that she didn''t take it seriously. He didn''t know what she was thinking. Daisy seemed like a wonderful book, enticing him to read and taste carefully.


    "Okay. You can tell me the story whenever you want. I believe it must be a good story. I''m looking forward to it."


    Daisy turned to Edward and looked at him in the eye as if she could tell there was a secret story deep in his mind.


    "Sure! It is a beautiful story, but it''s just a crush in the youth. Don''t be so nervous."


    Edward pulled Daisy into his arms and kissed her hair affectionately. He asked himself why he still remembered that little girl after so many years. It was as if time had stopped at that moment he saw her. Many years had passed, and that girl must have been someone''s wife now. Even if he met her in the street, he might not be able to recognize her.00000000000

 Chapter 587 A Plot Was Born

    "She must be very beautiful. Otherwise, you must have forgotten her already." As Edward said, he met that girl in his boyhood. Daisy thought it must be about 10 years ago as Edward was still very young. So the girl must be a young and active teenager at that time. That''s


    why Daisy felt a little unhappy when she was told something about this encounter. She could sense Edward had a crush on her.


    "Maybe!" Edward never had a chance to meet her after that, so he didn''t know how that girl looked like now. Was she attractive or not? He didn''t even ask what her name was, which was also a regret to him.


    Daisy chewed her lower lip. She didn''t know what to say. She rested in his arms, and fell asleep immediately. Daisy woke up early this morning, because she had passed a wakeful night. After such a tough day, she felt really exhausted now.


    Edward saw that Daisy was silent. He looked down on her to see what''s wrong. He smiled as Daisy was sleeping in his arms like a baby. Edward loosed his arms and put Daisy''s head on hisps, so that she could feel morefortable.


    "Mr. Mu, can I turn the temperature up?" Luke saw Daisy was asleep in the driving mirror. He was worried that she might feel cold. So he suggested adjusting the temperature in an undertone.


    "No thanks. I will cover her with my coat." Edward said while doing so. Daisy really needed rest after such a long day. So he did everything gently to avoid waking her up. Edward didn''t feel surprised to see that she fell asleep so soon because he knew what she had gone through today.


    Edward moved a wisp of her hair aside, so that he could see her beautiful face clearly. She looked so sweet in a deep sleep. Moreover, today she wasn''t as cold as she used to be. Edward looked at his gentle wife with a tender smile. Daisy never showed her weakness and it made Edward''s heart ache to see she was strong all the time. As he was powerful and attractive, every woman tried to get close to him. But Daisy was different, remote and cold, attracting Edward''s attention. That''s why Edward started to get to know her and finally fell in love with her.


    At first, Edward was interested in her, because Daisy was the first woman who kept ignoring him. They didn''t start out as a couple, but Daisy grew on him. Suddenly Edward realized that Daisy had be a part of his life and he couldn''t live without her. That''s why he went ahead and pursued her. Edward was wondering how she could capture his heart so easily, without throwing herself on him like most other women did. Was it because she was this hot? Or was it because there was something special about her, such as her aloofness?


    "Luke, any news about Paul?" Edward looked up to Luke.


    "He has been trying to reach Yakira, but failed as you know Yakira was arrested by the police. Actually Mrs. Mu did her a favor by putting her in jail. Otherwise the two must have got a chance to meet each other." Luke sighed silently. He thought his boss wouldn''t tell Daisy the truth until Paul and his cousin met. But instead Edward told her everything as soon as Luke set Paul free. That''s how the whole n reached an impasse.


    "Well, I should have been more careful." Edward frowned. He didn''t expect that Daisy would react violently to what she was told and lose control of her emotions. But what they didn''t know was there was something more horrible in the S City awaiting them. "Mary, why did you ask me toe out in a rush?" Even though Jessica came down in the world, she never thought about being nice to Mary. After all she was from a well-known Lin n and was much better than Mary, a stepdaughter. There was no need for her to be kind to people beneath her.


    "Jessica. I bet it doesn''t feel good to be Cindere." Mary wouldn''t let go any opportunity of despising Jessica, even though she could be thrown out of her home at any second. Jessica held herself aloof all the time and never thought about being nice to anyone even though her family business went broke.


    "If youe here only for putting me down, then sorry I am too busy to talk to you." Jessica squinted at Mary with theughter. ''How does this bitch ever look at herself in a mirror? How could she capture Edward''s heart with such an ugly face? Edward is way too good for her, Jessica thought to herself. Mary thought she perfectly concealed her lust for Edward. But what she didn''t know was that her eyes betrayed everything when she looked at Edward.


    "Oh my gosh! You are too busy to talk to me? Didn''t your familypany go bankrupt? So are you okay with your kid being born without a father?" Mary sneered.


    "It''s none of your business. I won''t let that happen to my kid." Jessica stroked her swollen belly. Even though her pregnancy wasn''t obvious, you could still tell that she was a mother-to-be after watching her belly carefully.


    "Well, it''s hrious. Edward will definitely deny your kid. I am wondering whether he really is your kid''s father. Otherwise, why would he just deny your kid when he could ept Justin from no where? Maybe you were knocked up by some other man and want to keep Edward with you so you are using this kid. And you didn''t expect your n not to work."


    Mary sneered as Jessica''s face went pale with rage. She was pleased to see Jessica was mad. Jessica asked for this because she was mean to Mary all the time. Mary finally proved that she was in no way tender.


    "Mary, I am not as shameless as you. Do you remember what you have done? It is so nasty that I don''t even want to mention it. In the S City, everybody knows you are a whore and would go to bed with anyone. How could you think that you can be Edward''s woman? Don''t you know he is a clean freak? He will never get close to someone like you. And for his lips, no one can touch them. How could you capture his heart?"N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    Jessica retorted. She wouldn''t let anyone put herself down as Mary just did, so she bit back at her with more nasty words. Jessica looked at her rival with cold eyes. She cared for her kid so much. But Mary just used Jessica''s kid to attack her. The bankruptcy of her family business never turned Jessica into a softie. Mary was just a stepdaughter of the Ouyang n and had nothing to show off. Jessica talked to her only because she could use Mary to attack Daisy.


    "What did you just say? You are a whore and a single mother-to-be! Everybody in the S City knows you are the one whom Edward dumped! You have nothing to show off! How can you still talk to me like this? Do you still think you are the noble princess Jessica?" Mary became mad because Jessica mentioned something she was really scared of deep in her heart. So she burst into rage and yelled at her, attracting much attention.


    "Even though I am far from being perfect, I am much better than you. You are nothing but a shameless whore. You are even not good enough to lick Edward''s shoes!" This was the fight between women. They attacked each other with the most venomous words they could think of. "Then what about you? Are you good enough? If so, why did Edward abandon you after Daisy came into his life? It seems that you are not as good as Daisy." Remembering what happened day before yesterday, Mary became furious and gritted her teeth. If it had not been for Daisy, Edward must have had sex with her since Mary was so good at turning men on. If that happened, Jessica wouldn''t be able to put her down now.


    "Do you really think Edward will be in love with her forever?" Jessica sniffed. ''Edward is a clean freak. What if Daisy has sex with others before him? Will he still love her?'' Jessica thought to herself.


    "So you finally realize that it is Daisy and not me who is your biggest rival?" Mary sneered. ''Jessica, I am d to see that you are so jealous of Daisy. Go attack her. When you two are busy bringing each other down, I can get close to my beloved Edward, ''Mary thought to herself.


    "Mary, without further ado, tell me when will we act up to what you saidst time." That''s typical of Jessica. She would cooperate with anyone to get everything she wanted no matter how evil the person was.


    "We can act anytime. But I am worried whether you could afford to pay for it since your family business is bankrupt." Mary raised her hands and blew air on them. She was pleased with the nail polish she used before going out as it ttered her tapering fingers, making them look fairer.


    "Don''t worry. You won''t miss my part." FX International Group took over the Lin Group and its debts as it attacked the Lin Group to death. So now Jessica and her family didn''t have to pay in full to its creditors. This allowed them to keep a part of their money and enabled Jessica to lead a fairly good life as long as she wasn''t extravagant in her living.


    Jessica thought Edward didn''t destroy her because he still valued those days they spent together. But truth was that it was Daisy who saved her. Edward was badly wounded at that time and Daisy ran into Rain when he went to the hospital to give Edward those files. Daisy felt sorry for Jessica because she was pregnant and said some nice words to Edward for her. That''s why Jessica could still survive. But Daisy never expected that her kindness could put her in trouble.000

 Chapter 588 An Unacknowledged Bastard

    "I just want to give you a gentle reminder," Mary said unhappily, because she had thought Jessica would be so miserable that she was going to sleep on the street. Mary didn''t expect that when Jessica heard the big figure, she wouldn''t even frown. She couldn''t help but "I am the one to remind you. How reliable is the person you hired? Don''t forget, Daisy is not as fragile as any other ordinary women. It''s not easy to take her down." As her belly was getting bigger and bigger day by day, Jessica got more desperate. She couldn''t wait any longer. "Don''t worry! No matter how tough she is, as long as she is drugged, she will be as docile as amb." Mary said firmly with a trace of evilness in her eyes. She couldn''t wait to humiliate Daisy.


    wonder-was Lin Group really bought by FX International Group, or did Edward still have feelings for Jessica? If so, the so-called takeover would just be a formality.


    "The question is, will she give you the chance to drug her?" Jessica hated the evil smile on Mary''s face. Mary''s smile was like Jessica''s fancy to Edward, which also mocked her coldly.


    "I can make that happen. You''ll see." Mary curled her lip. It seemed Jessica wasn''t as smart as she thought. She was just an ordinary woman.


    "Mary, if you want to cooperate with me, you''d better watch yournguage." Jessica stared at Mary angrily. She knew that Mary despised her at this moment, but she wouldn''t allow others to talk to her like that.


    "Watch mynguage? Jessica, you are the one who needs to watch yournguage! Don''t you think you are superior? You didn''t expect to be miserable, did you?" Mary didn''t care if she could cooperate with Jessica this time. Right now, all she wanted was to humiliate Jessica, and ruin her pride.


    "You lunatic, tell me when you are ready. Now I am going to have an antenatal care. I don''t want to waste my time talking to you," Jessica said, while taking money from her bag to pay for her coffee. Though she didn''t drink, she didn''t want to owe anything to a person like Mary.


    "Pah, just an unacknowledged bastard. I don''t know why she is so proud." Mary looked disdainfully at Jessica''s back, and thought Jessica might be unable to have this baby sessfully even if she underwent an antenatal care.


    The afternoon was so sultry that it looked like it was about to rain. This made people feel extremely irritated. Jessica frowned as she walked out of the cafe. She turned around and smiled coldly at the transparent window. ''Mary, do you really think I''m going to work with you? Since there is a scapegoat, I must be stupid if I don''t take advantage of it. I won''t let such an opportunity slip through my hand,'' Jessica thought. Mary nned everything herself. And if Mary failed, Jessica could me everything on the stupid woman, Mary, and she could stay out of it.


    Jessica bit her lip lightly. ''Edward, you forced me to do this. I wouldn''t do that to Daisy ever if you didn''t treat me so cruelly and disown my baby. You treat her like a princess and this makes me want to destroy her.''


    Jessica had no n to go for an antenatal care. She just didn''t want to stay any longer with Mary. She was afraid that she might get into trouble just likest time with Hank. She didn''t want to be suspected by anyone, so she left the cafe discreetly and drove to Coco''s ce. Because of being banned by the FX International Group in the entertainment industry, Coco was in a bad mood. Jessica thought she shouldfort her more. After all, all this happened because of Jessica.


    "Daisy, what''s going on? "Cynthia asked worriedly, seeing Edwarding in with Daisy in his arms. Cynthia immediately stood up and was worried about Daisy.


    "Mom. I am okay. I just sprained my ankle identally." She had to face it. Even if she still felt embarrassed about what had happenedst night, she had to face the big trouble that she brought to herself.


    "You are so careless. Edward, what''s the matter with you? How did Daisy get hurt while you didn''t get hurt at all?" Cynthia''s heart ached when she heard that Daisy was hurt. It seemed as if Edward were a stranger and Daisy were her own daughter. This kind of bond ought to be rare in other families.


    "Do you think I should get hurt too? Are you my mother?" Edward ced Daisy on the sofa carefully, and gave his mother an unhappy stare. He also wished he was the one who got hurt. Unfortunately, God was so unkind that he didn''t get what he wanted.


    "I am just worrying about Daisy. You''re not jealous, are you?" Although Cynthia said so, she was still looking at Daisy, without paying any attention to Edward. Right now, she was only worried about Daisy.


    "I am jealous? Never mind. I don''t want to argue with you." Edward didn''t want to argue with Cynthia, and then he said to Luke who just came in, "Luke, call Tom, and ask him toe over."


    "OK. I''ll call him." Luke would never object to Edward''s words, and did everything as asked.


    "Luke, don''t call Tom. The doctor has already checked me before. I am okay, really." Daisy told Luke not to call Tom. She suffered only a minor injury and didn''t want to bother Tom any more. Besides, she had been bothering Tom a lottely, and she''d be really embarrassed to bother him again this time.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "No big deal. Just call him. He would wish toe over, because he can enjoy a great meal with all of us." Edward smiled. What his friends liked the most was Mrs. Wu''s cooking. So they would find excuses toe to Edward''s house, and they often did so during the mealtimes. It was clear that they wanted toe here to have free meals.


    "Are you sure about that?" Daisy was a little embarrassed though she knew Edward was telling the truth. She hated to bother people. After all, debt of gratitude was the hardest to repay.


    "Yes, don''t worry. I''ll go upstairs and take a shower" Edward was as squeamish as a prince. The first thing he did when he got home was to take a bath. It was really hard to understand why he wanted to be perfect all the time.


    "OK. Take your time." Daisy frowned and thought about how she would face Tom. She sprained her foot and didn''t want to bother him for such a petty thing. Tom was a genius doctor of the S City. She wondered if he would make fun of her when he came here. "Dad, you are back. Is my mother back?" As soon as Edward got upstairs, he was seen by Justin who came out of Edward''s room. Justin ran happily into his arms.


    "Yes. You naughty boy, have you been obedient?" Edward bent down to hold Justin in his arms, and then kissed his pink little face before putting him down.


    "Yeah, I am a good boy. Dad, put me down, please. I want to see my mom." Although Edward had called Justinst night, he was still worried for his mother. He had lived with his mother for so many years, so he knew that no matter what had happened before, she had never acted likest night. It seemed that what Daisy didst night really worried Justin.


    "OK, but you have to be careful. Your mom''s ankle got hurt. Do not jump on her, okay?" Edward reminded Justin before putting him down. He was afraid that the little fellow might hurt Daisy in his excitement.


    "OK! How did she get hurt? How bad is it?" Justin stopped when he heard Edward''s words. He looked at Edward sideways with deep worry in his eyes.


    "Rx, it''s okay. She just sprained her ankle, and got hurt on the soles of her feet. Don''t worry. Just go." Edward pinched his little face. Justin always talked in a mature way. He was not like other children. This made Edward feel distressed at times. Edward could not help but think how miserable they have been. After all, it was all his fault. So every time he looked at Justin, he felt guilty.


    "Daddy, I won''t worry about her. I''ve seen her suffer more serious injuries before, so I''m not worried about her minor injuries like this. " Justin talked about Daisy''s horrific past like an adult. After hearing Justin, Edward felt so worried and frightened that his eyes widened.


    "You mean your mother got hurt a lot before? Every time she got hurt, were you the only one with her?" Edward had read what Daisy wrote on the newspapers at the military base, but that was Daisy''s side of the story. He would like to know more about their former lives through Justin. After all, the newspapers couldn''t let Edward really know their past, so he wanted to hear what Justin would say.


    "No, I was not the only one. Uncle Kevin and the Commander were there too, but they couldn''t stay with Mom all the time, so usually, I was the one who would stay with my Mom. Daddy, why are you asking that?" Obviously, Justin couldn''t wait to see Daisy, so he was a bit distracted.


    "OK! Never mind. I''m just curious. Just go, little buddy." Edward knew that Justin was a bit impatient, so he stopped questioning him further. Moreover, he would get plenty of opportunities to ask him about it. So there was no need to hurry now. Edward thought so, but Justin''s words touched his sensitive nerve. He was lost in his thoughts until Jonathan who walked down from the open-air garden on the roof of the building called him.


    "What are you thinking about? Why do you look so absorbed in your thoughts? Didn''t you go on a trip? Why did youe back so early?" Jonathan frowned. He was puzzled by Edward''s contemtive look. He wondered why Edward was standing in a daze on the stairs.0000

 Chapter 589 Daisy鈥檚 Injured Feet (Part One)

    "Oh yeah. Something was wrong. So we are back here," Edward replied. He and his father had had a nice fight,id all their emotions out on the table, and mended fences. So now they were getting along well. "What''s wrong?" Jonathan frowned. Last night Edward and Daisy hurried out the door, one after the other. Although Edward had called him to tell him they were safe, Jonathan still did not know why and what all the fuss was about.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    "I thought you really didn''t care about that stuff. Why are you suddenly interested?" Edward was so surprised to see the changes in his father''s attitude these days. In the past, Jonathan didn''t even want to waste a nce on him. He knew very well where he stood. Why was his father so talkative now?


    "Never mind. Forget it. I understand if you don''t want to talk about it," Jonathan said, with his poker face as usual. After saying this, he walked past Edward, and went downstairs. Despite his changes, he was still elegant and haughty. His expression stayed stony, as if he didn''t care about any reply from Edward.


    Edward just shrugged. He had to ask, but he also didn''t expect any answer or reaction from him. But his dad left so suddenly. He hadn''t had the chance to consult with him about something really important. He was kind of hoping to eventually get some advice from the old man. Oh well. All in vain now.


    "Mommy! Why are you hurt again?" Little Justin shouted, wrinkling his small face. But he still remembered what his father told him, and stayed a few steps away from her, in case he hurt her yet again.


    "Don''t worry, little one. I''m fine. Just twisted my ankle, nothing serious. Did your father exaggerate again?" Daisy consoled him, with her lip slightly shaking. She also watched Jonathan head downstairs as well. To be honest, she was still a bit afraid of him -- he was so domineering and so cool.


    "You know Dad knows when not to joke, right? Mommy, you need to be more careful! It''s dangerous out there! Does it hurt a lot? Can I help you anything? I can blow on it to make it feel better?" Justin said. He now sat with Daisy and talked with her in soft tones. Despite that he had no wings, he still looked for all the world like an angel.


    "You are so precious to me, you know that? Thanks to you, Mommy won''t feel any pain." Daisy kissed Justin on his forehead. She felt that this little one was always her best medicine. As long as she was with him, she felt no pain.


    "Grandpa, Grandpa, where were you just now? I couldn''t find you anywhere!" little Justin said happily when he saw his grandfather. He ran up to Jonathan immediately. After all, Justin was still young. No matter how mature he could be, he was still a lively and active child. Childlike innocence was ingrained in him. Moreover, he had be livelier recently, because of all the love he had received. After all, he had his mom, dad, and now grandma and grandpa. Life was good.


    "I''m here now. What do you need?" Jonathan frowned slightly, but still caught that running little boy. He was surprised a bit when he saw Daisy''s bandaged feet. Was that why they came back early? But how did she get hurt? And what could he do to help? ''Did they get in another firefight?'' Jonathan thought to himself.


    "Yeah, Grandpa. Uncle Luke isn''t around. Would you please practice martial arts with me?" Little Justin held his grandfather tightly, close to Jonathan''s chest, with both his arms around Jonathan''s neck. Even though Justin was mature sometimes, he also enjoyed the feeling of being loved as a child.


    "Hi, Dad!" When she heard Jonathan''s voice, Daisy raised her head and nodded at him. She felt so embarrassed about what happened yesterday that she could not even look at him directly. Meanwhile, she also didn''t feel like being stared at. Hence, she looked down again and kept silent.


    "Hi, Daisy! What''s the matter with your feet? How did you get hurt?" Jonathan said. In the past, Cynthia was Jonathan''s whole world. He''d never pay attention to anyone or anything not rted to Cynthia. After he almost lost Edward, he began to think about his family differently, he even went so far as to donate blood to save his son. Gradually, he allowed himself to care about the rest of his family.


    "I twisted my ankle by ident. Nothing serious," Daisy said and withdrew her feet. She felt a little embarrassed when Jonathan gazed at her feet.


    "Be careful next time," Jonathan said in his usual bass tones. He was relieved when he heard that Daisy''s injury was not due to any attack and decided not to ask for more info. He considered it for a bit, but thought better of it and remained quiet. He walked off and sat down, letting Justin sit on his legs. The cool look on Jonathan''s face showed that the usual cold man was back.


    "I will, thank you!" Daisy replied. She bit her lip a bit and exhaled lightly. She was too afraid of him to tell him about what happenedst night. To tell the truth, she did not know how to respond to all the questions at this moment.


    "Jonathan, don''t be so serious! You''ve scared Daisy." Cynthia watched Daisy so closely that she could notice her subtle changes in expression. Hence, she found out that Daisy became a little nervous when Jonathan came down and talked to her.


    "Yeah, I agree. Grandpa, could you smile? Do like I do, s-m-i-l-e!", said little Justin. He pouted his tiny mouth, staring at Jonathan seriously. It seemed that he was not frightened by his grandpa''s poker face. And he wasn''t really affected by Jonathan''s cold demeanor after living with him for a time.


    "Hi all! What''s up? Oh wow, something did happen!" At that moment, Tom showed up. His voice was so loud that everyone could hear him even before he entered the house. His good-looking face was full of curiosity. Anyway, his appearance was a good thing for Jonathan. The old man was ufortable with his wife and grandson putting him on the spot like that. Smile indeed!


    "Hi Tom, you got here fast." Daisy also shot Tom a greeting to shift attention to him. Not only did she not want people to focus on her injuries, she was also embarrassed by Cynthia and Justin teasing Jonathan. She wanted to ease the tension in the air. Considering that she was not so familiar with her father-inw''s temper, she was not quite sure whether Jonathan would be angry about their badgering. Of course, she didn''t want to make their family affairs any moreplicated.

 Chapter 590 Daisy鈥檚 Injured Feet (Part Two)

    "Edward called, how dare I note here soon enough. What? Can I dawdle? Not if I want to live. By the way, Daisy, what''s up with all your problems recently? It scares me and makes my heart skip a beat every time I receive a call like that," said Tom. "I am worried about you two."


    He put his hand over his heart, patting in an exaggerated way. It seemed that he did really care about their health. Edward wasn''t fooled. The CEO went downstairs after hearing Tom''s voice. He thought this guy cried more about his expensive medicine than anything else! Still, wasn''t the medicine made to be used? Was Tom going to keep it for show? He just could not understand why Tom was so stingy when it came to his meds.


    "In this case, I think a heart transnt is necessary for you. If this heart is so weak, you should change it for a new strong one. Do you need a knife? I can lend one to you," said Edward coldly. He looked askance at Tom, and eventually put his eyes on Daisy, as if he were not talking with Tom at all.


    "Damn it, do you really think I can do this surgery on myself? I should be ttered. Oh my god, how could you think up such an idea? No, don''t answer. How could I expect someone without any medical knowledge to understand how to perform a heart transnt surgery," said Tom.


    He had thought that Edward was not here. That''s why he said those words to Daisy. Edward just popped up, like a ghost flying into the house. It shocked him and his fragile heart. It was better for him just to keep silent, otherwise he''d have to face up Edward''s anger. He might die and never know how it happened.


    "As long as you''re here, I don''t need to learn how to be a doctor," Edward said, looking at Tom as if he were an idiot for asking such an idiotic question. Edward wasn''t affected by his barbs, and kept his poker face. He then made a beeline for Daisy. It seemed that Tom came here immediately after he got the call. Otherwise how could he arrive here in just half an hour?


    "You think I''m cheapbor? I''m hurt. Wait til you get my bill." Tom sighed, and started examining Daisy, putting his medical satchel down. Yes, those who had the money were the bosses. To them, he was just another worker. He finally understood what Rain moaned about all the time. It was not a good feeling.


    "Are you sure you''re cheapbor? If that''s true I should be getting a refund." Edward smiled widely. Hmmm, these guys all behaved the same. They always had a lot of money in their wallets, yet they stillined they were ves. In that case, he was d to make their wishese true.


    "Oh, no, Boss, my dear boss, my handsome boss. I was just kidding. You''re so clever! I was just making a joke, trying to be as clever as you. And you''re also kidding, right?" Tomughed nervously. "You cracked the best joke, Edward." Damn it! Tom regretted what he said already. Why did he irritate the guy who paid the bills? How could he forget the big checkpletely! Anyway, he had to head to the bank to cash the cheque as soon as he was done here. He thought he needed to do this, just in case Edward wasn''t joking. "I''ve always been a very serious person. You don''t know that all this time? Enough talk. I''ll let you concentrate on Daisy. " Edward looked at him, sighing slightly. He was thinking whether he made a wrong decision, encouraging Tom to hang out with Rain recently. It seemed that Tom had learned all the tricks from Rain but hadn''t learned any good habits.


    "Yes, yes. Now let''s see..." Tom said as he opened his medicine bag. He was wondering why Edward was so impatient today and why the boss could not understand his sense of humor. What a bad temper, Tom thought. He also thought that maybe Edward needed a checkup. He was wondering if Edward''s climacterium hade early despite his still young age. That would be fantastic. But it seemed that Tom forgot Mr. Mu''s bad temper. If Edward knew what Tom was thinking, he would absolutely kick Tom out of the house. "Take your time, Tom, take your time. Don''t listen to Edward," said Daisy. Daisy was really happy that Tom paid this special visit to them. But she hadn''t imagined that they''d start fighting again, the very moment they saw each other. And that embarrassed Daisy, as she did not know how to respond or what to do next. So Daisy interrupted their quarreling directly to shut Edward up.


    "OK, Daisy. I really appreciate your patience," Tom said in an unctuous tone. He then gave Edward a provocative look with his eyebrows raised happily, showing off his small win.


    Edward smiled coldly. He didn''t feel angry about Tom''s challenge. Because if he wanted, there were too many chances for him to y tricks on this guy. Revenge is a dish best served cold.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "Given how active you are, I''m not surprised by your sprained ankle. But how did the soles of your feet get injured? Did you take off your shoes and walk on broken ss? I just don''t get how you got so many small cuts. It is lucky that you did the first aid well, washing off the cuts before you bandaged your feet. You really don''t want sand trapped in there." Tom looked at Daisy''s feet carefully, with his forehead knotted in a frown. He still could not understand how Daisy could injure herself so badly.


    "Well, Tom, because my ankle was twisted so badly, I had to take off my shoes to walk. If I shed just one shoe I wouldn''t be able to keep my bnce. But I didn''t think things would go from bad to worse like this." Daisy bit her lip. She just wanted to get off the mountain quickly and the pain in her feet didn''t bother her. She just kept walking, till she felt the pain get worse and more intense. When it was sheer agony, she looked down and saw how bad things were. Both her feet had tiny pieces of gravel embedded in the flesh. It would be fine if the gravels were normal. But all these rocks seemed to be man-made, with sharp points designed to hurt people.0000??????????

 Chapter 591 Who Are You (Part One)

    "Edward, is this how you take care of Daisy? She sprained her ankle, why did you let her walk by herself? You are so careless. In any case you should have given her a piggy-back ride. Don''t tell me you can''t lift her. Daisy is thin and slim. There''s no excuse." Tom seized every chance to scoff at Edward. It was such a good opportunity, he was not going to miss it. So he kept nagging and ming Edward the whole time he was there.


    "Tom, it''s not his fault. He wasn''t there when I got injured." Daisy was not a person who liked to falsely me others. So she eagerly tried to exin why Edward "allowed" this to happen. Edward wasn''t around when she got injured, and she didn''t tell him when they met up. All in all, she caused the injury all by herself. There was no reason to be angry with him. And she knew it wasmon that a rich young man like Edward would be moody and petnt sometimes. He had a temper, but she could bear it. Moreover, what he did was not totally uneptablepared with what other people did when they got unhappy about something.


    "You weren''t with her when she got hurt? Edward, what''s wrong with you? I am wondering how you take care of Daisy. You seemed oblivious that she got injured so seriously. What were you doing at that time?" Tom seemed to indulge himself in the roasting he was giving Edward. He applied the medicine he brought with him to Daisy''s feet while he kept ming Edward. He was like a whiny and annoying housewife, reluctant to stop talking even for one second, while Edward was strangely silent today. He didn''t try to make any excuses and took all the me. Because he thought he was responsible for Daisy''s injury.


    "Uncle Tom, be careful. Stop ming my Dad. Concentrate on my mom. Don''t hurt her anymore. You can''t do your best work when you''re busy bbing like that." Justin slipped off Edward''s knees and ran to his Mom when no one was aware. He closely watched as Tom applied the medicine. But when he heard Tom constantly nagging his Dad, he was flustered. He really worried about Tom. Didn''t he know how wicked Edward was? Edward didn''t do anything to him now, that didn''t mean he would not avenge himselfter when he got the chance. So Tom would certainly suffer from his own actions. Edward would certainly punish him for challenging him in front of so many people.


    "Justin, you don''t trust my med skills?" Tom pretended to be angry and stared at Justin. He skillfully and gently rubbed the medicine on Daisy''s ankle. This was good for the absorption of the medicine, it was designed to prate the skin.


    "Can I say no?" Justin asked while tilting his head, looking simple and honest. He was good at acting like an innocent little boy.


    "No. And don''t try those puppy-dog eyes with me. I know how smart you are, and you''re far from innocent." Tomined in his heart, ''Edward''s evilness is almost too much for me, so how can I deal with his son too? God is so unfair. Why do such bad things always happen to kind people like me?''


    "Thanks for thepliment. I also think the innocent and dumb expression does not match my personality. But Uncle Tom, I found it perfectly suits you. You''d look great with that." When it came to verbal arguments, if Justin didn''t inherit one hundred percent of Edwards'' eloquence, he at least learned ny-nine percent of it. There was zero chance that Justin didn''t know exactly what Tom was implying.


    "Justin, don''t be rude to your Uncle Tom." Daisy frowned. Under any situation, Tom was still older than Justin, and he needed to respect his elders, even if they were very close.


    "Okay, I know, Mom." Justin pouted, looking depressed. But he would ept what his mother told him to do.


    "Daisy, it''s fine. We''re just teasing each other. We''re having a bit of fun. Don''t me him too much." Tom forgot that Daisy was a person who paid a lot of attention to etiquette. He had thought that she was just like Edward who had his unique manner and didn''t take formality too seriously.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "How is she now? Is it serious? You''d better use the best medicine you have. Don''t try to hide meds from me." Edward grinned. He was happy that Justin had vented his anger for him. They were father and son and belonged to the same team. Even when he didn''t say anything, he had someone to help him achieve his goals.


    "Am I that mean to you? I can''t guarantee that I''m generous to everyone, but for Daisy, I use only the finest medicines. Nothing but the best for her." Tom stared at Edward. Did Edward really think that he was that mercenary? Of course, only Daisy could receive such special treatment. If it were Edward, it would be another case. After all, he was so rich. If Tom didn''t exploit Edward, he would feel guilty for not doing so for all the poor people in the world.


    Jonathan watched their exchanges in silence. In truth, whenever he saw this, he admired his son. Not because Edward was young, it was because no matter how lonely Edward was, he had several close friends that he could turn to and have fun with. Such friendship was a foreign thing that Jonathan had never experienced. Therefore he was deeply touched by this.


    "Okay, let''s go for a walk in the garden. Let the young people enjoy themselves." Cynthia was the one who knew Jonathan best. The subtlest change in his emotions would not escape her eyes. Except for her, no one knew the sorrow which was hidden in the bottom of his heart. Even if he thought he had covered it without leaving any trace, nothing got past Cynthia.00000

 Chapter 592 Who Are You (Part Two)

    They quietly retreated from the boisterous scene and walked towards the garden holding each other''s hands. "Hold your hand and grow old together with you," that was what they were like now. Looking at such a warm and harmonious scene, Daisy''s eyes became red. She wished one day she could enjoy such happiness with the man she loved. No matter how much time passed, she always had him beside her and they would love and care for each other.


    As Edward figured, Tom really came for the sake of tasting the delicious food made by Mrs. Wu. The whole time when she was making dinner, he ttered Mrs. Wu from head to toe. Compared with the harmonious atmosphere in Edward''s house, the Ouyang family was a scene of great sadness.


    "Stop, Brian, aren''t you close to that cold-hearted woman? If that''s true, why don''t you ask her to release Mom?" Mary sat on the sofa in the living room and tried to stop Brian from leaving. In fact, she really hated Brian''s indifference, as if she had no family connection with him. He had never given her a friendly or warm look, but he seemed to always take Daisy''s side. She wondered whether he would still think of Daisy the same way the day after tomorrow.


    "Why would she listen to me? She''s not too keen on me either, right now." At the thought of what Daisy said to himst night, Brian closed his eyes in anguish. He thought he had unwittingly hurt her by making a choice between her and his mother. He repeated what had happened in front of her. He still remembered when she was still young, she asked her father to make a choice between her and Mary. But at the end she lost. And the same thing happened to her many years after that. She had to experience the same heartbreaking process again. While in both cases the people who hurt her most were the ones she loved most in the family.


    "So, I wonder, if she''s such a ruthless woman, why do you always take her side? In the end, she still pointed the gun at your head," Mary sneered. It sent a shiver down her spine at the thought of the ck muzzle.


    "No, you''re wrong. She was pointing the gun at you two, not me. Don''t try to confuse me." Brian narrowed his eyes and nced at her. He had locked himself in his room for a whole day, and he was going out to ask Leo for more information about the matter. But he wouldn''t let Mary know about this. Because from the bottom of his heart, he regarded Mary as a dreadful disaster. Whatever happened, as long as she was involved, everything would get screwed up. So he would not take the risk of involving Mary in this matter. "Is there a difference? Don''t forget that the person she had at gunpoint was your mother, not a stranger. As her son, how could you be so nonchnt? You should at least want justice for that."


    At the mention of Daisy, Mary got very angry. She wished she was able to throw that arrogant and aggressive woman to the ground and stomp on her. Then Daisy wouldn''t act so holier-than-thou. Daisy was only a Colonel. And Mary had seen officials more powerful than her. She would not be afraid of her.


    "Do you think she''s truly amoral? I believe that there must be a reason for her behavior. Before everything gets cleared up, I hope you can watch your mouth and don''te to any rash conclusions. You''d better stay at home and not y tricks. Otherwise even God can''t save you,"N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    Brian warned her in a cold voice. In fact, most of the time, he was reluctant to acknowledge Mary as his half sister. It was not because she didn''t have a noble birth or she was not good-looking. It was the way she acted that he hated most.


    "Huh! you can try your best to speak for her. What she did to us will also happen to you. Just wait and see. You''ll regret it." Mary looked at Brian with scorn. She would not be as stupid as Brian, who defended Daisy even when she was bad to him. ''If you upset me, then watch out!'' she thought.


    "Even if she shot me in the head, I wouldn''t regret it. So don''t worry about me. You need to get a good night''s sleep and pray to God. It couldn''t hurt to do this."


    Having said that, Brian walked out, turning his back on Mary. If she took Brian''s words to heart, she would not do something that she would regret for the rest of her lifeter.


    As soon as Luke freed Paul, the criminal tried to secretly contact Yakira. But no matter how hard he tried to call her, no one answered. What he heard was always the automatic machinery voice, "Sorry, the subscriber you dialed is not avable." After calling her numerous times, Paul got impatient. He directly went to her house. But when he arrived at the door of her luxurious house, he didn''t dare to ring the bell. He paced back and forth outside, pretty annoyed. He only hoped that he could identally find Yakira around her house. "Who are you? Why are you sneaking around here?" As soon as Brian drove the car out of the garage, he saw a man anxiously look inside the cottage. He wondered what he wanted here. Was he a thief? But no thief would be so tant, Brian thought.0000????????

 Chapter 593 The Murderer鈥檚 Son

    "I... Excuse me. Does Yakira Mo live here?" Paul didn''t expect to be spotted, so he tried to be unobtrusive. He wanted to run away, but he couldn''t as he was penniless now.


    dreadful appearance with sharp eyes, wondering how he knew his mother.


    "Yes. She lives here, but she is not home now. I''m her son. Is there anything I can do for you? If you don''t mind, I can pass your message on to her." After learning that the man wanted to visit his mother, Brian opened the car door and got out. He stared at the man''s "You''re her son? She has never told me she has a son. You''re not lying to me, are you?" Paul looked Brian up and down, skeptical about who he was. Yakira had never told him that she had a son around this age, so he didn''t believe what Brian said.


    "Sir, didn''t you see that I came out of the house? Why would I lie to you? Look at you. You''re a mess. What could I possibly want from you?" Brian disyed a helpless smile at Paul''s scrupulousness. In his opinion, Paul looked like a bad person, but he thought Brian was a liar.


    "So you really are her son. What''s your name?" Paul still didn''t believe Brian. He was detained on Edward''s orders earlier, so he became particrly cautious about everything and refused to trust others easily.


    "My name is Brian Ouyang. Why are you here? Well, if it''s not urgent, you can tell her to her face when she gets back." After stating his piece, Brian opened the car door again, ready to leave at any time.


    "Wait! I believe you. My cousin didn''t mention you to me, so I wasn''t sure. Please don''t take it to heart." As Brian was about to leave, Paul panicked. He hadn''t had a bite to eat for almost a day and a night. He thought to himself, ''As this guy said, he''s Yakira''s son, which means he''s my nephew. Since I can''t find Yakira, I can turn to him.''


    "Cousin? You mean my mother is your cousin? Then how should I address you? Uncle? She didn''t tell me anything about you either." Brian began to doubt Paul''s words. Once again, he stared at Paul in disbelief.


    "You weren''t born yet when I left the country. I can understand why she doesn''t mention me to you. Anyway, she doesn''t want to see me again." Paul took a sidelong nce at Brian. He thought, ''So to Yakira, I''m dead. She has never told me she has a son. Basically, I''m screwed. She wants nothing to do with me, and probably doesn''t care whether I''m in the country or not. So I can''t even hang with my family.''


    "What do you mean? Does she have a grudge against you? Or do you have something on her?" Brian was sensitive. He didn''t know what Paul meant. In his opinion, the man standing before him was too weird. He had never seen him before, but now he appeared when the Ouyang family was having its hardest time. Did this mean that he had something to do with his mother being arrested?


    "The answer to that will cost you. So how much money do you have on you?" Seeing that Brian was curious, Paul deliberately kept him guessing, in an attempt to extort some cash from him. The deeds he did for Yakira were no longer a secret. He could tell her son the whole story, frankly.


    "It depends on how valuable your info is. I don''t have time for games." Brian squinted at Paul. He wanted to call him "uncle" a minute ago, but what he said just now deterred him. Admittedly, sometimes one''s family background was really important because it was closely rted to his morality and cultivation. As the saying goes, birds of the same feather flock together. Undoubtedly, Paul and Yakira were intent on nothing but profit.


    "Very astute! How about we discuss this over dinner? I''m starving. First we eat, then we can conclude our business." Paul got excited because Brian was curious about what he had. He rubbed his hands together.


    "Get in," Brian sneered. He opened the door and took the seat, wondering what surprises Paul had for him.


    "Okay," Paul answered in an oily voice and got in the car. He chuckled to himself at the thought that he would have money to burn even if Yakira didn''t help him.


    Little did Brian know that he would hear a nasty, brutal fact, and the aplice Paul would show his hideous features without feeling guilty. At dinner, Paul filled him in.


    "My God! How can you sleep at night after doing all these things? What kind of monster are you?" Brian thumped the table, his face pale. He finally knew why Daisy went bananasst night and insisted on killing his mother even at the cost of his love. ''If I were Daisy, I would do something even more drastic, ''thought Brian.


    "So what? Living is better than dying. I''m alive, even though I''m hurting for cash. I don''t want to die." Paul curled his lip. He didn''t give a crap about other people''s lives. Saving his own life was the first priority. If he had been kind-hearted, he wouldn''t have done such inhuman things.


    "You''re a vicious monster, aren''t you? Frankly, I''m sickened by what you told me! Now I wish I hadn''t asked you anything!" Brian closed his eyes. A mother never looked ugly to her son, but he wished he didn''t have such a heartless mother.


    "So what? Hand over the dough!" Paul didn''t care about how Brian felt. Instead, he was more concerned with the money that Brian promised to give him.


    "There is 500,000 on this card. Use the original password. Take it and get out of my sight! I don''t want to see you again!" Brian didn''t want to be around Paul anymore. He took a bank card from his wallet and threw it onto the table. He didn''t bother to despise such a man. "What? 500, 000? That''s total crap. I need more. Not even a beggar could live on that! I think my info is worth 50 million!" Paul shouted, refusing to receive such a small sum of money. He was dissatisfied with the price Brian offered. As the young master of Ouyang Foreign Trade, he should have offered tens of millions at least. 500, 000 was too little for Paul. He''d probably blow that in one night.


    "Beggar? That''s insulting to beggars. To me, you''re worse than a beast, let alone a beggar. 500, 000 is already a high price for you," Brian sneered at Paul, but soon he turned his gaze. He really wanted to beat this man ck and blue, but he didn''t want to stain his hands with his blood. He was reluctant to even shoot a nce at this bastard now.


    "Young man, you wouldn''t really want me going to the police, would you? That might be bad for your mom. She''s the main culprit, while I''m just an essory. Even if I''m caught one day, I won''t be in the mmer as long as your mom would." Paul didn''t think that Brian would react so furiously to what he said. He thought Brian would give him big bucks, but he was wrong. He got so exasperated that he began to threaten Brian.


    "Do what you want. Then you guys can share a cell, and hatch more evil ns." Since Paul had no intent to leave, Brian turned away. He had difficulty in breathing because this cold-blooded man fouled the air.


    "What do you mean?" Paul was shocked by what Brian said. He hurriedly stopped Brian as he got a really bad feeling.


    "Well, I almost forgot to tell you that my mother was arrested by the policest night. You just missed her. If you really want to visit her, head directly to the police station. Like attracts like. I think she''ll be very happy to see you," Brian informed Paul. Then he strode out of the restaurant without looking back. His steps were heavy and ponderous as he saw no hope for the future.Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Brian desperately flung himself into the car. Now he had no strength to ask Leo for the truth. To say the least, it wasn''t necessary. The truth was so cruel that he could hardly swallow it. Given what happenedst night, they must have found it out before he did. The baby in Grace''s belly died. It would have been a few years older than Brian if it had lived. However, it wasn''t as lucky as Brian. It couldn''t live a safe and healthy life.


    Nobody knew whether it was a baby boy or a baby girl, but Brian stepped into the role the child would have yed if s/he lived. That was why he was so close to Daisy in childhood. However, what happenedst night changed everything. After knowing the truth, he felt too ashamed to face Daisy and didn''t have the courage to tell her that he would always be her only good sibling. If his mother hadn''t killed Grace cruelly, Daisy would have had another good brother or sister who would treat her as a princess. In that case, he would never be the only one on her side.


    Before Brian left home, he was still thinking about how to get his mother out of prison and how to plead with Daisy for his mother''s life. However, he could do nothing now. To put it bluntly, his mother killed her mother, so he felt too ashamed to ask her to spare his own. Brian sighed tiredly and mmed his fists down on the steering wheel in anger. Now he went into hysterics. The truthid bare everything that he had thought impossible. Now everything came crashing down. How could he clear up such a messy situation???????

 Chapter 594 Marys Scheme (Part One)

    Now, Mary was busy too. After Brian left, she got out of the house too. Right now, she was lovingly leaning into the arms of a man whose eyes were full of lust and sensually whispering in his ear, seducing the man like a minx. "Wolf, just tell me! Are you going to help me or not?" She made her voice high and sweet to entice him, and she looped her arms around his neck like a serpent, eyes glinting with the same lust.


    "When you do that, babe, how can I refuse? But before I help you, what do I get out of this?" Wolf said, then copped a feel of Mary''s exposed flesh. He was really a wolf like his name implied, a real Lothario. "Uh! Damn it! You''re teasing me again," Mary pouted with fake annoyance, intentionally rubbing her breasts against his body. Her bold behavior was nothing like the good-girl image she put up in front of others.


    "Don''t you like it when I tease you? Huh! You slutty witch." After he finished talking, Wolf stole a kiss from her lips. Though this woman had slept with many men, one had to admit that she was really good in bed, and that was exactly why he was attracted to her. "But I''m being serious right now!" Mary dodged his kisses, pushing his wandering hands away from her body with slightly puckered lips. However, her fake resistance made his blood boil. And that was exactly what Mary wanted. This was the trick that she learnt after sleeping with so many men.


    "We can get seriouster on! Besides, what''s serious for me right now is putting you underneath me and giving you what you want so bad." After these words, Wolf stripped her clothes off and started hurriedly kissing her body. It wasn''t long before the room was haunted by their depravity. And there were moans that could make one blush from time to time.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    After their love-making, Maryid her head on Wolf''s chest, satisfied. Her exposed skin was littered with pink hickeys, showing how intense their love-making was. ording to the sultry look on her face, she was pretty satisfied with Wolf''s performance.


    "How was it? Did I give you the big O?" As a gangster, his words were pretty crude. His hands were still vulgarly wandering over Mary''s soft skin, teasing her non-stop.


    "Uh! You naughty man! How could you ask me something like that? Since you apparently liked it, we''re done. Now we can talk about something serious!" Mary leered at him with no real anger, but couldn''t help but moan under his touch.


    "It''s because you''ve been seducing me non-stop, but a promise is a promise! Don''t worry, I won''t let you down. Do you have any idea who I am? I''m Wolf, no woman scares me. I scare them." Wolf promised, patting his chest. It was just raping a chick, right? Everyone knew this kind of thing was his strong suit.


    "Wolf, you''re so good to me. But don''t forget me after you have a taste of her!" Mary flirted, then smacked a big kiss on Wolf''s cheek.


    "It all depends on the sex. But just so you know, I''m no ugly chaser. I don''t do charity work nor do I sleep with fugly women." Wolf smirked, his smile was really wicked.


    Mary sniggered. "Why would I find a hideous woman to offend you, Wolf? Though she''s not as hot as me, you definitely won''t have any trouble getting hot for her. So don''t worry!" In Mary''s eyes, no matter how chaste Daisy was, she was still not as beautiful as her. It remained a mystery where this idea came from.


    "That''s not bad. What, did she offend you so much that you need to use this vicious n to get back at her? Don''t you know that how important chastity is to chicks in this country?" Wolf''s smile was wicked. As long as the woman was not ugly, he had plenty ways to make her beg him to satisfy her.


    "Ha, a woman who uses her body to climb the socialdder has no chastity! And let me remind you, her martial arts skills are pretty good, so you must be fully prepared. Don''t underestimate her." Mary wouldn''t believe that Daisy hadn''t gotten help from others to achieve her status today. So she set her mind on making Edward see how slutty and open Daisy was in private.


    "A woman who uses her beauty to seduce her superiors can''t be bad looking. But if what you say is true, then I wonder what kind of power she has. I''m not real interested in doing time..." Wolf nced at Mary, raising his eyebrow, wanting to know the answer to his question.


    "Just a woman with martial arts. What, are you afraid, Wolf?" Slender fingers lightly tracing the pattern of Wolf''s muscles, Mary didn''t dare to tell him Daisy''s status, or the n she had been drawing up would go down the drain.


    "Bullshit! There''s no woman who can scare me. But you have to trick her first, otherwise how do we make this work?" Wolf arrogantlyughed. He was a harsh man, with a harsh reputation. How else would he make it in the biz?


    "Isn''t it your duty to get her out?" Mary couldn''t care less about her exposed skin and quickly sat up, staring at him with astonished eyes. If she asked Daisy out herself, everyone would know this had something to do with her. No, it had to be him.00000000000

 Chapter 595 Marys Scheme (Part Two)

    "That''s okay, but we''ll need info. What does she look like, where does she work, and also her address and where she goes often. So we can find the right chance to get her." Wolf squinted at the beautiful naked body in front of him, eyes fixing on Mary''s big breasts. Lust appeared in his eyes again.


    "What, you need her address and work ce, that''s not going to happen." Mary fanatically shook her head. If she told him Daisy''s work ce and address, then he would know that the woman was the wife of the CEO of FX International Group and the colonel of the army base in the city. With the two identities, who would dare toy a finger on her? So she couldn''t take the risk.


    "Slut, do you think she will appear at my doorstep like you if you don''t tell me anything about her?" Wolf smiled wickedly, pulling Mary underneath him again and he started their second round.


    Tonight, there were people out partying, there were also people trying to drown their sorrows. It remained a mystery if they all would have a new beginning when the daylight came and what new challenges they would face. But for Daisy, it was the beginning of a disaster for sure.


    The warm sunlight was always the best view in the morning, waking thezybones who didn''t have to work on weekends. The autumn wind blew up the leaves, making them dance beautifully then kiss the ground when the wind stopped.


    Daisy opened her beautiful eyes and caught the small hand that had been touching her face. A slight smile appeared on her face.


    "Little guy, look, I catch you this time." Daisy''s eyshes fluttered. She pulled the little guy who woke her into her arms and started tickling him relentlessly.


    "Hee hee, mommy, stop, stop... I won''t do it anymore." Justin dodged Daisy''s tickling hands, falling onto the soft bed because of hisughter.


    "So, what''s going on? Anything fun?" Daisy pulled him up, and solemnly interrogated the little guy.


    "Colonel Ouyang, daddy has an emergency meeting in hispany, so he left after Uncle Rain called." Justin did a nonstandard military salute to his mother. His cute behavior made Daisy giggle softly.


    "Oh! Isn''t today Sunday? Why does he still have to work?" Daisy slightly frowned, wondering what important thing had happened that had to be solved immediately.


    "I don''t know. I heard that it was something about Aunt Annie." Justin mysterously whispered under his breath in Daisy''s ear, like what he knew was a very important thing.Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "You mean Annie? What, is there any news about her? Or is there a problem with the cooperation program between the twopanies?" Daisy got excited as soon as she heard things about Annie. Because she hadn''t heard from that girl since thest time she left, making Rain worried sick.


    "I have no idea. I just heard daddy mention C Financial Group during his phone call. So I think that it must have something to do with Aunt Annie." Whenever in this kind of situation, Justin would always show the wisdom that only adults had and calmly analyze the factors with Daisy.


    "Forget it. Don''t make assumptions anymore. If we really want to know, we just need to ask your daddy when he gets home. Why are we randomly guessing right now?" Daisy carefully got out of the bed. Though her injured feet weren''tpletely healed, after Tom put ointment on her feet again, she could walk on the soft carpet.


    "I just want to satisfy your curiosity. Mommy, the weather seems very nice today, do you have anything in mind for us to kill the time?" Justin was just a kid, so he quickly turned his attention to other things that kids liked the most. For example, having fun. "Anything is okay as long as we stay in the house," Daisy said, walking to the bathroom. It seemed that she got upte again today because she had stayed uptest night to finish her reports. She finally went to sleep after Edward urged her a few times. Fortunately, the rtionship between her and Cynthia was not strained like the inw rtionships in other families. Or her getting up thiste would cause problems.


    "Okay, I''m going downstairs to get prepared. Mommy, hurry up," Justin said, running downstairs, happy like a kid on Christmas.


    Daisy freshened up in no time as she was used to the quick routine during her years in the army, so it saved her quite some time. Within a few minutes, she was ready to go. Just when she was about to get out of the room and go downstairs, her phone suddenly rang. So she had to stop her slow steps and turn to the phone sitting on the head of her bed.


    It''s Mary, why was she calling? Was she trying to beg for leniency? But as arrogant as she was, it didn''t seem like that. So what possible reason would she have to call? Daisy looked at the name on the screen, all kind of thoughts running through her head. But she didn''t pick up the phone immediately, she waited until the ringing was almost over, then she reluctantly picked it up.00000000

 Chapter 596 Things Left By Her Mother (Part One)

    "Just spit it out. What''s the matter?" In many people''s eyes, Daisy was always polite when she answered the phone. But this time, she didn''t think it necessary to be polite to Mary. She even didn''t want to pick up the phone. She picked it up because she didn''t want Mary to constantly call her. "Huh! Do I need to have a reason to call? What if I just want to talk to my dear sister?" Mary blew on her nail polish which was still wet on her nails. She waspletely exhausted after a whole night''s sex with Wolf. Feeling sore all over her body, shezilyid back on the sofa and ced her slim legs on the tea table in an unsightly move. Obviously, she was drying her polish on her toes in the air, rather than rxing. "Since you don''t have anything to say, I''m hanging up. I''m not in any mood to deal with you." Daisy was about to hang up the phone when she slowly walked out of the room.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    "Wait, Daisy, don''t you want to get your mother''s belongings back?" Mary sneered as she reached out her hand and picked up the album from the table. Little Daisy in the album was dressed beautifully like a princess. It was a pity that she was reduced to a Cindere in the end.


    "What? My mother''s belongings? But..." She became intrigued as soon as she heard Mary''s words, her hand which was reached out to hang up the phone pausing in the air.


    "Yes, if you want to get them back,e here. I will wait you at Tea Fragrance. But you can only take them by yourself. Remember,e here alone, don''t bring anyone else." Finally Marypromised and promised to carry out the n by asking Daisy out by herself. She was so determined to win. No failure, only sess for the n.


    "How do I know that what you''re saying is true?" Daisy was not stupid. She would not easily believe her words and immediately go out to meet her anywhere. If she guessed right, Mary called her because of Yakira. But she couldn''t help being curious when she heard what Mary said about her mother''s belongs.


    "Haha, I knew you wouldn''t believe me. Do you remember that your mother once had a delicate hairpin with carvings of a dragon and a phoenix?" Mary frowned. She was surprised that Daisy''s mother was such an old-fashioned woman who liked decorations without any fashion style.


    "Hairpin? Is it green? And with purple bead flowers scattered on it? Also hung with graceful tassels?" Daisy immediately got really excited. She knew it was something from her mother''s dowry. Since "A Beauty''s Tears of Blood" was the legacy of a highest-ranking imperial concubine, it was highly possible that this hairpin also belonged to her. She had been curious howe those things suddenly disappeared after her mother''s death. It turned out that they were privately hidden by Yakira and Mary.


    "Yes, it is such an ugly thing as you described. It is really strange why she kept those old-fashioned things like treasures. Besides the hairpin, there are other super old-timey decorations, nothing in the trend of modern fashion." Mary said while prodding other decorations in the small wooden box on the table, with a disgusted expression.


    "Okay, what time can we meet? I''ll be there. But my mother''s things are not to be damaged, or the deal''s off." Daisy bit her lip. Those were the things left by her mother. She didn''t care about the property of her family, but for those decorations, they were the most treasured things when her mother was alive. Therefore, no matter what, she was determined to get them back.


    "Okay, about 11 o''clock. I will wait for you there." Mary smiled cunningly and thought, ''Daisy, I knew you would be interested in these things. If you aren''t interested, I really can''t find any other excuses to lure you out".


    "Okay, I''m headed there right away," Daisy said as she returned to the bedroom and took off her long dress. She changed to casual clothes. The concept of the famous fashion designer was fully disyed on her figure. She looked elegant and graceful with the suit. The most important point was that it wouldn''t feel strange even if she wore t shoes.


    In fact, she was very excited now. She was overjoyed in her heart at the thought that she could get her mother''s things back soon. She was so excited that she wished it were now 11 o''clock, so she could see them immediately.


    "Mom, hurry up. I know what games we are going to y." As soon as Daisy finished dressing herself, Justin ran into the room with an innocent smile on his face.


    "Sorry, Justin, I have to go out to deal with something urgent. So sorry that I can''t y with you today." Daisy bent down and nted a gentle kiss on his pink cheek, looking apologetic.


    "Oh! What''s the matter? Did you get a mission assignment? And what about your hurt feet?" Hearing Daisy''s words, Justin''s bright smile faded away. He was not as excited as he was when he ran upstairs.


    "No, it''s an appointment. It''s okay with my feet. I''ll be back soon. Stay home and y with your grandpa and grandma, okay?" Daisy said as she held his hand and walked downstairs with him. She was helpless that she had to disappoint him again.


    "But they just left. Uncle Luke went to the office with Daddy today. Even Uncle Mark is not here, he went to join in the trial performance of the new weaponsst night." Justin puckered his mouth, was he going to be alone at home? It would be so boring.0000000

 Chapter 597 Things Left By Her Mother (Part Two)

    "Oh! No one at home? What about Mrs. Wu?" She knew Mark went back to the army base, but she didn''t expect that Jonathan and Cynthia would also go out. She didn''t know what to do at the moment.


    "Mrs. Mu went out to buy some vegetables with Sunny, they haven''te back yet. All the other people are busy with their work. Mommy, please bring me with you. I guarantee I will behave myself and won''t cause any trouble." Justin raised his head and looked at Daisy with his watering eyes, rather pathetically. "Oh, okay, let me think." Daisy frowned. Bewildered, she tried to think a solution. If Mary didn''t require her toe alone, she wouldn''t mind bringing Justin with her. But he was a child, so she suppose Mary wouldn''t take offense.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    "Okay, Think quickly." A sly smile shed in his eyes and disappeared immediately. In fact, his true intention was not to go out to have fun with her mother, he wanted to go with her because he was really worried about the injuries on her feet. He had promised Edward this morning that he would take care of his mother when Edward was away.


    "Alright. You cane along, let''s go!" Daisy smiled helplessly. She decided to bring him, because she hadn''t spent much time with him recently. She could bring him to his favorite KFC after the meeting with Mary. It was okay for him to asionally eat fast food. "Oh! Yeah! I know Mommy is the best!" Justin broke free from Daisy''s hands and ran towards the garden with excitement.


    Daisy shook her head. Because of the injuries, she walked slowly to follow him. But she was happy with a sweet smile on her face.


    "Mommy, hurry up!" Justin ran back to her again. He hopped and jumped like a happy rabbit, his cheeks bing redder because of his movement.


    "Justin, is it so exciting to go out?" Daisyughed and teased him. She went straight towards her VW.


    "Yes! But that also depends on who I''m going out with. Why don''t you drive Daddy''s car?" Justin asked. He uttered his doubt when he saw she was going to drive the VW.


    "Huh! Are you unhappy being in my car? Do you think my car is not as good as your Daddy''s car?" Daisy got used to keeping a low profile. Although she liked the good performance and speed of the sports car, she didn''t want to attract attention from the public. "Nope, impossible. Before we got back together with Daddy, we drove your car everywhere. It has apanied us for a long time. I''m not that fickle," Justin said seriously, as if he was afraid that she didn''t believe that he was a loyal son. He even held the cushion on the seat and nted a big kiss on it to show his deep affection.


    "Justin, don''t use that word. Fickle? Where did you learn that word? Were you secretly ying on myputer behind my back?" Daisy pretended to frown and looked at Justin seriously.


    "No, didn''t you lock up yourputer?" Justin became depressed at the mention of this topic. It was easy for him to unlock herputer, but he was a good boy. He snuck into Uncle''s Luke''s room to y on hisputer once, he would never touch his mother''sputer.


    "Oh! Are you really so well-behaved? You haven''t gone to other people''s rooms to y on theirputers?" Daisy started the engine and slowly drove the car out of the garage. She squinted at Justin with the corner of her eyes to see if he had a guilty look. "Hee-hee, I only went to Uncle Luke''s room and yed for a little while." Justin knew he couldn''t escape his mother''s sharp observation. He stressed the words "a little while" to extenuate his mistake. He looked at Daisy''s stern face with an embarrassed smile. "Huh! Tell me how do you want me to punish you?" Daisy continued to drove the car in silence. In fact she really wanted tough at him, but she still pretended to be very angry.


    "I''m sorry, Mom. I won''t disobey your orders again. Don''t be angry with me. I will do fifty push-ups to punish myself when Ie backter. Okay?" Justin lowered his head and honestly acknowledged his fault. In fact, if he raised his head a bit, he could notice her mother''s suppressed smile. She almostughed out seeing Justin''s poor face.


    "Only fifty?" Daisy bit her lip and tried her best to hold back the urge tough. She continued to tease him.


    "How about fifty-five? It can''t be more than fifty-five. I''ll probably be dead-dog tired." Justin showed his five fingers to her mom and widened his eyes, his mouth pouting with fake grief.


    "That''s because you haven''t done enough exercises recently and you seem to be overeating. I have to be more strict with you. Besides exercises, you also need to watch your diet." Daisy frowned when she brought up the topic of eating. She wondered where Justin inherited his taste for food. He was such a foodie.


    "Oh! My god! Kill me!" Hearing Daisy''s words, Justin bumped his head on the cushion with an exaggerated expression. He let out a pitiful cry, like he was waiting for doomsday toe.0000

 Chapter 598 What Kind Of Person You Are (Part One)

    "Justin, don''t you think you''re being too dramatic?" Unlike usual, Daisy wasn''t very enthusiastic about indulging her son today. As the buildings and trees along both sides of the road quickly moved backward and disappeared from the rear view mirror, she felt a touch of sadness filling up her chest. She thought about Brian, and wondered how he was doing now. Would he ever treat her the same after what she had done to him the other night? Learning the truth about her mother''s death was too much for her to handle and she had lost it. Although she never meant to, she hurt his feelings. She only hoped that he wasn''t too upset with her and would let her exin everything to him when the time was right.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    "Er... I was only saying what I felt, all right? You really think that was too dramatic? Okay, maybe I should keep my mouth shut for a while." As Justin spoke, he turned to look out of the car window. Soon, his attention was drawn to the other cars on the street. Resting his elbows on the window frame, he started to make faces at the people in other cars driving by, amusing himself more than them.


    Seeing that he was perfectly content to y by himself, Daisy rxed and smiled at him. The car became a lot more quiet now that Justin wasn''t talking. Letting out a sigh, Daisy gathered her thoughts and focused her attention back on driving. Since she was not familiar with Tea Fragrance and its surroundings, she needed to use the car navigation to get there.


    Tea Fragrance was a coffee house far away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Despite its location, Daisy was also curious about why the owner would give the ce a name that didn''t quite describe the cafe at all. People could have mistaken it for a tea house. But apart from that, the ce looked perfectlyfortable and elegant. It was very suitable for someone who wanted to indulge in an afternoon''s solitude.


    With Justin''s hand in hers, Daisy walked slowly towards the house. As they stepped into the cafe, the quietness of the ce became more intense, sending a chill up Daisy''s back. She immediately had a bad feeling about the ce, but couldn''t exactly tell why. From left side to right, she studied the entire coffee house and tried not to leave out any suspicious spots, but found nothing unusual. Finally, she shook her head with a sigh and gave up, telling herself that she was just being paranoid. After all, what could go wrong in a public ce in broad daylight?


    "Mommy, are you okay?" asked Justin, his brows furrowing. His hand hurt because Daisy''s grip had gone tight. It was obvious that she was nervous. Justin knew that it was one of his mother''s habits to unconsciously clench her hands whenever she got nervous. Sometimes, she got so overwhelmed by her emotions that she forgot she was holding something, like today. The same thing happened when she brought him to see his father at the office.


    "Oh. Yes, I''m fine. I''m sorry. Did I hurt you again?" Daisy hurriedly bent down to check her little boy''s hand. It had turned red from her hard squeeze. A surge of regret rose up inside her. She pulled him near and gave him a hug. When their eyes met again, Justin''s face broadened into a warm smile and he said, "No, it doesn''t hurt at all." He meant what he said. After all, he was no longer a child and he wasn''t bothered by such mild difort. He remembered his father telling him once that he was a big boy now and should shoulder some responsibilities. One of the things his father mentioned was to help him protect his mother for the rest of their lives. Since then, he''d decided to be a man and not to let small things get to him. A little pain in his hand was nothing to him.


    A few steps away from them, Mary sat at a dimly lit table. She had arrived early and had been waiting for Daisy for quite a while. As the one who set up the whole meeting, she was anxious to begin it and see how her brilliant n would y out. For the twentieth time, she poked her head out to see if Daisy had arrived. This time, she wasn''t disappointed.


    "I thought I told you toe alone. Why do you bring this little brat with you?" Mary''s face lit up when she saw that Daisy hade, but the sight of Justin tagging along irritated her. She couldn''t help blurting out herints.


    "Yes, I bring a kid with me. What''s the big deal? I''m only here to take a few things. I have no intention of staying here any longer than necessary, so you might as well deal with it," Daisy said with a sneer. Stepping forward, she took Justin to sit on the chairs opposite Mary. Though she acted indifferently just now, a flicker of doubt crossed her mind. Why did Mary care so much about her noting alone? Was she nning something? Thinking of the great disparity of power between them, she decided that Mary wouldn''t dare to y any tricks on her because she wouldn''t be able to handle the consequences.


    Mary broke the silence with a burst ofughter. "Oh, Daisy. You haven''t changed at all. Still so naive! You know me. Do you really think that I''m that easy to deal with? And that I will easily give you what you want without getting anything in return?"


    A wicked look shed in her eyes as she finished her words. ''It''s actually a good thing that Justin is here too. It''s about time that I teach him a lesson and have him realize the consequences of having no respect for others. He will never dare to disrespect me again after today!'' Mary thought to herself, thrilled by her genius n that she was about to carry out.


    "Old woman, a fly just fell into your big mouth," Justin said. He was so serious that a passer-by would have believed that he was just an innocent boy voicing out his observations.


    "You brat, who are you calling old woman? Have you ever seen an old woman as young and beautiful as I am? And don''t interrupt adults when they''re talking; that''s rude. Haven''t your parents taught you any manners?" scolded Mary.


    She always hated Justin. Every time they met, he would always find a way to humiliate her. She hadn''t been able to fight back because Edward was also present on those asions. She didn''t want him to think that she couldn''t get along with children. But today, she practically owned the ce and no one could stop her from getting her revenge.


    "My manners are reserved for people who deserve my respect. As for you, I don''t think it''s necessary. My parents have nothing to do with how I treat people. It depends on what kinds of person they are."


    Justin could be very protective, especially when it came to his parents. If Mary hadn''t involved his parents and only messed with him, he would have let it pass. But deliberately hinting that his parents hadn''t done a good job in raising him was absolutely uneptable. He fought back mercilessly with cutting words.


    "What? What kind of person I am? With that attitude towards me, your elder, what kind of person you are then? You have some nerve talking about that with me!" retorted Mary. ''I''ll let you talk whatever nonsense you want for now. I''ll teach you real mannerster. The very first thing I''ll make you understand, little devil, is that your mouth is for eating and not for offending people, '' Mary thought as she shot a sardonic smile at Justin.


    Instead of getting intimidated by her words and hard stare, Justin showed even more confidence. "I only know that we are not the same kind. Please don''t mistaken one thing for another. Your criticism of my character is inevitable because yourck of depth hinders you from making good judgments, so I don''t me you. How can I me someone for something that she doesn''t know shecks? I''m only asking you not to put yourself in the same category as me. We are from different worlds. As a woman of your age, I''m sure you can understand that. Unless it''s something you can''t ept."???????????

 Chapter 599 What Kind Of Person You Are (Part Two)

    Underneath his childlike and naive face, Justin''s clever mind and sharp tongue couldn''t be ignored. Every word he said was like a fistnding on Mary''s nerves. Despite witnessing it with her own eyes, Mary found it hard to believe that such shrewdness and indifference could exist in such a small child. Although Justin might have gained the upper hand over Mary now, his actions would unfortunately bring himself trouble very soon.


    "Daisy, is this the way you''re raising your child? By letting him insult other people and doing nothing about it?" Mary snapped indignantly. Her dignity had been ripped off, thrown into the dirt, and trampled on. After getting nothing but humiliation from the boy, she started tosh out at Daisy, who had been sitting silently the whole time.


    "I know my son. Under normal circumstances, he would be a proper gentleman. I think the problem in the way he treats you lies in you. I''ve always upheld the right of an individual''s freedom of speech. Even if he''s a child, Justin has every right to freely express his feelings to those he likes and dislikes. I''m in no position to stop him from doing that," Daisy replied calmly.


    She wouldn''t be so tolerant of Justin''s impudent remarks if the person he was talking to wasn''t Mary. But given that Mary had already shown so much hostility since she and Justin entered the cafe, Daisy didn''t think it was proper to sit back and take in the verbal abuse silently. Therefore, she just let Justin exercise his right to express himself.


    "So you mean that he doesn''t like me," Mary said, and then turned to face Justin, "Hey, did I ever do something to offend you? Why are you always so mean to me? Every time we meet, you stir up trouble for me. Are you really expressing yourself or are you just holding a grudge because your mom told you to do so?" As she was talking to Justin, Mary shot a challenging look at Daisy from the corner of her eye to see how she would react.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    Justin was enraged by her insinuation. "Since you asked, let me put it to you straight. It''s not that I don''t like you in particr; I just don''t like any woman who goes after my daddy. And you happen to be one of them. My mommy has never put such thoughts in my head. Everything I sayes from my personal opinion. I do what I feel is right."


    Justin was a little worried that his mother would scold him for being so rude. He still remembered the stern look on her face when she heard that he had been using theputer too much on their way to the coffee house. He certainly didn''t want to upset her again so soon. But from his mother''s reply, he sensed that she approved of the way he was talking to Mary, so he tossed aside his worries and let himself say whatever he wanted to the woman in front of him.


    His words soon took effect. Mary was seriously pissed. With clenched teeth, she pointed a finger at Justin furiously, but was unable to say anything to defend herself. After a few moments, she suddenly broke out into a smile. "You''re afraid, aren''t you? You''re afraid that your dad will dump you and make you a bastard again, because your mom isn''t nearly good enough for him. Am I right?"


    Satisfied with her response, Mary let out a smug smile. A while ago, the arrival of an illegitimate child of the CEO of FX International Group stirred up much discussion among the staff at thepany. The news was a big blow to Mary. She was upset that some other woman had a child with the man she adored. Back then, she had no idea that Daisy was that woman. Now that she knew, she was determined to take every chance to get back at her for stealing her man.


    "Mary, have you forgotten why you asked me toe here? It seems I need to remind you of something. My son is not a bastard, and he never is. Edward and I have been married the whole time. Watch yournguage," Daisy replied steadily, every word she spoke carrying weight. She was tired of exchanging meaningless insults with Mary. She wanted to get what she had been promised and get out of the coffee house as soon as possible. There was something about the ce that didn''t feel right.


    "What''s the rush? I don''t have them with me right now. Why don''t we have a cup of coffee first?" At Daisy''s reminder, Mary soon cooled down and remembered that she wasn''t here to pick a fight with a little boy. However, nor was she here to merely deliver something to Daisy, as thetter had thought she was.


    "What do you mean you don''t have them? Then why did you ask me toe here? Are you ying with me?" Daisy demanded. She was furious that Mary had tricked her toe here, but she was even more angry with herself. She couldn''t believe that she had fallen for Mary''s im of having herte mother''s belongings. Even worse, she hadpletely discarded her calmness andposure when rushing to this strange ce.


    "Come on, ying tricks on you? Who has the time for that? Since you''re already here, we should talk about what you will do for me in exchange for the things you want." Mary had more than one goal today. Not only did she want Daisy to get her mother out of jail, she also wanted to destroy Daisy. In case something unexpected happened, she didn''t bring the wooden case with her. It was her important bargaining chip. More importantly, the person who was going to bring it here yed an important part in her n. "What makes you think that I would agree to negotiate with you? Because you have something I might want? Fair enough. I don''t want you to feel that I''m taking advantage of you. Let''s hear what you want from me. I hope it''s something realistic," Daisy replied calmly. She didn''t want to look too desperate. Before she arrived, she thought about what Mary would want from her in exchange for her mother''s belongings. And if she was right, Mary would demand for Yakira''s release. In that case, she would be perfectly fine with it. The police would release Yakira anyway if they couldn''t find any solid evidence within 48 hours. She had nothing to lose in this deal. Besides, she would be doing Mary a favor, which would make her "the good guy".


    "I want you to call the police and tell them to release my mother immediately. After it''s done, your things will be delivered here very soon." Tilting her head to the side, Mary shot a sideways nce at Daisy. She wondered how important the wooden case was to Daisy and exactly how much she would give to get it.


    "I can do that. I can make a call to have your mother released. But you didn''t expect me to do all that before reassuring me that you actually have the things I want, did you?" Daisy asked, leaning back in her chair and folding her arms. She was amused to see the unconcealed excitement on Mary''s face the moment she agreed to the deal. ''I''m not stupid. Does she really think that I would trust her easily andply with her demands without hesitation? I''m not even sure if she is lying or not, ''Daisy thought to herself. She decided not to do anything until she saw with her own eyes the items that Mary imed to have.000000000000?????

 Chapter 600 Release Yakira Mo (Part One)

    Maryughed heartily. "I knew you would say that. Why don''t you check this photo album first?" she replied. As she spoke, she threw a small photo album in front of Daisy. The album was yellowed with age. It was easy to see from the faded marks on the surface that it had been kept for many years. "So you did hide the photo album. I thought you and your mother threw it away," Daisy said happily, picking up the photo album with great excitement. She couldn''t wait to open it. At the first sight of her mother''s gentle face in the picture, her eyes turned red. "Although your mother didn''t have a good sense of fashion, she was beautiful and had a kind of ssical charm." Mary curled her lip in distaste. She had to admit that the woman in the photo was very elegant and beautiful. Even her mother couldn''t learn such gentle temperament.


    "Mom, let me see. Is that my grandma?" Justin asked curiously. He leaned against Daisy to get a better view of the album. For Justin, his memory of his grandmother was limited to the small photo on her gravestone. When he heard that the album contained his grandmother''s photos, he also got excited.


    "Yes! Here you go. You can put it in your bag after you finish looking at it." Daisy smiled as she handed the photo album to him. This album was just a small part of her mother''s belongings. She knew that if she wanted to get them all back, she had to agree to Mary''s demands.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    "So? You ought to believe that I have your mother''s things now! Will you call the police and let my mother go?" Mary raised her eyebrows as she spoke. She didn''t expect the raggedy things she inadvertently found in the house would be a rare treasure for Daisy. It seemed that she did the right thing.


    "I''ll definitely call the police. But how do I know if you will keep your word?" Daisy replied doubtfully. She turned the phone in her hand. It didn''t seem like she wanted to make the phone call.


    "Are you joking with me? What would I do with a bunch of useless junk? Of course, if you don''t believe me, I have no other way to convince you. Anyway, I''ve already consulted awyer. Despite your influence with the police, my mother can only stay in jail for 48 hours if you have no solid evidence. I can afford to wait for 48 hours," Mary snorted. These items were important to Daisy. But to her, they were just a heap of useless rubbish. If she hadn''t seen the photo album, she wouldn''t have realized that they belonged to Daisy''s mother. "Don''t y tricks on me. You know that if I want, I have plenty of ways to put her back in jail," Daisy replied. She also knew that Yakira could be released in 48 hours. But she wanted to show Mary that she would no longer tolerate their abusive behavior. She was not the little girl they could easily bully anymore.


    "Excuse me, here''s your coffee." At this moment, a waiter brought three cups of coffee and put them one by one on the table before quietly leaving. All his movements were smooth, without any pause.


    While Daisy made the phone call, she didn''t notice the waiter''s strange behavior. As she wondered how to exin the request of releasing Yakira to Mr. Yi, she focused her eyes on Justin who was flicking through the photos. With her sharpness, she would''ve definitely noticed there was something odd with the waiter''s actions when he walked past Mary if she had been paying attention.


    "Hello, Mr. Yi. It''s Daisy Ouyang. I''m sorry to trouble you again like this. Could you please release Yakira Mo? I''ll treat you to dinnerter," Daisy said apologetically. It was not that she was surrendering to Mary. She did it to extricate herself from an awkward position. It would be better to ept Mary''s demands now. After all, Yakira would be released within 48 hours even if she didn''t let her go now. If she called the police now, not only could she take back her mother''s relics, but Mary wouldn''t be able to ridicule herter. "Colonel Ouyang, you are too polite. I''m the one who should treat you to dinner! After all, I am indebted to you for the gunfight with the arms dealersst time. Thanks to your help, I can keep my position. Releasing Yakira Mo is just a small thing. How could I let you pay for dinner?" Mr. Yi replied.


    He only learned about Daisy and Edward Mu''s rtionship after that gunfight. Then, he understood why Major General Gu mentioned the FX International Group to himst time. He was so ignorant to not even notice such a sensational event. He made such a big mistake. "Yes, I should. There''s a lot more things to bother youter. Don''t be so polite to me. Again, thank you very much. I still have something else to do, so I won''t bother you anymore. Goodbye!" Daisy never liked dragging things. She hung up after finishing her words. "Mary, are you satisfied?" Daisy shot her a cold nce as she put her phone on the table. Feeling a little thirsty, she picked up the coffee in front of her and took a few sips without hesitation. Then she ced the cup back on the table.


    "Don''t worry. Someone wille over to give you the things you want in ten minutes." Mary couldn''t help getting a little excited when she saw Daisy take a sip from the cup of coffee. Before that, she was thinking of a way to make Daisy drink it. Unexpectedly, she didn''t need to say anything at all. Daisy saved her a lot of trouble and drank it on her own.0000000

 Chapter 601 Release Yakira Mo (Part Two)

    "That''s fine. I''m not in a hurry." Daisy reached out her hand and patted her long hair that was tied-up in a high ponytail. She looked outside, smacking her lips lightly to get rid of the foam that was left behind from drinking the coffee.


    "Mom, I''m done looking at all the photos. Finally, I know why you''re so beautiful. You inherited my grandmother''s good genes! And you were so cute when you were a small child! You looked elegant and noble like a little princess." As Justin spoke, he closed the album and


    carefully ced it in his bag as Daisy had instructed. He pulled up the zipper to close the bag tightly.


    "Hah! Little princess? Little devil, didn''t you know that when your mom was a little girl, she was just a maid? How could you say that she was elegant and noble? Is there something wrong with your eyes?" When Mary heard Justin praising Daisy, she couldn''t help but sneer in response. Despite all her efforts to be elegant, she always failed. Daisy possessed a kind of natural temperament that she could never achieve.


    "Unlike someone, my mom is elegant inside out. Someone may think she is a princess because she''s rich, but the ugliness she possesses inside makes her even inferior to a maid." Once Justin was in protective mode, he dropped all pretenses of being polite. He inherited his sharp tongue from Edward.


    "Little devil, who are you calling inferior to a maid?" Mary red at Justin in rage. She didn''t expect someone as small as Justin would say something terrible enough to make her furious.


    "I''m talking to you now. I''m obviously referring to you, olddy." Justin had no interest in the coffee. He only gave it a perfunctory nce before ignoring itpletely. His small ck eyes kept surveying the surroundings, his eyebrows furrowed slightly. Like Daisy, he also had a bad feeling about the situation. The cafe was too cold and cheerless. There were only two upied tables, and the other table was near the door. The strangest thing about it was that the other table was filled with men. Moreover, they did not seem like nice people at all. After noticing this, his heart couldn''t help beating faster. He didn''t know if his mom also noticed the odd atmosphere.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    "You... No, I''m not going to lose my temper. I won''t fall so easily into your trap." Mary smiled smugly. This little devil could say everything that he wanted to now. Later, there would be plenty of opportunities to dispose of him.


    "Why is she here?" Daisy asked. Daisy had also noticed that something was strange in the coffee shop. Because she was paying close attention to every detail around them, she quickly noticed Jessica''s arrival.


    "Of course, she''s here. If she weren''t here, how would you get what you came here for?" Mary followed her gaze towards Jessica. At the sight of the neer, she smiled smugly. Did Jessica think she was too stupid to figure out what she was actually thinking? Jessica had wanted to put her in the center of the storm and reap the benefits for her own without exposing herself. Things weren''t that easy in the real world. This was the reason she made here there. She wouldn''t be so foolish as to let the woman take advantage of her so easily.


    "When did you two be so close?" Daisy frowned. She didn''t like Jessica''s appearance. The woman was a lot smarter than Mary. It was more difficult to deal with her.


    "We don''t have to report our personal rtionship to Colonel Ouyang," Jessica sneered. When Jessica heard Daisy, she retorted in an instant. She definitely wasn''t easy to handle.


    "It doesn''t matter to my mom. We understand, birds of the same feather flock together. You don''t need to exin to us," Justin piped in. Before Daisy could say something, Justin retaliated for her. He had both Edward''s viciousness and Rain''s mischief. No one could humiliate his mother in front of him. Otherwise, how could he worthy of Edward''s trust?


    "Little devil, I haven''t seen you for so long. I can''t believe that you''re still as annoying as ever. I don''t know if it''s because of someone''s bad education." Jessica nced at Daisy, undoubtedly referring to her.


    "Hah! Olddy, aren''t you just as annoying? The feeling is mutual. You have no right to ridicule me." Trying to get back at Justin through sharp words was pointless. Although he was still a child, he''s more capable than an adult at fighting back. He had always been a gifted child with high intelligence.


    Mary burst into peals ofughter. "Jessica, I thought the little brat was only mean to me. But it seems he''s just as mean to you! I feel much better now!" Mary giggled happily. Seeing Justin insult someone else made the resentment she felt lessen.


    "Are you an idiot? Do you think his insult was just referring to me? Don''t be stupid. Don''t you know that he just taunted you as well?" Jessica rolled her eyes at Mary. She sat at the table in an arrogant manner. Sometimes, she had no idea how to read Mary. At first, she thought Mary was stupid. But today, she was smart enough to insist that shee here to prevent her from washing her hands clean of the plot. But times like these showed how stupid she was. She did not even understand the meaning behind Justin''s words.000000000000000

 Chapter 602 A Trap

    "I know that! I just enjoy seeing himugh at you, that''s all." Mary was the kind of woman who could make fun of herself. To hurt the people she disliked, she would go as far as get herself involved.


    "Shit," Jessica realized that she made a mistake by coborating with such a crazy woman. As the saying goes, man proposes and God disposes. Her n was only as good as her weaknesses. Having a stupid ally could get you killed, and Mary was such a fool. "Jessica, enough! Quit insulting me." Mary wasn''t always that stupid. Soon, she would be prepared to strike back.


    "Did you bring them? If you did, give them to me or I''m leaving. I''m quite busy at the moment. You can continue your conversation without me." Daisy frowned. She was in no mood to hang around and argue with them. As soon as she got up this morning, she hurriedly left the house and hit the road. She didn''t even have time to eat breakfast, she just bought coffee on the way. She was hungry now. She just wanted to have breakfast with Justin.


    "No need to rush, Daisy. We need to talk." Jessica gave Daisy a challenging look and a wry smile.


    "We have nothing to talk about. You''re talking to the wrong person." Daisy smiled darkly and shot a cold nce regardless of Jessica''s gaze.


    "No, you''re the one I want to talk to. For the sake of my unborn baby, can''t you just give up Edward and bless our happiness?" Jessica was way too confident and a bit foolish. She firmly held onto the belief that Edward still loved her and that his indifference towards her was because of Daisy''s interference.


    "Why would I make such apromise?" Daisy sneered. She hadn''te after Jessica to settle a score for her tip-off to the military superiors. But now, Jessica had the audacity to ask Daisy to make such a sacrifice.


    "Aren''t you a solider? The people''s welfare should be your priority." Jessica smiled in satisfaction. She wanted to test Daisy''s limits as a solider. She wanted to know if Daisy was noble and selfless enough topromise on her own marriage.


    "Bullshit. I know my duties as a soldier. To protect the citizens''s safety and welfare, I would give up my life. To protect the country from invasion, I would fight to death. For the sake of myrades, I would take bullets for them and die for them. These are the duties of a soldier. But a soldier would never make apromise to fulfill a person''s selfish desires. I would never let myself be provoked to vite my military discipline. I would never hurt innocent people for unreasonable demands."


    Daisy recited her duties with confidence. Should a soldier give up his family to meet other people''s selfish and unreasonable demands? The answer was negative. She knew deep down in her heart that she would never do that. If she did make that sacrifice, would Jessica eventually get what she desired?


    "Mom, that''s amazing! I''m proud of you." Justin gave his mother a thumbs-up, smiling broadly. He knew that his mother was a sleeping tiger, only meek when not provoked. If you pissed her off, you might end up begging for your life to mollify her.


    "Well, It seems your so-called self-righteousness of a soldier is no good. I was a fool to think that you''re noble and selfless." Jessica sneered, glowering at Daisy in contempt. Although Daisy seemed to be cool and gentle, she was actually more clever and stronger than she appeared to be.


    "We solders aren''t animals, we have our own souls and pursuits. We make sacrifices to make a difference and to make the world a better ce. Do you really think we''ll do anything for your irresponsible and selfish desires? To act on such unreasonable demands is shameful." Daisy remained cold and indifferent. She was enraged by Jessica''s ill-conceived mindset. Unreasonable and self-centered people like Jessica were the reason why soldiers were targeted and wronged by others.


    "Can''t you just directly admit that you''re selfish like anyone else? How dare you me me for all your shorings? You''re making me look like a bitch!" As shameless as Jessica was, she felt humiliated by Daisy''s criticisms and usations. "Hey, loser! Tell me something. How could you ask my mom to give up her husband? Would a normal person say that? There''s something seriously wrong with you!" Justin eximed with a frown. Despite his youth, he already looked like his father.


    "You brat! Are you afraid that your father will abandon you as soon as as my baby is born? Are you jealous and frightened of that possibility?" Jessica ignored Justin''s questions. She would have pped Justin''s face if the drugs had already taken effect on Daisy. She''s had enough of the little kid''s sharp tongue.


    "Didn''t my dad tell you already? I''m his only son. Children from random sluts would have nothing to do with him." Justin smiled darkly in response. Heughed ruthlessly at Jessica, shooting scornful looks at her swollen belly.


    "Are you telling me that you won''t step back and give up? Fine, let''s stop this. Daisy, here''s what you want. I hope you don''t regret your decision. I gave you a chance, but you chose to refuse."


    Jessica threw a small bag in front of Daisy. There was no longer a need to hide. She had burned the bridge, and there was no way back anymore. She was way smarter than Mary. Having Daisy raped by several men in turn was too merciful. Daisy had to die. Jessica would have Daisy killed as she originally nned. Unexpectedly, the loathsome little brat was with his mother. In this case, the mother and the son would disappear together. That way, nobody would share Edward''s fortune with her baby in the future.


    "Thank you. Come on, Justin. Let''s go." Daisy grabbed the bag and stood up without checking the contents inside. She was not in the mood to argue with them any longer.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "What? Don''t you want to check it before you leave?" Mary panicked. She didn''t think that she could control Jessica any longer. It seemed like Jessica would turn against her as well and do something much more horrible.


    "I don''t need to. If you have decided to make a fool of me, it''s out of my control. If that''s the case, why even bother?" She gazed at them coldly, trying to regain her bnce andposure. If she guessed right, she had walked straight into a trap. She had to leave before the drugs took effect. Otherwise, the consequences might be unimaginably horrible. The problem was, Justin was also here. She had to protect her son.


    "Do you think you can walk out of here with your son safe and sound?" Jessica snapped her fingers, and several burly men walked in. They looked as hideous as the expressions on their faces. Why were they here? Were they hit men?


    "Jessica, what''s happening? What are these men doing here? Where''s Wolf?" Mary was taken aback by the sudden presence of these rough-looking men. She realized that she had foolishly misced her trust in Jessica. She had clearly lost her mind. She would do anything to achieve her goals.


    "I''m here. Little woman, we only parted several hours ago. Do you miss me already?" Wolf walked out of the back room of the cafe. His words were suggestive and he leered at Daisy with intense lust. ''The woman is beyond gorgeous. She looks like a goddess that I''ve fantasized about since childhood, ''Wolf thought cheerfully to himself


    "Do you know Jessica? What are these men doing here?" Mary asked in confusion and fear. She might also get hurt if Jessica wanted to take the opportunity and get rid of her.


    Jessica let out an uglyugh. "Mary, you''re not that stupid after all. Let me exin. Although I don''t know Wolf, my cousin does. Did you think I wouldn''t know about your n?" Jessica sneered in contempt as she red at the other girl. Mary was too naive to set her up "What''s this? Did you set up a trap to get me toe here? You''re wasting your time and energy on ruining me, "


    Daisy bit her lip in apprehension. If she hadn''t been drugged, she might be able to fight her way out. But now, that opportunity had disappeared. To make matters worse, her feet were injured and Justin was trapped with her. Although her son knew some Chinese martial arts, these hideous men wouldn''t treat Justin as gently as the soldiers who liked him and would never harm him. He might get hurt. ''What should I do?'' Daisy thought anxiously.


    "Wasting? I don''t think so. You are worth all the trouble, Colonel Ouyang." Suddenly, a man walked inside. Daisy turned pale in an instant. It was Hero, Hawk''s brother. He wasn''t present during the gun fightst time. Daisy thought he had fled. Apparently, she was wrong. Unexpectedly, he dared to make an appearance in S City again. How did he end up getting involved with Jessica? What a mess!


    "Hero, are you following your brother''s footsteps? I''m warning you. You still have a way out. Surrender yourself to the police and you''ll only need to serve a sentence of several years before you can be free. Don''t be stupid and get yourself killed." Daisy clenched her fist tightly. Even though she had dug her fingernails into her palm, she didn''t feel any pain. She did her best to maintain herposure.


    Heroughed incredulously. "Colonel Ouyang, I''ll let you in on a secret. I''m the real mastermind behind everything. Hawk was only working for me. Besides, he isn''t my brother. He was just a mere puppet in my hands, and you ruined my puppet. I should make you pay for everything."


    Hero and Hawk were very different. Hawk was the type who kept assaulting women, while Hero had always been the cautious type. Hero''s deviousness made him the worst of his kind. You wouldn''t figure out his motives or what kind of trap he had set up, until you''ve already walked into it. This kind of talent made him the most horrible kind of viin.000000000000

 Chapter 603 I Will Love You Dearly (Part One)

    "It seems that you''ve been fooling us all this time. Did you set up this trap to take me as a hostage and use me as leverage to get Hawk back?" Daisy kept her usual cold countenance and looked fearlessly at Hero. When she saw Mary drink the coffee, she also took a sip.


    But she underestimated them. She didn''t expect Mary and Jessica toy a trap for her.


    "It''s my great honor to set up a trap for you sessfully. After all, you are smart and beautiful. I have always dreamed of capturing you, but never got the chance. You''ve always been a cautious person, so I had to seek help from others. Luckily, these twodies have a profound hatred for you and came to me to coborate with me. I came here for you. Hawk is no longer important. He is useless to me now. Rest assured that I won''t use you to rescue him."


    Hero leered at Daisy''s pretty face. It would have been extremely hard for him to capture her without the help of these two women. After all, Daisy was a tough woman and a skilled fighter. Hero was fascinated with her strength and beauty. "Hero, what are you doing? You promised me that you would get rid of her for me!" Jessica started to get nervous when she heard Hero''s words. She thought he was going to help her. Why was he praising Daisy and looking at her in admiration?N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "I promised you that you would never see her again, but I never said that I would get rid of her. She is such a delicate beauty. How could I hurt her? I will take good care of her, treat her gently." Hero looked like a gentle person. Someone who had no idea of his true identity would never think that he was an arms dealer.


    "You''re a bad person. You can''t take care of my mom. She only needs me and my dad." Justin red intensely at Hero. If Hero wasn''t their enemy, Justin would admit that he was a man of impressive cleverness. But anyone who tried to destroy his family was a bad guy to him.


    "Don''t worry, little boy. I love her even more than your dad does. If you want to be with her, I''m okay with that. I will treat you as my son." Hero came up to Justin and reached out his hand in an attempt to pinch his face, but Justin leaned away his touch.


    "You must be dreaming. My mom only loves my dad. No one is qualified to be my dad except for Edward." Justin spat as he racked his brain for a way to call his father without being noticed.


    "People change. There is no such thing as eternal love in this world. I believe that if I''m persistent enough, your mom will fall in love with me sooner orter." Heroughed at Justin''s certainty, not at all enraged by his words. The only thing he wanted was Daisy. He didn''t care about her son. "Get over yourself, Hero. I will never fall in love with you." Daisy''s right hand was in her pocket. She tried to call Edward several times, but she couldn''t get through. She had to recognize the fact that a signal interference device had been set up in the cafe.


    "Colonel Ouyang, stop trying to make a call. It''s pointless, there''s no signal here. Do you think we have set up a trap for you without having prepared everything in advance?" Hero gazed at Daisy, his eyes full of affection. Maybe he was telling the truth when he said that he loved her.


    "I should''ve realized it. But do you really think that I will let myself be captured without putting up a fight?" Daisy cast a stern look at Hero. She regretted her carelessness. She didn''t expect Mary to be so bold as to hire thugs to deal with her. To her greater surprise, the leader of the thugs turned out to be Hero.


    "In the past, I couldn''t say for certain that I can capture you. But now, I will definitely win." Heroughed out loud, as if Daisy was a fish helplessly floundering on the chopping board.


    "Don''t start celebrating yet." Daisy shared a meaningful look with Justin as she moved to subdue Hero. The way to bring the enemies down was to destroy the leader and then the gang would copse. Daisy made the decision to take Hero as a hostage. She dashed towards Hero and just as she was about to take him by the throat, a sharp pain surged up her foot. When she staggered and paused for a few seconds to recover, Hero took the opportunity to step aside and dodge her attack.


    She bit her lower lip and refused to give up. Ignoring the pain of her injured foot, she punched Hero''s stomach hard. Her tied-up hair swayed along with the movement in a beautiful arc.


    Justin watched the fight with a worried look on his face. He hurried to join the battle and help his mother. He had no idea that she had been drugged.


    "Nice try, kid! But you''re too weak to fight me." Hero blocked Justin''s strikes with speed and grace, while Daisy had a difficult time dealing with Hero''s thugs. Her strength seemed to be fading because of the drug, but she clenched her teeth and fought back. She was so tough that even her opponents couldn''t help admiring her.


    It wasn''t until then that Mary and Jessica realized how strong Daisy was. Despite being drugged, she still held her own against her opponents. The sight of the petite woman fighting against the burly thugs was an eye-opener. Mary and Jessica were thankful that Daisy was fighting someone else instead of them.


    "Listen, don''t kill her. I want her alive." Hero frowned. He thought that he could take Justin down easily, but it seemed he didn''t give the boy enough credit. He didn''t expect such a little child to be so skilled in martial arts. Hero could tell from Justin''s movements that he had been regrly practicing his skills. If Justin were a few years older, Hero wasn''t certain that he could defeat him.


    "Got it, boss." After Hero''s reminder, the thugs became more passive against Daisy. The fight started to be more favorable for her. She elbowed a thug, sending him lurching backwards with a howl. Moving to the left, she dodged another opponent''s punches. She thrusted her leg towards the thug''s face despite the pain in her foot, knocking him to the ground. Judging from the sweat on her forehead, she was suffering a great deal from the pain.


    Justin clenched his teeth, face covered with sweat. Instead of giving up, he shifted his stance and kicked Hero from various angles to catch him off guard. He hadn''t lost yet; his small size gave him more speed and flexibility.


    "It seems I underestimated you, kid. I didn''t expect you to be so skilled. Colonel Ouyang must have trained you well." As a child, Justin had limited strength. His blows didn''t seriously injure Hero, but they still hurt. As a result, Hero focused his attention on his fight with Justin. He could no longer take this lightly. Hero felt lucky that Justin was only a child, or he might be no match for him.


    "I shouldn''t have underestimated you either. I thought you were just a weak wimp. I didn''t expect you to be such a skilled fighter. But no matter how strong you are, you''ll be dead if you dare to hurt my mom." Justin didn''t stop fighting as he spoke, dodging Hero''s attacks and hitting him from time to time. He didn''t even give Hero a chance to get close to him.00000000

 Chapter 604 I Will Love You Dearly (Part Two)

    "Well, we''ll see soon enough." Hero was quite different from other gang leaders. Even though he was being threatened by a child, he still seemed calm. It was as if he wasn''t fighting against Justin, but ying with him. Hero was having fun with the boy, and wasn''t angered in any way by his young opponent. By this time, Daisy was soaked in sweat. The effect of the drug and the pain of her injury slowed down her movements. Feeling like her legs were weighed down by heavy sandbags, she no longer had the strength to jump up. She knew that her wounds were bleeding, and the sprain in her ankle had worsened.


    "Mom, what''s wrong? Do your feet hurt?" Justin found an opportunity to run towards Daisy and stood back to back with her. He knew that his mom was skilled enough to defeat the thugs by now. She must be suffering from the pain in her feet, and that must be the reason she was slowing down. After all, speed is a vital factor in a fight. Once a person slows down, defeat would be more possible for him.


    "Jessica and Mary drugged me. I''m getting weaker. I don''t have the strength to keep fighting. You must run away when you get the chance, okay? Otherwise, we''ll both be captured." Daisy whispered to her son as she wiped the sweat off her face.


    "Got it, mom." Justin replied, squatting down to dodge a thug''s fist. He realized that Hero was easier to deal with. He was merciful during the fight, while his thugs ruthlessly hit him despite the fact that they were fighting against a boy.


    Daisy knocked down a thug with a swift chop. The man was clearly not one of Hero''s thugs; he belonged to Wolf. Wolf''spanions weren''t skilled fighters, so it wasn''t difficult for her to knock them out. But Hero''s men were much harder to deal with.


    "Great job, Colonel Ouyang! It seems that I made a mistake. I shouldn''t have let my guard down against you. I didn''t expect you to be still so tough after getting drugged. I like you even more now." Hero pped his hands, disying a wicked smile. He gazed in fascination at Daisy''s cheeks, which had turned red from the physical exertion.


    "I have to say, you''re more despicable than I thought. You really won''t fight me fair and square? You''re pathetic." Daisy staggered when her ankle twisted awkwardly. Unable to dodge a thug''s attack, she watched helplessly as his fist inevitably hit her. She trembled from the pain.Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "I don''t mind being ridiculed if I can have you. After all, I''m not a good person." Hero stood by with his arms crossed as he watched Daisy. He didn''t know when he started to fall for her. He used to despise her for ruining his dealings several times, and even tried to have her killed. But as time passed by, Daisy started to fascinate him, and he became eager to get her for himself.


    "Hero, how could you do this to me? It shouldn''t be like this!" Jessica''s eyes widened incredulously. She couldn''t believe her ears. Hero fell for that bitch? How did things spiral out of her control?


    "Don''t worry! I promised you that you would never ever see her again. I''m a man of my word. I''m just going to do things my way." While talking to Jessica, Hero paid close attention to Justin''s movements. Justin was much smarter than ordinary children. When the boy suddenly fled towards the door, Hero gestured to his men at the entrance to block his way.


    "Let me go! You bastards! I''m just a kid, you''re bullying me! Shame on you! You''re really going to gang up on a kid?" After all, Justin was just a child. He was easily caught by the men at the door with a few movements.


    "Stop! I won''t move anymore. Since I''m the one you want, I won''t fight back. Just let my son go." Daisy closed her eyes in defeat. She had to surrender. The drug and her injury had drained the strength from her body. She was too weak to keep fighting.


    Heroughed gleefully. "Colonel Ouyang, you are a clever person. I will love you dearly. As for this little boy, don''t worry. I will let him go eventually, but not now." Seeing Daisy finally surrender brought Hero great pleasure. But he wasn''t going to let his guard down yet. After all, his stronghold wasn''t located in S City, and he should keep a low profile for now. Moreover, he had something else to do in S City. Although it was too risky for him to stay here, he couldn''t return to his base just yet.


    "What if I insist?" Daisy raised her head high, enduring the sharp pain from her feet. She couldn''t bear the possibility that Justin could get hurt. As for her own life, she would readily already abandon it without regret for the sake of her son.


    "Hah! Daisy, do you really think my cousin will make a deal with you? You''re overreaching just because he loves you. But let me tell you, he just loses his mind like Edward. They don''t actually love you."


    Jessica gnashed her teeth as she taunted Daisy. She couldn''t help panicking. How could Edward and her cousin fall in love with Daisy? What was wrong with them?


    "I don''t care if your cousin loves me or not. But I can tell you for certain that my husband loves me. He will spare no effort to rescue me. This is my bargaining chip. Miss Lin, are you satisfied with my answer?" Daisy was a proud woman. She would never show any weakness in front of her enemies. No matter what difficult situation she was in, she would always keep her head held high.


    "Really? What if you are raped? Do you still think that he will love you? Don''t forget, he is a germophobe. He won''t even let a woman kiss his lips. Do you think he will ept a woman who has been tainted by other men?"


    Jessica couldn''t bear Daisy''s arrogance. She firmly believed that Edward only loved her because of Justin. She didn''t understand how Daisy could be so confident in Edward''s love for her. She was also carrying a child of her own.


    "If it happened to you, I guarantee that he wouldn''t want you anymore. But I am the woman he loves dearly, he won''t ept any woman besides me. Even I''m raped, he won''t abandon me. He will definitely avenge me."


    Daisy remained calm as she spoke. But deep in her heart, she was scared. As Jessica had said, Edward was an exceptional person and a germophobe. If his wife was raped, what would he do? Would he abandon her? Daisy wasn''t so certain about the answer. But she had to pretend that she had faith in her husband''s love. She didn''t want to show any weakness in front of Jessica.00000000000

 Chapter 605 Dont Hurt My Son (Part One)

    awkwardly.


    "Hehe! Daisy, you ought to take your words back. It''s a good thing to be confident, but you should know when to draw a line," Jessica said this with a forced smile, so as to conceal her anger. But when she saw it had no impact on Daisy, she just ground her teeth "It''s just like a coin with two sides. Comedy and tragedy are both happening all at once. The most important thing is how you see things. For me, I will be fine as long as I can find a perfect bnce between the two,"


    Daisy said. She wasn''t impetuous or perturbed. The harder the things were to deal with, the more she wanted to stay alert. Only in this manner could she find a way to rescue herself. After all, she was at an absolute disadvantage. She couldn''t see anything happening in her favor. Fortunately, they didn''t n to kill her. This did give her a hope to escape from the danger.


    "Actions speak louder than words. Honestly, if we didn''t have Edward between us, you would be the type of person I would genuinely admire. It is sad, that we are standing on opposite sides. Now, we can be nothing but enemies to each other."


    Jessica said with smiling eyes and a joyful look on her face. Nobody could guess what she was thinking. However, irrespective of what she was upto, Daisy would always think of it as something against her.


    "Indeed, but you can never be the person I would admire even if we didn''t have Edward between us. So we''re destined to be enemies," Daisy said, pinching her lips coldly. She squinted at her with a faint sarcasm floating in her eyes. She couldn''t stand a self-righteous woman like Jessica.


    "Daisy, you......" Jessica didn''t expect Daisy to have changed so much. She was not the same Daisy she knew from the past. Daisy today was extremely harsh both in her tone and attitude. In fairparison, Daisy was just as bad as Jessica, if not worse than her. Daisy''s hostility made her speechless for a while.


    "Come on. Cousin, don''t be mad at her. We can''t stay here for long. It''s better if we find a safe ce!" Hero said and frowned. She didn''t maintain any contact with him in the past solely because she didn''t approve of his criminal ways. However, one day, she unexpectedly showed up at his door and asked him for a favor. She wanted him to help her kill a woman. This was easy for him but he didn''t want to help her in the beginning. However, he changed his mind when she showed him Daisy''s picture. He agreed solely because he wanted Daisy.


    At that moment, Mary couldn''te to a decision. It felt to her as if everything was slipping from her hands. Since she hade this far, she didn''t want to stop. It didn''t matter to her whether they would kill or confine Daisy. But little did it ur to her that once Daisy found her way out, she wouldn''t let this all go so easily. But when Mary thought about it again, she realized this was not different from kidnapping and it was definitely against thew! Even worse because the person they kidnapped was a female officer. This could mean a big trouble. She had been trying to put down Daisy but she totally overlooked the consequences of the entire thing.


    "Excuse me, colonel. You''ll have to withstand the trouble of being tied here so that you don''t run away when the effects of the drug start wearing off. But don''t worry, I will untie you as soon as we get to a safe ce," Hero said. He was a man with a good temper, at least he was nice to Daisy. It was unimaginable how he would be with others.


    "It doesn''t matter. Now I''m under your control, so no matter how unhappy I feel, you wouldn''t care too much! But I have one simple request. Please don''t hurt my son. After all, he is just a kid. No matter how smart he may be, he can''t fight you!"Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Daisy said. She now regretted her decision to take Justin out with her. He was too young. Although she did teach him how to respond to danger, she couldn''t count on him because he was just a child. She couldn''t expert him to stay fearless in the face of danger? She tried to concentrate on herself. Right now, it didn''t matter how powerful she was. There was nothing she could do in this situation. She couldn''t me anyone but herself for this. She assumed everything could be under her control and nothing could frighten her as she was good at fighting. Sadly, she ignored this group of shameless people existing in the world and because of that she put not only hers but Justin''s life in danger.


    Hero signalled the men around him with his eyes. Immediately, one guy took the hint and seized the phone from Daisy''s hand. He turned it off. They were smart and careful. They knew if they left the phone with Daisy, she would immediately call for help as soon as they got out of there.


    At that moment, Edward just finished a three-hour long meeting and strolled to his office. He took out the phone from his pocket, dialed a string of numbers that he was familiar with, and put the phone near his ear with a sweet smile on his face. Unfortunately, his smile didn''tst for more than ten seconds as he heard some automatic voice on the other side of the phone.


    Edward frowned and dialed again. He squinted in confusion when he heard the automated voice "the subscriber you dialed is powered off" again. He dialed another familiar number. Although the automated response wasn''t same as thest one, it said "the number you dialed can not be connected". He looked at the number he dialed incredulously, then confirmed and dialed again. He again heard the same response.


    Why couldn''t their phone numbers be connected? Edward wondered. He could understand if only Daisy''s phone was out of power, but he couldn''t ept that even Justin''s phone couldn''t be connected. This never happened in the past. Edward was worried now. Edward pursed his lips frustratingly and walked nodding to the staff who passed by saying hello to him. He decided to call up his home phone as he was upset that he couldn''t hear their voices. He didn''t know why, but he had got this strange feeling bothering him since morning. This was why, he couldn''t wait to call Daisy as soon as the meeting was over.


    "Hello, Mr. Mu, can I help you?" Mrs. Wu asked on the phone. She trotted out of the kitchen immediately when she heard the phone ringing. She paused for a second after she saw the number disying on the telephone because Edward rarely called to the home phone. "Yes! Mrs. Wu, is Daisy at home?" Edward asked and listened carefully, with his stiff body resting on the chair. His lips moved at the sight of the huge pile of files in front of him. He could sense that there was a lot of work pending to be done no matter how much he tried to escape from work.


    "No, she isn''t! Even your parents are out now. Are you not able to connect with Mrs. Mu?" Mrs. Wu asked and rubbed her hands against the apron. She hadn''t seen anyone at home ever since she came back home from the vegetable market with Sunny. She thought all of them went out together. It seemed as if they were all together.


    "Got it. I''ll call someone else!" Edward said, frowning more tightly. They''re not at home, then where did they all go? Edward thought to himself. Daisy''s feet were still recovering, so she shouldn''t have gone anywhere! Did anything importante up that she had to go out?

 Chapter 606 Dont Hurt My Son (Part Two)

    Edward took his car key and headed out. He wasn''t the type of person to sit around and wait. He knew he would only feel reassured after he went out and figured it all by himself.


    "Edward, where are you rushing? There''s an important document that needs to be concluded!" Rain shouted at Edward''s back with a surprised look. He looked at the files in his hands and shook his head since he couldn''t stop Edward. He felt pathetic on having to do the extra work over the weekend. What''s worse? He was now being ignored by his boss directly.


    Never mind, he thought. At least, he''d already known that Annie was safe and she just didn''t want to go home for the time being. It was enough for him to know this. They would meet again if they were destined to be together. No! He must rather create his own destiny even if they couldn''t meet. Because Annie had been a thorn in his heart, something he couldn''t just pull out and throw away.


    "Luke, call my dad and ask him if Daisy is with him. I tried to call her and Justin, but couldn''t get through." Edward met Luke and asked him to do it for him as he incessantly called Daisy.


    "Okay. I''ll call him right away," Luke said. On seeing Edward this anxious, he got really nervous but he had no idea about what had happened.


    Edward took a deep breath. He wanted to smash his phone in anger but he thought it over and dialed Mark''s number.


    "Hello, Mr. Mu. Is there anything I can help you with?" It was time for lunch at the army base. Mark pushed his lunch box a little further and asked slightly.


    "Mark, is Daisy at the army base?" This was the only ce he thought she might go to regardless of her injury. Apart from this, he couldn''te up with a reason of Daisy going out in her condition.


    "No, she''s not here! What? Isn''t she at home?" Mark felt confused on hearing Edward''s words. He came back to the army base for the rehearsals. Daisy didn''te with him because of her injury, and Edward already knew about it. ''Why would Mr. Mu think that the Colonel is here?'' Mark thought to himself.


    "Um! She''s not home and her phone is turned off. I thought she might go back to the army base for something important. Never mind. I''ll call someone else!" Edward finished and hung up the phone. Now, he was not just worried but rather frightened.


    "Mr. Mu, I called your dad. Mrs. Mu isn''t with him either. He told me Justin wanted to y games with Mrs. Mu at home, so they went out without them. I suppose Mrs. Mu is with Justin right now. I think you should call your home phone."


    Luke said with the phone in his hand, ready to call anybody Edward wanted. He didn''t understand why they couldn''t be connected all of a sudden. He wondered if they were enjoying their game time too much.


    "I''ve already called. Ms. Wu said they were not at home. You can ask the bodyguards if they saw them going out," Edward said while he was getting on the car. He called Belinda as soon as he sat on the chair.


    Luke wasn''t hesitant to do anything Edward requested for, because the more he heard, the more serious the entire thing looked to him.


    "Hey, Edward. Why are you calling my wife instead of having lunch with yours?" Duke ridiculed Edward impassively from the other side of the phone, the moment the line got connected.


    "I have got no time to y with you. Where is Belinda? I need to ask her something important," Edward said. He would have teased Luke as usual if things were normal. But at that moment all he cared about was Daisy and he didn''t get the joke Duke made. "She''s in the washroom. Why? Anything important?" Luke said. Usually, he never touched Belinda''s phone. But when he saw the call was from Edward, he answered it.


    "Nothing. I just wondered if she is with Daisy. Now that she''s with you and not Daisy, I have nothing further to ask." Edward pulled up his hair and became more worried with every passing minute.


    "Did you have an argument with Daisy? Is she avoiding you?" Duke said. He didn''t sense the anxiety in Edward''s voice. In his opinion, Edward must have had an argument with Daisy, so he called Belinda for help. He thought it was amon thing for women to confide everything to their best friends. He believed, Edward might think in the same manner. Thinking of this, Duke couldn''t help but sigh slightly. He was going through a simr situation. Since Rachel showed up, Belinda had behaved awkward with him.


    "I would rather have her argue with me than disappear somewhere with no sign. Never mind. If she contacts Belinda, ask her to call me. Now I should call someone else." Edward finished and hung up the phone. He wondered who he should call next.


    "Mr. Mu, I''ve asked the bodyguards. They told me that Mrs. Mu went out with Justin in a hurry, driving her VW. Luke said and frowned, standing outside Edward''s car. He looked worried.


    "Ok. You give orders right now. Make them search the whole city. Call me if you get anything concrete," Edward demanded. He lived up to his image of the rich, powerful CEO of a hugepany. He knew his powers well.


    "Got it! I''ll do it right away. Are you okay? Do you need any bodyguard with you?" Luke asked hesitantly. Though, S City seemed safe and peaceful, he still wanted to be cautious since Daisy went missing all of a sudden. He was afraid that it was an evil set up by someone. On the face of it, Daisy became a target, but their real final target must be Edward.


    "I''m fine. All of them can carry out the search work. I''ll call them again. Maybe they are just in a ce with no signal. Perhaps I''ll connect with them soon," Edward said. This was the only excuse he could use to soothe himself. Anyway, he didn''t believe that any bad thing would happen to him again. After all, God wouldn''t be unfair all the time.


    "Well. Be careful. I''ll keep you updated." Luke was still worried about Edward. He treated Edward like a baby and warned him about everything.Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Um! Go! I''ll take care of myself." Edward dialed another number in the meantime. He worked out all possibilities to find Daisy. She never but once did something like this in the past. This was when she saw Jessica kissing him.


    "Hello, this is Kevin." Kevin felt very puzzled on receiving this call. "Why is he calling me all of a sudden?" Kevin thought. He was so confused that he stopped what he was doing and listened to Edward carefully.


    "I know it''s you. I am just calling to ask if there is some special mission going on in your army base today. Or do you have anything important happening which needs Daisy to be around?" Edward asked cautiously, hoping Daisy was safe and at the base. He was in an entangled state of mind. "No! At least, I haven''t got any notification like that. Why do you ask me suddenly? Is there anything bad going on with Daisy?" Kevin said and frowned. He could feel something was wrong. Otherwise, Edward would never take the initiative to call him. "I''m not sure. I can''t reach her phone, so I''m a little worried," Edward said. He didn''t n to lie to Kevin. If something happened to Daisy, it wouldn''t hurt him to get help from him.

 Chapter 607 Mrs. Mu鈥檚 car (Part One)

    "When did this happen? Have you searched all the ces?" Kevin asked, standing bolt upright. It was obvious that he was very worried.


    "It has only been half an hour since I lost contact with her. However, before that I was in a meeting. So I wish to know when she left home. I will find it out after I go back home," Edward said as he started the engine and drove away quickly. "Don''t worry, probably she is in a no signal zone. You continue trying to contact her. If there is still no information about her, call me, I will arrange some people to search for her."


    Hearing that Edward lost contact with her only about half an hour ago, Kevin felt a little relieved. He knew while Daisy was on a mission, it was impossible for people to reach her sometimes even for one or two days. Kevin thought it must be a routine thing. He was used to such situations. Probably Edward was overreacting. Daisy was not an ordinary woman, she was a colonel, it was not easy for others to hurt her.


    "Okay, I hope it''s really like what you have said. Bye!" Edward didn''t feel relieved after talking to Kevin. It was impossible for him to calm down till he saw Daisy and Justin safe and sound with his own eyes.


    Today, the sun was shining bright in the S City, but for Edward, it was darkness all around. Things became worse for him, when he heard the bodyguard say that Daisy and Justin left the house at around 10 am this morning. He had never been more scared. "What happened? Daisy and Justin are still out of reach?" As soon as Cynthia and Jonathan received Luke''s call, they weren''t in the mood to y any more. They hurriedly rushed back home. When they reached home, they saw Edward''s pale face. "Yes, no news so far. However, I will try to find her at all the possible ces. Probably I am a little too worried. And maybe she is just enjoying her lunch somewhere." Edward tried to stay positive in front of his parents. He was reluctant to think that anything bad could happen to Daisy.


    "Do you have any clues to look for her? If no, you''d better stay here and think carefully about all the possibilities." Jonathan frowned and took out his cellphone. He walked to the window to make a call.


    "Yes, Edward, don''t worry too much. You should calmly analyze the situation before you go out and look for her. It will only be a waste of time if you head out looking for her without any clues." Standing beside Edward, Cynthia patted on his shoulder to console him. "I know, but I can''t think of anything. It is impossible for me to stop worrying about them. I can''t just sit at home and wait for any news toe." Edward closed his eyes, trying to think of all possibilities. Suddenly, a thought shed in his head. He hurriedly made a call. "Hi, this is Brian, who''s that?" Just like Edward, Brian too hadn''t saved his number. So he was very confused when he picked up the phone. Last night, after he met Paul he was heartbroken. To console himself, he went to the bar to get drunk. Since he drank too much, he was still feeling very dizzy now.


    "It''s me, Edward. Did Daisy contact you today?" Edward pursed his lips. Two days ago when he tried to contact Brian, he failed to find his number, So, Edward had to reluctantly save his numberter. He didn''t expect Brian wouldn''t save his number either. "Daisy? Why do you ask? What happened to her? Did you do something to upset her?" As soon as he heard Edward''s words, Brian jumped out of the bed immediately. He hurriedly ran to the wardrobe to find some clothes to wear. He was very quick in his movement. "Nothing. I am unable to contact her right now. And I wondered if she was with you." Edward sighed. His hope was shattered again. He was running out of reasons for Daisy to step out of the house with injured feet. He didn''t know what to do now.


    "How long has it been? Have you been to the ces she usually goes to? And what about her close friends? Have you asked them?" Since it was about Daisy, Brian couldn''t help but worry. He was so anxious that he finished dressing himself while speaking on the phone. "Of course, I have done all of these. Since she didn''t contact you either, I will call someone else." Edward stared at the ceiling, rather annoyed. If he had known Brian was so verbose, he would not have taken the trouble to call him. He didn''t get the answer he wanted, even worse, he only got many questions from Brian.


    "Wait!" Brian turned his head and listened carefully. He seemed to have heard his mother''s voice from downstairs. Wasn''t she still at the Police Station? Howe she was back?


    "Wait what? Tell me quickly if you have anything to say. I''m not as rxed as you." Edward frowned. If Brian was not Daisy''s brother he would never talk to such a cocky man.


    "Be patient. I seem to have heard my Mom''s voice from downstairs." Brian said while walking out of his room. He quickly went towards the stairs. His face darkened when he saw his Mom. She was scolding the servants in the house.


    "What? Your mother is back? Did Daisy go to the Police Station?" Edward''s hope was rekindled at Brian''s words. Because he had thought about all the ces Daisy might have gone to, but he didn''t have the slightest idea that Daisy would go to the Police Office to get Yakira out.


    "I''m not sure. One thing is clear that my Mom really is back." Brian returned to his bedroom, he wondered if there was any connection between Daisy''s missing and Yakira''s release.


    "What? She''s really out? I will call the police to ask what''s going on. And if Daisy contacts you, don''t forget to inform me. Okay, I''ll hang up." Not giving Brian any chance to react, Edward hung up the phone as soon as he finished his words. Then he hurriedly dialed Mr Yi''s number. Although he didn''t like government officials at all, he didn''t mind talking to them sometimes. Moreover, many investment ns of the FX International Group needed social connection with government officials.


    "Shit!" Realizing Edward hung up on him, Brian felt very angry. He threw his cellphone in anger. The cellphone made a curving line in the air and fell t on his bed. He directly went to the wash room. Before confirming that Daisy was okay, he just couldn''t sit back and look unconcerned. He was anxious to know more details.


    "Hello, Mr. Mu. I feel honored to receive your call. What makes you suddenly call me?" Mr Yiughed and ttered with courtesy. He found Edward and Daisy to be a very interesting couple. Colonel Ouyang called him about an hour ago, he didn''t expect that Mr. Mu would also call him today. He wondered what made him so important to them all of a sudden?Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "Mr. Yi, sorry to disturb you. I only want to ask you if my wife came to your office today." Edward was his most humble self with people. So he had always been very polite in the manner of dealing with people. He never behaved pretentiously.


    "No, but she called me an hour ago to release Mrs. Ouyang. Is there anything wrong?" Mr. Yi was confused. He didn''t know why Edward would ask about Daisy.


    "What? When did she call you? At what time?" Edward didn''t feel relieved. On the contrary, he felt that the situation was more serious than he thought. On a regr basis, she would not take the initiative to ask him to release Yakira. He knew she would rather keep Yakira there for a longer time. How could it be possible for her to ask Mr. Yi to release Yakira in advance? This would be possible only when she was being threatened by someone. But who would threaten her?


    "At about half past eleven. I was about to get off work early to handle some private affair. I cancelled that because she called then. Mr. Mu, is Colonel Ouyang all right?" Mr. Yi asked cautiously. He knew something was amiss. He suddenly became very nervous. As the Police Chief of the S City, if something bad happened to Colonel Ouyang, he couldn''t get out of it.


    "Yes! She is suddenly out of reach. I don''t know if it is rted to her sudden request of releasing Yakira. No matter what, I hope the police can help me to locate her position as soon as possible."00000000

 Chapter 608 Mrs. Mu鈥檚 car (Part Two)

    Now Edward was pretty sure that his inability to contact Daisy had nothing to do with her being in a no signal zone. He sensed that Daisy was in trouble. He wondered whether it was only for releasing Yakira or there was some other reason behind it. He wanted to solve the mystery as soon as possible.


    "Of course, even if you didn''t mention, we would try our best to assist you. Mrs. Mu is a Colonel. If something happens to her, I really don''t know how I will face the military." Mr. Yi didn''t dare to take things lightly. Edward and Daisy were important people with high social status. He could not trifle with them. "Okay, thanks, Mr, Yi. One more important thing, our son is with her, please take this into ount and be more careful when you are handling the case." It would be helpful if more people were looking for them. Unlike most people, who had second thoughts about contacting the police in such a situation, Edward knew he needed help and the police was a good choice? In most cases, if people didn''t call the police on time, they would unwittingly miss the best time to rescue. Edward didn''t want to make such a mistake. "You''re wee, Mr. Mu, I will arrange people to search and will inform you immediately if we get anything." ording to the regr legal procedure, they would not handle such a case if the person was missing for less than 48 hours. But this was an important case. He didn''t want to make any mistake in handling Daisy''s case, so he arranged the search immediately.


    "Is there any news about Daisy?" Cynthia asked anxiously as soon as she saw Edward hang up. She was extremely worried about Daisy just like Edward.


    "No, I only know that she called Mr. Yi an hour ago, asking him to release a suspect. It''s possible that she was forced to do so." At this time, Edward was certain that Daisy was in danger. He started to panic, but he didn''tpletely lose his head. He knew it wouldn''t do any good to him if he wanted to get his wife and son back.


    "What? You mean she is in a very dangerous situation right now? What about Justin? What should we do? Jonathan, have you asked the Mayfly to search for Daisy?" Cynthia turned around and asked Jonathan who just hung up the phone. She had no idea that the cellphone he was holding in his hand was only used for special purpose of giving orders to a mysterious group.


    "Yes, I have arranged everything. I believe we''ll have her news soon. Don''t be so scared. Daisy is a soldier, if she really is in danger, she will try to get out of the trouble all by herself. We should trust her ability." Jonathan took Cynthia in his arms and gently consoled her. In fact, he was also very nervous. He experienced the trauma of Edward being shot not too long ago, and he was easily flustered now.


    "Dad, thank you." Edward thought to ask Jonathan for help, but it seemed that Jonathan had already taken action. Edward felt grateful for this, he couldn''t think any other words to say to Jonathan but thanks.


    "Don''t say that. Don''t forget that they are also my family. It''s my responsibility to find them." Jonathan sneered. He didn''t like Edward being so polite to him as if he was not a member of this family.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    Edward''s lips trembled. He didn''t say anything else. He didn''t want to sound pretentious to his own parents. At this time, his phone suddenly rang.


    "Hello, Luke, what''s happening now?" Knowing that the call was from Luke, Edward became very nervous. Whether it was bad news or good news, he needed to muster up great courage to face it all.


    "Mr. Mu, we found Mrs. Mu''s car. It''s parked outside the "Tea Fragrance" coffee house. But it''s strange that the coffee house isn''t open today. There is a sign of "closed" at the gate." Luke was now standing outside the coffee house. He was hesitating whether he should break in or not. He wondered why Mrs. Mu woulde to such a remote ce. Was she invited by someone or did she intentionallye to this ce to find some solitude and serenity after suffering from so much unpleasant things that happenedtely? "Okay, wait for me there, I wille soon," Edward said while standing up from the sofa. He rushed out, looking anxious. Cynthia wanted to stop him to ask what happened, but Edward was too quick. He already left before she could say anything. "Don''t worry, we''ll follow him to see what happened." Jonathan knew if he left her alone at home, she would be out of her mind. So he thought, it would be better for them to follow Edward and see how everything was going. With her beside, he would be less worried about her. At least, he didn''t have to panic seeing Cynthia anxiously walk around in the house.


    At this time, Daisy had been moved to a secluded yard by Hero. She was blindfolded all the way. When the blindfold was removed, she felt her eyes burning from the sudden bright light. Daisy was confused. She had no idea where she was now.


    The only thing she was certain about was that this ce was in the suburbs. She carefully listened to all the sounds on the way here. If she was right, there was a wharf not too far away from here. They also crossed a railway bridge. Before they reached the destination, she not only heard the steam-whistle of a ship but also heard a long whistle from a train.


    "Justin, are you okay?" Daisy was blindfolded and gagged all the way here. Although she could feel Justin''s hands clutching her arms, she could not stop worrying about him.


    "Mommy, I''m fine." Even under such dangerous situation, Justin was very calm. He was not like one of those regr kids. He wasn''t scared, rather he looked around and observed the surroundings with his clear eyes.


    "Okay, that''s good. Listen to me, no matter what happens, do not put your life at risk. Don''t try doing anything that is beyond your ability and please do not get hurt." Daisy whispered to Justin, her eyebrows raising up after checking the surroundings with her beautiful and clear eyes.


    "I know. I will be careful. But they seem to have prepared all this in advance. You see they have made this ce an impregnable fortress. No wonder they had no qualms about untying the rope on your wrists."


    The only thing Justin felt lucky for was that they didn''t take away his backpack. Moreover, they didn''t tie him up on the way here. So as soon as he went out of the coffee house, he secretly turned his phone off. He didn''t want the bandits to take his phone away if it rang on the way. The cellphone was the only medium to save themselves.


    "Yes, we must be careful in every step," Daisy lowered her voice and said. Because only she knew what useful things were inside Justin''s backpack that would help them to get out of here as soon as they got a chance.


    "Mommy, do you think there are any monitors installed here? Something like a detectaphone or a micro camera?" Justin knew what Daisy was concerned about. So before he was certain that there was no surveince on them, he would not have any move. "What do you think?" Daisy raised her eyebrows and hinted at the table beside them. If she was right, they had installed the monitor under the table. Otherwise, why would they ce a table in this deste ce?


    "Okay, got it. I will try my best to escape the detection." Justin showed an understanding smile. He knew that it wouldn''t be that simple. The bandits certainly knew his mother was good at fighting. It was impossible for them to leave Daisy untied with zero precautions. It turned out the bandits were watching them via the monitor. This saved them a lot of energy. But they seemed to forget a popr saying "precautions cannot ward off sudden attacks".00??????????????

 Chapter 609 The City Was On High Alert (Part One)

    Daisy smiled gently and said nothing more. Under the given circumstance, they had to be very careful. Any error on their part could cost their only chance to get out of here. They couldn''t afford that kind of mistake. "You look leisured." Jessica came, followed by Hero and others. She stood at the door with a smile and her arms crossed over her chest.


    "Didn''t you bring us here to enjoy a leisure time? You have done all this because you have too much time," Daisy sneered. Jealous women were vicious. Jessica had done all kinds of crazy things out of jealousy. Daisy wondered whether she thought about the baby when she was doing all those things. Didn''t she worry that her radical actions might harm the baby?


    "Say whatever you like now. You''ll cryter." Jessica smiled in disapproval. She just had to wait a little bit longer. Once Hero was gone, she could do whatever she wanted to do to get back at this arrogant, rude woman.


    "I''m afraid I will have to let you down. Soldiers sweat and bleed, but they don''t cry, especially in front of scumbags like you." Daisy stretched her limbs to find that she still hadn''t regained her strength. She was worried, wondering what drug they had made her drink and why its effect hadn''t gone away yet.


    "Colonel Ouyang is not only good at martial arts but also very eloquent. That''s quite a mouth you have. I''m impressed." Hero pped his hands. He felt more and more attracted to Daisy.


    "I''m sorry to hear that. I shouldn''t have attracted the attention of an animal like you." Daisy was disgusted by the admiring look on Hero''s face. She was trying to provoke him.


    "Huh! You want to irritate me? I''m not that petty-minded. On the contrary, I love the way you are when you get angry. I thought you were always aloof. Now, I see you have other sides too. I''m even more interested in you."


    Hero expressed his adoration for Daisy in front of the others. It seemed that his feelings were real. However, his love was selfish. Since it was imposed on her, it would only bring her harm.


    Just like every other man, Hero''s eyes lit up too when he saw Daisy. Jessica bit her lip angrily. She felt envious. She was more beautiful than Daisy. But men were always more attracted to Daisy, just because she was aloof. Jessica couldn''t understand it and wouldn''t ever admit her defeat.


    "You''re a pervert. I''ve seen shameless men, but I''ve never seen someone like you who asks for insults." Justin rolled his eyes at Hero. Her mom would only be with Edward. Other men had to go away. This guy had the nerve to steal his mom from Edward. He was just an ugly moron.


    "Haha. I like this little guy. He''s just as rebellious as me when I was a kid. He even looks like me." Oddly, Hero didn''t get mad at Justin but smiled at him. One had to say he was really good-tempered. Or perhaps he liked Justin solely because of Daisy.


    It was all bullshit, Justin said to himself. He was handsome because he took after his father, Edward. But Hero looked like a toad. How could he possibly look like him?


    "Grandpa, it''s not your fault that you''re ugly, but you shouldn''t say that I look like you. That''s insulting. Look carefully. This face is from the Mu family. It''s a Mu copyright," Justin said with pride, like a guard of the Mu blood.


    "Hmph! You''re not Edward''s only child. I''m carrying his second child." Jessica gloated. She always believed the baby she was carrying was Edward''s. Doubts once shed to her mind briefly, but she denied them all very quickly.


    "Does my father admit it is his child? I don''t think so. Then how can you be sure it''s my daddy''s?" Justin looked at Jessica''s belly with disdain. He didn''t have a problem with the baby. He just didn''t like her harassing his dad so much. "Don''t you worry. He''ll ept this baby sooner orter." Jessica thought Edward would have no choice but to ept the baby after it was born. Doing a DNA test was very easy nowadays.


    "God bless you with your wishes. I hope the truth won''t be too harsh for you to bear," Justin said wittily. He sounded generous while making a clear-cut stand.


    "You!" Jessica pointed at Justin. She was too angry to speak. Looking at the smug expression on Justin''s face, she suddenly gave a cunning smile and asked, "Kiddo, want a bet?"


    "No way! Grandma, are you trying to coax a kid into doing an illegal activity?" Justin lifted his chin, staring intensely at Jessica. He was dealing with a sly woman. He had to be on guard against her.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    "Are you afraid?" Jessica pursued. He was a kid after all. How smart could he be?


    "That''s absurd. Why would I be afraid? What do you want to bet on?" Justin wondered what game she was ying.


    "My baby, of course. If it is Edward''s, you and your mom will leave the Mu''s vi forever. If it is not, too bad, because you and your mom might never be able to go back home this time."


    Jessica snickered with her hand covering her mouth, pretending to be refined. She kept stealing nces at Daisy while she was speaking to Justin.


    "Jessica, you''re pure evil. You are using your unborn baby as a tool to get what you want. What kind of mother are you? Do you even love Edward?" Daisy hated it when people used their children as chips in negotiation. She despised what Jessica was doing. "Daisy, can you swear that you have never used your son to get to Ed? Come on! In this respect, you''re more despicable than me." Jessica looked at Daisy in contempt. She didn''t believe that Daisy never used Justin to get Edward''s attention.


    Daisy''s lips trembled. But words were frozen on them. She wasn''t sure if Edward had taken interest in her because of Justin. He hadn''t even recognized her when she took Justin to his office that day. It seemed Justin was indeed the key to their reunion. Words dried up. She didn''t know how to retort to Jessica''s remarks.


    Seeing Daisy''s silence, Jessica went unbridled. She then said with a sense of victory in her voice, "Running out of words? You always think highly of yourself, don''t you? But you''re actually just a phony."


    "Jessica, my silence doesn''t mean I am epting every bullshit you are putting my way. There was nothing wrong for me to take my son to his father. I only wanted him to meet him. We were and are still married. If I have ever used Justin, it might have happened only identally. I wouldn''t ever go around betting on my unborn child, "000

 Chapter 610 The City Was On High Alert (Part Two)

    Daisy said with a frown. She had never shied away from her acts, be it good or bad. She wasn''t afraid of admitting her mistakes. It was her nature.


    "Nothing wrong? Your mistake is that you shouldn''t have appeared in Ed''s life with this kid. You ruined my rtionship with Ed. He loved me so much until you showed up. You stole him from me! You''re the other woman!" Jessica got very excited. She raised her hand and pped Daisy. But Daisy dodged it quickly, although she was still weak.


    "Jessica, are you done yet? Quit pestering. I have to go and deal with some businesster. Listen up. You can''t hurt them. Or I''ll be very mad." Hero was now curious to know more about Edward. Why was Jessica so obsessed with him? How did he make an aloof woman like Daisy fall in love with him?


    "I''m not pestering. You can''t be biased in her favor. She has been bullying me all the time. She stole my boyfriend and destroyed Lin Group. Everything bad that happened to me was because of her. And now even you''re choosing her over me. Is she that perfect? Howe everyone is bewitched by her?"


    Hero''s words triggered Jessica''s pent-up rage. He was here to help her deal with Daisy. But he seemed to have forgotten it. Rather, he had be Daisy''s ally. Jessica couldn''t take such an embarrassing oue.


    "I''ve agreed to take her out of the city, even out of the country. What are you still angry about?" Hero wasn''t a tolerant man. He had tolerated Daisy''s rudeness solely because he was obsessed with her. She was an exception. Not anyone could do the same thing to him. "I... I''m angry because you are protecting her." Jessica pursed her lips and lowered her voice. She knew well how cold-blooded her otherwise gentle-looking cousin actually was.


    When Edward arrived at the Tea Fragrance, he was too anxious to park his car in the parking lot. He got out of the car and walked up to Luke as quickly as he could. All this while, he had a terrified look on his face.


    "Mr. Mu, I''ve asked around. This coffee house was open in the morning, but then suddenly it was closed. I wonder if it has anything to do with Mrs. Mu and Justin''s disappearance." Luke was very worried. He would have broken into the coffee house if he were certain about its connection with Daisy and Justin''s disappearance.


    "Okay. Then let''s wait for the police. We can''t just break in. Ask the technicians of the technique department to hack into the telephonepany''s system to figure out all the people Daisymunicated with on the phone this morning."


    Edward looked at his watch anxiously. On the face of it, he seemed a person doing everything by the book, butw and ethics actually didn''t mean much to him. Daisy''s call log could be essed through the telephonepany, but the process would be painfully tortuous and annoying. Hacking into its system would be much more convenient and efficient.


    "Mr. Mu, why don''t we go to the telephonepany and ask for Daisy''s call log straight away?" Luke looked at Edward in confusion. Once again, Edward chose an unusual method to solve a problem.


    "Would you want to go through theplicated process of the telephonepany? Do you think it will be faster than hacking into its system?" Then Edward started to dial a number on his phone. If he went to the telephonepany, he would have to present a lot of ID credentials to get the call log. He preferred to settle a matter in the easiest and the fastest manner possible.


    Luke nodded. Edward valued efficiency. He wouldn''t waste time on the lengthy procedure.


    "How is everything going? Are they really missing?" Kevin trotted over. He had been worried ever since Edward phoned him. He tried hard to convince himself that this was just a temporary situation, like every time she was on a mission and she would be in touch with everyone soon. But it didn''t work. He left the army base early. Then he got a second call from Edward, saying Daisy''s car had been found but she was nowhere to be seen. So he hade in a hurry.


    "So far it looks like they have been kidnapped," Luke answered. Edward was still on the phone. At this point, the chief of Public Security Bureau, Mr. Yi arrived. Usually he didn''te to the crime scene himself. But this time, the people involved were significant and this case was sensitive for his own reputation and his career.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "Major General Gu, you are faster than me. Any new findings?" Mr. Yi asked politely. He was aware of Kevin''s powerful family background.


    "Not yet. Open the door. Let''s go in and see if we can get any leads," Kevin said, lifting his chin.


    "Okay, on it." Mr. Yi said to the policemen behind him without hesitation, "You guys, open the door. Smash it if you have to."


    "Yes, sir." The policemen rarely got a chance to meet a high-level official like Kevin. Seeing how much their chief respected Kevin, the policemen assumed he must be very important.


    Picking a lock was easy for the police. Within several minutes, the door was open. To preserve the scene, they all went in carefully. There were traces of fights. Broken tables and chairs were lying around. Everyone was convinced that this ce did have something to do with Daisy and Justin''s disappearance.


    "Find out every little thing about this ce''s owner, including name, background, and social connections," Kevin quickly seized the key to the issue and said to Mr. Yi grimly. Then he called the army base to gather more man power to locate Daisy and Justin.


    Edward just got off the phone. He was thest to walk in the scene. At the sight of the mess inside, his face went deathly pale. He staggered in distress. His phone almost slipped from his hand.


    Daisy and Justin''s disappearance brought the entire city to be on high alert. Men in ck, policemen, soldiers and military officers who were usually scarcely seen, were all mobilized to look for Daisy and Justin. Everyone in the city knew that something was amiss, but not many knew what was wrong.??????????????

 Chapter 611 Jessica Had a New Plan (Part One)

    "Mr. Mu, are you alright?" Luke helped Edward keep his calm. The messy cafe suggested that there was a fierce fight here. Unfortunately, they still didn''t know if Daisy and Justin were fine or not. Luke could see how sad and anxious Edward was.


    "I''m fine. Have you got any news? What is Paul doing?" Edward closed his eyes, trying to get rid of the darkness surrounding him. However, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn''t ovee the fear gripping him.


    "Not yet. Paul went straight to the casino after meeting Brianst night. Maybe he is living a fond dream of getting rich overnight there." This is what all gamblers think. They are obsessed with some wild ideas that they may get rich overnight. However, they hardly realize that despite the hopes that gambling brings to them, it''ll not take long for it to give them a fatal blow and make them penniless one day. In many cases, gambling is also known to bring death and destruction to people.


    "What? He met Brianst night? So Brian has known the whole truth?" Edward heaved a sigh. Daisy tried hard to protect Brian by keeping the truth a secret from him. Sadly, he found it all out.


    "Yes. He went to the barst night and got massively drunk. Our bodyguard had to send him back atst." The bodyguards who were sent to keep an eye on the movements of Paul told Luke about the meeting between Paul and Brian. Luke was afraid that Brian might do something extreme after knowing the truth, so he asked one of the bodyguards to follow him.


    "Well done. Thanks." Brian was the only person in the Ouyang family that Daisy genuinely cared about. Edward disliked Brian. Sometimes Brian got him so annoyed that he would want to beat him to a pulp, but he never did that solely for Daisy''s sake. Instead, he hoped for Brian''s safety. If anything untoward happened to Brian, Daisy would be devastated. Edward could bear anything but Daisy''s tears.


    "Mr. Mu, I think Colonel Ouyang must have left under duress. ording to all the signs of the fight here, Colonel Ouyang was definitely outnumbered. This may be one of the reasons why she could be controlled despite being so powerful. As for whether or not she was drugged, we need to do a test to find that out." With worry, Mr. Yi gave Edward the first-hand information he got in detail. Edward looked awful.


    "What? Mr. Yi, you mean Daisy might be drugged? The cafe may be equipped with cameras. You have to check the cameras. Even if there are no cameras here, there must be traffic cameras on the road outside. You may be able to find out some clues from there." Edward didn''t dare to think about this matter any further. He tried hard to calm himself down. He worked out all the possibilities of finding his wife and son. Now they needed a good husband and good father who could save them from danger. They didn''t want any ipetent man who would only go on ming himself without doing anything for them.


    "We have already started checking the cameras. I believe that the results wille soon. God blesses the good people. Colonel Ouyang and your son will be fine. Don''t worry too much. We will try our best to bring them home at the earliest."


    Unlike the family members of the other high-ranking officials and magnates who would get all hysterical when they were kidnapped or missing, Edward was rather calm and sagacious. This quite surprised Mr. Yi. Instead of yelling at him, Edward calmly gave advice to him. Edward''s strong leadership enabled him to run the FX International Group perfectly.


    "I hope so. Sorry, I have to answer the phone." Edward wouldn''t n for the worst unless he had to. He murmured to himself, ''Daisy, Justin, wait for me. I''ll try every means to save you. I promise no one can hurt you.''Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Hello. It''s me. Just tell me the results." It was a call from the technical department of the FX International Group. Edward was eager to know who Daisy met in this cafe. Actually, when he got to know that Yakira was released, he did have a vague answer to this question. But he didn''t believe that Yakira would dare to do that.


    "What? Are you sure?" After hearing what the caller said, Edward knitted his brows. He had guessed it right. He continued, "Okay. Thank you."


    "Mr. Mu, they have got the answer, right?" Luke learned from Edward''s sulky face that the technical department must have figured out something. He began to get nervous.


    "Yes. Let''s go to a ce." Edward then left the cafe, ignoring Kevin and the others. At the door, he saw his parents rush over.


    "Edward, have you found anything?" Cynthia grabbed Edward''s wrist and asked in a concerned voice.


    "Go ask the police. I have to leave." Edward wriggled free from Cynthia''s hands and rushed to his car.


    "Luke, where are you going?" Cynthia was flustered as Edward and Luke were leaving so hurriedly. She turned to ask Luke who was following Edward closely, hoping that he could tell her what was happening.


    "I have no idea. But mom, don''t worry. I''ll give you a call soon." Luke didn''t know where Edward was going. He got in his car in a hurry and went ahead with Edward.


    "Look! They left again!" Cynthia pouted angrily and nced at Jonathan. Jonathan was to me. If he had driven faster, they could have arrived before Edward and Luke left. Then Cynthia wouldn''t be so worried.


    "Don''t worry. They''lle back soon. Do you forget thest trump card we have? The Mayfly has a vast array of contacts. They''ll find Daisy and Justin soon. Let''s go home. We don''t have to wait too long before we get the news." Jonathan wasn''t worried at all, because he was quite sure that Daisy wasn''t a coward.


    Edward drove all the way to Leo''s home. Instead of ringing the doorbell, he pounded at the door in a violent rage.


    "Mr. Mu, Leo and his family are involved in this?" Luke followed Edward closely. He was suddenly enlightened after they reached the destination.


    "Yes. Thest call Daisy made was to Mr. Yi. But before that, Mary called her. Mary must have been behind all this."


    "Mr. Mu, what brings you here?" The steward was quite surprised to see Edward standing in the doorway. He didn''t know why Edward came back again. He knew there might be some trouble following soon. He wondered if Edward would stir up another trouble today. The steward regretted answering the door hurriedly without checking via the camera who was knocking. He was scared that Yakira might scold him for this. As a result, he broke out in cold sweat with fear as soon as he saw Edward. "I want to meet Mary." Edward went straight in with a wild look. He thought there must be a hidden story behind Yakira''s release.


    "Yo ho! Mr. Mu, you finally are thinking about my daughter Mary? You came here for her?" Yakira came out upon hearing the noise and taunted Edward at the sight of him.


    "Tell me. Where is Mary?" With a malicious look, Edward went straight up to Yakira and grabbed her by the neck. Yakira didn''t expect that. The arrogant look on her face vanished and she instantly turned pale.


    "I... I... I have no idea." Yakira looked at the angry man in front of her with eyes wide open.


    "You have no idea why you were released so quickly?" Edward further tightened his grasp on her neck. He was so furious that he might just wring her neck the next minute.

 Chapter 612 Jessica Had a New Plan (Part Two)

    "Mr. Mu, let her go! She can''t answer you like this." Luke rescued Yakira from Edward''s grip. Edward was boiling with rage. He wouldn''t mind killing this woman right now.


    "Cough... Cough..." Yakira stepped back with fear. What lousy luck! Everybody was seizing her by the neck to kill her these days, she wondered.


    "What happened? Have you found Daisy? What are you doing here?" Brian rushed down from his room. He wanted to go out, but his mother instructed him to stay at home so he was still here all this while.


    "Brian, drive them out! Their fierce looks scare me." Brian''s appearance made Yakira feel protected. She walked up to him hurriedly.


    "Your timing is just right. Where is Mary?" Edward spluttered. He kept calling Mary while he was on his way to Yakira''s home, but the automated voice on her phone told him that her phone was switched off. She was smart. In order to prevent the signal from being tracked, she turned off her phone.


    "I don''t know. I haven''t seen her since morning. Did she do anything unforgivable again?" Brian frowned. Something serious must have happened, or Edward wouldn''t be so angry.


    "She called Daisy before Daisy went missing. Do you know why she called her up?" Edward looked at Yakira with a scowl. In his opinion, all of this was done to get Yakira out and take revenge from Daisy.


    "What? Daisy is missing?" Brian originally thought that Daisy left home as she was mad at Edward, but now it soundedpletely different. He turned to ask Yakira, "Mom, what the hell is going on? What do you know?"


    "I know nothing. I just came back from the jail about an hour ago. How can I know what happened while I wasn''t here? Don''t point the finger at me. I know nothing. There are dozens of people who hate Daisy. Maybe one of her enemies have kidnapped her to take revenge. My daughter is innocent!"


    Yakira gloated over Daisy''s disappearance. She didn''t care why she was missing or where she was. Anyway, it was a good thing for her.


    "Are you sure of that? Yakira, if I find out that Mary is behind all this, I swear I''ll kill her!" Edward was disappointed. Mary wasn''t at home, and Yakira seemed to know nothing. As she said, she was just released from the police station. Edward believed that she really didn''t know the ins and outs of the entire matter. However, Mary''s call did arouse his suspicion.


    As Edward thought, Mary was afraid that her phone signal might be tracked, so she turned off her phone. But, why was she stupid enough to call Daisy from her own phone then? She was now on the top of the crime list.


    Mary felt that she fell into the trap that was set up by someone else. She underestimated Jessica. She mistakenly thought Jessica was meek, but she turned out to be vicious.


    "Mary, don''t you want to take revenge? Why are you silent now?" Jessica tossed back her wavy hair and looked at Mary coldly.


    "I''m a mere appendage to you. Jessica, I didn''t expect you to be so vicious." Mary sneered at Jessica. She did hate Daisy to the core, but she only wanted someone to teach her a lesson. She never wanted Daisy''s death. That was not her n.


    "Mary, it was your idea, and you asked her out. Don''t pretend to be nice now." Jessica uttered a snortingugh. She had nursed the thoughts of revenge for long. Even if Mary didn''te up with that proposal, she would have looked for another opportunity to retaliate against Daisy and take her revenge.


    "You were only using me from the very beginning! Jessica, you must be happy with yourself now." It was not toote for Mary to realize that she was being used all this while.


    "Ha-ha! You''re not stupid. In the beginning, I was really pleased as everything was going ording to my n. However, I did get a little impatient and that was when things went out of control. Now, I''ve also fallen into someone else''s trap."


    Jessica gritted her teeth. She felt sick in her stomach when she thought about it. She could have chosen to sit idle and enjoy the fruits of others''bor. However, now she was put in a tight spot. She let out an exasperated sigh.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "Ha-ha! Jessica, are you willing to give it up? As far as I know, you never give up so easily." Surely Jessica refused to give up. She would never agree if Hero took Daisy away without making her suffer.


    "You know me well. Since my cousin isn''t willing to do anything to that woman, why not get Wolf to rape her? If that happens, we can make her slutty look public. Then everyone will be able to see through her real face."


    Jessica disyed a sinister smile. Since Wolf always wanted to have sex with Daisy, he would never say no to this n. However, before that happened, she had to teach Daisy a lesson, lest Daisy might think that she couldn''t do anything to her on her own. "Aren''t you afraid that your cousin might kill you once hees back? He asked us to stay away from Daisy before he left." Mary wanted to teach Daisy a lesson personally, but she was afraid of Hero.


    "Are you afraid? What is done is done. He cannot undo things after hees back. Do you think he will ignore the kinship between me and him just for the sake of this woman?" Jessica raised her eyebrows proudly. She didn''t think Hero would punish her. Daisy was just an ordinary woman. If Hero really wanted a woman, he could choose from a sea of women who were much better than Daisy in every respect.


    "So you have made a new n already." Mary was interested in Jessica''s new n. The two began to discuss the details of the n in a low voice.


    Justin had been looking for an opportunity to call for help. Unfortunately, after Hero left, he and his mother were tied up again. What was worse, there were two men watching over them now. So, it was almost impossible for him to do anything. He couldn''t turn on his phone or even reach out for his backpack.


    Edward and Justin were very alike in character. Justin didn''t resign himself to death. He took out the de hidden in his watch and tried to cut off the rope around his hands quietly. Soon he cut off the rope, but his hands also got hurt in this. To avoid catching the attention of the two men watching over him, he still hid his hands behind his back. He couldn''t act rashly till he had total confidence of sess.


    What Justin was doing made Daisy''s heart ache. She knew that this little boy liked ying with some gadgets, but she didn''t expect that he would hide such a sharp weapon in his watch. His watch must be unique, or how else could he hide a de in it without hurting his hand?


    Daisy tried to gather her strength, and she was surprised to find that she had regained most of it by now. It seemed that the effects of the drug were now beginning to wear off. She was overjoyed in her heart, but she still remained cold. They were still in danger, so she couldn''t get excited unless they were both safe.000000

 Chapter 613 The cellphone (Part One)

    In all fancy love novels, the macho hero would eventuallye to save the love of his life but Daisy didn''t count on Edward to appear out of the blue and rescue her from here. She was a smart and realistic woman. She didn''t believe in such coincidences. Daisy knew that


    she was her biggest savior every time she was in danger. But, today she didn''t feel the danger approaching her yet.


    "Daisy, don''t you feel good being tied up like this?" Immediately, she saw some people walk in the room, followed by Jessica.


    "You can have a try if you want to know how I feel. Be my guest, don''t be shy." Daisy sighed secretly. She had no idea what was on Jessica''s mind.


    "No, I''m not interested in being stupid. I don''t wish to dig my own grave. Now, I need something more exciting." Jessica reached out her hand, shaking her finger at Daisy and sneering.


    "Sorry. I''m not a fan of your insane tricks. You may have to find another person to y with instead." The prospect sent a chill down Daisy''s heart. She was a bit scared now.


    "No, you''re wrong. You can be a good yer in my games. You have a pretty face. It would be a shame if we didn''t do anything to it." Jessica rubbed Daisy''s cheeks with her long fingernails.


    "Bitch, don''t touch my mom." Justin looked at Jessica, frightened. He was scared that this crazy bitch might hurt his mom by ident or on purpose. Although he knew Edward would still love his mom no matter how she looked like but he still was worried for Daisy. "Bastard, shut up, or I''ll cut your tongue off." Unexpectedly, Jessica turned around and pped Justin on the face. Her act numbed his face. He was shocked at Jessica''s retortion. Justin now became extremely angry. He knew he would strike back at the first opportunity he got.


    "Jessica, shame on you. How could you hurt a kid? Are you out of your mind already?" Daisy''s heart was aching for her son. She wouldn''t have been so hurt if Jessica pped her instead.


    "Take it easy. I won''t forget to teach you a lesson." Jessica smiled wryly, and swung her arms to rx her muscles. She didn''t realize how cruel it was to hurt a kid. It seemed that she was cold and stone-hearted. How could she even qualify as a good mother, if she went on hurting kids like that?


    "I warn you again, don''t you dare to hurt my mom, or I''ll kill you, bitch," shouted Justin angrily. He refrained from sobbing and getting weak. He stared back at Jessica. He very well knew how important beauty was for every woman. He didn''t want Jessica to do anything to his mom. All this noise and mess gave him an opportunity to pull his bag closer to himself. While he was staring at Jessica, he simultaneously fumbled around in his bag and looked for the mobile phone.


    "Haha! Are you threatening me? Don''t be so naive. I will hurt your mom so bad that she would beg me to show some mercy. Furthermore, I will force her to sleep with many men. As for you, somebody will deal with you. I don''t want to waste my time on you." At this moment, Jessica thought of herself as the queen of the universe. She believed she was in charge of controlling the lives of other people.


    "Jessica, have you ever considered the possible consequences of what you are doing right now?" Daisy secretly rubbed the rope around her wrists, trying to break the rope to free herself. This was the tactic she learnt from her army training. Suddenly, Jessica took out a sharp knife, wielding it dangerously in front of Daisy''s face. Now, Daisy had a clue of what this crazy bitch might do next.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "Consequences? To be honest, right now I''m only curious about why Edward likes you so much? Is it because of your pretty face? or your sexy body? How can I get my answer? Tell me or should I go ahead and find it out myself?"


    Jessica smiled as charmingly as a whore. Her potential sess of getting rid of Daisy and her son made her feel highly ted. Now, she was more adept at wielding the knife.


    "What do you want?" Getting a cut wouldn''t frighten Daisy. She was more afraid of other horrible and uneptable actions of this insane woman.


    "Don''t worry. I am soon going to find out what''s hidden inside your beautiful body." With these words, Jessica wielded her knife and scratched hard on Daisy''s cheek. Blood dripped down her face. The sight of blood made Jessicaugh more wildly and loudly.


    "Bitch, you''ll pay the prices for your actions. You''re doomed." Justin shouted desperately, while he took this chance and pressed a button on his mobile phone. Then, without looking at the phone, he turned the volume down to the minimum. After that, he couldn''t help but stand up. He then, immediately rushed to Jessica and knocked her down with his body.


    "Ouch! Go catch this bastard. Why hasn''t he been tied already? How could he free himself and assault me like that?" Jessica stepped back. She was supported by somebody standing right behind her. Then, she regained her bnce. Looking at Justin, she got so angry that she wanted to kill Justin without hesitation. She had no mercy left for this kid.


    "Jessica, don''t you dare hurt my boy. If you do that, I promise I will hunt you down. You know the consequences. I''m not joking." Daisy had no time to feel sad for her facial wound or the blood dripping down her cheek. Justin''s safety was her only priority right now. She looked at Jessica in the eye, thinking that she had to act before it was toote.


    "Leave this little man to me. I''ll make him ountable for all the damages he has done to me." Mary''s hatred for Justin was only adding up bit by bit. From the day she joined in the FX International Group, Justin had been challenging her. He always cracked a joke on her. She was forced to swallow her anger and hatred for Justin all the time. Now, it was time to seek revenge, punish him and make him suffer for his deeds.000000

 Chapter 614 The cellphone (Part Two)

    that by doing this, Mary might find a twinge of conscience and correct her wrongdoings before it was toote for her.


    "Mary, you can''t do that. You can take revenge on me. But please do think about Brian once? He will be really disappointed." Daisy tried to invoke some goodness in Mary by persuading her to do something good for the sake of Brian, after all she was his sister. She hoped "Brian? Haha He has never treated me as his sister. All he cares about is you. Why would I even care about how he feels? Daisy, you''re so naive. Are you scared already? Why didn''t you see iting when you argued with me?" Her face was distorted hideously with anger and jealousy when Daisy mentioned Brian.


    "If you want to punish me or kill me, I won''t fight back. But if you n on hurting my son, I beg you not to do that. Isn''t this what you want all this while? Me begging you like this?"


    Daisy closed her eyes. She could smell the blood on her face. She had no time to think of the blood or her facial wound at the moment. She was rather focused on finding a way to get Justin out of here unhurt. She knew that if anything happened to Justin today, she would never be able to forgive herself for putting her son in such extreme danger.Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Daisy? Are you begging me now? Should I give you a chance to be good and make me feel satisfied?" Mary giggled. She had known it her whole life that no matter how hard Daisy had tried and irrespective of all that she had aplished, a housemaid would never be able to outdo her master,. When it came to the very end, the housemaid had to lower her head and beg for mercy from her master.


    "Mom, don''t beg. If we''re to die today, we''ll die together and bravely. Death won''t frighten me. Believe me, those bitches will have worse endings than us, because Dad surely will take revenge on them," said Justin bravely. His childish voice sounded so innocent and sincere. As far as he was concerned, his Mom was a colonel with pride and credibility. He would never let herpromise on that, even for his safety. Although Daisy was ready to make sacrifices for her son, he would never allow her to beg for his sake. He had to protect her safety and honor at all cost.


    "Well done. You''re such a badass. Hasn''t your slut Mom taught you how to beg? We''re about to find out whether you''re as brave and courageous as you sound or not." Mary pinched his pink and soft cheeks. The pain he was experiencing was further aggravated since he was pped by Jessica minutes back. However, he clenched his teeth, and refrained himself from making a sound. He stared at Mary, frowning and challenging her. At that moment, he looked exactly like a younger version of Edward.


    "Well, do it quickly. There''ll be trouble if my cousines back." Jessica frowned. That ferocious Hero always frightened her to death. However, she was determined to make Daisy suffer.


    Edward called Daisy incessantly, but she never answered. He thought for a few moments and decided to call Justin. Unexpectedly, Justin''s phone had been turned on. He was ted. However, his tion disappeared when Justin didn''t answer the phone. He was getting more worried now.


    He knew he had to do something. He used his head to think harder. Then, he got on his car quickly, started the engine and pulled away. He rushed back home. On the other hand, Luke looked confused and intrigued. He followed Edward''s car as quickly as he could. On the way back home, Edward kept calling Daisy and Justin. But neither of them answered. He couldn''t understand what was wrong, He wanted to reach them and find out what was happening. But he was also afraid that if he repeatedly called Justin, the battery in his phone might be exhausted and his phone might be powered off. Moreover, his repeated calling might also put him in danger, if they were kidnapped. More importantly, he was certain that Justin wanted to send him signals but it might be too dangerous for him to expose himself and answer the phone. So, for the sake of their safety, Edward had to find another way to reach them.


    When he got home, he found a lot of people waiting for him, even those who weren''t supposed to be seen at his house.


    "What''s up?" asked Edward casually and absent-mindedly, as he rushed to Justin''s bedroom. He knew Justin was really good atputer, and he might have connected his mobile phone to some of the applications on hisputer. This was his only way to find out more about his wife and son''s whereabouts.


    "Edward, have you got any news about Daisy and Justin?"


    Duke had been more and more worried since he received a strange phone call from Edward. He thought that instead of letting his imagination run wild, he would rathere here and find out what had happened.


    "No, I haven''t," answered Edward. Edward found Justin''sptop. He turned it on immediately. It was getting hard for Edward to control his anxiety. He was continually praying for his wife and son''s safety. Meanwhile, he was wondering what he could do, if theptop too didn''t lead him to anything concrete.


    "Edward, you left the office in a hurry this morning to find your wife and son? Why didn''t you tell me about it?" Rainined. He hadn''t been told about Daisy''s disappearance until Duke called and exined to him briefly.


    "Even if I did tell you, could you be of any help to me? You''re not a policeman or Sherlock," answered Edward nonchntly. When Edward was required to enter the password before he could review Justin''sptop, his mouth twitched slightly and he smiled wryly. He knew Daisy did this. It seemed that she wasn''t just doing small talk with Justin.

 Chapter 615 The cellphone (Part Three)

    He had never expected that woman to set password for theptop as she had said. Being realistic, she did what she said, which was exactly why Edward loved her so much. But he had no idea of where she was, or whether she was still alive or not. "You are right about that, but I''ll help you with something sooner orter. When everybody adds fuel, the mes rise high," murmured Rain in a low voice. He didn''t dare to make a loud sound, because he had no clue about what Edward was up to. "If you want to help me, please go and bring Tom here. I need him with me right now." Edward looked away from him, and tapped the keys on the keyboard quickly. In less than a minute, the password was cracked. Justin''sptop was now open for ess. He knew Daisy had only set a password to test Justin or else she wouldn''t have used such simple and predictable numbers as the password.


    "No need to do that. He''s already on the way here." Rain touched his nose and thought that if Tom wasn''t performing a surgical operation when he called, he would have been here already, and then Edward wouldn''t have to ask him to bring him here.


    Edward was certain that there would be all kinds of applications on Justin''sputer. However, when he saw too many icons on the screen, he felt a bit of anxiety. He felt that Justin had really made up his mind to test his daddy''sputer skills. Edward''s confidence in locating Justin and Daisy was reinforced by the fact that Justin had installed so many applications on hisputer. One of them might help him. He knew Justin carried his phone everywhere and he naturally had a GPS chip in his phone. As expected, Edward found the right application. He hoped that Justin''s phone was still on and Justin could sessfully be located through the application.


    He opened the application, and within a few moments, he found the shining red dot that indicated the present location of Justin. He couldn''t help but bite his lips in excitement. Edward tried hard to not cry and kept a check on his emotion. At this time, Jonathan rushed upstairs.


    "Edward, I have got some good news. The Mayfly has found some clues about Daisy and Justin''s whereabouts. We''re going to locate them. But we must go immediately," he said excitedly. Jonathan had thought that his subordinates weren''t capable enough to find his family members. Apparently, he was wrong. In fact, they had never let Jonathan down.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    "Really? We better hit the road right now. Justin''sputer indicates their location. I bet he still has his phone with him." Edward''s confidence escted by his father''s words. He was scared that Justin might lose his phone and if that happened, even if they tracked down the phone, they wouldn''t be able to find Daisy and Justin. Luckily, the good news his father brought boosted his confidence further. Now, he was certain that with thebined efforts of him and his father, he could reach his wife and son. Without any hesitation, he grabbed Justin''sptop, and ran out of the room. He was closely followed by his best friends.


    Daisy clenched her teeth and refused to drink the water from the cup in Jessica''s hand. She knew that this water was drugged. At this moment, she was ready to fight with anyone to protect Justin and retain her honor. She knew, if she was drugged, she wouldn''t be able to ept what would happen next.


    "Daisy, don''t fight back. It hurts. Now, drink. I promise, you will feel much better after you drink this." Jessica pinched Daisy''s lower jaw and forced her to open the mouth. Unexpectedly, Daisy fought back hard, and she pushed Jessica''s hand away with her head. Daisy looked Jessica in the eyes ferociously. She would have killed Jessica if she hadn''t been tied today.


    "I''ll never let you have your way with me," answered Daisy. Although Daisy''s hands were tied behind her back, she wasn''t ready to give in. Her coldness and pride didn''t flinch even one bit.


    "It''s not your call. You''re not the boss here." Jessica now already liked the idea of pping Daisy on the face whenever she felt angry. So, she did that again to her. Daisy would have avoided the attack easily if she hadn''t been tied like that. Jessica liked seeing Daisy helpless like that.


    "Bitch, you''ll be punished. You have my word. If you let me live, I will torture you, and make you scream painfully, like a pig at the ughter house," shouted Justin. Justin knew how painful his mother must have felt from the p. However, he also knew that his mother was a brave soldier. She could endure all sorts of pains psychologically and physically solely to protect her honor and dignity. She was not only an honorable human being but also a qualified solider.


    "Bastard, you can neither save your mom, nor save yourself today. I''ll make you a pig first," said Mary sarcastically. Mary had lost her consciousness and kindness since ages ago. So, she didn''t mind being tough and cruel to anyone who she thought was her enemy. She was ready to hurt a little child who was doing nothing but protecting his mother. Mary came over to Justin and knocked him down. Everyone in the room could see Justin''s head hitting the floor with a sickening thud.00000000

 Chapter 616 Stab Herself (Part One)

    "Justin, are you all right? Does it hurt?" Daisy was panicking. She immediately rushed to Justin but was restrained by the two rascals watching her. Her eyes were fuming with anger. She gave Mary a fierce look and said, "I assure you that I''ll make you pay for hurting my son."


    "Huh! You still think you can escape from here ande after me for revengeter?" Mary looked at Daisy evasively. Though Daisy was held tight by the two men, she still didn''t dare to look directly into her fierce and terrifying eyes.


    "Mommy, I''m fine." Justin gritted his teeth and got up. He was a soldier''s son. So, enduring pain came naturally to him. Justin knew if his hands hadn''t been tied up, Mary wouldn''t have been able to knock him down so easily. "Open her mouth and force that water down her throat immediately." Jessica was taken aback for a moment, but she immediately regained herposure and shifted her eyes from Mary to her target Daisy.


    As soon as Jessica instructed the men, they got to work. Seeing this, Wolf, who had been watching all this silently from one corner of the room, became ecstatic. He was initially a little hesitant as he knew that Daisy was a Colonel but Daisy''s beauty invoked the lustful desire in him. He was so immensely attracted by Daisy''s beautiful face and hot figure that hepletely overlooked what Hero had warned him about before he left here. His mind was upied by the lewd thoughts of savoring a female colonel. He had tasted numerous women before, but never a female soldier. Wolf was drooling over Daisy with great anticipation of what was going to soon follow.


    "Um.. Um..." Daisy was a strong and intimidating woman. Her spirit to fight back was relentless. But with too many people holding her back and her hands being tightly tied up, Daisy did get a little weak. The men forced open her mouth and poured the water in. Although she firmly clenched her teeth, Jessica won in the end.


    "What did you put into my mother''s mouth?" Justin was really frightened now. He really wished that his father could appear from somewhere and fight all these bad men, just like the hero in every fairy tale.


    "Do you want to know? Sorry we can''t tell you. This is not something that a child should know. So, you better shut up." Jessica giggled with a cunning smile.


    Daisy closed her eyes. Was this the end of her day? She surely knew what they had forced her to drink. If she hadn''t been able to recognize this drink, she would never have been able to qualify as a Colonel.


    Daisy now knew what their n really was. They wanted to drug her and get someone to rape her. If that happened, irrespective of Edward''s reaction, she wouldn''t ever be able to forgive herself. They were so wicked toe up with such an evil n. "So what! Jessica, do you think, by doing all this, you can take my ce in Edward''s life?" Daisy smiled in misery. The fleeting happiness she had striven for so hard was drifting away. So many people were coveting it. The little hope that she had of escaping from here was now gone. She had to fight so many people and her body was massively drugged.


    "Take your ce? That ce is always mine. You stole it from me and it is time for me to have it back." Jessica reached out her hand to smoothen her hair. She narrowed her eyes and looked at Daisy from the corner of her eyes.


    "Fine, whatever. I''m too naive. How did I even think that I could have a normal and reasonable talk with a monster like you?" Daisy said while constantly rubbing her hands behind her back. She keenly observed the ce, without any trace of fear in her eyes. She knew, she still had a little chance to change her fate.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "Bitch, who are you calling monster?" Jessica always ensured to present her best self to the people. Anyone who didn''t know her from before assumed that at least she ought to be endowed with good manners and elegance which were usually cultivated in a rich and illustrious family, even if she was not that gentle and soft. However, when they saw the manner in which Jessica dragged Daisy and pulled her long hair, everyone in the room was appalled.


    "It doesn''t matter who I called monster. Because now I am already in your hands. You can do whatever you want as I am incapable of doing anything to protest or protect myself." Daisy''s tone was pessimistic, but her heart was struggling for survival. At the same time, she got a little excited when she loosened the rope a bit. As long as her hands and feet were freed, she wouldn''t give anybody a chance to take advantage of her or her body.


    "You know your ce very well. I know you are very clever, but it''s a pity that it is all useless now." Jessica touched her belly and thought, ''Baby, wait, we are not abandoned. We are going to have a family soon. Your daddy wille back to us and we''ll be happy together in our sweet home.''


    "Daisy, in fact you should thank me today. If it were not for me, you wouldn''t have the chance to spend a wonderful night with so many handsome men." Jessica winked at Daisy, showing a sly smile.


    "Don''t think that everyone is like you. People like you have zero self-respect. If I were you, I would be ashamed of myself." Daisy felt her body gradually bing hot. She quickened her pace to untie the rope. Daisy wasn''t sure about the exact dosage of the drug they had put in the drink. So, she didn''t know, how bad it was going to be.


    "Huh! You can continue pretending to be pure and aloof. Let''s all just wait and see. I am certain you''ll be wilder than the actresses in those pornographic films." Jessica sneered and shook her hair arrogantly. "Let''s go, we''ll go outside and watch the show. And bring that bastard with you."


    "No, I won''t go with you. I will stand beside my Mom. I won''t let you do anything to hurt my Mom." Justin struggled, trying to break free from the man who seized him firmly in his arms. But it wasn''t easy to fight back.


    "Naughty boy, although we really hate you very much but to tell you the truth, this obscene scene is really not suitable for you to watch. So you''d better leave with us. It will be a sin if it cast a shadow over your young fragile heart." Jessicaughed. She held her head high and walked out, ignoring Justin. She knew someone would bring him out.


    Justin was only a child. No matter how hard he tried to protect his mother, he was forced to leave the ce in the end. Soon, his voice trailed off in distance, leaving only Daisy and several sleazy men in that ce. "Colonel Ouyang, don''t be afraid. I always believe that woman should be loved and cared for. I will be very gentle with you." Seeing that Mary and Jessica finally left, Wolf itched to flirt with Daisy. He didn''t dare to say anything before. It was not because he was scared of Jessica but because he knew she was a very cunning woman. Had he done anything beforehand, she would have used him as a scapegoat in front of Hero. He certainly didn''t want to irritate Hero.


    "If you don''t want to die, I suggest that you let me go. I believe, I don''t have to tell you who I am. I am certain that you already know me. You''d better think carefully about the consequences before doing anything to me." Daisy ground her teeth. Damn, the drug was now having an impact on her body. It was so strong that despite the will to fight back she was also experiencing a wave of hot amorous feelings.


    "Haha! If I have to die for having sex with a beauty like Colonel Ouyang, I will be more than happy. I will have no regret." Wolf greedily stared at Daisy''s breasts. They were waving up and down with her breath. He couldn''t help but blow out a loud whistle to appreciate her beauty. Now, his dirty hands unscrupulously reached out to her beautiful face.


    "Rascal, don''t you dare, touch me with your dirty hands." Daisy turned her head and dodged his touch. She became more nervous as she hadn''t untied the rope yet.

 Chapter 617 Stab Herself (Part Two)

    "Ah! What a beautiful face! I really feel bad that Jessica ruined it like this." Wolf didn''t mind any insult that came for him from Daisy''s mouth. He believed that every beautiful woman had a unique personality. And Daisy was not just any other woman, she was a female


    colonel. He reached out his hand to gently wipe off the fresh blood stain on her face. After that, he wickedly sucked the blood off his hand.


    "You all get out! Just get out of here!" Daisy took a deep breath. She was trying hard to suppress the ongoing fever that wasing out from inside her body. Unfortunately, what came out from her mouth was only a faint and soft sound. Her feeble voice sounded sexy and charming. It sounded as if she was flirting. "Haha! Colonel Ouyang, I forgot to tell you that I really admire such an aloof beauty like you. It will be exciting to y with you and this thought just makes me want you more and more." Wolf said as he came closer to Daisy. Daisy escaped with a dodge.


    "Get out, or I will shoot you in your head." Daisy bit her luscious lip and thrust the rope open, thereby freeing her hands sessfully. Simultaneously, she rolled to the other side.


    "Huh! A good move. Buddies, let''s work together. We must control her." Daisy''s moves made Wolf crazy. He scratched her clothes and happened to rip them off. Her white skin above the breasts and thece bra were now showing up.


    "I''ll kill you." Overlooking the risk of getting injured, Daisy threw herself onto the ground and swiftly picked up the knife left by Jessica there. She quickly cut off the rope on her feet and pointed the knife at the scoundrels. At the same time, she covered her bare chest with her other hand.


    "Colonel Ouyang, don''t you feel empty and ufortable now? How about letting me fill in your empty and lonely heart?" Wolf gradually approached Daisy. He was certain that the stamina of a massively drugged woman wouldn''tst very long.


    On the other hand, a huge group of men led by Edward were approaching this ce. The closer he was to the ce, the faster his heart was beating. He was hoping and praying that both Daisy and Justin were safe and sound. "Mr. Mu, why is the ce so deste? Is this a trap?" Luke frowned with concern.


    "It''s okay. We have the people from The Mayfly to back us." This was also one of the reasons why he didn''t notify the police when he got the cellphone signal of Justin''s phone. He didn''t want to divulge Jonathan''s secret identity.


    "Yes, you''re right, there is nothing The Mayfly can''t handle. However, this time, there is a possibility that Dad''s identity will be revealed inside The Mayfly." Luke sighed. Although there had always been people from The Mayfly secretly protecting the leader, the real identity of Jonathan wasn''t known to many in the organization. Even the top executives of the organization didn''t know his true identity.


    "Do you think it possible? Don''t forget, the people around him are the most powerful figures of The Mayfly. It''s next to impossible that they will let his real identitye out so easily." But he had never seen their faces. He wondered what martial arts skills did they possess that they could hide their identities so well, as if they had the invisibility skill described in the Kung fu novels.


    "So who do you think has cooperated with Mary to kidnap Mrs. Mu and Justin? She is not that clever to make such a seamless n. The cameras in the coffee house and the surrounding areas don''t work. It is a meticulous n, and it''s hard to believe that Mary could plot this all by herself, "


    Luke said, still focusing on driving the car to his fastest speed. He didn''t dare to loosen his grasp on the elerator pedal since only bad news had beening their way since morning. He understood the seriousness of the situation and didn''t want to let Edward down. "There is only one end for the people behind all this. I''ll make sure that their fate will be worse than death." Edward narrowed his sharp eyes. He couldn''t dare to imagine what his wife and son might be going through right now. He stared firmly at theputer screen, wishing he could fly to them right away. The address that The Mayfly gave to him was the same as indicated in theputer. This made him very sure that he was on the right track.


    Unfortunately, Daisy''s situation was not good at all. Although she used the escapology she had learnt to sessfully free her from the ropes, she still failed to ovee the effect of the drug. The drug was devouring her soul. It worked sharply into her bones, depriving her of her remaining sense. She wriggled her body coquettishly, only wanting to seekfort from men.


    "Beauty, are you going to continue with the struggle? Come to my arms! I will make you feel ecstatic!" Wolf smiled lustfully, sticking out his tongue to lick his lips. He constantly made such an obscene gesture to lure Daisy.


    "You are dreaming, I will not let you touch me. I''d rather die than be humiliated by you." Grinding her teeth and closing her eyes, Daisy lifted the knife and stabbed it right into her thigh. The fresh red blood came flowing out from the de of the knife. Without any pause, she quickly plucked the knife out decisively. The piercing pain seemed unbearable to handle and the blood quickly spread over her culotte. But the pain made her sober.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    She had to stab herself like this to ensure that the pain from the stabbing would suppress the impact of drug on her body. But she also clearly knew that the strong effect of the drug would get the better of her once the pain disappeared. Daisy didn''t have the time to bemoan her fate or to pause and think. She quickly strode forward and punched Wolf hard with her fist. Further, she backed it up with a roundhouse kick at his abdomen, regardless of the injury on her ankle.


    "Huh! This bitch is really very explosive. Dudes, let''s alle together! I don''t believe she won''t submit!" The impact of Daisy''s kick, made it hard for Wolf to move. Hey t on the ground and fiercely ordered his fellows to take over.


    But Daisy would never give them any chance to approach her. She was skillful in using the knife, moreover, she was surprisingly agile. Within a second, with a clinking sound, one of the scoundrels'' hand was paralyzed by her knife as she bent on her knees. Seeing such a fearless woman, all the scoundrels were dumbfounded. Daisy seized the chance and quickly bent down to do a drift on the ground. She swept fiercely over their shanks with the knife. In an instant, with the ashes rising up, several scoundrels fell down to the ground.


    Seeing the situation go out of his hands, Wolf was startled. He pulled out a knife from his waist and joined the fight.


    Daisy shook her dazed head, and looked unyieldingly at the group of scoundrels approaching her. She ground her teeth and made up her mind to stab herself again. This time, she stabbed on the shoulder. She had to win this fierce battle. The drug would not only cause illusions, but also erode her senses.


    All the people trembled at her firmness. Moreover, they were surprised that such a vulnerable woman could stab herself like that. Even the strongest of the men would think twice when it came to stabbing themselves but Daisy did it without a frown. Surprisingly, she stabbed herself not once but twice. They marveled at her toughness but they had to defeat her. So, now all of them came at her desperately.


    As Daisy had sensed, there was definitely a wharf and also an old rail track nearby, probably used for freight. Now, even Edward was close to the location. He was not more than a few minutes'' ride away from Daisy. Edward kept praying for Daisy''s safety. "Luke, speed up. We are very near to the destination." Edward''s eyes brightened because of excitement. He stared firmly at the shing spot on theputer screen and didn''t dare to shift his eyes away, as if fearing it might disappear. "Mr. Mu, I have already floored the petal,"


    Luke pursed his lips and said. There had been another car in front of them all this while. It was heading to the same direction as Luke and Edward. He wondered whether the people in the car their friends or foes.0000??

 Chapter 618 The Rescue (Part One)

    "Do you think it possible? Don''t forget, the people around him are the most powerful figures of The Mayfly. It''s next to impossible that they will let his real identitye out so easily." But he had never seen their faces. He wondered what martial arts skills did they possess


    that they could hide their identities so well, as if they had the invisibility skill described in the Kung fu novels.


    "So who do you think has cooperated with Mary to kidnap Mrs. Mu and Justin? She is not that clever to make such a seamless n. The cameras in the coffee house and the surrounding areas don''t work. It is a meticulous n, and it''s hard to believe that Mary could plot this all by herself, "


    Luke said, still focusing on driving the car to his fastest speed. He didn''t dare to loosen his grasp on the elerator pedal since only bad news had beening their way since morning. He understood the seriousness of the situation and didn''t want to let Edward down. "There is only one end for the people behind all this. I''ll make sure that their fate will be worse than death." Edward narrowed his sharp eyes. He couldn''t dare to imagine what his wife and son might be going through right now. He stared firmly at theputer screen, wishing he could fly to them right away. The address that The Mayfly gave to him was the same as indicated in theputer. This made him very sure that he was on the right track.


    Unfortunately, Daisy''s situation was not good at all. Although she used the escapology she had learnt to sessfully free her from the ropes, she still failed to ovee the effect of the drug. The drug was devouring her soul. It worked sharply into her bones, depriving her of her remaining sense. She wriggled her body coquettishly, only wanting to seekfort from men.


    "Beauty, are you going to continue with the struggle? Come to my arms! I will make you feel ecstatic!" Wolf smiled lustfully, sticking out his tongue to lick his lips. He constantly made such an obscene gesture to lure Daisy.


    "You are dreaming, I will not let you touch me. I''d rather die than be humiliated by you." Grinding her teeth and closing her eyes, Daisy lifted the knife and stabbed it right into her thigh. The fresh red blood came flowing out from the de of the knife. Without any pause, she quickly plucked the knife out decisively. The piercing pain seemed unbearable to handle and the blood quickly spread over her culotte. But the pain made her sober.


    She had to stab herself like this to ensure that the pain from the stabbing would suppress the impact of drug on her body. But she also clearly knew that the strong effect of the drug would get the better of her once the pain disappeared. Daisy didn''t have the time to bemoan her fate or to pause and think. She quickly strode forward and punched Wolf hard with her fist. Further, she backed it up with a roundhouse kick at his abdomen, regardless of the injury on her ankle.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "Huh! This bitch is really very explosive. Dudes, let''s alle together! I don''t believe she won''t submit!" The impact of Daisy''s kick, made it hard for Wolf to move. Hey t on the ground and fiercely ordered his fellows to take over.


    But Daisy would never give them any chance to approach her. She was skillful in using the knife, moreover, she was surprisingly agile. Within a second, with a clinking sound, one of the scoundrels'' hand was paralyzed by her knife as she bent on her knees.


    Seeing such a fearless woman, all the scoundrels were dumbfounded. Daisy seized the chance and quickly bent down to do a drift on the ground. She swept fiercely over their shanks with the knife. In an instant, with the ashes rising up, several scoundrels fell down to the ground.


    Seeing the situation go out of his hands, Wolf was startled. He pulled out a knife from his waist and joined the fight.


    Daisy shook her dazed head, and looked unyieldingly at the group of scoundrels approaching her. She ground her teeth and made up her mind to stab herself again. This time, she stabbed on the shoulder. She had to win this fierce battle. The drug would not only cause illusions, but also erode her senses.


    All the people trembled at her firmness. Moreover, they were surprised that such a vulnerable woman could stab herself like that. Even the strongest of the men would think twice when it came to stabbing themselves but Daisy did it without a frown. Surprisingly, she stabbed herself not once but twice. They marveled at her toughness but they had to defeat her. So, now all of them came at her desperately.


    As Daisy had sensed, there was definitely a wharf and also an old rail track nearby, probably used for freight. Now, even Edward was close to the location. He was not more than a few minutes'' ride away from Daisy. Edward kept praying for Daisy''s safety. "Luke, speed up. We are very near to the destination." Edward''s eyes brightened because of excitement. He stared firmly at the shing spot on theputer screen and didn''t dare to shift his eyes away, as if fearing it might disappear. "Mr. Mu, I have already floored the petal,"


    Luke pursed his lips and said. There had been another car in front of them all this while. It was heading to the same direction as Luke and Edward. He wondered whether the people in the car their friends or foes.

 Chapter 619 The Rescue (Part Two)

    She was only a few steps away from him. However, it seemed to him that it would take his entire life to get to her. Men do not cry easily unless they are deeply hurt. The moment Edward touched Daisy''s bloodstained body, his heart missed a beat and his eyes blurred with tears.


    "Edward..." She curled up and tried to hug herself at the sight of him. Was he really here? Or was it just an illusion? Was it only the remembrance of her man moments before her death?


    "It''s me, Daisy." Holding back his grief, he murmured to her with his lips quivering. In the meantime, he quickly took off his coat and wrapped it around her as gently as possible. He tried not to touch her wounds.


    "So it is really you. You have reallye for me..." Clinging on to his coat, Daisy simply gazed at him. Her lips were dry and chapped because of dehydration.


    "Sorry, I amte!" Then with profound gentleness, he held her tight in his arms. A drop of tear fell quietly from the corner of his eyes and rested onto her neck. She could feel the chill of his sadness when his tear touched her skin.


    "I''m fine, really. Because I knew you would definitelye and save me." She dared not meet his gaze or move a muscle. Daisy would rather let him wrap his arms around her waist, and feel his tenderness.


    "Thank you for your trust, my dear. But I''m sorry that I failed you today," said Edward in a deep and shaky voice, which was full of regret and bitterness.


    "Don''t cry for me, Edward. Not now, not in front of so many people. They mayugh if they see you like this." She bashfully looked around, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that others were still involved in a fight.


    "I don''t care. They can justugh if they want," sniffed Edward indifferently. But he suddenly noticed that in the very air he breathed in, there was a smell of blood. He snapped out of his remorse and lifted up the coat to check her over. When he saw the bleeding wound on her shoulder, he felt breathless and grief stricken. His face darkened. He turned around and coldly looked at those gangsters, who were now crushed to the ground.


    "Now, tell me who is responsible for my wife''s injuries?" asked Edward in a cold voice while he rose up slowly. Patronizing them, he now looked like a remote, transcendent and invible king, who could show off his power and position with merely a few words. There was contempt in his eyes. He looked down at those monsters lying on the ground as some drying worms rather than humans.


    "Oh, dear Daisy, I bet you enjoyed your erotic moment a lot! Don''t worry, everyone can share your rapture, and see how licentious and shameless you areter through the video." Just then, Jessica came in, forced by Luke. She was closely followed by Mary. Then, Justin appeared, being held by Jonathan.


    "Of course, it was indeed wonderful. Would you like to give it a try, Jessica?" The moment Daisy saw her face, she tried hard to resist the urge of tearing her apart. Hatred was written all over her cold yet beautiful face while she was ring at her with anger. "Mommy, are you alright?" cried Justin. He struggled to get rid of Jonathan, only to find that he was tightly locked by him.


    "Stop it, Justin. Your mother wouldn''t want you to see her like this," said Jonathan. He made a sweep around the room with extreme coldness in his eyes. It seemed as if he would kill anything that met his gaze. And when his eyes fell upon Jessica and Mary, his lips curled into a sneer with a thoughtful look.


    "I''m fine, but I''m afraid that someone else might be in trouble now," smirked Daisy as she tried to stand up on her feet. But she was too weak to brace herself, and her knees gave up immediately. Fortunately, Edward quickly held her and pulled her into his arms. "What are you up to, Daisy?" snapped Jessica. Daisy who was supported by Edward slowly approached her. Jessica stepped back in terror.


    "What do you think? Well, I remember you are quite bothered by your pretty face, aren''t you? So I think I may help you destroy it," said Daisy in a sarcastic tone.


    "No, you can''t do this to me!" Jessica was panic stricken. She was internally embarrassed so she didn''t bother to watch the scene on the monitor. Moreover, she had no idea when her cousin would be back, so she had been waiting and keeping a lookout anxiously in another room. But it was way beyond her expectation that instead of her cousin, another group of people would break into this ce. Jessica was scared out of her wits when Luke and his people rushed in like that all of a sudden.


    "Why? You don''t like it? But howe you never thought of the consequences before putting me through all this?" Daisy whispered in her ears while pointing a dagger at her face. She purposely put it as close to Jessica''s face as possible to scare her. "Edward, help me! You would never let her hurt me, would you?" With frightened, imploring eyes, Jessica looked at Edward''s grim face.Content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "That''s true. It seems that you really know me well." Edward let out a wicked smile and gave a look full of meanings which only left people around him guessing.


    "I knew it. I know you still love me. It''s all this woman''s fault! She has been trying to steal you from me!" Raising her head high, Jessica glowered at Daisy gloatingly.


    "I won''t let her hurt you, and that''s for sure. But it doesn''t mean that I won''t do it for her. You are such a malicious woman. I can''t let her contaminate her hands with your blood." As soon as he finished his words, Edward grabbed Daisy''s dagger and before everyone knew it, he sliced Jessica''s face open without any hesitation. Now everyone could hear a piercing shriek.


    Mary freaked out by the scene and her legs started shaking involuntarily. She really wanted to take to her heels, fearing that she would be Edward''s next target. But because her hands were tied behind her back by the two men who looked like bodyguards, she couldn''t move at all.


    "NO! I don''t believe it. You cannot treat me like this!" eximed Jessica. Edward gave his response by cutting a second gash on her face. By now, all hercence was gone. She was shocked. Jessica stared at this ruthless man standing in front of her with astonishment. She was filled with desperation and pain after her pride and confidence was badly snapped by him. Butpared to Daisy''s suffering, she still faced nothing.

 Chapter 620 The Rescue (Part Three)

    Daisy watched all this coldly. If this had happened in the past, she would have definitely stopped Edward from hurting a pregnant woman, but not today. She came to realize that mercy to the enemies means cruelty to herself. And she knew Jessica deserved no mercy. Her heart was full of bitter hatred and there was no room for regret orpassion for people like Jessica. She had to pay for all her sins today.


    "Don''t be so confident about yourself. Blind confidence will do you no good. You want to have fun? Let me grant you your wishes now."


    Edward was never a nice and merciful man. He might appear soft and gentle, but if there was an enemy who had to be tackled, Edward showed no mercy. He was literally like a sleeping lion, ready tounch an attack if people crossed a line.


    "As for the rest of you, get up if you are not dead already," demanded Edward sternly while his eyes running down those gangsters. He wasn''t in a hurry to deal with them since they were already knocked out. They didn''t have any energy left in them to attack or run away. Before he did anything, he wanted to take his time to find out exactly which one of them humiliated his wife. As soon as he did, he would chop those hands off and feed them to a fish!


    "What do you want? Don''t forget that I''m pregnant!" Jessica was clever enough to read through what was on Edward''s mind. So she watched his each and every move with a tingle of horror.


    "So you actually know that you are expecting a baby? Do you really think you still deserve to be called a mother given all of this vicious behavior? But there is no need to get tensed. Be assured, I''m not as twisted as you. So I will only make a list of all the things that you have done to my wife, and avenge her suffering bit by bit on you, nothing more and nothing less. So you know exactly what to expect."


    Edward said with one arm around Daisy''s waist, and the other hand holding the dagger. Jessica took a deep breath when he softly swept its pointed edge on her face. Her fear was beyond all limits now.


    "Wait a minute! Let me avenge myself first," Justin suddenly cried out. He again struggled to free himself from Jonathan''s arms. Instead of holding him tighter, Jonathan bent down and put him gently on the ground this time. His heart ached when he saw those wounds on his grandson''s little body. That woman''s evilness was truly beyond his imagination. He couldn''t believe that she could be so cruel to a child.


    "Remember what I told you, old woman? What a big mistake it was for you to let me get out alive. Now you will have to pay the price." A trace of slyness could be seen in Justin''s eyes. Since Jonathan said that Daisy didn''t want him to see her miserable condition, he would pretend not to see it. But this didn''t mean he would ignore these two malicious and sinful women all together. He must teach them a lesson in his way.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "Buzz off, you nasty little child! What are you up to?" Mary was terrified. She could see something malicious in Justin''s sly grin, but she couldn''t figure out what he was going to do. His words sent shivers down her spine.


    "Don''t worry, I won''t touch your face. However, I still think that you need a makeover. This will make it easier for you to confess to the Buddha and turn over a new leaf of your life," said Justin while walking unhurriedly towards his backpack. With his teeth clenched to endure the pain, he bent down and picked the bag up beforeing back slowly to Mary. Edward watched him carefully. He knew he had failed him, too. He would have gone up and taken this little guy into his arms, had he not been holding Daisy.


    "No. Stay away from me! This won''t happen in the future, I swear! Daisy, do something, for Brian''s sake. Don''t you even consider his feelings?" Having no idea what Justin would do to her, Mary gave up her dignity and begged for mercy. "Why? ying the family card now? But as I see it, you showed zero regard for Brian''s feelings when you were hitting my son. If that is the case, why should I do it for you now?"


    Daisy snorted. She didn''t stop Justin from fighting back, not because she would allow him to learn to be wicked and merciless at such a young age, but because she clearly knew that he needed to vent out his rage. Daisy thought, he would at most make fun of Mary, and would never do any cruel thing. So she just stood in her ce and watched him closely.


    "Uncle, could you do me a favor and lift me up?" He nced around the room with his big, round eyes resting on those masked men standing behind his grandfather. Justin looked at them up and down curiously and thought they were really cool.


    When being asked, the men immediately looked in Jonathan''s direction. It was not until Jonathan nodded his head that one of them squatted down and lifted Justin up. Clearly, they would only follow Jonathan''s order.


    "I suggest that you stand still, olddy! Otherwise, I can''t gurantee that I won''t cut your scalp identally." Seeing Justin take a sharp little de out of his backpack, everyone knew what Justin was up to. Now, they all understood what he meant when he said he would make it easier for Mary to confess to the Buddha. He was going to shave off her head. Although Justin did it mostly for fun, it could be a nightmare for a woman who cared so much about her appearance.


    "How dare you!" Mary now realized what Justin was about to do with her. She tried to squirm out of the grip regardless of how embarrassing it looked like. Anyway, she would rather die than turn into a nun.00000

 Chapter 621 The Only Woman I Respect (Part One)

    Justin pursed his lips, and began to shave off Mary''s hair mercilessly. Within a few minutes, Mary had turned bald. Justin threw the de to the ground and pped his hands in disgust.


    "Well, old woman. You''re not that bad, so it is just a small punishment. You better pray for everything you''re about to face now." Compared to Jessica''s cruelty, Mary wasn''t that bad, so Justin had no intention of getting back at her in a serious manner. Only children would think this way. As for Jessica, Justin''s father would never spare her, so he didn''t bother to do anything to her.


    "It is not a time to celebrate. I am going to kill you." Without looking in the mirror, Mary knew how ugly she must be looking with a bald head, so she shouted angrily.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "You think you can do that?" Justin shrugged off her threat and looked at her coldly. He was happy to see Mary look like this. Justin''s face was a little red and swollen, which made it difficult for him to even smile properly and made him look a little bit funny. Edward frowned. Moments back, he was so far from Justin that he couldn''t even see his face but now when he looked at his face closely, he felt guilty. Justin''s face was covered with bruises. Seeing this, the look in Edward''s eyes became crueller and fiercer. "Come here, all of you," Edward said coldly with a raging anger in his eyes. He coldly looked at the sleazy gangsters, "Aren''t you trying to have fun? Today, I will let these two women apany you to have some fun. Let''s make everything clear at first. None of you is allowed to leave without my permission, or I will feed your bodies to crocodiles."


    "Edward, are you threatening me? You can''t do this to me. You can''t!" Jessica shook her head in panic. Although she knew Edward was not a soft hearted person, she expected him to forgive her for the sake of the past.


    "I can''t do that to you? Then why did you do that to my wife and son? Jessica, when did you be so naive?" Edward said sarcastically. In all honesty, Edward never expected Jessica to be behind all this. Sadly, he had forgotten how vicious this woman was. "So you don''t care that I''m carrying a baby? That''s your baby!" Jessica said tremblingly. Even though Edward didn''t give her a warm look all this while, she was fascinated by Edward''s perfect handsome face.


    "Jessica, why don''t you give up? Now, I have to tell you the truth and make you give uppletely." Edward sighed helplessly. It all seemed to be his fault now. Had he told Jessica he wouldn''t let her get pregnant, she wouldn''t have had any illusions about it. Moreover, nobody would have to bear so many troubles because of this.


    "Listen here, Jessica. Do you know why I didn''t wear a condom every time when I had sex with you? I had a contraceptive operation shortly after my marriage, and I haven''t got it repaired as of now. I remember I even showed you that report. The baby you''re carrying has nothing to do with me. Have I made myself clear? I can''t get any woman pregnant right now."


    Edward said the truth word by word. He was fed up of Jessica''s conceit. Even when he showed her the evidence, she was wishfully immersed in her own lies. Edward wondered whether she was naive or just subconsciously refusing to ept the truth.


    "This is impossible! You''re lying! Edward, are you just making excuses? Do you not want to take care of me and my baby? Are you going to abandon me like this? Who can certify that the report is true?"


    Jessica shook her head desperately. Although she knew the truth long ago, she was not willing to ept it at all. All she did was tofort herself and lie to herself. She did not expect Edward to tell her the truth in front of so many people. She knew he really couldn''t stand her and wouldn''t let her bring anymore troubles in his life. It was worse for Jessica to ept this fact than to just die.


    "I swear on my doctor''s license that it is true." Tom walked in slowly, followed by Rain and Duke.


    "No, you''re all lying to me. I don''t believe you! I don''t believe anyone of you!" Jessica freed herself from Luke''s control, picked up the stool next to her, and smashed it at Daisy. ''It is all Daisy''s fault! It wouldn''t happen if Daisy didn''t exist, '' Jessica thought.


    Edward turned around and took Daisy in his arms without thinking about it. The stool fell directly on Edward''s back and broke on him with a loud thud. It was only then that everyone came to their senses with what just happened. It was Daisy who moved the most swiftly, though she was dizzy. She immediately reached out for the object that Jessica threw at her again. Daisy was already very weak. After this resistance, Daisy had used herst strength and slowly fell down.


    "Honey, don''t scare me." Edward held Daisy''s frail body in time, and cried in horror: "Tom,e over! Tell me what''s wrong with Daisy?"


    "Get Daisy in the ambnce first, Edward. I''ll check her injuries. " Tom''s ambnce had custom-designed car body and inside equipment. It was technologically advanced and totally different from the ambnces in regr hospitals. Edward picked Daisy up, as instructed by Tom, and rushed out of the door. He had no time to think of anything else.


    "Mom, Mom..." Justin didn''t cry when Jessica pped him, nor did he feel scared when Mary pushed him to the ground. But when he saw his mother suddenly fall down like that, he burst into tears. He was scared, just like everyone else. "Don''t worry. Your mommy is just too tired. She''ll be fine." It was the first time Jonathan hadforted anyone other than Cynthia, so his tone sounded a little stiff.


    "Grandpa, is it true?" Justin asked Jonathan childishly with tears in his eyes.


    "Yes! I give you my word. Your uncle Tom will take care of her. Don''t you believe him?" Jonathan frowned at his bodyguards and instructed them to leave. If Jonathan''s guess was right, it would not take too long for everyone else toe here.


    Jonathan''s bodyguards disappeared in the face of the crowd. No one saw how they disappeared, just as no one saw how they appeared. The horror of such a thing frightened everyone, and they all secretly got nervous. It was only then that Wolf and his buddies realized they were fighting the wrong guys.


    "It turns out that these two ugly women are behind all this nuisance. Are you crazy to turn into nuns now? You, you even shaved your head before bing a nun? What a pity! To be honest, women like you are not qualified to be nuns at all. Give up the idea of bing a nun and do some good to the society. Don''t stain the sacred temple."


    Rain was definitely a venomous man. He already hated these two women, and after seeing Daisy bruised like that, he hated them even more.


    "Luke, did Edward tell you how to deal with this group of people?" Unlike Rain, Duke was a serious person. He wanted to reach the conclusion fast and quick.00000000000

 Chapter 622 The Only Woman I Respect (Part Two)

    Jessica


    tightly.


    "Yes. Let them have some fun." Luke''s mouth twitched and he repeated Edward''s words shyly. Luke knew that Jessica was pregnant so he didn''t want to hurt her ealier. But she broke free of Luke''s grip and let Daisy and Edward get hurt. Luke regretted that he hadn''t held "So, it''s time to have fun! What are you waiting for?" Duke was a hard man, he didn''t show any tenderness in handling matters like this. No wonder people called him a man with a poker face.


    "Duke, you fucking faggot, how did you think that you can take the ce of Edward and decide all this?" Duke didn''t know what to say to Jessica. Why did she act so arrogantly even when she knew she was in trouble? Was she not afraid to die? "How? Let me tell you. You hurt the only woman I genuinely respect in this world. Are you happy with my answer now?" Duke smiled coldly. One could easily see the coldness in his eyes and expressions that went well with his aloof personality. "Haha! Did I hear that right? You are cheating on your own brother." Jessica shook her hands when she was caught. She became crazy and nervous. ''Is Daisy really that charming? Why are so many men nice to her?'', Jessica thought. "Jessica, you are such a disgusting woman. We''re not like you! You should not regard your ignorance as a virtue. Our respect for Daisyes deep from our heart. A woman like you cannot understand what I am talking about." Rain gave Jessica a disdainful look, and sneered. One look at Rain, and people around could tell how much Rain hated Jessica.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    Jonathan wanted to punish those people himself, but after watching Duke''s reaction, he smiled, held Justin in his arms, and left without saying anything. Jonathan knew that Duke and Rain would never spare these thugs.


    Although Edward knew how bad Daisy''s wounds would be when he saw Daisy, he was still frightened by Daisy''s wounds when he saw Tom skillfully treating Daisy''s wounds. He couldn''t overlook the fact that Daisy might have endured so much pain to fight these gangsters all by herself. What must have been in her mind all this while? Did she think, she would die today? Edward stopped his negative thinking.


    "Daisy was massively drugged. The deepest wound on her body was not stabbed by others, but by herself. Daisy must have wanted to use the pain to get rid of the effect of the drug on her body. "As Tom spoke, he gave Daisy an anaesthetic and started to sew her wounds. Tom''s assistant, who was also with him, quickly gave Daisy an infusion.


    "And now? Is the effect of the drug gone?" Edward clenched his fist. The blue veins on his forehead seemed to bulge out because of his anger. It was not enough for those two women to be tortured solely by that group of men. They should be punished more severely. "It is mostly gone away because of excessive loss of blood and sweat. However, I''ll still add a little more potion to the dripter. All wounds are easy to deal with except the one on the face. It can be difficult to heal it without leaving a scar." Tom frowned and wondered how cruel a person would be to scratch such a beautiful face.


    "Difficult?" Edward didn''t care if Daisy had a permanent scar on her face. He only cared about Daisy and not her looks. But he also knew that Daisy was a proud woman. She would not be able to ept a scar on her face.


    "What? You care about that?" Tom looked at Edward. He knew that Edward was not the type of guy to care about the looks of a woman.


    "What are you talking about? I am afraid she wouldn''t be able to ept it. " Edward red back at Tom. Why would Tom think like that? Did Tom really think he was such a shallow man?


    "Don''t worry! As long as I am here, I will cure her. I am not doing this for you, but for Daisy. You know, she''s the only woman I have respected like this in my life." Tom had been frowning all the time. It seemed that Daisy''s injury really worried him.


    "Thank you." Edward put Daisy''s hand on his cheek with tears in his eyes. Daisy had a rough life. She always lived a precarious life be it before or after meeting him. She suffered a lot of psychological and physical injuries. These injuries didn''t break her down, but only made her stronger.


    "Are you insane or are the pigs flying? Why would you say that to me?" Tom didn''t believe Edward would ever thank him. And then, he realized that Edward wasn''t paying any attention to his words at all. Tom curled his mouth in embarrassment and carefully treated Daisy''s cuts.


    Jessica didn''t realize how much trouble she was in until she faced the wretched men in front of her. "You stay away from me. I''m pregnant. You can''t be so cruel to me. My cousin will be back soon. If he sees you bullying me like that, he won''t let you go away so easily. Don''t forget what business he''s in!"


    After hearing Jessica, these thugs hesitated. Seeing their hesitation, Mary took the opportunity to talk to the gang. Mary was indeed a promiscuous girl, but she didn''t want to be gang-raped by a group of people. "She is right. Wolf, you won''t hurt your friend, will you? We are friends." "You really think we''re beasts?" Didn''t you hear what they said just now? If we don''t do that, we can''t get out of here alive. Come on, you beauties. It will make you feel less miserable. Plus, you were drugged by them just now. Can you really hold back?"


    Wolf approached them step by step. He went for Jessica, who he had liked since a while ago. Although Jessica''s beauty was destructed by a knife wound on her face, she still looked charming in Wolf''s eyes.


    "NO! Damn it! Duke, let me go!" Jessica staggered to the door. She was panicking. She didn''t want to be raped by these gangsters.


    "You really drugged her with the philtre?" Duke stared at the video, and then gave Rain a cold look.


    "What? You really think I am a pervert? Why would I carry that thing with myself? I was just bluffing them. I will never use such a nasty thing to anyone." Rain crossed his legs with an evil smile on his face.


    "Who knows. Forget it. Watch them. I''d like to go out and see how Daisy is doing." Duke nced at the video again. Then, he got up and walked out.


    "Are you kidding? I can''t stand this erotic scene. Luke, you''re here to watch them. I''ll go out and see Daisy too." Rain looked at Luke, the only man here, with crafty brightness in his eyes.


    "I am not interested in such things. As for you, don''t you always want this?" As soon as Luke finished his words, he ran out of the room. He didn''t want to be left alone in that room. Luke had several important things to do. He had to take care of something even more important after hearing Jessica''s words.000

 Chapter 623 Help Me (Part One)

    "Damn it, everyone is gone. Fine, I should go too! Why should I be here watching them? No, it is emotionally scaring. And I don''t give a shit about what happens to them. it''s none of my business." Rain muttered to himself. He looked at the screen, then got up and walked out of the monitor room.


    Maybe Fortune favored Jessica and Mary! They were saved by the special troops who cameter. The special troops thought they were victims. That came across as a relief for Duke and Rain. Although Duke and Rain didn''t like Jessica, they didn''t have the heart to watch a pregnant woman get raped. That was too sick. Come on, they were not beasts.


    "Duke, you are here, too." Kevin Gu didn''t expect to meet his brother-inw here so he was quite surprised when he saw Duke.


    "Yeah, this is not your military area. It''s a public ce. If you cane here, so can I." Duke didn''t know why he was so mad at Kevin but he got angry as soon as he saw Kevin. He could not help it. That really didn''t sound like something a gentlemen like Duke could do. "No, no, no. That''s not what I meant. I''m a bad talker. Sorry, Duke. Is Colonel Ouyang all right?" Among those who were here, Duke was the only person who Kevin knew well. So Kevin had no choice except to talk to Duke to know how things were going. "How would I know? I have all the same information that you have. The doors of ambnce are shut. Can''t you see?" Duke rolled his eyes and sulked. As a matter of fact, he was jealous of his little sister''s partiality to Kevin. Leena Leng was his only sister. He really cherished Leena and Leena used to put Duke first. But everything changed after Leena met Kevin. Kevin married Leena without asking his permission. This was why Duke hated Kevin so much.


    "Excuse me, Major General, I have to tell you something." Luke Luo rescued Kevin from the embarrassment. Obviously, Luke was unaware of the awkwardness between Kevin and Duke. He didn''t care either.


    "What''s the matter?" Kevin followed Luke and they walked to the other side. Kevin nced at the special ambnce inadvertently.


    "I overheard Jessica saying that there were more people involved in the kidnapping of Mrs. Mu and Justin. But they aren''t here. They might be tougher than the rest of the men. I heard, they will be back any minute."


    Luke was a deeply sensitive person. He did not put his mind on torturing Jessica and Mary. Rather, he listened to them carefully and finally caught the hint of every word they said.


    "What? Is it true?" Kevin seemed very interested now. He too wasn''t ready to ept that Daisy could be kidnapped easily by these gangbangers. There was definitely something wrong. So he thought there must be a stronger BOSS behind all of this.


    "We can go and confirm it with Justin." Luke took one look at Justin. Jonathan was carrying him in his arms. To tell the truth, Luke didn''t expect Jonathan to care about anyone except his wife. So, he was very surprised to see his actions recently.


    "Okay, I will confirm it with him. If it is true, we must take action before theye back," said Kevin. Then he walked towards Justin.


    "Uncle Kevin, what took you so long?" Justin was so sharp-eyed that he saw Kevin long before Kevin came up to him. He slipped down from the knees of Jonathan and ran to Kevin right away.


    "I''m sorry! Is our little hero Okay?" Kevin and Justin used to be very close while they were in the army base. Their deep connection still existed though they seldom saw each other after Justin began living with Edward.


    "I''m fine, but my mommy is hurt really bad." Justin twitched his mouth. He wanted to cry when he thought about his mommy. Daisy was still in aa.


    "Don''t worry. Your mommy will be okay. You should have hope in the medical skills of Uncle Tom!" Kevin consoled Justin in a low voice while he nodded at Jonathan. He was also worried about Daisy. But he chose to believe in the medical skills of Tom Qin. Everyone here knew that Tom Qin was a brilliant doctor.


    "Well! Uncle Kevin, are you going to arrest all the criminals?" Justin only cared about punishing Jessica and Mary. They were too awful. They must pay for the sins theymitted.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "This is the duty of the police. The only thing that I could do is to cooperate with them." Kevin frowned as he thought of the fact that nobody had informed Mr. Yi yet. Then, he thought that the police were really inefficient. They should be expert at handling kidnapping cases. However, everyone was here now, except the real experts. They certainly needed more training to improve their professionalpetence!


    "Yeah, Uncle Kevin, do you know Hero? He said that he was the real boss of the arms dealers." Justin suddenly remembered Hero. He did nothing bad to him and his mommy, so he couldn''t tell whether he disliked Hero or not.


    "What? Do you mean that Hawk is only a scapegoat?" Kevin started to freak out. If Hero was the real boss behind Hawk, he must be one of their biggest rivals, so where was he all this while? He ought to be super slick and crafty.


    "Yes, it did sound like he was the boss behind Hawk. They were making some kind of deal. He went out earlier. But he will be back soon." Justin had a really dour expression on his face. Given Hero''s obsession with his mommy, he guessed that man woulde back even without fearing for his life. But he didn''t tell Kevin about that man''s craziness for his mommy.


    "Okay, I have to make a n and get well prepared right away then." Kevin didn''t know that the people involved in the kidnapping of Daisy also included the real boss behind Hawk. What''s important was that Hero was the chief of arms dealers. That meant he must have several heavy weapons with him. So it ought to be a fierce fight against him.


    Kevin wasn''t a Major General for nothing. He immediately tightened up the security secretly and put main forces on the ambnce in which Daisy was being treated. He wasn''t ready to let down his guard till Daisy was rescued from here and regained consciousness. But as fate would have it, the situation took a massive turn. Just as Kevin finished all arrangements, something uncalled for happened. He immediately felt things slipping from his hands.


    "Major General, something bad has happened. The two women we rescued are gone." One special solider got close to Kevin and whispered in his ear.


    "How could this happen when they were in the house and under surveince." Kevin frowned again. He couldn''t understand how such a strange thing happened.


    "Yes, we kept them under strict surveince. But they said they wanted to go to the bathroom. So we let them go and waited outside. We waited for a long while but nobody came out. When we went inside, we saw that nobody was there. There was another exit in the bathroom and we had no clue about it. They must have run away from the exit in the bathroom. You know the yardyout is soplicated. This is why, we couldn''t find them easily. But we are certain that they are hiding somewhere in this house."


    The special solider didn''t dare to look in Kevin''s eyes. Kevin thought that it was possible for them to run away because the solider guarding them was a new recruit and had no experience in guarding.


    "All right. They are still in the yard, so we will find them out sooner orter. Just set it aside for now. Let''s focus on Hero. Watch it, Hero is a piece of work. Pull yourself together." So, here they were. They had no other choice but to divert their attention to the more important things. However, things became moreplicated just because of their ignorance in watching over Jessica and Mary.


    "Yes, Major General." It seemed that Kevin didn''t me him. The special solider felt relieved. He quickly walked away from Kevin before Kevin changed his mind and took out his anger at him.


    Kevin raised his head and looked up at the house. He realized that it was not a simple house. The ce upied a vast area and several small backyards were attached to the main building. They wouldn''t see the backyards when they were in the foreyard. He understood that while he was arranging the security a few minutes ago.

 Chapter 624 Help Me (Part Two)

    Kevin sighed deeply. ''Even if I count Luke and his men in, we are still understaffed. The police are still on their way. Oh, God bless us. Please don''t let Jessica and Mary meet Hero.'' Kevin had put his major security at work on the ambnce in which Daisy was being treated. He was thus, left with no extra men to track down Jessica and Mary. Furthermore, it wouldn''t be appropriate to conduct an inch-by-inch search. They were under a fear of ambush and had no idea from where the gangsters might appear all of a sudden. Luckily, they parked their cars in ces that were hard to find.


    Just as Justin expected, Hero dide back. Though he was aware of some anomalies, he had toe back for Daisy. So, instead of breaking in directly, he sneaked undetected into the house. He was shocked when he saw Jessica and Mary there. He was d he saw them first. Thank goodness! He could hold the two women as hostages to make his rivalspromise with him. "Cousin Hero, please, take me away." Jessica grabbed Hero''s hands forcibly as soon as she met him. She literally abandoned her pride now.


    "Rx, Jessica! I came here to pick you up. But who did this to you two? What happened?" Hero wanted to fully understand the situation. He was wondering if he had any chance of winning the uing fight.


    "Nobody but that bitch Daisy. Someday I will bring her down myself." People like Jessica were rare. She immediately forgot all her pain when she saw the little hope of escaping. Though she was still in danger, she got a little carried away. Now, she wanted to take revenge on Daisy along with Hero.


    "Do you really think you still have a chance to hurt Colonel?" Kevin Gu said grimly, pointing his gun at Hero who was standing next to Jessica. Bad luck, Jessica and Mary met Hero.


    "But, I have a chance." Hero moved so quickly. He immediately grabbed Jessica in front of him. Jessica was nothing but a pawn for him. It would be a shame if he didn''t use her now.


    "I thought you are her cousin, right? Why are you so cruel to her?" Kevin couldn''t believe Hero could hold Jessica in front of him to take a bullet for him. Now, Kevin was hesitant. He didn''t know if he should shoot or not. Yes, Jessica was a bad woman. But Kevin was a Major General, a solider. He couldn''t shoot at Hero if it meant risking the life of another person.


    "I can betray my own blood brother to save my life. She is only my cousin. She means nothing to me." Hero sneered, putting his gun on Jessica. At the same time, his men moved and held Mary as hostage.


    "Oh, Cousin Hero, are you kidding?" Jessica couldn''t believe the fact that she was held hostage by Hero. When his gun pointed at her, she shook with fear. When Edward caught her, she was scared but with Hero pointing his gun at her she was in extreme fright. "Please help me!..... Please, don''t kill me, I will never.... run away..." Mary begged for mercy. She was not any better than Jessica. She trembled with fear. She felt great regret for running away. If she didn''t listen to Jessica''s suggestion, she wouldn''t be held hostage like that.


    "Okay, you win. Let them go. Do you think, it is right for a hero to hold two women as hostages?" Kevin kept pointing his gun at Hero. He was surprised when he saw so many men following Hero. Surprisingly, they all looked tough.


    "Not everyone is alike. As for me, I can do everything to stay alive." Hero seemed unconcerned about any possible snipers. He had pre-nned everything beforeing in the house. Even if the worst of the worst happened, both the sides would lose. Since there was an army of men following him, he had every chance to win. If he was apanied by the guys who kidnapped Daisy, he would have been dead by now.


    "How can you be so confident that I won''t shoot you?" This was the only truth that Kevin wanted to know. Yes, he arranged snipers in the dark, but he dared notmand the snipers to shoot.


    "I don''t have to tell you anything. Obviously you know who I am. So why should I be afraid? I guess you are clever enough to figure out who I am, right?" Hero confronted Kevin arrogantly. He didn''t know Kevin was here before he came into the house. Kevin was one of the biggest names in the army base of the S city. Hero needed to be very careful while facing Major General Kevin.


    "Yeah, you must have made all the arrangements. That''s why you dared toe in even when you knew it was unsafe for you to be here. I am really interested in knowing what brings you back." It was very strange that Hero risked his life toe back here. There must be something or somebody important here.


    "Colonel Ouyang, I want to take her away today." Hero was not like one of those vulgar gang bosses. He behaved and spoke in a refined and civil manner. Hero had several hidden talents.


    "You want to take her away? Aha, who are you? I wonder how are you so confident?" Edward Mu mocked at Hero as he gracefully came close to Hero. His handsome face looked much more regal in the sunshine. He nced at Hero contemptuously with his charming sharp eyes and then looked down on him. He pretended to behave with utmost grace and ease. It was strange to see him talking like this to an unscrupulous arms dealer.


    "And who are you?" Hero was indifferent about the financial news. The only thing he was concerned about was the government affairs as it had a strong impact on his business. So Hero knew nothing about Edward who was the business mogul of the S city. "Funny, you don''t know who I am but you said you want to take my wife away." Edward''s mouth twisted in a contemptuous sneer. This left Hero in a more difficult situation. Hero was stunned.


    "What? You are the CEO of the FX International Group, Edward Mu." Hero thought Daisy''s husband was only amon businessman who was just a son of a rich, powerful family. But he realized how wrong he was when he saw Edward with his own eyes. Edward was strong and smart. This man was a real king in spirit. Although he admitted to the excellence of Edward, he didn''t change his mind to take Daisy away. He knew this was his only chance to have Daisy.


    "Yes, you are right. So are you still confident enough to take my wife away?" Moments back, Edward was in the ambnce with Daisy. But after Tom finished treating Daisy''s wounds, Edward left Daisy to talk to his sweet son. He heard from Justin about Hero. Justin told him Hero was crazy for Daisy. He bristled with anger, so he came here to see the wretch who dared to kidnap his wife.


    "Do you really think you can stop me?" Heroughed loudly and arrogantly. He didn''t want to be defeated by Edward in vigor.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "It doesn''t bother me, really. Because Daisy would never go with you." With both his hands inserted in the pocket, Edward raised his eyebrows while he stared at Hero. To tell the truth, Hero was a wonderful guy. Edward admired him for the fact that Hero risked everything for the woman he loved. This made him feel, that they were a bit alike.


    "Edward, please help me. I don''t want to die...." Jessica begged and stared at Edward pitifully. Even though Edward ignored her, she didn''t give up, hoping that Edward would save her for old times'' sake. In her mind, Edward loved her before. Edward could not be so cruel to the woman he loved. But obviously she was totally wrong. Edward never really loved her.0000

 Chapter 625 The Tough Punishment (Part One)

    "Save you? Why? I can''t wait to see you get shot." Edward gave an evil smile. Since Daisy fainted suddenly, he didn''t get a chance to deal with Jessica and Mary. Now they were Hero''s hostages. There was divine justice after all.


    "Why are you so cruel to me? I did everything only because I love you!" Jessica wasn''t desperate yet. She was filled with hatred. She hated Daisy for taking everything from her. She hated Edward for ignoring her love. She hated the fact that the baby she was carrying was not Edward''s. "You don''t love me. You just like having me. You enjoy the feeling you get when people see you with me. You love nobody but yourself." Edward looked Hero in the eye. He was not saying this to Jessica alone. He was directing it to both Jessica and Hero.


    Hero was clever. He understood what Edward was saying. But he pretended to not hear anything. He stood there quietly because he didn''t want to be embarrassed.


    "Mr. Mu, don''t you think I am a better choice for Colonel Ouyang than you?" Hero was still pointing his gun at Jessica as he talked to Edward. He never let his guard down.


    "You can''t judge a pair of shoes simply by looking at it. Only the person who wears it knows whether it would suit him or not. Therefore, only the person in a rtionship knows how it feels to be with the other person. I''m not sure if I am the perfect guy for Daisy, but I know one thing, I am the person she wants the most,


    Edward retorted casually. He made his point and told Hero how important he was for Daisy. His answer was short yet powerful. The idea was to kill two birds with one stone.


    "That''s because she hasn''t been with me yet. So she doesn''t know who is the best for her. You''re not her. You don''t get to make the decision on her behalf. She should tell me in person herself."Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Hero wasn''t an ordinary hooligan. He was a well-educated arms dealer. He wouldn''t submit to Edward''s words.


    "I wish she could. Unfortunately, she''s in aa right now."


    Thinking of what Daisy was going through, Edward felt a surge of rage in his body. He would have killed the people who had hurt her if Tom hadn''t told him that it was because of the anaesthetic that Daisy was still in aa.


    "What happened to her? She was fine when I left." Hero narrowed his eyes and red at Jessica. He had warned her not to hurt Daisy. It seemed that she had ignored his warning.


    "You should ask the woman you are holding." Edward wasn''t trying to get Jessica killed by Hero''s hands. He wanted to kill her himself. But since Hero wanted to kill her too, he didn''t mind giving him the opportunity. In doing so, he could save some energy. This was Edward''s nature. He made use of people, in a way that somehow made him look like a generous guy who gave other person the opportunity to be a hero.


    "What did you do to her? Tell me! Don''t miss any detail!" Hero pointed his gun to Jessica''s face, closer and harder.


    "I didn''t do anything. Really. Don''t you see that I am injured too?" Edward now put Jessica into a more dangerous situation. This wasn''t something she expected from Edward.


    "Don''t be surprised. I just gave you a dose of your own medicine." Edward was qualified to be called a merciless man. Nobody could get away with messing with him. Of course Jessica was no exception.


    "What? Did you disfigure her?" Hero nced at Mary. Did Jessica and Mary shave Daisy''s head too? Was that why Jessica had been disfigured and Mary''s head had been shaven?


    "No, it''s not me. It''s Wolf and his men." Jessica went stiff. She didn''t dare to move, fearing that if she moved, Hero''s gun might go off by ident and kill her. She made Wolf the fall guy. Since he wasn''t present, he couldn''t contradict her. "Hero, don''t be stupid," Kevin said with a frown. Unlike Edward, he cared about the hostages and tried to calm down Hero.


    "Step down, all of you! Or we''ll all get hurt. All I want is to see Colonel Ouyang once." From what Edward had said, Hero understood that Daisy must have been badly injured. So, naturally, he wouldn''t be able to take her with him. Now, he came up with a second best alternative which was to have a look at her and see how she was.


    "Sorry, you can''t. And it''s not necessary either. You are going to be a prisoner soon. You''re in no ce to negotiate with me. Edward sounded arrogant and grim. It was crazy if Hero thought Edward would let a stranger see his wife.


    "You''re way too arrogant. Are you certain I have nothing to make you cave in?" Hero had anticipated that Edward wouldn''t agree to his condition readily, but he hadn''t expected him to be so blunt about it.


    "If you are talking about the women in your hands, they are nothing to me. You can do whatever you want to them." Edward twisted his mouth contemptuously. Other women''s lives didn''t concern him.


    "I mean dying together, you and me. Can you still remain calm?" Hero looked at Edward provocatively. He wasn''t as overbearing as Edward. But he didn''t believe that Edward loved Daisy enough to die for her. He was such an outstanding man after all.


    "Can you do that? I don''t think so. Since you can''t, why should I be rmed?" Edward raised his eyebrows. He treated Hero''s provocation as nothing and wondered why this man was interested in Daisy. Didn''t he know that he and Daisy were on two opposing sides? "Should I give up on her?" Hero wasn''t a sour loser. It was just that he had taken a huge risk toe back for Daisy, but now he couldn''t even see her. He wasn''t ready to give up like that.


    "You think about it. All I can say is that you came a littlete in Daisy''s life. I don''t hate you much. Despite you being a part of the abduction, you didn''t harm my wife and my son. So I won''t interfere in what you do next. Take care."

 Chapter 626 The Tough Punishment (Part Two)

    Edward leftposedly, as if it wasn''t an arms dealer but a business partner who he had been dealing with. Hero''s feelings for Daisy seemed to be sincere. It was only because of Daisy that he hade back despite knowing how dangerous it was. Edward admired his courage and devotion. It seemed that he wasn''t the only one who appreciated Daisy''s virtues. There were many other men who admired his wife. It seemed he had to be alert now. It was a troublesome issue.


    Kevin twitched his mouth. Edward didn''t seem to be helping. He was only making the situation worse. The tension hadn''t been eased but rather aggravated now. Besides, he had to stand there listening to Edward and Hero talk about the woman he loved too. They could talk about it openly but Kevin felt bitter listening to that. Yet from Edward and Hero''s conversation he figured out what Hero hade back for.


    "Major General Gu, what''s going on here?" Mr. Yi, the chief of Public Security Bureau, hastened here with some policemen. He had no idea who the abductor was and why Kevin was doing nothing.


    "What does it look like?" Kevin was angry now. He didn''t dare to yell at Duke or be mad at Edward. Yet he sure could take it out on Mr. Yi.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Mr. Yi gave an awkward smile. He actually couldn''t tell what was happening. This was why he asked. But as a lower-level official, he couldn''t tell Kevin that. So he quietly put up with Kevin''s bad mood.


    "Major General Gu, do you want us to leave safely or die together with you? Either way, I don''t care." Hero smiled bitterly. Edward had ignored his provocation and left indifferently. The contempt in his attitude was like a de stabbing his heart. That man was too powerful. He felt like a clown in front of him. He had lost miserably. Suddenly his life was meaningless.


    "I choose neither of them." Kevin nced at Jessica and Mary disdainfully.


    "I know you will choose the former. You''re a military officer, you won''t abandon the hostages. Don''t follow up. You know the consequence." Hero sounded arrogant and certain. He was certain about Kevin''s choice.


    Yes, Kevin was a military officer. So he had to watch Hero leave with the hostages in his hands. Because they had bound bombs on them. He had no choice but topromise for the safety of the hostages. Still, they sent people to follow the abductors secretly. However, Hero was too sly. When the people started to follow him, he had already run far away. This was when, Jessica and Mary''s miserable lives started.


    "These two women belong to you tonight. Enjoy." Hero was pissed that Jessica and Mary had defied him. He started to ruthlessly deal with them as soon as they reached their new hideout.


    "Thank you, boss. We will." Gangsters were usually lustful. So Hero''s hooligans got really excited about their reward. Those two women were much more beautiful than the women they had been with before. They all pounced on the two women like predators. "Hero, I''m your cousin! How can you do this to me?" Jessica was frightened. She tried to grab Hero''s sleeve, but before she could reach him, the bodyguard stopped her.


    "Jessica, you always look down on me. You shouldn''t have hurt the woman I love. And I assume you asked the hooligans to hurt her. So this is what you deserve."


    Hero sneered. He was smart enough to figure everything out. Normally, Daisy wouldn''t have been so badly injured to be in aa. He couldn''t even have a look at her. Daisy was like a cut in Hero''s heart. And Jessica and Mary''s action torn that cut wide open. The pain was too much for him to bear. He wouldn''t forgive them for that.


    "But they failed. So you can''t be so heartless to me!" Jessica was too scared. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She started to realize how silly she had been. Everything had happened because she wanted a man. Why was it so hard for her to let him go? She regretted the things that had happened so far. Things wouldn''t have gone so bad if she hadn''t acted so impulsively. All this had happened because of her relentless desire to win all the time.


    "Heartless? Maybe. Have you forgotten what I do?" Ironically, Jessica had begged Wolf and the other men earlier for the same thing. Now only the environment and the men in front of her changed.


    Screaming. Shrill cries. Nothing could make Hero change his mind. Jessica was resisting hysterically. Mary, on the other hand, justy there, soulless, like a piece of wood. After everything that happened today, she had no energy left to revolt or rebel. She just epted everything as her fate.


    When Kevin and the others found them, they looked as deste as the fallen leaves in autumn wind. This was what Edward wanted and Hero did it for him.


    In this disaster, Jessica lost her child and she could never be a mother again. This was the toughest punishment for any woman. Hearing the result from the doctor, Kevin sighed. Jessica had brought on this to herself. She shouldn''t have made so many troubles for Daisy in the first ce.


    Fortunately, Hero was caught atst. But Kevin thought Hero surrendered on purpose. He had been found too easily. Most likely, Hero had turned himself in because of Daisy. Apparently, he was crazy about her. Sadly, just like Kevin, he too had fallen in love with the wrong woman.


    The sky wasn''t clouded because of someone''s misfortune. It didn''t rain because of someone''s sorrows either. It was a new sunny day. Daisy finally woke up.


    She had been sleeping for two days. It was either because of the effect of the anaesthetic or because she was just too tired. Edward had been worried to death. Tom had been requested to stay in the Mu''s vi so that he could be around Daisy round the clock. He wasn''t even allowed to go anywhere. Edward finally realized what Daisy must have gone through during the days when he was in aa because of the gunshot.???????????????

 Chapter 627 Youre Still Beautiful In My Eyes (Part One)

    "Have I been sleeping the whole time? Daisy frowned when she saw the man standing in front of her, with deep-set eyes, sunken cheeks, a furrowed face and un-groomed beard and hair. Hadn''t he always been careful about his dress and appearance? Why had his habits changed so drastically?


    "Not very long. But it seems like ages to me," said Edward sadly. He took her hands gently, and put them on his face, feeling her soft skin. He was so ted and relieved that he had forgotten how bad he looked right now.


    "I''m so sorry. I''m sorry to have worried you." Daisy''s mouth twitched slightly. She wanted to give Edward a broad smile andfort him. But a fit of pain assaulted her, and nearly took her breath away.


    "What''s wrong? Does it hurt? I''ll bring Tom in." Daisy''s pain made Edward panic. He was about to turn around and rush to Tom.


    "Don''t bother. I''m fine. It hurts slightly when I try to smile," exined Daisy in a hurry. Meanwhile, her heart trembled. She was afraid that her face might have been marred by scars. Would Edward care if he had an ugly wife?


    "Well, the wound on your face hasn''t healed yet. It takes time. So you might feel pain from time to time. But believe me, you''ll be fine." Edward shot a worried nce at Daisy. Although her health was much better through Tom''s heroic efforts, Jessica had injured her face so badly that the wound hadn''t scabbed. Due to immense guilt, Edward didn''t dare to look Daisy in the eyes. However, as far as Daisy was concerned, Edward had deliberately avoided her nces because she now looked ugly, and he didn''t love her any more.


    "Am I that ugly? Am I disgusting?" Daisy suddenly went pale. She thought she must be disgustingly ugly, otherwise, Edward wouldn''t have averted his eyes.


    "Don''t be silly. You''re irreceable and beautiful no matter what you look like. I love you, darling. I love you forever. Now, get some rest." Edward bent over and kissed Daisy tenderly on her eyelids. As he said, Daisy was his one true love, and no other women couldpete with her in his heart.


    "I''m not being silly. I just said what all of you are thinking of right now." Daisy bit her lip slightly and sadly. She knew that human beings had the right to pursue whatever they believed was good and beautiful. So, she wasn''t surprised at Edward''s response.


    "Do you really think of me that way? Am I a shallow and ungrateful man in your mind, who abandons his wife because of a scar on her face?" Although Edward had been well prepared to be doubted and teased by his wounded and sensitive wife, he still felt wronged and aggrieved when it actually happened. Did Daisy really think of him as a base and irresponsible husband?


    "Edward, don''t lie to yourself. Nobody''s that saintly. Come on. I was once beautiful, and you loved me for it. Now, I''m hideous. And you can''t ept a hideous wife. You know this. If I haven''t disgusted you yet, I will one day. When that dayes, you might regret what you have said today." Daisy didn''t think she was being unreasonable. People change, and their partners must change too. It was just a fact of life. Could Edward fall out of love? Anything was possible.


    "Darling, have you lost confidence in yourself or in me? I''m confused. You shouldn''t worry about those things. We should trust each other and believe that we can get through this together. So, be strong and confident. Don''t lose yourself."


    Edward couldn''t give his wife a promise as good and convincing as the one she expected. Instead of spewing empty talk, he preferred to take good care of her, and show his true self to her. So, he chose to avoid making promises which might not be kept in theing days, months and years.


    "I''m not myself any more. I will be an unreasonable woman, and an annoying and disgusting element in your life." Daisy sounded disappointed, lonely, sad, downhearted and dispirited, as almost patients did in their sickbeds. They became sentimental and let their imagination run wild. Unfortunately, Daisy was a typical example.


    "I see. But you got me wrong. You don''t disgust me. I feel bad for you. I me myself for having let those bad guys hurt you and make you suffer. I feel guilty for being an unqualified husband. You''re still beautiful in my eyes, in my heart." He stretched out his hand and moved her hair away from her eyes. His mouth twitched slightly. He felt it funny that he would ever care about a woman''s sentimentality. Only Daisy could make him feel guilty for her sufferings and herck of confidence.


    "Edward, you''re so good at soothing my pain. Why didn''t I figure that out before now? What a fool I am."


    Daisy was teasing her husband deliberately. Her temporary pessimism fled already. Although she was tough and strong, she couldn''t help worrying about losing whatever she cared about. It was bing harder and harder to control her emotions as she got to know Edward more. Edward was a mystery to her. No matter how hard she tried, she could never see through him, which was why she became fascinated by him.


    "There''s more in me than you think. Every bit of me is something you need to explore. Look at me, I''m an awesome guy, charming, modest.... You''ll never find someone just like me." Edward felt relieved. Finally, Daisy had conquered her doubts and stopped being pessimistic and unreasonable. She used to be smart and realistic, never making too much fuss over one foolish problem. When she understood this, she would move on and never look back.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "Don''t be silly. I see no difference between you and other fools." Daisy showed the whites of her eyes, and pretended to be disgusted by his foolishness and smugness. However, actually she was touched, because he didn''t make a promise which he couldn''t keep, nor lie to her face. He just talked some sense into her mind.


    "Haha. I had better call Tom in to examine you. How could you not see the difference? Did they injured you brain too?"


    Edward was neither a saint nor a loser. So, he knew clearly how to get the best results, how to persuade people to see things his way, through logic or emotion, how to make people feel rxed, and how to soothe away the pains of those people who were hurt and suffering. Simply put, Edward knew people.


    "Don''t make meugh. By the way, where are Jessica and her gangsters? What happened to them?" asked Daisy curiously and anxiously. Daisy really needed to know what that proud, hysterical and insane woman had done when her face was also ruined. "They''re none of my concern. I''m quite busy looking after you." Edward told the truth. In the past two days when Daisy was unconscious, he had refused any information or news from outside. He had focused on taking good care of his wife. Especially after he found the yellowish album in Justin''s bag and reviewed it, he was actually in no mood to deal with other things.


    "Edward, do me a favor and tell me the truth. As far as you''re concerned, why does everyone hate me?"


    She sighed and got confused whenever she recalled what Jessica had done to her and her son. She rarely made enemies, nor contracted enmity with others. Howe she was hated by almost everybody?


    "It''s not your fault. You know, you just fell in love with an outstanding man and made other women jealous. It''s more my fault than yours. And their hatred of you means they''re sad and inadequate." By saying this, Edward sounded extremely proud of himself and overly confident. But honestly speaking, he wasn''t. After all, it was because of him that Daisy got involved and hurt badly.


    "Don''t make a fool of yourself. You''re just embarrassing yourself." If possible, Daisy would like to get his ass kicked. How could he be so self-centered and narcissistic? However, she had to admit that Jessica hated her and treated her that way thanks to Edward. So, you should never be overly happy when the man you married was far more outstanding and excellent than others. This kind of men would also make trouble for you.


    "Jasmine, I''m fascinated by you, as always," said Edward, looking his wife in the eye intently and passionately. His sudden burst of emotion surprised Daisy.


    "What''re you talking about? Did you just call me Jasmine?" Daisy''s lips trembled. ''Was it just an illusion, or did I hear it wrong?'' she wondered. Nobody had called her by that name ever since her mother died. Edward shouldn''t have known that name.

 Chapter 628 Youre Still Beautiful In My Eyes (Part Two)

    "No, I didn''t. I called you my Goddess." Edward tried to smooth things over, and make an excuse for what he blurted out. He hadn''t expected her to know this so soon. He nned to tell herter. As for the exact timing, he wasn''t sure. There was a whole life ahead them, he would finally find a suitable time to tell her, to surprise her.


    "Did you? I must be tired and getting sentimental." "I might have heard it wrong. Have I lost my mind to think that Edward knows my childhood name, a name which hasn''t been called for a long long time?'' she thought to herself.


    "What is it? Does that name mean something to you?" asked Edward expectantly. He wondered whether Daisy still remembered their chance meeting in childhood. If she had no clue about it, how could she fall in love with him at first sight?


    "Yes, it means a lot. My mother used to call me that. She once told me that I was born in a city filled with the fragrance of jasmine. So she always called me Jasmine. I haven''t heard anybody call me by that name since she passed away. So, I must have heard you wrong. I''m sorry for misunderstanding what you said."


    Daisy recalled her childhood, when she would cheerfully and happily throw herself in her mother''s arms whenever mother called her by that name. However, that was ages ago, and she could never get that back again.


    "So, can I call you Jasmine?" asked Edward tenderly. He never expected that, Daisy who was a lovely girl in the past, would grow up to be a cool and aloof beauty twenty yearster. He had thought that the little girl with broad and sweet smiles would live a happy and harmonious life. However, he had been terribly wrong.


    "Piss off. Never treat me like an innocent kid." Although she liked that name, it was only a memory that nobody should mention it again. Without her mom alive, it meant nothing.


    "Mom, you''re back finally." Justin walked in cheerfully. The bruises on his face had disappeared thanks to Tom''s efforts. As expected, Tom followed him and also walked inside.


    "Yeah, my dear boy. Are you alright? Does it still hurt?" asked Daisy anxiously, observing Justin up and down. She would never forgive herself for getting Justin involved, frightened and hurt.


    "Don''t worry, Daisy. I have got him covered. He''ll be fine," said Tom. "Thank God, you finally woke up. Edward would kill me if you were still unconscious," Tom added, smiling.


    Tom slouched into Daisy''s ward, tired. He had told Edward that Daisy was fine and would wake up, all she needed was time. But Edward didn''t believe him and stayed worried every minute. So Tom had to be vignt and he hadn''t slept for several days in a row, carefully monitoring Daisy so that Edward might feel a bit of relief.


    "Thank you so much, Tom. I really appreciate your efforts. It seems that I''m being patched up by you all the time," said Daisy apologetically. She knew that Edward would be bullying and annoying sometimes. Hadn''t he behaved that way when she had a coldst time? So she could understand Tom''s frustration in the past few days when he was pestered by Edward. However, it still felt sweet to be cared and deeply loved by her beloved husband. Thus, she would not me him. All she could do now was to apologize to Tom on behalf of her husband.


    "Daisy, you''re so nice, quite different from Edward who always drives me like a ve but never bothers to say anything sweet." Obviously, he was using Edward, meanwhile he started to examine Daisy''s wounds.


    "Want something sweet? huh?" Edward frowned, and wondered since when had Tom developed the habit ofining and be so annoying. He realized that Tom had learnt from the best, since he was hanging around with Rain all the time.


    "No, Don''t bother." Tom was discouraged when he saw the ominous expression on Edward''s face. He was one of the few people capable of understanding what Edward was thinking.


    "Then, shut up and do your job," Edward sneered. Tom could be a whiny bitch if you went soft on him. So, he might learn to show some restraint only when he was treated hard and coldly.


    "Daisy, I admire you for your physical and mental endurance. With all those scars and wounds on your body, even my heart trembled when I started to examine you at first. You''re such an amazing woman, and I give my thumbs-up to your courage and bravery."


    He had never met such an admirable and amazing woman before. If he hadn''t seen it by himself, he couldn''t have believed that a woman could be like this, enduring all that pain and always keeping the courage to fight for her life. She could easily overdo any man in this way. He adored her even more.


    "With survival instincts and faith, anything is possible." Speaking of that, Daisy shot a tender nce at Edward. She would do whatever she could and fight to the death to stay loyal and faithful to her husband, unless the enemy was too powerful to be ovee. Otherwise, she would never allow her body to be trampled on. This was her way of loving a man, as well as her promise and a deration of love. She had won finally, hadn''t she?


    Although she had gone through all this unbearable pain, she was repaid with a harmonious marriage, a beloved husband and a lovely son. Somebody might consider her as a fool, but she believed in her way of loving her husband, son and family. She had to stick to her principles.


    Edward felt a sharp pain in his heart. He loved her more for her faith, her loyalty, her adhering to those honorable principles, her love for him, and her considerateness. How could he have allowed Daisy to be hurt by some crazy women?


    "I see, you aren''t talking to me, are you?" asked Tom. He frowned and felt embarrassed by getting between Edward and Daisy. He knew he had been excluded from their conversation when he saw the loving nces between husband and wife.


    "Uncle Tom, Why would you speak it out loud in front of us? I''m embarrassed, too," said Justin. He patted Tom on his legs, sighed and shook his head. His embarrassed expression was funny and made other peopleugh.


    "Yeah. I know that. It seems we should leave them alone, Justin," said Tom. Then, Tom tilted his head, pretending to be thinking whether he should stay here checking up on Daisy''s health or he should just leave.


    "I think so too. Let''s get out of here so that my parents can hug and kiss," said Justin, winking. Justin''s words brought a warm flush to Daisy''s face. His mouth twitched slightly, and he giggled.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    "You two are too much. Now get out of here," said Edward in a fury. He had expected Justin and Tom to leave as soon as Tom finished the physical examination. However, he had been disappointed and increasingly annoyed. He glowered at them, hoping that he and his wife could be left alone as soon as possible.


    "Haha! Dad, we''re just admiring you two." Justin cheerfully threw himself into his dad''s arms, and winked at Tom, "What about you? Uncle Tom," asked Justin.


    "Justin''s right. We''re just jealous of you, a sweet couple. Your public disy of affection and love surely makes us feel jealous." Rain had always been the funny one. But Tom had somehow learned how to make fun of other people.


    "Uncle Tom, don''t do that. I''m not one of you guys. I''m just a kid, and have no clue about how love works. And don''t tell me, either!" Justin prevented Tom from saying anything more. He hadn''t forgotten why hisptop was locked up by his mother. So, he wouldn''t discuss love with three adults.


    "Damn, little man. You set a trap and I walked straight into it." Tom knew Justin was smart, and had outwitted himself. He hoped that Edward wouldn''t lose his temper for this. He didn''t want to lose his opportunity of gaining some funds from Edward to finish his experiments.

 Chapter 629 Just Go With The Flow (Part One)

    "Come on, Uncle Tom. I didn''t set a trap for you. You set the trap, and I just pushed you into it." Draping his arms around Edward''s neck, Justin smiled slyly and made a face at Tom. "Justin! You are such a naughty brat!" Tomined. He furrowed his brow when checking Daisy''s face. The wound was so deep that he had to try his best to treat her.


    "How is she? How bad is it?" Edward let his eyes settle upon Tom''s face, so that he wouldn''t miss a single expression.


    "Not bad at all. It''s just very time consuming." Tom straightened himself. Other doctors might carry out cosmetic surgery to eliminate the scars, but Tom was the exception. He had conducted experiments for so many years and had developed effective scar elimination products.


    "Great! Time is not a problem." Actually Edward didn''t care about the scars on Daisy''s face and he would love her in any case. The reason that he was so nervous was that she cared about all that.


    "What are you talking about?" Daisy looked back and forth between Edward and Tom, wondering what they were talking about.


    "We''re talking about your wounds. What do you think we''re talking about?" Edward lied because he didn''t want Daisy to worry about her face. He didn''t want her to know how serious the wound on her face was. She didn''t need to know that right now.


    "Daisy, please rest assured. I''m a capable doctor. I can cure any wounds without leaving a scar. I promise you will be the prettydy that you were before." Tomforted Daisy. He was very confident in curing her as he had the strength. He knew what he was doing. "Don''t stress out. I won''t me you if I get scars," Daisy stated indifferently. She was about to give Tom a smile, but when she recalled the sharp pain thest time she tried that, she didn''t.


    "Come on! If I couldn''t cure the wound on your face, I would deserve to be called the Genius Doctor." Tom swore he would cure Daisy no matter how hard it was. But if any other woman had the same problem, he would not go to so much trouble. It was only Daisy that he cared about.


    "I like that, bro! You may leave now. Remember,e and change the dressing on the wounds tomorrow," Edward demanded indifferently as if it was a great honor for Tom to treat Daisy.


    "Yes, Your Majesty," Tom taunted him, rolling his eyes. Countless patients ttered him and asked him to cure their terminal diseases. But Edward always asked him to cure Daisy''s little wounds. He rated himself above the job.


    "Just go. Now! Otherwise I might regret letting you goter." Edward felt Tom''s unspoken criticism. But he ignored that. He didn''t want to argue with Tom, and he only wanted tofort Daisy.


    "Daisy, don''t get your wounds wet, otherwise they might get inmed. As for the diet, I will tell Mrs. Wu about the things that need attention. She can put some herbs in her meals to help you heal. Have a good rest. I''m leaving now." Tom didn''t want to argue with Edward either. After saying goodbye, he turned around and left the room quickly as if he was chased by some rampaging beast.


    "What''s wrong with Tom?" Daisy asked, watching his receding figure. Why did he leave in such a hurry?


    "Just ignore him. Talented people are all freaks." Edward smiled. Of course he knew what Tom was afraid of. But he wouldn''t tell her.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    "Dad, stop! That is not cool! I''m talented, and I''m not a freak!" Justin pursed his mouth, grumbling. He was not happy as his father just insulted all gifted people.


    "Well, so you think of yourself as a gifted person, eh?" Edward was amused by Justin''s words. Looking at Justin''s angry face, Edward gave a teasing smile, giving a unique sense of beauty. He also knew it would piss Justin off further.


    "So you''re saying I''m not? Or you think your genes aren''t good enough, huh?" Justin raised his head and looked at Edward in the eye.


    "Fine! You got me." Edward rubbed his nose in embarrassment. He was unwilling to admit that his genes weren''t good enough. He lost out to Justin this time.


    "Come on, both of you. Stop." Daisy feigned anger, but her smiling face betrayed her. She looked lovingly at the two most important men in her life, and felt she was so lucky to have them. After going through so many difficulties, she truly believed that she would have a better life in the future.


    However, Jessica was living in hell now. She lost her baby, and she would be unable to be a mother anymore. More importantly, she was badly disfigured. She stared dejectedly out the window in the blue sky with white clouds, full of hate and bitterness.


    "Jessica, are you okay?" Coco entered the ward. She was wearing a beautiful dress and looked like a fairy. She was much more simple and elegant after she was not a star anymore.


    "Coco." Jessica greeted the visitor as she turned to face her. The moment she saw Coco''s refined features, she looked away, tears streaming down her cheeks.


    "Jessica, what''s going on? There are so many cops outside the ward. Are they going to take you to the police station?" Coco trembled in fear. She had something else to do that day. Otherwise, she would have taken part in the event.


    "I guess so. I did something wrong, and I have to pay the price." The price was too high for her to pay. But who was to me? She could only me herself for loving someone who didn''t love her in return.


    "Are you going to jail?" Coco was very worried about Jessica. If Jessica went to jail, her life would be screwed.


    "What do you think they''re doing? They have so much free time that they can hang out outside my ward, huh?" After getting through the disaster, Jessica was not the same woman who tended to go to extremes. On the contrary, she was now more cautious, more fatalistic. Before learning her lesson, she had always believed that she could manipte anyone. But now she realized that she was nothing.


    "What are you going to do in the future?" Coco asked as she sat down. After seeing Jessica''s tragedy, she had totally given up on Edward.


    "Just go with the flow. Don''t tell my parents what happened. I don''t think they can withstand the blow." Was it toote for her to think of her parents now? At least she knew she had been wrong in the past. If she still went up against Daisy, she would be totally screwed. "They will figure it out sooner orter. Jessica, what about you? Is it a blow to you?" Coco frowned after asking the question as it was a stupid one. A woman had been left hideously disfigured and would be unable to be a mother. If it wasn''t a blow to her, then she must be a machine with no feelings.


    "It was more than a blow to me." Jessica lifted her hand to touch her abdomen. There was once a baby there, but it was destroyed by her ignorance and envy. The baby was both unfortunate and fortunate; unfortunately, it had no chance toe to this world, but fortunately, it would not have to have such an irresponsible mother.


    "Jessica, don''t be so sad. You can have stic surgery. You''ll be the same beautifuldy for sure. As for the baby, you can adopt one. It''s not a big deal." Coco tried tofort Jessica. But she couldn''t help but sigh when saying this. After all, Jessica was unable to have her own child.00000

 Chapter 630 Just Go With The Flow (Part Two)

    "Never mind. I don''t care. Just go and leave me alone." Really? She didn''t care? Jessica was not sure. She closed her eyes and was not in the mood to chat with Coco anymore. She didn''t know whether she would be able to stay calm if she saw Edward again. She wasn''t sure whether she would move on. But she was sure that no matter how hard she tried, Edward would never fall in love with her.


    Coco tried to say something, but she bit back the words. Sometimes when people did something wrong, their lives would be totally ruined. Luckily, Coco pulled herself back from the abyss before it was toote. Otherwise, she might have ended up like Jessica. She had such a panic attack after seeing Jessica''s situation and she felt lucky that she was not that stupid. Sometimes, giving up on someone wasn''t a bad thing. She was lucky that she hadn''t provoked Edward.


    Compared to Jessica, Mary was a lot luckier. After all, her hair would soon grow back. As for being raped, she didn''t care about that at all. She had always been a loose woman. So she was not sad about that.


    She was more concerned with the fact that she was kicked out of the house. From now on, she was not the person from a rich and powerful family. Instead, she was merely an ordinary woman at the bottom of the society, living among the dregs.


    "Mary, how could you be so stupid? Your father has often wanted to kick us out. Why did you do that? You know he cares about Daisy the most. Why did you provoke her? You were asking for this!"


    Yakira had long lost her husband''s love. What Mary had done put her into a more difficult position. Paul''s appearance added to her misfortunes. She was in a sorry state, weighed down by numerous troublesome problems.


    "Stop yelling at me. I am the only one who was booted out. You still live with the family." Mary''s heart broke when thinking of Leo''s attitude after he knew the whole story. She had never expected her father to turn against her. She was also a victim, but her father ignored that and threw her out of both Ouyang Foreign Trade and the family.


    Mary smiled bitterly, and thought to herself, ''After all, I''m not his own daughter. That''s why I lost to Daisy in the game.'' She finally understood that she was an outsider in the family. No matter how much Leo hadvished his love and affection on her in the past, he would show no mercy to her once she hurt his own flesh and blood.


    "Do you know what a difficult position I''m in?" Yakira stole a nce at the cops outside the ward. She had stayed in the police station for almost two days before and she didn''t expect to deal with cops again so soon. She felt a spasm of panic and went rigid when she stared at the cops.


    "Come on, you can depend on your son. But I have nothing." Brian''s indifference towards her chilled her blood. She felt like an orphan, like nobody had ever cared about her.


    "Bah! Do you think Brian treats me like his mother?" Yakira got angry whenever Brian was mentioned. What a sad character she was! Her own son even treated her like a ck sheep.


    "It''s all your fault, and none of my business. If you hadn''t seduced Leo, I wouldn''t have ended up like this. Besides, I threatened that bitch just for saving you."


    Mary hadn''t realized her problem yet and still cast all the me on others. It was she who tried to steal something that didn''t belong to her. But she made so many excuses that it sounded like she was the victim. She was a monster of selfishness and never thought about what a terrible person she was. Yakira didn''t try to stick up for herself. After all, she was the origin of all the problems. If she hadn''t had an affair with Leo, she would not have ended up like this. As a result, she had no excuse and could only sit quietly during Mary''s usations.


    The night hung low in the sky and a cool breeze brushed people''s faces. The moment Yakira walked out of the entrance of the hospital, Paul blocked her way. He stared at her with a vicious smile.


    "Paul! Why are you here?" It never urred to her that he would find her so soon. She looked around, in an attempt to call for help, but he grabbed her arm and dragged her into his car.


    "Why shouldn''t I be here, Yakira? You never thought I''de back, huh?" Paul taunted as he stretched out his hand to turn on the radio.


    "You shouldn''t havee back from overseas! We made a deal!" Yakira turned off the music and stared angrily at him. If he had kept his promise, she wouldn''t have been besieged on all sides.


    "All my bank ounts are frozen. I live like a beggar these days, but you live an extravagant life. Do you think that''s fair?" Paul rolled his eyes and exined.


    "You should have called me first. And I would have paid you," Yakira roared, gnashing her teeth. They had made a deal that he must note back no matter what happened. But now, he was back and was even caught by Edward. She was so bogged down in this.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "I wanted to call you, but I couldn''t get through. Someone nned and controlled everything secretly. Since the person wanted me to turn up here in this country, he would do everything to force me to get here. It was like smoking out a gopher." After being imprisoned for a long time, Paul had thought it through. There must be someone who nned everything out. He must have been monitored the whole time.


    "You mean Edward?" Yakira asked with a frown. She was reluctant to believe that everything was under Edward''s control. She knew he was a powerful man, but she didn''t expect him to be able to freeze foreign bank ounts.


    "Of course it''s him. Who else could do this? Leo? Don''t be such a fool! If Leo was so smart, he would have figured out everything twenty years ago. Just admit it, Edward is an amazing puppet-master. Come on, never mind that. Just give me money."


    He had investigated Edward during the past few days, and then knew that Edward''s wife Daisy was Grace''s daughter. He finally understood why Edward confronted him.


    "What should we do? We can''t just sit and wait for the cops." Yakira panicked. After all, she was a woman. No matter how borate her schemes were, she freaked out when policemen were involved. Edward was a powerful man and wouldn''t spare them. "Come on, you''ve been to jail once. But you got released, right? We did that more than twenty years ago and we have eliminated all evidence. Rest assured, no one will find out. There is no Sherlock Holmes in this world."


    Paul snorted. He was amused by Yakira''s reaction as he couldn''t believe that Edward would find any evidence against them. Though he had left this country for more than twenty years, he still had channels he could go through for information. He had investigated many things over the past few days.


    "Don''t think so little of modern forensic techniques or Edward. If he wants to do something, he would have it done for sure. Just look at what you are suffering now. He can even freeze your foreign bank ounts. He is a powerful man. We can never underestimate him." Yakira was not trying to rain on Paul''s parade. She was deeply aware of the importance of money and power in today''s society.0000????????????

 Chapter 631 Seeing Is Believing (Part One)

    was forced toe back to China to face a boatload of troubles.


    "So why did you bother him in the first ce? I just can''t believe that he was just acting on impulse or that he hadn''t been informed of what we might have done before." Paul was gripped by a fit of anger. He could have lived afortable and carefree life abroad. Now he "I''m not a fool. It wasn''t me. I was in no mood to provoke him face to face. It was just that Mary wanted to be his wife and made a real mess."


    How could their family have broken up if Mary hadn''t clung to her silly and hopeless infatuation for Edward? She even ignored all the other guys who wanted her. So, extravagant and fruitless hope was a real bitch in life.


    "What''s wrong with her, always making so much trouble? Twenty years ago she prevented you from marrying Leo. Now, she''s the main problem. Everything crushing us now is her fault." Paul hadn''t seen Mary since her childhood and he had lots of memories of her as a mischievous kid. Mary never made a good impression on him. Apparently he was a good judge of character.


    "Forget about it. What''s done is done. There''s nothing to be done about it. Our next move should be the main concern. If you hadn''t been such a fool as to blurt out everything while you were being recorded, we wouldn''t be in such dire straits. We should be ying offense, not defense,"


    Yakira sighed. Without evidence, they couldn''t be used or charged even if their enemies had known the facts. Paul had told them everything in detail, which was bad, because cops were more likely to investigate further, and the results might lead to them. When that happened, they would be doomed and there would be no way out.


    "Nonsense. What would you do if you were hung over a pond with ferocious crocodiles swimming in it? Could you stay calm? Come on, I like living." He had always been smart and bold. Nothing could scare him, except dozens of those beasts opening their wide mouths and waiting for him to fall. The prospect of him being torn apart and his body parts being chewed and swallowed by those nasty animals sent chill to his balls. Otherwise, he would never have given in and told them everything.


    "What? Crocodiles?" Hearing his words, Yakira couldn''t help taking a deep breath. The images in her mind''s eye made her hair stand on end.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "Yeah. Now we understand each other, right?" Paul sneered. He had thought his cousin was afraid of nothing. Apparently, he was wrong. Someday she would be trembling in fear.


    "Then how did you get away?" Paul''s easy escape intrigued Yakira. She had a vague idea that Edward would never let Paul go so easily, and that Edward must be plotting something. Otherwise, Edward must have gone mad by letting Paul go unpunished.


    "Never underestimate him. He''s ying cat and mouse with us. Trust me on this." Paul looked out of the window and wondered where those bastards were, were they stalking and monitoring him. He knew something was wrong, but he hadn''t found out what it was yet. He had thought that he was just being paranoid, but the eerie atmosphere and unusual feelings had to mean something. He must stay vignt.


    "Are you telling me that he let you go on purpose so that you''de find me, and get me exposed? You bastard! Why would you do that? Why walk straight into his trap, get me involved and put me in danger?" With these words, Yakira raised her Chanel bag and hit Paul with it, hard.


    "Stop. Don''t lose your fucking mind and listen to me carefully. He won''t get us, do you hear me? We''ve left no evidence to incriminate us. So, don''t worry, we''ll be fine." Paul blocked her attack with one of his arms, while he tried to talk some sense into her. "Are you sure that there''s no evidence? Could somebody have witnessed Grace''s death?" Yakira had a good understanding of Edward''s character, and knew that he would do nothing in vain. So, he must have gotten some evidence. ''What''s on your mind? Edward, '' thought Yakira to herself.


    "If I recall correctly, a young couple passed by and might have seen something. But I don''t know for sure. At that time I was too scared to figure out who they were. I had to get out of there as fast as possible. I vaguely remember that they weren''t just ordinary man and woman. Both of them were beautiful and special." Paul''s only and vague memory of those two potential witnesses couldn''t lead him to anything, not their locations nor their identities, although Paul was impressed by what they looked like.


    "Could this couple happen to be Jonathan and his fucking wife?" Some truths began to surface, when she recalled the strange behaviors of the Mu couple and their resolution to ept Daisy as their daughter-inw. It couldn''t be a simple story.


    "Jonathan, who''s he? Why can''t I remember him? Have I ever met him?" Paul was nobody before he went abroad, so there was no way that he could meet Jonathan. They didn''t run in the same circles. He got confused and wondered howe he had never heard this name before.


    "He''s the former president of FX International Group, Edward''s dad. Don''t be ridiculous, you are too poor and uncultured to have ever met him. Yakira''s mouth twitched slightly. She was being jealous of Cynthia and thought that woman must be a witch, knowing spells to keep her young forever. Yakira looked at herself through the car''s rearview mirror and saw her face was a mess of wrinkles, with dark skin.


    "Are they a problem for us?" asked Paul anxiously. If it was true that Edward''s father witnessed the ident, it would actually mean a huge trouble to them.


    "Anyway, they are difficult to deal with. So, watch out and don''t make any more mistakes. Now, get out of my car, I''m going home." Thinking of the ultimatum given by Leo, Yakira got increasingly worried and she frowned. She still didn''t believe that Brian would be so cruel to his mother.


    "Give it to me," said Paul, stretching out his right hand, while he massaged his nose with the other hand. He looked at Yakira seriously.


    "What?" asked Yakira, confused. She shot a disgusting nce at Paul, but she didn''t overdo it.


    "Don''t y me. I need money. What else do you think I''m asking for?" Paul wielded his fist arrogantly, for which other people would have guessed that Yakira owed him.


    "I''m short on money now. So, please don''t spend all your money gambling, and save unnecessary expenses. Gambling is doing you no good. You know that?" Yakira took out a bank card from her purse angrily and threw it to him. She felt disgusted by her cousin''s greed. "Please, don''t lie to my face. I''m not a kid. Did you just say that the wife of Ouyang Foreign Trade''s president is out of money? I don''t buy it. By the way, how much do you have on this card? I hope that you''re not as mean as Brian," said Paul, smiling and wielding the card aggressively. He blurted out his recent meeting with Brian before he knew it.


    "What? Did you talk to Brian and ask for money?" asked Yakira in a fury. She grabbed him by the cor and looked at him, her eyes zing with anger.


    "Don''t make a scene. A half mil means nothing to your family or Brian. You can spare the cash for me. Am I right? Cousin?" Paul giggled. Paul removed her hand from his cor, and arranged it calmly, which further angered Yakira. She clenched her teeth, and tried hard to refrain herself from hitting him in the face.


    "All right. You can have the money. But what did you tell him?" said Yakira hysterically. She glowered at him and finally knew why Brian became meaner to her after she was discharged from the police station. Paul was a bastard who dared to make troubles for her.


    "I told him nothing but the very truth. By the way, he doesn''t look like your son, haha. He''s so nice and kind." Paul was bold enough to get Yakira so riled up and shoot contemptuous nces at her. As far as he was concerned, Yakira was as evil as himself, being no better. "Fuck off," said Yakira indignantly, pointing to the car door and asking him to get out of the car. A woman, no natter how evil she had be, would never show her dark sides to her kids.000000000??????

 Chapter 632 Seeing Is Believing (Part Two)

    "Don''t be mad. I''m leaving. But before I go, give me the password." Paul shrugged his shoulders, hoping against hope that his cousin wouldn''t be too angry to take the bank card back. "Just go. Get out. Never let me see you again." Yakira found that her maternal dignity had been ruined and was gonepletely. How could she stand in front of Brian and call him son? "You''re crazy." Paul got out of her car in a hurry to avoid further provoking her. This woman could be more terrifying than a viin if she went insane. So, he decided to disappear before it was toote. Yakira didn''t care what Paul thought. She started the engine and pulled away before Paul could stand up outside the car and say goodbye. She disappeared down the street, while Paul cursed and screamed.


    The city was enveloped in a curtain of darkness and some stars were twinkling in the sky. Brian pulled over beside the Mu Family''s vi. After some hesitation, he got off the car. He leaned against the car door, and stared at the grand house standing before him. Honestly speaking, he was ashamed of knocking at the door and getting inside. However, he was engulfed by worry and remorse. So he drove his car here before he knew it.


    He blinked and his loneliness was reced quickly by his usual optimism. He took a deep breath, smiled with self-mockery, opened his car door and was about to leave, ready to head back home.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    "What''s wrong? Come on in," said Edward, smiling wryly, hands in his pockets and leaning against the wallzily. He looked at Brian, intrigued.


    "Is Daisy all right?" Brian stopped and asked timidly. Although he had been informed what happened to Daisy, he was also discouraged froming over and visiting her, especially after his father was refused by the Mu family. He wasn''t sure whether he would be kicked out of this vi or not. Anxious and worried as he was, he was too ashamed to knock at the door, after all Daisy''s suffering and ident were deeply involved with himself.


    "Seeing is believing. Come on, you cane inside. Don''t be shy," said Edward. His mouth twisted darkly. He turned round and walked to the vi without looking back at Brian. He knew Brian would surely follow him ande inside.


    Brian hesitated, debating whether it was a good idea to visit Daisy or not. Atst, his worry and love towards Daisy won over his shame and timidity. He got in the car, stared the engine and drove through the vi gate. It closed slowly after he went inside.


    "Go upstairs. Your sister''s on bed rest. She''s not allowed to move around right now," Edward said warmly, leaning against the staircase. He went to check the cameras when a guard called in and reported that a stranger was hanging about outside the vi gate. He had wondered who it was until he saw from the screen that it was Brian standing there, hesitating and looking indecisive. He knew what Brian was thinking and worried about. He knew that Brian was important to Daisy, so Edward came out of the house and invited him in. Edward thought Brian should be ttered, because anybody would be thrilled when Edward personally came out and invited him or her in. What an honor it was to be Edward''s guest.


    "Thank you," said Brian for his intrusion. He looked at Edward apologetically before he started to walk up the stairs.


    Edward remained still. He didn''t follow Brian up. Instead of that, he walked to the living room and sat on the couch, since he knew Brian and Daisy had a lot to talk about, and he had better leave them alone.


    "What''s up? Is Daisy upstairs alone?" asked Jonathan in a rich, baritone voice. Maybe his coldness and brutality did that to his voice.


    "What about you? Why did you leave your wife alone? Shouldn''t she enjoy yourpany?" said Edward indifferently. Edward shot a defiant look at Jonathan. After their several conversations these days, they weren''t as hostile as they used to be. Although they weren''t as intimate as other fathers and sons, they could finally exchange some jokes and feel rxed.


    "Would you like to y some chess with me?" asked Jonathan. Instead of answering his question, Jonathan sent out an invitation. Then, he sat at the table. His handsome face and dignity were like Edward''s. He was more of a brother to Edward than a father, even though he seemed to be more shrewd and serious. It was no wonder that many people thought of Jonathan as Edward''s big brother.


    "Good idea, if you aren''t afraid of losing." Edward raised his eyebrows, and looked at his father with a teasing smile.


    "Son, I''m not as stupid as you are," said Jonathan, annoyed. He took out the chessboard. Although feeling a bit ufortable, he never thought that one day he could sit at a table and y with his son, without argument nor hostility. Edward smiled wryly and remained silent. Hezily leaned against the armrest, as arrogant and condescending as any yboy could be. He was also touched by this unexpected game of chess with his father.


    Brian rapped on the door to Daisy''s room. His face remained nk, and nobody could tell from his facial expression what he was thinking. However, when Daisy answered the door and said e on in'', he felt relieved and then ted. "Brian, I didn''t expect to see you here," said Daisy in surprise when she found that her caller was actually his brother. She tried to get up from her bed to greet him.


    "Sis, don''t bother. Stay put. You need some rest." Brian hurried over to her to prevent her from getting up.


    "I''m fine. I have been lying in bed, like forever. I had better get up and move around the room," said Daisy. Daisy had not expected Brian to appear in her room suddenly. Anyway she was pleased to see him again. "Then, I can help you up." Brian did care about Daisy. He helped her by supporting her arms as tenderly as he could, for fear that he might identally touch her wounds and hurt her.


    "Stop fussing. I hate being treated like a pathetic patient." Daisy grimaced in pain, since she forgot the wound on her face and smiled.


    "What''s wrong? Did I hurt you?" Seeing the painful expression on Daisy''s face, Brian panicked, and didn''t know what to do next. Daisy, severely injured, was as fragile as a vase, thought Brian to himself.


    "Brian, thank you. Your visit makes me feel like I still have my family with me," said Daisy. This kind of feeling was different from what she got from the Mu family, because it came from the same blood flowing in their veins.


    "Sis, I felt ashamed when you thanked me," said Brian, embarrassed and sad. He knew that he was in no position to be thanked by Daisy. Although he didn''t hurt Daisy personally, the perpetrator was closely rted to him by blood. He didn''t deserve forgiveness. "Brian, I know you better than you think, and I''m a reasonable woman. So don''t me yourself for what you didn''t do. It''s not your fault. You''re my only brother no matter what happens."


    Daisy stretched her hand and fondled Brian''s hair. If there was anything in Ouyang Family worth her memories, it was Brian. Nothing else mattered to her anymore.


    "Daisy, don''t you hate me for all your suffering and pain?" said Brian bitterly. Then, he raised his head and saw theforting nce from Daisy. When he noticed the bandage tied around Daisy''s head, his heart trembled with remorse and shame again. "Have you done anything to me that you should apologize for? Or, have you done anything that hurt me?" asked Daisy, observing Brian''s face carefully.


    "No, I haven''t. I would never do that to my sister," Brian blurted out before he was interrupted again.


    "Then, you shouldn''t feel ashamed. I don''t like this kind of weird rtionship between brother and sister. We should be closer. You''re too hesitant, and it''s gonna make us feel embarrassed and drive us further apart."


    Daisy knew Brian''s worries and his unusual sensitivity. However, she never refused her brother nor med him for anything. On the contrary, she almost felt sorry for what had happened to him."

 Chapter 633 She Is My Sister (Part One)

    "Okay, I won''t hold back anymore. So be prepared to see all my shorings. You might not like what you find. I''ll annoy you till you are sick of me." Brian buried his head in her neck to hide his reddened eyes because he was incredibly touched.


    "That''s not going to happen. Because all this time, you never upset me. So how could you even annoy me?" Patting his back, Daisy''s eyes were also a bit red. To be honest, she was willing to lose everyone in her original family except Brian. He was the only one that she


    didn''t want to lose, because he was the only one who shared blood with her that she still cared for.


    "Kid, you know you''re making me a little jealous?" Edward''s eyes were smiling, but his tone suggested otherwise.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "That''s what I want. What, are you really that jealous? Come and bite me." Brian didn''t move away from Daisy, and he even pressed his face to hers, looking at Edward yfully.


    "Huh! You must be in need of some tender loving care, given what''s going on in your household. I''ll lend my honey to you to hold for a while." Edward was wearing casual clothes. The neck of his shirt was a little low, showing his tight, fair muscles, making him look a bit wild and enticing.


    "Lend? She''s my sister. Watch your mouth, jerk! I won''t warn you again." Brian was still clinging to Daisy without a care, again fighting with Edward. It seemed that this was their way of getting along. Because Daisy was caught between them, they would never get along well with each other. They were like Duke and Kevin, only Duke was obsessed with his younger sister while Brian was obsessed with his older sister.


    "Don''t forget that your sister is now my wife, the one who''s going to be by my side for life. But you, you''ll eventually belong to another woman in the future. So you tell me, who will win in the end?"


    Edward didn''t take the bait at all. His face was still rxed, while his eyes glittered with spirit. With just a few words, he brutally crushed Brian''s pride.


    "So what? I''m her only brother. While husband... husband can be swapped out at any time. Lots of women treat their husbands like potato chips -- they can''t have just one." Brian only felt dejected for a second. Then he quickly struck back. He didn''t know the reason, but he always felt happy when seeing Edward at a loss for words.


    "Brian, are you trying to make me mad?" Edward squinted his eyes, giving Brian a sidelong nce. He wouldn''t mind any other jokes, but jokes about his honey were definitely a no-no.


    "What do you think?" Brian''s face was very serious too, because in his heart, Daisy was also his only family member, the others were nothing to him. That was why he cared so much where his sister was concerned. He only wanted the best for her, it was just that he couldn''t see eye to eye with Edward sometimes.


    "Enough! What do you have against each other? Why is it that every time you''re together a fight breaks out? It hurts me to see you at each others'' throats. Do you even think about how I feel?" Daisy couldn''t help but roll her eyes. These two were not young boys. Why were grown men acting so childish? Her loud shout stretched out her wound, making it hurt again.


    "Sis, it''s not my fault. He started it." Brian smirked at Edward, very pleased with himself that he said it first.


    "If you hadn''t kept digging at me, I wouldn''t have given a damn about you. Besides, it''s time for you to go home." Edward was quite the jealous type. Once he fell in love with a woman, he would cherish her with all his might. He wouldn''t let another man get his hands on her, even if the man was Brian. He wouldn''tpromise at all, so his words also showed his dominance.


    "Who says I should go home? I''ve only been here for a little while. Besides, we still have a lot to talk about -- in secret! What do you say, Daisy?" Brian was very smart to drag Daisy into this. In this way, Edward couldn''t do anything to him no matter how angry he was. "Ummm... I plead the fifth?" Daisy raised her head and looked at Edward. She jokingly invoked the legal right to remain silent. Facing his smirk, she couldn''t help but flinch. How did she get dragged into this mess? Why were they both waiting for her to answer at once? "Of course, Daisy." Edward smirked, that was exactly what he wanted. His eyes shone with delight. It looked like that this little woman had learnt to notice things and be tactful. His meaningful smile was an unspoken threat. Actions had consequences.


    "It seems that married sisters are indeed like spilled water. Old sayings do have some relevance after all. That''s why my sister is plotting against me with an outsider." Brian looked upset, like he had been really hurt by his sister''s behavior as his words suggested. "Enough, stop ying the victim now, and don''t speak like a book with me. I don''t know anything about your old sayings and I don''t ever want to know."


    Edward was not being kind to Brian''s act, and that was just how he was. Only he could trash others, and it was impossible for others to judge him in return.


    Looking back and forth between the two men, Daisy waspletely at a loss for words. How did they get back to the beginning again? It seemed that if she wanted them to get along well with each other, she had quite a long way to go.


    Yakira hurriedly ran upstairs once she got home. She had a feeling that she needed to exin something to Brian. But much to her surprise, nobody was home at the moment.


    Yakira slowly walked over to the bed and sat down. In fact, she hadn''t been in this room for quite a long time, and she was too ashamed to tell anyone the reason for it. She was forbidden to enter this room by Brian because he didn''t like anyone in his room. Yakira''s smile was bitter, because in her own son''s eyes, she was just some random person.


    She raised her head and looked at the night table beside his bed. Just one look was enough to turn her sad face into a visage full of fury. She quickly stood up, picked up the photo frame and threw it on the ground. She then heavily stomped on the beautiful face on the photo, letting her anger all out. The ss cracked, shards were left on the floor.


    Why, why did he only keep that bitch in his heart, and avoid his own mother like she were some terrible monster? Why in hell was there a photo of Daisy in her own house? Why did her own son keep her photo in his room like she was some kind of saint? She couldn''t ept this no matter what.


    "What are you doing? Also, who told you that you could be in my room?" Brian nced coldly at Yakira, eyes full of fury and nothing else. His eyes fell on the photo frame that she had smashed in her anger, giving off a frozen aura.


    "Brian, you... you''re back." Yakira raised one hand to fix her hair, which had gotten messy because of her rage. She looked at her son in surprise. She didn''t think that he''d be back this soon. Not only was she freaking out, she also held a slight grudge against him. "I said, what the hell are you doing?" Brian asked, frowning. His voice was stern and cold. Yakira had never seen such a cold side of him, so she couldn''t help but shiver.


    "I..." Yakira moved her feet btedly, too awkward to answer his question. It wasn''t a very good feeling to be caught red-handed.


    "To be honest, your behavior is disgusting. It''s just a photo, why get angry over that? You''ve gone off the deep end." Brian walked closer step by step, then bent down to pick up the photo, but got cut by the broken ss. However, he didn''t say anything, just silently drew a few tissues from the napkin dispenser to wipe the dirt off the photo. He frowned, not caring what Yakira thought at all.


    "You said yourself that it was just a photo, then why do you care so much? So your mother isn''t as important as a photo? You''re the one with mental issues."000000??????

 Chapter 634 She Is My Sister (Part Two)

    Yakira red at the photo in his hand, eyes full of hate. Until this moment, she finally knew clearly that not only had she lost to Grace in the eyes of Leo, she had also lost to the daughter of that woman in his son''s eyes. This was a fact that she didn''t want to ept noContent from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    matter


    what.


    "If you want to embarrass yourself so much, I can''t stop you. To me, this photo is way more important than you." Brian snorted. He wasn''t throwing off the responsibility of being her son. It was because what his mother had done totally disappointed him. For the life of him, he really couldn''t care less about the mommy card when facing her.


    "Why? Brian, I''m your mother!" If there was anything that could take the wind out of Yakira''s sails, it would be her shattered rtionship with Brian.


    "Do I have to remind you of what you''ve done? You know, damn you! Howe you think you still have the right to call yourself a mother?"


    Brian raised his voice a little, probably because he was quite agitated. He then gently closed his eyes for a moment. His heart was bleeding, slowly but steadily. He really wanted to be a good son if possible, and he also wanted a close rtionship with his mother like everyone else. But cruel reality forced him to bow his proud head.


    "You know, you know everything. That''s why you hate me so much, right? You don''t think that I deserve to be a mother, right? But if I hadn''t done what I did, do you think you would still be here now disrespecting me? No! You wouldn''t even be born!" Yakira stumbled, face pale, staring at Brian, a trace of sadness starting to show on her face.


    "I really wish I hadn''t been born. Honestly. Every time I remember that I was born at the cost of the blood of others, my heart get cold. Do you really care about my feelings, for once?" He then carefully put the photo in the drawer. His eyes were sad, but what he felt more was guilt.


    "If I tell you that it is just an ident, would you still hate me so much?" Yakira''s lips trembled, and she fell onto the edge of the bed, looking up at Brian, hoping he would give her his hand.


    "ident? How convenient! Didn''t you sabotage the car?" Brian was so indifferent. He nced coldly at her, then finally looked at the window. Yakira killed Daisy''s mother about twenty years ago and Mary had almost killed Daisy this time. Wounds covered her body, and it would take a long time to recover. But the fact was that Mary and Yakira were both his rtives, as much as he didn''t want to admit it. Nothing could change that.


    "We did rig her car, that I''ll admit. But if she hadn''t lost her temper and driven so carelessly, the ident wouldn''t have even happened!" Yakira screamed hysterically. How could Grace, a dead woman, still have an impact on her happiness? More than ever, it seemed she made the right decision to get rid of her.


    "Haha! That''s really funny! The whole time I''ve been alive, that''s the first time I''ve heard someone so easily me someone else. I''m so impressed how deluded you really are!"


    Brian had tears in his eyes, these were the tears of deep sadness and the feeling of powerlessness. Because he could choose anything else in his life, but he couldn''t choose his own parents.


    "Brian, no matter how bad I am, I''m still your mother. That''s the truth. So no matter how much you deny this fact, it won''t change anything." Yakira no longer cared about Brian''s feelings, so she didn''t hide her heart anymore. She was cruel, and sheid that cruel fact before him, and he had nowhere to run. Truth was truth, no matter how much it hurt.


    "You''re right. I can''t deny the fact that you''re my mother, and I can''t change it either. But I can choose not to have you around. Please get out. I need to rest." Brian turned his back on her, his words were calm and cold, making her feel unfamiliar and alienated. Yakira watched him for a bit. No matter how much she didn''t want to leave, she still had to go. He''d made it clear where he stood, but the fact that he hated her still stung. Before she walked out, she still hatefully red at the broken photo frame on the floor. Brian sighed deeply, wondering if this was the time to leave. He would start again and do something he liked, rather than stay here, facing the people and the things that made him feel awful every single day. After all, he''d been back for quite a long time, and hispany badly needed his attention. He took out his phone and started looking up flight information.


    To be honest, he didn''t think of himself as a responsible man. He always chose to leave instead of solving problems when they popped up. But no matter how dismissive he could be, he still couldn''t erase the fact that Yakira was his mother. So in this dilemma, leaving was his best choice. So Daisy didn''t have to worry about him, and his mother could no longer use him as an alibi.


    The days passed by quickly and silently. The weather in thete autumn was no longer hot, instead, it was a tad cold in the mornings and evenings. After Brian left, many things changed. First of all, Hero alone took the fall for all the crimes. Then Daisy''s wounds healed nicely. All these things followed each other in turn, as if they were connected. In fact, they were.


    "Congrattions, Daisy. The wound on your face has healed nicely, and there''s no scarring. Am I good or what?" This would be thest time that Tom put the ointment on her wounds. She ran her hands over her face. He really did it, her face was the same as before. So his efforts during her recovery weren''t wasted at all.


    "Tom, thank you so much for what you did, sticking by me and making sure I am all better. Without you, I''d never heal so nicely." Daisy had a small smile on her face. To be honest, she didn''t care about her looks that much, what she really cared about was Edward, and what he thought.


    "You''re wee. I just did what any doctor would do. You really don''t have to thank me. It makes me feel like a stranger." Tom put all his ointments back very carefully, because these ointments were quite pricey. Fortunately, there was a very rich sponsor backing him, or he couldn''t afford all these.


    "You are an outsider after all. Don''t try to pretend that you''re close to us." Edward''s mouth was definitely the reason why it was always so easy for him to offend people. Every word he said just made people gnash their teeth in hatred. But they couldn''t do anything about it because of his status. Tom had that same feeling of helplessness right now.


    "If we''re not close, then next time something happens, you won''t need my help. We''re not that close anyway." Tom red at him, feeling annoyed with his smugness. He''d love to wipe that smile off his face.


    "Don''t worry! You always ask more from me than I do from you." Though Edward said these words, deep in his heart, he was really thankful for all the things Tom had done for Daisy. But there was no need to say ''thank you'' between those two; they just engaged in yful banter as usual.


    "Come on boss! Would it kill you to let me have thest word sometimes?" Tom couldn''t understand why he was always the odd man out. It really came down to money. All of his experiments needed Edward''s support after all. If Edward pulled the plug, then where would he turn for funding? So Tom could do nothing but back down from him every time.


    "Yes, it would. Because the word ''lose'' doesn''t show up in my dictionary." Edward''s eyes gleamed, he slyly looked deep into Tom''s eyes for a second. But he returned to his calm, cold self, like he had never been any other way..000????????

 Chapter 635 We Are Family (Part One)

    "Well, I shouldn''t have expected anything from you. Daisy, I''d better get back to the hospital now. I need to prepare for the operation this afternoon," said Tom. Since he was used to Edward''s oppressive behavior towards him, he wasn''t affected by his sharp tongue at all. He just promptly picked up the medicine box.


    "Are you leaving now? It''s almost time for lunch. Why don''t you have lunch here before you go back to the hospital?" Daisy asked. After ensuring that Daisy''s wound was healing nicely, Tom was eager to leave. While Edward took his help for granted, Daisy was a little embarrassed. After all, they had troubled Tom for a long time without even thanking him. They couldn''t let him leave without showing their gratitude.


    "No, I''ll have lunch after I return to the hospital. I''m afraid that if I eat in front of him, I would lose my appetite. If I don''t have enough energy, it will affect the operation in the afternoon. That will be horrible for the patient," Tom answered.


    Tom shot a meaningful look at Edward. Obviously, he was referring to him. Actually, he really needed to get back to the hospital now. It wasn''t rted to Edward at all. He was only saying that to get Daisy''s sympathy.


    "Good! Tom, I haven''t abandoned you, but you''re abandoning me first. It seems that you''ve gained a lot of courage these days."


    Edward said the words one by one through gritting teeth, narrowing his eyes quietly at Tom. Although Edward currently looked calm, people who were familiar with him knew that the expression on his face meant that he was in a bad mood. If they didn''t quickly escape, the consequences would be dire for them. At the sight, Tom hurriedly walked out of the room without waiting for Edward to finish talking. Before he walked out, he turned around to Daisy and said, "Goodbye, Daisy. I''ll invite you to dinner once I''m free."


    "This guy really runs fast," Edwardmented. The corners of his mouth twitched. It seemed that Tom realized that his words were getting on Edward''s nerves. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have quickly run away as if he was escaping a pack of savage beasts. In fact, from Tom''s perspective, Edward was more horrible than a pack of savage beasts. He needed to get away from him as soon as possible.


    "You were so mean to him, that''s why he was so eager to leave. Who would want to stay and suffer your sharp tongue?" Daisy teased him peevishly. She did not understand Tom and Edward''s friendship. How could they be good friends when they were always arguing like that?


    "Are you taking his side?" Edward asked in a threatening tone. He sat down next to her and reached out his hand to twirl a strand of her hair.


    "If I say yes, what will you do to me?" Daisy picked up the cup of water on the coffee table and took an elegant sip. She didn''t seem to worry about the threat in his words.


    "What punishment do you want, honey?" He asked with a wicked glint in his eyes. At the same time, his hand quietly moved away from her hair. He caressed her previously injured cheek, touching it lightly. After Tom''s treatmeant, he could hardly see the injury. But the memory of its existence was deeply engraved in his heart forever, and became a constant reminder that he wasn''t able to protect her well.


    "How about training with me for a while?" Her eyes sparkled with excitement. Probably because she had been resting for a long time, Daisy felt that her body and mind were getting slower. She thought it was necessary for her to exercise.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "No, I''m not a fool. You will beat me hard," Edward said quickly. His hand paused for a moment, before he finally withdrew his hand. The reason he refused to practice with her wasn''t because he was afraid of getting beaten roughly. He was still worried about her injury. He was afraid that her body hadn''t fully recovered yet, so he refused her without hesitation.


    "Forget it, I''ll go to the military base tomorrow to look for Hawkeye and train with him. It''s the same thing." Daisy didn''t force him to train with her, snuggling up in his arms. She feltfortable in the position. She enjoyed rxing like this with her husband. Such moments would disappear soon.


    "What? Are you going back to work tomorrow?" asked Edward. He was a little shocked. He did not expect her to suddenly mention the matter of going back to work. It took him a while to respond.


    "Yes. I''m all right now. I should go back to work," Daisy replied, frowning slightly. Because of her injury, her work had been piling up for days. If she didn''t return to work quickly, it would only get bigger and bigger. It would definitely not be good for her.


    "But you haven''t fully recovered yet." Edward looked at her anxiously and began to regret not agreeing to her request. If he had, would she not be in such a hurry to go back to work?


    "It''s fine. I just need to deal with some paperwork. There aren''t any special tasks toe out recently, so you don''t need to be worried," Daisy reassured him. Speaking of work, Daisy felt a little guilty towards Leena. During this time, there was a special training ongoing abroad. It was her turn to go to the training. But because of her injury, Kevin had to take her ce instead. Because of this, he didn''t have time to spend with Leena.


    "It''s good that you know I''m worried. No matter what, I hope you will value your own life above all else. I''m most insistent on this point. I hope that for me, you will take good care of yourself," Edward said seriously.


    His eyes dimmed a little. How would he be naive enough to believe that she would only handle regr documents once she went back to the military base? There should be all kinds of training waiting for her! But it was her job, and he couldn''t interfere too much. He could only plead with her to take good care of herself.000000

 Chapter 636 We Are Family (Part Two)

    "Oh, are you reluctant to part with me?" Daisy asked. She settled herselfpletely against his arms. Her slender fingers kept ying with the buttons on his shirt. Under the circumstances, she was a bit like a spoiled little woman who enjoyed thefort of her husband''s affections. "Of course not. Once you leave my side, I can invite beautiful women for a meal." Edward deliberately teased her. But his eyes were full of love when he looked at Daisy. The meaning behind his gaze waspletely different from his words.


    "Then we''ll be even. In the military base, there is no shortage of handsome men." Listening to Edward''s words gave Daisy joy. The man was really surprising. She used to think that he was a stiff and boring man, but the appropriate banter between husband and wife was enjoyable.


    "Honey, are you mad at me?" Edward''s eyes narrowed dangerously. He stared fiercely at the cozy little woman in his arms. When did she be so mischievous? She even learned to tease him!


    "No, I''m only describing the facts," answered Daisy. Now, she was even daring to say no to him! Her attitude clearly showed that she was actually mad at him. Hearing Daisy''s reply drove him crazier.


    "It seems you''re honest enough despite the cost of upsetting me," Edward growled. His tone was a bit aggressive. As he spoke, his handsome face slowly loomed over Daisy.


    "Hey, what are you doing?" Daisy gulped, finally feeling a trace of uneasiness. The wicked look on Edward''s face made him seem dangerous.


    "Are you afraid of me now? Toote." His thin lips covered her mouth without warning. A hint of anger was evidently showed in his punishing kiss as he took the breath away from her.


    But Daisy wasn''t the same woman she was a few months ago. She had learned to breathe while kissing, and she also knew how to respond to him. Now, she epted all the anger he vented out on her while simultaneously filling the kiss with tenderness to dissolve his rage. Soon, their kiss progressed with enthusiastic groping.


    "Sorry! I didn''t mean to walk in on you." Someone suddenly eximed in embarrassment. It was Cynthia. This was the second time that she caught them in apromising position. But it wasn''t her fault this time, they were kissing in a public ce! Daisy''s first reaction was to bury her head into Edward''s arms from the mortification. Her face instantly flushed at their carelessness. Theypletely forgot that they were currently in the living room where anyone could walk in on them.


    On the contrary, Edward was not the slightest bit ashamed. He nced at Cynthia without a hint of embarrassment on his face. He calmly said, "Since you didn''t do it on purpose, why don''t you just pretend you haven''t seen us?" "Boy, you can''t make me turn back around and go out again! Don''t you know it''s raining outside?" Cynthia huffed. From the raindrops on her wet hair, it wasn''t difficult to see that it was raining outside.


    "Mom, ignore him. You know he has been acting strange recently. I guess something is not right in his mind." Daisy stood up from Edward''s arms. She looked out the window with a slight frown. As Cynthia said, it was raining outside. And it was raining heavily. "Yes, I''ve noticed! Probably because his confinement is too long," said Cynthia. As soon as Cynthia finished talking, Edward sprayed out the water he just drank. Fortunately, he was sitting on the sofa and hadn''t sprinkled Daisy and Cynthia with water.


    The corners of Daisy''s mouth twitched. Sure enough, Cynthia and Edward were rted. They kept countering each other with unique insults. Their imagination was extraordinarily good.


    "Are you really my mother? You''re so mean to your son. And you! My beloved wife! Good. You even said that you husband is sick in mind!" Edward stood up from his seat with an injured look. He sulked his way upstairs, looking pathetic.


    "Is he angry?" Cynthia asked, looking at her son''s retreating back in surprise. She was a little worried. Was Edward still ming her? She knew that he resented her for not taking care of him in the past years. But after getting along with him in the time they had spent togethertely, she thought that their rtionship had improved a lot.


    "No, he''s just pretending. Why did youe back alone? Where''s dad? Didn''t he apany you?" asked Daisy. Daisy wasn''t worried about Edward at all. She knew that he just wanted to find an excuse to leave because he didn''t know how to get along with Cynthia. After all, Rome wasn''t built in a day. They needed more time before they could reach the same intimacy that other mothers and sons had. Because she was in the same situation, she could really understand his actions. If she was faced with her father, she would do the same thing.


    "Oh! He went to the Mayfly. He said that he has a surprise for youter." Cynthia knew about Jonathan''s surprise. But she didn''t want to tell Daisy and ruin it. It would be appropriate to let Jonathan tell her himself.


    "Oh, I wonder what it is..." Daisy trailed off and immediately dropped the question. If Cynthia told her now, it wouldn''t be a surprise anymore.


    As for the Mayfly, Daisy just found out about its existence a few days ago. It was also then that she understood why Edward had to be sent abroad when he was a little child. After all, Jonathan and Cynthia just wanted to protect him. In the beginning, it was all right. Edward was just a little boy at that time. But it was a bit cruel to make him stay abroad on his own.N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.

 Chapter 637 We Are Family (Part Three)

    The Mayfly was neither a righteous nor an evil organization, so it was difficult to evaluate its existence at this time. But as long as it did not threaten the interests and peace of the country, it yed a certain role in society. For now, Daisy decided to wait and see before


    making further judgments about the Mayfly. After all, it was not surprising that such an organization existed. It was just a matter of how people perceived it.


    "Don''t worry. We''ll know the answer soon enough," Cynthia replied, patting Daisy on the shoulder. She always thought that her daughter-inw was too thin. Especially after the injury, Daisy looked thinner now. The first time she saw her, she was in high and vigorous spirits. But now, she was quite different. It seemed that she was in need of Mrs. Wu''s nutritious cooking.


    "Well, I''m in no hurry." Daisy smiled lightly, maintaining a calm demeanor. Although she was a little curious about the surprise, she didn''t insist on finding out more about it now. She was convinced that since it was a surprise, it would definitely be a good thing. There was no need to think about it so much.


    But she did not expect that Jonathan would give her a wonderful present when she nearly gave up bringing Yakira to justice for her crimes. Jonathan had the inspection records of her mother''s car ident, with photographic evidence attaching to the documents. Moreover, the photos ced Paul Du at the scene. With so much evidence against her, Yakira was sent to prison again. And this time, she could never be released in her lifetime. Although Daisy felt sorry for Brian, she needed to avenge her poor mother. "Thank you, dad." A while after Jonathan exined everything to her, Daisy expressed her sincere gratitude. After all, she once thought that she could never find the evidence to send Yakira to jail. But he helped her get everything that she needed. At that moment, in addition to being immensely grateful, she was deeply moved by his actions.


    "Don''t forget, we are family. You don''t need to thank me. Besides, we''re just fulfilling the promise we made to your mother," Jonathan replied. This was the longest statement Jonathan had ever made in front of another woman. From his words, it was clear that he treated Daisy as family.


    "What kind of promise? You met my mother before?" Daisy suddenly got nervous. Although she wanted to gather every bit of information about her mother, she was afraid of finding out something she would rather not know. It was inevitable for her to feel a little bit of anxiety.


    "Do you know why we arranged for your marriage to Edward regardless of his objections? When your mother got into the car ident, we happened to be there. So we had the first-hand information about the ident. To be honest, your mother really loved you a lot. Otherwise, she wouldn''t ask us to help take care of you at such a crucial moment. She didn''t even care about her own safety. In her heart, you are always the priority," Cynthia recounted.


    Every time she remembered the tragic scene from that time, she couldn''t help getting tear-eyed. Her voice trembled with deep emotion as she spoke.


    Edward immediately took Daisy in his arms. He never thought that this was the reason his parents made him marry Daisy no matter how much he objected. But after they got married, instead of giving her happiness, he inflicted both physical and mental hurt upon her. In this case, didn''t he fail to live up to the faith his mother-inw entrusted to his parents?


    He gently kissed the top of her head. At first, he was thrilled at the news of Yakira being sent to prison. But he didn''t think he would fall into the abyss of pain so quickly. The pain he felt was because of his mother-inw''s great maternal love. Edward loved Daisy dearly. He could only give her more love and affection to reduce the distress he had previously caused her. Only then could his mother-inw rest in peace.


    Edward wasn''t the only one who was caught off guard. Daisy didn''t expect it either. But what shocked her more was her mother''s love for her. She did not know how to express the shock she felt in the depths of her heart. She could only let the tears blur her vision and wet Edward''s clothes.


    She did not expect that her mother was the one who arranged her marriage. Maybe it was destiny that led her to find her other half. But on the way, she neglected her mother''s expectations and did not live as her mother had wished. Fortunately, she lowered her pride and gave Edward a chance. They could live happily today.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Now, she cherished this hard-earned happiness very much. Not only for her own sake, but also for her mother''s ardent wishes, she wouldn''t allow herself to live in a horrible life. She needed to live happily as her mother wished for her. This would be the best gift she could give her mother.


    As for Leo, she did not want to forgive him. Even though he was already alone, the hatred she felt for him was a kind of deeply rooted resentment that she couldn''t let go. Maybe one day, she would be able to forgive him and not hold onto his mistakes anymore. But that was nearly impossible. However, she was not a cold-blooded animal, so she would never hinder anyone around her from contacting him. This was the only thing that she would do for him. If he wanted to repair their rtionship, it would be very difficult. After all, they didn''t have a mediator that would provide the opportunity to help her forgive him.

 Chapter 638 A Visit to the Cemetery (Part One)

    Daisy visited the cemetery once again. The different thing about it this time was that besides Justin, Edward also came with her.


    Daisy''s heartbeat pounded in her ears. Today, she would introduce her husband to her mother. Because of her mother''s wishes, she ended up marrying her beloved Edward. She thanked her mother for bringing her into this world and arranging a happy marriage for her. "Mom, I bring a very important man with me today. Are you excited? You chose him for me." Daisy gently stroked her mother''s portrait with deep affection. There was a touch of mncholy in her eyes, but she disyed a happy smile on her face. Edward was the best present that she wanted to show to her mother.


    "Thank you for your deep love for me. Thank you for carefully arranging my life before you passed away. Thank you for your constant attention to every aspect of my life. Thank you for everything you did for me. I know that you don''t want my gratitude, but I still want to express my gratefulness for all the things you''ve done for me. All because I''m your daughter, the little girl you cared most about,


    Daisy murmured in a choked voice. To prevent the tears from running down her cheeks, she bit her lower lip. She didn''t want her mother to see her cry. She just wanted her to see her most beautiful smile. She owed her mother so much. Even after she was gone, she was still taking care of her.


    Edward pressed his lips tightly together. He gently ced the bouquet in his hand in front of the tombstone. With a sad look, he slowly knelt down in front of the grave. Daisy''s eyes widened in shock at the sight.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "Mom, thank you for bringing Daisy into my life. I know she suffered miserably before we got married. I promise you right now that she''ll always be your little princess Jasmine. I vow to love her dearly until myst breath. After all, fate brought us together when we were little."


    The expression in Edward''s eyes was sincere. Despite his trembling voice, he was resolute in his determination. He had expected that mentioning the name ''Jasmine'' would definitely catch Daisy''s attention, but he didn''t intend to continue concealing it. He wanted to show Daisy that she wasn''t alone in loving someone dearly for so many years. He also fell in love with her years before they got married. She was just a young girl back then, but he had been struck by her beauty that he hadn''t stopped missing her since they parted ways. "Honey, what did you say?" Daisy was in great shock. This was the second time that Edward had shocked her with his actions today. She looked at his fascinating silhouette with uncertainty. She didn''t expect him to kneel down. He was such a proud and noble man, but he did so without hesitation. Although she was surprised, Daisy felt grateful towards him. Edward loved and respected her and respected her mother just as much.


    "You heard me, Jasmine." Edward slowly stood up after kowtowing to the tombstone a few times. He stared at Daisy who looked at him inplete astonishment. Daisy was an experienced colonel. She always remained calm because no difficulty was too much for her. But Edward left her in great shock twice today. She found it hard to restrain her emotions after he moved her so much with his actions.


    "Did we meet each other when we were young? I can hardly remember anything about it." Despite the hopeful look on her face, Daisy was uncertain because there was no such memory in her recollection.


    "But I remember it clearly. I''ll protect you this time, okay? I still owe you a story, remember?" Edward stared at Daisy, wondering how she would react. He still remembered how the story upset herst time.


    "Is it rted to K City?" Daisy thought of the city full of the sweet scent of jasmine flowers and the name of the hotel with a profound meaning. The city carried the wonderful memory of a beautiful girl that Edward could never forget.


    "Yes. Do you know why I named the hotel Jasmine Fragrance? When I first met you, you were holding jasmine flowers in your hands. The faint scent of the jasmine slowly reached me through the breeze. You looked up at me with a flushed face and asked me if I knew what the flowers were called."


    Edward looked into the distance, his eyes sparking brightly. He waspletely immersed in the memory. The image of their first meeting seemed to conjure itself in front of him. Back then, her appearance brought him hope despite the fact that she had interrupted him. Hearing her tender voice, he was shocked to realize that he still had many things to do.


    If the little girl hadn''t stopped him, he would have chosen to climb to the top of the mountain and jump down. If she sealed his lips with a gentle kiss, he would have died. If she hadn''t asked him to wait for her, he would have left everything in the world behind. "Are you telling me that I was that little girl? Are you sure?" Daisy asked with uncertainty. How was that possible? Although she had good luck recently, she didn''t think that she could forget such a memory.


    "I''m pretty sure. Don''t you find some ces in K City familiar? Like the pavilion in the forest park." Although Edward said that Daisy didn''t need to remember their first meeting, he still held a glimmer of hope in his heart. He wanted her to remember him. This might be his hope as a proud man. He wanted to be unique in the heart of the person he loved.


    "That pavilion halfway up the mountain?" Daisy looked at Edward with amazement. No wonder she found it familiar when she saw it. Had she really been there as Edward said? But why didn''t she have any memory of it?


    "Yes. Right there. I remember some bold girl flirting with me at a very young age." Thinking of the consequence of that unexpected kiss made Edward shake his head helplessly. Jasmine had kissed him at the time. From then on, he couldn''t bear another woman touching his lips, not until Daisy appeared.


    "Nonsense! Do think that you can nder me just because I can''t remember what you''re talking about. I am never a flirt! More importantly, I like handsome men. Were you handsome when you were a child?" Daisy instantly blushed. She didn''t believe that she would kiss an older boy when she was a young girl.


    "You just said that you can''t remember it. Then how can you say that you didn''t do it? It''s clearly obvious that I was a cute and handsome child. That''s why I''m so stunning now." As Edward fixed his eyes on Grace''s warm smile, he decided from the bottom of his heart that he would love Daisy ardently for the rest of his life no matter what happened.


    "Dad, you''re a liar! Mom is shy. She wouldn''t take the initiative to get close to a boy." Justin had been quietly listening to his parents and finally expressed his opinion. In his heart, he had to protect his mom. It was natural for him to take her side.


    "Your mom only became shy after all the suffering she endured. She was bold back when she was a little girl. Son, don''t talk about things you don''t know about." Edward waved his hand in an attempt to shut his son up.


    "I agree with Justin on this. I don''t admit that I have a congenitally bad gene. If you want to discredit me, you''d better find a better excuse." To be honest, Daisy wasn''t sure if she really did that in the past. But because she didn''t want Edward to tease her afterwards, she denied it.

 Chapter 639 A Visit to the Cemetery (Part Two)

    before, the action always moved Daisy every time.


    "I don''t care if you believe it or not. I''m the one who benefits the most from the knowledge anyway. There is no need to argue with you over this." Edward gave a soft smile and tucked Daisy''s windblown hair behind her ear. Although he had done this countless times "Can you tell me what makes you so sure that the little girl was me?" Daisy couldn''t help bing curious about it. Edward never mentioned the matter before. Even when they went to K City a while back, he didn''t hint anything about this.


    "I found a photo album in Justin''s backpack. It was filled with photos of your childhood. The little girl in the photos is just as beautiful as the image I have kept in my memory for many years." Edward didn''t hide the emotions he had kept hidden in his heart for so long. The girl from his memory turned out to be Daisy. The fact excited him to no end.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "You can''te to the conclusion that I''m that girl just from a few old photos." Daisy confirmed Edward''s words step by step. She knew very well that the higher she raised her hopes, the more disappointed she would be. She didn''t dare to get too excited before she was absolutely certain.


    "And the pet name Jasmine. That should be enough to dispel your doubts." Edward frowned. Daisy was very confident in everything else. But why was she always so suspicious when it came to him? In his opinion, this wasn''t a good thing.


    "So you really did say ''Jasmine'' that day. I thought I had misheard you." Daisy stopped questioning Edward''s certainty. Her pursuit in the past hadn''t been in vain. It turned out that Edward fell in love with her a long time ago as well.


    "Yeah. I knew that you weren''t smart enough, but I didn''t expect that I could fool you so easily. You''re as innocent and pure as a child in front of me. I like it." Edward ignored Justin''s presence and gathered Daisy emotionally into his arms. Justin disyed arge smile on his face without making a sound. He basked in the happy moment that his parents shared in front of him.


    The presentation of the new weapons would proceed as scheduled. Since Kevin was training overseas, Daisy was the best coordinator for the major event. She got so busy that she hardly had time to go back home.


    "Colonel Ouyang, I''ve brought the data you want." After getting demoted, Hank Han gained insight on a lot of things and behaved himself.


    "Thank you, Lieutenant Colonel Han." Daisy wasn''t the kind of person to bear a grudge. She had forgiven what Hank did to her in the past. Since Hank was determined to mend his ways, she wouldn''t dredge up the past again.


    "Don''t call me Lieutenant Colonel Han. I was demoted a long time ago. I''m just a junior officer now." Hank touched his head in embarrassment. He was no longer insidious and cunning. Now, he looked modest and gentle.


    "Work hard. I believe that you''ll get promoted to lieutenant colonel again in the near future." There was a sincere expression on Daisy''s face. Hank had be a lieutenant colonel with his own painstaking efforts. He didn''t rely on any external force. As long as he corrected his thoughts, he would definitely rise up the ranks soon.


    "Thank you. I''ll take my leave now." Hank felt a lot lighter after he stopped unrealisticallyparing himself with Daisy. He didn''t know what annoyed him before. Was it because he wasn''t convinced that a woman could be better than him? Maybe there were other reasons. The puzzle niggled in his mind. Either way, he had chosen to turn over a new leaf. He believed that a bright future was in store for him.


    "Okay. Go for it." Daisy was gratified. She no longer felt that she owed Hank''s kind mother a huge debt. To repay his mother, she didn''t fight back no matter how much he provoked her in the past. Since he had decided to start anew, they could work together on good terms moving forward.


    Daisy was pleased to see the change in Hank, but Jessica''s suffering distressed her. Although Jessica used to treat her so harshly, she couldn''t get pregnant anymore. This fate was too cruel for a woman.


    Whatever a man sows, he shall reap. Jessica had only herself to me for such a tragic end. One should never intend to do harm to others, but should always guard against any harm others might do to him. Unfortunately, Jessica had ignored this and she got what she deserved.


    As for Mary, without Yakira''s protection, her fate was imaginable. Daisy wondered if she had learned from the mistakes of the past. But as it stood now, Mary should feel lucky. Compared to Jessica, she didn''t lose so much.


    What Daisy didn''t understand was why Hero would bear all the crimes on his own. Although he was an arms dealer, he didn''tmit any serious crime in this matter. Yet in the end, he still made the choice. Moreover, he kept repeatedly requesting for a meeting with Daisy. Should Daisy make time and meet him to find out what he wanted?


    Daisy''s phone rang, bringing her back from her thoughts. She chuckled to herself. Why was she suddenly distracted? Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Daisy picked up the phone from the table. At the sight of the caller''s name, she let out a big smile. "Hello. It''s me. What''s wrong?" Her husband was a proud and charming man. Was she lucky to have such a husband?


    "Why? Do I need to have a problem to call you? Colonel Ouyang, I think you have forgotten something. In addition to being an esteemed colonel, you''re also a wife and mother." Edward handed the signed document to Anna, who was waiting nearby. He nodded at her, gesturing for her to go out. Then hezily leaned back against the backrest.


    "It seems you missed a role." Daisy knew that Edward was going crazy. She was so busy with the presentation that she hadn''t gone home in the past few days. To save time, she just slept in the residential building at the base. She had originally nned to go home tonight tofort her husband who seemed aggrievedtely, but Edward unexpectedly called her himself.


    "So you do know it." Edward didn''t call to me Daisy. He just wanted to tell her that he had to go abroad for a business trip for a couple of days.


    "Yes. I''m your wife. I know it clearly." After staying with Edward for long, Daisy found that she had be quite cheeky. She didn''t know if it was a good thing.


    "Good to hear that. Do you know how many days you have been away from home?" Edward felt wronged. He knew that being in the military was difficult, but he didn''t expect how tough it was to be a colonel''s husband.


    "It has been four days by now. But you dropped by once. Can you cross one out from my charges?" Daisy started to miss Justin. She was so busy that she didn''t have time to think about things outside work.


    "I have no objections if you don''t feel ashamed." Edward grinned. Daisy knew Edward well enough to bargain with him. She knew that he wouldn''t get angry from her teasing.


    "Why would I feel ashamed? I am with the most shameless man in the world and he is such a good teacher. I have much to learn from him." Daisy enjoyed teasing Edwardtely. It was fun to tease him when she knew he wouldn''t get angry and had no chance to retaliate against her. He had taught her well.000000000000????

 Chapter 640 Thank You For Coming (Part One)

    "Honey, people don''t praise someone like that." Edward felt speechless. It seemed that Daisy practiced all the things she had learnt in the past on him.


    Simultaneously, she also had to spare part of her attention to talk to Edward.


    "Is there anything wrong?" asked Daisy. Daisy was not asfortable as Edward was. Let''s look at Edward. He was leaning on the chairfortably, making a phone call with Daisy. How about Daisy? Daisy had to focus on the documents that Hank just gave to her. "Forget it, I should not be so serious with you. It is me who alwayspromises atst. By the way, I have to go abroad for some urgent businesster," Edward replied. He lifted his hand to look at the time on his watch, to know how much time he still had to talk to Daisy before he left for his business trip. The decision of going abroad was made just now. This decision was made in a rush because those urgent cases could only be solved by Edward. So, he had no other choice but to go there himself and take care of the matters. "What? What about the performance of the new weapons? You''re not going to be around for the performance, right?" On hearing this, Daisy finally stopped her reading, with her eyebrows knitting together in a little frown.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "Don''t worry! I wille back on time to participate in the performance. But inparison to the performance, I think, you should care more about me, shouldn''t you?" Edward said. Just then he stood up, as Anna came in again, pointing at the watch to remind him that it was time to go.


    "Then, will you make me worry?" Daisy did not answer Edward''s question, but rather asked him a new question. It was impossible for her to say that she wouldn''t be worried about Edward. However, Daisy really did not want to let her fears be another pressure for him. Therefore, instead of telling Edward that she did worry about him, Daisy rather asked him for a promise, a promise to keep himself safe, while he was away.


    "No, I won''t, honey. I will never let you worry." Edward promised as Daisy wanted. He picked up his coat and walked out of the room while saying that. But at this moment, he didn''t know that he had made a promise that he couldn''t keepter. Soon, Daisy would be really worried about Edward''s safety.


    "In that case, what else do I have to worry about?" Daisy said, with a soft andforting smile on her face. Even though Edward could not see her smiling face, Daisy felt that it was a silentfort that she could give to Edward.


    "I''m going to the airport, and I''ll call you when I get there." Edward took over the briefcase which Anna handed over to him and hurried to the stairs.


    "Yes! And promise me to take care of yourself. Goodbye, honey. Love you!" Daisy told him in a restrained and soft tone, with her eyes gradually filled with tears. She tried to control her tears, in order to restrict her worries from being reflected in her words. Though Daisy did not know what to do now. She already began worrying about it, even before ¨¦dward left.


    "I will, honey. Don''t worry. I will try my best to finish the work ande back to you as quickly as I can. Honey, I have to hang up now. Love you." Edward ended the conversation and blew a kiss through the microphone. He could feel Daisy''s worry even though Daisy had not expressed her feelings directly. Edward hoped his kiss and love could be transferred to Daisy via the line and make her feel a littlefortable. Then, he hung up the phone and got on the car which Luke had already kept ready for him.


    After Edward hung up the phone, Daisy could only hear the beep beep sound from the phone. She sat there in silence for a while. It seemed that she was lost in her thought. But soon, she came to her senses, took a deep breath, and then resumed her work. Daisy was certain that if that man promised something then he would keep it. So, she believed that Edward would take good care of himself and be safe. Besides, even if she did not believe in him, she should have faith in Luke who was a very experienced bodyguard. Luke would never let Edward get in trouble.


    Anyway, Edward left for his business trip. And after a whole-day work, Daisy also left the office. She did not work overtime as she always did before. However, she did not go home either. Instead, she went to a special ce as someone wanted to see her. "Colonel Ouyang, thank you foring," Hero said. Now, even though Hero was in prison, he still retained his unique style and characteristics. But, inparison to his usual high spirits then, he now looked more drawn and tired.


    "Say now! Why do you want to see me?" Daisy sat opposite to him and looked at him rather indifferently. She managed to keep her cool. There was no trace of contempt on Daisy''s face. She had no aversion to Hero.


    "No, there is no special reason. I just want to see whether you are all right or not. I could only reassure myself by seeing you with my own eyes. Anyway, it seems that you are much better than I expected you to be." This had always been Hero''s aspiration truly from the bottom of his heart. His desire became more intense when he saw Jessica was badly disfigured. He could not help but feel worried and even scared for Daisy. He did not know whether Daisy also got injured just as badly as Jessica who had her face full of scars. He felt so sad every time he thought about that scene and was eager to see Daisy face to face to ensure that she was safe. That''s why Hero insisted on seeing Daisy.


    "So, now you have seen me. Anything else that you want to tell me? Anything about why you''ve taken all the me on yourself?" Daisy asked. She was not a sensitive person. Her insensitivity was mainly because of the environment she grew up in and the military training that she received all these years. However, Daisy could still feel whether others were sincere to her or not. Such was the case with Hero. Daisy knew that Hero''s care for her was real and so she also had some sympathy for him. Hence, she wanted to know the real reason why Hero did that. She wished to help him, if possible.000000

 Chapter 641 Thank You For Coming (Part Two)

    "For many years, I have chased fame, money, reputation and other mary gains. I got a lot and even lost a lot in the past. And then, I realized that what I really want the most is you, Daisy. But I could never have you. So, I could not figure out if there was anything else that was worthwhile for me to go after?" Hero sighed. He fixed his eyes on Daisy, with deep love and wordless resignation. In his eyes, Daisy''s beautiful face looked even more charming than what he had retained in his memory. Hero cherished the moment he had with Daisy and could not take away his eyes even for a second. "Have you ever thought in your mind that maybe I''m just one object that you wish to conquer? Perhaps there are no other emotions involved in this. In other words, you might think that you love me, but maybe that ain''t your real feeling." Daisy tried to help Hero understand his real feeling. Inparison to the previous fierce sense of resistance that she got when she was held as a hostage, Daisy now became much calmer. She was now able to analyze Hero''s behavior in a much rational way.


    "I also thought about it once. Maybe I want you so badly because I could not conquer you. However,st time, when I found out that you were seriously injured, I suddenly realized that I actually underestimated your influence on me. My feeling is not rted to any kind of conquer, but to love." Hero moaned, like a wounded wolf roaring in a low voice. And his sadness also expressed his failure in getting Daisy''s love.


    "Thank you for your love, but I can only say sorry to you. Because I love my husband, and so does he. And there is no room for other people in my heart. So, I am genuinely sorry but I cannot respond to your affection." Daisy told him, in a very serious tone. Daisy wanted Hero to know that she was very happy with the man she loved. And she never thought of any change in life.


    "I know. So, I bless you. I hope you stay happy for good." Hero smiled, with mixed feelings of satisfaction and sadness. He felt satisfied because Daisy lived a happy life. Daisy''s happiness was Hero''s simple and the only request. He also felt sad, because the person who provided a happy life to Daisy was not him. Anyway, he tried to give his best smile to Daisy, with a hope that Daisy could remember thisst smile and thereby forget all the previous unhappy memories rted to him.


    Hero''sst wish worked. Daisy felt inexplicably sad even after walking out of the prison gate. It seemed that she was so affected by Hero''s sad mood that she was unusually silent all the way back home. She just gazed out of the window, seeing the scenery flying back swiftly. Only after she came back home and saw Justin''s lovely little face, she snapped out of her sad mood.


    "Mom, you''re finally back. I missed you so much!" When Justin saw Daisy, he ran into her arms immediately, with his eyes shining with excitement. Justin did not see his dear mommy for several days, and thus he really missed her so much.


    "My little Justin, I too missed you a lot." Daisy picked him up and gave him a big kiss on his face. Then she put down the little one. But she felt that one kiss was not enough to express her love for Justin, especially when she was out for so many days. "Why are you getting thinner again?" Cynthia said. She came out of her room after hearing Daisy''s voice. She frowned a little at the sight of Daisy''s much slender chin.


    "Cynthia, thanks for your hard work when I was not at home." Daisy smiled. When she would be really busy with work, her weight woulde down a lot. However, once she was rxed in her work life, her weight woulde back to its normal level.


    "Nonsense, you must have had a much harder time than I did. Look at your tiny face. It looks so thin to see. Yes, I must ask Mrs. Wu to cook some food enriched with high nutrition for you." Cynthia turned to the kitchen immediately once she got this idea. She did not even give a chance to Daisy to respond to this. Cynthia really cared about Daisy a lot.


    "Uh!...... Do I look like someone in need of more nutritious food?" Daisy felt confused. Oh, No. Why did one need more nutrition! She felt worried to see the chicken soup with ginseng, roasted duck, bird''s nest soup and various other nutritious food items again! Daisy had eaten a lot of that foodst time when she was injured. One more time now? Oh, no. Besides, she was only a few pounds less in weight. It was not so horrible as what Cynthia said just now.


    "Yes, Mom. You indeed need some more nutrition. You know, chubbiness is a strong quality for a woman. And all men love it. So, now you understand how Grandma wishes to help you keep dad''s heart!" Little Justin talked like an adult. His words surprised Daisy. "Little Justin," said Daisy, "tell me, who taught you all this? Or where did you learn all this from?" Daisy wondered. She had locked theputer and iPad. And she really did not know from where Justin had learnt all these messy thoughts?Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "From where? Does this thing need to be learnt? Isn''t that what all TV series on TV depict? Nearly all TV series have such a stupid plot. It is not difficult to know that. "Little Justinughed. His mom was too busy to watch TV series. Thus, she did not know what was popr in the society now.00000

 Chapter 642 Thank You For Coming (Part Three)

    "It seems that I have to lock the TV too, considering what all you have learnt from the TV," Daisy said. And she immediately put her words into action by going ahead to turn off the TV that was on. "Oh, no. To be or not to be, that is a question. Mom, is it wrong to be honest? I just told you the truth!" Justin pitifully looked at the ck screen, speechless.


    "There is nothing wrong in telling the truth itself. The point is that the TV content is not suitable for kids like you." Daisy did not worry that Justin would turn bad watching this. However, she just wanted to tell him what kind of TV shows he could see and what kind of things were not suitable for kids of his age.


    "Mom, it seems that there are also a few drawbacks of you being with Mr. Mu for such a long time. Now, you have learnt more and more of his style, full of sophistry." He realized that he should not have spoken anything. All he said was mistaken. Thest time, he was banned from using theputer, and this time, even the TV was forbidden. Woo. Were there any more happy things left in his life? Withoutputer! Without TV! It was hard to imagine his future life without these fun things!


    "So, you have any other opinions?" Daisy asked, with her eyebrows raised doubtfully. Since they left the residential building at the military base, this little boy had be more and more lovely. He was no longer that little Justin with a cool face.


    "No, no. How dare I?" Justin said. "However, as the old saying goes, there are always measures to counter. I am sure I can live just as happy as I am now." Justin grinned, with his eyes gleaming almost wickedly. He believed that he had plenty of ways to ovee this problem, as his Mom would not be around 24 hours a day.


    "Oh, If you say so, it is really a good reminder to me that I must cut off all theputer and TV signals of the house." On seeing the self-satisfied smirk on Justin''s face, Daisy could not help but tell Justin that she had more solutions to settle down his little tricks. However, she just pretended to cut off the signals to frighten this little boy. If she really blocked all the high-tech signals in this house, she would be the first one to feel the inconvenience. After all, she always used theputer to search some data on the Inte at night, aftering back home from work.


    "Do I tend to abuse myself? Or how could I be so silly to tell all these things to you," said Justin, pouting his tiny mouth. This time, the poor little Justin was thoroughly confused,. It seemed that he would cry any minute.


    "Yes, you are right, to an extent. Anyway, forget all theputers and TV. Let''s go! It is time for dinner. Wash your hands and let''s get ready." After pushing Justin to wash hands, Daisy went to the kitchen. She wanted to know whether she could help with anything before the dinner since she had lots of work to do after dinner. But soon Daisy was driven out by Cynthia. In Cynthia''s mind, Daisy was already very tired after a whole-day''s work, how could she bother Daisy again by housework? Every time Daisy came across moments like this, she felt deeply touched, not only because of Cynthia''s kind consideration, but also because of the mother''s love that Cynthia devoted to Daisy. Daisy had always craved for this motherly love and affection ever since her mother died.


    To tell the truth, she felt that she was very lucky to be a member of this warm family. Although the situation in the beginning was not very good, if the end result was good, nothing else mattered. By thinking in this way, Daisy felt there was nothing to regret.


    At night, Daisyy on her bed. For a while, she kept tossing and turning around. She could not fall asleep because she missed Edward very much. She never had such a feeling even when she was in the military area. But once she was back in the house that was full of memories of Edward, she found that she wasn''t really ustomed to being alone. She had endured such loneliness in a major part of her life before. However, she even felt lost, especially when shey alone on the bed, surrounded by the light scent of jasmine, her feeling of loneliness became stronger and stronger.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    She turned the phone back and forth in her hand several times, waiting for Edward''s call. However, there was not a single text or call till now. Didn''t Edward reach the destination yet? Or was he too busy to call her? But that''s not what it''s supposed to be! Edward said that he would call her as soon as he reached his destination. But it was also her fault as she did not ask him where he was going for the business trip and which flight he took. Otherwise, she could have checked his arrival time by the flight number, instead of waiting like that. Tossing and turning for a while, Daisy still felt nervous as she could not lie on the bed with ease. She sat up, procrastinating for a few seconds whether she should call Edward first or not. Finally, she decided to act proactive this time and dialed Edward''s number. But all she heard was a busy signal. It was an abnormal phenomenon. In case Edward was still on the ne, the answer should be, "The subscriber you dialed is switched off". Since she heard a busy signal, it made her feel more anxious and nervous. How could it be busy????????

 Chapter 643 Thank You For Coming (Part Four)

    After thinking for a while, Daisy then dialed Luke''s number. "The subscriber you dialed is busy now, please dialter." The same busy signal came from his phone too. Daisy frowned, and she could no longer stay in her room. She got up and hurried to the study, opening theputer to find whether there was anytest report of air crash or terrorist attack, and so on. After surfing all the news websites, fortunately, she found that no such mishap happened. She felt a little rxed. At least, Edward was safe. He might just be in a no signal zone, Daisy thought to herself. A long night passed, Daisy could not fall asleep at all. She woke up with puffy eyes in the morning. Daisy went downstairs with ruffled hair and baggy eyes. She thought of having a simple breakfast before she could leave for work. Unfortunately, on her way to the dining room, she came across Jonathan, who was going out for some sports. Her weary and untidy look gave Jonathan a big shock.


    "Good morning, Dad." Daisy was in no mood to look in the mirror after she got up. So, she did not know how she looked like at the moment. She was so confused and lost that she did not even understand why Jonathan could not endure to look at her straight. "Hmmm. Morning. Don''t work too hard. Daisy! Take care of yourself. See what you have be now, especially look at your eyes." Jonathan shook his head, frowning and walking out.


    Daisy felt puzzled even now. She touched her face but couldn''t understand what was wrong with it. ''What is wrong with my face?'', Daisy thought to herself. Why did Jonathan suddenlye up with such a sentence to her?


    "Mrs. Mu,e here. I have already prepared some breakfast for you." Mrs. Wu caught sight of Daisy and waved to her. If Daisy was at home, Mrs. Wu would always prepare Daisy''s breakfast in advance, because Daisy always left earlier than the other people in the house. "Alright! Morning, Mrs. Wu. I aming" Daisy gazed at Jonathan''s receding distant figure. She still could not understand why Jonathan said that. Anyway, she ignored it and walked towards the dining room.


    "Oh, Mrs. Mu. What''s the matter with you? Look at your eyes. And your face looks so pale. Also look at your hair. You did not get good sleepst night, right?" Mrs. Wu screamed just when Daisy entered the dining room.


    "What''s wrong with my eyes?" Daisy felt even more puzzled now on Mrs. Wu''s series of questions. What''s wrong with her eyess? Why was everyone pointing at them?


    "Daisy, didn''t you look at yourself in the mirror this morning?" Mrs. Wu looked at Daisy curiously. This was so weird. How couldn''t Daisy notice such an obvious thing?N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    "Uh! No, I did not look at myself in the mirror this morning. What''s up?" Daisy said with an innocent look. She waspletely confused now,. She looked at Mrs. Wu straight with her beautiful shining eyes, hoping Mrs. Wu could clear her doubts. "Well, in fact, there is nothing serious. You just look a little tired." Even though Mrs. Wu looked straight into Daisy''s eyes, she did not tell her that she had big bags under her eyes.


    "Oh, thanks, Mrs. Wu. All right. I can recover just in a short while. " Daisy finally knew the reason. But she was not worried at all. Because the panda eyes were just temporary. She only needed an hour or so and the panda eyes would be automatically eliminated. However, Daisy still felt a little embarrassed when she thought of Jonathan''s words.


    Although Daisy now knew that she had puffy eyes but she was still shocked when she looked at herself in the mirror. What big and dark bags under the eyes! So, as ast resort, she had to wear a pair of sunsses, in order to cover up the embarrassment. " "Colonel Ouyang, how are you today? Are you not feeling good?" Mark asked. Mark first looked at the sky, and then he fixated his eyes on her sses. He did not understand why Daisy was wearing sunsses on a cloudy day.


    "I am fine, thanks. Let''s go!" Daisy got into the car directly, ignoring Mark''s exploring eyes. In the car, she could not help but put her phone in her hands, hoping it would ring in the next minute. She was worried about Edward. Why didn''t Edward call her? Mark touched his head, frowning and finally got on the car. But he observed Daisy all the way from the rearview mirror silently. It was strange that Daisy kept looking at her phone without saying anything. This never happened before!


    Before going to the military area, they first headed to a stationary point for the other armed forces in the city. So, it was already ten o''clock when they finally reached the military base. And Daisy still was doing the same action. She was continually looking at her phone. Time and again, she would put her phone to the ears to listen to it. But she did not say anything, probably because the call didn''t get through. Sometimes, she stared out of the window silently.


    "Mark, could you lend me your phone?" Daisy suddenly asked, stretching out her hands to the front seat.


    "OK, here you are. Besides, is there anything wrong with your phone? May I take it to repair centerter?" Mark said honestly, handing over his mobile phone to Daisy.


    ''I also think that it is not ringing because my phone is broken. "Daisy murmured, with her fingers dialing up the phone immediately. It was magical that this time the call finally got through. It made her more convinced that there was a problem with her mobile phone. "Hey, Mark, it''s me, Edward. Why are you calling me? Where is your Colonel?" Edward''s familiar voice came from the phone. Daisy could sense a strong sense of tiredness in his voice which was mixed with a hint of tension.


    "Edward, you''re a liar." On hearing that familiar voice, Daisy could no longer keep herposure. The whole night of uncertainty and worry finally found a way to vent out. Daisy started to cry. She looked so dedicated and charming even when she was crying.00000000

 Chapter 644 B Country (Part One)

    "Oh honey, it''s you. I was going to call you. Didn''t expect you to call me first. Wait a minute, why are you using Mark''s phone?" Edward had a long day involving a lot of travel, so he waspletely exhausted. After his nended, he rushed to cater to some urgent business matters and then headed to his hotel immediately. As soon as he entered the room of the hotel, he got a call from Daisy. Before even putting down the bags in his hands, he answered the call.


    "Well, that''s a good question. You know what the irony is? For the past couple of hours, I''ve being trying to reach you with my own phone, but couldn''t get through. And now, when I tried with Mark''s phone, it worked! Care to exin why?" questioned Daisy grumpily. Though Mark was sitting near her, Daisy was unable to resist the rage, so she ignored Mark and snapped at Edward. She had been trying to call him all night, but all she got was voice mail recordings. She even started having those weird thoughts that something bad might have happened to Edward.


    "You must have gotten really worried. I am sorry. After the nended, I rushed to deal with some emergencies here. I know this is bad excuse and I should have called you sooner. I am sorry Daisy, I really am. Please don''t cry. You are an army woman, remember? You don''t want others to see you like this, right?"


    Hearing Daisy cry made Edward feel guilty. He realized that his carelessness had frightened his wife. She was a really strong woman. It must have been immensely torturous for her to be unable to reach him for the whole night, or she wouldn''t have lost herposure like that.


    "I don''t care what other people think about me. Where are you?" asked Daisy with teary eyes. Last night was like aplete nightmare to her. When she couldn''t get through her husband''s number, she panicked. What''s worse, she had absolutely no clue about the destination of Edward''s trip. At that moment, she swore to herself that she wouldn''t let that happen ever again.


    "I am in B Country right now. It''s said to be one of thergest diamond producing countries. Have you ever been here before?" asked Edward with a wry smile on his face. He never thought Daisy could be so demanding. Edward always thought of her as a strong, independent and organized woman, who was sometimes a bit aloof. But when she suddenly nagged him about the whereabouts, Edward realized that Daisy was no different from any other married women.


    "You also have a diamond business?" Daisy was a little shocked to realize that she didn''t really know much about her husband''s business. She never really bothered to ask Edward about the areas in which he was investing, the number of sectors in hispany, the type and variety of assets in hispany or the number of employees. She literally knew nothing.


    "Yes. FX International Group has a diamond mining base here in B Country." When the conversation drifted to a slightly lighter topic, Edward untied his tie and tossed it casually on the sofa. Since Daisy wasn''t around, he believed it was okay to be a little casual and imperfect for a while.


    "Edward, now that I think of it, I realize that I have never really taken interest in your work. You must think of me as a lousy wife, no?" This was one of the best qualities of Daisy. She never shied away from epting her fault. Perhaps this was something Edward admired the most about Daisy. Minutes back, she was firing him for not calling her and now she was all gentle and epting.


    "No, of course I don''t think of you as a lousy wife. I just don''t want you to trouble your mind with my business problems. All I want is for you to be happy and to ept everything that I am able to offer you and enjoy it to the core. Lastly, don''t ever forget that I love you more than anything in the world." Edward loved Daisy deeply, but sometimes he was bothered by her rationality. Though it was a great trait of hers, but there were times when Edward wanted her to be vulnerable so that he could show his power and protect her.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "Do you think of me as a woman who is with you for your money? Do you really think that I won''t be around if you have no wealth left or if you can''t offer me anything?" asked Daisy with her brows furrowed. Any other woman in this world would have actually been thrilled to hear her husband say what Edward just told Daisy, but Daisy was different. She was rational. For her, this statement seemed to be more regret-arousing than touching. She knew Edward had to work really hard to own everything he had today. Not everybody could rte to the struggle behind this humongous wealth. People only looked at his morous standard of living; nobody really thought about how much effort he had put in to achieve all that he had today.


    Piles and piles of documents to review, countless crucial decisions to make, 24/7 stand-by for business trips to even the remotest areas of the world, and many other things that an ordinary person might find impossible to handle were everyday affairs for Edward. It definitely wouldn''t have been possible without the support of Daisy. Daisy always understood Edward''s busy routine and never intervened in his career.


    "No, that''s not what I meant. It''s only one way of saying how much I wish to do things for you. Please don''t take my words by their literal meaning. I respect you and your individuality. Why would I say something like that when I know it might offend you. Trust me, if there is only one man in this world who can read your mind, it''s me," said Edward as he satfortably on the sofa. Though he was extremely tired from his long trip and work, when it came to Daisy, he never lost his calm. He spoke to her affectionately with a tender smile on his face. It was because he really cared about Daisy and she was the woman he was madly in love with.


    "You must be really tired now. Go take a good hot water bath and have a good night''s sleep. I will talk to you tomorrow." Daisy had already forgotten the unpleasant things that kept her up all night. From Edward''s feeble voice, she sensed that he needed rest, so she wanted to end their talk and let him sleep.


    "I am okay, honey. Talking to you never tires me." Edward meant it. If it weren''t for Daisy, he would have already cut the conversation short and hung up the phone by now. His tender passion and patience were there only for Daisy.


    "That''s really sweet of you! If you aren''t really tired, then I can go on talking with you endlessly and use your words as lubies." Daisy hadn''t been able to sleepst night, so she was just as tired as Edward. As they were talking, she reclined on the back seat of the car, continually struggling to keep her eyes open.


    "I am sorry you didn''t sleep wellst night because of me," said Edward apologetically. As a matter of fact, he didn''t do all this on purpose. He knew Daisy must have been worried back home. As soon as hended in B Country, he rushed to deal with a few emergencies. Once he was done, he quickly headed to the hotel. He knew he wouldn''t be able to talk to her properly while he was on road. But he had no intention to leave her waiting.


    "That''s all right. I miss you, Edward. Pleasee back soon." Daisy wasn''t used to expressing her feelings so openly; but with Edward, she didn''t mind. She cared for him so much that sometimes she forgot the principles she set for herself.


    "I miss you too. Don''t worry, I will be home by tomorrow," said Edward tenderly, his face lit up with happiness. When he heard Daisy said ''I miss you'', he was immediately filled with a lot of energy and joy.0000

 Chapter 645 B Country (Part Two)

    "Okay. Go have some rest! I will reach the army base in a few minutes. Take care of yourself. Bye." Despite saying bye, Daisy didn''t cut the phone. She waited to hear bye from Edward.


    "Okay, bye," responded Edward, blowing a gentle kiss over the phone before finally hanging it up. After putting down his phone, Edward walked towards the bathroom while undoing his shirt button. Like a leopard after a hunt, he looked worn out. This strangely added anotheryer of charm to his appearance. No wonder numerous women were crazy about him. How could anyone resist such a hot man!


    B Country was andlocked country located in the southern hemisphere. Most of the areas of the country had a savanna climate. The western part of where Edward was staying was mostly a desert or a semi-desert region. The year here was divided into dry and rainy seasons. The rainy season was hot, while the dry season was dry and cold. Both with huge temperature difference between the day and night. Right now, it was rainy season here. For someone like Edward, who couldn''t stand the warm weather, it was especially difficult to stay here at this time of the year.


    Edward added somevender oil in the hot tub and got in it to rx his muscles. Now he could finally clear everything out of his head and just rest. It was three in the morning, nine o''clock in the morning for Daisy. He had a twenty-hour long journey during which he did nothing but reviewed the documents he received from the head manager in B Country. Such workload could take a toll on anyone.


    However, to deliver what he had promised, he had to speed up the tasks in hand so as to catch up with the exercise of new weapons at Daisy''s army base. If it was about someone else, he wouldn''t push himself so hard. To him, everything about Daisy was important. He would rather keep all the hard work to himself than let Daisy down by not showing up when she wanted him.


    After the water in the tub was lukewarm, he opened his eyes and turned on the shower to let the warm water run down on his body from head to toe. The streams of water smashing his skin was rxing. He then stretched his hands to let his palms feel the water sshes. The room was now filled with hot steam. His skin gradually grew pink from the heat, and with his eyes and mouth shut peacefully, his face looked even more enticing.


    Apart from the business work, Edward was in B Country for another important task. He wanted to find the perfect wedding ring for Daisy. This was something he had owed her for thest couple of years. Edward wished to be responsible in every step of this work, right from the selection of the raw stone to the design and the shape of the ring. He picked purple diamond for the ring. This was one of the rarest stones in the market. It was a rare diamond because there weren''t too many reserves of it in the nature. So, it was naturally very pricey.


    Though Daisy never gave too much importance to material things, as a husband, Edward felt it was his responsibility to give Daisy the best things in the world. He always backed his words with actions so as to ensure that his wife felt cherished.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    No color could be more apt for his dear wife other than purple. Purple represented dreams and also bore a hint of mystery. To Edward, Daisy was like a treasurend filled with endless surprises. Every now and then, he would discover a new merit of hers. He just couldn''t get enough of her.


    After dreaming about the happy times he spent with Daisy, Edward finally got his strength back. He then turned off the shower and stepped out in satisfaction. On his way out of the bathroom, he grabbed a bath towel and wrapped it around his waist. When a few drops of water fell from his hair to his upper body, he stopped abruptly. After a moment of hesitation, he headed back in the bathroom to grab another towel to dry his hair. It urred to him that he had just promised his wife that he would take good care of himself, and if he didn''t do that, he would betray her trust in him.


    ''I guess she is the only woman in the world who dares to point out where I am wrong and call me arrogant. I have never met any woman who doesn''t want my attention or try to please me. Daisy, however, is nothing like them. She even treats me harshly sometimes, but strangely, I like that too about her. Is there anything wrong with me?'' mused Edward,ughing at himself.


    He pledged that in the following days of their lives, he would still treat her dearly, especially during a fight. He now wanted to love her in all ways he could think of. Lyingfortably on his king-size bed, all he could think of was his wife. Her beauty was not only limited to her appearance, but it was more about her character traits. Sometimes she was strong and determined, and portrayed more courage than a man while other times she flushed like a school girl who could melt your heart instantly; there were also times when she became distant and aloof. Whatever she was like, he adored her. With all those sweet thoughts of his beloved wife, he sank into a deep sleep.


    After what happenedst night, Daisy felt it was necessary for her to take out some time and rekindle her rtionship with Edward. Though they were back together now, it seemed that there was still so much that she didn''t know about him. She knew that it was because she hadn''t been paying much attention to him or his work. It was true that her work was very demanding, but that couldn''t justify her not spending enough time nurturing her rtionship with her partner.


    For the first time in her life, her mind was upied with personal things during working hours. As she leaned against the window, a wave of memories of Edward flooded her head. She remembered the things he had done for her and how much he had changed for her. The more she thought about it, the more she wondered if she had been taking his love for granted. After all, he didn''t owe her anything and there was no need for him to do everything she asked for. Looking back, she realized that she failed to give back Edward enough in this rtionship.


    ''He has so many choices. He can practically have any woman he wants. Will such a man really be happy tomit to me? Though he seems pretty content with it, but will itst long?'' thought Daisy to herself, sighing deeply. If she were to answer the question, it would be a no. She wondered if she should make some changes in herself, to make it easier for both of them to be together.


    Ever since their reunion, things Edward did had been more than enough to prove his sincerity for Daisy. Sadly, she had been constantly taking his intentions for granted. Taking this recent incident for instance, she didn''t even bother to ask where he was going before his business trip, and it wasn''t untilst night that she finally realized how aloof she kept herself from him.

 Chapter 646 B Country (Part Three)

    "Report!" A resonant baritone interrupted her thoughts. She looked at her watch and realized that she had been musing for quite a while now.


    "Pleasee in," Daisy replied. Judging from the way he knocked, which was very formal and polite, she knew it wasn''t Mark. He was a lot less serious but always looked as if he was on his way to deal with some kind of emergencies.


    Entering the room was a young man full of vigor and vitality. His name was Lee. He saluted Daisy first and then reported, "Colonel, Major General Gu asked me to give these documents to you before he left. He said you might need them." After saying that, he stepped forward to hand over the documents.


    "I see. It''s very nice of him to be so thoughtful, but it seems that he doesn''t really trust my working abilities," said Daisy with a faint smile, as she picked up the folder and sat down on her chair.


    "No, you should not get it wrong. I am sure this was not his intention. He sorted out this information for you to use it as a source of reference. The next call of action and the final decision are in your hands only, colonel." Daisy was amused by how Lee took her words so seriously. She obviously knew Kevin well and didn''t take any offence in getting help from him.


    To reassure him, she said, "Okay, I get it. I appreciate both yours and his help. Please don''t take me so seriously. I was just joking." Why couldn''t he see that I was only joking?'' thought Daisy to herself, knitting her brows, ''Have I always been serious in the past?'' Lee moved his lips but couldn''t think of anything to reply. In fact, he didn''t even think that Daisy was joking, because he didn''t find anything funny about it. He had always been used to Daisy''s conscientiousness and preciseness. So, today when she talked in a rather casual way, it was a little hard for him to ept.


    Seeing that his work was done here, Lee excused himself and left the room. Though Daisy was a little annoyed by the idea that Kevin thought that she was''tpetent enough to handle the work all by herself, she knew he meant well. Therefore, she opened the folder and went through the whole file that he had prepared for her. To her surprise, there was a list of exactly all the things she needed to do today. This would save her at least a couple of hours. A surge of gratitude overtook her as she thought about how considerate and supportive Kevin was to her.


    Feeling a little overwhelmed, Daisy bit her lip unconsciously. After checking the time, she finally picked up her phone and dialed.


    "Hello?" replied Leena, half asleep. She was sleeping when her phone rang, and she picked it up without bothering to open her eyes to see who it was. She had been up all night to finish the drafts for her impending winter clothes press conference.


    "Leena, are you still in bed?" Daisy looked down to check the time again. It was past eleven in the morning. She almost thought she called at the wrong hour.


    "Oh, it''s you, Sis. Do you need anything?" asked Leena, shaking her head a little to wake herself up.


    "Why? I can''t call you when I don''t need anything?" Daisy asked back with a wry smile. This was the second time in the day when her behavior was stereotyped. She couldn''t help but ponder if she had been really predictable in the past.


    "No, I didn''t mean that. It''s just that you are so busy all the time that you seldom call me unless it''s for something important," replied Leena, sitting up straight on the bed and pushing a hand through her hair to clear them off her face. She was fully awake now, but was still tired.


    "Hey, are youining?" Daisy couldn''t help but smile. Her eyes were filled with tenderness. If there was one person who she really cared about and thought of as family, it was Leena.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "No! With your guardian angel Edward by your side, I won''t dare to say a bad word about you in a million years," pouted Leena. She knew she couldn''t mess with a man who was crazily in love with the woman she was talking to.


    "If it pleases you, say whatever you want. But seriously, how are you these days living all by yourself?" said Daisy, as a faint smile flickered across her lips. She had a mixed feeling of embarrassment and happiness when she heard Leena joke about her and Edward. "Sis, you are not spying on me, are you?" Leena thought it was actually possible. Though Kevin couldn''t contact her personally, he still had connections in the army base. This meant he could be in touch with Daisy. She suspected that Kevin had asked Daisy to check on her.


    "Spying? Are you kidding? You should really cut down on your time watching cops and robbers on TV!" said Daisy with a frown. She didn''t really understand why Leena asked whether she was spying on her or not.


    "Did someone ask you to check on me, so as to make sure that his house is safe with me?" Leena still got goose bumps when she remembered the million things Kevin asked her to keep in mind before he left. She realized that a man could really drive you crazy when he was over-protective, and garrulous.


    "Oh, you mean Major General Gu. No, of course he didn''t. He is undergoing a discreet training course. Nobody is allowed to get in touch with him. So, rx, you still have the whole house to your self. Even if you put all of his stuff up for auction, there is nothing he can do about it right now."


    It was obvious that Kevin had been using the same tactic on Leena as he did on her - flooding her with tips, rules to follow, and whatnot. "Poor Leena,'' she thought, shaking her head slightly with a smile.


    "For the record, I have no interest in his stuff. I''d be more than happy as long as he doesn''t make me listen to him talking about how to take care of myself. Sis, is he also like this at work? Setting millions of rules and giving orders to other people?" It wasn''t that Kevin liked nagging people. It''s just that, to him, Leena was like a child, and he felt the need to protect her. This was why, before he left home, he repeatedly ensured that nothing would go wrong while he was gone.


    "How do you think he is like when he is at work?" said Daisy with a sly grin. An idea of ying a little trick on Leena had just crossed her mind. It turned out that Justin didn''t inherit his evil character solely from his father; his mother contributed her share too.

 Chapter 647 The Dinner (Part One)

    "How would I know? Sis Daisy, I asked you first. Why are you asking me back?" Leena said, pouting.


    "You can ask Kevin in person when hees back. I don''t talk behind people''s back." Daisy smiled, imagining Leena''s disappointed face.


    "Never mind. I''m not stupid, and I don''t want to interfere in what he does at work, so I won''t ask." Leena rolled her eyes. She wouldn''t do anything reckless like that.


    "Do you want to get together tonight? Dinner''s on me." Daisy smiled affectionately. She loved everything that Edward loved.


    "Sis, is today April Fool''s Day?" Leena asked carefully and checked the calendar, like an adorable little girl.


    "Am I that unreliable?" Daisy smiled resignedly and wondered when she lose all her credibility.


    "It''s not that I don''t believe you. It just sounds a little unusual to me." Leena pped her head. It waste fall. How could it be April Fool''s Day today? Dumb! Dumb! Dumb! She said to herself.


    "Stop asking questions. Are you free or not?" Daisy asked sullenly. It wasn''t easy for her to make time to have dinner with her. Yet Leena didn''t answer her question directly. She just went on bbering irrelevantly.


    "Of course I have all the time in the world to dine with you. Even if I didn''t, I would do everything to clear my schedule and grab this opportunity." Leena was d that she didn''t have to eat alone tonight. Simultaneously, she was also surprised by this feeling. Where did ite from? She had always yearned for a free lifestyle. No restraints. Since when did she dread eating alone?


    "Save it. See you tonight. You pick the ce." Since Daisy used to live at the military residential quarter and she spent most of her time on the army base, she wasn''t familiar with the fancy restaurants in the city. Leena, on the other hand, was a rising star in the fashion business, Daisy was afraid that Leena wouldn''t like the restaurant she picked.


    "Okay. Let''s go to Westin Western Restaurant then. The food there is fantastic." Leena smiled. In all honesty, she didn''t pick that restaurant because of its food but because it was affiliated to FX International. And Leena had a VIP card for it, which meant the food would be free. She thought that since she was dining with Daisy, Edward should be the one taking care of the bill.


    "I agree. That''s settled." Daisy bit her lip. Westin Western Restaurant was luxuriously furnished. It was a popr restaurant amongst the upper-ss. A couple of days ago she had been there to meet Leo. It was her first time there. Its food was indeed special. "Okay then. Don''t blow me off. Otherwise, I''ll order everything on the menu," Leena threatened on the phone.


    "No problem. Order as much as you want, as long as you can eat it all up. I have to go now." Daisy hung up and smiled. She didn''t take Leena''s words seriously. She thought she was just bluffing. But actually Leena had something else on her mind.


    After the phone call, Leena couldn''t sleep anymore. So, she got up and decided to do some workout. Talent was important in her field, but Leena tried to be fit and pretty as well. In that way she could be a model herself to demonstrate her work to people. She believed that the models could never understand the idea and the philosophy of the designs as well as the designer.


    The sun set and the dusk fell. Daisy cleared her desk, grabbed her briefcase and army cap and walked out of her office.


    "Mark, drive me to the Westin Western Restaurant," Daisy said in a low voice to Mark as soon as she sat in the military Hummer. Then she looked at her phone, and wondered what Edward was doing right now. Was he sleeping? Or perhaps busy with work? Whatever it was, Daisy missed him.


    "Yes, colonel." Mark knew his ce well. So, he never crossed the line to ask inappropriate questions. He just started the car and drove away from the army base to the restaurant.


    Thest meal she had here had been with Leo. Though it hadn''t gone well, she reminisced about it as it was the first time she had dined alone with Leo after being kicked out of the Ouyang''s house. When she walked into the restaurant again, she had mixed feelings. "Sis Daisy, here." Leena was wearing a pale pinkish gray chiffon skirt and light and subtle makeup. She looked pretty and vibrant as usual. The sweetness in her smile could melt anyone.


    "Are you early or am Ite?" Daisy sat opposite her with a smile, ignoring people''s gaze.


    "You''rete, of course. I''ve been waiting here for more than half an hour. But betterte than never." Leena winked wittily. She was as innocent as a middle school student. No one would think that she was already married.


    "I''m sorry. Too much work. Order anything you like. Consider it as my punishment for beingte." Daisy smiled apologetically, looking much milder than usual. The smiles on her face implied that she was living a happy life. "Don''t worry. Since Edward is paying, I''m going to enjoy a big meal tonight." Leena smiled mischievously and picked up the menu.


    "Him? Unlikely. He''s abroad. It will be me." Daisy shook her head and picked up the menu too. She was not a picky eater, but since she was eating out, she wanted to treat herself to something she had never eaten before. "Sis, FX International has a special kind of VIP card called Dragc Card. It''s only for its most important clients." Leena raised her brows and handed the waiter the menu with her order on it.


    "I didn''t know that. But does it have anything to do with this meal?" Daisy was curious. She gave the waiter her order too.


    "Of course it does. The clients with a Dragc Card enjoy a free service in all the properties of FX International. Huh, I knew Edward didn''t tell you this. You two go everywhere together after work. He must think you might never need this card. It makes sense," Leena said, nodding her head.


    "Are you trying to tell me that this restaurant belongs to FX International?" Daisy frowned. Suddenly she felt bad, not because Edward didn''t give her a Dragc Card, but because she felt that she was a lousy wife. She seemed to have paid no attention to Edward''s work. Daisy scarcely knew him.


    "That''s right. I knew you didn''t know about it. Enjoy the meal. Someone else is going to pay for it anyway," Leena said, without noticing the subtle change of expression on Daisy''s face. Daisy was silent for a while. This was when Leena realized that something was amiss. "Sis, are you all right?" Seeing the sadness on Daisy''s face, Leena was worried that she might have said something wrong.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.

 Chapter 648 The Dinner (Part Two)

    "Oh, I''m fine. I''m sorry. I was just in a daze." Daisy gave a bitter smile. She was sitting in her husband''s restaurant, but she had no idea about it until someone else told her about it. She felt bad. "Are you thinking about Edward?" Leena joked with a mischievous smile.


    "No. You''re reading too much into it." Daisy blushed and drank some water hurriedly to cover her embarrassment.


    "Look at your face. It is all pink. What are you embarrassed about?" Leena kept joking, looking lively and stunning.


    "Speaking of which, don''t you miss Kevin?" Daisy took a deep breath and asked casually.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Leena was surprised by the question and didn''t know how to reply to that. Whether she missed him or not, did it really matter to Kevin? He didn''t love her after all.


    "Sis, why are we talking about me all of a sudden?" Leena felt a trace of sadness in her heart. When did she start to care about him?


    "Even if you do, there''s nothing wrong with it. As you just pointed out, there''s nothing to be embarrassed about." Daisy gave a smile and retorted with Leena''s exact words.


    "I''m in a different situation from yours." Leena pursed her lips. She started to think Daisy had invited her to dinner to crack jokes about her married life.


    "Different how? We are both married couples." Daisy suddenly paused. She remembered the conversation she had with Kevin once. She felt sorry and looked at Leena guiltily.


    "Just different. Forget it. Let''s drop it and enjoy the food here." At this point, the waiter served some dishes. Leena felt relieved and changed the subject immediately.


    "I''m not a picky eater." Daisy sensed that something was wrong between Leena and Kevin. She tried to get more information, but Leena was obviously not in the mood to continue the subject, so Daisy didn''t push it further.


    "Actually I''m not a picky eater either. I just feel like treating myself to a nice luxurious meal once in a while." Leena was a fun loving girl. She knew how to enjoy and live life to the fullest. She had good taste, which was neither too simple nor too gaudy.


    "Don''t you worry about putting on weight?" Daisy smiled gently. Most girls were constantly bothering about their weight. However, she didn''t think that skinny was sexy. In her idea, being plump was much better.


    "Haha. I never get fat, no matter how much I eat. I think God loves me." Leena giggled, feeling pretty good about herself. While other people were dieting to lose a few pounds, she could eat heartily without gaining even an ounce of weight.


    "Look at you. You''re married but still act like a child." It sounded like Daisy was ming her. But her eyes were filled with affection.


    "Sis, do I really act like a child?" Leena''s eyes darkened. Was that why Kevin was not interested in her? The idea triggered a series of wild spections in her head.


    "Not really. At least your body is mature." Daisyforted her. Her eyes were sharp. She immediately noticed Leena''s sudden frustration. It was possible that the feelings Kevin had for Daisy only developed because of the mutual concern for each other during work. Maybe it was not love at all. Despite it not being Daisy''s fault, she still felt guilty every time she saw the trust in Leena''s eyes.


    "What you said sounds weird." Leena tried to make sense out of Daisy''s words, but she couldn''t. She didn''t realize that Daisy was behaving like Edward now.


    "Howe? Don''t read between the lines. You just said the food here was fabulous. So let''s eat and forget the rest." Daisy snickered. No wonder Edward enjoyed ying tricks on people. It felt great.


    "That''s true. Edward hired these chefs from around the world. He pays them real good money. They are the best in the world."


    Daisy sessfully changed the subject. Again, Leena started talking about how great the food was and totally forgot what they were talking about a minute ago.


    "In my opinion, Edward is a sly businessman. The food here is way too expensive formon people. Now this restaurant has be a ce where rich peoplee to show off their wealth." The thought of the extravagant clothes in MY Mall gave Daisy chills. The meal tonight would cost a lot too. Everything rted to FX International was about luxury.


    "Daisy, what a coincidence! We meet again so soon." A coquettish voice rose and broke the sweetness at the table. Standing in front of them was a woman with heavy makeup.


    "Mary, it''s you." Daisy was annoyed. For Brian''s sake, she had asked Edward to be easy on Maryst time. Unexpectedly, she still hadn''t learnt her lesson even after that horrible incident. Now here she was, picking on Daisy again. It seemed Daisy had been too merciful to her.


    "Are you surprised to see me?" Mary reached her hand to straighten her askew wig and glowered at Daisy. It was all because of that little bastard Justin. Now she couldn''t walk out of door without a wig.


    "Of course not. This is a public ce. Everybody cane here." Daisy said indifferently. She lowered her eyes, showing no interest in talking to her.


    "Are you disappointed to see me not being as miserable as you wanted me to be?" Mary extended her hand and started to twist the diamond ring she was wearing on purpose, gloating.


    "Why should I give a damn about how you are? You should thank Brian. He''s a good brother. If it wasn''t for him, you wouldn''t be able to stand in front of me today." Given the uniform she was wearing, Daisy kept her voice low. But anger was still written all over her face. "Huh! Daisy, have you lost your mind? Do I know him? He''s only your dear brother!" Mary wasughing so hysterically that tears wet her eyes. She wiped the corners of her eyes. She had sincerely treated Brian as a baby brother all her life. What saddened her was that he never liked her and had abandoned her when she needed him the most. What kind of brother did that?


    "No matter what, you got lucky this time because of him. Treasure him." Daisy shook her head. So far, the only thing she could do was to remind Mary to behave. She hoped she coulde to her senses. If she did anything stupid again, no one would be able to help her next time.


    "I don''t care! As you can see, I can live afortable life even after leaving the Ouyangs'' house. So, save the crocodile tears of yours! Who do you think you are to preach to me?" Mary red at Daisy, who stayed calm. After the abduction, although Mary was still unwilling to give up, all she could do was trash talking, she wouldn''t dare toy a finger on Daisy now.

 Chapter 649 Mary Is In Danger (Part One)

    "You are such a weird person! You came up to us and provoked Daisy. What''s wrong with you? Have you gotten no shame?" Leena scolded her as she was infuriated by Mary''s words. Leena was always ready to defend the weak and helpless; she couldn''t bear Mary


    talking to her best friend in an aggressive manner.


    "Who do you think you are? It''s between me and Daisy. Mind your own business and stay out of it!" Mary sneered and cast a stern nce at Leena. Mary didn''t think much of Leena.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "Well, Daisy is my best friend. I won''t let you harm her. By the way, your wig is about to fall off your head." Leena was a fashion designer and worked with models. She could tell at a nce that Mary was wearing a wig.


    Mary immediately touched her wig on hearing her words, and then she realized that she was fooled. She gave a murderous look and yelled, "Bitch! How dare you make fun of me?"


    "Bah! You look so ugly with that face. Look at the old man over there. He is waving at you. Is he your boyfriend?" Leena asked in disdain as she pointed to a fat old man sitting at a little distance from them.


    "Duh! You are so lucky today. I will settle ounts with you next time." Mary stamped her foot and cast a warning nce at both of them. Then she turned around and walked towards the man.


    "Damn! Who is she? Daisy, what''s the story between you two?" Leena asked as she looked at Mary''s receding figure. Mary sat down beside the man and threw herself into the man''s arms. He rubbed her over-sized boobs. His dirty actions disgusted Leena, so she turned her head and looked at Daisy''s pretty face.


    "I''m rted to her. Let''s not talk about her. Just eat your food. Your food is getting cold." Daisy gave a tiny smile and looked at Mary and then at that man. She furrowed her brow when they were flirting with each other in public. She looked away, ignoring Mary. Since Daisy didn''t want to talk about Mary, Leena didn''t push it further. After all, everyone had his or her own taboo subject; Leena was no exception, so she fully understood Daisy''s reaction to it.


    After the dinner, it was dark outside and neon lights lit up the streets. The pedestrians calmy strolled round the city. They were not rushing as they usually would during daytime.


    "Daisy, let me drive you back home. Not many taxis are avable at this time." Leena persuaded, but Daisy put her foot down.


    "It is not necessary, really. You go home. I want to take a walk." Daisy had asked Mark to go back after dropping her at the restaurant. Leena volunteered to drive her back home, but Daisy wished to take a walk back home.


    "Let me take a walk with you. Staying alone at home bores me to death." Leena had no idea why she was so afraid of being alone recently. She had never had such feelings before.


    "But your car is here." Daisy hadn''t gone shopping in the night market for a long time, but today she had a sudden desire to do that. Moreover, she was really missing Edward right now. She was afraid that she might impulsively take a flight and go to Edward if she went back home and saw things rted to him.


    "It''s not a big deal. We can leave it here. I''lle and drive it back tomorrow." Leena held Daisy''s arm and smiled slyly. Her eyes were so bright that they looked like the stars in the sky.


    "You are such a naughty girl. Fine! Let''s go!" Daisy curled her lips and walked towards the busy shopping street with Leena.


    "Daisy, can you please tell me how you kept yourself going in those days when Edward didn''t love you back?" Leena asked as she stole a nce at Daisy.


    "Why do you want to know that?" Daisy frowned and turned to her. She wanted to know why Leena was asking her this question.


    "I''m curious about that. Come on, just tell me!" Leena swung her arm and acted in a childish manner.


    "There is a vast difference between loving someone and being loved. But as long as you have faith and hope in the one you love, you can keep going. You at all times must be willing to do anything and everything for him, without seeking anything in return, only because you love him."


    Daisyughed at herself. Those past miserable days had long gone by. She was now away from the bitterness and sadness that she had gone through during those times. Edward very patiently dealt with her mental scars and made her forget about them all with his love. She was now immersed in happiness and was only thankful to have him in her life.


    "Edward is so lucky to have you by his side." Leena was envious of Edward and Daisy. She was eager to be loved so dearly by someone.


    "As long as you want, you can always live a happy life." Daisy reached out her hand and brushed her hair, in an attempt tofort her.


    "I hope so! Daisy, I think we should watch a movie." Leena immediately shook off the unpleasant things out of her mind.


    "How about another day? It''s a bitte today. Do you want me to ask Rain or Tom or someone else to take you to the cinema?" Daisy suggested as she looked at the time in her watch.


    "Never mind! Rain and others are so popr with women. I don''t want to be hated by countless women." Leena pursed her lips grumbling. She didn''t want to hang out with Rain. Otherwise, she would be screwed.


    "Hah! You don''t like them, huh?" Daisy was amused by Leena''s look of disgust when she mentioned Rain.


    "Uh-huh! I''m okay with Tom. Rain is so eye-catching. Wherever he goes, there are so many women showing interest in him. But he''s definitely not as charming as Edward." Leena stated, holding Daisy''s arm.


    "Really? Is Edward that popr?" Daisy had long known that Edward was the center of everyone''s attention. But she felt a bit strange when she heard someone else talk about him.


    "Of course he is. Innumerable women have shown interests in him. Women flirt with him all the time." Speaking of Edward, Leena''s eyes lit up. She just went on and on so much that she didn''t even notice that she was talking about Daisy''s husband.


    "He is such adies man, huh?" Daisy murmured and thought to herself, ''I''m also one of those women. Perhaps I''m just a little bit luckier than others. But how long can I have such an exceptional man to myself?'' A myriad of thoughts came to Daisy''s mind. Even after going through thick and thin together, Daisy didn''t trust Edward as much as she should. She felt insecure. It was perhaps true that something was missing in their rtionship.


    "Yes, he is. He has spent a lot of time in dealing with these women." Leena stated in an adoring tone without noticing Daisy''s awkwardness.


    "That''s why he had no time for me, right?" Daisy signed. Though her miserable days had long gone by, they left an indelible mark in her life. Every time she thought of herself as one lucky woman, those thoughts from the past bothered her. This made her cherish Edward more. She always reminded herself that getting back Edward was not easy. So, she should pay more attention to his life and not take him for granted.


    "Sorry! Daisy, I got too excited. I didn''t mean it that way..." Leena patted her mouth, feeling sorry for Edward. Damn! She just exposed his absurd history. ''Edward, I''m so sorry. I didn''t mean to set a trap for you, ''Leena thought to herself.

 Chapter 650 Mary Is In Danger (Part Two)

    "Never mind. It wasmon gossip that he once dated countless women. I knew this before too." Daisy stated indifferently as she looked up at the neon lights, staring nkly at the sky.


    "Daisy, that''s not true. You must have read them in papers, but Edward really was not a yboy. These were all false usations. Please don''t be mad at him, otherwise, he would me me for it." Leena immediately exined, but Daisy didn''t take it seriously. She bit her lower lip, falling into a depression. "I''m not mad at him. Let bygones be bygones. I won''t bother him with that." Daisy patted her shoulder tofort her and gave her a friendly, reassuring smile.


    "Great! If you get mad at Edward because of me, he will absolutely kill me!" Leena made a face and stuck out her tongue at Daisy. "Rest assured. Edward dotes on you. He will never ever me you for anything." Daisy pulled Leena back to avoid a speeding car.


    "Well, he used to dote on me. But now, you are the person he loves the most. He has never cared about some woman like that, you are the first one." They chatted while wandering on the streets. Their pretty faces and Daisy''s military uniform did attract a lot of attention. "Leena, no matter how much he loves me now, you will always be his beloved sister. There is no two ways about it. So, please don''t be sad."


    The first time Daisy saw Leena, she could see how much Edward cared about her. She remembered that she got jealous of Leena too at that time. But now she knew that Edward treated Leena as his own sister.


    "Come on, Daisy. I just want you to dote on me." Leena swung Daisy''s arm and acted like a spoilt child, looking rather adorable.


    "If I didn''t dote on you, I wouldn''t have found the time to have dinner with you. Come on! Be contented!" Daisy rubbed Leena''s nose, feigning anger. But the affection in her eyes revealed her true feelings for Leena. In her eyes, Leena was a loving sister. She was also her best friend now. Every time she saw Leena''s sweet smile, her heart softened and she couldn''t help but let out a sincere smile.


    "Ouch! That hurts, Daisy. I''m sure you don''t love me! My heart just broke." Leena pursed her lips grumbling. She knew Daisy liked her childish behavior, and she didn''t mind acting like a child to amuse Daisy.


    "You are so delicate. If you were my soldier, I would train you hard!" Daisy made a joke. Leena had a goodugh. Whenever she hung out with Leena, she always felt joyful.


    "Daisy, look! Isn''t she the woman we saw at the restaurant just now?" The uproar happening at a distance attracted Leena''s attention. She ignored Daisy''s teasing and immediately stared at the woman.


    "Which woman..." Before Daisy could finish her sentence, she saw several men dragging Mary towards a club. This was when she realized that she and Leena had left the downtown and reached some remote ce. This ce also belonged to themercial area, but it looked much more deste than those busy streets.


    "Daisy, shall we go there and help her?" Leena asked with a worried look as Daisy''s face soured at the scene.


    "No! You leave now, and I''m going there alone." Daisy bit her lower lip and wondered, ''What is wrong with Mary? She was with them at the Westin Western Restaurant. How did shee here so soon? And who are those men?'' They all looked weird to Daisy. Obviously, they were not some ordinary men.


    "I can''t leave all by myself. There are so many bad guys here. Let''s call the police." Leena grabbed Daisy''s arm, in an attempt to pull her back. If Daisy got hurt, Edward would me her for not stopping Daisy from putting herself in danger. It was she who invited Daisy for dinner, so she must ensure that Daisy reached back home safe.


    "Rx! I''m a soldier. It''s a piece of cake for me to knock down those thugs. Just listen to me and go back home. Otherwise, I would be distracted." Daisy patted Leena''s shoulder and instructed her to be careful. Then she trotted towards them.


    "Let go of me! I''m not... going with you... I won''t have sex with you... I beg you, please let me go!" Daisy could hear Mary''s imploring all the way. Mary struggled hard trying to get away from them. Her face was flushed and her hair seemed disordered. She was not that arrogant woman from the restaurant anymore. She looked anxious and scared.


    "Hah! It''s not up to you! Bitch! You''d bettere with us. Otherwise, you''ll be sorry." A man pulled Mary back heavily. She staggered and hit a car, wincing in pain.


    "NO! We had a deal and I only have to be your drinking partner. I''m not a hooker!" The idea that she might be raped by these men scared her. She immediately recalled the scene of being raped by Hero''s followers. She knew she wouldn''t be able to handle that disgust all over again.


    "Don''t be so naive! Mene here only for fun. Have you ever seen a man who doesn''t want to have sex?" Hearing Mary''s words, the menughed out loud as if she told them some funny joke.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "I beg you please. I am on my period. I''ll find you some girls, okay?" Mary regretted deeply. If she knew what would happen, she would not have epted their invitation to have a drink with them.


    "We don''t want other girls. We just want you. So stop throwing a tantrum ande with us. Otherwise, I will show no mercy." A man bent over, looked down at her and rubbed her big boobs with hisrge hand. Then he raised her chin and looked at her in the eye, trying to kiss her lips.


    "HELP! Daisy, help me..." At this moment, Mary saw Daisy running towards her. She immediately cried out loud for help, overlooking how rude she had been to her in the restaurant.


    "Wow! A female soldier! Are you feeling alone in the military camp? Are you out for some fun too? Let us satisfy you, huh?" A man whistled when he looked at Daisy from top to bottom with his dirty eyes.


    "You will never be able to satisfy me. So, you''d better let her go. Otherwise, you''ll end up in the hospital." Daisy narrowed her eyes, staring coldly at the men around her. She didn''t take them seriously as she believed she could knock them out easily.


    "Hah! Bros, listen to her, she said we will not be able to satisfy her. It must be exciting to y with a soldier. I now have an itch to have a wild sex with her right away." A man reached out his hand towards Daisy''s pink cheek. She dodged and grabbed his hand, breaking off his wrist. "Ouch!" The man couldn''t help but howl as he experienced sharp pain in his wrist. All of this happened in a fraction of few seconds. Daisy stood still and seemed rxed. In her eyes, these people meant nothing to her. After all, she was a tough woman, who had trained in martial arts.

 Chapter 651 The Fight (Part One)

    "Watch your mouth if you don''t wish to end up like him." After Daisy finished her sentence, she threw the handsy man on the ground with a flick of her wrist. She raised her eyebrows and began tough at the others. She had thought that they could actually be a threat. But it turned out that she had been wrong. "Hey! I don''t believe that you guys here can''t handle a little girl like her. Go inside and get more guys. Let''s see how proud she can be." The men never wanted to lose to a woman. If they did, they would lose all the credibility on the street. So within a couple of minutes, they grew even bolder since they were on their own turf. "What? Are you all piling on me?" Daisy smirked. As long as her opponents were just regr street thugs, she knew she could handle them irrespective of their number. It would only take a bit more time and strength, but the oue would stay the same.


    "Huh! Afraid now? You can still do as told." The cocky leader shook his body. He provocatively looked at Daisy as if he owned the world. The look in his eyes made it clear that he was definitely lusting for Daisy and wanted her right away.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "Afraid? It''s not even a word in my dictionary. I''m just going to say it one more time: let her go." Daisy''s pretty eyes gave out an intense stare. She darkly chuckled like a imer of souls from the underworld. The way she looked could make people shiver uncontrobly. The atmosphere around immediately turned unsettling.


    "All right. Let''s see who''s going toe out on top. I don''t think a woman like you can win us men. Guys, listen up. If you take her, then tonight''s going to be a happy night for you all." The man was giving orders left and right. He was perhaps the local leader here. Otherwise the other guys wouldn''t be taking his orders.


    "Sen, we''ll hold you to it. Haha! We''ve had all types of girls in the past, but we have never had the chance to y with a girl in uniform. Looks like tonight is going to be a great treat." When the group heard that they could take Daisy back as a winning prize, everyone cheered. People were whistling one after another, totally disregarding the fact that she was a soldier. It was obvious that they were all out of control.


    "Watch what you''re saying. Or do you want me to help you clean your mouths?" Daisy frowned a little. She was somewhat excited as she hadn''t been involved in a fight for quite some time now. She thought this one would be her exercise after dinner. Since a bunch of guys were throwing themselves at her, why would she deny them?


    "Okay! Girlie, we don''t mind you cleaning us at all! Haha! Just thinking about it is making me swoon." Now her ears were assaulted by nastyughter and flirtatious words. Those men''s wild behavior made Daisy stride forward without even thinking about it. With one quick swerve of her fist, she hit the leader on the nose, taking him by surprise. And then with a smart spin, she already stepped on top of the man with her heel.


    "If you want to end up like him,e and try me." Daisy scanned the whole scene without even changing her countenance. Though her eyes rested for a moment on the thugs that came out of the bar, she was not afraid at all. Instead, a cold, scornful smile rose from the corners of her mouth. She looked like a ruler who had the world in her hands.


    "Damn, what are you all waiting for?! All of you, just get her and teach her to watch her mouth! Oh, how I''d love to see her begging for mercy in bed." The man called Sen spat coarsely. Out ofplete embarrassment and anger, he growled at his men who were standing there still. They were all deterred by Daisy''s agility and strength. So, naturally, they couldn''t react quickly or fight her back. On hearing Sen''s angry roar, they were all back to their senses. They were now ready to fight Daisy. They left Mary alone and shifted all their focus on Daisy.


    "Daisy, let me give you a hand." While Daisy was thinking about how to finish the fight as soon as possible, Leena approached her all of a sudden and offered to help.


    "Aha! Seems like luck''s on our side tonight. One pretty girl followed by another. Hey girl, have your parents ever told you how attractive you are?" The sudden appearance of Leena stirred up the scene again. Now, the eyes of all the hooligans'' fell on Leena''s beautiful body. "Leena, didn''t I tell you to stay put? Why don''t you just listen to me?" Daisy couldn''t help but rub her forehead. She was now feeling a little distressed. A moment ago she thought that she had the game in her hand, but now this girl came along and the situation slipped from her hands. Now Daisy didn''t just have to fight these thugs but also have to ensure that Leena didn''t get hurt by them. Since now her energy and time would be divided, her efficiency and chances of winning came down.


    "Sis, I just called the police and I believe they''re going to be here very soon. So don''t worry about me." Leena whispered in Daisy''s ear, and she looked around sharply. Although she was quite certain about herself, it was the first time that she faced such a horrible scene. She could not help but tremble a little bit.


    "Leena, if you already called the police, you should just stay there and wait for them toe. Now you''re here to ''help'' me, what will I do if you get hurt? How will I exin the situation to Major General Gu and your brothers?" In Daisy''s eyes, Leena was like a little princess who had always been protected and showered with love. If Leena got hurt today in Daisy''s presence, she really didn''t know how she''d face those men who loved their sister too much.


    "Daisy, I saw that they outnumbered you. I thought you might get hurt, so I came to help you without even thinking about the consequences. But don''t worry, I won''t stand in your way."


    Leena pouted. She understood that Daisy only wanted to protect her, but she still felt upset after being reproved.


    "Hey girl, your skin looks so delicate. Why don''t you juste to me? Don''t be afraid, I''ll take very good care of you." The sight of a beautiful girl like Leena tickled the senses of these vulgar hooligans, and they were all staring at her fair skin exposed in an obscene


    manner.


    "You? You are unworthy even to tie my shoestrings." Leena was one mischievous girl and she wouldn''t let anyone take advantage of her, not even with words. She lifted her pointed chin, and depicted her most arrogant posture.


    "Stupid chick. Don''t you dare to infuriate me. I see that you''re still a young pullet and I''d be more than happy to do you a favor and take away your virginity. I don''t usually waste my time taming inexperienced girls like you." Being ridiculed by Leena in front of his gang, Sen couldn''t take it any longer. While he was still speaking, he attacked Leena all of a sudden. But Daisy immediately came to her rescue and stopped him.


    "Do me a favor, huh? You call that a favor? I''ve never seen anyone as shameless and brazen as you." Leena was glib. Nobody could defeat her in an argument. Moreover, she was really clever. She was doing all this on purpose. She wanted to talk as much as possible so she could stall the situation till the police arrived. However, attacking people with words couldn''t really be considered as a wise way to fool men like them. One would only be more infuriated by her bitingments. Just then, the men who were resting, got instructions from Sen again. They were all ready for a fight one more time.


    "Foolish girl, you asked for it. Let''s see how you''ll fool around with meter." No man could allow a girl to trample on his pride. So before his gang could take any action, Sen came after Leena. He failed to understand how somebody like Leena who looked so delicate and sweet could be so sharp-tongued and exasperating.


    Leena didn''t expect these people to suddenly turn hostile and be so scary. She was stunned by their actions. She only recovered from the shock after she was pulled back by Daisy. There was no time for her to think anything through. She instantly raised her fist to knock down a man who tried to touch her. Leena wasted no time and kicked the man with her long leg and trampled on him with her high heels. She no longer looked like a sweet fragile girl. Now, she was the evil mistress who could take anyone down.


    "You know how to fight?" The kicked man was distracted by what was under Leena''s skirt when she raised her leg. He asked in a dumb tone.

 Chapter 652 The Fight (Part Two)

    "5th dan judo and 6th dan taekwondo. What do you think?" Leena proudlyughed. Being a daughter from a wealthy family, she had to be prepared for all kinds of emergencies. Duke was not the kind of person to be persuaded by her begging and pleading. He sent her to tough training sessions when she was little. There was no getting away for her.


    "What, you have learned those?" When Daisy heard Leena, she was actually a little surprised. She got so distracted that she was almost hit by a guy with a wooden club. No wonder the girl dide around without fear. It turned out that she could handle herself pretty well. She was trained young, so she could reach such high dan ranks! Daisy thought that Leena was just a princess spoilt by everyone, but she didn''t expect her to have secrets like these. This made Daisy look at Leena in apletely different way. "Daisy, be careful. I''ll exinter." Leena was scared for a moment when she saw Daisy almost being hit by a wooden club. She couldn''t afford to be careless. Though, she could fight, she had very littlebat experience. Besides, she was wearing a skirt, so she was much more restrainedpared to the flexible Daisy.


    Originally, the hooligans thought that their number could be an advantage. But they didn''t think these two women would be so good at fighting, especially the one in military uniform. Not only did she know all the moves, she also had the efficiency to overpower her opponents. So within just a few minutes, half of the attackers were put down to the ground. They were so badly bruised that they couldn''t stand up or fight back. Daisy was a truly decisive and resolute woman.


    Mary watched when the fight was on. She was shocked to see them fighting like that. In this moment, she felt a slight change of emotions in her heart. Given the damage she brought in Daisy''s life, Daisy could havepletely left Mary alone in a situation like this. But Mary was surprised that Daisy came forward without thinking twice. Did she help her because she was a military officer? Or did she step forward because of Brian? Or was she just a very good human being? This was a question that Mary needed to figure out at this moment. But no matter why Daisy helped her, Mary was indeed thankful to her for her rescue.


    "Damn, you bitch. Are you all dead? You couldn''t even handle two women." Looking at the downedckeys all around him, Sen was furious. It made sense that they couldn''t overpower the soldier, but howe his guys couldn''t even take care of the frail-looking girl. If this defeat went out, they would no longer be able to stay on the street with any dignity.


    However, what Sen didn''t know was that whenever Leena was in any danger, Daisy would swiftly and easily help her out. In the very moment, a maniacal thug came swinging his knife around to stab Leena. Daisy, with no regard of her own safety, swept her long leg under the guy while dodging another assant who was trying to exploit her. She then took a super quick swing and prevented Leena from being hurt.


    As a soldier, Daisy knew clearly that she should not hesitate when fighting with the enemy. Moreover, she shouldn''t underestimate her opponents either. Since she was exerting herself with every move, she nned her moves efficiently. If she could knock someone out with one punch, she wouldn''t waste another kick on the same person.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    Her agility could be seen by the hooligans. Whether it was with a duck or with a jump, she was closely evading all possibly fatal strikes. Although it was alreadyte autumn, she was sweating all over. Daisy couldn''t afford to take care of her bruised shoulder. She dragged a guy to her side and used him to deflect another person''s knife attack. Her once bright eyes were now red.


    "Leena, I''ll cover you. Grab the first opportunity and get out from here. Do you hear me?" Daisy frowned a bit. Even though Leena knew the moves, shecked actual fighting experience. So she might unknowingly put herself in a dangerous situation. Daisy had to protect Leena from those situations, as they were affecting her own performance. Things got worse when the attackers began taking out weapons one after another. The girls could easily get hurt. So Daisy had to make sure that Leena was safe before she could let loose. "Okay, Daisy. You be careful." Leena was not brainless. She quickly realized that her presence was constricting Daisy, so she voiced no protest on Daisy''s request.


    "Good!" Daisy puckered her lips. She was wondering why the police hadn''te yet. Why had taken them so long? It seemed that she ought to talk to Mr. Yi. With such terrible efficiency, any other person must have been dead by now.


    Leena found an opening and quickly ran away. A few hooligans saw her and tried to catch up, but Daisy stood in their way. Now with Leena away from the scene, Daisy could be quicker with her moves and more violent in her actions. Every strike from her was however only enough to knock people down and not actually kill them.


    "Do you want to keep going?" Daisy panted, standing on top of the thugs she just dropped on the ground. She coldly nced at the man they called Sen. Beads of sweat slowly fell from her forehead.


    "Screw you! Damn bitch, you sure know how to fight. But if you want to get away from here, let me tell you, not a chance. My men haven''t had a chance to taste you yet!" Sen spat on the ground, ring at Daisy with his raging eyes.


    "Stubborn as a mule. If that''s what you want, then I''ll have you taste jail in just a minute! I guess prison sounds really good to you." Daisy hated the most when others threw out obscenities. So she no longer wished to talk to Sen and went straight after him. Wasn''t there a saying "cut off the head and the body would die"? If that was the case, she would have to subdue this unruly bastard first. But right before she could get to him, the man caught hold of Mary from the side and used her as a shield in front of him. Daisy almost couldn''t hold herself back and hit Mary instead.


    "Ah! Daisy, help." Mary didn''t expect to be the hooligans'' target once again, so she immediately screamed out. She was also pleadingly staring at Daisy.


    "What do you say? Are you ready to submit, or should I kill this woman? Make a choice." Sen said creepily, putting a knife against Mary''s neck.


    "What if I choose neither?" Daisy closed her eyes, angry. She wondered if Mary was stupid. The girl had a good chance to escape earlier, but she had to stay here and be a helpless hostage. Daisy had no idea how Mary came up with all those conspiracies against her in the past.


    "No, you will have to choose one. Don''t forget that you are wearing a military uniform. I don''t have to remind you about upholding the honor of the military and loving the people, right?" Sen didn''t expect Daisy to be so good at hand-to-handbat. Without any knowledge of ranks, he had no idea who she really was and treated her like a regr soldier. Perhaps, this was the reason why he treated her so lightly.


    "You don''t have to remind me. All I know is that the police will be here in any second. And then, none of you will be able to get away from here. This is not an empty threat." If it were not for Brian''s sake, Daisy would have just turned around and left. But just like Sen said, she hadn''t forgotten what she was wearing, so even if someone other than Mary was captured here, she was obligated to step forth as a soldier defending her country.


    "Shit, you guys called the cops." As Senined, he pressed his knife harder onto Mary''s neck. Mary was so scared that she didn''t dare to breathe, in fear that her delicate neck would be cut open by the knife. Just then, the police sirens could be heard from a distance. Daisy was certain that the police was heading closer to the location.??????????????

 Chapter 653 Daisy Got Hurt (Part One)

    "You should have expected that from the beginning," Daisy sneered. The police didn''t arrive until half an hourter. It seemed that a tea with the chief of Public Security Bureau was inevitable.


    "Bitch, you wait. I won''t let you off." Sen was on the verge of losing control of his emotions. The dagger pointed at Mary''s neck dug deep into her skin. She was bleeding.


    Hearing the word bitch, Daisy squinted her eyes grimly at Sen.


    "Please don''t. Don''t kill me!" Mary begged, trembling. Feeling the pain in her neck, she feared that Sen would slit her throat the next second.


    "Be quiet! Or I''ll kill you!" The police were getting closer. Sen kept a close watch on them and was on the alert against Daisy''s ambush at the same time. Mary''s pleading disturbed him a bit. Daisy took the opportunity and approached him swiftly. She grabbed the de and got Mary out of his embrace. She kicked Sen hard in the balls and struck him with her elbow. Sen was caught, yet Daisy was cut by the de and her hand was bleeding profusely.


    "Sis Daisy, are you all right?" Leena came back with the police. She had intended to call the police again, but then she ran into them before she could run far away from here.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "It doesn''t matter. It is just a scrape." Daisy indifferently looked at Mary, who was sitting on the ground. The pain in her palm made her frown.


    "Ah! Sis, you are bleeding. Hurry. Let''s go find Tom." Leena screamed at Daisy''s bleeding hand.


    "Excuse me. Are you Colonel Ouyang?" A policeman asked, head tilted. He felt that he had seen this female military officer before. She looked like the colonel who had been to their bureau several times to see their chief.


    "Yes, I am. The police should arrive at the crime scene within five minutes. Why did it take you half an hour to get here?" Daisy peered at the man with a calm face. Yet the calm was just a prelude to a burst of rage.


    "Sorry. We didn''t know it was you who called the police. And there was an ident on our way here, so..." Once the policeman confirmed Daisy''s identity, he kept his head down and didn''t dare to look at Daisy in the eye.


    "Do you mean you would havee here earlier if you had known it was me? I see. Take them to the police station and interrogate them. And tell Mr. Yi that I''d like to have a tea with him someday," Daisy said grimly. It was time she helped the police establish some discipline in their work.


    "No, Colonel Ouyang. That''s not what I meant." The policeman rubbed his head nervously. He felt Daisy had misunderstood him but he couldn''t clear the misunderstanding and had made it worse.


    "It''s no use exining. What''s done is done. I''ll leave everything here in your charge. I have something else to do. I won''t go to the police station to do the statement." Daisy didn''t like to use her power, but she hated the police''s sloppy attitude. To her, they were just making excuses.


    "Yes, Colonel Ouyang." The policeman let out a long exhtion. He wished he weren''t the one on duty tonight. It had been an eventful evening. They had left the station the second they got the call. However, at an intersection two cars crashed terribly, they had to stop to save people, so they camete. As a result, they gotte in reaching the crime scene. Unfortunately, the caller was the well-known Devil Trainer Colonel Ouyang. Since Daisy refused to hear him out and told him she would drink tea with the chief, the policeman sensed trouble was around the corner.


    Daisy squeezed her fist. Seeing blood, she knew that she had to go to the hospital and get the cut bandaged. She was certain that if Edward found out about her new injury, he would get really angry.


    "Sis Daisy, let''s go. I called Tom. He''s on his way." Leena''s eyes were wet. She was worried and frightened.


    "What? You called Tom? We can just go to a general hospital. I''ve troubled him so many times in the past. I''m embarrassed to trouble him again and again." Daisy felt sorry that Tom had almost be her personal doctor ofte. "Daisy, wait!" Mary suddenly walked up to her when she and Leena were ready to leave.


    "If you want to thank me, it''s not necessary. I just did what I have to as a service woman. If you want to humiliate me, I''m sorry I''m in a rush right now," Daisy said coldly without turning her head.


    "Why should I thank you? You owe me that much! If you hadn''t had my mom arrested, I wouldn''t have ended up like this. So I won''t thank you for tonight!"


    Mary gazed at Daisy''s injured hand. Her fists were clenched and released. She had gathered all her courage to say thank you to Daisy. But hearing Daisy''s remarks, she lost her courage and turned hostile again.


    "Whatever. All I want to say is that I won''t be around every time you are in trouble. You look out for yourself." Daisy took her leave. Whether Mary listened to her or not, there was nothing else she could do for her. She did all she could.


    "Excuse me, police officer. Who''s that woman? She sure can fight and looks powerful," Sen asked the policeman as soon as Daisy was out of sight. With the handcuffs on, he didn''t dare to be insolent anymore.


    "How stupid are you? She''s the youngest colonel of our city. Who gave you the nerve to mess with her? And you im to be the head of a gang? Now even I am in trouble because of you! I wish I could just kill you with the stock of my gun." The policeman hit Sen hard on the head with the gunstock.


    "She is the colonel everybody''s been talking about? No wonder she can fight." Sen swallowed some saliva. He had been wondering why the woman was so arrogant, it turned out she was a high-level military officer.


    "You are lucky she didn''t make you a cripple. I admire your courage, though. Have a good time in jail!" The policeman shook his head speechlessly. It was a horrible thing to be this ignorant in life. The moron had started a fight without even checking on Daisy''s identity. Even if he didn''t know who she was, couldn''t he see her epaulets? On seeing the hooligans lying or sitting here and there, the policeman could know that there had been a fierce fight here a while ago. Daisy had handled all those hooligans on her own. Her bravery and strength was indeed impressive!


    "Sis, the bleeding is not stopping. I''ll call Tom again and ask how far he has reached." Leena was sobbing. She med herself for suggesting Westin Western Restaurant. If they hadn''t been to that restaurant, they wouldn''t have been involved in this fight and Daisy wouldn''t have hurt herself. Edward would be very furious enough to kill her.


    "Leena, don''t worry. It''s nothing. I''m used to this kind of small cuts and bruises." Looking at Leena''s disheveled hair and tearful face, Daisy tried to soothe her. This must be her first time to experience something like this. She was frightened.00000

 Chapter 654 Daisy Got Hurt (Part Two)

    "Look at how you are bleeding. The cut must be deep. It can''t be a small one." Leena sniffled. Then she bent over, ripped the lining of her skirt, and bandaged Daisy''s cut with it, hands trembling. Although it didn''t stop the bleeding, it slowed down the flow of the blood. "Leena, thank you. Now I get why they all spoil you. You''re such a sweet girl." Daisy reached out her other hand and stroked Leena''s hair. Who wouldn''t love such a kind and thoughtful girl? If only Kevin could see that and forget the past.


    "Sis Daisy, don''t make fun of me. Tom said he was near. Why is it taking him so long to get here?" Leena wasn''t cheered up by Daisy''s praise. She looked at the traffic on the street anxiously.


    "Leena, rx. You''re too intense. I am afraid you''ll faint before I do." Daisy patted her shoulder. With the torn skirt on, Leena looked embarrassed. As a carefree girl, this kind of situation was new to her.


    "Herees Tom. Tom, here!" Leena waved at a Maybach and finally smiled.


    When Tom got Leena''s call, he had just finished a seminar. When he heard that it was Daisy who got injured, he immediately rushed over without eating anything. He didn''t want any dys when it came to Daisy. When Leena called, she was only crying. So, all Tom could hear was her mumble. Fortunately, Tom had been very close to where they were. So he drove there as fast as he could.


    "Daisy, are you okay?" Seeing Daisy standing, Tom was relieved that the injury wasn''t severe. At the sight of Leena, he took off his coat, tossed it to her, and said, "Wear it around your waist."


    Leena bit her lip and did as told. She assumed that Tom must have noticed what was wrong with her skirt.


    "It''s nothing serious. Just a small cut from a dagger. I''m sorry to trouble you at suchte hours. Leena shouldn''t have made a fuss about this." Although Tom and Edward were good friends, Daisy felt bad about getting free treatments from him.


    "Don''t mention it. Get in the car so that I can have a close look at the cut." Tom got his medical kit from the trunk. Then he opened the back door to let Daisy in. Leena sat in the passenger seat.


    "It just needs a bandage. It''s not as serious as it looks." Daisy extended her hand. The lining of the skirt was already soaked in blood. It was horrible to see.


    "It''s not looking good. I''ll stop the bleeding for now but you must go to the hospital and get stitches." Tom''s forehead furrowed as he opened the lining. The look in his eyes wasplicated. He knew from Rain that Edward was abroad on a business trip. Once again, Daisy was hurt when he wasn''t around. Edward treasured his wife like his own life. Whoever did this to Daisy was going to pay.


    "You hear that? I told you it was bad." Leena was relieved to have Tom around. To her, Tom was omnipotent.


    "Leena, you drive. To the hospital," Tom said to Leena as he bandaged the cut, looking thoughtful.


    "Okay. No problem." Leena sat behind the wheel quickly. She started the car and drove toward Tom''s hospital.


    As soon as they got to the hospital, Tom began to hustle and bustle. The cut was wide. Daisy got a dozen stitches for it. "Daisy, it''s all done. Please don''t get the wound wet until a scab forms." Tom smiled gracefully.


    "Thank you, Tom! I''ve put you into so many troubles." Daisy smiled back. She had be much warmer than before.


    "We''re friends, so don''t mention it. If it was Edward, I would ept his thankful words. But that''s impossible. I just wish he could stop ying tricks on me." Tom finished his words with a shiver, as if Edward was standing next to him with an evil smile on his face. "Tom, you''re speaking evil of Edward in front of Daisy. I''ll tell him about it and you''ll be in trouble." Leena smiledcently and raised her brows at Tom.


    "Go ahead, but don''t count on me to treat you if you get injured next time." Tom flicked her head and put his medical kit away.


    "Okay, okay. I won''t. I''m sorry. Tom, can you drive Daisy home? My car is still parked at Westin Western Restaurant. I have to go get it." Hearing Tom''s words, Leena gave in. She was afraid of needles and Tom was one of the best doctors in the city. It would be her loss to offend him.


    "Don''t bother. I can take a cab. It will spare us all some trouble," Daisy said in a hurry. She didn''t want to take up much of Tom''s time. Besides, she wanted to keep her injury from her family. If Tom drove her home, it would rm her family and worry them.


    "Daisy,e on. If Edward knows that I let you go home alone in a cab, he will kill me. So it will be in my best interest to drive you both home. There''s nothing I can do about it. I''m always the one getting bullied." Sandwiched between Edward who loved his wife and Duke who spoilt his sister, Tom dared to offend neither of them.


    Half an hourter, the Maybach arrived at the Mu''s vi. It waste in the night, so Tom and Leena left after Daisy got out of the car. It was exactly what Daisy wanted. Now, she wouldn''t have to worry about rming her family anymore.


    Nheless, when Daisy walked into the living room. Jonathan, Cynthia, and Justin were all sitting there, waiting for her.


    "What happened? Why are you hurt again?" Cynthia looked at Daisy''s hand, which was thickly bandaged in gauze. She was terribly worried.


    "Mom, were you on a mission today?" Justin raised his mom''s hand and blew on it gently, as if it would make the pain go away.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "No. Something happened. The cut is not deep. Uncle Tom has already taken care of it. So no need to worry about it." Daisy looked at Cynthia apologetically and stole a nce at Jonathan. Then her gaze fell on Justin''s face. She had been injured a lottely. It worried her family badly. She felt sorry about that. "It''ste. Let her go upstairs, freshen up, and get some rest," Jonathan said. He could see that Daisy was tired. And she looked like a mess after the fight. She could use a good night''s sleep to rx herself. Hearing Jonathan''s words, she looked at him gratefully. "Right, right. I''m too worried to think about that. Justin, go upstairs with your mom. I''ll ask Mrs. Wu to make some soup for her. She''s too thin. And now she has lost so much blood. Poor kid!"


    Cynthia worried a lot, just like every other parent would. Seeing Daisy''s injury, she started to bustle around. Yet Daisy was faced with a dilemma. After Daisy''sst injury, Cynthia had made her eat a lot of soup to help her recover. Daisy was still having that soup hangover to this day. Not again, she thought!00000000

 Chapter 655 Trap And Kill (Part One)

    "Mom, Dad will get really mad if he finds out that you are injured again." Justin went upstairs with Daisy, disying a gloating look on his round face.


    "Justin, why are you so happy to know that I will be scolded by your dad again?" Daisy said as she pinched his lovely round face. Had she been neglecting him recently? Why else would he favor his father instead of her this time?


    "Yes. I''m very happy. You must be scolded this time because you never listen to him and end up getting yourself hurt time and again." When it came to Daisy''s safety, Justin and Edward were definitely on the same page.


    "Justin, do you still love your Mom?" Daisy felt sad just thinking about it. She worked really hard to bring him up. But he switched his sides so soon. Now, he was singing the same tune as his father. Daisy knew, if the father and son aligned with each other to deal with her, it would be a major disadvantage for her in the family.


    "Of course I love you Mom! But more than that, I wish to see you healthy. I want to make sure that you alwayse back home safely." Justin said in a calm yet serious tone just like an adult. When Justin talked like that, Daisy had an illusion that it was not Justin but Edward sitting right in front of her.


    "I''m so sorry Justin. I got you worried again." Daisy gently embraced the adorable Justin into her arms. Despite the passage of the time and the change in the environment, Justin would always be the one to care for her the most.


    "Mom, you should be okay all the time. Dad and I both need you." Justin took a deep breath, sniffing the unique fragranceing from his mother''s body. Although it was a mixed smell with a slight odor of sweat in it, he still found her fragrance to be the best. "Don''t worry. I will not leave you. To me, you are the most important people in this world. Without you two, my world will be full of darkness." If Daisy had said this to Edward, he would feel narcissistic. He would feel as if he was walking on the air. Daisy getting emotional or saying these emotional words was rare to them.


    The sky in the B Country was very blue today. Edward woke up early to cater to the emergency here. But the thing was more serious than he had expected. It became tricky. He realized that the whole thing had got no where despite the whole ordeal of negotiation he had gone through during the day.


    "Mr. Mu, are you really going to agree to the demands of the KGpany? You will give away half of our mining base to them?" Luke looked at Edward''s sullen face with concern. Thinking about the argument that happened just now, he felt a little helpless. They were not in their home country so they did have a certain disadvantage in dealing with vital matters.


    "Do you think that we will easily sumb? They are asking too much by demanding the half of the mining base. It seems that they don''t know me very well." Edward smiled cunningly. He would never go onto grabbing things from other people''s te. But in no way would he let them take his share from the te. If he couldn''t handle such a trivial thing, he would fail to live up to the name of Edward Mu.


    "But it is said that the CEO of KG is not easy to deal with and it seems that he has connections with the local gangsters. If we continue to stand firm on our decision, he might do something to harm us." Luke wouldn''t be worried if he was here alone. But now Edward was with him. So, he had to take into ount Edward''s safety as well. Thus, it was required for him to carefully n the whole thing.


    "Huh! So what? Unless he ns to not step out of the B Country for the rest of his life, he would never do anything to harm us. He would take any action, only if he wishes a life-and-death battle between us. But, if that happens, I will really doubt his intelligence level and wonder how he acquired his solid position as the CEO." Wherever Edward went, he would be the centre of attraction. So he inevitably attracted attention from numerous admirers. This was especially true in an open-minded country like the B Country.


    "Do you think it''s possible that they will find someone to kill us and finish the matter once and for all?" Luke narrowed his sinister eyes, if it was really the case, they were now fully exposed to their enemy. Since one side was in the light, and the other one was in the dark, it was obvious the enemy had an advantage to win.


    "Yes! So we should be more careful. Everyone we see from now on could perhaps be the killer sent by them." Despite understanding how dangerous the entire situation was, Edward did not panic at all. On the contrary, he ate all the food on his te in a calm andposed manner.


    "I know. Do we need to call to get some more people here for help?" Luke feared that he might not be able to ensure Edward''s safety all by himself. He regretted not bringing more people with them.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "It''s toote now. They''re too far away to be able to help us here. We''d better be careful by ourselves," Edward paused and said. No matter what, he would never get himself in danger, at least for the sake of Daisy.


    "Are we still going to fetch the ringster?" Although he knew Edward would definitely go to get the rings, he still wanted to confirm.


    "Of course, don''t forget that Ie here mainly for the rings." The rings were bted wedding gifts for Daisy. No matter how dangerous the situation was, he would not give that up.


    "But it''s more dangerous if we leave the hotel." Luke tried to persuade him not to go out. He knew the rings were really very important to Edward. However, he also knew that inparison to the rings, it was Edward''s safety that was more important to Daisy.


    "It''s okay, it won''t take too long. And they wouldn''t dare to hurt me so tantly. If something really happens to me, the prime suspect would be KG. They are not that stupid to dig their own grave." Edward took a napkin and gently wiped his mouth. Then he took a small sip of the red wine andy back on the chair. He was lost in his thoughts.00000000

 Chapter 656 Trap And Kill (Part Two)

    Finally, he reached out his hand and picked up his cellphone from the table. Looking at Daisy and Justin''s broad smile on his mobile phone''s screen, his ferocious eyes suddenly softened. He gently swiped the screen and dialed the familiar numbers. Then he put the phone to his ear and listened carefully. "Hello, it''s me. Have you finished your business there? When are youing back?" It took Daisy a long time to finish her shower because of the wound on her hand. She was about to start her work when she suddenly heard the phone ring. She quickly picked it up when she saw the familiar number sh on the screen.


    "I know it''s you. Do you miss me so much that you are so eager to have me back home?" Edward was very slick in front of Daisy. No matter what, he would be happy as long as he took advantage of her. And that got Daisy pretty annoyed. She really wanted to strangle him to death now.


    "Yes! I''m thinking of you now, thinking whether your face is thick enough to block the bullet of my gun." In fact, she missed him a lot, but she wouldn''t let those words slip from her mouth. Otherwise Edward would feel as if walking on air. He would be too narcissistic to remember who he was.


    "If you want, I don''t mind taking the bullet for you again." This was how the narcissistic Edward was like. But he actually had the advantage to behave like that. Even if you were pissed off at him, you would rather bury your grievance in your heart than show it off to him. Because there was only one Edward in this world, if you missed him once, there was no second chance.


    "Why should I care? It''s not me who will take the bullet." She knew Edward was glib-tongued, so she had always told herself to be calm and take it easy with him. Otherwise the one to be pissed off would definitely be her.


    "Honey, do you mean what you said? Are you sure this is what''s on your mind right now?" Sitting there alone, Edward had already attracted the attention of many women around. And his yful smile wowed all the women there. They allid bare their lustful desire for him. Women here were eager to pounce on such a sexy nobleman.


    "Yes, I''m one hundred percent sure. Howe you have so much time to chat with me now? Did you finish all your work there?" Daisy carelessly bumped her injured hand, and she gasped with the piercing pain thereby dropping all the documents in her hand.


    "What happened? Are you okay?" Edward frowned and asked with concern. He had a sharp sense and could notice even subtle changes in her breath.


    "I''m okay, I just dropped my files. Don''t try to change the topic. Have you finished your business or not?" Daisy bent down to carefully pick the documents one by one, still clinging on to the question she asked.


    "Yes! Almost. Probably I will take the ne back home tomorrow night. Don''t worry. I won''t bete for the new weapon performance in the army base." By no means would Edward tell her what he was going through right now. Because it would do no good. On the contrary, it would only cause unnecessary trouble to her.


    "You should know that I don''t care about you attending or missing the performance." Daisy ced the files on the table. She felt helpless about his casual attitude. But she was desperately in love with him. She knew him as the man who appeared perfect in public, but he had numerous shorings in her eyes in private. If he was a soldier she was in charge of, she would definitely rub down the edges in his character and get rid of his bad temper.


    "I''m joking. How could I not know that your real concern is my safety? Rest assured. I will soone in front of you with my most handsome face." He never made a promise he had no intention to keep. If he made a promise, he would never eat his words. Just like the pet phrase he always used to say, this was due to his good moral standing.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "Don''t be garrulous. It''s good that you know what I mean. You should get back to your own work now. Take care, and please pay due attention to your safety. I also have to work on a document that will be used tomorrow." Daisy didn''t know much about B Country where Edward was currently in. But since he was out, it was always good to be careful. Moreover, he was not any regr guy. His identity was special so it was possible that people would target him.


    "Okay, don''t stay upte. If you can''t finish it tonight, you can do it tomorrow." Edward kissed her through the cellphone and reluctantly hung up. Remembering Edward''s arbitrary request of never hanging up the phone first, Daisy patiently waited for him to hang up first. She shook her head helplessly and ced the phone on the desk. After that, she got back to her work. Not sure why, but Daisy felt a little uneasy and couldn''t concentrate on her work.


    Like Edward said, KG was not that stupid to do anything to them during the broad daylight, so nothing special really happened during the day and they sessfully got the rings. But that didn''t mean they were totally safe. This was because night was usually the best time for any hideous crimes to transpire.


    In the luxurious presidential suite, the sound of keys of the keyboard clicking could be clearly heard.


    Edward quickly typed a series of numbers while checking the files in his hand, then he set several firewalls on hisputer. Any man who was passionate about his work indeed looked very charming. And by that logic too Edward was undoubtedly the most fascinating man in the world now.00000000???????

 Chapter 657 Trap And Kill (Part Three)

    Edward suddenly heard a loud and rhythmic sound of someone knocking on the door. He stopped his work and raised his dashing eyebrows. But he still stood up and went to open the door. He thought it must be Luke who was back after buying some stuff from the market. So he opened the door without even checking who was knocking. Unexpectedly, a beautifuldy with a soft and hot figure fell in his arms as soon as he opened the door. "Who are you?" Edward asked coldly while blocking her hands which were trying to envelope his waist. He could make out from her face that she was an Asian woman. But he didn''t know whichnguage she spoke, so he was not sure which country she was from. But undeniably, this woman was indeed a gorgeous beauty.


    "Handsome man, aren''t you the one who called for the room service?" The woman reached out her hand and frivolously touched Edward''s handsome face. She cast several amorous nces at him with her lovely eyes.


    "Miss, don''t tell me that you are the night snack for me tonight." Edward suddenly reached out his arms and held her slender waist with his hands slowly wandering on her back.


    "That depends on whether you have the guts to eat me up or not." The woman''s voluptuous body clung closely to his body and her fingers slowly caressed his strong bare chest. She brought her luscious lips near his ear and blew some warm air from her mouth to arouse all his senses.


    "How do you know when I haven''t given it a try yet? I feel honored to please such a beautiful woman like you." Edward put his hands on her lower body. His sexy voice had her spellbound, leaving the originally cold presidential suite burnt with passionate desire. Amorous air filled the whole room.


    "You''re so awful! You men are all good at saying sweet words!" Finishing her words, she approached his thin lips, but Edward escaped her with his casual move. She was a little disappointed, but soon she was mesmerised by his seasoned and passionate flirtatious movements.


    "This is what you women like the best, isn''t it?" Edward said with a sarcastic smile. His big hands reached to the inner side of her thigh under her skirt. He smiled disdainfully after he quickly got the thing he wanted.


    The woman looked at the mini gun in Edward''s hand, dumbfounded. But when she came back to her senses, it was toote, the gun was already pointed at her head.


    "Go back and tell Joseph, next time he wants to trap and kill me, he better find a woman who is just as beautiful as my wife. Inparison to her, someone like you, is not even one ten-thousandth of her beauty." Edward sneered. He never called for any special hotel service tonight. Moreover, he was certain that Luke would never arrange for such a service for him. But this woman imed that she was a call girl who came here for his special service. It was obviously fake. Edward believed in a notion that women with nice breasts had no brain. In this country, there was only one person who wanted to kill him. It had to be Joseph, the CEO of KG. This was because they had a major disagreement in today''s meeting.


    "Haha! Isn''t it true that the CEO of FX International Group is a notorious womanizer? It seems that it is only a rumor. I believe I disguised really well, but it amuses me that you saw through my trick so soon. But since you know that someone is trying to kill you, do you think my master will only send one person here?" The woman didn''t feel scared at all despite Edward had a gun pointed in her direction. On the contrary, she smiled coquettishly. This was because she was sure that Edward would not fire at her. Otherwise he would face awsuit in the country.


    "It seems that you know a lot about me, but it is a pity that you don''t really know me so well. If all the people sent by your master here are as brainless as you, why should I be scared?" Edward sneered. Was he so easy to deal with in their eyes?


    "You... Don''t you want to know why your bodyguard hasn''te back yet? Mr. Mu?" The woman was angered by his arrogant ways. But she soon calmed herself down and gloated. She narrowed her eyes and looked at him from the corner of her eyes. "What did you do to him?" Hearing her words, Edward pushed the gun harder at her temple. But he also believed that Luke could not be tricked so easily.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "Huh! Are you afraid now, Mr. Mu?" Obviously, this woman was specially trained, otherwise, she would not be so calm even when being held at gunpoint. She was off guard now because she had underestimated Edward and was attracted by his sexual appeal. "You don''t answer my question? Do you really think I won''t dare to do anything to you?" Edward said while fiercely bumping her head hard with the gun handle, showing no mercy to such a beautiful woman.


    "If Mr. Mu, you think that I will sumb because of this hit, you''re wrong. We are willing to venture our lives to finish the task right from the time we enter the business. Do you think I will care about suffering this little pain?" The woman smiled gracefully, irrespective of the blood streaming down from her head.


    "Oh? What if I destroy this beautiful face? Will you still not mind?" Edward slowly stroked his fingers over her delicate cheeks. The more beautiful a woman was, the more she would care about her face. And for some women, their faces were important than their lives. And Edward firmly believed that this woman was a typical example of one such woman.


    "Please don''t. We didn''t do anything to him. We only temporarily dyed hising back to the hotel." It turned out that Edward was right. Hearing that Edward was going to ruin her beautiful face, the woman began to panic. It was obvious that to her, beauty was more precious than her life.000000?????

 Chapter 658 The Love Trap (Part One)

    "You better make sure that he gets back in a whole skin. Otherwise, I will let the whole KGpany pay the price." Edward said in a cold voice, looking at the woman with flinty and cruel eyes. He considered Luke not only his bodyguard, but also his family. Like anyone else, he would indeed lose his temper if anyone came after his family.


    "s! Do you think that you are still in your territory, Mr. Mu? It is not certain whether you can survive the night or not, let alone have a final say here." The woman smiled contemptuously. Now that they were in the B Country, whichy within her master''s sphere of influence, she just couldn''t be more arrogant. So she wasn''t frightened by Edward''s threat at all.


    "If you don''t believe me, let''s give it a try and see what will happen, shall we?" Edward let out a wicked smile, approached her, and touched her face with his fingers lightly and flirtatiously. He looked liked a total womanizer, a dissolute yboy. The woman was soon distracted, and before she could say a word, Edward suddenly hit the nape of her neck with his gun. The beauty then slowly sank to the floor. Edward seized the chance and rushed out. He took out his phone and dialed Luke''s number while running at full speed. But the phone was not answered and the dial tone went busy soon.


    Just like the woman said, Luke was pinned down at the moment. However, it was not his own safety that worried him, but rather Edward''s safety. When he thought about his young master who had been left alone in the hotel, he tried to fight the most out of each and every attack with explosiveness in a hope to break free from the group of gangsters who had besieged him. But his enemies were not to be underestimated, for he failed to get rid of them even after fighting for a long time. To make things worse, he was now feeling both physically and mentally exhausted. As they narrowed the encirclement, he was driven into a tight corner, and fell into despair.


    There was no prize for guessing who had sent these gangsters. So Luke knew it clearly in his heart that not only he was in trouble but Edward''s life too was in danger at the same time. The problem was, he was held here while Edward was totally out of his reach. The fact that there was nothing he could do to save him now made him feel anxious and frustrated. He even feared that their enemies might have sent more people to assault Edward. If that happened, then the situation was even more intense.


    In fact, the hotel where Edward had been staying was right in front of him, but he just couldn''t get there. Bit by bit, he was now forced into a dark and narrow alley. This took him farther and farther away from the hotel. Worse still, it was a bunch of desperadoes that he had to tackle with, and he was hopelessly outnumbered. Being at a horrible disadvantage, he felt like a drowned mouse covered in blood with wounds all over.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "Damn it! How shameless it is to bully someone by the sheer weight of numbers. This is the most horrible thing to do. Go and teach them a lesson! Well, it looks like that they are foreigners... But so what? This can''t be their excuse for bullying someone. Just take your time, beat them ck and blue until nobody can tell where they came from!" Just then, Luke heard a girl''s bossy voice ringing out from the darkness. The next thing he knew, several people joined him in the fight. Although their fighting skills were not as good as expected, they contained the enemies'' actions, and allowed Luke to take a breather.


    "Hey! How could you be here, Mr. Chilly?" Now, it finally urred to Luke who these people that suddenly turned up were. He knew very few people who would swagger through the street in such a unique and conspicuous way, except that little bad girl, Michelle.


    To be honest, Luke didn''t recognize Michelle when he first set eyes on her. Butter, the words Mr. Chilly somehow rang a bell. He thought hard to figure out the names of all those people who could possibly call him by this name. After a lot of thought, he finally recalled who that person was. Luke felt dizzy and almost passed out. He prayed in his heart that she would not mess things up for him this time. He didn''t know what she was doing in this remote country. What was Michelle really up to? But he had no time to think further on this matter since he was dealing with so many gangsters at the moment. The most important thing now was to defeat them and get out of here alive as soon as possible. It was really not the right time to meet an old friend and catch up on each other''s lives.


    However, Luke never thought that his reaction would surprise or enrage her. She felt bad when she saw Luke ignoring her as always. Without a second thought, she bit her lip and reached out her fist in nobody else''s but Luke''s direction. Seeing Michelle prepare to throw a punch at him, Luke''s heart missed a beat. What did this crazy girl think she was doing? Just as he closed his eyes and prepared himself for the punch, he heard someone groan close to his ear. He immediately opened his eyes, and found one of the gangsters lying t on the ground. He then realized that she wasn''t taking aim at him. But it was truly one of the most frightening moments of his life.


    "See? Don''t ever look down on me!" snorted Michelle. Born in a mobster family, It was very natural for her to know some basic fighting skills, so she was very well able to deal with those gangsters. Besides, she had gained a lot of fighting experience after dealing with several conflicts between different gangs over the years. This enabled her to easily knock people down with minimal effort. But this time, they were slightly inferior to the enemies both in terms of height and weight. So despite their help, they were unable to turn things around, and remained in a passive position.


    Meanwhile, Edward was running and looking for Luke around the area. It surprised him that he had not been attacked again all along the way. So it seemed that the enemies really thought of him as a womanizer, and believed that they could take his life by merely sending a woman to kill him. They failed because they didn''t know him well enough. It was true that he used to be a yboy, but it didn''t mean that any woman would be able to attract him. Moreover, ever since he fell in love with Daisy, he had been away from his old ways. Now, Daisy was the only one in his heart. He had never looked at another woman from then on. That was the reason why their honey trap was doomed to failure.


    Edward quickened his pace subconsciously when he vaguely heard sounds of fighting from a distance. The noise rxed him a bit, for it proved that Luke was safe for the time being since he was still able to fight. Following the sound, he soon found the alley where Luke was surrounded by enemies. But his heart sank at the sight of the battle scene.


    "Luke, are you all right?" Without any hesitation, Edward joined the battle. He came up to Luke as quickly as possible, and helped him knock out a gangster beside him. He then asked about Luke''s safety with concern.


    "I''m fine, Mr. Mu. I''m so happy to see that you are safe and sound," said Luke, who breathed a sigh of relief on seeing Edward. Edward''s arrival provided timely support, and had tipped the bnce in no time. He was not as strong as Daisy, but they were almost equally powerful. So he and Luke could cooperate very well and fight everyone around. In less than twenty minutes, the gangsters were defeated. Many of them fled from there to save their lives. Those who stayed at the scene kept moaning on the ground and had zero strength to run away.


    "Ha! What a bunch of scums!" eximed Michelle while she gave one of the gangsters a good kick presumptuously. Being unable to fight back, the gangster glowered at her with hatred and anger. Michelle squinted at him, and forcibly stepped on him this time. She just would not show any mercy to them, nor was she scared of looking at them in the eye.


    "What? Not you again." Edward frowned and sighed the moment he spotted Michelle. Like Luke, he just couldn''t understand why they would run into her whenever and wherever they were in a trouble. But he actually thanked her in his heart. After all, she had been such a big help again today.0000000000????

 Chapter 659 The Love Trap (Part Two)

    "Sorry to let you down, but yes, here I am." Michelle giggled. She winked at him with a bright smile, and stared straight at his face. What a handsome guy, she thought to herself. One just couldn''t afford to miss the chance to appreciate his charming face.


    "If I remember right, you are Michelle Mi, correct? We owe you a debt of gratitude today," Edward said. He mildlyughed it off when he discovered that Michelle was in fact lusting over him. She kept looking at him flirtatiously. Usually, it repelled him when he saw a woman act in this way in front of him. But he didn''t take it seriously this time. Instead, he considered it as a demonstration of her frankness and sincerity.


    "Not at all! I''m surprised that you remember my name. You are such a gentleman especially when Ipare you to someone, who hasn''t even rapped to me till now! What a cold person! Calling him Mr. Chilly is too good for him. I think he needs another name that suits him better. Probably, the zombie would do!" Michelle looked in Luke''s direction while she wasining. It was clearly evident that the person she just mentioned was no one else, but Luke.


    However, Luke remained straight-faced. He gave no reaction to her words, as if it really had nothing to do with him. He only frowned and shot a nce at the gangsters lying on the ground. He was thinking that it would perhaps be better for them to leave this ce right away.


    "You actually caused quite a stir back then, and it did leave asting impression on me," said Edward with one eyebrow cocked teasingly. But when he turned to look at Luke, his brows quickly wrinkled. He had not noticed that Luke was badly injured until now.


    "Can I take it as apliment? Well, it sounds more like a criticism to me." Michelle stroked her chin with a confused look on her face. Soon enough, she read between the lines and found out that Edward was probably making fun of her.


    "Definitely not. I''m afraid that you might be thinking too much. Anyway, thank you for your help today. Now, I think it''s time that we get out of this ce. After all, Luke''s wounds have to be treated as soon as possible." Luke quite agreed with Edward. It was not wise to stay here for long, for their enemies coulde back any minute.


    "As far as I remember, there is a hospital nearby. I can show you the way if you need. I am free now, anyway. Besides, I am quite familiar with this ce." Michelle offered to help. It was a coincidence that she was here in the B Country to visit friends with her parents. So she was not new to this ce now.


    "Great. I would like to thank you in advance." Michelle''s help came just in time to meet Edward''s pressing needs. He was not at all familiar with this country. Although it wasn''t his first time here, he had been here only for business so he never got any time for sightseeing. "Don''t mention it. Just take it as my acknowledgment for the Colonel''s kindness. She really helped me outst time in a traffic ident. I have long been wanting to express my gratitude to her but never really got the chance to do that." Michelle replied with a casual wave of the hand, showing the kind of generosity and errantry that only the martialmunity could uphold.


    "Traffic ident? What traffic ident? Well, forget it. We can talk about it some other time." Edward managed to restrain his curiosity. Generally speaking, anything that concerned Daisy could easily intrigue him. But he was well aware of his priority at present, and realized that it would be inappropriate to ask about it right away.


    "Mr. Mu, there is no need to go to the hospital. They are only some minor cuts and bruises, I bet I can deal with them back in the hotel. Moreover, I don''t think it is really wise to go to the hospital now." Given the present scenario, Luke feared that even the hospital was not a safe ce to go. Now that their enemies knew Luke was injured, they would definitely expect him to go to the hospital for treatment. It was very likely that an ambush was there waiting for them, thus they would have to consider greater risks if they had to go there. "Luke is right. We should n our moves very carefully under the given circumstance. So may I ask you one more thing, Miss Mi? Could you please get a doctor to our hotel? Just contact me when you reach, here is my number," said Edward while passing a visiting card to Michelle. Luke''s words made a lot of sense. Edward also thought that their enemies might have set up a trap for them at nearby hospitals.


    "No problem! How about this, I can call my dad''s friend right now and see whether he can send his family doctor to us. That might probably be a safer choice, I presume. And one more thing, don''t call me Miss Mi, just call me by my first name. I will feel ufortable otherwise." Michelle said with crity after pondering for a short while.


    "It couldn''t be better. Let''s get out of here first." Edward nodded and said. It was best if they managed to find someone they could trust to attend to Luke at the moment. At least that was how Edward saw it. He had learnt how important it was to have a reliable doctor like Tom around from his past experiences.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    When they finally got back to the hotel, they found that the woman who was sent by their enemies was still in aa. It was thus clear that Edward pulled no punches while hitting her. He thenpletely ignored her and asked the receptionist of the hotel for a room change both for him and Luke. He believed that if they changed rooms, even if Joseph sent his people here again, they could buy some time and increase their chances of winning.


    Fortunately, the family doctor arrived soon. It turned out that he was a foreigner rather than a Chinese who could further bring them sense of security, but his arrival had really helped the situation. After all, beggars can''t be choosers, and it was unrealistic to expect and find a Chinese doctor so easily in a foreignnd.


    "You, get out." Michelle heard Luke demanding when the doctor had to take his clothes off to check his wounds. It was rare to hear him speaking to Michelle. He then looked away, with shyness passing fleetingly and unconsciously across his grim yet handsome face. Michelle didn''t notice it, but Edward already saw it. Edward looked at him with a sly grin. It seemed as if he just discovered something interesting about Luke.


    "I beg your pardon, Mr. Chilly? So this is your attitude towards someone who just saved your life? You seriously are something, sir. Now listen, I am staying, and I don''t think there is anything that you can do about it." She was fuming with rage on hearing Luke''s words. After all, she was the one who helped him drive those gangsters away, and she was the one who found him a doctor. But did he ever express his gratitude? No, he hadn''t even said a word to her. And the first thing he said to her now was ''get out''. Enough was enough! Now, she decided to show him a tougher face.


    "So you are not getting out?" asked Luke, casting a nce at her coldly. When he saw that Michelle was still standing at the same spot, he had no choice but to undress in front of her. He remained calm and peaceful during the whole process, if nobody was watching him. But Michelle freaked out by the scene. She gave a loud scream, covered her eyes with her hands and immediately ran out of the room.000000??????

 Chapter 660 The Love Trap (Part Three)

    "You know, I quite admire yourposure. But I am afraid that she has an unforgiving temper. Be careful, she might settle scores with you in the future." Edward said to Luke with a malicious smile. He was rather astonished at first, too. But he then rejoiced inwardly,


    thinking that something good might happen here. Something probably rted to a crush, or love.


    "So what? She''s just a little girl, what can she even do to me?" It seemed like Luke wasn''t paying any attention to Michelle, and was even looking down upon her Edward wondered whether she would kick up a big stink if she found this out. Judging from her hot temper, he believed that she definitely would.


    "I have been there. And mark my words, one should never ever underestimate a woman. Offend them once and you are doomed for life!" said Edward, winking at Luke gloatingly. If he saw things right, Luke and Michelle were actually into each other. It was only a matter of time before Jack could have his Jill. But given the fact that Luke was very clumsy in the matter of love, they still had a long way to go.


    Although Luke had wounds all over his body, they were not very severe. So the doctor had only disinfected the wounds and applied medicine to them. But it was still quite an ordeal for Luke to have so many wounds treated at one time. He might have managed to disy a calm exterior, but it was truly a gut-wrenching scene for Edward. And Luke''s suffering further added to Edward''s hatred towards Joseph, KG''s CEO.


    No sooner had Michelle seen the doctor off than she stormed in the room. She walked up to Luke, gnashing her teeth. She only became increasingly irritated when waiting outside. It was true that she wasn''t the kind of perfectly charming or coquettish girl, but she was pretty and cute. How could someone like her, ever disgust anyone? How could he be so rude to her? "Hey! Mr. Chilly. What wrong did I ever do to you? Why do you treat me like this? I want an exnation!" huffed Michelle with her hands on her hips. Raising her head, she looked at Luke with a pride of a peacock, determined to get an apology from him. She was too angry to remember that Luke''s master Edward was still in the room. And it was the first time that Edward gotpletely ignored by a woman, or more specifically, a seemingly underage girl.


    "Get out of my way," said Luke sternly. Without even looking at Michelle, he walked straight past her to Edward, simply ignoring her. "Mr. Mu, I will go back to my room and change. Call me if you need anything," he then said.


    "OK, go and have a rest." Edward nodded. His voice shook because he was badly controlling hisughter. He wouldn''t get bored in days ahead, he thought to himself, given these two funny fellows were around him.


    "So what is it? I am talking to you, Mr. Chilly!" Luke''s reaction made her jaw drop to the floor. Unwilling to give up, she hurried to chase after him. She incessantly shouted behind him. But the moment she got to his door, the door shut in front of her with a bang, bumping her little snub nose.


    "Michelle, that''s just the way he is. I hope you don''t mind." Edward gave a little cough, with his fist covering his mouth to stifle hisughter.


    "So, his name is Luke? But Luke means brightness. He is such a narrow-minded person who in no way deserves this name. No offence, but how do you put up with his bad temper?" Michelle protested with the sides of her mouth dropped. Then, in order to vent out her anger, she kicked at the door multiple times before walking back to Edward''s side.


    "I have long gotten used to it. He has a good heart. It is only that he is not very talkative. I think it has something to do with his past rtionship. Well, he was once dumped by a woman." Edward smiled conspiratorially when he said this. He wondered how that one-track minded man would react to it when he found out about it. Would he toss away his loyalty and go up against his master? It was just so amusing to imagine.


    "I''m not surprised at all! Who will be interested in a man like him? Who will like someone as dumb as an ox? A girl will only be with him when pigs fly!" Michelle snorted. But a few secondster, she pondered hard on what Edward just said. So, he was like this because he had been hurt in his past rtionship? Was this all a way to keep himself guarded from love? ''Fine! I will be the bigger person and forgive you this time. It is true that I am a tough girl, but luckily I''m also very kind-hearted.'' Michelle rolled her eyes and thought to herself. Hearing her words, Edward finally burst intoughter. "Keep it to yourself and never let him know about it. Otherwise, I bet you will break his heart again," he said in a serious tone after calming himself down. He was now torn betweenughing and crying. He felt a bit guilty, too. So, Mr. Mu, was it really a good idea to set Luke up like this?


    "OK, you can be rest assured. I will never tell him that I know he has been dumped by someone before." However, it seemed that Michelle didn''t have the slightest doubt about his words. So when she remembered this moment someday in the future, she couldn''t have regretted more. She had really wanted to kill herself for being such a fool and believing in what he said so readily.


    "Be sure not to say a word to him, not even when you are angry, and no matter how angry you are, just stay mum." Edward stressed. Although he appeared to be serious, he wasughing inside. It was so much fun to trick an innocent and unsophisticated girl like Michelle. ''I am being so nice to you, Luke, for I have found you such an interesting girl to add spice to your life. Now you owe me a lot!''


    "There is really no need to worry. Do you think that I will ever get a chance to tell him anything? You too have seen the way he treated me just now. He never talks to me properly." Michelle replied with a great deal of frustration in her voice. She was too depressed to notice that she was actually falling into a trap set by Edward.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "So as I see it, you should first try to make him like you. That way, he will not give you a cold shoulder anymore." Edward became as bold as brass in an attempt to set them up. And not only did he arouse Michelle''s interest in Luke sessfully without her even noticing it, but had also made her think that he was only helping her out.


    "Absolutely! Why haven''t I ever thought of such a good idea? That''s settled then. Let''s see how I manage to tame this cold fish now." Well well, now she was doing it all to herself. And that was how our lovely Michelle got totally brain-washed by the naughty Mr. Mu.00000

 Chapter 661 Paternal Love (Part One)

    "You go, girl!" Edward snickered. He was d that Michelle believed him. Michelle was too simple after all.


    "Howe you became the target of those people? They don''t seem to be nice people. Did you offend the local gangsters?" Michelle recalled the dangerous situation they were in about a moment ago. Luke would have been seriously injured if she and her sidekicks hadn''t appeared in time.


    "Yes. It''s about business. You have to bow your head under low eaves. This is their territory. We have been put into a very tight spot." Edward frowned. He had been too careless this time and was now led by the nose. The situation was dangerous and crucial. If he and Joseph still couldn''te to an agreement by tomorrow, he would have to seek help from his father as ast resort. Honestly, he was reluctant to ask for help from Jonathan. Bygones were bygones. He had put the past behind and didn''t hate him anymore. Edward was a proud man. He just didn''t want his father to think that he couldn''t even handle such a trifle.


    "You should be more careful. If there is anything that I can do for you, do let me know. I came here only for fun, but my father''s friend is a powerful man here. Perhaps he can help you," Michelle said as she patted her chest like a man.


    "No, thanks." Edward didn''t want to owe anybody anything. If he had to ever ask for help from someone, it would rather be from his own father than from anyone else. After all, blood is thicker than water. Edward didn''t want to be burdened. If he took help from his father, he wouldn''t feel like he owed him. Certainly, his father wouldn''t ask for anything in return.


    "Okay. I should go. Look out for yourselves." Michelle checked the time. It waste. She wanted to trash Luke more, but it would be inappropriate for her to stay any longer. She knew the protocol.


    "See you back in the city. Remember what I told you," Edward reminded her, resuming his trick.


    "I will. Bye." Michelle was scatter-minded. By the time she briskly ran out of the room, the anger she felt at Luke was already gone.


    Edward walked up to the window, thought for a while, and then called his father. He had made a promise to Daisy that he would go home safe and he would do anything to keep his promise. A wise man knew when to advance and when to retreat. This was the time to eat the humble pie for the woman he loved. He no longer cared about his self esteem and dignity. He knew if he didn''t think about them, making a choice would be easier.


    "Edward, aren''t you on business in B Country? Everything okay?" Edward had never called his father before. When Jonathan got his call in the middle of the night, he had mixed feelings. He sensed something was wrong.


    "I''m sorry to wake you up like this. But I need your help. It''s urgent." To make it to the performance of new weapons at the army base, Edward had to fix the problem with the KGpany by morning. So he had to call Jonathan immediately.


    "Shoot. What do you want me to do?" Jonathan looked at Cynthia who was in a deep sleep beside him. In order not to disturb her, he got out of bed and lightly walked toward the balcony.


    "Do you have people from the Mayfly in B Country? I can really use some help right now." The Mayfly had an influence all over the world. But still, Edward wasn''t sure if it could spread far and wide to a remote country like B Country.


    "I can transfer some people from a neighboring country there. Just tell me who you are dealing with. I''ll have somebody take care of the rest." Since the time Daisy was abducted, this was the second time Edward had asked for help from Jonathan. As a father, he would do everything to help him.


    "I can take care of it myself. You just need to send people here to protect me." Edward wouldn''t hide from Joseph. He intended to let him taste the bitter fruit of the war that he had started. He had to know whom he was messing with.


    "Okay. I''ll make arrangements right away. Take care of yourself." Before, Jonathan had hardly shown concern for anyone except his wife. But that had changed since Edward''s gunshot wound. Jonathan was still not used to being a caring man, but at least he was trying to be one.


    "Thank you," Edward said to his father. It might sound estranged, but Edward was actually happy with the change in his father.


    "Thank you for giving me this opportunity to do something for you. I know that some things are hard to make up for, but I am d that you think of me when you need help." Dawn was approaching. Jonathan looked into the horizon where mist was rising. He felt as bright as a vast blue sky.


    "I''m confused. Did I dial the wrong number? It doesn''t sound like you at all." Edward''s eyes were red. He had been waiting for this kind of paternal love for many years. When he finally got it, he was overwhelmed and felt like running away.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "Don''t you recognize my voice? Never mind. I''ll go and make the arrangements. My men will arrive in about five or six hours." Tears welled in Jonathan''s eyes. He never imagined that his son would be so close to him. Had Edward forgiven him for the indifference he had shown in the past?


    "Okay, perfect. They will be here in time." Edward hung up the phone and exhaled deeply with relief. He turned around and found Luke standing behind him with a thoughtful look.


    "Mr. Mu, was that your father on the phone?" Luke asked. He was happy that Edward and his father were finallymunicating again. In this foreign country, Jonathan was the only person who could help them out. In the past, Edward would rather die than seek help from his father. Now he was willing to call him. It seemed they were eventually reconciled with each other.


    "Yes, that was him. We came here in a hurry without proper preparations. Now we need The Mayfly''s help to protect us. After I handle Joseph, we can go home on time." Edward walked to the sofa and sat down. The frustration on his face had disappeared. He seemed in a good mood now.


    "With your father''s help, we can fight back tomorrow," Luke said. He was used to Edward''s confidence. Yesterday was the first time he had seen Edward cornered. As someone close to Edward, he had felt bad about it. Edward had promised Daisy that he woulde home safe, so he had been suppressing his anger while negotiating with Joseph. He had tried his best to be tactful with him. And atst, he had almost gotten himself killed. The old Edward wouldn''t everpromise like that. But now he was a husband and a father. That changed everything. He had to put his family and his own safety first and think everything through before taking any action.


    Daisy had the same nightmare repeatedly all night. In the dream, she ran and ran, but every time she got caught by someone. She had never had this nightmare before. When she woke up in the morning, she felt exhausted.

 Chapter 662 Paternal Love (Part Two)

    Her sweat-drenched hair clung to her skin. She stroked it back and got out of bed,pletely forgetting the injury on her hand. When she tried to get off bed with the support of her hands, it pained a lot. The pain reminded her of her injury and she slowed down her pace.


    She thought that the nightmare was probably linked to the fight.


    She habitually looked back at the other side of the bed. It was empty. She felt a sense of loss.


    Then she went to the bathroom to freshen up. When she walked downstairs, she looked refreshed. Seeing Jonathan sitting on the sofa in the living room, she paused a little, and then walked on.


    "Morning, Dad. Aren''t you going out to exercise today?" Daisy greeted him, wondering what he was pondering so early in the morning.


    Jonathan looked at her injured hand, "Morning! Are you going to the army base?" He replied in a low voice, sounding grave.


    "Yes. There''s been a lot of work to do recently, so I want to start early. Dad, is there something on your mind?" Daisy frowned. Jonathan had never been so dejected before.


    "No, there''s nothing. Have some breakfast before you go for work. You barely eat anything in the morning. That''s unhealthy." There was indeed something on Jonathan''s mind.


    He had started to make arrangements as soon as he finished the phone call with his son. But he couldn''t stop worrying before his men arrived in B Country. This was new to him. Now he realized that he actually cared a lot about all the members of his family. He felt bewildered and scared. The change was too abrupt and too much for him. He felt he didn''t even know himself anymore.


    "Okay. Are you going to join me or do you want to wait for Mom?" Decades had passed, and Jonathan and Cynthia were still deeply in love. Daisy envied them. They did everything together. There was no space for a third person between them. Daisy understood why Edward had felt neglected by his parents. In the eyes of two lovers, there was only each other and nothing else.


    "You go ahead. I''ll wait for your Mom." Jonathan stood up. He looked at Daisy and wanted to say something, but the words were frozen on his lips. Then he walked toward his bedroom without a word.


    Watching his back, Daisy thought maybe something happened, but Jonathan had already left. She couldn''t chase him into his bedroom and ask about it.


    "Colonel, what happened to your hand?" Mark screamed when he saw Daisy''s hand. Everything had been okay when he dropped herst night.


    "It''s nothing. Just a small cut. Let''s go." Daisy didn''t intend to tell Mark about the fight. She knew Mark would keep nagging her if he found out about it.


    "It''s so thickly bandaged. How can it be a small cut?" Markined and got in the car, thinking Daisy must have fought with somebody, and there must have been a group of people fighting with her, because one single person wouldn''t have been able to hurt Daisy. "Mark, are you questioning me?" Daisy rolled her eyes at him sullenly. She had already said it was no big deal, but Mark was still hounding her. Why was he making a fuss about it? She felt annoyed.


    "No, Colonel. I dare not do that," Mark answered with a twist of his mouth. He didn''t want to be punished again, so he kept hisints to himself.


    "Then why aren''t you driving?" Daisy knew how to deal with Mark. She had to maintain her dignity as his superior, otherwise, he just wouldn''t stop nagging her and she would have to put up with that all the way to the army base. He seemed to have been like this ever since he was acquainted with Edward. It appeared Edward had a bad influence on the people around him.


    The military Hummer drove away from the Mu''s vi, but it suddenly shrilled and stopped. Daisy was thrust forward and bumped her head into the front seat.


    "I''m very sorry, Colonel. Are you okay?" Mark turned to Daisy nervously to check on her.


    "What''s your problem?" Daisy stared at him angrily, rubbing her forehead. She had told him to keep quiet and remain focused on the road, while he was driving. He should have listened to her.


    "A man showed up in the middle of the road from nowhere. I had to hurriedly press the emergency brake to avoid an ident." Mark felt wronged and bowed his head. Luckily, the car wasn''t running too fast, otherwise there would have been a major ident. "Somebody must be tired of living." Daisy looked out of the car window. When she saw the person standing on the road, her brows were knitted tight. She sighed and stepped out of the car.


    "Daisy, I finally see you again." Leo was excited, but he was more embarrassed.


    "What do you want?" Daisy''s icy tone added to the morning coldness of thete fall.


    "Nothing. I just want to see you. You didn''t answer my phone calls, so I..." Leo looked at Daisy nervously. Somehow he was afraid of her after he found out that she was his daughter. It was so odd. He didn''t know why.


    "See me? Mr. Ouyang, is that necessary?" Daisy sneered, finding it ridiculous. Since when did he care about her?


    "Isn''t it normal for a father to want to see his own daughter?" Daisy''s sneer broke his heart.


    "Are you drunk? Isn''t your daughter Mary? Do I even know you? You havee to the wrong ce." It was toote for Leo to show his paternal love.


    "I came here for you. Daisy, tell me, what am I supposed to do to make up for my past mistakes? Just say it and I''ll do it." Leo had slept badly these days. The past shed back to his head every night as soon as he closed his eyes, reminding him of how badly he had treated Daisy. The memory was eating at him. He felt suffocated.


    "Huh! That''s absurd! I wish someone could tell me how I am supposed to change the fact that ''you'' are my father!" Daisy shut her eyes painfully. She wanted her family, her mom, but nothing. Now she had nothing. Whatever he did, her mom was still dead. He wouldn''t ever be able to bring the baby in her mom''s womb back to life. Then why should it matter now what he did?Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "Daisy, I''m so sorry. I was stupid to be fooled by Yakira. I destroyed our family. It was all my fault. I know you won''t forgive me, but please let me redeem myself," Leo pleaded, hoping she wouldn''t hate him so much.


    "I''m sorry. I''m not the one you should show your repentance to or beg for forgiveness. Please leave. I have no time for you," Daisy said frigidly. She neglected all his feelings and stayed aloof from his regrets.0000

 Chapter 663 The Commanders Daughter (Part One)

    "I know it''s hard for you to ept me over night, but I hope you can understand how much I crave to see you everyday." If Leo had known that things between Daisy and him would turn out to be like this, he would not have ever listened to Yakira''s words to drive Daisy out of the house. "It doesn''t matter whether you wish to see me or not. It''s all the same. Nothing can be changed." "Who made me so aloof? It''s him! He made me so aloof! Who could he me now?'' Daisy thought.


    "What''s wrong with your hand?" Leo asked in a feeble voice when he saw the wound on Daisy''s hand. Leo was afraid to answer Daisy''s question because he didn''t know how to face that.


    "It''s none of your business. Save your concern for your baby daughter. Excuse me, but I have to go. I am going to bete for work." As soon as Daisy said that, she went to her car. She behaved very politely, which hurt Leo even more.


    "Daisy, Daisy, listen to me." Leo shouted, trying to quickly catch up with Daisy. However, Daisy didn''t hesitate to close the door hurriedly as if she did not hear him at all.


    "Let''s go." Daisy said to Mark calmly. She didn''t want to see Leo any more. ''He wants me topletely forgive him for what he''s done to me? I am sorry. That''s impossible! I can''t be that kind!''


    Leo ran after the car for a few steps, but finally he gave up and stopped. Although Leo anticipated Daisy would be very aloof to him before meeting her, he still felt very sad when he was really treated by Daisy in this manner. Leo watched Daisy going away in the car until she was out of his sight. Then he slowly went back to his car.


    For Leo, home was not home anymore. Yakira was put into jail, Mary was kicked out of the house, and even Brian was not here. He was the only man left in this family now. So he was eager to have Daisy forgive him. He knew Daisy would not forgive him easily, but he still hoped for the same.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "Colonel, are you all right?" Mark couldn''t help asking her, because he saw there were tears in Daisy''s eyes.


    "I am fine, really. I am fine." Daisy seemed to be answering Mark, but all she was doing was in fact consoling herself. Actually, she did see Leo''s expression of disappointment on his face, but it was really hard for her to forgive him for what he did to her in the past. Daisy''s Humvee was hurtling along the road. Her heart became exceptionally soft. At this moment, she missed her overbearing man, Edward. She missed the faint scent of jasmine on him, his tenderness to her, his yful smile, the cool touch of his hands holding her face, and his love for her.


    People were the same. They always thought they could make up for their past sins. But some things were irreparable. Daisy could ignore the fact that she had been driven out of the house, or that Leo was unfair to her, but she couldn''t ignore that he was the cause of death of her mother, not to mention the fact that Leo hurt her mother andter married another woman.


    Daisy smiled sadly and thought, ''if only he had cared a little about me, I wouldn''t have had such a bad rtionship with him even after my mother died. But his actions hurt me deeply. How can I ever forgive him?''


    Daisy was so immersed in her own thoughts that she didn''t realize the car had already reached the military base. Looking at Daisy like that, Mark was very hesitant. He didn''t know if he should remind her or stay mum.


    "Colonel..." Mark decided to remind Daisy atst, because he saw themander wasing this way, and there was a beautiful and hot woman standing next to him.


    "Yes! Have we reached?" Daisy suddenly came to her senses and looked out of the window. Seeing themandering closer and closer, she got out of the car hastily.


    "Haha! "Isn''t this Daisy? You are so early today! You must be thinking about the new weapon performance tomorrow afternoon!" At the sight of Daisy, themanderughed happily.


    "Good morning,mander. And this is...?" Daisy looked quizzically at the woman standing beside him. Daisy''s intuition told her that she wouldn''t like this woman, but Daisy still wanted to know who she was.


    "Well, This is my naughty daughter. She was abroad all this while for her studies. Now, she has recently returned home. No wonder you didn''t know her. Louisa, see, this is our youngest female colonel. If you can be half as good as her, I wouldn''t ever have to worry about you."


    Themander didn''t hide his admiration for Daisy at all. He proudly introduced his capable female colonel to his daughter. However, he didn''t know that woman hated to bepared with another woman, especially when she was the one who was belittled. Therefore, themander''s action indirectly caused trouble to Daisy.


    "So, you aremander''s daughter. Hello, Miss Ye. I am Daisy Ouyang. Nice to meet you." Daisy held out her small white hand and tried to shake hands with Louisa, but Louisa didn''t intend to reciprocate. This made Daisy feel very embarrassed. Daisy soon adjusted her mood and returned back to her natural state. It really puzzled Daisy that howmander, who was such an amiable general had such a rude daughter.


    "Nice to meet you too. Sorry, I just don''t want to touch a stranger''s hand." Louisa gave Daisy a haughty look. Daisy was a poor soldier in her eyes, and there was no need to take her so seriously.


    "Louisa, how could you be so rude. Daisy, I hope you don''t mind. She is too spoilt by her mother." Themander red angrily at Louisa, and then hurriedly exined to Daisy. It seemed that living abroad in recent years had not changed herpletely. She was not as rebellious as she used to be, but she was still very proud. This was unbearable for him.


    "It''s okay. It''s just a personal habit. I get it." Daisy smiled gently. Louisa looked about the same age as Leena, but she was worse than Leena in terms of self-cultivation. It seemed that it was not unreasonable for those men to spoil Leena that much. Leena''s characteristics were very good despite being born in such a rich family.


    "So kind of you. She is a little bit rebellious, I hope you don''t mind that." Themander rubbed his hands awkwardly. He didn''t expect Louisa to treat Daisy in that way, so as a father he felt embarrassed of her behavior. Despite being amander, he failed to discipline his daughter. If he couldn''t discipline his daughter, how could he manage the army?


    "Commander, don''t say that. It''s my fault. If I had known Louisa''s personality, I wouldn''t have made us all so embarrassed." To be honest, Daisy wouldn''t have even looked at Louisa if themander hadn''t always treated her like his daughter. Daisy had seen too many proud women like her in her life.


    "s! I have to say. I am a terrible father!" Looking at hispetent colonel, Daisy, themander sighed. He thought, ''she''s about the same age as my daughter. Why are they so different?''


    "You must be joking. How can you say that you''re a terrible father? It is only that Louisa''s character is different from others. You are still a majestic general." Daisy smiled. She never looked at Louisa. Since Louisa didn''t like her, she didn''t have to try to please Louisa. "Daisy, you always know what I''m thinking!" In fact, it was pretty understandable why themander would think like that. Thinking about what Daisy must have experienced in all these years, he couldn''t help but feel sad. She was just a little girl several years ago, but almost everyone knew how difficult her life was. As for Louisa, she was just a few years younger than Daisy, but her behavior right now utterly disappointed themander.


    "Dad, I''ll leave you guys alone. I have to go now." Louisa gave Daisy a meaningful look. ''She is just an ordinary pretty woman. Why does daddy think I''m not as good as her?'' Louisa thought.


    "Okay. Okay. Just go. Leave us alone." Themander regretted having Louisa apany him to the military base. Louisa had not only lost her own face, but also let others know that he could not teach basic discipline to his daughter.00000

 Chapter 664 The Commanders Daughter (Part Two)

    "Miss Ye, goodbye." Even though Louisa had just been so rude to her, Daisy said goodbye to her politely. No matter whether Louisa was polite to her or not, Daisy would always disy her grace and self-cultivation in front of people.


    "Bye!" Although Louisa hated that her fatherpared her to Daisy, she reluctantly said goodbye to Daisy to show her maturity. And then, she turned her back with her lips curled in disdain. Louisa thought she could meet Kevin in the military base, but he was not here. ''It''s okay that I can''t see him here, but why did Dad have topare me with that poor solider. That is really annoying!" Daisy thought.


    "You see that? That''s her. My daughter. She is really annoying me." Themander shook his head helplessly. Although he was really good at leading soldiers to fight, he couldn''t teach his own daughter well.


    "Young people are all the same. Don''t be angry. she will be mature in a few years. I used to be like that too." As they spoke, they walked towards the office building. Daisy looked so calm, which was her usual expression in the military base.


    "Nonsense! She can''t bepared to you. You are so much better than her. Everyone but you will be angry at the rudeness she portrayed just now." Themander heaved a deep sigh. He thought to himself, ''It''s all my fault. If I had cared more about Louisa, she wouldn''t have turned out like this.''


    "Don''t say that. Girls are always wayward. I can be capricious sometimes." Daisy was speaking the truth. she blushed at the thought of acting like a little woman in front of Edward.


    "Really? Our Colonel Ouyang would be capricious? That'' so strange. Howe I haven''t seen the wayward Colonel Ouyang?" Themander certainly knew when Daisy would be wayward, but he couldn''t help but make fun of Daisy. He thought, ''it would be nice if my daughter could be as sensible as Daisy!''


    "Commander... I have to leave for the office now." Daisy blushed. She was a little bit shy, and quickened her pace to her office. Looking at Daisy''s blushed face, themanderughed heatedly. Themander''sughter made Daisy even more shy. She wished she could just disappear from his sight right away.


    "Mark, is Colonel Daisy shy?" Themander asked Mark who had been following them. Mark wanted to catch up with Daisy, but now he had to stop.


    "Commander, I am quite familiar with Colonel''s expression. She has always been like this in front of Mr. Mu. "Mark said honestly. He told themander what he saw,pletely forgetting how Daisy would punish him if she found out what he said. "Really? So, our tough female soldier can also be gentle sometimes!" Themander sighed deeply. Then he walked to the office with a thoughtful smile.


    Mark frowned in surprise. He thought it over and over again, and finally realized that he just said something that he shouldn''t have said. Strangely, he didn''t know why he couldn''t say that. So, he scratched his head, and quizzically went to the direction in which Daisy just left.


    Whenever there was an event in the military base, there would be a lot of things to do for Daisy. Daisy didn''t care about the little things like the one that just happened. As soon as she got to the office, she got busy with her work. Later, she had to make sure that her soldiers'' mentality and operation stayed normal. She also had to be careful about the security of the performance tomorrow. Daisy would be so busy today that she wouldn''t have any free time.


    The sky in B Country was as blue as ever. The hot temperature here made Edward feel irritated. To get things done here as soon as possible, he got up reluctantly. Edward looked very sleepy. This made him look even more charming. His strong abdominal muscles formed an inverted triangle, thereby adding to his charm.


    This was Edward. His manners were full of dignity and mour. As he walked out of his room, not only women but also men were amazed by his appearance. Mr. Mu, are you awake? They all are sent by your father." Luke was the only person present who was not surprised by Edward. After all, he was used to being around Edward all day. So, naturally he was used to his stunning appearance.


    "Nice to meet you! I''m Edward Mu. I hope we can get along well in the following hours." Edward looked at the men with his blue eyes and nodded with satisfaction. Edward thought, ''these men have firm eyes and strong aura. It looks like Dad has sent some elites to me.'' "Don''t stand on ceremony. We aremitted to solving the customer''s worries." They wondered how Edward went straight to the Mayfly, through Jonathan. Now, they were more curious about their rtionship. Even though they were confused, they knew they shouldn''t ask that. After all, customer secrecy was also one of the Mayfly''s service concepts.


    "You already know what''s going on, don''t you? They can be a real handful, so you guys need to be careful." Although Edward knew that his father would not send him mediocrities, he still thought he should remind them. After all, they were Edward''s father''s men, and if anything happened to them, Edward would feel terrible.


    "Thank you for your reminder. We will be careful." It was the first time for them to cooperate with such a good partner. This was also the first time for them to be the bodyguards. They were the best talents of The Mayfly. Although it was a bit of a grievance to be the bodyguards, they would unconditionally obey every single order of Jonathan.


    Joseph didn''t expect Edward to have so many people around him over one night. And these people didn''t seem to be easy to mess with. So, all of a sudden, he felt the situation was a little bit tricky.


    "Mr. Mu, are you..." Joseph pretended to not know what happenedst night and pointed to the men around Edward who were extraordinary both in size and temperament. Joseph wanted Edward to tell him why he brought so many bodyguards. "Well. I am sorry that I didn''t tell you. I met a mad dog at the hotelst night. I am afraid of meeting it again, so I have to bring the dogfight team." Edward said calmly. He pretended he had no idea that those men were all sent by Josephst night. "What? A mad dog..." Joseph felt a little confused at Edward''s words. Edward gave Joseph a sneer, and didn''t intend to exin anything to Joseph.


    "Joseph, you don''t have to worry. What I said just now has so much meaning that it is difficult for you to understand. So don''t bother to understand. Let''s get down to business." Edward was a venomous man. This trait about him was known by everyone. It was the first time for Joseph to deal with Edward, so he must be really bold to challenge Edward.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "Didn''t we have a deal yesterday? You just have to sign on the document. " Joseph was surprised that Edward was able to bring so many people in such a short period of time, but he thought this was his country, so he behaved very tough in front of Edward.


    "Ha! Do you think I''ll sign such an unfair contract? Who gave you that level of confidence?" Edward sneered with his long legs crossed. He gave Joseph a nce in disdain.


    "Don''t forget, this is my ce. If you want the mining base to work safely, you must sign on the document. " Joseph respected Edward, because he looked so calm, as if he were drinking coffee leisurely, rather than negotiating with him.


    "You don''t know me at all. If I were really afraid of what you said, I wouldn''t have nned to build a mining base here." Edward''s eyes suddenly became fierce. He hated being threatened by others, and Joseph kept getting on his nerves, which really made Edward angry. "So, you mean we can''t work together now?" Joseph tactfully turned the ring on his thumb. He nced at Edward with his triangr-shaped eyes and burst outughing wildly.

 Chapter 665 The Power Of The Mayfly (Part One)

    told?


    "I''ll just ask you one thing, if you were me, would you sign a contract like this?" Edward didn''t answer his question, instead, he returned a question to him. His gorgeous face now looked stone-cold. Did Joseph really think of him as a dumb schmuck who would do as he was "I always thought that you, Mr. Mu, was a man who knew what was best for him, but now, it seems that I was wrong. I was overestimating your intelligence." Although Joseph knew that the FX International Group was a very powerful and strongpany, he still paid no heed to it. He believed that the influence of this bigpany was within its own country, not here in the B country. So he didn''t have anything to worry about.


    "Don''t tter me too much. After all, I''m just an ordinary person in front of you." Edward remained calm. He even picked up the cup of coffee ced on the table and gracefully took a sip from it. Then he raised his head and looked straight into the defiant eyes of Joseph. A yful smirk stayed on Edward''s face all this time, making him seem sexier and more enticing than ever. Even Joseph who was a male chauvinist, was dumbstruck by his sheer beauty. He couldn''t take his eyes off him for a while.


    "Are you really sure that I am going topromise on this matter?" Joseph snorted in front of Edward''s face. He then stopped staring at his charming face and looked somewhere else. He didn''t bother to hide his ambitions at all.


    "But I''m not the kind of person topromise that easily. As for the mining base, I can give you 20% of the profits at most. But if you want half of the profits, then sorry, I can''t help you." The reason why Edward was ready to give them 20% of the profits was because he still wanted to use their influence in the local area. If he could sessfully get their support, otherpanies wouldn''t dare to cast their greedy eyes on the mining base, thereby indirectly making them safer in this ce.


    "I can''t help but wonder, why are you so confident that I will ept a cooperation n like this?" Joseph threw the same question back at Edward. 20% of the profits, was this a joke? Did Edward consider him a beggar? In this case, why in hell did them put in a lot of efforts to get him topromise?


    "Of course, you can refuse the cooperation n. But in that case, you won''t even get 20% of the profits. To be honest, I''m sure you know that the FX International Group is a Fortune 50pany. We are very patient and not afraid to waste your time." Edward lightly knocked his finger on the table. His deep blue eyes gleamed with wisdom and calmness. His eyes were looking deep into the eyes of Joseph.


    "Are you threatening me right now?" Joseph didn''t back down, he didn''t want to be the one topromise first. So after listening to Edward''s words, he coldly stared back into his eyes, wanting Edward to feel intimidated.


    "If you consider this a threat, then you are awfully wrong. I''m just merely stating the fact." However, on negotiating table, Edward would never admit defeat. So how could he ept being treated like an animal by some random stranger? "But it didn''t sound like you were stating a fact to me." The host always had his right to be arrogant. Joseph was no exception. But unfortunately, he forgot one thing, which was that there would always be someone more powerful than you.


    "Oh? If you are really this stubborn and think that I''m threatening you, then I have no idea how to change your mind. If you ept our offer of 20% of the profits, I will sign this contract right away, without any hesitation. However, if you still insist that you must have half of the profits, then I am sorry. I guess we can''te to an agreement then. And I will look for otherpanies to cooperate with me." He had already given them a very huge profit margin when they first signed the contract. But he didn''t expect that his kindness would be taken as his weakness. Probably, this was why Joseph thought that he could gain more profits in this cooperation. And to be honest, it was partly his fault, that he was in a hurry to build this mining base at that moment, which was why he happened to pick a wrong partner to work with.


    "Otherpanies? Haha! Except us KG, whichpany in the B Country do you think ispetent enough? I believe that no otherpany here can hold such a big industrial chain apart from us KG." Joseph smiled, he was very boastful and truly believed that Edward had no choice but to cooperate with hispany. And this was the primary reason why he included this term after the contract expired. It was clear that he became greedy and now wanted hefty profits.


    "As far as I know, there is also a very strong and powerfulpany here in the B Country. To be frank, I don''t wish to waste more time and money negotiating with you. I bet the otherpany will be pretty happy to have the chance to work with FX International Group. After all, any leader with a working brain knows for a fact that this cooperation will definitely increase in value in the future." Edward calmly stated these words with a smirk resting on his face all this while. And he secretly mocked Joseph''s intelligence.


    "If you are smart enough, you will not do that. Because if you do that, you will have to start everything over. And it would mean a lot of money and manpower would be wasted." After hearing Edward''s words, Joseph stopped and thought for a second. But he quickly calmed himself. As a sessful business man, he surely knew what was best for him. He believed that for Edward, it must be the same.


    "I''d rather start all over than be restrained by you. After all, FX International Group doesn''t count on it to make money." What Edward meant was that he had the money to burn, and he didn''t give a damn about it. But if someone wanted to have a piece of his pie, then sorry! He didn''t have any obligation.


    "Haha! Are you not afraid that we will take theplete mining base?" Now that the gloves had alreadye off, Joseph didn''t have to pretend to be nice and hide back his real ambition anymore.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "You? To be honest, you really don''t have the game." Edward didn''t n to be vague with him anymore, so he directly showed his disdain for him.


    "It''s not you who can decide whether I have the game or not, it only depends on the gun in my hand." As soon as he finished his words, Joseph took out his gun and pointed it directly at Edward. And at the same time, there was also a gun pointing at Joseph''s forehead in the blink of an eye. The entire move was so fast.


    "I thought that 20% of the profits would be enough for you to hide your ambitions. But it seems that I was awfully wrong. You are indeed insatiable. You want more than I can give. In this case, I guess that we can''t continue our cooperation anymore. So now, let me tell you, the cooperation between FX International Group and KG ends right now." Originally, Edward wanted to choose the easiest way to solve this problem, and then hurry back to the S City as soon as possible. But he didn''t expect Joseph to be this awfully difficult tomunicate. It seemed that he really had to look for a new partner to cooperate with in order to prevent any more problems from happening in the future. Even though this would take a lot more time and money, it was still better than being restrained by others.

 Chapter 666 The Power Of The Mayfly (Part Two)

    "Do you really think that you can walk out of here alive?" Joseph didn''t expect that the people Edward brought with him would be this good. This did leave him a little shocked for a moment. But once he thought of the killers he had brought with him in advance, he became arrogant all over again. "Yes, of course. As long as I want to, I''ll definitely walk out of this room unscathed." Edward sneered at Joseph''s words. He was certain that the helpers that his father sent were definitely very good, so he didn''t worry if they would be trapped here. "You can try with all your might." Joseph put down the gun that he pointed at Edward and lightly pped his hands several times. Then all of a sudden, a lot of men dressed in ck swarmed in the room. All of them seemed to be very well equipped and trained. "Joseph, right? Do you want to have a bet with me? To see if we can get out of here in one piece or not." The man that pointed his gun at Joseph also put his gun away, and nced at these men in ck in disdain. In his opinion, these men were just some roughnecks, and it was a piece of cake to take them down.


    "Why would I bet with you? There''s no point in that. We all can see clearly who has got the upper hand." Joseph looked at him in suspicion, and right at this moment, his eyes suddenly widened in surprise. He couldn''t believe what he was seeing. All of a sudden, a look of utter fear appeared all over his face.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "It seems that you finally have an idea of who we are. In this case, do you still think that you have any chance to win?" The man lowered his voice on purpose. He was aware that Joseph saw the badge he intentionally revealed to him. On seeing the badge, Joseph got really scared.


    Edward looked at the change of expression on Joseph''s face in surprise. He wondered what that man told Joseph that got him this frightened all of a sudden. Joseph no longer was his arrogant self.


    "Mr. Mu, I ept your offer of the 20% of the profits. So can we sign the contract now?" Joseph said these words in a trembling voice. He quickly nced at the man with a badge and then turned his eyes back to Edward. A smart man would know when to bow down. He didn''t dare to anger the Mayfly. After all, it was known to everyone that this group had its men in every corner of the world, and they were all the best of the best. No wonder Edward was so calm. Who wouldn''t be rest assured if they were backed by the Mayfly? But it was said that the Mayfly wouldn''t help just anybody, if Edward could bring these many people with him all at once, then what was his true identity?


    "Huh! It is toote now. Let''s go." Edward didn''t want to know how this man made Joseph change his mind. He didn''t even care. Because if his father had sent these people to help him, they surely had their unique ways to solve the problems.


    "Joseph, I will make it very clear for you, so please listen very carefully. FX International Group is under our wing, so if you ever have the chance to meet them in this industry again, don''t you dare to cause any problem to them, understand? Or you will face the consequences for riling the Mayfly." Although the man didn''t understand why his leader wanted him to convey these warnings to Joseph, he did hear this order from his small earpiece and said it out loud word to word. In fact, he himself wanted to know why his leader would spend all the time spying on this entire process of negotiation. But as far as he knew, Edward must be very important and special to his leader. After all, there was never a case like this before that caught so much attention of his leader. His leader had participated in making the whole n. He even picked the squad himself.


    "Well, umm, could you please tell your leader that I really had no idea that FX International Group is under your protection. Tell him, to not do anything to KG, please?" The Mayfly was too strong and powerful, so Joseph couldn''t help but worry about KG, hispany. And at the same time, he was also mad at himself. He deeply regretted that he didn''t ept Edward''s offer in the beginning. Well, now, not only did he lose the chance to cooperate with Edward and make a lot of money, but he also got under Mayfly''s scanner, which was the most frightening group.


    "Do you really think that we can see our leader that easily? I''m not ashamed to tell you, I haven''t even seen him in person till date. So good luck with that!" After finishing his words, the man didn''t spare him a nce and quickly walked out behind Edward and his people. It seemed that this was easier than he expected, so he really couldn''t understand why his leader sent out so many of his best people here.


    How could this man guess why Jonathan made such an effort? In fact, he was just a father who was worried about his own son. So in case anything happened, he had to send his best men in order to protect his son.


    Edward didn''t expect this would turn out like this. He was not only surprised but also very delighted with the way things turned out to be. But thinking about the next n of action, he felt a little sad once again. He knew it was not easy to find a newpany to cooperate, and it surely would take some time.


    "Mr. Mu, are we going to look for a new partner?" As soom as they were back in the hotel, Luke hesitantly asked Edward. He, too, was not very familiar with B Country. He didn''t know much about it except that this country was among the 10 countries that abounded in diamonds. Besides that, he didn''t have any crucial information about this country or the people here.


    "Yes, we are. But I have to go back to the S City today, so for now, this n has to be postponed." After saying these words, Edward slightly frowned. Because from here to S City, it would take him at least 20 hours, even by ne. So if he wanted to make it to the new weapon performance in the army base, he had to leave right away.0000000

 Chapter 667 The Power Of The Mayfly (Part Three)

    "Mr. Mu, our leader said that for this n, you can cooperate with the Mayfly. In this case, you don''t have to spend anymore time and money on this. We can help you lead all these onto the right track." The man told Edward thetest order he received from his leader. Now, his suspicion rting to Edward''s identity was intensified. He knew, Mayfly, wouldn''t gain anything out of this cooperation. Despite knowing all this, his leader was determined to participate in it. All these things confused him further. "What? Cooperate with you?" Edward also felt very surprised at their offer. He didn''t understand what his father wanted from this.


    "Yes, with us. Our leader meant it." Although the man was quite confused himself, he didn''t dare to question the decision of his leader. So he just did as he was told by him.


    "How about this? I will just call him first and discuss it directly with him." After saying these words, Edward took out his phone and started walking towards his guest room. He had to think it through very carefully. Although the Mayfly was a group that was just and wicked at the same time, it still had its side of gangdom. Did he really want FX International Group to cooperate with The Mayfly? In this case, FX International Group would be pushed into another situation by him, and that was not the kind of result he wished to see. "Hey! Dad, can you exin to me what is going on in your mind?" Edward didn''t have any doubt. He knew for a fact that his father was spying on everything that was happening around him, or else he would not know every detail rted to the deal this fast. "Aren''t you unfamiliar with B Country? So I''m just leading the way for you at the moment. Of course, the Mayfly won''t participate in your cooperation, so don''t you worry about that. I''m merely helping you to get on the right track, that''s all. So be rest assured, FX International Group will not get involved with the Mayfly. This is just a cooperation at the very beginning. Once we finish our task, we will back down immediately." Jonathan knew clearly what his son was worried about. So he definitely didn''t intend to cause him any trouble. He was just trying to help him out in this difficult situation.


    "Okay, I see. Thank you, dad!" Edward took a deep breath. Now that he could get help from his father, there was no reason for him to refuse the offer. So he set his heart at rest and handed over all his work here to the people of the Mayfly. This saved him a lot of time, energy and money. Now, he was happy to be a free rider. After all, his father would never do anything that would be bad for him.


    Things didn''t go very well during this trip to B Country. Edward still had many tasks that were waiting to be aplished. This might be the biggest failure during his incumbency of the CEO of the FX International Group. But there was still one thing that made him really happy, which was the pair of diamond rings in his hand. He knew that his little woman didn''t like anything too fancy or garish, so the design of the two rings was simple yet elegant. And the most important thing was that this pair of diamond rings showed his deep love for Daisy.


    The sky in S City was very blue, and the air here was also fresh. But Daisy didn''t have the time to care about all these things, because she was really busy now. All morning, she was busy doing her job, and didn''t even have the time to drink some water. Right now, after hurriedly eating a quick lunch, she had to get back to her job again. With all the strenuous rushing around, Daisy was sweating profusely and her shoulders were aching.


    "Daisy, will Mr. Mue here today?" Just when Daisy found herself a moment to rest a bit, themander walked up to her to enquire about Edward.


    "Well, I''m not sure about that either. Right now, he''s on a business trip to B Country. Last night, I called him, but his phone was off. So I don''t have a clue if he was on the ne or he didn''t finish his work yet."


    Daisy then had a sip of water. It was all her fault. Last night she was working so intently that she didn''t notice her phone had been off for a while as the battery had run out. She didn''t realize this matter untiltest night. And when she turned on the phone, there were dozens of missed calls, all from Edward. But when she called him back, his phone was off. So she really didn''t know if he could make it on time or not.


    "That is okay, business first. I''m just a little bit disappointed, nothing more. But hey, there''s still half an hour before the performance. I personally hope that he can still make it." After all, this group of weapons were totally sponsored by FX International Group, so no matter what happened, themander hoped that Edward could see that his money wasn''t wasted.


    "Commander, don''t worry! He promised you that he would be here. I don''t think that he will break his promise. Maybe he will arrive a little bitte but I am sure, he''de." Daisy said these words not only tofort themander, but also to console herself. After all, her previous night was spent in consistent worry and insomnia yet again.


    "Haha! After hearing your words, I''m much more rxed. Now, I''m going to say hello to the leaders of the army group. You can get back to your work!" After finishing his sentence, themander made his way to the rostrum. But his joyousugh made Daisy feel a little uneasy.


    Taking a deep breath, Daisy took out her phone from her pocket. Staring at the phone in her hand, she gently bit her lip and thought for a little while. In the end, she still couldn''t help but dial the number she had been thinking about. But right at this moment when she was about to move the phone to her ear, someone called her name. So she had to hang up in an instant and run to the ce where she was needed.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    And at the same time, in front of the international airport of the S City, a handsome man looked at the phone that only rang once before hanging up. His eyes were full of puzzle and worry. But in the end, he didn''t say a word, instead he got in the Lamborghini that had stopped in front of him. He left the airport immediately to go to the army base where Daisy and others were waiting for him.00000000???

 Chapter 668 Edward Is Back (Part One)

    The minutes ticked past and the new weapons were undergoing trials. Since all of those were high-end weapons for the army, some of them couldn''t be tested at the scene, and their functions and performances had to be demonstrated by a lecturer, who was none other than


    Daisy.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "Now, you''re looking at the newly-manufactured armored vehicle with brand-new radars. It is equipped with world''s leading navigation system, positioning system, electronic system and digitalmand system. As a result, its capabilities in navigation, positioning and filtering friendly forces from enemies have been greatly improved. It can deal with two objects at the same time both during the night and in the daytime. The digitalmand and control system provides the real-time data link between the vehicle and the headquarters," Daisy lectured on the vehicle''s performance in a confident, smooth and brief manner. It turned out that she did well in the army. Edward now thought more of her. However, he didn''te over to her. On the contrary, he stood there quiet, and stared at the charming Daisy with admiration and happiness. He was really proud of her.


    "Now, let''s move on to a main battle tank. It can fire while it moves. This one is capable of destroying its enemies from over 4.5 miles away. It can urately fix positions on its enemies on the battlefield and deliver dialogues at any time. Besides, it can hardly be prated by any shell. It''s known to be the best tank you can get in the world."


    Although Daisy was stared at by a massive crowd, she got really excited to lecture on the weapons,. She seemed to have forgotten everything, including herself. Only those weapons mattered to her at the moment. However, she felt a hot nce lingering on her. But she didn''t dare to let herself be distracted by it and make any mistake in front of all those superiors.


    Edward had never seen Daisy that way. She confidently demonstrated her rich military knowledge and spoke with fervor and assurance. Edward knew Daisy love her job. This was why, despite his worries over all the following years, he never asked Daisy to give up her sacred career as a soldier.


    "Mr. Mu, Mrs. Mu is awesome. She''s really good at expounding on the performance of those equipment in details." Luke rarely had any words in praise of a woman. However, at that moment, he did speak highly of Daisy.


    "Of course, my wife''s indeed awesome, isn''t she?" said Edward cheerfully. His mouth twitched slightly and then he smiled. He just couldn''t look away from Daisy who looked so brilliant and brave in her army uniform.


    Hearing those words, Luke felt a little embarrassed because Edward imed all credit for himself and became really arrogant. Edward had the audacity to take over the merit of his wife''s sess. ''Shame on him, ''Luke thought to himself.


    "What''s up? What''s wrong with you?" asked Edward. Edward turned his gaze from Daisy to Luke when he heard no reply from him. Edward looked so intimidating that if he dare say anything against him, he might be a dead body.


    "Nothing. You''re right. I can''t agree more," answered Luke. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Although he had already been ustomed to Edward''s arrogance and capriciousness, Luke was still under pressure when Edward stared at him intently and threateningly.


    "Now, we finally understand each other, don''t we?" said Edward, sneering. Tired as he was, Edward was happy, handsome and charming. He drew the attention of the soldier who brought them in and also the others present in the room.


    "Hello, Mr. Mu. When did you arrive? Why didn''t anyone tell me about it?" The sound attracted attention of soldiers sitting in the quiet hall. At the moment, the Commander also noticed the presence of Edward.


    "Just minutes ago. Please don''t me them for my intrusion. I asked them to not interrupt your work. That''s all," exined Edward patiently and respectfully. Edward nced at Daisy and saw her surprised look when he came over to exchange greetings with the Commander. A smile appeared on his handsome face.


    Edward''s sudden presence distracted Daisy''s lecture for a few seconds. Then, she withdrew her gaze from Edward and looked back at the audience again. She started talking, her heart was pounding hard in her chest. ''He is back on time, with the wry smile that I missed so much. He''s still the guy I''m so familiar with," thought Daisy in her mind.


    "Come here. Come here. Sit with me," said the Commander, who invited Edward to sit with some generals. All those generals were acquainted with Edward. So, undoubtedly, pleasantries were exchanged once again. On one side, some soldiers who had never seen Edward before, were guessing his identity. ''Why is he here to attend this event?'' they thought. On the other side, other soldiers who had seen Daisy and Edward together before, looked at Daisy, and were looking forward to her response on seeing Edward. Daisy took a deep breath in front of those soldiers who shot admirable nces at her. Fortunately, she was done with exining thoseplicated questions. Other trivial matters didn''t need her exnation or lecture any more.


    She walked to Edward slowly and avoided eye contact with him as much as possible. She threw her eyes on him quickly, and looked away before anybody could notice it. Then, she once again looked ahead, pretending that nothing really happened. "Daisy, well done. You did your homework well," said one of the generals. He spoke highly of Daisy not for the purpose of giving Edward an impression that he treated his wife well, but because Daisy really did a good job.


    "Thank you," replied Daisy humbly. She had never been a people''s person, although she wasn''t extremely timid nor shy. So, she epted the praises from others dly and elegantly, which was her way of showing politeness.


    Edward smiled wryly. ''Daisy, how dare you pretend to not know me. If you like things this way, I''ll y with you. Actually, I can enjoy some fun here," thought Edward.


    "Colonel Ouyang, nice to meet you," said Edward. He stretched his hand and pretended that it was the first time he was meeting Daisy. Being a husband was never going to be easy. You had to be considerate, and yet know how to y with your wife. You should be good at ying, or else you might give your wife away and embarrass her.


    "Nice to meet you, Mr. Mu," said Daisy, shocked. She quickly regained herposure and shook hands with him. Both of them behaved normally in front of the people who barely knew the truth. But, other insiders did get confused. They looked at each other and tried to figure out what''s wrong with this couple.


    Luke''s mouth twitched. He found the entire scene funny. He was wondering why Daisy would y with him. Was it because Daisy had developed some of Edward''s traits after living with him for so long? But howe he hadn''t been deeply affected by his master yet? Luke wondered.


    "Are you..." asked the Commander in bewilderment. He got confused by this couple exchanging courtesies formally, like two strangers.


    "Well, I just said hello to Colonel Ouyang," exined Edward absent-mindedly. His attention was drawn by something else now. He had only been away for a couple of days. However, Daisy got injured again. It seemed that she never listened to him carefully. "I get it. You two have a special way to be together," said the Army Commander amusingly after he heard the manner in which Edward talked to Daisy.


    "Sorry, Army Commander." In moments like this, Edward tended to show his other side of macho bravado and be very considerate, defending Daisy who already felt very embarrassed. Thus, he had to drop his thought of ying with his wife in front of so many soldiers.


    "You don''t need to apologize. Young people are supposed to have fun. However, Colonel Ouyang really surprised us by being so energetic and funny," said the Army Commander amiably. He stared at Daisy and mused on that charming Daisy who had always been a cool and aloof girl and would only disy her affection sometimes.


    "You''re right. As far as I''m concerned, Daisy''s always serious. It''s good to see her solemn face break into a smile, for a change," said the Commander, echoing the Army Commander''s words. Then, the topic returned to Daisy again, which brought a warm flush to her face.00000000000000

 Chapter 669 Edward Is Back (Part Two)

    "I can''t agree with you more. A smiling and funny Daisy will be much closer to our soldiers," said another officer. All of a sudden, they seemed to have forgotten the lecture, and became thoroughly interested in Daisy and her husband, Edward. "I''m sorry to interrupt your conversation. But I hope that Daisy can love me much more than her soldiers." ''Are you guys kidding me? I hate you for staring at my wife. Don''t you dare think that you can touch her," thought Edward to himself darkly. "Haha... Edward, I never thought that you could be so sentimental. Daisy, you better watch out, otherwise your husband will be really jealous," said the Commander. He roared withughter, which sessfully drew the attention of all those soldiers sitting in the hall.


    "I should apologize again. I''m pretty serious about loving my wife. No offence," said Edward. However, he didn''t look very apologetic. Loving and protecting his beloved wife wasn''t embarrassing at all to him. Other people''s judgments didn''t worry him, since he couldn''t love Daisy more and would do anything for her at any costs.


    "None taken. We know your love stories and your duties as a responsible husband. Besides, we really appreciate yourpany''s support for the army. So, thank you for everything that you have done for us." The Commander nodded in approval. He felt content to see Daisy have a husband who really loved her.


    "You''re wee. We have indeed done very little for you," answered Edward politely. Edward always maintained a low profile in this respect, so he rarely got smug, which made him different from many other businessmen.


    "Well, Since Colonel Ouyang is done with her lecture, the rest of the work can be finished by others. So, Daisy, go and show Mr. Mu around. Your presence here isn''t required right now. But don''t forget to make a speech on the stage in a while." The Commander knew that Edward just got off the ne so he needed some time alone with his wife. Young people always cherished those sweet private moments. The Commander and his peers were reluctant toe in between them, so they chose to leave them alone.


    "I appreciate your kindness, Commander. See youter," answered Edward cheerfully. Edward appreciated the Commander''s understanding, since he urgently needed to know how his wife got hurt again.


    "Alright, let''s go and leave them alone. They can enjoy some fun when we''re away," said the Commander. Army Commander was quite considerate. He heard that Edward went abroad and might not be able to attend this event earlier. However, Edward still came here on time. So, the Army Commander was very pleased to meet him again and was more than willing to make things convenient for him and his wife.


    Daisy thought she had never felt so embarrassed before. Then, as soon as her superiors walked away, she shot an angry look at Edward. She might have even pped him on the face, if it were possible.


    "Colonel Ouyang, don''t you think you should exin yourself first?" said Edward in a casual manner. Meanwhile, he looked around and seemed to be looking for something.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "Why should I do that?" asked Daisy and a deep furrow appeared between her brows. She stared at him wonderingly and then noticed the inquisitive nces of some soldiers standing nearby.


    "Forget it. If you don''t love yourself, what can I do to save your ass?" Edward sighed. He didn''t intend to argue with his wife while so many strangers were looking at them. However, he indeed felt gloomy and thought what he cared about meant nothing to Daisy. "Don''t be stupid. Why are you talking such nonsense?" Daisy hadpletely forgotten the wound on her hand. So she couldn''t guess what Edward was referring to. As far as she was concerned, that minor wound was nothing.


    "Yeah, I''m stupid to worry about you. Forget it," answered Edward ironically. He was thinking about her all the time. But he was yet again repaid with ungratefulness and misunderstandings. If Daisy really cared about him, she should have taken good care of herself and must have avoided getting injured. Seeing those injuries, Edward felt extremely bad. He couldn''t help but me himself for being an unqualified husband who always saw his wife getting herself into dangers but yet couldn''t do anything about it.


    "Are you mad?" Daisy''s brow furrowed in bewilderment. She looked at the solemn man standing in front of her, and ignored those inquisitive nces from those soldiers who looked all curious. She wanted to get a hint from Edward''s face as to what really was going on in his mind right now.


    "Is it necessary?" Edward proposed a rhetorical question. Actually, he said that more to himself than to his wife. Was it really necessary to get mad at her because of this petty affair? Since when did he be so possessive and unreasonable? Hadn''t women always offered themselves to him? If those physical injuries meant nothing to her, why should he care?


    "I don''t know. You have always been paranoid." Daisy was sure that her husband was mad at her for some unknown reason. But she had no time to argue with him at that moment. So, she chose to patiently wait and find it outter when they got home.


    "Colonel, Mr. Mu. The Commander has asked you to join them," a young voice was heard. When neither Edward nor Daisy agreed to nudge, Mark came over and conveyed the Commander''s words, which temporarily postponed their dispute. Relieved, Daisy knew that Edward could never be controlled, and nobody could predict what he would do next. Although he loved and cared about her, his bullying and peremptory characters still existed. He might be scary when he lost his temper.


    "I know. We''reing," said Daisy. Daisy looked back at the hall, and found her superiors sitting on the stage. Then, it suddenly urred to her that it was time for her to deliver her closing speech on the stage.


    "Let''s go. You might be asked to speak offhand." Her mouth twitched slightly. She stretched her hand to pull Edward''s arm. When she saw the bandage on her hand, she finally realized why Edward was mad at her. However, right now, she didn''t have any time to exin herself to him. So, she smiled at him apologetically.


    Edward removed his hand from hers, and walked towards the stage, leaving Daisy behind. Daisy knew her husband was pissed off. She shook her head helplessly, and followed him closely, wondering how to resolve this fight.


    "Now, be quiet. I''m pleased to announce that the performance of the new weapons is now over. Next, let''s all wee our sponsor of these equipment, the CEO of FX International Group, Edward Mu to make a speech." As soon as the Commander stopped, the thunderous apuse was heard in the hall.


    "Hello,rades, I appreciate what you have done for our country. Yourmitments and sacrifices are making you great soldiers. Thank you for your services." Edward stopped, he then turned to look at Daisy, and continued.


    "Now I''m going to cut the long story short ande straight to the point. If I have guessed it right, some of you are more curious about my rtionship with Daisy than anything else." Edward''s eyes ran down the soldiers sitting off stage. He thought that some of them had never met him, although he had been here once in the past. Probably, this is why they were continually looking at him ever since he entered the hall.


    "Are you interested in Daisy''s private life? I know a lot of you people have made all kinds of assumptions about her. Now, let me tell you something. As you just saw, I have established a really delicate rtionship with Daisy, because I''m her husband."


    With Edward''s those astonishing words, the audience roared in surprise. A few momentster, they all calmed down, and shot curious nces at Daisy. Now it was clear why Daisy never came out in public about her marriage before. Her husband was not any ordinary man. But, something must be wrong here. If she did have a husband who happened to be the CEO of an internationalpany, why did she still live a lonely life with her son all those years???????

 Chapter 670 Back Home (Part One)

    "I know there are several things that you can not understand right now. For instance, why wasn''t I on Daisy and Justin''s side in the past few years? But to tell you the truth, I cherish the present and the future. I believe we will live a happy life in theing years. On behalf


    of my family, I would like to thank you all for your concern and support. That''s all, thank you!"


    After saying this, Edward made a deep bow. The soldiers present responded with thunderous apuse. Let bygones be bygones. After all, the present and the future were more important than the past. However, some people didn''t understand this simple truth and buried themselves in their miserable past. In this manner, they not only made themselves but also others miserable.


    Daisy let her eyes settle upon him with a sweet delight drifting along her body. Her lips moved as if she was trying to say something. There was no sweet talk, but rather a innguage. However, she was deeply moved by him. She was still immersed in a kind of joy after she heard his speech.


    She didn''t care about other additional factors like appearance, family background, etc. All she wanted was just pure love. As long as she loved him, she didn''t care about whether he was rich or poor.


    She knew she was not perfect, and she was not the kind of woman who men found attractive. She couldn''t believe the fact that Edward fell in love with her. But the longer they stayed with each other, the more she trusted him. He proved his sincerity and love with practical actions. He valued her above his life!


    "You... Are you still angry at me?" Daisy stammered as she looked at his handsome face, disturbed. His eyes were shut and he didn''t respond. Even though he just showed his love for her in public, he was still at odds with her.


    "I know you are mad at me because I hurt my hand. But it''s a tiny wound, really. It''s actually less severe than you think. So please don''t worry about me." She was grateful that Luke arranged a caravan for them. Her soldiers were not able to see how embarrassed she was at this moment.


    "Are you really concerned about the way I feel?" Edward opened his eyes and coldly stared at the face he had been thinking about all this while.


    "I''m so sorry! I swear I will be careful next time. Can you please at least let me exin?" Daisy bit her lower lip. She swayed a little in his stressful eyes.


    "Tell me! I''m listening." Edward tried his best to resist his urge to hold her tight in his arms. He reminded himself that he can not go soft on her this time, otherwise she would never learn to prioritise her safety.


    "I got injured in an attempt to save Mary. I had to catch the dagger with my hand. I did have my safety in my mind, but the situation was really critical at that moment." After saying this, Daisy moved away from Edward a little. She knew he was going to shout at her the next second.


    "What? Save Mary? Are you out of your mind? Do you think she deserves it?" On hearing her exnation, Edward sat up straight and looked at her from top to bottom. He seemed to have heard some funny joke.


    "I know she has done a lot of bad things to me, and I should not risk my life to save her. But I''m a soldier. No matter how evil she is, I must step forward bravely every time my countrymen are in danger. This is the mission of soldiers." Daisy knew i was hard for normal people to ept this answer. But as a soldier, she had to live up to the military uniform she wore.


    "Don''t try to reason with me. I only care about you, and others have nothing to do with me. Mary did a lot of evil things and she has to pay the price. I don''t care about her safety at all." Edward blurted out angrily. Had he known Daisy got hurt because of Mary, he wouldn''t have spared Maryst time.


    "I totally understand, but I have my own stand. I can only apologize to you for getting hurt again, but I never forget what you told me about my safety." Daisy''s heart broke every time she saw him frowning. She wanted him to be happy.


    "I know I''m nothingparable to the military uniform you wear, right?" Edward knew she was a responsible soldier and understood her stand, but he just couldn''t ept the truth that she always gave utmost priority to her solder''s duties. He was a penny pincher in love. He wanted her to put him first and wished that nobody or nothing could ever rece him.


    "Edward Mu, I hope you can treat my work rationally. Could you please stop making trouble out of nothing?" Daisy was infuriated by his usation. She loved him and deeply cared about his feelings. She knew she was wrong here, so she humbled herself in front of him. But this didn''t mean that he could belittle her love for him.


    "Making trouble out of nothing? Daisy Ouyang, do you really think that I''m that type of a man?" After spending more than twenty hours in flight, he rushed to the army base without even taking a nap. Was it because he wanted to be here for the new weapons? NO! He had just been dying to see her.


    "Sorry. I was too angry. Just forget about it." Daisy bit her lower lip and smoothed her hair, trying to calm herself down.


    "Never mind. I was exasperated too. I promised I would note between you and your work, but I went back on my words." Edward closed his eyes again and leaned back against the back of the chair. Daisy perhaps wouldn''t ever understand his true feelings. "Are you exhausted?" She touched his furrowed brow and rubbed it softly. Grief came in waves.


    "Uh huh!" He made it clear that he was not in the mood to talk to Daisy right now. She really wanted to know what had happened to Edward and Luke in B Country. Why were there so many tiny wounds on Luke''s body? She did ask them before, but they just told her that something unexpected happened. Judging from their expressions, she knew it was not as tiny as that.


    She stared quietly at his face. His refined features remained engraved in her memory. He was still the same old bossy man he used to be. The reason that she epted his tyranny was simple: she loved him.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    She sighed as she moved away a little andy his head on her leg. They were quite away from home. She decided to let him take a good rest before reaching home.


    Actually Edward did not n to take a nap. He just closed his eyes in order to not argue with her anymore. But now he felt a little sleepy with her movements. Surrounded by familiar smell, he fell asleep quickly. After all, he hadn''t had a good sleep for several days. When they reached the downtown area, the sunset glow tinted the sky red. It was a rush hour, so unfortunately, there was a traffic jam. Daisy had been seldom trapped in traffic jams before. She always went home from the military basete. When she arrived at the downtown, it would be evening and there would not be any traffic jam.


    "Are we home?" Edward opened his eyes and looked at Daisy in the eye. He was reluctant to admit that he might go soft on her again this time.


    "Not yet. We are trapped in a traffic jam. Why don''t you sleep for a few more minutes?" She yed with his short hair softly, feeling guilty. She thought about all the things over all the way. She did behave totally unconcerned about many things, especially about his feelings. She never really took his feelings seriously in the past. He was an exceptional and proud man with a high self-esteem. No wonder he lost his temper when she showcased an indifferent attitude towards him.0000

 Chapter 671 Back Home (Part Two)

    "I''m good. Are you feeling wronged?" Edward asked in a low voice as he kept lying on her leg. She could sense that he was still tired from his tone.


    "No, I''m not. I was just too naive in the past. I thought I had the right to use my body without caring about anyone else''s feelings. I was wrong. I''m not alone. Many people love me and care about me. I should take better care of myself for them."


    Bitterness welled up in her mind when she said this. As a soldier, she had to do some things not out of her own free will. Though she was self-reviewing her acts, she was unable to change this situation. Many friends advised her to give up on her position as a soldier. However, being a soldier was not only a work for her, but a kind of affirmation to her life. She had tried really hard and put his heart and soul into achieving her goal. She still remembered the joy when her goal came true.


    "Nice self-review." Edward touched her soft lips. He knew it was unavoidable for her to get hurt as a soldier, but he had no option but to ept it. This was perhaps the sorrow of being the husband of a soldier. He couldn''t stand the frustration of not being able to help his wife.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "Are you still mad at me?" Anxiously, Daisy bit her lower lip. She had always been firm and unyielding and would never sumb to anyone. But now, she gave in to Edward in such a manner. She didn''t feel embarrassed at all, rather she felt a gush of sweetness. He loved her, and that''s why he was worried about her safety.


    "Uh-huh." Edward grinned. What a silly woman she was! If he still was mad at her, he would not be sitting here talking to her in a calm mood. Since she didn''t want him to be upset, he decided to pretend to be angry to see what she was going to do to make him happy. Daisy bit her lower lip for a moment and finally made a decision. She bent down slowly and pressed her soft lips right on his. Kissing his cold lips, she calmed down and felt at ease. The very first moment she saw him today after being apart for a couple of days, all she wanted to do was to kiss him and tell him how much she missed him.


    Looking at her, Edward widened his eyes. She really knew how to please him to her own advantage. Edward was not someone who could control his passion. He held her in his arms and kissed back, sucking her tongue hard. He even undid the two buttons of her shirt with one hand. It was not until she pushed him away that he stopped.


    "Babe, if we were not in the car, I would have had you by now." With eyes full of desire, Edward stated in a low and seductive voice, staring at her chest.


    "Stop staring at me!" Daisy immediately did up the buttons and avoided his burning eyes. She blushed with shyness.


    "Come on, I have already seen every part of your body!" Edward sat up straight and adjusted her messy shirt and hair. He gave a dirty smile, which made her embarrassed.


    "You are a scoundrel!" Daisy rolled her eyes at him, but she was d that he was willing to talk to her now. Whenever he looked coldly at her, she would panic and try her best to make him happy.


    "Come on, you are my wife! I am allowed to do that to you." Apparently, Edward was ted by her kiss. She could tell he was in a good mood now.


    "Stop talking nonsense! Just get off the car. We''re home now. Justin misses you so much." Daisy checked her clothes again and then picked up her bag, urging him to get off the car.


    "Well, Justin is a good boy, unlike someone. Someone didn''t miss me at all, and rather just pissed me off." After saying that, Edward got off the caravan. He didn''t forget to hold out his hand and help her get off considerately and gently.


    Daisy frowned at hisint and was about to exin, but she bit back her words on seeing Justine running towards them.


    "Dad, you are finally back. I miss you so much. I even lost a lot of weight because of missing you all this while." Justin threw himself into Edward''s arms and pinched his own cheek, in an attempt to prove that he had lost weight. Edward''s heart softened at Justin''s childish


    moves.


    "Well, let me check the other parts of your body." Edward reached out his hand to take off Justin''s pants. Justin shouted loudly and dragged his own pants tightly.


    "Dad,e on. Men should not take off their pants in front of women." Justin pointed at Daisy. Obviously, he was ashamed of being naked before his mom now.


    "Come on, you are just a kid! She is your mom, and she has seen every part of your body." Hearing Edward''s words, Daisy''s face convulsed. His words were normal, but she recalled what he said to her in the car and her face flushed again. "Mom only saw my body when I was a baby. But I have grown up now." Justin pursed his lips grumbling.


    "What''s the difference? You are still her son! Oh no! You are not like that anymore." Edward picked Justin up and walked towards the entrance of the house. He could barely keep the smile off his face.


    "Right! Dad, so you can also see that I''m different now." Justin was thrilled by Edward''s words. He thought Edward treated him as a grown-up now. However, Edward''s next statement upset him.


    "Of course. When I first saw you, you looked like a malnourished monkey from the zoo. But now, you look like a fat panda. If you go on eating snacks between meals like this, you will be like an elephant in the future!"


    Edward said in a serious manner. Justin took it seriously at the beginning and even pinched his belly. Then he realized that Edward was only making fun of him. He gave a cunning smile and yelled to Daisy, "Mom, Dad says you are a female monkey." "Bah! How dare you make fun of me? My mom will punish you for that. I''m not fat at all! I was so stupid to take your words seriously at the beginning. It seems that you not only make fun of outsiders, but also make fun of your own son!'' Justin thought to himself.


    "Come on, you are talking nonsense! I never said that. Honey, don''t listen to him. He is trying to frame me." Edward turned to Daisy and gave her a ttering smile. Then he cast a warning nce at Justin.


    "You said I was a monkey. Does it mean my mom is a female money?" Justin smiled slyly and wanted to know how Edward would exin this to Daisy.


    "I also said you looked like a panda. Does it mean your mom is a female panda?" Edward knocked on Justin''s head. How dare he call Daisy a female monkey?


    "Look! You just admitted that. You not only said mom was a monkey, but also called her a panda." As the saying goes, "Eagles do not breed doves." Edward''s son was as cunning as him.


    "Right. I treat your mom as a panda. Don''t you know, the panda is known to be a national treasure. You are just a monkey, and nothingparable to a panda." Edward pinched Justin''s nose and thought, ''You are too young to set up a trap for me now.''


    Staring at Edward and Justin, Daisy smiled and said nothing. She wouldn''t take any side; otherwise, the other side would me her for being partial. She also wanted to know who would win this game. Anyway, both of them were the most important people in her life.

 Chapter 672 Family Dinner (Part One)

    unable to take his eyes off his son ever since he came back. This wasn''t his usual self. Jonathan too wasn''t used to behaving like this.


    "Is everything all right with you?" asked Jonathan as soon as he saw Edward entering the house. Though his men had already informed him that both Edward and Luke were safe, he still couldn''t be sure of it. He might not have noticed it but it was evident that he was "Luke has got a few injuries, but we are all right," replied Edward, putting down Justin. He then walked toward his father and sat down. He always wondered how his father managed to look this young even after all these years. It seemed like ages had forgotten to leave any traces on him. If they ever walked on the street side by side, nobody would believe that they were actually father and son.


    "That''s good. Next time you go abroad, always remember to keep your guard up in order to avoid getting into a dangerous situation like this one." Just like any other parent in the world, Jonathan too was genuinely worried about his son''s safety every time he got out of his sight.


    "Yes, father. I have learnt my lesson well this time. And I promise it won''t happen again." Now that he had the time to reflect on what just happened back in B Country, Edward admitted that, to arge extent, it was because he had underestimated his opponents that he and Luke were ambushed. Though he felt a little embarrassed to still need his father''s help at this age, he was thankful that everyone around him was safe at this moment.


    Standing just a few steps away, Daisy was furrowing her brows. She heard them talk, and was wondering why Edward didn''t tell her what had happened to him while apparently his father knew it all. From their conversation she understood that something very critical had happened when Edward and Luke were in B Country, and that they had asked Jonathan for help. It must be very serious. Luke''s injures confirmed her spection.


    "Daisy, sweetheart. Is everything all right? I called you several times but you didn''t seem to hear me," Cynthia said, waving her hand in front of Daisy. She was a little worried to see Daisy not saying anything but standing in the center of the living room. She lookedpletely lost in her thoughts.


    "Oh, I''m sorry, mother. I was absentminded. Were you asking me of anything? Do you need any help?" Daisy replied, as she immediately gathered her thoughts and tried to force a smile.


    "No. I was just checking on you. You have been standing here still for a while. You look tired. Is everything okay with you?" Cynthia shot a nce at what Daisy was looking at and noticed that Daisy was continually looking in the direction where Edward and his father were having a conversation. Cynthia failed to understand what was bothering Daisy.


    "Yes, I''m fine. Don''t worry about me." Daisy got red with embarrassment as now she had the attention of everyone in the room.


    "All right. Go and have a bowl of the soup I prepared especially for you. It''s in the kitchen. Look how thin you have be. And to think that you have to put up with all that work everyday..." Cynthia loved Daisy as her own daughter. Her heart ached every time she saw Daisy''s tired face.


    "Granny, can I have some too?" Though he didn''t know what kind of soup it was, Justin was already excited to try it. In fact, as a food fan, any food would intrigue him just as much.


    "No, you can''t! It''s for women only, sweetheart," rejected Cynthia directly. She had added a few kinds of herbs in the soup which would help women regte their metabolism and thereby improve their overall health. However, Daisy was horrified when she was asked to have that herbal soup. She hurriedly shot a pitiful look toward Edward and hoped that he would help her talk his mother out of the idea. Herbal soup tasted horrendous. Besides, Daisy thought that she was perfectly healthy, and therefore didn''t need anything to make her healthier.


    "Don''t look at me. Didn''t you hear what mother just said? The soup is for women only. I am a man, so leave me out of this," replied Edward, shrugging his shoulder. He understood Daisy''s SOS signal, but since it was his mother who demanded, there was nothing he could do about it.


    Not only was Edward not helping, but his words intensified Daisy''s awkwardness. She wished that she hadn''t asked him for any help and wondered if he was deliberately ying a trick on her. Lucky for her, she had a great rtionship with her mother-inw, or these words from Edward might have started a big feud in the family.


    "Come on, it''s only herbal soup. It won''t do you any harm, okay?" Cynthiained with a frown. She loved the smell of her herbal soup, so she was a little confused why other people didn''t like it.


    "Granny, have you ever had this soup before?" asked Justin curiously, raising his cute little face to look at Cynthia. He marvelled at how young his grandmother looked. It seemed to him that his grandmother and mother looked more like sisters and not like a duo of daughter- and mother-inw.


    "No, I haven''t. But it smells amazing!" Cynthia said without hesitation. She was telling the truth. She indeed liked the smell of the soup.


    "Really? You haven''t had this soup before? Granny, I know mommy doesn''t like the smell of herbal soup. You can tell from her face. She looks so miserable. Would you please not ask her to drink that soup?" As a son, Justin felt it was his responsibility to get his mother out of situations like this.


    "Mother, please don''t listen to him. I would love to have a bowl of the herbal soup you have prepared for me," saying this, Daisy quickly walked to the kitchen. ''It''s just herbal soup. Not a big deal! Just hold your breath and drink it up quickly. You can do it! After all, you don''t want to break Cynthia''s heart. She is only trying to take care of you, '' thought Daisy. She gave herself a little pep talk before grabbing the bowl.


    "Justin, did you just tell me that your mommy doesn''t like herbal soup so that you can taste some of it?" asked Cynthia, cupping Justin''s chubby face with her hands while pretending to be angry.


    "No, that''s not what I meant. Just forget what I said," replied Justin, looking defeated. He didn''t expect his mother to give in so easily. He tried to help her, but she gave up too fast. He only prayed that the soup didn''t taste too bad so that his mother could drink it and get done with it as soon as possible.


    Daisy was standing alone in the kitchen. Even before she could drink the soup, the smell of it was already making her sick. She was now cursing Mary because if she hadn''t been in trouble the other night, Daisy wouldn''t have got herself hurt in an attempt to save her. And if that hadn''t happened, she wouldn''t have got this enormous attention from Cynthia. She hoped that Mary had learnt her lessons and would stop messing up with her in the future.


    "Do have some of the soup, Mrs. Mu. Your mother-inw has spent the whole afternoon preparing it," Mrs. Wu said while looking at Daisy with tenderness in her eyes. She knew that Cynthia never really cooked, but for the soup, she had put in a lot of effort. "Do I have to finish all of this?" asked Daisy nervously. There was a whole pot of it on the counter, and the thought of having to finish it all made her want to run away from here.


    "Of course not. A small bowl of it will be enough. This is the first time she has cooked this kind of soup. She identally added too much water to it. Though it smells weird, it''s not as horrible as you think it would be. Don''t worry, just drink it up," said Mrs. Wu with a reassuring smile. Despite being a little amused, Mrs. Wu was also touched by Cynthia''s gesture of preparing this soup for Daisy. Cynthia didn''t have any daughter of her own, but she always took care of Daisy as her own daughter.


    "Thank God!" murmured Daisy to herself. It was quite a relief to know that she only had to drink a tiny bit of the soup. ''Onerge gulp will do,'' she thought.


    "Don''t be such a coward and drink the soup already, will you?" Edward said teasingly, as he leaned against the door frame.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "Mr. Mu," Mrs. Wu greeted Edward with a smile and then stepped out of the kitchen to leave the two lovebirds alone.


    Nodding his head as a reply, Edward waited until Mrs. Wu went out of the kitchen. He then walked up to Daisy. Edward was seemingly worried about her so he excused himself from the living room and came here.0000

 Chapter 673 Family Dinner (Part Two)

    "Are you here tough at me?" said Daisy, rolling her eyes. The bright smile on Edward''s face, which she used to love so much, didn''t seem to be very attractive to her today.


    "No, mother asked me toe here and make sure that you have every drop of this soup. Hahaha." As Edward said this, he put his hand around Daisy''s waist and pulled her closer to him. He was a little surprised to know that his fearless wife could be scared of having herbal soup. And he couldn''t help but wonder what her soldiers would think of her if they found out about this weak spot of hers.


    "I don''t need your supervision. It''s just a bowl of soup. Not a big deal for me." Finishing her words, Daisy took the bowl, closed her eyes and drank off the soup in one big gulp. Though it was done quickly, the taste of the soup lingered in her throat and made her want to vomit it all out. Just as she was about to push Edward away and find a bucket, she felt Edward''s lips pressing against hers. Slowly, he grazed his teeth over her lips which soon drove away her nausea.


    "Tastes not bad at all,"mented Edward, as he withdrew from the kiss and licked his own lips. Daisy was standing there speechless. Edward just took advantage of her yet made it sound like he was doing her a favor. She wanted to scold him, but seeing his gorgeous face, especially with that yful, yet dazzling smile on it, she just couldn''t help but fall for him yet again.


    "Edward, I just found another trait of yours," Daisy said seriously, with a flicker of mystery and mockery in her eyes.


    "Really? You are finally seeing something nice in me? What is it?" Hearing Daisy give him apliment greatly boosted Edward''s confidence. He was already feeling heady and euphoric.


    "You are thick-skinned. Seriously, you are the most thick-skinned person I know," said Daisy, raising her eyebrows. Then she skilfully slipped out of his arms, as she had done lots of times in the past, and walked briskly past him and headed back to the living room. It was Edward''s turn to be in shock now. Rubbing his chin, he mused, ''She just set a trap for me without me even seeing through it. Nice move! But wait until tonight to see who is the boss here, and learn some lessons on how to pay apliment to your husband.'' A family reunion always involved a lot of happy hours, especially at the dinner table where everybody enjoyed good food and long conversations.


    "Lukie, have some more food. You seem to have lost a lot of weighttely." Luke was caughtpletely off guard. He almost choked on his food when he heard what Cynthia said. Immediately after Cynthia told Daisy that she was losing weight, she started making her herbal soup. Now, he was afraid that Cynthia might force him to drink that soup too.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    "No, Mother, I haven''t lost any weight. Moreover, I''ve put on a few poundstely. So you don''t have to cook me any soup," Luke said, defending himself. He even had a few dry coughs in an attempt to hide his nervousness from Cynthia. Thest thing he wanted was to be forced by Cynthia to have herbal soup like Daisy.


    "Haha. Uncle Luke, are you afraid of drinking that herbal soup too? Granny was right, you do look thinner these days. And you look pale too. Look, there are so many wounds on your body. I really think that you need some supplement food to get healthier." As the only child of the family, Justin always had the attention of the whole family. His words sessfully drew everyone''s attention to Luke. Scrutinized by all the concerned people around the table, Luke felt embarrassed and turned pink. This was in great contrast to his usual calm andposed self that could be seen just a few minutes ago.


    "Yes, Justin is right. Lukie, I did notice your wounds, but I didn''t get a chance to ask you about it. What happened to you? How did you get them?" asked Cynthia with a concerned look on her face. Though small wounds were not umon for men like Luke, it seemed disturbing that there were so many of them on him at the moment. Besides, those were only the ones that were visible to them. What about the part of the body that they couldn''t see? Were there more wounds on his body? Were they more serious? They were anxious to know.


    "Don''t worry. These are just minor injuries. You won''t see them in another few days." If he had the power to heal himself, he would say that these wounds would be gone today itself, as long as it could help him get rid of that herbal soup.


    "Were you two in some sort of danger back in B Country?" Daisy had been meaning to ask about what had happened in B Country ever since Edward and Luke were back. She just couldn''t find the right time to ask. Since Cynthia brought up the wound, it made things much easier for her.


    "Let me go and have a look at his wounds," said Justin, jumping out of his chair. He immediately ran to Luke to have a closer look at the wounds on his hands. "There are multiple cuts and I can see that some of them are from daggers. Judging from the variety of the cuts, I think Uncle Luke was attacked by a group of people with different arms. And since all the cuts look minor, I assume that either those people were amateurs or they did it intentionally, probably because they didn''t really want to take Uncle Luke''s life but rather had some other intention."


    Piece by piece, Justin stated his observations, and also added his spections. He was very good, because he analyzed all the details correctly. Luke was indeed encircled by a group of people and they had no intention of hurting him. They were only trying to stop him from going back to the hotel to meet with Edward.


    "Oh my goodness. Is it true? What about Eddie? Did you get hurt too?" eximed Cynthia, turning to Edward. Daisy was also shocked. All this while, she had been busy being mad at Edward for not helping her out when Cynthia made her drink that herbal soup; it never urred to her that Edward might also be injured and have wounds that couldn''t be seen right now.


    "Everybody calm down. I am sorry but it''s only Luke who got hurt. Nothing bad happened to me. I promise! And mother, please don''t call me Eddie, it gives me goose bumps. You can call Luke by his nickname, but not me, all right?" said Edward impatiently, ignoring all the concerned looks from other people at the table. He tried to divert everyone''s attention back to Luke.


    "What were you doing? You didn''t just stand there and let other people hurt Lukie, did you? Can''t you see how badly he is hurt? You really have the nerve to say that you didn''t get hurt even a bit?" Though Luke was only her adopted son, Cynthia treated him just like Edward. So, when she heard that Luke got injured while Edward was safe and sound, she wrongly assumed that Edward hadn''t been watching out for his brother, or at least he didn''t do a good job at it.


    "Are you serious, mother? Do you really want to see me get hurt too, so that Luke won''t be the only one?" Edward found it a little hard to understand the way his mother saw things. But apart from judging that in his head, he didn''t really make an effort to defend himself. He wasn''t hurt, and it was a fact that couldn''t be changed.


    "You sure you are okay?" Daisy asked again in a low voice, checking Edward up and down anxiously. Though she heard him tell everyone that he was all right, she was still worried.????????????

 Chapter 674 Family Dinner (Part Three)

    "How about waiting until tonight? We can get in bed and you can clearly see if I am okay or not. What do you say, honey?" Edward whispered in Daisy''s ear. Daisy blushed and got red instantly. She looked up at Edward and gave him a hard stare. To her surprise, Edward didn''t seem to be bothered at all. He kept that flirty smile on his handsome face and looked back at Daisy daringly. Daisy was amazed by the way her husband didn''t feel ashamed at all after implying intimacy even when people were around them. Though other people might not have heard them because they were speaking in very low voices, Daisy still felt really embarrassed. She felt as if she had done something really bad.


    "Daddy, what did you just say to mommy? Her face looks so red!" asked Justin curiously. Back when he and his mother stayed at the army base, there were only two of them who ate together. Sometimes Kevin and Mark would join them, but it was never like this. Today, having dinner at a big table with all his family members around was indeed very new and exciting for him. He felt immensely happy and cherished every minute of it.


    "Do you really want to know what I said to your mommy?" asked Edward, grinning wickedly at Justin. His message of ''Keep Off or Else'' was so evident that Justin instantly realized that he should stop probing any further.


    "No, no. I think I''ll pass," replied Justin hurriedly. The look on his father''s face made it clear that he didn''t want him to make a topic out of his little talk with his mother. Even though Justin was a little curious, he wouldn''t dare to mess up with his father. As a famous expression warned, curiosity killed the cat. He thought he might as well behave himself for the moment.


    ''Astute observation and quick response. That''s my boy!'' mused Edward to himself. He was d to see that his good genes were ying their roles well in his son. It was quite amazing to see that such a little boy was so good at reading other people''s expressions and adjusting his reaction swiftly. He even had a feeling of being surpassed by Justin some day somehow.


    Though he didn''t speak a single word during the meal, Jonathan enjoyed the dinner just as much as others did. He tried not to get too emotional but rather just experience everything and enjoy every bit of it. He realized that he actually had missed out a lot on the family reunions and other simr things in the past. This very well exined the void in his heart each time he reflected on his family life.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    At this moment, everyone at the table had their own share of mixed feelings - happy yet retrospective. With Luke, it was very simple: as long as he was not being probed about how he got hurt or being forced to drink herbal soup, he was perfectly happy to let Justin start any conversation he liked.


    "Uncle Luke, Didn''t I just do you a big favor by changing the topic to my daddy''s little talk so that granny wouldn''t ask you to drink herbal soup? So, how about you taking me to a taekwondo kwan tomorrow in return?" Justin suggested, his eyes full of mischief. Luke was horrified that Justin was talking about him again. Soon, a thinyer of sweat was formed on his forehead. ''What kind of favor is that? You started the whole conversation about me, okay? Where in the world did you get the idea that I should be thanking you? Shouldn''t I be mad at you for getting me into trouble in the first ce? The only person who does this kind of thing is your father. Guess the old saying does make sense now, like father, like son. Who says not!'' thought Luke to himself, indignantly. Though he felt upset, he knew that he had to calm himself down, quickly. After soothing himself, he said, "Hey, kid. Are you sure you weren''t making things worse for me?" Luke shot a sideways nce at Justin, lowering his voice so as to not draw much attention to himself.


    "Uh-oh. You got me, Uncle Luke. I didn''t mean it. It was just a slip of the tongue. I am sure you understand, right?" said Justin apologetically, trying to make up for his fault. He now realized that he had been a little too active just now. It might just cost him the chance of going to a taekwondo kwan with his Uncle Luke.


    "No, I don''t. I only realized that I was being set up and I might end up with your grandmother forcing me to have that horrible herbal soup too." Even the slight mention of the soup made Luke shiver. Everyone in the family knew that Cynthiacked experience in cooking. So, naturally it didn''t take a genius to know that the soup she cooked sucked.


    "What? I can''t believe you just said that granny''s soup was horrible. That''s really hurtful, Uncle Luke. I am going to tell her this." "Haha! I dare you to say no to me!'' Justin smirked. He had been ning all this ever since he said that "Uncle Luke, didn''t I just do you a big favor". His mention of the herbal soup was only a trap. He knew his uncle hated the soup and would sooner orter make some unwise remarks on it and he could use that against him. He just didn''t expect that this moment woulde so soon.


    "Hold on! All right, I will take you to the taekwondo kwan tomorrow if your dad doesn''t have any special ns for me. But first, we have to make a deal. We are only staying there for a couple of hours, not the whole day, okay?" Luke admitted defeat. He grabbed Justin as he was about to walk away, and gave in to his threat. Luke knew Justin always tended to get too excited when he went to a taekwondo kwan, so he thought it was better to set some rules before taking him there.


    "Deal! I am d we worked this out. And I am sure my father won''t have any problems with it." Justin was overjoyed by his small victory. He was confident that his father wouldn''t have time to make ns for him tomorrow. Because his father would be busy tonight, and after this long trip, he would be needing more than one night to spend alone with his dear wife. Justin was aware that grown-ups had needs. As to how he found out about that, well, let''s just say he wanted to keep it a secret, or there would be more rules and restrictions on him from his mother.000000000000

 Chapter 675 The Late Wedding Ring (Part One)

    Luke was sad to find that he was sessfully trapped by this little child. Although, he had been serving Edward for a long time, he was still too clumsy to learn any of his tricks.


    As the performance of new weapons was now over, Daisy finally got a chance to rx and unwind. It was rare for her to spend a night on anything other than her work. She began reading her favorite novel after she finished washing. Today was Friday. Since, weekend was around, Daisy''s mood just got better. Since she had no burden of work or anything in general to worry about, Daisy freely enjoyed this precious leisure moment.


    "Mommy, can I ask you for something, please?" said Justin with a ttering smile. Only Heaven knows when this little boy sneaked into the room.


    "Go and take it! It''s in the study." Daisy replied even before Justin could name the thing he was asking for. It must be theputer. As a mother, Daisy knew his son very well. Just a look at Justin''s expression was enough for Daisy to know about his innermost desires. Justin had been abstained from using theputer for quite a few days. The punishment should get over now!


    "Really? Mommy! Oh, I love you so much!" Daisy''s amiable attitude was really beyond Justin''s expectation. He felt so ted that he awarded his dear mother with a fervent kiss.


    "But on one condition, Justin. Do no watch anything that is inappropriate for your age. Otherwise, not only will yourputer be taken away but you will also be sent to the army base for a harsh training." Daisy put forth a cold face and said in a very serious tone. She never spared her love when Justin was in need of it. But she was not willing to spoil him. Daisy knew well when he must be instructed and directed. Kids must be properly educated. It might at times be harsh for a mother to toughen her heart in doing this, but Daisy was clear she must do it to prevent his son from repeating the same mistakes time and again.


    "Hmm... Yeah! Thank you, Mommy! I''ll get it." Justin rejoiced and yelled. There were many games developed by him in hisputer. The game development had been suspended for many days since hisputer was taken away by Daisy. Now, Justin could resume it atst. He hated to sit idle and have nothing to do all day long. He must engage himself in something, and the game development was always his favorite.


    "Go ahead! But don''t y on theputer too much." Daisy believed that Justin was capable of controlling himself. He had always been a trustworthy boy. So, she never banned Justin from doing anything he liked. She always granted him as much freedom to grow up as he wanted.


    "Good night! Mommy!" Justin ran as fast as he could. He was in such a hurry that he ran into Edward when Edward was stepping into the room


    "Hey, boy! Be careful!" Why are you running so fast? Is there a tiger running behind you?" Justin tripped, but Edward was swift enough to hold the boy with his hands before he fell down on the ground. But Edward could not help but scold his son for this blunder. "I''m sorry, Daddy! But I have to go, Daddy. As for whether there is a tiger behind me or not, you''d better go and check this all by yourself! I''m not brave enough to give my opinions on that." No sooner had Justin finished speaking that he fled like a fired bullet. He was a clever boy. He knew how terrifying his mother was when she got angry. He also knew how his mother would react when she found out that some one called her a tiger? It was thus better to leave this room as fast as possible. Colonel Daisy was by no means a woman to be trifled with! Besides, the army base was thest ce on earth he wanted to go back to now. What if his dear mother took her anger on him, and sent him there?


    "What''s wrong with Justin?" Edward looked at Justin in perplexity until he shed out of his sight. Then he walked toward Daisy, and sat next to her.


    "He must be afraid of me eating my words and taking hisputer back again! Recently, I am getting a strange feeling about Justin. It seems that he has kept some distance from me. Do you have such a feeling as well, Edward?" Daisy closed the book in her hands, and let out a slight sigh. Justin had had more people to love and spoil him ever since they moved here. Did the change of environment affect Justin''s attitude toward her? As far as Daisy was concerned, Justin now spent less and less time hanging out with her.


    "It''s just your illusion, Daisy. Justin is a big boy now. His horizons are broadened. He wants to see more people and try more and more distinct things. But it doesn''t mean that he doesn''t need your love any more. You are only overthinking all of this." Edward shed a gentle smile at Daisy. He knew his son very well. Justin was very independent.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Just that? You mean, I am imagining all of this on my own?" Daisy furrowed her brows, as she felt unsatisfied with Edward''s exnation. But she could not find the answer either.


    "That''s all about it. Isn''t it? That''s how boys grow up! Compared to the girls, boys are more independent. That''s normal. Daisy, do not forget that Justin is a primary school student now. He is no more a toddler with a runny nose who would ask for hugs wherever he goes." Edward, somehow, felt sad and heart-broken when he spoke about Justin''s infancy. That was a period during which he had been absent from their lives. Daisy experienced Justin''s birth and brought him up alone. But he was not part of Daisy and Justin''s past when they were through thick and thin. That was his biggest regret.


    "I understand it. I just feel sad somehow, and need a shoulder to cry on. They''re just some grumbles. Please forget it, Edward. How about the conversation between you and your father. Is everything alright between you two?" Daisy used to own Justin solely andpletely, and vice versa. Now, Justin had more people to love him. So, now he had ceased to behave as though Daisy was his only source of love. To be frank, it was impossible for Daisy to not feel bad about the change in Justin''s attitude toward her. Daisy craved for Justin''s love toward her more than anything. But she was not selfish enough to keep Justin as her own possession. She just found it hard to get used to all these changes.


    "We are good. Please don''t worry! Justin will always love you the most." Edward kissed Daisy on her hair. He understood how Daisy felt. But all kids will grow up and leave their parents one day. This is why, the parents must allow them to live independently and have their own life. So naturally, the parents must learn to lessen their attention on the kids and give them more freedom when it is time to foster their independence.


    "I have to ept the reality even though I still feel worried about Justin. Anyway, I cannot enforce him to do things against his wish! Well, there''s another thing I want to tell you, Edward. I went to see Hero a couple of days ago, because he wanted to see me." Daisy looked into Edward''s face and observed his reaction. Her face tautened with nervousness when she told this to Edward. She was afraid that Edward might get angry again.


    "Oh? Then what did he say? Edward shed a gentle smile tofort Daisy. Actually, Hero was indeed the type of man who deserved his respect. But it was a pity that Hero fell in love with Daisy. He should have never fallen in love with his wife. In Edward''s opinion, he was the only man who had the right to love Daisy and have her love back. No other man was allowed to love Daisy, not even in his dreams.


    "Do you mind it?" Daisy looked into Edward''s eyes. She was eager to dig the truth from Edward''s eyes. But they were so calm and unchanged that not even a slightest hint was revealed.


    "No. I''m not interested in what he said. What I do mind is how you answered his questions. Obviously, I''ve known what I want to know." Edward had faith in Daisy. He knew how Daisy felt about him, and was fully aware of her love toward him. No matter how honey-lipped Hero was, Daisy would never change her attitude toward him. Edward was certain that he was the only man who Daisy loved. It was impossible for her to fall in love with another man. Daisy''s love made him feel confident and bestowed him with fatal weapons to defeat all his potential love rivals.000000000000

 Chapter 676 The Late Wedding Ring (Part Two)

    "Then you can take a guess on how I answered." Suddenly, Daisy''s aloof attitude changed and a teasing smile broke across her cold face. It must be fun to y a joke with Edward.


    "I know how you answered, of course. There''s no need to guess. You must have said you love your husband very much and you will die if your husband discards you." Though Edward spoke that as a joke, he indeed got the point.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "You are confident of my love toward you, aren''t you? How can you be so sure that I will die without you?" Daisy didn''t get angry. She just cast a nce at Edward and then lowered her head down. What mattered was not the conversation between her and Hero, but the things Edward said just now. Yes, she loved this man very much, with heart and soul. She loved Edward so much that she had no reason to refute his seemingly joking truth and his confidence in her love toward him.


    "Oh, I''m sorry, Daisy. I got it wrong. I will die if you discard me. So, please close your eyes now. I have a gift for you." Edward never hid his love toward Daisy in front of her. He was willing to speak it out and show it whenever he got even a slightest chance. In Edward''s opinion, there was no need to conceal the true feeling if you were truly in love with somebody. The right way was to follow your heart and love the one you wanted to love.


    "What is it?" Daisy felt happy. She seldom received gifts from Edward before. Daisy was not a shallow woman who worshiped money, but she still expected some romantic gestures and surprises from her husband every now and then.


    "Close your eyes now." Edward looked at Daisy with infinite tenderness and helped her close her eyes with his hand. Then he took out the tiny box from his pocket that he had been carrying around for the whole night.


    Daisy followed Edward''s instruction and closed her eyes. She bit her lip to smell Edward''s jasmine scent that she was already very familiar with. Then she felt something cold being put on her ring finger. Her heart beat fastened and a thought struck in her head. "All right, it''s okay. Now, slowly open your eyes, Daisy." Edward raised Daisy''s hand and kissed it. How he wished to put on that ring on Daisy''s finger! It finally happened now! That ring represented their eternal love for each other, and would witness their love for each other until the end of their lives.


    "Why do you give this to me?" Daisy''s eyes became red with the tears welling up in her eyes. This ring was precious. But Daisy viewed it as precious only because of the unusual significance it had and not because of the price at which it was bought. Although she and Edward had been married for a long time, she always felt insecure for reasons she could not tell. It dawned upon her that all her uncertainty and insecurity was because of theck of a wedding ring. There was no denying that she longed for a wedding ring all this while. The ring was a representation of their love, and served as a tangible testament of their marriage. Daisy didn''t care whether the ring was valuable or not. She did care about the reasons why Edward finally decided to put that ring on her finger.


    "Please put this one on my finger too, Dasiy." Edward handed over another ring in his hand to Daisy, and stretched out his slender fingers.


    Daisy''s hands trembled. She took a deep breath to pacify herself, and finally put the ring on Edward''s finger slowly and carefully. That''s enough. They didn''t need a bunch of people to witness the bonding of their hearts. This was their own private moment. Both of them had been dreaming of this precious moment for a long time, and it was finally there. They didn''t mind whether there was a blessing from other people or not, as long as they loved each other.


    "Honey, thank you for everything you have done for me. I like this ring very much." Daisy could restrain her feeling no further, and dashed into Edward''s arms. She was so touched that she indulged herself in a hearty sob. Her crystal-like tears dropped from her eyes and Edward''s clothes got a little wet. She was, after all, an ordinary woman who also longed for romantic moment with her lover. Although Daisy had no idea how expensive the ring was, she felt really happy on seeing Edward''s true love for her.


    "I''m sorry, Daisy. I got you this ring a little toote." Edward held Daisy tightly in his arms. He didn''t think of marrying Daisy several years ago, nor did he think of getting a wedding ring for her. Such a great mistake on his part seemed to have been eliminated today. Edward, however, was indeed aware that the pain Daisy had gone through for his sake could never be healed. Remorse filled in Edward''s heart. He was willing to do everything to heal Daisy''s heart. This desire intensified after he realized how much Daisy had loved him over the past couple of years despite his abandonment. He had forsaken their love. That must have been the greatest injury borne by Daisy.


    "No, it''s notte, Edward. It will never bete as long as it is you who put the ring on my finger." Daisy was by no means a woman who liked to put forth her emotions. But Edward had done so many things for her recently that she was deeply moved by his acts and even cried a lot. She became so sentimental these days that she no longer seemed to be the cool intelligent female colonel that everyone knew.


    "So, now you will be trapped by this ring forever. Will you regret this one day?" Edward said while showering tender kisses on Daisy''s crying eyes. He didn''t mind to manifest his softest side in front of this woman who he loved the most.


    "Will you ever give me any chance to break my promise?" Daisy stared at Edward through the misty tears in her eyes. She clearly felt her heart being softened and subdued by Edward''s love.


    "Of course not. I can only give you happiness. You will have no time to think of anything like breaking your promises." Edward''s kisses never stopped. Tender kisses changed into fervent ones. Daisy was locked in the shower of Edward''s kisses, which were all full of love and gentleness. Edward ced soft kisses on Daisy''s eyebrows and continued trailing kisses all across her cheeks. Finally, his kisses reached Daisy''s lips, which had already turned soft for the pleasureful moment. Edward increased the pace and length of his kisses to go deeper into Daisy''s lip to enjoy the right exclusively owned by him.


    Daisy fervently responded to Edward''s crazy kisses. Her tiny fair hands were quick in undoing the buttons of Edward''s ck shirt, and her eyes were deeply looking into Edward''s eyes. She didn''t shift her nce even for a second. They werepletely captivated by each other.


    Sensing Daisy''s passionate response, Edward''s body was on fire. He ced his hand into Daisy''s clothes to feel her smooth skin. The soft caress triggered the imagination of Daisy''s sexy body in Edward''s mind. He showered fervent kisses on every part of Daisy that he fancied in his mind. The beautiful neck, her charming corbone, and the sexy chest... His sexual fire was ignited.


    Everything went on perfectly. The air was filled with moans of pleasure. The night manifested its brilliant side in the darkness. Every single word was redundant in expressing the love between the lovers at this moment. The physical contact, the caress, and the kisses were the only things that were needed to quench their sexual thirst. With intoxicating pleasure, both Daisy and Edward started the night in which they solely belonged to each other... Daisy flushed under Edward''s body. She felt extremely happy tonight. Both her love and marriage was perfect now. She caressed Edward''s back with the fingers on one of which she was wearing the ring. It sparkled with every movement of Daisy and Edward. The moaning only intensified and got louder and louder.0000???????????

 Chapter 677 The Late Wedding Ring (Part Three)

    But the same night witnessed a quarrel in Duke''s home. Belinda shut herself in the bedroom. She was grieved. For the first time in her life, she felt heart broken. She furrowed her brows and kept sighing from time to time. Although she had tried to suppress her fury, there was still a trace of it in her eyes.


    "Belinda, please listen to my exnation. Will you? You have been locked in that room for a couple of hours now. Can you open the door please?" A hasty knock could be heard on the door. With it was Duke''s voice that was filled with frustration.


    A bitter smile broke across Belinda''s face. What''s the use of any exnation? Even if everything Duke exined was true, Rachel was already there, like a wedge between both of them. Rachel was like a bomb in Belinda''s rtionship with Duke. No matter how hard Belinda tried to avoid Rachel, she was doomed to face Rachel and there would always be a possibility of her losing Duke to Rachel.


    "I really have no idea who recruited Rachel into thepany. You know, I have entrusted the HR Department with the full authority to recruit. I never step in this matter." Duke leaned on the door frame in depression. He kept knocking the door time and again, although he was certain and fully aware that the stubborn woman inside would not open the door for him even if his fingers were broken from all the knocking. Duke felt regret now, and med himself for being careless in the process of recruitment. He should have himself conduct an interview with the person to be recruited. He had no idea who the person was before the contract was signed. Had Rachel not been there to deliver him the documents, he would not have known anything about it. But Rachel was really good at ying tricks. He never thought that she would be willing to give up her supremacy and work as a sales nner in hispany.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Belinda felt heart-broken by Duke''s words. She didn''t care who had recruited Rachel into thepany. But she did care that she saw her today. Moreover, she saw them in each other''s arms. Duke once told her that he had broken up with Rachel and had nothing to do with her. But they still seemed to be on intimate terms. Belinda became enraged at the very thought of Duke''s intimate action toward Rachel. She remembered how Rachel smiled when she looked at her with a provocative attitude. How she wished to tear apart her ugly smiling face then and there!


    "The scene you saw today, is just a misunderstanding. Rachel hurt her leg, so she tripped and fell on my body. I caught hold of her arms only for assistance. I did it subconsciously. You misunderstood what happened between me and Rachel today, Belinda. If you don''t like Rachel working in thepany, I will fire her tomorrow myself. Will you stop being angry with me?"


    Duke closed his eyes to suppress his fury. He was an arrogant man and never felt the need to exin anything to a woman, especially for a simple misunderstanding. But Belinda was the only one who he was willing to exin with all the patience to rule out every misunderstanding between them.


    Hmm! Hurt the leg? That was an excuse that only Duke could believe. But Belinda was not as naive as Duke. It was impossible for Rachel to deceive Belinda. Although Belinda was fully aware of Rachel''s disgusting tricks and intentions, she could not bear Duke''s physical contact with another woman. After having seen such a scene with her own eyes, Belinda could no longer behave in a peaceful manner and ignore everything that happened today. Yes, Belinda was a jealous woman. She admitted it. Daisy might be thest one of those lovely women who were kind-hearted, tolerant and forgiving. Edward was lucky enough to have Daisy. But Duke was really unlucky to have Belinda. He had to bear the consequences everytime Belinda got angry.


    "All right. I will talk to you when you are not mad at me. I will stay in the study. Let''s have a talk when you calm down." While speaking, Duke stamped to make noise as though he was walking away.


    Did he really walk away? Belinda stamped her feet in anger, and threw herself into the middle of the bed. She bit her lip to curb the impulsion to call Duke. Then she jumped from the bed all of a sudden, seized her briefcase, and ran toward the door. How stupid she was! She couldn''t believe that she went home with Duke after having seen his intimacy with another woman. That''s not really her style.


    Belinda opened the door without hesitation. As soon as she opened the door Duke went crashing into the room. He fell straight on Belinda, and almost crashed her down onto the ground like a bakemeat. But Duke steadied his pace and held Belinda before she tripped.


    "Why are you still here?" Belinda rolled her eyes at Duke. She patted her chest to pacify her heart that was throbbing violently. Duke''s sudden appearance really scared her to death.


    "This is my bedroom. Can you tell me where else I should go, Belinda?" Duke cast Belinda an arrogant nce. He still looked cold, but his tone was very gentle and had a touch of flirtation in it.


    "So you can do as you wish. But can you move aside and let me go, please?" Belinda said in a cold tone, and looked into Duke''s eyes with fury to challenge his gaze. She didn''t want to show her weakness in front of him.


    "Belinda, can you tell me why you are holding your briefcase? Where are you going?" Edward was gentle sometimes. But Duke was always cold and ruthless. Although he had restrained his bad temper in front of Belinda to arge extent, it didn''t mean he had transformed for herpletely. He still had temper issues. He was enraged now. His eyes were filled with wrath, and his face was as distorted as that of a demon. He stared at Belinda''s arrogant face in fury.


    "I''m going to my own home. Don''t you think both of us must get a moment of our own to calm ourselves down?" Belinda stared into Duke''s eyes without fear. She didn''t want to concede in front of Duke.


    "Belinda, you don''t have faith in me, or you don''t have faith in yourself? Or you have fallen in love with me crazily?" Duke''s tone was as cold as ice. His cool behavior could drive coldness down along the spine of anybody and was powerful enough to make anyone tremble. But Belinda was an exception. She was a proud woman who would never yield in face of any challenge, especially the overbearing attitude of Duke.


    "Ridiculous! How can you make me have faith in you? And why should I fall in love with you?" Belinda was unwilling to admit that she was fascinated by Duke, although that was a fact. In Belinda''s opinion, no matter how she felt about Duke, he was not her only choice. After all, she hadn''t felt the sweetness between them that lovers should feel.


    "If you don''t love me, then why did you get mad at me? Whether you believe it or not, I knew nothing about Rachel''s employment in thepany until today. What happened today was just a misunderstanding, and you happened to be there when it all happened. You are smart, Belinda. Our rtionship should not be affected by other people. We have nothing to do with her now!" A mocking smile emerged on Duke''s lips. ''Rachel, don''t let me know you nned all of this on purpose. Otherwise, you are doomed to have your consequences!" Duke thought to himself.0000

 Chapter 678 Belinda And Duke (Part One)

    "Do you really have nothing to do with her? I remember that she is your first love!" Belinda said. Her tone was casual. But obviously, her words contained a kind of envy.


    "First love? Perhaps even I don''t know if what I had for her could be called love. There is no need for you to be worried about her," Duke answered. He admitted that he really liked Rachel for a certain amount of time in the past. But now when he recalled that time, he thought it was just a period of ignorance while he was young. It was not really love. Otherwise, how could he have no feeling when he thought about her now?


    "Now you are telling me that you don''t even know whether what you felt for her was love or not. You have not yet understood your own thoughts. How can you expect me to understand you? After all, in her eyes, even though you got married to me, the woman you love so dearly will always be her," Belinda said in a sarcastic tone. This was the first time for Belinda to fight with Duke. She just knew that she would be a traditional housewife who was so easy to believe in some idle reports about her husband. She always lived very free and easy. But today she realized that she was behaving strange and different from her usual behavior. This was really not her style.


    "It''s just her thoughts. This has nothing to do with me. I just need to remember who my wife is. I do not give a damn care about what other people think," Duke answered. Heughed wantonly. He was not a man who would ever return to his old me; especially to a woman who was so arrogant. It would make him lose all the appetite.


    "It is very easy for you to say it in front of me now. But have you ever thought that she will work with you every day in the future. And can you promise that you will never recall the things that happened before and will not get attracted to her ever?" All right! Belinda admitted that she was a little petty this time. But it was the character that every woman owned, wasn''t it? She was not a saint. Duke was her husband now. Therefore, she could not tolerate a woman like Rachel getting closer to her husband.


    "I''ll go to thepany and fire her tomorrow. Is that okay? You should believe me now!" Duke did not know why but he got a little excited. Did this woman''s performance tonight indirectly showcase that she was very concerned about him? But he did not realize why he was secretly pleased when he found out that this woman cared about him.


    "There is no need to fire her. Anyway, I could not be so unreasonable. I know that If you really belong to me, you will always belong to me. And if you do not belong to me, no matter how I force you, you will never be mine. In this case, it is better for me to gamble boldly, since the bet is not me."


    As she said, her dull mood gradually faded away. Suddenly, she was interested in the challenge. She would not force Duke to fire that woman. She would like to see, how she could fail in the gamble? Anyway, she was such an excellent woman.


    "Woman, do you mean I am the wager between you and Rachel? It''s none of my business. I''m innocent." Duke said as his facial expressions became cold. He ruthlessly stared at Belinda. Was he really so unimportant to her that she could regard him as a reward without considering his feelings.


    "Are you innocent? Don''t forget, you''re the cause of all this. Therefore, you are not innocent at all. On the contrary, you are the chief criminal here." Belinda was always aggressive in front of others. So there was no reason for her to be willing to yield. She was a little afraid of Duke when they first met. But after getting along with him for such a long time, she understood what kind of a person he was. Therefore, she was not afraid of him at all.


    "Whatever you think. I am going to take a shower now. But you, don''t secretly leave there. I''m sure you know my character. So I don''t need to tell you what''s going to happen if you run away. You should know it." Duke knew Belinda was a smart woman. She would never let herself be in a passive situation. This was the reason why she would never choose to leave in such a time. Otherwise, it would really give Rachel the opportunity to steal Duke from her. This was something that she really didn''t want to see.


    Just as Duke said, Belinda very well knew how to run a strategy. So she came back slowly. Even if she did not love this man, he was her husband now. So how could she let Rachele closer to him?


    Duke gently breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she reluctantly walked back to the bedroom. Finally, he felt relieved and went to take a shower. But he also knew that even if this woman did not act on impulse and go away, it did not mean that she had forgiven him. So it''s a long way for him to coax his wife!


    In fact, what always confused him was why she would be a very good friend of Daisy. Their personalities were so different. Belinda was vigorous and upright. No matter what she did, she would always be rash and in haste. Daisy on the other hand, was as cold as water. Most of the time, she did not even have any expressions. So, howe two people who hadpletely different personalities confided in each other so easily. It was really a strange thing.


    Belinda helplessly put herself in the big bed again. After thinking for a while, she picked up the pillow and went to another room. Anyway, she could not let herself be calm and stay alone with this man tonight. Since she couldn''t provoke him and leave the house, couldn''t she just leave the room for now?


    While in the bathroom, Duke turned on the shower. As the column of water mist surrounded him, his cold handsome face was suffused with malicious chilliness. He was wondering what Rachel wanted to do. She already knew that he was married. But she still secretly applied for a job in hispany. Why did she do all this?


    She was the one who left him without a second thought. To tell the truth, Duke indeed was heartbroken about it. However, it was not because he loved her so much. Every person would have such a state of mind. After all, they had been together for such a long time. He did have some feelings for her. But surely, it wasn''t love.


    And this woman was quite ridiculous. He did not know how she was confident and felt that he still loved her and even worse, only loved her? He had to say that she was really presumptuous and opinionated. Did she think that there was only one woman left in this world? But even if she was thest woman in the world right now, he would not like to have any kind of involvement with her.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    He rubbed his face with water, and then turned off the switch. He reached out his hand and picked up the bath towel on the side. Duke then wiped the water drops from his hair and face. After that, without further drying up the rest of his body, he walked out of the bedroom. His sharp eyes nced across the room and he found out that Belinda was no longer in the room. Such a perception made him feel sad. He hurriedly walked out of the room without even wearing the clothes. But all of a sudden, an idea shed through his brain. He came back to the room quickly. When he saw the briefcase still quietly lying on there, he finally calmed down. As long as her briefcase was still there, it showed that she did not leave. He thus didn''t need to get too nervous.

 Chapter 679 Belinda And Duke (Part Two)

    Duke wore his pajamas. And immediately, he walked towards the study room. Usually, when she was not in the bedroom, she ought to be in the study room. But she was not there either. Therefore, he had to look for her in every room on the floor. However, she was nowhere to be seen. He felt nervous again in such a situation. He stood near the stairs to look for her downstairs. Then he looked upstairs. Leena''s bedroom was upstairs. Did she run to her room? Anyway, he could know only after he went there and checked for himself. Belinda sat on the bed, looking at Leena''s picture leisurely. That girl was really lovely and sweet ever since she was a little child. No wonder these men who had been gathering together all the time liked her so much. It''s not hard to see from the photo album that she was really a little princess and everyone liked her.


    "What are you looking at?" Suddenly the husky male voice sounded in the room. The voice startled Belinda. After she found out that it was Duke, she felt relieved.


    "Nothing, why did youe up here?" Belinda closed the photo album in front of her and looked at him angrily.


    "Of course Ie to find you. What else do you think I can do?" Even when Belinda treated him so bad, Duke did not get angry at all. He just took over the album in her hands and leafed through it casually. When he saw those pictures that were full of memories, a faint smile unconsciously appeared on his face.


    "Do you also think that Leena was very cute when she was a child?" Duke asked. He just thought that everything in the picture seemed to have happened yesterday. But this little girl had long been out of his arms. Now she was in the arms of another man. He also did not know if that man would be able to protect her and keep her happy everyday just like him.


    "Well! At least she was a lot cuter than you when you were a child," answered Belinda. She hadn''t ever seen this manugh like he used to. Seeing these pictures, she figured out that he could alsough merrily. But how did he be so cold suddenly? Was it really because Rachel left him? If it was really because of Rachel, he really loved that woman so much. But how could such a perception make her feel a pang of anxiety?


    "Of course. I am a man. I don''t need to be cute. I am not a gay." Duke needed to think deeper. He knew that she was ridiculing him by saying that. But he didn''t mind the sarcastic meaning in her words at all.


    "Who knows whether you''re a gay or not. Gays would not put abel "Gay" on their forehead. But I''ve heard some people say that the rtionship between you and Edward is ambiguous." Belinda sneered. In her eyes, the rtionship between those two people was intriguing.


    "Stop, are you going to say that you saw me in a hotel room with him or something like this?" His eyes suddenly narrowed. He seemed to say that if Belinda dared to say yes, the consequences would be severe.


    "No way! Do you two really go to hotel rooms?" As Belinda said this, she held a look of disgust on her face. She even slightly moved away from him. She did not feel afraid of his anger and continued to provoke him.


    "Nonsense, didn''t I say what you really wanted to say? Weren''t those ridiculous reports hitting the headlines of the newspapers before?" Duke red at her. She really dared to say it. As his wife, didn''t she know whether he was a gay or not? Did she want him to show it to her right away? "Ha! Were these all ridiculous reports? I think there must be some truth in them. Can you leave here now? I''m going to sleep." Belinda drove him away impolitely. Anyway, she didn''t forgive him by now. "Woman, do you really think that it is the truth? In that case, I don''t mind taking action to prove our innocence to you." As he finished saying that, he began to take some actions. He reached out his long arms and held Belinda''s slim waist in his hands. His eyes teasingly looked at her chest.


    "I''m sorry! I''m not interested in it right now." The time she finished saying that, she pulled the quilt and wrapped herself up tightly. They all said that men were all animals who always wanted to copte with females. That was indeed right!


    "Come downstairs with me, or I''ll carry you and take you down." Looking at her naive behavior, Duke felt bad. Did she think that such a thin quilt could stop him if he really wanted to do something to her? She really underestimated him!


    "No, I''m not going downstairs tonight no matter what you say." Perhaps Belinda herself did not discover that she inadvertently acted in a pettish manner towards Duke today. But it did not mean that Duke did not notice it. Therefore, he picked her up without any hesitation. He did not stop and directly went downstairs.


    "Ah! You cold iceberg, quickly let go of me! Do you think you are carrying some object around?" Belinda did not know that Duke would suddenly do that. Therefore, she panicked and shouted at him.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    "I don''t mind if you go on shouting like this and attract the attention of all the people in the house." Duke patted on her ass, and scolded her in a low voice.


    "Then you put me down first!" Belinda kept struggling. It did no good to her and he only tightened his grip on her.


    "I will certainly put you down. But not now. So you just keep quiet right now." Duke slightly frowned. Why this woman could never be gentle? He had never seen her soften up to him. Except when she was excessively drunk thest time, that was the only one time she showed her pitiful side to Duke. She spent most of her time struggling.


    "Duke, you are really a mean man." Belinda silently bit her teeth firmly. Her malicious eyes looked towards him. She hoped that she could directly kill him with her eyes.


    "Thank you for all these praises. Sometimes, it takes a lot of energy to be mean to a woman." To her abuse, Duke always replied back casually. Quickly, they returned to their bedroom. Duke directly threw the little woman in his arms t onto the middle of the big bed.000000000000

 Chapter 680 Belinda And Duke (Part Three)

    "Shame on you..." Belinda stared at him angrily. It seemed that in terms of strength, women were always weaker than men. So in that area, she would always be at a disadvantage. It seemed that from the first day she saw this guy, she was in for some deep distress. "In fact, I can do a more shameless thing. It totally depends on whether you are willing to cooperate or not..." Duke suddenly bent down, and pinched her chin evilly. His eyes stared at her eagerly.


    "You... You can''t. I''m not convenient these days." Belinda shivered. She unconsciously moved backward. She was very afraid of the kind of evil that she could sense from him.


    "What do you think I''m going to do to you? Eh?" She did not expect that as cold as Duke was, he could behave so charming. She had a kind of impulse to run away from him.


    "Shit, I am not you. How could I know? Anyway, don''t get so close to me." She had never seen such a Duke before. In her heart, such charming looks could only be seen on Edward and Rain. Only those two evildoers could be like that in her opinion. But she did not think that Duke could be so evil too.


    "Why, are you afraid?" Duke smiled evilly. He changed his cold expression and now became a little tender. He looked at Belinda gently. This gave her goosebumps all over.


    "Yes, I am afraid of you. Is that Okay?" As the ancient saying goes, "Those who suit their actions to the times are wise." Belinda had no interest in exploring the unknown things. Because if she insisted in exploring them, she would be more tragic. What''s more, now Duke was behaving abnormally. She felt she had beenpletely controlled by him.


    "It''s good. Finally, I can let Belinda Shangguan bow her head once. You are really worth teaching." Duke restrained hisughter. He did not expect that this woman was afraid of the policy of conciliation. It seemed that he could use this tactic to deal with herter. Probably a bad man was always the best choice in the eyes of women.


    "Don''t be too pleased. Your tricks will not always work." Being tempted by him, Belinda was pretty upset. But her heart really beat faster when she saw him acting like this. She couldn''t help but feel really attracted to him. So she must try and save herself before she was fully attracted to him. Otherwise, it would be terrible for her to just fall in love with him one day.


    "I think that''s enough for you. If you don''t believe me, we can try it again." Duke gave her a conceited smile. He really liked her present appearance that contained a little bit of shyness and anger. This was a rare beauty for him.


    "Well, I admit that I fail this time. I''m going to bed now and I feel a little bit ufortable in my stomach." Belinda frowned. She was really on her period these days. It was not an excuse to reject Duke.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Are you really ufortable?" Duke noticed that her face was a little pale. But at first, he thought it might be because she was angry with him.


    "Yes! So don''t bother me." After she finished saying this, she closed her eyes. She never felt ufortable when she was on her period before. Today, it was maybe because she drank a lot of cold drink at noon, andter she saw that scene that got her really angry. She was a little over upset today. So perhaps, that was the reason for her ufortableness.


    Duke silently looked at her, and pressed his thin lips and then walked out of the door. He really did not bother her, which let Belinda feel relieved. She closed her eyes. But not long after that, she heard a gentle voice in her ears.


    "Belinda,e on, drink some brown sugar water before you head to sleep," Duke said. He put the bowl on the bedside table near her and then gently helped Belinda get up.


    "It is sote. Don''t go and disturb the servants. That''s not good!" Belinda said to him. She had not fallen asleep yet. She felt quite ufortable. Therefore, it was very difficult for her to fall asleep.


    Duke pretended to cough. "No, I did it all by myself. So just give it a try!" Duke picked up the bowl on the side of the bed and put it in front of her. But he dared not look into her eyes. He felt really embarrassed to say that he did it all by himself. "Ah! You can do this too? Are you sure I can drink it?" Belinda asked. It was not that Belinda did not believe in Duke. But many young rich people did not know how to cook. Of course, she herself did not know how to cook either. Her skills in cooking were terrible. She thought if someone asked her to cook, she could only y at it.


    "Woman, don''t you trust my cooking? In that case, don''t drink it." Duke looked down at her. She felt really ufortable this time. If it were for another woman, he would definitely not do it on his own. Of course, other women did not include her sister, Leena. The reason why he went to learn cooking was also because of Leena.


    "You are really a mean man. I am just kidding. I did not say that I won''t drink it." Belinda rolled her eyes at him and then took the bowl to drink it. In fact, the reason why she would say so was that she was so moved by his gentle behavior. She did not want him to find that out. Therefore, she just found an excuse to cover it.


    The tightened face of Duke finally eased down. He looked at her. After she finished drinking it, he took over the bowl from her. It was the first time for him to take care of a woman beside Leena. Therefore, something was really brewing in his heart. It was just that no one knew when it would alle out.000

 Chapter 681 You Are Mine Only (Part One)

    The next morning Rachel turned up at Leng Group, dressed enticingly and with delicate make-up. She walked in with confidence, still surprised at the size of Leng Group. She regretted leaving Duke years ago. Instead of Belinda, it was she who could have been Mrs. Leng.


    Rachel always got what she wanted. She was convinced that she would win Duke over in the end. Seeing the way Belinda dressed, Rachel thought she was no more than an ordinary clerk. She didn''t consider Belinda to be a threat. As a graduate from a prestigious university, Rachel had once worked for a sessfulpany as a senior executive. She was certain that inparison to Belinda, she would make a much better assistant to Duke.


    She looked at the exclusive elevator for the CEO with greed, and imagined that one day she would be the one riding on it. Before she knew it, she was moving toward it. She was about to walk into the elevator when a guard stopped her. "Excuse me, Miss. This elevator is for the CEO only. Please take another one." It was a weekend. During busy times employees were asked to work on weekends as well. The guard wasn''t surprised to see Rachel in the office building. Even the CEO had gotten to the office much earlier.


    "Oh! Thank you, I didn''t notice." Rachel humbly thanked the guard for reminding her, but she cursed him mentally. When she became the CEO''s wife, she would sack the guard first. The day before, she had gotten the information that Duke would be in office on the weekend. So she hade too.


    Rachel didn''t mind that he was married. He could get a divorce, which was verymon these days. She would do everything in her power to get Duke back.


    Although smaller than FX International, Leng Group was a well-known enterprise that ranked among the top three in the city. The building had avish decor.


    Rachel took another elevator and arrived on the top floor where Duke''s office was located. Realizing that he had been avoiding her, she racked her brains on how to get to him. Eventually she managed to get into the Sales department of Leng Group. However, in such a bigpany, it was not easy to meet the top management. She had been recruited for a week, but she hadn''t seen Duke even once so far. A rare opportunity hade up yesterday, but it was soon ruined by Belinda. She wouldn''t miss another chance.


    Duke hade to office to work on an important decision. Belinda wasn''t feeling well and slept badly at night. She had fallen asleep in the morning. When Duke left for work, she was still sound asleep.


    Like Edward, Duke preferred silence at work. His office was a long way from the secretary''s. When he worked on weekends, he preferred to be alone. His assistants didn''t disturb him unless there was a meeting. So when he heard the sharp knock on his office door, he was puzzled.


    "Come in," he said, as he analyzed the ns on hisputer. Rachel walked in and saw him focused on work. She gazed at him, caught in his charm. Men who worked hard were remarkably attractive. It was true.


    "It''s you. Why are you here?" Realizing that the person who hade in wasn''t speaking, Duke looked up. He saw Rachel and stared at her grimly.


    "I heard you would be working today, so I came to assist you. We can work together and finish earlier." Rachel smiled and walked closer. Duke was bing an increasingly breathtaking man in her eyes. And she was bing increasingly obsessed.


    "Rachel, are you always this self-absorbed?" Duke regarded her disdainfully. Belinda had a huge misunderstanding that there was something going on between him and Rachel, and now thetter was in his office. If Belinda knew about this, it would get harder for him to exin himself. He wondered what Rachel wanted from him.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "I don''t understand what you mean." Duke looked mature and stately. She stared at him with desire. She wished she could reverse time and go back to the day she had dumped him. But that wasn''t possible. She wanted him back and it wouldn''t be easy. She was determined to beat the odds.


    "You do. You just don''t want to ept the truth. Don''t argue with me. I know what kind of woman you are." Duke didn''t like vain women. Rachel was one of them. Now that he was married, he wanted nothing to do with her. "Since you know me so well, you should know that I love you very much. I came back for you," Rachel''s voice trembled. She had put on a good act, but Duke wasn''t falling for her tricks. What she was doing disgusted him.


    "Hah! For me? You want me to believe you are capable of sacrificing for another person? That''s hrious! Everything you do, you do it for yourself. You''re like a ck widow, and your love is nothing but a load of crap. Save it for someone else. You sicken me," Duke mocked her. He wanted to get her canned immediately, but Belinda had told him she didn''t want Rachel to be fired. She wanted to see how things would go with Rachel in thepany. Unfortunately, that meant Duke had to put up with her for longer.


    "Duke, I was forced to leave you. I''m not from a rich family and I have to listen to my parents. These years have been hard for me. But my love for you has never changed." Tears streamed down Rachel''s cheeks. The old Duke would have softened upon seeing them, but things were different now. The old Duke didn''t exist anymore. There was only the new Duke - whose heart was as cold as ice, especially in the presence of people he didn''t care about.


    "Rachel, you''re a hypocrite. Don''t me it on others. In your heart, money is everything. Don''t make me speak harshly. I wasn''t born yesterday, I can tell right from wrong." Duke wasn''t moved by her pitiful expressions. Bygones were bygones. It was pointless to bring up the past.


    "You still hate me for leaving, don''t you? That means you still have feelings for me, right?" Rachel was a good performer. Her eyes were filled up with sadness.


    "You are not worth hating," Duke said in contempt. He didn''t even want to waste energy hating her. How could he possibly have feelings for her?


    "Why? Is it because of that woman? She''s not the one who should stand beside you. I am! Don''t you see that?" Rachel bit her lip with her teeth and decided to forego her dignity. She darted over to Duke and circled her arms around his waist. Pressing her face against his back, she breathed in his faint scent deeply.


    "Go away. Don''t make me say it again," Duke warned her, recovering quickly. He was caught by surprise for a moment.


    "No, I won''t. You''re mine, only mine. You once told me that you wanted to marry me, that you would have nobody else but me. Have you forgotten everything?" Rachel could feel the warmth of Duke''s body and closed her eyes. She wished time could stop at that moment.

 Chapter 682 You Are Mine Only (Part Two)

    "I don''t remember saying any of those flowery words. If I did say them, I must have been out of my mind. You would do well to forget them. It didn''t mean anything." Duke broke free from her embrace and stood up swiftly. Rachel was nearly knocked to the floor as he steered away from her.


    "Duke, the more you deny your feelings for me, the more it means you care. You just wait and see. I''ll prove who is the ideal woman for you." Rachel watched him intensely, with her chin up.


    "Whatever. Get out," Duke spoke sternly. He wasn''t interested in what she wanted. He wouldn''t ept her, no matter what happened. He was sure about that.


    "I won''t give up." Things hadn''t gone well in Duke''s office. But Rachel felt that she still had a chance. Belinda couldn''t hold a candle to her, Rachel believed. She was positive she could find something against Belinda that she could use.


    "You won''t get your wish. There''s the door. You can leave on your own or I''ll call security to escort you. Your choice." Duke grimaced, wondering if her barging into his office would be amon urrence in theing days.


    "I won''t give up until youe around." Rachel looked back at Duke again, before leaving reluctantly.


    Duke closed his eyes and sighed. He wouldn''te around. That was as certain as the sunset. He was married and Rachel wasn''t his type. She must be insane to think that Duke had any lingering feelings for her. If she persisted, all she''d get would be disappointment. Duke sank back into his chair and was ready to resume his work when the phone rang. He picked it up immediately.


    "Hello, Edward. Are you back?" Duke answered, remembering Belinda''s joke that Edward was his boyfriend. He couldn''t help but snicker. Only Belinda coulde up with something so absurd. He didn''t understand where she got that idea, he was definitely not gay. "Yes, I came back yesterday. Long time no see. Care to party?" Edward asked, handing Daisy a ss of milk. His attention was still on Daisy as he talked on the phone.


    "Okay. Where? I''m in my office. Tell me a ce and I''ll meet you thereter." Duke looked over the data on hisputer. Finding no mistakes, he saved the file. Edward''s call was right on time. He could take this opportunity to mend his rtionship with Belinda. "Westin Western Restaurant. I haven''t been there for a long time. Bring Leena. It''s been a while since Ist saw her." Edward intended to take Daisy to Westin Western Restaurant, because he wanted her to taste their sensational food. He didn''t know that she had been there before.


    "See you then." Someone was buying Duke lunch. That was good news. And I was in Edward''s own restaurant. There was no reason for Duke to say no.


    "Okay. See you." Edward hung up the phone and noticed that Daisy was scowling at the milk. "Don''t you want to drink it?" he asked.


    "I don''t like milk. Can I have a ss of water instead?" Daisy pouted like a child. She felt sore all over.


    "No, drink it, and have a bath. Then I''ll take you and Justin to somece nice for lunch." Edward was also worried that Daisy had gotten slimmer. So he had allowed his mother to cook tonic soup for her. "But I don''t want to." Daisy issued orders for a living. She wasn''t used to taking them from others. She found it hard toply.


    "No? Are you sure?" Edward smiled at her sinfully. It might have made some people nervous, but Daisy wasn''t one of them. "I''m sure. Why don''t you drink it?" Daisy smiled sweetly, unaware that thest thing she liked was about to be handed to her.


    "Well, then I have no choice but to get my mother''s herbal soup." Edward stood by the bed, engrossed in Daisy''s dove-like face, which immediately went pale on the mention of the soup.


    "What? Herbal soup, again? No, I''ll drink the milk." Daisy felt like puking each time she smelled the herbal soup. She gulped down the milk quickly, scared that Edward would begin to have second thoughts.


    "Atta girl! I have already run the water for you. Go have a nice bath. I''ll be backter." Edward stifled hisughter. He took the empty ss from Daisy, with the expression of triumphant. He seemed to have gotten the hang of making Daisy listen to him. If she got to know he was bluffing, she''d go ballistic. He didn''t care. He had seeded in his purpose and that was what mattered.


    "Where are you going?" Daisy looked at him in confusion, trying to get to her feet. However, her legs were too weak. Edward caught her before she fell.


    "Do you need my help with the bath?" Edward smiled, gently cing a small kiss on her lips while pushing the stray hair strands out of her face. When he saw the hickey on her corbone, he grinned.


    "No. I''m not silly enough to deliver myself to a predator." Daisy rolled her eyes at him, mulling over how this well dressed man could be so untamed in bed.


    "Am I the predator?" Edward wasn''t mad. He wasn''t ashamed to show his passions either. He considered it natural for a husband to be lustful towards his wife.


    "I didn''t say that. But if you want to jump to the conclusion, feel free." Daisy slipped from his embrace and walked slowly toward the bathroom. She felt more exhausted than usual afterst night''s sex. That man had too much energy. Edward shook his head, walking toward the bedroom door, then he saw Justin rushing downstairs.


    "Justin, slow down. Be careful. What''s the hurry?" Edward frowned. He was going to look for him. There he was.


    "Daddy, Uncle Luke and I are going to the taekwondo gym. You don''t have any work for him today, right?" Justin asked as he smiled at Edward sweetly.


    "Oh. You are going out with Luke! Does that mean you aren''t going to the nice restaurant with your mom and me?" Edward sighed, pretending to feel pity for him. Justin was caught in a dilemma.


    "Is there going to be good food? Can you reschedule it to tonight?" It was a hard choice between gym and the food. Both of them appealed to Justin.


    "No, I can''t. You''ll have to choose one." Edward knew Justin would choose the restaurant. Food was his weakness.


    "Give me a minute." Justin thought hard and arduously, as if it was a decision of life and death.. At longst, he made his crucial choice. "I''ll go with you and mom. The taekwondo gym can wait until tomorrow."?????????Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.

 Chapter 683 Purple Mystery (Part One)

    "You''re such a little glutton. Let''s go downstairs first and wait for your mother." Edward held Justin''s hand and walked him downstairs. He would have picked his son up, but Daisy didn''t allow it. She didn''t want him to spoil their son.


    It was rare to see Daisy in a pair of hot pants that put her tapered, long legs on disy. The shorts paired well with a tight purple top that showed off her curvy figure. Daisy wore her ck and shiny hair in a high bun. The new get-up was a great change from the cool demeanor that she normally exuded. She looked gorgeous.


    Edward stared at his wife, stupefied. Daisy seemed like a stranger. He always knew that she had a great figure, but seeing her like this was making his blood pump.


    "Why are you staring at me? Is something wrong?" Daisy felt uneasy under his steady gaze. She hastily looked herself over.


    "No, nothing is wrong. It just seems to me that my beautiful wife can pull off anything." Edward smiled, cocking his eyebrows. He was happy to see his beloved look this stunning, but it annoyed him that other men would stare at her too.


    "Wasn''t it you who bought me these clothes? Didn''t you check if they were appropriate for me before you paid for them?" It was said that if a woman didn''t change her styles constantly, her man would change his heart some day. However, Daisy was a smart woman and knew it didn''t always do her good to stick to her dull style. She wanted to unt herself for a while and amaze her husband. It was Leena who put the idea into her head. As a fashion designer, Leena had inspiring ideas about how women should dress. Edward''s reaction proved it.


    "I imagined how you would look in them. I didn''t expect you to actually wear the clothes." All her clothes were bought by Edward, but they were too casual for work. She mostly dressed in the military uniform. And while she loved wearing it, sometimes she felt like changing her style. Changes could turn out to be pleasantly surprising. Daisy enjoyed seeing herself in the new look. Edward had never expected Daisy toe out of herfort zone. He was pleased to see her like this.


    "Since I am wearing what you bought me, will I get a reward now?" Daisy smiled softly. She wondered if it was really so extraordinary to see her dressed up like this? She was not known to be sexy. Daisy was cool, poised and practical as per a task''s needs. Once at the JC Military Academy, she had signed up for a ss designed to help her adopt a variety of disguises to suit the needs of a mission.


    With a wicked smile, Edward took her in his arms and gave her a lingering kiss. "This is your reward," he whispered in her ear.


    "You''re a flirt." Daisy rolled her eyes at him, but her heart swelled with happiness.


    "Mommy! Daddy! What are you guys doing? What is taking so long?" Justin was in a hurry. He came upstairs to check the situation out himself.


    "Justin, you''re always so eager when ites to food. What can I do with you?" Edward withdrew his hand from around Daisy''s waist and pinched Justin''s pink, chubby cheek.


    "Wow, Mommy looks hot today!" Justin didn''t expect his Mommy to dress up in such clothes. He stared at her, making no secret of his amazement.


    "Justin..." Daisy narrowed her eyes at her son. How could a little kid like Justin know what ''looking hot'' meant? She knew she shouldn''t have given him theputerst night.


    "All right, Daisy, I agree with him. You look really hot." Edward cated Daisy, who was clearly bothered. He slipped his arm around her shoulder before exchanging a meaningful smile with Justin. The two of them walked downstairs and Justin followed his parents, clearly relieved. He must watch his words next time, otherwise Mommy would really take theputer away from him.


    "He''s a motormouth because you''re always spoiling him," Daisy fumed. As the old saying went, ''It''s the father''s responsibility to teach his son well. Edward was the one to me for Justin''s bad words.


    "I will think on thatter. Don''t be mad. Let''s get into the car, my love." Edward knew she couldn''t be mollified and tried to change the subject. A woman was a notoriously fickle being. She could be nice to you one time, but furious the next minute.


    Daisy sighed. He wasn''t going to let her say more on the subject. Maybe she should just let them do what they wanted as long as they weren''t too outrageous about it.


    Edward was not known to be punctual. Still, it was rude to bete at a party that he himself had thrown. Their guests glowered at the three of them as they walked into the exclusive room at the restaurant. When Daisy came into view, however, their expressions shifted. "Wow! Daisy, you look sexy! I didn''t know you have that curvy figure underneath your clothes." No one was louder about it than Rain. It didn''t surprise anyone when Edward red at him.


    "Haha, Rain, you''re asking for trouble. Edward hates you now. Come on, sis! Sit by me." Leena said with a smile. What was Rain thinking,plimenting Daisy''s figure while Edward was right there?


    "Justin,e here and sit by me!" Belinda loved the little creature so much that she could eat him up. Every time she saw him, she wanted to take him for herself.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    "So, you guys are breaking us up." Edward red at the crowd before walking Daisy over to the side and sitting with her. He would not allow anybody to rob him of his wife. As for Justin, he could sit wherever he wanted. It hardly mattered.


    "You''re so dramatic. It''s okay. I cane and sit by her." Leena pouted, and sat over by Daisy. She could hardly stand Edward''s behavior anymore. He was always anxious about Daisy, even around Leena, who wasn''t a guy at all.


    "Aunt Leena, where is Uncle Kevin?" After getting a severe scoldingst time, Justin had begun to call her ''Aunt'', even though he didn''t want to.


    "You little monkey, isn''t it enough that you get to meet me? Why do you have to ask for Kevin?" Actually, Leena didn''t know where Kevin was either. He had only told her that he was going abroad for a military exercise.


    "Don''t you meet me often? It''s been a long time since Ist saw him though." Justin frowned. He knew how Aunt Leena was. He had asked a simple question, but now she was looking at him grimly.


    "I can''t see him even though I live with him. How would you?" Leena exined as her heart stung. She shook her head, distracting herself from thinking about Kevin.


    "What''s wrong? Do you miss him? He should be back in half a month." Daisy patted her. It ached her heart to see Leena so upset. Daisy understood how hard it was to be a military officer. She didn''t see her husband often either. A girl of Leena''s age should be leading a morefortable life. She should be hanging out with friends and hosting parties.


    "No, I am not missing him at all. What a beautiful ring, though! Sis, did you get it from Edward?" Leena asked excitedly, noticing the shining, attractive ring on Daisy''s finger.??????????????

 Chapter 684 Purple Mystery (Part Two)

    "Let me see. Someone could have fooled you with a fake one." Their conversation had interested Belinda who approached to examine the ring. Leena sat between her and Daisy. Justin came to sit at Edward''s right side and joke with Rain. However, Belinda''s words made


    everyone zero in on Daisy''s ring. Then they turned around to see a simr ring resting on Edward''s finger.


    "Edward, did you cut Purple Mystery and make it into the two rings?" Rain grasped Edward''s hand to survey the ring. His eyes grew wide when he saw the violet diamond.


    "Goodness! Isn''t this the most precious treasure of the mine at B Country? I was told you refused to sell itst time, even when someone offered 500 million for it." Duke looked at Edward with confusion in his eyes. He was shocked Edward had cut the precious diamond into pieces.


    "Yeah, it''s Purple Mystery. Why? Can''t I make a ring for my wife with it?" Edward asked, raising his eyebrow. If he could, he would bring down stars for her. A single violet diamond was no big deal.


    "Of course you can! You''re such a high roller, I''m impressed," Rain spoke in awe. Edward had cut a diamond worth 500 million to make two rings. He truly didn''t care about money when it came to his wife.


    "He is! That''s a pure violet diamond. It doesn''t have a w. Do you have any idea how rare it is? Cutting it into pieces definitely damages its value." Duke still remembered how popr the diamond was when it was first discovered. Everybody wanted it. It ended up getting locked in a bank vault so it wouldn''t go missing. Less than one year had passed since the incident, and now this high roller wore it on his finger. Wasn''t Edward worried about theft?


    "Is the diamond that expensive?" Daisy gaped at the diamond on her finger with curiosity. She knew nothing about jewelry. She hadn''t known its worth.


    "It''s okay, it isn''t that costly. Don''t let what they said get to your head. Honey, you deserve even better," Edward whispered in her ear. He didn''t want these two nosy guys to disturb her.


    "But..." Daisy looked at the ring again with embarrassment. She didn''t care about luxury, but she''d felt pretty guilty when she heard that the precious diamond was ruined - essentially because of her.


    She didn''t know how much money Edward had, but 500 million was an astronomical figure. It was funny how often she came across a big number these days. Daisy felt deeply uneasy just thinking about them. It seemed that everything between Edward and her was rted to money. The truth was that she loved Edward because he was an outstanding gentleman, not because he was rich.


    First, Yakira had asked Edward for 500 million as Daisy''s bridal price. Then Edward donated 500 million to her military base. Now, he had cut a diamond worth 500 million to make her a ring; plus the cost of A Beauty''s Tears of Blood was a 100 million. Daisy was distressed. How much money would Edward splurge on her next? Where would the next 500 million go?


    "Don''t worry, Daisy. They said it''s a pity not because it''s worth 500 million, but because the diamond is rare all over the world. They feel sorry that Edward cut it into pieces. The diamond was a true collectible item." Leena was from a super rich family, so she knew a lot about fancy things like diamonds.


    "Right. Don''t let them get to you. They are busybodies." As one of Daisy''s confidants, Belinda was happy upon seeing that Edward valued her so much. The hardship Daisy had gone through was finally paying off.


    "Wow Daddy, you really are the high roller they''re talking about!" Justin gave his dad a thumbs-up. Even though he was too young to know how much 500 million really was, he could tell from their conversations that it was big bucks.


    "Sorry, guys. I''mte. What are you all talking about? Seems interesting." Tom walked into the room and saw several different expressions on their faces.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    "We were talking about which hot girl you were flirting with that made youte." It was typical of Rain to make fun of everyone. Now poor Tom had be his target.


    "Come on, I am not ady''s guy like you. There is no girl for me to flirt with," Tom said as he sat down between Rain and Duke. He was out of town when he got Edward''s call inviting him to the party. That''s why he waste.


    "Then it must have been a hot nurse. Oh no, I have no idea you are into role-y." Rain snickered at Tom.


    "Rain, what''s role-y?" Justin asked. The kid was obviously curious about every new word he overheard.


    "Really? You don''t know what role-y means? Come on, you are Edward''s kid! Don''t you know who your father is?" Justin was smart, Rain thought. How could this clever kid not know what that word meant? Justin was just ying him around. But Rain overestimated little Justin''s intelligence. "What kind of a person am I?" Edward regarded Rain dangerously. There were clear warning signs on his face.


    "No, no. I didn''t mean it like that! It was a slip of the tongue. Don''t take it so seriously." Rain lowered his eyes to avoid Edward''s harsh ones. He was just making a joke. He had forgotten the tough guy that Edward was.


    "You walked right into that. Mind your words next time," Tom said in smug satisfaction. Edward had taught Rain the lesson on his behalf.


    "Such a small man high on victory," Rain quipped back, hating Tom''s shit-eating grin.


    "Daisy, how is your wounded hand? Has it healed?" Tom ignored Rain and asked her. As a doctor, he was always attentive to the health of his patients.


    "Yes, it has almost healed. Thank you, Tom." Daisy bothered Tom all the time, and so always felt like thanking him.


    "Anytime for you, Daisy. It is expected of me since we are friends," Tom answered with an embarrassed smile. Daisy thanked him every time they met as if they weren''t old friends used to mucking around and making fun. They were too close to say the words ''thank you''. He was unustomed to it. "Daisy, did you hurt yourself again? Why didn''t you tell us?" Belinda raised her voice upon hearing that Daisy had been hurt. She looked Daisy over to see where the wound was.


    "Belinda, it''s no big deal. My hand has already healed." Daisy flushed and hid her hand under the table. It was a minor wound. She was mortified at how everyone worried for her. "How did that even happen? You should take care of yourself!" Anybody could tell Belinda cared deeply for Daisy.


    "It wasn''t Daisy''s fault. It was Mary''s. She was so foolish. We went to rescue her, but she didn''t run. She just stood still and ended up being caught as a hostage." Leena had gotten to know Mary afterward and knew that she was Daisy''s stepsister. Leena wasn''t her fan. "What? Why did you go to rescue her? Don''t you remember how much trouble she has put you in?" Belinda was furious. Daisy had gotten hurt a lot because of Mary who stole everything Daisy had ever had.000000000??????

 Chapter 685 Profiteer (Part One)

    "I know that, and you know that, too. It''s my duty." Daisy exined to Belinda, with her cherry lips held in a tight, steady smile. She knew Belinda would be angry with her for saving Mary from the gangsters. But she couldn''t help it. She just couldn''t stand by and watch someone get hurt. She was a colonel, and she worked for everyone. She couldn''t forgive herself if anyone was in danger and she refused to save him or her. That worked on Mary, too, even though Daisy hated her.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "That''s bullshit! She''s a bitch. She even went to the trouble of framing you and setting you up. We were all witnesses. Nobody would me you if you didn''t help her." Belinda rolled her eyes and sulked. Daisy was too kind-hearted so she was always bullied by bad guys. If she were Daisy, she would have walked away and left Mary to her fate. Belinda was not tenderhearted like Daisy.


    "Oh! Have some water, Belinda. You''re way too excited." Leena affably offered Belinda some water. Anger was a fire, and it should be put out lest someone got burned. Belinda should calm down and get a grip on herself.


    Edward kept a close eye on the women while they were talking but he said nothing. He ordered the meal and then handed the menu to the waitress. He waved his hand to dismiss her. He pretended not to notice Daisy''s awkwardness and refused to help her out. He was beyond anger when he learned that she risked her life to save that bitch Mary. Did she even know what she was doing? What if she had been killed? He loved her so much and was unwilling to me her even when she did something wrong. He was d Belinda was trying to talk sense into her friend.


    "Hey! What''s wrong with Belinda? Did you mess things up with her?" Rain said to Duke, raising his eyebrows with an evil smile on his face. He was interested in why Duke wasn''t really getting along with Belinda, and it was a burning urge to know the reason why. Yeah, Rain was really fond of gossip.


    "Watch it, Rain! I don''t want to talk about it." Duke mouthed the word "Rachel" to Rain while drawing his finger across his throat and Rain understood. It''s Rachel, and don''t talk about her. Duke smiled bitterly. Belinda was still mad at him when he picked her up just now. She wouldn''t havee if Daisy weren''t here. He was aware of a brutal fact -- Daisy was much more important to her than he was. That really made him feel frustrated, like a failure.


    "What, are you having an affair with Rachel?" Rain whispered in Duke''s ear. He was stunned and staring at Duke with wide open eyes. It seemed to him that Duke was a yboy! He had no idea why Duke was so weak-willed when it came to Rachel. Did Duke still love Rachel when he had Belinda? What a yboy!


    "Fuck you. It''s not like that! I know who I love and what I should do. I''m not going to flirt with trouble. I''m too busy for that, and Rachel was in another life. I''m done with her." Rachel was nothing but an evil schemer. He didn''t see her for what she really was before, but he saw clearly now. He wouldn''t be fooled by her again.


    "Good for you. Don''t betray Belinda''s love. That''s not you." Rain got what Duke meant. Rachel was in the past and he didn''t love her now. He had found the right girl, Belinda.


    "What are you talking about? I have no clue. What is about Rachel? Didn''t Duke break up with her a long time ago? Why are you talking about her now?" Tom asked, confused. He just came back from overseas and knew little about thetest news about Rachel and Duke.


    "Ignorance is a rare blessing, Tom. Chicks don''t like you if you''re too intellectual. Trust me, buddy," Rain said, patting Tom on the shoulder. He wanted to exin everything to Tom, but Belinda was here. He couldn''t talk too much about Duke''s ex-girlfriend, so he chose to make fun of Tom.


    "Fuck off! You''re the kind ofdyboy that all the hot women love." Tom twitched his mouth andunched an attack on Rain''s feminine face.


    Edward and Duke looked at each other calmly, and then gracefully raised their sses for a toast. Theypletely ignored the hurly-burly of the two men between them.


    The womenid heads together and had a private conversation of women. Justin was so boring because there was nobody talking to him. Luckily, his favorite food was served soon, immediately he glutted himself with delicacies.


    Edward took away Justin''s te and cut up the steak for his sweet son. After cutting all the steak on Justin''s te into small pieces, Edward gracefully took away Daisy''s te and started to cut up the steak for his dearest wife. Both Justin and Daisy were the people he treasured most in the world, he was d to do everything for them. Cutting steak for them was a piece of cake. He got used to it, and even enjoyed spoiling them.


    "Edward, what about me?" Leena Leng said. "I may be too dainty to handle this myself." She wasn''t asking for help. She teased Edward instead.


    "You''re all grown up. You can cut the steak by yourself!" Edward shook his head and put Daisy''s te back. He rolled his eyes towards Leena when he took her te. "Daisy is a grown-up, too. Why cut her steak, then?" Leena shot him a reproachful pout. She pretended to be angry.


    "Daisy''s hand isn''t healed yet. Don''t be jealous!" Edward smiled affectionately when he exined this to Leena.


    "Hee hee! Sorry, it just slipped my mind." Leena stuck out her tongue and waited for Edward to cut the steak for her. She took what he did for granted.


    "Leena, let me give you a suggestion. You should sit between Tom and me. Then we can serve you better than anybody." Rain blinked his eyes and derided Leena.


    "No thanks. Sitting with you would ruin my appetite." Leena made a wry mouth at Rain in scorn. Really, she was half-teasing, but she hurt Tom''s sensitive heart. Tom was so innocent.


    "Ohe on, Leena! What did I do to deserve that? Why did you mock me, too!" Tom said,pletely confused. He was hurt, andshed out. He was a gentleman, with graceful bearing. How could he be anything less than attractive in Leena''s eyes?

 Chapter 686 Profiteer (Part Two)

    Dear Tom, you don''t know? Where there is Rain, there is also heavy contamination. That contamination settles on everything and everyone around him. No one should sit that close to him." Leena smiled conspiratorially andcently raised her eyebrows when she caught Rain''s angry face. "Auntie Leena, am I contaminated too, since I''m sitting so close to Uncle Rain?" Justin pursed his lips and disagreeably stared at Leena. He was sitting next to Rain, too. ording to what Leena said just now, he was also dirty. Oh, no. He was quiet, sitting in his seat. He said nothing bad to Auntie Leena, so how could she insult him like that? It was unfair.


    "You''re even more devious than them. It''s good enough that you don''t contaminate other people. Why would you think that you can be contaminated?" Leena didn''t know why she enjoyed teasing Justin. She liked Justin a lot, and liked making him angry. She thought the angry Justin was particrly adorable. ''Oh, my god, am I a sick puppy?'' Leena thought in her mind.


    "Uh-huh! No, I''m really a good guy,pared with someone. After all, I am not as calcting as someone is." It was obvious that the "someone" in his sentence referred to Leena. Leena sessfully irritated Justin as she expected. Justin offended Leena with rude remarks. He should be not med because Leena started the war.


    "Aha! Somebody got mad." Instead of caring about his taunt, Leena jeered at Justin. Leena looked more unsophisticated and lovely thanmon girls because she was well-protected and well cared-for. But Justin knew who Leena was. She was a scheming and shameless woman, always looking out for herself. In this regard, Leena wasn''t like Uncle Duke at all. Uncle Duke was an honest and kind gentleman. Maybe she learned it from his daddy.


    "All right. That''s enough. Just stop. Eat! Why do you always have to fight when you get together? What''s wrong with you two?" Rain thought that was strange. Leena and Justin were both siding against him just now. But then they turned on each other and got into an argument. He waspletely stumped.


    "Come on, Honey. This is wild salmon, the signature dish here. Have a bite. It''s really awesome." Edward ignored the fight between Leena and Justin. He put all his heart into caring for his wife, Daisy. Justin was kind of a foodie and he could take care of himself. There was no reason to worry about Justin.


    "No, I tried itst time but I don''t like it. It''s not my style." Daisy wrinkled her brows. She was not a picky eater, but, she didn''t like fish, especially the baked fish.


    "What? You''ve been here before? I didn''t know that. When were you here? Who was here with you before?" There was a deep frown on Edward''s face. He thought he was the first person to take her here. But he wasn''t, so he was very disappointed. "Yeah! The first time I was with Leo Ouyang, and the second time I was with Leena. I learned from her that this expensive restaurant was owned by yourpany." Daisy mocked Edward, for Edward was the owner of the restaurant. To tell the truth, Daisy had never pursued an extravagant lifestyle or high-quality creatureforts and she couldn''t understand why a lot of people loved showing off their high status, or unting their considerable wealth by eating an overpriced meal, which might cost what an average man made in a year. She didn''t resent the rich, as she knew the rich worked hard so they could enjoy themselves like this, and she had no right to judge them. But she could not helpmenting the gap between the rich and the poor, which was a brutal fact that everyone had to ept. "Well, are you going to call me a profiteer? All is fair in business. I''m willing to sell and they''re willing to buy. I provide them with luxury and enjoyment, and they should pay me handsomely in return. Look, I''m not running a charity restaurant. I have a lot of employees to pay." Edward understood how she felt. She saw things with her own eyes, but he really hoped that she could put herself in his shoes. In Edward''s opinion, they were couple, indivisible. What was his was also hers. They were not officer and thief. No, he was not even a thief. He just earned enough money to afford the lifestyle he wanted. So he did nothing wrong and should not be med.


    "Anyway, I will arrest you if I find you''re part of any shady deals. You had better be careful." Daisy got what he meant, but she disliked such extravagances for she was always free of corruption. She respected everyone even though they might have a different view of life from hers. She didn''t think it was right to make others follow her rules.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "Yes, ma''am! But You''ll be following me. You''ll be there before you throw me in jail. Don''t forget that you are my wife, Mrs. Mu." Look, that''s who Edward really was. He was probably the most shameless man in the world. Daisy couldn''t even touch that. "Profiteer, I will draw the line and disown you." Daisy looked calm and had no expression on her face even though she was really freaked out by Edward. However, others only saw them intimately whispering to each other and they looked so sweet that nobody noticed there was a smoke-free war.


    "Belinda, what happened between Duke and you? Why do both of you wear a shit look on your faces? Do you two eat shit?" Leena observed Belinda and Duke for a long time and thought they really looked weird.


    "You mean little girl, you and your brother Duke ate the shit! Watch your mouth, by the way. And don''t even try and connect me with Duke. I don''t want anything to do with him." Belinda rolled her eyes and sulked. Leena was really a bad girl. If Leena didn''t drug her before, Belinda wouldn''t be bothered by a thing, and would never have to deal with...with...well, this.

 Chapter 687 Profiteer (Part Three)

    "Sorry! I just misspoke. Please forgive me! I did badly in school. I always make lousy choices when ites to words." Leena smiled with self-mockery and begged Belinda for forgiveness. She felt upset and unlucky. Why she was so annoying that nobody liked her today? "Save it! You did badly in school? Then how did you end up college?" Belinda knew Leena was a good liar, so she didn''t believe what Leena said. She was no pushover.


    "Aha! Belinda, what''s up with you today? What happened to you? Why are you harping on everyone you meet?" Daisy sniggered when she asked Belinda. Daisy knew Belinda was ill-tempered. But she rarely went ballistic like today. That''s why Daisy felt surprised and confused.


    "Leave me alone. Maybe the season''s too dry. I know my skin is. I can''t help losing my temper." Belinda clutched a hand to her forehead. She had no idea about her restlessness. She couldn''t help herself from freaking out.


    "Belinda, you tell me if you''re bullied by Duke. Don''t worry. I will get even with him for you." Leena was a little girl-like tornado. She ran over to Duke before Belinda stopped her.


    "Leena, what are you doing here?" Duke frowned. But he tried his best to stop himself from using her. He moved himself a bit to let Leena sit next to him. He fixed her hair that fell over her eyes and blocked her sight.


    "Duke, just tell me! Did you mess with Belinda?" Leena said in a low voice. She was a smart girl with a sense of propriety so she wouldn''t speak loudly and make their conversation heard. Unfortunately, nobody here was blind. Everyone else had already noticed the awkwardness between Duke and Belinda and Leena was just behind the curve.


    "Did she tell you that?" Duke shook the ss of wine in front of him and drank it down. He looked Belinda right in the eye and Belinda responded with an equally cold stare. ''Huh! What are you doing? Trying to prove you have bigger eyes than me? You wish! I''ve never lost a staring contest,'' Belinda thought.


    "No, she didn''t. She looks very strange today, so I think it is because of you," said Leena. Leena looked right up at Duke''s face, it seemed like the answer was on his face.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "There is nothing strange. Youdies always feel bad during your periods," Duke said, trying to deflect me. He didn''t want Leena to know about Rachel.


    "Oh!


    Now I get it! Well, I know why she is so moody today. Oh, that''s it." It just hit Leena. She turned around and meaningfully looked at Belinda. Immediately Belinda felt ufortable. She was very curious about what Leena and Duke were saying about her. And she wondered why Leena looked at her like that. ''Damn it, did he tell Leena that I had a problem with his ex-girlfriend Rachel? Oh, my god, now everyone thinks I am a narrow-minded, jealous woman.''


    "So let''s hear it! What happened between you and Duke?" Daisy patted Belinda on the hand after Leena ran away. Daisy didn''t believe what Belinda said about the excuse for her bad temper. Obviously, the dry weather in the autumn was not the real reason.


    "Tell you some other time! Too many people here. It''s totally the wrong time." As best friend, Belinda shared everything frankly with Daisy. She might feel shy to tell others about the troubles and problems in her love life, she wasn''t going to hide it from Daisy. But it just wasn''t the right time to tell her about sensitive issues in front of so many people now.


    "Okay! Call me when you want to talk. I will be your best listener." Daisy gently patted Belinda on the shoulder. In fact, she had figured out that Belinda was mad at Duke because Rachel. But Belinda refused to tell her now, so she respected her decision. "Thank you. You are the best garbage can for my bad moods. You can never run away from me." Belinda produced a forced smile. Belinda and Daisy were really like sisters. Daisy just got Mr. Right''s love after oveing all kinds of difficulties. Now it was her turn to suffer the pains of love. She was unwilling to admit that she had a crush on Duke, but their chemistry was clearly undeniable. She was attracted to Duke, which was the only thing that bugged her.


    "Yes, I won''t run away from you. I''ll always be here for you. Don''t worry." Daisy could ignore everyone''s sadness, but not family members''. Belinda was also an exception. Only with Belinda''s encouragement and support could Daisy have gotten through all the hard days in the past.


    "Come on. It''s a little over the top. They may think we''re lesbians." Belinda pretended to be shy and gave Daisy a look. Anyway, Belinda felt better after she heard what Daisy said.


    "Auntie Belinda, what is a lesbian? Tell me please!" s! Where there was a sensitive topic, there was Justin. It was one word out of many that she said to Daisy. But Justin heard the sensitive word "lesbians" and came to her to ask. What a bad boy he was! "Little guy, I won''t tell you. I asked you to sit next to me, but you didn''t. So I hold grudge now." Belinda loved Justin like crazy. But she pretended to be mad at Justin because Justin ignored her just now.


    "Oh, my god! Auntie Belinda, don''t be mad at me! You sit next to Auntie Leena. Auntie Leena seems to have a problem with me, so I had better stay away from her." Justin didn''t lie. He was afraid of being framed by Leena, so he didn''t sit next to Belinda, who was near Leena. Who knows what weird thing Leena would do to him? So he had to protect himself by staying away from her.

 Chapter 688 The Ring Bearer (Part One)

    "Little boy, as soon as my back was turned you talked shit about me, huh? You are such a brat!" Justin''s words had barely faded away when Leena came over to him and spoke to him in a chilly voice. She had been standing only a short distance from him, so she heard what he just said. "Come on! I was telling the truth. You are such a tigress. I don''t understand how Uncle Kevin can stand you." Justin pursed his lips, grumbling as he looked fearlessly at Leena.


    "What? Say that again! To my face this time!" Leena couldn''t stand being derided by a child anymore. She decided to teach Justin a lesson this time.


    "Aunt Belinda, help me! Aunt Leena is scaring me." Feigning fear, Justin threw himself into Belinda''s arms andined in a childish tone. His sweet voice immediately softened her heart.


    "Belinda, don''t be fooled by his innocent appearance. I''m telling you, he is a spoiled brat." Leena stared defiantly back at Justin who was making faces towards her unnoticed by Belinda. She was infuriated and wondered if she was really able to get along with him. He never seemed to have a kind word for her.


    "Come on, Leena. He is just a kid. Why sink to his level?" Belindaforted Leena with a frown. She didn''t understand why Leena always argued with Justin. He was always a well-behaved boy! Why couldn''t they just get on well with each other?


    "Exactly. Aunt Leena, you are a married woman. Why do you always have it in for a little kid? You are so rash!" Justin feared nothing now that Belinda had his back. Leena, meanwhile, was fuming at his words. But she couldn''t do anything to him, not with someone around to protect him.


    "So you like ying at being just a little kid. In my eyes, you are so much like Edward -- and more cunning than most adults. Never mind, I won''t stoop to your level. We''re done." Leena shook her head and sat down on the chair that used to belong to Justin. She felt stupid arguing with a little boy. Justin just chalked this up as a win. He was delighted, and shared his delight with Belinda. He got her involved in a game, lighting up her gloomy face with joy.


    Duke had let his eyes settle upon Belinda all this time. Seeing her smiling face, he gave her a knowing smile. Since she had time to make unfair usations and go mad with jealousy, he decided to find something for her to do, so that she would have no time to be at odds with him.


    "Leena, you lost to Justin so soon, eh?" Edward was amused by Leena''s angry expression and teased her with a smile.


    "Edward, I didn''t lose to him. I just don''t want to lower myself to the same level as him." Leena picked up the ss in front of Edward and swallowed the contents in one gulp. It was not until a spicy taste filled her mouth and throat that she then realized what she had gulped down. She began to cough violently.


    "Drink it slowly. What''s the hurry?" Edward patted her back in profound resignation and handed her a paper towel.


    "Cough! Cough! Edward, it''s not water!" She could barely speak, her voice was so hoarse. Staring at the empty ss before her, she felt like weeping and her face contorted to contain the tears.


    "Who told you it was water? Justin?" Edward couldn''t help grinning at the funny scene. He didn''t understand why Justin and Leena disliked each other and always yed tricks on each other. Leena was such an adorable girl in front of others. But whenever she was with Justin, she became rude and mean.


    "Waah! I hate Justin!" Leena felt hurt, and wondered why Justin always made fun of her. She decided not to provoke him in the future.


    "Come on, Leena. You shouldn''t have even tried to take him on. He is Edward''s son and he is more scheming than Edward." Rain said as he handed her a ss of water so that she could water the booze down. He didn''t understand why she was always at odds with Justin.


    "Edward, did you hear that? Rain said you''re a schemer." Leaning against Edward, Leena made a face and stuck her tongue out at Rain. ''You didn''t take my side, and even made fun of me. You''re gonna get it now.''


    "Come on! I was trying to help you. I didn''t say Edward was a schemer. Why drive a wedge between me and Edward? We''re good buddies. He''s a schemer, but I only said that in private." After hearing Rain''s words, people present widened their eyes and turned to him. They wondered whether Edward would teach him a lesson.


    "Idiot! No one can save you this time." Tom shook his head and kept away from Rain. It would be no good if Edward vented his anger on him too.


    "Damn it! Edward, I didn''t mean it that way. Leena set me up." Rain gave an unctuous smile at Edward who was expressionless at this moment. ''Leena, you are such a naughty girl. I am so nice to you all the time, but youid a trap for me!'' He thought to himself. "You spoke your heart when you thought I wouldn''t find out," Edward said indifferently, but his old buddies knew that he was angry right now. They expressed their sympathy with their eyes and said a silent prayer for Rain.


    "NO! Edward, it was just a slip of the tongue. You are a hero in my eyes," Rain stated sincerely as he cast a warning nce at Leena. ''How dare you? I guess the gloves are off, and I can go after Kevin now, '' He thought in his mind.


    "Actually you don''t need to be scared like that. I''ll take that as apliment," Edward replied slowly, but the coldness in his eyes revealed his true feelings.


    "Hah! Edward, you''re right. I was paying you apliment." Rain wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve and felt lucky that he was safe now. However, what Edward said next frightened him again.


    "Since you haveplimented me sincerely, I should reward you in kind." Edward threw a stern nce at Rain and gave a mocking smile.


    "Cough! Cough! I don''t think a reward is necessary." Rain''s face soured at Edward''s suggestion. He knew he was going to be really screwed this time.


    "Of course it''s necessary. I''m not a penny pincher. Everyone is talking about the casting event. I leave it in your capable hands. Remember, we don''t want any bad publicity." Edward rapped on the table with his index finger while demanding this. He had been bothered by it recently. Rain came just at the right moment.


    "What? I don''t want to go anywhere near the Entertainment Company. You know how terrifying those women are. Everyone of them thinks of herself as number one in thepany. They just won''t stop fighting for the leading role. I will be screwed if they find out I will be responsible for deciding the role." Though Rain liked to date different women in the past, he never dated anyone from the entertainment circle and kept himself away from them. Aaron used to deal with this kind of thing.


    "Are you sure?" Edward asked coldly as he took a sidelong nce at Rain and sipped the booze in his ss. He still had no expression on his face.


    "Fine! Leave it to me." Rain knew he shouldn''t push too hard against Edward, otherwise there would be more serious consequences. If he refused to deal with those women, Edward would definitely assign more difficult tasks to him. As the saying goes, "Those who suit their actions to the times are wise." Rain decided to take the orders and bring them topletion. He couldn''t help but scold those women who just wouldn''t stop fighting for the lead role. He was drawn into the women''s war for no reason.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "Rain, don''t be so upset. I know you like pretty women. The female celebrities are all A-list stars in this country. I figure they are all beautiful women, huh?" Rain became even more upset after hearing Leena''s words. Those women were all A-list stars. No matter which one he chose, the rest would hate him for sure. Edward was too cruel to ask him to be the one deciding the role. He could picture the scene of so many A-list stars staring angrily at him.

 Chapter 689 The Ring Bearer (Part Two)

    "They are beautiful, but they have no brains. In order to get the role, they have exposed each other''s scandals on the web. All of that is just silly!" Rain murmured as he cast a warning nce at Leena. If it were not for her, he would not be put into such a difficult position. She stared back at him confidently, smirking at his misfortune.


    "What kind of movie is it? All the A-list stars are interested in the leading role. There is a fiercepetition for it. Is this some kind of hype? They haven''t even started filming yet, but it has attracted much interest. In my opinion, the director of the movie is a weirdo. Why doesn''t he just pick the cast himself? Why does he arrange for auditions? He''s the one to me."


    As a fashion designer, Leena had paid attention to news rted to the entertainment circle all the time. That was why she knew about this.


    "Leena, you don''t understand. It was a kind of marketing gimmick, but somehow got out of hand. But you can''t deny the director has captured everyone''s attention, and everyone''s talking about the movie. That''s why those women are fighting so hard for the leading role. They know the film has a high chance of doing well. After all, the actress who gets role might even win the award for Best Actress,"


    Edward exined indifferently. He didn''t mind that his subordinates promoted the movie like this, but he didn''t want to be bothered with it. He was quite busy normally, but now he had to steal time to deal with it. He got fed up with those annoying women. He had set up Vast Media just for fun at the very beginning. He didn''t expect thepany to develop so rapidly and be the front-runner in the industry.


    "Women are horrible creatures." Leena pursed her lips, grumbling as if she forgot she was also one of them.


    "Leena, don''t forget, you''re a woman, too." Rain rolled his eyes at Leena as he wanted to knock her out. She got him into such big trouble. He had to deal with a group of arrogant A-list stars and pick up the pieces for them. It vexed him to think of holding a press conference and dealing with countless journalists.


    "Come on, I mean the women in the entertainment circle." Leena got closer to Edward as if Rain was one of the horrible women and she was trying to keep him at a distance.


    "Is FX International Group also involved in the entertainment circle?" Daisy looked at Edward in confusion. She had never paid attention to entertainment news. As a result, she had no idea of the well-known scandal event of Cocost time.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "Well, mypany has more fingers in more pies than anyone can reasonably count. FX does a lot of business with everyone," Edward turned to Daisy and exined to her in a soft tone, eyes full of affection.


    "Businessmen do everything they can do to make a profit. You are such a profiteer!" Daisy grumbled. She felt frustrated as she knew him very little. Edward involved himself in department stores, chain hotels, mining and even the entertainment industry. How many other industries was he involved in? She was not sure.


    "If I''m a profiteer, then you are the wife of a profiteer. We were made for each other." Edward smiled as he was ustomed to her taunting.


    "Come on! I''m a colonel. I don''t want to be used of collusion," Daisy said with a frown. She hated to admit that her husband was a sessful businessman, but that was a fact. She felt rather frustrated.


    "You are toote to distance yourself from me. Honey, have some more soup." Edward ordered a nutritious soup for her. Obviously, he wanted to fatten her up.


    "I''m full now. Help yourself." Cynthia had fed her soup every day. Thest thing she wanted to have was soup. So, she rejected him without wavering for even a second.


    "Belinda, your wedding''sing up. Next month, right? You won''t change it again, will you?" Rain was always deted by Belinda, and he didn''t try to mess with her. But this time, he tried to pry information out of her for his good buddy, Duke.


    "What? You want me to change my mind?" Belinda cast a cold nce at Rain. She didn''t want to marry Duke, but her parents forced her to. In any event she was getting married to Duke whether she was willing to or not. Of course, if Duke was the one to break the promise, the situation would be different and her parents could say nothing more.


    "Of course not! I''m just curious. After all, you fooled us allst time." Rain shivered with fear. He just wanted to confirm the wedding date with Belinda, but her eyes were as cold as ice. It looked like she was going to wring his neck. ''Come on. It''s not my fault Duke still has a thing for Rachel. ¨ª have nothing to do with her. And even if I did, it has nothing to do with you. Why are you staring at me so viciously?'' Rain thought to himself.


    "Aunt Belinda, I want to be your ring bearer." On hearing that Belinda was going to be married, Justin became excited and mored to serve as the ring bearer.


    "Of course. You''re the most handsome and adorable ring bearer ever!" Belinda kissed one of Justin''s cheeks, making Duke very envious. She had never taken the initiative to kiss him before. Duke forgot she had kissed him when she was drunk.


    "What? Belinda, you want this boy to be your ring bearer? You should think that over," Leena yelled with a frown. Apparently, she didn''t think Justin was up to the task.


    "Aunt Leena, why did you say that? You want to be a ring bearer?" Justin treated the position like a done deal, so he would make every effort to achieve the goal.


    "Duh! I''m not as naive as you are. I''d rather be a bridesmaid." Leena shot a contemptuous look at Justin. Maybe they were born to be foes, and there was no way round this problem.


    "Hah! So funny! I''ve never heard of a woman serving as her own brother''s bridesmaid." Justinughed out loud, staring defiantly at Leena. There was acent look on his little face.


    "It was just a figure of speech. Don''tugh like an idiot." Leena rolled her eyes. If Belinda''s wedding was next month, Kevin would be unable to attend the wedding. After all, Daisy just said Kevin wouldn''t be back until after that.


    "You haven''t made yourself clear." Justin threw himself into Belinda''s arms, giving Leena a challenging look. Leena was so mad at him.


    "You have no brain!" Leena rolled her eyes and looked at Justin right in the eye. Neither of them was about to make a concession. They just looked like two kids fighting in the schoolyard.


    "Come on, stop arguing. I think we''d better separate you two next time. Otherwise, you just won''t stop fighting." Daisy sighed in resignation. Justin was her son and Leena was her sister. She couldn''t take sides. But they didn''t look like enemies. Maybe there had always been a mixed rtionship between them.


    "No!"


    "Don''t!"


    Justin and Leena rejected Daisy''s suggestion with one voice. Apparently, they were not foes like everyone thought they were. Maybe they had no ymates before and regarded each other as their best ymate. Daisy believed that they could actually team up if there was a damn good reason for it.


    The gathering ended soon, but their friendship developed in the pleasant hours. Though they looked rather weird in others'' eyes, they showed their concerns to each other in a different manner. There was no flowerynguage, but only a warm embrace and simple words. They could feel each other''s love and care, and in the end that''s all that mattered.000000????????

 Chapter 690 What Really Matters Is Your Heart (Part One)

    "You can do what you want with your good buddies. We girls want to get together and have some girl time." As soon as they walked out of the Westin Western Restaurant, Belinda dragged Daisy over to her and aggressively nced at all the men around them. "Where are you going?" Edward was unhappy that his beautiful wife was being taken away.


    "We haven''t decided yet. What? You want to say no?" Belinda held up her chin, and looked at Edward arrogantly.


    "No, I just want to make sure she''s safe." Edward was not a domineering husband. Under normal circumstances, he would give his wife enough private space.


    "Don''t worry. It''s only an impromptu gathering. We''re not going out to fight. She''ll be safe. And she''s a colonel, Edward. She''s not the one likely to be scared if we do run into some kind of danger." Belinda stared at Edward with a sullen look. Why didn''t she notice that Edward was such a preachy man before?


    "So you don''t think I''m justified in feeling worried? But can you tell me how she often got injured before?" Edward sneered and gave Belinda a cold nce. It was obvious he didn''t approve, and didn''t appreciate her attitude. He went away for a few days on business, and Daisy got hurt. How could he possibly not worry about Daisy''s safety?


    "This is because she loses her mind sometimes. Okay, just let her go! Quit being so paranoid. Man up!" Belinda was always straightforward and had a fiery temper. It didn''t matter if she was facing someone more normal, or Edward.


    "You know she does dumb things sometimes. And that is exactly what I am concerned about." Edward snapped his fingers, for the first time, they saw eye to eye on something.


    "Hey, am I invisible to you? "You two are talking smack about me like I''m not here." Daisy stared at them in anger. Edward and Belinda both saw her fierce look. Daisy felt irritated -- she got these wounds because she was devoted to her work, so why did they say she got hurt because of her stupidity? Did they really think she was that dumb? Or hopelessly clumsy?


    "Yes, they''ve gone too far. Sis, let''s go. Don''t mind them. They don''t know what they''re talking about." Seeing the situation deteriorate, Leena immediately took Daisy''s hand. She offended both Edward and Belinda with her words.


    "Wait, bring the wallet with you." Edward took out his wallet and handed it to Daisy. Because he brought her out here, and she didn''t take anything along except for her cellphone.


    "It''s okay, I don''t need it. I don''t have anything to buy." Daisy hesitated. She thought that Belinda was only taking her out to have a simple get together, not something like shopping. So she was reluctant to take his wallet.


    "Yes! Even if she wants to buy something, Belinda and I have the cash. Don''t worry. We''ve got it covered." Something was bugging Belinda. Leena saw it, Daisy did too. It wasn''t just because of her period, like Duke was saying. Yes, women got more emotional during that time, but this was something else.


    "Why would my wife need to use your money? Leena, are you out of your mind? Is your brain full of water or something?" Edward said, tapping on Leena''s head. He insisted that Daisy should take his wallet, not because he had a tendency of male chauvinism, it was just a manner of being a gentleman. He hoped that they could see the truth of the situation. Even if she didn''t want to buy anything, she might need the money to pay for something else. So it was better for her to bring the wallet along.


    "Haha! Dad, finally I heard something I like from you. She is more than out of her mind, she is actually insane, her brain is full of cement." Justin jumped about joyfully. He felt delighted that Edward challenged Leena. Leena was always fighting with Justin, and Edward''s harsh words were a good revenge.


    "You hateful brat, Justin! Why do you keep harassing me? You''re so full of shit. Aren''t you afraid you''ll get constipated if you keep it all to yourself?" Leena was one of a kind. She looked very gentle and lovely, but when she opened her mouth, watch out. She was beautiful but deadly. With anyone else, her good reputation might be maintained. But around Justin, she just couldn''t keep her good image at all.


    "Haha! Leena,nguage." Rain was amused. It seemed that even if Leena got married, she still behaved like a child. He wondered whether she went off like this when Kevin was around.


    "Yes, you''re ady, you shouldn''t say such vulgar words," Justin gloated, echoing Rain''s words. His round face had a bright smile.


    "I like cursing, and it''s none of your business," Leena refuted, not willing to lose. In fact, she was very annoyed. When the first time she met Justin, she thought he was very cute. But why couldn''t they get along after they got to know each other? "Stop, stop arguing." Belinda got really worried about them. So she shouted to stop them. Otherwise it would be an endless argument between them. It would not only waste time but also waste energy.


    Duke had been gazing at Belinda the whole time. It seemed that she was still angry at him, because she hadn''t even shot him a look till now, let alone talked to him. Just like now, she didn''t even tell him where she was going. He waspletely invisible to her. He didn''t like that feeling one bit.


    Belinda also noticed Duke''s gaze. He seemed a little gloomy. But she couldn''t bring herself to forgive him, so she chose to ignore him. This was simply who she was -- she loved and hated all at once.


    "Okay, let''s go. Justin, you go with your dad." In the end, Daisy took Edward''s wallet with her. It was not because she agreed with what Edward said, she just brought it in case she needed it. "Take care. When you finish, call me, okay? I''ll pick you up." Edward nted a gentle kiss on her forehead, making Daisy flush immediately. She was easily flustered.


    "Okay, I know. Justin, listen to your dad and behave yourself." Daisy bent down and nted a kiss on his cheek. Justin seemed to be less clingy to her, probably because he was a boy. "Mom, I''ll behave, don''t worry." Justin smiled sweetly and snuggled up with her.


    "Okay, let''s go. We''re not going to sell you. You''re acting as if you two will part forever." Belinda felt very ufortable under Duke''s gaze, so she anxiously urged Daisy to leave.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    The warm afternoon sunshine shone brightly on everyone. The men stood there and watched thedies who were leaving until they disappeared from sight. Then they bid their goodbyes to each other and left in their own cars -- each heading to separate destinations. And Duke said nothing to Belinda the whole day, because he knew she was still angry at him. He thought it was better for her to calm down first.


    Belinda chose a very quiet and beautiful coffee house. She brought them to a table which was unnoticeable in the corner, she didn''t want to be disturbed.


    "What kind of coffee would you like?" Belinda raised her eyebrows, subtly telling them to choose some drink they wanted by checking the menu on the table.


    "Okay, you choose one and I''ll take the same." Daisy smiled. She was not very particr about food or drink, she always chose what she would like ording to the person she was meeting with.


    "I''d like a mocha." Leena showed a lovely smile. Although she didn''t know what Belinda would ask herter, she knew it must be about Duke, otherwise Belinda wouldn''t have brought her here. "Okay, we''d like twottes and one mocha, please." Belinda said to the waiter with a smile. Like Daisy, she was always polite in public.


    "Okay, wait for a moment, it''ll be ready soon." The waiter nodded and immediately turned around and strode away. Daisy gazed firmly at Belinda with curiosity.


    "Why are you looking at me like that? Did flowers just sprout from my face?" Belinda touched her own face doubtfully. She was confused. Why was Daisy looking at her with curious eyes?


    "Belinda, spit it out! What happened between you and Duke? You two didn''t exchange one word during the whole meal. Are you two fighting?" Although Daisy didn''t say anything before, she had noticed how odd this couple was acting. She knew the moment she saw them, and her sharp eyes detected something was slightly off. She didn''t ask during the meal because she knew Belinda would tell her the reason when she was ready. This was what Belinda was like. So Daisy put these thoughts out of her mind and continued to silently watch them, noting anything weird.0000000000??????

 Chapter 691 What Really Matters Is Your Heart (Part Two)

    "You should ask Leena." Belinda narrowed her eyes and looked at Leena, smiling yfully. This expression sent a shiver down Leena''s spine. "Ask me? Why? How would I know what happened between you?" Leena was confused. She wondered why it had anything to do with her.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    "Rachel. Does that name sound familiar to you?" Belinda sneered. That was why she brought Leena with her. She didn''t know much about Duke''s past before they met. But Leena had been around him the whole time.


    "What? Why did you suddenly bring her up? Hasn''t she been married since a long time ago?" Leena looked at Belinda and Daisy, dumbfounded. In fact, she didn''t like Rachel. When Rachel was with Duke before, Leena even used to y tricks on her because she thought Rachel had stolen her brother from her. Butter she heard that Rachel abandoned Duke and ran off with a rich guy. And she hadn''t seen her since. But why did Belinda suddenly bring her up?


    "What did you say? She already got married?" Belinda frowned. It was impossible. If that woman was really married, why would shee to pester Duke now? Or did she want him to start up an extra marital affair, Belinda wondered.


    "Yes, she did. I remember my brother felt very sad when this happened and had been depressed for a long time. But he eventually recovered from the heartbreak and continued to live his life." Leena''s words made Belinda sad. Didn''t he say that it was not love? If so, why would he have felt heartbroken?


    "So what you''re telling me is that your brother really liked her a lot!" Belinda asked tentatively, narrowing her eyes. She looked at Leena as if Leena was a little rabbit approaching the hunter''s trap.


    "Who said anything like that? He was frustrated because he didn''t want it to end like that. I think, it was more like a friendship than a love rtionship, just judging from the way they got along with each other, I had never seen him be affectionate towards her like a lover should be."


    Leena smiled slyly. She almost fell into Belinda''s trap. But she was quick to realize Belinda''s trick, otherwise Duke would be really angry. But what she told Belinda was true. She really thought that woman had never loved her brother, and Duke''s attitude towards her was not very passionate or indifferent. That was why she always felt their rtionship was a mystery.


    "So do you think that Rachel is trying to start trouble with you now?" Daisy frowned, although she simply talked to that womanst time, she felt that this woman was not easy to deal with. Rachel was much like Jessica, they belonged to the same tribe. "Do you also know Rachel?" Belinda looked at Daisy with surprise. Was she the only one who didn''t know this woman? Belinda wondered.


    "Yes, I ran across her in a restaurant a while back. But Edward said that whatever she and Duke had was in the past, And it slipped my mind because of busy work. So I forgot to mention this to you. It didn''t seem important."


    Daisy looked at Belinda, a little apologetically. But she felt that Rachel shouldn''t be a threat to their rtionship. Sometimes a man would take his ex back, but she abandoned him. Duke was a mature and prudent man -- he wouldn''t fall into that trap.


    "In the past? I don''t believe it. She''s totally in his life now. She got a job in thepany, what will she do next? Maybe hang out in the house?" Belinda smiled bitterly. Although she knew there was a woman in his past, she didn''t think too much about it. Even though they broke up, they could still be friends. Belinda was quite open to it. There were no rules that two people could only be enemies after they ended a rtionship. But when she saw Rachel snuggle in Duke''s arms happily yesterday, she was stung by Rachel''s provocative expression. Only then did she realize that she had unwittingly developed a special feeling towards Duke that she didn''t know how to describe.


    "What do you mean? Is she working in Duke''spany?" Leena suddenly got nervous, that shouldn''t have happened. How could Duke let her join thepany? Wasn''t he getting himself in hot water by doing so?


    "Nothing''s impossible. That''s why I want to ask you whether your brother loved her. Like really loved her, like no one can rece her in his heart." Belinda thought herself to be an open-minded person. If Duke really clung only to one woman, he could tell her. And she would leave and let them be together.


    "Come on, Belinda, that''s all nonsense. Duke liked Rachel before, but the woman he cares for most now is you. You should know that I have never seen any other woman that can make my brother so happy. You have him spellbound. Believe me, you are the special one for him."


    Leena hurriedly stuck up for Duke. She was not finding excuses for her brother, she really thought that no woman could easily make Duke feel happy, sad or angry, no woman except for Belinda.


    "Belinda, I think you are the one who knows how much Duke loves you and cares for you. We''re not the ones to decide how bad or how good he is to you, right?" Daisy looked at Belinda gently. It seemed that Belinda really fell in love with Duke, otherwise she would not be so worried and paranoid.


    "I don''t know. I''m confused. I told myself to be reasonable to solve this, but I just feel panicky all the time, and I don''t know why. I feel upset about those feelings. But I really can''t control my mind, I get lost in various fancies and conjectures. Is that love?"


    Belinda felt very confused now. Unlike Daisy who was inclined to hide everything in her heart and keep all the sorrows to herself, Belinda was the kind of person who wanted to know the answer when she was confused. She would never allow herself to get into a situation in which she was very unsure of something. Such kind of woman was very sensible, but on the other hand, there were disadvantages to her too. Because she skipped the process of tasting bitter loneliness by herself.


    "What is love? It is untouchable and invisible. It can be only felt by your heart. So you will find how subtle it is. It can make you cry, make youugh and even make you go to extremes. While you''re in love, you can''t be too greedy. It''s enough when you get what you want most. You can''t get everything you want. Because love is also vulnerable, it''s so vulnerable that it can''t bear the slightest touch. Otherwise, it will develop cracks. When it bes like this, no matter how hard you try to fix it, it will be difficult to feel exactly what it was like before things fell apart."


    Daisy seemedpletely lost in thought when she was saying this to Belinda. In her way of love, she had been very humble and careful. It was fortunate for her that she had bet on the right man and got what she wanted in the end.


    "So do you think I can get the love I want?" Belinda looked at Daisy with eager eyes. All of a sudden, she pinned all her hopes on Daisy; as long as Daisy had her back, she would fear nothing.


    "It''s useless. No matter how many suggestions other people give you, what really matters is your heart." Daisy wanted to help her, but only to a certain point. Because she believed that Belinda was a clever woman, it was impossible that she didn''t know the core of this problem.


    "My heart?" Belinda murmured. Was she really going to follow her heart? What if the road before her had a dead end? Was she still going to move forward regardless of the possible sad ending? If so, she had to suffer from the pain of love first.


    "Yes, your heart is the most important thing, and nothing else matters." Daisy raised her head and gazed at Belinda, but she suddenly saw the woman she would least expect. And that made her furrow her brows deeply.

 Chapter 692 Cocos Accusation (Part One)

    "What''s wrong?" Belinda asked as Daisy abruptly stopped talking. Belinda looked around to see if anything was amiss, but she couldn''t see any cause for rm.


    "Oh, nothing. I thought I saw someone. I might have been mistaken." Daisy gave Belinda a reassuring smile. If her memory served her right, the woman she just saw was Coco, a famous movie star who showed up in a coffee shop with Jessica by her side not long ago. Coco was bad news. Last time they met each other, Coco took a strong dislike to Daisy. If Coco came over to pick a fight, it wouldn''t surprise Daisy. But maybe she was just overthinking it, Daisy thought to herself. Not everything had to be a struggle.


    "Everything all right?" Belinda was still worried. She could sense that Daisy must have seen something since all of a sudden Daisy''s face changed and her mood got dark.


    "Everything''s fine. Excuse me for a moment. I need to use the restroom." Daisy said with her lips curved into a smile, then she rose to her feet and headed in the direction of the restroom. She was tall, slender and dressed in a stylish outfit, so naturally she attracted a lot of sideways nces as she walked.


    The restroom was deserted. This coffee shop chosen by Belinda was quiet with only a few customers. But Daisy could see from the decoration and furnishings that this was an upscale coffee shop. There were white bowls for coffee and sugar, ss jars with coffee beans, cloth napkins, and gorgeous, homey paintings. There were some old newspaper clippings that were also framed and behind ss, and the tables and chairs were a perfect mix of rustic and modern. The music selection was usually independent folk artists, and there were speakers in the restroom so you didn''t need to miss a particrly good song.


    Daisy shed a nce at her reflection in the mirror and lowered her head to wash her hands. When she finally looked up at the mirror, she was horrified to see there was another woman standing right behind her and ring at her. Daisy ignored what she saw, got a hold of herself and walked towards the door.


    "Wait. You are Daisy Ouyang?" Coco called out when she saw Daisy ignore her and head for the exit. Last time they met, Daisy was in her neat military uniform. But this woman before her was wearing a sexy outfit. Coco couldn''t be sure if they were the same person. This woman looked almost entirely different, but the eyes gave her away.


    "Miss Coco, is there a problem?" Daisy was a little upset. She didn''t want to speak with Coco, but she paused anyway. It was the polite thing to do.


    "You remember me. Just now I thought I made a mistake. But, your clothes! Aren''t you a soldier? Why the sexy look?" Coco gave Daisy a disdainful nce from the corner of her eye. Last time they met, Daisy''s uniform concealed the shape of her body. Daisy now wore something that showed off her beauty and her curves. Everything fit perfectly and entuated every bit of her body marvelously. It surprised Coco that Daisy had such a perfect figure.


    "Miss Coco, are you saying that soldiers shouldn''t have personal lives?" Daisy didn''t think her clothes were inappropriate. They were more casual, maybe a little wilder, but the clothing was still eptable. She was modest anyway, and Edward wouldn''t allow her go out in a dress that was too revealing.


    "You don''t have to be so nervous. I just said what I thought. Am I not allowed to have an opinion?" Coco warned herself not to piss Edward off. But it didn''t mean that she would walk away if she got the chance to taunt Daisy.


    "You can say whatever you want. I really don''t mind. Thew guarantees the right to speak but not the right to nder others. Be fair and watch your mouth." Daisy cast Coco a cold nce. Coco''s clothes were way more revealing. But she didn''t like to overstep her bounds and tell people how to live their lives.


    "What? Do my words hurt your feelings? "What about my cousin? Huh? What about her feelings? She''ll never be able to be a mother again! Even her beauty was ruined because of you! Don''t you feel guilty? Not even a shred of remorse?"


    Coco said with a cold grunt. She hated the way Daisy looked. Daisy was always beautiful but cold. It was obvious that Coco and her cousin were more beautiful, but Daisy''s coldness gave her a head start. This was what Coco envied most.


    "Ohe off it. I never look for a fight, but she managed to bring one after another to me. You wouldn''t feel bad if I were hurt, so why should I feel guilty? Don''t forget, I am the victim here." It was really annoying to be used of something she didn''t do, not to mention Coco said this in a way that made people think Daisy hadmitted some heinous crime.


    "My cousin was the best choice if Edward wanted a wife. But you ruined it. You snuck your way in between them and destroyed any chance they had. No way in hell are you the victim!" Coco stepped forward, her pretty face darkened with anger.


    "Back off! You obviously have no clue. Get one before youe at me again. I''ve never gotten in the middle of anything. She never had a chance with Edward," Daisy retorted derisively. This girl was so unreasonable and self-righteous. She thought she was doing the right thing to seek justice for others. But she knew nothing about the facts, and all she was doing was barking up the wrong tree.


    "I know enough. Everyone in the city knows of the love between my cousin and Edward. You can''t fool anyone but yourself. You may have your friends brainwashed, but everyone else knows the truth!" Coco was aware that some peopleing in and out began to take notice of what was going on here, but she didn''t care. She got some secret pleasure from crushing Daisy under her feet. She had wanted to do this for a long time.


    "It''s pathetic, actually. All you saw was the superficial things. You don''t have the slightest idea what the truth is. I never think I have the power to brainwash people. But if you had any brains, you wouldn''t say this to me." Daisy''s face went cold. That was why she frowned when she saw Coco earlier. Coco and Jessica had the same personality. They were full of themselves and used to ming others for everything that went wrong.


    "What is the truth? The truth is my cousin lost everything and you are riding high! But that makes sense. That is how a woman like you do it. You delight in others'' pain. You take pleasure in denying others'' pleasure." It fueled Coco''s anger when she thought how her cousin brooded and cried all day. The fury made her want to tear Daisy''s calm face into pieces but she didn''t dare. She learned the lesson from her cousin''s bloody experience.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "I''m not discussing this with you anymore. It''s a waste of breath. The records are easily found -- I am Edward''s wife and we married legally long ago. Your cousin is lucky I didn''t press any charges against her. She did try to wreck a military officer''s marriage, after all. I''m a good person, but I''m no pushover. I wish you''d just learn to leave well enough alone."


    As Daisy spoke, she moved toward the door. She had no obligation to answer Coco''s questions about her personal life. If not for the pity she had for Jessica, Daisy wouldn''t even waste a nce on her.


    "What? Are you going to run away? You realized how weak your case is? No matter when you got married, you are a hubby-thief to all of us who know the truth. You don''t really love him, and that marriage license you tout so proudly means nothing. Get out." Coco gave a mocking smile as she saw Daisy''s face darken. She thought Daisy could keep herposure all the time. It turned out she did have feelings.


    "So you''re just ying dumb with me. You''re not actually as stupid as you look. Even if I were a...what did you call it? Even if I were a hubby-thief, that''s between Jessica and me. This has nothing to do with you, unless you have a thing for Edward. So just shut up and spare me your stinky breath!"


    Coco was getting on her nerves. If Daisy''s temper hadn''t improved a lot, she wouldn''t have paid any attention to her, wouldn''t have stopped to talk to her. She would have ignored Coco as dead air, and would have pushed right past her and left the restroom.000

 Chapter 693 Cocos Accusation (Part Two)

    "Daisy Ouyang! Stinky breath? Stinky breath? Really? Just think about the horrible things you''ve done to my cousin. You destroyed herpletely and now you ask her to step up and defend herself? You know she''ll never argue with you again. She doesn''t have the will. God knows what else you''re nning!" Coco met Daisy''s eyes without fear. Anyway, she was an actress, she knew how to act in all situations and forge a strong case to her advantage.


    "I don''t think I stuttered. Think twice about who you''re facing before you act, or you will pay for real." Now that Coco hadbelled her as an absolute viin, there was no need to keep the courtesy. She would show Coco what a queen''s ferocity was like. "And now you threaten me! Is that what a soldier should do?" Coco was indignant, but still she backed away from Daisy. Daisy was seething, her fists clenched. If looks could kill, Coco would surely be a corpse.


    "Think what you want. Just remember this, don''t mess with me. I won''t hold back, and it won''t go well for you at all. Think of your cousin." It didn''t matter if she was overbearing or discrediting the image of soldiers. This woman was really pissing her off and she couldn''t bear it longer.


    "What would people say if the papers ran stories about you? Stories about how vicious you are? I can see the headlines now: ''FX CEO''s wife a violent woman, witnesses say.'' That''ll sell some papers!" Coco recovered quickly and looked at her provocatively. Coco knew that Daisy wouldn''t actually do anything to hurt her. She was just a talker.


    "You can have a go. I don''t mind making headlines, but you don''t seem to have the influence." Daisy nced at her coldly. This Coco was just an actress. If Coco was fine with the exposure then why should she be afraid?


    "Daisy, What is taking you so long? We''ve been waiting for ages. Did you fall in?" Belinda said as she walked over. Daisy had been in here unnaturally long and Belinda was worried. Belinda was surprised to see Coco here, but she realized who Coco was right away. "You''re Coco! That''s why your face is so familiar!"


    "You know me!" Coco didn''t expect that someone would recognize her. She was surprised and happy. After all, nothing mattered more than fame to a washed-up actress.


    "Not really. I remember you from that scandal not long ago. It really created a stir. Daisy, is she your friend?" Belinda realized she had been a little too frank and shot Daisy an apologetic look. If this Coco was her friend, that would be embarrassing. The look on Coco''s face was priceless.


    "No. I barely know her. Let''s get out of here. Don''t mind her." Daisy took Belinda''s hand and was about to leave. She was out of patience and had no interest in speaking to Coco any more.


    "Daisy Ouyang, don''t get too cocky. You will live a life a million times more miserable than my cousin. Just wait and see!" Enraged by Belinda''s words, she yelled at Daisy, feeling shamed and furious.


    "Hey! What are you, insane? What is wrong with you? Who the hell is your cousin? Who cares if your cousin is miserable? Watch your mouth and don''t invite people to p you every time you open it, okay?" Unlike Daisy, Belinda didn''t like to suppress her temper. Tit for tat was more her usual style. She had a temper and she knew how to use it.


    "Who the hell are you? It''s none of your business. I''m talking to Daisy. What crawled up your skirt?" Coco didn''t know Belinda, but she could sense Belinda was a tough nut to crack.


    "Of course it''s my business. I''m more pissed that you yelled at Daisy. You''re nothing more than a washed-up actress. Don''t tter yourself and think you''re a goddess. You''re not, sister!" Belinda was still mad for her own matters. This stupid actress just jumped in her line of fire.


    "Who''s washed-up? Even if my career is done, I am much better off than you. People don''t even know you exist." Washed up was a phrase which could always get Coco riled up easily. It was the unhealed sore hidden deep inside her heart. Belinda just opened her wound and rubbed salt into it. Rage leapt into her heart and her eyes locked with Belinda''s in fury.


    "I really have no interest in what goes on in the entertainment world. You guys give up everything for fame and money. It''s sickening. I think actors and actresses are all nuts. And now everyone knows you are too. You have a lot of gall to act like the Virgin Mary in front of people. You''re nothing but a public bus. Everyone''s ridden you at least once."


    Belinda believed the only way to deal with the world was to fight fire with fire. If you were given no respect, then there was no need to be a nice person. Belinda had no qualms about giving the offender a hard time and making her suffer. She was not Daisy, who was silly to get bullied easily by some nut. Small wonder it took Daisy so long to use the restroom.


    "That''s funny! if I''m a public bus, then what are you? A public toilet?" Coco bit her lips hard, her face pale. It reminded her of the contemptuous look Edward gave her when she tried to seduce him. Now this woman was giving her the same look. Was it true that she was just a slut in his eyes? That was why he had no interest in her at all.Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.


    "Ha! Don''tpliment me. That''s a great honor I don''t presume to have. You can keep that title for yourself. Take it easy. I won''t fight you for it." Belinda arched her brows and taunted Coco back quickly and ruthlessly.


    "You... you..." Coco sputtered as the color fled her face.


    "What about me? If you want to argue with me, you need a sharper tongue. Now quit it! Trying to bully good people finally shut down your brain. You put it under too much strain. You want to fight me? You are so far out of your league that you are ying apletely different sport." Belinda suddenly felt the frustration built up inside her began to dissolve. It felt good to vent her anger on someone who deserved it.


    "Well, Belinda. Let''s go." Daisy gave Coco an impassive look. Coco seemed pretty miserable now. But as the saying goes here, you reap what you sow. If she hadn''t tried to pick a fight, she wouldn''t get shot down like this.


    "Ha! I will let you off easy today. You''d better not show yourself in front of me ever again. I never forget and never forgive. You''ll see. Don''t try me if you know what''s good for you." Belinda always had so much personality and was forever feisty. She said whatever she wanted and never feared to upset others.


    Coco was knocked sideways by the unexpected twist. she did not get any benefit from confronting Daisy. On the contrary, she was taunted by this woman who appeared from nowhere. Her anger at Belinda burned through her veins like venom, but all she could do was to stand there, her eyes boring into Belinda''s back.


    "Hey! What''s the matter with that woman? Who is her cousin?" Belinda nudged Daisy gently. It was quite dramatic to meet a nut in a restroom.


    "Jessica. She''s the only one who has a grudge against me."


    Daisy sank into a deep mncholy. Although she wasn''t the one to me for what happened to Jessica, Daisy still feltpassion for her. After all Jessica lost her baby and the ability to get pregnant again. That was a cruel blow. As a woman and a mother, Daisy knew how she felt.


    "What? After all she''s been through, she still wants to stir up trouble?" Belinda had heard a lot about Jessica from Daisy and could hardly take any pity on Jessica. That woman deserved a lot worse for what she had done.


    "I have not seen Jessica since that awful thing happened. Maybe she came to her senses already. Maybe it was Coco''s own decision to pick on me. Anyway, it''s none of our business. Let''s drop the subject. Don''t let her spoil our day." Daisy sighed lightly. It would be best if Jessica could think things through and try to do better in the future. If she must walk down a dark road, she would be making a cage for herself. Some damage could never be undone.

 Chapter 694 Three Women Shopping (Part One)

    "You''re right. Let''s go shopping. I haven''t rxed myself in a long time. And you rarely take time for yourself. Let''s have some fun today." Belinda was hot-tempered yet outgoing. She didn''t stay mad about anything for too long. By now, she had already forgotten the


    unpleasant meeting with Coco in the bathroom. And now she was ready to have some fun..


    "Er... shopping? I don''t know." Daisy frowned. She wasn''t keen on shopping. The shopping centers and the malls were always crowded. Shopping was just a waste of time to her. What use was fashion anyway? She would rather spend time studying and improving her skills.


    "If you''re my friend, you''ll say yes." Afraid that Daisy might turn her down, Belinda made her tone threatening. She yearned for some kind of diversion right now, otherwise she would go nuts.


    "I was going to say yes. My husband was brilliant to give me his wallet. Now I won''t have to watch you and Leena buy things. I can buy something nice for myself." Daisy actually didn''t have anything specific to buy. But girls tended to spot things they liked while they were window shopping. So the wallet was actually useful.


    "Huh, your husband? That''s new. You never referred to Edward as your husband before. Did you say that on purpose after you saw Duke and I were fighting? Maybe just to annoy me?" Belinda asked angrily, gritting her teeth.


    "Um... I just blurted it out. I didn''t mean to." Daisy was surprised too. She had never referred to Edward like that in front of people. What on earth did it mean?


    "Even if you meant to anger me, I can''t do anything about it. We all see how happy you and Edward are. I''m happy for you. Your dream has finallye true after so many years. You are my heroine. I really mean that." Belinda looked at Daisy in admiration. She was gratified that her best friend had found her happiness. And Belinda hoped that one day she would too.


    "Thank you. You''ll be as happy as I am. Trust me. We''ll all be happy," Daisy said, squeezing Belinda''s hand. True friends cared about you and would always be there for you. That was what friends were for.


    "Finally. I thought you two bailed on me." Seeing Daisy and Belindaing back hand in hand, Leena was relieved. If she wasn''t watching their belongings while they were in the bathroom, she would have believed they had left without her.


    "Let''s go shopping, Leena. This is our first time shopping together," Belinda said to Leena. Although Leena had done some horrible things to her, she still liked her. She couldn''t help it. Leena was charming in spite of herself. So she didn''t worry that she and Leena wouldn''t get along.


    "Really? I''d love that! I''ve been so bored recently. Let''s go." Leena was all smiles, revealing her white teeth.


    Usually, when women shopped, it meant clothes and cosmetics. Daisy, Belinda, and Leena were no exception. Women were all attracted to the same things, just to different extents. One might go ga-ga for clothing, another for nes and earrings.


    Belinda stopped in front of a bridal shop. A wedding was a one-time thing. It was the biggest day of a woman''s life. She was looking forward to her own, though she wasn''t expecting an extravagant one. "The wedding dresses are beautiful, aren''t they? I''ll give you one as a wedding gift. I promise you will be the most beautiful bride in the world," Leena said confidently.


    "A gift? I doubt it. Is this another scheme of yours?" Belinda looked at Leena suspiciously and took a few steps back. Leena had carried through one of her schemes, and that was how Belinda and Duke got married. If she fell into her trap one more time, she couldn''t imagine how she would end up.


    "Why are you acting like this? I know what I am doing. Rx. I have spent much time on this dress. It will be here in a couple of days. Just wait: You''ll be the most beautiful bride." Leena wrinkled her nose. She had done only one bad thing in her life. And now Belinda was already on her guard around her. She realized that people should avoid mistakes as much as they could. Some mistakes were like shadows, following you your whole life.


    "Are you serious? Promise you''re not nning to make me walk down the aisle nude?" Belinda was still suspicious of Leena.


    "You think I''d do something like that? Duke would kill me before that happens." Leena smiled. She understood why Belinda was worried. As the saying went, once bitten, twice shy.


    "No, he wouldn''t. Everyone knows how much he loves you. Both of you are evil." Belinda got angry, because Leena made her think about Duke. She used to think he was the only decent man among Edward''s friends, one who wouldn''t toy with women. However, now his former lover showed up suddenly and wanted him back. Belinda was so pissed just thinking of it.


    "Belinda, I understand that you''re angry with my brother, but why are you ming me too? I didn''t do anything wrong." Leena looked at Belinda, pouting.


    "You are lucky that you are married and moved out. Otherwise, you''d be in a world of hurt right now." Belinda shed a sinister smile. Leena was scared, feeling she had made a wise decision to get married early.


    "All right. Stop frightening her. Just trust her this once." Daisy knew Leena was an excellent designer. She had promised Leena that she would keep her other identity secret, so she didn''t tell Belinda anything about it.


    "Do you think she''s reliable?" Like Duke, Belinda had never treated Leena like an adult. To her, she was like a spoiled princess.


    "I think so. Just give her a chance to prove herself." Daisy held Belinda and Leena by hands. They dropped the topic soon, because they were attracted by something else.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    "Sis, I believe you''ll look great in this." Leena put a cap on Daisy''s head. Daisy looked wild and mysterious in it.


    "I don''t think so. I rarely wear a hat." Daisy twisted her mouth. She had only worn the army cap. She wasn''t used to wearing other hats.


    "It looks good on you. And it matches your clothes. Take it." Before Daisy knew it, Leena had already paid for the hat. She had to pack it in her shopping bags.


    "Yes, it does. Let''s go look at the ceramics." Belinda led Daisy and Leena to the next shop. Today there was no businesswoman, no colonel, and no little princess. Today, they were just three ordinary women shopping. Except their upper-ss status, they were the same as the others. "Do you like this pair of ceramic kissing figurines?" Belinda was eyeing a pair of kissing figurines, Daisy took them off the shelf, put them in her palm, and teased her.


    "Don''t you think they are just adorable?" Belinda looked at the figurines, and loved them.


    "Oh, I know. Belinda, you want to put them in your bridal chamber, right? The boy is my brother and the girl is you." Leena winked mischievously. She had hit a nerve.000????????

 Chapter 695 Three Women Shopping (Part Two)

    "Who told you I was going to put them in my bridal chamber? I will put it them in my own home." Being seen through, Belinda rolled her eyes at Leena. It seemed as if Leena could read her mind. She began to regret that she had let Leena tag along.


    "Your own home? What''s the difference? Aren''t they the same ce?" Leena was confused.


    "Of course they aren''t. What''s the matter with you? Are you picking on me?" Belinda patted Leena lightly with a sullen face.


    "You and my brother are married. Isn''t your home the Leng residence?" Leena persisted.


    "Why are you arguing with me? Although we are married, we haven''t had our wedding ceremony yet. In addition, my own home isn''t the Leng''s residence, and it will never be." Belinda felt wordless and mad.


    "I think Leena is right. When you are married, your parents'' home isn''t your home anymore. Wherever your husband is, that''s your home." Daisy never knew what it felt like to have two homes. She felt she never truly had a parents'' home to go back to. When she was living with Justin at the army residential quarters, they had a house, but it was far from a home, because there was no man in it. It was after she moved into the Mu''s vi that she started to understand what a home was.


    "That''s right. Belinda, don''t say that to my brother. It will upset him." Despite her young age, Leena was tactful and of good character.


    "Upset him? I''m upset right now. I have a home. Why should I see the Leng''s residence as my home?" Clearly, Belinda was still mad at Duke. But at the same time she was wistful, because after her marriage, she had to leave her parents and move into a new home. That was one of the disadvantages of raising a daughter.


    "What''s going on? You''ve been angry all day," Daisy asked, nudging Belinda with her arm.


    "I''m sorry. I got my period, so I''ve been in a bad mood these days. Don''t take what I said seriously." Belinda exhaled deeply, feeling embarrassed. She didn''t want to argue with Leena, but she grew upset thinking of Duke and then she was angry with Leena too, just because she was his sister.


    "Luckily, it''s us. You would have gotten into a fight if it was someone else." Daisy knew Belinda well. She didn''t believe her period was the cause of her bad mood. She also knew that maintaining a rtionship required mutual understanding of a couple, so she thought Belinda and Duke had to fix their problem by themselves.


    "Yeah. Belinda, I am starting to think that you''re in menopause." Leena looked at Belinda pitifully. Belinda began to yell on hearing her words.


    "Leena! Did you and your brother make a n to irritate me together?" Belinda felt both brother and sister were equally annoying.


    "Gosh! She is so scary. Sis Daisy, what happened to Belinda?" Leena stood behind Daisy and looked at Belinda in fright.


    "Leena, stop talking. Otherwise she will dismember you and eat you up." Daisy shook her head. She felt the way Belinda and Leena got along was exactly what family was like.


    "Don''t stop her. I want to see how irritating she can get." Belinda stared at Leena, furious yet helpless.


    "I know you, you''re upset about something. So I was trying to make you feel better. Don''t you feel better now?" Leena said. Now she saw how frightening Belinda was when she was pissed. Leena was hurt. She was trying to ease Belinda''s tension, yet Belinda was not only ungrateful but also took it out on her.


    "Come on, guys. Look at you two. We came here to shop, not fight. Do you remember? The shopkeeper is staring at us. He must think we are here to ruin his business." Daisy''s day was full of arguments and fights. Either she was in a fight with somebody or she was watching other people arguing. This desensitization was natural. She found she had turned into a philistine. Yet she felt real. This was life.


    Belinda bought the kissing figurines. They stayed for a long time in that shop and had a fierce argument there. She would feel bad if they left without buying anything.


    They fought, they argued, they yed, theyughed. They didn''t feel tired until a few hourster. Their feet hurt, but they were happy.


    "Let''s go somewhere else tonight," Belinda suggested when they were in an ice cream bar. She hadn''t enjoyed herself to her heart''s content yet.


    "I don''t think that''s a good idea." Daisy was in an awkward situation. She was afraid Edward would not agree to let her stay out sote. It was not easy for her to get a day off, and she had spent little time with him. More importantly, she wanted to ask him about the things in B Country. She had intended to ask him yesterday, but she had been too moved by his affection to remember it.


    "Wherever you want to go, I''m in," Leena said excitedly. She would be alone anyway if she went home. And she had never had fun outside since she got married. So she would like to hang with Belinda and Daisy tonight.


    "Are you worried that Edward will disagree? I can call him." Actually Belinda was trying to avoid facing Duke. And she couldn''t go to her parents'' house. They would be asking her questions relentlessly. She would definitely be quite annoyed.


    "No, thanks. I can tell him myself. But don''t you want to call Duke and tell him about your whereabouts? He will be worried." Daisy sighed. Love hurts, she thought. She had struggled in love. And Belinda was struggling and hurting. "He won''t. He''ll worry about somebody else, but not me." It sounded Belinda was jealous.


    "Belinda, do you mean me?" Leena said, although she knew well what Belinda was talking about. She didn''t want to see her brother and Belinda split up. That would be the worst thing in the world.


    "You wish. He won''t even think about you now that he has someone else on his mind." Belinda sat back in the chair sluggishly, sneering. Suddenly she felt good to have a sister-inw like Leena, who she could hang out with. "Why, I sense jealousy." Daisy smiled. Belinda cared about Duke, but she was pretending otherwise.


    "Really? I don''t." Belinda knew what Daisy meant, but she wouldn''t admit to her feelings. Of course she cared. The image she had seen the day before was haunting her. It would be some time before she could be honest with herself.???????????Content from N?velDr(a)ma.Org.

 Chapter 696 A True Beauty (Part One)

    "I also sense it. Actually, you shouldn''t be mad at my brother. Rachel is nobody. Are you afraid that you might lose?" asked Leena knowingly. She bet that Belinda would take the bait for a dare.


    "Bullshit! "I''m not afraid. I just don''t want to be looked down upon because of her. That''s all." Belinda roared withughter. Rachel meant nothing to her. However, Duke''s attitude was another thing entirely. She cared what he thought. "You''re right. There''s no need to worry about all this BS." Leena was sitting at the table sipping lemonade, with a sly smile.


    "Silly, do you call that BS? Well, forget about it. I can''t be serious with you. I might go crazy. By the way, why are you so mischievous while your brother''s so dull and boring?" It finally urred to Belinda that arguing with Leena was a waste of time and energy, since she could never be reasonable.


    "He''s not boring or dull, My brother''s cool, ok? What''s wrong with you?" Leena''s mouth twitched slightly, with a mocking smile shing on her face. She was definitely teasing Belinda and defending Mr. Cold.


    Daisy sipped her jasmine tea with pleasure. Watching those two girls arguing and chattering, Daisy felt her life was perfect right now. She had a family who loved her, several good friends in whom she could confide, and plenty of leisure time. She was happy, and had felt this way almost every day recently.


    At that moment, her mobile phone rang, jarring her back to reality. She picked it up and put a smile on her face, answering the call.


    "Daisy, are you finished? Should Ie pick you up now?" She heard Edward''s attractive voice on the line, which warmed her heart once again.


    "I was gonna call you. I''ll be backter than I expected. So, you might need to have dinner without me," answered Daisy. Daisy looked at those two women who had stopped arguing and were now staring at her nervously. Daisy knew what they were thinking about. They were afraid that Edward might disagree.


    "Are you still out shopping?" asked Edward. He leaned the chair backzily, dropped his pen, and his brow furrowed, sullen.


    "No, we''re done with shopping already. We will go to a pub and have some fun. Are you ok with this?" Daisy tensely asked. She sensed Edward''s displeasure from his voice.


    "If I don''t like this idea, will youe home right now? Will you listen to me?" Edward stood up from the chair, walked to the window, and looked down at the cars on the street. This city was really such a dynamic and prosperous one.


    "What do you think?" Daisy could imagine that Edward must be frowning with those caring eyes.


    "So whether I agree or not, you''ll do it anyway. You''ve already made up your mind, so why ask me?" said Edward with a mocking smile He wouldn''t deserve his title as ''the only person who understood her'' if he had no clue about what was on her mind.


    "I''m sorry. As you know, something happened today." Daisy knew that Edward was already aware of the reason. At lunch, Duke and Belinda were acting weird, so he figured something must have been wrong.


    "Alright, I know. Be careful and text me the address of the pub when you''re there. Then I''ll pick you up when you''re ready to leave." Edward knew that Daisy was Belinda''s best friend, so he wouldn''t object. "Don''t bother. I can call a taxi. It''ll be more convenient for both of us," Daisy insisted. Daisy never thought of herself as a little girl needing extra care and protection. So, without hesitation she refused her husband.


    "Now you''ve got two options. Come back home right now, or tell me the address," said Edward, pissed off by Daisy''s stubbornness and ungratefulness. Edward''s concern was well-justified. Girls could lose control and be quite vulnerable when they were drunk. Besides, he had known Daisy''s tolerance for liquor for some time now. So, he was worried about whether a drunken Daisy coulde back home safe and sound.


    "I don''t like either of those two options," Daisy answered briefly and stiffly. Daisy hated being threatened. So, she wouldn''t ept any proposals under pressure.


    "What about me taking you back by force? Do you like it?" said Edward coldly. He was okay with Daisy going out and having some fun with her friends. However, his bottom line was that her safety wouldn''t bepromised.


    "Do you really think you can do that?" said Daisy in a mocking voice. She was losing her temper, and didn''t take his threats seriously. After all, it wouldn''t be easy to find her and catch her. Her military training had taught her how to disappear if she needed to.


    "Try me. We can y cat and mouse, if you like," said Edward sullenly. He really cared about and loved Daisy. However, she could never take anything for granted, as far as Edward was concerned.


    "You bastard!" shouted Daisy angrily. Then, she hung up. The promise she had made to Edward, that she should never hang up first, was forgotten in her rage.


    "Hello?" Edward shook his head, epting things as they were. Then, he smiled broadly. Although she hung up on him, she conceded. So, he won. As long as his goal was achieved, nothing else mattered.


    "What''s up? Are you allowed to go with us?" Leena asked, nervous when she saw Daisy hang up angrily. Edward''s authoritarian tendencies were legendary. Once he made a decision, he let others know by giving them orders. And he never allowed anyone to disobey him. "He''s fine. He just told me to text him the address of wherever we''re going." Daisy''s mouth twitched slightly and helplessly. It suddenly urred to her that she would never be treated as apetent solider and even a colonel by her husband. In his eyes, she was just a weak woman, and needed protection.


    "Then tell him. What''s the big deal?" asked Belinda in bewilderment. ''Why did Daisy get angry about this?'' Belinda wondered. ''It seems simple enough.''


    "Don''t you think that he''s treating me like his daughter? Now, he wants to control my life, and tells me where I can and can''t go." Daisy sighed. She hated being controlled and treated as some inferior to Edward. However, she didn''t know why she cared about this so much. "It''s so sweet. Haven''t you ever heard that a daughter is actually her father''s lover from the previous life? Shouldn''t you be d that he''s trying his best to protect you and take care of you? Do you want Edward to be cold and indifferent, just like he was in the old days? Is that what you want? Maybe you don''t appreciate what happiness really means. You like being tortured?" Belinda shot a defiant look at Daisy, and wondered what kind of girl would refuse Edward''s care and kindness. However, Daisy had the audacity toin that she had a protective and caring husband.


    "Maybe I''m overthinking it. You know I''m a soldier, ustomed to army life. I give orders, not take them. I just don''t like the fact that my husband feels he can actually control my life and order me to do anything." Daisy was smart enough to figure out her mistakes and apologize for them.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    "Daisy, I know Edward rarely cares about a woman this way. His love is special and unique. He wouldn''t give a shit about the safety or welfare of any woman he had before. He didn''t even talk to them nicely. Do you know that?" In Leena''s eyes, Edward was the best of those outstanding men, so countless women would make sacrifices for him so they could win his heart and his love.


    "Shut up. You''re always ready to defend those men. You''re like a traitor to our women." Belinda looked at Leena coldly and finally knew why those men liked Leena. She was like a defensewyer who would do anything to make her defendant look not guilty. "I''m telling you the truth. I don''t lie." Leena was hurt and her full lips pouted slightly. Each and every man she loved had unique characters and deserved her love and defense.


    "Stop. Shut up. Don''t talk nonsense in front of me, please." Belinda was afraid of Leena being stubborn and arguing. So, she decided to silence Leena first.


    "Belinda, you better call Duke, otherwise, he might get anxious and worried," said Daisy. Daisy knew Belinda well enough that she was sure Belinda had turned off her cell phone so that Duke could not talk to her on the phone.


    "Don''t we have a traitor here to tip us off? So, don''t worry about him." Belinda gave Leena a quick nce and was sure that Leena must have told her brother about where they were going and what they were gonna do.


    "Haha, I told him nothing but that we won''t be back home early." Leena smiled with a guilty conscience, knowing that she had been exposed. She attempted to gloss over this embarrassing moment.00000000

 Chapter 697 A True Beauty (Part Two)

    "You know you''re a traitor, don''t you?" Belinda looked at Leena contemptuously. She turned off her cell phone so that he wouldn''t call and bother her. Meanwhile, she also knew that Leena would tell her brother about where they were. So she didn''t give a second thought about Duke getting worried.


    Loud noise and dancing people were what you saw in a pub. So, as soon as they entered this ce, they felt its rhythm and attraction almost immediately.


    "Belinda, can''t we go to another ce? I don''t like it."


    Leena frowned, debating whether she should go inside with Belinda. Recalling what had happened here, she really wanted to escape.


    "It''s a nice pub. Although it''s not as luxurious as Sexy World, it''s still well-decorated inparison with other pubs. We can have some fun here." Belinda shot a curious nce at Leena and wondered why she looked so anxious. Leena seemed to dislike this ce already. "We can leave and find another one if you don''t like it." Daisy also saw Leena''s embarrassed expression. She looked around and found theyout and decoration weren''t bad. They could enjoy a good night here.


    "Forget it. I''m fine. Let''s go inside."


    Leena took a deep breath, and decided to rx. A long time had passed, and she was sure that nobody would recognize her in the pub. This was where she had her one-night stand with Kevin.


    "Are you sure?" Daisy looked a bit worried, since she still sensed a slight hesitation in Leena''s voice.


    "Yes, I''m sure. Don''t worry. Stop treating me like a kid." Leena smiled sweetly, which was typical of her. She was always optimistic and nothing could depress her for a long time. Nevertheless, she was still a bit afraid that some waiters or waitresses might recognize her for seducing Kevin that night. She''d be embarrassed if she heard one of the rumors.


    "Let''s go. We can ask for a private box if you don''t like the noise outside." Actually Belinda rarely went to a pub, although she never felt it was beneath her to go there. She might meet some strangers, drink some liquor and get drunk. The noisy atmosphere in the pub was fine with her. However, she was afraid that Daisy might be unused to this.


    "Whatever you want. It''s fine with me, as long as you enjoy it." Although Daisy had always disliked noisy surroundings, she could reluctantly do this to lift Belinda''s spirits and have her rxed.


    "I don''t want a private box. We can sit here, and look at those beautiful boys and girls on the dancing floor." Belinda raised her eyebrows and smiled at them.


    "Ok. Let''s sit in the corner. We''d better keep a low profile." Daisy stretched out her hand and pointed out to a table in a corner. She took their hands and walked towards it. Their beautiful faces and figures inevitably drew lots of attention. Men were whistling at them. "Belinda, why don''t we ask for a private box? My brother mighte here and scold us." Leena looked gloomy and frustrated, although she still followed them and took a seat beside them. She had promised that she would send a message to Mr. Cold, but how would he react when he knew that they were being stared at and whistled at by strange men who clearly wanted to getid?


    "It''s none of his business. We''re behaving ourselves. Besides, wee here to have fun, don''t we? So stop being silly and sentimental." Belinda sneered. If men were free toe here and enjoy themselves, why did women have to restrain themselves?


    "It''s annoying. Anyway, if Mr. Cold gets angry, you''ll regret the decision you just made. In addition to that, Edward will also be mad." Leena might have understated the consequences of their rebelliousness. She knew those two arrogant men so much that she suggested Daisy and Belinda ask for a private box to stay in. Now her proposal was refused, and she knew the possible grave consequences. She hoped that the two women she loved most in the world could leave this ce safe and sound. Thus, she couldn''t stop herself from looking worried.


    "Leena, you''re scared of them. But I''m not." Belinda really liked the noisy atmosphere in the pub. She looked around, found a waiter and snapped her fingers, "A bottle of ABSOLUT, please," she said to the waiter.


    "Miss, ABSOLUT is a bit too strong for girls. I suggest you choose MoetChandon, it tastes softer and better for you. Actually, you may like the taste of fruit in it," said the waiter earnestly. He looked young, handsome and sincere. None of those girls seemed to bear to refuse his proposal and kindness.


    "Ok, a bottle of MoetChandon is fine. Vodka is the right thing for men. Girls need something softer." Leena was shocked by Belinda. With two sses of vodka, Leena would get blind drunk and Daisy was no better than her.


    "So, will I bring you a bottle of MoetChandon? I can get it right now for you youngdies." The waiter asked again to make sure that those girls really ordered wine of the top 10 brands. After all, he needed to know they could afford it.


    "Yes. I need a bottle of MoetChandon." Daisy had a poor knowledge of wine. Since Leena and Belinda liked it, she wouldn''t say anything to spoil a good night. Belinda really needed some liquor to rx herself and lift her spirits.


    "Alright, please wait a minute. I''ll get it for you." Then, the waiter turned round and left in a hurry. He didn''t dare to neglect them, since those guests who could afford MoetChandon must be important.


    "Look! I haven''t done this for a long, long time," said Belinda. Then, the DJ broke into the music, "I wanna see you moving," he said, and the music started in earnest assers waved their beams around. Belinda started to nod her head to the rhythm of the tune. She loved loud music.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    ''We might get into serious trouble, ''thought Leena to herself. She prayed to God that they would be fine, and nothing dangerous would happen.


    "Leena, what''re you afraid of? I''ll take the me, okay? So, rx and enjoy yourself. Everything''s fine. I promise." Belinda raised her eyebrows, and didn''t believe they could get into any trouble tonight. Why would they be afraid of getting those two condescending and arrogant men pissed off?


    "I don''t believe you. Trust me, he certainly will lose his temper at me, because he loves you too much to scold you. But he is never hesitant to me me." Leena''s face distorted when she thought of the bleakness of the possible consequences.


    "If you''re telling the truth, I got nothing to worry about, haha," said Belinda with a sly smile. Everyone knew that Duke was fond of his little sister. So Leena might be a fool if she actually believed that her brother might vent his anger on her.


    "I know it. Belinda, are you doing this on purpose? Are you trying to take revenge on me for our argument?" Leena wore a fashionable jumpsuit which made her look lovely and sexy. She had already been a beauty at a young age. At that moment, her full lips pouted slightly, a man might be unable to restrain himself from kissing her.


    "Don''t think about me that way, please. Do I look like a bitch to you?" Although Belinda did think that way, she would never acknowledge her thoughts in front of Leena and Daisy. She must teach Leena a lesson for arguing with her.


    "You are the definition of a bitch, as far as I''m concerned." Daisy looked at Belinda coldly. Belinda had the audacity to do things like that and refuse to acknowledge it.


    "Look, Daisy agrees with me that you''re doing this to punish me. By the way, can I go home first?"


    Leena thought it was unwise for her to stay here with them in a pub, so she decided to leave.


    "You tell me. If you leave now, I''ll tell your brother that you suggested that we go to a pub and have some fun. What do you think he would do?" said Belinda threateningly. Belinda felt so good to threaten Leena and piss her off. She believed that Leena would surely learn some lessons today. "Belinda, how could you set me up this way? Mr. Cold will lock me in the house for a month." The thought of this sent a chill through her heart. She had been punished by her brother this way countless times.


    "Don''t be a fool. I got you covered. I won''t allow him to do that. Besides, you don''t live with him. How could he lock you in your own house? So, stop being a dumbass." Belinda snapped at Leena''s head and thought that there was nothing more funny than seeing your husband''s little sister get punished for your actions.00000000??????

 Chapter 698 An Old Acquaintance (Part One)

    "As long as it''s what Duke wants to do, then he''ll probably follow through. He''s got a bad temper, and there''s no telling what could happen. I thought you should know," Leena reminded her. She trembled a bit at the thought of Duke''s previous actions, sending her back to Paris. Duke was very angry then. Fortunately, Kevin was with her and he took the brunt of it. Otherwise, Duke might have torn her to pieces. "At the worst he''d yell at me. what else would he do?" Belinda said that, caring less about what Leena said. She did not know that in addition to yelling, Duke had various ways to make her beg him to stop.


    "Miss, here is your wine. And, our boss told us all your orders are free tonight." The waiter said. And his words caught the attention of the threedies. They looked at the waiter in surprise.


    "Who is your boss and why is it free?" Belinda asked. She was wondering whether they had fallen into a subtle and deadly trap.


    "I don''t know either. But my boss said that Ms. Leng would know the reason. I''m sorry! I have to go now." The waiter said, giving a meaningful look at Leena. And then he turned and walked away.


    "Girl, tell me what the hell is going on! Is that the reason why you didn''t want toe in just now? You know the boss here?" Belinda stared at Leena with a thoughtful expression on her face. She could not understand why Leena, such a naive young girl, had a friend who ran a nightclub?


    "Uh! No. This is the second time I''ve been here. How could I know the boss? But I think the boss is Kevin''s friend," Leena exined, looking around the bar. She did not tell them that Kevin was one of the co-owners of this nightclub. Kevin once mentioned that the soldiers could not go into business, so she didn''t mention it to anyone, not even close friends or rtives. She didn''t want to make trouble for Kevin.


    "So, why did you have a probleming here? Wouldn''t it be nice to be friends with the boss?" Belinda felt more and more puzzled about Leena''s attitude. And she was not persuaded by Leena''s simple exnation. She still felt that there must be something she was holding back.


    "I just felt embarrassed to walk into the bar just now. Maybe I don''t feel like being in a ce where anyone knows me." Leena pouted her lips. If they knew she was familiar with the boss here, they would ask again why and how she got to know the boss. She was not ready to answer their questions. She could never let them know what she had done to Kevin here. Leena thought to herself. It was a secret!


    "Really? Girl, look at you now. You can''t even make eye contact. I know you''re holding something back. Tell me, girl. Why do you have a problem with this bar? What the hell is going on with you?" Belinda squinted her beautiful eyes, staring straight at Leena with a teasing smile. It seemed that she had prepared a long list of questions. In case Leena''s answers still could not satisfy her, Belinda would throw more questions at her until she got the reason.


    "I really don''t know what''s going on. I just did not want toe in just now and I don''t know why. Just forget it Belinda, and let''s just drink!" Leena could not look straight into Belinda''s inquiring eyes. She hastily refilled Belinda''s winess, hoping that the stubborn woman would stop asking questions..


    "Just let it go. If she doesn''t want to talk about it, don''t force her. If the boss is Kevin''s friend, then there is nothing to be suspicious about." Daisy picked up on Leena''s tension and tried to get Belinda to stop her interrogation. Because Daisy appreciated Kevin''s good character. If the boss was Kevin''s friend, then the boss probably wasn''t a bad guy.


    "No, Daisy. Don''t you think this girl is acting a bit odd today?" Belinda did not want to give up. As far as she was concerned, Leena must have something that she didn''t tell them.


    "Yes, I agree she''s acting suspiciously. But why do you care? Everyone has their own little secrets. And if she doesn''t want to talk about it, then it means it''s not something that can be shared with us. So, just let her be!" Though Daisy was also curious about what was going on, she respected Leena''s decision. And Daisy did not want to force Leena to talk about something which she was unwilling to share.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Daisy, it is so kind of you to say that. So sweet. Not like someone who keeps questioning me as if I was a criminal. Not to say that the one doing that is my sister-inw? She''s acting like we''re enemies, not family." As soon as Leena felt that Daisy was on her side, she started to tease Belinda in an gushing tone, and gave her a provocative look.


    "Girl, you are too naive to understand the adult world. We''re fussy with the sister-inw, but we take good care of our sisters. You are my sister-inw and Daisy''s sister. Of course, Daisy and I do not get on with you in the same way because of our different views. Just as I said before, you should be thankful that you married early. Otherwise, just wait and see how I would abuse you 24/7."


    Belinda did not care much about Leena''s bluster, with her eyebrows raised slightly. If this girl had not been married, Belinda could imagine how lively the Leng House would be. At least, it would be a very pleasant thing to fight with this little girl every day.


    "Are you sure you are my sister-inw, not my stepmother?" Leena was not afraid of Belinda''s threat at all. After all, if Belinda talked about it frankly, that meant she would not really do it, but was just ying tricks. Anyway, if Belinda was really that kind of vicious person, Leena wouldn''t let her marry her brother, Duke. She wouldn''t have even tried to arrange it.


    "You can think whatever you like. But it depends on how I do it." Belinda took a sip of her champagne, turning her eyes to the center of the stage. She was attracted to the fast-paced melody and the inspiring music and would like to have a try.


    For all the arguments between Belinda and Leena, Daisy always kept quiet and never intervened. It''s because it had nothing to do with her, so she stayed calm. So, even if Belinda and Leena made a lot of noise, Daisy still maintained her usual calmness. "Daisy, why don''t we dance? Let''s go!" After all, Belinda was a very active youngdy, and she also had a bold character, being a professional woman. She watched the crowd dancing and swinging in the middle of the stage, and suddenly wanted to dance herself.0000000

 Chapter 699 An Old Acquaintance (Part Two)

    "Well, I don''t know how to dance, so, not me. How about you two go out there?" Daisy refused to dance with them. She only learned some social dancing before and really knew nothing about how to dance at a nightclub. Not to mention she was also too shy to dance in front of people, especially in a ce like the nightclub. She was not used to being the center of attention, and didn''t intend to start now. "I''m not going either, Belinda. I prefer to drink quietly." Leena did not want to dance either. She was pretty sure Duke was going to get there soon. She did not dare to irritate him.


    "You''re both staying here? Well, okay, I''ll go by myself!" Belinda had no problem dancing in public. She''d studied abroad, and was quite worldly and open-minded.


    "Okay. Go and have a good time! We''ll just sit here and watch you," Daisy said, giving Belinda a tender smile. Really, she thought Leena was worried about nothing. It was good for Belinda to get out there, dance, and forget her cares. There was nothing to be concerned about. Anyway, it was just dancing; Duke should not be angry about it!


    Once Belinda approached the stage, she immediately attracted a lot of attentions and whistles from countless men. After all, such a youngdy with a beautiful face and a curvy figure was rare in the nightclub, Belinda was hot and she knew it. Hence, everyone began approaching her, flirting with her while dancing. Surrounded by the dancers, Belinda just smiled, like a powerful princess looking down upon her subjects.


    "Daisy, you think she''s okay out there?" Leena said worriedly. Her heart was about to jump out of her throat, especially when she saw a man dancing closely with Belinda.


    "Oh my god! Is that really Belinda? She''s dancing dangerously. I hope Duke doesn''t see that." Daisy also felt uncertain now. She thought this went way beyond rxation, and it seemed that Belinda had drunk too much.


    "So, what do we do now?" Leena could only rely on Daisy now. She looked at the door from time to time for fear that her brother''s cold figure would suddenly appear in the doorway.


    "Let''s keep watching her. We need to see what we can do to get her out of that." Daisy frowned. She thought that Belinda was a heavy drinker. It was impossible for her to get drunk only by two sses of champagne, right? However, Daisy felt uncertain about the answer now, when she saw Belinda''s crazy dance.


    And now on the stage, Belinda danced happily, twisting her perfect waist with every move. She''d had too much to drink, and so was more excited than she''d been in a long time. Though she did ignore all the flirting, every move of hers was full of infinite charm, making those men even crazier. All of them wanted to get in her pants, and it was inevitable that some guys were restless and caused a disturbance.


    "Excuse me! I wonder if I could invite you for a drink?" There was a soft voice sounded beside her ears when Daisy paid close attention to the disturbance caused by Belinda.


    "I''m sorry. I can''t drink." Daisy rejected the man''s invitation, without turning back to see who was talking. Her eyes still fixed on Belinda who was in the center of the stage. Daisy was ready to pull Belinda back anytime when it became necessary.


    "In that case, may I sit with you?" The man did not want to give up, asking politely for Daisy''s opinion again.


    "I am sorry, but that seat is taken. You''ll have to find somewhere else to sit." Daisy was unhappy. What she hated most was being pestered again and again by other people. She turned around angrily to see who was so bold to annoy her. After seeing the man standing before her clearly, she widened her eyes in astonishment.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    "Daisy, long time no see. You are beautiful as always." The man smiled gently, his soft voice made her feel warm as a spring breeze, "Woo, you are Zemo. Hi, Zemo. Why are you here?" Daisy felt excited. You could see from her expression that she and this man knew each other well.


    "I just came to the city for some errands. And I did not expect to run into you. Let''s think about it. How many years has it been since west saw each other?"


    The man frowned. It seemed that he was calcting.


    "Not so long, Zemo. Even less than ten years. But you''ve changed a lot!" Daisy looked at the man in front of her. It was difficult to connect the man in a suit with the boy in the JC Military Academy. Yes, of course. The time passed very quickly, with a lot of things had changed. How could she expect him to look the same in 10 years. He was all grown up now.


    "So am I closer to your ideal type?" The man''s remark seemed to be a joke, but it had a hint of temptation in it.


    "Stop it. Just sit down!" Daisy moved herself a bit, making room for Zemo. She patted the seat, asking Zemo to sit down, keeping a faint smile on her face.


    "Thank you very much! And will you introduce this youngdy to me?" Zemo gave a nce to Leena. He felt that this youngdy did not wee him to sit down.


    "Oh, yes. She is Leena Leng. She is my sister." Besides Kevin, Zemo was the other person who took care of Daisy in the JC Military Academy. Because they came from the same country, they shared the samenguage, background and simr mindsets so they looked after each other in the school, both in study and daily life. But there was something happenedter, and she lost contact with Zemo.


    "Hi, Ms. Leng. I''m Zemo Ling. Nice to meet you!" His smile was disarming. But even Leena did not like this man who just suddenly popped up, but she still gave him a sweet smile in return for his gentle grin.


    "Hi, Mr. Ling, right? Please call me Leena. My friends do. No need to be so polite." Leena didn''t know who this man was, but she could tell from the way he looked at Daisy with those gentle eyes that he must harbor some affection for her. So she must keep him away from Daisy.


    "That''s fine. Then there''s no need to call me Mr. Ling, just call me Zemo." Zemo Ling smiled gently again. He was not put off by Leena''s boldness. He might be arge man in a suit, but underneath he was a gentleman, and generous to a fault. The behavior matched his looks.


    "Sorry, we still don''t know each other well. So I still need to behave properly and politely." Leena sneered and thought, ''A good-looking face? Who cares? Inparison with Edward, there is still a huge gap between his appearance and Edward''s. Edward is the most handsome man I have ever seen.''


    "Don''t mind her. She''s angry with everyone today!" Daisy frowned, simply exining to Zemo. She was confused -- why did Leena behave in that way? Leena was certainly a very easy person to get along with. How could she be so fussy about Zemo? Why did she speak to him only in polite tones, and not friendly ones????????????????

 Chapter 700 An Old Acquaintance (Part Three)

    "She''s fine. By the way, you have changed a lot too. I didn''t recognize you at first and it took me a long time to confirm that it was you." Zemo was not as handsome as Edward, nor as elegant as Rain. But he was a tough man, with determination in his eyes. It was rare to see such style nowadays. "Of course. I am much older than before. I was a teenage girl thest time you met me. And now I am nearly thirty. How time flies!" Daisy sighed, recalling the past time when she was young. There was an old saying that, those who knew nothing feared nothing. This saying best described what they were in the JC Military Academy. However, she could not find such impetus now.


    "Don''t say you''re old in front of me. I am older than you are. But you are more attractive now." There was a glint of sadness in Zemo''s eyes. If he hadn''t been injured at the time, would the situation be different now? Was there any possibility that he would be in love with Daisy?


    "Thank you very much! You look good too! Much more mature and reliable. "Daisy smiled, raising her lower lip and again cast her gaze to the center of the dancing floor. Surprise! Belinda was not there any longer. This discovery made her stand up in a panic, with her keen eyes searching the crowd. And she finally locked her eyes on the hottest ce. However, she was unable to figure out whether Belinda was among therge group of people there because there were so many people standing around.


    "Sis, what happened? Belinda is not there! I could not see her now." Right when Daisy stood up, Leena also realized that something was wrong. Looking out there, she also found that Belinda who had danced crazily in the middle of the dancing floor had disappeared. It was all her fault. She only cared about the man in front of her but neglected that the person who could actually be in danger was Belinda.


    "Don''t worry. Let''s go and find her. She should still be in the pub." Daisy bit her lips, feeling annoyed. If anything bad happened to Belinda, Daisy couldn''t forgive herself for not protecting Belinda well.


    "Daisy, what''s up?" Zemo stood up too, wondering why Daisy got nervous suddenly and what she was looking for.


    "It''s all right. Wait here a moment. I have to go. I''ll be back soon." Daisy finally figured out where Belinda was. But it seemed that Belinda was in trouble. So, Daisy did not hesitate to walk straight over to her.


    When Leena discovered that Belinda''s situation was not the best she hurried to catch up with Daisy. She didn''t know what had happened, but before she came nearer, she saw a cold figure at the bar door. She was so frightened that she could not help tucking her neck in and hunching her shoulders. Why did Duke have to get here now? She hoped Daisy could get Belinda back as soon as possible. Otherwise, the man would burst into a furious rage if he found that Belinda was in trouble.


    And at the stage, Belinda was dancing with a man in the sexiest and hottest way in the nightclub. And their sexy dance attracted arge group of onlookers standing around them. Belinda''s big eyes were smiling, and her small red lip was pouting slightly, as if she was inviting others to dance with her. She looked so charming and sexy in every movement. This was a woman who exuded enchantment from her inner being. She seemed to seduce men all the time and definitely set their hearts on fire.


    Daisy had never seen this side of Belinda. So, Daisy was stunned for a moment, forgetting to get Belinda away. She suddenly felt dazed and wondered whether the sexydy on the stage was Belinda. And because of her hesitation, Duke saw the scene which made his heart speed up, blood pressure increase, and his breathing quickened.


    "Belinda ..." Duke''s tone was so cold that it seemed to freeze everything. He went straight to Belinda. But it seemed that Belinda could not hear what he shouted at her, and continued dancing with the man before her, twisting her waist a lot.


    Dukeughed at himself. Well, if Belinda was trying to get revenge on him in such a way, he had to say that she had really been very sessful in arousing his jealousy and monstrous anger. So, he bit his teeth hard and stepped forward. Without thinking, he gave the man who danced with Belinda a punch, and then stretched out his long and slender hands, taking Belinda into his arms. The whole process was so smooth and quick that even Daisy was shocked, not knowing when Duke came here.


    The moment she was enfolded in Duke''s arms, Belinda finally came back to her senses. When she met Duke''s cold eyes, she held her breath for a while. She had seen the cool side of Duke and experienced his angry, but she had never seen such a cruel side of him, as if he wanted to kill the man that she danced with.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    ''What the fuck! Who are you? That''s my girl, buddy! Back off!" The man who was knocked down to the ground staggered to his feet, spitting a mouthful of blood. He wiped the bleeding corner of the mouth, looking at Duke angrily.


    "What? Your girl? She''s my woman. What were you doing just now? Putting your hands on her?" Duke suppressed his anger, giving the man a cold look. And then he turned to Belinda, who was trembling at the sight of Duke''s cold eyes.


    "What? Your woman? We were dancing together and you were nowhere to be found. Who do you think you are anyway?" The man shouted, without feeling afraid of Duke''s anger. His bravery even impressed Leena who was nearly pping for him. It seemed that the man did not notice Duke''s cold look, and wasn''t even aware that Duke nearly exploded in rage. But he dared to provoke him. Leena had to say that this man was really brave, and she just did not know how he''d end up. He couldn''t stay in the city long if Duke decided to go after him.


    "I hope you got some prayers today, or I will definitely let you know what kind of death is the most miserable one." After saying that, Duke pushed Belinda to Daisy''s side. Duke wasn''t worried about Daisy because he believed in her. Then he quickly kicked out, forcing the man to retreat several steps. Duke did not stop after that and threw the man to the ground with only one move. His action was so smooth and quick that Daisy finally got it: these delicate men were all very good at fighting. She found Edward first, and then Duke this time. So this meant Rain should not be weak either.00000000000000

 Chapter 701 He Really Meant Nothing (Part One)

    wrong. This man could be very dangerous and scary. It seemed that she didn''t know him as well as she thought.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Seeing the scary look on Duke''s face, Belinda couldn''t help flinching. She had always thought that even though the man looked cold and distant, he was still gentle and soft inside. But right now, from the deadly cold look on his face, she finally realized that she was terribly "Belinda, I think you''re really screwed this time, even God can''t help you right now." Leena wanted badly to leave here and go home right away. She really didn''t want to be stuck in this kind of situation at all.


    "Did -- did I really go too far this time?" Belinda asked with a guilty look on her face. She gently pressed her fingers to her head, feeling a little bit dizzy. As the alcohol started to leave her body, she felt ill, and not at all sure of what she had done.


    "What do you think?" Daisy frowned at her words. Because of the fight that happened earlier, the people surrounding this ce all went away by now. So they were the only people left standing in the center of the dance floor. Duke stared coldly at Belinda for a couple of seconds, then looked away. He didn''t say a word, just walked past them, like they wereplete strangers. He didn''t even look at them or make any gestures, he just walked away.


    No one thought Duke would react this way. So they just stood still on the dance floor, paralyzed from shock. Leena was the first one to recover. She saw Duke leaving, then hurriedly ran after him. "Brother, wait up!


    "You''re leaving?" Edward slowly walked in, immediately had a teasing smile on his face when he saw Duke walking quickly towards the exit. But after a second nce, he couldn''t help but frown, especially when he saw the familiar figure standing on the center of the dance floor. Brow furrowed, he had no idea what was happening.


    "Edward! Boy are you a sight for sore eyes! Talk with Duke, please! He really needs you right now, I think!" Leena''s face was all screwed up tight in worry. She was concerned about her brother, but she really didn''t know what to do now. Why was it so hard to be a decent sister? It was a fight between her brother and his wife, why did she have to be the peacemaker?


    "What happened?" Although the question was directed at Leena, Edward''s eyes were on the two figures slowly walking towards them.


    "I really don''t know how to exin it to you in a nutshell. But please, go stop my brother, don''t let him leave!" Leena felt so anxious that she could cry. She had warned her that she''d better not go dancing in the first ce! Now look where it got them!


    "Duke, if you''re really leaving, at least take your wife with you! Why are you leaving her with my wife?" The corner of Edward''s mouth twitched, he was sure that Duke must be jealous. Not only that, he must be extremely jealous, or he wouldn''t leave without taking his wife with him.


    "Out of my way, Edward." Duke raised his eyebrow, ground his teeth and angrily red at Edward. He knew Edward so well, how could he not see that this guy was just teasing him? Right now his rage blinded him to everything but his anger. He couldn''t even tell you why he was angry at that point.


    "Easy, big guy. I''m here for the same reason. I''m just here to pick up my wife." Edward lowered his eyes, and nced at the other man, his face full of joy and teasing.


    "Who says that I''m here to pick up my wife? Can''t I just be passing through?" Thinking of what happened just now, Duke couldn''t help but clinch his fists tightly. That womanpletely ignored his presence when he called for her, even went so far as to press her body closer to that man. She was his wife, not some loose woman!


    "Huh! You''re just being stubborn, that''s all. Now shut up, they''re almost here. You know Belinda. She gives as good as she gets. If you start a fight --" Edward nudged Duke with his shoulder. His appearance in this bar was definitely the highlight of the evening. His charming smile, his elegant aura, and his handsome looksbined, enticed every woman in the bar without even trying. They were all wondering who this charming guy was, and if they had a chance with him.


    "Why are you here so soon?" Daisy wasn''t happy at all when she saw Edward walking into the bar. She was just at a loss for words due to his charming smile. This man was definitely a threat to every man, because at any given moment he was enticing and seductive. And he would definitely be the death of her one of these days. The eyes of every woman here were on him, following him like a cat stalked a mouse. He basked in the attention without even meaning to. He was a womanizer for sure. Daisy wanted so badly to drag him out of this bar and hide him forever, just in case he got any unwholesome ideas.


    "What, aren''t you happy to see me?" Edward raised his eyebrow, he would very much like to hear that she was not happy to see him, if she dared to say it out loud.


    "Well, I don''t have the guts to be unhappy." Daisy looked at Belinda and winked at her, suggesting that she should go to Duke''s side. And at the same time, Daisy took Leena''s hand as well as Edward''s, pulling them both away from this ce.


    Belinda bit her lip, then slowly walked towards Duke step by step. She felt good in the beginning, and it was an innocent night out with the girls. But getting drunk and dancing sciously proved that it was wrong for her toe here. So in front of Duke it was hard for her not to feel a little bit guilty.


    "Ummm, well... About the thing that happened just now, I can exin." Belinda kept her head down, and she couldn''t stop ying with her fingers because she was quite nervous. She snuck a peek at Duke from time to time.


    "Save it. I don''t want to hear your excuses. I saw what you did with my own eyes, and you can''t exin that away." Duke''s tone was cold and distant, as if what he was saying had nothing to do with him. There was no warmth in his voice. And as for Belinda, she could be mad all she wanted, and she could also start some meaningless drama, but she couldn''t get that close to any other man, and that was his rule.


    "Ha... Really? If you really think so, then please, just go." Belinda was quick to admit when she was wrong, and had no problem apologizing, but she had her own rules. The first one of them was that she would never be the one to back down every time, just to please somebody else. She admitted that she had gone too far earlier, but that was just dancing. Why did he have to make such a big deal out of it?


    "Yes really. I should be asking you the same thing. Do you mean that? This is messed up." Duke closed his eyes for a short moment, and he couldn''t help but feelpletely disappointed in her. All this time, he had thought that she was different from others, that she was not like other women who only saw his appearance and money, that she was someone special. But right now, it seemed that he waspletely wrong. It turned out that there was no difference between her and other women, that she was just as shallow as them."

 Chapter 702 He Really Meant Nothing (Part Two)

    "Ha! What do you want me to say? Do you want me to beg? Don''t forget that I wanted to exin everything to you, but you didn''t even want to listen to me! If you''re not willing to give me a chance to exin myself, then what do you expect me to do? You can give me the cold shoulder all you want, I don''t give a damn." Belinda was a stubborn girl, and she would never back down once she thought that she was in the right. So how could she just stand there and take it from Duke?


    "So you think that there''s nothing wrong with your behavior, at all? You really think that it''s all my fault? That I''m the unreasonable one?" Duke said, bottling up his anger. He looked at her small face full of stubbornness, and his heart was bleeding from the heartbreak he tasted.


    "I didn''t say that! Yes, I did something wrong, but I don''t need your attitude. me me all you want. That''s great. But don''t expect me to take that. Not going to happen. You can take your attitude and stick it! I don''t beg. That''s not me." Belinda had always been the spoiled girl. Usually, it was everyone else who conceded to her, not the other way around. However, Duke was the exception. She had always been the one to back down, but she couldn''t keep doing that.


    "Alright, I get it. So we can''t solve this. You made it very clear what you want. I guess I have no choice. I think we need to take a break and cool down, figure out what we really want! I guess that''s for the best. Maybe it''ll do us both some good." Duke was also a proud man, and his pride wouldn''t let him bow his head to Belinda. So he just looked deep into her eyes for a moment, then turned around and quickly walked away. His retreating figure seemed so determined and hard-hearted.


    Belinda''s hands clenched into tight fists, and she gently bit her lip. He just walked away like this? Really? Shouldn''t he say some nice words to her and try and make her happy? Or he could even have a big fight with her and tell her off! But instead, he didn''t do anything. He just walked away. Did he think they were not worth fighting for?


    Daisy''s situation was no better. They''d all forgotten that Zemo was there. Edward, being the jealous type, wasn''t about to let that go.


    "Daisy, what the hell just happened?" Zemo had wanted to follow them and see what was going on, but he stayed there to guard thedies'' purses. When they returned to the table, he decided to ask Daisy. Besides, he was also curious about the elegant and handsome man standing beside Daisy.


    "Oh! Everything''s good now, don''t worry. I hope we didn''t freak you out. Sit, sit!" Daisy had a smile on her face. In fact, she was not that worried anymore. She had confidence in Belinda, and she believed that Belinda would definitely exin everything to Duke and they would soon make up. So she didn''t pay them any more mind.


    "Honey, don''t you want to introduce us?" Edward was never afraid to show off his pretty face in front of an imaginary rival. So he put his arm around Daisy''s waist on purpose, raised the corner of his lips and put on a charming smile, ncing sideways at the other man defiantly. Everything he did was for one reason, which was to dere that he was the only one who could have Daisy.


    "Daisy, are you married?" Zemo had to admit that the man standing before him was indeed a very good-looking and powerful man, but he felt somewhat repulsed when he heard the man calling Daisy ''honey''.


    "Yes! Let me introduce you to each other. This is my husband, Edward Mu. And this, this is my ssmate from my JC Military Academy days, Zemo Ling." Daisy gracefully introduced them to each other. Apparently, she had nothing to hide. The truth was always the truth, and she didn''t need to hide anything at all.


    "Oh! He''s your ssmate, of course! Mr. Ling, it''s really nice to meet you." Once Edward heard that the man in front of his eyes was Daisy''s schoolmate, he finally let his guard down, and stretched out his hand to shake Zemo''s. The other man decided to grip Edward''s hand tightly, intending to crush the CEO''s fingers to show him who was dominant. He smirked meaningfully at the other man. Well, two could y this game, right?


    "Hello! I''m really happy to meet you too. You can call me Zemo Ling or just Zemo." In Zemo''s eyes, the man who deserved Daisy was definitely not the man in front of him, who just had a pretty face and nothing else. How could he expect a pretty boy with no real power to protect Daisy? So he simply squeezed his hand harder. But he thought wrong, because just at the same time, his own hand started hurting. Edward might have extended his hand, but he was not so trusting, He thrust his index finger forward just before their hands met, lightly touching Zemo''s wrist -- the ssic way to avoid getting fingers smashed in a bone-crushing handshake. Edward squeezed back with his other four fingers. All Zemo was doing was hurting himself.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    "What are you two doing? Sit down!" Daisy frowned, looking at their hands that were still together in a mockery of a handshake.


    After hearing Daisy''s words, both of them let go of the other''s hand at the same time, and there was also a glint of appreciation towards each other in their eyes. But just because of this, they both decided to secretlypete with one another. Meanwhile, Belinda walked quickly towards them, picked up the Moet Chandon from the table and drank it straight from the bottle. Her style of drinking was bold, just like her quick temper.


    "Belinda, are you out of your mind? And where is Duke? Why are you alone?" Daisy quickly grabbed the bottle from her hand, and Belinda, started by Daisy''s action, began to cough.


    "Yeah! Sis, where''s Duke? Why isn''t he here with you? He took off, didn''t he?" Leena was anxious too, looking around to see if she could see her brother. But no matter how hard she tried, she still couldn''t find Duke. Where did he go?


    "Huh! Why would I know? It has nothing to do with me anyway. Gimme back my booze!" Saying these words, Belinda reached out to grab the bottle of champagne from Daisy, but Daisy was quicker, holding it closer and twisting so the bottle was out of Belinda''s reach. "Will you just sit down first? Drinking isn''t the solution to everything. You can''t possibly drink your problems away." Daisy helped Belinda sit down next to her, her eyes full of worry for her best friend. Why was she acting like this? And more importantly, where was Duke? "I''ll give him a call." Leena immediately took out her phone and called her brother, but it went straight to voice mail. Duke had turned his phone off. Leena turned to look at Belinda. She was really curious what they talked about earlier. What had made Mr. Cold simply turn off his phone?"

 Chapter 703 He Really Meant Nothing (Part Three)

    "Can you reach him?" Of course, Daisy didn''t imagine that it would turn out like this. She thought that they had talked it all out and made up. But it seemed that not only were things not fine between them, they made their situation even worse.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    "No. His phone must be off." Leena shook her head, she had a very frustrated look on her face.


    "I just told you to have a nice talk with him! Now what the hell did you do?" Daisy''s brows were deeply frowned, and she looked at Edward, who was calmly sitting there. He must know Duke''s temper, after all, Duke was his brother. "Why are you looking at me? I wasn''t even there." Edward was not very happy in the first ce, and especially when he saw Zemo, he was in a worse mood.


    "You can stop looking for him. There''s no use. He left the bar." Thinking of Duke just leaving like that, Belinda felt bitter all over again. She snapped her fingers to the waiter beside them. Did they really think they could stop her from drinking just by taking the bottle from her hand? Well, she could always ask the waiter to bring her some more booze, right?


    The waiter quickly walked towards them, lowered his head and then asked Belinda, "Miss, what can I do for you?"


    "Give me a bottle of Absolut." In Belinda''s mind, she could only drown her sorrow in liquor as strong as Absolut vodka. Only then could she forget about what happened between her and Duke earlier, and be happy again.


    "Please don''t listen to her! We don''t need any more alcohol, but thank you anyway! She''s had too much already." Daisy stopped the waiter without a second thought. She didn''t think this was a right ce for Belinda to stay, considering her state right now.


    "Daisy, are you my friend or not? I haven''t had that much! Waiter, get me a drink!" Belinda was always eager to do well in everything, and she wouldn''t easily admit defeat. But now she seemed fragile. Daisy hadn''t seen her like this before. And this also broke Daisy''s heart. "Come on! Let''s get her home first." Edward stood up. His good-looking brows were furrowed this whole time.


    "If we have to, we have to. Zemo, I''m sorry that you had to see this mess. We need to leave now. Let''s get together and have dinner some other time. My treat." Daisy smiled apologetically to Zemo. It was really bad timing, they had just met, then this mess happened. So she couldn''t help but feel a bit guilty.


    "That''s alright. I''ll be staying here in the city for a while. Here''s my number, you can call me when you have the time! Take care of your friend." Even if she hadn''t said anything, Zemo would feel awkward anyway, stuck in this kind of situation. So he just took out a business card and gave it to Daisy.


    "Okay, good-bye!" Daisy helped Belinda stand up. After she quickly drank that much alcohol just now, the smell of booze on her was intensified.


    "Take care, Mr. Ling." Edward momentarily ignored Zemo''s possible feelings towards his little wife. Besides, Zemo didn''t seem that bad, at least, he seemed like the kind of man he''d like to be friends with. "Good-bye!" Zemo smiled bitterly to himself. So this was the man who had consistently been on Daisy''s mind when she was at JC Military Academy? It seemed so, after all, they were happily married already.


    Duke drove the car at a dangerously high speed. This rarely happened. Because usually, he was a calm man who could restrain himself. The love between him and Belinda was easily broken by Rachel, as if their love wasn''t deep enough. No. Maybe they had never truly been in love after all, and that was why their love could be so easily shattered.


    Thinking of Belinda''s carelessness just now made him angrily honk the horn. How could she be so indifferent? How could she not care about his feelings at all? Did she know how he felt when he saw her dancing sexily with another man? How shocked he was? How mad he was? And more importantly, how disappointed he was?


    He had thought that no matter how mad she was at him, they just went out to have some drinks. So once he got the text from Leena, he knew what was going on, what was going to happen. Because he was worried that Belinda would drink too much. But what he didn''t imagine was that there was such a big surprise waiting for him there. Yes, it was indeed a surprise. If he hadn''t seen that, he would never know that there was even that side to her. But after the initial surprise came the fury. At that moment, he even wished that he could pluck out all the eyes of those fools staring at his wife. But what did she do? Well, she justpletely neglected his feelings.


    After a quick yank on the steering wheel and the sharp sound of screeching brakes, a ck Maybach suddenly stopped by the curb. A slender figure tiredly leaned back in his seat, and his ck eyes were tightly closed. Finally, Duke sighed. Then he reached out to grab the phone that he had angrily thrown on the passenger seat earlier.


    There was always an uneasy feeling that haunted him while he was driving. So he turned on his phone in the end, no matter how unwilling he was. But after seeing all those missed calls, he felt heartbroken all over again. Because those missed calls were all from Leena and Edward. There was not a single one from Belinda. It seemed that he had overestimated himself again. He had thought that when she was not angry anymore, at least she would worry about him and give him a phone call. But he didn''t expect that he would be disappointed again. He guessed that in her mind, he really meant nothing.


    Dialing the phone number he knew by heart, he moved the phone to his ear. His call was picked up in no time, and an angry voice shouted in his ear, "Where the hell are you right now? And what the hell happened? Belinda is drunk out of her mind, and she won''t let us take her home! We don''t know what to do right now! For God''s sake, juste back and pick her up!" Edward angrily shouted at his phone, a furious look on his face. He was so mad at his friend right now. What was he thinking? Leaving his own wife in the bar like that? "So you''re still there? I will be back right away." Duke gnashed his teeth, quickly started his car and drove back there without thinking. No matter how mad he was at Belinda, he still could notpletely stop worrying about her.


    "We''re at the front of the bar. Hurry up!" Edward quickly hung up the call. It seemed that no matter who, once they fell in love with someone, they would all be this jumpy over every little thing that happened. But much to his surprise, even Duke, who was always calm and distant to every woman, still couldn''t escape this.0000000000?????

 Chapter 704 Male Confidant (Part One)

    "How''s the call? Got in touch with Duke? What did he say?" asked Daisy hastily. She was very anxious for Belinda, who was so drunk and couldn''t keep her consciousness at the moment. So Daisy had to hold her hand out to support Belinda, while Belinda was leaning almost her entire body on Daisy. On the other hand, Daisy really didn''t know what to do with this drunken girl if Duke was not going to show up tonight. She just might have to take Belinda home with her. But if so, Belinda would definitely feel embarrassed when she finally woke up. "Yep! Don''t worry! Duke will be here in a minute. Let''s get Belinda into the car first," answered Edward. Then he reached out and pulled the door open, signaling Daisy to put Belinda into his car.


    "No need. Since Duke ising soon, I think it''s better to let her stay outside and catch some wind through her. It should help reduce her drunkenness and hopefully, get her a little consciousness. Besides, it could also blow away the alcohol smell a bit. So it''s not necessary to encounter so much trouble putting her in," said Daisy. As she saw Belinda''s charming big wavy hair drifting in front of her face, Daisy reached out and tucked it to the back of Belinda''s ears. She then took a look at the street to check if Duke wasing. "OK. But I''m worried that you might get tired holding Belinda for too long," said Edward. Since Belinda was Duke''s wife, it would be quite inappropriate for Edward to hold her instead. So there was really nothing else he could do to help Daisy but to watch Belinda lying her tiny body almost entirely on Daisy.


    "It''s OK. Just holding her tiny body is not going to tire me," replied Daisy. It was true that Belinda''s weight almost meant nothing to Daisy. The weight she usually carried during her daily training was always much heavier than this, more than twice the weight of Belinda. After getting used to holding much heavier things, holding someone as tiny as Belinda was easy.


    "Edward, is my brother still mad?" asked Leena expectantly. She was kind of hoping that Mr. Cold would not be angry anymore. After all, her greatest wish was the harmony of her family. She wanted everyone to get along so that no one would be pissed off. "Then maybe you should stay so you could see it yourself," said Edward sarcastically. He lowered his eyes and took a quick peek at her, cracking out a tiny smile on his lips without Leena''s noticing.


    "No! He''s so frightening when he gets mad," said Leena. She couldn''t help trembling and shrinking her neck a little while thinking of how scary Mr. Cold could be when he was in a rage. Suddenly she realized how lucky she was to be a marrieddy. She could at least have a handy excuse to go home in situations like this without needing to face Mr. Cold''s anger. Probably marriage was a good thing for her, which made her have to go home anyways.


    "Luke, it''s better that you drive Leena back to her home now," ordered Edward, while waving at Luke, who was standing beside another car. Frankly speaking, he would feel quite worried if Leena was going home alone. Asking Luke to take her home would be a much better option.


    "Actually, you don''t need to do that. I believe I can go back by myself," said Leena. To be honest, Leena didn''t like to be treated as a baby by everyone. Their tenderness was not bad but it would make her feel like she were still a little girl, which was not good. She wanted to be a maturedy.


    "It''ste. It will make us worried if you''re going back alone. So just let Luke drive you home. Your safety is the most important thing," insisted Daisy. After all, Kevin wasn''t at home right now, so it would be Edward''s and her responsibility to take good care of this little girl, their lovely baby sister.


    "Ms. Leng, let''s go now," said Luke. He drove the car beside Leena, and gentlemanly opened the door for her.


    "OK. Then I''ll leave now. The mess here has been handed to you already. Bye-bye!" said Leena, blinking her eyes at them. She got on Luke''s car pleasantly, waved Daisy and Edward goodbye, then closed the door. She let out a long exhale. Finally, she was leaving. It was a relief because she wouldn''t have to face Mr. Cold tonight. No chance for him to vent his wrath at her. Well at least not for tonight. Some dayster and Mr. Cold''s anger would drain away. There would be nothing serious to worry about by then.


    "Leena is very prescient," said Daisy with a smile on her face. She watched the car Leena was in until she couldn''t see it anymore. Then she turned to Edward and gave him a look that told him how helpless she got when dealing with the mischievous little girl.


    "Right! She''s smart and unpredictable but sometimes a little bit too naughty," replied Edward. Then he turned to smile at Daisy. His fingers gently fixed her hair upon noticing how the wind blew it into a mess. He was being tender but inside his head, he was actually thinking about that Zemo Ling guy, about who he was, and what he had to do with Daisy.


    "Who''s making so much noise?!"ined Belinda, who was now feeling a little restless as she waved her arms casually like she was still on the dance floor. She had drunk a few sses of wine before going to dance. Then she continued pouring the wine down to her throat aftering back from the dance floor. Though Daisy snatched that wine bottleter, she had already killed half of it. Thus she was very drunk and was falling asleep with her eyes half closed right now.


    "Hold on just a moment. Duke will be here in a minute," said Daisy. She grabbed Belinda''s arms which were still waving crazily. There was a slight sorrow that got into her heart. She frowned unconsciously to it, which wrinkled her smooth forehead.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "Give her some water," said Edward. He took a bottle of water from the car without anyone noticing then unscrewed the lid. He then handed the bottle to Daisy.


    "Belinda, take a sip of the water," said Daisy. She took the bottle from Edward and moved it close to Belinda''s mouth. She carefully gave her a sip of water. It was then that the sound of a car braked to a halt shrilled through their ears. Concern was all over Duke''s face when he got off the car and walked to them in a hurry.


    "Not bad. You''ve got here fast enough," said Edward sarcastically. As a man himself, he had known too well what a man would think at this moment. He knew exactly what Duke was thinking. So he turned to Duke and blinked his eyes, then he yfully made a gesture with his lips toward the direction where Belinda was standing now.????????????

 Chapter 705 Male Confidant (Part Two)

    "How''s she now?" asked Duke worriedly. He ignored Edward''s yfulness and quickly walked to Daisy, taking Belinda into his own arms.


    "She''s fine. Just drank too much wine," replied Daisy as she smoothed Belinda''s wrinkled dress. She exhaled a long relieved breath upon seeing Duke had calmed himself down.


    "Daisy, I''m sorry that I have gotten you into so much trouble," said Duke. He had left Belinda and stormed out without any hesitations earlier because he knew that Daisy would be with Belinda and Belinda would be taken good care of by her. But he would never have thought that Belinda would get herself so drunk after he had left.


    "Belinda is my best friend. So there is never something called trouble between her and me. It would never trouble me to take care of her or do anything for her. But there is something that I''d like to talk to you about her. You might think Belinda looks like a heartless girl. She''s always careless and never cares about anything. But deep inside, she''s a very fragile and delicate girl. As you know, she always dares to love and hate. So once she devotes herself to you, the love would be strong and great. But her heart would also be easily broken by you. Therefore, please be more considerate to her. Be thoughtful, care for her, be tender to her, and be kind to her when you''re dealing with problems about her in the future. There is no such thing as losing and winning in love. No one could ever be the winner but whoever loves deeper than the other is doomed to be the passive one, one that cares more and devotes more. So I''ll just repeat something I''ve already told you, please don''t hurt her. No matter what happens or what would happen in the future, do NOT hurt her." said Daisy while looking Duke in the eyes.


    She was sincere about what she was saying and even pleading. After all, Belinda was her only best girl friend. She was her confidant. So no matter what, she would wish her a lifetime of happiness.


    "I know," said Duke. "That''s the reason why Ie back to her." He held Belinda tighter in his arms. He had said to Belinda that they should take a break and calm down but that wasn''t what he actually meant. He had simply been mad and impulsive at that moment so he wasn''t able to think reasonably. He had been mad because Belinda hadn''t cared about him and had ignored his feelingspletely. It was different now that he had calmed down, he knew he had over-reacted and what he had done to her was ridiculously absurd. "Okay then. Take her home now. She had too much for tonight. She must be exhausted. And as for the matter between you and Rachel, I hope you could handle it properly," said Daisy. She felt peaceful that Belinda was now being taken care of by Duke. It was the reason why her tone was steady and expression was calm even when she mentioned Rachel.


    "Okay. Then we''re leaving," said Duke. "See you!" After saying goodbye to Daisy, he turned to Edward and nodded his farewell. He put his arms around Belinda and took her into his car. It was at that moment when the quiet girl in his arms suddenly started struggling against him.


    "Who are you? Let go of me!" screamed Belinda. "Daisy! Where are you? Daisy! I want Daisy!" She waved her arms childishly, trying very hard to get rid of the confining hug of Duke.


    "Sweetie, it''s me, your husband. Don''t be a baby. Let''s go home first," said Duke softly. He pulled the car door open and carefully put Belinda into his car. He fastened the seat belt for her. After setting her down, he got onto the driver''s seat in a quick move and fastened his own seat belt. The next thing he did was to lock the car door and lower the windows on both sides to let some cool aire in, hoping for the breeze to make Belinda feel better and somehow lessen her drunkenness.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    "They should be fine, right?" asked Daisy uncertainly. She was now leaning on Edward''s arms, feeling a little bit worried about the couple. She had known too well about Belinda''s personality. Belinda had always been the straight-forward girl and would never stop her quest for the truth until everything was clear, even if such endless missions could make the situations moreplicated and worse.


    "Take it easy, Sweetie! I''m sure that Duke would handle this well, there''s no need to worry," confirmed Edward. "Now let''s go back too!" He kissed Daisy gently on her forehead, took her hand and then led her to get into the car with him.


    Even though Edward had already guaranteed her, Daisy still couldn''t help feeling a little worried. She looked out of the window to try diverting her attention from what just happened tonight, but still got lost in her own thoughts with the street scenes passing by. Edward noticed that his petite wife was still frowning deeply and he was considerate enough not to disturb her. So he focused on driving them home safely.


    Duke also drove the car very smoothly on their way home though there had been some times when he had to deal with Belinda''s unconscious movements. They arrived at home safely. It was lucky that his father, Lloyd Leng, hadn''t been staying at the Leng''s House recently, so they didn''t need to worry about all the noises they would make when they came back.


    However, Belinda was not very cooperative along the way to their bedroom as she was still drunk. She was only half asleep which made it even more difficult for Duke to get her onto their queen-sized bed. His face was already sweaty all over when he managed to do it. Duke took a deep breath and unbuttoned his shirt. He was feeling a bit hot afterpleting such aborious task. He licked his lips, turned around, and walked out of their bedroom. He was back after a while with a ss of honey water in his hand.


    "Belinda, get up. Drink the honey first. It''ll make you feel better then you can get a good night sleep," he said softly. He sat on the bed and gently lifted Belinda. He used one hand to hold her while the other was taking the ss of honey water. He carefully moved the ss to her lips. Belinda must have been thirsty due to all the wine she had drunk. She was cooperative this time and quickly finished all the water.


    Duke pulled out a handkerchief and wiped her lips softly. He put Belinda back to bed. He shook his head while watching her go back to sleep but on his always grim face was a rare expression of gentleness and tenderness, so soft that it had overthrown the cold. It wasn''tmon for Duke to be such a warm and loving man but this part of him was definitely the most charming one.000000????????

 Chapter 706 Male Confidant (Part Three)

    Duke took off all his clothes and went naked to the bathroom. He had a very sculpted figure. Well it was better to say that all those men apanying Edward had the most attractive looks and sexiest bods. It was the reason why there were always a league of women around them, praising and trying to get their attention. He took a quick shower then with just a towel around his waist, walked out of the bathroom. The tiny drops from his hair rolled slowly down his skin, forming a delicate stream of water that ended on the towel around his waist.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    He took a deep look at Belinda upon walking past the queen-sized bed. A smile crept up his face without his noticing. He took a bottle of wine from the small cupboard near the balcony and sat down beside the small table there. He expertly grabbed a wine ss from the table and slowly poured himself arge ss of the liquor. Taking a deep breath of the wine aroma, he lifted the ss to his lips and sipped his wine enjoyably.


    The evening wind in autumn was very soft even if the air was a little too dry. It was still very pleasant to drink alone in such a beautiful night. After going through so much the past two days, Duke began to ponder deeply on all the things that had happened to him.


    It wasn''t like he didn''t know what Rachel''s real purpose was. It was just that he had believed that it would be inappropriate or even incorrect for someone who still had a sense of shame to ask for something that had no longer belonged to her for so long. So he just hadn''t paid too much attention to Rachel''s reappearance. But now that he had heard of Rachel''s words this morning, he finally began to realize that what Belinda had been worried about was not something insignificant.


    To be honest, he knew that he himself was not a romantic man. Sometimes he just didn''t know how to make Belinda happy. But as long as she was the woman he had fallen in love with, he would devote his entire life protecting her and loving her without any hesitation. It was just that he was never the man who could speak out his feelings aloud so he would just wait for Belinda to feel and learn his unspoken deep love.


    Belinda was never someone who could get drunk very easily. She could drink a lot of wine most of the times and still keep her consciousness. She felt much better after drinking the honey water Duke brought her. She was regaining her thoughts back gradually and the cool wind earlier must have helped elerate the process too.


    She slowly opened her eyes. Though she could still feel the hangover, it wasn''t that terrible any more. She pressed her dizzy head lightly, trying to see where she was. A question came to her mind upon recognizing the queen-sized bed she was lying onto. How did shee back? She would never imagined that it was Duke who had picked her up and driven her back because she still remembered how coldly and firmly he had said to her that they should take a break and calm themselves down.


    She patted her face to try driving away her hangover and gain more consciousness but her head began aching again as soon as thoughts of Duke''s sneering face and sarcasm hit her. She bit her lower lip in hopes of charging herself some courage. Anyway, she still had to face him no matter how embarrassing it might be.


    "Are you awake now?" A thick and cold voice came into her ears while she was still stuck in route. She got distracted from her thoughts and was startled a bit. It was Duke.


    "I..." murmured Belinda. She still didn''t know how to face Duke. She couldn''t even look at him directly into his eyes. She felt even more embarrassed now, she was blushing so bad and had to lift the quilt to cover her red cheeks. After all, they had fought each other fiercely at the bar just a few hours ago. He had said something so hurtful to her. So what should she do now?


    "Since you''ve already waken up, I think it''s better for you to take a shower first. It''ll make you feel better," said Duke calmly. He was still half naked with only a towel on his waist when he saw Belinda moving ufortably on the bed. He decided toe in and see if she was alright though he hadn''t really thought that she would be waking up so soon.


    "Duke, I''m so sorry! I know I was not behaving tonight, and my attitude was even worse. I totally understand if you are still mad at me. And all I want to say is sorry," Belinda apologized sincerely. She might be straight-forward and sometimes easily troubled but she was never unreasonable. Belinda and Daisy shared a lot of things inmon being each other''s best friend. So just like what Daisy would do after realizing her own fault, Belinda would always reflect on herself and would make the apology if needed.


    Duke was looking at Belinda thoughtfully as she said those words. Without any expressions on his face, a feeling of coldness was sent out by his tightly closed mouth. However, he was caught surprised by her apology. He had thought that it would take a long speech to exin everything to her and quench her rage. How she apologized even before he could say a word was not something he would have expected.


    "Any contradiction must involve both sides, and both sides must be responsible for it. So generally speaking, it''s not all your fault this time. I was out of my mind and did something terrible too. I am sorry! But here''s something I''d like to make clear to you. As a man, there''s a bottom line here, especially on some asions. So please don''t cross that line or you''ll drive me crazy. I really hope you could understand me, sweetie," said Duke seriously. His eyes were locked on Belinda, forcing her to look at him and make eye contact with him. He was sending his message directly into her eyes, reaching deeply into her soul. Theirmunication was made through a much meaningful and effective way. He was sure that she had received them and considered them seriously. But he also noticed that she was blushing, probably feeling ashamed of what she had done. So now she was trying to hide herself in the quilt. Duke saw all her uneasiness, and he had to admit that this made her even cuter. But he didn''t leak out even a slightest hint of what he was thinking. All he did was simply looking at her yfully.


    "But you shouldn''t have just dumped me there and left!" used Belinda. She finally gained her reason back. The mere mention of his abandonment still broke her heart. She didn''t deserve to be hurt so ruthlessly. Her eyes were welling up and all the bad feelings that had been confined all night were released from deep inside her heart. After all, she had been carefully protected as an elegant princess since she was born. Everyone around her cared about her and loved her. Plus, she was also the president of a bigpany. She had her pride. Who would dare treat her like this? But tonight, Duke was the exception. Yes, she had told him to get out of her face but then, she had never thought that he would actually do as she demanded, disappearing himself without any hesitation.

 Chapter 707 Male Confidant (Part Four)

    "You are right, sweetie. I know I was acting like a jerk tonight. I was probably overreacting. It was my fault and again, I am really sorry! I promise I will never do that again. I would never abandon you under any circumstances. Please trust me. You see? I still brought you back, didn''t I?" This time, it was Duke''s turn to make his sincere apology. He sat down at the bedside and gently embraced her. He held her body tightly into his arms, wishing he would never have to let go of her. Life was so miraculous and amazing that he finally met her and gradually fell in love with her. He was doomed now but what else could he do? He couldn''t help falling so deeply for her. He would just spend the rest of his life caring for her and loving her. Belinda was the one.


    Curling herself up in his arms, leaning on his strong body, pressing her face on his chest, listening to his heartbeats, smelling his unique fragrance, Belinda felt safe in his embrace. She hadn''t had such a feeling of serenity for a long time and all these senses from him had gradually be part of her life, from strange to familiar, now merging into her. But what surprised her most was that it was eventually still Duke who had brought her back. She had feelings for him too. Being in his arms, being so close to him, she didn''t want to let go either. She treasured this moment a lot, wishing it would never pass. She wished she could stay with him forever. And just as what Leena had said, it was just Rachel! Rachel was no big deal! She didn''t even need to worry about her. Besides, being such a charmingdy herself, she should be confident of her beauty. How would she ever be beaten by Rachel? Only she, Belinda, could win this game.


    This small ident between Belinda and Duke had finallye to an end. It had caught them unprepared but also left them a beautiful ending. This little couple was now enjoying the wonderful night with each other happily. After all, being able to speak frankly about their own feelings had given them a chance to learn about each other and unravel the misunderstandings between them. Maybe there would still be a small knot in their hearts, but anyhow, they had managed to make arge progress in their rtionship. It was one small step for tonight, one giant leap for their lives. From now on, their love for each other could definitely march forward more steadily than before.


    With the same soft moonlight shining from outside the window, things were a little different in the other bedroom. Edward, the most jealous man on Earth, finally asked Daisy the question he had been thinking all night.


    "About that Zemo Ling guy, who is he? Did you guys get along well when you were in the military school?" He asked pretending that the issue wasn''t a big deal for him. His eyes were dodging from Daisy''s, avoiding any eye contact with her. "Sure! He really cared for me back in school. I think he''s kind of a male confidant!" answered Daisy doubtlessly. She was maintaining her sniper rifle carefully. Her eyes were focusing on the rifle and not looking at Edward either. "Then he''s also a military man now?". Edward asked another question with a frown. He figured that Zemo didn''t look like a military man. Instead, Zemo exuded a sense of sophistication and wisdom that belonged more to business men.


    "Not any more. Before our graduation, he was injured badly in a sudden ident which damaged his body and physique, things that are required to be a good soldier. I was there too but luckily for me, there wasn''t any permanent harm done on my end," said Daisy. Thinking of that ident took Daisy''s thought away from her rifle. She stop wiping the gun and turned to face Edward. She always had a feeling that the ident was never just a sudden ident. The whole thing must be much moreplicated than what she had known. It was just that she had never been able to gather any useful information about the unknown part of the ident. All her questions had remained unanswered for all these years. Besides, she had passed out in that ident. Things had been settled already when she regained her mind, leaving no clue for her to investigate.


    "You mean he left JC Military Academy before he could graduate? What about after that? What did he do? Didn''t you stay in contact with him?" Edward asked all his remaining questions in full blow. There were some bad feelings that suddenly shed in his mind but he couldn''t figure them out. It seemed like something was about to leap out from the dark, though he still couldn''t decipher the key point of this. All he could recognize was the ominous feelings inside his head.


    "Yes! He left abruptly, not even leaving us any means to contact him. I thought we might never meet again in this life. So it''s quite amazing that we just bumped into each other tonight," exined Daisy. She was lost into her thoughts. Her eyes were far-reaching at the moment. She only had two best friends in this world, one male confidant and one female confidant. The female one was Belinda of course. As for the male confidant, it must be Zemo. She had never mentioned him to anyone else before because she thought that Zemo had been out of her world and they would never get in touch again.


    "I can see that you were happy to meet him again," said Edward. Though he was trying to sound casual, his jealousy could still be sensed. He was just wondering why was his wife always surrounded by different men, not to mention, outstanding men! At first, there had been a Kevin Gu. Now there was another, Zemo Ling. They were all extraordinary men. He had to admit that her excellence was appreciated by a lot of men, a lot of excellent men!


    "Yep! It''s been almost a decade from then. I couldn''t think of how that sunny boy in the military school turned to be the Zemo I met today," said Daisy smilingly as she packed her sniper rifle back. She told Edward everything he wanted to know about Zemo. For her, there was no need to lie to him, and there was nothing she couldn''t tell him either.00000000Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.

 Chapter 708 Jealous Husband (Part One)

    "Did you ever try to contact Zemo after he left the military academy?" Edward wet his lips and rubbed his chin with his index finger. He was a bit nervous to hear the answer. Whether the answer was yes or no, he would be lost in various fancies and conjectures. He didn''t


    want to demean himself by acting like a paranoid husband.


    "Yes, I tried to contact him when I returned to the country, but I failed. Afterwards, I got so busy that I had to put Zemo out of my mind," Daisy answered as she gave a bitter smile. To be a good match for Edward, she had tried her best to improve herself and keep up with his pace. Then, she became even busier after she gave birth to Justin. As a result, she had had no time to look for Zemo.


    "It sounds like you have a close rtionship with him, huh?" Edward asked in a tentative manner, touching his nose in an attempt to cover up his nervousness.


    "What exactly do you want to know?" Daisy asked with a frown. Edward was being really strange this evening. He was acting like a prevaricating woman.


    "Nothing! It''s just a casual question. I''m just curious about him," Edward retorted at once, dodging her sharp eyes. He didn''t expect Daisy to notice his intentions. He was a little embarrassed and he didn''t want her to get angry.


    "Alright. Let me exin it to you this way, what do you think of my rtionship with Belinda?" Daisy asked with a teasing smile, looking at Edward straight in the eye. She finally realized why he was acting so strange tonight. It turned out that he was jealous of Zemo.


    "If she''s in danger, you would risk your life to save her," Edward replied honestly. To be frank, he admired Daisy and Belinda''s friendship. When he first met Belinda, she only showed disapproval and hostility towards him. He didn''t know the reason why she did it at the beginning, but he realizedter that she did it for Daisy. Believing that Edward had treated Daisy badly, she tried to defend Daisy in her own way.


    "I have that same rtionship with Zemo. Do you have any other questions?" Daisy often thought of the days she had spent with Belinda and Zemo. Belinda had given her bright smiles while Zemo had given her the warmth of family. As a result, when Zemo vanished from her life, she lost the warmth of a family and spent a period of her life in a blur.


    "I have no more questions." Since Daisy already exined her rtionship with Zemo, it would be inappropriate to keep asking about their past. But Edward couldn''t get over how Daisy would risk her life to save Zemo when he was in danger. Her response did not quell the doubts he had, and he became more curious instead. As a smart person, Edward knew that he had to stop. If he kept asking about Zemo, Daisy would be displeased.


    "I know what you''re thinking about." Daisy didn''t want to reveal his secret. Giving him a cold look, she stood up and walked past him.


    "Honey, what am I thinking about? Tell me." Edward reached out his hand and pulled Daisy back into his arms.


    "You know what you''re thinking about. Why bother asking me?" They had been affectionate with each other countless times before. But every time Daisy and Edward were so close to each other, Daisy''s heart would beat faster and her face would blush from the shyness. "I don''t know. That''s why I''m asking you." Edward gazed at Daisy, eyes full of affection.


    "Never mind. Tell me what happened to Luke." Daisy struggled out Edward''s arms and sat on the sofa next to him. When she thought about it, Edward''s trip to B Country was not as simple as it looked.


    "Well... Do I really have to tell you?" Edward sighed as he stood up, before lying beside her and resting his head on her leg. He hadn''t told her the truth because he didn''t want her to worry about him. After all, it was all over and he got back safely. But Daisy was so stubborn that she would always find out the answer if she wanted to know something.


    "Yes, you do! I want to know everything about you, whether it''s good news or bad news," She answered with a frown, adjusting her position so he could be morefortable.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "I''ll tell you the truth, but you have to promise me that you won''t get upset or scold me." Edward knew Daisy well. If she found out what had happened to him, she would get upset about it and me him for not telling her the truth.


    "Alright, I promise you." Daisy''s heart began to pound inside her chest like a restless animal. Something terrible must have happened to Edward in B Country, otherwise he wouldn''t ask for her guarantee first.


    "Everything turned sour for us in B Country actually. Apany wanted to force us to sign an unfair contract. It had the advantage of being a localpany and having a rtionship with the underworld. They wanted us to give them half our profit." Edward stated, keeping his eyes settled on Daisy so he wouldn''t miss her reaction. He saw her face turn pale at his words.


    "Then? You didn''t agree with that, so they got angry and wanted to have you killed?" Daisy asked in a quivering voice. That would exin why she felt a surge of panic that night. It turned out that Edward had been in danger that time.


    "You''re right. They sent a female assassin to seduce me and kill me. But she wasn''t as beautiful as you, so I saw right through the ruse." Edward cracked a joke to relieve some of Daisy''s jittery nerves. He was relieved that he hadn''t told her the truth when it had happened. Otherwise, she would have worked herself up into a bundle of nerves and would have rushed to his rescue.


    "What if she was more beautiful than me? Would you have fallen into the trap?" Daisy asked with a frown. She was really frightened on his ount. Although she trusted him and had faith that he wouldn''t betray her, she was upset that he hadn''t told her everything earlier. "No! In my eyes, you are the most beautiful rose on this earth. There is no way that I would ever betray you." Edward raised himself into a sitting position and gathered Daisy in his arms, rubbing her back tofort her. At that moment, he had been really scared. It wasn''t that he was afraid of dying. How could he leave Daisy and make her spend the rest of life without him?


    "You turned to your father for help, but you told me nothing. Did you think it was unnecessary to let me know? Or did you think that I didn''t care about your safety?" She leaned against him and felt at ease to hear his strong heartbeat.


    "The reason I turned to my father for help was because I knew there were members of The Mayfly all over the world. I didn''t tell you about it because I didn''t want you to worry about me. After all, B Country is beyond the reach of your power. It wouldn''t help the situation if you knew the truth. It''s better for you to wait for me at home than to remain in a state of constant fear and panic." Edward exined slowly. His calm and soothing voice calmed her down like a rxing melody. "Edward, I want to thank you. Thank you foring back safely. But if something like that happens again, I don''t want to be thest person to find out," Daisy stated in a steady and stubborn manner as she raised her head to look at Edward straight in the eye. "I promise. Honey, rx. You can trust me to keep my word. I will always put my safety first now that I have a family." Edward stared back at Daisy with affection in his eyes. She was his wife, and he would do anything to protect her and their family. "Okay. Has everything been settled?" Daisy didn''t see the reason why Edward was so determined to expand his business. After all, they had more than enough money. He didn''t have to put himself in such dangerous situations.


    "Yes. My father''s staff ispetent. They already solved the whole problem." He pinched her little nose, feeling ecstatic at the fact that she cared so much about him. When he first met her, he never imagined that such a cold and proud woman would love him so much. "Good. If things continue to develop like this, I''d rather that you give up the business there. I don''t care how much money you have. All I want is you." Daisy took the initiative to kiss his lips. The thought that he could have lost his life was pure torture to her. She deepened the kiss, running her hands up and down his torso.0000000

 Chapter 709 Jealous Husband (Part Two)

    It was getting dark, and the noisy city fell into silence again. The moonlight poured into the room through the curtains and shone upon the kissing couple, creating a beautiful image of love and affection. The night was long, and the loving couple opened up to each other with their actions. Days passed by and ushered in a busy Monday. In a formal dress, Belinda arrived at thepany with a briefcase in her hand. All the officedies in thepany wore formal dresses, but Belinda looked a lot more attractive with the unique design and cut of her attire. "Boss, this is the business n with YD Group. I heard that the president of YD Group has arrived in S City. Shall I arrange a meeting with him?" Belinda had barely sat down in her office, when her assistant came in.


    "Really? Well, do you know whichpanies he has been in contact with recently?" Belinda asked as she took out the documents out of her briefcase. She heard that the president of YD Group preferred credible and powerful partners. He liked to choose partners through apetition and never let anypany be a partner through the back door.


    "Not that I''ve heard of. He has kept his whereabouts a secret. So far, no otherpany knows that he''s in the city. We just stumbled upon the knowledge by chance."


    The assistant stole a nce at Belinda and immediately looked away.


    "Okay, you may arrange a meeting. But remember not to use any inappropriate means, or he will be turned off by our business practices." Belinda fell into contemtion with a frown. Since the president of YD Group came to S City in secret, then he must have his own reasons. If someone visited him without an appointment, he would get upset.


    "Got it. By the way, the business n with FX International Group has been prepared. Please have a look at it and check if there are any amendments needed." The assistant took out a document and ced it on the table in front of Belinda.


    "Okay. I''ll go through it soon. You may leave now." Seeing the mass of documents on the table in front of her, Belinda felt a headacheing. She took a deep breath to steel herself.


    "Okay. I''ll take my leave," The assistant said as he closed the folder. To be honest, he seldom thought highly of a woman before, but he admired Belinda to the core. She built her business into a very sessfulpany, making a name for herself not only as a well- respected businesswoman, but also as a local phnthropist. It was not an easy feat, not to mention she was a young and beautiful woman. Beautiful women were mostly just eye candies, but Belinda was an exception.


    "Okay. By the way, please ask my secretary to get me a coffee," Belinda added as she buried herself into the business n with FX International Group. She didn''t expect Edward to generously give her such arge profit. He must have done it because of Daisy. She was so lucky to have Daisy as her friend.


    "Got it." The assistant turned around and left the office. Soon, Belinda''s secretary entered the office with a cup of coffee in her hands. Belinda was so absorbed in the contract that she didn''t notice her secretary. The secretary ced the coffee on the table and got out of the office in silence.


    Like Edward, Belinda would give her entire attention to work without letting external factors disturb her. After hours of focused concentration, she yawned and stretched her aching muscles before giving Daisy a call. She wanted Daisy to tell her if she had made a drunken fool of herself the other night.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Monday was a busy day for every working professional, and Daisy was no exception. She had been busy since the moment she arrived at the base. When Belinda called her, she was training the soldiers on the training ground.


    "Hello, Belinda. What''s going on?" Taking her mobile phone from Mark, Daisy wiped the sweat from her forehead and waved at the soldiers to ask them to keep training.


    "You''re breathing heavily. What are you doing now?" Belinda asked as she took a sip of the coffee and leaned back against her chair.


    "I''m doing physical training with the soldiers. How are you getting on with Duke?" Daisy moved towards the entrance of the training ground. She couldn''t quite follow Belinda''s words because of the noise.


    "Actually I''m calling you about that. Did I do anything strange that night? How did I get back home?" Belinda didn''t believe that Duke had actuallye to take her back that night. After all, he had been really upset with her at that time. When Duke told her that he had picked her up, Belinda couldn''t believe her ears.


    "Oh, so you know that you were behaving strangely that night then. Fortunately, I wasn''t the one who made a fool of myself that night. As for how you got back home, I think Duke already gave you the answer." Daisy took off her cap and fanned herself with it, but she still felt very hot. Beads of sweat were gathering on her face. She was dressed in camouge uniform, exuding a rather valiant and heroic bearing.


    "Hey, don''t make fun of me! Remember, we are best friends. If I made a fool of myself, then so did you," Belinda immediately retorted in embarrassment when she heard Daisy''s response. She really regretted drinking too much wine. Daisy even took pleasure in her misfortune!


    "No. Duke is the closest person to you in the world, so you both made fools of yourselves," Daisy stated as she gave a tiny smile. Wasn''t it toote for Belinda to ask if she behaved strangely that night?


    "Did he get mad when he saw that I was drunk?" Belinda asked after a short pause. Since Daisy confirmed that Duke came to take her back, she let go of the question and asked another one. Shepletely forgot what had happened that night.


    "What if you were Duke? How would you feel if your wife kicked up a fuss like a crazy woman?" She tried her best to fight off the impulse tough out loud. It was so enjoyable to make fun of Belinda. Fine, she had to admit that Edward was a bad influence on her. After all, those who kept in thepany of wolves learned how to howl.


    "Daisy Ouyang, are you making fun of me? I never kick up a fuss when I''m drunk! You''re such a disloyal friend!" Actually, Belinda wasn''t so certain if she had really made a scene that night. She lost all memory of that night from drinking too much alcohol. If that was really the case, it would be too embarrassing for her. How could she get along with Duke in the future? Damn it!


    "Give yourself a moment to think about it. I''m not making fun of you." Daisy took a bottle of water from Mark and drank a mouthful from it. She didn''t feel guilty about teasing Belinda in any way.


    "Sister, if I could remember what happened, I wouldn''t have had to call you! You''re not my best friend anymore! Edward must have led you astray!" Belinda yelled at the phone, exploding in rage. She internally med Edward for influencing Daisy into bing such a mischievous person.


    "Rx, there weren''t a lot of people present that night. You don''t need to worry so much about it. Oh, I have training to finish now." Daisy waved her arm at a soldier, signalling to him that she was returning soon.


    "Fine! I shouldn''t have called you, traitor." Belinda hung up the phone in anger as she contemted on what Daisy told her. Did she really make a scene that night? That was impossible! She had never been in such a drunken fit before. Why would Daisy say that? Damn it! It was really annoying.


    Daisy giggled after hanging up the phone. She sessfully pissed Belinda off. But she wasn''t about to tell Belinda the truth yet. Belinda would learn not to drink so much alcohol next time. Daisy shook the thoughts off her mind and trotted back to the training ground.00000000000

 Chapter 710 A Guilty Conscience (Part One)

    Warm sunshine, gentle breeze, beautiful women, and luxurious cars were undoubtedly the most beautiful things in the eyes of men. Rain shed a winsome smile at the group of girls dressed in skin-tight clothes. His sapphire blue earrings sparkled beautifully under the sun, making him look more fascinating. He mischievously blew a loud whistle and shifted his gaze from the girls to the script in his hands. This damn Edward always made him do the dirty work. Now, he had to offend all these beautiful women.


    "Hello beautifuldies! Do you think you have what it takes to rise to fame by bing the heroine of this y?" Rain always acted in a careless and casual manner, utterly carefree. Even in such a situation, he didn''t disy any hint of seriousness.


    "Huh! Even without this y, we are already well-known in every household. But we can''t believe that you will choose a novice girl to y such an important role."


    There were many A-list actresses in the FX International Entertainment Company. But as expected, they were all very arrogant peacocks. They never vied for a role in a y. Even if the y was tailor made for the actress, they wouldn''t even take a look at the script. This time, they all showed up to audition as if they colluded with each other beforehand. It was quite rare.


    "Oh! I see. Have you read through the script?" Rain nced at the group of girls, his hand holding up his chin.


    "Of course! How else would we know if the role was really important?" A woman with delicate makeup pursed her lips in displeasure. It was clear from her face that she found Rain''s question stupid.


    "Since you have all read the script, do you think you''re capable of ying this role? The heroine is an innocent and clever girl. But judging by your temperament and sophistication, I really don''t think you are fit for this role."


    Rain raised his head and shifted his eyes away from the script to the woman who questioned him, his charming eyes gazing at her. But the moment he took his eyes off her, he smiled sardonically.


    "Judging from Mr. Xia''s words, are you implying that we aren''t innocent? Girls, don''t you think he''s being rude to us?" Women always had their own unique way of thinking and understanding. Even when they didn''t usually get along with each other, they immediately united with the anger inmed by the woman.


    "Yes, what makes you think that we''re sophisticated? We''re actually very mature. You should watch your words when you''re describing us." All of a sudden, the rage of the whole group was aroused. The atmosphere immediately became extremely heated.


    Rain rolled his tongue in his mouth and looked yfully at the several women who were the most indignant. It turned out that no matter how graceful they looked before the camera, they would inevitably show their ugly teeth in private. They were definitely not suitable for this y. It was fortunate that they weren''t the pirs of the entertainmentpany, otherwise thepany would have gone bankrupt already.


    Rain sneered. Mature? How could he think they were mature from the way they just acted? They were actually very vulgar in his eyes. But he kept this thought to himself. Otherwise, the situation would get out of control.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "No matter what, the CEO and I will fully respect the decision of the director. I think the director and the scriptwriter are the ones who know best who would be most suitable for the roles in the y. So I advise that you''d better stop now, and don''t spread rumors around the city. This won''t do you any good, and it will only feed the paparazzi with false headlines. Moreover, the CEO will not be happy with that oue."


    Rain''s tone was sharp and his words brooked no argument. If this had happened in the past, Rain would have teased the girls yfully. But now that he had Annie in his heart, he lost all interest in flirting with any other woman.


    "Do you think the CEO will enjoy working with a girl who knows nothing about acting?" At the mere mention of the CEO, everyone was intimidated. But when they thought about the rumor they heard about the y beforehand, they red indignantly and argued further about it.


    "Wait, what do you mean? Do you mean that the CEO will act in the y? You''re confusing me." Rain dropped his yful smile and listened carefully, eager to know the details.


    "Huh! Everyone knows about it! The protagonist Beichen Yeyan will be yed by the CEO. Because no one else can perform and vividly portray the romantic charm of the protagonist, so that''s why the CEO was asked to y the role." One of the women, who was a minor celebrity in the entertainment circle pursed her lips, scoffing at Rain who she thought was ying the fool.


    Rain grinned gleefully. "What did you say? The CEO will y the protagonist? You''re so funny! I wonder who''s powerful enough to have the guts to invite the CEO to y in the ''The Wicked Doctor and The Pretty Imperial Concubine'' y."


    Rain almostughed his head off. This was probably the funniest joke he had heard this year. They really had a whimsical sense of humor to start a rumor about Edward acting in the y. But Rain was really looking forward to seeing how Edward would react if he knew that this farce had something to do with him. He couldn''t wait to see Edward''s expression when he got the news. It would be so amusing.


    "Wait, it''s not real? We came here to audition for the role of the heroine because we heard that the CEO will act in the y. And we''ve read the script, we think Beichen Yeyan is a character with the perfectbination of nobility and handsomeness who could only be portrayed by the CEO. No one in the entertainment circle is better suited than him for this role."


    Seeing Rain''s exaggerated smile, all the girls looked at each other in puzzlement. Was it really all just a rumor? But it couldn''t be! Someone had heard about it from the director of the y. That was the reason why they desperately wanted to get this role.


    "In fact, you can wish for this to happen. Or you can make it happen by collectively making a petition to have the CEO portray this role. I think the audience ratings of the y will definitely reach the top once opens." Rain wiped his tears ofughter, imagining Edward wearing the ancient costume and swinging a sword. The thought amused him to no end.


    "Mr. Xia, is it really impossible?" All the girls were frustrated. To get this role, they had refused many other good opportunities. If there really was no truth to it, they had turned them all down for nothing.


    "What do you think? You are really quite imaginative to think of something so remarkable. It''s a pity that you chose to be actresses instead of scriptwriters." Holding back the urge tough, Rain shed a mischievous smile, without any trace of the previous grievance he had on his face. "Since it''s impossible, why did the director mislead us without any exnation?" They suddenly changed their minds and put the me at the director of the y.


    "As a member of the entertainment circle, didn''t you think that it might be a publicity stunt?


    But the director actually dared to use the CEO as a publicity stunt. What a bold person!" Rain smiled. He was surprised when he heard such a ridiculous farce. In the midst of hisughter, he felt relieved. He finally solved what was originally a serious matter in a delighted way. What he would do the following was to make good fun of the great Mr. Mu.


    Compared to Rain''s sessful day, Duke''s trouble had just begun. The trouble he was currently dealing with was the bothersome woman standing in front of him.


    "Duke, can we eat lunch together? Even if we can''t be together, we can still be friends. I''ve realized that everything in the past will always remain in the past. I know it''s impossible to get it back again. I''m really sorry for troubling you before."


    Rachel said pitifully, showing an imploring look on her beautiful face. She looked contrite and depressed.


    "It''s good that you''ve realized that. But regarding lunch, we can do it some other day. I have an appointment now." Duke was surprised to see Rachel''s sudden transformation regarding their rtionship. But he didn''t think too much about it. She probably took his words from the other day to heart. As a woman, it was impossible for her not to have any self-respect and shame.


    "You don''t have time today? Okay, that''s fine. Sorry for disturbing you." Rachel''s eyes darkened with disappointment, but she immediately shed a pleasant smile to indicate that she didn''t mind. Her behavior seemed appropriate.


    "Sorry, I have to leave now." Duke smiled apologetically and left in a hurry. If Rachel kept pestering him, he definitely wouldn''t give her any opportunity to get close to him. But since she was behaving like an understanding woman, he found it hard to continue acting coldly towards her. This was Duke''s gentle and soft side.

 Chapter 711 A Guilty Conscience (Part Two)

    Watching Duke hurriedly walking away, Rachel bit her lip and clenched her fists. A sinister smile rose to the corner of her mouth and spread across her face. Since Duke waspletely unaware of this, he would act passive in the uing days.


    "Why did you suddenlye here?" Belinda frowned, looking doubtfully at Duke who just pushed the door open and entered her office. She shifted her eyes back to theputer screen full of data.


    "I came to bring you lunch. What, you don''t want to see me?" Duke unpacked the lunch boxes and ced them on the table. He had called her secretary to get her lunch schedule. He knew that Belinda had asked her secretary to order takeout for her to eat in the office at noon, so he volunteered to bring her lunch.


    "I didn''t say that. Don''t try and stir up trouble between us. It''s not good for our rtionship." Belinda nced at him. Although she didn''t show it, she was really happy that he had brought her lunch.


    "Okay, let''s eat now." Aside from Leena, Duke seldom served a woman the way he was doing now. So he knew that his actions made it very clear that he was willing to do such trivial things for Belinda.


    "It smells good, what did you bring me?" Belinda stood up as soon as she sniffed the sweet aroma of the dishes. She suddenly felt very hungry.


    "These are from the Westin Western Restaurant. I got all your favorite dishes." Duke looked at the dishes on the table in satisfaction. He pped his hands and smiled gently when he was done setting everything on the table.


    "You enjoyed preferential treatment, didn''t you?" Belinda narrowed her eyes as she looked at Duke. Westin Western Restaurant never provided takeout food for any customer. It was a marketing tool to make people feel that the food from the restaurant was very precious. As she thought about this, Belinda reached out her hand to take a dessert from the lunch box, only to have Duke pat the back of her hand, gently stopping her.


    "Wash your hands first! I never thought that you''d be so careless about your hygiene." Although Duke was scolding her, his tone was affectionate. Even he wasn''t aware of his loving manner himself.


    "My hands are very clean! I didn''t touch anything that I shouldn''t touch. In fact, it won''t make a difference whether I wash my hands or not. You always like nitpicking!" Belinda pursed her lips. But she still reluctantly walked towards the washroom to wash her hands. Duke narrowed his eyes at her. What was she implying by saying that? She said that she didn''t touch anything she shouldn''t touch. Was she implying that he had touched something he shouldn''t have?


    Belinda grinned at her triumphant reflection in the mirror. She didn''t deny that she used the topic of hygiene to test him. As the saying goes, "The wise man knows that he knows nothing, but the fool thinks he knows everything." If Duke thought there was any underlying meaning behind her words, then it meant that he was guilty. Otherwise, he wouldn''t find anything wrong with her casual response.


    "You seem happy today," Duke teased. He pouted and looked at her smug face with his arms folded in front of his chest.


    "No, you''re taking it the wrong way. I''m just hungry." Belinda lowered her head and walked past him. Even though she was really happy, she wouldn''t tell him so tantly.


    Duke didn''t push any further. He smiled and followed her as she walked. His usual cold expression was gentle and soft.


    "Take your time. Nobody will take the food away from you." Looking at Belinda hurriedly gobble down the food, Duke frowned and took out a napkin for her. It was obvious that she was really hungry. She left home in a rush this morning without eating breakfast. When he rushed out to check on her, she was already gone. He could only see the faint exhaust smokeing out from the back of her car.


    "You might steal my food. I can''t take my time, I''m starving to death. How did you know that I haven''t had lunch yet?" Belinda asked as she ate the delicious food. With the way she was wolfing down the food, she didn''t look like a gracefuldy at all.


    "If I want to know something, I''ll find out with just one phone call." Duke said with an arrogant smile and sat down beside her. Different from Belinda, he ate slowly and gracefully in silence.


    "Huh! What do you mean? Do you have someone watch me in mypany?" Belinda was shocked by his response. She coughed violently as she choked on the food.


    "I told you to take your time. Drink some water first." Duke quickly poured some water into her ss and patted her back soothingly.


    Belinda took the ss and drank some water. She stared at him in annoyance. "It''s your fault that I choked."


    "What does it have to do with me?" Duke picked Belinda''s favorite dishes and put them into her bowl. His movements looked so natural, despite it beingpletely different from his usual cold demeanor in public.


    "It''s because you surprised me just now. Duke, do you really have someone watch me in mypany?" Belinda paused eating. She suddenly leaned closer to Duke and gazed thoughtfully at him.


    "What do you think? Who do you think is most likely to be my spy in yourpany?" Under Belinda''s gaze, Duke put down his chopsticks and looked into her eyes with interest.


    "How would I know? There are so many employees in mypany, I can''t check them all one by one!" Evading his intense gaze, Belinda shifted her eyes away and focused on eating her food.


    "In that case, you will never know." Duke winked mischievously and continued to pick her favorite dishes for her. He barely ate anything himself.


    "Duke, you''re making me ufortable with that look. Why do I feel like your bringing me lunch is like a fox guarding the henhouse?" Belinda noticed that Duke had been acting very strange recently. After her drunken incident, he seemed to have changed into a different person. No matter how much she challenged him, he always smiled gently in response and let it pass. His strange behavior made her feel uneasy.


    "Why? Do you have a guilty conscience? Why else would you feel ufortable?" Duke smiled. He didn''t feel upset at all. Keeping what Daisy said to him in mind, he decided to be more modest and to learn how topromise. Since then, he had acted ording to Daisy''s advice and tried to behave by this principle. He knew that he had many shorings and that he sometimes unwittingly showed off his pride and arrogance as a nobleman, while simultaneously disregarding what Belinda might feel about his behavior. "Bullshit, why would I feel guilty? If there''s someone here who would feel guilty, that person would be you." Belinda took the ss from the table and drank a lot of water in an attempt to hide her nervousness.


    "Sorry to disappoint you, but I''m honorable and righteous. My conscience is clear as day." Duke leaned back casually with his legs crossed. His eyes had been focused on the movement of Belinda''s pink lips as she spoke. Suddenly, he chuckled self-deprecatingly while holding his fist against his lips. He was struck by thest part of her sentence.


    "Fine, why should I care? But aren''t you going to eat anything?" She noticed that Duke didn''t eat much but pick some food for her and sit there without eating anything. The sight of him barely eating made her feel strange.


    "I''m not that hungry, just keep eating," Duke said, calmly refilling her ss with water.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    "Are you really bothered by what I said just now?" Belinda suddenly paused again. She was only joking when she said that he might steal her food. She wasn''t serious at all.


    "You said many things, how am I supposed to know what you''re referring to?" Duke looked at her doubtfully. He was confused by her words.


    "When I said you might steal my food, don''t take it seriously. I was only joking." Belinda touched her nose in embarrassment. She wished he hadn''t misunderstood her.


    "I know you were only joking. I didn''t take it seriously. Stop worrying and eat your lunch. It''s getting cold." Duke shook his head helplessly. He didn''t think she actually meant it when she said he might steal her food. She must have misunderstood him for some reason just now.000000000000

 Chapter 712 Softness Begets Tenderness (Part One)

    "Or is it because you have eaten already?" Belinda gave him a questioning look, insisting on getting to the bottom of the matter.


    Duke was a bit stunned upon hearing her remark. He kept quiet for a while. But he soon let out a smile and gently shook his head. "Take it any way you wish," he said ndly.


    "Come on, you are so boring." Belinda couldn''t think of anything to say, and realized that it was no use asking him. So she decided to drop the matter and simply enjoyed her meal. She wasn''t too fussy about food, she was only particr about the way the dishes were cooked sometimes. Food in perfectbination of colors, smells and tastes would be appreciated.


    "I thought you knew what kind of person I am. You are right, I am no fun." Although Duke was responding to herints, he wasn''t really looking at her. Instead, he kept scrolling through thetest news on his phone.


    "No. I never did. But I do now." Shrugging her shoulders, Belinda replied. But then she paused the instant she set eyes on Duke, who was sitting beside her with his head hanging. As the sunlight flooded into the room, a gentle orange glow framed his handsome face. She suddenly became immersed in bliss, wishing that she could stay right here in this moment with him, forever.


    "Just dig in. Say no more or you might choked," said Duke dotingly. Putting away his phone, he then leaned back on the sofa leisurely. He seemed to be relishing the moment too. To Belinda, the rxed side of him had only added to his charm.


    "Duke, it seems to me that you are quite free at the moment!" Belinda turned around all of a sudden, winking at him with a sly but pleasant smile.


    "Yes, you can say that. Why?" Duke tensed up, avoiding eye contact with her. He could tell from her eyes that she was scheming, and it made him shudder.


    "Great! Would you like to do something to kill time? How about doing the financial ounting for me? There, on theputer. My head is going to explode from looking at data the whole day," she groaned. Belinda never had a solid grasp of math and figures, so every time she checked up the ount, she would definitely suffer brain fatigue.


    "Seriously? You aren''t scared of my stealing your trade secrets?" Having said that, he rose up before she could answer his question, and walked over to her desk.


    "If you are really interested in them, go ahead. I''m quite okay with it, as long as you are willing to free me from this nightmare." She meant what she said. She was not the kind of enterprising woman who ambitiously aimed at proving herself in her career. If she had ever had a choice, she would have never chosen to run such a bigpany. Because most of the time, she felt that her ability fell short of her desire to handle thepany affairs well.


    Casting her a nce, Duke said no more and seated himself in the chair casually. But when he caught sight of the documents that piled up on her desk, his heart missed a beat. She was not expecting him to go over all of them, right!? He quickly leaned forward and thumbed through them. His brows wrinkled.


    "Did you put off all of them until now?" he couldn''t help but ask. As expected, those were a whole month''s worth of bills. It would take him an entire afternoon to check all of them. Duke suddenly felt a bit dizzy.


    "Well, I always wait until the end of the month. I don''t feel like dealing with them until it can''t be postponed any longer. Why? A little too much for you?" asked Belinda, sticking out her tongue at him yfully with a hint of shame. Even though the ounting department had already ssified all the data for her, she would still fall apart in the face of them every time.


    "Don''t you think so?" Duke asked while shooting her an angry nce. No wonder there were so many of them. It was all because of herziness and procrastination. But what could he do now? He had no choice but to get down to work.


    "Well...not really, I think," responded Belinda, her voice trailing off like a child being scolded. But she was in fact chuckling to herself, knowing someone else was going to do the drudgery for her. To be honest, she considered this as the only good thing about this marriage so far.


    Duke made no response this time. He started to concentrate on the documents which were densely packed with statistics, and even addedments and notes when needed. Having buried himself under the piles of work, he seemed to have forgotten about Belinda''s existence.


    It was not the first time that Belinda had seen him fully absorbed in work, but she was still deeply attracted by the way he attended to things with undivided attention. She just couldn''t take her eyes off his serious, grim yet handsome face, especially his thin lips that were closed firmly when he was deep in thoughts. She was spellbound by the sight of this man.


    The more time she spent with him, the more engrossed she was in the gentleness which he would show to her asionally. Unlike Edward, who would always disy his charms in every possible way, Duke was rather reserved and would keep a low profile most of the time. So it was pretty rare for him to show his tenderness.


    After a while, Belinda finally turned her gaze away in silence, and cleared those things on the coffee table very quietly, trying her best not to disturb Duke. She then left the office and walked to the break room.


    "Boss, can I help you?" The moment she walked out of the office, her secretary quickly followed. When she found Belinda making coffee, she was a bit surprised and came up to offer her help. Because the task of making coffee for Belinda was assigned to her, and her alone in thepany.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "No, thanks. I can manage it myself. You can get back to your work," Belinda answered without looking at her. She was focused on brewing the coffee, thinking that she must be the one who prepared the coffee for her man.


    In her opinion, a woman, no matter how strong she might be in some ways, she must keep a good bnce between toughness and delicacy. Only then could she make men throw themselves at her feet. Otherwise, she would only push them away. After all, no man nowadays would like his wife to be better than himself in every aspect, it would only bring him frustration. Took herself as an example, she had shown her weakness to Duke just now, which was not very often, and she had not only earned his affection, but also convinced him to help her with her work. This was exactly what they called killing two birds with one stone.


    From the corner of his eyes, Duke saw Belinda went out. He was very preupied with the work, hoping to finish them as early as possible. So without wondering or asking where she was going, he only nced at her back before throwing himself back into the mass of data quickly. When he saw her return with a cup of coffee, his face was colored with amazement.0000000

 Chapter 713 Softness Begets Tenderness (Part Two)

    "How is it going? Have you sorted things out? Putting the coffee down gently, she approached to check on his progress. The moment she glimpsed at those data, she got a headache again. She had spent almost the whole morning wrestling with the task, but it wasn''t a


    productive struggle. She was worried that Duke might be having a hard time since he was not familiar with herpany''s management.


    "Not bad. I just need to change my thinking method." If he were stumped merely by those numbers, there would be no way that the Leng Group became what it was today. What surprised him though, was that herpany didn''t go bankrupt given her poor numeracy skills. It was literally a miracle. He had to convince himself that she was probably backed by a strong team.


    "No way! Why are they so confusing for me!" eximed Belinda, who was trying to ease her headache by rubbing her forehead. Her perplexity increased when she found Duke typing new information rapidly into theputer.


    "That''s because you are stupid. Just leave me alone if you want the work done as soon as possible. I will add annotations to exin some of the puzzling aspects, so that you may find it easier to understand the next time you look them up. Duke kept typing while he talked to Belinda. He knew such a pile of work could take him hours to finish, so he needed to hurry up.


    "I beg your pardon? I am not stupid!" Belinda reluctantly admitted in her heart that he was much better than her when it came to work, for he had checked arge number of documents in such a short time. Or more specifically, he had checked almost the same amount of documents as she did this morning.


    With Duke taking over the job, Belinda could now take her time to enjoy the coffee and magazines. She was quite satisfied with it, so she simply entrusted the task to him, washed her hands and walked away without hesitation.


    As the time passed, Duke felt a bit tired. He looked up and stretched a bit, when suddenly he discovered that Belinda was already fast asleep. He was torn betweenughing and crying seeing that he was left with all the hard work while she snoozed away. He wasn''t expecting any help from her but he had never imagined that she would just go to sleep without a care.


    Standing up with resignation, he walked over, almost tiptoeing, and wrapped his coat around her as gently as possible. He then carefully kissed her on the forehead before going back to the desk. He suddenly remembered something, picked up his cellphone and texted his assistant, saying that he wouldn''t be back to thepany today, and asked him to send him messages if anything turned up. Duke took thoughtful steps just so he wouldn''t wake up Belinda.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    Putting down his phone, he took a sip of the coffee, which was already cold. He frowned when he found out it was sweet. Belinda had no idea that he would never put sugar in his coffee. Even so, he drank it all up.


    He then went back to work. The task was a piece of cake for him, and it was only a matter of time before he finished it. However, the moment he picked up a document, a light knock was heard on the door.


    The first thing he did was to turn around and check on Belinda. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw her turning over, showing no sign of awakening. He then rose up, trying not to make any noise, not even an answer, before he got to the door, fearing that Belinda might have heard him.


    "What''s the matter, Simon?" He recognized the young man at the door at once, for they had met many times before. He was the special assistant of Belinda.


    "Mr. Leng, what brings you here? And where is our boss?" Simon was caught by surprise when Duke opened the door. But he quickly snapped out of it and asked.


    "She is in here, but has fallen asleep. Is it very urgent? If not, could you wait until she wakes up?" asked Duke dryly. It was typical of him to be indifferent or even cold to unfamiliar people.


    "No, it isn''t. I wille back after she wakes up then," answered Simon with an odd smile, directing a meaningful look at Duke. Howe Belinda would sleep at this time of the day? Duke''s words had conjured up images of romantic, and even erotic scene in his mind. "Alright." said Duke, who ignored Simon''s somewhat wicked smile, and closed the door without a word. Duke had always been like this. He wasn''t talkative with people he wasn''t familiar with, and would never speak needlessly, regardless of who those people might be. The door closed fast, nearly bumping onto Simon''s nose. He subconsciously covered it for protection. He had heard of Duke''s reputation. ording to rumor, this Leng Group''s CEO had always been as cold as marble, and no one ever saw him smile. Now it seemed to Simon that the rumor was true. They had met for several times, but he had never seen a smile on his face, but rather the cold and distant look that would hold off those around him. But there was one exception. His face seemed to soften a little in front of Belinda Shangguan.


    Belinda had been sleeping like a baby. Must due to herck of good rest these days, she slept quite soundly, and for a long time this afternoon. When she woke up, it was nearly time to get off work. But once she opened her eyes, she became a bit rmed when she could find no sign of Duke in the room.


    She rubbed her eyes, putting Duke''s coat away before going to the desk and checked theputer. Surprised, she quickly browsed through the piles of documents until she finally believed that they were all done. Duke''s efficiency impressed her. But the problem was, where was he now? Both his coat and his cellphone were still here, he couldn''t have left thepany.


    "What''s on your mind? You look like you''re in a trance." Duke came out from the bathroom, his face wet. The first thing he saw was Belinda standing still near the desk, wearing a vacant expression.


    "Well...where have you been?" Belinda blurted out. But she regretted it the moment she finished her sentence. It couldn''t be more obvious as to where he had been with that much water on his face. It made her sound stupid for asking that question.


    "My eyes hurt a bit just now, so I thought maybe I should wash my face with cold water and freshen up. Why? Missed me already? You seem to be in a hurry to find me." asked Duke, who smiled teasingly. He leaned across the coffee table to get some tissues to wipe his face.


    "In your dreams!" Belinda scoffed. Even though she wore a sardonic expression on her face, she dared not meet his gaze. It was true that she panicked a little in his absence earlier.


    "So, it seems that I was only ttering myself?" Duke kept smiling without calling her bluff. He then sank down onto the sofa, stroked his be, looking a bit weary.0000??????????

 Chapter 714 Softness Begets Tenderness (Part Three)

    "Are you tired?" asked Belinda. She noticed that he looked rather dull ever aftering out from the bathroom. It was not until then that she realized how inappropriate it was for her to have fallen asleep while he was helping her out. "I''m fine. I''ve gotten used to working like this already. Could you make me another cup of coffee?" Pursing his dry lips, Duke asked as he closed his eyes drowsily.


    "No problem. I will be back soon." Before leaving the room, she gave those documents a second nce, and was again pleasantly surprised by how well Duke had handled them. If Duke looked at her at that moment, he could surely read satisfaction on her face. Delighted, she went out, almost waltzing. Much like previously, she had no intention of letting her secretary help her with the coffee.


    Soon after she left, Duke suddenly opened his eyes. It seemed that something had urred to him, something he must remind her of. But it was toote. He couldn''t do anything but sighed helplessly and continued with his nap. He was indeed tired. Unlike documents for approval, the documents he had just gone through were filled with numbers that needed to be checked with precision to the decimal points, which required more energy, not to mention that there were so many of them. It was not an easy task to finish them in such a short time even with his business prowess.


    Belinda was quick this time. In just a few minutes, she came back with two cups of coffee. But she slowed down when she entered and found Duke sitting there with his eyes closed. She hesitated, wondering whether she should wake him up or not.


    "I think it''s about time. Get your stuff done as soon as possible, and we will eat out before going back tonight." Duke opened his eyes and said to her. He calmly took one of the coffee up and sipped a little. It didn''t surprise him that it was sweet again. It was his fault for forgetting to remind her. He disliked the taste but he drank it slowly with the same coldposure.


    "Are you starving?" Belinda asked tentatively. As she recalled, he barely ate anything this noon, it wouldn''t be a surprise if he was hungry now.


    "Lady, you had better not touch on such a sensitive topic when you''re talking to a man. I don''t think you can bear the consequences." Duke said, staring right into her eyes with his lips curled into a sinister smile.


    "Sensitive? But I was only asking whether you are hungry or not..." But soon enough, Belinda pped her hands to her mouth and red at him. From his grin, she realized that he might be referring to sex-starved. Stepping back, she quickly kept him at arm''s distance. That gave her the impression that all men were sexual creatures that thought of nothing but making love. What a pervert!


    "Seems that you need no exnation." Duke chuckled and looked at her blushing face gloatingly. He was now totally refreshed by the joke he made. It was so much fun teasing her. Those harmless jokes seemed to have helped deepen their rtionship. It was moments like these that gave them more happiness in their simple and peaceful life.


    "I thought you were different from Edward, but as I see it now, you two are both well-dressed letches!" said Belinda tly, rolling her eyes. Well, Edward would have never expected himself to be a coteral damage of their flirting.


    "Thanks for yourpliment." Duke wasn''t angry or ashamed at all. On the contrary, he teased her even more by taking her words as apliment. But hisst word was followed by a knock on the door.


    "Come in, please." Belinda cleared her throat before answering. She decided to seize the chance and drop the matter, for she was well aware that she would not win the argument whatsoever. She thought that Duke, unlike Edward, wasn''t a hard nut to crack, but she was wrong. He was not to be underestimated.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    The door opened and Simon Xu walked in slowly. He nodded as a greeting to Duke before walking to Belinda''s desk and said, "Boss, I have scheduled an appointment with YD Group''s CEO, but he said he would only give us half an hour to propose our n." "Really? I thought he would say no. I''ve prepared myself for his rejection, too. Now this is beyond my expectation. Did he say where shall we meet him?" Belinda was only trying her luck and wasn''t expecting that the YD Group would agree to meet. It was quite a surprise for her to know that they were offered a chance. It was rumored that YD Group''s CEO was a real piece of work. But now he didn''t strike her as a difficult person. One shouldn''t always take rumors seriously, she thought to herself. After all, she had learned a lesson from the man sitting on the sofa now. People all said that Duke was never a womanizer. But how would he exin his rtionship with Rachel?


    "At Tender Whispers, they will have their lunch there." It just so happened that the CEO''s secretary was Simon''s ssmate back in school. It seemed that he had put in a good word for them. Otherwise, they would have never gotten the opportunity.


    "What? Not that ce again." The smile vanished from Belinda''s face. She never wished to set foot in that restaurant ever again since she got drunk there the other night. The moment Simon mentioned its name, she quickly nced at Duke to see how he would react to it. She let out a sigh of relief when she discovered that he was dozing off without paying any attention to them.


    "What''s the matter? Could you make it?" Simon looked at her tensely. It was an one-time chance for them, missed it and they might have to fight against otherpanies in thepetition held by YD Group afterward, which could greatly reduce their sess rate. He did have confidence in their own n, but he also believed that there could be more capablepanies.


    "Nothing. I will go. You can go and make further arrangement now." Biting her lip, Belinda finally nodded in agreement. ''I just happened to be drunk and made a scene, which is nothing unusual in a restaurant.'' sheforted herself, ''I bet nobody else has seen it. No one will recognize me anyway. There is nothing to worry about.''


    "No problem. Now if you would excuse me, I will get back to my work," said Simon, who couldn''t help but shoot Belinda a questioning nce before leaving. He sort of felt that she had been acting strange the whole day. He couldn''t tell, but he thought that she was not her usual self today.


    "Okay, please continue with your work then." With her elbows on the desk and her head resting on her palm, Belinda kept stroking her forehead, looking distressed.


    "So you seek partnership with YD Group?" asked Duke with his eyes suddenly opened, staring at her curiously.0000

 Chapter 715 No, Youre Lying (Part One)

    "Yes. Only this way YS group can make new breakthroughs in the advertising industry." Belinda raised her head to look at him. Partnering with YD Group was just the preliminary stage. Whether or not they got thepany''s outdoor advertising n depended a lot on their abilities. "Okay. But take care of your own self. Don''t stress yourself out about this too much." Duke''s eyebrows furrowed. He didn''t know much about YD Group. He was a bit worried about Belinda putting in so much effort into this. But it wasn''t possible to try and persuade her to quit now. She knew that if apany wanted to survive in thepetitive market, sticking to the rules didn''t do the trick. Only innovations and new elements could help one remain invincible.


    "You will help me, right?" Belinda asked Duke hopefully.


    "No, I won''t. I have a lot of things to do myself. I won''t have time to help you." Duke nced at her indifferently. Her hopeful expression hadn''t moved him.


    "Huh. You''re selfish." Belinda pursed her lips. She had known that Duke would say no to her request. But she hadn''t expected his blunt reply. She felt a bit hurt.


    "Is there anything else that needs to be done? If not, we should go." Duke nced at her and saw the clear disappointment in her eyes. He couldn''t let himself help her too much, she''d be dependent on him. For her own good, she should learn to handle things by herself. He''d still be by her side every step of the way.


    "Just a second." Belinda packed up her things, including the documents she had to take home with her. Although she was bothered by Duke''s coldness, she didn''t say anything. She couldn''t force him to do something he didn''t want to do. She was indeed stubborn and a little childish, but she wasn''t the kind of person who would willfully force someone to help her.


    Dusk inte autumn was always exquisite. Yellow leaves danced in the breeze, unting their beauty onest time before descending onto the groundzily. The elegant couple walked slowly. Their alluring looks against the charming scenery made every passerby feel envy.


    "We will take my car. Leave yours in the parking lot," Duke said as he pulled open the car door. It was more of an order than a suggestion. He had always been the dominating one in their rtionship.


    "I guess that''s okay. I can use a driver right now. I don''t want to drive anyway." Belinda dly got inside his car. It would be a waste if they drove two different cars at the same time anyway. So she epted the suggestion without any hesitation.


    Duke''s jaw ticked. He was at a loss for words. Was he a mere driver in her eyes? His mouth set in a grim line. He swiftly went over to the driver''s seat and settled behind the steering wheel.


    "Buckle up." Duke nced at her, his expression dark.


    "Duke, you''re really vtile. Your mood swings are out of control." Belinda looked at him as she obediently fastened her seat belt.


    "That''s true. You know that, so you shouldn''t try to rile me up." Duke said dangerously with a smirk. He started the car and drove out of the parking lot of YS group.


    "Well, as long as others don''t provoke me first, I don''t usually bother them without a valid reason. Don''t worry, I''m too tame to trouble you." Belinda scrutinized him, realizing that he looked more handsome in his side profile. "That''s good." He honked the car''s horn several times. It was rush hour after work and they were stuck in the traffic jam.


    "Should we ask Leena toe too? She must be bored. She''s not used to being alone at home," Belinda changed the subject abruptly, remembering Leena. Even though it was aggravating how Leena always defied her, Belinda couldn''t help but worry about her. In her eyes, Leena was just a little girl, no matter how many times she tried to prove otherwise.


    "No, let her be. The marriage is her own choice. Now she has to adapt herself to that way of life. She''s on her own." Duke said coldly. He was not the same person anymore who used to spoil his little sister recklessly.


    "Are you serious? It''s been a long time since that happened. You can''t still be mad about that?" Belinda couldn''t help but snort. No wonder Leena was afraid to see her big brother these days! It was quite petty of Duke to still hold a grudge against Leena for her decision. "Who says that I''m mad about it? Why should I even care?" Luke would never admit that he was indeed still angry that Leena secretly got married without even informing him. But he wasn''t in the habit of showing his emotions, so he pretended he didn''t give a damn at all. "I don''t know what you''re thinking. But it seems like you''re still angry about it." Belinda watched him closely, trying to find something in his expression that would give away his true feelings.


    "That''s just your imagination talking." He turned the steering wheel and smoothly pulled over in front of a small, quaint restaurant.


    "Is this the vegetarian restaurant?" Belinda asked abruptly, ncing at theyout.


    "Why? You don''t like it?" Duke raised one eyebrow and got out of the car without waiting for an answer. He walked over to Belinda''s side and opened her door.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "No, I just didn''t expect you to like this kind of a ce." Belinda herself used toe to the restaurant asionally. Lately, however, she was too busy and couldn''t afford the time to do so. She hadn''t tried the delicious food here in a long time. "Come on. Let''s go inside." He casually slipped his hand into hers and pulled her toward the restaurant. Belinda blushed at the intimate gesture.


    The Fragrance was a charming little restaurant. Although it was not as luxurious as other fancier restaurants, the food here was delectable. Once someone had savored the vegetarian dishes here, they were bound toe back again for another taste. "Mr. Leng, we reserved the usual table for you. This way please." Apparently Duke came here often. The waitress even knew his name.


    "Sure! Is your boss present here right now?" Duke asked, pausing to face the waitress.


    "The boss was here this morning. But she went home after lunch," The waitress stood by and answered courteously.


    "Okay, I see. You must be busy. No need to wait on us." Duke led Belinda by her hand toward an enclosed private cabin in the corner. He seemed to know his way around the restaurant. The decoration of the cabin was prettier than the intricate designs outside. "You know who runs this ce?" Belinda asked, the surprise obvious in her words. As far as she knew, this restaurant had been running for years.


    "I do. In fact, not only do I know her, you are also familiar with her," Duke said with a small smile. Opening a restaurant was just one of her whims initially. He hadn''t expected the idea to actuallye to fruition and ultimately result in one of the most popr restaurants in the city today. After she went abroad to pursue her studies, he had been in charge of this restaurant. He had to admit she put a lot of effort into building it. She had designed all the interiors herself. The reason for opening this restaurant was quite simple. This way, she could order all the dishes she wanted to eat, she said.


    "I know the owner too? Seriously? Who is she? Howe I have no idea about this?" Belinda was even more curious now. She turned around, perusing the borate designs and decorations and tried to find a clue about the owner of the restaurant.


    "Didn''t you ask me before if we should invite her to have dinner with us?" Upon hearing Belinda''s suggestion, Duke had decided toe here and see if they could meet Leena by any chance. He hadn''t expected her to go home early. "You mean Leena?! I''ve been here several times before, how did I not know this is her restaurant? You''re kidding, right?" Belinda was astonished. She wouldn''t have ever thought that Leena owned a restaurant. Leena was just a young girl.


    "That must have been a long time ago. You didn''t know each other back then. Even if you saw her here, you couldn''t have possibly recognized her. The Fragrance is indeed hers. She''s the owner, but it''s basically run by Edward and me. In truth, she''s a little free rider." Duke''s eyes were affectionate as he talked about Leena. It was such a departure from his usual self.


    "I wonder how she got the notion of opening a vegetarian restaurant? I mean, it''s a great idea, but it''s unusual." Belinda was impressed by Leena''s business acumen. Vegetarian restaurants were rare, especially in today''s times when everyone was overindulgent and chased luxury. It was because there weren''t many vegetarian options in the city that Leena''s restaurant was so sought after. There wasn''t an empty seat during dinners. Belinda had often left dishearteningly after failing to secure a vacant spot.0000

 Chapter 716 No, Youre Lying (Part Two)

    "I''ll tell you. For a while when she was younger, she had gained a few extra pounds. We told her that she looked adorable, but she wanted to lose the weight right away when she was fat-shamed by her ssmates at school. So she started eating vegetarian meals. Later,


    that became her inspiration for opening a vegetarian restaurant."


    Duke reminisced, as if it had happened yesterday. It was obvious he was fond of the lovely memory he shared with his little sister. It made Belinda realize that no matter how reluctant he was to admit the love he had for his sister, he deeply cared for her in his heart. He wouldn''t have looked this happy otherwise.


    "She''s so slender now, I wouldn''t have thought she was a chubby kid." Belinda couldn''t imagine Leena being overweight. She was so petite.


    "It took her about a year of exercises and vegetarian meals to get back in shape." Duke poured out a ss of water and put it in front of Belinda. In those times, he used to apany her to the gym for all kinds of exercises. Edward had done it too. "She''s quite persistent. Once she sets her mind on doing something, she doesn''t stop until she seeds. I really admire that." Belinda was slowlying to understand why Duke liked spoiling her. Leena was a unique girl. She was coddled by a lot of people, but she never got cocky. That was remarkable.


    "She''s not only persistent; she''s also very stubborn." Duke involuntarily smiled, thinking about how heartbroken they were when they saw her put in the efforts at exercise. They tried to persuade her to quit, or to at least tone it down a bit. But she hadn''t listened to a word they said. She stuck it out and achieved her goal in the end.


    "I know that very well." The corner of Belinda''s mouth lifted. She loved the hot and sour potatoes at this ce. Every time she was here, she enjoyed having the dish.


    Duke didn''t say anything further as he silently watched her eat. He made mental notes of her preferences secretly. He piled up her te with more food, as he had done during lunch, earlier in the afternoon. Duke didn''t eat much himself, Belinda noticed. Time passed by in silence. Finally, they finished dinner and walked out of the restaurant. It was nighttime and the city had lit up. The scenic beauty was a feast for everyone''s eyes.


    "Let''s go to the seaside and get some fresh air, what do you say?" Belinda''s eyes were hopeful as she raised her head to look at the tall and handsome man beside her.


    "Right now? It might be a little cold there at this time." Duke scrutinized her outfit. Belinda''s outfit was suitable for the downtown city where it was warm, but if they went to the seaside, she''d need warmer clothes. He worried she''d catch a cold otherwise. "That''s okay. Don''t worry. We won''t be there for long." Their marriage wasn''t based on love. Sometimes that made Belinda feel insecure, for it meant that it hung by a thread. She couldn''t deny that she was developing feelings for Duke. This distant but gentle and handsome man constantly upied her mind. She only hoped that he was slowly falling for her too. Only then she''d feel at ease.


    "Fine. Let''s go." Duke couldn''t bear to reject her eager face. He agreed to the simple request without another thought.


    Belinda bubbled with excitement when she heard him agree to go. She rarely got an opportunity to spend time with Duke, just by themselves. Her eyes beamed with happiness.


    The sea breeze was coolly blowing as the tides rolled by. In the misty night, the sky and the sea had be one. It became impossible to tell them apart. Belinda couldn''t resist the temptation to take off her shoes. She began sprinting freely on the beach. She was like a seagull flying in the sky, without a care in the world.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    The corner of Duke''s mouth twitched into a smile. When she wasn''t busy being the powerful CEO, Belinda was just like any other girl-next-door. He hadn''t seen this side to her before. As he watched her, something in his cold heart melted.


    "Duke,e get me!" The sea breeze moved against her long hair. Belinda''s voice sounded fainter by the minute, but Duke heard her words. He was always calm and restrained. He didn''t y these childish games. So even after he had heard her, Duke didn''t move. He stood there, his eyes locked on his wife''s silhouette.


    It was the season ofte autumn and not many people were on the beach in the evening. There were only a few couples, all of them either snuggled together or were having fun. Duke and Belinda stood out as the most distant pair in the vicinity.


    Duke didn''t want to join her and Belinda could only do so much by herself. She walked back in disappointment. She decided not to sit next to Duke. Instead, she sat down at a distance and yed with the sand.


    Duke was staring at the invisible line between the sky and the sea, his eyes intense and soulful. Except for Duke himself, nobody could tell what he was thinking.


    Belinda was engrossed in building her various sand castles. She didn''t bother him. She could tell she didn''t really hold a ce in his heart. He only paid attention to her from time to time, when it was convenient or when she happened to be close-by. She was aware of how little she mattered in Duke''s life.


    A sudden, immense wave came up and wiped out the castles she had been building. Belinda stood and found another dry ce to sit, still keeping a distance from Duke. Suddenly, she regretted her decision toe here. She felt a little mistreated and her eyes reddened slightly.


    Belinda had never been a sensitive woman. But since marrying Duke, she felt like her heart was made out of ss. She felt vulnerable and got emotional about little things. Not only that, she got suspicious when it came to him. She knew she should put more trust in Duke, but she didn''t know how to get a grip on herself.


    Rubbing her cold arms, she bit her lip and gazed at the doting couples with envy. She couldn''t help but feel sorry for herself. What was she doing? Her eyes darted away and she stared nkly at her toes.


    "What''s wrong? You''re not ying anymore. Are you tired?" A maic voice next to her ear asked, as a coat faintly smelling of peppermint wasid on her shoulders. Duke sat down beside her. He casually put his long arm around her and held her close. "Do you want everyone to think I''m mad?" Belinda struggled, trying to get out of his arms. She didn''t want to be pitied.


    "If you were a madwoman, you''d be a beautiful one." Duke smiled helplessly. He hadn''t chased her around on the beach, but he had been watching her every action. He had only been distracted for a short moment while watching the sky. "Duke, was marrying me the worst decision you have made in your life?" Belinda sniffled as the sea breeze blew against her long hair, causing it to fall onto her eyes.


    "Where did you get that idea from? Why would you ask me that all of a sudden?" Duke frowned. He had to admit that women were indeed fickle. Belinda was so happy moments ago, but now, all of a sudden, she looked dejected. He didn''t understand why. "Don''t worry about where I got the idea from. Just answer me, was it the worst decision of your life or not?" Belinda gently shut her eyes for a moment. She hated being like this. She hated being insecure and petty. She felt awful about herself.


    "My answer is an emphatic ''no''. What else do you want me to say?" His hand around her waist tightened. No matter what she thought or said, he never regretted marrying her.


    "You''re lying. You regret marrying me. Ever since you met Rachel again, you''ve been having second thoughts about our marriage. Am I wrong? You wouldn''t be this miserable otherwise. You''re only lying tofort me, or maybe you''re just lying to yourself." Belinda still remembered the way he had unconsciously released her hand in front of Rachel. If Duke really didn''t care about that woman, why didn''t he want Rachel to see them holding hands? She didn''t mention to him that she had noticed, but it bothered her greatly.


    "Do you really have to bring up Rachel when we are talking about us? I thought we''d already reached an agreement on this. Things between us have nothing to do with Rachel. I thought you were a reasonable woman, Belinda. It looks like I was awfully wrong. You disappoint me."


    Duke quickly let go of her. He stood up, frustrated. These days, everything he did for her was a waste. She didn''t realize how he was indulging her at all times. After everything, she still couldn''tpletely trust him.0000000

 Chapter 717 A Drunkard (Part One)

    "Even if I don''t mention Rachel, she''s still between us. That''s indisputable. Do you really feel nothing when she''s around you? I don''t believe it." Duke had withdrawn his arm from around Belinda. She turned on her side, causing the coat to slip.


    "If that''s what you think about me, then all my exnations would go in vain." Duke didn''t want to get angry, but a sense of overwhelming frustration seized him. Everything he did was futile when it came to her.


    "I knew it. You don''t even intend to exin yourself. We aren''t married out of love, so we don''t have to be faithful to each other." Belinda rose to her feet. She shook the sand off her shirt and began walking dazedly, away from Duke. In her hurry she forgot to pick up the overcoat he had put on her.


    "Belinda, are you in love with me?" The wind carried Duke''s words to Belinda, as the scent of seaweed grew in the air. But Belinda was in no mood to enjoy the pleasant smell, because Duke''s words had shocked her. They stood with their backs facing each other. Neither could see the sorrow on the other''s face.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    "Ha! You think that could ever happen?" Belinda smiled and said in a mocking tone. Duke''s love was out of her reach. He probably had feelings for his ex-girlfriend. How could she admit to her love for him when his own wasn''t certain? She was afraid of stepping on her own heart.


    "If not, excellent! Don''t fall in love with me. I can''t give you the love you want." Belinda closed her eyes in bitterness. She had expected that answer, but she still felt a stabbing pain in her chest. She didn''t mean what she had said, but apparently, Duke didn''t love her anyway.


    "You don''t have to worry about that. I''m not a naive girl; I don''t ask for things that aren''t mine to have." A single tear slid down Belinda''s face. She tried to get a glimpse of Duke from the corner of her eyes, but it was in vain. She bit her lip to suppress the impulse to cry, then she turned around and began walking briskly. It was too painful to remain on this beach any longer.


    Duke swallowed angrily as Belinda walked away. At longst, he turned around to follow her. To his surprise, she wasn''t heading to his car. Duke panicked, hastening his pace. As soon as she was within his reach, he took hold of her wrist. "Belinda, where are you going? Are you crazy? Stop testing my patience, please!" Daisy had told Duke about Belinda''s temper. But her capriciousness and ruthless words had hurt and enraged him so much that he left the advice far behind. "Let go of me. After all, you think I''m a crazy woman who likes to make trouble for no reason!" Belinda shook his hand away violently. She resumed walking without turning back again. Her face was stained with tears.


    "Look at yourself, Belinda! You''re using Rachel as a pretext to express your dissatisfaction with me." Duke clenched his teeth to subdue his fury. Belinda was determined to leave, and he couldn''t do anything but watch his stubborn wife leave. "You can think whatever you want. If you think I''m mad enough to make a fuss over nothing, then my exnation would only appear deceiving to you, just like you said!" Belinda turned to cast Duke onest nce. Then she stepped forward and left without hesitation. Duke stayed in ce, having lost the will to keep up with Belinda. Anger took possession of him. He should walk away and pay no attention to her. No matter how awful she felt or the dangers she could walk into at this hour, he''d do well to turn a blind eye to her. But he couldn''t! He wouldn''t have felt this pain if Belinda meant nothing to him.


    The beach looked like an ugly monster thiste into the night. All Belinda could feel was her sadness. In spite of the dark and the unknown trail ahead, she kept walking with purpose. Compared to the abyss behind her, she was willing to be the prey of a wolf, tiger, leopard or any other dangerous animal. There was no way she''d retreat.


    Like a naughty fairy, the sea wind yed with Belinda''s hair until it was a tangled mess. The hair veiled the woeful expression on her face. She couldn''t take the smothering pain in her heart any longer. The person who was first to fall in the snare of love was the one who suffered the most, she felt. Just look at Daisy and Edward. They were the best example of it!


    If there was a way she could time travel, she''d wish she never met Duke. He was her fatal venom, who had poisoned all her senses so she was no longer the woman she used to be. He had changed her. She was deeply affected by his every little conduct. Belinda had never envied two people in love, for they seemed to undergo tremendous pain, although there must be sweet moments between them too. It was hard for her to grasp that her own love story was full of torments. It wasn''t until this moment that she understood why Daisy had lost herself after her being Edward.


    A sh of light came up from behind her, illuminating the rugged road beneath her feet. However, Belinda''s pain was still shrouded in darkness. With no intention of blocking the road, she stepped aside. But the vehicle didn''t pass her. Instead, it pulled over by Belinda''s side.


    "Get in the car," said Duke coldly. The passenger door on her side flew open. "No, thanks. I can walk home," Belinda stubbornly refused, ncing at him indifferently. She didn''t linger for a moment longer before walking ahead.


    "The house is quite far away. Are you sure you want to walk?" Duke asked through clenched teeth. His handsome face had darkened.


    "I''m sure. Don''t bother. it''s none of your business." Belinda spoke the words against her wish. She didn''t, of course, want to walk home or refuse Duke. But her pride was at stake.


    "Fine. Do whatever you want. I won''t insist any longer, if it means forcing you into doing something you dislike." Duke shut the car door furiously. Stepping on the gas, he drove away at full speed. He was enraged to the extreme. So it was none of his business, huh? He''d like to see how long she could stay out here.


    More tears streamed down Belinda''s cheeks. She stopped to watch the lights of Duke''s car eventually disappear out of view. Sadness overwhelmed her like a rampant flood. She lost the strength to support herself and crouched down. Burying her head between her legs, she cried her heart out.


    Belinda remembered how Duke had said he''d never leave her. But now, he had just driven off and left her behind. Duke had broken a promise. Men were truly untrustworthy liars. Even if she refused to get in the car, couldn''t he have held on for a little longer? Didn''t he care? Did he not know that sometimes, a woman''s refusal was a disguise for wanting attention? In her vulnerable state, a woman needed even more love and understanding.


    He wouldn''t have left her behind if he had seen that. But whom could Belinda me for this sham of a marriage? They weren''t lovers. Sure, they were husband and wife, but they didn''t act like a real couple. Was Rachel truly better than her? She was Duke''s ex. He must have been hers, body and soul. But as Duke''s legal wife, what did she own?


    The seaside of S City was quite remote from the downtown. The night was pitch ck and only a crescent moon hung in the sky. The trail was shrouded in darkness. As she stood up to walk, Belinda lifted her teary eyes to take measure of her gloomy surroundings. The terrible sight made her hair stand on end.


    Belinda sped up as fear spread in her heart. She finally grasped what she had gotten herself into. She hastened ahead. It was so dark that she tripped on gravel, feeling a sting on the palm of her hand. In spite of the sharp pain, she got up and went in the direction of the highway. She could take a taxi once she got there.


    She felt a sense of helplessness she had never experienced before. She had never been as fragile before now. Belinda wasn''t usually a person who cried a lot, but tonight her eyes were a river of tears. She knew very well that Duke had a heart of stone, but his coldness went beyond her imagination.


    Suddenly, a staggering figure caught Belinda''s attention. She stopped, afraid. A man singing an obscene song came into her view. Belinda quickly took several steps aback. Was he drunk? she wondered, cautiously studying the man. If that was the case, what could she do? She turned around to take a look at the beach. But it was so far away! How would she run? The beach might not necessarily be a safe ce either. There were several roads from the beach leading to the highway. What if the people at the beach had left by the other roads? What if nobody was there? Who could help her? If she went back, wouldn''t she be further away from home?????

 Chapter 718 A Drunkard (Part Two)

    Belinda regretted not having learned Chinese Kung Fu or kickboxing because ofziness. The only thing she could do was stand still. As the man stalked forward, her heart went to her throat. Belinda had a strong impulse to run off, but she dared not pass the man by. She


    didn''t know what kind of person he was. She was at a loss. The best course of action for her was to stay put.


    She had always been a tough woman. But in this remote and dark ce, Belinda was scared. Her hands clenched into tight fists. She was prepared to fight if necessary.


    The man approached her step by step. Belinda''s knees trembled, as if she was about to face a monster. She didn''t dare move her eyes away. If she had anticipated this would happen, she wouldn''t have refused Duke''s invitation in exchange for her ridiculous pride. She''d already have been far away from this damned ce! But what was done couldn''t be undone. She had to bear the consequences for her waywardness.


    "Oh, my! I never dreamed of seeing such a beauty on this remotend." Belinda was right, the man was indeed drunk. She could clearly smell the disgusting scent of alcohol that he gave off as he drew nearer.


    "You... What do you want?" Belinda asked, her lips quivering. She nced several times in the direction of the highway, hoping Duke woulde back. To her disappointment, however, not a ray of light could be seen at the end of the trail. Everything was cloaked in sheer darkness.


    "Hmm... You''re so beautiful, doll! What do you expect I want in this dark, deste ce?" The man asked as he burped loudly. He was of medium built and in his forties. Belinda could not make out his facial features in the dim light. But his sentence had already frightened her.


    "Stay back. My husband... he''s nearby. He went to fetch something. He''ll be back soon." Belinda backed away as she threatened him to ward him off. But she panicked and lost control of her pace.


    "Husband! Aha... You can take me as your husband, doll. Hmm... I won''t mind taking your husband''s ce tonight." He staggered nearer. Belinda screamed and darted in the direction of the highway. The man began chasing her immediately as she sprinted.


    "Hey, doll. Don''t leave me alone! I promise it''ll be fun for you!" He yelled as he chased Belinda on one foot. He was in such a drunk state that it wasn''t easy for him to catch her. Belinda, however, was in high heels. In panic, she tripped again.


    "No, please! Don''t hurt me." Belinday on the gravel that wasn''t paved with cement. She retreated inch by inch as the drunkard approached her. She had several wounds on her body. In spite of the pain, she screamed for help in desperation. She would never have been afraid of this man in the past. But tonight, she waspletely worn out emotionally after the fight with Duke. In her ce was just a helpless woman in need of protection.


    "Don''t what, doll? Would you like to have some fun with me? I promise to give you the time of your life." His face was hidden in the darkness, but Belinda could well imagine thescivious expression on it.


    "Stay where you are. I''ll scream for help if you take another step forward." Belinda warned him, her eyes widening. She had lost the ability to cry. Her hands blindly searched around, hoping to find a weapon. Maybe a stone could work.


    "So scream! I''d be disappointed if you keep silent. Go ahead, doll. Let me hear you scream! It will excite me." The man deliberately swallowed, before licking his lips lecherously. Belinda was disgusted.


    "Shameless beast! Go away! Duke, help me! Save me!" Belinda cried. She felt traumatized to the point of copse. How she regretted fighting with Duke! But it was toote.


    "Hey! Doll! Stop shouting for help. Don''t you understand? It''s as quiet as a graveyard here. Even if you scream your head off, no one wille to your rescue. Now, listen. I promise to treat you nicely." The man wretchedly bent down toward her. She could finally see his face. His expression was lewd and he was clearly aroused. What a pig!


    "Go to hell!" Belinda took hold of a handful of earth and threw it at his face. She had intended to attack his eyes, but the wind made it fall into her own as well. She didn''t care. She took advantage of the opportunity and ran off before he could finish wiping off the dirt. She could hardly see through one of her eyes, but it didn''t make her stop.


    "Bitch! You y tricks on me! I''ll fuck and kill you once I get my hands on you!" The pain had sobered up the drunkard a little. He cursed as he rubbed his eyes. Then he dashed to catch Belinda. She couldn''t run much faster because of her wounds. He was catching up to her quickly.


    Belinda''s face distorted in fear. She nced backward from time to time as she ran. She forgot about the pain, or even the direction in which she was headed. Sheer panic had taken possession of her. She was resolute in her belief that she could not let herself be stained by this drunkard, otherwise she''d lose any confidence she had regarding Duke. If she couldn''t have Duke''s love and be with him, she wouldn''t be able to live. She''d rather die.


    "Hey! Keep running! As fast as you can! I wonder how far you can go." His voice was getting increasingly loud as he closed the distance. Belinda could hear him panting as he yelled.


    Belinda could image how deplorable she looked, but it didn''t matter. She wanted to be as far away from the drunkard as possible. She had never anticipated such an encounter and didn''t know how to respond under the circumstances. She could only think of escaping. But how, she didn''t know. Her mind was nk.


    "Bitch, you''re a good runner. You''ve already exhausted me. You must serve me nicely, or I''ll let you apologize to me on your hands and kneester." He was now within an arm''s distance. If he stretched out his hand, he''d easily catch her. The drunkard suddenly darted forward, trying to grip her wrist. Luckily, Belinda twisted in time. In the process, he identally touched her cor and tore part of it open, revealing Belinda''s fair skin. Aroused at the sight of it, he grasped her again, pulling her toward him before she could realize what had happened. The man circled his other arm around her waist and locked her in. It was impossible for Belinda to move.


    "Let go of me, you beast! Leave me alone or you''re a dead man!" Belinda racked her brains for every conceivable dirty name she could think of to curse the bastard. She struggled to twist her body and fend him off, but didn''t realize how that excited him. He couldn''t restrain himself any longer. He grabbed Belinda''s face and tried to kiss her. Belinda could smell the alcohol on him. She felt nauseated and tried her best to dodge the forced kiss.


    "Abuse me if you like! I get aroused hearing you curse. Smooth skin, pretty face. What a beauty you are! I can''t wait any longer, doll." The man said as he caressed her arm, before moving to her face. Belinda shuddered, and dodged his touch in time.


    "You demon! If you try anything with me, you''ll die pitifully. My friend is a colonel. When she catches you, you''ll be tortured in ways you can''t imagine." Belinda was exhausted beyond belief, but she insisted on fighting till the very end. She would never surrender herself to this man. She''d find an opportunity to escape.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "But I must sleep with you before I die. It must be nice, dying in a beautiful woman''s arms. You''re mine tonight. You can''t escape your destiny," He said, before pressing his mouth on hers. Belinda was horrified as she struggled against his arms. She stomped on his foot with one of her heels. He groaned in pain and rxed his hold, helping her get away from under his body. But before she could think of escaping, heavy hands dragged her down on the ground. The drunkardughed as he looked at Belinda''s beautiful, teary face. He began taking off his clothes.0000

 Chapter 719 Duke, Help (Part One)

    "What are you doing? Stop!" Belinda clutched at the chest of her clothes. Desperation was in her eyes when she suddenly let out an emptyugh. It felt like it was hopeless for her to get away now. She wished someone could show up and help her. What was happening to her was just too hard to believe.


    "What am I doing? It''s rather ''who am I doing.'' Come on, hot stuff. You and I are going to have a wonderful time tonight." The man took off his clothes and tossed them on the ground. It was then that he started to haul Belinda towards the roadside.


    "Ah! Let me go, you bastard! You son of a bitch! Pervert!" She struggled and cursed but the drunken man was bulky and strong. Getting out of his clutches just seemed impossible.


    "Come here, hottie." There was a lewd smile on the man''s face.


    "Don''te closer! You will regret it!" Belinda hugged herself tightly. Horror and tears flooded her face as she looked at the man.


    ...


    "Help! Duke! Help me! Duke!" Belinda cried and screamed. She kept kicking with all her strength. However, her resistance did not make anything better as this just aroused the man even more. He put her hands above her head and held them with one hand as he started to unbuckle his belt with his other. Belinda felt like vomiting just by seeing the gross horny look on the man''s face. Her mind went nk.


    "Yeah! That''s right! Scream! Nobody''sing to help you! They can''t hear you..." The man wasn''t able to finish his sentence when a sudden beam of light appeared. He looked up but he couldn''t even open his eyes. The light was too bright. A sound of a car pierced through the air then stopped abruptly. Before the fat man realized what was going on, he already received a kick and fell on the ground on his fours like a huge meatball. No doubt the person who kicked him was burning with wrath and had exerted as much strength as he could. Duke''s eyes were filled with anger. He kept kicking the man as if he wanted him dead right away. The next kick was always harder than thest one. Based on the grim air that surrounded Duke, it seemed that he wouldn''t calm down unless he was sure the man was at least crippled.


    Belinda curled up with her arms crossed over her chest to cover her exposed skin. She was in a shock. Duke went over to her and attempted to carry her in his arms. The sight of her pained him so much that his hands were trembling. Seeing someone was approaching made Belinda scoot backward in horror.


    "No! Don''t touch me! Please!" she screamed. Her hair was a mess. Her body was covered with bruises and small cuts from gravel.


    "Belinda, it''s me. Shh, it''s okay. I''m taking you home." Belinda was barely with any clothes on. Looking at her, Duke felt heartbroken. His eyes were wet. He was remorseful.


    "Home..." Belinda murmured. Her eyes looked dully ahead. She still hadn''t recovered from the shock.


    "Yes, home. So don''t push me away. We''ll go home together, okay?" Duke said quietly. He hated himself for what had happened to Belinda. He knew this ce was remote and dark but he had left her here alone anyway just because he had been angry with her. He felt he was such a jerk.


    "I want to go home. Please hurry. Take me home now." Belinda suddenly got very agitated. She grabbed Duke''s arms, shook him and begged him to get her out of there as soon as possible.


    "Okay. Let''s go home right now." Duke carried her to his car quickly. Belinda''s clothes had been torn apart. Duke put his coat on Belinda and took her into his arms tightly.


    "You said you would never abandon me under any circumstances. You promised." Belinda muttered to herself. Her eyes were lifeless as if she was lost in her own world.


    "Belinda, "I''m truly sorry. I shouldn''t have left you there alone." Duke kissed her head repeatedly. A feeling that he had lost and found her again was cruising all over him. She was so fragile and helpless. The guilt in Duke''s heart was so overwhelming, he lifted his hand and pped himself twice. Belinda was startled by the loud sounds. She raised her head and gazed at the red mark on Duke''s face.


    "Does it hurt?" Her slender hand reached for his face hesitantly and timidly. She felt bad for him, but thinking of the injury in her palm, she withdrew her hand.


    "It''s nothingpared to the pain you are going through." Right now, he was convinced that Belinda cared about him even at this moment when she was both physically and mentally hurt. It touched him so much that tears streamed down his eyes. He had never cried for anything before and her forgiveness made him feel ashamed.


    "I want to go home. I don''t want to stay here any longer." Belinda looked out of the car window, shaking.


    "Don''t be afraid. I''m right beside you." Duke kissed her on the lips and straightened the coat wrapped around her. Having buckled her seat belt, he started the car slowly without looking at the man who was still huddling painfully on the ground. Duke dialed a number on the vehicr telephone.


    "Hello, Mr. Leng. What can I do for you?" Mr. Yi, the chief of Public Security Bureau, checked the time. It waste and Duke scarcely contacted him. He wondered why Duke was calling.


    "Mr. Yi, please pick somebody up on the path from National Road 702 to the beach. Hemitted an attempted rape and physical assault. I hope the police can handle this matter properly and let this thug learn his lesson. I don''t ept settlement out of court. You do what you do."


    Duke hung up immediately and put his phone aside. A sinister smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. Apparently, the fat man had touched a nerve and he was going to pay for what he had done. The car started to speed up.


    Belinda had been quiet, motionless, and cringing in the passenger seat. The drunken man''s hands had been all over her. She felt dirty although the man didn''t get what he had wanted. She was old-fashioned andmitted in rtionship. Those touches crushed her. Different from the suburb, the city center''s night was as bright as daytime. Duke had been checking on Belinda all the way. She hadn''t said a word after he had smacked himself. She neither cried nor yelled. He didn''t disturb her silence. Words were hollow and pointless at this point.


    It was veryte when they got to the Leng''s residence. The night was tranquil. Duke opened the car door and carried Belinda out. Belinda didn''t struggle. She was like a puppet in his arms as he carried her upstairs to their bedroom.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    "I want to take a bath." Belinda finally spoke when Duke put her on the bed.


    "Okay. Wait here. I''m going to run the water for you." He replied in a gentle and low voice, trying to do whatever he could to make her feel better.


    Belinda didn''t say anything in response. She just pulled the oversize coat. Her body was stiff. She had gotten many bruises and scrapes from the fall. It hurt too much when she made a move.[]

 Chapter 720 Duke, Help (Part Two)

    Duke made the bathwater hotter than usual. He also added some essential oils in the water to help Belinda rx. He walked out of the bathroom when everything was ready for her bath but then halted upon returning to their bedroom and seeing Belinda. Her injuries


    astonished


    him.


    "How many more injuries like this do you have?" Duke crouched and lifted her feet. His brows were in knots. He hadn''t seen these bloodstained injuries in the dark suburb. Nor had he examined her body when they got home. Now that he saw them, he couldn''t help but panic.


    "No more. Just these on my feet. I got them when I fell. I''m going to have a bath." Belinda withdrew her feet nervously. She got up and started to walk toward the bathroom. She tried but the pain on her feet caused her to stagger. "Wait a minute. You shouldn''t have a bath right now with those injuries. Let me attend to them first." Duke stepped up and attempted to hold her by the arm but Belinda closed the door to the bathroom and locked it from the inside. Duke frowned. She was stubborn. It seemed that he had to wait until she finished her bath. He went downstairs to fetch the first-aid kit.


    In the bathroom, Belinda took off the coat. She bit her lips upon looking at her injuries in the mirror and then walked to the bath. The cuts stung terribly the minute they got wet, but they stopped hurting much anymore after a while.


    Belinda kept rubbing her body with a towel. She rubbed so hard that some cuts were reopened and started bleeding again but she didn''t stop. She rubbed every inch the drunken man had touched. Her skin was torn and the water had be red, but she was still rubbing. It seemed as if she couldn''t feel the pain anymore. She must get clean. She couldn''t ept herself as a dirty person.


    She couldn''t unleash her emotions in front of Duke but she cried in the bathroom where nobody could see her. She didn''t me anyone but herself for what had happened. She had brought it on herself. She had been too willful. Now she had to suffer alone. Belinda''s feet had been covered with dust. Thus Duke hadn''t seen how badly her feet had been hurt. He checked the time and paced back and forth in the room. It had been half an hour and Belinda was still in there.


    He sighed, walked to the door, and knocked. "Belinda, is everything okay? Don''t stay in the tub for too long. It''s bad for the cuts."


    As if Belinda didn''t hear Duke''s words, she applied more body wash to her body, and started the process all over again. She was rubbing and rubbing. The shower head kept spraying water towards her. Water mixed with blood overflew onto the floor. Duke waited at the door but got no answer. He was worried. He went downstairs again and grabbed a spare key to the bathroom door. He almost fainted when he opened the door and saw the blood in the tub.


    "Belinda, what are you doing?" Ignoring the spraying water, Duke bent over and got Belinda out of the tub.


    "Leave me alone. I''m not done yet." Belinda murmured and struggled.


    "You are done. You are very clean now." Duke felt guilty while looking at the cuts on her body. He should have thought of that. How could he not know that there were other cuts on her after that asshole''s rough treatment?


    "No, I''m not. It''s gross. I''m dirty." Belinda didn''t look right. She tried to go back to the tub. Duke couldn''t exert too much strength on her considering her injuries. He was worried that he might hurt her.


    "I say you are done!" This was the first time Duke had raised his voice to her after the incident at the beach. It was killing him to watch her hurt herself like this.


    Belinda raised her head and looked at him sadly,pletely forgetting that she was naked. Duke bowed his head and kissed her on the lips all of a sudden.


    It was the only way he coulde up with to take her mind off the horrible scene at the beach. He had to drive away her sense of shame before treating her injuries.


    He was kissing her so gently as if she was a delicate treasure. Yet the expression on his face was all remorse and sadness.


    Belinda was surprised by his kiss. This was the first time he had kissed her so softly. Actually, she hadn''t known at all that Duke could be so gentle. She still hadn''t recovered from the surprise when he stopped.


    Duke grabbed a towel to cover her body. He was afraid that he might not be able to control himselfter. "Let''s get out of here." He bent over and carried her out of the bathroom quickly.


    He put her on the bed carefully and tucked her in. Then he picked up his phone and dialed a number.


    "Hello. Why are you calling me in the middle of the night? I was asleep." Tom had been doing operations all day. He had been exhausted and went to bed early. Woken up in the middle of the sleep, naturally he was not happy about it. "Come to my house now. Belinda is injured. It looks bad. Take whatever you think might be useful." Duke said coldly and briefly. Sensing that Duke was serious, Tom got out of bed immediately and hurried into the bathroom.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "What''s the cause of injury? Be specific. I need to know what medicine to take with me." Tom washed his face quickly with the phone between his head and shoulder.


    "Scrapes. I am afraid there is a lot of sand in the cuts. Come as fast as you can. She''s bleeding. I''ll give her first aid for now. See youter." Duke hung the phone up and took the first-aid kit to the bed. He was sure Tom would be here soon. "I''m fine. I just need some ointment. You shouldn''t have troubled Tom." Belinda gazed at him. She didn''t think her injuries were serious.


    Duke just looked at her silently. He knew how bad her injuries were. He lifted the quilt to treat the cuts but Belinda pulled it down again quickly.


    "Stay still. I must stop the bleeding before Tom gets here," Dukeforted her and tried lifting the quilt again slowly.


    "But... I am naked. Could you get me a nightgown?" Belinda grabbed the corner of the quilt tightly. She was too shy to lie naked before him.


    "Can I stop the bleeding first and bring you your nightgownter?" Duke was extremely patient today. He even had never been so patient with Leena.?????????????

 Chapter 721 The Most Scheming Man (Part One)

    Belinda bit her lip and slowly closed her eyes. She thought, ''He''s seen my body so many times already. Wouldn''t it be too pretentious for me to be so reserved? Well, I''ll just close my eyes and not look at him so I wouldn''t be shy because of his look."


    Duke smiled yfully but he had no evil thoughts at all. He took a deep sad breath while looking at Belinda''s bruises. He then stooped down before her and carefully applied the hemostatic powder on her bloody wounds.


    "It would hurt a little. Hold on." Duke was gentle when he applied the medicine on Belinda''s bruises and it was something unusual of him. His heart ached every time he saw her bruises. He didn''t know if he had fallen in love with this woman who was as free as the wind but he knew that he had felt sad and choked up when he saw the bruises all over her.


    "Okay..." Belinda frowned and hummed. ''It''s not like what he said. It really hurts,'' she thought.


    Duke regretted that he had just been too kind to that bastard while looking at Belinda''s numerous wounds. He couldn''t wait to kill that beast to get rid of his anger.


    "Does it hurt?" Duke frowned as he looked at Belinda who was struggling in pain, and then gently applied the medicine on her bruises.


    "No, it doesn''t hurt much." Actually, it was not the pain of the powder biting on her wounds that troubled Belinda but Duke''s way of looking at her naked body.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    "I''m sorry. I know that it wouldn''t relieve your pain even if I say sorry ten thousand times but still... sorry. As a man, I should not have only cared about my own self-esteem and ignored your feelings. It''s my fault."


    Duke looked soulfully at Belinda''s half-closed eyes and then smiled in self-disapproval. He thought, ''I''ve been telling myself to be humble but I failed. I brought danger to Belinda." He looked at the woman in front of him with mixed feelings. He knew he cared about her. It was just that he didn''t know how to deal with his feelings for her.


    "You don''t have to feel guilty. It''s all my fault. It has nothing to do with anyone else." Belinda might be careless and outspoken but unlike other girls in rich families, she wouldn''t be capricious. She would not me others for her own mistakes. Although she felt very sad, she knew that "One should not impose on others what he himself does not desire."


    "You must hate me for letting this happen to you. Don''t you?" Duke pursed his lips with a touch of sadness in his dark eyes.


    "No. It is tiring to hate someone. I have no such taste for self-torture. Are you done?" I want to get dressed. I''m not used to not wearing clothes." Belinda kept her eyes closed. She was more afraid to look at Duke than to let him see her naked body.


    "I''m done. I''ll let Tom give a further check on your wounds." After Duke said that, he went to get her a nightgown. Belinda had always been an outgoing woman in his eyes. He didn''t expect Belinda to be so shy. Belinda had too many wounds on her arms so he chose a skirt with shoulder-straps for her.


    Belinda let out a sigh of relief and let go of her tensed hands upon hearing his footsteps away. But the calmness didn''tst long when she heard his voice again.


    "Do you need any help?" Duke was not just holding her nightgown but also her underwear which made her extremely shy.


    "No. I''ll be Okay. Turn around." Belinda took the clothes from his hand and gave him an order as usual.


    Unexpectedly, Duke said nothing this time. He just did as he was told silently with a faint smile on his face. He thought, ''I''ve already seen your body. Don''t you think it''s a littlete for me to turn around now?'' He didn''t want to quarrel with an injured woman though, so he didn''t embarrass her and just shut up.


    Belinda was careful as she was scared to hurt her wounds. After acting out of whack in the bathroom, she was now calm and less sensitive.


    Twenty minutester, Tom arrived at Duke''s house. Tom took a deep breath upon seeing Belinda''s wounds. He did not know what had happened to Belinda or why Belinda had so many wounds. Although Tom was curious about this, neither Belinda nor Duke wanted to tell him, so he didn''t ask. He just checked Belinda''s wounds.


    "OK. Don''t let the wounds get wet. If I''m right, your wounds have been soaking for a long time. I''ll prescribe some anti-inmmatory drugs for you to prevent the wounds from getting inmed." Tom frowned as he said those things. He thought, ''Are Duke and Edward intentionally causing me trouble? Why are their wives always injured? I''m about to be their family doctor now.''


    "Thank you, Tom." Belinda had met Tom before, but she didn''t know him very well. She treated Tom politely which was totally different from the way she treated Rain. She didn''t know why she would do that.


    "You''re wee. But If you really want to thank me, don''t let yourself get hurt. Are you and Daisy thinking that I am too idle? Why are you girls always injured?"


    Tom shook his head. Although Tom gave Belinda good medicines, they were not as good as his own. It wasn''t that Tom did not want to give Belinda the drugs he had made himself, it was just that Daisy already used them all up. Belinda was going to suffer more because no new drugs had been developed.


    "I am sorry to bother you," Belinda said gently with an embarrassed look on her face.


    "I just feel sorry for you. Just don''t mind what I said." Tom knew from Belinda''s expression that she must misunderstood him so he exined to her hurriedly.


    "Are you done? If so, you can leave now. Stop talking rubbish!" Duke gave Tom a cold nce which really freaked Tom out. Tom thought, ''Does he really need to be overreacting?''


    "Excuse me, Duke. Are you trying to kick down thedder? Mr. and Mrs. Leng, then I shall leave you alone. Have a good rest." At that moment, Tom thought that he was really not good at making friends. Both Edward and Duke treated him bad and were ungrateful for his help. "OK. Be careful." Belinda nodded softly. Belinda felt her wounds were less painful after Tom''s treatment, "Okay. Goodbye." Tom picked up his medicine box, turned around and walked out. Duke followed him.


    "How is her injury? How long will it take her to recover?" Duke asked anxiously. He suddenly felt uneasy upon remembering that Belinda had an appointment with the President of YD Group the next day.


    "She''s all right. She will be okay when the water on her wounds dries. As long as she keeps the wounds untouched, it will not affect her ordinary daily activities," Tom said calmly with his head tilted.


    "Good. Okay, you may leave now. I''m not going to send you out." Duke stopped as soon as he heard what he wanted. Apparently, he did not intend to send Tom downstairs.


    "Damn it, Duke! Could you be more impolite? You''re not going to take me downstairs. I knew that! Is that how you treat your guests?" Tom red at Duke. He thought, ''Who says the youngest one can get the most favor? Why don''t I get it? Why am I so miserable?'' "Are you a guest?" Duke looked at him coldly with a trace of banter in his eyes.


    "No, I am not." Tom answered honestly. Duke''s family was the one he visited most often besides Edward''s. He knew Duke''s family very well for him to not be considered as a guest.


    "Since you are not a guest, why should I send you down? You know how to get down, right? Just go." As soon as Duke had finished speaking, he walked into the room, showing no politeness to Tom.?????????????

 Chapter 722 The Most Scheming Man (Part Two)

    Tom closed his eyes and told himself not to be angry or he would really be killed by Duke''s arrogance. After quietly adjusting his mood, Tom went downstairs and soon left the ce which drove him nuts.


    S City was still in a dark color in the early morning minutes after the sun rose. Daisy was already on her way to the military base.


    "Colonel, will you be promoted this time?" Mark asked tentatively, looking at Daisy in the rear view mirror.


    "I''m not going to get promoted. Remember the tip-offst time? It affected me a lot. So, even if I performed deeds of merit in the military drill, it was useless." Daisy didn''t care if she could get a promotion. She just wanted to do her job well.


    "But you''ll not know when you''ll get a promotion if you miss this opportunity," Mark pouted, feeling a little bit unhappy with what had happened to Daisy.


    "It doesn''t matter. I am quite happy now. Anyway, I got what I want. There is no need to be greedy. Just as the old saying goes, "A man who is contented will be happy." Daisy smiled mildly. She used to work hard to match with Edward. She had lost that impulse now, having no enthusiasm and perseverance for promotion.


    "I''m just angry. Why do you have to make sacrifices every time? That''s unfair. I thought you would be able to regain people''s approval in the military drill this time even though you missed the opportunity in the closed training thest time. I didn''t expect that this drill would still be ruined by someone." Mark was angry at the very mention of it. He did not understand why his colonel''s merit and strength were always ignored by them.


    "I''m not angry, so you don''t have to be angry. You can say that in front of me but don''t tell anyone else. I can''t protect you if you do that. Did you hear me?" Daisy knew Mark was speaking for her but she was still worried that he was too noisy to keep his mouth shut. "Yes, I did, Colonel." Mark was not that stupid to say anything in front of others. He could justin. He didn''t want to get Daisy into trouble, after all,.


    "Okay. Drive carefully." Looking from the car window, Daisy saw patches of fallen leaves were flying along with the Humvee. It was a little cold on thatte autumn morning but she was still in her summer uniform; She did not feel cold at all.


    Winter was Daisy''s favorite season of the year because the cold could hide her heavy sadness. Only in this way would she not be defeated by her painful experience of the past.


    Daisy sighed softly and turned to pick up the phone next to her. After thinking for a while, she fidgeted on the keyboard with a smile on her face and sent Edward a message. Obviously, Daisy was in a good mood.


    Edward was woken up by his message alert tone. He didn''t know why Justin had set up such a pop song as a ringtone.


    Edward held out his slender hand to his side to feel the space beside him. He didn''t feel her soft body next to him as usual. He was used to that but still like a hard hobby, he would still reach out his hand every morning to that side when he got up. He reluctantly opened his eyes, ran his fingers through his messy short hair and then picked the phone next to the bed up. He frowned quizzically when he saw the sender''s name and then quickly clicked on the message. A warm message immediately caught his eyes andpletely woke him up. "Baby, open the window. Have you heard the wind is telling you I miss you?"


    Although the message was short, Edward was thrilled. He went to the window, as Daisy said. He drew the thick curtains aside and opened the window. He held out his hand upon feeling the chill ofte Autumn and tried to catch something in the wind. He knew he would catch nothing but it somehow made him feel that Daisy was beside him.


    "Baby, it''s still early in the morning. Do you miss me that much? Do you want to see me?" Edward quickly sent back an erotic message to Daisy and then looked out the window. ''This little woman doesn''t like to say anything mushy but she really surprised me this time'', he thought.


    While Edward was indulging in these sweet moments, Justin ran in without knocking the door. He was dressed very cool and looked very cute.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    "Daddy, can you send me to school today?" Justin asked with his head raised, looking at Edward who was much higher than him.


    "Don''t you like your grandparents to send you to school? Why did you suddenly change your mind?" Edward slightly pinched Justin''s nose and went to the bathroom.


    "I want you to send me to the school today. Please." Justin ran after Edward like a shadow with a pleading expression on his face.


    "Tell me why." Edward turned to look at him without stopping washing up.


    "Tell you why?" Justin pouted, miserably looking at Edward who was brushing his teeth.


    "Buddy, I am not your mother. I know what you''re thinking." Edward thought Justin must have quarreled with someone because of him.


    "Then why don''t you send me to school?" Justin ran over and hugged Edward''s leg and started acting spoiled.


    "You''ll have to wait for me to wash up!


    I can''t just go out like this!" Edward always had no way to deal with Justin, so as soon as Justin behaved in a spoiled manner, he would give what Justin wanted.


    "Yes! That would be great! Daddy, I''ll go downstairs and wait for you. Hurry up." Edward promised to send Justin to school, which made the child very happy. The kid ran down the stair with a bright smile.


    Edward resignedly shook his head. He knew he was being used by this little guy again. However, instead of being unhappy, he quite looked forward to sending Justin to the school. ''What trouble has he got me into this time?'', he thought. Edward opened therge cloakroom which was full of all kinds of designer clothes. He put on a ck shirt and a silver-gray tie. Then he took a ck suit and went downstairs. He looked more handsome in this suit.


    "Wow! Daddy, I''ll give you a full score of 90 for your suit. "Justin was so excited when he saw what Edward was wearing today that his face started to crack into a smile.


    "Isn''t the full score 100? Why is it 90?" Edward put his coat and briefcase on the sofa, and then walked to sit down at the table.


    "In my assessment, there is a 10-point floating score, or you will have no room for development." Justin said earnestly, leaning against the table and looking at his Dad.


    "You mean I''m not that handsome today?" Edward nced at Justin and began to eat breakfast. ''Justin is the only one at home today? Where are the others? This is so weird, ''he thought.


    "Come on. That''s apliment! I mean you could be more handsome. It would be great if you wore women''s clothes. You must look incredibly beautiful." Justin said excitedly, with a look of anticipation on his face. "Buddy, it seems that you don''t want me to send you to the school today?" ''Did he really just say that I look like a woman? Isn''t he afraid I won''t send him to school?'' Edward thought.


    "No. I didn''t mean that." Justin touched his nose and thought, ''Who said that he is an easy-going man? That''s nonsense! He is the most scheming man who can easily defeat you at any time.''0000

 Chapter 723 Uprooted Jasmines (Part One)

    "Don''t cry over spilled milk. That''s exactly the case. It''s toote to take back your words now." Edward raised his eyebrows at the sullen look on Justin''s face. Justin wanted to rile Edward up, but he was too young and naive. Since Edward was the father, it was impossible for him to lose to his son. "Ha! Dad, I know you won''t disappoint me, will you?" Justin repeatedly shook his dad''s arm, despite the fact that Edward was in the middle of eating his breakfast.


    "What makes you think so?" Edward stuck out his tongue to lick the rice on his lips. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Justin with a derisive smile.


    "I don''t care about anything else. I only know that if you don''t go with me, I will lose to someone!" Justin pouted. Thinking of the new boy in his ss, his face swelled with anger. Not only was the neer cocky, but he also constantly made trouble for Justin. If he wasn''t worried about his mother punishing him and making him join the drill, he would have taught the boy a good lesson earlier. Then the neer wouldn''t have had the chance to be so overbearing in front of Justin. "Alright, spit it out. What did you do this time?" Edward put down his chopsticks and took out a napkin to wipe his mouth before standing up.


    "I didn''t do anything! It''s just been a long time since thest time you took me to school." Justin bit his lip. He didn''t want to admit that the reason he was insisting that his father bring him to school was because he was sick of the cocky boy boasting how handsome his dad was. Justin didn''t want to lose to him in this regard.


    "Is it really just that? Why does it seem like you''re not telling the truth?" Edward grabbed his suit and briefcase from the sofa and gave Justin an incredulous look.


    "Yes, that''s the only reason why I want you to go with me. You are thinking too much." Justin took his backpack and rushed to keep up with Edward, his face beaming with excitement. He knew his father would give in.


    As soon as they walked to the garden of their house, Edward was shocked by the sight that greeted him. He had wondered why everyone suddenly disappeared from the house. It turned out that they all gathered in the garden. Even his parents were present. "What are you doing here?" Edward frowned. When he saw the uprooted nts lying on the ground, he felt his stomach turn.


    "Mr. Mu, your mom said she was bored and wanted to nt some vegetables in this plot. In this case, we don''t have to buy inorganic vegetables from the market anymore. We can grow organic vegetables at home." Mrs. Wu wiped the mud off her hands, and looked at Edward with concern. She knew that the jasmine flowers in the garden were Edward''s favorites.


    "That''s nonsense. Can''t you just nt the vegetables somewhere else?" Edward red at the spot with burning eyes. Why did they have to uproot his favorite flowers? Besides, this was a garden and not a vegetable plot.


    "Your mom said that since the jasmine flowers flourished the most in the garden, the soil here must be the most fertile. If we grow vegetables here, they would turn out very good." Mrs. Wu hesitantly ryed Cynthia''s reasoning to Edward, prepared for Edward to lose his temper on her.


    "That''s ridiculous. Rent them and put the garden back to how it was before." Looking at the uprooted jasmines spread all over the ce, Edward was filled with the urge to kill someone. His mother said that the soil here was the most fertile? Of course it was, he had asked the gardener to cultivate thend especially for the growth of the jasmine flowers.


    "Um..." Mrs. Wu nced at the loving couple not far away and back at Edward who was currently in a fit of rage. Caught in the middle, she was at a loss for what to do. She had tried to persuade Cynthia away from the idea right from the beginning, but she didn''t listen. Now, Edward was telling her to rent them, which would go against Cynthia''s instructions.


    At this time, Cynthia finally saw Edward and walked towards him with a gentle smile. "Who made you so angry this early in the morning?"


    "You''re definitely my good mother." Edward ground his teeth as he restrained his anger from exploding. Who was she fooling? She already knew the answer. No one else would dare anger him except for her.


    "I''ve known that for a while, it''s surprising that you didn''t realize it until now. It seems that I didn''t pay enough attention to you before." Cynthia smiled gracefully, a mischievous look shing on her young and beautiful face. She knew why Edward was upset, but ying the fool was the best option for her now.


    "Don''t try to change the topic. Why did you have them remove all my jasmines?" Looking at his mother smiling brightly in front of him, Edward controlled his temper and remained calm in front of her despite how angry he felt in his heart. Meanwhile, someone who was just as intimidating was looking at him aggressively not far away. If Edward dared to be rude to his wife, Jonathan would definitely step forward and fight back immediately.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    "Don''t you feel bored seeing the same thing everyday when you walk out of the house? I decided to reorganize this ce for you myself. Don''t be too moved." Cynthia tried to use her charm to justify her transgression in front of the raging tiger. Shepletely ignored her son''s sullen face and shed him a gentle smile.


    "Grandma, you should stop provoking my dad. Can''t you see that he''s about to blow his top?" Justin hoped that his dad would not blow his top. Otherwise, who else would bring him to school? The main point was that he had yet to achieve his goal.


    "I''m not provoking him. I''m just telling the truth." Cynthia didn''t expect Edward to be so angry with her. But she was also gambling whether or not she had a ce in his heart after getting along with him for several months since she came back. It was true that she wanted to grow some organic vegetables, but more importantly she wanted to test how important she was in Edward''s heart.


    "Yes, you didn''t provoke me, you''re only testing my patience. But I have to say you win." Looking at the jasmine flowers spread all over the ce, Edward closed his eyes and clenched his fists before turning around and quickly walking away.


    "Grandma, you''re finished. Don''t expect dad to talk to you for the rest of the week. He holds a grudge on things like this," Justin gloated in a low voice and ran to catch up to his dad, leaving Cynthia standing alone with a frown. She watched the tall man and the small boy quickly disappear from her sight. "Are you happy now? You pissed him off." Jonathan approached her. Although he was rebuking her, his tone was affectionate.


    "Do you think I went too far?" Cynthia raised her head and asked Jonathan hesitantly.


    "What do you think? Just let it go. It''s already done, it''s pointless to wonder if it''s right or wrong. Just think about what vegetables you want to nt here." nting vegetables in the garden was a whimsical idea that only his lovely wife coulde up with. But as long as it was something that she wanted, he would support it no matter what. He would do whatever it took to make it happen, even if it meant he had to ruffle his son''s feathers.


    "Mrs. Wu, please find a ce for these jasmine flowers and rent them." Cynthia heaved a sigh. Actually, she was very satisfied with how things turned out. Although Edward got really angry, he didn''t shout at her or lose his temper with her. If it were before, this reaction would have been impossible.


    "Okay, I will." Mrs. Wu shook her head. Cynthia was so stubborn to challenge Edward like that. Despite knowing that the jasmines were his favorites, she insisted on growing the vegetables in the same plot.


    During the entire trip to the school, Edward kept his mouth shut firmly and didn''t say a word. Justin couldn''t help but worry at the tense silence. It seemed that the flowers were very important to his dad, otherwise he wouldn''t be so angry.


    "Dad, are you still mad at grandma?" Justin asked, turning his head to look at him. He seldom saw his dad so quiet.


    "No, I just feel bad for the flowers." Edward shed a reassuring smile towards Justin before turning back forward to keep his attention on the road. He was only angry for an instant, he felt more regretful than anything else. The flowers represented his childhood dream. Although he had already made ite true, he still wanted to preserve the memory. Seeing the flowers every time he passed by the garden was a reminder of his passion for this dream.


    "Why do you like jasmines so much?" Seeing that Edward had calmed down, Justin began to ask him to get to the root of the matter. All the things his father used were jasmine-scented. Justin had always been curious about this, but he couldn''t find the appropriate moment to bring up the topic. He seized the opportunity to satisfy his curiosity.


    "Guess." Edward gave him a mysterious smile. It was a secret he only shared with Daisy, and he wanted to keep the beautiful memory to themselves.

 Chapter 724 Uprooted Jasmines (Part Two)

    "I think it''s rted to my mom." Justin smiled. Judging from how much his dad loved his mom, the reason Edward was so fond of jasmines could only be his mom. Justin couldn''t think of anybody else who could weigh so much in his dad''s heart except for her. It was not


    possible in any way for Edward to nt those flowers for any other woman.


    "Yes,pletely right. You''re so clever." Edward smiled in admiration. Since Justin already knew, he thought it was needless to keep hiding it.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "In that case, did you fall in love with mom long before our family got reunited?" The first time Justin entered the house, he remembered seeing those jasmines. This was the reason why he was so certain.


    "That''s not your concern. You kids don''t understand the adult world. Okay, we''re here." Edward pulled the car over at the gate of the school and opened the door of the car. It happened to be the time that all the parents were bringing their kids to school, so there were many luxurious cars parked nearby. But the appearance of the luxurious Lamborghini was quite a rare sight.


    Justin looked outside the car window, trying to find the boy who always showed off in front of him. Today, it would be Justin''s turn to show off. But after searching for a while, he couldn''t find him anywhere. Justin became a little frustrated at the prospect of getting riled up by that annoying boy again.


    "What are you looking for? Get out of the car." Edward pulled the door open and followed Justin''s gaze, but he didn''t find anything unusual.


    "Haha... Nothing!" Justin slowly got off the car. He stood at the gate of the school and continued to look around, trying to find the boy. If he missed this chance today, he didn''t know what excuse he could give to his dad to bring him to school another time. Although Edward found his son''s behavior odd, he stopped asking and went into the car to pick up the ringing phone. He didn''t have time to pay attention to Justin''s strange behavior.


    "Justin, this is my dad. Isn''t he very handsome?" At this time, an adorable boy appeared with a gentleman next to him. The boy smiled smugly at Justin.


    "Good morning, uncle." Although Justin didn''t like the boy, the good manners that had been instilled in him since he was little made him greet them politely.


    "Good morning, little boy." Moore Fei lowered his head and looked at Justin with a smile. He had the feeling that he had met the boy before, but he failed to remember on which asion they had met.


    "Dad, hurry up, I''m gettingte!" Justin shouted at Edward, who was sitting in the car and talking on the phone. He suddenly found his actions stupid. But the arrow had already left the string, he had to continue carrying out his n and go with the flow. But he was no longer as eager to win as he was before.


    At Justin''s shout, the little boy and his father looked in the direction that Justin shouted at. But the only thing they saw was a sleek luxurious Lamborghini. They couldn''t see the person inside the car.


    "Justin, are you fooling me? Where is your dad?" The boy pouted and red at Justin angrily. He disyed his true feelings on his face immediately, as a typical child would.


    Hearing his son urging him to go, Edward had to end the call. He pushed the door open and got off the car. His handsome appearance, distinguished temperament, and noble demeanor immediately attracted everyone''s attention. The moment Moore Fei saw Edward, he was stunned. He had wondered why the boy seemed so familiar when he first saw him. It turned out that he was the son of Mr. Mu.


    "Mr. Mu, good morning!" Moore Fei nodded to Edward in a humble and polite manner.


    "Mr. Fei, it''s you. What a coincidence!" Edward frowned in surprise. Moore Fei was the new nning director of the FX International Group. He was a rare talent, a young man with great potential. It was very strange to see him here.


    "Yes, it''s such a coincidence! I was wondering why this boy looked so familiar. It turns out that he is Mr. Mu''s son. Please excuse my imprudence." Moore Fei was new in thepany. He didn''t know that Edward had a son this age. He was taken aback at the sight of the father and son together.


    "It''s okay, you didn''t know. But you also surprised me. I didn''t think that a young man like you would already be married and have a son." Edward smiled pleasantly at the boy who was gazing at him in awe. He was very friendly to the little boy.


    "I''m ttered. I''m d you didn''tugh at me." The reason why he quit his formerpany was because he heard that the CEO of the FX International Group provided the employees with a lot of creative space to exercise their talents and reach their full potential. Hearing that the CEO wouldn''t randomly overturn the achievements of his employees, he decided to quit his old job and transfer to the FX International Group.


    "We can talkter in the office. The kids will bete for school." At that moment, Edward didn''t seem like a superior CEO. He talked to Moore Fei like a fellow parent. There was no trace of putting on airs in his tone and actions.


    "Dad, we can go to the ssroom by ourselves." Realizing that they were colleagues, Justin suggested in understanding. He was also very surprised at the turn of event.


    "Okay, you may go now. I''ll watch you from here until you enter the ssroom." Edward knew that Daisy always made sure to develop Justin''s independence, so he happily agreed with Justin''s suggestion.


    "Dad, I''ll go with Justin," the boy said, taking his eyes off Edward. He suddenly realized the meaning of the saying, "there is always someone better than you." Although it was true that his father was very handsome,pared to Justin''s dad, his own dad paled. At the knowledge, he suddenly became very friendly towards Justin and wanted to be close to him.


    "Okay, go on then." Moore Fei had a temperament that was very simr to Tom''s, they both belonged to the gentle kind. He wore a graceful smile the entire time.


    "Bye, dad! Bye, uncle!" "Bye! dad! Bye, uncle!"


    The two little boys bid the adults goodbye and turned around to go to school, with Justin walking in front and the other boy following behind. The two fathers didn''t leave until the kids disappeared from their sight. Then they tore away their gaze and left in their own cars. While they drove away, an interesting conversation was taking ce in the campus.


    "Justin, is your dad a movie star? He''s so handsome!" The boy ran to catch up to Justin before asking him in a low voice.


    "No." Justin answered shortly, keeping his fast pace.


    "But why doesn''t he be a movie star? It''s such a pity to waste those good looks!" Not getting the answer he wanted, the boy continued to ask.


    "Martin Fei, you''re so annoying! Who says that handsome men have to be movie stars? You are so shallow!" Justin suddenly stopped in his tracks. He couldn''t stand Martin''s babbling any longer.


    "Okay, I''ll change the topic. You dad''s car is so cool! It must be veryfortable riding that car, huh?" Martin Fei was used to being scolded, so he wasn''t put off by Justin''s angry face at all. He continued to ask questions that he was curious about.


    "I don''t know." Justin didn''t give any clear answer. If he had known that Martin Fei was such an annoying boy, he wouldn''t have asked Edward toe with him. But it was done now, he already drew Martin''s attention. He had to suffer Martin Fei''s pestering for the rest of his life. This was what would happen in theter part of the story.


    "So, what does your father do? He looks so awesome!" Whatever Justin said didn''t matter now. Martin Fei would continue to ask him questions no matter what. He believed that Justin would tell him in the end.


    "He sells things." In Justin''s eyes, that was exactly what he thought his father did. From department stores to restaurants, his father''s business sold things. So he thought that he was answering in the correct way. "Really? Does he sell delicious food?" Martin Fei swallowed his saliva at the thought. He was obviously also a foodie who was only interested in excellent delicacies.


    "You''re such a pig, only thinking about food." Justin looked at Martin Fei with contempt. Although he was also a foodie himself, he ignored the fact in favor of deriding Martin Fei.


    "Does he sell delicious food or not? Please tell me!" Martin Fei continued to pester Justin with his questions. Probably because hecked the exercise, he panted as he trotted to keep up with Justin''s pace.


    "Yes. If you don''t want to be a fat boy, you can keep being curious." Justin quickened his steps, while Martin Fei continued to follow him without the slightest intention of giving up. Their voices quickly trailed off in the distance. Many yearster, they would look back at this memory with amusement. Although they started out as enemies, they became friends since that morning.00000000

 Chapter 725 President Of YD Group (Part One)

    Belinda didn''t sleep well that night. She had quite the shock that night and was still restless when sleeping. She tossed and turned in fright, tortured by nightmares. As a result, Duke didn''t sleep well either. They didn''t wake up until about noon the next day.


    The injuries on her body still hurt a bit, but the burning pain had subsided considerably. Belinda had a meeting with the president of the YD Group today. Standing in the cloakroom, she contemted on what to wear. It wasn''t very convenient for her to wear her usual tight suits because of her wounds, so she chose a loose long dress with long sleeves. Luckily, it was autumn, so it wasn''t odd for her to wear a long dress. She looked quite professional and elegant in her attire.


    "Honey, take the pills." After breakfast, Belinda was about to leave the table when Duke stopped her. He handed her the pills that Tom had prescribed, holding a ss of water in his other hand.


    "Thank you." Belinda epted the pills with a frown. She hesitated for a moment before throwing the pills into her mouth. Before Duke could hand the water to her, she grabbed the ss, drank a mouthful of water and swallowed it along with the pills. It seemed that the fearless Belinda was afraid of taking medicine.


    "You are afraid of taking medicine," Dukemented in astonishment, eyes wide in surprise. He hadn''t noticed that before.


    "No, I''m not! I just don''t like the bitter taste," Belinda exined defensively. She handed the ss back to Duke, rolling her eyes at him.


    "Is there a difference?" Duke asked in confusion, ying with the ss in his hand.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Of course, there is! I''m not afraid of taking medicine. I just don''t like the taste of some bitter pills. Do you understand now?" Belinda gave a pleasant smile. She knew that her logic didn''t make sense, but she was reluctant to admit that she didn''t like taking medicine. "Bullshit. Do you want to cancel your appointment today?" Duke asked. He wasn''t aware that his gaze was full of affection as he looked at her.


    "Definitely not! My assistant Simon went to great pains to make the appointment with the president of YD Group possible." If she cancelled the appointment, all of Simon''s efforts would be for nothing.


    "Fine." Duke raised his wrist to check the time. "We have twenty minutes, that''s just about enough time. I''ll drive you there."


    "I can drive myself there." Belinda knew that Duke was worried about her injuries, but she didn''t feel like a delicatedy at all. She believed that she could drive on her own.


    "Don''t worry. I''m noting in with you. I''ll just wait for you in the car. You said it wouldn''t take a long time, right?" Duke picked up his car keys. He had already decided to drive Belinda regardless of her protests.


    "Don''t you have to go to work today?" Duke had spent the afternoon in Belinda''s office the day before. If he didn''t go to work today, who would deal with thepany matters for him?


    "If thepany is unable to operate without me, what do I hire my employees for?" Once Duke had made his decision, no one could change his mind. Belinda had no other option but to listen to him. They walked out of the house and went to the garage together. Duke and Belinda arrived at Tender Whispers in the nick of time. Simon was standing at the entrance of the restaurant, waiting for her. Upon seeing Belinda, he immediately walked up to her with a relieved expression on his face.


    "Boss, you''re finally here! I was afraid that you wouldn''t be able to make it. Holy shit! What happened to your hands?" Simon eximed worriedly when he noticed the injuries on her hands.


    "Oh, it''s nothing. I just fell down and scraped my hands on the ground yesterday. Don''t worry about it. Let''s go inside." They were pressed for time and Belinda didn''t want to waste another moment on trivial things. The president of the YD Group had only thirty minutes for her, so she had to make the best use of the time.


    "Alright. Be careful!" Simon stepped aside, making way for Belinda. She walked ahead and he followed behind her.


    "Are all the documents ready?" Belinda asked while they made their way inside the restaurant. Although her injuries still hurt a little, it didn''t affect her steady pace.


    "Yes, everything is ready. Don''t worry. This way, please." Simon led Belinda to a private roombeled Flowers.


    Outside the room, Belinda paused and took a deep breath before she reached out her hand and knocked on the door.


    "Come in," a man''s voice called from the other side of the door. From his tone, he seemed like a confident person.


    "Good morning! I''m Belinda Shangguan, president of the YS Financial Group. Nice to meet you." Belinda smiled pleasantly, stretching out her hand to shake his.


    "It''s nice to meet you. I''m Zemo Ling. So you''re the president of YS Financial Group. I didn''t expect to see you again so soon," Zemo said with a friendly smile. If he remembered correctly, she was the same woman who had drunk an entire bottle of wine at the bar the other night. Daisy had to bid him goodbye early because of this woman.


    "Have we met before? I''m sorry, I don''t remember." Belinda began to search her memories for the face in front of her, but she couldn''t remember him at all.


    "Oh, don''t you remember what happened at Blue Enchantress the other night?" Zemo shed her a smile. He was excited to find out that the person he was meeting with today turned out to be Daisy''s good friend. Daisy hadn''t contacted him since thest time they met. And in her rush, she had forgotten to give him her private number. He had no way of reaching Daisy on his own. Luckily, the universe opened up a door for him.


    "What? Are you telling me that you were there too? Oh no! I''m going to die. I feel so embarrassed!" Belinda flushed with shame. She hoped that Zemo would deny it. Otherwise, it would be far too humiliating for her.


    "Yes, I was also therest time. But I have no idea what you''re embarrassed about. Please take a seat." Zemo pulled out a chair for her like a proper gentleman. He was originally annoyed for having to wait for her. But now that he knew she was Daisy''s friend, he was thrilled.


    "About me dancing in public, or making some sort of scene." Belinda had called Daisy to ask what happened that night, and Daisy told her that she made a scene at the bar. Belinda wasn''t certain if Daisy was actually telling the truth.


    "Well, I didn''t see you dance in public or make a scene. I saw you drink an entire bottle of wine. You really can hold your liquor, huh?" Zemo joked as he sat on the chair opposite her. Belinda''s embarrassed look amused him. On the other hand, Belinda was very frustrated at that moment.


    "I''m so sorry. I was in a bad mood that night." Belinda put on a long face. She was worried that Zemo would not want to coborate with the YS Financial Group because she made such a bad impression.


    "You don''t need to apologize to me. I can tell that you are a straightforward person." Zemo leaned back and crossed his legs, staring at Belinda with interest.


    "Mr. Ling, please don''t make fun of me. I feel so humiliated." Belinda''s face was burning scarlet with mortification. She didn''t even know what terrible things she might have done at the bar that night.


    "My apologies. Ms. Shangguan, don''t you remember me? We met at the Blue Enchantress." Zemo asked with a frown. When Belinda walked up to him and Daisy that night, she hadn''t been wasted. Why didn''t she recognize him?


    "I''m sorry for my poor memory," Belinda apologized with a flushed face. She hadn''t paid any attention to the man sitting next to Daisy that night.


    "Ms. Shangguan, you are a frank and lovelydy. I''m very curious about how you became good friends with Daisy. After all, Daisy has apletely different personality from you. Could you tell me the story?" Everyone had the same question whenever they found out that Belinda and Daisy were good friends. As a result, Belinda was used to it.


    "You''re Daisy''s friend, huh? How did youe to know her?" Instead of answering Zemo''s question, Belinda asked him with one of her own. She was eager to know the story behind Daisy and Zemo''s friendship. Daisy had never mentioned Zemo to her before.


    "We were schoolmates in the JC Military Academy. But I dropped out of school and haven''t been able to contact her since then. We didn''t expect to see each other at the bar that night. And that''s where I first met you," Zemo answered in a soft tone. Belinda was Daisy''s best friend. He didn''t act coldly towards her as he usually did with others.


    "What? You were schoolmates? But Daisy never mentioned you before!" Belinda eximed, her eyes widening in shock. She couldn''t believe what she just heard. On the other hand, Zemo''s face had turned nk.


    "Maybe she doesn''t think I''m important, so she never mentioned me," Zemo stated in a low voice, his eyes darkening in displeasure. Maybe Daisy had deliberately blocked the painful and unnecessary memories from her mind. That would exin why she had been so calm when they met that night.00000000

 Chapter 726 President Of YD Group (Part Two)

    She didn''t want to drive a wedge between Daisy and Zemo.


    "Sorry, I didn''t mean it that way. You must also know that Daisy is a rather private person. She always keeps her troubles to herself. Even though she hasn''t mentioned you, that doesn''t mean that she doesn''t care about you," Belinda defended Daisy with an anxious look. "Don''t worry. I was just cracking a joke. I''m not ming her." Zemo chuckled lightly. He didn''t believe that Daisy had forgotten him. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have called out his name the moment they met.


    "That''s good. Daisy is an introverted person. As her friends, we have to be more patient with her." Belinda breathed a sigh of relief. She felt so embarrassed that she didn''t know how to bring up the cooperation between theirpanies.


    "Well, then, let''s talk about business first." While Belinda was contemting on how to change the topic, Zemo opened his mouth first and indirectly saved her from further embarrassment.


    "Yes, of course!" Belinda took out the documents that Simon had prepared beforehand and handed them to Zemo. After finding out that the president of the YD Group was Daisy''s friend, Belinda didn''t feel as nervous as before.


    Zemo nodded every now and then as he perused the documents. He was satisfied with the proposal, but a few improvements would make it perfect.


    "Ms. Shangguan, your proposal is very impressive. But it could still improve and be perfect. If I decide to cooperate with the YS Financial Group, I hope you can meet our requirements." Zemo folded the documents and stared at Belinda.


    "Of course, we can. Our aim is to provide high quality products and services to our customers." Belinda was excited to hear Zemo''s decision. She knew that he must have decided to cooperate with YS Financial Group because she was Daisy''s friend. Rumor had it that the president of the YD Group was a cold and cruel man, but he was actually apletely different person.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    "Great! I''m looking forward to the revised n." Zemo handed the documents back to Belinda. He couldn''t deny that the reason he chose YS Financial Group as his partner was partly because of Daisy, but he had to admit that they had a good proposal. He wasn''t the type of person to cooperate with apany just to please a girl.


    "Mr. Ling, thank you for giving us the opportunity. We''ll be sure to give you a satisfactory revision," Belinda said with a gentle smile. She was more curious about the story between Zemo and Daisy. They must have had a close rtionship with each other. Otherwise, Zemo wouldn''t do her a favor. As the saying goes, "love me, love my dog."


    "No problem. Since you''re Daisy''s friend, you can just call me Zemo. Calling me Mr. Ling sounds too formal. A friend of Daisy is a friend of mine." Zemo adjusted his position a little. He wanted to be on good terms with Belinda so he could learn more about Daisy from her.


    "Sure. You can also stop calling me Ms. Shangguan and call me Belinda instead. I hope that we can work well together." Belinda reached out her hand again to shake hands with Zemo. Though he was Daisy''s friend, she remained polite and professional. After all, it was still a formal appointment. She didn''t want to give him the wrong impression.


    "Yes, definitely. Would you like to have lunch together?" Zemo asked out of courtesy.


    "I''m good. Maybe another day? Let''s have dinner with Daisy some time. You must be busy, I''ll take my leave now." Zemo had a meeting with someone else in this private room. Half an hour had already passed, and his appointment might appear at any minute. As a sensible person, Belinda bid him goodbye.


    "Alright. I''ll see you next time. Goodbye." Zemo shed her a friendly smile. He was meeting a friend here, and had agreed to spare half an hour for the president of the YS Financial Group for his secretary''s sake. But to his immense surprise, the president turned out to be Daisy''s good friend. What a coincidence!


    Belinda turned and walked out of the room. She made a face the moment the door closed shut. If she had known that the president of the YD Group was Daisy''s friend, she wouldn''t have kept the appointment due to her injury. They could have postponed the meeting for another time.


    "Boss, how did it go? Did everything go smoothly?" At the sight of Belinda, Simon came over to ask with a nervous look on his face.


    "Of course, we did it! We have to make some amendments. Go to the office and work on the contract." Belinda handed the documents to Simon as she walked out of the restaurant. "Really? Yes, that''s great!" Simon yelled, pumping his fists in excitement. He was very ecstatic at the news. To be honest, he wasn''t that certain at the start that they would be sessful.


    "Hey, don''t celebrate so soon. If Mr. Ling isn''t satisfied with the revised n, we will lose the opportunity." Belinda sshed cold water on the excited man, who immediately calmed down afterwards.


    "Got it. I''ll work on the n until he''s satisfied with it." A coboration with a powerfulpany like YD Group would bring in more business, which meant a considerable pay raise. As a result, Simon was determined to work hard and settle things.


    "Good. You can go ahead now. Once the n is revised, I''ll need to look it over first." Belinda paused, urging Simon in a light voice. She hadn''t forgotten that Duke was still waiting for her in the car. That was also the reason she rejected Zemo''s invitation to lunch without wavering for a second. "Boss, aren''t you going to thepany?" Simon asked in confusion. There was a pile of documents for her to sign in the office.


    "I''m not going to the office today. Just make your own decision onpany affairs. If you have any problems, you can call me." Because her wounds still hurt, she decided to take a day off today. Moreover, medicine had to be applied on her wounds. It wasn''t convenient for her to apply the medicine on her own.


    "Got it, boss. I''ll go to the office now. Goodbye!" Simon cast a nce at her hands. Belinda must have taken a day off because of her wounds. Simon knew when to shut up. He left for his car after bidding Belinda farewell.


    "Goodbye!" After watching Simon drive away, Belinda walked towards Duke''s car. She reached out her hand to knock on the window, but to her surprise, she found Duke leaning against his seat and sleeping soundly. She withdrew her hand, uncertain if she should wake him up or not.


    She tentatively pulled the door, and it clicked open. Duke hadn''t locked the car doors. Wasn''t it too risky to sleep in the car without locking the doors?


    She got into the car with the utmost care in an attempt not to wake Duke up. But before she could settle in her seat, he suddenly opened his eyes. "Ah!" Belinda eximed in fright.


    "Are you done?" Duke shook his head to regain someposure. He was exhausted from his poor sleep the night before.


    "Yes! You look exhausted. Let me drive." Belinda''s heart broke at the sight of Duke''s tired face, but she carefully kept her worry to herself.


    "That''s not necessary. Do you want to have lunch out or at home?" Duke asked as he turned to her. He didn''t ask how the meeting went.


    "Come on, we just had breakfast! I don''t want to have lunch now!" Belinda widened her eyes in disbelief. They came here right after breakfast! She wasn''t hungry at all. Did Duke think she was a pig?


    "Yes, we had breakfast. But it''s already noon. It''s time for lunch now," Duke said as he started the engine. He decided by himself to take her to a restaurant.


    "Please, I''m not hungry at all. Let''s go home first! We can have lunch when I get hungry, okay?" Belinda looked at Duke with a pair of imploring eyes. She had no appetite right now.


    "Are you sure?" Duke asked, fixing her a doubtful look.


    "I''m sure! I want to get some rest. I''m not feeling well." Belinda had a restless sleepst night because of her sore wounds. She was eager to go back home and get a good rest.


    "Do your wounds still hurt?" Belinda''s response made Duke worry. He turned the steering wheel and changed the route without hesitation.


    "It''s fine. I just want to get some rest," Belinda replied vaguely, notfortable showing weakness in front of someone else.


    Duke cast a doubtful nce at her, but kept quiet. He hit the elerator hard and drove towards their house at full speed. The silver Maybach in the autumn season was particrly dazzling, attracting everyone''s attention as they sped through the streets. Eventually, they reached the Leng house.00000000

 Chapter 727 Came Across Louisa Again (Part One)

    Meanwhile, Daisy was pacing towards the canteen situated in the army base. Her face was covered with sweat and she was a little short of breath. She had justpleted an armed cross field race with her soldiers. Together, they covered a solid distance of five


    kilometers. With her heart still beating fast, Daisy gasped for air as she walked steadily to the canteen.


    It was twelve o''clock and it was well past lunch time. Fortunately, the canteen kitchen was still in operation and was able to provide hot meals for the soldiers. The soldiers stopped talking as soon as Daisy stepped into the dining hall. She smiled and said, "Hey guys, don''t mind me. I won''t bite. Please feel at ease." Daisy looked around the tables, each of the soldiers was still covered in sweat. Nheless, nobody bothered to take a shower to freshen up as they were utterly hungry due to the training. Even Daisy herself went here to eat first without wiping away her sweat.


    The soldiers went back to eating upon hearing her words. The meals were very delicious that they didn''t even find time to talk to one another. However, Daisy could tell that they were not as at ease as before, since she showed up here. Daisy was not picky at all in terms of her diet. She never demanded special treatment and always dined out in the canteen just like her soldiers. She enjoyed the food as much as they did.


    "Colonel, I am here." Mark stood up and waved at her direction. He had already prepared something special for her to enjoy. He had originally nned to bring the food to her office, so it was a bit of a surprise for him to see her in the canteen.


    Daisy pursed her lips and walked towards Mark''s table. Although she had told the soldiers to feel at ease while she was around, they still behaved properly in her presence. Daisy was their colonel after all and they didn''t dare to misbehave in front of their higher official. The soldiers respected their colonel sincerely and intended to act in a proper way whenever she was around.


    "Don''t mind me. Just eat! We still need to attend to somethingter on." Daisy pulled a chair over and casually sat down. She acted gracefully in spite of the stares from the soldiers. She was not feeling awkward at all.


    "Yes, Colonel." Mark nodded swiftly to what Daisy said. However, he wasn''t able to stop his curiosity from asking more about their agenda. "What are we going to do?"


    "You are a soldier and it is your obligation to obey direct orders. Stop asking questions and just do what I tell you to do." Daisy cast a cold nce at him and turned to her meal. A spoon after another, she didn''t speak anymore.


    Mark pressed his lips together firmly. Smart soldier as he was, he knew when to stop and be silent. It was not the right time to keep questioning his higher official. Confronting an angry colonel who had justpleted a hard race of five kilometers would definitely be a stupid thing to do.


    Daisy''s lips curled up gently. A sense of knowing was in her witty eyes. She knew Mark well enough to tell he was not at ease at the moment. He was a man who always wanted to get to the bottom of things. It must have killed him that he was forced to keep silent. Daisy went back to her apartment to freshen up after the lunch. Then she headed towards her office. To her great surprise though, she came across Louisa Ye on her way. Daisy couldn''t care less about Louisa but she simply couldn''t ignore her existence, either. She still had the manner to greet her properly as a reputed colonel.


    "Good to see you, Miss Ye. Are you here for the Commander? He happens to be out visiting other bases. I think he should be back by this evening." Daisy''s face was nk as she spoke to her in a calm voice. She was somewhat indifferent yet polite.


    "Who said that I am here for him? I only came here because he is away." Louisa raised her chin up as she nced at Daisy arrogantly. Her voice was cocky and she looked proud.


    "Well, in that case, I shall not waste your time anymore. Goodbye!" Daisy shook her head and was about to walk away. She intended to help Louisa by saving her the trouble of waiting there pointlessly. It was unexpected that the woman turned out to be offended by her kind gesture and regarded her as a threat. It never urred to her that Louisa would bother toe here for someone else other than the Commander. She found herself stupid for caring too much about other''s business.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    "Hold on." Suddenly, Louisa called out to her. "Do you have the key to Major General Gu''s apartment at the military base?" She looked at her earnestly as if hoping to get something really precious from her.


    "The key to Major General Gu''s apartment? Why are you asking for it?" Daisy stopped and turned around. Her eyebrows furrowed. She stared at Louisa with scrutiny and wondered what was she after. A bad feeling seized her and darkened her face all of a sudden. "I need to get ess to his apartment. I just want to have a quick look. If you do have the key, just hand it over to me. If you don''t, then why are you asking so many questions?" Louisa pouted her lips as she gave her an impatient nce. She didn''t like Daisy at all, but what she disliked about her most was Daisy''s indifference and cold pose.


    "Sorry, but no. I can''t give you the key without the owner''s permission." A strange thought came to Daisy''s mind. Was it possible that this Louisa was having a crush on the Major General? Was she even aware of the fact that he was a married man?


    "Hey, you sound like you do have his key! So what is your deal with him? What is the rtionship between you and him? Howe you have the key to his apartment?" Louisa rudely examined Daisy from head to toe. Her eyes were full of doubts.


    "You are right. I do have a key to his apartment. As per the rtionship between me and him, well, let''s put it this way, we are like a family!" Edward always treated Leena as his own sister. Therefore, it sort of made sense that Kevin could be viewed as his brother-inw. Daisy thought it was just fair that she imed them as parts of her family. It was a valid statement based on facts.


    "What? You and him? You..." Louisa''s finger was trembling when she pointed at Daisy. She was shocked to face the truth. Things couldn''t be like what she had doubted. If Daisy and Kevin were a couple, what chances did she have still? Her eyes were full of disappointment as she stared at Daisy in disbelief.


    "We what?" Daisy''s eyebrows furrowed deeper. She was greatly offended by Louisa. She hated to be pointed at by others.


    "Are you and Major General Gu a couple?" Louisa clenched her fists. She stared at Daisy''s mouth expectantly in fear of hearing something uneptable from her.


    "No. Things are not like what you think. We arerades." Daisy gave her a cold look. She had no interest in her intentions. The questions she asked her were all pointless and she had no idea why she kept throwing these questions at her.


    "What a relief to know! I am d you are not a couple!" Louisa pressed both of her hands on her chest as she gasped rapidly. She looked as if she had been chased by a ghost.


    "Miss Ye, do you have any other questions? If there''s none, please excuse me." Daisy still had other things to attend to this afternoon. She didn''t wish to waste her time here with Louisa.


    "Hey, wait! If you are not his girlfriend, then why did he give you his key then?" Louisa raised her voice and confronted her with another rude question. It was evident that she had no intention of letting the topic go easily. She was so stubborn that she had to get to the bottom of the matter.


    "I just exined to you. The Major General and I are like a family. We are really close to each other. Of course I would have a copy of his key to the apartment. It''s natural!" Daisy could have kicked herself for telling Louisa about the key. It seemed that she had just scheduled herself for a big trouble. If she had known better, she would not have told her about anything in the first ce! It was really frustrating that she had to deal with this kind of situation now.

 Chapter 728 Came Across Louisa Again (Part Two)

    "Hey! You are not lovers, nor are you brother and sister. So, what do you mean by family?!" Louisa raised her hand and tossed her wavy linen coloured hair. She gave Daisy a scornful look and waited for her exnation.


    "Miss Ye, I have been treating you with great patience and politeness since we met. Please be advised that it is only because I know that you are the Commander''s daughter. However, I don''t think it is necessary for me to report to you about my private life." Louisa''s rudeness had sessfully crossed Daisy. She felt greatly offended by her overbearing words. Daisy''s pretty face became darker as she red at Louisa. "Whatever! You might just as well keep your pathetic secret! You are nothing but a soldier in my eyes. What are you cocky for?" Spoiled brat as she was, Louisa had never been told off by anyone like this before. She felt humiliated, thus her words became even more aggressive. She held up her chin and red back at Daisy.


    "Miss Ye, judging from your tone, I assume that you are looking down on people who follow their career paths in the military? I hope for you to at least have the decency to know the importance of us soldiers. It is only because of military efforts that you are able to enjoy a prosperous society!" Daisy really treated her career seriously and what Louisa just said hurt her bad. She could not stand her absurd rudeness anymore that''s why she snapped back angrily.


    "Don''t be a joke! I am only looking down upon you. I never said that for the rest of the soldiers. What are you barking about? Trying tobel me with random tags?" Louisa''s lips curled up disrespectfully. She gave Daisy a hard look then moved her head away quickly, acting as if she was a queen who just saw a peasant.


    "Well, say whatever you want. Since I am such a nuisance to you, I might just as well leave you alone. Bye." Daisy''s good mood waspletely ruined. With these words, she turned around and was about to take off.


    "Daisy! Stop! We are not done yet, give me the key right now!" Louisa jumped to her feet and charged over with a pouty mouth. Her face was twisted with anger. She never anticipated for Daisy to leave her right in the middle of the conversation. How could she treat her with such direct indifference? Didn''t she know who she was?


    Daisy paced ahead without even looking back. She ignored the shouting behind herpletely. Thest thing she wanted to do was to talk to that spoiled brat. She really could not understand how themander have such a nasty daughter. Themander was highly respected among the soldiers. He was known to be a great leader with outstanding charisma. However, his daughter turned out to be an asshole. Daisy still remembered the first time she saw Louisa. She thought she was a sweet girl with good manners back then. Well, the first impression could definitely be misleading!


    "Damn you! You are in big trouble now!" Louisa murmured to herself as she clenched her fist. Louisa could not stop Daisy. She stared at her back and stomped her feet.


    Daisy stormed back to her office. The first thing she did was to gulp down arge ss of cold water. She was filled with anger. What a nasty woman that Louisa was! The words she said to her were simply unbearable! Daisy closed her eyes and reminded herself to walk away next time they met. To be honest, she was not afraid of challenging that brat at all. However, she needed to think about themander. She respected him very much and did not wish to embarrass his daughter for his sake after all.


    The cold water did calm her down. Daisy pulled the chair over and sat down in front of the desk to deal with her work. As she opened the briefcase to get the documents, a business card fell out to the ground and caught her attention. She bent down and carefully picked it up. Her eyes widened as she realised that she almost forgot to do something really important! She patted herself on the forehead. What poor memory she had!


    She smiled bitterly and slowly shook her head. She took a deep breath and dialled the number on the business card. Daisy rolled her eyes as she waited for the other person to pick up. What was wrong with her? How could she almost forget such important thing! Was she getting old and forgetful?


    "Hello? This is Zemo speaking. Who is that?" The phone was answered instantly that she was even surprised to hear Zemo''s voice so fast.


    "Hello. This is Daisy. I am sorry for contacting you thiste." Daisy felt a little stressed as she talked on the phone. Her sweaty hand was pressed against her forehead as she leaned on her desk.


    "Hey Daisy. Finally you called! I have been waiting for your call for such a long time. I am not dreaming, am I? You never showed up in front of me!" Zemo was thrilled to receive a call from Daisy. He nodded to the people around him, gave them an apologetic smile and walked out of the door to somewhere more private. He did not wish anyone else to overhear their conversation.


    "I am sorry. I get caught up with something these days. I have been busy and forgot to call you in time." As soon as she spit out the truth, Daisy bit her bottom lip. She did not intend to lie to Zemo at all. It was rude for her not to call him earlier. But it would be even ruder to make up someme excuses about it. She would not lie about it even if it made her look bad. She was an honest woman as always.


    "Don''t worry about it. I am totally cool with it." With one hand holding the phone, Zemo casually leaned against the wall with his other hand in his pocket. A big smile spread across his handsome face as he spoke.


    "How about this? I suppose you are still in S City. I would love to buy you dinner tonight." Daisy quickly checked her agenda and suggested earnestly. She was really looking forward to meeting him again.


    "No way! You really mean it?!" Zemo knew that Daisy was a woman of her words. Nheless, he couldn''t help but tease her from time to time. He sounded as if he did not believe her at all.


    "What? Are you upied or what? Do you have a date with some hot girl tonight? Is that the reason why you''re hesitating?" Daisy''s lips curled up as she efficiently sorted out the documents on her desk.


    "What are you talking about?! Trust me, there is no hot girl more important than you!" Zemo sounded extremely sincere in the phone. Daisy grinned at his words. She wondered whether he really meant it or not. One thing she knew for sure was that Zemo really cherished their friendship as much as she did. "More important than your hot girls? Stop it. I don''t believe you at all. Anyway, I will see you at dinner then." Daisy stood up from the desk and checked the documents carefully, hoping she did not leave anything important behind.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    "I am telling you the truth. I can''t see the future but I can promise you that you are the most important woman in my heart right now." Zemo''s face softened as he talked to her in a gentle voice. A loving smile cracked his face as he spoiled her with soothing words. "Oh really?" Daisyughed generously on the phone. She picked her military cap and briefcase then swiftly walked towards the parking lot.


    "What do you think then? Am I speaking the truth or not?" Zemo grinned silently. He hadn''t seen her for ages but the memories of her were still fresh and vivid. However, it seemed that she had changed a lot. She would never tease him and joke around like this before. Zemo thought about their conversation just now and realized that every single word she said to him was kind of enticing. It was as if she was teasing him. What had changed her so much? Could it be the charming man he saw the other night?00000

 Chapter 729 Came Across Louisa Again (Part Three)

    "You are probably not telling the truth! I prefer to think this way so I could avoid pressure." She knew the way she talked would surprise him greatly. Nevertheless, this was who she was now. She was greatly influenced by Edward and learned nothing good but the excessively suave manner. "Hey, you don''t really care about hurting my feelings, do you? We had spent years together, fighting between life and death with each other. Is this how you treat me? Come on, I really meant it when I said those words!" Her words actually stung in his ears. Zemo tossed his hair unconsciously out of distress. A touch of sadness seized his heart all of a sudden. He couldn''t tell what was really going on with him. The only thing he knew was that they could never get back to the beautiful old days when they trusted each other and would literally talk about anything in the world.


    "Come on. You always boast about your heart being tough, like super diamond? How could I possibly hurt your feelings by mere words? What now? Has your heart just turned to ss? Easy to shatter?" Daisy opened the car door with a big grin. Mark had already been waiting for her for too long. He was a smart soldier and could always guess his colonel''s mind correctly.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Well, to be honest with you, your words could be quite hurtful sometimes. Whenever I am in front of you, my super diamond heart somehow turns to vulnerable ss." Zemoughed and shook his head slowly. He wished that he could talk with her all the time. The way they hanged out with each other made him feel real and rxed. There was so much he wanted to tell her but it was just too hard to find the right wording.


    "Alrighty. Now let''s talk business. I need to do some errands. I will see you tonight at Westin." Daisy smiled generously as she gave him the restaurant name. Her eyes were sparkling with joy. Westin Western Restaurant was a renowned restaurant in S City. It actually belonged to the FX International Group. The food there was to Daisy''s taste. However, the reason she chose this restaurant was because she believed in its reputation and thought it was worth taking Zemo there. She grew up in S City but she seldom had the opportunities to explore the local restaurants due to her military duties. Westin was the first restaurant that came to her mind when she thought of tonight''s meet-up with Zemo.


    "Sure! Take your time. I will be there waiting for you." Zemo hanged the phone up and stared nkly at the dead screen. Next second, he realized something and quickly saved her number to his phonebook. She really meant a lot to him. Zemo could not afford to lose contact with her again. He had to save her number in case she forgot to call him. God knew how long he had waited for her call.


    Meanwhile, Daisy was doing exactly the same thing, she saved Zemo''s number in her phonebook. He was such a good old friend of hers and she wished to keep close contact with him. It would be a lot better to just dial his number than to check his business card from time to time.


    "Colonel, who are we visiting in the jail today?" The curious Mark opened his mouth as soon as she ended the call. He wondered about the kind of person they were going to seeter and what would his colonel exactly do in the jail?


    "Look at you! How forgetful! Hero is going on trial next week. We need to hand over some important documents to the jail personnel." Daisy sighed silently. She could still clearly remember what Hero told herst time. She couldn''t help but feel concerned about the future. "Next week? So soon! I thought it would bete this year! Do we still need to verify something further?" Hero did admit to his crimes but in order to give him a proper sentence, they still needed to provide solid evidences to the court.


    "Maybe the evidence is already sufficient. As far as I am concerned, many hands are on this case right now! This, however, does not concern us at all. We should just mind our own business and provide cooperation whenever they require. Our job is done as long as the case is closed with mutual effort. We should stay out of their way for good."


    Daisy turned her head to the window. Her thoughts were carried away. She hated to receive favours from others as she didn''t know how to repay such kindness properly. To some extent, Hero helped her out. She was in big trouble back then and he was the one who stood out and defended her. Thanks to his effort, Daisy was not humiliated by Jessica''s men. The past haunted her. Daisy shook her head silently to escape from the horrible memories. She knew that she owed Hero a big one, but what could she possibly do to repay him? The difference between them was just too big that there was no way she could grant the favour back to him.


    "I see. Noted, Colonel." Mark noticed the look on her face from the mirror. He nodded his head and did not speak again. He had never met Hero in person but he knew in his heart that he must be very ugly and malicious. Otherwise, why would he break thew andmit such a big crime?


    Daisy''s phone suddenly rang as their car was heading towards the jail in S City. She took it up and was shocked to see the caller''s number. It was actually from the warden! Daisy was utterly confused as the appointment she had scheduled with him was at least one hourter! ''What is going on here? Is the warden in a hurry or what?'' she thought.


    She pressed the answer button and opened her mouth calmly. She had always been professional and in control of her feelings in a situation like this. "Hello. This is Daisy speaking."


    "Colonel! Bad news! Heromitted suicide just now!" The warden''s voice was shaky. Hero had the attention of the jail since his arrival. Everyone was keeping a close eye on him. Nheless, he still managed to find the chance and cut his own throat with a small shaving razor. The prison guards were still trying to figure out where the hell did he score that razor.


    "What? How could this happen? How is he now? Did you send him to the hospital?" The bad news made Daisy''s heart sink. Her fists clenched. Hero tried to kill himself right before the trial. This was unbelievable. Things were gettingplicated here.


    "We sent him straight to the hospital the moment we found him in blood pool. We haven''t heard any good news from the hospital yet. Things are not going well for him ording to the doctor who updated us minutes ago." The warden was pacing back and forth before the surgery room as he reported everything he knew to Daisy. He was constantly wiping his sweaty forehead. Hawks'' prison break had left a dent on his career thest time. Hero''s suicide attempt would not be different. He was definitely in big trouble for these two consecutive incidents.


    "Which hospital you are at? I will be right on my way." Daisy''s eyebrows furrowed. She bitterly closed her eyes and leaned back to the car seat. What a proud man Hero was! He would rather end his own life than be in the trial before everyone in the court. What a stubborn man!


    "We are at the city hospital. Hero is now in the emergency room. The surgeons are trying to rescue his life." The warden''s voice was getting lower and lower. Daisy could tell he was petrified. Things were getting critical now and everyone felt like they were treading on thin ice.


    "Noted. I will be with you as soon as possible." Daisy ended the phone and calmly ordered Mark to turn the car around, "We need to drive to the city hospital. Now!"


    "Yes, Colonel!" Mark turned the steering wheel and the car made a sharp U turn. They raced towards the down town without any further hesitation.0000000

 Chapter 730 Under Emergency Treatment (Part One)

    "How''s Hero now?" Daisy asked anxiously as she trotted into the hospital and saw the Warden.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Her forehead was covered with a thinyer of sweat though it was autumn.


    "He is still in the operating room. He seems bad right now," the Warden answered.


    It was then that a nurse ran out from the operating room. Seconds after that, the same nurse ran back with a bag of blood in her hand.


    "Excuse me nurse, how''s the patient?"


    Daisy was so worried about Hero that she couldn''t help but ask. She did nothing to stop the nurse from moving though.


    "He is under emergency treatment. Please don''t interfere with our work now," the nurse answered quickly.


    Then she hurriedly went into the operating room and closed the door quickly.


    "Don''t worry, Colonel Ouyang. The doctor is doing his best."


    The Warden said carefully without looking at Daisy. He had heard that the woman before him was the famous Devil Instructor of S City''s military base. She was famous for being cold, ruthless, and relentless. That was the reason why he couldn''t help but feel nervous when he faced her.


    "How on earth are you doing your job? Don''t you know how special he is? Why didn''t you send more people to guard him?"


    Daisy looked at the Warden coldly. She was unsure of his capacity to work.


    "We''ve paid more attention to him than anyone. I honestly don''t have a clue as to how he was able tomit suicide,"


    The Warden exined anxiously. He was certain that he had done everything, thus he still couldn''t believe what was going on.


    "How about the guards who were guarding him at that time? Have you asked them what happened?" Daisy withdrew her freezing stare from the Warden. She knew that it wasn''t the proper time to investigate and affix the responsibility.


    "I haven''t had the time to ask them. I followed the ambnce to the hospital as soon as I heard that hemitted suicide." The Warden raised his head and looked at Daisy. But his nce didn''t linger, he hurriedly averted his sight as soon as he saw how mncholic Daisy was. She really could be scary.


    "All right. Ask them after the operation resultes out." Daisy gently massaged her forehead. She was getting drained just by leaning against that wall. How odd! Hero was still okay thest time she saw him. Why did he suddenlymit suicide?


    "Here you are, colonel," said Mark. He came to Daisy and handed her mineral water. A frown got into his face upon seeing how pale she was.


    "Thank you." Daisy opened the bottle and took a few drinks. S City''s dry climate during autumn cracked her lips a bit.


    "How about having a seat for a moment, Colonel? The operation won''t end so quickly," he suggested. His duty as Daisy''s guard was not only to keep her safe. He also needed to take good care of her at any time.


    "No. I''ll just stand here." Daisy did not move from where she was and just looked up to the red big sign hanging on the wall, ''In Surgery''.


    A lot of people probably thought she was numb. That wasn''t true, her heart was the softest. It was the reason why she could forgive those people who hurt her over and over. Hero once said that he loved her. She was grateful for it even though she did not feel the same for him. She couldn''t just calm down knowing that Hero was in a bad shape.


    Mark did not continue to persuade her after he noticed her persistence. He just took the bottle in her hand and stood next to her.


    The scared Warden was nearby but did not dare to make any noise. He seldom had the chance to face such powerful officials like Daisy Ouyang. Fear was inevitable for him.


    The clock ticked away. The lights in the operating room finally turned off. Daisy immediately looked towards the operating door and rushed towards it.


    Daisy grasped the doctor''s hand nervously just as soon as the doctor came out. "How''s it going, doctor?" she asked with a trembling voice.


    "He is temporarily fine. But we need to wait until this evening to see if he is truly out of danger." The doctor frowned and took a few seconds to look at the cold woman before him.


    "Is it serious?" Daisy did not know how to express her mood. She just felt suffocated.


    "Yes. There will be consequences even if he recoverster. Fortunately, he was sent here in time. A few minuteste would have brought difference and he would not have made it." Being a doctor made him be long used to seeing life and death. Nevertheless, he didn''t have the heart to watch Daisy''s sadness.


    "Isn''t there really any chance for him to fully recover?" Daisy''s eyes dimmed. She was not sure if Hero would still want to kill himself after he woke up. This was what she was more worried about.


    "It''s not a definite no but the chances are slim. It would be really hard unless you find an expert for his case," the doctor sighed in low voice. Matter of factly, there was one world-famous expert in S City. It was just that inviting the mentioned expert to treat patients was hard. He didn''t really care unless the patient was someone he deemed pleasing to his eyes.


    "Well, I know. Thank you, doctor." Daisybed her bangs back from her forehead and thanked the man bitterly.


    "You''re wee," said the doctor with a nod, "The patient will be transferred to the ICU soon. Unfortunately, you can''t visit him yet." He advised her some more follow-ups then turned around and left. On the other hand, the Warden followed the doctor as he still needed to clear up some details about the incident.


    "Colonel, isn''t Dr. Qin very skillful in medicine? If you really want to save Hero, you can ask him to help!" said Mark who was still very surprised about Daisy''s reaction. He did not understand why she was so worried about a prisoner''s suicide.


    "I also know that he is skillful in medicine. But it''s not good to trouble him too much. We have troubled him a lot in the past. I will be a person who has no sense of propriety if I trouble him again to rescue a prisoner," Daisy answered.


    She shook her head and gave a wry smile. In fact, Tom was the first person that came in her mind after the doctor said that she should find an expert. But she was embarrassed to ask him for help. Everything needed to have limitations. She couldn''t just always ask Tom for help and not appreciate him even if he was close to them.


    "But didn''t Doctor Qin study medicine to save lives and heal the wounded?" Mark murmured. He was quite confused about Tom''s behavior when it came to treating his patients. He had the skill but he only saved those people he cared about. "People have their own life philosophy and path. We can only have ideas about why he acts like that but we can''t force him to change."


    Daisy Ouyang had always been an intellectual woman. She would never put her difficulties to others. She could always be very rational and understand situations from the other person''s perspective. Thus, she often forgot to consider her own interests. "Colonel, if only everyone is as considerate as you are, things like this will not happen again."


    Mark knew that Daisy was kind. But sometimes he really felt sorry for her kindness.


    "Everyone has a different mind. The way people choose to deal with problems is also different. Forget it, you will gradually understand it in the future," Daisy said. She knew Mark was a simple and honest person. It would be a bit of a challenge for him to understand what she just said. It was better for him to slowly understand things in an actual situation rather than have herself repeat the idea multiple times.


    Hero was sent to the Intensive Care Unit quickly. Daisy did not stay in the hospital too long as she was not allowed to visit him. She left the hospital right after giving some attentions to the Warden. She could do nothing anyway even if she stayed. "Colonel, are you going back to the army base or are you heading home?" Mark asked as soon as Daisy got in the car.


    "What time is it?" asked Daisy as she leaned against the backseatnguidly. Although she knew she just needed to lift up her hand, she could see her watch and knew the time. She was so tired that she did not want to move at all.


    "It''s half past four. If we go back to the army base now, I think it will be almost time to get off work when we arrive." Mark turned around to look at her. He was a little worried about Daisy as she was in such low spirits.


    "Is it half past four? How can time pass so quickly?" She did not answer Mark''s query. Rather, she retorted to what he just said.

 Chapter 731 Under Emergency Treatment (Part Two)

    "It is not quick! It was over two o''clock when we got here. And we have been in this hospital for so long. It is not surprising that it already past four." Mark tilted his head, only to find how Daisy seemed to ignore him. It looked like that she was deep in her own world. "So where should we go?" Daisy absentmindedly said. She was not aware that she just threw the same question Mark asked her back to him. She waspletely lost.


    Mark took a serious look at her and finally got the answer. He already knew what Daisy needed most at times like this. Without further question, he put his foot on the elerator and sped away.


    "Here we are, Colonel." He made a sound to call Daisy, who was still immersed in her own world. He felt that his choice to send her there was wise.


    "Well! OK." Opening the car''s door was the only thing inside Daisy''s mind. However, she couldn''t help but ask as soon as she recognized the familiar building before her, "Mark, why did you send me here?"


    "I sent you to FX International Group because I think that the person you need most right now is Mr. Mu." Mark felt that it was best to bring her there as she was in such a distracted state.


    "Even so. It is not good for me toe to hispany frequently. I may disturb his work if Ie to him at this time. He hasn''t finished his work yet." Daisy seldom came to thatpany as she always felt that it was Edward''s workce. It was not good for her to mingle with his work too much.


    "But we are already here. How about you just going up to have a look!" Mark continued to persuade her for he really did not know where he should send her to.


    "Ha! Isn''t that Daisy?" A man''s voice was suddenly heard while they were arguing. They looked towards it and saw Rain standing beside the car while smiling at them.


    "Rain? Are you going out?" Daisy opened the door and got out of the car as she spoke.


    "No, I''ve juste back. And Daisy, are you going up to find Edward? Or are you leaving now?" Rain blinked and asked curiously. He walked towards there because he saw her car. He did not expect that she was really inside the car.


    "We... In fact, just arrived here," answered Daisy. She wanted to say that all she wanted was to leave. But then she did not want to lie to others.


    "Then let''s go! I''ll go up with you." Rain said as he reached out to pull Daisy. It was then when he suddenly recalled his senior''s sharp eyes and had to put his hand down.


    "OK." Daisy was quite depressed. Rain had noticed her so that she had no choice but to follow him reluctantly although she didn''t want to go into the building.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Admiration and respect were on the faces of the employees who saw Daisy. It made her feel ufortable. Fortunately, it did not take them long to enter the president''s exclusive elevator. A sigh of relief came out from her mouth as soon as the door closed. "Daisy, I find you are more beautiful in military uniform." Rain pressed for the 88th floor and then looked at her with admiration on his face.


    "Is that so? I think your clothes are better." Daisy looked at his fancy clothes appreciatively. Rain''s look wasn''t really the type to be ignored whenever she saw him.


    "Daisy, are you making fun of me to say that?" Rain felt sad as he thought that what Daisy said was not praising him.


    "How is that possible? I''m just telling the truth," answered Daisy. She never dared to be too casual to Rain though Edward was always ying and fighting with him. It was really easy to offend people after all if not dealt with properly.


    "Since you have said that, even if you are teasing me, I am very happy now." Rain shook his head smugly.


    Daisy just smiled and did not talk nonsense with him as they had arrived the top floor. She walked out of the elevator.


    "Are you going in with me?" Daisy stopped and asked Rain softly as she stood before the President''s office.


    "No. I have a lot of things to do and I''m not a 100-watt light bulb. I do not want to interfere between you and Edward. I''ll see youter, Daisy." Rain waved his hand to Daisy with a smile then walked to his office.


    "OK then. Go to your own business first. See youter." Daisy looked at Rain''s back and shook her head. Then she raised her hand and knocked on the door. She did not hear any movement for a long time and couldn''t help but frown since that was unusual. Did it mean that there was no one in it? But where on earth did he go if he was not inside his office?


    "Hello, Mrs. Mu. Mr. Mu is in a meeting right now. You can just go inside and wait for him," said a secretary who came over to Daisy with a professional smile on her face.


    "Oh! Well, thank you." Daisy smiled at her. It seemed that everyone was in a meeting. No wonder that she did not see Anna. She seemed to have gone to the meeting, too. "You''re wee." The secretary opened the door and stood aside to let Daisye in.


    She walked into the office this time. A slight sigh came out her lips when she saw the empty office. She did not expect that he was not in there.


    She walked slowly and stopped before the big ss window. She looked through the ss and felt how the white clouds were close to her. It seemed that Edward really knew how to enjoy life. He installed a big ss window so that he could lean against it and watch the clouds scud across the sky.


    Daisy raised her head and looked over the whole office. Eventually, her eyes fell on the soft sofa. She did not have further thinking and stepped towards it. She sat down on it and started leafing through magazines and newspapers on the table idly. None of those reading materials interested her though. Some of the news were about some stars going abroad with rich businessmen while some talked about some rich and famous girls who were pregnant before marriage. The newspapers were all the same thus she fell asleep out of boredom.


    Edward strode out of the conference room carrying arge stack of papers as soon as the meeting was over. He headed to his office and Anna followed him.


    "Anna, send this document to the client at once," he instructed. He did not even turn around and just urately threw the document to Anna.


    "Yes, Mr. Mu." Anna looked through the papers but did not leave. She followed him to the office.


    Edward opened the door without a care and was slightly shocked when his eyesnded on the olive green figure on the sofa. He turned around and put his forefinger against his lips to signal Anna to be quiet. He then waved his hand to instruct her to go out. Anna smiled. She saw what was on the sofa too. She went out of the room and closed the door.


    ''Why did this little womane here? Didn''t she say she was busy with her work recently? Did she juste here to sleep?'' Edward thought.


    He stepped towards the sofa and stood before Daisy. His eyes were fixed at her face as if he could get answers by watching her sleep.


    Finally, the corners of his mouth curved up a beautiful arc. He went to the office chair and took his coat. Then he came back and covered his coat lightly on her body. He did not dare to touch her as he did not want to wake her up. She was an exceptionally sharp soldier after all. It was only then that he silently walked back to his work table to handle the documents he had taken back from the meeting.


    Daisy did not know how long she had slept. She saw that Edward was seriously working on his table the time she opened her eyes. Her eyes were fixed at him as she didn''t even blink.


    "If you continue to look at me like that, my face will be pierced." Edward lifted his head from the documents and jokingly quipped at her. However, his eyes looked at her tenderly. Daisy lifted her hands and rubbed her eyes gently. She straightened her military uniform and asked him shyly, "You''ve finished the meeting?"


    "Yes. When did youe here? And why didn''t you give me a call first?" Edward put the documents down and walked towards her. He gently held her body into his warm arms.

 Chapter 732 I Have An Appointment (Part One)

    "What time it is now?" Daisy ran her fingers through her hair. She asked to know how long she had been there.


    "It''s almost 6. I was wondering how long you were going to sleep." Edward spent his whole afternoon in the meeting room so he had no idea about when did Daisy arrive and how long she had been in his office. "Really? It has already been thiste?" Daisy''s delicate face blushed soon as she looked up and caught Edward''s lingering gaze at her.


    "Why are you off duty so early today?" He pulled his hands away from her shoulders to smooth her hair and give her a quick kiss on the lips.


    "I nned to go to the jail, but..." Daisy frowned, debating whether she should tell him or not.


    "But? What''s wrong?" His eyes were fixed on her. There was no way Daisy could escape from Edward''s mind reading gaze.


    "Hero tried to kill himself. I was informed of the news on my way to the jail this noon." Daisy bit her lips as she waited for Edward''s response.


    "Then how is he now? Is he gone?" Edward''s face was devoid of any feeling as if he just heard something trivial. Actually, he really had nothing to do with the suicide. Hero was just a man who admired his wife. He couldn''t care less if he lived or died.


    However, what bothered him was how Daisy seemed to care about Hero. He could sense Daisy was trapped with sadness and it just showed that she was worried about Hero. It had nothing to do with love but her empathy towards Hero was disturbing. It put his mind in a turmoil but he tried to look peaceful so Daisy could express herself freely.


    "The emergency treatment works, but he hasn''t been out of danger yet." Daisy forced a smile but failed.


    "Don''t worry. It''s said that evil things don''t disappear easily. He will be fine." Edward seized Daisy round the shoulder and kissed her on the head. It made his heart ache to see that she was worried about another man.


    "Maybe you are right. Okay, let''s move on. Are you going to be off duty now?" Daisy had been wondering whether Hero would appear at S City if he hadn''t been into her. The whole mess wouldn''t happen if that was the case.


    "Right. it''s almost done. I just have a few papers left to check." He wouldn''t force her if she wasn''t in the mood to talk about Hero. Edward was ready to be Daisy''s listener all the time because he loved her. He would never be too busy to listen to her. Maybe he would get jealous whenever Daisy talked about other men sometimes, but he would be totally fine as long as he knew that he was the only man for Daisy.


    "Okay, I will let you alone. I am going to wash my face to refresh myself." Daisy said as she walked to the bathroom. She felt relieved after she shared her thoughts with Edward.


    Edward looked at Daisy as she walked away, his mouth was in a thin line. He knew Daisy wasn''t as cool as she looked. She was a very soft and considerable person. She couldn''t just let everything go. She stopped talking about it only because she didn''t want it to bother him anymore.


    Edward sighed. He returned to his chair to work but couldn''t get his inner peace back.


    Daisy sshed water over her face, feeling its coldness spread over her skin. She felt way much peaceful.


    She looked up at herself in the mirror with the droplets rolling down her face. Daisy forced a weak smile and dried her face with a towel.


    She tiptoed to Edward and put her arms tenderly around his neck. She rested her head on his shoulder from the back. She didn''t say anything and just wanted to enjoy the peaceful moment with him, feeling his heartbeat.


    It was so rare to see her act like a spoiled child that Edward''s whole body tightened. He quickly restored to himself and patted her on the hand. He didn''t say anything either and just continued to deal with his papers.


    "I have an appointment this evening. I won''t go home with you." Daisy whispered to his ear and blew on it like a naughty child.


    "What appointment are you going to?" Edwardid the pen down and turned his office chair around, scooping Daisy into his arms. He rested Daisy on hisps.


    "Oh, charming! I am scared to death." Daisy said as she thumped his shoulder affectionately. She didn''t expect him to turn around all of a sudden, so it really scared the heck out of her.


    "You are so timid. How did you be a military officer?" The thump she gave him was too weak to even notice.


    "Shoot! How about I scaring you like this?" Daisy rolled her eyes at him and stayed on hisps. She knew she couldn''t leave unless Edward let her go.


    "Tell me who are you going to meet?" Edward didn''t forget why he got nervous and went back to the topic. He stared at her with his eagle eyes.


    "Do you remember Zemo? The guy we met at Blue Enchantress several days ago? I asked him out for dinner tonight. I am okay if you want to go there with me." Daisy fiddled with his fingers as she stared firmly back at him. "No. I don''t want to go there. It''s an alumni reunion and I am not one of your alumni." Edward would have gotten mad if Daisy went there without telling him. But since Daisy told him everything herself, he found nothing to be mad about. "Really? You don''t want to go there?" Daisy bantered with him, wondering why such a sensitive guy remained silent.


    "No, I don''t. I know I am not weed there." Edward avoided her gaze. He didn''t want Daisy to see through his thoughts.


    "Okay then. I was worried you would be mad if I don''t let you in." Daisy pecked at his lips happily. She was d that her worries were uncalled-for. Daisy wouldn''t be able to focus on anyone else if Edward chose to go there with her. "You little rat. Why did you pretend that I''m wee when you don''t want me in? Tell me when did you be so tricky?" Edward turned away from Daisy and loosened his arms around her in a mock rage.


    "Oh no, you really got mad. I was just joking with you. Don''t take it seriously." Daisy looked at Edward''s back, not knowing whether to cry or tough. Her beloved Edward was so fickle.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "I don''t think you were joking." Edward said in a cold tone. He seemed to really take it seriously.


    "Come on. don''t act cute, Mr. Mu." Daisy found it funny to use some popr words she learned from Justin while talking to Mr. Mu.


    "Daisy Ouyang, I don''t like that word. I am not a sissy." Edward did not turn around as he browsed through the web. It made Daisy feel that he really was mad at her.


    "You are not sissy at all. I just said that because I think you are cute." Daisy desperately fought the urge to giggle. She continued to tease him, waiting for his response.

 Chapter 733 I Have An Appointment (Part Two)

    "You are trying to irritate me, right?" Edward double-checked the files on hisputer and then turned around. He looked at her with a wicked smile before his eyes settled on her red lips. "But... I really don''t mean it. Please forget it." She saw that type of stare before. It was a warning for her to stop or else she would regret what she was doing.


    "No, I can''t forget it. You tried to irritate me." Edward''s eyes went colder, making Daisy want to run away.


    "You are so petty and childish..." Her voice sank to a whisper as Edward put his hand into Daisy''s clothes. She stared at him with her eyes wide open. They weren''t in the right ce to do something like this. "Keep saying! I am listening." Edward whispered to her ears and nibbled her earlobes, it made her tremble.


    "I..." Rain pushed the door open just before Daisy could finish her words. His jaw dropped automatically as he saw the scene inside Mr. Mu''s office.


    "Oh no! I don''t mean to interrupt you guys. You can go on," said Rain but the wicked smile on his face showed nothing about guilt. He even looked excited about what was about to happen.


    "Get out." Edward red at him as he pulled his hands out of Daisy''s clothes. He really was not a fan of Rain as the guy seemed always to sabotage his enjoyable moments.


    "Alright! I am leaving. But you see, I have never experienced this before so maybe I can just stand here to learn from you." Rain leaned against the door and watched them from a distance. He didn''t walk in nor walk out.


    "You really want to learn from me?" Edward''s eyes narrowed as he stared at Rain. It seemed that Rain was challenging him.


    "No no no. I guess I''ll drop the idea. I don''t have the nerve." Rain swallowed hard. He knew he had to stop, otherwise Edward would assign some tough tasks to him.


    "Then get out!" Edward realized that he didn''t get some good friends. Rain was so obstructive and not good at sensing what was going on.


    "Okay, stop it. Come on in, Rain." Daisy stood up from Edward''s arms, smiled and tried acting naturally. It could have been sessful if only her flushed face didn''t betray her.


    "Daisy, you are the best. You are so unlike Edward who asks me to get out all the time." Rain looked at Edward''s grim face with smug satisfaction.


    "Stop talking nonsense or I will throw you out myself. Tell me what youe here for." Edward felt his empty arms and gritted his teeth.


    "Oh my! You are so brutal. I wonder if the actresses of The Wicked Doctor and The Pretty Imperial Concubine would want to make you their hero once they hear how heartless you are." Rain teased Edward. He wanted to see how he would react and exin himself while Daisy was around.


    "What are you talking about? I will be the hero of it? I guess your brain is damaged, otherwise, you wouldn''t have this stupid idea." Edward leaned back to his chair with his arms crossed in front of his chest as he gazed at Rain.


    "It wasn''t from me! I was told by someone else! Certainly, it''s because of you that they go after the heroine. Otherwise, I can''t figure out other reasons. You are so popr among them!" Rain took a pleasures in putting Edward in a dilemma.


    "Who started these rumors? Who wants to rock the boat?" Edward looked up at Daisy and felt relieved as Daisy looked unaffected. He was worried that she might misunderstand the situation.


    "It isn''t their fault. It''s you being too charming! They are all after you! I guess that''s the reason why these popr actresses joined FX International Group." Rain continued to hype it up andpletely ignored how Edward''s eyes turned from cold to freezing. "Are there lots of actresses in FX International Group?" Daisy broke her silence. It seemed that she met the topic she was interested in.


    "Not so many. There are just hundreds of them in total including those popr and unpopr. Are you interested in getting to know them, Daisy?" Rain wanted to get Daisy jealous. It was a perfect revenge for him as Edward cursed at him a lot. Edward would definitely not know how to deal with this.


    "No. I am just curious about it. Are they all beautiful?" Daisy thought that they must all be stunning since she already saw how attractive Coco was.


    "Not all of them, but it''s true to most of them. After all, they are actresses. Having beautiful faces is expected of them. Why don''t you ask Edward? He is very familiar with them as he used to hang out with them often." Rain continued to add fuel to the fire. He didn''t have ns to stop it at all.


    "Good, Rain. How dare you say that? When did I hang out with those actresses? You''d better make everything clear here." Edward wanted to tape Rain''s mouth shut so he could stop making up things.


    "How can I know anything about it? You wouldn''t let me hang out with you!" Rain said as he avoided Edward''s sharp eyes. Edward''smanding presence came back.


    "Honey, don''t fall for it. He is talking nonsense. He is just trying to sabotage us." Edward exined in a haste. He cared for Daisy so much that he couldn''t afford to let her misunderstand things. He honestly didn''t care about what Rain said but it would be a different deal if Daisy fell for it.


    "I think what Rain is saying is true. It was on the news. Don''t you remember? Could news be fake? Besides, there were photos in the reports. Are you suggesting that those were edited?" Daisy turned around to look at Edward with a wicked smile. "Hahaha, Daisy, you are so smart. You are right! Those are evidence." Rain was d that Daisy joined him against Edward. He wanted to see how Edward would keep cool as Daisy began to question him herself. Rain had nothing to do with it.


    "So are you guys trying to force me to confess something that I didn''t do?" Edward nced at them. He tried hard to hold his anger back because he knew that Rain would triumph to see him lose his cool. It would also prove that Rain''s usations over him were true. Edward remained as peaceful as he could be.


    "No, we are not. We are just trying to bring your memory back." Rain continued with no fear. The worst thing that could happen anyway was for Edward to send him to deal with those actresses'' dispute. It would be a headache for him but it would also make him happy to be surrounded with attractivedies.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Rain, you are stirring up trouble. Why can''t you just let me enjoy my peaceful life with my wife? You''re such a troublemaker and no one knows you better than me." Edward was way much sophisticated than Rain. He wouldn''t fall into his trap so easily. He was a bit confused at the beginning because he did have a history with those actresses. Those things happened before he met Daisy and remembering that made him at ease. None of those things could bother his Daisy.

 Chapter 734 Happy Memories at the JC Military Academy (Part One)

    him look even more enchanting. The flickering ear studs on his ears particrly enhanced his captivating charm.


    "Come on, I wouldn''t do that. I am the most honest man in the world. You will never find anyone better than me in this respect. I don''t have any ulterior motives in mind at all!" Rain casually leaned against the sofa. He had a handsome face. His bright-colored clothes made Rendered speechless, Daisy rolled her eyes at them. She was getting really tired of their fights, whether they fought for a woman or tried to pressure each other. It could get too much sometimes. Could they be any more childish? No one would ever think that they were


    important members of a bigpany''s management team because of their childish behavior.


    "Seriously? You, honest? You have got to be kidding me. How shameless can you get? Calling yourself the most honest person in the world. The audacity! You should im to be the most shameless person in the world." Edward scoffed, quickly sorting out the files on his desk so that he could be ready to leave the office at any time.


    "Speaking of audacity, I think you are the second most shameless to none. I don''t dare to challenge you on that." Rain dangled his leg leisurely. He wasn''t in any way worried about offending Edward when Daisy was standing nearby. He knew that Edward wouldn''t do anything to him because Daisy was present, but he didn''t expect Edward to slyly strike back by assigning him to aplicated task.


    "It looks like you''re getting better now. I think you''re good enough to take on some challenges. I''m putting you in charge of the Blue Moon Waterside Pavilion project tomorrow." Edward shed a wry smile. He outstretched his arm and handed the files in his hand to Rain. "Oh no, Edward! You can''t be so hard on me! You know that the daughter of thatpany''s president is obsessed with me. I''ll be done for it if you assign me to that project!" Rain didn''t lose his cool until Edward''s threat. He couldn''t help shuddering at the thought of the woman who constantly stuck to him like an octopus the moment sheid eyes on him.


    "Come on, don''t be afraid. You like beautiful women, don''t you? The woman is drawn to you without you even trying to seduce her. How could you mercilessly reject a woman like that? That''s not your style." Edward smiled coldly. If the president''s daughter wasn''t so interested in good-looking men, he wouldn''t have decided to make Rain manage the project. He definitely did it on purpose. This way, Rain would learn the consequences of offending him. He would never challenge his authority in public in the future again.


    "Oh, that depends on the type of women! For women like Tina Zhuo, I''d rather run away as fast as I can to avoid their clutches." Rain pursed his lips in displeasure. He still remembered clearly how Tina tried to take advantage of him thest time he showed up at a cocktail party she also attended. The experience was traumatizing, he didn''t want to go anywhere near a project rted to the ZY Company, no matter how important it was.


    "Well, the decision is not up to you. Aaron is on a business trip and he won''t be back in time. Nobody else but you can take over this project." Edward said, showing no room for negotiation. Needless to say, Rain''s face must be full of nothing but frustration. Edward could feel Rain''s reluctance to take over the project without seeing his face. He must be staring at him with extreme unwillingness.


    "Do I really have to? Can''t we discuss this? Oh, we have a new director! You can send him to deal with it. That way, he can get familiar with our business as early as now." Seeing that Edward wasn''t going to change his mind, Rain suggested Moore in an attempt to draw Edward''s attention to the new director even though he wasn''t present at the moment. Besides, Tina was interested in him, not Moore. Things would actually go smoother if Edward sent Moore to take over the project.


    "What did you say? Moore is in charge of the nning department. Do you think he''s familiar enough with the development department?" Edward rolled his eyes at Rain. What was he thinking? How could he even suggest such an absurd idea?


    "You don''t understand, Edward. As a qualified and excellent employee, one must be familiar with the business of every department and be an expert in every aspect. This is the only way they can stand out in thispetitive business. I''m doing Moore a favor, he will learn the fundamentals of our business if he takes over the project." Rain smiled smugly, as if Edward had already taken his advice and assigned Moore to take over the project instead of him. But reality usually went in the opposite direction. Edward wasn''t a fool. He obviously knew what Rain was thinking about.


    "What about you? Have you mastered every aspect of thepany?" Edward definitely knew that Rain was an expert in conversation, but he didn''t expect him to be so talkative. He chose to turn a deaf ear and ignore Rain''s suggestion.


    "Why? You''re still here. There''s no reason for me to be an expert." To be honest, it wasn''t that he didn''t know how to deal with all aspects of the business. He was just toozy to bother with it.


    "Why don''t you just admit that you are degenerate. Think about yourself! Look at the person you have be since Annie disappeared from your life." Love can improve a man, but it can also destroy him. Obviously, Rain''s situation belonged to thetter. "What kind of person have I be? I''m still as handsome and energetic as before! I''m enjoying life, just as I always have been. I''m still me. Nothing has changed!" Although he spoke confidently to show that he wasn''t affected, his bright eyes dimmed. Annie''s disappearance definitely hurt him. As for Annie''s whereabouts, Rain had no idea. He could do nothing but wallow in bitterness when he was alone. Even though he loved Annie, she was nowhere to be seen. He had lost the object of his affections. "You are deluding yourself. You can keep wallowing here on your own, but we''re leaving," Edward said as he picked up his briefcase. Daisy had been standing in silence the entire time. He took her hand and led her out of the office without pause. "Hey! Wait for me! Don''t leave me alone if you''re going out for dinner." Rain stepped out to catch up with Edward and Daisy. Although he didn''t know where they were heading, he decided to follow them.


    The moment the three walked out of the building, Mark''s sharp eyes caught sight of them. He hurriedly made his way towards the group.


    "Mr. Mu, Mr. Xia," Mark greeted before standing beside Daisy, dutifully doing his job as her bodyguard.


    Edward simply hummed in response, but Rain got excited all of a sudden. He eximed enthusiastically, "Mark, I haven''t seen you for a few days. You''ve be more handsome! How''s it going? Do you have a girlfriend now? If not, would you like me to introduce you to somedies?" This was how Rain dealt with things. His behavior was extremely exaggerated andpletely different from the way ordinary people acted.


    "Thank you, Mr. Xia. We aren''t allowed to get into a rtionship during our service in the army. I don''t need to bother you with helping me find a girlfriend." The corners of Mark''s mouth twisted. Hadn''t they seen each other recently? If there was nothing wrong with his memory, they had just met two hours ago. Or was he imagining things? And what girlfriend was he talking about?


    "You''re wee. And you don''t need to be so polite with me!" Rain touched his nose awkwardly. Suddenly, he felt a little guilty for teasing such an honest and kind man. He was a bit regretful.


    "I can''t stand you anymore." Edward looked at him in askance. Rain was even teasing Mark now. Was there anything that Rain wouldn''t dare do?


    "By the way, where are you going?" Rain didn''t care about Edward''s opinion of him. His priority was to have dinner with the couple. He didn''t want to have dinner on his own again.


    "I''m sorry, Rain. I have an appointment, so you guys decide where you want to go," Daisy said apologetically, giving a small smile.


    "Oh! Edward, you end up being ditched." Rain was at a loss. He had offended Edward earlier. Now that Daisy was about to leave, he would be left alone with Edward. There was no way he was spending a moment alone with the man. Edward would definitely kill him without him knowing.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Do you need me to drive you there?" Edward ignored Rain''s words. He gazed at Daisy with deep affection in his gentle eyes. There was nothing but tenderness on his handsome face.


    "No need. Mark will drive me there. I''ll take my leave now. Bye, Rain!" Daisy smiled at Rain and turned around. She entered the Humvee and waved at them through the window before the car drove out of their sight.


    "Stop staring, Edward. The car is already gone." Rain waved his palm in front of Edward''s face, trying to catch his attention. He didn''t expect Edward to turn around and stride directly towards his car. Edward didn''t react to his childish behavior at all. "Hey! You haven''t told me where you''re going yet!" Rain whined loudly in frustration, following Edward closely.


    "Home. Follow me if you want." Edward entered his car and started the engine without paying attention to whether Rain would follow him or not. The car drove away slowly.


    "Sure, I''ll go. Why not?" Rain turned around and got into his own car as well. He drove towards the direction of Edward''s house without hurry. He already knew where Edward lived. There was no way he would lose his way. Even though he was worried about Edward getting back at him, he really didn''t want to be alone right now.

 Chapter 735 Happy Memories at the JC Military Academy (Part Two)

    When Daisy arrived at the Westin Western Restaurant, Zemo hadn''t shown up yet. Considering that they hadn''t seen each other for years, she deliberately reserved a small private room. This way, they wouldn''t be disrupted by the surroundings while catching up with each other.


    Zemo left his ce and headed for the restaurant at an early time. But because he wasn''t familiar with S City, he spent a long time finding his way. Additionally, it was the rush hour. He ended up arriving half an hourte at the restaurant. "Sorry, I''mte," He immediately apologized as soon as he approached the private room.


    "It''s alright. I haven''t been here for a long time. Take a seat, please." Daisy had a beautiful smile, especially for people who rarely saw it. Her smile was extremely bright and captivating, like the most colorful rainbow in the sky. A person could get intoxicated by her smile. "It seems the military uniform suits you better. Two bars and three stars, a colonel! That''s amazing! You''re doing quite well in the army." Looking at the handsome military uniform on Daisy, Zemo couldn''t help twisting in pain in his heart. Bing a soldier had been his dream when he was young, but he couldn''t achieve it anymore. He could do nothing but wallow in sadness at his failed dream.


    "Zemo, are you okay?" Daisy asked softly, seeing Zemo''s bright smile suddenly dim made her worry.


    "Oh, it''s nothing! I was just thinking what a cruel twist of fate. If I hadn''t left JC Military Academy that year, could I have attained the same achievements you have?" Zemo held back his sadness. Although many years had passed, his dream of bing an excellent soldier never changed.


    "Of course, you would. You''d definitely do better than me. You always bested me in special training, so your achievements would undoubtedly be greater than mine." Daisy had always been curious why Zemo left the academy all of a sudden. What on earth happened to him? Whatever it was, it must have been quite serious because he didn''t even say goodbye. She wanted to know what happened because she was worried about him.


    "Don''t be so modest! You were the most capable female student in the eyes of the instructors. Every one of them wanted to have you in their team. How could Ipete with you?"


    Everyone in the academy knew that Daisy Ouyang was the most excellent student of their batch. At the beginning, she rankedst when she entered the academy. No one imagined that she would rise up the ranks to the top. But she dedicated herself to her training. All the blood, sweat, and tears she shed was a testament to her great determination. Other people might be oblivious to her efforts, but Zemo knew. After all, he had trained with her the entire time and encouraged her to improve.


    "You are as modest as ever. Well, how''s everything? You look good. It seems that you''re living a happy life." Daisy sat upright as a soldier always did. Perhaps due to habit, she did not feel her muscles stiffen from the position.


    "I''m doing fine. I''m managing a family business. But I basically just inherited it, so there is nothing worth showing off." Zemo smiled bitterly. He didn''t want to be involved in the family business. But because he was born into it, he had no choice but to yield to reality.


    "Most bigpanies are managed by second generations nowadays. The most important thing is what you will do with your identity. You either enjoy life and squander the money your family had earned, or you improve the business and lead it into a new field. You still have options. And you chose thetter one, didn''t you?"


    With regards to rich heirs, Daisy could name a lot from the people around her, such as Duke and Belinda, not to mention the childish man in her home. All of them were typical rich heirs, weren''t they? She often saw scandals on the news about a rich man bullying others, or some rich woman behaving inappropriately. But her husband and friends stayed away from these scandals. This was the reason why she gained a new understanding on rich heirs.


    "I''m still trying, but it''s just a small difference. I don''t think I can make any impressive progress. After all, I didn''t learn this in the past. Sometimes, it''s hard for me to operate things smoothly." Zemo took a sip of water. A son usually inherited his father''s career, which was what most sons fought for in rich families. But he was not one of them. He had no desire to seed his father. All he wanted was very simple. He only wished to do things he liked, which included being a soldier. But obviously, he had missed his chance. There was nothing but regret in his heart. He could never get rid of the disappointment he felt. But in that situation, he had to leave and it was his responsibility.


    "You''re doing great now. If I were in your shoes, I don''t think I could do it." She couldn''t help feeling overwhelmed at the thought of the countless numbers on Edward''sputer when she stood behind him earlier.


    "Sometimes, people who are forced to do something can be experts. One would never know his limit or how far he could go if he doesn''t do his best. Don''t look down upon yourself. You don''t know if your achievement would go beyond your imagination if you were in my position."


    Zemo smiled as he looked at the woman opposite him. He never imagined that he would be a businessman when he was in the academy. But now that he was, he was doing quite well in the field. People would never know if they could achieve a certain thing or not until they devoted themselves to it.


    "Me? Forget about it. I am simple-minded. People like me would only be good at physical work. As for work that requires the brain, I wouldn''t be good at it." Daisy waved her hand. She couldn''t imagine herself as part of the business circle. The thought was too absurd for her. She had no interest in it at all. And even if she had, there was no way she would be an excellent businesswoman because she was terrible at math. She knew her limits, no one was an expert in every field.


    "I don''t think that your brain is not clever enough, but that you''re not exercising it. If you weren''t clever, how could you earn those high scores in the special training courses? Did you cheat?" Zemo teased. His tone was exactly simr to the way Edward spoke to her when he teased her.


    "If I cheated, does that mean you did too? Don''t forget it, you sat next to me every time back then." So many years had passed. But when they recalled their training days in the JC Military Academy, all the memories were still so fresh. It was as if they all just happened yesterday.


    "Don''t try to get me involved in this! I was also one of the excellent students in the eyes of the instructors at that time. How could I do that kind of illegal thing with you?" When Zemo had idle moments, he always wondered if he and Daisy would remain close if the ident hadn''t urred that year. But there were no "what ifs" in real life, so he would never know.


    "If you brag to others, they might be fooled. But you are talking to me now. Do you think you can fool me? When we were undergoing field training, who was the guy that put honey on the instructor''s clothes in secret? Our instructor was covered with ants when he went to sleep that night!"


    Reminiscing about the past always brought so much happiness. Although there were also difficult times in the past, they would always be ovee by happiness, so it wasn''t so bad. All the difficulties and struggles became irrelevant, leaving unforgettable beautiful memories in their wake.


    "Come on! Who was the one that sprinkled pepper in the instructor''s water? Our instructor choked afterwards. He had to suddenly run around to ease the pain. Everyone was punished because of you. We had to do 30ps in the training field. By the time we were done, we were so exhausted that we could hardly eat our meal." Zemo shook his head. Everyone knew that Daisy was a cold and distant girl. No one would expect that such an aloof person also had a mischievous side.


    "If I''m not mistaken, that was the most severe punishment we received. You were a true friend, you received the punishment along with me." There was nothing but happiness on Daisy''s face. At the thought, she realized that she had made so many good friendships at the academy. But as time passed by, they gradually lost contact with each other.


    "Well, I had to. After all, you were the only girl in our ss. Of course, we would all protect you." As a matter of fact, there had been other female students in their ss. But they couldn''t handle the gruelling training, so they transferred to less difficult courses. Daisy was the only girl who endured everything and remained in the ss.


    "Talking about the old days makes me so nostalgic," Daisy sighed. There were not many students in their ss, no more than 20. Because of this, they were all close and got along with each other quite well. asional conflicts were inevitable, but they rarely happened. Generally, everyone was on good terms with one another.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    "Oh, definitely. Same here. But I''m also curious about the man you were pining over back then. Was he the guy I saw that night?" Zemo was reluctant to ept the fact that the man he saw back then was Daisy''s love. But he had to admit that the man was extraordinary both in appearance and temperament.


    "Yes, he is. I didn''t expect that my dream coulde true, but there was an unexpected turn of events. I ended up bing one of the heroines in those cliche romance novels. Although the journey wasplicated, I''m d to have a happy ending atst." Daisy''s smile brightened as she talked about Edward. Looking at her was very gratifying, and one couldn''t help getting attracted to Daisy when she disyed such happiness.??????????????

 Chapter 736 Green-Eyed Monster (Part One)

    together, Zemo always refrained from this topic as much as possible to avoid upsetting Daisy.


    "Congrattions. Your dream has finallye true. You''ve married the man you love." Zemo knew that the man Daisy talked about was the love of her life. Whenever she talked about him, she would get a faraway look in her eyes. Back when they trained at the academy "Thank you. I have a happy marriage." Daisy grinned at the delightful thought. She wasfortable with Belinda and Zemo, asionally ying jokes with them. Edward was a different story. Although he was an arrogant bully, she could have him eat out of the palm of her hand.


    "I can tell from your big smile. How''s life in the army? It must be fantastic." Zemo wanted to know more about the military life that he had yearned for a long time. He got excited when he brought up the topic.


    "You know how it is. It''s all about drills. The soldiers follow the same pattern every day." Outsiders often thought that the military life was mysterious, but it was actually quite boring.


    "But you enjoy it enough to never get tired of it." Although their bodies were dripping with sweat during their training days, they were still blissfully happy. Zemo often indulged in those memories after he left the military.


    "I have grown ustomed to it. If I leave the army one day, I don''t know how I''d adapt." Daisy fiddled with her hair in embarrassment. Truth be told, she really liked her life in the military. It wasn''t because she enjoyed the honor brought by her senior rank. But she had invested herself wholeheartedly to the job, and she found it hard to step back.


    "Since you don''t want to leave, you should stay. I think it suits you best." It had been a long time since theyst saw each other. They couldn''t converse as casually as they did before. It was as if they were afraid of saying something they shouldn''t. "Maybe I feel this way because of the routine. Well, let''s talk about something else. Tell me about your life. Do you have a family now?" Daisy blinked and stared straight at Zemo, not giving him a chance to lie.


    "It''s difficult to find someone like you," Zemo said sadly. Daisy wasn''t sure if he was joking.


    "Come on, why would you want to marry a girl like me? Did you forget that I used to bully you back at the academy?" Daisy frowned. Zemo''s words brought her a lot of pressure. She made a joke to relieve the awkward atmosphere. "No. But I like that feeling. I enjoy your bullying." Zemo looked at Daisy tenderly, giving more meaning to his words.


    "Don''t make fun of me. You''ve really changed a lot. You''re a smooth talker now. Is it a requirement for businessmen to be smooth talkers?" Daisy realized that everyone in her life couldn''t be underestimated. They were all as cunning as a fox.


    "It''s the same for soldiers in the military. The environment shapes the person." Zemo knew that she was deliberately changing the topic, but he pretended to be oblivious and went along with it.


    "Oh, have you finished what you need to do?" It urred to Daisy that Zemo came to S City for work. She berated herself for being too busy to think about his affairs.


    "It''s almost done, but I''ll stay for a while longer. We have a big project toplete." Zemo heaved a sigh. He originally thought that things would be concluded quickly, but he didn''t expect the otherpany to say that their CEO had to examine and approve the project personally. He had to wait for a while before the project got under way.


    "Great! We can hang out until then." Daisy was excited. They hadn''t seen each other for a long time, so they had a lot to reminisce and talk about. Neither of them noticed that it was gettingte.


    Edward checked his watch again. It was 8:30 p.m. when he first checked the time, and it was 9:30 p.m. already. He was ying with his phone the whole time, hesitating to make a call. It wasn''t that he was jealous or that he distrusted Daisy. He was worried about her. Although she was still outside, she had sent Mark back. He wondered how she would get home after.


    "Dad, are you waiting for mom?" Justin looked at Edward drowsily. He rubbed his eyes and climbed onto Edward''sp.


    "Yeah, I''m worried about her. Little monkey, why aren''t you asleep yet?" Edward held Justin in his arms. He couldn''t help but kiss his chubby cheek.


    "I was about to go sleep, but I saw the light in the study, so I came to check." Justin leaned against Edward''s chest and kept squirming to find the mostfortable position.


    "Come on, let''s go to sleep." Edward stood up with Justin in his arms and walked towards the boy''s room. It was alreadyte, and Justin had school tomorrow morning. He couldn''t go to bed toote, or he wouldn''t be able to get up in the morning.


    "Dad, is the man I saw this morning your employee?" Justin asked curiously. Martin kept pestering him today, which was annoying.


    "Yes. He''s a very talented person. He''s the new nning director. Why are you asking about him?" Edward carefully put the little boy on the bed before adjusting the temperature in the room. He looked down at his son with a smile.


    "It''s nothing. I just find his son too annoying." Justin twitched his mouth in displeasure at the memory.


    "Ha! He''s pestering you, and you can''t get rid of him? Don''t you always im to be invincible?" Edward ruffled Justin''s hair with a big smile. It seemed that this little guy had a bit of difficulty. Besides Leena, someone else was able to frustrate him so much. "He''s too talkative. He never stops talking. He even talks to me in ss! At this rate, I''ll go crazy soon!" Justin pouted, venting out his frustrations.


    "Have you ever thought that maybe he wants to be your friend? Maybe that''s why he keeps talking to you. You should try getting to know him. You might end up bing good friends." Edward chuckled. Justin neverined about school before. Martin must have really gotten under his skin, or his son wouldn''t be ranting about him.


    "No! I don''t want to! He''s an annoying brat!" Justin whined angrily. He really disliked Martin.


    "Why? Is it because you can''t bear someone who''s more outstanding than you?" Edward frowned. If that was the case, he had to pay attention to this issue.


    "No! I don''t think he''s better than me!" Justin grumbled, strongly disagreeing with Edward''s assumption.


    "If not, then why are you so bothered? Go to sleep. Don''t think too much." Edward bent down to give his son a gentle kiss. He didn''t force Justin to ept Martin as his friend. It would only make him resist the idea more. Edward decided not to interfere with it. He just offered appropriate advice and didn''t stop him from doing what he wanted.


    "Okay. Good night, dad." Justin was sleepy, so he didn''t continue the conversation. He closed his eyes and soon fell into deep sleep.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    Edward patted Justin with deep affection and shook his head helplessly. An adult couldn''t always discern a child''s thoughts. Although Justin was upset about the topic now, it was very likely that he would forget about it when he woke up the next morning.


    In thete autumn evening, a handful of stars decorated the sky. After leaving Justin''s room, Edward stood on the balcony, still holding the phone that he hadn''t put down the whole evening. He never thought that he would wait for a woman who was outte at night. Finally, he decided to call Daisy. He was really worried about her, so he didn''t care if he was disturbing them.00000000

 Chapter 737 Green-Eyed Monster (Part Two)

    "Hello," Daisy answered as she walked out of the restaurant with Zemo. She didn''t expect Edward to call her.


    "It''s me. What time will youe home? I''ll pick you up." Edward shoved one hand in his trouser pocket while he held the phone in his other hand. He spoke calmly, trying to hide his anxiety.


    "We''ve already left the restaurant. I''m actually on my way back now. You don''t need toe over. Zemo will drive me back." While Daisy spoke to Edward over the phone, Zemo opened the door of the car for her. Daisy got inside gracefully. Zemo invited her to have some tea, but she refused politely because it was gettingte. More importantly, Edward was waiting for her worriedly.


    "Okay. Be careful on the way. I''ll wait for you at home." Despite his mixed feelings, Edward was consumed with envy. It turned out that he wasn''t as generous as he appeared to be.


    "Okay. I''ll be back soon." Daisy waited for Edward to hang up the phone as she had promised. She knew it wasn''t fair, but she kept her word.


    Edward sighed longingly before hanging up. Thinking that he had to beat Zemo in terms of looks, he walked to the bathroom and tidied up his appearance in the mirror to make sure he looked wless. With a confident smile, he walked out and went downstairs. "Mr. Mu, are you going out?" Just as Edward entered the garden, Luke quickly appeared in front of him.


    "No. I just want to take a walk. Don''t follow me." Edward felt a bit embarrassed about his intentions. He evaded Luke''s gaze to try and hide his thoughts.


    "Okay. If you want to go out, please let me know. I''ll go arrange your schedule for tomorrow." Luke''s job was no pic. Not only was he responsible for the safety of the Mu family, he was also in charge of the security of the FX International Group.


    "Okay. I''m fine here. Go on with your work." Although Edward didn''t know when Daisy would be back, he couldn''t wait toe to the front courtyard to wait for her. But he was afraid of attracting the attention of the servants, so he pretended he was outside for a walk. Despite his best efforts, the servants noticed him. He never went out for a walk at this time.


    Edward looked good no matter what he wore. Even the simple and casual clothes he was wearing made him look handsome.


    He craned his neck to peer outside, but he didn''t see any car approaching. He began to get a little impatient. Curious about what he was looking at, the bodyguards looked at the intersection leading to the vi. When they saw a car finally approach, they realized that Edward was waiting for his wife. They looked at each other in amusement.


    "Okay, this is it. Thank you, Zemo. Although you''re my guest, you had to bring me home." As soon as the car stopped, Daisy turned to apologize to Zemo. She didn''t notice the handsome man leaning against the door nearby.


    "Don''t mention it. It''s my pleasure to drive a beautiful woman home." Zemo looked at the luxurious vi as he talked to Daisy. He had seen Edward at the door, but he didn''t greet him. Instead, he shot him a challenging look.


    Edward shed a wicked smile. He waited patiently for Daisy who was smiling brightly and seemed oblivious to his presence. He chose to ignore Zemo''s provocation.


    Feeling someone''s eyes on her, Daisy turned around. When she caught Edward''s eye, she felt her heartbeat quicken. Realizing that Edward must have been waiting for her for a long time, she hurriedly opened the door and got off the car with a flushed face. "What are you doing here?" Daisy walked up to Edward and looked up at him. She didn''t expect him to wait for her at the door, so she was surprised to see him there.


    "Why, don''t you want to see me?" Edward reached out to gather Daisy in his arms. Ignoring everyone else present, he sealed her lips with a passionate kiss. It wasn''t until Zemo cleared his throat that he reluctantly pulled away. But he kept his arms wrapping tightly around Daisy''s waist. Daisy felt herself blush.


    "Mr. Ling, we meet again." Edward raised his eyebrow and looked at Zemo arrogantly.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    "Mr. Mu, I''m sorry for keeping Daisy out sote. You must have waited a long time for her." Instead of retreating, Zemo looked Edward directly in the eye.


    "Indeed, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Daisy was out for a few hours. I missed her a lot. In any case, thank you for bringing my wife back safe and sound. It seems you''re a dutiful driver."


    Hearing Edward''s words, Daisy flushed a deeper shade of red. She didn''t expect Edward to say such embarrassing things to her friend. Mortified, she was at a loss with what to do.


    "It''s the proper thing to do. I really don''t mind being Daisy''s driver." Zemo kept a pleasant expression on his face, remaining graceful despite the jibe. Those who weren''t familiar with him would think that he was a gentle person, but people who knew him well knew that it was just one of his sides. "Thank you for taking care of my wife. I''m greatly honored as her husband." Edward smiled deviously. If looks could kill, Zemo would be dead on the spot.


    "You''re wee. I did it for Daisy. I didn''t really consider anyone else." Zemo was an experienced businessman who had been in the business for years. He wouldn''t be defeated so easily. Since Edward regarded him as a rival, he was going to fight back. "That''s enough! All you men are the same. Why can''t you talk to each other nicely? You always have to give tongue-in-cheek remarks. Isn''t it exhausting?" Daisy red at them disapprovingly. She didn''t understand why they were so hostile to each other. "Don''t say that. There''s a big difference between the two of us." Edward touched his nose and narrowed his eyes at Zemo. He was definitely different from Zemo. The other man didn''t have such a beautiful wife. He didn''t want to be like him. "I''m nothing like him." Zemo looked at Edward in disgust. He didn''t like Edward either.


    "Zemo, do you want toe in for some tea?" Unable to bear their barbed remarks any longer, Daisy changed the topic.


    "No, thanks. I have to leave now. Maybe next time. Bye, Daisy." Zemo refused with a smile. He had to admit that Edward was a big shot. Since he was unfamiliar with S City, he didn''t know much about what kind of person he was. Since Edward could afford such a spacious mansion, he was definitely not a man to be trifled with.


    "Okay. Be careful on your way home. Pleasee over and have dinner with us some other time. Goodbye." Daisy pinched Edward''s waist, hoping he would let her go, but Edward didn''t react. Daisy could do nothing but pout at him.


    Zemo waved goodbye before driving away. Through the rearview mirror, he stared at Daisy who was snuggled up against Edward''s shoulder. It was his greatest hope for Daisy to be happy.


    "Come on, let''s go in. He''s already gone," Edward said sullenly. He released Daisy from his embrace and walked away.


    "Edward, tell me, are you jealous?" Daisy followed Edward inside. Edward was obviously jealous. He was affectionate with her in front of Zemo, but he became indifferent after the other man left.


    "No. Why would I be jealous?" Edward stormed off. His handsome face had anger clearly written all over it. He didn''t know how to blow off steam.???????????

 Chapter 738 The Spoiled Prince (Part One)

    "What, are you mad at me?" Daisy asked, taking a few quick steps forward in an attempt to grab Edward by the arm. To her surprise, he shook her hand off as soon as she touched him.


    "Do you have any idea why I''m mad at you?" Edward stopped abruptly in his tracks. He turned to shoot Daisy a cold re before he resumed storming off upstairs. The dim light from the hallway on the second floor cast his elongated shadow upon Daisy, whose heart sank at the obvious distaste in his tone. "How would I know? You''ve always been so unpredictable," Daisy murmured to herself, increasing her pace to try to catch up with Edward.


    "Don''t think that I can''t hear you. I''m not deaf," Edward said in sharp tone. He pushed the door of their bedroom open and walked directly to the window with his back to Daisy, who was trailing a few close steps behind him. A few moments of stony silence immediately filled the room.


    "What is the matter with you, Edward? I told you that I was having dinner with someone and you said you were okay with that. What are you giving me shit for? It was only dinner with an old friend. For Christ''s sake, will you grow up and deal with it like a man?" Daisy''s anger red up. She had never been a pushover. The only reason she put up with a lot things she hated and gave way to Edward was because she felt that she owed him. As a military officer, she was always on call, ready to grab her coat and head out to deal with all kinds of emergencies. For that reason, she had to sacrifice a lot of time with her family. It was true that she had been working hard to bnce her work and her family, but she didn''t want a rtionship in which her efforts weren''t recognized or appreciated. "Yes, I''m okay with you going out to have dinner with your friend, but I''m not okay with you staying out sote and not even calling me once to let me know that you''re all right! Fine, I can move on from that. But when you finally showed up, you ignored me in favor of having pleasant conversation with another man. I saw you smiling brightly at him while I was just a few feet away - like I didn''t even exist at all! How do you expect me to feel about that? Should I be happy?"


    Edward gritted through clenched teeth. He red Daisy in fury, as if he wanted to consume her at any minute. He wouldn''t have exploded if Daisy hadn''t told him to ''grow up and deal with it like a man''. He loved her so much that he just couldn''t pretend to be indifferent about what had happened.Property belongs to N?vel(D)r/ama.Org.


    "What did you expect me to do? Tell him directly to piss off right after he dropped me off at home instead of thanking him? Do you have any idea what other people would have thought of you if I had done that?" Daisy retorted indignantly, looking back at Edward right in the eye. She knew that Edward was very angry right now, but she wouldn''t take this lying down. Her actions were justified and she did nothing wrong.


    "Very good! You''re right. I have nothing to say for myself. I''m inconsiderate, intolerant, and not nearly good enough for you! Is that what you want to hear?" Edward shot a long intense look at Daisy. As soon as he spoke, he momentarily shut his eyes in great agony before walking out of the room.


    "Where are you going?" Daisy asked hastily, worried that she might have been too hard on him. She started to get a little distressed. Even though her words were a bit harsh, she was only trying to reason with him. When did he be so sensitive?


    "Go ahead and take a shower. I want to be alone for a while," Edward replied without looking at her. On his way out, he stopped for a brief moment when he reached the door before he continued on his way without looking back. Deep down, he knew that he was at fault for losing his temper, but Daisy wasn''t meless either. Right now, he just needed some time and space to figure out how to fix this fight between them.


    Seeing that Edward was determined to leave, Daisy rubbed her temples in frustration. Although she wanted to talk things out with him, she knew it was impossible when Edward was in a mood. Thinking that it would probably be good for the both of them if he stayed in the study for a while to cool down, Daisy decided to let him be and take a shower.


    Daisy didn''t expect Edward not to go into the study. Unknown to her, he took his new Bugatti Veyron Super Sport car and sped away from their house. The car he was driving was not only the most expensive sports car in the world, but also the fastest - with 1200 horsepower that reached a maximum speed of 431 kph. The model ranked first among the top ten luxury cars in the world, a single vehicle costing millions.


    Edward grew up in a rich family and never had difficulty getting what he wanted. Though he had changed his ways for his wife, there was still part of his character that couldn''t be suppressed. Hitting the gas pedal, he indulged himself in the fast speed and the roaring noise of the car engine. Streetlights shimmered upon the smooth coat of the car, making it even more eye-catching. Fallen leaves swirled up in the air as the car raced past, dancing along with the dust under the light before settling on the dark road again. Edward''s car stopped at Sexy World, a destination of endless luxurious lifestyles for lonely souls to spend the night. The ce was as brightly lit as it was during the daytime. Edward''s appearance in Sexy World caused quite a stir. Some marveled at his enthralling demeanor, while others were eager for an opportunity to get close to him despite his imposing aloofness.


    After all, who could resist that wless face, those intense blue eyes, and the flicker of a captivating smile on his lips? As he nced over the lobby distantly, Edward felt more upset than impressed with the keen gazes directed at him. Despite how much attention he was gaining with his appearance, Daisy still chose to ignore him in favor of talking to another man. A surge of resentfulness rose to his chest. Head held high like an arrogant prince, he strode through the crowd in the lobby and went straight to his private room.


    In the bathroom, Daisy took a long hot bath. Thevender essence that she added to the water soothed her nerves. After her whole body had gonex, she finally stepped out of the tub. To her surprise, Edward still hadn''t returned to their room. Letting out a light sigh, she decided to go and find him. How could she stand not speaking with him? She regretted her aggressive reaction when Edward aired out his grievances earlier. After all, he was only upset because he cared about her a great deal.


    The events of tonight convinced her even more that men acted like children when they were upset, obstinate and unreasonable. She didn''t let him get away with his unfair usations against her because part of her wished to help him grow out of his capricious behavior by reasoning with him. Unfortunately, the tactic seemed to have backfired. Not only did he not reflect on his actions, but his temper seemed to have gone worse. In the end, she was the only one left to clean up the mess. She groaned at the thought of long hours of sweet- talking him just to get things normal between them again.00000000

 Chapter 739 The Spoiled Prince (Part Two)

    Taking a deep breath, she gently pushed the door of the study open. There was no one in sight. After double-checking to make sure that Edward was indeed not in the room, she turned the lights off and walked out. Frustrated, she figured that he had gone out to the garden to clear his head. She went back to the room and changed into casual clothes before going downstairs. The garden was a perfect ce for someone who needed to take a walk alone. To her surprise once again, Edward wasn''t there either. She racked her brain for possible ces where Edward could have gone to, but failed. She couldn''t help but start to panic. Not knowing what to do next, she decided to get some help. As she turned to face the vi, she instantly knew who to turn to. Hastily, she headed to Luke''s room. A brief moment after she knocked, the door opened.


    "Mrs. Mu, is everything all right?" asked Luke. He was a little worried to see Daisy''s troubled face. Not expecting her to wake him up at this hour, he still felt a little dazed from the confusion.


    "Luke, have you seen Edward tonight? Do you know where he is?" Daisy asked, twining her fingers nervously. She was so worried about Edward, it didn''t ur to her that she was being disruptive by waking up him in the middle of the night.


    "Isn''t he upstairs?" Luke immediately tensed up at the mention that Edward was missing.


    "No, he''s not. We had a fight earlier tonight. I went to take a bath, and when I came out, he was gone." She was only in the bathroom for half an hour. Where could he have gone? Daisy bit her lips in worry and frustration.


    "Calm down, Mrs. Mu. I''ll ask the security guards on duty tonight to see if they''ve seen Mr. Mu or not." As soon as he spoke, Luke turned and grabbed his car keys before hurrying to the gate.


    "Good evening, Mrs. Mu, Mr. Luo," said the guard, greeting the two approaching figures with a warm smile as soon as they entered the booth.


    Daisy nodded her head in response without saying anything. She was anxious to know where Edward had disappeared to.


    "Good evening. Did you see Mr. Mu leave tonight?" Luke was a man of very few words. Though he was a bodyguard himself, he never spent much time chatting with the security guards of the vi. As usual, he didn''t waste his breath and went straight to the point. "Yes, I did. About half an hour ago, Mr. Mu left the house in his new Super Sport," reported the guard. He was confused why Luke wasn''t with Edward when the young master went out. It was Luke''s job to protect Edward at all times. He should be by Edward''s side at this moment.


    "Are you sure t was him? Were there any bodyguards with him?" Luke asked, getting visibly nervous. As he spoke, he took out his phone from his pocket to make a call to Edward. Other people might think that it wasn''t much work to protect a strong adult, but Luke took his job very seriously. In addition to owning quite a lot businesses in the city, Edward himself was an extremely attractive man chased by many, making him a prime target of a variety of parties. Normally, he was safe in thepany of Luke and his other trusted bodyguards. But tonight, Edward was alone. He could be attacked by anyone who had been eyeing him and waiting for a big opportunity like tonight to get hold of him.


    "No, he was alone," replied the guard, cringing a little. Since Luke always appeared tough and calm, everyone in the house was more afraid of him than they were of the young master. One cold nce from him was enough to make his subordinates shiver in fear. "Why didn''t you report such an important detail to me?" Luke demanded harshly. Without waiting for an answer, he dialed Edward''s number. No one picked up. Luke became more agitated. Then, Rain immediately came to his mind. Edward liked hanging out with him when he was free. Hoping they were together, Luke dialed Rain''s number.


    "We thought you were also in the car," said the guard in a low voice, trying to defend himself. Edward had the top of the car up, and the guards mistakenly assumed that Luke was with him inside. Besides, he was driving very fast, they couldn''t have noticed that Luke wasn''t inside if they wanted to.


    "Hello, Rain. Is Mr. Mu with you right now?" Luke asked stiffly. He didn''t really like Rain, but since he needed his help, he had to force himself to talk to him.


    "Hi, Luke. Good evening to you too. Are you really calling me at this hour because you''re looking for Edward? Or do you just miss me?" Rain asked, mimicking the tender voice of a woman. He took a sip of the red wine in his ss as he teased Luke. "Just tell me whether he''s with you or not. I don''t have time for your bullshit," Luke snapped impatiently. His eyes were bulging in fury. If Rain had been right in front of him, he might have punched his face for his teasing remarks.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    "Come on, loosen up a little! You don''t have to be so boring all the time. Didn''t you see me leave the house without Edward earlier? I haven''t seen him since then. What happened? Did he disappear or something?" Rain was telling the truth. After he had dinner at Edward''s ce, he left early to head back to the office because he needed to send an important file to a client that night.


    "I see." Without another word, Luke hung up the phone. Though Rain was used to Luke''s coldness, he was still infuriated by his rude behavior on the phone and the way he hung up on him without even letting him finish talking. Fuming, he tossed his phone away and downed his wine in one big gulp.


    Standing at the gate of the house, Luke scrolled through his contacts list on the phone. He paused a few seconds at Duke''s number, but skipped it in favor of dialing the number of the reception desk of Sexy World. His instincts told him that if Edward wasn''t with Rain, he definitely wouldn''t ask a married man like Duke to apany him in the middle of the night.


    "Good evening! This is the front desk of Sexy World. How can I help you?" A typical sweet voice of a receptionist at Sexy World came through the phone. Luke almost got goosebumps hearing it. He immediately wanted to hang up, but the thought of Edward possibly being there stopped him.


    "Hello, This is Luke. Is Mr. Mu at your bar right now?" Edward was one of the richest and most handsome men in S City. He used to be a regr at the bar, so the staff was very familiar with him and his bodyguard Luke. They nearly always showed up together. "Oh, what a nice surprise, Mr. Luo! Mr. Mu just arrived a few minutes ago. He''s in his private room right now..." Before she could finish, Luke hung up the phone abruptly. He had the information he needed and didn''t waste another moment of his time on things he found unnecessary.


    "Any news, Luke?" Daisy had been waiting anxiously in silence, watching Luke make phone calls to locate her husband. As soon as she saw him put his phone back into his pocket, she spoke up.


    "Yes. He is at Sexy World right now. Don''t worry. I''ll go and find him," Luke reassured, striding towards his car without pause.


    "Wait," Daisy called, running after Luke to catch up with him. "I''ll go with you." When she reached the car, she pulled the door open and got in swiftly. The sight of Luke''s tense face made her weak. Only now did she realize how unsafe it was for Edward to be outside alone. There were so many reasons for Edward to be targeted by someone. He could be facing danger at any moment.0000???????

 Chapter 740 The Spoiled Prince (Part Three)

    Although he was having second thoughts, Luke swallowed back his protest. He started the car and sped away. He knew how much Edward meant to Daisy. He couldn''t imagine how agonizing it would be for her to wait alone at home. Getting to Edward''s side as soon as


    possible was his first priority, but he also had to consider Daisy''s feelings.


    "Luke, does Edward always have to take bodyguards with him every time he goes out?" asked Daisy. She never paid much attention to such things. Every time she saw Edward, Luke was also with him. She had grown so used to it that it never urred to her why Edward was never alone. "Yes, he does. It''s very crucial, because there are a lot of people out there with ill intent against Mr. Mu. Some are his businesspetitors, while some simply want to kidnap him for ransom. There are also a bunch of women who are obsessed with Mr. Mu and would do crazy things just to spend the night with him," Luke replied, pressing the elerator harder as the car sped through the street.


    Daisy''s heart thumped at Luke''s response. No wonder Luke was always so tense. She used to think that he was too protective and a little rigid. She didn''t expect there would be so many risks and dangers in the society she lived in. Now, she started to have doubts about her earlier judgement.


    "Are you okay, Mrs. Mu?" Luke asked in concern, casting a quick nce at Daisy. He hadn''t heard her speak for a while after he told her the potential dangers Edward faced.


    "Oh, I''m fine. I just thought of something just now. Don''t worry about me," replied Daisy. She brushed the tip of her nose with her finger as if to brush something aside, before she shed a forced smile towards Luke to reassure him.


    "Mrs. Mu, can I ask you to do something?" Luke looked hesitant. It took him a few moments to gather up the nerve to ask the question.


    "Sure, as long as it''s within my abilities. What is it?" Luke rarely asked favors of other people, but this was too important for him not to make an exception.


    "Yes, you can do this. I just hope that you could be more tolerant of Mr. Mu when you two have a fight in the future. No matter how angry you are with him, please don''t take off and leave him alone. If you find that it''s necessary for you to take some time apart to cool off, could you please inform me before leaving him on his own?" Luke''s eyes were full of sincerity as he spoke. It was evident to him that Edward had left the house abruptly without leaving a message because of their fight. He didn''t want simr things to happen in the future again, so he expressed his concerns to Daisy. It was not his intention to me her for letting this happen, but he wanted her to do this for his young master''s safety. As the only person who had been by Edward''s side in all those years, he knew better than anyone else what kind of hollow and miserable life Edward had led before Daisy turned up in his life.


    "I understand. Edward is lucky to have you as his brother. Thank you very much, Luke. I promise to be more careful in the future," Daisy replied solemnly. When Edward told her that he wanted a moment alone, she didn''t expect him to leave the house. If she had known, she wouldn''t have lingered so long in the bath. A little upset with his behavior, she had wanted him to take some time to reflect on his actions. If she had known her own impulsiveness would lead him to such a risky situation, she wouldn''t have let him out of her sight without resolving the issue first. She felt ashamed of herself when Luke voiced out his thoughts.


    "Thank you for understanding. But you got one thing wrong, I''m the one who''s lucky to have Mr. Mu as my brother. If not for him, I wouldn''t be who I am today." Luke''s eyes narrowed as a rush of painful memories consumed him. Most of the time, he kept those emotions buried deep in his heart. He rarely talked about his rtionship with Edward to someone else, but today was an exception.


    "That''s why you are such good brothers to each other," Daisy pointed out gently. Getting the hint from Luke''s expression that he didn''t want to get into it, Daisy ended the conversation in understanding. She didn''t like probing into other people''s private matters. Although it was just a few words, hearing how important Edward was to Luke made her understand something that she couldn''tprehend for a long time.


    In the eyes of most people, Luke was just Edward''s bodyguard. They didn''t see that there was more to their rtionship than just duty-bound devotion. They shared a deep bond for each other that went both ways. Daisy noticed this in the way Edward protected Luke just as much as Luke protected Edward during the vicious fight with the arms dealers. It was in moments like those that one could clearly see how much they mattered to each other.


    "I''m sorry, Mrs. Mu. I must be asking for too much..." Luke said, his lips curling in an apologetic smile. He liked Daisy and respected her a great deal. Though he knew it was unfair to her and would most likely put her in a difficult position, he feltpelled to ask her this favor. Nothing was more important to him than Edward''s well-being.


    "No, that''s all right. In fact, I should be thanking you. Edward is my husband, and yet I haven''t done a good job in taking care of him. My ignorance has put his safety at risk. You always do things for him with his safety as your top priority. I can''t thank you enough for what you have done for him. There is no reason for you to apologize."


    As she spoke, Daisy felt even more remorseful. She knew that Edward was a little spoiled and could be stubborn and capricious sometimes, but she still handled the fight terribly. She hated how she couldn''t remain calm and try to appease his anger whenever they fought. Instead, she drove him away with her cutting words. If anything happened to him tonight, she didn''t know how she could ever live with herself.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    "Thank you. I hope you understand that I have no intention of offending you. I''m just very worried about Mr. Mu. You may not have noticed, but he has changed a lot for you. In the past, I would never have imagined him capable of leading the life he has with you today, responsible andmitted to his family. This is all because of you. You brought him a whole new and better life. For this, I thank you." Luke was unusually talkative tonight. He wanted Daisy to understand how important Edward was to him. Daisy''s deep love for Edward made her see Luke''s words as a testimony of the profound brotherhood Luke shared with her husband.00000

 Chapter 741 Bar Girls (Part One)

    "I know. I don''t me you in any way, Luke. I really appreciate your efforts." Daisy''s mouth pursed slightly. She was the type of person who could admit to her shorings when she realized that she made a mistake. Whether she felt wronged or not, she would always do her best to fix it.


    "You don''t need to thank me. I''m only doing my job," Luke replied, not saying another word. He did his job humbly and meticulously. Knowing that he was asking too much of Daisy, he felt a bit guilty. But it was for the sake of his young master. If Daisy really loved Edward, she would understand what was on his mind and help him out of his troubles. Luke lived to serve his young master. Naturally, their fates were closely intertwined. Although most people barely knew his important identity, the only thing that mattered to Luke was his young master''s safety and welfare. The rest were none of his concern. Edward sipped his Hennessy with leisure. He didn''t feel tipsy at all. On the contrary, he remained sober. When several girls pushed the door open and walked inside, he raised his eyebrows and didn''t react to their sudden appearance.


    "Who told you toe in?" Edward asked coolly. He continued to fill his ss with wine. These voluptuous women were the best bar girls of Sexy World. In the past, he had frequently availed of their services. Whenever he did, these girls got paid better for serving and pleasing him. So it was always a pleasure for them to serve Edward. He was the perfectbination of a handsome, good-tempered, and generous man.


    "Mr. Mu, you haven''te over to have fun with us for a long long time. We miss you! Let us stay with you tonight. You must be lonely." The best bar girls in Sexy World were extremely beautiful and clever. They knew how to coax and please their clients. Despite Edward''s indifference, they sat beside him.


    "If you want to drink with me, keep your distance and don''t touch me. Otherwise, get out of my sight before I get angry." Edward gave them an intimidating and cold look, frightening the girls into moving away from him despite their wishes. But one of the girls had the nerve to ignore Edward''s warning, and pressed her body even closer to him.


    "Mr. Mu, why are you so angry? You never treated us this way in the past. You''re scaring us," she said in an affected manner. She wore a low-cut dress that revealed her breasts. The fragrance from her cherry mouth was tantalizing. She reached out her white and smooth arm to run her hand down his chest towards his groin.


    "What''s wrong with you? Are you that stupid to misunderstand what I''m saying? Or are you just deaf? I told you not to touch me!" Edward didn''t bother himself by removing her hand. He just glowered at her menacingly. Reluctant as she was, she didn''t dare defy Edward again. Withdrawing her hand, she moved away from him with an embarrassed and frightened look on her face.


    "Girls, If Mr. Mu wants to do nothing but drink wine today, let''s not spoil his fun. Let''s just rx and apany him for drinks and do nothing else," a voice rang from the group. A girl noticed the grim and disapproving tone in Edward''s voice. She pouted and winked at other girls. As long as Edward didn''t throw them out of the room, they would be generously tipped. After all, Edward was never stingy with his money.


    "Mr. Mu, I''d like to propose a toast to your health and good fortune." Edward was no better than other men. No matter how good their self-restraint was, they would lose control and be shameless when they got drunk. The bar girls were determined to get Edward drunk. He was very good-looking. Even if they couldn''t have sex with him, getting to kiss his face wouldn''t be bad.


    "Mr. Mu, why don''t you have a drink with me?" asked another girl. She had a sweet and coquettish voice, which would kindle a man''s sexual passion immediately.


    "How did you outdrink mest time? Mr. Mu, I will definitely beat you this time." Three persons were enough to stage a drama. The appearance of the bar girls made the VIP room noisy in a matter of seconds. Edward frowned. He had gone here to contemte on his own, but these intrusive women were ruining his quiet. Seeing red, he was about to erupt in anger when all of a sudden, the door was pushed open. Before Edward could lose his temper, a familiar figure appeared in his line of sight. He made a snap decision and pulled a girl towards him, pretending to kiss her face.


    Daisy never thought that she would see her husband entangled like this with a strange girl. The sight of him pressed up against that disgustingly voluptuous and sexual woman made her clench her fists and grit her teeth in rage. She stared at Edward coldly, her mouth downturning in displeasure. She didn''t react, staring steadily at the scene before her.


    "All of you get out of here right now!" Luke shouted. The sight of Edward getting drunk, kissing, and fondling a bar girl came as a shock to Luke. When he saw Daisy''s face go pale, he got furious and yelled at the girls to leave.


    Luke''s thundering voice made a chill run down their spines. When he shot a frightening look at them, the girls immediately stood up and filed out of the room in haste.


    "Mr. Mu..." whispered the girl in Edward''s embrace. She turned her gaze from Edward to the woman standing at the door, who was ring at her in fury. The appearance of the two neers in the room made her look at Edward in uncertainty and worry. "Leave," Edward said. He let her go and went back to his seat to resume drinking wine, as if he hadn''t seen his wife seething in rage nearby.


    Luke sighed helplessly before exiting the room quietly. If Edward loved Daisy, why was he doing this to her? For some reason, he pretended to be fooling around with the girl when he caught sight of his wife and Lukeing inside the VIP room. Although Daisy didn''t know that Edward had kept his distance from the girls until they suddenly entered the room, Luke clearly saw what happened.


    Daisy took a deep breath, recovering her usualposure to sit down beside Edward. Before he could say anything, Daisy extended her arm and filled the ss for him. She had a nk look on her face, as if the previous scene didn''t affect her in any way. "Why are you here?" Edward lowered his head and evaded Daisy''s gaze. Instead, he stared at his hands which were trembling from the anxiety.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "I came to pour wine for you. It might be troublesome to ask other girls to serve you," Daisy said pleasantly. She never thought that she could act cool and unaffected after catching her husband fondling and kissing another woman.


    "You''re fine with this?" Edward demanded. Finally raising his head, he looked her in the eye and smiled wryly.


    "How did you expect me to react? Did you expect me to go into hysterics, fighting those whores like a lunatic?


    Or were you expecting me to shout at you angrily?" There was no way that Daisy would go crazy and make a scene in public. She would lose face and feel disgraced if she had done that. It simply wasn''t her character.


    "Should I be grateful that you''re so considerate? Perhaps I should thank you for not embarrassing me too much," Edward said sarcastically. His breath smelled strongly of alcohol and his face was flushed red. A wry and scornful smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "Are you saying that you''d rather I had made a scene right here?" Daisy frowned at her husband disapprovingly. She could deal with a man who was being difficult on purpose, but not a drunkard who was picking a fight.


    "No, I''m not. You''re just being sentimental and paranoid," Edward replied with a smile. Edward took his ss and shook it gently before drinking the wine in one gulp. Daisy did nothing to stop him. Instead of getting annoyed, she considerately refilled the ss for him. "Did you do that on purpose to piss me off?"


    The sight of her husband being intimate with another woman angered Daisy to no end. If she hadn''t kept her cool, she would have destroyed everything in the room, including her husband and all those whores who had nopunctions about seducing a married man. She had to constantly remind herself that getting angry and emotional could onlyplicate problems further. Regaining herposure as quickly as she could, she tried to talk some sense into her drunken husband and resolve the problem peacefully.


    "Am I that bored?" He sankzily into the couch. He hadn''t expected his wife toe here, so he wasn''t doing all that to deliberately piss her off. Although he had to admit, the moment he saw her at the door, he impulsively thought of provoking Daisy. But it wasn''t his original intention. All in all, Daisy''s appearance was aplete surprise.

 Chapter 742 Bar Girls (Part Two)

    "You''re not bored at all. You were just making a fool of yourself by being an asshole and trying to provoke your wife into making a scene. You just decided toe to a bar and get drunk without telling me anything." Daisy said cautiously. She was careful not to irritate


    Edward further for fear that the cool atmosphere would be tense again.


    "Are you calling me childish?" Edward looked Daisy in the eye, a scornful smile appearing on his face.


    "No, you''re wrong. Actually, I have no idea why I know so little about you, what''s happening in yourpany, where you go when you''re upset, and how I am ced in your heart." She sighed and shook her head helplessly. As far as she was concerned, the gap between them had widened a great deal. Simply saying "I love you" to each other wasn''t enough to fix this.


    "Yes, you finally understand how I feel. Sometimes, I get upset not because of your career as a solider, but because you don''t seem to treat me as your damned husband." It was difficult for Edward to admit his embarrassing insecurities. After countlesspromises and concessions, he knew deep down in his heart that his existence meant little to Daisy.


    "I''m sorry. I know I''ve been ignoring your feelings in certain matters. But I''m not a regr woman. What you have in mind won''t happen in reality," Daisy said apologetically.


    Daisy clearly knew what Edward was referring to. The way she behaved sometimes hurt his feelings as a man. Nevertheless, she didn''t need his protection.


    "Do you really think I care about that? Forget it. What can I ask from you?" Edward asked with a bitter smile on his face. The more you gain, the less content you be. He couldn''t help getting bothered by her negligence.


    "Besides, I should be the one who''s mad at you. Tell me where that whore touched you." Daisy demanded, suddenly going mad with jealousy. She grabbed Edward by the cor, a look of sullen resentment taking over her face.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Why do you care?" Instead of getting angry, Edward smiled in amusement. His gaze fell upon her lips.


    "My husband was touched by a fucking whore. Did you really think I wouldn''t get upset at this?" Daisy realized that Edward must have been irritated by her pretense of calmness. He might thought that she didn''t care about him flirting with a girl in any way.


    "No, you can think anything you want. Do you want to personally check?" Edward was the definition of a man in love. He could fly into a rage with the smallest provocation, but was helpless to surrender in the face of affectionate words from his beloved. Looking at his wife, Edward finally worked off his anger.


    "Bastard, I saw how beautiful all those women were. Do you want me to call them back in so they can continue serving you?" Daisy knew how to settle ounts with her husband afterwards. But she would never swallow down the insult and humiliation in silence. She wouldn''t have been so tolerant if she hadn''t considered their marriage and their son.


    "No, don''t bother. Yourpany is enough," said Edward. He gathered Daisy in his arms with a triumphant smirk at the corner of his mouth.


    "Why not? You were obviously enjoying yourself before I entered the room. Edward, you had the balls to flirt with so many women. Did you forget that you''re a married man, as well as a father? As far as I''m concerned, the girl you had in your arms just now was not bad. You can take her as your mistress. You have a lot of spare time recently, so your mistress can keep youpany to alleviate your boredom," Daisy said sarcastically, pinching him on the waist.


    "Are you telling me that you don''t know I was just pretending with that girl? Colonel Ouyang, I know how good your insight is. I don''t believe for a second that you haven''t realized that," Edward said with a frown. His waist was sore. It definitely had a bruise now. "Yes, I realized that. But you still touched her. Why are you still lying to my face?" She remained calm because she knew deep down in her heart that Edward had only been pretending to rile her up. Otherwise, she certainly would have gone mad and killed Edward along with that girl.


    "Now, tell me how you''re going to punish me. You can take out your frustrations on me in bed tonight, satisfied?" Edward whispered the lewd words in her ear shamelessly.


    "Edward, are you incapable of not being an asshole for a moment?" Daisy shouted in anger. She lifted her foot and kicked Edward''s leg without hesitation. She swore to teach her husband a lesson and make him suffer the consequences of his actions. "Ouch! You''re hurting me. Why can''t you be gentle like other wives?" Edward jumped, consequently releasing Daisy. Daisy could be violent if she wanted to. Nevertheless, her husband was the only person she treated that way.


    "I''m a violent woman, deal with it. Are you going to drink some more? If not, let''s go home. Stop foolishly making a spectacle of yourself," Daisy snapped, ring at Edward in a fury. Disputes between husband and wife should be resolved as soon as possible. Otherwise, the grievances would add up and be too much, putting the marriage at a risk. Daisy didn''t want her marriage to end up that way. It was important to admit mistakes and be tough when necessary.


    "Darling, stop this. Otherwise, you might lose me," Edward said with a smirk. Actually, Edward was a person who was easy to satisfy. A smallpromise from Daisy would inevitably delight him. Troubles with Zemo, Kevin, and other men would disappear in an instant. "If you continue to embarrass me further, I might shoot you in the head. Now, stand up and let''s go," Daisy growled, shooting a cold nce at him. Her husband''s actions were so embarrassing. Meanwhile, she also prepared herself for the possibility that Edward might lose his temper again.


    "Daisy, stop barking at me." Edward shot her an injured look. Edward massaged his left leg, which she had kicked a moment ago. Then he stood up and walked in front of her. Actually, he didn''t mind being weaker than his wife. It felt nice to throw a tantrum every now and then, and the advantages were satisfying.


    "Does it hurt? I didn''t mean to kick you so hard," Daisy said in concern. Then she bent over, pulling up the trouser leg to examine the bruise on his calf. It wasn''t that bad. He might feel a bit of pain, but it shouldn''t hurt much. As a veteran, she knew what she was doing. She wanted to teach her husband a lesson, but she didn''t intend to hurt him badly.


    "Yes. It hurts. I need you to support me on the way out," Edward said. Edward seemed like a miserable kid begging for food and shelter. He looked at his wife pitifully.


    Daisy pursed her lips. "You look like a pathetic child. It''s lucky that.."


    "It''s lucky that I''m not one of your soldiers. Otherwise, you would order me to run 20ps," Edward interrupted before Daisy could finish her sentence. Edward had heard Daisy say that a hundred times before.


    "You better remember that. So you should be grateful, and remember not to make trouble again," Daisy threatened. Supporting Edward with one arm, Daisy opened the door and walked out. They were weed by Luke.


    "Mrs. Mu, do you need help?" Luke asked. He thought his young master had gotten too drunk.


    "No, I''m fine. Go pay the bill." Daisy was strong enough to carry Edward because of her daily drills in the army.


    "Don''t worry about the bill. Thepany will pay it for us at the end of the month," Luke said casually. Edward used to go here a lot to enjoy himself, spending a great amount of money every time. For convenience, thepany paid the bills monthly. "How efficient! It seems you''re very wee here," Daisymented bitterly, gritting her teeth. Edward must be a regr customer here. Otherwise, he wouldn''t be given such preferential treatment.


    "It''s not a big deal," Edward replied, putting on a forced smile. Luke was a traitor for exposing him to Daisy like that. Why did he have to say that the bills were paid by thepany every month? He seemed like a disgusting pig. Why did he tell Daisy that? What a fool! Edward seethed in silent resentment. He was afraid that Daisy might lose her temper on him again the moment they got home.


    Seeing theplicated expression on Edward''s face, Luke suddenly realized that he had stirred up some trouble. He shot an apologetic nce at Edward for his careless mistake. He hoped against hope that Edward could forgive him.0000

 Chapter 743 Daisys Bad Temper (Part One)

    "Where''s your car?" Daisy asked, rolling her eyes at Edward as they walked out of Sexy World. No woman approved of her husband going to a club like this, and Daisy was no exception.


    "Over there. The SuperSport one." This was the first time that Edward had driven this car since he got it. Daisy hadn''t known about its existence until now.


    "Youvish spender, do you need so many cars?" There were many cars in the garage of the vi, some of which Edward hadn''t touched for a month.


    "No, I don''t. But men are only interested in two things: cars and women. In front of cool cars and beautiful women, men can''t help themselves." Edward was staggering. He had drunk a lot of wine. Now, the alcohol was making him feel dizzy.


    "I see. So that''s why you asked the girls to apany you for drinks tonight. As you said, men can''t help themselves when faced with beautiful women," Daisy said, gritting her teeth in rage. She stomped on Edward''s foot hard. She would rather have a big fight with him than see him fool around with other women. The image was devastating.


    "Are you jealous?" Seeing Daisy angry suddenly cheered Edward up.


    "Why should I? Give me the key." Looking at the brand-new SuperSport, Daisy''s mouth twitched in disapproval. She didn''t resent rich people, but she didn''t like the extravagant way that Edward spent money.


    "It seems to me that you''re absolutely jealous." Edward took the car key out of his pocket and handed it to Daisy happily.


    "Nonsense!" Daisy opened the door of the passenger seat and shoved Edward inside. Full of frustration, she felt like a woman who caught her cheating husband in the middle of the night.


    Daisy rarely drove a fancy car. As a servicewoman, she couldn''t be extravagant. She usually drove a VW or a military Hummer. Last time, she had been used of taking bribes. Since then, she had been careful. Although she was married to Edward and he had a lot of luxury cars, she drove none of them to avoid simr issues in the future. If she didn''t give people a chance to start rumors against her, she didn''t have to worry about those kinds of things anymore.


    SuperSport was the top model of the Bugatti, with a limited worldwide production of 30 vehicles. Daisy was surprised that Edward was able to attain such a rare car. Once again, she was impressed by Edward''s capacity.


    Edward was a bit tipsy. He looked intently at Daisy. As an unpredictable woman, her reaction to various situations was always unexpected. She was like a profound book. The more he read, the more fascinated he got.


    On the way home, Daisy found the reason why the vehicle was a luxury car. It was splendid in both performance andfort. It brought great enjoyment to its driver. Even though she wasn''t a vain person, she was amazed by what money could do in this world.


    As soon as they arrived at their bedroom, Daisy angrily pushed Edward on the bed and gave a heavy kick to his leg before taking his shoes off. She didn''t understand why men enjoyed drinking so much. It was obviously bad for their health. "Woman, are you trying to kill your own husband? You''ve been pinching and kicking me all night." Edward knew that Daisy had a bad temper, but he hadn''t expected her to treat him so violently. He must have been covered with bruises by now.


    "If murder wasn''t against thew, I would! Stay put. I''m going to run the water for your bath so you can clean every spot on your body those women touched. If not, I''ll peel the skin off you."


    Daisy got angrier as she spoke. She enjoyed staying at home, but Edward had run off in the middle of the night and made her and Luke go out to look for him. The worst part was that he had been indulging himself with other women while she and Luke were worried to death. "Yes, honey," Edward replied, beaming in delight. Hey in bed and watched her bustle about, full of happiness.


    Sometimes, he wondered if he and Daisy would ever get tired of each other when the sparks between them disappeared. But on the contrary, they became more attracted to each other as time passed by.


    Daisy was too busy to take care of Edward, and Edward did his best not to disturb her work. He often ran the bathwater for himself.


    There were all kinds of skin care products in the bathroom. Since Daisy never used any of them, she couldn''t tell what each was for. She only asionally used a moisturizer for herself. Now, she read thebels on each bottle. Atst, she picked a bath oil with a light fragrance for Edward. She poured it into the water and returned to the bedroom to get her troublesome husband, only to find that he had fallen asleep. The room reeked of alcohol. She had to open the windows to let the smell out.


    Normally, she wouldn''t wake him. But the thought of so many women touching him earlier made her skin crawl. She couldn''t let him sleep without taking a bath first. She pinched his nose to wake him up.


    Actually, Edward was just pretending to be asleep. All of a sudden, his eyes flew open and he reached his arm and pulled Daisy on top of him. Daisy looked at him in shock.


    "What are you doing? The water is ready. Go take a bath." Daisy struggled to get off him, her face red. The position was too embarrassing for her.


    "Kiss me and I''ll take a bath." Edward held her tightly, gazing at her with a grin.


    "No. Suit yourself. But if you don''t take a bath, you''re sleeping in the study tonight," Daisy threatened with a sneer.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "It''s not up to you." Edward flipped them over and settled on top of her, kissing her lips passionately. The faint taste of alcohol filled her mouth.


    It all happened so fast. Daisy was in a daze and didn''t have time to react. Shey there and let Edward kiss her, her mind going nk. When she realized what was happening, Edward was gazing at her with a predatory look in his eyes. "Get off me." Daisy pushed him away indignantly. This time, Edward let her go.


    "Fine. I''ll take a bath first. I''ll get back at youter." Edward gave her an intense look. He got off the bed and started to walk confidently to the bathroom. He wanted Daisy so badly. But she made it very clear that she wouldn''t let him near her without a bath. He respected her wishes, so he had toply. What she had seen in the club obviously bothered her. Although nothing happened between him and those women, he understood Daisy. As her husband, he had to be considerate of her feelings.


    Daisy bit her lip as she watched Edward walk into the bathroom with relief. Although she wasn''t a germaphobe like her husband, thinking about the scene in the club made her sick. She was d that Edward didn''t force her.


    Night was always a sweet and romantic moment for lovers. Everything happened naturally, Daisy didn''t avoid or resist Edward''s advances anymore. Tonight, she willingly surrendered to his love.


    The breeze was blowing. Everything seemed beautiful under the moonlight. Once again, Edward realized that women had to be pampered. They needed to feel loved. Women ended up bing pliant and gentle after lovemaking no matter how angry or jealous they originally were.0000000

 Chapter 744 Daisys Bad Temper (Part Two)

    On the other hand, it was a lonely and sorrowful night for Leena. The wedding dress she was nning to give Belinda as a gift had arrived. She felt depressed at the sight of it. She didn''t know where the grief came from.


    She rubbed her eyes which were on the verge of tears and started to sew shiny pearls onto the dress one by one. She hadn''t intended to embellish it, but on second thought, she realized that the elegant decoration would soften Belinda''s strong personality. That night, she decided to burn the midnight oil and finish the dress.


    The longer she and Kevin were apart, the more she thought about him. She couldn''t get him out of her head. Worried that she would miss his call or messages, she took her phone with her wherever she went. To make sure she wouldn''t miss anything, she always put her phone in front of her. Although there was a chance that she might not get one, she always expected to receive a call or a message every day.


    Leena knew that Daisy was the woman whom Kevin loved. Distracted by the thought, she pricked her finger with the needle. At the pain, she immediately put the dress aside to keep it from getting stained by blood. It was impossible for her to design another dress in such a short period of time.


    Leena tapped the screen saver of her phone lightly. It was a photo of Kevin that she had taken while he was standing on the balcony, looking into the distance. Whatever he was thinking about, she knew it wasn''t her.


    Had she fallen in love with him? Leena sighed at the thought. She must have. Otherwise, why was Kevin always on her mind? But he was in love with Daisy. Leena didn''t think it was a good idea to let her feelings grow like this.


    She felt bitterness fester within her. It was a terrible mistake to fall in love with him. The bitter feelings made her wonder if she really had fallen for Kevin. No, that couldn''t be true. If it was, she had to nip it in the bud. Otherwise, she would be the one who would end up getting hurt in this love triangle. She couldn''t be as indifferent and strong as Daisy.


    Leena wanted tough. She wouldn''t have married Kevin if she had known that he was in love with Daisy. There was no chance that Leena couldpete with her. She could ovee any woman in the world except for Daisy.


    She sucked her finger until the pain disappeared. After wiping her finger with a tissue, she picked up the dress again and resumed sewing. She hoped that distracting herself with work would keep her from thinking about Kevin.


    The white wedding dress brought out Leena''s fair skin. Her marriage was a shotgun wedding. Although she might never be able to wear a wedding dress, it didn''t stop her from fantasizing about it. Each pearl she sewed on the dress carried her deep envy and longing. The mornings in thete fall were a bit chilly. Cold breeze blew into the room through the window and Daisy woke up due to the chill. She turned over, feeling sore all over. If only she could kick the man holding her tightly off the bed. She had begged Edward to be gentle, but as if he couldn''t hear her, his enthusiasm didn''t diminish in any wayst night. She felt too exhausted to move. It felt as if she had been training nonstop for ten days in a row.


    Today was going to be another busy day for her. Even though she was exhausted, she had to get up. Daisy wondered how Hero was doing, and if he was out of danger. She hadn''t received any news about him so far. No news was good news. It would be good as long as he was alive.


    "It''s still early. Stay in bed a little longer." Edward furrowed his brows and pulled her back to bed again. He held her in arms and kissed her ears and neck.


    "Cut it out. I''m going to bete for work," Daisy said, evading his kisses. His warm breath on her skin made her feel softer and weaker.


    "You didn''t get much sleepst night. That''s not good for you." Edward kissed her hairline in worry. He knew that Daisy must be exhausted. They had a long night of lovemaking the previous night. His wife was so irresistible that he hadn''t been able to control himself. "Whose fault was that? You should have left me alone," Daisy said in a sullen tone. She didn''t need him to worry about her now, he should have done thatst night.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    "You''ll be tense if I leave you alone." Edward''s eyes widened as he looked at Daisy with a wicked expression on his face.


    "Why? I''d have been well-rested if you hadn''t bothered me." Daisy bit him in the chest. Not everybody was as lustful as him!


    "Really? Who was moaning so loudlyst night?" Edward nced at her knowingly, waiting for her reaction.


    "Edward, you pervert!" Daisy kicked him off the bed and ran into the bathroom, flushing in embarrassment. Behind her came Edward''s hystericalughter, making her wish for a hole to bury herself into. How could anyone say something like that? She wouldn''t make a sound next time. No, there wouldn''t even be a next time. He would have to do it by himself!


    Daisy kept sshing cold water onto her face to cool her cheeks off. At the memory of the night before, she blushed from head to toe.


    Edward got up from the floorughing. His wife was so heartless. Luckily, there was a carpet on the floor, so he didn''t hurt himself.


    Daisy stayed in the bathroom for a long time. When she walked out, Edward was all dressed up. He had never gotten ready for work so early before.


    "Do you have a busy day today?" She stood on tiptoes to help him with his tie. While she straightened his cor and sleeves, she noticed a small wrinkle on his sleeve. She frowned in displeasure. It seemed that she wasn''t careful enough while ironing his clothes. "Not really." Edward looked at her tenderly, enjoying the sweet moment. When he got up, Daisy was usually already on her way to work. It was a rare asion for her to fix his clothes before work.


    "Then why did you get up so early?" Daisy asked. She straightened the wrinkle a few times until it became unnoticeable. Then, she stepped back to check if she missed anything else. When she was done, she couldn''t help marveling at Edward. He was like a supermodel, every type of clothing looked good on him and matched his personality.


    "To drive you to work, of course," Edward knew that before going to the military base, Daisy would go see Hero. He wanted to apany her. Obviously, Daisy cared about Hero''s suicide attempt. Although Hero was his rival and Edward barely knew the man, he wanted to be there for Daisy, no matter how much he hated Hero.0000????????

 Chapter 745 What A Caring Husband (Part One)

    "Mark will drive me there. It''s a long, long journey to the army base. Why not save yourself the trouble?" Daisy tly refused. She picked up the toner on the dresser, and applied a bit to her face. The weather was quite dry in autumn, so though she never cared about skin care, she had to take some measures to keep her face smooth and moist. In fact, she never cared about her appearance before she was with Edward. She would describe him as not only handsome, but also beautiful. His skin was always exquisite and smooth. She wondered whether he was born this way, or he had actually been taking good care of it secretly. Now that she came to think about it, she had never known him to use any special skin products other than toner or moisturizer like her. She felt that if he looked as good as a man possibly could, how could she do any less?


    "So is it because you don''t want mypany?" Edward buttoned his cuff, but he paused on hearing her words. His face darkened. It irritated him every time when she acted this way. Other women would surely be ttered and would even shriek with delight at his offer. But Daisy had never epted it with any grace when he insisted on giving her a ride, whether it was to pick her up or to drive her to work. He knew that she was only showing her consideration for him, but others might think that she was pushing him away.


    "No. I just care about you. You shouldn''t spend so much of your time doing this." Daisy denied it hastily. The moment he pulled a long face, she quickly remembered hisints about her not giving a damn about his feelings and hurting his pridest night. So she rushed to exin that she was worried about him, rather than showing how much she disliked him doing everything for her. After all, they stayed uptest night, and she feared that he might be too tired to drive so far.


    "Woman, you should know that men are fragile creatures. When you refuse our help, we get hurt. Do that too much, and your rtionship may go sour as time passes." He understood that she was truly concerned about his safety, and that was why he did not lose his temper. But it didn''t mean that he could bear it if she simply cold-shouldered him whenever he expressed his love and care. He might manage to keep his passion at the beginning, but if she refused him again and again he could get frustrated. And as a result, his love for her might fade away.


    "Fine. I''ll force you out of bed to escort me to work every morning in the future. Are you happy now? Well well, what a caring husband you are," said Daisy. She giggled, pinching his handsome face gently and naughtily. The skin on his face was like porcin, but it felt tender and smooth. She just couldn''t get enough of it.


    "Whenever you reach for me, darling." Edward suddenly took her hand which had been fondling his face, and looked her in the eye. Before she could say a word, he forcibly pulled her closer, twined her waist with his arm and riveted her to his side. They were so close that she could feel his warm breath on her cheek.


    "It''s gettingte, though. I need to fix breakfast. Come down when you''re ready." Standing on her tiptoes and bringing her face closer to his, she kissed him on the lips. Although she would be annoyed by his childishness once in a while, she did enjoy this special and unique way of showing his love, but she''d never let him know. It would be her secret.


    "No problem. Take your time." He kissed her back before reluctantly letting go of her hand. He liked it so much when she took the initiative, for he knew too well about her reserved manner. That was why her asional disy of passion and affection could easily get him to surrender. It was the thrill of not knowing whether she''d be in the mood that attracted him so much. Too much reservedness on one hand, or wantonness on the other, would bore him.


    Daisy then grabbed her briefcase and military cap, and went downstairs with a spring in her step. Usually, Mrs. Wu would not start making breakfast for Edward so early, so she had to get down there quickly to see what she could do.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Good morning, Mrs. Mu." She heard someone greeting her the moment she got to the kitchen. Then she saw Mrs. Wu smiling kindly at her.


    "Good morning, Mrs. Wu. I was going to make Edward breakfast today." She got up earlier than usual today so there would be plenty of time for breakfast. She''d nned to go to the hospitalter, so getting to the base was not a huge priority. It had been a long time since shest did the cooking herself, and she couldn''t wait to cook Edward a simple breakfast now. It was just one of the ways she could show her love for him.


    "Is Mr. Mu up yet? Why would he be so early today? Let me cook it for him then. You should eat first and get back to work. Otherwise, you will have to rush againter." Having seen Daisy as busy as a bee every day, Mrs. Wu was a bit worried about her. "It doesn''t matter, I''m in no hurry today. Is Mark up yet?" asked Daisy, who opened the fridge to check on what they had. Given her limited time, she decided to make Edward a sandwich. Nice and simple.


    "Yes. He''s washing the car in the garden. He''s such a nice boy, isn''t he, Mrs. Mu?" replied Mrs. Wu. She didn''t insist on helping her, for she was clever enough to guess that it was probably a way for the couple to deepen their rtionship. So she instead stood by, watching with a smile.


    "I agree, but he can be a bit impatient and even immature sometimes." Daisy responded. She took out some toast, eggs and ham, plus a piece of cheese. Pouring the oil expertly into the pan, she got down to making the omelets. While the egg was fried in the pan, she started to trim the crust off the toast before putting some slices of ham and cheese on it. And when the omelets were ready, she ced them on the top of other fillings, and under another piece of toast. From her proficiency and the way she dealt with details, one could tell that she made this meal quite often. In just a few minutes, a delicious and convenient breakfast was ready.


    "He''s still young, so that''s exactly how he should be." Mrs. Wu had been watching her the whole time. Nodding, she looked at Daisy with appreciation in her eyes. From her point of view, few women were willing and able to cook nowadays, so she would really like to praise Daisy for being such a good woman. And she now adored her even more. Given her busy daily schedule, it surprised Mrs. Wu that she was so good at cooking. After all, Daisy struck her as someone of a high status, who could always order others to do things for her.


    "Okay. I''m done now. But I can''t guarantee how good this will taste," Daisy said, smiling shyly at Mrs. Wu. It was true that she often made this dish for Justin back at the army base when she was pressed for time. But after she got back with Edward and moved into the house, she never really got the chance to cook it again. So naturally, she was a bit rusty on it. It seemed that living infort made peoplezy. It was always like that. You had to keep at something to keep doing it well.


    "I bet it''s delicious. I heard Mr. Muing down. Let''s take it out now," said Mrs. Wu softly. She regarded Daisy like her own daughter, and could feel a connection with her. Because although Daisy could be aloof in some cases, she had a good nature, and would always treat the servants as equals.


    "Okay," Daisy answered. She sniffed at the sandwich while walking towards the door, and smiled contentedly when she found that it smelt good. After making some adjustments to make sure that it was perfectly ted up, she left the kitchen.


    "Sit down and have a bite, and tell me whether you like it or not." Smilingcently, she ced the sandwich on the dining room table and urged Edward to try it.0000

 Chapter 746 What A Caring Husband (Part Two)

    "There is no need to ask. I like everything you cook for me. When have I everined about your cooking?" He took a look at the lovely breakfast before looking back at her with great affection, as if he could see no one else around but her.


    "Come on, stop ttering me like that. Just dig in, or I might be reallyte." Seated herself beside him, Daisy began eating her own breakfast prepared by Mrs. Wu earlier. Everyone else in the house was still asleep, so Mrs. Wu made Daisy''s and Mark''s meals first. Everyone else''s breakfast would be served about an hourter to make sure that they could enjoy it before it got cold. That was why Daisy made sure she cooked for Edward today.


    "I thought you were heading to the hospital first," Edward asked with his mouth full. He had seen right through her.


    "So, I guess this is one of the reasons why you insist on sending me to work?" Daisy stopped eating, turned around and looked at him with a frown.


    "Well, you can guess." Edward still tried to hide it from her, even though she knew very well what he was up to. So he decided to y along under the circumstances.


    "I guess there is no doubt about it, sir," smirked Daisy. She knew him well enough to read his mind. And most of the time, it was all up to her whether to blow his cover or not.


    Edward smiled nomittally, but a trace of slyness could be seen in his eyes. To be honest, even he himself had failed to exin why he would care about Hero. After all, that man could never pose any threat to him. Come to think of it, he thought that maybe it was because that Hero was sweet on Daisy. And this fact left him feeling uneasy. Daisy was his, and no one else''s. Only Edward could have her.


    It is true that everyone is special, but one might still find it disturbing when beingpared to others. And what Edward feared the most now was beingpared to Hero by Daisy. He had been feeling good about himself, but this time, he really got stressed out and worried that he might lose to Hero. Because he had to admit that Hero had sacrificed almost everything for Daisy. His love was so profound and selfless that even Edward was shocked by it.


    So when they got to the hospitalter and saw Hero''s condition through the thick ss of the ICU, his heart trembled again. Hero seemed almost lifeless, with tubes attached to him all over. Edward had heard about his standing out and taking the fall, but he never expected that he would want to end this by suicide. If he was ever able toe around, Edward must ask him exactly what kind of emotions let him make the tough decisions.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "How is he now? And what did the doctor say?" Daisy asked the constables keeping watch outside. She had spent some time watching Hero, and this just left her with more questions.


    "The doctor said that he was still in danger. And...it is unlikely that he''d ever wake up," one of the constables replied gingerly. He kept his head bowed low and avoided any eye contact with Daisy. Instead, he kept his gaze at the bottom of her army trousers. "Are you telling me that he will remain in a vegetative state?" Daisy asked in a somewhat shaky voice, turning back to look at Hero. If that was the case, this man might prefer dying in peace now, she thought to herself. After all, that was why hemitted suicide in the first ce, wasn''t it?


    "The doctors said that they wouldn''t rule it out," the other constable answered, holding his breath. They knew clearly who they were talking to, so they spoke every word with the utmost respect.


    "But I heard that the operation was sessful." she asked, turning back to them. A sudden dizziness overpowered Daisy. Before Hawk was caught, Hero had already been an acquaintance of hers, and they had met for a few times. But she mistook him as aw-abiding and honest man back then. So she was taken aback to discover that he was indeed behind the whole illegal munitions business. Honestly, she felt bad seeing such a powerful man reduce to a vegetable.


    "It was sessful, yes, but he suffers fromplications." Hanging their heads even lower, the two constables were almost shaking in their shoes, fearing that Daisy would re up at any minute. It seemed to them that people in high office tended to have bad tempers, at least that was the case with their chief.


    "Alright, I get it," Daisy said, biting her lip. Atst, she heaved a sigh and looked back at Hero without another word. She appeared to be calm, which surprised the constables a bit. They exchanged looks, still feeling amazed that she didn''t get mad at them. Edward was lost in thought. When Daisy finished the conversation, he suddenly hit upon an idea. Casting a nce at her back, he went out without a word. It was still early in the morning, but he took out his phone and dialed Tom''s number without a second thought. "Listen, who do you think you are? No, scratch that, I don''t care who you are! It''s too fucking early to call me!" The moment Edward held the phone to his ear, he heard Tom''s ear-shattering snarl, sounding like he was going to kill him.


    "It''s me." Edward frowned and quickly held the phone far away from his ear, in case he went deaf. What was wrong with the guy? Edward thought to himself. Howe he would get angry so easily early in the morning?


    "I don''t know who you are. Just give me your name!" said Tom grumpily. He kept scratching his head irritably, half asleep.


    "I beg your pardon, Jerry?" Edward asked in a deep voice, gnashing his teeth. If Tom could see Edward now, he would surely be scared out of his wits by his handsome yet grim face.


    "Eh... Edward? I didn''t know it is you! What do you want at this hour?" Having been stunned for a second, Tom quickly changed his attitude and asked in a fawning tone. But on the other end of the line, regret was written all over his face. ''Just my luck!'' he thought, banging his head against the headboard. "Are you free today?" asked Edward, who tried to calm himself by flicking the dust off his clothes. But his brows kept wrinkling.


    "Sort of. Why? Are you inviting me to dinner?" Tom said teasingly. Awakened by the call, he forced himself out of bed and quickly went to the mirror. He had to take a closer look at his face to see whether he got pimples or not, for he felt that his face was a bit rough when he touched it.


    "Since you are free, do me the favor of seeing a patient I know," responded Edward. Unlike the constables, he could easily read the dismay on Daisy''s face, so he wanted to do something for her. Putting aside the facts that Hero was a criminal, and he had been involved in the previous kidnapping, he did try his best to protect Daisy and Justin at that time. For that reason, Edward thought he was indebted to Hero. So he would now like to return the favor. It didn''t matter whether Hero would ept it or not. What Edward wanted was to make Daisy happy again. He didn''t want her to agonize over the matter any more.


    "Can I take my words back now?" groaned Tom, drawing a long face. Had he known that Edward wasn''t going to buy dinner or anything today, he would have imed that he was too busy.


    "I think you know the answer to that," Edward said with a malicious smile, thinking that it was no use for the guy to act stupid on purpose in front of him.00000000

 Chapter 747 What A Caring Husband (Part Three)

    "Alright, alright, I can''t..." replied Tom with resignation, though he had cursed Edward a thousand times in his head. He suddenly understood why Rain would call Edward a greedy capitalist. Now it seemed to him that he was worse than that -- he was literally a devil who kept exploiting him! "Now cut the crap and get over here now. I''ll wait for you at the municipal hospital," requested Edward, who hung up the phone as soon as he finished. He left Tom no chance to turn him down. Edward had always been like this, a domineering person who would never go cap in hand to anyone. "Damn it. Who do you think you are, talking to me like that? You think I jump to the snap of your fingers? I''ll tell you what, you''ve got another thinging. I''m not going. And there''s nothing you can do about it!" Hearing the phone go busy, Tom quickly nced at the screen. When he saw that Edward had really hung up the phone, he shouted in a fit of pique. But of course, he was only venting his rage behind Edward''s back. After that, he could do nothing but throw down the phone and get ready to go. He had to give in since Edward was the boss.


    Putting down his phone, Edward grinned gloatingly. If he was not mistaken, Tom must be cursing him right after the call. He knew that he would react in very much the same way as Rain. Neither of them wouldin in front of him, but they would definitely protest secretly until they cooled down.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "What are you doing here? I heard you talking to someone just now. Were you on the phone?" Suddenly, Edward heard Daisy''s voiceing from behind him. He turned and saw her approaching him with a confused look. Back in the ward, Daisy was caught by surprise when she awakened from her thoughts and found that Edward had disappeared. How could he just leave without uttering a word? Daisy left the ward and finally heard his voice from a distance. Following the sound, she found him when he just finished the call.


    "Yes. Just something about work. Ready to go? I think it''s about time." Edward didn''t tell her that he asked for Tom''s help. He walked up to her, took her hand in his, and walked her out of the hospital.


    "Now, since we saw Hero, you can go back to the office. Mark will drive me to work," said Daisy while putting on her military cap, which added to her dignified bearing. Now that they hade and visited Hero together as he wished, he had no reason to drive her the rest of the way, she thought to herself.


    "Well then, something just came up and I need to take care of it ASAP, Take care of yourself, okay?" Edward didn''t insist, not because they had seen Hero together, but because he needed to stay here and wait for Tom. Tom was hisst hope, if he failed to save Hero, then there was nothing else Edward could do to save him.


    "Don''t worry. Call me if anything turns up. I''m taking the soldiers out for field trainingter, so I might not be back tillte tonight," said Daisy, looking at her watch. It was near the end of the year, so they had to drill and prepare for all kinds of inspection that came one after another. Today''s field training had been scheduled in advance. Originally, Daisy nned to wait until Kevin was back. But now it seemed that time was short and they had to speed up the training.


    "Training again? Can you make it? You didn''t sleep muchst night," asked Edward with a concerned look on his face. Had he known that there would be field training today, he would have resisted the sex urge and let her have enough restst night. It turned out that she had only slept for no more than four hours. Edward was afraid that she would not be able to stand the tough training.


    "Rest assured, it is those soldiers who have to take part in the training, not me. All I have to do is to go with and supervise them." Daisy couldn''t help but burst intoughter seeing the worry on his face, which made his handsome face quite funny and cute. She again reached out for it, and pinched it softly. She had really grown addicted to interacting with him in this way because of his tender skin.


    "Alright, don''t push yourself too hard. Hurry up, you are running out of time." But before he let go of her, he couldn''t help but kiss her one more time on the forehead. If she was not in uniform, and if he did not have to help maintain the military dignity in public, he would certainly give her a french kiss. However, his peck was enough to make our colonel blush. Lowering her head, she quickly got in Mark''s car and sped away to the army base.


    Edward didn''t head to his car until her military vehicle was out of sight. But instead of leaving, he just sat there quietly, which left Luke confused. Luke was following him, of course. But Luke asked no questions, instead, he watched and waited. It seemed to him that Edward was waiting for someone, but he couldn''t say who that might be. He kept wondering until he saw Tom''s car pulling in more than twenty minutester.


    Tom should feel privileged that Edward was willing to wait for him, because few people enjoyed this kind of honor. And for those honored ones, this would not happen every day.


    "What took you so long, Mr. Turtle? Did youe crawling on your hands and knees?"ined Edward. When he saw Tom arrive, he got out of the car immediately. At the same time, Tom had also opened his door.


    "Save it! You know how fast I was driving? This ce is so far away from my home, not to mention that I had to drive during the morning rush hour. You really should thank me for how quickly I got here despite all that!" eximed Tom, ring at Edward. ''So now you finally know how annoying it is to wait for others, huh? This is what you get for keeping people waiting for so long! Let''s see you do it again!'' he thought to himself.


    "Be quick! No more excuses," urged Edward. This was the way Edward had always been. While he was free to make demands, he would never let others do the same to him.


    "I was only exining myself! Or do you think I should just happily ept it when you call me Mr. Turtle?" shouted Tom while trying to catch up with Edward. They walked into the hospital, teasing each other. And their voice had somewhat broken the utter silence of this ce all of a sudden.


    "So why do they call you a miracle-working doctor? Did you get this title honestly? I think it''s stupid to take every word I say so personally." Squinting at him, Edward started to make fun of his medical skills.


    "Fine. I will just go if Mr. Mu has no faith in me. You can go and find a real miracle-working doctor if you can!" Tom turned on his heel at Edward''s words, and seemed to be wearing a pained expression. This was thest straw.0000000

 Chapter 748 An Invitation From Rachel (Part One)

    "Are you sure you''re heading back now?" Edward squinted coldly at him and shed a sly smile. He did not make any stops at all and kept walking into the hospital. He didn''t care about whether Tom was following him or not since he was confident that Tom would not run away now. "Edward, tell me about him. What is he to you? You''re obviously concerned about him, otherwise you wouldn''t make mee here so frickin'' early." Edward was right. Tom wouldn''t leave now. He knew better. He ran to catch up with Edward,ining all the way. "Rival in love." Edward''s reply was extremely simple but impressive. Tom, who was following him tightly behind, was in a total mess. But Edward stayed calm and cool, as if nothing serious happened at all.


    "What did you say? I seem to hear you say rival? Or am I missing something? You dragged me out of a warm bed at the buttcrack of dawn for your so-called rival in love? What''s wrong with you? And more importantly, why do you want me to save his life?" Tom did not think he could understand the weird ways of love nowadays. It must be that he''d stayed in hisboratory too long. How could a man be so generous to save his rival in love? Why? Wouldn''t he want his rival stay as far away as possible, or even to die an early death? Wouldn''t those two options make more sense?


    "Just save him. Don''t talk too much." Edward stopped walking all of a sudden. He turned his head and shot a cold stare at Tom. Tom was shocked by what he saw and almost walked into Edward.


    "I didn''t say I wouldn''t save him. What the heck are you doing? You scared me," he said to Edward in a hurt voice. Tom patted his chest. His heart kept thumping wildly due to Edward''s cold and threatening demeanor. Edward was used to bullying Tom into doing whatever he wanted.


    Edward nced at him coldly and then continued walking through the hospital. But he was not going to the ICU room. Instead, he went to Hero''s doctor''s office. After all, Tom was from another hospital. Even though he was an excellent doctor in the city, Edward could not just let him treat Hero without the permission from the original hospital. So, there were some procedures they needed to follow.


    In the city, many people knew Edward Mu and Tom Qin. After all, one was the most powerful business man and the other was a genius doctor in the medical field. When they appeared in front of Hero''s doctor at the same time, the doctor was taken aback. But he was more delighted since he would never get to see such powerful men under normal circumstances. He snapped to attention right away.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    Tom conducted a series of examinations on the patient. How he was doing, what his vitals looked like, and the final prognosis. He finally had the chance to see the Edward''s so-called rival in love. He could not help stealing more nces at the patient during the process. He was seriously pale at that moment. But he must admit that the man was not bad-looking. Tom figured that this guy was probably an outstanding man, and no wonder Edward was really worried about being reced in Daisy''s heart. He didn''t want to lose her, after spending all that time apart.


    "Dr. Qin, how is he? Is there any hope?" Hero''s doctor had apanied Tom during the exam. Seeing the frown on Tom''s face, he could not help asking. If Tom concluded that there was nothing they could do to save the patient, then he was definitely going to die and no miracles would happen. He was a miracle doctor, true, but he couldn''t bring the dead back to life, or change a man''s fate.


    "There''s still some hope. But it''s going to be touch and go. If you are fine with it, I suggest the patient be transferred to my hospital because we have more advantagespared with this ce. The better and more advanced equipment in my hospital will be of great help for his treatment and recovery." If this man wasn''t the man Edward wanted to save, Tom really did not want to go to all this trouble.


    "But the patient is so weak now. I don''t think he is strong enough to be transferred." Hero''s doctor did not want to reject Tom''s suggestion. But right now, the hospital could not devote so much advanced equipment to transfer a patient safely. The man was on life support after all, and transporting those machines alone was a costly endeavor.


    "It''s not a problem. The ambnce in my hospital has all the equipment he''ll need. So all we need to worry about now is how to keep him alive between here and the ambnce. These few moments will be critical." To be the most expensive hospital in the city, a hospital must be able to have the most advanced treatment equipment at the very start. So before other hospitals could purchase that equipment, Tom''s hospital always stayed one step ahead. What''s more, he had the rich boss Edward at his back, so he was never worried about funding problems at all. Considering this, Edward was actually one of the stakeholders in Tom''s hospital now.


    "I''m afraid we may have difficulty making it unless he gets past the most dangerous period. It will be much easier for him to be transferred at that time." Hero''s doctor looked at Tom. Tom was actually younger than him, but his talent in medical field was far beyond him. So there was nothing but admiration in his mind now. And to meet the man! That was a tale he could tell to his kids.


    Tom stroked his jaw, considering all the options. He finally spoke, his voice full of gravitas, as if he had made some important decision, "How about this? He''ll stay here tonight. But tomorrow he''ll need to be transferred to our hospital, Renxin Hospital. It doesn''t matter if he''s past the dangerous period or not. We''ll take care of everything from here."


    "That''s probably the only option we have now. Our hospital doesn''t have the advanced equipment, not to mention so many excellent doctors. I will talk with the president about itter." Hero''s doctor knew he did not have the capability to treat Hero''s wounds. He might heal, but he might nevere out of hisa. So he would definitely agree with Tom''s advice as long as it could help his patient. As a doctor, he should think about the patient''s good health first, and not worry about who was going to pay and how much. And he would never feel jealous about Tom and try to purposely make problems for him. Tom had the reputation to protect anyway, not him.


    "Good. Then you need to keep a close eye on the patient. Here''s my card. You can call me if this man''s condition changes in the slightest." Tom took a look at all the data indicators on the screens of the various equipment before he walked out of the room. He then took off the mask and gloves outfits one by one.


    "How''s he doing?" Seeing Tom step out of the door, Edward walked over to him and asked worriedly.


    "The outlook is not optimistic. But there is still some hope. So I suggested we transfer him to Renxin hospital and see what we can do." Tom knew that Edward cared about Hero, so he told Hero''s doctor to call him if any emergency happened, or really, any change in his condition at all.


    "It''s good as long as there''s still some hope. Let''s go! Tell me more after we get outside." Edward did not like hospitals much. Probably it was because he had stayed in the hospital for quite a long time when he got hurt before. So he did not want to stay in the hospital even if he was not the patient. He wanted to go other ces to talk with Tom.


    "Edward, can you tell me why? Why do I have to save him?" Tom asked, following Edward. He was quite intrigued by Edward''s attitude towards this man. It was extremely abnormal. That was not like Edward at all.


    "Because Daisy doesn''t want him to die," Edward stated calmly. Daisy was the reason. And also he had his own reasons. If Hero really died this time, Daisy would feel ufortable about his death in her mind. After all, Hero got caught and Daisy had something to do with it. If Hero did not love her, he would not have taken the risk. Although he knew there were people waiting for him inside, he still chose to break in for Daisy. Not only that, but he knew that Daisy might harbor some resentment against him if he didn''t do everything in his power to save Hero.


    "Oh, I see now. It''s because of Daisy. So you mean, Daisy wants to save him, right?" Tom''s curiosity became a terrible itch that needed to be scratched. If what Edward said was the truth, then he thought it was time for him to have a new impression of Daisy. "Come on, do you think she would ask me to save him? I volunteered to do it because I don''t want her to be sad." Edward stopped walking for a second. To tell the truth, he really hated it when his woman felt sad for other men. But he also realized one thing; if a woman did not have a kind and grateful heart, she would not be worthy of his love.


    So, when faced with such an situation, Edward felt tough and stumped too. But he would put himself in other people''s shoes. He might be childish about some things. But those things were irrelevant and unimportant. Daisy was his wife, the one he loved with every inch of his heart, every fiber of his being. He would surely care about her mind and soul.


    "I know Daisy wouldn''t ask you to save him." Tom finally rxed and sighed. He knew it! Tom was a fairly bright chap when given a chance. How could an elegant woman like Daisy do such a rude thing?


    "Whether she did or not isn''t the point. Please save him. If not for me, then her! Just let me know if you need anything. Money will never be a problem." Edward was not pretending to be generous. He said that to let Tom know that he was determined to see Hero healthy


    once more.


    "Got it. I''ll take care of it. Don''t worry! As long as there''s a shred of hope, I won''t disappoint you and Daisy," Tom said. He did not feel relieved at all after he gave out his promise. Instead, his thoughts weighed heavy on his mind. Hero''s condition was a real problem for him, and not easily solved. So he decided to go hometer and research it carefully to see what could he do to make things right. He might have to use some experimental procedures to save this guy''s life.

 Chapter 749 An Invitation From Rachel (Part Two)

    "How about I buy you lunch?" Edward smiled. He trusted Tom. So when he said there was still some hope, Edward did not cast any doubt on him at all and believed that Hero''s situation was not that bad.


    "Buy me lunch another day! I want to go back and make some careful ns for treatment. I won''t lie to you; this won''t be a walk in the park. You can thank meter on." If someone offers to take you out to lunch, you shouldn''t refuse. You''d have to be a fool to reject the invitation. Particrly because Edward had offered to pay. He had such deep pockets that such a meal would likely be more expensive than any food Tom would grab for himself. But in order to save Hero, Tom had to be the responsible one, and give up on the lunch offered by Edward.


    "Okay! Then I''m heading back to the office now. You can call me if there''s anything I can do to help. See you." Edward walked towards his car. He felt so much better now that Tom was on the case. He raised his arms and waved bye to Tom without facing him. Tom turned around and walked to his car too. Likewise, he raised his arm and waved his goodbyes to Edward. Then he hopped in the car and drove away. Luke also followed them in his car. So the three famous cars left the parking lot one by one. They went away and disappeared from sight.


    At the same time, in the meeting room of Leng Group, Rachel Qin fixed her gaze on Duke Leng. Duke sat in the president''s chair. There was nothing but love and passion for Duke in Rachel''s eyes. She did not rush to Duke and ask for attention from him. She did not want Duke to think she was a boring woman, or to be suspicious of her. So, no matter how much she wished to get closer to him, she had to suppress her feelings and try not to be too aggressive. She should wait for her chance.


    Duke was known as a cold and fair-minded man in thepany. No one saw him ever smile. But as long as you did your job well and didn''t offend him, it was easy to get along with him. He was a good boss in this respect. He never punished employees who didn''t deserve it, and treated them all equitably.


    "Is there any other business that needs to be addressed? If not, the meeting is over and you can leave now." Duke took a look around the meeting room. He felt like someone was watching him during the whole meeting. But when he tried to find him or her and meet the gaze, the feeling left him suddenly. Who could it be? He wondered if it was Rachel Qin. But he saw that she had her head lowered and was writing something. It wasn''t her, was it?. But who else apart from her would be so interested in him?


    "Mr. Leng, can I make a simple request?" When Duke was about to dere the meeting closed, Rachel suddenly spoke out.


    "What is it? Spit it out!" Duke frowned. He wondered what kind of tricks she was going to y. As a matter of fact, it was not appropriate for her to say a word in the meeting. Her position in thepany wasn''t high enough.


    "I have a very simple request. Our department is celebrating tonight. I''d like to invite Mr. Leng to join the party." Rachel looked right straight at him with no hesitation. She knew that if she invited him for dinner privately, he would definitely refuse. But now in the meeting, so many people were there, she was sure that he would not find any excuse to turn down her invitation. After all, it was her department, hispany. It''s bad form to turn down an invitation for an official function.


    "Well... I''ll go if I''m not busy tonight." It was thest thing Duke had ever thought he''d hear. There was no way he could have seen thating. After all, no one ever invited him to join their festivities. This never happened before. But now that she mentioned it, there was no reasonable excuse for him to refuse it. So he had to go no matter if he wanted to or not. He could not turn down it since it was an business thing and he was the boss of thepany. Should he not go, people might consider him distant from his employees.


    "Thank you, Mr. Leng. I''m sure we''ll have a happier time to have you at our party." The corners of Rachel''s mouth raised up a little. She could break them up if she tried hard. She considered herself to be a beautiful and smart woman. She believed that it was a piece of cake to make Duke fall in love with her since Duke had loved her so much before. This was going to be like taking candy from a baby.


    "You can leave now if there''s nothing else." Duke fixed Rachel with a thoughtful eye. Finally, he picked up the files in front of him and left the meeting room.


    "Mr. Leng, are you really going to the party tonight?" Janice Sun asked. She was Duke''s assistant, and trotted to catch up with him. She knew that Duke had never been to a party like that. So she was a little bit worried. "What do you think? Should I go?" Duke asked her. He left the question to her. His cool face betrayed nothing, but there was a hint of mischief in his eyes. But it disappeared in an instant.


    "If I consider this from an official position, I think it''s best for you to go." Janice hesitated. Actually, she did not anticipate that a new employee from the sales department would have made such an invitation to the boss of thepany. The truth was that people from other departments had never invited Duke when there was a team building activity. Anyway, they held those activities for fun and let their hair down. She did not think that Duke''s cold personality would allow him mingle with the group. So she concluded that Rachel''s invitation was obviously unwise.


    "Janice, how about this? You go to the party on my behalf," Duke said, and took a sidelong nce. She was young but quite capable and hyper-organized. He liked her particrly because she wasn''t on the prowl for men. She didn''t act like a lovesick fool around him, and saved any romantic entanglements she might be involved in for her off time.


    "She invited you, not me." Janice pursed her lips. She did not want to get involved in this drama at all. If she guessed right, that girl Rachel must have feelings for her boss. Otherwise, she would not have locked him in her gaze for the entire morning.


    "Then I am asking you to go on my behalf. It''s your obligation." Duke pushed the door of his office open. He walked inside without holding the door like a gentleman. He didn''t worry that the door might hit Janice''s beautiful nose. He didn''t think she''d follow him in, as he considered the matter a done deal.


    "They don''t want to see me. So forget about it. I''m not going!" Janice knew that he was not a man used to taking care of other women. So she reached out to hold the heavy door the moment Duke let it go. This way, she avoided being hit by it. Otherwise, her nose would be broken. This happened oncest time when she went to a hotel to send him his clothes. Her nose was hit so hard that it hurt for a few days.


    "I assume I am the one they want to see. Is that what you''re saying?" Sitting behind the office table, Duke took a look at her and frowned. Then he opened the files taken from the meeting room and started signing his name on the nks that needed it.


    "From my point of view, yes. You need to go." Janice was used to Duke''s stony manner a long time ago. Even when he was telling a joke, he still stayed calm and cold. Janice expected it.


    "Alright. Check my calendar. If I am free tonight, I can make an appearance, and then go home." Duke thought so. He could just show up there. That would be missionpleted. As for how long he''d stay, that was his decision.


    "You are quite free today. You only need to meet one client to talk about business and contracts." Janice replied. Actually, she was a little bit unsettled. She knew Duke hated it a lot when he needed to attend some business function. So she always turned those invitations down for him if they were not important. But she did not expect that Rachel would be so bold as to invite him directly, in the morning meeting no less!. So even though Janice wanted to reject it for Duke, she had no chance at all.


    "Okay, I see. You can get back to work now." Duke signed the files and then passed them to her. He frowned, thinking about how to exin the whole thing to Belinda. She wouldn''t like this, not one little bit. And she was not included in the invitation -- so she couldn''t go along to keep him out of trouble.


    His thoughts went unbidden to her wounds. So he picked up the phone and dialed up Tom.


    "Hello! Duke, is there anything I can do for you?" Tom was looking carefully at the x-ray film he took from the hospital. Sometimes he marked some vital points on his simted operation.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Are you free at noon? Let''s have lunch." Actually inviting Tom for lunch was just an excuse. The main reason he wanted Tom to have lunch with him was for Belinda. He wanted him to check her wounds again.


    "No way! Hey, are you guys doing this on purpose today? Is this a prank? Both of you invited me out for a meal when I''m so busy. Why aren''t you so hip to pay when you don''t need something?" Tom pushed the ground with his feet, and his chair rolled smoothly to the other end of the desk. He picked up one slide from the desk and then pushed off with his feet again. The chair rolled back to where he started.


    "What? Is there someone else who invited you for lunch?" Duke wasn''t worried when Tom rejected his invitation. He would find a way to make Tom ept his offer.


    "Of course. I''ve be quite popr recently." No one knew when Tom had be narcissistic just like Rain. If they continued keeping in touch, they''d end up as clones of each other. And no one needed more than one Rain. One was more than enough. "Did Rain invite you? If so, be careful. Don''t let him turn you gay." Even though Duke was talking about boys'' love stuff, he still stayed cold and calm. It was supposed to be a joke. But from Duke''s cool face, no one could tell that he was telling a joke at all. "Look at you, the little matchmaker. Don''t forget, he likes women, not men. So I know you want us to be a couple so bad, but you should at least know his sexual preference before shipping us."


    Tom was annoyed. He rolled his eyes without a word. It was impossible to match him and Rain. Come on, everyone knew Rain had it bad for that girl named Annie. Ever since Annie disappeared, Rain became a zombie. And Tom had no interest in guys at all. He always liked women instead of men.000

 Chapter 750 The Wedding Dress (Part One)

    "Are you sure you don''t have time?" Duke continued to ask him. He leaned back in the chair, like he didn''t have a care in the world.


    "Strictly speaking, it''s not that I don''t have any time at all. It all depends on why you''re taking me to lunch." Tom circled thest spot on theputer screen, and checked the surgical simtion results on theputer. But the result was not that satisfying, he felt a little depressed and began to research other feasible operation ns. "Why do you think there has to be a reason for me to take you to lunch? I''m not your boss, who has purposes behind his every request for you." While saying this, Duke felt a little guilty. Because like Tom had predicted, he did have ulterior motives for feeding him. "Cut the crap! Do you think I don''t know what''s on your mind? You want me to check on Belinda''s wounds, right? Just bring her to my office in the hospital. I''m super-preupied and can''t go out today." His theories for the surgery proved unworkable, so he had to go back to the drawing board, and rework everything.


    "What''s up Tom? Why are you so busy?" Duke furrowed his brows. Everyone he hung out with hated hospitals. Tom was an exception -- as well he should be -- because he was a doctor. That was why Duke wanted Tom toe to his house.


    "Ah! I don''t really want to talk about it. I''m working out ways to save Edward''s love rival now." Tom intentionally stressed the word "love rival". Probably because they had known each other for a very long time, so in regr cases, they could practically read each others'' minds.


    "What love rival? Are you kidding me?" Subconsciously, Duke felt Tom was messing with him. In his memory, Tom was indeed very generous, but to save a troublemaker who would cause nothing but drama? That wasn''t like Tom at all. He looked very gentle and elegant from his appearance, but he was definitely a wicked man in Duke''s eyes.


    "You can call him and ask him yourself if you don''t believe me. I can''t exin it in detail now. But don''t mention that I told you this." Edward couldn''t know that the news about his love rival would spread so quickly. Tom knew that it was somewhat confidential, but he was so overworked that he let it slip. Besides Edward, only Tom knew about this matter. He was so stupid to warn Duke not to mention him in front of Edward. Edward was so clever, he would immediately figure out that Tom tipped the news to Duke without hesitation. "Do you think I''m that stupid to find trouble for myself? I probably won''t even bring it up. Let''s drop it now, we can talk when we meet at noon." Duke shook his head. The matter of saving his love rival might have already been a very depressing thing to Edward, if Duke asked Edward about it, that would undoubtedly be adding fuel to the fire. Edward''s angry fire might also burn Duke. So he would not be stupid enough to take that risk.


    "Okay. Don''t forget to bring me some lunch when youe to my officeter." Tom didn''t take his eyes off the X-Ray film on his table, he was so busy, so he took it for granted when he asked Duke to bring him lunch.


    "Am I your takeout delivery guy?" Duke said, gritting his teeth. Why did he have to prepare lunch for the doctor when he went to the hospital?


    "Haha... You offered to take me out, so get some food on your way here. I don''t see a problem here. Remember to bring some food I like." As soon as Tom finished his words, he hung up immediately. If he was right, Duke would shout at him angrilyter. So in the interest of saving his ears, not to mention his phone''s speaker, he hung up before Duke could scream at him.


    Hearing the phone being hung up, Duke''s face twisted with rage. He gripped the cellphone firmly in his hand. ''Fine, Tom, you are such a dick to hang up on me like that. Wait and see how I punish youter,'' Duke thought.


    After a whole night''s work, Leena finally stitched all the pearls onto the wedding dress. Although the pearl was not a very precious thing to them, since they were a rich family, it had always been an image symbolizing wealth, perfection, happiness and nobility. And that was exactly what she wanted to express for her blessings to Duke and Belinda.


    Satisfied with her work, Leena lifted up the dress and pressed it to her body to see how it looked. Looking herself in the mirror, she smiled shyly. The bashful smile made her look all the more pretty and lovely. Remembering that their wedding day was approaching in a few days, although she was a little tired, she still quickly put the dress inside a bag. But when she took the bag and was ready to go, she somewhat felt she forgot something. After thinking for a while, she suddenly realized that she had forgotten to pack the bridegroom''s tuxedo. She carefully took out the tuxedo she had prepared for Duke from the wardrobe and carefully put it into another bag, trying her best to keep it smooth. Probably it would get wrinkled when she arrived at his house, it didn''t matter. She could use the steam iron to remove the wrinkles. Of course, she also needed to bring the cocktail dress for Belinda, the one she would wear after the wedding ceremony. So she had prepared everything in regards to their wedding garments, and the couple didn''t have to worry about it at all.


    She checked again to make sure she didn''t forget anything. Happy with that, she walked outside delightedly. Although it was autumn now, the sun was still scorching hot. So she immediately put on her sunsses as soon as she stepped out of the house. With several big bags in her hands, she looked ufortable, trying to handle them all and walk at the same time.


    She put all the things in her Ferrari. But at the moment when she prepared to start the engine, it suddenly came to her that she had ignored a very important thing. Where should she send the wedding dress? If she sent these garments to their house, they were certainly not at home now. If she sent them to thepany, it would attract a lot of attention. For the moment, she was caught up with this question.


    After thinking for a while, she decided to call Belinda and let her decide.


    She regretted not calling her before she set out, otherwise she wouldn''t be so confused now.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Hello! Leena, what''s up? Why do you suddenly call me?" Because Belinda''s wounds hadn''t beenpletely healed, she stayed at home and asked Simon to take the urgent files to her home for her to review. She didn''t expect that Leena would call her, so she was a little surprised when she received the call.


    "The wedding dress is finished. Are you avable now? I''ll send it to you." Leena talked on the phone while backing the car. Her face looked smaller with the big sunsses on her nose.


    "It''s done already? So soon! I''m at home. You can send it to the house." Belinda''s heart beat faster and she didn''t know why. Perhaps every woman felt this way in a moment such as this. And why not? She was getting married soon. She was nervous but excited. The man she would marry was her prince charming, so she was so looking forward to the wedding.


    "Okay! Aren''t you supposed to be at the office today?" Although Leena was full of doubts, she still drove towards Duke''s cottage. A sleepless night made her look a little tired, but that didn''t make her less beautiful.


    "Yes. Well, I don''t feel good today, so I take a day off. and rest at home." Belinda stood up and got herself a ss of water. Then she sat on the sofa.


    "Okay, I''ll be there right away, see youter." Leena put aside her cellphone and pressed on the elerator. She sped up and drove quickly on the busy streets of the city.


    Belinda stuck out her delicate tongue and licked her dry lips. She spaced out for a while, lost in thought, but finally she ced the cellphone on the tea table. Then she lifted the ss and took several sips of water.


    In fact, she was really curious to see what the wedding dress would look like. She only worried that the wicked Leena would get some fancy ideas and choose a weird style for her. If that was the case, she would really be mad. Because it would be toote to pick another wedding dress -- the wedding date was right around the corner. She hoped that Leena''s choice wasn''t too disappointing. She was a fashionable young girl and she was supposed to have an eye for beauty.


    She raised her head and checked the time. Then she walked downstairs. It happened to be lunch time, and she figured that Leena hadn''t eaten lunch yet. So she wanted to go downstairs to ask Giselle to prepare something that Leena liked.


    When Leena''s car entered her family home, she didn''t notice that a Maybach soon followed. Before she realized it, Duke suddenly appeared in front of her.


    "Leena, you''re here too?" Seeing that Leena was also here, Duke felt overjoyed. He hadn''t seen her for several days. He hadn''t gotten even a phone call from her. He had thought of going to see her when he had time. He was surprised by her sudden appearance. "Duke, aren''t you supposed to be at work today?" Leena frowned and nced at Duke doubtfully. Then she lifted up the trunk of the car and bent down to take the two big bags of clothing out.


    "I just came back from the office. What are these?" Duke took the bags from Leena, fearing that holding the bags would weary his dear sister.


    "They are the wedding dress and the tuxedo. Did you forget that your wedding day is only a few days away?" Having someone take the bags, Leena felt very rxed. She walked briskly towards the house, eager to flee from the scorching sun.00000000

 Chapter 751 The Wedding Dress (Part Two)

    "If you were me, would you forget such an important thing?" Duke stared at her peevishly. Did she think that he was like her? She had a terrible memory. If not for the wedding which was only a few days away, he would not have eagerly asked Tom to check on how well Belinda was healing. No bride wouldn''t care about their appearance on their wedding day, and no bride would proudly disy scars while wearing a beautiful wedding dress.


    "This is really hard to say, haha! Duke, is Belinda sick?" Leena held Duke''s arm, despite Duke was taking the bags in his hand, Leena still leaned on him and acted like a spoiled child.


    "No, she only got hurt. I''m taking her to Tom to have a look." Duke had alwaysvished great affection on Leena. Even she married herself to Kevin without his permission, she was still the important one in his heart.


    "How did she get hurt? Is it serious?" Leena became very nervous when she heard the bad news. Thinking of Daisy and her knife wounds, Leena feared that something terrible might have happened to Belinda.


    "She''s fine now. Don''t worry. And don''t mention this when you see herter." Duke didn''t want Leena to ask about Belinda''s injury because he feared that this might bring up her horrible memory again. She''d had recurring nightmares for the past two days. "Okay, I get it." Although Leena was very curious, since Duke didn''t want her to ask, she stopped pushing him. She believe that he had a good reason for this.


    "How did you two get here at the same time?" Hearing Leena''s voice, Belinda walked out of the house to greet her. She didn''t expect that she would also see Duke.


    "Belinda, we ran across each other at the gate. It''s just coincidence." Leena nced over Belinda from head to toe, but Belinda wrapped herself well in clothes, so Leena didn''t find anything unusual about her.


    "Okay, let''s go! Lunch is ready. I knew you''d be here, so I asked Giselle to prepare lunch for you." Belinda couldn''t cook, actually she knew nothing about the things in the kitchen. But she could help Giselle by handing her something she needed when she was cooking.


    "Good. We''re lucky to have something to eat right when we got here. I''m starving. I really missed the dishes made by Giselle!" Leena didn''t finish processing the wedding dress until noon, so she even didn''t have time for breakfast. Therefore when she heard that lunch was ready, she rushed to the dining room with excitement, forgetting the real purpose she had foring here. Food now, the wedding attire could wait.


    Watching Leena quickly disappear from her sight, Belinda shook her head helplessly. Then she shifted her gaze to the two big bags in Duke''s hands and asked, "Is this the wedding dress Leena brought here for me?" There was a bashful smile on her face when she asked. She gazed firmly at the bags, her eyes sparkling as if she could see through the bags like that.


    "Yes, I''ll take them upstairs first. Then after we eat we can take a look. I''ll take you to Tom''s hospital to have a look at youter. I asked him toe here, but it seems that Edward has paid him to deal with a patient, so he couldn''t make it." Duke seldom said so many words at one time, even when he was with Belinda. But since the day before yesterday, he suddenly became very talkative. Maybe he was nervous about the wedding.


    "Actually, I think I''m fine now. He''s busy. We''d better not bother him." Belinda didn''t feel like bugging Tom. In her eyes, Tom had always been very different from the group of men he was with. She didn''t know why she always had great admiration for him, probably because he was a doctor.


    "Are you sure you want to wear the wedding dress while showing your scars? I somehow think that wouldn''t make the best wedding picture." Duke frowned. He didn''t mind if she didn''t look perfect on her wedding day. No matter how she looked, she would always be the one he loved the most. But he didn''t tell her this, probably because of his pride -- which wasmon to all men. He figured that what he did for her was enough to show how he felt.


    "But... Aren''t there still several days left? The wounds may be healed by then," Belinda said hesitantly. As a woman, she didn''t care whether the wedding ceremony was grand or not, but she certainly wanted herself to be the most beautiful bride in the world on that day. "Yes, for minor wounds, they would. But what about the more serious ones?" Duke looked into her eyes deeply, then he walked upstairs.


    Belinda bit her lip and heaved a sigh. She tapped her forehead with her hand, pretty vexed. Then she turned around and walked to the dining room where she saw Leena stealthily pick some food from the te and put it in her mouth. She cried out and jumped. The food was still steaming hot!


    "Take your time. No one''s going to take your food away. You poor girl. You must be starving. Eat some breakfast next time!" Belinda sat down at the dining table. Although most of the time, Leena acted against her best interestes, Belinda couldn''t help liking her because of her outspoken manner.


    "I don''t have time, so I skipped breakfast today. Belinda, I heard that you got injured. Are you okay?" Finishing her words, Leena immediately covered her mouth with her hand. Damn it! She had promised Duke just now not to mention anything about it. But the words just slipped out from her mouth. She didn''t know what would happen next.


    "Yes, It''s not bad. And it''s almost healed. Don''t worry about me." Belinda smiled. She didn''t mind Leena asking the question. Because she was not the kind of woman who always lived in the shadow of her past. So she chose to ignore the unpleasant things she had suffered in the past, and she could go about living in the here and now.


    "Are the wounds obvious? Won''t they affect the way you look in the wedding dress?" Leena frowned, perplexed. Belinda had a hot temper, besides, her figure was super hot. So she added many fashion elements to the design of the wedding dress. The style of the wedding dress would make Belinda look fashionable, graceful with a little tinge of sexiness.


    "That depends on what kind of wedding dress you picked for me. If the dress shows too much skin, that might not work." Belinda was not a very traditional woman, so the clothes she wore were usually trendy and looked very fashionable. Her character and taste in clothing werepletely different from those of Daisy.


    "It''s only sexy, but it won''t show much skin. Even if I wanted to show a whole lot of your skin, Duke would never approve in the first ce." If she had designed the dress in a way that showed off too much of Belinda''s obvious charms, Duke would have already strangled her to death. Therefore she didn''t dare to beard the lion.


    "What are you two talking about?" Duke sat beside Belinda, and he felt that the atmosphere between thedies was a little awkward. They stopped chatting with each other immediately.


    "Nothing." Leena replied hurriedly, fearing that he might realize she had already asked Belinda about her injury.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Really? Why do I get the funny feeling you''re talking about me?" Duke nced at Belinda and Leena, with a look of disbelief.


    "Really nothing. Let''s eat lunch. Don''t we have to go to the hospitalter?" Seeing Leena''s nervous expression, although Belinda felt strange, she said those words to help Leena cover her blunder.


    "You agreed to go?" Duke looked at Belinda doubtfully. Wasn''t she against it before he went upstairs? Why did she suddenly change her decision so soon? Women were indeed capricious. All women, no matter when or where. If they weren''t, men would be bored of them by now.


    "Why would I be against it? No one wants to see my scars, and I also want them to heal as soon as possible." When it came to wedding, she was no different from other women. She expected to be the most beautiful, most attractive and sexiest bride in the world. And no bride wanted to show up with scars on her skin for the wedding day.


    "Okay, that''s good. Let''s eat lunch first. I''ll ask Giselle to pack some food for Tom and bring it to himter." Suddenly remembering Tom''s request, Duke turned around and went to the kitchen. He could have stayed here and summoned Giselle to do this, but when thinking of Tom''s arrogant manner over the phone, he smiled slyly. He was determined to make Tom forever remember the special lunch he would prepare for him.000

 Chapter 752 Forever (Part One)

    Lunch ended on a positive note. And because the wounds on Belinda''s body weren''t fully healed, it was a bit inconvenient for her to try on the wedding dress. If she got blood or ointment on the wedding dress, that wouldn''t be so nice.


    "Leena, we''re headed to the hospital right now. Are you staying home oring with us?" Duke was holding a food container in his hands, and he couldn''t help but frown at Leena. When she arrived Duke noticed that she was really pale -- paler than usual. He was considering taking her to the hospital as well, and having Tom run some tests on her. Of course he was concerned about Belinda, but that didn''t mean ignoring Leena.


    "I guess I''ll just be staying home and resting. I don''t want to go out today. I didn''t sleep wellst night, so I''m going to take a nap upstairs. You two go, and don''t worry about me or bother me. Juste and get me when dinner''s ready, okay?" Leena''s words were swallowed by a yawn, and then another. She slowly walked upstairs with a hand covering her mouth.


    "What happened to her? Why is she this tired? What was she doing during the night?" Belinda asked, her brows furrowed. She looked at Leena''s retreating back, feeling quite confused.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    "Don''t mind her. I guess she must have stayed upte drawing again!" With these words, Duke took Belinda''s hand and walked her towards the door. Though he was worried about Leena and her habit of staying upte, he also knew that her inspirations always camete at night. So there was really nothing to be done about it.


    "Drawing? To be honest, I still don''t know what she''s studying. What''s her major?" Belinda curiously asked. Though she heard that Leena hade back from abroad not for long, she had no idea what that girl had been studying all this time.


    "Fashion design. She is pretty talented in this. I really hope that she will be recognized soon andunch her personal brand." Duke was being a gentleman, as he opened the car door for Belinda and waited for her to get inside the car. He still didn''t know that his little sister was already a rising star in fashion industry who not only had her personal brand, but also got invited to be the judge by a lot of fashion shows. And that was all because Leena didn''t want him to know and intentionally hid all these things from him. He was overprotective as it was, and she didn''t want him involved, fouling things up.


    "Oh, please tell me that my wedding dress was not designed by her!" Belinda became quite unsure all of a sudden. It was obvious that she didn''t trust Leena with her wedding dress. And who could me her for this? Leena had always acted so vivacious and irresponsible in front of them. So letting Leena design her wedding dress sounded like a train wreck, at least to her.


    "I''m pretty sure it wasn''t. She''s not good enough to design a wedding dress by herself. I guess that she probably asked her professor to help." Duke also got in the car, then started it and drove to the hospital.


    "Oh, that''s good. You had me scared for a moment." Belinda let out a sigh of relief. She really couldn''t rest easy if she knew that Leena designed her wedding dress all alone. She believed that Leena was surely very good, but she was still a rookie and the dress was really important to her, so it was better to let someone with experience handle this. And at the same time, she decided that she must have a look at the wedding dress that Leena brought back once she got back from the hospital, or she couldn''t stop worrying about it. When they finally arrived at Renxin Hospital, it was close to one o''clock in the afternoon. Duke held the food container in his hands, and the corner of his mouth was raised this whole time, making others feel very uneasy. Or, at least, that was how Tom felt when he saw the smile on Duke''s face.


    "Tom, sorry, we''re here to bother you again." Belinda didn''t know the exact reason why she still couldn''t fully rx in front of Tom. Perhaps she never would. Maybe it was because she grew up being awestruck by doctors.


    "Don''t say that. It should be me who''s feeling sorry. I really don''t have the time to go to your house, so I had to ask you toe here to the hospital." Tom stopped the work he was currently doing for a moment, and said apologetically with a small smile.


    "Well, you should indeed feel sorry. Oh, and now tell me, what did you mean on the phone when you said something about a love rival." Duke had always been the type who was secretly very interested in gossip. That was why he was this curious about the thing Tom mentioned this morning on the phone. He wanted the juicy details. A love rival sounded weird all by itself. He couldn''t wait to find out more.


    "Oh, the love rival! Of course I meant Hero! Who else could it be? You remember him, right? He is the one who''s into Daisy. He tried to kill himself in prison, and his condition is not looking good. I just heard about him before, but today, I finally saw him in person. To be honest, he''s quite good-looking. Butpared to Edward... Well, truth be told, he''s not as handsome as Edward."


    Tom shook his head. He really couldn''t understand why Hero had chosen to end his life. And what he really couldn''t understand was why his boss asked him to save Hero. Though he knew he didn''t want Daisy to feel sad, that was only one of the reasons. In his mind, it was also Edward''s male ego talking. He didn''t like his rival in love being a coward. Maybe calling him coward was a little harsh. But still, he didn''t want Hero to wriggle out of his responsibilities.


    "You mean that arms dealer? But why did he want tomit suicide? I don''t understand." Duke was suddenly silent for a moment. If what he guessed was right, Edward must admire that man a lot. If only they weren''t on opposite sides. Because he knew that this guy was exactly the kind of man that Edward would like -- an intelligent man -- so he couldn''t watch him die at such a young age. Maybe that was the reason why Edward asked Tom to save him.


    "How would I know? I''m not him! Maybe it was due to pride. He probably couldn''t stand being a prisoner! In my opinion, he must have lost hope in everything, and so he tried to kill himself. I guess there isn''t anything in his life worth sticking around for. Otherwise I can''t possibly exin why such an excellent man would choose tomit suicide. It''s really strange."


    This was how Tom thought of Hero after finally seeing him in person. Or he still couldn''t understand why such a man who was once a kick-ass and high-powered arms dealer would make such a messed up decision to end his own life.


    "Maybe! If you''re too proud, you can''t ept failure. I guess that''s the case with Hero. It''s really a shame." Duke sighed, feeling sorry for Hero. He had seen the man on the day when the kidnap happened. He was quite impressed with the man''s fearlessness when faced with a crisis. But he didn''t expect that such a strong man would also be so vulnerable after falling in love.


    "Who the hell are you two talking about?" Belinda looked at them, feeling very confused. She couldn''t understand a word what they were saying just now. It seemed that they were talking about Edward and some love rival? Her confusion made her feel left out and anxious. "No one. No one you know, at any rate. Oh, Tom, could you take a look at her wounds? Do you think her injuries will bepletely healed before the wedding or not?" Duke quickly changed the subject. He knew that Belinda didn''t know Hero, so he couldn''t really exin it to her in a few words. After all, it was also something that had something to do with Daisy, and she was Daisy''s best friend. So it was not his story to tell. He would just have to let them two sort it out.000

 Chapter 753 Forever (Part Two)

    "Don''t rush me! At least give me some time to finish my lunch first!" Tom eximed. He gulped, because his stomach was rumbling, and his mouth was producing extra saliva. He could almost taste the meal that was waiting for him. Tom took the food container Duke


    brought and ced it on the table in front of him. But what he didn''t expect was that Duke quickly stopped him.


    "Well, you can finish your lunch after taking a look at her wounds! We''re in a hurry here. Besides, won''t you feel embarrassed with us watching you when you''re the only one eating?" Duke couldn''t take the risk. What if Tom was unable to take a look at Belinda''s wounds after he ate his lunch? After all, he had asked Giselle to put ''extra effort'' in preparing Tom''s food.


    "Are we in a hur --" Not waiting for her to finish her words, Duke hurriedly put a hand over her mouth and stopped her from continuing.


    "What are you doing? You got me really confused here. What are you hiding?" Tom looked at the couple, feeling quite confused about their behavior. Why did he suddenly have a bad feeling about this?


    "Of course nothing! You know, our wedding ceremony is in a couple of days. Though the wedding nner has helped a lot, there are still a lot of details we need to work out. So we are really busy these days. Definitely in a hurry." Duke didn''t even blush as he lied to Tom''s face. In fact, every little detail of the wedding ceremony had been taken care of, and all they needed to do was show up. Then, everything would be perfect.


    "Really? You''re not messing with me?" Tom stared at him, eyes wide. Though Duke tried to reassure him, he still couldn''tpletely believe him. He still thought there was something that Duke was hiding from him. The trick was figuring out Duke''s game, which wasn''t easy given Duke''s poker face.


    "No, why would I do that? You don''t believe me? Now, you''re just wasting our time." Duke rolled his eyes, feeling a bit annoyed at his question. Why couldn''t Tom just trust him and get it over with? Of course he lied. How could he let Tom know the truth?


    "Well, it''s not my fault that you are smiling all weird today. Remember, you never smile! But ever since you walked into my office, you haven''t even stopped smiling once. Can you really me me for being paranoid?" Tom said, and gestured for Belinda to roll up her sleeve at the same time. And he nced at Duke from time to time. He still didn''t trust Duke. There must be something wrong with all this.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    "You must be working too hard. Since when did I ever smile?" Duke coughed, feeling a bit embarrassed. Was he really that obvious?


    "Ha? Really?" Tom''s brows furrowed. Was he really out of his mind? Were his eyes deceiving him? Maybe he really had worked too hard this morning.


    "How are her wounds? Will theypletely heal before the wedding day?" The corner of Duke''s mouth twitched, and he didn''t respond to Tom''s question, instead just asked about the wounds on Belinda''s body.


    "I wish I have better news. These wounds are just starting to heal. It will be great if they heal nicely before the wedding day. But if you also want the scars to bepletely gone before your big day, then sorry, I guess that''s not possible. I can''t really help you right now." The frown on Duke''s face deepened. How could he possibly forget that Belinda would be wearing a wedding dress in a couple of days? What was he thinking?


    "So there''s nothing you can do?" Duke looked at Belinda, feeling sorry for her, and also a bit guilty. It was because of him that she had to suffer these injuries. Not only that, now she couldn''t even have a perfect wedding day because of this. The wedding day was the most important and special day for women, after all. She would have scars showing right through the wedding dress. It was all his fault.


    "Well, I might have something. Edward took a bottle of ointment from me before. Go ask him, see if there''s any more of it left. If he hasn''t used it all, then Belinda''s wounds shouldn''t be a problem." Tom smiled, only if Edward was willing to give the ointment to Duke. "Damn it, why didn''t you tell me this earlier? I''ll go and ask him right away." Duke was not as sulky as before. He got excited about the news. there was a way to help Belinda, he was all for it.


    "Hold your horses. Don''t be too worked up now. I think he used a lot of the ointment when Daisy was hurt before. So I''m really not sure if he has any of it left." Tom hated to break it to him, but he was telling the truth. He didn''t want Duke to get his hopes too high, in case he would be disappointed if Edward had used it all.


    "Then how about you? You must have some left here, right?" Duke squinted his eyes at him, then looked around his office, as though he could magically find the ointment if he looked hard enough.


    "If I really had any left, I would already take it out and apply it to Belinda''s wounds. Who do you think I am? I had some in my office before, but when Daisy got hurt, I used it all up, together with some other precious meds I have put a lot of hard work into making. Or Daisy''s face wouldn''t have healed so nicely like you see today."


    It was not easy topletely heal knife wounds which were that deep without any scars. So when the boss asked him to help Daisy and threw him a big check, he didn''t even hesitate at all. He had to take the money, okay? It took a lot of money and effort to develop new meds.


    "You mean you really don''t have any more of that ointment? And you don''t have any other way to help?" Duke looked at Tom for a moment, then finally rested his eyes on the wounds on Belinda''s body.


    "Yes, that''s exactly what I mean. I can just write a list of meds for her. And these meds will help her wounds be scars. But if you want the scars to bepletely gone in just a few days, I really can''t do it right now. Because I have practically used all my meds here, and I haven''t had time to develop new meds recently. It takes time and money to reproduce the old medicines as well."


    Tom had considered locking himself in hisb and working on the new drugs. But Duke''s wedding was this month. He wanted to go, so he put off research and development until next month. Friends and family were a priority to Tom.


    "Then why are you wasting our time now? Just quickly write your prescription. I still have to go to Edward''s." After Duke said these words, he hurriedly took his phone out and dialed Edward''s number.


    "I told you, don''t rush me! Will you at least give me a break!" Though he said this, he started writing a prescription right away. He didn''t have these meds in his office, so they had to go to the pharmacy to get them.


    "Hello!" Edward walked out of the bathroom and picked up the phone. "Ah, Duke. Hey, how''s it going?" Edward just walked out of the bathroom when his phone rang. He was wondering who would call him at noon. Then he looked down and saw the name on the screen. To his surprise, it was Duke.

 Chapter 754 Forever (Part Three)

    "Do you still have any of the ointment left? The ointment that you took from Jerry?" Duke cut right to the chase and didn''t even bother to say hello.


    "Why do you ask? Did someone get hurt?" Edward asked. He was lyingfortably on the bed in the rest room, and was understandably curious. He got up very early this morning, so he was very tired and needed a nap right now. "Yeah! Belinda was hurt by a drunk the other day. Just tell me, do you have any left or not?" Duke couldn''t help but roll his eyes at Edward''s questions. Couldn''t he just give him the answer?


    "Yes. There''s still some ointment left here. You cane by this afternoon and pick it up if you get the time." Edward massaged the skin between his eyebrows, and he was quite curious exactly how Belinda had been hurt by a drunk. In fact, he was not the only one who was curious. Tom raised his head and nced at Duke after hearing what he said, because Duke didn''t tell him how the hell Belinda got hurt. Now that he had more info, and thought of the wounds all over Belinda''s body, he was getting a clearer picture of what was going


    on.


    "Can''t Ie over now?" Duke''s brows furrowed. He was quite surprised that Edward would tell him to wait til this afternoon. He wondered what Edward was busy doing now. Was he with some other woman?


    "Sorry. Not now, I''m really tired. I need to rest for a bit," Edward said, then closed his eyes. Last night''s love-making had used a lot of his energy, and he didn''t get to sleep until veryte. Then he got up early this morning, so he was definitely going to take a solid nap and restore his energy.


    "What? Are you messing with me? You never take a nap! Did you do something badst night?" Duke mumbled, feeling a bit annoyed. But he couldn''t do anything to Edward. After all, he was Edward.


    "What do you think? You''re married too. Do you need me to tell you the details?" Edward smirked and raised his eyebrow. His smile, as usual, was elegant and enticing. Fortunately, there was only him in the room, or he would definitely draw people''s eyes to him this time. "Are you kidding me? Since when are you this weak?" The corner of Duke''s mouth twitched. This was the difference between him and Edward. It seemed that only Edward could share his love life without a care.


    "Where did you get the idea that I''m weak? Don''t you know that I have excellent stamina?" He wondered what Daisy would think if she heard Edward''s yful words. It was a pity that she was currently in field training. He guessed that maybe Daisy wouldn''t even say a word, but she would probably beat Edward to death.


    "Then why do you want to take a nap at noon?" Even Duke blushed now, cool as he was. Edward was shameless.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "I just slept for three hoursst night. If you were me, wouldn''t you be sleepy too? Okay, I''ll hang up now. Don''t bother me before I wake up. Bye." Edward hung up on Duke without waiting for a response. He threw his phone to the side of the bed and started to nap. Duke heard the click after Edward hung up on him, then helplessly sighed and pocketed his phone. It seemed that he still had to wait till this afternoon. Because Edward never changed his mind. If he said that now was not okay, then it was not okay for certain. "Tell me, what did the boss say? Is there any ointment left in his home?" Tom asked this as soon as Duke hung up the call. He needed to know for inventory purposes. Because whether Edward still had that ointment or not would affect his list of meds. "Yeah! He said there was still some left. But I have to wait till this afternoon to go and pick it up. Right now, he needs some sleep." Duke let out a sigh of relief. No matter what, at least this problem was solved. All he had to do was wait till this afternoon and get the ointment from Edward. So he was quite a bit more rxed than before.


    "Are you kidding me right now? He said he needed a nap? Since when did he start to take a nap at noon? He''s always so energetic and doesn''t seem to be the type who needs a nap. What is he? Five years old?" Tom crumpled the prescription heposed just now into a ball and threw it in the trash can, then started writing a new one.


    "Why are you asking me? How would I know? If you are really that curious, just go and ask him yourself!" Duke just coolly nced at him. Of course, he wouldn''t tell Tom the exact words Edward said on the phone. He was not that crazy after all.


    "Huh! Then don''t tell me! I don''t care anyway. Here! This is a new prescription. Just take it to the pharmacy. The staff there will help you." All problems were solved now, and he was ready to eat his lunch. He was starving to death.


    "Tom, thank you very much. We''re going now. Have a nice lunch!" Belinda took the slip from Tom''s hand. She had no idea of the ointment they were talking about just now, but she didn''t want to ask. So she just thanked Tom and told him that they were leaving. "You''re wee. To be honest, I''m starving to death. So I won''t hold you two here." Tom ran a hand through his hair a bit apologetically. After finishing his lunch, he had to get back to his job again and work on Hero''s case. So he really didn''t have time to waste. He had to make sure the n was perfect today because they would need it tomorrow.


    "Okay, okay! We get it. We are going now. Just have a good lunch, alright?" Duke stressed the word ''good'', and a meaningful smile appeared again on his face at the same time. Tom felt a chill run down his spine.


    "Okay. Just go! Take care." Tom waved at Duke, then stood up and walked to the sink to wash his hands before lunch. Though he still felt uneasy about Duke''s weird smile, he couldn''t care anymore, he was literally starving. That was the reason why he started cursing when his mouth was full of hot mustard. He drank half bottle of water and still couldn''t get that taste out of his mouth.


    Fortunately, not every dish had mustard in it, or he would surely starve to death. It seemed that Duke was not that vicious after all! No wonder Duke couldn''t control his smile today. He was trying to prank him! That was the reason why Duke insisted that he ate his lunch after checking up on Belinda. This was his purpose. And he couldn''t believe that he had fallen for his lie! He had sensed that something was not right, but still, he walked into it. If he guessed right, Duke was somewhereughing at him now for sure.????????????????

 Chapter 755 What A Boring Man (Part One)

    Green mountains, blue sky and white clouds were rare to see together in the autumn season. However, in the suburbs of S City, there was a ce where one could see them. What made the ce even more popr was a precipitous mountain in the vicinity. Steep and challenging, no ordinary person could easily climb up to its peak. Today, Daisy took her soldiers to have a try at the mountain. All soldiers were armed to the teeth under the Colonel''s request. They picked the most dangerous trail and started their way toward the top. Soldiers were divided into groups, with each team consisting of five. The team that got to the top of the mountain first would win the contest. Not only the soldiers'' determination, but also their team spirit would be tested.


    "Colonel, which team do you estimate would get to the top first?" Mark looked at the mountain peak through a telescope.


    "Intelligence ys a more vital role than physical ability in this contest. In my opinion, every team has its chance to win. All our soldiers are almost at the same level in terms of strength and technique." Daisy wore a camouging uniform. The heat was merciless and she had taken off her hat to fan herself with it. Her other hand was angled on her forehead to shield her eyes from the ring rays of the sun. She paid attention to the moving figures walking along the rugged trail.


    "That''s true, Colonel. Do you think they can sessfully go through the narrow pass once they get to it?" asked Mark worriedly. He wouldn''t have been troubled over it if the soldiers weren''t so equipped. The pass was too narrow and only allowed one person to pass through at a time. So what about the weapons and facilities that the soldiers carried with them?


    "It will test their wisdom. The rules cannot be changed, but humans can always find loopholes within them. I didn''tmand them to carry the equipment on their back the entire way. Do you understand?" Daisy turned and nced at Mark. He was still a naive boy who didn''t dare break the rules. Fortunately, not everyone was as simple-hearted as him.


    "Yes! Why didn''t I think of that?" Mark grimaced. He admitted he was a bit slow-witted.


    "You wouldn''t be who you are if you had thought of it." Daisy shook her head, shing him a lenient smile. She took the telescope to watch the ongoing contest on the mountain.


    The soldiers were here for field training. In addition to the physical training aimed at strengthening theirbat ability, another skill they needed to develop was their ability to cope with unexpected idents. The mountain trails leading to the top were steep, uneven and could not be hiked easily. They needed to cooperate with teammates.


    Mark''s lip curled with displeasure at Daisy''s perception of him. Since she was the boss, he dared not refute the statement. He subdued his discontentment in secret.


    The soldiers hiked along the trail. It was walk-able at first: although the path was rocky, they could find a cleft to step into. But the higher they went, the rougher the trek became. The trail finally gave way to the precipitous cliff. The soldiers stopped walking and climbed with their hands and feet.


    They were physically trained every month. But for the first time, the soldiers were training in the tough wilderness. As they dug holes with their daggers for their feet totch onto, they also had to be on alert for any falling stones that were triggered by theirrades'' upward climb.


    Truth be told, Daisy was worried about the soldiers as well. However, she had faith in their capabilities. The wilderness training was novel to them and rife with unanticipated challenges they hadn''t experienced before. But they were soldiers after all, who must forge ahead to strengthen their abilities. It would help them be invincible fighters.


    The air in autumn was dry. Aside from the scorching heat from the sun, the soldiers suffered from cracked lips. They had brought along water canisters but didn''t even have time to drink the water. Their hands were forced to clutch onto the cliff.


    They gained distance inch by inch, but it was harder to move as time went by. Their limbs felt heavy, as though rocks hung onto them. Every inch of progress in the elevation seemed to cost them all their energy. None of them, however, was willing to give up. This was the critical test of their determination. They were soldiers with iron resolution. As far as they were concerned, the contest was a dare to them.


    The narrow pass was thest hurdle. Although it was hard, some lean soldiers could pass it by carrying the equipment on their backs. The opening was just wide enough for a person of medium built. Those with a broader built, however, found it extremely difficult to pass and thus were detained. But they didn''t concede. With Colonel Ouyang, nicknamed as Devil Drillmaster, as their training leader, each one of them had gained extensive training. The restricted passageway was a minorplication. They would pass through as long as they had weapons, strength and determination - even if they lost some time and energy.


    Soldiers from each team scattered in different parts of the procession, with some in the front and some falling behind. It was impossible for any team to reach the top in their entirety. There were others who had attempted to climb paths of their own that they thought would be more convenient, but only seeded in proving their foolishness. None of them could find a new way to the top. The wasted time meant they were left much far behind.


    The clock ticked away. Daisy got more anxious as each second passed by. She had noticed how some of the soldiers were in danger. They carelessly blundered while trying to step on a secured rock, almost falling off the cliff. Fortunately, their teammates offered timely help and took hold of them in time. Scared out of her breath, Daisy was relieved to see that. Team spirit was exactly what she wanted her soldiers to learn.


    Today''s training didn''tpare to the training she had received at JC Military Academy. These soldiers were big boys serving in the ranks. They didn''t need to be trained ording to the same standards. Their aims were different; they weren''t training to be top elite force members.


    Finally, she saw a red victory banner being hoisted at the peak of the mountain. The first soldier had reached the top. Daisy''s eyes welled up with tears. She was touched by their courage. They had not only defeated others and the hardships of this training, they had also transcended themselves.


    "Colonel, they made it!" Mark yelled and ted. But his smile froze at the sight of Daisy''s red eyes. He looked at her in surprise, wondering what had caused them.


    "As long as we have the resolution to do it, there is nothing we can''t do. Our soldiers have progressed leaps and bounds today. They''ve reached a new milestone." Daisy shed a brilliant smile in relief. If we could surpass our own misgivings, the difficulties meant nothing and sess could be within our reach.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    The soldiers who stood like giants in the midst of the clouds, acknowledged Daisy at the top of their voices. Their deafening cheers echoed in the valley. They celebrated their sess as well as their invincible spirits. A small smile tugged Daisy''s mouth as she watched them. It was rare for the soldiers to see their aloof colonel smile.


    Although young, these soldiers were respectful. They were willing to spend their precious youth training to forge themselves into tough fighters. Their lives were different to those of other youngsters who gaily spent their time ying video games, hanging out with girlfriends and getting spoiled by the love of their parents. Only blood and sweat were what these soldiers had experienced.


    Daisy liked hanging out with them. They reminded her of herself, when she was a young ambitious soldier. Her forgotten youth came to life around them. She was inspired by their energy and could always draw the inspiration she needed to drive forward, toward her next higher destination.


    In contrast to the harsh training the soldiers had gone through under the unforgiving sun, the upper-ss elites led a different life. Edward, as one of them, basked in the cool air of his office.


    Duke arrived at FX International Group when the working hours had only just begun. Pushing open the doors to Edward''s office, Duke startled him. Edward had just started his work. It surprised him to see Duke in his office at such an early hour. "Please don''t tell me you have been waiting outside my door, Duke." Edward paused his work as Duke came in. He stood up, walked toward the sofa and threw himself onto it.


    "Will you feel sorry for me if I say yes?" Duke walked straight toward the refrigerator and grabbed a drink. He gulped it down in a sh.


    "Nope," Edward replied shortly. He wouldn''t feel sorry for Duke even if he had been kept waiting outside the whole day.


    "A man of no mercy! No, I''m not that stupid." Duke too sank into the sofafortably. The cold air in the office relieved him of the heat from his drive earlier.


    "So tell me, what happened? How did Belinda get hurt?" Edward stared at Duke, perplexed. Belinda was perfectly fine when they had a meal the other day.


    "Oh, God. Don''t talk to me about it. I''m the one to me. We had a quarrel. I was so mad at her, I drove off and left her alone on the beach. She wouldn''t have gotten hurt if I had stayed and kept herpany. It was all my fault." Belinda''s injuries had left Duke with unspoken remorse. It was fortunate that he had returned in time. He wondered what could''ve happened if he hadn''te back in time. The consequences of it would have been a nightmare he couldn''t afford to ept.000

 Chapter 756 What A Boring Man (Part Two)

    "Were you out of your mind?! Do you know the kind of ce the beach is at night? Don''t you have anymon sense? It''s fine in the day when peoplee and go, but no one likes to linger after nightfall except for some loafers. It''s dangerous for a woman to be there on her own. No matter how mad you were, you shouldn''t have ever left her alone there!"


    Edward red at Duke, showing contempt at his carelessness. However, he was no better than Duke when it came to their lovers. He had once left Daisy alone in a forest park and regretted it immediately afterwards. But Daisy was a colonel and by no means was she a woman to be trifled with. But Belinda? She didn''t know any fighting skills. Duke had been extremely reckless to leave her alone defenseless.


    "My repentance has reached the point of no return. Please don''t add to it," Duke asked for mercy. Leaving Belinda alone on that beach had been the greatest mistake of his in his life. He wouldn''t ever forget the terrible sight that greeted him when he returned. Belinda had been disheveled and was crying out for help. The drunkard had been approaching her step by step, ignorant of her screams. Her helplessness had stabbed him in the heart. The pain was still fresh. He would have killed himself if anything terrible had happened to her. "If I don''t make a strong enough impression, you would never know how serious this matter is. So, is Belinda okay now?" Edward was worried. Judging from Duke''s demeanor, Belinda''s injury must have not been severe, otherwise Duke would have killed that man already. "She''s fine. It was fortunate I returned in time. She has some minor wounds on her body. But psychologically, it has some effect on her." The suffering she would have undergone if he had been even a littlete! The thought of it drove Duke crazy.


    "That''s good. Don''t let Daisy know about the ident. If shees to know of it, she will definitely admonish you and deliver a sermon." Edward shook his head. Men were alike. They were too overconfident to admit to their mistakes, but also reluctant to take advice from women. Their pride in the presence of women was the most important thing to maintain for them. Edward was, of course, the same kind of a man.


    "What! I don''t think Daisy will do that to me!" Duke eximed with a trace of uncertainty. Daisy had indeed warned him before for Belinda''s sake. Maybe she would do it again.


    "Don''t forget who Daisy is. She''s a colonel." Edward shed Duke an evil smile. He would be delighted if another man received a taste of the lectures that Colonel Ouyang usually gave to him. Having been a leader in the army for a long time, she was really good at rebuking people.


    "You''re right, Edward. I can''t let Daisy know about the incident. But news travels fast. I''m prepared for Colonel Ouyang''s reprimand. Now, would you tell me what''s up with you?" Somehow, Duke was fond of idle talk. He liked prying into others'' secrets and usually disguised this peculiar hobby well under his cold demeanor.


    "What do you mean? I''m fine. Nothing happened to me!" Edward frowned. Duke''s question puzzled him.


    "Stop ying tricks on me. Be honest, Edward. You know what I mean. Hero! Why did you ask Jerry to save him?" Duke was fully aware that he might not obtain an answer. But he still couldn''t subdue the impulse to ask Edward. He was eager to know his motives behind making such a decision.


    "Jerry seems less reliable than before. He should zip up his mouth. I must teach him a lesson for telling you the news," Edward said, as he kicked at one of his legs leisurely. A vicious smile emerged on his lips.


    "You can save yourself the trouble of giving a lesson to Jerry. Just tell me why you made such a decision, Edward!" Duke was curious. Wasn''t it strange for a man to help his love rival out of trouble? As far as he knew, Edward was too jealous to tolerate the attention of other men toward his wife. Duke needed to know the answer to the question that had been guing him all this while.


    "I don''t know what to say to you," Edward said bitterly. He himself didn''t know why he had asked Jerry to help Hero. Hero had fallen in love with his wife. Edward should hate him. He should have kicked his ass. Instead, he had let Jerry save him. It puzzled Edward himself. "Damn it! If you want to keep it a secret, Edward, then fine. But stop treating me like a fool!" Duke''s teeth clenched. He had forgotten his true purpose ofing here. Edward''s affairs hadpletely distracted him.


    "I have no secrets, Duke. It doesn''t matter what you think. Did you note here to get the ointment? You''re so interested in my affairs. What would people think, I wonder, if I tell them about this hobby of yours. Nobody will believe the seemingly cold Mr. Leng is such a gossip."


    Edward snorted. Duke was a man of few words in the public eye. Edward was surprised each time he took such interest in other people.


    "I have almost forgotten. Give me the ointment. I have to get home." Edward''s words had reminded Duke why he hade here. He was in a hurry. "Aren''t you interested in my story? Won''t you give me a chance to tell you?" Edward blinked at Duke yfully, making fun of his gossipy nature.


    "Tell me then! What''s the reason?" Duke sighed. He was certain that Edward was just poking fun at him.


    "Of course not." As Duke expected, Edward refused him resolutely.


    "Obviously, I''m wasting my time here unnecessarily." Duke looked at Edward mockingly. He knew Edward very well. He was an unyielding man who wouldn''t tell him anything, even if Duke''s lips cracked by pleading to him repeatedly. Why should he waste his time talking nonsense?


    "Hmm. It seems you don''t have any perseverance. Maybe I''ll surrender if you insist a little longer," Edward said as he walked toward his desk. Daisy had brought the ointment to the office once, forgetting that she had left it here. Since she was injured in those days, she always brought it along wherever she went.


    "Listen, don''t fool me around. I don''t believe you. There''s no way to persuade you into telling me something you aren''t willing to. I won''t ask for further humiliation!" Duke touched his nose in defeat as he spoke to Edward. Duke had seldom triumphed over him at anything. "Well, you are clever enough to know your ce. Here you go, the ointment. Use it wisely. It''s valuable." Edward tossed the ointment at him, unconcerned about Duke not catching the precious bottle.


    "I always know where my ce is. I''m a wretched guy with too many disadvantages, but I know better than anybody else what those disadvantages are. That''s my greatest boon." Duke caught the ointment carefully. The medicine was important to him. It stood for hisst hope, after all.


    "Huh. That''s your greatest advantage? I think you overestimate yourself! You think knowing about your own weakness can be considered a boon?" Edward sat down in his chair. Curling his lips, he pretended to be annoyed by Duke''s ignorance. "Belittle me as much as you like. I can''t linger here for a minute longer. It''s just a waste of my time. Bye!" Duke swallowed some water before standing up. He must send the ointment to Belinda as soon as possible.


    "Go, please! I have work to do now," Edward spoke, already burying his head between the documents on his desk. He hade to the office a littleter than usual, after spending time at the hospital. There was too much work waiting for him.


    Duke took the lift and saw Rain outside as soon as its door to the lobby chimed open. Rain dressed like a male peacock in courtship. His odd dressing sense never failed to distinguish him. However, Rain looked so perfect with his strange clothes and make-up, that nobody thought he looked odd.


    "Hi! Iceberg Duke! Long time no see! Are you leaving?" Rain whistled at Duke like a rogue, studying him up and down. There was a yful smile on his face.


    "Leave me alone. Do you think I''m one of your beloved girlfriends? ''Long time no see''? Use that to start conversations with one of your dull girlfriends. Not with me," Duke spoke coldly as he stepped out of the lift. He had no time to talk rubbish with this yboy in public. "My heart! What a boring man. You hurt my pure heart." Rain cried exaggeratedly. Heid a hand on his chest to pacify himself. Truthfully, he was a good actor.


    "Stop behaving like a lunatic, Rain. You sicken me. Would it kill you to behave like a regr man? Pure heart? Yours? Laughable! Don''t insult the word." Duke rolled his eyes. Rain would''ve had his way in Hollywood if he had chosen to be an actor.


    "Little Duke, are you mad at me? Damn, I can''t believe you said I sickened you. Fine, I''ll let you know what I''m capable of. Then you''ll really know what it''s like to feel sick."Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "Stop talking to me in that sissy way. Unlike you, I''m not unmanly." Duke hastened his pace as he finished speaking. He''d throw up his breakfast if he lingered around Rain for a second longer. Little Duke! Only he coulde up with that disgusting name. ''Should I call him Little Rain in return?'' Duke thought ridiculously. Absurd!0000000????????

 Chapter 757 Dinner (Part One)

    Rain gave him a cunning smile. He didn''t expect that Duke would get pissed off so easily. Apparently, Duke was not as indifferent as they said. ''Is he in a bad mood today? Why is he so irritable? Never mind. I''d better go upstairs first, ''Rain thought to himself. "Come in, please." Edward was still buried in his papers when he heard the knock on his door. Undoubtedly, he looked handsome in the moment.


    "Mr. Mu, here''s your schedule for this afternoon. Please take a look. Do you want me to make any changes?" Anna asked as she handed her notebook to Edward. She wore a tight, well-cut suit that showed off her figure.


    "Mr. Ouyang? What does he want to see me for?" Edward asked, taking a sip of his coffee as he saw an uing appointment with Leo mentioned in Anna''s notebook.


    "He said he wanted to talk about private matters with you. I told him I would ask you first, Mr. Mu. Do you want me to tell him you''re busy?" Anna stole a nce at Edward, unsure about his answer. Leo was Edward''s father-inw, after all.


    "No, tell him I''ll see him. The schedule is fine by me." Edward shut the notebook, giving it back to Anna. He wondered what Leo was nning to say. Daisy had broken off with him and had asked Edward to ignore him too. However, Edward was unable to treat the father of his beloved wife with indifference.


    "Sure! If you don''t need me for anything else, sir, I''ll take my leave," Anna said respectfully as she gazed at Edward. He was handsome andpetent. Anna admired him very much, but she was a wise woman who didn''t think unrealistically.


    "Wait, C Financial Group faxed me a document. Fetch it for me." Rain should''ve been the person handling the case of C Financial Group, but he was reluctant to meet anyone from the firm because of Annie. So Edward had to take over the case.


    "Of course, Mr. Mu." Anna turned around to walk toward the door. She reached out her hand to turn the knob, but the door bumped open from the outside. Luckily, she dodged the door in time to avoid getting hit.


    "Hello! Anna, you look more and more beautiful each day." Rain was flirtatious with a lot of prettydies. For him, everything was just a game. That was his attitude toward life.


    "Thank you, Mr. Xia." Anna smiled. She was ustomed to Rain''spliments and epted them gracefully.


    "No problem! I spare no efforts in praising beautiful women." Rain shed her a brilliant smile. From his demeanor, nobody could tell he nursed a broken heart.


    "How did it go?" Edward asked Rain, watching him tease Anna.


    "You can be sure, that when a veteran goes into action, he can do the job of two." Rain tossed the document at him with a smug look. It fell on the table in front of Edward.


    "Great! The construction will begin next week. We must ensure quality is maintained. If anything goes wrong, Daisy will be implicated." Edward perused the document and smiled satisfactorily.


    "Don''t worry. I know what you''re fearing. Look at the previous projects; no one dared to cheat or cut down on materials. They don''t brew plots when ites to you," Rain stated with a smile. No one would dare to conspire when a military project was involved. It was a serious crime and the doer could be put to death.


    "We''d better pay more attention to the construction. I know there is limited profit when a military project is concerned, but this is a serious matter. It should be handled with care." Edward put the document aside. He attached great importance to the project despite the low revenue. He didn''t want to put Daisy in a difficult position.


    "Edward, if you don''t trust me, why don''t you oversee the construction by yourself?" Rain teased as he sank into an armchair. He crossed his legs, looking ratherzy.


    "I can oversee the construction as long as you take over the C Financial Group case. Are you fine with that?" Edward smiled slyly. He was pleased to take Rain down a notch.


    "Forget it. I''d rather work with the soldiers," Rain said, feeling out of spirits at the mention of anything rted to Annie.


    "Come on, Rain. If you miss her so much, why don''t you go find her?" Edward shook his head in resignation. If Rain was determined to find Annie, he had thousands of ways of doing it. But Rain''s damned honor wouldn''t allow him to do that. "What would I do if I find her? Can I force her to fall in love with me? Don''t forget, she left me without a single word."Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    Rain didn''t believe Annie loved him, even though she had given up her valued virginity to him. He acted out his feelings of inferiority by passing himself off as a yboy. Rain might seem cheery and light-hearted to people, but inside, his heart was lonely and miserable. He was ustomed to taking on a new persona - that must have something to do with his family and upbringing.


    "How do you know she doesn''t love you? Did you ask her in person? Lovers break up because of misunderstandings. You should find her and make everything clear." Edward leaned back in his chair. He wanted this discussion to be thorough.


    "Edward, just imagine. Would you ever vanish from Daisy''s life without a word?" Rain always made countless excuses for Annie, but none of them were convincing enough. He couldn''t figure out why she left. Maybe in her own way, she wanted to tell him she didn''t love him.


    "Has it ever urred to you that she might have misunderstood you because of something you did?" Edward asked, rapping the table with his index finger. He didn''t know women that well, but he knew that there was no smoke without fire. He believed Annie had her own reasons for leaving without an exnation.


    "What did I do for her to misunderstand? When she was in S City, I wasn''t seeing any other woman." Rain felt like he was wronged. His usually bright countenance had turned sad.


    "Maybe it was your casual actions she misunderstood, that you don''t take note of. I think you should seek her out and clear the air," Edward suggested. He was a man who had gone through simr experiences. Daisy and him had gone through many misunderstandings. Fortunately, they always emerged through them.


    "If she truly loved me, she would have talked it out first instead of leaving without an exnation. She practically gave me a death sentence!" Rain raised his voice in frustration. He wanted to move on, but her smile kept shing across his mind.


    "Come on! Don''t you know, women are emotional beings? Maybe she was afraid about what you''d say. Do you think she''d have been able to swallow her pride and plead for your love?" Even a man like Edward had been unable to forgo his dignity to ask for Daisy''s love in the past. Annie, on the other hand, was a shy woman.


    "Damn it, Edward, since when have you be an expert in love? Is it because of Daisy?" Rain changed the subject, avoiding to answer the question. He was in the habit of evading any matters rted to Annie.


    "Fuck off, Rain. Don''t try to sidetrack me. You really deserve to be alone." Edward knew him well. Rain obviously didn''t want to continue the conversation, so he dropped the matter.

 Chapter 758 Dinner (Part Two)

    "I want to announce that you are no longer my best buddy!" Dering thus, Rain walked over to the desk to pick up the document he had brought before leaving the office. He was upset over Edward''s words and had to find a quiet ce to get over the hurt. As he watched Rain''s receding figure, Edward sighed with profound resignation. When Rain was unable to straighten himself out, he was deaf to others'' advice. Edward could only remind him of the possibilities, but it all depended on Rain himself.


    It waste afternoon and the sun was low in the sky. Belinda was awestruck by the wedding dress in front of her. The white dress was adorned with Swarovski pearls and perfectly cut crystal beads that glowed in the bright light. She was eager to try it on, but the medicine was still fresh on her wounds. She could only imagine how she''d look in the dress. "Belinda, what do you think? Do you like it?" Leena was proud of her masterpiece and eager to see Belinda''s reaction.


    "I love it! Leena, thank you so much!" Belinda was so delighted that she could hardly bear to put down the dress. She couldn''t believe she was getting married soon.


    "I''m d you like it. I spent a lot of time and energy on it." Leena grinned. She was thrilled her work was appreciated.


    "What? You mean you made this dress all by yourself?" Belinda widened her eyes at Leena. Duke had told her before that she wasn''t yet fully able to undertake such task alone.


    "Of course! I designed it and selected the materials. Unfortunately, there was no simr cloth in the country, so I sent the drawing to a friend of mine in Paris and asked her to make it for me. Look at these pearls and beads! I sewed them myself." Leena touched the gleaming material softly with a satisfied smile.


    "Wow, you''re brilliant! Why did your brother tell me you haven''t finished your apprenticeship yet?" Belinda asked in confusion. She loved the wedding dress so much. It was both fashionable and graceful. To her, it looked like it was made by a top designer. "Well, this dress is only for practice." Leena smiled awkwardly. She didn''t borate. It would be hard for her to exin.


    "Wow! Leena, you have a promising future in the industry," Belindaplimented her graciously. The wedding dress was indeed wonderful.


    "Thank you, Belinda. If the dress doesn''t fit you, let me know," Leena said as she looked at Belinda''s figure. The dress should fit her well, unless she put on or lost significant weight in the short time.


    "You have my size. I don''t think there will be any problem. Let''s go downstairs and have food." Belinda put the wedding dress on its hanger and went downstairs with Leena.


    "Why hasn''t Dukee back yet?" Leena asked in confusion when she saw an empty dining room.


    "Oh, he has dinner with his colleagues this evening. There''s no need for us to wait on him. Let''s eat together," Belinda exined with a smile. It wasn''t umon to have dinner with co-workers. Belinda herself had dinners or went to the club with colleagues. "I think Duke hates having dinner with colleagues. I''ve rarely known him do so. There must be something wrong," Leena frowned doubtfully.


    "I have no idea about that. Just leave it be." Belinda didn''t like getting to the bottom of things. When Duke informed her he was going to have dinner with his colleagues, she didn''t question it so thoroughly.


    Belinda clearly didn''t want to discuss it further, so Leena just sat down and ate her meal. She had to go back to work. After dinner, Leena took her leave.


    Meanwhile, Duke had been forced into having dinner with the employees of the Sales Department. They arrived at a Korean Restaurant, where Rachel sat beside Duke.


    "Duke, here''s to you." Rachel raised her ss with glee. She even called him by his name in front of the other colleagues.


    "Thank you." Though Duke disliked her straightforwardness, he lifted his ss to hers and swallowed the booze. His handsome face still looked as cold as ice.


    A lot of the female employees of thepany had crushes on the handsome, rich and young boss. Duke never smiled at them, so they weren''t courageous enough to show their affections. They could only sneak nces at him from time to time.


    The colleagues hadn''t expected Rachel, the new girl, to sessfully invite Duke to have dinner with them. Duke had never participated inpany activities before. The girls were suspicious that there was something going on between Rachel and him. When Rachel called Duke by his name, they got even more curious.


    "Come on! We should all drink a toast to our boss." Rachel was only a group leader in thepany, but she was well-educated and had upied a top position before. She was good at social activities and breaking the ice.


    At Rachel''s suggestion, the female employees could hardly sit still. They were having dinner with Duke for the first time, so they took this opportunity to drink with him. Even the male colleagues began to make a toast to Duke.


    Duke took several sses of wine. Upon seeing his flushed face, Rachel smiled slyly. She nned to get him drunk and then, she would have a go.


    Duke might look arrogant, but he was a soft man deep inside. He refused nobody and gulped down the alcohol. Luckily, the employees knew not to go too far. Each of them only had one ss of wine with Duke.


    "Duke, try this. It tastes great!" Rachel picked up a piece of meat with her chopsticks and lifted it to Duke''s mouth. The others widened their eyes at the gesture. They wondered if Mr. Leng and his girlfriend, who was the president of YS Financial Group, had broken up? Was Rachel Mr. Leng''s new girlfriend? Why did they look so close?


    "Help yourself. Don''t mind me," Duke said with a frown. He was annoyed at Rachel''s actions, but he didn''t want to embarrass her in front of so many people. He picked up his chopsticks and took a piece of the beef by himself.


    Rachel was not discouraged by Duke''s reaction. She kept feigning to be close with Duke by leaning against him and trying to make him taste the dishes. The others had started to question if Rachel was Duke''s new girlfriend, and that was exactly what she wanted. She wanted them to cook up stories so that Belinda would get suspicious.


    Rachel didn''t care that Duke was about to get married. She wouldn''t pass any chance to drive a wedge between Duke and Belinda. ording to Rachel, only she could be Duke''s wife. They were made for each other. Belinda was boring and didn''t hold a candle to her. Belinda didn''t deserve to stand by his side.


    "Boss, we''re going to the clubter. Would you like to join us?" A girl asked Duke with a hopeful expression. She was nervous that Duke would say no.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "Yes! Boss, pleasee with us." The others echoed the sentiment. It might feel uneasy being around Duke, but each of them fantasized about a romantic time with this handsome man.000000

 Chapter 759 She Doesnt Love Me (Part One)

    "Duke, please say yes! You see, they are all hoping that you cane with us. You don''t often take part in such a gathering after all. Since you''re already here, I think it''s okay to meet their demands this time, right?" Rachel said in a soft tone. She was persuading Duke on


    behalf of all the colleagues. But in her mind, she wished she could attach herself to Duke twenty-four hours every day.


    Duke raised his head, with his gaze sweeping rapidly on the crowd. His refusal was on the tip of his tongue but he hesitated when he saw the yearning eyes from all his subordinates. For a moment, Duke felt a little embarrassed. Of course, as a CEO, he could ignore their kind invitation. Because he was dining with them here. Such dinner gathering was rare for him before, and in his mind, it already inspired their team spirit. However, also as a sessful leader, he had to consider the feelings of employees. So, such a proposal really ced him in a dilemma.


    "All right! I''ll go with you all. But I can only stay for a while." Sometimes apromise was not a sign of weakness. It could also mean wiser and more sophisticated decision. What you obtained was usually more than what you lost. This saying best described the current Duke''s situation.


    "Hurray!" The crowd burst into cheers upon hearing what Duke said and became more casual with their CEO. Their feeling of constrained was gone. Rachel also felt happy with Duke''s decision. As far as Rachel was concerned, she still could influence Duke''s decision and thought that he might still have some affections to her. She exhaled mildly with a morous smile on her face.


    Joy Karaoke was S City''s top KTV. It was also one of the favorite ces of many upper-ss people. They just wanted to go to a normal level KTV at first. However, their CEO''s persistence led them to stand before that supreme KTV. Duke was not showing off. He just felt uncertain about the safety problem with normal KTVs.


    "Thank you very much for your hard work recently. I am always very proud of having professional colleagues with me. You have contributed a lot to the sess of ourpany. It will be a happy night for us. Enjoy yourself. Have fun as much as you can. I will pay all the bill. You deserve it." Duke said as he proposed a toast to them. He seldom came to the KTV. He normally went to the Sexy World with Edward and other guys. It was only when they wanted to rx that they came here to roar a bit. He wasn''t good at singing. Rain was the karaoke master in their group who never let the microphone go once he got the chance to sing.


    "Yeah. Thank you, Mr. Leng." The box was full of cheers after Duke''s opening speech. Such a treatment was so precious that all the people in the room felt excited. They were even much happier at this point than when they got bonuses.


    Duke smiled, with his mouth twitching slightly. He suddenly envied them and their simple happiness. These were the joys of ordinary people''s life, something he wasn''t privileged with as he was from a higher ce.


    "Mr. Leng! Don''t just sit there. Come and join us. Why not sing a song?" One man asked bravely. People were usually like that after having some alcohol. They would act like crazy and forget their fears. Duke''s employees started to cheer for him to sing a song. It was not difficult to imagine how they would regret their actions the next day. However, they were all heroes, asking their cold CEO to sing a song that night.


    "No. No. I am not good at singing. You sing and I listen. It is already a fun for me to see so many great singers in ourpany. Go ahead. Don''t pay much attention to me. Have fun!" Duke waved his hand and said No. It would be fine for him to sing before his close friends. But to sing in front of his subordinates? Definitely No. It would be too embarrassing and he had an image to maintain before them.


    "Duke, would you mind singing a song with me?" Rachel was undoubtedly good at finding opportunities to show how close she was to Duke even before Duke could notice. Everyone there would think that they had an intimate rtionship after the evening, "Sorry, Rachel, but I don''t want to sing. I would be fine just sitting here. You can y with them. Enjoy." Duke shifted to the side, deliberately moving away from Rachel. He could still remember what Rachel said that afternoon. They could not be lovers ever but they could still be friends. He would not ept today''s invitation if not because of those words. However, how she behaved made him confused. It seemed that Rachel wanted to pursue his love again. It was impossible. He would never give Rachel any chance. The past could only be ... a past. "Aren''t we still friends? It would be fine for friends to sing a song, right? Aren''t you going to give me a chance? Just a song." Rachel murmured to Duke, in a soft and pleading way. She felt embarrassed at his refusal. She used what she said before in hope of Duke changing his mind.


    "Mr. Leng. Why not just sing a love song with Rachel? I will help you find one and y." Cheering wasmon party scene. It didn''t matter whether Duke agreed or not, the man selected a song for them. A famous love song by two pop stars started filling the room. It was "That year, this day". It seemed that the man who suggested just picked the song randomly. The lyrics of the song was about the lost love between a young couple who were happy before but then started having misunderstandings that led them to break up. The couple met again after many years in that song and remembered their good times together. They regretted that they broke up but then, they could never turn back time anymore. What a coincidence! That was just simr to Duke and Rachel''s first love! "That year, you can''t bring it to today. It doesn''t matter who was right and who was wrong in that year." Duke couldn''t help but frown once the microphone was already crammed in his hand. He wanted to refuse again but hesitated when the song began. The melody and lyrics had brought him back to the deepest part of the past memory. He clearly knew about the affection he had once for Rachel. That was a young impulse. However, as many years passed, he had slowly let that love fade out of his life together with those memories.


    Duke was still in the middle of his thoughts when the crowd noticed their CEO was holding the microphone. They cheered for Duke to sing. It was hard for him to disregard the happiness of the crowd. Soon enough and he started singing against his will. "This day can''t back to that year." The sentence was same as what Duke felt. Rachel was still Rachel, and he was still who he was. But the affection was different. Rachel was no longer his love.


    Duke''s voice was low and deep. Unlike his cold looks, his song was full of tenderness. He was indulged in the music. "Perhaps the limit of a love for a man is to believe forever." That was the part where his thoughts and the song''s lyrics opposed. How long was forever? He never dreamed of forever. He just wanted to cherish every day with Belinda.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    Rachel affectionately gazed at Duke. Duke was an excellent and handsome man. His eyes were shining brightly. He was gentle and considerate. The more she found out Duke''s brilliance, the less willing she felt to let him go. This wonderful man should belong to her. Why let other woman rob him? She could not ept that.


    The whole room was quiet except for the duet. Everyone''s attention was fixed on them. Some even brought out their mobile phones to capture the wonderful moment.


    The crowd burst into a warm apuse after the song. Duke was suddenly shy. He wasn''t the type of CEO to blush in public but this was his first time to sing in front of people. He felt uneasy throughout the whole song. It was fortunate that Rachel was good at singing and made up for his shorings.


    The party atmosphere heightened after a while. The alcohol was always an indispensable and the crowd started to toast to each other. Almost everyone had a toast to Duke. It was difficult to say no and he had much more wine than he had expected. People in the room got more and more excited as they were stimted by the drink. Some people were ying tricks. Some were dancing to the music. Some were singing or rather shouting. What a crazy world. It was rare to see these white-cor elites in frenzy with their top cor button loosely opened. It was very noisy. Duke pressed his temples as he felt dizzy. He had drunk too much wine in the restaurant and that KTV. He raised his hand to see the time and noticed that it was time for him to go home. He quietly walked out of the room. However, to his surprise, Rachel followed him. "Where are you going, Duke?" Rachel did not drink much wine as all her attention was on Duke every minute. She immediately noticed that Duke was about to go and she followed him outside.


    "It is veryte. I must go home. You can continue to y with them. Have fun. I''ll go first." He went straight to the reception and asked them to put the whole fee for tonight to his ount.


    "You had too much drink tonight. Why not let me send you back?" Rachel held his arm to support his shaky body. That was the first time she held him again after many years. She could not help but remember the time when they first met. She never knew that Duke was the heir of the Leng Group. Duke used to live in a small apartment when they were in love. She really wanted to take that night''s chance to know where the real Leng house was located and how it looked like.

 Chapter 760 She Doesnt Love Me (Part Two)

    "No, thanks. I''ll ask the driver toe and pick me up. You can go and continue to y with them!" Duke pushed Rachel away as he shook her offer off. He staggered to the lounge and pulled out his mobile phone from his pocket.


    "Then I''ll find a ce to sit with you while waiting for your diver. You drank too much. I am worried about you staying alone. Let me take care of you. Okay?" Rachel said without giving Duke the opportunity to refuse. She helped him to the small table nearby, sat down together, and had her hands hooked on Duke''s arm. She didn''t want to withdraw her hands and enjoyed the intimacy with Duke. She was about to say some more when Duke''s phone rang. The call was so unexpected that he didn''t even have the chance to check the number. "Hey, Belinda... Yes, I am about to go home now." Rachel''s face turned pale as she heard what Duke said. A hint of resentment fleeted in her eyes. However, she was able to control her expression and changed back to her tender smile after a while.


    "I''m not asking you about this. I just want to tell you not to drive by yourself if you''re drunk." Belinda stood on the balcony with one hand in her pocket and the other holding her mobile phone. She looked charming in casual dress. The Leng house was in the center of a garden, surrounded by trees. That was why it was colder at night. Belinda shivered as chill crawled on her skin. She put her hand deeper in her pocket to get warm.


    "I know, Belinda. And I was about to call the driver just now before you called. By the way, where is Leena? Is she back home?" He might be very strict with Leena but it was undeniable that his sister upied an important part in Duke''s heart. He cared about her even when he was drunk.


    "Yes, Leena went back home soon after dinner. She said that she had two designs to finish and left in a hurry. It seems thatst-minute working is her style. Anyway, where are you now? I think I can pick you up." Belinda took a nce at the watch. "The driver must already be sleeping at this moment." She went to the bathroom without waiting for Duke''s response and opened the wardrobe. She went through her clothes, took a simple short jacket out, then walked downstairs.


    "Well, it''s OK. I am in Joy Karaoke. Don''t drive fast. I''ll wait for you." Duke was not the type to unt his superiority. He did not reject Belinda''s proposal. He even felt so happy about it that he smiled unconsciously. The change on Duke''s expression wasn''t something that Rachel missed and her eyes opened wide in anger.


    "Okay. I will be there in twenty minutes. Wait for me. Laters!" Belinda hung the phone up and drove her Lotus sports car to Joy Karaoke.


    Duke also hung up and leaned himself against the couch. He closed his eyes with a deep frown. He looked very ufortable.


    "Duke, are you feeling well? Have some tea. This will make you feel better. I just asked the waiter for it. It''s still warm." Rachel handed a cup to Duke as various plots reeled in her mind.


    "Okay! thanks." Duke took the tea and drank. He was thirsty and med his thirst to the dry weather. It was not difficult to figure out that Duke was really drunk.


    "You''re wee!" Rachel rubbed her hands and pressed her lips together. She stared at him for a moment. She would not take the risk to plot anything unless she was one hundred percent sure. Otherwise, she would lose thest chance with Duke. She had to be cautious as not to arouse his wariness.


    "You''d better go and y with them. I am fine. I can stay alone here." Duke closed his eyes. He was ufortable with the wine burning in his stomach.


    "No, I''ll stay with you. I am worried about you. I can''t let you sit here alone." Rachel acted decently while hiding her eagerness under her quiet demeanor. She dared not to be aggressive as she didn''t want him to suspect. Otherwise, she would destroy the trust she worked so hard for.


    "It''s up to you!" Duke did not want to talk more with Rachel. He closed his eyes again and ignored her. He didn''t care much about how Rachel looked at him in the room earlier. He was fine as long as she didn''t bother him.


    "Duke, would you mind talking about why you wanted to marry that woman?" Rachel asked cautiously with hesitations in her voice.


    "There was no exact reason. It''s just because I feelfortable when I am with her." Rachel''s question got Duke''s interest. He had thought of that answer for a while. Yes, he feltfortable. It was only before Belinda that he could follow his heart. She made him rx. He was not a bigpany''s CEO when he was with her. He was not a son of somebody, nor a brother of somebody. He was just a man who wanted to be loved.


    "Because of thefortable feeling? Not because of love?" Rachel had turned pale again. It was known that afortable feeling was much deeper than love. Love could be a burden but a sense offort was pure. It had gone beyond the word love and interpreted a higher level of happiness.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Yes, because of thefortable feeling." Duke smiled unwittingly with the corner of his mouth mildly raised. In fact, even Duke himself did not know exactly whether he had fallen in love with Belinda or not. The only thing he knew was that Belinda had the power to make him unload all the burdens on his shoulder.


    Losing his mother at an early age made him y a double-role for Leena. He became a mother and a brother. There were even cases when he had to be her father since their real father was too busy to take care of them. These burdens could choke him sometimes. It was lucky that Leena was an obedient girl as it made the struggle less.


    "What about me? What kind of feeling did you have when you were with me before?" Women were the same as men. They were afraid of anyparison even if they were curious about the results.


    "I am sorry. But I had already forgotten the feeling." Duke opened his eyes and gave Rachel a nce. It wasn''t because that he did not want to talk about it. It was just that he had already forgotten everything with it.


    "Hmmmm! Forgot all?" Rachel managed to produce a dim smile. What a cruel and direct answer. It was not even "hate", nor "love". He forgot! It was like she didn''t even exist and left no trace at all.


    "I usually choose to forget people who don''t exist in my life anymore. I hope you understand." He wouldn''t have exined if not because of what she said about being friends.


    "I understand. In fact, you have been cruel all the time. You didn''t need to hide your identity when we were together. You didn''t even take any action when I dated with another man." Rachel smiled bitterly. He could have detained her if he had only used his identity as Leng Group''s heir. How could she have abandoned him if that had been the case?


    "I didn''t see any possibility of change for anyone who was so willing to go." Duke felt unexpectedly casual as they talked about their past.


    "I would not have left you if you had told me that you were the heir of the Leng Group." Rachel was fixed as she watched Duke who was still leaning on the chair with his eyes closed. What a handsome man! He was attractive even when drunk.


    "You would have been staying for the Leng Group and not for me if that had been the case. What was the difference?" It might be the alcohol or the person beside him that made him recall his past and talk too much.


    "What about her? Didn''t she marry you because of the Leng Group?" Rachel would never believe if Duke said "No". Money was above everything nowadays after all.


    "No, she didn''t. She actually looks down upon the Leng Group." Although it was said that the YS Financial Group was inferior to the Leng Group. The YS Financial Group was also one of the top enterprises in S City. The Leng Group was not what Belinda wanted. Ironically, she even wanted to give her own YS Financial Group to Duke and let him take care of the operations. Money was nothing to Belinda.


    "Do you mean that she is interested in you?" Rachel looked at Duke up and down. It was undeniable that Duke exuded elegance fit for kings. He indeed attracted a lot of women''s attention. But what if he became penniless? Would women still flock around him? "What do you think?" Duke sat up straight and looked at her coldly. He did not like Rachel to interpret Belinda as a golddigger.


    "I am not her. How could I know? But in my opinion, it is not simply due to love." Rachel also picked up the tea in front of her and took a sip. She wouldn''t change her point of view over Belinda.


    "You''re right about that." Duke said with a sigh. There was a deep sense of frustration in his expression.


    "Really? I don''t believe that love was the reason she married you, Duke. "With her answer affirmed, Rachel felt a dull heartache creeping on her chest.


    "No, she doesn''t like me. She doesn''t like all my things, my identity, money, even the Leng Group. It was me who forced her to marry me." Duke felt inexplicably sad as he said those. He tried to ask Belinda if she loved him that day at the seaside. Her answer was cruel. She didn''t love him.


    "What? You forced her to marry you? That''s impossible. She has nothing good. Well maybe good looking but... what is herpared to me!" Rachel shouted hysterically with a head shook. She could not believe what Duke said. Duke must be really drunk to lose his mind. "That''s the reality. She doesn''t love me. Not even like me." Duke let out a sad smile. He even felt a little depressed. He did not notice what Rachel rantedter and missed the insulting words she threw at Belinda even more.00000000000

 Chapter 761 Take Care Of The Drunken CEO (Part One)

    "Are you telling me that you love her so dearly that you forced her to marry you?" Rachel had never regretted something as much as she did now. She wouldn''t have asked him such a question if she had known that his answer would hurt so much.


    "Do I love her?" Duke shook his head and suddenly thought about the question very seriously. "I don''t know. In fact, I''m also curious about it." He was suddenly angry with Belinda. Did it mean that he had fallen in love with her?


    Rachel''s lips twitched. She was about to say something but then changed her mind. It was then that she caught a glimpse of the slender silhouette at the door. An idea urred in her head and made her smile. She hurriedly hugged Duke and patted his back consolingly to show off. Rachel squinted with a challenging look at the approaching woman.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    Belinda strode in but unconsciously stopped at the sight of Rachel. What she saw made her angry. However, that did not make her turn away. Rather, she found herself marching more determinedly than before. She would never swallow such insult and humiliation in silence.


    Duke didn''t expect that Rachel would hug him. He was dazed and exhausted, so his mind went nk for a moment as hey in her arms. He pushed her away the moment he got his wits back but it was toote. Rachel had gained her ends.


    "What a coincidence that we meet again, Miss Qin." Belinda grinned from ear to ear. There was no trace of displeasure on her lips though she was furious deep inside. What a twist that Rachel was also there. Now she knew why Leena was confused about Duke''s participation in such an activity.


    "Well, it''s not what you see." Rachel pretended to exin when in fact, what she wanted was to cause a deeper misunderstanding.


    "Belinda, here you are." Duke staggered to his feet but fell over himself. Rachel subconsciously wanted to help him up but Belinda was one step ahead.


    "You''re drunk." Belinda''s brows were in knots when she gathered Duke to her. She was worried about him and found no time to answer Rachel.


    "I only drank a little, really." Duke burped. He leaned on Belinda''s shoulder and breathed softly.


    "I can prove it. Duke didn''t drink too much. He''s drunk because he drank some mixed wines." Rachel was vexed at the bottom of her heart but then managed to act considerately.


    "I''ll take him back, Miss Qin. Thank you for taking care of my husband." Belinda didn''t like to address Duke "my husband" in public but chose to stress it before Rachel. Such a civilized way to tell her enemy to give up as Duke was already taken.


    "You''re wee. That''s what I should do," Rachel talked back and then bit her lips. She hated how Belinda was so swollen with arrogance.


    "Oh? Can you tell me what you mean by that, Miss Qin?" Belinda sneered. ''That''s what you should do? Since when have you be that close?'' She thought to herself.


    "Sorry. I think you misunderstood. What I mean is, I should take care of the CEO as an employee of the Leng Group." Rachel exined anxiously as if she was afraid to make the woman before her angry.


    "It looks like I think too much. Miss Qin, thank you for your kindness. I''ll ask your CEO to reward you handsomely." Belinda was puzzled by Rachel. She had just emphasized that Duke was her husband. Her defeated reaction to it was something she never expected. Did she just change her strategy?


    "I''m ttered. The reward is not necessary. I can leave now since you''re already here. Goodbye!" It might not be good to retreat for the sake of advancing but it was suitable at that time. Rachel pretended to be calm no matter how unwilling she was to leave. "Bye." Rachel then walked to the room. Her sudden change really surprised and confused Belinda. Why would she have hugged Duke and patted his back consolingly if she had really given up on him? Did she just want to take care of the drunken CEO? Duke wasn''tpletely drunk. He clearly heard the dialogue between Belinda and Rachel but didn''t say anything. Edward once told him that he should never get himself involved in a fight between two women or he would be doomed.


    "Let''s go." Belinda pursed her lips. She didn''t want to pursue this matter further. Duke was entitled of his own personal space. She couldn''t deprive him of that right even if she was his wife. She chose to trust him unconditionally. "Belinda, I can exin." Duke hastened to exin as soon as he got in the car. He looked at Belinda''s poker face nervously. He was afraid that she would misunderstand him.


    "No need. I have my own judgment." Belinda preferred to believe Duke rather than doubt him. The reason was simple. Duke wouldn''t have behaved affectionately towards Rachel earlier if they really had an affair. Why? Because he knew that Belinda would pick him up. "What is the result of your judgment?" What happened just now was beyond his expectation. Nevertheless, he hadn''t felt any panic the moment he saw Belinda came. As the saying goes, a straight foot is not afraid of a crooked shoe. Belinda would mistakenly think that he was trying to hide something if he exined further. Thus, he decided to keep his mouth shut. Nheless, he was curious about what was in her mind.


    "It depends on what role you y." Belinda started the car and left Joy Karaoke. She was a smart woman, so she wouldn''t make a fuss about this matter. She chose to deal with it rationally.


    "What role do you want me to y?" Duke looked at Belinda expectantly. He cared about Belinda and what she thought about him mattered to him a lot.


    "What I want doesn''t matter. What matters is where you put yourself in." Belinda looked sideways at Duke. She frowned at the smell of alcohol that was filling the car. It was so strong that she had to roll down the window.


    "Well, you can assure yourself on that. I know I''m married." Duke was disappointed for not getting the answer that he wanted. However, he felt relieved that Belinda didn''t unreasonably quarrel with him. He had to admit that she was really smart and knew how to make herself invincible, even if it annoyed him a bit.


    "Why would I doubt you? Are you hiding something from me and afraid that I''ll find it out?" Belinda suddenly mmed the brakes because another car overtook hers at a fast speed. The driver might be a young man who was after thrills. Luckily, Belinda had driven slowly and was able to react on time, or else they could have been hit. Duke, who was drunk, banged his head unprepared.


    "Damn it! Is it necessary to show off his Rolls-Royce? Such a fast speed may take his life!" Duke cursed while touching his forehead. It was good that his seat belt was fastened or his forehead would be swollen.


    "Are you all right?" Belinda was also shocked but she was more concerned about Duke.


    "I''m fine. How about you? Are you okay?" Duke gave Belinda a once over. The fright had sobered him up.


    "Yes, I''m okay. It''s good that you''re alright." Belinda calmed herself down and began to speed up the car. "It''ste at night," she continued, "We''d better be home as soon as possible. Many people drive under the influence at this hour. It isn''t safe even if I follow traffic regtions because others may not."


    "Slow down. Take it easy." Duke knew Belinda was really frightened because she was suddenly green around the gills.000000

 Chapter 762 Take Care Of The Drunken CEO (Part Two)

    "I see. Sit still." Belinda concentrated more as she drove. She only slowed down after ten minutes since the car before hers was slow.


    "Why is there a traffic jamte at night?" Duke scrunched his eyebrows impatiently. He didn''t like such slow phase but couldn''t do anything about it because there were just too many cars ahead. "There may be an ident." Belinda didn''t like to wait either. It wasn''t long though before they heard an ambnce siren resonated the ce.


    "Yeah, or there wouldn''t be a traffic jam in the middle of the night." Duke showed no interest in the ident. He leaned back on his chair and closed his eyes. The cool breeze kissed his face.


    The ambnce had passed but the traffic jam hadn''t eased. Belinda was annoyed. Fortunately, the wide road wasn''t blockedpletely. Ten minutester she finally saw what happened. It was the same Rolls-Royce that overtook hers earlier that had an ident and crashed.


    "Oh, my God! I cursed the driver out of anger. I never expected him to really have an ident." Duke also saw the car which hit the tree at the roadside. It was fortunate though that no others were hurt. That could have made his guilt eat him if ever.


    "It''s a coincidence. Hope the driver is fine." Belinda shook her head. She called Duke and picked him up because she was afraid that he might drive while drunk.


    "Anyway, I don''t have much sympathy for people who don''t even cherish their own lives." Duke disapproved. The Rolls-Royce was severely deformed and he wondered who the driver was.


    "Do you know why I didn''t allow you to drive back personally? That''s why." Belinda slowly drove past the ident. Some people parked their cars and watched what caused the road-block. Belinda wasn''t interested in it.


    "Do you care about me?" Duke stared at Belinda. She was very beautiful but acted like a man. That was the reason why others easily ignored her despite her charm. He was enchanted with how attentive she drove. "You''re my husband. I do care about you." Belinda pursed her lips. She wasn''t ustomed to voicing out her thoughts.


    "Well, just because I am your husband." Duke heaved a sigh. In his opinion, Belinda didn''t love him and just cared about him because he was her husband. He was d about Belinda''s care but it was her love that he wanted more. "So? What else can it be?" Stubborn as she was, Belinda didn''t realize that she had hurt Duke. She really couldn''t find a reason to convince herself that she had fallen in love with Duke. Things were just tooplicated between them.


    "Forget what I said." Duke closed his eyes sadly. He wasn''t sure that he loved Belinda and he didn''t know how Belinda felt. Fortunately, Belinda was his legal wife. That was enough for him.


    Belinda nced at Duke and sensed his distress. ''Did what I said hurt him? But I didn''t mean that,'' she thought.


    Duke went straight to the bathroom after they got home. It was chilly in autumn but he took a cold bath to calm himself down. He muttered to himself, ''Whoever falls in love first is doomed to be injured in this love game, right? Why do I even have to care so much about what Belinda said? Why do I feel heartbroken? Is it because I have already fallen for her without me knowing it?"


    Belinda silently looked at the closed door of the bathroom. To be honest, she really didn''t understand Duke. Sometimes she saw affection in his eyes just to have her hopes shattered the next minute by his unintentional words. She could hardly guess whether he loved her. She wanted to love freely but didn''t dare. She was afraid to be hurt. She had already witnessed a lot of samples, thus, she dared not fall easily. She was very clear about her personality. There would be no letting go once she loved someone. That was what scared her. Daisy was lucky to be married to the man she loved. Even more, because their rtionship was happy. Belinda knew that she didn''t have such luck, thus, she didn''t have the courage to ce a bet on it. Though Duke''s charm never failed to attract her, she would not let herself fall for him. The feeling drove her mad, but she could do nothing about it.


    She also knew that she couldn''t ignore her feelings but her pride and self-esteem wouldn''t allow herself to beg for love. She had always been an arrogant princess and she wouldn''t stoop down just to tell Duke that she loved him. She felt that she couldn''t keep a tight lid on her feelings anymore but she refused to take the initiative unless she had to. She really didn''t want to think about the future at that point.


    "What are you thinking about?" Duke came out, with only a bath towel around his waist. The water that dripped to his well-toned body had Belinda fascinated.


    "Nothing. Have you finished? Would you like a ss of honey water?" Belinda quickly averted her gaze. She had to admit that Duke was such a handsome man, who had the power to make her heart skip a beat.


    "No, thanks. Let me help you apply medicine." Belinda couldn''t apply medicine to some scars she couldn''t reach when Duke wasn''t home. Duke moved to pick the medicine bottle.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "I am not in a hurry. Dry your hair and dress first." Belinda looked at his dripping hair with worry. It was chilly in autumn. Duke might catch a cold.


    "Are you shy?" Duke smiled yfully before he reached for another towel to dry his hair. It was easy to fix his short hair, unlike Belinda who had to use a hair dryer to dry her long hair.


    "Not at all. I have seen your naked body before." Belinda rolled her eyes. Her face reddened but she still showed a tough streak.


    "Oh? Really? You must know my body well." At his words, Duke untied the bath towel around his waist and smiled evilly. Belinda screamed and quickly covered her eyes with her hands as he expected.


    "Bad man!" Belinda turned around and didn''t dare to face him.


    "Didn''t you say that you knew my body well? Well, just to this extent?" Duke went to the wardrobe to look for pajamas. If only Belinda could open her eyes, she would see that he was wearing a pair of briefs. He wasn''t as naked as she thought. "I''m not as cheeky as you are," Belinda whispered, "I''m not a lustful woman! I don''t like to stare at your lower body! Only peeping Toms will do such a shameless thing. I don''t have that perverted hobby."

 Chapter 763 Funny Anecdotes (Part One)

    "Thanks for your praise. In fact, being shameless also takes courage." Duke walked towards the bed in a carefree manner, wearing a cunning smile. The Duke who was usually cold appeared very gentle in front of Belinda. "You are good at finding excuses for your lewdness." Belinda turned around with the thought that he had already dressed.


    "Women don''t like men who are not bad. Isn''t that true? I''m just doing my best to cater to the needs and preference of women." Although Duke was not a slick talker, that didn''t mean he didn''t know how to talk to please women at all. He might not be as eloquent as Edward, but having stayed with him for so many years made him learn some of his skills.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    "An excuse to cover up your obscenity, huh? Who says that all women like bad men?"


    Belinda never lost over verbal arguments except if the opponent was the sissy man, Rain.


    "Are you saying that you like good men just like me?" Duke suddenly let out a warm and heartfeltugh. It was something unusual for him as he was known to be a cold man.


    "You are a narcissist." Belinda narrowed her eyes and looked at him mockingly. She gave him a quick once-over and realized that he indeed had the looks to be narcissistic. She pouted about that fact. She wasn''t aware of how her expression made her looks even more beautiful to Duke that it made him lose his control. He lit up the fire in instant. One swift move from him and she was already in his arms. Then passionate kisses followed.


    Duke''s kisses were more like his personality, as they were like cold breezes that caressed her heart. She trembled with her eyes wide open in his arms. She gazed at his handsome face, slowly closed her eyes and kissed him back.


    Duke was overjoyed for her reaction. He kissed her with more tenderness, tasting her and carefully tracing her lips with his. He wanted to make herpletely lose for him. He wanted her heart to only beat for him.


    Belinda unwittingly wrapped her arms around his neck. There was no use denying that this man was special to her. He could ignite her. And since she couldn''t drive him away from her heart, she had decided to indulge herself to something amorous this time.


    It wasn''t that easy to love someone. On contrary, it was hard to the extent that one could forget how to make proper choices. Although you clearly knew that you were attracted by him or her, you still appeared like you had no feelings for him or her. Showing off that love was even harder. Was it themon trend in the current society? Was hypocrisy the new ck that even expressing love had be a luxury among all?


    The passion had heightened between Duke and Belinda, and kisses were not enough to feed their hunger anymore. It was like love was holding a trigger and one move from its finger would make everything lose control.


    "Can I?" Duke was slightly panting when he whispered in her ear. Noticeable veins were pulsing on his forehead as he tried to hold on to thest string of his control. He was holding her body against him firmly as it felt like his sexual needs for her would kill him painfully any moment.


    "What?" Belinda was still lost as she looked at him bewildered. She wouldn''t expect that her puzzled look appeared all the more attractive to him. His kisses were more eagerpared to his loving touches seconds ago. He had doubts about moving further because he recalled that she had her period several days ago. The idea was such a whammy as he was barely making it through his need for her anymore. Well anyway, forgot it. She was too beautiful. He was going to get her. He should and he would.


    It was not until Belinda felt something cold caressing her body that she regained her senses. How could she not understand what he was asking for! She replied to him with more passionate kisses.


    Being harassed by a drunkard several nights ago had her troubled with disgrace. She wanted to turn the table this time. She wanted to be loved. She should feel it or otherwise, she would stay believing that she was dirty. It was only when she was with Duke, she felt she was needed.


    Duke was surprised by her passion. The only time he remembered her reacting like this to his caresses was when she was drunk. She didn''t drink any alcohol today. Could this mean that she had already fallen deeply in love with him too?


    Duke was being careful as he was considering the wounds on her body. The air was dense with the passion that was burning between the two. Duke used his tenderness to capture Belinda''s heart while Belinda was going all out to get him, her true love. Only people without anyone to love would say that the night was endless. But it appeared too short for the couple. They couldn''t get enough of passionately making love to each other. Both of them filled with lust and desire, hoping for the time to stop right there and then. Belinda had already fallen asleep deep at night. Duke, on the other hand, stood at the terrace in silence with a cigarette on his hand. He wasn''t a usual smoker but tonight was different. He needed it.


    He couldn''t deny that he was the unromantic type but he didn''t think that he was incapable of loving someone either. Belinda''s feelings were a puzzle he found hard to decipher. Her actions were confusing. He always had the feeling that she was distant to him, probably not by literal space but emotionally.


    He nipped his cigarette to the ashtray then walked back to the room. He paused beside the bed and gazed at his beautiful wife''s face. She was perfect even in her sleep. A sudden ache cruised through his chest. "Belinda, if I promise to take care of you and give you a happy life, will you reply with a smile and give me all your love?"


    Duke gently crept onto the bed and carefully wrapped her body with his arms. Belinda stirred and frowned. She unwittingly moved to find herfort in his embrace then fell asleep again. Her movements were just like those of a kitty and they almost made himugh. He buried his face in the crook of her neck and slowly closed his eyes. The sound of her steady breathing was his luby. Whether she loved him or not didn''t matter to him at that moment. He would be satisfied just to sleep next to her every night.


    Belinda woke up inside Duke''s warm arms the next day. She sluggishly moved her sore body as her gaze fell on his handsome face. He was still sound asleep. She reached out to gently caress his eyebrows but the thought that she might wake him up made her quickly pull her hand away.


    "You woke up." Duke opened his eyes but ended up squinting when the bright light flooded his sight. He looked at Belinda who was curled up in his arms.


    "Yes. I have to go to thepany today so I must get up early." The two-day break she took was over and it was time for her to focus on work. She had to go back or else she would go crazily busy as their wedding day wasing.


    "Don''t you need to take a few more days off?" Dukezily said with one hand holding her waist and the other supporting him against the bed. He looked a little tired.


    "The wounds are almost fine. There is a lot of work in thepany waiting for me to deal with. I am afraid that it might affect our wedding if I don''t fix it now." Belinda took his hand off her and sat up. She smoothed her messy hair and then got out of the bed. "Don''t worry, you have me. You can take the work home if it''s too much. I''ll do it for you." Dukey down on the bed and gazed at the ceiling with his misty eyes. He was notpletely awake yet.


    "Really? You mean I can take the files which need data processing home and you''ll help me?" Belinda was not a science geek when she was still in school so it always took her more time reviewing data files than the normal files. Duke''s offer was heaven sent! "Oh, no! I didn''t really mean that. You can''t take it seriously." Duke pursed his lips, thinking what on earth he had just put himself unintentionally into.


    "Of course yes. You said it. I will pick out those data files during the day and take them home for you to review after I get off work." Belinda walked towards the washing room without giving Duke a chance to refuse. He was dumbfounded when he found that Belinda already disappeared from his sight. He never expected her to take his words seriously.

 Chapter 764 Funny Anecdotes (Part Two)

    He heaved a heavy sigh and jumped out of the bed. He must go to work early and finish his stuff beforeing home. He had to do extra works tonight. Thanks a lot to his beautiful wife for depriving him of some rest time. Now his free time didn''t belong to him but to YS Group.


    A yellow Porsche quickly followed a ck Spyker as it drove through Leng Group''s parking lot. It didn''t even slow down. Obviously, whoever the driver was, he or she got a swollen head.


    Duke frowned. He was already prepared to open the door and get out. But when he spotted the fast luxury car approaching, he paused and waited for the car to pass. He gazed at the shining Porsche while wondering who would be so bold and unstoppable as to race and ignore hispany''s parking lot rules.


    Rachel skillfully parked her car in ce, shook her wavy hair and then pushed the door open to get off her car. She was surprised to see Duke leaning against his car. She gave him a graceful smile before walking towards him with her hips in elegant swings. The beige tights she wore today brought out her best and made her look very sexy. She was nothing but a breathtaking stunner.


    ''Why it was her?.'' Duke''s face darkened at the sight of Rachel. Recognizing that it was Rachel, he bent down to get his briefcase from his car. He had given up the thought to teach the driver a lesson. He locked the door, ready to leave. He didn''t want any trouble. It was easy to convince Belinda to trust him but that didn''t necessarily mean that he would want more connection with Rachel. She was inly out of his interest. but that didn''t mean that Rachel also thought in the same way


    "Good morning, Duke!" Rachel quickened her pace upon seeing Duke about to leave. Her high heels made loud tapping sounds against the floor with her every step.


    "Good morning, Miss Qin." Duke was left with no choice but to turn around and greet back. Nevertheless, he continued to walk towards the elevator.


    "Huh! What happened to you, Duke? Did you really just call me Miss Qin? We are so familiar to each other, it should be Rachel." Rachel couldn''t help butugh as she jogged to follow him.


    "There is nothing inappropriate about me calling you Miss Qin while within thispany. Let me remind you of how you should be addressing me when we are here since you brought this topic up." Duke wasn''t putting on airs before her. He just didn''t want others to misunderstand their rtionship. Moreover, their story was history. Such intimate appetion was inappropriate between them, especially in public.


    "I... I will keep that in mind, but Duke..." Rachel''s voice trailed off when Duke shot a cold re at her even before she finished her words. ''What happened to him? Weren''t we good with each otherst night? Did he and his wife have a fight yesterday?'' She wondered. ''Well, that would make sense if that''s really the case.''


    "I don''t want my employees to mix work with any private feelings in thepany. I hope you can keep that in mind. You may get to your work now." Duke entered the elevator specially reserved for him and left without even looking back. He was cold to her as if nothing had happened between them in the past.


    ''Damn! His wife must have said something to him or else Duke wouldn''t suddenly mind how I call him, ''thought Rachel. ''Okay. Fine if you want to keep a distance from me. I will be ashamed of myself if I won''t do something to change your mind.'' A cunning smile rose on her face. If she didn''t mishear, her wife''s name was Belinda. She would soon get more information about his wife, like herst name, or where she worked. She was determined to make Belinda lose her job with her n.


    "Good morning, Mr. Leng!" Janice approached Duke with her prying eyes as soon as he reached the top floor. She was excited to know if their CEO had a great timest night.


    "Morning! Why are you looking at me like that?" With Janice gazing at him with a yful smile, Duke lowered his head and checked if there was anything wrong with his clothes. Nothing was wrong with his business suit. So what did that look on her face mean? "Share something with me." Janice looked at Duke with a mysterious grin. She assumed that there must be some breaking news that she could dig out from him.


    "What do you want me to share on such an early morning?" Duke nced coldly at her. Then he pushed the door of his office open and walked in. He released the swing door from his hand like he usually did thenpletely ignored Janice who was following him. Janice, on the other hand, was already used to his habits and reached out to stop the door from closing. She had no choice but to bear this. It was unfortunate for her to have such a ruthless boss who didn''t know how to show care for his female subordinates. Often, her only choice was to be extra careful to avoid getting hurt.


    "It is absolutely about yesterday''s party. Do you have any funny anecdotes to share with me, Mr. Leng?"


    There was a saying went, "like father, like son." But it was different on Duke and Janice''s case. Their case was ''like boss, like assistant''. Janice had begun to like prying into other people''s affair and get gossips under her Boss'' influence.


    "What do you think? I''ll give you a reward if you could guess what funny things happened." Duke took his coat off and casually hung it on the back of his chair. He undid the buttons on his cuffs, rolled up the sleeves then sat down.


    "But I didn''t go there yesterday. It''s impossible for me to know if any funny thing happened. You obviously don''t want to tell me." Janice was already used to Duke''s personality as she had been working with him for many years. She knew that his cold appearance was just a facade and he was a soft-hearted gentleman inside.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Why don''t you go back to work since you already know that I don''t want to tell you? Do you want me to deduct your sry for cking?" Duke said seriously with a t face. He knew that his angry look would not intimidate Janice because she knew him so well.


    "Huh! Why are you always using my sry to threaten me? Can''t you think of another trick to scare me next time?" Janice bbered and walked out of his office. She didn''t get any news from him and almost lost part of her sry. She didn''t feel worried though. The staff in the sales department would post everything that happened on thepany''s website anyway. She could just browse and get every detail of the party on the inte.


    Duke felt that he could finally enjoy silence after Janice left. He didn''t expect for the ''sry deduction trick'' to still work on her after so many years. She obviously valued her money even if he was already giving her a high sry. Her sry might be lower than that of Aaron but it was still twice morepared with otherpanies.


    Rachel received a lot of ttery from her female colleagues as soon as she entered the sales department. Everybody took her as the CEO''s new girlfriend after the party. They had assumed that their CEO and YS Group''s CEO already broke up as they hadn''t seen thetter visit that ce anymore. Was it the purpose as to why Mr. Leng arranged Rachel to work in thepany? Well, it could be that he didn''t want to attract a lot of attention, thus he made her start from such a low position. Many top executives failed to have the CEO join their parties before. Therefore, there must be a reason as to how amon employee did it so easily yesterday. With that in mind, most employees thought that their prediction was highly possible. It made them eager to y up to Rachel. Perhaps, she could be their CEO''s wife someday.


    "Miss Qin, did you and Mr. Leng know each other before?" A woman who sat next to Rachel asked tentatively. She looked sure as if she already knew the answer because Rachel was very beautiful, not to mention, she was very sexy as well.


    "Yes, we knew each other when we were at school." Rachel smiled gracefully. Her delicate makeup that matched perfectly with her dress made her look stunningly gorgeous. No one would think that she was already on her thirties as she looked a lot younger. Yes, she was like she was a sweet twenty.0000

 Chapter 765 Daily Headlines (Part One)

    wife, which made Rachel feel quite smug about the whole affair.


    "Oh! So Rachel and Mr. Leng grew up together. They are youth sweethearts!" The employees exchanged simr expressions of dawningprehension. They turned to look at Rachel admiringly. For a while, all of them thought Rachel was the best prospect for Mr. Leng''s "Yeah! You can say that." Rachel''s lips curled upward into a big smile. Anyone could see how happy she was. They wondered at how God had favored her as it gave her exquisite features and an enchanting figure.


    "So, are you Mr. Leng''s girlfriend?" one of the employees asked. Gossip was always hot among women when they gathered together. For a moment, the entire office was buzzing. They waited with bated breaths for Rachel''s answer.


    "Why? Do you think so?" Rachel did not answer directly, but posed another question at them. The fact that she hadn''t denied the spection added fuel to the fire. The women grew more curious.


    "Surely you are! Otherwise why would Mr. Leng treat you so differently?" came the answer.


    "Yes! You call him by his first name, and with familiarity. We can see you are close to him," called out another voice in the audience.


    "Isn''t that so? Mr. Leng has never been like that with any other colleague before," someone agreed.


    The staff continued to gossip among each other. The rumor had spread like wildfire in thepany. For a while, thepany''s grapevine had been rife with spection that the new group leader of the Sales Department, Rachel, was Mr. Leng''s girlfriend. Everyone was beginning to believe it. So when Janice saw the gossip on thepany''s website, she was so stunned that her mouth dropped open. Without thinking further for a moment longer, she straightaway rushed to the President''s office.


    "Mr. Leng, you''re in serious trouble. Something has happened." Janice was usually known to keep calm. But today, she burst into the CEO''s office without even knocking on the door. Her sudden arrival disturbed Duke, who was hardly fond of interruptions. Duke red at her. His expression warned her that she''d better have something useful to say, otherwise she''d be done for!


    "It is you who are in trouble! What in the world happened? Why are you in such a hurry? Do you have any etiquette or not?" Duke fumed, giving her a disdainful look. He continued working on his documents.


    "I am not joking! It is an emergency. I don''t care about manners under a crisis situation! You''d better log in to thepany''s website page right now and see the posts!" Janice eximed. ''Hmph. Let''s see if you can continue to be calm after reading that post. You will regret shouting at me when you see it!'' Janice thought gloatingly.


    "Is there something wrong with thepany website? Have any hackers invaded it? If so, you should go and talk to the Tech Department, not me! Why did youe here?" Duke spared her no attention as he handled the documents. He was quite confident of thepany''s firewall system and doubted there was anything wrong with the web tform. He hardly had the time or energy to deal with this drama.


    "No! It''s about you. You''d better see it quickly! I am serious. There would definitely be serious consequences otherwise," Janice said. If the gossip stayed inside thepany, it would not cause many problems. However, Janice was afraid that the moment the rumor spread to the public outside, Mr. Leng would be in huge trouble. After all, he was about to marry Belinda Shangguan in a few days. If his bride-to-be saw the post, she would misunderstand him big time. It could affect their uing nuptials. But Mr. Leng was also partly to me here! Why hadn''t he revealed the news of his marriage to his colleagues? Now everyone in thepany was taking wild guesses about his rtionship at his expense.


    "It''s about me? What''s the problem?" Finally, Duke put down the pen in his hand to open hisputer. He logged into the home page of thepany website. However, he did not find anything unusual on the screen. He couldn''t help but raise his head and re at Janice. She was making trouble out of nothing!


    "It''s not on the homepage. Click on the daily headlines." Janice winced in fear as she prepared herself for his impending outburst.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    Duke rolled his eyes at Janice before looking at the screen again. ''Of course, something strange had to happen. Otherwise she wouldn''t get her bonus this month, ''Duke thought indignantly. Everyone thought that Edward was vindictive. But Duke was definitely not inferior to him in that respect.


    "What on earth! Who wrote thesements? Who posted this on the website?" Just as Janice had expected, Duke roared upon seeing the post. He gawked at the hot discussions under the post.


    "How would I know? As soon as I saw it, I rushed here to tell you. I also wanted to ask if this post is authorized. Was it you who asked someone to post this on the website?" Janice asked. She truly wondered if it was a possibility that Duke was the one behind this. This had been posted right after he hade back fromst night''s dinner party. Rachel had attended it too. If Janice connected the dots, it would seem that something special had happenedst night.


    "What! Do you think I''m out of my mind? Why would I ask someone to do that? Janice, Hurry up, ask the staff at the Tech Department to delete this page immediately. Also, tell all employees in thepany they''re forbidden from leaking this out. Then ask Rachel toe and see me," Duke instructed. He was vexed. However, he was able to reign in his anger quickly. He was a sessful leader and CEO, and he was well-versed in sudden emergencies. He knew how to calm himself down and issuemands for subsequent damage control.


    "Yes, I will do that at once. But... Mr. Leng, is Rachel really your youth sweetheart?" Janice asked. As the saying goes, "Curiosity Kills the Cat." Before leaving to execute the orders, Janice still intended to know how Mr. Leng defended himself. "Janice, your bonus for this month is gone." Duke gritted his teeth in anger, scaring Janice awfully as she stepped back. She didn''t dare to inquire more and dashed out of the office.


    Duke watched as she sprinted away, the corner of his mouth curling. His eyes pivoted back to theputer screen. As he browsed down thements one by one, he grew even more irritated. The blue veins on his forehead almost popped out.


    Onement went as, "Rachel is Mr. Leng''s secret lover and youth sweetheart!" Duke thought it wasughable! The people who wrote thesements were definitely in the Sales Department. They had such a rich and preposterous imagination! Why didn''t they im he had been living with Rachel for eight hundred years? That would have been more convincing.


    Hastily, Janice asked the technical guy to delete the post and other relevant ones. She also issued a notice to the staff ordering them not to leak the rumor out, otherwise they would have consequences to pay. Then she unhurriedly took a trip downstairs to the Sales Department.


    "Who is Rachel, please?" asked Janice. As the primary assistant to Mr. Leng, everyone in thepany knew Janice. As soon as they heard her query, they all looked toward Rachel.


    "It''s me. Are you looking for me?" Rachel looked at Janice with nervousness in her eyes. She knew Janice was Duke''s best assistant. She didn''t dare to overstep her.


    "Pleasee with me. Your job needs to be discussed." Janice managed to convince Rachel that she truly had something to discuss regarding her work. As she finished speaking, Janice turned around and left her standing. She had seen Rachel before in thepany, but Janice pretended not to have met her. She didn''t want the others to specte over this event and have something new to gossip about. Mr. Leng was in enough deep waters as it was.


    "Janice, what do you want to talk about?" Rachel followed Janice and asked her carefully. Right now she tolerated the arrogance of this woman in front of her. But once she became Duke''s wife, she would definitely fire her!


    "You''ll know soon enough," answered Janice. Honestly, Janice didn''t like this woman at all. She had always considered Rachel to be badly-behaved. However, she was also curious about whether or not Rachel had been really familiar with Mr. Leng since a long time ago. If so, why hadn''t she seen her all these years? Janice felt like this could be the plot of a novel. Rachel was Mr. Leng''s ex-girlfriend. When she got to know Mr. Leng was getting married, she was furious about it and came back to ruin the wedding deliberately. Could it be true?


    Rachel bit her lower lip, narrowing her eyes at the back of Janice''s head. It looked like that she wanted to drill a hole into her skull with her sharp eyes. However, while talking to Janice, Rachel had to be cautious to please her. She believed she had more important things to do. She couldn''t fail because of this insignificant assistant. So, she smiled and said, "May I ask what cosmetics you use? Your skin is so clear and soft."


    "Sorry, I seldom use cosmetics." Janice smiled breezily. She was neither pleased by her words nor was she irritated. But it became clear she wasn''t interested in making friends with Rachel.


    "Really? Then you''re such a natural beauty!" Although Rachel felt embarrassed at Janice''s reaction to her question, she feigned surprise and praised her.


    "Thank you for thepliment! You can go into the office now. Mr. Leng is waiting for you inside," Janice said, smiling politely as they reached Duke''s office. She stood at such a high position, so what had she not experienced? She wasn''t in the habit of paying attention to this kind ofpliments. In today''s society, if you took the praise seriously, you would fall.000?????????????

 Chapter 766 Daily Headlines (Part Two)

    "What? Didn''t you say you wanted to talk to me about my job? Why am I here now? What does Duke want?" Rachel was a little worried that Duke had seen the sensational trending post on thepany website. She had created it deliberately. She just wanted all her colleagues to assume she was really Duke''s girlfriend. She hadn''t expected the post would attract so much attention. But not long after it was published on the website, a flood ofments came up under it. Now Rachel was a little nervous. She was afraid that Duke would think she had asked someone to put the gossip on the website. She hadn''t expected he would figure out that it was her in such a short time.


    "But did I say you had to talk to me? Hurry up and get inside! Mr. Leng will get angry if he is kept waiting for long. Doesn''t matter who the person is, it''s a horrible sight when he gets vexed!" Janice informed her mockingly. She was not too familiar with Belinda, but she liked her forthright personality. And now, all of a sudden this woman was iming to be Mr. Leng''s girlfriend. It was quite uneptable!


    As Rachel gently knocked on the door, she thought about how she could deal with this situation. If Duke asked her about the post, how would she reply to him? If she was lucky, he might not have seen the post yet. She couldn''t show him she was afraid. "Come in." Duke clicked to close the website. The Tech Department was not bad. In a short time, they had managed to remove every trace of the rumor from the website. Apparently he needed to grant them a bonus. He was pretty satisfied with the efficiency. "Duke, did you call for me?" Rachel raised her hand and patted her curly hair. She smiled charmingly and walked toward Duke, her hips swaying.


    "I want to know why such a post was sent out on thepany website." Duke did not ask her to sit down. He leaned back against the chair. He zeroed in on her, and was interested in her answer.


    "Website? Post? What are you talking about? I don''t know about that!" Rachel tilted her head, pretending to have no idea about what he said. As long as she insisted that sending out the post had nothing to do with her, what ever could he do with her? Although she had misled the employees, it wasn''t her intention to let the rumor spread like wildfire. And so what if he was thepany President, he could not impose these charges on her!Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Rachel, it''s not like you to continue to pretend. I don''t believe you know nothing about the gossip on thepany website." Duke''s face had turned cold. His whole body seemed to turn into ice. What was the most irritating was that someone used him to publicize themselves. For this very reason, he never did media interviews. He didn''t want his private life to be the headline of thepany''s grapevine! How could he not get angry about this?


    "Duke, the more you say, the more confused I get. I don''t know what you are talking about! Janice just said she wanted to talk to me about my job. She didn''t say anything to me about the post on the website." Although Rachel''s heart was a little uneasy, she kept calm and tried to persuade him that she didn''t know what he was talking about.


    "Well, let me put it another way. Did you tell others I have known you since young?" Duke''s eyebrows snapped together. Justst night, he had begun to think she had straightened herself out and would not persecute him anymore. He had begun to not dislike her as much as he used to. But he had not imagined that in this short time, she could put out such a rumor. What was her purpose in doing that?


    "Do you want me to lie?" Rachel circled her arms around her chest and blinked her big, watery eyes, looking at him innocently.


    "No, so tell me why you call yourself my secret lover." Duke gnashed his teeth together. He ignored her fetching figure that she was deliberately trying to show off. His face showed impatience.


    "I never said I am your secret lover. Before you use me of anything, don''t you think you ought to have evidence? Or am I such a horrible woman in your eyes?" Rachel shook her head, pretending to be utterly disappointed. Her eyes grew misty.


    "Even if you didn''t say that personally, you haven''t denied it either, have you?" Duke frowned. He was unmoved by her fake innocence. When he had been younger, he might have felt pity seeing her deplorable expressions. But now, he did not have any feelings toward her. On the contrary, he was getting awfully weary of her.


    "How do you know I haven''t denied them? Besides, this is the age of free speech, I can''t ask them to keep their mouths shut," Rachel sobbed. Although she was only pretended to be innocent, she truly felt sad. She had not thought that Duke would use such words to question her. He never shouted at her or scolded her before. But since they met again, every time he saw her he had been cold to her. She could always see the dismissive expression on his face. It hurt her pride.


    "If you hadn''t given them the wrong idea, how could they have written those ridiculousments?" Duke looked at her bitterly. When he loved a woman, he was willing to spoil her all the time. But when he did not love a woman, his attitude became frosty. He never gave her any hope.


    "Ha ha! When you are out to condemn somebody, you are always willing to trump up a charge. If you want to insist I said that, I can admit to my fault. But are thosements really of such importance to you?" Rachel inhaled. Her voice trembled. She was on the verge of tears. Anybody would be moved by her appearance. However, Duke''s heart was cold. He was unbothered.


    "Yes, they are important. I don''t want my wife to know about them. It would cause unnecessary misunderstandings between us," Duke said with a straight face. He was so good to Rachel before she left him. But now, he was so tired of her. He did not want to ponder on whose fault it had been between them. It could only be said that both of them had met the wrong person at the right time.


    "It''s her again. Do you really love her so much?" Rachel shook her head. Sincest night, he had been emphasizing how important the woman was to him, not knowing how much it upset her to hear that.


    "I do not need to tell you. It is none of your business. If you still want to work in thepany, I hope you can supervise your behavior. Otherwise, I will have to fire you even if I had feelings for you once." Belinda had asked him not to fire Rachel. Otherwise, Duke would have let Rachel go a long time ago. He had known she could create trouble for him at any given point of time.


    "Hmm! ''Feelings for me''? So you still remember that we liked each other before! I was beginning to think it was my own wishful thinking!" It was not that Rachel was unwilling to ept the reality. But she was used to a rich person''s lifestyle all these years. No matter what, she would strive to be Duke''s wife even if he was about to be wedded to another woman. She knew it was not an easy thing to do. But she would still fight for it.


    "You can think whatever you want. I''m just warning you. If you have nothing more to say, get out of here." Duke suddenly regretted calling her in his office. He not only failed to solve the problem, but also grew even more furious. How did he forget how cunning this woman was?


    "Duke Leng, I hate you! The reason I am forced to take this drastic step is you! No matter how much you try to escape me, you cannot erase what has existed between us in the past." Rachel raised her hand and slightly wiped at her eyes. She turned to leave the room, fuming and shutting the door with a loud bang. The thundering sound reverberated in Duke''s office.


    ''She hates me? Well! I have never expected her to love me anyway. It is better for her to hate me. Then things would be much easier, '' Duke thought.


    Rachel straightaway went to the washroom after making herself scarce from Duke''s office. She switched on the lights and washed her face. After seeing Duke''s reaction to the post, she knew it was impossible for her to get along with him as a friend. Now she must change the n. She could not directly do anything to Duke, so she must find Belinda. If Belinda really loved Duke, she would know which of them was more suitable for him.


    Grabbing the towel, she wiped the water on her face. Watching the lovely but pale face in the mirror, she secretly encouraged herself, "Rachel Qin, this is nothing serious. You have a setback for a while. So what? You would get more opportunities in the future." Taking a deep breath, she tried to calm herself down. She gently patted her face and pulled her short skirt to arrange it. She nced at her rosy, beautifulplexion again and walked out of thedies room with utmost confidence. She was once again in high spirits. Nobody could make out any troubles from her face.

 Chapter 767 The Fragrance (Part One)

    Though Hero never woke up, he was finally past the crisis point. So Tom transferred him to his own hospital, Renxin Hospital. It was easier for him to treat Hero this way.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    And Daisy just got the news about Hero this morning. She was truly grateful and touched, because Edward had done all this for her, he took her feelings into ount.


    "Honey, thank you so much!" There were tears in Daisy''s eyes when she said this. The city hospital had done all they could do, but they still couldn''t pull him through this. There was little hope of recovery. Once Tom started treating him, Hero might yet live. "I know you so well." Edward''s eyes were full of affection and love for Daisy, he stared at her lovingly. However, he was still a little bit jealous, but he could surely understand what Daisy was feeling now. He knew that she was conflicted by Hero''s sacrifice and touched by Edward''s deeds.


    "I know, and that''s why I''m so grateful." Daisy''s eyes locked with Edward''s, she didn''t give a damn that they were in the crowded hospital. There were people everywhere, and her olive green uniform was so eye-catching. All she could see and think about was the man standing in front of her, and she ignored everyone else around them. It seemed that Edward''s carefree nature had rubbed off on her.


    "Then how are you going to reward me?" Edward had a yful smirk on his face. He could never change who he was, and the glint in his eyes was meaningful.


    "Reward you? I have the perfect idea. Tonight, when we get home, I will let you run about twentyps around the garden!" Daisy replied, with a smug grin on her face. She really couldn''t stand him sometimes. Could he get his mind out of the gutter, even just for a short moment? He could tease her all he wanted when they were home, but he was being extremely shameless right now. After all, they were in a public ce.


    "Well, I guess that won''t be necessary. I''m not interested in running." Edward instantly lost the enthusiasm to tease her, because the thing he disliked the most was running. He preferred anaerobic exercises.


    "I still can''t understand why you hate running so much. You see the soldiers at our army base, every one of them has a strong and handsome body. You should run more." Daisy rolled her eyes at him. She didn''t agree with him on this at all.


    "Are you sure each one has a strong body? Then why did I see a soldier who was quite chubbyst time I visited?" Edward snorted. It looked like Daisy exaggerated a bit. He wondered what Daisy would say next.


    "Well...about that... That''s an exception. You can pretend you never saw him." Daisy clenched her hand into a fist and covered her mouth, coughed, feeling a bit embarrassed about her words. Usually, the canteen staff had much less time to be properly trained, and the man that Edward sawst time was a newbie, so it was reasonable that he was a little overweight. That was quite normal with the canteen staff. Now that Edward had made a note of it, Daisy thought that maybe it was time to add some specific exercises for the canteen


    staff after all.


    "Uh-huh! So I''m right. Not everyone in the army has a fit body. So quit trying to make me want to run. That won''t happen." Edward sat down on the bench outside the operating room, waiting for the good news about Hero''s second operation.


    "I told you, he is the exception! You can''t possibly think that all the soldiers in the army base are overweight." Daisy turned her head and nced at the door of the operating room. Thinking about what Tom said earlier, she couldn''t help but feel worried, because nobody could predict how this second operation would turn out. Even Tom didn''t know, and he was the surgeon. They had two choices facing them. One was taking a huge risk, potentially saving Hero''s life and allowing him a chance to recover; the other was keeping him in aa where he would never wake up, and possibly get worse. Daisy had weighed the two options a lot. And she thought that Hero would never go for just lying in bed and waiting for death -- he was such a proud man. So she made the decision for him, and signed her name on the consent forms. The operation would proceed.


    "Well, I only believe what I see." Edward knew that she was very nervous about Hero''s operation, so he intentionally started teasing her, hoping that she could at least rx a bit. If life went back to normal, then she''d feel better.


    "Huh. I didn''t expect you to be this narrow-minded and short-sighted at all." Daisy knew, when arguing with Edward, you should be extremely careful, or he would certainly get the upper hand. So she briefly forgot about Hero''s operation all of a sudden, which meant that Edward had sessfully distracted her. ''Bingo!'' Edward thought.


    "Exactly! That''s why I''m so into you!" Sometimes, Edward just couldn''t help himself. He just wanted so badly to tease Daisy and make her mad, then once she was angry at him, he would say something sweet to make her happy again. He found it cute when Daisy took things way too seriously when they were joking around.


    "So...you''re telling me that, you think falling in love with me was a bad decision, right?" Daisy squinted her eyes, staring dangerously at Edward. It was clear in her eyes that if Edward dared to say yes to this question, then he''d be dead.


    "I didn''t say that! Stop putting words into my mouth, will you?" Edward''s hand was turning the ring on his finger, and he looked so defiant, it seemed that he wanted to anger her more. He relished the dangerous look in her eyes, andughed inside.


    "I''m merely saying what you really wanted to say anyway. Truth be told, That''s exactly what you are thinking, right?" The longer they were together, the more she appeared to be a little woman in front of him. She would act pouty when they were together from time to time, and she clearly knew more about what he was thinking. She would act dumber and more sensitive than she actually was.


    "Who says that? If that''s how good you are at reading minds, don''t go into business as a psychic." Edward could never fully discover Daisy''s beauty, nor could he get enough of it. Every time he saw Daisy, he would discover something different about her that made her so beautiful. She was full of good surprises. Whether she was wearing her uniform, or some luxury gown, or even just some casual clothes, she was always beautiful in his eyes. And different outfits showed her different sides, which had nothing to do with the way she looked, but something else that was inherent.


    "You''re deflecting the question. That''s interesting. Because I think that I just said the truth, that''s all." Daisy snickered, unfazed by his words. But then, she turned her eyes and nced at the door of the operating room. It had been at least two hours, why weren''t they out yet? Why was it taking so long? Why wasn''t it over yet? Did anything bad happen while Tom was poking around? Daisy was no doctor. She couldn''t have known that most surgeriessted anywhere from 2 to 6 hours, so she could be waiting there for quite a time. "Honey, don''t be so serious! You really should let yourself rx more sometimes, or you will easily get riled up. Silly girl." Edward pulled her close to him, and made her sit down beside him. He then affectionately pinched her nose, eyes full of affection and love for his little woman.000000?????????

 Chapter 768 The Fragrance (Part Two)

    As a woman, whether you were sessful or not didn''t depend on your status or your methods of achieving goals, but whether there was a man who loved you to death, who would do anything for you without hesitation and consistently show his love for you. "Now you''re being mean! You did it intentionally!" Daisy puckered her lips, and intively rolled her eyes at him. Edward really liked this side of her, it seemed that she had let all her guard down in front of him, and she was content to be the little woman she was in his eyes.


    "Can you me me? You are so easy and so fun to tease. I just can''t help myself! Well, you are a colonel, you should easily see through my tricks. But instead, you fall for it every time. My silly girl." Her hand was in his, their fingers intertwined. He lightly caressed the skin of her finger with the pad of his thumb. Suddenly, he couldn''t help but wonder, if he had not met this woman beside him in this life, would he have fallen for another woman like he did now?


    Time passed slowly in silence. When the lights in the operating room were finally out, it was already an hourter. But fortunately, Daisy was with Edward, someone she deeply loved, so the long wait was more bearable than she expected.


    "Tom! You''re finally done! How did it go?" Daisy asked, once she saw Tom emerge from the OR. She sounded excited, and slightly agitated.


    "The operation was quite sessful. But now, he''s on his own now. It all depends on whether he can recover or not. We need to give him time to heal." Tom felt pretty tired after the operation. During the entire surgery he found out that Hero''s condition was not as good as he had expected. Fortunately, he had prepared for the worst, so all in all, this operation was quite sessful.


    "Thank you so much, Tom. Every time we run into some problems, you are always here to help us. I''m really thankful. I don''t know how I can even repay you." Daisy truly admired and respected Tom. She was very impressed with Tom''s magical hands, which could treat every patient with kindness and save their lives on a daily basis. And not to mention that Tom was willing to help them whenever they needed it. She knew that it wasn''t just because Edward was his boss, but Tom himself was kind and willing to help anyone who was in need.


    "Daisy, don''t ever say that! That''s what I should do. Besides, if you continue thanking me so effusively, somebody will start getting jealous, you know." Tom turned his head to Edward, and eyed him carefully. As he expected, his boss was looking at him knowingly, with a yful smirk at the corner of his mouth.


    "Ummm... What do you mean?" Daisy just looked at him with confused eyes. She was just saying that she was quite grateful for him. Why would someone be mad about it? And who was he referring to?


    "Honey, don''t mind him. You know he is so weird sometimes. I guess that geniuses are quite different from us ordinary people. That''s all." Edward smiled a wicked smile. It seemed that Tom knew his boss''s temper very well. Or he surely would pay for his words just now. The corner of Tom''s mouth twitched. Who was the one being weird right now? But unfortunately, he didn''t dare to say it out loud in front of his boss. So he just agreed. "Well, yes! Daisy, you know me! I just have to act weird from time to time. It''s who I am. So don''t mind me."


    What could he possibly say? Edward was his boss, and also dominating as fuck. Well, it seemed that the only thing he could do was shut up now. He was in fact not weird at all, but in front of his boss, he couldn''t say anything about it. So he just agreed with everything Edward said and got it over with. Oh, he was such a coward sometimes. But it was better than a ck eye and stolen meds. What could he do? He was not the boss after all.


    "But..." Daisy frowned, and she had a feeling that something was not right, but she couldn''t exactly tell what was wrong. So she could only helplessly look at Edward, hoping he would say something. But what she didn''t know was that this was all because of the enticing man standing in front of him.


    "No buts. Tom just finished up in surgery. He must be really tired. I really think we should let him go." Edward pulled Daisy beside him, then lightly patted her back, silentlyforting her.


    "The patient will stay in ICU for a while. So you can go home now if you want! I''ll tell you if anything happens. No need to stay here and wait." Tom wiped the sweat on his forehead. He was really tired. The operation was tricky. And he thought that they really didn''t need to stay here any longer. It wouldn''t help Hero''s situation. They could all use some time to rx.


    "Okay, well, it''s lunchtime. Why don''t we go out and grab a bite to eat? I can use some food right now. My treat!" Edward nced at his wristwatch, checking the time. It was almost twelve o''clock, and just the time for lunch.


    "Well, you two have fun! I guess I''d better stay here. With Hero in the ICU, you never know what could happen." In fact, Tom would like to go with them, but as a doctor, he had to be responsible for his patients after all.


    "Then okay! We''re going now. You take care of yourself and Hero, okay? And if anything happens, just call me. Thank you, Tom." Edward patted Tom''s shoulder, then left the hospital with Daisy. It was the first time that he waited outside the operating room for someone he didn''t really know. He wouldn''t even imagine that he would do this before, but for Daisy, he had done so many things that he didn''t think he would ever do for a woman. It must be true love. This little woman held a very important ce in his heart.


    "He''ll be okay now, right?" Daisy mumbled to herself. She didn''t know if it was a question or she was just trying tofort herself right now.


    "You''re still worried." Edward pressed his lips tightly together. Though deep in his heart, he knew clearly that Daisy was in love with him, he still felt kind of uncertain. Maybe it was because he cared for Daisy too much and couldn''t stand even the slightest chance that Daisy would fall for someone else.


    "Not really. It''s just that...I know him. That changes how I feel. So I can''t help but feel kind of sad for him." She bent over and climbed into the car. Her face was a little pale. Edward could tell that she really felt quite sad for Hero.


    "Don''t worry! Tom is looking after him right now. He''ll be fine." Edward lightly patted the back of her hand. To be honest, whether Hero died or lived had nothing to do with him, and it didn''t concern him at all. But once he saw the sad look on Daisy''s face, he hoped that Hero would survive. Because Daisy would definitely be sad if Hero died, and he couldn''t even stand the thought of Daisy being unhappy.


    "Yeah, you''re right. Let''s go now. I still have a meeting this afternoon in the city, so I also have to spend some time preparing the documents I''ll be usingter on." The corner of Daisy''s mouth twitched unpleasantly, and she deeply sighed, momentarily getting her mind off this thing. She''d neglected her work so she had to work double time trying to get everything done.


    "What kind of food do you feel like? Western or Chinese?" Edward started the car and stepped on the gas, slowly driving out of the parking lot of the hospital. Other cars were waiting behind him and a couple sped past him on the other side, headed to the expensive hospital.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Well, both sound good to me. But maybe something with a mild taste would be better. The weather these days is a bit dry, and my appetite isn''t as big nowadays." She didn''t know if she was bothered by Hero''s situation, or she was simply affected by the dry weather like she suggested. She didn''t feel very hungry these days, and had no interest in food.0000000

 Chapter 769 The Fragrance (Part Three)

    "Something light? Let me think...Ah, I know just the ce! Let me take you there." Edward''s smile was mysterious. He hadn''t been to The Fragrance for a very long time. Today was just the right time to have lunch there! "Where are we headed?" He sounded so excited, and it made Daisy be quite interested herself. Where was he taking her this time?


    "Well, you''ll know when we get there." Edward just smiled his secret smile, setting his GPS for the restaurant, offering few details to Daisy.


    "Huh. It seems that it must be a special restaurant. Or you wouldn''t be this smug right now." Daisy nced at him and saw the smugness he couldn''t bother to hide on his face. Well, for a grown man, he was quite childish sometimes. And she secretly loved this side of him.


    "Well, I can only tell you that I''m sure you will be satisfied." Edward was quite confident about this. Because he believed that she wouldn''t dislike something he liked. To be honest, he believed that they had simr tastes.


    "Uh-huh, I sure hope so. Or I''m going to tease you mercilessly." Daisy yfully smiled and teased him back. Now in front of Edward, she was more and more like the girl she was. But there was still a trace of aloofness she couldn''t get rid of. Thebination drove Edward mad with desire, and he fought hard to suppress his urges.


    He heard her, but Edward just smiled at her and didn''t say another word. Because he knew that this kind of thing would never happen to him. He was confident in himself.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    It wasn''t until they arrived at The Fragrance that Daisy realized why Edward would be so smug just now. She really liked the decor here, as it gave off a feeling of simplicity and elegance. It was definitely the kind of restaurant she would choose herself.


    "Ah, this restaurant looks really nice. I wonder how the food is here." Daisy''s face was full of expectation. Just looking at the pictures of the dishes on the menu was enough to make her feel hungry. She looked around the ce, her eyes settling on one specific spot. The koi swimming in the artificial pond was almost hypnotic.


    "I''m sure that you won''t be disappointed at all. Don''t you see that there are no empty seats in the lobby?" Edward''s tone was proud, because he was really quite satisfied with his word. He had put a lot of effort into running this restaurant. After all, Leena was just a little free rider, and she had lost her interest in running the restaurant quickly after the decorations were put in.


    "Yeah, you''re right. But howe we get a private room right when we get here since this ce is so popr? Not to mention that it''s lunch time right now." Then it dawned on her. "You know the owner!" Indeed he did, for he was the owner. The wait staff was particrly different when they entered the restaurant, so she couldn''t help but look at him confusedly.


    "Yeah, of course. You know, the room we''re in is reserved." Edward just secretly smiled again. He didn''t know if Leena was helping them run the restaurant or not, well, he couldn''t let that girl continue to be a free rider any more.


    "Ummm... But...why? You wouldn''t happen to book the room forever, right? If you didn''te here, then this beautiful suite would be wasted! You are really a profiteer who likes to use his power to do whatever he wants." Daisy really didn''t like this kind of people. They always did what they wanted regardless of others'' needs because they had a lot of money.


    "Well, honey, I found an interesting thing about you. You are extremely sensitive about anything having to do with money." Edward''s brow furrowed. He wouldn''t deny that he liked to use his money and power to make things easier for him, but everything he did was legal and fair. And he had worked hard to achieve his fortune and status today. So he didn''t think that he did anything wrong. What was his was his, fair and square.


    "Well, I can''t help it. I''m a colonel, not a business woman." Daisy raised one of her eyebrows smugly. She really didn''t like using power and money to do things. So it didn''t matter who was with her, she would treat them with the same attitude.


    "Huh, but I thought that you officials and we businessmen always stick together? That''s just the way it is." Edward intentionally said these words, trying to rile her up. He couldn''t be med, really. It was not his fault that she was so gorgeous and cute when she was mad. And he really loved it. He decided to keep goading her.


    "Pfft! Who the hell hangs out with you filthy businessmen? Don''t ruin my reputation, okay?" Daisy said these words, then red at him, eyes full of disdain.


    "Haha. Are you sure that you still have a reputation after marring me, a so-called filthy businessman?" Edward was so happy right now, bantering and flirting with the woman he loved so deeply. This was the life!


    "That''s why I''m so upset!" Daisy sighed helplessly after she said her piece. Her face showed that she clearly had trouble with this. It intrigued Edward all of a sudden. He wanted to tease her even more.


    "Well, if you''re really that upset, then I don''t know what to do about it. Fine. I guess I''m in the market for another woman, who truly likes me for who I am." The women he met before only liked him for his money, but Daisy was the exception. She had no interest in his money or status, and she didn''t care how much he earned and what he could do with his fortune. She justpletely ignored it, even despised it.


    "How dare you! If I ever see you with another woman I don''t know, I swear to God, I will handcuff her first, then castrate you." Daisy smirked coldly at Edward, looking fierce and intimidating. Who said that this woman was gentle and soft? Look at her right now, she was definitely a jealous, deadly lioness.


    "Huh! Colonel Ouyang, it seems that you really know nothing about men! If I were really going to cheat on you, why would I even let you know about it? I''d definitely hide it." Edward shook his head, feeling amused. It looked like his little wife was also a jealous type just like him. They were indeed a matched couple after all. But why did he feel so happy about her threats? Was he such a masochist? Or was he just happy that her words showed him how much she cared about him? He didn''t know the answer.


    "Well, you talk like you already have some other woman besides me. So tell me the truth." Although deep in Daisy''s heart, she knew he wouldn''t do such a cruel thing to her, she couldn''t help but tease him with this. Well, it was a payback for his teasing earlier. It was infuriating and endearing at the same time that he liked to tease her and she would fall for it every single time.


    "Of course not! Jeez you''re paranoid! You''re already a handful. How would I find the time and energy to entertain other women? Perish the thought. Besides, I got you, didn''t I? Why would I ever need anyone else?" Of course Edward knew that she was just being yful, so he didn''t really mind or get angry at her. He just kept looking at her with a small smile on his face. And his eyes were full of love and endearment reserved only for her. God, he really loved her so much that it hurt. How was this possible????????????

 Chapter 770 Look Like A Whore (Part One)

    "Mr. Mu, don''t forget you have previous convictions. Do you think your ims are still believable to me?" Daisy teased him. It was the first time that Daisy made fun of Edward''s past which showed she didn''t care about it anymore.


    "It''s okay that you don''t believe me. But don''t you military officers always rely on evidence? So maybe we can talk about it next time you catch me red-handed." Edward smiled instead of being irritated. He was so charming while smiling and Daisy was enchanted by it even


    though she saw that smile everyday. It brightened her world.


    "Oh we won''t need to talk in that case. I''ll just shoot you." Daisy gave a brittleugh. If she hadn''t fallen in love with Edward, it wouldn''t have mattered to her how many girlfriends Edward had had. But as long as they were in a rtionship now, Daisy wouldn''t allow another woman toe between them.


    "You are so brutal. Okay, Ms. Wilkes." Edward knew that beingpared to the psycho-killer in Stephen King''s ''Misery'' could irk Daisy. Edward pretended to be scared of her, but his heart was full of happiness. Because the more brutal Daisy was the more she cared for him.


    "So don''t offend me. Or else you just can''t bear the consequences," Daisy said, cocking her eyebrows to look arrogant.


    "What would you do to me, Colonel Ouyang? I''m looking forward to being tortured by you," Edward said with a wicked smile. Daisy was enchanted by his charm and stared at his beautiful face, forgetting to give him a barbed retort.


    "You look so hot now that I want to throw you into bed." Edward smirked, being d to see the woman he loved was enchanted by his charm. Meanwhile, Edward felt confused, not knowing whether Daisy loved him because he was attractive or because he was an outstanding person. But at least he knew Daisy was in love with him and that was enough.


    "No way! Edward, you''re in a restaurant, not a hotel! Get a room, you two." Leena was in some casual clothes which weren''t from any fancy brands and wore her hair down. She looked so lovely, just like the girl next door.


    "Leena, you have a gift for bad timing." Edward sighed, shaking his head. It seemed that he was really down.


    "I didn''t want to be here either! But a waiter told me you guys were here right after I walked in. Then I came up here to say hi to you two. If I didn''t, wouldn''t you assume I was being rude?" Leena said as she sat by them. She found it funny to see Edward embarrassed. It didn''t happen often, so it was worthy of marking the date on a calendar.


    "Oh I am d you still remember you own this ce. I thought you even forgot how to get here." Edward squinted at Leena. She was interested in running the restaurant at the beginning and before too long she was distracted by something else. One reason was that she studied abroadter and another one was that she wasn''t a glutton anymore after going on a diet.


    "Hahaha, don''t be ridiculous. I didn''t forget. It''s just because I''m too busy toe here. Besides, you and Mr. Cold are in charge of it, not me," Leena said with a tentative smile. She really wasn''t business material, and was d to be the nominal boss of this ce. Because the restaurant wouldn''t go bankrupt as long as Edward and her brother were still in charge.


    "You can''t count on us forever. What if we both quit?" Edward used a cold tone to threaten her. He knew Leena wasn''t interested in running the restaurant. Otherwise she wouldn''t have majored in fashion design.


    "I don''t know what I''d do. But what I know is that you guys value it very much and won''t let it go bankrupt." Leena was no dummy, and she knew how to give as good as she got. Leena gave a self-satisfied smile, not scared at all.


    "So from what you guys were saying, does Leena own this ce? That''s why we could get an exclusive room when it''s standing room only." Daisy was listening to them and was smart at sussing out the background.


    "Right. I can give you a half-off discount whenever youe here, sis." Leena grinned amiably at Daisy which set off her pink and chubby face.


    "A discount? Shouldn''t it be on the house?" Edward teased her. He didn''t know when Leena started to value her money. She never seemed to concern with it before.


    "No! You have so much money to burn. If Daisy doesn''t spend some, it won''t run out before you leave the world. I am married now and have to earn money for my family since I can''t ask my brother for money anymore." Leena pouted. It was true that woman would change into a different person, starting to do something for the family''s benefit after getting married. Besides, when she was cut off, she had to earn as much as possible.


    "But I know, you''re part-owner of the Leng Group. The profit you get every year means you''ll never have to worry about money. You''re taken care of for life." Edward saw through her little trick of pretending to be poor.


    "Edward, you''re so wrong. You can never have too much money in this world, you know. Is there anybodyining that they have too much money? If there are, they''re definitely morons." Leena didn''t regard money as her god, but she didn''t mind being rich either. She was born in a crazy rich family and used to leading afortable life. Leena couldn''t deny the fact that money was essential to a happy life.


    "Are you looking at a moron now?" Edward suppressed a grin, pouting towards Daisy. What he meant was that Daisy was a person who didn''t care about money.


    "Don''t be silly. Daisy is by no means stupid. She just has a different view of how life should be. Not the same." Daisy was a happy-go-lucky person who could enjoy herself wherever she was. That was why she was willing to transform from a spoiled little princess to a housewife who had to take care of a big family.


    "Never mind. He is such a profiteer who only values money." Daisy rolled her eyes at Edward. She didn''t want to see Edward''s sneer.


    "I can''t agree with you more. Edward is the kind of guy who thinks everyone in the world is materialistic and hates to see someone being indifferent to fame and wealth. If he meets someone like that, he would definitely try to convert that guy into a materialistic person." Leena gave a sly grin. She was happy to see the two squabble, which showed they loved each other. Leena was d to see they were happy, because she viewed them as part of her family. Family should be happy.


    "Leena, you know me too well. It seems that you''ve been deserving of my kindness all these years," Edward said after taking a sip of water. Actually, he didn''t believe there was anyone in the world who was perfectly nice and clean. Everyone had some evil thoughts and the difference between them was that how evil the thought was, and whether they acted on those thoughts.


    "Of course I do! I can''t say that I am the person who knows you most, but I can usually tell what you''re thinking about." Leena was not being boastful. She grew up around them, so she knew what kind of people they were.


    "Leena, I see you are the kind of person who bends like a reed with the wind. Now you side with Edward. I shouldn''t have ced hope in you." Daisy could see they were really close even though they were not real brother and sister. Their friendship surpassed those limitations, and friends were like family.


    "I am sorry, sis! I fell for his trick. Don''t be mad at me!" Leena said with a sad look. She was upset to see Edward''s trap worked every time.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Okay, okay. Let''s have lunch. Don''t you have a meeting this afternoon?" Edward cut in to prevent the uing mess. It might be okay to him to deal with one woman. But he''d rather die than get involved in a squabble between two women. Edward waszy, not bothering to waste his energy on such a minor thing.0000000

 Chapter 771 Look Like A Whore (Part Two)

    "What about you, Leena? Have you had lunch?" Daisy worried about her even though Leena owned this ce and there was no way she''d be at a loss for anything to eat. "No, I haven''t. So I ordered ahead of time." Leena always had meals alone. She wouldn''t miss the chance to have lunch with her close friends.


    "So you onlye here for food?" Edward frowned. It hurt him to see Kevin run off on some military exercise and leave Leena alone.


    "I have no other choice but toe here. I don''t bother to cook a single meal. Takeout is cool," Leena said lightly, notining about anything. But to outsiders, it sounded sad. After all, Leena got married at such a young age. On top of it, she married a military officer who couldn''t be with her all the time. Maybe it''s okay to have a husband who was not as rich as her. But she was sad that she had to live alone, because the loneliness and grief came in waves at night.


    "Why don''t you move back to the Leng mansion? You don''t have to stay at Kevin''s apartment since he is not there anyway. Besides, it''s not safe for you a girl to live there alone." If it hadn''t been for Leena''s own wishes, Edward wouldn''t have let her marry Kevin. The officer was beneath them. But there was nothing he could do as Leena chose Kevin at her own will. Edward would finally ept Kevin as one of his close friends as long as Kevin was nice to Leena.


    "I did. I came back there yesterday to give them the wedding dress." Leena gobbled the food. She was starved as she stayed up verytest night and got up near lunch time, missing her breakfast.


    "Oh, the wedding dress is done. Did you design it?" Daisy knew how good Leena was at fashion design. She guessed Leena would design it herself when Belinda told her Leena would be in charge of the wedding dress.


    "Oh yeah. That was me! It took a long time to finish. But I guess it''s worth it, as you can see, the dress is pretty impressive," Leena answered after finishing another bite.


    "The wedding ceremony ising up fast. I don''t know whether Kevin can finish the exercises in time to attend their wedding." Daisy frowned. She hadn''t heard from Kevin and hoped he at least updated Leena on how he was doing.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    "It''s okay. His work alwayses first. My brother will understand," Leena said with a weak smile. She didn''t know when Kevin wasing back either. Leena tried to reach him, but failed since his phone was off all the time.


    "I guess there''s nothing we can do even if he can''te back in time. You know sometimes you have to give up something as a soldier." Daisy gave a light smile. She could tell Kevin tried to avoid her after she made everything clear to him. Maybe it was because he felt embarrassed or he wanted to go through the tough time alone. Anyway, Daisy wished Kevin could focus on Leena and realized what a lovely girl she was.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll exin everything to my brother." Leena gave a sweet smile, but a shadow passed across her face.


    Sometimes, Leena envied Daisy for the lucky girl could attract Kevin easily. But she couldn''tin about anything, because they met before she came into the picture. Leena didn''t get involved in his life untilter, so she had to work hard to catch up. Kevin had been away from her for such a long time, she missed him more and more. She had a huge crush on him and nothing could change that. They had an agreement before getting married. Leena and Kevin would try to fall in love with each other. Now Leena got into him so much. But what about Kevin? Would he do what he promised?


    After Edward and Daisy left, Leena hung out in a shopping mall alone to kill the afternoon. As every girl would do, Leena liked buying essories to please herself. She passed by windows full of silent, lonely manikins, music piping out of the stores on the small speakers above.


    At an essory store, a fair hand grabbed the pair of diamond studs when the staff handed them to Leena.


    "I''ll take these," An arrogant voice came from the back. Leena was irritated and turned around to see who the person was.


    "What are you looking at? Do you think you can afford them?" Louisa snorted, squinting at Leena.


    "Hey chica, why are you saying that?" Leena nced over the woman in front of her. She was attractive, wearing a fancy suit. But no matter how good she looked, she couldn''t grab other''s items.


    "Oh, look at what garbage you''re wearing. It is easy to tell you are way too poor to afford such fancy diamond studs." Louisa gave a superior smile. She didn''t think there was anything wrong with what she said.


    "What''s your problem? They''re not rags, and my boobs aren''t popping out. I don''t look like a whore in them. Unlike someone..." Leena knew what Louisa meant. She just pretended to be confused to mess with her. Leena was going to embarrass her by what Louisa said herself.


    "Bitch, are you implying that I look like a whore in my suit?" Louisa thought Leena was just a normal little girl and couldn''t take her on. She didn''t expect that Leena had such a sharp tongue to piss her off.


    "You said it, I didn''t. No take backs!" Leena said in a light tone. She seemed peaceful which annoyed Louisa.


    "What a rude girl! Telling me I look like a whore!" Louisa gave Leena a stern look. Even though Leena looked lovely and cute, she hated Leena and her eloquence.


    "Oh, I guess there is nothing I can do if you insist on saying it. I''ll give up on the studs if you want to buy them. They are not in. I don''t really like them. I just looked around," Leena said with a cold smile. She would be nice to others if they were friendly to her and vice versa. The staff immediately perked up their ears when Leena talked about the studs. They were new arrival. They were definitely in. She couldn''t use them of being outdated simply because she didn''t like them. The deal would be off if Louisa didn''t buy them too. "Oh, really? Maybe you can just confess that you can''t afford them instead ofining they are outdated. I am sick of you pretending to know diamond studs well." Louisa hastened to retort, otherwise others might really think she knew nothing about fashion. "Even though I don''t have much money to burn, I am way better than some upstarts." Sometimes, fancy clothes couldn''t change an ill-educated and rude person into a well-bred one. Louisa proved that to be true.


    "I am not nouveau riche! The wealth in my family goes back generations." Louisa was determined to teach Leena a lesson at any cost. It was the first time she confronted someone so eloquent and attacking her using something she really cared about. She didn''t know how to retort. "Lady, listen up. I was saying ''some'', not ''you''. You don''t have to prove what I said by taking yourself as an example. Otherwise, I guess there is nothing I can do." Leena sneered. The woman was so stupid and so easy to mess with.


    "You... bitch! Don''t be proud. I am just too kind, letting you talk to me like that. If you had talked to someone else like that, he or she might have beaten you to a pulp!" Louisa gave Leena a stern look. She wanted to p Leena across her face, but she had to control her temper for her father''s sake. If she had met Leena a few years ago, she wouldn''t have held back her anger and been unable to beat Leena up like she wanted to. For now, she''d just let her off the hook. It just wasn''t worth it.000000000??????

 Chapter 772 Provocation From Rachel (Part One)

    "He or she would definitely not be rude if I were talking with someone else. Your assumption does not stand up." Those who pretended to be well-educated yet acted and spoke the opposite were the kind of people Leena hated the most. How misleading she was! "Young girl, do yourself a favor and don''t trust something forever. It''s not good for you. Keep this in mind, things change all the time." Louisa teased arrogantly. She took out her card from her purse and passed it to the salesperson. A mocking smile was stered on her face.


    "Thanks for your kind advice but I don''t think I need it. I''d like to offer you the same suggestion though. Goodbye." That was a really annoying conversation. It made herpletely lose her patience and at the same time, lose her interest in shopping. Maybe she was not supposed to go out today. Otherwise, she would not have met such a disrespectful woman.


    "Smart you. Next time, don''t linger on things that you can''t afford." Louisa believed that it was easy to measure people by judging what they wore or how they looked. She clearly forgot something. As an old Chinese saying goes: thest thing one should not do is judging people with their appearance. Just like what just happened. Little did Louisa know that Leena Leng''s property and wealth were definitely far beyond what she could ever own as themander''s daughter.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    Leena curved her lips and said nothing. She just stayed silent and turned away. Was Louisa right that she couldn''t afford the ear-studs? Of course not. It was not even an exaggeration to say that she was rich enough to buy all the things inside that shop. It was just that she chose to be a low-profile woman. She did not spend too much time talking with the rudedy because she would like to maintain her low-key. Plus, ignoring those situations was what truly elegant women would do.


    Louisa was a picture of smug satisfaction when she took the ear-studs and walked out of that shop. She let go of the encounter and forgot about the woman she judged so quickly. She never had a clue that they would meet again in just a few days.


    Time slipped away fast. Soon there were only two days left before Duke and Belinda''s wedding ceremony. The whole office of Leng Group had been buzzing since morning. Their CEO just announced thetest news about him that he would take a week off two dayster. That was the reason why they needed to crunch all the works and meetings in advance within two days.


    Rachel Qin walked quickly to the president''s office with a pile of sales records in her hand. She was surprised with the big news Duke had announced this morning. She couldn''t figure out why he wanted to take a week leave in a sudden.


    She stood still after knocking on the door as she waited for a response. She heard nothing but silence though. It seemed like nobody was in the office at all. She reached out to turn the doorknob and tried to open the room. The sudden click from the knob surprised her. The door wasn''t locked. Therefore, Duke was either in his office or just left temporarily.


    She walked inside carefully. Her goal was only to ce the documents on his desk and leave. What happened two days ago made Duke hate her beyond decorum. She had concluded that it was better for her not to stay too close to him for a while so as to avoid more conflicts. They both needed to calm themselves down. Those were her thoughts until she found the phone he must''ve left on the desk. She decided to do something. She took a quick nce around to make sure that no one was there then picked the phone up with quivering hands. Maybe she could find something useful for her, she wondered.


    She unlocked the screen and got to his recent call list in hopes of finding Belinda''s number. She thought that it would be hard to get her number and never expected it to show without her even spending much time sliding through his list. Lucky her! She memorized the number quickly. The full name of the number was Belinda Shangguan. ?achel wondered if she was looking at the right detail.


    "What''re you doing here?" A deep voice was suddenly heard from behind. Duke was in the restroom the whole while. He looked refreshed as he stepped out of the mentioned room but then wasn''t able to stop himself from frowning when he saw Rachel.


    "Oh! I''m bringing you the sales records, Duke. I was about to leave seeing you were not in the office earlier. I identally touched your phone while putting the papers and it almost fell from the desk. Luckily, I got it! It avoided the fate of being broken." Rachel put the phone back on the desk. She was scared inside but tried her best to appear as casual as she could.


    "I see. You can leave now." Duke was a little puzzled yet thought that he was just probably too sensitive. He remained frowning as he watched Rachel left the room in a hurry. He picked his phone up and inspected it for a while. He found nothing unusual with it. A strange woman. He could not help wondering.


    Rachel''s heart was beating like crazy as she walked out of Duke''s office. She was so relieved when Duke said she could leave. She didn''t want to talk with him further in her situation. Anxiety and hurry were eating her and she might just sell herself of what she had done. She was so desperate to stay away from him at that time. She wished her feet have wheels. It would be very convenient for her to just glide out of that office full of threats. Thest thing she would want was for Duke to notice that there was something abnormal about her. She sighed with relief soon as she was away from the office. She walked to the rooftop and again, carefully watched her surroundings to make sure that there was nobody there. She took her phone out and dialed the number she got from Duke''s list. "Hello! Who''s that?" Belinda answered the phone without even taking a look at the calling ID. She took a sip from her coffee then put her mug aside. There were still tons of businesses that she needed to handle even after leaving one-third of the work-loads to Duke. Thepany had just gone through an expansion period and the work-volume was nothing but stressful. There were lots of responsibilities she had as the CEO.


    "Is that Belinda Shangguan, Duke Leng''s wife?" Rachel asked hesitantly. She was hoping for the woman''s negative reply. She was very reluctant to hear her answer but would still like to confirm if the Belinda she was talking with was the same as Duke''s Belinda. "Yes, this is Belinda Shangguan, Duke Leng''s wife. May I know who I am talking to, please." Belinda''s alert instinct rose upon hearing the woman''s voice on the other end. She turned from being cozy andzy to extremely concentrated. A woman who mentioned her husband was talking to her. How could she be not curious?


    "This is Rachel Qin. I am wondering if you are free tonight, Ms. Shangguan. We probably should meet and have some chats together." Rachel smiled grimly. Belinda Shangguan? She would show something to surprise her. She would make her a poor woman after tonight.00000

 Chapter 773 Provocation From Rachel (Part Two)

    "Oh, it''s you. Why should I meet you in the first ce? I don''t even think that we are close enough for us to have a need to meet and talk." Belinda quipped. She had gotten angry with Duke because of Rachel for several times. Everything was just bouncing back and turning good now. She was doing well with Duke and their wedding ceremony was about to be held in two days. Thus, she wondered what on earth did they need to talk about. "Why not? Are you afraid of me? That''s why you don''t want to see me?" Rachel scoffed. She concluded that Belinda must be born and raised up in a poor family and that she would be too restrained to talk to an elegant woman like her.


    "Afraid of you? I don''t think so. It''s not necessary for me. Don''t irritate me with your dares. It won''t work on me." Belinda pressed her palm against her brow. Her wedding ceremony was on the horizon and she really did not want any unexpected problems. "Ms. Shangguan, are you really not curious about the thing between Duke and me? We fell in love so much." Duke was wary of her. So Rachel''s original n was to break Duke''s wariness step by step so she could capture his heart gradually. All her efforts were put in vain though in spite of her many attempts. Then she realized that the mission was impossible. Another trick came to her mind though after obtaining Belinda''s number. She decided to call, irritate, and hopefully, disappoint her. This way, Belinda would feel hurt and be disappointed at Duke. At that time, she would have a chance tofort Duke.


    "Miss Qin, are you trying to sow discords between me and Duke?" She and Duke might not love each other, but a third party was still definitely not wee between them. A Rachel Qin would never be a threat.


    "Trying to sow discords? Can''t you feel it?" Rachel snorted from her nose. She could not believe that Duke fell in love with Belinda. All the superiorities she had all this while would worth to none if he really did. She refused to ept that fact and would go insane. "As I see it, yes, you are sowing discords. I should be polite at least since you are insisting on talking to me. Tell me where is it?" Belinda disliked this kind of invitation but found herself with no other option. She was also curious. She wanted to know what kind of breaking news she would tell her. After all, it was normal for her to be curious about the other woman her husband might have treated as a wife.


    "Let''s meet at the Revolving Restaurant. 7 pm. I''ll see you in room 203." Rachel hung the phone up immediately after she finished her words. A scornful smile appeared on her face which made her look flirtatious.


    Belinda took a look at her phone and she shook her head helplessly. She then threw the phone aside and continued with her files. The work to manage was just endless.


    Belinda walked into the Revolving Restaurant that night wearing her well-fit and elegant business wear. The tailored suit showed her figure perfectly. Her naturally wavy hair was spread over her shoulders and back which made her look sexy, capable and experienced. She was the kind who could enjoy her life and work at the same time.


    Rachel arrived at the restaurant in advance. She sighed in relief as soon as she saw Belinda. She was worried that Belinda had backed out.


    "Sorry, I''mte." Belinda sat down boldly. Something unexpected happened before she got off her work. She had to stay to take care of it. It was toote to go home and change when she finished it. Thus, she came there in her formal business wear.


    "It''s ok. I''m always patient with those who are not punctual." Rachel obviously dressed up carefully and did herself a delicate makeup. She wanted to stand out when faced with Belinda. It was understandable for a woman who was about to meet her rival to do her best and make herself look more beautiful.


    "Order something, please! I''ll pay for the dinner to show my apology." Belinda could sense the insult on Rachel''s words but chose to ignore it. She did not want to be too stingy. She would spend too much time on that nonsense if she responded to her seriously. Generally, she liked to deal with a problem as quickly as possible. Her time was precious and she did not want to waste her time on people like Rachel Qin.


    "Oh, no. It''s on me! It''s just a small amount of money for me. I don''t want to increase your burden. It''s going to cost a lot for you! Oh! No. I forget that you are the wife of Leng Group''s president. This money is no big deal for you too. But anyhow, the money you will spend is not your own money. You must feel sorry and ufortable in your mind about that."


    Rachel had always felt superior to other women and everyone else. She had been the wife of a rich family and she seemed to totally forget about her original family. She was from a normal well-off family. How dared she show off?


    "Why''d you say that the money I''ll spend is not my own? In my eyes, your wage as a middle-level employee is not even that high. If I am guessing it right, this dinner will cost you half your monthly sry at least!" As the president of YS Group, Belinda could not know better about the sries of different positions. Indeed, Leng Group had the strength to offer a high wage to those capable employees but it would not be much higher than that of YS Group. She did not think that Rachel could afford the dinner in this Revolving Restaurant without any pressure. It was a ssy and expensive restaurant after all.


    "Hum! So what? Money is never a problem for me." Rachel smiled coldly. She gained a great amount of maintenance payment when she divorced. Otherwise, she would not be driving a Porsche sports car. Therefore, she really did not care about this money. She could afford it. Therge amount of maintenance money she had received was enough for her to live afortable life. People always turned to be greedy though. She could have a nice life with the money indeed but it was not enough at all if she intended to live a luxurious life. Duke Leng became her object of attention because he was rich enough to give her everything she wanted. She came back this time mainly for Duke. She had the ambition to be the wife of Leng Group''s president.


    "Well, fine, if you insist. I am wondering what''s your main purpose for inviting me to dinner though? Merely chatting? I don''t think so." Belinda asked straight to the point. She was a very direct person and hated being given the runaround.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    "What if I want you to leave Duke? What would you do?" Rachel did not conceal her purpose and asked directly. Wow, what an aggressive woman! She was confident about herself. Belinda and Duke were already married officially and had the marriage certificates issued by the government in their hands. As for her? She was just a third party. Oh, no. She was even not qualified to be called a third party because Duke Leng did not have an affair with her at all. Poor Rachel, she did not even realize that fact. How blind she was!??????

 Chapter 774 Provocation From Rachel (Part Three)

    "I''d like to hear more about your reason. Why''d you say that?" Belinda got angry of course. Duke and Rachel might have been an item before but those things were already history. What made her confident to order her to leave Duke? It was such an absurd request. "Because I am the one who fits him the most and stands behind him to support him. I am well-educated and capable in every aspect. I am superior to you in helping him with his work. I am useful to him. Now, you know why. Am I clear enough?" Rachel shot a nce at Belinda conceitedly, her face full of disrespect. She totally ignored Belinda''s elegant suit which suggested that Belinda might be a big figure in the business field. How stupid Rachel was to belittle Belinda.


    "Now that you are saying you and him are a perfect match, why did you break up with him and leave when you had the chance to be his wife?" Belinda calmed down. She was not going to stoop down to her level. It was not worth it.


    "That''s something between me and him. You can just leave it alone. Tell me, are you willing to leave him?" Rachel frowned a little. She did not anticipate that Belinda was so difficult to deal with. Belinda was supposed to be a poor and self-contemptuous woman. She was supposed to get frightened by her. The Belinda in front of her did not appear to be such a woman. The woman sitting before her was quite different from what she had thought to be.


    "Why should I leave him? Don''t you think you are going too far, Miss Qin? It''s such a rude request. We''re already married and are a real couple as recognized by thew. Well, let us put this fact aside. Even if we were not a couple and were merely dating with each other, you should not be so rude to say that to me! You''re totally talking nonsense." Belinda got a little bit serious and angry. Oh God! What a disgusting woman Rachel was! Did she not value herself for much? What was she? A God? How could she think that other people would do whatever she requested?


    "Don''t you know it? You are not the one he truly loves." Belinda''s tease made Rachel''s face turn a bit dark. She was able to refresh herself soon and became blindly confident again.


    "Are you going to tell me that you are the one he truly loves, Miss Qin?" Belinda snorted. Should they really fall in love with each other deeply, she would be wise and considerate to walk away from Duke before Rachel provoked her. But that wasn''t the fact. Rachel had feelings for Duke while Duke hadn''t at all. He even found Rachel annoying. Belinda was not going to say yes in this for sure. She was not going to leave Duke and never even mentioned it.


    "Does he love me or not? You''ll know it after you watch this video." Just then, Rachel put her phone on the table and pushed it slightly to Belinda''s side. She did not think that Belinda would still insist on not leaving Duke after she watched their video. Belinda took a deep breath. She was somewhat fearful of the unknown. She turned uneasy as she hoped that there were nothing crazy about Duke and her in the video. Otherwise, there was going to be a high probability for her to rage and get mad at Duke. She refrained from anxiety and pressed the y key with her trembling hand. Her fingers crossed, praying that it was not a sex record. As the video continued, she finally saw clearly what was going on in the video. Her mouth couldn''t help but raise slightly. Come on, they were merely looking at each other and singing a love song together. Was that it? Why was Rachel so self-satisfied? The pictures seemed to be beautiful but didn''t she notice how nk Duke''s eyes were when looking at her? There was no feeling in his eyes at all! How could she conclude that Duke loved her through this video? Oh God! Belinda couldn''t believe her stupidity. Only a woman as stupid as Rachel would believe that such a video would strike her dead. Belinda felt relieved.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    "So, how''s it? Are you going to give up on him?" Rachel thought that Belinda was in pain and could not help but be pleased about her job as she watched Belinda''s trembling lips. She had given her a chance before showing her the video. Belinda just put a deaf ear to her request and asked for embarrassment though. Just as a saying went; she strode forward with her chin up without hesitation and never turned back until she knocked the wall.


    "Is that all you have? Is there anything special about it?" Belinda replied uninterested as if she was just talking about something trivial. She felt a little pity for the woman too. It was good for someone to be confident but too much confidence was going to make the person be considered as psychopath.


    "Don''t you see Duke''s eyes when he looks at me? He is so passionately in love with me. Don''t you think that we look like a perfect match?" Belinda''s peace and calm were beyond Rachel''s expectation and it made Rachel a bit upset. Belinda was supposed to get red with anger but why was she acting so cool?


    "I''m sorry. I probably have a bad eyesight and don''t notice anything. If you invited me out for dinner just to share this video and irritate me, I have to remind you that you fail. This means nothing to me at all. I don''t even feel angry right now." Oh, really? Duke''s eyesight was full of passion for her? The heck! Duke''s eyes werepletely vacant in Belinda''s sight. It was only Rachel''s illusion that made the beautiful picture of Duke looking passionately at her.


    "Money is the reason why you are not letting go of Duke. Am I right? How about this? What if I give you arge amount of money?


    Are you still not willing to give up?" Rachel said and took a cheque. She ced it on Belinda''s side to tempt her. She was sure that it was Belinda''s first time to see so much money and she would definitely take the money and leave Duke.


    "Wow! How generous you are, Miss Qin! 50, 000, 000! What a huge temptation it is! Butpared with Leng Group... hmm. Do you think I am that stupid?" How Belinda wished she could lift her face to the heaven andugh loudly. ''50, 000, 000, Duke, my dear Duke Leng. It turns out that you only worth 50, 000, 000 in this woman''s mind,'' thought Belinda. She had to say that it was really cheappared with his social status. She wondered whether he was going to be pissed off to jump a foot in the air once he got to know this funny thing.


    "It turns out that you choose to stay with and marry him for Leng Group! You are such a greedy woman. Does Duke know what you are like?" Rachel raged and gritted her teeth. She never expected for Belinda to admit her greed frankly in front of her. She was surprised beyond any reasonable doubt.0000????????

 Chapter 775 Leave With Nothing (Part One)

    "Miss Qin, would you tell him about this if you were in my shoes? I don''t think so. If that''s the case, do you think I would do such a stupid thing?" Belinda replied casually, shooting her a disapproving look. Her response implied that the despicable person she was referring to was the woman in front of her. "You awful woman! I''ll tell Duke about your hypocrisy!" Rachel found it harder and harder to control Belinda. The woman remained calm no matter what she said to her. There wasn''t a trace of panic on Belinda''s face. Her constantposure caught Rachelpletely off guard.


    "I''d be d of it. You''d better take the 50 million check with you too. While you''re at it, you might as well tell him that what I want is the Leng Group and that I could care less about the money," Belinda scoffed, throwing the check back to Rachel. Did Rachel think she was an idiot? Anybody with a brain wouldn''t give up being the wife of a president for a mere check. Did Rachel think she was out of her mind? Why else would she make a fuss about it?


    "Belinda, you''re being too arrogant! Do you really think I won''t do it?" Rachel said through clenched teeth. Her eyes were filled with hatred and viciousness, as if she wanted to kill Belinda on the spot.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    "No. I definitely know you will, or you wouldn''t try to use the check to make me back down. All I have to say about this is: don''t make a fool of yourself, you should evaluate your actions before asking someone to give up on something." As the president of the YS Group, Belinda wondered what made her look like she was in dire need of money for Rachel to offer her a meager 50 million check to send her away.


    "Without you, Duke would make his way back to me because he loved me a lot in the past. I doubt he feels any love for you at all!" Rachel eximed with a sudden surge of confidence and superiority.


    "As you said, he loved you. It''s all in the past. He no longer feels the same way about you. Do you really think I have no ce in his heart?" Belinda always disliked self-righteous people who considered themselves above everyone else. They always thought that the world revolved around them, and that everyone else just yed a secondary role in their story. Rachel was the epitome of this kind of person.


    "You don''t even need to ask. If he really loved you, he would have given you a job in hispany instead of watching you work for someone else," Rachel said, looking sideways at Belinda with a sneer. The sheer contempt she felt for Belinda was evident in her re.


    Belinda scoffed loudly. "Is this really what you think? What a unique way of looking at things. I''m learning a lot from you," Belinda said thoughtfully. She figured that Duke would go crazy if she worked in the Leng Group with him. In that case, Duke had to manage twopanies and his te would be full. He was already busy enough as it was.


    "Let''s be honest. If I were you, I would take the money and leave quietly. 50 million isn''t a small figure. It''s more than enough for ordinary people to live afortable life." This was the main purpose why Rachel came over to meet Belinda tonight. No matter what, her aim was to make Belinda voluntarily leave Duke.


    "Miss Qin, are you really that stupid? I already told you that 50 million means nothing to me, what I want is the Leng Group. Don''t you understand what I''m saying?" Belinda replied. She wasn''t scared that Rachel would run to Duke toin about this because Duke wasn''t a man who could be affected easily. Most importantly, he clearly knew that Belinda wasn''t interested in the Leng Group.


    "Don''t rx just yet. The moment I tell Duke about your real aim is the moment you will be left alone with nothing. When that happens, I wonder if you can still be so arrogant." Rachel was fuming and her hands were shaking in anger. She had never encountered a woman like Belinda who could still remain so arrogant and self-confident after all her threats.


    "Just go tell him. Or do you need me to call him for you?" Belinda responded deliberately. She knew that her attitude would definitely rile Rachel up, but it was exactly what she wanted. Rachel was asking for it and it had nothing to do with her in any way.


    "Belinda, I don''t believe you''re not scared at all. Don''t pretend to be calm in front of me. It only makes you look fake," Rachel said, taking a sip of water to calm herself. She was annoyed that she messed things up instead of getting things done.


    "Oh, I''m so scared," Belinda said in a deadpan voice. "If you don''t have anything else to say, please excuse me. I''ll take my leave now. Enjoy yourself. I''m sorry for making you pay for dinner." Belinda didn''t think that she would have an appetite to eat anything in front of Rachel, so she didn''t n to stay with her and torture her ears any longer.


    "You missed a good chance today. Don''te crying to meter." Rachel didn''t intend to make Belinda stay. Her aim wasn''t to have dinner with her. Since Belinda wasn''t showing her any respect, why would she show her any enthusiasm? If she couldn''t win against Belinda, it would be harder to be Duke''s wife.


    "Well, then. Miss Qin, sit tight and wait for the day toe. But don''t hold your breath, you''ll be waiting for a very long time." Belinda had never encountered a woman as stupid as Rachel before. The difference in their intelligence didn''t make it appropriate for her to take Rachel as her rival. She didn''t understand how Duke could fall for her. Was it because she was stupid?


    "Trust me. I will watch you fall into tragedy soon," Rachel said through gritted teeth. She wanted to p the arrogant smile off Belinda''s face so badly.


    "If that timees, I hope that time Miss Qin will offer me the 50 million again. I would be very grateful for your kindness. Goodbye." Belinda stood up and turned around as soon as she spoke. Suddenly, her phone started ringing. When she saw the caller ID, she wasn''t hesitant to answer the phone.


    "Hello! My husband, I''m on my way back now," Belinda said cheerfully as she walked outside. She didn''t have to nce back to know that Rachel''s face had turned pale at her words. She deliberately called Duke ''husband'' to piss Rachel off.


    "Are you sure you''re the owner of this phone?" Duke asked, casually leaning against the balcony railing with one hand in his pocket and the other hand holding the phone.


    "I''m not sure. Maybe you''re calling the wrong number," Belinda flushed at Duke''s joke. She had never addressed Duke that way before. She felt a little embarrassed when Duke teased her. She didn''t ask what Duke meant or acknowledged what she had said without thinking.


    "Am I? Well then! Since the mistake is all mine, I''d like to make it up to you. May I ask thedy to go to the movies with me tonight?" Duke raised his wrist to check the time. It was exactly eight o''clock. They still had time to watch a movie.


    "Hey, Mr. Leng, are you sure you want to watch a movie with me in a crowded cinema instead of watching 3D at home?" Although Belinda was surprised at Duke''s invitation, she was looking forward to going out with him. They had a sh marriage. They never went out on dates or appeared affectionate in public. No wonder Rachel said they didn''t get married out of love. It was a cruel fact.


    "Sure. Where are you? I''lle meet you." Actually, Duke hadn''t intended to ask Belinda out. He called her because he suddenly got emotional while he was standing on the balcony alone. He didn''t know whom Belinda was meeting tonight. All he knew was that she had an appointment with somebody. He wasn''t an autocratic man who restricted his wife''s freedom. He readily assented without asking any questions when she went out. After having dinner alone, Duke felt strange and lonely. He couldn''t help calling Belinda. He didn''t mean to check up on her, he just felt sad all of a sudden. He didn''t know when he got so used to her presence, but he felt lost without her at his side.


    "Wait, are you feeling all right?" Belinda replied incredulously. Duke was acting strange tonight. It unsettled her a bit.


    "I feel perfectly fine. Why are you asking?" Duke asked in astonishment. He walked downstairs as he asked her to borate.


    "You''re acting so strange! You must understand why I''m asking," Belinda said with a wry smile, bending to get inside her Lotus.


    "Woman, are you trying to piss me off?" Duke stopped with a frown. He wanted to spend a romantic evening with her, but she found his behavior strange.000

 Chapter 776 Leave With Nothing (Part Two)

    "No. You''re thinking too much. Okay, then! I''ll wait for you at the Crystal Cinema." Belinda hung up as soon as she spoke, afraid that he would suddenly back out on her. She knew that it was a luxury to have Duke watch a movie in the cinema with her. She wasn''t going to miss what might be her only chance to do so.


    Duke looked at his phone and shook his head before putting back it into his pocket. He clicked his car key and got into the Spyker C8, driving towards the location Belinda gave him.


    The ce Belinda had chosen was in the middle of the city, so it only took her several minutes to get there. Then she took the time to buy the tickets while waiting for Duke to arrive. After ncing through the romance and action movie titles, she decided to go for a thrilling horror movie. A romantic movie wasn''t proper for them to watch together and she didn''t like the cast of the action movie.


    After getting the tickets, she checked the time. It was nice o''clock. Duke needed about 20 minutes to get here. She thought there was still plenty of time to kill before he arrived, so she bought some popcorn and snacks as the other couples did despite not being fond of the food. She only bought them because they seemed appropriate for the asion. After all, everyone bought movie snacks at a cinema.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    Standing in the busy cinema and looking at the couplesing and going, Belinda felt a lot younger all of a sudden and her cheeks flushed a deep shade of red. Was this their first official date?


    She licked her lips and looked down at the tickets in her hands. Considering Duke''s social status, she bought VIP private seats. Otherwise, she thought he might leave in the middle of the movie because of the noise. She knew how delicate people like Duke were. But when she thought of the words Rachel had said to her, she pursed her lips in distaste. She would never give up something she wanted so easily. No one could make her do something unless she wanted to. Duke was the person she wanted to love with all her heart. How could she give him up so easily?


    Belinda was an attractive woman with a good figure. It was difficult to avoid gaining attention from the crowd when she was standing all alone, but she didn''t notice any of it. The image of her standing in her spot in deep thought was so conspicuous that Duke noticed her immediately. Previously striding his way to the cinema, Duke slowed down at the sight of her. The image reminded him of a scene from when he was young. The only difference was that the woman in front of him was Belinda. He shook his head with a slight smile, walking towards her. "What are you thinking about? You''re deep in thought." Duke gazed at her with doting eyes. Belinda jumped at his sudden voice and she looked up in panic. Her eyes flickered to Duke''s, which were filled with tenderness. Her heart started pounding from the attention. "You''re here already! That was fast." Belinda drew her gaze away. She was so nervous that the tickets in her hands got crumpled by her fingers. She didn''t expect to react like an excited young girl.


    "I knew you were waiting for me, so I rushed toe here. Have you decided? What are we watching?" Duke took over the things she was carrying in her hands. Then he took her hand tightly and looked away, pretending to casually nce at the posters on the wall. "I''ve already bought the tickets. Is a horror movie okay?" Belinda looked at him happily. Without Edward around, Duke was the center of everyone''s attention. He drew the gaze of every woman in the area.


    "Are you sure it won''t be too scary for you?" Duke asked. He expected her to choose a romance film. He never imagined that she would choose a horror movie instead. It was very surprising.


    "No. I''m not you." Belinda''s lips curled into a sneer. Horror movies weren''t actually scary. They were just marketed that way to get more viewers. "There''s nothing frightening about horror movies." She chose the movie so she could rx after the vexing meeting with the presumptuous woman.


    "All right. Don''t throw yourself into my arms when you get scared. Let''s go inside and watch the film." Duke nced at the screening time of the film. It was already time to go inside.


    "I definitely won''t," Belinda said firmly. It didn''t take long for her to take back her words. A horrible scene at the beginning of the movie immediately frightened her. She threw herself into Duke''s arms without a second thought,pletely forgetting her earlier vow. The cool expression on Duke''s face melted into a gaze full of tenderness when Belinda jumped into his arms. He anticipated that she would do this because his sister always did the same. One thing he couldn''t understand was why women seemed to like watching horror movies so much even though the scenes would inevitably frighten them. He couldn''tprehend this strange concept.


    "Didn''t you say that you wouldn''t get scared?" Duke asked, ncing calmly at her. He found her whole body practically pressed against his, making him look around immediately to check if anyone had noticed. Fortunately, the backs of the chairs were high and nobody could see them. He breathed a sigh of relief. After all, he wasn''tfortable with public disys of affection like Edward.


    "I''m not afraid! I''m watching it right now!" Belinda eximed with confidence despite the firm grip she kept on his clothes. She couldn''t hold his hand because he was using it to eat.


    "Go ahead!" Duke shrugged, smiling at her indulgently. For him, there was nothing to be afraid of. He kept his cool throughout the entire movie and his pupils didn''t dte even once. All he did as he watched the film was to feed Belinda some popcorn. Despite buying such a big bag of snacks, she hadn''t even touched them once. He was happy to serve her for the time being.


    "Duke, don''t you find the scenes horrible at all?" As she spoke, Duke fed her mouth some popcorn again. When she realized that he had been doing it for her for a while, her cheeks flushed once again. She felt awkward all of a sudden, not knowing if she should keep eating it or spit it out. Her attention had been on the movie the entire time, so she didn''t notice the simple things he did for her.


    "Horrible? Those are just some scenes created by people. What''s wrong?" Duke touched his own face when he found Belinda staring at him. He couldn''t help feeling a little strange. Was there something on his face?


    "Oh! It''s nothing. Just watch the movie." Belindaughed nervously, almost biting her own tongue. She cringed inwardly and berated herself. They were watching a horror movie. Why was sheughing like a fool? She must have looked stupid.


    Duke chuckled and kept feeding her without calling her out on it. But now that Belinda was aware, she became self-conscious and almost bit his fingers several times. Duke frowned, aplicated emotion shing in his eyes. Luckily, they were at the cinema. If they were at home instead, he couldn''t sit quietly like a proper gentleman. He would have flung himself upon her already. ''Is this woman doing it on purpose or unintentionally? Doesn''t she know how tempting her behavior is?'' Duke thought in exasperation. Frustrating thoughts ran through Duke''s mind throughout the whole movie, so he decided to stop feeding her. As a result, Belinda took out all the snacks she bought when they finished watching the movie. It was quite the pity.


    As the crowd exited the theater, Belinda was still immersed in the movie. Because she was in a daze, she was almost knocked down by the people around her. Fortunately, Duke took her in his arms in time. It was his duty as a husband to protect his woman from harm.

 Chapter 777 An Attractive Quality In A Man (Part One)

    The autumn breeze came, and the slight chill in the air snapped Belinda out of her trance. She suddenly realized that ordinary people lived a simple but happy life. She could tell from the smiles on the faces of the people around her that watching a movie together was


    enough to cheer them up. Actually, the simplicity brought a different kind of happiness.


    Belinda and Duke went to the cinema in their own cars, so they had to drive back separately. Duke followed Belinda''s car at a close distance. He usually drove fast, but this time, he slowed down to keep with her pace and drove at a speed that he normally looked down on. Belinda parked the car in the garage and rushed towards the house without waiting for Duke. She was starving because she hadn''t had supper yet. She made a beeline for the kitchen, intending to prepare some food for herself. But she was dumbfounded when she arrived at the kitchen. The appliances were soplicated that she had no idea where to start.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "What are you doing?" Duke asked in confusion. He became curious when he saw Belinda get off her car and run inside without waiting for him, so he followed her into the kitchen.


    "I want to cook something for myself." Belinda answered without turning around. She opened the refrigerator to look for food. There was a lot of food inside, but unfortunately, she didn''t know how to cook any of them.


    "You haven''t had supper yet?" Duke asked with a frown. Belinda never ate a midnight snack. She couldn''t have had dinner yet. Otherwise, she wouldn''t want to cook something for herself.


    Belinda hummed vaguely in response, letting her eyes settle upon the things in the refrigerator as she wondered how to cook them.


    "Why didn''t you tell me at the beginning? Do you know how to cook?" Duke rolled up his sleeves and entered the kitchen.


    "No, I don''t. But I don''t think it would be too hard," Belinda grumbled, pursing her lips. She turned to Duke and looked at him with a pair of innocent eyes.


    "Just go upstairs and take a hot bath. I''ll make you some noodles," Duke said. He took some eggs, ham, and tomatoes from the refrigerator and walked towards the kitchen counter. He started skillfully slicing the tomatoes.


    "Duke, are you telling me you can cook?" Belinda''s jaw went ck as her eyes widened at his movements. It never urred to her that Duke could cook. After all, he was born with a silver spoon. Why did he learn to cook? Even women seldom cooked nowadays. "It''s easy to cook noodles." He washed the pot, turned on the gas cooker, added oil... He did everything so smoothly that it became evident that it wasn''t his first time to cook. Belinda rubbed her eyes with her hand, not believing what she was seeing. "It''s not easy at all," Belinda murmured. People said that a man buried in work was attractive. But for her, a man focused on cooking was even more attractive. Knowing how to cook was an attractive quality in a man.


    "Hand me the noodles." Duke fried an egg and put it on a te. Then he added water to another pot and covered it with the lid. Fried eggs tasted better than boiled eggs.


    "Wait, let me look for the noodles." Belinda began to search for noodles in the fridge. She had eaten noodles many times before, but she had never seen the packaging. As a result, it was quite difficult for her to locate the noodles among so many foods in the fridge. "Never mind." Duke shook his head in resignation and walked up to her. Belinda was an able woman in business, but when it came to cooking, she waspletely helpless.


    "Sorry." Belinda made a face and stuck out her tongue at Duke. She had never cooked before, so she was at a loss with what to do in the face of all the ingredients in the kitchen. "How did you even survive all these years?" Duke asked as he took the noodles from the topyer of the fridge. He gave her a teasing smile before he went back to the gas stove.


    "Well, I was very naughty when I was a child. Then I buried myself in my studies. While studying abroad, I was too busy studying business management. When I came back, I became too busy with work. I never had the time to learn how to cook." This was one of the disadvantages of being an heir to a family business. Belinda had no interest in business management at all, but she had no choice but to force herself to do as her parents wished.


    "These are all excuses." Duke put the noodles into the boiling water and added ham and tomatoes. He covered the pot and wiped his hands with a kitchen towel.


    "Come on! I''m telling the truth! Despite how busy you were, you still learned how to cook. I admire you so much." Belinda held up her thumb in approval. Knowing how to cook was a huge plus for an exceptional man like Duke. "Well, that''s because I had to take care of Leena." Duke put some seasoning into the pot before turning the heat down and covering the pot again. The noodles would be ready in two or three minutes.


    "You really dote on Leena." Staring at the noodles in the pot, Belinda couldn''t help but swallow when the delicious aroma filled her nostrils.


    "Are you jealous of her?" Duke asked with a teasing smile. He wasn''t the only person who doted on Leena. All his friends treated her like their own sister.


    "Is there a reason for me to be jealous? Besides, I''m not a demure person." Belinda used to act reserved and not say much in front of Duke. But recently, she started to rx and was more willing to show her real personality. "Really? I never noticed it." Duke turned off the stove and took some noodles with the chopsticks to taste it. It was a little nd to him, but it would be perfect for Belinda as she was still recovering. He didn''t need to add more salt. "Are you done?" Ignoring Duke''s teasing, Belinda looked at the noodles with a hopeful expression and licked her lips in anticipation.


    "Yes. You can go to the dining room now. I''ll bring it to you soon." Duke transferred the noodles from the pot into a bowl. In the process, the hot soup sshed on the back of his hands. He frowned, wiping his hands afterwards without saying anything. Belinda didn''t notice any of it. She went out of the kitchen in a good mood. She was so lucky! It was rare to find a man who was good at not only making money, but also cooking. Duke was such a person, and they would get married soon. Belinda was a lucky woman to have met him.


    "Aren''t you going to eat?" To Belinda''s surprise, Duke put all the noodles into one bowl and ced it in front of her. Seeing arge bowl of noodles, her eyes widened in disbelief. Did he expect her to finish everything?


    "I''m not hungry. Just eat the noodles. Tell me how they taste." Duke sat next to Belinda, gazing at her with a hopeful expression on his face. Leena thought highly of his cooking skills, but he was looking forward to Belinda''s opinion. At this moment, he wasn''t a confident CEO, but a man awaiting the verdict of his beloved wife with trepidation.


    "Okay, let me check. Ouch! It''s too hot!" Because Belinda was starving, she put the noodles into her mouth in a hurry and burned her tongue in the process. She stuck out her tongue to cool it down. After a few moments, she said, "It tastes good. Duke, you''re a great cook!"


    "Do you love me more now?" Duke asked as he poured a ss of cool water for her. He treated her with the utmost care, but Belinda was too careless to notice his actions.


    "What do you think?" Belinda replied with a question. She was too shy to admit that it made her love Duke more.


    "I think you love me more. People always say that the way to a man''s heart is through his stomach. I think this applies to women too." He rested his chin on one of his hands as he sat beside Belinda, letting his eyes settle upon her. His heart danced with happiness as Belinda buried herself in the noodles. He made a decision as he watched her. As long as she liked it, he would keep cooking for her for the rest of his life.


    "Well, then you have to work harder. I''m very picky with food. Duke, have some noodles. I can''t finish everything." Belinda took some noodles with her chopsticks and raised them to his mouth. She did it naturally, not noticing that sharing food with someone was an intimate act. Duke went nk for a short while. Then he immediately opened his mouth and ate the noodles, fixing his eyes on her face.


    It was then that Belinda realized what she had done. Her face flushed with embarrassment, but she pretended to be calm and took more noodles and fed them to Duke again. But her scarlet face and trembling hand betrayed her true feelings. Although Duke noticed it, he didn''t point it out to avoid embarrassing Belinda.

 Chapter 778 An Attractive Quality In A Man (Part Two)

    "You can have the rest. I''m going upstairs to take a bath." After swallowing the noodles, Duke stood up and left the dining room in a rush. He strode towards the bathroom on the second floor. Belinda rxed a little, wondering why Duke left in such a hurry. Duke entered the bathroom. Instead of turning on the water, he leaned against the wall, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. He pressed his hand over his chest, feeling the fast pounding of his heart. He closed his eyes in deep contemtion. Just now, he felt a suddenpulsion to tell Belinda that he had fallen deeply in love with her and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. But the idea that she might dismiss his confession was torture to him. Before he could blurt it out, he left the dining room in a hurry. He was afraid that he would act impulsively.


    Belinda didn''t even say a single word about Rachel to Duke because she didn''t think it was necessary. It was all wishful thinking on Rachel''s part and it had nothing to do with Duke. It would be unfair to Duke if Belinda took out her anger on him. Although Belinda was a little upset about Duke and Rachel''s past, she knew that everyone had a history. She just had to get over it. She was sophisticated enough to take things in stride.


    Belinda ate the noodles in the bowl with determination. Although she was already full, she was reluctant to throw the leftovers away. Duke lovingly cooked the noodles for her. She didn''t want to waste anything.


    When she went upstairs after she was done, Duke was still in the bathroom. Belinda walked around the room in an attempt to digest the noodles faster. She ate too much and there was an ufortable feeling in her stomach. She fell into a trance as she walked, thinking about her rtionship with Duke. The sudden happiness she felt took her by surprise. It was easy to satisfy Belinda. A bowl of noodles made by Duke was enough to make her happy.


    "What are you doing?" Duke walked out of the bathroom with a bath towel wrapped around his waist. He looked at Belinda in confusion.


    "Nothing! You''re done with your bath?" Belinda was used to seeing Duke''s half-naked body everyday. But every time she saw his firm body, her face flushed shyly and her heartbeat would quicken. She looked away awkwardly.


    "Yes. I have some work to finish. I''m going to the study now. Give me your business documents, so I can go through them." Duke had been helping Belinda review the business documents of herpany recently and had grown ustomed to the habit. He didn''t mind working harder to make things easier for his wife. He couldn''t help but do these things for her without asking for anything in return.


    "Now? It''s veryte!" Belinda shook her head in disapproval. Although she brought the documents back for him to review, she was nning to ask him to go through them in the morning as it was almost 1 o''clock in the morning already. She didn''t want him to overwork himself.


    "I''m good. I''ll just go to bed with you. You ate so much. I guess you won''t go to bed so soon." Duke grabbed an evening robe and put it on, peeking sideways at her slightly swollen belly.


    "Okay. Wait a second." When Duke made a choice, nobody would be able to change his mind. Belinda went to her briefcase and took out a pile of papers, handing them to him with a red face.


    Duke''s eyes widened at the documents. He didn''t expect that there would be so much. If he had to go through all of them, he wouldn''t be able to sleep tonight.


    "Do all these documents need to be reviewed?" Duke asked with uncertainty as he took the thick pile of documents. His heart sank a little.


    "Of course not, just a few documents. Please go through the contract with YD Group for me and tell me if there''s anything that needs to be added." Although the president of the YD Group was Daisy''s friend, Belinda wanted to double-check the terms of the contract. After all, business was business. She wouldn''t let private affairs interfere with business.


    "Is YD Group going to coborate with you?" Duke took a nce at the documents in his hands. He wondered why YD Group decided to work with YS Financial Group. It wasn''t like them to partner up with apany so soon.


    "Yes. Let me tell you a secret. The president of the YD Group was Daisy''s schoolmate in the JC Military Academy, so he did us a favor. Of course, that''s only partly the reason. The president recognized our strength as apany." Belinda suddenly realized that she hadn''t told Duke about it until now. She hadn''t contacted Daisy for a couple of days either. She wondered if Daisy was okay. How was she doing these days?


    "You mean you seeded in getting this project because of Daisy? Wow, that''s so lucky of you!" Duke couldn''t help teasing the proud woman in front of him. But he knew that the president of the YD Group would never make such a decision just to please a woman. If Belinda''spany wasn''t powerful enough, the president of YD Group wouldn''t choose them as a partner. Duke hadn''t met the president of YD Group before, but many of his partners had mentioned him. From their remarks, he knew that the president was a cold man. Duke wasn''t interested in making friends with him. After all, they worked in different industries. The chances of having projects together were slim.


    "Come on! We''re qualified enough to be their partner! Oh, the president of the YD Group is also very handsome. He has a strong and muscr build and he looks rather firm. Maybe this is because he used to train at JC Military Academy." Belinda voiced out her high opinion of Zemo casually. She didn''t notice Duke''s eyes narrowed and his face turned sour at her words.


    "You have quite an insightful opinion." Duke gnashed his teeth in anger. Although he was standing right in front of her, Belinda was gushing about another man. Duke became jealous of the YD Group president in an instant. He couldn''t help but consider ruining their partnership to keep them apart.


    "What? We just met a few times. You know how everyone likes beautiful things. I''m no exception. Zemo is really an exceptional man." Belinda continued to praise Zemo, not noticing the grim look on Duke''s face. She carelessly nattered on about Zemo''s good qualities without a second thought.


    "Are you saying that he''s more handsome than me?" Duke asked, trying his best to restrain his anger. He was eager to know her answer to the question.


    "Well, you are two different types of men. In terms of appearance, you are definitely more attractive. Why do you ask? Do you want to meet him?" Belinda asked in confusion. She could tell from Duke''s dark face that something was wrong, but she couldn''t figure it out. Did she say anything wrong? Why did he look so angry?


    "Nothing. I was just curious. I''m going to the study now." Duke was pleased with her answer. He smiled in satisfaction and went to the study.


    "Duke is really an odd person." Belinda pursed her lips, grumbling to herself. Though she was suspicious of Duke''s actions, she wasn''t a person who liked to get to the bottom of things. She shrugged it off and went to the bathroom. Duke''s clothes were scattered around the floor. She picked them up and put them in the basket for dirty clothes. She was so full at this moment that she didn''t want to take a bath right away. She decided to organize the wardrobe.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Duke liked to wear simple clothes of dark colors. His clothes were neither as fancy as Rain''s nor as bright as Edward''s. As a result, his closet looked rather dull. His profession had an important influence in the formation of his character and temperament.


    Belinda had always been a messy person. Everything in her room used to be in a muddle. Her mother always criticized her for being scatterbrained and absentminded, but she was unable to give up her bad habit. But after she moved into Duke''s house, she changed her habits easily. Duke liked tidiness, so Belinda cleaned the house every day.


    After taking a bath, Belinda went to the study to invite Duke to go to bed with her. She already knew what she wanted and she made up her mind to pursue her happiness. The soft moonlight flittered through the windows and the couple got intoxicated by the romantic atmosphere. Belinda''s heart began to race while Duke walked slowly towards her. Her blood was pumping through her body as Duke gazed deeply into her eyes. He stood in front of her and tugged on her robe. "Let''s take this off, shall we?" he murmured.

 Chapter 779 Greedy (Part One)

    The next morning, as soon as Duke pulled his car into the underground parking lot of the office building, Rachel got out of her Porsche. Here was the only ce she could see him. She had been waiting. The minute he came into view, she walked toward him. "Duke, good morning." In a white dress, curly hair swinging in the wind as she walked, Rachel had put on an innocent image instead of her usual sexy style.


    "Morning," Duke grunted without looking at her. He locked his car and was ready to leave, obviously not interested in speaking to her.


    "Duke, can I talk to you for a few minutes?" Rachel asked in a rush and quickened her steps, gripping her dress and biting her lip.


    "About what?" Duke asked briefly and slowed down his steps.


    "About... Belinda," Rachel hesitated, studying his expressions.


    "What about her?" Duke stopped and turned around abruptly. Apparently, even Belinda''s name itself meant a lot to him.


    "Do you not know the kind of woman she is? She is marrying you because she wants to get the Leng Group, not because she loves you," Rachel told him. She was convinced that when Duke got to know this, he would leave Belinda. Then she''d have her opportunity. "Oh. Really? Where did you hear that rumor?" Duke asked with a sneer. Indeed, marrying him hadn''t been Belinda''s intention. However, she hadn''t eventually married him because she wanted the Leng Group - Belinda wasn''t interested in anything Duke had. He had told Rachel about it before. It seemed like she had forgotten that. Or maybe she was just pretending to have forgotten.


    "It is not a rumor. She told me about it herself. I''m not lying," Rachel replied in a triumphant tone. She thought she finally had something over Belinda that would clear all the obstacles in her path to be Duke''s wife. Yesterday, she had noticed Belinda drove a Lotus sports car. It didn''t cost much. Duke hadn''t bought her a better car. Rachel was convinced that Belinda didn''t mean to Duke as much as he imed she did.


    "She told you herself? Are you sure?" Duke asked mischievously, wondering if he had missed something.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Of course. I have no reason to lie to you." Rachel made herself sound as sincere as possible.


    "When did you see her?" Duke asked abruptly in a grim tone. He could put up with her creating trouble or ying dirty tricks when it came to him. However, if she decided to make Belinda her target, she was on dangerous ground.


    "Last night. That''s when I got to know how vicious that woman is." Rachel thought she had done Duke a huge favor by finding out Belinda''s true nature. Duke ought to be thankful to her. She felt pretty good about herself.


    "So it was you she metst night. What did you say to her?" Duke red at her and suddenly gripped her jaw between his fingers. No wonder Belinda hadn''t eaten anythingst night. She had been somewhere with Rachel. Belinda disliked her immensely. Rachel must have incensed her so much that she had been too beside herself to eat. But why hadn''t Belinda said a word about it to him? Was it because she didn''t think it mattered? Or because she just didn''t take him seriously enough?


    "Urgh... I said nothing. Could you let go of me first?" Rachel tried to take Duke''s hand off, but to no avail. How much he had changed! The old Duke would have neverid a finger on her.


    "Said nothing? How much of an idiot do you think I am? Don''t mess with me. You can keep refuting it. But you''ll be clearing your desk soon. And believe me, you''ll never be able to find another job again. So, think wisely." Duke''s hand held her jaw more tightly. Rachel started to sweat with pain. Her face went pale.


    "Okay, okay. I''ll tell you. Let go of me first." Rachel was scared. Duke used to be so gentle. He had never even raised his voice to her when they were together. Yet since she came back, Duke had yelled at her and now he was being violent with her. "This better not be a trick. You wouldn''t want to provoke me." Duke withdrew his hand. Rachel''s sorry expression aroused no mercy in him at all. He could be very ruthless if need be.


    "I just wanted her to leave you. So I offered her 50 million dors, but she told me that was too little money. She wanted the Leng Group. These were her words. I swear," Rachel said with trembling lips and took a few steps back in fright, looking at him warily. "You wretched woman, how dare you insult her with your dirty money? That''s what I''m worth to you, 50 million dors?" Duke found he was quite dirt cheap in Rachel''s eyes. Fortunately, Belinda hadn''t taken the money and left him. Otherwise, he would have personally strangled Rachel.


    "No, that''s not what I meant. I just didn''t want to lose you. I thought that woman would take the 50 million and go away! Instead, she told me she wanted the Leng Group for herself. I didn''t expect her to be so greedy." Clearly, Rachel wasn''t as smart as she thought herself to be. She didn''t sense the ridicule in Duke''s words.


    "Right, you don''t want to lose me. But have you wondered if I will ept you? You want toe back to me by bribing my bride-to-be 50 million dors! Do you really regard yourself that highly? Or, is it that you think I am stupid enough to wee back a divorced woman in my arms, who previously hurt me? Why the hell would you think that''s even possible?"


    Duke questioned her sardonically. Even if she hadn''t been married once and gotten divorced, he wouldn''t ever take back a woman who had left him years ago without a second thought.


    "You loved me! Have you forgotten? Are you doing all this to get back at me?" Rachel was afraid but she didn''t want to give up yet. She brought up the past again, hoping it would turn the tide in her favor.


    "Loved you? Hah! You think you are all that? You believe you are worthy of me? I''m warning you, don''t bother hatching your little plots anymore. You are lesser than a stranger to me. Try any tricks again, and you are dead. Understood?"


    Rachel had brought this on herself with her overconfidence. Looking at her, Duke only felt repulsion and ire. Her pale face and sorrowful eyes didn''t trigger any other emotions in him.


    "Why are you doing this? I love you so much. You know that, don''t you? You are so cruel to me. I know I hurt you in the past, but I exined myself to you. I had no other choice. If I had a family as rich as yours, I wouldn''t have married a man I didn''t love just for the sake of his money."


    Rachel felt regretful and med herself for having been tempted by wealth. It was her who should be Duke''s wife, not the arrogant Belinda. But bygones were bygones, and regrets didn''t mean anything now.


    "You never loved me. Even today, you only love the money. Don''t speak of love again. It''s an insult when ites from your mouth." Duke secretly felt blessed that Rachel had left him. He would have destroyed his life if he had married her.


    "So I am the shallow one, is it? But who isn''t? These days all rtionships are based on money. There''s no perfect love anymore in this world. Wake up! Every woman with you is out to get your money." Rachel didn''t understand what was wrong if she had an appreciation for the rich. Why was she so evil in Duke''s eyes just because she valued wealth? Wasn''t Belinda the same? Didn''t she love his money as much as Rachel did? So why didn''t Duke hate her?

 Chapter 780 Greedy (Part Two)

    finished hisst sentence, leaving Rachel standing alone in the parking lot.


    "It''s none of your business and that is not true. You think Belinda is as vain as you are? Next time, consider well who you n on bribing before offering them money. Just in case you make a fool of yourself again." Duke moved toward the exclusive elevator as soon as he Belinda, Belinda, Belinda. That name was all he mentioned. What was so special about her? Why was she so important to Duke? Rachel wondered, ''Why does he hate me so much? What can I do to change his mind?'' It seemed difficult. But she wouldn''t give up so easily. She would persist as long as there was even a trace of hope. Once again, she mustered all her courage and confidence to start plotting. She would make Duke choose her over Belinda in the end. He had to.


    Duke stood against the back of the elevator with his eyes closed. He was frustrated. After everything that had apparently happenedst evening, Belinda had remained calm when they were together. She hadn''t even been angry at him. Did he mean anything at all to her? How could she mention nothing to him after a woman had acted so insultingly toward her?


    He sighed quietly. All the sweetness and romance from the night seemed ironic now. Maybe it had been a one-sided affair. Maybe it had just been him who had been moved at that moment. He felt so silly.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    Duke walked into his office with a long face. His good mood had deted. The entire morning, everyone within a five hundred meter radius could sense that the boss was upset. Not one employee dared to speak loudly, afraid it would cause him to have an outburst. It was so quiet that one would be able to hear a pin drop.


    Hero had been in aa after the operation. Daisy was about to give up hope when she got a call from Tom saying he had finallye around. That was exciting news indeed. Daisy was much relieved. She wanted to pay him a visit, but she was in the middle of training in a mountain right now. It had to wait.


    Daisy had been quite busy with training projects. She left home at the first light of morning and came back veryte. As energetic as she was, she was exhausted at the end of the day,. The soldiers were a different matter altogether. So she nned to give them two days off after the survival training. It happened to be Duke and Belinda''s wedding the day after tomorrow, so she too would take some time off to attend the nuptials.


    "Colonel, are we really going to spend 24 hours here?" Mark asked as he wiped off the sweat on his forehead. It was dry and sweltering in the mountain. Luckily, the trees provided some wee shade.


    "Yes, that''s right. We must find food for ourselves. And tell everyone to be careful with the fire," Daisy said, biting her chapped lips. After all, safety came first. This wasn''t her first survival training with the soldiers. She thought that the soldiers had acquired basic knowledge about survival.


    "Yes, Colonel." Mark saluted Daisy and turned to deliver her new instructions to thepany leaders.


    Daisy was wearing a camouging uniform. Even her face had been camouged to disguise. Only by her coiled hair could one tell who she was.


    In all honestly, this ce was better than the military academy she had been in. Firstly, there were no wild animals here that one usually encountered in the jungles. Nor were there swamps that could swallow up an entire person. Even deathly poisonous nts were absent, which could kill a person by one single, idental touch. Daisy considered this training to be much easier. It had hardly any extreme challenges.


    On such asions as today, Daisy was very grateful for the hardships she had gone through in the military academy. From an unbothered teenager, it had helped her grow into an all-round special technical soldier. She had never regretted spending her best years there. She was quite proud of it.


    Looking through the telescope at the soldiers, Daisy frowned. A long while had passed, but there was no sign of battle. The soldiers must be exhausted. They were slowing down.


    Daisy bowed her head and considered for a while. Then she put the telescope aside, donned a camouging cap and left themanding zone. She prowled toward her destination.


    The mountain was full of looming trees. The grass was at a better height than a person would be. It was hard to find anyone hiding in the grass. But not for Daisy, who knew the surroundings very well.


    She had divided the troops into four teams and two sides. The side which exterminated all the soldiers of the other side won. The training had been on for nearly two hours, yet the battle hadn''t even begun. Daisy felt a bit anxious. She decided to do something to trigger the conflict.


    Inching in cautiously, she studied the surroundings. With her cap on, nobody could recognize her. When she hit a soldier and stirred mor, everyone thought she was an ordinary soldier from the other side. That was exactly what she wanted. Only a conflict could start the fight and thus put the battle to an end early on. In reality, to win a fight, her soldiers needed to be swift enough to respond. Spending too much time observing and defending was a waste of time and wouldn''t help them win.


    The quiet battle field became dynamic. Daisy was involved in the fight too. Too hard tobat with, she soon became the target of the soldiers, leaving her no chance to sneak back to themanding zone. Both sides saw her as an enemy from the opposing side. It seemed like she had gotten herself into trouble. But she wasn''t mad about it. A big smile spread on her face from the thrill of it.


    Although the camouging oil covered her face, her mor wasn''t undermined at all. Among the soldiers, she was still the highlight of the fight. She knew how to cover herself and managed to retreat from the field. It was the soldiers'' show time after all. The battle would be long and exhausting. The soldiers had to defend themselves and find their food at the same time. Daisy was waiting to see which side would win at longst.


    It was daytime now. The situation would get harder for them when it got dark. Daisy hoped they could climb over the mountain as soon as possible. Next, they would have to go on a slope, which was favorable for night marching. Then the danger would be reduced. Daisy assumed that neither of the two sides would risk lighting a fire, which would expose themselves to their enemy and get them killed.

 Chapter 781 Accidentally Encountering Drug Dealers (Part One)

    Daisy looked toward the sky and saw that it was already noon. It seemed that due to her efforts, the soldiers were not acting as timid as before. At their current pace, they would be able to climb over the mountain and reach their next destination this afternoon. "Colonel, where have you been?" Mark asked anxiously as he saw Daisy return to themand area.


    "Oh! Something came up. What happened?" Daisy pursed her lips and swallowed a few sips of water. The sultry weather and the battle had made her sweat all over.


    "Well, some vigers went into the mountain while we were not looking. I was afraid they would identally get hurt by our soldiers." As Mark said this, he thought, ''I''ve got soldiers at the entrance to the mountain. How did the vigers slip in anyway?'' "Don''t they know that this is a military drill base? I can''t believe it! Arrange for some soldiers to find them, or we''re done for." Daisy frowned and thought, ''Is there something wrong with my n? Why don''t the soldiers follow my orders?''


    "Okay, Colonel. We will figure it out." As soon as Mark said that, he sprinted quickly to fulfill the orders. However, he didn''t know if he could find the vigers in time.


    Daisy felt very uneasy somehow. This had never happened before. People living nearby always knew this was a military training base, so they never rushed into the mountain. It could be that those who had entered the mountain were not natives, so they did not know that outsiders were not allowed in.


    The waiting period was extremely long. Daisy not only feared that the vigers could be identally injured by her soldiers, she was also afraid that the entire training program would getpromised. Both oues were undesirable to Daisy. She hoped fervently that Mark would find the vigers as soon as possible. Although real bullets were not used during the training, the soldiers could use force. The vigers could fortuitously get hurt.


    As the clock ticked by, Daisy waited long without hearing from Mark. So she put on her hat again and marched into the thick forest. To increase the difficulty of the training, many small traps had been set up in the forest. The longer the vigers stayed inside, the more likely they were to be in danger. If they identally fell into the pitfalls, the consequences would be serious.


    As a drillmander, Daisy was the first person who would be held ountable.


    As Daisy crept along the path into the mountain, she thought, ''This matter may not be as straightforward as I think. If they were just ordinary vigers, my soldiers would have found them long ago. What if they are hiding from the soldiers?''


    Wondering at this, Daisy no longer walked along the mountain path, but chose a more secluded ce with lush vegetation to move forward. She found the entire affair very strange. ''I ced many soldiers on guard at the foot of the mountain. Usually, the vigers would never sneak up the mountain without encountering them. They must have done it on purpose. But why would they do that?'' Daisy pondered on the answer all the way on the path.


    Many nts on the mountain had spines. They stabbed at Daisy''s uncovered skin, but Daisy didn''t care about that at all and bent to move forward stealthily. ''The grass and the uneven bushes along the road have been trampled. It must be them! They must have just passed from here!'' Daisy thought.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    Daisy knew those footprints had not been left by her soldiers. They would have moved along cautiously to avoid being found by others. They would never have left visible prints behind.


    As a good sniper, Daisy knew what to do to keep her from being spotted, so she was careful and moved slowly along the tracks that they had left behind. At longst, Daisy saw the crowd of rebels, but Daisy didn''t expect them to be more than ten people. This was totally different to Mark''s observation. They also did not look to be honest people. Daisy held her breath and avoided sneaking out even a single sound, even if ants crept into her clothes.


    "Shura, won''t we attract those soldiers if we make a trade here?" A footman, who looked to be of young age, whispered as he looked around warily.


    "Bah! You prick, shut up. Don''t talk rubbish. Don''t you know, the closer one is to danger, the farther he is from harm? You think those soldiers are smart enough to figure that out? Even if we are encountered by them, they will treat us as the vigers nearby, "


    The middle-aged man, addressed as Shura by the footman, spat disdainfully. He sauntered around proudly. Shura was hardly worried the soldiers in the mountain would find them.


    "You are doubtless as bold as people say you are. But where are my goods? Did you bring them with you?" Obviously, the man who just spoke was a gangster, Daisy thought. He looked ferocious and grim. Thenguid smile on his face was evil.


    "Don''t worry! Now that we have a deal, I guarantee you will be satisfied with my goods. I''m just afraid that you, Yama, don''t have enough money." Shura pped his hands. Soon, a footman brought over a straw basket. Obviously, the goods Shura talked about were in that basket.


    "I have plenty of money. As long as your goods are decent, I''ll take them all." Yama was still young, so he was pretty arrogant.


    "Bring it over and let Yama have a look." Shura sneered disdainfully. Why would he risk his life toe here if he wasn''t well-prepared? However, he hadn''t expected to see a military drill in operation. That took them a lot of time to sneak into the mountains.


    "Yes, Shura." The footman brought the basket in front of Yama and put away theyer of weeds that covered it. He then took out a packet of white stuff and handed it to Yama.


    As Daisy saw what was going on, she was so shocked that her eyes widened. She hadn''t expected Heroin to be in the basket. Daisy recalled from her military lessons - ''The chemical name of Heroin is "diacetylmorphine'',monly known as the white powder. It is formed by the action of the morphine and acetic anhydride, and its analgesic effect is 4 to 8 times that of morphine. Heroin has been widely used in anesthesia and analgesia in medicine. However, people are easily prone to be addicted to Heroin, and experience difficulties in giving it up. Long-term use of the drug destroys the immune function, resulting in damage to the main organs such as heart, liver, kidneys, etc. Injecting and smoking Heroin can also spread diseases such as AIDS. Historically, Heroin was used as a psychotropic drug for quitting morphine and finally, it was designated as a harmful recreational drug because of its excessive side effects. Therefore, Heroin, known as the king of the drug world, is one of the most dangerous drugs that is strictly monitored and banned in China.'' "It seems pretty good. Is the price the same?" Yama dipped some heroin into his hand and licked it with his lips. A satisfied expression spread on his face. It was not difficult to see he was satisfied with the goods.


    "Yes, the same price. I told you, you would be happy with my goods." Listening to Yama''s words, Shura was delighted. He would be making a fortune soon.


    "Here you are. This is your reward. You may check and see if the number is correct," Yama said. He motioned to a footman next to him to throw a stic woven bag over to Shura. Judging by the woven bag and straw basket, the rebels had obviously been very careful in their disguises as ordinary vigers. Unfortunately for them, however, Daisy had discovered their whereabouts despite their cautiousness.

 Chapter 782 Accidentally Encountering Drug Dealers (Part Two)

    "There is no need to do that. I trust you. We know each other so well." Shura forced out augh. As he said that, he nced at the footman next to him and motioned for him to check the money. Yama was not angry at Shura''s behavior, but looked at him contemptuously. At the moment, Daisy was secretly estimating their positional whereabouts and the number of weapons they might be carrying with them. If her guess was correct, the drug dealers must have guns with them. ''Can I beat them alone? Thank God! I have amunicator with me!'' Daisy thought. She took out themunicator silently and slowly put it to her mouth to call Mark. The small but stealthy movement in the bushes caught the attention of the drug traffickers.


    "Who is there?" One footman pulled out the pistol on his waist and walked toward Daisy step by step. All of a sudden the others readied themselves, prepared to fight.


    Daisy silently regretted that she hadn''t spoken a little more softly to notify Mark. If she had turned down her voice, they wouldn''t have found her. ''What should I do? Mark can''t be here immediately. Can I take out all these drug dealers alone? I can''t move faster than a bullet. But it has already happened. I have no choice but to face it bravely, '' Daisy thought. Daisy decided to fight them face to face. Although she knew it could get brutal, she wouldn''t be as unlucky to get hurt this time.


    Daisy held her breath and waited for them to reach her. When the footman was close by, she suddenly raised herself from her squatting position and swiftly knocked the gun out of his hands. She kicked him in the chest immediately afterward. Then, Daisy slipped onto the grass and knocked down the other footman. Daisy acted in the blink of an eye to beat the two footmen without the drug dealers realizing it. She was indeed a strong Colonel.


    "Damn it! They found us? Take this person down! If we are caught, we will all be sentenced to death. We have to catch this guy! Quick!" Though Yama ferociously said this, he was prepared to stealthily run into the nearby bushes. However, Daisy could not let him slip away. Daisy quickly ran over to Yama without a second thought and seeded in stopping him. Fortunately, the drug dealers did not shoot at her for fear of attracting more soldiers.


    "You wanna run? That''s impossible," Daisy said coldly, and jumped onto the tree next to Yama. She kicked him hard.


    "Ho! Guys! It''s a girl. Come on, everybody! Take that bitch down!" Daisy''s face was painted with grease paint and she wore an army cap. If she hadn''t spoken, it would have been hard to know that she was indeed a woman.


    "Sure. No problem. We would be very ''gentle'' with her." As soon as the drug dealers heard Yama''s words, they walked toward Daisy and tried to round up on her.


    Listening to the drug dealers, Daisy thought she could take them out as long as they didn''t shoot, so she wasn''t afraid of them. Daisy told herself to stay alert, hoping that Mark would arrive as soon as possible. Or that the soldiers who were training would find her before she was cornered by this group of drug dealers.


    "Come on, everybody! This bitch is a bad ass. Don''t shoot! We won''t be able to leave if we attract more soldiers," Yama said as he rubbed his aching chest.


    Daisy gnawed at her lips and raised her slender leg. She sessfully kicked down a drug dealer next to her. But before she could lift up her leg again, another drug dealer rushed toward her. She turned swiftly, with her head tilting to one side. If she hadn''t dodged the drug dealer, she would have been kicked in the head. Cold sweat ran down her temple.


    "Are you all deaf? I said take her down!" Shura was calm at first, but he was flustered upon finding that he couldn''t take down a woman with so many people at his aid.


    "If you are smart, you would know there is no point in resisting. Put down your weapons and your sentence might be reduced. If you don''t listen to me, you will suffer. You know how many soldiers are there on this mountain. You couldn''t escape them even if you had wings."


    While Daisy spoke, she didn''t stop fighting. She punched a drug dealer on his chin. She knew none of these people was trustworthy. If she didn''t stay focused, she might die. Besides, they all had knives in their hands, so she had to be more careful.


    "Surrender and we will receive a lighter sentence? That''s bullshit! Only a fool would believe that! Nothing is more important than wealth in today''s times! Don''t listen to her. Take her down quickly, or we will be in trouble." As soon as Yama finished speaking, he ran and re- joined the battle. He didn''t consider it wrong for a dozen or so big men to bully a lone woman. Although ?aisy was not a weak woman by any means, it shouldn''t deem them right to bully any beautiful woman like that. Well! Though Daisy''s face was covered with the greasepaint, she was still a beautiful woman.


    "You think you can still escape?" Daisy threatened them, but not because she was arrogant. She knew that as soon as she gave out the orders, hundreds of soldiers who took part in the training would surround this ce. Daisy hadn''t given her orders yet because she didn''t want the drug dealers to disrupt the entire training program. Also, it wouldn''t be too long before Mark got here, so Daisy was not too afraid.


    "Humph! How would we know if we don''t try? Don''t be fooled by her. Anything is possible till thest minute." Shura had just made a fortune that he hadn''t even spent yet. He didn''t want to get caught so soon. That was to say, he wouldn''t give up his only chance of escape so easily.


    "You''re not giving up, are you?" Daisy decided to stop talking and fought them with all her might. Although she managed to not get knocked down, she was cut with a dagger by one of them. Fortunately, Daisy managed to dash behind the bushes again. The wound was not too deep. However, her camouge dress had been torn apart.


    "Damn it, someone seems to be heading here. Hurry up! Shoot her if there''s no other choice." Yama''s ears perked up as he heard a rustle of footsteps approaching them. He knew that the big forces on the mountain wereing this way. But he felt no need to worry any more. He might as well fight them with all his might!


    "Right, let''s see how tough she is." The footmen grew excited when they heard what Yama said. They felt that if they had opened fire sooner, they might have escaped by now.


    Daisy''s heart seemed to block her throat. She knew she was in great danger now. She had no choice but to face the situation courageously. When she saw the drug dealer pull out his pistol, she quickly rolled into the thorny weed heap and kept out of the way of the bullet. Even though the bullet did not graze Daisy, she did not let her guard down and quickly hid behind a big tree. There was no time to care for her wounded skin.


    "Shura, let''s split up so we can escape easier. You guys can stay behind." Yama didn''t have time to take the money in the stic woven bags or the Heroin in the straw basket. Right then, the most important thing was to keep himself alive. He reminded himself of the popr saying ''Where there is life, there is hope."


    Daisy began to worry when she heard them leaving. At that point, several people had their guns aimed at her, so it was tough for her to run out and refrain them from escaping. She grew extremely anxious. Daisy had no way of stopping them.000????????????Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 783 Haunting Us All The Time (Part One)

    Sweating heavily, Mark sprinted in the Colonel''s direction. There had been another emergency. Being a military man, he had experienced a lot of emergency situations like this one. He had also been trained to perfection to always be prepared for such urgent events, but he still needed to pay careful attention each time. Especially since he was Daisy''s entourage, the missions they epted were always dangerous. Being an outstanding female officer and the youngest colonel in S city, Daisy was famous for her bravery. She liked challenges, so she always forced herself to face more and more perilous tasks. She tried her level best toplete them without considerations for her own safety. It had gained her merits but also put her life under threat more times than she could count. Mark could never be too careful when it came to the Colonel. Knowing her so well, he knew he needed to hurry or the Colonel would be in danger again if he was even a minutete. On his way there, he heard a loud gunshot echo through the hills. Mark started sweating profusely. His hair stood on end and his entire body went rigid. The situation was worse than he had thought! The Colonel must be in extreme danger. In the previous situations, Colonel had been harmed when he had not been there by her side. This time, he couldn''t bear to think of her being injured again when he was so close. Besides, Edward''s wrath would be impossible to take if he let his beloved wife get hurt again. So, despite the burning sensation he felt because of the branches and thorns scratching against his skin, he kept running. Several times, he almost stumbled due to the vines under his feet. Still he didn''t stop. He found the Colonel eventually. This time at least, he could help her.


    Daisy was soon finding herself in hot water. Danger seemed to surround her as the bullets kept shooting at her from all directions. She had to change her hiding ces continuously in order to save her life. Even though she had greatbating skills and was agile enough to change positions, the bullets kept flying at her mercilessly. Even a small and nimble rabbit couldn''t have avoided being shot by so many bullets under the circumstances. Several times, Daisy almost got shot. What was worse was that she didn''t even have a weapon to fight back with. The only things she could do was find covers, avoid the many bullets, and try to stay alive for as long as possible until Mark and the other soldiers arrived to help her out of this situation.


    "Colonel, are you all right?" asked Mark in concern. Finally, he managed to make his way to Daisy when she was on the brink of exhaustion. Seeing that she was alright, he exhaled a breath in relief. He tossed his pistol on the ground in front of Daisy so she was no longer empty-handed. Her fighting skills could finally be used against these gunmen. It was time these drug traffickers saw her for what she could do. Daisy could never be easily beaten.


    "I''m fine. But their bosses have run away. I need to go after them right now. On my orders, issue the highest alert level immediately! Make sure you capture all the drug dealers. Remember, don''t kill any of them if not necessary,"manded Daisy quickly. With Mark there, she rolled over and got away sessfully. She ran toward where Yama had gone. She must capture him immediately! If they managed to escape, there would be endless troubles for the society, the country, and maybe even the world.


    Everyone raced against time. Every second counted in the situation. They were all gambling their valuable lives in this fight. No one wanted to lose, because loss would result in their deaths. Knowing how severe the consequences would be for the drug traffickers, Mark could doubtlessly tell that it would be a ferocious fight. A fight with no mercy. So he chose to follow his Colonel closely, just in case she needed any help if she went into trouble. The number of the drug dealers was not small and each one of them had at least a gun in his hand. The Colonel might not be able to cope with all of them at once. Even though she was excellent, she was still a human being with flesh and blood.


    The mountain was covered with high grasses, branches, thorns and even vines. Thisplicated topography was not expected by the drug traffickers, so they werergely slowed down by the natural barriers. Apparently, they had not been trained to run or hide in the hills with so many obstacles, nor did they know what to do in this situation except scurrying blindly. They were unprepared and taken unawares in the emergency situation. On the contrary, Daisy had been trained hard for exactly these kind of events: surviving in the wild, chasing opponents, dealing with gunmen, tracking and anti-tracking, and so on. Fortunately, this big difference between their abilities and intelligence gave Daisy a chance to catch up to them quickly.


    "No one moves! Or I will fire my gun!" shouted Daisy. She had told herself that as long as these drug dealers could be persuaded, she would not fire a shot arbitrarily to injure or kill any of them. Just like the order she had given to Mark - there would be no killing unless there was no other choice. She knew what the consequence would be after her shouting, but she still warned and persuaded the rebels not to run further. However, the drug dealers didn''t give a hoot for what she yelled at them, they turned around and fired their shots at her in turn.


    It was obvious that these gunmen had no intentions to surrender easily. Daisy took a deep breath, closed one eye to aim at her target and pulled the trigger without any hesitation. She was careful to avoid shooting any vital parts of the enemy. Instead, she struck his right hand that was holding the pistol to make sure he would not pick up a weapon to attack or threaten a life again.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    Coming from behind Daisy, Mark was not bad either. As several guns dropped from the drug dealers'' hands, he shot down some more of them. Coordinating perfectly with each other, in moments Daisy and Mark had shot everyone except Yama. The hit gunmen fell onto the ground holding their injured hands, howling painfully. There was nothing else they could do. However, while Yama stood in front of them, Shura was long gone. Presumably, he had run in the other direction.


    "Mark, is it okay for me to leave this here for you? Can you handle this?" asked Daisy. Her entire body was covered with weeds and mud. Daisy could not be described as elegant in that moment. However, she held a different type of countenance. She might be beautiful, iron-strong and powerful, but none of these words would be urate enough to describe her. Perhaps, one could only say that she looked proud and mighty like a goddess.


    "Yes, Colonel! You be careful too!" answered Mark in affirmation. He didn''t care to pay much attention to a drug trafficker, but the safety of his Colonel was of the highest priority.


    "Of course! I know how to protect myself. I''ll be careful," replied Daisy, assuring him. She didn''t want him to worry too much about her. She followed a path in a different direction to see if she could find Shura. She could tell without even taking a look at herself that there were a lot of small wounds on her body - lesions that were scratched and stabbed at by the thorny vines. She deeply felt the prickling sensation on her skin, especially since she was sweating heavily. The salt from her sweat increased the pain even more. Ignoring the ufortable feeling, Daisy focused on the task at hand. In any case, these were just minor wounds that were neither serious nor too important. She had experienced more severe ones before. As a military officer, she was used to them. It was part and parcel of her job. Her performance should not be affected.0000000?????

 Chapter 784 Haunting Us All The Time (Part Two)

    However, after a long search, Daisy still couldn''t find a trace of Shura. It ured to her that unlike Yama, Shura would be familiar with the topography on these hills, so he knew very well where to hide. Otherwise, he couldn''t have disappearedpletely into the wild in such a short time. Daisy stopped and took a deep breath to calm herself down. Looking around, she realized that she would never find Shura if she searched so aimlessly. She had to stabilize her mind promptly, get her reasoning back ande up with a better idea somehow. Suddenly, the sight of a blood stain on the ground beneath her caught her attention. She bent over and scratched it with her forefinger, confirming that it had been left there freshly. A thoughtful look crept upon her face, that soon blossomed into a faint smile. This was the breakthrough she needed. She atst had a clue, even if it was a minute one. Daisy dashed in the direction of the blood stains. If she wasn''t wrong, this blood stain must belong to one of the drug dealers she had shot earlier. If she pursued the trail of blood, she might get to Shura. Her judgment proved to be right. As she followed the blood stained path, soon enough, she caught the sight of Shura. But Shura had also seen her at the same time. Without wasting a moment, he turned around and aimed his gun at her fiercely. The rain of bullets forced her to hide behind a big tree. She couldn''t risk her life here.


    "What a fucking bitch! Why is she trying so hard to arrest us?! No matter where we go, she chases us! She is like a ghost, haunting us all the time!" cursed Shura angrily. "Listen! You all be strong now! Don''t be softhearted sissies! This is no time for morals! So what if she is a woman, I don''t need your tenderness right now! Use your weapons! Do not save your energy for me! The mercy you show her will only get us death! Understood?!" Shura had thought that he would be able to run away from the mountains, since he knew the ce very well. He had not thought that Daisy would be so good at her job that it would only take her minutes to catch up to him. Now, being chased by her, he couldn''t be as optimistic. It would be that much harder to get away.


    Meanwhile, Daisy adjusted her breath. After a long exhtion, she was prepared for battle. She stuck out her head from behind the tree trunk, aimed at one of the gunmen and pulled the trigger. Because of her urate shooting and decisive action, the gunman lost his attacking ability immediately. That kind of short range shooting was actually quite easy for her; it was like a default setting to her. She didn''t even need to wrinkle her brow.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    There were only three entourages beside Shura in total, so it was not difficult to knock them down one by one. However, the hard part was aiming urately so they wouldn''t lose their lives. Daisy only wanted to stop them from attacking her or resisting arrest. It was preferable that she injured their hands rather than killed them. She didn''t want their deaths to be on her hands. Daisy didn''t think of herself as a dictator and she respected every single life. Even though there was a chance the opponents could take advantage of her mercy, there was a bottom line she always reminded herself to follow and respect: ''Never kill or injure anyone unless necessary and use your weapons cautiously.'' However, many times, her kindness left her opponents with more chances to fight back. It ced her in much more trouble and danger instead of granted her the gratitude she deserved.


    Hearing the bullets whistle past her, Daisy knew she needed to be extra cautious. Even one second of a difference could result in her getting shot and killed. This was the cruelty of battle. So she put all her concentration on the situation from the vantage point of her hiding spot. She wasn''t going to venture out and make the shot unless she felt one hundred percent certain about it. She was well aware that she was staying alive not only for herself, but also for her husband Edward, the one true love of her life. She loved him deeply and wouldn''t make him grieve for her death. She couldn''t allow herself to seal his fate like that. She must devote her entire self into this battle at hand. ¨¦ven the slightest mistake could cost her heavily. She repeated two sentences in her mind, "Stay calm! Make no mistake!"


    As she held her breath, she listened carefully to discern where the bullets wereing from. Her eyes scanned the surroundings quickly and her decision was made. She made a smooth movement and rolled over swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, before any of the gunmen could react properly, she hid behind another big tree wholly. The change in the position gave her a better view. Now, she could tell where the drug dealers were hiding.


    After another round of bullets, Daisy had urately made judgments about the position of the other two drug dealers. Before they could fire the next shot, she popped out her head and speedily fired two of her own in two different directions. Without ascertaining the damage she did, she hid back behind the tree immediately and let out a loose breath.


    On the other side, Shura''s face went pale upon seeing Daisy''s fast movements. He had never imagined that a woman could be so powerful. The fact that Daisy had fired two shots in less than five seconds while urately hitting her targets left him stunned. As a result, all his entourages got injured and no one could protect him anymore. He was the only one left standing. He was on his own now. Shura wasn''t used to being alone, but he had no choice but to protect himself. As for Daisy, the sudden decrease in the gunmen''s firepower meant good news to her. Since there were no more bullets firing at her, she knew she had hit both targets through her two shots.


    "Shura, where are you going to run now?" Daisy threatened him. She knew she was winning this time. Shura was cornered and anything he did would be in vain. There was no one else to help him out. She could capture him right now. Soon enough, this game of cat and mouse would end. But she still needed to be extremely vignt until they were all arrested, just in case of any emergencies. Thinking of that time when Edward had almost gotten himself killed, she felt the dread in her veins. She had learned that lesson and from then on, had been cautious to a fault, even after she had emerged the winner in a battle. She would never allow herself to make that same mistake again. She couldn''t afford to lose Edward''s life, nor her own. She held her pistol high, aiming at Shura''s head as her forefingery on the trigger. She could pull the trigger at any moment if it became necessary. Pointing her pistol directly at him, she approached him step by step.


    "You! Who the hell are you?!" asked Shura, his voice trembling with fear. He tried hard to cover up his shakiness, but anyone could detect the panic in his eyes. As Daisy got closer to him, he couldn''t help but step back and keep his distance from her. It wasn''t like he didn''t want to shoot her, but there was no bullet left in his pistol. His life waspletely in her hands now. He felt powerless.


    "Daisy Ouyang from the S City Garrison Headquarters. You still feel like escaping now?" replied Daisy coldly. At the same time, she began picking up the guns that had been dropped behind by the drug dealers when she had shot them. They were just injured, not dead. There was still the possibility that they could move about and fire a shot at her back when she was not watching. If she was not careful, she could easily get hurt.000

 Chapter 785 Haunting Us All The Time (Part Three)

    "What?! You''re THE female colonel?! It is said that it was you who arrested Hawk. Is that true?" asked Shura. He was stumped. Feeling a little intimidated, he sighed deeply to himself. Was this his destiny? Was he going to die by this woman''s hands today? Hawk was much stronger than Shura. If he hadn''t managed to escape this girl, Shura could not manage to do it at all! Plus, everything was on her side at the moment. There was just no opportunity for him to turn the tide in his favor. Looking at how she had knocked down all his entourages just minutes ago, it would be too stupid not to admit she had great abilities. She could easily take him down in a split second.


    "No, you are mistaken. I was the one who executed his arrest. But I only did it in ordance with thew of our country. Now, I am here to arrest you for the same reason. You vited thew, so I have to do what it tells me to do. It''s my responsibility to keep our country safe. But it''s not for me to decide whether or not to sentence you. I am only the executor," exined Daisy calmly. She couldn''t risk rxing at all. She must stay alert and keep caution until everything was settled. Just like the time when Edward had been shot, being careless in front of her opponent was deadly. If she wanted to avoid getting anyone harmed again, she could never be too circumspect. The same mistake could not be allowed twice. She would not allow Shura any opportunity to fight back again.


    "What if I give you money? Lots and lots of money, so much that you wouldn''t even be able to count it. Would you release me then?" asked Shura, with a sliver of hope in his heart. He tried to induce Daisy with his dirty money. He thought she must have chosen to be a military officer only because of penury. She shouldn''t be able to resist the allure of so much money! She would probably take his bribery. What he didn''t know was that Daisy already had so much money that she didn''t even get a chance to spend. She would never be able to use up the pool of wealth at her disposal even in her entire life.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    "The one thing I detest most in life is drugs. And people like you, who traffic them, are even more abominable! Do you even know how many good families are destroyed because of what you do?!" Daisy eximed in anger. What a shameless impenitent jerk! If she ever needed money, Edward, the man-shaped ATM would always be there for her. He was at her home and easier to get ess to. So why would she ever choose Shura over Edward for money? Besides, Shura''s money was dirty. It had so many people''s blood and lives attached to it.


    "Why should I care about other people''s happiness? All I know and need to know is that I myself would be very unhappy if I didn''t have so much money," said Shura unrepentantly. His eyes still nced around sneakily, hoping to catch on to an escape route. He hoped to take advantage of every mistake Daisy might make. Wondering at how he could bolt under such a circumstance, Shura knew he''d be damned if he decided to give in easily!


    "You make so many people homeless and miserable. You destroy their chance to be happy just because you are so greedy for money. How selfish are you?!" Daisy condemned him severely. Daisy was furious at this unreasonable man. She would never forgive Shura. His heart was wicked and ugly.


    "I don''t think it''s such a big deal. Every man on Earth does such things. Every single man is selfish. It''s better that I am the fortunate one. Other people''s mishaps are none of my business. Besides, dare you say that you are not doing this for your own merit? I don''t think you truly care to help those unfortunate men," Shura sneered coldly. His tone was scornful and contemptuous. Shura believed that everyone on the was as self serving as he was. All of them only bothered about their own benefits. Besides, Shura believed he was just amon man doing a job anyone else would do! A man like him would never reflect on what he did, Daisy thought. He would neverbel himself as a dangerous criminal whomitted dishonorable deeds.


    "I do dare say that I am NOT. I do not care about my merits. I only choose to do right for people. I am here to arrest you only because you ought to be arrested," replied Daisy. She had already seen through Shura''s strategy. She knew exactly what he was trying to do - he was on the lookout for escape. But he would need an opportunity to do so. That was the only reason why he kept talking to try and divert her attention, using his little tricks to dy her decision and gain himself some time. Then he might be able to get away. However, since Daisy already knew the way he thought, she would make sure to never give him the slightest of an opportunity. She was ying tricks with him too, talking back to him just as he wished she would, but always remaining on her guard. Before she could think of a better idea to take him down without firing any shot, she wouldn''t be able to move either. She did not want to injure anyone if it wasn''t inevitable, but it wasn''t easy to keep him under her thumb otherwise. After all, no only Shura himself knew what he was going to do next. The best thing to do was to stay alert and be prepared for any movements he might make.


    "What a good joke! You think I will ever believe what you say? It''s better you release me now, or I can easily be a much bigger inconvenience to you," said Shura ferociously, gritting his teeth. He hated the way Daisy dealt with him. He despised her stubbornness and righteousness.


    "You think you''ll ever have a chance to get release from prison once you are captured? You should be more worried about how many kilograms of heroin you''re carrying and what that means to your sentence," said Daisy mockingly. Her smile wasced with derision. "I''ll be dead anyway, but you would go to hell with me!" Even before Shura finished speaking, he had made his move. He bent down, quickly picked up a pistol lying near him and aimed it at Daisy. Before he could pull the trigger, however, Daisy made her shot without any hesitation. A bullet hit Shura''s right wrist with precision. Before he could react to the hit, she rushed over to subdue him. It was all over just in an instant. Daisy was covered with cold sweat all over. If she had been even a second slower, the person lying on the ground would have been her. Fortunately, her eyes had been closely tracking his movements all the time, just in case of such an ident. Her well-trained battle skills were like conditioned reflexes now, and that had earned her precious time to always be one step ahead of Shura.


    Finally, after the fight had ended, the other soldiers rushed over and captured the drug traffickers immediately. Most of them were badly injured. Another mission had beenpleted sessfully. Without even affecting their training session, they had managed to arrest a group of drug traffickers and seized five kilograms of heroin, as well as a total of one million and six hundred thousand US dors. That was a petrifying number!


    "Colonel, you have been hurt. Shall we end this training session now?" Mark asked with worry in his voice upon returning to thebat area. Who would have thought they would run into a group of drug traffickers in a simple field survival training? Everyone was caught by surprise, though luckily, they had not been unprepared. Based on the number of drugs they had been carrying, this must have been a notorious group of drug traffickers!

 Chapter 786 Haunting Us All The Time (Part Four)

    "I am fine. I just have some small scratches. It is no big deal. I will deal with them when we go back tomorrow. You don''t need to worry about me. The most important task at hand is to make sure these drug dealers don''t get away until the police arrive," ordered Daisy calmly. It was still early, so there should be enough time for the police toe and arrest the dealers before it grew dark. It would be better if they could transfer them to Mr. Yi, the director of the police station, today itself. She did not want to wait until tomorrow. Too many unpredictable things could happen in between.


    "Don''t worry! They have all been tied up. Those who are injured may still suffer a bit though. The military medics could only give them a simple treatment for their wounds. The bleeding has been stopped. But they will have to wait until they get to the hospital to take the bullets out by surgery," reported Mark. Though they had just undergone an intense battle, he was quite enthusiastic. The Colonel had once again done a great job. Her merits were earned by her excellent abilities. Who could still disapprove of her title?


    "Did you ask for the ambnce too when you called Mr. Yi?" asked Daisy, frowning deeply. Apparently, she hadn''t thought as far as Mark had. All she could wonder at was how lucky she had been this time that she was still alive. It was not like she feared death much. But her life didn''t merely belong to herself, but also to her beloved Edward. She couldn''t afford to lose it since that would break his heart utterly.


    "Yes, Colonel! I''ve mentioned that already. Shall I ask the military medic to take a look at your wounds too?" asked Mark. He was concerned about Daisy''s wounds, but he didn''t want to see an angry Edward either. He was already imagining how mad Edward would be when he got to know Daisy had been hurt again. Every time she got injured, he grew frosty and truly acted like a demon from hell.


    "Not yet. It does not matter. I will deal with them when I get back," answered Daisy. Her emotionless face was still covered with oil paint from their training. It was hard to figure out what she was feeling. But Mark had been herrade for so long, he could see that she was exhausted.


    "Maybe you should take some rest inside the car then? I will wake you up when Mr. Yi arrives, Colonel," suggested Mark. Mark had always been attentive. It was not always that a man was as considerate as him.


    "Okay then. But pay heed to their training progress. I hope that they can finish soon," said Daisy. She did feel tired afterpleting the tasks. So she did not reject Mark''s suggestion this time. After giving her final orders, she went to the Humvee that stood at a distance. "Yes, Colonel! I''ll notify the leaders. Have a good rest!" Mark said, confirming her orders. As he watched her get on the Humvee, Mark realized he was happy. He had a brilliant smile on his face, simr to that of a young teenage boy.


    Daisy had thought of only taking a nap. But she must have been too tired, and had fallen asleep right away. By the time Mr. Yi arrived, she had slept for more than an hour.


    "Colonel Ouyang, thank you very much! We have been tracking these drug dealers for a long time, but could not execute their arrest due tock of evidence. We never thought they would have the courage to trade drugs in your area. It is unlucky for them to meet you here, but they deserve it. With the proof you have collected this time, we could charge them prison sentences for life. We are so grateful to you!" Mr. Yi eximed fervently.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    Actually, he felt quite small in stature every time he met Daisy Ouyang. It was not due to her high ranking in the military base, but because of her ability to solveplications and sessfullyplete impossible missions. Compared to her, he felt his own work did not match up in significance.


    "It''s our responsibility to protect our country and society. The safety of the people also relies on us. Arresting those who endanger our societyes under that. We just did what we were supposed to do. You do not need to thank us," Daisy said politely. She was never someone who cared a lot about her merits, even though it had cost her many promotions.


    "In any case," Mr. Yiplimented, "You have made a great contribution to our country and to the people today." To be precise, it was not just Daisy who had made the contribution. By tracking down such arge drug transaction case and apprehending this group of drug dealers, Mr. Yi would also be rewarded. That was the main reason he was so enthusiastic.


    "It is not a big deal. We just did what we had to do. I think it would be better if you take the drug dealers back to your station now. I can''t go with you as I still have a training session to monitor. But if you have any problems, feel free to call me anytime. I am willing to assist in your investigation. Keep in touch," Daisy said, her tone still civil but cold. Watching the sun sink to the west, Daisy was lost in her thoughts. Whether she got merits for such missions was no longer as important as it used to be. She was no longer the young soldier from a few years ago, who needed to work hard and do her very best to earn her title. At that time, she did not have anyone to rely upon. She was forced to take up dangerous and deadly missions one after another, to make meritorious contributions and climb up the rankingdder. The reason for the difference today was only one person - Edward, her beloved husband. She had been pushing herself so hard for all the merits not because she wanted them for herself. She had needed them to prove her abilities. She wanted to be approved by others so she wouldn''t feel like she wasn''t good enough for Edward. After all, Edward was so extraordinary, that to be with him, Daisy needed to be outstanding too. But now, he was hers, a man who only belonged by her side and would always belong there. She did not feel the need to push herself so hard anymore.


    "Okay, then we will leave now. If there is anything that might need your assistance, we will call you. We will be in contact," Mr. Yi replied humbly. He had always been deferential with Daisy every time they met, both because of her military ranking and her patriotic attitude. She was indeed a responsible officer whopleted all her missions perfectly. Mr. Yi believed that Colonel Ouyang was ady who demanded respect.


    "Of course. I will be cooperative," Daisy said. When Mr. Yi left with the arrested drug dealers, she finally got some quietude back. There would be a report to write regarding today''s event when she got back. She sighed deeply. She frankly did not like that part of the job. They were only formalities without any meaning to them. No one would ever read those reports. What a waste of time!


    As the police cars roared to life and headed out, the wicked drug dealers and their goods were gone with them too. But Daisy could not feelplete relief. She knew drugs would never fully disappear from the world. People could easily earn much profit by trading them. As long as there were people who worshiped money, there would be many other Shuras in the future. Just like what he said, people like him only cared about getting lucky and receiving the coin, while someone else''s future could be thrown under the bus for all they cared. Human beings were selfish. Each one of us was, to some extent. But it all depended on how badly we craved for things that didn''t belong to us, and to what degree we were willing to sacrifice to get to them.000000

 Chapter 787 Enchantingly Handsome Little Boy (Part One)

    Tonight, it was cool as usual in the mountain. What was unusual, though, was the many figures hiding in the dark. A fierce match of strength and wisdom was going on between the two sides of Daisy''s troops. The soldiers lurking in the shrubs were waiting for their chance to get an advantage over the false enemy. Victory was supreme glory to soldiers. Each side tried their best to win. The training didn''t stop even when they heard the gunshots in the afternoon. Soldiers must follow orders. Before they received a formal order, everything had to be carried out as nned. Daisy didn''t attend to her injuries. They were toomon for her and not serious enough to require her attention. As a servicewoman, she didn''t spend much time on superficial things such as clothes and appearance, as other women might do. She hadn''t felt badst time when her face was cut by Jessica. But she had been worried she might not be pretty enough for Edward, whose face was more beautiful than those of most women! Daisy had been cooperative throughout the treatment Tom had offered to help her, just to make sure that when she and Edward were together, they would still look like the perfect couple.


    Edward''s face shed into her mind at night, tempting her. She missed him. She understood why it was so hard for Jessica to let him go. To women, he was like a poppy, seemingly charming yet intoxicating. Once they got close to him, they all hopelessly became enamored and were never able to leave him.


    All humans pursued good things. People tried so hard to get them that in the process they destroyed the very thing they were chasing. Daisy disapproved of that, but she had been lost too once, and had worked hard to make her dreamse true. That was how she got her position in the army.


    In contrast to the cold in the mountain, the city seemed warm at night. Edward sat on the balcony, swishing the contents of his ss as he sipped the wine. The sorrow on his face was evident.


    When Daisy wasn''t around, he felt extremely lonely. He was always thinking about her. Only the wine could dispel his loneliness. But this was his life now! Days like this woulde and go, again and again in the future. He must learn to get used to them. He had been unable to deal with loneliness before. It used to make him feel suffocated. But after Daisy hade into his life again, he had begun to feel peaceful. Daisy had filled up the emptiness in his heart. As he sat there and sipped the wine, he recalled the moments he and Daisy had shared in their lives. The wine tasted a little bitter, but all he felt was the sweetness around him.


    "Daddy, are you thinking of Mommy?" Justin got into Edward''s arms. He looked keenly at him, with a gorgeous smile.


    "Little guy, have you finished your homework yet?" Instead of answering Justin''s question, Edward put him in hisp and pinched his tender cheek affectionately.


    "Yes, I finished it early. It was easy. Daddy, you haven''t answered my question yet," Justin said, shaking his father''s arm.


    "What question?" Edward pretended he had no idea what Justin was talking about. He felt a little embarrassed to answer the question. "The one I just asked you. Are you thinking of Mommy?" Justin persisted. Apparently, he was not going to give up until he got an answer.


    "You tell me first. Do you miss your Mommy?" Edward smiled. Justin was too smart, so he had to be careful before he answered his query.


    "Of course I do. I miss her so much every time she is on a mission or can''te home because of training." Justin pouted. In the past, when his Mommy was not around, his babysitter had been his onlypany. He was okay if his Mommy was away for a short time. But when she had to be away for a long time, he would cry in secret by himself.


    "Whom were you staying with when your Mommy wasn''t home?" Edward touched Justin''s head tenderly. He always hated the way his parents had neglected him when he was a little boy. Nheless, his son was apparently experiencing exactly what he had gone through. He wouldn''t forgive himself for letting that happen to Justin.


    "It was my babysitter when I was little. Then when I was older, it was Uncle Mark, Uncle Kevin, and sometimes themander." Justin sounded calm, yet what he had said made Edward''s heart heavy. He held Justin tighter.


    "I bet they all liked hanging out with you." Edward couldn''t help but give Justin a kiss on his forehead, his eyes filled with love.


    "Yes. They were all good to me. Mommy used to say I was getting bigger every time she came back home and saw me." Justin was reminiscent of the past. Although Edward had been absent back then, it was one of his happy memories.


    "I see. You have been an enthusiastic eater since then. You must have eaten a lot of snacks to be that big."


    Edward shook his head, amused. No wonder Justin was delighted whenever there was delicious food. It was the oue of years of cultivation by the people around him.


    "Daddy, you are good! How did you know? Mommy never buys me snacks. She says they are all junk food. So I would ask Uncle Mark and the others to buy them as soon as Mommy was not around." Justin seemed verycent about his counter-measures. Those had been good days for him.


    "Weren''t you worried that Mommy would find out about it?" Edward asked with a smile. Daisy could sometimes be careless, while Justin was clever. Edward could imagine that Justin would seed in his little trick. He thought, ''As perceptive as Daisy is, did she really sense nothing suspicious?'' He didn''t believe it.


    "She wouldn''t. I would eat up all the snacks before she came back, even the crumbs, leaving no trace at all."


    Justin gave him a cunning smile. He would throw the package away as soon as possible. So he had never got caught.


    "Kiddo, did you ever think about this possibility? Maybe your Mommy knew about it all along. She just didn''t want to expose your little trick." At that point, Edward was more convinced that Daisy had known about Justin''s trick. More often than not, pretending to be ignorant was a wise strategy to mislead your opponent. Suddenly, it urred to him that it was Daisy who was the smart one in the family. And she was the cunning one too. She did an excellent job hiding it from the others.


    "But since Mommy didn''t expose me, it means she was okay with it and I don''t have to worry about it anymore, right?" Actually, Justin had thought about the possibility that his Mommy knew what he had been doing. But he had chosen to ignore it. Snacks were too appealing to him. As long as his secret was kept, he would still have snacks to eat.


    "You have an answer for everything. Be careful, you might be a fatty one day." Edward didn''t think it was good parenting to be too strict with children. He believed strictness only caused rebellion. Children from a strict family tended to defy their parents sooner orter. Hence, he never forbade Justin from doing anything, But he didn''t agree with indulging children either. Everything had a limit. There should be a line.


    "How so? Like you, I never get fat no matter how much I eat or what I eat. I have good genes." Justin was an excellent suck-up. To tter his dad, he lied. He always thought he got those good genes from his mom.


    "Well said. No wonder you are the smart one. Okay, time for bed. You have school tomorrow." Edward got up, carrying Justin in his arms toward his bedroom. Although Justin often acted maturely, he was a kid after all. Kids needed to be loved by their parents.


    "Wait. Daddy, since Mommy is not home today, can I sleep with you tonight?" Justin looked at Edward in earnest. He seldom asked to sleep beside his parents at night. He knew he was already a big boy. But since his Mommy wasn''t around these days, it fell on him to keep his Daddypany and take care of him. Besides, there were too many women who were jealous of his Mommy and wanted to steal away Daddy. He had to stay close to his Daddy and protect him from those women.00000000????Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

 Chapter 788 Enchantingly Handsome Little Boy (Part Two)

    "Do you really want to sleep next to me?" Edward stopped and asked, confused. Justin almost did everything with a clear aim. What was his purpose this time? Sometimes, Edward felt Justin was too intelligent to be from this era; he must havee from ater age or from another. "Yes. Can I? Please..." Justin begged. He gave himself goosebumps as he realized the sweetness in his tone. He didn''t think he was up to act like a spoiled child. It was not his style. Girls must be cuter when they did it. Therefore, yearster, Justin pampered his little sister with utmost love. "Okay then, but no bed-wetting." Edward put him on the bed and turned on the air-conditioner.


    "Daddy, since when do I wet the bed? Wait. I guess it was you that you were talking about. Did you wet the bed when you were a child?" Justin acted as if something had dawned on him and sized up Edward.


    "Nonsense. I''m not you. Be quiet and go to sleep. Do you want me to tell you a bedtime story?" Knowing Justin wouldn''t like it, Edward gave a sly smile. He suddenly became evil. "No, I don''t. Bedtime stories are for kids. I''m not that childish." Justin moved aside as if he was afraid that Edward would really tell him a story. He wanted to stay far away from him.


    "Don''t forget that you are a kid too. Stop acting like a grown-up. It''s not cute at all." Justin had a distinctive personality. Sometimes Edward felt that although he had a son, he couldn''t act like a father around him. As a child, Justin was supposed to be naive and innocent, but instead, he talked and acted like an adult. When he did that, Edward felt a little ruffled. He felt that a lot of fun between father and son had been taken away from him.


    "Cute is for girls. I am not a girl. Another expression suits me better." Justin giggled.


    "What expression?" Edward wondered. He felt he couldn''t keep up with Justin''s thinking anymore. Was he getting old?


    "Enchantingly handsome!" Justin grinned widely. He was indeed as handsome as Edward. He got his appearance from his Daddy.


    "Ugh! You are absolutely narcissistic. Handsome is enough to make your point. Why did you have to say enchantingly handsome?" Edward had to ask again. Obviously, there was a huge generation gap between him and Justin.


    "Enchantingly is about attitude. Handsome is the key word in this expression. Daddy, don''t you think Uncle Rain is handsome and looks enchanting at the same time? That''s why people call him Sissy." In Justin''s eyes, Rain was enchanting and Edward was striking. When people saw the former, they wished time would stop. The moment they set their eyes on him, they were afraid that the slightest movement would disturb his beauty. On the other hand, people got greedy at the sight of Edward, unwilling to avert their gazes and hoping to get one more nce at him - and another and another.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    Edward furrowed his brows. He couldn''t believe these words hade from the mouth of a six-year-old kid, whose observation was so thorough in capturing Rain''s nature. This was just too insightful to be a kid''s perception. Edward was lost in his thoughts. Now he understood why Jessica had been tricked by this little guy.


    "Daddy, what are you thinking about?" Justin asked, worried he had said something wrong.


    "Oh. It''s nothing. Go to sleep." Edward tucked him in and patted his back lightly. It was a sweet moment, yet his mind wandered. As if able to read his thoughts, his phone rang at the exact moment. Looking at Justin apologetically, Edward picked up his phone and walked outside.


    "Hello, Duke. What''s up?"" Edward walked into the study and sank into the sofa, wondering what the call was about. Duke and Belinda''s wedding was set the day after tomorrow. Duke was supposed to be busy.


    "Are you free now? How abouting out to have a drink with me?" Duke had been feeling down since he encountered Rachel this morning. The gloomy expression had rested on his face all day, even after work. "Really? Is this what I think it is? Are you throwing a bachelor''s party?" Edward joked.


    "No. I just feel like drinking. Are youing or not?" Duke stood on the balcony, his eyes intense and brooding.


    "What''s the matter? Is everything okay?" Edward was hesitant. Justin was still sleeping. He was a father now. He couldn''t simply say yes to Duke and leave the house.


    "Everything is okay. I just feel a little depressed. Are you worried that Daisy might not let you go out? Give her the phone and let me talk to her." A beam of headlight appeared. A car wasing closer to Duke''s house. The expression on his face grewplicated. "What are you talking about? Daisy is not home. She''s in the middle of survival training with the soldiers in some mountain." Edward got upset thinking about it. He had been expecting Daisy''s call all day, but hadn''t heard from her at all. He had considered calling her himself. However, he was afraid he might interrupt her work. Anger simmered in his heart. Duke''s words prodded at his anger.


    "Then why are you so hesitant? It doesn''t sound like you at all," Duke said as his eyes closely followed the beam of light. He didn''t feel relieved until he saw the familiar figure get out of the car.


    "Justin is sleeping in my bedroom. I can''t leave him alone. You are getting married the day after tomorrow. What are you depressed about? Are you nervous?" Speaking of weddings, Edward felt regretful. He had never had that nervous and eager feeling before a wedding. It was a pity to him. He had suggested to Daisy that they have a second wedding ceremony, but Daisy had turned him down, saying that she didn''t want to have one. She had sounded determined, so he had to give up.


    "Ha! It''s just a wedding. What''s there to be nervous about?" Duke opposed. Actually he was a little nervous. But he was looking forward to seeing Belinda in a wedding dress. Picturing that, he didn''t feel so miserable anymore. However, there were certain things that had been bothering him.


    "If you are not nervous, don''t be bothered by meaningless stuff. Stay away from trouble. Just look forward to your wedding day. Rx. Let nature take its own course." Edward didn''t know what Duke was upset about, but nothing could be more important than the wedding. "Never mind. The depression was just a spur-of-the-moment feeling. I am fine. All right. I''ve taken too much of your time. Go back to Justin." Duke smiled wryly. It had been silly of him to call Edward.


    "Okay then. Take it easy. Good night." Edward hung up the phone and shook his head. He was curious. Duke had been said to be the most stately man among his friends. Tonight, it didn''t seem so.


    Edward was about to put his phone aside when it rang once again. Looking at the caller ID, he was so thrilled that he grinned from ear to ear.


    "Hello," he said. It was the simplest word, but all his affections were infused into it. His blue eyes reflected tenderness. One could tell that the person on the call meant the world to him.


    "Edward, whom were you talking to on the phone? It was a long call. Was it a woman?" Daisy asked with a faint smile. The breeze blew gently against her face. Standing all alone in the dark of a secluded ce, she didn''t feel a trace of fear.000000?????

 Chapter 789 What A Bastard You Are, Duke (Part One)

    "What a smart woman you are, my Colonel Ouyang. You guessed it correctly straightway. Yes, I was flirting with a beautiful woman just now." Edward cozily nestled himself into the soft bed as a soft smile rested on his face. He wondered whether Duke would get angry after finding out that Edward called him a woman. "Wow. Congrattions to you! You are so considerate tofort someone else''s wifete at night." Daisy''s smile grew wider as she teased him. He must be treading on the air. Did he really believe that she would feel jealous about his words? Too innocent. "Someone else''s wife? Are you implying that I am flirting with a married woman?" Edward frowned slightly. Since when did his wife be so sharp-toothed? She was not like the former Daisy.


    "Well, I didn''t say that. I just helped you finish your words." She had not meant to call him but still decided to dial his number when she found time. She thought of his sensitivity as a "prince" and knew that he would get unhappy with her should she not call him.


    "Denying? That''s not what a good soldier is supposed to do, Colonel Ouyang." Daisy seemed to be assured that he would not get angry with her and that he would not be interested with other women. She was very casual and was not even afraid that her words might offend him. How confident she was! However, it was something he couldn''t do anything about as it was him who gave her such courage. He loved her with all his heart and that was the real score.


    "Mr. Mu, have you forgotten what you have said before? Let me refresh your memory a little. You said that I was your wife before I was a soldier. So I am talking with you as a wife instead of a soldier. I could surely say whatever I want as a wife, right? Do you have anyments now?" Daisy preened herself with her excellent excuse. Yes, she made it! Edward would never anticipate that what he had said could be used against him. She was really clever to take advantage of it!


    "Good. You mastered the philosophy of taking advantage of your enemy to win." An evil smile appeared on Edward''s face. People always said that couples who got along for a long time would be subtly influenced by each other. They had been together for a long time. Was this the reason why she became so cunning now?


    "Oh, I won''t say that. I probably just have a good memory." Daisy wished she could burst intoughter. Edward must have been pissed off with his teeth gritted tightly! But he had no way to vent his anger on her because she was not staying with him now. All he could do was be quietly furious alone.


    "When will youe back?" Edward stopped kidding her. He missed her so much even though they had only been apart for a day. What if there would be some closed training in the future again? He would go crazy if he couldn''t see her for such a long time. "I don''t know yet. Alright, It''ste now. Sleep early! I gotta go." Daisy hung up immediately as she saw a blurry figure running towards her. She knew she had things to deal with when the soldiers tried to find her because they would not disturb her in usual times. She was always serious about her work.


    Edward was speechless while looking at his phone. She hung up. His mouth twisted heavily for a while. He seemed to be too nice and permissive to her recently, thus, she was getting used to hanging up on him even before he could say goodbye. What could he do to such situations anyway? All he ever did was just to heavily make love to her on the bed. He did not have the heart to beat her. And worse, he was seriously doubting if he had the ability to beat her. Come on, she was a soldier and a colonel with impressive and endless fighting power!


    Belinda went to a cocktail buffet tonight. It was a littlete when she finished the party and got home. She was walking step by step upstairs. Her close-fitting, backless, silver dress revealed her charming figure perfectly. Her big waves, curly-permed, xen hair was worn up to show her delicate neck. A pair of silver stilettos matched her dress and made her look even taller and more fascinating. Thanks to Tom''s magical medicine, her wound was able to recover utterly. No sign of scar could be seen on her back anymore. She opened the door carefully to check if Duke was inside but there was nothing but darkness in the bedroom. She frowned slightly and turned around without even entering the bedroom. She walked to the study but was weed by the same darkness. So she decided to go back to the bedroom while wondering where Duke went. He had not informed her about his possible errands at all!


    "Pat!" Belinda pressed the button on the wall to turn the light on. Taking a look at the surroundings, she decided to take off the dress. It was then that she felt the chilly breezeing from the small balcony of their bedroom. She crept to the balcony and was about to shut the curtain when a still shadow standing outside almost freaked her out. It turned out that Duke was staying there. She thought he''d left!


    "Oh, you are home! Why don''t you turn the lights on?" Belinda walked slowly to him as he just stood there motionless. He looked so lonely and dested that Belinda''s heart began to ache out of something she couldn''t even name.


    "I forgot it." Duke replied in a cold tone without even turning to her. He was distant as he remained staring in the dark. Belinda felt her heart cracked a bit. She knew that she must have made him unhappy. She tried to recall all the things she did to him recently but failed to find a clue.


    "What happened to you? You seem to be unhappy today. Is there anything wrong in thepany?" Belinda bit her lips a little. How she wished to hug his waist from behind. It was just that the cold atmosphere around him made her hesitate. She was afraid that he might push her away.


    "No. You can just leave me alone and do your thing!" Actually, Duke was not waiting for any fancy or beautiful words from her. All he wanted was her embrace. A gentle hug from her would be enough. He was just like a kid in this respect.


    "Is it not appropriate to talk about it with me? Or is it about me?" Belinda was exceedingly sensitive as a female. She was actually gentle and soft inside even if she spoke like a man most of the times. She sensed that Duke was acting unusual tonight. His refrained anger and unhappiness made her feel worried and she couldn''t help but think that she got something to do with it. She did not know what it was but she just could sense it. She trusted her instinct.00Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.

 Chapter 790 What A Bastard You Are, Duke (Part Two)

    Duke was still quiet. The frown on his brow went deeper. Other people would think that he was making trouble out of nothing, but he just could not control himself. People who already fell in love would always keep an eye on their beloved. They were always concerned about their beloved''s daily life and a subtle action from their love could easily turn their moods around. Duke was in such a situation now.


    Belinda became more certain about her guess upon getting no response. However, she stayed looking at his back instead of walking away. The soft chilly breeze inte autumn swept over her naked back and made her feel a bit cold. It was nothingpared with the anxiety in her heart though. She was not even sure if she was the one Duke would like to talk with. She was always doubtful if there would be a time when he would share his real thoughts with her. Nevertheless, she was still hopeful. She was looking forward to his response. A warm nce would be enough for her. She was not the greedy kind.


    She couldn''t tell what she was really eager for in her heart. Knowing that Duke had a cold personality and that he was a non-expert in expressing his feelings like other men, Belinda decided to walk towards him step by step. She was not asking for too much. All she wanted that time was for him to turn, take a step towards her and wee her at least.


    Belinda never considered herself to be an ordinary woman who would rely on a man for happiness. She did not even bother to get involved in love stuff. Those things changed since she met Duke Leng. She felt that she became a more ordinary woman. She cared about everything that concerned him, worried about him at the sight of his deep frown, and felt happy for the whole day just because of his slight smile. That was totally different from the former Belinda.


    It was tough for someone to make another person fall in love with him/her. But Belinda had a huge hope that she could make it. She had refrained from her pride and arrogance, trying to be considerate as hard as she could. There were some times when she did not agree with him but chose topromise because of him. She kept her disagreement in her heart instead of letting Duke know.


    "You went to the party in such a dress." Duke made a sudden turn. His anger almost broke his chest upon seeing Belinda''s attire. Oh God, what was she wearing now?


    "Yes. Is there anything wrong?" Belinda was shocked by his sudden move but then it was his sharp question that had her panicking. She replied without even thinking about her answer.


    "Don''t you think that the plunging neckline shows too much of you?" Duke walked around her. His eyes grew darker and colder. "And the back. You''re almost naked. Are you even sure that you have some clothes on?" Should he not care about her, he would not have minded about what she was wearing so much. But goodness! He was even having illusions that all the men in that party were attracted to her and every one of them wanted her as their partner! He could just imagine their obscene nces and he loathed it.


    "I''m sorry! But what do you mean? Yes, indeed, this dress is a bit revealing. I don''t think there''s something wrong with it though. After all, everyone wore such a dress." What Duke said irritated Belinda and turned her into a little hedgehog. Actually, she herself was not very satisfied with her dress because it was too revealing. It was just that she had no time to get another dress back then as the asion was urgent. That dress was the only one she had. She had no other choice but to put the dress on. As a matter of fact, her dress was not even eye-catching in the buffet. There were numerous beauties there who dressed much more revealingly than her. She did not think she did anything wrong.


    "Well, never mind. It''s your business and it seems that I am not eligible to makements on you." Duke passed by her. His decisive expression got Belinda rmed. She reached out and grabbed his wrist.


    "Am I such a flirtatious woman, Duke Leng? You just implied that I tried catching others'' attention by showing my body! You know what? You are insulting me and yourself too because I am your wife."Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    Belinda''s lips could not help but tremble. It was her who made the first step forward again. She was not like herself whenever she was with him and that was what made her worry. She was afraid that she might fall into a deep sea called love and might drown. Her contradicting thoughts were fighting inside her mind. She wanted to pursue her true love despite everything, but on the other hand, always stopped acting too passionately to Duke in thest minute. She was afraid that Duke might not fall as deep as her and not return her love.


    "d to know that you still remember the fact that you are my wife. I thought you''d already forgotten."


    Duke''s anger grew into a rage after hearing his wife''s words.


    "You''re confusing me, Duke. What do you exactly mean? Stop talking to me like this and say it clearly. It''s just a revealing dress. No big deal, okay? You don''t need to be sarcastic. I don''t like it." That was how Belinda dealt with things. Yes, indeed, she loved him but it did not mean that he could ridicule her as he liked. She felt offended.


    "Do you think I am being meaninglessly critical just because of the dress? If yes, then you still have a long way to go to understand what kind of person I am." Duke closed his eyes and opened them again. The dress was just a sting fuse. What he minded the most was the fact that she did not treat him as her husband. What made him even more unhappy was how she always managed and endured everything by herself instead of sharing those with him. How he wished she could open to him and seekfort and safety sometimes. "Ok, that''s fine! Then tell me why are you angry? What''s the real reason?" Belinda did not let go of him. Her hand was still grasping his wrist firmly. She did not think that it was a wise idea to let him go and make things worse. Sometimes you could not just escape and refuse to face the problem. You had to face it sooner orter.


    "Fine, forget it! Probably I am a little bit narrow-minded. Leave me alone. I need some time and space to calm down. Maybe I''ll get through itter." Would he really get through itter? Actually, Duke got no clue. He had spent the whole day thinking about it but failed toe up with anything.000000000000

 Chapter 791 What A Bastard You Are, Duke (Part Three)

    "No. We need to face the problem and fix it. I don''t like us staying skeptical about each other. There''s going to be a conflict between us and I don''t want that happen." It was better to fix their problem the soonest. It should never be left behind because it might umte


    into a something bigger, just like a snowball. That was thest thing Belinda would like to see.


    "Okay. Let me ask you this, why didn''t you tell me that Rachel Qin talked to you once? Why didn''t you show her who you really are and why did you let her insult you with money?" Duke finally spoke out his thoughts. He was not the type of man who did things carelessly and he liked being straightforward. It was only with things rted to Belinda that he became overcautious and indecisive.


    "Did she tell you that? Oh, I should have expected it. But does it really matter?" The reason why Belinda decided not to tell him about the dinner-meeting was that she did not want him to have a bad impression of her. If she told him, he might think that she was a narrow- minded woman who liked being unreasonably fussy over unimportant things. She never thought of that situation as something important and took care of it easily. There was no need to bother him. But what Duke said just now made her begin doubting herself. Did she do it wrong?


    "Does it matter? I am the reason for this fuss, right? You are allowed to reason-out to me, talk to me and even find faults with me as long as there''s one second at least that you are still considering me as your husband. But take a look at you. You act as if nothing happened. I haven''t even seen a sign of sadness or anger from you. Why is that? I must be a nobody and there''s probably no space for me in your life. You just simply don''t care about me, Belinda."


    Duke said with his eyes closed. Many said that women were the more sensitive ones when it came to rtionships. That was not their story though. His heart choked painfully when he heard Rachel said that Belinda only married him for his money. Although he knew that Rachel was just bluffing and that was not true, he could not control himself from feeling bitter. Rachel might just be right and Belinda must have never opened her heart for him from the beginning at all.


    "I don''t care about you? I don''t care about you! What a bastard you are, Duke Leng! How I wish I really never care about you so I won''t be so sad now." Belinda threw off his hand heavily, two big teardrops rolling down her cheeks slowly. What great grievance she had! She finally overcame her fear and spoke out everything she had refrained in her heart for a long time. Now that all her feelings and thoughts were known to Duke, she felt like that she would utterly lose herself from now on. She did not want herself to struggle with whether she should tell him she cared about him, so she cried out it. What the consequences might be? She did not know, and did not want to know. She was unwilling to face Duke''s reaction towards her words, so she decided to walk into the room to avoid the embarrassment. But Duke did not allow it. He grasped her quickly and dragged her hard. Belinda was dragged into his arm easily.


    What did you say? Say it again. I want to hear it again." A sudden thrill crept in Duke''s heart. He was just like a teenage boy who suddenly met the girl he was crushing on. Did she really just say that she cared for him? Was she serious? Did she mean it?


    "No, I won''t say it. Let go of me, you bastard." Belinda felt shy. She beat his chest and tried to conceal her true feelings for him. She was relieved after she shouted those words. It turned out that it was not that difficult to express her feelings to him. Many people were afraid to take the risk and then felt burdened.


    "No, I won''t let you go unless you say it again." Duke was holding her by her slim waist. He felt like he just gained her back. A touch of excitement and happiness gleamed in his eyes.


    "Say what? I didn''t say anything." Belinda struggled in his arms. She really did not know what he was thinking about in his mind now. Women were always like this, they kept silent and shy despite how they were desperate to know answers. They wanted to make men crazy about them.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "You said it, you love me, right? Duke locked his nce on her as he expected for some positive response. He was staring at her with his eyes filled with love that he had never shown.


    "When did I say the word of love? Don''t you ever try to change my word." Belinda lost her courage as soon as she calmed down. She became awkward. How shameless this man was! She merely said she cared about him. How could he take it as she loved him? "But that''s what you mean, isn''t it? You fell in love with me." Duke did not allow any chance for her to avoid the question. He would not let her go and kept asking anxiously. He was desperate to find a home for the growing emotions and love inside his heart. He wanted to hear something from Belinda.


    "If you want to make fun of me, then do it. Laugh as you like! I can bear it. I mean it, really. You don''t need to care about my feeling." Belinda sniffed. Fine! Let it break in all its fury! She was ready for it. And she really did not care.


    Duke stood still and looked at her for a few seconds. Then without any word, he held the back side of her head and kissed her on the lips. Pity? Love? Or deep affection? It did not matter for Belinda. There was nothing but Duke and him alone inside her heart and mind. His passionate touch on her made her thrilled. Was this his answer? "I love you." Duke''s panting and sexy voice sounded in Belinda''s ears, as if a gentle faint breeze brushed through her heart. A great shock emerged in her mind and she almost was about to lose her consciousness. Tears poured out of her eyes. Belinda stood on tiptoe and kissed his lips back without any technique. She wanted him to feel her pain and grievance she had all these days through the kiss.


    God blessed her love by making her act abnormally. Duke did not stop her crazy action. He just epted all her kisses in silent and responded to her passion despite the pain from her heavy kiss. Well, well, well. He should not go out tomorrow because he really had no idea how to exin the hurt on his lips to others. It was going to be extremely awkward.00

 Chapter 792 What Are You Doing (Part One)

    "I won''t apologize." Belinda didn''t leave his lips until she tasted a tinge of blood. She spoke in a domineering manner, looking very aggressive. His words were still lingering on her mind. He said that he loved her. It turned out she was not the only one who was suffering from the pain of love in the past few days, he suffered too. She was amazed to know this. She realized that they were only an inch away from love, and the gap could have been filled before with only a minor step taken by one of them.


    "When have you be like a puppy dog?" Duke wiped the blood on his lips. The pain made him realize that he had been bitten by a woman. He wasn''t angry at all though. On the contrary, he shed a brilliant smile. Belinda was dazzled by his charming smile which she had never seen before. It filled her with love.


    "Duke, do you really mean what you said just now?" Belinda mumbled. She didn''t dare to ask in a loud voice, fearing that any loud sound might shatter the beautiful dream she thought she was in now.


    "What did I say just now?" Like Belinda, Duke also pretended that he knew nothing. His forehead was against hers. His eyes were full of affection. Besides Leena, this woman was the only one that he was willing tovish with his tenderness and affection. He would cherish her wholeheartedly.


    "You said you love me, you can''t deny it." His confession was such a pleasant surprise before the wedding day. Everything was still surreal to her as she couldn''t believe what just happened.


    "Did I say that? Are you sure you didn''t mishear?" Duke continued to tease. Yes, he fell in love with her and he didn''t want to deny it. He found that it was harder to restrain himself from loving her than to free himself and let the love take its lead. So he frankly admitted his love to her.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    "I may mishear anything else but never the words you said just now. Duke, when did you realize that you fell in love with me?" Belinda raised her head and gazed at him, her eyes filled with happiness. She had never felt so much love with any other man in her life except for Zachary, her father. Wasn''t it said that daughters were their fathers'' lovers in a past life? His father took a special ce in her heart which could not be reced by any other men.


    "Yes, that''s a good question. When did I fall in love with you?" Duke was suddenly lost in his thought. Was it when she pped him or when she fought with him for a parking space? Could it be when she showed how sexy and charming she was when she was drunk? Those were the possible moments that shed in his mind. It was then that he realized that he had always been fascinated with her from the beginning and that falling in love with her happened gradually. There was just no escaping out of it. Earlier, he had been just refusing to admit that she already had his heart a long time ago.


    "When? Tell me quickly!" Belinda acted like a young and naive girl. She found such behavior shameful in her usual days because it looked stupid. She dare not do this. But today, she was too overwhelmed with happiness and just forgot everything else. She was gazing at him like a blissful little girl, eager to get the answer.


    "What about you? When did you have feelings for me?" Duke asked, ignoring her question. He looked at her and shed a smile. His handsome face was beaming with the tease.


    "I don''t know, I feel hot, I''ll go to take a shower." Belinda blushed immediately. She usually showed an outgoing, cheerful and lively image in public but it was different when it came to ''Love Topics''. It could easily make her flustered. She felt embarrassed at his question. "Hot? Are you sure?" Duke frowned. He rested his eyes on her dress, which showed much of her skin. A cunning smile gradually rose on his eyes. Then, without any ado, he lifted her to his chest, surprising her with the sudden move. She screamed with her eyes wide open.


    "Ah... Duke, let me down. What are you doing? I''m not hot now." Belinda wrapped her arms around his neck helplessly and grumbled in a flirtish manner. She narrowed her eyes and looked at him. Her face was blushing all over. They were adults. She clearly knew what was on his mind when he lifted her to his chest.


    "It''s toote." Ignoring her request, Duke directly put her onto the bed and threw himself on her. He eagerly nted passionate kisses on her luscious lips without even pausing a bit. He couldn''t get enough of her.


    Belinda closed her eyes. She began to passionately kiss back in response. She had no affectation at all. She didn''t hide her feelings this time and bared her true self in front of him.


    The cold night breeze blew the window gauze open and curled it up. The moon poked from the clouds quietly. She couldn''t make out the two silhouettes tangling together but the amorous air that filled that room was enough to make her blush. She hid back into the clouds again, too shy to hear the endless whispers of love.


    Daisy had already finished her field survival training even before the first light of morning appeared in the darkness. She quietly went back to Edward''s house. All the people were still sound asleep, except for the body guards who were on duty at the gate. The night was very quiet. Daisy carefully walked upstairs without making any sound. She didn''t dare to turn the light on after she entered the bedroom as she didn''t want to wake Edward up. It was like that until she gently slid the wardrobe open and to her surprise, the wallmp beside the bed was turned on. Edward sat up with sleepy eyes then suddenly gasped in astonishment as soon as he saw her.


    "Who are you?" It was not Edward''s fault that he didn''t recognize Daisy. Edward was half awake. Moreover, Daisy was covered with mud and paint, as if she just crept out from some mud pit. He couldn''t make out any human skin from her at all!


    "I''m a robber, take out your money quickly!" Daisy was dumbfounded for a moment, but soon shed a yful smile and came up with the joke. She regained herposure and intentionally feigned a husky voice. She turned around and approached the bed. "Are you sure you want money, not me? Aren''t you attracted to me,? I''m such a handsome man." Edward already figured out it was Daisy as soon as she spoke. Despite the intentionally lowered voice, her aloof sound in her tone betrayed her. "Cut the crap! Did you just dare to bargain with me? Do you think you''re buying vegetables in the market? Be clever and give me all your valuables quickly..." Daisy frowned as her voice faded out. She just noticed Justin sleeping soundly beside Edward. So she unwittingly lowered her voice.


    "Compared to other things, don''t you think that I''m the most valuable thing here? If you get me, you will have everything. Daisy, you better exin what happened to you. Why the hell do you look so nasty? Have you fallen into a cesspit?" Edward furrowed his brows and looked at the dirty mud on her with disgust. Who would think that she was the aloof and arrogant female colonel with her excessively messy look?


    "Um... I...I didn''t have time to get back to the army base to clean myself. You can pretend that you didn''t see me. But why is Justin here?" Daisy said as she stepped back. She feared that he might see the wounds on her if she was too close to him.


    "Why? Of course, he''s ying his role as your spy. He came here to watch me when you were out. What a good son! Aren''t you moved by him?" Edward teased with a sneer. The more he looked at her, the deeper he frowned. He was a germaphobe. Fortunately, it was Daisy, he would have thrown the person out already if it were someone else.


    "Huh! Is our son always taking my side depressing you?" Daisy felt very happy upon hearing Edward''sin. It was good to have such a considerate son!


    "I''m not depressed by that. But if you stay here unwashed, I will not only get depressed. I will also go crazy." Edward stared at her. ''Huh! What is she looking so smug about? Wait until I make her pregnant with a baby girl and see whose side our daughter will take after she grows up, Edward thought.


    "Okay, I will go to wash." Daisy would never expect that her careless words tonight would cause her a big troubleter. She would have topete for Edward''s favor with their daughter. That would be embarrassing. More, she would always be pissed off and have nowhere to shed her tears.

 Chapter 793 What Are You Doing (Part Two)

    Edward shook his head helplessly as soon as Daisy left. No wonder she didn''t have any romantic rtionship within the troop. Who would think that she was beautiful if she looked like that every day? Well, that was a good thing too because he would not have rivals over her affection in that case. In fact, Edward waspletely wrong thinking in this way. It was not that no men liked Daisy in the troop. Truth was that no men dared to go after her. Her usual cold face had already made the pursuers feel daunted. Who would dare to take the risk? She was a colonel! It was not until Daisy looked at the mirror that she realized why Edward showed a disgust at the sight of her just earlier. She couldn''t even help hating how she looked.


    She carefully took her uniform off. Damn it! The uniform was rendered useless again. She felt fortunate that it was an old uniform, otherwise, she would be depressed for a long while. But what should she do with her wounds now? She had to apply some medicine on them. How should she exin this to Edward without making him angry? She was baffled. She stayed in the bathroom for a long time, wondering how to solve this problem. It was not until she heard the knocks on the door that she hunched her shoulders and walked out. "What are you doing there? It took you so long." Edward had taken Justin to his own room. But he didn''t expect that she still didn''te out after a long time when he came back. Did she fall asleep in the bathroom? Edward wondered.


    "Nothing. The paint on my face is difficult to remove. That took some time. Hush! Don''t wake Justin up!" Daisy ced her finger next to her lips to signal Edward to lower his voice. She was back to look beautiful after her shower. Her skin became rosy after being soaked in warm water.


    "Don''t worry. I have taken him back to his own room." If he had known that Daisy woulde back at dawn, he would not have let Justin sleep with him.


    "You are so swift." Daisy took down the towel she used to dry her hair and directly walked into the chamber, but Edward gripped her and dragged her back. "What happened to your face?" Edward narrowed his dangerous eyes and gazed at her firmly without even a blink.


    "Nothing. It just got scratched by the thorns in the mountain. It''s no big deal. It will heal by tomorrow." Daisy replied with a convincing smile. The wound on her face really didn''t matter. She had thought that it was not serious. What she cared more were the knife wounds on her body. When she took off her clothes in the bathroom, she found several wounds were really a little serious, but they were nothingpared to the wounds she suffered before. She was only worried that Edward would get angry if he knew this. But as long as she covered the wounds and prevented them from being noticed by Edward, it would be fine. She could ask the surgeon to apply some medicine on her after she went to the army base.


    "Why can''t you be more careful with yourself? Let me check if you got hurt anywhere else," Edward said while lifting up her pajamas. He was taken aback upon seeing the crossed wounds on her body. The air around him froze with his gasp.


    "Um, I can exin for this." Daisy bit her lips. She also didn''t want to get injured, if only she could. It really hurt. But as a solder, she had to fulfill her task at all costs even if it meant risking her life, let alone getting injured.


    "Daisy, didn''t you say you were going out for a field survival training? Okay, it made sense if you got those scratches. But what about the knife wounds? How do you exin this? Don''t tell me that you met some beasts. There are no virgin forests anymore and I''m wondering what kind of beasts are you going to bullshit in your lie." Edward was angry not because she got injured, rather it was the fact that she was trying to hide it from him. This was the most uneptable thing to him.


    "Hee-hee. It is no big deal to meet some beasts, but we met cannibals. Not one of them, but a group." In Daisy''s eyes, the drugs were more horrible than beasts. So what she said was not an exaggeration at all.


    "Are you kidding me?" Edward had the urge to stifle the yful smile on her face. He shouldn''t have believed her when she told him that it was only an ordinary field training. How could an ordinary training cause so much injury? "No. How can I be so bold to fool such a wise man as you?" Huh! She was not a kid. Why would she act like a child who had made a mistake and try to y up to him?


    "It''s not that you dared to be bold and fool me. You have actually crept to my head and peed on me." Edward stared at her with anger. No matter what, hering home safely was the best thing to him. Although he did think so, her yful attitude made him very ufortable.


    "You are so gross by using such a metaphor. But only if I can make it by climbing onto your head." Daisy mocked, nonchntly. She didn''t seem to care about how frightening his handsome face looked. He wouldn''t do anything to her anyway. He could only scold her harshly at most and sulk for a while. He would eventuallypromise. It was no big deal if he really got mad at her. She decided to ignore him and try to get used to his temper.


    "I am not joking, Daisy. I am talking to you seriously. Don''t try to change the topic and talk something else to distract me." Edward pursed his lips. Her remarks surprised him. She was so shameless toment that he was gross, while she also said the same gross thing. "What do you want me to say? I''m really exhausted. I had a fight with some people during the day and I hadn''t slept the whole night. Later I have to go back to the army base. So please stop being angry with me." Daisy yawned. Time passed by so quickly, it was already six o''clock in the morning. If she had known that it would be like this, she would have gone back to the army base first and avoid being questioned by him.


    "Have you done anything to treat your wounds?" Edward knew she was tired but he felt annoyed with her casual attitude. He would get very upset whenever she came home with such injuries. He even thought of asking her to quit the troop. But considering how she gained her current position and honor at the cost of risking her life, he found it hard to do so. He couldn''t be that selfish to ask her to give up her dream only for the sake of his selfish desire. He was extremely upset and helpless now.


    "None yet because no treatment was avable in that ce." It was not that there was no treatment offered to her. The main problem was that the surgeon was a man and they were outdoors. She was not sure that she could ept being touched and treated by a male doctor in the open air while she waspletely conscious. She refused the treatment and decided toe back to apply some medicine by herself. She thought the wounds were not very serious, anyway.


    "Wait, I will call Tom and ask him toe here." Edward reached out his hand to take his cell phone as soon as he finished talking. Daisy''s wounds looked severe in his eyes.


    "You don''t need to call him. It''s not very serious. You only need to help me apply some medicine." She stopped him by gripping his hand. She felt reluctant to bother Tom because of such minor injuries. She was not as fragile as Edward thought.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    "But you got so many wounds, what if they get infected?" Edward frowned. This was what concerned him the most. He didn''t know much about these things because he was not a doctor.


    "I will be fine. I can ask him to do the treatment when I go to the hospitalter." At the mention of Tom, Daisy suddenly remembered that Hero had just woken up. She nned to visit him. Thus, she could only go back to the army base after the trip to the hospital. She really marveled at Tom''s medical skills. It was magical that he brought Hero back to life. Everybody had thought that it was impossible to save such a dying man. They had to admit that Tom was really an excellent doctor.


    "Okay, I will go with you when the day breaks." Edward knew that Hero had woken up from Tom earlier. But he didn''t go to see him when he got the news. Edward thought that he had done his utmost to save him and that was enough. There was no need for him to feel that he owed a favor to Hero anymore. He had returned all the favor. Thus, they were even.

 Chapter 794 Chocolate Abs (Part One)

    "Did Tom tell you that Hero came out of hisa?" Daisy pursed her lips and stared at Edward with deep affection. In fact, she really didn''t think that this man could be so generous and open-minded. From this matter, she had learned more about him and fallen even more deeply in love with him. "Yes, he did. But I don''t really want to visit him. I just want to go to the hospital with you." Edward was afraid that Daisy made a perfunctory promise, so he had to go personally.


    "Well, don''t bother. I''ll go to the hospital to apply medicine as I promised." Daisy''s lips were set in a pout of annoyance as Edward didn''t trust her.


    "I don''t trust you. You always lie to me." Edward took out the medicine cab. She was often injured some time ago, so there was a lot of medicine.


    "I didn''t want to hurt myself. It was just an ident. Do you know what that means? It means that it wasn''t something I could have avoided." Daisy didn''t know why she felt so sweet to see Edward angry at her injury. This should be the feeling of being cared for, and she liked it very much.


    "Tell me about it. What kind of ident could seriously hurt the mighty colonel? Lie down." Edward looked grim at the moment he saw her injury. The man''s words dripped with venom.


    "Maybe we''ll hear it on the news. So during a training exercise, soldiers training in the wilderness happened on a major drug deal going down. The amount of drugs found was astounding. No one escaped, and none of the soldiers were killed or injured. Don''t you think this news is very encouraging?" One eyebrow cocked, Daisyy down as Edward talked. She didn''t know if she would hear his roar or words of gentlefort, but she thought that it was very likely that it would be thetter.


    "Don''t tell me that you went into the woods alone for survival training. There must have been hundreds of drug smugglers, right? You had so many soldiers, but they somehow couldn''t beat the drug smugglers. You had to join the fight personally, so you were seriously hurt." The man red at Daisy, gnashing his teeth. He applied medicine on Daisy''s wounds, with unnecessary roughness. As Daisy expected, he was really burning in a frenzy of rage.


    "Ouch! It hurts! Be gentle! There weren''t hundreds of thugs. Just a dozen. Also, my soldiers are capable. They were training at that time. I didn''t want to interrupt their training. Plus, they were tired, so I didn''t ask them to join the fight." Daisy could have downed a dozen goons easily. The problem was that they all had guns. But Daisy was kind to them, so she didn''t fight ruthlessly. Now she regretted it. She shouldn''t have held back. The cold-blooded thugs were out for blood, and she got hurt.


    "You have to feel pain to learn a lesson. The soldiers were training, but Mark followed you, didn''t he?" As Daisy screamed out in pain, Edward started applying the medicine in a much gentler way, despite his angry words.


    "We acted separately. Mark''s team didn''t actually run into those guys. I met them alone. He had all the other soldiers, so I called for backup immediately. Unfortunately, I was hurt before they arrived. I need more training. Then I won''t be hurt so easily next time." Daisy muttered to herself, neglecting Edward who had turned livid with rage.


    "Forget it. Be careful next time. I know it hurts." Edward sighed. Other women were worried about their husbands, but he had to worry about his wife every day. ''I know how to pick a wife,'' he thought.


    "Are you angry?" Suddenly, Daisy turned around and stood up. Edward had no time to respond and change his facing. The hand that he was applying medicine with hit her wound hard. It was so painful that she cried, "Aaagh! It''s killing me! You''re doing this on purpose, right?" Tears in her eyes, Daisy pitifully med Edward.


    "Let me see. You shouldn''t have moved so suddenly." Edward''s eyebrows knitted in a frown. Originally, there was only a minor bruise. Now, the wound was scratched again by his nails and oozed blood.


    "Asshole! You should have pulled your hand away." Daisy pouted and med Edward. In fact,pared with the injuries she suffered before, it was really not so serious, but she became squeamish in front of him. She used to unt her superiority and strive to outshine others, but now she had learned to act in a pettishly charming manner.


    "Sorry. It''s my fault. I should have figured out what you would do and pulled my hand away. Then I could have reacted in time when you got up." Looking like a wounded puppy, Daisy bowed her head. Edward felt guilty, and tried his best to soothe her.


    "I like how you admit your mistakes. Apology epted." Daisy gave Edward a sly grin and breathed a sigh of relief. The subject was finally changed. She was just worried that he would make a fuss about her injury. Now she was excited, since she decided to talk about other things entirely.


    "Thank you, Colonel Ouyang." Edward smiled wickedly. In fact, he knew what Daisy was thinking about. However, he didn''t want to say it out loud. All he wanted to see was Daisy''s smiling face. Although he was angry that Daisy risked her life in the fight with drug traffickers, she had been hurt, so he decided not to make even more waves. She neededforting words, not caustic ones. Anyway, Daisy was his wife, and he could love her however he liked.


    "Is it done?" Seeing Edward''s mischievous smile, Daisy wasn''t excited anymore. She knew that he saw through her, so she was deted.


    "Yes. Get some sleep. I''ll wake you upter." The wounds on Daisy''s body banished all thoughts of sleep from Edward. ''No rest for me any more, ''he thought.


    "OK. Wake me up before 8 o''clock." Daisy hadn''t had sleep in 36 hours, so she was really sleepy. Shey back on the bed again and closed her eyeszily.


    "I will. Sleep tight." Covering her with the nket, Edward kissed her on the lips before he walked into the washroom.


    "Mr. Mu, why are you so early today?" After Edward freshened up, he went to the gym. Luke was very surprised to see him. He usually got up at about eight o''clock, so he rarely came to exercise at this time.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    "Well, a noise woke me up, and I couldn''t get back to sleep. Wow, what a wonderful eight-pack abdominal muscle. What do girls call it? The name escapes me at the moment." Edward frowned.


    "Chocte abs?" Luke ventured, referring to abdominal muscles that looked like the divided parts of a chocte bar. Luke''s face reddened with embarrassment. In fact, Edward was extremely well-proportioned, but for the sake of beauty, he didn''t have abs. However, his V-taper looked good.


    "Well, girls also like chocte. So you should have no problem finding a girl with those abs." Edward looked at Luke with a joking smile. Luke was honest, but not exactly the most interesting guy, and he didn''t really have a way with words. He was also a good man, but for some reason never seemed to be able to get a girlfriend. Maybe his grim appearance scared them away.


    "Mr. Mu, don''t make fun of me. Girls are trouble. I don''t even want to get close to them." Luke had witnessed too many examples, so he didn''t want to waste his life digging himself out of whatever troubles a girl could mire him in. Besides, all he wanted was to protect Edward. He didn''t want any girl to hinder him.?????????????

 Chapter 795 Chocolate Abs (Part Two)

    "Girls are trouble, but I find them cute. Why not let your hair down a bit?" Edward asked. He started warming up, starting with a few lunges. He thought he needed to introduce girls to Luke as a reward for his loyalty over the years. He enjoyed his happy marriage, so he also wanted Luke to have a family. "No, I don''t think so. They are trouble, and they only bring danger." Luke shivered with fear. The horrible things that Jessica and Mary did frightened him.


    "Ha-ha! Well said. Don''t let my mom hear you. Otherwise she''ll make you suffer bitterly." Edward burst intoughter. If a girl fell in love with Luke, it would be a very tragic thing. He could easily guess what would happen. Luke would just stand there while his girl would be throwing things at him.


    "Mom''s still asleep. Don''t worry," Luke said. Finishing up the curls he was doing, he reced the dumbbell on the rack. Then he walked to a different part of the gym with Edward.


    "It''s hard to say. Women are everywhere. It''s impossible to constantly fend them off. Eventually one''s going to find a weak spot, and...you know..." Edward continued teasing Luke. In fact, in his eyes, the woman he loved was the most beautiful creature in the world. That didn''t mean he couldn''t have a little fun with his friend.


    Luke twitched his lips. He didn''t know what Edward meant. Did Edward want him to have a girlfriend or not? He was still single, but Edward said that to scare him, which made him dislike women even more.


    After getting back from the gym, Edward took a shower and woke Daisy. Deep in his heart, he didn''t want to wake her, but he was afraid that might get in the way of her career. A good officer never sleptte.


    After arriving at the hospital, Daisy went to see Hero first. Although he hade around, he was still recovering, so he wasn''t conscious. The unit nurse said that he had just taken medicine and fallen asleep, so she left after staying for a while.


    "Let''s go." Daisy walked out of the ward, frowning. It was hard for Hero to knock at the gates of death. She felt sad, because he used to be known as a great guy. Now, hey in bed alone.


    Noticing Daisy''s worried look, Edward asked, "how''s Hero? Did something happen?" He entwined his fingers with hers and walked to Tom''s office.


    "No, he''s all right. I just feel sad because he''s all alone in the ICU. I wonder, what made him do that? Why would he fall in with that crowd? There are other ways to make a living." Daisy took a sidelong nce at Edward. As a man, would he have a different opinion?


    "Well, men are different from women. In many cases, they take themselves way too seriously. They also get butthurt easily. Too often a strayment goes into the wrong ear and they think other people are making fun of them. They want to matter, and they want to be sessful, so they canugh at their haters."


    Edward forced a smile. Men were different from women. They appeared to be powerful, but inside, they were too fragile and vulnerable to ept failure, so they went to extremes. Of course, only a few men would do that. They couldn''t bear others to look down on them, so they always did something ridiculous. For example, Hero cared so much about what others thought of him that he went to extremes and tried tomit suic¨ªde. He damn well near seeded, too.


    "How about you? Are you one of them?" Daisy touched her nose and looked at Edward with curiosity.


    "Me? It''s never happened to me. Maybe because I''m lucky. I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth and everything''s been done for me. Many people try to get on my good side, but as I said, I''m different. A lot of people trash talk me behind my back, but since I don''t hear it, I don''t care. They can say whatever they want. At the end of the day, I am who I am."


    It was the truth. When Edward was young and led a fast life, he never thought of hiding what he did from others. He was self-centered and never cared about what other people thought. He also didn''t listen to gossip.


    "You lead a carefree life, but not everyone is as lucky as you." Daisy sighed. A big shot like Edward had to weigh the advantages and disadvantages, so he also had a hard time. The most important thing was what he thought.


    "Sure. I don''t like to make mountains out of molehills. Caring about stupid shit is a job for other people. I just take things day by day. A happy life is the most important thing." Edward gave Daisy a faint smile and tightened his grip. In his life, he only wanted this woman he loved, and everything else was no longer important.


    "Jessica and Hero are cousins. Should we tell Jessica what happened to Hero?" Daisy asked cautiously. Coco was also Hero''s rtive. Should they let her know too?


    "Do you really think that they care about the so-called family bond? Don''t be silly. If they loved each other like family, Hero wouldn''t have asked some people to gang-rape Jessica. Now she must hate him to the core. Well, she also hates us."


    After the event, Jessica suddenly disappeared from the city. There was no news about her, and no one mentioned her again. Edward also forgot she existed. He was faithful to Daisy. Daisy was the only woman in his heart.


    "You''re right. Forget it. Anyway, he has to go back to prison after he recovers." Daisy thought that might be the very reason she was sad. She sighed deeply at the thought.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    "How many years do you think he''ll get?" Edward asked hesitantly, squinting. He really didn''t mean anything by it. He was just curious.


    "It''s hard to say. He should be convicted of arms dealing because he was the one behind the scenes, but he''s so smart that he hasn''t left any evidence to use him. We do have eyewitness testimony but it will be somewhat difficult to pass sentence, because it''s so hard to find evidence. He was pretty thorough."


    Daisy forced a smile. She used to think Hero was a gentle and chivalrous man. If he hadn''t told her himself, she wouldn''t have believed that he was an arms dealer. It was thest thing that she wanted to ept. All along his disguise had deceived her. He was shrewd and deep, and shecked experience in this respect, so she wasn''t aware what was going on when she was with him.


    "Forget it. We''ll just have to wait and see." Edward knew that something must have happened between Daisy and Hero. Or else as a colonel, she wouldn''t be saddened by an arms merchant who had broken thew. They were probably good friends once. "Okay. I wonder if Tom''s here yet." Daisy gave an indifferent smile. She could do nothing about it. After all, she was a colonel, while Hero was an arms merchant. She did what she had to.


    "It''s not early. He''s worried this hospital will be closed down, so he should be here." Edward knew well what this hospital meant to Tom. This was the ce where his dream started. He had wanted to name the hospital after Leena to show his deep love for her, but then dropped the idea and named it Renxin Hospital.00

 Chapter 796 I Love Her (Part One)

    didn''t dare to offend Edward, as the CEO had a myriad of ways to get back at him. Edward was by no means a forgiving man.


    Tom always got to work on time. It was as Edward had expected. Punctuality was Tom''s strong suit. When Edward entered Tom''s office without knocking, he was met by a pair of fierce eyes. But when Tom saw Edward, he instantly changed his expression to a smile. Tom "Good morning, Edward, Daisy. I guess you''ve seen Hero, huh?" It annoyed Tom to think of the two policemen standing outside Hero''s ward. They''d seriously hurt the business and reputation of his hospital. Edward, however, forced Tom to treat Hero. If it hadn''t been for Edward, Tom wouldn''t have had anything to do with Hero.


    "Yes, we have. Thanks, Tom," Daisy said with a smile of appreciation. Though Hero was not that important to her, she appreciated Tom very much for having saved the man she once considered a friend.


    "Come on, Daisy. Don''t be so formal. Edward and I are good buddies. No need for that," Tom said, stealing a nce at Edward. He was relieved to find that Edward wasn''t looking at him.


    "Since we are such good buddies, I believe you won''t mind checking my wife''s wounds." Edward smiled slyly. He had been waiting for what Tom would do to trap himself again. Tom alwaysined that Edward treated him like a ve. This time, Tom would have no excuse toin.


    "What? Daisy, you got hurt again? You must be joking, right?" Tom cried in astonishment. He finally realized why Edward neither scolded him nor shot cold eyes at him. It turned out that Edward wanted something from him. He always wanted something from him. "Sorry to bug you, Tom. Recently, I''ve been off my game, like I''m weaker. I''m not as quick as I was. And that was why I got hurt a couple of times." Daisy smiled awkwardly. She told Edward there was no need for her to go to the hospital and she could simply apply some medicine on her wounds, but Edward ignored her opinion and took her here immediately.


    "Come on! If you''re out of shape, what does that make me? Azy pig, that''s what. I might die of embarrassment!" Hearing Daisy''s exnation, Tom felt ashamed of himself and pretended to strike his head against the wall. Daisy was much stronger than most men, but she still thought so little of herself as to believe she needed more exercise. The woman was unbelievable!


    "Before you die, treat her first! Let''s stop wasting time," Edward demanded in a chilly voice as he cast a stern nce at Tom. Tom was getting to be more and more like Rain. He might have to stop him from hanging out with Rain so much.


    "You really have no heart!" Tom pursed his lips grumbling. He walked up to Daisy and checked her wounds. He had to be in surgery soon, so he had to hurry up.


    "I have no sympathy for you. Just check her carefully and cut the crap!" Edward let his eyes settle upon Tom, watching his every move. If Tom were not a doctor, Edward would not allow him to touch Daisy at all. But Edward had to admit that Tom knew his stuff. "Holy moly! So many wounds! Did you meet up with thugs again?" Tom asked with a frown. Other women spent countless time and money in taking good care of their skin; Daisy, however, got hurt from time to time. She just wouldn''t take care of herself. No wonder Edward got pissed off every time she got injured.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "She met mad dogs!" Edward''s anger rose at the sight of Daisy''s wounds. She would get hurt every time she went out to do something. So it was natural that he would worry about her whenever she wasn''t with him.


    "How''s that possible? Edward, are you testing me? These are knife wounds and bruises. If she had been bitten by dogs, the wounds would be totally different." Hardly had Tom''s words faded when Edward cast him a murderous nce. Tom trembled with fear, and he bumped Daisy''s wounds carelessly. Daisy yelped in pain.


    "Could you please be more careful? You''re a doctor, not a murderer." Edward cast a warning nce at Tom. His heart broke when hearing Daisy''s cry.


    "It''s all your fault, boss. Why did you re at me like that? I got so scared that I bumped her wounds identally. Daisy, I''m so sorry. Does it hurt? I didn''t do it on purpose." Embarrassed, Tom apologized to Daisy. He smiled, trying to defuse the situation. Edward was not only trying to test his medical knowledge, but also his mental endurance. It was so difficult for Tom to be Edward''s friend and maintain their friendship.


    "It''s okay. It doesn''t hurt that much." Blushing, Daisy answered in a light voice. Though men and women were the same in doctors'' eyes, she felt awkward being seen and touched by a man. She kept her head low all this time.


    "Well, you''ll recover soon. But remember to keep the wounds dry, otherwise they might get inmed. So, don''t do any exercises for a while." Tom focused all his attention to Daisy''s wounds this time. If he hurt Daisy again, Edward would kill him.


    "What?" Daisy hesitated. She had been nning to go to the military base and train with Hawkeye. Kevin was gone for a bit, so Daisy was theirmanding officer on their many training projects.


    "What''s wrong?" Tom asked, confused. Did Daisy have no time to rest after being seriously injured?


    "Nothing. I''ll follow your advice," Daisy answered with a smile. It seemed that she needed to rest first and train with Hawkeyeter.


    "All right. I''ll prescribe some antibiotics for you." Tom sat back in front of his desk to write out a prescription. It was very hot, and it was easy for swelling to set in. So, antibiotic medicine was a must.


    "Thank you, Tom!" Daisy thanked Tom with a sincere smile. As a soldier, she got injured from time to time, and she felt embarrassed for having bothered Tom so many times.


    When Edward and Daisy walked out of the hospital, the sun was high in the sky. Daisy decided to postpone the training with Hawkeye, but she had to go to the army base today. Luckily, it was Friday today and she could stay at home tomorrow. "Let me give you a ride," Edward offered with a worried look. He was afraid that Daisy would forget the doctor''s advice when she arrived at the army base.


    "That''s not necessary. Mark is waiting for me over there. Don''t worry! I''ll keep the doctor''s advice in mind. Duke and Belinda''s wedding is tomorrow, and I don''t want to miss it. I will put my safety first." Duke and Belinda would be married the next day. Daisy was extremely happy that her best friend was getting married. A wedding is a joyful celebration of love. Daisy decided toe to the wedding in her best condition.


    "You remember that, huh? I thought you were too busy to remember their wedding." Edward pinched Daisy''s nose affectionately, eyes full of love. Being the husband of a soldier, he had to put up with loneliness, and worry about her safety from time to time. He had asked himself for several times why he fell in love with Daisy. But he didn''t have an answer yet. What is love? Nobody could answer it clearly.


    "Come on! I won''t forget my best friend''s wedding date. Edward, just go to the office. It''s gettingte. I gotta jet." Daisy nced at her wrist to check the time. She couldn''t help but frown when she thought about everything that she needed to deal with.


    "All right! Have a safe drive." Edward kissed Daisy on her forehead and opened the car door for her.


    "Sure! You too, Edward." Daisy urged, blushing. She was used to Edward''s ways of showing his love in public, but she blushed with shyness every time he kissed her.


    "Bye!" Edward waved, letting his eyes settle upon Daisy. It was not until the military vehicle vanished that Edward got in his own car and started the engine. Luke followed him closely.


    In the morning, the president of Leng Group announced that he was going to get married the next day. Thepany was bustling with noise and excitement. Everyone was wondering who Duke would be marrying. Was it the president of YS Financial Group, Rachel, or some otherdy from a rich and powerful family?

 Chapter 797 I Love Her (Part Two)

    "What did you just say? Duke is getting married tomorrow?" Rachel asked anxiously as she grabbed the shoulder of a female employee. She thought she had a chance to be Duke''s wife. After all, the title of the wife of the president of Leng Group was very attractive to her and she made up her mind to win Duke back. But Duke just announced that he was getting married. What should she do? "Yeah, Mr. Leng is tying the knot tomorrow. You haven''t heard? So, you''re not the bride, huh?" Thedy gave Rachel a pitiful look. Rachel didn''t even know Duke was getting married tomorrow, so she could not be the bride.


    "Uh, he mentioned something about it before. I guess I forgot." Rachel shed an embarrassed smile. She couldn''t ept the truth that she lost out to Belinda.


    Rachel dropped into a nearby chair, lost in thought. A lot of employees stood there, staring at Rachel and gossiping about her. Rachel knew they were mocking her. She feigned inner peace and walked towards thedies'' room.


    The moment she entered thedies'' room, tears were streaming down her cheeks. ''Belinda Shangguan, you think you win Duke, huh? You are wrong. As long as I''m alive, you won''t be able to live a happy life with Duke. I''ll do everything I can to tear you two apart. You just wait and see!'' Rachel thought to herself.


    Rachel waspletely mad at this moment. She pped the stream of water over and over again as if it were Belinda. She just vented her anger on running water.


    ''I can''t just sit back and watch this happen. I must find Duke now. Why did he suddenly announce their wedding in public? Did Belinda force him to do that? Yes! Belinda must have forced him to dere the wedding in public!'' Rachel thought in her mind. Ignoring the water on her dress, she walked out of thedies'' room and proceeded to the president''s office.


    Rachel burst into Duke''s office without knocking and shut the door. She was so fast that the secretary was unable to stop her. Watching Rachel, the secretary was dumbfounded. She didn''t dare to walk in, so she had to wait at the door in case the president called for her. She hoped that the president was in a good mood today, otherwise she''d get med for not having stopped Rachel.


    "Duke, are you going to marry that woman?" Rachel asked, ignoring Duke''s cold eyes.


    "Rachel Qin, I''m your boss. Show some respect. By the way, my marriage has nothing to do with you. It''s my affair, not yours. You have some nerve, questioning my life decisions," Duke stated in a chill voice, casting a cold nce at her. Rachel''s using tone amused him. Did she consider herself to be his girlfriend?


    "Why are you marrying her? You told me you didn''t love her!" Rachel couldn''t help but tremble in his cold sight. She lowered her voice, but her attitude remained the same.


    "I never told you I didn''t love her. You must be crazy." Duke''s face softened when he recalled the romantic night with Belinda. He finally knew what it was like to fall in love with someone. He had been in high spirits the whole day and couldn''t helpughing for no reason. It felt like he was walking on air. ''So this must be what Edward has with Daisy,'' he thought. The man was ecstatic. The Leng CEO really believed that he and Belinda would be as happy as Edward and Daisy.


    "But you told me you didn''t love her that night. Did you forget that?" Rachel asked in a low voice. Duke had admitted he didn''t love Belinda that night, but he then added that he felt absolutely able to be himself around Belinda. Maybe he had long since fallen in love with Belinda, but he didn''t realize it -- or was just too proud to admit it.


    "Okay, okay, I admit it. I said it. But I''ve had some time to think about it, and sort out how I feel. I''vee to realize that I love her now. Got a problem with that?" As the president of Leng Group, Duke could have driven Rachel out. But he decided to make it clear and be nice about it. He didn''t want her to hate him, or try to ruin his life. He had enough on his te.


    "No! That''s impossible. You must be lying to me!" Rachel yelled, shaking her head as if she could shake off the answer that she hated to hear.


    "Well, speaking of that, I need to thank you. If you hadn''t had that talk with me, I wouldn''t have figured out who I really love. Thank you so much for helping me and Belinda clear up our misunderstandings. Pleasee to our wedding."Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    Duke knew exactly what he was doing. His words were no ident. He was not a kindhearted person and he wouldn''t spare anyone who tried to drive a wedge between Belinda and him.


    "What do you mean by that? You decided to marry Belinda because of me?" Rachel was confused. She all of a sudden had a terrible headache, and her thoughts were all mixed up.


    "No. The wedding date was set a long time ago. Whether you show up or not, Belinda and I will get married tomorrow," Duke stated calmly, but deep inside, he had a guilty conscience. He knew very well the reason why Belinda postponed the wedding. It was because of Rachel. But Duke wouldn''t give her the satisfaction of knowing that, so he kept it to himself.


    "Didn''t you ever hesitate for a moment? You didn''t stop and think maybe it was a bad idea?" Rachel asked in disbelief. She asked herself whether she was wrong to havee back for Duke.


    "Why should I hesitate? For you?" Duke asked in reply. Rachel''s eyes glistened with tears, but he had a strong aversion to her at this moment. He realized that he hadpletely moved on. There were no feelings there at all.


    "You jerk! I divorced my husband because of you. I want to be together with you again. Why are you being so mean?" Rachel cried, grabbing Duke''s hand. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and she was strangely beautiful in that moment.


    "You divorced your husband for me? That''s really funny. Did I ever ask you to do that?" Duke shook off her hands without wavering a single second. Rachel was a selfishdy. She did everything for her own benefit, but she tried to appear weak to drum up sympathy and hide her true intentions.


    "We love each other, Duke. I thought you would wait for me." Rachel now regretted her hasty decision to divorce her husband. She knew Duke was still single, which was why she did it. This faithless woman thought she could get back together with Duke. But she didn''t think he''d fallen in love with anyone else. Belinda was in his heart now.


    "No, you have never loved me. We used to date each other, true, but I never fell for you. Nor you for me. This was why you found it so easy to leave me the first time. The only person I have ever been in love with is Belinda. And that''s still true. We clear?" If Duke had never met Belinda, he would treat the thing between Rachel and him as love. He might even make himself believe it. But now he realized what love was and he knew he never loved Rachel.


    "No! Now you''re just kidding," sheughed, somewhat hysterically. "You love me, not Belinda. You can stop making fun of me now. You nearly broke my heart." Rachel grabbed his hand again, tears trickling down her cheeks. Duke, however, had no feelings at all. "Bah! You''re way too full of yourself. Just take a look in the mirror. You make me sick!" Duke, once again, shook off Rachel''s hands. He hated being touched by anyone except for Belinda.


    "You''ll be sorry for treating me so badly. If I don''t deserve your love, then who does? Belinda Shangguan? She can''t hold a candle to me! Appearance, education, capability, family background... I''m so much better in every way. Why did you fall in love with such a woman?" Belinda lived a simple life. She drove an ordinary car and wore in clothes. As a result, Rachel thought Belinda was from a poor family.


    "So what? Regardless of what you think, she''s the perfect woman for me. I love her, and I will take care of her. That little fit you threw just now? That''s why we can''t be together." What Rachel said annoyed him. Duke didn''t know why she was so sure of herself, but he wasn''t going to let her trash Belinda. He shook his head and was about to drive her out. After all, she was unable to ept his exnation, and anything further was a waste of breath.00

 Chapter 798 The Slap (Part One)

    "Do you really think you two will be happy together?" Rachel stared at Duke with a dark look. Her face was covered with tears that were not yet dry. Before Duke could answer, Belinda cut in. She stood at the door, smiling and amused. "I don''t think you need to be concerned with that. We''ll live happily ever after."


    "Belinda! Don''t be so cocky. Do you really think that Duke''s in love with you? Listen to me, don''t be so naive! Men promise one thing, then do something else! Look at me; I''m a cautionary tale." Already agitated, Rachel became even more unhinged when she saw Belinda. "I''m not going to depend on men, but I can still trust my husband. He will bring me happiness." Belinda walked closer and closer. Her smile grew bigger and brighter. She looked so charming and confident that her beauty reached its peak.


    "Haha! "Happiness. Do you know that I used to be the only one in Duke''s heart?" Rachel red at Belinda intensely. She wanted to tear that big smile off Belinda''s face.


    "But you aren''t anymore, are you? That''s why I''ll enjoy this even more." Belinda stopped right next to Duke and adjusted his cor, looking like a kind and caringdy to her man.


    "You... You..." Rachel pointed at Belinda with a trembling finger. She was too angry at this disy of affection to speak.


    "What? I''m fine, but are you okay? You look a bit pale." Belinda pped away Rachel''s finger, but her smile remained. Belinda knew that she would never be fazed by a woman like Rachel. So Belinda didn''t y Rachel''s game, and instead beat her at it. Rachel obviously picked the wrong woman to mess with.


    "You haven''t won today. Who knows who will get thestugh! Bitch." Furious now, Rachel began to hurl insult, and she immediately paid for it. Belinda pped her loudly across the face without thinking twice. Everyone froze in an instant. "Miss Qin, get over yourself. As long as people don''t cross me, I won''t bother them. But obviously you''re acting insolent, so you absolutely deserve that." Belinda was not like Daisy. She didn''t have an official reputation to live up to, and there were no consequences for cutting loose like that.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    "You hit me! Who the hell do you think you are?" Rachel covered her cheek, trying to soothe it with her palm. She made sure to remember this, because she vowed to doubly return the favor in the future.


    "You made your bed, now lie in it. Most people have enough brains to stop when things get too far. But you shouldn''t be biting people like a rabid dog. Duke tolerates you, but that doesn''t mean that I have to. We aren''t friends nor family. So I don''t have to take your obscene insults. And I won''t. Quit using the word ''bitch.'' It''s definitely not good for you, and everyone will only see you as uneducated, "


    Belinda chided her with a sneer. If the woman that Duke loved really was Rachel, Belinda would not hesitate to give up her im, since they couldn''t be happy forcing this marriage. But Duke loved Belinda, so that made everything different.


    "Who are you calling a rabid dog?" A smart woman would never ask such a question, because the answer would be even more infuriating. It was clear that Rachel was not a smart woman.


    "Miss Qin, if you throw a tantrum over a couple words, then I have nothing to say to you. I would watch your mouth in the future. It''s only going to get worse for you if you don''t stop. Not everyone''s going to put up with it." Belinda dropped her smile. The quarrel had gone on long enough. She didn''t want to even be around this woman anymore. Even though she fully trusted Duke, thest thing she needed was Rachel butting into their lives.


    "So tell me, Belinda. If you were dumped by your guy, would you still be saying this stuff?" Rachel dried her tears. She could appear soft in front of Duke, but she couldn''t look so weak in front of her rival.


    "I think you''ve got something wrong. As I recall, you were the one who dumped him! You are just so ridiculously shameless. Is it fun for you to me others for your problems? You ran off with another guy, and now Duke has to get back to you whenever you want! Really? Do you think you''re thest woman on earth?"


    Belinda was really curious that how Rachel could regard herself as so above everyone else. Where did she get the justification to feel that privileged? Was she born so self-centered?


    "So? Do you hate me now because his heart''s always been with me all these years?" Rachel gritted her teeth. Right now, she was clinging to thest slender thread of her stubbornness so that she wouldn''t seem a total loser.


    "This is ridiculous! Why would I hate you? I didn''t even know Duke before, so whoever was on his mind or had his love doesn''t concern me at all. Because I only care about the present and the future. The past really doesn''t matter much to me." Belinda shot a sidelong nce at Rachel. Her re was a sardonic one. If Belinda were in her ce, she wouldn''t stick around to bother Duke. After all, there was no ce for Rachel anymore. Trying to force her way in only seemed more pathetic. "Get out!" Said Duke. "Our rtionship was over the moment you left. And that was years ago. There''s nothing left. And I don''t even want to see you again." Duke''s face appeared emotionless. He was calmly telling Rachel what he was thinking. "Fine, I''ll go. But you two listen up. You''ll never find happiness." Rachel stomped her foot and looked intently at Duke one final time. She then bitterly left. Her pointy heels sounded crisp as they echoed down the hallway. Duke sighed gently and sucked his dry lips. He finally turned to Belinda: "Why are you here?"


    "Oh! Take this invitation to the president of YD Group. I figured it was gettingte, so I was thinking of having a meal with you." Belinda smiled again. A smart woman knew when to ask what kind of questions and when not to, so she was not bothered by the argument with Rachel.


    "Do you want him there?" Duke frowned a bit, because they originally agreed that the wedding would only be open to close friends and families. Business partners were not invited.


    "Yes! Isn''t he Daisy''s friend? Since they know each other, then they should get together! After all, ourpany has some business dealings with YD Group. We might run into them more often in the future, so I think it''s appropriate to offer an invitation. As to whether hees or not, that''s his business." If he wasn''t Daisy''s friend, Belinda would never deliver an invitation in person, if at all.


    "OK, the more the merrier I suppose. Let''s go!" Duke picked up his coat, and just before he could take Belinda''s hand, the phone rang. Reaching into his pocket, he answered.


    "Hello! Leena, what''s going on?" Duke answered the phone as he was walking out. Belinda followed quietly. They exited the office one after the other.


    "Is Belinda with you? I tried calling her but no one answered!" Leena was on the other end, calling while wiping a table with a piece of cloth. She was sweating from the exertion.


    "Oh! She''s with me right now. Do you want to speak to her?" Duke slowed down and waited for Leena''s response.


    "Yeah! Hand her the phone for a moment." Leena sat down on the floor and took a little break. She was exhausted from cleaning all morning.


    "Here! Leena''s looking for you." Duke handed Belinda the phone and walked with her into the elevator.


    "Girl, what happened?" Belinda just realized that she left her phone in the car. No wonder Leena would be calling Duke to ask for her.


    "Hey, didn''t I ask you to consult with me after you try on the wedding dress? Have you tried it on or have you forgotten?" Leenay directly on the floor. She felt cooler already, and she was d to rx. Thefort gave her an involuntary chill. "Oh! Sorry! I was busy and forgot to call. The dress fits well. No need for alterations. Thanks, girl." Smacking her forehead, she thought, ''how could I have forgotten something so important?''

 Chapter 799 The Slap (Part Two)

    "Great, no alterations. Where are you guys headed?" Leena lived by herself for a little too long. She often felt sad somehow, so she was not really interested in doing anything.


    "We''re going out to eat. Want toe along?" Belinda was not familiar with Leena''s circle of friends and acquaintances, so she was not sure if Leena had been going out with friends when Kevin was not at home.


    "No, I''ve been cleaning this morning. Right now I''m so tired that I just want to lie down and slip into aa." Ever since she lost weight, she didn''t seem to easily gain weight anymore. So no matter how much she ate or slept, she couldn''t get fat. She was thrilled about this. That''s why she bragged so proudly to Daisy the other day, as if she''d never been fat before.


    "Why are you cleaning? Didn''t I tell you to hire someone?" Belinda furrowed her brows a little. Afterst time when Leena was burnt by hot oil, they had asked her to hire some help, but they were surprised that she still hadn''t done that.


    "It''s OK. Our ce is not as big as the Leng mansion, so I got this. Besides, I don''t like having strangers over,ing and going as they please." At the Leng mansion, Leena never shunned the servants because they had been there since she was born. After so long, they were very much like family to her. She didn''t have any problem with them. But if Leena had to hire someone now, she wouldn''t befortable at all.


    "I really can''t get through to you, can I? Are you sure you''re noting?" Belinda knew that everyone had to live their own life, so she no longer harped on that subject.


    "No, you guys enjoy! Eat well, but if you can''t fit in the wedding dress tomorrow, It''s not my fault." Leena smiled naughtily. She then surveyed the day''s handiwork and uttered a sigh offort.


    "You brat, are you pulling my leg? How can one meal make me fat, or is the dress going to shrink?" Belinda rolled her eyes, annoyed. She followed Duke''s lead as the two left thepany building.


    "No, I''d never pull your leg. I''m just telling you the truth. If you want to look prettier in the wedding dress, you''d better not stuff yourself today, or the dress is going to look much less amazing." Leena was not exaggerating. After all, if Belinda had eaten enough that her t belly would bloat, then she wouldn''t be able to go back to her former self so easily tomorrow. Leena had been in the fashion business and hung out around the supermodels. After a while, she picked up on those little details, because the models wouldn''t eat anything the day before their show in order to keep their figures in the best shapes possible.


    "So ording to you, I shouldn''t eat anything today?" Belinda curled her lips disapprovingly. She was not nning on starving herself. The most she could manage was to eat a little less. She couldn''t stand it if she were not allowed to eat anything for the entire day. "I learned it from somewhere else. Alright, that''s it then! I''ll see you tomorrow. I have to finish thisst bit of cleaning." With less than twenty minutes of hard work, Leena would be all done, so her mood lifted somewhat.


    "See you tomorrow." Belinda hung up and returned the phone to Duke.


    "She''s noting?" Duke was listening carefully to their phone call, but he couldn''t make out every detail and just got the gist of it.


    "No. She said she was too tired to move. Good for you! Duke, you have one hell of a sister." Compared to those rude and haughty rich girls from wealthy families, Leena almost had the perfect personality. "What do you mean?" Duke opened the car door while looking at Belinda, puzzled.


    "You''ll know when you see other girls today. How many women can do what she does? Including me, of course?" Belinda always envied women who knew how to cook -- she felt sad that she never had the chance to learn. So by the time thepany''s new project was slowly getting on track, she would spend some serious time honing her cooking skills.


    "You''re right. She''s quite smart, but she can be rebellious too." Duke sighed. Who would have thought that such a well-behaved girl would suddenly run off and get married? But she really did it. So even now, Duke still couldn''te to terms with it.


    "Are you talking about her getting married in secret? In my opinion, there''s nothing wrong with Kevin. He''s got the looks and the talent. I don''t know what you''re so concerned about. You can''t guarantee that anyone Leena might meet in the future would be better than him." The bottom line was that Belinda did appreciate Kevin. From what she saw, he was a good match for Leena. Belinda couldn''t figure out why everyone was so uneasy about him.


    "But he might not be the most suitable one either, right?" Duke used to think that if his sister were to be married, he would pick the best match for her. But he didn''t expect that she would pull the rug out from under him. This was the thing that he could not forgive, yet he didn''t me Leena. Instead, he ced all the me on Kevin.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    "Let me put it this way. In your eyes, other than yourself, I don''t think any man is good enough for your sister. To be honest, you''re basically obsessed with your sister." Belinda scooched into the car. Since they were going out together, there was no need for her to drive another car.


    "From what you''re saying, you really like this Kevin guy." As he said this, Duke fastened his seat belt and took an opportunity to give her the side-eye.


    "Of course, let me tell you, your sister has found a gem. I asked Daisy to introduce me to an officer once, but she never followed through on that. It turns out that she was saving him for Leena." Belinda was vividly telling her story, and Duke was almost ovee with jealousy. He was even more resentful towards Kevin who not only took his sister but also captivated his wife. Duke was not nning to let him off so easily.


    "So do you really think you missed out?" Duke was gritting his teeth while staring at her. He dared her to say yes, and he would make sure that she''d regret it.


    "Not at all! To be frank, it''s good to have him as a brother-inw. He''s still part of the family, isn''t he?" More often than not, Belinda was a really spur of the moment kind of gal, so she waspletely oblivious to Duke''s overpowering jealousy in their small car.


    "A part of the family? Why don''t I feel that way?" Duke smiled slyly. It was not easy to be a part of the Leng family. He had to put Kevin back in his ce. This prospect made Duke much happier.


    "What do you mean? Don''t you ever think about what kind of problems you''re causing? You only care about your own feelings instead of your sister''s. I don''t know if you really love her. Or are you just causing her pain in the name of loving her?" Even though Leena would sometimes infuriate Duke, she had mostly been understanding and well-behaved, which he honestly admired. So he was aware of her asional sadness and loneliness, and was deeply hurt as well.??????????????

 Chapter 800 The Return Of Major General Gu (Part One)

    "What are you saying?" Duke red at Belinda with burning eyes. Leena was his beloved sister, and everything he did was for her sake. Why would he harm Leena?


    "Now wait a minute. You got the wrong idea, Duke. I didn''t mean anything by it." Belinda twitched her mouth. She wasn''t stupid. She knew that what she said had irritated Duke, so she decided not to piss him off any more than she already did.


    Duke smirked as Belinda kept her mouth shut. He started the car and put his foot down hard on the elerator, zooming the two of them away. They were too busy to notice Rachel sitting in her Porsche, staring daggers in their direction, watching them as they pulled away. Her face was contorted with anger. After they disappeared on the broad street lined with trees, she also stepped on the gas and left the Leng Group.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Rachel led an extravagant life. She knew how to live like ady of quality. She only bought name-brand items. However, she also knew that in order to live a rich life and keep herself in luxury goods, she had to find someone who was willing to foot the bills for hervish habits. That was non-negotiable. Undoubtedly, Duke was at the top of her list, so even if Belinda frustrated her for the moment, she wouldn''t give in easily. She believed that she could outdo Belinda and take her ce at Duke''s side.


    Deep in her heart, she knew she didn''t love Duke. She was absolutely egotistical and cared only about herself and her own needs. The reason why she was with Duke was that he could gratify her vanity. She liked his handsome appearance, noble temperament and most importantly, abundant funds. These were the things that she could show off. They once had a brief romance, and she still had it, so she was able to seduce Duke regardless of whether he was single or not. However, she didn''t expect that Belinda, who was aggressive and sharp-tongued, was that hard to deal with. It seemed that she had a long way to go before she could get what she wanted.


    In her ostentatious Porsche, she cranked up the beats, engine and stereo at full st, intoxicated by the speed and passion that she craved. She wouldn''t miss the wedding tomorrow. Although they didn''t tell her where the wedding would be held, she decided to use her connections to find it out. She would doll herself up, go to the wedding, and make a scene. Then everyone would know how Belinda seduced her ex-boyfriend and forced him to marry her. Then Duke would be hers, and his friends would support them. Darkness fell early inte autumn. When Leena woke up, the night was pressing up against the windows, held at bay by the marvels of modern life. She had slept for a long time. Last night, she worked round the clock, and she spent much time doing cleaning this morning, so she was dead tired.


    With eyes half-closed, she twisted herself into a sitting position, and sleepily staggered to the bathroom. Her footsteps, as well as her heartbeat, echoed in the quiet bedroom.


    Leena put up her hair and fixed it with a hairpin. After making a face in the mirror to amuse herself and pinching her soft and supple skin, she began to wash up.


    Her stomach was already rumbling for dinner, so she decided to grab a bite. Ramen yet again. Although she knew that it was not healthy, she had no other choice because it could be done simply and easily. She didn''t want to cook much since she had to eat her meals alone.


    She sighed at the thought. Then she went to turn on theptop on the tea table, browsing web pages while waiting for the instant noodles to be done. Every time she turned on theptop, she would habitually click the mailbox icon. She had work arrangements that her assistant and tutor sent to her.


    After she clicked the mailbox, she would usually open the emails from her tutor, because these were the most important messages. No exception today, of course. But she furrowed her brow after she read this particr email. Her tutor asked her to be at the college in two days to make final preparations to defend her thesis. How time flew. After that, she would graduate, and emerge from her studious cocoon as a beautiful and free worker butterfly.


    She wanted to go back to Paris to get her degree, but she was afraid that would make Kevin nervous. Last time he came back, he panicked because he didn''t find her at home. She didn''t want Kevin to worry about her again. However, the thesis defense would take a long time. Thesis project typically demanded a student''s full attention. If she went back to the university now, she couldn''t see Kevin when he came back, so she was at a loss what to do.


    She opened the email from her assistant. It said that the sales in this season was quite good. Most of the styles were booked out, and her assistant asked if she would like to add some new styles to fill the vacancies in the market. In the past, she would agree without hesitation, but she couldn''t this time, because the graduation thesis would take a lot of her time.


    The rest of the emails were not as important. They were just greetings from her friends, so she didn''t have to pay too much attention to them and replied one by one quickly. Her tutor''s email was the biggest headache. She knew that her tutor wouldn''t ask her to go back to the college unless necessary, but she still didn''t know how to reply to the email.


    Leena sighed helplessly. Her heavy gasps echoed clearly in the quiet living room, making her realize how lonely she was. She turned her eyes from theptop with a bitter smile and checked whether the noodles were done. She was so exhausted at noon that she went to bed without eating lunch, so her stomach had cried out for food. She tried to soothe her grumbling tummy by telling it she would be able to eat soon.


    Atst, the noodles were done. While she ate, she suddenly heard someone unlocking the door, and her muscles stiffened. She stared at the door with her eyes open, sat still and didn''t know what to do. All sorts of thoughts were running through her head. Thief? Robber? Or drunkard? But it was only twilight. No one got drunk so early.


    Just when she was thinking of all the possibilities, the door was gently pushed open, and Kevin appeared in his military uniform. She gaped at Kevin in surprise, her eyes wide. She was so involved in what she was doing that she hadn''t expected him home. "Hey, are you scared? You look like you''ve seen a ghost." Kevin frowned, pulled his suitcase in, and closed the door conveniently. Then he walked up to Leena slowly.


    "Ah! You scared me!" Leena immediately stood up and threw herself into Kevin''s arms, gently pounding on his chest, tears coursing down her cheeks.


    "Sorry. "I would have called you, but they confiscated our phones during training. It''s off now, and needs to be recharged." Kevin gently patted Leena''s back tofort her. During the harsh training, he was so tired that he had no energy to think of anyone. Even Leena''s smiling face just shed through his mind asionally.


    Leena buried her face in Kevin''s arms. She rushed over on the spur of the moment just now. After she calmed down a bit, she flushed in embarrassment. Listening to his words, she buried her head deeper.


    "Sorry I scared you. It''s all right now." Instead of pushing her away, Kevin held Leena more tightly. He knitted his brow at the sight of the noodles on the tea table. Did Leena always eat instant noodles when he was away for training?


    "I just didn''t think that you''d be back so soon." Leena sniffed back her tears. Seeing that his jacket was damp with her tears, she felt so embarrassed that she didn''t want to look up and meet his gaze.


    "I''m always back when training''s over and done. Don''t you want to see me?" Kevin lovingly wiped the tears on Leena''s cheeks. Leena burst into tears easily, just like a little spoiled girl.


    "I didn''t mean that. I just thought that you''d be gone longer, that the training would take you a long time," Leena anxiously exined, her eyes red from weeping.


    "Do you eat instant noodles every day?" Kevin led Leena to the couch and sat down, frowning at the steaming Styrofoam cup of instant noodles that she had just began to eat.


    "No, only sometimes. Did you eat dinner? I can cook for you if you''re hungry." Leena forced a smile. It was the first time that she had eaten instant noodles recently, and Kevin happened to see it.


    "No, but it''s a littlete now. Tell you what: I''ll go upstairs and shower. Then we can go out to dinner." Looking around, Kevin saw the house was clean and kept in good. When he was out, Leena must have taken care of the house very carefully. Everything was neatly in its ce, whether a shelf or a cab. He had a wonderful wife.00000

 Chapter 801 The Return Of Major General Gu (Part Two)

    "Do we really need to go out?" The refrigerator was packed. It would take about 30 minutes or so to prepare a sumptuous dinner. Eating out was a waste of time. Besides, the food in the restaurant was salty and oily. Leena didn''t like it. "Why? Don''t you want to go out?" Kevin looked straight at Leena. ''What a doll-like girl,'' he thought. Her lips pouted invitingly, making her look like a little princess.


    "No. You must be tired from your trip. Go take a shower first. I promise dinner will be ready after you finish the shower. We don''t have to go out to look for a restaurant. Not when we have everything we need here." Leena immediately stood up and walked to the kitchen at a brisk pace. It was the happiest thing to cook dinner for the man she loved.


    "Alright. Take your time. Don''t be too anxious. I don''t need you to burn yourself again." Kevin proposed going out to eat because he didn''t want Leena to cook. Since Leena didn''t want to go out, he agreed to stay home. Also, he had been out for a long time. He missed the delicious dishes that Leena cooked.


    Leena washed the rice deftly and put it in the electric cooker. After pressing "on," she went to take out some simple ingredients from the refrigerator. ''It won''t take much time,'' she thought.


    Kevin looked at the rest of the instant noodles and herptop on the table. The screen was still on. Kevin guessed she must have been surfing the while eating noodles just now. It was what young girls like Leena liked to do. Kevin shook his head smiling. He never had time for it.


    He turned around and carried his suitcase upstairs. After a ten hour flight, he did feel a little tired, so he took Leena''s advice to rx and enjoy a bath.


    Going back to the familiar bedroom, Kevin found it was filled with a faint floral fragrance which he had never smelled before. It looked like Leena had changed the room while he was away. Even the smell of the air was different. She had added colorful pillows, closet organizers, more shelves, brightly-hued throws, and had moved more of her stuffed animals from the Leng house here. It was definitely more girly.


    Everything in the house was familiar yet strange to Kevin, because Leena had made many big changes. It was totally different from how it used to be. When Leena lived here alone, she must have been busy decorating the ce. Now the house was much more cozy andfortable than before. Kevin was quite satisfied with it.


    Immersing himself in the warm water, Kevin gave afortable sigh and felt that it was the most pleasant thing to stay at home. He didn''t expect that Leena would be here. Before he left for training, he asked her to go back to her house, because he was worried about her staying here alone. She had promised she''d go, but she went back on her word. Instead, she stayed here and decorated the house.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    Kevin scooped up some water with his hands to wash his face and then gently closed his eyes,pletely rxing himself in the water. Thest training exercises were absolutely brutal. Better him than Daisy, though. If the colonel decided to participate, she would have suffered bitterly. But he took her ce, because he didn''t like to see her in pain. After experiencing this closed training, Kevin found that he had cast aside his love for Daisy. Sometimes her silhouette would sh into his mind, but he just let it go, because he thought that he shouldn''t cling to it anymore. ''It''s the best for both of us, '' he thought, ''Forget her, and fall in love with someone else.''


    Leena was clever in mind and skillful to boot. She had gotten a few dishes ready in half an hour. Since Kevin hadn''te, she cooked another Seaweed and Egg Soup. Then there were three dishes and one soup. She didn''t have much time, so she could just cook some vegetable dishes.


    A long time had passed since Kevin went upstairs to take a shower, but he hadn''te back to the dining hall yet. What is he doing?'' Leena muttered to herself. She walked upstairs and gently pushed open the door of the bedroom, but it was quiet. Weird! Where was he? Thinking that Kevin might be in the study, Leena looked inside, but it was also pitch-dark. No one was there. She went back to the bedroom and frowned at the closed door of the bathroom. ''Did he fall asleep? He hasn''t done that before. Maybe training was really tough this time, ''thought Leena.


    Leena hesitated for a moment, but she still didn''t have the courage to push the door in, so she knocked gently. No one answered her. In desperation, she had to knock harder. She pursed her lips, growing more concerned as she waited for Kevin''s answer. "Sorry. I''ll be out in a minute." True, Kevin did fall asleep in the bathroom. In the training camp, they had to train day and night. They were often awakened in the middle of the night to fall in. After roll call, they would be trained how to fight better in the dark, so most of the time, they could hardly sleep.


    "I''ll wait for you downstairs. Hurry up." Leena sighed inwardly. She was afraid of seeing Kevin''s naked body after he came out, so she rushed out of the bedroom and went downstairs before Kevin could say more. Her face reddened with shame. Kevin walked out, with a bath towel around his waist. As Leena thought, he was naked, because he didn''t bring any clothes into the bathroom with him.


    After putting on his casual clothes and drying his wet hair, Kevin went downstairs, refreshed and rxed. When he saw the dishes on the table, he was shocked. He didn''t think that Leena could cook so many dishes in such a short period of time. "Sit down. Dinner''s ready. I didn''t have much time, so I just cooked up some simple things." Leena walked out of the kitchen, with two bowls of rice in her hands. Since she was making a real meal, she didn''t want the instant noodles anymore, so she dumped them when she was waiting for Kevin just now.


    "Not bad. This is simply mouth-watering. I couldn''t cook so many dishes in such a short time." Kevin spoke highly of Leena''s cooking skill. He had to admit that he was nowhere near her level of skill when it came to cooking.


    "You''re busy with work. I''ve had a lot of practice. If you had as much free time as I do, you''d be better than me." Kevin''s praise embarrassed Leena. She flushed again.


    "It''s hard to say. Didn''t you go back to the Leng house? They have servants to fix meals there." Kevin took the bowl from Leena''s hand and gave her a loving look. He could imagine how scared she was to stay alone in such a big house.


    "Oh yeah. I went back home a lot, but I didn''t sleep there." In Leena''s heart, home was here. She had a duty to keep that house nice and organized, so that Kevin would feel the cozy warmth of the house at the moment he returned. That kind of warmth didn''te from a fire or from the sun, but from the heart. If she hadn''t been here, he would have been disappointed when he came in.


    "How is your brother?" Although Duke didn''t treat Kevin like a brother-inw, Kevin had already epted him as a family member.


    "He''s fine. Oh right. Your timing is awesome. His wedding will be held tomorrow. I thought that you''d have to miss it. But you came back tonight. Let''s go to the wedding together tomorrow." When she talked about the wedding, Leena grew more and more excited. She brought Duke and Belinda together. Although sometimes she felt sorry for Belinda, but if she was given another chance to make a choice again, she thought she would do the same. Belinda was drugged after all when she slept with Duke, and that was Leena''s doing. "Oh? Really? That''s lucky." "What a coincidence,'' Kevin thought, ''I''m really in luck. If I miss Duke''s wedding, he''ll make things difficult for me in the future. I''m dead dog tired, but I have to see this through.''


    "You''re free tomorrow, right?" Leena asked with some hesitation, tilting her head to one side. She worried that he might have to go right back to work.


    "Yes. Yes I am. I''ll report for duty at the army base on Monday, so I have two days off." Kevin was really hungry, so he glutted himself with the dishes. "Take your time, Kevin. Don''t choke yourself," Leena said in a concerned tone, "The food on the ne must be hard to swallow, right? I never opt for meals during short flights." Kevin nodded in agreement. He was going to a wedding tomorrow. Probably not a good idea to end up in the hospital with a blocked airway before then.

 Chapter 802 A Delicate Necklace (Part One)

    "Really? There won''t be any problem, right?" Leena could not help jumping for joy in her heart because he would be with her for two whole days. She was happy and wanted to spend more time with him. After all, she would be in Paris two dayster. So these two days were quite precious for her. Although she was not sure whether Kevin wanted to stay with her in the two days or not, she was expecting a lot for theing two days. Happy? She was ecstatic.


    "There won''t be any. I promise you. You''ve got me for the weekend. We good?" Kevin took a sip of his soup and then raised his head to take a look at her. His heart could not help beating happily when he saw Leena''s bright smile. And that was it. All the aggravation, having to take Duke''s abuse, the hard life of a soldier -- her smile made everything worth it.


    "No, only kids needpany. I am not a kid anymore." She stuck out her tongue to show him she was teasing. What a typical woman! In her heart, she could not be happier about hispany. She was desperate for it but pretended not to care a bit.


    "Really? Well, now that you don''t need me, I can make other ns for tomorrow then." Kevin smiled and lowered his head to continue his meal as if he were fine about everything.


    Upon hearing this, Leena opened her eyes wide, staring at him. Come on, she was just kidding. How could he take it seriously? Should he have other arrangements, she would be extremely disappointed! God knew how hard she had wished to have him for two whole days. Her hopes were dashed all of a sudden, just because of a few careless words.


    "Well..." Leenapressed her lips a little and did not know what she could do to take back her words. How could this man be so unromantic? Couldn''t he know her feelings? She did want him there, and he must know it. Come on, she was a female! As a woman, she should be shy and pretend to reject his offer. And she''d done it. But he wasn''t supposed to take her seriously! Why did not he know her heart?


    "What? What would you like to say to me?" Looking at herplicated expression, Kevin was almost about to burst intoughter. But he barely kept it together, even though a secret smile spread across his lips.


    "Oh! No, nothing." How Leena wished she had bit her tongue! What did she say just now? Stupid stupid girl! She had lots of things to say to him. But why did she say "no" and not tell him how she felt?


    "Let''s have dinner if you don''t have anything to say!" Oh, she was so funny! Kevin seemed to find something interesting about her every time he saw her. Maybe it was not bad to make fun of her sometimes.


    Dinner? Her appetite was blunted by the potential snafu this weekend. She was certainly in no mood to have dinner thanks to Kevin. But good for him! He was not influenced at all. He went too far! Leena could do nothing but stare at him in anger. She was cut to the quick. She''d like to see whether he was able to stay calm under her burning re.


    "Why are you staring at me? Or are you so hungry that you see me as a piece of meat right now?" he raised his head and asked her. Yes, Kevin could not keep eating his dinner when she was staring at him like that.


    "I''m full now. Please put away the dishes and clean them!" Suddenly, Leena put down her bowl and chopsticks and then walked away from the dining table in a huff. She looked really cute doing that.


    Watching her stomp off, Kevin frowned. Did he joke too much? Did he take things too far? Why was she so angry? It did not match what he knew about her. She''d always acted considerately when they were together and seemed to share his sly sense of humor. Since when did she be so irritable? Did something happen while he was away? But why did he know nothing about it? He was hoping they could talk about this.


    Gloomily, Leena ran to the living room and sat down at the dressing table. Who was this girl with the depressed look? She was thrilled when Kevin said he''d be staying for a couple days. But now she saw her frustrated face in the mirror. Leena felt like she was thrown into a coldke and no matter how hard she tried, she just could not shake off this deep depression.


    "Hey, are you angry at me?" Kevin followed her into the room and asked. He knew she was not full because she barely touched her meal. He was worried about her.


    "No, I''m not. Leave me alone!" Oh, see? She was talking back obstinately again! Although she refused to admit she got angry, her curved lips sold out her thought.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "Okay, okay. I was just joking. Let''s go! Let''s have dinner together." Kevin reached out to pull her up. When he touched Leena''s slim body, he felt that she was thinner than before. What happened to her when he was gone? She should not be that skinny. Kevin wondered about it, trying not to lose his train of thought. Probably she did not eat well.


    "I hate you! How could you make fun of me?" "Oh,e on, silly! Couldn''t you see that I was joking? Hey, I''m sorry it went that far. It''s my fault. Juste back to the table with me, okay?" exined Kevin gently.


    Finally, Leena broke through her tears. All her gloominess disappeared all of a sudden. She was lit up immediately on Kevin''s exnation. Holding her little hands, Kevin finally made it all better. He continued holding one hand and gently walked with her to the dining table to continue the dinner. After they sat down, Kevin shook his head helplessly. Now he figured that he could not make fun of herter because she would take it really seriously.


    "Hum! I''m still mad because of you." Leena touched her nose awkwardly. She would never admit that she was too foolish to figure out that he was actually joking with her.


    "Ok, ok. I said it''s my fault. Now let''s finish our dinner! Everything''s getting cold." While Kevin dished her up some food, he started to smile. He realized that he really liked her. But could he grow to love her given enough time? He didn''t know.


    Kevin''s caring words and actions made Leena feel bashful. She lowered her head and continued her meal. She had been born and raised in a rich and prominent family and lived a princess life, so she had an extremely proper and elegant way of having meals. Every move and action showed perfectly that she was a real princess. Unlike ordinary women, she acted punctiliously when she enjoyed the dinner. It was in stark contrast to her vivid personality.000000

 Chapter 803 A Delicate Necklace (Part Two)

    After they finished dinner, Kevin cleared the table and washed the dishes. Free from cleaning, Leena casually surfed the web. She wanted to take a look at some winter fashion collections from other designers so as to make sure that there wouldn''t be any resemnce between hers and theirs. After all, designers might share simr inspirations sometimes. That happened a lot. Even though they might not be exactly the same, the simrities might extend to at least 50%. Therefore, in order to avoid being seen as a copycat, Leena would always add some new elements in addition to her original design to make her work fly its own colors as hard as she could.


    Kevin would never expect that as an heiress from a rich family, Leena could have picked up their house so tidily without the help of a house-maid. Everything in their home was well-ced and the house was extremely clean. He was visibly moved by this fact. He raised his head and took a look around the kitchen. It all looked different. Leena had run out and purchased a lot of tableware. He really started to think hard, swallowing and moving his Adam''s apple. Now he started to feel that he was in a real home. All the things were tidied up and put in proper locations so that they were easily reachable. She seemed to be a smart girl.


    As a soldier, he rarely had time to take care of everything at home ever since they got married. At first, he worried sometimes that she might be unable to take it. But she managed everything silently. He was just unable to imagine this. Young women nowadays were not so capable of dealing with housework, cooking, or even being alone. That set his mind at ease somewhat.


    After cleaning and drying all the dishes, he put them into the disinfection cab and then walked out of the kitchen. He walked up to Leena without making any noise, standing behind her and watching her browse some web pages and videos about fashion shows. He recalled thatst time she was watching these kinds of things too. It seemed that it was the nature of every girl to love beauty and she was no exception. Fortunately, although these fashion brands were expensive, he could still afford them. So he had no problem letting her buy and browse as she liked. He was supportive like that.


    "Just buy them if you like! You don''t need to worry about the price." Seeing Leena keep making notes of various numbers, he thought she wasparing prices. He did not want her to worry about money, so he reminded her. Meanwhile, he sat down beside her. "Oh, no. I am justparing styles. You''re done in the kitchen?" Like most women, she worried that a man like him couldn''t do well in the kitchen. Oh, of course, Mr. Cold was an exception. After all, he had been taking care of her ever since she was a child and was capable of everything, even the things in the kitchen. Most men weren''t.


    "Yes! You''re really not going to buy anything? Don''t try to save money on my ount." In Kevin''s heart, he did not mind it when a woman spent too much money on her make-up and dressing. He knew clearly that that was what women were like. Every woman was vain and would buy products to make them more charming and beautiful. He would never deter her from doing what she liked.


    "Really, no. And I never buy clothes on the. The size may be wrong." Money had never been a concern of Leena''s and she never worried about it because she had lots of money herself. And she did not spend any money in his card and bankbook because there were only a few asions when she needed to spend money.


    "Then why are you looking at them?" Kevin frowned slightly. He did not understand her action and considered it to be a waste of time.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    "Ur! I''m taking notes! Oh, speaking of this, I''m flying to Paris on Monday. I have to finish up my thesis. Probably I''ll stay there for some days." Leena closed the tabs on the browser out. All she needed to doter was sort out her notes.


    "Paris again?" Kevin''s frown sank deeper. He still remembered that when he came backst time, she was also in Paris. And now she was doing it again. He just came back and she was off to Paris again. He was confused.


    "Yeah! I''m going there for the final thesis defense. I''ll be there quite a few days. It''s important to finish up my studies. After the thesis is done, I''ll turn into a social member from a student." Leena was kind ofcent. She had tried so hard for years. Although she had already created her own design brand at an early age, she had things to work out before she wrote her dissertation. A sessful defense would prove that all her efforts over thest several years were worthwhile.


    "Are you still a student?" Kevin was a little bit puzzled. He did not remember whether she told him about it or not.


    "Yes! I came back to have some rest and rxation. But I didn''t expect to meet you." Leena could not help smiling. Now she knew that how ridiculous she was to be sad for a man who never loved her at that time and caused lots of troubles. But luckily, she met Kevin. Considering this, she never regretteding back.


    "Because you broke up with your ex-boyfriend." It was the first time when they talked about such a private topic. If he guessed right, she had a difficult time in a rtionship. That was why she chose him when she got drunk.


    "Ur! Do you really think that?" Leena''s face heated up with embarrassment. Well, she didn''t want to call it a break-up, but indeed, she got hurt.


    "I can''t figure out any other reason apart from this. You drank so much and were massively shit-faced at that time." Somehow, Kevin felt ufortable at the thought that she might still have feelings for another man.


    "Well, not really. I found out that I was not so heartbroken as I had imagined I might be after we stopped talking to each other. I even felt relieved to some degree. It seemed that he wasn''t that important to me. Probably I was too lonely when I was living abroad alone and just tried to find someone to relieve my loneliness. It had nothing to do with real love."


    Leena did not know why she said this to Kevin. Maybe, deep down, she did not want Kevin to misunderstand her so she decided to tell him everything.


    "You''ve been back for such a long time. Have you never thought about him, even once?" Kevin sighed in relief. His heart was safe for now. Still, he could not help wanting to know more. He wanted to know who on earth this guy was. Did he have to worry about him? Since she married Kevin, how simr was he to the other guy?000

 Chapter 804 A Delicate Necklace (Part Three)

    "I would be lying if I said that I''ve never thought about him. So yes, I have. But it''s not what you think. I have no feelings for him anymore. Every once in a while there''s something that reminds me of him. There''s no love stuff at all. Don''t get me wrong, Leena smiled and replied. If Kevin hadn''t mentioned it, she probably wouldn''t have even thought twice about her French lover. Now when she thought of him, there were only vague memories. Everything was kind of hazy, and she was detached from it all. That man "Not what I think? Girl, what do you mean by that?" Kevin looked at her and chuckled. He reached out and pinched her reddish face slightly. The skin on her face was so milky that he could not help touching it a few times.


    seemed to be nothing but an old ck-and-white picture without any vitality.


    "That! That!" Leena grew more embarrassed. Only if she knew what he thought in his heart! That way, she would not be too awkward to show her face, would she?


    "What?" Kevin usually did not make fun of others a lot. But now he felt that his little wife was really a cutie and it was so funny to crack jokes with her. She was so cute and lovely when she was so shy that her face even turned red. "I..." I''m going to take a shower." Just then, Leena stood up quickly and fled upstairs.


    "Ha-ha..." Kevin could not help bursting intoughter. His loud guffaws echoed in the house, making Leena even shyer. She ran into the bedroom and shut the door without thinking about it.


    Leena patted her hot face heavily to calm herself down. Then she opened his suitcase to take all the clothes out and hang them in the closet. As for some private stuff, she even did not look at it, let alone touch. But she grew curious at the sight of a delicate box. She hesitated so much and finally yielded to her curiosity and opened the box. It turned out that there was an ornate ne inside. It was thetest and most fashionable style this year. As a fashion designer, she knew it was costly. She wondered why he bought it. A present for someone? For her?! She could not help jumping for joy in her heart at the thought of her guess. She quickly closed it and put it back in its original ce as if nothing happened. Then she walked into the bathroom carrying her pajamas. She had told Kevin she was taking a shower, so she made ready to do so.


    Usually, she preferred to take a shower because she liked the feeling when the water sprayed and scattered on her skin. There was just something rxing about the spray and the subtle impact of the water droplets. She felt vivid and refreshed afterward.


    She couldn''t deny that Kevin being here made her extremely excited and happy. It was a feeling thatsted the whole night. She couldn''t understand it at all, but it felt like she was fangirling.


    But that fancy ne aroused her curiosity. There was probably a good chance that Kevin had bought it for her. But now that she was clear-headed because of the shower, she began to think. Kevin wouldn''t have bought that ne as a gift for no reason at all. Kevin was not a romantic man. And there wasn''t anything to celebrate, was there? It might make sense if there was a special day tomemorate. But the fact was there wasn''t. ''Curiouser and curiouser,'' she thought, like Alice in Wondend.


    And it definitely wasn''t for Daisy. She knew Kevin. He was not a stupid man who would try and get between Daisy and Edward when he clearly knew there would never be any chance for him. After all, he was a proud man and would not neglect his identity and status to do something that risky. Then, who on earth had he bought the ne for? For his sister or someone like that? Suddenly, she realized that she knew very little about his family.


    When Leena finished her shower and stepped out from the bathroom, there was nothing but silence in the bedroom. Kevin had note upstairs yet. Probably he was in the study now. Leena did not pay much attention to it and went to her own independent workroom. She had managed to make one room avable while Kevin was gone. This room had good natural lighting, so she transformed it into her workroom without asking him first. He said that she had the right to deal with everything in the house as she liked. So she took that to heart.


    She chose the design style as she liked. Everything in this room was in ordance with her tastes. She had everything she needed as a fashion designer. Although it could not be mentioned in the same breath with her workshop in Paris, it was enough for her needs here. Thinking about this, Leena was torn. She probably had to move her workshop back here. After all, she was married and couldn''t visit Paris a lot, or spend very long there. She wondered whether her assistant would be willing to move here too. It was a lot for one girl to think about.


    Meanwhile, it was not an easy task to move her workshop back here. After all, she had umted a great reputation there, as well as many clients. So she had to figure out a win-win solution. Otherwise, she would lose a lot. She did not want that happen. The workshop was her baby and she would like to do everything she could to take care of it. At such thought, Leena became extremely annoyed and worried all of a sudden. Oh, God! There were so many things she needed to think about if she was going to relocate her workshop. Thest thing she wanted to do was just rely on herself for this. She needed help.


    Suddenly, she remembered that she hadn''t brought herptop upstairs. So she walked out and went downstairs to fetch it. She had slept for too long in the daytime, so it was hard for her to fall asleep in the evening. And her inspirations for designs usually fell from the sky at midnight because, at that time, the whole world was draped in silence. She was able toe up with more ideas when there was no noise, and no one up.


    But when she went downstairs, she couldn''t find herptop. Even Kevin was nowhere to be seen. She thought for a while and then walked quickly towards the study. She believed that he must have taken herptop upstairs.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    But when she arrived at the door of the study, she suddenly stopped her step. Taking a deep breath, Leena raised her hand and lightly rapped at the door. She had meant to walk directly into the study. But suddenly she realized that nerves were frayed now and she didn''t want to be considered to be rude.


    "Come in." Kevin was busily tapping away on theptop, summarizing a report about the field training. Eyes fixed on the screen, he replied without even turning his head.

 Chapter 805 Get Accustomed To Me (Part One)

    "Hi Kevin. Do you have myptop?" Leena asked in a low voice, gently pushing open the door. Since Kevin was busy with his work, she had to keep her voice down.


    "Yes, I do. It''s on the desk. Come here, Leena." Kevin stopped working and looked at Leena. Leaning back in the chair in a leisurely manner, Kevin watched Leena as she inched forward toward him. Yes! She was really slow and hesitant to move forward as though she were facing a dangerous monster lurking ahead. ''Am I as horrible as a bloodthirsty beast?'' Kevin wondered. "What is it you''re writing down there?" Leena spoke in an attempt to free herself from the embarrassing moment of being alone with him. She felt awkward whenever she stayed alone with Kevin in private, especially in such a small room. She bit her lips tightly the whole time lest they trembled out of nervousness.


    "A summary for the training. I''d better finish it since I''m not busy now. I don''t want to leave anything until thest minute." Kevin had a good habit of being very orderly. Once he had set his time table, even just in his mind, he would do exactly as the time table heid out. He was so good at managing his time.


    "Then I''ll leave you to your work. I''ll jet as soon as I get myputer." An embarrassed smile broke across Leena''s face. She was too shy to look at Kevin while speaking to him. But she could not help herself from peeping at him from the corner of her eyes from time to time. Unlike her brothers'' elegance and courtesy, Kevin was handsome with masculine charm. His toughness always reminded Leena of the sunshine in a cold winter day. It wasforting and warm, unlike her brothers'' icy manner.


    "The report can wait. Leena, are you trying to avoid me? Or am I missing something?" Kevin said with a frown. To be frank, he had spotted some dramatic changes in Leena since he came back this time. He still remembered how vivacious and talkative Leena was when they met for the first time. She used to be so brave and naive that it was impossible for her to hide the innermost side of her and she would show no fear of him in his presence. But that lively girl had changed recently. She had be quiet, and had concealed her enthusiasm in his presence. Kevin could even clearly feel her overcautious attitude toward him.


    "Hmm... is that possible? You''re imagining things. I''m...um...trying to keep my distance from you so I don''t bother you when you''re trying to work." Leena smiled to cover up her embarrassment. That had to be the silliest smile that she had ever sported, but she had no way to stop it.


    "Remember, Leena, we''re married. We''re a couple. You don''t have to be careful in front of me. Just be yourself." Kevin felt Leena''s unnatural attitude again when he spoke to her. She didn''t make eye contact, and kept rubbing her hands. She was so timid in front of him that she kept her voice low. It seemed that Leena had always worn a rigid mask in front of him.


    "I know. I just can''t get ustomed to it." Leena''s cheeks went red. She rubbed her hands again from nervousness. Due to Kevin''s work, Leena and Kevin had a limited amount of time to be with each other. Although Leena longed for her moments with Kevin, she was afraid of being alone with him as well. She had no idea how should she behave in front him. Every time when she approached Kevin, she could not help but feel nervous. And the more she tried to get rid of her nervousness, the more she behaved unnaturally. "Don''t worry. I''ll help you to get ustomed to me, to my words, and to my actions. How about this, Leena?" Kevin held out his hand and pulled her into his arms. Looking at Leena''s flushed face, Kevin curled his lip into an attractive smile.


    "Hmm... I..." Leena stared at Kevin in helplessness. But she hurriedly tore her gaze away as soon as she realized the meaning behind Kevin''s alluring smile. In her fluster, Leena had no idea what she should settle her eyes on.


    "Leena, rx and let yourself enjoy my touch and my caress. That''s the first step to get ustomed to me." Kevin held Leena''s slender waist with his hands, and put his chin against her shoulder. He murmured in her ear in a seductive tone. Leena could feel Kevin''s warm breath, taking with it his scent, roaming all across her neck. Her body stiffened.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "Don''t you think this is too close?" Leena twisted, but stopped as soon as she felt Kevin tighten his muscles to keep her. She kept still in Kevin''s arms and felt his caress, his touch, which was so pleasant and alluring that she almost surrendered herself.


    "Is this too close in your opinion? No. Let me show you my idea of being close to each other." Kevin''s lips sealed on Leena''s before he finished speaking. The wet warmness Leena felt on Kevin''s lips made her suddenly lose control of her breath. In a shower of kisses, Kevin gently sucked Leena''s lips and tasted her sweet scent.


    Shocked by Kevin''s unexpected kisses, Leena had lost herself in a sensual trance. She didn''t return Kevin''s ardent kisses, but instead kept still in his arms while he increased the pace and length of his kisses. With eyes widened in surprise, Leena stared at Kevin''s face in an intimate distance. But her mind was a mess now, as many thoughts emerged and shed. As far as she could recall, this was the first time that Kevin kissed her when she was sober.


    Actually, Kevin was surprised by his conduct as well. He had no idea why he kissed Leena all of a sudden. He just could not help himself. Was it her sparkling eyes, the shyness in her gaze? His impulses intensified as soon as his lips touched Leena''s. Mild tentative kisses turned into fervent ones. Something in him was ignited to inspire him to get more from her. There was not a single moment when he was willing to remove his lips from hers.


    "Leena, your innocent gaze made me feel guilty." Kevin smiled in helplessness. He curved a finger and gently slid it downward from the tip of Leena''s nose. Seeing no response from Leena, Kevin felt as though he was corrupting an innocent girl.


    "I''m sorry! It was so unexpected. I was shocked." Leena''s face was so hot you could fry an egg on it. Out of shyness, she dared not look at Kevin while speaking to him. Everything seemed to have happened in a dream. Leena could not believe that Kevin kissed her just now. It was just so out of ce. But why? Leena wondered. As far as Leena was concerned, Kevin didn''t love her. They kissed each other when both of them hadpletely gotten drunkst time. But today, both of them were sober. So, Kevin must be fully aware of what he was doing. What did that mean? Many questions kept looping around in Leena''s mind. But the answer was not within reach.


    "Aha... So that''s why you didn''t respond to my kisses? That''s so funny. What a surprise!" Leena''s answer was not what Kevin was expecting. He couldn''t help but burst into a hearty fit ofughter. He had to admit that Leena was really an interesting girl with some interesting ideas. It seemed his marital life would be full ofughter thanks to her. He must have married the right person.


    "I''m so d that I''m a joke to entertain you," Leena said acidly. She felt hurt seeing Kevinugh in front of her. ''He must have thought of me as an ignorant little girl, ''thought Leena angrily. As a spoiled princess, Leena didn''t hide her temper when she was enraged. She nced at Kevin angrily, and bit him on his shoulder all of a sudden, hoping the bite could get her free from his arms.???????????

 Chapter 806 Get Accustomed To Me (Part Two)

    "Ouch! What the hell, Leena? From Little Red Riding Hood to the Big Bad Wolf?" Frowning, Kevin tried to figure out what was going on. Despite the pain, he had no intention of setting Leena free. He must teach Leena how to get along with him. He hated to see her wear a mask to hide her true nature in front of him. Her unnatural attitude upset him a lot. The first step to help Leena get rid of her cautiousness around him was to let her get ustomed to his intimate touch.


    "But Kevin, would you please let me go first?" Leena begged and struggled. Kevin''s embrace was everything that Leena dreamed of. But she had to keep her distance from him as much as possible or else she would get addicted to his hugs. What if she became greedy for Kevin''s love and asked for more? She must quash such a possibility before it happened.


    "Oh, Leena, you must have a bad memory. I told you to getfortable with me, or it''ll be hard for you to walk into my world." Leena''s reluctance toward his enthusiasm irritated Kevin a little. It seemed she always assumed an indifferent attitude toward him, as if he meant nothing to her. That really hurt for a cocky guy like him. He couldn''t ept Leena''s cold attitude toward him.


    Although he was not born with noble blood, he was handsome and charming. It was impossible that his appearance would scare Leena away. But it seemed that his charm meant nothing in Leena''s eyes. She just wasn''t that into him! As a proud man, Kevin was deeply hurt. In his frustration, Kevin was too disappointed to hold Leena tightly. But there was a voice in his heart calling for him to continue. As a result, Kevin had to suppress the sad feeling he was experiencing, convinced that Leena was just too naive to understand him. "Are you angry, Kevin?" Leena asked, unsure of herself. She didn''t mean to hurt Kevin. She was just afraid of being trapped in the snare of love, hoping her aloof attitude could keep her sober and offer her a chance to run away if Kevin found their marriage to be a mistake one day. ''He doesn''t love me, does he?'' Leena thought to herself. Having no faith in Kevin''s love for her, Leena had to tell herself in secret time and time again that she must not get ustomed to Kevin''s embrace and be addicted to it. She had to remain free, in case he told her he wanted a divorce. She couldn''t allow herself to be dependent on anyone.


    "If I say yes, would you know why?" Kevin shed a bitter smile. He felt himself no better than a fool. He had done so much to try and be a good man to her. But maybe in Leena''s opinion, that was far from enough. So that was why she always hated his touches and the intimate moments between them?


    "I know." Leena said and lowered her head. She was not stupid, although she sometimes seemed like a simple-headed girl. Kevin must feel hurt by her aloofness. But what could she do? If she gave Kevin what he needed at this moment, would he promise to love her forever and not do anything to hurt her? She was born into a wealthy family, and was treated like a princess. Every kind of pain, both physically and psychologically, posed a nightmare to her. So she didn''t want to be hurt, not once in her life. The best way to protect herself from getting hurt was to distance herself from everything that would possibly hurt her. Keep everyone at arm''s length, even Kevin.


    "All right. Maybe I''m too reckless. It''ste. Get some rest, Leena. I need some alone time." Kevin withdrew his hands from Leena''s waist and let her go. Maybe it was impossible for him to fall in love with Leena now. But he was trying. Since they were married, he would certainly take his responsibility as husband seriously. He was by no means an irresponsible man.


    "If you don''t have feelings for me, then don''t give me hope." Leena uttered those words through clenched teeth. Suddenly, tears welled in her eyes. Afraid of shedding tears in Kevin''s presence, Leena scurried out of the room, even forgetting to take herputer. She held herself back from crying until she darted into her office. Rivers of tears finally rushed out of her eyes. She didn''t know what to do.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    Leena''s sentence struck Kevin like a lightning bolt. He felt both furious and hurt. ''Don''t have feelings for her? What did she mean?'', Kevin asked himself. Was it possible for him to marry a woman for whom he felt nothing at all? He didn''t think so. Although Kevin was a responsible man, he was not virtuous enough to marry a woman he didn''t like, no matter how beautiful she was. Marriage was so sacred in his heart that he would never marry anybody against his will. But what did Leena mean by mentioning hope? Kevin felt puzzled. That was a question that made Kevin board the train of serious thought.


    "You bastard, Kevin. Why did you say those words to me? I almost surrendered my heart to you." Leena slid onto the floor. She snatched a nearby strip of cloth and tore it into pieces. She had taken out all her fury on it as though it were Kevin.


    Tears were the most tangible testament of a person''s frailty. Actually, Leena almost never cried. But she had cried a lot more ever since she met Kevin. She had turned mncholy and sensitive recently. Sometimes Kevin would say or do the wrong thing, and it would set her off and make her feel nervous. She would take a molehill and turn it into a mountain. She had to be constantly on alert, as if she were in the middle of a war zone. She had to protect herself from all harm, especially from Kevin.


    Leena swallowed and took a deep breath. She knew how terrible she looked even without the aid of a mirror. The sweet moment when Kevin held her in his arms was still fresh and lingered in her mind. She even wished for time to be frozen in that moment, held in his arms for all eternity. Since the happy moment was ephemeral, it could only be eternal once time stopped.


    Leena was fully aware that it was impossible for Kevin to forget about Daisy. Nor did she have the right to ask him to forget. It was neither realistic nor practical. She only wished that there was a ce for her in Kevin''s heart, not matter how small that ce was. That shouldn''t be too much to ask. It was humble, to some degree. Leena believed that she would be satisfied as long as her wish was fulfilled. But she was wrong. What a big mistake she had made. Love drives people crazy and makes them be possessive. Now, Leena wanted more from Kevin, his hug, his kiss, his body and his soul. She would not share Kevin''s heart with another woman. Leena had gotten panicked and lost herself. Her desire for Kevin had been far beyond her expectation. That idea terrified her.000

 Chapter 807 Get Accustomed To Me (Part Three)

    Kevin just allowed himself to sink into silence for a couple of minutes. He rushed out of the room after noticing Leena was gone. He went upstairs and then downstairs in search of her. But he couldn''t find Leena anywhere, though he turned the whole apartment upside down. Kevin finally panicked. He took the phone and called Leena, hoping she could answer his call immediately. But he heard Leena''s ringtone nearby. It was there on the bed, shing a dim blue light while it rang.


    It was sote. Where did she go? Did she leave? Kevin picked up his keys and ran downstairs as soon as this idea struck him. He was in such a hurry that he still wore his pajamas. He needed to check whether Leena''s car was still in the parking garage. Kevin went to the parking garage by lift, and immediately saw Leena''s red Ferrari as the door of the lift was opened. Kevin''s heart resettled to his chest again. Leena didn''t leave and her car was still there. Leena seemed to have undergone a tremendous emotional upheaval. What if she lost control of her emotions when she was driving? It would be dangerous for her to drive in that state.


    Kevin returned home. Leena must still be in the apartment, and there must be some ces he had forgotten. It was impossible for her to disappear all of a sudden. That only happened in period fantasies, and she was far from a ghost or a forest spirit.


    Kevin rubbed his forehead to relieve the tension headache. Somehow, he felt regret. There must have been something wrong with him. Otherwise, he should not have upset Leena so soon aftering back from his training. Did the training numb his nerves or empty his brain? Kevin wondered why Leena got mad at him.


    Kevinbed every corner on the first floor. Then the second floor. But he didn''t find Leena although he had searched every room. Leena seemed to have vanished from the earth! Kevin''s heart was in his throat now. He could not help but worry about her. Where had she gone? Kevin leaned against the wall, quite exhausted. Then a dim light from the attic caught his attention. Was Leena in the attic? He dashed toward it like a bullet from a gun.


    Actually, this attic was arge room on the top of the apartment. It was called an attic only because the walls were quite lowpared to other rooms in the apartment. Since it was on the highest level, it was bright and luminous with plenty of sunshine. Before Kevin''s marriage, both this room''s location and area had turned out to be impediments in attracting the host''s attention.


    Kevin believed that Leena must be in there. He became more and more confident while approaching it. The balcony had been refurbished with new railings. The design and decoration were so delicate and exquisite, that it seemed impossible for Leena to have worked on it alone. She must have hired some professional workers to help her. Judging from the design and the quality of the construction, Kevin thought that some of Leena''s brothers must have offered her help and sent some helpers.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    Kevin took a deep breath before turning the doorknob. It was locked from inside, however. He knocked. Some big changes had happened in his home since he left for his training. In addition to the changes of decorations in the room, Leena had changed a lot as well. She seemed to have adopted a different attitude toward him, otherwise she would not have gotten mad just for something he said. ''Did she fall in love with me?'' Kevin wondered.


    "Leena, are you in there? Open the door, please." Receiving no response from Leena, Kevin had to ask in a gentle voice.


    Leena got nervous again as soon as she heard Kevin''s knocking. Her eyes were swollen from crying too much. How could she let Kevin see her with such a pair of ugly eyes?


    "I''ll be downter. Just leave me alone," said Leena with a sobbing tone. Actually, her voice had turned hoarse because of the crying. What she said was so unclear that Kevin couldn''t understand it.


    "I told you, Leena. No door will stop me froming in. You know what to do, right?" Kevin didn''t want to threaten her. But she sounded so bad, he could not help but feel worried about her. He couldn''t let her remain here. What if she did something to hurt herself? He had to force Leena to open the door.


    Leena wiped off the tears from her face before standing up from the floor. Since she had crouched and stayed rooted to that corner for quite a while, her legs had gone numb. She shook and almost fell back again. Leaning on the wall to steady her body, Leena tried her best to pacify her emotions as well. She didn''t move toward the door until she resumed her normal attitude. No trail of tears should be seen on her face.


    "Leena, open the door. This is yourst chance. Open the door or I break it down." As the key for this room was kept downstairs, he could have easily gone downstairs, grabbed the key and opened the door. But Kevin wanted Leena to open the door for him.


    Leena took a pair of nearby sses and perched them on her nose. She seldom wore sses ordinarily, except for decoration. As her eyes were so swollen and so ugly, she had to wear the sses to hide them. Having cleaned herself up, Leena reached the door. Kevin held out one hand and pushed against the door as soon as Leena opened it. He didn''t want to chance her shutting it again. Though Leena had donned the sses to try and hide her swollen eyes, they instead drew Kevin''s attention to them like a moth to a me. Kevin furrowed his brows at the sight of Leena''s swollen orbs. In a stern manner, he stared at Leena''s face for a long time.


    Leena felt too shy under Kevin''s scrutiny. Unwilling to show her red nose tip and eyes in front of Kevin, she turned around in silence. She was not in the mood to talk to him at this moment.


    Kevin studied the interior carefully. The empty room was filled with stuff now: various mannequins, sewing machines and every conceivable kind of cloth. In the middle of the room was a huge desk, on which were scattered colorful pieces of paper. Since he stood a little bit away from it, he could not see the drawings on the paper.


    "When did you change up this room? I don''t even recognize it. "If he hadn''te here for Leena''s sake, he would not have known anything of those dramatic changes in the room. He really paid little attention to his home.


    "I''m sorry! I made an arrangement without your permission. This is my office now." This time, Leena sounded quite cold and aloof. She had concealed her usual sweetness and shielded herself under a cool attitude, which, in Leena''s opinion, could protect her from getting hurt. True, it was hard for Leena to assume such a chilly attitude toward Kevin. Once she did so, however, it was obvious that she was very deeply hurt.00000

 Chapter 808 You Have No Choice But To Wait For Me (Part One)

    "Don''t forget that this is also your home. There is no need for you to be so polite to me. You don''t need to apologize. It''s just that there are so many mannequins, sewing machines, and clothes. Are you majoring in Fashion Designing?" Kevin asked. He did not ask her why she cried and just kept looking around the materials in the room. He acted as if he didn''t notice her tears so he could avoid making her feel embarrassed. "Yes," Leena answered coldly without even looking at Kevin. It wasn''t that she was pretending to avoid him. It was more like she didn''t know how to face him after arguing with him.


    An unexpected tingle crept on Kevin''s heart with how coldly Leena reacted. He couldn''t exin how that pain got in his chest. It just came there too sudden without him even noticing how.


    "It seems like I don''t know you at all. I don''t even know what your major is. I really should care more about you." Kevin shook his head. He was indeed a bad husband. No wonder Leena was cold to him.


    "I don''t really care much about you too. It just breaks even. There''s no need for you to change. I also know very little about you anyway, don''t I?" Being indifferent to him was not something Lenna wanted. It was just that she couldn''t help the hurtful words from pouring out whenever she opened her mouth. The impulse to say those was just too strong.


    "Leena, look at me," Kevin said seriously. He was not ustomed to her coldness and indifference as she was always lively and cheerful.


    "No." Leena pouted and refused without any further thinking. The way she uttered her answer was filled with her little girl''s charm. It was so naive yet at the same time, emotionless.


    Kevin waspletely dumbfounded. He could have handled the situation better if Leena just shouted at him. How was he supposed to react with her pouting like a child? Most of the people acquainted with him were of his age. Leena was definitely the first and only young person he got to talk with.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    "Well, I apologize," he found himself saying tenderly. "I should not have gotten angry with you. I should not have let you cry. Sorry." He reached out to her and turned her body to face him. His eyes were warm and moist as he scanned her tearful face.


    "Cry? Who cried? I didn''t!" The beautiful wife denied amidst her continuous sobs. She wouldn''t let him feel that it was his words that made her cry.


    "Well fine, you didn''t cry. But I did. Is that okay?" Kevin gave in helplessly. Facing this girl was far more troublesome than having to face a group of soldiers. After all, he could scold and punish those soldiers if they made mistakes. But to scold and punish this wench? No way. Not unless he nned to drown in tears as soon as she pouted her mouth and cried.


    Augh escaped Leena''s chest upon hearing him bend down for her. Her gloomy mood faded away and she was back with her sweet smile instantly.


    "Good! It is good that you canugh now. Your coldness almost killed me earlier." Kevin wasn''t able to stop himself from smiling back at her as relief flooded him.


    "Hum! I won''t forgive you if you dare shout at me again next time." Leena''s mouth twitched with her answer. Their argument was irrational. However, she had already forgiven him from her heart.


    "You got me wrong! When did I shout at you? You can''t nder me, Leena! I am innocent!" How could she think that he shouted at her? He just talked with a louder voice and that was it. He stood there like a dumb man who ate the bitter herb! He couldn''t even express or exin what was in his mind.


    "Yes, you have shouted at me." Leena used shamelessly. She didn''t care whether he did scold her or not. She just wanted Kevin to apologize.


    "All right! I got it! I have," Kevinpromised one more time under her criticism. "Again I solemnly apologize to you. You should be satisfied with my apology this time!" Helplessness was all over his handsome face. He wasn''t even aware of how much tenderness and gentleness were showing in his eyes as he stared at her.


    "For all your sincerity, I forgive you this time." Leena''s smile was both sweet and cunning. What she did was such a good move to keep her from getting embarrassed. She really didn''t know how to talk to Kevin again if she hadn''t thought of the idea.


    "Thank you! I will certainly learn from it." Kevin felt like a child who had done something wrong and was epting her lesson righteously. Funny how he was more obedient nowpared to when he was still a child.


    "That''s better." Leena said as she lifted her chin higher with princessy pride. She was exuding self-satisfaction. This was the Leena who was in high and aggressive spirits.


    "Leena, Since you are not angry anymore, don''t you think it''s time for us to go downstairs and get to bed? Don''t we need to go to the wedding tomorrow?" Kevin was already tired even before he found Leena. Now having to apologize to her out of nowhere wore him out worse.


    A little shyness suddenly struck Leena upon hearing the word "bed". He hadn''t forced her into anything intimate since they got married. He had always been patiently waiting for her to adapt to him. Thus, hearing such a sensitive word could easily make her cheeks turn into a beetroot. She tried to rummage her brain for any good excuse but ended up not finding any. In the end, she found herself nodding to him like a good little girl.


    A warm smile cracked on Kevin''s lips. He held his wife by her hand then walked down the stair with her. They looked so cozy in love with each other with their fingers intertwined. They were almost perfect, it was just that they hadn''t realized it yet.


    The wedding day came as people expected. The Leng''s house was buzzing really early in the morning. Even Lloyd, who had been traveling the whole world, found time toe home on that special day. He certainly couldn''t miss his son''s wedding.


    The wedding venue was on the broad grasnd of Leng''s house. It was more convenient to have it done there than anywhere else. Belinda Shangguan was taken back to her home the night before. With that said, Duke would need to face a series of twist and turns from her bridesmaids if he really wanted her back.


    It was good that it was Saturday too. So nobody needed to ask for leave from their works. It was funny how the most excited person on that day was neither the bride nor the groom. It was the little guy, Justin, their wedding flower boy! He strived for this chance for a very long time, so doing it made him ecstatic.


    "Mommy, do you think I''m handsome like this?" The kid jumped up and down to show everyone how cool he looked in his little suit.


    "Yes! You are the most handsome guy no matter what you wear," Daisy chirped. She would never get tired of patiently answering him even if it was already the hundredth time he asked.


    "Andpared to daddy? Who is more handsome?" Justinid prone on the sofa, and wrinkled his small nose cutely, then looked up to his mother.


    "Well! This..." Daisy nced towards Edward and felt thrown into a dilemma. She would certainly offend the other if she would choose between the two. Worse, the man who was busy inputting the data on hisptop also lifted his head up and straightly looked at her. Now that just doubled the pressure.


    "Say it! Mommy, who is more handsome?" Little Justin pushed the question again. He really wanted to know who was the real god between him and his daddy on Daisy''s opinion.


    "If you really want me to say it, I say you two look like just one person. There is really no need topare." Daisy hurriedly said and then quickly left that study room. Edward''s hot gaze made her feel how dangerous it was being there. She would be safer out of it. Plus, she should start dressing up too. She needed to help the weddingter.

 Chapter 809 You Have No Choice But To Wait For Me (Part Two)

    "Daddy, who is more handsome between us?" Justin got no choice but to turn his attention to his father since his mother instantly disappeared. He just realized that he had asked the wrong question. He should not have said "handsome", rather, he should have said


    "charming". After all, being described as handsome wasn''t enough to justify his dad''s look.


    "What do you think, little fellow?" Edward smiled. There was really no need for a debate. So what if Justin was more handsome than he was? He ended up looking like that because he inherited his genes. His smile was quickly reced by a frown as soon as he was back to turning the pages of his unhandled documents. He had intended to go to the Leng''s house early in the morning. He never expected some important documents from foreignpanies toe in the same morning though. Thus he had to finish his business before going out. "All right! I failed. We aren''t on the same level." Little Justin was downcast and lowered the head. He ran out of the study room and went straight to find his Grandpa as he could find a sense of superiority from him. After all, he was more like his grandpa. No one was as charming as Edward Mu.


    Edward smiled. Good! It seemed that the boy knew himself well. It was not that he wanted to boast himself. It just happened that oveing him on this aspect would be difficult for many. He had full confidence about it. Otherwise, he wouldn''t bebeled as the ''rare type of handsome'' by others. Leena also got up much earlier in the morning due to Duke''s wedding. However, Kevin was not on the bed anymore when she opened her eyes. She didn''t care much about it as she had never seen him in the bed before. She just couldn''t be too used to it anymore. In order not to steal the show from the bride, she gave her favorite white clothes up and opted to wear a pale pinkish print skirt. The skirt made her look nifty but solemn. Her fashion was both clever and lively. People might think she was an elf at first nce.


    There was no need for her to dress up more since she already had white skin. She applied a little makeup to match the asion and made herself look a little more mature.


    Fortunately, she had prepared Kevin''s suit in advance. She seemed to have done the right thing. But where was he? Did he get out to exercise? But that was not the right time! It was not his exercising time.


    A little confused, she decided to go downstairs. Kevin was still nowhere to be seen but she found the breakfast he prepared for her on the table. The meal was already cold, it might be because he got up very early in the morning! Not wanting to spoil his kindness made her sit down and start eating. It was then that she thought of giving him a call and asking him where he was.


    "Hello! Leena, have you got up? I''ll be back right now." Kevin held his phone with one hand as his other held a huge pile of documents. He went out of his office hurriedly.


    "Well! Where are you?" Leena asked upon hearing that he gasped a little as he walked. She frowned. Could it be that he got some important things to do?


    "You were still sleeping soundly earlier so I went back to the army base to get some documents," Kevin answered. He lied. Honestly, he didn''t go back to the base just to pick some documents alone. There was this really good training n that he learned when he was still abroad. He could give that n to Hawkeye on Monday but it was just so perfect that he couldn''t wait. It was Hawkeye''s special identity that made him lie to Leena.


    "I know. I''ll wait for you." Leena was not the type who would explore on a subject to make it clearer. Therefore, she believed what he said. She was certain that she would not get the answer she wanted anyway, no matter how much she asked if he really wanted to cheat. "You have no choice but to wait for me. Ha! I used your car to drive here." His car was not in the apartment as it was Lee who sent him to the airport when he went abroad. Having Lee pick him up would be a waste of time. Therefore, he had to drive Leena''s car. The only thing was that he had been used to his olive car, thus, driving his wife''s red car felt weird.


    "You don''t have to be in hurry if it''s just about the car. Finish your work and I''ll drive another car." Leena was not worried about the car. Duke ordered another Pikes Peak for her a few days ago. She just thought that the color was not what she liked so she didn''t drive it and just had it parked.


    "Another car? What do you mean? My car? I had my car serviced before I went abroad and I haven''t driven it back." Kevin was very confused and stopped his steps. He seldom drove his car. He was certain that she hadn''t seen it. He lived in the army base before they got married. There was no chance for him to drive his own car as he always drove military cars. He had his own car parked in his private garage and he just sent it to do maintenance some time ago. Never did he mention his car to her. How could she know he had a car? He was quite confused about it.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "No, my brother just ordered me a new car the other day as a wedding present." She wasn''t the luxury car type of person. Thus, she seldom changed her car. It was just Mr. Leng who said that it was a wedding gift for her so she had to ept it. She knew it was just his excuse. She didn''t want to rify herself to Mr. Leng. Plus, he would be sad if she had refused so she really didn''t have much choice but to ept it happily.


    "Oh! So you got another car. You''d better wait for me to be home though. I will arrive within an hour," said Kevin. He chose not to intervene with the matter as that was how Mr. Leng expressed his affection to her sister. He elerated his steps and quickly got into that red Ferrari. He didn''t know what the officers would think once they saw this car in the parking lot. He might be used of bribery just like what happened with Daisy. After all, this car was so pricey that no officer could afford it.


    "Well! Don''t worry, slow down. Be careful on the road." Although Leena knew that he was a mature and steady person, she still couldn''t help but remind him such.


    "OK, then see youter." Inevitably, the red car attracted many soldiers'' attention. Admiration was all over their faces. It was rare to see such a luxury car in the army base.


    Both sides of the road were full of leaves as it was autumn. Those leaves flew in the air as his car passed by, then gently fell to the ground. They were showing theirst bloom.


    Leena did not put the phone down until she heard the end-call beeped. A soft smile appeared on her face. She really did not want Kevin to do too much for her. It was enough for her that they could get along with each other.


    People should not be greedy. That was the reason why she was extremely easy to satisfy. A warm word, a touch, a smile and a gentle look would be enough to make her happy.


    But when it came to who should be the happiest person that day, there was no question that it should be today''s bride, Belinda. She couldn''t help but be happy even after her mother woke her up early in the morning. Her joy even remained long after the dresser had dressed her. That was the day when all the people would know that Duke Leng belonged to her. He was hers! So all other women who would approach him should go through her first.


    She never believed that sh marriage could develop to true love. But she discovered that love could grow slowly after she met Duke. Anyway, people who lived together for a long time tended to lightly affect each other. Being simr to one another was something inevitable too. And finally, they fell in love. So she hoped that their affection would be just like how water flowed in rivers, gentle and evesting.000000000000000

 Chapter 810 The Wedding Ceremony (Part One)

    beautiful side on her wedding day. Thus, the beautician''s work was a necessity.


    "Belinda, are you nervous?" Belinda saw Sherry sit beside her as the beautician worked on fixing her makeup. Her skin was already naturally wless and smooth but she still desired to look nicer. She was the bride today after all. She wanted to show everyone her most "No, why should I feel nervous?" Belinda took a deep breath. Well, she was indeed having some butterflies in her stomach but that didn''t mean that she needed to admit that, right?


    "You don''t have to put on a brave face for me. Don''t forget that I have been married too." Sherry knew how stubborn her daughter was. Everyone could sense her jitters filling the room from wall to wall and yet, she still wouldn''t admit it no matter what.


    "I know that you are married, okay? Or you wouldn''t have me, would you?" The bride rolled her eyes at her mother''s words. If her mother hadn''t married her father, her father would have tons of women other than her mother now. And he would never be the man he was, who spoiled her mother for so many years. Of course, she didn''t dare to say these words in front of her mother. Her mother wouldn''t let her off easily if she did. It was her wedding day and any type of trouble was definitely not invited.


    "Who says that I couldn''t have you if I weren''t married?" Sherry looked strangely at Belinda. Time had changed, and so did people''s opinions. Nowadays was never like before. Any women could have a baby even before getting married. That idea was not being frowned upon anymore like how it was in ancient times. Girls who got pregnant before marriage were being punished really hard before. It was different now and she couldn''t even imagine anyone who would blink an eye about it.


    "Oh! I see. Well, I guess you just told me the truth! Do you mean that I was born before you and dad married each other? Am I right?" A glint of yfulness showed in Belinda''s beautiful eyes as she acted like a child who found a big secret. Huh, no wonder both of her parents weren''t opposed to the idea of her getting married to Duke so quickly. It seemed that they were even more open-minded than her when they were her age.


    "Are youughing at me now, missy? Careful. See if I will get back at youter." Sherry''s face was suddenly all red due to Belinda''s teasing. She red at her daughter with no real malice.


    "I just asked you a question, that''s all! Besides, you said it yourself first. I''m just curious! I didn''t do anything wrong!" Bantering back and forth with her mother made Belinda''s nerves calm down. Her whole body wasn''t feeling as stiff as it was before either. She finally felt rxed about what was about to happenter on.


    "Well, I will let you off easy this time since it''s your big day after all. But...all jokes aside, I''m quite worried about you." A silent sigh escaped from Sherry. She hadn''t gotten the time to teach her daughter how to be a proper wife. How fast was it that she was already getting married today? She could just hope that Duke would be a nice husband and tolerate her shorings. Yes, those or their lives after marriage would definitely be a mess.


    "You don''t have to worry about me, okay? I''m not going somewhere far away, I''m just getting married. And I will still be here, near you. I bet you can even hear me when I sneeze!" Belindaughed heartily. Duke would never-ever treat her bad. Her life after marriage was the least she was worried about.


    "Well, I''m indeed worried about you, that''s for sure. But I worry more about Duke. It would be extremely tiring to marry a woman like you. You''re so stubborn and can''t even do a thing." Sherry truly liked Duke to be her son-inw not only because he was mature and calm but he also didn''t have any scandal with other women. That was the most important thing in her eyes. She really trusted Duke with her daughter and knew her daughter would be treated right.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "Mom! How could you say that about your own daughter? Am I adopted or what?" Talking about this, Belinda got very upset. Her parents had been considering and treating Duke like he was their own son since the day they met him. All they could see was their son-inw. How about her? She was their daughter! To be honest, all those acts had made her a bit jealous.


    "Oh, I''d love it if you are. It would have saved me a lot of trouble. It is unfortunate that you are not adopted." Just like every mother, Sherry keptining about her daughter non-stop. Nheless, she was extremely protective of Belinda and cared so much about her. "Well, mom, I''m sorry. I will definitelye to see you and dad often." A mild sadness got into Belinda''s heart as thoughts of leaving her parents in that big house crossed her mind. It was fortunate that she wouldn''t live so far away from them because Duke''s house was just nearby. She could surely arrange her time and visit them every week.


    "Well, if you don''te back here, your father and I can still go and see you, right? Unless you don''t want us toe." Sherry didn''t let her sadnessst long because it was Belinda''s big day. Her daughter''s wedding day should be happy. Soon and she was already back to smiling.


    "Oh God! Mom! Why are you saying these now? Please don''t be like this. I know you don''t want me to leave. You are going to make me cry!" She was never the type to get emotional easily but hearing her mom say those things made her want to shed tears in an instant. "Who says I don''t want you to leave? Don''t tter yourself. Well, I''m going to check on your father and see if he''s ready." Sherry hurriedly stood up and left as she did not want Belinda to see her tears.


    Belinda''s eyes darkened. Her mother might not confess it but she knew it well that she did not want her to leave. After all, she had been abroad for so long and had very little time to be with her parents. The marriage was so soon and now she had to leave again. It seemed that her parents only raised her for this day as she hadn''t gotten much chance to enjoy a little more time with them.


    It wasn''t a big wedding ceremony and most of the guests were their close friends and families. However, the crowd number still reached a little over a hundred, thus, the house was suddenly jam-packed and busy.


    Duke had never been this happy. It was almost magical how his heart skipped a beat upon seeing his bride in her wedding dress. Awestruck was not even enough to describe what he felt. He had never seen her this beautiful. He had already given all the red packets he had to the bridesmaids just to be near her. Worse, they had almost peeled him off his clothes, which made his face lose all its color. It was lucky that Rain drew all the bridesmaids'' attention away from him using his good looks. Thus, he finally had the chance to sessfully pick up his bride.0000??????????

 Chapter 811 The Wedding Ceremony (Part Two)

    What he didn''t expect though was that Rachel heard about their wedding from a god-knows-where. She was even aware that their wedding ceremony was being held in his house. Blinded by jealousy, she managed to pass through the guards and mix with the crowd. Something evil was reeling inside her head as she carefully hid behind people and waited for her opportunity. She wanted to breakeven for not getting Duke. She would destroy their wedding.


    Everyone in the asion was pleasantly surprised as soon as Kevin and Leena came in. He hadn''t let anyone else know that he came home. They all thought that he couldn''t make it to the wedding ceremony after all. Thus, his presence alone was already a show- stopper.


    "Uncle Kevin, look at me! Do I look handsome?" Justin quickly ran to Kevin as soon as he saw him in the house. He was quite excited today and asked the same question to everyone he met. There were at least ten people he had asked.


    "Oh, little guy, you are so handsome today! Can you tell uncle why you are dressed so nicely?" Honestly speaking, it wasn''t rocket-science for Kevin to figure out what the little boy''s part on that ceremony was. The suit for Justin today was already a giveaway. It was just that he couldn''t help himself from bending down and teasing him with it.


    "Let me tell you a little secret!" Justin giddily stood on his tiptoes, leaned to Kevin, and then whispered in his ear. "I''m the flower boy today!" The little boy even discreetly nced at Leena as he did not want her to hear about the confidential topic.


    "Pffft! No need to act all secret, okay? I know you begged to be the flower boy. Stop being all smug and cocky!" Leena snorted, unhappy with Justin''s behaviour. It was still a mystery why the two would start to fight whenever they met. They wouldn''t stop until they were both satisfied.


    "You liar! I didn''t beg at all! Aunt Leena is the worst!" What Leena said made Justin feel embarrassed and angry all of a sudden. He had indeed asked to be the flower boy, fine. But he didn''t beg like she said!


    "Yeah, right. You didn''t beg at all. You were just constantly mumbling something about being a flower boy, in case they forgot to invite you to be the flower boy." Leena smirked and kept mocking. She enjoyed watching the little guy being all worked up and angry. She couldn''t even remove the huge grin on her face.


    "Uncle Kevin, help me! Aunt Leena is being mean to me again! She''s a big liar!" Justin puckered his lips and threw himself in Kevin''s arms. They were quite close when they were in the army, so he didn''t feel embarrassed at all.


    "Okay, okay. Of course I will help you. How about I punish her to do push-ups when we get back home? Are you happy with it?" Kevin winked at Leena, silently asking her to go along with it. Justin believed that doing push-up was the most serious punishment one could get. He had always listened to his mother when they were still in the army because he was afraid to be punished with push-ups.


    "Yay! You are the best, Uncle Kevin." Justin made a silly face to Leena. Clearly, he was extremely happy that somebody was getting punished.


    "You are just being petty." Though she had received Kevin''s silent request, she still couldn''t help mocking Justin onest time. God, she hated it when he acted all smug about himself.


    "It''s none of your business, huh!" Justin curled his lips into a sneer then quickly ran away. He stuck his tongue out at Leena and made a silly face before he left. Now that made Leena extremely angry.


    "Girl, you are being very childish. He''s just a kid. Go easy on him." Kevin lightly pinched Leena''s nose, feeling helpless about the fight between her and Justin. He couldn''t understand why they always acted this way whenever they saw each other.


    "That little rascal was being all smug, so I intentionally said those words to get back at him." Leena pursed her lips as she said those words but then suddenly smiled once she saw Edward and Daisy. It was such a quick transition when she walked up to the couple with a full and sweet smile. She was just so d to see them.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Edward, Sis." Leena had always liked clinging to Edward, since they were just kids. Thus, it was natural for her to throw herself in his arms every time they met.


    "Baby girl, did you start a fight with Justin again?" Edward held her tight in his arms. His eyes were filled with affection for her little sister as he gave her a quick once-over and pinched her nose. It was only then that Leena realized how everyone seemed to be obsessing about her nose.


    "I didn''t! He started it by being all cocky. I just can''t stand him acting like that, so I said a few words to him." Leena mocked, she didn''t want to admit that she indeed started the fight.


    "Major General Gu, you are back." Daisy didn''t pay attention to Edward and Leena, who were cheerfully catching up. Instead, she greeted Kevin, who was heading towards them.


    "Yeah! I just arrived yesterday. I thought that we''d meet today, so I didn''t call you." Kevin kept his eyes on Edward as he spoke with Daisy. He wanted to greet him first but lost his chance when Edward held his wife by the hand and walked away without any ado. It seemed that Edward was still unhappy to see him.


    "How was it? How was the special training? I bet it was great, right?" Daisy clearly knew that there was a lot to learn from international trainings. She had been to one but it was a shame that her training didn''tst that long. Thus, she didn''t learn enough. On the other hand, Kevin remained on that training for a long while, therefore, it was easy to say that he had learned a lot more.


    "Not bad. The training was extremely hard but it was fortunate that it gave us vantage of how they trainpared to us. We can train better in the future." Just like Daisy, Kevin got very excited the moment he started to talk about the army. It was easy to notice that he liked the topic as his genuine interest couldn''t stop from showing on his face.000000??????????

 Chapter 812 The Wedding Ceremony (Part Three)

    "That''s for sure. Their strength isn''t a joke. That''s why I use what I learnt at JC Military Academy to train our soldiers. Why do you think they call me the devil drillmaster?" The corner of Daisy''s mouth twitched. She didn''t care how her soldiers thought of her, all she cared


    about was their strength. So if they wanted to be her soldiers and be trained by her, they had to obey whatever she said, without any doubt.


    "But you are also the best, right? Or you wouldn''t have gotten those great grades everytime we took a test." Kevin admired her for her training skill. She was the type who could change people. Even the weakest soldier could turn into a standard soldier under her


    supervision. It was evident that she really trained her troops hard.


    "Only by being harsh to oneself could one be truly sessful. After all, sess isn''t easy to achieve, right? One can''t really have it without putting in a lot effort." Daisy knew that her soldiers loved and hated her at the same time. It was just that she didn''t give a damn. She knew that they would thank her for giving them a chance to challenge themselves and be better one day. Only by this could they be tougher and develop the strength to face the difficulties with grace and courage.


    "I see, you have been encouraging yourself like this all this time. That''s why you are this sessful and admirable today." Kevin had always looked up to Daisy for her perseverance and courage. Well, probably except for the first time when they met and he judged her wrong. He couldn''t help but feel ashamed whenever he recalled his disdain for her. Though it had been years, just the mere memory of it was enough to make him turn red with shame.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    "That''s because I''m ate bloomer. So I had to be extremely harsh to myself." It would be possible for her to still live under Yakira and her daughter''s pressure if she hadn''t been so hard on herself. If so, she would not have achieved what she already achieved at that point and might not even be who she was today.


    "What are you two talking about? The bride ising." Edward came back without Leena beside him. Thus, it triggered Kevin''s natural reaction to look around for his wife.


    "Nothing, just some stuff about the army. Where is Leena?" Daisy naturally asked after noticing that Leena wasn''t with her husband.


    "She''s with Uncle Leng right now. They haven''t seen each other for quite a long time. I guess they must have a lot to catch up." Edward wouldn''t even me Kevin for having a crush on Daisy. To be honest, who wouldn''t like a woman as great as his wife? What he truly could not ept though was that Kevin married Leena after he imed that he liked Daisy. Gracious! Leena was his little sister! That was something he couldn''t forgive because Leena was his baby. For him, she was almost as important as Daisy.


    "I''ll leave you to it. I''m going to greet them." However, Kevin didn''t mind Edward''s attitude towards him at all. He knew clearly that Edward still held a grudge against him for what he had done. He could tell how much Edward cared for Leena just by the way he looked at her. It wasn''t even a surprise that the man ignored him since he knew that he wasn''t in love with his little sister. Truth be told, he deserved worse.


    "Yeah! Go ahead. I bet Uncle Leng will be so happy to see you." Daisy was sure of her words because she had just heard Lloyd mention that he had a great son-inw in front of the guests just now.


    "Okay, see youter." Kevin nodded his head to Edward and showed no sign of being bothered. Then he left them and walked away with pride that could only belong to a soldier.


    "Edward, can you at least be nice to Major General Gu? He is your little sister''s husband after all." Daisy couldn''t even understand what Edward was thinking most of the times. Why was he still ignoring Kevin was beyond her. She knew that Edward was upset about Kevin marrying Leena without their approval. However, Leena was happy now and that had happened a long time ago. He couldn''t possibly still hold a grudge against Kevin, right? So why did he act all childish and ignore Kevin just about every time they met? It was so impolite and embarrassing!


    "If he were not my little sister''s husband, I wouldn''t even waste my time on him. It is only because he is Leena''s husband that I want him to know that I won''t be easy on him. Who does he think he is? He deserves whatever I do to him for marrying our precious little sister without even informing us." Edward let out a wicked smile. Well, Kevin had married their little princess. That was already a fact that he couldn''t change. But if that army man thought that they would let him off that easy and treat him nicely? He was just awfully wrong. It might be easy to marry Leena but it wouldn''t be easy to get on well with her protective brothers.


    "You are just being childish. Don''t you care about Leena''s feelings at all? Try being in her shoes. How would you feel if the brothers you love the most keep ignoring your husband? You should put her feelings first instead of only considering yours. That''s quite selfish, don''t you think? Well, I guess I''ll say the same thing to Duke once I meet him. Stop being childish! Don''t think you can treat Kevin however you want just because Leena cares deeply about you." She knew about how much they cared for Leena and how they would spoil her without hesitation. Nheless, she was sure that those were not what Leena truly wanted. No woman would want to see her husband of choice being disrespected by her own family. That was just the way it was.


    "Leena has us, and that''s enough. He doesn''t matter." Although, Edward managed to say those words, it was still undeniable that what his wife said hit a spot inside him. There was a sudden uncertainty in his eyes as he secretly questioned himself. ''Am I wrong all the time?''


    "But can you promise to stay with her all her life? Can you immediately get to her whenever she calls because she''s in need? No, you can''t! So, if you can''t do it yourself, then why won''t you let someone else do it for you? It''s for Leena''s own good."


    Daisy rolled her eyes in dismay. She had always known that Duke was extremely protective of his little sister, but it seemed that it was the same with Edward. In her eyes, the big problem with them was that they all thought their sister wouldn''t be safe and happy with anyone else besides them. And this, was hard to change.00000

 Chapter 813 Drama At The Wedding (Part One)

    "Daisy, don''t you think you''re being irrational? We may not be with her all the time but we cane to her the moment she needs us. Can Kevin do that? I don''t think so. Don''t forget who he is. As a Major General, he has to be on call the whole time. It''s easier for us to save our time for Leena."


    Edward couldn''t agree with Daisy''s view. Fine, they might not be capable of giving Leena the romance she wanted but that was nothingpared to their capability of taking good care of her. On the contrary, it was obvious that Kevin didn''t have much time to keep herpany. He couldn''t even give her his full thoughtful attention. How could they possibly live in two separated ces shortly after their marriage and not even meet each other much?


    "Edward, are you ming me indirectly? Both of Kevin and I work in the military and have no time to take care of our families. You''ve never mentioned it to me before, so it was a bit surprising to hear that you don''t like my job. Speak up if you haveints. You must have nursed an objection for long." Daisy cocked her head to the side. She looked enlightened, as she stared at Edward appraisingly.


    "You got me wrong. We''re talking about Kevin. Why are you directing the spearhead at me?" He sighed helplessly. Yes, she was on-the-go all day but he had never even thought ofining about her work. He loved her with all his heart and soul. He would try to get used to the life she offered him as long as she had him in her heart.


    Kevin could hear Leena''s chuckle as he approached. ''So that is how she is when she''s happy,'' he mutters, ''That''s the grin I never get to see when she''s with me. Could it be that she is no longer happy after marrying me? I should have spent more time apanying her.'' "Dad, I haven''t seen you for a long time. How are you?" Kevin greeted Lloyd respectfully. Leena, who was acting like a spoiled brat inside her dad''s arms suddenly behaved and stood aside upon seeing himing. Gone was her beaming smile that caught his attention. "Yes, I''m fine. How nice of you to ask. I didn''t know that you came back. Leena, you should have told me about it." Kevin''s presence had livened Lloyd up. He had captured Lloyd''s favor despite Duke''s hostility to him.


    "Yes. I came backst night. Sorry for my carelessness. I should have called to let you know my return." Kevin''s voice was apologetic. Getting his father-inw''s approval was something he never expected. Thus, he cherished this hard-won fondness. "It''s all right. I''m d that you are back safe and sound. Go, I will take you to meet some friends of mine." Lloyd stood up as he spoke. He couldn''t wait to introduce Kevin to his friends. Those old men always bragged about their daughters marrying extraordinary men like CEOS and such. He wanted them to see whose son-inw was the best. Kevin was a young and promising Major General. Compared with other sons-inw, he was like a crane standing among chickens.


    "Dad, don''t embarrass Kevin. He isn''t much into socializing. It may be difficult for him to deal with your friends." Leena began to worry about her husband after Lloyd said that he would introduce him to his business partners. She clearly knew how possessive, deceitful and unreasonable the people of business circles were, and it was fortunate that Lloyd just invited some of them. Otherwise, it would take a lot of time to exchange conventional greetings with them one by one.


    "It''s okay. It''s a piece of cake for me. I''ll be right back." Kevin patted Leena''s shoulder reassuringly. Seriously, his wife really didn''t have to worry too much about him. He stood on principles and never yielded to pressure as a Major General and his behavior to others was nothing but impable as a man. He owed his high-rank to his passion, hard work, and persistence. He might be the faultless gentleman outside; however, he was also the evil man before those who harbored unkind thoughts.


    "Okay. Just ignore them if they deliberately make things difficult for you." Leena couldn''t help but remind for thest time. She used to be the little princess who was favored by everyone, but now she turned instantly to a charming wife who always thought of her husband''s wishes and feelings.


    "Don''t worry, Leena. I won''t put him to torture." Lloyd shook his head as he noticed how Leena seemed to just have eyes for Kevin. Goodness! She just totally ignored her father.


    Leena nervously watched the two. Soon, all the people in the business circles knew that the little princess of the Leng Group married a young and promising Major General. He easily outshone all the other sons-inw of other rich and powerful families.


    "You look stunning!" Daisy couldn''t help but giggle her appreciation as soon as she saw Belinda. Even the word beautiful couldn''t justify how the bride looked on her wedding dress. She literally couldn''t take her eyes off her close friend.


    "Really? I''m ttered. Thank you. I bet you''ll look even better than me if you wear this." Belinda didn''t attend Daisy''s wedding, so she didn''t see her in a wedding gown. What a pity.


    "Don''t tter me. Don''t forget that you are the bride today. All eyes are fixed on you. Wow, Leena is a genius! This gown is absolutely fantastic!" Daisy gave Belinda''s gown a quick once-over with appreciation in her eyes.


    "What? Wait, you confuse me. Do you know something that I don''t know?" Belinda was sitting still on her chair as she waited for the next things to happen at her wedding. What Daisy said puzzled her.


    "Well, I''ll tell youter. It''s not important now, Belinda. Congrattions. You finally get married! Hope you and Duke live a sweet and meaningful life in the future!" Daisy bent over to hug Belinda. Her eyes turned misty as she couldn''t stop but cry out of joy. "Okay, let''s have a happy life together." Belinda gently patted her friend''s back. She knew that Daisy was happy for her, so she gave her some time to calm herself down.


    "Sure thing." The army woman wiped her tears and left Belinda with a faint smile.


    The wedding march finally started. Justin was walking on the red carpet while holding Belinda''s floor-length gown when he suddenly turned to nce at his mom. His young mind wondered about a lot of things. Was his mommy as happy as Aunty Belinda at her wedding? Did his mom''s dad hold her by the hand too and walk her to another man who loved her? However, when he thought of what happened before, he was sure that his mom never had such a happy moment. Would she be disappointed at this wedding?


    Oddly, Justin did hit the spot with his guesses. Mixed emotions of grief and joy were getting through Daisy as she watched the joyful scene. To her great joy, Belinda finally married the man she loved. However, it was a grief to her that no one took her wedding seriously. She didn''t even get to experience walking on a red carpet since the bridegroom didn''t want to marry her. It was all good now though because Edward and she fell immeasurably after. The process wasn''t important as long as they ended up happy.


    The wedding was held in an orderly manner. The next step was to exchange the rings. With a hint of a smile ying on their lips, the bride and bridegroom looked at each other fondly. Set off by the splendid evening glow, the bright pearls were shining. Belinda was enchanting as the dazzling lights bathed her. What a stunning bride she was in the ingeniously designed gown! Her beauty charmed all the guests present. The designer of the gown must be a true genius.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    Duke was in ecstasy throughout the wedding. Given his serious nature, he ended up disying a faint smile the whole while. He stared at the most beautiful woman in the world with infinite tenderness. How lucky he was to have met and loved her in a vast sea of people. "You''re my sole satellite, Belinda," he said with his eyes filled with love, "I''d be lost in space without you."


    Belinda blushed under her husband''s warm gaze. Everything was like a dream to her. It was so surreal. She didn''t think that she would marry the man who loved her one day. The same man with whom she would greet the brilliance of sunrise and enjoy the peace and tranquility of the moonlight. She whispered in her heart, ''There are going to be days where you''re undone, stressed out, tired and spent. I will still love you just as much in those moments and maybe even a little more. Why? Because it will mean that you''re letting me get close and see the real you. That''s all I want.''000????????

 Chapter 814 Drama At The Wedding (Part Two)

    Rain discarded the colorful clothes he usually wore and dressed formally today. His formal ensemble made him look educated, amiable and decent. It was odd how such a happy asion like this could make him sad and wonder when he would meet his love. "Rain, don''t pull a long face. Others may think that your old me is getting married today. Well, why are there lipstick marks on your shirt?" Edward smiled wickedly. Rain just went to pick up the bride. Why was he sloppily dressed as if he just left the nightclub? "s! Forget it. You know what? The bridesmaids seldom meet handsome guys like me. Their eyes were shining with excitement at the sight of me. They tried every means to drive me mad. Fortunately, I managed to escape. It was so horrible!" Rain shivered with fear at the mention of his bitter experience. The bridesmaids were crazy. It was like they had never met a man before. No, he had to correct that. What he meant was a man who was indescribably striking like himself.


    "You excel at dealing with women, right? And you couldn''t even deal with some bridesmaids?" Edward could imagine how fierce the scene was. Rain''s shabby look was already a good giveaway.


    "Oh, so you''re capable? Why didn''t you go?" Rain snapped a reply while ring at Edward. How could this man insult him instead offorting him? He wouldn''t agree to be a groomsman if it wasn''t for Duke''s wedding.


    "I wanted to give you this opportunity to make friends with more girls. If I had been there, they wouldn''t have noticed you." Edward continued making fun of Rain. Even if he went to pick up the bride, the bridesmaids didn''t dare to do anything to him. It was known to all that he was the CEO of the FX International Group. Thus, not everyone could get close to him easily.


    "It''s just what I want. Look. What is that woman doing over there?" Rain wasn''t close with Rachel but he knew who she was as he had met her before. He didn''t know why Rachel, who was wearing a white wedding-like dress, would walk towards the red carpet slowly. It was Duke''s wedding day today. No mistake was allowed. Rachel was thest person that Duke wanted to invite.


    "Rachel? Oh, My God. How did she make her way here? She must be up to something. I have to stop her. Tell Luke to bring some guards to drive her away." Before his voice died away, Edward walked up to Rachel at a sprint. However, it was toote. Rachel had sessfully attracted other guests'' attention.Exclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Duke, why? You said that you would only love and marry me, but you abandoned me for this vain woman! How cruel you are!" Rachel approached step by step, using Duke with a very sad tone.


    "Rachel, I shouldn''t have underestimated you. You actually find us here." Duke cast a cold look at the woman. She wanted to destroy his wedding, but it was toote. Just before she reached them, Duke and Belinda had already put on each other''s ring that symbolized their loyalty to their marriage.


    Rachel''s appearance caused a sensation in the wedding scene. Everyone was gossiping. They couldn''t believe that they had just witnessed a drama that only happened on TV series. They wondered about what happened between the newly married couple and the other woman. Was that other woman saying the truth? Did Duke break up with her for Belinda''s sake?


    "As I said, you won''t lead a happy life until I stop breathing! I''ll never allow such a thing to happen." Rachel was quite satisfied with the sensation she made. She knew very well that she couldn''t stop the wedding on her own, so all she had to do was to arouse sympathy from the guests. She wanted to give them an illusion that Belinda was the other woman that swayed Duke into abandoning her.


    "If I were you, I would leave sensibly. Don''t force me. Or you''ll bring shame on yourself." Edward grabbed Rachel''s wrist from behind in an attempt to drag her away.


    "Edward, don''t hold yourself aloof. If I''m not mistaken, you have slept with many qualitydies in S City. Why do you pretend to be a gentleman now? What a shame." The purpose of Rachel was very obvious. She just wanted to stop and destroy this wedding. She thought that there would be a lot of reporters and big shots in the business circles present there. However, to her disappointment, there were just a few influential businessmen and there weren''t any reporters covering the ceremony at all. Her drama wouldn''t gain publicity in this


    case.


    "Rachel, if you think that this will make me angry, then I have to tell you that you''re making a big mistake. I believe that all the guests here know my romantic affairs before. I don''t even try to cover them. But you make trouble in Duke''s wedding. Do you think you can really seed as a divorced woman?"


    Edward captivatingly smiled. How stupid Rachel was. She actually wanted to irritate him by bringing up his past. He would never be hindered by the past. She would go a long way if she really wanted to catch him in the raw.


    "Edward, I won''t be afraid of your threat since I dare toe today. Don''t think that you can threaten me as you have money to burn. You should know that we live in a society withw." Rachel was ready to risk everything. Thus, she wasn''t afraid to offend Edward. She even had the guts to re at him.


    "Fine. You can try." Edward sneered. Who was he to turn her down if she really wanted to die, right? He would help her.


    "Edward, let her speak. I wonder what she will say to embarrass me." Duke believed that he was honest and upright in his ways so Rachel couldn''t bring any harm to him. He looked at Rachel calmly.


    Edward immediately let go of Rachel''s hand after hearing Duke. Holding such a bitch made him feel sick. She thought she was pure and noble, but in fact, she was a loose woman who got a divorce. How could she be self-conceited?


    Belinda fixed her eyes on Rachel. She didn''t understand why Rachel had the nerve to make trouble there. Didn''t she know that once the truth was revealed, it would be difficult for her to keep a foothold in this city? She should know that the guests here were powerful and influential.


    "Duke, get your wits back. Look at this woman. What she loves is not you, but your money." Rachel repeated what she had said and started using Belinda of a poor girl who leaned on a moneybag.


    "Rachel, it''s ridiculous! Do you know what you are talking about? You said Belinda coveted Duke''s money. You must have no idea of who Belinda is. Let me tell you. She is the CEO of the YS Group. Ha-ha! It''s funny!" Rain came over after calling Luke and heard such an interesting thing.


    "What? You mean Belinda is the CEO of the YS Group? No, this is impossible! Isn''t she a poor girl? How could she be the CEO of the YS Group? It''s a lie!" Rachel had heard of the YS Group. It was one of thergest groups in S City. Little did she think that the CEO of the YS Group was a woman!


    "So you don''t have an idea of it? How dare you! You came to make trouble without making an investigation and imed that Belinda forced Duke to break up with you. Don''t you know who you are? Don''t forget that your husband divorced you." Rain smiled fascinatingly. What a good show it was! However, it was a pity that Rachel was a bad actress. She couldn''t arouse others'' feelings, and it was even more impossible for her to get their sympathy.


    Rachel''s face turned ghostly pale with fright. Duke once asked her to investigate what the name Belinda Shangguan represented. She didn''t know why back then, but she was enlightened now. If that was the case, did it mean that she had found a more alluring topic?

 Chapter 815 Chaos In the Wedding Ceremony (Part One)

    "Duke Leng, how could you do this to me? You abandoned me and married her because she belongs to a rich family. You are heartless! I have been kept in the dark. I have waited so long for your proposal, expecting you to marry me one day. I am such a fool!" Rachel''s voice grew louder as everyone present at the wedding could hear her use Duke of abandoning her. They nced at the bridegroom, whispering among themselves.


    "Rachel, what are you talking about? Don''t you think you change your reasoning too quickly? You said I married Duke for his fortune, and now you are saying Duke abandoned you because of my wealth. Come on, which excuse do you want to stick with? Be clear. Or perhaps, you have a third story for back-up? Why not narrate it to us? Oh! Why don''t you tell everyone about how you left your home and went to a remotend to marry a rich man for his money? We''d feel humble at your generosity if you share that story with us." Belinda cast a sidelong gaze at Rachel, taunting her. As a woman, Belinda was ashamed of Rachel''s behavior today. She did not understand how Rachel''s mind worked. Didn''t she feel sorry at all?


    "Belinda Shangguan, what are you talking about? You are iming I married a man for his wealth? Don''t try to put false usations on me!" As Rachel listened to her long tirade, she realized Belinda was about to reveal herplicated past. She panicked, her face distorting into a sneer.


    "What I am talking about? Shouldn''t I be asking you that question, Rachel? How dare youe here and interrupt my wedding ceremony deliberately! What gives you the right to do so?" Belinda was not an easygoing woman. Normally, sheughed off a minor provocation. But today was the most important day in her life. What Rachel did had crossed the line and goaded at her tolerance. It was natural for her to be pissed off.


    "What, are you outraged that easily? Then I assume you''re going to hit the ceiling when you hear what I''m about to say next." Rachel felt dismayed as she looked at Belinda''s wedding dress. It looked to be extremely expensive. Rachel believed that the bride should have been her! She herself should have been the one wearing that dress! But now, this hateful woman Belinda had taken her ce. Rachel could hardly bear it.


    "Rachel, stop it, that''s enough. You should know how severe the consequences are of angering me." Duke recovered and was back to his cold, ruthless self. He red daggers at Rachel. His malicious gaze seemed to burn her.


    "Now that you have abandoned me, I''d rather die. I''m not afraid of death. What severe consequences would I fear now?" It looked like Rachel intended to piss off everyone today. That had not been her original n. She had wasted a lot of time in trying to disguise herself as a working staff in order to attend the wedding. When she was finally ready and walked in, the wedding had alreadye to an end. She had missed the perfect opportunity to carry out her original n. Since she hadn''t been able to stop the wedding, she wanted to at least damage Belinda''s reputation! She said those words only to try and humiliate Belinda.


    "You speak as if Duke really abandoned you, and you are as innocent as amb. I believe everyone in S city knows that the President of Leng Group is very proper and pure-minded. He always keeps himself from any scandals. I must say I am curious though, who on earth are you, you shameless girl?" Rain never had a kind word to say to people he truly disliked. Regardless of who they were and where they came from, he never hesitated from calling them out. That was just how he dealt with them.


    "You do not have the right to say a word to me. This is our business and I suggest you stay out of it as an outsider. Or is it because Belinda here has an improper rtionship with you, so you decided to give her your unprincipled protection?" Rachel stared at Rain, her eyes wide open. She looked like a deranged animal. Suddenly, a loud pnded across her face.


    "That''s the consequence of talking nonsense. You are as mad as a rabid dog who runs around biting people at random. Do you need further help in telling your story in front of everyone?" The atmosphere grew silent when Edward struck across Rachel''s cheek. She could say whatever she liked, but he could hardly stand to see her destroy another woman''s reputation. Belinda was his wife''s best friend. Daisy would be upset if Belinda got hurt. Rachel needed to stop fabricating these false stories.


    "Edward Mu, why did you strike me? My story? Oh, but you have more stories to tell than me, don''t you?" Rachel bristled as she touched her stinging cheek, glowering at Edward.


    "Why did I strike you? I''ll leave this question for you to answer yourself! Luke, throw this unwee intruder out." She wanted his exnation? She was not even eligible to talk to him.


    "Yes, Mr. Mu." Without another word, Luke walked forward and yanked at Rachel''s arm, dragging her out. He did not consider doing it gently just because Rachel was a woman. He only followed Edward''s instructions.


    "Let go of me! Edward Mu, who do you think you are? How dare you let your servant touch me." Rachel kept struggling, trying to free herself from Luke. Upon hearing her words, Luke deliberately loosened his firm grip on her arm, causing Rachel to stumble and fall to the floor. A loud whine was heard. It doubtlessly came from Rachel.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "All right, everyone. Let''s leave this crazy woman to be on her own. She divorced not a long while ago and is obviously unstable and frustrated. So she thought she coulde uninvited to this wedding and try to sabotage it! s, that''s how she imagined she would get attention. She''s clearly envious of the newly-wedded couple. We would all do better to ignore her. Without anymore unnecessary dy, let''s enjoy the meals, the drinks, and the party! Don''t lose your appetites because of her. It''s not worthwhile," Rain told the audience aptly in a few words. He was an expert at dealing with emergency situations and putting people at ease. The guessing and whispers dissipated because of his charming rification.


    "I''m sorry, Belinda. I didn''t handle that well. She made such a scene at our wedding. It''s all my fault. I apologize." Duke knew that a woman cared about her character the most. Belinda''s reputation had been more or less blemished because of Rachel ying havoc with her usations. Whether or not others believed it, his parents-inw would certainly be upset that he hadn''t taken care of his former affairs with another woman. They might be skeptical about him. Oh, damn it! That Rachel Qin was such a wicked woman! She had done them great harm.000

 Chapter 816 Chaos In the Wedding Ceremony (Part Two)

    "It''s okay. I''m not bothered by her. Actually, I should have guessed she wouldn''t give up so easily. I just never thought she''d be shameless enough to disrupt our wedding party. She definitely knows how to stir up trouble." Belinda gave Duke a soft,forting smile. If attempting to stop the wedding had been Rachel''s purpose, she would undoubtedly be disappointed. Belinda would not let that happen. Their wedding ceremony would continue till thest minute. There was nothing Rachel could do anymore. A cocktail buffet was held after the wedding ceremony at Leng House. The dishes were prepared and provided by the FX International Hotel. Both the service and food were of excellent standards for guests to enjoy.


    "Hello, Daisy. We meet again." Zemo appeared out of nowhere in front of Daisy, holding a ss of wine. In fact, he had arrived at the party quite early but hadn''t had the chance to start a conversation with Daisy as she seemed quite busy that day.


    "Oh, Zemo. It''s you! Nice to see you! How did you get here?" Daisy was quite surprised to see Zemo at the party. She wondered who had invited him.


    "Do you want to know the truth or the lie?" Taking a sip of the red wine, Zemo gave her a wry look.


    "What if I choose both?" Daisy smiled softly, waiting for his response. She realized he was trying to be mischievous.


    "The truth is that I came here because I knew you would be here too. The lie? Belinda invited me to her wedding, so I''m here to congratte her on her nuptials," Zemo said jokingly like a ruffian. Most people would find it hard to tell whether or not he was telling the truth. "Oh, I see. But since when have you and Belinda been so close to each other? I didn''t know about that." If her memory served right, Zemo and Belinda did not know each other. They had not even greeted each otherst time at the bar.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "We made a business alliance recently. That''s how I got to know her." Zemo gave her a half smile. His reason sounded to be quite untrue. However, Daisy trusted him because she knew the kind of person he was. It was just his style.


    "Oh! Sure. I almost forgot that you are from a rich family." Daisy replied, taking a jibe at him. She emphasized on the words ''rich family'', teasing him on purpose.


    "I knew you would make fun of me. But don''t you forget it, you are a wife of a businessman. We are of the same world." It was understandable that he didn''t know who Edward Mu was when he had first arrived in the city. But now, it would be foolish for him to not know him. Edward pretty much led the trade in the city. He had been running his family business from S City for a while now.


    "I am still who I used to be. But you''ve clearly adapted well." Daisy gave him a sidelong nce. They had talked to each other only twice recently. But she could still feel the casual familiarity she always felt with him whenever they were together back at the military academy.


    "Edward, things are getting worse! Another man has feelings for Daisy," Tom said, taking pleasure in Edward''s obvious annoyance. He had been drinking ss after ss of wine.


    "Yes, Edward! It seems like they are getting along quite well. Don''t you see? Daisy is smiling so delightfully." Rain was always ready to participate in any activity that irritated Edward. Besides, he himself had been made fun of by Edward just moments ago. Why would he let go of this excellent opportunity now?


    "Don''t even try to vex me by saying that. That man is her friend. We have met once before." Edward had already taken note of the meeting between Daisy and Zemo. He was not the kind of man who would stop his wife from making friends. He respected Daisy and knew she had her own life. So even though he was somewhat jealous, he pretended to be fine. He sipped at his wine from time to time.


    "No way! Edward, why do you treat us differently? You did not even allow me to shake hands with Daisy before. Look? They are almost hugging each other. And you are fine with that as if nothing is happening?!" Looking at where Daisy and Zemo were, Rain reported the scene to Edward. Rain, of course, didn''t do that because he was considerate. He just intended to make Edward jealous and possibly mad. That was his purpose.


    "You think Daisy is the kind of woman who doesn''t know how to act appropriately?" Edward cast a cold, sidelong look toward Rain. He did not show any signs of misery or interest in Rain''s ''kind'' report. Instead, he kept standing with his back to Daisy and Zemo, enjoying his drink casually. In any case, how did that saying go? ''Out of sight, out of mind?'' He did not want to be called a narrow-minded man who did not even allow his wife to be friendly with another man for a while.


    "Edward''s right! You are screwed, Rain. How dare you talk badly of Daisy. I am going to tell herter and you justpose yourself for the raging storm from her. I heard that she is quite crazy when training soldiers and has a very grueling and aggressive style. You should thank me for reminding you of that so that you can prepare yourself in advance." Tom was definitely a waffler; he was so quick to turn sides. He sided with Rain initially, but when he sensed that things could get risky, he jumped over to defend Edward. They could not recall that it was him who had started off this topic of discussion in the first ce.


    "I think both of you are screwed. One of you said she hugged another man and the other said she is crazy," Edward said, his mouth curling. Daisy was very physically strong as a soldier. He had seen and experienced it. She was used to dealing with a problem through force. She was certainly not soft in that respect!


    "Come on, Edward! How can you betray us?"


    "No, I can''t be screwed, Edward! What if there is no other doctor when you need one in the future? Don''t be so harsh on me."


    Rain and Tom whined at the same time. In reality, they knew Edward was just making fun of them. They were aware of the kind of person Daisy was. She would never take advantage of her power and identity in dealing with them. But the possibility that she might punish them even without exercising her authority could not bepletely ruled out. "You are going to be in big trouble! I heard both of you. You were talking badly about Daisy!"


    Leena appeared in a sh. Kevin had been called away again. She was bored and came to join them.000000??????????

 Chapter 817 Chaos In the Wedding Ceremony (Part Three)

    "Girl, what did you hear? You seem quite confident about what you have on your mind." Rain frowned at her adorable face, but his eyes held a tender look.


    "Well, I heard everything." Truth be told, Leena hadn''t really heard everything. She had just caught theirst few words. But she wanted to frighten them, so she indulged in a small lie. She had to, or they would get obnoxious. Leena couldn''t allow that. "Do you think your sis Daisy will trust your words? That all of us talked badly of her?" Edward smiled. To him, Leena was naive and inexperienced. That was why they all worried that she would get hurt in her marriage with Kevin.


    "Who talked badly of me?" Daisy''s cool voice sounded in everyone''s ears. She suddenly came into sight.


    "Sis, they did! And they even denied it when I said I had heard everything," Leena said gloatingly, smirking at them. These guys always treated her like she was a small, innocent kid. Now she held their secret in the palm of her hand! They would surely be rebuked by Daisy once she told her the truth.


    "No! Daisy, I swear I did not speak badly of you! If you want to find a fighting partner, Edward is the excellent candidate! I really would not be a good choice." Tom was the first one to defend himself. It would be stupid of him to admit he had said anything that might spoil her image. And he hadn''t anyway! All he said was that there was another man who had feelings for her. Those were hardly bad words.


    "Daisy, I did not say anything either. Ask Edward! You will know I am telling you the truth." Rain had always respected Daisy as a colonel. So when Daisy turned to look at him, he put Edward in the line of fire and used him as his shield. Oh, he was not a loyal friend this time!


    "Well, judging from what they are saying, you are the only one who talked badly of me!" Daisy said in warning, stepping toward her husband. He was surely going to be in great trouble!


    "What do you think?" Watching her approach him, Edward was delighted. His insides danced with joy. A ttering smile came on his face which made the others present grimace. Oh, how the proud and arrogant Edward had be a ve to his wife!Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "I think yes, definitely. By the way, where is Justin? I don''t see him with you." Leng House was so huge. It was beyond Daisy''s imagination. Today was the first time she had been here. It was muchrger than Mu House, with some impressivendscape designing. It looked quite grand and magnificent.


    "He is probably with his grandparents. Don''t you worry! He won''t get lost." Justin was a smart boy. In fact, he was smart beyond their expectations. Generally, he did not put himself in dangerous situations. They did not need to worry about him in that respect. However, what they were always concerned about was that he was likely to make fun of or tease anyone he met.


    "Yes, you are right. He is such a scheming boy. No one dares to y tricks on him!" Leena could not agree more. She rolled her eyes. Just a few minutes ago, she was listening to him talk badly of her in front of Kevin. He had not stopped speaking until Kevin was finally called away. He then rushed over to his grandmother, afraid that Leena would retaliate and scold him.


    "Did you fight with each other again?" Daisy frowned. She couldn''t understand why there was always some conflict between those two. Each time they met, they never saw eye to eye with each other. Daisy didn''t get what was wrong between them.


    "No, we didn''t," Leena denied sheepishly. She would never admit that she didn''t get along with a child. Elsewhere, Duke was also facing a difficult situation.


    "Tell me, you two. Exin to us." Sherry did not mean to use Duke. However, too many of their rtives and friends had been present at the ceremony where her daughter was publicly ridiculed and used of being the other woman. It was something she could not bear.


    "Don''t be so aggressive. Ask them kindly. They''re already uneasy," Zachary told Sherry. He was Mr. Good in everyone''s eyes. Although he himself was in great confusion regarding the chaos, he still acted calmly. He knew his daughter would never steal a man from another woman.


    "Father, Mother, I''m sorry. That woman is my ex-girlfriend. She broke up with me herself years ago and married another man. She came back not long before and demanded to be in a rtionship with me again. Of course, I refused her. However, I didn''t anticipate that she woulde to our wedding uninvitedly and try to botch the proceedings," Duke apologized sincerely. He very well knew the repercussions of Rachel''s ridiculous actions. He had sensed it while making the toast just now. Everyone had been whispering about the disruption and discussing what had happened.


    "Mom, stop it, please. It''s really not like you think it is. I am not the other woman like she said. It was a bald-faced lie! There is nothing between Duke and that woman. I don''t know what got into her that she rushed here to make a fuss. Don''t get angry and fall into her trap." Watching Duke apologize so abjectly, Belinda felt pity in her heart. He was such a proud man. But now his head was bowed in front of her parents. He was afraid of making a bad impression. Although her parents were not hostile about it, she could not help but argue and defend him.


    "I am not ming Duke. I just want to know what was going on. Otherwise, I would have no idea how to exin the incident to our friends and rtives." There is a Chinese saying that goes like, ''A married daughter is spilled water.'' It meant that a woman always stood by her husband after she married him. At the moment, listening to Belinda protect Duke from being criticized, Sherry felt that about her. Sherry merely wanted to know the truth. That was all.


    "It''s okay, Belinda. I understand how Mother and Father feel. They are concerned about you." Duke touched Belinda''s bare shoulder lightly tofort her, catching her eye in the process. As he gazed at her revealing dress, he could not help but curse his sister. Oh, God. What had Leena done? How could she design such a revealing dress for Belinda, her sister-inw? This dress exposed a lot more naked skin inparison to her wedding gown earlier.00

 Chapter 818 Mysterious Egypt (Part One)

    "I am d to see you understand us, Duke. I am not using you. I have always been d about your match with Belinda. Now that you have exined everything to me, I won''t ask any more questions. However, I want to remind you that you, as a man, should be more decisive in breaking things off with that woman. Otherwise, she will get more involved in your life and keep on stirring up trouble," said Sherry, her voice emphasizing the seriousness of the matter. As someone who had gone through a simr situation, she knew how a rtionship could suffer when a third person got involved. "I know. I will fix this as soon as possible. I promise," Duke frowned. It seemed to him the time had arrived to fire Rachel. He should haveid her off at the beginning itself, however, Belinda had asked him not to fire her.


    "Okay, go talk to the guests. I am sure you will handle this." Sherry smiled at Duke kindly, patting him on the shoulder. She was content with her son-inw and didn''t want to upset him any further.


    For the very first time, Belinda had seen her mother talk to someone in such a serious tone. She could tell Sherry was awfully scared something bad could entail out of this. Belinda approached her and gave her a hug. She whispered in her ears, "Mother, don''t worry. We will be happy together."


    Yes, they would definitely be happily married. Rachel was just trying to sow dissension between them. But she was not powerful enough to sabotage their married life. Belinda saw the incident as a test to their rtionship. Soon after Rachel had been kicked out, everyone present forgot about the intrusion and carried on with the festivities They made easy conversations with others,ughed and joked around. The wedding ceremony finally came to an end with a general feeling of cheer. Nobody was bothered that someone as inconsequential as Rachel Qin had tried to disrupt the ceremony. After all, the event marked theing together of two very fortunate souls.


    Only a few hours after the ceremony was over, the couple boarded a ne to head to the mysterious country of Egypt, where they nned to spend their honeymoon. Belinda had always longed to go there, but never had a chance to do so. So, when Duke asked her where she felt like having their honeymoon. she picked Egypt as their destination without any second-guessing.


    Egypt was a wonderful country. It was home to one of the most ancient civilizations that had existed. The well-known river Nile belonged in Egypt. Duke and his lovely wife were left stunned at the rich culture when theynded.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    They checked in to a luxury hotel that was in style of ancient Egypt. The overall color of the hotel was golden yellow - the symbolic color of Egyptian culture. Murals adorned the walls and exhibited howvish the hotel was. They stood in the hall appreciating the decorative art, surrounded with pirs decorated with bas-relief sculptures of ancient Egypt.


    Belinda was in awe of Egyptian art and looked forward to learning more about it. Everything here was novel and excited her. Her exhaustion from the long flight had been reced by an enthusiasm to know more.


    "Why do you look so excited?" Duke gazed at her with an affectionate smile. He wanted to make his darling wife so happy every day.


    "Oh! I have wanted to visit Egypt since I was a little girl. It has been my dream to see their culture with my own eyes! Cleopatra, the pyramids, the shrines and so on. There are so many fascinating stories that happened along the river Nile which gave birth to this rich civilization." Belinda was absolutely delighted toe to such a fascinating country, along with the man she loved so much.


    "Let''s get some rest first to deal with the jetg. Then we can go out and enjoy the Egyptian culture, see how mind-blowing it is." Duke caught her by the shoulder as she walked around the suite, putting his arms around her. Belinda was acting like a little hillbilly who marveled at new and fancy items. It was so unlike her usual identity of a CEO. Duke thought it was adorable.


    "I don''t think we have jetg. This ce is just 6 hours behind our country." Belinda couldn''t wait to walk around the streets. She had only imagined abouting here before, but suddenly, her dream hade true.


    "I know you are excited to look around. But let us wait until it''s daybreak. It is dark outside. Don''t you see?" Duke shook his head. It had taken them around 12 hours to get here and Egypt was 6 hours behind their country. So it was midnight now. "Oh, right. I was too thrilled to notice that." She smiled sheepishly. It was embarrassing that Duke saw how silly she could be.


    "I am going to prepare the water so you can enjoy a warn bath. Then we can go to sleep. After you get some rest, we can walk around this ce for as long as you wish." Duke shook his head in amusement and walked into the bathroom. He had booked a presidential suite. Duke hoped the bath was sanitary enough for them to use.


    Belinda frowned and stuck out her tongue at Duke''s back. She took out their belongings from the luggage and arranged them in the wardrobe. Duke had not shared the itinerary of the tour with her, but Belinda wasn''t worried as long as she was with Duke. She knew she couldpletely rely on him.


    She stood by the window that overlooked the whole city. The sky was speckled with stars. For now, the hotel was the only attraction she had been to and she was already awed by Egypt. Belinda couldn''t wait to see how beautiful it looked in the day.


    This was the first time Duke found Belinda could be so sentient. He didn''t want to interrupt her contemtion. He just stood there, watching her form as it bathed in the warm lights of the suite. It would be perfect if time could freeze in that moment and he could watch her like this forever till they grew old.


    "Is my bath ready?" Belinda turned around all of a sudden and caught his fond gaze. She blushed, remembering that tonight was their wedding night. Only a few hours had passed since the wedding ceremony. She was thrilled and couldn''t wait to experience her life with Duke. Her heart beat so fast that it felt like the ripples that quivered across the surface of Nile.


    "Yes, the bath is ready. Go enjoy it." Duke smiled at her pleasantly. He smiled more often when he was with Belinda, but he did not notice that.


    Belinda took her night gown and walked toward the bathroom. She swiftly pecked Duke''s lips as she passed him before rushing to get inside.


    Duke was stupefied at the kiss and it took him a while toe to himself. He touched his lips with his thumb lightly, smiling wolfishly. Duke nced at the closed bathroom door with wicked eyes. It seemed to him their wedding night would be extraordinary. Belinda was not modest and put on a tight, seductive lingerie after her bath. She was not like Daisy, a cool military officer, or even Leena, a lovely little girl. Belinda was both a passionate woman and amanding boss. But she also encountered situations she couldn''t control, just like right now.


    Duke was used to seeing her in sexy lingerie. They had lived together for such a long time before. But his blood still thumped when Belinda walked out to the bedroom.


    "Why are you staring at me?" Belinda asked, lying on the bed. Duke moved to sit by her side and leaned forward to see what she was reading. His eyes were fixed on her red lips.


    "I am browsing through the travel guide." Belinda turned around to look at him, but found him so close that her lips touched his. She was frozen for a minute and blushed, realizing what had happened. She wanted to get up immediately but was toote to do so, because Duke had already climbed on top of her. He looked at her startled expression and breathed out.


    "You don''t need to read the travel guide. I''ll take care of everything. But for now, should we move on to the next step of the wedding?" Duke caressed her face as he smirked. He looked wicked, but so intoxicating that she wanted to get closer to him.???????????

 Chapter 819 Mysterious Egypt (Part Two)

    "What''s the next step?" Belinda looked at him with confusion in her eyes. She was in awe of this charming man. Her heart fluttered. "You dumb blonde, it''s sex," Duke said as he smiled at her. He didn''t give her the time to let the words sink in and kissed her on the lips.


    Belinda, of course, knew what the wedding night would entail, but did not expect everything to happen so soon. She did not expect him to be so straightforward about it. Panicking, she looked back at him with wide eyes.


    Duke was not in a rush. He caressed her first and eased her into the feeling. As he knew, Belinda never wore a bra after her baths. Duke moved his hands under her lingerie and stroked her body, arousing her.


    Belinda breathed hard as she slowly closed her eyes. She responded to his zeal, kissing him back fervently. She bloomed as she matched his every movement. His obvious desire was like sessive tidal waves that ambushed her each time. They lost themselves in each other.


    Outside, the river Nile rippled in earnest. As their passions grew, the stars outside the window twinkled brightly. It was the beginning of a journey of deep, soul-binding love.


    People loved dawn because it stood for hope and indicated the beginning of the day. The night had exhausted Duke and Belinda. The couple was still asleep when the first rays of the sun peeked through the opening in the curtains.


    Belinda was the first one to open her eyes. The excitement of traveling this enchanting country was still present on her mind. However, as she gazed at the beautiful face of the man lying beside her, she found herself not wanting to move her eyes away. Her heart was so dominated by his thoughts that there was no room for anything else. That was how love worked. Everything else in the world, no matter how fancy, seemed ordinary inparison to the person one loved.


    She could not imagine surviving if Duke ever left her. Belinda decided she would always value and cherish their rtionship. She would treat every single day with him as thest day of her life.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    There were shrines all over Egypt, as famous as the pyramids. The couple took a boat and followed the coastline of the river Nile. They reached Abu Simbel Shrine and the statue of Ramesses II. It shone brightly in the golden sunshine. After that, they strolled through the crowded open-air bazaar in Cairo and bought gifts for their friends and rtives.


    In the evening, they sat together by the Aswan Dam and sipped at their fruity cocktails. Over the rims of their sunsses, they watched the rivers flow between the jagged rocks. In the red sunset, the tombs of the princes who had been long forgotten could be seen. The scene was as glorious as an eternal dream, just like their love. They did not ever want to wake up from it.


    Enchanted by thendscape, Belinda''s heart soured. She gazed at Duke with dreamy eyes, looking like an affectionate and shy young girl.


    Their vacation to Egypt was free from any disturbance. Their feelings for each other grew intense as they traveled together. They visited the pyramids, looked at ancient Egyptian paintings and walked across mysterious western deserts. There were historical monuments all over the ce. They were so in awe of the breathtaking views, that for a while they forgot where they hade from and about their lives back in their own country. As dawn broke, they walked out everyday to explore the streets and returned under the starry sky. Their days were exciting and their nights were full of passion.


    "Cleopatra is described as a seductive siren. I wonder if she is more famous for her beauty or her brains?" She said, her head resting against Duke''s shoulder. Belinda was fascinated by the legendary woman. There were so many stories about her that she was confused which one was true.


    "Doesn''t matter. Thedy saved a dynasty because of her beauty. The rulers of the Roman Empires threw themselves at her feet and were willing to sacrifice everything for her. It is easy to tell she was both smart and beautiful."


    Truthfully, Duke was not really interested in the topic. First of all, he was never into history, and secondly, Cleopatra was not his woman. He didn''t want to focus on any woman other than Belinda. There was no need for him to know who she was. In any case, there were a lot of rumors regarding Cleopatra with no conclusions.


    "What about her death? How do you think she died?" Belinda asked, her mind lingering on the legend of the mysterious ruler. Her death left behind many popr tales for future generations, but also remained a mystery to historians. Belinda had always been curious about her death.


    "How can I know? I wasn''t even born when Cleopatra lived." Duke joked, wanting this dialogue toe to a close. He was more interested in Egyptian art than some mysterious woman.


    "Ugh, Duke. Aren''t you wondering at all? It''s one of the greatest mysteries!" Belinda threw the clueless man a stern look. Couldn''t he just pretend to be interested in the discussion for a moment and share his thoughts?


    "I don''t bother thinking about a woman with whom I have nothing to do. You know how I am." Duke smiled at her smugly. He barely knew this Cleopatra woman. He didn''t want to waste time talking about someone who died many years ago.


    "What if I were that woman? Would you guess how I died then?" Belinda looked at him earnestly, curious to know his answer.


    "In that case, it would be simple. I won''t have to guess the reason at all." Duke gave her an odd look. Was Belinda so absorbed in the Egyptian culture she forgot who she was? Why would she ask such a silly question? "Why?" Belinda looked at him in confusion. She frowned, wanting to know why he thought so.


    "You are alive now. Why would I make guesses about something that hasn''t even happened?" Duke smirked at her. It was said that Cleopatra was the mistress of all the poets and hostess to all the revelers of the world. The Romans hated her because she almost turned Rome into a province of Egypt. The Egyptians praised her as a warrior for sustaining twenty-two years of peace in the small country. However, all of her achievements had nothing to do with Duke. So he was not intrigued by her at all.


    For a moment, Belinda was at loss for words. She didn''t know how to respond. What Duke said indeed made sense. There was no way they could predict the future. But he still hadn''t answered her question. Belinda had fallen for his trick to avoid the question.


    "Fine. I don''t want to argue with you over this topic." Belinda smiled at him indulgently. There was a long way ahead of them. As Duke said, there was no need for her to waste energy on a woman she had nothing to do with. Whether Cleopatra was a sexy siren who lived beside the Nile River or even a snake, she didn''t care anymore.


    Duke watched her as she smiled. She was so beautiful. For him, Belinda was his Cleopatra for whom he would give up everything. He was sure her smile could beat everything in the world, even Cleopatra. Belinda was the Goddess in his life.

 Chapter 820 Why Save Me (Part One)

    As enchanting and fascinating as they were, the legendary life of Cleopatra and the picturesque scene along the Nile River were irrelevant to those who lived in S City. Here, people lived another ordinary day as usual.


    It was the blinding white ceiling and the mind-blowing headache that weed Hero back from hisa. He was still alive. A messy brew of mixed feelings stirred in his stomach as he chewed on this reality. It was Daisy, he heard, who had saved his life. He moved his head to look around and saw that she was sitting right next to him. Confused as well as touched, he asked, "Why did you save me?" Then, he turned his head back so as to evade her gaze. Thest thing he wanted was for her to see him in his worst times.


    "Because you still got a conscience, and therefore is not beyond redemption," said Daisy with a light sigh. She had always thought that Hero was a citizen of her country. It was her belief until she received a document stating that he was actually a Singaporean. He was a mixed-blood whose criminal case should be under the jurisdiction of the two countries.


    "Haha, conscience? Since when did you take that as a criterion in judging a criminal?" After shooting a brief nce at Daisy, Hero then looked away and stared out the window, his eyes empty.


    "I know you hate me for putting you into prison and saving your life. None of these things are what you wanted. However, you should know that catching you is my job. I have to do it. As for saving you, I did it for the old times'' sake. I can''t just watch you die. That''s all." No one could have anticipated the way things had developed. However, Daisy couldn''t see anything wrong with what she had done. She did what she thought was right as an army woman. Her attention was always focused on facts, and seldom did she let herself get distracted by personal feelings.


    "Would you believe it if I say I don''t me you for neither of those things?" Hero asked as he finally mustered the guts to look directly at her. His face was solemn. Unfortunately, the intensity of his expression was diluted by his pale skin. "Why?" The army woman said as she looked back at him with confusion.


    "The same reason as you said just now. It''s true that it''s your job to catch me. But for you to save me? I suppose that takes more than just ''old time''s sake'', right?" Bitternessced Hero''s smile. He remembered the time when Jessica abducted Daisy. He let himself get involved in a secret plot just to make sure that Daisy wouldn''t fall into the hands of other bad guys. He did all those because he loved her. And just like how he couldn''t stand seeing her get into trouble, Daisy saved his life when she saw him dying. How could he even me her for doing such?


    "You were right about the first part. But please don''t get me wrong as to why I saved you. It''s nothing more than what I have said. Nevertheless, I want you to know that I''ve never looked down upon you, Hero. Not even once," said Daisy sincerely. She never believed that other people''s opinions were important as to how she saw herself. However, she thought that her opinion might matter to a man who almost took his life.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Thanks. I am d to know that you see me that way. Guess there are good reasons why I love you." Hero forced a smile as he tried to appear as nonchnt as possible. He had loved Daisy for so many reasons he could tell and many he couldn''t. None of them mattered because he knew that he would never have the chance to be with her. She had already been won over by another man long before they met. A man who was better than him in every way. He admitted that he couldn''tpete with Edward and had epted the reality that she had chosen Edward over him.


    "As I have told you before, I appreciate your love but I can''t ept it. I hope you understand and let go." Hero''s love was a burden to Daisy. As kind-hearted as she was, she found it hard to turn down people whose love she couldn''t give back. It was the reason why Hero''s confessions bothered her.


    "I am not asking you to love me back, so don''t deprive me of my right to love you. I won''t even disturb you. Just let me keep this feeling to myself as long as I live, will you?" said Hero emotionally. He looked away quickly when he realized that his eyes were wet. What he asked of Daisy couldn''t be qualified as too much. He might as well die instantly if she couldn''t even grant him that.


    "Hero, Why are you so stubborn? I am not as good as you think. You could be making a mistake. Don''t you understand?" sighed Daisy with resignation. She lifted her hands and used her fingers to press her temple, her beautiful face clouded with frustration. "Maybe you are right. But for me, loving a girl does not depend on how good she is. It all depends on who I want," Hero said as he evaded her stare. His feelings for her grew stronger every time he looked at her, which in return just made his heart ache even worse. "I am sorry. Let''s not talk about this anymore. Emm... Are you a Singaporean?" asked Daisy after a moment of hesitation. The investigation of Hero''s nationality was supposed to be the police''s job, but she wanted to hear things straight from him. "Oh, I guess you guys found out," Hero smiled with self-mockery. He was finally seen through after all those years of changing between different fake identifies.


    "Yes. And I also know that your name is not Hero. You aren Yun." Ian, a boy next door''s name, ''thought Daisy. ''Fits his appearance but not his way of doing things. Considering the kind of business he was in, the name Hero suits him more.''


    "Ironic, isn''t it? My parents wanted a normal life for me, yet I went into illegal businesses and became a criminal." Hero''s heart sank as his mind shed back to his bleak childhood. He was born in a poor family and was frequently bullied by other rich boys. Those things impacted him so hard that they eventually drove him into illegal businesses. However, he had never regretted the life he had chosen. Why? Because he met Daisy in it.


    "No, I only feel sorry for you. I know there is still a part of you that is good. That is enough for me to feel the need to save you." Daisy never doubted that no one was born evil. Few people chose to be bad. Environment and society mostly determined what kind of person one became in life.


    "Haha, you think I am a good person? You have a very weird way of seeing people." Heroughed to hide his true emotions. He was touched to hear that Daisy still saw good in him. He was a total viin to other people. ''Good'' was thest word they would connect him with. Hearing Daisy''s opinion of him made him more convinced that he indeed devoted his love to the right person.0000000000?????

 Chapter 821 Why Save Me (Part Two)

    "I see everyone as equals and consider them worthy of respect. A man is always capable of change no matter what wrong he did in the past. He could always make a difference as long as he still has his better nature in himself." The way Daisy led her life was consistent with her words. For instance, when confronted with armed opponents in missions, she would always hit in a way that would cripple her opponents but not kill. Few people gave much thought to what she was really concerned about in wars - lives. It was the reason why she got more injuries than her co-workers during all those years of work. Sometimes, she would tell herself to toughen up a little but it hadn''t worked very well so far.


    "If only there were more of you in the world..." sighed Hero. He sincerely felt sad that there was only one Daisy. He would never find anyone as kind-hearted as her again.


    Hero wasn''t the only one who saw that. Edward knew that too. That was why he cherished Daisy so much and was willing to make all those changes for her, throwing away his old lifestyle and turning into a family man. It was also because of Daisy that Edward still held a bit of respect for Leo, for if not for him, Daisy would never havee to this world. No matter how much Daisy wanted to disconnect herself with her father, their blood tie was never to be changed.


    Edward was having a meeting with Leo in a caf¨¦. "Hello, Mr. Ouyang. May I know why you asked me out this time?" asked Edward as he sat casually on his chair after greeting Leo. He knew from his secretary that Leo had been wanting to see him. He didn''t give him what he wanted easily but waited a few days before agreeing to meet him.


    "Ed... Mr. Mu. You know what I am here about. Of course, it''s about Daisy." Though Edward was his son-inw, Leo didn''t dare to call him by the name. He knew that the couple hated his guts after what he did to Daisy. Besides, he was discouraged by the obvious distant look of Edward.


    "If it''s about Daisy, why don''t you go and see her directly? Though we are a couple, I can''t make decisions for her," Edward said matter-of-factly. He knew why Leo was there and what he wanted. He just didn''t want to help him. ''For so many years, you only saw Mary as your daughter. And if you have trouble doing something, shouldn''t you be reaching out to your beloved daughter Mary? Why bothering here to see me?'' Resentful words filled Edward''s head but he didn''t say anything.


    "I tried, but she won''t see me. That''s why I am here. Could you please send a message for me? I just want to talk to her." Leo had been going through agonizing remorse since he found out that Daisy was his own daughter. He hated himself for being such a fool and having treated her so badly. If given a chance, he would have surrendered everything just to know the truth.


    "I am sorry but my hands are tied. My advice is that you go and talk to her directly if you really want her to forgive you. It''s a matter between you and her. Thus, it should only be dealt with by both of you. If I stepped in and talked in your favor, it would only irritate her and drive her away from me as well as from you." Edward knew Daisy well enough to understand that she wouldn''t want him to meddle in her rtionship with her father. Daisy found it even harder to forgive herself than to forgive her father. She never doubted the cause of her mother''s death but believed that it was a pure ident. It pained her to think that the murderer of her mother lived freely out of prison for all these years while her mother was buried underground. She even had trouble enjoying the happiness from her family with Edward. She couldn''t stop thinking that she didn''t deserve how her mother sacrificed herself for her.


    "I do want to see her and talk things out with her in person, but she keeps avoiding me. It''s been days and I haven''t been able to see her for once," The older man said with defeat. He wouldn''t havee to ask Edward for help if he had been able to get Daisy to meet him. "Honestly, I think it serves you right. Never thought you would have to taste your own medicine, right? However, making things right still depends on you. It''s for you to figure out a way to turn her mind around. Her heart was broken, so it won''t be easy." Though Leo seemed to be in great pain, Edward didn''t feel sorry for him. As the saying goes, everything happens for a reason. He knew he deserved it.


    "Are you sure that there is absolutely nothing you can do? Maybe I should ask Brian toe back and talk to her. She is close to him, isn''t she?" Leo was desperate. He had tried everything: texts, phone calls, and even waiting for hours at the gate of her house. None of them worked. Worse, she had blocked his number. She was either gone or would sneak out of the house by driving in a different car whenever he tried to visit her, leaving him no opportunity to even get near her.


    "I don''t know whether they are close or not, but I do doubt if Brian would want toe back," Edward sneered. The only reason Brian left home was that he couldn''t stand to see the conflicts and fights in his family. He loved them both but also knew that the chances were slim for the two of them to ever embrace each other again.


    "He would... I guess." After a moment of silence, Leo resumed, "There is another thing I want to ask you about. Would you mind letting me see Justin? I miss him." Leo was almost begging. He had spent a lot of time contemting his past after the dramatic changes in his family. And the more that he did so, the heavier his heart became. In front of Edward now was an aged man who had lost his spirits.


    "I will let Justin know that you want to see him, but it''spletely up to him whether he would meet you or not." Edward was a democratic parent who didn''t like imposing his own thoughts on his child. Even though Justin was still very young, Edward respected him and always encouraged him to make decisions on his own.


    "I get it and I know you wouldn''t stop him from seeing me. I just want to spend an afternoon having a little fun with him, that''s all." Wringing his hands nervously made Leo look old. It was such a great contrastpared to his confident and high-spirited former self.


    "I will inform you when I hear an answer from Justin." A lot of thoughts poured in as Edward pondered about the drastic changes of Leo. He wondered if Daisy would feel sorry and forgive her father once she saw what he was like now. Maybe she would. But just as an old saying goes, Rome was not built in a day, it would take Leo a long time before Daisy epted him again.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.

 Chapter 822 Why Save Me (Part Three)

    "Thanks in advance. You may not understand, but the older I get, the more I crave for time with family members." Leo''s voice was trembling upon saying those. He might not have a perfect family before but he used to have his wife and children around him. It was all gone now.


    "You are wee. After all, you are my father-inw, right?" The kinship between Edward and Leo was undeniable even if he didn''t want to admit it. However, Edward was cautious and chose to keep their distance. Because he was afraid that too much connection with him might hurt his rtionship with Daisy. He knew clearly that she still wasn''t over the things his father had done to her mother.


    "You really think me as your father-inw, Mr. Mu?" Leo''s heart lightened at Edward''s words. He had gone through great turbulence ever since Yakira''s secret came to light. Not only did he lose his second family but it also made him and Daisy grow even further apart. For a time, everyone was leaving. But Edward''s words were like a torch in a cold, dark night, sending him unexpected warmth and hope.


    "Yes, I do. Not because I would like to think that way but because it''s a simple fact. No matter how reluctant Daisy is to forgive you, you are still her biological father. I hope you understand that the only reason why I am sitting here and talking to you is that I love Daisy. I love her so that everything that concerns her bes my concern."


    Even Edward himself was surprised by how much he loved Daisy. Never in the past had he imagined that he would someday love someone as much. He panicked the first time he realized how crazy he was about her. It was the happiness that she brought him that calmed him down. She was his peace. That made him believe that she was indeed the only one for him. Thus, he consolidated his determination to do everything he could to keep her around for the rest of his life.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    "I am so d that she is married to you." It was only now that Leo realized how ridiculous he was to encourage Mary to sabotage Edward and Daisy''s marriage. He felt ashamed that he was not only a lousy father but also a terrible person for doing such.


    "I wish you are right. If you had read all those articles about me in the newspaper, which I guess you most certainly had, you would know how terrible a husband I was back then. Like it or not, as two of the most important men in her life, you and I have both shattered her heart in different ways. Now, do you still think that her marrying me is a good thing?"


    With a pang of guilt, Edward confessed his past mistakes. He swore to himself that he would never break her heart again and would do everything to make her happy for the rest of his life.


    "I thought that there must have been something that you saw in her since your family specifically demanded Daisy to be your bride. I even thought that you would treat her well after the wedding. I realized that I was wrong when I read about you in newspapers. I didn''t bother to care because I didn''t know that Daisy was my own daughter back then. For all these years, I wasn''t there for her. So I don''t me her for not wanting to see me. I deserve it."


    The utter disappointment in Daisy''s eyes when she left home was like a splinter in Leo''s heart. He wished that he had taken the information Edward gave him seriously so that he would have found out about the truth sooner. However, what had been done couldn''t be undone. He was the one who had messed up the rtionship between him and his daughter. Thus, it was for him to fix it.


    "There is one thing, though, that I can''t stop wondering about. Were there any moments in the past that you truly loved her? I mean, I know you never thought of her as your child, but she did bring you happiness, didn''t she? And do you know that she never really resented you even after you drove her out of your home? The only reason she couldn''t stand even looking at you today is because she thinks it''s partly your fault that her mother died. Have these ever urred to you or don''t you really know anything about your daughter?"


    As a surge of grievances overtook him, Edward had to turn away so as to hide his moistened eyes. He couldn''t imagine how much pain Daisy went through when she was thrown out of home. The thought of her surviving all those difficult years just by simply holding on to the belief that her love for him would triumph made him even more guilty. How could he have treated her so bad during those years?


    "Love her? No. The sight of her only reminded me of her mother''s cheating on me back then. I guess it was that disdainful, or even repulsive feeling that drove me further and further away from her. You would never know how shocked I was when I found out that we are truly father and daughter. We were separated by a lie for years. A lie that I foolishly fell for. The discovery of her mother''s death, which was also due to my negligence, was another big blow to me. The moment I saw her dash into my house with a gun in her hand, I knew how much she was damaged by my fault. I truly am a guilty man."


    With no intention of shaking off responsibilities, Leoid out his faults. His guilt and grievances were just as much as Edward''s. However, there was one thing he didn''t expect. He never thought that Daisy didn''t hate him for ruthlessly throwing her out, but rather for his contribution to her mother''s murder.


    "From now on, I think you should do some real thinking, and figure out a way to gain Daisy''s trust. Now if you excuse me, I have to head back." Deep down, Edward despised Leo. How could a man mess his own life as much as Leo did? He was shocked with the fact that apany''s future wasid in the hand of Leo, a man with such a poor judgment. Leo had been fooled by a woman for so many years without even noticing anything wrong. ''It''s truly a miracle that Ouyang Foreign Trade still hasn''t gone bankrupt after all those years,'' Edward thought to himself, as he stood up and prepared to leave.000000

 Chapter 823 Proud And Cold Edward (Part One)

    "I''ll definitely not give up. Anyway, I should thank you foring here." Leo had always been respecting Edward. Although Edward was his son-inw, he just couldn''t be impolite to him.


    "You''re wee. Let me give you a piece of advice. Don''t jump the gun. Otherwise, your behaviors might backfire." Edward would never speak to him that way if he weren''t Daisy''s father. He was still annoyed about what happened before. However, he had to swallow his


    anger as Daisy''s other half.


    "Alright. I''ll be careful. Thank you. Mr. Mu." The old man had sensed the impatience in Edward''s voice. He knew he had made some mistakes in the past which pissed Edward off. However, the consequences from his actions were inevitable, thus, he didn''t dare show a bit of disrespect.


    "Then, have a good day. Goodbye." One short nod and Edward walked away in a haste without looking back. He had promised to pick up Justin from school though he had no idea what troubles his son had made today.


    Everybody''s attention was drawn by a majestic Rolls Royce as soon as it pulled over outside the school gate. It seemed like the world had stopped for them when an immeasurably handsome man suddenly moved out of the car and leaned against the hood. Enchantment washed over women as the men who also saw the view instantly turned jealous. How on earth could a man have such a beautiful face and wealth!


    Edward''s wry smile made him more charming and irresistible as he stood there. He had got lots of fans that included both olddies and girls. All of them felt drawn to him. Nevertheless, Edward just ignored them and remained to stare at the school gate until he saw his son jumping giddily out of the school, towards him. That was the only time when hefortably smiled.


    "Daddy, Daddy, look!" shouted Justin while rushing to his father. He seemed rather ted.


    "Look at what?" asked Edward curiously. He bent over and lifted his son up as he wondered about what Justin wanted him to look at.


    "The girl who just walked out of the school with me. Isn''t she beautiful?" Justin whispered to his father''s ear then pointed out to a group of girls.


    "Which one?" Edward saw so many girls outside the school gate and had no idea which one Justin was referring to.


    "The girl in its hair and has two dimples. The one in a princess dress. She''s too beautiful to be ignored easily!" said Justin anxiously. He was afraid that his daddy might not see her.


    "Yes. I see her. What''s wrong with her?" Edward couldn''t help his lips from twitching soon as he spotted the young girl. Now he knew why his son desperately asked him toe to his school and pick him up.


    "Daddy, tell me, isn''t she pretty and beautiful?" Justin''s cheeks were slightly flushed as he timidly asked.


    "Yeah. She''s pretty and beautiful. So what?" Edward yed innocent and opened the car door. He put Justin in the back seat, shot the girl another nce, then got on his car.


    "Daddy, don''t be a fool. You knew what I meant," said Justin with a pout. He didn''t believe that his daddy, who was always flirting with girls, would be such a dumb ass as to misunderstand him.


    "Haha... Are you telling me that you''ve fallen in love with her?" Edward couldn''t help butugh and tease his son more upon seeing how embarrassed Justin was.


    "Are you kidding? I just think she''s pretty and funny." Justin''s voice instantly went low. If he had only known that his daddy would make thingsplicated, he would never have asked his old man toe and embarrass him. Adults just couldn''t understand the innocent and pure world of kids.


    "Yeah. I should apologize to you that I thought you wrong. You don''t like her," said Edward, with a wry smile on his face. He started the engine and left the ce. ''It turns out that my son''s timid and shy. So unlike me, '' he thought to himself.


    "No, I like her. Not that I love her though. She''s just one of my best friends. So don''t embarrass me anymore," disapproved Justin. Nevertheless, the kid''s flush and the embarrassed expression gave his true thoughts away.


    "Alright. You kids are just friends. That''s all," said Edward understandingly. He chuckled and decided to drop the topic. Maybe it was just pure friendship that was between the two kids as they attended the same school. He wasn''t supposed toplicate things. Kids'' world and affairs were pure and innocent after all. However, Justin understood that liking a girl was different from loving her. He had always been a smart kid, thus, he knew a lot.


    "You''re right. Daddy, you''re so clever," said Justin, relieved. He took a deep breath and finally set his mind at rest. He was afraid that his father might give him off to his Mommy. Hisputer getting confiscated again due to puppy love would be bad.


    "Hey, little man. You should be strong enough to be responsible and to protect her once you love a girl. You can''t love a girl unless you can ''be'' that. Do you understand?" said Edward earnestly and seriously. He wasn''t an old-fashioned father. All he hoped for was for Justin to grow as a responsible man. It was okay to love a girl but not before he was capable of taking consequences from his actions and faults.


    "Daddy, I know what you meant. Surely I''ll have a second thought before I do anything. So don''t worry." His child said sweetly and naively. Young as he was, Justin had already known what it meant to be responsible. So, he had learned discipline and vaguely known how to properly treat a girl.


    "Good, son. I''m so proud of you. By the way, your mommy wille home early. So, let''s go back home soon." Edward sighed secretly. He knew he wasn''t the proper person to teach his son about how to love. He had a record of irresponsible romances with many women. Thus, he was worried about the saying that goes ''apple doesn''t fall far from its tree''. He would be a bad example to his son in case.


    "Are you sure that Mommy wille home early? We haven''t had dinner together for a couple of days in a row." His son shed an ted smile. He was just a kid and some kids had short-term memories. He had already forgotten his discussion about love and responsibility with his daddy. Now, all he had in his mind was dinner with his parents.


    "Yeah. She called me about two hours ago and told me that she was in downtown. She''s supposed to be back home by now," said Edward as he beamed with excitement. Just like what Justin had said, Daisy had usually beening home veryte due to her military assignment. He almost leaped into the air with joy when he found out that his wife wouldn''t work overtime tonight. Thus, he was a little absent-minded earlier when he met Leo.


    "Yeah! It''s nice. Mommy''s gonna cook some delicious dishes for me," said Justin with pleasure. Then, he licked his lips as if he were already tasting those delicious food Daisy cooked.


    "You''re such a foodie," Edward said with a smile. What he felt was a concoction of joy and sadness. Daisy had been extremely busy and tired recently. He couldn''t do much for his wife except to emotionally support her. He was a businessman after all and could barely engage in military activities. It made him feel bad, since he was strong in will but weak in power.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    "You''re terribly wrong. I''m not a foodie. Grandma told me that I''m a kid and kids need nutrients to grow up. Otherwise, I''m gonna be short, and weak, and no girl will love me." Justin went back to pouting. The child thought sullenly that he shouldn''t be judged for his fondness for food. Food-obsession wasn''t his fault.


    "What? Did your grandma tell you that?" asked Edward in surprise. Those outdated ideas his mother told his son were annoying. As far as he was concerned, bnced diet was much better than eating too much.


    "Yes. What''s wrong?" asked Justin before sporting a sweet smile. This was exactly the reason why he liked his grandparents so much. They never controlled him from eating. Although grandpa might protest sometimes, grandma would glower at him. Then she would order him to stop being annoying.


    "Never mind. I hope for you to still agree with your grandma once you grow up to be fat and ugly" Edward shot a curious nce at his son. Justin might be slender for a kid right now. He would be fat one day though if he couldn''t stick to the bnced diet. Thus, Edward always paid attention to his son''s diet whenever they ate together.


    "No, that certainly would not happen. I do exercise with Uncle Luke every day," said Justin defiantly. Then he stretched his arms and showed off his muscles, implying that he was strong rather than fat.00000000000000

 Chapter 824 Proud And Cold Edward (Part Two)

    "Justin, let me ask you a question. If your grandpa on your mother''s side wants to see you, will you meet him?" Edward''s question was tentative. There was a sudden silence inside the car as neither he nor Justin said anything. "Daddy, is he the grandpa who dislikes Mom?" It was Justin who broke the pressure surrounding them. He raised his head and looked at his daddy in wonder.


    "Yes, you''re right. Is it ok if he pays you a visit when it''s convenient for both of you?" Edward wouldn''t force his son to meet Leo, therefore, he was offering his child an option instead.


    "Can I think about it?" The little boy puckered his mouth. ''Since this man once disliked Mommy, why would he want to see me? But then, he''s still Mommy''s biological father and my grandpa. What should I do?'' he thought, indecisive.


    "Of course. Take your time. Just tell me yes or no once you get an answer," answered Edward and smiled back. The car drove slowly on its way to Mu Manson. They would be back home soon.


    "Will he feel sad if I refuse?" Another innocent question came from Justin as he stared at his daddy. It was then that the car stopped at the parking lot.


    "Maybe. But if you don''t want to see him, just tell me and I''ll let him know," Edward replied in aforting voice. He had kept this topic from Daisy. He would be less worried if Justin refused. Daisy hated Leo after all. She would definitely go against him once she learned that it was him who arranged for the two to meet.


    "Forget it. Let me sleep over it. I''m gonna tell you about my decision tomorrow," his son said gloomily. Justin, who was cheerful earlier, was preupied with trouble when they got home. Thus, Daisy automatically wondered upon seeing her child the moment she greeted the two home.


    "Son, what happened at school? Did you get into a fight with other kids?" she asked curiously and seriously. She was wearing an apron and it was easy to say that she was cooking. When she heard the noise in the yard, she ran out of the kitchen and came across his son who looked sad and troubled.


    "It''s nice to see you at this hour of the day, Mommy," said Justin. He threw himself into his mommy''s arm and didn''t mind the oil stains on her apron.


    "Me too, son." Daisy''s hands were wet so she raised her hands high and let Justin embrace her waist instead.


    "Mommy, you smell good," her child murmured as he rubbed his nose against his Mommy. She smelt of smoke, that was one thing for sure. But that same smell was Mommy''s fragrance for Justin''s baby mind. "My boy, I''m cooking C Chicken Wings for you." She pushed her son a bit away and looked him in the eye. Her baby surely had a cute face. Meanwhile, Edward was clearly enchanted by Daisy''s gentle nces. "Yey! You''re the best mom ever. I know you''ll cook a big dinner for me and daddy," said Justin joyously. He smiled and immediately forgot whatever trouble he had in his mind. Nothing was more important than his mom.


    "I know you''re a chowhound. Now wash your hands. Dinner''sing soon." Although Daisy wanted to cook each and every dinner for her son and husband, she couldn''t do that due to her duties and responsibilities as a soldier. Cooking delicious meals for them whenever she could was her way to make up for her constant absence.


    "Ok, I''m gonna wash my hands." Justin obediently said. He rushed upstairs and disappeared when he turned the corner. It was then that Daisy turned her gaze from her son to her husband.


    "What''s wrong? What''re you staring at?" Daisy said those words with an intensity that made Edward nervous. He lowered his head and examined himself to check if there was something wrong with him.


    "Yeah. I see my shadow in your eyes," answered Daisy as she pretended to be serious. Edward found his wife funny. Heughed, walked over to her and rubbed his right hand against her nose gently.


    "Don''t be ridiculous. Now you go wash your hands. I still need to cook two more dishes," said Daisy. Her cheeks flushed deeply as she looked away. She couldn''t love her husband more and certainly wouldn''t live a life without him.


    "Since youe home so early, which has been rare recently, you better take a good rest and shouldn''t burden yourself with cooking." Emotions were on Edward''s face when he said those. He pulled Daisy''s stray hair behind her ears. He didn''t want to wear out his beloved wife by forcing her to cook dinner every day. They had a maid who could do it for them. However, Daisy had chosen cooking as a way of loving her family.


    "It''s fine. Cooking isn''t a big deal. Besides, Mrs. Wu has been a real help in the kitchen," said Daisy. It was a delight for her to cook some dishes for her family whenever she got a chance.


    "I don''t want to see you get tired at home by those chores. It makes my heart ache." Edward followed his son''s suit, stretched his hands and circled her waist with his arms. He looked at her in the eyes passionately.


    "Edward, are you alright? What''s wrong with you?" It could be the mother or the wife instinct that made Daisy sense that something was wrong with her son and husband. The two were suddenly too sentimental.'' Justin might be missing his mommy but why would Edward do this?'' she wondered. All in all, Edward had never fancied sweet words.


    "Quit being paranoid, Darling. I''m going upstairs to take a shower. See youter," said him bitterly. ''I should never show my concern of her. Now, she''s treating me as a weirdo, '' thought Edward darkly.


    "Please, don''t be mad." It was Daisy''s innocent voice that was heard after. She blinked. This day was really weird since she was addressed twice in this strange way by both her husband and son.


    "I''m not mad at you, Darling. Why should I be?" Edward let his wife go and rushed upstairs. He nearly knocked down Cynthia by ident when they met on the stairs. However, he neither stopped nor apologized and just disappeared.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    "What''s wrong with Edward? Why does he look angry?" asked Cynthia. She walked to Daisy and looked at her wonderingly.


    "I guess he''s just being mad at me," the beautiful soldier said apologetically. Actually, she shouldn''t be med for Edward''s inappropriate and rude behavior. She was just joking back then and didn''t intend to get him upset.


    "Leave him alone. He''s always proud and cold. Somebody should deal with his fickle temper," said Cynthia. If Cynthia was to take side whenever Edward and Daisy quarreled, she would surely choose her daughter-inw. She just couldn''t love Daisy more for her kindness and thoughtfulness.


    "No. I might have said something wrong, which angered him," replied Daisy with a timid smile. Although she grumbled about Edward''s bad temper a few moments ago, she still couldn''t help but defend him, which was strange.


    "As far as I''m concerned, you''re being overprotective and caring. It''s the reason why he puts on a show of bad temper whenever he wants to," replied Cynthia. Other mothers-inw might be afraid that their daughters-inw weren''t treating their sons well. However, Cynthia was different. She dreamed of her daughter-inw to control her son so that Edward wouldn''t do things in an unhindered way.


    "No, I''m not. He rarely loses his temper this way. I might have made a mistake today," insisted Daisy. She never med other people for her faults. Meanwhile, she wouldn''t avoid admitting her own mistakes under any circumstances. It was the same as how she tried to get along with Edward.


    "Never give in to your husband, even though you make some mistakes. He better know how it is to be frustrated," answered Cynthia. Daisy had to refrain herself fromughing. How could a mother me her son for her daughter-inw''s mistakes? she wondered. "This is awkward." Daisy looked at Cynthia disbelievingly. She wondered why Cynthia took her side rather than her son''s.00??????????????

 Chapter 825 Love Potion (Part One)

    "Don''t worry. Just take it from me." Cynthia said with a kindly smile. She treated Daisy like her own daughter, so if the couple ever had a quarrel, she would not take sides with either of them. They had to work it out themselves. In a battle between siblings, you don''t favor one over the other. That didn''t mean she couldn''t give pointers.


    "Are you sure that it''s the right thing to encourage your daughter-inw to act like this?" Suddenly, Jonathan''s voice came from behind them. They both turned and saw him standing not far away, fixing them with a stern look. Sometimes he felt that he just couldn''t take Cynthia too seriously. She was the love of his life, but he now became increasingly and helplessly certain that this woman took pleasure in stirring up trouble.


    "If you have a problem with that, you can teach your son to fight back. I''m extremely OK with that," Cynthia replied, giving him a sly smile and looking him in the eye provocatively. She had no fear of this ruthless man who turned up out of nowhere. In fact, he had learned to adopt a rtively mild manner after all this time, but only in front of his family. To everyone else, he was still the high and mighty Jonathan.


    "No offence, but unlike you two, I''ve got more important things to attend to," Jonathan said coldly. He nced at both of them before directing a meaningful look at Cynthia. Then a sneer of evil passed fleetingly across his face. How bold she was to challenge him, he thought to himself. Fine, she would have to bear the consequences soon enough. He knew just how to punish her.


    "I think he''s mad at us," Daisy whispered. Being caught red-handed when they were plotting against his son was embarrassing enough for Daisy. And now she grew absolutely ashamed of herself, taking his sarcastic words to heart. She was afraid that he might think of her as a scheming woman. Feeling quite uneasy, she decided to talk to Cynthia about the situation hastily once Jonathan was out of earshot.


    "He would not get angry that easily. But it seems that I am doomed no matter what," responded Cynthia. After Jonathan left, her arrogance melted into frustration. Because she caught sight of the slyness in his eyes, and knew clearly what would be waiting for her. "Howe? He adores you and has heaped so much love and affection on you. He wouldn''t beat you, would he?" asked Daisy with a concerned look on her face. She had lived with them under the same roof for a while, and it was obvious to her that Jonathan was very much in love with Cynthia. It was impossible for him to hurt her in any possible way.


    "Silly girl, you''re married, you know how it is. There are a lot of ways he could punish me apart from spanking. You know what I mean?" answered Cynthia, winking at Daisy. She was pretty forthright and unabashed when she was talking about sex with her daughter-inw. She wasn''t bashful at all in exining the problem to her. In contrast to Cynthia, Daisy blushed the moment she figured out what Cynthia meant. She hurriedly excused herself, and went to the kitchen to calm down. Edward would definitelyugh at her innocence if he ever found out about what happened just now, she thought to herself. That could mean the end of her dignity.


    They enjoyed a wonderful dinner despite all the little idents. But after that, Daisy was again upied with all kinds of chores. Edward spent all night almost talking to her. But every time the words were on the tip of his tongue, he paused, not knowing how to begin. He did want to be frank about his meeting Leo today, thinking that honesty was the best policy.


    "Out with it, Edward. I know you got something to tell me." Being a woman of keen perception, Daisy had figured out that Edward had been behaving strangely. She waited for him to exin himself, but decided to ask him directly after he kept hemming and hawing around almost the whole evening. She didn''t have that much patience.


    "I went to see Leo today." He bit his lip as soon as he finished, and read her expression from the corner of his eye, avoiding any eye contact with her.


    "Oh, I see." Daisy replied after a brief silence. She appeared to be indifferent, though her heart missed a beat when she heard what he said.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    "Don''t you want to know why he approached me?" Edward was totally surprised by her calmness, and asked in confusion.


    "Why?" Daisy asked him back with the same kind of casual air, as if they were talking about things that she didn''t care about.


    "I think you know the answer to that," Edward replied hesitantly. She seemed to be dodging the question by giving vague responses. He began to regret meddling in their affairs, for now he wondered if he could solve the problem, knowing that Daisy was not a bit happy about it.


    "How should I know? You met with him, not me." To be honest, she was upset at hearing Leo''s name. But whatever happened, nothing could sever their blood ties, and it was up to her whether to ept him as her father or not.


    "He wants to see Justin. Do you agree?" Edward asked with a frown, thinking that he should never have expected her to take this matter rationally. It was easy enough to tell from her reaction that Leo, her father only in name, was thest person she would like to talk about. But from Edward''s point of view, running away from the problem would not help things, and someone must try to sort it out. Whether she forgave him or not in the end, it was unwise to bury her head in the sand from the very beginning. It would onlyplicate things further.


    "You should ask Justin. If he wants to see his grandfather, I won''t stop him. It''s his right anyway. And of course, if he says no we can''t force him." It was true that Daisy could not forgive Leo for what he had done to Grace and her, but since she was a reasonable person, she would not force other members of her family to cut all ties with him, either. After all, she thought it inappropriate to make others follow her lead.


    "Are you angry with me for having my finger in the pie?" Edward had been worried, and you could see it on his face. There was a coldness in her eyes that seemed to be pushing him away. It was the same kind of chilliness she disyed when they first met.


    "Not at all. You''re overthinking it. I''m not a domineering person. Justin can make his own decision, if Leo really wants to see him. What''s more, though it pains me to ept it, I am an Ouyang, and there is nothing I can do to change that. I really want Leo gone and out of my life, but I won''t prevent you or Justin from contacting him. I''m not going to lose myself to hatred. That would drive me nuts,


    Exined Daisy, closing her eyes to calm herself when she was done. She was getting a tension headache, and felt herself getting tired. This had been troubling her day and night. To be honest, she knew that she had to let go and forgive Leo some day, but she just couldn''t do it now. All she could do was to let time do its work, hoping that they might bury the hatchet as time passed.

 Chapter 826 Love Potion (Part Two)

    grudge. It was the only way out. No matter how much they were worried about her, there was very little they could do to help.


    "You''re stressed out. I can tell. It''s got to be exhausting to be caught between your principles and your family," Edward said with a concerned look. If possible, he really wanted to shoulder her burden. But he knew in his heart that she had to convince herself to give up her "Yes, but only sometimes. I''m fine. I have you and Justin around tofort me, right?" Daisy finally allowed herself a smile. Although it was a faint one, it came as a relief for Edward. Smiling back, he walked up to her and took her into his arms with great affection. He swore to himself that whenever she felt tired, he would be the harbor of her soul, forever.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    "Absolutely. We''ll always be there for you. So just take it easy and don''t let this thing ruin your life, okay?" said Edward, kissing her gently on the head. In his eyes, she wasn''t always the strong and tenacious colonel. And in many cases, she was only a fragile woman who needed his protection.


    "You know what, Edward, I''m afraid that I have grown addicted to your tenderness, and my dependency on you is ever increasing. Strange, because for others, the more they get to know their lovers, the less passionate they would be in a rtionship. But for me, it is totally the other way around. Tell me, have you ever used any love potion on me? Or else I can''t think of other exnations for my obsession for you."


    Looking up at him, Daisy brought her face closer to his. Their faces were so close that she could taste his sexy thin lips with a slight move of her rosy ones. It was all she wanted in the world.


    "So, I have something to ask you. Did you cast a spell on me? Are you a witch? Why are you the only woman I can see? Why did all the other women be nothing to me the moment Iid eyes on you?" Before Daisy could say a word, he pressed his lips to hers. The softness he felt made him want more. But he didn''t go deeper. Instead, he paused to affectionately meet her gaze, feeling her warm breath on his face.


    "Well, maybe we both bewitched each other. That''s why neither of us can resist the other for long." Her own words gave her goose bumps before she finished the sentence. They seldom talked to each other in such a sappy and explicit way. Among those who knew them, no one could ever imagine Daisy and Edward saying those words.


    "Woman, seems that you are already infatuated with me," said Edward with his mouth curled into a wicked smile. With his lips still touching hers, he felt that he was tasting a mouthful of mellow wine when talking to her.


    "Yes, very much. And I bet you can feel it," Daisy replied softly. Rarely did she get so emotional like this. Perhaps it was because Leo''s name had reminded her of her bitter past, and made her a bit sentimental. She now desperately needed hisfort and love. "Of course I do. Can''t you see? My body has given me away," whispered Edward, who still smiled slyly. He started to caress her lips and inhale her aroma.


    "Horndog!" Giving him a gentle punch in the chest, Daisy leaned back and red at him.''I knew it!'' she thought to herself. She should never be this honest about her love for him. It would only serve as an invitation for him to show his true colors. Just like now. "Yes, I am. And you love this horndog a lot, don''t you?" flirted Edward, acting like an incorrigible imp. He winked at her, trying to seduce her. In the face of this woman, he no longer was that proud and ruthless man. No one in the city would recognize this Edward. "No. In fact, I prefer this." Without even looking at him, Daisy suddenly gave him a kick in the shin. He released her and bent down immediately. She then seized the chance and freed herself from his hug, looking at him gloatingly from a distance. "Ouch! That really hurts! How could you, colonel! Just wait and see. You will receive awyer''s letter soon enough!" Judging by how hard she kicked him, he knew there must be a big bruise on his leg without checking on it. It seemed to him that this woman would never give up her violent tendencies.


    "Come on, awyer''s letter again? Can''t you think of anything else? Be a little original!" scoffed Daisy, raising her head in contempt. She really had had enough of his innate sense of superiority. Who did he think he was? A princess who could do just as he pleased? "You want something new, huh? Fine. You asked for it, woman," said Edward. Just as he spoke, he pounced on the unsuspecting Daisy. The next thing she knew, she had again fallen into Edward''s arms.


    "Hey, what are you doing? Let go of me!" Daisy was caught by surprise. Not knowing what Edward was about to do to her, she struggled to free herself, but to no avail. He ignored her protestspletely, and carried her back to their bedroom without uttering a word. "Isn''t it obvious, honey?" he finally answered her in a teasing tone beside the bed. Throwing her onto the bed, Edward fell upon her at once, leaving her no chance to escape. This was something that came easy to him, and as always, Daisy was quickly at his mercy.


    "I don''t think so!" eximed Daisy, panting. She had been resisting him, but wasn''t trying her best. Otherwise, Edward would not have gotten what he wanted so easily. She was a tough woman, but she also knew that it was important to keep a good bnce between toughness and delicacy. After all, no man nowadays would like his wife to be so out of control.


    "Seriously? Let me show you then." Winking at her flirtatiously, he unbuttoned his nightgown bit by bit in front of her, every action deliberate and slow, arousing her even more. With a malicious smile on his face, he looked wild and even more attractive. His charm had almost taken her breath away. All she could see now was a man as perfect as a fine piece of art, but also as seductive as a lively sexy creature.


    "And what if I defy you?" Having said that, Daisy fondled his naked barrel chest gently with her slender fingers, smiling provocatively at him. Gazing at him, her desire shone in her eyes.


    "Woman, you won''t get away from me this time. There''s no escape. This is what you get for challenging me." Edward was a realdy-killer. There was no two ways about it, for he could get the icy Daisy to surrender simply by shooting her an affectionate look. She stopped struggling, and started to take heavy breaths, losing herself totally in the act of making love. She was with her man, and he was the only one who could do this.


    When the first signs of the dawn appeared on the horizon, the Marine Garrison Headquarters of the city was already full of movement. Green-d soldiers strode to and fro, and you could hear the roar of engines as vehicles were mobilized. Like always, the sound of the drillmands echoed through the yard and its surroundings, indicating that the soldiers were in the midst of their morning exercises.


    Daisy and Kevin arrived at the army base almost at the same time. Daisy always cut a pretty martial figure in her uniform. She walked into the base with such dignified bearing, as if to tell people that she was not inferior to anyone, not even to men.


    "Good morning, Major General. You''re early today." Daisy greeted Kevin with a bright smile, looking better than ever. She seemed to have an "in-love glow", so it was clearly evident that she enjoyed her marriage a lot.0000

 Chapter 827 Love Potion (Part Three)

    "Morning, Colonel. Looks like you''re quite early, too." Unlike the rxed and casual manner they would adopt in private, they had always paid great attention to each other''s titles at the army base. It was protocol. You always respected a superior officer, and the superior should at least return a salute.


    "I have to be. You see, today is automobile training," replied Daisy, biting her lip secretly. She frowned lightly as she felt achy all over. Damn it, Edward really showed no mercyst night, and she had to get back to work with weak legs. Fortunately, no special task was assigned to her today, or else she would be too tired to guarantee a good performance and could even make a fool of herself.


    "I know. This is a very urgent matter. They must be ready to take control of a car, even in dangerous circumstances and emergency. Imagine driving with two left feet," Kevin agreed with her totally on this point. After all, they had to lend a hand in some major investigations far too oftentely, which required that they were skillful enough to cope with various challenges. This was just one of them.


    "Right. In fact, we conducted drills the other day, to see if they matched up. To my disappointment, 90 percent of them failed to meet the requirements. So I think it necessary to speed up the training." She wasn''t expecting them to be as good as she was, but she had to make sure that they mastered the basic skills.


    "Well, I don''t me them. After all, we all know how strict you are with your regiment. So maybe they''re just not good enough to meet your high standards." All the soldiers would almost shudder at her name, and she was noted for her rigorous training regimens. One could expect her to be as cruel as the Devil when she trained her soldiers. S¨® Kevin knew how demanding she could be.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    "Believe me when I say that I wasn''t making it difficult for them. As I see it, what they need is a bit more courage. So the main purpose of today''s training is to provide them with an opportunity to drive more and increase their self-confidence when driving. Because I know that most of them have never been in the driver''s seat before joining the army." Daisy sighed. From her point of view, what she wanted them to achieve was nothing difficult. For example, being able to transport materials swiftly in the battlefield, drift, assault enemies on narrow roads, improve their psychological adaptability when driving in a warzone, seek cover and evacuate areas in a limited time, and master some special skills to drivemand vehicles. Many of them were just basic skills, but thest one required driving through gunfire, which was a little more difficult than the others.


    "Good luck colonel. Sounds like you''ll need it," Kevin responded, turning and casting her a nce. He found that instead of his heart racing, he was now able to maintain a peaceful mind when he was around her. Although he still cared about her and would feel delighted every time he saw her, he believed that he could give up on her gradually and move on.


    "Thanks. I''ll try my best." They chatted and finally reached the office building. Smiling at each other, they went back to their respective offices. After sitting down, Kevin put his briefcase on the desk and took some documents out, when suddenly a small gift box caught his attention. It was then that he remembered what it was for. He pondered for a while, and decided that he should get it settled before he started to work. So he took the box along and walked to themander''s office.


    "Come in, please." Kevin heard the deep voice answer right after he knocked gently on the door.


    "Good morning, Commander." He entered the room, stopped in front of themander''s desk, and saluted him solemnly before walking up and standing by him with respect.


    "Morning, Kevin. What brings you here at this hour?" asked themander. He always wore a kindly smile when talking to Kevin, for he really appreciated this young man''s talents.


    "You see, I was invited to your daughter''s birthday party the other day, and I hadn''t prepared a gift in advance. I promised that I would fix that as soon as possible, but never really got the time to do that. So I asked someone to buy a gift for me while I was out training. Could you please pass it on to her and say sorry for me? I should have given it to her long ago,


    Said Kevin, presenting the gift to themander. He had thought about giving it to Louisa in person, but feared that it might be impolite to go to the militarymunity uninvited. So maybe it was a better idea to ask themander to do him the favor.


    "This is so kind of you, Kevin. You have my thanks. You know, you really don''t have to take it so seriously. By the way, why don''t you just give it to her personally?" themander couldn''t help but ask with a frown, for he thought that he should never meddle in their affairs. "I really should make it up to her since I promised. Otherwise, I might as well be a dishonest man. So please do me that favor," smiled Kevin apologetically. He didn''t mean to put it off, and would have offered his apology at his earliest convenience had he not been out for training.


    "Alright. I understandpletely. I can''t make the decision for her and reject your gift out of hand. You can be sure that she receives it. But promise me that you won''t go out of your way for these kinds of things in the future, okay?" asked themander, shaking his head and smiling. It surprised him that Kevin should remember this matter till now, especially since the birthday party took ce so long ago.


    "You have my word. Thank you, Commander. Now if you''ll excuse me, I''ll get back to work." There was another vitally important reason he didn''t want to give it to Louisa in person. He didn''t want to be alone with her. She''d been giving off signals all night, and he finally figured out that she might have a crush on him. He''d convinced himself that he was imagining things, that she was excited to be back from her time abroad, and was merely curious about who he was and all that. So he forgot about it until now.


    "Okay, I''ll let you get back to it, then." Themander gestured for Kevin to go. He then put the box into his briefcase without even wondering what was inside, in case he forgot to take it back.

 Chapter 828 100 Steps Between Them (Part One)

    Walking out from themander''s office, Kevin sighed in relief. He finally got around fixing what he intended to. As a man, he must be responsible for what he promised. If he couldn''t do it, then he shouldn''t make such a promise. He told Louisa that he''d get her a presentter. He felt obligated since he was at her birthday party. So he bought it and handed it over to the Commander to avoid getting too close to the girl. She did have a crush on him, and that wouldn''t end well.


    He went back to his office and checked his phone. He wanted to see if Leena had called, or at least texted. But there was nothing on the screen. Leena had been in Paris for a few days now and all she did was call him to let him know shended safely. In thest few days, she hadn''t even sent a text. What was she so busy doing? She should at least have tried to contact him.


    Fingertips sliding across the screen, Kevin idly scrolled through his apps. He thought maybe he could call her. But it was 2 o''clock in the morning there. She''d be asleep for sure, tucked into bed. Well, he decided to call her in the afternoon, when it was daytime in Paris.


    Kevin could not help frowning slightly when he recalled Leena''s reluctance to leave him when he sent her off at the airport. He thought Leena was unwilling to stay away from him. But he also wondered; was she pretending to show her reluctance? Was it all an act? Or did she really want to be with him? If she was really reluctant, why hadn''t she called? How cold, he thought. Now that he hadn''t heard from her, he thought maybe he''d call, hopefully catching her at a good time. But every time when he thought about this, it would be in the middle of the night orter, thanks to the time difference. What''s more, he would always forget it when he got busy at work. Oh, God! He was so tangled up and couldn''t see any way out of it.


    At the same time, Leena, who was in Paris now, was still wide awake and not sleepy at all. Big eyes staring at the screen of her cell phone, Leena was lost in thought. Suddenly, a smile of self-mockery appeared on her face, the corners of her mouth raising up slightly. Oh, sure, she should have realized it; he never offered to call her. What was she expecting? She asked for disappointment, expecting that he might call.


    She''d waited for him every day, waiting for the time that he might asionally think of her and call. She didn''t call him deliberately, just in case he tried to call at the same time. But now it looked like she was wrong. Maybe she expected too much from him. Leena threw herself onto the soft andfortable king-sized bed. Suddenly, she felt a lump in her throat and soon tears flowed from her eyes and blurred her eyesight. The world in front of her became so distant from her. It was so unreal.


    As a matter of fact, after she came back to Paris, there was little time to miss him. She was so busy in the daytime, since she needed to attend various shows with her instructor. Meanwhile, there was the matter of her dissertation that she needed to research and write. She was actually extremely busy. What was more, she had to spare even more time to prepare for the spring fashion show of her own brand. So even if she wanted to miss him, she could not make it since there was even not one second when she was not busy. Her fashion show was already behind schedule, and she had to spend as much time as she could on it to make it perfect.


    She sniffed a bit and then sat up, walking to the balcony. Her phone was still held firmly in her hand. Looking at the sparkling stars in the night sky, Leena suddenly felt a hundred years old. She still remembered that she was hurt and went back to her home country because of love gone bad. And now she came back to thisnd, withplicated feelings for another man. Compared with her pain at that time, she was devastated. If she thought she was heartbroken before, she was wrong. Oh, that was exactly the difference. She felt heartbroken because she was in love with Kevin.


    It was about 9 o''clock in the morning there now. What was he doing? In a meeting, or in training? But no matter where he was, he seemed never to save a ce for her in his heart. Leena bit her lips slightly, staring at the handsome man on her screen. She couldn''t helpughing at herself. How could she expect such a perfect man to love such a perfect mess?


    Leena took a deep breath and calmed down. Alright!Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    If there were 100 steps between them, she did not mind walking 99 of those steps. Her only wish was that he wouldn''t turn around and walk away when she reached thest step. She would finish thest one. She was a brave woman!


    When the phone rang, Kevin was about to go to the training field of the Falcon to check thetest training situation. He was kind of in a rush so he answered the phone without checking the number.


    "Hello! This is Kevin Gu." Kevin answered while picking up his army cap on the desk. He was walking toward the door, phone to his ear.


    "Hi, Kevin! Good morning!"


    Leena said in a spirited voice, trying hard to pretend to be delighted. Despite the bright smile on her face, she felt sorrow in her heart and no one would know it. She did not want Kevin to know her bitterness.


    "Hi, you! It''s sote there now. Why are you still up? It''s bedtime." Kevin frowned slightly. He was not sure whether he was happy to hear from her or he should me her for not living a healthy life. His hand, which originally was about to pull the door open, stopped in the air. He stopped walking and stood still.


    "Hee hee! I''m about to go to bed! Am I interrupting you at work?" Leena always cared about his work. After all, he was career military and had a different job from ordinary white-cor workers. She did not want to distract him if he was super busy. There was always time to talk when he got home.


    "No. I''m free now. How are you doing there? Are you used to it yet?" Kevin walked to the sofa and sat down, worry showing on his handsome face.


    "I''m doing great here! Don''t forget it, I lived here for years. There''s no way I couldn''t be used to it." Her apartment in Paris was bought by Duke. He wanted to prepare afortable ce for Leena to stay and also hired a house-maid. But Leena let the maid go before she went back home because a maid would not be necessary. So she was the only one in the apartment now.


    "How''s your dissertation? Is it going well?"


    Kevin did not know how long she''d be staying in Paris. Without her home, he always felt that something was not right in that house. It was cold because she wasn''t there. Once he got used to it, there was no denying something was missing.0000

 Chapter 829 100 Steps Between Them (Part Two)

    "Yes! I''m preparing for it. But there are also some other things I need to take care of. So I''ll be here awhile. I can''t go back soon. I''m sorry." Hearing his sexy voice thiste at night made her so happy. She felt much morefortable and less annoyed now. "What? Are you going to be there for a long time?" Probably even Kevin himself did not realize that he asked her this in a hurried tone. Anyone listening to him would know instantly that Leena upied a special ce in his heart, and everything felt empty without her there.


    "I don''t know yet. I''m sorry! You''ll need to fix dinner yourself, I guess. I''lle back as soon as I can. I promise." Although Leena''s major was fashion design, a modern profession, traditional virtues were in her bones. She''d like to cook for her husband and take care of their home. So she felt sorry when Kevin had to handle the housework by himself. She was a lovely mix of conservative and modern, and that was what made Kevin love her more.


    "No worries there. I can manage it. I''m just worried about you." He did not know what kind of life she had in Paris in the past. But now she was his wife and it was his responsibility to keep her safe. She was still like a young girl, so he could not help worrying about when she was so far away from him. He couldn''t be there as quickly as he liked.


    "Don''t worry! I have tons of friends here and I''ll be fine." Leena could not help growing enraptured hearing his caring words. All her depression and annoyance disappeared suddenly as if he had cast a magic spell on her. She felt like that she had fallen into the sea of happiness. She could easily feel satisfied with just this. She was so humble in a rtionship that people would pity and love her.


    "Yeah. Okay. Get to bed early and don''t wear yourself out too much," Kevin said in a caring tone, ncing at his watch. It was about 3 in the morning in Paris now. It was bad for her health if she slept toote every day. She was delicate and the hard workload might wear her down. It was best if she took care of herself, given how busy she was.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Okay! I get it," she said in a teasing tone. "I''m off to bed then. I''ll call youter. Bye!" She didn''t say half of what she wanted to say. Despite this, she couldn''t be more satisfied or happier.


    "Good night!" After hanging up the phone, Kevin spent a while deep in thought. Although Leena seemed happy talking with him on the phone, he could tell she was pretending, at least in the beginning. He didn''t get his rank by not noticing little things like that. Now, she obviously grew happier as the call went on, but he still worried. Did anything happen to her?


    The call made him feel uneasy all of a sudden. What was behind her emotional shift? She wouldn''t let on she was unhappy, and even pretended to be otherwise. So Kevin was worried -- it wouldn''t help to try and dredge up her secrets. And it wouldn''t help to keep worrying about it. Maybe he could call her tomorrow, and they could talk about it. Hopefully. Right now, she needed a good night''s sleep to refresh herself and prepare for her dissertation and other business.


    Kevin was worried while Leena was full of happiness and satisfaction. She didn''t care how much she gave of herself in this rtionship, just as long as he could care about her a little. That was enough for her.


    Leena felt that she was changing gradually. She was not anything like herself when she was around Kevin. As a matter of fact, she was a proud princess who could have whatever she wanted. But love was not on the list. She could not win a man''s heart as she wished unless that man loved her the same way.


    She was an innocent girl. She wouldn''t even look twice at a man she didn''t love. But once she fell in love with someone, she would do everything to win his heart and would never give up. When she finally realized how important Kevin was to her, she decided that she would never let go of Kevin unless he abandoned her. He was her happiness.


    The sunset sprayed golden light over thend and the whole city was dressed in a golden veil of gauze. A gentle breeze blew softly. Louisa did not believe that Kevin would really buy a birthday present for her. So when she saw that delicate ne, she was so thrilled. She got extremely excited about it, thinking that Kevin must have feelings for her. Otherwise, he would not have bought such a beautiful and expensive ne for her.


    "Dad, is Kevin back already? I love this so much! But why didn''t he give it to me himself?" Louisa picked up the ne and put it on her neck to model it. She was puzzled.


    "I asked him about it. But he didn''t answer me. So I don''t know why either," themander replied. As a man, he was not familiar with women''s things, so he didn''t even try and guess at the value of the ne. But Louisa was different. She clearly understood how expensive this ne might be. So she was extremely happy with her present, especially since Kevin gave it to her.


    "Huh. Weirdo. Probably was afraid I wouldn''t want it because it''s too expensive." Louisa tipped her head a little and thought for a while. This ne was not on sale domestically. Kevin must have bought it from abroad and it must have cost a pretty penny. "Is it expensive?" Hearing what Louisa said, themander could not help looking at it longer. But he couldn''t figure out what made it so special, and why the price was so high. It just looked very delicate. That was all.


    "Oh yeah! It''s thetest style in Europe and America. I never imagined that Kevin would be so nice to me. He got me such an expensive present." Louisa considered this expensive gift as a sign of love from Kevin. This resulted in many misunderstandingster on. "But why did he spend so much money on a birthday present?" Luckily it was Kevin who bought the expensive gift. If it were anyone else, he would suspect that it was an attempt to get on his good side. He didn''t like that idea at all.


    "I don''t know. All I know is I love it. Did Kevin say anything else to you?" Louisa chuckled to herself, trying to find out more about Kevin. She wanted to know what Kevin said to her father so that she might guess more about his feelings for her.


    "No, nothing special! He just apologized that he got you the gift sote. You should thank him sometime," themander said, shaking his head. He decided not to say anything more when he saw how much his daughter liked the present. It wasn''t his ce to get too involved in her business. The problems of the younger generation needed to be attended to by the young.


    "Someday? I''m calling him now." At that point, Louisa walked quickly to her bedroom, happiness putting a smile on her face and a spring in her step. She felt closer to Kevin now. She was smart enough to have saved his number long ago, so she wasn''t worried that she''d lose contact. She had prepared and prayed, waiting for this day.


    "Hello! This is Kevin Gu. Who''s speaking, please?" Kevin was driving when Louisa called him. Holding the steering wheel with one hand, Kevin answered the phone. It was a new number that he had never seen before. He wondered who was calling him. "Kevin, it''s me, Louisa. I got your gift. It''s so beautiful. I like it a lot. Thank you so much!" Louisa answered in a soft voice with a hint of flirtation, as if she were talking to her boyfriend. She was so confident as if Kevin had already been smitten with her.


    "Oh! It''s you! I''m d you like it. It''s just a small thing. I asked my friend to buy, and wasn''t sure you''d like it or not." Kevin was honest. He spoke as he thought. A foreign military officer who had been training with him at that time helped him select the ne. That was a fact.


    "Yes, I do! I like it VERY MUCH. Let''s have a meal together soon. It''s on me. It''s the least I can do for the wonderful gift."


    Louisa took the opportunity and invited him for a meal. She was about to start her grand n closing in on him step by step.

 Chapter 830 100 Steps Between Them (Part Three)

    "Oh, you don''t have to. It''s just a birthday present. It was nothing."


    Kevin drove carefully. He''d been in the field with the Falcon toon for too long. So it was quitete when he got off work and drove back home. Leena wasn''t home and he was alone. So he didn''t rush home -- no one was waiting for him there.


    "No. I have to thank you in person. The gift you sent to me is so expensive. I have to treat you to a meal. Don''t turn it down, please. Don''t you like me? Or why are you refusing my invitation?" Louisa pursed her lips slightly. She tried hard to persuade Kevin to ept her invitation.


    "Oh, no, that''s not it at all. Miss Ye, don''t get me wrong." Kevin frowned and pulled into the parking lot of a supermarket. He got out of the car and went into the store, phone in hand.


    "You see what I''m talking about? Miss Ye! That''s not my name! That''s so distant. Just call me Louisa!" Louisa was born into a political family. So she was willful and obstinate -- it was in her bones and blood. What was more, she had been a party-girl. Therefore, she always showed her strong personality through her words. It was an excellent excuse to ask Kevin out on a date with her. Well, she considered it a date. She would never let the chance go.


    "Ok! I''ll go for it when I am not busy." Hearing Louisa insist on having a meal with him, Kevin had no other option but to ept it. In his eyes, she was so arrogant and willful, just like his sister.


    "Now that we''re going out to eat, I''ll definitely find out a time when you have time. It''s a deal, Kevin. You can''t go back on your word," Louisa said in a smart and teasing voice. But Kevin could not help shivering at her words. He liked the way Leena spoke more. Oh, Leena, yeah. Why did he think of her again? Was he missing her?Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    "Ok! Bye!" Having nothing more to say, Kevin finished the conversation and walked through the aisles of the supermarket. He went to the produce section to get some veggies. Just as what Leena had said, he had to buy food and cook for himself when she was not home. "Yeah.


    See you!" Louisa knew she could not push him too much because he might stop liking her. So she hung up like she was supposed to when he said bye, even though she wanted to stay on the line. The second she hung up, she went to her wardrobe to pick the dress for her date with Kevin. She was desperate to have a meal with him. Her fondness for the major general waspletely obvious by the way she acted.


    Kevin hung up and put his cell phone back to his pocket. His handsome appearance soon attracted everyone''s attention. After all, the olive-green military uniform on him was extremely eye-catching, plus his handsome face, he was sure to turn some heads. But he made no response as if nothing happened to him. He went to the shelf to carefully pick out the things he was going to buy.


    As a matter of fact, he could have lived in the residential room in the army base when Leena wasn''t home. But he could not let their home stay empty as if no one lived there. Leena wouldn''t like it, and she always stayed there when he was out on some mission, didn''t she?


    The sky wentpletely dark and the night had fallen when he finished shopping. His phone rang again. Kevin decided not to answer the call until he got in the car. It turned out someone from the Leng House made the call. He was quite surprised at it because he rarely received any phone from there.


    "Hello! This is Kevin Gu." Kevin would always treat calls from the Leng House with caution. He stayed silent and didn''t start the car, waiting for the response on the other end.


    "Kevin, This is Dad." A gentle and kind voice sounded from the phone. It was Lloyd, Leena''s father speaking. Kevin immediately straightened his back and became extremely serious.


    "Yes, it''s Kevin, Dad. What can I do for you?" Kevin replied in a respectful manner. His father-inw never called him. So Kevin was quite curious why he called sote.


    "Oh, here''s the thing. Are you done with work? If you are,e and have dinner with me! I''m alone too, the same as you." Lloyd wanted to call him in the morning. But he was afraid that Kevin was busy at that time. So he decided to give him a call when the night fell, considering that Kevin might have finished his job at that time.


    "Dad, it''s already sote now and you haven''t had dinner?" Taking a look at his watch, Kevin found that it was about 8 o''clock. It was not good for a senior''s health to have dinner sote.


    "Not yet! Have you?" Lloyd did not expect that. He frowned slightly, wondering whether he called toote.


    "Not yet. I''m heading home, Dad. How about this? I''ll change the way and go there. Probably I''ll be there in 20 minutes." Before he finished what he was saying, Kevin started the engine. The car left the parking spot and headed for the Leng House gradually. He would love to have dinner with his father-inw.


    "Okay, I''ll wait for you. Take care and drive slowly. Don''t be in a rush." Lloyd cackled with joy. Obviously, he was very satisfied with Kevin as his son-inw. Probably every man had a dream of bing a soldier to protect his country and his family. So when he couldn''t find a way to make his dreame true, he was extremely delighted to see other close family member live his dream. Kevin was such afort to Lloyd.


    "I see, Dad. See you soon."


    Kevin hung up. He didn''t want to keep his father-inw waiting for too long, so he stepped a little bit harder on the gas to speed up. Soon the car disappeared among the traffic stream.


    It took about 20 minutes for Kevin to reach the Leng House, just like Kevin had promised. Kevin pulled up the car and stepped out. Lloyd had been standing in the garden and waiting for him for a while.


    "Dad, why don''t you go inside? It''s cold outside." Kevin walked quickly toward Lloyd at the sight of him. It waste now and he felt somewhat guilty for having made Lloyd wait outside, no matter Lloyd volunteered it or not.


    "It''s okay. It''s good for me to get some air outside. Come and let''s go inside! It''s alreadyte. You must be starving!" Lloyd walked toward the house first. He became more satisfied with Kevin seeing his powerful posture. After all, it was the first time that Lloyd saw Kevin in a military uniform and there were passionate shes gleaming through Lloyd''s eyes. He was so happy to see Kevin that even his pace sped up.0??????????????

 Chapter 831 The Woman I Want For The Rest Of My Life (Part One)

    "Aren''t Duke and Belinda back?" Kevin asked as he walked beside Lloyd. He assumed that Duke and Belinda must have had a lot of fun on their honeymoon trip. They went to and full of mystery, which boasted historic sites and rich cultural deposits with thousands of


    years'' worth of history. It was supposed to be refreshing for the soul, how could they not be happy there?


    "Not yet. They''ll probably be back in a few days. Thepany needs them. They can''t be away too long." Lloyd brought Kevin directly to the dining room, where Giselle was busy moving the dishes to the table from the kitchen. When she saw Kevin, she greeted him and said, "Good morning! Mr. Gu." Then she went back to work.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    "Yeah, such bigpanies can''t run smoothly without them." Kevin didn''t know much about doing business. But he knew that for such a bigpany like the Leng Group, it must have many business ns waiting to be approved every day. The work was just asplicated as the training they organized at the army base.


    "You''re right. Let''s drop the subject and eat. Want some wine?" Lloyd made Kevin sit down and proposed when he saw the wine cab.


    "No, thanks. I have to drive." Kevin immediately refused. Lee was not with him, so he couldn''t drink. Otherwise no one would drive his car back if he got drunk.


    "Fair enough. I get it. Safety first." He gestured at the food. "These are all Leena''s favorite dishes. I don''t know what you like, so I asked Giselle to prepare them. I hope you don''t mind," Lloyd said while wearing a smile. His manner was very different from Duke''s cold demeanor.


    "It''s okay, I''m not picky. Everything smells really good." Army life didn''t allow a man to be finicky. Even though he was a Major General, when he went to the canteen to eat, he ate the same food as the other soldiers did. There was no special treatment. Though there were chances to enjoy the privilege of high rank, he would never allow himself to do so. Much like Daisy, he didn''t like to be privileged. The military wasn''t some country club. It was in the business of preparing for war.


    "When Leena was fat before, she was also not very particr about food. She ate almost everything which came her way. Butter, in order to lose weight, she started eating only vegetables for a while. Over time, she became very careful about the food she ate. She rarely ate high-calorie food." Lloyd sighed. Strictly speaking, Leena wasn''t really fat. She was only plump. But she firmly thought that she wasughed at by others because of this. So she spent a lot of time on losing weight. Fortunately, her weight didn''t rebound. On the contrary, she became thinner and thinner. It made Lloyd worry about her. He wondered how she took care of herself since she left the house.


    "Was Leena really fat before?" Kevin looked at Lloyd, surprised. He couldn''t imagine Leena being plump. Her figure was so perfect now.


    "Not very fat actually. You know, girls, they all like to look pretty. So she went on a diet for some time, and exercised a lot. That was how she lost weight. She was very tenacious and stuck with it." Lloyd shook his head. Although Leena was capricious sometimes,pared to the daughters of other rich families, she was excellent, and finished what she started.


    "In fact, I think health is the most important thing. It doesn''t matter if you''re fat or not." In his eyes, most of the young girls now were too thin. They had ignored health itself in order to pursue a skinny look. So he didn''t agree with the idea of girls going on a diet only for the sake of losing weight.


    "Ah! Leena always seems very happy and cheerful in public, but in fact, she is quite sentimental in her heart. You''ll get this after you''ve been with her a long time." He got busy with work before and often ignored Duke and Leena. There was even time when Leena was scared to be around him and they were estranged. And it took him a lot of effort to make here back to him, so they could be intimate once more.


    "Okay, I will keep this in mind and pay more heed to her." Kevin frowned. Like everyone else, he found Leena always being lovely and sweet around other people. But she seemed easily offended around him, just prickly like a hedgehog. She''d try her best to fight back if he said something she thought was hurtful, even if he didn''t mean it that way. The way she fought back was not to cause a scene, but to give him the cold shoulder, as if she didn''t care about him at all and he waspletely invisible to her. This was the thing that always made him feel helpless. "Haha! I believe you''ll get along with her after you know how to handle her temper. She''s a very simple girl when ites to love. You only have to be good to her and pay a little more attention to her, and she will love you back with all her heart." Lloyd heaved a sigh. He didn''t know whether it was a good thing for her to remain simple and innocent in the world of love.


    "Of course I will be good to her, and with all my love, nothing else. Because she is my wife, the woman I want for the rest of my life." Listening to Lloyd, Kevin pursed his lips. Why did it sound that Lloyd was giving him tips on how to deal with his own daughter? "You''re an honest man. It seems that I was right to choose you as my son-inw. Leena lost her mother when she was very young, I owe her in that regard. Now I''m trusting you with my daughter. I hope you can give her a happy life she wants. Take care of her, Kevin." At the mention of his wife who died early in their marriage, Lloyd felt heartbroken. He missed her very much. For all these years, he had remained single for the sake of the love for his deceased wife. More importantly, he didn''t want to find a stepmother to torture his children. You could see his emotion written in the lines on his face.


    "Dad, rest assured. I promise I will give her a happy life." He said this to Lloyd, but also to himself. He was confident that he wouldn''t hurt Leena. But this confidence proved to be very vulnerable. Because in the near future, he would make Leena fall into the endless abyss of agony. No one could have seen thating.


    After dinner, Kevin yed a game of chess with Lloyd before he left. On his way back, he thought a lot about his marriage. He hadn''t mentioned his marriage to Leena to his family yet. He assumed that his father already knew, because he submitted the report about his marriage. But he didn''t know whether his father mentioned anything to his mother. Maybe the report never reached his father. But no matter what, they would be happy to see such a lovely and clever woman. It seemed that he had to bring Leena to visit his parents when she finished her thesis.


    Time flies. When Duke and Belinda bid good bye to the colorful city and came back home, it meant that their honeymoon trip drew to an close perfectly. On the first day back, he went to the office, and was surprised to find that Rachel was still with thepany. It suddenly came to him that he got too immersed in the happiness of their honeymoon; he had totally forgotten about Rachel.


    "Good morning, Duke!" Rachel shed a sweet smile, as if she had done nothing during his wedding ceremony.


    "Rachel, why are you still here?" Duke furrowed his brow. Even if he didn''t have time to ask her to quit her job and leave thepany, any woman who had self-esteem would not be so shameless to continue to stay here. What would she do next?


    "I am working here. What did you think I''d be doing? I''m the group leader of the sales department." Rachel wore a graceful smile the whole time they talked. She certainly knew what Duke wanted to tell her. But if she really left Leng Group, it wouldn''t be easy for her to find a satisfactory job. She made trouble on his wedding day. And though only few powerful entrepreneurs showed up, her reputation was tarnished. The news spread like wildfire, and everyone knew. No one would hire her after what she pulled. That much was certain. "Rachel, are you an idiot? You still think you can work here after what you pulled? After you caused that shitstorm on my wedding day? I really should fire you right here. Give me one good reason to keep you on." Duke ground his teeth. His good mood disappeared the moment he saw this woman.


    "Why can''t I stay with thepany? What the hell makes you think you can treat me like that? Or did you forget that we signed an employment contract?" Rachel smiled cunningly. This was why she behaved so arrogantly. She had the contract with thepany about her employment. "Huh, it''s only an employment contract. Thepany has the right to cancel it." Duke stared at her coldly and then walked quickly into the elevator. If she wanted to threaten him with the contract, she was too naive.0000

 Chapter 832 The Woman I Want For The Rest Of My Life (Part Two)

    "What? You''re going to fire me? You can''t! I''ll go to the Labor Bureau and sue you!" Rachel ran to keep up with Duke, but the elevator doors closed in her face. No matter how annoyed she was, she could only vent her anger by stomping her feet. "Janice, ask Rachel in the sales department to leave. End her contract and pay her an extra two years'' sry as a severance package. I think that''s more than generous." Janice followed him as he issued these orders. As soon as Duke entered the office, he set Janice to work on this.


    "Mr. Leng, what if she won''t leave?" Janice pursed her lips. Mr. Leng was so generous to give Rachel two years'' sries aspensation. If it were Janice, she would fire her directly using some random excuse. But Rachel was not easy to deal with. Would she take the severance package and leave as they expected? And she needed to know how Duke wanted it to be handled if she said no.


    "If she won''t leave? Have the security guards throw her out. I don''t care how you do it. Just get her out. I don''t want to see her in the morning meeting." Duke sneered. ''Rachel, you really think you''re bulletproof? I kept you here before because Belinda agreed. But now, it''s time for you to leave, '' Duke thought.


    "Okay, Mr. Leng, I''ll get on it right away." Janice took a deep breath and walked out of the office. She had an ugly job to do.


    Rachel would never have thought that before her morning coffee had time to cool, she''d have a notice of dismissal waiting for her. The troublemaker realized that Duke was not joking just now.


    "Janice, could I know the reason?" Rachel asked. Obviously she knew the answer herself. But she was reluctant to ept the fact, especially the fact that she was fired in front of everyone. Wasn''t this an insult? Based on what she bragged about her rtionship with Duke during the gathering before, she actually shot herself in the foot.


    "Sorry, I don''t have that information. I am just following the orders of the CEO." Janice smiled, pretending to look innocent. If she hadn''t been at Duke''s wedding, she would be cheated by Rachel''s pitiful look now. She might even consider not firing her. But Janice had witnessed the whole process of the wedding. It would have been perfect if not for this woman. It was impossible for her to show any trace of sympathy to Rachel now.


    "What if I don''t want to leave thepany?" Rachel gently bit her lips, looking aggressively at Janice. She believed that Janice didn''t dare to do anything to her. "The security guards will throw you out." Janice said in a forceful manner. She sneered, looking every inch as capable and experienced as a top manager. "You bitch, how dare you! You''re only an assistant. Do you think you are the wife of the CEO?" Rachel flew into a rage at Janice''s words and began hurling insults. "Thises from the CEO himself. And I know who I am and where my ce is. I never covet the position of the wife of CEO. And why did you say the word ''bitch'' just now? Are you referring to yourself?" Janice detested women who spoke with rude words the most. When she heard the word ''bitch,'' she looked around and could find no one more fitting than Rachel, who was so determined to pester a man who no longer showed any interest in her. Janice wondered where she got the courage to be so brazen.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "No, that''s impossible. Duke would never be so cruel to me. Admit it, you came up with this." Ignoring everyone''s suspicious nces boring into her, Rachel suddenly grabbed Janice''s clothing and pulled her.


    "Crazy woman, hands off! Haven''t you gotten it yet? That our CEO despises you now? He won''t even spare you a second nce." Janice shook Rachel''s hands off and smoothed the part of her clothes wrinkled in the troublemaker''s grasp. Her eyes were full of contempt. "Why should I believe you? No, I''ll ask Duke myself. Out of my way!" Pushing past Janice, Rachel ran towards Duke''s office, but was stopped by the security guards at the door. Janice had expected that Rachel wouldn''t listen, so she put the guards on standby before she arrived at Rachel''s desk.


    "What are you doing? Let me go!" There was no trace of gracefulness in Rachel''s manner now. Shepletely looked like a crazy woman. She constantly beat and kicked hard at the security guards who were grasping her.


    "I suggest you stop disgracing yourself. You two, make sure she packs her things and leaves. Don''t let her go to the CEO''s office to make trouble for him. Otherwise you get the same treatment." Janice nced at Rachel with contempt. She sneered before she turned around to leave. She didn''t n to waste her precious time on a crazy woman.


    "Janice, wait! Do you think you can get rid of me with that paltry sum? I''ll go to the Labor Bureau to sue you for breaking the contract...." Rachel continuously shouted at Janice''s back. But Janice ignored her and left the department as if she hadn''t heard anything. "Miss Qin, you''d better pack your things and leave. Otherwise we really will throw you out." The security guards looked at Rachel disdainfully. The woman who would make the CEO so angry and want to directly throw her out was certainly not a good person. Although the CEO was very cold, they had never seen him be so ruthless to anyone. Rachel was the first one to be treated like this.


    "Who do you think you are? I will go, it''s no big deal. Wipe those smug looks off your faces. He screwed me over today, and someday he''ll do the same to you. Don''t getfy. You''ll all cry when that dayes." Rachel raised her eyebrows and walked haughtily out of the office. The security guards quickly followed her. They needed to watch her until she left thepany. They had heard what Janice told them and they didn''t want to lose their jobs because of this woman.


    Rachel angrily threw her handbag into her car. She stood there, heaving a heavy sigh. Then her eyes fell on the Duke''s car Spyker C8. She walked towards the car, her high heels clinking loud on the ground. She kicked the car hard. Thinking for a while, she came back to her car and took out a lipstick from her handbag. She scribbled on the windows of his car with her lipstick, shing a vicious smile. Since he was so determined to drive her away, she would not let him live a happy life.


    ''YS Group? Belinda, just wait! You''ll know what it feels like to be insulted the way Duke did to me today. No, I will make you more miserable than I am now, '' Rachel thought. She threw the lipstick away in anger, watching it bounce and roll across the parking lot. She got into the car and drove away quickly at the sight of the security guards who followed closely behind her. She was not that stupid -- she wouldn''t wait there to get arrested. She knew there were cameras in the parking lot. So she was not dumb enough to think that no one would notice what she had done.


    "Huh, this crazy woman!" The security guard cursed while looking at the colorful scribbles on the windows of the CEO''s car. They had thought their task was finished when Rachel left the office building. They didn''t think that she would vent her anger on the CEO''s car. So they had to wipe the scribbles off the ss before the CEO found out. Otherwise they would really be done because of this crazy woman.


    Rachelughed all the way as she drove away from the Leng Group. In the end, theughter became teardrops and cries of rage. She crazily pressed the elerator and sted the horn as loudly as possible. Was she too confident about herself? No one would stay at the same ce forever, and Duke was no exception.


    What should she do now? She couldn''t go home. Otherwise her savings would be taken away by her gambling father. She didn''t have any n now and could only y it by ear. She hoped her family was unaware that she came back from abroad because she was divorced.


    There was no use crying over spilled milk. If there was some medicine in the world which would give her a fresh start, she would buy it, no matter how much it cost. As long as she could go back to the time when she first met Duke. If this was possible, she would never abandon him. But pathetically, there was no such drug. She had to figure out what she''d do next, carefully n her next steps, and figure out how to bring down Belinda. Everything in the world that she cared about had been taken from her. Now she would have her revenge.????????????

 Chapter 833 Leenas Foul Temper (Part One)

    As the capital of France, Paris housed the headquarters of many internationalpanies and drew in countless fashion elites from all over the world. Other than that, it was well known for its prosperity and fantastic scenery. Walking on the streets, Leena paid no attention to the dazzling lights that decorated the Eiffel tower, nor to the astonishing artistic works in the Louvre. Her schedule in France was tight. She could only dream about Kevin when she went to sleep every night.


    Due to the time difference between the two countries, she rarely got time to get in touch with Kevin. More importantly, the nature of Kevin''s job prevented her from doing so. For instance, she had spare time right now, but it was already 1 o''clock in the morning in S city. Kevin must have already fallen asleep by now, she thought. Leena leisurely strolled along the Seine River. When the lingering light of the setting sun fell on the waves, she was enchanted by the colors it brought to life. If it were possible, she would sail across the Seine River and enjoy a good time.


    In France, women usually had blonde hair and blue eyes. Leena stood out in the country. She was blessed with long ck hair, fair skin and a slender figure. A yful smile always lingered around the corners of her mouth. Being a full-fledged oriental beauty, she constantly drew the attention of passersby.


    She was lucky to have made great progress in a short time as a designer in France. She was the darling of the aristocrats in the fashion circle and had quickly grown to be one of the elite designers here, which Leena herself had not expected. Preupied with the beautiful scenery of the Seine River, she did not notice her phone vibrating in her bag. She thought about how she wanted to go shopping, so that when she returned home and met Kevin, she could surprise him with some lovely presents. Sitting on a couch in avish apartment in S City, Kevin looked solemn and wondered where Leena was. Did she forget to carry her cell phone with her when she went out? Why wasn''t she answering his calls? Did something happen to her? Kevin was agitated by the dangerous thought that popped into his head all of a sudden. He stood up and anxiously strolled across his office. Looking outside the window at the twinkling stars in the sky, he longed to hear Leena''s sweet voice over the phone, but he couldn''t. It was killing him. Leena walked into a restaurant located on the bank of Seine. She took a seat near the window that overlooked the stunning scenery outside and imagined herself boarding a boat to cruise across the river. At that moment, she suddenly realized that her mobile phone was ringing and vibrating. Pulling it out of her bag, she found it was Kevin calling her. Her heartbeat elerated. Feeling ecstatic, she recalled how he had never called her before. Not to forget, it was quite early in S city.


    "Hello, Kevin," Leena said in a soft voice. Her voice was asforting and charming as her beauty.


    "Leena, where are you? Why weren''t you answering your damn phone?" a harsh voice could be heard over the phone. Kevin could not refrain himself from shouting at Leena. He didn''t intend to scold her, but he had been so worried.


    "Oh! Did you call before too? I didn''t know that. I''m really sorry. I didn''t hear my phone ringing," she replied apologetically. Leena had answered the phone in haste, so she could not check the calls she had missed. She guessed that Kelvin had phoned her several times, otherwise he wouldn''t be roaring in such fury.


    "I have been calling you since thest one hour, but you didn''t answer any of my calls. Do you know how anxious I was?" Kevin fumed. Truthfully, he was relieved to hear Leena''s lovely voice on the phone. He just found it difficult to calm down when he recalled the awful scenarios he had been building up in his head with regard to his wife''s whereabouts.


    "You didn''t tell me you would call tonight. Should I be watching my phone like a hawk, waiting for your call 24/7? And for what? For you to feel concerned on a whim? No, I must be terribly wrong. You have never given a damn about my safety. You are more likely to scold me," she said, feeling wronged. Leena sniffled. She avoided the curious nces in her direction and gazed outside at the Seine River.


    "Leena, I..." Kevin stammered. "I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to use such strong words. I didn''t want to scold you," he added. He frowned in guilt, thinking about how he should treat Leena better. He had only yelled at her out of concern.


    "Never mind. I make mistakes too. I''m quite busy. I''m gonna hang up right now and call youter if I have time," Leena said briefly. She ended the call before Kevin could respond, afraid that he might hear her crying.


    "Leena, listen..." Kevin continued hurriedly. However, Leena had already hung up. He dropped his phone in remorse. He had wanted to talk to Leena peacefully for a while, but as usual, messed up the opportunity to do so. ''Leena''s nice and kind to everybody, except to me, her legitimate husband, ''Kevin thought sullenly.


    After the quarrel with Kevin, Leena lost her appetite and was in no mood to order a meal. She stood up and walked out of the restaurant. Observing the passersby, she felt lonely and despondent. Even the stunning scenery failed to brighten up her mood.


    Kevin closed his eyes, lost in thought. He wondered why he was always beside himself when he tried to deal with Leena. Was it simply because she was his wife? Or was there another reason?


    He was troubled by the question all night. The next morning when he arrived at the army base, the dark circles were obvious around his eyes.


    "Major General Gu, what''s wrong with your eyes?" Daisy asked as soon as the meeting ended.


    "Well. It''s nothing serious. I just had a difficult sleepst night," Kevin answered sheepishly. To disguise his embarrassment, he awkwardly tried to re-arrange his documents on the table. "Is something wrong?" Daisy asked in concern. Daisy had established a rtively close friendship with Kevin. Upon hearing that he had a poor sleepst night, she felt concerned for him.


    "Don''t worry about it. I''m fine. By the way, how are you handling Hero''s case?" asked Kevin, trying to change the subject of their conversation. Kevin didn''t want to talk about his personal life at the army base. Although he didn''t mean to hide his quarrel with Leena from Daisy, he had no clue how to exin it, even to a friend.


    "There''s no rush. He was discharged from the hospital and transferred to the prison yesterday. It will take a while before he''s put on trial." Daisy sighed, as was usual whenever Hero came across her mind. He had chosen his destiny himself. She could do nothing for him. "Well, I know that. After all, he is not a citizen in our country. It makes his case much moreplicated." Kevin stood up, holding the documents. He actually admired Hero to a certain extent.


    "You are right. I''m going back to my office to finish the report about the drug dealers we captured a couple of days ago. The training kept me busy over the past few days. These soldiers deserve a day off," Daisy replied. Daisy stood up as well, walking out of the meeting


    room.


    "Let''s go! I also have some work to do."


    Kevin frowned, mulling over what the chiefmander had told him at the meeting. It was said that many new recruits were unustomed to the new environment at the base. He felt obliged to visit them in order to find a feasible solution.


    "Major General Gu, the CEO of Leng Group called up a moment ago. You should call him back," his assistant, Lee, chimed in as soon as he saw Kevine back to the office.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    "All right. Did he say anything to you?" Kevin asked curiously. Kevin picked up his phone and browsed through the contacts in his directory. His brother-inw rarely called him. ''Has something happened?'' he wondered. ''


    "No. He hung up after I told him that you were in a meeting," Lee answered. Lee knew very well the rtionship between Kevin and Leng Group. He wasn''t surprised when Duke called.


    "Well! May I have the room?" Kevin prompted. Lee walked out in haste and closed the office door. Kevin phoned Duke, specting that it was likely that Leena had told her brother about their quarrelst night. If so, it was very uncharacteristic of her to do that.


    Duke was as busy as ever. He had too many documents to handle and meetings to attend. As he had juste back from his vacation, the tasks had been backlogged and he had to work overtime to finish them. When his phone rang, he answered it before checking the caller ID.


    "Hello. This is Duke. Who is that?" he asked. With his sight still fixed on the documents on his desk, he held the cell phone in one hand and a pen in the other.


    "Duke, this is Kevin. My assistant said that you called me," Kevin said, unperturbed. There was a frosty look on his handsome face.000000000000

 Chapter 834 Leenas Foul Temper (Part Two)

    "Oh, yes. FX International hasunched some new vis for sale. Since Leena isn''t home, it would be better if you choose a vi for her." As far as Duke was concerned, Kevin and Leena''s apartment was too small - although it was still expensive. Leena was a fanciful girlPlease check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    who enjoyed her whimsical and luxurious activities. It would be better for her to live in a spacious house.


    "Did Leena ask you to do this?" Kevin asked in frustration. His brow furrowed. If Leena needed a new and bigger house, he would spend all his savings on her without hesitation.


    "Of course not. Edward wants to buy a house for Leena as a wedding gift. Don''t refuse and piss him off. He loves Leena too," Duke answered. Duke sensed the displeasure in Kevin''s voice. However, if Edward wanted to give someone a gift, nobody could dare to refuse him. Besides, Edward loved Leena like a sister just as much as Duke loved her. When Duke confided to Edward that he thought Leena needed a better house, Edward said that he had already chosen one for her as a wedding gift. Since Edward had no idea about Leena''s taste in housing property, he needed Kevin''s help in this.


    "Okay. I get that," Kevin responded. He knew he could not refuse Edward''s gift. The house was meant for Leena, not for Kevin himself. Just like the brand new car in his parking lot, it represented the love and blessings from Leena''s brother.


    "I''m d that you aren''t refusing Edward. His secretary, Anna, will contact you. You cane and choose a house for Leena. Don''t be toote; the pre-sales of these houses should not be postponed for your sake. They would not be sold until you have chosen an appropriate one for your wife," Duke replied dly. He still hadn''t fully epted Kevin as his brother-inw. However, after the small chat with Belindast time, his attitude toward Kevin changed greatly.


    "All right. I''lle over this afternoon," Kevin said. His schedule was tight tomorrow, so he decided to see the houses this afternoon.


    "Great. Talk to youter. Good day," Duke said. Duke hung up the phone. He originally intended to ask Anna to send the photos to Leena online, but she didn''t answer his phone. So he had to contact her husband instead. After all, the house would belong to Kevin as much as it would to Leena.


    Kevin frowned. It suddenly urred to him that people could consider him to be a man who married for money. Although he had known about Leena''s identity before they got married, he had never considered that Leena was doted upon by these powerful and wealthy men. He felt exasperated.


    The vis built by FX International Group wererge in space and extremely expensive. Kevin didn''t know they were semi-furnished until he made his visit. The to-be owners of the vis only needed to secure some furniture ording to their taste. FX International Group seemed to have invested a great deal in these vis. The designing of each and every house was remarkable.


    "Major General Gu, which vi do you like most? Tell me and it will be yours," Anna told him. Since Kevin was Leena''s husband, Anna was supposed to personally show him around. She hadn''t shown any displeasure at this for the past three hours. Truthfully, she liked his good looks and humble personality.


    "I''m sorry. Can I send some photos of these vis to Leena and ask for her opinion before I give you an answer? I have no clue about her taste in houses," Kevin said apologetically. He had thought all houses would almost be the same. Apparently, he had been wrong. The various styles of designs confused him. He needed to consult his wife on this.


    "Sure! You took photos for Mrs. Gu. How considerate of you. I thought all of you soldiers were rough and careless. It turns out you''re quite thoughtful," Anna said pleasantly. Apart from Daisy, Anna barely knew any soldiers personally. She assumed that all soldiers were bold and uninhibited.


    "I''m d to say you are wrong. We soldiers can be gentle and careful when we want to be. We are rougher in training and overbat missions, but in other circumstances, we are the same as most civilians." The corners of Kevin''s mouth twitched. Anna''s remarks actually reminded him of what he should do next. Themon people should get to know soldiers better. The army and the people should establish a more harmonious and trusting rtionship with each other.


    "I''m sorry I barely know anything about the army, even though you are risking your lives to protect our safety and our welfare. My knowledge of your life is very little and mostly superficial," Anna apologized, embarrassed about her ignorance. As a secretary to the president of an internationalpany, she barely had the time or opportunity to know anything about soldiers.


    "It''s quite fine. Civilians should be more essible to our life. It''s actually because of our own fault and negligence that you don''t know much about us," Kevin said. The army was quite mysterious to civilians due to its secrecy, unique nature and invibility. As a result, most people were curious about soldiers, their life, their training and other aspects. The guards at the gates of an army base carried guns that prevented themon people from loitering about. Only a handful of civilians were allowed to visit the bases.


    "Oh. You officers are actually quite nice. It never urred to me before." Anna grinned. To Anna, soldiers and military officers were supposed to be serious and solemn. However, aftering into contact with Daisy and Kevin, she found that she was terribly wrong. She had definitely gained more knowledge about the army.


    "As a matter of fact, most of us get along well with civilians. However, we have to be tough and intimidating when ites to our enemies." They walked together toward the parking lot. Kevin was outgoing as well as handsome. Anna seemed to be impressed by him. "Major General, thank you for enlightening me today. I have gained a better understanding of soldiers." Anna smiled and shook hands with Kevin.


    "You are wee. I should be the one thanking you for showing me around." Kevin looked at Anna gratefully. Anna had notined even once, even though she spent several hours walking around with him in her high-heeled shoes. She must be a remarkable woman to be Edward''s assistant.


    "Don''t mention it. It''s my pleasure to be of service to you. Let''s call it a day for now. See you next time!" Anna had always liked Leena. She was so sweet and never patronized people of lower rank or status.


    "Goodbye!" Kevin watched Anna get into her car and pull away. Before driving away himself, he looked around at the grand vis standing in front of him, looking so elegant under the afternoon sunlight. ''FX International Group must have employed many talented designers to build these astonishing houses,'' he thought.


    Kevin checked his wrist watch. It was 6 o''clock right now, which meant it must be 11 o''clock in the morning in France. Leena should be up by now. Kevin wondered whether or not his wife would like to talk to him if he called her. He made a terrible mistake quarreling with herst night. Nevertheless, he decided to make his call.


    He entered Leena''s number on his phone, longing to hear her sweet voice again. However, the call gave her a good scare. Leena had turned off her phone immediately afterst night''s fight. A moment ago, she had turned it on again and it rang immediately. She checked to see that it was her husband calling.


    "Hello," Leena responded to the call coldly. She was still angry at Kevin''s bad temper fromst night.


    "Girl, are you still mad at me?" Kevin asked humbly. He shook his hand, ming himself for starting a fight with his wife before thinking twice about it.


    "No, I''m not." Leena frowned, wondering why Kevin had been calling her so much in the past two days.


    "Don''t lie to me. I know you better than you think. I can sense the anger in your voice. Leena, I''m really sorry for what happenedst night. I thought about it a lot. I know I''m bad at loving and getting along with you. But I have decided to work on it harder. Please trust me on this." This was the first time that Kevin had acknowledged his mistakes. He had already figured out why he got so emotional and aggressive when it came to his wife. He had be overly protective ever since he first met Leena. Maybe it was proving to be too much for the both of them.000000000???

 Chapter 835 We Are A Couple (Part One)

    "Okay, fine. I admit that I was a bit angry, but I wasn''t that mad, you know? In fact, it was partly my fault too. I know I was being very childish, and I realize my mistake now. So please, tolerate with me. I promise I will be better and more mature than this." Leena bit her lip. She was the kind of girl who would be tough if others were tough on her, but once they responded nicely to her, she too would be gentle toward them. She wondered if it had been her fault as well. She was brave enough to admit to her mistakes.


    "I understand why you were angry. That was reasonable. After all, I was the one who was too harsh on you. You mentioned yesterday that I didn''t care about you enough. I admit that I have neglected you a lot, so I apologize to you again. I promise I will pay more attention in the future." He had pondered on what Leena said on the phone yesterday for a very long time and felt guilty as hell. All this time, she was being so thoughtful, and he had been taking her for granted. He never stood in her shoes and considered her own feelings. He wasn''t keeping the promises he had made when the two of them got married. After a long time of thinking, he finally realized that what she said was true. He rarely called her, or showed that he cared for her.


    "No! I didn''t mean that! You took my words too seriously. I was just angry and hurt. I didn''t mean to me you." Leena was quick to exin. She really didn''t want to me him. She just couldn''t help butin a little when she had the opportunity to do so. It seemed like she had made a big mistake. What did he think of her now? Did he think she was a childish woman who was being unreasonable?Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    "People can''t help themselves when they are angry. But at the same time, they usually tell the truth. I do understand your feelings. I''m a grown man, and I wasn''t a responsible and proper husband. That''s totally my fault. I hurt you. It''s something I can''t forgive myself for." Kevin closed his eyes slowly, leaning against the back of his chair. He was indeed wrong, and he would not deny that. He wouldn''t even make excuses for himself. It was hard enough for two people who barely knew each other to be in a marriage. If they didn''t put in the efforts it required, it would turn out to be aplete disaster. Both of them wanted a happy married life. They should be more considerate toward each other from now on. Only this way could they make their marriage work.


    "Well... Kevin, it''s really not that serious......." Leena was getting more and more anxious as they talked. But the two of them were so far away from each other that she couldn''t exin to his face that she really hadn''t meant to say that.


    "It''s alright. I am not saying this to make you feel bad. I just want you to know that I really considered it, that''s all. No need to worry too much over it, okay? In fact, it''s not even what I called you for. Could you give me your e-mail address? I want to send you some pictures when I get home. Would you take a look at them? Tell me which house you like."


    Kevin started the car as he said these words. He intentionally changed the subject in case she pondered over it too much. It was enough for him that she knew his thoughts. He did not want her to constantly agonize over them.


    "House? What house? Are you buying a house?" Leena put down the pen in her hand upon hearing Kevin''s words. The house they were currently living in was good enough. Why did he want to buy a new house?


    "No, not me. Edward said he wanted to buy you a house as a wedding gift. And because I have no idea about the kind of style you like, I took photos of each house. You can just pick the one that you like." Kevin pulled his car out of the vi neighborhood. Because he was on the phone, he drove very carefully.


    "Oh! I see. I will send you my e-mail addresster. But, I was wondering, don''t you have to work today? Howe you have spare time to see the houses?" Leena wouldn''t say no to a gift from Edward, because she knew that if she said no, Edward would be hurt. He would think she didn''t consider him her brother. Every time one of her brothers wanted to give her a gift, she dly epted it without hesitation.


    "I went to the army base this morning. So I had half a day free to go and see the houses." Kevin''s brows furrowed all of a sudden. A thinyer of sweat appeared on his forehead, making him turn the steering wheel to stop the car by the curb. Damn it, something felt wrong with his stomach. Why? Was it because he didn''t have time to eat lunch today?


    "It didn''t interrupt your work, did it? Truthfully, Edward could have simply sent the pictures of the houses directly to me and that would have been enough. But instead, he asked you to go and see them yourself. That was not necessary at all. He was definitely trying to make fun of you by making you do extra work." Leena pursed her lips. She really did not understand why her brothers still couldn''t let it go. Yes, they got married without informing them. She couldn''t deny that. But it happened a long ago! Why couldn''t they just ept the fact and make everyone''s lives a lot easier?


    "That''s alright. I could use some fresh air anyway." Kevin lowered his voice as he stretched out his hand to get to the medicine he kept in his car. The more urgently he reached toward it, the more he couldn''t get to it. Instead, he toppled more things over.


    "Kevin, what''s wrong? Why do you sound so weird all of a sudden?" Leena could hear the odd strain in Kevin''s voice. His breath was bing more rapid. It sounded like he was trying to hide something from her.


    "Oh. I''m fine, don''t worry. Okay, I need to go now, I''m driving. Bye," Kevin said briefly and quickly hung up the phone, throwing it aside. He hurriedly took out the bottle of medicine and put two pills in his mouth, then drank some water from the bottle beside him. He leaned heavily against the back of his chair and closed his eyes, resting.


    Leena looked at the phone in her hand in confusion. She had a feeling there was definitely something wrong with Kevin, because why else would his voice change so suddenly? However, he said that he was driving, so she didn''t want to call him back and ask. She guessed they would talk about itter. For now, she needed to send her e-mail address to him.


    Kevin felt better after taking the pills. It seemed that the irregr meals had upset his stomach again. He must pay more attention and take good care of himself. It could cause serious trouble if it grew into a bigger problem when he was out on a mission. Suddenly, his phone chimed. Somebody had sent him a message. He picked up the phone to see that it was Leena. Her message included her e-mail address and a few words of concern. The sudden change in his voice must have worried her.


    Smiling secretly to himself, he started the car again and continued driving toward his house. There was still enough food in the fridge, so he didn''t need to go grocery shopping. He could still feel a trace of the pain in his stomach. Perhaps it would get better once he reached home and took a nap. He hadn''t slept muchst night at all. Much to his surprise, his nap extended for a few hours. When he woke up, it was already ten o''clock in the evening. He didn''t bother to cook a proper meal for himself and prepared himself some noodles.000000

 Chapter 836 We Are A Couple (Part Two)

    He suddenly remembered that he hadn''t sent the pictures to Leena. He quickly ran over to his study to turn on theputer. Connecting his phone to theputer, he sent all the photos he had taken today to Leena, writing to her that he was fine so she didn''t have to


    worry anymore. He walked back downstairs to finish his dinner.


    Leena had stayed home all day today. Once she received the e-mail that Kevin sent her, she opened it immediately and looked through every photo. She was extremely careful, since she knew it must have taken Kevin a long time to capture these photographs. She had to treat them with respect. At first, she had thought about letting Kevin make the decision, but then she worried that maybe it would make Kevin unhappy. It was a house gifted to her by her brother. Edward and Kevin didn''t get along very well. She was afraid that Kevin would think that Edward had chosen a house as their wedding gift because he didn''t think Kevin was able to give her what she wanted by himself.


    It took Leena more than half an hour to finally decide on a house she liked the most. She sent the pictures of the house directly to Edward, so that Kevin didn''t have to spend more time on this. She also needed to give Kevin a phone call and tell him that she had already made the decision, in case he thought that she didn''t receive his e-mail.


    Because he wasn''t at the army base this afternoon, Kevin had taken all the documents he needed to read at home. When his phone rang, he was sitting at theputer and typing. He picked up the phone, which was lying on the table in front of him. He was startled to see Leena''s name on the screen. It was quite a surprise. He did not expect that she would see his e-mail and call him back so quickly.


    "Leena, have you made your choice?" Kevin stopped what he was doing to answer the call. He himself didn''t realize that he was smiling affectionately as he asked her the question.


    "Yeah, I have. And I have already sent the photos to Edward directly. So you don''t have to waste more time on this." Listening to her melodious voice, Kevin''s heart melted. He really liked her voice.


    "That''s excellent. I was worried that I couldn''t make enough time because I need to go and see thepanies tomorrow." Upon hearing her words, Kevin let out a sigh of relief. He didn''t ask her which house she had chosen, because it didn''t matter. As long as she liked her choice, it was enough for him.


    "I am sorry! I know you are already so busy, and you still spent much time doing this kind of things for me." Leena knew that he was quite busy, so she usually did not bother him while he was at work. As a result, she had learnt everything by herself when she was alone at home - such as how to pay the bills for gas, water and electricity. Now she was a pro at this kind of things.


    "Leena, you don''t need to say sorry to me, okay? Don''t forget that we are a couple now. It''s our responsibility to worry and do things for each other." Kevin couldn''t help but frown. He didn''t like the way she talked to him. She made it sound like they were not a couple, but a pair of strangers instead. They were already married, why did she still want to make him feel so distant?


    "Okay, thank you. Now go to sleep. It''s alreadyte. You said that you have to go and see thepanies tomorrow, right? So get some rest." Leena was deeply worried about Kevin and his way of living. He had to go see many ces every day and had so many things to do. How could he take proper care of himself all alone? Each time she thought about it, her heart broke a little for him.


    "That''s alright. In fact, I just woke up. I was so tired when I got home, so I took a nap first. That''s why I sent you the e-mail sote." Kevin felt that he didn''tmunicate enough with her. It was why he knew practically nothing about her.


    "Why were you so tired? Are you ill?" She thought about how he sounded strange on the phone earlier. Leena felt anxious for him again. It seemed like she constantly fretted over her husband.


    "Do you think I look like somebody who gets ill that easily? Don''t worry about me, I''m not sick. I have a strong body, remember? I was simply tired, that''s all. In fact, I should be the one who''s worried. You are so thin, and you are living all alone in another country. You are the one who needs to take good care of yourself, okay?" Not taking her attractive figure into consideration, Kevin thought that Leena was too thin.


    "I''m not as weak as you think! And I had been living in France for quite a few years before. I''m used to the climate here." Leena rolled her eyes at his words. She was not as fragile as he thought. She used to be quite plump when she was younger.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Yeah, okay. You are not weak, happy? So, are you cooking these days or only eating instant noodles?" As Kevin said the words, Leena looked at the cup of instant noodles that was ced beside her. She had nned to eat it after the call ended.


    "Umm...well... How did you know about that?" Leena gazed at the hot cup of instant noodles, then looked around herself. For a second, she thought he had installed a camera in her room. She quickly shook off the idea. That was not possible. After all, she was not in his apartment. She was in Paris. He hadn''t even been to her apartment in Paris, so how could he install a camera here?


    "You can''t live on instant noodles all the time. It''s bad for your health. If you don''t want to cook, order something healthy, okay? Or you can go out and get yourself something to eat. Living on instant food is not good for the body, you know. You need to take better care of yourself." Kevin''s brows were furrowed. He knew that Leena was an excellent cook. She was capable of cooking something simple instead of warming up instant noodles. That would be a lot better for her.


    "Kevin, you sound really concerned." Leena said carefully, biting her lower lip. She was curious about Kevin''s reply to that.


    "Why? You think I''m the kind of husband who wouldn''t care about his own wife, is that it?" Kevin felt helpless about this. Where she got that thought from was beyond him. Had he done something wrong to make her think that he didn''t care about her at all?


    "No! Of course not. I guess I''m just a bit surprised and ttered, that''s all." When they were apart, he had a feeling that they could understand each other better than when the two of them were together. It was because they didn''t have to face each other that they could easily say the things that they were too shy to speak otherwise.


    "I''m sorry. I didn''t make you feel like you are cared for and loved enough." Thinking of the time before, he realized that he didn''t show that he cared enough for her. Most of the time, he would ignore her. It was all his fault.


    "That''s not what I meant. You know me, I just love joking around about everything. Don''t take it too seriously, okay? Anyway, somebody is ringing the bell now, so I have to go. Talk to youter! Bye!" Leena said these words as she walked towards the door. She was curious about who was behind the door. She wasn''t expecting anyone and didn''t think that someone woulde to see her at this time of the day.00000000

 Chapter 837 We Are A Couple (Part Three)

    "Okay. Be safe and take care of yourself. Remember to check that it''s someone you know before opening the door. Bye!" Kevin was worried about her, but like she said, she had been living there for a few years. She knew very well the security measures she had to take there.


    "Yeah. I know. Don''t worry about it." Leena ended the call. She was about to open the door promptly, but thinking over the words Kevin just said, she decided to check through the door camera first to see if she knew the person who rang the bell. When she saw the handsome guy on the screen, she couldn''t help but frown. Why was he here? They had already made the unanimous decision to break up, hadn''t they?


    After drawing a deep breath, Leena opened the door. Even though they weren''t lovers anymore, there was no need for bad blood between them, right?


    "Gerard, what a surprise." Leena said. She was fluent in French. She was seeing him a few months after their break-up. Clearly, she didn''t feel the same way she used to feel when the two of them were dating.


    "Hello! Mignonne*, we finally meet again." Gerard''s arms were wide open, wanting a passionate hug from Leena. However, Leena subtly dodged his hug. Even though she knew it was just a friendly gesture in this country, she couldn''t just forget her new identity. She was Kevin''s wife now, how could she hug her ex?


    (*TN: Gerard called her Mignonne.)


    "Why are you here?" Leena''s face showed no emotions at all. She obviously wasn''t surprised or excited to see him again. On the contrary, she felt kind of annoyed at him for disturbing the phone call with her husband. The look on her face contrasted strongly to the excited one on Gerard''s.


    "Can Ie in first?" Gerard could sense Leena''s cold attitude toward him, but he really wanted her back. He decided to forego the awkwardness and asked her to let him in.


    "Alright, you cane in." Leena moved aside to let him in. She wasn''t too worried about what he might do once he was inside her house.


    "Mignonne, I always knew that you would be back one day." Gerard had thought he would never see this charming and beautiful Asian girl again. But much to his surprise, she came back.


    "How did you know that I''m back?" Leena didn''t hate him, but she didn''t like him anymore either. After all, she hadn''t forgotten why she decided to return home before.


    "A friend told me that he saw you on the streets. So I came here to see if it is true that you are back." Gerard wasn''t used to Leena behaving coldly with him. When he and Leena were together, she was always so passionate and lovely. Right now, under Leena''s grim gaze, he felt ufortable.


    "Now that you know that I''m indeed back, would you like to leave?" Leena didn''t even try to be nice to him. She didn''t think there was anything that needed to be said between the two of them anymore. In fact, she didn''t even want to see him in the first ce! She just wanted him gone already.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    "Oh! Mignonne, why are you acting like this with me? You weren''t like this before! You seem to have changed a lot." Gerard opened his arms and tried to hug her a second time. Again, Leena side-stepped his hug. She just wanted to get rid of him. He was making her uneasy.


    "Well, sorry. There''s an old saying in my country which basically means that things aren''t how they used to be. You should know that nothing stays the same. People change all the time. Besides, I clearly remember you saying that I wasn''t the one you liked. So don''t me me for being so straightforward." Leena snorted. She raised one of her eyebrows and looked at him mockingly. Was he being serious right now? Did hee here just to act like he regretted breaking up with her? This must be a sick joke. Well, no matter what, she was not going to change her mind!


    "No! Mignonne, listen to me. I finally realize you are still the one I love the most. I did say that you were a bit conservative for my liking, I won''t deny that. But now I can see that it''s exactly the reason why I like you so much, Mignonne. You are so mysterious and elegant and you have that eastern charm. I can''t stand a life without you. Give me another chance to prove myself to you, will you? I promise I will be better this time." Gerard put his hands on Leena''s shoulders, begging her sincerely. He looked like he truly regretted breaking up with her. "I''m sorry. But it is toote now. We are not getting back together." People were always like this. They didn''t miss the water until the well ran dry. Once they lost something, they immediately found it was important to them. To be honest, she was quite grateful for Gerard. If he hadn''t hurt her so bad that she went back home, she wouldn''t have met Kevin. She wouldn''t have gotten married to the man she truly loved. That made her realize that what she had felt for Gerard wasn''t love. It was a crush, maybe, but definitely not love. "Why? What do you mean?" Gerard quickly asked her. What did she mean by ''toote''? It had only been a few months since they broke up. Surely it couldn''t be thatte?


    "I''m already married." Leena smiled prettily. Whenever she mentioned Kevin, she always felt warm in her heart. Maybe that was what people called the power of love.


    "That''s not possible! You can''t be married! You must be joking, right?" Gerard all of a sudden grabbed her hand to have a look at it. When he found that there was nothing on her ring finger, he secretly sighed in relief. Of course she was lying. How could she get married so soon? That was impossible!


    "Stop being unreasonable! Why would I joke about something like that? I don''t need to lie to you, okay? That won''t do me any good at all." Leena abruptly shook off his hand. She knew exactly what he was looking for. He wanted to see if she had a ring on her finger or not. "Fine. If you want to insist that you are married, then tell me, where is your wedding ring?" Gerard didn''t believe her words. He thought it was just an excuse for her since she was still hurt by their break-up. Gerard stared at her intensely. Under his watchful eyes, he believed she could not lie to him.


    "Gerard, you should know that my country is different from yours. Married women in my country don''t have to wear a wedding ring to prove that they are married. Besides, why are you so confident that I don''t have a wedding ring? Maybe I''m just afraid that I will lose it because I''m always so careless. That''s why I''m not wearing it right now." There was no real conviction in Leena''s voice as she said these words. Truth be told, she and Kevin didn''t even bother to buy a wedding ring when they got married. She just hoped that Gerard believed her and didn''t catch her lie.

 Chapter 838 Come To Grandpa (Part One)

    "Whatever you say, Mignonne, I won''t believe you unless I see the man you''ve been talking about in person. Otherwise, I''ll do everything to win you back." The truth was too harsh for Gerard to believe. Leena had liked him so much that it had devastated her when he broke up with her. How could she possibly have married someone else within a matter of months? She must have made it up to make him give up willingly. However, Gerard had lost her once and had decided not to make the same mistake again.


    "I''m sorry, Gerard. Believe it or not, you and I are over. We will never be a couple again. Honestly, I should thank you for breaking up with me. I have found the one and learned what true love feels like. I am not the ignorant teenage girl chasing meaningless things anymore." Leenaughed. She wouldn''t go back to someone who had dumped her even if Kevin hadn''te into her life.


    "That''s impossible. You always loved me. I could feel it." Gerard shook his head. Leena''s eyes were always affectionate when she looked at him. She might have acted indifferent to him but then her eyes wouldn''t lie.


    "You knew I loved you, so you thought I couldn''t live without you and treated my feelings like dirt." Leena frowned with disgust. Worst was the best word she could think of when it came to Gerard. She hated his kind to the core, those who took others'' love for granted, exploited it, and still thought that the other person''s love would never fade no matter what they did. It was fortunate that no one could just keep on giving love that selflessly. People who had their hearts broken left. And once these loving people were gone, expect them to be gone forever. It was too bad that Gerard didn''t see that.Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.


    "I am sorry for that. I really need you. Pleasee back to me." Not having seen Leena for months made him miss her a lot. He hadn''t been able to find her since she hade back to her country.


    "Gerard, I vowed to be faithful to my husband on our wedding day. I''ll keep my words. I won''te back to you. There will be someone for you, but it won''t be me." Much as Leena was young, she was maturer than her peers. She knew what she wanted.


    "You are the one for me, Mignonne. Otherwise, how do you exin our reunion?" With fair skin, blond hair, and blue eyes, Gerard was boyishly handsome with his mixed blood features. He had a face that was more delicate than Kevin''s, but as an army man, Kevin definitely looked more manly than him.


    "This is not a reunion. You came to my house. Stop deceiving yourself. Gerard, I think I have made my point. Please go. I''m busy." Coldness was on Leena''s voice when she spoke. She had made up her mind that she didn''t want to lead Gerard on or send him any misleading signals. She liked everything to be clear. Ambiguity only meant trouble.


    "Okay then. I''lle again some other day. Trust me, you will fall in love with me again." Gerard sounded very confident. However, he had forgotten that the woman he was talking to was someone else''s wife already.


    "Whatever. Goodbye." It was a good thing to be confident, but it was a different thing to be conceited. Leena felt speechless towards Gerard''s self-importance. Time will tell. She had told him the truth. She was not the one to decide if he would believe her or not. There was nothing she could do if he chose to persist. It was not in her hands anymore.


    It took days of consideration before Justin decided to meet Leo. He did it not because he liked his so-called grandpa. Rather, he thought he should share his mom''s burdens, including those his grandpa made.


    "Are you Justin? You''re so handsome, like your father." Having waited for days, Leo finally met his grandchild inside a restaurant''s private dining room. He had almost lost all hope until he got Edward''s call which thrilled him.


    "Yes, I am. Nice to meet you, mister." Justin looked cool and handsome in his casual suit. He had been acting naturally in front of Leo, who was a stranger to him.


    "Good, good. Justin,e,e to grandpa." Leo''s voice trembled as he invited his grandchild. For the first time since he found out Daisy was his biological daughter, he smiled.


    On the other hand, Justin bit his lips and hesitated a bit. It took him a little while to slowly move towards Leo. It seemed hard for him but then, he remembered what his dad had told him. Edward advised that he should follow his heart and shouldn''t avoid his grandpa. In addition, Justin didn''t really have the heart to wipe that old man''s smile off his face.


    "Good boy." Tears of happiness started to blur Leo''s eyes. He took Justin into his arms, which reminded him of the time over 20 years ago. He recalled how gently he had taken Daisy in his arms just like this. It felt like he had the whole world back then as long as he had his baby girl in his arms. Then afterward, his misjudgment had taken that feeling away from him. Wraping Justin inside his arms made guilt strike him bad. Involuntarily, he held Justin tighter as if he was afraid that someone might take him away from him. "Mister, I can''t breathe." The young boy struggled. It was given that he was willing to get close to Leo, but it was also evident that he had addressed him in a distant way. He hadn''t called him grandpa yet. Instead, he treated him just like other men and called him mister formally.


    "Oh. Sorry. I was too excited. Are you hurt?" Leo let go of Justin upon hearing his words and wiped his tearful eyes and face.


    "It''s okay. I understand. My mommy says that everyone gets excited sometimes. That''s why we should be tolerant. It''s just natural to express emotions," Justin said earnestly, tilted his head, and then sincerely smiled.


    "That''s right. I was so d to see you and got carried away. Come. Let''s sit down." Leo took Justin''s hand and guided him to the table. The sadness on his face was gone as an amiable smile took over it as soon as he met his grandchild. "Mister, why did you want to see me?" Justin seemed well-behaved and innocent before Leo.


    "Because your mom is my daughter which makes you my grandson." The old man didn''t know how to answer the question. The images of Daisy after she had been forced out of the house suddenly shed back in his head. Whether she was in a dress or in military uniform, knowing that she was doing great even without his protection made him feel relieved each time he saw her.


    "But I remember you saying that your daughter isn''t my mommy but someone named Mary. Don''t you remember?" A menacing smile showed on Justin''s face. He could pity Leo but this old man had broken his mom''s heart. He wouldn''t forget that.


    "I remember. I was confused and made a terrible mistake. I treated my own daughter like an enemy. I can see that you hate me. I have brought it on myself. I didn''t protect your mom and made her life miserable." Leo''s face was full of remorse and regrets. "No, I don''t hate you. My mommy says that hate consumes time and energy, so she hardly hates anyone." Justin often started his sentence with ''my mommy says''. He wanted to make a point that he was a good boy and it was all thanks to Daisy. "So you are saying that your mom doesn''t hate me? Then why doesn''t she see me?" Justin''s words made Leo feel worse about himself. How could he have been so heartless to such a sensible woman, his own child.0000000000000????

 Chapter 839 Come To Grandpa (Part Two)

    "Just because my mommy doesn''t hate you doesn''t mean she has forgiven you. You can''t make up for my mommy''s misery with an apology. You can''t make it go away with your remorse either. If you really want to get her forgiveness, you''d better start with learning about what she went through in the past." The child sneered. This was the real reason why he had agreed to meet Leo. Justin wanted to let him know his mother''s every struggle in the past because of him.


    "I know. It''s all my fault. So I''ll keep trying to earn her forgiveness." Justin''s sharp tone was way beyond his age that Leo couldn''t regard him as a child anymore. Suddenly, he realized why Edward had let Justine alone. The child simply thought like an adult and certainly didn''t need another adult''spany.


    "It will be difficult. My mommy doesn''t hate people easily. However, once she does, it will be forever. Plus, I''ll always be on my mommy''s side. I''m sorry. I think we shouldn''t see each other again. I don''t want to upset my mommy." Justin had gone through everything with Daisy so he totally understood why his mom did that.


    "Justin, I understand that it won''t be easy for you to forgive me. But I have gotten my punishment and I am old. Can''t you help me to change your mom''s mind?" Leo begged, regardless of his pride in a way that made it hard to even see his former glory. Right now, he was merely a miserable old man hoping for forgiveness.


    "If you knew how my mommy had survived these years, you wouldn''t have asked me that. Do you know what it was like to deliver a baby alone without a single soul at her side? Do you know what it was like when my mommy got hurt and had to swallow the pain silently alone? Can you imagine how afraid my mommy was when she was close to death? No. I don''t think so. None of you understands how her life had been. So, when you see how sessful she is right now, try to imagine how hard she has worked for it."


    Tears streamed down Justin''s cheeks. He had said the same thing to Edward before but the mere mention of it could still leave him overwhelmed with sadness.


    "I''m so sorry. I really didn''t know anything about all this. I do now. I''ll make it up to you for everything. I promise." Leo had heard about Daisy''s past from Edward. But hearing Justin open up about it made him feel worse. He felt greatly sorry for Daisy.


    "Not everything can be amended. I am sorry. I have to go. Please don''t bother my mommy again unless you really have something important to tell her. Right now, you can only leave everything to time." Justin wiped his eyes. He was not like a six-year-old kid at all. His grandpa even saw a little Edward in him, fearless and arrogant.


    "Justin, can''t you stay a little longer and have dinner with me?" Leo didn''t expect the atmosphere to suddenly be this awkward. Anxiety instantly cruised his veins soon as he heard Justin wanting to leave. "Sorry, I don''t have the appetite. Goodbye." The little boy opened the door and left. Leo tried to stop him by holding his hand but lost his chance. Justin was already gone. His hand stopped frozen in mid-air. Justin''s words were like needles pricking Leo''s heart. He was too powerless toe up with a retort. He couldn''t believe how a small child was able to say words as profound as his grandchild had. Luke walked towards him as soon as Justin stepped out of the restaurant. An automatic frown came to his face as soon as he saw the child''s tears. "Justin, why did youe out so quickly?" he asked. "Everything I can say has been said. There''s nothing else we can talk about. Uncle Luke, I am hungry. Take me to my daddy, please." Justin sniffed and gave a sweet smile.


    "Okay. We''re going to FX International right away." Luke didn''t know what had happened in the restaurant, but basing it from the tear stains on Justin''s face, he could tell that things hadn''t been pleasant. "Uncle Luke, would you forgive someone who hurt you?" Justin asked with his head tilted as soon as he got in the car. He looked really puzzled by the issue.


    "It depends on how bad it is and more importantly, who." Luke nced at him, shared his opinion and started the car.


    "You think so, huh? Family hurts us the most. That''s why my mommy has been put in such a dilemma." Justin was dejected as he looked at the view out of the car window. He seemed lost in his own thoughts.


    "It happens. One harsh sentence from a family hurts more than a deadly weapon of an outsider. Keep your mind off it, Justin. You will feel better." Luke sighed. He felt lucky that he was an orphan and didn''t have to worry about getting hurt by his own family. "I don''t care. I just feel sorry for my mommy," Justin said with a wry smile. His mom had been busy training new recruits. He hadn''t seen her muchtely.


    "Don''t worry. Your mom knows how to deal with the situation. Don''t be sad. What you need to do is listen to her and be a good son." Luke believed that Daisy was capable of dealing with the matter and that she had decided whether to forgive Leo or not.


    Moments more and the car stopped at an intersection. Justin was still looking out of the window when a sudden scene came into his view and gave him a shock.


    "Uncle Luke, look! A lot of men in ck are going after a woman and they almost get her! Will she be beaten to death?" Justin asked hurriedly as his eyes followed the group.


    "I guess she has offended somebody. It doesn''t concern us. She can call the police," Luke answered in a t tone. He had seen a lot of such things before. It wasn''t new to him. He couldn''t even care less when a figure abruptly stopped before the car and started tapping the windshield just before he turned the ignition back on.


    "Uncle Luke, it''s the woman being chased. Shall we let her in?" Justin was startled.


    "Ignore her. Let''s go." Luke wanted to stay away from trouble mainly because Justin was in the car. He was the apple of Edward''s eye. He must protect him. That was his mindset until he looked outside and saw the pretty woman''s face. Everything just came to his surprise when his body moved to unlock the car doors immediately. "Thank you! Thank you very much!" Michelle said as she got in the car, without seeing clearly the face of the person who had saved her life. Luke started the car as soon as she hopped in and bolted out of that ce even before the men could catch up. "That''s nothing. Don''t mention it," Justin said politely as he gazed at Michelle. Luke was driving the car silently with his eyes fixed on the rear-view mirror, viewing those ranting men they had left behind.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    "Hello, little guy. You''re cute." Michelle lightly pinched Justin''s cheek. She was sweat-drenched from running that the cold wind from the air-conditioner sent her slight shivers.


    "Thank you. By the way, why are those men chasing you?" Justin rubbed his face which was hurting from the pinch. Instantly he ssified this innocent-looking woman into the same type as Leena. They were both sweet and beautiful on the outside but evil on the inside. He regretted that he had let Luke save her. She might have done something wrong to those men, which was why she was chased.00000

 Chapter 840 Almost Had A Car Accident (Part One)

    "Little boy, don''t you think I am a pretty and charming girl? They are chasing after me because they fell in love with me at first sight." Michelle smiled with pride of a peacock. Obviously, she was rather confident in her beauty.


    "Uh, I don''t think you are as beautiful as my mom." Justin pressed himself against the door in an attempt to keep away from the woman. Of course, his mother was the most beautiful woman in the world for him. Basing it from the woman''s words and behavior, it was confirmed that she and Leena were really each other''s doppelgangers. Thus, Justin couldn''t help but stay away from her.


    "Hah! I don''t think it''s fair topare me with your mom." Michelle felt a little awkward about the young boy''s reaction. She pondered hard on how to retort Justin and save herself from embarrassment. It took her a while to figure out something. It was a split second before she felt the car suddenly pulled over.


    "Get off the car! They are gone." Luke demanded in a chilly voice. Even though Michelle had rescued him from a danger a couple of times, he still held a cold manner towards her.


    "Eh! It''s you, Luke! Who is this little boy? Is he your son?" It was only then that Michelle recognized who the driver was. And more to her surprise, Luke had a son! Was he married to a woman already? She felt her breath hitched. That realization felt like a de that stabbed her chest and pierced her heart.


    "Uncle Luke, do you know her?" Justin looked back and forth between Luke and Michelle. There must be something wrong between them.


    "No!"


    "Yes!"


    Duke''s and Michelle''s answers came in a chorus, which made Justin even more confused.


    "What? How dare you say you don''t know me? Have you forgotten that I was your savior?" It vexed Michelle to see Luke pretend not to know her. He had always ignored her like she was invisible. "Get off the car, now!" Luke demanded again as he ignored her angry face.


    "No! I don''t have any money now. I don''t want to walk back. Luke, could you drive me back home, please?" Damn it! She swore she would find out who had stolen her wallet and cell phone, and beat him to a pulp. How dare that thief steal from her? She was the daughter of the Dragon Faction''s leader! She had ordered so many delicious dishes but found her wallet and phone gone after she ate. She had no other option but to run. That was the reason why she was chased by many people earlier.


    "If you don''t get off, I will pull you out." Luke cast a stern nce at her. She had been so naive in the past few times they met. Thus, he didn''t want to be connected with her. Otherwise, he might be as stupid as she was.


    "What? Are you trying to take advantages of me? If you dare touch me, I swear I will scream out loud. There is a little boy here. You would freak him out if you are so rude." Michelle threw a challenging look at Luke. She was pissed off by his indifference. How dared him to threaten her? She would never ever back down.


    "Uncle Luke, since you know her, let''s drive her back home." Justin had always had a soft spot for girls, though thedy in front of him didn''t look weak at all. Justin still disyed himself as a gentleman. He would always remind himself to be nice to girls. "Luke, you can''t hold a candle to him. Shame on you! Little boy, you are so adorable." Michelle held Justin''s head with both her hands and kissed him on his cheek. Thrill ran down her spine when she heard the boy called Luke uncle. It was just that she hadn''t realized that she had a thing for Luke.


    Justin struggled to get away from her and wiped his face with a paper towel. Regret hit him immediately. He was now willing to do anything just to take his words back. He hated being kissed by strangers. Like Edward, he was a germaphobe.


    "You said you''re starving. We have no time to send her back." Luke rolled his eyes at Michelle. She was a troublemaker and Luke didn''t want to get close to her.


    "You can drop me at FX International Group and then drive her back. Come on, she is ady." Though Justin hated being kissed and wanted to drop her there, he swallowed the thought back. After all, his mother always told him to be nice to girls. "Exactly! You have a heart of stone, Luke. Look at me! I''m such a beautiful yet weakdy. I might be taken away by bad guys if you drop me here." Michelle became even bolder since Justin took her side.


    "Fine! Here''s my phone. Just call your people to pick you up at FX International Group." Luke took his phone out from his pocket and threw it towards Michelle. He would by no means send her back home. He was Edward''s bodyguard, not hers. Justin was going to have dinner with Edward which meant that Luke had to stay by their side. He was conscientious and responsible as a professional bodyguard.


    "Good idea." Michelle gave him a sweet smile as she dialed a number. She called her people up. The turn of events made her ted as it gave her the chance to get Luke''s private number.


    "Give my phone back." Luke demanded immediately after he saw Michelle hang up. There was important information in his phone that he did not want her to see.


    "Bah! You are such a penny pincher! Do you think I will take your phone away?" Michelle pursed her lips grumbling and threw his phone back. She was pissed off by his cold face.


    Luke took over his phone and put it back into his pocket. He started the engine and proceeded to FX International Group. Michelle could tell from his crumpled face that he was in a bad mood. "Hey, little boy. Is he always so rude?" Michelle ignored Luke and turned to Justin.


    "No, he isn''t. He just doesn''t want to talk to strangers." Justin answered with a smile. Luke was not what anyone would call verbose. He didn''t even talk to Edward''s friends, not to mention Michelle.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Do you mean I''m a stranger to him? Luke, you are such an ungrateful person! I saved you a couple of times. Did you forget it?" After hearing Justin''s exnation, Michelle was infuriated again. The fact that Luke treated her as a stranger somehow enraged her. "What? Auntie, you saved Uncle Luke?" Justin''s eyes widened. If Michelle saved Luke several times, it would be ungrateful for Luke to treat her like this.


    "Yes, I did. But somebody just forgot it, huh? Let''s not talk about him. Little boy, is Colonel Ouyang your mother?" Michelle had long admired Daisy. Daisy even saved her from embarrassmentst time. That made her appreciate thedy Colonel even more. "What? You know my mom?" Justin shouted as he looked at Michelle up and down. She was wearing a midriff-top and super short-shorts. She definitely looked like a bad girl, so Justin couldn''t help but wonder how his mom was even rted to her. "Yes, I do. I also know your dad. Well, your dad treats me well, unlike somebody." Michelle peeked sideways at Luke with a disdainful expression.


    "Auntie, why don''t you have dinner with uster?" Justin believed that all of his mom''s friends were good people. Thus, he invited Michelle to have dinner with them together.


    "I''m good. I''m so sweaty, and I want to take a bath first. Thank you though." Michelle was willing to have dinner with Edward and Daisy but she looked terrible at this moment. It would be a shame to meet them in her attire.


    "Justin, you should not get too close to a stranger unless you know him or her well. What if he or she is a bad person? One should always guard against the harm others might do to him." Luke was hinting that Michelle was not a good person. "Damn it! What do you mean by that? Are you saying I''m a bad girl?" Michelle cast a stern nce at Luke as if she was going to take him by the throat.


    "Why are you pissed off if you''re not?" Luke answered indifferently. His attitude infuriated Michelle. If he was not driving at this moment, she swore she would beat him to death.


    "Fuck you! Are you blind? I''m not pissed off!" If you live with ame person you will learn to limp. Michelle had always been around men. As a result, she got used to the badnguage.

 Chapter 841 Almost Had A Car Accident (Part Two)

    "Watch your mouth,dy. There''s a little boy here." Luke pulled over to the side of the road when they arrived at FX International Group. Edward and Rain were walking outside the building at that same time.


    "Uncle Luke, it''s Dad! We don''t have to go upstairs." Justin pushed the door open and ran without looking at the road upon seeing his dad. Edward heard the car brakes screeched from a distant. He took a deep breath and dashed towards Justin without wasting even a second. He grabbed his child''s arms and rolled over as fast as he could to avoid the speeding car.


    "Justin, are you okay?" Edward gave his son a quick once over. He was still in shock.


    "I''m okay. Dad, sorry. What about you? Are you okay?" Justin asked with a trembling voice. His face turned pale as he was freaked out by what just happened.


    "Mr. Mu, are you alright?" Luke was also freaked out. He immediately got off the car and ran towards them. He didn''t expect Justin to get off the moment he pulled over. Luckily, Edward was quick enough to save his son, otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable. Justin might be hit by the car and Luke could only live with his regrets for the rest of his life if something bad happened to him.


    "Oh, we are fine." Edward stood up with the young boy in his arms. He frowned at the paining from his knees but immediately calmed down and went back to beingposed. The hard ground must have scraped the skin off his knees. "Dude, look what you just did! This is a footpath. You should watch the road." Since Edward and Justin were fine, Rain walked up to the young man who just got off his car. He could tell by how pale the guy''s face looked that he was also frightened.


    "The kid suddenly dashed out from nowhere. I already braked hard as I could when I saw him." The young man trembled with fear as he answered Rain''s question. Panic was all over his stance after the ident, but nevertheless, he was not willing to admit his wrong. "You said it as though it was Justin''s fault, huh? Don''t forget that this is not a road. This is a private space of FX International Group." There was arge space in front of the FX International Group''s building. Many car owners didn''t want to stay at a red light so they drove there to get around the crossroads.


    "So what? It''s the space of FX International Group, not yours. Can''t I use the space?" Since nobody was injured, the man became more arrogant. He believed that his father would solve the problem anyway even if the kid got hurt. After all, money talks.


    "Ha! Not my space? Open your eyes wider and look at us. Do you know who we are? Well, with a BMW, you think you are somebody, huh? I guess you are some rich second generation, right? Shame on your father!" Rain taunted with a cold smile. Though being arrogant, he unted himself as a well-educated person who wouldn''t treat others'' lives as nothing.


    "Well, you are right. I am a rich second generation. And you are just an employee. Mind your attitude." The young man''s eyes were filled with disdain as he rolled at Rain. He looked down upon such employees and believed that they could be bribed easily with money. "Who is your father?" Edward asked with a frown. His face was overcast with anger. Obviously, he was on the point of sumbing to rage. He would have forgiven him if the young man had apologized to him sincerely. No one was hurt after all. However, the man provoked them and did not even care to apologize. Since his father failed to discipline him, Edward would not mind doing the job for his father.


    "You will be frightened if I tell you my father''s name." The young man grew more arrogant upon talking about his father. He raised his chin and gave Edward a challenging look. He was a little scared by Edward''s fierce aura but he was reluctant to admit that. "Really? The more you make me interested in your father''s name now. After all, nobody has ever scared me before." Edward sneered while smiling viciously.


    "Bah! You must have heard of Lewis Technology. Well, it''s our family business." The man tossed back his hair with pride. Actually, if only he took a closer look at the people standing before him, he would have realized how extravagant their branded clothes were. "Oh, I see. Lewis Technology." Rain snapped his fingers and thought to himself, ''Poor Lewis, you offended the wife of the president of FX International Groupst time, and your son offended his son this time. You have such a bad luck! Edward will by no means spare you.'' "Are you scared?" The man shook his leg proudly. Everything got solved and no one dared to offend him whenever he mentioned his father''s name.


    "You are so funny! Lewis Yi is merely some nouveau riche." Rain sneered. As the saying goes, "He thates of a hen must scrape." Lewis had been very arrogant in front of Rain at the very beginning. It seemed that this young man inherited the attitude from Lewis. "Hey! Beautiful sister, we''ve met again." Michelle was also startled by the ident, and it took a long time for her to regain herposure. She was ted upon seeing Rain and greeted him in a cheerful voice.


    "Sorry, you''ve mistaken me for someone else." Rain turned around without wavering for a single second. Damn it! Why was she here? Rain still remembered how she kept badgering him by calling him "miss"st time.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    "What? That''s impossible! You wear the same diamond earring." Michelle murmured in disbelief. Then she turned to Edward and gave him a sweet smile. "Mr. Mu, what a coincidence! Nice to meet you."


    "Nice to meet you too, Michelle. We''ve met many times recently." Edward said as he peeked sideways at Luke with a sly smile. Apparently, there must be something wrong between Michelle and Luke.


    "This must be fate! Wow, what a grand building you have! FX International Group is indeed argepany." The building stood proudly in front of Michelle. She could tell from the high-rise that FX International Group was a powerful corporation.


    "What? You are Edward Mu, president of FX International Group?" The man''s eyes widened in shock. He hoped for the man before him to deny it, otherwise, his father would beat him to death. His father had warned him not to offend anyone from FX International Group, but he just almost hit the president''s son and even provoked him. Damn it! He was totally screwed!


    "Well, now you know what you just did, huh?" Rain couldn''t help but taunt. However, he went back to hide behind Edward upon seeing Michelle again. He would freak out if Michelle called him beautiful sister one more time.


    "I''m so sorry, Mr. Mu! I was being an idiot. I know you are a generous man. Please forgive me. Otherwise, my father will beat me to death." The man could only wish that he stayed home today as soon as he realized that he was talking to Edward Mu. Everyone in S City knew FX International Group and it would be a suicide to offend the president.


    "Well, your father should teach you a good lesson, otherwise, you will make a big mistake sooner orter. What if you hit someone today? Would you ask your father to cover it up for you? Just tell me what mistakes you have made just now." Edward demanded coldly as he looked at the young man before him. The man had his low right now like an obedient boy. He looked young, probably around his twenties. That was youth rebellion period. People at such age should be guided appropriately, or else they would take to evil ways. "I shouldn''t have driven my car on footpath. I shouldn''t have driven so fast. And I shouldn''t have been so arrogant after making mistakes." He enumerated one by one. It turned out that he knew he was wrong but he just didn''t want to admit it.

 Chapter 842 Let Leena Go (Part One)

    "Not all mistakes can be resolved by apologies. It was fortunate that it did not lead to a disaster. I will not pursue your responsibility. I just hope for you to learn from this. You can go now." Edward did not want to frighten the young man. He was only a big kid after all. Edward might have let him pass but that did not mean that the kid would be consistently lucky to meet tolerant people like him. The young man needed some lessons, or he would never know what he''d done wrong.


    "Thank you, Mr. Mu. I will behave well in the future and I will not be arrogant and domineering any longer." The young man bowed to Edward and thanked him. His face was filled with joy as relief flooded his system. It was unexpected for him to be safe after what he had done.


    "Boy, you should behave well. Do not abuse your family''s wealth to do something bad. Have you ever heard of this old saying? There is always someone stronger than a seemingly strong person and there''s no limit if you look up. So, just y it safe, cover your ass, keep your head down and go away!" Rain waved his hands with an annoyed look on his face. He couldn''t believe how such a type of people ruined the beauty of the world. He also hoped for the young man to learn his lessons from today.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Yes, yes. I''ll be making it sure to change my attitude and behave well." The young man staggered to his car. Nobody knew if the guy really meant it when he said he would change. Nevertheless, it was nice to see his driving speed went standardized after the encounter. "s! Look at the young man. Nowadays, I really do not know what these new generations are thinking." Rain curled his upper lip unconvinced.


    "Hello, beautiful sister! Are you scolding me too?" Michelle cocked her head, narrowed her eyes, then stared at Rain. She stared at the dazzling purple earring on one of Rain''s ears. She was extremely curious about where he bought that bling-bling. How could she never have seen such a shining earring before?


    "It depends on whether you have hearts for progress or not. By the way, don''t call me beautiful sister again. I would smash your little face if you irritate me. You can try if you don''t believe." He clenched his teeth and raised her chin frivolously. An evil smile was on his face as he looked down thedy.


    "What? Are you serious? Threats will never work on me! I am not scared of you!" Michelle gave Rain a quick once over. Her eyebrow twitched as she gauged him. He was slim and looked weak. It would be impossible for him to win a fight with her.


    "Little girl, never underestimate me. You will regret it. Do you know how easy it is for me to deal with you?" Rain flexed his arm to show his muscles. He already felt very embarrassed when she called him beautiful sister. He could not bear being looked down by Michelle anymore.


    "Let''s try it if that''s the case." Michelle smiled crookedly. She might not be as beautiful and sweet as Leena was but she was definitely equal when it came to wickedness.


    "No! No way! That would make me look like a jerk bullying a helpless girl. It will not bring any honor to me even if I win. Why would I do that?" He rejected Michelle without any doubt and then he looked at her.


    The two were still ring at each other when a Cadic quickly stopped nearby. Seconds more and a group of men in ck suit and sunsses walked out from the car. The group walked towards them in a way that made Luke subconsciously step before Edward in an instinct to protect his boss.


    "I''m sorry that we''rete." The group of men went straight to Michelle''s side and bowed down.


    "It''s all right," said thedy casually. "Go back to the cars and wait for me there." She waved her hand at them andmanded the group to go away in an instant as she didn''t want their Mafia-like outfit to scare anyone. "Acknowledged, Miss Mi." The men in ck went back to the cars without any questions upon hearing the order. They sat back in the cars orderly and did not dare to even show the slightest disobedience at all.


    "Are you from a Mafia family, little girl?" Rain was beyond shock with what just happened. He got no clue about Michelle''s identity as it was only Luke and Edward who knew about it.


    "No, I am not! Are you?" Michelle sneered at Rain. "We are just a small gang and we are far from being a Mafia." Suddenly, she realized how much cuter the dull Luke was,pared to the man she was talking with. "They''re the same." Luke cut off coldly. He had not recognized that those men in ck were Michelle''s bodyguards just now. It was embarrassing how alert he was, thus, he couldn''t help but grimace.


    "How could they be the same? There are big differences! Anyway, forget it. Why do I even need to exin to a cold iceberg?" hissed the prettydy before turning to thepany president. "Mr. Mu, I have to go. I will invite you and the colonel for a dinner some other day." She gave Luke onest dagger stare. She instantly changed her mind about thinking that he was cute. Now, Luke and Rain were just the same in her eyes. They were both incapable of being nice.


    "It should be us to invite you for a dinner. After all, you have helped us so many times." Although Michelle had been more of a hindrance rather than a help on their first encounter, she still did give them a big help when they were in country B. Edward remembered every little kindness done to him and would like to pay off in return.


    "It was my pleasure. You don''t need to care so much about it, Mr. Mu. Anyways, I wille to that dinner if you insist." Michelle was an open-minded and direct girl. It was given that she could be very reckless sometimes. Nevertheless, it was also the reason why she was adored by those who knew her.


    "That''s good. We will prepare a feast to wee you!" Edward smiled. He also appreciated her directness. Being in the upper-ss exposed him to many hypocritical women. Therefore, he knew that Michelle belonged to a rare type of women. For Edward, being frank was not bad. He actually disliked those people who thought and beat around the bush too much. That was the reason why he would like to keep his connection with the youngdy. Besides, Daisy adored Michelle''s attitude too.


    "Thank you, everyone. Goodbye!" Michelle waved her hand to everyone and left. The lively scene soon became quiet.


    "Let''s go too!" Edward said to Rain and Luke. They could have been home if the ident had not happened! The three stylish guys got on their own cars and drove away. Of course, little Justin was together with his dad.


    "Daddy, how did you get to know the auntie from earlier?" The boy asked Edward once they got on the car. He was so curious about Michelle and her family. His mother was a colonel and his father was a businessman. He couldn''t remember them in rtions with anyone from the underworld. How could they know Michelle? Why was Michelle so beautiful that she did not look like a Mafia? Why did his father smile at her? Little Justin had so many questions in mind but decided to start from the simplest.


    "Oh, yes. You are asking about Michelle? We met her by ident before. Is she a very interesting little girl?" Edward started the car and drove slowly.


    "She is not my type. She is same with auntie Leena. They both have beautiful outsides and dark insides!" Little Justin still remembered what thatdy did to his shabby face. He touched his cheek to test if it still hurt. Huh! What a lovely little boy?


    "She is okay! Don''t you find Michelle stupider than your auntie Leena?" Edward smiled. He couldn''t help but recall how they first met Michelle. What a spectacr scene it was! He did not know why his son thought of her as someone evil. For Edward, she was just a trickydy.

 Chapter 843 Let Leena Go (Part Two)

    "I didn''t notice that at all. Anyway, forget her. When will auntie Leena be back? I haven''t seen her for a long time." People were all like that. They saw each other as enemies whenever they were together yet missed each other''s presence too when separated for a long


    time. It was obvious how much Justin had terribly missed Leena since thest time he met her.


    "It is hard to say. It all depends on when she canplete her graduation thesis. She coulde back after that. How about you? Did you go to see Mr. Ouyang today? Why did youe back so early?" Edward had seen the picture that Leena sent to him. Just as what he had thought, Leena chose a house in a quiet block to work on her designs.


    "We talked just for a while. I clearly said what I wanted to say. There was nothing else special. So, I came back. Daddy, do you think I should have had a dinner with him beforeing back?" Little Justin suddenly felt sad as soon as he spoke about his grandfather. It was not because that he did not want to have dinner with Leo. He was just not in a good mood to eat with him. He did not know what he had done was right or wrong. Thus, he tried to rify it with Edward when he asked.


    "Son, just as what I have said before, your mommy and I will never force you to do anything. Follow your heart and do what pleases you. I believe you can make it." Edward turned his head to Justin and smiled. He didn''t care much about what Justin had said to Leo and neither did he intend to ask him about it. He believed that his son could handle that situation very well. Justin had his own set of rules when it came to dealing with people.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Okay. Thanks, dad. Will mommye back early today?" His parents always worked overtime on weekends. He hadn''t seen other people like his parents who deeply enjoyed working.


    "You can give your mommy a call and ask her directly, dear." Edward also wanted to know whether Daisy coulde back early today. He handed his cell phone to Justin and hoped his son could get a good answer. It might be because National Day was approaching that Daisy had been extremely busy recently, working overtime almost every day. He felt his heart mildly ached upon remembering his gorgeous wife.


    "Hmmm. I''d better not call mommy now. Mommy is always busy before the National Day every year. I don''t want to bother her. She will be back after her work is done." Little Justin smiled as he put the phone aside. He was much more satisfied with the situation now than before. It was a relief not to stay alone inside an apartment in the Army Base during this time of the year. He had his father, his grandma, his grandfather and those uncles together with him now. And he could just wait for his mother with his dear daddy.


    "Okay. That''s fine. Let''s not bother your mother. Tell me what do you want to eat today?" Edward looked at Justin and felt the warmth spreading through him with his sensible words. It would be the National Day in two days. Fortunately, S city was not the capital. There was no suchrge-scale military parade in their ce as that in the capital city. Some small celebrations would be held there too on the National Day and those asions required high-security from the military. No wonder why his beloved was so busy recently. "As long as it''s food, I am all okay with that. Daddy. I''m not picky." That was true. If Justin had been really picky about the food, he would not have grown much taller than other kids of the same age.


    "Yes, I know. You like every food. My little foodie." Edward instantly knew where they were going after hearing his son. He happily turned the steering wheel and drove to the Tender Whispers.


    Morning just broke in Paris. And France had always been full of dreamy colors during this time of the year. Leena woke up early just as what she usually did recently. It was another busy day for Leena. She was ready to leave and was about to start her day. When she opened her door, she found herself shocked to the core upon seeing an unwanted surprise. Gerard stood outside the door with a huge smile on his face!


    "Good Morning, Mignonne!" Gerard first thought that he would wait long time in her doorway. But now, he couldn''t help but feel lucky that he had arrived early. Who could have thought that Leena would be ready to leave at that hour? Should hee a littleter, he might have missed her. He had never imagined Leena waking up too early in the morning. It was not like her at all.


    "Gerard, what are you doing here?" Leena said with a sharp tone. It was obvious that she didn''t like the surprising visitor she had. This was the same reason why she stayed in a hotel thest time she came to Paris. She did not want Gerard toe to her house. It was just that she had to stay longer in that ce for her thesis. She had no other choice but to live in her own house as staying in a hotel wouldn''t be asfortable as having her own space.


    "Of course. I''m waiting for you! Mignonne, I know that you will go to some towns today to get sketches. I am here to be your driver." Gerard smiled. His sunshine smile did not fade even after Leena''s indifference.


    "Thanks, Gerard. But I have my own car and I can drive by myself." Leena locked the door, walked sideways and passed by Gerard. The past could only be a past. Any efforts to retrieve past loves would be in vain. She did not like him anymore.


    "Mignonne, wait! Wait for me! Don''t you think it would be much more convenient to go with me? I can be your driver, and I can take you to eat..." Gerard trotted to keep up with her pace. However, Leena ran quickly into the elevator and closed the door immediately. The door was closed right before his face when Gerard arrived. He didn''t even have the chance to finish his words.


    On the other hand, Leena was certain that she never wanted any rtionship with the same man anymore. It was the reason why she behaved coldly towards him from the very beginning. She did not want to give him any hope at all. The more expectation, the more disappointment. She was not a vicious person, nor had she the least interest in being cruel to others. Hence, she just ignored Gerard. She was deep on these thoughts when the elevator rang and the metal door opened. She was about to step out when her jaw was suddenly ajar in disbelief. To her full surprise, Gerard was standing outside again as he caught for breaths. His handsome face was sweaty as he had run down the stairs.


    "Gerard..." She opened her mouth multiple times but could not think of any word to express her helplessness. In the end, she decided to pretend not to see him and went to the parking lot. It would be hard to use him of following her since that was a public ce. Best she could do was to act like he wasn''t there.


    "Mignonne, I will be with you today! Please, give me a chance to go with you. At least, you don''t need to worry about safety problems with me around." Unlike most Frenchmen, Gerard did not have strong and deep-rooted self-esteem. He didn''t care much about Leena''s actions and remained with his thinking.


    "It''s up to you. But please don''t disturb my work." Leena kept a cold face as she got on her sport car. She did not even give Gerard a nce. Compared to who she was when they were still together, Leena had changed a lot. In Gerard''s memory, Leena was a very lovely youngdy who always had a sweet smile on her face. For a moment, Gerard doubted that he found the wrong person. How could she change so much? Nevertheless, he was still in a hurry when he got into his car and drove fast to cope with her.


    Automatically, Leena''s elegant eyebrows furrowed as soon as she saw Gerard''s car through the rearview mirror. She stepped hard on the gas and sped up the car as fast and as safely as she could.0?????????????

 Chapter 844 Let Leena Go (Part Three)

    Her activity for today was for her Spring Collection. She wanted to get some inspirations from the beautiful countryside scenes, thus, she prepared a long list of ces to visit. Her itinerary included thevender fields in Provence, the vast golden sunflowers, the lonely


    canyons and the deserted castles. All were objects of her observation today.


    Soon enough and Leena found herself indulging with thendscapes of Paris'' countryside. There were even times when she would just stop her car and took pictures of blooming flowers. Sometimes, she would sit down, take out her drawing board, then begin sketching views. Gerard was like a quietpanion who spent his time looking at her. He would give her some water or biscuits from time to time but never had he made any sound that could disturb Leena''s thoughts. It made Leena a little ufortable but at the same time impressed by how considerate he was today. She never experienced that from him before. It seemed that Gerard was not as worthless as she first thought. However, they had already lost each other. If only Gerard had known how to cherish her from the very beginning, they would not have parted.


    "Mignonne, would you mind having a candlelit dinner with me tonight?" Gerard did not waste any time and asked her out with a pleading voice. She ended her whole day''s work as soon as the sun set and its afterglow spread across colorful Provence. Her satisfied smile gave him the cue to approach her. She looked more rxd now.


    "Hmmm. Dinner is okay, but there is no need for candles". Although it was not like her to agree, Leena still wanted to thank Gerard for helping and taking care of her the whole day. Having an ordinary dinner with Gerard might not give him much hope, right? Leena thought to herself.


    "Well, as long as you can have a dinner with me, everything is fine." The French guy was pleased with Leena''s unexpected nod. He was so happy that he almost jumped to his feet as a brilliant smile made its way to his handsome face.


    "Okay. Let''s go. We can go back to Paris first." Leena found his bright smile infectious and wasn''t able to stop herself from smiling back. She got on her car without hesitation and started driving back to Paris. On the other hand, Gerard hadn''t recovered from his surprise yet and just noticed her car already left after it drove a good distance. He ended up rushing to get into his own car and drove in a hurry to cope up with her.


    Leena finally had the chance to reassess her rtionship with Gerard as she drove back to Paris. She clearly knew that it was impossible for them to be together again. However, as she had lived in France for several years, she also knew that the French people cherished friendship a lot. Therefore, she decided to take Gerard''s behavior as a sign of friendliness. She wouldn''t live in this ce for a long time anyways, hence, she didn''t have to worry about being followed by him all the time.


    After thorough thinking, Leena felt rxed and had a good appetite during dinner. French cuisine varied ording to the season. The chefs would choose the freshest foods and ingredients within the season toe up with their unique delicacies. French cuisine was iparable both in the taste and in presentation. It could be considered as an art. And the French restaurants also pursued the exquisite atmosphere. The French dinner was fantastic. Other than which were mentioned, Leena liked delicate French cuisines and sauces. Tonight''s dinner was definitely something Leena enjoyed. It was that satisfaction on her beautiful face that gave Gerard a little more hope.


    "Mignonne, have you forgiven me?" The man asked as he watched Leena eating sirloin in an elegant way. Gone was her cold and indifferent aura.


    "Gerard, I don''t have to forgive you, as I have never hated you." She wiped her mouth, put down the knife and fork, then looked at him seriously.


    "Then why are you so indifferent to me if that is the case? You did not even want to talk with me at the beginning?" Confused, Gerard felt the strong need for him to know her reasons. The changes in Leena were huge. She had not even smiled to him since they met again! "Just as I told you two days ago, I''m already married. Marriage means a traditional life in our country. With that said, I could not be close to any other man except for my husband. Coming out clear of it would avoid unnecessary misunderstandings and suspicions. Can you understand what I meant?"


    Leena sighed. Exining her country''s tradition and history was hard for her. After all, there were a lot of words and meanings which could not be fully tranted and understood.


    "I do not understand, Mignonne. However, I will wait for you even though you''re married. I believe that one day, you will finally find that I am the right person for you." It seemed that Gerard had not figured out what Leena exactly wanted to say. Therefore, he continued to insist on his own way of love.


    "Wait for what? Wait till I get a divorce? Don''t be silly, Gerard. That is impossible. I love my husband. I have never thought of betraying him and falling in love with you again! So, please, listen to me. Forget me and find your destined girl! We''ve already lost each other. Let''s not have that pity happened again. I have found my lifelong lover. I am sure your girl is waiting for you somewhere in this world. That girl is not me. Why don''t you just let me go and let your heart go? Otherwise, I will not even tolerate befriending you."


    Exhaustion got Leena. It was lucky that they were in Paris and not in the S city. She couldn''t tell what would Kevin think if he had seen Gerard following her, "Mignonne, isn''t there really any possibility between us?" Gerard felt his heart breaking with Leena''s straight words. A part of him just couldn''t believe what he had heard. Letting her go was a huge mistake and it was only now that he realized it. Lenna was his. She was his destiny but he lost her.


    "No, Gerard. Let me tell you again. It is impossible for us. I would not go back even if I''m not married. Forget me, Gerard. We could both agree to be friends or I could just keep my distance away from you." Leena knew that her words were straight and hurtful. However, she did not regret what came out of her mouth. A one-time hurt was better than an enduring pain. Besides, she did not believe that Gerard would love her forever. He must have suddenly realized her worth after having been together with other people for a long time. He might just give up her again once he found another beautiful woman. He already did it before! Fast-Food love game wasn''t her kind of stuff.


    "I know, Mignonne. I hope we could be friends." Gerard reached out and offered Leena a handshake. His eyes were filled with sadness. He understood that it was his past behaviors that made Leena lose her trust on all his efforts. It was the conviction in her eyes that made him give up. Letting go was another kind of love. Gerard would be fine as long as Leena was happy.


    "Thank you for understanding. You''re wee to the S city whenever you are convenient. We will warmly receive you." Leena said, giving more emphasis to the word "we". She would like to stress that she would do what she said together with Kevin. Honestly, she did not think that Gerard could think through her friendship-offer quickly. He exceeded her expectations and it made her feel relieved.


    "I will certainly go to see you in S city. To our friendship." Gerard raised his ss and toasted to Leena. The crisp sound of bumping sses indicated a new rtionship between them. They would only be friends from that second on. Gerard reminded himself that there were more hopes in the world than regrets.


    The night scene of Paris seemed to be more gorgeous because of that new rtionship. It was only then that Leena felt herself fully rxed. After all, she managed to solve a sticky situation and gained a friend from it. She was really happy.00Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 845 Get Your Major General On The Phone (Part One)

    However, Leena would never know the real reason why Gerard epted her suggestion of being friends. He just agreed to stay close to her. It was his tactic to have her put her guards down against him. He still wanted to be her boyfriend and renew their rtionship. There was no other way but topromise with her or else, she would keep herself away. That was thest thing he''d expected. However, she had never imagined that it was the friendship suggestion that would bring a lot of soul-stirring incidents and loads of unwee surprises to her in the future.


    Soon as they finished their dinner, Leena went back home and took afortable warm bath to rx. She still got work to do, thus, she proceeded to continue her design draft after. She was adjusting the colors and making some minor modifications. Her design theme for this season was basically pastoral style. She added some fashion elements from the West as well as some domestic ones to mute the impact a little. In this way, her design would not be too much for ordinary people''s taste and would attract more people from all over the world.


    She made a cup of lemonade to enjoy. Oh, woman! A woman would always like to care for herself from small aspects. She was not an exception. She always paid attention to her body to keep herself in good shape. She found that it was already eleven in the evening when she took a glimpse at her watch. It would be six in the morning in her home country and Kevin usually got up at this time. She wondered if he''d alreadye back from his mission. She did her dissertation smoothly and probably woulde back home in a month. She hoped for their rtionship to be improved by then!


    She picked up her phone to browse at his pictures and a shy smile spread through her beautiful face. She stayed silent as she ran her fingertips on his handsome face on the screen. She felt as if she was getting drunk just by looking at him. Was that the feeling of loving someone? She missed him secretly and felt a little depressed in her heart too. What aplicated feeling. What was he doing now? Was he also missing her?


    Little did she know that it only took two days for Kevin to finish his task. He was actually sleeping on that Sunday, which was something rare. He was still deep in his dreams, something that Leena could never anticipate.


    The house felt weird without Leena in it. There was nobody else but him alone. Although he had his share of living alone, he couldn''t figure out why he felt like loneliness was new to him again. Their home oddly felt so cold. It probably could be because of the absence of that beautiful figure who usually appeared just about everywhere. There were times when he found himself in a trance that Leena was still home, either cooking or working on her design inside her little workroom.


    Kevin finally woke up from his dream by the time that the sun rose up and shed its light to earth generously. He stayed uptest night to sort out those files he took from the office. It was already three or four in the morning when he finished. Thus, he slept almost all morning and just woke up around nine.


    There was no doubt that Kevin had a solid built. Different from Edward, he had clear abdominal muscles which would definitely make women scream. His skin was olive as he needed to train under the sun. He was unlike those people who stayed inside their air- conditioned offices. His warm tanned skin made him look more masculine and braver.


    Kevin sat up on the bed silently to refresh himself. He really hated cleaning works. He couldn''t help but frown on the dust on the floor that filed up since Leena left. He pursed his lips and then reached for the phone nearby. He made a quick call to his bodyguard Lee and asked him to help him with the cleaning act. He might be a good cook, but cleaning the house? Oh, gave him a break! That was just too harsh for him.


    "Hello! Is there anything I can do for you, Major General?" Lee was puzzled and tilted his head to the left slightly. He wondered why his Major General called him. Kevin rarely called him when he was off duty. What was more was the fact that Kevin had never asked him to stay close since he moved out of the Army''s residential building.


    "Yes! Come to my home now. I''ll wait for you here." Lee went to manage the task with him. He drove Kevin back his home and then returned to the army basest night. Thus, Kevin was not worried about him not having a car to drive.


    "Yes, Major General. I''ll be there soon." Lee was reading a book when he received the call. He immediately put his book down upon hearing the Major General''s order, took his army cap, grabbed the car key, and walked towards the parking lot.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    On the other hand, Kevin started sorting out the bedroom as soon as he hung the phone up. Unlike the room where he lived in the army base, he considered he and Leena''s matrimonial room private, thus he couldn''t allow Lee toe in. He was not sure whether Leena would mind it or not. It was best for him to just do the cleaning by himself to avoid such conflict.


    Leena had many knick-knacks all over the ce. It was not so easy to sort all of them out. Kevin wondered how she usually managed her stuff at home. Suddenly, he wanted to hear more about her ideas and methods when faced with all the chaos. He wanted to know why she would like to spend her precious time engaging with households. She was a young girl who should be fond of things outside the family after all. He was aware that young girls did not have enough patience to deal with these things since he had a younger sister. She was toozy even to clean her own bedroom and thatss was even two years older than Leena!


    He was arranging his wife''s pieces of jewelry inside the drawer when he noticed his card lying silently in one corner. He was a little bit surprised and easily sensed that she had never used his money since they got married. The realization made him so frustrated that he ended up sitting on a nearby chair. He was suddenly absent-minded as he stared at the card on his hand.


    Leena was neverck of money. That was one thing he was aware of since she was the daughter of Leng Group. But as a man, he still hoped that his wife would spend the money he earned. It had nothing to do with the so-called male chauvinism. It was just that it would have made him feel more like her husband if she had at least used his money.000000

 Chapter 846 Get Your Major General On The Phone (Part Two)

    An emptyugh came out of his chest. He really had no idea how it felt to marry a rich woman who was financially independent. Did he appear as he married her to step up the socialdder? He was lucky that his original family was financially well then.


    It took Lee more than one hour to arrive at Kevin''s apartment. He rang the bell to inform Kevin of his arrival. He was undeniably shocked at the sight of his Major General when the door opened though. Their heroic team head was wearing an apron while holding a kitchen knife in his hand. He never saw such things happened in his Army house, thus he suddenly asked himself if it was already the end of the world! What was wrong with his Major General?


    "Stop being idle. Come in. The dishes will be ready soon. Help me clean the house after you eat." Kevin walked quickly to the kitchen as soon as he let Lee in and finished his words. He did not have time to care about Lee''s astonished expression. The dish on the stove was about to be over-cooked!


    It was the first time for Lee to step into this house after Kevin got married. He was afraid that he might meet the hostess, so he was a little over-cautious as he looked around. He had never talked to Leena and had merely seen her from a long distance once. "What are you waiting for? Go and get the bowls." He was still stagnant as Kevin took what he cooked from the stove. A slight frown formed on Kevin''s face as he saw Lee was still in shock and did nothing.


    "Major General, is your wife not home?" Lee finally found the strength to move and follow Kevin around the kitchen.


    "No. She''s in Paris. She has a dissertation to deal with. I wouldn''t have called you here if she were home," Kevin replied. He did not need to take care of everything at home when Leena was around. She would usually arrange everything for their house on set. It was something he never got to think of until she was not home. Now he realized that it was not an easy job to run a family. It needed the devotion to make a home.


    "Major General, is your wife still a student?"


    Lee asked curiously. The idea that Leena wasn''t home made himfortable. It was not that he was afraid of Leena, it was just that he did not know how to get along with women from rich families. After all, he had the stereotype that most of them were quite arrogant and they would look down upon other people. He worried that he might offend her without even realizing it. He did not want to get too close to them.


    "Yes. But she will graduate soon. You go and put the rice into the bowls. There is one more soup I''m cooking. We can start the meal as soon as it''s done." Just like Daisy, Kevin was kind to his bodyguard. He never suppressed his men or looked down on them. "Ok. Maybe I can cook the soup!" Lee usually cooked for Kevin whenever they were in the Army Base, thus, he knew his food preference very much.


    "No need. It''ll be done soon. Don''t feel stressed and nervous here. Just be yourself. There''s no difference between here and the army base." Kevin bought many vegetables earlier and stacked them in the fridge. He started cooking right after he was done cleaning their room. He had estimated the time that Lee would take to drive from the Army Base to his home. He knew beforehand that he would reach there around lunchtime.


    "Yes, I see." Lee never really felt nervous around Kevin. The only reason why he hesitated was that he thought Leena was there. He got no clue how to act around her if ever.


    There were not many dishes at lunch but they were enough for two male soldiers. Nevertheless, their meal tasted a whole lot betterpared to their usual lunch in the Army.


    Kevin was not good at cleaning the house but Lee was an expert on it. He even made it look like it was just a piece of cake. Right after lunch, Lee started his work immediately as Kevin went out of the house to deal with some quick businesses. Kevin wasn''t even aware that he forgot his phone. Lee was busy cleaning when the phone on the desk suddenly rang. He quickly picked the phone up at the thought that call might be an emergency. He didn''t even care to check the number. That was how he did his work. It was part of his duty to answer his Major General''s phone whenever he wasn''t around back in the Army Base.


    "Hello! This is Major General Kevin Gu''s number. Who''s that speaking, please?" He answered his boss'' phone while holding a mop on his other hand.


    "This is Louisa Ye. Get your major general on the phone." The way Lee addressed Kevin as Major General made Louisa understand that she was talking to his subordinate. Thus, she talked impatiently and never intended to show any politeness. She always had a condescending manner over regr soldiers. She was the Commander''s daughter after all.


    "Sorry Ma''am, but Major General is not here now. Do you have anything urgent? Can I take a message for you? Or you can callter." Head tilted to one side, Lee answered in a polite manner. Louisa Ye... this caller''s name did somehow ring a bell but he couldn''t recall where he had heard it. He furrowed his brows.


    "Stop it! Just hand the phone to him. I don''t trust your words. Don''t try to fool me." Louisa did not believe that Kevin was not there. She called his private phone and thought that he would bring it with him no matter where he went.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Miss, I am telling the truth. Major General went out and forgot to take his phone. I really don''t know where he is now." Lee kept patient and exined to her. He should be polite because he did not know who she was after all. The fact that she called his major general''s private phone made him think that she probably was his family or friend. Being rude would not be the best route for him if that was the case.


    "Let me tell you this, I am your Commander''s daughter. There will be consequences if you dare to lie to me." In order to get what she wanted, Louisa even mentioned her father to threaten Lee. Her beautiful face was distorted with a deep grimace.


    "What? You are the daughter of the Commander?" Lee screamed in surprise as he secretlyined about her not being just a simple woman. No wonder that her name sounded familiar. But Major General was really not here. Where could he find him in such a short time?


    "Yes, I am. So give the phone to him now. I need to speak to him." Louisa sneeredcently. She always felt superior whenever she spoke with any soldiers. She was in the first ce, their boss'' daughter.


    "Miss Ye, Major General is really not here. I swear! What about this? I will tell him you have called once he''s back and asks him to call you back." Lee became more respectful after hearing Louisa confirmed who she was, but her arrogant tone made him leastfortable.00

 Chapter 847 Get Your Major General On The Phone (Part Three)

    "Really? He is not there? Fine. I''ll call himter! But never let me know if you are lying to me! Hmp!" Just then, Louisa hung the phone up without saying goodbye. She did not even bother to be polite just like how most kids from political families would do.


    "Puff! Just look at how she spoke and behaved! What a crazy woman." Lee grimaced at the phone as if Louisa''s face was on it. So what if she was the Commander''s daughter? She did not earn the reputation by herself. Why was she so arrogant? Considering this, Lee felt


    much relieved. He put the phone back on the table and continued his mopping.


    Based on the house interior design, it wasn''t hard for Lee to tell that Leena liked finer things. Every decoration was delicate; it was like a mirror of her good taste. It made him curious about thedy''s personality even more. He was at that state when the phone ced on the table suddenly rang again, thus, giving him a scare. He hesitated if he should answer it. What if another crazy woman like themander''s daughter was calling? He was really bad at dealing with these arrogant misses but then he could not just let the phone keep ringing. He had no options but to pick it up and answer the call. However, to his surprise, a cute voice greeted him even before he said something.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Hi! Good morning, Kevin!"


    Leena was refreshed from head to foot and even her voice sounded delightful and pleasant.


    "Hello! Major General is not here now. He left his phone when he went out. You can call him againter." It was another woman. But was there something wrong with her brain? Why did she say good morning when it was high in the afternoon? Lee was confused. Where on earth did all these strange womene from?


    "Oh! He is not there? I see. I''m sorry, I thought he answered the phone so I did not think twice before I said something. Don''t feel strange, please."


    Leena stuck out her tongue awkwardly. Screwed! She said good morning to a stranger. Hopefully, he would not think her as a weird person. After all, it was already in the afternoon there. Good morning would be extremely weird.


    "It''s alright. You dialed the right number. This is Major General Gu''s phone. I answered it for him since he is out now. You don''t need to feel sorry about it." Although this woman sounded a bit strange, it was evident too that she was quite polite. She seemed to be a well- educated woman.


    "Well, can you tell me whether he''se back from his mission?"


    Leena did not know who he was but she heard him call Kevin Major General, thus she realized that he was one of Kevin''s men.


    "Yes, we came back yesterday. Is that Leena?" It was easy for Lee to conclude that the woman on the other end cared for his Major General. Besides, he also observed that she knew Kevin''s business well because she mentioned the mission. She must be Leena Leng! Plus, she said good morning and it was still morning in Paris. Lee was not bad at observing people. He was a soldier, thus, he really was supposed to have that ability.


    "Yes, this is Leena Leng. But how''d you know it''s me?" Leena''s face turned red immediately after realizing why the man knew her. Although she was alone and no one could see her, she still could not help feeling shy. Meanwhile, a sense of delight emerged in her heart too.


    "Major General mentioned you before. Leena, Major General went out for some business. Do you have any emergency?" Lee had thought women from prominent families were difficult to deal with. His experience with Louisa was a piece of evidence to it. That idea was wiped off as soon as he began talking with the woman on the phone though. Leena was quite easy-going and polite. Was it because she was rtively special? Lee wondered.


    "Oh! I see. I just want to inform him that I''m safe. Nothing really pressing. I''ll call himter since he is not home." Leena smiled softly. Since theirst serious talk, she promised that she would call him about her safety from time to time. So she decided to make the call to surprise him. It turned out that he left his phone home though.


    "Don''t be so polite with me, Leena. I''ll tell Major General you called once he''s back." Lee said respectfully. Leena was polite to him and he should surely be polite too. People were supposed to get along with each other this way.


    "Yes, please do that. Thank you. Bye-bye!" A gentle smile was still resting on her face when Leena replied. She was not an arrogant woman and was always polite to people no matter who they were.


    "You''re wee. Bye-bye!" Lee hung the phone up. He was d to know Leena was amicable. He answered two calls in such a short time and both of them were daughters from prominent families. But howe the former one was so domineering while thetter one was so easy-going? They were so different from each other. Lee could not help but feel lost in thoughts so that he ended up idly standing while holding the mop.


    "What are you thinking? You seem lost somewhere."


    It was Kevin''s voice that pulled Lee back to reality. It was only then that he noticed his Major General''s hand waving before his face. He didn''t even notice that his superior was back. What was he thinking about?


    "Oh! Major General, you''re back. I''m sorry for being a bit absent-minded." Lee scratched his head awkwardly.


    "Em! I finished the thing and just came back. Are you ok?" Kevin frowned slightly. What was wrong with Lee today? He hadn''t seen him look like that before.


    "I''m fine. Oh! Major General, Miss Ye and your wife Leena called you just now. Leena just hung up a few minutes ago." Lee touched his nose. He had a steadier personalitypared to Mark. Mark was more impatient.


    "What? Leena called me? What did she say?" Kevin ignored the other woman as all he cared about was his little wife. He walked to the table and took his phone.


    "She said she called you to inform you of her safety and nothing emergent. And she would call youter." Now that the Major General did not ask him about Miss Ye, Lee also ignored her and did not take her message to Kevin. Anyway, Kevin already knew that she called him. Whether Major General would call her back or not was not his business anymore.


    "Em! I see. I''m calling her back now." Kevin dialed Leena''s number while speaking. He couldn''t help but smile in delight just by knowing that Leena called.


    "Hello! This is Leena!" Leena was about to go out when her phone suddenly rang. She checked the number and found out it was from Kevin''s phone but she was not sure whether it was Kevin calling or his subordinate. Thus, she answered in a polite voice this time to avoid the awkward situation from happening again. After all, she just made the mistake a few minutes ago.


    "Hey, it''s me. Have you got up?" Kevin never marked his contact list with full names. He only marked them with the first letter of their names as abbreviations. This way, if he lost his phone someday somewhere, he could avoid the risk of his contacts'' details being leaked. That was also the reason why Lee failed to recognize Louisa and Leena when he answered the phone.00000???

 Chapter 848 Not In The Cards For Us (Part One)

    "Yeah. I was told that you were out. Back so soon?" Leena picked up her backpack and flung it over her back as she talked with Kevin on the phone. Then she opened the door and went outside. She looked stylish and pretty in a mint-colored pleated skirt. Her leather boots revealed her long, straight legs.


    "Yeah. I was out for some time when you called. Sounds like you''re going somewhere," Kevin said casually as he heard the sound of her closing the door.


    "Yeah. I''ve got a gentle breeze and clear skies. The weather is glorious and warm. I have half a mind to catch a boat. The Seine is gorgeous this time of year." Leena liked taking a leisurely boat ride on the quietly flowing river, just to organize her thoughts and toe up with some popr designs with her good nose for trends, and calm state of mind.


    "You alone?" Kevin furrowed his brow. He hoped he could keep talking to Leena, and then he wouldn''t have to worry about her.


    "Uh huh. This is almost something I need to be alone for. That way I can think better." She liked to enjoy the elegant tranquility. Then she could feel a different kind of beauty. Leena didn''t want others to disturb her, so she always rented an exclusive boat for sightseeing on the Seine.


    "Mignonne, I knew you would go out today, so I have been waiting for you since early morning." Leaning against the door of the car, Gerard smiled brightly at Leena. She walked quickly over to the waiting figure.


    "Gerard! Why are you here?" Surprised, Leena was thrown for a loop when Gerard greeted her in the parking lot. Unconsciously, she dropped back into conversational French, asking him what he was doing there.


    "Leena," Kevin said in a confused tone, "Who are you talking to?" He frowned and checked the name disyed on his phone screen. Leena was at the other end of the phone, but why did she suddenly switch to an iprehensiblenguage? Kevin was well versed in English, but he was out of his depth when it came to other foreignnguages, so he didn''t know what Leena said. Moreover, he was rather disturbed by the man''s voice in the background.


    "Um... Sorry. I saw someone I know. I have to go. I''ll call you after I get back." Leena didn''t expect Gerard to appear in the parking lot. She lost her head in the moment and didn''t know how to exin Gerard to Kevin, so she hung up the phone before Kevin could say anything.


    "Hello? Leena? Leena?" Kevin got a busy signal, his forehead knotting in a frown. Why did Leena hang up before he could say goodbye? And who was that man? It wasn''t that he was jealous or that he distrusted Leena. He was confused when she suddenly hanged up the phone.


    "Major General, are you alright?" Lee asked in a voice tinged with worry. Kevin looked sullen. ''Did he fight with his wife?'' Lee wondered nervously, ''Is it because of the call I just answered?''


    "Yeah, I''m okay. Stay here today. Then you won''t need toe to pick me up from the army base in the dead of night." Kevin smiled at Lee. It would be conspicuous to drive his limo to the army base, so Lee drove him around in the military vehicle. It just made sense. "Okay. Major General, I''ll make dinner." Both Lee and Mark were simple and honest. This was why they were chosen as security guards.


    "Okay. Make yourself at home. I have to finish up some work." Kevin kept thinking about Leena as he went upstairs. No matter how worried he was, he could do nothing but wait for her next call as they were far away from each other.


    "Got it." Lee felt relieved. He''d get the house clean in no time, but he still thought about the call from Louisa. He wondered if she would vent her anger on him if Kevin didn''t call her back. As a matter of fact, he didn''t need to worry about it, because she would call again even if Kevin didn''t call her back.


    Kevin heard his ringtone as he walked into the study. He particrly liked the tune, and paid a premium for it when it appeared on the app store. Excited, he picked it up, expecting to hear Leena on the other end.


    "Hey, didn''t you say that you would call me after you get home? Back so soon?" A ghost of affection touched Kevin''s lips, but he didn''t feel any sense of affection. All he felt was anxious.


    "Kevin, it''s me. What are you talking about? When did I tell you I was going anywhere?" Louisa frowned, totally confused.


    "Ah, sorry. I thought you were... Forget it. Miss Ye, why did you call?" Kevin deliberately kept Louisa at arm''s length, and spoke to her politely and respectfully although she had repeatedly asked him to call her by her name. It was a sticking point with him. He thought if he were too familiar with her, the girl would take it wrong. A young girl''s crush was nothing to take lightly.


    "Kevin, I''m going to get pissed if you don''t call me by my real name. I''m not a stranger. Just call me Louisa," she pouted angrily. ''Why does he treat me that way?'' muttered Louisa, ''Why does he always sound distant? My dad is themander. Is he afraid of my dad?'' "Sorry, Miss Ye. I''ll remember it next time. Please don''t hold it against me," Kevin apologized, but he still called Louisa ''Miss Ye''. Obviously, he didn''t take Louisa''s words seriously.


    "Hey! Forget it. Are you free tonight, Kevin? How about dinner? I need to thank you for giving me that valuable ne." Louisa gave up forcing Kevin to change his way of addressing her at the moment. Anyway, she had all the time in the world. He would change after she won his heart. She smiled at this thought.


    "Miss Ye, it''s just a small gift. Don''t mention it." If Kevin had known that giving Louisa a gift would cause such amotion, he would have been more careful about giving it to her.


    "I don''t care, Kevin. Anyway, pleasee with me to dinner. I won''t take no for an answer." Louisa was stubborn and overbearing. She couldn''t handle rejection, so she refused to let anyone say no.


    "Fine. Since you insist, I have to agree. Name the time and ce. I''ll be there." Kevin thought this way. Since he couldn''t refuse Louisa, he''d better settle this matter as soon as possible, otherwise she''d pester him again and again. That was the kind of person Kevin was. He didn''t like to spend too much time on someone that had nothing to do with him. He was simr to Edward on this.


    "Really? You''re saying yes? Thank God! See you at Mochan Restaurant at seven, then." Louisa was so excited that she sprang from the bed. ''Great! Since he agreed this time, he won''t say no afterwards. I''ll win his heart little by little.'' Louisa was ecstatic at the thought. "Okay. See you tonight. Bye." Kevin hung up the phone with a worried look before Louisa could say anything. It urred to him that Lee just said that he would cook him dinner, so he decided to go downstairs and let Lee know he had an appointment tonight. "Major General, why are you downstairs? I made some tea. I would have brought it up to you." Lee, holding the tea tray in his hands, was surprised to see Kevining slowly down the stairs.


    "Well, I need to go out tonight. So I guess you''re on your own for dinner. Hand me the tray, please. I''ll bring it up to the study. Get some rest." Kevin walked up to Lee and took the tea tray from his hands.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Major General, do you need me to tag along? I can pour your tea for you," Lee teased. He couldn''t resist asking, although he knew that Kevin liked to act alone.


    "No, I''ll go by myself. It''s not anything important. I''m just having dinner with someone. Well, I have to get back to work. Remember to remind me at 6 PM." After stating his piece, Kevin turned around and went upstairs. He looked more handsome in his crisp military uniform.


    "Okay. I see." Lee nced at his watch briefly, only to find that it would soon be 5 PM. It wouldn''t be long before 6 PM rolled around.


    Kevin arrived at the Mochan Restaurant at seven as agreed. He had changed his olive-green military uniform into casual clothes, which made him look even more charming. "Over here!" Louisa waved at Kevin as he scanned the restaurant.


    "Sorry to keep you waiting." Kevin walked up to Louisa and took a seat. Louisa arrived first. As a cultured gentleman, he made an apology although he knew he wasn''tte.


    "It''s okay. I just arrived myself. It''s my honor to invite you to dinner." Louisa looked terrific tonight. In a full-length silky dress, she appeared to be less overbearing.????????????????

 Chapter 849 Not In The Cards For Us (Part Two)

    "I''m ttered, Miss Ye. You invited me again and again, and I was embarrassed to keep refusing you. I deeply appreciate your kindness." Kevin gave a mocking smile. "Sorry. You must think I''m annoying." Shyly looking askance at Kevin, Louisa pursed her lips.


    "No, no. Don''t get me wrong." Kevin exined anxiously. No matter how much he wanted to ignore Louisa, he didn''t hate her, at least.


    "Good. Look, Kevin, this is the ne you gave me. It looks beautiful on me, doesn''t it?" Louisa reached out to touch the ne around her neck. She didn''t want to model the ne for him, but instead directed his attention to herrge breasts. "Yeah. It looks good." Kevin cast an indifferent look at the ne. He didn''t allow his fancy to run wild, and the expression in his eyes was so pure, like a dustless crystal.


    "I must say that you have good taste, Kevin. This is the new popr style in Europe and America this year. You''re a major general. I didn''t expect you to have such a keen sense of fashion." Louisa disyed a charming smile. She didn''t mind Kevin''s indifference. She thought that all sessful men had a massive ego, so she could understand why Kevin was cold to her.


    "I''m d you like it. But you overestimate me. I know nothing about thetest trends. I didn''t choose it personally. Someone else helped me buy it." Kevin exined slowly.


    "I really like it though! Thank you so much!" Louisa bowed her head shyly, appearing to be lovingly pathetic.


    "You''re wee. Let''s order something. Dinner''s on me tonight." Kevin picked up the menu and studied it.


    "No, no. As I said on the phone, it''s my treat. How can I let you pay the bill? Order whatever you like. Don''t hold back because of me." Louisa rubbed her hands anxiously.


    "That''s certainly very generous of you, Louisa. Then I''ll order the most expensive dishes." Kevin threw a joking nce at Louisa. Instead of ordering the most expensive dishes as he said, he just ordered some more reasonably priced ones.


    "Good idea. How are your dishwashing skills? We might need to wash the dish to pay for the dinner then." Louisa knew he was joking, so she didn''t worry that Kevin would do as he threatened.


    "You aren''t nervous about it?" Kevin smiled at Louisa. He knew that she was trying to seduce him, but he only regarded her as his sister. He knew clearly that he was a married man now.


    "I won''t be afraid as long as you''re by my side. I''m willing to do everything with you." Louisa cast a shy look at Kevin, wondering if he had feelings for her.


    "Rx. It''s just a joke." Kevin couldn''t help chuckling. Enchanted by his wicked smile, Louisa stared fixedly at him. He was very handsome in his military uniform, and he was even more charming in casual clothes.


    "I know that you wouldn''t do that to me." Louisa gave a giggle of delight. She felt that she was closer to him.


    "Of course. You''re just like my sister. I wouldn''t do that to her either." That was the reason why Kevin told that joke. He wanted to take this opportunity to make his position known, lest Louisa indulged in her own wishful thinking. He wasn''t avable. He was a happily married man.


    "Kevin, do you just see me as your sister?" Louisa bit her lip. She didn''t want to be Kevin''s sister. She wanted to marry him and be his only wife.


    "Why, don''t you want to be my sister? I thought you''d jump at the chance. You''re just like family." Kevin never gave others hope. He deliberately kept Louisa at a distance once he found that Louisa had feelings for him. He knew that his refusal would make Louisa feel sad, but he had to nip her love in the bud before it got out of hand. Unrequited crushes never ended well.


    "No! It might be what other girls want, but not me! You know I like you, right? So you said that to kill my hope." Louisa raised her head and fixed her gaze on Kevin nervously. She was afraid that what she said was right.


    "Yes. Sorry I can''t give you the romantic rtionship that you want. It''s not in the cards for us." Kevin told the truth frankly. Since Louisa had guessed already, he didn''t need to hide anything.


    "At least tell me why?" Louisa spoke with tears in her eyes, her voice choked and thick. Kevin was the first man that she lost her heart to. She wouldn''t give up easily.


    "Don''t you know why? I''m married." Worry wrinkled Kevin''s forehead. It seemed that Louisa knew nothing about this. Didn''t her dad let her know?


    "What? That''s impossible! You''re kidding, right? Even if you don''t like me, you can''t make jokes about it." Louisa firmly believed that Kevin was lying to her. How could he be married? Why didn''t she hear that he had been married?


    "It''s no joke. It''s all true. I got married before you got back here. You were abroad at the time. You can ask themander. Then you will know it isn''t a lie." Kevin turned his head. He knew that Louisa must be heartbroken as he refused her, but he had to tell her clearly before she made a bigger mistake.


    "I don''t believe it. It''s too much! I want to meet this wife of yours. I won''t believe you until I see her." Louisa shook her head in disbelief. The answer was so cruel that she could hardly swallow it.


    "Sorry, no can do. She''s in France. But I swear that everything I say is true," Kevin said in a serious tone. He didn''t have anything to do with Louisa, really. Why did she only have eyes for him?


    "See, the ''she'' you mentioned is a fictional character. I know it''s a lie." Louisa turned tears into smiles and deliberately distorted what Kevin said. Her voice was still thick with grief, and sheughed mirthlessly, desperately.


    "Miss Ye, as I said, she is in France. She is real, not a fictional character." Kevin pinched his forehead nervously. It was a tiring thing to exin to a woman who wasn''t in her right mind. Many people around turned to look at them, confused at the scene she was making. Louisa had gotten audibly louder in her outrage.


    "Stop that. I won''t believe it. Taste this. It''s yummy." Louisa sniffed back her tears and smiled as if she didn''t hear what Kevin said. She put some food onto his te for him to try.


    "Are you alright, Miss Ye?" Kevin asked cautiously. He thought Louisa would kick up a fuss, but he was surprised to find that she pulled it together. She recovered quickly, and her voice dropped down to a more normal level.


    "Yes, I''m fine. Forget it. Let''s eat." Louisa grinned beautifully. Deep in her heart, she wished to p hard the woman who got married with Kevin.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Good to hear it. I thought you wouldn''t let it go." Kevin breathed a sigh of relief as he mistakenly thought that Louisa had epted this fact. He was d that she didn''t go to extremes, or he really wouldn''t know how to exin it to themander.


    "Rx. I''m okay. But I won''t believe a bit of this before I see your wife." Louisa clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. She never expected her love toe to an end before it started. It was thest thing that she could ept. She was proud and stubborn under that pliant exterior. How could she give up so easily? She wouldn''t allow such a tragic thing to happen to her.


    "Miss Ye, this is allpletely unnecessary. It doesn''t matter if you believe it or not, it''s just water under the bridge. You have so many good men to choose from. Don''t waste your time on me." Kevin felt helpless. Louisa stubbornly closed her ears to everything he said.00000000000

 Chapter 850 Leenas Wet Adventure (Part One)

    "I don''t want them. I want you. None of them will do me any good. I want nothing to do with them," said Louisa bitterly. Louisa filled a ss of wine, and drank it in one gulp. Suddenly she coughed violently.


    "Louisa, are you alright? Don''t rush," said Kevin in concern. Kevin grabbed the bottle from Louisa and set it in front of him, for fear that she might get drunk. He hadn''t realized that Louisa ordered wine until the waiter brought the bottle and put it on the table. "Leave me alone. Let me get drunk, and I''ll feel better," said Louisa. She stretched out her hand, trying to grab the bottle, but was prevented by Kevin. She looked pathetically miserable now.


    "So what good is it if you drink yourself to death? Will it change anything? Look, I''m grateful for how well you''ve treated me. And I''m ttered. But we can''t have any other more intimate rtionship. Get it?" said Kevin brusquely. If Louisa wasn''t the daughter of themander, Kevin would have turned his back and walked away rather than spend several hours trying to convince her.


    "Kevin, did that woman seduce you? Otherwise, why would you marry her so suddenly?" From the first moment that Louisa was introduced to Kevin, she had regarded him as her future husband. She thought she owned him. Nevertheless, unexpectedly and surprisingly, another woman appeared and took Kevin away. It was a serious blow to her ego.


    "Louisa, please watch your mouth. Don''t speak that way about my wife, although you''re allowed to judge me freely. She''s the most innocent and uplicated girl I have ever met. Besides, I never promised you anything, or tried to impress you as a suitor or husband. I never intended to deceive you." Kevin started to get impatient. He had only met Louisa for several times, and it would be ridiculous if Louisa thought they had already fallen in love with each other. ''Why is she acting like she''s been abandoned?'' Kevin wondered.


    "I felt drawn to you the first time I saw you. I have never given up on you for all those years. Don''t I look innocent and uplicated to you?" While Kevin tried to defend his wife from unreasonable usations, Louisa started to lose her temper, and things were spiraling out of control.


    "People can''t be forced to love or hate someone. Besides, I never tried to impress you or make you love me. So, don''t pull that with me," said Kevin indifferently. "It''s not going to work. We can''t be together. Just ept it." He shot a cold nce at Louisa who seemed hysterical. He wondered how the ever smart and sensiblemander could bring up such a muddleheaded daughter.


    "I know you never forced me in any way. But I thought you would stay unmarried for me, and when I came back, I would bare my heart to you. However, I was toote to do that," she said in a trembling voice. She had never been refused by a man before. Other men would dly or reluctantly try to please her for the sake of her powerful father. However, Kevin was different, maybe that exined Kevin''s charismatic personality, and why she thought he was marriage material.


    "Still, you shouldn''t have done that for me. Let me give you a piece of advice: find another suitable husband and get married. We''re so different. We have nothing inmon. Find someone better than me." "You''re not the only person who regrets the bad timing of confessing love,'' thought Kevin to himself, remembering his own romance. However, he knew he couldn''t force anyone to love him. So, he chose to let her go and moved on. Now, he was happy to see the girl he once loved live a happy life with her husband, but miserable when he thought of what could have been.


    "Kevin, I won''t give up on you so easily. A sweet word from me in daddy''s ear can advance your career," said Louisa sternly. Louisa barely listened to Kevin. So, he had wasted his time in persuading her.


    "Don''t bother. I know where my career''s going and what should I do. I don''t need help from anyone. Now, let me get you home. We can talk after you sober up," said Kevin. He sighed, and was afraid that a drunk and depressed girl might get herself into trouble. However, he was being kind and nice to Louisa for the sake of her father.


    "No, I don''t want to go home. I always get what I want. But you''re the exception. There''s no way I can persuade you. If I had known what you told me today, I would rather live a life with a pipe dream. You are so mean to destroy my hopes with the fact like that." Louisa finally broke down and wept, tears streaking her lovely face. Since they were at a corner table, her crying didn''t draw curious nces.


    "One day you''ll wake up and realize I''m right. If I hadn''t let you know, would you think you can deceive yourself with a pipe dream forever? Don''t be a fool," said Kevin impatiently. Kevin decided to tell Louisa bluntly about everything she deserved to know, because it was time for her to stop clinging to him, to move on and find a suitable lover or husband. Kevin was different from other men and he found it embarrassing and frustrating to be loved and adored by many women. So, he was always alert and careful. He wouldn''t give in to his impulses. Any indecent ideas would be stifled by him, and no hope was left to those women wooing him.


    "I don''t want to wake up to your cold remarks. Anyway, you''re mine, married or not," said Louisa, suppressing her uncontroble anger and disappointment. She wasn''t used to not getting her way, and this was tearing her apart. She desperately wanted to meet the woman who took Kevin away from her, vowing to make her pay the price and suffer.


    "Louisa, listen. I belong to nobody but myself, whether I''m married or not. Well, quit making such a fuss. It''s time to go home," said Kevin sullenly. Kevin beckoned to the waiter to bring the bill, and paid it straightaway. A few momentster, he took Louisa''s arm with one hand, and grabbed her backpack with the other hand, and walked her out of the restaurant, heedless of her protests.


    "Kevin, you must have some feelings for me. If not, you wouldn''t give a damn about my safety," said Louisa tedly, still obstinately clinging to an unattainable hope. Now, they were approaching the car.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "Get in," said Kevin impatiently. He opened the car door, and pushed her inside the back seat, for fear that she might go mad and make a scene when she heard what he was going to say.


    "Yeah, now I''m sure that you care for me," said Louisa, with a broad smile on her face. She hadn''t asked too much from Kevin, and a bit of love from him was enough. Then, her confidence would be greatly boosted for her to turn the tables.


    Kevin was stupefied for a few seconds by Louisa''s remarks. Then, he also got in the car, saying nothing else. He found it difficult to deal with a girl as over-confident and obstinate as Louisa. She always came up with some strange ideas. She couldn''t be persuaded easily. Talking some sense into her might be extremely difficult, or even impossible.


    On the way home Louisa waspletely quiet. Perhaps she was paralyzed with the thought of Kevin changing his mind, or getting annoyed. So, she tried to not look him in the eye, and caught sight of him driving and looking sullen when she thought he wouldn''t notice. Girls are allowed to be mischievous, but it doesn''t mean that others have to tolerate this mischief unconditionally. Now, Kevin was getting impatient about Louisa''s obstinacy and unreasonable actions and her careless remarks. He wasn''t in the mood to exin anything further to her, since he had never showed her much affection in the past, and certainly wouldn''t do so in the future. As a matter of fact, Louisa might have been a stranger to Kevin, if she weren''t the daughter of his superior.


    "Here we are. You can get out. I''m not gonnae inside with you," said Kevin coldly. Kevin pulled over outside the gate of the residentialmunity, which was totally different from the residential building in the army base, since some of those high-ranking military officers lived here. So, it was highly guarded.


    "Kevin, I''m really sorry. I said that I would buy you dinner tonight, but I screwed up such a beautiful night. But I''ll make up for that," said Louisa apologetically. On the way home she was calcting everything. She thought about how she acted. Now she was calm mentally, and had realized that her behavior at the restaurant must have disgusted and annoyed Kevin.


    "Don''t bother. We''re good. Bye. Have a nice night," answered Kevin expressionlessly. He refused to spend another night having dinner with her. He would be out of his mind to do so.


    "I got it. I really made a fool of myself tonight. I apologize if I offended you. I won''t do that again, I promise. Please don''t turn me down," said Louisa sincerely but awkwardly. Louisa looked Kevin in the eye uneasily. He looked cold and menacing, which sent chills to her heart. "Louisa, if you stop embarrassing yourself and start to treat me like a brother, maybe we can be friends. If not, we shouldn''t see each other again," said Kevin sincerely. At that moment, Kevin thought of Leena, her approachable personality and cuteness. She had never made trouble for him. Willful as she was sometimes, she wasn''t an unreasonable and demanding girl.00

 Chapter 851 Leenas Wet Adventure (Part Two)

    "Alright. I can be your sister. Don''t break your word, and start to take good care of me from today on," said Louisa cheerfully. She forced a contented smile on her face. Anyway she was happy to be his sister, at least for now. She had been offered the opportunity to turn the tables. "I never break my word. As long as you stop treating me like a suitor, then we can get along. Remember, I''m married and off-limits as a love interest," answered Kevin seriously. The gift really showed who Kevin was. He always did what he said, and he promised her a birthday present. But, after he agreed to hang out with Louisa on asion, Leena might get jealous and even heartbroken. But he didn''t even think about this.


    "I see. So bro, I''d like to have dinner with you again. It would be rude to turn your sister down, right?" said Louisa, putting a charming smile on her face. When she stopped being hysterical, she looked soft and beautiful.


    "Yeah as long as I have the time," he answered carefully. As far as he was concerned, Louisa was every bit as willful and mischievous as his own sister.


    "Goodbye, bro," said Louisa gratefully. She knew she shouldn''t push Kevin too much. Being nice and considerate might be a workable strategy when she tried to win his heart. Yeah, she could do this, she decided. She waved at him, turned and walked away. "Bye," said Kevin. When Louisa''s voluptuous figure disappeared from his sight, Kevin got in his car and drove away. He felt relieved now that he and Louisa had made an agreement. However, he had no idea that Louisa wanted much more than what he could offer. In Leena''s mind, clear skies and beautiful clouds were always the most stunning scenery, making a strong contrast with the blue sea and the brightly-colored flowers. Leena''s mouth twitched, looking at all those beautiful things. Nevertheless, what troubled her mind was the guy who kept harassing her and following her wherever she went.


    She wouldn''t be bored by the charming scenery on two sides of the River Seine, and everything looked as wonderful as seeing it for the first time, perhaps because of the weather, the culture and the people.


    "Mignonne, when will you go back to China?" Gerard asked Leena anxiously and tentatively. Gerard was afraid that Leena might not be charmed and fall in love with him if she were to leave France soon.


    "I don''t know. Maybe in a month. Actually, I''m not sure. Maybe I''ll leave sooner, as long as I''m allowed to graduate. Why do you ask?" answered Leena. Leena liked the feeling of boarding a boat and cruising the River Seine, which might inspire her designs. The conversation didn''t break her stride at all. She continued to draw and dip the brush as she talked to Gerard.


    "I''m afraid that you might leave without letting me know," answered Gerard. He smiled awkwardly, like a shy boy at his first date. He still hadn''t figured out her unique differences from other designers who usually chose quiet environment to work. On the contrary, Leena liked traveling and inserting new elements into her designs, and created entirely new works, which was awesome as far as Gerard was concerned.


    "Don''t worry. I''ll let you know before I leave," said Leena in a reassuring tone. Leena smiled sweetly. After Gerard promised that he wouldn''t try to hit on her anymore, her attitude towards him changed. He was just a regr guy, and she could treat him with the same respect she showed to everybody.


    "Alright. Then I''ll drive you to the airport and say goodbye," said Gerard. A month was enough time to enchant Leena, or at least persuade her to stay in France. Gerard knew this was hisst chance. If his strategies didn''t work, he had to let her go.


    "Thank you. You''re so nice," said Leena. It was still too early to be sure about what she would do or not do in theing months. However, she still thanked him sincerely. Then, she raised her hand to pull her stray hair behind the ears. At that moment, the wind blew her design draft away, and into the air. She stretched out her hand immediately, trying to grab it, since it was too important for her graduation thesis to be lost in a river. Then, she lost her bnce, teetering on the rail.


    "Mignonne, watch out!" shouted Gerard. However, it was toote. Leena fell into the water with a ssh.


    It never urred to Leena that she would be so stupid to fall into water identally. Even in the daytime, the water was freezing. Although Paris had a pleasant oceanic climate, without an insanely hot summer or severely cold winter, the temperature of water in river was still low. Luckily, Leena could swim, and her life wasn''t in danger. Unexpectedly, Gerard jumped into the water without a second thought to save her.


    "Mignonne, are you alright?" Gerard gave it his all, lifting Leena over the rail and onto the boat, with assistance from other sailors. Fortunately, the rail wasn''t high. Otherwise, they would have to give up trying to get her back on board, and try to swim towards the bank with her in tow.


    "I''m fine. Thank you," answered Leena in a trembling voice due to the cold. Her dress was wet and now clinging to her slender body, which drew admiring nces from the sailors.


    "We bettere back to shore," said Gerard worriedly. Gerard took a nket from a sailor, and hastily draped it around Leena''s body. Her lips and face were drained of color. She was really cold.


    "Yeah, We should do that," she answered. Leena wrapped the nket tightly around her body, and her face went extremely pale. Her whole body was as cold as ice, as she was wet from head to foot.


    "Are you still cold?" asked Gerard. He had already taken off his coat. At the sight of a bath towel in a sailor''s hand and seeing Leena tremble from head to foot, Gerald grabbed the towel and put it on her body to keep her warm.


    "Thank you, Gerard. You saved my life," said Leena gratefully. Leena put on a forced smile on her face. She didn''t refuse Gerard''s kindness, as she knew French men were usually strong.


    "Well, we''re friends, aren''t we?" Gerard looked at her face passionately, and stopped himself from wanting to hold her in his arms and kiss her. He was happy to know that Leena began to warm up to him.


    "Yeah, we''re good friends," answered Leena, echoing Gerard''s words. Leena wiped her hair with the towel to hide her embarrassment. A cold wind was blowing from the east, she felt cold and sneezed.


    Leena changed and took a hot shower as soon as she got home. Besides, she also cooked hot ginger soup to try and banish the chill. She had always been a frail girl since the childhood, and was easy to get cold and fall ill. Today, thanks to her falling into the water, she got a bad cold,plete with a runny nose. She had already used up a whole box of tissues to blow her nose. In addition to all that, she felt dizzy and weak. At the thought of redoing her design draft that was swept out to the river, she had to choke back her tears. She needed to fight against her physical fatigue and difort, sit at the table and try to finish her work, in case she forgot all those creative ideas when she woke up the next morning.


    "Ah-choo! Dammit!" Leena had to blow her reddening noise, and felt even more ufortable as she felt the burn of abraded skin. She resisted the urge to go to bed, and continued to concentrate on her unfinished draft. She didn''t drop the pen and climb to her bed until an hourter when she finally finished all of her work. She was exhausted.


    When shey down on the bed and felt the soft cotton sheet against her skin, a sense of weakness swept over her, and brought tears to her eyes. She had been coddled and loved by her family since she was born. Besides, she became sentimental whenever she fell sick. It was normal for her. She made no pretensions of being anyone else.


    However, it suddenly urred to her that she missed Kevin so much. If she couldn''t enjoy hispany, hearing his voice was good enough tofort her. Excited by the idea, she forgot that it was after midnight in her home country. With an eager desire, she called Kevin over the phone. When she realized what she was doing and was about to hang up her mobile phone, she heard Kevin''s sleepy voice and there was no way for her to backtrack now.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    "Hello! This is Kevin. Who''s that?" asked Kevin. He was awakened by the noise of his mobile phone. Before checking his phone and figuring out who was calling, he picked it up and answered it.


    "Kevin, it''s me. I''m sorry to call you in the middle of night. I forgot it was past two in the morning there," Leena answered apologetically. Hearing Kevin''s voice on the phone, she had to refrain from sobbing, and she got hoarse and trembled. You could hear it in her voice. "Good morning, sweetie, what''s up? Are you crying? What happened?" Kevin jumped to his feet immediately, and any drowsiness he felt vanished. The fact that Leena called him sote at night, sobbing, worried him a lot.00000

 Chapter 852 I Miss You (Part One)

    "Nothing, I just miss home all of a sudden." Leena sniffed. Her voice was husky. Her words didn''t sound all that convincing to Kevin.


    "Really? You''re just homesick? Leena, don''t lie to me, that doesn''t sound like you." Kevin got out of bed and walked to the terrace. He wanted the cold breeze to wake him up more.


    "I really just want to be home with --" Before Leena finished talking, the cough betrayed her and exposed her true condition. There was no hiding that she had a cold.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    "You''re sick. Is it serious? Have you taken anything for it?" He fired a battery of questions at her, with a look of worry on his handsome face.


    "I''m okay, I will feel better after a good night''s sleep." Hearing his worried voice, Leena felt warmer, and less sad in her heart.


    "Weren''t you alright this morning? Why did you suddenly get sick?" Kevin frowned. He was not with her so he didn''t know whether it was serious or not.


    "Because I got wet." Leena took some tissue to wipe her runny nose. She felt her body bing hot and her head dizzy. She even didn''t have any strength to speak now. The cold was trying to have its way with her.


    "Wet? How?" From the rain? Or did you go for a swim?" Hearing her trailing voice, Kevin paced to and fro anxiously.


    "No, I identally fell into the Seine. Nothing serious." Leena coughed. She didn''t know how to lie, so she just frankly told him the truth.


    "What? Are you alright? Have you seen the doctor?" Leena''s words worried Kevin even more. He felt helpless. She was so far away, and he was unable to reach her, to hold her, and be with her. He was agitated like an ant in a hot pan. When he heard she fell into the river, he could imagine how frightened she was at the moment. His heart trembled at the thought. But he thought it had something to do with the fact that he felt guilty as well.


    "Not yet. Kevin, I miss you. But I can barely keep my eyes open. I want to sleep. Talk to you when I get up, okay?" Leena became more dizzy, she couldn''t think clearly now. Her hand which held the phone started drooping, as she was too weak to hold it to her ear. "Leena, don''t sleep now. Take some medicine before you nod off, okay? Leena..." Kevin constantly called her name, but he heard only silence in return. Although she didn''t hang up, she didn''t speak either. He listened carefully, and could hear loud breathing through a clogged nose.


    Kevin had never felt so scared before. It was the first time that Leena had said she missed him. But she was having a miserable time right now. Should he feel sad or touched?


    The annoying ringtones pulled Duke from his dreams. He reached out his hand to fumble for his cellphone on the bedside table, eyes still closed. When his fumbling finally produced the cellphone, he put it to his ear and said hello. The phone still rang in his ear, which confounded him. Then he realized what he''d done. He frowned and epted the call.


    "Hi..." Duke was still in a daze. The call also woke up Belinda. She opened his sleepy eyes and asked, "Who is calling?"


    "Duke, it''s me, Kevin. I''m so sorry to call you sote." This was the best way Kevin could think of to deal with Leena. Kevin wasn''t very familiar with Paris, nor did he have any friends there. But Duke was different. He was a businessman, so Kevin assumed that he must know a lot of people around the world.


    "What happened?" Duke patted Belinda''s back and leaned on the back of the bed.


    "Here''s the thing. Leena just called me. She is sick, and she passed out during the call. I think you might be familiar with Paris. Could you find someone you know in Paris and ask him or her to check whether Leena is okay?" d in a casual suit, Kevin no longer felt sleepy after he got Leena''s call.


    "What, didn''t she see the doctor? She should be more careful." At the news, Duke immediately rolled out of bed and rooted around in the wardrobe for some clothes to wear.


    "No, she said she was all wet because she fell into the Seine River during the day. She caught a cold because of this. She didn''t take anything for it." Kevin sighed. If he weren''t a soldier he''d be at the airport right now. But he had an obligation to stick around. The country was his boss, and he didn''t get time off to deal with family emergencies.


    "Okay, I get it. I''ll ask someone to check on her immediately. We''ll talkter." Finished with the call, Duke hung up immediately. Then he dialed a familiar number. When the person on the other end picked up, he exined why he called in fluent French, and threw the phone on the bed. He began to throw some clothes on.


    Belinda stirred. "Where are you going?" She asked Duke doubtfully when she saw Duke put on his clothes. She was confused, disoriented from being jarred awake. "Leena is sick, I have to fly to Paris now. I''m pretty worried about her, being there alone." Duke walked back to the bedside and nted a gentle kiss on Belinda''s lips. "What? Is it serious? I can drive you to the airport." Belinda suddenly got very anxious because of Duke''s remarks. She was ready to leave the bed.


    "You don''t have to go. I asked the driver to take me there. Have a good rest. I''ll be back soon." Duke stopped her from getting up. Although he had asked his friend who was also a doctor in Paris to check on Leena, he wouldn''t rest easy if he didn''t see her safe and sound himself.


    "Okay, I''ll pack you an overnight bag. Get a shower before you go." Belinda jumped off the bed immediately. She took out his suitcase and put some necessities into it for Duke.


    "Okay, don''t pack too much. I can get almost everything I need in Paris." Duke nced at Belinda''s anxious face and walked towards the washroom. When he came out of the washroom, he looked tidy and refreshed. Belinda had already packed the suitcase. "You really don''t need me to go to the airport with you?" Belinda raised her head and gazed at Duke. Her eyes were full of affection and anxiousness.


    "Stay here. I''m leaving now. If I miss this flight, I have to wait another 8 hours to catch the next flight." Duke embraced her with love. He gave her an affectionate kiss before he took up his suitcase and walked out of the bedroom. He never procrastinated, but always acted in the moment. When it was time to go, he left.


    "Duke, take care! Call me when you arrive." Reluctant to part with him, Belinda followed him to the gate and asked him to be careful.


    "It''ll be okay. I''ll take care of everything." Duke turned around and gave her an reassuring smile, then left without hesitation.


    Totally ignorant of what was happening at Duke''s ce, Kevin was still circling around in his house anxiously. He wanted to call Duke to ask how things were going. But he felt it was not cool to call him again in such a short time. It would take time for Duke to find someone to check on Leena, so the only thing he could do now was wait.


    He was absorbed deeply in his thoughts when he thought of what Leena said to him. She said she missed him. It was not difficult for him to figure out what she was trying to say. Probably she had unwittingly fallen in love with him. But the problem was how much love could he repay her with?


    Time ticked by and there was still no word. Kevin now had the urge to call themander to ask for a leave. But when thinking of the parade which would take ce on National Day two dayster, he had to give up on that idea. Fortunately, he received a text message from Duke, saying that he was at the international airport now, and he would take the earliest and fastest flight to Paris and asked him to wait for more news.


    After reading the text, Kevin felt even more guilty. Leena was his wife, and the person who was supposed to save her should be Kevin, not her brother Duke. Unlike othermon people who could leave as they wanted, he was a soldier and he must obey the rules. He couldn''t do anything about it. But no matter what, Duke''s message made him worry less. He also realized how much Duke cared for his only sister.


    It was not the first time Duke ended up in Paris. He was very familiar with the city. And it was not very difficult for him to find Leena. He bought the house himself, the house which Leena was now living in. But to his surprise, he saw another man in the house when he arrived.0000000

 Chapter 853 I Miss You (Part Two)

    "Mignonne, I made some meat porridge for you. Have some. I learned how to cook it from the inte." Gerard worried that Leena might get sick, so he came to see her early in the morning. He was right -- Leena really got sick after being soaked in the water yesterday. That was unfortunate. "Thanks, Gerard. But I don''t have any appetite now." When Leena woke up, she saw the private doctor Duke had sent there. Obviously Kevin had called Duke. She had thought to call them and tell them she was okay after she felt better. But she fell asleep again. She even didn''t know when the doctor left. She didn''t wake up until she heard the doorbell ring. When she looked through the peephole, she was surprised to see it was Gerard. As she was sick now and might need some help, she opened the door.


    "Mignonne, you''d better eat something. This should help you recover more quickly," Gerard said as he tried to lift Leena off the bed. But as soon as he reached out his hand, he was stopped by a sudden shout.


    "Stop! What are you doing?" Duke appeared, suitcase in hand, looking weary after the long journey. He stared hard at Gerard as if he were a bad guy.


    "Duke, you''re here!" When Leena saw Duke, she was overjoyed. She didn''t expect that she would see him so soon.


    "How could I not be here? You''re as sick as a dog!" Duke put down his suitcase and rushed towards Gerard, tackling him and pushing him away from the bed. Gerard fell in a heap. Duke then ced his palm on Leena''s forehead. He felt relieved when he found that her fever was gone.


    "I''m fine. I feel better after taking the injection and medicine." Leena grabbed his hand excitedly. It seemed that even though she was married, she was still as important in his heart as she was before.


    "You have some nerve saying that. Why didn''t you call the doctor in the first ce?" Duke pinched her pale face with affection. Seeing that she was fine, he finally felt relieved. He had been worried all the way here.


    "Mignonne, this is..." Gerard wasn''t sure how to proceed. His face was also pale. Different from Leena''s pale face, he was frightened by Duke''s sudden appearance. He was wondering whether this man was Leena''s husband. He got up carefully, making sure nothing was broken.


    "Oh! He is my --" Duke cut her off.


    "Hi! I''m Duke Leng, nice to meet you. Thanks for taking care of her for me." Before Leena could finish, Duke interrupted and introduced himself to Gerard in French. He didn''t like Kevin, but he detested foreign men more. He was certain that this foreign man didn''t know Leena''s full name. So he wouldn''t know Duke''s real rtionship with Leena.


    "Hi, I''m Gerard. Mignonne is my friend. I feel obliged to look after her." Gerard was a little unhappy. But he knew he paled inparison with the inborn noble manner of Duke. Even he didn''t want to ept the fact, he had to admit that Duke was better than him. "That''s very kind of you. But I''ll be frank. Since I''m here, I can take care of her myself. You can go home now." Duke smiled yfully. He was no fool. He could see the way Gerard looked at Leena, with that affectionate gaze and puppy dog eyes. What he wanted to do was to make sure no one interfered with Kevin and Leena''s happiness. It was true that he didn''t like Kevin, but that didn''t mean he would ept this foreign guy as his sister''s husband.


    "Gerard is my friend, Duke. He came here with good intentions." Shocked, Leena stared at Duke. She knew he would act like this. Every time any man got close to her, he would try to intimidate them and run them off. Fortunately, she got married to Kevin before he knew anything, otherwise Duke wouldn''t let them tie the knot.


    "Leena, bad people will never write ''bad'' on their foreheads. You know he has impure thoughts, right? I knew that at the first sight of him," Duke unabashedly criticized Gerard to his face, knowing that he couldn''t understand thenguage they spoke.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "Mignonne, is he your husband? That''s the reason you turned me down? But in my eyes, he''s just so so. So I''ll challenge him for the right to hold your hand. No matter what, I will never give up on you." Gerard stared at Duke aggressively. He felt Duke was rude and arrogant, and he needed to take this guy down a few notches.


    "Oh! Challenge me? It''s a pity that I don''t like to y such stupid games. Because no matter how hard you try, you''ll never make Mignonne change her mind. She''ll always stay with me, not you." Duke looked into Gerard''s eyes and red at him. ''Kevin, don''t forget you owe me again this time. I''m helping you protect your beautiful wife from being snatched up by another man, ''Duke thought.


    "How can you be so sure that she won''t choose me? We haven''t put that to the test yet. Or you are already scared?" Gerard knew he was not as mature and experienced as Duke, but he was younger than Duke. So he believed he had the potential to win Mignonne back. "Scared? Huh! I don''t know the meaning of the word. She''ll never be yours. Give up now!" Duke sneered, shing a cunning smile in his eyes. This man was too young and too naive. He rushed to challenge him without figuring out how difficult it would be to win. Against Duke, it was never easy. Duke never lost.


    "Mr. Leng, It''s not up to you. Let Mignonne decide." Gerard clenched his fists. He felt no matter what he said, Duke seemed not to care, making Gerard the one who was causing all the drama.


    "Oh! I forgot to tell you. My words are exactly what she wants to say." Duke shed a smug smile. His childish expression was nothing like the usual cold and ruthless Mr. Cold.


    "Okay, you two can stop fighting now. Gerard. You''d better go home. Thanks for visiting me." Leena''s head became heavy with dizziness again with all themotion. "Mignonne, I..." Gerard nced at Duke. He didn''t want to leave like this. His rival was right in front of him. He didn''t want to lose.


    "Get out! I need to get some rest," Leena said firmly. She didn''t want to see these two men continue to argue around her.


    "Okay, Mignonne, I''lle to see you tomorrow. Goodbye!" He wouldn''t listen to Duke, but since Leena asked him to leave, no matter how reluctant he was, he had no choice but to leave first. "Duke, why did you mislead him and make him think that we are a couple?" Leena pouted. She was quite moved to see Duke suddenly appear when she was sick.


    "If I hadn''t, he''d keep pestering you. Leena, you should know that I was helping you to stay out of trouble. Unless you''re really interested in him." Duke adjusted the nkets, pulling up the quilt to cover her. He didn''t think that Leena would fall in love with someone else so soon. "You''re a jerk! How could I possibly be interested in him? Don''t forget that I''m married. Even if I am still single, I wouldn''t even think about Gerard. He''s not my type now." Leena pursed her lips. She had thought that Gerard had already given up on her. But judging from what he said just now, it seemed that he didn''t really give uppletely.


    "It''s good that you remember that you''re already married, Leena. It''s true that I don''t like Kevin, but I don''t want my sister to be a woman who dates two men at the same time." No man would let his wife be intimate with another man. And he knew Kevin was no exception. "Duke, I know how to handle it. I won''t cross the line. Don''t worry. I know what I''m doing. Probably better than anyone else." About Gerard, she admitted that she had loved him once, but that was before she met Kevin. So now, he was just a friend, and she had no special feelings for him.


    "Okay, it''s a good thing that you get it. I''ll call Belinda to tell her everything is fine here." Duke didn''t forget his promise to Belinda before he set out. So he took out his cellphone and dialed her number.


    It was 3 in the afternoon there. So when Belinda received Duke''s call, she was about to have a meeting. When she saw Duke''s name on the screen, she smiled and connected the call.


    "Hello! It''s me, are you in Paris now? Is Leena okay?" Belinda was worried the whole day, but Duke hadn''t called, so she had to be patient.


    "Yeah. Her fever''s gone, but she''s still pretty weak. Probably needs a few days'' rest. Don''t worry," Duke said in a gentle voice, very different from his usual cold tones.000????

 Chapter 854 The Calm Before The Storm (Part One)

    "Okay, ask Leena to call Kevin. He is really worried about her." Belinda knew that Kevin was concerned for Leena. Kevin had never called Belinda personally before. Had it not been for his worry for his wife, he would not have called Belinda several times in such a short span. "Fine. I''ll ask herter. You are busy. We''ll talkter. I have to get Leena some food." Duke nced at the ckened porridge made by Gerard. He didn''t dare give it to Leena to eat, fearing that she might get diarrhea before she even recovered from the cold. "Okay. Keep in touch. Goodbye!" Belinda hung up and walked out of the office with her documents. Duke pursed his lips, turning to stare at Leena.


    "Duke, why are you looking at me like that? It''s scaring me." Leena frowned, wondering why Duke was acting so strangely.


    "Take a look at your cell phone." Although Belinda had asked Duke to tell Leena to call Kevin, Duke was reluctant to swallow his pride. He let Leena find out herself that Kevin had called her.


    "What''s wrong with my phone?" Leena looked around for her cell phone. She finally found it lying under the quilt. She picked it up, finding that it was turned off. Perhaps she had identally pressed the shutdown button.


    Duke thought, ''I figured she didn''t hear the ring because of the fever. It turns out her phone was turned off. No wonder Kevin is anxious. If I were Kevin, I would be anxious too.'' Duke turned to the kitchen without answering Leena.


    Watching Duke go toward the kitchen, Leena turned on the phone. Just like she guessed, Kevin had made hundreds of calls to her. Leena smiled, remembering what she had saidst night. At the moment, she didn''t know if she should call him back.


    ''It must be afternoon there. Kevin would be at the army base. I would be interrupting his work if I call him now. Should I call him when he''s free?'' Leena wondered. Before Leena could decide whether or not she should call Kevin, her phone rang, startling her. Kevin had been worrying about Leena for more than ten hours now. He had been unable to reach her. Although he knew that Duke had flown to Paris, he wasn''t sure if he had arrived yet. What if something happened to her before then? Who is taking care of her?'' Kevin kept wondering, trying to call Leena. However, her phone was turned off, which troubled him even more. Kevin never brought his phone with him when he was training Falcon, but today he had it with him as he wanted to call his wife in his spare time. Kevin made hundreds of phone calls, but couldn''t get through. Unexpectedly, he seeded in ringing her up this time. He was ted.


    "Hey, Kevin," Leena said with a trace of timidity. ''Is he mad at me? He called me so many times. He must be really worried,'' she thought.


    "Leena, how are you? Are you feeling better now?" Upon hearing Leena''s soft voice, Kevin sighed in relief. He had no intention of ming her this time.


    "Yeah. I am much better now. I am sorry for troubling you. I didn''t turn off my phone on purpose. It must have been an ident." Although Leena had woken up, she still felt weak. Her tone sounded particrly frail.


    "I am d you are fine. Have good rest, so that you recover faster. Can you do that?" Kevin whispered to Leena as he looked at the Falcon special soldiers who were driving along in the ze.


    "Are you ordering me?" In truth, Leena was so happy when she heard his words. However, she pouted, pretending to be annoyed with him.


    "Will you obey my orders?" Kevin frowned. Suddenly, one of the vehicles tipped over on the ground. He hurriedly walked toward it, thinking, ''Damn it! Didn''t I tell them to be careful? How did it overturn?'' "No." Leena smiled, imagining his anger upon hearing this.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    "Leena, something just came up, so I have to go. I''ll call youter." As soon as Kevin finished speaking, he hung up and put the phone in his back pocket.


    "Major General." When the members of the special forces saw Kevin approach them, they took a step back in fear. He was in a bad mood today and had been training them fiercely since morning.


    "Are your guys fine?" Kevin frowned at the two soldiers who climbed out of the car, but didn''t lose his temper as they had predicted.


    "We are fine. I am sorry that we didn''tplete the mission," said the two with their heads bowed. Kevin knew it wasn''t their fault. Their training periods were so long that they had grown tired. So they were making mistakes.


    "All right. That''s it for today. You guys clean this ce up, then go take some rest." Kevin knew he had over-trained them today. They deserved the rest. More importantly, he had other things to do, like continuing the phone call that had been interrupted because of the ident. "Yes, Major General." The special forces saluted him promptly. They smiled in relief. Kevin seemed to be very hostile since morning, so they were mentally prepared to train all day. To be honest, they were surprised that Kevin had called off the session. After Kevin left the secret training base of Falcon, he took out his phone and called up Leena once again. She was concerned about what had happened to make him hang up in such a hurry. When the phone rang again, she ignored Duke and picked it up quickly. "Hey! Kevin, what''s going on there?" Duke helped Leena sit by the dining table. He put the food prepared by him in front of her. Duke started to go back to the kitchen, but when he heard Leena respond to the call, he stopped, turning around to frown at her. "Well, it''s fine. There just was a little ident in the training. It''s settled now. Don''t worry about it," Kevin got into his car and drove away as he talked on the phone. This was also a part of the military base, but in a remote area. It was a restricted area, so no soldiers were allowed toe here.


    "I''m d you are all right. But... are you allowed to call me during training?" Leena asked hesitantly. On many asions, she had been afraid to call him for fear of interfering with his work.


    "It''s okay. The training is over. Is Duke there yet?" Kevin was still worried that no one was there to take care of her.


    "Yeah, he is. Don''t worry. He''ll take care of me." Leena looked up at Duke. He raised his eyebrows at her, urging her to eat.


    "Eat! Or the food will get cold. Whom are you talking to?" Duke asked loudly, making sure that Kevin heard him. His mouth was set in a grim line. It didn''t matter that he no longer hated Kevin as much as he used to.


    "Leena, you gotta eat something now. I''m ending the call. Rest well. I''ll call you after work." Kevin heard Duke, so he stopped bothering Leena so she could eat. He didn''t want her to go hungry.


    "Okay. Bye." Leena was relieved that he hadn''t mentioned the words ''I miss you'' she saidst night. She was feeling so fragile when she had said that to him. She didn''t actually want to confess to it.


    Kevin put the phone aside. He wondered why his heart ached. Did he love her? He could not help but step on the brakes as the question popped into his head, but soon drove off. ''After all, she is my wife. I should take care of her when she is sick, '' he thought.


    It was sultry in the afternoon at the military base. It was estimated that it was going to rain. A few dragonflies flew over the military base yard, making the vast region seem a little lonely. No sooner had Kevin returned to the office that Daisy knocked on his door, promptly walking in.


    "Major General, are you free tonight?" Daisy asked with a faint smile on her face, sitting down before Kevin could speak.

 Chapter 855 The Calm Before The Storm (Part Two)

    "Why? Are you going to invite me over for dinner?" Knowing that Leena was well cared for now, Kevin bantered with Daisy with ease.


    "I just thought that you wouldn''t agree to participate." Daisy defiantly raised her eyebrows. Of course, she knew he was joking with her.


    "As long as you buy me a dinner, I''ll definitelye. Seriously, What''s going on?" Kevin leaned back against his chair, with a yful smile on his face.


    "So, here is the deal. My soldiers want topare notes with your armored battalion." Daisy pursed her mouth. The soldiers were inviting Kevin to pick a fight.


    "What? Compare notes with my armored battalion? Do they want a shoot-out or a hand-to-handbat? I don''t have time for the shoot-out. As for the hand-to-handbat, we could hardly win." Kevin pinched his chin. He knew Daisy''s soldiers were good at hand-to- handbat. If he epted her request, he knew what the result would be without guessing.


    "A hand-to-hand fight, of course. So, what do you say? Fight or no?" Daisy certainly knew that the armored Battalion was not good at hand-to-handbat, so her soldiers would surely win. However, she wanted to show them how good Kevin was.


    "As a soldier, I am not afraid of fighting. I don''t care about winning or losing. It''s no big deal to me," Kevin agreed to the request without hesitation. He would like to take the opportunity to improve thebat capability of his soldiers. In any case, it was just a drill. Winning or losing didn''t really matter. "Okay. I''ll take that as a yes. So, I''ll see you at 7 o''clock at the training ground." Daisy smiled slyly and turned away.


    Kevin shook his head, thinking, ''It looks like she has changed a lottely. Why else would the soldiers dare to request her for such an indulgent exercise?'' To their disappointment, however, as they were about to start the knock off, the Gods turned against them and it started raining hard. It seemed like the rain would not stop anytime soon, so they decided to postpone the activity.


    "Okay! I guess that''s it." Daisy sighed, shaking her head in resignation as she watched the downpour from the window.


    "All right. It seems like we have toply to the will of the Gods. We might as well go back together. In the heavy rain we can at least take care of each other." Kevin smiled. Although the process of forcing himself not to love her was painful, he was relieved that he could stand next to Daisy calmly, just like he was right now. It indicated that he had let go of a lot of feelings for her.


    "Sure. We seldom get home so early." As they were talking to each other, they opened an umbre and walked into the heavy rain. Daisy always treated Kevin like a big brother, so even if she knew he loved her, she would never deliberately alienate him. In any case, she believed in Kevin and knew he was capable of letting go.


    Daisy''s and Kevin''s cars left the military base consecutively. There was a ssh of water as the cars passed. Fortunately, this was a suburb, so there were no pedestrians. Otherwise, it would have wet their clothes.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    In the FX International conference room, Edward sulked and red at the executives present. They had not told him previously that their businesses was being ground down by an unknown enterprise. If he had not stumbled upon it, he couldn''t imagine how serious the consequences would have been.


    "What am I employing you for? Why has no one mentioned such an important thing to me?" Edward asked, his smile akin to a spring breeze. The gentler he smiled, the angrier he truly felt.


    "I am sorry! At first, we thought it was no big deal and we could solve it ourselves, so we didn''t want to involve you. We didn''t think it would get worse." The department manager shivered, his head lowered.


    "Hah! You can solve it? So, have you solved it now?" Edward nced at them coldly, thinking, ''Damn it! Don''t y with me, or I''ll make you regret it!''


    "We are already investigating the matter. But they seem to know ourpany very well, so..." Another manager bowed his head in resignation. He knew they had not done their job well. It was their fault, so he did not defend himself. He informed Edward that the enemy had a fully devised n to grind down theirpany.


    "From today on, you can''t tell anyone about thepany decisions. Look up the people in your departments and see if there''s anyone suspicious. Take care of all the important documents. Do you hear me?" Edward frowned. ''Nopany goes against me in the whole of S City, so this man must be mad. What is his purpose?'' Edward thought.


    "Yes, Mr. Mu. We will be careful. Are we going to stop the promotion of the new vis that have been open for sale?" The sales manager asked, afraid as he was. He was more scared about misunderstanding Edward''s instructions.


    "No, we will proceed as nned. He wouldn''t dare mess with me like that. That''s it for today. If you find anything, let me know immediately. This meeting is over for now." Edward nced around the meeting room with a yful smile on his face. ''I haven''t yed an exciting game in such a long time. Since you wish to lose so badly, I will y with you, ''thought Edward.


    Somewhere else in a luxurious presidential suite, a beautiful woman and a man were tangled in each other, both of them sweating and enjoying the most primitive desires of humans.


    "You naughty girl, if you keep doing this, you will drain me out." The man kissed her with affection in his eyes.


    "No, I wouldn''t. Shaun, thank you. If you bring down FX International, I am all yours. Forever." The woman held his hands tightly, flirting with him coquettishly.


    "Melissa, are you serious?" ted, the man named Shaun kissed her again.


    "Yes, of course. I would never lie to you." The woman smiled at him seductively. Her white skin looked delicate and lustrous. She was an unusual beauty.


    "Okay. I promise I will never let you down." As he finished speaking, he kissed her again. The rain outside the window served as an aphrodisiac, making them powerless to stop.


    The rain didn''t stop until the next morning. The conspiracy grew even more serious. As soon as Edward arrived at thepany, he was told that the shares of the departmental stores that were owned by FX International Group were being purchased secretly.


    "Who did this?" Edward was in the technology department, with a spirited smile on his face. He didn''t seem to be mad about it at all. ''Well, I have met a smart opponent indeed. He knows how to buy the stock of the store I least care about. Unfortunately for him, I knew he was going to do that. He really thinks he''s capable of buying my stock?'' Edward thought.


    "We''ve got it. It''s Kompass Group, headquartered in H City. Its president is somebody known as Shaun Gao. It is said that he graduated from Harvard and began a series of reforms after taking over the Group. The results were pretty good," The technical staff told him the information he had found on the Inte. ''In terms of financial resources, Kompass Group is no match for ourpany. Then why is thispany moving against FX International Group?'' the staff wondered.00

 Chapter 856 A Familiar Woman (Part One)

    "Kompass Group, right? Good. In that case, it''s time for me to do something. Don''t me me if I forget the friendship we shared once." A sly smile yed around Edward''s mouth. As a matter of fact, he got along with the former president of Kompass Group quite well. It was not an appropriate time for him to turn them into an enemy. But something unexpected happened: they had challenged him. In this situation, there was no need to act friendly toward them anymore. "Mr. Mu, what should we do next?" The technician looked at Edward and asked. There were severe consequences for people who irritated the CEO, no matter who they were. They were going to be in a world of trouble.


    "They are trying to buy the stocks of our departmental stores, aren''t they? We will let them buy on purpose. But remember to protect the main system of FX International Group well. Keep them from hacking it. Besides that, let us increase their workload. Decode the firewall in their information system. They will enjoy the feast brought upon by the virus. Finally, we will purchase their stock shares," Edward stated. Edward was strong in the business field. He would not allow others to mount the high horse and look down upon him. He knew how to fight back in a decisive way and put pressure on his enemies. An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. Oh, no! He would ask more for redressal from them.


    "Yes, we''ll get started right away," the technician replied firmly. One of the most fundamental requirements for apany to be sessful was to equip the most advanced defense system. Manyplicated and intricate firewalls had been installed to protect the data in FX International Group. If someone wanted to hack them, they were wee to try! It was not even possible. The boss of FX International was Edward Mu. To let that happen, you would have to go through him first. However, things would be different if that ''someone'' was aputer genius like Justin. But Justin would never do such thing as he was Edward''s son.


    "Yes. Let me know if somethinges up." Edward left the technology department. He took out his phone and called Luke.


    "Hello! Mr. Mu. What can I do for you?" Luke was about to start his car to exit thepany grounds. He stopped immediately to answer Edward''s phone and waited for his orders.


    "Luke, I want you to find out where the president of Kompass Group from H city is right now. Also, I want all the details about the people he has been in touch with recently." Kompass Group must have cooperated with another bigpany. Otherwise, they would not be bold enough to interfere with FX International Group''s business.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    "Yes, Mr. Mu. I''ll do it right away," Luke answered. He never questioned his boss''s orders, but he could not help but frown. He knew Kompass Group because Edward had made contact with them before. However, he did not understand why he wanted to know more about their president all of a sudden.


    "Yes, just go! Do pay attention, the one I want to know more about is the new president of Kompass Group, Shaun Gao. Not their former president. Don''t get this wrong," Edward emphasized. He pushed the doors of his office open and walked inside. He needed to know everything about his enemy. As the Chinese saying goes: if you know yourself and your enemy well, you will win every war. Edward was an expert at this. Before he took any further actions, he must know his enemy''s social circle as he knew the palm of his hand. "Yes, I see. I''ll go. Bye." Luke hung up and dialed another number, ordering his men to carry out the mission.


    In S city, it was easy for Luke to investigate someone. Within half a day, detailed documents about all the people who had connections with Shaun Gao appeared on Edward''s desk. Luke was a true detective. It was the reason why Edward trusted him with the work. "Mr. Mu, here are all the files and photos of Shaun Gao we took while we followed him secretly." Luke put the documents on the desk and stepped back, standing with his hands lowered. He looked at Edward respectfully, who was frowning slightly.


    "Sure. Is this woman familiar to you?" Edward asked, gesturing toward the photo in his hand. He did not know why, but he thought he had met this woman before.


    "Oh, I noticed it too. I thought it was strange. Her name is Melissa Xue. She is Shaun Gao''s new girlfriend. Unfortunately and to my surprise, we were unable to find any information about her. She seems to havee out from nowhere. There is no trace of information regarding her at all. We know nothing but her name." That was part of the reason why Luke was staring at Edward. He wanted to know how he would react to this woman''s photo.


    "What? No trace at all? Well, since we can''t find anything about her, why not go and meet her?" Edward smiled mischievously. They were staying at Kate Hotel of FX International Group. What a bold pair! They weren''t worried at all that they might be under investigation. "I''m afraid they''ve gone out right now. I have sent some men to follow after them in secret." Luke frowned. He still remembered that when he had deliberately passed by them, Melissa Xue had turned pale. Soon, however, she seemed to recover and walked away as if nothing had happened. Luke found it extremely strange. He had a weird feeling about her.


    "Well, then let''s meet them by ident!" Edward said. He would like to know how capable this Shaun Gao was. How dared he try and acquire FX International Group.


    "I see, Mr. Mu. Do you mean to have dinner at Kate Hotel?" Only that way could the boss avoid rming them. He could truly make them believe they met by chance.


    "Yes. Oh, invite Rain and the others to have dinner with me. It will be more interesting when they are around." Edward smiled coldly. Shaun Gao, a brilliant graduate from Harvard University? He did not think so. If Shaun Gao was such a smart guy, how could he choose to stay at Kate Hotel, his enemy''s territory? Arrogance could kill a person.


    "Yes. I''ll inform them about it soon. But Mr. Leng seems to have gone abroad," Luke inferred from the news he had heard earlier. His reply was hesitant. He was not sure whether or not Edward knew about it. As Mr. Leng''s good friend and Leena''s brother, he must know. "Oh! Yes, you remind me! I almost forgot about it. Leena is ill. Duke flew over to Paris to take care of her. He will probably be back in two days." Edward ran a hand through his hair. How could he have forgotten such an important thing? Was Leena better now? She caught a cold earlier.


    "Miss Leng is ill? Is she all right now?" Upon hearing that Leena was sick, Luke could not help but ask. After all, he had known Leena since she was a little child. He did not wish for her to be in any trouble.


    "Oh! She must be much better now. Since Duke is not here, you can call Tom and Rain. They should be enough, I think." Edward sighed. Leena always had them worrying over her. Luckily, Paris was not so far away from here. Only half a day of flying could bring Duke there. Otherwise, they would have no idea what to do when something befell her.0000000

 Chapter 857 A Familiar Woman (Part Two)

    "Yes, I see. Is there anything else? If no, I''ll go and call them now." Upon hearing that Leena was fine, Luke was much relieved too.


    "Nothing else. You may leave now!" Edward picked up his phone and called Daisy. He tried ringing many times but nobody answered him. ''What is she doing? Is she busy with something?'' Edward wondered.


    He had guessed it right. Daisy was indeed quite busy at the time. The day after was the National Day, so she was involved in the preparations for the military parade that was to be held. Currently, she was correcting the soldiers'' formation and figures on the training field. "Get your tiptoes straight! Legs higher! Watch for your gun positions." Several sweat beads streamed down her back and face. Daisy did her job conscientiously. If they were skilled soldiers, they could do well without her instructions. But unfortunately, all of them were new recruits. What was more, the other battalion andpanymanders were assigned with different tasks. She had no other option but to instruct them in person.


    "Hey, you! Your hands are not in the right position. Look, I''ll show you how to do it." Daisy walked to a soldier and took the rifle from him. She showed him the position in front of everyone.


    All the new soldiers watched her demonstrate the positions carefully. They did not dare to be absent-minded even for a second, nor did they make any noises. They had heard the senior soldiers mention that Colonel Ouyang, though young and beautiful in appearance, was extremely strict during training. She strongly berated soldiers who performed a bad job or did not concentrate fully.


    "All right. Now do it like I just showed you," Daisy encouraged them. She handed over the rifle to the soldier and took a step back. She was such a figure of heroic spirit and pride in her green military uniform.


    "Yes, Colonel," The fresh recruits chorused. The loud reply echoed around the training field. It was nice to be young. Their voices reflected their bravery.


    "Now, pay attention to my words. Attention! Dress right! Watch the formation. Eyes at the front. Now at ease! Attention! Quick steps. Look out, your feet must be on the same horizontal level. Your actions must be powerful and organized." The soldiers followed Daisy''s orders. She too stood beside them and performed the actions for their reference. Meanwhile, she was on the lookout for anyone who was not performing correctly.


    "Colonel! You have a call." Mark trotted over to her, saluting her in military style. He gave her the phone.


    "I see. You stay here and keep an eye on them the way I was doing. I''ll leave for a while," Daisy said to Mark. She took the phone from him and left the training field. Daisy did not answer the phone until she was at a distance, underneath a big tree. "Hello. This is Daisy Ouyang speaking. Who''s that, please?" Although Daisy was on the phone, her eyes were still trained on the field that was not too far away. She didn''t take a look at the number to see who had called her. "Hello to you too. Nice to talk to you, Colonel Ouyang," Edward greeted her jokingly. A ruffian''s smile appeared on his face.


    "Mr. Mu. Nice to speak to you too! Say, what is the matter? I am quite busy right now." Daisy frowned slightly. What was wrong with this man? He knew very well that she was very busy these days and here he was, calling her and making fun of her. What was he up to? Was he making trouble for her?


    "Yeah, I know, you are quite busy. But you need to have your meals. How about this? I would like to invite you for dinner tonight. Would you like that?" Edward did not get angry at all. If it were the past Edward on the phone, he would have been pissed with her impatient tone. However, ever since he got to understand her temper, he came to realize that this woman was open to persuasion, but not to coercion. He would not be involved in a romantic rtionship with anyone but Daisy. When faced with her, he felt like he had no power or prestige at all.


    "Tonight? Is there something special today? Can''t I have dinner with you some other time?" Daisy anticipated that she was going to stay upte because of her work, so she wished she could reject the invitation.


    "No, there is nothing special today. I was just thinking it would be good for us to have dinner with Rain and the others. But since you are so busy, I won''t bother you anymore. It''s okay, Colonel Ouyang! Sorry to keep you on the line. I wasted your precious time by talking to you. Bye!" Edward finished speaking and hung up immediately, without waiting for her response. He was aware that his phone would ring in a few seconds. He knew her well.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    Daisy gritted her teeth. Shoot! This man! He was ying the same trick on her again! He knew she was unwilling to disappoint him, so he pretended to stoop andpromise deliberately in order to make her feel guilty. He knew she would never want to let him down. Daisy did not know what to do. She sighed, raising her head to take a look at the burning sun. Finally, she decided to call him back. She cursed him a thousand times as the phone rang.


    "Hello. Who is that?" Edward answered the phone, pretending like he didn''t know who was on the phone. A content smile spread across his face. Yes! He had done it again. Unfortunately for her, Daisy was unable to see his sly smile through the phone.


    "Edward Mu! Don''t you try to fool me! I can see right through your pretense," Daisy said, grinding her teeth. He was taking this for granted! If he were anybody else, she would have handled him with a bullet.


    "Pretense? What am I pretending to be? Now you''re just putting words into my mouth. Woman, as a Colonel, do not use an ordinary citizen falsely at your will." He smiled, teasing her. Edward leaned leisurely against the back of his chair. Daisy could not see him in person. Otherwise, she would be so mad to see how he was lying through his teeth.


    "Wow! You? An ordinary citizen? Hah! You are a typical profiteer." Daisy snorted through her nose. Only a cheeky guy like him could im to be an ordinary citizen. However, she was his wife and knew him well. In her eyes, he was an unfeeling industrialist. "Fine, fine! I am a profiteer. But I won''t be qualified to be one soon," Edward said in frustration. As she heard him, she felt a bit worried. She did not understand why he was speaking like that.


    "Edward, what do you mean? Has something happened?" Daisy asked hesitantly. After all, he did not interrupt her work usually. It was strange for him to call her and insist on inviting her to dinner when she was so busy. That was not his style.0000????

 Chapter 858 A Familiar Woman (Part Three)

    "What if I have nothing to my name someday? Would you be willing to keep me?" Although there was little chance that would ever happen, he still asked her, wanting to know her response. After all, nothing waspletely certain.


    "No! I will throw you out on the streets," Daisy replied decisively, as if she wasn''t joking.


    "How dare you, Daisy Ouyang?" Edward''s face went red. How could she ssify him with those who lived on the streets? Wasn''t she afraid he would get angry? He had to admit she was bold to say such words.


    "Try me! Don''t be such a drama queen. Tell me, when and where do you want to meet tonight? I can''t make it if it''s too early. I have work to do." If ever the day came when Edward had nothing left to his name, it would have no influence on her. She valued him as a person, not for his money. No matter what the situation was, she still considered him to be her true love. Her feelings for him would not change, whether he was rich or poor. That was real love.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "That''s all right. I will pick you up from the army base. But keep in mind, I am not making a fuss out of nothing. I just want you to know so you can prepare for it mentally. That''s all! Okay, you should focus on your work now, so you can earn money to keep us from bing beggars someday. Goodbye!" Edward hung up the phone. A cunning smile still rested on his mouth. Before he could figure out the real purpose of Shaun Gao, he was not a hundred percent sure that the day would nevere. So he had said those words to Daisy. He was curious about what she would do if the day really came. No matter what Daisy said just now, there was one thing Edward was certain about - Daisy would never abandon him.


    Daisy leaned against the wall, pondering over what Edward had said. He didn''t seem to be joking. Was there something wrong in thepany? Otherwise, he would not have asked her such a question out of the blue. Didn''t FX International Group have a good worth? A bankruptcy seemed to be impossible. She remembered the times when she had seen him sign cheques that were worth hundreds of millions. He never even frowned. She was puzzled.


    Daisy sighed again. Fine, so what if he really went bankrupt? He was still who he was. Nothing would change between them. As long as he was with her and Justin, she''d be happy. Her family meant more than anything else to her. Money was just a worldly possession. What was more, she could look after their family financially for as long as necessary. She was always willing to stand by him.


    "Daisy, what happened? You seem to be lost in thought. Are you missing Mr. Mu?" A cheerful voice could be heard. It was the Commander. He was looking at Daisy with curiosity.


    "Oh! Commander. Here you are. Don''t tease me. What can I do for you?" Daisy adjusted her military dress quickly and saluted the Commander. It was basic protocol in the military that one should be neat when faced with his or her superior. By the time she turned around to greet him, she already looked sleek and heroic in the olive-green military uniform. She was born a soldier.


    "Oh, no. I was just looking around. How is the training going? Is everything all right? You don''t need to be too strict with them. After all, they are still fresh recruits. I am sure they will improve a lot gradually." He had taken a look around the training field. The Commander knew that the men had been practicing a lot. All the soldiers and officers had devoted themselves to the difficult job.


    "Yes, Commander. Don''t worry, please. I am aware of their limits," Daisy replied, pursing her lips. She knew that they were still like big kids. She was not as strict with them as she was with the senior soldiers. Thinking about them, Daisy felt that they were luckier than her. When she was their age, she had already be a capable member of JC Military Academy. At the time, she had received tons of hard training. Her instructors never showed her mercy. She understood that it was different now. She could not put too much pressure on them like the way she had been pressed by her own instructors at the academy. Most of the time, she lowered the bars during training.


    "I see, Colonel. That''s good. You can continue with it. I am going to have a look at the others," the Commander said, with a gentle smile on his face. He knew Daisy well and was sure she was exceptional in her training methods. He bid her goodbye and walked away in another direction. He had only been looking around and had not meant to interrupt the training.


    Daisy wiped the sweat on her face and looked away. She walked toward the training field and continued correcting the soldiers'' positions. Fortunately, this would just be a parade within the military. It would be an embarrassment if they were going to perform the parade in front of the entire nation. However, Daisy still tried her best to make the parade as professional as possible, instructing all of them personally. She was a precise officer when it came to her job.


    As a matter of fact, there were some soldiers in their base who had been selected to join the military parade in the capital city. She was not the in-charge appointed for them. Some other officer was assigned the task from their superiors. In the past few years, Kevin and her had always been assigned with the responsibility of training them for that parade. However, Daisy had been physically hurt this year, so the army base was considerate enough to give her a break. As for Kevin, he had gone for the training overseas. Both of them had spare time on their hands. That was the reason why Daisy had to attend to the new recruits.


    As the sun went down in the west, a Lamborghini appeared at the army base. Clearly, it was Edward. Although his dear wife had told him she would be a littlete, he could not wait. So he arrived in advance. He wanted to see her as soon as possible. Looking at the majestic door, Edward smiled brightly. A strong army meant a strong nation. He wished that his country would always remain peaceful. That way, people could live a content life without chaos surrounding them.00000000

 Chapter 859 Rose With Thorns (Part One)

    Life in the army was colorful in the eyes of outsiders. Only those who were once soldiers would know that it was as dull and tasteless as a corkboard. All they did in the army was to go on drills and attend some training. They did the very same things everyday. Therefore,


    in order to make great achievements in the army, one must be able to withstand such kind of depressing lifestyle.


    In the eyes of the recruits, Colonel Ouyang was a gorgeous woman, while in the eyes of the veterans, Colonel Ouyang was a beautiful rose with thorns. They only dared to look at her from afar but never dared to get any closer. After all, her training for them was just horrible. It was the type of training that no one would even think of trying as it was made to push people beyond human limits.


    The solemnity that was surrounding the Army Base was stronger as thest ray of sunset washed over the ce. Edward could not help but look at his wristwatch to check the time. A slight frown formed on his handsome face. Didn''t that woman say that she would only be a littlete toe off work today? He had been waiting for almost an hour. But where was she? Did she forget that he woulde to pick her up to have dinner?


    Truth was, Mr. Mu was right. Daisy had not only forgotten his invitation but forgotten that he woulde to pick up her. Therefore, when Daisy saw the dazzling Lamborghini outside the army base gate, the corners of her mouth twitched. She was sitting in a Military Humvee and was about to go home with Mark. Damn it! How could she possibly forget about Edward? Now she couldn''t even imagine what was running inside Edward''s mind. Was he going to get crazy or was he nning to strangle her neck? But then wait, didn''t he usually make a phone call to her? Why didn''t he urge her this time?


    "Colonel, it''s Mr. Mu''s car," said Mark. He turned around and looked at Daisy. Did the Colonel know nothing about Mr. Muing here?Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Well! I know. All right! Then you go back to Mu''s house first. I have an appointment with him. I was so busy that I almost forgot about it," said Daisy. She drew a deep breath as her brain started ticking for the best way to exin why she forgot about their dinner. "Yes, Colonel." Mark stepped on the brake. Daisy got off the car without waiting for the car topletely stop. She walked straightly towards the luxurious Lamborghini.


    Edward gritted his teeth as he watched the woman approaching. Good! It seemed that she hadpletely forgotten about him. He waited for her for about two hours. He would like to see how she would y out of the situation this time. To be honest, he was even curious about it.


    The Colonel stopped for a second and took a deep breath before opening the door. She bent down and sat inside the car. Then she gave Edward a fake smile in exchange for his cold re.


    "Darling, have you been waiting for me for a long time?" Anyway, it would not be wrong to smile. Wasn''t there an old saying that goes, don''t be angry with the people who are in smiles?


    Edward just shot her onest look and then started the car. He didn''t even say a word. He had already anticipated that she woulde up with a new way to persuade him. However, she hadn''t been so creativetely and had used the very same style all the time. Darn him for enjoying it though! And double-darn him as he didn''t have the heart to stay angry at her.


    "Darling, how can you be so handsome today? Your delicate skin and the cold attitude are indeed a king''s demeanor. Ordinary people cannot bepared to you." Daisy said as she reached out to his face and pinched his cheek. Shit! He was proud enough today. Couldn''t he give some reactions since she was so ttering him?


    Edward tipped his head slightly to avoid her touch and continued driving without a word. He was driving the car surprisingly fast. He might look calm on his surface but his insides were definitely in turmoils. Why was she saying that he was handsome today? Did it mean that he wasn''t handsome before?


    "Mr. Mu, say something! Why are you ignoring me?" Daisy pulled his sleeves. It seemed that her man''s temper was bad today. He usually gave in to her with just a little coquetry. Was her mistake that big that he couldn''t even just let it pass? Why were her actions and words not affecting him anymore?


    "Sit properly." s! Edward finally opened his mouth. His voice was too emotionless. It wasn''t hard to figure out how mad he was.


    "You ignore me first! Well, I am sorry? I really don''t mean to forget our appointment. You know me, right? I even forget Justin sometimes when I''m busy," Daisy apologized. She continued to please him. It was really her fault anyways. Thus she was very patient. "Wow. I hope you didn''t mean that. So Justin is more important than me, huh?" Edward answered with an even colder tone than before. The chill in his words got through Daisy''s skin and made her involuntarily shrink her neck. It was evident that it wouldn''t be easy to talk with Edward today. Worse, he was way more stubborn right now.


    "Well! I didn''t mean that. You are equally important in my heart. Why do you even care about this? Justin is your son." Daisy looked at him carefully. Such Edward reminded her of the time when they were in K city. He was also frigid and heartless. Thus, she couldn''t help but feel a little afraid of him.


    "Daisy Ouyang, you should know that it doesn''t matter whether I care about it or not. Rather, it is about if you have put me in your heart." The car screeched and stopped to the side of the road when Edward abruptly turned the steering wheel. His eyes were filled with disappointment when he looked at her. They had discussed this same topic so many times.


    "Do you mean that I am totally wrong and you won''t forgive me this time? I know that you will not always be so tolerant of me. I still cannot help but hope that you can tolerate me all the time. I can''t even imagine that you mind such a petty thing. How can we live together for the next decades? How are you going to live with me? After all, a situation like today may happen in the future again. Are you going to be angry with me like today every time?" said Daisy.00

 Chapter 860 Rose With Thorns (Part Two)

    Her forehead was wrinkled with a frown. Was she too naive? Or did this mean that he could only tolerate her for a limited time? He had always forgiven her right after she apologized before. Why was he so angry this time? She admitted that she could often be excessively wrong. She might have ignored his feelings. But the truth was that she hurt herself more whenever she realized that her actions hurt him. And couldn''t he feel that she did not intend to forget their appointment?


    "So you''ve always seen me as such a shallow person? Get out of the car," said Edward. He was just at odds with her at the beginning. However, his anger blew up after he heard her rants. How was he supposed to endure the fact that his woman just despised him! "Are you sure? You want to let me get off the car?" Daisy was really shocked. She gently bit her lower lip as she looked at him in disbelief.


    "I''m sure." He closed his eyes. Although they were deeply in love with each other all the time, he had always felt that something was missing between them.


    "OK. Don''t regret it." Daisy opened the door and got out of the car. She mmed the door with a bang and walked forward angrily. Mark and Luke who followed behind them were both confused about what they saw. What was wrong with them? Had they quarreled? ''You do not need to say it as I have already regretted it when I said that.'' Edward sighed as he watched his wife. He could have simply backed down if not for the goddamn pride that ate him away. Thus, he just gave her onest stare, then he started the car and went away.


    Daisy was so shocked by his determination to leave that she forgot the reaction that she should have. She subconsciously stopped her steps and looked at the receding car. Her eyes widened and brimmed with tears. She felt upset at his attitude. "Mrs. Mu." Luke parked the car beside her. He opened his mouth but then shut it back as he couldn''t find the word he needed.


    "I''m fine. Hurry to keep up with him," replied Daisy. She looked up at the sky and pushed back her tears.


    "I''ll go first. You can take Mark''s car." What happened to Mr. Mu? He had already been waiting for such a long time. How could he not tolerate Mrs. Mu for some minutes more?


    "Well! I know." Daisy smiled emptily.


    Duke looked at her sad smile and felt sorry for her. Nevertheless, he started his car and drove away to follow Edward''s car. After all, his boss could not just go out without anyone guarding him.


    "Colonel, is Mr. Mu in a hurry to go somewhere?" Mark asked doubtfully. As simple and honest as Mark was, he did not even notice that the two had quarreled. Edward would never let Daisy get off his car even if he needed to go somece.


    "I don''t know. Let''s go!" Daisy got into the military Humvee. She knitted her brows. His action was a real thorn in her side. Didn''t this guye to pick her up to have dinner? Why did he get so angry with her? She had already apologized to him at the first ce. Edward knew that Luke and Mark were behind them. That was the reason why he asked Daisy to get off his car. He was afraid that he might do something irremediable. He was aware that his action had gone overboard. But it was the best thing he could do to avoid things from getting worse.


    The car was burning asphalts with its wheels. Luke who was following his car couldn''t help but feel worried about how he drove like a madman. He got no clue as to what pushed him to drive like that either. He drove too fast that he covered the usual one hour travel to Kate restaurant within just half an hour.


    The way Edward drove might have been superbly thrilling. Nevertheless, it did not change the fact that he still came to the cete, being thest one toe again. Thus naturally, others would ridicule him.


    "Edward, what on earth are you doing? Do you know that we''ve been waiting for you for almost an hour?" Rain was the first to break the ice. They wasted their precious time there in vain.


    "Yes, Edward, how can you ignore us? And what about Daisy? Didn''t you say you''d pick her up? You deceive us!" Tom looked pass Edward to make sure that Daisy wasn''t there. Then, he looked at Edward with criticism.


    "She''s too busy to have dinner with you." Edward coldly nced at them. He chose a seat in which he could see the restaurant entrance and sat down.


    "So it is. But it is quite strange! Edward, why do I feel that you are sulking today?" Rain frowned as he felt something strange with Edward.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "I asked you toe to meet Shaun Gao. I did not ask you to check if I''m angry." Edward gave him a peevish nce. Yes, he was sulking but there was no need for everyone to know about it.


    "You really are angry. Unless I''m wrong, you must be angry with Daisy. It seems that fate can''t be vited! Daisy is really my idol. Her courage is reallymendable." Rainughed heartily at his misfortune and did not notice how Mr. Mu stared at him with insidious eyes. "It seems that you are really free these days, Rain. I guess you would not mind if I send you to Thand." Edward took a deep look at him. In fact, the reason why he wanted to ask Rain to go to Thand was just for Rain to try his luck. He had received news from someone that Annie had been seen in Thand.


    "Well! You always scare me with this. Can''t you say to me something new? Do you think that I don''t know thepany in Thand is running great recently?" Rainnguidly leaned on the stool and gave him an evil rascal smile.

 Chapter 861 Rose With Thorns (Part Three)

    "Who said that you don''t need to go there on business if thepany is functioning normally? I heard that the General Manager there is attached to you." Edward smiled wickedly as he thought, ''Ha! Rain, do you still want to fight against me? You are such an amateur.'' "Could you please don''t say that? That person is annoying." Rain felt lousy the moment he remembered the General Manager. Though she was very beautiful, she kept pestering him so that he got really annoyed.


    "This is you. You just want to have sex with any beautiful woman?" Tom rolled his eyes at him. Now it was only Rain who was an amorous person. The rest of them were all married and only loved their wife, of course except Tom.


    "Damn Jerry, when did you see me have sex with any beautiful woman? Are you saying me not picky and choosy at all?" Rain''s retort came out automatically. He hadn''t flirted with women for a long time. It was so long that he almost forgot how long it was. It seemed that after Annie left, he did not y with any woman. And now that Annie''s name crossed his mind, he couldn''t help but feel depressed.


    "Haven''t you always been like this?" said Edward. He knitted his eyebrow. He might be there but he just couldn''t get Daisy off his mind. Did she get so angry that she decided to go back to the army base instead? Was she very sad now? All these questions were just bothering him so much that his usual concern for her was suddenly magnified million times.


    "That was the thing that happened before. Don''t you think you have also been like that before? I can''t believe these words came from you. Huh!" Rain squinted with his mouth twitched. Wasn''t Edward''s action calling the kettle ck?


    "And as you said it, it happened before. Which means that I haven''t had a hobby like yourstely," said Edward. They were at that part of the conversation when his eyes suddenly narrowed. s! The people he had been waiting for came. He was just trying his luck back then. After all, these two would not necessarily dine here even they lived here. Surprisingly, his luck was quite good.


    "Edward, Shaunes. But why I feel familiar with that woman with him. Is that woman with him one of those women you used to have in bed? Does she want to revenge now as you abandoned her?" Rain also noticed the restaurant''s entrance. He had felt unusually familiar with that woman since he saw her picture in thepany, Melissa Xue. However, he couldn''t recall who she exactly was no matter how hard he tried.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Why don''t you say she was one of your bedfellows, Rain?" Edward looked away from the couple and sipped his wine as if he had not noticed them.


    "How could that be? I remember every woman I have dated. That woman? I''m sure that I didn''t. Well, not unless she had a stic surgery." Rain also withdrew from the couple and acted as calm as Edward.


    "What did you say?" Suddenly, Edward seemed to have caught a sensitive word. He wanted to explore more about it, but the thought just fleeted from his brain.


    "Say what? I just said that the woman has nothing to do with me. What else can I say?" Rain looked at Shaun and Melissa with the corner of his eyes. He couldn''t really tell why he felt weird with the woman. Moreover, they could not query her information, she was weirder. "Not this one, thest one." Edward furrowed his eyebrows as he kept digging his mind for an answer.


    "Which one? The stic surgery?" Rain looked at him in a daze. What did he mean? What was with all the mystery? Was he even aware that he sounded a bit nervous with how he talked?


    "Yes, that''s right. If this woman has changed her face, who do you think she was?" Edward had made a guess inside his head but it was soon overturned. No stic surgery woulde to the point ofpletely changing a face after all. If so, it would totally be a torture.


    "Change a face? Are you kidding, Boss? It is not a necessary no. But it all depends on the doctor''s medical skills. If that is true, I will have no doubt giving my knee to whoever that doctor is." Tom thought that his skills weren''t bad. It was just that he did not study stic surgery at all. What he studied was how to use medicine to restore people''s looks. Plus, it would be really scary topletely change someone''s face.


    "There is nothing strange in this big world. It is also possible that she did not change her face but just had arge-scale cosmetic surgery. It could be that or else, we would not feel this familiar with her." Edward flicked the desktop and tried to do a mental roll-call of all the women that were simr to Melissa. In the end, he found nothing.


    "I suppose so, too." Tom looked at the man and woman and found them actually sitting next to them. Fortunately, the restaurant had set up the tables in a way that could give their customers privacy and avoid them from being disturbed while having meal. Each chair was designed with a high backrest. Thus, no one could know what the other customers were doing unless they really intended to. However, it couldn''t filter sounds and one could still hear what the other group said if they said it louder.


    "Melissa,e and see what you want to eat." Shaun handed the menu to Melissa. They were sitting close to each other and looked intimate.

 Chapter 862 Cuckold (Part One)

    "Shaun, I heard that yourpany has already bought the department store stocks owned by FX International Group?" Melissa Xue leaned against Shaun with an excessively sweet smile. She casually tossed some loose hair behind her ear as she thought, ''You pushed me too far, Edward. Look what you made me do. You left me with no choice. I have to fight back and avenge for myself. I will make sure that you suffer what I have suffered. You are in my list too, Daisy. I will not spare you.''


    "My darling. Don''t you worry about it! I am at your service. I will definitely do my promise to you. I am so obsessed about you that I am willing to do anything for you!" With these earnest words, Shaun curled up his lips and touched her breasts swiftly. His vulgar gesture made her frown but she didn''t push him away. She looked up and saw the obvious lust in his eyes.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    "Hey, there are people around here." She flirtatiously snapped at him with a smile. Then, she threw him an inviting nce and giggled with her hand over her mouth. Like always, her tease sessfully caught his attention. Shaunughed and said, "Ohe on, I clearly remember how you behaved in the bed. I have to say, I enjoyed every second of it." She was such a sexy goddess and he was obsessed with her body. Whatever she said, he would obey. He was merely a humble servant in front of her.


    "Shaun, stop it! Otherwise, I will head back to the room right now." Melissa pouted her lips and pretended to be annoyed. She behaved like a little girl who had just been told off. She was not acting her age at all.


    "You are really full of surprises, aren''t you? I think you just can''t get enough of me. Baby, I know you can''t wait to have me in the bed again. I must perform even better in order to satisfy you further!" Although Shaun graduated from Harvard University with merits, he was a typical yboy. He had been squandering his family''s wealth at his will. Sex and alcohol were his all-time indulgence. He met Melissa by chance and ever since then, he had been fooling around with her and eventually waspletely manipted by her.


    "Hey you! Quiet down! Heads are turning because of your voice. You should really stop talking bullshit here. People are judging me now!" Melissa quickly extended her hand and covered his babbling mouth. The only reason why she entertained Shaun was because she wanted to ask for something from him. Proud woman as she was, Melissa considered herself way too good for a low-ss yboy like him!


    Edward and Rain exchanged looks with each other. The female voice sounded quite familiar. Was she the actual wicked Jessica? But howe she looked utterly different now? This woman only resembled Jessica in terms of voice and figure. Her face was utterly different, even her hairstyle had changed a lot. Jessica had wavy long hair, however, this woman had a head of straight ck hair, dazzling with charm.


    Rain raised an eyebrow and curled up his lips to silently signal Edward, ''Dude, check this woman out! She is the one you once dumped. You should really ept the fact that she is a total bitch. By the way, the look overhaul is pathetic! How could she think that we''ll not recognize her just by changing her face? Pathetic, Dude. Over pathetic! She should have changed her voice through surgery as well! Otherwise, we can totally call her bullshit and recognise her!''


    Edward''s eyebrows furrowed in distress as he read Rain''s mind. Rain did have a good point here. Edward thought for a second and then smiled wickedly. He thought to himself, ''Jessica, you are asking for it now! I did have mercy on you and thought about letting you go. However, you crossed the line too far this time. I wouldn''t sit quietly and ignore your behaviour. Don''t me me for being cruel on you. You asked for it!''


    "Boss, please excuse me for asking this straight, was she this slutty before?" Tom''s voice was cautiously low as he looked at Edward. He was not familiar with Jessica. However, he could still recognize her as she had been with Mr. Mu for some while.


    "Some people do change by the time. Not to mention that she was not really a good woman to begin with." Edward smirked. His idea about her seemed to be correct. ''She was a typical slut who knew how to manipte men using sex as her forte''.


    "You are right. I can''t be happier that you dumped her. Otherwise, who knew what kind of things she would do to you? Her betrayal would definitely cuckold you." Rain winked at Edward andughed. He found it funny to tease Edward about how he spoiled that bitch. How foolish was it to waste time and money on someone who wasn''t even worth a penny? That was too cheap! He should have known that her maniptive ways would get him nowhere! Jessica was indeed smart. She had outshone all the beautiful women before thus she became Edward''s lover.


    "I don''t care about her sleeping around. I dumped her and whatever she did was no longer my concern. She can sleep with as many men as she wants to. Now that I know about their purpose, I am able to deal with them much more easily." Edward raised his chin up and mockingly smiled. He thought to himself, ''Shaun. You are one piece of dead meat. Just wait and see how I destroy your Kompass Group!''


    "What a rare opportunity! I literally can''t wait to kick their asses! You guys should really let me do it. Consider this as a gift from these two to us, FX International Group!" Rain rubbed his palms together and looked all excited. He was really shocked to see Jessica here since the workload in FX Group nowadays was overbearing. Everyone was supposed to be fully upied. Never had he expected to see her here as she schemed with her lover. Rain thought to himself ''It will be unfair to those devoted and hard-working employees of FX International Group if I let you slip today." "Hey, you should really reconsider it. I don''t think it is wise to cause a scene here. Are you absolutely sure that you want to challenge them here in your own hotel? Aren''t you afraid of bad publicity?" Tom''s eyebrows furrowed as he slowly shook his head. Many people were dining there and he was concerned about the consequence.


    "Don''t you worry about it! I know what I am doing." With these words, Rain stood up and walked towards Shaun''s table with a ss of wine in his hand. His steps were casual as if he was on holiday. Some might even say that the way he walked was dangerously charming.


    Melissa''s charming face froze the moment she saw Rain. She went pale as she was utterly shocked by his presence. It only took her some seconds to calm herself down though and decided to cover her awkwardness with sly giggles. She was aware that she was no longer the same woman she used to be! She was confident that she would absolutely get away with her new face. Herpletely changed look would make it impossible for him to recognize her. However, she was slightly concerned that Edward might be there as well. The two men were known to hang around together publicly whenever and wherever. Edward was the one that Melissa found harder to deal with. The thought that her ex was there made her brain overwork. So what if Edward was really there as well? Was she in big trouble now? Melissa''s face went dark as her smile turned from sweet to awkward.


    Rain observed her look carefully and straight away noticed that she was nervous and scared. He stared at her and mentallyughed hard. ''This stupid woman! Where''d she get the guts to challenge FX International Group? However, now that she saw me here, she looks as if she saw a ghost! I wonder what would happen if Edward shows up here. Huh, would she faint on her seat?''


    "Melissa, what''s wrong? Your face looks pale. Are you feeling alright?" Shaun noticed that there was something wrong with the woman next to her. He was confused about Melissa''s sudden change and couldn''t take his eyes off her.00000

 Chapter 863 Cuckold (Part Two)

    "Well, don''t worry much about her. She looks pale simply because she spot me." Rain smiled at them handsomely. He looked both inviting and profound. Without even asking for their permission, he sat straight down in front of them. His wicked smile deepened even more as he stared at Melissa from across the table. Rain''s action made Shaun even more confused. The way the man was staring at Melissa was enough to give him goosebumps. It seemed like there was a secret between the two that he couldn''t figure out. "Hey, who are you?" Shaun managed to say as he felt the pressure surrounded them quickly. The handsome man sitting in front of them looked both dangerous and charming. How he was staring at his woman also made him instantly mad. How dared he look at Melissa like that?


    "You don''t need to know who I am. You just need to understand who she is. That woman sitting next to you sure got mad skills, I will give her that." Rain crossed his legs and casually leaned against the chair''s backrest, that was his signature way of sitting. He was wearing a cold smirk as if he was in deep thoughts. His hand was elegantly rolling his wine inside his ss as he continued to stare at the woman. Rain just looked utterly enchanting that even the most beautiful woman on earth would find it hard to beat his charm. "Shaun, I don''t know him at all. Don''t listen to his bullshit!" Melissa deliberately lowered her voice. However, it wouldn''t change the fact that she was Jessica herself. It was sad though that nothing escaped Rain''s eyes no matter how desperately she tried. "Rest assured, I don''t think I know you either. I just somehow find you quite simr to someone I know. A prostitute who works in the nightclub I used to visit a lot. I wonder if that rings a bell to you?" Rain''s smile deepened. Extreme joy was sparking in his eyes as he thought, ''Jessica Lin, Let''s see how long can you pull this off!''


    "Don''t be ridiculous! What do you mean by simr? I am telling you that you must have mistaken me for someone else. This is clearly a misunderstanding! I have never been to any nightclubs nor have I ever worked as a prostitute!" Melissa set her teeth in determination and red at Rain. She thought to herself, ''Damn you Rain, how dare you say that I am a prostitute? How dare you!'' Her hands clenched in anger. Melissa''s face distorted with wrath. However, she didn''t dare to say her mind on Rain''s face directly. Farthest she could do was to curse him inside her head.


    "Well, you heard her words. Dude, she said she didn''t know you. Why don''t you just beat it!" A typical spoiled rich man he was, Shaun always acted in the most arrogant way when dealing with things. He treated no one with respect as he was extremely self-centered. He was even worse whenever someone more handsome than him appeared. He intended to be ruder.


    "Excuse me, I must have made a mistake here. However, with all being said, I bet she has slept with multiple men before you." Rain stood up and left with joyfulughter. He had said what he wanted to say. Now he just needed to hear what Melissa got to say to defend herself. It seemed that she had fun pretending to be someone she wasn''t. He sincerely hoped that she could stillugh till the very end! After all, it would be a pity to see the "fun" game end so soon.


    "Wait a minute. What did he mean by that? Did you lie to me?" Shaun''s eyebrows furrowed tightly. His thought was brought back to the night when they first had sex with each other. The man just said that she had slept with other men before. Shaun was wondering what was the blood stain on the bed sheet then. Did Melissa cut her fingertip and use that to trick him?


    "Shaun, what is wrong with you? Would you rather believe some random stranger than me? He is just a lunatic out from nowhere!" Melissa bit her bottom lip and stared into Shaun''s eyes. She looked all sad with her big beautiful eyes brimming with tears.


    "Come on, I am not using you of anything. I didn''t say that I don''t trust you. However, he sounded so convincing. It did give me a good reason to doubt about the whole thing." Shaun''s heart melted upon seeing that she was about to burst out crying. He felt greatly sorry for her and no words could describe the feelings he had for her. He extended his hand and started to stroke her back gently.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    "How could you believe his words? Didn''t you see how he looks like? He looks like a total faggot. Why would you even listen to the untrue craping from his mouth? I don''t know what he is exactly after but I do know that he is definitely messing us up for no reason!" Melissa wanted to check where Rain went so that she could locate Edward. It bothered her greatly whether Edward was there or not. However, Shaun kept questioning her and she had to focus on her answers. Shaun''s words indicated that he had doubted her. Melissa didn''t dare to turn her head to Rain''s direction under such circumstances. She honestly even found it hard to breathe normally due to her nervousness.


    "Don''t you find that man overly enchanting?" Shaun raised his eyebrow and wondered where he saw himst time.


    "What a faggot! He is certainly enchanting in a sissy way!" Melissa''s smile looked bitter as she was desperately trying to cover up Rain''s identity. She felt somewhat relieved that Shaun had little knowledge about the senior management of the FX International Group. Otherwise, he would know straight away who Rain really was. She found it really difficult to keep up her lies. She was the one who initiated Shaun to destroy the FX International Group and she was afraid that she might eventually taste her own medicine when things fell apart. She had her own doubts in Shaun as she had observed him long enough to tell that he was not capable at all. She even considered him stupid when shepared him with Edward. She merely did some pillow talk and he actually had the confidence to challenge the FX International Group. ''That was just hrious.'' Melissa smirked and she thought to herself. Sometimes, she would wonder whether he graduated from Harvard or not. It seemed to her that he was nothing but a stupid and low-level sly. Apparently, the years he spent abroad didn''t make him into a well-educated gentleman. She had every reason to doubt him, judging from his ways of doing business or simply talking to others. Melissa felt sorry for herself as she had to spend time with a reckless Shaun instead of being with an outstanding Edward. Edward was both rich and handsome. Most importantly, he had this unique charm that could make people around him constantly enchanted. He acted like a noble prince wherever he went. This was something Shaun would never learn to have. In Melissa''s mind, he was simply too stupid. However, in order to achieve her own despicable goal, she had to apany him with a forced smile for now.


    Shaun cast a thoughtful look at Melissa and then he looked away. He tried to see where Rain went but to his surprise, Rain seemed to disappear into thin air. It would never ur to him that Rain was actually sitting in the booth next to theirs. However, the shields between the chairs were too high for him to see, thus, he didn''t know that he was just there.


    "Well, it is time for me to leave now. You guys can stay if you want to. I need to attend to something private. See youter. Oh, please be careful and don''t raise suspicion from them." Edward winked at Rain as he returned to their booth. With these words, Edward took his phone and left the table. He was not in the mood to hang around here. His mind waspletely upied with someone precious to him, the only woman who took his breath away. Even if they had silly fights from time to time, he still couldn''t hold any grudges against her. Instead, he found himself more and more into her as days passed by.000000000???????

 Chapter 864 Cuckold (Part Three)

    "Are you for real? You are the one who asked us out and now you''re saying that you will dump us here? This is not fair. We had been waiting for you here for almost an hour before you showed up!" Rain''s voice went higher when he saw Edward leaving. This unfortunately caught Melissa''s attention and made her realize that Rain was just inside the booth next to them. Heck! He was even sitting just behind her chair! She also noticed that Edward was there as well. The thought hit her hard. Her heart literally skipped a beat as her face went back to being colorless. "Hey, leave him alone, alright? Can''t you see that he is absent-minded all this time? I think he had a fight with his wife! You should just let him go. Let''s hang out without him. He is just a party-pooper." Tom was a more cautious man than Rain. He had noticed Edward''s odd behavior since the moment he sat with them. Edward was constantly checking on his wrist watch and fiddling his phone whenever he got a break between the dialogues. Tom could tell he was not at ease and his mind was apparently somewhere else!


    "I have nothing else to talk about with you guys. My advice to you would be to just go home and rest! I think it is high time for you to find a nicedy to join your sad life! Being single is not fun!" On hearing his mocking words, Rain gave Edward a bitter smile. It sort of made sense that they should all just leave this ce. There was no reason for him to hang out with Tom and stay there as he just came to apany Edward. He should really take his advice, call it a day, and just go home. Besides, he had seen enough for today.


    "I agree. Let''s go. I need to head home and study some patient case before it is toote. We can walk out together." Tom nodded as he stood up. It would be pointless for him to stay here on his own.


    Upon seeing the two stood up, Edward nodded to them swiftly and walked straight out. He didn''t persuade them to stay there as it was obvious that they were no longer in a party mood. He paused for a while as he passed Shaun''s booth. Then, as if nothing happened, he continued his steps and disappeared by the gate. Melissa was utterly shocked by his pause. Her heart was in her throat as thest thing she wanted was for him to turn around and speak to her. That would be her nightmare! She felt kind of relieved when he didn''t even cast a nce in her direction. That meant she was sessful in her disguise. Things were going well ording to her n, and Edward didn''t spot her out.


    "Hey, I know this man! He was just here a few minutes ago!" Shaun caught Rain''s tall figure when he walked past their booth. He pointed to Rain''s back and said to Melissa, "I think I heard his high pitched voice. He was sitting right behind us, in the next booth!" It never urred to Shaun that Rain was so close to him. He tried so hard to locate his whereabouts, but it turned out he was right under his nose!


    Shaun gazed at the gate where they disappeared and wondered who was the first man that walked out. He felt cold sweat ran down his back as he pondered on the man''s identity. Who was he? The words he said to him earlier seemed like a deliberate provocation. The more he thought about what had happened, the more suspicious he felt about the whole thing. ''Why would he sit at their table and "mistake" Melissa for someone else?'' he thought. He was also concerned about his talk with Melissa. They might have overheard their discussion about destroying the FX International Group. That thought petrified him.


    "You are right. That is the man." On the other hand, Melissa was not bothered at all. She was back to her normal mood as soon as the three left. She no longer had to be concerned about being recognized. As for the talk she had with Shaun, she was confident that no one had overheard it as the booth shield was high enough and she had paid extra attention on lowering her voice. She felt safe that Edward wasn''t around anymore. However, she was slightly upset about the fact that Edward didn''t recognize her. Had he already forgotten who she was? But if so, why would Rain show up before her and say those words to her? Melissa shook her head slowly in an attempt to wag the crazy thoughts away. Then, her face turned darker gradually as she was unable to avoid sumbing to the thoughts even more. It was merely nine o''clock in the evening when Edward reached home. He was greatly surprised to find that Daisy had already gone to bed. It was strangely too early. Daisy was a night owl and tended to stay upte at night. Apparently, his behaviour earlier had caused her distress. He cast a nce to the bed and said nothing. He wanted her to experience what he had before. He wanted her to know how it felt like being neglected by the beloved one. He controlled himself from wanting to hug his wife and kiss her hair. He found himself walking straight to the bathroom instead. He turned on the shower tap and soon, the shing sound of hot water woke Daisy up.


    Daisy opened her eyes and angrily thought to herself ''What is his problem? Shouldn''t I be the one who is mad now? Howe he didn''t even say hi to me when he returned home? Didn''t he even notice me on the bed?''


    Daisy''s eyes brimmed with tears as she bit her lip. She felt sorry for herself. Things were not going smoothly between her and her husbandtely. The fight they had earlier was simply stupid and unnecessary. It did happen anyway and caused great pain on both sides. Life hurt. That was her reflection on the whole situation. She didn''t mean to hurt him but she was also at a loss of what to tell him to make him better. She was so upied by her work and even lost track of time when things got busier. She didn''t mean to neglect her beloved husband on purpose. Sometimes, it was just hard to bnce between work and life. She knew that family should alwayse first but in some cases, it was easier said than done. It was obvious that Edward couldn''t take it anymore thus, he lost his temper. It was just fair for him to be outright upset. Daisy closed her eyes and swallowed the painful lump in her throat to keep her from crying.


    She gave what happened earlier a good thought while she was on her way home. Deep down, She agreed with Edward''s thoughtpletely. She understood his point of view as she would hate to be treated coldly by him as well. If she was in his shoe, she would also go mad upon consistently being ignored by her partner. It was really important to give one''s partner enough attention and care after all.


    Her heart ached hard as she realised her wrongs. She felt like an idiot who had failed to run her marriage carefully. She should have given him more attention and made him feel loved and wanted. Her carelessness ruined the tender foundation of their love. Daisy couldn''t believe what she did to him. ''I''m such a loser!'' she thought.


    She rubbed her sore nose and closed her eyes before he stepped out of the bathroom. She didn''t know how to face him. She had nothing suitable to tell him for the time being. The cold war between them seemed necessary until she found a better solution. She would have a busy day tomorrow. She literally couldn''t spend any effort on anything else. She felt sorry for Edward but she really had no energy to deal with him for now. With her eyes tightly closed, she bitterly thought to herself ''Tomorrow is another day. I will have a good talk with him. He might calm down by then and it will be easier for me to discuss our issue.''000000N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.

 Chapter 865 Daisys Rage (Part One)

    Edward walked out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist, with some beads of water on his fair skin. Due to exercise, his body was a perfect inverted triangle, fit and slim.


    He casually grabbed a towel and dried his sopping hair. Lips tightened, he paced to the bed. Daisy seemed to be in a sound sleep. After standing at her bedside and gazing lovingly for a while, he sighed and bent over to tuck her in. Before he stood up again, he couldn''t help pressing a gentle kiss on her forehead. While Edward did that, Daisy held her breath, wondering what he was going to do next. Shey there motionless like a statue, afraid to make any move. She knew what might being next.


    "Going to keep pretending? You''re not asleep," Edward asked with a grin as he tore off his towel. Naked, he walked to the wardrobe and pulled on a pair of briefs. He did it so naturally that there was no trace of embarrassment on his face.


    Daisy knew that she''d been found out. She didn''t feel like doing anything, though. Without the slightest intention of talking to Edward, she bit her lip a bit and continued to pretend to be sleeping.


    "I guess you''re really asleep. So you won''t mind all the dirty things we''re going to do together." Edward returned to the bed and looked intensely at her, wondering how long she could keep this up. She was good, but not that good.


    Hearing this, Daisy pulled the quilt up, covering herself more. This assured Edward that she had been pretending. ''This game''s gone on long enough, ''he thought, and promptly threw himself on her.


    "You asshole!" Daisy had no choice but to open her eyes, burning with anger.


    "Well, I know you''re mad, but I''m still not going to say sorry. So how do we settle this?" Edward lifted a lock of her hair and coiled it around his fingers yfully. He was enjoying this greatly.


    "I don''t care what you do. Just leave me alone. I need my beauty sleep." Her mouth was still thick with fatigue, and somewhat dry from actually sleeping. Daisy gnawed her lips with a straight face. At this moment, she seemed estranged and indifferent and didn''t appreciate Edward''s sprightly attitude.


    "Okay then. Remember what you just said. I can do whatever I want." The smirk on his face spread. Even the look in his eyes had put on a cunning color.


    "Wait. When did I say that? Edward, I''m warning you. Don''t use that sly business crap on me. Don''t piss me off. Remember how hard I kick?" Daisy looked at him coldly and pushed him away. Her mouth remained a tight line. She seemed quite serious about what she had said. Edward was pushing this to the thin red line.


    "Really? You really want a rematch? Remember thest time? You had a hard time walking afterwards." Still wearing that smirk, Edward stole a kiss, nting one right on her cheek.


    "Stay away from me, you sex maniac!" Daisy sounded really ticked off. When she touched his perfect body, she blushed involuntarily. No one had a right to look this good!


    "Why do you want me to stay away from you? Are you hot? Don''t worry, honey. I''ll turn the temperature down." As if he truly believed that was what Daisy meant, Edward fetched the air-conditioner remote and turned the temperature down. He was highly amused by his antics. He knew that ying dumb was the best way to cool her off, regardless of whatever the real temperature was in the room.


    Daisy''s lips trembled. She was so angry her mind refused to form a reply. How could she have missed that this man was so childish?Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Honey, how do you feel now? Any cooler?" Edward gave a fawning grin. Even he loathed himself right now.


    "You''re just doing this to piss me off, aren''t you? You''re like a child on Christmas. You''re actually enjoying this!" Suddenly, Daisy''s eyes reddened as she said these words. Very soon, tears came.


    "You weren''t speaking to me. I was anxious. There, there..." He took her in his arms andforted her. If he didn''t do this, he was afraid that Daisy would refuse to speak to him the whole night. He had ulterior motives behind everything he did. This time was no exception. "I''m not even a person to you. Let me go! You know deep down I''m just a stupid dog, and you can just kick me andmand me like any master!" Daisy got even more upset. The tears in her eyes rolled down her face, dripping on his goosebumps. He was cold from thebination of the air conditioner and his damp skin.


    "Huh? Who would say something like that? A dog? I''ll kick his ass!" Edward continued to y dumb. He didn''t have the heart to upset her, but he was a proud man with a temper. Much as he spoiled her, sometimes his feelings got hurt too. He would put up with her most of the time, but today he snapped.


    "You''re a dog! Your whole family is a pack of mangy dogs!" Daisy was out of her mind with rage. She''d forgotten that she was part of his family, as was Justin.


    "There you go. You''re family too. You''re calling yourself a dog?" Edward stroked her back to let her temper cool as he tried to suppress hisughter.


    "Don''t talk to me. I''m not in a forgiving mood today." Convinced that Edward wasn''t sincerelyforting her but was trying to aggravate her further, Daisy shoved his hand away. "You really can''t forgive me? Even though I did everything for your own good?" The smile on Edward''s face disappeared. The look in his eyes darkened and became fathomless.


    "No I can''t forgive you! Not now, not ever! My own good? So throwing me out of the car was for my own good? Help me out here -- I don''t see the logic in that." Daisy nced at Edward disdainfully, gritting her teeth.


    "Guess whom I saw this evening. You''ll never figure it out..." Edward gave a resigned smile. The moment he saw that picture, he had suspected that it was Jessica. She had been with Edward for so many years it would be impossible not to know. He wasn''t sure at first -- she''d changed so much from the woman he once knew. When Daisy got into the car, Edward had noticed the mole on her neck and it had struck him that Jessica had a dark red mole on her arm and the woman in the picture seemed to have an identical one. To confirm his theory, he had to figure this out. No one knew why Jessica had changed her appearance. To protect his wife from potential danger, he had started an argument with her deliberately back when they were on the road just to make sure she wouldn''te along and get involved.


    "Someone I don''t know, so I couldn''t care less." Daisy''s interest was aroused, but she pretended she didn''t care.


    "No. It''s someone you know." Edward was amused and ran a finger down her nose. He didn''t want to upset her. Everything he did was to protect her. Before figuring out Jessica''s agenda, he had to keep Daisy away from the matter. Although she was a powerful colonel, she was only a woman in his eyes, and it was his responsibility to protect her from danger.


    "OK, I''ll bite. Who was it?" Once again, Daisy was led by the nose. It was one of her weaknesses. Edward knew about it and was using it to ease the tension in the room.


    "Honey, have you forgiven me?" Edward didn''t answer her question. This was another reason he loved her. She was a sensible woman, simple and forgiving.

 Chapter 866 Daisys Rage (Part Two)

    "Who said I wasn''t angry anymore? No matter what your reasons are, you still hurt me and I''m still mad." Daisy turned her head away, pouting. At the same time, she was wondering whom Edward was talking about. Since Edward kept hinting about him or her, she had to


    know. Who was it? It must have been someone who meant something to both of them.


    "Sorry. How about this? Next time, you kick me out of the car. You were fine, though. I never would have done that if Mark hadn''t been following us. You really hurt my feelings today. I waited for you for two hours and then you told me that you forgot about our appointment. Although I love you, I am a man and I have a temper. You''re the only one I have waited for. Not my friends, not my colleagues. Not even my parents. Can you imagine how important you are to me?"


    Edward said to her after he had turned her around. That was true. Throughout his life, everybody humored him. Yet with Daisy, he was extremely patient and indulgent. When she forgot that he had been waiting, he preferred a white lie to the truth. Sometimes the truth hurt.


    "That was why you were angry, but no matter what, you shouldn''t have stranded me. I almost cried my eyes out." Daisy knew what she had done was out of line. Besides, it had happened more than once, and Edward had never been angry about it before. However, somehow, she was always forgetful when it came to Edward. She wasn''t like this normally. In a nutshell, she relied on Edward too much and she had believed that no matter what she did, he wouldn''t be mad at her. Now she realized that she was wrong. He didn''t have to keep ignoring her behavior and had no reason to forgive her for the mistakes she kept making over and over.


    "I was mad at first, but I got over it like I always do. Now that we''re married, I should understand youpletely. As an only son, I feel superior to others and am proud like many other sons of rich families. So, sometimes I''m an incorrigible ass. But today, my anger was a sham. I started the fight on purpose. It was because of the person I just mentioned. If things got hairy, I didn''t want you involved."


    Edward lowered his head and kissed her again on the forehead. He had predicted that she would get hurt, but after hearing her out, he still felt a wave of pain in his heart. When she got hurt, he felt it himself.


    "Tell me, who was it? Maybe I''ll forgive you." Exnations weren''t really necessary, since Daisy had some time to think on her way home. She had forgiven him, though she pretended otherwise. It wasn''t easy for him to humor her like that. She was a grateful person. She didn''t focus on other people''s mistakes and neglect her own.


    "You won''t believe it. It was Jessica. I know she''s been away for a long time. Now she''s back with a new face. Her purpose is obvious -- to destroy FX International." Edward had promised Daisy that there would be no secrets between them. He knew the truth would worry her, but he still chose to tell her. On the bright side, she would be more careful now. No one knew what Jessica''s next move would be.


    "What? Jessica? Hasn''t she learned her lesson yet? Now I get what you were talking about earlier, why you asked me if I''d still be with you if you lost everything." It turned out that Edward hadn''t been talking smack. However, it took a huge amount of money to drive FX International out of business, if that were even possible. He had poured his money into so many different businesses, trying to ensure that something of his fortune would remain intact. That way he''d have some assets to leverage if he had to rebuild. Rain had once told Daisy that Lin Group had been bought out by FX International. Then where did Jessica''s moneye from?


    "So I''m asking you again. Has anything changed? Would you support me if I lost everything?" Seeing Daisy wasn''t angry anymore, Edward was relieved. Fighting was normal in families. It didn''t matter how rich or how poor you were, there was always something that went south. Learning how to handle angry family members was something of an art. Edward epted there would be friction in their marriage. A marriage without problems was a fantasy. They were just like any other married couple. Both he and Daisy were rational. When there was an argument, they med each other just like other couples, but at the same time, they took time to reflect on their actions and learn from their mistakes. That was how their marriage worked.


    "No. Nothing''s changed. I think it''s a brilliant idea for you to work the streets. A pretty face like yours shouldn''t go to waste." Daisy rolled her eyes at him. By now, she was still angry.


    "Listen to you! The mighty colonel herself wants me to be a hooker. You know thew better than I do. Aren''t you worried that word might get out that you''re my pimp? You mightnd before a military tribunal." Edward smiled. Only Daisy coulde up with something like that. One of the many reasons he loved her was that she could always make himugh.


    "Don''t worry. I would be your client if you should really work on the street. I wouldn''t let you end up bing other women''s gigolo." Daisy winked. He belonged to her. She wouldn''t let another woman touch him no matter how pathetic and miserable he became. They wouldn''t even get a chance toe near him.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    "Careful, Colonel. Something like this couldnd you in the stockade, charged with group licentiousness. I''ll report you to your superiors tomorrow.. Seeing Daisy was in a good mood, Edward took it as license to tease her.


    "Go ahead. You can''t report me without evidence. And for that, you''ll have to really hit the streets. Do you still want to do that? I''ve got a pretty outfit you can wear." Daisy looked at him arrogantly, having forgotten about the fight. She didn''t hold a grudge, except when it came to Leo. "You''ll be my client, right? It''s okay then. I''ll enjoy it. I can make money and get to sleep with a beautiful woman like you at the same time. How cool is that?" Edward would never be beaten in a debate. He was the master strategist when it came to war of words.


    "Don''t get cocky. I''ll ask the police to put you away. Start with a detention for ten days. Now, back to serious business. How in the world would Jessica be capable of messing with arge group like FX International? Who''s backing her? And more importantly, why?" Daisy wasn''t sure how many assets FX International had, but from Edward''s extravagant lifestyle, she was convinced that it would cost enormous amount of capital to bring FX International down. She wondered who was funding Jessica.


    "Just some spendthrift from a wealthy family. Don''t worry. I wouldn''t let you support me. They won''t beat me. ording to my intel, they''re fighting a hopeless battle." Edward was confident about this. He expected that it wouldn''t be long before he turned the tables and bought out Kompass Group. Then the threat would be over, for now.0000

 Chapter 867 Senior Colonel (Part One)

    again.


    "Don''t take anything for granted. Better to stay alert. Everything is up in the air right now. Don''t underestimate anyone, or you might lose. These are good rules for business and war." Daisy said and frowned, having no idea why this woman kept repeating her mistake again and "If they somehow seeded, you wouldn''t say I''m a profiteer then." Edward teased Daisy roguishly. ''Thank God she finally cooled down. What a little nice cutie," Edward thought.


    "You are a profiteer. But I''m not going to kick myself over my choice. Just be yourself, you little prince," Daisy said roughly and nced at him. She wasn''t a vainglorious woman, but she wasn''t stupid enough to see Edward unsessful. After all, she had no intention of discarding all she had and living a poor life. From this point of view, she was like anyone else. It was typical of people to think about it like this, right? She was no exception.


    "Now that you''ve decided to ept me as a profiteer, I''ll see if I can live up to your expectations! But remember, you asked me to do it. So you can''t call me a profiteer anymore." Edward haggled with Daisy, looking reluctant, which made Daisy desperate to kick him. ''How could he say that I asked him to do that? He couldn''t live a poor life even if he had to,'' Daisy thought. She said it all on his ount. She would never be influenced by his wealth. After all, most of the time in the past, her life was not happier than the poor people since her mother died. She didn''t see her life back then as better than that of anyone with less money. But Edward was different. He was raised in a rich and noble family. How could hepare to her?


    "I want you to eat shit. Why don''t you do that?" Daisy nced at him with cold eyes. She thought she couldn''t underestimate his impudence.


    "Ew! That''s nasty! How can you say such things?" Edward said. Sure enough, he was more suited to be a noble than amoner. Even if she just mentioned it once, he''d got a mental image and been disgusted. He had delicate sensibilities. The CEO didn''t know there were so many people out there living a life that he found disgusting. As a rich man, how could he get it?


    "So! To avoid hearing this stuff on the daily, you just be the rich man we both know you are!" Daisy said and looked at him scornfully, her eyes full of contempt.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "Why are you looking at me like that, colonel? Could you be gentler?" Edward said and frowned. He didn''t like that way she looked at him. It made him feel like he was an extremely terrible man.


    "Sorry. It''s the soldiers'' way. We can''t behave as artificially as you." Daisy kept teasing him, with a cold smile on her face.


    "Hah, nice try! Your nose is growing!" Edward said and looked at her in astonishment. He wondered since when this woman had grown a sharp tongue.


    "Sorry. I learned it from you. You asked for it," Daisy said. She felt much more relieved about what Edward had done to her at nightfall. After all, eventually it was time to let things go. Why should they dwell on the negative? As a matter of fact, she was far more happy when she knew that he cared for her.


    "Very good. You can fight back quite well. I think I underestimated you," Edward said,ying his head on her body. He wasfortable and surrounded by love. He enjoyed that pleasant feeling a lot.


    "d to hear it. So don''t piss me off if you know what''s good for you. Unless you want another lesson..." Daisy said with a pleased gleam on her face and waved her fist at Edward.


    "Aaah! I''m so scared!" Edward said, pretending to be frightened. He wed his face yfully, stretching the skin around his eyes to make them look rounder. He had never been more satisfied with his life than in that moment. He was content to have such a good wife. The moonlight outside of the window shone brightly and the couple, separated from the moonlight by a pane of ss, was murmuring intimately. Couples argued all the time. It was natural. What took greater skill, however, was letting things go.


    Daisy couldn''t enjoy her National Day like everyone else, but instead got even busier. To the people, it marked the start of a vacation. It didn''t matter to Daisy right now. To her, it was time to whip herself into shape. She started at dawn, but she enjoyed her fatigue. She needed to test her limits, to find out what oue she could get from the efforts.


    "Colonel, Hank did a good job for once," Mark stood beside Daisy and murmured. Out of their expectation, Hank had changed a lot, like a new man, since he was demoted. He wasn''t impulsive, irritable or narrow-minded like before, which knocked everyone''s socks off. "Um! Everyone makes a mistake here and there. If they can make things right, then it''s all good. No one deserves to be punished forever," Daisy said with a faint smile, looking at the armored vehicles, tanks and columns passing by her one by one. Honestly, she would be emotional every time when she watched this.


    "Got it. Colonel. I''ll keep that in mind," Mark replied. He had no problem following Daisy''s orders. He took every word of Daisy''s to heart, which he also valued as the philosophy of life.


    Daisy stopped lecturing Mark at his sharp reply. She knew he was a simple and kind man and it was impossible for him to cheat someone.


    "Haha! Daisy, well done! You trained these guys so well! Very impressive! You''re amazing!" Commander praised Daisy with augh. As he had said, once they were trained by Daisy, the recruits would shine with potential no matter what they looked like before joining up. "They all came with good qualifications. Lucky me!" Daisy said. She never imed credit for herself but stayed low key and humble in everything.


    "Luck had nothing to do with it. I keep telling you, the secret to these recruits'' sess is you. You''re a kickass colonel. And you''ll be more than able to handle what happens next." Themander showed a mysterious smile, brimming with excitement. He wasn''t sure if the next surprise would prompt her to weep for joy on the spot. After all, it was a longed-for recognition for her. If only she could rise above her humility to im it.


    "What happens next? What are you talking about,mander? Don''t torture me by keeping me in suspense. I hate waiting," Daisy said and frowned. She had no idea why theirmander was being so vague.


    "Just wait! I''ll tell youter," themander said with a smile. He wasn''t about to tell her.


    "Any ideas, Kevin? What could it be? He''s being really evasive." Daisy said to Kevin, who was right next to her. And themander had no intention to tell her.


    "I don''t know what this sly old fox has got up his sleeve, either. We can just wait and see now that he''s let on that he has something to tell you. But it couldn''t be a bad thing for sure. Otherwise he wouldn''t be smiling. That old coot has a soft spot in his heart for you." Kevin said. He was confused too. They could do nothing if themander didn''t say anything more about this. All they could do was just wait.


    "Kevin, you''re so dead. How could you say themander is a sly old fox? Or an old coot?" Daisy said it louder on purpose, hoping themander would hear her. All his kindness went out the window, and she was in a yful mood. It was like the old saying: "A woman with a voice is by definition a strong woman."


    "Ahem! Kevin, I''ve heard them all." Themander said, pretending to be serious. His re at Kevin showed the poise of a leader, but there was a gleam in his eye.


    "Commander, you didn''t hear anything." Kevin said calmly without any shame about that. It seemed that he had never said that before.


    "Kid, do you think I''m deaf? The entire army could hear you. You have a lot of nerve to try and shrug it off," themander said, ring at Kevin, But it didn''t work on Kevin as he knew themander was just making joke with him. "Commander, are you sure you''re going to keep arguing about this with me?" Kevin said with a cold smile. He was trying to change the topic.000000

 Chapter 868 Senior Colonel (Part Two)

    "Enough of this. Listen up! Leaders and soldiers, I have an announcement to make. First, let''s wee Colonel Daisy to the stage with our warm apuse." At that time there was an excited crowd around Daisy, and their voices suddenly filled the air, followed by loud cheers. Daisy grew confused, and struggled to maintain herposure, as her normal bashfulness was brought to the surface by the recognition and apuse. "Go up there girl! What are you thinking?" Themander said with a smile on his face, looking at her with a tenderness dawning in his eyes.


    Daisy took a deep breath, then patted her hair and straightened out her uniform. When she was sure her appearance was fine, then she gained the confidence to take the stage. She still felt a bit nervous not knowing what wasing.


    "Colonel Daisy, congrattions! Due to your contribution leading to the capture of the drug dealersst time and all the good deeds you''ve already be well-known for, now you are promoted to Senior Colonel." The host said, then took the Colonel insignia from Daisy''s shoulder, recing it with the Senior Colonel insignia -- four stars bounded by two bars on either side -- on her shoulder. He also applied thepanion insignia on her cor. Daisy stood there quietly, partly out of her soldier training, and partly out of confusion and let the emcee do everything.


    Kevin was extremely excited about this news. He almost didn''t believe it. They''d been waiting for this day for so long. Hearing that the dream had finally been achieved was almost too much. Daisy had worked hard for this honor, and had survived rigors that almost beyond imagination. So she deserved this honor.


    The tears began to well up in Mark''s eyes. He thought all the efforts Daisy had made hadn''t gone to waste and he knew this day would finallye. When this day came, he had a violent desire to cry. If you wanted to ask who was his idol, the answer would be his colonel. No, he was supposed to address her as Senior Colonel from that day on.


    "Senior Colonel, do you have something to say to our soldiers?" The host gave Daisy the microphone. He assumed she would have a lot to say.


    "Leaders and soldiers, first, I need to say thank you to you all. Thanks for all your great kindness and recognition. And I can show you that I stand as an example of what you can achieve, because each drop of sweat you shed will be paid back." This was Daisy. She was always so cool. Not the long speech, but she could spell out an effective string of words to resonate with everyone. So the minute when she finished, the crowd broke into thunderous apuse whichsted for a very long time.


    "Girl, congrattions! It has finally be sunny today." Themander''s remarks were intriguing. After all, Daisy should have been promoted long time ago from her contributions, but she missed the opportunity every time. As for the reasons, they still weren''t clear. "Thank you, Commander. I will work harder." Daisy said and gave him a formal salute. She had never thought she would have a surprise like today. Excitement and disbelief took root in her, and brought butterflies in her stomach. "Daisy, congrattions! You truly deserve it!" Kevin congratted Daisy not as a colleague but a brother.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Thank you!" Daisy gave Kevin a slight hug with excited tears in her eyes. It was a tremendous shock for her today, so she had a desire to cry too.


    This feeling was so strong that it even didn''t stop after the parade ended. It was like a dream for her. She didn''te back to reality until she awoke from that dream.


    "Colonel, are you excited? I knew this day woulde." Mark couldn''t get used to the new form of address that Daisy''s rank demanded, but the excitement in his heart was no less than Daisy''s. In the heat of the moment, everyone let that slip by.


    "Um! Thanks, Mark. I couldn''t have done it without your support." Daisy always treated Mark like her younger brother, so she could bear his impetuosity and didn''t judge him.


    "No. It''s all about your efforts. I can''t take credit for it." Mark touched his head woodenly. He felt a little shy when hearing Daisy praised him.


    "No matter what, I should thank you. All right, let''s head back now!" Daisy said and pursed her lips. She wanted to go home early since it was National Day.


    When she was in her Hummer along the way, the wind blew on her face through the open window, which calmed her nerves a bit.


    When she touched the insignia on her shoulder, her fingers trembled slightly. As a woman, it was a great honor for her and she felt no regrets in her whole life. At the time when she chose JC Military Academy, she never thought she would attain this rank after so few years. She felt satisfied with her life at that moment.


    Daisy''s mind was spinning just like the hummer''s wheels. She thought the honor she got was all thanks to Edward. She wouldn''t have chosen the army life if Edward hadn''t said those words to Daisy a long time ago. She wouldn''t have kept challenging herself and winning if she hadn''t wanted to catch up with Edward, either. She wasn''t in directpetition, but what would it be like if she slowed down and becamecent?


    Most people might think she was aggrieved and wretched, but she never looked at herself in that way. On the contrary, she appreciated how fate gave her a different life. Otherwise, she would have never had the chance to experience the colorful and hot-blood life in the army.


    "Colonel, Mr. Mu must be very happy to know you got promoted," Mark said when he nced at Daisy in the rearview mirror. She was still buzzing from the surprise, and lost in thought.


    "Don''t tell him about this. I think he''ll discover it by himself if he cares about me. Just wait for him to figure it out." Daisy said and frowned. She didn''t know if Edward would discover it by himself. Honestly, she was half happy and half worried. On one hand, she wondered if he cared about her too much; on the other hand, she was afraid that his concern for her wasn''t as deep as she expected.


    "Okay, got it." Mark said with a knowing smile. He knew what Daisy was thinking. After all he had been with her for a long time.


    At that moment, Edward''s house was full of joy. It wasn''t for celebrating Daisy''s promotion, but for the reunion with Rain and some other people. All of them were taking the holiday to gather to eat dinner.


    "Uncle Rain, how can you be like this? Apparently, you''re the loser." Justin red at Rain andined with his lips pouted. His face flushed crimson with anger.


    "Kid, haven''t you heard? ''All warfare is based on deception.'' If you lose, you lose. So, just admit defeat for once!" Rain said and raised his eyebrow. He was in a better mood when he saw Justin''s angry red face. "Daddy, see? Uncle Rain cheated." Little Justin asked for the help from his dad with his eyes filled with grief when he found he couldn''t argue with Rain.


    "It''s his personality, so you must be shameless enough if you want to y chess with him." That was Edward. His tone was always calm and emotionless, but his remarks could always hit the nail on the head.


    "Edward, what''s wrong with my personality. Speaking of shameless, I''m not your match there." Rain disagreed with Edward and became furious on hearing him pronounce judgement on him.


    "Uncle Rain, My daddy is a little bit impudent, but he has a good personality." Justin said in a boyish voice, his young face looking much more serious, which made Rain burst intoughter suddenly. But Edward''s face ckened when he heard what Justin said. He stared at his son in doubt, the son whom he always thought smart and talented. That little imp just put Edward in his ce.

 Chapter 869 A Pleasant Surprise (Part One)

    "Haha! Justin, you''re really something else!" Rain was stillughing with reckless abandon. Looking at Edward, who was at a loss for words, he never felt this amused and happy. Edward must be quite helpless and sulky after hearing his own son talking about him like that!


    "Uncle Rain, why are youughing? Am I wrong?" The little guy looked very confused. He tilted his head, thinking about what he said just now that could make Rainugh so merrily. Was what he said not right?


    "No! You are definitely right, Justin. Your daddy is bold and impudent, true. But as to his personality... Well, Justin, I won''t say that he has a good personality, you know? After all, have you ever seen a man who has no shame but has a good personality?" The smile on Rain''s face hadn''t disappeared. He didn''t have his own family, so only in Edward''s house could he feel the warmth of home.


    "Rain, you''re going to get your ass kicked." Edward had already felt very helpless about what Justin said, and was at a loss for words. Now, he let loose on Rain. He red at him sideways, eyes full of coldness. Rain was in for it now.


    "Damn it, Edward. Why am I the one always getting kicked? I didn''t say anything! That was all Justin!" Rain said, his mouth crumpled, feeling quite misrepresented. He knew he would never get the upper hand when facing Edward.


    "Rain, You know exactly the reason why you''re the one. So don''t ask. Just know you''re screwed." Tom curled his lips, and he nced at Rain with disdain. He shook his head. Why couldn''t Rain just understand that he was never going to win against Edward? This kind of situation happened a lot, and Rain just wouldn''t learn his lesson. After all, Edward was their boss. Nobody would ever have the upper hand over their boss. That was just the way it was.


    "Well, it couldn''t hurt to try, right? But again, why are you here, Tom? We''re all on holiday here, but you are a doctor. Shouldn''t you be in the hospital now? Aren''t there any patients during the holiday?" Rain asked curiously, but the look on his face showed a message of defiance. He was annoyed at what Tom said, and wasn''t going to take it lying down.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "I''m not the only doctor at Renxin Hospital, much less the whole city. If you think that, then you''re an idiot. Sometimes, Rain..." The corner of Tom''s mouth twitched. In his eyes, Rain didn''t seem to be that slow. Why he always asked these dumb questions remained a mystery to him. He shook his head.


    "Of course not! But I think you are the backbone of the hospital. So you should be in the hospital now and helping others, instead ofzing around. Set a good example for your colleagues." Rainzily sat on the chair, leaning against the back of the chair. It seemed like his habit. Whenever he sat on something, he always sat like this. He was indeed azybones.


    "So you mean that as the backbone of the hospital, I shouldn''t rest at all, even on the holidays, right? But don''t forget what time it is now." Tom was getting angrier and angrier after hearing Rain''s words. What did he really want to say? He was acting all selfish right now. Well, he could easily take a day off, but he couldn''t stand others having a holiday too? That was just wrong.


    "It''s now 4 o''clock in the afternoon. I believe it''s still working time. Am I right?" Tom was never going to win when he bantered with Rain. So he was always the one being teased and mocked in their small group, because it was the same when he was in a friendly banter with Edward. He had never gotten the upper hand at all. Ever. And he wouldn''t, either.


    "Today is National Day! I deserve at least half a day to rx, okay?" Tom was almost at a loss for words right now. He really didn''t know what to say to Rain anymore. So he didn''t look at him either. Instead, he turned his head and looked back at the white chess pieces in front of him. His rival was Jonathan. Much to Tom''s surprise, Jonathan didn''t even say a word when they were busy bantering and joking around. He just silently sat there, patiently waiting for him.


    "Ha! It seems that I''m the most pathetic guy here. If I want a day off, I''ll have to ask someone and see if he lets me." Rain looked very unhappy, and he nced at Edward, who was sitting beside him. But Edward, being his normal cold self, didn''t give a damn about Rain''s state of mind. He didn''t even nce at Rain, not to mention reply to his words. Rain was dramatic as usual.


    "Uncle Rain, why do you think you''re pathetic? You are not! If anyone''s pathetic, it would be my daddy. He''s got an employee as useless as you. He must be so tired!" Justin dropped his chin onto his hands, and looked at Rain with innocent eyes. Rain couldn''t even believe that this little guy would insult him this way. And he always pulled off the innocent look when he said something particrly offensive. Rain was tired of his crap.


    "Son, you have pretty muchid out my life with employees like Rain. Come here, daddy wants to kiss you." Edward raised one of his eyebrows and looked at Rain triumphantly. Then he lowered his head and kissed Justin''s cute face. Anyone could tell from his pleasant look that he was quite proud of his little son.


    "Thank you, daddy. I want to give you a kiss too!" After saying these words, Justin stood up, leaned towards his father, then also gave him a solid kiss on his cheek. The two of them were being all cheesy towards each other. But they were also sharing augh at Rain''s expense.


    "E! Stop being gross, will you? There are still people here, okay? I just can''t stand you two!" Rain made a gagging sound. Though he acted like he was grossed out by their disy of affection, deep in his heart, he felt touched. He was happy for them, and at the same time, he had to admit that he was a little bit jealous too. Thinking of himself, he wondered when he would have this kind of happiness.


    "Well, you are just jealous, that''s all. It''s your own fault that you let Annie go. Now the only thing you can feel is regret." In Edward''s eyes, Annie was a good girl. Though at first she was a bit too restless for his liking, she became quite mature and calm as time went by. She was indeed quite lovely. He couldn''t understand why Rain was so picky about her. And look how it turned out now. Was this what Rain truly wanted? Definitely not! But now, there was nothing he could do but admit his own mistake and go on with his life.


    "What a dick! Why are you bringing up this now Edward? It''s a holiday, give me a break for once, will you? Thanks a lot for making me feel sad and lonely!" Rain''s face echoed the sadness inflicted by the cruel fact that Edward had mentioned. There was no trace of delight left on his beautiful face. It looked like that no matter how time passed, Annie would always be the ''sting'' in his heart that he could never let go.


    "It was just a friendly reminder. In case you stupidly let go of her the next time. If there is a next time. I still can''t understand why you did such a dumbass thing anyway. What were you thinking?" Ever since Edward got back together with Daisy, he put many things in perspective, and finally gained the love he always wanted. Now, he lived life to the fullest, and his life was wonderful. For the first time in his life, he felt truly happy about everything he had. So he couldn''t help but want the same happiness for his friends. He hoped that they all found true love and could be happy just like him.00

 Chapter 870 A Pleasant Surprise (Part Two)

    "So... you think that I still have a chance with her?" To be honest, Rain didn''t even want to think about seeing Annie again. Part of him always believed that they would never meet again, and that he had already lost her for sure. So many yearster, when he finally saw the woman who had been in his mind day and night walking past him in front of his eyes, holding hands with two young kids with a gentle smile on her face, his eyes popped out in disbelief. He froze in ce, stared nkly at her, watching her disappear before his eyes without doing anything. He couldn''t believe his own eyes, and he couldn''t think straight. He just dumbly stood there. Before he knew it, she was gone. And right at that time, he finally realized who he saw just now and hurriedly started to look for her in vain. But unfortunately, she was nowhere to be found.


    "Well, I mean, if you really want to see her, I believe that you two will definitely meet again. It all depends on you, you know? You just have to figure out what you really want." Edward poured himself a cup of tea. Ever since his father learnt how to make tea from Daisy, he spent every day studying how to do it perfectly. So wherever he was, there was always a tea set with him. He needed to figure out the secret.


    "Well, I guess we will talk about itter. I just want to get my mind off it for now. And I wanted to ask earlier, where''s Daisy? Does she still have to work on National Day?" Compared to Daisy, Rain thought that he was indeed luckier than her. Though he always liked toin about his work, in fact, he was being treated the same way as his CEO. And more importantly, he had absolute control over his work schedule. At least, he didn''t have to work overtime.


    "Yeah. I guess today she''s even busier than usual." Edward''s brows lowered as he frowned. Maybe this was the disadvantage of having a colonel as his wife. He was constantly worried about her safety, especially when every other families were together, celebrating the lovely holiday and just enjoying being with one another.


    "Oh. Shame that she can''t join us. It seems that Daisy works really hard, but everyone else just sees her status instead of the hard work." Rain let out a sigh. He knew that as a woman, it was pretty difficult to achieve the status Daisy had today all by her own hand. To be honest, if he were Daisy, he probably couldn''t do as well as her, and he was a man. So he really deeply admired and respected Daisy. She was a real role model, the real deal. He felt like a cker next to what she achieved.


    "Yeah, it''s thanks to people like Daisy that we can all have a safe and sound holiday. Besides that, their families also have sacrificed the chance of being together with them on this special holiday. And I''m one of them." Edward found another chance to mock Rain. But deep in his head, all he could think about was Daisy''s beautiful figure. He really missed her. He wished that they could at least be together on the holiday.


    "Pffft! Don''t puff yourself up that much. To be honest, the bomb here is Daisy, not you. Stop ttering yourself, will you?" Rain snorted loudly. It seemed that Edward was really without shame.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "What are you talking about? You''re so loud that I could hear you from outside." Daisy made her entrance in an olive green military uniform, looking refreshing and spirited. She didn''t expect that it would be this lively at home. It seemed like a fun party.


    "Ah, speak of the devil. We were just talking about you, Daisy." In Rain''s eyes, it was Daisy in her military uniform that was the most beautiful he''d ever seen her. It was hotter than when she wore the prettiest dress at a party. Because the uniform showed her energy and capability. And his guilty pleasure was women in uniform.


    "Oh? Were you speaking evil of me behind my back?" Daisy said, walking towards them. When she walked past Jonathan she greeted him in a small voice, simply saying "Dad." And Jonathan, being his usual cold self, just nodded towards her and said, "You''re back." "Daisy, I wasn''t, you know. But they -- well -- I can just say that they talked a lot about you." Even when Tom was ying chess, he still didn''t forget to rat on Rain and Edward.


    "Mommy, you''re home early! I thought that you''d bete again." Justin threw himself on Daisy as soon as he saw his mother. He held onto Daisy''s legs and raised his head up to look at her. He was really surprised and happy that his mother was back. He thought that she couldn''t make it today.


    "Yeah! That''s because mommy misses you very much, Justin! So I came back early. Are you happy?" Daisy stooped down and said these words to her son. And at the same time, Edward, who had been keeping his eyes on her, suddenly gazed on her with a surprised look. Delight shed in his eyes, and he felt extremely happy for his wife. Because she finally climbed to this position. She really deserved it, for all the effort she put in her work. It was just that he didn''t expect at all that she would give him such a pleasant surprise on such a special day -- the National Day.


    "It seems that we are going to pop the champagne tonight." Edward slowly stood up. He walked briskly towards Daisy and stopped beside her. His eyes rested on the two bars and four stars on her shoulder, and they were full of happiness and affection for his little wife. The day finally came. There were no words that could describe his joy.


    "Pop the champagne? Why? Daddy?" Justin asked in a confused voice. He couldn''t think of anything that needed to be celebrated. But beside him, Daisy turned her head and looked at Edward in surprise. She didn''t expect that he would find out about her promotion this soon. She had thought that he probably wouldn''t even notice the small change on her uniform, at least not this soon. But much to her surprise, Edward noticed the two bars and four stars on her shoulder as soon as she walked in the room. She was really touched by Edward''s behavior. Again, she realized how important she was in her husband''s heart. She always held a special ce there. That was why he would immediately know about anything that happened to her.


    "Justin, look at your mother more carefully. Then you''ll know why we are celebrating tonight." Edward looked into Daisy''s eyes, both of them showing the deep love for each other. She must be the happiest one in this room right now! After all, it was exactly what she wanted and deserved. And he could tell that she had definitely cried before she walked into the room, because her beautiful eyes were still a little red. Indeed, everyone could tell.


    "Ah! Mommy, you are a senior colonel now! Grandpa, Uncle Rain, look! My mommy is a senior colonel!" Justin had lived at the army base since a very young age, so he knew very well about the different Army ranks. That was why he couldn''t help but shout excitedly when he saw the brand new two bars and four stars on his mommy''s shoulder. He was so happy that it seemed that he was the one getting a promotion.


    "What? Justin, you are not kidding, right? Daisy, is it true? Let me see!" Excited, Rain jumped up and practically ran straight over to Daisy. But he couldn''t see anything different about her. What the hell? How did both Edward and Justin know that she got a promotion? "Uncle Rain, where are you looking? Look at my mommy''s shoulder! Her epaulet!" But Rain still looked quite confused, which made Justin feel very anxious. How could he be so oblivious? Justin just couldn''t understand. It was right in front of his eyes! And still, he just couldn''t see it.


    "Her epaulet? What''s wrong with her epaulet? There isn''t anything special about it." Rain knew nothing about the military, so he couldn''t tell the difference between the insignias of one rank and another. Ever since he came into contact with Daisy, he started to be interested in some military stuff. A little.


    "Come on! You''re just so dumb sometimes! Can''t you see there''s another star on the epaulet?" Justin looked at Rain in disdain. He practically told him the answer! But Rain, being his usual oblivious self, still couldn''t crack the code. Well, he was dumb sometimes.

 Chapter 871 A Pleasant Surprise (Part Three)

    indeed a new star on her epaulet! He got excited all of a sudden just like Justin.


    "Oh! You''re right. There it is. Congrattions, Daisy. You deserve it. Well, it seems that we really should open a bottle of champagne and celebrate tonight!" After listening to Justin, Rain finally realized why this little guy had asked him to look at Daisy''s shoulder. There was "Thank you!" Daisy had a small smile on her face. Of course, she was proud of herself, but she wasn''t dizzy with sess. She worked very hard to get a promotion, and she knew that she deserved it.


    "Daisy, congrattions. I''ll definitely drink more tonight! Today is a happy day, and we have a lot to celebrate!" To be honest, Tom rarely drank. But today, they finally got a chance to get together, and everyone was just so happy for Daisy getting the promotion she deserved. Then he wouldn''t be the spoilsport for sure. He would definitely drink with them.


    "Tom, thank you! In fact, I''m really grateful for you. You always helped out when I needed you." Whenever Daisy thought about this, she always felt a bit embarrassed. She often got injured during her training and missions, so every time she got hurt, she had to bother Tom with her injuries.


    "Oh, Daisy! Here we go again. Come on, I already said don''t ever thank me. It''s really nothing. If you keep thanking me, I''ll feel bad." Tom ran a hand through his messy hair. He still wasn''t used to Daisy''s thankful words after all this time. After all, he grew up with Edward since he was just a little kid. So it was really nothing to treat his friend''s wife when she got hurt. Besides, he was a doctor, and it was his responsibility to help patients to heal.


    "I think I hear Daisy, right?" Right at this time, Cynthia walked out from the kitchen. She was in the kitchen because she wanted to see if there was anything she could help with, especially when everyone came here to spend the holiday. But what she didn''t expect was that she was more of a hindrance than a help in the kitchen. She felt a bit embarrassed about herself, so when she heard that Daisy was back, she hurriedly left the kitchen to greet her.


    "Yeah, mom, I''m back. Sorry! I didn''t get to help with the cooking." Daisy looked at the apron that Cynthia was wearing, and she knew that her mother was in the kitchen helping with whatever she could. But it was something that she, the daughter-inw in this family, should do. She felt guilty.


    "Nonsense! You must be tired after a busy day''s work. Of course you don''t have to help. Just go and rest!" Cynthia pretended to be mad at her and red at her with no real malice. She had always thought that Daisy was too thin, and it broke her heart sometimes when she thought what Daisy had been through. Though she herself was also petite, in her eyes, Daisy was still too thin. She must be working too hard.


    "Grandma, don''t you think that mommy looks different today?" Justin started bragging again. Anyone could tell from the smug look on his face that he was very proud of his mom. It seemed that he would be this excited all night, and at least up until bedtime. Probably, this proud feeling would also be with him in his dreams, making him smile even when he was asleep. Because in his heart, he knew clearly how hard his mommy worked for this day, and how many chances that she had missed. So today, he was extremely proud of her and genuinely happy for her. "You say different? Umm, let me see. She still has two eyes, one nose, a mouth and two ears! There''s nothing different!" Cynthia looked Daisy up and down, her face showing her confusion. Her intense stare was making Daisy feel a little shy. But still, Cynthia didn''t find anything different about Daisy. Well, it seemed that Edward was the only one who could immediately notice that something was different about Daisy. Partly because Edward and Justin knew best about rank and insignia. Cynthia had no such knowledge.


    "Come on! Not you too, grandma! You''re making me anxious now!" Justin shouted in distress. Come on, it couldn''t be that hard to find, right? Did he really have to exin to his grandma too?


    "Alright, alright. Calm down. I''m teasing. I heard you from the kitchen." Cynthia lightly pinched Justin''s face in fake annoyance. Then she turned her head, smiled at Daisy, and said, "I knew that you could do it! I''m really proud of you, kiddo."


    After saying this, Cynthia hugged her daughter-inw. She couldn''t help but think that if Daisy''s own mother was still alive, she would be so proud of having such an intelligent and hard-working daughter. It was a shame that she couldn''t celebrate Daisy''s achievement all of them.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Mom! Thank you! I couldn''t have done this without all of you. If you hadn''t helped me with so many so many things, I wouldn''t have had the chance to give my all at my job and not worry about anything, not to mention getting a promotion today. So, I really appreciate everything you''ve done for me." Daisy''s eyes reddened, because Cynthia had called her ''kiddo''. This made her feel that she still had a mother, and she was deeply loved.


    "You are being silly, Daisy. We''re family, you don''t ever have to thank us. In my opinion, the sess you have achieved today is all you. You have put in so much effort and worked so hard to get the promotion you deserve. And we didn''t help with anything." Unlike many mothers-inw, Cynthia never had the feeling that Daisy took her son away from her, instead, she felt that she had a daughter to cherish and love.


    "Alright, alright. Enough of this mushy stuff. Rain, give Duke a call, see if he is back yet. If he''s in town, ask him and Belinda toe and celebrate with us. Well, as for Kevin, though I really don''t want to admit, he is still Leena''s husband, not to mention Daisy''s colleague. So give him a call too! Well, it''s perfect that Leena is abroad and not here, right? We will definitely take this chance and interrogate him." Edward was indeed the CEO of the FX International Group. He was good at giving instructions. Within just a few minutes, he had already nned everything.


    "Boss, umm... I''m not sure if that''s such a good idea. I mean, what if Leena knows when she gets back. She will definitely start a fight then. Don''t tell her that I''m the one who''s calling. Wait a minute, why do I suddenly feel that something''s not right? No, no no no. I don''t want to be the one who calls Kevin. You can call him yourself, Edward! I''ll just ring up Duke." Just thinking of Leena being mad at him made a chill run down his spine. After all, she was everyone''s precious baby girl, you couldn''t do anything to her. Instead, all you could do was watch her get mad -- and fall victim to her merciless pranks.


    "Damn you''re dumb! Just call Duke and have him call Kevin instead. Don''t tell me you can''t think of that. I''m really disappointed at you. That way, you can get them both toe here with just one call. And if Leena ever finds out, she won''t me you." Edward rolled his eyes at Rain, feeling quite helpless. He really didn''t know what to do about Rain. He was really thick-headed sometimes. Well, now he started to worry about the future of the FX International Group. After all, Rain was the vice-president of hispany. If this was how he handled day-to-day affairs, what would hispany be when he was not around?

 Chapter 872 Ice Rain Necklace (Part One)

    "Guys, there''s no need to call Kevin. He needs to work overtime at the army base. I don''t think he has time toe over," Daisy exined. A party was about to be held at the army base that evening and Daisy was supposed to take part in that asion too. Considering her situation, themander gave her a break so that she could join her family and share her joy. "Then, let''s just call Duke," Edward said as he looked at Daisy with eyes filled with affection and desire.


    "Well, I''m going to the kitchen to help." Keenly aware of the way he looked at her, Daisy automatically blushed as her heartbeat doubled. She made an excuse to leave and suppressed the mini heart attacks his heated gaze gave her. It was given that they had been a couple for quite some time and even had a son already, nevertheless, Daisy was still too shy about disying her affection for him in public. It was just really not her cup of tea.


    "Daisy, you''re worn out. Just get some rest." Cynthia tried to intercept but Daisy was in such a hurry and acted as if she didn''t hear. It was so obvious that she was trying to get away from her husband and her moves just made Edward even more amused. He ended up suppressing a grin as he watched how beautifully awkward she was.


    "Mom, let her go. She will be okay," said Edward to Cynthia. He knew Daisy like the back of his hand. She was a traditional and conservative woman. That was fine with Edward. He was not the type of man to stop his woman from doing anything she wanted just as long as she wouldn''t get hurt.


    "Come on, I just want her to take a rest. Pity! Daisy is far too honest. Why don''t you teach her how to be more cunning?" A deep sigh came out of Cynthia''s chest as she shook her head. She had decided to follow Daisy to the kitchen and help too. Well, she pretty much didn''t know anything about cooking but to chat with Daisy as she cooked would somehow help kill time.


    After Cynthia entered the kitchen, Edward then sat down on the sofa with a smile as he thought about what gift she would like for her promotion.


    "Duke just got off the ne. He wille here directly." Rain informed Edward after he hung the phone up. What a pity! Only Leena was unable to join the party tonight.


    "Got it! I have to go get something done." Edward answered as he stood up and made his way to the entrance.


    "Where are you going?" Rain asked but Edward didn''t even turn a cheek to answer and just continued walking.


    "Bah! Rain, you''ve been working with Edward for a long time now. You should have known that he would have told you his whereabouts if he had been willing to tell you. You don''t need to ask him." Tom sighed as he shook his head. As the saying goes, "A person who is in love can be very dumb." But with Tom''s perception, he thought it was better to say that "A person who is disappointed in love can be equally dumb as the one in love."


    "Come on, Edward is in a good mood today. Maybe he is willing to talk to me." Rain scratched his nose to cover up for the embarrassment. He realized that he had been acting like a fool recently.


    "Idiot! Shame on you, Rain!" The doctor rolled his eyes on the man. He couldn''t help but feel his pride rejoicing by the thought that he just won a dialogue war against the infamous Rain.


    "Uncle Rain, shame on you! You just won''t learn your lesson, huh? Why can''t you just learn to stay away from my dad?" Justin taunted with a sigh. ''What a young and handsome man! Howe you always get the cheese when my dad is involved? You are so pathetic, Uncle Rain, thought Justin.


    "Little boy, I was just being generous, okay? If I were a mean person, I would have taught him a good lesson." Rain rolled his eyes at Justin as he attempted to repair his aching ego. However, what he just said sounded very unnatural. He wasn''t even convincing at all. "Duh! Stop bragging! My dad is glowering at you." The little boy covered his mouth as he giggled. For his age, Rain was so silly as to be misled by someone as young as Justin.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Hey little boy, you should be honest. Your dad just left and he can''t be back so soon." Rain didn''t believe Justin''s words at all. Justin was as cunning as his father, after all. It was more than evident that the child took a good amount of Edward''s genes.


    "Oh! Is that so? Well, I''ming back to see how you are going to teach me a good lesson." Edward cast a cold nce at Rain before he went back to his seat. He grabbed his phone on the table and then turned to everyone. His gaze paused for a while as soon as it hit Rain. He gave him a freezing re. He wouldn''t let Rain slip so easily if only he had more time.


    On the other hand, Rain froze without breathing as he stared at Edward''s dark eyes. It was lucky that his boss didn''t say more words about what he just said. He sighed in total relief when Edward walked past him and left. He felt fortunate that the man just went back to fetch his phone, otherwise, he was screwed. Damn his mouth, it just couldn''t behave! And yeah, damn Justin too for subjecting him to that ordeal. Rain turned around and cast a stern nce at the kid who was then smiling proudly.


    "You ungrateful brat! You did it on purpose! You saw Edwarding and set up a trap for me!" Rain gnashed his teeth as he ran after Justin in an attempt to catch him. However, the little boy moved away swiftly. It was hard for Rain to keep up with the running child. For a while, the Mu house was in chaos.


    Edward made a phone call with his Bluetooth as he drove. He had no idea that Daisy woulde home early that day to celebrate her sess with him. Thus, he hadn''t had the chance to grab her any gifts yet! He hoped that it was not toote to buy her something. "Boss, what did you call me about?" Aaron''s nasal voice was heard on the other end. It was evident that the man was sleeping before he answered the phone.


    "Aaron, call the manager of Dora Jewelry for me and ask if the Ice Rain ne is still avable," demanded Edward. Dora Jewelry was a world famous brand which had been introduced into the department store controlled by FX International Group. Edward had been present at the ribbon-cutting ceremony and was enchanted by the Ice Rain at first sight. The ne would be perfect for Daisy''s cold temperament. He had an urgent business during the ribbon-cutting thus he forgot the ne. He just remembered it again earlier when he thought of giving her a gift. He was not sure whether it was already sold or not. It was truly an expensive ne but then there were many rich people in S City.


    "Sure. Just wait a minute. I''ll make the call now." Aaron answered as he picked up another phone. He went straight to dial the number of Dora Jewelry''s manager.


    "All right! Hurry up! If it was sold, I would have to change my route," Edward said as he slowed the car. If the ne had been sold, he would have to buy another gift for Daisy and turn at the next intersection. He was under time-pressure and had no ns of wasting another minute.


    "Boss, the manager of Dora Jewelry just said that the ne was booked but the buyer hasn''t taken it away yet." Aaron held two phones against both of his ears. He wanted to scold himself and thought, ''Why didn''t I just send the manager''s number to Mr. Mu? Or I can just ask the manager to call Mr. Mu himself. I look like an idiot with two phones against my head!''


    "Great! Ask the manager to keep it for me. I''ll be right there in ten minutes. Oh by the way, if you are avable this evening, why don''t youe to my house to join the party?" Edward hung the phone up even before Aaron could say something. He pressed the elerator hard and drove his way to Dora Jewelry.


    "What? Boss, is there a party tonight?..." Aaron was stunned when the busy tone cut him off. What was going on? What party was it? Why did Edward make the party a secret? He even hung the phone up before he could ask. He had no choice but to attend the party now since it was his boss who personally invited him. But that wasn''t actually the problem, it was the fact that Aaron was single. Who on earth would he drag to be his date?00000000????????

 Chapter 873 Ice Rain Necklace (Part Two)

    Edward arrived at the MY Mall soon. His tall figure and handsome face made him the focus of everyone there. Countlessdies showed great interests in him from the moment he got off the car. Those didn''t matter. He ignored everyone and made a beeline to the Dora Jewelry. "Wee to Dora Jewelry, Mr. Mu." The manager of Dora Jewelry had been waiting there after getting the phone call from his assistant. The president of FX International Group must be treated with the utmost care.


    "Good evening, Manager Chen. You''ve worked hard." Edward smiled in a friendly way as he always respected his employees.


    "Thank you, Mr. Mu. I should have sent the ne to your house but Aaron said that you were on the way, so..." The manager was in his forties. He was not the type that you would notice in a crowd but he was not bad-looking either. He showed great respect to Edward.


    "It''s okay. I''d love to fetch it for my wife. Where''s the ne? I''d like to see it, please," Edward said in a gentle voice as he walked to the counter. He had only seen the ne once so it was necessary for him to double-check whether it would look good on Daisy. "Mr. Mu, take a seat. I''m going to get it for you." The manager went to the safe.


    Edward didn''t sit down but decided to look at the jewelry being showcased. He would like to see if there was any other jewelry that would suit Daisy.


    "Mr. Mu, here is the Ice Rain. Take a closer look, please." The manager went back with a deluxe box. He opened it and showed it before Edward. The diamonds sparkled brilliantly under the soft light like they were emitting coldness. Maybe that was why it was named "Ice Rain".


    "Great!" Edward took the box, sat down on a sofa and picked up the ne with the utmost care he could muster. He enjoyed the glittering stones and creative settings. The design of the ne was actually simple but the most valuable part of the ne was the purity of the diamonds. Moreover, the pendant was a small but vivid flying red phoenix. The designerbined the elements of fire and ice. It was a surprise how the two contradicting elements came up really harmoniously.


    "Mr. Mu, you really have an eye for jewelry. This is thetest ne this year. Only ten have been made because of their cost. We are lucky enough to have one of them." The manager introduced the ne to Edward and wondered what excuse he should make to the guest who had given the down payment.


    "Really? Just pack it for me." Edward put it back into the box with satisfaction. He couldn''t help but wonder how beautiful Daisy would be in the ne.


    "Yes, Mr. Mu. But here''s the thing, how should I exin this to the guest who already gave us the down payment?" The manager asked carefully. That could destroy MY Mall''s reputation if not dealt with properly. Therefore, he decided to ask Edward.


    "Well, what about this? Pay the guest the marked price in double and give the expense im to Anna. I''ll pay for it." After a short pause, Edward made the decision. Though he didn''t know how much the guest had paid in advance, he believed that he or she wouldn''t mind taking the double of the marked price.


    "Thank you, Mr. Mu. I think it would be okay with that." The manager was finally relieved after hearing Edward''s words. He would be confident enough to negotiate with the guest with what their boss just promised.


    "That''s it. I need to leave. Have a good night." Edward stood up. He was about to walk out when a man and a woman suddenly entered the shop in hurry and almost bumped into him. Edward stepped aside at once to dodge them.


    "Manager Chen, I''m here to fetch the ne. Give it to me." Melissa set her mind on the Ice Rain, so she didn''t notice that Edward was also there.


    "I''m so sorry, Miss Xue. The ne was sold." The manager came forward and gave an apologetic bow. After all, customers should be treated like kings.


    "What? The ne was sold? Are you kidding? I gave the down payment this morning and told you I would fetch it this afternoon. Now you''re telling me it''s sold? How can you break your promise like that?" Melissa yelled in a sharp aggressive tone. She really liked the ne and she didn''t want to miss it.


    "I''m so sorry! We will pay the marked price in double. Are you okay with that? Miss Xue, please have a look at other nes here. There may be something else that suits you better." The manager began to lobby Melissa. There would be no need for them to pay the liquidated damages if she had interest in buying something else. He knew that Edward would not mind the money but then there were still ordinary people who couldn''t make such amount of money all their lives.


    "Double marked price is only two million dors. Do you think I will be satisfied with two million dors? Just cut the crap! I only want the Ice Rain. Since you sold it, you have the responsibility to give me the very same." Melissa addressed in a patronizing tone as she rolled her eyes at the manager. She looked down upon salespeople. She thought them as people from the bottom of the society, thus, they didn''t deserve to be talked to with politeness.


    "My apologies, Miss Xue. The ne is thetest model this year and there are only ten of it in the world. I won''t be able to find you the same ne right now. Actually, we only have to pay the double deposit. But as we are in the wrong, we are willing to pay you the marked price in double. We think that we are generous and kind enough. Miss Xue, please understand us." It was the first time that the manager met a guest who thought so little of two million dors. But if so, why didn''t she just buy the ne that morning? Things wouldn''t be like this if she had bought it earlier.


    "Fuck you! What do you mean by that? Do you mean that we have no money? I''m warning you, watch your manner. We are not beggars!" Shaun shouted as he grabbed the manager by the cor and looked at him fiercely.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "Sir, I didn''t mean it that way. ording to thew, paying the deposit only means you have booked the ne but it doesn''t mean you own it. We still own the right to decide to whom its ownership would go. We have the right to sell the ne to others." Ignoring the vicious look from Shaun, the manager exined in a calm way. Shaun, however, turned a deaf ear to the exnation.


    "Fuck off! Are you deaf? My girlfriend said she loved the ne. We paid the down payment this morning, and we are here now. Why did you sell it? Do you think we have no money to afford it?" Shaun thundered while still holding the manager''s cor tightly. Melissa was downright upset for missing the beloved ne. She didn''t even notice that someone was staring at her with disdain from behind.


    "I didn''t say you had no money to buy it. Miss Xue said she woulde back and buy the ne before four in the afternoon. It''s already six in the evening now. So, Miss Xue broke her promise first. We thought she wouldn''te back so we sold the ne to another guest. We actually have enough reasons not to pay you the liquidated damages but our boss is kind enough to offer two million dors to Miss Xue." Manager Chen still exined in a clear way in spite of his cor still being grasped by Shaun. After all, he was a professional manager.


    "You mean we should take the me, huh?" Melissa asked in a chilly tone. She hated Shaun like poison. When she came to the hotel where he stayed this afternoon, he threw her into bed and had sex with her the whole nine yards. That was why she came herete. "Damn it! How dare you? You are asking for death!" Melissa''s instigation finally burst Shaun''s poor temper. He raised his right fist high and was about to punch the manager''s face. He was so close to hitting the man when a calm yet authoritative voice suddenly came from behind.


    "If you dare punch him, you''ll be sorry." Shaun and Melissa turned their heads and saw Edward approaching. Edward gazed at Shaun with a teasing smile as hepletely ignored Melissa.


    "Who the hell are you? How dare you have a finger in the pie?" Shaun raised his chin and cast a scornful nce at Edward. Edward looked familiar to him but Shaun was unable to recall who the man in front of him was.

 Chapter 874 Better Than Male Soldiers (Part One)

    "You''re an uneducated man, and good for nothing. If I were you, I would let go of Manager Chen as soon as possible. Otherwise, I will take you to the police and get your ass kicked. It will teach you a lesson." When Rain challenged his temper and patience, Edward was fine with it. However, he wanted to strangle Shaun when he did that. "Hah! Don''t be ridiculous. You think you can arrest me and put me in jail? Let me remind you that you are not in charge of the police force, in case you have forgotten that." The overconfident Shaun didn''t notice that Melissa was rooted in her spot, standing very still. She stared at the man she both loved and hated so much. Although a long time had passed since shest saw Edward, she still found him attractive and charming. Her breath was caught as she was lost in his beauty once again.


    "Boss, I..." Manager Chen''s voice trailed off. He shot Edward an embarrassed look, regrettinging across such a difficult client.


    "It''s fine. I''ve got you covered," Edward said in an assuring voice. Since this confrontation had urred because of him, he wouldn''t walk away and leave Manager Chen with this mess. Besides, the manager was a loyal and qualified employee. Edward was determined to protect him.


    "Hah! I am just afraid that it''s out of your control," Shaun said scornfully. He was arrogant and a bully. Even though he heard Chen address Edward as boss, he didn''t give a damn about it. In his eyes, the mall was no match to Kompass Group. However, he did think that Edward was quite handsome. His features were sharp, which lent him an extraordinary charm. Shaun would not mind befriending such a charismatic man.


    Melissa knew Edward''s true identity. She hated Shaun for provoking him that way. What a fool he was, she thought. Before they came here, she had shown him Edward''s background files. However, Shaun seemed to remember nothing including Edward''s charming appearance. ''This is likemitting suicide,'' Melissa thought with fury. At that moment, she knew Shaun couldn''t be relied upon to destroy FX International Group. She was so naive to trust him with the task.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "As the CEO of this mall, I''m responsible for dealing with all idents that ur here. Also, I''m quite capable of solving any difficulties. Any problems?" Edward sneered.


    In any case, Edward wouldn''t allow this ne to be bought by somebody else. It was rare that an essory suited Daisy so well. Besides, in his opinion, the Ice Rain was too good for Melissa. Since she had chosen to keep her true identity from Edward, he too chose to remain ignorant. Edward felt it was convenient for him to buy the ne for Daisy.


    "You''re just the owner of a fucking mall. Don''t be a fool. Do you have any idea who I am?" Shaun said in a defiant voice. Melissa stared at him in horror and disbelief. ''You damn fool. Edward has already told you that he''s the president of this mall. How could you not figure out that he might be a senior figure in FX International Group?'' Melissa thought remorsefully. She had truly wasted her time and energy in preparing the files for Shaun.


    "You tell me." Edward smirked. Although Edward had been informed of Shaun''s identity, he didn''t want to show him that he knew. He was looking forward to seeing Shaun make a scene and embarrass himself.


    "I am Shaun Gao, CEO of Kompass Group from H City. Everyone knows who I am," Shaun said gleefully. He stood upright and raised his head. Whatever he did, he could never look as tall and charismatic as Edward. His short height always came in the way of him trying to impress a stranger.


    "I see. So, you''re the president of Kompass. Sorry, I didn''t recognize you. My bad," Edward said insincerely, his voice cold. As a sessful business leader, Edward was trained to stay calm and confident in crisis situations. However, Shaun was too arrogant and ignorant to do that.


    "Heh. Are you scared now? Hand over the ne before you piss me off!" Edward''s courteous reply ttered Shaun. A scornful smile appeared around the corners of his mouth. Handsome and charming as Edward was, he was only good at managing a small mall. It was no match to running the entirety of apany like Kompass Group.


    "Mr. Gao, I think you would prefer to be considered as a dignified client rather than a hideous robber." Edward taunted Shaun for his inappropriate conduct with an amiable smile on his face. He wouldn''t be fooled so easily. The people around him didn''t know the scheming brain behind his pleasant smile.


    "What do you mean by that? That I''m robbing you of a ne? Don''t be ridiculous. I''m not a viin or a thief. But I am powerful enough to destroy your business within seconds," Shawn answered in a menacing tone. He was clearly acting beyond reason at the moment. Shawn was doomed to face the serious consequences of his actions.


    "I believe you. But you''re too arrogant if you think you can take this ne from me," Edward answered sternly. Edward wanted to stop Shaun from fooling around so he would leave immediately. He decided to reveal his true identity.


    "Are you joking? How can you prevent me from buying this ne? You think the boss of a small mall can do that? You can''t just defy me. Try me if you dare to!" Shaun responded back, snickering. He looked like a lunatic inparison to Edward, who wasposed and dignified.


    "What if I tell you that I represent FX International Group? Would you still be confident that you could beat me?" Edward asked authoritatively. His proud and intimidating expressions gave Shaun the chills.


    "Why? Is this store owned by FX International Group? Are you telling me that you''re Edward Mu?" Shaun inquired. He remembered Manager Chen calling him boss. ''Jesus Christ, the man standing in front of me is indeed the president of FX International Group. What have I done? I have been provoking and pissing him off!'' Shaun was in shock.


    "Yes, that''s me. So, what now? Do you still believe that you can destroy this store easily, ''within seconds?" Edward asked. He could tolerate people bragging about their sess. However, he hated those who were conceited and bullied the weak.


    "All right, so you are the CEO of FX International. Even so, is this the way you treat your clients? How are you fine with this? Companies are supposed to be honest. If you run low on credit, you will go bankrupt." Even with a guilty conscience, Shaun refused to apologize or surrender. As far as he was concerned, he was on par with Edward''s status.


    "Don''t you worry about us. We will never go bankrupt. As for our credit, just like Manager Chen said, you are the one who failed to keep an appointment with us. Now it''s our right to sell this ne to other clients," Edward pointed out. He hadn''t known that Manager Chen had fixed an appointment time with Shaun until he was informed about it a few moments ago. He decided to work out a solution to keep the ne. Since it was Shaun who failed to keep the appointment, it made things much easier.


    "Are you not ashamed to say that as the president of an internationalpany?" Shaun asked. He gritted his teeth, knowing deep down that he was making wrong usations. However, he couldn''t just swallow his pride and walk away like a pathetic, beaten dog. "We didn''t do anything wrong as apany. I think you should know that well, since you too run argepany," Edward answered him patiently. He radiated calm confidence. Edward found it ridiculous to even consider Shaun as a worthy andpetent opponent.


    "Mr. Mu, I''m going to do you a favor and allow you to keep this ne. Just this once. Melissa, let''s get out of here. I must have been mad to go shopping today," Shaun said, sulking. He turned and walked toward the door. He knew that Edward was convincing in his arguments and that in fact, Shaun himself was fighting a losing war. So he chose to give up, even though he was unwilling to submit. He couldn''t be seen defying Edward''s authority publicly. An ancient proverb says that the man who can recognize the reality of a situation is the paragon of men. Therefore, Shaun chose to walk away so he could avoid the confrontation with Edward, who was perhaps the most powerful man in town.

 Chapter 875 Better Than Male Soldiers (Part Two)

    "Don''t rush, Shaun. I have got a question for you, Mr. Mu. Have you bought this ne?" Melissa asked with curiosity. She eyed the delicate gift box in Edward''s hand with admiration. "Yes, I have. Do you have any other questions to ask, Miss Xue?" Edward turned his head to look at Melissa. The wry smile on his face lingered.


    "How do you know my name?" Melissa asked in shock. She never introduced herself to Edward, and thought that she had been doing well in hiding her real identity from him. ''Has he had me investigated already? Could that exin Rain''s unusual behavior that day?'' she wondered. ''If it weren''t true, why would Rain havee to me and started rambling?''


    "I heard Manager Chen call you that name. Am I wrong? Is your family name not Xue?" Edward asked, pretending innocence on purpose. That was his style. At first he let his opponent breathe a sigh of relief, then he delivered the deadly blow unexpectedly. "No, Mr. Mu. You''re not wrong. My family name is Xue," she exined herself in haste. She looked at Edward in panic.


    "If that''s the case, I''m d to meet you, Miss Xue," Edward replied sincerely. His smile was charming, as if he had no idea that she was actually Jessica. A stranger might think that Edward was being respectful to ady he had met for the first time. However, Jessica knew him too well to be fooled by his fake kindness. He must be trying very hard to control his anger in public. She still intended to buy that ne, but didn''t dare suggest it. She doubted Shaun had seen through Edward''s trick.


    "Mr. Mu, as it is you who bought that ne, you can just give it to us. What''s the point of arguing with us?" Shaun asked him. He was eager to find new ammunition to fire at Edward.


    "I bought it for my wife. I am sorry that I am unable to satisfy your wishes," Edward answered. He clenched his fists slowly, determined to gift this ne to Daisy. Nobody could sessfully prevent him from doing so. "There are so many other jewelries for sale here. Why can''t you pick another one for your wife?" Shaun repeated what Manager Chen had suggested to him before Edward hade to confront him. As far as he was concerned, a wife was easily pleased by any piece of jewelry. There was no need to pick a fight over a ne. He looked at Edward suspiciously, wondering why he cared for his wife so much if he could have loads of mistresses to y around with. He was truly a mystery to Shaun.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "I must have this ne because it''s best suited for my wife. I should leave now," Edward replied briefly. He was satisfied that the incident had been well dealt with and he had no intention of staying to argue with them further. He turned around and walked away without noticing the mixed expression on Melissa''s face. She was upset at how Daisy was his first priority. He had forgotten about Jessica and their lovepletely. What had she gotten from Edward? Nothing, except for a few years of memories and some moments of joy.


    "Melissa, what is wrong with you? Do you still want that ne or not? Forget it, it''s not good enough for you. I''ll buy the most expensive one in town for you. Let us leave this damn store and go to another one," Shaun said, not knowing what was running through her mind. After being treated so condescendingly by Edward, Shaun felt terribly embarrassed in front of his woman. He wanted to cheer her up.


    "Never mind. Let''s go back. I''m tired," Melissa said listlessly. She bit her lip, on the verge of tears. She felt miserable upon knowing that Edward still valued Daisy so much. She didn''t think he could love a woman for this long. Clearly, she had misjudged Edward''s personality and his loyalty to his wife.


    "Darling, wait up," Shaun said anxiously. He caught up with Melissa, wishing to say something but stopped from doing so on second thought.


    "Tell me what you are thinking," Melissa asked him bluntly. Although Melissa felt disappointed, depressed and confused, she was still rational enough to sense that Shaun had an odd expression on his face.


    "Do you hate Edward Mu only because he ruined your family? Are you hiding something from me? It didn''t seem like he knows you at all." Shaun shot her a curious nce. ''If Melissa and Edward know each other already, why were they acting like strangers back at the store?'' Shaun wondered.


    "Even if he doesn''t know me, he is still my enemy. Do you not believe me? Are you telling me that I''m a damn liar?" Melissa stopped, staring at him bitterly. She knew that her negligence had made him suspect her rtionship with Edward. However, she was smart enough to trick him into believing her again.


    "No, that''s not what I meant! Why would I use you of being a liar? Don''t be mad at me, Melissa, please. I was just curious. I''m really sorry. Can you forgive me?" Shaun begged her. He loved Melissa so much. He couldn''t risk angering her.


    "Forget it. I know you love me, but do not doubt me again. You will break my heart," Melissa said, her tone indicating her apprehension. She knew she had won over his trust again. So she yed the part of the woman, speaking to him softly.


    "All right. I promise you I won''t ever suspect you again. You''re so considerate and lovely, do you think I can bear to piss you off? I would be a fool to do that," Shaun said to her affectionately. He circled his arms around her waist and tried to kiss her on the lips. "Darling, please don''t embarrass me in public. People are looking at us. We should go home." Melissa sidestepped him to evade the kiss, her eyes filled with guile.


    "I love it when you''re feisty." Shaun patted her butt gently as he walked her out of MY Mall. Both of them wondered about their loyalty to each other on their way back home.


    Duke and Belinda had arrived at the Mu Mansion, but Edward was nowhere to be seen.


    "Daisy, congrattions! You''re even better than the male soldiers. I''m d for you." Belinda embraced Daisy, happy for her sess.


    "Thank you, Belinda, especially for your help all these years. You never give up on me," Daisy replied. Daisy patted her on the back. She didn''t need to pretend to be somebody else when she was with Belinda. She knew how much Belinda loved her. "You are my best friend. You don''t need to thank me." Belinda pretended to be vexed at Daisy''s politeness. She refrained herself from getting teary-eyed beside Daisy. She knew how hard-working Daisy was and how much she had suffered to get here. "Daisy, congrattions," Duke greeted her breezily. It was rare to see him smile at anybody, since he was well known as a cold and aloof man.


    "Thank you, Duke. Is Leena all right now?" Edward had told her that Leena had fallen ill in France. However, Daisy had been extremely busy recently and couldn''t spare any time to call Leena.


    "Yeah. She''s recovering quickly and will be fine in a couple of days. Don''t worry so much about her," Duke repliedfortingly. Duke had always trusted Daisy''s capabilities and knew that she had a promising career ahead. ''After she got promoted, would she have less time left to be with her family?'' he wondered. If so, Edward would resent the prospect of spending even less time with his wife.


    "I hope shees back soon. It''s been about half a month since she left." Daisy frowned, wondering if Kevin was getting along with Leena. She sincerely wished that Kevin could forget her and learn to love his wife.


    "I''m afraid she has to stay there for longer. However, she''ll be back sooner than expected. I employed some maids to take care of her but she sent them back. It''s a bit concerning, her being alone in the apartment." Duke sighed. He had instructed Leena to be careful and not to rx her guard while she was living there alone. But she never listened to him.


    "Set your heart at rest. Leena is an independent girl. I''m sure she knows how to look after herself," Daisy said, smiling pleasantly. Daisy wasn''t as worried about Leena as Duke was, since she trusted that Leena could adapt well to the environment. Besides, since Leena had studied in France before, it would not be difficult for her to make friends and live in Francefortably.0000000

 Chapter 876 Im Not Scared Because Its You (Part One)

    "I hope so. Where is Edward? I don''t see him around." When Duke had entered the house, he could tell something was amiss. He realized now why he had that strange feeling. It was because the master of the house was nowhere to be seen. "Oh! Is he not here? I was in the kitchen, I didn''t see him just now. He is probably upstairs. You could go to the study and see if he''s there." Upon hearing Duke''s words, Daisy looked about, but didn''t see Edward anywhere. "Duke, I''ll tell you! If you ask me nicely, I can inform you of Edward''s whereabouts," Rain said, crossing his legs leisurely.


    "Uncle Rain, don''t fool around. Daddy only said that he was going out, he didn''t say where he was heading to," Justin said, engrossed in the game on his cellphone. Like most young boys, he loved to y mobile games. However, what made him stand out was that he also liked to design those games. In this regard, few of them were as talented as he was.


    "Justin, don''t embarrass me. Isn''t it Leena you''re always picking a fight with? Why is it my turn today?" Rain said, gritting his teeth. Justin had yed a trick on him before and he hadn''t fully recovered from it yet. It seemed like Justin didn''t want to stop either. He was making trouble for him again.


    "It is because Aunt Leena is not here today. If she was here, I would be exhausted only trying to deal with her. I probably wouldn''t have the energy to even speak to you," Justin responded without raising his head from the game. His hand casually swiped at the cellphone


    screen.


    "Hey! Little boy, why does it sound like I am only a substitute for your amusement?" Rain asked, offended by Justin''s words.


    "Haha! Uncle Rain, sorry if I made you think that. But a substitute is not the worst thing to be. Don''t be so pessimistic." Justin finally looked up at him after thrashing thest monster in the game. He tilted his head and shed Rain a smug smile.


    "Oh, please! I''m a substitute, that''s already depressing. No, that does not sound right. What am I saying? Do I really want to be a substitute for Leena and be the primary target of your tricks? You devious little boy. You''re trying to set me up." Rain finally saw through Justin. He was indeed clever. Rain was fortunate to figure out Justin''s trap in time and save himself from falling into it.


    "Ah! It''s forgivable if a person is not too intelligent. But if someone is just straight up dumb, then no medicine can cure him." Tom shook his head, poking fun at Rain. He was bored because Jonathan was not there to y chess with him. How could he not grab the opportunity to tease Rain?


    "It''s because you are a quack. Someone else might be able to cure him." Rain nced at him coldly. He sluggishly leaned back in the chair with an insipid look on his face, sounding upset. Perhaps he hadn''t recovered from the frustration he had felt when he heard Edward mention Annie.


    "Hey Rain, what happened to you? You look like you have been ditched by some beautiful girl. Why are you so down?" Belinda smiled, sitting beside Rain. She always took pleasure in ridiculing Rain. Right now, he looked so lost that she found she had even more words to say. She was quite amused.


    "Yes, I have been ditched by a beautifuldy. Thatdy is you, Belinda. I don''t understand why you chose Duke. He is so dull," Rain still sounded dispirited. He felt better after the banter with Justin. However, as he came to himself, he felt even more lonely. "You sissy man, do you want to die?" Duke red at him with cold eyes. The air around Rain seemed to freeze for a moment.


    "Don''t be so angry. I''m just kidding. Jeez! You don''t have to scare me like that. Belinda, I really marvel at your tough heart. It can withstand anything. Even someone like him!" Rain said to Belinda as he raised his eyebrows in the direction of Duke. He wondered how she could stand being with such a cold man.


    "Since I don''t mind talking to a flighty man like you, why should I not be able to stand him?" Belinda smiled delightfully. Even though Rain was just teasing her, she was pleased to see that Duke was angry about this.


    "Haha! Uncle Rain, you''ve been stumped by the irondy!" Looking at how Rain was speechless at Belinda''s words, Justin couldn''t help butugh.


    "Justin, don''t be rude. You are talking to adults." Daisy bit her lip. Although she med Justin, an obvious smile spread across her face. The cheerful ambiance made her feel good to be a part of the big family. She had longed so much for this feeling in the past few years, but barely had the chance to experience it.


    "Oh. I know, Mommy." Justin pouted, bowing his head in acknowledgement of his mistake. He knew Mommy was stricter than Daddy. He understood that he could be mischievous and do whatever he wanted in front of his Daddy, but that usually didn''t work with Mommy. "Daisy, it''s not his fault. He''s still a little boy. Don''t be so harsh on him. He knows when he has made a mistake." Justin''s pitiful face aroused sympathy in Belinda. She persuaded Daisy to let it go. Justin was such a considerate boy. ording to Belinda, a boy as good as him couldn''t be found anywhere else.


    "He always needs someone to watch over him, otherwise he forgets decorum and crosses the line." It was not that Daisy truly wanted to be harsh on him, but he was just so easily excitable. If she wanted to prevent Justin from bing a conceited man in future, she needed to teach him a lesson when it was necessary. Otherwise, he would always be ignorant of his wrong doings.


    "Justin, let''s go outside. Would you like to show me your garden?" Belinda might look like a strong businesswoman in appearance, but she, in fact, had a very soft heart. She couldn''t bear to see Justin''s pitiful look. Holding his hand, she dragged him toward the gardens. Although she had been to Edward''s house many times, she never took the time to enjoy the lush gardens. She took the opportunity to console Justin and take a walk outside.


    "Aunt Belinda, thank you for siding with me. But I am okay. I know Mommy said that to me for my own benefit. So I don''t feel bad. If I hadn''t looked depressed, she would have thought that I didn''t take her words seriously. I purposely pretended to be upset to assure her that I was affected by what she said." Justin held his head high, looking adorable and clever. There was no trace of the sadness that had been on his face just moments ago.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    "Justin, you are such a clever boy. You can read what''s on your Mommy''s mind so well. But it is not easy for your Mommy toe here all the way to earn a livelihood. You cannot disappoint her. You should know that your Mommy is strict with you because she wants you to be a good man." Although Belinda felt sympathy for Justin, she also felt sympathy for Daisy. She didn''t want to see her heartbroken.


    "I know, Aunt Belinda. Believe me, I will always be the considerate boy my Mommy has brought me up to be." Justin grinned. In fact, he knew better than anyone else how his Mommy had struggled in the past years. How was it even possible that he''d want to make her sad?


    "Okay! That''s good. Aunt Belinda loves obedient boys the best." Belinda pinched his pink cheeks, wondering when she could have such an adorable boy of her own.


    "Where are you going?" Edward walked out of the garage after parking his car. He happened toe across Belinda and Justin who were strolling along the gardens. "Daddy, you''re back! Where have you been?" Justin had be more cheerful aftering to live with Edward. He did not sulk like before.


    "I went to deal with some business. Belinda, are you trying to steal my son?" Edward teased her in a yful tone. There had been much good-natured banter between them when they first met. It was hard for Edward to imagine that Belinda would marry Duke, whose personality waspletely different from hers.


    "Yes, I want to take him away, but only if he is willing to go with me. By the way! Are youing back from a date with your secret lover?" Although Edward was no longer a womanizer and did not flirt around with other women, Belinda hadn''tpletely forgiven him for his past romantic affairs.


    "Of course! Secret lover. I wonder if the CEO of YS too partakes in such hobbies. I can rmend some handsome men to you." Edward shed her a charming smile, his bright eyes filled with mischief. He waited for Belinda''s response to that.


    "I''m not like you, so promiscuous and lewd." Belinda pursed her lips and raised her chin in scorn. She narrowed her eyes and looked at Edward, in a manner of a haughty princess.

 Chapter 877 Im Not Scared Because Its You (Part Two)

    "I think you are mistaken. Everyone in the city knows that I am a fascinating man, but never lewd. I wonder how I gave you such a wrong impression." Edward frowned and nced at Justin who beamed happily behind Belinda. He suddenly felt like he was shooting himself in the foot. "Huh. Don''t try to hide things from me. You have had one night stands with almost all beautiful women in the city." As the words slipped out of her mouth, she anxiously nced at Justin. She had forgotten that he stood right there while she was busy talking back to


    Edward. She had blurted out such careless words without any qualms.


    "Do you really take me for a stud? I remember that I also had a dubious rtionship with your husband. Didn''t you see that news report? We have finallye out of the closet!" Sensing that Belinda was pissed off, Edward thought that their repartee had be more interesting. However, as he finished speaking, he felt a cold stare drilling holes into the back of his head. Well, it wouldn''t intimidate him.


    "You want toe out, then that''s your own business. Don''t involve me in it," Duke finally aired hisint when he heard Edward mention him. He didn''t know what else Edward would say to disgrace him. Duke had to put an end to this conversation. "Oh, really? Duke, you are such a wet nket. Justin, let''s go inside and find your Mommy." Edward shed him a sly smile. He wondered if the couple would quarrel after he left. Who cared, anyway. He was not the one who started this.


    "Duke, it surprises me that you have such habits." Belinda gnashed her teeth, ring at Duke. Although she knew it was a trap set up by Edward, she couldn''t help but fall into it.


    "What! You really believe him? Wow. I don''t know what to say to you if you really think that. Women are so gullible." Duke rolled his eyes. This was what Edward wanted. That scheming meddler! He intentionally ndered Duke to provoke a fight between them. What a maniptive man!


    "Oh, so now you want to badmouth women? We women certainly have more self-respect than you do." Belinda was angry at Duke''s remarks. She detested anything that implied sexism or gender discrimination. Duke was dead meat now.


    "Belinda, are you sure you want to continue arguing with me? You have been tricked by Edward. Why are we even fighting?!" Duke gazed at her with his arms folded across his chest. There was an ambiguous expression on his face. He wondered when she would figure it out. "Hah! Even so! You are the same as he is." Belinda shot daggers at him with her beautiful eyes. These men were samely evil, just like the popr saying, ''Crows are ck all over the world."


    "Mr. and Mrs. Leng, what are you doing here? Are you two quarreling?" Aaron suddenly appeared, looking between Belinda and Duke. The atmosphere grew awkward. He wished he hadn''t walked into them. If Aaron had known they were at odds, he would have sneaked into the house furtively, without getting noticed by them. He could have avoided the unfriendly stare that bored into him right now.


    "What do you think? You tell if we''re quarreling or not." Belinda stared at Aaron sullenly. She sidestepped him and walked into the house as her high heels clicked loudly. ording to her, all men who were associated with Edward were bad people. Except for Luke, of course.


    "Did I say something wrong?" Aaron was dumbfounded. Was today just a bad day for him? Was he not supposed to go out at all?


    "No. Women just easily lose their tempers during that time of the month." Duke shot him a casual, knowing look, before following Belinda inside. Left standing outside, Aaron was even more confused. It took a long time for him to realize what Duke meant. The house was bustling amidst celebrations of Daisy''s promotion. The boisterousughter and get-together were what Daisy had hoped for. It made her feel like she was part of a big family.


    Later that evening, the guests left after the party got over. With his arms around his beautiful wife, Edward looked at the beautiful night sky. Numerous stars twinkled brightly in the dark.


    "Honey, congrattions." Edward might not be the first one to congratte her, but his blessings were most precious to Daisy. He didn''t say it in front of everyone else because he wanted it to happen when they were alone together. He wanted this moment to be special. "Thank you. In fact, my military promotion also belongs to you. You contributed to half of it." The cold night breeze swept across their faces, making them feel at ease.


    "Oh, really? Then I wonder how Colonel Ouyang would like to reward me." Edward tightened his grip around her waist, a cunning smile spreading across his face. He rested his chin on her head as he pulled her closer.


    "Reward? Let me think. How about rewarding you with me?" Daisy said as she turned around. Her eyes gazed into his passionately. The air between them seemed to spark.


    "Why not?" As he finished speaking, Edward kissed her luscious lips gently. He was happy to hear that she was offering herself to him as a reward.


    Daisy shed him a mischievous smile, tenderly wrapping her fair arms around his neck. Although she always said that Edward was born with great skin, she too had good skin herself. The people in her troop tanned in the sun easily, but her own skin was fair and blemish- free. Probably because she drank a lot of water every day. Although not as smooth or soft as Leena''s, Daisy''s skin was fairly good too.


    "Close your eyes. Don''t open them until I tell you to." Edward told her, breaking off the kiss reluctantly. He covered her eyes with his palm.


    "What are you going to do? Are you nning to throw me down from here?" Despite saying so, Daisy obeyed him and closed her eyes. She did not know what he was up to, but no matter what, she trusted he would never bring any harm to her.


    "If that were true, would you be scared?" Edward took out the ne from his coat pocket and gently sped it around her neck.


    "No, I''m not scared, because it''s you. Ah! What is that? It feels cold. Edward, are you putting a snake on me?" The thought of a slippery snake made her flesh crawl.


    "Yes, it''s a snake. Don''t open your eyes, or it will bite you." Edward warned her. Was she afraid of a snake? He thought she was afraid of nothing.


    "Edward, can''t we negotiate? Can you take this thing off me? You can ask me for anything in exchange!" Snakes were not unfamiliar to Daisy. When she was getting trained for survival in the wild at JC military school, she often encountered them. However, every time she saw a snake, she got goose bumps all over her skin. She fretted that if she didn''t kill it, it would attack her with its poison. Snakes always sent a shiver down her spine.


    "Okay, you can open your eyes now." Edward smoothed her clothes and stepped back to see how the ne looked on her. Indeed, the Ice Rain was a perfect match for her. She looked so graceful and regal wearing the ne.


    "Edward, are you sure I can open my eyes now? Why do I feel like there is still something around my neck?" Daisy squeaked, a little hesitant. She didn''t want a snake to touch her! She didn''t like the creature at all.


    "Don''t worry. It''s not a snake." Edward grinned widely at the sight of her frightened look. He gently touched her on the nose, his eyes full of affection.000000??????????N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.

 Chapter 878 Loyalty (Part One)

    "Don''t lie to me," said Daisy. Daisy opened her eyes a bit. Actually she wouldn''t be that afraid if that thing didn''t touch her skin. In the past she killed lots of snakes in the rainforest. However, she didn''t want it to be closer to her body. "I''m telling you the truth. I promise," said Edward, with a wry smile on his perfect face. It was a rare thing for Daisy to be scared, so Edward was highly amused.


    "Darling, What''s this? It''s so beautiful!" said Daisy in surprise. Daisy lowered her head and saw a very lifelike ne of phoenix. She stretched out her hand and touched it. It felt cold. Although she usually disliked wearing jewelry, she liked it on sight. She and the phoenix had something inmon -- both have risen from the ashes and been born anew.


    "It''s called Ice Rain. Do you like it? It''s a gift for your promotion," Edward said. He knew Daisy liked this ne when he saw the smile on her face. But he needed confirmation.


    "Yeah. I like it. The name''s also poetic. Thank you," said Daisy. Then, she stood on tiptoe, and kissed his cold, soft lips. She liked kissing him.


    "That''s good. I was worried that you might not like it." Edward realizedter that his wife had be increasingly dependent on him. She would kiss him furtively, and smiled as broadly as a girl who had her first taste of chocte or love.


    "Howe? It''s beautiful. Why would anybody not like it? By the way, did you sneak out and buy it for me today?" Daisy rested her arms on the hips, raised her head and looked Edward in the eye. A sense of happiness swept over her beautiful slender face.


    "Yeah. I caught sight of it at a ribbon-cutting ceremony a couple days ago. I thought, ''I bet Daisy would like this.'' But life got in the way, and I had to put it off. I barely had time to get it today, to be honest." Of course, Edward wasn''t about to tell her the whole story, including the argument with Shaun at the mall. He closed his eyes and took in the scent of jasmine from his wife. He loved it. He kissed her forehead.


    "How much did it cost?" asked Daisy. She frowned and suspected that such a beautiful piece must be extremely expensive.


    "Not sure. Thepany''s footing the bill. By the way, do you know they have jewelry for sale on the ground floor of MY mall?" He thought his wife must have been informed of all this already.


    "No. As you know, I don''t like to go shopping. Besides, do you really think that I can afford the luxury at MY Mall?" Daisy pouted. Even the cheapest clothes at MY Mall would cost most of her monthly sry. Therefore, she was smart enough to stay away from MY Mall and never go inside. Besides, before they reunited, she never thought that she would be with Edward ever again, much lesse to live with him. So she tried to save money for Justin. She''d feel guilty if she spent a lot on clothing. In addition to that, she liked her uniform and would wear it most days.


    "Quit arguing. I don''t want to hear you talk about me being a profiteer again," Edward interrupted before Daisyined. Whenever Daisy groused about the astronomical prices of products at MY Mall, it made Edward feel guilty, like he''d done something wrong. "Haha! "Now you know who you are. Not bad, honey. But you can do better," quipped Daisy. Daisy pinched his cheek, and felt jealous when her hand touched his smooth skin. Then, she pinched his cheek harder than she intended to. She wondered why a man''s skin could be softer, paler and more smooth than a girl''s.


    "Sweetie, are you jealous now? Even if you are, please don''t pull too hard. I like my skin attached to my face," said Edward. Edward removed her hand from his face, and frowned. He rxed his facial muscles, and was afraid that his wife might have done something to his visage if he hadn''t stopped her.


    "Shame on you! Why is your skin much better than a woman''s? It''s ridiculous," shouted Daisy. She sounded like a pouting child. Jealous as she was, she still liked pinching his smooth face.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "Haha! Now, I can see you''re green with envy." Edward gently rubbed his hand against her cheek, and was convinced that his skin was much better than Daisy''s. It was probably that Daisy''s face had been roughened by long periods in the hot sun. So, he made a mental note that he would find an expert to look after Daisy''s skin. Even though Daisy was a natural beauty, neglecting a skin care routine would do her skin no good. Then, one day her beauty would be gone. By that time, there would be nothing that could be done. "You''re damn right I''m jealous. So tell me: if I lose my beauty and you still look stunningly handsome one day, what would you do? Would you still stay true to your vows and love me? Or would you trade me in for a young model?" Daisy was afraid that their marriage would fall apart. So, she stared at her husband in horror, waiting for a reply.


    "You can guess," said Edward in amusement. Edward held his wife in his arms. They could bare their hearts to each other and talk frankly and honestly on rare asions. Daisy was always busy and spent less time at home with him. She almost had no holidays, since idents urred all the time, and then she would be under orders to go and deal with them.


    "I guess you''ll abandon me and find another beautiful and young girl. Guys do that all the time," answered Daisy in an aggrieved tone of voice. If he thought she was paranoid and pessimistic, oh well. She still wanted an answer from him. Would he cheat on her? Would he cast her out? Would he stay true to her for the rest of their lives? The more she thought about that, the more anxious she became.


    "I admit that I''ve spent my life gathering beautiful things, so I never have to look at anything ugly. So if you want our love tost forever, take care of yourself, stay young and beautiful. Then, I''ll be yours forever." Even if Daisy somehow turned ugly, whether through age or disfigurement, Edward would never abandon her. He was more confident about that than anything else in the world. However, he still couldn''t help teasing her.


    "Do you hate me then?" asked Daisy. Daisy touched her face, and felt her skin was dry, probably because of the dry weather in autumn. It would be much better and softer in spring and summer, Daisy thought to herself remorsefully.

 Chapter 879 Loyalty (Part Two)

    "No, honey, I''m teasing. On the contrary, I''m gonna buy a VIP membership card for you at the best beauty care salon in town where you can get your skin and face looked after. I will love you more when your skin''s well-moisturized and fair." Edward also touched her face, and his brows furrowed. He med himself for forgetting such an important thing.


    "I can''t spare time to do that. I have work to do. Besides, It''s embarrassing to lie down with strangers and let those so-called experts take care of my skin and face. I don''t have control over what they do. So, a beauty care salon may be a bad idea," said Daisy. Daisy sighed. She promised to herself that she would take good care of her face and skin. But she still hated being judged by strangers at a beauty salon.


    "Don''t worry about that. You''ll have a dedicated, professional and friendly expert to take good care of you in a private room," said Edward in a reassuring voice. Edward knew she would respond that way. He would never abandon her. On the contrary, he wished desperately to age gradually with Daisy. He could push the idea of skin care to her, because even sun exposure destroys the DNA in your skin. Not only that, but diet is important as well. If they didn''t take care of themselves while they were young and beautiful, they wouldn''t age gracefully. "No, I still don''t like it. I can take good care of my skin by myself at home. So, don''t worry," said Daisy. She pouted and felt anxious deep in her heart. Although she had been constantly neglecting a skincare routine in the past, she had to surrender now. She wasn''t Cynthia, and she couldn''t expect herself to stay young and beautiful as she aged.


    "You can go there with mom. She''s good at taking care of her skin. Why do you think her face is always so fair and soft?" Edward didn''t intend to embarrass his mom by stating those facts. As far as he was concerned, skincare wasn''t equivalent to cosmetic operation. So, there was no need to keep it from his wife or anybody else.


    "Uh, Does she do that a lot? Why I didn''t know that before?" asked Daisy in surprise. When Daisy was at home, she never saw her mother-inw go out.


    "Stop asking silly questions. She goes out and does that when you are at the military base. She once told me to remind you of your skin problem. Your skin needs more nutrients and air." Edward smiled. Daisy could be so naive about these trivial things. Did she really think that her mother-inw would stay young and healthy forever without outside assistance? However, his proud and arrogant father was an interesting exception. He never took care of his skin. Nevertheless, he liked bodybuilding. Maybe that was why he looked strong and healthy at his age. "Yeah. What about you? Do you go to the salon, then? Is it something you do when I''m gone as well? If not, why is your skin always so fair and smooth?" said Daisy. Then, she stretched out her hand to pinch Edward''s cheek again. Now she had a better understanding of life in a wealthy family. Those people from working-ss backgrounds would be short of money to go to a luxury beauty salon and receive a set of skincare programs.


    "No, I don''t. I have a beauty adviser to look after my skin regrly. Besides, I''m different from you. I usually work indoors. So, my skin has fewer problems brought by the sun. Actually, it would be much better even though just a few efforts are used," answered Edward casually. Speaking of which, Edward had certain innate advantages. He was born with perfect skin, perfect health, and had rich parents. Besides, he paid attention to his health and skin. It was important to him to keep looking his best. So, his skin was much better than Daisy''s. "Alright. "So if I want to keep your interest, I should do something. I have to admit that I haven''t thought about my skin, really," said Daisy. Daisy leaned against his shoulder, and embraced him firmly. She was terribly afraid that while she grew old and ugly, Edward might be as young and handsome as he was when he was now. No man wanted to be thought of as dating his mother. Then, what should she do?


    "Don''t worry. If you enjoy it, then you''ll start to do it regrly and cheerfully. I get you covered. Besides, I''ll never leave you, even if you don''t love me anymore." Speaking of which, Edward was touched by the happy prospect of living with his wife and son in theing years and decades.


    "I''ve burned too many bridges. I can''t go back and have to love you forever." If they hadn''t met and fallen in love, her life would remain peaceful and quiet. However, she would regret having missed something exciting at the very end of her life. Then, she would be weighed down by remorse for not trying to love him, marry him and live a happy life with him.


    Countless stars made the sky beautiful at night. Fireworks made sacrifices to illuminate others. Both Daisy and Edward felt romantic and passionate when theyy down on the bed, kissing and hugging each other. They would die to have this moment locked in time. The army base was overrun with celebrants on National Day. Fireworks lit up the night, punctuated by the loud booms and the smell of cordite. Various activities and games had been arranged, and the crowd didn''t disperse until nearly midnight. Discipline wasx, and order was lost for the day. The soldiers could enjoy themselves as much as the civilians. Everything would be fine as long as there were no idents.


    "Major General, are you drunk?" asked Lee. He looked at Kevin''s red face, and worried.


    "I''m fine. I just wanted to rx and have some fun." Kevin was really d for Daisy. Other soldiers kept proposing a toast for Daisy or for himself. As a result, he drank far more alcohol than he could stomach, and staggered wildly.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "Let''s go, Major General! I''m gonna drive you home," said Lee. He frowned. As stipted, low-ranking soldiers could drink no more than a bottle of beer. However, those soldiers grabbed more bottles and persuaded Kevin to drink all of them. In the end, Kevin was three sheets to the wind.


    "Don''t bother. I''ll sleep at my room at the base. Go to sleep and leave me alone," said Kevin sleepily and tipsily. Kevin shook his head, trying to shake off the ufortable feeling and dizziness. His reaction time was slowed, his speech slurred, and he was asionally seeing double.000000000000000

 Chapter 880 Loyalty (Part Three)

    "Major General, can I go home after I walk you to the dorm, safe and sound?" Lee still got worried and couldn''t allow the drunken Kevin to go home on his own. It was his job to protect and take good care of his superior.


    "I''m fine. Don''t worry about me. It''s not far. Look, we''re standing inside a highly-guarded military ba -- bas --." He couldn''t finish the word "base." "We''re safe," Kevin continued. Kevin didn''t get as drunk as Lee had thought. He remained half-sober, although dizzy. Maybe he drank several kinds of wine.


    "Alright, major general. Be careful, and good night," said Lee. However, Lee didn''t leave. He stood there, watching Kevin stagger up the stairs and back home. Then, he turned and walked to his dorm.


    As soon as Kevin entered his house, he stumbled onto the couch, feeling ufortably dizzy. So, he found it difficult to climb the stairs to his bedroom. At that moment, his phone rang. He looked around, trying to find where his phone was. Finally, he found it on the table nearby. It turned out that he had identally left it there when he went out.


    "Hello, this''s Kevin. Who''s that?" asked Kevin in a hoarse voice. He didn''t check who was calling him, because he found it difficult to keep his eyes open.


    "Kevin, it''s me. What''s wrong with you? Why didn''t you answer your phone? I called you several times." Leena became increasingly worried when she called Kevin in the past few hours, but Kevin never answered his phone. Her face even turned pale from anxiety. She was worried that something bad had happened.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    "I''m sorry. I forgot my phone when I left. I forgot to take my phone when I went out after the shower. I''m so sorry. I didn''t intend to worry you," said Kevin apologetically. He was touched when Leena worried about him. ''Being cared for is nice, ''thought Kevin to himself.


    "I see. But what''s wrong with your voice? Why do you sound so weird?" She got anxious again when she heard his strange voice on the phone. She dropped her pencil and stopped drawing.


    "I''m totally fine. I drank some wine, and got tipsy. That''s all. Have you gotten over your cold?" Kevin raised his hand and massaged his brows. Then, he stood up, poured a ss of tea, and drank it in one gulp.


    "Yeah. I feel much better. How much wine did you drink tonight? Are you alright?" Leena feared that something terrible might have happened to Kevin, since she had never seen him get drunk before, except that night at bar when both of them were drunk on beer and whisky. Maybe he needed someforting elements.


    "It''s not a big deal. I just feel dizzy. By the way, where''s your brother? Is he with you?" asked Kevin curiously. He continued to massage his brows, which made him feel better.


    "No, he isn''t here. I guess he just arrived at the S city this evening. Now, go to bed and get some rest. I''ll talk to you when you''re sober in the morning, alright?" Leena knew the disadvantages of getting drunk. She sympathized with Kevin. "Don''t worry. I feel much better after drinking a cup of tea," said Kevin in aforting and assuring voice. Then he wobbled to the bedroom, undressing himself on the way.


    "Don''t be ridiculous. Who told you I was worried about you? Kevin, I''m gonna hang up. There''s a party at my tutor''s house. Bye!" Leena knew why she was invited to the party. Her tutor wanted to introduce more friends to her. Therefore, Leena felt grateful for her tutor''s efforts, and had to attend the party.


    "Well, be careful. I''m not gonna hold you up. Bye!" Kevin couldn''t help imagining a party where women wore dresses which barely covered their voluptuous bodies, where both men and women got extremely drunk, kissed and hugged each other. He wondered whether Leena would allow herself to be hugged and kissed by strangers. After all, Paris was a different city, less conservative than cities in the home country. People lived differently there.


    "Yeah, Sleep tight. I can take good care of myself. So, don''t worry," said Leena. She was about to hang up the phone, but was stopped by Kevin.


    "Leena, wait a minute," said Kevin rapidly. Kevin thought for a moment and wondered whether he would be overdoing it by revealing his fears to Leena. He didn''t want her to worry, after all. "What''s wrong?" asked Leena in bewilderment. She had no idea what Kevin might want to tell her.


    "I''m telling you that..." his voice trailed off. "Never mind, forget it. Good night!" he said thoughtfully. Kevin hung up the phone before Leena could reply. He wished to tell her to wear more, but stopped on a second thought. Leena would consider him too conservative and narrow-minded. So, he chose to keep his thoughts and worries from Leena.


    "Hey! Kevin, what were you gonna tell me? Hello?" Leena dropped her mobile phone and her brows furrowed. She wondered why Kevin hung up the phone suddenly. What had he wanted to say? A few momentster, Leena chose a rtively sexy and alluring dress for herself, which fully concealed her innocence and simplicity, and made her look mature and more charming. She wore what a well-known designer should wear to a party.


    As a rising star in the fashion circle in Paris, Leena was lucky, since she had been rmended and introduced to others by her tutor. She had many contacts. As a result, when she appeared at the party, her poprity, beauty, and elegance immediately drew the attention of every guest there.


    Leena was a typical oriental beauty, gentle and elegant. Her sweet smiles always attracted admiring nces from both men and women. Few women dared to wear a red dress at a party, but Leena looked gorgeous. As a leading figure in the fashion world, she really knew how to use her advantages to maximize her beauty and appeal to others. She was the queen of the party, and a wee addition to the Parisian nightlife.????????????????

 Chapter 881 A Rising Star In The Fashion World (Part One)

    Most of the party guests were business tycoons or fashion stars. The red dress Leena was in highlighted her fair and milky skin, making her look even more like a goddess. She was indeed the central figure at the party. All the men had their eyes on Leena. It was always a pleasure for them to see a beautiful woman. Leena greeted them politely. Her bright smile and good manners made her stand out like an elegant princess. As she made her way through the crowd, all the attention was on her.


    "You are so beautiful tonight, Mignonne," said Gerard affectionately, as he approached Leena. Anyone who wanted to talk to Leena had to go through this handsome gentleman, and there was noparison. He was quite high-ss and stunningly majestic. Everyone else was out of his league.


    "Thank you, Gerard. You look very handsome tonight too." Leena smiled and greeted him politely. She did not expect Gerard to be here, because she never heard him mention a thing about it.


    "Then, can I have the honor of apanying you tonight?" Gerard raised his eyebrows and showed her an ted smile. Leena had known him for so many years and was familiar with his various smiles. So she was not attracted to him at all. But things went differently when it came to other people. They gasped at the sight of his charming smile and pearly whites because he was probably the most handsome man at the party. Obviously, they all went crazy for him. After all, a beautiful face was simply another form of art. Everyone enjoyed beautiful things, whether they were masculine or feminine.


    "It''s my pleasure. Thank you so much," Leena replied with a sweet smile. The reason she decided to ept Gerard''s offer was in order to avoid more potential invitations from other men. She did not want to have a stranger be her partner. Now that Gerard offered, why not ept it? At least, she knew Gerard betterpared with other men.


    "Well, Mignonne, where is your husband? I don''t see him. Has he already gone back?" Gerard asked in a careful tone. He had been knocking at Leena''s door for thest few days. But every time he went to her apartment, that cold and overbearing man always sent him back. He was really angry with him. But he could not show his anger in front of him. After all, that man was Leena''s husband and he was just a "friend" to her. Her husband, of course, had a right to refuse his visit as a host.


    "Ur! My husband? Ha-ha! Do you mean my brother? I''m sorry, Gerard. He misled you." Leena chuckled when she realized Gerard was talking about Duke. Her clearughter soon drew a lot of attention. People could not help looking at her to see what made her so happy. Noticing other eyes on here, Leena felt a little bit awkward and her face turned red because of it. She did not know that her reddened face and shy manners made her more charming and lovely.


    "What? Your brother? Oh God! He''s your brother! But why did he mislead me and keep me from seeing you when you were sick?" Gerard was puzzled. He didn''t know why Duke misled him so that he thought he was Leena''s husband. Didn''t her brother like he? Why did he always turn him away each time?


    "Did you visit me? But why don''t I remember that?" Leena frowned slightly. She had no memory of Gerard''s visits during that time. Suddenly, her eyes widened in surprise. Yes, she did hear the doorbell ring several times. But she was too weak to respond to it. What was more, Mr. Cold was with her at that time. So he was responsible for letting guests in or turning them away. She recalled that Duke did not let anyone in. When she asked who rang the bell, he always imed that someone found the wrong apartment. Now she finally understood everything. It turned out that Duke gave him the cold shoulder. She really couldn''t imagine Mr. Cold acting so childish until Gerard mentioned it.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "s! Your brother hates me, I think. So he refused to allow me to see you." Gerard''s eyes dimmed. If he had not offered to break up with Mignonne, he probably would not face such a sad situation and her brother would not dislike him so much. But there were no what-ifs in this world. If you did something you had to face the consequences.


    "Oh, howe? My brother is really a nice person. He is always easy-going. Gerard, don''t overthink things. He just doesn''t want to talk to strangers." Leena knew Duke''s personality and he was not a chatty person no matter where he was and who he was talking to, let alone a stranger. That was why she called him Mr. Cold.


    "Oh, is that it? I may think too much. But Mignonne, how''s your dissertationing along? Is it going well?" That was the thing Gerard cared about more. Because if she did well in her dissertation, she might go back to her home country soon. This way, he would not have much time with her, and chances to win her heart back.


    "I don''t know yet. I am still waiting for the notice." A senior passed, and Leena nodded with a smile. But they were not familiar with each other, so Leena did not go and start a conversation.


    "Come here, Mignonne, I''d like to introduce some friends to you." Leena''s professor, Be, was an elegant French woman. Although she was not young, she had been a bombshell when she was young because she had extremely delicate features. Those features would not change as time went by, even if the blonde hair turned grey, the face acquiring the wrinkles of time.


    "Yes, I''ll be there soon," replied Leena. She smiled apologetically to Gerard to show that she was unable to talk to him anymore. Then she approached her professor. She was wearing a long dress, so every step she took was careful and measured. Her graceful figure made her look so elegant and sexy. Gerard was frozen by her beauty, mouth agape. How adorable she was! Why had he disliked the fact that she was so shy and reserved in the past? Sometimes the most beautiful things were implied, just like an elegant dress covering an exquisite figure. Realizing this, Gerard could not be more remorseful. He felt that he had really been so ignorant in the past. Looking at Leena now, these thoughts clouded his mind.


    Be made a toast to Leena and introduced her to many people. She was able to meet many famous designers from different well-known brands. She had heard their names but never had the chance to meet them before. She was pleased to talk to them. But she also knew that they could hardly be true friends because they were stillpetitors in the same field to some degree. Despite this, it was always good to make her face known to them so that she would not be left alone by others in this field. Sometimes, she might get inspiration from their idea or works.


    The professor hit the ss with a spoon, three times in rapid session. She then addressed the room: "May I have your attention, please? I''m pleased that you spared your time to attend this party tonight. I would like to express my deep thanks to all of you. And this party tonight is particrly held for my favorite student - Mignonne. I''m proud of her. She has finished her dissertation smoothly, which means she is going to be one of the rising stars in the fashion field. I would appreciate it if you can give her more attention. Her brand is a runaway sess, and you need to watch this rising star. She''s had this brand for a while, and now you know the face behind the designs. Of course, your valuable suggestions are kindly weed."


    Hardly had her voice faded away when a thunder of apuse sounded throughout the room. Meanwhile, they turned their eyes to Leena. They all knew thisdy was the favorite student of the famous designer who had lots of well-known fashion brands. Leena was also the only Asian girl at the party.00000000

 Chapter 882 A Rising Star In The Fashion World (Part Two)

    Leena was also shocked by her professor''s speech. She would never expect that her dissertation was reviewed and deemed a sess within such a short time. She thought it was going to take weeks! What was more, she did not know that this party was held in her honor, and was surprised to hear her professor''s promation. Now she had the lion''s share of the attention from everyone at the party. Camera lights shed through her to catch her every movement. She was kind of in a mess inside and did not know what to do and how to react to her sudden fame. Despite this, she still smiled at everyone. A capable woman from a prominent family would always know how to show her best side in public.


    Many of the guests were sure that this Asian girl would headline the fashion weeks in Paris thanks to Be, her professor''s promotion. After all, in Europe, most of Be''s favorite students were fashion icons with a high reputation in the fashion field. Being Be''s student and a sessful dissertation were half the battle. As one of her students, Leena was born to be a new favorite in the fashion industry.


    Leena knew clearly that as her professor, Be would be kind to her. But she did not expect that she would be so nice that she would push her to the peak. Leena felt extremely ttered. Yet more thoughts and anxieties sprang into her mind. She was not sure whether she was capable enough to make it and live up to Be''s expectations.


    She had already be a minor celebrity in the fashion field these years. Her high-profile showing tonight would make her more noticeable. She was going to be the focus of many people''s thoughts for quite a long time. Leena was happy and thankful for Be''s arrangement. Yet she felt worried, too. She didn''t know if this was the best thing for her. After all, being too prominent might result in jealousy from others, right?Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Mignonne, congrattions. your dissertation is safe now." Although Gerard congratted her on her dissertation, his voice sounded quite lonely. He thought she would stay here for quite a long time before she went back to her home country. But her dissertation went so smoothly. There was not even one rejection from the review board. Be must love her so much to have instructed her so wholeheartedly. She must have been an excellent student in Be''s eyes.


    "I didn''t expect that either. I thought it was going to take a while. I just found out when my professor announced it a few minutes ago." Leena said and smiled in an apologetic way. But she was delighted in her heart. Finally, she could go home! She could see Kevin in just a few days! It had been quite a long time since she saw him. Everything basically went quite smoothly here. She had thought she would need to stay in Paris for at least a month. But it looked like she could go back soon. She felt cheerful at the thought of seeing Kevin and her family.


    "So, are you going back to your country soon?" Gerard fixed his eyes on her, expecting a negative answer from her. In his country, it was quite rare to see a girl like Leena with such beautiful skin. Her beauty was wless. Her skin was fair yet quite natural. Her milky cheeks showed the blush of beauty and health. How charming she was! Gerard thought he must have been mad to break up with her back at that time.


    "Yes! But maybe I need to stay here for a few days. I can''t leave until my spring week fashion show is finished. I need to take care of it." Leena could not help jumping for joy in her heart. How she wished she could appear in front of Kevin all of a sudden like a rabbit in a magic show. It was the first time she was desperate to be home right at this very moment.


    "Just a few days? Such a short time! I thought you would stay here at least until winteres." Gerard was frustrated. His handsome face was full of disappointment, indicating that he was reluctant to bid Leena goodbye.


    "Oh, no. I would go crazy if I had to stay here that long." Leena could not help smiling softly. Her bright flower-like smile made Gerard hurt so much in the heart. That smile had belonged to him once. But he had missed it and was unable to have it again. No, maybe there was still any chance for him!


    "Because of him? The one in your heart? But Mignonne, don''t you think maybe I''m the right one for you? We might be a perfect match." Blue eyes full of affection, yet filled with sadness looking at her, Gerard struggled with a sense of hope. They had dated before. Maybe he could win her heart again. His expression mixed with mncholy and passion would infatuate any woman. But Leena would not be one of them. There was someone in her heart she loved and valued so much and there was no more room for another man. "No, Gerard. I love him. I''m sorry." Leena used to stop herself from falling in love with Kevin. But she could not control her heart. Love knew no reason, no logic. She resisted her heart for so long, but she felt nothing but sad. So she decided to give it a try, try to ept the fact that she fell in love with him. She had no other option.


    "But, you loved me, didn''t you?"


    Gerard felt worried. Was he wrong about her? Why did she fall in love with another man a scant few months after they broke up? That was not like her.


    "Yes, I admired you at that time. I thought I loved you too. But I''m afraid I was wrong. I gradually came to this realization since I married; admiration is not love. They are different. I admit it that I was attracted by your handsome appearance and gentle manners. But it was just a young girl''s fascination about another world. I don''t think it''s true love," exined Leena. When she talked like this to Gerard, Leena felt that she was a woman who had experienced so much. She could not believe that she would say such thoughtful words someday. Kevin probably changed her a lot.


    "But, Mignonne, can you guarantee it? That your husband will always love you and won''t change his feelings for you?" Gerard said this in a hurry, trying to change her mind. He always believed that Leena had loved him. He did not expect her to say such things, iming that it was just a feeling of admiration and fascination. The conversation steered away from true love. He did not want to ept this fact.


    "What about you? Can you guarantee that you aren''t just fascinated with me for the moment? You think you love me. But maybe even you can''t make such a promise. Gerard, let go of me! Admit it; we are not a couple." Leena kept nodding at people who greeted her. Even she was talking about such a sad and serious topic with Gerard, she still retained her bright and sweet smile. She did not expect that those journalists would describe that she and Gerard acted intimately while they were talking. She did not know that this man who seemed so well-mannered and appeared to be born into a prominent family was the youngest son of nc Group''s CEO in France. At least, not till the next morning when all the newspapers reported them. No wonder the paparazzi was so thick and so aggressive. The many fashion icons at the party were just a small part of the reason why there were so many cameras trained on them. This rich guy Gerard was another important reason.


    nc Group was a grand financial clique in France. It was said that many of Gerard''s family members had royal blood. The family was the wealthiest in all of France. And their worth, ording to iplete statistics, was great enough to control half of the economic lifelines in the country. There was no doubt that this family was strong and powerful. So, as one of the inheritors of this group, Gerard was always in the spotlight, always in the headlines. Every mediapany wanted first-hand news about him so that their papers would outsell the others.

 Chapter 883 A Rising Star In The Fashion World (Part Three)

    Next day in the morning, Leena was surrounded by the various weekly journals and newspapers, as well as the rumors. Looking at those newspapers and journals on her desk, she could not help twisting her mouth heavily. The contents in them were even more absurd. She really did not have the heart to read them. A rising star in the fashion field trying to seduce nc''s sessor? An ambitious woman aiming at bing the daughter-inw of a rich family? They even fabricated a wedding date! What was wrong with them? Did they go insane? Leena could not believe her eyes when reading this nonsense. Fortunately, most of the reports centered on her road to the fashion industry. So not all of those mediapanies and journalists focused on the nonexistent love story between her and Gerard. It made her feel better. What was more, those rumors were reported in France but not in her home country so Kevin was unable to see them. Otherwise, Leena would really be scared of Kevin''s reaction to all that gossip. She did not think he was generous enough to let them go as a soldier. After all, he was not in the fashion industry, so he didn''t make the tabloids, and did not know that sometimes the media liked to make things up to get more clicks or sell more papers.


    What happened in Paris had no influence on S city at all. All those rumors concerning Leena were nothing to people here. It was still shining without any dark clouds in the sky. Everything was going so well, except that the woman named Melissa Xue always tried to stir up trouble.


    At this time there was a casual atmosphere in a Presidential Suite at Kate Hotel. Several pairs of underwear belonging to both man and womany spread on the ground, and two naked bodies sprawled on the bed.


    "Shaun, so how many shares of FX International Group''s department stores do you own now?" Melissa put her white legs on Shaun Gao''s body. She clung tightly to him and sweat was dripping off. Obviously, they just had enjoyed a luxurious coupling. "Don''t worry! I''ve already purchased 40 percent of their shares. But they didn''t notice it at all! What fools! I thought their CEO was a smart man, but not so much anymore. So, you can just wait and see how I will defeat Edward Mu. There will be a time he''ll beg me to save him!" Shaunughed loudly as if everything would go as he expected. He had thought FX International Group''s CEO was a miracle in the business field. Now he concluded that that was not true at all and he was just an ordinary businessman without any talent. He overestimated him.


    "Don''t look down on your enemy. A bigpany like FX International Group always has a perfect safety. You''d better be more careful. Or you may fall into a trap without even realizing it. I''m worried about you." Melissa had known Edward for years. She didn''t think that he was a careless man. So she could not help feeling worried about it when Shaun Gao was already celebrating the sess. Although Shaun was quite confident about himself, she was not so sure. After all, if Edward was that easy to deal with, he would not have managed a bigpany so well. FX still had every advantage in this situation.


    "Hum! How much can you expect from a man who looks more beautiful than a woman? He doesn''t scare me in the slightest. The only advantage he has is that he''s more handsome than I am. That''s it. I don''t think I need to be too careful about him. He doesn''t deserve my special attention." Shaunughed arrogantly. He did not take Melissa''s worries seriously. She was just a worrywart. He reached out and pinched Melissa''s naked breast with his big hand. A light of lust shed through his eyes.


    "Ouch! That hurts!" Melissa pushed Shaun a little, pretending to get angry. But her soft action was actually an invitation. She knew how to take advantage of her beautiful face and hot figure to lure a man.


    "Oh, you little bitch. You are so hot. I want to do everything with you. I''m just a fish you have reeled in." Shaun was an erotic man. How could he reject flirting from a woman like Melissa Xue?


    "Ha! me yourself! I didn''t seduce you. You are the one who never stops once we get to the point of no return." Melissa''s face turned red when she was speaking, despite the fact that she wanted it as much as he did. They usually spent half the day in the bed enjoying each other. She did not dislike it. In fact, she was enjoying it.


    He caressed her cheek. "I have no idea what to do. I just can''t stop thinking about you. You make me so happy. And God help me, I can''t get enough of you." Like a cat stalking its prey, he crawled over her on all fours. It wasn''t long before the two started to make love passionately, not caring that their cries of ecstasy escaped their spacious suite. But the mood was totally different at FX International Group.


    In the majestic building of FX International Group, Edward sat in the president''s office with an evil smile, fingers steepled. He was looking over the data on hisputer transmitted by the technology department. He''d already formted a n. "Mr. Mu, what are we doing? Do we need to proceed as nned?" asked Aaron seriously. He stood in front of the desk with a pile of files in his hand, waiting for Edward''s orders.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "No worries. We can decide when we have obtained 40 percent of their shares. Now they still have a few days to becent." Edward raised his head. Kompass Group? Ha! He would wait and see how many days they could hold on.


    "This might be a bit tricky. I''m worried because they seem to have some serious big guns as far as security goes. So the memory resident virus we made is useless and unable to install itself on their systems. I didn''t expect it either." Talking about this, Aaron could not help feeling embarrassed. He was not an expert inputers. So he was unable to exin more about the technical problems except in the simplest terms.


    "Don''t worry. All we need to do is hack into theirwork and find out who their stakeholders are. We''ll simply lock onto theirwork, bump someone offline and force him to re-enter his password, then we grab the passcode when he does it. Then we''re inside and can start poking around. That''s what I want. Once we do this, we can have a small conversation with those stakeholders. After all, no one will put their money in apany that''s going to go bankrupt soon."


    "Boss, I only got half of what you said, but we''ve already obtained all this information. All we''re waiting on is their reaction. Ball''s in their court. But their employees are pretty calm andcent. They don''t report the intrusion to their CEO." Aaron was quite curious in this respect. He wondered whether there was something he did not anticipate.


    "They might be trying to purchase the stock in our department stores. So they have no idea at all of the danger they''re in. That will cost them. Well, let them be and keep them ignorant of our activities! We''ll surprise them with a deadly strike when they get 60 percent of our stocks," stated Edward. He showcased his typical guile when faced with a threat. He would let them get their hopes up, and when they felt that they were about to win, he would pull the rug out from underneath them. At that time, there would be nothing but a dark hell waiting for them. It was almost impossible to defend themselves effectively at all, especially from one as devious as Edward.


    "Indeed a deadly strike! Mr. Mu. I''m afraid they are going to be angry when that dayes." Aaron knew that whoever offended Edward or touched his bottom line would end up with trouble. So at the thought of the severe consequences they might face, he still could not help feeling sorry for them. But he knew those people deserved it.00

 Chapter 884 Aaron鈥檚 Love For Anna (Part One)

    "Come on, Aaron, are you telling me you''re worried that Shaun will go nuts after he knows hispany is about to go bankrupt?" Edward teased Aaron, twitching his eyebrows. "He will be shaken," he continued, "That''s exactly what I want." "No, I''m not worried at all. I don''t know the guy, so why would I be worried? I have a lot of work to do. I don''t have time to care about a stranger." Aaron angrily rolled his eyes at Edward. What a question! Why would he worry about a stranger? "Then why do you care if he will be angry or not? Since he tried to mess with me, he has to pay the price. I won''t attack unless I''m attacked; if I''m attacked, I''ll definitely counterattack. I won''t let him go so easily." Edward gnashed his teeth in hatred. "Mr. Mu, is it true that the woman is Jessica? Excuse my terrible memory, but that doesn''t look like her." Aaron touched his head inquiringly. He''d run into Jessica a couple of times, so he had a hazy memory of what she looked like, but he didn''t see any simrity between the woman in the photo and her.


    "She can change her facial appearance, but her voice remains the same. If you hear her talk, you''ll know it''s her." Edward''s lips curled in a contemptuous smile. Jessica was stupid. She thought that she could deceive Edward by disguising herself. Maybe she didn''t expect that her voice would betray her.


    "Mr. Mu, what game is she ying? Hasn''t she given up on you?" Like Rain, Aaron also enjoyed talking about other people''s private lives.


    "How would I know that? You can go ask her personally if you''re curious. What her game is doesn''t matter to me. She isn''t the one I love, so why bother?" Edward was indifferent to other women as he was sweet on Daisy.


    "I''m not crazy. The less contact I have with that woman, the better." Aaron showed the whites of his eyes. Suddenly, he realized that Edward could always say something to make him speechless.


    "Curiosity kills the cat. I thought you wanted to know. Well, forget it. How are you doing with Anna?" Edward asked with a casual air. He bowed his head, his pen flowing rapidly over the paper. Aaron was so shocked that he almost slipped onto the floor from his seat. "What -- What do you mean, Mr. Mu? I don''t know what you''re talking about." Aaron''s face convulsed in a series of twitches. How could Edward know? He thought he''d kept his rtionship with Anna on the DL. He''d underestimated Edward again.


    "You heard me. Don''t y dumb with me. Don''t tell me you''re not dating." Edward raised his head and yfully narrowed his eyes at Aaron. A smug smile hung on his lips.


    "Err... We''re not dating. Stop kidding." Aaron couldn''t look Edward in the eye. How could Edward know that Anna had just agreed to be exclusive with him and that they were officially a couple?


    "Really? Fine. Since you''re not dating, you won''t mind if I set up Anna on a blind date, right? There''s a couple guys I know..." Edward disyed a timely smile, a mirthless one that used his mouth, not his eyes. He was sure that Aaron would cave in and tell him the truth after he said this.


    "Come on. When do you even care about the private life of your employees? It''s not like you." Aaron was frustrated. What was wrong with Edward? Why did he spend his free time monitoring them? He was even prying into their rtionships. Was nothing private? "I don''t care about other employees, but you''re different. You two work under my nose. It''s easy for me to figure things out. You two have been working together for several years, but you didn''t win her heart until now." Edward was sincerely happy for Aaron and Anna. He was close to them, and really cared how they felt.


    "You got me, fine. I guess I can''t hide it anymore. But please don''t ask Anna about it. I promised her that I wouldn''t say anything. If she knows that I''ve told you about it, she''ll be mad at me." Aaron hung his head. He had vowed to Anna that he''d keep their rtionship secret. If other people knew about them, he''d never hear the end of it.


    "Did you think you could hide it from us forever? You can''t wrap fire in paper. It''s not like it''s some great secret. Why are you so afraid of being found out? Don''t date in a sneaky way. Just tell everyone that you''re dating." Edward wasn''t afraid of making his dates public. He frankly admitted that Daisy was his wife and they had a cute boy Justin although he was secretive in the beginning. In his eyes, it wasn''t a shameful thing to be in love, so there was no need to cover it up.


    "Mr. Mu, as you know, Anna is rather bashful. I asked her out and she said yes. I need to look carefully before taking each step. I can''t drive her up the wall, or I won''t have a girlfriend anymore. I know that much." As Edward said, Aaron and Anna worked under his nose. He had a good eye for detail and noticed everything. It was impossible for them to cover up their rtionship. Since he brought it up himself, Aaron didn''t want to hide it from him anymore.


    "As you wish. But since I''ve already noticed it, Rain will figure it out too. He has a lot of experience with women and dating. He''ll know, believe me." Edward didn''t want to make their rtionship public. He wanted to confirm it, so he asked Aaron to straight up. "I''m not worried. Mr. Xia has been preupied with thoughts of Annie recently, so he doesn''t have any time to pay attention to silly things like my personal life." Aaron felt relieved when it came to Rain. He found that Rain seemed to be dispirited and show no interest in anything recently. He wouldn''t be in the mood for gossiping about others.


    "Are you talking about me?" And that was when Edward and Aaron suddenly heard Rain''szy voice. He leaned against the door, curling up his lips and blinking at them with his charming eyes.


    "No. Why would we be talking about you? You''re not a rock god." Aaron ridiculed Rain calmly, as if nothing had happened.


    "I''m not a rock god, but a god of love. Don''tpare me to them. It''ll ruin my reputation," Rain retorted. He was in a foul mood. His ego was swollen as ever, but his sunshine-like wicked smile had given way to a grimace of depression and loneliness. "How is the military project going?" Edward was ustomed to Rain''s narcissism, so he didn''t say anything to refute him. After all, Rain was far more valuable to him than those big-name stars.


    "Don''t worry. Everything''s going well. Nothing will happen without my okay." Rain went straight to the couch and sat down, leaning on the back of the couch in his usualzy sitting position.


    "Pay close attention to this. It''s an important project. You can''t take it lightly," Edward said in a serious tone, knitting his brows. The project was under construction in Daisy''s army base. He couldn''t bring shame to her name.


    "Got it. You can count on me. Everything will be alright. And, ah, if I''m not mistaken, you were talking about me just now." He held a finger up while he said this, making it seem like the most important topic in the world. Rain ran his eyes over Edward and Aaron. He sensed that something was very wrong. They stopped as soon as he came, so he was sure that they were talking about him just now.


    "Look at you. You worry me." Edward refrained from Rain''s sensitive topic.


    "Mr. Mu, I have to get back to work if there''s nothing else." Aaron wanted to get out of there more than anything else in the world. He couldn''t keep his cool if Rain kept poking at the topic. He didn''t want the number two guy to find out anything.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    "Okay. You can go. Get back to work. Pay more attention to Kompass Group. Let me know if anything changes." Edward tore his gaze from theputer screen and looked at Aaron. In his opinion, Shaun would soon find out that hispany''s stocks were secretly acquired. Before Shaun could react, he had to acquire all of their stocks in one fell swoop.


    "By the way, Aaron, have you and Anna set a wedding date yet?" Rain raised his eyebrows and smiled wickedly at Aaron. What Rain said totally flustered the other man. Aaron scrunched himself up, and tried to fit in as small a space as possible.000000

 Chapter 885 Aaron鈥檚 Love For Anna (Part Two)

    "Err... Mr. Xia, what''re you talking about? Don''t make fun of me." Aaron yed dumb again. He could understand why Edward knew of his rtionship with Anna, but why did Rain also know? This waspletely insane. "Well, I owe you an apology. I didn''t mean to spy on you, but it looked like you forced Anna into a kiss." Rain smiled mischievously and squinted at Aaron, who flushed with tension.


    "Force? What? You -- we''re dating, you idiot!" Irritated by what Rain said, Aaron spilled the beans. He pretty much admitted that he kissed Anna.


    "Oh, so you''re in love with each other? Why did I see Anna struggling to break free? Is that a way to start a rtionship?" Rain saw Aaron kiss Anna when he sat quietly in his car in the parking lot. He watched them for a long time, but they kissed passionately as if they were all alone in this world.


    "My car''s apact, so she bumped against the window. For God''s sake! Why am I even exining this to you? Are you some kind of pervert, peeking into our car? Why didn''t you let us know that you parked nearby?" Aaron stared at Rain angrily. He knew exactly where Rain saw them, because they didn''t dare to behave intimately in thepany building. They figured that they didn''t need to let others know, but he was seized with a sudden impulse to kiss Anna after they got off work in the parking lot that day.


    "Why should I let you know? Aren''t you trying to keep your rtionship secret? Not like you''re doing a good job of it now... Go ahead. It won''t be interesting if I rat you out." Rain gave Aaron a sinister look and continued, "You know, I''m a wicked person." "Damn it! I must have been insane to mention it to you. Promise me that you won''t ask Anna about this." Aaron was upset. They thought they had covered up their rtionship nicely. Little did they know that both Edward and Rain knew. Did it mean that their colleagues had also figured it out?


    "Why can''t I ask her? It''s a good thing that you''re in love. It''s not murder or arson. I don''t know why you have to cover it up. God, you''re boring," Rain snorted. He always judged others but never reflected on his own faults. This was the reason why Annie was angry with him. "Leave us alone. You''re not allowed to ask her about it." Saying this, Aaron raised his fist threateningly.


    "Hi, guys. What''re you talking about? It''s positively popping in here." Daisy heard the ruckus before she stepped into the office. She stood at the door for some time, wondering if she shoulde in. The door was left ajar, so she heard vaguely that someone was in love. "Nothing, nothing at all, Mrs. Mu." Aaron replied, his eyes narrowing at the figure behind her. He was trying his best not to sound hysterical.


    "Daisy, don''t believe him. We are discussing when we can attend him and Anna''s wedding." Rain wanted to stir up trouble. He wouldn''t let Aaron muddle through this so easily. In fact, Rain was trying to help Aaron and Anna. Since Aaron had admitted that they were dating, he wanted to dere it for him. Then they wouldn''t have to sneak around anymore. Problem solved.


    "What? Is it true, Anna? Are you dating Aaron? Wow, that''s wonderful. Congrattions!" Daisy''s face lit up with happiness. She always thought both Aaron and Anna were awesome and wanted to bring them together, but Edward said that it was absolutely impossible for them to fall in love with each other. See? Sometimes truth can hit you like a p.


    "Err..." Anna was hesitant and didn''t know what to say. She red at Aaron with burning, reproachful eyes as she thought that Aaron told Rain about their rtionship, or Rain wouldn''t have known about it.


    "Well, Anna, all of us know now. Why don''t you just admit it?" Rain was worried about Aaron and Anna. Wasn''t it a good thing for them to fall in love with each other? Why were they trying to hide it from everyone?N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "Don''t look at me like that. I didn''t tell them squat. They figured it out themselves." Aaron felt wronged and shrugged his shoulders. What could he do?


    "Well, Anna, you''re one of us. Don''t hide the truth. You should share such amazing news. This calls for a drink!" Daisy gently patted Anna''s shoulder with aforting look.


    "Mrs. Mu, this is not the case. We just feel that it is not very convenient to work together at thepany as a couple." Anna pursed her lips. She was not a person who pretended to be bashful. Since Daisy said that, she admitted it frankly.


    "Why isn''t it convenient? You''re young, and it''s natural for you to fall in love with each other. Does your CEO stipte that the employees in thispany can''t be in love?" Daisy moved her gaze to the man who had been staring at her since she entered the office and squinted at him with a challenging look.


    "Don''t look at me like that. I have never given such an order. I''m not that much of a dick to force my employees to remain single," Edward exined. He folded under Daisy''s withering nce. Seeing this, Rain couldn''t help but suppress a giggle and wondered why Daisy came back so early today.


    "Come on Aaron, Anna''s a good girl. You can''t let her down." As a woman, Daisy had to side with Anna.


    "Mrs. Mu, you have my word. I swear I''ll be good to her." Aaron smiled at Anna, but thetter rolled her eyes at him, indicating that he would sufferter.


    "Ha-ha! Aaron, it looks like Anna''s not happy. It''s the couch for you tonight!" Rain was happy. He got even with Aaron. Aaron had said something to frustrate him when he went to pick up Annie at that time. Edward would get what wasing to him too, when the opportunity presented itself.


    "Come on! It''s just between us. You don''t need to worry about it." Aaron rolled his eyes at Rain angrily. If it wasn''t for him, Anna wouldn''t be angry. So, as everyone knew, Rain was to me.


    "I was worried about you, so I tried to help. I can''t bear seeing others having a hard time." There was a bright smile on Rain''s face. He was excited after he got his way.


    "Stop it. I think you''re having way to much funughing at my bad luck. Forget it. I have to get to work. We''re done shooting the bull." After stating his piece, Aaron nodded to Daisy and walked out with Anna. Since they all knew it, he wouldn''t have to hide it anymore. "Oh. You use work as an excuse. What you really want is to ask Anna to forgive you." Now Rain had to look for joy from other people, because he didn''t have anything to please himself.


    "How about you? You have to make things right with Annie. Stop showing off. She won''te back if you stay here. Oh right. You have to go to Thand tomorrow!" Edward thought that Rain had to try his luck, lest he would live the rest of his life like a lovelorn zombie. "What? Wait, Edward, are you serious? Do you really want to send me to Thand?" Rain''s smile instantly froze on his face. He didn''t think Edward was serious. He just teased Aaron a minute ago, but now he was down on his luck. God help him.


    "Do you think I''m joking now?" Edward cast a cold look at Rain. If he didn''t give Rain a hard time, Rain would definitely not go abroad, so he had to order Rain as the CEO.


    "No. Daisy, I don''t want to go to Thand! Could you please help me convince Edward to send someone else there?" Rain realized that he couldn''t change Edward''s mind, so he had to pin hisst hope on Daisy.


    "I''m sorry, Rain. I really can''t help you with this. I don''t have the right to interfere in his work arrangement, just as Edward can''t interfere in my work. So you''re on your own." Daisy smiled apologetically. Although really it was Edward''s promise, she felt she should do the same. Mutual respect was very important in a marriage.000000000000

 Chapter 886 You Carry Me (Part One)

    "Jesus Christ! Does God want me to die?" Rain walked out despondently without arguing further. He was desperate and decided to figure out a solution to deal with the manager in Thand. "What''s wrong with him?" Daisy asked in surprise. She wondered why Rain was so pissed off that he stormed out of the room.


    "He is just being silly, due to a lovesick." Edward stood up and stretched out his arms. He pulled Daisy closer. She had such a tall and slender figure.


    "Oh. What are you doing? We are making a scene in your building and being stared at by your employees," Daisy said hesitantly. She shot a stealthy nce toward the door, relieved when she found the door closed. She was not ustomed to being hugged and kissed by her husband in public ces.Content is property of N?velDrama.Org.


    "I haven''t done anything embarrassing. I''m just embracing my dear wife. Do you want me to do something else instead?" Edward asked her. He grinned and bit his lips softly, tantalizing Daisy.


    "Don''t be vulgar." Daisy flushed with embarrassment. His open remarks and conducts always mortified her, even though it was only her husband suggesting them.


    "I am only vulgar about it to you, my darling." Edward lowered his head, cupping Daisy''s face in his hands as he kissed her. He didn''t intend to start anything. However, Daisy melted in his arms, anticipating Edward''s actions. At the same time, she was afraid that someone might enter the room unexpectedly and run into them.


    "I must be very unlucky to be the victim of your obscenity." Daisy squirmed out of his arms and walked away. She sank into a couch that sat in the corner of the room, feeling fatigued after being all day in the court.


    "Darling, obscenity is an inappropriate word fordies. It is being widely used on the inte and has diverse meanings." Edward smiled wryly. He came over to sit down beside her. Daisy seemed to be in a bad mood today.


    "Oh. I''m rather ignorant of what goes on on the Inte," Daisy answered listlessly. She rested her head on Edward''s shoulder, happy to have her husband around whenever she was upset.


    "What''s wrong? How was your day at work?" Edward asked in concern. He pouted and pulled her closer to himself.


    "Hero received a long jail sentence. I saw it happen in the court today," Daisy answered sadly. Daisy was a credible soldier and knew that being emotional did her no good. However, she had be acquainted with Hero and truly felt miserable for his fate. "I see. How many years?" He kissed her forehead gently, d that she had told him what was on her mind. It meant that she considered him as a reliable lover and husband. He clearly had be a necessary element in her life.


    "He faces a twenty-year sentence. Since he was not involved with the nuclear weapons, he got off with a rtively." Spending twenty years in prison would make anybody feel like they were in hell. Hero would be an old man by the time he finished his sentence and got discharged.


    "That''s too long. At least he will be able to live, even in a stinking prison." Edward finally knew why Hero had tried tomit suicide. A proud man like him would never want to be imprisoned in darkness, with his hands and feet chained. A quick death seemed better to him. Maybe that was exactly what had been in Hero''s mind when he tried to end his life so ruthlessly.


    "You are right. I hope he can repent for his sins and behave himself in prison. He might get an abatement in his penalty." She had not seen any of Hero''s friends or family in the court. She certainly pitied his long sentence, but that was what you got when you broke thew and threatened the security of the nation and its people.


    "Don''t worry. He already attempted suicide once. He survived and realized the importance of life. Trust me on this: he will manage to live in that prison." Edward had mixed feelings about Daisy being upset about the destiny of another man. However, when he tried to put himself in Daisy''s shoes, he understood how she felt. She was a soft-hearted and sympathetic woman, after all. So Edward decided to be magnanimous, although he would have preferred that Daisy didn''t feel about Hero this way. Few men were as generous as Edward when it came to their wives.


    "I hope so. Let''s forget him for now. Darling, would you like to take a walk with me outside?" Daisy smiled breezily. She leaned against Edward''s broad shoulder and raised her head to look at his perfect face.


    "Are you kidding? I''lle with you wherever you want to go." Edward tapped her upturned nose gently. He loved her girlish charm.


    "Really? Are you serious? As far as I know, you aren''t off duty right now." Daisy smiled. She had just blurted out her wish, although she didn''t intend to interrupt his work.


    "You rarely ask for anything from me. I have to do as I''m told. Now get up!" Edward pulled Daisy to her feet. Wherever she wanted to go, he would go with her, no matter how difficult it might be to do so.


    "Edward, you''re so nice to me." Daisy stood on her tiptoes and kissed his lips softly. She pulled away before he could do anything else.


    "As your husband, I should certainly be nice to you. Who else is supposed to do that?" Edward grabbed his coat and cell phone, leaving his documents on the table. He didn''t bother arranging them since Anna would do that for him when he left.


    The cool breeze, the sunshine and the fallen leaves were what made autumn so beautiful. However, Daisy liked its quietness the most. It calmed her down and made her feel at peace.


    "I recall that you once came here when you were upset." They held hands and walked down thene leisurely, between the colorful trees of fall. As a soldier, Daisy felt obliged to avoid walking with her husband on the streets or going shopping when she was wearing her uniform. However, Edward knew that she needed the quiet and solitude right now. That was why he brought her here.


    "Yes. Nobody notices you even when you are sobbing loudly here," Daisy answered sadly. A slight autumn breeze ruffled her hair, dispelling the sadness and sorrow that were buried deep down in her heart.


    "So you came here and cried that day." Edward held her hand more tightly. Even now, he remembered the anxiety he had felt for Daisy at that time.


    "No. I never cried," Daisy said. She evaded Edward''s eyes. She would never admit to her husband that she had indeed cried her heart out.


    "I remember that day a woman talked to me over the phone, weeping loudly." Edward stared at Daisy with tenderness. He just couldn''t get tired of looking at his beloved wife. He could be with her every moment of the day, if it were possible. That way she would never be taken away from him.


    "What? Who cried on the phone? Tell me truthfully. Who called you up that day?" asked Daisy in amusement. Suddenly, she ran away from Edward giggling, as care-free and light as the autumn wind.


    Edward''s gaze followed Daisy''s slender figure. He was absorbed in her heartyugh. He was so ted and content to be living such a life with his beautiful wife.


    "Edward, hurry up. Or are you too old to catch up with me?" Daisy shouted from a distance. Daisy could be girlish on rare asions. In the autumn afternoon, she stood with her arms resting on her hips, looking at Edward defiantly.


    "Darling, don''t you know me to be a lion when we are in bed? You think I''d get old? Certainly not. Do you want to get to know my stamina right now?" Edward asked her lewdly. Edward could deftly change a romantic atmosphere into a seductive one. "Bah! A leopard can''t change its spots. Watch your mouth, otherwise as a Colonel, I''ll castrate you and turn you into a eunuch." Daisy didn''t understand how a gentleman could speak such dirty words so casually and shamelessly as Edward did. "Turn me into a eunuch? I''m sure you''ll regret that. Besides, don''t forget that you''re not a Colonel anymore. Quit trying to scare me." Edward shook his head, seemingly amused at Daisy''s words. Her joke wasn''t as funny as she intended it to be.??????????

 Chapter 887 You Carry Me (Part Two)

    was wearing a pair of mid-heel shoes that were not suited for running.


    "I regret nothing. There are so many good men in the world. I''ll find another husband one way or another." Daisy raised her eyebrows in defiance. It seemed like she already knew the serious consequences her words would lead to. So she started to run, forgetting that she "Daisy, How can you say that?" Edward asked, making a face at her. He was vexed at what she said. ''How dare you say that and then run away from me. I will teach you a lesson, ''he thought.


    "Come and catch me, you fool. When youe here, I''ll tell you how I dared to say that," Daisy said. She stopped only when she was at a long distance from him. She turned around, looking at him both in defiance and in fear.


    "Do you think I''m stupid like others? I know you can outrun me easily. I won''t try to beat you at that." Edward was a businessman and knew when he had the upper hand. He wouldn''t try to win against apetent and well-trained soldier in a fight or a marathon. "Fine. But I won''t go to you first." Daisy pouted and sat down on a nearby boulder. She gleefully fixed her eyes on her proud husband.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    "Then, I have no choice but to chase you." Edward smiled wryly. ''Darling, you started this fight. You have left me with no choice but to retaliate in bed tonight, '' Edward thought.


    "Stop. Stay put. It is fine. Absence and distance only make the heart grow fonder. I''d better keep you far away from me," Daisy shouted in haste. She was smart. She knew what Edward was capable of if he came over and caught her. He would do unspeakable things to her. She blushed as she thought about it.


    "Don''t be silly. Men only say that nonsense to fool women. When lovers are apart, other men and womene between them. What good is that for?" Edward stepped forward elegantly, as enchanting as a prince out of a fairy tale.


    "Those are unpredictable people, just like you are. Your kind doesn''t represent all the lovers in the world." As she watched Edwarde closer to her, Daisy stood up and stepped back. She wouldn''t be fooled by his broad smiles and sugary words. She knew what he was going to do once he got hold of her.


    "What? Are you using me of being fickle?" Although Edward forced a smile on his face, he gritted his teeth, his mouth setting in a grim line. It was obvious he was angry at her words.


    "Aren''t you? You used to be awful." Daisy tilted her head. Technically, Edward hadn''t been awful. But he still thought and acted lewdly.


    "Good Lord, go on! You are using me of other charges now? Enlighten me!" Edward walked forward as she stepped back. The distance was maintained between them. As a result, Edward couldn''t catch Daisy, but they could talk to each other easily. "You''re also an unscrupulous businessman who bullies and cheats the weak," her mouth pursing, Daisy taunted him. The punishments in bed didn''t scare her. They weren''t anything new to her anyway. Besides, she could take off a day tomorrow to recover. She decided not to surrender.


    "Hold on! I admit that I''m a ruthless businessman. But I never bully those who are weak or inferior." Edward frowned. He never thought that Daisy despised his work.


    "Bullshit. Am I not one of the weak ones right now? Aren''t you chasing after me? Admit it! I''m right!" Daisy was smiling innocently at first but shot him a scornful look at this.


    "Madam, are you sure that you''re weak? As far as I''m concerned, you''re as bold and rebellious as a brutal bandit." As they walked back and forth, Edward paid attention to the space behind Daisy in case any obstacles might cause her to trip and fall. "Darling, have you ever seen a bandit as beautiful and lovely as I am?" Daisy asked him arrogantly. She seldom boasted about her beauty or thought highly of herself. However, she couldn''t help butpliment herself in front of him right now.


    "That is true, I truly haven''t... Hey! Watch out!" Edward was too slow to stop Daisy from tripping. She fell backward and onto the ground. There was nothing he could do as he watched hernd with a thump.


    As shey on the ground, Daisy felt extremely embarrassed. Usually, she managed to avoid such idents easily. However, she was so absorbed in talking to her husband that she had forgotten to nce at the road behind her. The force of the impact knocked the breath out of her. "I told you to watch out! Does it hurt?" Edward asked her sympathetically. Edward hurried to pull her to her feet, looking her up and down for serious injuries. His fury evaporated.


    "You didn''t mean that. You did this on purpose to embarrass me! You wanted to piss me off, didn''t you?" Daisy asked him furiously in a clumsy attempt to cover up her mortification. She thought that it was Edward''s fault that she fell so awkwardly. If he had just run after her in the first ce, she wouldn''t have had to step backward. He kept her busy talking to him too! Otherwise, she wouldn''t have fallen so ridiculously.


    "Sorry, it was my fault. Now, tell me whether or not you''re hurt?" To ay her fury, Edward would admit any mistakes he had supposedly made, even if Daisy used him of murder. He loved Daisy so much that he would do anything for her. He already regretted having caused her ident. How could he even think of harboring a grudge against his wife?


    "Yes, it hurts! I feel pain all over my body. You ought to carry me on your back now," Daisy ordered him childishly. Tripping and falling was not new to Daisy. After all, she was a soldier and hadpleted endless tough trainings and missions. But to make Edward feel guilty, she pretended to be hurt badly so he wouldn''t try to punish herter. She inwardly rejoiced at the opportunity to turn the tables on him.


    "Yeah, I can do that. But I should examine your injuries first," Edward said gently. Daisy seldom gave people the impression that she was fragile. But when she stared up at him imploringly, he decided to y along and do as he was told.


    "No, I want you to carry me right now!" Daisy refused to be examined by him. She wasn''t injured at all. It would blow up her cover if Edward persisted.


    "Hah! Daisy, look at yourself. You look like a little girl who asked for candy but was refused. The soldiers wouldugh at you if they saw you behave this way." Edward shook his head, saying nothing further. He squatted down, turning his back to Daisy. As a matter of fact, He already knew Daisy''s trick. Sometimes, she was like an open book to him. However, Edward still decided to grant her wish. He allowed her to be willful for one day.


    "I don''t care. Do as you are told." Daisy climbed onto Edward''s back as a wry smile appeared at the corners of her mouth. She ignored the curious nces of the passers-by. As long as her husband loved her, she would get what she wanted.


    "You''re already so stubborn. If I don''t stop you from doing certain things, I''m sure that you''ll get out of control one day," Edward said. When he stood up with Daisy over his back, he could feel her slender figure. He didn''t know whether to feel satisfied or not. He could hardly handle a womanly, voluptuous Daisy.


    "Will you love me forever?" As she rested her head on Edward''s broad shoulder, Daisy could feel the rhythms of his breath. A sense of calm happiness swept over her heart. She could stay like this forever.


    "Yes. You already know that. That is why you treat me this way, without worrying about the consequences of provoking me," Edward said. He smiled lopsidedly. It suddenly urred to him that he had only carried his wife on his back twice. However, it was different this time. Although she didn''t weigh much, he felt the responsibilities on his shoulders.

 Chapter 888 Seeing Leo Again (Part One)

    "Edward, do you think we will live happily forever?"


    Daisy whispered in Edward''s ear. As autumn approached, the nts and colors in the park had changed. Some of the trees were already beginning to shed their leaves. Daisy felt a little sad as she recalled how Jessica was devoting so much energy on winning Edward back. She was rather disturbed by the very thought. What if Jessica had seeded?


    "Babe, rest assured, we will live happily ever after." Edward stopped to promise her seriously. He knew what Daisy was worrying about. Her anxiety was understandable. Edward was not going tofort her with fancynguage, but he could convince her by promising her the future.


    "Edward, don''t ever forget what you just said. I will be right by your side for as long as I live. You are mine alone. If I get to know that you are having an affair with someone else behind my back, I will... I will leave you without a second thought." Daisy had wanted to say that she would kill the both of them if Edward had an affair with another woman, but she knew she could never hurt Edward. She loved him so much. She would merely leave him if he betrayed her in the future. Nothing upset her more than Edward getting hurt.


    "Oh I see. If I fall in love with anotherdy one day, I will never try to make you stay." Edward curled his lips. Was it because of the season that Daisy was getting sentimental? She had always been cool and unconcerned. However, right now, she was being so emotional. "Come on, Edward. Why aren''t you consoling me and telling me that you won''t betray me?" Daisy feigned anger and hit him on the shoulder. Deep inside, she knew he was only trying to make her forget the pain by teasing her.


    "Darling, you know me. I''m notfortable expressing my emotions out loud. I prefer to convince you with my actions. It''s not like you to be so sentimental." Edward knew Daisy didn''t actually get hurt when she slipped and fell, but he was willing to carry her till the end of their lives.


    "Oh. I get it." Daisy pulled herself closer to Edward as her head rested against his neck. She shut her eyes, enjoying the warm sun on her back. Sunlight broke through the clouds and seeped through the frail leaves. The happy couple walked in the light of the beautiful scenery.


    Inside the dimly lit room of their vi, the two lovers sweated and panted as they lost themselves without inhibition to the act of love-making. They breathed deeply and heavilly one after another, faster and faster. Suddenly, the naked back of the man arched with force. The woman ground her teeth andy helplessly with her hands tied to the bedposts.


    Daisy didn''t wake up until the next afternoon. She felt stiff all over. As she was about to get up, her phone rang. To her surprise, it was from Brian.


    "Daisy, it''s me, Brian. I''d like to invite you to lunch," Brian said cheerfully, as if he had no longer steeped himself in the past and had moved on.


    "Hi, Brian. When did youe back?" Daisy was ted by the phone call. Brian had gone abroad for more than a month and never sent her a message all that time. She thought Brian had been ming her for what happened to his mother.


    "I got off the nest night. I made this phone call as soon as I woke up." Actually, Brian hade back this time for his father. Leo had repeatedly asked him to return since he wanted Brian to patch things up between him and Daisy. So he had no other choice but toe back and talk to her.


    "Well, I''lle to meet you after I get ready. How did you know I am on break today?" Daisy asked him with a frown as she went to her wardrobe to select a dress.


    "I called Edward before and he said you were at home," Brian answered as he got inside his car. He had phoned Edward to gather Daisy''s views about Leo. It sounded like it had been hard for Leo to ask for forgiveness from her. "Got it. Where are we going to eat?" Daisy asked. She found little time to be with her family because she was married to her career. She finally had a day off today and was willing to spend it with her family.


    "Well, why don''t you wait for me? I''ll drive there and pick you up," Brian said, starting up the engine. Leo had asked Daisy to meet him for many times, but she always refused him. However, she agreed to have lunch with Brian without wavering for even a second. Apparently, she valued him very much.


    "That''s not necessary. I''ll drive myself to the restaurant. Just tell me the address." Daisy put on a in dress but it hung well on her. It was a little cold, so she added a grey knitted cardigan. After she put her hair in an elegant updo, she looked like a graceful empress. "Okay, well, I heard Westin Western Restaurant belongs to FX International Group. Why don''t we go there? Then we can eat without paying." It was great having a rich brother-inw. Brian smiled slyly as he turned the steering wheel to drive to Westin. "Ah! Brian, since when did you be such a penny pincher?" It hurt Daisy to apply skin care products each morning. However, when she recalled how she had assured Edward, she sat in front of her dressing table and removed the lid of a bottle of face cream. After applying it, she went downstairs in a hurry. She couldn''t wait to see Brian.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    "We should cultivate good habits of frugality. Edward is my brother-inw. He would get angry if I''m too formal with him." Since Daisy wanted to drive herself there, Brian had plenty of time. He slowed down his speed and turned on the music.


    "Oh, well, you are right. The profiteers cheat people left and right. We should trim the fat off the fat cat." Since Daisy wasn''t wearing a military uniform, she decided to drive her Porsche today. She seldom drove this car. It was inappropriate for a soldier to drive such a luxurious vehicle.


    "Daisy, don''t forget, you are the wife of a profiteer yourself," Brian teased her, even if he was afraid of her response when she found out that Leo was also invited.


    "Hey! Don''t associate me with him. I''m almost there. See you soon. Bye!" Daisy hung up the call and drove herself toward the underground parking lot. She could tell something was up, but she didn''t give much thought to it since she knew Brian would never harm her. However, at the sight of Leo, she turned around to leave the ce without a second thought. Edward, who had just arrived, grabbed her hand to stop her.


    "Daisy, I''m so sorry. I know I shouldn''t have lied to you, but..." Brian was at a loss about what to do. He didn''t want to lie to Daisy, but Leo had coaxed and pestered him until Brian consented to it.


    "Honey, since we are already here, why not sit down and have a good meal?" Edward said with a frown. He didn''t know that Leo would be here. Brian had called him this morning and invited him to lunch. But it seemed like he was needed to cate his wife instead. "You knew he was here? You knew they set up a trap for me and hid it from me?" Daisy stared at Edward with fury in her eyes as she fired a hundred questions. She was vexed with these three men. Other than her unwillingness to reconcile with Leo, she just didn''t know how to treat Leo after so many things had happened.


    "Daisy, it''s not like that. I asked Brian to lie to you. Could you please stay and have lunch with me?" Leo gazed at Daisy with a hopeful expression. He looked much older since thest time she saw him.


    "I am sorry, Daisy, I knew if I had told you the truth, you wouldn''t havee here. So I had to lie," Brian apologized to Daisy. He felt sad whenever he saw Leo''s greying hair. That was why he was unable to turn him down.


    "Let''s take a seat," Edward offered, casting a stern nce toward Brian. If Brian had just warned him earlier, he would have found a better way to break it to her. Daisy hated Leo because she thought he was responsible for her mother''s death. It was not easy for her to forgive him.


    "Yes. Daisy, please take a seat first. I know you hate me, and I''m not asking for your forgiveness. I just want to apologize to you. Make up for what I have done." It was a littlete for Leo to have realized his fault. As his son-inw, Edward was unable to turn him down, so he pulled Daisy closer and made her sit.0000????????

 Chapter 889 Seeing Leo Again (Part Two)

    "Daisy, please don''t be mad at me or dad. You see, dad is much older now. I was unable to say no to him." Daisy and Leo were both Brian''s family. He didn''t want to see either of them get hurt. Brian knew he was not qualified to express his opinion. After all, his own


    mother was the one at fault. After everything Brian had been through, he treasured his family even more.


    Daisy raised her head to take a peek at Leo. When she saw Leo''s grey hair, she couldn''t help but gasp inwardly. It hadn''t been a long time, but Leo looked like he was dying!


    "Daisy, I''m not asking for your forgiveness. I just hope I can meet you from time to time for the rest of my life." Leo knew that he had been so sinful that Daisy would never forgive him.


    "You don''t need to do that. We won''t be happy if we see each other. I don''t think that''s necessary at all," Daisy stated coldly, going against her conscience. If she forgave Leo, she would feel like she wasn''t doing justice to her mother. Her mother died because of Leo and Yakira. Daisy could never forget that.


    "Daisy, I know you hate me. I know you wish you were not my daughter. I''ve been confessing my sins to the Almighty God and I''ve visited your mother''s grave many times to ask for her forgiveness. I know our rtionship has been damaged terribly. If you hate to see me so much, I''d rather die now."


    Leo wiped the tears that streamed down his cheeks. He was too ashamed of himself to look Daisy in the eye. He had done her wrong and must pay the price for it.


    "Hah! Do you think it will all be good after your death? Will my mothere back to life after you die? Don''t crack jokes like that. You didn''t kill her with your own hands, but she died because of you! In my eyes, you are a murderer!"N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    Daisy raised her head high as she threw him a scornful look. Despite her cruel words, deep down she felt bad for him. However, she wouldn''t admit to it. She didn''t me Leo for having been so indifferent to her all these years. But she couldn''t ept the fact that her mother died because of him.


    "Darling, calm down. Have some water first." Edward poured a ss of water for Daisy and handed it to her. His gaze was affectionate. He knew Daisy disliked her father, but he didn''t expect her to harbor such deep resentment toward him. Daisy was a generous and open-mindeddy, but she lost her cool when it came to Leo.


    "I know I''m a murderer. I know you will never forgive me. I just hope I can see you sometimes," Leo murmured, lowering his head.


    "Daisy, could you please be a little nicer to him?" Brian didn''t feelfortable when he saw Leo''s pitiful face. He knew he shouldn''t be taking sides, but he just couldn''t resist interceding for his father''s sake.


    "How can I be nice to someone who killed my mother? If you want to call me selfish, you can do that. My mother would not forgive me if I agree to his demand." Daisy was too stubborn and reluctant to admit that her heart was breaking as well. After all, blood was thicker than water. She was upset to see her father behave like this.


    "Brian, don''t say that. I''m the one who should take the me. I did something wrong and I have to pay for it. Daisy isn''t wrong." Leo scolded Brian in an attempt to defend Daisy. He only wanted to make up for how he had treated her all these years. Everyone made mistakes, but one must correct them as soon as they realized they had made them.


    "Darling, you must be hungry. You haven''t eaten breakfast. Mr. Ouyang, just calm down and take it slow. Don''t push her so hard. She was not prepared to meet you." Edward grabbed Daisy''s hand under the table, smiling at her warmly. No matter what decision she made, he would have her back.


    "Sure. Let''s have lunch first. I''m too old to remember to do that," Leo said and asked the waitress to serve the meal. Daisy sat still and didn''t say anything further. Leo was much relieved to see that Daisy wasn''t leaving. The dishes were served soon. The waitress poured out wine for everyone.


    "Daisy, I heard you''ve been promoted to Senior Colonel. Congrattions!" Brian cheered with a sincere smile on his face as he raised his ss toward Daisy. He seemed genuinely pleased about the news.


    "You told him that too?" Daisy rolled her eyes at Edward, thinking to herself, ''Why can''t you shut your big mouth?''


    "What? No, you''re wrong! I didn''t tell him! Don''t look at me like that." Edward pretended to be upset, pouting exaggeratedly. He was trying to cheer her up.


    "Daisy, sorry. It was me who told Brian that you got promoted. I wanted to celebrate it with you, so I asked Brian to invite you out," Leo said carefully. He didn''t want her to be upset.


    "How did you know that? Were you spying on me?" Upon hearing Leo''s words, Daisy narrowed her eyes. She couldn''t help but doubt his every single move. After all, Leo was hardly a good man!


    "I wasn''t! Justin told me that," Leo exined immediately when he saw her cold gaze. He didn''t want to worsen their precarious rtionship.


    "Justin? You''ve been contacting him all this time?" Daisy asked with a frown. It never urred to her that Justin had been talking to Leo. He never said a word about it to her.


    "I apologize. I know you don''t want me to be in touch with him," Leo replied nervously as Daisy furrowed her eyebrows. It wasn''t Justin who had taken the initiative to contact Leo. Leo had talked to him to try and keep up to date with Daisy''s life.


    "That''s between you and Justin. I won''t raise a finger to stop him, even though I''m his mother." Daisy was broad-minded enough. She would not make Justin''s choices for him, nor would she try to instill a feeling of hatred in him. She didn''t want him to live in resentment. "Thank you, Daisy." Leo was much relieved as he didn''t want Justin to be punished because of him. His grandson was an adorable little boy whom he loved very much.


    "Dad, eat some more food. You look much thinner than you used to." Brian was indeed ashamed of what his parents had done, but Leo was the closet to him in this world. Brian felt bad whenever he saw him in low spirits these days.


    "Brian is right. Mr. Ouyang, health is the most important thing. You should take good care of youself," Edward said. Daisy never called Leo father, so Edward did not dare to do it either. Daisy would get pissed off by that.


    "Do not try to ask for my forgiveness while you hurt yourself. You owe me a lot and I will take everything back. You better be alive before I decide to forgive you." Daisy meant to ask Leo to take care of his health, but couldn''t bring herself to say anything sweet. "I get your point. I will live alive and well." Upon hearing Daisy''s words, Leo did not feel sad anymore and beamed at her. He knew Daisy''s heart had softened, otherwise she would not even be in the mood to talk to him.


    Edward was amused by Daisy''s threatening tone as she said the words. He thought it was sweet. He knew Daisy was a gentle woman. No matter how much she hated Leo, deep down she cared for him. She expressed her love for her father in her own way. Brian, however, was shocked by Daisy''s attitude. He had lost all hope that Daisy would ever forgive Leo. He didn''t expect her to go soft on him. If things carried on like this, it was just a matter of time that Daisy decided to forgive Leo.


    They had a dull lunch together, but Leo was thrilled because Daisy had changed her mind. After the lunch, Leo left the room, smiling in contentment.


    "Daisy, thank you so much!" After Leo was gone, Brian returned to Daisy''s side and gave her a grateful smile. He was sure that she would forgive her father sooner orter. He was full of hope for tomorrow.

 Chapter 890 You Are Not As Handsome As My Brother-in-law (Part One)

    "Thank me for what? For being stupid enough to cooperate with your ns?" Daisy''s eyes dimmed a little. She did not know whether she had the right toin about it, nor did she know what she was insisting on. It was such aplex feeling.


    "Daisy, are you still mad at me? Alright. I''m sorry. Don''t be angry anymore, please." Brian rested his head on Daisy''s shoulder. He apologized to her in a sweet tone as he deliberately ignored Edward''s dagger stare towards him. He was her brother so it was eptable for


    them to be that close thus, Edward would have no right to get mad at him.


    "Honey, let''s go!" Well, it might have been impossible for Edward to show his disapproval but that did not mean that he couldn''t tear them apart. He grabbed his wife by her arm and pulled her away possessively. Brian almost fell t on the ground with what he did as the man lost his bnce from leaning on Daisy.


    "Where are we going? Yourpany? I don''t want to go there. It''s so boring." Daisy was a bit reluctant to show up in FX International Group so often. She hated how it made her feel that she was showing off. Although she was the wife of thepany''s CEO, she was not an employee of thepany after all. She did not want herself to attract too much attention. It was better to stay low-profile. She felt ufortable when other employees talked about her.


    "Daisy, please go shopping with me! I just came back a few days ago and I need to buy lots of things. I am alone and have no one to apany me to shopping. Please join me," her brother begged. It seemed that Brian had to stay there for a long time and wouldn''t leave until Leo Ouyang turned better. The old man was in a bad situation nowadays and Brian needed to take care and keep himpany. Leo was his father after all.


    "Are you going to stay here for a long time, Brian?" Delight shone on Daisy''s face as she asked. Of course, she was d to hear her brother''s long-term stay. Brian was the type of person who could tell right from wrong. The environment overseas might be better but there was simply no ce like home. As many said, a leaf would always return to its root.


    "I''m not sure yet. You know, Dad is in a bad shape right now. I really don''t have the heart to leave him and just go away. I think I''ll stay here for some time and decide whether to go back to abroad or notter," sighed Brian. He could not just abandon his father. Plus, it would be a good chance for him to stay with his sister and spend some time with her for a while. He could always bother his vice president anyway to handle hispany.


    "But what about yourpany? You have apany to take care of. Is it okay for you to be away for such a long time?" Daisy was a little bit worried about him. The idea that someone might trick him and make him lose hispany while he was away scared her a bit. She knew that he had great expectations and was ambitious.


    "It''s okay. I trust them. I would not even me them if something bad happens. If ever, I should be the one to me for choosing the wrong people." A slight smile cracked Brian''s lips. He was confident about his perceptions. As a matter of fact, he did not value money that much. Life was too short. There were only a few decades to live no matter who they were. Why should he bother about everything so much? Life would just be full of annoyance and unhappiness if he chose to be that stubborn.


    "It''s good to know that you have such thoughts. Then let''s go! What do you need? I can give you tons of useful advice. You know, I''m always serious." It was rare for Daisy to go shopping with her brother and she couldn''t be happier to ept his invitation.


    "Hey, you seem to have forgotten about me. Just to remind you, I''m still here." Edward looked at Daisy with gritted teeth. How dared this woman act so closely with another man right on his face? Worse, they even seemed to have totally forgotten about him. Someone needed to be reminded about respect!Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "Oh? So you''re still here! I thought you''ve already left." Surprise was in Daisy''s voice when she turned to look at Edward. She honestly thought that he had already gone. Who could have thought that he was still there in the first ce? She furrowed her eyebrows as she stared at her husband and thought, ''What is he waiting for? Did she just forget something?''


    "Yes! My brother-inw, please go back to yourpany and get started on your business. We will be leaving in order not to disturb you." Brian chanted in an innocent tone as he held hisughter back.


    Edward''s mouth opened and closed a few times as he tried to think for aeback. In the end, he was renderedpletely speechless with what Brian just did. He shut his lips tight and gave the two a blood-freezing stare, then without any more word, turned away and marched out of that ce with furious long strides as he thought, ''Darn Daisy! How''d you forget about my goodbye kiss!''


    "What''s wrong with him? Why is he so angry? I don''t get it." Daisy was totally confused as she did not understand why Edward grew so mad all of the sudden. Oh heavens! Please forgive her slow brain. Mr. Mu was jealous and she did not realize it at all.


    "Let him be. He must be thinking of something." Brian just shrugged his shoulders as he watched his brother-inw. An amused smile was still on his face when he looked back at Daisy. "Let''s go, Sister." On the other hand, Brian knew why Edward got so worked up about them. He was a man too thus he could see through his brother-inw''s action. Anyway, he was not worried for Edward to stay angry for a long time. Edward loved Daisy so much that he was confident that the CEO would not do his sister wrong.00000000000

 Chapter 891 You Are Not As Handsome As My Brother-in-law (Part Two)

    "Yes! But what are you going to buy?" asked Daisy. Brian didn''t say a word and just took her by the hand. They walked toward the prosperous business street from Westin. Westin was located just in the district thus, they did not need to drive there. A few steps walk would be enough. "I''ll see. I don''t really know what I need actually. I might probably need some formal business suits though. I need to deal with some business for Ouyang Foreign Trade. Dad has no time and does not even care about handling them. Ouyang Foreign Trade is in a bad situation these days. It''s time for me to manage it or it might just face some serious problems," said Brian with a sigh. He never expected to see their father and thatpany to be in such an unstable situation. He cared about Leo but then, he was also worried that Ouyang Foreign Trade might not make it too. The old man and thepany were simply declining. Ouyang Foreign Trade was Daisy''s grandparents'' legacy. Thepany was established by her family from her mother''s side. He could not just let it go bankrupt or get purchased by otherpanies.


    "Is Ouyang Foreign Trade running a poor business?" Daisy did not know much about the business field. Nevertheless, she clearly understood how apany supported the ies of many employees and their families. Many people would lose their job once thepany went bankrupt. She never had the chance to enjoy a happy family life during childhood and would not want others to experience situations as such.


    "It wasn''t that bad but it wasn''t as good eitherpared with the past years. Maybe Dad did not put his mind in it. It kind of lost a lot of clients." Although Ouyang Foreign Trade was out of Brian''s interest, he had to take over it and try to redeem it if he wanted it to survive. Thepany was proof of Daisy''s existence and he would do anything not to lose it. As for hispany overseas, he would have to take care of it remotely for now.


    "I''m sorry, for having you involved in such a thing, Brian. I made the trouble for you." Daisy smiled bitterly. A mild sadness crept her chest as she could not help wondering if she was doing things right or not. She wouldn''t like Brian to be involved with the problem and to lose his chance to do what he wanted.


    "Don''t me yourself, Sis. You have nothing to do with it,"forted Brian as he frowned slightly. He did not mean to make her sad. He said those words because he wanted her to know how much their father had changed because of her. Anyway, Leo was still their father. He would be d to see Daisy and their dad''s rtionship get better.


    "I don''t know. Maybe I am too stubborn. I''m also confused." Daisy''s expression turned puzzled. She had no idea what to do. She could only wish that she was evil enough to turn every connection with Leo Ouyang down. Life would be a lot easier if that was the case. It was just that she didn''t have a heart as hard as that.


    "Just leave it to time. Time will heal everything! I know you are a smart woman. You will make the right decision... at the right time." Brian ced an arm around Daisy''s shoulders and patted her shoulderfortingly. He knew that Daisy was a kind woman. It was such a shame how their father hurt her feeling too much.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    "I hope so. Umh... Brian? Since we''re talking about this, do you me me for making your mother end up in the prison?" Daisy cocked her head as she looked at him. She was curious about how he would respond.


    "What if I say I don''t me you for anything? I''m afraid you won''t believe me, right? But I really don''t. I swear. She deserves it for what she has done to you. I don''t and can''t me anyone. An adult should be responsible for his or her behaviors." A distant smile showed on Brian''s face. It was another shame to have such a mean mother as his. He could not even me his sister for anything that happened.


    "No, Brian. Actually, you can me me for that. Really. I understand it. She is your mother. She was the one who gave birth to and raised you. I know how you would feel. It was just that shemitted a crime and she needed to be punished under thew. You know, I have no other choice." Daisy fingerbed her windblown hair while they were walking. She felt sorry for her brother but she had no other option. It was odd how the sadness in her eyes made her look even more beautiful. She was like a beautiful mncholy.


    "I see, I see. Alright, Sis. Let''s stop talking about it, okay? Let''s go. I am going to buy you a gift! I haven''t sent you any gift since we met again." Brian pulled her into an antique shop. He chose that shop because he thought that the items there would fit Daisy''s cold personality well. Ordinary things might just sully her. ssic things would match her better and make her look more graceful.


    "No, Brian. I don''t need it, really." Daisy ran out of choices as Brian dragged her to the shop. It was not necessary for him to buy her any gifts. She already had everything she needed. However, she could not help being slightly surprised by the small antiques that weed them in that ce. Who could have thought of a shop filled with antique pieces to exist in the middle of such a modern ce?


    "Sis, please. Just take a look at them. You''ll definitely find something you like. I promise!" Brian ignored her refusal and took her to one of the counters where some high-quality essories were disyed. There were jade bracelets, hairpins, and so forth. Every essory was carefully disyed there to show its best assets and beauty.000000000000

 Chapter 892 You Are Not As Handsome As My Brother-in-law (Part Three)

    "Do you think I will have any chance to use them? You must have forgotten that I''m a soldier, Brian." Daisy took a look at them helplessly and replied rationally. All of them were merely ornaments. As beautiful as they were, those things had no ce in a military base. How was she going to wear them there in the first ce?


    "There is still some chance, right? Come on, you are not staying in the military all the time." Brian did not take Daisy''s rejection seriously. He started to examine the items carefully as he tried to pick for something that suited his sister most. He was serious about choosing until a beautiful aqua blue bracelet caught his attention. He fetched it in an instant but then, another soft hand reached out for it unexpectedly at the very same time he did.


    "I''m sorry, Miss. Could you let go of the bracelet, please? I saw it first." Brian gave thedy a ''gentleman-smile'' and asked in a polite voice. He was always a gentleman to strangers.


    "Oh, I don''t think you are saying it right, Mr. I touched it first." Melissa looked at Daisy aggressively as she talked to Brian. She did grab the same bracelet on purpose. She saw the two from outside the shop and followed them deliberately.


    "Miss, kindly open your eyes and take a clear look at the bracelet. My hand takes up two-thirds of it. I''m sure that I am clear enough about who touched it first." Brian retorted immediately. He was never the type of person who wouldpromise to a woman and the woman before him was not an exception to that. Daisy was the only one spared from his rule as she was his beloved sister.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Brian, forget it. Just let the Miss buy it since she wants it. I don''t really need to buy it." Daisy was just observing Melissa the whole time. There was something familiar about her that she couldn''t figure out. Even the way she talked sounded familiar. It was like she had already heard her voice somewhere in the past.


    "Puff! Let me buy it? What do you mean? I got it first and surely I have the right to buy. You don''t even have to act all kind to give it up." They met again! Melissa could not help feeling hateful about Daisy. However, she was pleased with herself with how Daisy couldn''t recognize her.


    "No, Sis. Why should I leave it to her? Because she likes it? FYI, I like it too." Brian insisted and did not let go of the bracelet. There was an interesting smile resting on his bright and handsome face.


    "It''s okay! You said you needed to buy something. Let''s go! We don''t need to waste our time on this kind of boring and irrelevant things." That was how Daisy was like. She had always been kind-hearted sopeting with others for something wasn''t her thing. "No, Sis. I have to have this bracelet today. Why should I leave it to her? Who is she anyway? Okay, she indeed looks pretty. But goodness! Her face looks fresh from surgery! Ohe on, I don''t have eyes for fake faces." Brian said deliberately as he gave Melissa a once-over. ''I''m sorry. But you just seriously pissed me off. Don''t me me for revealing your surgery secret."


    "Hey, brat. What did you say? What surgery are you talking about? Nonsense!" Melissa never expected to meet someone who could easily tell that she had surgery at first sight. Her face automatically turned red in anger as she stared back at Brian. Oh, God! Why was everyone in Ouyang family difficult to deal with?


    "I''m saying that you had a face overhaul! Oh, yes, probably you had more than just one part of your face changed under the knife. Let me guess. Did you just modify your whole face? Oh, my God! You must have spent arge amount of money on the surgery to torture your face. How vicious you are!" Brian had doctor friends around him thus, he could easily point out whether a woman''s face was natural or fake.


    "You ask for it!" Melissa could not stand it anymore. She left the bracelet and raised her hand into the air in an attempt to p him! She could have almost done it when a strong hand suddenly caught her arm in the mid-air and stopped her. Daisy looked at her with scrutinizing eyes. Melissa''s behavior and way of speaking made Daisy remember someone.


    "Let me offer you a suggestion. Don''t get angry so easily because it is distorting your face. You will have to take another surgery in that case. And... Ouch! It must hurt a lot." Brian said exaggeratedly as he fetched the bracelet. It was good that Melissa had already let it go. A sly smile shed through his handsome face.


    "Let go of me." Melissa sputtered with her hand still caught by Daisy. How stupid of her to forget that Daisy Ouyang was a soldier? Of course, she was no match against her physically.


    "Jessica Lin, I have never expected that you would still be so annoying. pping someone on the face is still your forte huh? Is that the all you can do?" Daisy smiled coldly. She would not have connected her to Jessica Lin if Brian hadn''t mentioned anything about her facial surgery. She only felt that her voice was quite familiar and that she seemed to have heard it somewhere before. Brian''s words earlier gave her a lot of clues. Plus, Edward once mentioned Jessica Lin''s name to her. With her brother''s and his partner''s wordsbined, there was not a single doubt that the woman before them was Jessica Lin. A person might be able to change his or her appearance but it would be hard for his or her voice and behavior to be transformed.


    "I don''t know what you are saying. Let go of me!" It was a surprise for Melissa that Daisy recognized her. Shocked was not even enough to describe how she felt. Anxiety began eating her inside but never would she spill the truth before them. She tried to conceal her fear by staying calm and acting like she had no clue of what Daisy was talking about. Sad to say that she failed though, as her unstable nces at them betrayed her big time.

 Chapter 893 You Are Not As Handsome As My Brother-in-law (Part Four)

    "You know what I''m talking about. I am just curious about what tricks are you going to y this time? Coming back here with a totally different face and identity? Why! That''s such an effort!" Daisy threw her hand off forcefully. There were only two kinds of people Daisy would never feel pity for, first was the kind who asked for punishment, and second was the kind like Jessica Lin who couldn''t feel remorse and never changed.


    "Sis, what did you say? Did you just say that she is Jessica Lin?" Brian gave Melissa another once-over. He should have thought about it! Her voice sounded so familiar to him but he did not remember her at all. It turned out that she was one of the women he once met in a coffee shop. It was understandable for him to fail to remember her though. Not all women were worth his attention anyway, more so for the likes of Jessica Lin.


    "I am sure that she is Jessica Lin if she really had surgery done." Daisy teased coldly. She thought that the woman had already changed for the better. Jessica Lin had already suffered the consequences of her evil doings after all. How dare shee back?


    "What Jessica Lin? What surgery? I have no idea of what you are talking about. Get out of my way. It''s really not my day today. Why did I meet two crazy guys?" Just then, Melissa started walking out of the shop in hurry. She did not want to stay there and say one more word. She was afraid that Daisy might find more about her true identity.


    "Wait!" Daisy reached out and grasped her wrist. Her eyes darkened as she peered at the woman coldly. "Jessica Lin, you still have a chance to stop whatever you are nning to do. Otherwise, the consequences you will have to face this time will be more severe than thest. Giving you this kind reminder is already overboard. It''s best for you to think it over though. Don''t be so naive to believe that nobody knows what you''ve done."


    Daisy did not have the heart to watch Jessica step into the hell thus, she said those words as a kind reminder. It would be for Jessica to decide if she would listen to her or not. No one would be able to help her out of the consequences once she ignored her advice. Anyway, she was big enough, she could take care of herself.


    "I don''t know what you mean. And, please, my name is not Jessica Lin. Do you need sses? If so, then I suggest you get a pair! Don''t pretend that you are seeing everyone clearly with that poor sight of yours." Melissa snatched her hand with force to escape from Daisy''s grip. She was about to step out of the door when Shaun Gao came and looked at her.


    "Melissa, you are here! I''ve been looking all over for you. What happened? You said you would wait for me there and wouldn''t walk away. Why did youe to such a dump ce?" Two cups of coffee in his hand, Shaun asked Melissa in a puzzle. He just went to buy the coffee but then he was surprised that he couldn''t find Melissa when he came back.


    "I saw some beautiful things in the shop and came in on impulse. I''ve finished my shopping here. Nothing matches me. Let''s go!" exined Melissa in anxiety. She did not want them to see Shaun. She reached out to the man, held his hand and then pulled him away. She was so close to getting out of there when Shaun suddenly turned and spotted a beautiful figure inside the shop.


    "Are they your friends?" Shaun''s eyes lit up at the sight of Daisy. He was instantly enchanted with how cold and ssy the woman was. He wasn''t even blinking. He couldn''t believe that such an aloof beauty like her still existed in a world asplex as they were in. She was mesmerizing.


    "No, I don''t know them. Let''s hurry up! Aren''t we going to the car show? We don''t have much time left." Melissa was worried but couldn''t do anything but try her best to drag Shaun out of that ce. She did not even notice Shaun''s surprise as he admiringly stared at Daisy. "Hello, Miss. I''m Shaun Gao, CEO of Kompass Group located in H city. Nice to see you. I am wondering if we could be friends?" Shaun greeted Daisy in a warm tone. He didn''t move an inch even as Melissa dragged him forcefully. He just remained to stare at her. In his eyes, Brian, who was standing beside Daisy was merely nothing but a big boy. He did not even consider Brian as his possible rival in love. He was simply that confident about himself.


    "I''m sorry. My sister is picky when ites to choosing friends and I have to remind you that you are not her type." Brian walked a step forward and blocked Shaun''s view. Shaun''s posture was terrible and he despised it. The guy shouldn''t even dare to get close to his sister. He was not even qualified to be her servant.


    "Hey, little brother. You are not your sister. How could you know that she doesn''t like my type?" Shaun felt even more delighted after knowing that the man was just her brother. He probably might get a chance if he could get along with the brother, right? "The reason is very simple. You are not as handsome as my brother-inw."Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Brian touched his nose a little and replied. Although he liked making Edward angry, he must admit that Edward was much more handsome than the man before him right now.


    "What did you say? Your sister''s already married? What a pity." Shaun did not even try to conceal his affection for Daisy. He honestly thought of getting closer to her. He never expected to hear about Daisy''s marriage though and that made him extremely downhearted. "What do you mean, Shaun?" Melissa''s fist tightened as she shot Daisy a hateful stare. How on earth did every man around her ended up attracted to Daisy? First, it was Edward Mu and now, even Shaun Gao? Both of them chose her first but then abandoned her in the end. She could feel her anger about to break her chest. She hated Daisy so badly that she swore to try her everything to bring her down.0000000

 Chapter 894 An Invitation To A Dinner Party (Part One)

    "Come on, Melissa! Don''t be mad! I was just trying to make friends with her. Why so jealous?" exined Shaun Gao, trying to soothe Melissa Xue. He gave her a big smile, gently pinching her cheeks to show he cared for her.


    "But you heard what they said. She didn''t want to be your friend. What kind of man are you?" snapped Melissa, still feeling upset about his frivolous behaviour. Shaun was an embarrassment. The man kept showing interest in other women, right in front of her. Especially when one of those women was Daisy, the one that she hated. Shepared herself with Daisy for the longest time, and ended up losing everything. Melissa was so sick of being the loser. And today was no better than any of the others. It was worse, actually. With Shaun hitting on Daisy, she lost her face in front of Daisy again. Both Shaun and Daisy were humiliating her as far as she was concerned.


    "Yeah! You should probably leave now, Mr. Gao. She looks pissed," said Brian yfully, with a mocking smile on his face. Shaun Gao was the boss of Kompass Group. He was the most powerful person there, but not the most powerful man in the grand scheme of things. Brian knew that Kompass Group was smaller than FX International. And Shaun Gao was no Edward Mu. Brian was pretty sure his brother-inw was a better guy overall.


    "Come on, prettydy. Give a guy a break?" asked Shaun again, unwilling to give up so easily. He stood on his tiptoes and looked behind Brian, trying to attract Daisy''s attention. But Daisy was quite oblivious to his question. She didn''t seem to care about him at all. Her eyes were on a piece of jewelry beside her. She didn''t even look at him. Apparently, she was not interested in him at all.


    "Mr. Gao, where are your manners?" asked Brian. "Pay attention to your girlfriend, and leave my sister alone." He felt really ashamed of Shaun. Didn''t he know how to behave himself? It was so impolite to keep harassing Daisy when she had already shown ack of interest in him.


    "I''m asking your sister, not you," snapped Shaun. Irritated by Brian''s question, he felt rather upset. What was worse was that there was nothing else he could do to stop Brian from interfering with his n to pursue Daisy.


    "Excuse me. But my husband doesn''t want me to get too close to other guys," said Daisy, her tone cold, devoid of emotion. She rejected Shaun''s advances without a second thought, like one might absent-mindedly swat at an annoying insect. It was not because she was afraid that Edward would be unhappy with it, but simply that she didn''t like this man and she felt disgusted by what he did. He was definitely not acting like a gentleman at the moment, and his behavior was rather annoying to her, especially considering he hadn''t stopped bothering her since he first saw her. He was a miserable man, unable to let go of a beautifuldy once he found one.


    "What a pity..." sighed Shaun, shaking his head. It was so unlucky for him that Brian was here. Daisy''s brother served as huge rock,pletely blocking his way to her. He couldn''t even get close to Daisy, not to mention strike up a conversation with her, all because of Brian''s deliberate and continuous obstruction.


    "Come on Shaun! Are you leaving or not?! If you aren''t, then fine! I''ll leave by myself," shouted Melissa. She stomped her feet and stormed out angrily. If she had known that things would turn out like this, she would never havee here in the first ce. She had better things to do.


    "Melissa, wait for me!" Shaun shouted back. Then he turned to Daisy and said, "Excuse me. Women are all like this. I shall say goodbye to you now. But I believe we''ll meet again if it''s destined." He engaged in cheesy dramatics, hoping to impress Daisy in hisst chance. With an apologetic smile on his face, he finished his words and followed Melissa out hastily.


    "Who were those people?! Daisy,e here! Try this on." He held up a bracelet to show her. "Don''t pay any attention to those weirdos," said Brian. He didn''t care about Melissa or Jessica, nor this Shaun Gao guy either. In fact, he really forgot about this incident entirely. But not so for Daisy. She didn''t feel as rxed and nonchnt as she pretended to be. She let them bother her far too easily. Something was off about the whole thing, and she couldn''t put them out of her mind as easily as Brian did.


    "Okay, then! Since you insist on buying me something, twist my arm," said Daisy jokingly. She stretched out her hand for Brian to put the bracelet on. It wasn''t like this was a gift from just another guy. It was her brother who wanted to buy her something. It was very nice of him to think about her.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "I''m hurt. It sounds like you don''t want a gift," replied Brian sadly, sniffing like he was about to cry. Knowing Daisy was just kidding, he yed right along. They knew each other so well, so this kind of teasing was not umon. Brian wasn''t hurt at all. Instead, this was the kind of thing that strengthened their rtionship. Teasing each other was just part of the way they rted. No hurt feelings, just a deep love for one another, as sister and brother. Brian carefully put the bracelet onto Daisy''s wrist and fastened the sp. The bracelet suited her perfectly. The size was just right and it wasn''t too ostentatious. It wasn''t meant to attract attention, instead justplementing the beauty of whoever wore it. And Daisy wore it quite well.


    "Thank you very much. It looks nice," said Daisy joyfully, turning her wrist left and right to take a look at the bracelet from different angles. Seeing how the bracelet looked on her, she was satisfied. She didn''t like jewelry that had too bright and vivid colors. She didn''t want much attention from others. So this humble but elegant bracelet was the perfect choice for her, especially in keeping with her low profile.00000000

 Chapter 895 An Invitation To A Dinner Party (Part Two)

    "Of course it''s great! I chose it for you. I have the best taste in essories, if I do say so myself," boasted Brian proudly. Seeing that Daisy liked his gift, he was in a fantastic mood, a brilliant smile flowering on his face.


    As for Brian''s overconfidence, Daisy didn''t refute him. She gave out a soft smile to indicate her fondness for this little brother. As long as he was happy, she felt everything was alright for her.


    "Excuse me, Miss. We''ll take this bracelet," said Brian to the clerk beside them. Without even asking the price, he took his credit card out of his wallet.


    "Okay, sir. It''ll be 122 thousand dors in total. Do you wish to pay in cash or stic?" asked the clerk politely, smiling warmly at them. Brian was such a handsome and eye-catching boy. Even if he hadn''t bought anything here, just looking at his gorgeous face would be a nice thing to do.


    "Pardon, Miss? That seems a little high for such a small bracelet. Are you sure you aren''t looking at the wrong price?" asked Daisy, frowning deeply at the extremely high price. As far as she was concerned, it should be no more than a few thousand -- but not a hundred thousand for the bracelet, so such a stupefying number had taken her unawares.


    "This beautifuldy, this bracelet is an antique from the Qing Dynasty. Due to its color and luster, this is a lower price already. If its color and luster were of a higher grade, it would be worth not just a hundred thousand dors, but many hundreds of thousand dors," exined the clerk patiently. ncing at the clothes Daisy was wearing, she could tell Daisy''s clothes were all from name brands, definitely not the cheap ones just off the rack. If she hadn''t figured wrong, her clothes should be even more expensive than this bracelet. Then why was Daisy so surprised at the price? She should be used to purchasing such expensive luxury things. Otherwise, if she were so averse to the price, was she just wearing fake ones? Was she an imposter?N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "Brian, forget it. I may not even have a chance to put on this bracelet if you buy it for me. It''s too wasteful to spend a hundred or so thousand dors on it," said Daisy seriously. She was never someone who spent money casually. She didn''t like that especially if the money was squandered on her. Even though she could have got a lot of money from Edward if she had wanted, she never did that, and all her money had been used reasonably. It might be a small amount for Brian, but it was almost one year''s sry for her. She was not willing to do that.


    "Sis, you don''t need to worry about the money. It''s totally okay by me. As long as you like it, it''ll be alright. I''m happy to buy this for you, so don''t say it''s a waste. That hurts me," said Brian, then he turned to the clerk, "Miss, I''ll pay for the bracelet with my credit card please." He handed her his credit card without any hesitation. Coming from a wealthy family and being a rich man himself, Brian never needed to think about the price when buying things. A hundred or so thousand dors was just a drop in the bucket for him.


    "Thank you!" said the clerk exuberantly. She was smiling more brilliantly as the deal was made sessfully. After all, she worked onmission, so selling an item as expensive as this one just earned her a lot of money in the blink of an eye. After getting out of the jeweler''s, Brian shopped for a lot of things for him with Daisy in tow. Seeing that Brian had bought almost everything he would need for living, Daisy realized that Brian had really made his decision to stay in the city for a long time. Though it was alreadyte autumn, the sun still shone brightly in the afternoon. So when Daisy came home after saying her goodbyes to Brian, her cheeks were deeply reddened by the sunshine and the wind. She was used to this because of her military training, so she hadn''t paid any attention to it. Military soldiers always spent a lot of time out of doors. But that was not the case for Cynthia when she saw Daisy enter the house.


    "Oh my god, Daisy! What happened to your cheeks? Have you got sunburn on them? They look so red! Your skin mighte off tomorrow if it''s hurt by the UV light," said Cynthia worriedly, her hands reaching out and gently touching Daisy''s red and burning cheeks to check how bad her sunburn was. Just like how any mother would feel and react when she saw her child was injured, Cynthia began caring for Daisy. She had treated Daisy as her own daughter, so she loved her and cared about her sincerely. Even though this might just be a minor injury for the senior colonel, Cynthia still couldn''t help feeling anxious, doing everything she could to help her recover.


    "Mum, I''m fine. Don''t worry. I''ll daub some essential oil on my cheeks tonight. I''ll be right as rain. They won''t peel tomorrow," replied Daisy, with a big smile on her face to reassure Cynthia. She thought Cynthia might be overreacting a little. After all, she had to train under even more intensive sunlight almost every day. She was so used to it that this kind of slight sunburn was really no big deal to her. She was not as fragile and delicate as Cynthia might imagine.


    "No, don''t wait until tonight. This should be taken care of as soon as possible. Go wash your face now. I''ll get you a mask right away. Let''s get moving now," indicated Cynthia. She herself had been very careful about skin care, so Daisy''s oblivion to her cheeks'' sunburn looked like abuse to her skin in Cynthia''s eyes. Especially because Daisy was so beautiful, Cynthia couldn''t let Daisy ignore her skin conditions like this to spoil her beauty. Even before Daisy could respond to her indication, Cynthia had disappeared herself into her room, probably to find a proper mask for Daisy.000000

 Chapter 896 An Invitation To A Dinner Party (Part Three)

    Cynthia''s fast movement surprised Daisy, but also touched her heartstring deeply. The concern shown on Cynthia''s face, the soft touch on Daisy''s cheeks by her hands, and the anxiety expressed by her all gave Daisy a strong feeling of family, of a mother''s love to her child. That was what a real family should be: warm, sweet and encouraging. No matter what happened, someone would always be there, by your side, to take care of you, help you, support you, and love you. After Daisy''s mother had passed away, being driven out of the Ouyang''s, Daisy had felt like she belonged to nowhere in the world and she had been drifting all alone on an endless ocean for so many years. Now, she finally had a family that she could count on. She belonged here. There was also love and warmth from Cynthia, her mother-inw, and Jonathan, her father-inw. Daisy was so grateful that they loved her as their own daughter, and she also respected them as her own parents. Even though she didn''t really need a mask to heal her sunburn, Daisy wouldn''t want to refuse Cynthia''s kindness. It was always nice and touching to feel a mother''s selfless dedication. With her eyes welling up with tears, Daisy went upstairs to do her wash as Cynthia had told her to. Besides, Daisy knew that Cynthia always meant what she said and would do so as well, so she definitely couldn''t stand Daisy''s indifferent attitude to her own wounds. Since they had settled Daisy''s unsettled self in this family, Daisy would like to ease Cynthia''s uneasy feelings by simply obeying her words.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    It was getting dark in S city while the sun was still shining high in Paris. Dialtones echoed throughout Leena''s room. She checked the time difference and figured out that Kevin must be off work at this time. So with some anticipation in her heart, she dialed his number in excitement.


    "Hi, Leena! It''s me," said Kevin as he picked up the phone. Packing up the files on his desk, he was about to go home when the call came in. He felt quite surprised that she would call him at this time, but a feeling of happiness and sweetness came more strongly. This man was in love, and the love of his life was calling him now. Her voice was the panacea for all his ills.


    "Who are you?" asked Leena jokingly with a sudden yfulness rising from her heart. She was like a small naughty girl again today, who wanted to tease Kevin a little. Looking at the airline ticket in her hand, she was so happy that she didn''t even realize a big smile had found a home on her face.


    "Oh? You don''t know who I am? Then why would you call me? Aren''t you afraid that I could easily eat you up?" Kevin flirted back, also smiling in delight. He and Leena had kept in touch with each other for awhile. Although they did nothing more than making the asional phone call, Kevin felt the tension in their rtionship had loosened and they could talk to each other in a more casual manner now. It was such a relief.


    "Why should I be afraid? It''s not like you haven''t eaten me up before," Leena popped off immediately before she could even think about her words and the meaning behind them. It wasn''t long after she said this that she suddenly realized the implication she had made. She hastily tried to exin what she actually meant to save face, still without careful consideration, so another awkward sentence was uttered, "Um... Kevin, I didn''t mean that. What I meant was that we''ve done that sort of thing before. Oh no! I just mean... Forget it! I keep digging a bigger hole. Take it how you want."


    Leena regretted her words as soon as she said them aloud. Her exnation didn''t even make sense to her and it definitely wouldn''t work, and it was making the situation even worse. Finally, she knew she was never going to express this kind of stuff clearly. Her face blushing badly, she had to give up and just stopped talking.


    "Yeah, right! I''m sure you just remind me of something we have done, some kind of intimate rtionship between us. So shall we, um... do that again?" replied Kevin yfully. It was so interesting to tease Leena back like this. Talking in this way only made her cuter and more adorable. They had been a legal couple for a while, but in order to help her get used to their marriage and stop feeling anxious about him, he had never touched her or made love to her again. The only thing he had done was some slight kissing when they both had feltfortable.


    "That''s not what I meant! Kevin, listen to me!" interrupted Leena urgently. She felt so bad and helpless. It was all her fault. Why did she even mention that to him?! She shouldn''t have said a single word about that! Now it seemed like she was eager to have sex with him while she wasn''t even in the mood. How frustrating!


    "Okay, I''ll stop talking and listen to you. What do you want to tell me? When are youing back?" asked Kevin as he grabbed his briefcase and walked out of his office. Leena had been gone quite a while, and some strange feelings about her had been stirring inside him. He didn''t know why, but he felt weird staying at his ce without her. It was too quiet. He could even hear his own breath. He began to miss when she had lived there with him and made the atmosphere more lively at home.


    "Well... I don''t know yet. Why? Do you miss me?" asked Leena. On one hand, she was nervous about his answer. She wasn''t sure whether he missed her or not and she was afraid that he didn''t. On the other hand, she was too shy to ask a man a question like this, especially when this man happened to be someone she liked. She had never done that before. Anyway, it was lucky that they were just talking on phone, so she didn''t need to hide her blushing cheeks from him. She would never want him to see her embarrassment.???????????

 Chapter 897 An Invitation To A Dinner Party (Part Four)

    "Mm!" Kevin hummed his affirmation out, without any explicit words. But just this single word answer was enough to delight Leena. She almost jumped in excitement when hearing his answer and knowing that he did miss her. However, she didn''t want Kevin to know her actual thoughts yet, so before her next words came out, she soon adjusted her tone of voice and made it sound calm, trying very hard to cover her trace of excitement that came just a few seconds earlier.


    "But you''ll have to wait. I''ll be back after a while," said Leena, her tone calm without too much emotion, sessfully removing all the information that could be conveyed by tone. She didn''t sound cold, just casual. As she wanted to surprise Kevin, she didn''t tell him the truth that her graduation thesis had been passed and she would be standing in front of him this time tomorrow.


    "How long is ''a while'' exactly?" asked Kevin, frowning slightly as he was disappointed that she would not being back soon. So far, Leena had done a great job of hiding her feelings from him. He couldn''t tell what she was thinking at all. He was on his way to the parking lot. Soldiers saluted him as he walked past, and since he was on the phone with Leena, he nodded to them politely to express his respect.


    "Well, it''s hard to say. Maybe just a couple of days, maybe a month, or maybe half a year," answered Leena, giggling to continue joking with him. How she wished she could see his expression when he heard her words. But deep inside her heart, she was so excited that she would see him soon and she couldn''t helpughing happily in her head. It was a party featuring her happiness as the guest of honor.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Little girl, why not say a couple of years? Hmm?" replied Kevin, feeling helpless about her answer. He wanted an exact time that told him when she could be back, down to the day, or even the hour, if possible. He missed her a lot and wasn''t afraid to show it. Arriving at his lot, he opened his car door, climbed in, threw his briefcase onto the passenger seat, and pulled the door shut. He did those so smoothly that they looked like one action.


    "I''d say that but you wouldn''t believe me, right? Besides, I don''t want to stay here for a couple years. If I were to stay here for that long, you''d probably have a different wife and a child with her when I get back," said Leena. But the thought that he might have children with other women stung her and made her feel very ufortable. Her heart ached terribly even just thinking of it.


    "Yeah, so it''s better that you finish your thesis as soon as possible. I''ll be waiting for you at home," said Kevin expectantly. He would never know that Leena was so moved by his words that she almost cried for them. For Leena, "I''ll be waiting for you at home" was more touching than "I love you".


    "Kevin, thank you. I have to go now. I''ll call youter," Leena uttered quickly and hung up the phone as soon as her words were finished. She wouldn''t want Kevin to hear her voice choked with tears. He would definitely ask her why, which was more embarrassing to exin than their joke about having sex again.


    "Leena, Leena..." said Kevin. But before his words could arrive, the phone had been hung up already. Looking at the screen go dark, he was confused by her reaction. A moment ago, she was still joking happily with him. What happened to her? Why would she end the call so quickly? Fine, he could never understand women and he would never guess the answer. He would call her againter when he arrived home from work.


    Sighing slightly, Kevin slipped his cell phone into his pocket. But just before he could start his car, a beautiful figure blocked his way there. Standing in front of his car, thedy was smiling sweetly at him, her eyes locking intensively on him. It was Louisa Ye, the daughter of the Commander again. Kevin was not prepared for this, and was stunned for a moment. When he finally got his mind back, he found that he would have to get out of his car to face Louisa.


    "Miss Ye, are you here to pick up your father after work?" asked Kevin politely. Though she had asked him not to be so courteous, every time they met, he couldn''t help keeping a certain distance from her.


    "Kevin, I''ve told you before. I''m not Miss Ye, call me Louisa please. And don''t forget again. Or I''ll think you''re doing it because you hate me," replied Louisa, pouting her mouth like a little girl.


    "Okay, I won''t forget again. I think the Commander is still in his office. You could go upstairs and find him there," said Kevin. Though his words hade out, his mind was not present for Louisa. His thoughts were still lost in the phone call with Leena earlier.


    "No, I''m not here for him today. I came here because of you, Kevin. I received an invitation to a dinner party tonight. Could you apany me to the party? I know it''s short notice. As you know, well, I just came back, so I don''t know where to find a partner in such a short time. I don''t have any other choice and I could onlye and ask for your help here. Besides, didn''t you say you would treat me as your sister? Now your sister is in trouble, as a brother, you can''t leave me alone like this, can you? Just save me once, just tonight please," exined Louisa. She could see Kevin was a little absent-minded due to some unknown reason, so she needed to redirect his attention back on asion.. Her words made sense to Kevin, which left him no chance to refuse her. But poor Kevin was now trapped in the dilemma set by Louisa. She had him right where she wanted him.

 Chapter 898 An Invitation To A Dinner Party (Part Five)

    "But I''m not familiar with your friends. I''m afraid I won''t get along with them," replied Kevin, frowning slightly. He didn''t like parties a lot. That kind of social activities were never his cup of tea. So even unconsciously, he wanted to refuse her. "Don''t worry. It''ll be fine. They''re about the same age as you. I''m sure you''ll get along well with each other. And they''re very easy-going too," said Louisa urgently. Though she knew he was married, she still couldn''t let go of him easily. So she would take any chance she could to approach him. "Okay then. I''ll get changed at home. Tell me where and when the party is and I''ll be there," said Kevin, finally epting her invitation. Kevin didn''t know how to reject this. He was such an honest man that he couldn''t find any excuse not to apany her.


    "I think I''ll catch a ride back with you. So we don''t need to wait for each other again," suggested Louisa. But what she really wanted was to go home with him and take a look at his wife that he had mentioned before. She knew his wife was still in Paris, but there should be at least a photo of her in their home. Louisa wanted to know what his wife looked like and whether she looked better than her.


    "But don''t you need to get changed?" asked Kevin confusingly. He took a closer look at Louisa''s clothes. Didn''t she say they were going to a dinner party? Wasn''t she dressed too casual?


    "Of course I need to! I''ll go directly to the stylistter. He''ll finish everything for me. That''s why I need the ride to your home with you first, so that we can drive your car to the partyter. You know, girls who are dressed up can''t drive, so I won''t be driving once I get changed. I''ll have to ask you another favor-- to be my driver tonight too," exined Louisa. She found that he was so handsome whether he was in his military uniform or just some casual clothes. She couldn''t imagine how gorgeous he would look once he changed into a suit. The image of Kevin in different clothes kept shing through her head. He was such a gentleman, and so elegant.


    "That much trouble?" asked Kevin, frowning deeply and feeling a little restless. He remembered when he and Leena had attended the anniversary celebration party of FX International Group, it hadn''t been soplicated like this event. Leena had prepared everything herself and there hadn''t been a stylist or something this troublesome.


    "All right, Kevin, shall we go now? I might as well take this opportunity to drop by your apartment and memorize your address. Otherwise, we''ve been so familiar with each other, but I still have no idea where you live," replied Louisa, smiling. Then she opened the door and climbed into his car. She had worked so hard to finally get such a chance to visit his apartment. How could she give up now?


    "Let''s go then," said Kevin reluctantly, though his tone was still polite without a trace of the impatience he felt. He sighed silently to himself. Louisa had already made her request to go home with him, so it would be hard to refuse her now. He would just have to take her to his apartment.


    On the other hand, Louisa breathed a sigh of relief when Kevin agreed. She had thought that he would have been more resistant to her visit and wouldn''t agree as easily like this. So it was fortunate enough that he wasn''t as devious as she was. He would never know what her real purpose was.


    On their ride back, Kevin seldom talked. He would answer Louisa''s questions as she asked, but never once had he taken the initiative to find a topic and discuss with her. He knew she was interested in him and what she meant by inviting him to the party, so subconsciously he felt it better to maintain a safe distance between them. He should stay clear off her too passionate movements.


    "Come on in!" said Kevin as they arrived at his apartment. He opened the door for Louisa, stood beside the door to invite her in first, then he closed the door as they both got in.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "Wow! Kevin, your apartment looks so nice! It''s so warm and lovely!" eximed Louisa. She loved it as soon as she walked in. She even liked the patterns on the walls, and the decorations were top-notch. It was the little things, such as the rice paper dividers or the ceramicat figurines that really made the ce pop. But she hadn''t thought that Kevin could afford such arge apartment. She guessed that he must be funded by his parents or pay for it by loan.


    "Well, yeah, thank you! It is warm actually and I owe all this to my wife. She designed and refined all the details. I rarely have time to get to these things," introduced Kevin as he poured her a ss of water. It was mostly Leena''s hard work to give their home a sense of warmth and love. He had just roughly decorated the apartment, and all the other lovely decorations were added by Leena.


    "Kevin, isn''t your wife back yet?" asked Louisa curiously, pretending that she wasn''t trying to steal him from his wife. She looked around the apartment, searching for a photo frame or that sort of thing. She didn''t forget her purpose here, to find a picture of his wife. "Not yet. But she''ll be back soon. Take a seat and help yourself to whatever you want. I need to take a shower upstairs," said Kevin as he handed the ss of water to Louisa. He couldn''t help smiling when he mentioned Leena.

 Chapter 899 As Handsome As It Gets (Part One)

    "OK, but Kevin, can I look around your house?" Louisa''s eyes were flickering with tion as she stared at Kevin gleefully.


    "Sure, other than the master bedroom, you have the run of the house." Kevin was just going to head upstairs before he paused. Although Leena never imposed this on him, he figured that as a member of a wealthy family she must have her own rules. Besides, it wasn''t appropriate to show off the private spaces of the married couple to others.


    "I know. So I won''t keep you from your shower! I''m just curious and want to take a look around." Louisa smiled in jest. If Kevin didn''t say that, she might actually want to go in their bedroom and take a look, because their wedding pictures would surely be hanging inside. This way, Louisa could find out who the woman that managed to get ahead of her was.


    "Good!" Kevin turned away and went upstairs. He was not sure if it was right for him to grant her request. After all, besides the master bedroom, there were a few spaces that were also rtively private for Leena. For example, the work studio in the attic which he had only been inside once, and it was with Leena''s knowledge.


    Louisa watched as Kevin disappeared from view and finally stood up. She looked everywhere and sometimes touched things that piqued her interest. As she went along, new thoughts popped into her head.


    The more she saw, the more jealous she was of the lucky woman. However, to her dismay, Louisa didn''t see a single photograph after searching everywhere, which was somewhat disheartening. She went upstairs to the attic with even less interest. But only after a couple of steps, she came back down and focused on the tightly closed door of the master bedroom.


    She wondered if Kevin would find out that she sneaked in while he was in the shower. Everyone had a demon on one shoulder and an angel on the other. These figures would whisper in your ears and guide you. So the demon would tempt you to do wrong, and the angel would show you the path of goodness and light. Apparently, Louisa listened to the demon this time. She was ovee by her desire to try her luck, so, with trembling hands, she pushed open the door which shielded the things that she wanted to know.


    The room was very well lit with natural light, so even without flipping the switch everything could be seen clearly. The first thing that greeted her eyes was a huge bed that seemed to be both luxurious and soft. Then she saw a giant wardrobe taking over an entire wall. It looked high-end and elegant. She quietly stepped inside, hoping to check out a framed photo by the bed. At that moment, a cold voice suddenly rang out, and Louisa was so shocked that she almost ran away.


    "What are you doing? Didn''t I tell you the main bedroom is off limits?" Kevin was only wearing a towel around his waist. Beads of water still clung to his skin. He looked sexy and seductive. "I...


    Um.. Sorry! I didn''t know this was the main bedroom, so I just walked in. I''m sorry!" Louisa didn''t expect to be caught red-handed, so it was quite awkward. But her eyes greedily turned to Kevin''s fine body. "You can walk out now! Let me get dressed." Kevin frowned, looking pissed.


    "Yes. I''ll wait downstairs." Louisa was not stupid. She also knew that Kevin was not happy about this, so no matter how unwilling she was, she had to leave the room first.


    Kevin was still a little suspicious, so he stepped forward and locked the door. Then he finally untied the towel and started putting on clothes. In the past, his wardrobe had little variety. At least a third of his clothes were military fatigues, but ever since marrying Leena, his wardrobe grew by leaps and bounds. It was filled with formal attire and casual outfits. They were also very stylish and fit him very well. He was still curious how Leena found out about his size.


    Louisa reluctantly returned to the living room. Bored and uninterested, she examined every corner. She was imagining that if she were living with Kevin in this ce, she would decorate the house much more morously. She just wanted to know where the mysterious Cindere came from and how she managed to reach someone so high up like Kevin.


    The less Kevin cared about her, the more she was obsessed with him. After all, a man like Kevin who wouldn''t even have an affair when his wife was not here was so rare in today''s society. So Louisa would not easily give up on him and let him slip away from her fingers. "OK, let''s go!" Kevin picked a light blue suit. The light tone made him look both smart and ssy, and it was a great match for hisplexion. Apparently when Leena was picking his clothes for him, she had also considered his skin tone. Her attention to detail was undeniable. It might have something directly to do with her profession, since her work required her to always have a fashion sense that was ahead of its time.


    "Wow! Kevin, you almost look like a different person in this. You are so handsome!" Louisa had imagined what Kevin would look like in a suit, but she didn''t expect him to be so unbelievably gorgeous. So for a moment, shepletely froze at the sight of him and simply stared, ck-jawed.


    "Thanks! I rarely have the opportunity to put this on. I hope this doesn''t look too weird." Although he was confident in his looks, he still acted humble in front of Louisa.


    "Don''t worry. You''re as handsome as it gets." Thinking that she would be the most envied woman at the soiree, Louisa couldn''t hold back her excitement. Her face reddened as well.


    "Let''s go! Aren''t you going to change into a gown? Time is almost running out." Kevin picked up the keys on the tea-table. He was not sure what kind of party he was getting into, but in the mind of a soldier, beingte was never a good thing.


    "Right! I almost forgot." Louisa checked the time in a hurry. It took her quite some time to get to the base, and now she had to do her make-up as well. They would probably bete. Although it was just a celebration of her ssmate''spany, it wouldn''t look good if they arrived toote.


    If Kevin had one thing that he hated the most, it would probably be waiting for ady to do her make-up, especially considering that the woman was not even someone he liked. So he was undoubtedly annoyed.


    He thought back to when Leena suddenly hung up on him, and couldn''t figure out exactly what went wrong. So he wanted to call her back as he waited, but right when he took out his phone, Louisa was already finished.


    "So Kevin, what do you think?" Louisa specifically asked the stylist to pick a dress that was in the same color tone as Kevin''s outfit. Therefore the way they were dressed almost made them look like a couple.


    "It''s nice, very pretty." Kevin smiled. He had seen too many beautifuldies in his time, so he wasn''t really that interested in a woman like Louisa who was at best above average.


    "Compared to your wife then? Who looks better?" Louisa jokingly asked, but in reality she was curious what Kevin''s wife looked like.


    "I can''t really say. You both have your merits!" In Kevin''s honest opinion, Leena was naturally better. But he wouldn''t be saying this out loud to embarrass Louisa.


    "Really! Then she must look very pretty." Failing to get the answer she wanted, Louisa felt somewhat unsatisfied and decided to continue asking.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Yeah! She is quite beautiful. Are we ready, then? If so, let''s head out!" Kevin didn''t want to dwell on this topic, so he intentionally changed the subject.


    "Yes, we can go now!" Louisa bit her lips slightly. Hearing Kevin''s praise for this other woman made her a little jealous, but she couldn''t show it in front of him, so she simply giggled to hide her uneasiness.


    Instead of a soiree, this was at most a small party and could no waypare to the grand events thrown by FX International. Kevin was silently relieved because of this, since he wouldn''t need to deal with too many people. He still remembered thest time he went to the anniversary celebration of FX International. He was dragged there by his father-inw to meet a bunch of thetter''s business friends.0000

 Chapter 900 As Handsome As It Gets (Part Two)

    "Hi, handsome, I heard that you''re Louisa''s boyfriend, right? You look nice." A few women in sexy dresses were examining Kevin. They were not hiding their desire for him at all. Indeed, they were practically unting it.


    "Thanks! But we''re just friends. It''s really not what you think." Being misunderstood was not pleasant for Kevin. But his good manners kept him from blowing up at them. Instead, he simply smiled.


    "No? Butst time at Louisa''s birthday party, I heard that you were her boyfriend." The woman tilted her head a little, thinking if she had mistaken him for someone else.


    "Hey! Quit putting him on the spot, will you? He''s probably a little shy. You guys! Stop being so bitchy." Another woman joined in the ruckus. She gazed at Kevin''s body so intently that he feared she might be able to see through his clothing.


    "No way! Even though you''re not wearing a military uniform this time, I''m sure it was you." The woman frowned and seemed more confused.


    "Miss, I did go to Miss Ye''s birthday party, but I''m really not her boyfriend. Just ask her." Dealing with a few talkative women had made Kevin impatient, so his face clearly grew grimmer. His mood darkened.


    "Never mind. Since they want to keep it under wraps, why should we force him to admit it?" These few women together had no end of things to say, so the conversation was spinning out of control. Every conversation was about whether Kevin was Louisa''s boyfriend or not.


    "Yeah, stop being so nosy. But we did hear that Mr. Gu is a major general, right? That''s why our Louisa picked you." It seemed no woman could resist drama. So when they chided others, they still wouldn''t rein in their own curious natures.


    "Excuse me! I think it''s necessary to exin myself. I am a major general, but please don''t treat us like a couple." Kevin''s face was showing traces of anger. If they were not Louisa''s friends, he would have left the ce long ago instead of staying here and enduring theirments.


    "Tsk! You''re just afraid that others might say that you got where you are because you took advantage of Louisa''s family. What''s there to hide?" The women saw the change in Kevin''s expression and became even more fired up. Because to them, Kevin''s current position was deeply rted to the Ye family in spite of his actual experience.


    Kevin''s lips parted, but he didn''t say anything, figuring that with such things, it would only get worse the more he tried to exin, so he''d better not spare the energy to make things clear. It would only be a waste of time. Still, he couldn''t believe that he could run into such a gossipy crowd. His luck was goddamn incredible indeed.


    "What are you guys talking about? What''s so interesting?" Right at this moment, Louisa walked by, smiling. Earlier she was held up by a couple of men, and she only just got away. And the reason that those men were trying to butter her up was none other than her father who wasmander. After all, an inside connection would always be better.


    "Nothing, just saying that you two make a great couple. Time to go! Let''s not stand here and interrupt the sweet couple''s romantic night." Seeing Louisa''s arrival, the women didn''t want to continue their gossip anymore, so they just took off, since they all knew who Louisa was and how untouchable she was.


    "Kevin, don''t mind them. They are always like that, not cultured at all, and have no manners. So just ignore them." Although Louisa didn''t hear what her friends said, she could tell from Kevin''s simmering anger and dark expression that they were not kind.


    "It''s alright. I''m just curious why they insist that we''re a couple. Did you introduce me to them that way?" Kevin knew it that he shouldn''t have conceded and came to the party with Louisa; otherwise he wouldn''t have to tolerate the odd gazes focusing on him since his arrival.


    "I didn''t, Kevin. They were just making silly guesses. I really didn''t say that." Louisa saw that Kevin was getting angry with her, so she quickly rushed to her own defense. It was true that she didn''t spread the rumor, but she didn''t go out of her way to clear it up either. "Never mind. I have other things to do, othermitments that demand my attention. I won''t be staying any longer. Later I''ll call themander''s guard. He''ll swing by and pick you up." Kevin didn''t like the vibe of this ce at all. He was not fond of Louisa''s so-called friends. The whole time he was at the party he didn''t see even one person with a hint of ss.


    "What? Kevin, are you leaving now? But the party only just started. If you leave now, it would embarrass me." Louisa didn''t expect Kevin to leave suddenly, so she got a little panicky. Moreover, she was worried that her friends wouldugh at her. A precious girl with such pedigree like hers couldn''t afford to be embarrassed like that.


    "It''s fine. Just tell the others that there is an emergency at the base and I have to be there. And I do actually have things I need to get to." The thing that Kevin needed to do was simply to hurry home and call Leena. After this whole evening, he grew more and more concerned, so he must hear her voice first. He needed that right now more than anything in the world.


    "What''s the rush? Can''t you wait till the party''s over?" Louisa looked up at her surroundings. She got the reaction she wanted, as some guests were green with envy. But her friends might lose interest in the party once Kevin left.


    "Sorry! This really can''t wait. Look, you can just exin to your friends. Have fun. I''m going now, goodbye!" After Kevin finished, he just strode out before Louisa could stop him. He didn''t want to stay a minute longer.


    Louisa tightly bit her lips. She never thought that he would leave without looking back. Now she had to face the inquisitive looks from all those people alone. It was as if a proud princess were dethroned in a mere second and turned into an abandoned orphan.


    "Why did Major General Gu leave you here alone, Louisa? Did you guys fight?" Women were always like this; they liked to see others suffer. So when the women saw that Kevin ditched Louisa and left alone, they were somewhat happier for unknown reasons. Just now, they were still jealous that Louisa could find such a good-looking and excellent man as her boyfriend.


    "No, don''t jump to conclusions. It''s simply an emergency at the military base. He has to be there in person to deal with it. I don''t need to tell you that this is what being in the military means. You have to be on stand-by all the time. Can''t you tell with my father?" Louisa still maintained that perfect smile and calmly exined everything.


    "Oh! So that''s what happened! I thought that you might be fighting because of what we said." Upon learning that Kevin didn''t get into an argument with Louisa, the women were a little disappointed, feeling quite unsatisfied deep down.


    "Why would we do that? We really like each other. There''d be no way we get into an argument." Louisa gave a broadugh to cover her embarrassment. No matter how sad she was, she would not show it to anyone. That wouldn''t be her way. After all, no one was supposed to be better than her.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "Louisa, speaking of liking each other, when are the wedding bells? We''re all waiting to drink your wedding booze!" All things considered, the women were still friends with Louisa, so even though they harbored jealousy towards her, on the surface they had to act excited for her.


    "No rush. By that time, you won''t be forgotten. So start preparing the wedding gifts for us!" So this was Louisa''s way of misdirecting things. There was nothing between Kevin and her, but she just went along others and misguided them. That was why her friends would see them as a happy couple.


    "Of course. We''ll be bringingrge gifts and lots of good cheer. So don''t worry. Just get married soon!" Everybody was a bit confused by Louisa and Kevin''s rtionship, but since she already said those things, people didn''t want to pursue their suspicions anymore.???????

 Chapter 901 We Are In Love (Part One)

    "We''re not that eager to get married. I have to do some thinking and consider whether he really is my true love." To save face, Louisa told a big lie. So she had to think of how best to cover her lie. Once you started lying, you''d have to keep lying so that you wouldn''t be "You still want to wait? Really, you shouldn''t need to think anymore. He is such an excellent man. Be careful that another woman doesn''t steal his heart while you''re still thinking." Every one looked at her in confusion. In this society, it was really rare to find such a good man as the Major General Gu, who was handsome in appearance and quite capable. And Louisa told them she was still thinking about it. That was obvious a p in their face. If a man like Kevin entered their lives, they would snatch him up in an instant. And marry him as quickly as possible, before he had a chance to think about it.


    found out. One lie led to another. And Louisa would need to tell lie after lie, unless she really could win Kevin''s heart. But that wasn''t easy.


    "I''m not even worried about it. As long as we are in love, no one can separate us." Louisa smiled gracefully. Her confidence made her words more convincing, as if what she said was really true.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "Yes, you''re right. General Major Gu must love you very much. No wonder you weren''t worried at all that another woman might win his heart at the party." This group of women were shooting her admiring looks. They all believed that for women a good marriage was more important than pretty looks.


    "Of course. Like today, he had a lot work to do tonight. But he worried about meing alone here. Probably he feared that I might be allured by any other handsome men. So he insisted oning here with me. Obvious he wanted to dere that I am his woman." Louisa raised her chin, looking arrogant with a vivacious expression. It seemed that she was going all out to make the lie bigger. The reactions from the crowd were predictable.


    "Wow!" one said. Another cried, "Really?" "He is totally crazy for you. I''m so jealous!"ined yet another. And one of them mused, "I wonder when I''ll find a man to love me so much!" They were all jealous of her and admired her at the same time. But what else could they do? They were all women, and they bemoaned their fate. Were they doomed to be alone? And they med it on their fate to be so unlucky. Why couldn''t they meet such a good man?


    "I know, But I feel like I''m not so free now." Louisa patted her face with her hands, pretending to be shy. She looked like a woman immersed in great happiness. She was really a good actress.


    "Cut the crap! You''re making a fuss about nothing. You have Kevin, what do you have to bitch about?" The group of womenmented with boos and hisses. Obviously they were deeply convinced by Louisa''s words.


    "Okay, stop making fun of me. Just have a few more drinks. I need to excuse myself to thedies'' room," Louisa said before she turned around and left. The forced happy smile disappeared in an instant. ''Kevin, since I have already boasted about our rtionship, I must make it real. Otherwise how can I face them in the future? No matter what, I have to get you. And what better time is there than when the wife is out of town?'' Louisa thought.


    At the same time, Kevin wasn''t aware that he had already be the target of another woman. As soon as he got in the car, he called themander''s guard and told him where to pick up Louisa. In this way, he couldpletely rid himself of Louisa today. He lifted his arm and checked the time on his watch. It was now about 11 PM. Leena might be avable now. It was about 4 PM her time. So he didn''t have to worry that he might wake her up.


    He dialed the familiar number. But to his surprise, a machine voice noticed him the phone he dialed was turned off. He had worked up the nerve to call, and this made him all the more agitated. What was she doing now? Was it that her phone was powered off? Or was it something else? He hoped nothing bad would happen to her.


    He hung up the phone helplessly and gazed at the screen on his cellphone mind-absently. He suddenly found that he had an unread text message on his cellphone. He thought that maybe, just maybe, it was from Leena. So he hurriedly opened the message without hesitation. For the first time, he had guessed right. Because this message was indeed from Leena. It simply read that she was working hard to finish the final preparation of her thesis, so she turned off the phone to prevent her from being disturbed. She said she was fine and told him not to worry about her. And she would call him the minute she was finished.


    Kevin felt relieved after he read the message from Leena. He looked at the time. It was sent an hour ago. Probably because it was too noisy inside, so he didn''t hear the beep of the message.


    The car Kevin drove today was not his usual military Humvee, but his own convertible Bugatti. Although it was thest in the ranking of the top ten global list, it cost almost all his savings when he bought it. Fortunately, he made a wise investment in that bar, and that was how he made ends meet.


    When he thought of the bar, it also urred to him that he hadn''t been to Blue Enchantress for a long time. Maybe he could stop by and have a couple drinks tonight. That was a good way to forget all the frustration he felt just now.


    The din reached a fever pitch tonight in the Blue Enchantress. The patrons were there and everyone was excited about a night off. The ce was as boisterous as it was usually. As soon as Kevin entered the ce, all the prettydies watched him. His tall figure and handsome appearance made him look charming and intimidating. He immediately stepped into the spotlight.

 Chapter 902 We Are In Love (Part Two)

    "Kevin, you finallye. I was wondering if the next time I saw you would be at your graveside." Hoyle was Kevin''s friend, and the co-owner of the bar. He came to greet Kevin as soon as he saw hime in. "I''m busy. You know." Kevin shed a helpless smile. He raised his head and looked around. It seemed that it never had been busier. ''d we didn''t lose customers while I was away, ''he thought. "Yeah. I know you''re busy. That''s why your wife came here with other people." Although the "other people" he was referring to were actually "female friends," but he made no move to exin. He let the statement stand. "Bullshit. She''s not even in the country now. Ya gotta be sharper than that to fool me," Kevin sneered. He knew Hoyle liked to piss him off, but his excuse was not convincing at all.


    "Huh! I didn''t say it happened now. No matter what, she still has an open tab here." Hoyle teased Kevin with a yful smile. It seemed that Kevin was totally unaware that Leena had been here before.


    "Huh! You''re ripping me off." Kevin punched at him with a smile. He didn''t fear that he might hurt him. Hoyle had joined the army with him before, But heter left while Kevin still stayed and climbed up the careerdder.


    "Ah! Would I lie to you? By the way, you are so lucky to have such a hot wife. We''re all jealous, man." Sitting at the bar counter, they talked while watching the patrons undte on the dance floor.


    "Huh! I don''t believe that you''ll stay single with all these hotties around." Kevin took a sip of the wine served by the waiter and shot Hoyle a suspicious look. He didn''t believe that Hoyle didn''t date girls.


    "Why? Take a look around you! Look at these skanks! How could theypare with your pure and innocent wife? You should feel lucky to have a wife like that. But don''t get too cocky. I''m not sure I can stop myself from beating the shit out of you if you irritate meter." Hoyle said while showing his fist to Kevin to intimidate him. He was depressed that he didn''t have good luck with women, even though he sat here all day long. But why should Kevin be so lucky? He only came here to drink once and got a wife out of it. That was so unfair. Hoyle couldn''t help butin in his heart. And moreover, Kevin had the stones to take his undeserved gain for granted. That almost pissed Hoyle off.


    "Haha! Yeah, you''re right. These chicks can''t hold a candle to Leena." It was the first time Kevin praised his wife in front of other people. He was unaware that he would unwittingly smile at the mention of Leena.


    "Yeah, rub it in. Fine, Your good luck won''t rub off on me even if I am jealous. Cheers!" Hoyle lifted the ss and clinked sses with Kevin. As Kevin''s friend, Hoyle was happy that Kevin found his true love. But he was still unhappy. He would not feel satisfied if he didn''t tease Kevin.


    "I just drink a little. I have to drive the carter."


    Kevin took a small sip. In this, he was serious. He''d never y with his life.


    "Don''t worry, I can arrange a ride home for youter. You''re a rare sight around here, don''t be such a killjoy." Hoyle nced at him with a provocative look. He wondered why Kevin didn''t seem to care about the business of the bar. He never asked how the business was going and didn''t mind how much money he got from the business. Hoyle even doubted whether he had checked how much money had been transferred to his ount.


    "You? You''d probably get drunk before me. I''d better not drink. Just rx." Kevin narrowed his eyes and looked at Hoyle. It was not that he didn''t believe Hoyle. The problem was that Hoyle couldn''t hold his liquor. He was no better than him.


    "Did you get hit in the head a lot in the service? Besides me, there are lots of waiters in the bar. I''m sure I can find one to bring you home. Plus, there are rooms upstairs. You can sleep there if you get drunk. Why do you make so many excuses?" Hoyle stared at him with a sullen look. He wondered what Kevin was worried about.


    "No, thanks. I have to get up early tomorrow to guide the work of thepany. Do you think I''m like you? Not all of us can sleep aste as we want."


    Kevin stared back at Hoyle. He ignored all the women who continuously winked at him. He only asionally frowned to show he was not interested.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "That is because I work hard every night to run the business for you. But you don''t seem to care. I didn''t see you for a month. Do you think I''m your ve?" Hoyle got indignant when he brought up the topic. Kevin didn''t show up, worse, he didn''t even call. Most of the time, it was Hoyle who came to him first.


    "I work hard every day. And do you really think it''s a good idea for me to hang out here given the fact that I''m in the army? Wouldn''t you worry about me getting caught by the Investigation Department in the military?" Kevin stared at him grumpily. Hoyle was once a soldier. How could he not think about this?


    "Huh! You can wear casual clothes. No one would know that you are the high-falutin Major General of the city. It''s just another excuse. Don''t jerk me around, it''s not that serious." Obviously, Hoyle was not convinced. He didn''t believe that there would be anyone who would be so bored as to pry into other people''s private lives after work.000000

 Chapter 903 We Are In Love (Part Three)

    "Ah! Whatever you want to think! If you don''t want to handle the business, that''s fine. If you do, great. You''re making money. I really don''t have time. If you really think it''s not fair, you can deduct your wage from my share. Will that make up for it?" Kevin smiled, looking nonchnt. He knew Hoyle was onlyining and he would never take the money from Kevin''s share. He was the one Kevin trusted. They had been friends for many years.


    "Screw you! Do you really think that I''m working for you? You''re an ass to talk about giving wages to me!" Hoyle said while kicking at Kevin. Kevin dodged, seemingly having predicted the kick. He knew that every time Hoyle lost his temper, he would kick him. Kevin


    already got used to this trick. How could he let Hoyle easily have his way?


    "But you said that! You said that I use you as a ve. So I have no choice but to reward you with some money." Kevin continued to prod him. In an instant, they attracted a lot of attention from the other patrons. Kevin had been the focus of the women here in the bar. How could they not notice what was happening there?


    "Okay, probably it''s time to go. Since you''re not drinking, you''d better go back to being a good soldier. And don''t spoil my ns. I''m going to find a girl." Hoyle leaned back in the chair at the bar counter, wondering whether all the women had gone cross-eyed. Otherwise why would they pay attention to Kevin and show no interest in him?


    "I don''t think I''ll be a threat to you. I''m married. I''m not cockblocking you, at least not intentionally. Which woman do you like? Walk over to her and tell her you like her. It''s so easy. Don''t be pretentious," Kevin saidnguidly. The fatigue was showed on his face. That was because he hadn''t gotten a good night''s sleep all week. And he had nned to enjoy himself after work today, but was asked by Louisa to apany her to her party.


    "You''re like a brilliant star shining here. Do you think any woman will notice me? I''m like a bulb that''s already burned out." In fact, Hoyle was only joking. If he was asked to choose a woman from the bar to marry, he would prefer to stay single. He already got fed up with the women in heavy makeup and dressed in shy clothes. If he really settled down with any woman here, he would seriously be impotent.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "Okay, then I won''t shine here. I''m going back home. Come on, you little broken bulb, don''t give up! You''ll find your dream girl tonight!" Kevin nced at the watch on his wrist. It was veryte now. He''d really be dog-ass tired tomorrow if he didn''t get some sleep.


    "Okay, goodbye. Don''t worry. Bar''s in good hands. Remember to bring your wife here and officially introduce her to me next time." Hoyle patted Kevin''s shoulder. Because he was older than Kevin, he had always regarded Kevin as his younger brother. Such brotherhood was established early when they were both in boot camp.


    "Didn''t you just say that she''s been here before? You also mentioned that you will keep her tab open. How could you not know each other? Or were you kidding me just now because you wanted to rip me off?" Kevin frowned. He almost forgot about that. He wondered who came here with Leenast time. And she got drunk easily. ''Did she flirt with other men after she got drunk?'' Kevin thought.


    "Crap. She came here with her friends. I didn''t get even a chance to say hi. Moreover, she didn''t know me. If I just walked up and introduced myself, what if she was frightened? Wouldn''t you want to hit me because of it?" Hoyle narrowed his eyes and looked at Kevin with disdain, as if Kevin had really said some bullshit.


    "Spit it out! You keep bringing this up again and again. Do you want me to ask you who she was with then?" Kevin knew him well, that was why he knew what was on his mind. They were a lot alike in some respects.


    "Do you really want to know? I - Nah, I won''t tell you. You can figure it out on your own." Huh! What made you so cocky today? I believe this question will bug you and you won''t sleep tonight. There''s no way you couldn''t be concerned when you hear that your beautiful wife came here to drink with other people, ''Hoyle thought.


    "Fine, don''t tell me. No matter what, I trust her. I know you like causing drama, but it won''t work this time. I know who Leena is and that''s not like her to sleep around," Kevin sneered. He trusted Leena''s morals and loyalty. He knew she would never stab him in the back. "Oh ho! So you''re really not worried at all? What if I tell you that the men apanying her were all pretty good looking guys? You still okay with that?" It was true that Leena came here with two women that night. Butter several men appeared together with them. They were all very charming, and even looked more handsome than Kevin.


    "If they are that good-looking, then I don''t need to worry anymore. You can save your energy. I''m outta here. Good luck finding yourdy love. Bye!" Kevin showed an understanding smile. He stood up and waved goodbye to Hoyle and walked out. He wasn''t worried, because if he was right, the gorgeous guys were Edward and his buddies. There were few men in the city who were incredibly handsome, so Kevin couldn''t think of anyone else that would qualify. Hoyle didn''t usually rate guys as pretty or good looking, so it had to be them.


    The night in the city was a little cold. Probably because winter wasing. And the temperature varied greatly between day and night. As soon as Kevin stepped out of the Blue Enchantress, a gust of chilly wind threatened to blow him over, and then roared away without pause. It disappeared in the blur of the city streets at night.

 Chapter 904 Leena Was Back (Part One)

    Kevin turned his head and looked at the sign that read ''Blue Enchantress''. He sighed in relief and quickly left. A warm expression spread through his usually cold face when sudden memories of how he first met Leena came to his mind. He had wondered all this time about why would two perfect strangers like themselves had such a passionate night together. He had been clueless for a long time. Until his views had changed did he realize that it must be fate that actually nned everything for them.


    He wouldn''t have slept with Leena no matter what if only he''d known that she was the Leng family''s little girl. He loathed rich girls. He had thought that all of them were nothing but condescending and arrogant brats. Then there was Leena. She was gentle, nice, and a bit moody as well who would throw fights from time to time just like any normal girls would do. She was the exception to the rule.


    It was already one o''clock in the morning when he reached his apartment. The idea that he had to go and see thepanies after his sleep was already enough to put him on a bad mood. He wasn''t sure why he was feeling annoyed and restless. Something seemed to bother him but he couldn''t figure out what it was. He felt like something bad would happen soon.


    Lying on the big and lonely double bed, Kevin had a feeling that something was missing but he didn''t know what the thing was. He got no clue if it was because of Hoyle''s words that he was feeling such. He wanted to think more carefully and find out what he was missing but then his mind was just too tired of all the workloads he had and passed out. Whatever he was missing remained as an undone puzzle piece.


    It was ten o''clock in the morning when Leena arrived at the S City''s International Airport. She didn''t advise anyone that she wasing thus she took a taxi out. She was nothing but a stylish stunner with her beautiful face, perfect built and smart-casual clothes. The first thing she did after getting in a taxi was turn on her cell phone. She had her phone off the whole time she was in the ne. She was a bit anxious that Kevin might worry about her if he couldn''t reach her number. Thus, she sent him a message before she rode her flight.


    The excitement was cruising through Leena as the familiar ambiance of her country weed her. But more, it was making her expectant. She really wanted to see Kevin. It was odd how being parted from each other made her feel emotionally closer to him. She was troubled that Kevin might not feel the same and everything was just all in her head.


    Rolling the window down, she breathed the fresh air outside the car. Arge smile appeared on her face as she was really happy that she was back. She drew a deep breath after a while. Was it just her imagination? Or was the air really sweeter in the city where her love was in?


    "You must have been abroad for quite a long time!" The driver gave a friendly smile as he noticed Leena''s behavior. He guessed that thedy with him must have not been in the city for a while to act like that.


    "Yeah! How do you know? I''ve been abroad for about a month." Leena replied in a friendly way that no one would mistake her for a rich girl. She was so down to earth. She was easy-going and nice to everyone. A total contradiction of how rich girls usually were. "Oh! Only for a month? You must really like our country! Or is there someone you love who''s been waiting for you toe back here?" The driver gently smiled at her words. He had thought that she might have been gone for a long time to act like this. But much to his surprise, it had only been a month!


    "Well, I don''t know. Maybe a little of both!" Leena smiled and felt a little shy with how the driver read through her that easily. What he said was right, she was this excited not only because she missed the ce but more so the people.


    The driver just nced at her meaningfully and didn''t talk more. He had thought that his customer would be a difficult rich girl because she was dressed so nicely. It was a surprise how easy-going and nice she was to him. Was he wrong? Was she not some rich girl after all? Besides, what she was wearing wasn''t from some famous brand. He might be wrong. But that was not likely! He had been a driver for about twenty years, and he was familiar with the way to the airport. He had met numerous people and he was confident that he was a good judge of character. He had learned to tell different famous brands now.


    Leena was giddy all the way home. She was still very happy even though she knew that Kevin might not be at home at that very hour. A sweet smile stayed shining on her face that in the long run, lifted the driver''s mood too. The driver even helped her carry her suitcases all the way to the elevator when they reached her home. It seemed that the driver was such a nice guy.


    Thedy drew a deep breath before she opened the door and pulled her suitcases inside. She had brought enough gifts for everyone this time.


    Nothing had changed with their house since she left. The only thing that had changed there was how easy one could tell that a man lived there. The thought automatically gave her a certain feeling of security.


    Looking at the two big suitcases by her side then looking at the stairs in front of her, Leena frowned. She decided to pour herself some water and rest for a bit. After all, the way that the autumn wind swept her home made her lips dry and chapped.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    She gave the whole house another once-over as she leaned against the sofa. She even reached out and wiped a furniture top with her hand just to check if Kevin had been cleaning the room while she was away. Luckily, the result was not bad. It might not be as clean as it was when she was home, nevertheless, it was decent enough in her opinion.

 Chapter 905 Leena Was Back (Part Two)

    She was at that state when a xen hair captured her attention. A knot suddenly appeared at the pit of her stomach. She grabbed the hair and clutched it as she thought rapidly. Whose hair was this? It couldn''t be hers nor Daisy''s. Wait a minute, why would she connect the hair to Daisy? Did she subconsciously think that the hair was Daisy''s? Were Daisy and Kevin doing something behind her back? Leena immediately pped her mouth lightly as a punishment for even thinking of it. What was wrong with her? How could she think of Daisy like that? It might just be a sudden thought but it was still a disrespect to Daisy.


    Then whose hair would it be? The question was haunting. She tilted her head and thought carefully but didn''t dwell on it for too long. She should have faith in Kevin regardless of whose hair it was, right? He was her husband after all, and she should trust him as his wife. It was just a woman''s hair. No big deal. It could be from a woman whom Kevin''s friend might have brought there, right? Or it could be her sister-inw''s who probably visited there with her brother. There were a lot of possibilities. Plus, it was xen. It was the same as Belinda''s hair color. She felt rxed after that thought. She might be just overthinking again. Seconds and she was back to smiling as she moved towards the stairs. The first thing she needed at that point was a nice bath and an equally nice nap. Doubting her husbandN?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    was nonsense.


    The bedroom was the same as before. It was still nice and clean. It seemed that Kevin had been cleaning it after all. It was good that he wasn''t like any other men who thought that cleaning was only for women and that they didn''t have anything to do with it. Leena put somevender oil in the bathtub and had a very calming bath. Then she threw herself on the big bed and closed her eyes. Something in her heart melted upon smelling the faint peppermint scent left on the sheets.


    She had set the rm clock before she took a nap. She nned to wake up at four o''clock in the afternoon. She needed to shop for some groceries as she noticed their fridge was empty.


    Leena usually went to the big supermarket to buy food and never went to the farmers'' market. She really could not stand the smell and the chaos in the farmers'' market. me that to her for being such a spoiled kid. She preferred ces that were nice and clean. This was basically her weakness.


    The foods she chose were all based on Kevin''s preference. It seemed so natural for her to choose whatever that pleased him over whatever she wanted. She had fallen so hard and cared for her husband so deeply.


    It was given that Kevin didn''t like fruits, but she still bought some. She thought that it was a necessity for one to have a bnced diet. Thus, fruits and vegetables were crucial.


    It took her an hour to buy everything and go back home. The heavy grocery bags made her hands hurt but she didn''t seem to give a damn about it. She happily put all the foods she bought in the fridge.


    It was time to prepare a delicious dinner for Kevin. She thought it would be a nice surprise to give him such a delicious dinner. He deserved it for keeping the house neat while she was out.


    Kevin headed to the army base after visiting thepanies. The sun started to set and it happened to be the time to go home from work. He walked faster as he still got some documents he needed to hand to themander.


    "Major General Gu, where are you going in such a hurry?" Daisy steadied herself and dodged fast. She had to or else Kevin could have knocked her down to the ground.


    "Oh! Daisy, it''s you! Sorry, I am in a hurry now. Is themander still in his office?" Kevin ran his fingers through his hair. He felt a bit awkward that she had to see him in such a hurried mess.


    "I guess so. I didn''t see him myself. But I saw Louisa Ye just now. I guess that she''s here to pick themander up." Daisy didn''t like Louisa thus she just greeted her coldly when they met. Louisa, on the other hand, didn''t even bother to reply to her at all. Well, that was just bluntly rude.


    "What? She''s here too? Lee,e here." Kevin hesitated as soon as he heard that Louisa was there. He didn''t really want to meet her and get pestered by her especially with themander''s presence. Louisa was themander''s daughter and it wouldn''t be nice for theirmander to find that he didn''t like his child.


    "Major General, what can I do for you?" Lee was Kevin''s guard and assistant, thus, he had also gone to see thepanies with him earlier. He was equally as tired and messy as his boss at that point.


    "Take this document to themander. It''s required for him to look over this immediately. I won''t being with you. If themander asks where I am, just tell him that I have some emergency to deal with and need to go back home early." Kevin didn''t care that Daisy and Mark were also there. He just bluntly lied in front of their faces. They all looked at him wide-eyed. It seemed that they didn''t expect him to lie as smoothly as that.


    "Okay, no problem." Lee took the document from Kevin''s hand, then quickly walked to themander''s office. On the other hand, Daisy was staring at Kevin thoughtfully. Why didn''t he want to see Louisa? Did something happen between the two? She was suddenly filled with questions.


    "What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Kevin asked and hesitantly touched his face. Was there something wrong with how he looked? What was that strange look from Daisy for?


    "Well, Major General, I guess there''s something going on here. Aren''t you going to tell me?" Daisy smirked. Kevin was in a hurry to see themander at first but changed his mind after hearing that Louisa was there. There was obviously something going on right there that she didn''t know.


    "What are you talking about? I have no idea. Are you going home too? Then don''t waste any more time. Let''s get going, okay? Come on now!" It was all he said before Kevin turned around. He was ready to go. He was almost out of that ce when an overly sweet voice called his name and made him stop.


    "Kevin, you are back." Louisa easily knew that Kevin was back as soon as she saw Lee. She rushed there in hopes of seeing him. Though she imed that she came to the army base to pick her father up, the real reason was that she wanted to see Kevin. And that was why she was so disappointed when she was told that Kevin wasn''t there earlier. She didn''t expect quite a luck though. She still caught him!0000000?????????

 Chapter 906 Leena Was Back (Part Three)

    "Hello, Miss Ye. What can I do for you?" Kevin said in a cold tone. The thought that she might have some feelings for him bothered him, thus, he couldn''t help but be cold to her. He didn''t want to give her any false signal or hope. If he wouldn''t keep his distance from her, she would probably think that there was still a chance for her. It would be easier and less stressful for him to just let her down that way. It was for the good of them both. Plus, he didn''t have the same feelings for her. He was inly not in the mood for any small talks with her at all.


    "Nothing! I saw you, so I just wanted to greet. That''s all." Louisa missed to see the impatience on Kevin''s face and remained smiling. However, Daisy was also there and was able to see everything. Her heart sank as a hunch that Louisa might hurt Leena suddenly came to her mind. "Oh. I should get going since you already greeted me. Good-bye!" Now that was Kevin being intentionally cold to thedy. It was so clear that he wanted to get away from her but just couldn''t ignore her for themander''s sake.


    "But Kevin, can I ride with you to downtown? My car is in the garage being repaired, and I came here by taxi. I thought that I could ride with my dad but you sent him a document just now. So he still has to stay here for a while," Louisa said in a small voice. Her delivery sounded fake and was dripping with excuse even for her own ear. Nevertheless, she needed to make up an excuse to have a ride with Kevin. So she said it anyway.


    "I''m going back to downtown too, Miss Ye. I can give you a ride if you don''t mind." Daisy interrupted before Kevin could reply. She knew that she was being suspicious but she couldn''t let it go as long as there was a possibility that this might hurt Leena. After all, it was clear to all that Louisa liked Kevin very much. As a woman, she could understand Louisa''s feeling. Kevin was a great man and it was easy to fall in love with him. She still couldn''t understand why Louisa kept pestering Kevin though now that he was already married. It was alright to have feelings for someone but it was selfish to act on it if you knew that doing so would lead to hurting someone else.


    "Thank you for your offer, Colonel Ouyang but we are not on the same way. The garage happens to be on Kevin''s way back home." What Louisa said was true. She already had everything nned beforehand. She intentionally sent her car to the garage on Kevin''s way home for repair. She would bet her bottom dor to get every chance to be with Kevin and this was a great opportunity.


    "Oh? Is it so? I wonder how''d you know where I live? You sounded so sure that we are not on the same way," Daisy sneered. Did Louisa take her for a fool? She was being extremely obvious! They were all going downtown first thus, they were all going the same way. The only difference was that she and Kevin didn''t live in the same direction from downtown. She could still definitely give her a ride to the garage.


    "Well, I don''t know your address but I bet that it''s not on the way." Louisa didn''t like Daisy the first time she saw her and her interruption just now made Louisa hate her more. Who was she to interrupt her like that? Who needed her ride in the first ce? She was sticking her nose where it didn''t belong. She was going to ruin all her ns! She couldn''t allow that! Besides, she was asking Kevin, not her!


    "Daisy, that''s fine. You go ahead. Now that Miss Ye insists that she and I are on the same way, I guess I can give her a ride." Kevin''s brows furrowed. He was helpless. Louisa was being persistent in catching a ride with him and he couldn''t just bluntly refuse her request for themander''s sake. He had to say ''yes''. What he couldn''t understand though was why she came here by a taxi to pick themander up after work hours? For God''s sake, she didn''t even have a car! Was she really that bored?N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    "Okay, if you are sure. Take care. I''m leaving now." Daisy looked at Louisa keenly with her eyebrows deeply furrowed. There was nothing more for her to say since Kevin already decided on the concern. She believed that Kevin could handle the situation anyway. "Okay. You take care too. Mark, drive safe," Kevin said as he turned his head to Mark. Though Mark was often careless, he was in fact very good at driving.


    "No problem, Major General Gu. Of course, I will be very careful." Mark gave him a standard military salute. He was extremely polite to Kevin. Not like his usual carefree self when he was with Daisy.


    Kevin watched Mark and Daisy walking to the parking lot until both disappeared. It was only after a couple of few minutes that he turned to Louisa who was still patiently waiting for him. He let out a small sigh under his breath then finally said to her," Let''s go." "Thank you so much, Kevin! Hope that I''m not too much of a hassle." Louisa felt a little nervous upon seeing Kevin''s expression. It was so clear that he didn''t like anything about what happened. She had no idea if she was being too forward but she really wanted to know why he left so suddenlyst night. She wouldn''t be able to rest unless she knew. She had the feeling that he lied when he said that he had something to do back then. Truth was, he really got nothing going on during that time and just made some random excuse to leave. He was avoiding her.


    "That''s alright. Like what you said, it''s just that we happen to be on the same route, right?" Kevin said as he pulled out the car door and waited patiently for her to get in. He was in a hurry thus, he asked Lee to park his car directly outside the building when they came. It exined why he didn''t have to walk through the parking lot with Louisa. At least that was a good thing.


    Louisa''s lips trembled. She was suddenly speechless. She didn''t expect Kevin to be that cold and distant at all. She felt both embarrassed and awkward. Her teeth gritted before she got in the car. How awful, now she had to think of any possible way to break the awkward until they reached the garage.0000

 Chapter 907 A Surprise For Kevin (Part One)

    Kevin''s face had been grim all the way. He knew that he had gone a bit too far and it was rude to treat ady like that. It was just that he had to. He must give Louisa the message that she wouldn''t stand a chance to enter a rtionship with him.


    The beautiful scenery outside the window kept passing by but Louisa was in no mood to appreciate it. Kevin''s silence had blown up her worries as time passed. She wanted to start a conversation and defuse the awkward ambiance. The only problem was how was she supposed to begin when Kevin seemed all cold and distant with indifference clearly written across his face.


    "Kevin, how did the emergency gost night? Was everything okay?" she finally asked while smiling embarrassedly. She was still bothered by how he left abruptlyst night.


    "Yes." Kevin replied without any extra word. He showed no interest in chatting with her at all. Apparently, he would like to distance himself from her.


    Louisa bit her lip. It was evident that he was annoyed. His attitude towards her hurt. She had never been cold-shouldered since childhood. She had always been cherished. Kevin was the first person, or more specifically, the first male to have snubbed her. If only she wasn''t into this man and trying to win his heart, she would never put up with him.


    "Tell me the specific location in case I go the wrong way." Kevin finally spoke once they reached downtown. Nevertheless, his voice was still eerily cold.


    "It is that 4S store. The one by the crossroads," answered Louisa in a low voice as she cast him a nce. Her pride bled a bit upon realizing that there could be a man who would not be attracted to her.


    "I get it," responded Kevin in a monotone as he finished his sentence with a mouth shut. He wasn''t acting like a gentleman as he normally would, but rather like the ruthless Duke.


    "Kevin, did I ever offend you? It seems to me that you dislike me very much," asked Louisa after a brief silence. She looked up at him innocently with tears in her eyes. The tears kept gathering in her eyes as she spoke.


    "No, not at all. I''m afraid that you might be thinking too much," replied Kevin. He turned and looked at her upon hearing her shaky voice, but then his face remained stoic.


    "But I can tell that you are very upset along the way," blurted Louisa. It was true that she was a bit thick-skinned but it didn''t mean that she was too numb to feel his displeasure.


    "Am I? Sorry about that. I was just feeling tired after long work hours." Kevin faintly smiled. It would be impolite to further wear a sour expression since she had expressed her worry.


    "Really? I''m so relieved. I thought you were unhappy because I have caused you trouble." Louisa breathed a sigh of relief after hearing his words. She could still think of other ways to win his heart as long as he still appreciated her presence. Otherwise, it would basically destroy all her hopes.


    "No, you haven''t. It''s no bother. We are going in the same direction anyway," exined Kevin. Although his attitude was not as good as Louisa had expected, he did shift to a milder manner that time.


    "I can see the store now. Please pull over and drop me there," said Louisa as she readied to get off. Originally, she intended to invite him for dinner, but changed her mind as she thought that today was not the right time for advancement. It seemed that he was not a bit happy seeing her after all. Haste makes waste. It would be rash to make further actions unless she knew the reason for his aloofness.


    "You mean here?" Kevin slowed down, turned the car around, and pulled over. He just moved into that ce thus, he hadn''t discovered that there was a 4S store around the area yet.


    "Yes! Thank you so much, Kevin. To show my gratitude, let me treat you to dinner some other time," said Louisa as she shed her most charming smile.


    "Don''t mention it. Just forget about the dinner. By the way, can you make it on your own?" Kevin refused and was only being polite when he asked about her car. He wasn''t even looking at her as he talked. His focus was on the 4S store as he mentally sized it up. "No problem. I can pick it up myself. Sorry to have troubled you again," answered Louisa with her bright smile still on. She then opened the door and got out of the car. At the same time, she tried hard to control the expression on her face to avoid Kevin from knowing how disappointed she was.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "Okay. I have to go now. Goodbye." After nodding to her through the window, he stepped on the gas and sped away. Louisa didn''t head to the store until his car was out of sight. It was only then that she took a deep breath, lifted her chin, and then walked to the store with her nose held high.


    Kevin passed a supermarket on his way back home. The fridge was nearly empty, so he thought about stocking up on food. He dropped the idea when he remembered that he was a bit dusty and dirty. He''d better make do with what was left in the fridge tonight or else, he would cause eyebrows to raise if he shopped looking like that.


    Meanwhile, Leena had prepared a big and wonderful dinner at home. There were seafood dishes and high-ss cuisines that requiredplicated and refined cooking processes. It took her over two hours to fix all of them.


    She nced at her watch while putting the finishing touches on the foods. It was nearly seven and Kevin should be home soon. All was almost ready except for the chicken soup. There was no need to worry though, she thought, for Kevin never got off work on time. Grabbing adle, she scooped up some soup to have a taste. She frowned when she found that it was a bit too nd. After pondering for a while, she decided to toss in some chicken powder seasoning to make sure that the soup tasted more delicious.


    It was the pleasant smell of food getting cooked that weed Kevin as he opened the door. He noticed that the lights were on and it seemed that someone was in the room. Who could it be? He went on alert and slowed down at once. He lightly closed the door and walked towards the living room almost on tiptoes. It was then that he saw two big suitcases lying on the ground. He let out a sigh of relief. Those suitcases just gave away who was ying tricks on him. He was suddenly overwhelmed with joy and went to the kitchen with a spring in his step.


    As expected, his petite and gentledy was busy cooking dinner. She didn''t realize that he was back. ''Good one.'' Kevin grinned and squinted at the familiar figure before him. He wasn''t expecting her to y that joke on him. So, she turned off her cell phone because she was on the ne, and not because she had to bury herself in the graduation thesis! Come to think of it, she should have reached home this morning. Why didn''t she call him when she arrived?


    "You little liar. Are you having fun tricking me, huh?" He crept up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind. Leena got startled and nearly dropped herdle with a shriek. How could he just show up without making any sound?


    "Oh... Kevin! you''re back!" she eximed. Leena felt warm breathes on her ear, shortly after her shock wore off. It was then that she realized that he was hugging her tightly and literally pressing himself against her back. Her heartbeats started racing. Blushing, she couldn''t tell whether she was sweating from the heat in the kitchen or from the passion he had aroused.

 Chapter 908 A Surprise For Kevin (Part Two)

    now could see a more mature and enchanting woman aspared to the cute girl who left some time ago.


    "Yeah! Now, I''d like to know why you didn''t tell me that you woulde back today?" asked Kevin gently. He turned her around to face him and then looked her straight in the eyes. It had been almost a month since hest saw her. He found that she had changed a bit. He "To give you a big surprise, of course! Do you like it?" She quickly avoided his gaze after saying those. She couldn''t help but feel shy with the intimacy that suddenly seemed to upy the ce.


    "You want the truth? I am more scared than surprised! You really should have called me in advance. I could have picked you up at the airport," said Kevin with great affection. He reached out to wipe the beads of sweat off her forehead then pinched her rosy cheeks softly. "I know how busy you are with your work. Besides, I''m very much capable ofing back on my own. You see, I am home safe and sound!" Leena replied while smiling shyly. With his big warm hands still resting on her waist, she felt a kind of nervous excitement that made her muscles stiff.


    "How is your thesis then? Did you get itpleted and passed?" asked Kevin worriedly. He feared that she had to go back to school again since she said previously that it would still be some time before she finished her thesis.


    "Yes! It is allpleted. Congratte me, Kevin. And I think I deserve a gift!" dered Leena with her eyes shing with pride. She was actually thinking about the beautiful ne she saw in his suitcase not long ago and was trying to remind him of it. She wanted to know whether it was for her or not desperately.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "You have my earnest and warmest congrattions. As for the gift, well...I will give you my heart, okay?" answered Kevin teasingly. He said those words on purpose to see whether she would still push him away.


    "No way! It is not a gift at all!" Leena''s face began to burn like mad after what he said. She was clever enough to read between the lines and knew that it was, in fact, his invitation to do something unspeakable. "Are you sure? It is now or never, Miss," asked Kevin with a wicked smile while giving her a meaningful look.


    "Gosh, I forgot the soup!" Leena cried suddenly. "The dinner is almost ready. You should go and take a shower now unless you want to eat with dust all over you. Look at you. What have you done today? Crawling on your belly or what?" She freed herself from him and went back to the stove in an attempt to dodge the topic. She didn''t refuse him nor did she give a clear answer.


    "You''ve got it. I had to do the demonstration for those new recruits in mypany. It was it that made me look like this." Kevin sighed. Urged by their repeated requests, he gave in and demonstrated a whole set of basic skills for them, which was rare for him. "Take a bath and freshen up then. Hurry up, the dinner will be ready soon." Leena pressed. Kevin wanted to continue the conversation but was pushed out of the kitchen by Leena. She stood at the door, watching, and didn''t get back to set the table until Kevin went upstairs with her two huge suitcases.


    Kevin instantly frowned soon as he lifted her things. They were very heavy and seemed too much for a petite girl like Leena. He wondered how she managed to bring them home with her slender arms. It was such good news that she was back though and he was somehow cheered up just by seeing her face. She had really given him a pleasant surprise.


    After a quick shower, Kevin went downstairs in his dressing gown and his hair was still wet. Leena had alreadyid the table and was sitting as she waited for him. She smiled when she saw hime down.


    "Why so many dishes? They must have taken a lot of your time," said Kevin with a concerned look shortly after he sat down. He was surprised to see the tableful of delicacies but then suddenly grew worried about her. She must be exhausted from the long flight. She should have been sleeping instead and not in the kitchen to prepare him a lovely dinner. Her acts were making him confused. Shouldn''t she be acting like a spoiled brat? Could a rich youngdy be so good at cooking? He didn''t think so.


    "Well... not really. You know, no matter how long it takes, I won''t feel tired if I''m doing it for you." Being a lively and outgoing person, Leena was humorous and liked to make jokes. It was hard to tell whether she meant what she said or she was merely teasing him. "Does it mean that I can eat delicious foods often in days ahead?" asked Kevin. He felt quite touched by her words though he got no clue if those were true. It was already a blessing to have her around and enjoy the feast tonight after all.


    "Consider it done. I''m thinking of turning you into a real butterball. That way, no women will find you attractive and try to steal you away from me," said Leena yfully. She adopted a seemingly jokey manner, therefore, making it difficult for others to tell if she was serious or not. She hoped to draw the secrets out of him without losing her pride in that style. That was exactly what she wanted.


    "Don''t worry. No one can take me away from you even if you don''t fatten me up. I''m your husband, surely I will not pay attention to those ordinary women after I set eyes on you." Kevin was quite amused. He had seen through her and known that this cunning girl was putting his loyalty to test. It didn''t bother him at all and he just decided to y along.


    "Ordinary women? So, you mean if a stunner turns up, you will throw yourself at her feet immediately?" The woman continued fishing for his true feelings as she passed the soup to him. She was even looking at him provocatively.


    "Well...you can say that again. If that is the case, I suggest that you keep a close eye on me to make sure that no one lures me away," answered Kevin before taking a sip from his soup. His face was bright. He had never had soup since Leena went abroad. He really couldn''t afford the time to make soup for himself. Plus, life became pretty dull when he was alone at home thus, he was in no mood for meals and would always grab a bite after work.


    "Easy. And just so you know, I will even give you borate dowries when you leave me." Leena said with a grimace while pushing his favourite dishes towards him. She was acting like a good wife.


    "Why dowries?" Kevin looked up at her in confusion. Shouldn''t she try hard to win him back?


    "Why not? I have been feeding you and taking good care of you, treating you like my child, if not husband. Though you are an ungrateful one all these years, I should not break the convenance. Just take it as my blessings for you two." Seeing Kevin''s face darken at her words, Leena smiled slyly.


    "You little rascal. Why not just say that you are nning to kick me out of the house? Besides, may I remind you that we have been married for less than six months, so don''t make it sound like you have taken care of me for years." Kevin shook his head. The truth just sunk in, and he really could do nothing with her crazy ideas.000

 Chapter 909 A Surprise For Kevin (Part Three)

    "I was talking about things in theing years. After all, you are still mine and I can''t expect to marry you off in a short time, can I? You are not that popr, sir," scoffed Leena. She could actually imagine Kevin wearing a Cindere gown and a bridal veil. However, what she was trying to say was that if her man would be seduced by other women that easily, then she would not be so kind to him now. What was the point of clinging to him knowing that he would betray her someday?


    "Seems that you are really far-sighted. But I will tell you what, it''s difficult to follow the path of virtue but easy to sumb to vices. You will never know when a person would change. Maybe in a few years, maybe tomorrow." Kevin responded with faked seriousness. He put some food into her bowl, as he feared that she was too skinny to be considered healthy. He strongly thought that she should be the one gaining weight and not him.


    "Then what about you? Will you sumb to vices? Or can I trust you?" Leena asked eagerly. She frowned at the food in her bowl, but ate them with resignation in the end.


    "Who knows? That''s why you should keep a close watch on me!" Kevin said jokingly, then gave her a wink. Now it was Leena''s turn to wonder whether he meant it or not.


    After pondering for a while, Leena replied," In my opinion, no one can take my ce if we are destined for each other. Otherwise, you will still be unfaithful to me even if I never let you out of my sight. So I think I should just let it be." This was Leena''s idea and practice about love. She was never a doubting Thomas but she would not tolerate it if people deceived her.


    "You said it, girl. I''m d that you think that way. Now just dig in before the dishes get cold," urged Kevin after he put the sulent crab flesh he had peeled for her in her bowl. He would really like to make her eat all the nutritious foods on the table.


    "Stop it! I can''t eat that much. Can''t you see? My bowl is all full!" groaned Leena. She was looking at the heaping pile of food before her with a pained expression. She nearly shouted out when she discovered that Kevin had put so much food in her bowl without her knowing it. Were her ns backfiring at her? Was Kevin reallyunching her n to feed him against her after he heard about it? It seemed to her that he wanted to strike first and fatten her up even before she could take actions.


    "You should eat more. I think you''re too skinny. All I can see is nothing but skin and bones," teased Kevin. He had stopped adding food to her bowl after she protested. Instead, he started to enjoy the meal.


    "Nonsense! Look at my beautiful body and curves first before you say that again. To tell you honestly, I think I have perfect curvespleted with big breasts and buttocks. I''m just the way a model is!" Head up and chest out, Leena tried to show her figure while fighting back. She was too excited to realize that she was about to make a spectacle of herself again.


    "Oh... really? Where? I can''t see any of what you are saying." Kevin continued to tease her. It was just amusing to see her blowing her top. He faked a little cough with his fist covering his mouth to stifle hisughter.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "If you don''t believe me, you can feel it yourself..." She broke off in mid-sentence, stunned. ''What was I talking about?'' She thought to herself. ''Was I just telling him to touch my body? Will he think that I said it on purpose to lure him?'' However, her answer was also way beyond Kevin''s expectation. He couldn''t even bat a word as he froze there with his eyes wide with surprise.


    "Well...You can simply forget about what I said." Leena saidmely. She grew absolutely ashamed of herself and avoided Kevin''s gaze. She couldn''t believe that she had actually said those words. How could she just drop her guards and talk to him in that way?


    "But I heard it, and I can''t take my mind off it now," Kevin refused with a malicious smile after recovering himself. Of course he would not drop the matter since she took the initiative and seduced him. Although it was quite unintentional, she could not take those words back. "I''m afraid that you heard it wrong," argued Leena helplessly. She could only lower her head out of shame until she nearly hit her forehead against the table.


    "Hey, eat with your mouth, not your forehead," Kevin quickly stopped her. He couldn''t help but chuckle as he saw her act like a kid. She would shoot from the hip sometimes and he had long gotten used to it. It was just that what she said meant something else to him this time. He was a bit aroused.


    "I... Kevin, are youughing at me?" Leena questioned then bit her lip. She had always been good at ying tricks on others but it was odd how she always ended up being theughing stock when faced with him. Did this conclude that love could really make one stupid? "No, I''m not," Kevin paused and said. "You''re overthinking it. How would Iugh at such a cute girl. Now stop making unworthy assumptions and dive in!" He really didn''t mind if his woman was clumsy before him. He knew that it didn''t mean that she was foolish. Rather, it just showed that she trusted him and she was rxed enough to be herself when he was around.


    "You are lying! I saw youughing secretly just now and you are smiling again!" Leena pouted in annoyance. She knew it clearly that she had just made a fool of herself again by saying those thoughtless words. It was fortunate that there was no one else there to watch. She would rather die than let others see her act that way. If ever, that would be a social-suicide.


    "What do you expect then? Am I supposed to cry? But why would I?" People said that women were hard to please. Kevin couldn''t agree more. Apparently, Leena was one of that kind of women.


    "Nah...why would I make a fuss about this trifle with you? You see, I don''t care about it at all. Now, I''m full, and I will go upstairs to unpack. Remember to clean the table after your meal. It''s your punishment for offending me!" As soon as she finished her words, Leena stood from her seat and bolted out of that ce. She did it so fast that Kevin wasn''t even able to blurt any word at all. He watched her disappear in the staircase in no time. He suspected that she must have practiced the stunt so many times thus she was an expert at escaping now.????????????

 Chapter 910 An Cartier Watch (Part One)

    Kevin frowned slightly as he looked at the dishes on the table. Leena had just eaten a little and there was too much food left to him. Was she really thinking of making him obese? Was that the reason why she cooked too much? Anyway, those questions just remained inside his head. He tried to eat all of them still as it would be a pain to waste his beautiful wife''s effort. Darn! It might only take half a year for him to be as huge as how Leena wished if she would continue cooking this much every day. Was she nning to fatten him up so she could sell him for a good price?


    Leena started sorting her gifts right after she arranged her wardrobe. Her gifts were all small gadgets. They might not be so valuable but she chose them very carefully as each was a sign of her regards. Plus, all the people around her were not short of money. They didn''t really care about prices but concentrated more on the thoughts given with the gifts.


    Her gift for Kevin was thetest Cartier watch. The watch looked noble but not luxurious. It would work perfectly with his job. She had always been attracted to men who wore watches. Her Brothers liked watches too! It was them who influenced her to be a watch hobbyist. "Haven''t you finished sorting your things yet?" Kevin was surprised to see her still fixing her things right after he went upstairs. He was suddenly curious about why she was taking too long just to arrange her things.


    "Well! I''m almost done. How about the kitchen? Have you washed the dishes and kept all in there tidy?" Leena raised her head and asked him with a bright smile. Her face was glowing with happiness as she gazed at him. "Yes. It''s all done. Can I help you?" The Major General crouched beside her and started checking on the things she had brought home with her.


    "No, I''ll be done soon. And this! This is a gift for you," chanted Leena. Seconds more and she pressed her lips together before handing him a beautiful box. This was the very first time for her to give Kevin a gift. Therefore, she felt a little nervous as she had no clue if he would like it or not.


    "Oh! So you have a present for me? What''s in it?" The man reached out to her and took the box. Curiosity was all over his handsome face when he ced the box next to his ear and shook it a bit.


    "Open it and have a look! But hey! Promise me that you''ll ept it even if you don''t like it. You have to or else I will have no face," said Leena. Done with sorting all the gifts, she stood up and looked down at Kevin in a way that silently warned him that he had to ept it no matter what.


    "Are you forcing me?" A gentle frown formed on Kevin''s face. Nevertheless, he opened the box in ordance with what she wanted. A pleasant surprise washed over him as soon as he saw what was silently sitting inside the box. A Cartier watch! He had always been thinking of getting one for himself in the future. He never expected her to buy him one right now.


    "Leena, how''d you know my watch was broken?" He carefully fetched the watch and then excitedly wore it on his wrist.


    "I didn''t know your watch was broken. I just think it suits you very much. So I bought it. Do you think my taste is good?" Leena couldn''t help but smile smugly upon seeing how much Kevin liked the watch. It seemed like she made the right choice after all.


    "Yes! The watch is not bad and the style is ssic but not grandiose. Thank you!" The man stood up and swayed his arm before her. It was evident how much he liked the watch.


    "Perfect that you like it. Then please help me put these boxes away. I''m going to take a shower." Leena stretched her arms to rx her muscles a bit. The whole day trip really wore her off.


    "OK! You can go to take a shower! I''ll do the rest." Kevin took the watch off and ced it on the dressing table. He then took the two big suitcases and put them in the empty guest room.


    Thedy decided to take a simple shower since she already had her bubble bath earlier that morning. She felt great after the shower but then suddenly grew dumbfounded as she stood bare naked inside the bathroom. Gracious! She had been so ustomed to being alone the past days that she forgot to bring any clothes with her! She could always run out of the bathroom with just a towel on. But it was different now. Kevin was not only at home but he was also inside their bedroom. Now that was a dilemma. It wouldn''t be smart to just run out of the bathroom without any clothes on, would it?


    On the hand, Kevin''s cell phone rang while Leena was still stuck inside the bathroom. He picked his phone up and walked to the balcony to answer the call.


    "Hello! ire, what is it?" The call was from his unruly sister. He was somewhat surprised that she chose to call her at such a time.


    "Kevin, Dad''s birthday ising. Mom is asking if you cane home for it." ire was rtively unmanageable. Her attitude rooted from the fact that the Gu''s family was mostlyposed of high-ranking military officials. It was that idea that molded her into that proud and arrogant person she was.


    "Ah? Is Dad''s birthdaying? I''m sorry. I thought there was still some time before it." The man scratched his head. He honestly never remembered his parents'' birthdays. He only remembered them at dusk whenever other members of their family mentioned it.


    "What? It''s next Saturday. Decide if you areing back or not. Plus Mom said that you should bring your wife here!" ire was very curious about the kind of woman her brother married. She had always known her brother to have such a high-ss taste. Nevertheless, she still thought that their family''s standing was above the woman''s family social standing. They were the Gu''s after all. That was the reason for her disdain tone as she mentioned her sibling''s wife.000????????????N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.

 Chapter 911 An Cartier Watch (Part Two)

    "Do you all know that I have gotten married?" Kevin smiled with self-mockery. He should have thought about this, shouldn''t he? His father was one of the important men in the capital city. How could he possibly hide his marriage from him? "Well, of course. What you are doing at this very minute might be reported to Dad within the next." His sister gave him a cold snort. She couldn''t believe how silly and naive Kevin was to think that he could conceal his marriage well. Didn''t he know that their father controlled everything in the world?


    "Well, I know. I''ll take her there if I am free that day." That was a quick promise Kevin made. Anyway, he also wanted for Leena to meet his family. He would like to take this chance to show his wife the family he belonged to.


    "And Kevin, what does that woman do? Is she a soldier like you?" Curiosity was really beating ire and she wasn''t able to stop herself from inquiring. She would not make things difficult for that woman if she would like her. It would be unfortunate though if his wife ended up on her hate-list. Because that would mean that the woman would not have any choice but to bear whatever she would do.


    "ire, pay attention to your courtesy. She is your sister-inw. Her name is not ''that woman''." Kevin frowned. He loathed how their family spoiled his sister. They were almost all boys in their family. They waited for a long time for their mother to give birth to their only girl, ire. She was everyone''s princess to the point that they all spoiled her. They had all protected her so much since her childhood as they were afraid that something hard might knock her down.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    "Well! Noted. But how old is she?" ire''s tone turned gentler. She wasn''t afraid of anyone in her family except for her older brother. Kevin was too serious, thus she couldn''t just ignore his words.


    "She is even younger than you. So you can''t bully her then." Never did Kevin know that these words he said would be tested in the next few days.


    "Don''t worry! I will be nice to her." ire spat loud as she silently added more to her words inside her head, ''...if she was pleasing to my eyes.''


    "Well! That''s it! I''ll hang up. I will call home after I decide whether to go back or not." Kevin hung the phone up as soon as he was done speaking. He might have been strict with her sister but everybody else in their family spoiled her up. His lessons to her were never enough. She remained proud and arrogant. His sister was such a contradiction to Leena. His wife was also a princess since her childhood. But then, why were they so different?


    "Hello! Kevin, hold on... please!" The word ''please'' didn''t even reach Kevin anymore. The end-call beep that cut ire''s voice made her so mad that she almost ended up throwing her phone. She felt that her elder brother was good in everything except for the fact that he was strict with her and seemed to not like her at all.


    The Major General could only imagine how angry his sister was when he hung the phone up. Well, it had always been his advocacy to not cuddle her arrogant temper. His sister always thought that she was superior to others. It was the reason why he usually reprimanded her straight on her face. And even so, it seemed that she couldn''t change her bad temper that had been formed during her childhood.


    A mild sigh escaped his chest. Then he walked back to the bedroom. However, he noticed that Leena had note out yet. It had been long since she entered the bathroom. Why didn''t shee out yet?


    "Leena, what are you doing?" Kevin knocked on the bathroom door and listened attentively for any sounds from inside the room. "Answer me. Are you washing your skin off?"


    "Umh...That... Kevin, could you help me get some clothes?" Leena was only wearing a towel. She gritted her teeth in shame as she was left with no other choice but to ask Kevin for his help.


    "Well, wait for a moment." The handsome man shook his head. As confused as she was, it was definite that something like this would happen again in the future.


    Inside the bathroom, Leena''s face blushed as she tapped against her head. She was wondering if Kevin would think that she was seducing him with this scene. She got even madder at that thought. Howe she always appeared to be the one to poke on things ever since they met? The thought was too embarrassing.


    "Leena, here are your clothes." Kevin was carrying her underwear and clothes in his hands. It was amon thing for all to forget some things sometimes. Thus, he didn''t make a big deal about it as her.


    Leena snatched her clothes in record speed. Even robbers would not run for their money with how fast she did it. Her action made Kevin a little confused. It took him a little while to think before a wicked smile suddenly cracked his lips and he realized something. Goodness! Leena must be really shy!


    He began to do some arrangements in his head as he remained standing there. What would be the best approach to tell Leena? Although his family was never short of anything, it was still the first time that he would be taking Leena there with him. No matter what, he would help her be in her best manner for it.


    "What are you thinking?" Leena asked. She found Kevin in deep thoughts as soon as she walked out of the bathroom. A sudden gush of fear flooded inside her as she noticed him in deep thoughts. Was something troubling him?


    "I am all right. I received a call from my family just now. It is my father''s birthday next Saturday and I am thinking about what gift can I send him," answered Kevin. He honestly had no clue about what to give his Dad this time. He would casually send him gifts before but it was totally different now. He was married and would like to know what his wife''s thoughts were.


    "What? why didn''t you tell me earlier?" Leena slightly frowned as the mere mention of his family made her palms cold. It was the first time for him to talk about his family to her. It was normal for her to be that nervous.

 Chapter 912 An Cartier Watch (Part Three)

    "I just remember it tonight. They also said that I must bring you with me. Are you free next week? We may need a few days. Can you arrange some free time for it?" asked Kevin. Although Leena did not need to go to work, it did not mean she had no other things to do.


    Thus it was necessary for her to know things like this in advance.


    "Well! Don''t worry about me, I''ll be free at any time. How about you though? Can you get that much vacation?" Leena tilted her head as she looked at him. She was still uneasy. This would be the first time for her to meet Kevin''s family and she did not know if she and his family would get along.


    "That''s OK. I haven''t taken my vacation this year. I''ll just tell the Commander. It will be okay. There aren''t any big holidays these days so we''re not really that busy," answered Kevin. He took the towel from her hand and helped her dry her hair. She was still busy drying herself but was only keeping drying one part of her hair. There were still some beads of water on her skin that were seductively rolling down her beautiful body.


    "Well, what is your father like?" Leena suddenly grew a little shy with his actions. Although his movements were not so gentle, she couldn''t help but feel moved with what he did.


    "Leena, is he just my father? He is also your father now, isn''t he? Just remember this, okay?, Don''t do anything that he can hold against you. You would not want to anger him." Kevin tapped Leena''s head lightly. Did she just forget that they were married? "Okay! I will keep that in mind next time. I am sorry! I forgot." Leena naughtily stuck out her tongue at him. She felt a little sorry about what she just said. He was right, they were married, thus his father was hers as well. She was aware of it. It was just that she tended to be forgetful sometimes.


    "Ohe on. Don''t just say it. You need to call him Dad next week or I won''t be able to save you." Kevin''s warning was urate. His father was known for being overly strict. He still couldn''t understand how the old man turned soft when he was with ire. He wasn''t even sure if the two were living-proofs of the saying, ''Daughter was the lover of her father in the previous life''. ire had always been treated differently while he was brought up by him in strict methods.


    "Well, don''t you believe I can do it? Don''t forget that I''m Leena Leng and there isn''t anything I can''t do." The woman raised her eyebrows smugly as her brain began to reel solutions to the case they were both facing.


    "My father is not the most difficult person to deal with in the family, Leena. The most troublesome would be my unruly sister. You should think of ways on how to make her like you. She would give us a lot of troubles if she doesn''t." Kevin looked at Leena''s eyes. He could sense that she was troubled as she pondered on ways to please his father. Nevertheless, he still found it necessary to let her know about his sister even before ire gave them problems. All her efforts to please his Dad would be in vain if she would not get his sister''s buy-in.


    "Ah! So you have a younger sister! Howe you''ve never brought her up before?" Leena was suddenly depressed. She did not worry so much about his father. But then, wasn''t there someone who once said that it was extremely hard to get along with the mother-inw? How much worse would it be with a younger sister? She felt the contradiction between his and her family raised several levels. She wasn''t sure anymore if she could still handle the situation. What if she couldn''t? What else could she do?


    "You never asked me before. I forgot to mention it too. Don''t worry. I will be there with you." Kevin jokingly pinched her cheek. He should not have said those things too seriously, now she was scared.


    "But you can''t always just follow me! And haven''t you heard? Majority of family conflicts were either caused by one''s bad rtionship with the mother-inw or with the sister-inw? How could I not worry?" Leena knew well that not every mother-inw was as good as Edward''s mother. Besides, Kevin''s family was a political family. It would be inevitable for them to have conflicts with her. Plus, she had always been careless. She couldn''t tell if she would unintentionally make mistakes when they were there.


    "The people in my family are very easy to get along with. It is just ire that is a little unmanageable. You don''t have to worry too much." Kevin patted her shoulder tofort her. He understood that she was still young. Thus, she would panic. He would help her put her mind at ease for the next few days. He could always introduce everyone in his family to her little by little. That way, she wouldn''t be too cautious.


    "ire? Is your sister''s name ire? She must be a very gentle girl given that name. Why do you say she''s unruly?" Her mood went from bad to terrible. She had never heard that Kevin named or mentioned any about his family before. It was the reason why she didn''t ask about it. The thought that she suddenly needed to meet them put her in a passive state.


    "Yes. Her name is ire Gu. She is a little older than you. But she is not as sensible as you. So if she does something wrong in the future, could you excuse her small mistakes, please? After all, you are her sister-inw, aren''t you?" Kevin also didn''t want to give Leena too much pressure. It was just that he knew that she would be insisting for that information anyway. His strategy was to emphasize how much more sensible she was over her sister, thus she would regard herself as someone older than ire.


    "What are you implying? That I am her sister-inw, and she should be afraid of me?" The thought worked on Leena. Seconds more and she was able to smile with confidence again.


    "Leena, it is not as terrible as you think. Yes, it may be hard to get along with ire. But she is not a bad girl. Rx! Don''t be too nervous," heforted her more. It was only after he observed Leena back to herself that Kevin shook his head and smiled. He just wanted her to know these things in advance. He didn''t expect her to panic though. He would be more careful next time. He wouldn''t want his actions to be counterproductive.0000????????Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.

 Chapter 913 In The Moonlight (Part One)

    "I''m not nervous. But what if your parents don''t like me?" Leena said to Kevin. To tell it urately, she was only worried about what his parents'' opinion would be. His sister was about the same age as her. They should have a lot inmon and get along. In addition, "Listen to yourself. You sounded absolutely nervous. Don''t worry. Although my father is strict, he is reasonable. My mother is amiable. There is no doubt that she will like you. There won''t be a problem between you and her." Kevin was sure of it. His mother was the gentlest one in his family.


    Leena was agreeable and many people liked her. She had never argued with anybody else except for Justin, who was always picking on her.


    "Really? I hope you are not lying. I know nothing about your family and I am new at this ''Meet The Parents'' thing. I am afraid that I''ll blow it and your parents will hate me." She was about to meet her inws. Just the thought that she wasn''t the princess of Leng family anymore but the daughter-inw of Gu family made her pout. The change was too abrupt. She had some new roles to adapt to all of the sudden, a wife, a daughter-inw, and a sister-inw. On top of the heavy worry, she also felt the pressure from the overwhelming responsibilities. Was she capable of ying all these roles? She had doubts about it.


    "Silly girl, I told you that you had me. What are you still worried about?" Kevin asked as he ced his hands on her shoulders. He gave her a resigned smile.


    "I don''t want to put you in an awkward position. I''ll figure out a way by myself." Leena took a deep breath as if to prepare herself for a tough trial. It had been said that it was the husband who was put between his mother and his wife that was in the most difficult position. She didn''t want him to go through that."


    "Atta girl. I have faith in you. You can do it." Apanied by a sudden odd feeling rushing through him, Kevin''s eyes gleamed as his gaze set on her pursed lips.


    "Do I have something on my face?" Leena asked after she felt his warm gaze on her. Her hand instantly went to touch her face as she wondered if she had missed washing a spot during her bath.


    "No. Your face is clean and pretty," Kevin said with his desire evident in his eyes. He was a normal man who had needs. He thought he had waited long enough and Leena should be ready to do the most intimate thing normal couples did by now.


    "Then why are you looking at me like that?" Leena averted her eyes from him. Kevin seemed to be extremely tender and enchanting tonight. It was as if he wanted something from her. She blushed uncontrolledly with that thought as her heart raced inside her chest. "Leena, can we?" Kevin''s stare turned even more intense. She had no way to back out. He had already waited long enough for her.


    "I..." Leena stammered as she tried to express herself. She raised her head to look at him. She was too smart to misunderstand his actions.She never expected him to pop the question so directly.N?velDrama.Org owns all ? content.


    "I won''t force you if you say no. So don''t worry. I can always give you more time to know me." Kevin pressed his lips together tightly. Since he had promised her that he would respect her, he would fulfill his promise and wouldn''t pressure her into doing anything. He could just take another cold shower to kill the need that was burning him.


    Leena gave Kevin an ardent stare. Then without any word, she tiptoed, wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him on his lips. She had been thinking of doing it since she came back. However, as a girl, she had restrained her emotions and hadn''t taken action until he raised that question. Now she had a good reason to approach him.


    Kevin was stunned by the kiss. Leena was not the type of girl who would do such a bold move. He froze in shock the moment her soft lips touched his. It took him a few seconds to recover from the beautiful surprise and gather himself. He closed his eyes, cupped her face, and took over the kiss.


    Leena didn''t want to conceal her feelings for Kevin anymore. Nor did she want to fight the fact that she was in love with him. She had decided to jump into this rtionship with both feet, willing to give him both her body and her heart.


    Kevin''s gentle kiss was slow as it pressed on her skin. Every touch it made was like a breeze that caressed her heart. Love requires courage and she was never a coward in love. All she could wish for that moment was a long happy life with him. She was resolved to remain devoted to their marriage till she grew old, for better or worse.


    With the clothes off, Leena''s perfect figure was exposed to Kevin. Never had he thought that a sweet girl like her could have such an enticing body.


    She was not like the woman he loved. Neither their eyes, their eyebrows, nor their figures were the same, and yet he was fascinated by her. The woman under him hadpletely upied every fiber of his being. Both his heart and mind were hers and that very moment was just theirs.


    "Leena, are you ready?" Kevin groaned heavily at her ear as he held back his urges. Beads of sweat were on his forehead.


    "Yes." Leena nodded. Her face was flushed crimson. She was so nervous that she kept her head tilted, afraid to look at him. This was very different from thest time. They were both sober now. She felt shy.


    "Rx. I''ll be gentle," Kevin whispered and kissed her lips softly. The courageous and unyielding soldier had now turned into a gentle and warm man.


    It had been a while since their first time. He positioned himself and kissed her onest time. And then it happened. They were one. Leena furrowed her brows when the pain of his invasion got her. It was relief that the pain didn''tst long before it was reced by pleasure. She moaned loudly with all the feelings it had stirred inside her heaving chest, sweet nervousness and ecstatic excitement.


    Outside, the night was tranquil. The still curtain pped after a breeze had visited it. The bright moon hung in the sky, affectionately spilling silver light on everything. After a while, as if afraid to disturb the two people in their bedroom, it slid behind the thick clouds. Leena''s feeling for Kevin grew more in the midst of their intimacy. She didn''t think she could leave this man anymore.


    Kevin cherished her. It was miles away from how rough he had beenst time. He was gentler at her. Tonight was their first lovemaking after they got married. He wanted everything to be perfect.


    He could feel how much Leena loved him. Thus he told himself that he would be faithful to her no matter what. He would try his best to fall in love with her.


    His senses were sharp. He could read how much she loved him on everything she did, be it her subtle movements or mild words. He wouldn''t let her down.


    Leena felt exhausted the moment they stopped. She didn''t even have the strength to move her fingers.


    Kevin smiled evilly and walked into the bathroom naked as if Leena wasn''t there. His naked body made her face redder. Despite everything, she still wasn''t used to them being this exposed to each other. Regrets came to Leena when she recalled her initiative. Howe she couldn''t control herself before him?


    She knew Kevin didn''t love her, but she would try to be a better woman for him. She was charming and she believed Kevin was an upright man. He had told her that he would eventually love her since they were married. Hence, she didn''t care that she had fallen in love with him first. She would just wait for him to love her back.000000

 Chapter 914 In The Moonlight (Part Two)

    "Kiddo, take a bath before going to sleep. It will make you feel better," Kevin said to Leena after his shower. He was standing by the bed with only a bath sheet on.


    "But I don''t want to move. I''m too tired." Leena shot him an using frown. Her lips were pouting as she looked at him with pitiful eyes. The message that it was all his fault was clearly written all over her face. "Be a good girl. Have a bath first. It will take only a few minutes." The lovemaking had made them both sweat-drenched. He couldn''t just let her sleep all sticky. Thus he insisted on her taking a bath.


    "Fine. Turn around. I''m going to put some clothes on," Leena said as she grabbed the sheets to prevent Kevin from seeing her body again.


    "Forget it. I''ll just do it myself." As soon as he finished his words, Kevin bent over and carried her altogether with the covers. He walked into the bathroom without waiting for her to reply.


    She was already in the bathroom even before she could scream. Kevin tore all her covers off and threw them aside. He put her in a bath full of water in a heartbeat.


    "Kevin, are you crazy?" Leena was so flustered as she covered her chest with her arms.


    Girl, I''ve seen everything. It''s pointless to be shy right now." Kevin bent over to coil her hair and put the bathing cap on her head. Then he looked at her mischievously.


    "You''re lustful." Leena felt that she was at a considerable loss. She had been too shy to see Kevin''s nakedness and closed her eyes the whole course of their lovemaking while he had seen every part of hers.


    "Yes, I am, but only before you. Are you going to take the bath alone or do you need my help?" Kevin asked as he added some essential oil to the water that could help her rx. He was just teasing her because he knew that she was too shy to take a bath while he was still there. He really had no intention of staying.


    "I''m good. Now leave." Leena was still crossing her arms over her chest. Looking at him with pleading eyes, she hoped he could leave the bathroom as soon as possible. She could feel the heat on her face umting as if it was going to burst out bleeding any minute. "Okay, I''m going. Just call me if you need any help." Kevin sounded happy and cocky. He retreated from the bathroom, all smiles.


    The minute he was out of sight, Leena finally loosened her arms. The passionate lovemaking had left hickeys on her body. She looked at them with her lips twitching. She was feeling happy deep down inside her and at the same time, unsure about what the future would be.


    Kevin let out a mild sigh as he picked some clothes for Leena from the wardrobe. He didn''t go wild with joy the moment he found Leena loved him. In all honesty, what he felt back then was confusion instead. He would not have felt that guilty if she hadn''t fallen for him. Now he was trapped, not knowing how to love Leena, nor was he even sure if he would learn to love her in the end.


    The situation was making him feel a strong sense of loss. He was certain that he had feeling for her, but it couldn''t be summed to love. He just liked her.


    The night became quieter. That sense of loss was still with Kevin even after he had hugged Leena into sleep.


    When the first light shattered the darkness, Kevin woke up on time as usual. He had originally nned to take an off for that day, but since he was going to see his family the next weekend, the break had been canceled.


    He withdrew his arm from under Leena''s head and pressed a kiss on her face. It was still too early. He got out of the bed quietly as he was worried that he might wake Leena up. Obviously, he had exhausted her the night before. She could use a good sleep.


    He woke up at the same time every morning even without an rm clock unless he was worn out. Last night''s lovemaking made him more energetic. He was in a good mood until he got to the military base.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "Major General, you seem happy. What happened? Did some beautiful womane on to you?" Daisy joked about him as soon as their meeting was over. She was holding a pile of files that needed to be handed outter. She remembered that he had left with Louisa the night before. Thus, she couldn''t help teasing him.


    "You said it like that happens every day." Kevin rolled his eyes at Daisy. There were some files in his hands too.


    "Tell me then. You have that smirk on your face all morning. What makes you so happy?" Daisy nced at him. He was rarely in such a good mood.


    "Is it that obvious?" Kevin furrowed his eyebrows, afraid that everyone had noticed it.


    "Of course it is. Come on. Fire away. What''s with that big smile?" Daisy asked as they were walking together. She assumed that there must have been something thrilling. He seemed unable to keep his mouth closed. He was still wearing his enchanting grin until that point. "Didn''t Leena call you? She''s back." Kevin looked at Daisy in surprise. He had thought that Leena would have informed their friends of her return even though she hadn''t told him in advance about it.


    "What? Leena''s back? When?" Daisy was excited about the news. She always liked Leena.


    "She arrived home yesterday morning, but she didn''t tell me. It was a big surprise for me when I got homest night." Kevin smiled. He was suddenly relieved out of something he couldn''t name the moment he saw Leenast night. She gave him the type of thrill simr to how one felt when they finally grabbed what they had been chasing after for a long time.


    "What''s wrong with that girl? Why didn''t she even bother to give me a call? I have always liked her." Daisy felt hurt. She might have been guilty of misunderstanding the rtionship between Leena and Edward the first time they met, but she found what a lovely girl she was overtime.


    "How about this? I ask her to call youter so that you won''t feel so bad." Kevin smiled at Daisy. After giving it some thoughts, he realized that he wasn''t obsessed with her anymore. The only thing left inside his chest for her was slight sadness.


    "No, I''d like to see how long it will take her to remember us." Edward hadn''t mentioned anything about Leena''sing back. There was no doubt that he was unaware of it either. Daisy felt that Leena had forgotten all of them after she had got married.


    "It must be because she was too busy to call you yesterday. Don''t be mad. I think she will remember to call youter when she wakes up." Kevin assumed that Leena was still sleeping. It would be a while before she woke up. He was all over her and wasn''t able to control himself from taking her many timesst night.


    "Um... She''s still sleeping? It''s almost 10 a.m! Was she drawing designsst night?" Daisy knew Leena was a well-known fashion designer, but Kevin knew nothing about it.


    "Um... well..." Kevin felt embarrassed as he failed to find a way to answer Daisy''s question. Would it be fine to tell her the real reason why Leena was still sleeping? He didn''t think so.

 Chapter 915 The Panther (Part One)

    Daisy was not a young girl who was clueless about the adult world. She immediately realized what had happened and why Leena was still asleep thiste into the morning. As she looked at Kevin''s ufortable expression, she could not help but feel embarrassed. Her


    face turned red. Fortunately, her cell phone rang the same moment. It saved her from the awkwardness of the situation.


    "It is Leena," Daisy told Kevin as she took a look at the caller ID. She pressed the answer key.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Sis Daisy, it''s me, Leena. Did I disturb you at work?" Leena wore a sports attire that day. Leaning her back against the soft sofa in the president''s office of FX International Group, she spoke on the phone in her sweet voice. She looked quite cozy andfortable. "Leena, I am d that you still remember to call me! I heard you came back yesterday. You didn''t inform us. Did you forget us so easily? Hmm, I wonder." Daisy passed the file in her hand to Mark who walked over to her. She rxed her stiff arm.


    "Ha ha. I''m sorry, Sis Daisy! I was just too busy after Inded, so I went home. I forgot to call you. But you see now, I called immediately as soon as I remembered to." Leena blinked at Edward. She hade to FX International Group to thank him for buying her the expensive vi. Leena had chosen all their presents very carefully and nned to give them when she visited their home. However, Aunt Cynthia and Uncle Jonathan had gone out. As for the others? Some went to work and one was at school. No one was home. So, she decided to bring the gifts to FX International Group. Besides, Rain was also here. She could give him his present here without having to visit his house.


    "You wicked girl. Come and visit us. We haven''t seen you in about a month." Daisy nced at Kevin who just shrugged his shoulders. He wouldn''t interfere with Leena''s freedom. She had her own life and he would never impede her choices.


    "I am with Edward right now. We are going out to have lunch. Will you join us?" Leena asked Daisy as Edward gestured at her to do so.


    "What? You are at FX International Group right now? Aren''t you sleeping at home?" Daisy was surprised to hear that Leena was with Edward. She turned to nce at Kevin in confusion. He told her that she was still sleeping! Had he been making it up?


    "Err... who told you I was sleeping? I woke up." Immediately, Leena''s face turned red upon hearing Daisy''s words. She lowered her head shyly and hid the blush on her cheeks with her long and ck hair. She was afraid that Edward would see her expression. Luckily, the hair saved her.


    "Who told me? It''s your guess. So, where are you going to have lunch? I''ll have to check if there is anything we need to handle in the afternoon. If not, I''lle there directly to meet you." Daisy raised her eyebrows at Kevin, seeking his response. Kevin nodded to indicate that he was fine with the arrangement. He asked Lee, who was standing beside him, to look over his schedule for the afternoon. Meanwhile, Mark checked the Senior Colonel''s schedule for today on his nner. He was quick at his job.


    "Wait a second. I don''t have a clue. Let me ask Edward." Leena got off the phone and turned to face Edward who was immersed in typing something on hisptop. "Edward, Sis Daisy is asking where we are going for lunch," she told him. "Pass the phone to me. I''ll talk to her," Edward said as he continued to work, not stopping until he finished. He reached out to grab the phone from Leena.


    Leena walked over to him. After handing him the phone, she perched on the desk. As she stared at Edward, she realized that both Edward and Kevin were handsome, but they were totally different from each other. They had distinct temperaments. The corners of her mouth turned up at the thought of Kevin.


    "Hello. Daisy, let''s go to Tender Whispers. It''s quiet there. The food there also suits you women." Edward did not feel ufortable at all under Leena''s admiring gaze. He reached out and pinched her reddish face tenderly, his eyes shining with love. She was his little sister after all. That would never change.


    "Okay. But I''m not sure yet if I can make it. How about I let you knowter, after I have checked my schedule? I''ll call you before I get there." Daisy was happy to hear Edward''s voice, as could be gauged from her expression. There was nothing but deep affection in her eyes when she talked to Edward.


    "Yes, of course. We will wait for you. Take your time and focus on your work. Bye." Edward hung up the phone and looked back at Leena carefully. He found that she was not focused on him at all. Instead, she seemed lost in her thoughts. What was she thinking about so deeply? He waved his hand in front of her eyes to catch her attention.


    "Hey! Leena, what are you thinking about?" Edward asked her abruptly. She did not even notice his wavering hand.


    "Oh, Edward! You almost freaked me out," Leenained in a grumpy tone, concealing her thoughts cautiously. If Edward knew her mind, she''d be quite embarrassed. He was her brother after all. The sly old fish!


    "You are the one who freaked me out! You were staring right through me, without making a single noise." Edward knocked on her head dotingly, handing over her phone.


    "Ha ha. That''s because you are so handsome. So what happened? Will Sis Daisy be having lunch with us?" Leena looked at him, awaiting his answer. She wanted to see Daisy too.


    "Well, it depends! I''m not sure yet. You can call Belinda and Duke too. Check with them if they cane or not." Edward looked at the files on his desk. His workload had increased all of a sudden because of Rain who had gone to Thand. No one else could take up his


    job.


    "Don''t worry! They can make it. I already called them before I came here. But... where is Rain? I haven''t seen him yet," Leena wondered in a confused tone. Rain usually appeared promptly whenever she arrived at thepany. She had been there for long, but he still had not shown up. Where was his sultry self? Leena thought it was extremely unusual for him to not present himself.


    "Oh, yes, Rain! He went to Thand and hasn''te back yet. I thought he told you about it. Didn''t he?" Edward was going through the documents but stopped for a second upon hearing Leena''s reply. He thought that Rain had called Leena toin about his overbearing attitude. But to his surprise, Rain had kept silent and not said a word about it. He surprised him.00000000000

 Chapter 916 The Panther (Part Two)

    "Thand? Why did he go there? He didn''t tell me anything. Why didn''t he? Was something wrong with him?" Leena looked at Edward, her eyes widening in surprise. What happened to Rain? Was something bothering him? What was he up to? "Well. You probably need to ask him that in person to find out. I assume he would be pleased to tell you everything," Edward replied. He looked at the reports in his hands, not bothered by Leena''s presence. He seemed to be quite used to it. "No, I won''t! He will for sure bamboozle me. Well, I am not going to disturb you and your work any longer. I need to get some rest too. Wake me up when it''s time." Leena walked to the sofa, leaving her phone on the desk. She was still somewhat tired after yesterday. Besides, she had juste back from Paris. She still suffered from the jetg because of the time difference.


    "Yes, get some rest. What were you up to yesterday? Were you at a robbery or something? Why do you want to sleep at this time in the morning?" Edward frowned slightly. She had been yawning for quite some time now. It was almost noon. He didn''t understand why she was fatigued right now.


    "Oh, yes! I robbed someone yesterday. But I didn''t steal anything, but lost my own heart," Leena replied jokingly andy down on the sofafortably. She did not want to tell him too much about her private matters. That would be weird.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "Leena, aren''t you happy with your life?" Upon hearing her unusual words, Edward looked at her and asked, frowning. He felt the difort in his heart. She had been his beloved princess since she was a child. He loved her very much. One of thest things he liked was to see her sad.


    "Yes, of course I am happy! Why would you say that? I am very happy. I was just kidding. Don''t take it so seriously," Leena replied, sticking out her tongue. She had forgotten that Edward was a sensitive man deep down. He might sense something unusual, so she hastened to refute his concerns immediately. In any case, she did not think she was unhappy now.


    "That is good. Just take some rest. It is still early now." Edward tore his gaze away from her and concentrated on his documents again. He still didn''t feel as peaceful as before. He knew better than anyone else who was in Kevin''s heart. He did not want Leena to get hurt because of him.


    Leena did not make any response. She was afraid that Edward would not let go of his anxiety for her and ask her again. He was not easy to deal with. So she closed her eyes and slept for a while.


    Time passed by quietly. When Edward raised his head in the direction of Leena, she was already fast asleep. ''Is she dreaming about something?'' Edward had no way to tell. He sighed silently. Grabbing his coat from the back of his chair, he walked over and gently put it on her. He gazed at her for a long time before kissing her forehead affectionately. After a while, he went back to his desk and continued the work while Leena slept. The documents seemed to be endless.


    Suddenly, Leena''s phone rang. She had left it on the desk. The ringtone sounded extremely shrill in the quiet atmosphere. Edward pressed the answer key without thinking twice, afraid that it would wake Leena up. She would be upset if she got disturbed from her sleep. "Hello! Who''s that, please?" Edward spoke politely since he did not know who was calling. He had picked up the phone without checking the caller ID.


    "This is Kevin Gu. Mr. Mu, why did you answer the phone? Where is Leena?" Kevin asked him in a formal tone. Leena''s brothers still had not fully epted him as her husband. He was always polite while addressing them.


    "Oh, Kevin. It''s you. She is sleeping right now. What happened?" Edward''s voice took a cold turn as soon as he heard Kevin speaking on the other side. One could not me Edward for acting so distantly whenever he was concerned. Once upon a time, Kevin had been Edward''s rival in love. He had be even more contemptible after he married Leena - the little princess they all loved so much.


    "Oh! Is she sleeping? Well, forget it then. I called to tell her that Daisy and I have some work to finish this afternoon. So we can''t make it to the lunch. Since she''s busy sleeping, I can just tell you about it. Daisy will probably call you about itter." Kevin had not expected Edward to pick up the call. He was surprised, yet replied in a modest and courteous tone.


    "Has something serious happened?" Edward frowned slightly at Kevin''s words. He thought they would find time for lunch. So why the sudden change in schedule?


    "Oh, no. It is nothing serious. Just that some military leaders will being to the army base for inspection in the afternoon. So, it''s not appropriate for us to go out." Kevin had been surprised at the change of events. They had no alternative but to prepare themselves to wee the leaders. It was a usual urrence when one was in the army. Circumstances changed in the blink of an eye.


    "Okay. I''ll tell Leena about it. Goodbye!" Edward was an influential man no matter whom he was talking to. He hung up immediately as soon as he finished speaking. He never bothered to think whether it was polite or not.


    Kevin''s mouth twisted a little upon hearing the disconnected dial tone on the receiver. He was quite surprised that Edward did not tease him. ''But Leena? Why did she fall asleep again?'' He wondered, worrying about her. Was it because she had gotten up too early? Or was it because she was still exhausted because of him afterst night? As he pondered on this, he felt that maybe he had gone too far with her. She was somewhat inexperienced in this aspect after all.


    "Major General Gu, the Commander is looking for you," The Commander''s secretary walked in and informed him courteously as Kevin put the phone into his pocket.


    "All right. I will be there right away." Kevin stood up and went to the Commander''s office. He wondered why that old fox was looking for him.


    "Hu hu! Major General Gu. I heard you are going home next week. Is that correct?" Themander''s clear and loudughter could be heard as soon as Kevin walked into the office.


    "Yes, Commander. I would have forgotten had you not reminded me of it." It dawned on Kevin that he had not reported his leave to the Commander yet. He could not help but frown. How could he forget to do such an important thing?


    "No worries. Your father called me up and told me to give you some time off so that you can bring your wife back home. He is looking forward to seeing her." Kevin''s father was the Commander''s leader. The Commander was bound to follow his orders as long as he wanted. After he finished talking to Kevin''s father on the phone, he immediately fixed up Kevin''s schedule.000

 Chapter 917 The Panther (Part Three)

    "What? My father called you up in person?" Kevin was astonished to hear that. His father seemed to have great expectations from his daughter-inw.


    work. He never really had time to go home and visit his family. As he thought about that, Kevin felt slightly guilty.


    "Yes, he did. So don''t worry! I have approved your leave. It seems to me you haven''t gone home in quite a long time, have you? Maybe your father misses you a lot," the Commander responded thoughtfully. Kevin had given up many holidays because of the nature of his "Thank you, Commander. Is that all you wanted to inform me of?" If so, he must have been crazy to ask Kevin toe to his office. He could have just told him that on the phone. It wasn''t such an important matter that the Commander felt the need to inform him in person. "Yes, sure! What else would I have to tell you?" Themander looked at Kevin, puzzled. What was the big deal if he called him here because of it?Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Okay... I see." Kevin was speechless and rolled his eyes. He realized that the Commander was making fun of him.


    "What? Don''t you have anything to say?" The Commander could not help but feel giddy at the sight of Kevin''s silent resentment. Kevin was too upright. It was funny to make him the butt of his jokes sometimes. That way, he would brighten up a little.


    "No, Commander. I''m leaving if there isn''t anything else." Kevin knew that the Commander was like Peter Pan who hade to the real world. He was used to him and his childish antics. Kevin was not the only one who he made fun of anyway. He teased Daisy too. "Fine. You can leave now! Oh, by the way, tell Daisy I am looking for her. I have something to discuss with her." Apparently, Daisy had also been made into a target, exactly as he had expected.


    "Tell me, Commander! Are you nervous about the inspection in the afternoon? Is that why you are making fun of us? To ease your anxiety?" Kevin frowned at him. ''Come on, it is just an inspection!'' he thought. Why was the Commander overreacting to it, as if it was an enemy who was approaching them?


    "No, I''m not! Why should I be anxious? You are supposed to be nervous, not me." The Commander would never admit that he, in fact, was anxious because of them. He had received information that the military leaders wereing to the army base only in the name of inspection, but their true purpose was to select a new batch of Panther members. He was curious about who would qualify to be chosen. It was an honorable distinction. He wondered if Kevin''s and Daisy''s men would make it, since he had such high expectations from them.


    "What do you mean? Is this not purely an inspection? Do they have some other purpose?" Kevin looked at the Commander with a thoughtful expression in his eyes. He had a fine and intelligent mind. Kevin had an inkling that this old fox knew something in advance. Otherwise, he would not have pointed out that they should be the ones to be nervous, instead of him.


    "Well, you tell me." The Commander smiled mysteriously. He was a smart man who knew when to stop. That was all that he could tell him. He did not want to give away too much. Besides, he had been informed by his superiors that it was meant to be a secret. The soldiers they picked should not only be exceptional at their skills, but should also have good personalities and apanying qualities.


    "I tell you? I know nothing at all. What can I tell you? Can''t you be decisive enough to inform me of everything? Don''t be so deliberately mysterious." The two were best friends in private despite their age difference. They got along well. They interacted easily and casually with no pretext of superior and subordinate. That was also one of the reasons why Kevin did not like embarrassing Louisa too much. The Commander was her father after all.


    "Young man, do you know of the Panther?" The Commander raised his eyebrows, winking at himcently.


    "Of course I know of them. No one in the military does not know that they are an extremely powerful military group." Kevin stared at the Commander with a helpless expression in his eyes. Everybody knew about Panther, so how could he not know? He had wanted to join them at a time in the past. But he had given up the dream, because then he would have had to stay in the capital city. He did not want to live too close to his home. It would make him feel like he was still under the protection of his family and would be very unfulfilling. "I''m d to hear that you know about them. So ask your men to behave well! They might have a chance to get in. But keep in mind not to inform them of it too clearly. Just give them a hint. Let us wait to see who will be the lucky ones. I am looking forward to the picks," The Commander instructed him. He had high expectations from Daisy''s and Kevin''s men. Their soldiers were strong, both psychologically and physically. He was not worried that they would fall behind the others. In fact, they were more likely to be selected. "I see. Are you also nning to tell Daisy about it? If yes, then well, I can just tell herter when I meet her." It was true that Panther as a group was very powerful. Still, they were only humans made out of flesh and blood. However, he was doubtful that his men would pass the final test and make it to the end. He did not look forward to the selections very much. He did not want them to bid for the chance in high spirits but get eliminated finally. It woulde as a great disappointment to them. Kevin was rational about expectations. "Yes, of course. Please tell her about it! I still have a report to go through. It would save my time now if you tell her when you two meet," the Commander replied and waved his hand at him, signaling him to leave quickly, as if he was attempting to chase away flies. He was somewhat disappointed at Kevin''sckluster response. He had thought Kevin would be more excited at the news. But Kevin did not seem enthusiastic about the selections at all. The Commander was surprised.


    "Sure. Please, go on with your work! I will leave now," Kevin bid him adieu as he turned around and walked away. A small smirk appeared on his face. Yes, he had made it! He was finally able to fight him back. The Commander would not make fun of him next time, just because he wanted to kill his spare time and boredom.00

 Chapter 918 Petty Bourgeois (Part One)

    proudly raised her chin as she shot daggers at her, refusing to feel patronized by this woman''s arrogance.


    What a small world it was. Leena didn''t expect to meet that woman again, who had beat her in getting the pair of earrings that had caught her eye back in the jewelry store. She was right at the door of Tender Whispers. The woman looked at Leena with disdain. Leena "Hmph. Bitch! What an obnoxious hick. In trying to buy the earrings I took a liking to, you bit off more than you could chew." Louisa had also recognized Leena. Back at the store, she got involved in a ming row with Leena. Her rude remarks had offended Louisa a lot, so how could she forget her?


    "Now, wait a minute. What did you say? That I''m an obnoxious hick?" Leena clenched her teeth in bitter hatred. As a dress designer, she kept up to date with thetest trends. Her customers scrambled to get her fashionable designs. No one ever said that she was a country bumpkin.


    "Why, are you deaf? Did you not hear me?" Louisa sneered, ncing sideways at Leena. "Look at you! Only the people at the bottom of the heap wear such casual sports wear. You know what? The earrings clearly weren''t meant for you. Do you know how expensive they were? Could you even afford them?"


    "Miss, do we know each other? Do we have a grudge against each other or something? Why are you making these scathingments? Also, I''m not an obnoxious hick by any means."Leena looked down at her attire. Her clothes and shoes were from famous brands in France. Why did Louisa say that she was a rube?


    "Oh, don''t you know?" Louisa looked down at Leena condescendingly. "Figure it out yourself. Do you really need me to tell you?" Louisa said, assuming an air of superiority. In her eyes, Leena wore knockoffs. She could not afford branded items.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    "Sorry, but I don''t think I look shabby at all." Leena chose to ignore Louisa. She was waiting for Edward here; otherwise she would have left and not bother herself to talk nonsense with Louisa.


    "You have terrible taste. You are just not aware of it." Louisa smoothed her dress that was of the first rate, showing off her money as she patronized Leena.


    "Well, you are right. I''m petty bourgeois, and I look uncool. Why are you condescending yourself to argue with me? That''s very inferior of you." Leena gazed at her coolly. She didn''t want to reveal her true identity to such a bumptious woman, or even argue with her. She knew the brand of Louisa''s dress, but she disdained buying it. ''What makes her feel so above herself?'' Leena wondered, ''Her brand-name dress? What a shallow, vain woman.''


    "You pretended that you could afford those diamond earrings in the jewelry store. It disgusted me. Look at your cheap knockoffs. Such a poor girl wanted to buy a pair of diamond earrings. So sad." Louisa felt sick to think that Leena wanted to buy the earrings she had liked first. Although Louisa was finally able to buy them, Leena had embarrassed her by making those offensive remarks. She found that she just couldn''t let it go.


    "Huh? What are you talking about? You mean to say that I wear cheap knockoffs? Miss, please don''t pretend to know what you don''t know. You''re making a fool out of yourself." Leena narrowed her eyes at Louisa. She felt disgust for this conceited woman. "What? I am pretending to know what I don''t know? Open up your eyes. Can you even spell the name of the brand I wear? Your casual clothes are so unttering," Louisa replied, snorting loudly. She didn''t even look at Leena.


    "Sure, I can spell what you are wearing. It''s just a brand that I despise." Louisa raised her eyebrows at Leena, but was distracted by the handsome man who came over. She couldn''t tear her gaze away from him.


    "Edward." When she saw him, Leena smiled sweetly and greeted him with pleasure.


    "Leena, is she your friend?" Edward nced at Louisa, returning his gaze to Leena.


    "No. I don''t know her. She is a lunatic. Just leave her alone." Leena was enraged at Louisa''s rudeness. She didn''t want to talk with her any longer. All she wanted was to leave at once.


    "Let''s go inside." Edward put his arm around Leena''s waist and affectionately drew her in the direction of the restaurant, ignoring Louisa who stood spellbound.


    Louisa didn''t avert her gaze until Edward and Leena disappeared from her view. ''What an indescribably beautiful and striking man he is, ''Louisa thought, ''Judging from his temperament and his taste in clothing, he must be a big bug. Why does he hang out with a woman of such humble birth?


    Humph. Bitch, don''t run into me next time. Although I envy you having a boyfriend of such good taste, we are enemies. You wait and see.''


    "Leena, do you know that woman? You seemed hostile to her," Edward asked with a frown. He saw the two of them talking when he came over, so he was curious.


    "No. We had a dispute at a jewelry storest time. She is such an obnoxious and smug woman. Just ignore her." Leena leaned against Edward. She had left the quarrel with Louisa behind. She didn''t want to bother herself to argue with the likes of Louisa, or she would upset herself.


    "Okay. I must say that you have a good attitude toward everything. Just treat her like she is a madwoman. We are civilized people. Don''t engage with rude people at all." Edward liked the way Leena thought. Even if someone offended her, she responded with a smile. She was really a loving girl.


    "See? I''m not mad at her. Let''s forget it. Don''t talk about her anymore. I wonder if Duke and Belinda have arrived. I can''t wait to see them." Leena didn''t want any mention of the abominable woman again. What family did she belong to? How rude she was.


    Edward smiled. If he wasn''t wrong, Duke and Belinda had arrived already. He knew Duke loved his sister dearly. Since she returned, he had wanted to see her as soon as possible. He wouldn''t bete.


    "Belinda! It''s been a long time. Did you miss me?" Leena pulled open the door to the private box of the restaurant, excitedly running toward Belinda. She hugged her, smiling widely.


    "Girl, didn''t youe back yesterday? If you really missed me, you would have called me up." Belinda gently patted her back. Although she wasining, Belinda was happy to see Leena hade back. "Belinda, you said exactly what Daisy said. You''re such good friends that you even me me in the same way." Leena pouted, pretending to be upset.


    "You ungrateful brat. You didn''t ask us to pick you up from the airport or even didn''t tell us that you hade back. We missed you so much." Belinda fixed Leena''s long hair that had been falling onto her eyes. She smiled wickedly as she found an obvious love bite on Leena''s neck. No wonder Leena wore a turtleneck sweater today.


    "I wanted to surprise you. See, you''re happy to see me." Leena acted like a spoiled child as Belinda babied her. After Belinda let her go, Leena walked up to Duke and threw herself into his arms.


    "Why didn''t you ask us to pick you up at the airport?" Duke softly med Leena as he hugged her. His eyes were full of tenderness.


    "I could go home myself, so I didn''t want to bother you. Duke, you seem to have changed a lot. It must be because of Belinda." Leena smiled brightly. She looked adorable and charming.


    "Have I? You must be kidding. I''m who I used to be. Don''t deliberately change the subject." Duke knitted his brows. Leena''s tricks didn''t work on him. As her brother, Duke knew her like the palm of his own hand. He knew she wanted something whenever sheplimented him. She was trying to change the subject so that Duke wouldn''t continue to me her.


    "I don''t. I am serious! You''ve really changed. If you don''t believe me, you can ask Edward. I bet he''s thinking the same thing. Am I right, Edward?" Leena blinked at Edward, casting an imploring nce in his direction. She hoped that he would take her side. "Yes. I agree. Duke, you''ve really changed. You''re more like a beast now," Edward said in a no-nonsense voice while sitting down on the couch, as if what he said was indeed true.


    "Wait. What? You''re the beast, not me! I haven''t seen you in quite a few days. You''ve be even more annoying." Duke rolled his eyes at Edward as he led Leena to another couch. With Leena and Belinda sitting beside him, he was the happiest man in the world, as the two women he liked the most were here.]

 Chapter 919 Petty Bourgeois (Part Two)

    "You know damn well this is who I am. Where is Tom? Why don''t I see him?" Edward was always thest one to the party, so he was surprised that he hadn''t seen Tom yet.


    "Oh, right. He just called and said that he would get a little bitte because of an important patient." Duke shrugged his shoulders and continued," I wonder if it''s an excuse. As far as I know, he shows respect for nobody, but he is working overtime today. That patient must be a big cheese in the city."


    "An important patient?" Edward sneered," Maybe it''s a critical member of the government." He knew the officials in the city were cheap. They often turned to him for help, but it was never the other way round. His conscience was clear over his legitimate business, so he did not need to ask them for help.


    "I have no idea. The mayor''s election is approaching. Maybe something is about to happen." Duke wasn''t familiar with the officials. To put it bluntly, he didn''t want to work hand in glove with them at all. He had a clear conscience. No matter who became the mayor, it was the same to him.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    "Who cares? We never care about politics, and we''re not qualified to take part in it. We''d better do what we should do." Edward gave him a smileced with cynicism. The officialdom wasplicated. Only those who yed ording to the circumstances could have a foothold there. Edward wasn''t willing to associate with those wicked people.


    "You''re right. Walls have ears. Don''t discuss this right now. Aren''t you afraid that Daisy might be implicated?" What Edward said made sense, but he couldn''t ignore the fact that his wife was a military officer.


    "There is nothing to worry about. Her army base keeps aloof from the mess." Edward didn''t worry about it. It was no big deal. If worst came to worst, Daisy could resign and stay at home. In any case, her job was very dangerous. Edward wouldn''t need to worry over her if she quit.


    "Right. They are directly under the control of the Central Military Commission. They don''t have any dealings with the officials." Duke pouted his lips as a look of contemtive interest spread on his cold face. He chose to take a wait-and-see attitude to these things. "I think you''ve hit the nail on the head. Let''s stop talking about these things. Have you ordered any dishes?" Since Daisy was too busy to have dinner with them, Edward didn''t care about what food was served. Duke knew what he liked and could ask the waiters to serve up his favorite dishes.


    "Yes. What about Daisy? She really won''t be able toe?" Duke had heard in the beginning that Daisy would alsoe, but apparently she couldn''t make it now.


    "Yes. She has to deal with some emergency at the army base." Edward had hoped that Daisy coulde. She missed Leena very much. If she hade and met Leena, she wouldn''t be bothered about her after she went home tonight.


    "What? Daisy can''t have dinner with us?" Surprised, Leena looked at Edward in confusion. What had happened when she was asleep?


    "Yes. Kevin called you, but you slept like a log. So he didn''t bother to wake you up," Edward teased Leena yfully.


    "No, it wasn''t like that. I was just a little tired." Embarrassed, Leena produced a forced smile. ''Did I really sleep like a log?'' she wondered, ''Why didn''t I hear my phone ring? Gosh, this is so embarrassing.''


    "Right. You''re tired and addled," Edward continued to tease Leena. When he woke her up, she had opened her eyes sleepily and asked in a daze whether it was time to have dinner. Her drowsiness amused Edward.


    "Leena, why did you sleep at Edward''s office? Didn''t you sleep wellst night?" Duke''s brows knitted. He asked Leena in a concerned tone. He cast a tender look toward Leena.


    "Duke, I was trying to sleep off the jetg. I just returned from France. I can''t adapt to the life here at the moment," Leena exined anxiously. She was afraid that her brother would see right through her.


    "If you wanted to sleep off the jetg, why didn''t you just sleep at home?" Duke''s brows were scrunched together. He didn''t believe what Leena said.


    "I couldn''t wait to see you! So I left home in a hurry. I didn''t expect to feel so sleepy." Leena pouted, pretending to feel wronged. She knew that as long as she did that, her brother wouldn''t pump her for details.


    "Come on, Duke, don''t question your sister so much. What are you arguing with her for? You talk so much." Belinda certainly knew why. It was said that the reunion after a brief parting was as sweet as a honeymoon. Leena returned yesterday after spending a long time in France. A love bite was on her neck, which suggested that she had passionate sex with her husbandst night. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have been so tired.


    "Do you want me to keep on about you too?" Duke squinted at Belinda. Obviously, she was taking Leena''s side.


    "Puff!" Edward was drinking water. Upon hearing what Duke said, he spit out the water in his mouth. When did Duke be so garrulous? Wasn''t he always cool?


    "What the hell, Edward? That''s disgusting!" Duke picked up the napkin on the table to wipe at his face. He was dumbstruck. Why did Edward spit on him every time?


    "Sorry. I was just wondering when you became so talkative. Didn''t you only yap at Leena? When did you begin to bother Belinda too?" Edward stifled augh. It was hard to imagine a guy who was as cold as Duke being so mouthy.


    "Fuck off. It''s none of your business. Mind yourself." Duke rolled his eyes at Edward. ''Edward is such an awful friend, ''Duke thought, ''He makes a fuss over everything I say. What''s worse, he delights in being snarky to me. Is this what a friend should do?''


    "I''m okay. I know you''ve reached a turning point in your life. As that advertisement said, to smoothly go through menopause, it is vital to get calcium supplements. You should do that." Edward tried not to smile. Duke rarely made a show of himself. How could he not seize the chance to jeer at him?


    "I''m not at any turning point of my life! It must be your sister who reaches menopause!" Duke uttered thoughtlessly, spluttering with rage. What Edward said infuriated him.


    "Duke..." It wasn''t Edward who was affected by thement, but Leena who was sitting beside him. She looked at Duke with a pointed but innocent look. Didn''t he know that she was Edward''s sister too? Why did he say that?


    "Ha ha! That''s hrious!" Edward burst intoughter as he saw the embarrassing expression on Leena''s face. He didn''t have to argue back at all. Someone else had done that.


    "Well, sorry. I forgot you were also his sister." After making an apology to Leena, Duke turned to re at Edward. ''You''re the one at fault. You should apologize! If you hadn''t provoked me so much, I wouldn''t have said that, ''Duke thought in his mind. "Wow! Look at what you have done now." Belinda looked at Duke coldly and thought with a hint of sarcasm, ''You moron, didn''t you know that it was a trap set up by Edward? You fell into it blindly.''


    "Belinda, you are my wife. Why are you taking his side?" Duke fumed, already vexed with Edward. What was worse, Belinda was now poking fun at him. He narrowed his eyes at her in warning. His dark look frightened her, so she leaned back instinctively.000000

 Chapter 920 The Acquisition (Part One)

    "Before I am your wife, I am a wise person first." Belinda smiled, suddenly recalling the previous cold Duke. Although he was very cocky and domineering, that kind of coldness attracted Belinda most at the beginning.


    "Hah! Duke, she means that you are not a wise person yourself. Your IQ needs to be evaluated again!" Leena was happy to see the both of them quarrel with each other. This way, they were not focusing on her any longer. Leena immediately added fuel to the fire. "Leena, I know that. You don''t need to exin it to me!" Duke narrowed his eyes as he red at Leena. Leena must have forgotten who brought her up! She had started to be partial to Belinda after he married her. This time, Leena even had the gall to chuckle at his setback. ''What an ungrateful girl!'' Duke thought, with a cold expression on his face.


    "Little girl, haven''t you heard of that saying? Never interfere in the matters between husband and wife. Come and sit with me! Let''s be the bystanders, in case you are swept away by their angry typhoon." Edward waved to Leena. It seemed that this girl did not realize how a couple yed cat and mouse with each other. In fact, sometimes, a certain amount of quarrels demonstrated the love.


    "You are right! I''d better keep away from them. Otherwise, they would kill me." As she said that, Leena stood up and moved to sit next to Edward to keep away from Duke.


    "You roguish girl," Belinda uttered, clenching her teeth. "The reason why we are having a row is because of you! And now, you sit back, staying out of it!" Confronted with the embarrassing situation, Belinda did not know whether tough or cry. What on earth had she done just now? Making trouble for herself? Belinda widened her beautiful eyes as she nced at Leena.


    "No, no, no. How could I do that? I just wanted to give you and Duke some private spaces. That way, you can get into a fight without any concerns." Leena looked back at Belinda, blinking her innocent eyes. Even though she had worsened the situation, Leena was delighted to see that Duke and Belinda lived a happy and normal married life. Her initial n of pushing Belinda toward her dear brother had not been a foolish one.


    "Yeah, that''s right! See! We are so considerate to you both that we are giving you more private spaces! Go ahead! We will not bother you." Edward echoed, raising his eyebrows at Leena. He almost wanted to give her a thumbs up for her bravery. She had challenged the cold Duke and short-tempered Belinda. He couldn''t wait to see what would happenter. What an excited bystander Edward was!


    "Shut your trap, you trickster. Fuck off. Do you think I don''t know what you are thinking about?" Duke knew Edward and his real intentions very well. Edward was crooning with glee. He must be apuding himself in his mind.


    "Edward, this dish is delicious! You have to try it!" Leena took some food from the dish that was just brought up by the waiter and put it into Edward''s bowl. She looked like a charming angel.


    "All right. Yes. It looks delicious! Thank you. You should eat the rest." Edward pretended not to hear what Duke said and ignored the fuming couple. He and Leena enjoyed the delicious food and tasted the morsels in exaggerated motions. Their actions irritated Duke and Belinda, who red daggers at them. Before they could get back at them, a loud voice was heard from the outside.


    "So sorry. I''mte." Tom came into the room in a hurry.


    "Hi, Tom. How are you? It is not toote. You''re just in time. Come and sit here." Leena shot him a greeting, with a pleasant smile on her face. Her smile was so sweet that it could warm everyone''s heart. It was her signature expression.


    "Leena. You finally came back. We missed you so much!" Tom gave Leena a warm hug. As they were the only child of their families, they all had taken Leena under their wings and cared for her like she was their little sister since the day she was born. It wasn''t hard to imagine that if she got hurt, they would all be ready to fight for her.


    "I missed you, too! I worked very hard toplete my thesis and graduated as soon as possible." Just as the guys considered her to be their little sister, Leena too considered them as her brothers. They had witnessed and participated in every step of her growth.


    "Why do you look thinner? Are you sick again?" Tom frowned slightly. Stretching out his right hand, he held Leena''s left wrist, gauging her pulse. His action drew the attention of all the people in the room. They kept quiet, holding their breaths as they looked at what he was doing. After a few minutes, Tom withdrew his hand, breathing a sigh of relief. Fortunately, there was no big problem with Leena. She was just a little weak. That could be handled with a few medicines.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    "I''m fine. Thanks, Tom. I caught a cold before, in Paris. That is why I have been feeling a little weak recently." Leena fully understood her poor body. She never hid anything about her health, because she didn''t want it to get worse. After all, the man who stood before her was a genius in the field of medicine. Even if she wanted to hide something, it was impossible not to be found out by Tom.


    "I see. Come to my hospital someday and find me. I will give you some medicines." Tom added, finally letting go of Leena. He sat down on the other side of Edward.


    "Oh, no! Do I really need to take medicines?" Thinking about the bitter pills, Leena pouted. A sad expression came upon her face, as did a hint of panic in her voice. She turned to Duke for help, looking at her dear brother with big puppy eyes. However, Duke shook his head, turning a deaf ear to Leena''s cry for help. ''What a mean brother Duke is!'' Leena thought to herself. ''He must be angry about the quarrel I started between him and Belinda!''


    "Yes. your immunity has somewhat decreased recently. You have to take medicines. They will help you recuperate." Leena had been weak and sick since her childhood. Although she was in much better shape as an adult, her constitution was still delicate and she often got ill. That was why Tom paid great attention to her health.


    "It''s not serious, is it?" Edward was worried after hearing Tom''s words. After all, they all knew of Leena''s physical condition very well. To put it bluntly, the girl grew up with medicines when she was little. She only slightly got better after the age of ten. Then, with Tom''s good and careful nursing, Leena experienced great improvements. At least she did not need to take medicines every day anymore. However, it did not mean that she was as fit and healthy as other people. This was the reason why Duke had rushed to take care of herst time, when Leena caught a cold back in France. Duke had been afraid that Leena''s cold would get worse because of her poor health.

 Chapter 921 The Acquisition (Part Two)

    "She is fine. It''s not that serious. I will pay attention to her. Leena, you''d better not let yourself get drenched after autumn. Otherwise, it would be hard for me to nurse you back to good health." Even though Tom was confident in his professional skills, he certainly did not have the ability to make the deade back to life.


    "Tom, don''t scare me! Is it really that serious?" I have been good all these years. I didn''t have any major problems. I even rarely get any colds." Leena got frightened by Tom''s serious expression. At the same time, she felt that Tom fussed over her too much. As she pondered on that, Leena did not think it was too big of a problem. After all, she had been in good health all these years. She could hop, jump, and run as well as other people.


    "Leena, that is because we have been taking good care of you. Just think! We never even let you get wet in the winter all these years. Tom also examines and prescribes you medicines from time to time. Do you think all those pills are candies?" Duke cast a sidelong nce at Leena. He was still angry with her and Edward for their little performance before Tom came in. However, when Tommented on Leena''s health, Duke could not help but pay attention, wondering what he could do to help.


    "Oh, yes. I am sorry. Thank you, my dear brothers. I have been too careless and heartless to notice that!" Leena pursed her lips. She had always known that they spoiled her as if she would always remain a little girl. However, she did not truly realize how much she owed them.


    "No, Leena. Don''t worry about it too much. Just be your good and honest self. We don''t ask for much; we only hope that you are in good health. Your safety is our priority." Edward patted her on the back,forting the remorseful girl. He never considered Leena to be heartless. On the contrary, it was she who had given them some of their happiest moments in the past years.


    "Umm. Thanks, Edward. I know that now." Leena nodded her head obediently. Even though Leena was bold most of the time, she knew when to joke around and under what circumstances to be quiet and follow others'' suggestions. Currently, the room fell into a dignified atmosphere discussing her health. She kept quiet and behaved well.


    "Has Leena always been in poor health?" Belinda''s eyebrows knitted as she whispered to Duke in a low voice. Although they had quarreled just now, lovers'' tiffs could be easily resolved in a short time.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    "That was the case when Leena was a child. She got much better after she grew up, but she still requires close attention. That''s why we are always anxious when ites to her." Duke exined to Belinda, with his gaze fixed on Leena. When Leena noticed her brother''s eyes on her, her lips curled upward and she gave him a warm smile.


    "Oh, okay. I see." Belinda nodded in understanding. She pondered over how Duke loved and cared for his sister. Belinda had known that Duke yed both the role of a brother and caretaker for Leena, after they lost their mother at an early age. She understood his responsibilities. She didn''t feel jealous about that. Truthfully, she wanted to be able to share these responsibilities with him. She wanted to look after his little sister too. Besides, Belinda adored Leena''s kindness and charm.


    As they discussed Leena''s poor health in this room, they did not know that she would once againe into close contact with cold water, during the following winter. The ident would almost take her away from them.


    During their lunch this afternoon, the topics of discussions always concerned Leena: her health, her studies, and her life. It was not hard to figure out the importance of Leena in their lives. The constant worries put immense pressure on Leena. She did not know how she could reciprocate their love and attention.


    The good friends bid each other adieu after lunch. Leena hade with Edward and had to go back to FX International Group. Her car was at thepany''s parking lot. Their conversations over lunch made Edward ponder over his recent actions. He finally made the decision on the way back to the office and put an end to all matters concerning the Kompass Group. The longer he waited, the bigger was the possibility that unexpected troubles would ur.


    "Edward, what are you thinking about?" Leena asked upon seeing his serious expression. She wished she could help Edward. Leena knew that if he could not solve a problem, she too would be helpless at it. But she was willing to let him know that she was avable for help.


    "Oh, no. It is nothing of importance. I was just thinking about some work. Don''t worry about it." Edward smiled at her reassuringly and turned his eyes back to the road, concentrating on his driving.


    "Okay." Leena did not say anything else. She knew Edward well. If he wanted her to know something, he would tell her even before she asked. On the other hand, if he did not say anything, it meant that he did not want her to get involved. ''It is pointless that I ask him again.'' Leena assured herself. In any case, Edward was like God to her. Nothing could hold him back. Leena put her worries on hold, looking outside the car''s window.


    Edward worked efficiently. After he arrived at thepany, he called a management meeting and announced that he wanted to purchase most of the shares of the Kompass Group. Within minutes, all top executives and technicians at FX International became extremely busy.


    On the other side of the town, Shaun received news of Edward''s acquisition. However, two hours had passed since Edward''s announcement. Although he wanted to take action, it was toote for him to fight back. Even if he had gotten the information earlier, he could not havee up with solutions. Shaun was no match to Edward when it came to business. Not to mention, Edward had been well prepared for the purchase.


    However, Shaun was too arrogant to think so. In his opinion, he had plenty of shares of the department stores that were subsidiaries of the FX International Group. He didn''t think he was in much trouble. If worst came to worst, he could exchange the shares with Edward. What puzzled him most were Edward''s actions. What was his n? If Edward wanted to purchase the shares of the Kompass Group so quietly, he must have known that Shaun was buying the shares of the department stores. However, Edward had not taken any response measures. He acted like he had given up the stores.


    "Shaun, what will you do? Will yourpany close down because of this?" Melissa felt anxious about the current situation. Shaun had been herst resort. If he failed, she couldn''t imagine the situation she would face.

 Chapter 922 The Acquisition (Part Three)

    "Do not worry, Melissa. Don''t forget that we hold 60% shares of MY Mall. We don''t need to be afraid. He couldn''t really acquire Kompass Group." Shaun said through gritted teeth. Those damn fence-sitters! How could they sell thepany shares secretly! He would give them a good lesson after he went back. Did FX International really think that if they held 40% of the shares, they would make him give in? It was impossible! They must have forgotten that he had the majority of the shares. In any case, he was the biggest stakeholder of Kompass Group. Even if Edward purchased the remaining stakes, what could he do? It was pointless. It was obvious to Shaun that he was in charge of thepany as he held 60% of the shares.


    "That is true. However, we will have to exchange the Kompass Group for MY Mall. In any respect, it seems that we are losing." Melissa did not findfort in Shaun''s words. She knew Edward better than anyone else. She had experienced first hand his skills in business. It was well-known that he was an expert at offending others, but no one could take the slightest advantage of him. Melissa calmed down, suspecting that letting Shaun purchase the shares of MY Mall had been Edward''s intention. Did he deliberately turn a blind eye to Shaun''s acquisition so that he threw in all his investments? This way, he could cut off Shaun''s cash flow, giving him no opportunity to collect back the stocks of Kompass Group if need be. Shaun would be stuck in the middle, with no room to move around. "Hmm. No. That is impossible. Things have note to a head yet. It is too early to predict who wins and who loses." Shaun smiled coldly. It seemed that the war between him and Edward was out in the open. They both knew the other''s objective.


    "It is not easy to handle Edward, Shaun. I advise you to be careful. Once he starts, it won''t be easy to detect his ruse and fight back." Melissa was fully aware of the ruthless measures that Edward undertook. He took possession of her ownpany in a matter of few days. It was not difficult to ascertain how cruel Edward could get when he was angry.


    "Howe you know him so well? To me it seems that he is not your enemy, but your former lover!" Shaun gazed at her with a puzzled look on his face. Every little thing revealed that the bone of contention between her and Edward was not a mere family feud. "How is that possible!. You think too much. If I knew him that well, why would he not recognize me at the department store that day?" Melissa could not look into Shaun''s inquiring eyes. She would not admit that they had been together before. The first time she had sex with Shaun, she pretended to be a virgin. If Shaun knew what had passed between her and Edward, her previous efforts to make Shaun fall in love with her mighte to naught.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    "That''s true. But I sensed that his words had another meaning behind them. Are you sure you don''t know him before?" It was no wonder that Shaun suspected Melissa. From her words, it seemed that she was well-versed with everything about Edward. Shaun did not want to be the fool, so he had to ask her this question.


    "Why are you still asking me? Don''t you believe me?" Melissa frowned as she gazed at Shaun coldly. There was a hint of displeasure on her face as her heart thumped loudly.


    "Why would I not believe you? Dear, let''s not quarrel about this. We must get back to H City immediately. Otherwise, my father will tear me to pieces if he gets to know what happened." Shaun called up his technical team, instructing them to stay and continue looking for opportunities to acquire the shares. Meanwhile, he had to go back to H City and save hispany from Edward''s clutches.


    "What? Get back to H City? Right now? What about MY Mall? You want to give it up? We have worked on it for such a long time!" Melissa spluttered. Why did Shaun want to give up MY Mall, which he already had half the shares of? If so, would her dream of being the wife of MY Mall''s President just shatter into pieces? And if that was the case, why did she bother doing all that hard work in the beginning? Melissa smiled sadly. No matter how much she tried, she was unable to fulfill her long-awaited wish. She felt depressed. Would she experience the failure of herpany once again? It was hard to look back on that difficult time in her life. She could do nothing but rely on Shaun.


    "I have called my staff and instructed them to purchase the rest of the shares. They would handle it well. However, I must go back to H City. The 60% of the shares I hold at Kompass Group are at stake." Shaun did not want to ruin thepany his father had set up with his blood, sweat and tears. He must go back and fight for it.


    "But I don''t want to go back to H City! Shaun, can''t I stay here and wait for you?" She had only returned to S City to stage her revenge on Edward. How could she just run away and lose once again?


    "Dear, listen to me. Let''s pack our bags. I promise you, after I stabilize thepany''s stock price, we wille back." Shaun kissed her on the lips gently. Keeping aside some things that bothered him, he really liked Melissa. He just didn''t know how long such a liking could endure. After all, only a handful of rich people were faithful to their lovers.


    "Shaun, let me think on it for a while. How about you go back first? I will stay here for a couple of days more and meet you at H Cityter?" Melissa was unwilling to leave. She failed in taking her revenge. And now, she had to evacuate this ce like a loser! It was hard for her to ept this reality. It was so embarrassing to realize that Edward and the others had figured out her identity. Otherwise, Daisy would not have called her by her name that day! Melissa did not want to give up yet. She wanted to stay and n her next steps.


    "Why do you even want to stay here? Give me a reason! I''ll consider it if you can persuade me." Shaun''s casual tone faded as he regarded her seriously. ''Is she hiding something from me?'' he wondered.


    "Didn''t I mention it to you before? I have a cousin who lives here. I would like to visit her before leaving. I will go to H Cityter and see you. Is that fine?" Melissa exined cautiously, watching his expression.000?????????????

 Chapter 923 Jessica (Part One)

    "Cousin? When did you mention that to me? Why can''t I remember?"


    Shaun looked at her in bewilderment. He wondered since when had he got such a bad memory.


    "Ah! Haven''t I told you? My bad. I must have forgotten to do so. Can you go home on your own today? I want to visit my cousin. I have been away from this city for so long after all. I miss her so much," said Melissa as she rested her hands on Shaun''s hips in a flirty and charming manner.


    "Alright. You can have some fun with your cousin. But listen, don''t try to seduce other men. Are we clear on that?" In reaction to what she did, Shaun grabbed one of her breasts and looked at it lustfully. Then, he started to y with her plump bosom wickedly and presumptuously.


    "Don''t be ridiculous. I love nobody but you, sweetie." Thedy raised her eyebrows seductively before wetting her lips with the tip of her tongue.


    "I know. How can I allow any other man to touch your pussy, enter you and satisfy your sexual desire?" A confidentugh escaped from Shaun. He could feel his flesh getting harder as he looked at Melissa intensely.


    "Watch your mouth, Shaun. Otherwise, I''m gonna get angry." Melissa glowered at the man with her lips puckered. She might be bold and open but she wasn''t as vulgar as him. It was embarrassing. It felt like her reputation was gettingpromised whenever he talked. "Well, you are not that innocent whenever you lie in bed with me and beg me to fuck you hard." He didn''t treat Melissa''s disapproval seriously and continued to talk dirty.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    "Stop. How dare you talk to me that way." Melissa''s face blushed in shame. The lecherous man was getting uncontrobly worse. However, he was the one she had to rely on for now. She couldn''t push him away even if she wanted to, could she? She was clearly aware of where she stood. She was a penniless woman with no family or friend to watch over her back but with an enemy to fight with.


    "Don''t you see that I''m obsessed about you? You should be happy because I just like you too much. That''s the only reason why I don''t allow you to flirt with other men." One thing for sure was that enchantment was different from love. Though Shaun was totally into Melissa, he pretty much knew that he wasn''t in love with her yet. Thus, he said ''like''.


    "Do you like me that much?" On the other hand, Melissa was smart too. So she used ''like'' rather than ''love'' as well. Love would be too strong to describe their rtionship. She and Shaun were no more than two people using each other. She managed to remain calm and reasonable about that fact and avoided rting such emotion to their affair.


    "Why not? Don''t you believe me? Only those eunuchs will ignore you once your voluptuous body is on the bed." The lewd man lecherously smiled. He reluctantly withdrew his hand from her breast for fear that he might not be able to keep himself from having sex with her again. He wouldn''t even bother to control himself in normal situations. The only thing he cared about was satisfying himself. Today was an exception though. He had to return to H City as soon as possible, otherwise, Kompass Group would be taken over by others. Themerce world was as treacherous and dangerous as battlefields. Anything could happen within just a second.


    "Fuck off. Don''t touch me again." Melissa wished tough out loud but stopped on second thought. ording to what Shaun said, he just liked her sexy body and her wantonness. That perception both angered and confused her at the same time. ''Am I really that bad? Can I ever be loved by any decent man?'' Her thoughts went on and on.For Pete''s sake! Even the most wicked and irresponsible man, Shaun, couldn''t stomach to love her. A sudden surge of jealousy hit her nerves over Daisy''s luck. How on earth did she capture Edward''s heart, enchant her cousin, and even steal Shaun''s attention?


    "Do you really want me to leave?" said Shaun while staring at her. "Oh yeah! You mean it. Goodbye." Then he burst intoughter.He packed his things and walked out without even a single word. Outside his assistant was already waiting for him. Seriously, if he hadn''t anticipated another quick sex with her, he wouldn''t even have stayed there until that moment, as he''d better hit the road as soon as possible.


    Melissa sank into the couch tiredly after she saw Shaun leave. ''Am I doing the right thing by seducing Shaun and pretending to live a splendid life?'' she asked herself. ''I could get myself killed by that cruel Edward. He never shows mercy to those who dare to provoke him and defy his authority.'' Giving up sounded like a good choice at that point but then she was aware that she had already burned too many bridges. She couldn''t go back.


    "Mr. Mu, I was told that Shaun had already gone back to H City," said Luke. He came there to report to Edward as soon as he got the news. He knew that time was gold in the business world and he didn''t dare to harm their CEO''s interest with something as simple as negligence.


    "Yeah? Has he gone back already? Everything is under control. Aaron, go and purchase the shares of MY Mall. Be careful, the share prices should be stabilized so that Shaun won''t notice any change or abnormality," Edward turned to the other guy inside his office and said. His eyes were filled with disdain as he talked. He was a beautiful mixture of both evil and wise.


    "Consider it done. By the way, what should we do about Kompass Group? Shall we continue to purchase their shares? It might be difficult to do that since sixty percent of their shares are owned by the Gao Family. They are not easy to deal with." Aaron frowned. He knew that those people from the Gao Family weren''t that stupid to just sell their shares.


    "Stop overthinking for now. We should concentrate on purchasing every inch of MY Mall. As for Kompass, we''d better be its major shareholder. That would be fun." Edward was all fired up with his ideas. However, he still hoped not to make the results too bad and embarrassing for the former president of Kompass, Shaun''s father.Business-wise, he had a not bad rtionship with the old man. Therefore, he still wouldn''t want to make an enemy of him just because of his worthless son.


    "What? Do you really want to work with him?" Aaron was confused. He wondered why would Edward do such a thing. Hadn''t Edward known that the Kompass Group was headquartered in H City?0000??????????

 Chapter 924 Jessica (Part Two)

    "Why not? Isn''t it supposed to be fun? I''m desperate to find out how will he behave in front of me." Edward didn''t intend to do this before. However, he changed his mind upon witnessing Shaun''s foolishness and arrogance. Now, all he wanted was to make a fool out of the man.He didn''t mind sparing time and setting up traps for him. He even thought that a direct confrontation with Shaun would be very amusing. "I see." Aaron nodded thoughtfully as he realized Edward''s real intention. "For your amusement. I''m gonna do it for you, Mr. Mu." He turned around to leave. He couldn''t help but wonder if it was a good thing to have such a mischievous boss as he walked out of the room. "Mr. Mu, Melissa is not leaving with Shaun. She is staying in the presidential suite of Kate Hotel. Shall we take actions against her?" Edward felt a bit worried after hearing that Melissa wasn''t with Shaun. He silently wondered if she was ying another trick. "What? Why didn''t she go with Shaun?" His brows furrowed. He never thought that Melissa would do that.


    "I have no idea. Shaun was seen walking out of the hotel with his assistant. We didn''t spot Melissa with them." Luke raised his head to look at Edward. He was curious about how he would respond.


    "You guys keep your eyes on Melissa and watch if she''s up for any trouble. Send some reliable people to protect Daisy and Justin. No harm shoulde to them. Do you understand?" A slight smile cracked Edward''s lips as thoughts began to cruise his mind. ''I don''t care if your name is Melissa or Jessica. You will face the worst if you dare to hurt any of my beloved. You''ll suffer and beg me to kill you. I promise that you won''t get away from this as easily as you didst time.''


    "Consider it done, Mr. Mu. But then, please consider that Mrs. Mu is very smart and sensible as well. She will find out about us following her very soon. I wonder whether she''ll get angry."Luke knew Daisy well enough to know that she hated the idea of being followed around.


    "Don''t worry. I''ll exin it to her and try to talk some sense to her." The CEO knew what Luke meant. Nevertheless, he had to do that for the sake of his wife''s safety even if it would make her mad. He couldn''t bear to think about the possibilities of losing her or their son. Therefore, she had to be protected round the clock, regardless of her protests and grudges.


    "Then, I''ll leave you alone," answered Luke. He walked out of the room after he received Edward''s guarantee. He had many things to do on his list. He should tail Shaun and Melissa and send some professional people to protect the most important people for Edward. Melissa dressed up and drove to where Coco lived after Shaun left. She had to pay her a visit because her mother lived there temporarily.


    "Cousin, why did youe here? Haven''t you told me that you won''t show up for a while?" A curious Coco said. She was surprised about Melissa''s sudden appearance in her house. Didn''t her cousin say that she would avoid making any contact with them for fear that she might get exposed? However, she came there out of blue. Had something happened? Did she feel it necessary toe here?


    "Things changed. My identity has been known to Edward. I never admitted it though. By the way, where''s Mom? Is she alright?" asked Melissa worriedly. It was undeniable how concerned she was with her mother''s health.


    "Aunt''s fine. Don''t worry. We''re treating her well. However, she has bad times and good times. Nevertheless, she''s slowly recovering." Coco knew that ''Melissa'' was Jessica''s adopted name after she had cosmetic surgery. Actually, it was her that apanied Jessica to go through all those. The surgeries had been extremely painful but the results were awesome as Jessica''s face ended up stunningly beautiful. That was one thing she was happy about since they were family.


    "What did the doctor say? Will mom recover from her illness?" asked Jessica nervously. Speaking of which, it was Jessica who caused her mother to get sick. If the events and disasters she had been through hadn''t urred at all, her extremely-ill and bedridden father wouldn''t have died. Her mother wouldn''t be clinically depressed if that was the case.


    "The doctor said that her recovery was barely possible. He also said that we should stop clinging on to false hopes. I''m really sorry to tell you that. What about you? How is your n going? Is everything alright Jessica, listen to me. Forget about your fucking revenge. It''s a hopeless and hrious dream for us to bring FX International Group down. Look around you, have you gotten anything useful to achieve your goal? None. You got nothing." Coco looked at Jessica with concern. She knew the consequences of going against Edward. Jessica would eventually get herself killed.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "I know I''m more likely to fail. However, I can at least make trouble for them and be a pain in their asses." Jessica bit her lips and felt like a fallen woman. That was how it felt for her to fool around Shaun and let that bastard touch her body. She would not even bother to throw him a glimpse before. That would be absolutely unbelievable and unbearable.


    "Are you sure that you won''t get yourself into trouble? We''re doing fine. We don''t own your Lin Group anymore but we still have Xue Family''spany to support us. We can live a prosperous, care-free, risk-free andfortable life if you stop taking revenge." Coco wasn''t sure why she felt as restless as ants on a hot pan. She could sense that something terrible was happening but couldn''t figure out what it was. It was also a puzzle to her why her cousin couldn''t just abort her mission.


    "If you were standing in my position, would you swallow the anger, pretend to live a care-free life, and allow your enemies tough and be happy?" said Melissa sternly and harshly. She hated Edward and his whole family. If it weren''t for them, her father would not have died and her mother would have been healthy. On the other hand, how dirty and wanton could a woman be if she was ready to leave a tolerable life and choose to sell her body to a filthy bastard man? To beughed at and even be tortured by him?


    "If I were you, I would let it go. After all, you also made some mistakes, didn''t you?" Coco recalled the quarrel between Jessica and Daisy in the restaurant. She could have apuded for Daisy if only she hadn''t chosen to take Jessica''s side. After all, Daisy was such a wonderful and admiring woman.0000000

 Chapter 925 Jessica (Part Three)

    "Stop lecturing me. Don''t tell me that you still love Edward." Jessica glowered at the woman. She clearly knew what her cousin was thinking of.


    "Jessica, how''d you know that?" asked Coco. She was awed by how sharp and smart her cousin could be.Coco had been hiding her interest in Edward and thought that she''d done so well. However, her cousin''s remarks suggested otherwise.


    "Well, hell. You can''t hide any secret from me." Jessica smiled coldly. She didn''t bother to tear the mask off Coco''s face because she never thought of Coco as a threat against her for Edward''s love. It was different now though. Everything had changed and she wouldn''t pretend to be ignorant about Coco''s affection for Edward, the hideous bastard.


    "Why did you pretend to know nothing about this before?" asked Coco in disbelief and embarrassment.It was difficult for her to ept this. Had she been fooled, yed, and used ruthlessly by Jessica all along Did Jessica feel good as she watched her pretend and act as stupidly and naively as a kid? Jessica had been with Edward for a long long time before Daisy came between them. Thus, she had the right tough at any woman who tried to woo Edward.


    "Could we talk peacefully and calmly if I had exposed your hrious love for my lover? Could you still want to help me out of my troubles unconditionally if I hadughed at your foolishness? We would have hated each other already." Jessica stared at her cousin disdainfully and thought that Coco was nothing but an incurable romantic and an old fool.


    "Even so, you couldn''t pretend to be totally fine with this and think otherwise. Did you feel a sense of aplishment by making a fool out of me this way?" It was a sudden turn. The two cousins who appeared to love each other just a few moments ago instantly turned hostile as they used one another.


    "I have never thought about that. If you really need to me me for everything that ever urred to you, then please feel free to do so. But, do you really think it''s necessary? Don''t forget that Edward doesn''t belong to you or me. His wife is that bitch and slut, Daisy." Jessica emphasized Daisy''s name. She always regarded Daisy as the root of all the disasters that happened to her.


    "I always know that he won''t love me. But you''re the one in the dark, hoping against hope that you''ll win his heart back one day. Don''t be stubborn, Cousin. It''s time for you to give up on him and move on. Try living a good life without any illusion. What benefit will you get from your revenge? Your father wouldn''te back to life. Would Edward choose you as his wife rather than Daisy? Don''t be silly. None of these would happen." Coco stared at her cousin emotionally as she tried her best to change Jessica''s false perceptions about love, future, and all else. She couldn''t live the type of life she had if they went against Edward any longer. She couldn''t take the agony and terror anymore!


    "I will never give up on anything. Quit telling me bullshits. Now, please take me to my mother." Jessica knew that she would fight a losing battle if she carried on with that conversation. Therefore, she decided to drop the topic. It had been a long time but nevertheless, the scars of her embarrassment and experiences remained. On top of that, it was also a shame how she just couldn''t forget about the charming and special Edward.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    "Have you ever considered the consequences? Have you ever thought about what will happen to your mom when you get killed by Edward? Will your mother have to lose her beloved daughter after the death of her husband, and experience another disaster? Think about those pains she''ll suffer because of your foolishness and stubbornness. It''s unfair to her. Plus, can you guarantee that Edward won''t try to destroy my family''spany and threaten the safety of my family just to vent his grudges?" Coco didn''t want her parents to experience what Jessica''s parents had undergone. It was a miracle that Edward had shown mercy to her because he just ruined her acting career. Had he gotten worse, he could have just gone as far as destroying their family''spany and threatening the safety of her parents. The fact that he didn''t was more than enough to make her feel lucky.


    "I see. Are you afraid that I will get your Xue family into trouble?" said Jessica.Jessica scowled at Coco in pure rage. She wouldn''t even mind breaking their rtionship off.


    "I didn''t say that. But as you know, my parents are old and are too fragile to suffer from any unexpected tragedy. So, please reconsider your n for the sake of yourself and my family. They''re also your family. Besides, there''s never an end to taking revenge.Coco sympathized with her cousin but then, she was also worried about her parents. The best that she could do was to talk some sense to Jessica and hope for her to change her mind.


    "Don''t worry. I''m the only one who will ept the consequences of my actions, for bad for good. You and your family will not be involved. If you don''t trust me, I''m leaving here with my mom and she will have to stay in the mental ward. That will save you from a lot of dilemmas, right?" Jessicaughed scornfully. She had thought that Coco''s house was her only shelter. Clearly, she was terribly wrong. All her efforts hade to zero. All people had chosen to betray her. Now she got nobody to watch her back. That was just both pathetic and desperate.


    "I can''t do anything for you anymore if that''s how you think of me. I will not allow you to leave Auntie in a mental ward. I talk with you in this way because I need you to think carefully and calmly. I have never intended to break away from you or your mom. We''re still family. Do you understand?" Coco frowned. She still loved Edward but then, she also knew that Edward felt nothing for her. Therefore, she decided to take no action and start to forget him. Most times you just couldn''t own the man you loved.


    "I''m sorry.I was being emotional and unreasonable," answered Jessica apologetically. Jessica also understood that a strange and new environment would harm her mom''s health further. However, the way her cousin strongly reprimanded her had embarrassed her. So, to save her face, Jessica said such ungrateful and emotional remarks which she had regretted almost as instantly as she said them.

 Chapter 926 A Deal Offered By Jessica (Part One)

    opposite of what she imed. She even seemed to drift deeper and deeper into her obsession with Edward.


    "Well, suit yourself! I hope you will not regret it." Coco took a look at her with a thoughtful expression. Hadn''t she already imed that she wouldn''t be obsessed with Edward Mu anymore? Well, that wasn''t how she saw it. Jessica''s action seemed to be theplete Jessica''s eyes dimmed slightly. She''d already been in such a terrible situation. Was there still any way out for her? She''d already lost the most precious thing a woman could possess. What else was there to care about? It was already hopeless for her.


    "Do you think there is still any chance for me to repent? I''ve already done so many unforgivable things. I came this far. There''s no turning back anymore. I don''t have the options for that." Sadness was on Jessica''s voice. She touched her face slightly and smiled. The face she wore wasn''t her original face no matter how beautiful it was. It was the same with her life that went off-tracked from her original ns. She could have lived a better life.


    "But you may end up even more miserable than that if you continue with your n. Is that what you really want? Jessica, don''t be so stubborn. I''m worried about you." Emptiness was in Coco''s eyes as she shifted her stare from her cousin. She wondered about what went wrong. No one was wrong or should be med if she would consider how all their emotions got tangled up. It would only leave love to be med. Loving the wrong man was the saddest thing a woman could ever do. Edward would never belong to either her or Jessica. She was luckier to realize that fact as earlypared to Jessica who was still struggling. She had not let go of her feelings for him yet. That was the reason why she ended up with such a tragic situation.


    "I don''t know. What if I say that it''s not what I want? Will there be a different result? Don''t be stupid, Coco. There isn''t any choice for me now. I have to continue my n. I''m too proud to give it up. I am going to take my everything back from them. That''s my only purpose for now." Jessica''s eyes were filled with hatred as she talked. She did not me her cousin for having her raped. Instead, she vented her anger on Daisy since her cousin did it to her as revenge for Daisy.


    "I know I am not qualified to discourage you from continuing with your n, Jessica. But you know what? You could have felt better if you hadn''t cared about your pride too much. You will be the only one to get stuck with it if you take everything too seriously. You will continue to be miserable. Yes, I agree that Edward Mu is an excellent man. It doesn''t mean that he belongs to you though. Regardless of how perfect he is, the point is he is not yours." Coco felt so much better these days. She had pondered on everything she had done and realized that it was time for her to move on. There was once a devil in her heart that was making her hate and jealous of Daisy. She had that devil removed. Now what was left of her was her broader and peaceful mind.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    "Who said that I still have feelings for him? I don''t. I hate him so much that I am desperate to cut him into pieces with my own hands." Hate was dripping from every word Jessica spat between gritted teeth. She would never admit that her heart still beat for him. They had been together for several years after all. It was not easy for her to let go of her old feelings.


    "It will never be better if you continue to think like that. I''m just afraid that you are deceiving yourself and some others too." Coco walked towards the bedroom where Jessica''s mother was. Then she stopped for a second and gazed at her cousin in a questioning way. If that so, then why was she still insisting on her n? She clearly said it. She didn''t love Edward any longer. Was she lying when she imed that she already let him go?


    "I don''t know what you are talking about. Do I look like a woman without self-esteem? He broke my family and made me lose everything. How could it be possible that I am still loving him and would like to do everything for him? That would be too absurd and funny," teased Jessica. Swinging her big-waved hair back, she put her slim wrist against the door and prepared to walk inside.


    "Well, only you know your real thoughts. I''m not going to make anyments. Aunt is in the room. You can go inside to have a look at her. I''m going to the kitchen to check her medicine." Just then, Coco turned around and walked away, the white hemline of her dress raised slightly. She seemed to be quite light-hearted. She was an aloof beauty and not a bad woman originally. She had figured out everything and knew that her passion for Edward would never get any response. She decided to let it go and freed herself from her illusions about Edward. A kind heart would make a woman look more beautiful and charming.


    The excitement was inevitable for Jessica as she saw her mother again. It was the first time for her toe there since her surgery. She was happy to see her mother but at the same time anxious. She had her face changedpletely and it scared her that she might not recognize her.


    "Sorry, Mom. I''m sorry I didn''te here until today." She choked with a sob. Sorrow instantly ate her upon seeing her mother''s empty and emotionless eyes.?????????

 Chapter 927 A Deal Offered By Jessica (Part Two)

    because she felt her daughter close to her. A mother could always feel her daughter.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    "Who are you? Do I know you?" The aged woman turned to her. Most of the times, Jessica''s mother was in a confused state. She was rarely conscious too. Although she didn''t recognize Jessica, her condition was much better than how she usually was. Probably that was "Jessica, it''s Jessica! Mom, can''t you recognize me? Come and touch me, it''s me, Jessica!" Jessica reached out to hold her mother''s hand and then pressed the old woman''s hand on her face. The feeling of being unrecognized by her own mother overwhelmed her too much that her tears poured down her face.


    "Jessica? No, you are not Jessica. You look different from my daughter. I''m not your mother. I''m afraid you are mistaken." Jessica''s mother took a look at her with a pitiful expression. Then the old woman took her eyes off her and stared at the family portrait sitting on the bedside table. Her mother stopped reacting after that.


    "Mom, I am your daughter! Take a closer look at me, please! I''ve just had surgery on my face. There is always something that won''t change, right? Mom, please. Try it, try to recognize me," exined Jessica with a choking voice. She turned her mother around to face her and tried to wake her up in a hurry. Everything she did appeared to be in vain though as her mother remained nk and caught in her own world. It looked like she wasn''ting back soon no matter how hard Jessica tried. She wasn''t responding to her at all! Not even a blink nor a look.


    "Why? Mom, can''t you recognize your daughter? Why? What happened to you?" Jessica was desperate. All hell broke loose inside her chest as she began to shake her mother violently. Nevertheless, her mother remained unconscious and sluggish. The old woman didn''t even bat an eysh as her daughter''s action went crazier.


    That was the scene that weed Coco when she came into the room with Jessica''s mother''s decoction. "What are you doing, Jessica? Let go of her," Coco shouted to stop Jessica. She put the decoction on a side table and then walked to her cousin to stop her from shaking her mother heavily. Did she just go insane to treat a patient like that?


    "What happened to my mom, Coco? Why can''t she even recognize me? She is not supposed to be this sick," Jessica choked. She let go of her mother and then turned to Coco. She grabbed her cousin by her shoulders and started shaking her instead. "That''s enough, Jessica. I told you just now that she was rarely conscious. You are not the only person she doesn''t remember. She has forgotten all of us. So don''t be mad at her anymore, okay?" Coco exined and pushed her off forcefully. She felt dizzy because of her violent shaking. What a crazy woman!


    "No, things are not supposed to be like this. She should recover from her illness. Coco, we still have some hope, don''t we?" Jessica asked in a hurry as she expected a positive reply from Coco. She could feel her anger for Daisy burning even more. She couldn''t ept the truth that her mother would be ending up in a hospital all because of Daisy.


    "Well, I don''t know. It will all depend on her efforts. The doctor said that her will to be okay would be the most critical factor." Coco took the decoction she ced on the desk and put a clean kerchief around Jessica''s mother''s neck. She then started giving the old woman medicine by spoon. She seemed to be quite familiar with the procedure.


    "Let me do this!" Jessica sniffed and offered for the job. She might not have the best character but she was nheless a loving daughter. Everyone had their weakness anyway.


    "No, no need. You are not familiar with it. I''ll take care of this! She may p it away." Taking care of Jessica''s mother wasn''t an easy job for Coco when she started. Her Auntie wasn''t that cooperative at all. The situation in which she pped the medicine away happened a lot in the past. It took a while for Coco to get used to it. She learned to tell when was the right time to give her the medicine from her tiny behaviors or expressions.


    "Thank you, Coco!" Jessica sniffed. She felt sorry for Coco for the first time when she saw her take care of her mother so carefully. Should she not have persuaded her with sweet words, she would not have been banned by FX International Group. In that case, she could have still been the superstar under the camera and on the screen. She could have still remained as the perfect woman in men''s hearts. However, her sorry wouldn''t get her cousin back to where she had been anymore.


    "Hey, it''s nothing. We are still family no matter what happens, aren''t we?" Coco smiled faintly. Gone was the proud and arrogant Coco that everyone remembered. She became much milder in both mind and behaviors. She realized many things after what she had gone through. She clearly figured out how to keep herself from hatred. Thus, she stopped fighting for things that did not belong to her. She epted whatever life offered her such as her cousin. It was the reason why she decided to take care of her cousin''s mother.


    Jessica did note back to Kate Hotel as soon as she left Coco''s home. She drove to FX International Group instead. She decided to take her n into action after seeing what her mother was like. Edward had already known her real identity anyway. There was no need to hide.0000

 Chapter 928 A Deal Offered By Jessica (Part Three)

    "Miss, wait for a second, please. You are not allowed to enter the building because you are not working here." A security guard stopped Jessica as soon as she entered. A grandpany like FX International Group was always equipped with a mature security system. "I''m here to see your CEO. Are you sure to stop me here?" Jessica said arrogantly as she raised her eyebrow. She looked at the guard talking to her scornfully. She was indeed Jessica Lin, the arrogant and proud woman.


    "Yes, I see. But may I know if you have an appointment with him?" questioned the guard patiently. It was his responsibility to check every guest visiting FX International Group. He was not sure whether she was a key ount to his CEO or not since the clothes she was wearing were all world-famous brands.


    "No. Please tell your CEO that Melissa Xue wants to talk to him. I''m sure that he will definitely say yes." Jessica dared not tell her real name out. She had oftene there in the past thus, many people knew her. They knew her name and original face of course. However, she had a new face. No one would believe that she was Jessica Lin. They would probably consider her crazy if she told them her real name. She had no n of losing her chance to meet Edward that way. Plus, that would be a huge humiliation.


    "I''m sorry, miss! I''m afraid that I can''t tell our CEO about your visit without an appointment." The guard rejected her request decisively when he heard that she had no appointment.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    "Are you rejecting me? Are you sure you can take the responsibility if you mess up the business between me and your CEO?" Jessica warned with a cold smile. She was sure that Edward would meet her as soon as he heard the name, Melissa Xue. She had something he wanted after all.


    "Ur! Well! Wait a moment, please. Let us call his secretary." The guard signaled his colleague to consult the CEO''s secretary. He did not move an inch and remained standing before her to stop her from entering.


    "Mr. Mu, there is a Melissa Xue who wants to see you. She is waiting at the front desk. Are you meeting her or not?" Anna asked in hesitation. A Melissa Xue? Who was she? Why didn''t she hear that name before? Why did she want to talk to Mr. Mu? She was puzzled. "Is there any appointment?" Edward asked indifferently without even raising his head up from what he was reading on hisputer screen.


    "No. But she insists that you will definitely meet her." Anna frowned slightly after seeing Edward''s response. It seemed like he did not know someone named Melissa Xue at all!


    "No." Edward declined without thinking twice as he remained looking at the numbers on his monitor. Even his voice sounded like a business.


    "Ok, I see. Then I''ll reject her." The secretary replied and turned around. She did not want to disturb him at work.


    "Wait. What''s the name you just said?" Edward finally raised up his head. He was stoic as he looked at Anna indifferently.


    "Melissa Xue! Is there anything wrong?" repeated Anna as the corner of her lips twisted a bit. Didn''t he hear her earlier?


    "Let her in." The CEO suddenly smiled interestedly. He knew who Melissa Xue was of course. Why did shee to him now? What was her purpose? Curiosity started reeling inside Edward''s head. Wasn''t she keeping her secret anymore? "Yes. I see." The secretary grew more puzzled but she refrained her curiosity and did not ask anything. She just replied and walked out of the office to tell their security about his answer.


    Complex feelings were all mixed inside Jessica''s chest as she walked through the halls of thatpany. Everything seemed to be the same. Everyone was still living their ordinary life and doing their ordinary job. It wasn''t the case on her end though; everything had changed and she wouldn''t go back anymore.


    "Miss Xue, this way, please." Anna carefully looked at the beautiful woman before her. The woman was oozing with an unexinable familiarity. They probably might have met before somewhere. She tried to search her mind but then came out negative.


    Jessica merely nodded and walked directly into the president''s office without a word. She couldn''t afford for her voice to betray her. Her heart started beating fast as soon as she set her eyes on Edward who was looking at her with interest.


    "Miss Xue, why did you insist on talking to me? May I know the reason?" A faint smile was on Edward''s face when he talked, nevertheless his whole expression was still distant. He looked quitefortable though and spoke politely as if he was talking to a real guest. "Stop pretending, Edward Mu. I know that you already know who I am. It''s not interesting should you continue talking with me like that." Fist clenched, Jessica kept warning herself that she shouldn''t be obsessed with him anymore. She came here to make a deal with him and not to beg for forgiveness. Scorn her though for she couldn''t resist his charm.


    "Who you are? What? Miss Xue, do you have another hidden identity? Well, why don''t you show me?" teased Edward with a sly smile. ''Jessica, Jessica. Do you know why you are always in a passive state? You are not patient enough despite all the hardship you''ve been through, Edward thought.


    "Do you think you are funny to conceal the fact that you already know who I am? For God''s sake, stop it please. And don''t forget this, I have the thing you want the most." Jessica felt upset since Edward seemed to be unaffected by her. He remained distant and indifferent. She felt like a clown who was performing in front of him. She felt ashamed.

 Chapter 929 A Deal Offered By Jessica (Part Four)

    "I''m just acting with you as you expected. What? Have you decided to stop acting?" The CEO was as steady as a rock. All he did was just to turn to Jessica with an interested look.


    "I''m not here to talk about my identity today. I''m here to negotiate with you. Don''t get confused." The calmer Edward was, the more she became upset. She wasn''t like him who was born with a business talent for negotiations.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "Negotiation? What negotiation? I don''t know that. Do we have any business venture together?" Edward felt more and more interested. Was she telling a joke? Should he remember it right, there was no business between her and himself, let alone any negotiation. "Don''t you know it? I have 60 percent of the MY Mall shares in my hands. What about now? Do you really think that we don''t need to talk about something? I''m offering you a chance you may be interested in." Jessica could not help growing proud at the thought of MY Mall''s shares. She looked at Edward and scanned his face for any desperation. She wanted to see him frustrated. Unfortunately though, she failed.


    "Oh? Are you qualified to speak on behalf of Kompass Group?" The smile on Edward''s face deepened. He wondered what Jessica wanted from him.


    "What do you mean? I don''t understand." Jessica narrowed her eyes and red at CEO. Her expression became dangerous. ''Oh, Edward, Edward. Why can''t I just resist your charm and excellence?'' sighed her heart as it got flooded with feelings that could almost drown her.


    "Am I not clear enough? Obviously, it is Kompass Group that purchased the shares of MY Mall. Why do you im that you have the shares? I seriously doubt your words. You are not convincing at all." Edward said in a cold tone. Since when did this woman be so bold? Who did she think she was? Her arrogance and boldness might cost her something really important.


    "Well, trust me or not? That''s your choice. I won''t make you believe me. But this is the fact. I have them. How about we make a deal. I''d like to exchange Lin Group''s shares with MY Mall'' shares, in the same scale. How do you like my proposal?" Her father was dead because she lost Lin Group. It was her fault. Thus, she would do everything to purchase the Lin Group back. She would still want to get thepany regardless that it was small. Shaun Gao was nothing but a stepping stone in her original n.


    "Ha-ha! Jessica, do you think I''m a three-year-old child who you can fool that easy? Come on, you are not Kompass Group''s CEO. Okay, let''s pretend that you are, still, you don''t and cannot just sell the MY Mall''s shares at your will. You know what? I have always known what you have been doing. Do you think I am that stupid to allow you purchase the shares without me doing anything about it?" He thought she had be much smarter. What a shame that she hadn''t. She was still as stupid as she had been before. An empty vase would worth nothing without anything in it.


    "What did you say? You mean you let us buy the shares on purpose? But why did you do that? You would have nothing beneficial for yourpany from doing it. Why?" Jessica was anxious now. She was so confused. She had no clue about Edward''s purpose at all. If she guessed it wrong, she would have no chip in the negotiation table. What was more, Shaun Gao would be a big concern as well. He would kill her!


    "Why? You tell me. What? Don''t you always think you are quite smart about everything? Howe you didn''t expect it? Why didn''t you make a n B?" Edward looked at her with an extremely cold expression that was enough to make her freeze.


    "Did we buy the wrong shares? But they are not supposed to be false shares." Jessica was rmed and bewildered. If Kompass Group had bought the wrong shares, what could they do to have their money back? They had invested arge amount of money to purchase MY Mall''s shares.


    "I didn''t say that. But if you want to trade the shares of MY Mall for the Lin Group, I''m sorry but I have to reject it. I won''t do that." He would be the most stupid businessman should he agree on her suggestion. It would be a piece of cake for him to retrieve the shares of MY Mall back even without dealing with Jessica.


    "Why? You are not interested in Lin Group, aren''t you? Well, I want to have it. Isn''t it a win-win deal for both of us? You can throw away Lin Group to me and I can sell MY Mall to you. We both can have benefits." Jessica looked at him in a puzzle. Her proposal would do good for both of them. It would get them the best of both worlds. Why did he refuse her?


    "Yes, you are right. Indeed, I''m not interested in Lin Group. But it doesn''t mean that my men are not interested in it. Some of them may be. So I''m thinking of leaving it to someone who wants to take care of it. I''m always a kind-hearted boss. A smallpany like Lin Group doesn''t deserve my management in person." Was she really innocent or whimsical? Edward had difficulty choosing between the two. There were so many businesses in FX International Group. Did he need to take care of everything in person out of interest? Come on! Only those which were highly profitable could call his attention and interest.0000000?????

 Chapter 930 Predators And Preys (Part One)

    "Aren''t you afraid that I''ll sell my shares to someone else? If so, FX International Group wouldn''t belong to the Mu family alone," said Jessica, biting her lower lip. She hadn''t expected Edward to be so indifferent. It was like her struggles were as insignificant as ripples on the water. There had to be something that would faze him. "Afraid? Do you really think there''s anyone that''s really in your corner? There''s no one who would challenge me, much less could." Edward wasn''t impressed by her empty threat. The person had to have vast amounts of wealth if he intended to be a shareholder of FX International Group. He''d have to be richer than Edward, and while that wasn''t impossible it was difficult at best.


    "You really think you''re the schmoo, don''t you? You''re not the best lover, nor are you the best businessman. There are otherpaniesrger than FX International, to boot. You really think no onepares to you, that no one is good enough to bring you to your knees? Mr. Mu, you live in a world of predators and preys. In this city, you may be the predator, but outside the city, you are merely prey. And perhaps, in the richest tycoon''s eyes, you''re a monkey full of hot air. You might want to keep this in mind." What Jessica hated most was his arrogance, and her tone wasced with both pride and contempt.


    "I can be as confident as I want -- and as arrogant. I''ve earned that right. But I have to ask: who the hell do you think you are? You''re nothing to me." Edward shed a mocking smile. The expression on his face turned cold as he spoke. He looked her up and down, his dangerous eyes locked on pale Jessica.


    Jessica made a noise of pure animal rage. Then sheposed herself. "You asshole! You''ll regret this! You don''t want to trade with me? Fine! The MY Mall is being acquired by Kompass Group! And there''s nothing you can do about it!" Gritting her teeth, Jessica snorted. Did he really think that she had no choice but to cooperate with him? What a condescending jerk!


    However, Edward burst into raucousughter. His guffaws echoed hollowly through the office. He retorted, "You know what led to Lin Group''s failure, don''t you, Jessica? It was you. Your arrogance and stupidity dragged thepany to its doom. Believe it or not, if I didn''t have the ability to repurchase the shares of mypany, I wouldn''t even have let you buy them. And time will tell who has thestugh." Edward almost sneered when he thought of Jessica''s threat. Jessica was thest person in the world to threaten him. She wasn''t even qualified. If she wasn''t in front of him right now, he wouldn''t spare her a second thought.


    "Hah! Thatstugh is mine. You''re headed for a bad end, Edward. You''re heartless, and that''s exactly how the person who crushes you will be. I''m going to enjoy this, watching you fail. You and yourpany can stuff it!" she yelled. Biting her lower lip, Jessica red at Edward. She hated everything about this man, including his handsome face. It was his alluring handsomeness that plunged her into the abyss, and it took awhile for her to w her way out.


    "I''ll be looking forward to that. But it''s still early in the game. Now, if you''re finished pestering me, please leave. I''m busy right now, and don''t have the time for you." That said, Edward shot a cold nce at her. He looked indifferent and distant when he spoke, without a sliver of affection in his tone.


    "So what? You want to drive me away and spend the day with Daisy? You think you two are going to live together happily after? No, you will not. You two won''t have the happy ending you''re thinking of. You think she''ll stay with you forever? Sooner orter, you''ll get what you deserve. It''s only a matter of time. And when you do, she''ll dump you like the trash you are." Jessica knew Edward well. And to her, Edward never seemed like a guy whose love belonged to one woman only. And even when he controlled himself, he was surrounded bydies crazy for his attention. In Jessica''s opinion, he might have it in him to resist temptation one or two times, but he would eventually give in. That was all men, not just Edward. And what would happen after that? Could he still be loyal to Daisy when he was chased by so many women?


    "Oops, but that''s not going to happen. And FYI, nothing bad will happen to us, ever. Sorry to disappoint you, but don''t count on it, Miss Lin." Edward knew that he''d been adies'' man before, but that was in the past. That was before he fell in love with Daisy. Now that he had a woman that he loved more than life itself, no other woman could ever have a ce in his heart. His wife was the only one who meant everything to him.


    "Now you''re bragging. You know how karma works. Your end is long overdue. I''ve cursed your name day and night since we saw each otherst." Jessica gnashed her teeth, and glowered at Edward with great hatred. She felt torn apart. She thought she had been okay with his coldness, but when they brought up Daisy again, the wound in her heart re-opened and bled. She couldn''t help but feel a great mncholy. She had been by his side for many years, but still couldn''t be a part of his life. That stung.


    "Now you''ve gone too far. If you want to get me mad, I''ll show you what my rage looks like. You don''t want to see that, trust me." Irritated by her curse, Edward''s tone turned dangerous and cold. His eyes locked her like a devil''s w, anger and impatience roiling in his gaze. Jessica shuddered, and stepped back, frightened by his anger. She was like a small mouse menaced by the python, the serpent eager for a meal.


    She tried to fight back, but only managed to stutter, "I..." It had been a long time since theyst met. But she still remembered how he threatened her with the knife. She still felt the shiver in her spine when she recalled the de being held to her face, the steel point tracing along her tender flesh. The memory hit her like a p. No matter how much time had passed, she was cowed by his fury.


    "If I were you, I''d know better than to show your face and piss off a man who''s way out of your league. But yet you''re here now, talking bullshit. What the hell, Jessica? I never thought you had the stones for it." Edward''s words were not only threatening but also full of cold anger. If she hadn''t mentioned Daisy, it would have been okay for her to trash talk him. But now, since she swore to hurt his one and only, he was all out of patience.


    "So you''re threatening me now. What? Going to try and cut me again, even though I''ve not even raised a fist at you? Oh, big man! Why should I go away? Come on, are you really rich enough to control what I do?" said Jessica in a trembling voice. Although she was still ying tough, the impulse to run away from the man was surging in her heart. Her lips were twitching and her body shook. This took everything she had to stand up to him.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    "Maybe I can''t control your mind. But I am rich enough to ignore thew. And trust me, whatever I do to you, thew will still be on my side. Consider yourself warned. Get out, and don''t let the door hit you as you leave." It would be foolish to try and talk some sense into this woman. Edward had decided to be blunt. After all, she wouldn''t understand, even if he talked till he were blue in the face.

 Chapter 931 Predators And Preys (Part Two)

    "Argh! Do you really think everyone will do what you want?" After she said that, memories flooded into her mind. Jessica suddenly recalled what happenedst time when she tried to kidnap Daisy, and how the men in ck came out of nowhere and rescued her. Thinking of that, she shuddered again, as fear overtook her heart. She stole a nce at Edward, thinking, wondering whether the men were sent by him. Maybe he did have everyone at his beck and call.


    "I never said that. But I own many things, including the piece ofnd you''re standing on, and the office where we''re talking. I could have you arrested for trespassing, and no one would question it. Get the hell off my property! Vamoose! Scram! Now!" said Edward, raising his eyebrows. He started to feel that it was a gigantic mistake to waste his time on her.


    "I''m leaving, but not because of you. I''m leaving because I want to. We''re done here." Seeing that Edward lost his temper, Jessica was too scared to stay any longer. Stomping her feet, she stormed off on her high-heels. It was obvious that this man would not do business with her; why would she stay and be humiliated?


    Seeing her walk away, Edward''s lips tightened. Truth be told, the woman was nopetitor with him in the business world, and he wasn''t afraid of her little tricks. But he was worried about something else: she might possibly try and seek revenge, hurting his family to do it. He shuddered inwardly when he thought of Daisy or Justin being hurt or killed. And he could tell she was pissed, months of resentment building toward this moment. He didn''t think she could be easily mollified.


    When Jessica walked out of the building, she ran into a person she hadn''t expected to meet. Upon recognizing Daisy''s face, she shed a wicked smile, and blocked her way, arms crossed at her chest.


    "What do you want?" Seeing her here, Daisy was also surprised. But she didn''t show her real feelings openly. Calm andposed as ever, she shot an icy nce at Jessica, waiting for her to exin why she was blocking the way.


    "Do you really have to ask? Daisy Ouyang. You must be really happy. From rags to riches, the proud wife of the CEO of FX International Group," stated Jessica, feeling no need to pretend to be kind. The sardonic voice was back, together with the holier-than-thou airs. She might be afraid of Edward, but this woman was not her equal. Jessica was sure of it.


    "Sorry, I''m too busy for your crap. What do you want? Never mind, just get out of my way." Daisy was already holding a bellyful of anger. Her tone turned cold and merciless as Jessica provoked her.


    "Ha! You really think you''re something, don''t you? But where will you be when FX International goes bankrupt? If you lose all your precious money, would you still be something? Or anything at all?" Jessica had long been jealous of Daisy''s luck. Every time she saw her, she felt an impulse to pinch Daisy''s beautiful face, destroying the happiness beaming from her inside. She was under the impression that Daisy cared about her wealth gained through Edward. In truth, just having Edward was enough. If FX went away, she still had her husband, her son, and her career in the military.


    "That''s Edward''s money, not mine. Living off someone else''s cash is more your style, tramp. And why should you care? It''s none of your business! Now out of my way!" said Daisy scornfully. She had never thought much of this woman, and would not change her opinion of her now. Every time she bumped into Jessica, she had more reasons to dislike her.


    "Really? Let''s wait and see then. Your time wille. And I hope that you''ll be half as calm as you are now when your husband is dirt poor." That said, Jessica raised her chin and strutted off, gyrating her hips like a samba dancer. When she passed by, she intentionally bumped into Daisy, although to her disappointment, the trained senior colonel didn''t even move a bit.


    "What a loon!" Daisy snorted, wearing a cold expression on her face. Not even ncing at Jessica, she trotted into thepany building. Her murderous look gave everyone a chill. They cowered and made way for her, wondering how their CEO offended Daisy again. Mrs. Mu was so angry. If looks could kill, she would leave a heap of corpses in her wake.


    "Nice to see you, Mrs. Mu." Anna was a little shocked when she saw Daisy. What was going on? And why did she have that look of rage in her eyes?


    "Good day to you too. Is Edward in?" Daisy had always been quiet, but today, she was much more aggressive than she used to be. Her eyes were burning with anger when she mentioned Edward''s name.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "Yes, this way, please." Anna led the way, and Daisy followed. Anna thought to herself, luckily, Melissa Xue had left before Daisy arrived, or something worse would definitely ur if they met. She had sensed that Melissa had some unusual connection with Edward, although she was not really sure what. So it was a good thing that Daisy wouldn''t see Melissa in Edward''s office.


    "Okay, thanks!" Daisy took a deep breath before she pushed the door open and walked in. She was so angry that she didn''t even knock.


    "Honey, why you are here?" Edward was also astonished to see Daisy at this hour. His eyes were filled with confusion when he looked at her.


    "Honey? Don''t honey me, you jerk! If I''m your honey, why do you have people spying on me? Don''t you trust me? Well? Or are you trying to hide something from me?" Angry, Daisy hurled her briefcase onto the sofa. Itnded with a satisfying thud, despite the soft cushions. She was seldom angry with Edward, and once she was, it was difficult to calm her down. She would even say and do ruthless things to humiliate Edward.


    "Well, I am not spying on you. I wanted to tell you about that, actually. But I got a little busy, and forgot about it." Edward patted his forehead in regret, ming himself for forgetting such an important thing. And now here was Daisy, blowing this out of proportion. "Tell me about it! Do you know I mistook the guy for an attacker? I almost put him in the hospital!" Daisy gnashed her teeth in anger. It was only because of her training and ability to think on her feet that this guy wasn''t recovering from two broken limbs at least. Martial arts was a godsend. And who on earth wouldn''t give a stalker a sound beating? And who on earth would ever imagine the person stalking on her was sent by her own husband? Therefore, when she realized that she was being watched, her first thought was that her real identity was exposed to her enemies or agents overseas. After all, she had offended so many people when she went out on missions. Foiling someones'' ns tended to make them resent you.


    "I am so sorry, honey. It''s all my fault. But what about you? Are you hurt or scared?" asked Edward as he stood up. With a worried expression on his face, he walked to her side, looking her up and down.


    "That can wait. Why are you spying on me? What possible reason could you have? You know it''s a criminal offense to hire someone to stalk a military officer." Daisy rolled her eyes. Her husband was a capable person. The moment when she was handling affairs in the urban district, his people had already located her. And that was when the guy started following her.00000000000?????

 Chapter 932 Predators And Preys (Part Three)

    "And what crime it is to protect an officer? I''ve given them strict orders to protect you from afar, not to cause trouble." Edward creased his brows in worry. Seeing Daisy so angry, he started to realize that the situation was serious.


    "Protecting me? Was that a joke? Or do you really think I need it? So I''m a weak and helpless girl, then? Do you even think I need any bodyguard?" Daisy retorted, rolling her eyes. Hearing that got her even angrier. Why would she possibly need other people to protect her? She was a capable woman, and also possessed great military prowess. If other people knew about her husband doing this they would have a goodugh. Daisy wasn''tughing. This could damage her rep. They''d say, what kind of senior colonel needed bodyguards? And her fame in the military circle would be gone.


    "Honey, I meant well. As you know, Jessica has returned. And she is plotting something to set you up. I''m worried about you, and so I sent my guys over to make sure you''re safe. I had to, because I can''t even focus on my daily work." Edward wasn''t so confident as he appeared with his exnation. It was indeed his fault not to tell her about his ns in advance. But everything he did was for her own good. He was hoping Daisy would ept his apology.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "I see. So you meant to say, I am not weak in your eyes, but stupid. Am I stupid enough to be set up by the same person twice?" Daisy retorted, looking at him coldly. Fortunately, earlier today, there were no other officers with her. Otherwise, it wouldhave been an even bigger deal. After all, it was against thew to spy on an officer, because there was a lot of potential for military secrets to be leaked.


    "There''s always a chance that she might try something. What if she caught you off-guard, and seeded? Don''t forget aboutst time ident. You can''t be too careful." Edward knew how to take advantage of pitch and tone to be persuasive, and he intentionally spoke in a gentle timbre to ay her anger.


    "You also said that it happened before. No one is stupid enough to make the same mistake over and over again, unless that person is nuts." Daisy gave him a cold look, fighting the impulse to hit him. If her stalker hadn''t called out "Mrs. Mu" in time, she would have broken his neck on the spot. She was carrying out a secret mission today, but Edward almost ruined it.


    "You''re so right, baby! Bute on, have a cup of water and take a break. It''s not worth it to get so steamed over my mistake." Seeing her dry lips, Edward picked up his cup, and offered some water to Daisy. He wasn''t going to try and argue with his angry wife, but tried to butter her up.


    "Edward Mu! Are you saying I''m overreacting?" Rage-filled, Daisy vented her anger. The fire inside her was stoked again, as Edward''s words reminded her of Jessica. She didn''t know how Edward felt about the woman, but didn''t want her husband to go anywhere near her. She was very displeased to see Jessica hanging around FX International.


    "No, I''m not! See? I''m begging for your forgiveness here. And I agree with every word you''ve said. It is all my fault." Edward winked at her with his most innocent eyes. Although his wife appeared cold and indifferent, she was actually aggressive and sharp-tongued. And when she was angry, she would definitely fight back. Edward had to be very careful with her now.


    "I''m not dumb. You think I''m just being silly, and now I think you''reughing at me. You said you wouldn''t interfere with my work, but look what you did today." That said, Daisy took the cup from him, and downed the beverage in one gulp. When she talked a lot, it dried her out. She needed something to wet her whistle.


    "No, I''m notughing at you! And I apologized. Please don''t be so mad at me. It''s also bad for your health. It''s like the old saying: ''She who is angry gets old fast.'' You don''t want that, do you?" Edward tried to change the subject. In his eyes, right now, Daisy was like a time-bomb ready to explode.


    "Are you saying I''m old because I get angry so often? Are you going to dump me for that? I see now. You want to dump me, and you are looking for reasons to get rid of me. Even if I am angry, it''s your fault! I can''t believe you!" The ice water did nothing to cool Daisy''s rage. She was still mad. She aimed a kick at his chin, yet he dodged her attack. Papers flew from the desk as he shifted position. Something hit the floor, but neither of them was in a mood to figure out what.


    "Honey! Please! Don''t be so mad! I''m sorry! I''m a dumbass!" If anyone had burst in at this time, they''d never have believed what they had seen. No one apart from Daisy had ever seen Mr. Mu begging for forgiveness so humbly. What they saw every day was his decisive and ruthless side. How could they imagine he could ever make a fool of himself?


    "You''re sorry? But you''re not sorry in your heart! You don''t even think you''ve made a mistake! You''re just sorry you got caught! So now, tell me... What does Jessica want? Does she want to get back together with you? Is that why she was here?" Grinding her teeth, Daisy spat her words. It was all Edward''s fault. Edward did something he shouldn''t have done. If not for him, she never would have run into Jessica Lin, much less been insulted by her.


    "What? Who? You saw her? Oh... I see now. It all makes sense. She must have said something to you. And that''s why you''re so pissed. Am I right?" Edward shed a smile. He suddenly figured it out. His wife was jealous of Jessica.


    "Nonsense! She''s a nobody, already water under the bridge. I''m mad because of you, you idiot." Daisy couldn''t help but soften her feelings when she saw Edward''s innocent nce. However, although she imed that Jessica was a nobody to her, Daisy was actually irked by her words, and worried about her rtionship with Edward. She was angry at her dear husband, but jealous too. At this point, she admitted that she had some petty thoughts. But as a sensitive woman, she did not think there was anything wrong with that. After all, who the hell would enjoy it when her beloved husband was dating other women?

 Chapter 933 You Know Kevin (Part One)

    "Babe, you''re a senior colonel. How could you get angry at a loser like Jessica? But didn''t you say there was an inspection? Wouldn''t that require everyone to be on the base? Why would you be downtown?" After ttering her, Edward decided to satisfy his curiosity. He remembered that she told him she didn''t have time to go out to lunch, that she''d grab something at the post-exchange on base. As for the post-exchange, Edward thought that was one of the worst retail stores he''d seen, but it didn''t have to be posh. It had to be functional, as only active-duty personnel, retired military, and their families shopped there.


    "Yeah. I got an assignment, a top-secret mission. It required me to go into town. And Kevin is there to take care of the inspection. And don''t change the subject. Why was Jessica in your office today?" It was not that Daisy didn''t believe him. She just wondered why Jessica would have confronted her that way, and said the oddest things.


    "It''s nothing. She wanted to threaten me with the stock of MY Mall. She thinks she can buy me out." Seeing that Daisy had calmed down, Edward was relieved. He knew Daisy, she had a hot temper. But it was easy to make her calm down if there was a good exnation that she thought was justified. And he was confident enough to pull this off and make her see things his way.


    "Why does she have any stock of MY Mall at all? Can she really do anything?" Daisy didn''t know much about business, so she had no idea how this could affect the FX International Group. Was Jessica a threat?


    "It''s okay. Everything''s under control. Don''t worry. Just protect yourself. I''ll handle everything else." Edward knew women well. He understood how crazy a woman would be when she lost her head. He worried that Jessica might hurt Daisy when she became insane. "You never give me a straight answer. Quit jerking me around. Is everything really okay with thepany? If anything really happened, share it with me. We can find a solution together. I know I often tease you about being a profiteer, but I know thispany is important to you. It affects me too, so let me in." Daisy frowned. With her serious expression together with the olive green uniform she wore, she looked more formidable now.


    "Honey, do you ever worry about me losing everything?" Edward wiped the sweat from her forehead with a tissue. The weather was cold, so she shouldn''t be sweating like that. She must really be upset.


    "Sometimes. I''ve had thoughts that we might end up with my ie only, and you might beg me to provide for you." Daisy sneered, pretty annoyed. Since he liked to entertain foolish thoughts, she''d humor him. What was the harm?


    "Damn, honey. You can''t abandon me if I really be poor. As the saying goes, ''A day together as husband and wife means endless devotion the rest of your life.'' We''re married now. But would you stay with me, even if I were a poor man?" Edward knew she was joking, but he couldn''t help but pretend to be pitiful andin with a somber look.


    "What do you think? Don''t show me that look. I really have the urge to p you and make you bump onto the wall." Every time Daisy saw his pitiful look, she would be ovee by depression. She wondered what she had done that made God send her such a freak. "I know you wouldn''t do that." Edward said with a sly smile. Daisy felt even more despondent to see his pitiful puppy dog eyes that he just trotted out again. Was the man in front of her really the smiling tiger boss in everyone''s eyes? This weighed heavily on her mind. "Only time will tell, dear. I really can''t stand you right now. Why the hell was I so brainless to be attracted to you? This is just too much! Was I crazy then?" Daisy was lost in thought. Maybe that was true, she thought. ''Maybe I waspletely out of my head when I fell head over heels in love with this man.''


    "Honey, have youpletely lost it? You didn''t just trash me, you trashed yourself. You really have gone all out to fight me." Edward stared at Daisy, dumbfounded. He wondered whether she really knew what she was saying now.


    "Since I went back to you, I have never acted normal. I don''t care if you think I''m weird right now." Daisy pursed her lips and nced at Edward aggressively. Although she was ming him, it was undeniable to her that Edward was really quite fascinating. And his charming look would always make her forget his shorings. She could only see the shiny parts of him. It was nice to know his shine hadn''t worn off, despite the weak and pitiful mask he put on asionally.


    "So what you''re saying is that I''m the one who made you act like this?" Edwardughed and pinched her cheek. Her face was already red with anger. He suddenly remembered that he had nned to take her to the beauty salon to get a facial. But he always forgot when he got busy with work.


    "Yes, you''re right. But why should I be angry with you? Fine, let''s drop it. But could you send the guards away? I don''t need anyone to protect me. I really don''t feelfortable with them around." Unlike Edward, who got used to being followed by bodyguards wherever he went, Daisy wasn''t happy being followed by anyone. It was just her nature to be independent and alone.


    "Would it be okay if I ask them to watch you from a distance? I can''t help worrying about you if there is no one around you." Edward insisted on his n when it came to the issue of ensuring Daisy''s safety. He had his own considerations. His peace of mind was ensuring his family was safe, happy, and healthy. That was his main priority. Everything else came second.


    "I don''t need anyone else watching my every move. I''m not a tycoon, I''m a soldier. I don''t need a retinue. This will be a huge problem to me in the military, or in missions involving stealth." Daisy didn''t want to be privileged. And she didn''t want others to think that she belonged to the group of people who could enjoy special privileges.


    "Okay, I''ll call them off. But get Mark to follow you wherever you go. He''s your guard, anyway. This way you can feel better about having someone watching your back. "Edward folded. He never gave any kind of ground to anyone except Daisy. This was the one thing he could do nothing about. He could ignore anyone''s opinion, but never hers.00000000???????Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.

 Chapter 934 You Know Kevin (Part Two)

    "Okay. I''m heading back to base now. Remember to send the bodyguards away. If I see them again --" Daisy said, waving her fist at him. That was an ultimatum.


    "Okay, okay. I get it. It''s already five. You''re still going to the base?" Edward lifted his wrist and checked the time. He had thought that she would be off work now. He didn''t expect that she would go back to the army base sote. "It''s your fault. I''d be halfway there if I hadn''t stopped here and had it out with you. And you had the nerve to ask me." Daisy was peevish at the mention of this. If she wasn''t pissed off, why would shee here and argue with him? "Okay, it''s all my fault. How about this? I drive you back, and then wait for you to get off work. Then we cane home together." Before she could reply, Edward grabbed his phone and keys from the table. He took power naturally. It was in his nature to take control of everything.


    "You don''t have to. I can drive myself. Just get back to work. Be careful you don''t make yourpany go bankrupt." Daisy refused without hesitation, because she thought that she was not the kind of woman who needed protection. She was happy that he cared about her. But sometimes love could be smothering, and that was when she had to emerge from the nket of tender loving care and get some air.


    "You really don''t need me to go with you? What if I insist?" Edward decided to press the issue. He knew it might be futile. Once she decided on something, it was very difficult to make her change her mind. This was probably his fault, too. He let her decide everything on her own. That was why Daisy sometimes challenged him so tantly. He was the engineer of his own suffering.


    "I''d back down, only if you want a good bop on the nose. I''m not going to let you weasel your way into this one. It''s my way or the highway." Daisy nced at Edward disdainfully. She didn''t think that Edward would win in a real fight, if she really pulled out all the stops and tried to hurt him. Even though he was good at fighting, the fight would end in a draw at best.


    "Honey, do you really think I''m one of your soldiers? I can''t be intimidated that easily." Edward shed a forced smile. But what could he do? He didn''t want to fight her. But if he didn''t fight, he had no choice but to bow down to her.


    "Huh! You wanted to be my soldier? To tell you the truth, you''re not even qualified. Just save your energy and forget it!" Finishing her words, Daisy turned around decisively. She bent down to get her briefcase from the sofa and turned back, shing a graceful smile at him and then walked out in a haughty manner. Edward was left alone. He stood there silently and watched Daisy disappear from sight. He stroked his jawline in a trance, as if lost in his thought.


    Leena was not only good at costume design, she also had a knack for cooking. She took pleasure in the busy life of a housewife. After she and Edward and their friends parted, she went to the Bird and Flower Market first and bought some beautiful potted nts to decorate the balcony of her house. The Bird and Flower Market carried more than just birds and flowers. It was a mishmash of housewares, furniture and art. She haggled over the price with the shopkeeper, but not too aggressively -- he had a family to feed as well. Then she drove back to the apartment. Without further ado, she began cleaning as soon as she arrived home. She cleaned every corner of the house. When she finished all of her chores and prepared to sit down to take a break, she raised her head and saw the time on the wall clock. Dinnertime already! The whole day had gone by, and she hadn''t finished any designs.


    It would never ur to her that she would have an uninvited guest on that day. It was beyond her expectation and she was confused from the moment she opened the door.


    "Hello?"Leena unwittingly frowned at the sight of Louisa who was standing at the door. She looked at the fashionable and sexy woman with doubt in her eye.


    "Hi. Why are you here? This is Kevin''s house, right? So why would you be here? Oh! I know! You''re the servant girl, right? A woman like you can''t be anyone else. You look like you''ve been hard at it all day." Louisa raised her chin and nced at Leena in the apron, her eyes filled with disdain. "You know Kevin?" Leena asked doubtfully. She had nned to just shut the door straightaway, but thinking that the woman might be Kevin''s friend, she controlled her temper and talked to her. The woman did note here looking for Leena, so Leena had no reason to shut her out.


    "Of course. Don''t you want to invite me in?" Louisa nced at Leena, swollen with arrogance. She could afford to be superior. What was the use of being pretty? She was only a servant. But still hot. A seductive girl would be a threat to Louisa, as she might lure Kevin away. Louisa thought it necessary to find a way to drive this servant away when she got the chance.


    "Come in, please!" Reluctant as Leena was, she finally caved and made way for Louisa toe into the house.


    "Give me a cup of tea, with chrysanthemum. The weather is too dry today." Louisa sat down on the sofa uninvited and took it for granted to ask Leena to serve her.


    "Sorry, We don''t have chrysanthemum here. We only have coffee, is that okay?" Leena bit her lips and tried to hold back her anger.


    "No chrysanthemum? Okay, I won''t make things difficult for you. I can make do with coffee." Louisa leaned back on the sofa with her legs crossed, without the awareness that Leena actually said "we" in reference to her and Kevin. She raised her eyes and looked around, only to find that there was nothing different from what she sawst time she was here, except for that the house looked brighter. Probably because the servant had just done the cleaning. The servant had done a good job. She was very qualified in this regard. She practically made the ce sparkle.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    "Please wait a minute. I''m cooking right now. I have to attend to the dishes," Leena said as she trotted into the kitchen. Fortunately, she had lowered the burner settings when she went to open the door for Louisa, otherwise the dish would be overcooked.???????

 Chapter 935 You Know Kevin (Part Three)

    take time and have a good look at the ce. Leena blocked Louisa as she saw her about to start up the stairs.


    Louisa didn''t urge Leena to make the coffee. In her mind, she didn''t have to. She stood up and looked around the house. Last time she was here, she was too eager to find the photo of Kevin''s wife and didn''t get a chance to carefully visit the ce. And this time she could "Miss, here is your coffee. And the upstairs is private space, so please don''t go there." It was then that she realized she had no idea what Louisa''s name was. Leena was so careless to let her in without even knowing who this woman was.


    "Huh! You''re only a servant. Why do you think you have the right to ask me not to do something?" Louisa paused mid-stride at Leena''s warning. She felt embarrassed to be stopped like this by a servant.


    "Let''s turn this around. As a guest, do you think it polite to intrude without the host''s permission?" To her surprise, this woman not only was rude, she even didn''t know basic formal etiquette. She treated Louisa as an equal.


    "What''s wrong with it? Last time I came here, Kevin asked me to feel free to look around. Do you think a servant would know more about the rules in this house than the host?" Louisa became angry and red-faced after she was questioned by Leena. She began to argue strongly for herself to justify her behavior. Her protests fell on deaf ears.


    "Correct me if I''m wrong, but he didn''t ask you to visit the master bedroom, right?" Leena''s eyes darkened. Any answer other than "no", then she would really have a bone to pick with Kevin.


    "About this, I think it is only a matter of time." Louisa shed a smug smile. Since Leena said so, she had no reason to insist on going upstairs. As she didn''t even call beforeing over, she sat down and sulked. She didn''t clear it with Kevin beforehand, and she didn''t want to cause tension between her and Kevin''s servant.


    "What do you mean?" Women were all very sensitive, and Leena was no exception. She captured the subtle meaning in Louisa''s words.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    "What do I mean? You don''t understand even if I tell you. It''s none of your business, do your work as a servant should do." Louisa nced at Leena arrogantly. She felt jealous of Leena''s rosy and fair skin. She wondered why a servant would have such good skin which was even better than hers. Was she a natural beauty?


    Leena didn''t bother to correct her when Louisa repeatedly referred her as a servant. She just didn''t care, because her mind still lingered on what Louisa said. At the same time, she figured out where the curly hair she saw on the sofa when she came back came from. The answer was right before her eyes.


    "Sorry. Kevin won''t be back for awhile, so you can sit here for a bit. Excuse me, I have to finish up dinner." Leena bit her lip. She didn''t act rudely toward this woman for the sake of Kevin. If it was another woman, she would have drove her out already and would not have tolerated her barking orders here.


    "Okay, you can go now."From the moment Louisa entered the house, she hadn''t even looked Leena in the eye, nor introduced herself. Because in her eyes, her name was not something that a servant deserved to know. And why would she deserve it? After all, to a servant her name would be "miss" or "ma''am."


    Leena nced at Louisa, she didn''t know why a gentleman like Kevin would have such an arrogant friend.


    In fact, before Louisa came here, she''d racked her brains to find an excuse for her visit, but all the excuses she could think were easily debunked. So she decided toe here first and let it flow. That way she''d sound much more natural, more authentic. Hopefully disarming.


    She knew that Kevin wouldn''t be home so early, but she couldn''t helping here in advance. She had thought that if no one answered the door, she would go home as if she had nevere. But to her surprise, someone opened the door, and the person who opened the door was the woman she held a grudge against. She just didn''t know.


    She took a sip of the coffee and sniffed the delicious aromaing from the kitchen. But her mind was upied by the question how to exin to Kevin why she was here at his apartment. She must find a good reason, because she didn''t want to be aughing stock in the eyes of the servant who was in the kitchen now.


    When the meal was ready, Kevin still didn''te back. Not knowing whether Louisa would stay for dinner, Leena prepared two more dishes. Even though she didn''t like Louisa, she still regarded her as a guest and treated her with due respect. She was like that. She didn''t go off on some person unless he or she really deserved it.


    "Would you like another cup of coffee?" Leena raised her head and checked the time. It was about time for Kevin to be home. She missed him, and she wondered if he knew this strange, rude woman that she was faced with. Maybe he''d have answers to the questions she was burning to know. But why was he still not back? And what was the rtionship between him and this woman? How did he know her? Were they friends, old ssmates? Or more importantly, was she his ex-girlfriend? Or was she a current one, and he had made a fool of Leena? But that was unlikely. He loved Daisy before, right?


    "No need. But don''t you get off work now? If you''re off-shift, then it''s time for you to go." Louisa didn''t see Leenast time she came here, so she took it for granted that Leena was the hourly worker that Kevin hired. But the dishes were ready. Wasn''t the worker supposed to leave now? She was getting rather impatient, and didn''t want this woman to spoil her alone time with Kevin. Themander''s daughter was quite nonplussed. When was it time for the servant to depart, then? And it never urred to her that it was rude to suddenly show up at someone''s house unannounced -- particrly around dinnertime.00000000000

 Chapter 936 My Only Wife (Part One)

    "Get off work?" Leena looked at her in confusion. She couldn''t understand what the woman in front of her was saying at first. Then she remembered the "servant" the woman had mentioned earlier. Leena remembered that this woman had mistaken her for the servant. "I don''t have to get off work. I live here," Leena said.


    "What? What do you mean by ''live here''? How is that possible? Besides, thest time I was here, I didn''t even see you! Or are you newly hired?" Even as Louisa uttered these words, she felt nervous. She had a bad feeling about this. What if what she was thinking was true? Leena pursed her lips and was about to exin, but right then, she heard a sound of someone opening the door. She stopped and turned to look at it. She knew it must be Kevin, since I was time for him toe back from work. Leena rxed a bit. On the other hand, Louisa panicked. She didn''t know what to do. She had crossed paths with Kevin too many times recently. She doubted he would be happy to see her.


    Kevin was in a very good mood. Even though he had worked the entire day at the army base, a small smile lingered on his face. However, as soon as he saw Louisa inside the house, his eyebrows drew together and he frowned. Theughter in his eyes disappeared. When he turned to face Leena, his eyes brimmed with affection once again.


    "Kevin, you are back." Louisa had a big smile on her face, but it seemed to be forced. Her smile hid the anxiety she felt deep down. She was afraid that Kevin would say something that would embarrass her. After all, she hade to his house without even asking for his permission first. It was a bit rude of her,e to think of it.


    "Yeah! Howe you are here?" Kevin passed his briefcase to Leena, who had walked to his side. He changed into his slippers and walked into the room.


    "Well, I was just passing by, so I thought I''de to see you. I was wondering if maybe I could treat you a nice dinner, to thank you for giving me a ride yesterday. I didn''t expect that you wouldn''t be home." Louisa thought that the exnation sounded good enough, at least to her ears. Even though Kevin acted cold and distant with her, at least he was still polite. He didn''t even get upset over the fact that she hade here without telling him.


    "I told you that you didn''t have to do that. We happened to be going the same way. And it''s not like it was too much of a hassle anyway." Since Leena was here too, Kevin didn''t want to be too rude to Louisa. So, he decided to be his normal, distant self. He didn''t want Leena to think that he would be impolite to a woman. However, truthfully, he was displeased with Louisa. Why did shee here anyway? He didn''t want anything to do with her. Moreover, she didn''t even tell him that she''d being! What if Leena misunderstood the rtionship between him and Louisa? That would be a headache.


    "Yeah, you are right. Still, I feel it would be rude of me if I don''t do anything to thank you in return." Louisa said in an overly sweet tone. What she didn''t realize was that what she was doing at the moment was already disrespectful to the two people standing in front of her, especially to Leena.


    "That''s alright. You don''t have to do anything to thank me. I don''t really care about it anyway," Kevin said coldly. He was still piqued by Louisa. However, when he turned to look at Leena and found her curious gaze already on him, his mood lifted instantly. The corners of his mouth turned upward. Well, it seemed that Leena could get jealous after all.


    "Leena, could you give me a ss of cold water, please? I rushed home and am a bit thirsty," Kevin said to Leena, as he reached out and pushed a single strand of hair behind her ear. Judging from the way she was dressed, she must have cooked a delicious meal tonight.


    "Isn''t there water in your car?" Leena asked Kevin, putting the briefcase in her hands onto the sofa. She walked towards the table and poured him a ss of warm water. Although she knew that Kevin asked for cold water, she still gave him warm water. The weather was a bit chilly today, and she didn''t want him to sip cold water after rushing home from work. It would not be good for his health.


    "Yeah, there is. But it''s in the trunk. I was toozy to go and pick it out." Kevin took the ss of water that Leena handed to him. He wasn''t paying attention to Louisa, so he didn''t see the stunned look on her face. Louisa couldn''t even believe what she was seeing with her very own eyes.


    "Go wash your hands! Dinner is ready." A sweet smile appeared on Leena''s beautiful face, and it was all because of his small, intimate gesture just now. He had noticed a single strand of her hair falling into her eyes and pushed it behind her ear. It looked like he was truly paying attention. She was moved by his action and forgot about the rude words Louisa had said to her that made her so unhappy.


    "Oh! I forgot to introduce you two to each other. This is Louisa Ye, daughter of themander. You two already met just now, right?" Kevin asked Leena. He wanted to make sure Leena knew who Louisa was, so her suspicions would be at rest. Besides, Louisa was already in the room, so she must have at least introduced herself when she rang the bell.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    "Oh, you are Miss Ye. Nice to meet you. I''m Leena Leng," Leena spoke, introducing herself to Louisa in a friendly manner. She put out her hand, wanting to shake Louisa''s. But to her surprise, Louisa just bluntly ignored her. She snorted, like she didn''t want to bother shaking hands with her. It seemed very rude, not only to Leena, but also to Kevin. He was Leena''s husband, after all.00000000000

 Chapter 937 My Only Wife (Part Two)

    Leena just smiled forcefully. She withdrew her hand, feeling awkward as she dropped it to her side. She had thought that Louisa would at least return the friendly gesture. But it looked like she was wrong. Was she stupid to think that everybody could be nice? "Louisa, what are you doing?" Kevin saw the exchange between the two women. He frowned and looked at Leena, an apology in his eyes. He didn''t know what had gotten into Louisa. Why would she act like this? He had always called Louisa ''Miss Ye'' before, but she vexed him. He addressed her by her first name, being stern.


    "Kevin, she is just a housekeeper. Why do you even care?" Even though Louisa saw Kevin help Leena with her hair, she didn''t read too much into it. She thought that he was being nice and it was just a spur-of-the-moment action. What she didn''t realize was that an employer would never be that intimate with someone who was just his employee.


    "What? Housekeeper? Who told you that Leena is my housekeeper?! For your information, she is my one and only wife!" Kevin stared at Louisa with anger in his eyes. What was she saying? Why was she acting so arrogantly toward Leena? ''She must be out of her mind right now.'' he thought. Even if Leena was actually his housekeeper, it would be very ill-mannered of Louisa to treat her like that.


    "Umm... What? Are you telling me that this woman is your wife? How is that possible?" Louisa took a step back in utter disbelief at what she heard. She couldn''t ept his harsh words. Was Kevin joking? Was he messing with her? He must be, right? She didn''t want to believe what he just said.


    "Well, you tell us. How is that so impossible?" Kevin was vexed with Louisa. His tone was stern and cold. In his opinion, disrespecting his wife was disrespecting his own self. Naturally, he couldn''t help it when the anger seeped into his voice.


    "Your wife shouldn''t be such a woman! Even if your wife is not someone from a rich and famous family, she should at least be decent enough. Not this tawdry woman, who looks like she could be Cindere!" Louisa felt sorry for him. At the same time, she thought that she was the suitable wife for Kevin, not the girl standing in front of her. Since Louisa was from a very good family, she could also help Kevin with his career. On the contrary, the girl standing next to him didn''t look like she came from a good background. ''She must be from an ordinary family, ''Louisa thought. ''Even a poor one."Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "Cindere? What? You mean her?" Kevin was surprised at Louisa''s words. He couldn''t help but turn his head to give Leena a once-over. In his eyes, there was nothing different about her. She was wearing her usual clothes. She was still the sweet and beautiful girl she always was.


    "Who else would I mean? I really cannot understand why you married her. In my opinion, she doesn''t seem like the kind of woman who should be your wife. She is not suited for you at all." The more she spoke out, the more she thought that she was right. She didn''t realize what was wrong with her behavior. She was being absolutely rude and unbearable to Kevin and Leena.


    "Whatever you say, ording to me, she is the only one who suits me," Kevin told her the most honest thought on his mind. He looked at Leena with eyes full of love. He wanted everyone, especially Leena, to know how lucky he was to have her as his wife. Maybe in Louisa''s eyes, Leena didn''t deserve him. To be honest, he believed that he was the one who didn''t really deserve her.


    "Kevin, didn''t you think of your career when you got married to her? She cannot help you with it. On the contrary, she is a burden to you! Didn''t you consider that at all? I just can''t believe that a man like you would make such a bad decision." Louisa didn''t care that Leena was also there and could hear her every word. She bluntly blurted out what she thought. She didn''t realize how ill-mannered and intrusive she was being.


    "Well, if my career needs my wife''s help, then I''d rather not have a career at all. And to be honest, she will never be a burden to me. Marrying her is the best decision I have ever made. In fact, I am the lucky one in this rtionship. I am very fortunate to have her as my wife," Kevin said, looking at Louisa with disdain. She had absolutely no right to talk about Leena like that. As a matter of fact, she shouldn''t insult ANYONE like that. She was being extremely presumptuous and disrespectful. He had considered her a nice girl, but it seemed to him that he had been awfully wrong. Besides, whether or not Leena was the right one for him was none of her business. Only Kevin could decide that. He had spoken the truth. Leena was the one for him. It didn''t matter what Louisa believed.


    "But won''t you feel embarrassed and ashamed when you take her out? That such a woman is your wife?" Louisa insisted. She presumed that Leena was from an ordinary family and didn''t have much money. She was not afraid to hurt her or make her angry. ''Besides, what could Leena do to me anyway?'' Louisa thought haughtily. Kevin had clearly made a big mistake. But it was all right, because she had set her mind to make him realize that. She was being mean and hurtful on purpose.??????????????

 Chapter 938 My Only Wife (Part Three)

    "Miss Ye, I was not under the impression that I was such an insufferable woman in your eyes! Don''t you think you are being awfully rude to me inside my own house? Just unbelievable!" Leena finally asserted, when she couldn''t bear to listen to what was being said about her. She knew that Louisa didn''t like her, for whatever reason, but she couldn''t take her being this disrespectful incessantly! ording to Leena, Louisa was a self-centered and selfish woman who didn''t consider other people''s feelings. That deeply disgusted her. She was insufferable. "Well, you should know my answer to your question. Why are you even asking me?" Louisa smirked, aiming her eyes towards Leena. She was so engrossed in vilifying Leena that shepletely forgot where she was standing at the moment. Moreover, she had no idea who she was trash talking about.


    "I''m sorry. I don''t know what you are talking about. My family has raised me right. They taught me to be a kind woman, and not judge people by their appearances or family background." Leena was vexed with Louisa''s attitude toward her. Why the hell was she acting like she had a right to belittle her? How could she be so conceited? There was a deep frown on Leena''s adorable face. It was clear that she was pissed off. She stared at Louisa with eyes full of wrath.


    "You mean to say that I''ve not been taught good manners?" Louisa immediately retorted, quite sensitive about this topic herself. She understood what Leena was getting at.


    "I didn''t say that. But if you''d like to think so, then I don''t have anything more to say." In all honesty, Leena rarely got mad. She was such a nice and easy-going person most of the time. Even though she was from a rich family, it didn''t change the fact that she had an exceedingly kind heart. She was the type of girl who was effortlessly loved and cherished.


    "Hah! If your family had really raised you right like you said, then you would not have been intimate with another man in a public ce!" Louisa raised one of her eyebrows and looked at Leena with contempt. It was clear that she didn''t consider Leena to be the kind of girl she imed to be. Moreover, once she remembered the handsome man at the restaurant who had acted so intimately with Leena, she couldn''t help but feel a bit jealous. What she didn''t get was why such striking men, including Kevin, would be attracted to a woman like Leena. She appeared to be as immature as a little school-going girl.


    "Before you use me of cheating, you should know the truth first. Yes, I acted intimately with a man, that is true. But it''s not what you think at all." Leena said, sneaking a nce at Kevin. She was afraid that he would believe Louisa''s words and suspect her. "See, Kevin! Are you listening to her? She admits that she indeed cheated on you!" Louisa announced cheerfully, as if she had really seen Leena cheat on Kevin. She looked in Kevin''s direction, her eyes shining with delight. It was obvious that she was quite pleased with herself.


    "I trust my wifepletely. But you! Did youe here just to start a fight with her?" Kevin had been listening to the conversation between Leena and Louisa silently. He realized from their words that it was not the first time they had met each other. They had crossed paths before. Louisa was hurling usations at his wife left and right. It was a mystery to him why these two weren''t getting along or being nice to each other. It seemed that only they themselves knew the answer to that question.


    "Kevin, what I said is indeed true! I saw her today, hugging a very handsome man and walking into a restaurant in excitement, smiling widely. The two of them looked quite intimate." Louisa couldn''t believe her own ears. What? Was Kevin out of his mind? Why would he trust Leena over her? She couldn''t believe that Kevin didn''t care about his wife cheating on him. It was astounding.


    "I believe that what you said is true. However, like Leena said just now, it was not as it seemed to be." Kevin frowned slightly. If what he was guessing was right, the mysterious man that Louisa saw was definitely one of Leena''s many brothers. They had nned to have dinner together, after all. Of course, he knew about that in advance. In fact, if there hadn''t been an emergency at the army base, he would have gone there with them too.


    "That''s it? You are just letting it go so easily? Are you actually permitting this kind of behavior? You ought to punish her. Even if it is not like how it seemed to be, is it really appropriate for her to throw herself at a man who is not her husband?" Louisa was bitter and jealous. She couldn''t believe that Kevin wouldn''t even reprimand Leena for her actions. She had thought that he would at least be mad at her. After all, no man could stand his wife being unfaithful to him or being intimate with another man.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    "Well! Do you really think that being close to one''s own brother is inappropriate?" Kevin asked her in return. At the same time, he didn''t understand why he was bothering to exin this to Louisa. She was just an uninvited guest. This was none of her business. She didn''t have the right to judge their family at all. Besides, he had faith in Leena.


    "W...what? Brother?" Louisa stuttered, astonished at Kevin''s words. Reluctantly, she turned to look at Leena. She couldn''t believe that the mysterious man was her brother. That man was dressed so elegantly and looked so wealthy. But Leena? Leena just looked like an ordinary girl.


    "Yes, ''brother''. Now, do you have any more questions to ask? If not, we are nning to have dinner now." Kevin told her caustically. He was discreetly asking her to leave because she was interfering with their ns. He didn''t make it so obvious because it was up to Louisa herself to leave. "Oh! I''m sorry. Ipletely forgot about that. I will get going. I''m really sorry for holding up your dinner." Louisa bit her lower lip, speaking reluctantly. To be frank, she didn''t want to leave at all, but she didn''t have anymore reason to stay.

 Chapter 939 My Only Wife (Part Four)

    "Well, since it''s dinner time, why don''t you stay and have supper with us?" Leena was indeed very kind. Though she was still mad at Louisa, she couldn''t just forget her manners. That was why she asked her to stay for dinner.


    "Yeah. Leena is right. Have dinner with us. You are not a stranger here anyway." Kevin said, only because he had a good rtionship with Louisa''s father, themander. But to Leena, the words sounded different. She looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, then silently turned around and started walking towards the kitchen area. Now it was up to Louisa if she wanted to stay for dinner or not. Leena had already asked her politely. She was being too nice about what just happened. But it was not her business anymore. "Thank you for your offer, but I don''t want to intrude. I can go home and have dinner myself." Though Louisa was indeed d at their suggestion, she reluctantly declined their offer. She didn''t want to seem so eager. However, the thought of staying at Kevin''s ce for some more time delighted her.


    "That''s alright. You are not intruding. Just stay for dinner, will you?" Since Leena already invited Louisa to join them for dinner, he couldn''t just pick a fight and disagree with his wife. At the same time he thought of themander, realizing that it would not be nice of him to ask his daughter to leave immediately. After all, she was like a little sister to him. All in all, he couldn''t be displeased about this and throw her out.


    "Okay, if you insist." Louisa wanted to stay not because she was hungry and had to eat. She just wanted to see if Leena was a good cook. After all, she was not a wealthy girl. If she was not even a good cook, then what did Kevin see in her? Louisa was bitter of course, but she was also very curious.


    "Come on. Let''s have dinner," Kevin said, walking straight to the dining room, without looking to see if Louisa was following him. Just as he expected, Leena had made a number of delicious dishes that were already on the dinner table. After looking around, he found that she had cleaned the room too. He worried about her health. If she continued doing all this and stressed herself out, it wouldn''t be good for her body. After all, she only just recovered from the cold she had caught back in France.


    "Have a seat." Kevin pulled the chair for Louisa like a gentleman would do, asking her to sit. He walked over to the kitchen, to see if there was anything he could help his wife with. He was very grateful to Leena for making such a wonderful dinner for him. She very well knew how hungry he always was when he came home from work.


    "Leena, is everything ready?" Kevin walked to her from behind, putting his arms around her waist. He put his chin on her shoulder and asked in a gentle voice. He felt guilty and sorry for what happened with Louisa just now.


    "Yeah! Just help me take that soup out, please." Leena had been filling the bowls with rice when Kevin suddenly put his arms around her. She was a bit surprised at the sudden intimate action and froze in ce.


    "No problem. Listen, about Louisa, I will exin it to youter tonight." Kevin left a gentle kiss on her hair, then took the soup out and walked into the dining room.


    Leena was a bit confused at Kevin''s words. It didn''t bother her for too long. What she didn''t understand was what he wanted to exin to her. Was it about the hair on the sofa she had found, when she came back from abroad? Or was it about Louisa''s sudden visit? Was there something between the two of them that she didn''t know about? There were so many possibilities.


    "What are you thinking about?" Leena jumped at the sudden voice. She was lost in her thoughts and hadn''t noticed that Kevin was back in the kitchen again. She didn''t expect him to walk in again and look for her.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "Ah! Nothing. Let''s go eat." Truthfully, Leena was just being polite when she asked Louisa to stay. She didn''t expect her to actually take up the offer and stay. But it was what it was, so she couldn''t be unhappy about it. Instead, she epted that Louisa had agreed to stay and graciously put the bowl of rice in front of her. She didn''t bother giving her the cold shoulder because of all the rude things Louisa had said about her.


    "Miss Ye, this is just some potluck. Please don''t mind." Once she heard that Louisa was themander''s daughter, she understood why she was so arrogant. It was clear that she was very proud of her family and her status. That was why she acted so cocky. "That''s fine. All the dishes look delicious." Since Leena had asked her to stay for dinner, Louisa couldn''t still be rude toward her. However, she still disliked her very much. Kevin was also here and he seemed to be very protective of Leena. Louisa didn''t want to leave a bad impression in front of him. However, she didn''t realize that Kevin was already angry at her for her actions earlier.


    "You are very lucky today. Let me tell you, Leena is a very good cook. You are in for a treat." Kevin was never shy aboutplimenting Leena''s culinary skills in front of others. To him, it was rare for a girl from a wealthy family to be able to cook. And Leena was not just able to cook, she also made very delicious meals. He wouldn''t have imagined that a spoiled girl like Leena could do all that before he met her. She was a precious woman indeed.


    "Yeah, okay. I have heard about that most children from poor families can cook. After all, they have to manage the household affairs early, right?" Kevin had said that the mysterious, handsome man she saw meeting Leena was her brother. And from the way he dressed, Louisa knew that he must be very rich. However, she just couldn''t bite her tongue. She spat out the mean words. It seemed like this was the only way she could do to make herself feel better.

 Chapter 940 She Doesnt Love You (Part One)

    "You''re right. Just as that saying goes, children who grow up in poor families are better equipped to deal with the problems in their lives," Leena answered with a smile. She wasn''t angered by Louisa''s ridicule, nor did she think that it was necessary for her to defend herself. What Louisa thought about her didn''t affect her at all. If Louisa believed that Leena belonged to a poor family, she was totally fine with it. Kevin looked at Leena in astonishment. He didn''t understand why she was making a secret of her family. But if she wanted to conceal her background, he would not reveal it in front of Louisa. Maybe Leena had her own reasons. Kevin would support her under any circumstances. Louisa was under the impression that Kevin was boasting of Leena''s cooking skills. But to her intense surprise, the dishes were so tasty that she buried herself in the food. Louisa had to admit that Leena was much better at cooking, but she didn''t consider it to be a big deal. After all, rich families had their own private chefs. Knowing how to cook was not a necessity that a man looked for in a wife.


    "Mrs. Gu, what do you do?" Louisa asked as she took a sip of the lemonade in front of her. She gave her a once-over, not bothering to conceal her dislike for Leena, even though Kevin was present in the same room. She wanted to belittle Leena in an attempt to disy her superiority.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "Oh, I work in the fashion industry," Leena answered honestly. She didn''t think it was necessary to hide that fact. Kevin treated Louisa like a younger sister, so Leena decided to be nice to her.


    "What? The fashion industry? Are you kidding me? You look like a country bumpkin!" If Kevin weren''t here, Louisa would haveughed out loud and mocked Leena with the meanest words.


    "Louisa, show some respect," Kevin said with a scowl. He had been nice to Louisa before, but her disrespect toward Leena was infuriating him. He knew Louisa had a thing for him, but he treated her like his sister. If she dared to offend Leena again, Kevin wouldn''t mind teaching her a lesson, even if she was the daughter of his superior.


    "Kevin, I was just telling the truth. She really does look like a country bumpkin," Louisa grumbled, pursing her lips. Her heart broke when Kevin shouted at her because of another woman.


    "It''s okay, Kevin. Don''t me her. I admit that Miss Ye has better taste in fashion," Leena said, smiling at him sweetly. She didn''t take Louisa''s taunts seriously at all. She was only eager to know why she thought she was a country bumpkin. Was it because of her makeup, or was it her clothes? Leena could draw inspiration from Louisa''s words and add new elements to her works.


    "Have some more food. You look much thinner than before. I guess you weren''t taking good care of yourself in France." Kevin put some food into Leena''s bowl. Since Leena was well able to deal with Louisa, he decided not to interfere in the girls'' conversation. He felt lucky that his wife was an open-minded girl, otherwise he would have been in a difficult position.


    "Oh no! I''m not hungry at all!" Leena cried as she stared at the extra food in her bowl. She really couldn''t eat any more.


    "Honey, you must eat more. Health is the most important thing." Kevin''s heart broke when he saw Leena''s pale face. His attention was so caught in her that he didn''t notice Louisa''s livid expression. Louisa gnashed her teeth together and clenched her fists when she heard him call Leena "honey".


    "I''m in good health. Come on! You are overreacting!" Leena''s brothers had the same reaction this noon. As a result, she had eaten too much and had no appetite now.


    "Kevin, she looks as strong as a cow. You are worrying way too much," Louisa taunted. Kevin had never treated her like this before, and it drove her crazy. She regretted having stayed. If she had left earlier, she wouldn''t have had to see all this and suffer the jealousy she felt at the moment. She thought that Leena would be angered because of her, but she was wrong. Louisa was the one who was pissed off.


    "She''s right! Look, I''m so strong! Come on, eat your own food. You must be hungry after work." The reason why Leena held back the anger she felt toward Louisa was that Leena didn''t want to put her husband into a tough position. After all, Louisa was the Commander''s daughter. If Leena vented out her anger on Louisa, Louisa might say unpleasant things about Kevin to her father, which would affect Kevin''s career. As a result, Leena decided to swallow the insults and humiliation that came out of Louisa''s mouth silently. Leena used to be a spoiled and willful girl, but she had changed a lot after being with Kevin.


    "Kevin, I want to eat the crab. Could you please peel it for me?" Louisa asked with a sickly sweet smile. She refused to admit that Kevin loved this woman, so she tried to drive a wedge between them.


    "Sure. Just wait a moment. I''ll peel a crab for Leena first." As the only man present, Kevin thought it was his duty to serve the girls. He didn''t realize Louisa''s wicked intention. Still, he would always give priority to his wife.


    "Honey, you must help Miss Ye. I have an upset stomach, and I don''t have the appetite." These crabs were bought yesterday, and they had failed to eat them all. Leena was stuffed and couldn''t take another bite. Upon hearing her words, Kevin furrowed his brow, worrying about her.


    "How is your stomach? Let''s go. I''m taking you to the hospital." Kevin was a little shocked but ted when Leena called him "honey". It was the first time she addressed him like that. Her soft voice sounded so beautiful that he had an urge to kiss her on the lips. "There''s no need to go to the hospital. I''ll be all right soon," Leena immediately refused Kevin. She had called him "honey" on purpose, because she wanted to make Louisa jealous. She was not a fool, and she realized that Louisa had a thing for Kevin. But Leena trusted Kevin, and decided to disy their affection in front of Louisa.


    Louisa gritted her teeth in exasperation when she saw that Kevin''s attention was fully on Leena. A touch of gloom shed through her eyes as she stared angrily at Leena.


    An awkwardness developed among them during the dinner. Louisa tried to stir up trouble for Leena again and again, but Leena pretended she didn''t realize that and continued to shower her affection on Kevin.


    Kevin was a loving husband and cared a lot about Leena. He took the initiative to clear away the bowls and chopsticks after dinner. He didn''t agree with what most people said, that women should do all the housework. He was always busy at his own work and seldom had time to share the housework with Leena. He was quite ashamed of that. "Miss Ye, have some fruit please." Leena poured Louisa a drink and peeled her fruits with a friendly smile, as if she was not angered by Louisa''s attitude at all. "Leena Leng, don''t you think it''s inappropriate for you to ask Kevin to do the housework? Especially in front of me, a guest?" Louisa asked her seriously. She truly felt sorry for Kevin and believed that Leena didn''t deserve a good man like him.


    "Why do you think of it that way? We are a family and both of us want to contribute. Kevin cares about me and wants to share the housework with me. I really appreciate it," Leena exined as she sat down on the sofa gracefully. Louisa''s eyes widened, and she felt like she was watching an elegantdy who was born with a silver spoon. Louisa shook her head, getting rid of the thought.


    "You are a stay-at-home woman, but Kevin is always busy with work. He must have been exhausted after working the entire day. Don''t you think it''s a little selfish of you to ask him to do the housework after that?" The happiness on Leena''s face was a real eyesore to Louisa, and thetter really felt like gouging her eyes out.


    "Miss Ye, do you really think a stay-at-home wife should do all the housework? I suppose you are going to make yourself an example of that, huh?" Leena sneered, sighing to herself. ''Oh god, can somebody save me from this outdated conversation?''

 Chapter 941 She Doesnt Love You (Part Two)

    "Bah! You are talking nonsense! Do you even know who I am? Unlike you, I''m from a rich family and I have servants," Louisa said with the pride of a peacock.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    "Yes, you are. But Kevin and I are from average families. We have to share the housework, otherwise it would be too tiring if just one of us do all of it." Leena liked cooking for Kevin, but didn''t like to wash the dishes as she hated to touch the grease. She had wanted to buy a dish-washing machine, but Kevin said he would wash the dishes in the future. Leena was d to ept his offer.


    "That''s only because you''re toozy to wash the dishes. Don''t you feel ashamed of yourself?" Louisa found that no matter what she said, Leena just didn''t take it seriously. Leena didn''t seem angry at all! Louisa''s frustration crept up to her.


    "Why should I feel ashamed of myself? He is my husband. He loves me and cares about me. Is there something wrong with that?" The reason why Leena sat here and made small talk with Louisa was because she was a weing host. But that didn''t mean that she was happy talking to Louisa. Truthfully, Leena wanted to throw Louisa out so badly.


    "Leena Leng, are you trying to gloat about the love between you and Kevin in front of me?" Louisa asked angrily. She couldn''t believe what Leena was saying.


    "No, I don''t have to gloat about our love. It is naturally obvious. But I guess youck love, huh?" Leena couldn''t help but taunt Louisa. She was a smooth talker. After all, he that lies down with dogs, rises up with fleas. Leena''s brothers all had glib tongues. "What are you two talking about? You are talking very happily." Kevin asked as he walked out of the kitchen, picking up a paper towel to wipe his hands.


    "Hey, Kevin, take a seat." Louisa scooted over to make room to Kevin. To her disappointment, Kevin walked right to Leena and sat down next to her. They looked intimate sitting together.


    "Are you done?" Leena asked as she poured out a ss of water and handed it to him. After having lived with Kevin for some time, she had noticed that he was used to drinking a ss of water after his meal. Kevin assumed that Leena and Louisa were talking good- naturedly. In actuality, they were at loggerheads.


    "Of course! I''ve washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen. You don''t trust me, huh?" Kevin teased, tapping her little nose. He was always a serious and cold man at the army base, but he treated Leena with softness and affection all the time. Since they were married, Kevin would try his best to love her and take good care of her.


    "No, I don''t trust you. People say that it''s a woman''s nightmare when a man goes into the kitchen," Leena whispered in his ear, giving him an adorable smile.


    "Well, I''m the exception. It''s just a piece of cake to me." Every time she smiled at him, he felt blessed that he had such a lovely wife. No wonder so many people doted on her. They must all be attracted by her warm smiles. Louisa, however, harbored hostility against Leena. She loved Kevin, so she opposed Leena in every aspect.


    "Kevin, I have some work to finish. I''ll take my leave now," Louisa said in a sharp voice as she stood up and grabbed her purse. She was sick of Kevin and Leena''s disys of affection, and didn''t want to stay here any longer.


    "Oh, you want to go home? Well, okay. Let me walk you out." Kevin didn''t even try to make Louisa stay. His heart broke when he saw Leena''s exhausted look. He didn''t want Louisa to piss her off. Moreover, he did not know what else to say to her, regardless. Louisa just wanted to make Leena unhappy.


    "That is not necessary. I can take the elevator down." Louisa was ted at Kevin''s words, but she said no to be polite. She wondered if Kevin would insist on walking her out, then she could speak ill of Leena to try and drive a wedge between them. However, to her intense surprise, Kevin nodded.


    "All right. Then I''ll just walk you to the elevator." Kevin had offered to walk her out because he was a gentleman. Since Louisa rejected his offer, he agreed to it easily. He knew Louisa only did that to be polite despite her wish, but he just didn''t care about what she felt. As she heard Kevin''s words, Leena couldn''t help but giggle to herself silently. She realized that Kevin was actually a cunning man.


    "O...okay...thank you." Louisa was a little embarrassed. She didn''t expect Kevin to take her words seriously. ''What a dense man!'' she thought.


    "Let''s go. Leena, I''ll be right back," Kevin said as he turned to Leena. Her smile confused him. He didn''t understand what she wasughing at. Standing up, Leena stifled herughter and turned to Louisa.


    "Miss Ye, it was nice talking to you. Let''s hang out next time. Feel free to visit us again, bye!" Leena gave Louisa a kind smile. Deep inside, she thought, ''I hope I never see you again!'' It was then that Leena realized that she was really a hypocrite. "Bye. Rest assured. I''lle around from time to time." Louisa smiled at Leena warmly for the first time. Since Leena invited her to visit them, Louisa would make sure toe around to visit them again.


    "S...sure... Fine! Have a safe drive!" Leena immediately regretted asking Louisa to visit them. ''Damn it! Why did I even say that? Fuck me!'' she thought.


    "Let''s go!" Kevin said to Louisa as he opened the door. He didn''t miss the upset expression on Leena''s face, which amused him.


    Louisa looked at Leena haughtily before she followed Kevin and walked out of the house. She smiled with an air of triumph.


    "Kevin, don''t you think that the two of you are not a perfect match?" The moment the door was shut, Louisa couldn''t help but ask Kevin. In her eyes, she was the only person in the world who deserved him. They were made for each other.


    "Not this again. Why? I think Leena and I are perfect together." Kevin wanted to scold her, but bit back his words. He didn''t think it was necessary to argue with her. Louisa had gone off the deep end, and nobody was able to sober her up. Kevin could only tell her that he loved Leena very much and that it was of no use if she tried to create trouble for them.


    "She doesn''t deserve you at all! You were exhausted after a day''s work, but she didn''t care about you and even asked you to do the housework. Aren''t you mad about that?" Louisa pursed her lips as sheined.


    "You think men shouldn''t do housework? And what about women? You think women should do all of it?" Kevin asked in disbelief. Louisa was a woman. Why did she always take men''s side?


    "I didn''t mean to say that. She doesn''t love you, Kevin," she said, her lips trembling. Louisa wanted to tell him that it was she who loved him, but was too timid to say it out loud.


    "So ording to you, if you love someone, you should do all the housework? I don''t think that logic is right." Kevin knew how much Leena loved him though she''d never said it in front of him- but he could tell. Even if he was unable to love her fully right now, he believed that she would be the only woman in his heart sooner orter.

 Chapter 942 Do You Regret (Part One)

    "If she loves you, she''ll do anything for you. That''s a simple test."This was how Louisa tried to make herself look better than Leena, by indicating that she''d do everything for Kevin. Louisa was well aware that Leena was stiffpetition.


    "So you''re okay if your husband lies around all day and never does anything for you? You''d keep loving a guy like that?" It was normal for a husband and wife to share household chores. But how could Louisa think Leena waszy and averse to housework? Kevin was furious.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    "Depends on the work he''s doing. If he does what you do, I wouldn''tin. I''d keep the house nice for you, so when youe home you could rx. Not like her." Louisa spat thest word, and indicated Leena with a tilt of her head. Actually, Louisa was baring her heart to Kevin rather than making small talk.


    "You just don''t know Leena. She''s grown a lot since we first got together. Besides, shepletely changed how I felt about rich kids. She''s a wonderful sweet girl, despite having the potential to be really stuck up."Kevin smiled amiably. He had already noticed Leena''s many virtues. There was more to her than just a pretty face.


    "Of course. She grew up a Cindere girl. And now she''s rich after marrying you," said Louisa ironically. Louisa didn''t understand what Kevin was talking about. There was no way this gal was from wealthy family. Her bearing, her cloying innocence, no way! She firmly believed that Leena must have married Kevin for the money.


    "It''s not like that. Leena is the one with the family and the money -- never mind. Why am I even exining this to you? Here''s the elevator. I''ll see you out. Goodbye," said Kevin.Kevin pushed the elevator button, and shook his head helplessly. He found it ridiculous to have to tell Louisa how it was. His married life was his private business. She should have never tried to intrude.


    "Yeah. See youter," answered Louisa disappointedly. She never thought Kevin would blow her off like that. She had been expecting more from gentle and caring Kevin. But instead she felt let down and frustrated. She used to be proud and privileged all her life. She cursed under her breath, ''why did Ie here in the first ce, just to be humiliated? Ugh, the nerve of that man!''


    Kevin waved goodbye to Louisa, turned around and left. He kept rejecting her advances, and Louisa refused to take the hint and kept flirting with him. This time she''d gone too far, going to his home and using Leena of being a bad wife. He hoped that Leena wouldn''t be annoyed.


    Leena sank into the couch, as she needed to think while Kevin did his duty and saw Louisa off. She was frustrated by the fact that Kevin once loved Daisy, but today another woman came between them. Although Louisa hadn''t been a threat to their marriage yet, she certainly would be a pain in the ass. How could Kevin even let things go that far?


    "What''s on your mind, babe?" asked Kevin anxiously. Kevin entered the drawing room and saw his wife sitting there, staring nkly, as if in a trance.


    "Nothing.Did Louisa make it out alright?" Leena regained herposure, raised her head and put on a forced smile.


    "Yeah. Do you need me to exin all this?" Kevin asked out of curiosity and guilt. He sat on the couch beside her, and rested one hand on her shoulder. "Exin what?" Leena was confused and had no idea what Kevin meant.


    "About Louisa." He was never personally involved with Louisa. However, he would give Leena an exnation if she needed one. He owed her that much. It was a giant mistake, a huge misunderstanding, and now it directly involved his wife. How could he do any less? "Is there a particr reason for you to exin your rtionship with Louisa?"Leena''s face blushed scarlet because Kevin was sitting beside her, and she could even feel his breath. She was too embarrassed to look him in the eye.


    "Nope. At least not like you''re thinking," answered Kevin briefly.Kevin''s conscience was clear, because he had no secrets from his wife, and obviously he had done nothing wrong or shameful. He knew that if he had done anything wrong, Leena would pick up on it. He couldn''t lie to save his life.


    "Then, are we cool?" said Leena.Leena was not a paranoid wife, or even a jealous one. Even though she was annoyed by this little episode, she''d never force Kevin to reveal something he didn''t want to. She knew that he was honest to a fault, and she trusted himpletely.


    "Aren''t you curious about what just happened?" Leena''s silence astonished Kevin. Other men''s wives would have been pissed off by this. It almost looked like he had cheated on her, which he absolutely would not and did not do. Other men''s wives would have hysterically demanded an exnation. However, Leena remained preternaturally calm, as if nothing had happened.


    "I think I''ve been introduced to her already. She''s the daughter of yourmander, right? So she just dropped by to have a chat. It is nothing wrong for her to visit you, right?" Leena knew that Kevin got acquainted with Louisa before their marriage. She knew she had nothing really to worry about. Soldiers were brothers in arms, sharing a special bond that no outsider could ever touch. Even outside the military, they remained good pals. She was just the daughter of one of those friends.


    "Do you really think Louisa''s all that innocent?" Kevin frowned, and thought that Leena was unusually reasonable. Was it normal for a loving wife to respond this way? Had he gotten her all wrong? ''Maybe she doesn''t love me as much as I thought. Otherwise, why would she not care that another woman came to her house to steal her hubby?" thought Kevin bitterly.


    "How do you want me to react? Scream? Yell? I''m not that kind of woman! What? You think of me as a country bumpkin too?" Leena looked at her husband in bewilderment. She had been well-educated since childhood. Although she was a bit naive, she certainly would never allow herself to be provoked that way. She was ady of refinement, elegance, and grace, despite her youthful exuberance. Flying into a rage was beneath her.


    "I thought you hadn''t been bothered at all. Obviously I was wrong. You do take her seriously, don''t you?" Kevin couldn''t help smiling. Leena''s calmness and indifference had made him think that she was delusional and just pretended Louisa didn''t exist. It turned out that she did care about him, at least as much as a devoted wife was supposed to do.00

 Chapter 943 Do You Regret (Part Two)

    "Bullshit. She just harped on it a lot and was getting on my nerves. But still, I''m not changing the way I do things because of her. I know who I am, and I am not her. She can take her words and stick ''em where the sun doesn''t shine." Leena kept her eyes open, and stared into Kevin''s soul. She wanted to know what he was thinking. "I''m sorry. You must be upset," said Kevin apologetically.Kevin took her in his arms. Young and willful as she was, he thought she might get angry and have a meltdown every now and then. But she never did that. Maybe it was because that she was more mature and smarter than most women her age.


    "Are you apologizing to me on her behalf? Don''t do that. Seeing you do anything for her will upset me and make me think you and her are a real couple. You don''t need to apologize for some crazy skank." Leena looked irritated. ''I''m not a paranoid and crazy woman. But I can still get hurt," she thought to herself.


    "I''m apologizing for the situation. This whole thing was pretty hard for both of us. I don''t want you to be upset. So, don''t think too much. I''m telling you straight up, no hidden meanings."Kevin got nervous when Leena treated him indifferently and apathetically. People processed their emotions in their own way, but that didn''t mean that her coldness made him feel any better. He knew Leena was generous, kind and reasonable. He felt lucky to have married a girl like her.


    "Do you think I''m mean? Come on, Kevin. I have already given up expecting you to love me too much. But as for me flying off the handle -- I thought you knew me better than that. If you did know me, then you wouldn''t have said that to me," said Leena. You could almost hear the tears behind her words. She couldn''t help mocking her love and marriage as well as her husband''s devotion to her.If Kevin did love her, he would have known her better.


    "You got me all wrong, honey. Or do you think I cheated on you?"Kevin''s brow furrowed. Usually, Leena was pretty silent about their rtionship and how they felt. What was wrong with her tonight?


    "No, I don''t. I''m just tired, that''s all. Never mind. Most marriages aren''t based on love anyway. We aren''t that different from other couples after all." Leena smiled bitterly, with a mixed sense of helplessness and disappointment. She didn''t intend to bring this up. But the atmosphere turned sour somehow.


    "What''s wrong? Do you regret marrying me already?" asked Kevin coldly.Hadn''t they reached an agreement about this? Kevin wondered. Besides, he had been making great efforts to ensure their rtionship was solid. Nobody was allowed toe between them, or make them turn against each other.


    "No, I haven''t. I''m just being sentimental. Forget it. I''m just talking nonsense," said Leena. She managed a smile, and felt disappointed because she knew she had messed things up.


    "Can I pretend that nothing happened? Apparently, you''re upset already and using me of being uncaring and whatever else. I made some mistakes, but I promise that they won''t happen again. Please forgive me for not loving you with all my heart and soul," said Kevin sincerely and apologetically. He looked at Leena in the eye. He genuinely felt this way. He looked flustered when he saw Leena''s eyes were red. He dreaded a woman crying, since he wasn''t really good atforting someone.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    "Kevin, do you think I''m an annoying wife?" asked Leena. She bit her lip and the bullet as well. She really cared about what Kevin thought of her.


    "No, I don''t. Everything you said is true. Since you married me, you''ve given up so much and helped me a lot.I just want you to know I won''t disappoint you again," said Kevin. Kevin lowered his head and kissed her forehead gently. Nevertheless, he still seemed troubled and confused.


    Most of the time, fights between husband and wife ended with both hearts being broken. But those fights usually happened because neither of them knew what the other was thinking and feeling. Both love and marriage needed mutual understanding and forgiveness. Marriages didn''t have all-star victors. If you tried to put yourself in your spouse''s shoes, you''d know what was on her mind. Then both of you could work on finding a solution, a way out. This was what Leena was contemting when she thought about her marriage and her love. She wanted her marriage tost forever. Endless fighting and suspicion would just tire her out, and she''d have no energy for anything else, like her career. ?o she told herself to just let things go, and tried to prevent the bad things from disrupting her life.


    As Edward confidently predicted, Kompass Group lost and FX International came out on top. For the sake of Shaun''s father, Edward didn''t purchase all of Kompass'' shares. But he did be the primary shareholder. As for the shares of MY Mall, they had already got the warring parties back to the negotiating table, and the share buy-back n seemed to work out. This whole thing took a lot of scheming and plotting to bring things to a happy ending.


    "Do you think you''ll always win, Edward?" asked Shaun, clearly pissed off by his failure. He stopped Edward as the handsome CEO was about to leave the meeting room of Kompass Group. Shaun gritted his teeth and glowered at the man. He wouldn''t have lost if his father hadn''t negotiated an agreement with Edward behind his back.


    "Mr. Gao, don''t be a fool. I never said that I''ll always win. I just won this time, and quite possibly, the next. However, I wouldn''t have even bothered if you hadn''t tried to purchase MY Mall''s shares. So I decided to y with you when you tried to mess with me. But you''re a terrible rival. You were so stupid that it was almost boring," answered Edward coldly and proudly. If Shaun was trying to throw Edward off, he failed miserably. Edward retained hisposure in spite of Shaun''s deliberate provocation. He never took Shaun seriously, knowing that he was a weak opponent, as well as a clown. He knew he could bring the head of Kompass Group down easily, and that was what he did.


    "Oh,e on, you smug prick. Just wait and see.Kompass will be on top very soon. I can promise you that." Shaun clenched his fist, and refrained from punching Edward on his scornful face. However, he couldn''t pick a fight with Edward, because he was actually weaker both physically and mentally. He knew on an instinctual level that he would be humbled in the exchange.0000000000000

 Chapter 944 Do You Regret (Part Three)

    "Yeah? Are you serious? I''m looking forward to seeing you fail. Don''t make me wait too long," Edward smiled fearlessly. Shaun had threatened him more than once, but he never seeded.Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    "Listen man, all this pride and overconfidence will kill you. You better keep a close watch on yourpany. One day it''ll be my turn tough when yourpany is seriously threatened or even brought down by one of your enemies. I''m certain that lots of guys would like to do that for me, am I right?" Shaun gritted his teeth. He wondered why he was the loser, while Edward, handsome and smart as he was, could appear much stronger and more confident, win almost everything and control everything. Was he so superior to other men? Was he a god, that he could do as he pleased without any consequences. Shaun was sure that karma would nip Edward in the bud.


    "Thanks for the warning. I''ll keep one eye open. After all, there are too many jealous and sick people in this world. I''d better be ready." Edward wouldn''t swallow his anger after taking a beating. He had to beat back.


    "Are you saying I''m sick and jealous?" yelled Shaun. He was so angry that blue veins stood out on his temples. However, he had to hold back. This couldn''t turn violent, since his father''s remarks still rang in his mind. He couldn''t disobey his father''s orders.


    "Aren''t you sick? Otherwise, why did you attack me for no reason? Listen, if I were you, I''d think long and hard before doing anything. The wrong decisions could get you or your family killed," said Edward in a threatening tone. Edward wasn''t as merciful and friendly as Daisy. He meant every word he said. Anybody who was dumb enough to cross him must be punished. Without exception.


    "I''m not like you, I''m not a bully. I prefer a worthy rival, and have a real fight," said Shaun contemptuously. He glowered at Edward. Obviously there were hidden meanings behind his words. Nevertheless, Edward was intelligent and realized immediately that Shaun used him of being a cowardly bully.


    "Me? A bully? Come on, Shaun. Haven''t you learnt anything from yourwyers? You need some reliable evidence before you use me of anything."Edward despised Shaun. The man was a liar and coward. As far as Edward was concerned, Shaun was nothing but an ignorant, ipetent, rich boy, and was foolish enough to go against people more powerful and influential than him, including Edward himself. Besides, Shaun would drive Kompass Group into the ground. If Edward didn''t implement his takeover of Kompass Group, others would do that when they sensed Shaun''s cowardice, weakness and stupidity. Good businessmen were like wolves -- they could smell fear.


    "Cut the crap, Edward. You''re a bully and you know it." Shaun raised his face, and wanted to appear taller than he actually was. He was reluctant to be intimidated by Edward.


    "I haven''t hidden anything from anybody. I''m a perfect gentleman. I know who I am. But you can''t force me to admit anything that I haven''t done. Capisce?" Edward was no longer amused by Shaun''s fruitless attempt to provoke him. He turned cold and ruthless in seconds, which terrified Shaun. Shaun was just like anyone else who might confront him. This ability to instill fear had saved Edward from many actual confrontations.


    "Haha! Do you really consider yourself a gentleman? A gentleman wouldn''t have broken up a family. So, you''re only a pathetic hypocrite." Shaun was being aggressive. He decided to expose Edward''s hypocritical image somehow.


    "You''re doing this for the sake of a woman named Melissa, aren''t you? But do you know who she really is? Do you know her secrets, her history?" Edward smiled gleefully. Now, it was Edward''s time to respond aggressively, and make a fool of Shaun. "Edward, before today I thought of you as just an irresponsible man, afraid to admit his crimes and faults. But you''re worse than irresponsible. Worse than a hypocrite. You''re a fucking liar. You make up stories to make yourself feel better. Is that what a gentleman should do?" Shaun roared withughter in an awkward attempt to cover his embarrassment and bewilderment. Although Edward''s remarks just fueled the fires of his suspicion about Melissa''s true identity, he didn''t intend to look stupid and half-witted in front of Edward. That was thest thing he wanted.


    "You''re smarter than that, Shaun. If I''m right, she was the one who convinced you to take me on. Despite knowing that FX International is a financial powerhouse, despite my reputation as a ruthless businessman, she still chose to use you and set you up to fail. You have to know what she was up to by now." There was no harm in letting Shaun know the whole story. He only did this for the sake of Shaun''s father. The fact that Melissa used Shaun was actually none of his concern. He shouldn''t have poked his nose into Shaun''s business. "Fuck off. I''m not a fool. If she did set me up on purpose, I''d have to teach her a lesson," said Shaun angrily. Shaun recalled that Melissa hadn''te to their prearranged rendezvous. He had his suspicions as to why she hadn''t appeared as nned. Was Edward telling the truth? Did Melissa use him? Did she really have no remorse or pity like Edward?


    "If you don''t believe me, then forget what I said. Bad joke. But remember, instead of purchasing all of Kompass'' shares, I chose to let you live for your father''s sake. Now I need you to shape up and stop being foolish. Next time I won''t be so nice," said Edward matter-of- actly. "Are you threatening me?"Shaun was well and truly annoyed by Edward''s arrogance. However, Edward''s warnings and threats pissed him off further. He was shaking with anger when he looked Edward in the eye.

 Chapter 945 An Old Trick (Part One)

    course, could choose to interpret his words otherwise, but it didn''t seem worth the price to pay if he was wrong!


    "Actually, I don''t consider it a threat. But if that''s what makes you happy, then be my guest. Be that way." Edward nced at Shaun coldly before stepping away from him. It was unnecessary for him to exin to Shaun. It all came down to his own judgement. Shaun, of "Remember what you said today, Edward, because that''s what exactly I want to tell you. You''d better pray as hard as you can that you will always be a rich, young CEO, that you can keep yourpany running smoothly. If you don''t, you''ll lose everything and live as a dog, working for others, going wherever they kick you." Shaun murmured those words through clenched teeth while staring daggers at Edward''s back as the CEO of FX walked away. A wicked smile broke across Shaun''s face as if some evil idea had urred to him. Edward paused when Shaun said that. He didn''t even turn his head but simply replied, "Don''t worry! If I lose everything, so will you." After saying this, he left without hesitation.


    "Damn it! You are not better than me! All you have is your pretty-boy appearance and your money that you got from your parents! Edward, you have nothing. You are nothing. All you have is your mom and dad. You''re not worthy to insult me!" Shaun spat and cursed behind Edward''s back as he walked away. Compared to Edward, Shaun was destined to be a loser the moment he was born, as a handsome face and a wealthy family would only be fantasies in his mind. He couldn''t hold a candle to Edward.


    Luke ran to the CEO as soon as he stepped out of the offices of Kompass Group. His darkened face immediately caught Edward''s attention.


    "What''s wrong, Luke? You look so worried!" said Edward with a frown. Something must have happened when he was inside the offices of Kompass Group for the meeting. Judging from Luke''s expression, it didn''t go well.


    "Mr. Mu, we have been misled by Jessica this time. I was informed just now that she nned to attack your parents," Luke said, flustered. He could not help but feel worried for Edward''s parents, although he was fully aware that they were safeguarded by the Mayfly guys. In Luke''s opinion, Edward''s parents were more than just his bosses. In addition to offering him a job, they took care of him and treated him as their son while he was growing up. Small wonder that Luke viewed them as his parents as well.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    "What! How stupid is she? He still has his gang, not to mention he''s no pushover either. She has no idea what she''s in for. This won''t end well for her. Let''s wait and see! Enjoy the show." A mirthless smile broke across Edward''s face, as he could vividly picture what would be of Jessica. She was on a highway to hell, and it was her own fault. Unlike Edward, his father was by no means a man to be trifled with. He would never forgive anybody who offended him and would never let the person go easily. This wouldn''t be pretty. Edward shuddered, thinking of Jessica''s fate. But Jessica deserved it. She was stupid and ignorant, and she had to pay. Clever people never take on people who are too powerful for them.


    "Mr. Mu, you seem happy about Jessica''s n. Or am I imagining things?" Luke''s lips curled to show his disapproval of Edward''s attitude. As a son, Edward should be making battle ns and feel at least some anxiety over Jessica''s plot. Luke was tripping at this point. If he hadn''t served the Mu family for a long time, if he hadn''t grown up around Edward, he would have doubted that Edward was really Jonathan''s son.


    "Don''t worry, Luke. No one messes with my dad. Crossing the man is pretty much fatal. Do you understand, Luke? Lighten up." Edward shed a brilliant smile at Luke while speaking to him. To be frank, he was waiting for the showdown between Jessica and his father. As far back as Edward could remember, nobody dared to challenge his father, at least not when he was around. Jonathan''s life was peaceful and boring. Since Jessica was stupid enough to put her life on the line, he was happy to see how she would meet her final fate. "That''s right. But I''m really worried for Mom. She''s not a fighter." Luke furrowed his brows. Unlike Jonathan who was good at defensive skills, Cynthia was just an ordinary woman in need of protection. Luke could not help but feel worried for her in spite of Edward''s reassurances.


    "There will be no problem, really. Okay, let mey it out for you. Father takes care of mother and worries about her security more than anybody else. He''s probably had some Mayfly guys around her before you could see anything is wrong." Although that was just spection, he was quite confident in it. He had noticed some disguised Mayfly bodyguards around his mother from time to time.


    "But Mr. Mu, what if we''re wrong? Shouldn''t you at least let your father know?" Luke was a prudent guy. He''d rather rule out every possible risk, no matter how slight the chance would be.


    "Do you really think that father knows nothing about Jessica''s plot? Mayfly is good at gaining information. Nothing escapes its eyes and ears." Edward bent over and stepped into the car. Luke was Edward''s driver today, as Edward didn''t want to drive to Kompass Group. It was too far. In case of any conflicts with Kompass Group, Luke had prepared well. He picked some agile skillful bodyguards, many of them martial artists, and ordered them to follow Edward''s car at a close distance. No matter where he looked, there were bodyguards, following Edward''s vehicle in veritable fleets.


    "You''re right, Mr. Mu. There''s no need to worry. So, where are we headed now? Return to the city?" Luke stepped into the car after Edward took his seat. He sat in the driver''s seat and asked for Edward''s opinion.


    "Yeah! Back to the city! We''d probably better be in the office before it''s quitting time," Edward said while running his thumb gently over his wedding ring. Actually, he had no intention to invest in H City, which was quite backward in economic developmentpared to other cities. It would be a waste of time and money investing here. Because of that, there were no branches or assets of FX International in H City. But today, he came here and would invest here, both for Shaun''s sake. As a businessman, he had to seriously consider the economic environment of H City. He needed to see some return on that investment, as that was by no means a small amount of money. He sincerely hoped that his investment would inject some vitality to this city, which would, of course, make his wallet fatter.


    Jessica never imaged that the shares she acquired were fake. It was true that she''d failed to seduce Shaun and trap him. Instead of taking Jessica''s bait, Shaun seeded in swindling her. Jessica scolded herself for her stupidity. She would have known nothing about the fake shares if she hadn''t read the news about the cooperation between FX International Group and Kompass Group. Her confidence in Shaun''s trust in her was totally a joke. He yed her.


    Edward''s predictions came true. She never posed any kind of threat to him. Instead of getting men to surrender through her charms, she ended up being used by them. In Jessica''s opinion, this was all Edward and Daisy''s fault. But she jumped the gun, and decided on stupid actions without considering the risks. Since it was difficult to teach Daisy a lesson, she changed her ns and set her sights on Edward''s parents. The investigation she conducted secretly when she stayed in the city revealed no bodyguards around Edward''s parents. They werepletely unprotected. Jessica had made ruining Edward the sole purpose of her life, the only thing she could do. She was homeless now. She would never give up her revenge until Edward was homeless too.

 Chapter 946 An Old Trick (Part Two)

    "Are you Miss Xue? Why did you ask me to meet you here?" Cynthia studied Jessica with a look of suspicion. Somehow, a strange feeling took possession of her. This Miss Xue seemed familiar both in her appearance and behavior. But Cynthia was quite sure that she had never met Miss Xue before. She wondered why Miss Xue wanted to see her. Miss Xue even threatened to hurt Daisy if the proposed meeting was refused. That frightened Cynthia. She wondered why Miss Xue was so desperate in asking a meeting with her that she would threaten Daisy. How much did she know about her family? Although Daisy was Cynthia''s daughter-inw, she treated Daisy like her daughter. She would do everything to protect Daisy. It seemed Miss Xue knew well how she felt about Daisy, and was confident that she could call this meeting for Daisy''s life on the line. "Actually, this is not our first meeting, Mrs. Mu." Cynthia still looked young. Her beautiful face and slender figure aroused jealousy in Jessica''s heart. To cover up her envy, Jessica looked at Cynthia in a cold manner. She barely held it together.


    "Who are you? Should I know you?" Cynthia took her seat in Jessica''s opposite. Wearing delicate make-up and dressing herself up gorgeously, Cynthia looked like ady enlivened from a Renaissance picture. Her graceful behavior added to her noble air. "Aha, what a terrible memory you have, Mrs. Mu. I never imagined you''d forget me so easily. I''m your son''s ex. You should remember me. Your son gave me a baby, and I almost gave birth to it." Jessica could not help but feel hurt when she spoke of the baby she lost. She no longer had feelings for Edward, but the wound of the miscarriage was still raw. After all, it used to be part of herself. That miscarriage had even made her infertile. The wound which would never heal, only left her with evesting agony.


    "You''re Jessica. But you look so different." Cynthia finally realized Miss Xue''s true identity by her mentioning of the baby. How could it be possible for her to forget Jessica and her miscarried baby. She had imed that the baby was her grandchild after all, though Cynthia knew that it was not true.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    "Hmm! You''d better ask your son what happened to my face. He ruined my original face, so I had to have stic surgeries to get a new one. But do you know how painful and disgusting it is to wear a face that isn''t mine? I would not have borne all the suffering and agony but for your son''s ruthless actions!" Jessica trashed Edward in Cynthia''s presence through clenched teeth. She grew more vengeful and more vicious every time she recalled her pitiful past.


    "Oh, what a sad story! But I think you deserved all this. You destroyed Daisy''s face first. Otherwise, Edward would not have destroyed yours. He loves his wife dearly.So you just harvested what you had sown. You are the only one whom you can me for your pain. It''s ridiculous that you hold others responsible for your own mistakes." Cynthia spoke calmly, although Jessica''s insanity was extremely absurd. Actually, there was no trace of anger on Cynthia''s face. She was quiteposed. In Cynthia''s opinion, Jessica was so shameful that she didn''t deserve her contempt. There was no need to be angry over the behavior of a madwoman.


    "But Daisy stole Edward from me. He loved me. He was mine. Daisy and I would never have met. Our lives were two parallel lines. Edward would never have dumped me if not for her. Do you know how much I did to keep Edward? But everything I did turned out to be a joke when she came into Edward''s life. I lost Edward, the man I loved with all my heart and soul. Woman to woman, would you just keep silent and watch your lover leave?" Jessica sneered. Like a sharp knife, Cynthia''s indifference gave Jessica a stabbing pain. But there was no reason to bare her soul to her. How could Cynthia understand her woeful past since she was not the one who suffered?


    "You foolish, foolish girl. Daisy didn''te between you and Edward, because they were married before. They were a couple before you ever came into the picture. You were the one that got in their way, not the other way around. Quit behaving like the innocent victim. I won''t stand for it." Cynthia almost never spoke up for Daisy, or defended her. But this time, she had to step in. A woman like Jessica had no right to trash Daisy.


    "Mrs. Mu, do you really believe that Edward and Daisy love each other? If they really love each other, then how was I able to win Edward''s heart and have a rtionship with him? So don''t treat Daisy as the innocent victim. As Edward''s wife, she had the responsibility of keeping an eye on her husband. It was her own fault that her husband betrayed her and their marriage. And if it happened once, it can happen again. She should ask herself why Edward got bored of her and looked for another woman. If she were perfect I would have had no chance, but that''s not what happened. Daisy is a loser. She is responsible for Edward cheating. But she''s a hypocrite to act like she had nothing to do with Edward''s betrayal. Every one of you has treated her like some precious princess. You''d better wake up, Mrs. Mu. That woman is a snake in disguise. One day she will bite you."


    Jessica envied Daisy for her poprity. Everyone viewed Daisy as diamond while Jessica was a rock on the side of the road. She was only needed when someone needed to rest on that rock. Once their needs were satisfied, she would be kicked away.


    "Daisy is hypocritical. You really think so, Jessica? But as far as I''m concerned, you are the most hypocritical woman I''ve ever met. Do you agree? Daisy is my daughter-inw. I know what type of woman she is. Even if she hurts me in the future as you said, I will not me it on her. I will do everything I can to protect her, and she deserves it," said Cynthia coldly. But her calm tones only upset Jessica even more. It was unbearable that her suffering and agony meant nothing in others'' eyes.


    "I have made a mistake reaching out to you. Since you are stupid enough to have Daisy as your daughter-inw, then you must pay. What other advice can I give you?"said Jessica. She stared at Cynthia in a cold manner, expecting to see her get enraged. But not a wrinkle was furrowed on Cynthia''s forehead. She had retained her aloof attitude ever since the beginning of their conversation. Jessica finally became enraged, and her n to anger and humiliate Cynthia had failed. She was no more than a joke in Cynthia''s eyes.


    "Mind your own business, Jessica. The affairs of the Mu family have nothing to do with you. Please stop poking your nose into our business. You haven''t learned too much from your past experience, have you? Do you want me to teach you another lesson? Or you really think that I''m stupid enough to know nothing about why you were trying to meet with me?" Cynthia shed a charming smile at Jessica. It resembled the one on Edward''s face so much. Obviously, that was a trait inherited from his mother.

 Chapter 947 An Old Trick

    "I don''t know what you''re talking about." Jessica tore her gaze away from Cynthia. She was all frustrated and flustered. Cynthia was a sharp woman. It was said that beautiful women were brainless. But this beautiful woman in front of her was by no means a fool.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "You of course know what I''m talking about. I''m talking about your purpose of seeing me here. Tell me why you asked to see me." Cynthia wasn''t afraid ofing here alone as she was fully aware that she was well protected. Her bodyguards were posted around her and hid quite skillfully. It was impossible for the so called Miss Xue to set her up. She just came here to figure out who this Miss Xue was. No one dared to threat her. But this Miss Xue, who even threatened her with Daisy''s life, seemed to be an exception. She was either ignorant or reckless in posing such a threat. Cynthia was really curious who this Miss Xue was and why she was so fearless in challenging Jonathan''s wife. That was the reason why she came here.


    "Since you knew what I was doing, why did youe?" Jessica asked inly. She didn''t bother hiding her n, since she''d already been found out. As Cynthia hade alone, Jessica was confident that Cynthia would never escape the strong thugs she''d hired. In fact, Jessica intended to get Cynthia and Jonathan both. But she didn''t dare to do anything to Jonathan. She had learned from the time she met this man at the anniversary party that he was a dreadful enemy. However, she was sure that if Cynthia died, that would give the Mu n evesting pain and suffering. Jessica didn''t know how much Jonathan loved his wife until recently. He treated Cynthia like the queen of his heart. What would be of Jonathan if he lost his beloved wife forever? Edward was proud of his family, of his amiable parents and his beloved wife. Would his perfect family stay intact if his mother vanished from the face of the earth?


    Daisy was a superb soldier. Thest time she tried to attack Daisy, Jessica failed. So she decided to go after Cynthia instead. She thought that no one would even figure out what she was doing until it was toote. Jessica was quite confident that she would not fail in dealing with an old woman. Cynthia was beautiful with feminine charm. But it was uneptable for Jessica that there was another woman who was more beautiful than her. Jessica wanted to destroy everything that was prettier than her.


    "You''re bat-shit crazy, Jessica. If you had told me who you were earlier over the phone, I would never havee here. You really think that we have tons of time to waste like you?" Cynthia tidied her hair while speaking to Jessica. Although she was getting old, her beautiful face was not wrinkled by time. She looked exactly the same as she was young. Everyone wanted to stay young as long as possible. But not everyone would have that wishe true. As one of the few women favored by Lady Luck, Cynthia''s beauty and charm could still win the hearts of men, and arouse jealousy in the hearts of women. With the passing of time, Cynthia''s maturity had added to her natural air of grace and nobility.


    "Mrs. Mu, stop pissing me off. Whatever you say will do you no good. Don''t you see that there is no one around us? You see some men in the cafe, of course. But those are my people. So, you know what will happen." Jessica nced at Cynthia arrogantly, expecting her to be scared. To her surprise, Cynthia still retained that graceful smile and stared at her with an unmatched calmness.


    "So what will it be this time? Will you ruin my face like you ruined Daisy''s? But I wonder why you picked me. Wasn''t it enough that you left scars on Daisy''s face? You want to take it out on me this time?" Cynthia turned and took a look at her surroundings. She knew the risks and came here prepared. Even if she had known Miss Xue was Jessica in advance, she still would not be afraid ofing here alone.


    "I told you, Mrs. Mu, be careful of your daughter-inw. She may drag you into an abyss of suffering. You see, what you will suffer is all because of her. You need to pay the price for the pain your daughter-inw brought to me." Jessica pped after finishing speaking. Suddenly, a gang of strong men gathered behind her. Jessica had prepared for this moment a long time. But how stupid she was to overestimate herself and underestimate others. It was silly to use the same trick twice. But it was obviously beyond Jessica''s ability to realize how true that was.


    "Jessica, it seems you are only capable of poisoning and renting the whole cafe to carry out your n of revenge. This is all old hat. Do something different. All your ns are outdated. If I were you, I would find a handsome guy and find a way to trap me with his charms. That might work on me. Don''t you agree?" Cynthia was being monitored. As soon as she spoke those words, Jonathan flew into a rage. How could he retain his reverence as father in front of Edward and Daisy if this tape got out? So Jonathan locked Cynthia in their room after today to prevent this from happening, until people forgot hearing it.


    "You''re very calm. That''s not strange. You and Daisy are the same kind of people. You''re cold-blooded with hearts of stone. Did you think about your husband when you said such a sick thing? You''re a mother. What a good example you have set for your daughter-in-w! You are no better than a bitch." Jessica twitched her mouth to show her contempt for Cynthia. It was beyond her expectation that such a dignified woman would have such an abject idea and would even speak it out.


    "Bitch? Jessica, do you think it is a fault to be fond of a beautiful face? So, Jessica, do you mean you don''t like good-looking men? Then what do you think of my son? Do you think he is handsome or not? If he''s not handsome, why did you fall in love with him instead of picking some ordinary guy? And you have gone crazy for him!" A mocking smile broke across Cynthia''s face. What a stupid woman Jessica was! She was teasing Jessica and she was totally falling for it.Jessica didn''t know what true love was. She''d never understood the faithfulness of lovers. She didn''t even try to understand why Cynthia loved her husband. Nor did she understand Cynthia''s love toward her husband. Cynthia just said those words to paint Jessica as a whore. But Jessica was foolish enough to misunderstand it. Jonathan was charming. In Cynthia''s opinion, no other men were more enchanting than Jonathan. Her husband was the only one to whom she was willing to surrender her heart.

 Chapter 948 A Taste Of Her Own Medicine (Part One)

    "Yeah, you''re right. Nothing is wrong with women looking at hot guys. Funny you should be expecting a honey trap from me. But seriously, since you have a great rtionship with Daisy, you should pay for what she did to me." Though it had been a long time, the thought of those gross men on top of her made Jessica want to puke. Just like any other woman, deep down, she also cared about her purity. Especially when she was deeply in love with someone.


    "Are you high? I have to warn you, it''s not easy to make me do anything I don''t want to." Despite of being surrounded by a group of men shing evil looks, Cynthia remained calm. However, she was a little taken aback by this bold move Jessica had made. What was she thinking? It was broad daylight and they were in the downtown area of the city right now. She wondered if it had ever urred to Jessica that what she was nning to do could be seen by other people passing by. It wouldn''t take much for a passing motorist to take notice and call the cops.


    "Why not? Now that I have told you what I want, don''t expect to walk out here as easily as you walked in," Jessica sneered. She looked at Cynthia''s graceful face and couldn''t help but think about her own mother. She was a gentle woman too, but not as lucky. Not every woman could have what Cynthia had a husband who adored her and an insanely rich son.


    "I don''t know if I can walk out here safe and sound, but I sure know that you can''t." Having no intention of drinking any of it, Cynthia nced at the cup of tea in front of her with a scornful look.


    "Haha, What an arrogant woman! No wonder Edward is so arrogant. I guess people in your family always think that they have as much power as they can get to do whatever they want. Well, this time, I am afraid you''re going to be disappointed." Confident about her n, Jessica smiled as she ran her hand casually through her hair, eyes filled with slyness.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    "Right now, I don''t think we can tell who''ll be disappointed in the end. Who knows what could happen?" Cynthia had an sophisticated beauty that went beyond her natural good looks. Being the wife of the leader of The Mayfly, she had the opportunity to see all kinds of unusual things, which helped Cynthia acquire the ability to stay calm in face of unexpected, even dangerous situations. That was why she remained unaffected and showed no sign of panic when Jessica tried to intimidate her or when the group of men closed in on her. "Mrs. Mu, I have always wanted to ask you something. Is Daisy really worth you going this far to protect her?" For a long time, this question had haunted Jessica. She couldn''t see exactly what it was Daisy had that made Cynthia value her that much. Now that she had a chance to ask, she was determined to find out.


    "The answer is very simple: yes. As to why? Because she has a golden heart," Cynthia replied. Without too much decoration, those few in words were exactly what Daisy reminded Cynthia of when she thought of her.


    "Oh please, a golden heart? Do you really think she''s as good as you think she is? Wake up! She''s only pretending. There are so many dirty things she did that you simply haven''t found yet." Jessica had never thought of Daisy as someone she could trust. Not once. To her, every thing Daisy did had some conspiratorial cause behind them. She couldn''t believe that any woman could have that pure kindness in herself.


    "Maybe you''re the one who''s been pretending. Miss Lin, all this stuff is irrelevant. Tell me, what is it that you said would put Daisy''s life in danger. Remember our phone conversation?" By now, Cynthia became fully aware that Jessica had used a trick to lure her out so she would be alone. However, just to be safe she had to make sure that what Jessica said on the phone was indeed a lie.


    "Haha, would youe here to meet me if I hadn''t said that to you? I guess you''re not that smart after all, or you wouldn''t have fallen for my little lie, would you?" Jessicaughed wildly. She only set a simple trap and Cynthia walked right into it.


    "Wouldn''t it break your heart and ruin all your hard work if I didn''te here?" Cynthia said sarcastically. How could she not have thought of everything beforeing to this meeting? Did Jessica think she was that dumb? The main reason why she was here was because she really didn''t have much to do at home and was a little bored. She found it hrious that Jessica should think that she was so easy to trap.


    "I see You mean that you''vee here well prepared. Well, I don''t see any bodyguards anywhere. Shouldn''t they be showing themselves right now? Or maybe they just really like to hide in the dark," Jessica said carelessly, rolling her eyes. She was confident that, other than bluffing, Cynthia wasn''t capable of doing anything that she couldn''t handle. Little did she know...


    "You are right about them hiding in the dark. Since you already said that this is all a scam, I don''t see much point wasting any more of my time here. Let''s call it a day. Call me another day when you think of something fun to do," Cynthia said, standing up from her chair as if those thugs surrounding her didn''t even exist. It was already enough trouble for her toe all the way there to the meeting, and she didn''t intend to waste another minute talking with Jessica. A minute was too long.


    "Wait a minute. Do you really think that you can walk out here that easily?" As she finished her words, Jessica briskly pped her hands to send the signal to attack. She was irritated by the way Cynthia ignored her threat. Her people would see to that she regretted it. "Do you think you can stop me with these guys you brought here? Don''t make meugh," Cynthia retorted contemptuously, holding her head high. There was no one in the world, expect for her family, that could threaten her into doing anything.


    "Guess we''ll see about that." The other side showed no sign of withdrawing. Jessica meant serious business and was confident about herself.0000

 Chapter 949 A Taste Of Her Own Medicine (Part Two)

    "All right. Now open your eyes and watch how I walk out here as I have walked in." Straightening her clothes a bit, Cynthia ignored Jessica and walked directly toward the door. Seeing that Cynthia indeed wasn''t intimidated by her words, Jessica hinted to her people that they should get in Cynthia''s way. "You bet I will," replied Jessica, leaning back in her chair with a smug smile on her face. She didn''t believe Cynthia had any chance of walking out safely today. One of the men tried to grab Cynthia''s arm, and a card came out of nowhere, flew over, and hit the man''s hand, leaving a cut so deep that the card literally stood on his hand as he growled in pain. Before anyone could figure out what just happened, more cards came. Secondster, everyone Jessica had brought was taken down, each with multiple cuts on their hands or arms. "What''s going on? Who''s out there?" Jessica began to panic. She was horrified to realize that her n, which took her so much time and effort, was shattered so easily.


    "Well, I said you couldn''t stop me. now you believe me, right?" Cynthia said with a cold smile. The people who protected her were from The Mayfly, an organization with immense power in all kinds of fields. No one, not even Cynthia herself, had any idea exactly how powerful the organization truly was.


    "Are you all dead? Get up and catch her. She''s only a woman, for God''s sake!" Jessica shouted, desperate to fight back. Though she sounded tough, she couldn''t help but look around nervously. She couldn''t figure out who had thrown the cards. It gave her the creeps to see that the cards were all directed at her men, without a single one hitting Cynthia who was standing right amidst those people.


    "Was that sorcery?" a man who got hurt asked abruptly. Soon enough everyone felt the implications. All of the men started to panic, watching Cynthia with horror as if she was a witch.


    "Shut up and stop that bullshit. There is no such thing as magic!" Despite cringing a little in fear, Jessica still tried to stop everyone from running off. She now realized that Cynthia wasn''t bluffing about her ability to walk away freely.


    "I suggest you save your strength. Because you are not getting near me. Try it again if you don''t believe me." Jonathan loved Cynthia deeply and saw her safety as one of his top priorities. As the man in control of The Mayfly, Jonathan always sent his best men to protect his wife whenever she went out. It was Jonathan''smand that no ident, not the least serious ones, was allowed to happen to Cynthia. And Cynthia knew her husband would make sure she was protected, so she was confident in front of Jessica. It turned out she could rely on Jonathan.


    "I don''t buy your bullshit. I don''t know much but I know that there is no such thing as sorcery in this world. Come on, guys. Get up and grab her!" Attempting to salvage her n for thest time, Jessica threw her fists fiercely forward as she pep-talked her warriors. "Before you do anything stupid, just understand, you brought this on yourself. Don''t touch me. Don''t even look in my direction, or cuts on your arms will be the least of your worries." Cynthia knew that there were at least four people around who were watching out for her. Though she had no idea what kind of weapons they were carrying, she knew they were no doubt enough to drive off these lowlifes.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Cut it out already. I''m not afraid of you. And to these who are hiding in the dark, don''t be such cowards! Show some guts and yourselves." Jessica never believed in supernatural powers. Worst case scenario would be that these people who were protecting Cynthia were very good at what they did, but they were still human.


    "Let me go, Jessica, and I might let you live," Cynthia warned, striding toward the door as she said this.


    "What are you waiting for? An engraved invitation? If you lose her, you won''t see a dime. But if you catch her, ten million will be all yours." Seeing that today''s events greatly demoralized the men she hired, Jessica took out a bank card and waved in front of those men, trying to entice them with money.


    It was a clever move because a few of the men were clearly motivated. With their faces aglow with excitement, they stood up and dusted themselves off. Cynthia once again was surrounded, and the thugs were closing in. To their horror, they were greeted yet again by a wave of flying objects aimed at their balls. And this time, it wasn''t cards but small steel balls which caused them agony when they hit. It appeared that those men hiding in the dark were upset, or they wouldn''t have switched weapons and attacked the most delicate part of the body. The thugs were on the ground, hands on their privates, howling in pain.


    "I don''t believe it! You are a witch, aren''t you, Cynthia? That''s why your face doesn''t wrinkle and you can call evil powers like that!" Jessica eximed, her voice shivering with terror. Though she didn''t want to admit it, she knew her n had failed. The mysterious power wielded by the woman she was facing was more than she could handle.


    "You''re damn right, I am a witch. So you''d better wise up and stop messing with me. FYI, you should really be grateful that my husband isn''t at home, or you''d be dead. Before I go, here''s a piece of advice: let it go. Just stop all this and start being a good person. It''s not toote to start." After she said what she needed, Cynthia walked out. She didn''t know if Jessica would take her advice, but frankly, she didn''t care. She still won the day. Behind her, Jessica stood there dumbfounded, face as pale as a ghost.


    A pang of disappointment hit Jessica as she realized that not only Cynthia was not hurt, but the people she hired were badly injured.


    "I didn''t pay you to lie on the ground, you sons of bitches. Get up and bring that woman back!" Jessica said furiously. She was humiliated by the way Cynthia trampled on her n and walked out of the tea house freely while there was nothing she could do to stop her. At the same time, she was also intimidated by those man who protected Cynthia. She didn''t dare to rush out for fear of being hit by those objects that had taken down her people. They seemed to have an array of weapons, and she didn''t want to find out what else they had.

 Chapter 950 A Taste Of Her Own Medicine (Part Three)

    "Easy for you to say. You are the only one who isn''t hit and can stand there talking. Catch her yourself," said one member of the gang indignantly. He was telling the truth. They wouldn''t be lying on the ground if they could stand up right now.


    "If I could catch her myself, why would I hire you people?" Jessica demanded. Her voice, however, was feeble. At this moment, she finally admitted defeat. She couldn''t do anything to Cynthia other than watch her walk away and eventually fade from view. "Speaking of hiring, isn''t it time you paid us, Miss Lin?" Now that their target was gone, those thugs turned to Jessica and started to ask for money.


    "What the hell am I paying you for? You didn''t even get the job done. How did you get the stones to ask for money, losers?" Jessica stormed, venting her anger on those hired men.


    "What did you say? We''re losers? Okay, if you''re not a loser, why didn''t you drive away those armed men in the dark?" a man seeming to be the head of the gang spoke up. He red at Jessica in fury. If it wasn''t for the money, he and his men would never let a woman taunt them like school boys.


    "We had a deal, and it''s your job to get things done. I didn''t expect loser-work for my money, all right?" Jessica continued, without trying to hide her contempt for those men whom she constantly called losers.


    "Hey bitch, what does that mean? You''re not paying us?" a dreadful evil-looking man threatened, throwing his fist in the air angrily.


    "What are you going to do if I don''t pay you? Rob me? Tell you what, if you want the money, go and bring that woman to me. Or there won''t be a damn penny for you, let alone ten million," Jessica said, ncing disdainfully at the men around her.


    "Guess you want to break our deal. So if you''ve made up your mind, we still need to be paid for our time. Boys, this bitch is yours. Do whatever you want! Enjoy!" Following was a roar of the creepiestughter from the men lying on the ground. Though they hadn''t recovered from the excruciating pain in their gonads, they managed to get up by holding onto chairs and pulling themselves up. They were lucky that Cynthia''s guys didn''t mean to take their lives, or they would have been dead by now.


    "Wait, what do you want?" Jessica panicked. She now realized that she had made a huge mistake by bargaining with a group of mobs when she was surrounded by them, all by herself.


    "What do you think we want? Since you won''t pay us with money, you may as well pay with your body. You''re a little old, but your face is pretty. I''d say I am okay to fuck you. Haha..." One of the hired men proposed, which soon set the rest of the gang on fire. They were used to paying for sex, but the girls they dealt with were mostly cheap. The thought of doing a high-end woman like Jessica excited them.


    "No, please don''t. I''ll give you everything right now. You''ll get your money! Please don''t hurt me!" begged Jessica. Her face was drained of color and her body trembled with fear. Being raped once was a nightmare to her, and to go through that again was just unbearable to her. She still had nightmares from thest time, and this would just add more fires to the hell she dwelt in.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    "Toote! Thanks to you, we have this ce all to ourselves. We can do whatever we want and no one will interrupt us. Ah, life is so fun!" The apparent leader came forward and lifted Jessica''s chin with his bleeding hand. Blood now smeared her pale face. Jessica got even more frightened and she froze.


    "Please, please don''t hurt me!" Jessica begged again, her tearful eyes filled with terror. The evil-looking man cornering her reminded her of that dreadful incident in the past. Her heart sank at the thought that the same thing was going to happen to her again. She wanted to scream, but her throat was too tight, and so was her whole body.


    "What? Are you afraid? Where did your pride go? Didn''t you just roll your eyes at us and call us losers? Why are you afraid of us all of a sudden?" said the leader yfully, as he deliberately drew near and whispered in Jessica''s ear with his filthy mouth that stank of smoke and rotten teeth.


    "Guys, I''m sorry. I had no call to chew you out like that. And please let me make up for that. How much money do you want? Just give me a number, and I''ll pay you." Jessica was desperate. At this point, she''d give everything just to get rid of those people drooling over her. She hated her own carelessness. She put her own life in danger when she went to deal with these guys, and now she was paying the price.


    "Money? Do you really think we can be bought by that small amount of money? Oh, honey, you are so naive. Look who we are. We are thugs. We can always get money. And we also fuck when we want. And since you already delivered yourself, how can we refuse?" Like a cue in a movie, the rest of the men broke out in wildughter. They now started to tantly check out Jessica''s body, especially her ample bosom. Eyes greedy, they slowly climbed up from the ground as if couldn''t wait to jump on the beauty in front of them.


    "No, you can''t do this. Here, have my car. And all of my savings. If that''s not enough, my boyfriend has more. He''s the CEO of Kompass Group in H City. He''d be happy to give you money for helping me." Jessica was drowning in desperation, and the only hope she had was for Shaun to save her.

 Chapter 951 Dont Hurt Me (Part One)

    "Of course, we''ll take the money. As for you... We will not let you go." The gang leader said as he lifted Jessica''s chin. He could have let her go if only she hadn''t insulted them that hard. It was too bad that Jessica''s word angered him that much though. "No, no, no. Don''t do this to me! I am begging you. Please, let me go!" Jessica''s tears welled as her body trembled in fear.


    "Ha-ha! "Let you go? Are you kidding? What am I supposed to tell my friends if I let you go? Someone needs to satisfy their desires, right?" The gang leader''s wildughter echoed in that ce. Then, just before Jessica could even realize his n, his hand grabbed on her low cut chiffon blouse and tore it mercilessly. Excitement and lust shed from every gangsters'' eyes at the sight of her full and luscious baster breasts.


    "Ah... Please! Don''t... don''t... hurt me." Jessica kept struggling and fighting back. Her eyes were wide with immeasurable terror. A second rape would be too much for her to take. She couldn''t just let that happen!


    "Close the door. This is her ce, anyway. We don''t have to find a new ce to do anything." The gang leader ced his nasty hands on Jessica''s breasts and started rubbing her through her bra, pinching and squeezing.


    "Okay, boss. I haven''t touched such a tasteful woman for a long time. You guys have to wait for me." A footman said and quickly went to the door.


    "Just go, you little bastard! She is all yours." All other gangstersughed at the gang leader''s erection. The longer he stared at Jessica, the lewder and dirtier his erotic ns got for her.


    "What are you doing? Get your hands off me!" Jessica pushed him away desperately but she was no match to his strength. All the energies and efforts she exerted were just in vain.


    "Get my hands off you? How can I make you happy if I don''te near you?" The gang leader''s belt buckle made a sound against the floor after he undid it. His obscene eyes went back to Jessica. He was ready to devour her.


    "You''re a low-down, cowardly, nasty thing!" She struggled to cover her breasts with her hands upon realizing that she couldn''t push him away. It was a wrong move, because the gang leader wasn''t just after her plump breasts anymore. He wickedly pulled up her short skirt and pushed her against the table. There was no way to escape it anymore.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "Call it what you like, bitch. You have no clue how happy I get when you''re scolding me." Those were thest thing he said before he forced Jessica to lie on the table. He tore Jessica''s clothes apart for all the spectators'' entertainment. Shey there with all her cracks and crannies exposed.


    The woman gave up struggling upon realizing that it was hopeless. She was left with no choice but to stare nkly at the ceiling as all the men there took turns on venting their painfully wet and dirty craving for her. There was nothing inside her head that time but her hope for them to get over. Her sensitive back was scraping the rough table top with every violent thrust they made between her open legs. The agony hadsted a lifetime. It was toote when Coco arrived with the police and found her as motionless as dead on the top of the table.


    "Cousin, are you all right?" Tears automatically poured from Coco''s eyes once she saw Jessica. She bit her lips and quickly wrapped Jessica''s naked body in a nket.


    Jessica turned her head and looked at Coco without any expression. Her lips quivered a bit as if to say something but then shut back. She then looked around the ce in silence.


    "Let''s go. Let''s go to the hospital." Coco blew her nose. She knew how terrible it was for a girl to encounter such a situation twice. She was sessful inforting her through her first rape ordeals. She wasn''t sure how she wouldfort Jessica at all anymore though as this was already the second.


    Jessica was not more than a lifeless puppet when her cousin, Coco, took her out. The abuse marks left on her body left everyone who had seen them felt sorry.


    She couldn''t me anyone for ending up like this but herself. She was at the point where she even thought that God couldn''t save her anymore.


    It was a lesson learned for her. She never expected something as cruel to happen to her at all.


    Thanks to Coco, the police arrived so soon. If Coco hadn''t been watching her cousin all the time, she wouldn''t have called the police to save her. Jessica would have suffered more in that case.


    Edward ran to Cynthia as soon as he hit home. His mother looked so fantastic which made people wonder what made her so happy.


    "Son, you''re back. Why are you so early today?" Cynthia finally had her chance to vent her spleen on Jessica. Needless to say, she couldn''t help but feel ecstatic about it.


    "Yeah. Were you out alone? Where''s Dad? Didn''t he go with you?" A slight frown etched Edward''s handsome face. He wasn''t worried about Cynthia since his father was always with her before. It was unexpected for him to see his mother alone right now.


    "He''s out on business today. What''s the matter? Do you want to see him?" Cynthia looked at him with amazement. It wasn''t usual for Edward to ask about his father whenever he came home.


    "Why should I see him? I am just wondering why he isn''t with you." It was given that the rtionship between Edward and his family had eased a lot as of this point. Nevertheless, it was still awkward.


    "He''s not one of my belongings. Why must he be with me?" Cynthia took a look at her son resignedly and thought, ''When did Jonathan and I make Edward feel this way?''


    "Aren''t you guys always together? You two are like conjoined twins." The man smiled as relief flooded him. It was good that his mother seemed alright.


    "What? Are you jealous? If you are, then feel free to stick with Daisy every day. No one would object to that. By the way, I just met Jessica. If she hadn''t asked me out, I wouldn''t have known it was her. She haspletely changed." Cynthia said as casually as possible. However, it didn''t stop Edward from being rmed.


    "What? Did you go to see her? Did she do anything to you?" He began scanning Cynthia with concern stered on his face. He might appear unconcerned about his parents but that was nothing but a fat lie. He had loved them in silence.


    "She did want to do something to me but unfortunately, she failed." Cynthia smiled and felt lucky that Jessica wasn''t her daughter-inw. Otherwise, she would be pissed off every day.


    "Did she try to hurt you?" Edward''s cold eyes narrowed as he thought, ''Jessica, you aren''t afraid to die, are you? It seems that I really underestimated you.''


    "Yes but she failed." The aged woman said as she especially stressed herst word. "Why would you ask that? Do you already know anything about what happened?" Her gaze at him turned from sweet to suspicious as ideas that he might already know something in advance hit her. "Well. No." Edward was a little flustered and quickly evaded her probing eyes.


    "No? You must be lying or else you would look at me directly while saying that." Cynthia knew that her son was hiding something. She might not have cared so much about his words before but then she knew him too well. He was her child after all.


    "I don''t know anything. You are being paranoid." The man was about to enter their house when his mother suddenly stepped on his way to block him.


    "You really don''t know that, huh?" She continued to ask. She badly wanted to know if her child was lying.000?????????

 Chapter 952 Dont Hurt Me (Part Two)

    "I already told you I really don''t know." Edward insisted with his lie. He feared to tell her that he already anticipated Jessica to take revenge on her all along.


    "OK. Fine." Cynthia gave up on asking her son. "I''ll ask Lukie instead. He will tell me everything." The woman knew that Luke was aware of everything. since he had been following Edward every day. It was only then that she stepped aside to give way for her son. "Why would you ask him?" Edward''s brows furrowed He was certain that Luke would not tell anyone about him without his permission. But dang! He would probably say everything to Edward''s Mom.


    "Don''t you want to tell me? Then I''ll have to turn to him for help!" Cynthia raised her chin as she looked at her son. Pride was on her face as she could see that she was able to corner her child.


    "Fine. Let me tell you everything then. I did know that Jessica would take revenge on you. I knew my dad would be there to protect you and it was the reason why I didn''t tell you. Besides, he will send some bodyguards to protect you anyway even if he is not around. What was there to take seriously?" Honesty was the only choice left for Edward. There was no point of hiding it anymore as it was obvious that his mother would do everything just to squeeze the information out of Luke.


    "Oh, you fool! Are you sure you are my son? How can you not take this seriously?" Cynthia patted Edward on the back in dismay. ''Fortunately, I have a reliable husband to help me. If I had only depended on my son, it would have been me and not Jessica who is suffering now,'' she thought.


    "I trusted Dad. That''s why I didn''t take it seriously. I didn''t know that he wasn''t following you like a shadow today though." He trusted his dad, which was the main reason why Edward didn''t bother to tell his mother about what was going on. However, he never expected things to turn out like this.


    "Speaking of that, you''re the one who pissed Jessica off. Isn''t it unfair that it is always me or Daisy who ends up getting hurt? Howe you''re always safe and sound?" Cynthia pretended to be sad as she asked. It would be good for Edward to feel a little guilty even if she wasn''t hurt.


    "I am sorry! It''s all my fault. I didn''t manage the rtionship between me and Jessica well." Edward felt that he really screwed on that aspect. If he hadn''t been kind to Jessica, she wouldn''t have hurt the people he cared about again and again. "Right! We did nothing wrong. It''s all your fault! I don''t know what''s wrong with your eyes! How could you fall in love with a woman like that?" Cynthia looked at her son in disdain. For her, the only thing Edward did right was to be with Daisy again.


    "She wasn''t like that before. I don''t know why she changed a lot." The young CEO''s voice wasced with defeat. He and Jessica had agreed to be each other''s sex partner. There was no other rtionship between them other than that. It was Jessica who had been so greedy and broke their arrangement.


    "You are the one who made her like that. She wouldn''t love you that much and wouldn''t be so crazy when you left her if you had treated her badly in the first ce." Oddly, Cynthia understood why Jessica became like that. She believed that everything happened for a reason. It was the woman''s deep sadness that had triggered her to act all crazy and uncontrolled.


    "Yes. I know that I''ve been giving her chances. However, things have already turned out this way thus, I can''t keep on doing that anymore." A mild sigh escaped from Edward''s chest. The feeling of being vindicated cruised his veins. He was right all along. He did not love her. He couldn''t and he wouldn''t no matter what she did.


    "s! I''m telling you this not because I want to me you. What I want is for you to know that not all girls are as rational as Daisy." Cynthia patted his back again, meaningfully this time. She had always looked at her son as a good boy. He was far from any other arrogant rich men.


    "You''re right. I did find you a good daughter-inw." Just the mention of Daisy''s name made Edward''s feelings lighter. Her name was like a magic chant that made him less depressed within a matter of second.


    "How cunning! It was us who found Daisy, not you!" The woman stood on tiptoe and then suddenly hit her son on the head. How could he dare im that he found Daisy when he had always given her a hard time?


    "All right. All right. You found her but I''m the one who keeps her with me. You failed to keep her in our house, as she left a few years ago?" Pride was in Edward''s voice as he evaded his mother. He couldn''t be more grateful for the emergency training in the army base or else he wouldn''t have found out about his six-year-old son.


    "Yes, we found her. Where''s Justin? Why didn''t I see him?" His mother looked around quizzically and thought that it was strange. Her grandchild would usually run to them whenever he saw them. Howe they hadn''t seen him since they arrived home?


    "You don''t know where he is? Didn''t you and dad always pick him up from school?" Edward nced at his watch anxiously. It was time. Howe his son didn''te home with his grandma? ''No wonder I felt something was wrong!'' he thought as he silently cursed inside his head.


    "Shoot! I can''t believe Ipletely forgot. He should be out of school by now, right? I''ll pick him up." The aged woman readied to walk towards the garage. She unintentionally forgot Justin because of Jessica.


    "Forget it. I''ll pick him up myself." Edward pressed his lips together. He did not know how the little guy would feel after he knew that theypletely forgot to pick him up. His son would terribly be upset.


    "Okay. You drive faster than me. Go! You can pick him up early. He must be crying while seeing the other kids get picked up one by one." Cynthia rubbed her hands together anxiously. Her mistake was both stupid and unbelievable.


    "He will not cry but I''m sure he''ll be angry. Don''t worry. He''ll be fine." Edward was talking as he walked to the garage. He was halfway to it when he met Luke.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    "What''s the matter, Mr. Mu? Are you going out again? Did something happen?" Luke was puzzled upon seeing his master in such a hurry. They just got home. Why was he going out again?


    "Yes. My mother forgot to pick up Justin. I''ll pick him up now." He shut his mouth and then continued for the garage.


    "Why don''t you just wait at home? Let me pick him up." Luke offered as he thought that he would be following whoever picked the kid anyway. If so, why not just do it by himself, right?


    "No. I''ll have to pick him up myself this time or the little guy will throw a fit." Edward knew his son like the back of his hand. His little man would feel very agitated if he sent someone else to pick him up. However, he wouldn''t be as angry if it was him that Justin would see right on the school gate. "You''re right. Okay then, let me drive for you." With those words, Luke ran to the garage and gave his boss no option to talk.


    Edward was left frozen on his feet. He epted Luke''s offer and remained standing where he was as he waited for the car. He knew that the man would follow him anyway even if he decided to drive by himself. Therefore, why just not let Luke drive, right?

 Chapter 953 Did Her Boyfriend Hook Up With You (Part One)

    Little Justin was squatting in a corner alone when Edward and Luke reached the school gate. Almost all his ssmates were back home and it was only him who was left to wait for someone to pick him up. His cute baby face wasn''t looking good because of anger. His


    eyes were down as he stared at his shoes. It was not even rocket science to figure out that the child was depressed.


    "Justin." Edward called him softly from outside the high electric school door. The view of Justin squatting there alone squeezed his heart so bad as it reminded him of his childhood. He had experienced the same, squatting at the corner alone while waiting for someone to pick him up. The only thing different was that nobody came for him before except for the guards. While in this case, his son had him. That was why he insisted toe there no matter how busy he was. He never wanted his son to have the same bitter memories as he had.


    "Daddy! I am here!" The little child quickly raised his head upon hearing that familiar voice. His gloomy looks instantly lit up as a slight smile cracked his lips. Then, he sprang out from where he was squatting and dashed towards the door. In a heartbeat, he jumped to his father''s wide open arms. "Are you here to pick me up?"


    "Yes! I''m sorry! Daddy iste," apologized Edward as he wrapped the kid in his strong arms and carried him. He lovingly scanned his little boy''s face. Then without a word, he rubbed his nose yfully with Justin''s.


    "That''s all right. I know you wille to pick me up," giggled the child as he put his tiny arms around his Daddy''s neck. He was ustomed to waiting since Daisy had always beente due to her work before. Everything was fine with him as long as his Mommy and Daddy remembered to pick him up.


    "Son, we may bete for a while because your mom and I are working. But never will we forget toe for you no matter what." Edward gently pinched his child''s face and stepped toward the car Luke had parked near the road.


    "But you were on a business trip today. Howe you still have time to pick me up?" Curiosity was on Justin''s voice as he asked. It was a little embarrassing for him to be carried by his Daddy since he was already a big boy. Nevertheless, he enjoyed how it felt to be pampered.


    "I came back as soon as I finished work. Why do you ask that? Don''t you like Daddy picking you up?" Now it was Edward''s turn to ask his young boy. He settled his son inside his luxury car as soon as they reached it and started immediately fixing the child''s seat belt. It was only after making sure that Justin wasfortable that he moved to the seat next to his child.


    "How''d you say it? I am really happy that you came to pick me up. If only you and mommy could pick me up every day." The little boy tilted his head and saw Luke at the driver seat. His smile went wider as he sweetly called the man, "Hi, Uncle Luke!"


    "Why? Isn''t it good that grandpa and grandma pick you up?" Edward''s handsome face crunched a bit as he looked at his son. He wondered what he was thinking.


    "It''s not bad. It''s just that people who don''t know our rtionship always think they are my parents." Justin exined while pursing his lips. The scenario about his grandparents taking him home from school was embarrassing. Not a single soul believed him when he said that they were his grandparents. Everybody thought he was lying and that he was their child instead. His grandparents were just too young!


    "That''s not a big deal! Exin it to your ssmates, and it will be okay." Edward hadn''t really thought about this thing. He had to admit though that he had always been questioned the same way as Justin when with them. People just couldn''t believe that they were his parents. He just got used to it that he ended up ignoring the idea subconsciously.


    "No, the way they look at me is awful." Little Justin continued to grimace. It wasn''t that pleasant when others got weirded out after he exined. They all thought that his family was strange!


    "Why? Did they say anything bad?" asked Edward with furrowed brows. If so, then he really needed to take the problem seriously. He did not want Justin to experience anything bad.


    "No, they didn''t. I don''t like it anyway." Seconds more and little Justin began to behave spoiled. He reached out his chubby hands to his Daddy''s face and started pinching him nonstop. Edward had to grasp his child''s small hands to stop him.


    "We shouldn''t be caring too much about what others think, Justin. It will just drain us every day. We should learn to adapt to society rather than wait for the society to adapt to us. Okay?" Edward said seriously as he ced his hand on his son''s head and patted it gently. He got no clue if Justin understood him or not. But he hoped that Justin would live a free and easy life. He wanted him to learn how to not give much attention to the outsiders.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "Understood, Dad! What I need to do next time it happens is to adjust my mind and think differently." Justin shut his mouth tightly after the words. He felt that what his father said was true. He needed to stay calm.


    "Remember, as a man, we must be strong and rational. Only in this way can we be really good men." Edward scratched the tip of his nose. He could only influence his child but could never control nor rece him. Justin would need to learn how to live his entire life happily.


    "I''ll keep it in mind, Dad." Although Justin couldn''t understand what Edward exactly meant by saying those, he felt the love and good intention behind it.


    "Very good! You are indeed my child!" Edward said happily. Justin had always been his pride as he not only inherited all his good qualities but also his mother''s kindness and courage.


    "Of course, I am the World Invincible Warrior!" Justin''s face beamed with pride as he heard how his Dad praised him. He was suddenly lively and all charged up.0000000000?????

 Chapter 954 Did Her Boyfriend Hook Up With You (Part Two)

    "Ha! Let''s see! No matter how invincible you are, you will eventually fail in your mother''s hand." Edward smiled at his child after. They were on that heart-warming moment when Luke unexpectedly kicked the brake forcefully. Edward''s arm reflexively grabbed his child in haste to protect him from being hit.


    "Mr. Mu, are you all right?" Luke quickly turned to check on them. Worry was stered across his face as he feared that his sudden action hurt the two.


    "We are okay. What''s the matter?" Edward''s initial reaction was to check on Justin to make sure that he was okay. It was only after he confirmed that his son was okay that he turned back to Luke.


    "It was Coco. She suddenly stood before our car," answered Luke. He was familiar with the woman since she was one of the most popr film stars. Too bad though that his young Master banned her. Thus, her career kept silent and she hadn''t been seen both on TV and in real life. Nevertheless, he still didn''t know why she would appear all the sudden.


    "What is she doing in front of our house?" Edward slightly frowned. The woman hadn''te to him ever since what he did.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "I don''t know. Shall I ask her to go away?" Luke looked at Coco who remained standing before their car. He secretly admired her courage very much. If he had missed on kicking the brakes by a split second, she would havein on the ground.


    "Do you think it will be so easy to dispatch her since she came to find me here in our home?" Edward bit on his tongue as he rummaged his mind for Coco''s purpose.


    "What should we do then? I can maneuver the car around her. But I don''t think that she will stop cornering us." Luke looked at Edward and then looked back at Coco outside the car.


    "I''ll go to talk to her," decided the handsome CEO as he pushed the car door open.


    "Daddy..." Justin was a little confused as the name ''Coco'' was new to him.


    "It''s not a big deal. Luke, take Justin home first." It was fortunate that the Mu''s house wasn''t far from where they were and was only a few steps away.


    "Yes, Mr. Mu." Luke also knew that it was not good for Justin to stay here and witness what was about to happen next. He followed Edward''s direction and took Justin back home.


    "Uncle Luke! Who is that woman? She is pretty. Is she Daddy''s old lover?" Those were the first words that Justin came to say soon as he walked out of the car and turned back to where his dad and thedy were. He was watching them without a blink. The woman might not be as beautiful as his Mommy. But it wasn''t an exaggeration to say that she was still exceptionally pretty.


    "Errr... No. Let''s go!" Luke''s mouth twitched in anger as he answered. He quickly picked Justin up and walked towards the house. He did not dare to discuss such a sensitive topic with him.


    Edward did note to Coco until he saw Luke and Justin disappear inside the gate. His gaze was suddenly evil when itnded on Coco. However, he did not say anything. All he wanted anyway was to know why she was there.


    "You should be happy now, Edward! You evil creature!" Coco went to irrationally attack the man before her after she screamed her pain. She reached out her hand and tried to beat him.


    "What are you talking about? Who did I harm?" Edward grabbed her by the wrist and then pushed her away from him.


    "Ha ha! Have you harmed too many people that you can''t even point out who among them am I here for?" Coco tried to recover her bnce as she shot him dagger stares.


    "I don''t think I''ve ever done anything bad to others," Edward said, "of course, it would be different though if somebody attempted to hurt me. Thus I don''t know who among them do youe here for." Edward dusted his suit off. Coco''s touch was nothing but disgusting. "You were born that way, Edward! You were born evil! Why did you make Jessica expect that you would marry her when you never even had the intention to?" Coco wasn''t able to contain her emotions and burst into despair upon remembering what the doctor said about Jessica, who was still on her hospital bed.


    "It is better for you to ask Jessica. The agreement was that we would just be sex-partners. We agreed not to fall in love. She has always known it. Tell me, do you think it is meaningful to discuss this with me?" Edward smiled scornfully. He could have almost forgotten how dissolute he had lived his life before if she hadn''t just mentioned it.


    "Ha ha! Sex and no love? Edward, to tell the truth, I really despise you. How dare you do it when you can''t even bear the consequences it might result to. Can you still be called as a man?" Coco was aware that she shouldn''t being here from the beginning. It was just that it was impossible for her to control her anger whenever she looked at Jessica on her hospital bed.


    "Is that so? I have never asked you to think highly of me. It isn''t for you to decide if I am a man or not either. Now say it! What is your purpose ofing here?" Edward checked on his watch. Thest thing he would want was for his beloved to see the woman before him. He would never want Daisy to get involved with this kind of troubles. Too bad though that fate wasn''t on his side that time. Darn it! He saw a Humveeing to their direction as soon as he lifted his gaze from his wristwatch.


    "Are you still asking me why Ie here? Don''t you know it all this time? Are you pretending to know nothing about it?" Coco also spotted the military Humvee approaching them. She might be guilty of wanting to pick a fight with Edward but not with Daisy Ouyang. "How do you expect me to understand something I haven''t done?" Edward frowned and sighed. His precious wife shouldn''t havee back at this time. Why she was so early today?


    "Yes! You didn''t hurt her, but she was hurt because of you. Of course, you will be so calm." Coco said as she gritted her teeth. She understood that she couldn''t me everything that had happened today to Edward. Nevertheless, she was mad at him. How could he abandon Jessica after he got tired of her? Had he never considered how Jessica would feel for at least once in his life?00000

 Chapter 955 Did Her Boyfriend Hook Up With You (Part Three)

    "Just say what you want to say. Don''t y charades with me." Edward grew impatient as his eyes locked on the approaching Humvee.


    "Don''t you know everything about S city? How do you know nothing about what I say! If you really don''t understand, I suggest you ask your wicked mother." Coco bit her lip hard. She knew that it was Cynthia whom Jessica met today. How on earth did Cynthia turn out unscratched and Jessica end up badly hurt? "Senior Colonel, it''s Mr. Mu." Mark slowly stepped on the brake and turned to Daisy.


    "What? Why did he park his car in the middle of the road?" Daisy raised her head from the files she was reading. The National Day that just passed had kept her busy for days.


    "Oh! He is standing with a woman. Do you want to go out and see what''s happening?" Curiosity was all over Mark''s face as he wondered how Daisy would react.


    "He is even blocking the way. How can I not go down to see what is happening?" Daisy gently frowned. and then opened the car door. She was instantly standing straight before the woman and Edward in her olive uniform.


    "What''s the matter? Why are you parking your car here?" Daisy threw a gaze at Coco but refused to greet her. The woman''s arrogant reputation wasn''t something she would consider worthy of any politeness.


    "Honey, why do youe back so early today?" Edward treated Coco like she was not there. He didn''t even care to answer her pending doubts and just casually turned to greet his wife instead.


    "Are you saying that you don''t want me to see you dating another woman here?" Daisy''s gaze went to Edward. She wasn''t sure when did this man get so familiar with Coco. For Pete''s sake, how could they even set the meeting just right before their house! "Daisy Ouyang, I don''t care what you''re telling your husband. But don''t put me together with him. That is just outright disgusting!" Coco sneered scornfully. She might not like Daisy Ouyang. But she had to admit that the woman looked very dignified and heroic in her military uniform.


    "It''s just proper for you to feel sick. That actually means that you''re normal. It''s hard for me to figure out though why you choose to feel nauseated and vomiting just to talk with this disgusting man." The military woman shrugged her shoulders in indifference. She was solid and didn''t even give a damn about the murderous gaze Edward threw her.


    "Do you think that I would want to see that disgusting face if I have a choice?" Coco secretly admired how calm Daisy was. However, that didn''t lessen her hate towards Daisy.


    "Edward, say it! Did you just make her fall in love with you? Or did her boyfriend hook up with you and now she''s jealous?" Hearing someone cursed Edward didn''t even make Daisy angry. She even had the gut to tease Edward whose expression was beyond shocked after hearing what his wife just said. He looked like he was just a thread away from throttling Daisy.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "Daisy Ouyang, if you want to annoy me, I have to say ''Congrattions, you did a good job." Edward''s teeth were gritted as he looked at his smiling wife. What the hell did she just say? He was already reluctant to ept the usation that someone had fallen in love with him. How much more was Daisy''s im that he hooked up with Coco''s boyfriend! Oh, God. She just clearly called him a gay!


    "Are you angry now? Thedy hasn''t spoken anything yet. What are you worrying about? Is it already your turn to speak?" Daisy turned to look at Edward and gave him a murderous nce. He was really good at making troubles. The woman even came to find him in front of their house. Thus, she did not have the time to ask him to exin it. Didn''t he have a clue that she was helping him out and his reactions were just making it even messier?


    "I..." Edward looked at Daisy with confusion. What was wrong with this little woman? Was Daisy having a fever? Otherwise, how could she me him in front of others when she had always known that he was very keen on his dignity?


    "I...what? Don''t say what you shouldn''t say. Coco is already disgusted just by seeing you. How could you be cruel enough to even say something? Do you want to make her faint?" Daisy slightly raised the corner of her lower lip. She looked at Coco from the corner of her eyes. A satisfied smile cracked her lips upon seeing how the woman''s face turned pale.


    "Are you two ying a double act with me? Or are you just ying me?" Coco angrily clenched her fist. It was already difficult for her to deal with Edward. Daisy''sing made things worse. She literally ran out of things to say.


    "How could that be? You''re too serious for us to y with. I am a woman, and I have no interest in lesbian things. And as for my husband, well, I am just standing here. Do you think I will watch my husband cheating on me?" Daisy had learned a lot about contradicting others from the months she lived with Edward. How else could she even develop such sharp tongue in the first ce?


    "Do you really want to be mean to me as an officer, Daisy? I am not here to make troubles for you. What are you talking about?" Coco pressed her lips and did not realize that she was negating her own remarks. She used to talk as equally mean as Daisy. But now, she could even shamelessly criticize Daisy.


    "I didn''t mean anything. I just made my sexual orientation clear to you." Daisy coldly nced at Coco and thought, ''Do you feel ufortable this time? How''d you feel when you taunted me like this before?''???????

 Chapter 956 The Confrontation (Part One)

    "I hated you at first, Daisy. Then my opinion of you changed when I thought you were a kind woman. I was wrong. It seems that you are just as cruel as Edward," Coco said resentfully. She bit her lips in disappointment after hearing what Daisy just said.


    She wouldn''t be here for any good reason.


    "Thank you for your appreciation, but I don''t think that I''m a kind person myself. Thus, I don''t need your recognition." Daisy might be kind but she could also tell right from wrong. She never expected Coco to be good to her as she exactly knew what type of person she was. "Honey, go inside. Let me handle this." Edward was a good husband. He wouldn''t let Daisy be hurt out of something he was involved in.


    "If you could, then you wouldn''t be standing here and blocking the gate." Daisy rolled her eyes. Coco might not be one of Edward''s ex-girlfriends, but she had rushed to their home directly unannounced. Daisy hated that behavior regardless of the reason. It was inconsiderate, rude, and it disturbed other people''s lives.


    The CEO ended up rubbing his nose in embarrassment but chose not to retort. Edward was simply the perfect model husband as he never talked back to his wife at all.


    "Coco, I hope you can get to the point and stop the verbal attacks. I believe that you will not resolve your problems by causing conflicts." Daisy shifted her gaze from Edward to Coco as she assumed the posture and dignity of a Senior Colonel.


    "Well, at least I just made verbal attacks. You guys hurt people brutally." Coco cast a disdainful nce at Daisy. This was the first time she had seen her in military uniform. She used to think that she was just an ordinary aloof woman, but now, Daisy''s solid presence impressed her.


    "Really? You might as well want to make that clear. Whom did we hurt? Be honest. Don''t me others for something you did. We won''t deny it if it is our fault. Be advised, though, that if somebody reproaches us for their own doing, we won''t take it silently," Daisy said solemnly, stressing "we" to send the message that she and Edward would be handling the situation as one.


    "Who else? My cousin Jessica! She was once again raped by some hooligans right after seeing your mom!" Coco held her chin up as if justice was on her side.


    "What? My mother-inw? That''s impossible. There must be some mistake. She barely knows Jessica. Why would she hurt her? Besides, my mother-inw is a proud woman, and she would think this kind of thing is beneath her. Why would she call Jessica for a meeting anyway?" Although Daisy hadn''t lived with Cynthia for a long time, she knew she would not do something as low as that.


    "Humph! Believe it or not. My cousin is now in hospital. Do you really think that I will make up something like that at the cost of my cousin''s reputation?" The confidence in Coco''s tone melted with what Daisy had said. However, it was toote for her to take her statement back as she already said it. The only option she got was to stand with what she said.


    "Okay then. Do you have any proof? You should know that you need to present your proof before you point an using finger at someone." Daisy''s eyebrows knitted. She didn''t believe that Cynthia would do something like that to Jessica. They bore no grudges to each other and there was the Mayfly backing her up. She wouldn''t even need to do it by herself even if it was her who was involved. There were plenty of men within the Mayfly who would do anything for her.


    "Proof? My cousin who''s now lying in the hospital is the best proof! What else do you need? Are you trying to cover for your mother-inw who broke thew? Is that what you do as a public servant?" Coco sneered. Her cousin had been raped by so many men and now was lying in the hospital in misery while Cynthia had gone home sound and intact. She was convinced that the matter had something to do with Cynthia. Somebody had to take responsibility for her cousin''s tragedy.


    "Coco, stop making groundless usations! Do you really think you can do whatever you want? Ask your cousin about what she tried to do with my mother and then we''ll talk about justice!" Edward snapped upon hearing her turning the facts upside down. Luckily, there had been bodyguards protecting his mother secretly. Otherwise, it might have been her who had been raped. The horrible possibility freaked him out.


    "What do you mean? What happened to mother?" Daisy was suddenly nervous. She was worried that something might have happened to Cynthia, which wouldplicate the matter. If anything happened to Cynthia, Jonathan would revenge her at any cost. Daisy would definitely be put in a dilemma between thew and her family.


    "Let''s ask Coco about that. She came for this, didn''t she? Speaking of which, Senior Colonel Ouyang, I want to report a case: my mother was besieged by some people." Edward knew that this kind of case wasn''t in Daisy''s jurisdiction. He just wanted to tease her even under such tense circumstances.


    "I''m not the authority for this type of case. You should report it to Mr. Yi." Daisy red at him. She knew when and where to use her power well as a Senior Colonel. The rxed look on Edward''s face gave it away that Cynthia was fine.


    "Edward, don''t twist the facts!" The sweetness between the two persons in front of her made Coco''s face darken in rage. How could they possibly act as if she didn''t exist?


    "You know exactly what happened. Facts are facts. Turning them upside down won''t change anything." Edward looked at her in contempt. Jessica and Coco were nothing but the same for him. The only difference was that Jessica was bold while Coco was afraid to take action. Nheless, they were both filled with evil thoughts.


    "I have no idea what you are talking about. Are you saying that I am just trying to frame your mother?" Coco believed that it was Cynthia who had done all this. If those hooligans had been hired by Jessica, they should have taken the money and left. Why would they even do such a terrible thing? The police were working on the case and everything would be clear soon.


    "You got that right. That''s exactly what I meant. Learn about the facts first before you use someone. Otherwise, you will just make a fool of yourself. I will sue you for nder," Edward said in an icy tone. He and Jessica still had some unfinished business. Coco had the nerve toe to his house to defend her.


    "Coco, I think I figured out what happened there. I guess your cousin kidnapped my mother-inw just as she did to me before. It is possible that her ns didn''t work well this time. Thus, she failed and became those hooligans'' prey instead. Am I right?" Daisy suddenly found that she was evil too sometimes. She couldn''t help but feel smug as she said those words. A person like Jessica, who never learned her lesson, didn''t deserve pity.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Daisy, are you gloating over my cousin''s misfortunes?" Coco frowned. She couldn''t believe what she had just heard.


    "So what? You and your cousin have done so many horrible things to me. Time for me to see your karmaing." Daisy thought she had been unduly kind before, which had led to her being bullied around. Her original n for today was to have a good rest after a whole day of work. Never had she expected herself to be standing at the gate of her home dealing with problems. Anger was seriously simmering in her.

 Chapter 957 The Confrontation (Part Two)

    "Well said, Senior Colonel Ouyang!" Edward was surprised by Daisy''s remarks. She had always been sympathetic to people. Everything she had said and done in front of Coco was so unlike her at all.


    "Back off! I''ll deal with youter, you trouble-maker." If Coco wasn''t present, Daisy would have kicked Edward hard. All the female psychos she had met had something to do with him.


    "What did I do? I just came back from a business trip." Edward felt wronged as he looked at Daisy with an innocent expression. Although Daisy was hard on him in front of another person, he wasn''t mad and acted yfully instead.


    "But this matter happened because of you, didn''t it?" Daisy nced at him. How could this man cause all this trouble and still have the guts to argue with her? It made Daisy angrier. Everything bad that had happened recently was all because of him.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "If you are trying to tell me how much you love each other, don''t bother. It doesn''t mean anything to me. I couldn''t care less." Out of the blue, Coco felt helpless. Many things had made sense now that she was calm. She started to think that maybe she shouldn''t havee over. However, she was still in the denial phase and the reality was too much for her to ept.


    "You are quite imaginative. Like we are in the mood. Please go. If my mother-inw really did something wrong, I won''t turn a blind eye to it. If she didn''t, I hope you can reflect on your conduct today. Think about whether it is right or not." As a servicewoman, she knew that she should be just and treat everyone equally. On the other hand, she was also a daughter-inw, so it was just natural for her to be inclined to think that Cynthia was a victim and that all Coco had said was mere suspicions.


    "I believe you for now, Daisy. I''m hoping that you''re an honest person and won''t disappoint us. I''ll go." Coco knew that she wouldn''t get any result even if she stayed longer. Thus, she decided to go back to the hospital and see how Jessica was doing.


    "Right, go. I hope Jessica is fine even if I hate her. I was angry just now. I hope you won''t take what I said seriously." Daisy pinched the middle of her eyebrows. She had been reckless and irrational. She shouldn''t have lost control over her emotions, no matter how angry she had been.


    Coco shot a meaningful nce at Daisy. Few women could be humble enough to apologize to another, let alone someone they hated. Nevertheless, the woman before her had expressed her apology so naturally. It sounded sincere. It was apparent that Daisy was a forgiving woman. Now that had made her even more curious about Daisy.


    "Did you just let her go like that?" Edward asked after Coco got in her car. He barely had a chance to talk during Daisy and Coco''s conversation. The tension was just too high between the two. He couldn''t understand how the critical situation had suddenly turned peaceful. "Why? Do you want her to stay for dinner? Are you thinking of getting an opportunity between you and herter?" Daisy withdrew her gaze from Coco''s car and looked at Edward coldly.


    "Um... Of course not. Let''s go inside." Edward attempted to put his arms around his wife''s waist, but she moved away.


    "Aren''t you moving your car? You''re blocking the way." Daisy said with a straight face. Just the thought of all she had gone through made her so mad. Jessica alone had made so much trouble for her. It seemed to never end.


    "I''m sorry. I forgot Mark was still there waiting. How about this? Honey, you drive my car inside. I''ll walk." Edward was toozy to get in the car again. He was only one step away from the gate. He didn''t want to waste time parking his car. He would rather go inside and take a soothing bath.


    "Edward, how can you be so thick-skinned? Can you be more shameless?" Daisy said, gritting her teeth. She had no choice but to get into the car knowing that he was hastening for the bathroom. A bath was always his first priority whenever he got home from the outside. He was a bona fide neat freak after all. As they say, old habits die hard.


    "Of course I can. I''ll prove it to you tonight," Edward said casually as he walked inside the house.


    "Pervert." Daisy''s face flushed crimson as she wished to have the guts to run him over with a car. However, he was already gone when she reached his car. She got so frustrated that she gave his car a mad kick in full force. She seemed to have done it too hard, though, as she felt her foot hurt like hell with the impact. Her face twisted in pain.


    Daisy parked the car in the garage and came to the living room. As she had expected, Edward wasn''t there. Cynthia was ying with Justin.


    "Mommy, you are home." Justin ran into his Mommy''s arms as soon as he saw her. He was so happy that hepletely ignored the game he was ying with his grandmother.


    "Yes, Mommy''s back. What game were you ying with Grandma?" Daisy carried Justin in her arms and looked at Cynthia. She secretly checked if she had been injured. "I''m home, Mom," she said to Cynthia.


    "Good. I bet you are hungry. I''ll go and ask Mrs. Wu to set the table." Cynthia got up. She had been exining to Justin why she hadn''t been able to pick him up from school. To her surprise, he didn''t mind at all. On the contrary, he hadforted her instead. Cynthia loved the little boy even more upon seeing how thoughtful he had turned out to be.


    "Thanks, Mom. I''m not hungry. Where''s Dad? Isn''t he home?" Daisy wondered as she surveyed the room. Jonathan was nowhere to be seen.


    "Never mind him. He has gone out on some business and won''t be back for a while. He called to tell us not to wait for him for dinner," Cynthia replied as she nced at Daisy. She had always liked her in her uniform. She looked aloof and dignified in it.


    "All right. How are you, Mom? Are you okay?" Daisy put Justin down. He was surely growing up fast. She couldn''t even carry him for long anymore.


    "Me? I''m fine. Why?" Confusion was suddenly on Cynthia''s face as she wondered about what she meant.


    "Edward said somebody tried to harm you today. I was worried that you might have got hurt." Daisy was a bit hesitant as she waited for her response.


    "Oh. That. I''m fine. Those people were stopped by the bodyguards your dad had arranged around me. They weren''t even able toe near me. " Cynthia soundedcent as she answered her question. This was the first time for her to witness the incredible skills that she had been hearing of from Jonathan.


    "Well, how about Jessica? Was she hurt?" Daisy threaded carefully as she was afraid to say something wrong. She wouldn''t want to hurt her feelings. She knew well that outsiders might not be able to hurt people, but sometimes casual words from family could hurt people deeply.


    "No. She was fine when I left. Why are you asking? What happened?" Cynthia frowned as her senses automatically warned her that something bad had happened. She was more than sure that the woman was fine when she left.

 Chapter 958 You Kicked Mr. Mu (Part One)

    "Yes. I guess she was raped by those she hired. Her cousin came here earlier, demanding justice." Daisy bit her lips and felt sad for Jessica''s misfortune. It was awful when a woman was raped once. Worse, she was raped twice. She was suddenly torn between hating and pitying her. "What? Was she really raped by those guys? I have warned her. I said she would suffer but she didn''t believe me." Cynthia pursed her lips. She was never as kind-hearted as Daisy. She even liked witnessing how evil women got punished.


    "Yes, she was. But she said your guys did that." Daisy knew that she shouldn''t suspect Cynthia of being so cruel andmitting such a crime. However, she tried to refrain from inquiring but failed. She had to do it even if it hurt Cynthia''s pride.


    "Well, Why didn''t she tell you that I raped her in person? She does have the face toe here anyway and make trouble for us. If she wants justice, ask her to go to the police. Otherwise, she should keep quiet and try not topromise my reputation," said Cynthia, irritably. She smiled. She had always been forthright and frank and never kept those hideous secrets from her family. However, she refused to admit anything that she hadn''t done.


    "Mom, I''m sorry. I shouldn''t have suspected your integrity," said Daisy apologetically. Daisy pouted her lips as she knew that she made a mistake. She shouldn''t do this even if she was curious.


    "I''m fine. I know you better than you think. It was your duty that made you inquire. Don''t worry. I won''t put you in a dilemma." Cynthia patted Daisy on her shoulder. Those things wouldn''t have bothered their mind in the past. It was just that things had changed. They had to be careful and stick to some principles in dealing with certain matters. They wouldn''t want Daisy to be identally implicated if something went wrong unexpectedly.


    "You misunderstood me, Mom. It''s not my job or duty that I''m worried about. I don''t want my family to get involved or even hurt," exined Daisy in a haste. Daisy valued her position and reputation in the army a long time ago because she always regarded her high rank as a bargaining chip to be Edward''s wife. However, it was different now. She still loved her job but her family was more important than anything else in this world. She would doubtlessly choose her family if she was forced to make a choice between her family and her career in the army. After all, you couldn''t purchase a family who loved you and would protect you at all costs no matter how sessful you were in your career.


    "I know. Please don''t exin anything. Everything is gonna be alright. Now, go upstairs and get changed. The dinner is almost ready," said Cynthia amiably. Aforting smile cracked her lips for Daisy. She really loved her daughter-inw as if she were her biological child. How could she get angry at her because of such trivial matters?


    "Well, mom, please feel free to tell me if I have done anything wrong. I won''t make the same mistakes again. Trust me," said Daisy guiltily. It was said that the rtionship between mother-inw and daughter-inw was both delicate andplex. Daisy couldn''t take her mistakes for granted even if Cynthia was a loving mother. She was determined to remember her position in the family, being a good wife and doing her filial duties.


    "Ok. Go ahead. Don''t be a silly and worried girl," said Cynthia in amusement. For a high-ranking military officer as Daisy was, she never thought highly of herself, nor behaved proudly in front of her family. She was always humble and considerate. She was nothing but a wonderful daughter-inw, wife, and mother.


    Daisy smiled timidly. Then, she squatted down to put herself on the level of Justin and kissed his cheek. It was only after she kissed her child that she stood up and walked upstairs in a good mood.


    "Grandma. I met the woman whom you were talking about. I thought she was a beauty. I don''t think so now," said Justin. He turned his gaze to Cynthia when he saw his Mom went upstairs.


    "Oh? Really? Why did you say that?" Cynthia was amused by theplicated expression on Justin''s face. She pulled him closer to herself and let him sit down on the couch. She wanted to know what the child meant by what he just said. "She''s pretty but with an ugly heart. Her beauty will slowly erode because of her wickedness, right?" Justin pouted his lips as he exined it to his grandma seriously. He disliked those people who made trouble for his mom.


    "Good boy! Yes, you''re right. You must grow up to be a good man both in heart and appearance. Then, you''ll be liked and weed by more people. Do you understand?" Cynthia took the chance to teach her grandson a lesson. As far as she was concerned, moral education should start at tender ages.


    "Yeah. Grandma, I''ll be a good boy physically and morally. A man can live a poor life but he shouldn''t suffer from conscienceless. I''m not gonna let you and mom down," said little Justin confidently and sternly. Actually, he had alreadymitted to learning from his parents. "Good boy. Go wash your hands. We''re gonna have dinner." Cynthia kissed Justin''s forehead gently. She took his arm and walked together with him towards the washroom.


    There was no one in the drawing room when Daisy and Edward walked down the stairs and got there.


    "Where have they gone?" said Daisy curiously. She looked around as she searched for Justin and Cynthia but failed to find them.


    "They''re probably waiting for us in the dining hall. You son''s extremely fond of food. He won''t be left behind at the drawing room when it''s time to have dinner," answered Edward in a good mood. Justin was plumper and taller now than when he first came there and started to live with his father. It could be because of his consistent good mood and the nice foods cooked by Mrs. Wu.


    "He''s also your son. It is your obligation to take care of him," said an annoyed Daisy. She was still upset with the man for what happened a few moments ago. However, Edward had the cheek to provoke Daisy again.


    "Oh! My bad. Please don''t be mad at me. By the way, how is it going today? You seem to be as mad as a wet hen and are pissed off at the slightest things," said Edward curiously. It wasn''t every day that Daisy was in a bad mood after all.


    "Obviously bad. I wouldn''t have gotten this angry though if only you hadn''t picked on me," answered Daisy. She had intended to punch Edward on the face to relieve her anger. However, she saw Cynthia and Justining out of the washroom and decided to let her husband go. Well, at least for now.


    "Mommy, Daddy, what''s wrong with you guys?" Justin was blinking cutely as he watched his parents. They were clearly quarreling when they came.


    "Nothing to worry about, son. You just have a thick-skinned Daddy who needs somebody to teach him a lesson. And I''m gonna do him a favor. That''s all," said Daisy. Then, Daisy and Justin exchanged nces andughed heartily.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "Alright. Daddy, good luck. Grandma, shall we have dinner right now? We''re not supposed to be here when mommy tries to teach daddy something," said Justin. Then, he took Cynthia''s hand and walked her out of the drawing room to the dining room. He didn''t even give her grandma a choice to talk.


    "Darling, what do you mean by saying that? You smiled so wickedly. I warn you, don''t turn violent. I''m your husband and your son''s father. It will be really ugly if you punch me on the face. Please, show mercy," said Edward. The CEO pretended to beg for mercy, which wasughable and funny.


    "Edward, don''t be a fool and behave yourself. Your son and mom might be watching you right now," said Daisy embarrassed. It was only a second after Daisy said that when she suddenly lifted her foot and kicked Edward on the leg unexpectedly and quickly. "Ouch! How dare you kick me this way. You''re being ridiculous and terrible," winced Edward with unbelievable anger. He jumped and then glowered at his wife as he thought, ''Is this woman really my wife? How could a wife kick his husband at home with the slightest provocation? What''s wrong with her?"


    "No more nonsense! I just teach you a lesson so you know how to treat your wife nicely and lovingly. Give it a second thought if you intend to misbehave next time," said Daisy. Then, Daisy pped her hands, raised her head triumphantly, and walked to the dining room without even looking back at the possibly injured Edward.


    "Fuck! What a dangerous wife you''re. Merciless! Cruel!" said Edward. He felt aggrieved as he reached for his leg and massaged his bruise. He finally knew that when Daisy got irritated, she would not show mercy to anyone, including her beloved husband.00000

 Chapter 959 You Kicked Mr. Mu (Part Two)

    "Mr. Mu, what are you doing here?" said Luke wonderingly. He was expecting Edward to be sitting at the table while having dinner in the dining room. However, why was he standing there grimacing in pain? "Nothing. Go ahead, Luke," answered Edward between gritted teeth. He had made up his mind. He would conquer his wife in bed, otherwise, she would have the guts to kick or punch him as bold at any time. "Are you sure you''re alright?" concern was on Luke''s voice. His nces lingered on Edward''s face and didn''t believe what the man before him just said.


    "I''m fine. Shut your mouth up and go. Eat." Now Edward was furious. Did he have to tell everybody about how his wife humiliatingly kicked him?


    "Oh! Mr. Mu, be careful." With hindsight, Luke realized that maybe Edward was too embarrassed to tell anybody that he had been kicked and injured by his wife mercilessly at home.


    "Just go!" shouted Edward contemptuously. It was amazing how Luke could frustrate him sometimes.


    Edward watched Luke disappeared towards the dining room. It was only after making sure that Luke was gone that he hobbled towards the couch and sunk into it. He pulled the leg of his trousers up and saw arge bruise on his leg. It was evident that Daisy had vent all her depression on that powerful kick. She really didn''t have any idea how to love and care for him as his wife. Thus, he just decided to remain on the couch, staring nkly and angrily to nothingness as he sabotaged dinner with them.


    On the other hand, Daisy had been waiting for Edward toe to the dining table. It had been a while since she sat there. She was getting anxious while wondering whether she really injured him. Her kick might have been harder with her foot on a slipper. The whole family was waiting for him to eat dinner.


    "Mommy, did you disable daddy?" asked Justin. He was also wondering why his Daddy hadn''t appeared and joined them.


    "No, it can''t be that. I just kicked his leg. Since when has your Daddy be so weak and fragile?" answered Daisy. She got suspicious since she didn''t look back at Edward nor check his bruise after she kicked him on the leg. She just went straight to the dining room after what she did.


    "Oh! Mrs. Mu, it was you who kicked Mr. Mu. I saw him squatting down and grimacing," informed Luke. Luke could be such a naive boy sometimes. He sympathized with his Young Master and exaggerated Edward''s response to the kick on the leg. "I should go and check him." That was it. Daisy stood up and rushed to the drawing room to check on her husband.


    "Luke, did you just lie to Mommy? Daddy might not be a soldier but I know that he could bear more than just Mommy''s kick," asked Justin. Teasing was on Justin''s face as he looked at Luke, who looked embarrassed that time as his lie was exposed.


    "No, I didn''t. I really saw your Daddy suffering in pain when I came to the drawing room. If you don''t believe me, go and see for yourself," answered Luke awkwardly. He hadn''t realized that a kid could be so sensitive and smart until now. Justin easily saw through his trick. "No need to do that. Uncle Luke, I know you too well. You will try to evade people''s eyes whenever you lie. You can''t lie to me though. You just tricked my Mommy to check on Daddy." Justin concluded with a huge smile. The little boy could be more sensitive and sensible than adults most of the times. That was why Luke couldn''t tell a lie in front of him.


    "Haha! Tricking my grandson isn''t as easy as you think, Luke. Let''s have dinner. Daisy and Edward should settle their disputes on their own," Cynthia finally butted in. She finally knew why Justin held her hand and almost dragged her to the dining room in haste. It turned out that Daisy was about to turn violent on Edward. However, it was her son that got hurt. Was it good for her to just sit there and leave her son to Daisy''s care?


    Edward''s reaction was automatic when he saw Daisy reentered the drawing room. He pretended to grimace in pain, closed his eyes, and leaned against the couch leisurely as he waited for Daisy to speak first.


    "Edward, why haven''t you joined us for dinner?" Although Daisy wanted to check her husband''s injury, she didn''t want to surrender to him or apologize first. Thus, she picked another topic to talk to him. "I have lost my appetite." The man answered dully. He kept his eyes closed.


    "Well. In this case, I''ll leave you alone." Daisy turned around and pretended to leave just to see how he would respond. Although Edward''s face didn''t show much pain, he certainly felt ufortable.


    No word came from Edward''s mouth even after he heard his wife''s remarks. He just sat there and ignored herpletely, which astonished his wife. Edward knew confidently that Daisy wouldn''t leave him until she got his injury examined. He believed that she loved him, although she might be unreasonable and willful sometimes.


    "Quit being a kid, Edward! Answer my question properly," authority was on Daisy''s voice. She lifted her foot and kicked his leg once again gently and slowly. She looked intimidating and beautiful as she hadn''t changed from her uniform yet.


    "Haven''t I told you my answer? I have no appetite." Edward yelled impatiently. He moved his feet away as his expression slightly changed. ''Is my wife trying to embarrass me in purpose? Doesn''t she realize that she just kicked my injured leg? Does she want to examine my injury or aggravate it?'' Edward''s brain was in a rumble.


    "Don''t be a fool! Quit being arrogant and proud! Don''t ask me nor anybody to prepare your food when you get hungryter," said Daisy. Edward''s expression was clearly pointing out that she had kicked his injured leg again. He must be in pain though she didn''t intend to kick him hard this time.


    "I won''t do that. Go away!" Edward gave a snort of contempt. However, he refused to open his eyes and look at her. Meanwhile, Daisy couldn''t help butugh as she saw how ruffled and mischievous Edward was. Now she needed to find a way to repair his damaged pride. She squatted down and then without a word, pulled his trouser leg up carefully. There was arge bruise on his leg. She inhaled deeply and felt ashamed that she identally caused her husband''s pain by kicking him hard.


    "Wait a second. I''m gonna go upstairs and fetch some medicine for you," said Daisy. She bit her lips and felt her heart ached. She wouldn''t forgive herself if she really caused unbearable pain to her husband. They loved each other passionately. How could she do such a horrible thing to him just to vent her anger?


    "No need to do that," answered Edward angrily. He felt wronged and consequently acted rashly. He wanted to take the chance and get Daisy back to the negotiating table. They had to decide on apromise that she wouldn''t turn violent at home whenever she was pissed off. Otherwise, she might induce irreparable damages to anyone.


    "You can''t tell me what to do or not," said Daisy. Then, she rushed upstairs. It was fortunate that Tom had brought back a lot of medicine for them and Daisy could use them conveniently if necessary.


    It was only after Daisy was gone that Edward opened his eyes. There was wickedness and triumph on his face. He indeed felt a sharp pain in his leg, however, it was nothingpared to the joy he felt in his heart. It was such a sweet thing to feel Daisy worrying for him. It was clear that he had already upied a huge part of her heart and mind. He was guilty of acting childishly. However, as far as he was concerned, it was needed in marriage to settle the disputes between a husband and a wife. Plus, he needed to save his face.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    In a few minutes, Daisy walked down the steps with a medical kit in her hand. Instead of applying medicine to his bruise, she turned around and walked to the kitchen without saying anything to Edward. His smile instantly disappeared as he wondered what Daisy was about to do. Was she thinking of forcing him to apply the medicine to himself? Who was him to know, right?

 Chapter 960 Good Job (Part One)

    "What happened, Daisy?" Cynthia asked anxiously as she saw Daisy rush across the dining room.


    "Oh! I''m about to go to the kitchen to fetch some ice bags. I seem to have used too much force and caused some bruises on his leg. I''m going to apply coldpress on him and then apply some medicine." Daisy said, looking embarrassed, with guilt written all over her face. The man she hurt was Cynthia''s only son and she couldn''t be sorrier.


    "Is it very serious? Do we need to send for Tom to have a check-up on him?" Cynthia automatically stood upright upon hearing her. The concern in her eyes was immeasurable.


    "No, it''s not that serious. I can take care of him. Don''t worry, you may continue to eat. I will handle him and it will not take me long." Daisy directly walked into the kitchen as she finished her words. The ice bags were brought there by Tom thest time. They had been reserved in the fridge and were handy anytime.


    "Grandma, continue to eat your dinner. Daddy is just exaggerating. He is just doing that to gain Mommy''s sympathy. He is fine. Don''t worry too much." Justin wasn''t able to stop himself from saying those as he saw how anxious his grandmother was. His Daddy was a mischievous man after all. He was even more mischievous than himself.


    "Really?" Cynthia still felt really worried. She felt restrained from rushing to Edward because she didn''t want Daisy to feel guilty. It took her more seconds hesitating before she finally sat down.


    "Don''t worry, Mom. Mr. Mu will be fine. Mrs. Mu won''t hurt him too much." Luke also assured Cynthia as he saw her worried face.


    "Lukie, doesn''t it sound strange? You call me Mom but you call Edward Mr. Mu, does that make sense?" Cynthia frowned. She had told Luke that she took him as her own son. Howe he was still so polite? She didn''t know what to do anymore to make him forget about all these formalities.


    "Well... I just get used to it. It is difficult for me to change the appetion now." Luke pursed his lips. Although he knew that Cynthia was right, he still thought that it was better to remain as it was.


    "Fine, whatever, just suit yourself. I have told you so many times about the appetion but you never listened. Fine, just let it as it is. I won''t push you." Cynthia heaved a sigh. She shouldn''t feel bothered as long as his new son wasfortable. Luke seemed to be closer to Edward even than to herself. That was a delight.


    Luke raised his head and nced at Cynthia. He opened his mouth but then he wasn''t able to find the right words. Thus, he shut his mouth back. There were just no words to exin what he wanted to exin. Sometimes, silence spoke louder than words.


    Edward was overjoyed to see Daisye back to him. He thought she didn''t care and just left him there alone. It was not until he felt something cold on his leg that he realized what Daisy had done. She fetched ice bag for him.


    "Does it hurt? Try to challenge me again, huh!" Daisy said in annoyance as she raised her gaze and looked at his furrowed eyebrows. Her angry look was a contradiction with how gentle she was when she attended to his bruise.


    "No, not at all." Edward pretended with a forced smile. But the great paining from his leg told him what he had to pay for telling the lie.


    "Okay. It may be a little painful when I apply the medicine though. I will massage the bruise with the iodine first and then apply some ointment." Daisy put the ice bag aside and ced his leg on herp. She poured some iodine on her palm and rubbed it on his bruise. Then she began to massage.


    The CEO''s face automatically turned red as beads of sweat started forming on his forehead. Who said that it didn''t hurt? It hurt like hell! He gritted his teeth to suppress the pain from showing on his face. He was a tough man and he didn''t want Daisy to look down upon him and mock him.


    Daisy shed a cunning smile. Did Edward really think she wouldn''t do anything to him? It seemed that he didn''t want to talk to her at all. Well, how about using more force to massage him? Daisy acted on her thoughts and as expected, she heard a painful growl from Edward immediately.


    "Ouch! It hurts. Are you sure that you''re applying the medicine and not murdering me?" Edward tried to take his leg back but Daisy gripped it harder. He never saw thising. How could he suddenly end up as themb on the ughterhouse under her mercy? "Didn''t you say it didn''t hurt? Huh! You lied," said Daisy with a sly smile. She stopped the trick and continued to apply the ointment on him carefully. It was only a joke anyway and she knew when to stop. The whole thing might turn ugly if she crossed the line. "How about I press your leg and see if it hurts?" Edward said with a sullen face. He never thought that the upright Daisy could actually stab his back just like that.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Okay, Come on, I''m giving you the chance to press here." Daisy smiled gently and put her foot before him. She would like to see how he wanted to revenge himself. "Huh! Stop fooling around! You have no injuries on your leg at all. By the way, do you really think that I could hurt you?" Edward finally opened his eyes and stared at her angrily.


    "You can see by yourself whether I have injuries or not." Not taking her foot back, Daisy looked at him with full ease.


    "Honey, judging it from what you said, did you get injured again?" Edward suddenly forgot his own injury upon hearing what she said. He didn''t even mind about their argument and hurriedly rolled up her leg trousers to examine her. The sight of the white bandage on her leg proved that his guess was right.0000

 Chapter 961 Good Job (Part Two)

    "Do you think I want to get myself hurt? I got scratched today when training the soldiers," Daisy said it as if it was nothing. She didn''t even tell him that she almost fell down a cliff. The crisis was averted and she was fine now. She didn''t want him to be worried. "What kind of training it was? Why on earth was it so dangerous?" Edward looked sad at the sight of her injury. He didn''t have the mood to argue with her anymore.


    "It''s a military secret. I can''t tell you." Daisy raised her eyes as if saying something very mysterious. For her, all the training programs of the special troops were very dangerous. She wouldn''t choose to tell this to him, of course.


    "Huh! Do you fear that I am a spy and will let the secret out?" Edward clenched his teeth and looked at her smug face. It turned out that she had qualms about telling him the details of their military programs. Honestly, he wouldn''t even care about the troops'' activity if it wasn''t for her. He was never an idle man. There was a lot of work in thepany that troubled him. How could he have extra time to care about any other things?


    "Huh! Do you even think that you''re qualified to be a spy? You will be an insult to that profession." Daisy said while taking the medicine back into the kit. Obviously, there was a tinge of contempt in her tone. She narrowed her eyes and nced at him disdainfully. She took pleasure in beating Edward in the verbal argument. Otherwise, Edward would always consider himself a world above her and others.


    "You''re right. Such a demanding work is not suitable for me. Plus, I''m counting on you to feed and provide for me." It was only the irritation that made Edward me Daisy. Edward was such a person, he could easily lose his temper, but also could let it go quickly. Nheless, he was really easy to please. Daisy was quite sure about that trait in his character. Thus, she never worried that he would take offense for a long time.


    "It''s not impossible. I''ll agree to provide for you if you agree to be trained by me." Daisy teased and looked at him with a cunning smile.


    "Forget it. I''d rather provide for you. I don''t want to make myself miserable." Edward touched his nose sulkily. He was not even her soldier but was often kicked by her as if he was her training sandbag. How would he end up if he really was her soldier? He might probably die a miserable death. Plus, he would certainly not be so stupid to agree to her every requirement.


    "I don''t need you to provide for me. Let''s drop the subject. Edward, could you go and eat dinner now? I owe you this time." Daisy said as she tried to take her foot back but then, Edward gripped her and stopped her from doing so. He furrowed his brows as if thinking about something. He suddenly looked very serious.


    "Eating is not that important. The most important thing right now is the fact that you never take my words seriously. Spit it out, how would you like me to punish you?" Edward shed a cunning grin. His smile was still charming in spite of how his heart ached so much with Daisy''s injuries.


    "Oh? Why would you punish me? Why don''t I understand what you''re saying?" Daisy forced a smile and touched her sweaty nose. Oh, no. She suddenly realized what he was referring to. How could she forget what she had promised him before? She inly forgot that she had promised him not to get herself injured again! Worse, she even proudly showed it to him unwittingly just to win their verbal war. What a stupid thing! She just voluntarily invited trouble for herself.


    "Huh! Don''t try to y the fool. You''re too naive to try to get away with it." Edward''s tone turned harsh. He immediately resumed his cold demeanor. He could spoil her with his affection and forgive her on any other things but not with this. Not when it was about her safety. He would neverpromise with anyone, including her, about that. That was the exact reason why he had insisted on her promising him first.


    "But I''m very hungry and exhausted after a whole day of training. Do you want to see me starve without eating anything?" Daisy looked at him with her pitiful eyes. She knew when to be aggressive and when to cave in. She immediately hid her tough side and showed her sweet and gentle persona upon feeling how the air around her froze. She knew his temper. He might usually look carefree but he was never the type of man she would want to provoke. His anger could be serious. As the saying went, "A wise man submits to circumstances." In her case, she''d better sumb to this arrogant man first.


    Edward tried his best to suppress his anger. He shook his head helplessly and said, "Let''s go! Eat the dinner first. I wille back to this issue after we eat. Don''t try to get by that easily."Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    "Okay. You can punish me in any way you want after dinner. Whether you hit me or me me, I will never talk or fight back." Daisy yed up to Edward, her aloof face filled with sweet smiles. Edward was overwhelmed by her expression but then, could not do anything to her. She seemed to really know his weakness, so she was turning all soft on him.


    "When did I hit you before? Don''tbel and bludgeon me randomly." Edward carefully pulled down her trousers. He couldn''t make out if it was serious or not since it was wrapped with a bandage. Regardless, he was already doomed to worry about her for the rest of his life.000

 Chapter 962 Good Job (Part Three)

    "Haha, It''s only the worst-case scenario. I know it can''t really happen. Honey." Daisy continued to smile mischievously. She thought that her actions might look very dumb now. What else could she do? She was at a disadvantage. No matter how reluctant she was, she had to y the fool. She could feel herself turning very pathetic. She was an honorable Senior Colonel and it never came to her that she would act so cute and humble to y up to him.


    "Daisy, are you sure you were not born in the year of dog?" Edward mocked. For the first time, he found that Daisy was also fickle. It seemed that no matter how aloof she was, she couldn''t get rid of women''s mercurial nature.


    "Oh? Why do you ask?" Daisy looked at him, confused. She slowly stood up upon realizing that he had already released her foot. She was very careful with her movement as she wouldn''t want her wounds to bleed with just a wrong move.


    "Dogs are mercurial by nature." Edward also stood up too. His bruise still stung even after Daisy put medicine on it. He wasn''t able to control his eyebrows from furrowing out of pain.Belongs to (N)?vel/Drama.Org.


    "Huh! Where did you get that theory?" Daisy looked at his legs with concern upon noticing the slight wince he made. It seemed that she should not be too violent in the future, as it wouldn''t make anyone happy if she really made him disabled. "What are you doing?" It was then that a coldmanding voice suddenly boomed inside the room and frightened the sweet couple.


    "Dad, you came home! Mom told us that you woulde home veryte." Daisy replied quickly as soon as she realized that that voice came from Jonathan. She was nervous at the same time as she wondered how Jonathan would perceive her if he noticed the bruise on Edward''s leg.


    Edward didn''t show any response to Jonathan''s appearance. It was given that their rtionship was softened than before, it did not necessarily mean that they were closer to each other though. Edward still looked very indifferent.


    "Yes! The affairs were finished in advance, so I came back early. Say, what happened to his leg?" Jonathan was not an ordinary man. He could hit the nail on the head right at the moment he entered the house. As the leader of the Mayfly, he had a sharp observation. "Nothing, I just carelessly bumped into a table. Since you are back, let''s eat dinner together." Edward immediately blurted out a lie upon hearing his father ask about his leg. He didn''t want Daisy to stupidly acknowledge that she kicked him. Who knew whether this entric man would really mind if he got the truth?


    "Dad, It''s me. I kicked on his leg and I''m very sorry." Daisy was an honest person. She would never escape from her responsibility if it was her fault. That was the reason why she frankly admitted that the bruise on Edward''s leg was caused by her.


    "Oh! Good job!" Jonathan nced at Edward''s leg again and then decisively walked towards the washroom. It was difficult to know how he felt today. No one had any idea about his mindset. The one and only person in that house that had the ability to decipher Jonathan''s mind was his wife, Cynthia.


    "He... What did he mean?" Edward was dumbfounded as he watched his Dad walk away. He even doubted it if he was actually his mother and father''s biological son. It was fine that his mother didn''t even care about his leg but what was more depressing was how his father added insult to his injury. The world was so unjustified!


    "If you really want to know the literal meaning, I don''t mind if you ask him." Daisy said blissfully. She was ready to be med right after Jonathan asked about the bruise. For her, Jonathan had always been very cold and harsh. Thus hisment earlier almost made her jaw drop in surprise.


    "Do you think I will be so stupid to invite trouble for myself? Honey, are you so happy to see your husband being despised?" Edward pretended to get angry and stared at her. He was secretly relieved. He knew that all the people in his family loved Daisy, just like he did, although they didn''t express it.


    "No, you took it wrong. Are you okay now? Can you walk by yourself?" Daisy said while trying to support him. He seemed to be in great pain.


    "No, thanks. You didn''t utter a word of pain about your wound. As a man, I will be more ashamed if I can''t even bear mine. Talking about this, I wonder how could you walk like normal with such serious wound on our leg?" This was the question that had been lingering on his mind since he got to know Daisy''s wound. He wouldn''t even know about it if she didn''t voluntarily tell him. There was nothing strange about how she moved and walked at all.


    "I told you it was only a minor wound." Daisy would never tell him that she was actually enduring the pain and she was trying her best to cover it. She feared that Edward would get even madder if he knew the truth. She didn''t expect that she would be so careless to let her secret out at Edward''s provocation. Otherwise, she would have hidden it all the time. If so, the wound would soon recover and Edward would never know about it.


    "Honey, don''t lie to me. You know I have plenty of ways to get the truth if I want to know." Edward was still very worried about Daisy''s wound. They kept talking and arguing but the topics were just wandering around and kepting back to the starting point. Nevertheless, their dialogues were full of endless affection towards each other and also with fun.


    "You could trust me or not, I don''t care. I''m hungry. I don''t have any energy to talk about such nonsense. I''ll go eat dinner." Daisy said as she trotted towards the dining room. Edward was flustered as he tried to catch up to her. Was he taking her wound too seriously? How could she walk so quickly like there were no injuries on her leg at all?

 Chapter 963 Am I So Frightening (Part One)

    Edward walked into the dining room with such a question in his head, as he saw Daisy step out of the kitchen with a bowl and a pair of chopsticks in her hands. She carefully put them in front of the vacant seat next to Cynthia. "Daisy, there were enough bowls and chopsticks on the table. Whom are these for?" Cynthia asked in confusion. All the people who were going to have dinner were at the table already. She wondered if Daisy was expecting a guest. "Mom, Dad is home. He is washing his hands. He will join us in a minute," Daisy replied with a smile and went to her seat. Edward sat next to her and was looking at her rather mischievously.


    "Oh. I didn''t expect him toe home so soon. Son, is your leg okay?" As much as she knew the question might embarrass Daisy, Cynthia couldn''t help but ask out of her maternal instincts. "My leg is fine, but someone else''s seems otherwise," Edward said as he threw a nce at Daisy, his eyebrows raised.


    "No way! Daddy, did you stomp on mommy''s leg too?" Justin looked at Edward in surprise. There was usation in his eyes, as if Edward had done something unforgivable.


    "Do I look like somebody so unreasonable?" Edward asked and looked at Daisy pitifully, indicating that she was the one who was guilty.


    "Then who was the ''someone else'' you referred to?" Justin asked, wondering whom it could be, if it wasn''t his Mommy.


    "I meant your Mommy was injured too, but not by me." Edward rolled his eyes at Justin. ''What''s up with him? He is usually so smart, but why can''t he take a hint today?'' Edward thought. "What? Is it bad? Mommy, let me have a look at your injury." Justin jumped off the chair and hastened over to Daisy.


    "It''s nothing serious. Go back to your seat and eat your dinner." Daisy red at Edward. Leave it to him to try and make trouble! He was trying to expose her injury in front of the entire family, which would only make all of them worry about her. He should know better than that.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "Daisy, what happened? Is it serious? I think we''d better call Tom and let him have a look at it." Cynthia was worried. Her face reflected the anxiety she felt for Daisy.


    "Mom, I''m fine. It is just a scrape I got during training. It''s no big deal. You shouldn''t worry so much." As Daisy had expected, Edward''s words were like a typhoon, bringing about immense waves on the serene waters.


    "You are too careless. How are we supposed not to be worried about you?" Cynthia''s eyebrows furrowed. This was nothing new. Ever since she came home from abroad, she had seen first-hand a lot of Daisy''s injuries. Cynthia was starting to think more and more that Daisy''s job was far too dangerous.


    "I promise I will be more careful, so please don''t worry about me, okay?" Daisy pursed her lips. She was so touched. A surge of strong emotions enveloped her as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. It had been too long since thest time she felt the love of her parents. Cynthia considered Daisy her own daughter. Her concern made her feel cherished. It brought back all the sad memories and stirred up the pain inflicted by everything that had happened in her own family.


    "What''s going on here? What''s with the long faces?" came Jonathan''s cold voice as he appeared in the dining room.


    "Grandpa, Grandpa, you''re back!" Justin was the only one who could make Jonathan smile in this family besides Cynthia.


    "Yes. Did you miss Grandpa?" Jonathan lifted Justin up and held him in his arms as his eyes fixed on Cynthia, who had a gloomy look on her face. He couldn''t help but frown. His gaze swept across the rest of the table, looking for the source of her distress. "Yes, I did, but Grandma missed you even more." Justin gave a sweet smile. His words stunned the people present in the room. Cynthia''s face med with embarrassment.


    "Oh? Is that so?" Jonathan asked. He was an arrogant man who never cared what other people thought of him. Edward had learned from the best in this respect.


    "Never mind. Let''s eat." Unable to take the embarrassment any longer, Cynthia changed the subject quickly. She was unwilling to hear one more word about it.


    Jonathan smiled indifferently and put Justin down on the chair, without taking his gaze off Cynthia''s pretty face.


    "Why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?" Cynthia rolled her eyes at Jonathan. However, she soon realized the the reason for it and smiled at him, her eyes widening.


    "You tell me. Why did you keep such an important matter from me?" Jonathan looked at her firmly. The expression on his face revealed nothing.


    "What difference does it make? You knew about it anyway, even though I didn''t tell you," Cynthia replied, looking back at him without the slightest fear in her eyes.


    "You know very well it makes a big difference. I prefer to hear it from you instead of others!" Jonathan narrowed his stubborn eyes at Cynthia. His arrogant aura spread across the room, as if no one but Jonathan himself mattered.


    "You didn''t hear it from me because I couldn''t make it in time. I intended to tell you when you got home. But who knew I would be one step slower than the others." Jonathan''s frigid expression didn''t scare Cynthia. She knew he wouldn''t do anything about it but punish her in bed. It had been his only form of punishment for her in the past decades. Hence, she remained calm.


    The wicked smile on Jonathan''s face told Daisy where Edward had inherited his personality from. It was clearly from his father, who was as bossy and domineering as him.


    "You weren''t just one step slower, but hours," Jonathan said to Cynthia. He still sounded sullen, but he was also unwilling to see her unhappy, so his tone softened a bit. Fortunately, he had arranged bodyguards to protect her furtively. Otherwise, God only knew what she could have done to protect herself when she had to face Jessica with those hooligans in the coffee shop.


    "It has been that long? You must be fooling me." With Jonathan, Cynthia always acted like a teenage girl. Not like a woman who had be a grandma. The way they interacted with each other was the best evidence of their devotion to each other. "How could you not tell me what happened in that coffee shop? Do you still consider me your husband or not?" Coldness emanated from Jonathan. The air around him seemed to freeze. Even Luke seemed much warmerpared to him.


    "Fine, I was wrong. Let''s talk about this after dinner, all right? The kids are watching us." Cynthia got chills whenever Jonathan was mad. This man was like a mystery. After so many years, there were still some things about him that she could not understand.


    Upon hearing Cynthia''s words, Jonathan nced at the others seated at the table. He took a seat himself and started eating without another word. He noticed the anxiety on their faces. Were they worried that he would act out? If so, they didn''t know him that well, because he would never hit a woman! He had just lost control over his emotions for a while. That was all.


    The meal got over amidst tension. Everybody was too cautious. Daisy didn''t even dare let out a long breath until she was upstairs in her room.


    "Come on. This is too much. You can''t be so scared," Edward made fun of her. After all, she was a Senior Colonel! How could she get scared so easily? Wasn''t it humiliating?


    "Weren''t YOU scared? If not, howe you didn''t say a single word during dinner?" Daisy cast a contemptuous look at him, angry that he was making fun of her when she was so beside herself.00

 Chapter 964 Am I So Frightening (Part Two)

    "Of course I didn''t make a sound. Everything happened because of me. My father would have kicked my ass if I dared sneak in a word. He is the boss of Mayfly while I am just a powerless nobody. How could I confront him?" Edward retorted calmly. He knew how much his father loved his mother. Any word that came out of his mouth would have only fueled his anger, instead of helping in reasoning with him. Edward wasn''t so tired of life yet that he wanted to die at his father''s hands! After all, he hoped to grow old with Daisy. He should keep himself safe and sound before that happened. "Ha ha! Finally you admitted that you were just a nobody," Daisy cackled. Suddenly, she felt something warm run down her foot. She pushed up her pants to see if her leg was bleeding.


    "Woman, you don''t understand. A man should know when to hold his head high and when to eat the humble pie. Only that way can he hope to have a wonderful life. Otherwise, things don''t go as smoothly and - Daisy, what is that? Is your leg bleeding? Jesus, you lied to me! You said it was nothing serious. That wound looks dangerous," Edward eximed as he noticed the blood. He grabbed his phone quickly to make a call to Tom as soon as possible.


    Daisy frowned. She hadn''t thought it would get so bad. She had bandaged it simply by herself at the army base, instead of going to the infirmary to get it treated. "Hello, Edward. Are you calling to invite me over for dinner?" Tom had just finished performing an operation. No sooner had he stepped into his office to take a break than he received Edward''s phone call. He hadn''t even had the time to drink any water yet. He was always thirsty and weary after surgery.


    "Come over right now! Daisy''s leg is injured. It needs immediate treatment." Edward cut to the chase, totally ignoring Tom''s quip.


    "What? She got injured again? You have to remind her that she is only human. She can''t subject her body to injuries again and again," Tom said earnestly as he got to his feet. He needed to talk to his coworkers about a couple of important things before he left the hospital for Edward''s house. The patient they had operated on hadn''te out of danger yet. There might be someplications after the surgery. He had to give them some advice to help cope with whatever mighte upter.


    "Tell her that in person when you get here." Edward sounded pissed. He glowered at Daisy''s leg, wishing that he could just strangle her so that she wouldn''t keep worrying him any longer.


    "Okay then. I''ll be at your house in twenty minutes. Stop the bleeding first, before I arrive. But you can choose to avoid doing that if you think she has too much blood. I''ll give her the emergency treatment when I get there anyway." As a doctor, Tom hated it when people didn''t take care of themselves. At the moment, he was as furious as Edward.


    "Juste. Cut the crap." Edward, as overbearing as usual, hung up directly.


    "Good god! Every single time he acts as if he was the king! What kind of person is Edward? He is asking me for help, but somehow he makes me feel like I''m his servant," Tom mumbled resentfully as he stalked out of the hospital. He felt like the time would nevere when Edward stopped bossing him around. When he got to Edward''s house, there was still a tinge of resentment on his face.


    "Hello, Tom. I had Mrs. Wu cook dinner for you. Eat something first." Having troubled Tom so many times, Daisy felt embarrassed to see him. She couldn''t promise there wouldn''t be a next time.


    "Daisy, if you really care about me, take good care of yourself. You are covered in old injuries," Tom said as he opened his medical kit. His patient was sitting right in front of him, waiting for his treatment. He wouldn''t be in the mood to eat anything in this scenario. Plus, he knew Edward wouldn''t let him. He would chop off the hand he dared eat with. So, Tom made the smart move to treat Daisy first.


    "Just stop talking and attend to the injury first." Edward rolled his eyes at him. He had asked him toe over to treat his wife''s injury, not to me her!


    "It''s okay. Tom is right. I have been too carelesstely." Daisy knew that Tom meant well. He cared about her. She didn''t feel offended by what he had said. Furthermore, he was right. She had nothing to say in her defence at what he said.


    "Daisy, I hope you don''t mind. As a doctor, I really need you to be more careful." Tom started to unwrap the gauze that wrapped her injury. No sooner had he seen the wide cut than his eyebrows scrunched together in shock.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Don''t worry. I don''t mind it. In fact, I am thankful for what you say and do. I know what a good friend you are." Daisy could tell from Tom''s tone that he was really annoyed this time. She understood that.


    "I appreciate your understanding. But I have to ask since this cut is very deep. Why didn''t you get stitches? It was so dangerous not to get it treated immediately. I can also tell that the cut wasn''t attended to professionally. Isn''t there an infirmary at the army base?" Tom picked the medicinal liquid and applied it to her cut to diminish the inmmation. Afterward, he took out a disposable needle to give her local anesthesia.


    "I didn''t go to the infirmary, because I thought it was nothing to worry about. So I treated it myself," Daisy mumbled, afraid that Edward would hear her words. But it was toote. Upon hearing that, Edward stared at her like he wanted to kill her.


    "You can''t do that! Reducing the inmmation is essential, no matter how small the cut is. It just gets worse if the cut res up." Tom gave her the local anesthesia skillfully and prepared to do the stitches.


    "Okay. Noted." Right now, Daisy was being extremely docile. However, it didn''t do anything to appease Edward, who was seething with rage.


    "Noted? Do you really mean that? You promise you won''t let yourself get hurt again?" Edward asked her with a corrupt grin, which chilled Daisy to the bone. She would rather he yelled at her than hear him speak to her in the grim tone, and with such a sinister grin on his face.


    "Edward, could you talk to herter? You are upsetting my patient. Even I am scared of you. If my hands shake during the treatment, I won''t be responsible for the consequences," Tom rebuked him. Although Edward''s re was not on him, he could feel himself sweating all over. As his close friend, he knew Edward was on the verge of exploding. To spare himself trouble, he rified himself to Edward in case he took it out on himter. After all, Edward wouldn''t go as easy on him as on Daisy.


    "Your hands would shake? Just you try." Edward nced at Tom''s hands in disdain. Obviously, if that happened, things wouldn''t go as Tom would hope for.


    "Can you step outside for a moment? You are making me nervous," Tom implored him. His hands were indeed trembling. He was worried that he would hurt Daisy.


    "Why are you nervous? Am I so frightening? Just do your job! There are no negotiations!" Edward didn''t leave the room, but sat on the sofa situated at a distance. He couldn''t stand the possibility that Tom might hurt his beloved wife identally.0000

 Chapter 965 Why Zemo Left JC Military Academy (Part One)

    When Tom was finally done with Daisy''s wound, it had been more than ten minutes. During the entire time, small beads of sweat lingered on his forehead that refused to disappear. Edward had been staring at his every action like a hawk. His cold eyes never left him. Not a minute went by when Tom was not nervous.


    "Tom, thank you!" Daisy said, wanting to grin at him widely, but all she could manage was a small twitch of her mouth. The small smile seemed a bit forced. The pressure of Edward''s presence made her feel more nervous than it did to Tom.


    "Well, can I just say that I''m used to it? Daisy, please, just take care of yourself! Even if it''s not for me, you should be more careful for Edward''s sake! I really don''t like seeing you like this. You are making all of us feel worried." Tom shook his head. He meant what he said. He was also worried about Edward. He didn''t know how much longer Edward could stand constantly worrying over Daisy''s safety. He seemed near to mental breakdowns because of her many injury scares. Truthfully, it was the first time Tom had seen Edward so deeply in love with a woman. However, it was a shame that the first woman he loved was someone who drove him out of his mind with anxiety. Might be that only a strong man like Edward, who had a heart of steel, could handle this kind of love.


    "You just talk too much, Tom. Are you done with the wound or not? If you are, go to the dining room and eat. I''m sure you are hungry. Also, I don''t want to hear you whining about how I''m intentionally starving you." This was just how Edward was. He just couldn''t stand other people scolding his wife, even it was his brother and friend. ording to him, Edward himself was the only one who could warn her about these things so sternly. He didn''t want to see Daisy ufortable over others'' grim words. When he heard Tom speaking so seriously to Daisy, Edward contradicted him even though he himself was also mad at Daisy. Tom was absolutely right, that was true. It was just that he shouldn''t be the one saying them. That was Edward''s job!


    Daisy raised her head to look at Edward. However, Edward didn''t even nce in her direction and turned his back on her. It was clear that he didn''t want to speak to her, angry as he was. To be honest, Daisy understood Edward''s feelings right now. She also understood why he was so mad at her. She was aware that after tolerating her careless actions for so long, he was bound to lose his temper eventually. His domineering attitude did note as a surprise to her at all.


    "Well, honestly, you actually ARE starving me, you can''t deny that. Anyway, I''m going to find Mrs. Wu and ask her to prepare some food for me. I am really hungry right now," As he said this, Tom walked downstairs, not even waiting for their reply. After all, he was already very familiar with their house. Might be he was even more familiar with their house than he was with his own. The biggest reason for that was that Mrs. Wu was an excellent cook, so he often found excuses toe over with Duke and have a delicious meal at their house. Once Tom left the room, the atmosphere in the bedroom turned grave. The temperature seemed to drop because of the chill that surrounded Edward. Daisy nervously bit her lip when she felt the sudden change. She thought about how to apologize to him and ebb his anger. However, Edward took her silence for defiance. There was still a deep frown that marred his beautiful face, and there was no trace of the usual tenderness he had for his wife. He locked his unsmiling eyes on Daisy, who lowered her head, not looking at him. "Well, Senior Colonel Ouyang, don''t you have anything to say to your husband anymore?" Edward asked in an indifferent tone. He walked over to Daisy and looked down at her, his gaze intense.


    "I''m sorry! I really didn''t expect that the injury would be this serious. I thought it was just a small wound, and that I could handle it myself. So I put some ointment on it and simply bandaged it. I didn''t expect it would tear again and start bleeding! All things considered, it was my own fault. I should learn how to properly bandage a wound. But don''t worry, I''ll ask Tom about it and have him teach me how to bandage one effectively. You just see, in no time at all, you won''t even have to worry about my bandaging skills at all. I''m quite confident about this. I''m a fast learner after all."


    The look on Daisy''s face was sincere. She was afraid that Edward wouldn''t believe her words, so she kept blurting out things so Edward would have faith in her. Deep down, she knew the reason why Edward was so mad. She just didn''t want to touch that subject right now and intentionally deflected the issue. Daisy pretended she didn''t know what he actually meant.


    Edward couldn''t believe what he was hearing with his own ears. The corner of his mouth curled in disbelief. ''She must be kidding, right? Was she trying to make me angrier? Well, if she was, then she has surely seeded!'' Edward thought. Who the hell cared about her bandaging skills? What couldn''t she understand here? What he cared about was her safety. He didn''t want to see her constantly getting hurt when she was at work.


    "Wow, just... wow. I don''t even know what to say to that. You are really something else, Daisy." Edward just couldn''t contain his ire. Suddenly, he grinned. A wide, beautiful smile spread on his gorgeous face. Anyone who knew him well enough was aware that kind of smile from him meant danger. It meant that Edward was livid.


    "Honey, what does that mean?" Daisy flinched when she saw his wide grin. Well, that was bad. She could admit that now she was truly freaked out. The most beautiful things in life were always the most deadly ones. That was why the smile on Edward''s face was deadly dangerous to her. She couldn''t remain calm anymore.


    "Ha! Do you really not understand? Okay, that''s fine. You have time to think about it. You cane find me when you have it figured out. I am patient. I can wait," Edward announced, turning around and walking straight out of the room. He went downstairs. ''Fine, if she really wants to pretend that she didn''t understand what I meant, then she could definitely keep at it! I have a lot time to wait for her anyway.'' Edward thought.


    Daisy didn''t expect that he would react this way at all. She was frozen in ce as she stared at Edward''s retreating back, her eyes full of surprise. She didn''t know how to respond to his words, because she was so used to Edward''s tenderness and affection at all times. His sudden callousness hurt her and made her feel like she had been abandoned by him. She hated this feeling. She felt lost and didn''t know what to do.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "Mrs. Wu, your food is always so delicious! This tastes exactly how I remembered." With the tasty meal in front of him, Tom didn''t feel shy to give Mrs. Wu hispliments. When he was this hungry, the food tasted even more delicious.


    "Oh, Mr. Qin, stop ttering me. It''s not as good as you are saying. But if you really like it, eat all of it! Mrs. Mu asked me to prepare this special meal just for you." Mrs. Wu gently smiled. There was a slight blush on her face as she heard Tom''spliments.

 Chapter 966 Why Zemo Left JC Military Academy (Part Two)

    "What? Eat all of it? That''s practically impossible!" Tom''s eyebrows furrowed. He felt a bit troubled and stopped eating as he stared at the delicious dishes put in front of him. How was it possible for him to eat all the dishes at once? He suddenly seemed to lose his


    appetite. The food didn''t seem to be so appealing after that.


    "Yes, of course! Eat it all! Do you really want Mrs. Wu''s delicious food to go to waste?" Edward slowly walked towards them. He had already returned to his normal self, a far cry from the cold and distant man who was talking to Daisy.


    "Come on! Edward, are you kidding? You are just avenging me for what I said to Daisy. If I eat all the dishes right now, my stomach will surely burst and I won''t be able to walk home! You can''t be that cruel." Tom looked at Edward, his eyes full of horror. He was definitely right! Edward was saying this only to avenge him for the stern words he said to Daisy earlier, when they were all upstairs.


    "Well, who says that you have to walk home? Just drive your car. I don''t have spare space for you to park your car here anyway." A smirk appeared on Edward''s handsome face. He sat down in front of Tom, seeming quite rxed. It looked like he was going to watch Tom finish all the dishes that Mrs. Wu cooked for him.


    "Huh! You are being so obnoxious right now. Are you really worried that I''ll stay over for the night? Let me tell you the truth: I''m not someone whom you can easily persuade to stay over." Tom raised one of his eyebrows, looking defiant. He had to rush back to the hospital when he finished eating, anyway. He was still worried about his patient from earlier, whom he had operated upon. He had to get back and check on the invalid himself.


    "What? Why would I even do that? Please, I don''t want you to stay, okay? By the way, I have something to ask you. Has Rain called you up recently? The guy has been in Thand for several days, but there hasn''t been any news about what he is up to. That''s a bit strange, isn''t it?" In fact, this was why Edward hade downstairs for. He wanted to ask Tom if he knew anything about Rain, who had gone abroad.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "No, he didn''t call me. Why are you asking, anyway? Edward, are you hiding something from us?" Tom looked at him with suspicious eyes. He had a weird feeling about his question. No wonder Edward hade down to watch him eat. He just wanted to ask him about Rain. After all, he had never been this nice to Tom before. This had been a first. Tom should have known this. Edward was never so considerate to him unless he wanted something.


    "Don''t be so dramatic. What can I possibly hide from you anyway? Well, now that I know that he didn''t call you, I won''t interrupt your meal. Enjoy eating! Remember, finish all the food. Mrs. Wu, please keep an eye on him and make sure he eats everything well. And if he doesn''t, just pack the leftovers for him." Edward dered as he stood up and walked out of the dining room. A smirk formed on his face. Well, he couldn''t be med, right? It was Tom''s own fault that he couldn''t keep his mouth shut. Even Edward himself wouldn''t say those kind of severe words to his wife. But Tom? He just bluntly said it all! Of course, he had to tease Tom and make him pay for it. Oh, sweet revenge! Although to be fair, Tom only said what Edward himself wished to say to his wife.


    "Damn it! Are you serious right now? I mean, why do you do this to me? Can''t you give me a break for once and pretend that you care about me?" Tom whined, staring at the dishes in front of him, his eyes forlorn. Was he really going to have to stuff all of this into his stomach? That was impossible!


    "Yes, Mr. Mu. That is no problem." Mrs. Wu said to her employer in response. She found his words funny, but was trying her hardest not tough. She knew that Edward was just kidding. It was just yful banter between friends, that was all. After all, she had been working here for many years, so she was quite familiar with their good-natured repartee.


    "What! Mrs. Wu, are you really going to take his side? I am so hurt." Tomined dramatically, turning to look at Mrs. Wu. Why were the both of them being so cruel to him today? He should have kept mouth shut earlier. Now, he regretted what he said to Daisy. "Oh, Mr. Qin, don''t worry! I just said that to get Mr. Mu off your back. Of course I wouldn''t ask you to finish all the meal at once!" Mrs. Wu finally exined to Tom, right after Edward disappeared from her view. She really liked all of them. It was a shame that she didn''t have her own children, but she cared for them like they were her own.


    "Thank you, Mrs. Wu. You are a life saver." Tom let out a sigh of relief. For a second there, he was actually afraid that Mrs. Wu was going to do as she was told. Fortunately, she didn''t n to make him eat everything. After all, he knew that Mrs. Wu had a soft spot for him. Edward returned to the bedroom. but he didn''t see Daisy inside. He couldn''t help but regret what he had said to her. He had been too harsh to her.


    But truthfully, his worries were reasonable. Daisy was slightly hurt at his words and didn''t know what to do to cate him. Daisy got hurt a lot when she was working. It was the nature of her job. She had chosen this career right from the beginning itself. However, if Edward couldn''t stop constantly getting anxious about her safety, was she going to have to quit her job to make Edward happy? As she considered this, Daisy couldn''t help but feel a bit sad. She stood on the balcony, looking at the night sky as she let her mind wander. Although there were only a few stars in the sky, the scene before her eyes was beautiful enough to distract her for a while.


    Deep in her heart, she knew she couldn''t be so selfish. If her job had started to affect her family, then she must consider quitting, even though she loved her work very much. Nothing was more important to her in life than family. If she had to choose between her career and her loved ones, she would certainly hold on to thetter at the end of the day.


    "Daisy, why are you standing here? Don''t you think about your injury at all?" Although Edward was regretful and had realized that he had been too harsh on her, when he saw Daisy standing on the balcony, his face turned cold and impassive again. He didn''t want Daisy to know that he had already forgiven her.


    "I''m thinking... I don''t know if I should quit my job or not." Daisy didn''t turn back to face Edward as her indifferent words rang in the air. The thought had been loitering inside her head for a while now. She didn''t actually want to quit this job, but it wouldn''t be so hard for her to do it.


    "What are you talking about? Stop saying this nonsense! I know you love the military uniform very much. You love what you do. Besides, you just got a promotion. You have be a Senior Colonel. That is something you have fought for for so many years. Do you really want to give it all up now?" Edward had no idea why Daisy would say something like this. He was shocked at her words. After all, if there was one thing she loved besides her family and friends, it was her work.0000

 Chapter 967 Why Zemo Left JC Military Academy (Part Three)

    "You very well know that with a job like mine, it''s normal to get hurt during the training or missions. God, even death is a normality to us soldiers. So, I really can''t promise you that I''ll return home safe and sound each day. I know my safety worries you, and I also know that you are unhappy about it. Between you and my career, if I have to make a choice, I will choose you. I will definitely choose you, no matter what." Daisy turned her head to gaze at him this time. Her eyes were brimming with confusion. She felt like she was trapped inside a small box, like something was closing in on her. And no matter how hard she tried, she felt like she couldn''t get out.


    "But will you be truly happy if you quit the job you love? And can you guarantee that you won''t me me in the future, for making you leave your work? I admit, I am intense. I am controlling. But I am just really worried about you! I was angry too, but only because you didn''t tell me the truth. As for the rest, I will do my best to ignore all that."


    On one hand, he would be happy if she actually quit her job, that was for sure. But on the other, he couldn''t help but feel sorry for her. At the same time, he was worried for himself too. After all, he knew how much she loved her career. If she left her job, it wouldn''t be a problem in the present. However, it was hard for him to tell if she would hold a grudge against him in the future, because she would be quitting only for him. He couldn''t persuade himself to take the risk. He also wouldn''t be the person who extinguished her passion to serve the country.


    "Well, it might take a while for me to get used to it. But believe me, it will get better as time goes by. So don''t worry." This was not a sudden thought that hade into her mind. She was so shocked at the secret she found out this morning, that she couldn''tpletely concentrate during her training session either. That was why she got her leg injured in the first ce. Before today, she didn''t know the reason why Zemo had left, without even saying good-bye to her. He saved her, but in the process seriously hurt himself. Even as he recovered from his injuries, he couldn''t be a soldier anymore because his foot was badly wounded. He wasn''t even fit to go through the normal training sessions. Training as a member of special forces was out of the question.N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    "No, I don''t believe so, at all. Just tell me, Daisy. What happened? I know you well. You couldn''t have made the decision just because I constantly worry over you. I know very well that I''m important to you. But I also know that you wouldn''t rush to this decision based on my feelings. I don''t have that kind of power on you." Edward finished speaking, a self-deprecating smile on his face. He loved her very much, and that was why he also knew her so well.


    "Do you remember Zemo? What I have achieved to this day is all because he sacrificed himself." Daisy smiled bitterly. She was very suspicious about what happened years ago, so she had asked a ssmate of JC Military Academy to inquire into it. Today morning, she received the documents he sent to her. When she read those files, she was so shocked that she couldn''t even move. She would never have imagined that this was the reason why Zemo had been hiding for so many years. He asked everyone to keep the secret from her, so that she could continue her career without feeling like she owed him something. But she knew the truth now. So how could she continue doing her job without feeling guilty?


    "What do you mean by sacrifice? He is still living just fine." Edward knew the answer in his heart. He knew what his wife meant by her words, but he chose to ignore it. If he could guess, Zemo had been hiding something from Daisy all these years. Now Daisy finally knew, but it was something she couldn''t ept easily.


    "I mean, he saved me without any concerns for himself, and ended up losing his only dream. Isn''t that a sacrifice? He sacrificed his own dream so he could let me achieve mine." Daisy could guess why Zemo did it. He wanted her to aplish her own aspirations and pursue her career.


    "Do you really think this is the right course to follow? Do you think he would want you to give up what you have right now, as a ''thank you'' gift for what he has done for you?" Edward was a bit angry at her, and also at himself. He was somewhat jealous too. After all, he was still not the one who affected her this much.


    "Of course not! I just feel pity for him, and also for the military uniform that I''m wearing right now. I only got the uniform because of someone else, who sacrificed his own dream! Not only that, he could have been dead! It was an ident, no one could have predicted the oue. But he still put himself in danger, only to protect me. That is something I can never repay him for. I feel so terribly guilty right now."


    She thought about how she had teased Zemo the other day, for quitting the army only so that he could be a businessman. Daisy flushed in mortification. She was ashamed that she had said that to him, after everything! SHE was the reason he had to quit the army and resort to another livelihood.


    "You mean, you want to quit your job only because you feel so damn guilty for him, and not because you know that I constantly worry over you? Is that correct?" Edward knew that it was petty of him to feel jealous at such a time. But he just couldn''t help himself. He was so bitter about it that the contempt crept into his voice.


    "Why would you even think that? Zemo''s secret is only one of the reasons for my decision. Mainly, I want to quit because I don''t want you to worry about my safety everyday." Daisy''s eyebrows furrowed. She knew that Edward was the jealous type. That was something about him that she found both endearing and attractive. But if he was bothered over something like this, it was a bit unreasonable, even for him.


    "I just can''t help but feel that way after hearing what you''re saying. And if I am guessing right, the injury on your leg also urred because you were distracted by Zemo''s truth, right?" It was easy for Edward to put two and two together after she told him everything. Otherwise, he couldn''t imagine how Daisy, a woman who trained almost everyday, could end up with such a serious injury.


    "Um... How did you know that?" Daisy looked at him in surprise. He was indeed correct. She had been so distracted by the thought of Zemo''s sacrifice, that she hurt herself identally. It had been just a fleeting thought, but it was enough. Fortunately, Hawkeye, who was standing beside her, was quick to act and pulled her back in time, so she didn''t roll down the hill. Though her leg still got wounded badly, it was extremely lucky for her to have dodged the bullet. She could have endangered her life.00000000000

 Chapter 968 A Villain (Part One)

    "Do I need to guess that? You don''t like owing anybody anything. So I can imagine how you felt at that time," Edward said. He smiled bitterly. Sometimes it was not pleasant when a person was like an open book to him.


    "I admit, I got emotional during today''s training session. That''s looked down upon in the job of a solider. It''s risky to get emotional in a dangerous situation, and very important for a soldier to be psychologically strong," Daisy said. Daisy looked Edward in the eye. She had never gotten emotional during work before, because she knew about the tremendous risk better than any other of her colleagues. However, what she learnt today was really shocking. So, she was kind of beside herself today.


    "How about now? Aren''t you getting personal now too?" Edward evaded her gaze. Being stared at so intensely by Daisy made him confused and bewildered. He didn''t know how to persuade her to make the right decision. Besides, his perception of Zemo had changed. Although he didn''t like him, Edward had learnt to be polite to him, because he had saved Daisy''s life. Edward was always a grateful person when it came to his wife.


    "Are you referring to me leaving the army?" Daisy asked. Her mouth quivered. She had to refrain from sobbing whenever she thought about quitting her active military service.


    "What do you think?" Edward retorted. He nced at Daisy. Although he would be d if Daisy gave up her career in the army, he also refused to force her to do anything she disliked. She liked her job too much to quit, and he wanted to respect her wishes. Edward hoped that Daisy always felt respected and loved by her husband and family.


    "Don''t you want it to happen? If it happens, you won''t have to worry about my safety any longer!" Daisy answered, exasperated. Originally she had chosen this path for the sake of her husband. But now, her work seemed to have increased obstacles and it had started to worry Edward. She would give it up if that meant it reduced his anxieties.


    "So ording to you, your husband is that selfish? You really think I will force you to give up something you love so much, just so I''m happy?" Edward snapped. He could be the most obstinate and unyielding man sometimes.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "You are misunderstanding me terribly. Forget it. We better drop this topic right now. We can discuss it tomorrow. By the way, where is Tom? Is he home already?" Daisy asked him, in an attempt to change the topic. She felt desperate and helpless. It was clearly hard to talk to her husband reasonably on this subject.


    "Actually, we should settle this dispute as soon as possible. Prolonging this conversation will do us no good," Edward said. He had no intention of letting her drop this conversation, as he fixed his eyes on her face intently.


    "But you will disagree with me, no matter which kind of choice I make, won''t you?!" Daisy was annoyed with Edward''s persistence. She was a mere human, not God! She couldn''t satisfy Edward in every way.


    "Fine. Then just like you said, we will continue this discussion tomorrow. Make sure you don''t get your leg wet when you take a shower," Edward said in concern, before turning around. He decided to leave. He knew he couldn''t afford another confrontation or quarrel with Daisy tonight.


    "Where are you going?" Daisy asked, bewildered. She took hold of Edward''s wrist swiftly. Daisy wouldn''t allow him to drive on his own again and leave, when he was so pissed off. Besides, she still remembered Luke''s warning from that day.


    "Don''t worry. I won''t storm out of the house this time. I want to be alone in the study for a while," Edward answered coolly. He shook his hand free, looking back at Daisy, an obvious hurt expression in his eyes. He turned round and walked out of the room resolutely. He needed to calm down and think about what urred tonight.


    Daisy''s face darkened. All of sudden, she found her husband as strange, cold and indifferent as the very first time she had seen him.


    Edward didn''t smoke. However, tonight was an exception. He lit up a cigarette. The rising smoke clouded his eyes, not to mention his mind. In the pall of smoke that hung over the room, Edward looked handsome and distinguished, but formidable. He was indeed a unique man.


    Maybe he was the one who was wrong. Edward thought he was capable of controlling everything. That was why he was always hesitant about dealing with Daisy-rted matters. He was a sessful businessman, but not a well-qualified husband. He was extremely bad at finding solutions to these domestic matters. He loved Daisy too much to intend to make her do anything by force. It ced him in a dilemma, because he worried for her as well.


    "What are you doing? I have never seen you smoke before!" a female voice rang out. His cigarette was snatched away by a white hand and put out in the ashtray.


    "I''m fine. Take a shower before you go to bed. And leave me alone. I need to think!" Edward stared nkly at the cigarette in the ashtray, ignoring Daisy.


    "Are you trying to avoid me?" Daisy looked at his perfect face. To be fair, she should also be med for their quarrel tonight.


    "No, I am not. You are overthinking things." Edward pursed his lips. He stretched out his arm, pulling Daisy closer to himself. He let her sit down on hisp and rested his hands on her hips, burying his head inside her hair. Taking a long, slow breath, he inhaled her fragrance.


    "Darling, I have decided to respect your wishes. If you want me to serve the army, I''ll do just that. But if you request me to retire from the job, I''ll stay home and look after you, your parents and Justin," Daisy said. She sensed his frailty. When she saw the hurt on his face at the balcony, she wanted to give in immediately. She sat tight and let him touch her freely.

 Chapter 969 A Villain (Part Two)

    "If you were a bird, I wouldn''t be able to bear breaking your wings. It would be better if I let you go, so you can spread your wings and soar high. But if I lock you away at home, you will be deeply depressed. After some time, the colors in your life will darken. I won''t be able to stand that at all," Edward said with a rather sour expression. He closed his eyes. There was a terrible struggle in his heart. He had to make a choice. Otherwise, Daisy was more likely to give up everything for him. In doing so, she would be like a phoenix with broken wings.


    "But.." Daisy wished to speak, but stopped on second thought. She had no intention of hurting him. Nevertheless, if he was so fragile, it meant that he was hurt anyway.


    "Forget it. You should take a shower and have good rest. Don''t you have work to do tomorrow?" Edward removed his hands from Daisy. He was being emotional and vulnerable right now. After some time, he would be strong and confident as usual. As a husband, he could throw a tantrum sometimes, but he couldn''t affect his wife negatively.


    "I don''t need to go to work tomorrow morning. But I''m required to be at the army base in the afternoon," Daisy said sadly. She wanted to turn round and look at her husband as she felt the quivering in his body. She wondered how he was feeling.


    "Go and take a shower. Don''t you know that I''m obsessed with cleanliness?" Edward was always a reasonable and sensible man. Even when he was extremely worried about something, he kept his anxieties to himself, although he smiled at his family infort. "Why, have you lost interest in me already?" Daisy retorted. She seized the chance to turn round and found that his eyes were red. Her heart ached for him. She kissed his soft lips passionately, with a sense of pity. She was so lucky to have a man who could cry for her and endure the pain with her.


    Edward sat stock-still and looked at her, awestruck. Daisy rarely kissed him on her own initiative. He forgot to respond and kept his eyes wide open, gazing at her silently.


    "Did you forget what you told me before? You should close your eyes when you''re getting kissed," Daisy said. She covered his eyes with the palm of her hand. It was embarrassing to see Edward staring at her when she kissed him.


    The kiss ckened the tense atmosphere in the room. However, their dispute still remained unresolved. Both of them chose to ignore it, at least in the moment. Problems would still follow them in theing years. However, Daisy would always emerge the ultimate winner. After all, she was married to the best husband in the world, who cherished and loved her like she was invaluable to him.


    Tough problems could only be resolved by two reasonable parties. For the proud Edward and cold Daisy, their lives continued the same way in theing years. Although there was friction and collisions every now and then, as long as they acknowledged the perspective of their better half, they remained happy.


    Shaun stood before Jessica, who had a vacant look on her face. Before her cousin could react, Shaun reached out and pped her twice.


    "Bitch! How dare you call yourself a virgin and lie to my face?" Shaun said in a fury. He glowered at Jessica, who seemed old when she wasn''t dressed up, and hadn''t put on makeup. "Hey! What''s wrong with you? How could you hit a patient?" Coco saw that Jessica didn''t respond. She rushed to stand before her and tried to defend her from the fierce-looking man.


    "Hmm. Ask her yourself. She will tell you what she has done to me. She is a dirty and shameful slut, who used me ruthlessly and almost made me go broke," Shaun said. Shaun massaged the hand with which he pped Jessica. It hurt slightly. It never urred to him that Melissa was actually Jessica, one of Edward''s numerous women. Whenever he thought about that, he couldn''t refrain himself from flying into a rage.


    "What has she done to you? Didn''t you try to seduce her? Woo her?" Coco asked. She looked at Shaun contemptuously, wondering how her cousin could be with this ugly and rude viin. Didn''t Jessica know that loving such a man wouldpromise her reputation? "Ha ha! Did SHE tell you that? Do you know that Kompass was put into its difficult position mostly because of this slut? I should beat her to death," Shaun said, stomping his foot with fury when he thought about how he had to work for Edward now.


    "Don''t me her. Nobody has done anything wrong, except for you, who is as stupid as a pig," Coco fired back. FX International Group had be one of the substantial shareholders of Kompass Group, as Coco had gathered from the newspapers. As for Shaun, if he thought he could fight a hopeless battle, he was an old fool. She cursed under her breath.


    "Are you telling me that I''m stupid? Yes, you''re probably correct. I''m a big fool to be tricked and enchanted by this evil-minded slut. I''m way out of my league to try and challenge Edward now. What a huge idiot I am! And now, this witch hides in this fucking hospital, safe and sound, while mypany is at risk," Shaun yelled hysterically. Shaun didn''t know how to treat ady gently. He yelled at Coco in an intimidating manner, even though he just met her for the first time.N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    "Don''t you swear in front of me. Stop calling my sister a slut. You are such a viin! You were the one seduced by her! You should me yourself for your indecent conduct and remarks," Coco answered sharply, in an attempt to defend her cousin. Coco was much more charming when she got angry. She reminded Shaun of that cold and pretty girl whom he met in the jewelry shopst time. He turned his gaze from Jessica to Coco.

 Chapter 970 A Villain (Part Three)

    "Wow, If you hadn''t spoken just now, maybe I wouldn''t have noticed how pretty and hot you are," Shaun said inappropriately. He reached out abruptly and tried to touch her pointed chin. Coco evaded his hand smartly. She had worked in the movie industry for many years, and met all sorts of people. She knew well how to protect herself from such dirtbags. "You should leave, Mr. Gao. My cousin is sick. She won''t talk, even if you keep yelling and embarrassing her," Coco said. She shed silent tears as she continued. "The doctors said that she is trapped in her own mind and is reluctant to talk to anybody but herself. Technically, she isn''t sick. She has just locked herself up in the darkness, and it prevents anyone else froming inside, or herself froming outside." That also exined why Coco had gone to the Mu Mansion in anger, desperate to seek justice for her cousin. "If she can''t give me the answer that I urgently need, you should be the one to pay her debt, as her cousin. Am I not right?" Shaun said as he stared at Coco in lust. He realized he had seen her somewhere before, but couldn''t remember the details. "Why should I do that? Leave, or I''ll call the police," Coco cried. She didn''t think she was capable of talking some sense into this bastard, nor of persuading him to leave Jessica''s ward. She chose to ignore him, even though he had inflicted great damage to Jessica. However, she was shocked to find that he had the nerve toe to the hospital and use Jessica of being a slut.


    "Call the police? Do it! I''ll be happy to tell the police about how your cousin deceived me. Then, they will feel obliged to arrest a liar and put her in jail." Shaun sneered. Born into a wealthy and influential family, Shaun had never been afraid of the police. In his opinion, there was nothing that couldn''t be dealt with a bank check, including crimes.


    "So you have decided to stay here and harass two women?" Coco asked. This man was unbelievable. She took out her mobile phone from her coat pocket, determined to call the police. She swore to teach this son of a bitch a hard lesson.


    "Yes, I''m sure that you will enjoy mypany. By the way, have we met before? You look familiar to me," Shaun asked. He stepped closer to Coco, staring at her intensely and boldly as he tried to identify her.


    "Sorry, but I don''t think so. Please leave us alone right now," Coco replied coldly, although she was trying to stop herself from erupting like a volcano. She knew what Shaun was referring to. He must have seen her in some TV dramas she had worked on before. "Wow! You''re that star! Coco, am I right? You were popr once," Shaun said loudly, finally figuring out where he saw this woman before. Rich as he was, Shaun rarely had the opportunity to make friends with movie stars. He was spellbound to find Coco standing before him, talking to him in Jessica''s ward.


    "I''m sorry. You must have mistaken me for somebody else. I''m not any star," Coco answered awkwardly. She took a step backward. Shaun''s breath smelled.


    "Come on. You look just like her. It doesn''t matter if you''re not her. Come with me, serve me well and you will be paid well," Shaun told her. Coco''s denial of her simrity to the movie star discouraged Shaun, but it made him forget why he had rushed to the hospital in the first ce. Truthfully, he felt drawn to this beautiful woman already.


    "Do you intend to make me follow Jessica''s footsteps and be your mistress? How dare you propose such an outrageous request? Leave. Right now!" Coco yelled. She walked to the door, pulling it open as she gestured toward it. "Get out."


    "Babe, turn my offer down, and you''ll regret it. You know, I have developed a habit. The more someone refuses me, the more aroused I get. Congrattions, you have sessfully peeked my interest. You''ll be mine one way or another," Shaun threatened her. He wouldn''t be intimidated easily by Coco''s refusal, so heid his heart bare at Coco''s feet.


    "Who do you think you are? You can''t just get whatever you want. Our paths won''t ever cross again! And you surely won''t own me, you arrogant bastard! Fuck right off," Coco said, grinding her teeth. She used to think that Edward was the most hideous man. Now, after meeting Shaun, she knew immediately, without a doubt, that this pretentious Shaun was the worst among all men.


    "Are you serious? Well then, I n to sell your cousin to a brothel overseas so a hundred men can fuck her every day. Will you be fine with that?" Shaun said, as he walked over to Jessica and tried to lift her out of her bed.


    "What do you think you are doing? How dare you treat a patient this way," Coco shouted, trembling in shock. She rushed to Jessica''s side and helped her lie down on the bed again. She felt scared and wondered why her parents hadn''t appeared yet. She was not capable enough to deal with such an evil man.


    "I can do whatever I want with your cousin. So, babe, will youe with me or not?" Shaun smirked at her tauntingly. He went behind Coco to circle his arms around her waist, while she was bending over to help Jessica. He started to grope her body. "Bastard, let go of me," Coco screamed, horrified by Shaun''s sudden assault right in front of Jessica, his former mistress and her cousin. They were inside a hospital room, for God''s sake. She struggled to fight him.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "I won''t release you until you give me a kiss." Shaun attempted to kiss Coco on the cheek. But before he could do that, he heard a cold voice. Suddenly, a briefcase was wedged between his mouth and Coco''s cheek, preventing him from kissing her. "I would let her go if I were you," Daisy said in a mocking tone. She looked at Shaun condescendingly, disgusted. She recognized him immediately, since they had met once before, back at the jewelry store.

 Chapter 971 Thank You For Saving Me (Part One)

    "Help me, Daisy!" Coco cried. This was the first time she was happy to see Daisy. In fact, she was overjoyed at her appearance. She didn''t want to suffer the same misfortune as Jessica, and fall into the clutches of a man she didn''t love. Without a doubt, Daisy''s arrival was a singr moment of hope for her.


    "What are YOU doing here?" Shaun had recognized Daisy. "And why are you in a uniform? Dressing up for Halloween, or what?" The moment he caught sight of her, he let go of Coco and turned, sizing her up in surprise. He thought it was a prank that she was dressed like a soldier. She struck him as an aloof stunner the other day. But right now, she hardly looked like the same person, and had a murderous look in her eyes.


    "Are you all right?" Instead of giving him any response, Daisy bent down and helped Coco up. Coco was thoroughly flurried and had fallen to the ground once Shaun had let go of her. Luckily, she didn''t get hurt. However, Daisy was stunned when she set her eyes on Jessica, who was staring ahead with a vacant expression on her face, paying no attention to Daisy or the chaos that had urred right before her. Daisy hadn''t expected her to be in such a serious condition, but she soon came to herself. After all, this was very much possible for someone who had suffered extreme physical and psychological violence. Only a twisted person could smile after all that had happened.


    "Yes. Thank you," Coco replied. She said the words with sincerity. She knew that if it weren''t for Daisy, who hade in between them just in time, the beast could have had his way with her by now and Coco would have been in a dangerous situation.


    "Don''t mention it. What happened to Jessica?" Daisy asked with a concerned look on her face. Although she had driven Coco away when she turned up at their house asking for an exnation for Jessica''s mishap, Daisy thought it would be better to talk it through afterward. So, she asked Mr. Yi for the address of the hospital Jessica was admitted to, intending to pay her a visit. She reached there only to find Jessica and Coco once again in trouble.


    "As you can see, she ispletely locked up in a world of her own," Coco said, allowing herself a wry smile. When she spoke mildly, she wasn''t the condescending and arrogant woman Daisy thought her to be. Right now, she seemed like an agreeable person to her. "What did the doctor say? Is it curable?" Daisy asked, worried. She felt a sense ofpassion upon hearing Coco''s words. Lamenting Jessica''s misfortune, she reached out and tucked Jessica''s messy locks behind her ear. Daisy wondered if Jessica would have regretted doing those things, had she been in her right senses.


    "Perhaps. But it won''t be easy. It all depends on her own will power," Coco responded as she sighed. Somehow, she found herself obediently answering the questions Daisy had, something that had never happened before.


    "Hey! How dare you two just ignore me?" Shaun was rather irritated. It seemed to him that he was being belittled by these women, while they were chatting freely without any fear of him.


    "I would get out of here right away, if I were you. Or do you really want to be sent to the police station?" Daisy scoffed, fixing him with a stern look in her eyes. She thought he would be threatened and run away after seeing her in the uniform. But apparently, he was not at all aware of the threat right now. How bold of him to stay and challenge her!


    "Don''t tell me that you really are a Senior Colonel. I don''t buy it. You look so young. I must remind you that you are breaking thew, pretending to be a soldier. Aren''t you afraid of being sued or put behind bars?" Shaun mocked, checking her out from head to toe. He couldn''t believe that one could hold such a high position at such a young age, not to mention


    woman.


    "So you are iming that I''m breaking thew and that you will send me to prison? Believe me, you should worry about your own safety in those regards, for now. Do you have any idea what you''ve done? It is called sexual assault. You wish to know how many years you will get for this?" Daisy asked, raising her head in contempt. However, Shaun was not intimidated by her words and still looked at her with lust. His sleaziness really disgusted her.


    "Don''t take it the wrong way, chica. It was totally consensual. You can ask her if you don''t believe me," Shaun said, giving Coco a baleful look. He was sure that she would not defy him, since Jessica was at his mercy.


    "I don''t know you at all, let alone appreciate physical contact with you in any form. You watch your tongue!" Coco retorted upromisingly. She felt quite fearless. She didn''t think that Shaun would dare touch her again, with Daisy around.


    "You don''t? But I can tell that you enjoyed it very much," Shaun teased her with a wicked smile, ncing over Daisy and Coco lewdly. He couldn''t get enough of their otherworldly beauty. They both were as cold as marble, but exuded entirely different kinds of charm, enough to make him fall head over heels. But if he must pick one between them, he preferred Daisy, because she looked so dignified and inessible in that uniform. It was exactly her unwillingness that aroused his desire to conquer her. Never before had he met a woman who dared to disguise herself as a soldier to threaten him.


    "Nonsense! You shameless asshole!" Coco spluttered. Shaun''s brazenness was way beyond her imagination, and the fact that he was actually the CEO of the Kompass Group seemed like a joke to her. Thepany could go bankrupt in months if it was handed over to him, she thought to herself in disdain.


    "My beauty, duplicity is not a good virtue in a sweet girl like you," Shaun said to Coco, smiling roguishly at them like a total bum, with his hands in his pockets.


    "So you are not leaving?" Daisy asked casually as she took out her phone. Generally speaking, she did not look down upon others so easily, but this Shaun was an exception.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Why? Do you want toe along with me?" Shaun continued verbally harassing them. His lecherousness was thoroughly exposed. No matter what Daisy and Coco said to him, he teased them in a vulgar tone. He still reacted to Daisy casually, thinking that even if the uniform was not a prop and Daisy was truly a soldier, she was likely from a cultural troupe or some ce like that. She could not pose a threat to him.


    "No. But I can make sure that someone else will escort you out of here," Daisy replied, a sarcastic smile adorning her face as she dialed Mr. Yi''s number.


    "Hello, Colonel! Oh, no, Senior Colonel. Is there anything else I can do for you?" Mr. Yi asked enthusiastically after picking up the call. He had told her the address of the hospital not too long ago, so he wondered why she called him again. What could have happened? Could she have lost her way? That was impossible. The Municipal Hospital was located in the downtown area and wasn''t hard to find at all. Besides, Hero was hospitalized in the same hospital after he attempted suicide, and she had been there to see him.

 Chapter 972 Thank You For Saving Me (Part Two)

    "Mr. Yi, could you please send some of your men here to help me? We have a scumbag on our hands who is guilty of sexual harassment and assault. I think he should be arrested as soon as possible," Daisy said slowly, emphasizing each word. She wanted to deter Shaun from getting nearer. She also wanted to let Mr. Yi know the seriousness of the current situation, hoping that he could help get rid of this pervert as quickly as possible. Daisy didn''t want to contaminate her own hands dealing with this reptile.


    "What? How dare he? Don''t worry, I will be there in a minute," Mr. Yi eximed, jumping to his feet. Fortunately, his police station was not far away from the Municipal Hospital, so they could get there within minutes.


    "Great. I will be waiting for you." Daisy hung up the call when she finished speaking. She never doubted that Mr. Yi would cooperate and would evene here in person. After all, there would be plenty of asions where he would ask for the army base to lend a hand. They certainly couldn''t work alone in major incidents of violence.


    "Woman, must you go this far? Don''t you try to scare me. I''m not afraid of you. I have done nothing wrong!" Shaun yelled. However, he was a bit hesitant, his pallor changing when he heard her words on the phone. Not knowing whether she had really made the call, he couldn''t be sure if she truly sent for the police, or if she was simply putting on an act.


    "Aren''t you Shaun Gao, CEO of the Kompass Group? I heard that you graduated from Harvard, and were a top student back in school. Since you are so clever, it should be fairly easy for you to tell if I am just scaring you or really mean it," Daisy replied, her eyes narrowing at him. She suspected he had gotten his degree the illegitimate way the moment she had seen him.


    "Wow, it seems like you know a lot about me. Let me guess, you have been curious about me from back when we met, and investigated on me in secret?" Although he was at a disadvantage at present, Shaun couldn''t cease to make his advances. It was only natural that a lech like him had fallen into the trap set up by Jessica.


    "Save it, sir. No offence, but you are a bit too revolting for me. Stop thinking so highly of yourself. I suggest that you just stay at home, in case your hideous face creeps people out," Daisy mocked. She rarely put people down with her words, but she found it necessary to teach Shaun a lesson and knock the stuffing out of him.


    "It is just typical of you women to be too shy to reveal your true feelings. You say harsh words to conceal your passion. But no matter how severely you speak to me, I ept all your words with pleasure, since theye from the mouth of such a beauty." Being a powerful young man from a rich family, Shaun seemed to get too carried away. He was a total womanizer.


    "Hah! That''s a good one. I hope you can keep at it and still smileter on." Daisy sneered. She looked elsewhere, unwilling to cast a second nce at this nasty piece of man. No wonder Brian kepting between her and Shaun back then. Daisy now understood that her brother was trying to protect her from this wicked man at the time.


    "It is such an honor to have a chat with you beauties. So thrilling that it makes my blood hot!" It was evident that Shaun was a man-whore and was good ating up with the desired words that women wanted to hear. He might be able to get what he wanted if it wasn''t Daisy he was wooing. Our aloof Senior Colonel merely turned a deaf ear to his ttery.


    "Really? I''m d to hear that. Please be assured that you will be even more thrilled soon enough." To buy time, Daisy talked heedlessly to him. She only needed to distract him until Mr. Yi arrived.


    "Yo ho! I didn''t know that you are an expert, too. So you are also a thrill-seeker. Interested in hardcore stuff, huh?" Shaun misunderstood Daisy''s words. He became as bold as brass, assuming that she was talking about sexual activities. Daisy smiled at him meaningfully and made no response. She nced at her watch. The police station was only a few minutes away, so if things went smoothly, Mr. Yi and his men would be here to apprehend this sleazy man any minute.


    "Just leave this pervert alone, Daisy. I''ve never met someone as filthy as him," Coco said, rolling her eyes at Shaun. She now suspected that Jessica had been drugged and lost her mind. Otherwise, she couldn''t think of any other reason Jessica was willing to be together with this dirty man.


    "I can see that, too. Even the air seems contaminated because of him," Daisy echoed. She frowned and swatted her hand deliberately in front of her, as if trying to repel the filthy air and the person who polluted it.


    "Call me bad names if you like. I''m totally fine with that. You women always act this way. You first pretend to be noble, reserveddies and try everything you can to push men away, but when promised money, all of you show your true colors and turn into the bitches you are!" Shaun shrugged. He was not mad at their sarcastic tone at all. Instead, he continued to flirt, making no attempts to conceal his smirk.


    Daisy bit her lip. She was a bit offended this time. It was clear by the expression on her face. However, she resisted the urge to lunge at him. To be honest, she would only get her hands dirty by touching him, and she didn''t want that. She had better leave him in the hands of Mr. Yi. Shaun didn''t deserve her precious energy.


    Just then, Mr. Yi rushed in with a group of constables. He had no problem locating them, since he knew where Jessica''s ward was.


    "You are quick enough, Mr. Yi," Daisy said sincerely with a smile, as she looked at the time. They reached here in less than ten minutes. He hadn''t failed to meet her expectations.N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    "Sorry, Senior Colonel, We arete." Mr. Yi, however, made an apology immediately. He did not ept herpliment, for he feared that she was actually reproaching them ironically. He thought it was always a safer choice to be humble toward his superiors. "Never mind. See that scumbag over there? I want him out of my face right now," Daisy said in a cold, hard voice after the greetings. She waspletely fed up with Shaun and didn''t even want to look at him anymore.


    "So he is the criminal you mentioned on the phone? As far as I remember, he is one of Mr. Mu''s partners, isn''t he?" Mr. Yi asked with hesitation. He was taken aback when he realized that the man was Shaun Gao. The newspapers reported that FX International Group bought the stakes of Kompass Group recently, so Mr. Yi knew a bit about this man. However, since Shaun was not a local, he only knew him from the news.

 Chapter 973 Thank You For Saving Me (Part Three)

    "So what? Their cooperation has nothing to do with me. I don''t care who he is, he should be brought to justice since he hasmitted a crime. Or is it Edward whom you fear, you think that he would get angry over this?" Daisy fumed. Of course, she knew that Edward''spany had recently be Kompass Group''s shareholder, but it was not a bteral or even a friendly cooperation. It all started when Shaun crossed the line and vexed Edward. In doing so, Shaun woke up the sleeping lion and got kicked in the teeth. "No, no. That is not what I meant! I was just wondering whether you two are acquainted." Mr. Yi exined hastily, with a ttering smile on his face. He immediately straightened his expression and wheeled around to re at Shaun.


    "So you are Mr. Yi? You see, here is an honest andw-abiding man standing in front of you. I''m actually a friend of the Senior Colonel! What happened just now is merely a misunderstanding," Shaun said, raising his hands. He was still in shock, hearing that Daisy was indeed a Senior Colonel. It was not until he saw Mr. Yi and the constables arrive that he realized that the call Daisy made was not a fake one intended only to scare him away.


    "Sorry, but since the Senior Colonel called the police, we have to do our duty. Please understand and cooperate. You can still try and defend yourself at the station. But I need to warn you that you''d better not think of getting away with this. It is Edward Mu''s wife whom you have offended, and there will be a price to pay. So I suggest that you put away all your unrealistic ideas ande with us," Mr. Yi warned Shaun sharply. It was unclear whether or not he said this only to intimidate Shaun. Possibly, he truly attached great seriousness to this matter. But one thing was clear, Shaun was more angry than frightened as he heard his words. He was rmed to know that Daisy was Edward''s woman. ''That hateful and infuriating Edward!'' He loathed him even more now. ''Howe he possesses all the best things in the world, including this beauty in front of him?'' he wondered.


    "What did you just say, Mr. Yi? You mean she is the wife of that bastard? Edward Mu, from FX International Group?" Shaun red up at Edward''s name, not paying attention to his speech. His true nature as an arrogant, rich man was obvious for anyone to see. "How dare you insult Mr. Mu, you rascal! Now hurry up, unless you want to be tied up and forced out of here!" Mr. Yi snapped, staring at Shaun grimly. He was always polite to the wealthy and powerful people in the city, but he dared not act that way when Daisy was around.


    Although Mr. Yi appeared to take her side, Daisy took his words to mean something else. From how he put it, it seemed to her that Edward could do whatever he liked. He was pleased to punish his enemies, and would pay no attention to thew in the process. Daisy feared that Mr. Yi knew the secrets of the Mu family. He wouldn''t have spoken like that otherwise. Whatever it was, she would not let down her guard when dealing with this man in the future.


    "Senior Colonel, now if you will excuse us, we''d like to take him to the police station," Mr. Yi uttered resolutely, with utmost respect. He noticed Daisy thinking intently when he mentioned Edward, and realized that he should have put his foot in his mouth. Embarrassed, he could think of nothing else to say. What was more, it would be rash to give a response before he figured out the specific reason for her displeasure. Therefore, he decided to take Shaun away at once, in case he further disgruntled her.


    "Sure. Thank you very much, Mr. Yi. Sorry to have troubled you with such a trifle. It is so kind of you to havee here personally. You could simply have sent some of your men to get it settled, you know," Daisy responded with a faint smile as she looked at Mr. Yi mildly. She seemed to have softened, although Mr. Yi could still see the chill in her eyes.


    "It is my pleasure. I''ll leave then. Call me if anything else turns up," Mr. Yi said, bowing. Judging from his past experiences, Mr. Yi felt that Daisy was quite an easy-going person. That was why he didn''t always watch his mouth when he cottoned up to her. But her frigidness today served as a warning to him. He shuddered at the possibility that he might have left a bad impression on her.


    "Goodbye." Daisy nodded. She frowned at Mr. Yi''s back. To be honest, she wasn''t ming him for what he said about Edward. Being a prudent person, she was only worrying that he talked with the tongue in the cheek. Worse still, it could mean that he knew Jonathan was the leader of Mayfly.


    "Well... thank you foring and saving me today," Coco said after they left. Shaun had finally been taken away. Though he was still foul-mouthed and was swearing all the way, it was a great relief for her to get rid of him.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "You are wee," Daisy replied. "Actually, I''m here to clear the air about Jessica''s ident. I promised that I would give you an answer, and I must tell you that my mother-inw was never involved in this, from the very beginning." She took out a pile of documents from her briefcase. It was evidence that she had collected in thest few days, including relevant materials and printed screenshots from video clips. It was a great deal of work, but Daisy had to keep her word, since she promised Coco an exnation.


    "Actually, the police have told us everything, and I know now that it wasn''t Cynthia''s fault. I am so sorry for my impudence that day," Coco apologized. To show that she meant it, Coco took the documents from Daisy, although she did not need them anymore. It was true that she could be haughty sometimes, but she knew it was necessary to show her gratitude in this case.


    "d to know that. Anyway, I hope that Jessica will recover soon. Now that we have cleared the misunderstanding, I think it''s time that I get out of your way. Just take good care of her. As for Shaun, I will try my best to make sure that he won''t bother you again in future." Daisy handled the situation gracefully. Others might not think of responding to hatred with kindness. Her reaction was enough to make her enemies feel ashamed and put them out of countenance.


    "So... you don''t hate Jessica? Not even a little bit?" Coco asked in confusion. She was very surprised at Daisy''s generosity. Under the circumstances, Daisy could readily seize the opportunity to add insult to the injury. But she hadn''t. To top it all off, she was willing to help them. It waspletely beyond Coco''s expectations.


    "You won''t believe me if I say no. And I will despise myself if I lie. I won''t pretend that I have forgiven her already. But I won''t lose myself to the grudge, either. It won''t help anything, will it? After all, Jessica is getting penalized now. That is enough for me." Daisy smiled helplessly. ording to Coco, her good heart added to her charm, for she looked as beautiful as an angel with the small smile on her face.0000

 Chapter 974 Burying The Hatchet (Part One)

    pretty fucked up things to you. It won''t be easy to forgive her, and I won''t ask you to. And...and I''m ashamed to ask anything more."Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Still, thanks for burying the hatchet. I know we''ve had our differences. Hell, we''ve done a pretty good job of hurting you, especially Jessica. Seeing things from her perspective, I get it. The guy who was by her side for so long dumped her. She couldn''t take it and did some Coco bit her lips and bowed her head in shame, her arrogant manner fading fast. It was not difficult as she had thought to say these words to Daisy. Really, she felt like a great burden had been lifted from her shoulders. The more grudges she bore, the more harm that would do to her. It was needless to keep them in her heart any more. Just let bygones be bygones.


    "Thanks, Miss Coco. I''m d we can solve this like mature adults, rather than by picking at each other while chasing insane revenge fantasies. Happy to hear it." To Daisy it was better to make friends than enemies. Since she admitted they were wrong, there was no reason to dwell on it. The past was the past. She was a soldier and wouldn''t be that petty.


    "It''s over, Daisy. It''s time we faced facts and realized we did a lot of things wrong. I don''t think my cousin''s going to be bothering you anymore, anyway. We people can''t act against thew of nature." Coco nced at Jessica. Her cousin''s eyes were t and her face was impassive, showing no emotion to anyone, even to Coco. She felt very sad at the thought that her aunt had gonepletely nuts, and now her cousin Jessica also lost her mind. They paid for their crimes, and only God knew what fate awaited her.


    "She''s lucky to have you. You''ve been by her side the whole time, even though she can''t do anything to thank you now. To be honest, I didn''t think much of you before. But I''ve changed my mind after seeing how much you care for her. I''m sorry all this went down this way." Though Daisy wasn''t responsible for Jessica''s condition, she still felt a little uneasy. She remembered how furious Jonathan was a few days ago. The senior colonel shuddered to think about what would have happened if she hadn''t convinced Edward''s father to let it go. He didn''t do anything, and she knew it was for her sake. Because of this, Daisy felt very grateful to Jonathan.


    "We grew up together, how could I leave her alone? Probably a good thing that she ended up like this. She doesn''t care about anything anymore. Nothing can hurt her while she''s trapped in here." She pointed to Jessica''s head. It waste autumn, when everyone was somewhat depressed anyway. Coco''s words were all the more pathetic, given the general mood.


    "Take care. If you need any help, please call me. I''ll do what I can." This was what Daisy was like. She was gracious to a fault, sometimes setting aside her principles to do what she thought was right. But this was also the precious part of her heart. The saying goes, "a weak person is liable to be bullied; a tamed horse is often ridden." But if everyone thought like this, this world would be a cruel one indeed in whichpassion was seen as a weakness. It was far better to care for others, and use that as strength.


    "Okay, sure. Bye," Coco said while reaching out her hand. For the first time, she felt willing to be close to Daisy and touch her. So she wore a gentle smile and looked at Daisy with expectant eyes.


    "Bye!" Daisy returned with an reassuring smile. At the same time, she reached out her hand and slightly shook hands with her. This handshake melted all the grudges they held against each other before. It would nevere to them that they would never meet each other hence. It was not until many yearster when they brushed past each other that they would suddenly find that time was so transient to them.


    After Daisy walked out of the hospital, she felt sympathy for Coco and her family. She was upset, and tears started to form. She used to think that it was just karmic justice that Jessica was suffering now, that all those people who had crossed her were paying the price. But when she saw Jessica''s miserable condition with her own eyes, she began to feel pity on her. Daisy was an ordinary woman who would feel sad about such thing, not a goddess who had no emotions and desires and would always remain untouched.


    With the weekending, Leena followed Kevin on his road trip to the capital city. Because they brought Lee with them, they decided to drive instead of flying. All of them had licenses and they could take turns behind the wheel. Today, the car they chose to drive was the Audi Pikes Peak Quattro S1 instead of the Humvee. Because Kevin was on leave now, he didn''t want to use an official military vehicle. That didn''t matter, for they had plenty of cars for transportation at home. Leena alone had two cars at her disposal. Because the Quattro had four-wheel drive, and based on an electro-mechanical multi-te clutch four-wheel drive system, it would be more than adequate for the road trip they had nned. It drove beautifully.


    Looking out the window at the scenery passing by, Leena was eagerly anticipating this road trip. She''d finally get to meet his family. And, of course, she was quite nervous at the same time. Although Kevin assured her again and again that his parents were sensible people, she still felt worried that they wouldn''t like her.


    "What''s wrong? Are you tired?" Kevin nced at his wrist and checked the time. Because they were on a very tight schedule, they got up early this morning. Kevin worried that Leena might not be used to getting up so early for a trip. But for him, it was a regr thing.000000

 Chapter 975 Burying The Hatchet (Part Two)

    "No, I''m okay." Leena shed a sweet smile to him. Uneasy as she was, she really wasn''t one to pee on other people''s parades. She''d rather have the people in her life happy than have them worry about her. "Still worried?" Kevin asked, drumming on the wheel and ncing at her through the rear view mirror.


    "A little," Leena pouted and frankly acknowledged what was on her mind.


    "I told you I''ll always be with you. What are you worried about?" Kevin frowned. He had never seen Leena so timid before -- but what happened to her this time? Was she worried they would make unkind remarks about her looks and generally tear her down, as it happened when ugly girls met their inws? She was gorgeous, so that couldn''t be it, could it?


    "Major General, I think Leena''s scared that your father would bore her to death with his ideological lectures," Lee teased. He was sitting in the passenger seat. Typically serious, he wanted to do something to try to cheer Leena up. She looked pretty glum. "Yes! Lee, have you already been given the ideological lectures?" Leena pursed her lips, fearing that she would get the answer she dreaded.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Not yet. He''s just said a few words to me here and there. The topics were all about the troop. But he may be saving the long sermons for you especially. You''re a new member in his family, after all." Lee liked Leena''s amiable manner, which made her more approachable than the Commander''s daughter. Although Leena was from a rich family, while the other woman was from a family of a high-ranking official, there were vast differences between them.


    "Lee, don''t exaggerate things just to scare her. She was already scared enough even before you didn''t spout crap like that. And now she''s even more nervous." Kevin stared at Lee sourly. Lee never teased anyone before, what happened to him today? He seemed pretty talkative all of a sudden.


    "I knew it would be like this. Okay, let''s drop the subject. I don''t want to think about it. I need to get some sleep," Leena said. Although she just said that she wasn''t tired, she didn''t tell them she hadn''t slept well the night before. "Okay, have a good sleep. We can grab some grub after we arrive at the service center." Kevin knew she was trying to escape from reality. But he wouldn''t expose her. Just let her bury her head in the sand for a bit longer. Leena didn''t respond. She closed her eyes and calmed her mind. But how could she fall asleep? Her thoughts were upied with the possible scenarios that would y out after they arrived at Kevin''s house and met his parents. Seeing Leena began to rest, Kevin turned down the music. He didn''t want the radio to disturb her sleep. After a while, when he saw Leena''s head droop and sway with the movement of the car, Kevin knew she was sound asleep. He pulled the car over in the safety zone and let Lee drive the car. He went to sit beside Leena and gently took her into his arms. She stirred a bit, then rested her head on his chest.


    "Lee, turn the heat up." Kevin frowned. At the same time, he put on his coat and draped the main part over Leena. It was still a long way to capital city, he would not be happy if she caught cold.


    "Yes, Major General," Lee replied while he immediately acted on his words. He gave a heartfelt smile when he saw the harmonious and warm scene of Leena snuggling in Kevin''s arms through the rear view mirror.


    Leena''s sleeping face was as beautiful and sweet as she was awake. Shey in his arms so peacefully as if nothing had troubled her before. She looked very beautiful now, especially with her healthy skin. He didn''t know whether her good skin was something she was born with or a result of a rigorous skin care routine. At the sight of her fair flesh, firm with no trace of pores, and so tender and stic, Kevin couldn''t help reaching out his hand and touching her face. As he expected, it was as smooth and soft as silk. "Major General, you''re lucky to get such a good wife," Lee mumbled while driving the car.


    "Oh? Why do you think so?" Kevin raised his head and asked. He was curious why Lee would say that. Was he praising Leena? He never judged anyone before.


    "I mean Leena is very nice, am I wrong? She''s hot and sweet, and she doesn''t have her nose in the air, like other rich bitches do." Lee was a very simple man. As long as the person was good to him, he would think that person was perfect in his heart.


    "Haha! Yeah, I have to admit you''re right. I am a lucky man." Kevin couldn''t helpughing out loud. Lee''sment did the trick. A happy smile spread all over his face, and he didn''t even know it.


    "So I think your father would certainly like her. But as for Miss ire, it''s hard to say." At the mention of ire, Lee''s voice trailed off. In his eyes, ire was a lot like Louisa, who was also very arrogant and obstinate.


    "Yes, this is also my concern. But Leena looks so sweet, she''s the type of woman ire should like." Kevin arranged his coat to cover Leena better. Reminded of ire by Lee, he began to worry about it. He couldn''t be around Leena every second of the day, he might have to spare a few moments to go to the toilet, for example, and he couldn''t imagine what would happen to Leena during such time.


    "I think you''re right. We haven''t seen her for a long time. She could have changed a lot. She''s a bit older. People are supposed to mellow out as they age, am I right?" Not knowing why, Lee became very talkative today. Perhaps it was because he was really very concerned about Leena, which was why he talked about her.

 Chapter 976 Burying The Hatchet (Part Three)

    "I hope so. But why do I feel that the possibility is so slim?" Kevin shed a bitter smile. He knew his sister''s temper. And that was why he had qualms about marrying Leena. He worried that he would marry a woman a lot like ire. If he did that, he wouldn''t have a moment''s peace ever again. It wasn''t really that he hated his sis. More, it was that he didn''t approve of the way she behaved most of the time. More puzzling to him was his father''s attitudes towards her. The man hadvished all his affection on her, even vishly. So most of the time, Kevin felt it difficult to call her out, because everyone in the house took her side. So she became a spoiled brat. Lee''s lips trembled, but nothing eventually came out from his mouth. He still focused on the road ahead and drove carefully. It suddenly became very quiet in the car, and Kevin began to lose in his thoughts.


    The car zoomed over the expressway. Leena slept for a very long time. But it was a torture to Kevin. He had been holding her in his arms for hours. Staying in the same posture for so long, he almost felt that his legs would cramp.


    "Major General, there''s a service center ahead, how about we stop there and have a rest? You can get out and stretch your legs." Lee broke the silence as he saw Kevin finally opened his eyes. He had been resting all the way with his eyes slightly closed.


    "Okay. We probably need to grab a bite. There''s still about two or three hours'' ride ahead of us. A break is a good idea. Safety first. We''ve got time." Kevin slightly moved his numb legs. But he didn''t expect that he would wake Leena up with his move. Leena suddenly opened her sleepy eyes. She looked around, still in a daze.


    "Where are we now?" Leena asked, her face blushed. She was surprised to find herself on Kevin''sps when she woke up. And she felt a little embarrassed.


    "Leena, you''re awake? That''s good. There is a service center ahead. We can eat something and continue our trip." Kevin helped her to smooth her messy hair, his gentle movements being much different from his usual stern, brusque manner in the army base. "Oh! Now that you mention it, I do feel a little hungry. But what are you doing back here with me?" Leena sat up and asked doubtfully.


    "I came to the back seat when you were asleep." Kevin smiled mischievously. He thought it was a clever answer. But to Leena, it was such a crap. Of course, she knew it was when she was asleep. If she was awake, she wouldn''t have asked.


    "Thank you Captain Obvious. Any more brilliant observations?" Leena looked outside through the car window. She saw the car slowly driving into the service center. The first thing she wanted to do after she got out was to find the bathroom, not the restaurant. That was why she was casting furtive nces up and down the road. She really needed to go!


    "Are you mad at me?" Kevin was surprised to get such a response. Because Leena seemed to always have an even temper, and it was not like her to get agitated so easily.


    "No, I''m busy now." Leena gazed around firmly, anxiously looking for the bathroom. And the only thing on her mind was to rush to the bathroom as soon as the car pulled over.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "What are you looking for?" Curious at Leena''s strange behavior, Kevin followed along her gaze and looked outside.


    "The bathroom, silly!" Leena blurted out without hesitation. When she realized what she was saying, she unwittingly flushed. The words just tumbled out of her mind and onto her lips. More worse, she said it loudly. That was so embarrassing.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll take you thereter." Kevin was dumbfounded at her reply. On a second thought, it was natural for her to look for a bathroom. They had driven for hours, and it was reasonable that she felt nature''s call after a long nap. But what surprised him was that she would say that so loud out in public. She had always been a gracefuldy and that did not sound like her.


    "No, I can go there by myself. I know where the bathroom is, there are signs, okay?" Leena said with her head down. She still felt a little embarrassed because Lee was also here.


    "It''s okay. I need to go too," Kevin grinned and teased. It was true that he also wanted to go to the bathroom. So really, he was telling the truth and not mocking her.


    "Oh? That didn''t sound right. I''m going to thedy''s room, are you sure you want to go with me?" Leena looked at him with her eyes wide open, as if he were a freak.


    "Look whose mind is in the gutter. Don''t you know that in public ce like this, the men''s room is usually next to thedy''s room?" Kevin tapped her head with a sullen face. He figured out how she saw him from the expression on her face.


    "How should I know? You didn''t explicitly say you were going to the men''s room." Leena touched her head and mumbled with grievance. She just woke up and her mind was still in a daze. And she didn''t think too hard about what he said.


    "Okay, my fault. Mea culpa. Let''s go, I''ll take you there." Kevin opened the door helplessly. He didn''t n to continue to argue with her. Because he knew, no matter what, he was the one to lose in the end. Women were not easy to deal with when they got angry and he knew it.


    "Okay." Leena reluctantly sniffed. Taking her bag with her, she pushed the door open and got out of the Quattro. Kevin considerately held her hands as soon as she stepped out. He worried that she wasn''tpletely awake and might be bumped by other people or worse, get hit by a car. There were so many cars passing, so it was safer to hold her hands.


    "Kevin, are we near the capital city yet?" Leena raised her eyes and looked around. She felt the ce was very cold like it was in winter. While in her home city, it was still very cool andfortable.


    "Yes, about three hours'' drive. Are you cold?" Kevin took her into his arms. Only then did he find that she was not wearing the right set of clothes. She was not like him, he was weatherproof. And he regretted that he had forgotten to make her wear a coat before getting off the car, and maybe bring along some heavier clothing with long sleeves.00000000

 Chapter 977 Going Home (Part One)

    "It''s okay. I''m not cold." It was the first time after their marriage that Kevin behaved intimately when they were together in public. She felt as if there were butterflies in her heart. Meanwhile, she felt rather shy because of how close he was and his caring words. "Go. I''ll be here when youe out," Kevin said and let go of her. He did not go to the men''s room. Instead, he turned around and walked outside quickly.


    "What happened, Major General?" Lee got out of the car and was about to walk inside to meet them. He saw Kevin as he headed there, and wondered why he went out so quickly.


    "Oh, nothing! It''s a little bit cold outside. I''m getting Leena a coat." They would go for a mealter. So he was worried that Leena might catch a cold because it was really cold outside. That was why he walked outside to get a coat for her. She would need it, he thought. "Oh yeah, I get it. Leena is used to the warm weather in her city. No wonder she might have a hard time getting used to the cold weather here." Lee was from the northern part of the country so he was quite used to the weather here.


    "Exactly. I forgot to remind her of it before we started the trip. I don''t even know whether her coats are warm enough or not." They talked while walking quickly to the restroom. Kevin was concerned that Leena might be worried when she came out and saw nobody waiting there. He said he''d stay there, after all.


    "Don''t worry, Major General. If her coats aren''t warm enough, your sister must have a warm coat and your wife could borrow it for a bit," Lee suggested. In Lee''s mind, both of them were girls. There should be no problem swapping garments. However, Kevin knew better. His sister hated it when other people borrowed things from her. Leena was a rich girl and she would not like to wear other people''s clothing. It would be like hand-me-downs, which was beneath her.


    "Well, we''ll talk about itter. Here, Leena!" Kevin replied and saw Leena look around the gate. He immediately ran towards her.


    "Hey, where did you go? You said you would wait here for me." Leena frowned slightly. She was worried when she got out and couldn''t find Kevin.


    "I''m sorry. Here, try this coat on. You may catch a cold otherwise. Hope it''s warm enough!" Kevin put the coat on her body carefully, holding a sleeve while she put her arm through it. He held it for her until itpletely covered her. Lee was totally dumbfounded at Kevin''s gentle behavior and voice. In the military, even though his major general was not said to be a rough man, he remained to be a super masculine soldier. He rarely saw him act so softly and carefully. He was so kind to Leena.


    "Oh, thank you!" Leena didn''t make a fuss or try to push him away, but let him put the coat on her. She was touched by his sweet behavior. In her mind soldiers always acted roughly and were not careful enough to take care of women. But now, Kevin changed her mind because most of the time, he behaved very considerately. He could notice her feelings and emotions, like now, when he got her a coat.


    "Head to the restaurant and wait for me there. I''ll be there soon." Kevin tightened her coat a bit and then turned around to the men''s room. Lee also followed him inside. Leena was a bit embarrassed standing at the gate of the restroom now. So she decided to ept Kevin''s advice and walked to the small restaurant located in the service area. She had a sweet look and as soon as she walked in, many pairs of eyes were locked on her.


    Just like Edward, Leena was used to these attentive nces. Each time after she finished conducting her fashion shows, there was much more attention directed at her than what she was facing now. She could manage herself well when facing so many people. It was a piece of cake at this time and she acted quite naturally.


    She walked into the restaurant. It was not a big one, yet it looked quite clean. There were many people having meals there and all the dining tables seemed to have people sitting there. Almost all the tables were upied. She now felt somewhat conflicted. What could she do? There was no avable table here. She could not help frowning. It seemed that there would always be some inconveniences waiting for them once they were in a strange ce, far away from home.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Luckily, some people dining at one table were about to pay their bill and leave. So Leena decided to sit down before the table was cleaned by the staff. She had to find a dining ce as soon as possible because they needed to eat and get back on the road. The moment she was about to take her seat, someone sat down quickly before she could even realize what happened. Leena was almost knocked to the floor.


    "Sorry, this table is already upied." It was a careless girl with a light traveling bag on her shoulder. She smirked at Leena and looked quite arrogant. Leena didn''t want to make a scene so she moved on. It just wasn''t worth it, and she had an image to protect. It was just a table. She could wait for another one and did not need to get angry with her. She would be beneath her dignity to fight with someone for such a small reason.


    "What''s going on, Leena?" Kevin walked here quickly. He asked her anxiously at the sight of her frowning eyebrows. He was worried she might have gotten harassed or worse.


    "There are many people. I couldn''t find a table." Leena pursed her lips helplessly. Somehow she felt that she was so useless that she couldn''t even find an avable spot for them in a fast food joint.


    "No worries. We still have plenty of time. Are you hungry now?" Kevin raised his head and took a nce around the room. It was lunchtime and no wonder there were more people than usual. It might take a bit for the crowd to eat, and then tables would open up. "Hey, handsome. I don''t mind if you sit with me." While they were discussing options, the woman who had just stolen Leena''s table spoke out. She stared at Kevin with a fascinated look in her eyes because Kevin struck a handsome figure as a man in uniform. "Oh. Thank you, miss, but no, we''re fine. We will feel ufortable when eating with strangers." It was Leena who turned the girl down. She wasn''t about to let anyone muscle in on her man, and she proved it this time. Oh, she was really cute. What was more, she touched Kevin''s arm, marking her territory. She actually seemed to get protective! Kevin could barely contain his delight. His woman was fighting for him.


    "Um, from what I see, you''re the only one who has a problem with it. I bet this handsome guy has other ideas." The woman shot an aggressive look at Leena and then turned her eyes to Kevin''s handsome features. She turned out to be quite shy when she looked at Kevin. Ha-ha. It seemed that even a tough girl would turn gentle and sweet immediately when faced with a good looking guy.000000??????????

 Chapter 978 Going Home (Part Two)

    "Sorry, but my wife is telling the truth. I don''t like eating meals with strangers." Kevin looked at Leena. Now it was his turn to be fascinated. When did sweet Leena learn to be jealous? He thought she would never allow that kind of behavior to show easily.


    The woman did not expect that Kevin would say anything to back Leena up. Her face immediately turned red in embarrassment. Another more important key fact was that they were a couple! She thought they were just siblings, but nothing could be further from the truth.


    Leena looked even younger than her. Oh, why did such an excellent man marry at such an early age?


    "Major General, Leena, here." At this time, sharp-eyed Lee spotted a vacancy. He got there quickly, before anyone could grab it. He then raised his hand and called out to them.


    "Let''s go!" Kevin smiled in a low voice. He took her hand and walked to Lee. Somehow he felt quite happy when he realized Leena was jealous because of him.


    Leena could not help feeling embarrassed at her actions. Oh, God! What did she say just now? And touching Kevin! She was not supposed to fight back like that! That woman obviously was not inviting her but Kevin. But she rejected her offer without thinking twice. Was her tone hateful? She wondered. She really didn''t like the girl, though. Oh, but she hated it when she acted impulsively.


    "What would you like to order?" Unlike Leena who was still lost in total embarrassment, Kevin smiled brightly, his eyes fixed on Leena''s cute and small face, which was nowpletely blushing red. Probably even he himself did not know he would be so delighted at her response to that woman.


    "I''ll just have some light food. Help yourselves." Leena nced at the menu and failed to find something she liked. She just ordered some light dishes and wondered how they would taste a few momentster. Truth be told, she had little confidence in them. She didn''t really trust this ce.


    "That''s a great idea. Major General, let''s have some light dishes too! I''m worried about your stomach. It may hurt again if you put too much food in it," suggested Lee immediately. He did not try to hide it from Leena at all, because he thought Leena definitely knew everything about his Major General.


    "He has a bad stomach?" Leena asked worriedly with her eyebrows frowning tightly. She never heard Kevin mention it to her. He shouldn''t keep it from her since they''d already been a couple.


    "Uh! You didn''t know?" Lee looked at Kevin awkwardly, trying to seek for any help from him. He waspletely taken aback. But Kevin acted calmly as if they were not talking about him at all.


    "I do now. Thank you, Lee. I''ll pay more attention to his dietter," Leena said sincerely. If Lee had never mentioned it, she would never know Kevin had a weak stomach.


    "Hey, Leena. It''s not that serious. Don''t think too much. I like your cooking," exined Kevin and then turned to Lee, "Lee, you seem to be quite talkative today." Kevin stared at Lee coldly. Since when did he be so talkative like Mark? He did not want Leena to worry about him. It was just a minor problem for him.


    "Kevin, don''t re at him! I should be ring at you! Why didn''t you tell me?" Leena was obviously quite upset. She thought that they hade to an understanding and there were no more secrets between them. Leena rolled her eyes at Kevin. So if Lee hadn''t let it slip, was he going to hide this fact from her their whole lives?


    "I see you sitting there staring at me. Take a picture; itsts longer." Kevin smiled delightfully. The more time he spent with Leena, the more he liked her. Could it develop into something more? He loved learning more about her.


    "Love to. Only my phone doesn''t take very good pics. So I''ll stare at your handsome face, instead." Leena shot a nce at him helplessly and pretended to be angry at him. But in her mind, she was nning how to prepare a different diet for him to take care of his stomach. She had no idea how to start and decided to do some research on it. Oh, there was Tom! How could she forget such a talented doctor? Yes, poor Tom became her target now. He would know what to do.


    "Aw, I''m blushing. So which do you think is my best side?" He turned his head this way and that. Kevin was the elegant and decent kind among the soldiers. He was always mature and centered. Besides, he was particrly extraordinary and more valiant than other ordinary men. She had not seen him act childishly, only now he was, pretending to primp in front of an imaginary mirror, patting his cheeks.


    "Lee, is your Major General always so immature at the base, too?" Leena stared at Kevin once again. His impudent defensive words left her speechless. So she decided to turn to Lee. Why didn''t she notice that he could be kind of a jerk sometimes? That was not a good quality.


    "Ah!


    Well... I haven''t really seen him do that." How Lee wished the dishes could be served on the table as early as possible. That way, he could focus on the dishes and not get involved. The less drama, the better.


    "Hey, check it out! Even Lee thinks you''re kinda ky." Leena knew that Lee would never say a bad word about Kevin. So she started justifying herself. Lee''s eyes opened so wide because of her words. When did he say that his Major General was unreliable? No. He didn''t say anything just now.


    "How do you think, Lee? Kevin asked Lee back interestedly. There was such a contrast between his evil smile and his uniform. Yet surprisingly, such an evil smile was in ordance with him. He wanted to make fun of Lee all of a sudden.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "I think it''s better for me to focus on my meal!" Lee finally realized sadly that he would be the target atst as long as he was involved in their conversation. Both of them would turn to him when there was any disagreement between them. So he decided not to say one more word and only concentrate on his meal as soon as the staff ced the dishes on the table. He immediately started his meal and threw courtesy right out the window. He knew the Major General did not care about these unimportant sophisticated manners. "Hey, Lee. Take it slow! You don''t want to choke." Leena could not help speaking up to remind Lee to be careful, seeing him start eating in a hurry. She did not want anything to lodge in his throat. That was never fun, and sometimes extremely painful. "Don''t worry about him. Let''s dig in! The weather''s getting cold, and so is the food," Kevin said while dishing her up some food carefully. Although he had loved Daisy secretly, those feelings had already gone now. Leena was his legal wife and he cared for her a lot.00

 Chapter 979 Going Home (Part Three)

    "Sure!" answered Leena obediently. Then she lowered her head and started her dishes elegantly. Lee felt somewhat embarrassed at the sight of her refined manner of dining. Lee thought he looked like an ill-mannered hungry beggarpared to her. But well, never mind.


    The main priority was to get some food in him. They still had a long day ahead.


    Half an hourter, they started their trip again after they finished their meal and got some rest. They had stayed in the service area for about one hour in total.


    Still the same, Leena sat silently and watched the outside fly by. A long trip was always boring when they were squeezed into a small space. Now Kevin was driving. He took the turns with the steering wheel. They switched back and forth during the whole long journey. If someone drove too long, he might get toocent, or tired.


    "So, Lee, where are you from?" Leena was still a young girl brimming over with curiosity. So she found some random topic when she was extremely bored. This was something she knew nothing about. Hopefully he''d have something interesting to say.


    "You probably wouldn''t know it even if I told you the name. It''s a rural area way out in the boonies." Lee was not happy when he talked about his hometown. Maybe if he weren''t in the army, he would be farming thend in the cold winter wind now! Well, well, yes, there was his old and shabby home. How long would it stand? Everywhere in the vige was held together with mud and love. The people were poor and the ce was rundown. Lee felt frustrated.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "Sorry, Lee. Did I ask you something offensive? I didn''t mean to." Leena felt sorry when Lee''s tone shifted from bright to depressed. She turned to Kevin, expecting he would free her of this embarrassing situation. Unfortunately, Kevin was busy driving. So he did not notice her desperate expression.


    "Oh, nothing. I''m just a little homesick and your question brought about those feelings. You reminded me of my family," Lee replied with an honest smile on the face. He was from a poor family. So he valued this chance a lot and would always do his best at work. That was also the reason he rarely went back home these days even though sometimes he missed his family badly.


    Trying to turn things around, Leena decided to ask Lee something else, "You haven''t been home in a long time, have you?" Somehow Lee''s reply made Leena feel down. She felt stuffy inside and a bit ufortable, just like a tightly crumpled ball of cotton.


    "No! I''ve been back home exactly once since I joined up. My hometown is too far away, and I''d have to make special arrangements to leave. Even when I was eligible for leave, I left the chances to my fellow soldiers." Lee was originally in a good mood today. But now as they talked more about families, he could not help missing his family now. So he was quite depressed and upset.


    "You can take some time off to go home this year. You can enjoy the Spring Festival with your family!" Kevin was a man so he seldom cared about those minor things. However, he couldn''t help but notice Lee was working hard all the time. So he always took it out of his own pocket to increase Lee''s pay. That was the most direct way he could figure out to support the man. As for leave? He really didn''t think about it. But thanks to Leena''s questions, he could offer Lee some time off. Now he heard that Lee''s family seemed to be in a poor situation and he thought probably he should get to know more about him.


    "Really? Major General?" Lee was extremely delighted to hear this. This way, he would have the chance to go back to his hometown to spend the new year with his family. He missed his family.


    "What? Do I look like the kind who always tells jokes?" Kevin cast a nce at Lee. This guy never talked about his family and other private things, but why did he tell Leena everything? Was it just because she asked? He was the one who was with him everyday, but Leena was able to make him talk about his feelings. A strange guy, Kevin thought.


    "No, Major General, I didn''t mean it like that," Lee replied quickly and then turned to Leena. "Thank you, Leena!" He was extremely grateful. After all, if Leena hadn''t brought it up, Kevin wouldn''t have offered him time off to see his family. What was more, it was during the Spring Festival period. No wonder he was thankful.


    "Hey, don''t I deserve some thanks?" Kevin frowned. He was the one that signed off on the vacation time, not Leena. But why did he thank her first? Actually, Leena was puzzled as well and thinking the same thing. She didn''t know why she had anything to do with his vacation, much less why Lee thanked her.


    "But Leena mentioned it first, didn''t she? So she should be the first one I thank," Lee replied as if everything happened naturally. He could not help feeling thrilled at the thought of the vacation several months from now. He would be home soon!


    "Ha! You don''t need to thank me. I was bored and just asked some questions. That''s all. I''d like to know when you''re leaving, though. I wanna know how it goes." Leena smiled a bit. She sensed that Lee was a simple young man and had a pure soul which was quite rare in theplicated city. He would be content with little things such as a vacation.


    "Yes, I''ll definitely let you know." Lee thought Leena was just making sure Kevin would be able to get a recement while Lee was away. The major general still needed a bodyguard, after all. But she wanted to make sure Lee had gifts for his family, and she needed time to get them. Lee was so joyful now that he''d get to see his family again.


    They were talking andughing for the remainder of their trip. Most of the time, Lee was telling Leena some story or another while Kevin drove and listened. asionally, Kevin would tilt his head or smile when he heard something interesting. They were getting on with each other quite well, andughter made the time go by faster.


    "Oh, really? What about you? Have you ever been punished?" Leena grew more interested and kept asking. She was still a young woman after all and it was inevitable that she was curious about everything she hadn''t heard much about.


    "Of course I have! There is no exception in the military. What''s more, I was punished by Major General even more severely than others," answered Lee excitedly. Lee was in good spirits as Leena asked him about various things in the army. He answered her questions as best as he could, and sometimes even told stories about Kevin, forgetting that the "evil man" sat right beside him. What a brave guy!


    "Lee, are you going to tell her how many times I go to the restroom? Hm?" Kevin tried to derail the conversation when he noticed he was the topic, and he didn''t want Leena to know everything. He might have some exining to do if Leena caught wind of this or that.


    "Hey, don''t interrupt. Please focus on driving!" Leena warned Kevin and then turned to Lee. "Lee, keep going. Don''t mind him." She was in high spirits now and didn''t want Kevin to interrupt Lee. She was curious about life in the military, or to be more specific, Kevin''s life in the army base, because Kevin rarely stayed at home and she did not have many chances to know more about him. Now there was someone doing her this favor and telling her everything she was interested in, so she would never let this chance slip away.00

 Chapter 980 Welcome Home (Part One)

    "Well, that''s all that I know about him." Lee could tell that Kevin was not happy with his stories, so he stopped talking. He figured it wouldn''t be wise to continue.


    "Leena, if you''d like to hear more, how about I tell you when we''re back home?" Kevin shook his head, feeling a bit helpless about Leena. He suddenly found that Leena was more rxed with him. He didn''t know if that was because Lee was also here. Leena always got a bit more nervous when the two of them were alone together and didn''t usually talk this much.


    "No! I want to hear it right now." Leena puckered her lips. She was entranced and impatient to hear the rest. Plus, she was annoyed by Kevin''s intrusion. As a spoiled girl in a rich and loving family, she couldn''t help being a baby sometimes. After all, she always got what she wanted.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "Come on, Leena. Please don''t be like this. Besides, we''re almost there." Kevin pressed his lips. There was also a small frown on his face. They had been talking non-stop for more than two hours. Weren''t they tired by now? He just couldn''t understand why they were so energetic.


    Leena was shocked at Kevin''s tone. It seemed like he was pleading. And it was something Kevin never did when others were around. Leena couldn''t believe her own ears. Also, this mmed her up, and made her not want to argue with Kevin anymore. So she just shut her mouth and sat silently sulking in the car.


    The closer they got to Kevin''s home, the more nervous Leena became. Though she had prepared gifts for everyone like the sweet girl she was, she was still worried that she wouldn''t meet with their approval. Because she had heard a lot of things about military families before. She''d heard that they didn''t like girls who were from business world or even rich girls. So she was afraid that Kevin''s family wouldn''t ept her as his wife. Besides, as the princess in her own family who had been spoiled a lot since she was just a baby, she had no idea if she could live up to their expectations of a daughter-inw.


    When the Quattro slowly rolled past the gate guarded by two soldiers with guns, for the first time, Leena realized that the ce they were going to wasn''t some ordinary neighborhood, but a militarypound. Thinking of this, her hands immediately started sweating due to her nervousness.


    Kevin expertly maneuvered through some narrow paths to a three-story house with a garden in the front, then stopped the car. He stayed in the car for a while, and poked his head out of the window to take a look at the house first, maybe because he hadn''t been home for so long, or maybe this visit had a totally different meaning to him.


    "We''re here, Leena. Come on, let''s get out." Kevin got out of the car first. And on the other side, Lee had already opened the door for Leena.


    Leena straightened her clothes after getting out of the car. And considering that Kevin was from a military family, she had chosen some in and normal clothes for this visit, instead of the fashionable and trendy clothes she usually wore.


    "Kevin, look at me. How do I look?" Leena suddenly grabbed Kevin and asked him. She felt that she was going to be sick -- that was how much she was worrying about right now.


    "Okay, let me see. Your hair is nice enough, though it''s a bit messy. But considering that we drove for so long, it''s understandable. As for your face... It''s impable! Well, and the clothes you are wearing, though they are not all bright-colored, theypliment you well." Kevin seemed like he was answering her question, giving it some serious thought. Even his face was serious. But Kevin''s tone was off, like he was just messing with her. He even said something about bright-colored clothes. She didn''t understand what he was trying to say.


    "Forget it. Why did I even bother asking?" Leena pressed her lips in sulkiness. Why was Kevin doing this? He clearly knew she was nervous. He must be messing with her!


    "Are you mad? I''m just being honest." Kevin pinched her cute nose in amusement. Of course he knew that Leena was worried about this meeting. He was trying to get her to rx, but somehow he screwed that one up. He was teasing, that was true. But it was because he wanted Leena to forget about her nervousness and have augh. He didn''t intentionally mean to make her unhappy.


    "Yeah, right. Just too honest for my liking." Leena raised her head and looked at the house in front of her eyes. She thought that this house looked pretty much like those houses she saw in television. She didn''t need to go into the house to feel the solemn atmosphere that only military soldiers had.


    "Come on! You look really nice. Besides, you married me, so only my opinion matters. And I say you look really beautiful right now. I couldn''t give a rat''s ass what anyone else thinks." After he said this, Kevin took her hand and pulled her into the house without a care.


    "Kevin, wait! How about our luggage?" Leena immediately pulled him back, making him stop. Were they just going to waltz straight in without carrying anything? She wondered if that would leave a bad first impression.


    "Don''t worry. Someone will bring it in for us." Kevin didn''t worry about their luggage at all. Because right when he was talking, two young soldiers came out of nowhere and started to unload their luggage without him lifting a finger or giving the order.


    No matter whether Leena was nervous and wanted to stall for time, she was still being pulled forward by Kevin. And when they just arrived in the small garden, a surprised gasp of a woman startled them. And right at the same time, a figure rushed towards them like a hurricane. Kevin had to let go of Leena''s hand and steady the woman who threw herself onto him.


    "Kevin, you''re finally back! I missed you so much!" ire said these words in a sweet tone while throwing herself into Kevin''s arms, hugging him tightly. Apparently she missed her brother that much.


    "Alright, alright. Calm down. Yeah, I''m back. And this is your sister-inw," Kevin said, disentangling himself from ire''s arms, feeling a bit helpless with her passionate wee. But secretly, he missed his sister too.


    "Hello, I''m Leena Leng. Nice to meet you!" No fool herself, Leena knew who this woman was from their conversation, so she introduced herself nicely.


    "My...sister-inw? Are you kidding? Why, she''s still a little girl!" ire looked up and down Leena with eyes full of disdain. Though she thought that Leena had a sweet face and a good figure, she really didn''t like her fashion sense. Just one look was enough for ire to know that Leena was not from a rich family with reputation. She felt that this ordinary girl was definitely unsuitable for her lovely and capable brother.


    "ire, mind your manners! Yes, Leena''s younger than you, but she''s still my wife and your sister-inw, so you should show some respect." Kevin chided his little sister, then turned to Leena and gave her an apology by way of a helpless smile. His little sister was also the princess in his family, and everyone spoiled her. So she always did what she wanted to do, and said what she wanted to say, no matter how anyone else felt. That was why she was being so impolite.0000000

 Chapter 981 Welcome Home (Part Two)

    "Fine. Nice to meet you too, Leena." ire said these words a bit reluctantly. Again she looked Leena up and down, and remained unsatisfied. Why did her brother marry such a girl? What did he see in her? He must have been blind!


    "ire, right? It''s really nice to finally meet you in person. Your brother said so many nice things about you. He told me that you were a very beautiful girl with a strong personality. It seems that he''s very right about that." Leena didn''t mind her words, because she knew that it was not that easy to make a person like you. You had to work for it. And that was just the way it was. Not everyone was going to fall in love with you the first time you met.


    "Really? He rarely says nice things about me. But I can''t deny his words. He''s pretty much right about me." Though she still didn''t like Leena, ire couldn''t help but get a little bit smug. After all, no women in this world didn''t like beingplimented.


    Kevin looked at Leena in surprise, because he didn''t evenpliment his little sister once! Leena was making all those things up to get on ire''s good side. Well, she was actually very smart. In fact, the only thing he ever said about ire was how stubborn and spoiled she was. Buting from Leena''s mouth, these things all became ire''s good qualities.


    "Yeah! To be honest, you are even much prettier than I expected." Leena added, looking very sincere. To be honest, if you looked more closely, ire looked a lot like her brother, but she was more gentle and didn''t have sharp angles like Kevin did.


    "What are you all doing here? Juste inside!" Right when Leena was still trying to make ire like her, a loving voice interrupted them again. At the same time, a woman appeared on the stair in front of the house. She looked very nice and elegant, and had a gentle smile on her face. Well, this must be Kevin''s mother. She must have heard them and couldn''t wait inside any longer. So she left the house to greet them.


    "Hi mom, we''re back." Kevin took Leena''s small hand in his, and happily walked towards his mother with her. He no longer paid attention to his little sister.


    "Wee home. This must be my lovely daughter-inw!" Shannon Long looked at Leena with loving eyes. She was fond of this girl the moment sheid her eyes on Leena. In her eyes, Leena had a lovely and sweet face, more gentle than her own daughter. "Leena, this is mom." Leena''s hand clutched Kevin''s tighter and tighter, and then he squeezed Leena''s handfortingly, trying to banish her anxiety. Though heforted her and told her that there was nothing to worry about, she still got instantly anxious the moment she saw his mother. If she was this nervous just because she saw his mother, then how would she be when she finally saw his fatherter?


    "Mom, hello! I''m Leena Leng." Leena felt a trace of sorrow when she called the woman in front of her mom. Because she hadn''t been able to say this word for so many years. And it felt so strange when she finally said it. To be honest, she didn''t expect that she would say this important word right now anyway. And she couldn''t help but feel a bit sad, because her own mother had left her so long ago and would never be able to hear her call her mom again.


    "Leena, right? Wee home! Kev,e on, take her inside. It''s a bit chilly out here." The more Shannon looked at Leena, the more she became fond of her. She could tell that Leena was raised right and had very good manners. And she was especially fond of her sweet smile. That was a smile that could light up the whole room and make everyone smile in return. "Hee hee!" Leena couldn''t contain herughter when she heard Shannon call Kevin by his nickname. She couldn''t even imagine that a strong and macho guy like Kevin could be called by his nickname from childhood by his own mother. ''Kev.'' She''d have to remember that one.


    "Mom, I''ve already told you a thousand times! Please stop calling me Kev. I''m not a little boy anymore," Kevin retorted, feeling the heat spreading over his face. In fact, he had said the same words for many times to his mother. But he also knew that his mother would never listen to him.


    "It has nothing to do with your age. No matter how old you are, you are still my son. You don''t magically be someone else''s son once you grow up." Shannon Long red at her son with no real malice. He was being childish again. For God''s sake, it was just a nickname! Why was he so opposed to it? Every time she called him Kev, heined and told her to stop. He was quite insistent over such a small thing. To be honest, he should probably learn to use his tenaciousness on other important things.


    "I wish," Kevin mumbled under his breath. He didn''t dare to say these words out loud. Though his mother was a gentle and loving woman, she could still be tough as she wanted. If she heard his retort, she wouldn''t let him off that easily. "What did you say?" Unfortunately, Shannon still heard what he said. She stopped and turned to look at him. Well, he was her son after all, she knew him quite well. Of course she had expected that Kevin couldn''t keep his mouth shut like a good kid. "What did I say? I didn''t say anything! Come on, let''s get inside. Or your daughter-inw is going to catch a cold." Kevin wasn''t worried about himself. He was just a bit worried that Leena wasn''t used to the weather here and would catch a cold. "Well, whose fault is that? You just couldn''t keep your mouth shut." After she had said her piece, Shannon quickened her pace and walked into the house. Instead, Leena was the one who wanted to retreat, because she suddenly recalled from Kevin''s words before that his father was a very serious man. "What is it?" Feeling Leena''s reluctance, Kevin couldn''t help but ask.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "It''s nothing." Leena smiled at him, though the smile was forced. She just didn''t want to bother him with her nervousness and said those words only to try tofort herself. In fact, she was anxious and felt like she was about to die from anxiety. Her heart thumped in her ribcage.


    ire hadn''t said a word since her mother walked out. She just watched Leena''s every action in silence, judging her. And now, she couldn''t help but think that Leena was immature. Grown women weren''t this nervous, were they? Well, it seemed that she was indeed from a very ordinary family, because she couldn''t even be brave enough to face their father.000000

 Chapter 982 Welcome Home (Part Three)

    "Leena,e on in! Your father is waiting inside for you." Shannon turned her head and smiled gently at Leena. Well, she was quite satisfied with her daughter-inw for now, no matter what anyone else thought. But she still looked too young. Shannon didn''t know if she could take proper care of herself. And that was something that concerned her a lot. If she couldn''t take care of herself, then what good was she to Kev?


    "Dad, look! I told you Kevin woulde home early!" ire walked past them before they even entered the room. She ran to Nathan''s side and smugly said those words. At the same time, she looked at Leena and raised one of her eyebrows. It seemed that Leena still


    hadn''t gotten her approval even she said so many nice things about her.


    "Yeah." Nathan Gu was indeed how Kevin had described him. He was a very serious man who rarely smiled. You couldn''t help but fear him when he was in front of you. He had that kind of power, a quiet authority. So it was understandable that Leena was very nervous because she wanted to leave a good impression. And the only thing ire was doing was tearing her down.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "Dad, we''re back. Leena, this is our father." Kevin was docile in front of his father. He didn''t joke andugh like when he was with his friends. And that was also very different from the way ire acted around their father. Leena didn''t know if he was being this serious only because he was a soldier. She bet that it might be something else, too.


    "Dad, hello! I''m Leena Leng, you can call me Leena." Leena introduced herself nicely. Only Kevin knew how nervous she was, because her hand was all sweaty even in the cold weather. But Leena wiped her hand off on her blouse, and kept herself from freaking out. "Leena, hello. Now that you''re married to Kevin, you are family now. Make yourself at home! Rx." Nathan Gu regarded Leena for a moment. All in all, this girl looked nice. But she was a bit too thin. Well, if she''d like to train in the army for some time, it might do her some good. Maybe she would even be good at it. And maybe she''d like it enough to be a career military woman.


    "Yes, thank you, dad." Leena replied very politely. She couldn''t rx like when she was with her brothers and talk without thinking. She wanted to leave a nice impression and show them that she was a good daughter-inw after all.


    "Kev, take Leena upstairs to freshen up a little! I''m going to prepare dinner." Shannon couldn''t stop smiling after she met Leena. This was definitely the kind of girl she liked. She was sweet and had good manners. She would make a good daughter-inw. It seemed that her son had good taste in women after all. He was quite lucky to end up marrying such a sweetheart.


    "Okay. Leena,e on. Let''s go upstairs." Kevin took Leena''s hand and turned around. But as soon as he was about to go, Leena pulled his hand so he couldn''t walk away.


    "Dad, excuse us for a moment," Leena said gently to Nathan. She was being very considerate and polite. And this made Nathan think that she indeed had good manners. Maybe she was from a good family.


    "Go ahead." Nathan replied. It was rare for him to use proper words instead of the snort he often used to reply.


    Kevin was beaming. He didn''t expect that Leena would be this considerate and polite. Well, it seemed that she really wanted to leave a very good impression to his parents. And this made Kevin quite happy. It would be so much easier to stay married if they had parental approval.


    Leena smiled again in apology, then she walked upstairs after Kevin. When they were finally in the bedroom, she let out a sigh of relief. It seemed that Kevin''s father was not as bad as she originally thought. He was just a serious man who didn''t like to smile, that was all. "Leena, look at my hand. It''s all red because you gave it that bone-crushing grip. Did you feel any pain at all?" Kevin spread his hand in amusement, and lifted it in front of her eyes for her to see.


    "I''m sorry! I was just too nervous. I didn''t notice that at all. Well, I feel a lot better now. I finally met your family." Leena then let out another big sigh of relief. Well, now that she had already met them, she wouldn''t be as nervous as she was just now when they went downstairs to have dinner. There was no way she could be any more nervous than what she had been, so it would be smooth sailing from here on out.


    "You weren''t just nervous. You were so afraid just now! You had me worried for a second there that you were going to faint." Kevin opened the luggage the soldiers brought for them, and took the clothes out. He paid attention to the clothes that Leena had brought with her, and just as he expected, they were too thin.


    "Pffft! That''s impossible! Who do you think I am?" As soon as the first meeting was over, Leena couldn''t help but be smug about it. She had sessfully survived the ''meet and greet, '' if she said so. Now, all she needed to do was try to get on everyone''s good side and get along with them, especially ire. She had a feeling that this would be an extremely tough task.


    "Yeah! I almost forget that you are the little princess of the Leng family. And there''s nothing you can''t do." Kevin shook his head and looked at Leena helplessly.


    "No, you''re wrong. Everything''s harder when you''re around." Leena blurted out these words because she just couldn''t help herself. But she didn''t want Kevin to dwell on them. Because she had made peace with the fact that she could never truly have his heart a long time ago. "Howe? Why is everything difficult for you when I''m here? I don''t understand." Kevin''s eyebrows frowned. He was quite confused about her words. He had no idea what kind of difficulty she was referring to.


    "Well... That''s something you don''t need to know." Leena let out a silent sigh. She had a feeling that she was never going to say that kind of things that buried deep in her heart to him. After all, she didn''t want him to think that she was being petty or demanding. That was thest thing she wanted.

 Chapter 983 Hanging Out With Kevin (Part One)

    "Don''t you think we should be honest with each other?"


    Kevin asked while staring at Leena with a smile. She didn''t need to do any housework whenever he was with her. After all, he was used to it as a soldier. All she needed to do was stay by his side and look at him affectionately.


    "Come on, Kevin! People all have secrets. This is your room, huh?" Leena asked as she looked around. This room was very different from the one back in S City''s Grand Apartment. The whole style of his bedroom was cold enough to scream that it was owned by a tough guy.


    "Yep! I don''t reallye here much. It seems that they have redecorated it." The man gave his ce a quick once-over and found a lot of things new in it.


    "It''s perfect. Very manly, actually." Leena walked around and then stopped before an art-piece set in the room. She yed with it carefully. Had she been that room''s designer, she would have added tons of softer elements.


    "You mean the house we live in S City isn''t manly? And I''m not a real man?" Kevin shot his wife a dagger stare as he fumed with anger. That was huge fake though because the truth was, he cherished this moment when Leena could just be herself. He loved her true colors and didn''t want her to change who she was for anyone.


    "Hahaha! You''re so funny!" A loudugh escaped from Leena''s chest. If Kevin was not a real man, then there would be no real men in this world.


    "Leena, go take a bath. You must be exhausted after a long trip. I''d like to take you to the army base to have a walkter." Kevin gazed at Leena with a doting smile. He took out their clothes from the suitcases and hung them in the closet. He might have not noticed how he had given more and more importance to his wife gradually. However, his heart was dangerously at the nick of it, and it was only a matter of time for him topletely fall in love with her.


    "Sure! Oh, god! My muscles are killing me! I''m absolutely frozen!" Leena didn''t expect that the temperature there varied greatly from the one in S City. She could have worn something thicker if she knew. It was lucky that money could solve most problems in the world. She nned to buy herself some winter clothester.


    "Are you that cold? Let me see." Kevin held her hands and found that they were indeed cold. He frowned with the sudden fear that attacked him. What if she caught a cold?


    "I''m good. Maybe I''ve been sitting in the car for a long time and my muscles have stiffened." Leena pursed her trembling lips. She knew that Kevin still didn''t love her. Nheless, he cared about her and that was enough to make her feel good. Love is blind and it had turned Leena from a willful princess to a girl of low self-esteem. She didn''t know what she could do to make Kevin fall for her. All she could do was stay by his side and enjoy every day.


    "How about this? You take a hot bath first. I''m going downstairs to make you a ginger soup. It will make you feel better." That offer came with a frown from Kevin. His original n was to grab this opportunity and take her out on a vacation. They would have to stay at home if she caught a cold.


    "I can make the ginger soup myself. Your parents may think that I''m spoiled." She didn''t dare to ask Kevin to do the housework before his parents. After all, he was the apple of their parents'' eyes. They might be unhappy once they saw their son cook for her.


    "No worries. My mother is a soft-hearted woman. She won''t me you for such. Just take a hot bath! I''m here and you should trust me." He pushed Leena into the bathroom. Each bedroom in the house had its own bathroom. It was something really convenient for such arge family.


    The young woman looked around the bathroom. It was nothingpared to the one in her own house, but it was much better than those in ordinary people''s houses.


    She sighed in relief. She would have to spend theing week here. Despite the mixed feelings, she hoped Kevin''s parents and sister would like her.


    Everything felt a whole lot better for Leena after her hot bath. She felt rxed and peaceful. She chose a simple yet elegant dress for herself given that Kevin''s sister cast her a disdainful look when they first met. It was a bit of a surprise for her that she didn''t see Kevin inside his room. She wondered whether he was still making ginger soup for her.


    Since the climate was dry there, Leena applied some facial essence and cream. She stood and was about to go downstairs when Kevin walked in with a bowl.


    "Are you done? Come here and have a bowl of ginger soup." He offered while handing her the bowl. "It''s still hot. Be careful!"


    "You made it for me? I told you I could make it myself." Leena said with a frown and thought, ''Damn it! Kevin''s parents may have seen it. What will they think of me? A spoiled girl?''


    "Don''t worry. It was actually Mom who cooked it for you. She cares about you." Kevin had nned to make the ginger soup for Leena himself, but then, found his mother already cooking it for her the moment he entered the kitchen. His mother might have observed how permeable her clothes were.


    "Oh, no! I''m screwed." All the colors drained from Leena''s face. She couldn''t believe that Kevin''s mother ended up cooking for her on their first day. Would they think of her as azy person?


    "What''s wrong? Did you burn yourself?" Kevin asked anxiously. It shouldn''t be too hot to drink.


    "Never mind. I should be more careful in the next couple of days." The thing was already done and she could do nothing about it anymore.


    "What are you talking about, Leena? You''re confusing me." Kevin scratched his hair as he didn''t understand Leena''s point at all.


    "Well, if you knew it, you wouldn''t have put me into such a difficult position." The young woman sighed before she drank up the ginger soup. She was aware of her health. It would be a huge inconvenience for her to spend the next few days with his family if she caught a cold. "Excuse me? Did I put you in a difficult position? When?" Now Kevin''s eyes were wide with even more confusion. He just fetched a bowl of ginger soup for her. It wasn''t like a bowl of soup could cause the end of the world!


    "Figure it out yourself! Since your mom is cooking, I''d better go downstairs to help her." She stood and was about to go downstairs with the empty bowl. No woman wanted her daughter-inw to be azy person. Leena was determined to make an immacte profile for herself.


    "That''s not necessary. Our maid is also there. Come on, let me show you around." Kevin patted her head tofort her. He got it. She was getting worked up about setting her impression to his parents. He thought that she was thinking too much though. His mother was a reasonable and kind-hearted person while Leena was a sensible girl. He believed that they would go along really well.


    "Really?" Leena raised her head and looked at Kevin, confused.


    "Yes. Don''t worry. I just told Mom that we''re going to hang around the army base." Kevin went to the closet, selected one of his coats and draped it over her shoulders in a swift motion. She didn''t bring thick coats and they had no time to buy her a new one.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

 Chapter 984 Hanging Out With Kevin (Part Two)

    "How about your Dad? Is he still in the living room?" The woman asked carefully. She was a bit afraid of Kevin''s father as he was a cold and straight-faced man. "No. He is in the study now. He has some work to finish. Let''s go." Kevin was still in his military uniform. He grabbed Leena''s hand and walked out of the bedroom.


    An empty living room weed them as they reached downstairs. It was to Leena''s delight, even ire was not there. That was the only time that woman felt relieved.


    They walked out of the Gu''s house courtyard. The houses in the neighborhood were all arranged perfectly. Obviously, the ce was a high-grade area and all the house owners were decent people.


    "Let''s go! The ying field is over there. I used to y there when I was a child." Kevin and Leena were holding each other''s hand as they walked. Several soldiers jogged pass them and she found them pretty interesting.N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    "Kevin, I thought they were having a drill every morning. Why are they jogging now?" Leena asked curiously. She couldn''t help but feel engrossed in everything there as that was the ce where Kevin grew up.


    "They are not having a drill. They are just exercising. See the por tree over there? I was taller than it when I was a kid. It''s much taller than me now, though." Emotions overcame Kevin as he spoke. He had been a naughty boy and always had fights with his fellows during his younger years. His father had beaten him countless times because of that.


    "Haha, you''re so funny! Were you a little monkey in your childhood?" She made a face at him as she asked. She felt like she was on the top of the world while hanging out with him like this.


    "Well, my fellows were as naughty as I was. We almost fought with each other every day but we wouldn''t hate each other." Years had passed. His childhood ymates had drifted apart a long time ago. Kevin had also left this ce after he had spent nearly twenty years here. It was not easy for him to have a gathering with them.


    "Wow, sounds like you were good buddies." Leena sighed. It seemed that Kevin missed his childhood ymates. She didn''t know how tofort him.


    "Time will change everything. We haven''t seen each other for so many years. I don''t think we will be that close when we meet again." A bitter smile cracked from Kevin''s lips. This was the truth and he couldn''t deny it.


    "Who knows? You guys may meet in the street but can''t recognize each other." Leena looked at Kevin''s eyes. She had a simple childhood without many ymates. She spent most of her childhood with her brothers, who treated her like a princess. As a result, she was unable to understand Kevin right now.


    "I guess so. Let''s go there, and take a seat." Kevin grabbed her hand and walked towards a little garden. There were many facilities there, including benches, a seesaw, and a swing.


    "What? Are you going to y on the swing?" Leena asked in confusion as she wondered whether Kevin was going to relive his childhood.


    "I thought you would like it. Girls do like ying on the swing, don''t you?" The man had spent little time with girls, thus, he knew little about them.


    "You''re being sexist!" Leena pursed her lips while grumbling but then sat on the swing carefully. There was also a swing in their backyard which was made by Duke himself.


    "I don''t understand. Do you like it or not?" Kevin asked and gave her a light push. Thedy''s words and behavior were simply a ball of confusion.


    "Well, you said girls liked ying on the swing. And I''m also one of them. Of course, I like it!" She made a face and stuck her tongue out at him.


    "Ah, so you are just an ordinary girl after all," Kevin said, smiling as he ignored the teasing grins from all the other soldiers passing by.


    "Excuse me? Are you implying that I''m not good enough? Fine, go find a fairy!" The pretty woman puckered her lips as she faked anger. She honestly enjoyed staying with Kevin alone.


    "You are my fairy." Kevin tried his best to please Leena despite being a man of few words.


    "Bah! I don''t believe your fancy words." Though she said she didn''t believe Kevin, her flushed cheeks betrayed her. It turned out that Kevin could be a thoughtful husband as long as he had a thing for her.


    "Time will tell." That was Kevin''s earnest reply. There was no doubt anymore that he would fall for her sooner orter.


    "Really? Then I''ll wait and see." Their rtionship was still a puzzle to Leena. They were definitely more than friends but less than lovers.


    "Rest assured! We are married, and I will take our marriage seriously. You have my word." Kevin looked up to the sky as various thoughts flooded his head. Was there still a point to deny that she had be more and more important to him? "ire''sing. Is she looking for us?" Leena blurted as she saw her sister-inw running towards them. However, Kevin didn''t see his sister as he had his back to where ire wasing from.


    "Yes. I guess she''s here to ask us to return for dinner." Kevin turned and waved at ire.


    "Let''s go. We shouldn''t have your parents wait for us." Leena jumped off the swing but almost fell down to the ground. Fortunately, Kevin''s reflex was fast enough to enable him to catch and steady her just in time.


    "Be careful, Leena! Why are you in a rush?" med Kevin. She was not a rash person. Why was she suddenly in such a hurry on seeing ire?


    "I''m okay. Let''s hurry up!" Awkward was all over Leena''s face when she smiled at him. She didn''t expect herself to fall down. It could be the nerve racks that she was getting whenever she was faced with ire. After all, his sister was such a difficult person to get along with.


    "Kevin, why did youe here? I''ve been looking all over for you." ireined with a dark expression.


    "What''s going on? We''re going back home." Kevin replied as he grabbed Leena''s hand and walked towards his sibling.


    "It''s dinner time, and mom asked me to look for you two." ire gave a cold nce at Leena and immediately looked away. She then squeezed herself between the two so the couple had to let go of each other.


    "ire, thank you. I''m sorry for bothering you." Leena gave her a friendly smile as she noticed that ire purposely separated her from Kevin. She must be very possessive of her brother. Needless to say, Leena could understand that.


    "You should be sorry. I''ve looked for you for such a long time." ire said in a cold tone. She just didn''t like Leena and would do anything to keep her away from Kevin.


    "ire, I don''t want to repeat what I''ve told you." It was Kevin''s serious tone that cut between thedies'' conversation. He knew that his sister was a willful girl. Nheless, that was not an excuse for her to be rude to his wife. Leena was even younger than ire but she was more mature.


    "Got it. Kevin, let''s go. Mom cooked your favorite dishes." Indifference was in ire''s voice as she didn''t take his words seriously. She never looked at Leena in the eye for she believed that Leena was a person from a poor family. She didn''t deserve her brother. She had pledged to show no respect to Leena at all.000000????????

 Chapter 985 The Hostility From Claire (Part One)

    The only reaction Leena did in response to ire''s dislike was to purse her lips a little. She did not even feel hurt. Just as what Kevin said, she was ire''s sister-inw, which suggested that she was a senior to ire. Even if she was actually younger than her, she should be generous and should not get angry with the woman because she was Kevin''s sister. Plus, she was not in S City. She wasn''t the princess here but instead a daughter-inw of another family.


    "Leena, keep up." Kevin felt a bit sorry because ire separated them. He turned his head and looked at Leena to remind her to catch up. It was only after he saw that Leena wasn''t showing any signs of unhappiness that he felt his chest relieved. "Let''s go! Kevin. It''s just a small ce. She won''t get lost as an adult," ire pouted. She really hated it when her elder brother cared for Leena. Many girls had their vision of Prince Charming. ire was no exception. For her, Prince Charming was no other than her elder brother whom she had grown up with. Kevin was handsome, not to mention, heroic. He had been her idol for all her life and now suddenly, here came another woman, his wife. How could she ept his wife easily? Leena was nothing but an outsider to her. "She''s right, Kevin. Don''t worry about me. Let''s hurry up and go back!" A slight smile showed on Leena''s lips. There was no ground for her to be angry at ire. A younger sister would always like to stay with her elder brother. They shared the same blood and family. Plus, they hadn''t seen each other for a while, thus, it was understandable for ire to be clingy with Kevin. Those excusesforted Leena. There was no need for her to take this situation seriously. She was also like ire whenever she was with Duke but Belinda had never shown any unhappiness about it. She would be too narrow-minded if she would feel ufortable with her sister-inw.


    ire felt as if she was bigger than her body as she seeded in setting the two apart. Yes, she did it deliberately. God knew how many times she had rolled her eyes in her mind upon seeing how Kevin cared for Leena tenderly. She really hated it. Leena might be Kevin''s wife but that didn''t mean that she would not crash her.


    The three finally reached the house with their own thoughts in minds. Leena was smiling sweetly though she was silently upset. She had been using all her strength to keep her smile looking natural. She should or else they would know that she was faking it. Poor Leena! She had never encountered anything as hard before.


    "You are back. Good. Go and wash your hands. It''s time for dinner." Shannon Long was an amiable woman. She was both elegant and graceful, which made her deserve her title as an officer''s wife. She was simply a breath of brilliance and dignity.


    "Yes! I''m sorry, Mom. I wasn''t able to help with all the stuff." A sweet smile cracked Leena''s lips. She liked it when Shannon looked at her with such a gentle expression.


    "Hey, never mind it! You have just arrived here, thus, you''re supposed to go around the ce and get familiar with the environment first. Plus, young people nowadays don''t enjoy the kitchen!" Shannon expressed her point of view with an understanding nod. For her, these days youngsters were usually too delicate to even care about kitchen things. Her daughter was an excellent live example.


    "What are you doing here?" A solid voice suddenly boomed from behind and made Leena automatically tremble. It was Nathan. He looked so strict and aggressive with how he carried himself. This wasn''t her first time seeing someone as such. Edward''s father was a good example. It was just that she wasn''t afraid of Edward''s father because he was their family friend.


    "Dad, you scared me! Don''t speak in such a loud voice, please." ire finally let go of Kevin''s arm and fled to her father to ask for attention.


    "You little girl. What did you do? Why are you scared of me?" Then just like magic, Nathan''s voice went a lot gentler upon talking with his beloved daughter. It was a bold disy of how much he adored ire so much.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "Daddy, I didn''t do anything! If I shout loudly from your behind, probably you will feel more scared than me," The youngdy pursed her lips and argued for herself. She knew her father loved her the most and would not get angry with her.


    "Don''t you know who your father is? I won''t be easily scared by you. All right. Let''s go for dinner and stop being talkative." The aged man shook his head helplessly and walked to the dining table. ire was his little baby princess and he doted on her so much. There was no way he would reject any chance to spoil her.


    "Let''s go, Leena. I''ll guide you to the washroom." Leena was totally frozen when Kevin imed her hand and took her to the ground floor''s restroom.


    "Kevin, I thought your father is always serious with everything. I didn''t expect what I saw back there." She was passive as Kevin led her. She was just so puzzled about her father-inw thus she couldn''t help asking.


    "Yes. Only when he talks to ire though. He never really smiles like that with others." Kevin replied as he switched the hot water carefully. He''d already got used to it. He had been seeing that kind of scene ever since he was a child. There was nothing special about it. "Is he strict with you?" The woman cocked her head a little. There was an unanticipated sadness creeping on her chest by the thought that Kevin must''ve grown up taking all the me while his sister was being treated warmly.


    "Of course. Didn''t you see it? All right! It''s done. Let''s go now." Leena knew that Kevin was not the kind who would behave gently to any women. Thus, she felt touched with how he was taking care of her. She should probably stop being sad. She was the lucky one after all.


    Everyone was already settled and ready on their seats when Leena and Kevin came into the dining room. They were the only ones missing. Undoubtedly, they caught everyone''s attention and Leena felt how the atmosphere surrounding them oddly changed. "I''m sorry to have kept everyone waiting for long." Leena was feeling awkward with how everyone was looking at them but still managed to apologize. She had always been a well-behaved woman who was born and raised up in a decent family. She was a beloved princess who grew in elegance and grace after all.


    "It''s alright. Take a seat, please! Leena, don''t be so polite with us. It will make me feel distant. Remember, you are our daughter-inw. It makes you a member of our family. Take it easy, my dear." Shannon looked at Leena with gentle eyes. She was curious about how Leena''s family raised her to be such a well-behaved and excellent child. ire was clearly left behind, be it about manners or talking.


    "Yes. I see. Thank you, Mom." Leena was a cheerful woman. However, she chose to hide her true personality before the Gu family. She had be a quiet girl. She looked so gentle and soft that people would find it hard to resist her sweet smile.000

 Chapter 986 The Hostility From Claire (Part Two)

    "You are not single anymore, Kev. You should take good care of Leena. Always remember that, okay? She is already your wife." Shannon seemed to be the happiest during the meal. She kept warning Kevin about things to remember with regard to marriage. The reason she kept finding topics was to keep Leena from anxiety. She hoped Leena could be familiar with this family as soon as possible. "Mom, since when did you be so boring and repetitive? Come on, she is an adult. Couldn''t she take care of herself? Is she disabled?" ire wasn''t able to control herself from butting in. She felt so much worse than how she felt earlier. Her mother paid all her attention to Leena and hadn''t stoppedparing them since dinner started. She felt jealous of her. That was her mother!


    "ire, watch your words and behave, please. Don''t be so rude. It''s Leena''s first time here. It''s natural for me to take care of her." Shannon frowned slightly. What happened to ire? Why wasn''t she nice to Leena? She disliked it when ire spoke in a rude way. It made her look like she was born in a barn.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Fine! Forget what I said!" ire pressed her lips unhappily. She was silently ming Leena for her mother''s sudden dissatisfaction with her. Her mother criticized her all because of Leena! Why? Why did she evene into her life and take her mother and brother away? "Leena, please don''t be upset. We have spoiled ire a bit too much, thus, she isn''t good at speaking," Shannon exined to Leena with an embarrassed smile. Even if it was ire who was misbehaving, Shannon still considered herself responsible for her daughter''s actions. How she wished for ire to be like Leena who was both well-educated and well-behaved.


    "It''s okay, Mom. We are about the same age. I can understand her." Leena did not know how to respond to Shannon''s apology but replied with an excuse. She hoped that her reply was proper enough not to make ire any angrier. She was caught in tangles when she turned to Kevin in an attempt to ask for help.


    "Alright, Mom. Let''s eat! Leena is not a narrow-minded person." Kevin interrupted their conversation in perfect timing to disperse the awkward ambiance. He noticed Leena''s distressed signal and took it as a cue. His wife must be really anxious.


    Nathan was the only one who kept silent all the time. He was not a talkative man, thus, he did not make anyments on whatever they were talking about. He was just listening without saying a word. However, tons of thoughts were running in his mind. He concluded that Leena must havee from a family of schrs, basing it on how she spoke and acted.


    "Kevin! I''m talking to Leena. Don''t interrupt us." Shannon rolled her eyes at Kevin. Was he still her son? They had been staying together for so many years but he did not notice her implication. Was it because he had been away from home for too long?


    "I''m sorry, Mom! I thought I was involved in the conversation too. You didn''t advise me in advance!" Kevin said in an innocent tone and looked at his mother nkly.


    "Ha-ha! Mom, I''ll say Kevin is ying the fool now. Don''t trust what he said." ire could not help bursting intoughter upon seeing how funny his brother was. Only a fool would believe he didn''t say that deliberately.


    "Oh please! ire, don''t speak with your mouth full. Look at what you just did!" Kevin frowned and warned ire. Yes, ireughed so hard as to spew her food on Kevin''s face. Kevin shot a stare at ire helplessly and then pulled a piece of tissue to clean his face. "Ur! I''m sorry, Kevin. I won''t do that again, I promise." ire also took some tissues in a hurry and started wiping off the food on his face heavily.


    "Are you trying to skin my face? Stop it, please." Kevin finally knew that he should have stayed away from his sister from the very beginning and should not have expected too much from her. Wouldn''t do that again? Oh, no! Only God knew if she would keep her words or not.


    "Leena, leave them alone. Let''s have dinner. Eat as much as you like. I don''t know much about your taste so I prepared these dishes ording to Kev''s appetite. I hope you enjoy them," Shannon said as she put meats on her te. She felt that Leena was too skinny. Probably more meats would help her gain some weight.


    "It''s okay, Mom. I''m not a picky eater. Plus, you''ve prepared so many dishes. I''m really enjoying them." Leena felt like weeping with how warm Shannon was treating her. Goodness! Her mother-inw just told her to feel at home. But why was she so polite with her? Leena could not help but feel nervous because of Shannon''s intensive attention and care.


    "Mom, these dishes may be just regr home-foods to you but in some ordinary families, they could be a banquet." ire said as she threw a meaningful look at Leena as to imply that she was from an ''ordinary'' family.


    "ire, focus on your meal and don''t talk too much." That was the very first time that Nathan''s voice was heard over dinner. His words were definitely deterrent that even ire suddenly stopped talking and began concentrating on her food. She could easily tell whether her father was talking to her gently or he was giving an order.


    It was the most tasteless meal Leena had had ever since she was a child. It was not that the dishes weren''t delicious, it was just that she was too nervous to enjoy any vors at all. She was feeling both anxious and awkward that it wore her out.


    Kevin was called by his father to the study as soon as dinner was done. On the other hand, Leena was left sitting in the living room while chatting with Shannon. ire was there too, of course. She would never let go of any chance to find fault with Leena. "Leena, how are your parents?" Shannon asked in a casual tone. Actually, she was just pretending to be casual. She did not want to appear like a police officer who was interrogating a prisoner.


    "Well, my father is good. As for my mother, she passed away when I was a baby," Leena replied in a polite tone. She did not feel sad when she talked about her mother because she never saw her. Plus, she never looked at herself as someone who grew up in a broken family. Her Dad and brother had been perfect. Both of them loved her and that was more than enough.


    "Oh, I''m sorry! I didn''t know that," apologized Shannon. She never anticipated that Leena lost her mother at an early age. She was so well-behaved after all, thus, she thought that it was her mother who educated and influenced her well.


    "It''s okay. I''ve already got used to it." Leena smiled distantly. She understood Shannon''s reason for asking such questions. Anyway, she was the daughter-inw of their family and it was just rightful for her new mother to get to know her. "Oh, I see! No wonder." ire mocked in a weird tone upon hearing Leena''s words. She would not miss a chance to disrespect her.0000000

 Chapter 987 The Hostility From Claire (Part Three)

    "ire, what are you talking about? No wonder what? Don''t be so rude." A resigned sigh came from Shannon. Why couldn''t ire be a bit polite? It was toote to teach her manners now even if she wanted to. They had alreadypletely spoiled her and she would not even listen nor ept other''s warning anymore. "Well, I didn''t mean anything! Don''t ask me anything more, Mom. Please! Just keep on talking with my sister-inw!" ire dared not act too offensively in front of her mother, thus, she called Leena her sister-inw instead of a single word of ''she''. She did not want to hear her mother keep informing her over and over again to be polite or that kind.


    "Don''t be so talkative and stop interrupting me when I''m talking to Leena." Another sigh came out of Shannon to express her frustration. What could she do to make her daughter be the same with Leena? It worried her that ire might find it difficult to find a date and moreover, get married. She was too willful and no one would like to marry such a girl.


    "It''s alright, Mom. You can ask me anything you want to know. I''ll tell you everything as long as I know." A sweet smile appeared on Leena''s face and it made her eyes cutely chinky. What an adorable sweet girl!


    "I see, Leena. Then I''ll just ask straightly. You look quite young!" Shannon stopped being polite and asked Leena. She really wanted to know more about her and her family. She liked her.


    "Yeah! I''m 22 years old. A bit young." That question embarrassed Leena a bit but nheless, she remained smiling. Although she was legally allowed to get married at this age, it was still too early since nowadays females did not get married at such a young age. "Oh, I see. Then you are younger than ire," Shannon said to Leena and then turned to ire. " ire, you see? Leena is even younger than you but she is politer. You can stay with her to learn the manner." Shannon took the chance to give her daughter a lecture, not knowing that what she did just made ire even more furious with Leena.


    "Mom, why do you keep talking nicely of her? And why should I learn the manner from her? To learn her tacky manner?" ire shouted irritatedly and then shut her mouth. Fine! Leena was undeniably beautiful. Her main concern was not how she looked but her family! No matter how beautiful she was, she would be nothing in her eyes should shee from a poor or ordinary family.


    "ire, what are you talking about? Be nice! Tacky manner? Leena is not tacky at all. But you? You always buy those strange clothes at will and I did not say a word to it," Shannon rebuked ire in a low voice. She could not help but feel a headache at the thought of all the clothes inside her child''s wardrobe. It could have made her feel better if she was using all those clothes. Unfortunately, no. Most of ire''s clothes were still with price tags on them and were left inside the wardrobe for long.


    "Fine, fine, Mom! Keep talking with my sister-inw, please! Why did you get me involved in your conversation?" ire snuggled up to Shannon and asked for affection. Aplex feeling emerged in Leena''s heart. She never thought it was a big deal without her mother beside, but now she could not help but feel a bit sad. She never had the chance to enjoy having a mother. How did it feel to have a mother?


    "Hey, you interrupted our conversation, okay?" Shannon said and knocked on ire''s head slightly. Why couldn''t she be quiet for a while? She was obviously stealing the scene. How could she go on with her conversation with Leena now?


    "Fine. Help yourself, please! I promise I won''t speak a word out from now, okay?" ire put her finger and thumb over her mouth and acted as if she was zipping her lips from left to right.


    "Leena, don''t take her words seriously. She always talks nonsense," Shannon said with an apologetic smile. Although this daughter-inw was quite easygoing and sensitive, ire should not be so bold to offend her over and over again. It was her duty as her mother to apologize on her behalf.


    "Mom, don''t worry! It''s okay. I wouldn''t mind." In return, Leena let out another sweet smile. That was her trademark smile, not to mention, her secret weapon as well. She had seen many people melt on her feet just because of it.


    "Do you have any other family members such as siblings apart from your father?" Shannon believed that there was a high probability that Leena was not an only child because she was such an easygoing girl. Those who were born as only child had this huge tendency of being more difficult and selfishpared to those who were not. Leena was far from those descriptions after all.


    "Yes! I have an elder brother and a sister-inw," Leena replied obediently. She did not try to hide something from her at all.


    "Oh! "I see. Then what do they do?" Shannon regretted asking the question too instantly. Did she go too far on doing it? Leena just had been here for a short time. It was definitely not polite to just ask her that question too abruptly.


    "Oh, they? They run businesses." Leena did not tell her that they were the presidents of theirpanies. She chose to make a very simple introduction because she was afraid that they might consider her as a show-off. She did not want to make a fuss about that. Being low-key and humble was still the best.


    "What? Run businesses? Come on, stop it, please! Why don''t you just admit it that they work forpanies. Please get to the point and don''t beat around the bush." Well, yes, ire grasped a chance to tease Leena again. In her eyes, Leena was nothing but a vain woman.


    "Ur! Well, yes, if that''s what you think," admitted Leena. She reached out her hand to touch her nose. In one way or another, Duke and Belinda worked forpanies indeed. It was just that the two were actually the bosses. ire was technically right. "ire, you might as well go back to your room if you cannot stop being impolite." Now Shannon was really angry. ire''s sarcasm was too much and it kept making the conversation even more awkward than how it already was.


    "Come on! I''m just telling the truth. Why do you refuse to hear the truth?" whispered ire unhappily. Somehow she was quite ufortable with Leena.N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.

 Chapter 988 I Care (Part One)

    "Mom, don''t be mad at ire. She is right. It''s true that my brother and his wife work forpanies." Leena said as a realization hit her. Gradually, she became hypocritical. She pretended to be calm despite being irritated by ire''s words. Her friendliness was suddenly so fake that it made her feel sick. "I know you''re very kind, Leena. But you may suffer if you''re too nice to others," sighed Shannon. In her opinion, there was nothing wrong about being nice to the family, but then people outside of the family would still intend to bully a nice person. Leena mighte to grief if she would continue being such.


    "Mom, thank you for reminding me. I''ll be careful." Leena didn''t think that her kindness would make her suffer at all. As a matter of fact, she had never suffered from someone doing her wrong. She was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and everything had been catered to her. Her family loved her dearly, and she had never experienced working hard for even just a day. She had been protected all her life that the word suffering was almost a foreign word.


    "Leena, what are you talking about with my mom?" Kevin walked over slowly and whispered to Leena. One of his arms automatically wrapped her waist as he looked at her tenderly and lovingly.


    "Nothing important. Just a casual talk. Have you finished talking with your dad?" Leena looked up to Kevin with twinkling eyes. She didn''t intend for her expression to be that way but her heart unconsciously made her do so. She was nothing but charming! "Yeah. If I''m not wrong, my mom must have asked you something about your family." Kevin nced at his mother as he spoke to Leena. It was only seconds ago when his father had a conversation with him inside the study. Nathan asked him about his work and Leena''s family background. Nheless, he told Nathan all he knew without any reservations. Nathan had a wide range of contacts. It would be pointless to hide anything from his dad as he would eventually find things out anyway. Thus, he thought that he''d better tell Nathan everything frankly. Moreover, Leena was from a decent family. There was no need to hide anything in connection to his wife. Nathan might not like Leena right now. Kevin had decided he would do everything just to make his father like her. "Kevin, can''t Mom ask these things? Look at you. You''re nervous." ire pouted after saying those words. She couldn''t bear the affection that her brother was showing to his wife. She was jealous because Kevin had never treated her in such a way. "I didn''t mean that. I was worried that Mom would ask too many questions. It''s Leena''s first visit here and everything is new to her. She needs some time to find her feet." Worry wrinkled Kevin''s forehead. He was usually careless but he had sensed that his sister was unfriendly to Leena. However, he couldn''t do anything but silently pray for ire to change her attitude after knowing his wife.


    "Don''t worry, Kevin. Mom didn''t make detailed inquiries. We just talked about some ordinary subjects. Don''t get her wrong." Leena was embarrassed. She felt that she was a stranger in this family. ire''s rude remarks hurt her feelings and put her on a defensive mood. The rtion between ire and her reached deadlock on the very first day. It would be unbearable for her to live under the same roof with ire in the next few days.


    "See? I didn''t make any excuse for myself. It''s your wife who said that. You should trust her, right?" Shannon gave Leena an approving look. She was quite satisfied with her sensible daughter-inw. Kevin would have med her if Leena didn''t speak for her. "Mom, what are you talking about? I trust both of you. Are you guys done talking? If you are, we''ll go upstairs." Kevin had always been poker-faced in front of his family. The tenderness he was giving to his wife wasn''t something they saw every day. His father was always strict with his children. It was probably what influenced Kevin to be stiff as that was what he was usually exposed to at home.Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.


    "Rx," Shannon joked at Kevin, "We won''t make things difficult for your wife." Reputedly, a man would ignore his mother and have eyes only for his wife after he got married. Kevin was a huge breathing proof of that. Shannon wouldn''t make a fuss about it though because she sincerely liked her sensible daughter-inw. Moreover, it would be useless to feel down about her son''s changes since they were staying inside the same house. It would just stress her if she took everything to heart.


    "Mom is right," ire ironically said as she rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Kevin, who cares?" She made a dismissive gesture with her hand. Her disdainful face was clearly disying how much she hated Leena. She was from a family of officials while Leena was just from a regr family. She was simply out of her league. Their families weren''t of equal status and it was embarrassing. She would never want to ept Leena as a member of her family as it would be humiliating once her friends and ssmates found out that she was just a cheap nobody.


    "I care. Leena is my wife. She makes my heart smile. Every day without her is like a book without pages. As the saying goes, she who has never loved has never lived. ire, you should try to love someone hard." Kevin stared at his sister intently. Although ire didn''t like Leena, Leena upied a very important space in his heart. He cared for his wife dearly and there was no way that he would leave her in the future.00000000

 Chapter 989 I Care (Part Two)

    On the other hand, Leena''s eyes were wide with astonishment as she stared at the man. Something about what he said made her heart ache in a really sweet and good way. The simple remark he said was beyond any "I love you". It was simply worth more. "Enough of the chitchat. Kevin, take Leena upstairs. The long trip must have tired you. Leena, we have years ahead of us. Go to sleep now. Otherwise, your husband may think that I''m bullying you." Despite ire''s unwillingness to ept Leena, Shannon was pleased to see such a happy and satisfying marriage. She could finally set her mind at ease watching how her son and daughter-inw couldn''t seem to get enough of each other. "Okay. Leena, let''s go." Kevin stood up and reached out to help Leena.


    "I''m fine. I don''t feel tired. We rarelye back. Stay to chat with your mom." A mild blush appeared on Leena''s cheeks as she disapproved Kevin''smand for the first time. She might not have a child yet but she knew how a mother''s concern for her child was. And Shannon was no exception.


    "Okay. I''ll go upstairs to take a shower. I will join you after that." The man checked his watch. It was still early, and thus, he didn''t force Leena to go upstairs with him. Plus, this could be a good opportunity for Leena to get closer to his Mom.


    "No need. Leena, go with Kevin. I''ll see what your dad needs." Since their conversation turned out unpleasing due to ire, Shannon simply pushed the boat with the current and let Leena go upstairs with Kevin. She knew that Leena didn''t really mean to stay. Leena was just being her naturally kind self who wouldn''t want to hurt her feelings. She could sense how much thedy wanted to flee from the living room to avoid moremotions with ire. As Shannon was also a daughter-inw of the Gu family, she knew Leena''s situation like the back of her hand.


    "Okay. I''ll go back to my room. Good night, Mom. Good night, ire." Leena politely bid her good night to bothdies.


    "Good night. Hope you can be used to the life here," was Shannon''s worried reply. The weather there was different from that in S City. It was much colder at night than the daytime.


    "Don''t worry, Mom. I''ll take care of her. Leena, let''s go." Kevin pulled his wife''s hand and strode upstairs and Leena ended up looking back to Shannon with an apologizing smile.


    "Humph! Mom, look how arrogant Kevin is!" ire curled her lip. Obviously, what Leena did annoyed her. She bet that Leena was cursing them while pretending to be cultured and sensible.


    "Watch your mouth, ire. You''re lucky that your sister-inw is nice and doesn''t take things seriously. You would have a hard time if she fussed about what you did." Shannon was back to scold her child as soon as Kevin and Leena disappeared. She was very pleased with how Leena behaved. Her daughter was haughty because of her love and indulgence.


    "Mom, why do you take her side? I don''t think she is nice. Didn''t you see how fake she acted? I think she is trying to fawn on you. Her hypocritical smile is annoying," pouted ire. There was no way that she would like Leena at all. The woman was simply a thorn in her flesh.


    "Are you jealous, ire? As the darling of our family, you think everything about you is perfect. Therefore, you can''t bear the reality that your sister-inw outshines you. That''s why you hate her. Am I right?" Shannon thought that she had made a very close guess as she knew her daughter so well.


    "No! I''m not jealous of her! She is from an ordinary family and she dresses rather rustically. Why would I envy her? Don''tpare us. I''m a white swan while she is an ugly duckling!" ire retorted with a loud voice. She couldn''t hold her feelings back anymore. She was indeed jealous of Leena''s sweet voice and smile. She thought that a pretty girl of humble birth like Leena didn''t deserve to have innate charm.


    "What''s wrong with her family background? Her family isn''t wealthy or prestigious but she is a well-bred youngdy. I think she looks elegant and cultivated in her dress and it is at least better than your garish clothes." Shannon scowled at her daughter. She had never hated anyone who was socially inferior to them. She was never born as a snob and it was surprising how she ended with bringing up one. How ridiculous was that!Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "I knew that you would speak for her! Since you like her so much and you can treat her as your daughter, then I''d better disappear!" ire stomped her feet and then ran for the stairs. The way her mother scolded her made her hate Leena even more. Looking at ire''s angry silhouette, Shannon furrowed her brow and sighed inwardly. Somehow she felt uneasy and had a hunch that something bad might happen. This thought disturbed her. Thus, she remained staring at the stairs, lost in thought.


    Meanwhile, inside the bedroom, Kevin was taking a shower while Leena stood in the balcony. The curtains billowed in the breeze. What ire said echoed in her ears. The sky was misty and she couldn''t look far. She focused her eyes on the darkness as thoughts began to flood her mind. ''Everyone generally likes me. Why does ire loathe me much at the first meeting? It really shatters my confidence. Sheesh! This is making me miss S City so much. I miss my family members who love me. Even Justin who often pisses me off seems


    so cute now.''

 Chapter 990 I Care (Part Three)

    Leena heaved a sigh. She knew clearly that she was a daughter-inw in this family. Although her mother-inw was very good to her and her father-inw seemed friendly and wouldn''t purposely make difficulties for her, ire''s hostility was enough to make her heart hurt silently. It was something that she didn''t expect. She might have had herself ready for this day but then her strength melted as she faced it.


    "What are you thinking about? You seem to be miles away." Kevin wrapped Leena''s waist with his arms as he spoke. The sweet act made Leena''s sadness vanish instantly as she pressed herself harder in his warm embrace.


    "Nothing. Have you finished?" The corners of her lips lifted as she held her helplessness back. She was suddenly smiling without turning to Kevin.


    "Yeah. Are you homesick?" The man rested his chin on Leena''s head and sniffed her mildly fragrant hair. This girl had brought many surprises to him. He had always thought that she would cause a lot of troubles because of her young age and he would have to clean up her mess. She had proved him wrong though. She was different from how he perceived her. She was beyond anything he had expected.


    "No. It''s just that I haven''t seen my dad for a long time, so I miss him." Leena hesitated before she rested her hands just above Kevin''s. It felt nice to feel how warm he was.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Is he travelling somewhere again?" Kevin liked his father-inw, and his father-inw also liked him and spoke highly of him. Although Duke treated him as an enemy and always embarrassed him, he felt warm as his father-inw sincerely took him as a family member. "Yes. He has gone to Chicago. He was busy with work and didn''t have time to travel when he was younger. That is the reason why he wants to travel the world and experience a lot of new things while he is still healthy." Thoughts of her father made Leena''s smile wider. She once proposed to travel with her father but was rejected. He said that he wasn''t that old to need herpany. How would he enjoy twilight romances when he was traveling with her? Leena giggled at this thought. That was his show-off reason but she doubted that her dad would want to date someone else. He was too in love with her mother to do that.


    "Don''t worry. Your dad is strong. He will have a good time even without ourpany." Kevin turned Leena to face him. He knew that Leena was just making excuses. She was depressed not because she missed her father but because ire humiliated her. It was sad that he couldn''t do anything about it. He was torn between his sister and the woman he loved. He didn''t want to upset either of them. Otherwise, he would only add fuel to the fire. He had to adopt a wait-and-see attitude before the situation escted to something more serious. He could only hope for Leena to win his sister''s heart using her deadly charm.


    "You''re right. I don''t worry about this. You know what? My brother has sent someone to secretly follow him. If something wrong happens to him, his secret guard will take care of him." Leena felt herself blush as Kevin watched her as if he was enchanted. She was easily affected by him and she couldn''t help but fall into the gentleness that he asionally showed.


    "That''s a bit odd. Isn''t your dad aware of it?" Kevin didn''t expect that Duke had sent someone to take care of Lloyd secretly. He really didn''t think that they worried about their dad at all.


    "I have no idea but since he doesn''t bring it up, we just assume that he doesn''t know." Leena felt so close to Kevin that she could even hear his heartbeat.


    "Maybe he has already known about it but he epts it to relieve you." Lloyd was a shrewd man. It was the reason why Kevin believed that he already had a clue that someone was following him. It was possible that the aged man was just pretending not to know anything to pamper his kids'' kind intentions.


    "Maybe. What did your dad talk with you in the study room?" Leena was sure that they talked about her but she wondered what it was about exactly.


    "Nothing important. Rx. We just discussed something in the army." In response, Kevin disyed aforting smile amidst his bitterness inside. He didn''t expect his father to dislike Leena''s family background. Leena''s family did business while he was a government official. There would be unnecessary misunderstandings as secret coboration between business owners and the government officials was strictly forbidden. Gossip was a fearful thing. Nathan was worried that Kevin''s career might be affected. However, a clear conscienceughed at false usation. Kevin wouldn''t do such things. From his observations, Duke had a very little contact with political figures, let alone coborated with them. He would bet his bottom dor that his army career wouldn''t be affected at any point. "Really?" Leena looked at Kevin with unbelieving eyes. It was easy for her to decipher that Kevin wasn''t saying everything based on his looks. His face was stiff when he left the study room. Thus, she subconsciously concluded that her father-inw disliked her. "Yeah. Don''t think too much." He embraced Leena tightly. He didn''t want to upset her and therefore he told her a white lie. Although his father didn''t like her now, he was positive that he would like this charming woman as much as he did as time went by. "Come on. Don''t try to fool me. I don''t like being fooled. Anyway, I don''t think you only talked about your work." Leena shot Kevin a reproachful pout. She didn''t believe him for a minute. Young as she was, she knew the ways of the world. The only thing that mattered was if she was willing to learn about these things or not."

 Chapter 991 Making Pancake In The Kitchen (Part One)

    "Is it really just you missing Dad? I don''t think so," said Kevin. He looked at Leena knowingly. Leena really thought that she did a great job in disguising herself but her nces betrayed her thoughts. She was afraid of looking at Kevin directly in his eyes whenever she lied. "Enlighten me. Tell me what I''m thinking of right now?" asked Leena. A wry smile was on her face when she lifted her head and looked at Kevin with both tenderness and passion.


    "You must be thinking about me right now. You love me too much to ignore me or get angry at me. Am I right?" Kevin touched her pink and soft cheek. He had nned to speak out what was inside her mind but stopped on second thought in fear that he might frustrate her


    more.


    "Don''t be silly. I can''t think about you now. Plus, you''re standing in front of me. How and why would I miss you?" said Leena. Thedy pursed her lips and smiled in a mocking manner. Her lively and smart expression was charming.


    "Well, Haven''t you decided to marry me and be my wife atst?" said Kevin. Then, he pulled Leena''s body closer to himself, moved his lips close to her ear, and let his breath slowly touch her skin. His warm and clean breath alone was magic and it set Leena''s heartbeat to skyrocket.


    "Yeah! You should be nice to me. Otherwise, you may end up as my ex-husband." Leena squeezed her fist between herself and Kevin as she tried to keep some distance between them. The intimacy between them was just too bewildering.


    "Well done, Sweetie. You have learned how to threaten me. Think about this though. Do you think I''ll ever be your ex-husband? I can''t even wait to find out who will dare to take you away from me," said Kevin animatedly. It wouldn''t be easy for anybody to rob him of any of his possessions, more so, his wife.


    "Why can''t you stay away from me?" Leena felt a little shaky as she continued to feel his breath on her skin. She could feel her knees about to buckle with how his manliness melt the woman in her. In the end, she ced her hands on his hips for support.N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    "I can''t. Haven''t you just said that you might consider divorce if I don''t behave? You might run away if I don''t hold you tightly. Where else will I find a wife as lovely as you are after that?" joked Kevin. He had developed a habit of embarrassing Leena and making her flush. "Kevin, think carefully about what you''re gonna say next because I''ll take your words seriously." Leena''s eyelids drooped as she seemed displeased.


    "What''re you talking about?" The man kept a straight face. He knew that Leena hadpletely fallen in love with him. So he usually spoke his mind and never held himself from saying what he felt.


    "Nothing. Never mind. However, please don''t give me too many hopes. I''ll definitely feel disappointed if those hopes don''t happen. That will be a catastrophe for me," said Leena while pouting her lips. She had tried pretending to be kind but found that she was also selfish. She was afraid to reveal her true feelings as it might hurt their rtionship if she chose to be true to everyone.


    "Sweetie, have you lost your confidence in yourself? Or, have I disappointed you in any circumstance? Didn''t I tell you that you would be denied any permission to regret your decision about marrying me once you sign your name on that marriage contract? I said that was a warning not just to you but to myself too." Kevin had no clue about how he had let Leena down for her to feel insecure.


    "I remember you told me that. Nheless, I''m afraid that you have forgotten your own words." Atst, thedy raised her head and locked her eyes with him. For a while, the act made her appear stern and confident.


    "Don''t worry. I haven''t forgotten my vow. I will remember it forever. I need some time though," said Kevin. He embraced her and let her bury her head on his shoulder. For some reason, he suddenly found it hard to stare back at Leena''s clear and innocent eyes. "Alright. I''ll always be here, waiting for your answer." Leena wondered whether her statement was a kind of love confession. Nevertheless, she wanted him to know that she wouldn''t give up on him and their marriage, whatever the cost was.


    "Sweetie, don''t worry. I promise that I won''t let you down," reassured Kevin and kissed her forehead. They had tried to avoid this problem as much as they could. However, he never took anything between them for granted and had considered their problems seriously and silently. Leena remained quiet, leaned her head against his shoulder, and nodded. Hismitment was good enough and she didn''t have the strength to ask for too much. After all, selfishness would not do her any good. She decided to stop where it should stop and didn''t push him much.


    It waste at night. Would their feelings also be profound with every second? For good or for bad, they started tomunicate and re-confirm theirmitments about their love and marriage.


    Leena was awakened by the noise of some soldiers participating in training the next morning. To her surprise, Kevin wasn''t lying in the bed with her. She wondered where he was, when did he leave and how could she sleep like a log without knowing anything. Before she could get out of the bed, ire came inside the room without tapping at the door. She looked at Leena''s in pajamas defiantly and scornfully.


    "You woke upte! Mom and Dad are taking a walk outside. Change and cook breakfast for the whole family before Mom and Dade home," ire snapped. She looked at Leena with disdain. Her goal was to embarrass Leena before the whole family. She had hated the woman because her mother had been ming her for everything ever since Leena came.


    "I''m sorry. I''ll do it in a few minutes after I have cleaned up." Leena blushed scarlet by her sister-inw''s cold remarks. However, it was just six o''clock in the morning. Thus, she didn''t think she got upte. She was never a morning person and she wasn''t used to waking up this early.00

 Chapter 992 Making Pancake In The Kitchen (Part Two)

    shame herself.


    "Do it quickly! Maud has already gone out shopping for Dad''s birthday party. Thus, she can''t be relied on to do the house choirs." ire sneered. She had deliberately sent their maid Maud on errands early in the morning to make sure that Leena would make mistakes and "Alright. I see. Please get out so that I can change," said Leena. She was not ustomed to changing her clothes before anyone, let alone ire. Although models in those fashion shows could get changed at the backstage with the presence of other staff, Leena couldn''t allow herself to do that. "Don''t be a fool. I won''t stare at you." ire gave Leena a condescending nce, raised her chin proudly and walked out. She was deliberately treating Leena as a maid rather than Kevin''s wife.


    Leena bit her lips and swallowed her anger. Frustration was beginning to be a constant scenario for her whenever she was dealing with ire. The woman was obviously belittling her in any possible way!


    To tell the truth, Leena could cook a decent breakfast for the family. It was just that she had no idea what Kevin''s family liked for breakfast. Standing at the kitchen, Leena looked troubled and didn''t know what to do.


    "What''s wrong with you? What''re you waiting for? I''m starving. I need to eat my breakfast as soon as possible." ire came inside the kitchen, sat down on a stool and seemed to have made up her mind to supervise Leena. "ire, can you tell me what you guys want to eat for your breakfast?" asked Leena humbly. Although she knew ire might refuse to give her an answer, she had to try finding out what the family preferred when it came to foods. "Will you do whatever I tell you?" ire''s mind was set to put Leena in an awkward situation. She stared at Leena cunningly and decided to make fun of her while everyone else wasn''t around.


    "I''ll try. I can cook some simple dishes but I can''t guarantee that they''re delicious," said Leena awkwardly. Then, she wiped her hand on the apron nervously, opened the refrigerator and chose some materials which could be used to cook breakfast.


    "I don''t care. Dad''s a very picky eater. You do know what the consequences are if he doesn''t like the meal, right?" said ire. She wasn''t threatening Leena with a bluff. Actually, she told the truth. Nathan was fine with almost everything but extremely picky about his breakfast. As far as Nathan was concerned, a good breakfast would fill a person with all necessary energy for a full day. Therefore, he just couldn''t bear a nasty breakfast.


    "Can you be kind enough to tell me whether Dad likes a Chinese breakfast or a western-style breakfast?" asked Leena in panic. Nathan was one of Leena''s most feared person. She knew perfectly that messing up his breakfast would cause her a big trouble. "Hmp! We''re Chinese. Of course, we eat Chinese breakfast." ire retorted. Another thing that ire hated about her sister-inw was how Leena was pretending to be someone else. ''Whoa! How could you even mention western-style food and act as if you know anything about it? You probably couldn''t even afford to have one. You''re so fake!'' she thought while staring at Leena.


    "ire, why do you dislike me so much? Have I done anything wrong?" Leena could bear ire''s disapproval on some asions to remain good family rtionships. On the other hand, she refused to be belittled by Kevin''s sister again and again. Kind as she was, Leena could also lose her temper sometimes.


    "I never said that I disliked you. If you have a grudge against me, don''t tell Mom or Dad," said ire. ire yed with her bobbed hairdo and looked at her sister-inw contemptuously.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "You must have misunderstood me. I know I have some imperfections. Tell me what I''m doing wrong and I''ll try my best to correct it. There''s no need for you to give me hell," said Leena. Leena bowed her head. She married Kevin for a bright future rather than being sneered at and mocked by his family. She had always been a beloved daughter in her family and had been known to excel over anyone else since childhood. It was a huge puzzle to her why was ire looking down on her at all!


    "I don''t deliberately target you. Nevertheless, I can hate somebody heartily sometimes and I don''t even know where does the hatrede from. I can''t answer your question and satisfy your curiosity. I dislike you in so many ways including your poor family. So, please don''t buy nor wear those fake luxury clothes. Otherwise, you''ll certainly embarrass my brother in front of his clients and friends." ire gauged Leena''s dress with her eyes. Although the dress looked expensive and elegant, it couldn''t alter the fact that Leena came from a low-ss family.


    "Well, I know what you mean. You can forget my questions. By the way, if you have nothing else to tell me, please leave and let me cook a breakfast for your family. I don''t like being stared at when I cook in the kitchen." Leena''s voice became cold upon hearing what ire just said. She raised her head defiantly and refrained herself from sobbing in front of ire. There was no need to exin anything to the woman as she had already judged her whole family as low-ss and indecent. ''She can keep judging me as long as she likes,'' thought Leena to herself. She knew she wouldn''t stay with Kevin''s family for a long period of time. They were expected to leave in a couple of days. These concerns about Kevin''s family and his sister would be gone as soon as they stepped back to S City. Nheless, she might still need to visit his parents every several months just to avoid being criticized for noting. They couldn''t just reason out that Kevin was always on overtime and couldn''t even find time to bring his wife to his parent''s house, could they? Therefore, as long as she didn''t live with ire in the same house, everything would be fine.0000000?????????

 Chapter 993 Making Pancake In The Kitchen (Part Three)

    "Haha! Don''t be a silly. I don''t have time to stare at you." Unexpectedly, ire felt a bit flustered when she looked at Leena and saw the sadness on her face. Had she been too mean with her brother''s wife? She shrugged her shoulder after some seconds. Who cared if she made her sad? Leena''s feelings were out of her concern. The only thing this woman did was to mess their family. Nobody should be med for her sadness but herself. If Leena hadn''t married Kevin for money, she wouldn''t have teased and mocked her. It was only after ire left the kitchen that Leena burst into tears. She was young and she couldn''t help being emotional about what just happened. She was seriously misunderstood and wronged! Never had she felt anything worse than this before. She sniffed miserably and blew her nose. Instead of preparing the simple western-style breakfast, she cooked some millet gruel and pancakes which she had only learnt how to cook from some TV food program. It was said that citizens from the capital city loved this kind of breakfast. She hoped that Kevin''s parents and sister would like it.


    It took her some while and some wasted materials just to make a decent piece of pancake. It wasn''t a surprise since she was never used to making one on the first ce. She looked around and saw the mess in the kitchen. A sudden fear attacked her with the thought that her mother-inw mighte home soon, find the messy kitchen, and then me her for doing nasty housework.


    "Leena, what''re you doing here?" asked Kevin. He was wearing a sports suit and there were beads of sweat on his forehead. It was obvious that he just finished his morning exercise.


    "Well, I am triying to cook some pancakes. It turns out to be a difficult job," answered Leena. She was startled when Kevin suddenly appeared in the kitchen. It even took her some seconds to recover from her shock. However, she was genuinely happy to see him after her confrontation with ire. She smiled, looking like a mess herself, with smear of white flour on her face.


    "Who told you to do this in the kitchen?" asked Kevin confusedly. He reached out to her and carefully tucked some of her stray hairs behind her ear. His face suddenly turned serious upon seeing Leena''s red eyes.


    "Nobody. I found that Maud went out shopping for Dad''s birthday. Thus, I came here to prepare a decent breakfast. Isn''t it normal and usual for a daughter-inw to do this?" answered Leena. She didn''t want toin about what ire did to her. A conflict between her husband and her sister-inw would not do her any good. Plus, doing so would just make ire despise her more andplicate things.


    "Well if that is the case, then you should have just cooked something you''re familiar with. I guess this is your first time to make pancakes. Am I right?" Kevin walked to the washing tank and washed his hands carefully. Moments more and he turned around, went back to where he left Leena and stood before her.


    "I heard that you people from the capital city like eating pancakes in the morning." It was frustration that made Leena bow her head. She looked at the batter in the bowl helplessly.


    "I''ll help you make those pancakes. Go and wash your face," said Kevin. Kevin didn''t bother to ask the woman about why her eyes were red. It was apparent that Leena wouldn''t want to talk about it and he knew that asking her would only embarrass her more. However, he had this strong feeling that it might be his sister that caused Leena to cry. He had never seen Leena weep in the kitchen before.


    "Are you sure that you know how to cook them?" asked Leena with curiosity. Leena stood aside and wondered whether Kevin was telling the truth. It never urred to her that Kevin knew how to cook. ''Is it possible for Kevin to be a worse cook than me?'' she thought. Leena hoped against hope that they wouldn''t end up burning the kitchen.N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    "Stand there, and let me give you a cooking lesson. This can''t baffle me," said Kevin, smiling. He really knew how to cook pancake. Pancake was one of the mostmon food in his family and his father just loved it. Kevin had been taught how to cook pancake when he was young. Now, he could cook it even blindfolded.


    "I don''t believe you. You''re just bluffing. I won''t help you out if you mess it up." Leena pouted. However, she was amazed at how Kevin swiftly finished all the steps that were needed to be done. Those cooking methods that seemed to be very difficult for her earlier suddenly looked easy and simple as Kevin did them.


    "Haven''t I told you that I''m really good at this? It''s actually quite easy," Kevin boasted. He smiled at Leena cheerfully. Although he dared not to ask Leena more questions as to why her eyes were red, he had already made a mental note about talking to ire. He was determined to ask his sister to stop embarrassing his wife anymore.


    "You''re awesome but you were wrong. Cooking pancake isn''t easy. I will never know how to make batter from scratch." Leena had to admit that she couldn''t do better than Kevin in cooking or doing housework. However, she didn''t intend to surrender nor allow Kevin to make fun of her.


    "Sweetie, you have witnessed what I can do in the kitchen. It''s lucky that I came back home before you present your pancakes at the dining table. Your pancakes would have angered Dad. Don''t worry, okay? My pancakes are what my Dad loves most for breakfast," assured Kevin. Speaking of which, Kevin sighed as he finally realized what was his sister''s n. ire wanted to embarrass Leena by telling her to prepare a nasty breakfast for the family. They all knew that their Dad was very picky about his breakfast. He supposed that Leena didn''t know about that.00000000000000

 Chapter 994 Leenas Concerns (Part One)

    "If he didn''t like me before, now he hates me." For the first time, Leena found that some people didn''t like her even though she was sweet and pretty. She was so frustrated with the Gus.


    "Don''t sweat it, kiddo. You and I have our whole lives ahead of us, and nothing else matters. We''re a couple. Who cares what anyone else thinks?" Kevin smiled and dabbed his flour-stained finger on Leena''s nose. Instantly, her nose was covered with white powder. "Easier said than done. Now that we''re married, I''m supposed to be part of your family. I can''t just ignore them. It''s just so hard, knowing they don''t like me." Leena ced her hand on her forehead in distress. It was fine for Kevin. People ignored their families all the time. But they still loved him, because he was their son. She had married into the family, but was still an outsider. If she screwed up, they wouldn''t be as forgiving.


    "Are their opinions really that important to you?" Kevin looked at her in confusion. His father treated everyone the same -- well, not quite true. His sister was obviously the favorite. Not only that, they wouldn''t be living with the family. They were several hours away, in fact. They probably wouldn''t see them except on special asions. Kevin didn''t think it would affect them much even if they didn''t like her. He hoped they''de around eventually, but he''d give up if they kept making hatefulments. Well, maybe one day they''d get along. "They''re your family. They''re part of your life, the most important people to you in the world. And they should be. How can I ignore them? I care about you, so I care about what they think." Having grown up in an overprotective environment and spoiled by all the people around her, Leena had never been looked down on like she was today. This was the first time, and it was a shocker. But she hoped she could keep a low profile, and just keep trying to mollify his family. She would do anything to please them. All she wanted was to see Kevin happy. She loved him, and was willing to do even the tiniest things for him. She just hoped he could understand her and appreciate the things she did for him.


    "I know that baby, and that''s what I love about you. But sometimes, I''d rather you be selfish. Then I wouldn''t feel so guilty." Considering how they had gotten married, Kevin always felt apologetic to Leena.


    "I see." Leena bit her lips wistfully. It sounded like Kevin saw her love as a burden just because he didn''t love her. Now she knew what he really thought. Hopefully, it wasn''t toote before she fell for him even more deeply.


    "What do you mean?" Kevin looked at her, confused, wondering why she had said that. It wasn''t a happy sound she made.


    "Nothing. How do the pancakes taste?" Leena tried hard to suppress the sadness spreading in her heart. She tore off a bit of a pancake and put it in her mouth. Was it delicious? Maybe, because she could taste nothing. Much as she was sensitive and fragile, her sweet smiles had misled so many sharp eyes. Few knew that underneath those sweet smiles was deeply concealed sorrow.


    "How is it? Good?" Kevin gloated. However, deep inside, he didn''t feel rxed as he acted. He sensed something different about her, but he wasn''t sure what it was.


    "Yum, I think you''re a much better cook than me." Leena swallowed the food and smiled, revealing no trace of wistfulness.


    "You can take these to the table now. I think they''ll be back soon." Kevin sensed that she wasn''t totally honest with him. He was disappointed, feeling that the hard-earned harmony between them had once again been broken.


    "I hope your parents will like them." Leena pouted. This was the first time she had cooked for her inws. Besides, she had chosen to cook something that she wasn''t good at. She was nervous.


    "Don''t worry. You''re a good cook, and better than most girls. Now, go ahead." Kevin looked down at the bin, in which there was a lot of wasted dough. Instantly, he knew that she must have been very frustrated before he came into the kitchen.


    Leena carried the breakfast she prepared into the living room and put it on the table. Nathan and Shannon walked into the living room when she was about to get the pancakes. Upon seeing them, she paused and said with a gentle smile, "Dad, Mom, you are back already." They had indeed returned from their morning exercises.


    "Leena, why are you up so early? And why are you covered in flour?" Shannon asked. She felt better after seeing Leena''s sweet smile.


    "Kevin''s making pancakes. I wanted to help, but I think I got in the way." It was embarrassing, but Leena didn''t want to take credit for what Kevin did. She would rather tell the truth.


    Nathan nced at Leena coldly. He hadn''t had a problem with her, but ever sincest night when he found out about her rich sessful family, revulsion had set in. From where he stood, it was not a good idea for a government official to get involved in a merchant''s business or personal life. However, now his son had married a businessman''s daughter. And what was worse was that it was a fairlyrge, prestigious firm.


    "Oh? Why is Kevin making pancakes? Is Maud out?" Shannon asked and then strode towards the kitchen, surprised that Kevin was cooking. In the past, he wouldn''t even bother to raise a finger at home.


    "ire said that she left early for the market to buy some ingredients," Leena answered behind her. She had thought her mother-inw was elegant and gentle. Now it seemed that she was pretty active and energetic, not at all like the usual type of stay-at-home wife of an official.


    "What? She''s at the market? Why this early? She has plenty of time. I was thinking about going to the market with her after breakfast." Shannon frowned. She felt the whole matter was weird and suspected that ire had something to do with it.


    "Um... I have no clue why she was in such a rush." Seeing Shannon''s glum face, Leena wondered if she had said something wrong.


    "Mom, you''re home." Kevin touched his nose awkwardly when he saw his mom in the kitchen. The end result was a white powdered nose, covered in flour. Leena suppressed a giggle.N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    "When did you learn to cook?" Shannon was amused by Kevin''s appearance. Her face finally lit up with good cheer, and she looked happier.


    "When I enlisted, I tried to cook for myself if I had a craving for something. So practice makes perfect. I''m a fast learner too. But today, I only made the pancakes. I can''t lie: Leena cooked the other dishes. She worked hard, so don''t be too hard on her." Kevin defended Leena, though he was hoping he wouldn''t have to. She was an awesome cook at home, so there was no reason why she wouldn''t be as good or even better here. Kevin decided to clean up in the kitchen. He grabbed a broom, a rag, and a bucket.00000000000

 Chapter 995 Leenas Concerns (Part Two)

    "Oh? Leena can cook too?" It was obvious Shannon was taken aback by this. She understood that Leena was from a rich family. Nathan had told her that. But rich girls had everything done for them, so how did she learn to cook? Shannon was impressed that she didn''t act spoiled at all. In fact, she was polite, humble, and sweet. On the other hand, ire, who was also from a wealthy family, behaved totally differently. Inparison, Shannon liked Leena even more.


    "I''m sorry, mom. I''m not a good cook and I''ve turned the kitchen into a mess." Leena tried to give a smile, but for the first time she found it hard. Her conversation with Kevin was still fresh in her mind. She felt like a big rock was pressing down on her chest. "It''s good enough. ire can''t even cook half as well as you." Most parents thought their kids were the best, no matter what. However, in Shannon''s eyes, her daughter-inw was much better than her kids. Leena could have acted like a princess, but she didn''t. Shannon felt lucky to have her as a daughter-inw, because she was convinced that Leena could do better.


    "Mom! Seriously?" ire shouted angrily. Not only did her mom trash talk her, but she did it in front of Leena. She believed that Leena must have told something to her mom. Hence, her resentment towards Leena grew deeper. She''d teach that little bitch a good lesson! "What? It''s the truth. You should try what she''s cooked up here. It''s really good. I''ll reckon with youter about something else." Shannon looked at ire, full of disappointment. She didn''t understand why ire and Leena were so different. On the surface, they were both young, beautiful and from rich familes, but on the inside, Leena was much better cultivated than ire. Maybe it was her fault how she was raised. Leena''s family obviously did a better job bringing her up.


    "Humph! Somebody must have said something about me when I wasn''t around." ire cast a contemptuous nce at Leena. She thought Leena must have talked about her behind her back to her mom. That was enough for her to start holding a huge grudge against her. "Don''t be silly. Nobody said anything about you. Learn from Leena. Be polite and humble." As a mother, Shannon didn''t want to scold ire in front of others, but she was too angry about what she said. She was being very rude. "Mom, I''m your daughter. How could you talk about me to an outsider like that?" ire stomped her feet in anger. She rolled her eyes at Leena resentfully, thinking that she had started it and that she turned her mom against her.


    "I wouldn''t have said anything if you had acted like a grown-up. Now leave the kitchen. Stay out of the way." Shannon treated her daughter-inw and daughter equally. She wouldn''t be biased in favor of her daughter.


    "No problem. I don''t want to be here anyway!" ire red at Leena and turned on her heel. Ever since Kevin''s wife got here, ire did everything wrong. Her mom wouldn''t stop harping on her. This had never happened before. It must be because of Leena. She would get back at her if it was thest thing she did.


    "Mom, maybe you were a little harsh. I think ire''s feeling a little upset," Leena said hesitantly, a little worried. She didn''t mind ire''s hostility. She just bore it with grace. She felt better knowing her mom-inw didn''t hate her, at least.


    "Don''t worry. She is always like this. She''ll forget it in a while." Shannon let out an exasperated sigh. The one thing that soothed her was that her son turned out to be a wonderful man, although her daughter''s behavior still bugged her. She was always proud of him. "That''s right. I can prove it. Everything''s okay. Now scoot, both of you! I''m good here." Knowing that Leena didn''t like kitchen chores, Kevin booted his mom and Leena out of there so he could work on cleaning up.


    "Leena, let''s go. Since he wants to do all the work, let him. That doesn''t happen every day, believe me." Kevin seemed to be quite familiar with the work, so Shannon had no worries there. He''d get that mess cleaned up in typical orderly military fashion. She left the kitchen hand in hand with Leena.


    Worried that Kevin might need some help, Leena turned her head to look at Kevin before she left. Sensing what she was thinking, Kevin gave her aforting smile. Although he didn''t like doing chores, especially cleaning up, he liked cleaning the mess Leena made. It made him feel manly. He enjoyed being her rock.


    ire''s eyes were filled with disdain when she saw Leenae out of the kitchen with her mom hand in hand. The first thing that came to mind was that Leena was trying everything to please her mom so that she could turn her mom against her and make her life miserable. But ire didn''t think Leena would get what she wanted, because at the end of the day, she was her mom''s daughter; no matter how terribly wrong she was, her mom would be on her side.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Why are you both just sitting there? Come and eat. Aren''t you hungry?" Shannon said to Nathan and ire in a sullen tone. The doting atmosphere in the family had turned ire into a willful and self-centered girl. Her uncles and aunts spoiled her even more. Luckily, they didn''t live together. Otherwise, ire would think herself a queen.


    When Shannon said something, Nathan looked up at everyone, and set the newspaper aside, folding it back up. Not a single word came out of his mouth as he walked towards the table and finally took a seat.


    "Have a taste. Leena did all this. It''s cold now. Millet porridge will warm you up. It''s very sweet." Shannon put a bowl of millet porridge in front of Nathan and then started to fill a second bowl. Leena looked at Nathan nervously, secretly praying that he would like the warm cereal.


    "Duh. My brother helped her. She should be as honest as I am. I have never lied about the things I couldn''t do, let alone taken credit for other people''s work." ire shot a disdainful look at Leena. She had expected to see how embarrassed she would be in the kitchen. However, all she had gotten was that her brother had ruined her n and her mom had scolded her in front of Leena. Thinking of this, she made a sour face again in Leena''s direction.


    "I..." ire''s words humiliated Leena so much she looked at Nathan nervously, worried that he''d hate her for it, but sadly, she couldn''te up with anything to say back. She just stood there, all flushed with embarrassment.


    "ire, that''s your sister-inw you''re talking about. Show some respect! You are too spoiled. I haven''t talked to you about Maud yet. And you''re one to talk!" Shannon said sternly, eyes filled with deep disappointment.


    "Don''t talk with your mouth full," Nathan suddenly put in. Obviously, he couldn''t stand ire being med for anything. He seemed so stately and serious to Leena that she was stunned to see how much he indulged ire.00000???????

 Chapter 996 A Wonderful Meal (Part One)

    "You have spoiled her too much. You always have, and you''re still doing it! Look at her. She''s too stubborn. She''s not nice, she''s not polite." Shannon sighed and shook her head helplessly. Her husband was the most responsible for spoiling ire. As a result, she became


    willful and arrogant. He always forgave her for whatever she said and did.


    "From where I''m standing, ire is a good girl, and makes no mistake. She is a girl, so she is stubborn. As long as she doesn''t go too far, it''s fine by me." Nathan coughed a bit. ire was always well-behaved around him. She was usually polite, but meanwhile, she was headstrong. Anyway, she was still young and she would learn better manners as time went by. She was his beloved daughter and she could do no wrong.


    "Skip it. I can''t expect you to see how she really is. You''re a leader of men, you have soldiers at your beck and call. But why can''t you see that your own daughter is haughty and rude? Honestly! I don''t understand you," said Shannon unhappily and rolled her eyes at Nathan. ire was this way because he always took her side and defended her no matter whether she was right or wrong. So even when Shannon tried to teach ire how to behave, ire would always run to Nathan and ask for protection. That way, Shannon had no way to deal with her.


    "Yes, I''m a leader. But a leader is just an ordinary father at home." Nathan rarely refuted Shannon. He always listened to her, even if he didn''t always agree. He just remained silent, and held his tongue. But this time, he fought back. He did it deliberately because Leena was here. He wouldn''t have his authority questioned in front of his daughter-inw. That just wasn''t cool. Although heined that he was just a father at home, he still wanted to be thought of as a leader.


    "Oh, yeah, I see! Some father, letting her grow up like that!" Shannon was really upset and annoyed when she heard what he said. She was angry, not because what he replied, but because of his attitude towards ire.


    "Stop it, please. Mom, can''t you just drop it? It''s Dad''s birthday today. Did you forget that?" ire spoke up to try to calm things down. She was the one they were fighting over. Although she was snobby and stubborn, she still loved her parents a lot. There was no fighting over that.


    "Huh! I''ll stop it for now. But this is not over. Not by a country mile." Shannon also realized that this was not the time. There would be other, better opportunities to discuss this with Nathan. She decided to let go of it for a while. If ire hadn''t said something, she''d still be at it. Leena could not feel more awkward in that situation. She didn''t think she should get involved in their conversation. Yet it made her look so stupid standing there, doing nothing. She had no idea what to do but look back and forth at Shannon and Nathan as they spoke. It was like she was watching some bizarre game of tennis, following an imaginary ball as it shuttled to and fro.


    "Leena, why are you still standing there? Take a seat, please! Did we scare you? Don''t worry. It happens a lot. You''ll get used to it." Shannon smiled at Leena and took her hand to have her sit down. Although Nathan was a powerful leader in the military, he was just a husband and father at home. Shannon was his wife, not his junior officer, so of course she argued with him.


    "Oh, no, Mom. I''m not scared. It was a bit sweet though," replied Leena. Such a situation would never happen in her home. So even though she was actually a bit concerned, she still felt quite interested in all this as a new member in their family.


    "I''m sorry. I forgot your home life." Shannon looked at Leena with caring eyes. She very well knew how Leena might feel because she grew up without her mother around when she saw that kind of scene being yed out.


    "It doesn''t matter. I''ll go check if Kevin is done," Leena replied in a sweet tone. She tried to be close with Kevin in front of his family because she did not want them to be suspicious of her. Even though Kevin cared for her and wasn''t actually in love, she still could not help herself and fell in love with him. It was her fondest wish that Kevin would return those feelings and fall in love with her too. That was simple, yet difficult.


    "You don''t need to! Just sit here. I taught my son well." Sheughed as she said this. Shannon put a hand on Leena''s shoulder to stop her from standing up and going to the kitchen. If she guessed right, Kevin would be done in a few moments. He seemed so confident in the kitchen that he would have no problem. It was a piece of cake for him. The military had changed Kevin for the better.


    "Mom, how could you allow Kevin to cook? He is a major general! He''s not supposed to ve away in the kitchen. What''s more, he''s married! His wife is supposed to take care of all the kitchen stuff." The nicer Shannon was to Leena, the more hateful ire was. She just hated it when her mother showed affection for Leena. So she would get every chance to tease or make fun of Leena. She was supposed to be her mother''s princess and enjoy all of her parents'' love. But why did her mother focus on Leena so much and just ignore ire? The girl could not feel more jealous.


    "So, in your opinion, a major general shouldn''t do housework, right? Well if that were true, he''d be helpless and couldn''t get married at all," Shannon said and chuckled. Well, yes, there was already a man who did nothing at home; Nathan, her husband and their father. Shannon did not want her son to be another Nathan who treated his family like his army.


    "What are you talking about? Get married? Who''s getting married?" Kevin walked out of the kitchen, holding the pancake he just made. He asked curiously as he could swear he heard something about marriage. He had no idea that they were talking about him. "Nobody''s getting married. Sit down and finish your breakfast! You can show Leena around after the meal. She''s not familiar with this city." Shannon changed the subject quickly. She didn''t really want to put her son on the spot.0000??????????N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.

 Chapter 997 A Wonderful Meal (Part Two)

    "Nobody? Really? So you''re not talking about me?" Kevin sat down hesitantly. Now he was onto something. So they were talking about him just now!


    "We''re not talking about you! What? Do you have a persecutionplex or something?" Leena pinched Kevin''s hand slightly under the table to get him to change the subject. It was an awkward topic for both of them.


    "I get it. I won''t keep asking anymore. Let''s eat! After that, I''ll show you around so you can see what this city has to offer. It''s really beautiful this time of year." Kevin had nned to take her out even if his mother hadn''t made the suggestion. He wasn''t around her much after their marriage because he was either in the office or gone for training. Now they had the time. He was on vacation, and of course wanted to spend more time with her to develop a deeper bond. And there was nothing like a little sightseeing to do just that. "Pfftt! Mr. Good Husband will do whatever his wife says," ire sneered. The more Kevin acted tenderly with his wife, the more ufortable ire became. She was the real princess in this family, not Leena! But now there was nobody else in her brother''s eyes except Leena.


    "ire, focus on your breakfast, please. Why are you always so rude?" Shannon shot a stare at ire. How impolite she was! Kevin and Leena were a couple and they were close to each other. But why did ire always try to get in between them?N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    "I get it, Mom. I was just talking out of my butt. I didn''t mean it. You''re being unfair. You constantly get on to me for every little thing. Why don''t you concentrate on Kevin? He hasn''t been home long. Enjoy it!" ire pursed her lips unhappily. She felt that her mother was constantly harping on her, all because of Leena. That was not fair.


    "I don''t need to worry about Kevin. He does well enough on his own. And he''s polite. But you? You don''t listen to me at all no matter how many times I tell you." Shannon felt like giving up on her daughter. It seemed like all of this was in vain if there was only one person trying to teach ire manners while her father defended her.


    "Anyway, you''re constantly on my back. Why are you always bitching at me?" ire shouted. She stared straight at Leena as she said this. Yes, this woman was the reason why she was unpopr in this family all of a sudden. ire wished desperately that Leena would just disappear.


    "If you behaved yourself, there wouldn''t be any reason for me to get onto you." Shannon cast a sidelong look at ire. She did not want to scold ire either. It was just that what ire did and said were really impolite and offensive in her eyes. Shannon was really unhappy with the way her daughter acted.


    "Mom, no one''s perfect, okay? That includes me," ire lowered her head and murmured. Obviously, her voice was not as loud as it was before. She did not want to be harangued by her mother again.


    "This is a wonderful meal, Leena. Did you make all the dishes?" Shannon could tell right from wrong. If someone acted nicely, she would bevish with her praise. If someone acted poorly, she would jump on them and tell them how wrong they were. She did what any rational person would do.


    "Yes! I''m d you like them. I was afraid they wouldn''t taste very good." Leena smiled shyly and took a look at Nathan anxiously to check whether he showed any dissatisfaction. She did not want to leave a bad impression on him.


    "They were really good. You are so young but you can cook. That''s rare nowadays," Shannon sighed. Leena was indeed a good example, whether as a wife or a daughter-inw. Shannon couldn''t help feeling disappointed and frustrated when she thought of ire. She and Nathan did not teach their daughter well so that she became such a pigheaded girl now.


    "That''s why I married her!" Obviously, Kevin was just teasing. He had a grin on his face that told you that. However, different people had different interpretations. ire gloated at his words while Leena got her feelings hurt. He married her because of her cooking? She could not help feeling sad and bitter because of it. Were there no more feelings in Kevin''s heart for her? Poor Leena. She was stuck again.


    Leena felt extremely ufortable the whole morning after they finished breakfast. So she did not go upstairs to return to her room. Instead, she went to the garden outside alone to take a walk. It was a small gardenpared with the one in Leng House. Yet it was big enough to walk around in.


    She raised her eyes to look past the garden at the grass and small trees. She felt much better at the sight of the lively scene. She didn''t expect to see such a ce full of natural green here. It refreshed her a bit.


    "Leena, there''s a car in the garage. Did you drive it back here?" ire asked in an arrogant tone. She was dressed in some trendy threads. She must be ready to go out.


    "You mean the Quattro?" Leena replied, after pausing for a second. She decided not to pay any attention to ire''s attitude towards her.


    "Yes, the Quattro. Where is the key?" Still, ire kept her arrogant airs. In her eyes, that car must be Kevin''s car.


    "I don''t have the key. Check with Lee. He might have it. Or Kevin. I''m not sure," Leena answered honestly. She had no clue where the key was. She just walked into the house as soon as they got out yesterday. As for who pocketed the key, she did not know. "Why do you know nothing at all? Well, forget it, I''ll go and find him myself." ire rolled her eyes at Leena and then looked askance at her. But soon, she concluded that it was understandable that Leena knew nothing about a key. Anyway, the car was not hers. ire thought so.


    "What are you looking for? Leena, are you done? Let''s go!" Kevin had no time to take a shower because he went to the kitchen to prepare the breakfast as soon as he finished his morning exercise. So he was cleaning himself off just now after they finished the breakfast. He went downstairs as soon as he was finished.


    "Really? We''re going out?" Leena asked, confused at Kevin''s suggestion. It wasn''t really appropriate, right? Wasn''t it his dad''s birthday today? There must be tons of things to be preparedter. As the daughter-inw, it wasn''t right for her to go out.


    "Yes, it''s Dad''s birthday today! But we can still go out, as long as wee back around noon or so." Kevin very well knew why Leena was puzzled and what she was worried about. So he exined to her carefully.0000

 Chapter 998 A Wonderful Meal (Part Three)

    "Yeah! Okay! I''ll go upstairs to get my bag." Leena said and tried to turn around to go upstairs. Unexpectedly, Kevin grasped her wrist to stop her.


    "Hey, you don''t need to. I have enough money, no matter what you want to buy," Kevin promised decisively. How could he allow his wife to spend her own money? No way! He was the husband and she was supposed to spend his money. They were a couple. Otherwise, he would feel kind of useless. If a man could not buy his wife nice things, what good was him?


    "But what about my phone? I left it in the bag." Leena had no problem if he insisted on spending his own money. She considered it to be natural and reasonable because she was his wife. A wife had the right to spend her husband''s money as long as he did not object to it. She really didn''t need his money before -- she had her own. She didn''t care much about money.


    "Don''t worry! I have it here. Here you go!" Kevin said and handed her the phone. He also helped Leena with her coat, slipping it gracefully onto her shoulders once she had her arms in the sleeves. He felt like a god. That was his purpose! He had anticipated everything Leena might need and reacted ordingly. This way, she had no excuse to get her purse anymore.N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    "Come on, Kevin. You don''t say hi to your sis anymore? I''ve been here this whole time and you didn''t even look at me. Am I invisible or something?" ireined unhappily. When she saw her brother give Leena so much tender loving care, she was about to go ballistic.


    "Why are you still here? I saw you march off in a hurry." Kevin stared at her, confused. He thought she had left.


    "d you noticed. At least I know I''m not invisible now. I''m going out now, so could you hand me the key?" ire decided not to continue harassing him as long as he gave the key to her.


    "Don''t you know where your key is? That''s your car, not mine. I don''t have your key." Kevin stared at her angrily. She was really a careless girl who always lost things. Now she lost her key and even tried to get him to find it. Why would he know where her key was? "I mean your key! The one to the Quattro. Can I drive it for a while? Please!" ire said and reached her hand out. Her car was a VW. How could a normal VW and a Quattro S1 be mentioned in the same breath? "Take your own car! We''re going out. We need the car." Kevin shot down her proposal without thinking twice. That Audi was not his car after all. Even if it were his car, he would not allow her to show it off everywhere. "Fine, I didn''t want to drive anyway. Can I go out with you?" ire asked tentatively. If they were going shopping, she could probably get Kevin to buy that dress she had wanted for a long time. She saw nothing wrong with this.


    "No. You''re just going to be a third wheel if you go out with us." Again, Kevin refused her suggestion outright. This was supposed to be their time alone, just him and Leena. He had been waiting a long time for this and did not want ire to disrupt them. "Kevin, please! Let me in! Please!" ire begged. She took Kevin''s arm and started tugging on it.


    "Well, let her in!" Although Leena really wanted to be alone with Kevin, whether shopping or wandering the streets to explore the area, she didn''t have the heart to turn down ire. Why not let her in? This was Kevin''s sister. She asked so pitifully that it hit Leena in the heart, exactly as ire hoped it would.


    "Are you sure about this?" Kevin frowned a bit. He had never imagined that Leena would agree with ire''s proposal. In his opinion, his wife should just ignore his headstrong and annoying little sister.


    "It''s nothing. We''re just going for a drive, maybe stop and walk around, right? It won''t hurt anything if she joins us, I think," said Leena considerately. She was trying to be a mature woman. That way, she would be qualified to be the daughter-inw of the Gu family. "You see, Kevin? Leena said yes! So please let me in, bro!" begged ire in a poor tone. ire never showed Leena any respect, ever. However, at least this time she didn''t roll her eyes at her because Leena agreed to take her.


    "Well, then, let''s go! I really can''t stand you anymore. Why do you have to follow us around no matter where we are?" Kevin had no choice but to allow her to go out with them. She was his sister, after all, and he was not heartless enough to say no to her over and over again since she begged him so badly.


    "Yeah! I knew it! You are always so nice to me, Kevin! But -- can I drive?" So now the truth came out. It turned out that going out with them was just an excuse. She wanted to drive that car. The Audi was her goal the whole time!


    "You? Not even. Did you get the driver license legally? Or did you just buy a fake one somewhere?" Kevin smiled with a teasing expression and made fun of her. He wanted to see her squirm.


    "A fake driver license? Really, Kevin? I tried so hard to get this. It''s not fake! I''ve been driving for 2 years. Don''t you trust me?" ire panted with rage while she stuck up for herself. Still, she gritted her teeth to hold her anger in because she didn''t want to start a fight. She might lose the chance to sit in the driver''s seat of that amazingly nice car!


    "All right. I''ll trust you just this once. So be careful. Our lives are in your hands," Kevin said and tossed the key to ire. He knew the real reason why she insisted on going out with them. That Pikes Peak, Leena''s new car, caught her attention. Well, well. It seemed that ire was not only a stubborn girl but also a vain girl. Otherwise, she would not have offered to drive. Everything she did was in order to get behind the wheel of that car, and show off to everyone.000????????????

 Chapter 999 The LN FASHION (Part One)

    "Don''t worry, just believe me when I say I''m a good driver," answered ire proudly. She caught the key and dashed to the garage, beaming with delight.


    "Let''s go, babe," said Kevin, reaching out his hand. He waited for Leena to put her small hand in his, only to find that she walked past him without even looking at him. Kevin was stunned by her reaction -- he didn''t expect her to turn her back on him. The surprise made him freeze and gape at the petite figure as she walked away. It was not until then that he realized that she had been distant from him recently. He tried hard but couldn''t figure out the reason.


    Though Leena appeared to be calm andfortable ignoring Kevin, she felt no better than he did. But she steeled her nerve, and did it. She was afraid that she''d get too used to his tenderness until she couldn''t live without it. The more she was in love, the harder it would be to let him go. That was what she was doing, trying her best to protect herself.


    "Hurry up, you two. What''s taking you so long?" asked ire impatiently. She had already taken her ce in the driver''s seat and could hardly wait to try out the new car.


    "Coming," replied Leena with a smile. No matter how much ire disliked Leena, Leena would smile brightly as a reaction. She did it not only out of politeness, but also out of habit formed from years of education. But ire wasn''t buying it. She rolled her eyes with a sneer as a response.


    "What''s all the hurry?" Kevin said to ire while he caught up with Leena. "Easy does it, ire. The car''s brand-new -- drive carefully," he added. Making sure Leena wasfortably seated in the back of the car, Kevin quickly chose a spot beside her. But he paid close attention to ire''s each and every move at the same time, and kept reminding her to be careful. After all, the car was a wedding gift for Leena given to her by her brother Duke. It must mean a lot to her, and was too precious to be damaged. And while there were a lot of words that could be used to describe ire, reliable was not one of them.


    "Alright, alright. Stop nagging me like an old woman. I don''t need a backseat driver, bro," eximed ire with a grimace, scarcely able to hide her impatience. She found it incredible that Kevin could be such a weenie. If they weren''t brother and sister, she''d have found it impossible that he was a major general.


    "Pipe down, troublemaker. I''m just making sure that we''re all safe, including you. Now, if you''re done arguing, just start the car," said Kevin a bit harshly, and you could see both annoyance and mncholy on his handsome face, which were caused mainly by Leena''s sudden cold attitude towards him. He thought maybe things had gotten better. She was morefortable around him, and they even made love recently. So why wasn''t she happy? Why had their rtionship taken a turn for the worse? Now he could sense the same kind of estrangement between them as he felt when they first met. No sparks, no nothing. It felt as though they were back where they started. Or even before that.


    "No problem, I''ll be careful. So, wanna swap cars? asked ire with a ttering smile while looking back over her shoulder. She was working on a n to make the car hers.


    "Well... sorry, not this car," Leena answered hastily, fearing that Kevin might say yes. She would agree if ire meant her Ferrari. But since this car was a present from Mr. Cold, she had to cherish it.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Did I ask you? No, I didn''t. I was asking my brother," said ire coldly, and her mouth twitched. She hated it when Leena meddled in their affairs. It irritated her more when Leena tried to prevent her from having the car. ''It is my brother''s car, not yours!'' she thought to herself, ''when will you learn to keep your meddling mouth shut?''


    "I say no too. Your car still works well, why would you change it out?" Kevin echoed. He might have actually given in if she wanted his car. But he wouldn''t give her this one! It wasn''t even his to give -- it was Leena''s.


    "Come on, you are so stingy," ireined, pouting in disappointment. She now med Leena for all of this, thinking that Kevin said no because Leena made him. Why did she have to be so mean? ire was thinking of a trade, she didn''t want something for nothing! And above all, she was Kevin''s sister, his only sister. He should give her whatever she wanted if he could.


    "I''m sorry! If you really want a new car, I can buy one for you soon," Leena suggested. She hadn''t the heart to let ire down, and offered to buy another one for her. After all, she was easily able to afford a car.


    "Save it. I''ll have to wait forever if I depend on you. I might as well get one myself. And just stop bragging, liar! You can''t buy me a new car. No one has that kind of cashying around!" scoffed ire contemptuously. Not for a moment did she believe that Leena could swing such an expensive item.


    "Watch your mouth, ire! She''s your sister-inw. You need to respect her anyway. Now I want you to apologize," snapped Kevin. He shouldn''t have indulged her so much, he thought. It was all his fault that she became way too snooty, and kept talking to Leena with biting sarcasm, time and again.


    "I am sorry. I was only shooting from the hip," ire said with resignation. Not wanting Kevin to get angry, she made the half-hearted apology merely to cool him down. Otherwise, it would be impossible for her to use polite words around Leena, let alone apologize to her. "Mind your manners from now on, ire. You are a girl, you can''t be so rude," said Kevin sternly, and his face darkened with displeasure. Like their mother, he was now rather disappointed in ire, but felt that he couldn''t do anything about her. ''Man, she really is a piece of work,'' he thought. It seemed that the education she received these years had failed to teach her basic manners. Where could they have gone wrong?


    "Okay, I know I have a problem. I''ll change, happy?" answered ire, who was pulling a long face. Being a fearless and spoiled person from her childhood, ire had only regarded Kevin with reverence, for he was the only person who never coddled her.


    "It''s alright, Kevin. She''s still young, just don''t take it personally,"forted Leena. She meant to mediate in the quarrel between them, hoping that Kevin could be less strict with his sister. She had nothing against ire personally, but her words were almost an insult to ire, for she thought that Leena was showing off her sense of superiority by putting her down.0000000?????

 Chapter 1000 The LN FASHION (Part Two)

    "Young people don''t always shoot off their mouths like that. You''re actually younger than her, you know, but you are always polite and respect other people. She''s left in the dustpared to you," griped Kevin. He couldn''t see what ire''s problem was, and couldn''t see that he was just making it worse. Now it seemed even more like Leena''s fault, and she could me the gal for everything. Everything. Leena felt dizzy after Kevin said this. What did he think he was doing? She found him more of a hindrance than a helper. All he was doing was adding fuel to the fire, and ire would hate her more. Aghast, she pinched Kevin''s waist forcibly to stop him from digging an even deeper hole. "Hey! What are you doing?" Kevin whipped his head around to look at her while stroking his sore spot in astonishment. She had pinched him so hard that he felt like he''d been bitten! He couldn''t believe that she actually hurt him. Where was his gentle and caring woman? Did she mean to do this?


    "Sorry, just a stray thread on your shirt, and I just plucked it away. I guess I grabbed too much," Leena repliedmely. Obviously, she was lying through her teeth. But she needed to think of something quickly, and some way to let him know without ire''s knowledge. If he continued to trash ire like that, it might destroy everything Leena had done to try and get on her good side.


    "Seems that you hate this thread a lot. So now I''m coteral damage," grumbled Kevin, rolling his eyes. He was sure that she was pinching him, and that was not how you grabbed a stray thread.


    "Hah! I said I was sorry," said Leena, smiling disarmingly. However, she was actually gnashing her teeth. She had really wanted to pinch him harder until he passed out, so that he would not utter a single silly word toplicate the matter.


    "So where are we headed? The department store, the shopping mall, or those designer brand shops on high street?" ire chipped in. She tried to behave herself after being scolded by her brother, and sounded less arrogant when asking. So maybe it had done some good after all.


    "To the designer brand shops," Kevin answered without a second thought. He knew that Leena only wore brand name clothing, which they wouldn''t be able to find in a department store or an average shopping mall. Her clothing choices were definitely not off-the-rack. "Er... seriously, Kevin? Clothes there must be worth a month''s sry, you know," ire asked with astonishment written all over her face. She never knew her brother to be such a wealthy person. He had a pretty pricey car already, and then he wanted to buy brand name clothing? It was just odd for ire, who didn''t worry about clothes. All they had to do was looking trendy and hot. Of course, she preferred brand-name garments rather than those off-the-rack clothes. But they didn''t have to be world famous brands since she didn''t know much about those particr brands. Although she had some vanity, she had no high-end wardrobe. Instead, she pursued things that could attract people''s attention, such asrge and expensive items like cars. From her point of view, it would be awesome to drive an excellent sports car and capture everyone''s gaze, which you might never get by wearing expensive clothing.


    "Yeah, I''m positive," said Kevin slowly. It was true that he couldn''t afford things as expensive as a luxury car or a mansion, but he surely could afford high-end clothing. What was more, he had a higher standard of living than the average upper middle ss guys, so buying expensive clothes was a piece of cake for him.


    "That alright, Leena?" ire asked in confusion. She had heard that poor people really lived frugally, and wouldn''t buy anything too expensive. They couldn''t. But strangely, Leena didn''t seem to have problem with buying a costly dress at all.


    "No. Why should I? It''s up to your brother," Leena responded, feeling puzzled, too. It seemed like a natural thing for Kevin to suggest. She wasn''t surprised, since she had long gotten used to wearing famous brands. What surprised her, though, was that ire suddenly talked to her in a respectful tone just now.


    "Well... alright. Just don''t make a fuss over the price. You''ll disgrace me if you do. Just get out of the store if the high prices scare you," ire demanded, shaking her head in disbelief. She might be able to imagine them buying one piece or another of those clothes, but buying several pieces? They needed to sell this car first if they wanted to!


    "You don''t have toe with us if you''re worried about that. Mind your own business. Why don''t you pick us up when you''re done. Sound good?" Kevin proposed. He was desperately wishing that she hadn''te along, since she''d been a third wheel from the very beginning. So he seized the chance and egged her on.


    "No way! I''m not that stupid! Now that I''vee along and served as your driver, shouldn''t I get something out of it too? I want a designer dress. You owe me!" ire said with a pleasant smile. In fact, she had a good nature and was sensible enough most of the time. She was only spoiled by people around her and became self-centered, knowing that she would not be med no matter what she said or did.


    "I knew you were a freeloader and wouldn''te along for nothing. But let me put it straight. Don''t even think about an extravagant spending spree," Kevin said. Honestly, he didn''t know how much money was on his card, but he knew his credit limit was not small. For one thing, Blue Enchantress was doing well and he could expect a high dividend. For another, Hoyle was a reliable friend, and was unlikely to rip him off. So he was sure that he had earned a lot.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Alright then, scrooge!" ire mumbled. But she was clever enough to see that Kevin had agreed, so she was chuckling to herself though she couldn''t resistining. She was in no hurry to find a job after graduation this year. Without a sry, her wallet had been empty.


    "Don''t pretend that you don''t have any pocket money. Today''s a great day to use it. What''s the matter? Saving it for a rainy day? Don''t tell me that you are keeping it for your dowry." Kevin teased. For all he knew, ire got a lot of pocket money every month. She was not going to tell him that she had spent all of that now.0000000

 Chapter 1001 The LN FASHION (Part Three)

    "What do you mean! There''s none left of course! I don''t have an amazing job like you. Do you have any idea how high the prices are now? You don''t expect me to be well off, do you? You know what, it really hurts me when you say things like that. Ever since I graduated, mom has halved my pocket money. I couldn''t even keep my head above water if dad didn''t help me out. Every time I go out, I have to pinch pennies and watch what I spend, in case I run out of my money at bill time and make a fool of myself. I can''t remember exactly how many dresses have struck my fancy. The problem is, I''m too poor to buy them!" ire was hurt. She couldn''t understand what her mom was thinking. Why did she have to find a job now? Shouldn''t she be able to enjoy her free time for a while before going to work? She was just fresh out of school! She shouldn''t have pushed her so hard.


    "I don''t think mom''s off-base. You''re an adult and should be disciplined if you don''t know how to act properly and be responsible for yourself," said Kevin gloatingly, his words far from sympathetic. His words also came as a surprise to Leena. Because she thought that all brothers in the world would act like Mr. Cold, who hadvished all his love and affection on his sister a lot. He''d do his best to make her happy. But it seemed that Kevin was doing quite the opposite. This made her realize that there could be more than one way for a brother to show that he loved his sister. Superficially, Kevin had been hard on ire and they had a bad rtionship. However, the truth was that they adored each other, and Kevin was only showing how much he cared by being strict with her. It was different from her intimate connection with Mr. Cold, but it was also love between siblings.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "I knew it!" snorted ire, "I knew you wouldn''t take my side! Fine, I don''t need your support as long as you buy me clothes. Here we are, and get out now!" said ire, looking at the busy street in front of her. It was full of dazzling luxury goods. Although things were very expensive here, it attracted many buyers who darted to and fro through the crowds. This just proved that there were more rich people than ire had expected.


    "Great. Thanks ire. There we go, Leena." Opening the door, Kevin got out of the car first. He soon turned around and gently extended his hand to Leena. To his surprise, Leena again ignored him. She opened the opposite door and got out, turning a blind eye to Kevin''s hand. He was left feeling torn betweenughing and crying. Staring at his empty hand, he found that he could do nothing but ept the fact. He then shook his head helplessly. It was clear that Leena had decided to push him away. If he hadn''t figured it out by now, then he would be really oblivious.


    "So this is the high street of the capital? It looks very nice," Leena eximed. Looking around, she found that the urban environment here was far better than that of their city, and looked like a rich ce. The area was also really clean. Though the city had some gray to it due to pollution, the buildings here looked like they had been scrubbed clean. But every coin has two sides. As Leena saw it, it was a bit crowded due to a dense poption. It was still morning, when many people were indoors. Leena could imagine the street being even more jammed at noon.


    "Of course, that''s what makes it the capital city," ire replied hearing Leena''spliment. It was the first time that she talked to her without disdain, though she still sounded proud with a sense of superiority.


    "I can see that. Let''s go now, I can''t wait," Leena urged. Leena loved going shopping, even window-shopping, for it was easier for her to find inspiration in the process. After all, art was closely connected with reality and it imitated life.


    Kevin breathed a sigh of relief when seeing them get on well. He didn''t have to worry about them getting into it, and fighting all the time. Even though Leena was courteous and reasonable enough, she''d been catered to all her life, and was the baby of the family. So Kevin was afraid that she might lose her temper if ire went too far. As Leena''s husband and ire''s brother, he thought it would be better if he kept an eye out and stepped in if things got too hairy.


    Rxed, Kevin decided to grab his chance, as well as Leena''s hand. He held it so tightly that he was sure she wouldn''t wriggle out of his grasp. He finally got the chance to enjoy a little lovers'' time for him and Leena. Unfortunately, he got a bit too carried away and forgot about ire. The mischievous and stubborn ire. The moment she saw them walking hand in hand, she went up indignantly and forced their hands apart, ruining Kevin''s n.


    "I want to go to LN FASHION first. All my friends have told me that ce is incredible. It is said that clothes there are wonderful, and its designs are both attractive and elegant. Everyone''s going there. Although it is a little bit expensive, I really want to have a look," ire said, pursing her lips. All she thought about now was that shop. She didn''t notice Kevin''s grim expression. She kept looking at him excitedly, as if she had done nothing to piss him off.


    "Your friends like LN-brand clothes?" Leena really liked what she heard. ire seemed to be telling the truth, and so Leena was overjoyed. As the designer of that very brand, she felt that there could be no greater pleasure than knowing that people liked her designs. "That''s for sure. But what a pity that I can barely buy a scrap of cloth there with the pittance I get from my mother," ire said, sounding very disappointed. But this time, she noticed that Leena was unusually excited, and she wondered why she would look so happy. Was it something she said?


    "It can''t be that expensive!" Leena was quite confused now. Although it had be a world famous brand, LN''s prices were much lower than simr brands. It was unlikely that even someone from an affluent family couldn''t afford one. Leena frowned lightly, lost in thought. She had made some price adjustments specially in ordance to popr consumption concept, so as to make this brand more essible and increase people''s desire to buy. This strategy had been working very well under her management. She now wondered whether the agents here were doing their job and pricing things appropriately.


    "Ohe off it! Don''t talk like that. You couldn''t know what I''m on about. LN is famous around the world, so certainly its prices are higher. Please don''t lump it in with those cheap clothes of yours. You can''t expect to own a LN at the same low price," blurted ire, squinting at Leena in contempt. Her sense of superiority was brought back to life by Leena''s words. She really hated to see Leena pretend to be an expert when she knew nothing at all. This made ire despise her even more.000000

 Chapter 1002 At Least I Know Better Than You (Part One)

    "ire, do you really know those brands?" Kevin tilted his head and looked at ire, puzzled. Leena wore all world-famous brands. Why did ire keep nit-picking over everything rted to Leena? Kevin was getting a headache because of ire''s biases against her. "Of course I know them. Don''t you trust me? Why? Do you know them well too?" ire teased him. But in her mind, she forgave Kevin immediately when she took a glimpse at his clothes. She did not want to be entangled in this discussion. As a matter of fact, she did not know much about the brands. All she could recognize were probably the logos. For example, at this moment, she could not tell why Kevin''s clothes looked so outstanding. All she knew was that he looked quite handsome and noble wearing his clothes. "At least I know better than you do." Kevin knocked on her head jokingly. ire grabbed his arm so he was unable to take Leena''s hand.


    "Hmm! I think you know better than me only when ites to the military uniform." ire did not believe that a man who worked for the army all the time was more knowledgeable than her when it came to fashion. She thought Kevin was just screwing around with her and did not take him seriously.


    Leena was a few steps behind them. She walked by herself, gazing at the two of them as they chatted and joked around. She said nothing, not feeling jealous. A brother and sister''s rtionship reminded her of her own brother. She missed Duke very much. ''What is he doing right now?'' Leena wondered.


    "Leena,e on! Walk with us." Noticing that she was a few steps behind them, Kevin turned around to remind her. He made sure to call out to her. Even though he was dragged by ire, he still paid close attention to Leena.


    "Yes!" Leena answered in a low voice, assuring him that she was still following them. Her delicate face reflected her curiosity about this strange city. Everything was new to her. Her wide eyes gazed at the surroundings and the sightseeing venues. The city was home to an ancient civilization with a long history and splendid culture. Leena had grown up in a rtively modern city and seldom had the chance to visit a ce like this. On top of that, she was a young girl who was curious about everything. Therefore, even though she missed Duke and felt a bit homesick, she soon recovered and began to enjoy being in the capital city.


    "Don''t worry about her, Kevin. She is a grown up! She''s not a child anymore. She won''t just get lost," shouted ire. She turned around, casting a cold, sidelong nce at Leena. ''What a bumpkin she is! She has probably never seen such a huge and beautiful city before. She seems to be interested in everything, '' ire thought with disdain.


    "Yes! Don''t worry about me. Please keep walking! I''ll catch up with you." It was still early, only around 10 o''clock in the morning. There weren''t many people on the streets. Leena would easily be able to spot those two. She was not concerned about getting lost. Somehow, Leena''s response sounded distant and apathetic. It was a normal reply, yet Kevin felt it to be too polite. He frowned, wondering why Leena was so indifferent. Weren''t they a couple? She was not supposed to sound so dispassionate when she talked to him. ire proposed to go to LN Fashion first. So they went to the shop directly with different thoughts in their minds. ire was obviously happy, Kevin was thinking about something, while Leena was feeling downcast in the heart.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    LN Fashion was aimed to be a world-known brand so there were some unique ideas in the designs. Although there were obvious elements from the West, the style was not too dramatic, which made it more popr among the ordinary people. That was how Leena thought when she was working on it.


    "Look at these, Kevin. I told you. The clothes are really good here," ire said to him excitedly, lingering around the clothing shelves. She loved all of them. She thought she would look extremely charming should she wear them, just like those Greek Goddesses. Unfortunately for her, she could not take all of these dresses home. As she thought about that, she felt a bit frustrated. How she wished she could be rich enough to buy them all.


    "Yes, they are good. Judging from the designs, the creator must be a bright young person, with a head full of dreams. Also, I assume from the choice of colors that the designer added her own emotions into the work, because all the clothes look uniform." Kevin nced around the shop casually. Somehow, it felt familiar and intimate to him. He was surprised at the emotion. Usually, he was not a sentimental man. He was rarely touched by anything, let alone by some clothes. So why did he feel so much at home in this shop? Were these clothes trying to convey some subtle message to him?


    "How do you know all that?" Leena asked him suddenly, ted by hisments. At that moment, she forgot to be distant with him. His words described her inner world to a tee.


    "I sensed it intuitively! Why? Do you feel the same as me?" Kevin looked at her thoughtfully. ire had let go of his arms a while ago. He finally had a chance to stand close to Leena.


    "Oh, no. I thought you were familiar with the designer, judging from your tone," Leena replied coolly, her excitement dampening immediately. She nced at him indifferently and walked toward the clothing racks. She had designed them and now she had the chance to pursue them closely. It felt so good to see her designse to life, out of her designing drafts to be real masterpieces.


    "What? Leena, are you jealous right now?" Kevin asked her jokingly, following her. He could feel the unhappiness in her words.


    "Jealous? Why would I be jealous? It''s none of my business whether or not you are familiar with the designer!" Leena turned around in an instant and gazed at him. She had a strange, contemptuous expression in her eyes, as if his words were ridiculous.

 Chapter 1003 At Least I Know Better Than You (Part Two)

    on between him and the designer? He was totally innocent.


    "Hey, Leena. I''m not familiar with this designer. Don''t use me of this, okay?" Kevin felt like he was med for nothing. He merely made somements about the design. Why was she questioning him so much? Was it because she thought there was something going "Kevin, look at this. How do I look? Isn''t it beautiful?" ire interrupted them when she walked over, wearing a lc skirt. The nipped waist design showed off her nice figure perfectly.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "It''s not bad. But the color... The color doesn''t seem to be consistent with your skin," Leena made thement from a designer''s perspective. There was no prejudice behind her words and she did not mean to personally attack ire.


    However, that wasn''t how it sounded like to ire. "What do you mean? Are you implying that I have dark skin?" ire shot a re in Leena''s direction. Oh, God! Perhaps she finally knew why she was not getting along well with Leena. Leena''s snow-like milky skin was something she''d never achieve in her whole life. ire felt upset and annoyed. ''Come on! I am a girl born in a political family! How can I lose out to this country girl? It does not make sense at all!''


    "I didn''t mean that. You can choose another color of the same style, such as the rose red one. It will look very eye-catching on you. Also, it will brighten up yourplexion," Leena exined. After all, she was a designer. She was used to thinking in a certain way. She was not implying that ire had dark skin. On the contrary, she believed that the color was the symbol of health. She did not consider it to be a drawback. Judging someone''s appearance was not something a well-educated woman should do.


    "Wow! You are makingments as if you are a professional designer! Please, stop being so fake. Why don''t you just admit that you are just a lousy peasant?" ire felt disgraced at Leena''s suggestion and fought back immediately. Although she realized that Leena was correct, she did not voice out her agreement. Still, she felt like herment made ire seem like a total idiot.


    "I''m sorry! You can just ignore what I said." Leena bit her lip, deciding that she wouldn''t say another word. She walked over to another aisle alone, looking at her designs. She did not want to be the unwee stranger any longer.


    "ire, do you have to talk to Leena so rudely? Is this how you behave? Show some respect, please! Leena might not be the most professional designer, but she has learnt everything about fashion. I trust her and I believe her advice to be unbiased." Kevin remembered that Leena told him about her major in fashion designing. He knew that Leena had quite an acute perceptive. Her advice was critical and useful in her field.


    "Okay, okay! I get it, all right? I apologize. But she''s the one who attacked me first!" ire said unwillingly. Deep down, she hated Leena even more. It was she who was making her endure the scolding over and over again, be it from Kevin or her mother.


    "She did not attack you at all. She just offered you a suggestion! If you think it was not right, you can just refuse to ept it. No one is forcing you." ire always found fault with Leena. Kevin had a headache. Why couldn''t she stop being so mean? Leena did not do anything wrong. ire was like a bomb that could explode at any moment when she was around his wife.


    "Kevin, why do you always me me? Mom does the same! Am I forbidden to express my ideas and emotions? That''s not fair at all," ire yelled hysterically. She was hurt at his words. She had been doted upon by her family since she was a baby. She was free to do anything. However, everything seemed to change ever since Leena became a part of the family. ire was being rebuked all the time, about everything she did or said. Enough was enough! She could hardly stand it now.


    "There are so many ways to express yourself, yet you chose the most hurtful one," Kevin told ire while his eyes were fixed on Leena. It seemed that Leena did not intend to buy anything. She was talking to the salesperson with a thoughtful smile on her face.


    "I did not! I was just pissed off. All right, Kevin. Stop sermonizing me, please! I won''t do it again, okay?" ire said childishly, begging him for forgiveness. Although she promised not to do it again, it still remained to see if she would change her mind toward Leena. She had a deep-rooted hatred for Leena that would probably be difficult for her to change.


    "Okay, so you promise. Don''t forget that and don''t be mean to her again," Kevin ended on a good note. He did not want to keep scolding her either. They were in public, not at home. He was considerate enough that he did not want to embarrass her in front of others. "Okay, I see. Why? Kevin? Why do you behave like a grandma?" ire joked, skipping happily as she walked toward the fitting room.


    Kevin was speechless. The corners of his mouth tugged upwards. He did not respond to her. Did ire think he was nagging her? In any case, at least there was some progress. She promised to be nice in the future. However, could he trust her words that she would not reproach Leena anymore? Kevin was not so sure.


    "Miss, are you satisfied with this?" The smiling saleswoman asked ire, expecting a positive answer from her. Her sry would increase should ire buy the clothes, as her total wage was performance-based. The more clothes she sold, the more money she earned. "Yes, I like it. But don''t you have any other colors?" ire really liked the skirt. She grudgingly epted Leena''s advice and considered trying out another color.


    "I''m sorry, Miss! We don''t have another color of this skirt as of now. All the others were sold out as soon as they were released because of the skirt''s unique design. This piece is thest one we have," the saleswoman apologized. New arrivals of LN Fashion had unique designs. So they would usually be sold out or reserved by regr customers within just a few days. It was a wee and popr brand with good sales performance.00000000000

 Chapter 1004 At Least I Know Better Than You (Part Three)

    "What? This is thest one? What a pity!" ire was frustrated. She had taken a fancy to this skirt a while ago, but she was not rich enough to afford it back then. Now that she finally found someone to pay for it, there were no other choices left. How couldn''t she be disappointed?


    "What about this one? It''s quite sought after too and many young girls have bought it. What''s more, the color fits you well," the saleswoman said, reaching out for a creamy chiffon skirt, hoping that ire would like it.


    "This one? But I don''t like its re that much. I will look so delicate in it." ire pursed her lips. She disliked the princess styles the most, especially after she met Leena. She would never want to wear such a sweet-looking skirt ever again.


    "What about this one then? The design is quite simple but elegant. You are an aloof beauty and it will suit you well." The saleswoman took out another skirt, upon seeing that ire disliked the red one. This skirt was not as bright as the former one. "Woman, don''t you see clearly at all? I am not aloof! Be a little more perceptive, please." ire was upset as she was unable to get her favorite skirt. The saleswoman''s rmendation only made her more frustrated.


    "I''m sorry, Miss. Take your time." At ire''s rebuke, the saleswoman decided not to continue peddling her anymore. The client could get unhappy if she kept persuading her to buy clothes that she disliked. One should know when to stop in these situations. "Here you are. Why don''t you try this one?" Leena said, passing ire a white skirt she just picked up. As a matter of fact, ire''s skin was not so fair. But it was not too dark either. Leena assumed that the skirt would suit her well.


    "You have good taste, Miss. This skirt is also one of our bestsellers. It suits beautiful young girls." The saleswoman looked at Leena admiringly. She was a skilled salesperson and knew without a doubt that the clothes Leena wore came from a world-famous brand which was much more expensive than LN Fashion.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "Really? Well, I have decided to trust you this time. I''ll go and give it a try." ire''s eyes brightened at the saleswoman''s praise. ''Why not just try it on?'' She thought.


    "Help yourself, please! It will definitely look good on you," Leena replied distantly. Her voice and expressions seemed restrained, making her seem more mature than before. She was not behaving like her usual self, someone who was very active and sweet. Instead, she looked gloomy. Despite ire''s impolite words from earlier, Leena still picked up a skirt that she knew would suit her well. She was indeed very kindhearted.


    "What about you, Leena? Aren''t you not going to buy something?" Kevin asked Leena, following her curiously. He felt a bit dejected to see that Leena was keeping him at arm''s length. He did not know what had happened to make her so sad. She looked withdrawn. "Oh, no. I''ll go somewhere else to see." Despite being the designer of a world-famous brand, she rarely wore her own clothes. Instead, she preferred otherbels. It was not because she felt that her clothes were not good enough, but she wanted to try out more styles from other fashion houses to see how they wouldpare. She was always on the look-out for something inspiring. That way, she could be more creative and open to other designing styles and elements.


    "Okay. Let''s wait for a moment, ire should be out soon!" Kevin was exasperated at her indifferent response. Still, he reached out to tidy her hair.


    "Yes. How about you? Would you like to try something out?" Leena raised her head to look around, but did not find any men''s suit in the shop. She felt a bit surprised at that. She did not realize until now when she wanted to buy something for Kevin.


    "No, I''m fine. You''ve already bought so much for me that now I never repeat my clothes at all. Oh, I remember that some of my clothes are also from LN. You must like thisbel a lot. Why don''t you buy something from here?" Kevin asked, a bit puzzled. He could not figure out her reasons for not shopping around in this ce.


    "I am not so fond of these styles anymore. And yes, I like LN. But I also like many other brands as long as their styles hit me. So the clothes I bought for you are not only from LN but also from others. You did not see other brands because you haven''t picked them to wear yet." As a fashion designer, Leena recognized the kind of clothes that suited Kevin. Every time she found good clothes she thought were appropriate for Kevin, she bought them. That was the reason that each time Kevin opened his wardrobe, he saw a variety oftest styles.


    "Kevin, what do you think? How do I look?" ire asked Kevin, positively beaming. She had walked out wearing the new skirt as they were talking.


    "Yes! You look great in this one. It''s better and more novel than the other one," Kevin made the objectivement as a man, instead of a brother.


    "Yes, Miss, you look much more graceful in this skirt. The color suits you perfectly," the saleswoman echoed Kevin''s words. Meanwhile, her face grew hot as she looked at him. Oh, boy! It was no wonder that when faced with such a handsome young man, she flushed and her heart beat fast.


    "Just like I expected. I told you, it suits you well. If you''re satisfied with it, I suggest you take this one." Leena was confident in her choice. She firmly believed that the skirt was the best one for ire.?????????????

 Chapter 1005 I Will Probably Never Be Okay (Part One)

    "What do you think, Kevin?" ire was more willing to hear her brother''s opinion. In her eyes, Kevin was a man close to perfection. She liked him better than Leena. If he was not her brother, she would have definitely fallen for him.


    "This one is perfect on you. Don''t you think so?" Kevin nced at her from head to toe. He thought that the skirt Leena chose for her was better than the previous one ire had tried on.


    "Okay, I will change back to my own clothes first," ire said before blissfully walking back to the changing room. She knew the clothes in the store were all very expensive, and it was such a rare opportunity for her to make Kevin pay for it. He rarely came home to stay with them. "Leena, what do you think? Isn''t it good on her?" Kevin wrapped his arms around her waist, feeling like it had been a long time since he touched her so intimately.


    "As long as she likes it, my opinion doesn''t really count." Leena gave him a hard smile. Flustered by Kevin''s sudden touch, she had the sudden urge to break free from his arms.


    "Miss, we have decided on this one. We will pay by card," Kevin said as he took out his wallet from his back pocket. He handed over his credit card to the sales girl without even checking the price. He did not care about that. As long as his sister liked something, he would buy it to please her.


    "Okay, the price for this skirt is 12, 000. If you have a VIP card, you can enjoy a 20% discount." The sales girl notified him about the price of the skirt, smiling pleasantly. As a salesperson, it was routine for her to confirm the price with the customers before they made the payment. The procedure made sure they avoided unnecessary arguments regarding the price.


    "What? 12, 000? Are you kidding?" ire was heading out of the changing room when she heard the saleswoman''s words. She was taken aback by the price. Unbelievable! She knew that the clothes sold in this store were expensive, but she didn''t expect them to be priced so exorbitantly.


    "Miss, I have checked the price. It is 12, 000. If you don''t believe me, you can check the price tag yourself. We don''t lie to our customers," the saleswoman exined in a hurry. All the dresses in the store were sold at a fixed price tag. Even if she wished to charge customers more than the normal price and pocket the difference for herself, it was impossible.


    "It''s okay, we trust you. Just take the credit card." Leena smiled gracefully. She could predict how much it was worth, because she had designed the skirt herself. Although the price was different in every city ording to consumer levels, it didn''t vary by too much. Besides, the materials used to make the skirt were all very expensive, so the price was reasonablepared to other simr brands.


    "Huh! It''s easy for you to say that. It is not you who has to pay for it. It''s my brother''s money." As much as ire liked the skirt, the 12, 000 tag price waspletely uneptable to her. Even if she didn''t have to pay for it, it pained her to spend so much money on a single skirt.


    "Okay, whatever, you decide then." It seemed to Leena that things weren''t going as she had hoped for with ire. She had thought that as long as she was good to another person, she would receive the same kindness in return. Apparently, it was not so. ire seemed to be indifferent to her kindness and even misunderstand her good intentions. She couldn''t bear it anymore and felt like throwing a tantrum. She decided not to interfere in Kevin and ire''s business. They were brother and sister, and she felt like an outsider. She moved away from them, satisfied to be alone.


    "It''s okay. We will buy it. Please take the card." Kevin smiled at the saleswoman gently. Although he appeared to be nonchnt on the surface, in reality he tried to suppress the rising anger he felt. It was not because of the price. He was livid because of the obvious contempt in ire''s tone toward Leena.


    "Kevin, truly, we don''t have to buy it." ire pouted. One could tell that she was not actually vicious at her core, she was just naughty and didn''t behave herself sometimes.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Don''t worry. I can afford it." Kevin patted her head, reassuring her. He didn''t consider it to be a burden for him to pay for her skirt.


    Upon hearing this, the saleswoman smiled with relief. She thought they would give up because of ire''sints about the price. Fortunately, this handsome man was very generous. How she hoped that she could have such a good brother! But it seemed impossible. She could not change her fate or swap it with ire''s.


    From the moment they walked out of the store, Kevin looked sullen. He had gone through arduous training in the troop and climbed up his careerdder from amon solider. Today he was a dignified Major General. He had conquered all obstacles, but nothing made him feel as troubled as today. He felt helpless when it came to ire and Leena''s rtionship.


    "Kevin, are you mad at me?" ire drew back, asking him in awe. His sullen face scared her.


    "No, let''s go. We should buy some winter clothes for Leena," Kevin said, without any trace of delight. His face was as cold as ice. Leena nced at him, wondering what had happened to him.


    "Are you okay?" Although she was keen to keep a distance from him and restrain herself, she couldn''t help but feel nervous as she looked at his sullen face. She was deeply in love with him and there was no way for her to get out anyway.

 Chapter 1006 I Will Probably Never Be Okay (Part Two)

    "If you continue to be so indifferent to me, I will probably never be okay," Kevin said, taking the opportunity to take hold of her wrist. She had managed to avoid him the entire morning, but this time he wouldn''t let her go. "What do you mean? Are you ill?" Leena eximed as she touched his forehead with the back of her hand. She was worried that he was exhausted.


    "Yes, I''m ill. So now you have to take care of me," Kevin replied before intentionally leaning toward Leena, a cunning smile spreading across his face. His trick had worked.


    "It''s better for us to go home now." Leena didn''t show a trace of doubt at his words. She was the kind of woman who was easily convinced. She effortlessly forgot about her decision to keep him at arm''s length, beginning to feel concerned for him. "It''s not that serious. Let''s go and buy you some clothes first before we go back home." Upon seeing that she was worried for him, Kevin felt relieved. He knew that Leena didn''t really want to ignore him.


    "But I''m worried about your health. We should go home now." Leena was so anxious that she didn''t realize it was not easy for a strong soldier like Kevin to fall sick.


    "Yes! Kevin, if you are not well now, we should go home. We can buy the clothes some other day." Truthfully, ire was a little dubious about him being ill. Ever since childhood, she had never seen Kevin get sick. He was such a strong man.


    "I just feel a little dizzy. It''s okay. Don''t worry." Once you told a lie, it never ceased to be. One deception led to another. Kevin regretted lying about his sickness. He felt like shooting himself in the foot.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Because of Kevin''s insistence, Leena bought some warm clothes. Of course, all of them were very expensive, and it amazed re. As opposed to ire''sints about the exorbitant price when she was buying her own skirt, Leena bought what she liked without hesitation. She simply asked the saleswomen to pack them for her, with no scruples.


    On the way back, ire drove the car. She still stared at Leena through the rear-view mirror, as if she was a monster. ''She is so heartless! Leena takes Kevin''s hard-earned money for granted and is spending it without hesitation. What''s worse is that she doesn''t feel guilty at all about spending so much money on clothes, '' ire thought.


    "ire, is there dirt on my face?" Feeling ire''s eyes boring into her, Leena finally asked, reaching out to touch her face with her hands.


    "Oh! No." In all honesty, ire wanted to question her spendthrift habits. Leena was just like a Cindere, so was it so necessary for her to buy those luxurious clothes to show off? No matter how she pretended otherwise, a crow could never be a phoenix. Leena looked at herself. Did ire just want to find fault with her? There was nothing wrong with the clothes she wore today. Although they were a little different from the styles she usually chose, they felt very authentic to her true self.


    "Do we need to buy a cake?" Leena asked. The question came to her mind as they passed by a cake store.


    "I don''t know. Let me call mom and ask her." Kevin was dumbfounded when he heard the question. He never cared for such trifles.


    "ire, pull the car over near the store." Kevin took out his cellphone and dialed his mother''s number. He waited for a while before the call was picked up. She was probably very busy right now.


    "Okay, Sure." As it was always their mother who organized everything at home, ire also didn''t have any useful answers.


    "Hello, Kevin, what''s up?" Shannon asked with nervous energy. She had an apron on and was busy frying up meat balls in the kitchen.


    "Oh! Mom, Leena is asking if you have ordered the cake." Kevin was a very considerate man, so he didn''t forget to mention that it was his wife''s thoughtfulness that prompted him to ask this.


    "Oh! I almost forgot about that! Thank you for reminding me. No, I haven''t yet. Can you buy a cake on your way back? I''m very busy today and might not have the time to go out."


    Shannon tapped her head. How could she forget such an important thing? She had nned to order the cake yesterday. But she had gotten carried away with the preparations as it was the first time her daughter-inw was visiting them. In the haste, shepletely forgot to buy the cake. Fortunately, Leena was kind enough to remind her of that, otherwise they would have the birthday party without a birthday cake.


    "Okay, I will hang up now. We''re outside the cake store. We''ll pick one up." Kevin ended the call, ncing at Leena with admiration. He found her to be so special. She was a very thoughtful woman. Although she was very young, she cataloged all the tiny details in her mind and surprised them in the time of need.


    "What did she say? She didn''t buy a cake yet?" Leena looked at Kevin with doubt, trying to figure out what Shannon said over the phone.


    "Yes, let''s go buy the cake. ire, you find a ce to park the car. We can''t pull up here for too long." Kevin pushed the car door open and got out. As always, the gentleman''s hand reached out, waiting for Leena to grab onto it.


    "I know." In all honesty, ire didn''t care much about the parking problem. She had always been very arrogant. Only a handful of people in the city didn''t know her. But since her older brother asked her to park her car, she thought she''d better follow his words. She didn''t want to be scolded againter.00000000

 Chapter 1007 I Will Probably Never Be Okay (Part Three)

    Upon seeing Kevin''s big hand reaching toward hers, Leena thought about ignoring it first. After some hesitation, she eventually gave in and slipped her hand into his, following him out.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Did you ask Mom what kind of vor they like? Also, how many people will be present at the party?" As soon as she got out of the car, Leena blurted out the question. She knew that he hadn''t asked, because she was beside him when he made the call. "Oh no. I forgot to ask that. How about we buy a cake of any popr vor? And about the size, I think the guests would be some rtives and my father''s oldrades in arms, so it''s easy to calcte," Kevin analyzed after thinking for a while. "Okay, I see. I think Haagen-Dazs is the best choice. it''s good in both vor and style," They discussed as they walked toward the cake store. A cold breeze blew and curled up Leena''s frizzled hair. Her hair danced in the air, sweeping over Kevin''s face and shoulder.


    "You decide. I don''t know much about choosing a cake." Kevin touched his forehead lightly, feeling embarrassed. It was only when he behaved so simply and honestly that Leena could associate him with his image of a soldier. Most of the times, he was so cunning and wicked with her. He was just like Edward in that regard, harmless in appearance, but in actuality a sneaky and sly guy deep inside.


    Lenna didn''t expect such an answer from him and was taken aback. However, she stayed calm on the surface and walked into the store.


    She was not a gourmet, so she didn''t know much about cakes either. She also seldom ate cakes because she was on a diet. Leena feared being transported to the olden days when she was fat. It had been too miserable.


    Kevin knew nothing at all about bakery, so he stood at Leena''s back in silence and watched her choose the cake. ording to him, Leena came from a rich family, so she certainly knew more about luxuries than he did.


    "How about this one?" Leena stopped in front of a three-tier cake. She was attracted to the Haagen-Dazs matcha cake, her eyes shing in excitement.


    "It''s good, but isn''t it too small?" Kevin asked with concern. Theirs was a big family. Although they didn''t live together, their rtives gathered to celebrate special asions and festivals.


    "Don''t worry, there are different sizes avable." Leena gave him a reassuring smile and went to the cashier''s desk. Shemunicated with the sales person, who told her that they could get the cake only in the afternoon, because the size they wanted to order was too big and they didn''t have it in stock currently.


    After deciding on the cake, Leena chose some snacks for the kids too. She had seen Justin eat those snacks often, so she guessed that most of the kids in the party would like them too. It was very strange to her how Justin didn''t get fat no matter how much he ate. So puzzling!


    "Are you finished now? It is already noon, so how about we eat lunch first before we go home? You should get a taste of the specialties offered in the city," Kevin proposed eagerly. He was excited about the birthday party, so he forgot about the sickness he had lied about earlier.


    "But didn''t you say that you''re not well? Are you sure you still want to hang around?" Leena asked hesitantly. Looking at his spirited face, Leena became suspicious of his behavior.


    "Yes, I was only feeling a little dizzy. But it looks like it''s gone now, so I''m good to go." Leena''s question sent a shiver down his spine. Hepletely forgot that he was supposed to be ill!


    "Kevin, did you lie to me about that? There was nothing wrong with you right from the beginning." Leena was clever and immediately saw through him. She looked at him in suspicion. How long would he continue ying this trick on her? "Well... Uh, how did you figure that out?" Kevin looked at her in fear, reckoning that she would be angry with him. He had made much efforts to make her feel concerned for him, and now he didn''t want to screw that up because of the lie. "What do you think? You''re so childish. You''re a Major General! How could you lie to me?" Leena stared at him, annoyed. She was overwhelmed by his childish behavior. It surprised her that Kevin could do such thing. "What''s wrong with it if I''m a Major General? Isn''t a Major General human too?" Like father, like son. Kevin''s tone was exactly the same as his father''s. They were both overbearing and their words were irrefutable. "I didn''t say that. You must think that way yourself." Leenaughed. It was said that sometimes a man acted like a rascal. Today it was proved right. The man in front of her belonged to that category of men. "Leena, spit it out! What made you avoid me the entire morning?" Kevin took the chance to ask her as ire was not with them.


    "Why would you think I was avoiding you? You think too much." Leena looked evasive at the query. Every time she lied about something, she avoided looking into people''s eyes.


    "Even if I believed you, you wouldn''t believe it yourself." Kevin looked at her yfully. He knew that she was hiding something from him.


    "I said no, I was not avoiding you. And if you really think so, I can''t do anything about it. I have made myself very clear." Leena narrowed her eyes at him and swiftly stalked in the direction of the parking lot. She almost tripped, feeling troubled that Kevin had read her mind.0000000

 Chapter 1008 I Picked Up A Cute Guy (Part One)

    Kevin looked at Leena''s back thoughtfully, remaining stock-still for a second before following her. He was confused. He knew that Leena meant to avoid him, even though she said she didn''t. Leena walked off so abruptly as if she wanted to run away from him. "So what about the cake? Have you ordered it?" ire asked Leena eagerly as she got into the car. When she saw her brother behind Leena, she was surprised to see his strange expression. She thought the two of them were pretty close, but it seemed like they had gotten into a fight. Was something wrong? Was something not okay between them? She couldn''t help but feel excited at the possibility. That was exactly what she wanted. It would be good if they got a divorce. Kevin would be single again, avable to the daughters of the leading officers. Even though it was hard to get a divorce as a military officer, that didn''t mean it was impossible.


    "Yes. We will get the cake this afternoon," Leena answered coldly, as if she didn''t want to talk to ire. The truth was that Leena was too distracted with something on her mind.


    "ire, why don''t we have our lunch outside? The rest of the family must be busy with the preparations for the gathering. They won''t have time to cook," Kevin suggested after getting into the car. He had a solemn air about him, with a hint of the aloofness that belonged to a military officer.


    "Maybe we should get home to help them then." In all honesty, Leena wanted to hang out and have fun like she was used to. After all, she was still like a little girl deep down. She changed a lot after marrying Kevin. Kevin''s family was very serious about following rules. She couldn''t act like her old self and do anything she wanted to do, like she behaved in her own family.


    "There is no need for us to help them. We have a lot of servants. Plus, Lee is there too." Kevin didn''t have any concerns at all. Even if Lee wasn''t there, his father had appointed a guard to look after them.


    "Right. Speaking of Lee, it has been a while since I saw himst. Where has he been all this while?" Leena was curious when it came to Lee.


    "He went to see his friend yesterday and came back just this morning." Kevin had allowed Lee to visit his old army friend. Lee was a steady fellow and didn''t cause any trouble when Kevin was out of town. "Aha, I see. I worried if he was missing." Leena had a good first impression of Lee. He looked respectable and was a red-blooded soldier. He was a simple country boy.


    "He is not like you. He doesn''t just disappear out of the blue," Kevin said meaningfully. It was easy to tell that he was referring to the attic incident. He knew that Leena had been hiding herself in the atticst time.


    "I didn''t do that!" Leena blushed, denying the fact.


    "Can you just tell me where you guys want to go first?" ire asked them exasperatedly, interrupting the conversation. She was bored to see them flirt with each other.


    "You are familiar with Capital city, aren''t you? It depends on you where we go next. You must know some ces that have good food. We want to try out some specialties." It had been years since Kevinst came to the city. He came here for business from time to time but didn''t really have the chance to explore it. He didn''t know how much the city had developed.


    "I see. We can go to gourmet street. I like the ce. The snacks here are unique in capital city," ire said as she started the engine. The luxury car ran so smoothly, no wonder the rich were willing to spend so much on it.


    "Leena, what do you think? Do you want to go there?" Even though they had been married for months, Kevin knew very little about Leena. He didn''t know what she liked.


    "I am fine with that. Let''s go. I am not familiar with this ce after all." It''s hard for girls to resist the temptation of street food. Leena looked forward to the gourmet street. As the old saying goes, food is the best way to learn about a ce. Whenever Leena visited somewhere new, she always wanted to find the delicious food first.


    Kevin didn''t realize that he was spoiling Leena. He just took it for granted, not noticing that he was growing on her.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    As they arrived at the gourmet street, Leena began to sense how fascinating the city was. Walking along the street, she felt like she was back at S city. The street was crowed and noisy. There were pedestrians and vendors everywhere.


    It was lunch time and the restaurants were all booked. This ce was not fancy or luxurious like the hotels and high-ss restaurants, but it was rxing. This was how a city looked like, how the daily routine of normal people was.


    In the rxing atmosphere, ire forgot that she didn''t like Leena. She walked along with her, stopping at the vendors they were interested in. They enjoyed the snacks as they chatted and joked around. Kevin followed them quietly, d to see that they were starting to get along with each other.


    "Kevin, try this one. It is really tasty." Leena was holding a skewer of crispy durian cake, looking at him with expectant eyes.


    "What is this made of?" Kevin stepped back as he got a whiff of the durian. He found it really smelly.


    "It''s durian! Don''t you think it smells good?" Leena stretched the skewer toward him, ying with him as she giggled. His face hardened.


    "Eww. Durian is thest thing I want to eat." Kevin frowned. He didn''t understand why people loved such a disgusting fruit.


    "Oh, you just don''t know how to enjoy it. Durian is the king of fruits, you know!" Leena''s mouth curled. No matter what others thought of it, she loved durian very much.


    "In any case, I don''t like the smell. Even if it is made of gold, I won''t like it." Kevin stepped back, his voice dripping with disgust. It seemed to him that he woulde across durians very often at his home in the future, seeing how much Leena loved them. She would stack them up in their house. There was no way Kevin could avoid the smell.


    "Um... There is no gold for you!" Leena took a bite of the crispy durian cake, giving him a look of pleasure to show him how much she enjoyed the snack.


    "I can have it if I want." Kevin raised one of his eyebrows and gave her a meaningful smile. It seemed like Leena wanted to make fun of him in front of others. She was sure that Kevin couldn''t lose his temper as there were so many people around them. She forgot that he would get his revenge once they got home.


    "Oh, I don''t think you are so powerful. It looks like I need to be checking your phone from time to time, like other wives do. Also, it seems to me that your wallet is too thick. Maybe I should help you with that." At the banter, Leena forgot she was the daughter-inw of the solemn Gu n. She returned to being her usual self, a lovely little girl in her heart. She looked so adorable, like an elfin girl.00000000000

 Chapter 1009 I Picked Up A Cute Guy (Part Two)

    "Okay, I am happy to ept your investigation," Kevin joked. It was rare to see Leena let go of the serious persona that was so unlike her. She was happy to be herself, as opposed to the rational woman she felt she had to be with Kevin. "Fine, I''ll do that. Don''t back out." Leena wished time could freeze in the moment, and that she could just stand here with him forever. Right now, Kevin only belonged to her.


    "Sure, I promise," Kevin said with conviction. It couldn''t be said if he was just cheering for himself or if he really meant it. His expression, however, was serious enough to surmise that he was not joking.


    "Okay, guys. This is too much. You two are making me nauseous. Shall we leave or not?" ire gave the two of them a stern look. After hanging out with her, ire found that Leena was not as annoying. Even though it was difficult for her to change her attitude toward Leena, ire didn''t hate her as much as she did before.


    "Are you guys full now? You have tried all the snacks along the street." Kevin''s mouth twisted. He didn''t expect these two tiny girls to be such big gluttons. They could probably eat more than the soldiers in the army.


    "Of course we are not full! We have a lot left to explore. Didn''t you see that we only took a little bite out of every snack that we tried? We didn''t eat that much. Besides, have you ever seen a girl act cool in front of tasty food?" ire gave her brother a strange look. It must be because Kevin worked for the military base all day that he seldom had the opportunity to hang out with girls and was so clueless about them. After all, it was not a secret that girls were foodies.


    "Aren''t you afraid you''ll gain weight?" Kevin didn''t know how to respond. Hanging out with them was more exhausting than running 5 kilometers for military exercise.


    "Yes, I do worry about gaining weight. But I can''t resist the temptation," Leena said in a light voice. That was amon concern every girl shared and she was no exception. Fortunately, she had not rebounded after her sessful weight loss in her youth. She was lucky that she managed to keep off the extra pounds.


    "Okay, you win! Let''s go." Kevin shook his head helplessly. There was nothing he could do about them. One was his beloved sister and the other one was his precious wife. He could only apany them like the gentleman he was.


    "Kevin, I know you were pretending to feel dizzy. Am I right?" Leena looked up at him with a wicked smile. She didn''t expect that Kevin, such a serious Major General, could mess with her by pretending to be sick.


    "Yes, I was just making up an excuse. But if you don''t finish this food trip right now, I guess it wouldn''t just be a fake one. I suspect that I would need to call an ambnce." Kevin rolled his eyes toward the sky, as if he was going to ck out. It had been two hours since they were here and they had stopped at almost every vendor. It was so crowded along the street that they had to wait in line every time for the food.


    "ire, maybe we can check out the rest of this ce next time. We really have some things to take care of now." Kevin was right, they had been hanging out at this ce for too long. She knew it was time to go back. As she got to know ire, she realized that she was not a bad person. She was just too childish and immature sometimes, and was spoiled by her parents. This was very much the case with Leena too. However, the difference was that Leena had gone through something in her childhood that forced her to grow up very soon.


    "Okay. I am full anyway. It is just that this food is too tasty." This was typical of girls. They didn''t care if the ce was luxurious or not, as long as the food there was delicious. ire was a fancy girl, but she was still attracted to the vendor stalls.


    Kevin cheered silently when he heard that they were going back home. He would have broken down if they had gone any further. He was afraid that they would force him to try the food again. Kevin knew it was better to take them far away from here and sighed in relief once the three of them got into the car.


    Leena was in a good mood as the tension between ire and her had eased somewhat. She felt a little excited.


    "Oh, you are smiling. Why are you so happy? Did you find money on the street?" Kevin made fun of her. He was d to see the radiant smile on Leena''s face.


    "True. On top of that, I picked up a cute guy." Leena smiled at him intentionally. Kevin had a unique side. He was not as good-looking as Edward nor as aloof as Duke, but he was charming in his own way. That was what Leena had been attracted to that made her want to marry him in the first ce.


    "Where is this cute guy? Is the cute guy my brother?" ire couldn''t take the way they flirted with each other anymore. This was too much for her. She made a silent vow to never go out with them again. She hated to see Leena and her brother behaving so intimately. "I didn''t say that! Oh, excuse me. I am getting a phone call." Leena took out her phone from her pocket. She wondered who was calling her at this time. However, when she saw the image on the caller screen, she beamed happily.


    "Hello, Duke. Do you miss me so badly?" Leena was her lovely little self again when she talked to her brother.


    "Why would I miss you? I just wanted to make sure you arrived at Capital city safely." As he spoke on the phone call, Duke felt irritated. Leena had assured him that she would give him a phone call soon after she arrived at Capital city. Duke waited the whole night for her to call but his phone never ringed. He thought that they gotte in arriving to the city, and that she would call him in the morning instead. It was noon now and there had been no calls from Leena. Finally, Duke was so worried that he called her himself to check on her. He was nervous too, as this was the first time his beloved sister had gone to meet her inws.


    "Yes, I arrived at Capital city yesterday afternoon. I am sorry I forgot to tell you! I didn''t mean to do that. Are you mad at me?" Leena smiled sheepishly. She totally forgot that her brother was waiting on her call.


    "What do you think? We have been worrying about you since you left. If you called up Belinda right now, I bet she''d be very vexed with you." Duke leaned back on the sofa. His face was cold, but the expression in his eyes was soft. Even though his lovely sister was a married woman now, Duke would always consider her to be the little girl whom he loved very much.


    "Oh, no. I am screwed. Could you put in some good words for me? Tell Belinda I am so sorry!" Leena pouted. Right now she behaved like the young daughter of the Leng family, instead of the mature and ordinary daughter-inw of the Gu family.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "No, I won''t do that. You can call herter yourself and exin everything to her. Don''t forget to do that! Otherwise, God himself can''t save you, let alone me!" Duke shook his head helplessly. Belinda kept talking about Leenast night, worrying that Kevin''s parents didn''t like Leena and were treating her badly. Belinda cared for Leena so much like she was her own daughter.


    "Okay. I''ll call herter. Duke, you don''t care for me like you used to. You don''t even want to help me!" Leena eximed. Her smile disappeared to be reced by a doleful frown. She knew Belinda had a bad temper and was difficult to cope with. Her wrath wouldn''t be easy to face.00000000

 Chapter 1010 A Henpecked Husband (Part One)

    "Little girl, you should know the temper of your sister-inw. It''ll be better if I don''t get myself involved. She might yell at me if I do." Duke shrugged andughed at himself as a picture of Belinda''s scowling face came to his mind.


    "What a discovery! So you''re a henpecked husband too?" pouted Leena. It seemed that she had to face the me from Belinda and felt that she deserved it. After all, it was her who had set them up in the first ce.N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    "Who told you so? I just don''t want to argue with her, okay? Stop. Don''t talk nonsense. Remember to give her a call. That''s all. Come home once you''re back. Bye." Duke was afraid to ask her about how she was treated by Kevin''s family. He felt anxious about it and it worried him that he might not get a positive answer. On top of that, he didn''t want to give his sister any pressures about it too. He just said a few words to her then hung the phone up. He heard that Kevin was born in a military family. He wondered if Leena could even get used to the serious ambiance that type of family usually had.


    Leena frowned as she stared at the call-end notification on her phone. ''So annoying. I even didn''t finish my words! I can''t believe he hung up on me! Is it necessary? It seems like he is afraid that I might ask him to displease his wife!'' she thought.


    "Didn''t you call your brotherst night?" Kevin asked as he shot her with a confused look. He was under the impression that she already called her family the moment she arrived. He never expected for her to forget the whole thing. "Um! I forgot. I''ll call my sister-inw first." Belinda didn''t cool down until Leena gave her a lot of exnations and talked like a cute baby.


    "Girl, I''ll punish you for this when youe back." She said with clenched teeth. She was worried about her for the whole night and she couldn''t even figure out why she couldn''t stop worrying. It wasn''t just because she was her sister-inw but she also loved her wholeheartedly. She cared for her to the bone even if Leena pissed her off sometimes. She attributed this to her love for Duke. It was a case of "Love me, love my dog".


    "Well, then I''ll never go back again." Leena shook her head. How could this happen? They were both someone''s sisters-inw. Why were their fates different? Belinda could get up on a high horse but she could only stoop to butter ire up.


    "You can give that a try. Do remember that I have a lot of ways to catch and drag you back though." Threatened Belinda with a cold smile on her face.


    "Do you have to be so cruel? Okay! I''ll go back to present my respect to you, olddy. Would that be all right?" Leena said. She might not have any idea of how Belinda would punish her but she could imagine how horrible the scene would be.


    "Bad girl, do you want me to beat you? Who''s old? Speaking of this, are you having a good time with his family?" Belinda wanted to ask whether she was mistreated by his family but felt that it would make her sound too narrow-minded. After all, Kevin was born in a military family. How could they put a cute girl like Leena in a difficult situation?


    "Um! I''m very happy. So don''t worry about me! All of them are nice to me." Leena replied. She wasn''t good at lying. If only she was standing before Belinda, her secrets wouldn''t be secrets anymore.


    "Very well. I gotta go. I have a meeting waiting for me." It was only after hearing what Leena said that Belinda felt at ease. She wasn''t just a sister-inw to Leena, she was like a second mother too. Thus, she took special care of thedy.


    "Okay. Bye!" Leena cutely stuck her tongue out as she wondered if her lie passed.


    "How was it going? Belinda isn''t mad at you, is she?" It was Kevin''s concerned voice that broke through her thoughts. He might be sitting beside Leena the whole time as he tried to listen to what the two were talking about but everything Belinda said was just garbled. He could only sense her judgment, boldness, and strong personality with her tone. After all, he had just met her several times and didn''t get to know about her.


    "I don''t know, either. That''s her. She''s always ambiguous," said Leena with a sad face. "I just forgot to call her! Did she need to frighten me like that?'' She thought. She should have known that Belinda had a fragile heart.


    "Don''t worry! It''ll be fine. I''m sure that she barks worse than she bites." Kevin touched her hair in aforting way.


    "I know it! It''s just... ugh! The more she talked to me like that, the more I missed home." Thedy was easily upset thus she totally forgot what kind of situation she was in.


    "Wow! You made it sound like you are mistreated by my family." ire butted in while pouting. It seemed that Leena was getting a lot of love from her family. Well, that was just her observation anyway and was still yet to be confirmed.


    "Ugh! I didn''t mean it that way. I Just got emotional. Don''t get me wrong." Leena exined at once. Her rtionship with ire was just getting better, thus, she didn''t want to continue the tension between them.


    "I don''t think too much because our family doesn''t mistreat you." ire said out of nowhere. All she knew was that she didn''t like the way Leena talked and how she made it sound like she was suffering since she got in their home.???????????

 Chapter 1011 A Henpecked Husband (Part Two)

    "ire, focus on your driving. You talk too much," said Kevin with a cold voice. He didn''t want to see the two fighting again since their rtionship was just getting better. He wasn''t expecting them to start a fight this soon.


    "What! I didn''t say anything wrong. Why are you just ming me?" Frustration was all over ire''s voice as she pouted. Howe she was always wrong and Leena was right in her brother''s eyes? "Because you are good at starting a war. Turn around and see if the cake is ready. If it''s ready, we can stop by and take it home. That would save us a trip." Kevin said as he tactically changed the topic. He was not in the mood to argue with his sister anytime soon.


    "Got it." ire shut her mouth reluctantly. She had no gut to continue arguing with her brother because she was afraid of him and she had always respected him. She had realized that her brother had never looked at her with the same gentle eyes as how he did with Leena.


    The three reached their home after an hour. They were done with shopping for their daily necessities and took the cake.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "Mom, what can I do for you?" Leena went straight to the kitchen to help the woman as soon as she arrived. She felt a little sorry about going out as she knew that everyone in the family was busy.


    "Leena, you''re back. You must be tired! Go upstairs to get some rest. I''ll handle this. Everything is almost done here." Shannon was so happy to see Leena. She liked her daughter-inw although Kevin''s father had somement on her family.


    "I''m not tired. Let me help with the vegetables!" A sweet smile was on Leena''s face as she said those. She couldn''t just go upstairs even if her mother-inw said so. Shannon might have just said that out of politeness. She couldn''t take it too seriously because it would be impolite to do nothing.


    "Well, okay. I''ll take it as a good chance to chat with you!" Shannon finally stopped refusing and just let her do the chore.


    "Good! Where''s Dad? Is he still at work?" asked the youngdy as she hadn''t seen Nathan since she came back.


    "It''s just past three. I guess he''ll be home in a while. Did you have fun? How was your Capital City sightseeing tour?" Shannon asked while looking up at Leena. She was simultaneously cooking Sweet and Sour Pork while chatting.


    "We didn''t see much but we had many snacks." Leena replied with a shy smile as she started to deal with the vegetables.


    "Oh! Did you? Was ire going around with you? I didn''t see her all day," said Shannon with a frown. She had hoped for ire to buy her something. Too bad though that she hadn''t seen her around.


    "Yes! She was with us." Leena said while dealing with the vegetables skillfully.


    "That girl likes fooling around very much. Didn''t she go against you today?" Kevin''s mother asked. She was worried that ire might offend thedy again since her child already did that before in front of her.


    "She didn''t. Actually, she''s very nice. It''s probably me who have problems and that''s why she resisted me before." Leena wasn''t a gossip girl. She wouldn''t say anything bad about other people even though she was wronged. For her, gossiping was nothing but a sure fire to family issues.


    "You always speak nicely of her." Shannon said before turning to Leena. "Come, help me to try this. Tell me how does it taste?" Shannon said and offered a small meatball close to Leena''s mouth. Appreciation was on her face as Leena''s manners in coping up with them sincerely impressed her.


    "Okay." Thedy opened her mouth and tasted the food regardless of the awkward feeling that attacked her. She wasn''t used to being this intimate with Shannon.


    "How does it taste?" The elder woman looked at her daughter-inw with expectations in her eyes. There was a slight hesitation in her voice too as she feared that she might not find the food delicious. "Is it good?"


    "Um! Good. It tastes crisp and soft. Is it fried?" Leena asked with curiosity. Because the one she cooked before wasn''t as crisp and soft as Shannon''s. Was she doing something wrong with how she cooked?


    "Yes! It tastes much better if it''s fried. If you like, I''ll cook it for you at all times." Delight was on Shannon''s face after hearing the youngdy''s praise.


    "Great!" answered Leena. She felt no hesitation and even gave her mother-inw the sweetest smile she could muster.


    It was sunset when Leena met all the people of Kevin''s family and realized what a real military family was like. Everybody there was in starched uniform, be it male or female. One of the most remarkable people there was Kevin''s aunt. The woman was simply a ball of dignity and arrogance. She was almost like Daisy! The only thing was that Leena knew that she couldn''t be her friend as this woman she was checking at had this certain way of looking at her coldly and scaring her. Her first impression of Kevin''s aunt was that she was a serious woman. Thus, it was a surprise to see how tender the mentioned auntie was with ire. Moreover, it was not just that auntie, it seemed like everybody in there was treating ire in a special way.


    "Girl, what''s wrong? Are you shocked?" Kevin asked with a dazzling smile. Didn''t he tell her about his family before? His aunts and uncles were all officials.


    "No. I was just rattled to see so many big shots at the same time," said Leena before leaning on Kevin. She wasn''t lying at all. She was really trembling and what she did proved her words to the man.


    "For what? They don''t bite people." Kevin was catching up with the guests before he came to Leena. He felt the need to check on her after seeing her standing like a mannequin with her eyes wide open.0000

 Chapter 1012 A Henpecked Husband (Part Three)

    "Nonsense. Of course, I know they won''t bite me. I''m just worried they might say a thing or two." Thedy''s aura turned bitter. ''What should I do? I totally forget who they are although they have been introduced to me minutes ago, '' her mind kept reeling. "Don''t worry! Everyone here is easy-going except for my aunt. She can be a little harsh." Kevin held her hand tofort her. He had always thought that his aunt was as serious as his father. It was really weird how the woman ended up liking his naughty sister, ire, so much.


    "Um! Everything will be okay for me as long as I don''t do any mistakes, right?" Innocence and doubt were all over Leena''s beautiful face. She pretended to be mature in front of ire but she doubted it if she could do the same in front of so many elders. After all, she was just a little girl.


    "Correct. Just follow me." Kevin grabbed the chance. He had set up something for her and what she said was the perfect cue.


    "All right. Got it." Leena''s answer was spontaneous. It took a little while before realization hit her and made her jaw drop. Did she just fall into Kevin''s trap? Not following him meant getting herself busy as she tried to stay away from everyone. On the other hand, following him would mean letting him touch her. Shoot! It was indeed a trap!


    Not many people came to celebrate Nathan''s birthday. Most of the guests were people who had close rtionships with their family, and two of them were Nathan''s formerrades. They were not difficult people to get along with. It was just that Leena wasn''tfortable with the fact that they were all officials.


    It was Nathan''s interest with antiques that made Leena give him a painting work from her dad''s collection. She couldn''t think of anything better to give Nathan as a birthday gift.


    "Dad, we wish you good health and a lot of happiness. Here is the present from Kevin and me." After dinner, Leena gave the present to Nathan with a sweet smile on her face.


    "It''s the painting of Wu Tao Tse! Hasn''t it been lost for many years? Where did you get it?" Nathan was suddenly in bliss upon seeing the gift. He totally forgot hisments about her family for a while.


    "Oh! This is from my dad''s collection that he has collected for years. He knows you like it, so he gives it to you as a gift." That was a lie. That painting was not a gift from Leena''s father. She heard from Kevin that Nathan liked paintings so she tried everything she knew to get it from her own dad.


    "Is it? Your father likes paintings, too! It seems that your father is my soul mate." A smile finally cracked Nathan''s lips. He inspected the painting for a while and it was evident on his face that he appreciated it lot. Everybody knew it was a priceless antique! Never had he expected that Leena''s father would give it to him as a gift.


    "Yes! My dad''s interested in collecting historical things while travelling." Relief flooded Leena upon seeing how her father-inw liked her gift. All the efforts and words she had spent in wooing her dad were worth it. She couldn''t imagine how she would feel if all her efforts on that gift just got to waste. Little did anyone know that she had spent hours and hours of long distance call with her dad for that gift.


    "I would like to meet your father after you say this. After all, it''s not easy to find a soul mate!" The joyful smile on Nathan''s facested for a while. It was both the happiest and sincerest smile Leena had seen on him since they met. She never saw him smile like that even with ire.


    "Um! I''ll definitely have the two of you meet once he is back." Speaking of this, Leena suddenly remembered that her family and Kevin''s family had never met each other yet since they got married. Wasn''t that just too improper?


    "Good! Good! You should let your father know how much I appreciate his gift. I didn''t expect him to give me something so valuable." Nathan said as he rolled that painting and then put it aside carefully. Both of his eyes were gleaming with excitement.


    "Yes, I will," replied the youngdy with a smile. Her father-inw''s reaction made her see another side of him. Nathan wasn''t as harsh as she first thought. He also had his tender side on some asions.


    "Dad, have you checked it clearly? Perhaps it''s fake!" Displeasure was in ire''s voice. She didn''t want her father to look favorably upon Leena.


    "What are you talking about, ire? How could you be so rude?" That yell from Nathan came as a surprise. This was the very first time that he had snapped on her daughter in front of people. He had always loved and spoiled ire too much. His yell was so loud that everybody turned their heads to their direction. Nheless, they all understood why Nathan went mad.


    "Dad, I just gave you a reminder, in case you were deceived." ire said as she red at Leena. She med Leena for giving a painting to her father as a gift. How could that present made her dad scold her so publicly?Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "You little girl, how could you be so immature? Just think about it. How could your sister-inw deceive your father with a fake painting?" It was Shannon who broke through the tension as she poked ire''s head. She couldn''t believe the words that her child had said. She just vulgarly embarrassed Leena in front of many people. She couldn''t tell how ire''s mind was working anymore!0000

 Chapter 1013 A Hypocrite (Part One)

    "All right, I am sorry. I was just bringing up a mere thought," pouted ire. She honestly didn''t believe that the painting was authentic. How could a regr family like Leena''s afford such an expensive gift?


    "Leena, honey, please pay no attention to what ire said. She is always like this, blurting out things and ignoring others'' feelings." An apologetic smile was on Shannon''s face when she turned to Leena. She couldn''t be sorrier about what her child just did.


    "That''s all right, Mother," replied Leena as she tried hard to keep her smile. Their family''s little quarrel had drawn the attention of some people in the room, who were now looking towards them. She could feel her blood rushing to her face as she did her best to handle the embarrassment. Would these people really think that she would buy a fake painting and give it to her father-inw just to make herself look good?


    "You are a sweet girl, Leena. I wish ire could be more like you. Now, why don''t you go and hang out with the other young boys over there? They are from the army but are of simr age to you. I am sure you will hit it off instantly." Shannon nced at her son who was now surrounded by his cousins. A surge of motherly pride got her with the view. Kevin had always been the best among the siblings of the big family no matter if it was in school or at the workce.


    "Yes, Mother," Leena replied as she too turned to see where Kevin was standing. She had no trouble spotting him even if he was surrounded by a crowd of other men. The man was simply captivating. At the same time, she found herself swallowing a bit too as she marveled with the number of military people they had in the family. It seemed that ire and Shannon were the only two spared from the family trend.


    Kevin was engaged in the talking with his cousins the whole time and had no idea of what had just happened with Leena. He didn''t even have a clue when he turned to her upon noticing that she was staring at him. He even waived at his beautiful wife and gestured her toe.


    To his surprise, Leena shook her head. Thus, he just shrugged his shoulders and returned to talking with his pals knowing that she wouldn''te. To Leena, the army life which the whole room was discussing was thest thing she could connect herself with. The thought was enough to make her feel like an intruder in that party. And the fact that nobody paid any attention to her only made her feel worse.


    As she nced around the living room, she found that everyone else was enjoying the party while having pleasant chats with one another. Like a princess who had lost her tiara and was dumped in the corner, all she could do was to look at the distant life that once belonged to her.


    Sadness was washing her heart when she finally decided to leave the room. It was a clear night and stars were sparkling in the sky. As Leena strolled in the garden, she realized that it would take more than her one-sided enthusiasm to blend into Kevin''s family. She also had to be strong. Strong enough not to be defeated by the hostilitying from those who held prejudices over her.


    "Leena, what are you doing here?" It was Lee. The party was not for subordinates like him, thus, he was wandering outside. He had never expected to see Leena doing the same as him though.


    "Oh, it''s you, Lee. I am doing nothing. I just stepped out to get some fresh air. What about you? Why are you here?" Leena talked as if they were old friends without any trace of the typical arrogance that rich people had. She was actually very grateful to see Lee again since he had helped her.


    "Oh, the same reason why you are here. I was a bit surprised to see you here though." Lee liked Leena because he found her very frank and not pretentious at all.


    "I came out here because I couldn''t think of anything to say in there. I know so little about the army and stuff. What about you? You are also from the army. There should be a lot of things you can discuss with them in there," said Leena as she walked over and sat down on a bench nearby. Her heart felt lighter upon seeing Lee. She stretched her legs straight and swayed her feet gently.


    "You are right. But they are officers and I am only a soldier. There are also a lot of things they would like to talk about that I couldn''t understand," Lee replied frankly. He wasn''t embarrassed to admit that other people knew more than he did.


    "Oh, I see. Well, at least you are better than me at that. Forget about the army. Come on, sit with me. Let''s talk about something else." Leena moved over to make some room and was excited that she finally found someone interesting to talk to.


    "That''s okay. I am fine standing here." The young man knew better and decided not to sit next to Leena. It wouldn''t be appropriate if he did. One, because of their different social statuses. Two, because it would make Kevin jealous if he saw them. Lee didn''t dare to mess with his boss as doing so would result in punishment.


    "Do you have a girlfriend?" Leena asked casually as Lee refused her offer and insisted on standing.


    "No, I don''t. There are not many girls who would want to date an army man nowadays." Lee hadn''t given much thought to his love life. The fact that he came from a poor family made him pessimistic about finding a girlfriend.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Why? What''s wrong with serving in the army?" That answer made Leena a bit confused. It was true that army men were often on missions and were frequently absent from home. In her opinion though, the joy that each reunion brought could make a marriage grow healthier. Besides, a husband''s absence could actually give the wife more time to spend on things she really enjoyed.


    "Not that there is anything particrly bad about it. It is just that the long separations due to army work demands can be more than what most women can take. Loneliness is inevitable after all." Lee regretted as soon as he finished his words, because it suddenly urred to him that Leena herself had married to an army man. He ended up awkwardly scratching his head as he thought of how embarrassing his arbitrary theory was.


    "Yes, I guess you are right. But there are exceptions, right?" A sly grin appeared on Leena''s face. She knew that she was one of the exceptions.


    "Yes, such as you, Leena. If you allow me to say so, I''m going to say that you are in fact a role model." If Leena had been any other ordinary girl instead ofing from an insanely rich family, Lee would have thought that it wasn''t a big deal that she married Kevin. Girls were very picky nowadays in pursuing a romantic rtionship. Though Kevin was very handsome and talented, his job could be intimidating to a potential bride. Serving in the arm demanded a lot of energy and time from a man. It was Leena''s courage to marry an army man that made Lee sincerely respect her.00000?????????

 Chapter 1014 A Hypocrite (Part Two)

    imagine her future with Kevin. Nor did she dare to. It just scared her that things might not turn out as she wanted.


    "Haha! A role model? You are giving me way too much credit. I have just married Kevin for a couple of months. There is still a long way ahead of us. Who knows what will happen in the following days?" said Leena with a self-mocking smile. She never allowed herself to "Cheer up, Leena. I am sure you have seen that Major General Gu is a good and reliable man. I have been working with him for a long time but never have I seen him dating any woman. Well, not until you showed up. Plus, he instantly married you. He must love you very much to do so." Lee carefully picked his words as he looked at Leena. He was suddenly nervous about what her reaction would be. He was praying that he didn''t offend her in any way as doing so would cost him his neck once Kevin found out.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "Really? I hope you are right." Leena smiled bitterly. She believed that Kevin had never dated anyone before her but also knew that it was most likely because he was in love with Daisy. Just the thought of it made her heart cringe.


    "What are you two doing here? I was looking for you everywhere." It was that baritone voice that made both Leena and Lee turn to where it came from. It was Kevin in his casual clothes. He didn''t wear his uniform since he took the day off. Despite the casual look, his strong built resulting from his long term training in the army could hardly be concealed.


    "Is there anything you want me to do, sir?" replied Lee hastily. He was obviously desperate to end the discussion of his romantic life with Leena.


    "Yes, a few of our guests are drunk and I need you to drive them home once the party is over," said Kevin as he watched the two people before him. He was wondering if they were talking about him before he arrived. He could still remember how fast Lee blurted out his little secrets in front of Leena and how she couldn''t hear enough of them yesterday.


    "Got it, sir!" Lee answered delightfully. He was relieved to know that driving people home was the task his boss assigned him. ording to experience, those people whom he needed to send home were mostly just junior officers as the senior ones had their own drivers. It was good to know that there was nothing to worry about tonight.


    "Be careful on the road. And send them to their homes, not the army base." The thought of those drunken men brought a wry smile on Kevin''s face. They over-drank because they were depressed to see that he was getting all the good things in life while they hadn''t made any progress with theirs. Who could me them for feeling like that, right? Kevin was married to a beautiful wife and was promoted to Major General after all.


    "Yes, sir. The task will be fulfilled." Onest salute to Kevin and Lee started walking towards the house. He didn''t ask for the addresses of those officers any more because he had already written them down when Kevin visited them.


    Leena sat aside silently with her head bent down the whole time Kevin was talking with Lee. She was absentmindedly kicking little rocks back and forth with the tip of her toes as if she couldn''t care less about things around her at that moment.


    "Why did you sneak out here alone?" asked Kevin as he settled himself next to Leena, his breath smelled of alcohol. Startled by his sudden move, Leena instantly scooched away from him. It was toote for her to realize that the bench was shorter than she initially thought. It was to her horror that she suddenly lost her bnce! Luckily, Kevin caught her in time.


    "Now look at what you have just done to yourself. Do you still want to run away from me?" Kevin pulled her back and let her fall into his arms as he talked. He bent forward a little and rested his chin on her shoulder, his lips touching her sensitive ear.


    "Are you drunk?" Leena angled her head to avoid his touch. She wanted to break loose from his embrace but the arms clenching her waist were too strong.


    "Yes, I am drunk. No, I am not drunk. Which one do you think I am?" The handsome man said. His face was serious but that faint yful smile at the corner of his lips gave his real stand away.


    "You must be drunk," Leena said with confirmation after seeing the frivolous smile on Kevin''s face. It was something new to her as she had never seen him smile like that before.


    "Good job! That''s a brilliant and rightful answer. Way to go, my dear wife!" He hugged her even tighter. Truth was, he was far from drunk. His alcohol tolerance was above average, and thus he wouldn''t get drunk easily. It was nice to y a little trick on Leena though. That was why he answered her question with another question and didn''t let her know how he really was.


    "Don''t you have a weak stomach? Why would you drink so much?" His answer got Leena worried. However, she instantly found out that Kevin was lying as soon as she lifted her head and met his gaze. Her face flushed red as thoughts of what Kevin might be thinking shed in her mind. What else could a man think of, given that he was a bit triggered by wine and had a beautiful woman in his arms? Of course, sex! Leena was suddenly wondering if Kevin had the ability to suppress his urges. The reality that he was able to refrain himself from making love to her for months long after they got married made her think that he was indeed in full control.


    "Rx, I know what I am doing to my body. Now let''s go inside. The guests will be leaving soon. We should see them out." Kevin stood up first and then held his hand out to Leena and waited for her to take his hand.


    "Okay." It took Leena some hesitating moments before she reached out for Kevin. Regardless of how many doubts she had, there was no way for her to resist his charm and fall for him all over again.


    Minutes more and they both found themselves standing by the living room''s gate while bidding goodbye to their guests. Since most of the people who came to the party were Kevin''s rtives and friends, Kevin did all the talking while Leena only stood beside him as she shed her sweet smile.


    Leena finally loosened up after all the people were gone and the room was cleaned. It had been a huge burden for her to stay in a room full of people she needed to please. She felt rxed now as there were only Shannon and her left in the room.


    "I think we are all done here. Go upstairs and have some rest, Leena. I will stay here for another few minutes and prepare some hot tea for your father. He had quite a few sses of wine tonight." Like Leena, Shannon also felt relieved that she didn''t have to y the perfect hostess anymore.0000??????????

 Chapter 1015 A Hypocrite (Part Three)

    "Do you need any help with the tea?" asked Leena as she forced a sweet smile. She realized that her fake smiles had be a necessity to her since she arrived at that ce. The fake expression had helped her win over many of Kevin''s rtives and friends. She


    couldn''t tell if it was a good or a bad thing but she was almost getting used to it by now.


    "No, I am good here. You may need to go upstairs to check on Kevin. He has also drunk a lot tonight." Shannon was very pleased to have Leena as her daughter-inw and had no intention to keep it a secret. There had been a lot of guests earlier that agreed that Leena was not just exceptionally beautiful but also had a good personality. The only thing she regretted was not finding her daughter-inw a suitablepany during the event as there were only very few girls who attended. ire could have been a good choice but they all knew that the two were not going along well.


    "Okay, Mother." Speaking of Kevin, Leena was indeed a little worried about him. He went straight upstairs right after they sent all the guests out. He said he needed a shower. Thinking that he might be tired from socializing the whole night, Leena let him leave and chose to help her mother-inw with cleaning the mess the party had left.


    "It''s been a long day. You must be tired. Take a warm bath, it helps you fall asleep." That was a tender reminder from Shannon as she wished for ire to be half as good as Leena. She wouldn''t need to worry about her finding a boyfriend if that was the case. "Okay, good night, Mother." As she said this, Leena turned and walked briskly upstairs. She was indeed worn out after all the trips today.


    Kevin''s room was on the top floor. Thus, she needed to pass ire''s room to get there. In order not to draw any attention from her sister-inw, Leena deliberately slowed down as she came closer to ire''s door. It was to her disappointment when she found that ire was out in the corridor, stretching her leg. She was obviously blocking Leena''s way.


    "Do you want anything, ire?" Leena pressed her lips nervously as she waited for an answer.


    "I didn''t expect you to be such a hypocrite, Leena. First, it''s fake designer clothes. Then, it''s fake painting for my father. Can''t you just be real and ept who you are? I want to build a rtionship with you but all your acts are making it too difficult." The girl was very upset. She couldn''t believe that her father scolded her in public because of Leena. Since she couldn''t find a chance to confront Leena at the party, she waited until that moment to block her and get back at her.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "What do you mean by fake designer clothes and fake painting?" Confusion was all over Leena''s face as she asked. She knew that ire doubted the authenticity of the painting she gave to Nathan but she couldn''t figure out what ''designer clothes'' she was fusing about.


    "Cut it out already! You know exactly what I mean. Let me give you a piece of advice. Don''t buy those expensive clothes if you can''t afford them. Wearing them doesn''t make you rich, or a princess. Cindere doesn''t get to be a princess in real life. It is all illusions!" said ire harshly. She had been meaning to vent all this on Leena the whole night. There was a moment she felt that Leena was a little cute when they ate at the street cart just this day. However, she had changed her mind after seeing Leena bring a fake painting to please her father. She disliked her even more. How could she be so vain?


    "Listen, ire. About what you just used me of, I can exin. The designer clothes you mentioned are my everyday clothes. I have been wearing the brand for many years. As for the painting, it is from my father''s collections. I admit that I don''t really know how much it is worth. And that''s all. I just don''t understand why you would call me a hypocrite," said Leena as she used everything in her to stay calm. A surge of bitterness suddenly swelled inside her heart as she thought of the situation she was in. Not only did she not have the basic respect from her younger sister-inw, but she was getting constant criticism from her. What else could exin why ire was blocking her way? This was sheer bullying! She couldn''t stop herself from thinking that the girl was already out of the line.


    "You know why I called you that. And please! Stop giving me any more of your lies," said ire with a sneer. She then put her leg down from the rail and prepared to leave. It waste and she didn''t want to keep Leena for too long in case her brother came down to look for her.


    "Wait, ire. Is it really that hard for you to get along with me?" Leena sighed with great resignation and shut her eyes. She had changed a lot since she went home with Kevin. She had matured a lot in just a span of overnight. She would have argued with ire more if she hadn''t tried very hard to control herself.


    "Yes, very. Because I can''t stand having the slightest connection with a hypocrite," replied ire directly. She shook her hair for some drama effect, turned, and then went back to her room. She knew that she herself was vain. It was just that she didn''t expect Leena to outstrip her in this respect.


    Leena bit her lip in astonishment. Her sister-inw''s discrimination of her was just unbelievable. She even had the gut to call her a hypocrite! Her old self would never have imagined something like this to happen to her. As much as she felt hurt about the way ire judged her, Leena also found the whole thing bizarrely hrious.


    Time seemed to have stopped as Leena processed what just happened. She was unable to think of anything to defend herself as ire''s words echoed inside her head. As if paralyzed, she just stood there, gazing off into space.????????????

 Chapter 1016 To The End Of Their Life (Part One)

    Leena went upstairs in haste and suddenly stopped outside the door. It was as if she wanted to escape from something horrible. She had never felt this frustrated and helpless her entire life.


    Her small body leaned against the wall and looked outside the window. Her gaze focused on the national g that was disyed on the top of the army base. However, the darkness had fallen and the g also seemed dark in color.


    Sometimes she couldn''t help but wonder, what if she didn''t choose to drink down her sorrow that night? She would probably never meet Kevin. They wouldn''t get married and she would live apletely different life. Away from theplications and away from herplex feelings about him.


    Kevin frowned as he watched Leena in silence. He had been standing there for a long time but Leena didn''t even notice him. She was absent-mindedly looking out of the window. Was there anything outside that drew her attention and troubled her heart? How could she just ignore his presence?


    He didn''t butt a word as he leaned his body against the door frame. He just remained quietly staring at her. It suddenly urred to him that Leena had changed in so many ways. She could be smart, lively and active with her brother around. On the other hand, she seemed to have lost her spirit whenever she was with him. Now all he could do was wonder what made her change. Did those changes have anything to do with him? His mind asked.


    "Leena," Kevin called gently atst. He decided to stop guessing and talked to his wife.


    "Yeah! Have you taken your shower?" Leena collected herself, turned around, and looked at him confusedly.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Yes. I was looking for you. I didn''t expect to see you here alone and troubled. Why don''t you juste inside and tell me what happened?" Leena felt embarrassed under his steady and intense gaze.


    "Nothing serious. I just found that the night here was charming. It is beautiful. I feel drawn to it," answered Leena. She realized that she had be ustomed to telling lies. Worse was that she wasn''t blushing or having nerves attacks anymore whenever she made up stories. Had she already developed a bad habit of lying to her husband? The reality of herself getting used to lying to her husband made her panic. She was afraid that she might have picked a habit that could put their marriage at risk.


    "Charming? I don''t think so. There''s nothing but darkness outside. You can''t see anything, not even a shining star." Kevin pretended to believe what she said and also gazed out of the window.


    "Tsk! All the stars are scared of you. They must be hiding somewhere." Leena said before bursting intoughter upon seeing Kevin''s bewildered face. She didn''t waste the opportunity of teasing him.


    "Well, er, Am I that ugly and horrible? Those stars can''t be scared of my face," answered Kevin amusedly. Then, he touched his face with his hand. Little did Leena know how much her simpleugh cheered him every time. Actually, he would do anything just to make herugh.


    "Yes, they can. It''s all your fault! Shouldn''t you appear all the sudden, they could have stayed there." Leena looked at Kevin and found that his hair was still wet. She frowned and thought that his wet hair might get him sick.


    "Should I ask for your forgiveness then?" The handsome man stepped closer to his wife. Just like what she did a moment ago, he also leaned his body against the wall and looked out of the window.


    "Why should I forgive you? Are you going to do anything topensate for your fault?" A wry smile showed on Leena''s lips. She found it funny whenever Kevin attempted to crack a joke.


    "Smart girl, don''t say that easily. You know the consequences of doing that." Kevin looked at her wryly and lustfully.


    "Well, You should be ashamed of yourself, mister." Leena blushed scarlet since she clearly knew what he meant by the term ''consequences''.


    "I have said nothing to feel ashamed of myself. Don''t be silly." Kevin cocked his head while smiling. He knew that Leena wasn''t that stupid to misunderstand what he meant.


    "I''m in no mood to talk nonsense with you right now. Mom''s making some tea downstairs. Why don''t you drink some to sober you up?" Leena still believed that the man was heavily drunk, otherwise, he wouldn''t be as mischievous as a naughty child. She wouldn''t even blush by just staring at his face under normal circumstances.


    "No, thanks. Now go inside. The bath''s ready." Kevin held her hand and pulled her to their bathroom.


    She wouldn''t say it out loud but in reality, Leena liked how it felt every time they were holding hands. It never failed to make her feel both warm and secure.


    She could imagine herself as the queen of the world whenever her husband was around. She even became a bit frustrated and disappointed when the man finally let her go. It was as if she had woken up from her beautiful dream.


    Capital City was a bad ce for Leena. It could be that she hadn''t been ustomed to the life there or because of ire''s tant hostility towards her. Regardless of the real reason, she still felt relieved after she took a hot bath.


    On the other hand, Kevin was sitting on the big bed with his head lowered. The loneliness and sadness he saw on Leena''s eyes earlier wouldn''t let him feel at ease at all. That was the very first time that he saw her like that. However, there were also some idental moments when he caught her looking like she was low-spirited. He felt sorry for his wife.


    She had always been the happy daughter of the Leng family but it was just not the same now that she was with his family. It was undeniable that Leena had undergone a lot of stress since they got married. She was brutally forced to grow up and mature. He had witnessed everything that happened to her and God knows how desperate he was to free her out of those pressures.


    The husband and wife who were living in the same room had different feelings and thoughts deep down in their hearts. Regardless of what happened, they would still rise in the morning to see the morning light and live another day, be it for good or for bad. The next morning, Leena woke up early and found Kevin surprisingly sitting on the balcony with a cup of warm coffee in his hand. He was drinking his brew leisurely while reading the newspaper. He seemed to be in a good mood. It was something unusual since she was used to waking up alone knowing that he was somewhere else exercising.00000000000

 Chapter 1017 To The End Of Their Life (Part Two)

    "Why did you get up so early today? Now, put on some clothes, or else, you''ll catch a cold," said Kevin in concern. He raised his head and was greeted by Leena''s drowsy look. He immediately knew that Leena needed more sleep. She wasn''t used to waking up this early back on S City after all. "Didn''t you go out to exercise today?" asked Leena confusedly as she remained standing there instead of putting on some clothes. Gracious! She was even on her bare feet!


    "No, I prefer to take a day off today. I drank too much yesterday night. Go and put on your shoes, the floor is cold." Kevin stood up and faced Leena. The room they were living in wasn''t as luxurious as the one they had in Grand Apartment. They didn''t have their thick wool carpet here.


    "Alright," answered Leena. She went back to put on her cotton-padded shoes and a thick coat. She was about to turn around when a pair of strong arms embraced her from behind.


    "Why haven''t you learned how to take care of yourself?" said Kevin usingly. He couldn''t help but frown upon feeling how cold Leena''s tiny body was.


    "I''m not cold." Her voice came out small as her heart skyrocketed. The nervousness and longing that engulfed her were simr to those who had when experiencing their first love.


    "Don''t lie to me. Your hands are cold. Since you woke up early, why don''t you wash and dress? I''ll take you to a happy ceter." Kevin pushed her into the washroom. He rarely took a day off, thus, he had decided to enjoy some fun with his wife.


    "Are we going out again?" asked Leena in confusion. She practically felt that it was inconvenient to be living with Kevin''s family. More so, with the frequent go-outs. She felt obliged to behave herself, be a good wife, and daughter-inw.


    "Yes, we are. We got married even before we have the chance to date. So, we''d better have some good time today and just have a date. Come on, it''s just the two of us." Kevin fondled her hair and felt lucky that they met that night, otherwise, he wouldn''t have such a lovely wife.


    "Will you buy red roses for me? Will you buy me romantic candlelight dinner?" asked Leena, tilting her head expectantly. She couldn''t stop wondering about his n. It wasn''t every day that she heard Kevin ask for a few hours with her.


    "I''ll try to make you feel contented today no matter what your wish is," was the man''s fond reply. The tenderness in Kevin''s voice was so obvious and real that she could almost taste it in the air.This material belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Twat! I want nothing from you," answered Leena timidly. She hurried to turn around in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. She would never admit to Kevin that she actually wanted a good sex life with him.


    "Sweetie, you should never use me of being shameless again. I think you can also be shameless sometimes." Instead of walking away, Kevin leaned against the door and taunted Leena.


    "Leave me alone. I''m gonna brush my teeth." His words brought a warm flush to Leena''s face. She glowered at her husband and thought that his words were highly misleading.


    "Fine. Go and brush your teeth. I won''t interrupt you," answered Kevin and remained standing where he was. He had no intention of leaving his wife alone at all.


    "Alright. You won. If you don''t want to leave, then fine. I''ll go," said Leena. She mmed the door shut and got the door locked as fast as possible.


    Kevin was left speechless and shocked to see Leena respond this way. He had never behaved badly to his wife. Howe she was back to putting up all her precautions against him?


    It was already nine o''clock when they finished preparing for their date. The weather turned warm and sunny.


    "Good morning, Major General, Leena. Are you going out?" asked Lee hastily. If he had guessed right, he would be in serious trouble.


    "Yeah! We''re gonna have a walk outside. You can take a day off, Lee. Enjoy this day with your friends," answered Kevin in a friendly tone. Kevin had an amiable disposition and wouldn''t allow himself to talk like a bureaucrat. "ire told me that you wouldn''t use the car today so she drove your car away," said Lee as he looked both flustered and embarrassed. At the time, he also took a step back just in case Kevin became furious and kicked him.


    "What? I never said that. Awful girl! She is getting bolder and bolder," yelled Kevin. He gritted his teeth. Since his car was gone, he might have to borrow his father''s military vehicle. The bad part, doing so would be like him signing himself up for a ton of trouble. Those military vehicles weren''t supposed to be used for personal purposes at all.


    "Is there any vehicle avable at home?" Leena was also upset. She was afraid that her date with Kevin might be ruined.


    "I''m afraid none," answered Lee. Actually, he wasn''t absolutely sure. He hadn''t gone to the garage and checked the avable vehicles. However, Kevin''s mother had also gone out driving. It was very unlikely for the house to still have an avable car for Kevin and his wife. "What about ire''s car? Why doesn''t she drive her own car?" Although Kevin knew that Lee probably didn''t have an answer to his question, he still asked.


    "I asked her the same question, she said that she had lent it to a friend," answered Lee. Lee bowed his head. If he had known that Kevin might me him for mismanagement, he would have never given the car key to ire. Otherwise, he wouldn''t be standing there while suffering from stress.


    "What do you mean by that? She lent her car to a friend and then went out driving my car. Am I right?" The Major General asked with his eyes zing with fury. He took his mobile phone out. He was about to call his sister and order her to return his car to him immediately.

 Chapter 1018 To The End Of Their Life (Part Three)

    "Major General, you''re right," answered Lee. He knew that he had made a fool of himself. He should not have believed what ire said and allowed her to drive her brother''s car away.


    "I''m gonna call her and ask her to drive my car home as soon as possible." Kevin started to dial ire''s numbers when Leena suddenly stopped him.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "Forget it. Let her have the car today. We can call a taxi," said Leena. She didn''t want to interrupt ire from having fun with her friends. ire would certainly me her if they forced her to drive the car home.


    "Calling a taxi will be inconvenient." Kevin answered with his irritation clearly stered on his face. A taxi would be fine if their destination was close to their home. How about if it wasn''t? How could they call a taxi without waiting for a long time once they wanted toe back?


    "Never mind. We can go out another day. There are still many days left for the holiday," said Leena in aforting voice. Her sister-inw had already harbored grudges against Leena. She would surely say something against her if they forced her to return the car to Kevin. Therefore, Leena tried to avoid the direct confrontation with ire.


    "As you wished. We can still have a walk in town. Is that ok with you?" said Kevin. Although the beautiful scenery wasrgely situated on the outskirts of the Capital City, they could go downtown and have some fun. He wondered if Leena would like to visit amusement parks or not.


    "Yeah! I saw the Mist Pavilion on TV and it seems to be beautiful. Can we go there?" asked Leena expectantly. The Capital City was still new to Leena. However, she saw the famous Mist Pavilion on TV and found that its scenery was beautiful. Plus, she thought that the ancient colors of the ce were charming.


    "Not bad. Alright. You''re well-informed and knowledgeable about the ce. We''ll go there if you wish to see the sceneries there. But I need to warn you. Please don''t overestimate its beauty. You may be disappointed." The Mist Pavilion had its beauty in the past and was greatly admired by citizens in the Capital City. However, some tourists misbehaved and dropped litters everywhere, which resulted in the ce getting polluted. It could have be a waste yard if the government hadn''t intervened. Although some cleaners had been employed to do the cleaning, some dangerous ces couldn''t be reached and cleaned easily, so the garbage was left there.


    "Are you telling me that the advertising on TV is false?" asked Leena in disbelief. She was bewildered. If the TV said it was beautiful, why would Kevin suggest otherwise?


    "I didn''t say that TV''s doing some false advertising. It is just that the Mist Pavilion lost its beauty a long time ago. Are you still interested in it?" he retorted. Actually, he didn''t want to take Leena there. Its unique scenery was gone a long time ago. It might still have its unique cliff but it was still no different from any other tourist destinations now. Plus, Mist Pavilion was on the outskirts of the Capital City, and going there without driving their car would be extremely inconvenient.


    "Forget it. Can''t we go other funny ces downtown?" The disappointment on Leena''s voice was heavy when she asked. Would their romantic date end in this way? She rarely had the opportunity to enjoy Kevin''spany. Today was supposed to be a cheerful day but it had been ruined by ire.


    "The downtown here is almost the same as that of S City. There''s nothing special about it. If you like, I can still take you to some parks, just like what other lovers will do to kill time during their holiday." Kevin pursed his lips and shook his head. He thought that young lovers would like to do that. However, couples at his age should try to avoid that.


    "Kevin, no matter how you put it, you don''t want to take me out, do you? It is just that you must go with me, one way or another. Let''s go. We''ll stroll in those parks downtown and do what young lovers are supposed to do." Leena glowered at him domineeringly. He had made a promise that he would apany her all day. However, he was about to break his own promise.


    "Darling, I''ll go wherever you go. I''m terribly misunderstood. I made a promise and will keep it," answered Kevin. Leena had put him in an awkward position. He had some scruples, however, he wouldn''t have proposed the idea of having a walk with her outside if he didn''t want to go out with her.


    "If you intend to keep your promise, let''s go." At that same time, Leena took her husband''s hand with a sweet and contented smile on her face. Actually, she never liked strolling in the parks. However, she was guilty of wanting to experience how it would feel to walk in the park with their hands intertwined. Her ssmates in the university did this a lot when they were in love. Leena admired the genuine smiles appearing on their faces, thus, she also wanted to have that kind of smile on her own face.


    "Major General, shall I pick you up by car?" Lee stood there still. He was instantly anxious about seeing Leena and Kevin leaving. What he said was his desperate attempt to amend his fault. It was him who lent the car to ire and consequently almost ruined Kevin''s n in the first ce.


    "Let''s talk about itter. I have no idea when will ire give the car back to me," answered Kevin, without even looking back at Lee. Then, he left with Leena with their hands locked together. They would walk happily and contentedly all day and all the way to the end of their life.000000

 Chapter 1019 It鈥檚 You Louisa (Part One)

    into pieces after being exhausted with endless hard training and exercises.


    "Okay, I will call you when she is back!" Lee shouted behind them. He felt that Kevin was pissed off and wondered whether he would punish him once they came back to the army base. If it was really the case, he would surely be dead. He could just imagine himself falling "Whatever!" Kevin waved his hand at him. He suddenly realized that it was a happy thing for him and Leena to just stroll along the road while holding hands.N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    "Kevin, are you a bad leader?" Leena turned her head and looked up at him. As they nned to have fun outdoor, she had decided to wear a pair of tties today. It was a necessity for her to strain her neck as she was standing next to Kevin who was six feet and two inches tall. It would be impossible for her to reach his height even if she wore her heels.


    "Why would you think so?" Kevin lowered his head and looked into her eyes. It was a wonder to him how Leena''s eyes could always put him in a trance. Had he really loved Daisy? Why didn''t he think of her in the past few weeks? His mind had been all upied with Leena, this beautiful and adorable woman who was right beside him now.


    "You see, you always make Lee frightened." Leena snorted. She found the best thing about being in this city was that she could spend time leisurely together with Kevin, just like how they were walking holding hands now. This thing could be impossible when they were in S City. He was always busy with work during the day and it was already dark when he came home. He barely had time to be with her although he came home early sometimes. For a moment, she wondered whether Daisy was as busy as him.


    "I think I''m going to failpared with Daisy in this respect. You should know that in the army base, few would not tremble at the mention of her name." Kevin seemed very calm when he naturally talked about Daisy. There was no special emotion shown on his face. Was his love for her really just a spur of the moment in the past? Probably it was as what Daisy said to him, that his emotions to her were not actually love but a kind of sympathy and pity. She also said that he had mistaken those emotions as a kind of love. If she was right, why would he feel heartbroken when Edward suddenly appeared in her life? Was it because he got used to caring for her? Or was it because he couldn''t ept the fact that the man standing beside Daisy was no longer himself? No matter what, he had put her down and felt relieved. He had no special feelings for her anymore. So he didn''t feel sad when talking about her.


    "Oh? Really? Are you sure you are not exaggerating? Sis Daisy is very nice." Leena frowned. Why didn''t she feel Daisy was as horrible as Kevin said? "Because you''re not her soldier." Kevin disyed an unfathomable smile. It was probable that everyone in the army base would avoid talking about her.


    "Sis Daisy is awesome!" Leena beamed and her eyes turned into nice crescent shapes. She liked Daisy so much that she thought everything Daisy did was right.


    "Leena, it''s unfair. You are obviously being biased against me. Why are you looking at me as a bad guy when I am serious and rigid to my soldiers? Your Sis Daisy is worse and you think she''s awesome?" Kevin thought that he was deeply wronged. Was this woman he was holding hands with really his wife? Why would she always turn to help others and speak against her own husband?


    "It''s the truth!" Leena kept herself fromughing but then stopped quickly upon seeing an approaching Audi Pikes Peak Quattro. Her intuition was suddenly ringing. She could sense that the happy time she was now sharing with Kevin was most likely about to end. "What''s up?" Kevin looked along the direction of Leena''s gaze and happened to see his car passed the gate of the army base. In fact, it wasing closer to them. Different from Leena''s disappointment, Kevin felt very excited. His car being returned to him meant that he could go back to his initial n of taking Leena out to see the idyllic scenery of the neighboring town.


    "Hi, Kevin, are you going out?" ire pulled down the window and greeted as soon as she stopped the car. She was very excited to see him.


    "I''m d you''vee. Get out. I''ll use the car." Kevin replied with a stern voice and showed no trace of a smile on his face. He thought that irecked discipline. She acted very rudely before him without any hesitation.


    "But my friend is still in the car." ire felt reluctant to get off the car and at the same time, embarrassed to be treated like this in front of her friend.


    "What friend? It''s only a few minutes walk to our house. You get out and walk home." Seriousness was all over Kevin''s darkened face when he talked. It was clear to see that he wasn''t giving any space for any negotiation. "Hi, Kevin, it''s you!" Louisa pretended to be very surprised as she pushed the door open and stepped out of the car.


    "Oh! It''s you, Louisa." On the other hand, Kevin frowned in confusion upon seeing the woman. He wondered how Louisa became friends with his sister. He couldn''t even think of anything that could connect the two.


    "Huh, do you know each other?" ire asked puzzledly. What a coincidence it was! She had thought to be a matchmaker and ship Kevin and Louisa together. That way, she could get rid of Leena. It was to her surprise that they seemed to know each other. Good for her! That saved her a lot of energy as she didn''t need to introduce them anymore.

 Chapter 1020 It鈥檚 You Louisa (Part Two)

    "Yes, Kevin is in the same army base with my father. It''s really a coincidence. It''s destiny that we meet here today." Louisa was very excited to see Kevin. It was not easy for her to make all this a coincidence. She had coaxed and pestered her father until she got Kevin''s address. She wasn''t expecting for the address to be the same with one of her friends. She immediately got an idea and proposed a visit to that friend.


    "When did you two get to know each other?" Kevin nced at Louisa nonchntly, his face as cold as ice. How he ignored Louisa''s enthusiasm was so obvious. ire already made his headache and now, here came another troublemaker, Louisa. He could already foretell how miserable he would be in the next few days. These two girls in front of him were already speaking for themselves.


    "When Louisa studied aboard, she happened to rent the same apartment with me. That is how we got to know each other. We became close friends since." As ire stressed "abroad", she intentionally nced at Leena with a smug smile. She was unting. She had no clue that the time Leena had spent abroad and the number of countries she had visited would overwhelm them if only she chose to speak.


    "Oh, but why have I never heard you mention this before?" Kevin nced at ire and then at Louisa. He had the feeling that the whole thing was not as simple as it seemed.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "I did want to share such a thing with you but you are barely at home," ire pouted and said in a sad voice. It was true that it was rare for him to go home. When he did, he would asionally scold her. Had he really taken her as his sister? ire wondered. Leena just stood beside them in silence. This was her only choice. It was so evident that the twodies had intentionally ignored her so she could only stand still like a dumb.


    "Okay, I will ask Lee to help you take the luggage. Leave the car here." That was a firmmand from Kevin as he dialed Lee''s number.


    "Hi, Major General, is there anything I can do for you?" Lee asked in confusion. They just parted moments ago, why would he call him so soon?


    "Come to the gate and help ire to take their luggage. Hurry up." Kevin hung up as soon as he finished his words. Based on his tone, there was really no negotiation that would happen about the car anymore.


    "Kevin, where are you going?" ire rolled her eyes and asked with a cunning smile. There was excitement on her face. She had not decided yet where to take Louisa to have fun. And since Kevin also went out, they could just share his car.


    "It''s none of your business. Get out!" With furrowed brows, Kevin snapped. He would not be that stupid to tell her where he was going. Otherwise, it would be highly possible that she would follow him.


    "Huh, if you don''t tell me, I won''t get off." ire could be very obstinate when she wanted to be! She just sat tight there and stared at her brother.


    "ire, don''t make me angry." The handsome man was pretty annoyed at his unruly and stubborn sister but couldn''t do anything to her. There was arge group from their family members who would stay behind her and attack him if he offended her. That was the only reason why he was suppressing his anger most of the time. Nheless, it didn''t mean that he could tolerate her without limit. He wouldn''t mind how many people would stay behind her back as soon as she crossed his borderline. He would definitely make her suffer once he was triggered.


    "Kevin, could you also take us? I''m not very familiar with this city so I think we can follow you to look around." Louisa asked cautiously as her real reason foring there wasn''t really about ire at all.


    "Yes! Louisa is our guest. You can''t just leave the guest here and hang out by yourself." ire threw an intentional nce at Leena as if she was the one who made Kevin refuse them.


    "She is your guest, not mine." Kevin had been doing his best to avoid Louisa, how could he agree to let her tag along with them?


    "Leena, what do you say? Do you also think so?" ire shifted her attention to Leena upon seeing how determined Kevin was not to let them go with them. She would like to see whether she dared to refuse them.


    "Em... Well..." Leena looked at Kevin helplessly. Why did ire suddenly target at her? But Leena knew she was not the one who had the final say. Why couldn''t they just ignore her all the way like they did before? Leena thought.


    "Don''t try to get consent from Leena, I said no and that''s it." No matter what, Kevin was determined to cut herb today, otherwise she would really think that the world was under her control.


    "ire, how about we hail a car and hang out by ourselves?" Louisa said disappointedly. She gave Kevin a somber look to show her grievance towards his ruthlessness.


    "No, I also say no." ire had always been the apple of the eye of her family, and she had never been treated like this. She stared hard at Kevin with tears forming in her eyes.


    "Kevin, just let them go with us." Leena was caught in a dilemma. If ire didn''t ask her opinion just now, she would pretend to know nothing and act like she didn''t hear what they were talking about. It was just that she asked her, thus, she couldn''t y the idiot card.

 Chapter 1021 It鈥檚 You Louisa (Part Three)

    "Are you sure?" Kevin shot her a re. He refused them because he didn''t want to make Leena unhappy. He would have no choice but to follow her words if she insisted. The worst, he would need to swallow his pride and make do with the trip which would have only belonged to him and Leena. "It''s only a suggestion. Anyway, you decide." Leena was a clever woman. She would never let herself be involved in their argument. She wouldn''t be the final one to win if she got herself involved.


    "I see. Your answer is no answer." Kevin pursed his lips. ''Huh, when did she be so shrewd?'' Kevin wondered.


    "So? Kevin, you agree?" ire looked at him as her tears turned to smiles. She felt that she was only one step away from sess. No matter what, she would create a chance to make Louisa and Kevin together.


    "When did I say yes? If it''s me to decide, my answer is definitely no!" Kevin said as he shook his fingers before ire to gesture a no. ire and Louisa''s faces darkened at his firm attitude. Of one ord they spontaneously shifted their gazes at Leena. Obviously, they took Leena as the cause of all the displeasure.


    Leena shrugged innocently. Love was selfish, and it had zero tolerance for the third party''s interference and challenge. It was impossible for Leena to bring a disaster upon herself knowing that Louisa was actually interested in Kevin. She would not fall into their trap and give her husband to another woman regardless of how much ire might hate her.


    "Kevin, please, let us go with you. I guarantee I won''t say anything to make you angry. And I won''t stand in the middle when you couple wants to be alone." At all events, ire still tried to persuade him to bring them first. She would find chances to match Kevin and Louisa together once they were with them.


    "Yes, Kevin, it''s a rare opportunity for me toe to this city. As the host, could you do the honors and tour me around?" Louisa said in an emotional tone. She would never let such a good chance slip by.


    "Uh huh, you can''t make Louisa disappointed. Moreover, she is the daughter of yourmander." ire said as she looked at Leena with a smirk. She was telling Leena that Louisa was a person with high status and she was nothingpared to Louisa. Kevin hesitated upon hearing the wordmander. He could ignore Louisa but he couldn''t ignore themander. He had helped him a lot in his life and career. He didn''t want others to think that he had disrespected him.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "Fine, Kevin, just let them go with us." It was Leena who eventuallypromised upon seeing her husband''s helpless expression. To love him was to assure that his happiness would always go first. Thus, she decided to make the pressure stop and keep him from getting even more stressed.


    "Okay, it seems to be our only choice." A self-mocking smile cracked through Kevin''s lips. He couldn''t understand why other people''s sisters were all like angels while his own sister was like a devil. Leena was a good example. She was always the life of the party and all her brothers liked her. No one would consider her as a real troublemaker.


    "Thanks, Kevin. Louisa,e on, get in the car!" ire delightedly asked Louisa to get in the car. She was beaming a cunning smile for her sessful trick.


    "Yeah!" Louisa smiled at Kevin a little apologetically and then gently got into the car. She sat on the passenger''s seat in front. At this time, Lee rushed here.


    "Major General, I''ming! Where is the luggage?" Lee looked around doubtfully, he didn''t find luggage around the ce.


    "Probably it''s in the trunk. ire, open the trunk." Kevin heaved a sigh. He knew his romantic trip would be ruined because of these people.


    "Okay!" As every cell of ire was full of joy, she readily agreed in a gentle voice. She immediately pushed the button to open the trunk.


    Kevin frowned and came to the back of the car to take out Louisa''s luggage. He was a bit shocked to see the luggage though. Was Louisa thinking of staying there for a long time? Why would she bring two suitcases if she only nned to stay there for a few days? "Are these all the things I have to take?" Lee was actually surprised upon seeing Louisa with them. He would never expect that ire had borrowed the car to pick Louisa up. He intentionally didn''t greet the woman as he knew how arrogant she was. She would not look at him anyway even if he said hello. Thus, he would rather not say anything and pretended that he didn''t know her. Moreover, it was most likely that Louisa didn''t even remember who he was.


    "Yes, just take them to the floor which ire lives on." Kevin closed the trunk and then opened the back door of the car. He indicated Leena to sit at the back and was about to get in the car to sit next to her. He was almost settled on that seat when ire suddenly moved out of the driver''s seat and took the space next to Leena and then said, "Kevin, you may have to drive the car. I got up early today and I''m feeling a little tired. So I might not keep focused now." ire looked at him with expecting eyes as she hoped for him to drive the car. It was only an excuse though as her ultimate goal was to create opportunities to bind Kevin and Louisa together.


    "Since you can''t concentrate, you''d better go home and have a rest. We don''t need you to go with us." Kevin didn''t think further about the ulterior motives behind ire''s behavior. He simply stepped back and walked to the driver''s seat. Leena''s face immediately became ghastly pale since she clearly knew what ire wanted to do.


    "I just can''t focus on driving, I didn''t say I can''t focus on ying around." ire felt relieved upon noticing that Kevin stopped arguing with her. She had thought that she needed to make a fuss to make sure he would yield.

 Chapter 1022 A Trip For The Four (Part One)

    The car was started and driven out slowly. ire looked at Leenacently, not trying to mask her real purpose. Obviously, she did not consider Leena to be a family member, her sister-inw, at all.


    There was no doubt that Louisa was extremely satisfied with such deliberate arrangement. This way, she and Kevin looked like a couple since ire and Leena were sitting on the back seats. She was much closer to Kevin. Meanwhile, from ire''s behavior, it could be deduced that ire thought the same as her. An ordinary woman such as Leena who had no background would never match up to Kevin or be qualified to be his wife. Right now, Louisa felt that her chances of marrying Kevin were high. She believed that Leena was just a Cindere who did not deserve a prince like Kevin.


    Leena decided to ignore the provocation from ire. She took out her phone and browsed on it. ''Far from eye, far from heart,'' that was how Leena thought. She did not want to trouble herself by making any responses to ire.


    With her fingertip sliding on the screen effortlessly, Leena soon finished editing her new post. She hesitated, wondering whether she should post it or not. Finally, she bit her lip and pressed the send button. She was sure that Kevin would never see it. As far as she remembered, he had never sent her a friend request. And she never asked him if he had a QQ ount either. They had no connections whatsoever on social media.


    Kevin took one look at Leena through the rear-view mirror and found that she waspletely lost in her own world, like there weren''t three other people with her in the car. She seemed to be calm and indifferent, just like she had been before.


    "Kevin, Louisa and you have known each other for a long time. So why didn''t you marry her?" Huh. It seemed to Leena that she was invisible in ire''s eyes. Why else would she ask such a rude question when Leena was present, without thinking twice about it? "Why should I have married her?" Kevin asked back carelessly. He didn''t consider Louisa''s feelings. Perhaps he didn''t know why ire asked him to drive at first. But now, it finally dawned on him what she was trying to do. He was not a fool.


    "Isn''t she just great? I also think our families are perfect for each other," ire said the unbelievable words as she pursed her lips. She despised Leena so much.N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    "It does not matter to me how great she is. ire, I don''t want to hear those words ever again, especiallying from you," Kevin replied distantly, warning her. All of a sudden, the temperature seemed to drop a few degrees. His words left no doubt that he was warning Louisa too.


    Louisa had been delighted at first. However, all her happiness vanished in an instant upon hearing Kevin''s warning. But she still did not want to give up. No matter how many times Kevin rejected her, she still harbored hope, believing that her dream would eventuallye true, as long as she tried hard enough.


    Leena tried hard to hold back her rage and dejection. She still concentrated on her phone, as if she didn''t hear what they were talking about. However, she knew how she felt in her heart. There was nothing but bitterness there.


    ire pouted a bit. Fine, she would stop saying such words. But she would not give up! She would make a n to separate these two so that Louisa got the chance to date her brother. Huh! Any which way, she had to drive Leena out of her family. Her brother was an excellent man, and only an equally excellent woman such as Louisa could match him. They would be the perfect couple.


    The destination Kevin wanted to take Leena to was a vi, that had beautiful, natural scenery. What was more, the atmosphere there was pure, not polluted by vehicr fumes or industrial waste gas from downtown. He thought Leena needed some fresh air to breathe and she''d like it there.


    The moment Leena walked out of the car, she could not help but take a deep, full breath. She forgot the misery brought on by ire as she gazed at the beautifulndscape, skipping around happily and feeling like she was drunk on the fresh air. She looked so adorable, as charming and lively as a little fairy from some mysterious forest.


    "Isn''t it beautiful here? I think this is much better than your former choice." Kevin stood beside Leena. He was satisfied with her reaction, praising himself for choosing this ce. She looked so happy. Kevin saw that Leena had returned to her old self, animated and lovely. "Huh. The ugly person always tries to get more attention," ire scorned coldly. She detested Leena no matter what she did. All her actions and words seemed to offend ire. She had to admit that Leena was the most beautiful one among the three of them, yet she hated her. In ire''s mind, Leena was a vain girl from an ordinary well-off family, instead of a famous or esteemed one. She was jealous of Leena and thought that she did not deserve to have such a beautiful face. She would never be a princess no matter what kind of clothes she wore!


    "I''m sorry, ire. But if I am too ugly to be looked at by you, you can just choose not to look at me. Nobody is putting a knife to your neck and forcing you to do so." This was the first time Leena fought back to ire''s insults. She was beginning to understand something: ire did not even try to like her, so Leena did not have to bear her rude words or behavior anymore. Yes, ire was the princess here whom everybody loved. But Leena was a princess, too. In S city, she was the most precious princess to her family and friends. "Kevin! Are you listening to her? She is talking to me so rudely!" ire shouted, ming Leena. ire had not anticipated that Leena would retaliate. She thought Leena was a timid woman.


    "What? She looks good! I don''t think her attitude isn''t nice enough to you. And she''s right, nobody is forcing you to look at her. All right. You should do as you promised me. Go somewhere else and don''t interrupt us. We need some privacy." Kevin nced back at them with cool, determined eyes.00000000

 Chapter 1023 A Trip For The Four (Part Two)

    "No way. We will be quiet and won''t make any noise. Just let us stay with you, okay?" ire begged, sulking in a low voice. There was no way ire and Louisa were going to keep a distance from them. They would follow them all the way, trying to find any chance to


    separate them. Only then would Louisa be able to find some alone time with Kevin.


    "ire, even though our entire family spoils you, don''t go too far and think you can try to challenge me. You will not want to know the consequences of angering me. If you continue to behave like this, I''ll leave you here alone and won''te to bring you back," Kevin warned her. He meant the threat whole-heartedly. Even though she was his sister, he would never allow her to challenge his authority like that. Besides, he did not want other people to disturb Leena and him any longer.


    "Forget it, ire! If Kevin doesn''t want us to follow them, we can just go somewhere else! This ce is a bit remote, but we probably won''t run into a shady guy here," Louisa persuaded her. She seemed to make apromise, yet her words used Kevin of being heartless enough to leave two weak girls alone.


    "No, Louisa, we can''t be left here. You are so beautiful. What if wee across some guy who wants to flirt with you?" ire''s voice pitch was raised, as she pretended to be nervous for Louisa''s so-called beauty.


    "Oh, yes. She''s right. Miss Ye is so beautiful. I''m afraid she must be protected by someone. Kevin, you can stay with them. An ugly woman like me doesn''t deserve your protection. I think it would be better for me if I walked around alone." Leena was fed up with their behavior. She cast a contemptuous look at them and stalked away. It was a waste of her time and energy to be with them. She couldn''t stand it anymore. Looking at their childish antics, Leena felt like her IQ lowered.


    "Leena, no. Wait!" Kevin frowned as he walked up to Leena swiftly. He did not have time to think about Louisa and ire. He knew with absolute certainty that it was safe here for them. There would not be any bad guys appearing out of the blue. What was more, many tourists visited the ce. Even if they came across someone dubious, they could always shout for help.


    "ire, does Kevin hate me so much? Why is he so distant and indifferent whenever I approach him?" Louisa was annoyed. She felt down in the dumps upon seeing Kevin''s reaction. There was nothing she could do but look at the two disappearing figures, feeling betrayed. She did not know why he was like this.


    "No, Louisa. Not at all. You are so beautiful. There''s no way Kevin hates you. In my opinion, this is all because of Leena. She distracts Kevin deliberately so Kevin doesn''t see you," ire exined to Louisa, pouting. She cast a dark look in the direction Leena went. She seemed to hate her so much that fixing their rtionship could never be on the cards.


    "Huh. I hope so. What about us? What should we do? Are we really going to walk around by ourselves?" Louisa was not reassured. She saw how Kevin responded to them just now and did not dare to catch up with them to challenge his anger further.


    "Hmm. Do you really think we have to do exactly as he says? This ce doesn''t have his name on it. Everybody is free to choose where they want to go. Of course we can walk along the same road," ire said in anger. She decided to turn a deaf ear to Kevin''s warnings. She was his sister after all. She knew how to make himpromise.


    "But you heard what he said just now. What if he really leaves us here and goes home alone with her? I''m worried." Louisa fretted despite ire''s words. From her experience in talking to Kevin, she knew he was a harsh man. Also, she was not ire - who had the same blood running in her veins as him.


    "Don''t worry. We have money! We can call a cab should he leave us here," ire said disdainfully. She did not consider what he said to be a big problem. It was not even qualified to be called a threat.


    "Okay, you are right. We can follow them at a distance and then pretend to meet them by ident." Louisa thought the n was quite practical. She was satisfied with her brilliant mind and a confident smile spread across her face.


    "Yes, yes! They can walk that road, so can we. Let''s go, Louisa," ire said, taking Louisa''s hand. They ran in the direction in which Kevin and Leena disappeared.


    "Why are you following me here? What if your two beautiful sisterse across some bad guy?" Leenained. She did not mean to be jealous. But right now, she indeed was. She also felt a bit frustrated at her childish behavior. She knew that Kevin liked mature and rational women. That was the reason why she always forced herself to speak and act in a grown-up fashion. She wanted to be a woman like Daisy, whom Kevin loved so much.


    "You are more likely to meet a bad guy than they are." Kevin reached out to take her hand. Leena was not very tall but she walked so quickly that he had spent quite a while catching up with her.


    "No, you are wrong. An ugly woman like me would never be in such a dangerous situation," Leena retorted. She was extremely unhappy about the word ''ugly''. Ever since she came to Capital City, ire had been undermining her confidence. How could she just stand there and feign indifference while she spouted nonsense? Leena had emotions and feelings too, and was not a puppet without a soul who could be looked down upon by anyone. She had pride, too.


    "Darling, are you saying that you''d prefer to be flirted with? Well, if that''s the case, I volunteer for it. I can do that." Kevin shook his head,forting her. He used to think she never got angry. Now he knew otherwise. She was just waiting for the opportunity to explode. She also fought back hard when she could not take it anymore. And whosoever she was mad at would be in trouble.??????????????N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.

 Chapter 1024 A Trip For The Four (Part Three)

    "What an absurd thing to say! Of course I don''t want to be flirted with by some random guy. My brain is quite all right! But I''m sure our twopanions won''t stop in their n. Don''t ask me how I know. A woman''s intuition can sense everything. Do you believe me? Let''s wait and see." Leena narrowed her eyes at him as she sat down beside a big stone. It was not the weekend, so there were not many tourists around. Leena enjoyed the fresh air for there was no crowd here. It was not noisy either, so she could enjoy the peace for a while. "What kind of a n do you think they have?" Kevin folded his arms across his chest and asked her. He was curious about her answer.


    "How would I know the details? Why don''t we just wait?" Leena pressed her lips together. The corners of her mouth curved upward at the sight of the two figures approaching them. A sneer spread across her features. Well, well, well! Here they came!


    "Hey. I thought you would continue pretending to be not bothered at all. You seem to be fighting back now," Kevin said, looking at her with smiling eyes. Truth be told, he was surprised at her aggressiveness just now. She had been so easy-going before. She never sassed ire in thest few days. However, he knew her real personality and that she was actually quite naughty and guileful. He could tell from the conversation between her and Justin, that Leena was more than just a sweet and adorable girl.


    "You know what? Even a little mouse would finally bite the one who bullies it all the time," Leena admitted. Now that Kevin could see through her disguise, there was no need for her to keep pretending anymore. This was how she really was like all the time. "Yes, I see that now. Luckily, I am not the one who is to be bitten by you." Kevin talked to her face to face, so he was unable to see what was happening behind his back. However, Leena saw clearly that ire and Louisa were sauntering in their direction. "Really? I am not so sure about that. You better be careful and don''t piss me off easily," Leena warned him in a mischievous tone. Suddenly, she stood up and raised herself on her toes to leave a gentle kiss on Kevin''s lips. From the corner of her eyes, she saw the two figures get closer. Why not give the two a surprise performance? She was sure they would not be able to stand her challenge.


    Kevin was shocked. He didn''t expect her to kiss him in public out of nowhere. When he realized what was happening and tried to prolong the kiss, Leena broke off and took a few steps backward before turning around to walk away. He paused, reaching out to touch his lips, tasting her sweetness for a few more seconds. Did she kiss him because of her affection for him? Or was there some other reason? Kevin had no idea. Soon, he got to know the answer.


    "Hi, Kevin. What a coincidence! We meet again," ire greeted him with a ttering smile on her face. She thought they could stay hidden. She did not n to show up so early. However, when they saw Leena kiss Kevin, they could not stand it any longer and quickened their steps.


    "Oh, yes! A coincidence, where you are always following us in secret," Kevin jeered. Did they consider him to be a fool? As a Major General, he was perceptive enough about his surroundings.N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    "What are you talking about, Kevin? I don''t understand." ire replied in a muddled tone, pretending to be dumb. Kevin saw right through them. She would never admit that they followed them secretly.


    "It doesn''t matter what you say as long as you know it to be true. I don''t know what kind of trick you are ying, ire, but be warned. Do not try to y with me. Give it up right now if you''re trying to set me up. There will be consequences should you take your n into effect. As for what those consequences are? I myself am not sure. But I can promise you this, you are going to be miserable," Kevin snorted. He gazed at them back and forth in warning. When he looked at Louisa, a sneer appeared on his face. He did not know what was up with this woman. He refused her a thousand times, both in public and in private. Was she a fool? Could she not understand basic humannguage? Why was she still insisting on being with him?


    "Kevin? Did you say that to me?" Louisa bit her lips, asking him in an aggrieved tone. She could not help but shiver at the sight of Kevin''s bitter expression when he looked at her.


    "What do you think? Louisa, I told you before that I just consider you to be my sister. As for anything else, don''t even think about it. Let me offer you a suggestion; go and find yourself another man. That''s all I can say to you. Whether or not you ept it is your choice. I won''t make any furtherments. Am I clear?" Kevin really had difficulty in understanding how young women operated these days. He was a husband to someone else, so why was Louisa not giving up? Why did she keep chasing after him? Were there no other single men in the world anymore? Why wouldn''t she let go of him, a married man?


    "I won''t give up easily, no matter what you say, Kevin." It was an easy job for a woman to woo a man. Louisa held the belief firmly. She would win Kevin''s love someday, eventually, as long as she insisted on it. There was no way she would give up like he said.


    "Huh. Whatever. But I do hope you can think of your father for a bit. How would he feel about his daughter being so unreasonable?" Kevin said before he walked away. He told, warned and persuaded her about everything. If she did not want to change her mind at all, he could not do anything about it anyway. He could not cast a spell on her so she would stop with her ridiculous notions. He headed for the direction in which Leena left.


    "Louisa, are you all right?" ire did not expect Kevin to dislike Louisa so much. She worried at the sight of her pale face. ire had caught his words and sensed something from their conversation. One of them was not epting the other''s affection while the other was unwilling to give it up. Louisa and her brother had talked about this before. It was then that ire understood why Louisa had contacted her all of a sudden.????????????

 Chapter 1025 The Smacks (Part One)

    "I''m fine. The more he rejects me, the more my affections grow," Louisa said, as she tried to maintain her dignity. She was strong in her determination to win Kevin over at the same time. "Are we still following them?" Kevin''s rage made ire timid. She had never seen him so angry before.


    "ire, I need your help. I fell in love with your brother at first sight a few years ago. Then I went abroad for further studies. I thought he would still be single when I came back. But unexpectedly, he got married." Louisa was regretful. She could have already be Kevin''s wife if she hadn''t gone abroad.


    "Don''t worry, Louisa. I''ll help you get my brother," ire promised. Her hatred for Leena reached a summit and led to her immediate consent to Louisa''s request. "Thank you! I''ll be so grateful to you if I be your sister-inw." Louisa looked at ire earnestly, trying to convince her that she meant what she said. "I guess you have to be." ire giggled. She always thought that only a woman with a simr or better family background deserved to be her sister-inw.


    A sly twinkle shed across Louisa''s eyes. ire''s naivety was beyond her expectations. ''What a waste it would be if I didn''t take advantage of it?'' she thought. Leena had no intention of waiting for Kevin to follow her, so she quickened her pace. It was a long while before he finally caught up with her.


    "Leena, why are you walking away in such haste? I almost lost you." Kevin had been nervous when she sneaked out of his sight. His forehead was sweating.N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    "I didn''t want to be in your way. I left so you could have a good time with your sister and Louisa." Leena sounded a little jealous. She would rather be anywhere else than stay with those two women.


    "Sweetie, are you jealous?" Kevin smiled, gazing at Leena''s pout. Recalling how those plump lips had kissed him, a wave of happiness surged into his heart.


    "Jealous? Why should I be jealous! Don''t be ridiculous." Leena pursed her lips. In her view, if she and Kevin were meant to be together, no one could separate them; and if they were not, she couldn''t force it. Therefore, she let nature take its own course. She had chosen to stay away from Louisa and ire, not because she was worried that she wasn''t as charming as Louisa, but because she couldn''t stand ire''s verbal attacks on her.


    "I am d to hear that you are not. Let''s go sit over there." Kevin held her by the wrist and took her to a row of benches.


    "Kevin... I want to eat ice cream." There was a cabin not far from them. Leena fixed her eyes on it.


    "Ice cream? You''ll get sick from eating ice cream on such a cold day." Kevin furrowed his eyebrows in concern.


    "I don''t care. Are you going to buy me one or not?" Leena raised her head to look at him with sparkling eyes, full of expectations to which no man had the heart to say no. Neither did Kevin. As if hypnotized by the spell in her eyes, Kevin started to move toward the cabin. "Leena, you deliberately tried to separate my brother from us, didn''t you?" ire asked her in anger as soon as she found Leena. It had taken her and Louisa a while to find them.


    "Be reasonable. Your brother is a grown man. Nobody can take him away from you, if he doesn''t want to be," Leena said indifferently while sitting on a bench. Since ire refused to appreciate her good intentions, she didn''t see the need for her to put up with her insults anymore.


    "Hmph! Of course. Leena, get yourself a mirror. If you really think it is possible for a low-ss woman like you to manipte someone like Kevin, you are out of your mind." Louisa narrowed her eyes at Leena, contempt written all over her face. The carefree air around her bugged Louisa.


    "Then in your opinion, who can manipte him? You?" Leena had quite a mouth if need be.


    "I don''t think it would be a problem if it is Louisa. She is much better than you. You are nothing but a fake." ording to ire, there was no way the painting Leena gifted his father for his birthday could be genuine. It must have been a fake she bought to deceive her father. It pissed her off just to think of it.


    "ire, you can hate me, but don''t insult me. If you really hate me so much, why didn''t you just pick a different path? You could have avoided seeing me here." Leena wasn''t weak. She had put up with ire because she was Kevin''s sister. But since ire didn''t appreciate her friendly gestures and kept pushing her, Leena didn''t see the point for further endurance on her part.


    "Huh. So this is who you really are. You pretend to be so docile, polite, and sweet in front of my mother. Aren''t you tired yet?" ire red at Leena as she gnashed her teeth, surprised to see the weakmb suddenly grow sharp teeth.


    "I am who I am in front of your mom, because she is kind to me and I respect her. However, with you, I''ve had enough. I have always put up with you, but this is enough. Don''t push me any further." Leena gave her a sneer. She never picked on anybody, but she wasn''t a wuss either.


    "I beg your pardon? You put up with me? That''s rich. Come on, don''t blow your own trumpet. Besides, just because you married my brother doesn''t mean you are my sister-inw all the time," ire yelled, instantly drawing attention of the passers-by. Noticing the gazes from others, she lowered her voice a little.


    "As you said, I married your brother. It is your brother whom I am going to spend the rest of my life with, so why should it bother me whether or not you like me?" Leenaughed sarcastically. She had given ire many chances to be friends with her, but in return ire threw them away and bad-mouthed her again and again. Now, Leena would do nothing but be ruthless to her.


    "Hah. So you really think you can spend the rest of your life with Kevin? You wish! The game is not over yet. Let''s wait and watch." To Louisa''s ears, every word Leena just said sounded like she was gloating to her. She hated Leena''s guts.


    "Okay. Let''s wait and watch." Leena smiled and stood up. She decided to look for Kevin instead of wasting more time with these women.


    "Stop! I''m not done yet." Louisa reached out her hand and held Leena by the wrist. She wouldn''t let her go until she got out something satisfactory from her.00000

 Chapter 1026 The Smacks (Part Two)

    "Get your hand off me! Don''t push me!" Leena turned back and snapped. She didn''t care who Louisa''s father was. She was an independent career woman who didn''t rely on anyone, including Louisa''s family. She wouldn''t grovel to them.


    "Are you going to hit me? ire, do you see the kind of woman she is?" Louisa raised her eyebrows, not afraid at all if Leena hit her. She used to be as rebellious as a gangster before she went abroad.


    "Yes, I do. I''ll tell my parents what a horrible person she really is and she won''t be able to be a part of my family any longer." ire jutted up her chin with acent look on her face, as if imagining how embarrassed Leena would be once her parents found out who she really was.


    Leena looked up at the sky and let out a long breath. They were in a public ce. She didn''t want to make a scene. But these two women didn''t seem to let her go easily.


    "Leena, at the end of the day, you are nothing more than a cheap bitch. You know Kevin doesn''t love you and that he is in love with someone else, but you won''t leave him anyway. Don''t you have any shame at all?" Louisa said, viciousness in her eyes. She knew her words would provoke Leena. That was exactly what she expected. She wanted to see how Kevin would react when he saw her getting attacked by Leena.


    p! Leena turned around and smacked Louisa hard. It stung, but as she had expected, Kevin saw the p and stopped in his steps, a stunned look on his face. She thought the pain was well worth it.


    "Oh my God. Leena, how can you be such a savage woman? Even if we are wrong to follow you and my brother, you could have just told us not to follow; how could you hit Louisa?" ire hadn''t seen the smacking. She was astonished because Leena had always seemed to be such a sweet girl. However, as soon as ire saw her brother hastening toward them, she started using Leena.


    "Why should I put up with someone who has a potty mouth? Louisa, you deserve it." Leena looked at Louisa disdainfully. She hated anybody who used the word ''bitch''. Louisa had touched a nerve. When she turned back, she saw Kevin standing in front of her with an ice cream in his hand. He seemed shocked. Leena moved her lips and attempted to exin everything, but she couldn''t say a word and walked past him. The ice cream dropped on the ground as she walked by and touched his arm by ident. Her heart quivered and her eyes watered when she heard the ice cream drop, yet she didn''t stop and walked on. ''This is what those two women wanted,'' she thought. They had been trying to ruin her date with Kevin and make trouble for her. Now they got what they wanted. They must be gloating. "Kevin, have you seen how horrible she is? We were just talking to her and she hit Louisa for no reason!" ireined. At the same time, she was amazed at how clever Louisa was. She understood that she was trying to cause misunderstanding between Kevin and Leena, but ire was surprised that Louisa was willing to hurt herself to achieve her purpose.


    "I believe Leena. She wouldn''t have done that if you two hadn''t crossed a line." As much as Kevin was shocked to see the scene unfold, he knew Leena and believed in her. She wasn''t a bully. On the other hand, Louisa and ire had been provoking her all this time. "What? Kevin, you saw what happened. How can you still trust that woman? Why are you always on her side? Did she drug you or something?" ire gaped at Kevin before she uttered the words. She had thought he woulde to his senses and seek justice for her and Louisa. Instead, he was calm, as if nothing could be more natural and fairer than a p in Louisa''s face.


    "What ''that woman''? She is your sister-inw. Show some respect! Louisa, no matter who is right, and who is wrong, since my wife hit you, I apologize to you on her behalf. She shouldn''t have done that no matter how angry she was." Kevin sounded impartial andposed. In actuality, he was worried about Leena. She had walked off in a rush.


    "That mean woman isn''t my sister-inw! She never will be, no matter what you say!" ire raised her voice willfully. She was frustrated to see her brother had chosen to believe Leena instead of her. He had seen her p Louisa, still he thought it was their fault. How could he be so biased in her favor? He was her own brother. How could he treat her like this? She wouldn''t take the me.


    p! It was so loud. This time it wasn''t in Louisa''s face, but in ire''s. Suddenly, silence fell among them, as if even time had forgotten to tick by. Touching her stinging cheek, with her eyes wide open and face deathly pale, ire stared at Kevin in shock, as if the man standing in front of her was a total stranger instead of her own brother. All her life, she had been the princess around whom even the world seemed to revolve. But now, her own brother had hit her for another woman.


    "Kevin, you hit me, for her! Is she more important to you than your own sister?" ire asked loudly, biting her lips. The pain in her face aggravated as she spoke. She frowned and promised herself that she would make Leena pay for this sooner orter.


    "ire, you should know why I hit you. It was not only because of your rude remarks, but also because your conduct is unbearable for anyone with a conscience." Kevin closed his eyes in disappointment. His heart ached as he hit her. After all, she was his sister, no matter how wrong she was. He turned to nce at Louisa and said, "Louisa, you''d better havee here just because you wanted to catch up with ire. Once I find out that you have an ulterior motive, I''ll deal with you too, even if you are the daughter of the Commander." "Kevin, am I so unworthy in your eyes? I am the one who was hit, not Leena. Even though she is your wife, you should be impartial to us instead of protecting her." With her hand on her face, Louisa thought of giving up. On the other hand, she felt she was unable to take this kind of oue peacefully. But Kevin''s words were harsh. If she kept pestering him, it would seem humiliating.


    "I didn''t say she was right to hit you. But I also know there must have been a reason. And you two know better than anyone else what the reason was." Kevin didn''t believe Leena raised her hand for no reason. She had always been rational. They must have said something to irritate her.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "It is easy to find a stick to beat a dog. You just want to find something to me us for, don''t you? Do you really think you know her? Wake up! Ask around. We all saw how malicious that woman was just now. Believe it or not, nobody provoked her. If you really think it was our fault, then I am speechless, but I still have faith in justice." Louisa managed an innocent look on her face, as if she was the victim and Leena the guilty one.


    "Huh! Justice! I hope you understand what that word means." Kevin nced at her coldly and turned away. He walked swiftly in the direction Leena had left, assuming that she was crying in some corner. He had seen her moist eyes when she passed him by. Watching Kevin leave, Louisa bit her lips. The hatred in her eyes increased. She cursed inside, ''Leena, you are lucky this time, but pray for yourself, because your luck won''t hold for ever.''?????????????

 Chapter 1027 I Dont Want To Apologize (Part One)

    Leena kept trying to hold back her tears the entire way. Kevin had seen that she pped Louisa. Now he must think she was malicious. However, she did not regret pping that woman one bit. On the contrary, she felt relieved because she did not need to tolerate ire


    and Louisa''s provocations anymore. In any case, she had fallen out with them, hadn''t she?


    At that moment, she missed S city very much. She missed the people and her life there. She always felt like she should not havee here as her arrival was not weed. Although Shannon liked her very much, she knew that other people looked at her contemptuouslyst night at the birthday party. She hid in the garden because she did not want herself to face the embarrassing situation. It seemed that in today''s society, everybody paid more attention to identity and background. If she was the daughter of a senior official, the treatment she received would be totally different!


    Leena found aparatively remote ce and sat down. She would not envy others, no matter how high their statuses were. In her heart, she believed that what she owned was not inferior to others. She possessed a deep familial affection that could not be exchanged with any precious titles. Although her family was not a political one, everyone in it loved her very much.


    Leena bit her lip. She wished she could hear Duke''s voice. She took out her phone, but didn''t dare to tap out his number. If she told Duke what had happened, she would cry. Duke already disliked Kevin. If he knew what had urred, he would dislike Kevin more. That was certainly not what she wanted to happen. No matter how grieved she felt right now, she would not call up Duke.


    After what happened, Kevin must be quite disappointed with her. Would he believe her? Or did he believe in Louisa? But it didn''t matter anymore, did it? After all, she had done it, and now it was useless to regret it.


    She took a slight breath, looking up at the sky and trying to hold back her tears. At the same time, she continued tofort herself in her heart, ''Leena, it''s okay. This is nothing serious. If you cannot stand such kind of grievance, how can you go on fighting in the future?'' Kevin looked for Leena everywhere. But no matter where he looked, he did not find her. It was inevitable for him to get a little anxious. It was also easy for his temper to re up when he couldn''t find someone. However, he continued to be calm, which was odd. "Leena." Upon seeing her petite figure, Kevin quietly let out a breath of relief. He quickly ran over to her.


    Leena raised her head and nced at Kevin indifferently. She lowered her head again. She knew Kevin came to question her and she was ready to receive his scolding.


    "Well, do you not want to look at me? Or is there nothing you want to tell me?" Kevin looked down at her from a height. Although his tone was a little indifferent, he felt a little prickle in his heart when he saw her red eyes.


    "If you want me to apologize to Louisa, then no. I won''t do it," Leena said in a firm tone, lifting her head to gaze at him. Truthfully, she didn''t think she did anything wrong today.


    "Who said you had to apologize? I just want you to talk about the cause of what you did. Is that okay?" Kevin kneaded the line between his brows, feeling like he was unable to deal with this. But he could not leave the problem unresolved.


    "Can I say no? I do not want to say yes. If Louisa really insists that I have to apologize, tell her that she cane straight to me, instead of letting you stand up for her." Leena felt depressed to the extreme. Did Kevin still choose to believe Louisa? If so, he would definitely question her about what she did.


    "Leena, can''t you be more rational? What is the meaning of ''stand up for her''? Did you mean to say you think I won''t stand by your side?" Kevin frowned. He really did not like her act of pushing him away from her. After all, no matter what, he was her husband. He would not help others in bullying her!


    "Yes, I''m not rational enough. But don''t you always know that?" Leena jutted out her chin. She looked like a little hedgehog with erect thorns all over her body, as if only this way could she protect herself from injury.


    "Leena, I did note here to quarrel with you, but to solve this problem. Can you not be so sensitive?" Kevin felt somewhat helpless. He wasn''t scolding her. So why was she being so aggressive right now?


    "What did you say? I am sensitive? Kevin Gu, you have the heart to me me, don''t you? You know that I pped yourmander''s daughter, which means you will get into trouble because of me. So, are you sure you can continue to be calm?" Leena asked him solemnly. Truth be told, she had not considered that when she pped Louisa. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have been so impulsive. But the strange thing was, even if she calmed down now, she could not find it in herself to regret what she did.


    "So you are beginning to worry about me now?" Kevin did not reply to her, but asked her another question instead. He was quite interested in her answer.


    "I''m sorry about it. But I don''t regret it." Leena lowered her head. Her small face was pale. She admitted that she did not consider him when she got angry and pped her. She might have made trouble for Kevin. That was on her.


    "Let''s go. We need to go home first." Kevin stretched out his palms, waiting for her to grab them. He thought they should not be here in such a circumstance. It was better for them to go home early. After all, Leena needed a quiet space to calm down, didn''t she?N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.

 Chapter 1028 I Dont Want To Apologize (Part Two)

    "You send back ire and Louisa first! I want to stay here alone for a moment." Leena did not think that she could continue to pretend to keep peace with them. So she wanted to avoid facing them if she could. She also needed time to think about how she would exin what she did today to Nathan and Shannon when they returned home. It was a serious im that she pped Louisa. She knew that ire would definitely tell them.


    "You can choose. Either we go back together or I stay here with you." In truth, Kevin wanted to hold her petite body in his arms. But he held back as he wanted Leena to realize her mistake. After all, no matter how he skirted around the issue, it was her who pped Louisa. Even if she had been bullied by Louisa and ire, she was not in a dignified position here. pping someone was indeed a bad conduct.


    "Kevin, do you know you are forcing me to do what I don''t want to do?" Leena really didn''t want to cry. But she couldn''t restrain her tears any longer. She hadn''t yet thought out how she would exin this to Nathan and Shannon. Couldn''t he give her some time to think? "What? I am forcing you? Really? What I have forced you to do? Tell me!" Kevin fumed. Was he wrong to ask her to go home first? Or did she want to cry alone in front of so many people? They were outside and had an audience.


    "All right. I seem to have used the wrong word. I am sorry. I just want to be alone for a while. I didn''t mean anything else." Leena felt exhausted in both body and mind. She was really tired.


    "Do you want to keep me out of your heart?" Kevin felt helpless. Did this mean he was just a sham husband in her eyes? Why did she not trust that he believed her?


    "But you have never thought ofing into it, have you? Don''t you think that question is kind of ridiculous?" Leena didn''t want to quarrel with him. But the words were out of her mouth before she knew. It was the truth of how she felt unconsciously. She felt as helpless as he seemed to be.


    "What if I say I have? Do you think I am lying to you? If I did not take you seriously, why would I have promised you a marriage?" Kevin had thought that she did not care if he loved her or not, because she had never asked him before. It turned out that she just hadn''t had the opportunity to erupt like a volcano.


    "Kevin Gu, sometimes I think you are so hypocritical. The woman you love is clearly not me, but you still show a kind of loyalty to me. In other people''s eyes, you are good to me. But only I know how deceitful you really are." Leena didn''t know why she wanted to blurt out her thoughts all of a sudden. She also did not think about the consequences they would have once she said the words out loud.


    "Leena, what are you saying?! If I don''t like you, whom do I like?" The word Kevin used was ''like'', not ''love''. Even now, his feelings for Leena could not bebelled as love.


    "You should ask yourself that. How would I know the answer?" Was Leena so hell-bound to speak out no matter what the cost was? Otherwise why was she so keyed up today?


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about. There is no such woman. I do not like any other," Kevin answered tly. If Leena had questioned him about this in the past, he would definitely have been robbed of words. But now, he hadpletely forgotten about his infatuation for Daisy. He felt wronged when he heard Leena use him like this.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "If I were you, I wouldn''t mind saying it out loud. There is nothing wrong with liking a person. So why do you hide it? If you continue to hide it, it just makes you seem like that you don''t have the courage to assume the responsibility." Leena continued to be aggressive. Didn''t he want to hide whom he liked from everyone? She should make the matter public, and see how he continued to hide it.


    "Leena, have you been investigating me?" Kevin was a bit provoked. The one thing he hated the most was for someone to intrude on his privacy. Leena was looking to touch a raw nerve.


    "I apologize. But I don''t need to pry. I would know what you are thinking and could easily get the answers I need. I don''t need to investigate you." Leena knew that even if she wanted to stop speaking now, it would be impossible for her toply to her rationality. So why not take advantage of this opportunity to put her sorrows out in the open? After all, she needed to face them sooner orter. It was just a matter of time.


    "It seems to me that ire and Louisa are quite right. I do not know you well." Kevin did not know that Leena already knew so many things about him. She even knew that he loved a woman before! However, Leena took the meaning of his words as that he thought she was a scheming woman. She assumed that he was indirectly telling her that he believed ire and Louisa, but not Leena herself. His words hurt her, but she still did notpromise on her pride.


    "Are you disappointed? I am indeed such a vicious woman." Leena bit her lip. She felt utterly hopeless. She didn''t care what he thought anymore. Moreover, she was not afraid to bear such grievance again.


    "So you have known all this, but you just pretended not to care about it?" Kevin smiled with self-mockery. Since she said so, she must know whom he loved before. How could she keep the secret of her knowing for such a long time? He was so curious.

 Chapter 1029 I Dont Want To Apologize (Part Three)

    misunderstood each other''s meaning at the same time, which led to the situation worsening.


    "Now that you have condemned me, do I still have a chance to exin myself to you?" The questions and the corresponding answers between the two of them were not regarding the same issue at all. The seeds of contradiction were buried deep. Both of them When they went back to the car, ire and Louisa had already got in. As the two of them spotted Leena, they red daggers at her mercilessly. The strange thing was that they all sat on the back seat. ire and Louisa did not use any tricks this time. At their stares, Leena just ignored them. She looked at the passing scenery outside of the window with calm. However, her mind was not as calm as her face expressed. The conversation between Kevin and her had not solved the problem, but only let it get worse. Even now, they suspected each other.


    At the time, she couldn''t help but speak out the secret she had tried to keep all this time. She always pretended to know nothing about Kevin loving Daisy. Although she did not say her name out loud, she told him that she knew he loved another woman. She didn''t know whether that was a good decision or not. ording to the degree of regret she felt right now, it was probably not a good one. But shecked patience.


    Kevin gave her onest look and did not say anything. He still wondered how she knew that the person he loved before was Daisy. Did he do something that had exposed his secret? However, he did not feel any panic. On the contrary, he was relieved. After all, he was hiding nothing from her now. Also, he no longer loved Daisy. He could exin that to her.


    When they went back to Gu house, ire was the first one to get out of the car. She walked straight toward the door. Leena knew she was in a hurry to tell Nathan and Shannon about what happened today.


    Louisa took a look at the two other people sitting in the car and got out. She pressed her lips together and quickly followed ire''s pace.


    The clock ticked away. Seeing Leena was not moving from her seat at all, Kevin decided to make apromise. It did not mean the problem between them was solved. It was just put away temporary.


    "Get out of the car," Kevin said. It was the first time he said something after they left that ce. With ire and Louisa in the car, he did not know how tomunicate with Leena. He always felt like there was a high wall ced between them that he couldn''t climb, and that didn''t let hime any closer to her.


    Leena bit her lip, wondering how she would be treatedter. Would Shannon scold her? Would Nathan kick her out of the house? In all honesty, she had no idea. But she could not just stay inside the car. She got out, not seeming to want to wait for Kevin as she directly walked into the house. No matter how much she wanted to escape, she could not change the fact that she had pped Louisa.


    Inevitably, as soon as Leena entered the living room, she saw Nathan re at her sternly. The only person in the family who was kind to her, Shannon, was not there. She would really be scolded this time.


    "Leena,e with me to the study room," Nathan said in a dignified manner. He did not tolerate it when others put any resistance against hismands.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "Yes, okay," Leena said as her voice trembled. From the periphery of her eyes, she saw ire and Louisa looking at her, chuffed. She hade in a littlete after them. In the short time, ire must have told Nathan everything.


    ire made a smug face at Leena. ''Hmph!'' She knew that her father would certainly help Louisa and her get justice. She would like to see how this awful woman continued to stay in their house.


    "Tell me! Why did you p Louisa?" As soon as Leena entered his study room, Nathan asked her the question. Leena did not even get the chance to nce around the room.


    "I apologize. I''m a little impulsive today." Even though she did not think she did anything wrong, Leena still had to take the initiative to admit the mistake in front of her elder.


    "Impulsiveness is not a reason to hit someone. It''s not a response you should have as a member of the Gu family," Nathan said firmly He looked a bit aggressive.


    "I..." Leena bit her lip. She did not know how to describe what happened today to him. She could only drop her head and listen to his rebuke with embarrassment.


    "I don''t want to see something like that happen again. Conduct yourself well and don''t make trouble any more. And go and apologize to Louisa. This is your punishment." Nathan kept his face majestic and it scared Leena. She did not dare to exin herself. However, she didn''t want to do what he said. "Dad! I don''t want to apologize." Leena insisted on not doing this, because she felt that she had done nothing wrong. She was unwilling to bow down to Louisa.


    "This is not up to you, unless you don''t want to stay in the family any longer," Nathan said in all seriousness. He was not kidding. Although he was d that Leena had given him an expensive gift, it didn''t do anything to satisfy him about her family background.000????????????

 Chapter 1030 Im Sorry (Part One)

    Leena was in shock as she looked at Nathan. Her eyes were wide with disbelief. What did he say? Was she hearing him right? Did he really mean that Louisa was more important than her, his daughter-inw? Or was it because he was a good friend with themander and he couldn''t let his friend''s daughter be treated as such? Now that made sense! That realization struck Leena''s mind like a speeding car. It was definitely the reason why he said those things and treated her with this attitude!


    "Dad, do you really dislike me that much? I don''t expect you to treat me like your own daughter. I know that''s impossible but I don''t know why you are treating me this way! You don''t even see me as your daughter-inw, right?" Leena closed her eyes for a short moment. She didn''t know how to feel or what to say anymore. Yes, she could apologize to Louisa. That was not hard at all because she was guilty of raising her hand to p her. Nheless, being asked by her father-inw in such an usatory tone broke her heart. She felt so disappointed with Nathan and at the same time, lonely as there was nobody there for her.


    "Why do you think that?" Nathan didn''t really care about how or what caused the issue. The only thing he was concerned about was the fact that Leena hit someone. There was no way that he would tolerate anyone in his family who had beaten another person. That was why he demanded Leena to apologize to Louisa. It was just so wrong to hit a person!. Plus, Louisa was both their guest and his good friend''s daughter. He couldn''t just let this slide easily. How would he even face his friend in the future?


    "Why do I think that? Are you sure that you have no idea? If you''re really treating me as a member of this family, then you should have listened to my side of the story and never demanded me to apologize without even hearing me! You just believed what Louisa and ire said without a doubt and med me for everything!" Leena looked straight into his eyes as she said those words. She had to admit that she was afraid of Nathan. She also knew that she shouldn''t be saying those things because what she was doing would only cause even more trouble. However, she just couldn''t help it, thus, she acted tough and fearlessly defended herself instead. She wouldn''t back down easily.


    "Leena, where is your manner? Is this how your parents taught you? Listen to yourself now. How dare you contradict me like this? I am your father-inw. I don''t like your attitude at all. You need to think about what your problem is! You did something wrong and it''s reasonable for you to apologize. Well, if your parents didn''t teach you then let me be the one to teach you a lesson." Nathan had always been a leader and he was used to being treated as one. This was the first time someone had defied his judgment and he couldn''t stand it. Moreover, he didn''t think he was wrong. Leena was just being unreasonably stubborn! Leena was also his daughter-inw. She was his son''s wife. She should listen to him by all means! Leena''s defiance was making her lose his face. It made him feel like he couldn''t even deal with a young girl.


    "Well, I think I know what you want and what to do now." Leena''s face was extremely pale. She could not believe that Nathan said those words to her. To be frank, he just wanted her to apologize to Louisa and admit her fault. Why did he have to bring Leena''s parents into this mess? Didn''t he think that insulting her parents like that was extremely impolite? It seemed that he didn''t even consider Leena''s feelings at all. Then fine! She would do as he said. It was just an apology anyway. It wouldn''t kill her. It was not hard, was it? Nevertheless, she had already hit her rock bottom. She was done. She had finally decided not to respect him as her father-inw anymore!


    Nathan''s eyebrows furrowed as he noticed how Leena''s stare at him instantly grew colder. It sent him the message that something had changed and would never be the same again. The determination on her face was unbreakable. It seemed that she was both heartbroken and desperate. Nevertheless, he had a reputation to maintain, thus, he couldn''t take his words back. That was not going to happen, ever.


    Leena didn''t remember how she walked out of the study room. She couldn''t even exin what she was feeling when she walked to Louisa. It was only when she opened her mouth to apologize that she realized that her voice was shaking badly.


    "Miss Ye, I''m sorry! I was too hotheaded. I shouldn''t have pped you. I was wrong. Please forgive my impulsive action." There was no blood on Leena''s pretty face. She lowered her head and looked down at her toes. She couldn''t even focus. She could hear the sound of her own heart shattering inside her ears.


    "Huh! Leena, well, if you think you can p someone then get away with it with just a simple apology then you are awfully wrong! Police would have nothing to do if an ''I''m sorry'' could solve every problem." ire''s words were full of sarcasm. She enjoyed the miserable look on Leena''s face. She didn''t like Leena anyway. So she felt no sympathy for her at all.


    "Then what do you want? Do you want to p me back? If you really want that, please just do it now before I change my mind." Leena bit her lip so hard that it was almost bleeding. If it wasn''t for Kevin, she could simply walk out of this house and nevere back. It was all for the love she held for him and also for the happy marriage she pictured with him. She was willing to make the sacrifice and abandon her pride. She would be a docile and perfect little wife even if it meant losing her personality and dignity.0000??????????Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1031 Im Sorry (Part Two)

    "p you? Haha. Of course not! Leena, do you really think that I am that stupid?" Louisa said with disdain. She was under the impression that Leena was liked by Kevin''s family. It seemed that she was wrong. She didn''t expect that Kevin''s family would take her side and make Leena apologize to her. She suddenly felt a lot better about herself with the knowledge that Leena wasn''t wee in his family at all.


    "Well, I have given you the chance, don''t ever regret not taking up my offer." There was no trace of warmth in Leena''s voice. She had never experienced anything close to this as she was a spoiled girl from a crazy rich family. To be honest, it was probably the most embarrassing and miserable day in her life. What could be worse than being treated like this by her husband''s family and being mocked by the woman who wanted to take his husband away? She didn''t want to think anymore. She just wanted to leave and hide in a ce where no one could ever find her. She needed to be alone tofort herself. Her heart might be broken beyond repair but never had she let a tear fall from her eyes. She would never give them the satisfaction of seeing her cry.


    "Of course I won''t. I want you to remember it, Leena. You are the unreasonable one here. You pped me but instead of revenging against you, I let you off easily. Remember that you owe me, forever." Louisa was more confident as Nathan took her side. Her words turned


    even more venomous.


    "How can I refuse you when you want this? But Miss Ye, don''t be so smug. You won''t be this lucky forever. There may not be another person to help you or take your side next time you do wrong." Leena nced at Louisa with her eyes full of disdain. For her, Louisa was just the kind of girl who turned to others to ask for help when she was in trouble. She would be nothing without anyone sheltering her. These thoughts made Leena feel better. Why would she be sad over such a disgraceful woman? It was not worth it.


    "That''s none of your business and not for you to concern. Just worry about your own damn business! Don''t cause any more trouble for Kevin and that''s all I want." Secretly, Louisa was happy about Leena being disliked by Kevin''s father and sister. Would this mean that she had a bigger chance now to make Kevin divorce his wife?


    "What are you all doing here?" Kevin was confused when he saw the three. He just parked his car and then met an acquaintance on his way back. He ended up chatting with him for a short moment. It was undeniable though how the atmosphere inside their house had changed right when he came back. What happened?


    "Give me the car keys, I have something to buy now." Leena didn''t wait for Kevin''s reply. She just snatched the keys from his hand and ran straightly outside. She was fast as she was not wearing her high heels and it was already toote when Kevin realized what just happened. He turned to run after her without thinking because he could tell that Leena was in the worst mood. He didn''t want her to drive in such a state in fear that something might happen to her. It was just that ire quickly grabbed on his wrist and forced him to stop. "Kevin, just let her go! She did it to herself. Dad just wanted her to apologize to Louisa but she was so reluctant! She did something wrong but she acted like it was all our fault. It was like we were the bad guys here! She''s just so impossible! She even threatened Louisa! Can you believe it? To be honest, it''s probably the best for her to leave now. I really can''t understand what you see in her." ire puckered her lips. She didn''t want her brother to go after Leena. A woman like Leena should leave her family alone and nevere back! After all, she was not the only one who wanted to be Kevin''s wife and their parents'' daughter-inw. There were so many other choices. Leena could leave all she wanted as long as she never came back.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "What do you mean? Are you saying that dad reprimanded Leena just now?" Kevin''s eyebrows furrowed. How did that happen? Why would his dad reprimand Leena without a solid reason? He really couldn''t understand a thing!


    "Yeah, of course! I told dad that Leena had pped Louisa. So he was quite angry with her." The look on ire''s face showed that she was very proud of what she did. She thought she did something good for her brother.


    "ire, I''ll get to you in a minute." Kevin jerked his hand out of ire''s hold and then hurriedly ran outside after Leena. She must be lying when she said that she had something to buy immediately. She just wanted to get away from this ce, from the people who had hurt her badly! After all, he knew that his father was a very serious man and how strict he could be. He was determined to stop his wife but then all he had seen as soon as he opened the door was an Audi Pikes Peak Quattro quickly disappearing from his view. It was toote. He clenched his hands into tight fists. He could feel how his nails were digging deep into his palms. Then without any word, he smashed his fist to the wall, making the wall shake slightly. He couldn''t feel any pain, all he could feel was his worry for Leena.000000??????

 Chapter 1032 Im Sorry (Part Three)

    Leena let all her tears out as soon as she got in the car. She drove the car around the city without a specific direction. It seemed that this trip to the capital city was just a big mistake. She shouldn''t have rushed her essay for this. If she hadn''t finished her essay so early, she wouldn''t havee here and be treated like this. These awful things wouldn''t have happened at all. If she hadn''t finished her essay so early, she would have still been in Paris, the romantic and beautiful city.


    It was just that all these were just wishful thinking. She was no prophet after all. So now, she was stuck here, trapped with these people. She didn''t know what Louisa''s purpose was before. It was different now though. That vicious woman''s goal was to make her angry. Stupid as she was, she gave what Louisa wanted. That was how things ended up like this. She had no one to me but herself. She was too trusting and too silly. That was why she had fallen for Louisa''s trap.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    Tears kept streaming down her face, but the ache in her heart never lessened. Instead, she felt more and more suffocated. She just wanted to love someone. Should it be this hard? Was it worth the sacrifices she made? She didn''t have any answers to her own questions.


    She wiped the tears that wouldn''t stop falling. She wanted badly to drive directly to S City but she knew that she couldn''t. Not only because of Kevin''s family but also because of the ones who loved her deeply. There were many people who cared about her very much and she couldn''t let them worry. Besides, it was also not safe for her to drive in such an unstable state. It was a long journey to S City after all.


    The phone beside her kept ringing and she knew clearly who was calling. Nheless, she just didn''t want to pick the phone up. She had no energy to deal with him now. She wasn''t prepared to face him yet. Just for once, she wanted to get away from everyone. Kevin was calling Leena non-stop while looking for her on every street. It was a pain that the capital city was such a big ce. It wasn''t easy to find her at all.


    "Major General, do you think that Leena has driven back to S City?" Lee asked carefully. In fact, he had no idea what the hell had happened. He could tell that the Major General was deadly worried and anxious though. Thus, he knew that something bad must have urred. Nheless, he didn''t dare to pry, not now when he was seeing how stone cold Kevin''s face was.


    "No. I know her. She wouldn''t do such a thing. She is not that impulsive." Kevin''s eyebrows were deeply furrowed. Though Leena would act childish and throw a fit from time to time, he knew she wouldn''t just leave the city and leave him behind. She was not that willful and heartless. She clearly knew the consequences of her actions, thus, she would never go back to S City at such a moment.


    "What if she really has something to buy as she told you? How about looking for her in the supermarkets around here?" Lee was just listing all the possibilities. The only thing he knew was that Leena said something about buying things. He could only guess if it was true or not by the limited information that the Major General gave him.


    "That''s not possible. Just drive carefully! Drive around the neighborhood and see if we can find her car." Kevin didn''t know what his father said to Leena as he didn''t have the time to ask. He knew that Leena had apologized to Louisa and was in a bad mood because of it. Thus, he guessed that his father''s words could have torn Leena''s heart.


    "Okay, Major General." Lee''s eyebrows were also deeply furrowed. Things were all good this morning when they went out. How could things turn out like this when they got back? Things just changed too fast.


    Kevin kept ringing Leena but she never picked up. It seemed that she didn''t even want to talk to him and chose to ignore his phone calls.


    And he was right in fact. Leena indeed didn''t want to talk. She calmed down after a long time of driving. It didn''t mean that she didn''t mind what happened anymore. She was just calmer than before and could think clearly now. No matter what, she was not in the mood to go back to Kevin''s house. She had finally got away from them. Why should she even care if what she did disturbed them or not? It was after another hour that she considered that maybe she might have thought too highly of herself. It was probably just Kevin who cared if she would ever go back. Yes, he might be thinking of her or else her phone wouldn''t keep ringing.


    Letting out a silent breath, Leena thought that she couldn''t keep on driving without direction.. She nced at her phone for a short moment then suddenly picked it up. She didn''t answer the call though. She hung up directly and called the number she remembered by heart.


    "Hello, Leena! It seems that you finally remember your brother!" Edward was quite surprised but happy about Leena calling him. It was always a pleasure receiving his little sister''s phone call. He automatically stopped the work he was handling and leaned back against his chair. He wanted to concentrate on every word Leena would say.


    "Edward, don''t be silly. How can I ever forget you? Look, I''m calling you right now, aren''t I?" Leena replied though she was indeed a bit guilty about what he just said. She wouldn''t have called Edward if she didn''t have a favor to ask. Edward was a smart man and if she cut to the chase, Edward would definitely know that something was wrong. Therefore, she started with a joke before cracking her true reason.

 Chapter 1033 Im Sorry (Part Four)

    "Well, I guess you are right. How are you doing? How''s the capital city treating you? Isn''t it great fun?" Edward asked casually in a gentle tone, he wanted to know if Leena was alright because he still felt surprised about Leena''s call. If only they were together, his little


    sister would have seen the affection that instantly shed in his eyes as he talked with her.


    "No. It''s no fun without you all here." Leena didn''t lie about that. She really thought the capital city was no fun without her brothers and friends. She already had a tough time getting along with Kevin''s sister. The thing that happened between Louisa and her just hours ago wasn''t as pleasant either. Then top it up with Nathan''s attitude. Everything just made she feel very lonely.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "Wait a minute, Leena. Why does your voice sound so weird? Have you been crying?" Edward immediately straightened his back. He was sure that there was something wrong with his little sister''s voice. Did something happen to her? Was Kevin''s family not treating her right? Edward''s brain was suddenly bombarded by all the negative possibilities. Why did he have a bad feeling about this? He could feel that Leena wasn''t telling him everything.


    "No! Of course not. You worry too much. I''m just not used to the weather here so I caught a cold. That''s all." Leena would never tell Edward what exactly happened because Edward was overprotective. It would only go worse if he knew because he would definitely rush here and take her home in a sh. So she put on a smiley face for her brother and tried her best to be strong though he couldn''t see her. It was nice to know that Edward still cared so deeply about her.


    "A cold? Again? Well, it seems that my worry is in fact legit. Haven''t you been taking good care of yourself as Tom had told you? You get sick so easily and I''m not happy about it." Suddenly, Edward was displeased with Kevin. What was he doing? Why didn''t he take good care of his sister? Leena was by his side all this time! How could he not notice that Leena could easily catch a cold? He would definitely have a word with him once they were back. Kevin couldn''t keep ignoring Leena any more. He wouldn''t allow it.


    "It''s just a cold! You have absolutely nothing to worry about. I will be healthy again in a few days. Plus, please don''t tell Mr. Cold that I''ve caught a cold. He would be worried sick." Leena knew Duke so well and she was aware that Duke also cared so much about her. There was no doubt that her brother would rush to the capital city even if her problem was just a small cold. Mr. Cold was just really like that. There was no way of talking him out of something once he made up his mind.


    "Well, that can be negotiated. How will you convince me to not tell Duke about your sickness though? What do I get out of this?" Edward suddenly wanted to tease her. He found it quite amusing messing with her and watching her being all flustered.


    "Well. If you really want me to do something for you, I guess I can go check your house in the capital city for you. You know, just to check if the house is still yours or if it has already been stolen and sold by others in secret." Leena was just worrying about how to mention this to him. She didn''t expect that Edward would give her such a good chance to bring the topic about his house up. She felt relieved. In this case, she wouldn''t have to make up some excuses and lie to him anymore.


    "You can rest assured. That''s not possible. Nobody dares to sell my house without my permission. After all, no one would want to endanger his life by doing such a thing." Edward was confident about this, thus, he didn''t even worry about the kind of situation Leena imagined happening.


    "Edward, just tell me where it is! I''m already in the capital city right now! Shouldn''t I know where my brother''s house is? It''s quite reasonable!" Leena pleaded. She had to know the address to Edward''s house because that house was the only hiding ce she could think of. She couldn''t give it up so easily.


    "Huh. Do you want to go there? Are you kidding? Do you want to spend some time alone with Kevin without his family intruding? Am I right?" Edward had a knowing smile on his face. Well, he was married too and he knew the feeling when you wanted to be alone with your other half. Thus, he clearly understood what Leena was thinking now. Or so he thought.


    "Ummm... Edward, there''s no need to say it out loud, okay? Don''t be a smartass." Leena didn''t correct Edward even if what he said squeezed her heart painfully. It was fortunate that he couldn''t see her face or he would definitely know that she was lying. To be honest, her brother had just pinned point what her heart exactly wanted, a moment with just Kevin alone! It was just bad though that it wasn''t the truth and those words made her sad again.


    "Alright, alright. Calm down. I was just teasing. I will text you the addresster and will also make a call to let the guards know that you will be there." Edward shook his head. How could he possibly refuse Leena? That was just impossible! Besides, he bought his house in the capital city out of whim. If Leena wanted to go there then he could just let her as she pleased. Everything would be okay with him, as long as Leena was happy.000000

 Chapter 1034 Dont Push Me (Part One)

    "Okay! Thanks, Edward." Only around her big brothers could Leena feel like herself. She could smile more easily, and they were always good to her. Around them, she beamed with happiness, and her world was full of joy. Even the cloudy sky looked bright and sunny to her. "Ha!. Why are you so polite all of a sudden? That''s not like you. You''re trying to hide something from me, right? So what is it?" Edward was smart and sensible. He could detect every subtle change in her tone. It was not for nothing that he was known as a savvyN?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    businessman.


    "You''re overreacting. I just wanted to thank you. What''s wrong with that? It''s no big deal." Though it came out of nowhere, Leena was suddenly ovee with gratitude. Expressing one''s gratitude was certainly easier than apologizing. Why should she hold back when others were nice to her? She decided to go for broke and pour out her heart to him.


    "Okay, you''re off the hook for now. But still, you''re acting weird. It''s been a long time since you thanked me for anything. Really, I don''t remember you ever doing that," Edward quipped with a smile. He looked as attractive as ever when he smiled. Edward Mu was famous for his cool, collected manner and his self-control. He waspletely unppable, and liked to show off that side of him.


    "Don''t tease me, Edward. You want me to apologize for being a little snot? Fine. But not now. I''m driving. Don''t distract me." Leena pretended to sound angry, so Edward wouldn''t know what was really going on.


    "Yeah, I guess. But drive slower, okay? I''ll text you the address." Edward smirked inwardly. He had always treated Leena like his own sister. No matter what, he still had that habit, and would never stop spoiling her.


    "I will! See youter, Edward!" Leena said gently before ending the call. Her face was still pale, but she felt better after hearing Edward''s voice.


    On the other side, Edward texted the address to her. However, he just couldn''t shake away the feeling that something bad was going on. He knew Leena too well, he could tell she was not happy at all. Things weren''t so simply. She was holding something back. Leena pulled over, stopped the car, and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Silence reigned over the small space as she waited for the text toe in. The conversation soothed and drained her, all at the same time. She usually enjoyed talking to Edward; he was pretty easy to talk to and sometimes had good advice. He was a great guy, at least to her. ?o she had to really pull it out of her hat, and steel her nerves to fool him. He wasn''t dumb at all, and he hadn''t gotten where he was by being gullible.


    Before long, her cell beeped, and she saw Edward''s text. The address was an unfamiliar one, but she was a stranger to the capital city anyway. Fortunately, the car had an onboard GPS, so she wasn''t worried about getting lost, although it took her some time to get there. When she arrived, she was amazed. She always knew Edward was rich, but this was beyond that. It wasn''t what she expected at all; she thought maybe he lived in arge loft in a skyscraper or something. She was cruising through a rich, residential area, where a cluster ofrge, luxurious homes stood, each one belonging to a single family. Gardens, courtyards, pools and fountains, every house had at least one of these. Edward''s residence looked very expensive, though he didn''t stay in the capital city a lot.


    No one stopped her as she passed through the gates, so the guard was probably told ahead of time. She nced at the garden as she entered, and saw flowers and nts in full bloom, despite the colder weather in the north. The garden must have been carefully taken care of by someone, she thought.


    Suddenly, she heard a respectful voice say, "Wee, Mrs. Gu! Mr. Mu told me to take good care of two honorable guests. But I only see one of you?" She ended with a question when she got a good look at Leena. Leena turned around, and saw an olddy, in early fifties. She was definitely dressed like a housekeeper, and looked kind and gentle. ''She must be the one who cleans Edward''s house, '' thought Leena as she returned a smile.


    She said, "Oh, really? He is so nice. d to meet you. But I don''t need to be taken care of. All I need now is a soft bed, and a good night''s sleep. And you shouldn''t put yourself out. I''m not an honorable guest, just someone who''s crashing here." She shrugged innocently, and smiled. She had always been an easy-going person, and was nice to everyone, despite her high social status.


    "Oh, no! Mr. Mu told me specifically to take good care of you, and cater to your every need. Boss'' orders," said thedy urgently, as if she were scared to be sent away by Leena.


    "It''s okay. You don''t have to do all that. I''ll have a talk with Edward, so you don''t get in trouble, okay? But don''t tell him I came here alone. Can you do that for me?" asked Leena, giving her a look of sincerity. She was just here visiting the inws, although the incident happened. If Edward knew that she ran out alone, then her secret might get out. She didn''t want any of this to go public. If it got out, things would be far moreplicated than before. She knew her big brothers were protective of her, and would definitely have a problem with this. She just didn''t want that to happen.


    "Okay, Mrs. Gu, so you want me to leave you alone? W-what do I tell the boss if he asks? And he will ask, believe me," stuttered the olddy in hesitation. She''d worked for Edward for a long time, and she had no more to do than simply clean the empty house, water the flowers and weed the beautiful garden. She was well-paid and worked at a leisurely pace. Things were quiet here, and the only urgent task for her now was to take care of two guests. How could she not? She felt like that would be cking off, and she thought that was unfair to Edward.


    "You don''t have to exin anything to him, as I said. If he asks about it, just tell him to call me instead, and I''ll exin everything. So could you get my room ready?" Although Leena had recovered a little from what happened earlier, she still looked pale and drained of energy. What she needed now was some sleep to get her going again, and some time to sort everything out, not a servant.


    "Alright, then. This way, please." That said, the elderly woman led Leena to her room, although she didn''t believe a word of it. Leena''s phone had been buzzing since she walked in. But Leena didn''t seem interested in checking it at all. She knew who it was, but she didn''t feel like talking to him. She really didn''t feel like talking to anyone at all, truth be told. So she tried her best to ignore the persistent buzzing from her cell.00000000000000

 Chapter 1035 Dont Push Me (Part Two)

    As Leena entered the prepared guest room and shut the door behind her, she jumped into the soft king-sized bed, and copsed. She felt like a machine that had been working too hard and was now falling apart, and her phone kept ringing and buzzing, piling more stress onto her frazzled nerves. She didn''t feel like answering Kevin''s calls, but she didn''t want to just decline the call either. The notifications and ringing were a reminder to her, telling her she was special to Kevin after all, that he was worried about her. As she thought about this, her heartbeat slowed and normalized, and a feeling of warmth enveloped her like a nket.


    Calmer now, she started thinking about everything. She ran out of her home without even thinking of what would happen next. Call it childish, if you must. But this was really the moment of truth, the point of no return. For a moment, Leena was worried. She feared her father-inw might scold her for behaving inappropriately. But then a sense of relief settled over her. Nothing mattered anymore. She had never been loved nor weed by Kevin''s family. Why should she care about how they treated her? Or what they thought of her?


    On the other end of the line, Kevin''s patience was wearing thin. When he listened to the robotic voicemail message, he was so infuriated that the blue veins on his forehead were visible. He had searched everywhere nearby, but couldn''t find any trace of her. And when he dialed Leena''s number, she simply ignored his calls. He knew she was intentionally ignoring him, because just a few minutes ago, one call brought him something new: "The subscriber you dialed is busy now, please try againter..." That meant she only ignored him! Was she talking to someone else while ignoring his calls?


    With each moment ticking by, he grew more worried for her than angry. His concern was not that she would call her family andin tearfully how bad he had been treating her. He was purely concerned about her safety.


    "I''m sorry, Major General. Should we call the police?" Seeing his anxiety, Lee couldn''t help but try and talk him down. They had been nearly everywhere in the capital city, and still not one trace of Leena.


    "Police? What are you talking about? What can they do? Come on, let''s not make this worse. It''s just an angry wife, not a criminal case. And even if we called them, it wouldn''t help. If we can''t find her, how could the cops?" If they were back at the base, he could have the Falcon out on a manhunt. But now he was in the capital city, and his people weren''t here. The Gu family would not deploy the troops for personal gain, so he had to do the searching himself. And he felt bad about the whole thing. Leena ran out because of him...


    "But what do we do now? We''re not making any progress! Leena''s a smart woman. If she really wants to stay hidden, she''s more than capable of it. We could cover every square inch of this city, and she''d still find somewhere to hole up where we wouldn''t think to look." Lee scowled, and gave his opinion. Like the old saying went, "Those closely involved cannot see clearly." Kevin wasn''t dumb, but since he cared so much for Leena, he couldn''t think clearly. The Major General was particrly astute normally. The incident must have disturbed him a lot, as he hadn''te up with a solution.


    "Well, let''s head back home then! I need to talk to Dad. I have to know what he said to Leena." Kevin set his jaw in determination, and closed his eyes for a while as he felt drained by the whole event. Like the proverb went, "each family has its own problems," and Kevin''s was the rtionship between his wife and his original family members.


    "Roger that. Headed back now," Lee answered swiftly. He had always been in awe of Kevin''s father, who was just like a king all the time. You felt his power when you walked into the room with him. And when Lee had to be around him, he always did his best to keep a low profile, for he didn''t want to make the guy angry. Old Mr. Gu was a strict man, who had evenmanded his own son to run around the yground as a punishment. It would be easy for him to find something wrong with Lee, and punish him for it, as well.


    Several minutester, Kevin arrived home. With a stony face, he went directly to Nathan''s study, totally ignoring Shannon when he met her in the corridor. However, when he walked through the living room, he didn''t see ire or Louisa anywhere. Maybe they were asleep already.


    "Kevin? Kevin, wait! Where''s Leena? What''s going on?" Shannon just came back from outside, too. When she saw that Leena wasn''t with him, she craned her neck to look outside, but couldn''t see her. Didn''t Kevin tell her that he was going to show Leena around the city? She had never been here before, after all. She thought they were just running around this whole time, sightseeing and enjoying themselves. But why did Kevine back alone? What happened to them?


    Kevin didn''t know how to answer her question, and apparently, talking about Leena''s disappearance now wasn''t a good idea. Thus, he remained quiet, and quickened his steps towards the study. And once he reached his father''s den, he didn''t even bother to knock. He simply pushed the door open, and entered.


    "What''s up?" Nathan asked in a calm tone, despite seeing the fury in Kevin''s eyes. He heard Kevin''s footsteps as his son made his way here. He could tell he was mad, but why?


    "What did you say to her?" Kevin leaned on the table, trying to restrain his anger.


    Nathan mmed the documents onto the table. Rage shed in his gaze. "What are you talking about? I am Leena''s father-inw. I can say anything I want to her. And what''s this all about? Why are you like this?" Nathan knew exactly who Kevin was talking about. He pulled open a drawer and ced the documents inside. Work could wait. He leaned back casually, and looked into Kevin''s eyes.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "Why am I like this? How can you ask that? Leena is gone! I''ve searched every corner in the city and didn''t find a thing. And everything leads right back to you. What did you say to her, Father?" If Nathan were not his father, Kevin would have already punched him in the face.


    "What? Are you saying that she''s run away? What a cow! She has no manners at all! She''s not good for you, Kevin!" But Nathan was agitated by the news, as he took it as a signal from Leena, who was openly challenging his authority.00000

 Chapter 1036 Dont Push Me (Part Three)

    "Don''t talk about her like that, Father! And another thing! Making her apologize to Louisa? Is that woman more important to you than your own daughter-inw?" Kevin clenched his fists in anger, digging his nails into his palms. He wondered what cliched stereotype was going on in Nathan''s mind when he asked Leena to apologize.


    "Watch your tone, son! What do you mean by ''that woman''? That woman is my friend''s daughter! And it''s wrong for Leena to hit someone in the first ce! What do you think I should have done?" Nathan growled back. Completely irritated, he had a fierce look on his face now. He had always been a senior official in the army, and was entitled to scold his subordinates when they made mistakes. How dare Kevin talk to him this way? How outrageous! And he was Kevin''s father, after all. On what ount could a son teach his father? "In the first ce? You mean Leena started it? Are you tripping balls right now? My wife is gentle, kind, and has been more than patient with Louisa. She wouldn''t haveshed out like that unless Louisa did or said something really bad. And apparently, she did. Leena fought back, which is what you taught me to do," said Kevin, gnashing his teeth. It seemed that his father hated Leena more than he thought. That was not like him, sticking up for an outsider over his family. What was he thinking?


    "And what do you mean by that? Are you ming me for all this? Does a woman mean more to you than your own dad?" Nathan yelled in anger. He had never expected his son to stand against him for a woman. It seemed he hadn''t brought him up well enough, and failed to teach him that one should never argue with his own father.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "Don''t change the subject! We''re talking about your mistakes, not general ethics!" said Kevin helplessly. He felt like an idiot, trying to reason with his headstrong father.


    "My mistakes? Is it my fault? Oh, I''m sorry, has she apologized to Louisa yet? If not, then she should run away. And don''t even bother to find her, because I don''t want a rude woman to marry my son!" Even now, Nathan still didn''t think he had done anything wrong. And he yelled with righteous anger, proiming Leena''s exile.


    "You''re impossible! If you were a real man you wouldn''t say that! If I''d known how you''d treat Leena, I wouldn''t ever have brought her here. To you, your own daughter-inw is just some random chica. How can you tell me to abandon her? In her own home, she grew up like a princess, and you have the arrogance to treat her like shit! You think your decision is final; you think no one likes her; but you''re wrong, Father. Everyone loves her, everyone except you!" Anger and fatigue roiled deep in Kevin''s mind. Those final words were spat at the old man like venom. It burned deep in the man''s thoughts. Kevin''s anger was like a pot that boiled over, and all his dad did was turn up the heat. His face was red with anger, but also pale in disappointment. Like an old saying went, there was no greater grief than the loss of all hope.


    "Bastard! You spoiled brat, don''t you talk back to me like that! You''re not worthy to judge me! Get your ass to the yground and runps! Don''t stop till I tell you! I may just let you run till you pass out!" Angry and trembling, Nathan pointed at his son and shouted hismand. His son had always been obedient. But since his marriage, Kevin started to disobey him, and held his wife as his most cherished.


    "I am sorry but I''m not doing anything while Leena is still missing! I need to find her first! She''s my wife! And until I hear an apology from you, don''t talk to me!" Kevin wasn''t surprised at all. He knew his father would vent his anger. But it wasn''t a good time for this childish drama.


    "Who are you to tell me what to do? I give the orders around here!" Nathan shouted, smashing his fist on the desk with a loud bang. His face turned red in anger. How dare his son disobey his orders? That was not what a trained soldier should do!


    "Don''t push me, Father. I''ll find Leena, no matter what. Even if you marshal the entire toon to hunt me down, I won''t give up. Not until I find her!" Kevin felt both sad and pissed. He wondered why his father wasn''t worried about his lost daughter-inw, but rather eager to show off his authoritative power. He felt so bad for his wife, too, for she had to have such a father-inw.


    "Try me then! Do you think you can disobey me?" yelled a livid Nathan, as he glowered at Kevin in rage.


    Suddenly, a feminine voice cut through the conversation as Shannon entered. "What''s going on here? I can hear you yelling from miles away!" Shannon didn''t want to get involved, but she was worried for her husband and son, so when she heard that they both lost their tempers, she entered the study. She nced at Nathan and then Kevin, trying to get between them, hoping they''d calm down.


    "Ask Father. He''s the one in control here, right?" Kevin said sarcastically and sneered. He was totally irritated because of Leena''s incident.


    "Nathan, tell me what''s going on here! What on earth happened, that caused you two to argue till you''re red faced?" Shannon let out a resigned sigh, and turned to her husband. Sometimes she couldn''t understand men. When Kevin was away, Nathan worried for him a lot; but now his son was here, and they were on the verge of starting a fight, if not already started. Why did they have to argue with each other? For what?


    "Bah! I am not going to dignify this bullshit with ament! Woman, you''ve spoiled your son. Look at him! He doesn''t look like a Major General, not at all. More like a gangster!" Nathan retorted. He always med his wife forvishing love and affection on their son. And he regarded that as the main reason that Kevin was now against him.


    "Gangster? That''s a good word. But it fits you better. You may be a high muck-a-muck in the army, but you treat your own family like your soldiers. This is a home, not a base; you''re surrounded by your family members, not your soldiers. Learn some respect!" Shannon had always behaved like a wealthydy of high status and impable nobility. But when she was pissed off, she knew how to defeat her enemies.

 Chapter 1037 Searching For Leena (Part One)

    temper was restrained a bit. He knew it was not a good idea to quarrel with his wife. She''d give as good as she got.


    "Ohe off it, woman. When do I do that? I never think of my family as soldiers. Don''t just use me of stuff -- find a real reason to criticize me." Despite that Nathan was defending himself, he could not help but lower his voice at the sight of Shannon''s stare. His bad "Don''t try to change the subject. Tell me everything. What the hell happened at home while I was out?" As the hostess of this family, Shannon absolutely had the right to know everything happened here. She was not afraid of Nathan at all. She knew his temper, and how far to push him. She could get away with a lot since he would never hit her.


    "You can take your time and discuss it here! I''m going out to find Leena," Kevin said and then started to walk outside. However, he failed. He was caught by Shannon immediately after he said that. His mother was agile.


    "Wait! What did you say? Leena''s not here?" Shannon was surprised. Indeed, she had a strange feeling when she got back in. Now she grew more confused. Why was Leena not home? Wasn''t she staying with Kevin?


    "No, she''s not! Dad scolded her and drove her away. I''ve been looking for her for about two hours. But I haven''t found her and have no clue where she''s at all," said Kevin in frustration. He did not try to hide the fact from his mother. He knew clearly that his mom would be of great help if he wanted to get out of here now. Only his mother could deal with his father in these kinds of situations.


    "What? Do you mean Leena is missing? Have you sent someone to find her? It''s her first time in the capital city. She is not familiar with the ce at all. Hopefully, nothing bad''s happened to her," Shannon said worriedly. She was anxious so much that she only heard part of Kevin''s words, ignoring the phrase "scolded her and drove her away."


    "No, I can''t find her at all. She won''t answer no matter how many times I call her. I''ve already searched the city once but there''s no trace at all. I don''t know where she''d be." Kevin''s brows knitted tightly. He wondered whether he should call Duke and the others to get some clues such as whether they had houses here in the capital city. At the very least, they might have some ideas. With their help it would be much easier for him to locate Leena.


    "What happened? Why isn''t she here? Did you guys fight?" Shannon asked in anger, ring at Kevin. This was the only possible reason she could think of as to why Leena took off. She thought Kevin must have made Leena really angry. However, as a matter of fact, there was someone else who was responsible for it. Shannon would never have guessed who it was.


    "No, we didn''t. Mom. Didn''t you hear me? I told you Dad scolded her and drove her away," Kevin felt helpless now. Why did his mother choose to hear parts of his words and ignore the important information at a crucial time? He had to exin it again.


    "Oh! I get it. I''m just too worried. My brain''s not working too well now. But what on earth did your father do?" Shannon shot a look at shifty-eyed Nathan. Something was off about him. Did he tell Leena that he didn''t like her because he didn''t want to be closely connected with a business family?


    "Mom, give me a break. Are you sure you''re trying to fix a problem? I think you''re just here to make trouble." Kevin twisted the corners of his mouth heavily. He told her clearly that his father drove Leena away. Why did she just put a deaf ear to it?


    "Oh, I get it. I''m really too confused just now. But let''s not y the me game now. The most important thing now is to find Leena. Nathan, send your men to find Leena. I don''t want her to be hurt." Shannon was also from a political family. She immediately calmed down and started taking charge.


    "Nonsense! The army protects the homnd and defends the country. How could you ask me to send my men to deal with a personal issue?" Nathan stared at her with his eyes opening widely. Why were they so anxious? Leena just left the house. It was nothing terrible. She woulde back sooner orter.


    "Mom, forget it. I''ll go and find her myself!" Kevin knew his father well. He realized he could not expect that his father would be so kind as to send his men out to search for her. It would be in vain. So he half-walked, half-jogged out of the room. Time was important and he did not want to waste it arguing with his father on this.


    "So that''s your final answer? You won''t send your men out to help?" Shannon stared at Nathan and asked him in a warning tone. He had driven Leena away, but she did not me him for it. Now there was an emergency: Leena was nowhere to be found and she asked him to give her a hand. How could he sit by and refuse to help?


    "It''s impossible for me to send my men. I''m not to use them in personal matters," Nathan said sternly. He refused her again. His men were soldiers who fought for the country, not for him or his family. He could not send his men to do everything, especially the private things.


    "Fine. Now that you won''t lend a hand, I won''t beg you anymore. I still have my parents. I can ask them to help," Shannon said, gritting her teeth. Why was he so stubborn? He always did things like this and was never flexible. That was why he always offended people and couldn''t get along with them. Now, he made her angry and offended her.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "Knock yourself out. I still won''t do it. I have my principles," Nathan insisted. He wasn''t worried about Leena''s safety when all this started. But he was now feeling a bit anxious. ''I can thank my worrywart wife and son for that, '' he thought.


    However, he grew angry again when he thought of Leena''s unreasonable behavior. He steeled his nerves and was determined not to help.


    "Fine! Then you can stay with your principles for the rest of your life! If we can find Leena, then fine; but if we can''t find her, you''re going to face the consequences. That is not a threat, that''s a promise!" Shannon warned. She shot an angry nce at him and then walked out. Their daughter-inw was missing. He could stay in his study but she could not. She had to help to find Leena.00000000000

 Chapter 1038 Searching For Leena (Part Two)

    "Mom, I didn''t know you were back!" screamed ire happily. The moment she and Louisa walked downstairs, she saw her mother stalk out of the study angrily. She greeted her mother delightfully and did not notice the unhappy expression on her face. "Yes. I just got back. And this is..." Shannon had nned to snub her. Her sister-inw was missing and she seemed not to care about it at all. Like father, like daughter. However, she decided to at least be cordial, even if she had to hurry. "Oh. Mom, this is Louisa. We met each other when we were studying abroad." ire introduced Louisa to her mother proudly. She could not wait to introduce her. She knew her mother would like her.


    "Nice to meet you. I''m sorry to bother you. I''m Louisa Ye. You can call me Louisa," Louisa said politely. She was trying so hard to behave in a gentle anddylike manner. She wanted to leave a good impression on Shannon.


    "Oh, Miss Ye! Wee! But I''m a bit busy now. I''m taking off. Help yourself, please." Just then, Shannon took out her key and walked to her car. She had to try to find Leena no matter what. Otherwise, she could not just remain at home, calm, not bothered. "Mom, you just came back! Leaving already?" ire asked unpleasantly, reaching out and grabbing Shannon''s arm. She would never let this chance slip away. It was her mother''s first time meeting Louisa. First impressions were the most important ones. "Yes I am. Didn''t you know? Leena is missing! Why are you still here and not out there helping to find her?" Shannon looked at her unhappily. Yes, it was important to wee her friend. But Leena, her sister-inw, was also important. Why didn''t she care about Leena at all?Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "Huh! Missing? I don''t think so. She ran away deliberately to make Kevin worry about her. That''s all. We didn''t drive her away. Besides, she''s an adult, not a child. She''ll find her way back here eventually. Oh yeah, she''s probably too ashamed toe back," ire teased, pursing her lips. She didn''t worry about Leena at all because Kevin''s wife was nobody to her.


    "What did you say? Why should she be ashamed? Why don''t you tell me? What happened here when I was not home?" Shannon stopped when she heard this. Did ire know something? Neither Kevin nor Nathan had any useful info, but maybe ire could tell her some useful tidbit, anything that might help find her.


    "Of course she should be ashamed! Mom, you know what? That woman pped Louisa! That''s why Dad ordered her to apologize. But she was not happy with that and ran away in a rage! That was really trippy," ire pouted. She''d be extremely happy if Leena left here and never came back. It would definitely save her the trouble of concocting a n to drive her away. She was missing? Great. Let her stay that way.


    "Wait. What did you say? Leena pped someone? Your friend? That doesn''t make sense. How did she know your friend? You haven''t brought her around here before, right?" Shannon reached out to rub her forehead. Now she was even more confused. It seemed that the plot was thickening. The more she found out, the moreplicated this was getting.


    "Mom, Louisa is the daughter of themander of the army base where Kevin is stationed. Both of Louisa and Leena are from S city. They''ve known each other a long time. But somehow Leena pped Louisa! What a loser! She''s a miserable tramp. I don''t understand what Kevin sees in her. Why not just let her go away? You''re way too worried about this woman. If we mount a search, she''d get a big head." ire keptining non-stop. The words kept tumbling out of her mouth like a waterfall. Once she started, she never stopped. ire would never offer a hand to find her. It would be the best present she''d ever gotten if Leena left and never came back.


    "That woman? Stop calling Leena that! ire, do I have to remind you of your manners? Oh, Miss Ye. My daughter-inw isn''t like that. And I think you know that. I''m sure there''s a reason she pped you, and I think you know what that reason is, don''t you? You''d know better than me!" Themander''s daughter? So what? She was a nobody in Shannon''s eyes. Her daughter-inw was much more important than her. Now she started to get the whole picture. Louisa was the root cause of all the chaos. Well, she must pay more attention to her, to make sure she didn''t foul anything else up. Although ire hated Leena and always had problems with her, she didn''t make such a huge mess. Louisa Ye? The first day she came to her house, Leena went missing, Kevin was searching for her aimlessly on the street, and Shannon and her husband were fighting. This was too much.


    "Mom, how could you say that? Leena hit Louisa. Why me my friend?" ire puckered up her mouth and started her litany ofints. Although she did not want to call Leena by name, she still changed it up because her mom said so. She dared not piss her mother off again. She was staring at her sternly.


    "ire, I''m talking to your friend now, not you. Don''t interrupt! Miss Ye, do you agree with me?" Shannon locked eyes with Louisa. She did not allow her to shift her gaze in front of her.


    "We''ve had some arguments, Auntie. But they were just minor ones. They shouldn''t hurt anything. I didn''t expect that she''d p me out of the blue," replied Louisa. She dared not look into Shannon''s eyes when she was answering her. She hadn''t had imagined that Shannon would stick up for Leena like that. That was not something she was used to, but she''d have to ept it. She thought there was only Kevin alone who stuck up for Leena so much. Now she knew she was wrong. His mother also stood behind and supported that


    woman.


    "I don''t care who''s right or wrong now. I just want to offer you a suggestion, that you should behave as a guest and don''t cause any more trouble." Shannon cast a sidelong look at Louisa coldly. Was she implying that Leena did something wrong? She knew her daughter- inw well and would never believe a false usation like that. Her "suggestion" was less a suggestion and more a warning.


    "I''m sorry, Auntie! I won''t do that again." Louisa was hurt by this. But she did not dare to show how unhappy she was when Shannon stared at her with extremely cold eyes.


    "Mom, Louisa is my guest! How could you say that to her in such a strict tone?" ire pressed her lips to show her dissatisfaction. She felt extremely displeased when she heard her mother scold Louisa. She was ashamed as if she herself were pped in the face.

 Chapter 1039 Searching For Leena (Part Three)

    "What kind of tone I should talk to her in when I am so worried and anxious now? You tell me." Shannon frowned. Wasn''t she her daughter? Why did she try to shield Louisa, an outsider from consequences? "ire. It''s okay. Don''t fight with Auntie because of me," said Louisa calmly. She pretended to be generous as if she swallowed an insult.


    "Louisa, don''t be angry. My mom''s not usually like this. I don''t know what happened to her today to make her so aggressive." There was nothing ire could do butfort Louisa. She looked at Shannon with sad eyes, as if she were ming her mother for not behaving kindly to her friend. She felt so awkward. "Don''t worry. I won''t be angry," Louisa lowered her head and replied obediently. No one could see her cold and evil eyes hid by her hair.


    "Yeah! That''s really generous of you, Louisa. Huh! Unlike somebody else, who ran away from home and made others worry for her," ire snorted through her nose. She didn''t like Leena. Now she hated her more because Louisa was scolded by her mother because of her.


    "You''re really a piece of work, you know that ire? I hope that no one takes advantage of you. I hope you never know how it feels." Shannon shook her head and sighed. She hoped that her daughter would find her way out of trouble when that day came. Louisa raised her head immediately and took a quick nce at Shannon. Did she figure out her secret? Why else could she have drawn such a conclusion?


    "Mom, what''s wrong with you today? How could you say that?" ire sputtered and stamped her feet. Leena was the root cause who stirred up all the chaos. Now her mother was even cursing her! ire hoped Leena would nevere back now that she had run away! She suffered even when Leena wasn''t around.


    "Anyway, take care of yourself!" Shannon did not believe that Louisa was a simple and innocent woman. ire might end up with a world of trouble should she keep taking Louisa at face value. Louisa was up to no good. Shannon couldn''t make up ire''s mind for her, but at least she could warn her.


    "Mom, don''t be so long-winded! Aren''t you going out to find Leena? Why are you still here?" ire said and reached out to push Shannon outside. Well, she would never have said hi and introduced Louisa if she had known her mom favored Leena that much. "ire, don''t push me outside. Seriously! I haven''t changed my shoes yet." Shannon had no option but to shake her head helplessly. She knew very well that it was not an easy job to change ire''s mind and get her prepared for the real world in a few days. She changed her shoes and then walked out in a hurry. Time was limited. She had been wasting too much time talking with them.


    This time, Kevin widened the. He really wanted to find her. He even swung by the ce they had been in the morning, expecting that Leena might be there. She said she liked the beautiful scenery there, didn''t she? However, his efforts were for naught. When he was about to sink into despair, his phone suddenly rang. He was so happy that he answered the phone immediately without checking the calling ID. He thought it must be Leena.


    "Hey! Leena. Where are you? Stay there. I''ll go to pick you up," Kevin answered the phone in a hurried tone. His voice was even trembling because he was desperate to know where she was now.N?velDrama.Org exclusive content.


    "Kevin, it''s me. What? Isn''t Leena with you now?" Duke could not help frowning. He called Kevin because Leena wouldn''t answer her phone. But Leena wasn''t even with Kevin judging from his words. What happened? "Ah! Hi Duke!" Kevin was disappointed. It was not his missing girl who called him. He felt very frustrated.


    "Yeah, it''s me. Is Leena super busy now? Why didn''t she take my call?" One hand holding the phone and the other in his pocket, Duke stood beside the window and watched the traffic leisurely streaming along the street.


    "Oh, she probably didn''t hear the phone ring! I''ll tell her to call you backter. Sounds good?" Kevin always had concerns about his brother-inw. Mr. Cold was always high-strung, despite his nickname. He decided not to tell Duke that Leena ran away from home. Duke was in S city and could do nothing but worry in vain should he know about it. What was more, Leena probably went out for a walk to get some fresh air. She mighte back home soon.


    "Yeah! Make sure to bring her to Edward''s house when you get a free moment! I hear he has a beautiful garden. I imagine she''d love to see it. Sounds rxing, man." Duke offered the suggestion because he was worried that Leena might get stressed out staying with Kevin''s family.


    "Edward has a house here? Whoa! Why didn''t you tell me before now?" Duke''s advice lit light-bulbs up in his head. A ray of hope was rekindled in his heart. Was his wife, the woman he''d been seeking for a while, hiding at Edward''s ce the whole time?


    "Yeah he does. Leena knows about it too. What? She never mentioned it to you?" Duke turned around and walked to his desk, phone in hand. He sat down and started checking his files. He remembered that he had written down the address somewhere and wondered if he could find it. If he couldn''t find it, he thought he could ask Edward directly. He needed to call him anyway to let him know so that he could inform the housekeeper. Little did he know that Leena was already there, and Edward was making sure she was well looked after.000

 Chapter 1040 Kevins Heart Danced (Part One)

    "No, she''s never mentioned it. Duke, do you have the address?" Kevin asked cautiously, fearing that Duke might find out the real reason why he was asking.


    "I''m looking for it right now. Okay, how about this? I''ll send you the addresster. And remember to ask Leena to call me back." Duke hung up the phone. He saw no reason to say anything else. He made the call to ask about Leena. But she wasn''t with Kevin, and he didn''t really want to talk to the Major General. He hadn''t recovered from the sad truth that Kevin married his sister without asking his permission first. Kevin bit his lip and put down his cellphone. He now pinned all his hopes on Duke giving him the address. He just had the strongest hunch that Leena would be there. She had to be -- it was about the only ce he hadn''t looked.


    Waiting was pure torture. When the phone beeped, Kevin hurriedly read the message and immediately asked Lee to change the route. He really hoped that Leena had gone to that ce to rest and recharge like he had guessed.


    After Kevin reached the ce, he didn''t get an easy pass like Leena did. Because he came here without any notice, the house keeper was very strict. She didn''t let him in until he exined his rtionship with Leena to her. Helpless as he was, he was d that one thing was certain, that Leena was really in the house, just like he thought. At least she was being looked after.


    When Kevin finally found Leena in the bedroom, she was sound asleep. She might have been too sleepy, or gotten too tired after crying. He could see the trace of tears on her beautiful face. Her eyshes were still wet. So she hadn''t been asleep that long. He looked around the room, and the aroma of liquor filled the air. Looking up, he saw an empty wine bottle lying on the table. Obviously she drank a lot, and needed no ss to help her down the stuff.


    He reached out his hand and touched her cheek, a lump forming in his throat. He felt sad to see her like this. His fingers swept over her face very gently, his eyes full of affection. He was moved by her. He felt grateful that she didn''t do anything to hurt herself, but waited here for him toe.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    Gazing deeply at her, Kevin suddenly realized that he had never looked at her so closely and so attentively. Previously, he only had the impression that she looked good. But with close examination, he suddenly found that she had an attractive oval face. She appeared like a ssic beauty, but had a fashionable air. He was stunned by her gorgeous sleeping face. He''d never felt this way before.


    Her skin was quite healthy, but looked a little pale. But that did not harm the youthful look she had, especially when she was sleeping peacefully. Her beautiful face had Kevin spellbound. At the same time, he felt a surge of pity and had the urge to protect her. Kevin''s heart danced in his chest at the sight of Leena''s stunning beauty. He couldn''t help but bow his head and nt a gentle kiss on her pink lips. The aroma of the liquor in the air aroused him suddenly. But he collected himself and immediately left her lips. Because he knew if he didn''t, he would lose all self-control.


    "No! I won''t...apologize! I.. didn''t do anything wrong!" Even in her dreams, Leena didn''t forget to defend herself. Kevin could see how wronged she felt.


    "Yes! You don''t need to apologize. You did nothing wrong." Kevin grasped her iling arms. He knew she was talking in her sleep. He wondered whether he was also in her dream. But this was not likely. After all he was the one who made her suffer and hurt her. How could he expect to be in her dreams? She probably hated him.


    "Kevin..." Leena mumbled. If she hadn''t called out to him with her eyes closed, Kevin would have thought that she was awake. Because she spat out his name so clearly, not something that sounded unintelligible. He examined her closely, only to find that she was calling the Kevin in her dreams, not the Kevin right in front of her now. But this also reassured him that she had dreamed about him. He wondered what he did in her dreams.


    "I''m here. I''ll always be here with you. Sleep well, my darling," Kevin responded in a gentle voice. He leaned against the wall behind the bed and wrapped her head in his arms. She unwittingly moved to getfortable in his embrace. Her movements were just like those of a kitten, lithe,zy and adorable.


    As if Leena had heard Kevin''s words in her dreams, she became quiet and calm again. She fell back asleep. It seemed that one remark from Kevin was enough tofort and satisfy her. She was totally at peace now. Her bad dreams faded away.


    As a solder, admittedly he was never a romantic man. Since they wed, they barely had time to spend with each other, let alone to travel anywhere together. He felt deeply sorry in this regard. But he never had the chance to tell her how sorry he was, to admit this to her. Most of the time, he wasn''t even really emotional. He didn''t spend enough time with her, and he felt bad for her because of it. He wouldn''t even make their time together romantic to make up for lost time. He had a lot of improving to do.


    Gently cing Leena''s head on the pillow, he stood up and quietly walked to the balcony. There he took out his cellphone and made a call. He didn''t care what other people in his family thought, but he knew his mother would be worried. So he wanted to call her and tell her that everything was fine here.

 Chapter 1041 Kevins Heart Danced (Part Two)

    "Kevin, did you find Leena?" Driving around, Shannon looked about for Leena on the street, hoping to catch a glimpse of her somewhere.


    "Yes, I found her. Don''t worry. I will bring her back when she wakes up." Kevin said in a low voice. He didn''t want to wake her up.


    "Okay, good. Where are you now? I''d like to see her." Shannon really liked Leena, and she thought that she was an ideal daughter-inw. She felt relieved when she heard that she was safe.


    "Just stay put, mom. It''s a little far away and you''ll be tired by the time you get here. Don''t worry. She''s fine now. She''s asleep, probably after crying." Feeling exhausted, Kevin leaned against the handrail. Finding Leena had eaten up all his energy. And it wasn''t so much physical as psychological, the stress and fear and despair that he suffered in the process.


    "Okay, Kevin, take good care of her. Try tofort her and don''t let her think too much. You can stay out tonight. Take some rxation time, just the two of you." Eager as Shannon was to see Leena, considering that Leena might be very depressed now, she thought it better to leave some space for the couple to be alone. No matter how much she cared for her, what Leena needed most right now might be Kevin''spany. Shannon herself was also a woman, and cing herself in Leena''s position, it was easy for her to realize what was the most important thing to Leena now. To most people, the rtionship between mother-inw and daughter-inw was always a thorny problem brimming over with endless hatred. But in Shannon''s eyes, she felt closer to Leena than her own daughter. The first time she saw Leena, she actually didn''t take her as her daughter-inw, but treated her as if she were her own daughter. Only mothers could love their daughters wholeheartedly, which was why Shannon wanted to see her again and hold her.


    "But what about my promise to Father?" Kevin asked hesitantly. He promised his father that he would ept the punishment after he found Leena. He was a soldier, and he had to keep his word.


    "Don''t worry, I''ll handle this. You two have fun." Shannon didn''t ask where they were now. Because she worried that if she knew the address, she couldn''t control herself and would drive there to see them tonight. And tonight was not the right time. No matter how much she wanted to see them, she had to be patient and wait.


    "Okay, Mom, thanks." Kevin was overjoyed. He had thought to ask his mother to help him to deal with the thing between him and his father, but he didn''t know how to bring it up. Since his mother offered to tackle the problem for him, he had no reason to refuse.


    "Don''t be silly. You''re my son. There''s no need to thank me. Tell Leena, she doesn''t need to worry. She''s always the daughter-inw of my family in my heart." Shannon was much different from many other wives of high officials. She had the in-born noble appearance, but she was a very amiable person. She never put on airs in front of Leena and was easy to get along with. She and Leena were so much alike, that was why she was into Leena so much.


    "Mom, thank you for all this. Leena will be very happy to hear it." At this moment, Kevin felt very grateful to his mom. Because his mom didn''t side with his father. Instead, she chose to believe Leena unconditionally. He was moved in this regard. He knew his mother almost never acted against his father. But this time, she made an exception for Leena''s sake. He could see her obvious affection towards Leena. And how could he not be touched by this? She was very supportive of Kevin, too, knowing he did nothing wrong.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Again with the thanks. I''m your mother, not anyone else. You don''t need to be so polite. I''m doing this out of love. Don''t thank me again." Shannon pretended to be a little angry at him. But Kevin felt very happy. He knew it was a way for his mom to show her love towards him. And such a happy feeling followed him for the rest of his life, helping him to conquer every difficulty he faced.


    After finishing the call, Kevin went back inside to check on Leena. Making sure that she was fine, Kevin tiptoed out of the room. He nned to ask Lee to get some takeout.


    "Mr. Gu, is Mrs. Gu okay?" the housekeeper asked as soon as Kevin walked downstairs. Mrs. Gu told the housekeeper not to disturb her. So she left her alone upstairs. If Mrs. Gu got angry because of her disturbance, she would be done for. Young girls from rich families were usually very arrogant and had a mercurial temperament.


    "Yeah, She''s fine. Thank you for taking care of her," Kevin said to the housekeeper politely. Their visit might have added extra work for her.


    "It''s nothing. Mr. Mu told me that if Mrs. Gu came, we must treat her the same way we''d treat him. So it''s our duty to serve her." The housekeeper smiled. She was a very kind woman.


    "Mr. Mu? So you mean Edward Mu?" Kevin asked doubtfully. Did Edward already know that Leena came here? He wondered if Leena had told Edward what happened to her recently.000000

 Chapter 1042 Kevins Heart Danced (Part Three)

    "Yes! He told me a young couple woulde here and asked me to take good care of them. So I felt very strange when Mrs. Gu came here alone. I didn''t expect that you wouldeter." Saying this, the housekeeper nced at Kevin with a worried face. She asked a lot of questions to him before letting him in, so she worried that he might be mad because of this. But there was a soldier following him, so she assumed that he was not a bad guy.


    "Oh? He told you that, huh?" Kevin didn''t know how to feel now. Obviously Leena hid the truth for him, even when she was hurt because of him. How could he ever repay what she did? How could he express how grateful he was for her deep love?


    "Yes, Mr. Gu. I don''t know what you like to eat. Please tell me which kinds of food you like. I can prepare it for you right away," The housekeeper said, constantly rubbing her hands. She was very nervous.


    "Thank you. We''ll get dinner. We''ve already been so much trouble for you. How can we expect you to make dinner for us?" Kevin politely refused the housekeeper''s nice offer. It was already very rude for him toe here without notice, so he didn''t want to make more trouble for her.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "Mr. Gu, you''re too polite. It''s our duty to serve you. I get paid by Mr. Mu, and I feel obliged to serve his friends as well. If he knew I didn''t even make dinner for you, he''d probably fire me." Panicked at his words, the housekeeper immediately shook her head. If Mr. Mu got it in his head that she didn''t serve them well, she might lose this highly paid job.


    "Don''t worry, he won''t know if we don''t say anything to him." Kevin still felt it was hard to make the housekeeper cook dinner for them. They caused so much inconvenience due to their unexpected visit. And they were not going to make more trouble for her.


    "Sorry, Mr. Gu, please let me prepare dinner for you. I''m pleased to serve you and I don''t want to lose my job." The housekeeper still insisted. She believed that there was no other choice, that Edward would have a fit and use her of not doing her job. And it had been a long time since thest time anybody was here. So she felt happy to make her guests feel wee. And part of that was to fix them a meal.


    "Eh? So you seriously think he''d fire you?" Kevin frowned. It seemed that he had no choice now.


    "Or are you worried about my cooking skills? Rest assured. Mr. Mu tested my cooking skills when I applied for the job. Although the food I make might not be as good as those made by famous cooks, I believe I won''t disappoint you." The housekeeper confidently tapped her chest to reassure him. Kevin was amused by this gesture.


    "Okay. Then thanks for taking the trouble to make dinner for us." Seeing that she was so enthusiastic, Kevin eventually said yes. Although he thought it might be too much trouble for others to make dinner for them, standing in her shoes, he realized it was only part of her daily job.


    "Don''t be too polite. As I said, it''s my duty. Please wait a bit and dinner will be ready soon." Now that Kevin said yes, the housekeeper smiled affably.


    "You don''t have to hurry, take your time. We''re not super-hungry yet." Kevin thought that Leena might have to sleep for a while. So dinner could wait. Leena had drowned her sorrows in alcohol and shey on the bed like a drunken cat now. So she wasn''t likely to wake up soon.


    "Okay, I know. I''ll go fix dinner. Please make yourselves at home." The housekeeper knew Kevin was not just an ordinary guy, judging from his noble temperament. But she was surprised that he acted so politely to a servant like her. In fact, it was rare to see such a humble person these days, so Kevin left a good impression on her.


    "Sure, I''ll be fine here. Please don''t worry, and you can get back to work." Kevin smiled. Since the housekeeper was taking care of dinner, he wanted to go upstairs and stay with Leena. He worried that she might do something to hurt herself when he was away. When Kevin came back to the bedroom, Leena had already kicked the quilt off. Obviously she was restless.


    Kevinughed and shook his head. He slowly walked to her bedside, his charming eyes full of affection. It was a pity that nobody was around to witness this beautiful moment between them. If there was anyone around, he could tell that Kevin loved her. In fact, Leena was slowly walking into his heart, it was just that he hadn''t realized it yet.


    He gently reced the quilt and tucked her in. The weather was quite cold. Although the heater was going, he couldn''t be too careful, trying to prevent Leena from catching a cold. It was not long since thest time when Leena got a cold in France. He didn''t want Leena to get sick again, otherwise Duke would really be angry at him. Different fromst time, Kevin was at her side now. And if she got sick this time, he would really be a jerk. Of course, he was careful not mostly because he was afraid of being med by Duke. More importantly, he really cared about her health.


    Looking at her sweet sleeping face, Kevin couldn''t help but pinch her cheeks. Probably because her skin was so fair. And it made him suddenly aware that she was incredibly cute. The beautiful sensation lingering on his fingers made himugh unwittingly from the bottom of his heart.00000000

 Chapter 1043 A Frank Talk (Part One)

    Leena might have slept for a long time. It didn''t mean that she had slept quietly though. She had mumbled, tossed, and sometimes, talked in her dreams. She also did a lot of sluggish gestures the whole time she was in bed. Needless to say, she was undoubtedly drunk. It was the minor hangover that weed Leena as soon as she woke up in a daze. She couldn''t help but stretch her arm and attempt to knock her throbbing head slightly. She was only a split second away from the first knock when a huge hand suddenly caught her wrist immediately and made her jerk out of her wits.


    "Don''t do it. You already have an addle head. You might just worsen the case if you do it." Kevin smiled with spoiling eyes. He never anticipated Leena to sleep for such a long time. He was actually a bit anxious earlier as he waited for her to wake up. There were even sometimes when he put his finger close to her nose just to feel her breath as if he was afraid that she would not wake up anymore.


    "Kevin, why are you here?" Leena waspletely shocked and had lost all herposure. She had never expected him to appear before her at all!


    "You guess." Kevin tidied her messy long hair as he replied. He didn''t have a n to ask her why she ran away. He was thoughtful enough to understand that those sad and awkward questions would just annoy her.


    "I''m sorry! I didn''t mean to run away from home. I just wanted to find a quiet ce to stay alone." Leena lowered her head and apologized humbly as if she was the one that made a mistake.


    "Yes. I see. Are you hungry? Let''s go and eat something." Ironically, Kevin did not me her at all and chose to care for her instead.


    "No, I''m not. My head is still aching." Thedy said as she lifted her hand again to knock her head. Same as earlier, Kevin caught her wrist again. He stopped her from hurting herself further and the next thing she knew was that he was already massaging her head. "Don''t drink too much next time, okay? It will make your headache worse." Kevin frowned slightly as he skillfully and gently rubbed her eyebrows.


    "Are they angry?" She did not respond to his warning but asked something else. She looked at him worriedly and wondered about the consequences that her action had created.


    "Mom''s worried about you. She said that you would always be the daughter-inw of the Gu Family." The man answered her question but in a way that it would not touch anything about Nathan''s attitude. It would be best if Leena wouldn''t hear anything about his father''s coldness.


    "What about Dad?" That question from Leena almost made Kevin cough. It seemed like avoiding the topic was actually purposeless as she was very much concerned about his father''s thoughts of her.


    "He''s fine. We don''t need to worry about him." He knew what Leena really wanted to know but then he chose to drop the topic right there. It was obvious that he didn''t want to talk to her about his dad. However, Leena was sensitive and was able to read his thoughts through his shifty eyes. She knew right then that Nathan must be very displeased with her. She sadly shut her eyes and concluded that it was her caprice that made everything around them even more terrible.


    "Kevin, did I cause you trouble?" Leena asked carefully. She knew that Kevin was fond of intellectual people. However, how she behaved hours ago was far from being an intellectual woman. She did it at will and did not care about the results. She had been trying so hard to be a mature woman. All her efforts didn''t matter though thanks to her willful behavior.


    "No, not at all. Don''t think too much. Is your head still aching?" Kevin stopped what he was doing and then suddenly pulled her in an embrace. The more she acted thoughtfully, the more he felt that he owed her.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "No, it feels much better now. Thank you!" Leena forced a smile because of his tender actions. She did it tofort him although her head was still aching a bit.


    "Leena, we are a couple, right?" said Kevin as he bent over and looked into her eyes seriously.


    "Yes, of course. I''m aware of it. Is there anything wrong?" Panic arose from Leena upon hearing him. Would he talk about the divorce Nathan had threatened her with? That was thest thing she would like to do! Just the thought of it was enough to mess her heart. What if she had guessed right? How was she supposed to respond? Would she agree on the divorce decisively? Or would she beg not to divorce? There was even no need to ask. She would definitely choose thetter as she had fallen for him so deeply and wholeheartedly. She had loved him blindly even without any assurance that he felt the same.


    "Yes, there''s something wrong! Have you ever met a couple who behave like us? You are being too polite and even thank me for everything I do regardless of how small they are." Kevin disliked it very much when she was acting distantly from him. He was bothered about those things as what he wanted was for her to be closer.


    "Oh! Is that what you want to say? I thought..." Leena paused and did not continue her words. She was suddenly relieved. The only thing she would consider serious as of that time was divorce and nothing else.


    "You thought what?" asked Kevin confusedly. He got no clue about what she was trying to say.


    "Oh! Nothing! What time is it? It looks quitete." Thedy turned her head to the window and noticed how dark it was outside already.


    "Almost eight o''clock. You''ve been sleeping for several hours." The handsome man answered as he checked his watch. Their dinner had been ready a long time ago. Nheless, he wanted to have it with his wife, thus, he waited for her to wake up. Those foods were probably cold by now."]

 Chapter 1044 A Frank Talk (Part Two)

    "Ah! So it''s already thatte? What shall we do? Mom must be worried a lot!" The woman said as she jumped out of the bed. She almost fell down as she did it too carelessly. It was fortunate that Kevin was right there and caught her in his arms even before she hit the floor.


    "It''s okay. Mom said that we don''t need to hurry back. Don''t be nervous. We can stay here for tonight." The man put his coat around her tiny body considerably. It was a bit cold inside the room.


    "Really? Didn''t you say that tofort me?" Leena felt a bit shy with how his arms remained wrapped around her. Kevin''s continuous gentleness made her face turn red.


    "You don''t believe it? No problem. We can call Mom to prove it." The man said as he pretended to fish his phone to make a call to his mother.


    "Stop! Didn''t you say let''s eat something? Let''s go now!" Leena rejected Kevin''s offer instantly without even thinking twice. She wasn''t ready to go back home and face Shannon yet. She acted so childishly earlier and she was too embarrassed about it.


    "Are you going downstairs like this? Why don''t you go and clean yourself a bit before we go for the dinner?" Kevin suppressed hisugh and then gave her messy look a quick once-over.


    "Oh! I forgot it. Hold on. I''ll finish it soon." Leena stuck her tongue out naughtily and ran to the restroom. She was happy until she stepped in the restroom and saw her face in the mirror. Her smile automatically melted. She looked at the mirror agonizingly and examined how bad her frustration was showing on her face. All her disguise disappearedpletely at that moment.


    She walked out of that room, refreshed after cleaning herself. There was not even a trace of unhappiness on her face at all. She was far from who she was just seconds ago. Leena couldn''t help but mock herself silently as she thought that she should probably be an actress and y on the stage for her excellent skills.


    They looked like a perfectly in love couple as they walked downstairs with them holding hands. However, Leena knew that this was not just the case. Her mind was weighed down despite the sweet smile on her face.


    "Mrs. Gu, you''re awake. Shall we start the meal?" The housekeeper greeted them happily as soon as she saw them. She had just finished warming the dishes with the thought that Leena might still be sleeping. It turned out that she did it at good timing.


    "Yes, please. I''m sorry for troubling you and thank you." Leena replied in a polite tone. She knew that the housekeeper cared for her so much simply because of Edward. Nevertheless, she chose to show her good manners to her.


    "You''re wee, Mrs. Gu. It''s part of my job." The housekeeper rubbed her hands awkwardly. She rarely saw a rich woman like Leena who was so down to earth.


    "Leena," Lee turned to Leena and greeted her. Although he did not know what exactly happened to her in the Gu Family, there was a part of him that subconsciously believed that she was the one who was wronged. Based on the couple of days when they got along, he did not think that she was the type of person who would deliberately cause troubles for others.


    "Oh, Lee. You are here!" Leena did not expect that Lee was there too, thus, she was surprised upon seeing him. Was the trouble she made for Kevin that big? Goodness! Even his subordinate knew that she had run away.


    "Yes. I came here with Major General." Lee replied honestly as he rubbed his hands. He felt a bit shy whenever he was faced with Leena, something that never happened when he was faced with Kevin. After all, he was just a young man, therefore, it was just normal for him to be shy before a beautifuldy no matter who she was.


    "I''m sorry for causing such trouble for you." An awkward smile cracked Leena''s lips. Unlike Lee, she felt a bit ashamed instead of shy. As the wife of Lee''s superior, she did not set a good example at all. She had acted so ill-behaved that she made him and Kevin busy and anxious.


    "Oh! Leena, don''t say that to me. I can''t take that." Lee took a quick glimpse at Kevin before replying to Leena. He didn''t want to be punished with heavy training for epting the woman''s apology. What was more, he actually did nothing but just be a driver. That was all! It wasn''t like he experienced the same as his Major General who was already at the brink of madness earlier. He could swear to it that he saw him almost go insane.


    "Alright! Let''s have dinner." Kevin shot Lee an emotionless re. He felt something odd crept in his heart. Men were naturally territorial and would never be happy to see their wives close to any other man. Kevin was not an exception to that and he felt genuinely neglected in this situation.


    As a reaction, Lee ended up scratching his head as he wondered why the Major General suddenly acted weirdly to him. Kevin was very different from the former Major General. Was he just pretending to be calm? Lee was afraid that he might face his punishment somewhere in the future. He could not help but shudder at the thought. His Major General seemed to be more cunning.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "Please, take a seat!" Leena said to the housekeeper and frowned slightly. They had a lot of servants in their family. However, this situation where the masters ate while the servant stood beside never happened at her home


    "Mrs. Gu. I''m not supposed to have dinner with you." The housekeeper waved her hand to reject the offer in a hurry. She would not ept such advice because she believed that servants were not supposed to have meals with their masters.


    "It''s okay! Take a seat and join us! We''re family and you don''t need to be too polite with us," Kevin also joined Leena to persuade the servant. He would feel more uneptable and intolerable to enjoy dinner with somebody watching than Leena. As an enthusiastic soldier, he would never befortable with that thought as he believed in equality. There was no such thing as ss difference to him.


    "Yes! Major General and Leena are very easy-going. You can get along with them well. Don''t worry. Just sit down and have dinner with us! The more people, the merrier, right?" said Lee. He and Kevin had always got along with each other in afortable way, be it inside or outside the army base. Kevin just simply didn''t care about hierarchy and such.

 Chapter 1045 A Frank Talk (Part Three)

    "Is it really okay?" The housekeeper hesitated. It was the long-standing tradition that servants should not eat with their masters that had been holding her back. She was ssified as a servant and the thought of it bothered her a lot.


    "Of course, it''s okay. Come and take a seat!" Leena smiled in aforting way. She was always easy-going in the Leng''s house. It was the very reason why everyone liked her a lot.


    "Okay. I''ll take a seat since you said that." The housekeeper finallypromised and sat down carefully. She wasn''t able to rx though and remained acting over-cautiously during the meal.


    It was after dinner that Leena proposed to go back to the Gu''s house. That earned an automatic rejection from Kevin though. He wanted to take advantage of this chance to spend some time alone with her. The ambiance there was nice and the ce was beautiful. It would be the perfect ce to rx.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Are you feeling cold?" Kevin reached out and started buttoning her coat. He was concerned that she might catch a cold as the temperature outside was rtively lower. He didn''t think that her coat was warm enough.


    "No, I''m not," Leena replied shortly. There was a lot of things she wanted to say but then just swallowed her thoughts. She wanted to tell him that no matter how cold it was, she would always feel as warm as the spring or as hot as the summer as long as he was holding her hands. She knew that the thoughts were too dramatic, thus, she felt shy to blurt them out.


    "I''m sorry for what happened today, Leena. You would not be wronged so much if it were not because of me," Kevin stopped and apologized. He looked right into her eyes and Leena lost all her chance to evade him. His eyes easily got her captivated.


    "I am okay as long as I could stay with you." She honestly said without breaking their stares. There was no point to deny that fact in the first ce.


    "Am I really that good? You have sacrificed too much." The man was serious as he spoke. He thought that it was the perfect time for them to frankly talk about their rtionship and his old feelings about Daisy.


    "Sacrificed? You are not me and you don''t know how I feel. Everyone''s view is subjective. Just like thendscape in front of you, how you see it will always depend on how you feel. A leaf changes its color and shape ording to how the sunlight hits it," Leena exined indifferently. It was her inner emotions speaking for her and she was totally different from the jolly and always smiling girl that everyone knew. She seemed to be totally a mature woman.


    "Can you tell me when did you know about my feelings for Daisy?" It was Kevin who broke their eye contact and evaded her as he talked. He couldn''t stand looking in her pure eyes with another woman''s name in his mouth.


    "When? Is it really that important?" Leena''s eyes dimmed. An ironic smile rested on her lips. She wondered if he would ever love her the same as he did with Daisy.


    "Not really. I just asked because I want to know your opinion about it." His fingers around her soft hand went tighter as he was pitch ck about what her reply would be. The anxiousness he was feeling that time had greatly surpassed all the other times he felt anxious during his entire life.


    "I don''t think that my opinion matters a lot. The most critical thing in here is if you are still hurt because of Sis Daisy." Leena smiled bitterly. She never med Daisy for anything. She sincerely admired her instead. Both Kevin and Edward were excellent men and they both chose to greatly love her, although Kevin''s love remained unrequited. She believed that Daisy deserved it because she was also an excellent woman. Plus, Daisy had made great efforts to win Edward''s love. She couldn''t be happier that her Sis Daisy eventually won it. Leena hoped she could end up with the same from Kevin.


    "Do you want to hear the truth?" Kevin shot her a quick glimpse. He had never expected for this little woman to be that rational. He thought that Leena had quickly matured aspared to how she was supposed to be.


    "Be gentle with telling it to me if the truth is that harsh. You might just identally kill me here should you do it too abruptly. I think that you''ve already known that I''ve fallen deeply in love with you even without me telling you, right? So just be fair with me for a bit. You don''t have toment about what I said. That''s all I want. I don''t think it''s such a big thing to request for, right? So you might as well tell me what you are to say before you change your mind." Leena bit her lips after she forced herself to say those words. She was so pressured about what Kevin was about to tell. She knew that they would eventually talk about this problem and there would be no escape from it.


    "Don''t worry! I would never talk with you about this if I hadn''t let go of my feelings for her yet. To be more precise, I''ve already lost all my feelings for Daisy. She is not the one who owns my heart anymore. I still care for her because I consider her to be one of my best friends. Just like how Rain and Tom feel for you, my feelings for Daisy have nothing to do with love. It is purely just family affection now." A mncholic smile spread through Kevin''s face. Yes! It was just impossible for his heart to beat for Daisy now! How would that even happen when the woman who belonged to him and he cared for the most was just standing next to him, right?

 Chapter 1046 Can I Trust You (Part One)

    "Can I trust you?" The question was not asked out of suspicion. Because Leena knew that falling in love involved a lot of emotions. There were a lot of joys but also heartbreaks along the way. And if they broke up, the pain would be double. She wanted to make sure they both knew what they were getting themselves into. "You can try. That''s the only way you''ll know for certain." Kevin knew that she wouldn''t believe him if they just talked about it. Of course, he would try to keep his promise. However, he also understood that nothing was impossible. Promises were never one hundred percent guarantees, because people didn''t always seed. Sometimes they fell short of what they promised. Leena needed to trust his words, and came to that trust all on her own.


    "So, if love is a game, and you''re the one that makes the rules, then I''m willing to be a piece on your gameboard. I''d like to y, if you don''t mind," Leena said, with a sweet smile on her face. Her smile was so warm that it could melt the chill of the early winter. It also shone a warm ray of sunshine on Kevin''s heart.


    "I won''t let you down." Kevin stretched out his arms, and took Leena into his embrace, kissing her on the forehead. Leena put her head on Kevin''s chest to feel his heartbeat. Although the two did not tell each other very clearly and directly, they both understood what they meant, which was a big part of love.


    If this moment could be frozen in time, Leena would do it in a heartbeat. This was the most wonderful moment in the world. However, she knew that love and life in reality were far from perfect, far from the fantasies of Prince Charming and his Princess. There were still things and people she had to face. But the love was worth the pain.


    When the dawn rose from the horizon once again, the beginning of a new day came, and so did the new life. As usual, Kevin was the first one to wake up in the morning. When he opened his eyes, he saw the pretty girl in his arms, sleeping peacefully. He couldn''t help but smile, a feeling of satisfaction tickling his heart. Meanwhile, Kevin adjusted the quilt, making sure she was all tucked in and snug.


    Stirring from Kevin''s activity, Leena moved closer to his warm arms. After finding a veryfortable position, she slept again, without noticing that a pair of affectionate eyes were tightly fixed on her.


    On seeing the lithe, lovely girl in his arms, Kevin could not help but smile bitterly. He was still basking in the glow of a satisfying night. He wore her out. But his desire was still strong. He had to suppress it. He was not big on lovemaking -- usually, he found other things to hold his interest. But now it was burning in his loins. He felt an overwhelming desire to turn Leena over and start ravishing her. Her closeness made it even worse. This was a worthy test of his willpower.


    While Kevin struggled with his desire, Leena just slept like a log. He would turn over or shift in bed, and she would keep on snuggling up to him. She kept on fleeing to his embrace, close to him, eager to feel his warmth. She had no idea what was going on with Kevin. She was just trying to stay warm.


    "Girl, stop moving like that! Otherwise, I''ll eat you." Kevin clenched his teeth, letting out these words out of his thin lips. But nheless, his eyes were filled with a loving sparkle, showing that he just wanted to frighten her.


    "Eat what?" Leena stirred again, and was aware of Kevin''s desire since it became pretty obvious when she pressed up against him. And she was even wider awake when Kevin said this. So, sleepy Leena blurted out her question. How lovely she was now.


    "Eat me. Do you want to eat me?" Kevin smiled crookedly. There was not the slightest serious expression of a soldier on his face now. He looked like some sex-crazed stranger in her bed!


    "I''m sorry. I''m still sleepy," she said, her voice muffled by a nket. She quickly snuggled down into the quilt. But in less than a second, she shot her head out of the quilt. Her face turned red with shyness, her body stiff. Because she found that she and Kevin were both naked under the quilt. Instantly, she understood why he said that and what he wanted to eat.


    "Eh! Really Leena? Am I that ugly? I''m not some kind of monster!" Kevin looked at her reactions, flirting with her. He could not hold back his smile and evenughed in his low voice. She was so cute at that moment. He loved her even more now.


    "You''re much worse than a monster!" At the thought of the crazy sexst night, Leena''s face turned redder. She couldn''t figure out how such a cold and self-restrained person becamepletely different in bed. Unlike his normal serious self, Kevin was evil, sexy and charming on the bed. Just like a king, he took full control of their love making. She could only hug him closely, and followed his moves unconsciously, falling into the fire of desire he made.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "Really? You sure you''re not exaggerating?" Kevinughed as he said this. Then he smiled, with affection in his eyes. He also admitted that he couldn''t stop himself yesterday, that he kept it going for hours and never wanted to stop. It was no surprise to see this little creature wanting to be left alone for a while.


    "You''d better ask yourself that! Now turn around. I''m getting dressed." Leena pouted her lips. ''Should I go for a bath?'' she thought. ''Yeah, probably, to make my aches and pains go away.'' Kevin was like a perpetual motion machinest night. ''What a beast!'' Leena thought to herself. But she dared not to say it out loud, especially when she felt Kevin''s desire, erect and that he was ready for action!?????????????

 Chapter 1047 Can I Trust You (Part Two)

    "Hah! Don''t bother! I''ll get you a bath towel!" Kevin got out of the bed, naked. He had a nice body, so why not? But when Leena saw him, she couldn''t help screaming and hid herself in the quilt. She felt that seeing him like that was not right. So, she became even more


    embarrassed, with her heart pounding madly in her body and both ears turning red.


    Kevin stopped when he heard her cry out. He turned back, only to find the girl hiding herselfpletely in the bedding. Looking down on his desire pointing straight out, he finally figured it out and smiled. It seemed that his girl was so simple that she fussed over his naked body every time. Even though they had been naked so many times, her conservative side still won out sometimes. What a shy little girl! He turned back to the bathroom, leaving the room to his girl.


    Leena only stuck her head out of the quilt after hearing the sounds of the shower. He was in the bathroom now, right? Leena finally rxed. After all, if she had a repeat ofst night, then she definitely wouldn''t be leaving the bed today. She trembled when she thought of that tireless perpetual motion man!


    But her relieved heart soon started worrying again. There was still the matter of dealing with the fallout from yesterday''s incident. She had to face the Gu family sometime, and now was as good a time as any. And yes, Louisa was also there. Had Louisa finally won the rest of the family over? Would they be even more disgusted with her. This was what she cared about most at this moment.


    How she wished she could go back in time. In that case, she would probably be more rational, and became less impulsive. Then she wouldn''t be in the pickle she was in.


    However, it was hard for her to escape even though she was eager to run away. So she finally bit the bullet and went back to the inws''. When she stood at the door of the Gu house, she could not help being paralyzed by fear. She was afraid of walking into a situation that she could not ept.


    "Come in! Leena. What''s the matter?" Kevin looked at her with confusion on his face. It was Leena who asked again and again toe back early. Why did she stop, and just stood at the door?


    "Oh, no. Nothing!" Leena smiled. It was a matter that she had to face sooner orter. Why not simply do it right away? Leena made up her mind. After gritting her teeth, she hurried to keep up with Kevin. There was an old saying about this, right? "Take care of the little problems while they''re still little." Now Leena was trying to do like that. She stepped into the house.


    Kevin paused deliberately for a while, waiting for her. He took Leena''s cold hand in his, as if to tell her that he would face the unknown future together with her. No matter what, he was by her side.


    "Hi, Leena, Kevin. You finally came back! Go and wash your hands. It''s lunchtime!" Shannon greeted them warmly, without mentioning Leena''s departure. She behaved as if Leena and Kevin just went shopping and came back as usual.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "Mom, anything I can do?" Leena responded with a sweet smile. She was very moved by Shannon''s discretion and wanted to help with lunch. She felt very wee here.


    "No need. Thanks, Leena. Everything will be ready soon. There is no need to get your hands all icky." Shannon knew that she had to pretend like nothing happened yesterday. That would be the best thing for Leena''s emotional state. The whole family being together and happy was the most important thing. That was why she did not mention anything about the problems yesterday.


    "It''s okay. Just let me do something to help." Leena smiled embarrassedly. But at least Shannon was kind to her, and hadn''t mentioned anything. Maybe she could finally rx a bit.


    "Will wonders never cease? I wondered where you were and there you are! My sister-inw! Why are you back so early? Scratch that; why are you back at all?" Just at this moment, a burst of acid remarks suddenly sounded from the outside. Turning, everyone saw ire in the doorway, followed by Louisa. The remarks were said in a mocking tone, letting everyone know what ire thought of Leena.


    "ire, if you don''t know how to say anything nice, then don''t say anything at all. In other words, shut up." Shannon stared at ire angrily. All her efforts tofort Leena were in vain, because of this stupid girl and her foolish remarks.


    "Nothing I said was wrong. And I''m entitled to my opinion," ire muttered, pouting. She looked at Leena indignantly. She thought she''d seen thest of Leena. ire celebrated too soon, for her sister-inw was back. The one her mother had scolded her for was back.


    When these words reached her ears, Leena bit her lip, tears welled in her eyes and her face turned pale. She had felt wee too soon. Even though her mother-inw deliberately ignored those things, there were still other people who would use them to hurt her.


    "So I guess my p didn''t teach you anything. Do you need another lesson?" Kevin red at ire coldly. In his opinion, this girl was a spoiled brat. She badly needed to be taught manners. That was why ire said those acid remarks without any consideration for others. She only said what she thought and what made her happy and never thought how it would hurt other people.


    Leena turned to Kevin immediately when she heard what he said. She was surprised that Kevin would even raise a hand to ire. And why didn''t she know this?


    Shannon also felt shocked to find this out. How did stubborn, opinionated ire keep this to herself? Surely she would have run to Daddy and had him deal with it. But she didn''t, and that just showed how much, deep down, she really loved Kevin. Her family was everything to her.


    "I ..." ire looked at Kevin again. She opened her mouth several times but no words came out. Kevin''s fierce eyes cowed her. After all, in this family, she might not care about what anybody else thought, but she had to consider the feelings of her own brother. Kevin was not like her parents, who would let her do anything she wanted. Kevin was strict and cold with her, never sparing her a tender look. He had a frigid coolness in his eyes when he looked at her. That was why she hated Leena so much. Because when her elder brother gazed at Leena, his eyes were so tender and soft. She''d never gotten that kind of affection from her brother.000

 Chapter 1048 Can I Trust You (Part Three)

    "I, I, I. What are you trying to say? Don''t just stand around. Go and wash up for lunch," Shannon shouted at ire, looking past Louisa. Then, she turned around and walked to the kitchen. During this time, she didn''t spare a word or even a nce at Louisa. She might as well not have even been there.


    "I know, I know. I''m wrong every time, and someone else is always right." ire gave Leena a thoughtful look. Obviously, "someone else" meant Leena.


    "Hi, Kevin. You''re back." Louisa finally got the chance to say hello to Kevin. As far as she was concerned, Kevin was the only person here worth paying attention to. As for Leena, well, she just ignored her altogether.


    "Ummm... Leena, let''s go! Didn''t you say that you wanted to help Mom?" Kevin snorted coldly from his nose. He made it clear that he did not want to talk to Louisa. Thinking quickly, he urged Leena to go to the kitchen and went with her. He''d rather help cook than talk with this love-crazed girl.


    Leena also looked at Louisa. Just like the others, she said nothing and hastily followed Kevin into the kitchen. She still bore a grudge, and definitely didn''t feel like smiling at her.


    "ire, does you mom not like me? She won''t even really talk to me. And Kevin''s not talking to me either." Louisa was taken aback by Shannon and Kevin''s behaviors. She was always very proud of herself and could not bear to be snubbed. Therefore, she felt very lonely and could only ask ire what was going on.


    "Naw, you''re taking things too personally, Louisa. Don''t think too much about it. My mom is like that. She''s busy right now, and can''t spare a lot of attention for people she doesn''t know. It''s not that she hates you or anything. Just get used to it. She''ll be friendlier as she gets to know you." ire forced a smile. She also saw how her mother treated Louisa. But in order tofort her, ire had to tell a lie. It was a white lie, ire thought to herself.


    "Really?" Louisa was not an idiot. Although she pretended to ask ire about this, in her heart, she was very clear that Shannon ignored her deliberately just now. So, how was she supposed to take that?


    "Yeah. Don''t think too much about it. My dad likes you, doesn''t he? That''s enough," ire said, patting Louisa on her shoulder tofort her. She did not think that her mother''s attitude was important. After all, in her heart, the person who called the shots in this family was her father. Other people could only obey his orders. Hence, as long as her father had dered something, it was hard for others to go against that.


    "Yeah, your dad likes me, but Kevin and your mom really don''t like me." Louisa frowned. Who cared if Nathan liked her? She wanted Kevin to like her. And it seemed to be impossible. After all, what she wanted was Kevin''s love, not someone else''s.


    "I told you not to think too much about it. Trust me. I know what you mean, and I''ll help you." ire patted her chest, making this promise. It seemed as if she was in total control of everything and was afraid that Louisa didn''t trust her.


    "You''re right. ire, we are so besties. I''m happy to have a friend like you.." Louisa smiled. As long as she was not alone in this battle, then everything was not such a big problem for her. Because she would make the impossible things possible again.


    "Of course we''re BFFs, whatever happens." ire raised her chin proudly. Leena had her mother''s help here, but what about in the S city? She''d like to see who else could help her. She believed that she could easily deal with Leena, given her ability and high IQ. Perhaps Leena felt the hatred emanating from ire. She shivered unconsciously, and she got a weird feeling in the pit of her stomach.


    "What''s the matter? Feeling a little cold?" Kevin was looking at her closely just now. It was easy for him to figure out that something was slightly off about Leena.


    "Oh, no. I''m not cold! Let''s head out of the kitchen. It''s okay to take this soup out." Leena smiled. She didn''t want to tell him that it was a bad feeling in her heart, and she didn''t know why.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "If you feel cold, then get a coat." Kevin felt a little worried about her. It looked like she was dressed warmly enough. Why was she shivering like that?


    "Yeah, if it gets bad enough, I''ll do that! By the way, where are Mom and Maud? They sure disappeared in a hurry." Leena was confused. She only was busy with the soup for a little while. And how could they take off without telling anyone?


    "You just found out now? Haha! They''ve been out for a long time. They should be in the dining room by now!" Kevinughed a little on Leena''s obliviousness. It seemed that this girl was perpetually confused. And he knew what his mom was doing. She was deliberately staying away from the kitchen. She just wanted to spare a room for him and Leena to stay together. It really made them look like newlyweds.


    "Ah! Okay. I really didn''t notice that. So, is Dad eating lunch here?" Leena still felt confused and worried. Until now, she was not ready to face Nathan. Because his harsh and awesome domination was something she had never encountered before. So, she was still uncertain about running into him again.


    "No. He normallyes home at night. What''s the matter?" Kevin turned around and looked at her.


    "Nothing, I''m just asking. Leena felt relieved to hear it. She finally could stop her heart from beating so fast. If Nathan only came back at night, she still had some time to prepare for the meeting.


    "Worried that he''ll scold you again? Don''t worry, I''m here. I''ll be with you." But Kevin felt guilty. If he had been there with her, instead of chatting with someone, then his father wouldn''t have done that. Kevin could have shut him up and shielded Leena. It was all his fault that things turned out this way.000000??????????

 Chapter 1049 The Symbol Of Love (Part One)

    "That''s not what I meant. Let''s head to the dining room." Leena smiled resignedly. What was done was done. Stressing herself out wouldn''t change a thing.


    Then she and Kevin sauntered into the dining room. Everybody else was seated, apparently waiting for them. Heads turned to them as they entered.


    "Hi Leena. Have a seat. We''ve been waiting." Shannon waved to her and pointed to the chair right beside her.


    "Sorry to keep you waiting," Leena said with an apologetic smile. The soup had taken a long time to make, so she felt that everyone might be impatient. You could almost hear their stomachs growling. "It''s okay. Now that you''re here --" Shannon picked up her spoon and dipped it in the soup. Shannon spooned up some soup, put it to her mouth and blew on it to cool it off. She couldn''t wait to taste it. "How is it? Is it good?" Leena asked nervously. Salmon head soup with asparagus was her favorite. She had that dish a lot when she was living in S City. Seeds of Chinese prickly ash and hot peppers were two spices of the dish. Leena thought those things were delicious, and the soup kept her warm on cold days like this. It should do the same for her family as well. But it took awhile to bring out the vor of the fish. That was why she had stayed so long in the kitchen.


    "Yeah, this is amazing. Hot and spicy, just the way I like it. You''re a great cook -- did you have any formal schooling?" Shannon asked, quite pleased to find another thing she liked about her daughter-inw. Leena proved that she was polite and modest, and now she showed that she was able to take care of Kevin and the family. Shannon was more convinced than ever that Leena was the right woman for Kevin.


    "A little. I took some cooking sses in Paris. I was tired of Western food and really missed Chinese food, so I had to learn to cook it myself. Western food has a lot of things I''m not fond of, like butter, cream, cheese, and milk. It makes you feel heavy after eating it," Leena answered politely. Cooking lessons had been just a whim at first, but she really took to them, and found she liked them a lot. She went to every ss. While she wasn''t a master chef, she still did really well at the everyday dishes that people usually ate.


    "Hah! Like I believe that," ire sneered. No one was paying her any heed, because Leena had be the center of attention. She hated it.


    "Good for you. Young people should take time to learn new things," Shannon interjected, ignoring what ire said, like she hadn''t even heard it at all.


    "Leena, have some of this. You should eat more," Kevin said to Leena. He had listened to the conversation quietly for a while. He heard ire too, loud and clear, but he chose to ignore her sarcastic words as well. ''Maybe she''ll get bored and stop it if no one says anything to her, '' Kevin thought.


    "Okay, Kevin, that''s enough," Leena said. "This is way too much to eat." Leena''s bowl was nearly full and Kevin was still putting more food in it, almost as if he were afraid she''d waste away before his eyes. She looked at Kevin, feeling awkward. There was no way she could eat all that.


    "No rush, then. Eat it slowly." Kevin smiled gently. He just wanted her to eat more and be fit. She was skinny.


    "Kevin, why don''t you dish up some food for Louisa too?" ire said acidly. "She''s our guest. Where are your manners?" Watching the cute back and forth between Kevin and Leena, ire was filled with disgust and anger and couldn''t help opening her mouth again. No matter what Leena did, it was never good enough.


    "She''s your guest, not mine. Do it yourself," Kevin replied indifferently. He had never liked Louisa. After what had happened yesterday, he hated her even more.


    "But she''s themander''s daughter. She''s your guest too," ire protested, feeling anxious. If Kevin kept freezing Louisa out, her and Louisa''s scheme would fail before it even got off the ground.


    "Leave me out of this. She''s here as your friend, not as the daughter of themander. She''s your guest. You take care of her," Kevin said ruthlessly, taking a firm stance. At this point, he didn''t care if he hurt Louisa''s feelings or not.


    "ire, Louisa is your guest, and your responsibility, just as Leena is Kevin''s." Shannon rolled her eyes at ire. Her mother knew exactly what ire was up to. But she would not allow ire to break Kevin and Leena up as long as she was still alive!


    "Leena isn''t a guest. Why does she need to be taken care of? You''re just making excuses." Ever since Leena showed up, ire felt less and less important. They ignored her more often, and she was not happy about it.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Whoeveres to our house for the first time is our guest. So naturally, Leena is your brother''s guest and Louisa yours. What''s so hard about that?" Shannon stared at Louisa calmly, thinking that she should be able to sense Shannon''s annoyance and back off. But she was headstrong -- would it work?


    Wisely, Leena said nothing, and kept eating quietly. She knew ire was practically blowing steam out of her ears, so she stayed out of it. She didn''t want to be the target of ire''s ire any more than she already was.


    Louisa sat there silently, not knowing what to do. She understood Shannon''s words all too well, but desire overwhelmed her. She pretended to not be involved, and just sat there with her head lowered, eating. The food tasted like wax, but she didn''t dare to meet Shannon''s gaze -- those sharp eyes could humble her in an instant.


    The mood was awkward and depressing, now. Everyone was thinking about something, but didn''t want to broach the subject. Louisa asked to be excused first, because she decided discretion was the better part of valor and couldn''t take Shannon''s glowering anymore. She felt as if she were sitting on pins and needles, and needed some air.


    "You did it deliberately, didn''t you?" Louisa had been seeking an opportunity to confront Leena again. Now that she saw Leena alone in the yard, she practically ran to her to do that.


    "Miss Ye, what are you talking about? What did I do deliberately?" Leena asked. She was stuffed, so she went outside to take a walk and digest her food. But surprise! Louisa was right there and in her face.


    "Don''t y dumb! You ran off yesterday to get Auntie upset. You''re just an attention whore!" Louisa had always been pushy. It was who she was.


    "No, Miss Ye, that wasn''t why I ran off. Not everyone has a hidden agenda like you do. Just because you''re evil doesn''t mean everyone else is," Leena retorted coldly with her chin up. She wasn''t a bully, but she wasn''t going to let Louisa push her around either.


    "Ha, I''m evil? Then you''re Satan himself! I''ve heard that you and Kevin got married in a hurry. Let me guess: you slept with him and there is a baby on the way?" One point for Louisa. She touched a nerve there. She intended to keep digging. Leena was beside herself with embarrassment.


    "So what? At least he is willing to sleep with me." As much as she was humiliated, Leena didn''t lose her nerve to counterattack. She knew what she had just said would hit Louisa hard. She would be jealous and irritated.


    "Oh my God! I''m right, aren''t I? You really seduced him and forced him to marry you?" Louisa stared at Leena, wide-eyed in astonishment. She really said it, and was so deadpan!000

 Chapter 1050 The Symbol Of Love (Part Two)

    "You tell me. If I were you, Louisa, I wouldn''t be hitting on someone else''s hubby. Think about it. If he''s unfaithful to me then he''ll be unfaithful to you, too. Do you really want that kind of heartache?" Leena believed in fate. If two people were meant to be together, nothing


    could separate them. If they weren''t, there wasn''t much anyone could do about it.


    "You''re just saying that because Kevin is with you right now. But he doesn''t love you. I still have a chance with him." What Leena said didn''t bother Louisa at all. She already had a n. Once she and Kevin were together, she had her own schemes to make him all hers, and no one else''s.


    "He doesn''t love me? Says who?" Leena simply smiled. Make no mistake, she was pissed off, but she wasn''t going to show it. She wouldn''t give Louisa the satisfaction.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "Humph! You think he loves you? You should recognize this ne." Louisa pulled out the ne she was wearing from under her clothes, believing that Leena would freak out once she saw it. It was Kevin''s birthday gift to her.


    "Why? Am I supposed to recognize it?" Leena asked, biting her lip. A wave of sadness crashed through her body. ''Kevin, weren''t you in love with Daisy? Why did you give this girl a priceless ne like that? Are you a cheater like other men?'' she thought. "Come on, Leena. You must have seen this ne before. On second thought, it''s a gift from Kevin. I see why he never told you about it." A smug smile spread across Louisa''s face. Louisa loved to y with the truth, bend it, twist it, letting others draw their own conclusions from what she didn''t say as much as they might do from her words. It was a lie, but she just loved the look on Leena''s face when she was crushed. ''Now let''s see,'' she thought.


    "It''s just a gift, Miss Ye, as you said. Why should I care?" Leena''s tone betrayed no emotion. But deep down, she cared a great deal. When Kevin returned from trainingst time, he got her nothing, but managed to give Louisa this uberexpensive ne. Clearly, she was nothing to him. She began to think back tost night, and the sweet words he had said to her. How much of that was a lie? Could she trust him ever again?


    "It''s not just a gift. It''s a symbol of our love. He loves me, and it reminds me of him. That''s why I wear it every day," Louisa continued prattling like a proud mynah bird.


    "Really? Should I congratte you then? Because you have something I don''t have, after all." Leena looked down at her fingers, and a thought came to her. More urately, it hit her like a p. Suddenly, she felt her marriage was a sham. Kevin didn''t even give her a wedding ring.


    "Leena, doesn''t it bother you that your husband gave me this expensive ne? Shouldn''t you be jealous?" Leena''s reaction was even-toned. She didn''t cry, she didn''t even look sad. Things weren''t going as Louisa had nned.


    "Should I? It''s just a ne and it only proves that we can afford it." Leena sounded casual as if she were talking to someone about the weather.


    "Leena, I know this has really hit you hard. You''re twisting my words intentionally," Louisa sneered. She had almost thought Leena was as calm as she pretended to be. It turned out to be an act. She must have been flustered for awhile now. ''She''s a good actress,'' Louisa thought, ''but the jig is up.''


    "Ha! Don''t tter yourself. Kevin''s not the man you think he is. As a matter of fact, he''s behind you right now. I guess we can ask him what''s going on, if you want." Leena smiled sarcastically. Given the terrible situation, she was hoping to settle the matter once and for all. She was curious what Kevin would have to say about it.


    "What?" Louisa turned back in a panic, afraid that Kevin was really standing behind her. She was relieved to see that he was simply walking towards them. She let out an audible sigh of relief.


    Leena smiled to see her reaction. Since Louisa said Kevin loved her, why was she so nervous when she said Kevin was behind her? Obviously, that was a lie. That made Leena feel a lot better. "Leena, let''s go. Mom wants to go shopping and she wants us to keep herpany." Kevin frowned to see Louisa, wondering if she had said something awful to Leena. She seemed to be good at that, especially now that she was away from her father''s watchful gaze. "Now?" Leena ignored Louisa immediately. It seemed to her that Louisa wasn''t much of a threat to her anymore. She might be full of despicable tricks, but she couldn''te between Kevin and her. She was sure of that now.


    "Yeah. You want to freshen up first?" Kevin brushed her hair with his fingers, which was disorderly from the wind. Women liked dressing themselves up and making themselves all perfect before going out. He didn''t think Leena was the exception to the rule. "I''ll go upstairs and change. These got dirty and smelly from the oil and smoke in the kitchen. I''d rather not go out smelling like my soup, thanks." Leena was a ssy woman with good taste. She wouldn''t go out with smelly clothes.


    "Okay, go ahead. I think Mom''s still getting ready." Kevin looked at her affectionately. His mom still cared a lot about how she looked. She must be standing in front of the mirror, working on her delicate image right now. "Got it. I''ll be quick," Leena replied cheerfully and hurried inside the house.


    "Kevin, is ire going with you?" Louisa asked carefully. Hearing that Shannon was going shopping, she had another n on her mind, thinking that this was a good opportunity to chum up with Kevin''s mother.


    "I don''t know. Ask her yourself," Kevin answered coldly. Considering what had been going on between ire and Leena, he didn''t think his mom would ask ire to tag along, in case ire picked on Leena again.


    "Never mind. I''m going upstairs too." Louisa had always wanted to be by Kevin''s side. To be more urate, she wanted to be with him 24/7. Right now, in the yard, it was just her and Kevin, but she didn''t stick around, which seemed fishy. Kevin didn''t stop her. He simply nodded and followed her inside to get his coat and phone.


    "ire, your mom and brother are going shopping. Are you going with them?" Louisa asked. ire was reading a magazine with her legs crossed.


    "What? They''re leaving the house again? I''ll pass. Mom doesn''t seem to like me much these days. Forget it. I''ll stay here and listen to music and read. It''s better than getting my ass chewed. Besides, it''s cold outside." Apparently, ire wasn''t enthusiastic about going. In fact, she couldn''t wait to stay away from them right now. Louisa thought she was hurt and really wanted to go, but her pride wouldn''t let her.


    "But aren''t you worried that your mom is going to buy things for Leena?" Louisa prodded. Seeing ire''s reaction, she was anxious. Instead of staying at home and wildly guessing what they were shopping for, she preferred to tag along and keep everything under her watch. After all, you never knew when a good opportunity to gain the upper hand would present itself. She needed to persuade ire to go, so she could, too.0000

 Chapter 1051 A Pair Of Rings (Part One)

    "What are you talking about?" ire asked anxiously. She bolted upright all of a sudden, showing serious concern on this issue.


    "Think about it. Leena does note from a family as wealthy as ours. I''m pretty sure she cannot afford the luxuries. She is probably counting on Aunt Shannon to buy her expensive stuff - things she couldn''t imagine buying in her ordinary life. We must be very careful, just in case she tricks Aunt Shannon into purchasing her things that she can''t afford by herself," Louisa exined solemnly. She was good at reading people''s minds, finding out their weaknesses and making good use of them. She knew what ire cared about most and what made her jealous easily. Louisa deliberately picked up the issue that she knew would provoke ire for sure. Louisa didn''t care that she had just made it all up on the spot. All she wanted and needed was ire''s anger and hostility that Louisa knew she could make good use ofter on.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "Would Leena do that? How dare she?! This is too problematic of her and should be given serious thought. I remember when I went out with them the other day, all the clothes she chose were from world-famous brands. She looked like she knew a lot about fashion. I know for a fact that she bought everything using my brother''s money; it was he who paid for all of them. And Leena, that little bitch, she herself didn''t even pay a single penny for them!" ire said, with her face turning red. Apparently she was sessfully provoked by Louisa''s words, just as thetter had wished for. As she thought of the clothes Leena had bought and their exorbitant prices, ire''s ire grew. Howe a simple T-shirt bought by Leena was more expensive than ire''s own several dressesbined? The money Leena had spent that day was probably worth more than her entire wardrobe put together. The thought was unbearable! ''Leena is such a fake, '' ire thought. She might look meek and submissive like a cute sheep, but that was not her true self at all. Her true colors were only revealed when it came to spending other people''s money. She could squander the money more ferociously than a hungry wolf tearing its prey.


    "That''s exactly what I meant. Leena would absolutely use this opportunity to go shopping with Aunt Shannon and ask her to spend a lot of money on her. Isn''t that so obviously her real purpose?" Louisa asked, adding more fuel to the fire. She kept her eyes on ire, tracking her reactions to the words. Louisa was quite sure that the things she said would unsettle ire. ire could never tolerate that kind of behavior from Leena. She would choose not to stay at home, because she needed to go out with them and then she could do something to stop Leena from using Shannon''s money. If ire decided to do so, she would bring Louisa with her too. This time, it would be Louisa who tricked ire into helping her attain her goals - to go out with Kevin and keep tabs on Leena. "Well... it does sound true. I didn''t think of it before. Maybe we should go with them to take a look, since you have reminded me of Leena''s true purpose," ire agreed slowly. She knew Louisa was possibly right, but ire still hesitated a bit at the thought of going out on such a cold day. It was agonizing to be outside in the piercing cold wind, especially since she had already been out once this morning. In all honesty, ire preferred to keep lying on thefortable couch and read an interesting book today, in her very warm room. "Yeah! We should go and see what she is up to. I''ve been in the Capital City for a while, but I still haven''t gotten around. It will also be a good chance for me to have a closer look at the city. I should get more familiar with this ce. Maybe we could shop around for ourselves too," Louisa said with glee. ire finally agreed to go, so Louisa''s selfish purpose was achieved without much effort on her part, except for some half-baked words. Louisa knew how to hide her intentions from ire, while thetter was too naive and always believed her. As long as she managed to cover up the truth from ire, Louisa could always use her to aplish her ns without getting her own hands dirty. It was great to have this stupid and obedient girl on her side. With ire''s help, she would definitely kick Leena out of this home and get to Kevin''s heart some day. For now, she decided to seize this opportunity. Louisa began to rummage about for some beautiful clothes to put on. ''At least I know how to dress better than Leena,'' she thought. ''She is such a bumpkin!'' Because Louisa had been pped by Leena yesterday, they hade back before she could take a look around Capital City. Now she had the opportunity to explore.


    "Okay, let''s go. You''re my friend. I''m always here for you," ire said. Though she was still a little unwilling to go out, ire decided to help Louisa. ''It is Louisa who should be Kevin''s wife and my sister-inw after all, not that annoying Leena,'' she thought. Interestingly, she shared Louisa''s opinion and knew that they should look better than Leena, so ire quickly dressed up and put on her full-face makeup. As both of them walked out of the room together, they saw Leena walk down the stairs elegantly, her long hair swaying along as she took her steps, with a pleasant fragrance dispersed in the air around her. She exuded a strong confidence. Upon seeing this, Louisa and ire had to admit, though reluctantly, that Leena had beauty and charisma. Leena didn''t need to wear pretty clothes or put on a lot of makeup to look good, which made them even more envious. She was like a princess, like a real aristocrat. Leena was graceful but also lively. The vivacious naughtiness in a mature, charmingdy like her was perfectly appropriate, and it made her lovelier and even more adorable. She looked like she was born this stunning. Her innate noble temperament radiated so brilliantly that they couldn''t move their eyes away from her.

 Chapter 1052 A Pair Of Rings (Part Two)

    "You two are going out too?" Leena asked casually but also politely, not noticing their intense gazes on her, not to mention the deep-set hostility and envy in their eyes. Although she was not getting along well with them at the moment, they weren''t strangers to her either. They all knew each other, so Leena remembered to be well-mannered. She always treated people with basic politeness, no matter who they were or how much she disliked them. Besides, it would be too inappropriate topletely ignore them and walk by, since they had seen each other already. Otherwise, they would use her of pretending not to see them and avoiding them. It was not something she wanted right now.


    "So what if we are? Are you afraid that we are going to follow and keep an eye on you?" ire snapped. She was so jealous of Leena, especially her simple but elegant dressing and makeup. The hostility ire held for her couldn''t be kept buried anymore. Her anger brought upon by Louisa earlier finally found an outlet. ire''s suspicions were out in the open. Looking at Leena now, she felt it was useless to dress herself up and put on the heavy makeup with so much care, as they only made her look stupid. She looked more like a countrywoman than Leena did. Leena didn''t need all that to be the brightest star among everyone, or to overshadow ire and Louisa easily. When standing beside her, the both of them blended into the unnoticed background like green leaves, and it only highlighted Leena as the most salient and beautiful flower.


    "Sorry? Keep an eye on me? But why? Keep an eye on me for what?" Leena asked, confused about ire''s reply. She didn''t understand why they suddenly decided to go with her. Leena couldn''t read the thoughts currently running inside ire''s mind, so she didn''t know where the hostility came from all of a sudden. Leena had merely dressed up casually, and she had no idea that her innate beauty could arouse so much envy from others. She had not realized they cared so much about her and her looks.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "Well... You will see!" ire sneered. She raised her chin high as her eyes darted quickly in Leena''s direction, pretending to be as proud as a queen who despised her inferiors. Leena was clearly one of them in ire''s mind. She grabbed Louisa''s hand and dragged her down the stairs before Leena could take the steps herself. ire might not look as elegant as Leena did, but she couldn''t lose her momentum in front of her.


    Upon seeing this childish disy, Leena could only shake her head. She felt helpless about ire''s impulsive words and immature mockery. Leena would not say she was a maturedy, sometimes she too was quite childish. However,pared to them, Leena realized that she was mature enough in her dealings with others. Even though she was younger than ire and Louisa, she knew how to behave herself and exercise basic politeness. She didn''t lose her temper with others or react to them with such reckless and impetuous behavior.


    "Mom! How can you do this to me? I''m your daughter! Now you''re going out with my brother and her without me?" ireined as soon as she saw Shannon downstairs. Kevin was Shannon''s son, but ire was her child too. How could Shannon show partiality for him? Plus, she decided to take Leena too, which for ire was even more exasperating. Leena was only her daughter-inw; she was not even her real daughter. How could her mother treat Leena better than her own daughter?


    "Why? Why should I bring you with me? I don''t need you there," Shannon replied. Her tone didn''t betray much emotion. Shannon turned to ire, giving her a cool look when she saw her dress and makeup. She really couldn''t understand her daughter. Why was she always putting on so much makeup, which didn''t help her look better at all? ire wasn''t an ugly girl, but with so much product on her face, she looked worse than her original self. No wonder she hadn''t had a boyfriend in so many years. In all probability, the eligible young men were scared away by her frightening makeup. In contrast, when Shannon looked around to see Leenae down the stairs, she was ted to see her beautiful daughter-inw. She couldn''t describe how disappointed she felt about ire. Compared to her, Leena''s makeup was simple and light, and it suited her perfectly. It was just enough to highlight her beauty and not so heavy that it covered up her elegance and nobility. Shannon knew Leena was more like her in this aspect. Both of them preferred light makeup to a heavy one. Sometimes, Shannon wished that ire learned that from Leena, or at least chose better suited makeup for herself. Like ire had said, she was her daughter, so of course Shannon cared for her. But if ire behaved moredy-like, instead of this wild, uneducated girl she was right now, Shannon would be much relieved. At the very least, she wouldn''t need to worry whenever she went out with ire, about getting used of being a mother who gave birth to a daughter but couldn''t teach or educate her well enough.


    "What about my brother and her? You would need them there? This is so unfair!" ire retorted. Shannon''s refusal goaded ire and made her feel even worse. Normally, Shannon didn''t reject her requests so profusely and directly. Today, the situation was different and quite frankly, abnormal. ire felt that her mother didn''t know Leena''s true nature, and things might seriously go wrong if ire was forced to stay at home. ire didn''t realize that even if she went out with them, she couldn''t change anything either. But since she couldn''t figure out what else to do about Leena, she felt it necessary to keep her tabs on her. The curiosity got the better of her. The less Shannon wanted to bring her with them, the more she wished to go.000000

 Chapter 1053 A Pair Of Rings (Part Three)

    "ire, stop it! Enough is enough. This isplete nonsense. Do I need your permission to decide who can go out with me now?" Shannon interrupted severely, her tone shifting in an instant. She couldn''t stand such an unruly daughter sometimes. ire''s reckless and childish words were bing vexing and irritated her. She must have spoiled her daughter too much, so ire just kept disobeying her fearlessly, even defiantly. She wasn''t listening to anything her mother said. How could a daughter not be afraid of her mother at all? On the other hand, if it was only ire going with them, Shannon could still ept that. But she knew that if she gave the green signal to ire, Louisa woulde with them too. That would be most uneptable to her. Shannon didn''t want that in the least. What she had hoped for today was a warm, harmonious outing with her loving family. She wanted to go out to shop and spend time with them. She would get along with everyone, but Louisa was an exception due to her dirty conspiracies and motives.


    "That''s not what I meant. Anyway, I don''t care what the reason is. I just want to go with you," ire insisted, firm in her decision. She had always been like this, asking for whatever she wanted, especially with her mother - who had always been nice to her and wouldpromise in the end. That didn''t seem to be the case today. Since ire was so used to getting everything she requested from Shannon, she was not nning on giving up this time either. Even though she could sense the displeasure in Shannon''s tone, she wouldn''t be stopped by it. She pretended as if she didn''t notice Shannon''s anger and insisted on her wish again - the only oue she would ept was that they let her go with them.


    "What happened?" Kevin asked, arriving at the scene. He sensed the impasse between his mother and his sister. He had gone outside to get the car out. After waiting for them for quite a while, he came back to see what had happened, as they still hadn''te out. It seemed like his mother was not allowing ire to go with them, and ire wouldn''t ept that. How could he ever resolve such problems between these women?


    "Oh, Kevin! You finally came. It''s so great that you are here. Now let me ask you: howe Mom agrees to bring the two of you with her, while she refuses me so brutally? Why can''t she take me with all of you too? Am I not a member of this family anymore?" ire asked dramatically. As soon as she saw Kevine in, she turned for his help immediately. Her eyes were welling up already. After being shouted at by her dear mother so thoroughly, which had never happened before, she felt like she was being treated wrongly. Her heart felt like it was breaking.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "You want toe with us?" Kevin asked, wondering the real purpose behind ire''s umon behavior. He looked past ire and saw Louisa standing right behind his sister. ring at Louisa, Kevin recognized the little trick she yed on ire. No wonder she had seemed to be nonchnt when they had talked about going out a little bit earlier. It was not like she didn''t care. She had already thought of this little n, of how to use it to make his naive and innocent sister help her out. Of course she could pretend to be indifferent about all of this. What a maniptive girl! She had so many tricks up her sleeve. He had underestimated her before. But using his baby sister to achieve what she wanted? That was intolerable and unforgivable. As he saw through Louisa''s schemes against his family members, Kevin disliked her even more. He was vexed and swore he wouldn''t take it anymore. If she weren''t the daughter of the Commander, he would kick her out of his house right now, and never let her in again. One thing was for sure, he wouldn''t want to see this vicious woman again. Never, ever again.


    "Of course I want toe with you! Otherwise, who knows if Mom would be willing to buy lots of good stuff for someone else, but not for me?" ire answered. As the words came out, she deliberately took a peek at Leena. Without further exnations, everyone could easily interpret who this ''someone'' was referring to as they followed her eyes.


    On the other hand, Leena felt bewildered and confused. Why was she suddenly being dragged into this battle? She tried so hard to avoid doing anything that would provoke her sister-inw. But since ire mentioned her and pointed her out so intentionally in front of everyone, she knew ire was still hostile to her.


    "Kevin, let''s go now. Just ignore ire''s nonsensical behavior. She''s being unreasonable today. We would gette if we wait here for too long," Shannon said. She didn''t want to keep arguing with ire, because she knew it was useless and a waste of their time. She had made up her mind to teach ire a lesson, and not to take her with them today. Shannon would notpromise so easily from now on; she was not going to encourage her wayward behavior any longer.


    Meanwhile, Louisa felt embarrassed. She had never thought that Shannon would be so negligent to her existence that she wouldn''t even give her a chance to go with them. Shannon knew she would go with ire. Since she hadpletely shut out ire''s request, it meant that she indirectly refused her from going too.


    "Come on, brother. My dear brother! Please say something in my defense to Mom. Ask her to let mee, pleaseee..." ire begged, dragging out the word. She deliberately made herself sound like a desperate little girl, who was asking for her brother''s help. At the same time, she grabbed his arm and swung it back and forth. She tried to make him recall the early memories of when they were toddlers, when she had been his delicate but lovable baby sister whom he strove to protect. As she looked directly into Kevin''s deep eyes, the tears in ire''s own eyes fell. She would cry if he didn''t speak for her, in vivid contrast to her previous, arrogant attitude. When Kevin saw the deplorable expression on ire''s face, he was unable to maintain his dangerous, strict countenance any longer. A brother could never be this cruel and relentless to his sister. He decided he would help ire out just one more time. Just as he was about to say something to their mother on behalf of ire, his kind wife said it for him.00000000000?????

 Chapter 1054 A Pair Of Rings (Part Four)

    "Mom, maybe we could just bring them with us. I think the car is big enough to amodate us all," Leena suggested. As she said it, she surprised everyone, even herself. No one expected Leena to be the first and only one on ire''s side in this situation, and to speak on her behalf, especially considering how badly ire had treated and hurt her yesterday. It indicated how kind and generous Leena was. She never held animosity against anyone for long. She was kind and it was great generosity on her part to help her sister-inw out. "Okay, then. ire, since your sister-inw has agreed to bring you with us, I''ll take you this time. But it is just this time, no more exceptions from next time. You better keep your mouth shut during the whole time, and don''t spout any more of this nonsense!" Shannon relented finally. She sighed slightly to herself, however. She didn''t know what to do about ire anymore. If she really wanted toe with them, then fine, let here. Even though she disliked ire''s behavior and her aggressive attitude, she was her daughter after all, her family. She couldn''t exclude her again and again. Leena had spoken for her, and if she didn''t mind hering, it would be fine. But Shannon hadpromised once again for her daughter. She felt like she was never going to be able to teach ire a real lesson. "Yes, Mom. I got you. Thank you so much!" ire replied in excitement. As soon as ire won Shannon''s approval, she let go of Kevin''s arm immediately. She turned around and hugged her mother tightly and gave her a big kiss on the cheek for good measure. After all the fighting for her rights, she was finally going out with them. However, while she was grateful to her mother, irepletely forgot about Leena''s help. To be more precise, ire pretended she hadn''t received help from her sister-inw. She ignored Leena''s existence and didn''t show her the slightest hint of gratitude. Leena deserved at least a ''thank you'' from her, but she was so used to ire''s hostility that she didn''t care about her ungrateful attitude. At least ire was not being as rude as before. She knew it was a long way to go for ire to ept her as her sister-inw and stop being her opponent. It was not something that was going to happen overnight. ire needed time to really get to know her and change her attitude toward her.


    "Let''s go now. You''re such a trouble maker. I can''t stand you any longer. I have no idea how to deal with you," Shannon said, shaking her head slightly to express her helplessness when it came to her daughter. Even though her words were meant to me ire, her tone was gentle, and the love in her eyes was impossible to hide. Meanwhile, she lifted her hand to wipe her face, just in case there was a lipstick mark left by ire''s kiss. She knew how hard ire had kissed her.


    "Mom, I''ll help wipe it out," Leena said, smiling as she saw Shannon''s little gesture. Leena was always a considerate and thoughtful girl. She noticed the details that went unnoticed by others. She knew how to stand in others'' shoes. That was the reason why she was doted on and loved by nearly all her friends and family. This time, she noticed Shannon''s vague attempt to remove the lipstick mark on her face. Upon seeing this, Leena took out a packed wet towel from her handbag and wiped Shannon''s cheek tenderly with it, carefully removing the mark. ire must have kissed Shannon firmly to leave the lipstick mark. It was so obvious that even the shape of her lips was vividly depicted on Shannon''s cheek in the lipstick''s bright red color.


    "Oh! Thank you, Leena. It seems to me that my daughter-inw cares more for me than my real daughter does. Leena is so much more thoughtful than you, ire. I think you should really learn something from her," Shannon said as she nced at her daughter - the culprit who had stamped a mirrored image of her terrifying lips on her mother''s face. Didn''t ire know how deeply red her lipstick color was? Didn''t she realize that she looked like a vampire, with the blood sucking color on her lips? Shouldn''t she be careful not to stain her lipsticks onto other people? What a girl!


    Everyone was surprised when they stopped at a jewelry store. They thought that Shannon was just taking them out for shopping, to buy some clothes and other things. When she led them inside the jewelry store, however, they were confused at her action. "Mom, are you going to buy jewelry?" Kevin asked curiously. He knew his mother was not keen on any luxuries, especially jewelry. Why would shee into a jewelry store? Did she need something here? Had she changed her opinion about jewels? She used to think they were frivolous.


    "Why would you ask that? Can''t I buy jewelry for myself, son?" Shannon replied, not answering Kevin''s question directly. As she entered the jewelry store, Shannon walked directly over to the rings counter, which bewildered the young lot even more. They didn''t know why she was acting so strangely today.


    "I didn''t mean that, Mom. It''s just that I thought you were quite opposed to jewels, weren''t you?" Kevin asked, frowning a little. ording to him, his mother had never been like the other officials'' wives. Even though her husband was a high ranking official, she herself never acted like she was the wife of one. While otherdies put on a lot of luxurious jewels, she always kept a low profile and only wore simple essories. Shannon hardly looked like a real official''s wife in that aspect, but she never went unnoticed by others. She had all the virtues that the wife of one so highly ranked should have: she was easy-going, kind-hearted, well-mannered,posed, and dignified. When Shannon stood beside the jewel covereddies, she stood out, and always exuded a different elegance aspared to them. After all, jewelry could only modify a person''s appearance, not improve their temperament. Her innate well-being shone out and could easily overshadow those pretty but superficial faces.N?velDrama.Org owns this.

 Chapter 1055 A Pair Of Rings (Part Five)

    "Excuse me, Miss. I''m here for the pair of rings that I ordered yesterday. Would you please check and see if they are ready now?" Without answering Kevin''s question, Shannon turned to the saledy behind the counter. She took out a receipt from her handbag and handed it to her politely as she asked the query.


    "Sure, Mrs. Gu. We''ve prepared the pair of rings for you already. We were waiting for you toe and receive them. Please wait a second. I''ll take them out for you right away," the saledy replied, throwing Shannon a professional smile. She turned to face the others and nodded to them, before bending down to take the rings out from a locker.


    "Mom, what are the rings for? And why a pair of them?" ire asked in confusion. Her questions drew the attention of the rest of them onto Shannon. As they gazed at her curiously, each one of them wanted to know the answer too.


    "There is no ''why''. I bought the rings because I like them. Do I need a reason to buy something I like?" Shannon said as she gave ire a hard look. ire hadn''t talked a lot on their way here, so Shannon thought she had finally decided to stop being so hostile to Leena. It was so hard and rare to maintain an easiness between them. However, ire had begun with her questions once again, so Shannon knew that the hard-kept easiness would soon break. She didn''t know how, but it wouldn''t take long.


    "But this is not like you! You never bought this kind of things before. Like Kevin said, you never liked these luxuries before. Why are you suddenly so enthusiastic about them now? Have you changed your mind?" ire asked eagerly. After all, she, like Kevin, knew about their mother''s attitude toward jewelry. As far as she could recall, she had never seen her mother pursue these material desires, especially jewelry. She was deeply surprised at Shannon''s unusual behavior today.


    "Mrs. Gu, please take a look at these. These are the pair of rings you selected yesterday. We have modified them a bit ording to your requirements," the saledy said, as she ced the rings on the counter, in front of Shannon. Her words timely interrupted ire''s uing questions.


    "Okay, let me see. Well, they look so nice - simple enough but still the mour is kept intact. I think they are quite suitable for these young children. Leena, Kevin,e and try them on. Let''s see if the rings fit you," Shannon addressed happily, a beautiful smile on her face. It was obvious that she was very satisfied with the matching pair of rings.


    "What? Mom, these rings are for us? Why would you buy them?" Kevin asked in astonishment. At the same time, he felt a bit of regret in his heart. How did he never think of this before? He should have known what his Mom was up to, earlier.


    "Mom, we can''t take these rings from you. If we need the rings, we can buy them ourselves," Leena said hurriedly. Truthfully, Leena was deeply touched by Shannon''s thoughtfulness. She had not expected her mother-inw to be so considerate. She apparently noticed that Leena was not wearing a wedding ring. Being grateful to Shannon was one thing. However, the ring was not being given to her by Kevin. What she really wished for was a ring from Kevin, her husband. To be more precise, she wanted a promise of lifetime happiness symbolized by a wedding ring from a husband to his wife. Kevin still hadn''t given her any kind of real promises, to show his faith and love to her and their marriage. Leena was a little upset about that.


    "That''s different. Whether you buy your rings or not, it''s your own business. I have nothing to do with it. But these rings are a wedding gift to you both, from me. I thought about arranging a great fancy wedding for you, but you insisted on making the event as simple as possible. I respect your choice, so this pair of rings is the only thing I can get for you. They carry my best wishes to you. Take them and ept my wishes for you, my children. But there''s one more thing: even though you don''t want a big wedding, some traditions should not be overlooked. Since you''ve been together for a while, I think it will be better if our two families take some time out to meet and have dinner together, so that we could get to know each other. You two havee together to make a new family, and to connect two different households together. And as parents, we care and are concerned about you. It must be the same with Leena''s family. So, help us meet and settle our worries, children," Shannon exined. She felt a bit upset as she mentioned their wedding. For a long time, she had been attending the weddings of her friends'' children. She dreamt about a fantastic wedding of her own children, every time she saw those happy couples. Finally, her chance came. She had wanted to invite all of her friends to their wedding and let them grant their best wishes to Kevin and Leena. However, her children hadpletely different ideas about their wedding. They said it was too much trouble arranging for a big one. Maybe it was the generation gap between them. She couldn''t understand their choice of avoiding celebrating their marriage with a grandeur wedding ceremony, where a lot of people would be able to witness their precious moments. Shannon could only respect their choice.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "I know, Mom. Don''t worry about that. We will arrange it as soon as possible," Kevin replied quickly, assuring her. An affirmative smile spread across his face. He turned to look at Leena and made eye contact with her. After all, he had wished to give her a wonderful wedding too. Getting married to a wife as good to him as Leena without an official ceremony to be witnessed by others, was not something he wanted to do as a responsible and loving husband. Plus, the situation was not the same as it had been in the beginning, when they had gotten married for their own personal reasons, without harboring any love for each other. But now they were in love, and Kevin regretted their past. He kept trying to bring up the idea of such a wedding to Leena. But to his surprise, every time he mentioned it, Leena gave him a clear cut ''no''. The reason for it, from her point of view, was simple. She said that a wedding ceremony was just a ceremony, like some kind of a show, a performance for others. Her life had nothing to do with these people. The most important thing for her was to live a happy life. She did not want to live it for others. So why bother to invite trouble arranging such a fancy wedding? That would be exhausting.000000000????????

 Chapter 1056 A Pair Of Rings (Part Six)

    "Thank you, Mom!" Leena said gratefully, happily epting the great wishes and blessings from her mother-inw. Leena recalled how Shannon had measured the size of her finger the night before yesterday and finally knew the reason for it. She thought of yesterday morning when Shannon had gone out early, probably because she wanted to make a trip to this ce, to pick out the rings for them. As Leena imagined her getting here, she was deeply touched by the love of her mother-inw. She felt like the happiest girl in the world because she was surrounded by that love, and a brilliant smile flowered on her face.


    "You don''t need to thank me, kids. This is probably the only thing I can do for you. There is too much else I can''t do. Especially for Leena, I always feel we owe you so much. You''re not getting anything you deserve from Kevin''s family. As his mother, I feel terribly sorry about it. But now that you''re my daughter, I will take care of you and love you as much as I can. I''m always here to support you, as your mom and your family," Shannon said humbly. She knew Leena was a good girl and deserved a happy family, but she also knew there was little she could help her with in the Gu household. Leena had dealt with all the unfair treatment by herself, not letting it bother her too much.


    "Hmm. How do we owe her so much? Didn''t you just give her a diamond ring?! It should be her who owes us all of this," ire said unhappily as she heard Shannon''s words. She obsessed over the ring given to Leena by her mother. As she thought of Shannon''s warning before they had stepped out of the house, she didn''t dare continue her usations. All she could do was pout her lips to vent out her frustration.


    As for Louisa, this was definitely not something she wanted to see when she decided toe with them. She was quite upset at the moment and felt stupid at her choice to go out. If she had known they were here for the rings, she wouldn''t have provoked ire to bring her along. But at least she learned something from this trip. Kevin and Leena had not been in love with each other when they decided to get married. Otherwise, howe Kevin didn''t buy Leena a wedding ring, to convey his love and promises to her? It must be because Kevin didn''t love her. He might not even harbor any feelings for her. Only that could exin why he wasn''t willing to give her something as trivial as a ring, which should not cost him too much, considering his economic status.


    Upon seeing the happiness and anticipation in Leena''s eyes, Kevin realized how little he had done for Leena in their marriage. He felt guilty about not caring for her more. After all, being busy at his work was just an excuse for him to escape his responsibility of being a husband, and avoid giving Leena the love she deserved as his wife. He should have noticed the sadness and loneliness in Leena''s eyes each time when he came home. His negligence and deliberate ignorance of her feelings must have hurt her deeply. Kevin made himself a promise that he would make up for it for the rest of their lives. He was determined to dedicate himself to protect her, care for her, and love her. Leena was his one and only, the woman he loved so deeply. The woman who deserved all his love.


    "Leena, allow me to put the ring on you," Kevin said softly as he stepped closer to Leena. Standing beside her, he could feel her warmth and the pleasant scent that exuded from his petite wife. He took the ring from Shannon, gently holding up Leena''s hand as he slowly put the ring on her finger. Looking directly into her eyes, he gave her a genuine smile that assured her of how much he loved her, and how happy he was to be beside her in this wonderful moment. He knew the only one thing that was not perfect was this ring, which was a gift from his mom, because it hadn''t been chosen by him. This ring was not enough to convey his love for her. Kevin promised to himself that he would one day hand pick a beautiful ring just for her, and put it on her finger to show his sincerity toward her. He would make Leena, his lovely wife, the happiest woman in the world.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    Reading Kevin''s soulful eyes, Leena was too shy to keep her gaze locked on him. She lowered her head to hide her warm, reddened cheeks from him. She could tell that Kevin was being sincere. She could tell from his eyes that he loved her, that he truly wanted to protect her and take care of her. Even though she had been upset about not getting the ring from Kevin, the love of her life, the sadness vanished in an instant. Leena was a girl who could be pleased easily. She never asked for too much, so she didn''t expect too much. A small, affectionate action, or just some tiny details could touch her and win her heart. Since it was Kevin who put the ring on her finger, it was enough for her. Whether or not the ring was bought by him was no longer important. Happiness rose from Leena''s heart and diffused in the small space between them. Time seemed to stop moving. The surroundings seemed to freeze at this all-important moment, the happiest one of her life. She felt like she could read Kevin''s mind and understand his silent promise to her. He didn''t need to spell it out for her, she knew him well enough. It was never toote for him to admit his true feelings for her, and to begin putting his love into action. As long as Kevin was by her side, Leena would wait for him to realize it, even till the end of their days.????????????

 Chapter 1057 Could You Place The Ring On My Finger (Part One)

    "What do you think? Do you like it?" Shannon asked excitedly as she was unaware of the overflowing emotions between the couple. She had no idea that they got married out of impulse and not because they were in love. How could anyone even think that they were not in love back then when all their actions screamed nothing but affection for each other now? It really never came to Shannon that there were other reasons for them to marry other than love. "Yes, it''s very beautiful," Leena said with a sweet smile. The sudden blush on her face made her look both more gentle and exceptionally beautiful. She was beaming with so much happiness and it had nothing to do with the ring at all. It was all because of the man who


    had put the ring on her, it was Kevin!


    "Of course, it''s very beautiful. Don''t you see how much they are selling the rings here?" ire interrupted in a harsh tone. She meant to find faults on every word Leena said. Moreover, it was a fact that it was her mother who purchased the rings at such an outrageous price.


    "Could you ce the ring on my finger?" Kevin offered his hand to Leena and gave her an expecting gaze.


    "Okay..." Leena lifted her head and met his intense gaze. She was instantly flustered and almost dropped the ring Shannon handed her. It took her a second to regain herposure and finally move shakily to put the ring on his ring finger. s! Relief flooded her upon seeing how the ring stayed firmly on its ce. Unexinable as it seemed but at that very moment, she felt like Kevin had willingly locked his heart with hers.


    "You guys are giving me goosebumps! Are you going to kiss each other next?" ire pursed her lips scornfully. She couldn''t stand their way of disying affection in public. Moreover, she felt very sad for Louisa. What could be worse than watching the one you loved fall for someone else? She could only imagine how she would feel if she was standing in her shoes.


    "Oh, I almost forget about that. Thank you for reminding me," said Kevin as he gently lifted Leena''s chin up. He didn''t even waste a second before he bent over and nted a gentle kiss on her sweet lips. He was tenderly kissing her as if no one was around. The kiss caught the attention of people around them. All the women in there watched them in both envy and awe. How they hoped to exchange ces with the woman he was holding close to him. Kevin was such a handsome man and there was no reason for any woman not to fall for him.


    Meanwhile, Louisa felt her heart shattered as she stared at the two. Never had she experienced the same gentleness from Kevin. Worse, his love never belonged to her at all. It was almost strange how she longed for his love even more while watching the tenderness between the two. She was desperately hoping that she was the one he loved. She had even gone as far as imagining herself and Kevin making love to each other. She waspletely lost in her illusions.


    "Louisa, are you OK?" ire tapped her arm as she wondered about what made her spaced out.


    "Oh! I am fine." Louisa shook her head to wipe the pictures she imagined inside her mind. She would need to muster all her strength and go all out for Kevin if she really wanted to make her wishese true.


    "Okay, let''s go. We can take this chance to hang around. You guys don''te to this ce much, anyway." Shannon was happy to see how much her son and daughter-inw loved each other. She couldn''t even help her smile from showing on her face the whole time. "Good idea! But where are we going?" It was ire who was the most excited upon hearing Shannon''s suggestion. Hurray! She could go shopping! There was no such thing as a girl with enough beautiful clothes after all.


    "Let''s go buy some tea. We don''t have any at home." Shannon knew that a woman as rich as Leena would neverck anything, thus, she didn''t make any other suggestions like shopping for clothes. She had found out that all Leena''s clothes were expensive and of most famous brands.


    "Oh no! Why is it tea?" Disappointment immediately reced ire''s excitement. She suddenly looked depressed and bowed her head. Wasn''t it her mother who suggested hanging out? What did she mean? Hang around in a tea shop? She got to be kidding! "Where do you want to go? If you don''t want to go with us then feel free to hang around with yourself." Shannon rolled her eyes. She didn''t even have the intention to bring them in the first ce. They just followed her and gave her no choice about it. "Louisa, do you want to go with them?" ire pouted with a sullen face. Should she have known that her mother came out mainly just to take the rings, she definitely would have just stayed at home. It was disappointing that she didn''t get any benefits from all this. On the contrary, she even had to tolerate Leena''s happiness and gracious smile. What she did was nothing but a wrong decision!Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Okay, let''s go with them." Louisa still managed to nod even after she lost her enthusiasm. There was no doubt that she was making a big fool out of herself. She could have stayed at home and avoided all this but it was her who stubbornly chose to follow them. That reaction made Shannon shoot Louisa a cautious stare. It seemed that she needed to find some time and remind her son to avoid this woman. She could see the strong desire from Louisa''s eyes and it would be better for Kevin to be careful. She could almost imagine Louisa trapping Kevin.0000000000?????

 Chapter 1058 Could You Place The Ring On My Finger (Part Two)

    They walked towards the tea shop on the north street. Shannon led the way while Kevin and Leena followed behind leisurely, hand in hand. He was aware that ire and Louisa were ring at them from his back. Nheless, he didn''t care. He enjoyed showing everyone his affection for Leena.


    Louisa could have run to break Kevin''s and Leena''s hands off from each other if she could. The shining rings around their fingers were such a mockery to her. She was almost at the verge of breaking down. However, as much as she was pissed off, there was really nothing that she could do but to stare at them in pure anger.


    "Louisa, are you really okay? You''re hurting me." ire felt a little scared upon turning to her friend. She had no clue as to why Louisa gripped her hand so hard.


    "Oh, I''m sorry. I was just thinking about something. Are you okay?" Louisa hurriedly released her grip. She didn''t mean to unwittingly clench ire''s hand and hurt her. It was just that her emotions went out of control.


    "I''m fine. Louisa, do you really love Kevin that much? Was that why you got so angry with seeing them sweet with each other?" ire looked at Louisa thoughtfully. Regardless of how much she wanted to help, if Kevin didn''t love her then there would be nothing she could do. It would be impossible to threaten Kevin with a knife and tie him forcefully to Louisa anyway.


    "I don''t know. The only thing I can feel is how hepletely upies my mind. Do you think I am ill, ire?" Louisa said in a low voice as she didn''t want anyone to overhear them.


    "No worries! I will not let it happen, Louisa." It was very easy to influence ire. She couldn''t help getting her hand on the matter whenever she saw Louisa in need of help. It would be wrong to say that ire was a bad girl, she was just spoiled and innocent.


    "Thanks, ire. You''re myst hope now." Louisa smiled in relief upon seeing that her tricks worked. Currently, the only one who could help her was ire, the silly dumb girl.


    Leena didn''t know much about tea because she didn''t like drinking tea. She was quietly standing aside Shannon as her mother-inw did all the talking with the tea shop owner. "Kevin, do you also like drinking tea?" Leena suddenly blurted out in panic. It just came to her that she had never asked him about this before. What a wife she was!


    "Just so so. Why? Do you also like to drink tea?" Kevin bent a bit and nced at her. As far as he was concerned, there was only coffee in their house.


    "No. I''m just wondering if you like tea. I can buy some and take it home if you like." A sweet smile cracked Leena''s lips. Actually, she had been smiling throughout the day. Little did anyone know how bothered she was whenever her nce caught Louisa''s ne. It was extremely familiar to her. It couldn''t be that Louisa just made up her story about the ne. She saw the ne herself the same day Kevin went home from abroad. She had always thought that it was a gift for her but never had he brought it up. She told herself that Kevin might have just forgotten about it since it was her turn to go abroad shortly. It was a huge surprise to see Louisa wearing it. The thought that he bought it for Louisa and not her made her heart flinch.


    "We can buy some once wee back to S City. There are more varieties there aspared to here." Kevin liked to drink tea though he wasn''t a tea enthusiast. Daisy was good at making tea and he was lucky to taste some whenever they were in the army base. The ones Daisy made weren''t special in any sense. They were not rare nor even precious. It just so happened that Daisy had this delicate skill of making them, thus, the vors of her teas never paled.


    "Okay. But I don''t know much about tea. We will need to buy them together when you have time, okay?" Although Kevin didn''t show that much interest in tea, Leena was still wondering whether she should learn about tea ceremonies. It would be nice to learn new things but more importantly, it would be best if she could make tea for him often.


    "Truth is, I don''t know that much when ites to tea but Daisy has a wide knowledge about it." Kevin answered casually. There was no underlying meaning behind his words. He just informed her that Daisy was good at making tea and that was it. His thoughts might be clean but then people who heard him might think otherwise and Leena was no exception. Her eyes darkened upon hearing Daisy''s name but she soon smiled with relief. Daisy was her model and she was willing to learn things from her. Therefore, it was just normal for her to be praised by others as she herself couldn''t stop doing it too.


    "Yes! Sis Daisy is an excellent woman. She''s so good that sometimes I feel humbled by her excellence," she said with a gentle smile. It was rare for her to admire anyone thus, Daisy was really special. Her personality towards love and career had simply won Leena over. "Leena..." Kevin suddenly frowned upon realizing that he did something wrong. It could have been okay for him to mention Daisy if Leena didn''t know anything about his past feelings for her. The problem though was that Leena knew everything. Therefore, he felt guilty of speaking too highly of her.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "I''m okay. Let''s go. Mom seems to have bought the tea." Leena chose to smile and stay silent regardless of how miserable she felt. She had already epted the fact that staying with Kevin meant being hurt every now and then.0000

 Chapter 1059 Could You Place The Ring On My Finger (Part Three)

    "Okay." His stare was full of concern. She might appear not to care but Kevin knew better. He might not be as generous as her if he was the one in her shoes. Who would like their partner to have somebody else in his mind given that they were just standing side by side? "It looks like it''s gonna rain. Let''s go home." Shannon looked up the sky and frowned as soon as they gave her the tea. They didn''t bring umbres with them, therefore, it would be better for them to go home as soon as possible.


    "Oh, no! Do we have to go home so soon? I haven''t bought anything yet." That was an automaticint from ire. She couldn''t juste here without doing anything, right? She had no n of going home this soon and was very unhappy. She was already upset when Shannon proposed to buy tea. Now, she felt more disappointed when her mother already bought it and then quickly suggested going back home. That waspletely uneptable. She felt like she and Louisa were just decorations the whole time. They didn''t even get to do anything from the start to the end.


    "Didn''t I tell you before? You can hang around yourselves. The main reason why I came out today is to fetch the rings. I bring Leena and Kevin with me to see if the rings fit. It was you who insisted on following us. I didn''t force you to do so." Shannon annoyedly exined. It was not a good time to hang out. It was going to rain. Moreover, it was about dinner time. It might be alright for the younger people to hang out but not for her. She was a housewife and had a lot of things to do. Maud was at home, but Shannon got used to preparing meals for her family by herself. It was the only way she rewarded herself and got her utmost happiness.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "I didn''t know you wereing out to get the rings. Why didn''t you tell me beforehand? If I had known this, I would not havee out with you." ire said while cocking her head. She wanted to look beautiful thus she chose to wear something short and sexy. Such a bad choice! Now she was shivering due to the cold wind.


    "You came with us on your own. Why are you ming me?" Shannon would never admit that she had another purpose to let them follow. She agreed to let theme along because she wanted to indirectly tell Louisa that she only had Leena in her mind the whole time. She was her one and only daughter-inw. She hoped to p Louisa with that truth and make her give up on Kevin. It was a pain though that Louisa didn''t seem to understand her message. Her effort was just wasted.


    "Let''s go! It''s going to rain. If you really want to go shopping, you can just do it some other day." Kevin took his coat off and covered it on his sister. He couldn''t understand why women these days liked to wear skirts in such cold weather despite the fact that they were shivering.


    "Thank you, Kevin. But won''t you feel cold yourself?" ire said with a trembling voice. Only then did she realize that it was wise for Leena to wear something casual. At least, it kept her warm.


    "I''m okay." Kevin nced at Louisa who was also wearing something short. How could these women want to stay cool even if it was already cold? Unfortunately, he only had one coat and he could only give it to his sister. They were going back home anyway, thus, he just turned and ignored her.


    "Okay, let''s go now. I''m sure that it is going to rain. I can feel it. It is quickly getting cold." Shannon said as she looked up at the sky. A gust of wind came. Feeling something was blown into her eyes, she immediately closed her eyes.


    "Leena, are you cold?" Kevin embraced her into his arms. She was wearing thicker clothes than the others and it made him think that she easily felt cold.


    "I think you''re the one who''s cold now." Leena smiled and enjoyed thefort of his arms. She had sensed that Kevin wanted warmth himself with her. How could she refuse him and push him away?


    "You got it! Would you mind keeping me warm?" The man was only wearing a shirt after he gave his coat to ire. It was impossible for him not to feel cold.


    "Hurry up! Don''t get cold." Concern was dripping from Shannon''s words as she shot ire with a hard stare. It was all because she chose to be beautiful rather thanfortable that everyone was getting troubled.


    ire looked back at her mother and grumpily pouted. She was happy deep inside but she wouldn''t dare show it. This was the very first time that Kevin showed his care to her and his simple gesture had touched her heart.


    The rain poured down heavily even before they reached home. It was lucky that they were already in the car when it happened or else they would all look like drenched rats. It was to everybody''s surprise that Nathan was already home when they came home. The aged man frowned upon seeing them enter the house together. His face even went notches darker when he saw Leena. He had never expected that she would run away from home.


    "Dad!" Leena screamed her surprise. She was caught off guard. She wasn''t even ready to face him at all.


    "Hmm," was all Nathan said. He still responded although he was displeased with her yesterday. Shannon had been nagging him to be nice to Leenast night. He wouldn''t want to suffer another night like that.


    "Why did youe home so early today?" It was Shannon who shot him a warning look. She had reprimanded him to be careful with his words. She knew that he didn''t care about offending Leena but she cared. She liked Leena very much.


    "I went out to handle some affairs and went home directly after I was finished." Nathan received the signal from Shannon. As much as he wanted to say a lot of things to Leena, his only choice was to shut his mouth and save his words forter.000?????????

 Chapter 1060 Its All My Fault (Part One)

    "Dad." Kevin hesitated before he spoke. He gave his father a questioning look as he wasn''t sure if his father would insist on punishing him.


    "I can see that you have found her. How about the words you gave me yesterday? You made a promise and you have to keep it." Nathan stared back to his son with a stern look. He believed that soldiers should always keep their words.


    "Yes, I know," answered Kevin. He didn''t even try to avoid what was before him. He was a man, not to mention, a man who had handled tremendous duties and responsibilities. He wouldn''t allow himself to cave in like a coward, even though the heavy rain would make the punishment even crueler.


    Leena baffled as she watched them. She could sense that topic had something to do with her even if she couldn''t understand what they were talking about. Slowly she began to feel uneasy.


    "What? Have youpletely lost your mind? It''s pouring outside! Don''t you know how cold it is out there? Are you sure you want our son to run outside under that rain?" Shannon was the first to protest. Over the years she got used to watching her son take running as a punishment. Nheless, they were never under heavy rains like this.


    "What kind of Major General is he if he just quits whenever the going gets tough? Soldiers don''t back down even in the hail of gunfire. I see no reason this light drizzle should be an excuse for him not to obey orders!" Nathan snapped. He didn''t ask for too much. He didn''t even order Kevin to climb a mountain. ¨¢ soldier could be sent into action anytime no matter how the weather was, rain or no rain.


    "This is our home! This is not the army! If you want someone to take orders from you, please go back to the army base." Shannon also raised her voice. She was determined to defend Kevin. His father might not care much about him but she was still his mother.


    "Mom, it is fine. I would do it even if father didn''t mention it. A soldier should always mean what he says." Kevin gave her mother a reassuring smile. Like what his father had said, the weather was no excuse. He and the other soldiers had gone through even harsher training in worse weathers. A soldier was still a soldier even when he was home.


    "But the rain is so heavy and it is really cold outside. What if you catch a cold?" Shannon hesitated. Being a soldier''s wife made her fully aware of how hard their training could be. She was sure that his son had been through something much tougher. It was just that it never happened in front of her. She could try not to think about it as long as she hadn''t seen it. Today was different, she couldn''t just stand by and watch her son do it in the rain. It was a real wrench and she didn''t think she could bear it.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Right. Dad, why not put it off until the rain stops?" Leena asked, in a trembling voice. It was very likely that her words would not be taken seriously yet she couldn''t seem to keep silent. How could she? It was the man she loved who was being punished. Moreover, she was probably the reason why he was punished by his father. She just had to say something.


    "What? Are you questioning my decision?" Nathan didn''t want to fight with his wife although her protest offended him. Now that Leena chipped in and her words lit the fuse, it was just natural for the old man to took it out on Leena. A dutiful daughter-inw should bring happiness and peace to the family. However, this one who just suddenly showed up dragged them into this mess and ruined everyone''s mood.


    "I..." Leena wasn''t able to finish her words as the old man''s stern look silenced her. She ended up biting her lower lip to swallow the painful lump in her throat and never dared to speak another word.


    "Dad, seriously, can''t you just dy the punishment? Kevin could get sick! He did nothing wrong. Why should he take the fall for someone else?" ire spoke up for her brother. She knew that standing against their father wouldn''t be easy. She would have celebrated grandly with a ss of champagne in her hand if it was Leena who would be punished.


    "One more word from you and you will run with your brother." Nathan nced around the room. It was just a minor punishment and everyone acted like he had done something unforgivable. He also cared about his son, alright? He also loved Kevin but what was done was done. He could never take his words back.


    "Dad, I hate you!" ire stamped her foot. Then without any more word, she turned on her heel and rushed upstairs. She didn''t dare say more for her brother in fear that her father might do as he said. She had no interest in getting soaked in the rain.


    "Fine. I will say no more. Remember this though, I''m not going to let you get away with this if my son gets sick." Shannon knew it was impossible to change her husband''s mind. To argue with him would just be a waste of time. All she could do now was to pray that Kevin''s years of training improved his health as to withstand how freezing the rain was.


    "Hem! You worry too much. He is a grown man. He is not so weak." Nathan grunted as he remembered how he was trained under harsher weather back when he was younger.


    "Leena, I will be back soon. You go upstairs first." Kevin smiled reassuringly as he tried to ease her mind.


    "But what about you?" Nheless, Leena couldn''t help worrying about Kevin. It was cold enough without the rain, what more was now.


    "Don''t worry. It is nothing to me." Kevin took onest look at her and then ran out of the door. The white shirt he was wearing soon vanished into the rain.


    Leena''s lips trembled as she watched the rain. Kevin was an adult. How could his dad have no second thoughts of punishing him like this? There was no doubt that Nathan was a very strict man. The thought of it made her even more scared of him.


    The sky was like a badly treated child who would never stop crying. Kevin was drenched as soon as he stepped into the rain. The cold was seeping through his clothes and went straight to his bones. He shivered yet continued to run to the yground without any hesitation. He had encountered a lot worse and he knew that he would not feel the coldter on.


    "Uncle, the rain is a little heavy. Will Kevin be alright?" Louisa never knew that Nathan could be so intimidating. He was always friendly and smiling at her. Therefore, this side of Nathan frightened her a little.


    "He is as tough as nails! The rain is hardly a hup to him. Let''s go. Tell me about your father. I have not met him for so many years." Nathan sighed when he thought of Commander Ye, hisrade from his days in the army. The years had passed by too quickly and he missed his old friends more than ever.


    "Okay. Uncle, I never knew that you and my father are brothers-in-arms." Louisa followed Nathan to the study. As she passed by Leena, Louisa raised her chin and intentionally bumped her with her shoulder aside. She looked triumphant when Leena lost her bnce and stumbled back two steps to steady herself.


    Leena thought that Nathan did have a warm side, it was just unfortunate though that the warmth was not for her. She gave herself a wry smile and then looked around the room. Her eyes fell on an umbre. The heavy rain made her uneasy as she was worried about Kevin. Thus, she decided to check him out.


    The wind was still strong but the rain seemed to ease up a little. The cold wind swirled around her, carrying the rain with it. Her clothes were getting damp and she shivered when the rain touched her tender cheeks.


    It wasn''t that long when a running figure came into her view. She unconsciously flinched. She never knew how bad it was until she saw him. The image was heartbreaking and automatically made her eyes red. It was as though she could feel him and was experiencing the same pain from how the wind and rain kept beating him down.00000

 Chapter 1061 Its All My Fault (Part Two)

    Kevin kept running against the rain with his head down. He didn''t even notice Leena approaching and had no idea that she was crying for him.


    Kevin''s father was very strict with him. He had set high expectations for him. Kevin had always been in a loop of having to drive himself harder and excel. It seemed to Kevin that they never really bonded as father and son. The way they got along with each other was more like him as the subordinate and his dad as his superior.


    Leena didn''t get too close as she was afraid that he would see her tears. She was peering through the rain from a distance. The running figure made her lost in her thoughts. She had never been through any physical punishment like this. She grew up being loved, pampered, and indulged by the people around her.


    Kevin had a chance to raise his head and saw Leena standing there watching. A sudden warmth ran through him. He felt as if something held his heart tenderly. He had a soft side despite being a tough soldier. This kind of silentpany reminded him of the friendship he had with brothers in the army. "Nana, what are you doing here? It is raining, be careful not to get wet." Kevin ran quickly up to Lenna, his clothes dripping. His white shirt was soaked and clung tightly to his body, showcasing his muscled torso.


    Leena froze and wasn''t able to digest everything he said. She was utterly shocked. It was the first time that he called her Nana, a nickname which sounded a little too intimate.


    "What is wrong? Are you cold?" Kevin worriedly reached out to check her body temperature. However, he realized how wet he was and his hand stopped mid-air.


    "I''m fine. How much longer do you have to run?" Leena tipped the umbre over him in an attempt to protect him from the rain. It was then that she noticed that his lips were blue and trembling. That was it! Her eyes went back to welling up again.


    "Until I can''t run anymore. You should go back inside." Kevin wiped the rain from his face. He pushed the umbre back to her. He was drenched already and he didn''t want her to get wet as well.


    "But it seems like you can''t run anymore. Can you stop? Let''s get back together., shall we?" The tears that were streaming down Leena''s face made her look like a fragile child.


    "Hey. What''s with the tears? Look at me, I am fine. I really am. Don''t cry, you silly girl." Kevin tried to wipe her tears but her tears seemed toe in a torrent. His cold fingertips brushed against her cheeks and touched her hot tears.


    "I am sorry. It''s all my fault. You wouldn''t have to do this if it weren''t for me." Leena sniffed. He was punished because she ran away. She was so drowned by guilt and worry that it was hard to breathe.


    "It''s not your fault. I am punished because I talked back to Dad. Don''t overthink it. Now go back. I will be back soon." Kevin frowned. He didn''t feel cold while he was running. Now he had stopped for a while and the chill of the rain began to work through. "But you talked back to him because of me." She pursed her lips. She wouldn''t have run away on impulse if she had thought about the consequence.


    "It''s not like that. How about you go back and make some hot soup for me? I will need some to get warmed when I am back." Kevin had to say that. It was clear that Leena was reluctant to leave, thus, he gave her a task. This might be the only way to make her change her mind.


    "Oh, Howe I didn''t think of that? I will go back and get the soup ready. Juste back quickly, okay? Dad won''t know if you ck off a little." Leena was action-oriented. Once she decided to do something, she would not dy. Soon she turned and headed back to the house.


    "Um. Be careful. Look out for the puddles," Kevin warned after her, his eyes fixed on her back. It was only after she was gone that he resumed running. Leena didn''t know his father as he did. His father had been in the army for so many years. He could easily calcte how long Kevin couldst. This was kind of basic knowledge to Nathan already.


    "Leena, where have you been? I''ve been looking for you." Shannon asked as soon as Leena entered the house. She had been in the kitchen for a while and then Leena was nowhere to be found. She had thought that Nathan might have given Leena another telling-off and sent her running away again. She was just about to reason with Nathan.


    "Oh. Is there something wrong?" Leena was puzzled as she put down the umbre and wiped the rain off her face.


    "I couldn''t find you. I am worried about you. Why are you wet? Did you go to check on Kevin?" Shannon fetched a tissue and helped her dry her face.


    "Yeah. Speaking of this, I need to make some hot soup for him." Leena hurried towards the kitchen as Shannon was still trying to get her dry.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "I almost forget this. Let me do it. You are drenched. You need to get changed. I don''t want you to catch a cold." Shannon went on. Leena wasn''t as strong as her son. She had led a sheltered life like a delicate flower in a greenhouse. Thus, Shannon was worried that she would get sick from the cold.


    "Mom, I want to do this for him by myself. Is that okay?" Embarrassment was on Leena''s voice when she lowered her head.


    "Oh. I should have known. Of course. If you want to, do as you like." Shannon couldn''t hide her amusement. It seemed like they were indeed a lovely couple. Probably she was just overthinking everything.


    "Um, thanks, Mom!" It was only then that Leena smiled sweetly. She probably just loved Kevin too much that she would do anything for him. She adored how it felt to be needed by him.


    Kevin never cheated. He kept running until he was worn out. It was exactly as how he promised his father. He was shattered when he walked back, feeling as though his legs had turned to lead.


    "Kevin, take your wet clothes off. Wrap up in the nket." The sight of her son like this made Shannon''s eyes sting. She would make it a point to have a discussion with Nathan tonight.


    "Mom, I am fine. Where is Leena? Is she all right?" The worry for Leena made himpletely forget drying himself. He feared that she might get soaked by the rain.


    "Ah. She said that she would have a bath ready for you. Get yourself wrapped and take a bath first. That will make you feel better." His mother draped the nket over his shoulders. It didn''t seem to help much, nevertheless, it helped absorb some water from his clothes. "Okay. I am going upstairs." Kevin didn''t refuse his mother''s care. He pulled the nket around him and went upstairs. His steps were leaving puddles on the floor.


    Leena was about to check if Kevin hade back. Much to her surprise, she walked straight into him outside the door.


    "Kevin, you ran for so long. I had to heat the soup again and again!" Leena''s eyes lit up upon seeing Kevin. It didn''t take long though before she puckered her lips and reprimanded him. It had been almost an hour since she got back.


    "Don''t be mad, silly. I am already back." Kevin forced out a smile,pletely being tired and worn out. His father didn''t even pin down the exact miles and just easily pushed him to the limit. His father really knew how to punish people and God knew that the old man was doing a good job with it.00

 Chapter 1062 Kevin Caught A Fever (Part One)

    "Oh no! You''re so cold! I have to raise the temperature a bit more." Leena was shocked by how cold his skin felt when she touched his face. She immediately decided to increase the temperature and run to the bathroom in haste. "Nana, it''s okay. I''ll take a shower. Wait for me." Kevin''s voice trembled as he spoke. It was just now that he could feel how freezing the rain really was. It was biting on his bones painfully, though it never had been when he was still running.


    "Yes. I''ll go downstairs to get the soup for you. You should have some to make you warm. Take your clothes off quickly before you get sick." Leena said those words in a hurry after giving the man a quick nce. She had to spit her words as fast as she could since she was already at the verge of crying.


    "Be careful, okay? Don''t get burned by the soup." Kevin managed to remind her amidst his shaking. He remembered how badly her hand was scalded one time she was cooking. He couldn''t afford to have her brothers be angry and glower at him again.


    "Yes, I got it. Now take a shower!" Thedy said as she rushed out of the room. She couldn''t help but frown when she encountered the tiny puddles Kevin left on the stairs as they slowed her a bit.


    Meanwhile, a smile cracked on Kevin''s lips while watching Leena''s back. It was then that he felt the chills striking him again and he sneezed. He quickly went to the bathroom and wondered if he already caught a cold.


    The warm water that hit his body made him feel a bit better. It somehow kept him from freezing even more. Perhaps it really was a challenge to run under the rain in such harsh weather.


    Leena grabbed a mop and started mopping the stairs. They would be the ones to be med if someone got hurt due to the puddles Kevin left. It was only after she finished cleaning that she rushed into the kitchen, took the soup, and returned to their room. The soup had already been on the desk for a while when Leena shot the bathroom door a nce. She hadn''t seen Kevin walked out from it nor heard the water from the shower. Goodness! What could possibly happen?


    She carefully walked towards the bathroom and was about to put her ear against the door when the door suddenly opened. Everything happened too fast that she lost her bnce and slumped. She closed her eyes in the anticipation that she would hit the floor. Thus, it was to her surprise when her cheek hit a strong solid chest instead.


    "Oh! You''re done!" Leena smiled awkwardly as her beautiful face turned bright red. Goodness! What on earth was she doing? Did she just throw herself to him?Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "Ah...yes. Why are you being so careless?" Kevin was standing on the doorway with just a bathroom towel around his waist. He couldn''t help but frown as he wondered about what Leena was doing. His perfectly sculpted physique was disyed to her as he hadn''t worn his pajama yet.


    "Ur! Well..." Thedy grimaced. She was suddenly out of words. How could she even exin why she was standing next to the door in the first ce?


    "What? Are you nning to lean against my chest the whole time?" A curious smile cracked Kevin''s lips. He wouldn''t mind having her lean against him forever if he wasn''t that tired. Moreover, it would be to his great pleasure if they could discuss what she was doing and more.


    "Ur! I''m sorry. I''ve already got your clothes. They are on the bed." The awkwardness on Leena''s word doubled due to his teasing. Would it be too much to wish for the floor to just eat her up and make her disappear?


    "Are you not going to give me some privacy?" The handsome man was having the time of his life while teasing his bashful wife. He went past her and walked to the bedroom. Then he fumbled on the tie of his towel as if he was about to take it off. "Why?" Leena asked. She was too puzzled about what Kevin said. She didn''t think she had invaded his privacy.


    "Wipe your mouth, Nana. You''re not allowed to drool over my body tonight. You know, I''m exhausted and it will be bad for me if you''ll force me to do something rigorous for you tonight." He continued with his yfully seductive remarks. His eyes were dancing with amusement as he looked at her.


    "Oh? Really?" Leena did not realize that he was making fun of her until she reached for her mouth and found nothing. Toote though as the guy had already burst intoughter. She had never seen himugh so loudly and lively before. She didn''t even have the chance to be mad because of his joke. Hisugh sounded like music to her and it made her lost. He was beyond perfect to her.


    "Ha-ha. Nana, how could you be so foolish to trust everything that I say? Where''s the soup? Did you eat all of it?" Kevin said while putting his clothes on. He didn''t even mind beingpletely naked before Leena as he believed that it was necessary for her to feelfortable with his bareness.


    "Oh! Yes, the soup! Umh... It''s there. Have it," replied Leena. She walked to the desk and took the soup. Then she walked back to Kevin and carefully handed it to him.


    Kevin still got his naughty grin when he took the soup from Leena. He gave it a sip and found that it was not as hot as he had imagined. Seconds more and he was already chugging it down. The soup was all good until he choked and ended up coughing. It was much thicker than the normal ginger soup and was extremely spicy.


    "Did you put lots of ginger in it?" Kevin opened his mouth and breathed heavily. He didn''t see that level of spicinessing at all. He was almost between tears andughter as he looked at Leena who was standing next to him with her chin up. What did she want? Praise or a pat on the back?


    "I didn''t put much! I just put two big pieces. I was even afraid that the soup was not hot enough." Leena sniffed and wrinkled her brows. She had been thinking about it and even considered adding more ginger. There was nothing but pure innocence on her face.??????

 Chapter 1063 Kevin Caught A Fever (Part Two)

    "OK, OK! You got me." Kevin twisted the corners of his mouth heavily. She had been acting matured the past few days and he almost forgot her real age. He had been toofortable thinking that she could do everything without him needing to worry. Bad, it was just now that he realized he was wrong. "What? Does it taste bad?" Leena took a tentative look at the empty bowl then shot Kevin with a questioning re. If it really tasted terrible, how could he drain the bowl without even pausing for breath? It did not make sense at all! "Didn''t you taste it?" Kevin put his coat on and wondered, ''Isn''t she supposed to taste whatever she''s cooking?''


    "No, I didn''t. Did I put too much sugar in it?" was Leena''s puzzled reply. She just put a small amount of sugar. The soup shouldn''t be that sweet.


    "I should have left some for you." Kevin said adoringly and shook his head. She might have anticipated this thing unconsciously and skipped tasting it. Lucky her! She just spared herself from drinking a terrible soup.


    "Is it really that bad?" Thedy cocked her head innocently. She could just imagine how the soup tasted like based on how Kevin looked.


    "What do you think? You put two big pieces of ginger? How much soup were you cooking? Were you looking forward to making enough to fill our bathtub or just our casserole?" The man gave her a side nce in a defiant manner. He aimed to make her understand what was wrong when he suddenly sneezed twice. Shoot! It seemed that he did catch a cold.


    "Uh! Well! I thought the more I put, the better. Isn''t it?" It was then that Leena decided to use her most powerful weapon and sh her sweet smile at him. It was so effective that Kevin was instantly caught on a phase where he couldn''t rebuke her anymore.


    "Hey, never mind. Let''s go downstairs. It''s probably dinner time." There was no more discussion needed since her smile already captured him. His hand gently reached tob her beautiful hair. He then took her hand and guided her out of their room. It was to their surprise when they met Nathan, who was coincidentally just walking out of the study at that same time.


    "Dad." Kevin greeted with a low voice. He neverined a bit even if his father just punished him. He was so casual with how he moved as if nothing happened.


    "Did you finish the running?" Nathan asked in an unnatural tone. He was silently worried about him though he wouldn''t say. He wondered if he had been too harsh on him. He was his son after all and not one of his soldiers. Just like what Shannon said, this was their home and not the army base.


    "Yes!" Kevin had already been used to his strict father, thus, he did not feel anything unnatural at all. It was Leena who had sensed the slight changes in Nathan. The old man looked like he was masking his concern with his solid voice. It came to Leena that Nathan loved Kevin regardless of how strict he was. It was probably because he wasn''t ustomed to expressing his feelings thus his voice sounded unnatural to her ear.


    "Kevin, are you alright?" ire also walked downstairs. She was a bit surprised to see a refreshed Kevin. She had imagined her brother lying on the bed and quivering under the quilt.


    "Are you expecting that I''m not alright?" Kevin cast a side nce at his sister coldly. He then looked at Louisa before focusing his attention on Leena. He carefully watched how the expression on her beautiful face changed.


    "No, I''m not. I''m just curious. Plus, who are you by the way? You are the youngest and most promising Major General in S city. I doubt it if this rain even affected you." ire was smiling as she teased and praised his brother at the same time.


    "Stop ttering me anymore. It doesn''t work on me," replied Kevin and rubbed his nose. He was getting a bit ufortable and couldn''t help sneezing.


    "Did you catch a cold?" Worryced Leena''s voice when she turned to Kevin. He had sneezed back in the bedroom but she had not taken it seriously at that time. It was different now because he had been doing it randomly for a while. It made her uneasy.


    "No, I have a strong body. Don''t worry." Kevin smiled tofort her. It was unfortunate that his promise did notst long because his fever was confirmed in the evening.


    Leena didn''t have any clue that he was that sick until the heat from his burning body woke her up. She worriedly reached out to feel his temperature and immediately drew back. She moved and turned the bedsidemp on in a rush.


    "Kevin, wake up. You said you''re strong, right?" Leena shook his body slightly as she attempted to wake him up. Her anxiousness was being blown up with every second that passed by.


    "What should I do? We''re not in S city now and I can''t just call Tom toe here." She didn''t think of asking help from her parents-inw and automatically thought of Tom who was far away. He was honestly the first person that came into her mind. They had known each other for years and he had always cared for her as their doctor.


    She never had any experience in taking care of someone sick. She was panicking and was in aplete mess. She ran to the bathroom, took a wet towel to make a coldpress, then carefully ced it on Kevin''s forehead. She knew she needed to lower his temperature.


    It was to her depression though that her attempt didn''t work and Kevin started convulsing in a minute. It made her run downstairs in a hurry without even wrapping herself with her coat. Her palm was beginning to get cold due to how anxious she was.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    Leena did not have the time to be polite anymore as she was in an emergency case. She stood at their parents'' room and knocked on the door continuously. It was their ce and they were more familiar with it if they needed to find a doctor for Kevin. She didn''t care anymore if her actions were rude. She would wake them up no matter what as Kevin needed help.00000

 Chapter 1064 Kevin Caught A Fever (Part Three)

    "It''ste, Leena. What''s going on?" Shannon opened the door and was surprised to see Leena standing outside.


    "Sorry to interrupt you, Mom. Kevin is having a severe fever. I don''t know where the medical kit is." Leena finished her words hastily with her hands rubbing anxiously.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "What? He got a fever? You can go and take care of him. I''ll ask your Dad to call the doctor from the army. We''ll be there soon." For a while it seemed like being anxious wasmunicable and Shannon caught it too. She already said it earlier! Her son might be strong but it wasn''t a guarantee that his body could take a long run under that freezing rain. It was Nathan who didn''t listen to her and now Kevin was sick!


    "Yes! I see. Then I''m going back now." Her mother-inw''s words rendered Leena a little relief. It was nice to know that she wasn''t alone as she faced the ordeal.


    "Go! Don''t worry. The doctor is not far away from here. He''ll be here soon," Shannonforted her and just as she said, the doctor dide shortly after. Leena was a bit surprised to see the doctor arrive in such a short time. It was indeed true that every man in the army was quick to respond.


    "How''s he doing? Is he alright, Dr. Pei?" Shannon asked anxiously after the doctor finished checking on Kevin.


    "Don''t worry! Major General is not that bad. He just caught a cold. I''ll have him on an intravenous drip and get him some pills. He should be fine with these." Dr. Pei was not a young man but it was evident that he talked to Shannon in a respectful tone. She was his superior''s wife after all.


    "Tsk! Such a weakling. It''s just some rain. How did he catch a cold?" Nathan could not help murmuring despite the relief that flooded him. He was deeply worried too upon knowing that his son was sick.


    "Okay! So it is you who have a strong body. Why don''t you go out and run in the rain, Nathan?" It was Shannon''s angry voice that replied to the man. She was even staring at him defiantly. Dr. Pei was still there, thus, it was not appropriate for her toin against Nathan. Nheless, she couldn''t stop herself. She had warned that Kevin did not need to be punished to run in the rain but her husband just put a deaf ear to her suggestion. He had insisted on saying that Kevin should be a tough soldier and should keep his words. It was all thanks to him that her son was sick.


    "Don''t make a fuss. It''s just a fever, nothing serious. He''ll be fine as soon as he takes the pills. He is just pretending to be seriously ill as if something terrible is happening to him," Nathan rebuked Shannon as she nagged. It was just rain. Why so serious? It was justmon for him to be under the rain when he was younger. He was not as weak as Kevin and never had he caught a cold. What happened now just meant that Kevin needed to be trained more. It was hisck of training that caused him to be that sick.


    "You are not the one who is lying on the bed because of a fever. You''re not in the position to judge him." Shannon was not as angry as she seemed to be at the beginning, but Nathan''s retort blew up her fuse. She grew angrier and med him in a more serious tone. "Don''t get angry, Dad, Mom. It''s all my fault. This wouldn''t happen if I hadn''t run away in an impulse. It is because of me that Kevin''s sick." Leena cut through the fight with a humble apology. She felt guilty seeing them quarrel with each other because of this. She gave them a sincere look and wished for the conflict to stop.


    Shannon opened her mouth a couple of times but then just decided to shut her mouth. She didn''t want to see Leena depressed because of what was going on.


    On the other hand, Nathan nced at Leena with an admiring look. Her action made him realize that she was thoughtful and sensitive even though she was born and raised up in a rich family. It was possible that he had made a mistake on stereotyping her and should start treating her better next time.


    "Dr. Pei, do you need to check him more? He ran for a long time in the rain. I''m afraid there might be someplications such as pneumonia." Leena was still extremely worried. Pneumonia and fever always got her in abo whenever she was sick. She was worried Kevin might be in the same situation.


    "Take it easy! I''ve already checked carefully. The Major General is fine. It''s just a fever. His temperature should go down soon as he finishes having his ivy drip." Dr. Pei was patient enough to exin to Leena. He paid more attention to her as he talked. He found Leena really thoughtful from what he just heard earlier though he dared not to interrupt with their family affair.


    "Oh! Thank you so much," Leena said in a grateful tone. She reached out to touch Kevin''s forehead. He was still hot but his condition was way better than before.


    "You are wee. I''ll get him some medicine. He can take some after he wakes up." A mild smile appeared on Dr. Pei''s face before he got busy with his medical kit.


    "Yes! I see," was Leena''s reply. It was only then that she finally managed to smile sweetly since Kevin got sick. She looked extremely happy and delightful.


    "Okay. I''ve noted the way and time of taking the medicine. Just follow it. I''ll wait until he finishes the drip." Dr. Pei handed the medicine over to Leena and emphasized the way to take the medicine. He was afraid that she might ignore the note.


    "Since everything''s all good, let''s have a cup of tea downstairs, Dr. Pei. It''s going to take some time for the drip." Shannon smiled and invited Dr. Pei enthusiastically. It was undeniable that the woman was a part of Nathan''s sess. He partially owed his high position to her as she had always been a wife who could deal with various people and supported him from behind."

 Chapter 1065 Are You Hungry (Part One)

    "OK. I need to take his temperatureter anyway." Dr. Pei hesitated for a second before taking Shannon''s advice. However, before he left the room, he gave Leena several tips for precaution, so she could take better care of the patient.


    Leena watched them walk out of the bedroom and cast a nce at Kevin. She gently tucked his quilt for him. Sitting by his bed in silence, she fondly gazed at his handsome face. For a moment, she was lost in her own thoughts.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    He looked so peaceful. She was happy that she got to have a moment with him, just by herself. Leena''s eyes flitted across his face, attracted to his wless eyebrows. They were thick but well-trimmed. Her lips curled up as she looked at him. She could feel her heart beat getting faster and faster. ''He looks so manly with those eyebrows, ''Leena thought. ''Manlier than any other man I have ever seen in my life.''


    Uncontrobly drawn to him, she extended her hand, her fingers gently touching the corner of his lips. The heat she felt on her skin was sensational. A brilliant smile cracked across her face. Leena sighed softly as her heart overflowed with warmth and tenderness. Kevin was an awe-inspiring soldier, she knew that. But right now, as she saw him harmlessly lying on the bed, she realized she enjoyed getting to know the other side of this tough man.


    ''What a foolish man,'' she thought. ''He thought he could boast about his health and body? Look at him now, he is lying on bed helplessly because he''s ill. God, he really worried me." Leena shook her head, trying to get all the negativity out of her mind. She was quite relieved that he no longer had a fever. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have a clue what to do.


    When Kevin slowly came to his senses, it was already dawn. The room was silent. He could only see the dazzling lights on the ceiling.


    Confused by his surroundings, Kevin furrowed his eyebrows and instantly felt the dull pain on the back of his head. He didn''t have a clue what was going on. Without thinking, he reached out to the space next to him. The emptiness surprised him. The person who was supposed to be there was long gone. Mildly irritated by the fact, Kevin''s heart sank. With great effort, he supported himself on his arms and tried to check out his surroundings. However, he was still too weak for the effort. Considerably fatigued and feeling dizzy, Kevin fell back heavily onto the bed, gasping for air. To his delight, he suddenly caught the familiar figure sitting on the edge of the mattress. His beloved petite wife was not so far away from him, after all. Leena was sound asleep, and the sweetest smile he had ever seen graced her pretty face.


    Kevin was relieved to find her by his side. His lips turned up as he gazed at her beautiful, asleep face fondly. ''Silly woman,e closer to me. It would be much morefortable to sleep here with me, on the bed, ''Kevin thought. He was confused about how exhausted he felt as it was quite unnatural for him not to be able to use his full strength. Kevin was not aware of how sick he was. He leaned toward her and tried to pull her into his arms. However, the attempt failed. His face grew dark as he came to the conclusion that something was seriously wrong with his body. ''What happened to me?'' Kevin gazed at his hands and thought to himself. ''How am I so weak and useless?'' Judging from the fact that he had been nicely tucked in the bed, Kevin wondered what kind of illness he had gotten himself into. "Nana," Kevin called out to his wife. It shocked him to find that his own voice sounded so coarse and deep. It actually hurt him to speak and he could distinctly feel the sharp pain in his throat. ''There is no doubt now that I am ill, ''he thought. His face cracked into a bitter smile. He understood now why his limbs felt so numb. His strength had escaped him.


    Leena had been taking utmost care of Kevin all the time. She looked after him with constant attention, in case his prolonged feversted all night long. She was worried about his body temperature, which was too high. It concerned her very much to see him lying in bed looking so frail, his lips dry and cracked. Despite the fact that she herself was tired, Leena was busy putting cold, damp towels on his forehead and wetting his lips with q-tips from time to time. Eventually, she got tired and dozed off. As she sat on the edge of the bed, she was sound asleep, just like a baby. Although Kevin addressed her, she could not hear his voice. Looking after Kevin all night long had worn her out.


    "Honey, juste over. It''s warmer here, otherwise you will catch a cold." A warmth and tenderness found its way to Kevin''s heart, as he thought about how his loving wife must have looked after him when he was unconscious. What a wonderful woman. He was genuinely moved by her kindness. Leena made his soul sing. ''When I opened my eyes, this beautiful angel was resting right by me, as if she was guarding me.'' He felt touched. Kevin was sure that this was the kind of moment every man on earth longed for.


    Leena opened her eyes slowly and looked up. "Hey, you." She smiled at him when she found him awake, her voice betraying her enthusiasm as she gazed at him affectionately. Leena was delighted to find that he looked much better.


    "Kevin, you are finally awake! How do you feel now? Do you feel any pain?" With earnest words, she reached out to him. Her soft hand touched his forehead, carefully assessing his body temperature. Dr. Pei had advised her to check his fever constantly. She took his advise and had been paying attention to his temperature all night. Leena was nervous about his illness and hadn''t closed her own eyes for a single minute. It was only around dawn, when she couldn''t deal with her drowsiness any longer that she fell asleep right next to him.


    "I am sorry that I caused you to suffer. Apparently, I overestimated myself." Kevin tried to give her a soothing smile to calm her nerves. However, he failed to do so and his smile turned bitter. For a moment, he found it awkward to even look her in the eyes.000

 Chapter 1066 Are You Hungry (Part Two)

    "Why are you apologizing to me like that? I know you didn''t mean to cause me trouble on purpose. To be honest with you, I should be the one saying sorry here. You are sick because of me. It was my fault that you got in trouble. You were punished for my sake and ended up with a nasty fever. I owe you a lot. You should not be sorry to me at all." Leena lowered her head. She was deeply upset, and could not me herself any harder for causing Kevin the unnecessary hassle. So she decided to face him, her expression determined. The way she spilled her heart out was very mature of her. Her eyes reflected sadness and helplessness that indicated she had already seen a lot of hardship in her short life.


    "Honey, please don''t say that. This was clearly an issue between me and my father. It has absolutely nothing to do with you. Juste over and join me in the bed. It is much warmer here. You should have taken your nap here, right here beside me. Your hands are so cold. Are you shivering?" Fervently, Kevin caught her hands and put them around his lips. He blew hot air to them, trying his best to warm her up. His intimate behavior caused her to blush instantly.


    "One moment." Leena smiled, pulling her hands back. She looked up at him and said, "Dr. Pei told me to give you your medicine as soon as you wake up. I need to get it for you. I will be right back." Leena walked over to the other side of the room and took out the medicine. One by one, she carefully counted the pills out ording to the doctor''s prescription. ''There should be no mistake in the dose, ''Leena thought. She double checked the pills before handing them to Kevin along with a ss of water.


    "Who are you talking about? Dr. Pei?" Kevin''s eyebrows furrowed slightly. He was not quite sure who this Dr. Pei was and what he apparently prescribed him. However, upon seeing the concerned look on her face, Kevin obediently opened his mouth and swallowed all the pills she gave him.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "Don''t worry. Dr. Pei is the kind doctor who ran the checks on you earlier. He is very professional. Here, take the water. Drink it up!" His lips casually brushed over her hand, immediately causing her to retract back as she felt the sensation. Leena looked away, her face bright red. It didn''t matter how intimate they had been with each other previously, she still found it quite hard to face him without feeling butterflies in her stomach.


    Kevin, on the other hand, was more natural and rxed. He didn''t notice her embarrassment. Instead, he swallowed the water and washed down the pills he had taken. He trusted herpletely and didn''t doubt her words at all.


    "All right. I have taken the medicine as per your requirement. Now you shoulde to bed with me." Kevin took the ss from her hand and put it away on the night stand beside the bed. He grinned at her feebly and invited her to bed in all eagerness. He was worried for her own well-being first, that was why he gulped down the pills as fast as he could.


    "Are you hungry? How about some noodle soup? I can make you something nice to eat in a jiffy." Leena turned to see the time on the wall clock. It was well past six in the morning. Usually, soldiers started their morning drills early. However, today it seemed to be quiet. She didn''t hear any drill sounds. ''I must have been fast asleep so I missed the drill, '' Leena thought.


    "Hungry for what? Darling, you shouldn''t ask me such sensitive questions. You might not be able to afford the consequences. I might just get what I wish for." Kevin smiled dangerously, looking most handsome in the moment. Although he looked quite pale due to his sickness, his eyes sparkled with desire. He had his own unique sense of humor, which was undoubtedly his sexiest quality.


    "What consequences are you talking about?" Leena turned back to face him, looking innocently into his dark eyes. She was confused. ''What does he mean by asking me what he is hungry for?'' She didn''t get him. An innocent girl like Leena was not able to read between the lines. Her clueless expression and her wide, ck eyes made him want to immediately pull her into his strong arms. Kevin smiled evilly. For a second, he felt like he was positively wicked. He shouldn''t joke around with her on this subject. It was not the right timing yet. "Never mind. Change the topic. I shouldn''t talk to you like that." Grinning widely, Kevin slowly shook his head. What a naive girl his little wife was. He felt like he was at the end of his wits. How could he possibly make her fall for him? Without speaking, he just gazed at her fondly, wondering how to address her decently.


    His intense look made her blush deeper shades of red. As she looked into his eyes, Leena felt like her world was spinning much too quickly. It slowly dawned on her what he meant. When she finally realized his intentions, she covered up her blush with her hands and yelped. The embarrassment was overwhelming. She bit her lip. It never urred to her that a serious man like Kevin could actually imply something that was so bold and shameless.


    "How dare you." She scolded him, softly uttering her embarrassment from between her teeth. Now that she knew his intent, there was no way she would voluntarilye to bed with him.


    "Well, do you want me to get you here myself?" Kevin looked determined as he lowered his voice. His eyes were so solemn that for a moment, she nked out. He meant business. He really wanted her by his side so he could warm her up. "Fine! I will sleep next to you." Leena pouted and climbed onto the bed. She didn''t lie right next to him. Instead, she carefully chose a spot opposite him on the edge, which she believed to be safe enough. Leena pulled over the quilt to cover herself up.


    "Come over here. Don''t test my patience." Kevin frowned when he saw her weird behavior. It made him realize that she didn''t want to be close to him. He just had a small cold, that was it. Why was she avoiding him like he had some kind of gue? ''Is she deliberately keeping distance from me to annoy me?'' Kevin thought unpleasantly.000

 Chapter 1067 Are You Hungry (Part Three)

    "You look very scary." Pouting, Leena slowly moved toward him. He looked quite intimidating and she didn''t want to cause any unnecessary trouble for herself. Besides, he was the patient here. For the sake of his speedy recovery, she shouldn''t upset him. Right now, it would be wise to do what he asked for.


    "What are you afraid of? Rest assured, I will leave you alone. Even if you want some aggressive cuddling, I am afraid I don''t have enough strength at the moment!" Her nervousness had himughing out of nowhere. ''She is so adorable, '' he thought. The anxious look on her pretty face triggered something deep in his heart. No matter how hard he tried, he could no longer put on a straight face with her.


    "Stop it! I didn''t mean that at all! Kevin Gu, you are so exasperating!" Leena threw him an offended look, abruptly turning her head away. All men were such pigs! Seriously, why was he thinking about sex all the time?


    "So what did you mean exactly? Kiddo, I didn''t say anything. You are the one having inappropriate thoughts here." With these words, he leaned over and circled his strong arms around her. The moment he touched her, she trembled. The feeling was mutual for him. He was shocked to find that she was so cold. Her soft body was chilly. Apparently, she didn''t sleep wellst night. The thought that she didn''t rest well because she was looking after him upset Kevin. He felt eaten up by the mixed feelings inside of him.


    "Your implication was obvious. You led me into thinking about it." Leena released a soft sigh. She didn''t push him away, instead, she leaned back and rested her headfortably on his muscr chest. She couldn''t deny the fact that she enjoyed getting hugged by him.


    "All right, all right. It is all my fault. Now close your eyes and get some sleep." Kevin patted her back gently, tucking her in the quilt. He treated her like she was the most precious thing in the world for him. The gentle strokes from him were so soothing that she felt her worked up nerves calm down straight away.


    "Sure." Leenay on the soft pillow and fell asleep. She barely got sleepst night as she was busy attending to him. Leena was genuinely worried to death when he had the deadly fever. The thought of losing him crushed her, making it impossible for her to get a single minute of peace.


    Kevin was still suffering from minor fever, therefore, he felt dizzy after talking to her for a while. Soon after Leena fell asleep, he followed and fell into afortable nap himself. The two of them cuddled each other even in their dreams.


    Greatly concerned about Kevin''s illness, Shannon walked upstairs to check on him in the morning. She walked on her tiptoes towards his room and pushed open the door silently. To her surprise, she found Leena in his arms, sound asleep like an angel. The peaceful sight instantly brought a smile to Shannon''s face. She felt truly happy for the two of them. Because she didn''t want to disturb them in their sweet dreams, she backed out and closed the door gently behind her. As she walked downstairs, the smile on her face grew bigger and bigger.


    "How is he doing now? Is the fever gone?" Nathan didn''t go for his morning drill today. On the contrary, he stood in the living room, waiting impatiently for thetest update on his son. As soon as he saw Shannon, he walked up to her and questioned her eagerly.


    "I think so. He seems to be all right now. They are still sleeping so I just let them be. Leena is in bed with him. I am sure she is tired from looking after him all night long. We shouldn''t disturb them," Shannon said, smiling at him confidently. "Don''t worry too much now." She was quite relieved to see them cuddling each other on the bed. Itforted her greatly, knowing that Louisa could not cause any more trouble in their rtionship.


    "Good, good. Let them be then. They both deserve some good sleep! Tell ire to stay away from them too." Nathan thought highly of Leena for what she did for his son. He was in a good mood today and didn''t say anything bad about her. Apparently, something had changed inside him. He was starting to like the girl more and more as time went by.


    "Don''t worry about ire. She never gets up this early anyway." Shannonughed. She was not concerned about ire disturbing the two love birds upstairs at all. As a matter of fact, in this family, ire was known to be thest one to get up.


    "Is the breakfast ready? I have some errands to attend to today and need to set out soon." Nathan raised his head, casting a nce in the direction of Kevin''s room. An interesting thought came to his mind. With a profound smile on his lips, Nathan made up his mind.


    "Maud has already prepared a nice breakfast for all of us. The table is set in the dining room. She was worried that Kevin would get hungry when he wakes up, so she cooked the food quite early this morning. But it turns out that Kevin is still sleeping now," Shannon gently exined to her husband as she led him into the dining room. She was an affectionate woman by nature, loving and caring for her family. Knowing that her son was no longer in danger, she did not feel as desperate as she did several hours ago. It must have been a totally different woman who scolded Nathan so unreservedlyst night!


    "Who are you talking about? Mom, are you talking about me behind my back again? I am not sleepingte today!" ire stood on the stairs and looked at them, her face wearing a frown. She looked good as usual. Apparently she had a good sleep. Kevin''s illness made no difference to her life whatsoever. On a sunny day like today, she looked as fresh as a daisy.


    "Wow, you shocked us! What''s going on, howe you are up so early today? We all know that your big soft bed is your best buddy in the entire world! Didn''t you say that yourself? The weather is actually quite agreeable today. You must be nning to go somewhere, my sweet littlezy cat?" Shannon teased her daughter lovingly. She was kind of curious about what ire was nning to do today.


    "Mom, stop it. Why do you tease me all the time? It is not my fault that I enjoy a good sleep! Dad, did you listen to what Mom said just now?" ire felt embarrassed at herself. She put her face into her hands and dashed into Nathan''s chest. ire hugged him around his neck and giggled.0000Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1068 Are You Hungry (Part Four)

    "Hey, don''t drag me into your business. I am quite happy that she is not nagging me for the moment!" To be honest, Nathan was still traumatized aboutst night. Her constant badgering about their son made his ears hurt! He wondered how a middle-aged woman could be this energetic, talking about the same old thing over and over again. He was bored to tears by her nagging. By the end of the day, she sounded like a broken record. Nathan shook his head slowly, a bittersweet smile on his face.


    "Dad, how can you ignore my feelings? The moment my brother came home, you started to favor him over me. I feel so neglected by you." ire pouted and grabbed her father''s arms. Like a little girl, she pulled his sleeves and shook his arms constantly.


    "All right, honey, stop bugging your father now. He needs to attend to some businesster on. He is in a hurry. You shouldn''t waste his time and energy like that. And now that you are up, why don''t you join us to the dining room for some breakfast? What about your Miss Ye? Has she gotten up yet?" Shannon walked up to the foot of the staircase and looked behind ire. She was not sure if her daughter''s guest would join them for breakfast.


    "What are you on about? Mom, she is my guest, okay? Why can''t you be nicer to her? She is afraid of you already. This is not a nice way to treat my friend!" ire raised her voice and red at her mother unpleasantly. She was quite mad at Shannon for her hostile attitude toward Louisa. It seemed to her that her mother clearly held something against her friend, since she tried to avoid Louisa on most asions.


    "What are you talking about? Did she actually say to you that I have been harsh to her? I know very well that she is your guest. That is why I have been polite to her all this time. What is so wrong with my attitude?" Shannon said, giving her daughter a stern look. It was true that she didn''t like Louisa at all. However, she maintained her cool and amodated her in the house. Shannon treated her in a decent manner because she was a smart woman who knew how to deal with ''unwanted guests'' when she had to.


    "I am not ming you for your attitude here. I am not even ming you for your coldness toward Louisa. As far as I am concerned, she is a sweet girl. I hope you can call her by her first name rather than this distant ''Miss Ye''. It makes me so mad," ire snapped at her mother and shook her head in disapproval. She couldn''t describe how she felt about it in her heart, but one thing she knew for sure was that her mother did not treat Louisa the way she deserved to be treated. In her opinion, her mother should wee Louisa with open arms and greet her with big smiles. That was the correct way to treat her friends! She felt so ridiculous. ire didn''t know how Louisa saw the whole situation. But for ire, her mother''s aloof attitude was definitely awkward and unnecessary.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "You silly girl, what do you want from me? Why do I have to address her by her first name now? If you want to call her Louisa, then go ahead. I am not stopping you from doing that. However, I have my own preferences!" Ignoring her daughter''s suggestion, Shannon walked away and gave her the cold shoulder. She didn''t feel like calling Louisa by her first name. From her observation, Louisa was not likable at all. On the contrary, she had the tendency to manipte others and benefit from them. She had her own selfish ns and schemes. Faced with such a calcting girl, Shannon found it really hard to cultivate any intimacy with her.


    "Mom, you are deliberately irritating me now. Why do you have to be so difficult? Why can''t you just refer to her as Louisa?! ''Miss Ye''? You talk about her as if she is so old!" ire stomped her feet and shouted at her mother''s back. She was stunned by her mother''s words. How could she be so unreasonable? Was it really necessary to be this indifferent to Louisa? What was the point?


    "Well, what do you prefer then? How about you give me a good suggestion once and for all? I am all ears. Just tell me how you would like me to address her?" Shannon was known to be well received among people. After all, she was a refineddy with great manners. Normally, she did not pick bones with her daughter. However, to Nathan''s surprise, she sounded very serious and quite frankly, even intimidating. He wondered why his graceful wife held such a grudge against Louisa and went so all out over a stupid name. He, on the other hand, liked Louisa dearly. She was his oldrade''s beloved little girl. To some extent, he even saw her as his very own daughter.


    "I think you should call her Louisa just like Dad does. Why not call her Louisa? Mom please, for the sake of me, you should just treat her better. I have noticed you giving her stern looks on several asions. I myself am used to all thating from you but I am sure Louisa feels uneasy around you. She is really close to me. Please, for the sake of me, just try your best to ept her!" ire wrung her hands together, earnestly gazing at her mother. She really hoped that Shannon would hold her friend as dearly as ire herself did.


    "I am not that close to her, to be honest with you. I find it quite odd to call her that. After all, I don''t know her so well." Shannon shook her head and sighed helplessly. She made it quite clear that she refused to build an intimate rtionship with this Louisa. She would rather refer to her as Miss Ye. Deep down, she wanted Louisa to know her stance: she didn''t like her at all. Shannon only tolerated her because of this persistence from her daughter. Certain boundaries needed to be put up clearly. Shannon personally didn''t want her in the house at all. Hopefully, Louisa would get her message and back off.


    "Why can''t you just call her by her first name? For crying out loud, you call Leena by her first name even though you just got to know her a few days ago! Why do you treat them so differently? What is wrong with you?" At this stage, ire was genuinely cross at her mother. In her opinion, Shannon was unbelievably stubborn. ire got up so early so she could have a good chat with her regarding the way she treated her friend. However, things just turned out nasty. Her mother was being unreasonable and hard to please. ire really hated tomunicate with people who were this headstrong. All her words were in vain. It seemed like her mother had made up her mind already.0000

 Chapter 1069 Back To S City (Part One)

    "How can they be the same? Leena is one of our family members, after all. Obviously I ought to be close to her. But you, you really are a silly girl, ire! Miss Ye is just your guest. And fine, she''s also the daughter of your father''s friend. But in any case, she is not family. Am I wrong? Leena is different. She is your brother''s wife, your sister-inw, and our daughter-inw. How can Louisa and her be the same?" Shannon had a lot of words to say on this matter. One had to admit that she was correct and being sensible. ire couldn''t find anything to contradict with what she said.


    "Who says she can''t be one of our family members? It''s just a matter of time," ire said abruptly. She voiced out what she had been secretly hoping for all along.


    "ire, what does that mean? I hope you aren''t really wanting that. I don''t like what you are implying and I don''t want to hear it a second time. Understood?" Shannon grew serious all of a sudden and stared at ire with stone cold eyes. So this was what ire was nning? Shannon was sure that it would never happen. As long as she was in this family, she would not allow Louisa to be in it!


    "All right, all right! I understand. I admit I was wrong." ire stuck out her tongue at her mother. ire was being careless today. She should have kept the secret to herself, instead of spilling the beans to her mother.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "I hope you truly understand that you were wrong. I don''t want to see you hatching plots behind my back, or I will be merciless. No one can protect you then," Shannon warned her daughter. She knew she had to be strict with ire. Otherwise, if she didn''t threaten ire enough or failed to let her know the seriousness of this matter, ire would definitely stir up trouble and do more damage.


    "Mom, I was just kidding! I didn''t mean it like that. Why are you treating me like Imitted a serious crime?" ire pursed her lips. She had only said the first thing that jumped to her mind. Why on earth was her mother so angry with her? If she was this furious right now, ire couldn''t even imagine how vexed her mother would be if she really did go behind her back and cause trouble for Leena. Just thinking about it sent a chill down her spine. She could already picture how miserable her life would be if her mother ever found out that she had promised to help Louisa with her schemes.


    "Joking about it is bad enough. What, you really want to make Louisa a family member?" Shannon could see through her daughter effortlessly. It was clear that ire wanted Louisa to be her sister-inw, instead of Leena. How could Louisa rece Leena so easily? ire was too naive. Kevin and Leena''s marriage was no ordinary rtionship. Kevin was in the military. He was a soldier. It wouldn''t be so easy for him to divorce and marry another woman. What was ire thinking? Did she think it would be as easy as grocery shopping?


    "No! I didn''t say that. I mean no harm, okay? Mom, fine. You win. I don''t want to argue with you anymore." ire shuddered at her mother''s words. Well, it looked like it would be difficult to help Louisa get her brother. Judging from her mother''s attitude right now, ire could already tell that her mother would never ept Louisa. She got so angry at ire''s words and was treating ire like she wasn''t her own daughter.


    "I am not kidding. You would do better to remember my words," Shannon was still concerned, and gave her daughter a final warning. She knew her well. ire was very likely to stir up trouble. Even if Shannon warned her a hundred times, ire still wouldn''t take her words seriously.


    "Dad! Come save me! I feel helpless. Mom wouldn''t let me exin at all." ire massaged her forehead and sighed deeply. She had brought this upon herself. She shouldn''t have said all that to her mother without thinking. Also, she should have stayed in bed this morning. Why did she even get up ande down to talk to her mother, only for Shannon to scold her?


    "ire, you are not a little girl anymore, but you still act like one." Nathan liked spoiling his daughter, that was true. But he still couldn''t contradict his wife for his daughter''s sake. He couldn''t afford the consequences. Shannon woulde after him.


    "Wait a minute. Where are Kevin and Leena? Are they still sleeping? At this hour? They should get up already! I''ll go and wake them up," ire said, before turning around to go upstairs. She wanted to escape from her mother as soon as possible, in case she decided to scold her further. However, Shannon called out, stopping ire in her steps.


    "ire, wait! Don''t wake them up yet, let them sleep. I know the two of them didn''t get enough restst night. They must be sound asleep right now. Let them be." Shannon''s eyebrows furrowed. ire was so negligent. How could she be so oblivious? She should know better than to bother her brother and his wife right now.


    "Umm... How do you know that, Mom?" ire asked her mother, lowering her voice. Why did her mother know that Kevin and Leena didn''t sleep muchst night? She couldn''t have been outside their bedroom eavesdropping, could she? Well, considering how much her mother wanted a grandson, it was indeed something she was likely to do.


    "ire, what are you thinking? Your brother had a feverst night. I am guessing Leena stayed up all night to take care of him. They must be too tired right now, so they are still sleeping. Get your mind out of the gutter, will you?" Shannon tapped on ire''s head, pretending to be annoyed. Her daughter was still an unmarried girl. Why would she think this kind of things?


    "Oh! Kevin really is ill! How did I not know that? I should go and check on him," ire announced as she got up, ready to go upstairs again. This time, her mother didn''t hesitate to pull her down by her arm.


    "Didn''t you hear a word of what I said just now? Don''t bother them! Let them sleep. Did you really forget everything I said so soon?" Shannon felt helpless when it came to her daughter. She had told her not to wake up her brother and Leena only a few minutes ago! Of course ire forgot her words right away. It looked as if whatever she said to her fell on deaf ears.


    "All right, all right. I won''t bother them. Satisfied? I''ll eat breakfast with Dad. Wait, where did he go?" ire looked around the room in confusion. Nathan was nowhere to be seen. It seemed that he had sneaked away in silence, while the mother and daughter were arguing. "He is in the dining room, eating his breakfast. Do you think he would wait on you?" Shannon rolled her eyes at her daughter. She was getting fed up with her behaviortely, and she almost lost her temper just now. At least there were no guests with them at this time of the day. Otherwise, Shannon would have surely felt embarrassed for ire.000000?????????

 Chapter 1070 Back To S City (Part Two)

    When Leena woke up, it was almost noon. When she opened her eyes, she was not prepared for the blinding sunlighting through the window. She didn''t expect the weather to be so pleasant today, since it had been rainingst night. Turning to her side, she reached out to touch Kevin''s forehead. It still felt a bit warm, but was much better thanst night, when he was burning hot. Fortunately, it appeared that he would get better soon.


    Leena got out of bed quietly and walked over to the bathroom to freshen up. After that she went downstairs, wanting to make some porridge for Kevin. She knew he would be hungry when he woke up. However, much to her surprise, she didn''t have to worry on that matter. Shannon had already asked Maud to cook some porridge for her son, and it was still warm in the pot.


    "Leena, eat some snacks. You must be hungry. Lunch will be ready in a minute." Shannon looked at Leena''s tired face and felt sorry for her. She must have stayed upte looking after Kevin, or she would not have been this tired after a morning''s sleep. She truly was a good wife and daughter-inw.


    "I don''t need snacks. Thank you, Mom. I will wait for lunch. I was about to cook some porridge for Kevin but since you already did that, I will go and see if he is awake or not. He shoulde downstairs and eat something before taking his medicine." Leena smiled gently at her mother-inw. She didn''t want to eat first, although she was indeed hungry. Leena was still worried for Kevin and wanted to make sure he was well.


    "All right, lunch is almost ready. Go ahead." Shannon smiled back at her daughter-inw, her eyes full of appreciation. She was happy that Leena was so considerate and cared so much about her son.


    Kevin had woken up the moment Leena left the room. Although he was still quite tired, he did not feel as weak as he had been this morning. He got out of bed and moved to the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. Right when he was about to go downstairs, Leena, who was running upstairs in a hurry, knocked into him.


    "Leena, where are you running to?" Kevin backed up a few steps to steady himself and Leena, so that they didn''t end up on the ground. Being ill really sucked. He felt tired and weak. If he had not been sick, he would not have needed to retreat his steps to bnce the two of them. Right now, he didn''t even have the strength to support Leena by himself.


    "Ah! Kevin, you are already up. Sorry! I didn''t hurt you, did I?" Leena touched her nose, feeling a bit embarrassed that Kevin had seen her like this. She looked up at Kevin with eyes brimming with delight. He was better! That made her very happy.


    "I am not so fragile that I''d shatter like ss. One knock won''t break me." Kevin patted down her hair which had be a bit messy. It was probably because she ran upstairs and knocked into him.


    "But you are still ill. Oh,e on, go downstairs and eat some porridge. You must be starving. I will go to the bedroom and bring your medicines to you after you finish it." It looked like Leena took Dr. Pei''s instructions very seriously. She insisted that Kevin take his medicines at the right time.


    "No need to get them. I''ll juste upstairs again and take themter." Kevin didn''t wait for her reply. He just took her hand and pulled Leena with him. The two of them went downstairs together. He didn''t want to listen to her ridiculous excuses anymore. He only wanted her by his side.


    Kevin''s cold had hit him quick, but it also abated rapidly. Before they left for S City, Kevin had almost fully recovered and returned to his normal self. There was something unusual about their journey this time, as there were two additional people in the car with them. One was Louisa, and the other was ire, who had pleaded toe with them and was determined to get what she wanted. Shannon didn''t allow her toe with them at first, but ire was very good at persuading her. Her mother had to finally relent and let her go in the end.


    The three women sat in the backseat of the car. It was quite obvious that Leena felt left out. She seemed very bored and didn''t want to start a conversation with the other two. She looked outside the window and watched the scenery pass by. Beside her, ire was having a good time, talking andughing along with Louisa. They were chattering about wanting to go shopping when they arrived in S City. Girls would be girls! It was normal for them to talk about such things. Leena had a small smile on her face as she listened to them. However, she didn''t interject. "Leena, here, drink some water." Kevin handed the bottle of warm water to Leena, who was sitting in the backseat. His mother had given him the bottle before they left. She told him to keep it with him, since he had just recovered from his cold and shouldn''t be upsetting his stomach again. She had put therge bottle in his car.


    "I''m not thirsty. You should be the one drinking more water. You only just got better. You are not even fully recovered yet." Leena frowned. She did not want to drink the warm water Kevin''s mother had specifically prepared for him.


    "That''s all right. There''s plenty of water. I see that your lips are chapped. You must need it. Just drink some!" Kevin almost begged her. He could tell how lonely Leena felt on this journey, since the two women who sat beside her didn''t talk to her unless it was to mock her. There were a lot of people in this car, and he was sitting in the front, so it was not a good time to say something reassuring to her even though he so badly wanted to.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "Her lips are not chapped. Kevin, you are being unfair! Why don''t you ask Louisa and me to drink the water too?" ire pursed her lips. She was being childish again. She really did not like seeing her brother getting affectionate with Leena. In her opinion, Leena didn''t deserve her brother at all. She hoped Leena would leave her brother soon, so ire could help Louisa get Kevin.


    "ire, are you thirsty? Here, have some water." Upon hearing ire''s words, Leena immediately handed the bottle of water to her. She was not angry at her. After all, she had spent some days with ire, and was used to her sarcasm. Leena was still her usual kind and considerate self.

 Chapter 1071 Back To S City (Part Three)

    bothered by Leena, because she was the only one being asked and cared about by Kevin.


    "No need to pretend to care about me. You are so fake! Besides, Mom prepared this bottle of water especially for Kevin. If she gets to know that I drink all of it, she would be so angry with me." There was a trace of jealousy in ire''s words. Anyone could tell that she was "ire, don''t forget what you promised me when I let you go to S City with us." Kevin''s tone was cold. If it had not been for Leena, who had pleaded on ire''s behalf, he would not have let iree to S City with them and interrupt their perfect married life. Now that


    he had promised to let ire stay, she should also keep her word and be nice to Leena.


    "Fine! I''ll just have to keep my mouth shut. Are you satisfied now?" ire red at Leena with annoyance, as if it was her fault. Well, her brother couldn''t be beside her all day long to take Leena''s side! ire could wait. She could think of lots of ways to make Leena''s life miserable while she was in S City.


    Leena didn''t understand what she had done to make ire so furious with her. She thought that ire was thirsty, so she gave her some water to drink, that was all. Why would she think Leena was being fake in pretending to care about her? It seemed to Leena that she should be the one keeping her mouth shut on this journey back to S City. She would just have to talk less, otherwise she would cause more trouble.


    Sitting on the other end of the backseat, Louisa was happy to see this exchange. The corner of Louisa''s lips lifted as she nced at Leena, her eyes dripping with mockery and disdain. She pretended tofort ire.


    "ire,e on. No need to get upset over such a small thing, right?" Louisa patted ire''s shoulder and said in a sickly sweet voice, pretending to be considerate and understanding in front of Kevin.


    It didn''t go as she hoped for. Kevin''s eyebrows furrowed. He was unhappy about what Louisa said, but he kept his mouth shut and didn''t say another word. He stared at Leena intensely through the rearview mirror. He was worried about her. Although they had left capital city early this morning, it was already afternoon by the time they arrived in S City. There was a traffic jam on the way. Fortunately it was not rush hour, so it wasn''t so bad, or they could have been trapped there for hours.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "Kevin, is this the apartment you live in? I thought you still lived at the army base." ire raised her head to look at the tall building in front of her. She could tell from the nice decorations outside the apartment that it was very pricey. She wondered if her brother had spent all the money he had saved buying this apartment.


    "Yeah, I lived at the army base before. But I moved here after marriage. Living in the army base is inconvenient for a married man after all. All right,e on. Pick your luggage and let''s go inside," Kevin replied to his sister''s question simply. He didn''t ask Lee for help, who had to drive Louisa back to her own house.


    "Hey! Kevin, won''t you help me carry my luggage?" ire looked helplessly at the two big, heavy suitcases in front of her. She turned to Kevin, her eyes pleading.


    "Why did you bring two big suitcases? Do you really have that many things to bring with you? Leena and I only have one big suitcase, and it''s enough for us." Kevin shook his head at his sister, picking up the leather suitcase in front of ire. He wondered if she was nning to stay for a long time. Otherwise, why would she bring so many things with her? He really hoped that he was wrong.


    "There are not many things in them. They are just the clothes and shoes that I will be wearing. If I hadn''t brought them here, would you buy new ones for me?" ire frowned, then picked up the other suitcase and followed them to the elevator. She was unhappy that Leena just had the small travel bag with her. Truthfully, it was ire''s own fault that she had packed up so many things. She just couldn''t help but me Leena for it unreasonably.


    "Well, I understand that you need to take some clothes with you, but you don''t need to bring your entire closet here!" Once they were in the elevator, Kevin immediately took the travel bag from Leena''s hand. It looked as if he was afraid that carrying such a small bag would exhaust Leena. Upon seeing his action, ire''s mood soured even more.


    "Well, you know, I''m a girl after all. That is what makes us girls, right? I need to change my clothes everyday. Besides, I''m going to look for a job here. That way, Louisa will not be so lonely here, because I can keep herpany." As she talked, ire''s mood shifted. She was quite excited about her future life in S City. She was confident that she would be happy and sessful here.


    "What did you say? You want to look for a job here? Are you kidding? Are you sure that you can find a suitable job without Mom and Dad''s help?" Kevin didn''t expect to hear this. ire wanted to find a job so she could stay here for a long time! He was a bit shocked at her words. Would she stay at his ce for much longer? He didn''t want that to happen, because ire didn''t get along with Leena at all, and he wanted to spend some time alone with his wife. If ire lived in his apartment with them for too long, she would surely be a nuisance. There went his n of spending some good time alone with Leena.


    "Well, I have you, my dear brother. Won''t you help out your loving sister?" ire tilted her head and looked at Kevin with her eyebrows raised. She was sure that he would help her.


    "Are you sure the jobs I find will be suitable for you?" Kevin looked her up and down, and helplessly shook his head. He didn''t think he could help his sister find an appropriate job here.


    "As long as it''s a respectable job with a high sry, and there is enough freedom to work anytime, I would be satisfied." ire wasn''t even joking. She was serious about her conditions. She thought it would be easy to find such a job.


    "You really must be dreaming. There is no such job like you just described. Nopany will ever hire you if you demand all that." Kevin let out a deep sigh. If he were an employer, he would never hire an employee with demands like those, unless she was extremely talented. But unfortunately, his sister was everything but talented.


    "Kevin, don''t lower my confidence like that! I haven''t even started looking, for God''s sake, and here you are, already pouring cold water on me." ire was unhappy about her brother''s words. She didn''t think that her conditions for a job were so impossible to meet. ording to her, a job with a high sry and the liberty to work any time was just standard.0000

 Chapter 1072 Be Confident (Part One)

    "I am advising you to desist from this insane idea before you start looking. In case you be the butt of someone''s joke." Kevin didn''t mean to look down upon his own sister. He thought ire aimed too high, and it would get hard for her to find her footing in such a highlypetitive society.


    "I''m not that bad. It doesn''t matter. I have talent in management and I studied that abroad," ire said, pouting. She disyed strong objection to her brother''s remarks.


    "Come on. You? Talent? I bet you got your diploma after wasting away years at college," Kevin made this conclusion based on his sister''s yful personality.


    "How would that be possible? I entered college because of my efforts. Sure, it was not a well-known college, but, generally speaking, I spent my years there just like any other regr student," ire replied, frowning. That entrance exam was one eternal scar for her! Especially since the major she had chosen was a high-end one.


    "Like you said, you just spent your years there. I doubt if you learnt anything useful," Kevin said. He never considered his sister to be great in studies, since her scores at school never went beyond 80. It was obvious that she waszy at studying.


    Leena didn''t make anyment on their bickering and just smiled breezily. She was aware of ire''s dissatisfaction with her. Leena wasn''t so stupid that she''d intervene in this argument. It was wise to protect herself from something that unfavorable.


    "Wow! Brother, this is a fabulous house! What a great design! It''s really ssy. You must have spent a lot of money and energy on it!" ire praised. She was stunned by the interiors of Kevin''s house as she walked in. When they had left for S City, ire had assumed that she would live at the army base upon arriving here. But to her surprise, she was to live in this glorious apartment. She didn''t want to leave here ever from this moment onward.


    "Is it so fabulous? I don''t think so!" Kevin said, looking around. He then realized that ire was speaking the truth. He admitted that Leena had made some changes in this house. She had bought some fancy furniture for him.


    "You bet. All the furniture here is costly, you can tell it''s luxurious." ire jumped onto the soft couch with glee, her hands gliding across the cloth. She made a satisfied murmur of admiration. Although their house in Capital City was beautiful, it was still different from here. Maybe it was because of the new furniture. This house was splendid but not shy.


    "ire, you can sleep in the guest room on this floor. I''ll go and clean it. Then you can move in there, okay?" Leena asked for ire''s opinion, fearing that she would be dissatisfied with the arrangement.


    "What about upstairs? No guest room there?" ire nced at the stairs, wondering about the rooms on that floor.


    "No. There''s only a guest room here," Leena replied decisively. She didn''t want ire to live upstairs with them, even if they had a guest room there. Leena would feel ufortable living with her. "Well, okay! I have no choice then," ire said in frustration. In her opinion, living upstairs was far more preferable to living down here.


    Leena pursed her lips and turned around, walking toward the guest room. She needed to see if anything needed to be arranged. Although ire was never happy with her, for Kevin''s sake, Leena would still look after her. An old saying said, "Love me, love my dog." When it came to Kevin, no matter what difficulties Leena had to face, she would confront them all while smiling.


    "ire, put your luggage in your room. We''ll go out for dinner then," Kevin announced before taking his and Leena''s luggage upstairs. He didn''t wait for ire''s response.


    "Okay, I''ll do that right away." ire was excited to hear that they were going to have dinner outside. When they were in Capital City, they got almost no opportunities to go out for dinner, because they ate at home every day.


    Leena didn''t need to do much cleaning or make arrangements. She only needed to spread the sheets for ire. Every room in this house was kept neat and tidy, so there should be no problem living here.


    "This room?" ire asked, frowning. She looked around, finding it to be neat andfortable, although it wasn''t as big as her room at the house in Capital City. She could manage to live here.


    "Yep! Your clothes can be put in this wardrobe. If you need anything else, please let me know. I''ll set it up for you." Leena looked at the big bed with its new covers in satisfaction. They were all her favorite colors. She hoped ire would like it, since they were of simr age and probably had the same aesthetic sense.


    "Got it. You talk too much. You can go now! I''m gonna get changed," ire said impatiently, waving Leena away.


    "All right. Suit yourself," Leena said, before walking out and closing the door behind her. She didn''t expect ire to appreciate what she had done for her, but she still felt a bit hurt when she was treated by ire so lousily.


    As she walked into the living room, Leena instantly felt better, even though she didn''t see Kevin around. She knew he was probably putting their luggage upstairs. Leena walked straight into the kitchen to see what ingredients in the refrigerator she could use to cook. Otherwise she might need to do some shopping.


    As she stared at the empty refrigerator, Leena put a hand on her forehead. She couldn''t help butugh at herself. She had such a bad memory! She had emptied the refrigerator before they had left for Capital City, in case the items went stale when they came back. She had totally forgotten about that. She must have forgotten to bring back her brain with her from Capital City too.


    Leena looked at her watch. ''It is still early for dinner, so I''d better use this time to drive out and buy some groceries.'' With this thought, she trotted upstairs. Her bags had all been carried up there by Kevin. Besides, she needed to fetch her car keys too. Lee took her Audi Pikes Peak Quattro to drive Louisa home. Leena guessed her car wouldn''t be back for a while.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Nana, is everything arranged for ire?" Kevin asked when he saw Leenae in. He was busy unpacking their luggage. Leena halted in her footsteps when she heard the nickname on Kevin''s lips. Why was he suddenly calling her that? He used to call her by her name before, like everyone else.


    "Um! Yes. There is no food in the refrigerator, so I''m going out to buy some groceries," Leena said. She had no intention of asking him to go with her. After all, she wasn''t some fragile little princess in this house. She had gotten used to this kind of life. Kevin wasn''t home often, so she had learnt to do a lot of things on her own.


    "Don''t bother. We''ll go out for dinnerter. All of us are very tired after the day-long trip, so don''t exert yourself." Kevin stopped her with his hand on her arm. Although he was only responsible for eating, he didn''t want his wife to exhaust herself by cooking for them. "We''re going out for dinner? That''s not a bad idea. Fine. It''s on me tonight." Leena epted Kevin''s suggestion with pleasure. She was really tired, and she didn''t really feel like cooking for dinner.0000

 Chapter 1073 Be Confident (Part Two)

    "Well! Okay, then I''ll eat like a pig," Kevin teased as he gazed at Leena''s pleasant smile. His eyes brimmed with affection for her. He could tell that she was more rxed now, since she wasn''t behaving as formally as she was back at Capital City. "As long as you''re not worried about bing a real pig, I''ll offer as much as I can," Leena said, her eyes lingering on the busy Kevin. She threw herself on the soft bed and took a deep breath. She could smell the light scent of mint on the bed sheets. Leena rxed, feeling right at home.


    "Kiddo, it''s impossible to get me fat," Kevin said. He let her unwind and stared at her with a smile. He thought she knew about his job. He did training every day. ''How would I get fat? It''s absurd,'' he thought.


    "Kevin, can I ask you a personal question?" Leena asked seriously, propping herself up all of a sudden.


    "Ask away. What question? I''ll tell you everything but the state secrets," Kevin said, turning around and putting hisst shirt inside the wardrobe.


    "I''m not interested in the state secrets and I''m not a politician, so why would I ask about that? I''m not so bored. I''m just curious... why did you address me by that nickname?" Leena asked, rolling her eyes. She was a simple girl. Political talks wereplicated, and she wasn''t the right person to ask about it.


    "You really want to know the reason?" Kevin asked. He licked his lips, wondering how he should answer her question. He called her by the nickname out of some natural instinct of him. The reason why he suddenly addressed her as that was because it sounded so intimate. He didn''t want to go back to calling her by her first name. To him, Nana sounded great.


    "Yes. Can you tell me?" Leena asked, her big eyes blinking in expectation. She was flustered. She imagined that it was a way for Kevin to show how much he loved her.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "The reason! The reason is that there''s no reason. I just don''t want to call you the same way as everyone else does," He blurted out. It wasn''t the real reason. For a moment, he didn''t understand his feelings, so he gave her a random answer.


    "Is that so?" Leena was a little disappointed about his answer. She thought he''d say it was because the nickname sounded more intimate. Why did he give her such a strange answer?


    "What else did you expect? Get up! Freshen up and we''ll go out for dinner," Kevin said, pulling her out of bed. He didn''t feel good seeing the disappointment on Leena''s face.


    "Nothing. I didn''t expect anything. I should have known about that." Leenaughed at herself. ''Am I too greedy? Happiness always seems to pass me by.''


    "Leena, the real reason why I call you Nana is because I care about you very much. It''s not because I don''t want to call you the same as other people. Does this answer make you happy?" Kevin sighed and exined to Leena. He didn''t want to see her unhappy. "Is that really true? Are you sure you''re not saying it because you feel sorry for me?" Leena raised her head to look up at him. She waited for his answer nervously.


    "Do you think I''m that dull? Hey, be confident in yourself. I will always belong to you." Kevin said, pulling her into his arms and kissing her hair tenderly. He wondered what he had done to deserve such an admirable girl. She was capable of worrying about him as much as she was of being happy for him.


    "This is not about my confidence. It''s about the choice you make in your heart. To change your choice, I have to make double effort. Both of us know who the girl in your heart is, and how dazzling she is," Leena whispered sadly. She had brought it up the other day, but it didn''t result in anything. Truthfully, she was still a little disappointed. She, of all people, deserved a more honest answer from him.


    "Leena, now that you have mentioned this again, I''d like to clear the air. I admit that I had feelings for Daisy before, but it was just a passing affection. After Edward showed up, I kept telling myself that she was now a girl who had a family of her own. It wasn''t proper for me to continue having feelings for her, so I decided to move on. I can''t say that I have no affection for her anymore, but I can assure you that she belongs to my past now. That past will nevere between us and our life together,"


    Kevin promised, his hands holding onto Leena''s tightly. He didn''t know how much he loved Leena, but he knew she was very precious to him. She was like a jewel, and he didn''t want to lose her.


    "Kevin, am I too evil? I know she is like a scar to you, but I still mention her again and again. Is it too cruel?" Leena asked, her body clinging to his. She could hear his strong heartbeat. She felt so safe and secure in that moment. It was fine even if he didn''t love her. If she was allowed to be in his arms, she wouldn''t ask for anything else.


    "Kiddo, it was a scar for me earlier. But now, I can''t feel it at all. I won''t call it cruel, because her name doesn''t hurt me anymore." As he confessed this to Leena, Kevin felt a great sense of relief. It felt like that scar was made centuries ago.


    "Are you sure? Will you be so calm when you face Daisy too?" Leena looked at Kevin in amazement. She knew he wasn''t in love with her, but as long as Daisy didn''t have his heart anymore, Leena was confident of winning it. She didn''t just want his body, she wanted his love too.


    "What do you think? Don''t forget, Daisy and I are both in the army. If I still had feelings for her, I would be exhausted." Kevin felt awkward at the beginning when Daisy had found out he liked her. However, he saw that she didn''t act distant from him because of it. She was so calm and mature about it, and Kevin realized he had to be the same.


    "What about Daisy? Does she know you like her?" Leena asked cautiously, a little nervous. She didn''t know if her question would irk him.


    "Um. Not only her, even Edward knows about it. She told me that my feelings for her were just out of sympathy, not real love. What she said has made me think about it a lot, but it seems possible," Kevin said, with a bitter smile on his face. Daisy might be right. How could he get over her so easily otherwise? If it had been love, he should have kept pursuing her until the end of time.


    "What? Edward knows it, too? Now I know why he always has a problem with you." Leena hadn''t expected this. She thought that Daisy and Edward didn''t know about Kevin''s unrequited love. No wonder Edward always gave him the cold shoulder. He knew Kevin loved his wife previously but married his beloved sister. Edward probably didn''t think Kevin was a responsible man. Leena pictured him being nice to Kevin. That would certainly be strange.


    "Yeah, that''s why I always endure their standoffish behavior towards me. After all, I''m the guy who made the mistake, right?" Kevin uttered, feeling helpless. If he were Edward, he would have behaved the same way! Judging from what he had done, he himself wouldn''t think he was a reliable man.


    "What about my brother and the others? Do they know about this?" Leena asked curiously. A far as she knew, Duke wouldn''t be this calm about it if he knew Kevin had feelings for Daisy.

 Chapter 1074 Strike Back (Part One)

    "I don''t think so. It looks like Edward hasn''t mentioned that to Duke." Kevin knew very well how important Leena was to those powerful men. If they ever got to know that Leena was in pain or suffering, Kevin could be in serious trouble. "Never let him know that. Otherwise things will getplicated." Leena had a clear understanding of her brother''s personality and what he was capable of. He wouldn''t tolerate any wrongdoings towards his sister.


    "The inevitable happens one way or another and there''s no escaping from it. We better let nature take its course. Fire can''t be wrapped up in paper. Why bother yourself in a fruitless attempt to hide it from them?" Kevin was quite open-minded about this. He had no secrets to hide from others. As long as he was honest and big-hearted, he would be fine.


    "But I''m worried about you. You know that Duke gets ill-tempered sometimes, especially when I am involved. You should know the consequences better than others." Leena was a bit worried. Duke harbored grudges against Kevin already. If he was informed of what happened to her, it would mean trouble.


    "Don''t worry. I can endure the pain," Kevin answered. He smiled at his wife soothingly. As he did so, he released her hands and looked over her, his gaze intense.


    "Why are you staring at me?" Leena asked nervously. It made her feel embarrassed to be stared at so passionately. She subconsciously touched her face, fearing that it was smeared by mud or something.


    "It just urred to me how bright and beautiful my wife is." Leena''s innocent face was charming and her luscious figure was tantalizing. Kevin reached out and chucked her under the chin. He was grateful to her. When he had felt let down and been extremely disappointed, Leena decided to marry him. As a result of that, he stopped pitying himself and managed to pull himself together.


    "So? Don''t you know that you found a treasure when you married me?" Hearing his exnation, Leena felt close to Kevin for the very first time. This man finally belonged to her. Although it was a long road before Kevin truly fell in love with her, that day would certainlye, wouldn''t it? Leena was willing to give up everything if it meant that day would arrive. She had to win over his love.


    "The more you get, the more you want. Now scoot and get dressed. We can''t keep ire waiting. She''s likely to get impatient ande upstairs, demanding us to hurry up." Kevin pinched her adorable cheeks. Deep down in his heart he realized what Leena meant, but he couldn''t admit it in front of her. Otherwise, she would get arrogant and tease him.


    "Do I really need to change my clothes if we are just going out for dinner?" Leena looked at herself in the mirror, finding her clothes to be fine. They had traveled quite a distance today, but she didn''t see the need to change into something else.


    "Are you sure you want to wear these warm clothes around the city? Don''t forget the temperature here is a lot higher than it is in Capital City." Kevin gazed at Leena in amusement, wondering how she forgot about the weather she had been so ustomed to all these years.


    "Yes, you''re right. It''s damn hot out there. I feel even hotter because I haven''t taken off these warm clothes." In hindsight, she realized how stupidly dependent on Kevin she had be. She had gotten so used to being looked after by her husband.


    "Darling, I am beginning to wonder how you managed your life when I was away," Kevin said. He found it funny to imagine the life Leena must have lived alone, in the past.


    "I just got confused. Wait a minute for me, I''ll get ready quickly," Leena said in haste. She loved the pleasant climate in S City. The temperature difference wasn''trge in all the four seasons.


    "Well, Don''t rush. Take your time. I''ll wait downstairs." Kevin usually wore a shirt and tie. All he needed was a light coat to ward off the cold in the early winter of S City.


    "Fine. Please don''t forget to take the car keys." Leena looked for suitable clothes in her closet. Now that she was back in her own house, she didn''t feel forced to wear so-called appropriate clothes to see her inws. She could choose the clothes she liked, such as the popr, expensive and avant-garde ones that were normally the first choice of designers. She looked more like a model than a renowned designer in them.


    "I won''t. Rest assured. I''m not as absent-minded as you are." Kevin was about to take the keys of Leena''s Ferrari sports car, but stopped on second thought. He chose his own Bugatti, since Leena''s sports car only had two seats.


    ire was already dressed up for dinner. Impatiently, she waited downstairs for a long time, but Leena and Kevin didn''t show up. She was about to yell at them when she saw Kevine downstairs. "Kevin, what took you so long?" ire asked in irritation. "Didn''t you know I was waiting for you here?"Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "No need to get mad. I''m here now, don''t you see? What''s the rush? It''s still early," Kevin answered. He deliberately kept from ire the reason he waste. He was talking to Leena about something important, so ire had to wait.


    "Why are you alone? Where is Leena? Don''t tell me she is still dressing up? No matter how long she takes, she would still look old-fashioned and ordinary," ire derided as a lopsided grin lingered around the corners of her mouth. Although she hated Leena, she didn''t really dare to go too far in front of her brother. Reluctantly, ire had to watch her mouth and not disrespect Leena, and even pretend to be nice.0000000000??????

 Chapter 1075 Strike Back (Part Two)

    "ire, I am warning you once again. I hope you can enjoy a good time with Leena in the city. Otherwise, be sure that I will send you back home. Besides, Leena''s family is a lot more well-known than you think. She just doesn''t want to be thought of as one of those rich girls from powerful families. She chose to keep a low profile and endure your insults again and again. I am supposed to respect her wishes and so I didn''t intervene. But now that you have decided to stay here, you''ll discover many more secrets about her. By then, I''m sure you''ll regret everything you have done to Leena," Kevin said sternly.


    Kevin had kept the knowledge of Leena''s wealthy family from ire since Leena wished to keep the secret to herself and he had to respect her wish. Rich as she was, Leena was also independent and open-minded, and she knew what was right for herself. So Kevin had decided not to make any decisions on her behalf.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "What secrets? Are you talking about me?" Leena asked loudly, suddenly arriving at the scene. She walked downstairs. She had heard part of Kevin''s conversation with ire, and couldn''t help but be curious about what they were discussing.


    "It''s your guess," Kevin answered, smiling. He looked over Leena up and down. Apparently, his wife had finally decided to be herself again, instead of pretending to be someone else in front of his family. She must have been tired of being discreet and mature. Today, she looked like the lovely princess she actually was.


    "What? Are you actually Leena? Or just some fucking imposter?" ire shouted in disbelief. She was shocked to see Leena in the fashionable clothes. How could this woman, as beautiful as a supermodel, be the same girl she hade to know in Capital City, whom ire considered to be ordinary, old-fashioned, and even ugly?


    "What are you talking about? Did I miss something? Kevin, is there something wrong with me?" Leena asked, ill at ease. She was wearing a pair of most fashionable dark blue pencil pants, and a low-cutcy shirt covered by an expensive fur coat. The outfit made her look cute and alluring at the same time.


    "No, you''re all right. ire''s just being silly. Ha!" Kevin burst intoughter. He couldn''t me ire for sounding so shocked and rude when she saw Leenae down the stairs. This was Leena''s true side. She had behaved differently in a thousand ways at Capital City. Leena chose to hide her charm and beauty to please Kevin''s parents, pretending to be old-fashioned and mature instead. Kevin had persuaded her to be herself, regardless of his parents'' likes and dislikes. But Leena had her own way in the end, iming that she couldn''t be her childish self in front of her husband''s family.


    "Oh! I see." Leena winked at ire mischievously. She realized the reason for the shocked expression on ire''s face. She must be upset by the enormous differences between the old and new Leena.


    "Fuck off. Don''t be so arrogant. You are only wearing different clothes, which doesn''t change anything about you," ire said reluctantly, her awkwardness obvious. Her mouth curled. Obviously, Leena was much better than her when it came to fashion. What was worse was that Leena''s snow-white skin scored her many points. ire was iparable.


    "Let''s hit the road. And stay away from ire. She has a big mouth. Don''t quarrel with her, otherwise you''ll only frustrate yourself," Kevin said. He knew only something drastic could change ire''s biased opinions about Leena. Her rtionship with Leena could not transform overnight. On the other hand, it was fortunate that Leena usually turned a deaf ear to ire''s criticism and taunts. It would be awful if they got into a quarrel one day.


    "Okay. I see." Leena deliberately yed the mature woman and agreed with what Kevin said. She wanted nothing but to see ire getting pissed off, stomping her foot and shouting at her. Back in Capital City, ire was always making trouble for Leena and attempting to pick a fight with her. For the sake of Kevin''s parents, Leena had to swallow her anger and behave herself. But now since they were in S City, Leena found it necessary to teach ire a lesson and clue her in some ground rules. ire should know better than to think that Leena was a weak woman whom she could provoke easily.


    "Quit being naughty!" Kevin said. He shrugged, already knowing what Leena nned to do next. He decided to step aside and be an observer. In his opinion, she was a smart and thoughtful girl who knew what she was doing.


    "Stop running away! And don''t you look down on me," ire yelled, trying to catch up with them as they left the house. Noticing that her existence was being ignored while Leena and Kevin flirted with each other right in front of her, ire couldn''t refrain herself any longer and grew angry. She knew she was the subject of their conversation.


    "Why should we care about your feelings? You''re too old to be looked after by others. You''re a grown-up, you should learn how to do things on your own," Leena said. She was highly amused at the expression on ire''s face. She finally had the opportunity to get her revenge and reprimand ire. ire had been so arrogant in Capital City. Leena had to swallow her anger and do what she was ordered. It was different now. This was her city and Leena would be the one giving ire orders. Nobody dared to use Leena as a punching bag. Not her parents, not her brothers. However, ire had an exaggerated opinion of her abilities and had forced her to kneel and surrender. It was time to strike back.


    "Kevin, why are you standing there and doing nothing? Didn''t you hear what she just said to me?" ire yelled hysterically. She finally caught up to them as they reached the elevator. ire didn''t want to be left behind or be considered a pathetic clown. As Kevin''s only sister, she had the natural right to be loved and looked after by her brother, didn''t she?

 Chapter 1076 Strike Back (Part Three)

    "Why should I defend you? As far as I''m concerned, Leena is right," Kevin answered coolly. He pressed the pause button on the elevator''s control panel and allowed ire toe inside.


    fact that the weak and soft Leena had the nerve to stand up to her. She seemed so different.


    "I see. You were pretending to be well-behaved and nice to fool Dad and Mom. As soon as you came back to your own house, you just couldn''t wait to show your true self," ire huffed in irritation. She red at Leena usingly and in disbelief, not quite registering the "I''m sorry, ire. But you are right. If you are offended, just let it be and don''t say another word," Leena retorted sharply. Her response shocked ire once again and was a huge blow to her ego. Leena smiled sweetly. As Kevin''s wife, she was determined to convince ire, one way or another, to get rid of her bad habits of being wild, self-willed and ungrateful. She had been spoiled by her family since she was born. If ire didn''t change, she was doomed and wouldn''t find herself a suitable husband. No matter how kind and tolerant men were these days, they wouldn''t ept such an uncontroble wife.


    Kevin zipped up his mouth and decided to let ire have a taste of her own medicine. Truthfully, he would feel delighted to see it happen.


    "I know women can be erratic, but I never thought you were the worst of the lot. I really underestimated you," ire voiced out in a mocking voice. Her mouth twisted in a contemptuous sneer. She realized suddenly that she had been fooled by Leena. She had tried desperately to uncover Leena''s true side, but had failed to do so. There is an old saying that goes, ''People shouldn''t be judged by their looks.'' ire finally knew what that meant, now that she had seen Leena for who she was.


    "ire, let me give you a piece of advice. Despite their superficial resemnces, things can be very different in their essence. Just take human beings as an example. People can be really evil, although sometimes they seem to be amiable and kind." Leena wanted her to realize that Louisa wasn''t as much of a friend to her as she pretended to be.


    "What do you mean? Are you using me of something?" ire had intended to squeeze in between Leena and Kevin. It was in vain, since Kevin chose to stand close to Leena, forcing ire to step aside.


    "If you think so, sure. I have got nothing else to say," Leena answered. She decided to adopt a neutral position. As far as she was concerned, ire wasn''t a bad woman. To tell the truth, she was just a spoiled rich girl. If ire was guided properly, she would be lovely and charming, rather than mean and repulsive.


    "Kevin, what''s wrong with her? Shouldn''t you discipline your wife?" ire wasn''t brave enough to be arrogant when her parents weren''t with her. So she asked her brother for help.


    "Listen to Leena. Although she is younger than you, she is smarter and more thoughtful. I know you have always been a spoiled girl, but you really get carried away sometimes. It''s time that Leena taught you a lesson and showed you how to be a decentdy." Kevin was impressed with Leena. ire was his beloved sister and he hoped she could live a better life. If Leena could transform ire, it would be a real blessing to Kevin''s family.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Why should I listen to her?" ire pressed her lips together. A look of pure hatred shed in her eyes. However, she couldn''t confront Leena directly since Kevin had decided to side with his wife.


    "Leena is my wife and your sister-inw. Isn''t that good enough for you to show her some respect?" As they reached the parking lot, Kevin pressed a button on his car keys. They walked in the direction of the car.


    "I have never considered her my sister-inw," ire said haughtily. Although she had spoken in a small voice, Kevin heard her anyway. His trainings as a soldier had made him extremely sensitive to faint noises. However, Kevin chose to remain silent. He didn''t intend to embarrass ire in front of Leena.


    "Wow! Bro, it''s Bugatti. Since when have you be so rich? This is very strange. Wait a minute, tell me the truth. Are you taking bribes?" ire should have cheered up seeing her brother''s luxury car. However, as she stopped to think about it, she wondered how her brother got his hands on that kind of money. A luxurious house and luxurious cars. It was more likely that Kevin was taking bribes, because as far as she knew, he had never asked their parents for money. He was old enough to be earning quite enough on his own. "Sis, what are you thinking about? I won''t do anything that vites thew and order. Dad would surely skin me alive," Kevin said, struck at her words. He hit ire''s head softly, annoyed that his sister would consider him to be a dirty soldier. Kevin was a man of strict moral principles. He would never allow himself to smear his reputation and ruin his own career.


    "In that case, how did you get so much money? Did you get it from Mom?" ire massaged her head. Although Kevin hadn''t hit her too hard, she didn''t like him doing it.


    "I''m a grown man and won''t ask Mom for money. Please set your mind at rest. I''m earning money legally. There''s no way that I will be court martialled." Kevin opened the car door, ushering Leena into the passenger seat. He wouldn''t be out of money even if he was denied his ie from the bar. After all, he rendered outstanding services every year, and was awarded with a great deal of money and rewards. Of course, all this was restrictive. He wasn''t as rich as Leena''s brothers.0000????

 Chapter 1077 The War Between The Sisters-In-Law (Part One)

    "Really?" ire was doubtful when she stepped into the car. She couldn''t believe what Kevin said. Her brother''s sry as a military officer was never enough for him to afford a luxurious life. It was still the government that was paying them regardless of how high their positions were. Thus, there was no soldier who had ever be a millionaire due to their limited sries. So how was it possible for Kevin to purchase such a fancy house and cars? He couldn''t afford them! Moreover, he bought those branded clothes and shoes like he just paid them with wasted papers and not money. That was just unbelievable! "What do you mean, ire? Do I need to steal and rob just to polish myself?" Kevin nced at his sister disapprovingly as he fastened his seatbelt. He was silent when he started the engine and slowly drove off.


    "Steal and rob? That is just ridiculous! I just felt puzzled, okay?" ire was excited for her first trip to S City. It was just within a minute when her attention got caught by the scenery that was passing by. It was easy to say that S City was quickly progressing into a very lively area. She could see a lot of buildings and streets that had been constructed. Everything was screaming development and economic advancement in S City. It was like a breath of fresh air to ire as she had gotten so used to the ancient cultural atmosphere of the city she was from.


    On the other hand, Leena stayed quiet the whole time as she didn''t want to interfere with the siblings'' conversation. The two might have a lot to talk about. She chose not to feed ire''s curiosity about her brother''s ie even if she knew about it. It was forbidden for military officers to run a business. Kevin had been very clear with that when he told her about it. Leena wouldn''t want to leak his secret to anyone, even to his younger sister.


    "Leena, do you have any restaurant in mind?" Kevin turned and asked. He needed to know Leena''s opinion as she was the one to pay the bill.


    "ire, what''s your opinion? Western food or Chinese food?" As thoughtful as Leena always was, she turned to ire. It had been a habit for her to inquire about others before making decisions.


    "Of course, Western food! My life is already full of Chinese food. I honestly miss everything Western nowadays," said ire with a grin. She had been outside the country for a while and had her filled with Western cuisines. However, it wasn''t just the taste that she missed about Western foods. It was actually the luxury and elegance one felt when eating such. So high-ss and fab! It felt like she had been eating too many Chinese foods since she came back to China.


    "Okay! I know where we should go. To Westin, Kevin!" Leena made the decision as soon as ire finished speaking. Confidence was in her voice as she knew that she could satisfy everything her sister-inw would ask for as long as it was in S City.


    "Got it. Westin it is," replied Kevin in an obedient tone. He slightly turned the steering wheel and drove toward another direction.


    Westin was already a sea of noise andmotion when they arrived. The dining hall was crammed with guests. Everyone''s voices and nking utensils were filling the ce with noises from wall to wall. There was no way to deny that Westin was one of the city''s most popr restaurants.


    "Wow! What a crowd!" ire was beyond amazed as she looked around. As far as she recalled, most of the Western restaurants were not weed in China. She didn''t really expect such a number of people in this ce.


    "That''s not strange as Westin is the number one Western restaurant in S City. It ranks first both for its food and interior design." Kevin spoke to ire in a calm manner. He wasn''t really a regr in Westin. He just came here a couple of times on invitations.


    "I think the price must be among the top as well!" Thedy pursed her lips as she talked to her brother. It was easy to see that everyone in there was dressed up beautifully. There was no doubt that Westin was only for rich people.


    "You are right. Don''t worry about the price though. The dinner will be on your sister-inw''s treat. I''m sure that she will not lend you here as coteral in case she doesn''t pay." Kevin said with a slightugh. He was having his time joking with his sister. "Huh! Actually, I worry because she is the one to pay. On the other hand, it is still your money that she will use even if she said that it is on her treat. It is like being famous without paying anything. What a nice business!" Thedy smirked and shot Leena with a contemptuous re. She even remained with her disdainful expression as she followed Leena and Kevin across the ce.


    "All tables are upied," concluded Kevin after surveying the ce. There seemed to be no seat avable for them as it was the peak hour.


    "That''s all right. We can dine in thepartment!" Leena said. Worry was out of her mind as she knew that there was apartment in that restaurant for special guests. She didn''t think that theck of seat should be considered a problem at all.


    "Is there apartment?" The man gave the ce another look. He''d been in the ce for a few times but never had he thought that the restaurant actually had such a section.


    "Yes! There is apartment but it is not open to the guests. No worries, I can use it. Just follow me," was Leena''s calm reply. She didn''t really use thepartment often. Compared to dining alone in a lonelypartment, it was better to dine in the hall where the atmosphere was livelier and warmer. It was just that she had to use thepartment this time as there was no avable table outside.


    "You sounded like you know the boss of this restaurant, do you?" asked Kevin with a frown. Now he could not help but guess who among Leena''s close brothers owned Westin.


    "I know him of course! Westin is a property of FX International Group. Do you think I should not know the boss of Westin?" Leena shed a smile at Kevin and ire. Little did her sister-inw know that her specific request just saved her a sum of money. She never paid for anything while dining in Westin.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "Oh! I got it. I never expected that Edward owns this ce." Realization finally hit Kevin. Although FX International Group had many assets and branches across the whole country, never had he imagined for it to engage in so many industries as to cover Western food restaurant.0000???????

 Chapter 1078 The War Between The Sisters-In-Law (Part Two)

    "Mrs. Gu." They were already at thepartment''s entrance when a manager came and addressed Leena respectfully. Everybody in the ce knew her as she often visited here with Edward. "Aha, Manager Liu. Is thepartment reserved? Will Edwarde here tonight?" Leena asked in a graceful manner with a smiling face.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "Thepartment is avable. Mr. Mu hasn''t been here for a long time. Even his close friends who usuallye here with Mr. Mu haven''t been around for a while." Manager Liu smiled politely. He would never dare to neglect any of Leena''s questions as he knew her rtionship with his boss.


    "They must have been very busy! I want to use thepartment since it''s avable." A yful smile cracked Leena''s lips as she looked at the manager. Of course, she knew what Edward and his friends were busy about! Edward could not even keep his hands off Daisy for a single moment. Rain was sent to Thand. Tom took no interest in anything except for his experiments. How could it be possible for them toe here and eat?


    "Yes, Mrs. Gu. Pleasee in." The manager pushed the door open for them as a gesture for them toe in.


    "Thank you, Manager Liu!" said Leena pleasantly. She believed in treating everyone nicely. It was impossible for her to put on airs against anybody. It was the reason why she was famous to many people.


    "You''re wee, Mrs. Gu. We are promoting some new dishes recently. Would you want to have a try?" Manager Liu guided them to thepartment and made the promotion as soon as they reached their seats.


    "Oh! Really? What are the guests'' opinions about the new dishes?" Other people''s opinion meant a lot to Leena. She had practiced taking ideas from others before trying out new things.


    "The new dishes are weed by our guests as they are both aristocratic and tasty. Many guests revisited Westin just because of them. Would you want to have a try of those new products, Mrs. Gu?" The manager sounded tentative. He knew how to please his guest as a professional. As far as he observed, Leena was one of those women who were sensitive to every kind of new things and liked to wee fresh challenges. That was the reason why he offered her their new dishes rather than the usual things she ordered. The great poprity of those new dishes among the guests was just a second reason for him.


    "Since you rmend them so earnestly, I''d like to have a try. I''m really curious how tasty they are. How about you, Kevin? Would you want to order the same as mine or something else?" There was excitement in Leena''s eyes as she talked. Like many girls, Leena was caught between her desire for delicious foods and her thirst to keep herself slender. Nheless, she would not even give a second thought about cheating her diet when she heard of new foods.


    "Everything is okay for me. How about you, ire?" Kevin was not particr about food. Every kind of food would mean the same to him as long as it didn''t fall into the category that he extremely disliked.


    "I will not take the same food as she ordered! I want to have lobster and beefsteak. That''s all. Nothing else." The manager''s ttering attitude had already aroused suspicion within ire. She might be reluctant to ask but she could sense it that the manager had always been hospitable to Leena. She just disliked Leena regardless of what she would do! The male manager''s sincere behavior towards her sister-inw had no doubt intensified her hatred for Leena.


    "Well, Manager Liu. Please serve Kevin and me the same food. It''s lobster and beefsteak for thedy. Thank you!" Leena said while casting a look at Kevin. It felt nice to see Kevin agree and support her decisions regardless of how trivial or small the matter was. "Okay. I will let them serve the dishes as soon as possible. Please wait for a moment." Manager Liu nodded before leaving thepartment.


    "The service in this restaurant is quite good. That guy behaved like a waiter instead of a manager. He is quite different from those arrogant managers I have met. It seems a big restaurant is really better than those small ones." ire was born into a military family. Due to her parents, almost all the people around her had high positions in the army and government. It was rare for her to get in contact with some senior executive people in the business circle. Thus, she had assumed that every high ranking executive in apany would be exactly like those poker-faced militaries or governmental seniors she knew.


    "Manager Liu doesn''t treat everybody that way. It depends on who the guest is," said Kevin with a smile. If Edward, Rain, and Tom hadn''t treated Leena as their little princess, Manager Liu would have never treated Leena as a queen.


    "Kevin, are you implying that that manager has known who you are?" For her prejudice against Leena, ire didn''t believe that Manager Liu was ttering her sister-inw. She didn''t think that she was that important. However, it was a fact that Leena was the only one who Manager Liu had kept talking with since they walked in. It was just that ire was ignorant to even notice it.


    "Of course not. The only reason why he is treating us politely is because of your sister-inw." Kevin was unwilling to im the credit belonging to Leena. His life had always been limited to the military circle. How could it be possible for him to know somemercial elites? Besides, it would cause him some trouble if he was considered to be too close with some businessmen.


    "Really? How is it possible?" ire measured Leena in suspicion. To her surprise, she did spot some changes in Leena''s behavior and air. She was a different woman when she was in the capital city. Leena used to be calm andposed. But she looked more lively and bubbly now.


    "Wee here for dinner, not for interrogation, ire!" The handsome officer could not help but furrow his eyebrows. ire''s questions were outright silly and her disrespect for his wife had certainly upset him.


    "I''m just curious! Is it illegal to ask?" ire twisted her lips sarcastically as some ideas came to her head. ''Is it possible that Leena isn''t as simple as she seems to be?'' she secretly asked herself.


    "ire, I can answer all your questions. What are your questions?" Leena butted into the conversation. She had sensed that Kevin already lost his temper with how his sister had been asking offending questions.


    "All right. I''m not interested in your affairs. They''re none of my business!" was ire''s arrogant reply as she raised her chin. She held no gratitude for Leena. She didn''t even care if Leena had saved her from her brother''s anger by diverting his attention.??????

 Chapter 1079 The War Between The Sisters-In-Law (Part Three)

    "Okay! But as I said, you can ask me anything if you have any questions." A kind smile broke across Leena''s face. Her good upbringing had forged her a forgiving nature. As Kevin''s wife, she had more patience for his sister. Life was too long anyway. She wouldn''t mind spending some time winning ire''s approval. "Maybe In the future. I''m not sure that you can give me the answer that I want to know though!" ire showed her disapproval by curling her lips on Leena. She said each of her words between clenched teeth. She just could not help despising Leena from the bottom of her heart. "Leena, just leave her alone. Do you want to drink some water?" Kevin had noticed one of Leena''s bad habits since they started to live together. She seldom drank water. That was why he kept reminding Leena to drink whenever necessary.


    "Okay, thank you, Kevin." Leena covered her uneasiness with a sweet smile. She was honestly worried about how the future would be. ire''s wantonness was beyond her expectation. It wouldn''t be easy to get along with her, although she had already prepared herself for it.


    For Leena''s VIP status, all dishes were served to them very soon. To distinguish Leena''s importance, it was even the manager who served the dishes for them in person.


    "Mrs. Gu, please have a try of the dishes. Just let me know if they fail you. I''ll arrange other dishes for you." Manager Liu stared at Leena with sheer expectation. He was afraid for his rmendation to disappoint his guest.


    "All right, I''ll take some of them to see if they are as fantastic as you said." Leena cut a slice of meat and put it into her mouth. The juiciness of the dish spread through her tongue immediately. It was so good that it had conquered all her senses. "How is it?" The manager looked at Leena nervously. He could not tear his gaze from her face as the slightest change in her expression would mean a difference in his career life.


    "Wow! This is wonderful. The meat is both fresh and tender. It doesn''t taste raw and the vegetables match perfectly with the meat. This dish is fabulous!" Leena studied the meat and vegetables in her te carefully. This was the first time for her to see a Western food disyed in such a beautiful ting.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "It is very good that you like it, Mrs. Gu! Please enjoy the food. I must check outside as there are more and more guests in the hall." s! Manager Liu finally managed to sh his brilliant smile. No one wanted to leave their most distinguished guest with a bad impression after all.


    "Okay, you can leave, Manager. Liu! We can take care of ourselves," said Leena in a mild attitude. It would be ufortable to eat while someone was watching anyway.


    "Mrs. Gu, let me know if you need anything, okay?" Manager Liu only said that to Leena. He had already noticed Kevin the moment they came in. It was just that Leena didn''t show any intention of introducing the man thus he didn''t dare to greet him recklessly. As a military officer, it was natural for Kevin to carry an air of sternness, thus saving him from unwanted greetings from others.


    "I know. You are too courteous, Manager Liu. We have known each other for a long time. You don''t need to pay too much attention to us." Almost everyone in Westin was familiar with Leena as she had been visiting the ce often. It would be impossible for her to me any staff for just some trivial issues.


    Leena turned to Kevin right after the manager left. It was only then that she realized why Manager Liu kept peeping at the man from time to time while speaking to her. Kevin''s stern expression was charismatic enough to attract anybody''s attention. It was definitely this aura that cut him above everybody else. It was no wonder why the manager kept watching Kevin''s reaction from the beginning.


    "Why are you staring at me? Is there anything wrong with my face?" asked Kevin with a frown. He felt uneasy and perplexed upon noticing how his wife was looking at him.


    "Nothing at all. I just suddenly realized that you look terrible when you stay silent." Leena rubbed her nose while talking in a teasing tone. There was a yful smile stered on her face.


    "Really? Nobody told me that before. I don''t feel like that either." Kevin said as he took Leena''s te. He started slicing the meat for her into smaller pieces. It was easy to tell that Kevin was used to eating in Western restaurants.


    "How could you know it yourself? Can you see your own expression?" Leena said in a happy tone as her husband sliced the meat for her. She found the action very thoughtful.


    "That is unfair, Kevin. You should do that for me too!" On the other hand, Kevin''s action made ire feel jealous and discontented. She couldn''t stand the fact that Leena had outweighed her inside Kevin''s heart.


    "What do you mean, ire?" Kevin raised his head and shot his sister a confused re. He wondered about what was wrong with her. Why was she shouting all of a sudden? No one said anything to provoke her, after all. "You cannot just cut the meat for Leena alone. You should help me with it too!" ire said like a spoiled princess. She pursed her lips to show how unhappy she was.


    "Just that? What a calcting girl! All right, let me help you with your food. Give it to me! I''ll cut all of it for you. But I think you have ordered too much. Are you sure you can eat all of this? Aren''t you afraid of gaining weight?" said Kevin as he helplessly shook his head. It was extremely nice that Leena and his mother were getting along really well. That had saved him a lot of trouble. But it was different with ire''s case. The war between the two sisters-inw seemed to be inevitable. As a brother, he had to forgive his sister''s waywardness and assume the peacemaker role between the twodies. He smiled bitterly before pushing Leena''s te back to her and then took ire''s.


    "A skinny girl is not beautiful. That is what you told to me, Kevin. I still remember it. You see, I have no reason to lose weight. Besides, I only ordered lobster and beefsteak. It will be impossible for me to put on weight just because of them." To be frank, the two dishes were too much for ire. The only reason why she ordered those was to embarrass Leena. She was dying to see how her sister-inw would react once she saw the expensive bill. Those were her ns but never would she admit her real purpose to them. She wouldn''t want to waste this opportunity of teaching her sister-inw a lesson or two. She was sure that the bill would be beyond Leena''s ability to pay. She would certainly ask for help from her brother. That would be extremely interesting and she just could not help but feel excited about it. She would bet her bottom dor that Leena would die of shame today.00000???????????

 Chapter 1080 Suspicions (Part One)

    "That''s true. I don''t know why you girls are obsessed with getting thinner. I''m sure that you''ll look ugly if you are as thin as ath," Kevin replied as he cut the steak. He didn''t know what other men thought but he had never liked skinny women. "Look at your wife. She is also skinny," ire answered back as she nced sideways at Leena. Thetter looked plump and awkward in her loose clothing during their stay in the capital city. It was only until now that ire realized Leena''s waist was much more slender than hers. This quite depressed her.


    "Yeah, you''re right. You''re too thin, Leena. I have to feed you up a bit." The man nced at Leena while he spoke. Despite his words, he thought his wife was curvy and perky. The dress exaggerated her wasp waist and erged her bosom.


    "Huh? I think I''m good." Leena looked down at her body. She might not be what people called "hot" but she had "hour-ss" figure written all over her body. She wasn''t as thin as Kevin said.


    "You''ll look more beautiful if you get fatter," was Kevin''s indifferent reply. Leena didn''t know whether he meant what he said as it sounded more like a half-meant joke. He even looked serious while staring at her.


    "No! It''ll be scary." She shuddered just by the thought of herself being fat. She used to suffer from obesity, so she knew how painful it was. She didn''t want to fall into the same old trap again.


    "See? I''m not alone in this. No woman wants to be obese." For the first time, ire took Leena''s side as they shared the same idea.


    "Good to see that you hang together. Hope you can get along with each other afterward." Kevin smiled widely and pushed the te back to ire. His eyes glittered with joy. ''What a delightful scene it is, ''he thought.


    The meal wasn''t enjoyable but the three got on very well with one another. They asked for the bill after they dined and wined to satiety. ire chuckled to herself because she thought the price on the bill would embarrass Leena. However, things didn''t go that way. Leena calmly took a card out of her purse and gave it to the cashier. More surprisingly, she didn''t even need to enter the password. The cashier just swiped the card and respectfully returned it to her.


    "Leena, what card did you use just now? You didn''t even need to enter the password! It''s amazing!" ire asked curiously when they walked out of the restaurant. What she saw at the checkout counter really surprised her.


    "Well, it''s a Dragc Card. What''s wrong? You seem curious." ire''s question confused Leena. The card required no passwords and she had been ustomed to it. Why did it surprise ire?


    "How did you get it? Which bank is it from? It looks different from general bank cards," ire continued to inquire. She also wanted to have this card. Then she could show it off to her friends.


    "Yeah. It''s not a bank card. It can only be used in all branches under FX International Group." Leena patted her forehead as she was suddenly enlightened. She finally knew why ire was curious. She used this card in front of them for the first time, so ire had no idea of it.


    "FX International Group? What is it?" Now ire''s curiosity was just unstoppable. She wanted to get the answer to her question despite her dislike towards her sister-inw.


    "Err... It''s a little difficult to exin. Well, you can search Google for the answer after you go home. I believe you''ll know the ins and outs on the inte." Leena made a mystery of the card. She didn''t expect ire to be so interested in her card.


    "Come on. Don''t leave me hanging. Kevin, you have stayed in S City for long. You must know the story of the card, right? Tell me about it." Since Leena was unwilling to answer, ire turned to ask Kevin, who remained silent all the time.


    "You heard what Leena said. Search Google if you want to know the answer. I believe that it''ll provide more detailed information." Kevin was also very curious about the card but he knew it was nothing more than a privilege Edward gave Leena. It was when Leena said that she could only use the card in FX International Group''s branches that gave it away.


    "Come on! Can''t you tell me now? You''re being so mysterious." ire pouted angrily. However, she was even more curious about FX International Group.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "No, we aren''t. There are too many things to exin when ites to FX International so you have to figure it out yourself. That way, we''ll not need to answer your questions one by one." Leena frowned. She really didn''t want to exin more on this.


    "Fine. I''ll find the answer myself. I won''t bother to ask you!" ire replied in a huff. She dismissively turned to look at the heavy traffic on the street. The moment turned awkward.


    Kevin looked at Leena and smiled helplessly. He could do nothing to his sister. Leena stuck out her tongue at him, telling him that she seemed to provoke ire again.


    "It''s still early. We can go have fun somewhere." Leena suggested after a while as ire pulled a long face.


    "Good idea! How about going to the bar? I''ll invite Louisa to join us." ire immediately got excited. But then she thought sadly, ''s. I was bored as hell in the capital city as my parents didn''t allow me to go out. It sucks.''


    "Maybe another time. I''m tired. I have to report for duty at the army base early tomorrow morning." Kevin agreed with Leena at the beginning but changed his mind after hearing Louisa''s name. It was needless to say that he didn''t like that annoying woman.


    "In this case, let''s go back now. We can go some other day when we''re free." Leena didn''t like Louisa either, so she chimed in with her words.


    "Come on! You brought up the idea. Howe you don''t want to go now? You are liars." ire pouted as she red at the two with burning, reproachful eyes.


    "Kevin just had a cold. If he says he is tired, he means it. Do you really want to go to the bar? Let''s see if we can make it tomorrow night." To disappoint ire wasn''t really Leena''s idea right now. Nheless, she didn''t want to be with Louisa. It would be the worst night of her life if she had to.


    "Since you don''t want to go, I''ll invite Louisa to go with me. I''ll call her now." ire took her phone out and called Louisa.


    Leena was relieved. She shrugged helplessly to Kevin to silently tell him that he had to deal with his sister himself.


    "Hello, ire. Did you eat dinner? What''s up?" Louisa was leaning against the sofa and painting her fingers with nail polish. She was looking cozy andzy at the same time.????????????

 Chapter 1081 Suspicions (Part Two)

    "Yeah. I just had dinner with Kevin and Leena in the restaurant. What''re you doing now? Do you want to go out to have some fun?" ire said excitedly. While she was speaking to Louisa over the phone, she proudly raised her eyebrow at Leena. She wanted to show that


    even if they didn''t want to go to the bar with her, she could go with someone else.


    "Go out? Is Kevin going with us?" Louisa sat up straight upon hearing what ire said. She was ted when she asked.


    "My brother said that he was tired and wanted to go back to sleep, so we''ll hang out alone. You have a lot of friends, right? Invite them. The more the merrier." ire was still angry. Thus, her voice was somewhat low.


    "Err... Well, sorry, I can''t go out now. Maybe another day." The thought that Kevin didn''t go with them killed Louisa''s excitement.


    "Err... What''re you busy with? Didn''t you say you had nothing to do usually?" ire disappointedly asked as Louisa declined her invitation.


    "Yeah. But I just came home today, so I can''t go out now. Otherwise, my dad will ground me." Louisa said in a no-nonsense tone which made her words believable.


    "Fine. I won''t force you." ire''s mood could not have been grimmer. She puckered her lips, ready to cry.


    "I''m sorry. How about going shopping tomorrow? What do you think?" It was then that Louisa sensed ire was depressed. She realized that she seemed to have refused her too quickly. She needed her help to win Kevin''s heart, so she had to curry favor with her. She tried to please ire, lest ire should be angry with her.


    "We''ll see. Go on with what you''re doing. I have to hang up. Bye." Louisa was right. ire was really angry at her. She quarreled with her mother for her sake back in the capital city. However, she cruelly refused ire when ire wanted to show off in front of Leena. ire felt really down.


    "Hello? ire, ire, wait... Ah!" ire hung up the phone before Louisa could say anything. Louisa didn''t expect that. She mmed her phone onto the couch. ''Damn! How dare she be angry at me?'' she thought. ''I have to ask her for help in the future, or I''ll just ignore her!''


    "Fine. I give up. Let''s go home." In low spirits, ire leaned back on the seat. She wasn''t even worried if Leena would tease her because of this. Once again, she turned her head to look out of the window.


    Leena looked at ire with worries but didn''t say anything. She never added to the misfortunes of someone who was already unfortunate. ire needed some time to calm herself down. It was Louisa''s refusal that dampened ire''s spirits. Leena knew clearly how it felt, so she could understand her at the moment.


    Although ire loved finding fault with Leena, she walked to her bedroom without any word after they got home. It was obvious that she was really in a bad mood. To be honest, that was a bit surprising.


    "What happened? Who upset her?" Kevin asked confusedly. He didn''t hear ire''s conversation with Louisa over the phone. Thus, he didn''t know what happened.


    "I don''t know. Maybe Miss Ye frustrated her." Leena shrugged. She was also confused but thought that she could learn something from the twodies'' talk over the phone. ire was hurt because Louisa refused to go out after ire said that Kevin would not join them. Before she called Louisa, she was sure that Louisa would go to the bar with her. Thus, she didn''t expect Louisa to refuse her cruelly. This was utterly mortifying.


    "ire is capricious. She always thinks that she''s the center of the world and everyone has to listen to her. Forget it. Go upstairs to take a shower. I''ll go to her room." Kevin was helpless. However, ire was his sister. He had to fulfill his role as her brother no matter how unreasonable she was.


    "Okay. Don''t scold her. Talk to her nicely." Leena stood on tiptoe to naughtily nt a kiss on Kevin''s lips and then went upstairs with a big smile. She felt it was interesting to surprise him in this way.


    Kevin chuckled, watching her back and touching his lips. Then he shook his head and went to ire''s room.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    Standing at the door, Kevin pursed his lips and knocked. He didn''t go in directly. Even though ire was his sister, he had to show his respect for her.


    "Come in." ire was lying on the bed with her coat still on. She was unmoving there while staring nkly at the ceiling.


    "ire, what happened? Who upset you?" Kevin pushed the door in and frowned at the sight. He sat down at the bed and asked in a concerned tone. "Kevin, do youe to see me make a fool of myself?" ire pouted. She sat up after Kevin came in.


    "Make a fool of yourself? When? I don''t know what you''re talking about." Kevin had a kind of vacant look on his face. He didn''t know what was going on.


    "Don''t pretend. Youe to deliberately make fun of me, right? Leena must be happy to see that I''m frustrated." ire shouted loudly. She got engulfed in the hysterics.


    "Why would we make fun of you? You got angry without rhyme or reason. Why must you go to the bar tonight? You''re not in a hurry to return to the capital city. We can go have fun some other day." Kevin thought that ire was angry about this so he tried to soothe her anger.


    "It''s not the reason why I got angry. Forget it. You won''t understand even if I tell you why. Leave me alone." ire knew clearly that Louisa made an excuse. She showed great interest at the beginning but she changed her mind after she learned that Kevin wouldn''t join them. Obviously, she didn''t want to go out with ire alone.


    "Then why are you angry? Tell me about it. Maybe I can help you solve the problem." ire''s equivocal reply aroused Kevin''s interest. He was curious about what could trouble his sister who feared nothing and no one.


    "Kevin, what do you think of Louisa?" Thinking about the things that Louisa entrusted her, ire rolled her eyes and suddenly changed the topic. She wanted to take the opportunity to hear her brother out.


    "How do I know this? I''m not very familiar with her. You should ask yourself about it. She''s your friend, not mine." Truth be told, Kevin didn''t know what he thought of Louisa. He didn''t pay attention to her at all though he was sure of one thing - he didn''t like the way Louisa showed her love.


    "s. I just asked what you feel about her. Is it really difficult to answer this question?" ire shook Kevin''s hand like a spoiled child. She didn''t believe what he said. Louisa and her brother had known each other way back, so they must havee into contact with each other.


    "I have no feelings for her. Are you satisfied with this answer?" There wasn''t any trace of pleasure on Kevin''s lips. The mention of Louisa upset him. He really disliked Louisa.


    "Aw,e on! Louisa said you used to get along very well but you had little contact with each other after she went abroad." ire tilted her head to one side and whispered in confusion. ording to Kevin, nothing happened between them, but it was not what Louisa told her. Did Louisa tell a lie?00

 Chapter 1082 The Affectionate Moment (Part One)

    "I just got in touch with her some time ago. Howe you speak of me and her as if we were old friends?" Kevin frowned in confusion. He would have forgotten about Louisa if she hadn''t tricked him to her birthday party that day. "What? I heard that you used to be lovers, though." ire was puzzled. Weren''t things like what she had been told?


    "What lovers? What are you thinking? I just met her a couple of times and that''s it." yfully, Kevin reached out and pushed her on the forehead. He wouldn''t have acted so naturally around Louisa If they were really old lovers. "Really? That''s it?" The youngdy ended up furrowing her eyebrows. She didn''t understand a thing. Why would Louisa lie to her?Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "Why ire? What else should it be? Okay, I am going upstairs to have a shower. I''ll leave you alone." Kevin stood up and was ready to leave. He decided not to stay any longer since ire didn''t want to tell him why she was mad anyway. Moreover, he had no interest in talking about Louisa at all.


    "Where is the study? I need theputer." A bad mood wasn''t enough for ire to forget her curiosity about the FX International Group. Thus, she decided to surf the Inte and learn about it amidst being low.


    "It''s upstairs. But you are only allowed to use the desktop. Do not touch myptop because there are a lot of important work-rted files on it." Uneasiness flooded Kevin even with the thought that hisputer was password protected. All the files that he was keeping were way too confidential. He couldn''t afford an ident in regards to those.


    "Okay, okay. I got it. Gee, rx. I am not a spy. Why would I be interested in your files?" said ire as she jumped off the bed. Thedy had this mild case of being simple-minded and she couldn''t really keep things inside her head for long. She had to feed her curiosity as soon as possible or else it would just slip her mind.


    "I just felt that I need to give you a heads-up just in case you make trouble for me." Kevin knew his sister too well to let his guard down.


    "My God, I said I got it. Why are you still nagging? You sound just like Mom." Just like how little girls would, ire twitched her mouth disapprovingly. Should Kevin really be this overacting? For Pete''s sake, he was too cautious!


    "I said it for your own good. You should appreciate it." The man exhaled in resignation. Kevin was just trying to exin things to her. What was bad in making her understand that she couldn''t use hisptop? Did she really have to be impatient about it?


    "It''s not my fault. Sometimes you can be very annoying." As childish as she was, ire made a funny face at Kevin and ran upstairs. The act made her look as adorable as Leena. In all honesty, ire wasn''t really a troublemaker. There were times when she could be as lovely as sunshine. It was only when Leena was around that ire''s loveliness caved in and got reced by her hateful and mean attitude.


    The idea made Kevin shake his head as he went upstairs too. Fatigue was suddenly surging in him. It could probably be because he had just recovered from a bad cold and was still weak, or because of the long drive from his parents'' house.


    He was literally trudging when he opened their bedroom door and found Leenaing out of their private bathroom at the very same time. Thedy involuntarily straightened her pajamas upon seeing him as if she was scared that something might be inappropriate with how she looked.


    "Your hair is still wet. Why didn''t you dry it in the bathroom beforeing out?" His automatic reaction was to give their room a quick once-over in search of the hairdryer. He took it as soon as he found it. He signaled Leena toe over and sit beside him after.


    "I forgot. I was going to dry it in the bedroom." Leena smiled with embarrassment and walked up to him. She sat on the dressing chair with her eyes filled with excitement.


    "Remember. Next time,e out of the bathroom after you dry your hair. Otherwise, it will wet your pajamas and you can catch a cold from it." Kevin grabbed a clean bath sheet and wrapped her in it snugly. He didn''t want the water dripping from her hair to wet her pajama jacket even more.


    "I''ll remember it. Is ire okay?" The gentleness Leena received from Kevin made her flush. It was only through this kind of affectionate moment that she felt him caring for her.


    "She is fine. She was just making a fuss. She is in the study googling FX International Group." Kevin lifted her hair before the hair dryer blew on it. She sighed with howfortably warm it felt.


    "It''s very easy to learn about FX International Group. Edward used to keep a high profile. He was a public figure before. There were tons of news about him all over the ce, mostly negative though." Many people said that Edward was a yboy but only those few who were close to him knew what kind of person he really was. Although Daisy had struggled in the past years, she had been very happy since she and Edward were together again. Everybody knew that Edward was faithful and devoted once he fell in love.


    "Did Edward''s private life really use to be as scattered as it was said?" Kevin threaded to the topic carefully. He had never been interested in Edward''s private life until the day he showed up out of the blue and imed to be Daisy''s husband. It made Kevin curious. Thus he started digging for information about Edward. It was odd, though, that all he had ever found of him was gossip about him and other women. It had made him crazy worried about Daisy before. It was fortunate that Edward and Daisy were now very happy together. Kevin sometimes thought that maybe the gossip had been posted just to disguise who Edward really was. He was a very arrogant man after all and men like him would do everything to keep his private life from the public.


    "Edward used that gossip for a purpose. Unexpectedly, the oue didn''t turn out to be so good and he regrets his action very much." Another sigh escaped from Leena''s chest. Edward shouldn''t have started the gossip. Some things wouldn''t change just because you wanted them to. He just got lucky that he found the woman he wanted to spend his life with. Leena couldn''t be happier for him.


    "I see." A thoughtful smile crossed Kevin''s face. His curiosity about Edward grew but he didn''t ask any more questions. A well-cultivated man like him knew when to stop.


    A sudden silence filled the room as Leena studied Kevin''s expression through the mirror of the dressing table. She was wondering why his eyebrows were furrowed. Did the information about Edward disappoint him? Or did it frustrate him? Men were aspetitive as women and Leena could see that her husband was not an exception.


    Truth be told, Leena didn''t know Kevin that well. Proud men like him hated beingpared with anybody. They thought that their honor was everything and how one praised them was everything that mattered.


    Happy days were usually short. Kevin wasn''t around anymore when Leena woke up the next morning. She felt dejected to think that he would have little time for her in the following days.


    She wanted to sleep some more but remembering that ire was in the house pushed her to freshen up and hurry downstairs. ire was still sleeping. She would definitely make sarcastic remarks if Leena got upter than her.


    Kevin and Leena had only been away for a couple of days, but their house was already dusty. Such things were something Leena couldn''t live with, so she decided to clean the house while ire was still asleep. She nned to take her out for breakfast as there was nothing fresh inside the fridge.0000000

 Chapter 1083 The Affectionate Moment (Part Two)

    However, Leena was utterly surprised when she came to the kitchen and found that breakfast was already on the table. It seemed that somebody had already put it there even before she woke up. Leena thought that it must have been Kevin who did it as ire couldn''t have done that.


    The food was nothing special and in fact it was just take-outs. Nheless, Kevin''s thoughtfulness made Leena inexplicably ted. What he did just proved that she had a spot inside his heart. If Kevin started with his work early, then it meant that he had woken up earlier just to get the food ready before she was up. The housing estate they were living in wasrge and it would take someone a while just to get to the street.


    Leena let out a breath and decided to check on her sister-inw since breakfast was already fixed. She wouldn''t want to hear irein about her having breakfast alone. She had to find a way to get along with ire. ire might be older by age but it was obvious that Leena was maturer than her in so many senses.


    "ire, are you up?" Leena knocked on the door and listened.


    "Come in." At that time, ire was sitting before the dressing table while putting on her makeup. In all honesty, someone as young as ire didn''t really need to put on much makeup. On the contrary, what she was doing was just covering her natural glow as a youth. "What are you doing?" Leena asked as she came in and found ire putting on a shocking red lipstick. The color was hideous and it made her wince.


    "Can''t you see? Putting on make-up," ire rolled her eyes and answered in a sullen tone. She was reluctant to leave the house without wearing makeup. Deep down, she wasn''t as confident as people thought.


    "Are you going out like this?" How ire looked rendered Leena a bit speechless. It seemed that her sister-inw still had a lot of things to learn about making her face up.


    "Why? Is there a problem?" ire checked herself in the mirror from different angles and saw nothing wrong. It was even odd for her that Leena asked such a question.


    "Yes. It looks weird. How about you washing it off and me making you up?" Leena asked carefully. Seriously, she couldn''t care less if ire wasn''t her sister-inw. It was only because of their rtionship that she had offered her help.


    "Duh. You? I doubt it. I won''t let my face be yourb mouse." Leena''s thoughtful offer earned a disdainful look from ire. ''What is she talking about? She doesn''t even wear makeup herself. What does she know about makeup?'' ire thought.


    "Um... If you don''t believe me, suit yourself. Let''s go and have breakfast." Leena shut her mouth after saying those words. She meant to make ire more beautiful, but since she didn''t appreciate it, she wouldn''t bother to insist.


    "Where''s my brother? Has he gone for work?" ire wondered as she walked behind Leena.


    "Yes. He had to go back to work today and left home early." Leena had thought that themute from the army base to their home might be really tiring for Kevin. She had intended to suggest moving to his apartment at the army base to avoid the long travels. However, just the thought of how noisy and loud that ce could be made her hesitate. She preferred to work in silence as a fashion designer.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "Where''s his car? Did he drive it to work?" ire was thrilled to think of that Bugatti. She had never driven one. She was nning to give it a try today.


    "I am not sure. Do you have any ns today?" Leena paused as she wondered if her sister-inw had ns to meet Louisa. However, since ire and Leena had gotten off on the wrong foot and ire had made it very clear that she hated her, Leena didn''t want her to feel that she was prying into her personal affairs, so she didn''t ask specifically.


    "No. Aren''t you going outter? I am going with you." On the other hand, ire didn''t call Louisa as she wasn''t over what had happened yesterday yet.


    "Oh, I thought you were going to see Miss Ye." Leena probed as her eyes sparkled.


    "Duh. She is a busy person. Even if I want to, she might not have time for me," ire angrily huffed like a child.


    "Did you call her? She might be avable today." Leena didn''t want ire to socialize with Louisa but seeing her so dejected forced her tofort her.


    "Forget it. Maybe some other day. We are now living in the same city. It''s convenient to see each other." ire sat down at the table casually.


    "That makes sense. Breakfast seems to have gotten cold. You wait here and I''ll heat it up." Leena''s eyebrows furrowed as soon as she touched a cold te. She regretted not having heated the food earlier. How could she even forget that Kevin had been gone for a while? "Can''t we eat out?" ire suggested grumpily.


    "But your brother bought this early this morning. What a pity if we don''t eat it!" Leena bit her lips. She wouldn''t want Kevin''s good intention to be wasted just like that.


    "Okay then if you put it that way. But hurry. I am starving." It was the thought that her brother had bought the food that made ire change her mind. Kevin might be very strict with her, but he was still her hero no matter what.


    "Okay. It''ll take only several minutes." Leena then took the food into the kitchen and put it into the microwave oven. She was busy with what she was doing when a voice suddenly came from her back and startled her.


    "Leena, are you familiar with the CEO of FX International Group?" To her surprise! ire followed her into the kitchen.


    "Um... Sort of. Why?" She lowered her head to evade ire''s questioning stare.


    "Are you an employee of FX International Group? Is that how you know their CEO?" ire had spent the whole night learning about the FX International Group. She was surprised to know that the group was the most influential enterprise of the city and that it had expanded into diverse industries. Moreover, what charmed her more to it was the fact that the CEO of that business was a handsome and dignified man. She was instantly enchanted!


    "Er... Why do you think so?" Leena didn''t know how to respond to that. She had told ire that she worked in the fashion world. Howe she linked her job with FX International Group?


    "That''s what you said. You said that your work was rted to fashion. A lot of FX International Group''s properties involve fashion business. If you don''t work for FX International Group, howe you know their CEO?" ire pursed her lips after she nagged the question out. She knew that the jobs in FX International Group were all high-paying. That was an idealpany she could work for.


    "Well... I don''t know how to exin it to you." There was no other way to describe the situation Leena was suddenly in but the word awkward. Would it be alright to tell her that the charming CEO of FX International Group was her brother''s best friend who had treated her like his own sister since she was a child?0000000

 Chapter 1084 Running Into Rain (Part One)

    "This is crazy! Don''t tell me that he is your old me! No, no, it''s impossible. It is true that he is a womanizer but I don''t think that a man as eligible as him would ever set eyes on a woman like you." ire muttered with contempt as she crossed her arms over her chest.


    She then gently stroked her chin while mentally sizing Leena up, looking thoughtful.


    "Sorry ire, but please watch your tongue about this." Different from her calm demeanor, Leena replied with displeasure as she took the food out of their microwave. She might be able tough it off if ire only taunted her, but how she said it just now was a pure insult. That attack was way under the belt and even too personal.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "I won''t keep making wild guesses if you don''t make a mystery of it. You can save yourself the trouble by simply telling me the truth," ire said annoyedly and then pouted. She found Leena''s reaction a bit surprising as she seldom uttered harsh words. The reaction she begot from Leena made her think that she did something wrong though she was just curious about it.


    "Forget it. Let''s have breakfast," Leena finally said after taking a deep breath secretly to calm herself. She too had realized that she was acting emotionally just now. But any ordinary person could lose his or her temper if offended constantly and unreasonably by others. "So you are pissed off? But I thought that you have a good temper, don''t you?" A smirk yed on ire''s lips upon noticing that Leena''s face darkened. She had always believed that Leena was just pretending to be a nice person. She wasn''t expecting to blow her cover so easily though.


    "No, I''m not. I''m afraid that you have read me wrong. Come and join me before the food gets cold again." Leena gave her sister-inw a fake smile while pushing a te towards ire. She did feel very upset about ire''s words but then, managed to act like she didn''t take them seriously.


    "Where are you going after breakfast?" ire took a huge bite of the bun and asked with her mouth full. She read Leena''s expression very carefully and knew that she was actually quite displeased.


    "There is not much food left so I need to do some shopping. You cane along if you are free," replied Leena in a calmer tone. She gradually cooled down when ire changed the topic. She went back to swaying herself that the woman before her was Kevin''s little sister, thus she should be the bigger person between them since she was the wife of her elder brother. She should never have made a fuss about ire''s thoughtless words.


    "What? So you are going to the wet market? I''m not going then." ire eximed. She shuddered at the thought of the smelly, messy and dirty environment of the market. In her opinion, the market was a ce for old women and never a ce for girls who cared much about their looks. It was not for her! Not to mention that she had dressed up a little bit today.


    "No, I''m going to the supermarket," Leena responded. She never liked the market too and some might criticize her as a spoiled person because of it. It was given that she was an army wife but apart from it, she had been raised and pampered as a cherished little princess. A princess didn''t have to be perfect, so it was just natural for her to be picky sometimes.


    "Alright, then. I will go with you if you don''t mean the dingy local market," ire changed her mind at once. After all, the supermarket was fundamentally different from the wet market. For her, a supermarket was way cleaner than a wet market and a good ce for entertainment.


    "Great. It just so happens that there''s a lot to buy today. Can you help me carry the goodster?" asked Leena with a faint devious smile. It was to her delight that ire decided to go with her. The girl might be a bit naughty but nheless, she could still serve as freebor. Otherwise, Leena was afraid that she could get her hands twisted or even swollen by buying so many things.


    "No problem," ire agreed readily. "But I need to remind you that I can''t offer to pay the bills yet. You know about my situation, I have no job yet since I''m unemployed. You don''t expect me to have much money to spare, right? Speaking of which, why do you have time to go shopping at this time of the day? Shouldn''t you go to work?" ire asked in confusion. ire remembered hearing Leena telling her mother that she had work the other day in the capital city.


    "Oh, my working time is rtively flexible. I''m literally regted by no one," was Leena''s humble reply. As a designer, she was given the freedom to define her own working hours. What she said to ire was simply the truth.


    "No way! Howe there is such a wonderful job? I bet they won''t pay you much for this kind of light work," Her sister-inw''s answer made ire grimace. Her surprise quickly turned into disapproval as she thought that she would never settle for such a type of job if it paid low.


    "Well...the sry is not bad. It is enough to cover my expenses," said Leena casually while grabbing a tissue. She then wiped her mouth elegantly after her meal. Leena couldn''t care less about money since she had nock of it. That was the reason why she didn''t mind about how much she was earning from her current job.


    "Yeah, I can tell it from your tastes," teased ire as she cast a nce at Leena''s nightgown. The dress was quite tasteless from her point of view, thus, she couldn''t help but wonder exactly what was it about Leena that had attracted her brother.


    "I''ve got to go upstairs and change. Wait for me for a while, will you? I will be right back." Turning a deaf ear to ire''s words, Leena rose up and walked away. She knew very well that ire was challenging her but she said nothing to fight back. She already made peace with it as she understood that being serious with ire would only drive her crazy.000000000000000

 Chapter 1085 Running Into Rain (Part Two)

    "Take your time. I''m in no hurry anyway. Make sure to dress yourself up. You see, I don''t want to be seen going out with a vige girl!" ire called after her as she tried to put her down with her words. She doubted it that Leena could again strike her as a good stylistter. However, Leena was taken aback by what ire said this time. She slipped and nearly fell to the ground at her words. It was just that the phrase "a vige girl" had reminded her of Justin. This imp once made fun of her using the same kind of expression. It seemed that it was impossible for her to get rid of the tag and she still couldn''t take it well. The weather wasfortable in this city since winter just began. The amiable sunshine had added to the warmth and everything was just beautiful. It was the reason why Leena picked some light clothing. She wore a pair of well-cut shorts and matched it with a holey cardigan sweater which was simple but looked unique and fashionable. She wore a vest inside toplete her trendy ensemble. In the end, ire was rendered speechless as she never expected for Leena toe out as a lovely and fashionable woman. "Honestly, Leena, you never cease to surprise me these two days!" ire cried out. Although Leena had amazed ire oncest night by turning into a fashionable woman, ire was still impressed by her choice of outfit today. It was then that her view of Leena''s fashion truly changed. "Why?" Leena puzzledly asked while bending down to put on her ankle boots, getting ready to go out.


    "I thought I have seen through you but now I feel like you still have a lot up in your sleeve." ire replied in an amazed tone as she wasn''t over how Leena transformed yet. She hurried to put on her boots. She was wearing a miniskirt, thus, she chose a pair of high heeled shoes to emphasize her slender legs. The extra height from her footwear made her look a lot taller than Leena.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "I would be surprised if you really have. Now, let''s go!" Leena responded with a thin smile. She said no more and bolted out of the house. In reality though, what she was trying to say to ire was that it was not that easy to know a person well. She was not a sophisticated woman, but not everyone who knew about her true temperament could understand that part of her thoroughly. Humans wereplex animals in the first ce!


    ire''s mouth was ajar as she caught up with Leena. She sort of felt that Leena was hardly the same person as the one she met in the capital city. She suddenly had no clue what type of person her sister-inw was. Like seriously? Who was the true Leena Leng! "And this is your car?" ire stood aghast the moment they reached Leena''s car. Her confusion was now bombarding her beyond what she could take. For goodness sake! Leena owned a Ferrari! How could that be? Since when did Kevin be so rich? Not only did he own an Audi and a Bugatti, but he had also bought a Ferrari for his wife. Everything that was surrounding her was making her uneasy. Things just kept getting stranger since Leena stepped into their lives. Now she was getting paranoid that there were still a lot of things that they weren''t telling her.


    "Yes. It was left unused when I was abroad. So it looks new," Leena answered as she opened the door and seated herself in the driver''s seat. She had been cherishing this car too since it was Edward who gave this to her when she reached adulthood.


    "Wow! This is cool. But then again, are you really hiding under your shell like what my brother has told me?" ire quickly got into the car. She just couldn''t take her eyes off this vehicle and kept feeling its luxury by touching it in excitement. "He told you that? But what do you mean exactly?" Leena was utterly confused as she started the engine. It was a few seconds more before she slowly maneuvered her car out of the parking lot.


    "Well, I once thought that you were a little person but now it seems that I was wrong. I should have never looked down upon you." ire meant what she said. This was the very first time that she cast her prejudice against Leena aside and studied her sister-inw carefully. As arrogant and self-centered as she was, what she was doing right now wasn''t something she usually did. Unlike before, she was contemting how she belittled the woman beside her from the beginning.


    "ire, no matter what you have seen and will see, and no matter what those things tell you about me, there''s only one thing''s for sure, they can''t tell my whole story and they won''t change who I am." Leena smiled solemnly. In all honesty, ire''s shift of attitude towards her didn''t make her happy, rather it frustrated her. ire might have really changed her opinion about her but Leena knew that it was not because ire had seen her true self. Her sister-inw never liked her for who she was, but rather, looked at the material possessions that she had. That made ire''s approval both pointless and worthless.


    "Wow, now you are making yourself even more mysterious. Tell me more about you!" Things about Leena shed back in ire''s mind as she thought them over. Leena would buy those expensive designer clothes without batting an eye. She was a friend of a wealthy and powerful CEO. Moreover, she seemed to own a lot of luxury cars. Who could she be? Could everything be more confusing than it was? Never before had ire thought about this question and now she couldn''t take her mind off it.0000000

 Chapter 1086 Running Into Rain (Part Three)

    usually show her contempt when talking to her. She had never imagined this woman to wear such a solemn expression as now.


    It was Leena''sughter that woke up ire from spacing out. "You are so funny, ire. You really are overthinking it. I am nothing special. Who do you think I am? A secret agent or a spy?" Leena found ire''s serious face incredibly amusing. After all, ire would "Stopughing at me. Just tell me what is your rtionship to that Mr. Mu?" urged ire. She took the chance to bring the topic up again as her curiosity was already eating her up.


    "Are you sure you want to know?" Leena asked with a frown. She was weighing the pros and cons of telling ire what she wanted to know when an idea popped into her mind. It might be a good opportunity to make requests, she thought.


    "Of course! Otherwise, why should I bother to keep asking you? I''m not a gossipy old woman, and I only want to know more about that famouspany." ire tried to make an excuse for herself. She rolled her eyes and pursed her lips to her sister-inw.


    "It wouldn''t hurt to tell you but there are some conditions. What do you say?" Leena turned to check on ire''s expression. She was curious about how thedy would react to what she just said.


    "Conditions? I beg your pardon, Leena? Are you trying to take advantage of me? Dream on! Don''t swagger just because I have shown some patience. I won''t fall into any of your traps!" ire snapped with a grim expression. She did want to know about Leena''s secrets, but it didn''t mean that she would bend to meet any of her demands. Who did Leena think she was? ire thought. She surely would not lose her so-called dignity over this matter.


    "Why such a fuss? Are you scared or what?" Leena asked as her eyes glittered cunningly. She said those words on purpose to further tease ire and egg her on.


    "Are you saying that I''m afraid of you? Nonsense! I just don''t want to be led by the nose by you. Don''t get too carried away, Miss. It makes no difference to me whether you tell your secrets or not. Keep them to yourself if you like." ire answered back arrogantly as she lifted her chin and looked away in disdain. She swore secretly that she would never fall into the trap built by this woman.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "If that is the case then I think we should just drop the matter. Here we are, let''s get off," said Leena casually. She was not in a hurry tounch her n. From her past experiences, she knew clearly that ire would not rest until she got what she wanted once she was intrigued. All Leena had to do was to wait until ire was fretted by curiosity and begged her again.


    "You know what? Whatever you''re trying to hide from me, I am not interested in it now. Not a bit!" ire dered in a fit of pique. It was clearly evident that Leena was ying tricks on her and that was just uneptable! It was the reason why she was beyond exasperation right now. "Whatever. But feel free to check back with me if you have changed your mind. You are always weed." It was the joke in Leena''s voice that ended it. She locked the car and quickly chased after ire. The childishdy had angrily stormed off as soon as she parked the car. ire stayed mad during the shopping trip and stayed as mum as dead regardless of whatever Leena asked her. She had even kept Leena at a distance and would onlye near her to put her favorite snacks in their cart. Apparently, she would notpromise easily this time.


    On the other hand, Leena felt wronged. She thought that ire had gone a bit too far since what she asked for was no more than several requirements. Honestly, she was overreacting and should have calmed down by now. Plus, ire had always taunted her with biting sarcasm but never once did she get truly angry about it.


    "Won''t you help me with those bags, ire?" Leena asked after paying the bill. It seemed that ire had forgotten her promise about giving her a hand. ire had left her grumpily as soon as she paid the bill. She was acting exactly as how she did earlier when they arrived. "Why? You are not a little person, are you?" ire turned and said. "Now is the excellent time to prove it! I''m sure you can handle them," ire refused as she cast those over-packed shopping bags a cold nce. It was clearer than water that she didn''t have any intention to help.


    "Err... even if it is true, I''m still a woman. You don''t expect me to carry all of them by myself." Leena sighed and then bit her lip. She would have never bought so many things if ire hadn''t agreed to help her. Now it was easy for ire to break her promise but it was not easy for her to cope with all the goods. Leena just couldn''t understand why ire had to act like a kid when she was no longer one. It was just too childish for her to get into a tantrum like that.


    "It''s none of my business! But if you are clever enough, you can carry them to the car in two lots. Of course, as a kind person, I can keep a watch on the rest of them while you are away. Isn''t it a good idea?" ire said pompously while crossing her arms over her chest and looking at Leena like a boss. The fact that Leena was her sister-inw didn''t make ire pay more attention to courtesies. As she saw it, she was older than Leena. Who said that Leena could be the boss here?


    "What? You mean I have to take two trips from here to the car while you just stand by and do nothing?" Leena drew a long face after hearing what ire said. She got overwhelmed by frustration when she discovered that ire opted not to help her rather than merely vent her rage with harsh words. She honestly didn''t see thating.

 Chapter 1087 Running Into Rain (Part Four)

    "You can take only one trip and carry all of them at once if you want to save yourself the trouble. It''s all up to you." ire smiled gloatingly. ''Trying to trick me, huh? I can make sure that retribution wille soon enough.'' ire thought to herself. "Don''t you see that there are so many of them. I can''t take them all unless I''m a superwoman." Leena grew worried and anxious. She never thought of ire to be as vengeful as this. She admitted that she herself also liked to settle scores but it was obvious that ire was keener about it. "I''m sorry, but this doesn''t concern me since it is not my fault." ire continued with her excuses. She was now taking pleasure in Leena''s trouble and would not stop getting Leena off her high horse.


    "Leena? Howe you are here? I heard that you had gone to the capital city." Just then, a deep male voice suddenly came from behind them. Leena turned and caught sight of a tall and handsome figure. She recognized him immediately. It was Rain. "Rain! So you havee back!" Leena eximed. She couldn''t help but put all the bags aside the moment she saw him. She hurriedly dashed to him and flung herself into his arms excitedly.


    "Yes, I came back a few days ago. I meant to invite you for dinner upon arrival but they said that you had gone to the capital city with Kevin. So I thought I had better not disturb you. I wasn''t expecting to see you here. What a surprise!" Rain said with a wicked smile. It could have been an emotional moment but then Rain was a natural rascal thus, he couldn''t help but act as one. It might have been a long time since thest time they met but Rain''s mboyant manner didn''t even change a bit.


    "We happen toe back from the capital city yesterday. I missed you so so much, Rain," Leena said in delight as she remained to wrap her arms around Rain''s waist. Rain had a bad habit of teasing her like a scoundrel whenever they were together, thus, they couldn''t stay together often. Nheless, she would start to miss him dearly if they hadn''t seen each other for a long time. This was also the very same way she felt about that mischievous Justin.


    "Seriously? Did you really miss me or are you just saying nice words to please me?" Rain affectionately pinched her nose. He also missed her sweet and bright smile, which seemed to have the magic tofort him. There was just something about Leena''s cheerful face that could brighten up his day regardless of how depressed he was.


    "I really did! By the way, what brings you here at this time?" Leena looked up at him questioningly. It was only after the initial excitement wore off that she realized that it was still office hours. He should not be hanging around! Moreover, she couldn''t imagine Edward to allow him.


    "Now you get the point. I can''t be angrier about this! It is all Edward''s fault. That ruthless capitalist has assigned loads of work to me shortly after I came back from abroad. So I have to trudge into work without having a single moment of rest. I''m doing some market research today. What a coincidence to meet you here." Rain gnashed his teeth upon mentioning Edward''s name. He thought that he could take some days off after his exhausting business trip. However, his boss''s inhumanity was beyond his imagination. Where was his conscience? How could he even take the fact that he had given tons of works to an already overworked man?


    "You are doomed, Rain. How dare you speak ill of Edward behind his back! Mind your words or I''m going to let him know!" Leena said yfully as she pretended to threaten him. In fact, she knew that he was onlyining and wasn''t truly ming Edward. He would do this once in a while and Leena had long ago gotten used to it.


    "Go ahead. That''s exactly what I want. You help start a war and I can step in and confront him." Rain smiled slyly. He was not even a bit worried that Leena would tattle on him for he had been looking for an excuse to bicker with Edward andin.


    They chatted merrily and were too happy to remember ire''s existence. She faked a cough to draw their attention before saying, "Good for you two. But please don''t forget that I''m still here." ire was instantly fascinated by Rain the first time sheid eyes on him. She had stood there and just stared at the charming young man the whole time. His look was far from the traditional gentleman as he was more on the bad boy type. Nheless, his aura exuded elegance despite being a rouge. It was the first time that ire saw a man who could turn wickedness into a charm. She was so captivated by him that his handsome face was the only thing she could see that moment. It took her a while to recover from her trance and s! Guess what she realized as soon as her wits were back? The two were literally hugging each other right before her face! It could have been okay if one of them wasn''t her brother''s wife! Was it even appropriate for Leena to talk intimately with another man right before her sister-inw?


    "Who is she, Leena?" Rain asked as he shot ire a meaningful look. He wasn''t really aware that there was a third person present at that time. He looked in ire''s direction and found a strange girl standing there, stone-faced. It made him look back to Leena and raise one of his eyebrows questioningly.


    "Oh! She''s my sister-inw, and her name is ire Gu, just call her ire." Leena had also forgotten about ire''s existence until she spoke. She hastened to introduce her but there was no guilt or embarrassment shown on her face. Clearly, she found nothing wrong with how she and Rain were treating each other.Text ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1088 Knowing More About Leena (Part One)

    "Oh, I see. Hi there, beautiful. I am Rain Xia." Rain introduced himself frivolously as he turned his gaze to ire. He had always been known to have the highest beauty standard and the keenest eyes among hisds. He was so good at judging beauties that the corner of his mouth automatically twitched as soon as he set his eyes on ire. Goodness! Nobody warned him that he would be seeing a talking rainbow. Her makeup was too colorful and bright that she was literally hard to look at. Moreover, the way she was absent-mindedly looking at his face made him feel that she wanted to eat him. He couldn''t understand how an arrogant man as Kevin had an immature sister who couldn''t even take her eyes off a handsome man.


    "Hi there. How did you know Leena Leng? What''s the rtionship between you two? I can see that you two are so close that you guys don''t even mind hugging in public." ire didn''t even hesitate to call Leena by her full name now that her parents weren''t around. To her, Leena''s bright smile was like a piece of stone under her shoes, making her very ufortable. She couldn''t wait to crush it.


    "Huh! Beautiful, don''t you think that what you said sounds a little rude?" Rainughed so hard that the people around them started to cast curious gazes at them.


    "Leena Leng, who is this guy? Does my brother know that you are such a loose woman?" ire asked even more loudly as she masked her jealousy with her fake sisterly-concern. How could she even care for Kevin when all she could think of was how adoring Rain was when he looked at Leena? Never had a handsome man like him looked at her that way. That was unfair!


    "ire, right? First of all, Leena is your sister-inw. Do you think it is appropriate for you to talk to her in such a tone? Second, our rtionship has always been honorable. Leena is like a sister to me. There''s nothing going on between us. Feel free to ask your dear brother if you don''t believe me." That was the point when Rain''s voice suddenly turned sullen. He would have let it pass if he was the one that ire had used. However, he wouldn''t just stand here and watch how she stained Leena''s reputation.


    "I am rude? She should act like a sister-inw first." ire pursed her lips after she talked. She had been staring at Rain''s handsome face for a while as if she couldn''t take her eyes off him.


    "Act like a sister-inw? That''s a good one! Leena is your brother''s wife, right? That makes you a sister-inw as well. How about you showing the same respect that you are demanding?" Rain''s dark aura made a contrast against the sunshine washing him. Oddly, it made him look even more charming.


    "Rain..." Leena called and attempted to calm him down. She perfectly knew how much Rain cared for her. She was afraid that Rain might be too hard on ire and eventually make her cry.Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "What do you say, Miss Gu? Has anyone ever taught you manners?" However, Rain was too angry to just drop the topic that easily.


    "How I talk to her is a family affair. I don''t see how it concerns you." As embarrassed as she was, ire remained proud. She wouldn''t just stand there and take a lecture from a guy she just met, regardless of how much his oozing appeal dazzled her.


    "True, your family affair is none of my business. It is different when it concerns our little princess, though. It naturally makes it my business now," said Rain before shifting his gaze back to Leena. "Hey, kiddo. Did you just always suck it up like this when you were in their home?"


    "Rain, it wasn''t like that, okay? What gave you that idea? Let''s get off this. Now I need your help to put these things into the car. Can you help me?" Leena changed the topic. Rain''s serious stare made her nervous.


    "Why did you buy so many things?" It was pure luck that Rain wasn''t as focused as Edward and it was easy to divert his attention.


    "There isn''t anything left in the fridge since we were out for a few days. These aremodities. Besides, it''s practical to store some food in the fridge." Leena was relieved when Rain lost his harsh tone. ire and Rain already got off on the wrong foot and she didn''t want to see it get worse. She wouldn''t want ire to create new grudges against Kevin if ever. She had always been the princess of Duke''s best friends. They would definitely go all out against Kevin if these two fought more. She had to protect Kevin and tread between these two really carefully.


    "Fine! Whatever you say. Leave the bags to me and go open the trunk." Rain frowned at the huge grocery bags on the ground. He wasn''t even sure if he could carry all of them by himself.


    "Rain... I can carry them together with you. They are too many," said Leena as she bent over to pick some things. She was inches from touching the first bag when Rain suddenly stopped her.


    "No, I am good. You just wait by the car. I don''t want you to be tired." To spoil Leena had always been the silent mantra of Duke''s closest buddies. They wouldn''t let her lift a finger when they were around.


    "Ha ha! Rain, they are just some bags. How can I get tired from carrying them so easily? I am not fragile." Leena smiled. She was grateful even if she was a spoiled girl. She wouldn''t just stand there and watch Rain do all the work. Thus, she took two lighter bags. She knew that Rain wouldn''t let her grab the heavier ones.


    Leena and Rain started to move towards the car. And again, ire felt angry and ignored as she watched the two. ''How dare they treat me as if I were invisible?'' she thought. She couldn''t just stand there stupidly as no one was even talking to her. She had no choice but to follow them into the car silently. She was new in the city and she had no n of being stranded at a supermarket.


    Leena unlocked the car doors while walking towards the car. It was lucky for her toe across Rain. Otherwise, she would have to go around between the parking lot and the supermarket twice just to carry her things.


    "Thank you, Rain!" Leena said as soon as everything was in the trunk.


    "Don''t mention it, kiddo. It makes me feel like an outsider. It''s lunchtime. How about having lunch with me?" Rain suggested as he looked at his watch.


    "Well, let me check with ire first. She might not want to go." It was only then that Leena checked back on ire. She hadn''t paid much attention to her while she was carrying the bags.

 Chapter 1089 Knowing More About Leena (Part Two)

    "What''s the matter, kiddo? Since when did you be so timid? This is not like you at all. It''s just lunch. Why do you have to ask for permission? Just get divorced ande home if this is how your life is with him! We''ll take care of you. Who said that we wanted you to get married in the first ce?" Rain was worried about Leena''s sudden changes. She used to be decisive and brisk. He didn''t like how overly cautious their princess had be. "Rain, do you want me to die alone?" Leena rolled her eyes at him. She knew that he had said that out of love. People who didn''t know him might think that he was simply breaking her marriage, though.


    "What? Die alone? That''s insane! You are beautiful and intelligent. You are our little princess. Whoever thinks you would die alone is out of his stupid mind. We just think that you deserve better." Rain retorted as soon as he heard Leena''s words, as if he was afraid they woulde true.


    "I don''t care about better. Whoever I like is the best." However, Leena disregarded his worry with a bitter smile. Kevin might not love her now but she knew that he would someday.


    "Good. Be willful. As my sister, that''s the spirit you need." Rain felt sad for her and took her into his arms. Leena was never arrogant or rude although she was a spoiled girl. Someone like her definitely deserved a better life.


    "Howe it sounds like disapproval rather than approval?" Leena broke off from his embrace gently and then turned to ire. She waved at the girl toe over.


    "Tell me honestly, is there something wrong with your sister-inw? She looks like a clown. Her makeup is way too weird." Rain had been around women for the longest time and it made him an expert at spotting makeup. ire''s makeup was simply the worst he had seen so far.


    "Don''t say that in her face. Maybe the trend confuses her. She thinks this kind of makeup is in fashion, but she doesn''t know that it doesn''t suit her," Leena whispered in Rain''s ear to make sure that the approaching ire wouldn''t hear her.


    "Huh! Considering her skin, don''t you think that lighter makeup will make her look less like she ate crayons for breakfast?" Unfortunately, Rain didn''t give a damn if ire would hear him or not. He even gave another heartyugh after what he said.


    "Are you talking about me behind my back?" It was then that ire arrived and looked at the two suspiciously. She had noticed them talking andughing while staring at her earlier. There was no doubt that they were talking about her. "No! Of course, we are not. Rain wants to invite us to lunch. Do you care to go?" Leena touched her nose habitually. It was something she did every time she lied. Everyone who knew her was aware of it.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "You once said that it was a waste to refuse a free meal. So why not?" ire replied with a devil-may-care attitude. The closeness between Rain and Leena bugged her a lot. It was just that Rain''s lecture was still lingering in her head. She just couldn''tsh out at Leena in the presence of this handsome brute.


    "Then let''s go to the restaurant together. It would take some time before we could eat if we cooked at home." Her sister-inw''s response made Leena happy. The cooking job would definitely fall on her since ire didn''t know how to cook at all. It was okay with her but after spending so much time shopping in the supermarket, she was too tired to even touch spat.


    "Beauties, have you decided yet? If you have, then let''s roll," Rain said with a big smile. He had forgotten about the discord with ire just a moment ago. "What shall we eat?" It was Leena who asked. She had just had Western food the day before and thought that it would be nice to have something else.


    "Youdies decide. It''s not a big issue for me." Rain leaned against the car sluggishly and the purple stud on his ear shone in the sunlight.


    "ire, you decide. What would you like to have?" Leena turned to ire and asked.


    "You mean I can choose anything I would like?" Sarcasm was dripping from ire''s voice. The cheeky grin on Rain''s face and the fact that he was hanging around during work hours made her think that he was probably just a poor unemployed guy. She had decided to rip him off and humiliate him since he had embarrassed her. She couldn''t wait to see the look on his face once he saw what she was going to do with their restaurant bill.


    "Anything you want, as long as the cook can prepare it," Rain answered with a sneer. He had developed his shrewdness over the years of working in business. Little did ire know that he could read her mind.


    "Let''s try some traditional Korean cuisine then. I''ve heard that pickled Dungeness crab is very good." ire never had Korean food before so she had no idea what it tasted like. Few of her friends liked the Korean style and she didn''t want to eat alone. She had never walked into a Korean restaurant ever. It was the fact that Rain didn''t care about whatever she chose that made her decide to give it a go.


    "Fine by me. What about you, Leena?" Rain would never agree to eat at a Korean restaurant if Leena said no. Although he said ire could choose anything she liked, what he didn''t say was that it would always be their princess to make the final call. "Okay. No problem. I crave y pot rice with spicy sauce." Leena wasn''t a Korean food enthusiast but she didn''t hate the cuisine either. She usually went to a Korean restaurant once or twice a month. She thought that Korean food valued nutrition and reflected their culture really well.


    "Let''s go then. How about Korean vors Restaurant? It serves diverse dishes." Rain dealt with customers from different countries at work. Thus, he had to learn more about their countries and cultures including their traditional cuisine.


    "Okay. Where''s your car? Where did you park it?" asked Leena. She had never been to Korean vors Restaurant before. However, since it was rmended by Rain, she believed it was fantastic. She was aware that Rain was the go-to person for these types of things as his job included entertaining different business clients.


    "My car is parked ahead. Just follow me. I don''t think that you have been there before since the restaurant just opened years ago." Rain was convinced that Leena hadn''t been in that ce since she had studied overseas for a long time and had juste home. "No worries. I''ll just use the navigation. See youter, Rain," said Leena before turning to the girl next to her. "Now ire, please get in the car." A surge of confusion suddenly hit her as she noticed how ire''s gaze was fixed on Rain. Seriously, What on earth was so fascinating about that man? Didn''t the two just have a fight?


    It was a few more secondster when ire removed her eyes from Rain and got in the car reluctantly. Actually, her argument''s goal was to attract his attention. It pissed her off to see how he looked at Leena like she was the only thing in the world. Rain went towards his red Maybach and ire kept her eyes on him until he got in the car.


    "Leena Leng, what kind of person is Rain?" She couldn''t help being amazed as everyone surrounding Leena seemed to be crazy rich. As far as she knew, Rain was driving a prestige car.


    "Oh, he is the vice president of FX International Group. Didn''t you know that?" Leena was surprised to hear ire''s question since Kevin had told her that she''d been surfing about the FX International Group. How could she possibly not know about Rain? The man was a public figure whose face was all over the news.


    "Er... It''s him. No wonder he seems familiar. I saw his pictures on the Intest night." ire''s eyes lit up as she had thought that someone like Rain was unapproachable. She couldn''t believe how close he was right now and how she even socialized with him. Goodness! She even had a fight with him just moments ago.


    "Actually, he is quite easy-going. Don''t take the argument seriously. He just cares about me too much and can''t stand seeing me being pushed around." It was toote when Leena realized that she had said something wrong. Her mouth had already spat her thoughts unconsciously.


    "Leena Leng, what do you mean? Do you mean that I pushed you around?" ire had heard her clearly and taken everything she had said to heart.


    "That''s not what I mean. You see, everything that concerns me draws his attention. That''s why he had that conflict with you." Leena ended up exining in a rush. Nheless, ire already made up her mind and her words just made the situation worse! Oh, how frustrating it was to exin herself.

 Chapter 1090 I Still Have A Chance (Part One)

    "Don''t get smart. Since when have my family done you wrong? Quit looking so pathetic and miserable." ire was getting irritated by Rain''s questions and felt that Leena was the one behind all of it. How could she toy with her and make Rain misunderstand her? "Don''t be ridiculous, ire. I have told you that it''s a slip of the tongue." ire''s argument left Leena deeply depressed. She wondered since when had ire developed the habit of twisting other people'' words.


    "Haven''t you told me this? You can''t just say anything as you like, can you?" retorted ire as she raised a quizzical eyebrow to her sister-inw. She was blessed with wealth and privileges in the Capital City. However, it wasn''t the case now that she was here in S City. Even Leena whom she could easily push around before was now striking back at her. It was uneptable!Content is ? 2024 N?velDrama.Org.


    "Alright, it''s my fault," said Leena helplessly as she shook her head in despair. She couldn''t believe how difficult it was to change ire''s perception.


    "I''m damn right about that. There''s no escaping the fact that it''s all your fault," whispered ire. She pursed her lips with distaste. It was then when her mobile phone rang and she picked it up. It was Louisa calling her. She rolled her eyes and decided to just watch her phone screen as she was still mad at Louisa.


    "Aren''t you going to answer your phone?" Leena asked out of curiosity as she got no clue as to why she wouldn''t pick up her mobile phone.


    Nheless, her concern earned a displeased re from ire as if to say that it was none of her business. It was then that ire bit her lips and decided to talk over the phone.


    "Hello! ire, where are you right now? Can we grab lunch together?" Louisa''s voice came in haste as soon as she pressed the answer button. She was afraid that ire might hang up on her again. It was her that got ire so pissedst night after all.


    "I''m sorry but I have somewhere else to go. Thank you for being kind to me," answered ire bitterly. She had never been a punching bag and she wouldn''t easily forgive whoever offended her.


    "It doesn''t matter. We can find another time to do that. By the way, are you going to have lunch with Kevin?" s! Louisa''s real intention came to the picture. She wasn''t really interested in having lunch with ire, rather, she was thinking of how to approach Kevin.


    "No, just a friend of my sister-inw," answered ire in a bored voice as she stressed the word ''sister-inw'' to address Leena. It was shocking for her to do that as everyone knew how she hated Kevin''s wife. Nheless, it was a nice way to insult Louisa and remind her that Kevin had married someone else.


    "Well, in that case, I shouldn''t interrupt you anymore," said Louisa destely. It was clear on ire''s voice that she had already abandoned her and taken Leena''s side.


    "Well, I should hang up, Goodbye." ire felt sad that she had ignored Louisa''s kindness and turned her down. She could have been more eager to confide to the woman ifst night''s event hadn''t happened. It was just that things had changed and what Louisa did made ire''s ego suffer a heavy blow.


    "ire, what about tonight? Can youe to my house? I suppose we can have a bit of girl time together." Louisa was about to press the end call button but then had a change of mind. She couldn''t give this up easily, right? She had to do something to amend her rtionship with Kevin''s sister even before she hung up.


    "Tonight? I don''t think I''ll have the time. Leena has bought some groceries. So, I guess we''ll have dinner at home together." A cunning smile showed on ire''s face. She knew that Louisa loved Kevin. She wouldn''t mind using Leena as a leverage for her to get her revenge and piss the woman off. This would serve Louisa a lesson that she shouldn''t even try provoking her.


    On the other hand, Leena couldn''t help but purse her lips upon hearing ire. She knew that ire wouldn''t be so nice to her and call her sister-inw voluntarily for no reason at all. The girl would take every opportunity to taunt her, to look down upon her and to make her feel insignificant. It was so obvious that ire was only saying those things to break Louisa''s heart. What an evil woman ire was!


    "Listen to me, ire, can Ie to you right now?" asked Louisa tentatively. It might sound like Louisa was begging for ire''s forgiveness right now. Who could have thought that she had already hated the childish girl at this point and nned to take revenge on her whenever she got the chance.


    "I''m not sure about that. You know, I''m living with my brother and Leena in their house now. It may be inconvenient to just invite you to the house," said ire perplexedly. For a moment, she found herself wondering if she was already overdoing things. She and Louisa had been friends for so many years. She had learned to trust Louisa even if their friendship wasn''t perfect. Turning Louisa down ruthlessly and refusing to forgive her made ire feel guilty.


    "Alright, I wish you a good day," said Louisa reluctantly. The disappointment on her voice was so clear that it could be tasted in the air.


    "Wait a minute. Maybe I can talk with Leena, and ask for her permission," said ire suddenly. Hearing Louisa''s disappointed voice softened ire''s heart. She didn''t intend to hurt her friend''s ego. She chose to just forget about her mischief and revenge immediately. "Why would you have to ask for her permission? Can''t you invite your friend to your brother''s house as a guest? As far as I''m concerned, Kevin''s the owner of that house. Since when have you cared about Leena''s opinions?" asked Louisa furiously. Louisa never took Leena seriously as she was only concerned about Kevin and nothing else.


    "But my brother warned me that he would surely send me home if I make troubles again," said ire. Her embarrassment was so clear in her voice as she admitted how inferior she was inside Kevin''s house. ire respected her brother and had to heed Kevin''s warning. Otherwise, she wouldn''t even pay attention to what Leena thought or felt.0000

 Chapter 1091 I Still Have A Chance (Part Two)

    "We''re fine as long as we leave your brother alone and unprovoked. ire, am I right?" Louisa tried to convince ire. She would have no chance to approach the man she loved if ire would not help her.


    "Alright. I''ll wait for you at home tonight." ire gave in and eventually felt more cheerful despite everything. She finally got fed up with how Louisa was pestering her. Thus, she had to grant Louisa''s request regardless of Leena''s possible protests and grudges. "Thanks, I''lle to you before Kevin gets back home." Louisa was ecstatic. ire''s change of mind made her think that she was one more step closer to bing Kevin''s wife.


    "Ok. See youter. Bye," said ire before she hung up the phone. She was in low spirit the whole night and it was only now that she felt relieved. In general, she didn''t forget her promise to Louisa that she would do everything to make her brother love her and eventually, marry her.


    Leena''s face darkened as she heard what ire said over the phone. She didn''t intend to eavesdrop, it was just that ire didn''t even attempt to hide the conversation from her. She might not have heard what Louisa said to convince ire on inviting her home. But Leena was smart and could guess.


    "I have invited Louisa toe to our house tonight. I don''t think you''ll refuse her and embarrass me," said ire defiantly as she turned to Leena. She might sound that she was asking Leena for permission but the truth was that she wasn''t. She doubted it if Leena could turn such a small request down from her husband''s sister.


    "You already promised Louisa, ire. Will my opinion even matter?" Leena sneered. Her heart was silently aching with the fact that she was such a loser when it came to getting along with her sister-inw. She had already tried her best but still failedpletely. On the contrary, Louisa could be one of ire''s best friends with just a snap of a finger.


    "I''m asked to consider your opinions. Haven''t my brother told you that? He certainly will be mad at me if you make aint to him," ire sniffed. She wouldn''t even care about how Leena felt if Kevin didn''t warn her about it.


    "I know. Now get off the car. Here we are!" Leena grasped the steering wheel firmly and refrained herself from bursting out crying. It was her husband''s house, and she was also its owner and hostess. Shouldn''t a hostess'' permission be asked first before ire invited anybody to the house as a guest? ire hadpletely ignored her opinions.


    "Now, look at the hurt expression on your face. Rain would definitely think that I hurt you if we enter the restaurant and meet him there. I can''t be used by him again. Do you know that?" ire said with a sulking tone. She took the opportunity to warn Leena before they got off the car and came inside the restaurant. She seemed to really care about what Rain would think of her.


    "Set your mind at rest! I''m not as mean as you thought," said Leena as she pushed the car door open. Although she had managed to refrain herself from crying, she wasn''t able to stop herself from mming the car door on ire''s face.


    ire was taken aback by Leena''s outburst, but then she saw that Rain was waiting outside their car. He was smiling widely at Leena. Thus, she was left with no choice but to swallow her anger and not pick a fight.


    "I thought you got lost, Leena. You''re much slower than me," said Rain teasingly. He had deliberately slowed down his driving so Leena could catch up with him. It was when they drove through a crossroad that Leena lost track of his car anyway.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    "I still can''t drive a car as well as you do. So, I have to drive slowly and carefully." Thedy scratched her head in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. It was shameful how slow and clumsy she could get. It was then that she walked to Rain briskly as she totally forgot about what happened inside her car just moments ago.


    "Yeah! You did the right thing. Your safety is our first priority after all. Miss Gu,e on inside!" There wasn''t any warmth with the way Rain dealt with ire although he was polite. As a brother who loved Leena so much, he had already considered ire as someone distasteful.


    ire pursed her lips as she was left behind by Leena and Rain who were walking hand in hand. She obviously didn''t believe that their rtionship was pure. Their closeness was just too intimate, conspicuous, and abnormal to be considered as just friendship. "Miss Gu, read the menu carefully. Just tell me what you want to eat and drink. It''s on me," said Rain in a gentlemanly manner as soon as they were seated. Then, Rain brought the menu to ire as if she was the most esteemed guest, who should be ordering for them. "Rain, you''re so nice to me. Since you are a friend of my sister-inw, you can also call me ire." ire whispered shyly. She bowed her head and didn''t dare to look Rain in the eye.


    "Miss Gu, we just met a while ago. So, being polite and nice to you is a necessity. And I don''t think I could get acquainted with someone who treats my princess badly," said Rain bitterly. As angry as he was deep down inside him, Rain still smiled broadly at ire. It made him look both scary and annoying that ire suddenly started to be curious about why Rain adopted such aplicated attitude towards her.


    "Well, Speaking of which, I''m really sorry. I should have behaved myself to avoid some misunderstandings," ire replied. She gritted her teeth and thought that she had just made a fool of herself in front of Rain. She then threw a furious and suspicious re at Leena. "ire, you don''t want to bother yourself arguing with the likes of him. He was living abroad for such a long time and I bet he has already forgotten how to speak his mother tongue properly." Although Leena harbored secret grudges against ire, she was afraid that ire might stamp her foot, lose her temper, and yell at Rain. She couldn''t allow her to make such a fuss in the restaurant once she felt insulted by Rain''s big mouth. She should definitely find a way out.00000

 Chapter 1092 I Still Have A Chance (Part Three)

    "Leena, please don''t be so ungrateful. I have said nothing but the truth. Am I wrong?" said Rain. He shrugged his shoulders and leaned against the back of his chair leisurely. He seemed to like toying with ire despite the fact that he wanted to get justice for Leena. "Yes, you''re terribly wrong. So, I suggest that you should eat like a horse and keep your mouth shut." She pretended to be mad at Rain. She then winked an eye at the man to gesture that he shouldn''t be too harsh to Kevin''s sister.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "As you wish, my princess." Rain shook his head in disbelief. He wondered why Leena attempted to save the face of her torturer. However, if Leena didn''t intend to take revenge, Rain wouldn''t act again as she wished. Thest thing he wanted to do was put Leena in an awkward position. However, ire either misunderstood Leena or was just simply ungrateful. She thought that Leena was showing off her close rtionship with this handsome gentleman. It made her hate Leena more as she stopped herself from yelling at her sister-inw. They weren''t arguing anymore when they started eating. It could be because of the delicious Korean food or because they had silently made an agreement not to fight with each other anymore. However, ire just detested how Rain seemed to be extremely nice to Leena. As far as she was concerned, Rain''s fondness for Leena was abnormal. She was getting more and more suspicious of their rtionship. Meanwhile, she was afraid that she might be getting them wrong too. How could Leena cheat on Kevin right before her sister- inw, right? They quickly paid their bill after their lunch and came out of the Korean vors Restaurant. Since Rain had an appointment in theing hours, he had to go and left Leena and ire behind. It was after they saw Rain''s car moving away from them that Leena and ire started walking back to their car.


    "Leena, er... Does Rain have a girlfriend?" asked ire. Despite the unpleasant conversation they had during lunch, ire still thought that she kind of liked Rain. That made her interested in his private life.


    "Rain? None. Of course, none. But as far as I know, there''s a girl he loves deeply," answered Leena reflectively. Leena might not be that close to Annie but she did have a little idea of what happened between Annie and Rain. What she told ire was what she knew. "Are you telling me that he has no girlfriend now?" ire was instantly ecstatic. She finally heard of some good news and itched to get well acquainted with Rain.


    "Yes, you''re right, ire. But why are you asking about Rain? Do you like him? Please don''t tell me that you have already fallen in love with him because you may get more luck in winning a Nobel Prize than in winning over his heart." Leena replied in haste and in concern. ire''s obvious interest in Rain made Leena feel a bit panicky. Rain''s character was too uncontrolled and unsteady which meant that ire would surely break her heart provided that she fell for Rain.


    "Leena, what do you mean by saying that? Are you telling me that I''m not qualified to be Rain''s girlfriend?" ire retorted irritatingly. She would nevery an eye on Rain if he didn''t happen to be that handsome and the vice-president of FX International Group. It was weird to her that Leena looked panicking and nervous after what she said.


    "I''m terribly misunderstood. All his friends know that he''s ady killer. It''s difficult to win his heart and make him stay loyal to you. On top of that, he has already got a girl he loves so much. How can he love somebody else easily?" It was her past experience that kept Leena talking to ire about giving Rain up. Leena knew the difficulties and obstacles in pursuing a man who loved another girl. She had made every effort to please Kevin and yet she was still clueless if she would ever seed or not. It was a gamble with no guarantee. She didn''t actually think that ire was not qualified for anything if she worked hard. It was just that pursuing Rain might be an exception. He was exactly the guy who would enjoy distressing a girl who seemed to be evil and strong despite her weak and fragile heart, just like ire.


    "But I still have a chance," said ire with arrogance. None of the rich men she knew remained loyal to just one woman. She was confident that Rain would love her one way or another once she made up her mind and started working on it.


    "ire, I''m being serious. Rain isn''t a suitable husband for you. Don''t invest too much in him. You''ll just regret it. I know him too well, that''s why I''m giving you this warning." Leena didn''t expect that things could go this way. She had thought that the hostility between Rain and ire during lunchtime was already the end of any possible rtionship between the two. How could she be terribly wrong? How did this happen?


    "I''m just joking. No need to get worried. I won''t take your lover away from you," said ire as she gave Leena a long hard stare. She wasn''t joking at all, as she was actually calcting how to get closer to Rain.


    "Well, I hope you''re telling the truth. Otherwise, you may scare me to death." ire''s remarks helped to relieve Leena''s anxieties. It would be both unbelievable and unimaginable if her sister-inw pursued her best friend. Moreover, ire''s impulsive actions mightplicate everything.


    "Of course I''m telling the truth. Rain''s too awful to be a future husband, isn''t he?" ire lied. She shot an angry nce at Leena and decided that she must hide her true thoughts about Rain from the woman. It wouldn''t be nice if Leena tried to ruin her ns. As long as Rain stayed unmarried, he would be good enough to be her husband.


    "ire, please don''t lie to me. This isn''t a joke. The consequences may be too severe for you to bear. Do you understand?" said Leena sternly. The way her sister-inw looked back at her had blown her anxiety even bigger. She knew Rain''s capability in charming girls. Women would flock around him foolishly and passionately like moths to fire despite the fact that Rain had tried to avoid courting any of those women. It was clear to Leena how much she needed to be precautious to save ire from making a bigger fool out of herself.00000000000

 Chapter 1093 Astonishment (Part One)

    "Really, really! I don''t need to lie to you, okay?" ire told Leena in an annoyed tone. Her jaw tightened. The more Leena wanted to make her give up the idea of getting to know Rain, the more she wanted to do the opposite. ire didn''t believe that she couldn''t handle a man like him. Leena was still a bit worried. She didn''t believe that ire took her words seriously. ire was only saying this to make her shut up. However, Leena couldn''t say anything more, now that ire had already denied her suspicions.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    When Louisa arrived at the Grand Apartment, it was still pretty early. Her dress was striking and she looked sexy. It was very obvious that she had put in a lot of effort in her appearance, to attract Kevin. But much to her disappointment, he wasn''t home yet. "Bring us two cups of coffee!" ire said to Leena as she weed Louisa into the living room. She treated Leena like she was a servant.


    "Wait a moment." Leena dragged the vacuum cleaner she had been using to the corner. Now that there was a guest in the house, she couldn''t continue cleaning anymore. Besides, it was almost time for dinner. She needed to go to the kitchen and start cooking. "Louisa, you look really pretty today," ireplimented her. She was being honest. After all, Louisa must have spent a lot of time getting dressed, so how could she not look beautiful? Even if Louisa was ugly, she looked nice enough when she put so much effort into getting ready.


    "Thank you! You look really nice too," Louisa said faintly, not actually meaning her words. ire looked the same as she did this morning, and was anything but beautiful. It was clear that Louisa lied to please ire.


    "Really? Thank you, Louisa." ire smiled upon hearing Louisa''spliment, feeling a bit shy. It didn''t ur to her that Louisa was only trying to be agreeable.


    "Of course. You look beautiful even without makeup. But when you have it on, you look so much more gorgeous." Louisa had been roommates with ire for many years, so she knew her very well. Louisa knew how to tter her easily.


    "Here, your coffee. It''s still a bit hot." Leena put down the two cups carefully on the table in front of them. She heard what Louisa said and didn''t agree with her at all. However, Leena was smart enough to keep her mouth shut. She was well aware of what ire liked to hear the most.


    "Leena, when does my brother usually get home?" ire didn''t thank her for the coffee. Instead, she asked her about Kevin in an urgent voice.


    "To tell you the truth, I don''t know either. He doesn''t get off work at a particr time. If you want to know, just give him a phone call and ask him yourself." Leena nced at them with cold eyes. She too wanted to know when Kevin would arrive home, but she rarely called him when he was at the army base since she didn''t want to interrupt his work. She restrained herself from talking to him even though she badly wanted to hear his charming voice.


    "I want to know, but I definitely won''t call him. If I interrupt him at work, he would scold me for sure. But you, why are you suggesting me calling him up? You know my brother doesn''t like being interrupted when he is at work, yet you ask me to phone him. Do you like watching me get scolded by him?" ire admonished Leena as if thetter was a maid of the house, not its owner. She did not regard Leena as her sister-inw at all.


    "I didn''t mean it like that. Sorry. Make yourselves at home. I''m going to prepare dinner," Leena apologized and pressed her lips together. To be honest, she didn''t know for sure that Kevin got annoyed when others interrupted him at work, but she didn''t want to exin herself to ire. In her heart, she knew it would be of no use. ire wouldn''t believe her anyway, and it would only make things worse, so Leena didn''t bother to contradict her. Moreover, Louisa was here, watching them like a hawk. She didn''t want to argue with ire in front of Louisa, who ording to Leena, was just a guest.


    "Go ahead! Why are you still standing here? Are you stupid enough to ask us for help?" ire smirked at Leena. She vented out all her anger on Leena after their lunch with Rain.


    Leena''s lips trembled, but she still didn''t say anything. She turned around and dashed to the kitchen, fearing that she wouldn''t be able to control her anger and start an argument with them.


    ire didn''t want to let it go so easily, even though Leena didn''t talk back. While Leena prepared dinner, ire constantly disturbed her, asking her to bring something or the other to them. Her actions ticked off Leena even more. She couldn''t stand it anymore.


    "ire, don''t you have your own hands? If you want something, then move and get it yourself, instead of asking me to do it for you! You should know that I''m busy preparing dinner for all of us!" Leena couldn''t refrain herself from shouting when ire asked her to bring napkins for her again. ire could do these menial tasks on her own, but instead she pestered Leena to do it, who ire knew was busy in the kitchen. Even a saint would be driven crazy in this situation, and Leena was no saint.


    "Leena, this is your apartment. How would I know where everything is? Of course, I would ask you for help." ire wasn''t ashamed of her actions. She made ame excuse and argued back.00000000

 Chapter 1094 Astonishment (Part Two)

    "All right, all right! You can never be wrong! It''s my fault, happy?" Leena walked back into the kitchen in anger. Her eyes reddened. She knew ire was doing this intentionally since Louisa was here. ire wanted to embarrass her in front of their guest. If Leena hadn''t known how much Louisa liked Kevin, she would not care about what ire did at all. But she knew that Louisa had onlye here for Kevin. Leena felt so ashamed upon being treated like a servant in front of her romantic rival. "Louisa, did I go too far this time? Leena seems so angry! I''m afraid she will tell my brother about it." ire was a bit shocked to see Leena lose her temper. Her eyes grew big, ncing at Louisa for help. After all, it was Louisa''s idea to treat Leena like this. "Don''t worry. It will be okay. If she really wants to get along with you, she would not tell this to your brother. Leena has to stick it out if she wants to get on your good side, although she does look angry as fuck." The corners of Louisa''s lips lifted into a sly smile. ''How would I get back at you for making me so upset if I don''t make your own life miserable?'' Louisa thought wickedly.


    "Do you really think so? I am afraid she''d get fed up and take it all out on me. You saw how she just shouted at me." ire tilted her head and looked in the direction of the kitchen. She couldn''t see Leena from so far away.


    "Just rx. Besides, if she really tells Kevin about this, you can always deny it happened. Kevin wouldn''t doubt his own sister, right?" Louisa continued to assure ire. She was happy to see Leena so vexed. Her n had paid off after all.


    "Well, you are right. But I don''t want to go too far. If my brother gets to know, he would surely throw me back to capital city. Then I won''t be able to help you anymore and we wouldn''t have so much fun together." ire thought she had done enough for today. She didn''t want to cross more boundaries. Seeing how angry Leena was, ire finally decided to act like a decent sister-inw and not bother her anymore.


    "You are right. I guess it''s enough for today. Well, how about we go upstairs?" Last time Kevin had barred Louisa from doing so, but she was still very curious about his bedroom. Now that Leena was in the kitchen and Kevin wasn''t home, she wanted to see it for herself along with ire. Even if they were caught and rebuked by Kevin, ire could still take the bullet for her.


    "Why do you want to go upstairs? There is nothing to look. There is just a study room and my brother''s bedroom." ire wasn''t interested in Louisa''s suggestion because she already went upstairsst night. She was toozy to move right now and wasfortable slouching on the sofa waiting for dinner.


    "We can go to the study room and browse the books your brother reads! It''s boring to just sit here and talk," Louisa bbered, not expecting ire to be uninterested in her idea. She really wanted to see Kevin''s room, where a man like him slept. She couldn''t be the only one wanting to know such a secret. Louisa admired him very much.


    "Oh, speaking of that, have you heard of FX International Group? The powerfulpany in S City?" ire asked her urgently. Upon hearing Louisa''s words, ire''s mind wandered to Rain. Louisa was from S City, so she should know about it more than ire. "FX International Group? I''ve heard about it a lot, but I don''t know much. I heard from some friends that the CEO of thepany is not only loaded but very handsome as well." Louisa wasn''t interested in FX International Group. The people in charge of thatpany lived an extremely different life from hers, whom she could never hope to cross paths with. So why should she care to know about them?


    "Oh? Really? You''ve only heard about it in passing? I thought that with your father being themander, you would at least know the people who run thepany." ire was a bit disappointed. The enthusiasm she had been feeling was once again extinguished.


    "I don''t know if my father knows anyone in thepany, but I am personally not aware of any of them. What''s the matter? Why are you suddenly asking me about this? Oh! Do you want to apply for a job there?" Louisa was confused, as she didn''t know why ire had brought up FX International all of a sudden. As far as she knew, thepany only hired extremely talented people who could contribute to their work. People like her and ire could never get in there.


    "No. Well,e with me, will you? I am going to show you some pictures." ire felt shy and didn''t want Louisa to know that she was harboring a crush on one of the men who ran thepany. She stood up, ready to show Louisa some photos of Rain. ire took Louisa''s hand and dragged her upstairs.


    "What pictures? Slow down, ire!" Louisa was dressed in a short skirt and couldn''t walk as fast as ire.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "Oh! I''m sorry! I didn''t remember you are wearing that short skirt. Just see those photos first!" ire slowed down at Louisa''sint. ire was still very eager for Louisa to see the photos. She wanted to know her opinion.


    "ire, why do you suddenly want to show me some mysterious pictures? What''s this about? Are you in love and haven''t told me?" Louisa just wanted to tease her, but as the words left her mouth, she felt that she could be right. It was possible.


    "No! Of course not! What are you thinking? I just want to show you who the people in charge of FX International Group are, that''s all," ire made an excuse and blushed. She was too shy to say out loud that she wanted to know what Louisa thought of Rain so badly.000000

 Chapter 1095 Astonishment (Part Three)

    "Why the hell do you want to show me that? Are you really nning to apply for a job there? To be honest, I don''t think you stand any chance. Their job requirements are too difficult to meet. There isn''t any work there that is suitable for us." Louisa had been ire''s roommate for years, so she knew about her grades. They were both pretty awful at studies. They would definitely not get a job in apany like FX International Group. "Of course not! You will know when you see the pictures." ire dragged Louisa into the study without waiting for her reply. She had been using Kevin''sputer to look up Rain before Louisa came here, so she didn''t need to turn it on.


    "All right, all right. Now I''m intrigued. Let me see the pictures." Louisa felt helpless at ire''s behavior and let herself be dragged to theputer. Louisa couldn''t deny that she was curious.


    "So what do you think of him?" ire pointed at the screen. On theputer was a news report, along with a picture of a very handsome man. It was Rain. ire had looked him up as soon as she got home after lunch. Judging from the various reports across the inte, she could tell that Rain was an enticing man who could easily charm any woman who walked the earth.


    "Him? Is he a famous movie star?" Louisa lowered her head and leaned toward the screen. She looked at the man on the screen for long but didn''t recognize him at all. He was obviously not a famous star whom she knew.


    "Um. You really don''t know him at all, do you? He is the vice president of FX International Group! Leena and I had lunch with him today." A deep blush stained ire''s cheeks. One would think she was in a rtionship with Rain seeing her act like this. She looked bashful. In truth, there was nothing going on between them. ire just had a one-sided crush.


    "What? Are you kidding me? He is the vice president of FX International Group? How do you know each other?" Listening to what ire said, Louisa sat down and began reading the information on the screen.


    "Well, I didn''t know him before, but Leena seems to be very familiar with him." Recalling how intimately Rain had behaved with Leena, ire felt indignant. Her lips thinned and she looked grumpy. She looked as if someone owed her money. ire couldn''t understand why Leena knew people like Rain.


    "You must be joking, right? How is it possible she knows someone as rich as him? Did you mistake him for someone else?" Louisa frowned in hesitation. How was this possible? Why could Leena know someone like this man? Wasn''t she just an ordinary girl from an ordinary family? Girls like Leena shouldn''t know men as rich and famous as Rain.


    "Why would I mistake him for someone else? Look at his face! Besides, I confirmed it once I got home. It was indeed him who had lunch with us." ire let out a sigh under her breath. After she had looked him up online, she realized that Leena had not been lying to her. Rain was indeed a yboy who slept with a lot of women but never stayed with them. Could she really handle a man like that? ire was unsure of herself all of a sudden.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "So you have a crush on him, right? And what about him? Does he like you too?" Louisa only asked because she was supposed to. Truthfully, she was just annoyed. ire was testing her patience. Louisa didn''t want to know about ire''s rtionship troubles. She hade here to get her man and ask for ire''s help in doing so, not the other way around. She didn''t want to bother herself with her friend''s problems.


    "Louisa, don''t you think he''s quite handsome? He looks like a yboy. Someone who never sticks with one woman. He has this bad boy persona that makes me want to conquer him." ire lowered her head to hide the blush on her face. She didn''t tell Louisa about the friction between her and Rain during lunch.


    "Well, it seems to me you are falling head over heels. You must really like him. I suppose a man such as him has many women chasing after him. Do you think you have a chance?" Louisa asked her carefully, not wanting to upset ire too much. In her opinion, ire was living in a fantasy.


    "I know, right? Louisa, you think he''s great too, don''t you?" What Louisa pointed out was what ire was afraid of, so she intentionally ignored her words. Right now, all she needed was a reason to persuade herself that Rain had acted with her that way because he wanted to catch her attention, not because he didn''t like her. She didn''t know how to convince herself to pursue Rain - a man who was clearly out of her league.


    "Wait a minute, who is this other man? I think I have seen him somewhere." Louisa''s attention was suddenly drawn to arger picture on the screen. She had a feeling she had seen this man before, but she couldn''t remember where.


    "Oh! You mean him? He is the president of FX International Group! What? Do you know him?" ire asked in confusion. The man looked even more handsome and rich than Rain, but it was obvious he was also more aloof and untouchable, judging from the distant look on his face. ire was sure she couldn''t handle a man like that. She was self-aware enough to know this.


    "No, I don''t know him. He just looks familiar, that''s all. Let me think. Oh! I remember where I saw him! If I am not wrong, he is Leena''s brother!" Louisa''s eyebrows furrowed. She remembered correctly, didn''t she? This man was Leena''s brother. Leena had said it herself. If it was true, had she been wrong about Leena''s background all this time? Leena wasn''t some poor girl from an ordinary family, was she? She must be rich and born to a noble household, like her brother. The thought made Louisa lose her confidence. ''How can Ipete with that?'' she wondered, but quickly recovered. ''No, I am thinking too much. If they are really brother and sister, why don''t they have the samest name?''?????

 Chapter 1096 Sneaking Into Leenas Bedroom (Part One)

    "What? What kind of brother? He must be just a friend of hers. Didn''t you notice? This man''sst name is Mu, while Leena''s family name is Leng. They are very different." ire frowned. Even if it looked like Leena had a close rtionship with the two presidents of FX International, it did not mean that Leena was a daughter of a rich family! ire did not believe that such an ordinary girl like Leena could have any real intimacy with these people who clearly belonged to the upper ss.


    "ire, I just wonder if there is a possibility that Leena took her mother''sst name. That''s why she doesn''t have the same family name as her brother. Don''t you think so?" Louisa''s eyebrows furrowed in thought. There were some uncertainties in her words. If Leena really belonged to a rich family, then her advantage on Leena would disappear.


    "How is that possible? Louisa, if that is the case, do you think that a cultivated girl from the super wealthy family could do the housework so well? Most young people can''t do housework that well, even when they are from ordinary families! Not to mention those from the rich families. I can only guess that the rtionship between Leena and these men is some kind of casual acquaintance. Maybe they know each other by ident. She seems so close to them because she is very good at luring men. She''s probably great at flirting and charming them. That must be it," ire said scornfully, her words insulting. She did not feel that her remarks carried any personal affronts to Leena''s character.


    "When you put it like that, I see that must be it. Otherwise, how could she have seduced your brother in such a short time? They got married without telling anyone. As far as I am concerned, she must have married Kevin because of his title. It is hard to find a young and handsome Major General like Kevin," Louisamented, managing to convince herself that it was true.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "I''m not so sure about that. Although my brother is a Major General, he does not have a high sry. It definitely does notpare to those of the presidents of FX International. If Leena is really concerned with material wealth, she would have chased after a businessman, not a soldier. If she could be so close to these people, it would have been easy for her to find a rich man with her beauty and abilities." Even though ire did not like Leena, she had to admit that Leena was a beautiful and charming woman. ire was not so stupid to believe Louisa''s words blindly. She was not led by the nose and knew her own mind.


    "Hmm, I don''t agree with you on that. I must say that you are too simple to understand how shrewd women like Leena are. She is very good at her tricks. You never know what she is plotting," Louisa responded scornfully and pursed her lips. How she wished to hurl Leena to the ground and step on her! Only in that way could she vent her spleen.


    "Uh! Really? Is she so horrible? If so, is my brother being exploited by her? What would she do to Kevin?" ire''s wide eyes turned to look at Louisa in fear. She was afraid that what Louisa said was true and that Leena was, in fact, plotting against Kevin. "What else? Do you really think she married Kevin for love?" Louisa was two years older and more cunning than ire. It was easy for her to change the topic at hand from Rain to Kevin. At the same time, she sessfully aroused ire''s suspicions of Leena. "But I think the two of them seem to love each other very much! Their marriage is not as much of a hoax as you said just now." ire tilted her head, looking thoughtful. She was confused by Louisa''s words. ire always noticed the affection in Kevin''s eyes when he looked at Leena, and it made her envious of the intimacy between the two. Their interactions didn''t seem fake.


    "Hah! Maybe she is acting! She has ulterior motives and obviously she would pretend to be in love with him. It is just so naive and kind of you to be duped by her." As Louisa talked to ire, she kept her eyes on the screen. She had to admit that these two men were very handsome and charming. They had bad-boy qualities. Unfortunately, they were not the type of men she could handle. She would not bother to humiliate herself by trying to get into a rtionship with them. Someone like Kevin, a good-looking, upright soldier, suited her the most.


    "Louisa, you are scaring me. If she is really horrible as you said, then I made a mistake by offending her so often. I have gone against her so many times! It would be easy for her to get revenge on me if she wants to. I am no match to her in that respect." ire was nervous. Although ire was usually arrogant and domineering, she was fundamentally a timid person if she was left without her parents'' protection.


    "Well, I don''t know about that. By the way, have you ever thought of sneaking into her bedroom when she''s not upstairs? Maybe you''ll find some clues there?" Louisa looked at ire slyly from the corner of her eyes, inducing her to follow her advice. It was not a hard thing to have ire in the palm of her hands.


    "No, I haven''t. But that is a good idea! Louisa, let''s go check it out. I haven''t been inside her bedroom anyway." Unlike Louisa, ire did not have any interest in Kevin and Leena''s bedroom before. But now after listening to Louisa, ire felt it made sense to check it out to find some clues on Leena.


    The two sneaked into Leena''s bedroom quietly. Louisa had deliberately entered itst time but didn''t get the chance to take a closer look at it before being forced out by Kevin immediately. Since Leena was cooking downstairs, they could walk in. And they had sufficient time to look around this time. To her surprise, the room was beautifully decorated and the walls were painted in romantic colors. The bedroom was warm and cozy because of the borate interiors. It was not difficult to tell that Leena had an elegant taste. "Wow! What a beautiful room! It''s totally different from the outside. Look at this snow-white carpet! There''s not the slightest stain on it. Louisa, we must take off our shoes. If we get the floor dirty, people will know that we have sneaked in." ire didn''t expect the bedroom to be so luxurious. She could tell from a nce that the decorations cost a lot of money.00000000

 Chapter 1097 Sneaking Into Leenas Bedroom (Part Two)

    "I know. I know. Why are you so afraid of her?" Louisa bit her lip. She was so envious that she couldn''t control her expressions. ording to Louisa, only she was fit to live in such an opulent house. How she wished to attach her name to every corner of this house!


    "I am not afraid of her! It''s just bad to sneak into a room without the owner''s permission." ire''s eyebrows scrunched together. A hint of embarrassment rose in her heart. Last time at Capital City, she had entered Leena''s room without her consent. But back then, she had


    known that Leena was already inside. The situation was entirely different this time. ire felt like that she was a thief.


    "What do you mean, ire? You think I''m doing something wrong? If you think so, let''s get out of here, in case you put the me on me once you get scolded by them," Louisa said. Her face became stern immediately. She just didn''t know why ire was so hesitant about this.


    "Louisa, don''t get angry! I did not mean that. I would never me you!" Upon seeing Louisa''s unhappy face, ire reached out and patted Louisa''s hands gently.


    "I''m not angry with you. We have been friends for so many years, so I know you wouldn''t do that." Louisa was deeply upset, but she had the sound mind not to choose such a moment to fall out with ire. After all, she had not achieved her real purpose yet and still needed ire''s help.


    "Thanks, Louisa. I know we are best friends. Besides, we are not here to quarrel with each other. Let''s see what we can find in this room. Maybe we can start from her wardrobe. Let me see what kind of clothes she has." ire had been shocked by the extraordinary dresses Leena wore the past two days, so she was first and foremost interested in Leena''s wardrobe. ire stepped forward and opened it, then promptly froze.


    "I want to see it too." Following ire''s footsteps, Louisa went to the wardrobe too, sticking her head inside.


    "Oh my god! I can''t believe my eyes," ire finally could find her voice. "These dresses belong to the most famousbels in the world. It appears that most of them are limited editions too. Louisa, pinch me. Pinch me so hard that I can convince myself I''m dreaming." ire was astounded at the high-end, fashionable clothes in the wardrobe. She screamed internally, knowing that they cost a lot of money. ire could estimate her brother''s wages and knew it would have been impossible for Kevin to afford the luxury. The only exnation was that Leena bought these clothes with her own money. But how could Leena afford all of these? She was only a frencer and should not have such a high sry. Where did she get so much money from?


    "Why should I pinch you? Do you like getting hurt?" Louisa asked her weakly. Truthfully, she was surprised too. Unlike ire, she wasn''t interested in high-end clothes, but the fact that Leena''s and Kevin''s clothes were hung up side by side. Such intimacy made her feel jealous enough. Lou¨ªsa had the sudden impulse to destroy the wardrobe, tear Leena''s clothes into pieces and hang her own clothes there instead.


    "No! Of course I don''t like getting hurt. I am just shocked to see such fashionable clothes. All of these are high-end, not just one or two of them. They are all from famous designers. And all are very expensive!" ire still could not believe her eyes. This must be a mistake. She must be inside of a dream right now.


    "What are you two doing here?" A harsh voice suddenly sounded. ire and Louisa, who were still in shock at seeing the wardrobe, were shocked again.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Hi, Kevin. You''re back," Louisa responded faintly, dropping her head. She felt embarrassed at being caught by him for a second time. She wished she could dig a hole right there and hide in it. Her face turned pale, and she didn''t know how to exin herself out of this situation. "Kevin, I am sorry! I just wanted to see if there is any evening dress in Leena''s wardrobe appropriate for me. I asked Louisa to help me select one, and that''s why we are here." Although ire was a bit dull when it came to most things, she made a good excuse this time. "Why are you looking for a dress? Did you ask your sister-inw for permission before you barged in here?" Kevin cast Louisa a cold nce. He didn''t expect to see her here. Leena didn''t tell him about hering today when he was downstairs. "Louisa asked me to go to a friend''s party with her! So, of course, I must wear an evening dress. She asked me when we were already upstairs, so I didn''t have the chance to get Leena''s permission." ire kept rubbing her feet together, fearing that her elder brother would find out that she was lying.


    "ire, that''s all right this time. But next time, I hope you can get Leena''s approval before touching her things. You need to learn how to respect others!" Kevin took off his military coat and threw it on the bed casually. He never paid much attention to Leena''s clothes or ever asked her their cost, but based on his understanding of her, he knew her clothes were branded and very expensive.


    "Oh, yes. I see. Uh, we should go downstairs." ire stuck out her tongue behind his back. Fortunately, Kevin was in good mood today and did not scold her too much. She had better run away before he changed his mind.


    "Yes. Go downstairs and help Leena for a while. You have grown up now. Why are you still so immature?" Kevin frowned and picked up the briefcase he just put down. Due to the week-long vacation, he had a lot of pending work to do. A lot of documents needed to be reviewed. Although he spent all his time working on them today, he could not finish them all. So he brought the documents home. Fortunately, these were not confidential documents so he could bring them home with him. He did not need to stay at the army base all evening to work on them.


    As soon as ire and Louisa got Kevin''s approval, they rushed out of the room. They didn''t want him to change his mind at thest second. He was so serious in his manner and his voice that few people could stand fearlessly before him. Louisa and ire did not want to experience such pressure again.000000

 Chapter 1098 Sneaking Into Leenas Bedroom (Part Three)

    "My God. I was so scared!" They ran downstairs. ire kept patting her chest, sighing in relief. Her heart was pounding hard but she pretended to be calm.


    "Are you kidding? What was there to be scared of? We just went in and had a look. We didn''t do anything bad!" Louisa''s lips curled, disying her indifference to ire''s panic. She too had been very nervous, but she would never reveal such a thing to ire. After all, she was the daughter of Kevin''s superior. How could she be afraid of Kevin? "That''s true, but didn''t you notice how terrifying my brother was? Fortunately, I was fast enough toe up with an exnation. Otherwise, we would still be inside, being scolded by him at this moment!" ire picked up the cup on the coffee table and took a gulp of water, trying to calm herself. Louisa did not know about Kevin''s temper. It was easy for her to have such an idea, but ire was very familiar with her brother''s temper. How could it be possible for her to be calm and collected under his gaze?


    "We didn''t get caught. I don''t think there''s anything to be worried about now." Louisa pretended to be unconcerned andposed. But like ire, she picked up the cup too and swallowed the cold water, aying her fears.


    "What''s up? You both seem to be in a state of shock. What happened?" Leena came out of the kitchen and asked curiously when she saw their nervous faces. She had been cooking in the kitchen and hadn''t noticed where they had gone to. As long as they didn''t spend their time finding faults in her, Leena didn''t care much about where they went and what they did.


    "Huh? Oh my god. You scare me! Why didn''t you make any sound when you showed up?" ire said, rolling her eyes. Her tone held no respect for Leena. She felt that her fright which had been pressed down just now came out and took her breath again.


    "I did make sound. You must have been too focused on your thoughts and didn''t hear me. Anyway, dinner is ready. Go upstairs and ask Kevin toe down for dinner, okay?" Leena had no interest in ire''s affairs. When she saw that ire had no intention to tell her what was up with them, she did not ask again. Leena turned back to the kitchen and took out the dishes.


    "Oh my god! I can''t believe her. She thinks I''m her servant. She even asks me to do this!" ire bit her lower lip furiously. But what else could she do? Since Leena had ordered her to do so, she could only run upstairs once again. Her big brother was still in his room. ire didn''t want to know how Kevin would scold her if she didn''t follow Leena''s instruction on this small task.


    Louisa did not say anything. She nced at the delicious dishes on the dining table. These were all made by Leena. She felt that she was defeated by Leena in this respect too. After all, Louisa did not know how to cook. She didn''t even know how to fry eggs. This acknowledgment of herck of skills made her unhappy. She did not want to guess how much Kevin would appreciate and enjoy these dishester. Louisa was stuck in her thoughts, calcting her next move. ''I must do something,'' she thought to herself. What can I do to turn things around? I don''t want to see them so happy together.''


    Opportunities often presented themselves to those who were well prepared. Unfortunately, this also applied to those who wanted to do bad things. As Louisa pondered on what to do next, she caught sight of the big bottle of vinegar resting on the table. She lifted her head and looked around cautiously. Ensuring that nobody noticed her, she quietly walked over to the table, opened the bottle and poured the vinegar onto the dishes. Afterward, she ran back to the sofa and sat, her heart drumming.


    "What''s wrong with you, Louisa? You are sweating." ire walked down briskly before Louisa had the opportunity to calm her nerves. ire had a puzzled look on her face. Louisa''s nose was shining with sweat.This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    "Uh. I just drank a ss of warm water. That''s why I feel hot," Louisa answered and fanned her face with hands as if she really felt hot.


    "Oh! It is time for dinner. Why did you drink so much water?" ire looked at her in confusion. Louisa was behaving oddly.


    "Don''t you know that? I''ve been trying to reduce my weight. Drinking a ss of water right before dinner makes me feel full. And I won''t eat too much." Louisa''s quick lie was very persuasive. She almost convinced herself, and ire believed her too. "Oh, really? I didn''t know about this trick. Maybe I should also drink a cup of water first!" It was true that Louisa was afraid of getting fat, but she also liked eating. It was too easy for her to eat a lot, especially when faced with such delicious dishes.


    "Uh! No. You don''t need to do that. You are not as overweight as I am. I have be much fatter since I came back from abroad, thanks to my mom''s efforts to feed me as much as she could as if I am still a kid," Louisa said, reaching out and pinching the hefty roll of b hanging around her waistband. It was true that she was chubbier than before. Her figure was finepared to most people. However, as opposed to Leena''s slim waist, Louisa''s own was a little plump. The first thing she had noticed when she entered the doors of this house was Leena''s petite figure. That was the very first moment she felt intense jealousy and even a sense of hatred.


    "That''s true. But a certain part of your body is even plumper!" ire eximed loudly, ncing at Louisa''s chest. Her breasts almost popped out of her low-cut and tight top.


    "Stop that, you wicked girl! When did you get so bad?" Louisa said in a delicate voice and covered up her chest with her hands. Her face flushed with embarrassment. The shy look she disyed was very realistic.


    "Hmm. Are you wearing this dress just to let people see you? And it is particr for someone. Am I right?" ire said happily, joking around with Louisa about her intentions to lure Kevin. She didn''t notice her brother''s slowly descending figure.


    "What are you talking about? Don''t make fun of me. You think too much. I am not that kind of girl! I have some self-esteem!" Louisa''s face turned even redder. ire was absolutely correct. Luring Kevin had truly been Louisa''s intention. She was embarrassed that ire saw through her so easily.

 Chapter 1099 Got Caught (Part One)

    "Haha! Louisa, do you dress up this way to seduce my brother?" ire started to tease Louisa upon seeing the odd expression on Louisa''s face. However, she missed noticing how Kevin frowned in disapproval after he heard her remarks.


    "No, I don''t. Stop making fun of me," said Louisa with a shy smile. She even bowed her head in an awkward attempt to evade ire''s eyes. It was pathetic since everybody in the house perfectly knew that she wore those expensive and eye-catching clothes to please Kevin. "Don''t be shy, Louisa. Just admit it. A girl will doll up for her lover. My brother isn''t here anyway, so don''t keep your secrets from me," said ire as she giggled. She found it fun to tease Louisa this way and she surely had the time of her life doing it. They were still busy with their little chit-chat when a baritone voice suddenly broke through the air.


    "Are you looking for me?" It was Kevin and he shot Louisa with an uninterested look, then followed it with a short mockingugh. His face expression was dark as he walked to the girls who were exchanging friendly banters. He shook his head and then nced across the room. It was evident that the man was not in his best mood.


    "Shoot! Were you nning to scare us to death! Why are you even sneaking in without making any sound? You''re being rude! Do you know that?" yelled ire, who just regained herposure after stepping back in shock. If there was something inmon between Kevin and Leena, that would be the fact that both of them could be scary and annoying sometimes. ire could just feel her life getting shorter every day because of the two.


    "Why should you be scared if you have done nothing wrong?" Kevin answered back before quickly brushing past them. He didn''t intend toplicate things, although he had heard their conversation. He strongly believed that the topic was taboo and shouldn''t be discussed in his house. Thus, he chose to turn a deaf ear to it rather than to argue with them.


    "Kevin, how long have you been standing here?" asked ire She ran after her sibling and was curious if he had heard of their conversation or not.


    "Why are you asking?" Kevin''s eyebrows furrowed in dismay as he turned his head and caught sight of Leena and the dining table. There were a lot of delicious dishes set on it and the view alone stirred his emotions. There was no doubt that Leena had exhausted herself just to prepare a fancy dinner to please her sister-inw.


    "I want to know. Come on. Tell me. Did you hear our conversation or not?" It was her brother''s silence that made ire nervous as she looked at him. Kevin''s forcedposure and fake calmness could be terrifying. She knew that her brother was feeling something deep inside him now and she couldn''t stop getting scared about it.


    "What do you think?" Another mocking tone came from Kevin. He walked past his sister and then went straight to Leena. He took the dish from her hands and set it on the table carefully.


    "I don''t know, that''s why I need an answer from you." ire sounded like a grumpy child before she took a seat at the dining table and watched her brother in sullen silence.


    "Let''s eat. Don''t bother yourself with so many problems. Trust me, it''ll do you no good." Kevin pulled out a chair for Leena and asked her to sit.


    "Miss Ye, please take a seat and make yourself at home," said Leena amiably with her cheeks blushing in scarlet. Her heartbeat doubled when Kevin disyed his fondness for her despite the presence of his sister and wooer.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "Yeah! Thank you, you''re so nice." On the other hand, Louisa felt frustrated with the scene. She hesitated if she should take a seat or not. Like re, she was afraid that Kevin had overheard their indiscreet conversation just moments ago.


    "Louisa, please sit next to me." ire put on a sulky face and was in no mood to entertain her guest anymore. It was only after Leena called Louisa that she remembered her friend and hurriedly asked her to sit.


    "Alright." Louisa came to upy the seat next to ire. Hesitation was cruising her nerves. She was feeling both guilty and anxious, although she had already looked forward to what would happen next.


    "Honey, you shouldn''t have tired yourself for this," said Kevin in concern. His eyes were filled with tenderness and passion as he stared at Leena. It wasn''t usual for him to disy his affection to his wife this way in the presence of others.


    "It''s my duty as a wife and the hostess of this house. I''m fine. It is you who had a long day working though, you should have a good rest and eat some nice foods. "The warmth of Kevin''s stare was unbearable and it made Leena look away. She discretely nced at the twodies sitting with them and saw the unexpected frowns and displeasure on their faces.


    "Stop disgusting us. Have you realized that you two aren''t alone in this room?" It was ire who wasn''t able to help herself from talking. She pursed her lips in distaste. She picked a piece of grilled pork chop and put it in her bowl. The food tasted strange but was still tolerable. She thought that Leena''s cooking skills weren''t as good as she thought. She probably just needed time to get ustomed to the foods Leena cooked.


    "Stop it, ire. Keep your mouth shut and eat." Kevin shot an angry nce at ire before he curiously turned to Leena. Did she intentionally add too much vinegar into the Kung Pao Chicken? Why? Was this his wife''s silent way of showing how pissed off she was with Louisa and ire? He was torn between wanting tough and wanting to ask, but then chose to keep himself silent. He would not bring such a topic before the twodies with them, as that would surelyplicate things and embarrass his wife.


    "Why are you staring at me?" Leena touched her face unconsciously. She was puzzled and thought that she had something smeared on her since she was cooking in the kitchen earlier.00000000000000

 Chapter 1100 Got Caught (Part Two)

    "Well, forget it. Let''s eat." Kevin switched dishes and put the Kung Pao Chicken in front of him. It was his silent way to save Leena from eating a strangely sour dish. "What the hell? Leena, what have you done? All these dishes taste sour and strange!" shouted ire after spitting out her food. She glowered at Leena disapprovingly.


    "Er? How can it be? Let me have a taste of them," said Leena in surprise. She put some food in her mouth, chewed it, and then just like what ire did, spat it out. She raised her head confusedly and was at loss of what to do.


    "You can''t even swallow it, can you? It''s reasonable to me you this time." ire felt ted as she could finally point out Leena''s fault to her brother.


    "It''s weird. How could this happen? I didn''t add mature vinegar to any of those dishes, as far as I can remember." It was then that Leena turned her attention to the other dishes. She was suddenly curious if all the other dishes had the same sour vor.


    "You should ask yourself. Are you ying tricks on us?" questioned ire relentlessly. She dropped her chopsticks on the table and decided not to torture herself by eating this awful food. She had only tasted two dishes but both of them were awful to eat. How could Leena deliberately mess their dinner this way in front of her husband, sister-inw, and guest? Did she do this on purpose?


    "ire, watch your mouth! You''re in no position to judge my wife!" Kevin''s palm hit the table and made everything on it shake. He had been holding on his patience for so long and decided that he had enough. "Apologize to her," demanded Kevin sternly between gritted teeth. He didn''t believe that Leena deliberately cooked some awful food. Leena was too kind-hearted and reasonable to do that!


    "How could those dishes taste sour? I didn''t use mature vinegar at all. I don''t even know what''s wrong?" Leena looked at Kevin anxiously. She could have admitted the error if not all of the foods were messed up. She wasn''t perfect and probably could have used too much vinegar on some foods by mistake. It was different though since the problem happened with everything. Had she lost her mind while cooking?


    "Does every dish taste the same?" Kevin was also confused. Thus, he picked his chopstick up and tasted everything. Goodness! All those dishes seriously tasted the same.


    "Now, you know I told the truth. And I don''t get Leena wrong," said ire matter-and-factly. The hurt expression on her face was so obvious as she thought that her brother deemed her wrong again by unconditionally defending his wife.


    "Something must be wrong. I know Leena''s good at cooking," said Kevin in a calmer tone. He looked around and saw a bottle of mature vinegar just right on the table. Now that got him thinking.


    "I''m really sorry. I don''t know what''s wrong, but please don''t eat those awful dishes. Fortunately, other foods taste good," said Leena apologetically as she face-palmed. She had attended cooking lessons and learned from the best chefs. She wasn''t supposed to make such a foolish mistake. It was a few seconds more when she realized that something fishy was going on. It was just that she couldn''t figure out what it was.


    "Leena, did you leave this bottle of mature vinegar on the table because of the steamed dumplings we ate this morning?" asked Kevin curiously. He remembered going out that morning and buying steamed dumplings for breakfast. It was the only reason he could think of as to why the vinegar bottle was on their table. Nheless, shouldn''t it stay in their kitchen cupboard rather than stand there?Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "Yeah! You''re right. I was in a hurry to go out this morning and didn''t clear the table. I forgot to put the vinegar back in the cupboard. I would not notice this if you didn''t mention. If this bottle is on the dining table all day and I cooked in the kitchen, why do my dishes taste of mature vinegar?" Leena tilted her head and started to think.


    "That''s a very interesting point. If you didn''t add mature vinegar to your food, then somebody else must have done that." Kevin turned to scan ire''s face. There should be something in there that would give her mischief away.


    "Hey, why are you staring at me? Do you really think that I was that bored to spoil our dinner? It does me no good, right? I need food to fill my belly, otherwise, I''m gonna starve." ire felt her need to exin under her brother''spelling stare. His eyes were pressuring her and she couldn''t help but feel embarrassed.


    "Kevin, ire''s right. Are you suspecting us? We were talking upstairs before the dinner was ready." Louisa came to rescue ire by emphasizing the word "we". She meant to stress that they were together all the time. If ire was innocent, so was she.


    "I''m not using you of tampering with Leena''s efforts in cooking. It makes me wonder why you''re so eager to defend yourself though." Kevin might be ignorant of what exactly happened in the room, nheless, it didn''t mean that he didn''t know who was behind the act. It was obviously either ire or Louisa who made the scheme. The only thing unclear to him though was if they did this together.


    "We wouldn''t have to exin ourselves if you hadn''t stared at us that way. You would do exactly what we did if you were charged with something you didn''t do," ire fumed beforeughing ironically. "We aren''t that different, right?" She even added. It was clear to her that his brother had been suspecting her of nning everything negative against Leena. It was natural since she and Leena never really got along with each other the whole time. She might be considered as a mean person who went as far as getting Leena embarrassed before their guest. However, as ill-mannered and self-centered as she was, she would never spoil their dinner and waste food.


    "Forget it, Kevin. I might have been confused in the kitchen. It was surely my fault. There''s no need to me others now, okay? Now let''s remove those awful dishes from the table and eat others. Anyway, I''m just going to throw those dishes away." Leena stood up immediately after she said those words. It was a pity that she had been busy cooking those dishes for the family and for the guest. She was already holding one of the tes when a warm hand suddenly stopped her.


    "Don''t do that, darling. They''re sour but not that bad. I''ll eat them." Kevin gestured her to sit down. He intended to find out whomitted this mischief as there was no way he would let this pass. It was fine for people to make jokes but to do something dirty to their food was unforgivable.

 Chapter 1101 Got Caught (Part Three)

    "I don''t like sour vors. You can eat all of them if you like them, Kevin," said ire grudgingly. To be honest, even ire found this whole thing weird. She saw the vinegar on the dining table in the morning and believed what Leena had said. If that was so, then who could be making this trouble and causing this farce? She could bet her bottom dor that it wasn''t Kevin as his brother would never do such to any of his family. Now didn''t that just iste Louisa as the suspect? She had every reason to embarrass Leena in front of people. However, Louisa had been with her all the time since she came to the house. It was very unlikely that Louisa did this to set Leena up. Was there anybody else in this house? The thought made ire shudder. There couldn''t be a ghost that was lingering and strolling in the house while they were in the kitchen! "Stop! Your brother has stomach problems. He will surely have a terrible stomach ache if he eats them all." Leena hadn''t forgotten what Lee told her about Kevin''s health. Thus, she stood up again and took those awful dishes away even before Kevin could react. "Louisa, take your time. We have got enough food in the kitchen. Look at you, the sauce has spoiled your clothes," said Kevin. It was then that Kevin looked at Louisa with a wicked grin on his face. Although his sister was self-willed and was more than eager to confront Leena in front of guests, she wouldn''t have the nerve to spoil their dinner. It made the perpetrator behind this case so obvious.


    "Heh! Louisa, why are you so careless? Your dress is white. White clothes get stained easily and are hard to clean. You know that, right?" Hearing his brother''s address to Louisa, ire also turned to look at her and saw the ck stains on thedy''s cuff.


    "I know. It''s fine. I can take it to a dry-cleaning shop. Don''t worry." Now that made Louisa silently panic on her seat as it was only then that she noticed the stain too. It was clear that the stain was more like soy sauce and it just gave away what she did. Her eyes widened upon realizing what Kevin''s word meant. He had been suspecting her! The thought made her sweat a bit. She couldn''t believe that her ns back-fired on her face. Instead of ying on Leena, she had made a fool out of herself! Worse, Kevin was now looking at her as if her integrity had just melted away.


    Kevin smiled inwardly. He had been tolerating Louisa''s attitude all the time as she was the Commander''s spoiled daughter. However, he had never expected her to be so ungrateful and to even go further. Who would have thought that she would be willing to spoil their dinner just to upset Leena? It wouldn''t be a surprise anymore if she dared to poison them someday. Anyway, he had enough. He wouldn''t be indulgent towards Louisa''s attitude anymore.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Should I cook more? I promise I won''t make mistakes again." It was Leena''s apologetic voice that broke through Kevin''s thoughts. As kind-hearted as she was, she didn''t even think that it was Louisa who framed her up.


    "No need to do that. Sweetie. You have done enough tonight. Sit down and eat," said Kevin reassuringly as he prevented Leena from going back to the kitchen. He couldn''t bear to see his wife as tired as this. He had seen her cleaning their house alone even before dinner. He knew that all the chores were done by Leena on her own and she neverined. He felt sorry for his wife.


    "Yeah! We''re not hungry. The food on the table is quite enough for the four of us." It was rare for ire to stand up for Leena. She might have said that grudgingly, nheless, she was actually saving Leena''s face before Louisa.


    The dinner mishap was thest trouble Louisa had the chance to make for that night. She was ufortable the whole time as she caught Kevin shooting her contemptuous and angry nces from time to time. It was evident that he had already guessed that she had done it and it made the food she was eating taste like guilt.


    As usual, Kevin volunteered to clear the table after dinner. It was a shock to everyone when he suddenly volunteered to walk Louisa out of their houseter on. It made Leena and ire puzzle out of their wits as Kevin had remained cold and indifferent to Louisa the rest of the night.


    On the other hand, Louisa was panic-stricken. She felt that Kevin surely would do something to her on the way out. There was no other reason for him to be so friendly all of a sudden. Nheless, she was left with no choice, thus, she ended up walking behind him. "Don''t you want to say anything to me?" The atmosphere suddenly turned tensed as soon as they stepped out of the house. Kevin was instantly glowering at Louisa as if he was a cat cornering a rat. It was his choice not to expose this woman''s trick back there as she was one of his sister''s best friends. ire would feel hurt and embarrassed if he chose to burst in there. It was the reason why Kevin had to have a private conversation with this unbelievingly wicked woman outside his house.


    "Kevin, what are you referring to? I''m getting confused," asked Louisa guiltily. Her face darkened, although she still pretended to be innocent of what Kevin was talking about.


    "Louisa, I know you''re smart and you know exactly what I mean. To be honest, I''m disappointed at you and I feel sorry for your father. He deserves having a better daughter since he''s a man of integrity and honesty." Kevin sighed. He had always been respecting the Commander. In the past years, the Commander was more like a father to Kevin than a leader of military force. Even Daisy felt the same way to the Commander. After all, both of them had won numerous glories under his leadership.???????????

 Chapter 1102 Ruthless (Part One)

    "Kevin, this all has to be a big misunderstanding. What are you saying?" Louisa panicked, and avoided his gaze. She knew that Kevin had her dead to rights. But she hadn''t thought that he''d be so brazen as to directly use her. It caught her totally off-guard. She was at a loss for words.


    "I didn''t say anything before out of respect for ire. I don''t want to hurt her feelings just because you did something wrong. So, now that I have you alone, I''m going to tell you straight up. No matter what, you and ire are besties, right?" Kevin gazed deeply into Louisa''s eyes, forcing her to face him. "Kevin, I''m confused! What do you mean?" Embarrassed, Louisa turned her head away and quickened her pace. She wanted to run away. She didn''t want him to notice the panic on her face.


    "The food was pretty bad tonight. I have a feeling that was your doing." Louisa seemed to have no concept of what she did, or worse, not care. So Kevin was blunt. He didn''t give a damn how she felt.


    "How could you say that? Kevin, I know you don''t like me, but why are you using me of doing something like that? What kind of girl do you think I am?" Louisa stared at Kevin with sad eyes. She was humiliated by his bluntness, by his aggressive manner. There was no way she was weaseling out of this.


    "I think you know the answer to all of that. Do you even feel bad about what you did?" This time, she faced him and met his gaze. In her mind, she did nothing wrong. So why should she feel bad?


    "Why don''t you ask Leena? Maybe she did it intentionally. It''s obvious she wanted to frame me." Louisa raised her chin in defiance. Yeah, she knew she did it. And yes, she felt a pang of guilt here and there. But seeing Kevin so angry, ande down on her like that, it hurt. It hurt that he thought so little of her that he woulde to that conclusion. It hurt that he would side with Leena over her. It hurt that the man she loved would treat her this way. It just added insult to injury.


    "Why would you even say that? How stupid do you think I am? She spent hours preparing those dishes, so why on earth would she mess them all up? You know, if you owned up to it and showed an ounce of guilt, I might have let it go. But you didn''t. I''ve wasted too much time on you already. You make me sick." Kevin closed his eyes in disgust. He couldn''t actually do anything to her, just because her father was themander. But he found her really repulsive now.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Kevin, are you so sure I did it?" Louisa bit her lip, her eyes reddened in sadness. She did do it, but his using tone, his anger... both of these really hurt her deeply.


    "I think you know the answer to that one too. And I don''t want to ever see you in my house again. Don''te around here anymore. You won''t be invited back." The words tumbled out of his mind and fell from his mouth, sounding cold and indifferent. His eyes were cold, his jaw firm, his tone emotionless.


    "Why? What did I do that was so wrong? Is it because I like you? So you just take my love and throw it away like so much trash?" Louisa backed up a few steps, and looked at him in disbelief. How could he be so ruthless, so cruel?


    "You only love hurting other people, so your love is worthless to me. I''ve told you over and over that I''m not the man for you. I love Leena, and no one else. Besides, your kind of love is what I''ve been avoiding my whole life. I didn''t need it then, and I don''t need it now. It''s toxic." This was ssic Kevin. When he was kind, he''d cave easily, and let you in. But if you crossed the line, God help you.


    "But what about Leena? Is she a sweet poison to you?" Louisa asked sharply, tears forming in her eyes. Since he bluntly refused her, why should she hide how she really felt?


    "You are wrong. Leena''s love is far from poison, it''s a healing love. A selfless sacrifice. You aren''t even in the same league as her." Kevin didn''t soften his heart because of her puppy-dog eyes. He knew how to deal with someone like Louisa. If he wasn''t absolutely tough on her, if he didn''t keep rejecting her firmly, she wouldn''t get the message. She''d still think she had a chance with him.


    "Is she really so good to you? So good that you''ll trash me for her? If it''s just because she''s hot, well, I don''t think she is hotter than me. And I am from a much better family than she is. My dad can help you get ahead." Tears streamed down Louisa''s face. She couldn''t hold them back. Kevin had hurt her, and so there was no shame in letting him know.


    "Get a grip. Marriage isn''t based on shallow things like appearance and power. At least, my marriage isn''t." Kevin put his hands on her shoulders. He really had the urge to shake her. Maybe her brains would roll around in her skull andnd right this time. She was too caught up in her own head.


    "Isn''t it? All guys are like this. Don''t they want power more than anything?" Louisa bit her lip and gazed at Kevin firmly with her watery eyes. She had nothing left.


    "I don''t know what other guys think about power. But to me, power isn''t everything. I''d rather have a happy family than all the power in the world. Get it now?" Kevin released her and shifted his eyes away from her. He looked off in the distance rather helplessly. He was overwhelmed by how callously she thought of love.

 Chapter 1103 Ruthless (Part Two)

    "No, I don''t get it. You and I were a thing before she butted in. So how did she just suddenly pop into your life? You don''t really love her, right? You aren''t thinking right. It is only lust. Lust isn''t forever, but love is. So why can''t we be together?" Louisa got very emotional and started talking quite loudly. Fortunately, the nearest neighbor was not near at all and out of earshot, otherwise she would have caused quite the stir. Wealth had its privileges, and privacy was one of them.


    "First of all, you and I were never ''a thing.'' And who told you I don''t love her? If I didn''t love her, why would I marry her? I''m not in the habit of marrying women I don''t love." Kevin furrowed his brows. Did he look like he didn''t care about Leena? Why would Louisa even think that? Kevin wondered.


    "No one told me! It''s totally obvious to everyone." Louisa snuffed up, trying to keep her nose from running. She would never tell him how she found out the real story of their marriage -- her father told her.


    "I''d praise your sleuthing skills, but you got it wrong this time. Sorry to burst your bubble, but we really love each other. As for lust, you''re way off on that one, too," Kevin said, without any trace of guilt. He said it like it were really true. And who knew? Maybe it was starting to actually be the truth. Certainly he didn''t know exactly what he felt, but he had a sneaking suspicion that it was love.


    "How? No, it can''t be true. You''re lying to me, right? You''re just saying this to make me give up on you." Louisa shook her head. She couldn''t believe what Kevin said was true. In that case, she really had no chance to win his heart.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "Lying to you? Why would I lie? Even if she wasn''t in the picture, you wouldn''t be, either." Kevin narrowed his eyes and looked at her with contempt and scorn. He hoped that she really took his words to heart. He didn''t want to have to blow her off again. It was trying his patience.


    "Why? Do you think I''m a really horrible person?" Louisa sniffed again. She felt deeply hurt by his indifferent manner and blunt words.


    "I don''t believe I stuttered. I said what I wanted to say. You''re not my type. So don''t stick your nose in where you''re not wanted. I think your father would be really interested in what you''ve been up to. And don''t even think about getting between ire and Leena. It won''t end well if I find you do that." Kevin looked away, seeming resolute. He knew if he wasn''t harsh to her, Leena would get hurt. He needed to cut ties with Louisa before things went too far, as things hadn''t already gotten way out of hand.


    "Are you sure there''s no chance for us? I''m more your type than Leena ever could be." Louisa didn''t want to give up. Kevin was the ultimate man to her, so she was determined to have him. She couldn''t let go so easily.


    "I''m sorry. I''ve given all my heart to the woman I love. There''s no way you''re better for me than she is." Kevin softened his tone when he mentioned Leena. Her lovely smiling face appeared in his mind. It made him feel at ease and loved.


    "So why did you give me this ne? Wasn''t it a sign to express your special feelings for me?" Louisa said, clutching at the ne around her neck. She purposely wore the ne today to show off in front of Leena. But to her surprise, Leena didn''t even look at her, let alone notice the ne.


    "Are you high right now? It''s just ate birthday gift. I promised I''d get you a present, and I did. Don''t write anything more into it than that." If he had known the gift would cause all this grief, he never would have given it to her. This was his mistake, he realized.


    "Haha! You''re lying to me right now, aren''t you? You do care for me. But you''re lying to me and yourself right now." Louisa seemed hysterical. She couldn''t ept the truth -- Kevin didn''t love her at all.


    "Whatever gets you through the day, I can''t tell you what to think about that. But I''m done talking. Stop pestering me, because it''s unfair to my wife." Kevin''s gaze again rested on her, and he looked her straight in the eye. There was a hint of warning there, something Louisa had to take seriously. She had gotten in the way of their peaceful marriage.


    "But have you thought of me? Is it fair to me?" Even though Kevin was being so cruel and direct now, Louisa still wasn''t willing to leave. But she felt that something had been damaged between her and Kevin, and that they weren''t as close as they once were. "Frankly, I don''t care whether it''s fair to you. We''re done. Do yourself a favor and behave. Be careful on the way back. Bye!" With an air of finality, he spun around and entered the elevator. He pressed the up button and didn''t even look her way as the doors closed, hiding him from view. Her hope was broken in that moment.


    Louisa never imagined he would leave like that. She leaned against the car and copsed to the ground. Tears welled in her eyes. She looked at the doors of the elevator close with her blurred eyes, but she had no strength to catch up to him. She could only cry helplessly.000000

 Chapter 1104 Ruthless (Part Three)

    She wiped her tears with the back of her hand. Needless to say, her delicate makeup was already ruined and smeared. But that didn''t matter to her now. The man she wanted to please just abandoned her and left her alone. What else would she care about? Although Leena''s eyes were fixed on the screen of the television, her mind wandered. She wasn''t paying attention to what shows were on. She was still thinking about Kevin''s strange behavior, seeing Louisa off. She''d be fidgety and wondering until Kevin came back. Leena knew very well what Louisa was doing with the ne, and Louisa even tried to rub it in her face. Though she was quite pissed, she pushed her feelings away and hid them inside, pretending as if nothing happened. She made a point of ignoring the delicate ne on Louisa''s neck, because she didn''t want to fall into her trap and let Louisa string her along.


    "Oh! Leena, you okay? I''ve been calling your name. Did you hear me?" ire shouted, rather displeased. If the remote control weren''t in Leena''s hand, she wouldn''t have asked.


    "Uh, ire. You called me? What''s up?" ire''s shouting ripped Leena from her reverie. She turned to face her, confusion lining her pretty features.


    "What''s up?" repeated ire, feeling strange that she would ask. "You''re driving me nuts, that''s what''s up. What are you even trying to do? You keep changing channels all the time. Can''t you just settle on one show? If not, hand me the remote." ire stared at her. She didn''t like watching TV much, and all the good TV shows were online anyway. Still, it was annoying to watch Leena just endlessly flipping channels.


    "Oh! I''m sorry. I was just lost in thought. Here you are. You keep the remote and we''ll watch what you want." Feeling embarrassed, Leena handed the little box to ire. But her mind still lingered on Kevin and Louisa.


    "Let me guess. You''re afraid something might happen between my brother and Louisa, right?" ire suddenly became very interested in this topic. She rested her chin on her hands and looked at Leena curiously, as if thinking deeply about something.


    "Huh! Afraid? You know your brother better than I do. Does he seem like the kind of guy who would do something behind my back?" Leena asked, her tone sounding a little weak. True, she believed Kevin. But it was Louisa that made her uneasy. Leena knew too well what she wanted, and so did Kevin. So there should be some cause for concern. She remembered what happened to Edward and Duke. Love triangles never ended well for everyone.


    ireughed, but there was no mirth in it. It was a hateful sound. "Don''t pretend that you don''t care. I can practically read your mind, you know? You''re worried that Louisa would snatch my brother away from you. But you have every reason to be worried. My friend seems to be really infatuated with Kevin, and may stop at nothing to get him. Once she sets her mind to something, she can be really persistent. She''s really a little heartbreaker." ire didn''t bother to hide Louisa''s interest in Kevin. It was obvious to anyone with half a brain. Louisa would do everything in her power to seduce Kevin. And there was no one who could stop her.This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    "There''s a saying, ire, ''If you love something, set it free. If ites back, it is meant to be yours.'' If ire seeds in prying us apart, then it only proves one thing, that he never belonged to me in the first ce. I don''t think I''ll shed any tears over that." Leena smiled bitterly. If Kevin really couldn''t resist temptation or submitted to Louisa''s embrace, she would never feel sad about that. She would only me herself for not knowing who Kevin really was.


    "Huh! Of course you don''t care, because it hasn''t happened yet. But when it does, I''d pay money to see if you''re so calm about it." ire was really beside herself. She didn''t believe that Leena would really be so matter-of-fact about a breakup.


    "You''re right. It hasn''t happened yet. So why should I feel nervous?" Leena raised her eyebrows andughed. Talking about it with ire made her feel so much better. She cheered up instantly. Like what she said to ire, what was meant to be was meant to be, and no one could change that. Kevin was hers, so why should she be sad? A cheater didn''t deserve to be with her, and wasn''t even qualified to carry her shoes. But Kevin wasn''t like that. He was a good and true man, and Leena had seen it this time and again. She trusted her gut.


    "Well, I think you''re just fooling yourself. Kevin is not yours. No matter what, just wait and see." ire shed a smug smile, having no qualms about poking fun at Leena. She''d make fun of anyone, especially Leena.


    "Listen, I''ve given up hope of us being friends. But at least stop throwing Kevin and Louisa in my face. It''s annoying. Kevin won''t betray me, but it hurts when you talk like that." Leena frowned. She let ire get away with a lot, but she just kept it going. ''Why can''t we just get along?'' Leena wondered.


    "Hurt or sad, that''s your own business. I just don''t want you as a sister-inw," ire sneered in contempt. She always got the me for everything after Leena came along. If she didn''t get in trouble with her mom and brother so much, ire might be more epting. But when she got in trouble, it had something to do with Leena. It was always Leena, Leena, Leena. ''Poor girl, sorry I can''t justugh it off, ''thought ire.

 Chapter 1105 A Heart-to-Heart Talk (Part One)

    "I don''t understand, ire. Did I offend you? Why do you hate me so much? I may be a bit quick-tempered but I''m not difficult to get along with." As the saying goes, a harmonious family can lead to the sess of everything. Leena thought that she had to get along with her sister-inw since she already married Kevin. She was now officially a member of his family. She perfectly knew that ire was against her. Nheless, she didn''t expect her sarcasm to be so irritating.


    "Ugh, why? I don''t know why. Actually, I also want to know why. Maybe I just don''t like you naturally," sneered ire. She was the apple of her family''s eyes and they humored her even if she seemed unreasonable. It was the reason why she grew up to be so stroppy. However, Leena had been repeatedly frustrating her since she came into their family. How could she have a good opinion of Leena in that case?This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    "All right. Forget about it. I''ll go upstairs," Leena said as she stood up. She had been idle for days, so she had umted some piles of work. The first thing for her to do was to check on her mailbox as there might be some urgent emails pending there right now. "Do as you like. We are so different from each other anyway." ire waved her hand slowly as if she was just fanning away flies. It was more than clear that she disliked Leena and that she didn''t want to stay with her at all.


    Although Leena knew that ire had developed this hobby of throwing sarcasms at her, she still couldn''t help but scrunch her eyebrows upon hearing what she just said. A sad smile cracked Leena''s lips before she walked upstairs. That was it. She had decided to give up her efforts on making ire like her.


    The conversation between her and ire didn''t end up right. However, warmth still filled Leena''s heart when she opened her working room. How much she missed her things was just unbelievable. Other people might betray her in one way or another but her working room would not. Her working materials would quietly wait for her, no matter whether she was happy or not.


    She turned herptop on and logged into her email. As expected, her mailbox was flooded with unread messages from different people. She decided to start reading from the most important ones to the least until one email caught her attention and mildly surprised her. It was an email from her tutor, Be. ording to the email, she woulde to S City next weekend as she was invited to be one of the judges for the Dream City designpetition. Leena was also being invited but the organizers couldn''t contact her, so they sent their invite through Be instead. It was obvious that thest cocktail party was very sessful and she had emerged as a new star in the international fashion circle.


    Leena continued scanning through her emails when another one caught her attention again. This time, it was Gerard''s. She hesitated for a while whether to open the message or not. In the end, it came to her that they were still friends so she opened it. Her jaw instantly dropped open while she read his message. Gerard said that he was on his way to the airport and he woulde to S City to visit her. Such a type of email from him was what scared her the most. She was guilty of inviting Gerard to S City out of friendliness and kindness but never had she expected for him to take it seriously. She couldn''t believe what a huge mess she identally made! Gerard''s presence would definitely cause additional trouble. Leena quickly checked the time and found that the email was sent today. It meant that Gerard would arrive tomorrow. She unconsciously tapped her forehead out of depression as her mind started to reel thoughts.


    Leena sighed in despair. She thought, ''Is it really possible for me to have run out of good luck? Gerard is a wet smack! I don''t want to have any connection to him. He is even more obnoxious than Edward. He often goes beyond the secr beliefs and acts at will. My credibility will bepromised sooner orter. He just won''t give up on me no matter what! He will definitely stir misunderstanding and finally, Kevin will be mad at me!''


    After a few seconds, Leena was already lying on the floor while staring nkly at the ceiling. Her eyes were wide as her brain continued to drift off. ''How can I avoid meeting Gerard? I can ignore his messages before Bees but I can''t do that after thepetition begins. Gerard and Be are close friends, so they will definitely keep in touch with each other. Gerard must have asked Be where I live and that''s why he is hurrying toe here!


    Oh God! This can''t be more annoying than anything! Can''t anyone tell me how to get out of here so I don''t need to meet him this soon? I shouldn''t have told Be my new address in advance. Now Gerard can find me easily!"


    "Why are you here alone? Where''s Leena?" On the other hand, Kevin asked confusedly upon entering the door. He just came home after seeing Louisa off when he saw his sister sitting alone on the couch.


    "I don''t really know but maybe she is upstairs. By the way, where''s Louisa? Did you send her home?" It was obvious that ire didn''t want to talk about Leena, so she answered differently. On the contrary, it was also evident how interested she was when she mentioned Louisa''s name.

 Chapter 1106 A Heart-to-Heart Talk (Part Two)

    "Yeah. She''s gone home." Kevin spoke hesitatingly. He had no intention of letting his sister know that he got no clue of Louisa''s whereabouts. He had turned around quickly and gone upstairs even before Louisa left. "Did Louisa say anything to you?" ire said carefully as she was afraid to irritate her brother more. She knew that Kevin was already in his worst mood.


    "What do you want her to tell me? Speaking of this, let''s talk about her." Kevin originally nned to go upstairs but suddenly changed his mind upon hearing his sister. He walked back to the couch and sat down.


    "Talk about Louisa? Why? I don''t know anything." What Kevin did automatically disturbed ire. She didn''t know what was inside her brother''s head. His serious face was enough to make her feel uneasy.


    "It seems that we didn''t have any heart-to-heart talk before, right?" Instead of getting straight to the point, Kevin decided to start their conversation by devious questioning. He was staring straight to his sister''s eyes as if he was reading her unruly mind.


    "What''s wrong, Kevin? You''ve changed. You were never an emotional creature. This is not like you at all. If I''m remembering right, you have never talked to me on your own initiative, let alone chatted with me." Puzzled was not even enough to describe ire''s expression. She didn''t even know where Kevin''s opening gambit was leading to. What game was he ying?


    "ire, did you forget that we had a talkst night?" Kevin had to admit that he wasn''t the best brother. His parents were all over ire all the time, so he had always been an isted child. He had confirmed at a young age that his sister never needed his love and he ended up subconsciously ignoring his only sister as the years passed by. Regardless of his existence, ire would still be the beloved daughter of their parents and the object of their elders'' affection because there were only a few girls in their family. The bottom line here was that ire never needed him at all. As the saying goes, a thing is being valued in proportion to its rarity. Wasn''t his sister the best example of it?


    "Was it a talk? I think it was more like a rebuke." ire let out a sarcastic smile as she poured her bitterness out.


    "Was it? I don''t think so. Would you like some tea?" It was then that Kevin stood up and walked to the table where their tea making machine was. He switched it on and ended up scratching his head with embarrassment as realization suddenly hit him. He knew he didn''t care for ire too much. Was he even qualified to be a brother?


    "Sure. Although I don''t like tea, I won''t hesitate to drink it since you make it for me." ire pursed her lips.


    "What are you talking about? Why would you hesitate? It''s tea, not poison, okay? Stop acting like you are going to die after drinking this." A helpless smile cracked Kevin''s lips. Although he couldn''t make tea as skillfully and meticulously as Daisy, the tea he made was good. ire didn''t even need to worry about its taste.


    "Well, let''se back to our story now. What do you want to talk about? You''re suddenly treating me so well and it''s giving me the creeps. If you have anything to say, say it. Don''t beat around the bush." ire thought that Kevin might be up to something as he was behaving quite strangely.


    "As I just said, I want to talk about Louisa. You two have been friends for years. You should know her well." Kevin put the tea set in front of him and looked up at ire. What was she so afraid of? He just wanted to talk with her, right? Was it because she had served the devil and felt guilty?


    "Oh, it turns out that you want to talk about Louisa. What''s wrong? She must have said something to you just now. What''s your opinion?" ire shrank back on the couch in fear that her words might provoke Kevin''s anger. It was obvious that she indeed respected her brother a lot despite her crazy behavior.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "You''ve already known what she said to me, right? I got a question. Who is more important to you, ire? Is it Louisa or me?" Kevin began to soak the tea. He had already thought of sitting with ire and having a heart-to-heart chat with her since they were in the capital city. It was just that he couldn''t find any suitable opportunity for this.


    "It''s obvious. You''re surely more important to me. You''re my brother. How can you evenpare yourself to Louisa who is just my friend?" ire got more confused. She suddenly felt like she was skating on thin ice.


    "One more question. Whose happiness is more important, mine or Louisa''s?" Kevin proceeded systematically at his own pace. He had mentally calcted that he couldn''t talk to ire with undue haste. Instead, he had to approach things patiently and methodologically. "Are you alright, Kevin? Why are you asking me such strange questions?" ire reached for Kevin''s forehead tentatively and found that his cold wasn''t gonepletely. Was it the reason why he was acting like this?


    "I''m okay. Just answer me honestly." Kevin took her hand away and pushed a cup of tea before her.


    "Surely your happiness is more important. Well, I''m sorry. It''s just that you are somewhat abnormal tonight. You keep saying something I don''t understand." ire felt her uneasiness getting worse. Did Louisa go too far and say something to upset Kevin? What he said was quite baffling.0000

 Chapter 1107 A Heart-to-Heart Talk (Part Three)

    "Well, since you think my happiness is more important, don''t you think Louisa''s behavior is destroying my happiness?" Kevinzily sat on the couch and leaned on the backrest. He then turned his gaze on ire.


    thought of it made ire''s eyes light up. She really hoped that they could get married.


    "You mean Louisa? I knew that! She just bared her heart to you again, right? I don''t understand, Kevin. Why don''t you like her? I think she is a perfect match for you. Both of you are children of high-ranking cadres. It''ll be a beautiful and amazing marriage, right?" Just the "ire, it''s just a kind of mood to like someone. To love is a kind of feeling. I don''t have that kind of feeling for her. It''s useless no matter how much I like her. Like you, she is just my sister. I like both of you but it''s not about love. I don''t love her at all. She isn''t the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. Do you understand what I say?" Kevin gave out a scornful smile. He couldn''t believe that his sister really thought that it was best for him to marry the superficial Louisa instead of someone better.


    "You can fall in love with her gradually, right? You used to get along with each other. Isn''t it easy to fall in love?" ire cocked her head to one side. To be honest, she didn''t fully understand what Kevin just said. She was even more confused now than ever. "You''ll know that after you lose your heart to someone. Although affinity can be developed, I have no feelings for Louisa from the very beginning. No matter how long I get along with her, we can only be friends. It is simply impossible for us to develop a romantic rtionship. Plus, I''ve already married Leena and I love her passionately. I can''t imagine myself falling in love with someone else." Kevin resignedly sighed. His confession to his sister made his chest hurt a bit. It was the reason why his words came out so imprably that ire didn''t understand what he just said.


    "Do you mean that Louisa could marry you if you hadn''t married Leena?" ire''s father was strict with her. She was stubborn but she had never been in love. She was inly ignorant when it came to love to the point that she even lost her heart to Rain at first sight. "Why don''t you understand me, ire? I mean, my rtionship with Louisa isn''t dependent on anyone. I just can''t fall in love with her. To make it simpler, I can''t love her, okay? I can''t even if she is thest woman in the world." He face-palmed and then patted his forehead repeatedly. He was already running out of ways to exin things to ire.


    "But Louisa said you had feelings for her before. You even gave her a ne as a gift, right? That was a limited edition ne. You didn''t even give it to your wife, right? You gave it to her, instead. Doesn''t it mean that you like her?" ire pouted her lips confusedly as she bombarded her helpless brother with even more questions.


    "Come on. Is it because of the ne again? It seems that the ne is to me. I wouldn''t have given it to her if I had seen this happening. The situation is just getting worse." Kevin massaged between his eyebrows frustratingly. Was there an easier way to exin the ne to ire? He really didn''t want to repeat things again and again.


    "That''s the truth, right? Louisa said that Leena also knew about it, and that is the reason why she doesn''t like her." ire frowned as she thought of how Louisa said those through one of their casual chats.


    "What? She told your sister-inw about that? When? Before I came back?" Now that got Kevin panicking. He thought that it was just a birthday gift, so he didn''t mention it to Leena. Goodness! Was Leena mistaking him for doing something wrong all along?


    "She has known it back in the capital city. I don''t know the details." ire pouted. In fact, Louisa didn''t tell her everything. She saw Louisa wear the ne today and learned that it was a gift from her brother. She made detailed inquiries to her friend about it and it was when Louisa told her that she had a conversation with Leena back in the capital city. She just wanted to dete Leena but it seemed that it didn''t work at all. So ire began to suspect that Leena married her brother not because of love.


    "How about Leena? How did she react?" Kevin closed his eyes. Damn! How could he be such a bastard? The thought that Leena knew about it but chose to just keep mum and hide everything she felt inside her was making him want to knock his head off. "I don''t know about that. I wasn''t there at that time. Didn''t you tell your wife that you gave Louisa a ne as a gift? My God! You''re toast! Louisa purposely showed off the ne to Leena the whole afternoon before you came back." Kevin lost all his emotions after hearing thest things that ire said. Goodness! What had he done?00000000This is from N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1108 Claires Changes (Part One)

    "Yeah! I''m gonna exin that to her. However, we should talk about my wife right now." Kevin closed his eyes as the mild sadness attacked him. Getting Leena hurt was thest thing he wanted and many had said that ''Prevention is better than cure.'' Thus, It was better for him to learn how to love his wife rather than to repair their rtionship once the damage was done.


    "Leena and I are doing fine together, okay? You see, we have nothing to talk about, Kevin. We just happen to be two different people who are thinking differently from one another," said ire strategically as she made their issue appear smaller. It might have taken ire some time to realize that Leena was the epitome of elegance, calm confidence, and kindness. Only those few people who were good at observing could find these things about Leena. Compared to her sister-inw, ire found herself a nobody.


    "That''s absolutely nonsense. Your perception of Leena is biased. You overlook her good traits andin about the bad. Then you find her impulsive? Why don''t you try to see things from her perspectives? I assure you that you''ll like her. I promise." Kevin couldn''t bear to see Leena getting tired of handling her sister. He hoped to improve their rtionship by solving the problems between the twodies. He couldn''t just take sides as doing so would cause the other harm. He really wanted Leena and ire to get along with each other as that was the only time when he wouldn''t worry about them anymore.


    "Brother, don''t you see that she''s a hypocrite? She''s just good at hiding her true self from others. She is just pretending to be lovely and kind. I hate her already." ire had already been holding grudges against Leena from the beginning. She had always thought that Leena was a hypocrite by nature. Herter observations proved that Leena was never a punching bag. She knew that Leena only did those stunts to gain recognition from Kevin''s family. That was a no-no. To sum it up, ire disliked Leena more and decided to make her life a tough one.


    "ire, speaking of which, I think it''s all my fault. She has given up a lot for me. She stopped being passionate and lovely so she could be what she thinks I want. She has quit being herself to please me and be a qualified wife. I''m the only one who understands her sacrifices. She changed for me. That''s her only fault. Plus, she''s too kind to harm anyone, isn''t she? She has learned how to tolerate all kinds of injustice against her after our marriage. She has coped with you, and learned how to treat a mean and jealous sister-inw with filial respect. I feel sorry for her because I can''t understand what she''s doing all these things for? What''s the point of tolerating her husband''s family when she gets nothing from it in return? ire, you are with her in the same house, but why do you turn a blind eye to all her efforts? Damn you, ire!"Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    Kevin''s lips started to tremble. Sometimes he wondered how Leena couldugh so broadly and happily before her brothers but never showed him the same. After all that was said and done, she might be annoyed with the fact that he had once loved Daisy. In reality, he had been confused as well as he didn''t have any idea that Leena knew about it. However, after all the exnations were given, it appeared that Leena interpreted things wrongly as she thought that he liked Daisy because Daisy was reasonable and calm. Leena had considered those things so much that she went to the extent of giving her lively personality up to make herself look mature. She stopped at nothing just to be called his perfect wife.


    "Kevin, are you telling me that you are hiding some secrets from us?" ire was suddenly curious if she had guessed wrong. Leena being sly and maniptive didn''t mean that she didn''t love Kevin. On the contrary, she loved him so much that she had stopped being an innocent and simple girl. Had shepletely carved herself to secure their love and marriage? God! Did she do it all so she could love him more?


    "No. Of course, I''m not. Just please try to get along with Leena. Do it for the sake of my happiness. She should know that she can still be epted and loved by our family even if she continues to be simple and innocent. You may be proud and arrogant, ire. You see, I know that you''re still a nice girl. You have to be careful of those people that may take advantage of your innocence just to get what they want. I feel nothing for Louisa! Don''t take any other senseless action because more than anything, what you''re doing is hurting me."


    Kevin gazed at her. There was fear in his eyes as he was afraid that his sister might bring him more troubles. He served the army and it was given that military marriages were something unshakable. However, even if he was just a civilian, his taste with women would never change. He would still not like Louisa as her character was too bothersome. She was too mean and jealous! She was thest thing he would like to be entangled with. Only a moron would fall in love with her and he was definitely not one. "Alright. I''ll talk to her calmly if that will make you happy. But brother, how about Louisa? I made a promise that I would help her. Things have changed! I''m sure that she''ll be pissed off once I turn against her." ire might not like Leena much but then her brother''s almost begging voice had sessfully softened her heart. She was willing to swallow her pride for now and find a way to get along with her sister-inw. Perhaps the situation wasn''t as bad as she thought.00

 Chapter 1109 Claires Changes (Part Two)

    "ire, let me give you a piece of advice. There are some things that you should and shouldn''t do. You''re on the wrong side when you do evil things just to help Louisa. You might be morally forgivable. However, considering how Louisa thinks, I''m sure she doesn''t mind sacrificing you just to make herself happy and satisfied. Knowing these things now, do you really think that you should do her more favors?" Kevin said emotionally. The hard lines on his handsome face were obvious and it was easy to tell how serious he was about this matter. "I-I''m so sorry, brother. I hope that my behaviors and attitude haven''t caused you any trouble. To be honest, I know that I can''t force you to love someone else but then I can''t bear to see Louisa''s heart shattering either. I won''t intervene anymore if you don''t like her." ire said that, and then bit her lip lightly. She seemed to be drowned in her thoughts for a moment before she hesitatingly opened her mouth and said, "Kevin, can I ask you a private question?" She needed confirmation from her brother because it would decide whether she should try to ept Leena or not.


    "Go ahead. I''ll answer as honestly as I can," answered Kevin. He felt relieved when he heard ire''s soft voice. He was sure that Leena would never hurt his sister first because Leena was too kind-hearted to do such. Everything would be fine as long as ire stopped making troubles for everyone.


    "This is an extremely simple question. Do you love Leena? Are you happily married, Kevin?" It wasn''t usual for ire to be as serious as she was. Everything Kevin had said today had hit her heart. After all, Kevin was her brother and there were still some times when she listened to him.


    "It''s easy to be happy and contented, ire. A sweet smile or a warm greeting should be enough to lift one''s spirit. Marrying and living with Leena go beyond just those. She makes up the best days of my life. I hope that what I said is enough to make you realize what I''m feeling for her." Kevin didn''t answer his sister''s question straight up. Truth was, he just didn''t know whether he already loved his wife or not. He never had the chance to clear his thoughts and only God knew how confused he was too.


    "I see. Please set your mind at rest. I won''t disappoint you anymore. By the way, I''d like to have a taste of the tea you made. You know, just to test if it''s edible." ire smirked. She wasn''t really as mean as many people thought. After what her brother had said, she had already decided to give her and Leena a chance. It was probably the high time for her to look at their rtionship from a new perspective.


    "That''s right. What about my tea? Is it drinkable?" Kevin gave his sister a warm smile. He knew he had to change his attitudes towards ire. Thisdy was his only sister whom he had a responsibility for after all.


    "Yes! "Not bad. It''s not as awful as I thought." ire was genuinely ttered. She couldn''t remember thest time her brother smiled at her that way. He had always kept a straight face and looked serious after his marriage.


    As a reaction though, Kevin''s smile instantly melted as he gazed at her coldly. He couldn''t believe how fast she returned to her arrogant and stubborn self. Nheless, he knew that something had changed within ire as looking at her felt a lot morefortable than before. He smiled inwardly and thought that ire wasn''t as unforgivable as he thought.


    Meanwhile, Leena was sitting inside her studio as she quickly typed on her keyboard. There was a broad smile on her face and it was easy to tell that she was in her best mood.


    The fact that she was born into a rich and powerful family gained her very few friends. Her only bosom friend was quite scheming. She could still remember how that bosom friend persuaded her to drug Belinda thest time. Fortunately, the result wasn''t bad. Otherwise, Leena would have no clue how to fix the matter up.


    Leena still hadn''t told her single bosom friend that she had married. It was the reason why Leena didn''t dare to tell her anything about her married life nor her husband. She had to find a proper opportunity to make a full confession to that girl. Considering her current situation, it wasn''t the best time to announce any good news to her friend after all.


    "Hey, Devil, do you have time tomorrow? How about going on a blind date with me?" Leena''s friend quickly typed some sentences on herputer and sent them to Leena. Her username was quite domineering. It was called ''Empress''.


    "What? Going on a blind date? How old are you? Easy, girl! Are you afraid that you''ll die as a virgin? But, it makes sense. You''re too fierce-looking to be considered as some man''s wife. Haha!" replied Leena as she also sent her a smiling emoji. Leena also had an intimidating username called ''Devil''.


    "Oh wicked! I''m not that bad! I may not be stunningly beautiful but I''m sure that I am more gorgeous than most girls are, right? There''s no way that those ordinary and boring men will marry me." Leena''s bosom friend replied immediately together with a series of angry emojis. Needless to say, her friend got pissed off.


    "I see. You''re destined to be an empress. Speaking of which, I just realize that you are a perfect match for Tom. Tom''s gentle and restrained while you are warm and bold. Your personalities areplementary! On top of that, he is the owner of a hospital. Marrying him would mean that you are perhaps an empress. Empress of a hospital!" Leena quickly typed a set of smiling emojis on herputer and sent them to her bosom friend. Apparently, she was quite satisfied with her sharp wit.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Are you referring to that quack who''s dealing with dead bodies all day? Oh, dear! Please stop thinking about marriage if he is the one you are referring to. I''m not a fan of self-abuse." Then, the bosom friend sent an extremely scornful emoji which showed her disdain about Leena''s proposal. Leena''s bosom friend had been afraid of those doctors since her childhood. How could Leena even think that she had the nerve to marry one? However, the future was still unknown to everyone. Thus, both of them never had a clue that her bosom friend would be crazy about marrying Doctor Qin in the future!0000????????

 Chapter 1110 Claires Changes (Part Three)

    "Our royal highness, please re-consider my proposal. Tom''s really awesome. It is not bad to have a talented doctor around you all the time. He could even be your personal midwife Doctor in the future!" The more Leena talked about matching Tom and her friend, the more


    she realized that the two were really perfect for each other. It was a pity that these thoughts just crossed her mind now.


    "Fuck off. Should I marry a doctor just to have someone to deliver the child during my childbirth? What if I want to eat some pork chops? Should I marry a butcher too? This is myst warning. Mind your own business and don''t talk nonsense. I refuse to be brainwashed by you!" Those words showed on Leena''sputer screen together with a set of bloody emojis. Leena could just imagine her friend turning green with anger as of this point.


    "Come on! Don''t be ridiculous. I''m just considering your marriage and future. Do you really want to go on blind dates and talk with those strangers? Please worry about yourself. It''s most likely for you toe across a man who would just fuck you and leave you several hourster," said Leena gleefully. Although she had never taken part in any blind date, she did hear of some women being shamelessly taken advantage of by freaks they met. Thus, Leena developed an automatic rejection to blind dating.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "Leaving me after fucking me? That''s not possible. I will beat him to death even before he realizes how bad the consequences of letting me down are. By the way, you haven''t answered my question. Are you going with me or not? I might get too nervous if I''m alone tomorrow. You know that, right?" She sent a pleading emoji to Leena. Thanks to her straight-forward and picky attitude, she really didn''t have anyone else to bug, but Leena alone.


    "Then don''t go! You''re not yet an old maid. Men would fight for your love and kisses, Empress." Leena stopped rmending Tom to her bosom friend after she realized how much her friend hated doctors. Shoot! Why did Tom even end up as a doctor? She couldn''t push her too much now!


    "Going on a blind date isn''t my idea. It was my parents who arranged it. They found it strange and bothersome that I''m still single at my twenties. They think that I''m abnormal because I haven''t had a boyfriend yet and they are getting paranoid that I might die as an old maid!" A set of emojis were sent by Leena''s bosom friend to herputer and Leena automatically understood how desperate her friend was.


    "Oh? Your parents should stay calm. You just graduated from the university. Tell them that you still have a long way to go. I guarantee that you''ll get a husband who loves and respects you in the near future. Tell Uncle and Auntie to rx! My friend, everything is fine." Leena typed those words with several smiling emojis. She sent them confidently to her friend.


    "You know what? You''re right. However, you must stille with me tomorrow. Otherwise, I''m disowning you as my best friend," said Leena''s friend with a threatening emoji. Empress'' request put Leena in a dilemma. Going to a blind date with her bosom friend might produce some bad results for Leena. Kevin would definitely get pissed off once he found about the blind date and he would absolutely quarrel with her about it.


    "I don''t think so. What should I be doing once you and your blind date start to chat? Stand there, do nothing and pretend to be a flower vase? It would be embarrassing for both of us." The situation was too tricky and Leena actually wanted to end this conversation as soon as possible.


    "I got an idea. How about throwing a party where you can get acquainted with more men? That would save us both our faces. Plus, it would give you the chance to find a suitable man to be your husband too." Leena''s eyes went wide in disgust when a lot of smirking emojis appeared on herputer screen. As a married woman, attending a blind date might be considered as a disturbance to military marriage, which was not just taboo but also, inappropriate.


    "Patricia Bai, you''re such an idiot. Do I need to pursue men? I''m too good to do that. Get rid of that ridiculous idea right now or else, I won''t go there with you tomorrow." Looking troubled and depressed, Leena knew that her bosom friend had just started a difficult problem. It seemed that Patricia was endangering her marriage.


    "Alright, no need to throw a party. Anyway, you have already promised that you would go on the blind date with me. We will see each other tomorrow no matter what. You know what would happen if you dare stand me up, right, Devil?" Patricia Bai sent some wickedly smiling emojis to Leena. Although she was born into a family of schrs, apparently she hadn''t inherited that schrly aura from her parents. She was more like a tough girl.


    "I know. I''ll only do you a favor this time. Bear in mind though that this will be thest." Leena let out a hopeless sigh upon sending her message. She told herself that she would just apany her bosom friend for the blind date and there should be nothing wrong with it. She was a married woman who would stay loyal to her husband no matter what. She didn''t think that Kevin would make a big deal of her good intentions even if he found out.


    "Of course, I won''t force you to do it again. Have you forgotten that this blind date is only arranged by my parents? I won''t allow them to do it again. Unless you are looking forward to attending one more blind date. Then, it''s settled. I''ll call you tomorrow. Bye!" Patricia sent an extremely funny picture as if she was a bossy overbearing queen who was leaving.


    "Thank you, your highness!" Leena pretended to kowtow as if to show her respect to Patricia, the queen. It was a few seconds after when another thought suddenly hit Leena and made her speechless for a while. ''What if the man on the blind date falls for me rather than Patricia?'' Although it wasn''t supposed to ur, there was always a possibility for the man to grow more fond of the third wheel rather than the woman he was dating instead. She had always been the apple of men''s eyes whenever she and her friends went out together. She had a consistent record of being the first to be spotted and the first to get chosen by men as well. She knew this situation so well that she ended up doing a facepalm while thinking, ''Heaven help me. Please!''??????????

 Chapter 1111 A Blind Date (Part One)

    "Leena, what''s the matter? Are you sick?" asked Kevin with a look of deep concern marring his features. She wasn''t in the bedroom. So he came upstairs when he saw the light was on in this room. Strangely, she was knocking her head against the keyboard. Why? Did she have a headache? What was going on? "Err... I''m fine. Where''s Miss Ye? Did you send her home already?" Leena asked as she quickly closed the chat window. She didn''t want Kevin to see what was on the screen. It was a private conversation.


    "No, I just sent her downstairs. What are you doing?" He craned his neck to get a better look at theputer screen, but he saw nothing. It was just the desktop, no windows opened. What was she doing up here?


    "I was chatting with a friend for a bit. Do you want some fruits? I''ve got some cut up. I could fetch a te for you," Leena answered, a bit awkwardly. Her face flushed. She was afraid that Kevin would find out her little secret. And that wouldn''t do at all.


    "No, I''m not a big fan of fruit -- you know that. Anything you want to ask me?" Kevin took a seat on the floor, and then met Leena''s gaze. Though he wondered why on earth she would have chosen Korean style for her workshop decor, it wasn''t the right time to ask. He needed to exin something to her.


    "You tell me. Should I ask you anything? Or is there anything you haven''t told me?" she asked. Holding his gaze, she tilted her head.


    "So the ne doesn''t bother you, then?" Kevin pressed his lips together firmly. He thought she would at least ask why he had gotten back sote. But the only thing she asked was whether he''d sent Louisa home, not anything more about his rtionship with the girl. She also didn''t ask about the ne like he imagined she would.


    "What ne?" Leena drew a deep breath quietly. The question was too sensitive to talk about right now. It was a real sore spot. So she pretended not to know about it. Ignoring it was the best way to keep her sanity right now. She really felt like running off so she wouldn''t have to talk about it.


    "Nana, you know what I''m talking about. Please don''t run off. We need to talk. At least give me a chance to exin." Kevin put his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look directly into his eyes. This time, there was no escaping it. She had to face it, and so did he. And they''d do so together.


    "Fine. Since you seem to have something to say, spit it out. I''m your captive audience." She smiled, but it was a joyless affair. It had a taste of bitterness behind it that she couldn''t hide.


    "I bought the ne as a birthday present for Louisa. A friend picked it for me. Remember that time I went away for training? Yeah, that''s when he bought it for me. It''s just a birthday present. I promised her I''d get her a gift. And I did. Whatever else you''ve heard, it isn''t true." Kevin said every word clearly. He didn''t want her to misunderstand a single syble. It was an honest gift, and he was regretting ever giving Louisa a present.


    "I know that. And I believe you." Leena smiled sweetly to him. She had seen the ne when he''d juste back from training. She thought it was a gift for her. She tucked it away, resolving to act surprised when Kevin gave it to her. But instead, he gave it to Louisa, while he didn''t get her a thing. How could she not know anything about the ne? What she didn''t know was why he sent the ne to Louisa. There was a lot to unpack there. Why would he give it to that girl, and not to her? And Louisa didn''t make her feel any better about it. She made it seem like it was a gift from Kevin to prove his love to her. Themander''s daughter was very good at finding people''s weak spots and exploiting them.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    "You know? So you know that it was a gift from me?" He frowned slightly and began to search for the answer in his mind, wondering how Leena would know anything about it.


    "Yeah! I happened to see it the day you came back. But I didn''t know it was a gift for Miss Ye." Leenaughed bitterly. And yes, she did think it was for her. But he didn''t say anything to her about it, and then it went missing. And then she found out he bought it for Louisa. "Why didn''t you ask me about it? You must have felt pretty bad when the ne was gone. And I didn''t give it to you. I''m sorry." Kevin felt really guilty now. He couldn''t do anything but hold her gently in his arms. He kissed the top of her head. He knew clearly how she would feel when the neckace was missing. She would have all kinds of suspicions about whom he sent the ne to. But she just held those in her mind all this time. She must have felt nervous those days. All this made him look like a cheater.


    "Because I care about you. And I wanted to trust you. If I asked about it, you''d probably think I was a jealous woman. Or that I cared more about things than people. So I figured that you''d be mad at me, or you might feel that I invaded your privacy. So I pretended everything was okay, and then it might end up being okay. It''s better than having you resent me." She knew that men really valued their pride and dignity. She would never do anything to hurt a guy that way. So she kept it bottle up.00000000000

 Chapter 1112 A Blind Date (Part Two)

    "Babe, I had no idea. I''m really sorry. And now I feel even worse, because I am not a good husband. I know you have taken a lot of craps from my family while you were still dealing with this. God, I feel like an asshole," said Kevin.


    Kevin felt trapped. He didn''t want to move to the capital city, so he married Leena to avoid being reassigned. He didn''t want to be that far away from Daisy. And he knew that if she hadn''t been something that he clung to out of desperation, they probably would still be strangers. And today, one-night stands were prettymon. People didn''t just hop out of bed and into marriage just like that. She didn''t have to marry him. But he married her to protect his own interests. And really, what did that do to her? All it did was to make her suspicious and bring her pain. But now, he was no longer using her. He really felt something for her.


    "What''s wrong with you, Kevin? Why are you getting so emotional? It''s not like you. And frankly, it''s kind a freaking me out. So what''s going on? Are you trying to work up the nerve to tell me it''s over? Or what?" asked Leena. Unconsciously, she trembled a bit. After all, for a long time, Kevin was dignified and awe-inspiring. He gave her heart a warm feeling. It was really not like him to be so indecisive.


    "Or nothing. I don''t have any earth-shattering news. I just want to tell you if you have any doubts about me, just ask. I''m your hubby, right? You should be able to ask me everything you want to know or tell me everything you have suffered. I wouldn''t get upset. We''re both adults," exined Kevin. He gently released her from his arms, and then looked into her eyes. He gave her the right to rein him in with a gentle tone that Leena had never heard before. There was no reluctance. He meant every word.


    "So you''re ready to give me your heart?" Leena asked. "I''d be happy if you are. You know you already have mine. But really, you don''t have to if you don''t want to." It wasn''t love that brought them together, at least not in the beginning. She never thought that one day she''d care so much about him. And she even wanted to know what he was thinking. But instead of asking him, she used subterfuge to figure it out. But she fell in love first.


    "I can''t ask you to wait for me anymore. You''ve been waiting for a long time to hear me say that I love you. And I still don''t know how I feel. I know I care, I can give you that. And I have never cheated on you, for what it''s worth," Kevin said seriously. He''d never been emotional when it came to rtionships. So it wasn''t easy for him to have this heart-to-heart talk with Leena.


    Leenaughed. Kevin shot her a strange look. "Kevin, you''re so serious right now. Lighten up." Secretly, Leena had some very strong feelings right now. She felt love, and care, and who-knew-what. She didn''t really know how to answer him, so she could onlyugh to hide the unknown emotions rolling around in her heart. Laughter might also dispel the tension between them.


    "Hey, this isn''t easy for me. I pour my heart out to you, and you just giggle like a little girl?" Kevin pretended to be angry and turned his back on her, trying to make himself look pitiful.


    "Err... Actually, I''m sorry. I didn''t mean like that. Please don''t be mad." Leena stretched out her finger to poke his arm. She was really afraid that Kevin was truly angry with her. "That all depends on you," he said, simply. Kevin still kept his poker face and gave her a serious look.


    "So what do I do? Tell me. I''ve already apologized," Leena said. This was not going the way she wanted. Leena was really taken aback by this strange exchange, and she genuinely wanted to know how to fix this. She couldn''t know that he was ying a game with her. "Well..." he said, sounding like he was deep in thought, "give me a kiss and I''ll think about forgiving you." Kevin leaned in close. Their faces were just inches apart. He still had that grave look on his face, but he was secretly pleased, deep in his heart.


    "What?" Now Leena was really surprised. She just looked at him in a daze. She could scarcely believe her ears, because Kevin hadn''t acted like this before.


    "I don''t think I stuttered. So... Are you gonna kiss me or not?" Kevin''s handsome face was a little red as he had never done this before. So you could imagine how embarrassed he was now.


    Leena pursed her lips. She didn''t feel strange about just kissing him spontaneously. But like this, so heartfelt and so earnest, it was a little weird. She closed her eyes. Finally, momentously, she gave him a quick peck on the cheek. But Kevin suddenly turned towards her. She opened her eyes quickly, looking at him in surprise. Kevin smiled mischievously and pulled her to him for a deep, passionate kiss. It was with his whole heart. This led to a wonderful night, and opened the way for a really happy road trip.


    The sun spread its golden rays over the city, revealing all its glorious sights. After talking with Kevinst night, ire actually started to warm up to Leena. She wasn''t as confrontational as she was before.


    "ire, I''m going to hang out with a friend today. Can you stay at home by yourself?" Leena asked. Today was Patricia''s blind date, and she wanted Leena along for moral support, and as an exit n if things went south. She picked out some ck items from her closet. That way she wouldn''t steal the limelight from Patricia.


    "Go! Have fun! I''ll just catch some Zs. I didn''t get a lot of sleepst night," answered ire. Although she didn''t really want to stay home alone, she was still considerate and decided not to make a fuss.


    "Alright. I''ll be back before dinner. So don''t worry. You''ll get fed tonight." To hide her beauty, Leena donned a pair of ordinary sses. Instantly, she looked a tad less attractive. This was intentional -- this was Patricia''s day.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1113 A Blind Date (Part Three)

    "I''m not a kid anymore. Why would I worry about that?" ire raised her head from her magazine and took a look at Leena. When she saw Leena''s ugly ck dress, she frowned, but said nothing. She was done teasing her, so she just went back to reading her magazine again. "Well then, I''m off. See you tonight!" It was so weird. Leena got so used to ire saying mean things that she almost missed it. But she also felt pretty good not have to fend off her insults.


    "Bye,"


    ire saidzily, and didn''t even look up again. She just continued to randomly turn pages untill she found an article she liked. And Leena didn''t care anyway. She left the house in a good mood. She thought she might need to take a little extra time to deal with ire. ire had a way of stopping you just so you could listen to more of her crap. What she didn''t expect was that ire hadn''t done that today. So she saved a lot of time.


    Leena showed up at the coffee shop like she promised. But where was Patricia Bai? Maybe she was early? Nevertheless, she looked around until she found a seat near the window. From this vantage point, she would see Patricia when she came in.


    "Excuse me, are you Leena Leng?" said a decidedly masculine voice. A little confused, Leena looked up at the guy.


    "Yes, do I know you?" Leena frowned and asked him curiously. He wasn''t bad looking. But there were guys that looked a lot more handsome than him. Besides, she had Kevin, and he was the only one she needed.


    "Hi! I am Patricia''s friend, Summer Xia. Happy to meet you. Mind if I sit here?" Summer asked. He put away the photo he had of Leena. He was using it to try and figure out who he should talk to. He was d he found the right person, though her picture looked prettier than the girl who was here now.


    "Nice to meet you, too. Please have a seat." Leena tried to smile at him, and managed a weak one. What kind of name was ''Summer'' for a man? It was usually a girl''s name. She wanted tough, but this wasn''t the time or ce. She cursed Patricia inwardly. What the hell did that girl do now? Wasn''t this supposed to be Patricia''s blind date? So where was she? And why did she act so mysterious?


    "Patricia told me about you. She said you were hot, and you are hot." The man named Summer Xia sat down elegantly opposite her. He almost had a noble bearing.


    "Ha ha! Thank you for your praising! I don''t think Patricia''s here yet, though." Leena just smiled at him. She was surprised to hear that Patricia said anything nice about her. She was always critiquing her makeup, or pointing out her "problem areas." So that was nice of her to tell him she was hot.


    "She''s probably at home! She hasn''t told you? I asked her to introduce you to me." Summer shot Leena a confused look. Patricia was always going on about how beautiful Leena was, and how kind she was. So he told Patricia that he wanted to get to know this kind and beautiful girl.


    "What? So it''s not a blind date for her, but for me?" She said it louder than she intended, but it was such a shock. Patricia had lied to her. But why? She was already married! She did think it weird that Patricia''s mom would force her to go on a blind date. That was the story she fed Leena. When she stopped to think about it, Patricia''s mom was a little more progressive than that. So Patricia set her up.


    "It is not as serious as a blind date. We can just get to know each other. Are you thirsty? I''ll help you order." Summer was warm and enthusiastic. He was really excited about his date with this sweet, lovely girl. Leena felt like running away screaming, but she kept her cool. "I think we''ve gotten to know each other. We don''t need to order coffee," Leena said. She lowered her head and felt depressed. It was her blind date, not Patricia''s. She''d been lured here against her will. How could she have coffee with another man? Particrly he was with romance in mind. She was already married.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "Why? Do you have something else to do? Or have I creeped you out already?" Summer gave her a yful smile. He could see that Leena deliberately dressed up to look like a sensible adult, eschewing fashion, hoping to make Patricia look better next to her. But sometimes, she still seemed immature. The little girl inside her couldn''t help but show her face every once in awhile.


    "Uh...yes. Yes, I have something else to do." Leena nodded rapidly. Would he believe her? She needed an escape n. This was not what she signed up for at all.


    "I see how you are. You want to go home because you hate me!" Summer regarded Leena''s embarrassed expression. He smiled sadly. She was lovely. And he could obviously know what she was feeling. She didn''t know how to hide her emotions and he knew she was ufortable. How she felt was written all over her face.


    "Okay, just stop. I''ve only just met you. I haven''t known you long enough to hate you. Hell, I don''t hate anybody." Leena smiled back. She calmed down after he said this. She learned to hide her real thoughts from Kevin, but she didn''t need to do that here. Did he really think she''d fall for it? He was just pretending. He was trying to get sympathy and trying to get her to stay. She wondered if he were smart enough to figure out she wasn''t buying it.


    "Does that mean you''ll at least have coffee with me?" Summer did a little victory dance in his heart. Being pitiful was something he was good at. All he had to do was look at her with those puppy-dog eyes, and Leena changed her mind instantly. What he didn''t know was that she had already seen through his tricks. It was too early to congratte himself.000

 Chapter 1114 Being Jealous (Part One)

    "You are Patricia''s friend. I should at least stay for a while for her sake." A sweet smile spread across Leena''s face. At the moment, she looked like an innocent angel. However, she cursed Patricia a thousand times in her heart. Patricia had told her that she had been forced by her family to go on a date. She had begged Leena to apany her. Now it seemed that everything Patricia said was to fool her intoing here alone. She took advantage of Leena''s kind heart. What was more, Leena knew Patricia was a sly one. She had told herself that she wouldn''t get caught in Patricia''s trap. How wrong Leena was! Now she sat there, fuming and pretending nonchnce.


    "At least? You wound me! I must really have a bad reputation if you are so harsh on me." Summer Xia forced a wry smile andughed at himself. This woman was sharp with her words. She didn''t call him names, but what she said frustrated him very much. "Summer Xia, right? In this cold winter, I am literally feeling the warmth of summer... not because of you, but because of the idiotic way you act. Stop behaving so foolishly. You make me want tough! You know what, Summer? You act so childishly and I could not be more familiar with it. I''ve been bored with these antics since middle school. It is so out of date. Please! If you want to impress me, you''ll have to try another way." The smile on Leena''s face still looked beautiful and pure, but her words revealed that she wasn''t so easy to please.


    "Well, maybe I can''t keep up with the trend these days. Come on, don''t be so harsh on me! Don''t dismiss me so easily." Summer''s eyes widened. Leena''s harangue surprised him and he stared at her, puzzled. Didn''t Patricia describe her as gentle and sweet? From where he sat, he did not feel that way at all! Leena was more of a cunning girl, who did not allow herself to be in a situation she didn''t want to be in.Material ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "I''m sorry. I''m just not used to a cunning man behaving as if he is truly innocent and wet behind the ears," Leena said sardonically, pursing her lips. He should probably ask Edward - who was a real expert in this respect - for tips. Edward certainly had rich experience and Summer would be a good student under him.


    "Hah! That''s funny. Can I call you Leena?" Summer never expected Leena to be so potty-mouthed. She disregarded his feelings and spoke without any charity towards him. She unmasked him right away, leaving him at a loss. Summer did not know how to respond to her and changed the topic of conversation.


    "I''m sorry, but I don''t think we know each other well enough to be on a first-name basis. Call me Miss Leng, please!" Leena was well-aware that she was a married woman, so she replied to Summer in a polite and distant manner. She refused his proposal and kept her restraint in check.


    "Well, fine. But we''ve gotten to know each other today and I''m sure we will get more familiarter on." Summer shrugged and smiled indifferently. He had foreseen her refusal so he was not too disappointed.


    "Summer Xia, I want to make sure. Do you merely want to get to know me or do you want to date me? Or is it that you are one of those wile men, who only want to have a one night stand with a woman?" Leena sneered lightly. Judging from Summer''s appearance, she did not believe that Summer was single and didn''t have a girlfriend. He was interested in Leena only because Patricia told him something about her that aroused a need for conquest in him. Leena knew such men very well, who believed in showing off their power by the notches on their bedposts. Unfortunately, he had mistaken Leena for the wrong woman. She was not an innocent girl who would easily fall into his trap, nor was she interested. She had many excellent men around her. More importantly, somebody already resided in her heart, and both her heart and soul belonged to that person.


    "I want to make sure too. Are you always so straightforward with everyone, Miss Leng?" Summer was not an expert at being artful. Leena''s direct responses made him feel a bit awkward. He admitted that he wanted to get to know her because of her beauty, but he was no yboy.


    "Oh, not necessarily. It depends on the subject at hand, not the people I am talking to. Please don''t mind if you feel offended," Leena replied, her teeth gritting. If Patricia was here, Leena would set her straight. How could she fool her into a date with this childish man? "Now I know why you don''t have a boyfriend despite your beautiful face." Summer touched his hand to his forehead and smiledzily. He thought this pretty little woman would be softer and sweeter than Patricia. He now realized he had gotten it all wrong. She was like a little hedgehog who protected herself with her thorns.


    "Oh? Why do you think so? I''d like to hear more." All of a sudden, Leena wondered if he was as bad as she imagined. She grew curious about what he had to say.


    "ording to me, a man would not want a girlfriend who is more forceful than he is," Summer said wickedly. He was not as enchanting as Rain, who left him far behind in that respect. Summer sounded more like a bully when he responded to Leena. "Then that man is narrow-minded. Why? Are you also one of those men, Summer Xia?" Leena''s eyes shed in annoyance as she gazed at him with fake interest. She looked adorable and geeky wearing her sses, so Summer did not sense any guile in her. "Miss Leng, will you stop calling me Summer Xia every time you speak to me? It makes me feel stressful. Please just call me Summer," Summer argued, frowning.


    "Don''t you worry. I''m not your professor. You don''t need to be stressed around me. Also, you are Patricia''s friend, and I''m sure you are not a student anymore." Leena reached out and pushed her sses up. She regretted wearing them as she had to adjust them from time to time.


    They chatted with smiles on their faces. Even though their conversation was not as pleasant as an onlooker would think, the two of them managed to keep the atmosphere peaceful. However, they didn''t notice the pair of eagle eyes staring at them from a corner of the coffee shop.


    "Major General, it''s Leena. Shall we go over and greet her?" At first, Lee had no idea what his Major General was staring at so intently, until he followed his gaze and saw Leena.


    "Yes. Why not? Shall we say hello?" Kevin turned his stare away from that direction and took a look at Lee, his eyes gleaming. He didn''t expect to see such an interesting scene, yes, ''interesting'', when he arrived to meet a client here. He noticed Leena the moment she came in. She didn''t see him because he sat in a barely noticeable corner of the shop. Kevin had nned to walk over after he finished with business, but unexpectedly, a young boy he had never seen before appeared before her. That was right, a young boy. To Kevin, he was merely a kid in a candy store.


    "Uh. I don''t know. But Major General, are we not heading to the army base now?" The corner of Lee''s mouth turned down. The client had already gone. But the Major General neither walked over to Leena nor did he decide to return to the army base. ''What is he nning?" Lee thought, puzzled. ''The report needs to be dealt with urgently.''


    "Why are we in such a rush?" Kevin asked him frigidly. A troubled feeling surged up in his heart when he saw Leena talking to the other man with an angelic smile on her face. He did not know what to do about it, so he decided to wait and watch.0000000000000000

 Chapter 1115 Being Jealous (Part Two)

    "I''m not in a rush. I''m just concerned that the Commander would need the report soon," Lee murmured faintly. Was it his fault that he reminded his Major General? They had been here for too long now. "Lee, do you think I should go over and say hello before we return to the base?" Kevin sought Lee''s suggestion, not being able to stand it anymore when he saw Leena burst intoughter once again.


    "Of course, Major General. You should do it now. You should go over there and dere yourself no matter who he is," Lee whispered his agreement and encouraged Kevin. His Major General finally made up his mind to do something about this situation. Lee panicked, knowing that he was about to be entangled in big trouble.


    Leena smiled and chatted with Summer. Suddenly, she felt chills on her back, as if a freezing wind hade this way. She could not help but quiver.


    "Miss Leng, I am wondering if I can take you outter? It is really nice talking to you. We are the same, don''t you think?" Summer felt like he was at a disadvantage, but he was attracted to Leena. She was not pretentious and always said what was on her mind. He wanted to get to know her better.


    "Uh! Well..." Leena was in trouble. She did not know how to respond to his invitation. Did he enjoy being insulted? She was not even being kind to him. Why did he still want to be her friend? Whatever she had said was to scare him into not wanting to talk to her anymore. It appeared her n had failed.


    "Nana, tell him. Would you go out with him?" Kevin''s mouth curled. He looked at Leena pointedly, his eyes locking on hers. He asked her the question casually, as if the young boy was not with them.


    "Kevin. Why... why are you here?" Leena was shocked and stood up immediately at her husband''s sudden arrival. In doing so, she hit the table and almost fell down.


    "Are you so excited to see me that you are throwing yourself at me?" Kevin grabbed her arm and kept her from falling down. He held Leena close so she would not get hurt. Since he was still in his military uniform, it would not be appropriate for him to behave intimately with her in public. He was a soldier after all.


    "N-no. I''m just surprised." Leena''s adorable face turned red at his quip. There was nothing between her and Summer, but she had no idea what to do. She was sure Kevin had misunderstood the situation.


    "Leena, your husband and I are surprised to see you too," Lee peeped at the proper time. Summer could guess who this man was and Lee''s words made him even more anxious. His heart thudded. ''Is this tall man her husband? Oh, please no. If it''s true, how would I exin this date to him?'' Summer thought, sweating. ''Would I be used of breaking a military marriage and put into prison?''


    "Nana, is this your friend?" Kevin turned his frosty stare to Summer. He did not betray his emotions, even though he felt ufortable as hell seeing his wife talk to this boy so gleefully.


    "Oh! This is just one of my best friends'' friend. We got to know each other today only," Leena replied, not thinking too much of it. There was nothing she wanted to hide from Kevin.


    "Oh, you just got to know him today. Nice to meet you. I''m Kevin Gu." Kevin decided to y the mature man. He calmed down in front of his potential rival. This way, he would win without a fight.


    "Nice to meet you. I''m Summer Xia." Summer was frightened upon seeing the shining military bars on Kevin''s shoulders, but he strove to maintain his cool and reached out to shake hands with Kevin. He imagined it would be a tough handshake, like what he had seen on TV dramas. Fortunately, it was not.


    "Sit down, please. Summer Xia, you don''t need to be nervous. I''m not a bad guy." Kevin smiled when he saw Summer''s forehead gleam with sweat. He sat down next to Leena.


    "Oh! Yes, yes." Summer shivered and sat down. How he wished he could get away! But he dared not escape since Kevin looked to be very powerful. He cursed Patricia silently. Had she deliberately put him in this terrible situation? Why did not she tell him that her best friend was a married woman? Moreover, her husband was a Major General! He never expected to see such a big figure in person.


    "Where is your friend? Isn''t she here? Or did she abandon you and won''t being at all?" Kevin teased and looked at Leena, leaning against the back of his chair leisurely.


    "Can I say thetter?" Leena looked at Kevin pathetically. She knew Kevin was good at reasoning. He observed details that nobody else could. He must know what happened to her even without her telling him.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "Yes, of course you can. It seems that this friend of yours doesn''t have a good opinion of me," Kevin said while casting a sidelong look at Summer. His mouth twitched.


    "Um? Why would you say that?" Leena was usually very smart, but somehow in front of Kevin, she behaved like a three-year-old.


    "Isn''t it obvious? How could she introduce you to a man as your potential boyfriend?" Just as Leena had imagined, Kevin was clever enough to see what happened here. He didn''t seem worried and his smile grew wider.


    "I''m sorry. I didn''t tell her that I''ve already married. She is not fully responsible for this," Leena winced, covering up for Patricia immediately. Leena felt anxious. Truthfully, she was not sure if Kevin was really angry.


    "Oh, I get it. It seems I should be responsible for this, since you don''t want to be seen with someone as unpresentable as me. That''s why you didn''t tell her you have a husband. Lee, let''s go back to the army base," Kevin announced and immediately shot up to walk out with Lee. He never expected his wife to want to hide his existence. It felt like being stabbed in the heart.


    "Sure. Goodbye, Leena!" Lee threw a concerned look at Leena and followed Kevin in a hurry. He knew the Major General was furious. Lee could sense that Leena was very important to him.


    "Wait, Kevin." Leena did not anticipate that things would go like this. She grabbed her bag in a hurry and ran toward Kevin. Summer was insignificant at the moment.


    "Leena is following us, Major General. Shall we wait for her?" Lee asked in a concerned tone. He looked at Kevin with worry in his eyes.


    "You go. Wait for me in the car." Kevin didn''t say that he wanted to wait for Leena, but he slowed down and sent Lee away. Obviously, they were going to have a confrontation about this. Kevin was not angry that Leena didn''t tell her friend about his existence, but he very much minded that he was apparently not good enough for her. She couldn''t even tell others that he was her husband! In all honesty, Kevin was angrier at himself than he was at his wife.


    "Let me just exin, Kevin. It''s really not what you think," Leena said breathlessly as she caught up to him. She grasped Kevin''s hand without thinking twice.


    "Did you run here? Look at all these sweats." Kevin frowned. He reached out and wiped the sweat beads off her forehead.


    "Yes, I ran because you got so angry and left all of a sudden. You didn''t even allow me to exin anything," Leena grumbled as her jaw tightened.


    "It''s not that I did not allow you to exin. I just need to return to the army base soon, so I left." Kevin took a look at the wristwatch Leena had gifted him. It waste.


    "But you were really angry. I was worried about you," Leenained. She pressed her lips together, looking sad.


    "I''m sorry, okay? I was not being myself just now. Let''s talk about itter when I get home tonight, all right? I have to head back now." Kevin studied the time again. He was supposed to be at the army base already but got dyed because of Leena''s appearance. The door in his heart was already open to her. It was something he did not quite realize about himself. He behaved so abnormally when he saw her with another guy that he was ready to throw aside his work. Kevin hated seeing her smile so brightly with another man.0000???????

 Chapter 1116 Relief (Part One)

    "Okay, I''ll talk to you tonight." Leena bit her lip. Her face was pale. She thought the world of Kevin and was afraid to lose him. It was unnerving to see him swing round and just walk off. She couldn''t imagine her life without him. "Okay. Take care. I have to go." Kevin tucked the escaped tendrils of Leena''s hair behind her ear, wearing an affable smile. Leena''s insides warmed.


    "Bye." Leena reluctantly let go of Kevin''s hand and watched his tall and handsome figure get inside the military Hummer. Lee was in the driver seat. She didn''t turn her gaze until she saw the car vanish in the heavy traffic.


    "Miss Leng, are you all right?" Summer, who had followed them outside the coffee shop, asked in a concerned tone. He detected a trace of sadness on Leena''s expression.


    "Oh, yes. I''m fine. Nice of you to ask." Leenaposed herself and dragged her attention back to Summer. A small smile graced her lips, making her appear even more beautiful.


    "I''m sorry. I didn''t know you were married." Summer felt a sense of deep loss. He had been attracted to Leena at the very first sight and wanted to pursue her passionately. But to his intense disappointment, this beauty was already married.


    "I should have told you earlier. Now you know why I didn''t give you a chance." Leena did not like to trifle with other men''s affections. She was used to nipping their adoration in the bud before they got out of hand.


    "I hate to be blunt, but I don''t understand. Why did you marry a military officer? You''re beautiful, vivacious and charming. You would find it hard to adapt to the lonely life," Summer couldn''t resist asking, although he knew it was uncalled for. "Sorry, but I don''t think it''s any of your business." Displeasure wrinkled Leena''s forehead. She didn''t like others prying into her private matters. This was the first time that she had met Summer. She couldn''t open her heart to a man she barely knew. "You''re right. I ought not to have asked you such a thing. I''m sorry for going too far. Don''t be mad at me. I think we can still be friends, even though you are married," Upon seeing how Leena''s face had darkened, Summer immediately apologized to her. He realized he shouldn''t have asked her the stupid question. It was an invasion of her privacy.


    "We''ll see about that. Thank you for buying me the cup of coffee. I have to go home now. Goodbye!" Leena was in no mood to chat with Summer anymore. She needed toe up with something soon to clear the air with Kevin.


    "Bye! I hope we can meet again," Summer bid her goodbye reluctantly. Leena, who was so sweet and charming, was an absolute stunner. More importantly, she wasn''t big-headed or arrogant. She could be a little wicked, but she was kind at heart. Leena opened and shut her mouth slowly, withholding her words. She nced back at Summer and walked over to her car in haste. They had met each other in passing and talked for a brief moment of time. He wouldn''t have any impact on her life. So why should she care about him?


    On his way back to the army base, Kevin remained silent. He held his fist to his mouth while his other hand cupped his chin. Trailing a long index finger across his lips, he gazed nkly at the scenery that whirled past him from outside the window, taking no notice of its beauty. Kevin reyed the scene he saw at the coffee shop in his mind. Leena let out unbridled smiles. ''So that''s what she looks like when she''s happy,'' he mused, ''That''s the grin I never get to see when she''s with me.'' Kevin felt a sudden pang of jealousy. ''Maybe I don''t care enough about Leena. Maybe I don''t make her feel secure and protected, so she doesn''tugh freely when she''s with me, '' he thought.


    Truthfully, he didn''t think Summer posed a threat to him. Leena was a sensible woman. She wouldn''t give up a mature and steady husband, only to choose a young and puerile man instead. Kevin set his mind at rest. He knew that Leena felt immeasurable love towards him. However, that didn''t mean Kevin could squander that love as he pleased. He needed to figure out what to do about this situation.


    Through the rear-view mirror, Lee looked at Kevin with worry in his eyes. Kevin was behaving strangely. He usually talked a lot, but right now he was just mute. He had the habit of getting lost in thought but Lee had never seen him look as sad as he did just now. His sorrow made Lee uneasy.


    Kevin was still staring into the distance when the car came to a stop. He didn''t snap back until Lee reminded him that they were at their destination. Then Kevin picked up his briefcase, got out of the car abruptly, and bolted to the office building.


    "Hey! Major General Gu, why are you in such a hurry?" Daisy frowned at Kevin as he bumped into her. The documents in her hands went flying to the ground. ''What happened to Kevin? He has a reputation for being calm and cool-headed. Why is he in such a hurry?'' Daisy thought with a look of mild confusion on her face.


    "Ah, sorry. I didn''t notice." Kevin bent down and frantically helped Daisy scoop up the documents. The papers he picked up scattered to the ground once again since his hands were already full.


    "Look, I get you''re trying to help, but you''re just making it worse. Forget it. Let me pick them up myself. The Commander is waiting for you. Go see him. You''re veryte," Daisy urged Kevin while squatting down to pick up the documents. ''My God,'' she sighed inwardly. ''This is a mess. It''ll take me a few minutes to rearrange these again."


    "Okay. Sorry again, Daisy. I''ll talk to youter." Realizing that there was no time to lose, Kevin stood up and strode to the Commander''s office.


    "Senior Colonel Ouyang, let me help you." Lee, who had followed Kevin, bent down to pick up Daisy''s papers.


    "Thank you, Lee. What happened to Kevin? He seems a little absent-minded. It''s not like how he usually is," Daisy asked him, still frowning at what happened.


    "Err... I have no idea. Maybe it''s because of his wife." Lee stood up and handed over the documents to Daisy. He didn''t intend to tell Daisy what he had seen at the coffee shop.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    "Leena? Didn''t you go out on business? How is this rted to her?" Daisy''s expression was puzzled. Although Leena sometimes acted like a willful child, she was also intelligent and sensible. She didn''t make trouble.


    "Well, it''s a long story. You''d better ask Major General Gu for details. I''m not privy to this matter, so I should keep quiet," Lee said in embarrassment and touched his forehead.


    "Okay, I see. You can go now." Daisy turned around and walked into her office. There was no point in forcing Lee to spill the beans. As Kevin''s guard, he wouldn''t tell her about Kevin''s personal affairs. He couldn''t break his trust with his Major General. It was a strict code of practice that he had to adhere to.

 Chapter 1117 Relief (Part Two)

    It took Kevin an hour to finish reporting the work to the Commander. It was almost time for him to go home, but he still had a lot of work left to do, so he needed to stay behind for a while.


    Standing outside Daisy''s office, Kevin hesitated for a fraction of a second before he raised his hand to knock on her door. Thinking of the conversation with the Commander, he sighed with profound resignation. The Commander had assigned Kevin to assist with the new mission. For that Kevin would have to leave for a few days once again. In the past, leaving home didn''t pose any trouble for him. But now after marrying Leena, he was reluctant to do so. They seldom got time together and it bothered him so much. Kevin didn''t want to act in defiance of the Commander''s orders, but he was tired of this way of life.


    "Come in," Daisy answered the door without raising her head. She sat in her chair, examining the sniper rifle in her hands while meticulously recording the data on paper.


    "What are you doing?" Kevin asked as he walked in. Watching Daisy, he once again realized that he didn''t have feelings for her anymore. He had left his infatuation far behind.


    "Oh! I''m checking for the structure, range, and deadliness of AK-9. Are you done with the meeting with the Commander?" Daisy put the sniper rifle aside and asked Kevin with curiosity. She wasn''t into gossip, but she was concerned about Leena. She hadn''t seen that girl for so many days and missed her quite a lot.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    "Yeah. Did you find anything?" Kevin asked casually as he sat down on the couch. Truthfully, he wasn''t very interested in the sniper at the moment.


    "Not yet. I''m still studying it. But now you can tell me what happened." Daisy leaned back against her chairfortably, paying attention to Kevin.


    "Nothing. I was in a hurry so I didn''t notice you." Kevin forced a smile. Everything had been going well until he stumbled upon Leena talking cheerfully with another guy at the coffee shop. His heart plummeted once again.


    "Don''t lie to me. I can tell you have something on your mind from the distant look in your eyes. I heard it was Leena. What happened? Did you quarrel with her?" Daisy asked tentatively, even as she realized that couldn''t be the case. A mature and sensible man like Kevin wouldn''t quarrel with his wife.


    "Lee told you? When did he be as gossipy as Mark?" Kevin gave her a helpless and wry smile. He should punish Lee. Only then would he restrain himself from tattling on Kevin behind his back.


    "Maybe he is subconsciously influenced. Did you notice he is not as prissy as before?" Daisy envied Kevin, who had Lee as his guard. Lee was meticulous about everything. She hoped Mark could follow Lee''s example, but instead Lee got affected.


    "You''re right. It looks like Mark is the bad egg. I need to punish him sometime," Kevin teased, knowing he wouldn''t do anything to Mark.


    "Good. I won''t bother myself to do it then. But don''t try to change the topic. What''s wrong with you and my girl Leena? Did you bully her?" Daisy pinned Kevin with a sharp and prating look, forcing him to tell her the truth.


    "Just like you said, she is your girl. With you as her sister, I wouldn''t dare to bully her." Kevin smiled bitterly. He hadn''t done anything to Leena, but Daisy already dered that Leena was her girl. Kevin must have a death wish if he truly tried to bully Leena now.


    "Uh huh. And you shouldn''t try to either. I''ll never forgive you for it." Daisy wore a self-satisfied smirk on her face. Obviously, this was something Kevin and Leena had to deal with themselves. As an outsider, she didn''t mean to interfere between them.


    "Why do I suddenly feel threatened? Am I allowed to counter-attack?" Kevin checked his watch. Although he was short on time, he was not in a hurry to leave.


    "Major General Gu, are you openly challenging me?" Daisy''s eyes shed mischievously. She had already been looking for someone to practice with her, and here was Kevin, volunteering himself.


    "You misheard me, Daisy. I don''t want topete with you. If I hurt you, Mr. Mu would eat me alive. I shouldn''t ask for trouble by goading you." Edward already didn''t like Kevin. If he knew that Kevin hurt the woman he loved so ardently, he wouldn''t let Kevin off so easily. It was better not to be in his bad books.


    "Oh? Do you think Ick the skills? Don''t look down on me!" Daisy cracked her knuckles, itching to have a go at him.


    "Come on. I can''t afford to offend you two. I should leave. I don''t want to invite disaster." Kevin stood up. He had to finish his work.


    "Ah. Don''t be so solemn. Get your things done and go home to Leena early. She needs you." Daisy shook her head with understanding. Leena might get lonely, so she hoped that Kevin would go home early. As military officers, both Daisy and Kevin were up to their eyes in work. They owed their families a lot.


    "Okay. You should go home early too. Don''t work sote every day." It made Kevin''s heart ache to see Daisy work overtime. Army life was tough on a woman.


    "I can''t. I''m very busy. You know, there are many drills and missions recently. I have a lot of work to do," Daisy said, sighing. Her overbearing husband resented her staying outte these days.


    "I owe you an apology. I took a week off, so you had to do my work too," Kevin said, feeling sorry for her. It was his fault that she had so much work.


    "It''s not your fault. All work and no y makes Jack a dull boy. You can''t work non-stop. You needed a break. Don''t worry about me. I am ustomed to it. I won''t be so busy once I get the work at hand done." Daisyforted Kevin with a smile. She massaged between her eyebrows. Looking at the piles of documents on her desk, she knew she would go homete tonight too.


    "I hope so. Well, go on with your work. I have to leave." Kevin turned and walked away smartly without feeling any nostalgia for the old days. A few months ago, he felt reluctant to leave Daisy''s office each time he visited her. But now that feeling was long gone. He didn''t have a crush on Daisy anymore.


    Daisy looked at Kevin''s receding figure, lost in thought. She wondered if his love for her had already extinguished. If so, it would be to the satisfaction of all. She wouldn''t feel so guilty in front of Leena.


    When the night fell, Kevin finally walked back to his office from Falcon''s. He was covered in dust after his demonstrations to the soldiers.


    Kevin picked up the briefcase on the table without tidying himself up and hurried out. It was already past seven p.m. Even if he drove at high speed all the way back home, it would be past eight once he arrived.


    Kevin was surprised to see Edward''s eye-catching Lamborghini parked at the gate as he drove out. ''Surely he came to pick Daisy up, ''Kevin thought to himself, ''It''ste. Hasn''t Daisy gone back yet? I thought she went home long ago. If I had known she is still working in her office, I would have dropped in.''


    Kevin''s car came to a stop. He opened the door and got out. He had to say hello since he had already seen Edward. Edward was one of Leena''s brothers, and so he was Kevin''s brother, too. He had to show his respect.


    Edward had also noticed a caring his way. Originally he thought it was Daisy''s military Hummer since they looked the same. But as the car approached, he was disappointed to find that it wasn''t hers. Edward didn''t realize it was Kevin''s until he stepped out. Despite his dislike for Kevin, Edward got out to greet him too. The alluring, irresistible smile on his face attracted a lot of admiring nces.


    "Why are you here, Mr. Mu? Hasn''t Daisy gone home yet?" Kevin greeted Edward first. From what he knew of Edward, thetter was arrogant enough not to say hello to others on his own initiative.

 Chapter 1118 A Peaceful, Easy Evening (Part One)

    "You wouldn''t see me here if Daisy were back," said Edward casually. Leaningfortably against his car, he wore a charming smile on his face. The man was the essence of chill and coolness.


    "Daisy has a lot on her tetely. The military gave her a lot of work to do. She has been so busy, she probably doesn''t have time to think about home and her man. Did you try calling?" Kevin smiled back at him. When he folded his armsfortably, the muscles on his arms expanded to fill his sleeves, his exquisite chest easily visible underneath his shirt. The man''s figure was enough to cast a deadly spell over even the strongest willed woman. No wonder so many were hysterically infatuated with him.


    "Not yet. Just go home, Kevin! I''ll wait a little while longer." Edward lifted his head, as if by looking in that direction he could see the inside of the army base. To him, it was better to leave Daisy alone when she was working. She wouldn''t hang around the base after work, and calling her might mean that he would have to wait longer for her to get done with her work. If he just showed a little patience, it was its own reward.


    "Alright. I''m taking off then. Call Mark if you really get antsy. He should be able to remind her when it is time to stop and go home." There was a reason Kevin said that -- Daisy was known to get caught up in her work and forget to stop. She worked hard, sometimes too hard.


    "Yeah, I''ll do that. By the way, treat Leena nicely." No sooner had Kevin turned to leave than Edward said this. It wasn''t by chance, and it wasn''t a standard goodbye. Edward hoped that Kevin would just forget about Daisy and his infatuation, and Leena would have his heart. Anyone would feel sorry for Leena if she were unhappy. That was why those words left his lips, and he hoped it would make an impression on the young soldier.


    "I will. Bye!" Edward''s words had the intended effect. Kevin''s body stiffened, and it was a few seconds before he could manage to get any words out at all. Edward didn''t have to remind him to treat her well, but in those words was buried a message: "Forget about Daisy, and learn to love your wife."


    A satisfied smile broke across Edward''s face. Sometimes, it didn''t pay to be too direct. Just a couple of words in the right ce at the right time couldmunicate volumes. Men talked this way all the time. A clever man, Kevin must have understood the meaning in Edward''s farewell.


    Kevin climbed into the car. He nodded at Edward before driving off at full speed. His lips curled into a bitter smile. There were a lot of rumors about Edward, particrly concerning his skill and ruthlessness, and above all his intelligence. The president of FX International made it clear in just a few words that Kevin should just let Daisy go, and forget about his crush. And in doing so, love Leena with all his heart and soul. But this was not a novel idea. Since Leena was like a sister to him, he wanted her to be happy. As a husband, he wouldn''t stand for any rivals for Daisy''s affections. It was better for Kevin to move on and love the one he was supposed to love.


    The night fell earlier in winter. The city had turned into a sea of colorful lights when Kevin hit downtown. Lights turned on or off now and again. They gave warmth and light to those still lingering on this cold winter night. If every light represented a home, then Kevin hoped these lights would never go out. Everyone deserved a home of their own, somewhere to go, somewhere to rest, and live, and love. These lights wereforting, and told Kevin he was home.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Kevin slowed down when he passed a flower shop. He thought for a second, and then just sped up again and continued to go home. Yes, it was romantic to get a bouquet of flowers for your girl, and she might even be more loving after she got a gift like that. But he didn''t feel all that romantic today.


    "It''s sote. Why isn''t Kevin home yet? Is he usually thiste?" This was not the first time ireined about Kevin beingte. She was so anxious she could not tear her eyes away from the clock on the wall.


    "He must be really busy. He works overtime a lot anyway. Are you hungry, ire? Supper is ready now. We don''t have to wait for Kevin," said Leena with an embarrassed smile. Actually she got used to waiting. Kevin wasteing home a lot, so there was not much to do about it. She preferred to eat with him. But it was not fair for ire to wait too.


    "That''s cool. I can wait! By the way, did something happen? You just don''t seem like your usual bright self." ire settled her gaze on Leena. She noticed something off when Leena came back this afternoon. But she bit back her words, and just waited. She couldn''t wait any longer. She had to ask.


    "Nothing. You''re imagining things, ire. I''m just tired. It was a long drive." Leena avoided eye contact. She did that when she lied.


    "Really?" ire got her answer, but she was still suspicious. Still, she tried hard not to pry any further, and she promised Kevin she would try to get along with Leena. Curiosity killed the cat, and she didn''t want any dead felines. Besides, thest thing she wanted was to make Leena mad.


    "Okay, what do you think happened to me? I''m okay. Nothing happened! I''ll fetch the soup. Kevin will be back any time now." Leena practically fled into the kitchen. She feared that her eyes might betray her secret to ire. She was right, she wasn''t in the best of moods, but she didn''t feel like talking about it either.


    Leena''s attitude didn''t escape ire''s attention. She observed her sister-inw carefully, and it only magnified her suspicions. ''So what happened when she was out? She is really a mess!'' ire said to herself in secret.


    Leena took a minute to calm down before she turned on the stove. She was relieved that ire stopped asking questions, otherwise she would have been found out. She didn''t do anything wrong, and there was no reason for her to lie. But what would ire think if she found out about Leena''s blind date? Though she was tricked into it, it didn''t make her feel any better. Would her sister-inw think that she was a tramp who cheated on her brother? She and ire already had problems, and she didn''t want to create any more bad blood between them.


    Just as Leena predicted, Kevin got home soon, immediately after she set the table and served the soup. It didn''t make her feel any better -- Leena still felt embarrassed looking at Kevin.


    "Wow! You sure took your time getting home! Do you know how long we have waited for you?" ire curled her lips disapprovingly while casting a look at Leena. Kevin arrived home pretty much when Leena said he would. Those two were sure in sync. Kevin was a creature of habit, like most guys, so it was easy for Leena to figure out when he would get home from work. She could predict the exact time he would set foot inside the house. Or did Kevin call before he got home???????????????

 Chapter 1119 A Peaceful, Easy Evening (Part Two)

    "Next time, don''t wait. My wife does, but that is because she likes to eat with me. I can''t be sure when I can get out of there, so just eat if you''re hungry!" Kevin said that while looking at Leena. He almost smiled, but he stopped himself.


    "But we don''t know if you will bete! So just call next time. Do you know how annoying it is to wait? There is so much yummy food here, that our tummies are growling while we wait. So stop torturing us and call!" Leena gave ire a thankful look. This was precisely what she wanted to tell Kevin. But for some reason she wouldn''t tell him this directly. So ire stepped up to the te and did Leena a favor. "Okay, I will." Kevin noticed the silent exchange between the two, and apparently it was Leena who wanted to say something. ''Would you still hold back if ire hadn''t said something?'' Kevin thought, ''I told you toe to me if you had a problem.'' He never thought that he should give Leena a call if he was unable to get home on time. Was he too busy to call? Or did he just not care enough to ask how Leena felt? So did she just sit there, anxiously waiting for him toe home? And why didn''t he even think of that? "Go wash your hands. Dinner is up." Kevin''s gaze brought an embarrassed smile to Leena''s face. She lowered her head to avoid eye contact.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    "Hmm! I can''t eat if I don''t shower first. I''m all hot and sweaty. Go ahead and dig in. Don''t wait up. I''ll be done soon." Kevin went upstairs as he talked. He was in such a hurry to get home that he had no time to take a shower in his dorm in the army base. "Let''s eat, ire. He will be back soon." Leena had already taken her seat. Unlike women, men usually finished their showers quickly. Sometimes, just a couple of minutes were enough for them. Besides, men didn''t take as much time to tidy up in front of a mirror before they left the bathroom.


    "I really never knew you could cook this well. The food is just out of this world. I thought you were just an ordinary girl, but you''ve outdone yourself here. Everything smells nicely." ire took the chopsticks in front of her, and picked up a slice of braised eggnt from the te. Those delicious dishes were so alluring that she could not resist it any more. Since Kevin gave the okay, she just went ahead and started in. Kevin could hardly me her if there was nothing left for him.


    "Hmm... I took sses. Generally speaking, my cooking is not bad." Leena looked at ire in surprise. Instead of saying something mean, ire praised her for the first time. She should mark this day on the calendar.


    "That''s why. You worked at it, even studied to get it right. No one is born with it." Though she was still arrogant, she seemed more positive and optimistic. It looked like she took Kevin''s advice, and decided to be nice to Leena for once.


    "It just takes determination. If you want to learn, you just need to do it." Leena just said that to herself. She loved Kevin, and was determined to love him. But she wasn''t sure how long she could hold on if Kevin didn''t love her back. Only a fool would keep doing something and not get anything out of it. So what would happen if she felt disappointment, or even frustration? What if she started to resent Kevin? These feelings might drive her away from the man she loved.


    "I tried and quit. I could never figure it out." ire had a different opinion. She said this before giving it any thought. To be frank, she seemed to be unable to learn anything that required patience. It might be because she didn''t have any to begin with.


    "It''s okay ire. You''re lucky to be born in this great times, when women don''t have to be good at cooking or cleaning. In the past, that was unthinkable. But now, more and more girls are never taught how to cook." A warm smile broke across Leena''s face when she talked about cooking. Actually, she liked cooking only because she liked to see how Kevin ate up all her food with a pleasant expression. He liked it, so she liked to cook it for him. Watching Kevin finish everything she cooked, was one of her happiest moments. Whether it was hearing him loudly sucking the bones of chicken ws or slurping Shrimp Dumpling Soup, these sounds made her feel loved.


    "Are you making fun of me?" asked ire with a frown. Though ire was slow in some respects, she wasn''t bad at everything. But every one could see why ire might have thought that Leena was teasing her. Her words apparently struck a nerve.


    "No, no. That''s not what I meant. I''m just talking about girls in general," Leena anxiously exined. She really didn''t want to ruin what they had going right now. She still remembered the bad times between her and ire, and didn''t want a repeat. She exined so quickly every one could tell she was nervous.


    "I''m d you weren''t teasing me. I don''t want to fight anymore, and I don''t want Kevin mad at me. I promised him we would try and get along." Rather thanpletely fly off the handle, ire calmed down again after Leena reassured her. She didn''t talk about it again. "Promised Kevin? What are you talking about? Is he making you be nice to me?" Leena felt confused. She thought it was strange that ire was nice to her. But she didn''t think about it twice, since most people were nice to her. Sometimes it took a bit for people to warm up to someone. Now, it seemed that ire was treating her better because of some arrangement with Kevin. But what did she agree to? And what was Kevin''s part in all this? Leena could not help but feel curious about it.


    "That is a secret between me and Kevin. You will have to ask him," said ire with her lips curled. Then she dug in to the tasty food, and said nothing more about this secret. The meal was incredible, as excellent as anything cooked by Maud.


    "What are you guys talking about? I could swear I heard my name. So what''s up?" asked Kevin, walking downstairs. He was so quick when he showered. In the past ten minutes, he did things that would have taken Leena an hour. Wearing more casual clothing, he looked quite refreshed.000

 Chapter 1120 A Peaceful, Easy Evening (Part Three)

    "We''re saying bad things about you." ire shed a naughty smile at her brother. Actually, ire could be quite pleasant. But sometimes her selfishness made her do some pretty bad things. She would resort to trickery and deceit to get her way. Since she got away with


    a lot in the past, it would take time to teach her the difference between right and wrong. But she was getting there.


    "Oh, really! What are these bad things?" Kevin asked ire, but looked at Leena all the time. He was very interested in how Leena would exin thister. He had a naughty smile on his face, too. He knew that they would never really talk about him that way, but he loved to y along regardless. "Everything, including how you were forced to kiss your ssmate back when you were in school." ire answered Kevin in a teasing tone. She really felt like teasing him tonight, so she pulled out all the stops. That incident was the best way she knew how.


    Leena was shocked. She tried to imagine this cold, tough man kissed by a teenage girl against his will, and she just couldn''t do it. It was such a funny picture that it immediately brought a smile to her face. She put a hand to her mouth and started giggling uncontrobly. "Hmm... I..." Apparently, it shocked Kevin, too. That was the most embarrassing moment of his life, and he couldn''t believe she brought it up. He got flustered and started to choke on his food.


    "Don''t get all choked up, honey. Here, take a drink." Leena still teased him, even as she passed him a ss of water. But she still had to stifle herughter, and pressed her lips tight to avoid smiling. She could tell he was really uneasy now.


    "Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up!" Kevin nced at Leena and ire angrily. He would rather die than remember that humiliating moment. He would have felt much better if that girl was hot. But she was so fat that she almost crushed him to death when she fell on him. She knocked the breath out of him, and he was left shaking for a few minutes while he struggled to breathe. Even then he still made funny noises every once in a while when he took a breath. It was the lowest point in his life, and he didn''t even want Leena to know. Not like this.


    "Wow! She must have been a real hottie! Otherwise no one could have made you do that! Admit it, you surrendered to her on purpose and liked it," said Leena jokingly. He never really shared that many details of his life, especially funny stories like this one. So she took advantage of this moment and teased him.


    "Oh yeah. She was gorgeous, with those long slender legs, bright big eyes and sexy sweet lips." Kevin was going to tell Leena, but he was still mad at her for what happened this afternoon. He got jealous then, and so now it was her turn.


    "What? Gorgeous? No way, dude. She was as fat as a pig. A real porker. What is the matter with you? Are you a chubby chaser?" That girl was so fat that when she fell, no one wasughing, but the floor cracked up." Kevin never wanted to hear about this again. ire had crossed the line, and exposed his deepest, darkest secret. Embarrassed and enraged, his face distorted in a mask of rage.


    "Ha ha! Maybe she is beautiful to your brother. There is your proof that he has specialized tastes." The exchange between Kevin and ire had Leena''s undivided attention. She felt so much better than she did this afternoon. Sheughed nonstop, barely stopping to catch her breath. She was free to be who she really was, and it was a good feeling.


    ire was caught up in it too, erupting into peals ofughter between bites. "Really? Kevin, I never knew that you were into fat chicks. Then what about Leena..." ire cast a nce at Leena''s svelte figure. With that skinny body, she was far from being beautiful ording to Kevin''s standards. The thought made ireugh even more.This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    "This is bullshit! Will you stop? Just eat, damn it!" Kevin shouted in fury. His angry scream worked, and both of the women stopped. But they still wore smiles on their faces. They giggled in muffled tones and kept looking at Kevin during the meal, andughing every time. "Actually, Kevin, there''s nothing wrong with having a different standard of beauty." It was rare that ire was on Leena''s side, but tonight was different. Like Leena, ire loved making fun of her brother. It didn''t happen very often, so when she got a chance to tease him, she wouldn''t let it go.


    "So what happened to that girl after the kiss?" That was the most interesting part of the story to Leena. She noticed Kevin''s face darkened in rage and shame. But since ire had joined in, she didn''t really fear what he was going to do. What could he do? Punish both of them?


    "What do you think happened? Kevin pushed her away, and then she fell down and passed out." ire burst into a fit ofughter when she mentioned the ridiculous scene. She fainted so quickly that Kevin went white as a sheet in fear. "He thought he killed her on ident. So he kept yelling ''I killed her I killed her!'' She woke up, and then he thought she was undead. He screamed and ran off. He thought she was --" at this point ire really lost it. Betweenughs, she managed, "a zombie!"


    "What..." That was thest thing Leena expected to hear. She looked at Kevin, now terrified. So how did Kevin, just a teenager at the time, push a heavy girl and knock her out? What was more, how could he do that? There was no way that girl could fight back. Now, he was a strong and well-trained military officer. What would happen if she pissed him off, Leena wondered.


    Kevin cast Leena a cold nce. A wicked smile shed across his face when he caught her terrified expression. She was eager to know what happened to him in the past, but he had no reason to quench her curiosity. She shouldn''t know too much about him. So was she finally regretting this little conversation? That thought brought a bright smile to Kevin''s face, which only intensified the terror in Leena''s heart. Leena could not help but shudder. ''Will he treat me in the same way if he gets really mad?'' Leena asked herself in secret.


    The three finished supper. It was an easy, peaceful evening. They talked,ughed, and enjoyed the delicious food. As usual, Kevin gathered up the dishes and put them in the sink. He was the dish washer. He was too busy to keep Leenapany at home, and he didn''t really have the time to help out around the house. But whenever he was at home, he had to do something for her.0000

 Chapter 1121 Gerard Was Here (Part One)

    Leena kept her vigil outside the study. She started to walk in, but paused for a moment. She was unsure if she wanted to do this just now. She walked in, and found Kevin at theputer, fingers pounding away at the keyboard, staring intently at the screen. It was obvious he was working again.


    "Kevin," she began. When he straightened up and turned his gaze to her. "About this afternoon...I need to exin," she said in a small voice. Leena walked slowly over to the desk and paused near Kevin, her head lowered. She was nervous and afraid of how Kevin might react, so she didn''t dare raise her head and look at him. "Okay. Go ahead. I''m listening." Kevin set some papers down on the desk, and then leaned back in the chair. He stared at Leena''s pretty face with an intrigued glint in his eyes. He was very curious what she was going to say. She had his undivided attention. "Well, I''m sorry that I didn''t tell my friend that I''m married. But it''s not because that I''m ashamed of you, not at all! It''s just that our marriage was kind of sudden, and I don''t want my friend to worry about me. I was waiting for the right time, and it never came. So I didn''t say a word to her. I am really sorry that I ignored your feelings and kept you a secret. Besides, how was I supposed to know she''d fix me up with some guy? She said the blind date was for her!" Leena exined all this timidly, in a small voice like a kid who was caught stealing a cookie from the cookie jar. She knew she was wrong for hiding the marriage, and worried about what Kevin might do.


    "Nana,e here." Kevin put out a hand and reached for her, beckoning her toe forward. Yes, he was angry when he found out that Leena''s friend didn''t know about him. But he was mad only for a moment. Once he calmed down, how could he ever really me her? Her exnation made perfect sense, and how was she to know her friend was setting her up? So now, after hearing her exnation and seeing her sad face, he could not help but feel sorry for her. After all, she''d been through a lot.


    "What?" Leena slowly walked forward to stand in front of him. But before she could stand still, Kevin pulled her forward all of a sudden into his arms. She looked up in surprise and stared right into his gorgeous eyes. The man was irresistible. The feel of his arms, his scent, his warmth. But still her insecurities kept bubbling up. What was he going to do?


    "Have you been worried about this the whole time?" Kevin put his arm around her slim waist and stared intensely at her, looking for every subtle hint of how she felt. He saw a mix of emotions, a confused jumble. He wasn''t sure what to make of it.


    "Yeah, I have. But only because I didn''t know how mad you''d get. About what I did, about how I didn''t tell my friend I was married, all of it." Leena looked away and avoided his intense eyes. She lowered her eyes and didn''t notice the smirk on his face. For her, his enticing eyes were too gorgeous to resist. And she didn''t want to struggle with her desire for him. She had to stay strong, open her heart to him.


    "How about now? Do you know what''s going through my mind now?" Kevin put his forehead against hers and forced her to look at him. He wanted to know what she was thinking and why. And he wanted her to know his mind as well.


    "No, I still don''t. That''s why I''m still nervous." Leena licked her lips, because she found out tonight that she never really knew Kevin. That was why she was depressed. She felt like she''d been lying all this time, saying that she loved him, because if she really loved him, then why did she have a hard time figuring him out? She feared that she might never understand him.


    "Why? "We''re not mind-readers, you and I. We can''t just peer inside someone''s head and know what they''re thinking. Besides, people change their minds all the time, so you really can''t tell what they''re going to do next anyway." Kevin held her hands snugly, not too tight. As he did this, his eyebrows furrowed, because he found her hands quite cold, so he rubbed them gently, romantically, trying to warm them up.


    "I don''t think so. If you really love someone, you should know what they''re thinking. If I have no idea what''s on your mind, then how can I say that I love you?" Leena didn''t avoid his gaze anymore. Instead, she looked at him with a frustrated expression.


    "It''s not your fault, though. It''s mine, because I never let you in. And you don''t need to change yourself for me. Like ''I can''t read you so I don''t know what you want.'' I like you for who you are, not a clone of someone else. Right now, my heart is open to you." When Kevin thought about this he always felt his heart break for Leena. She had changed. She used to be lively and outgoing, not to mention cute and adorable. But since he came back from his training abroad he found she''d changed. She wasn''t as exciting or passionate as she once was. This was hard to process. Why had she changed? And was it his fault?


    "But, don''t you like girls that are more mature?" Leena was talking about Daisy. She knew that he had a hardcore crush on the girl. And though she couldn''t be as calm and collected as her, at least she could make herself look more mature and sophisticated. Maybe Kevin would like that.


    "Who told you that I like girls that are more mature?" Kevin was very confused. Where did shee up with that? It seemed that they really needed to talk more. Everyone changed, and they grew. You had to either ept what the other person became, or dump them and move on. ''They grew apart, ''their friends would say. If one of them changed, Kevin would prefer to work through it.


    "But you like Daisy, don''t you? And she''s a mature girl," Leena said in a small voice. She lowered her head again as well. Right now her face reflected all of her insecurities, in in view for Kevin to see.


    "Okay, let''s say you''re right. Let''s say you did your best to imitate Daisy so I''d like you more. But what if I really didn''t like you? What if, despite your best efforts, you ended up a pale shadow of Daisy, and I still didn''t like how you changed? And what if you lost yourself in the process, so you had no idea how to be you anymore?" He knew he sounded cruel, but she needed to understand. There was no point in changing her personality for him. What he really wanted was Leena. Not some fake Daisy, not some fake person. Just Leena. He liked her for who she was.0??????????Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1122 Gerard Was Here (Part Two)

    clumsy imitation of someone else?


    "I thought maybe if I was more like Daisy, then you''d look at me more, you''d see me as desirable and lovable. Was I wrong?" This time, it was Leena''s turn to be confused. Was she wasting her time on this? So she was doing it wrong? Then what was she in the end? Just a "Oh, Nana! I''m so sorry. It is all my fault that you''re scewed up. Now, look into my eyes, do you see who I''m looking at? It''s not Daisy or some other girl, it''s a silly girl named Leena." Kevin gently lifted her chin up and made her look into his eyes. It was his fault that Leena was so unsure about herself. How he wished he had just paid more attention to her and he''d given her more signs that he loved her. Going over this in his head, his heart broke again.


    "Really? You wouldn''t lie to me, would you?" This was why Leena was so insecure. It was not that she wasn''t confident, it was that Daisy was an amazing woman. She couldn''tpete with that, and she knew it. And that was why she felt she wasn''t good enough to be his wife.


    "If I automatically said ''no'', would you believe me? So I won''t promise that I won''t lie. However, I''ll always have your best interests in mind. I''ll try to take your feelings into ount. In fact, you should know that already, silly girl." Kevin embraced her and sighed. He rocked her back and forth, feeling the warmth and letting her soak up the love. Maybe she tried to act mature, but deep inside, she was still one insecure and naive girl.


    "Okay, I get it. So, you''ll be good to me from now on, right? And no matter how much I mess things up, you''ll help me fix them?" Leena blinked, and asked in an innocent tone. Her beautiful guileless eyes made it hard to refuse her.


    "Yeah, I''ll be good to you. But if you screw up, it''s not like there won''t be consequences. I can''t have you running all over the ce thinking that you can do what you want. There are limits. I''ll need to punish you." He didn''t smile at all, like he meant what he said. Like he was totally serious. But when Leena looked more closely, she saw there was a glint of mischief in his eyes. He was just joking around.


    "Umm. No thanks. I''m not into kinky stuff." Since he was joking, she could joke right back. Leena puckered her beautiful lips. He still didn''t love her yet, but she still held out hope. Because he cared for her, and she hoped that would blossom into a beautiful bloom of love. She didn''t know how long she could wait, but she believed that as long as she was kind, and loving, and patient, he''d eventually fall in love with her.


    Leena could never have imagined what was waiting for her, while she was waiting for Kevin''s love. A knock on the door brought her back to reality. Opening the door, she found...


    "Gerard? Why are you here? How did you get my address?" Leena started massaging her forehead. She developed a headache after seeing him. She was in utter shock after she saw who was knocking. A lot of things happened yesterday, and she managed to put him out of her mind for a while.


    He answered in his trademark French lilt, "Mignonne, I called you several times, but you did not pick up. So I asked professor Be for your address. She directed me here." Gerard''s eyes lighted up when he saw Leena. He thought that it was indeed a correct decision toe here and find Leena.


    "Umm... I forgot to turn on my phone." Leena''s eyebrows furrowed deeply. She turned her phone off, because she was afraid Patricia would call her once she heard that Leena was married. She didn''t want to answer any of her questions, so she turned her phone off and let it gather messages. But, to her surprise, there was a much bigger issue waiting for her.This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    "Mignonne, won''t you invite me in?" Gerard looked at her with mischief in his eyes. He''d found out that Duke was her brother. If she lied about that cold and distant man, then maybe she''d lied about being married? That was good for him. Very, very good. Maybe he still had a chance, then.


    "Can you give me a couple of minutes, Gerard? We can talk after that." There was nothing between her and Gerard anymore. Still, he was a romantic rival, so it wouldn''t be wise to just invite him in, especially with her sister-inw around. Maybe if she just went outside to talk to him, she could let him know, once and for all, that she wasn''t avable.


    "Leena, who is that? Why is it taking you so long to open the door?" Curious, ire walked over to the door. But she screamed when she saw the smiling Gerard, and fled back to her own room. She was wearing only a thin shirt with nothing under it, and bare legs to boot. It really wasn''t appropriate attire toe to the door in anyway, never mind greet aplete stranger in that outfit.


    "What is wrong with her? Am I really that scary?" Gerard trilled in confusion. He didn''t do anything, for God''s sake! Why did that girl act like that when she saw him? He considered himself handsome. He''d been told that, as a matter of fact. So how could he possibly scare her?


    "No, you''re not scary at all. You''re just here at the wrong time. Well, now that she''s seen you, you may as welle inside." Leena rolled her eyes helplessly. It was normal for ire to have such an reaction. After all, there were only the two of them at home, and she didn''t have time to change her clothes since she woke up. Of course she would be shocked when seeing a foreign man standing outside the door.


    "Thank you!" When Gerard came in, he looked around, taking in his surroundings. He was looking for wedding pictures, masculine decor, anything that would indicate that there was a husband around.


    "Have a seat! So why are you here? This is a long way from Paris!" Leena started to prepare a cup of coffee for him. Though she didn''t expect his visit at all and didn''t want to see him here, she still didn''t forget that he was the guest here. So she should at least do what a good hostess should do. That was only appropriate.


    "If I remember correctly, you told me toe. You pretty much invited me to your house." Gerard said these words to Leena, uncertain as to whether that was the case. His young and handsome face showed that he was a bit hurt. Leena wasn''t expecting him? He was hoping she''d be delighted, not flustered.


    "Maybe you should have told me first." Leena''s worried mindset spilled out onto her face. She was a bit worried about how to exin Gerard to Kevin tonight. She was unsure about how he''d react.


    "I e-mailed you. Did you get it?" Gerard looked at her with unassuming eyes. He could tell she was angry, and he was nervous because he couldn''t quite figure out why.000

 Chapter 1123 Gerard Was Here (Part Three)

    "Yeah, I saw it. But still, you should have told me before you jumped on a ne and flew all the way here! What were you thinking?" Leena was in such a bad mood because of him, so she couldn''t control what she said. The words just fell out of her brain and tumbled out of her mouth. To be honest, Gerard wasn''t entirely innocent, either. He was highly irresponsible. But he didn''t deserve Leena''s scolding tone.


    "I''m sorry! I thought that you would be very happy to see me, Mignonne. So I wanted to surprise you. But it appears I''ve upset you, right?" Gerard lowered his eyes in shame. He didn''t even expect that Leena would be out of sorts when she saw him. He felt like he wasn''t wee here. "No, forget it. Just ignore me. I''m in a bad mood." Leena was usually sweet and kind, so the hurt look on Gerard''s face stopped her from saying anything more. After all, he was not wrong, because she did invite him toe here and visit her. But she didn''t expect that he would take it this seriously. It was an 11-hour ne ride.


    "Who''s your friend, Leena?" ire came out again, this time dressed more appropriately. she still felt a bit awkward about what happened before. Fortunately Gerard had seen nothing, and was still trying to sort out what happened. "I''m impressed!" she said.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "This is Gerard. He''s a friend of mine. We met in France." Leena smiled and introduced Gerard to ire, but her smile was bitter. She was still not happy about his visit.


    "Oh! Hi! I''m ire, nice to meet you." ire introduced herself in English, because she didn''t know a single word of French. She hoped that this man could speak English. "Hello, beautifuldy, I am Gerard. Nice to meet you too." As one of the heirs of nc Group, it was almost required to be multi-lingual. So he answered ire in fluent English.


    "Thank you." ire nced at Leena, she couldn''t help but be envious of her. Because all the men around her were elegant, handsome, and rich. How was she always meeting men like these guys? What was her secret?


    "Mignonne, is this your friend?" Gerard asked, looking at ire with a gentle smile.


    "No, she''s my sister-inw." Leena spoke fluent French. And maybe because she''d spent quite a bit of time in France, she had no trace of the usual foreign ent.


    "Oh? Sister-inw?" This blindsided Gerard. He was convinced she wasn''t married, that she was just blowing him off. Hearing that she had a sister-inw was a little bit of a shock.


    "Yes, sister-inw, my husband''s little sister." Leena had kept Gerard at arm''s length ever since they broke up. They still remained friends, but it was hard to get excited about being around her ex. There was a reason they broke up, and that reason stood between them as a huge obstacle to rekindling any sort of romance.


    "What are you guys talking about? Is that French? Wow, Leena, why didn''t you tell me you can speak French?" ire discovered one more thing about Leena that surprised and delighted her. Leena didn''t care what ire said or did, just as long as they weren''t fighting. She was easy to please.


    Leena turned towards ire and said, "Oh. I was just exining our rtionship to him. But what do I do now? He''s here, and I should make him feel wee, but I would feel awful if I leave you here alone..." Leena looked at ire with sad eyes. She was going to take ire out for sightseeing, but Gerard threw a monkey wrench into the works. So much for a rxing day!


    "That''s okay. I told Louisa we''d go shopping, so I''ll go with her. Have fun!" ire waved her hand dismissively, and moved on. She didn''t think that there was anything between Leena and this handsome foreign man. And there wasn''t. Not now, anyway.


    "Okay. Be safe, okay? You can borrow the car, and just use the GPS to find your way around. You get lost, call me." To be honest, Leena still expected a snarky remark, or for ire to stir up trouble. But instead, she was just nice to her. She remembered how she promised Kevin that she''d be nice, and that stung a little. She wanted to be liked for who she was, not trapped in some grudging truce.


    "You mean the Ferrari? That would be so cool to be seen in that." ire wanted to drive the Ferrari because it was eye-catching and she wanted to show off. As the spoiled girl in her family, this was how she thought. Anything could be a status symbol. "Umm... You want that car?" Leena was a bit hesitant, because she was used to driving Ferrari herself. She didn''t want to take the chance that someone else might scratch it, or worse, crash it.


    "Yeah... That''s not the one you meant, right?" ire was disappointed, but she couldn''t do anything else. After all, it was Leena''s car. She had no right to whine when she couldn''t drive it. But she loved the idea of it, and it was mboyant enough for her tastes. "I didn''t mean it that way. It''s just that I''m used to driving it, and I''m not reallyfortable with someone borrowing it. But if you really like that one, I''ll use another one. Knock yourself out." She could tell how much ire wanted to drive the Ferrari, and didn''t want to disappoint her. So she let her borrow it. Leena could find another car easily.


    "Yay! Awesome! Thank you so much!" irepletely forgot the fact that she didn''t like Leena at all. It seemed that an expensive car really could change her attitude. Who knew?


    "You''re wee. Now hang out with Gerard for a sec. I''m gonna go upstairs and change. It won''t be long." Leena stood up and made her way to the stairwell. The funny thing was that ire was about two or three years older than Leena, but you couldn''t tell by talking to her. She seemed seriously immature, with maybe a teenager''s mindset. It could be that she was really spoiled by her family. Two people couldn''t be more different than ire and Leena. Leena lost her mother when she was just a kid. Her brothers spoiled her a lot, but it was still different from having a mother around to love and rely on. She was more mature than ire, probably because she had to be.


    "Of course! Go ahead!" ire was on Cloud 9 when she heard she could drive the Ferrari. At this point, she''d probably agree to anything Leena proposed, no matter how outrageous.


    "So, Gerard, are you my sister-inw''s ssmate?" ire watched Leena go upstairs and disappear from view, then she turned back to Gerard. He was gorgeous, but there was such anguage barrier.


    "Sort of." Gerard lost interest once he found out that he was totally wrong about Leena. So Leena was indeed telling him the truth. She was really married. He had to believe it, because Leena''s sister-inw was right here in front of him.


    "Oh." The conversation had petered out and gotten a bit awkward. His vague answer was a little off-putting, and it sounded like he really didn''t want to talk about it. So she just mmed up. At this point, she really wished Leena would hurry up and get back. This was not going well at all.


    Fortunately, it didn''t take Leena long to change into better clothes. She came down in a stylish outfit that was designed to turn heads, but might not inspire too many lewd thoughts. Not only that, but she eschewed makeup this time.


    Leena handed a card to ire. It was one she rarely used. Though the money on that card couldn''t buy a whole department store''s worth of clothing, it should be enough for ire to use. And she had changed all her cards'' password to Kevin''s birthday in case she forgot the password. It should be easy enough to remember. "Here you go. It''s a tinum card. Get yourself something nice. The password is your brother''s birthday."

 Chapter 1124 The Meaning Of Happiness (Part One)

    "You want to give me this? Are you sure? Is there any limit?" ire took the card and turned it around. She looked at it thoroughly, feeling that there would not be much money credited to it. Otherwise, how could Leena be so generous?


    "Um, this is for you. No limits. You do not have any ie right now, right? So, you can use this card if you want to buy something. Don''t worry. There is sufficient money in it that you can use for a while." Leena smiled. She was not exaggerating when she mentioned ''sufficient money''. Every card of hers had a minimum amount of millions of dors. She didn''t worry that it would not be enough for ire, unless she boughtrge assets, such as a vi in S City.


    "But if you give Kevin''s card to me, won''t he be angry once he gets to know that? I can use this card to buy anything I need, right? Won''t he think I''m wasting his money?" ire hesitated a little. Although she liked buying beautiful clothes, she dared not fritter away her elder brother''s hard-earned money. After all, she grew up in the Army Base when she was young. She knew very clearly how hard being a soldier was and how much sweat and blood went into the daily training sessions and missions. How couldn''t she be sympathetic to his hardships?


    "Don''t worry about it. This card is my personal card. Your brother won''t know that I give it to you," Leena said, suddenly realizing that Kevin had given all his property to her, although she never used it. Should she also reveal more about her assets to him, keeping her property transparent as well?


    "Oh, really? In that case, I am fine with this. Thanks." Since it was Leena''s card, ire didn''t think that there would be much money in it. A person who didn''t work all day couldn''t have a high ie. Realizing this, ire felt much more rxed than the time when Leena had first handed the card to her. Since there was not so much money in the card, she did not need to think too much about it. She just epted it.


    "Ah. Wee. We''ll go out then. Here is the key to the house. I will send the passwords of the rooms to your pher, in case you forget them." After this detailed arrangement, Leena handed the car and house keys to ire. She did not miss anything and had taken everything into consideration.


    "Okay, okay. I know. You two have fun. Gerard, goodbye!" ire said happily. She didn''t consider it wrong for Leena to go out with another man. After all, it was not illegal for married women to have male friends.


    "Take care of yourself, since you are alone. Give me a call if you face any problems." Leena was a little worried, as ire was not familiar with S City.


    "Don''t worry! I''m not a child, you just go. I will remember to lock the door." ire huffed. She realized that her big brother''s verbosity was influenced by Leena. Kevin also liked to tell her again and again, like an old nanny.


    Upon hearing ire''s assurance, Leena finally went outside with Gerard. It was not very convenient to talk to him at home. Not to mention that they had been a couple before. Leena felt that it was unfair to Kevin if she spent time with her ex-boyfriend in their new marital home.


    "Mignonne, are you not happy that I havee to S city to see you?" Gerard asked out his confusion cautiously as soon as they got inside the car. He could sense the anger that she held in her heart.


    "I am happy to see you. But don''t talk to me right now when I am driving." Leena put on her sunsses, the broad frame instantly covering up most of her small face, including her expressions. She looked cool andposed. Gerard moved his lower lip and hesitated to say anything more. He did not dare irritate Leena. She was friendly and nice most of the time, but once someone provoked her, her anger would hit the roof.


    Leena nced at him coldly and saw that he had finally shut up. The corners of her mouth rose up in satisfaction. She started the car and drove off. A sly look lingered in her eyes, but it was covered up by her oversized sunsses. However, she didn''t realize that Kevin would try to contact her. As soon as Leena left the house, ire''s phone rang. It was from Kevin. He couldn''t get through to Leena''s cellphone, so he had to call up ire instead.


    "Brother, why are you calling me at this time? Is it urgent?" ire answered the phone while carefully drawing her eyebrows. She was going out with Louisa tonight and was getting ready.


    "Nothing. I just could not get through to Leena''s phone. I am worried about her. How is she? Is she at the apartment? Are you with her?" Kevin''s eyes lingered on the documents on his table even as he talked on the phone. He needed to leave home again for a while. Kevin never felt that it was a problem before he got married to Leena. Realizing this once again, he sighed unwittingly.


    "Oh, don''t worry about that. Leena just went out with her friend. You can try to call her again? She probably shut down her phone because of low battery. But it''s probably switched on right now. She just said that she''d text me the passwords of the rooms," ire said, her hand pausing mid-air. She wondered if she had guessed wrong. Leena''s phone was probably turned off while she was charging it. But now she had left. It was impossible that she was still charging her phone.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Oh. That could be. I will call her againter. I''m hanging up. Bye." Kevin was not a suspicious man, nor was he autocratic. Upon hearing that Leena went out with a friend, he never thought of asking whom Leena went out with. Male or female? He didn''t stop to think about it.


    "Okay, Kevin. I am going out too. Only call me if there is anything urgent. Goodbye!" ire was in a hurry to dress up and go out, so she didn''t want to spend any more time talking to Kevin. She hung up immediately without waiting for his response.

 Chapter 1125 The Meaning Of Happiness (Part Two)

    "What are these two girls up to?" Kevin looked at his phone, baffled to hear ire suddenly end the call.


    He shook his head and could not help but roll his eyes. He had been afraid that they would get into arguments and quarrels with each other when he was not home. But it seemed that everyone had their appointments to attend to, no matter if he was there or not. In any case, it was good to see that both of them had something to do.


    Kevin smiled helplessly. He decided to call Leenater, even though he desperately wished to hear her voice right now. The reason he wanted to talk to her was to inform her that he had a special assignment tonight and wouldn''t be able to get home on time. He didn''t expect that the first time he tried to report this itinerary to his wife as her husband, he would not even be able to contact her.


    "Excuse me, Major General! May Ie in?" Just then, Lee''s high-pitched voice suddenly sounded from outside. As always, Lee was calm and courteous, even during this busy moment.


    "Come in, please." Kevin put down his phone and leaned back against his chair. He decided to forget all his trifles and concentrate on the task at hand. He wondered why Lee had barged in.


    "Major General, themander would like you to go to his office right now. He said that it was an emergency." Being in the army, Lee was always dignified. One could not find any trace of indiscipline in his actions. He was a role model for the newer soldiers. Kevin immediately sat upright at his words.


    "Oh, I see. I''lle right away." Kevin frowned, wondering what kind of emergency this was. He did not waste any more time thinking and stood up, straightening his military uniform before stepping out of his office door.


    "Commander, what happened? I heard that there was an emergency." Kevin walked into themander''s office quickly. He wondered whether the emergency themander stated was rted to the assignment tonight.


    "Wait a moment. Let''s wait for Daisy, I asked her toe too. She''d be here soon. I want to talk to the both of you together." Even before themander finished speaking, Daisy''s cool figure appeared at the door. She walked with quicksilver steps toward them. It was obvious that she too had rushed over immediately after receiving themander''s message.


    "Commander, what''s up? You said there would be an emergency?" Daisy asked in her usual cold and distant tone, matching her aloof personality.


    "Yes, yes. It is good to see you twoe here in such a short time. I have a task for you two. You both know that we are nning to assist in an international criminal case that hase to light recently. We have received new intelligence about the case, and it means our original n needs to be changed. We must pull in the action n. The criminals have surfaced already, much earlier than we expected them to. Since it is daytime now, I propose that you two disguise as a couple to approach them. Then, deal with them without hurting the innocent. I do not know whether this n is difficult for you or not." The Commander''s keen eyes shot back and forth between Kevin and Daisy. His gaze looked unsure, as if he was uncertain that his outstanding subordinates couldplete this dangerous and unexpected mission sessfully.


    "How many targets we are talking about? Is there any more information about these criminals? What are their strengths and weaknesses? Are they armed with weapons like guns?" Daisy did not immediately give him a direct answer. As she assessed the situation, the questions flew to her mind immediately before she asked them aloud. She needed to have a general idea about this task. Daisy had not been in the original action n and knew nothing about it. However, she was bound to fulfill her duty as a soldier and could not say no to any mission assigned to her. Hence, in order to ensure sess, she must know as much as she could to take further action. Just like the old saying, "If you know yourself and your enemy, you''ll never lose a battle."


    "Fair points. If we have more information, we will gain the initial advantage. Unfortunately, we do not have much information on the targets. That''s why the Interpol wants our support," themander responded seriously as he pursed his lips and threaded his fingers together. Upon hearing this, Kevin and Daisypsed into a long silence. Their brains scurried toe up with possible action ns for the mission. However, before they could work out any proposal, themander''s voice sounded again suddenly, piercing the quiet. His words were changed. "But it''s certain that there are five targets and their skills are good. Most importantly, they are all armed with guns. This is essential for you to know."Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    The other two soldiers present in the room stood stiffly as themander finished speaking, their mouths twitching. This answered most of their questions. ''Not much information on the targets'', was that what he said? It turned out that themander was just tricking them with his uncertain nces and clueless tone. Kevin and Daisy were speechless. They had been used to his style but had forgotten just now.


    Kevin recovered quickly. "Does this mean that their trade is ahead of schedule too? Where will they make the deal? Do we have the address? Where are they right now?" Kevin threw several questions at themander. He had been in the n previously and could promptly link the current situation with the earlier information he had received.


    "The ce where they n to trade has not been changed, only the timing has. We must strive to cooperate with the Interpol and not let our international friends down. And we do not want them to look down upon us. Agreed?" Commander gazed sharply at his two most outstanding soldiers. He had absolute confidence in their abilities.


    "Yes, Sir. However, I do not understand something. The Interpol has sent many cops on this case. Why do they still require our support? Why couldn''t they get much more information?" Kevin was somehow puzzled. Was the Interpol authentic? Or was there a bigger picture behind this case?

 Chapter 1126 The Meaning Of Happiness (Part Three)

    "Good question, Kevin. It is correct that they have spent many resources on this case. However, there is also the problem of location. Don''t forget that this is S city, not some western countries. Once the foreign faces of Interpol appear here, it would immediately arouse the suspicions of the criminals. They''ll be too conspicuous to be kept a secret. The Interpol does not want the criminals to raise their vignce, so we have to support them." Themander sighed. It was not his intention to expose his people to such a dangerous mission, but this was an order. As a soldier, he could not disy the slightest disobedience. He had to follow the orders and so did his subordinates.


    "I understand. So, that''s why you''re asking us to pretend to be a couple to get close to the targets." Kevin smiled bitterly. He had long been ustomed to such missions. Daisy and he often did it in previous tasks. Before, there had never been a reason not to take up the missions. But he felt differently this time about pretending to be a couple with Daisy. He was married to Leena now.This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    "That is correct! You two are the most suitable people to y lovers in this army base. Both of you are skilled and experienced too. Besides, you two have worked together on many tasks before and are a good team. This task should not be difficult. Aren''t you confident about it like I am?" Themander beamed, not exaggerating a bit. In the entire army base, only Kevin and Daisy were both young as well as good-looking. They were the best candidates for this international mission because they not only satisfied that criteria but were also skilled in foreignnguage. They were greatly experienced inbats. Themander believed that they wouldplete the mission sessfully.


    "Do we need to set out now?" Unlike Kevin''s little and sudden moodiness, Daisy did not entertain any emotional fluctuations with regard to this task. She only took it as a new challenge.


    "Yes. Of course. As for your get-up, I don''t think you need my orders. You young people have your own styles. So go ahead and prepare for it! I''ll tell Hawkeyes to assist you on the action in secret." The Commander had always valued them and was at ease leaving the task to them.


    "All right. We will get right to it. Wait for us to triumph and return!" Kevin announced, not imagining in his wildest dreams that he would encounter more unexpected things that would almost endanger him, thanks to a momentary loss of his sound mind.


    At the same moment, Leena sat opposite Gerard at a posh restaurant in a hotel. Although the atmosphere between them was uncertain and distant, it was much better than before in the car.


    "Mignonne, thank you for taking out the time to dine with me. I am so happy to be with you," Gerard said with his eyes full of affection. Although Leena''s attitude was somewhat aloof, he pretended not to notice it. The more distant Leena acted, the more his desire to conquer her once again grew.


    "We are friends, aren''t we? So don''t be polite to me. The reason I got angry was not that you came to find me. It was because you didn''t inform me before you arrived here. You know, it bothered me a lot when you suddenly appeared in front of me." Leena stared at him calctingly. She did not think Gerard came to S City only for a visit. He must have some other purpose. But what was that? Leena could not be sure.


    "Mignonne, but are you happy now?" Gerard sloshed the wine in his ss and sipped it, looking back at Leena with a touch of inquiry in his voice.


    "Gerard, ording to you, what is the meaning of happiness?" Leena questioned him back, not answering him directly. In many ways, people had different ideas with regard to happiness. What she thought made her happy might not arouse the same feeling in him. "For me, happiness is to have the one you love love you back. What about you? What does happiness mean to you?" Gerard stared at her intensely as if he was trying to convey the love in his heart.


    "Happiness is the smile he wears when he lowers his head to look at me, a quiet call of my name from his thin lips, the softness with which he holds me in his arms and the warmth I feel when his eyes meet mine. Those moments define happiness for me. So, do you think I am happy?" Leena smiled with her head bowed down. A tender look arose on Leena''s face as if she was intoxicated in her sweet memories.


    "Mignonne, when you say that, you look like a girl who has fallen in love. You love him very much, am I right? Even more than you loved me before." Gerard was upset. He never saw such an impassioned expression in her eyes when they had been together. She was in love, certainly, and the man she was in love with was not him.00000000

 Chapter 1127 The Meaning Of Happiness (Part Four)

    "Gerard, I am sorry. But I have to tell you that after I met my husband, I finally came to know what love meant. The affection I had for you was the naive emotion of a little girl who was too young to know what love was. What we shared was not about true love. I know you might feel hurt by my saying that, but it is the truth. Please, please don''t expect anything else from me. It will never work and won''t be worth it. This is what I told you before in Paris too. We can only be friends." This was Leena. She never offered hope to others where there was none. Any false hope would only wound him even more. When it was time to be hard and straight, Leena knew how to be so. A short moment of pity would deepen the hurt in future. It was better not to have such pity at all.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "You''re very cruel, Mignonne. You already know why I am here. Yes, I came here for you, only for you. But even before I could open my mouth, you''ve sentenced me to my death." Gerard forced a bitter smile. His young and handsome face was marked with sadness. Yes, he had made a wrong decision at that time, but how it could morph into such an impossible situation? He didn''t only lose her, he also lost his first love. He was in deep remorse.


    "I apologize, Gerard. This is the best response I can give you. We cannot turn back the clock. Even though you''re reluctant and unwilling right now, you must admit that what''s gone is gone. Gerard, I am married, and I love my husband. I believe I have told you this before. And you must let me go and let yourself go too. Your dream girl is out there waiting for you, and it''s not me. She''s somewhere in the world and you need to find her. I hope you get what I''m saying. Don''t pursue something meaningless. It will only make you sadder and you will gain nothing." Leena was very perceptive about life. She was mature in her views unlike most people of her age and had no problem uttering this philosophical advice to Gerard. She only wanted to help him out.


    "Mignonne, I know what you mean. But I cannot tell myself not to miss you. Can I ask you something again? Is he... is your husband really so irreceable to you?" Gerard still did not want to give up. He had given up easily before and had regretted it for too long. This time, he made sure to try. Even when Leena spoke so ruthlessly, his love persisted in his heart. It was the only desire he had left.


    "When you ask me this question, it proves that I''m not as important to you as you want to believe. I am just a desire in your heart. I''m not your love. In some time, when you lose this feeling of desire, I will be nothing in your eyes, and nothing in your heart. I would be the one receable." Gerard was just like how she used to be before. He was young and this was only an impulse. When he got out of it, it would mean nothing to him.


    "Mignonne, please don''t doubt my love like this. I find that I don''t understand you anymore. All your thoughts and words are beyond what I knew of you before. It''s a bit panicking. I feel like I''ll always feel this way." Gerard took a big gulp of wine from his ss, but the alcohol did not ease the biting pain in his heart. Why was it that each time when he wanted to hold her, he seemed to push her away even more?


    "It is not a simple thing to understand a person. Just like Rome was not built in a day, you need to spend a lifetime knowing a person well. Don''t be so upset. It just proves that I am not the book you want to read." Leena felt a bit exhausted. She was not a meddlesome person by nature. If it was not because that Gerard had never rousted her, she would never spend so much time helping him figure this out.


    "I know. It is so kind of you to say this to me. Don''t worry. I promise I won''t get involved in your life. It is fine that you don''t love me now, but please, don''t deny my love for you. Don''t deprive me of the right to love you. Just please, don''t be so cruel to me. Just like you said earlier, the happiness I want can also be simple. As long as you look at me and smile, I will be satisfied." Gerard closed his eyes. This was a pain that could not be described in words. He was in love with her but had to bury his love deep in his heart. He had to pretend he was fine just being friends with her. Otherwise he would not get the chance to be near her.


    "Gerard, you don''t need to be like this. You know, in my mind, you are always so elegant and unconventional. Acting like this is totally not your style. You were like a young prince in France. Why waste your precious youth on me?" Leena swallowed and furrowed her brows. At the same time, sheughed at herself silently, feeling somewhat helpless. She found that she was not a good guide after all. Instead of things getting solved, they had turned an irreversible tide. The whole situation made her feel frustrated.000

 Chapter 1128 Leena Was Taken Hostage (Part One)

    result before he arrived here but didn''t anticipate it would be so decisive.


    "Mignonne, stop trying to persuade me. I need time! Maybe I''ll forget you soon, or maybe it''ll take me my entire life to get over you. But right now, don''t tell me to stop loving you," Gerard voiced out his thought mournfully and tried to keep smiling. He had expected this "Trust me, Gerard, unrequited love is dismal and exhausting. Have you thought about that?" Leena asked, gazing up at him. She knew the acrid taste of unrequited love very well. It was the most miserable memory of her life, so she knew how much it hurt.


    "I feel it now. Butpared to not loving you at all, I''d rather it be a one-sided affair so that I remain true to my soul." Gerard smiled, shrugging. To many people, he was just a noble French boy born into a rich family. He was used to the party life. But in truth, he only hoped to spend his entire life with someone special.


    "As you wish! I can''t stop you from doing it, but I hope you can live happily," Leena said faintly. No matter what, Gerard was still her friend. Why would she want him to be unhappy?


    "If I hadn''t let you go in the first ce, do you think you would have been my wife by now?" Gerard asked, holding on to thest shred of hope. There was a saying that went, "The best are always unpossessed." That was true for Gerard too.


    "No. Because we aren''t suitable for each other," Leena said, taking a sip of her wine. She turned to focus her attention to the door and tried to avoid eye contact with him. As she nced in that direction, she saw something that shocked her.


    She found Kevin and Daisy walking into the hotel hand-in-hand, wearing casual clothes and standing awfully close to each other. Daisyughed at something Kevin said. Both of them were so good-looking that they attracted a lot of attention. They looked like a real couple.


    Unbeknownst to Leena, the army''s n was in action. The criminals were staying at the hotel. Kevin and Daisy hade here to get acquainted with the lot and to make sure everything went well.


    They went to sit near some foreign men. The people around them couldn''t tell that Kevin and Daisy were alert to the slightest noise. The pair behaved intimately like they were a normal couple. The two of them talked andughed together, all the while touching each other casually.


    Leena, who had begun to tremble in shock, kept her eyes on Kevin and Daisy. She couldn''t believe what she was seeing with her very own eyes. She might be able to doubt Kevin''s love, but she couldn''t doubt Daisy, who loved Edward so deeply.


    "Mignonne, what''s the matter with you? Why do you look so terrible all of a sudden?" Gerard asked in confusion, looking at her with concern.


    "Oh! It''s nothing. Enjoy your food!" Leena said as her lips trembled. Her quivering smile looked worse than when she cried. She knew she shouldn''t think too much of it, but she couldn''t ignore the truth of what she just saw. Luckily for her, she was at a corner seat of the restaurant and couldn''t be spotted by the two of them so easily.


    Kevin and Daisy sat a little far from Leena and didn''t see her. Moreover, they didn''t pay much attention to others, keeping their eyes on the targets sitting next to their table.


    "There are too many people here for us to take action, so we need to wait till they get into the room," Daisy whispered, getting closer to Kevin. From afar, it looked like they were flirting. Seeing this, Leena all but gasped.


    "Got it. If it was one versus one, there would be no problem. But two versus five? That''s risky. We need to protect the innocent people here from being taken hostage," Kevin concurred with Daisy. They didn''t want to start a fight with the criminals in a crowded ce. They needed to gather more information first by sitting close to them.


    "Hmm. From what I can tell, one of them is a veteran retired from the special forces. So we will have to be more cautious." As they conversed on this very serious issue, they looked at each other tenderly, doing their best to look like a real couple.


    "All right. We have to make sure we take them down before they get into their room. Just in case they have bombs or other weapons of mass destruction stored inside," Kevin said, frowning. He knew normal guns wouldn''t do much harm. But if the criminals had sub- machine weapons, this could rapidly turn into a disaster.


    They leaned towards each other and continued to talk in close quarters, unaware that they were being gazed upon by a pair of extremely sad eyes. Leena''s gaze was pinned on them, her face miserable.


    "Mignonne, what are you looking at?" Gerard asked, following her gaze. He didn''t find anything suspicious about some couple in love enjoying their dinner.


    "Gerard,e on! Cheers!" Leena eximed as she filled up her ss with more wine. She lifted it up and clinked it with his, telling herself that things were fine. But try as she might, she couldn''t calm down.


    "Sure. Thanks for your hospitality," Gerard replied politely, watching Leena drink it all down in one big gulp. She swallowed her drink so fast that she couldn''t help but cough slightly.


    "Slow down!" Gerard said, looking at Leena with concern. He could tell there was something wrong with her, but he didn''t know what had suddenly happened.


    "Sorry. I forgot my manners," Leena said, her eyes reddening a little. She had been trying so hard to find excuses for Kevin and Daisy. But just now when she saw how close they were, she couldn''t believe that there was nothing between them. ''Kevin lied to me,'' she thought in a daze. ''He is still in love with Daisy."Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "It''s fine. Here, take some water. It''ll make you better," Gerard said soothingly and poured out some water for Leena. She told him that she was happy, but from what he could tell, she didn''t look happy at all. Her eyes couldn''t lie. The sadness in them was for everyone to see.


    "Thanks, Gerard," Leena said in gratitude and sniffed at the irony. Only minutes ago she had been convincing Gerard to get out of her life, and now she was d to be looked after by him. "Mignonne, you are not living a happy life as you described, are you?" Gerard asked with some sympathy. He had never seen such sadness in her eyes. Coldness, yes, but never such misery. "Pfft! What are you talking about? Have you ever seen anyone happier than me?" Leenaughed, pretending to be unperturbed. Her heart was bitter and suffering but she didn''t want Gerard to see that.


    "Don''t you always say lying to ourselves is not good behavior? Your eyes have already betrayed your lie," Gerard replied. He loved her eyes. They were so pure and innocent; her true self reflected in them. He had never seen this kind of beauty in anyone else. None of his other friends were like her. Gerard realized once again that he had been too stupid to cherish her back when they were together.


    "Eyes can deceive too. Never judge someone by their eyes, Gerard," Leena uttered, taking a sip of the water. She was upset, yes, but she didn''t want to drown her sorrow in drinks. Her situation wasn''t so pathetic yet. Moreover, what one saw with one''s own eyes was not always true. ''If Kevin and Daisy are behaving like this out in the open, they must be undercover on a secret mission, ''Leena wondered if it was a possibility. She didn''t n to ask them in person what was going on, no matter how confused she felt. She might ruin their task if she interfered.00000

 Chapter 1129 Leena Was Taken Hostage (Part Two)

    "Mignonne, have I told you you''ve changed a lot? If you were this wise back when we were together, I''m sure I would have never broken up with you." Every time Gerard brought this up, he felt intense regret. As a proud man, he knew better than to entangle himself in pursuing Leena again. He came to S City to find an answer for his restless heart and just as he had guessed, the situation between them was irreparable. He only hoped he could spend time with Leena as a friend over the next few days. It would serve as a remedy for his broken heart. "So, you regret it now? I am grateful that you let me go. Because of it, I found the person with whom I want to spend the rest of my life." She told herself not to look at Kevin and Daisy umpteen times, but couldn''t help herself. This time when her eyes wandered back to their seat, they were gone. She stood up in rm, her eyes abruptly searching for them.


    "What are you looking at? Are you searching for someone?" Gerard asked, standing up in confusion as well. He noticed that she kept looking in one direction, but he found nothing unusual when he followed her gaze. Previously, he had seen a passionate couple upying a table there, but such intimacy wasmon in the western world. Leena herself should know, as she had lived in France for a long time. How was she still bothered by it?


    "Nope. Let''s sit. I saw something but it must have been my imagination. It''s probably because I feel a little dizzy," Leena said, patting her hair nervously. That must be it. In any case, Kevin and Daisy were not supposed to be so snug and intimate.


    In actuality, the criminals had left, so Kevin and Daisy followed them. That was the reason why Leena couldn''t spot them anymore.


    Still keeping up the ruse of being a couple, Kevin and Daisy stalked the criminals from a distance and made sure they weren''t discovered. They took the elevator and got to the floor where the criminals stayed. Straightaway, the culprits caught sight of them and raised their guns. Kevin and Daisy found themselves in a sudden encounter. Fortunately, they had prepared in advance for such a scenario. The innocents staying on the same floor had been relocated to a safer ce earlier. At least Kevin and Daisy didn''t have to worry about hurting them.


    "Who the hell are you? Cops or agents?" One of the criminals asked with an authentic English ent. None of them had the guts to shoot as the noise would attract more attention. Their smuggled goods were still in the room.


    "Neither," Kevin responded as he pushed back one of the culprits. He didn''t hesitate before punching him in the jaw. Kevin had the strength and wits of a true soldier.


    "Shit! Who ARE you guys?!" The man asked, wiping the blood from his mouth. He couldn''t believe he hadn''t seen the fisting. How did he not have the upper hand here?


    "I''ll answer that question after we take you all down," Kevin said with confidence. He held his head high like the proud Major General he was.


    "Huh! Even the trash from ICPO could do nothing to us. And you think you two can bring us down? What a joke!" In the narrow hallway, the two sides came to blows, fighting fiercely for life and death.


    Meanwhile, Leena went upstairs with Gerard. They reached the stairway where the fight was happening. Caught unawares, Leena was hit and seized by a man.


    "Who are you? Get your hands off her! Take me instead!" Gerard shouted in panic. The gunman held his weapon to Leena''s head. Gerard dared not step forward in case the criminal pulled the trigger in desperation.


    "Back off! Or I''ll shoot her," The criminal shouted, seemingly nervous. His eyes flitted from side to side and shed with ferocity.


    Leena went nk for several moments. She was so terrified that she couldn''t think. Never in her life had she expected to be the victim in such an encounter.


    "Leena! Why are you here?!" Kevin, who had followed the criminal to the staircase, yelled in astonishment once he saw Leena. The gunman took the opportunity and turned to shoot him. Mercifully, Kevin was swift enough to leap aside and avoided the bullet. "Kevin, are you all right?" Leena squeaked, recovering quickly. Her heart drummed loudly watching Kevin almost get shot.


    "I''m fine, Nana. Don''t worry about me! I''m going to get you out of here!" Kevin called out, frowning. ''This is a set-up, isn''t it? Why are there innocent people in the corridor? Why is my wife here!'' Kevin asked himself in rm.


    "Yes. Yes, I trust you," Leena replied back with a relieved smile. Now she was sure that what she had seen back at the restaurant was not real. Kevin and Daisy were on a secret assignment. Thank goodness she hadn''t said hello to Kevin back there, or it would have been disastrous. However, looking at their current situation, she had still managed to be a burden to him.


    "Leena, what are you doing here?" Daisy asked, her eyes wide. It shocked her to see Leena in the culprit''s grip. Daisy''s trepidation grew. The criminal who seized Leena was probably the best of the lot. He already got away from the fight once.


    "Daisy!" Leena addressed her, but her voice held no panic from before. She knew she would be fine as long as Kevin and Daisy were here.


    "You back off! Step two meters away," the criminal shouted, poking the gun against Leena''s head. He seemed frantic, like he could kill Leena any moment now.


    "Okay. We will back off. Just don''t hurt her," Kevin said quietly and stepped backward. Daisy followed his move. Kevin pulled Gerard back, who had been rooted to the spot in fear.


    "What happened? I thought they had stopped others from walking around on this floor? Why is Leena here?" Daisy whispered. If something bad were to happen to Leena, she wouldn''t know how to forgive herself. More importantly, how would Edward handle something like that? He would be shattered. Daisy could tell how much he loved the girl.


    "I have no idea. Maybe they are too careless! What about the others? Have they been caught?" Kevin asked. His eyes didn''t move from Leena.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Well! We''ve got Hawkeye and others keeping an eye on them. I was worried you wouldn''t be able to cope with this one all by yourself, so I followed you here. But I didn''t expect this," Daisy said as she perused her surroundings stealthily. She tried to find the best corner to snipe at the gunman.


    "Any good position?" Kevin asked her quietly. He had coordinated with Daisy for many years so he could tell what she was thinking.


    "Honestly, no. We are in a dead corner, so we have zero chance. Let''s y it by ear," Daisy replied, frowning. She had carried out lots of missions in the past but never before had she been so flustered.


    "What are you two discussing? No talking or I shoot her!" The criminal announced. His eyes shone fiercely as he held Leena tightly. Leena winced in pain but made no noise. She didn''t want Kevin to worry about her.


    "As far as I know, you are a veteran! Do you consider it manly behavior to take a vulnerable girl hostage?" Kevin goaded him promptly. He was worried sick and on edge, but he pretended to keep his cool. The more dangerous the situation was, the better it would be for him to be of sound mind.


    "You sound like you already have all the information on us. No wonder you found us so fast," the criminal countered back, feeling agitated. Their gang arrived in S City only today. How could these guys be so quick in gathering intel and taking all the necessary precautions? It seemed these two knew the gang too well.000000

 Chapter 1130 Leenas Life Was Hanging By A Thread (Part One)

    "It''s impossible for you to escape from here even if you resist. If you''re a clever man, you would release the hostage first. You may be treated with leniency for that." Daisy stared at the man''s gun, looking for an opportunity to shoot him dead while he was negligent.


    "Cut the crap. We know what wemitted was a capital crime. No matter what we do now, we will only face the death penalty," the gangster said, sneering. Judging from their tense expressions, he assumed that the hostage he took was someone they knew. This could be of advantage to him. The more high-strung the situation was, the more likely it was that they would give themselves over to blind emotion. The soldiers could easily lose their heads, no matter howposed they were normally.


    Leena tried her best to stay calm, but the gun was pointed right at her temple. Anyone facing such a situation would be scared, and Leena was just a vulnerable woman. As frightened as she was, she tried her best not to show the slightest hint of panic so that Kevin and Daisy did not grow agitated.


    "If only Leena knew how to fight! That way, perhaps she could coordinate with us and get herself out of danger," Kevin murmured. His gaze did not stray from the gangster''s movements. Never had he felt as frustrated as he did right now. If a man couldn''t even protect his own wife, how could he be worthy of the army badges on his shoulders that celebrated his glory?


    "I didn''t think of that. Do you mean to shoot him dead with Leena''s cooperation? Or are you not confident about it? If you don''t kill him with a single shot, there might be terrible consequences." Daisy pondered over the strategy. As opposed to Kevin''s suggestion, she thought the safest way for them was to snipe at the criminal when he was being inattentive.


    "Yes, you read my mind. So now I''m at a loss," Kevin said as his eyes still locked on Leena. He feared that the gangster would go bananas and identally fire his gun.


    "Please help her. You must save Mignonne. She''s innocent," Gerard pleaded as he shook Kevin''s arm violently. He was obviously overwhelmed by this situation.


    "Who are you? You know what, never mind. It doesn''t matter who you are. Get out of here, right now. You will hinder the rescue." Only then did Kevin take note of the other man. He had no mind to care about this man''s identity, as all of his attention was focused on Leena. Only at this moment did he realize how deeply he had fallen for her. Kevin''s heart jolted. He let out a harsh breath, promising to himself silently that he would save her. He would not let her leave him.


    Unlike Kevin who intimidated Gerard with a stern warning, Daisy just pushed him away without hesitation. She and Kevin only paid attention to Leena, disregarding the other man''s presence. Daisy felt flustered. As a soldier, it was uneptable to make such a big mistake as topletely ignore the fact that there was another citizen right there during the task. As the saying went, more undue concern led to more chaos, and Daisy was too concerned for Leena''s safety.


    "Listen carefully, you two. Arrange for a helicopter for me that has a full tank. It should be equipped with a pilot. Evacuate all your personnel from this building. I''ll give you half an hour to do so. If you fail, I will shoot her in the head." The gangster was aware that the longer he stayed here, the more danger he would be in. He couldn''t just stand still and wait for death.


    "It''s hard to satisfy your demands. First, it''s impossible to mobilize a helicopter for you in such a short time. Second, even if ites, there is no helipad on the top of this building. You are making things quite difficult for us." Kevin clenched his fists. He had thoroughly investigated the building beforehand and was quite familiar with itsyout. He had seen the rooftop. There were all kinds of facilities up there. It was not possible to find space for a helicopter tond.


    "That is not my concern. It''s your business! Of course, you can discuss your conditions with me, but I''ll only give you half an hour to do everything. If you still do nothing when the time is up, I won''t mind dying along with this beautiful girl." The foolhardy gangster let out a loudugh. He had put all his stakes on Leena. That was to say, he already knew what wasing for him. His act of holding Leena hostage was only a desperate gesture that risked everything in a single move.


    "Don''t be so impulsive. We will get what you want as soon as possible, but half an hour is too short for us. How about you extend it to an hour?" Kevin''s heart went to his mouth when he heard the gangster''s threat. If Leena weren''t the hostage, he would not have allowed a criminal to put him in this difficult position. The more worried Kevin was, the more likely he was to lose control. In such a situation, he could easily lose sight of the correct judgment he had trained for before.


    "Don''t bullshit me. You''ll get forty minutes. If I still don''t see the helicoptere down, this beautifuldy would have to die with me. Such a pity, but I will be very d. I won''t feel lonely on the road to heaven with such a beauty keeping mepany." At this, the gangster intentionally reached out and stroked Leena''s soft cheek. Men liked beautiful women; it seemed to be in their nature. The gangster put his lewd thoughts on show even in such a moment, when they were at daggers drawn. He would surely feel better with this gorgeous girl dying with her.


    Frightened as Leena was, she knew that this was the only opportunity she would get to save herself. The gangster''s attention was focused on flirting with her. Leena assumed that he would not be able to aim the gun to her head quickly if she created amotion. Even if he pressed the trigger, it would not hurt any key parts of her body.


    Daisy registered this too. She understood what was on Leena''s mind when thetter winked at her. Although she knew that they were taking a big risk, this was the only chance to get Leena out of danger. As soon as Leena took action, Daisy immediately rushed forward. Kevin didn''t know that Leena knew how to fight. She took advantage of the criminal''s wandering eyes and reached out to push away his hand that held the gun. She swiftly crouched to sweep at him. At once, Kevin jumped over to them. Moving faster than Daisy, he knocked down the gun that the criminal tried to aim at Leena''s head. Daisy didn''t stop as Kevin snatched up the opportunity to strike him down. She followed up and seized the criminal by his shoulders. He was finally in her control.


    "Leena, you scared the hell out of me. You can''t be so impulsive next time you are in danger." Kevin lifted her from the ground and pulled her into his arms, as if getting back a lost treasure. If he had been even a secondte in knocking the gun down, Leena would have been lying in her own pool of blood right now.


    "Kevin, I was scared too." Leena burst into tears, unable to hold them back any longer. She had closed her eyes during the fight and was ready to receive the bullet. She didn''t expect the gangster to be so strong that her sweep wouldn''t work. That was how he got the chance to try and point the gun at her again.


    "It''s all over now, don''t be afraid. I''m here with you," Kevin said as he nted a gentle kiss on her forehead. Hawkeye and others arrived on the scene. The team took over the criminal from Daisy and couldn''t help but stare at the heartwarming scene next to them. They had heard that the Major General was married, but they had never seen his eyes so tender and full of love. They had not imagined meeting his wife in such a dangerous situation.00000This is from N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1131 Leenas Life Was Hanging By A Thread (Part Two)

    "What are you looking at? Hurry up and take these criminals to the ICPO. Send them away," Daisy waved her hands at them and urged them to leave. It was the couple''s happy moment. They shouldn''t be disturbed. "Yes, Senior Colonel Ouyang. We will get going," Hawkeye said and hurriedly took the criminal away. His loud voice startled the couple, who were in an embrace.


    "Sis Daisy." Leena left Kevin''s arms and turned to Daisy. She hugged Daisy, sniffing her light jasmine scent. Leena blushed when she thought of how she had misunderstood things back at the restaurant. She had been convinced that Daisy and Kevin were truly dating. "Leena, you scared both of us!" Daisy had hardly recovered from the shock. Fortunately, Kevin had taken the lead and saved Leena. Daisy couldn''t imagine what would have transpired if he hadn''t knocked down the gun seconds ahead of her. She had to admit that with regards to speed, she could never outmaneuver Kevin. Moreover, he was backed by the power of his love, so his speed had been unusually fast. Kevin''s anxiety had been in to see.


    "Sorry. I didn''t expect that this would happen to us. We didn''t expect to run into your task. Sorry for causing you so much trouble." Leena felt incredibly guilty. She never wanted Kevin and Daisy to be subject to the gangster''s demands just because of her. "Don''t say that. You did not trouble us. Even if it was not someone we know, it''s our duty to ensure the safety of every citizen. Stop worrying your little head!"


    Daisy patted Leena''s forehead, feigning a sullen look. It had been a close shave. Daisy had held her breath when she realized that Leena intended to knock down the gangster. In such a critical moment when Leena''s life was hanging by a thread, Daisy didn''t know how to stop her from risking her life. She didn''t even get the opportunity to warn Kevin. She could only cooperate with Leena. Daisy had been toote to control the gangster and couldn''t imagine how it would have ended if Kevin hadn''t reacted quickly to the situation. Kevin''s gaze was still fixed on Leena. His eyes brimmed with deep affection. He had finally figured out his heart just moments ago. It was not like Kevin never had any feelings for her, he just didn''t know when she had so quietly walked into his heart. She caught him off- guard and won him over, and now she was the most important person in his life.


    "Mignonne, you are finally out of danger." Gerard walked over to Leena and hugged her tightly after he saw the criminal being taken away. This sudden move surprised Leena, who had just left Daisy''s arms. She was totally unprepared for it.


    "Gerard, I''m fine now. Thanks." Leena nced at Kevin, a little embarrassed. She was concerned that Kevin would misunderstand such an intimate gesture between her and Gerard.


    As soon as Gerard came into his sight again, Kevin began to question who he was. He wondered how this handsome foreigner knew Leena. Were they school mates? Or were they friends? It never urred to Kevin that this handsome guy was Leena''s admirer. "Nana, is he your friend?" Kevin drew her back promptly, releasing her from Gerard''s arms. He circled an arm around her, as if announcing that Leena was his woman.


    "Who are you and why did you drag Mignonne away from me?" Gerard was confused and didn''t realize that Kevin was Leena''s husband.


    "Em... Ah... Gerard, he is my husband, so..." Leena intentionally paused and didn''t finish the sentence. She was sure that Gerard would understand what she meant. "What?" Gerard couldn''t believe her words. He thought that the man she liked would be the gentle type. How could she fall in love with a tough soldier?


    "Hi, I''m Kevin Gu. Nice to meet you." Kevin felt relieved upon seeing Gerard''s surprised expression. He reached out, intending to shake his hand. Kevin assumed that Leena had not previously mentioned to this guy that she was married, so he was obviously shocked at Leena''s introduction.


    "Hi, you can call me Gerard. Nice to meet you too." Although Kevin was his love rival, Gerard was not a petty man. He generously shook Kevin''s hand and did not deliberately make things difficult.


    "Okay, we''d better leave now. We still have to talk to the Interpol." Daisy sighed and pinched her eyebrows. She felt it necessary to ask them for an exnation for all of this. Didn''t they have an agreement before? They agreed to be in charge of watching all the passes. They promised they wouldn''t even let a flye in. But now, forget about the fly, two people entered into the area right under their noses. Was this what they meant by ''cooperation''?


    "Okay, let''s go. Nana, how about this? You and your friend find a ce to have some refreshments, and I will pick you up when I''m finished." Kevin checked the time. He too felt the need to negotiate with the ICPO. The task of the army base was to help them with their work. But in the end, why did all the work fall upon the army base instead? The ICPO didn''t send any support, worse, they failed to keep a watch on the passes.


    "Okay. You should go and do your work. Call me afterward," Leena said. A tender smile hovered on her lips. Kevin never said that he loved her, but it was written on his face. He had been so nervous when she was in danger. Leena knew he cared for her deeply. "Leena, make sure that your phone is switched on first." Kevin flicked her nose lightly, remembering how he had called her in the noon, only to find that her phone was turned off.


    "Okay. I almost forgot that my phone is switched off. Did you call me today?" Leena stuck out her tongue and took out her cellphone from her trouser''s pocket. Fortunately, she didn''t wear a dress today, otherwise she wouldn''t have been flexible enough when she fought the gangster.


    "You think? Daisy, let''s go." Kevin smiled helplessly and bid Gerard goodbye. He quickly walked downstairs.


    "Bye, sis Daisy!" Leena smiled. Her cheeks flushed as she realized that she had never been so intimate with Kevin publicly before.


    "Leena, remember to call Edward. He is always asking me about you. I''ll go now." Daisy waved her goodbye, exasperated. These men were very strange. When they met Leena, they always teased her. But if they didn''t see her in a long time, they began to miss her. Daisy didn''t know how to understand this mindset.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Okay, you take care." Leena watched them leave until they disappeared from her sight. She shifted her eyes to Gerard and gazed at his dumbfounded expression with interest.


    "Mignonne, I realize now why you told me that we can''t be together. I''m not your type, am I?" Gerard nced at Leena, dejected. He seemed toprehend the situation now.


    "No, I wouldn''t say that. It depends on what the man is like. My type doesn''t really matter," Leena said, smiling gracefully. Her ''type'' was not the only standard ording to which she loved a man. She attached more importance to a man''s morality, and how she felt when she first saw him. The first time she met Kevin, she was drunk and chose him over anyone else. He left a good impression on her at the very first sight, otherwise she would not have had sex with him.


    "But that confuses me even more," Gerard said, frowning. He pondered over Leena''s words, but it seemed that the harder he tried to figure out why they ended up like this, the further he drifted away from the answer he wanted.


    "Don''t think anymore. Just use your eyes to see and your heart to feel. You will get it eventually. Let''s go now! I''ll treat you to afternoon tea." Leena walked past him briskly and led the way. She had promised Kevin that she would wait for him to pick her up. She would dly do so. During the time she waited for him, she didn''t mind spending some more time with Gerard.


    "But didn''t you say that you would go home after you send me back to the hotel? Now you''re inviting me to drink tea. What made you change your mind?" Gerard didn''t understand Leena and Kevin''snguage, so he didn''t know that Leena changed her ns because Kevin told her to. If Gerard knew about that, he would probably feel distressed again.000

 Chapter 1132 The Argument In The Tea House (Part One)

    "Are youing with me or not?" Leena rolled her eyes at Gerard and then walked away without even waiting for his reply. The mild smile on her cute face stayed as she was still in a good mood even after being shocked earlier.


    "Wait for me! Who am I to refuse you if you want to treat me, right?" Gerard shook his head helplessly before running after Leena. He acted like he didn''t meet Kevin just now. It seemed that he either ignored his existence because he didn''t want to believe the truth, or he had already epted the truth that Leena was married to a great man and decided to let go. Sometimes, men seemed to be more persistent than women but once they gave up about something, they truly gave it up.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    Leena brought Gerard to a tea house that she rarely visited by herself. She chose this ce because she knew that Kevin liked drinking tea. She wanted to try the tea from this tea house and then she could understand him more.


    "Mignonne, since when have you liked drinking tea?" Gerard asked as he sat down with Leena. He was utterly confused. As far as he knew, Leena never liked drinking tea, so what were they doing in this tea house now?


    "Well, I''m trying to like it." Leena just shrugged her shoulders and smiled. Then she poured herself a cup of tea and added in a more serious tone, "By the way, how long are you going to stay in S City? Are you waiting for professor Be so you could go back to France with her?" She threw him a worried nce. She was ufortable with the fact that Gerard came here by himself. She even thought that what he did was a really bad idea. Wasn''t he afraid of losing his ce in his family business while staying in another country? There might be a lot of people wanting to steal his rights to take over their business. nc Group was a big internationalpany after all.


    "Well, I don''t know. I haven''t decided yet, so it depends!" Gerard answered. He honestly didn''t have ns to leave S City soon. This was hisst chance to travel before he took over the nc Group anyway. Although he knew to himself that he wasn''t ready for the responsibility yet, he was already bound to be a CEO. He was left with no choice since none of hiszy rtives wanted to take responsibility for theirpany. It was crazy and at the same time, far from what the rumors had suggested. He didn''t even have apetitor! "Umh... Gerard, can I ask you something? Is it really safe for you to be alone here? You are a high-profile person and it really worries me that you came here by yourself," said Leena as she chose her words carefully. For Pete''s sake! The man before her was a future CEO! Wouldn''t it be too dangerous for him to do such a stunt?


    "Oh, I see! I guess you''ve heard the rumors about ourpany." Gerard was suddenly amused upon hearing her question. He never expected Leena to believe such a ridiculous gossip.


    "Yeah, I heard about the rumors. I''m actually worried about you since I''ve heard that thepetition was drastic. Are the gossips not true?" Leena wasn''t sure if the tea she had sipped was high-quality or not. Nheless, it wasn''t that bad too. She noticed that there was this faint scent on her tea which she couldn''t describe.


    "Of course not! I wouldn''t be sitting here calmly while drinking tea with you if those were true. I guess I would have been dead by now!" A grin cracked Gerard''s lips before he sipped his cup of tea. As someone who was ustomed to drinking coffee every day, he found the taste of his tea a bit different in an oddly good way.


    "Well, you are right. Why haven''t I thought of that? The rumors about yourpany are fake. Thus, you cane here to visit." Leena ended up smiling a bit bitterly as she lowered her head in shame. It was stupid of her to believe such a ridiculous gossip. She realized that she could have just kept her mouth shut and should not have asked Gerard. She felt so silly and regretted being curious. Would Gerard think that she was that gullible to believe rumors like those? She hoped not.


    "Hello! Gerard and Leena, what a coincidence! I didn''t know that you two would alsoe here for tea." It was when a high-pitched voice suddenly tore through their conversation that they both turned their heads. They saw ire, who was strutting towards them while holding a lot of shopping bags. She was smiling ear to ear and it was obvious that she had a great time shopping with Louisa. ire had thought that there wasn''t much money in the card that Leena gave her just this morning. She almost fainted in surprise upon checking the card''s bnce. Heck! There were millions in there. It was a good thing that Louisa pushed her to check the card first. She didn''t expect for Leena to be this generous after all! The digits she saw had confused her about her sister-inw again. If Leena was just an ordinary girl from an ordinary family, then how on earth did she get that much money in her card? Not only that! How could an ordinary girl just give her that amount of money as if it was not even a big deal?


    "ire, what a nice surprise! Did you twoe here to drink some tea too? Come sit with us!" Leena patted the seat beside her as she gestured ire to sit down. However, it was obvious that she didn''t pay much attention to Louisa, who was standing next to ire. "Louisa, can we sit with them?" ire turned to thedy beside her and asked. It was obvious that she cared about Louisa, or else she wouldn''t ask for her permission.


    "Alright." Louisa''s tone was weird when she nced at Leena disdainfully. Just the mere sight of Leena''s face was enough to make her remember every hurtful word Kevin said to her the other night. She felt bitter all over again. How could the two of them live happily together after hurting her so cruelly???????????????

 Chapter 1133 The Argument In The Tea House (Part Two)

    Her friend''s tone automatically made ire ufortable. She apologetically smiled at Leena. She was slowly changing her opinion about her sister-inw even though she hadn''t realized it yet. Plus! She just used her money. Thus, no matter how much she hated Leena before, she couldn''t help but be nice to her. "Would you like some pastries?" Leena didn''t mind Louisa''s action because she decided topletely ignore her. Well, it was all up to her if she wanted to act stocked up. She didn''t want to be the one to start up a conversation with her only to be mocked in return. "No, thank you. I ate a lot at lunch. I just got tired of shopping so I decided toe here and rest for a bit. How about you? I thought that you would take Gerard to visit the historic ces here in S City. I didn''t expect you two toe here." ire picked up the cup of tea Leena poured for her and sipped. To be honest, she was not a fan of tea either. She only came here because she had a very greasy meal for lunch and wanted to drink something that could help her get rid of the greasy taste in her mouth.


    "I nned to but then I thought that you haven''t been to those ces too. So I changed my mind. If you like, I can take you and Gerard together to those historical ces instead once you have free time." Leena''s smile to ire was a bit bitter. It was noticeable that her sister-inw''s treatment to her had changed. However, she also knew clearly that these changes weren''t because ire realized that she was indeed a very nice person. ire was being nice simply because she had spent her money. Nothing more and nothing less. Just the thought of it hurt her a lot.


    "Okay! Louisa, you are going together with us, right? The more people the merrier!" said ire excitedly. Leena''s suggestion was perfect! She didn''t know much about S City and it was indeed a very good opportunity for her to visit the ces she had been wanting to visit for a long time. Besides, she liked going out and having fun with a lot of people. Leena''s offer would save her from going to those ces all by herself.


    "Well, we''ll see. I don''t know if I will have free time or not." Louisa''s tone was cold and indifferent. It seemed like she wasn''t interested in the topic at all.


    "Come on! Don''t be like this! Stop being a killjoy!" ire puckered her lips in displeasure. She felt that Louisa was being quite weird today. Didn''t she want to talk to her anymore? She wasn''t even sure if she did something to make Louisa unhappy. They were okayst night.


    "Well, I guess Miss Ye must have other things to do. So don''t force her to go with us, ire." Leena didn''t like Louisa''s attitude towards them. She was acting all cocky and superior as if she was waiting for them to beg her toe with them. In fact, Leena didn''t want Louisa to ept ire''s offer at all. She didn''t want to see her unless it was necessary.


    "No, I''m not forcing her. I just think it would be better with more people. If she doesn''t have time, well, that''s okay too. We can still go." ire was a bit sad about Louisa''s reaction. However, she wasn''t that sad because Leena and Gerard would still be with her anyway. She might not know much about the handsome foreign guy who was sitting with them but knowing that the guy was Leena''s friend made her feel less awkward.


    "You know what, Leena, I really admire you for being an international hooker. Look at what you have here! I bet it''s easy for you to get men from different countries, right? You are really something else," Louisa said sarcastically as she threw Leena a disdainful stare. She was seething with jealousy but never would she admit it. ''Why do all the handsome guys surround her like she is something precious?'' she even asked herself.


    "Miss Ye, I don''t know why you are talking like that. I didn''t do anything bad to you, did I? So why are you acting like you are being all jealous?" Leena gritted her teeth in silent anger. She didn''t want to cause a scene in public. Thus, she ignored Louisa''s rude words and resorted to being as sarcastic instead.This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    "Jealous? Are you kidding me? Why would I be jealous of you? Are you saying that I''m not as charming as you are?" Leena rolled her eyes discreetly. As expected, Louisa was not as calm as she seemed. She was literally overreacting just because of simple words. Thus, it made Leena retort against her more.


    "I didn''t say that, Miss Ye. Why are you suddenly this angry? Well, you know, being angry only makes you look older." As long as ire didn''t interrupt and help Louisa, it was pretty easy for Leena to argue with Louisa if she wanted to. Who said that Louisa was that smart after all? "Yeah! Louisa, you must have misunderstood my sister-inw. She didn''t say anything bad about you!" It could either be because of ire''s innocence or her mental slowness that she didn''t realize what Leena meant by her words. Nheless, she was also confused as to why would Louisa be suddenly angry.


    "ire! Are you intentionally making me mad? Whose side are you on?" Louisa red at her friend. She couldn''t believe how stupid ire could be! Didn''t this girl promise to be on her side? She wouldn''t even want to talk with ire if she hadn''t thought of her as something useful to get Kevin. Couldn''t ire understand that Leena just mocked her? Goodness! She was so oblivious! Worse was that she even defended Leena! That was so unforgivable. Didn''t she dislike Leena as much as she did? How could everything change overnight?


    "I was just saying the truth, that''s all! Why are you so angry in the first ce? I really can''t understand you sometimes. Louisa!" ire felt extremely wronged and couldn''t help but yell at Louisa. She wasn''t taking anyone''s side. Besides, it was Louisa who attacked Leena first. What she did was just fair. She was just being reasonable. Wasn''t she allowed to help her sister-inw?

 Chapter 1134 The Argument In The Tea House (Part Three)

    "Wow! Very good, Leena." Louisa pped her hands mockingly as she red at the twodies. "I don''t know why ire suddenly became protective of you. You must have done something really good to make her betray me. Did you use the same strategy as what you are using to get those guys?" It was clear that Louisa just came here to pick a fight with Leena. This was her way of getting back at Leena after she stayed in the parking lot for a very long time that night. Kevin''s cruel words made her cry her heart out on the cold floor. Worse, she never expected Kevin to just abandon her there without even looking back. She felt like trash.


    "Please mind your words, Miss Ye! I never hook up with other guys!" Leena dangerously squinted her eyes. Her stare at Louisa was freezing. So what if Louisa was amander''s daughter? She couldn''t even make a living without her father''s help! She had no right to insult her like that! Compared to Louisa, she had already proven herself by gaining her financial independence. Kevin might be her father''s subordinate. So? Who cared about it? Nobody of course! It was not like she or her dad owned the army base! Thus, Leena didn''t even have to be careful around her at all.


    "Oh my God! The guy you''ve been cheating on Kevin with is right before my eyes! What more evidence do I need?" Louisa felt happy upon seeing Leena lost her cool. It was exactly her goal. She wanted this woman to be mad. Moreover, she wanted her to suffer. It was only then that she would feel a bit better.


    "Oh! You mean Gerard?" Leena''s eyebrows deeply furrowed but it only took her a second before she suddenly smiled. "Why? Are you jealous of me, Miss Ye? Is it because these handsome and great men aren''t looking at you no matter how pathetic you try?" Hah! If Louisa wanted to be insulted then she would love to satisfy her! She was telling the truth anyway. It was easy to see that no man in his right state of mind would want to do anything with Louisa.


    "Me? Jealous? Leena, you are so funny! Do I look like I''m jealous of you? First of all, I''m not like you. I don''t sell my body for money." Louisa''s words were bing more and more venomous as she got angrier. She even resorted toparing Leena to a prostitute. What should she call a woman who used her body to make money anyway?


    "You are really out of your bloody mind, Louisa! I won''t p you this time just because I don''t want to dirt my hand. Plus, It would be impolite to cause a scene before my friend Gerard too. Anyway, I demand you to rify what made you think that I''m using my body to make money. Where the hell did you get that ridiculous idea? I want proof." Leena was itching to pour therge kettle of boiling tea to Louisa. Nheless, she used all her strength to restrain her fury. It was obvious that Louisa was intentionally making her mad. Louisa probably wanted to see her lose her temper and do something irrationally stupid. However, Leena had already learned her lesson well. Thus, she wouldn''t stoop so low and fall for the same trick again.


    "Oh! Do I have to give you more proofs? God, you are obvious, Leena! How would you have as much money as the amount you gave ire if you aren''t selling your body? It doesn''t take a genius to figure out your scheme, Leena." Louisa didn''t believe that the money was given by Kevin to Leena. First of all, Kevin''s job as an army man would never make him earn that much money. Well, not unless he stole while he was working. That idea couldn''t be true of course. She knew Kevin as a proud and honest soldier. He would never resort to anything as disgusting as corruption.


    "Haha! Louisa, it''s a pity that you didn''t be a detective. You could have made millions as one! I can''t believe how you easily assumed that I''m a prostitute simply because of my money. Oh, how clever you are to figure that out! I can''t even." Leena massaged the space between her eyebrows as a sudden headache came to her. Louisa''s simple-mindedness was beyond decorum! Did she really think that all women with a lot of money sold themselves to rich men? Wasn''t she aware that there were many independent women who could surely make money by themselves? Hadn''t ite to her mind that Leena might be someone from a very rich family and that was why she got lots of money?Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "Louisa, how could you say something like that? You are not just disrespecting Leena, you are also disrespecting my brother!" ire puckered her lips in dismay. She didn''t expect Louisa to say such mean words to Leena! Leena was still her sister-inw and Louisa surely went too far this time. How could she possibly insult Leena like that? She was horrible!


    "What is it, ire? Was I not right? Did I rub in the fact too hard?" Louisa turned to Leena after giving ire a smirk. "Hey, Leena! Was that how you managed to marry Kevin? Ho ho! I bet that was what you did. Well, he is kind of shy and silly after all. That must be the reason why you were able to trick him to be your husband." The more Louisa talked, the more she thought that she was right. She waspletelyshing out on Leena because of how Kevin hurt her feelings. No one could stop her from attacking Leena, not even ire! Louisa''s words were like a bitch-p on Leena''s face. She was guilty of tricking Kevin by intentionally approaching him while she was tipsy. She was suddenly at a loss for words as she felt her blood drain out of her face. Though she never demanded Kevin to take responsibility for their one-night stand, they still married. It would be a forever fact that Kevin never married her out of love but because of her trickery.00000

 Chapter 1135 The Argument In The Tea House (Part Four)

    "Mignonne, what are you three talking about? Why did your face be so pale all of a sudden?" Gerard had been silently drinking his tea while keenly watching them. He honestly couldn''t understand a single wording out of their mouths. However, he wasn''t blind. He could tell from the look on Leena''s face that she was unhappy and a bit angry. That made him worry about her. Were they arguing? If so, what were they arguing about?


    "Leena, just admit it! Tell him! Why don''t you tell him that you have been ying them and that you are only sleeping with them for their money!" Leena''s reaction made Louisa think that her guess was right. Thus, she became more smug and aggressive. She was so taken over by her negative emotions when a cup of warm tea was suddenly poured on her head! She quickly looked around to see who the culprit was. And much to her surprise, it was ire who was holding the empty cup in her hand while staring seriously at her.


    "Louisa, you really went too far this time! How could you say something so disrespectful to someone you don''t even know at all? Are you out of your mind?" ire said in fury. Her disappointment was written all over her face towards her friend. Though she didn''t like Leena herself before, she never thought of her as a disgraceful woman. She couldn''t stand how Louisa was suggesting that Leena was a scandalous gold digger. More, she wouldn''t allow her friend to just say that her sister-inw was using her body for money! She got so fed up with her dirty words so she poured the cup of tea she was drinking on Louisa''s head.


    "ire! What are you doing? Do you want to break ties with me?" Louisa wiped the water streaming down her face irritatedly. Her eyes were burning with both surprise and hatred as she stared at ire. She couldn''t believe that ire had the guts to do such a thing. "I don''t want that but I think you are really out of your mind now! Do you even understand a thing you are saying? I poured the tea on you to wake you up! You are not making sense! And please, stop being mean and stop saying more stupid words." ire picked the box of tissue up and gently dabbed Louisa''s face with a tissue. She cherished the friendship between her and Louisa as she didn''t have many friends. It was the reason why she promised to help Louisa to get her brother.


    On the other hand, Leena was dumbfounded with what she saw. Did ire really just defend her? She wasn''t expecting that at all! Her eyes were wide as she looked at ire in disbelief. But at the same time, she was also very grateful that ire interrupted. She was trapped earlier and didn''t have a clue on how to reply to Louisa. She waspletely shut earlier by her mean words.


    "I know that she used money to trick you to be on her side! That''s the only reason why you are acting like this today! Well, fine! If you really like her so much then go ahead and be her little stooge! I don''t need you anyway!" Louisa yelled and forcefully stopped ire''s hand from wiping the water on her face. She was furious! She was being so loud that she attracted many attentions from people who were also inside the tea house.


    "Louisa, don''t be so angry! Calm down, will you? I know what I did isn''t right but you went too far just now by calling Leena a prostitute! She is still my sister-inw no matter what! Even if you don''t consider her feelings, you should at least consider my brother''s feeling! What will he think if he knows that you called his wife ''prostitute''?" ire exined as she rubbed her aching hand. The part that Louisa pped was all red. However, she wasn''t angry at Louisa at all as she knew that she went a bit overboard too. Nheless, she wasn''t regretting what she did. It was just that she could have handled the situation better. Moreover, Louisa was her friend. She could understand why she didn''t like Leena. She also knew that Louisa was a bit jealous of Leena because of her brother. But still, she shouldn''t have said those hurtful and disrespectful words. As Louisa''s friend, ire felt that it was her responsibility to stop her from saying more disgraceful words.This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    "Ha! I went too far? Why don''t you say that to your dear sister-inw? She is hereughing and joking with a man behind your brother''s back! Is what she is doing right?" Though Louisa hated ire for pouring the cup of tea on her, she still tried to control her anger. This was not the right time to break her ties with ire. She still had something in mind that needed ire''s help. After all, Kevin had made himself clearst night. Thus, ire was her only chance.

 Chapter 1136 Immeasurable Love (Part One)

    "What are you talking about, Louisa? Leena and Gerard are friends. I know they hang out together but that doesn''t mean they have a tryst. Isn''t that a bit of an exaggeration?" ire defended Leena, thinking that Louisa was being too unreasonable. Everything had a hidden meaning for her. "Come on, ire. Don''t be silly. You''re being jerked around. Don''t you know why she gave you a bank card with so much money on it? Gifts blind the eyes. Anyone perceptive enough can see that she wants to shut you up so that you don''t tell Kevin what you see. Don''t you get it?" Louisa took a tissue and gently wiped the water stains on her face, lest her impable makeup be ruined.


    "What? That can''t be true. You''re thinking too much, Louisa. As far as I can see, she''s not capable of scheming. It won''t do her any good anyway." ire nced at Leena with a hesitant look in her eyes. She didn''t believe that her sister-inw was a cunning fox anymore. Her opinion had changed after spending so much time with Leena. She knew that Leena had a good heart. At least she never talked about others behind their backs, like the way Louisa did.


    "We are outsiders. How would we know whether it does her good or not? Only Leena knows that. She''s the one who serves the devil," Louisa said and cocked an eyebrow in Leena''s direction, obviously trying to provoke her.


    However, Leena turned a deaf ear to Louisa''s words. She refilled her cup and whispered to Gerard as if she didn''t hear a word of what Louisa said. Revenge was often like biting a dog in return after it bit you. Leena chose to take Louisa''s attempted provocation with calm. She didn''t want to bother arguing with the likes of her. Louisa realized that she had failed to get a reaction out of Leena. She fumed, looking down her nose at the others.


    "Mignonne, do you know? Be promised to participate in the show because of you." Gerard didn''t have the slightest idea what the girls were talking about, but he could tell from the hostile atmosphere that they were at daggers drawn. He was relieved to see that Leena was d to talk to him even in such a situation.


    "Really? She did that because of me? Why?" Leena looked at Gerard in amazement. She knew Be liked and thought highly of her. They saw each other some time ago, so Be shouldn''t miss her so soon.


    "Uh huh. Maybe she wants to help you rise to fame at home. Many people have heard of LN FASHION, but its designer is barely known in this country." Gerard gave her a bright smile. Leena''s talent was known by one and all in France, but it was a secret in her own country. He found it very ironic.


    "Did she tell you that?" Leena frowned. Truth be told, she didn''t want to be a well-known figure. It would be troublesome and she preferred to keep a low profile. However, once Be resolved to do something, Leena could do nothing to change her mind. No matter how reluctant Leena was, she had to obey Be. In any case, what Be wanted to do was for her own good. Leena saw no reason to refuse her offer.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    "No, but the goal is obvious. You know, she has never participated in small talent shows before. But she promised the organizer she''d attend this one just because you''re in this city." Gerard was very familiar with Be. Wealthy men like him were the favorites of the fashion industry. They had the wealth to buy luxury goods every year, which was the reason why many designers wanted to suck up to them. If the nc Group bought goods from them all year round, these fashion brands would gather a fortune.


    "Maybe she ate too many abalones and is sick of them. She must want to eat something different, like apples and oranges. Yes, she wants to experience something different this time." Leena joked. She didn''t want to face up to reality and so tried to find excuses tofort herself. If Be arrived here, the secret that Leena had been trying to hide for so long would be out in the open for everyone to see. What was worse, her brother would be outraged. She never mentioned to him that she had her own line of clothes. "What are you talking about? I don''t get it," Gerard said with curiosity, unable to understand her words.


    "Ah! You don''t need to know. It''s just a local saying around here." With her head down, Leena blinked rapidly and wondered what she could do. Louisa was long forgotten.


    "What are you two talking about? It''s funny to listen to you two talk in anguage that I don''t understand." ire had been eavesdropping on the conversation between Leena and Gerard, but failed toprehend what they were saying.


    "Don''t you know? It wouldn''t be a secret if you could understand what they were saying. As I pointed out before, there is something going on between these two. But you didn''t believe me. Don''t fall into this trap," Louisa chipped in before Leena could answer. She was bored with Leena snubbing her.


    "I don''t believe you! How is that possible? Come on, Louisa. Cool down." ire felt helpless. She had promised Kevin to be on friendly terms with Leena, so she didn''t want to worsen her rtions with Leena again.000000000?????

 Chapter 1137 Immeasurable Love (Part Two)

    "We were talking about something rted to France. What''s wrong, ire?" Leena raised her head, still not looking at Louisa. She made no reply to Louisa''s taunt, as if thetter didn''t exist at all.


    "Nothing. I just couldn''t make out what you two were talking about." Leena and Gerard talked in barelyprehensible French, so ire couldn''t understand what they were saying.


    "Excuse me. I have to answer this call," Leena interrupted, giving ire an apologetic smile. She picked up the phone that was on the table. She had been afraid to miss Kevin''s call and so hadn''t put the phone in her pocket. "Where are you, Nana? I''lle and pick you up." Leena heard Kevin''s anxious voice as soon as she answered the call.


    "Are you finished with work? We''re in the teahouse next to the hotel. You will find us when youe over," Leena answered, her heart bubbling with happiness. Her cheery voice cut Louisa to the quick.


    "Yeah. I know where the teahouse is. I''ll be there soon. See youter." Kevin put the phone in his pocket and hurriedly walked through the crowd.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    Leena pouted. Kevin was not affectionate by nature, but he shouldn''t have hung up the phone so abruptly. She hadn''t even replied back.


    "Who''sing?" ire was curious. A deep frown marred her face when she heard the word "hotel". She wondered if Louisa''s suspicions were true.


    "Kevin is nearby. He''ll be here in a minute." Leena let out a long breath. The thought of exining Gerard''s presence to Kevin once they got home gave her a terrible headache. However, she couldn''t hide this from him, or it might result in a serious misunderstanding. "What? My brother ising? Oh no! I''ve bought so many things! He''ll definitely jump on me when he sees them!" In anxiety, ire looked at the big bags ced on the chair next to her. She wished she could hide them somewhere.


    "Rx. You can say they are gifts from me," Leena said with a grin. She knew that Kevin wouldn''t get angry about the clothes that ire had bought. He knew very well that girls loved to dress up.


    Louisa took pleasure in ire''s nervousness and looked forward to seeing Kevin fly into a rage. Kevin rejected her so cruelly, so why shouldn''t she enjoy this spectacle? She wanted to give him an eye for an eye for what he had done. Kevin didn''t arrive until 10 minutester. ire and Louisa''s presence quite surprised him.


    "Hello, Kevin," ire greeted Kevin in an ingratiating tone. It seemed that she was trying to hide something.


    "Well! What trouble did you make this time?" Kevin asked immediately, frowning at her. He knew his sister well. Her servile smile meant that she was guilty.


    "I didn''t. You''re asking that as if I make mistakes often." ire pouted, giving voice to her grievance.


    "Then why do you look like you''re trying to get on my good side?" Kevin sat down next to Leena and picked up the cup of tea she had just filled.


    "Err... It looks like I gave myself away," ire said as the smile died on her lips. As the saying went, a guilty person always gave himself away by merely protesting his innocence. ire let the cat out of the bag herself. "Where is Daisy? Why didn''t shee along with you?" Leena had thought that Daisy would arrive too, so she was disappointed to find her missing.


    "Ah. She had to go back to the army base and report the mission to themander. But how are you feeling? Have you calmed down? Are you still scared?" Kevin didn''t look at Louisa at all, let alone say hello to her.


    "Oh. I wanted to invite her to tea," Leena ignored his concerns and clicked her teeth. She hadn''t hung out with Daisy in a long time.


    "That''s all right. You can invite her next time. How did you guys run into each other?" Kevin looked at the big shopping bags next to ire and furrowed his eyebrows, but didn''t say anything.


    "It was a mere coincidence. How else would we have met?" ire felt like an outsider listening to their conversation. She had no idea of the people and things they were talking about.


    "Gerard, how do you like S City?" Kevin asked suddenly, jerking his head in Gerard''s direction. Kevin did not feel threatened by him. He had no clue that Gerard was his rival in love.


    "Not bad, but I haven''t gotten to explore it yet." Gerard regarded Leena thoughtfully. He realized that she had been waiting for Kevin to arrive. The thought made him feel bitter. Leena said previously that she didn''t love him anymore, so Gerard could do nothing about it. "Well, why not stroll around S City? There are many wonderful tourist spots here. Some ces also have a long history attached to them." It was great to have friendsing from afar. Kevin was full of friendliness and hospitality.


    "I will. I''m just afraid that Mignonne would get tired." Gerard''s smile had a hint of bitterness in it. He took a sip of tea from his cup to hide his sorrow.


    "Don''t worry about that. ire can join you. The more the merrier. It''s her first time in S City too. You both can keep each otherpany." Kevin didn''t think it was a big deal. Listening to him, the others wondered if he was trying to bring Gerard and ire closer.

 Chapter 1138 Immeasurable Love (Part Three)

    "Why should I go with him, Kevin?" ire''s mouth twitched. She wanted to explore the city but she didn''t like the strange feeling she had. She was still thinking about the handsome Rain, but couldn''t find any opportunity to approach him. Leena warned her to stay away from Rain, so she was embarrassed to ask Leena for more details about him. Otherwise, Leena might figure out that ire hadn''t given up on him. "It''s your first visit to S City. Why don''t you travel in a group? Leena will show you around. Isn''t that a good idea?" Kevin didn''t know why ire was objecting. What was wrong with his proposal? Leena had to show her friend around anyway. She wouldn''t mind taking ire with them. "What you just said was very strange. You sound like a matchmaker. Like you deliberately wanted to bring us together. I know you don''t like me, Kevin, but I didn''t think you hated me so much that you''d want to wed me to a foreigner," ire said, her tone aggrieved. She liked foreign countries a lot but it was altogether a different story to marry a foreigner.


    "Rx. Gerard won''t take a fancy to you. You''re stroppy. I''m afraid you would bring disgrace to our country after you marry a foreigner," Kevin joked, taking delight in deriding ire. He had a quick tongue and always said what he thought without much deliberation, but his words hurt ire.


    "Come on, Kevin. Is that what you really think of me? I''m not that bad!" ire''s voice was loud. She would havepletely lost her temper if he wasn''t her brother.


    "He is joking, ire. Don''t take it seriously." Leena kicked Kevin under the table and winked at him broadly. ''Something is wrong with Kevin today,'' she thought. ''He''s being so unusual. Why is he provoking ire so much?''Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Ouch! Why did you kick me, Leena?" Kevin looked at Leena in nk amazement as she rolled her eyes at him. Now ire would know that Leena was fooling with her.


    "I just wanted to stretch my tingling legs. Sorry that I kicked you." Leena was exasperated. How stupid Kevin was! Why couldn''t he get a hint?


    "Really? Then let me give you a massage." Kevin reached out to grab Leena''s leg. Leena was so shocked at his behavior that she almost stood up and ran away. It was embarrassing to let Kevin do that in public.


    Meanwhile, Louisa had turned deathly pale. Kevin might be joking, but his care for Leena was heartrending to her. Everyone ignored her and made her feel like she was invisible. Louisa hadn''t given up on Kevin yet, or she would have already left. She had no interest in being humiliated here.


    "Kevin, don''t unt your love. You might pay a heavy price for it." In the past, ire would have snapped up this opportunity to ridicule Leena, but she didn''t do it this time. It looked like she was truly determined to live in peace with Leena.


    "What? A heavy price? Why? Don''t speak this melodramatic nonsense. I''m a bit of a boor. I said what I thought." Kevin flicked ire''s forehead. The gesture had always been his way of showing love to his sister. Although Kevin''s tone was reproachful, he didn''t mean to me her.


    "I know you''re very straitced. Frankly, I don''t know what Leena sees in you. You''re so boring." Louisa darted a look of disapproval in ire''s direction. ''ire is taking Leena''s side,'' she thought, ''Does this mean that she has epted Leena as her sister-inw? What about me? Has she shut me out of the n? If she doesn''t help me, the n won''t work, and I''ll be an outsider in the race to win Kevin''s heart. With ire''s help, I can rece Leena and be Kevin''s wife. Why does she want to botch my n?''


    "Right. I know you''re jealous, but I don''t care." Kevin stared at Leena''s flushed face with affection, d to look at her like this. He felt a lingering sense of fear as he thought of the frightening event from before. He couldn''t imagine his life without Leena. He realized again that he had lost his heart to this girl. There was no denying that he had feelings for her; what he felt couldn''t be exined in any other way. Kevin briefly considered if he had been attacked by a brain parasite, but that seemed even more farfetched. The only conclusion was that he was in love.


    Meanwhile, Gerard felt a desperate urge to interrupt their obsessive eye contact. He had promised Leena that he wouldn''t interfere in her life, so he resisted his impulse and gulped down the bitterness. ''It''s great to see that she got married to a man who loves her so dearly. I love her too, but that doesn''t mean I have to be with her. This man can make her happy so I can set my mind to rest. Maybe I have to let her go and finally move on, "Gerard thought as he lowered his eyes.


    Truthfully, Kevin didn''t mean to upset Gerard by his actions. He just wanted to make it crystal clear to Louisa that she would never be able to break up his happy marriage. He would never allow it.


    On the other hand, Leena felt a bit uneasy. She didn''t know how long such a harmonious life couldst. Once she told Kevin that Gerard was her ex-boyfriend, it would definitely cause havoc. ''Would I be doomed?'' Leena wondered.

 Chapter 1139 Truth And Treachery (Part One)

    At night, under the watchful eye of the moon and the stars twinkling in the sky, Leena gently pushed the door open and walked into the study. She was agitated, her young beautiful face looking quite gloomy. That wasn''t like her at all. "What''s up?" Kevin closed his military book and ced it on the desk, showing that she had his undivided attention. He looked at Leena with a frown. Why did she look so strange? Why was she being so furtive and tentative? "Kevin, could we talk?" Leena forced a smile. There was a tinge of mischievousness in her clear and watery eyes. Her eyes shed that way only when she was with him.This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    "Yeah, babe. What do you need?" Kevin stood up and led her to the sofa, gently, hand on her back. He was curious what she wanted to say.


    "Well...it''s about Gerard." Leena bit her lip and tried to organize the jumble in her mind. How could she possibly exin this? Should she start from the beginning?


    "What''s wrong with Gerard? He''s a nice guy. And we can get along. Is there something I should know about him? You''re acting weird." Kevin gave her a questioning look. They all had dinner together, and everything seemed to be going well. Louisa left during the meal, but that didn''t disrupt things too much.


    "Well..." She paused again. She was so nervous, that everything spilled out in a word sd. "Before we got married, me and Gerard were a thing. But it was really simple. He had only held my hands. That''s all. And that''s why we broke up. I won''t give my body to just anyone, and I wouldn''t give it to him." At this point, Leena closed her eyes. She didn''t want to see his face twist into a mask of rage. She was paralyzed by fear.


    "Is that it?" Kevin was taken aback. He was no dummy, though. The way Gerard looked at Leena was one of pure lust, and maybe a little puppy love. He also shot dirty nces at Kevin when he thought the soldier wasn''t looking. He was thinking it was a little one-sided. "Yeah. You may be angry and want to me me, I''ll understand. But please don''t hit me. Your fist is so strong and I might die with only one blow," Leena flinched as she said this. A feeling of panic seized her and rooted her to the spot. The fear rose in her and threatened to strangle her.


    "Okay. Do I seem like that kind of guy? I''m in this for the long haul. Yeah, this is news to me, but it exins a few things. The past is the past. So why should I be angry? That would be weird. Everyone has people they used to care for. But the important thing is we''re still together now. If I get angry at you because of this, aren''t I too narrow-minded?" Kevin shook his head helplessly. He thought he was entirely reasonable and rational. Besides, his previous infatuation with Daisy left him in no position to judge. "You''re not mad?" Leena raised her head and looked at him, confused. If he really cared for her, he''d be all over this and yelling at her. He should want to defend what was his. But why was he so calm? So didn''t he love her? Or maybe he never cared about her at all? "Should I be? Or do you think that I''m not a guy you can rely on? Is that why you''re so afraid to tell me this? Do you think I won''t trust you?" Kevin''s face went cold and stern. He didn''t like that Leena shuddered when confronting him. She was afraid of him, and he was hurt that the woman he loved was scared of him. Yes, it was love. He was sure that he loved her. Now he understood what love really meant. It was not only about the thrill, the tickle in his chest when he thought of her, or even the special times when they made love. Love was when you cared more for the other person''s happiness than your own, and did it for so long it became a habit. People might disagree, but that was how he felt. As for Kevin, he''d stick to what he believed, and he would protect the people and things he cared about. "No, that''s not it. I was just worried you''d be mad that I was alone with an ex-boyfriend. That''s all. If I didn''t think you were reliable, then why would I marry you?" Her eyes darkened as she feared that Kevin might mistake her. Did Kevin really not know her heart? And what did that mean for them?


    "Do you still love him? Or is it that he has never got over you?" Kevin didn''t know how to feel now. Should he be happy or sad? That exined why she got so drunk that day in the bar, and why she had a one night stand with him. Because she was trying to soothe the heartache of a breakup. But it was a damn good thing she did, though, because otherwise they would never have met. Thanks to a chance moment, their lives were intertwined forever.


    "No. I don''t think it''s even love. I was really young, then, and didn''t know what love is. Now I do, and things are different." Leena rushed to her defense, her beautiful face turning red from the anxiety.


    "So why should I be mad again?" Kevinughed and stroked her nose with his fingers. He felt happy to have her in his life. Sometimes she could be very mature and had a keen mind. She seemed to really have it together, and a wisdom that defied her age. But sometimes she was very innocent and naive like a flower in the greenhouse, which would be juicy with a simple touch.


    "But Gerard told me that he still couldn''t forget me. So that''s why he flew all the way out here from France," Leena said hesitantly. She didn''t dare to look into his eyes.

 Chapter 1140 Truth And Treachery (Part Two)

    "So? How do you feel about that?" Kevin got a little nervous when he heard this. He wasn''t sure that she wouldn''t say that she still had a thing for him, that she was going to run off with Gerard. That would break his heart in two.


    "No. I blew him off when I came back from France. I told him the truth -- that I was a happily married woman. And I thought that was the end of it, but he got my address from a teacher and that''s where we are now." Leena raised her head and looked at him in the eyes.


    Sincerityy behind those eyes, and he would be a fool not to believe her.


    "Leena, thanks for telling me. I''d rather hear it from you than find out by ident. And this is what makes me think that I''m important to you. We''ll be okay. Because we can be honest with each other." Kevin finally rxed a little. But the news that Gerard never gave up on Leena was a little disconcerting. It never urred to him that he''d have a romantic rival, that someone else would bepeting with him for Leena''s heart. So he''d always felt very safe and calm. Obviously he ignored the fact that Leena was an attractivedy with a good family background.


    "It''s normal for a couple to be honest with each other, right?" Leena asked. Her head tilted gracefully and one corner of her mouth uplifted. Her smile made her look all the more beautiful. She actually looked fascinating from every angle.


    "I don''t know what to say to that." Kevin smiled bitterly. Because he failed to be honest with her right from the beginning, and that was why there were so many misunderstandings. All he could do was do better next time.


    "Oh? I didn''t mean to me you. It''s just what I think," Leena hurriedly exined. She wasn''t referring to anything else, and didn''t want him to think like that.


    "I know, don''t worry. But it is my fault. I''ve been so busy with work and I didn''t pay enough attention to you." He remembered he had to leave for work in a few days, and that made him feel extremely down. When he had to take off before, he had nothing to worry about. But now he was already homesick, and he hadn''t even left yet. That was the magic power of love.


    "Not really. At least you made ire not hate me so much, didn''t you?" Leena felt grateful to him for this. They were a big family and she didn''t want anyone in the family to bear grudges against each other. It was hard in the beginning, with her constant insults. It was almost more than Leena could bear.


    "That''s all you. ire only promised me she''d try to get along with you, but she didn''t say anything about liking you. So if she really opens up to you and starts to like you, that''s because of who you are." Kevin never said he did something that someone else did. Really, with ire, he only pushed a little and hoped she and Leena would get along for real.


    "Still, you helped a lot. Thanks dear. And this is your reward." Leena said, leaning closer to him and nting a gentle kiss on his cheek. She kissed him to express her thanks. Unlike a lot of men, he was awesome when it came to Gerard. She was touched because of it. She ran over it in her head, imagining how furious he''d be. But she worried too much for nothing. She felt happy that things were fine between them now.


    "That''s it?" Kevin looked at her yfully. He liked such sudden surprises and it made him feel happy from the bottom of his heart.


    "What else do you want? Kevin, you''re starting to care for me, right?" Seeing that Kevin was in a good mood now, Leena began to pry into his inner world. Because she really wanted to know whether she was right. She sensed his love this afternoon, but she was not sure whether it was real or not. She needed to know. She''d fallen desperately in love with him and wondered if he felt the same.


    "I have always cared for you. Why do you think I married you?" Kevin knew what she wanted to know. But he intentionally beat around the bush. He wanted to tease her. A mischievous smile found its way to his face.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "Oh! That''s not what I mean. You know what I mean -- I... You did that deliberately. You wanted to embarrass me." Leena leaned against him and enjoyed this happy moment. Most of the time something always weighed on her mind. She didn''t want to act too girly around him, because he didn''t marry her for love. She wanted to pretend she was mature and cool around him. She was really different around him, not at all like she was with Duke and her other brothers.


    "You got it! You''re slow today. You should take more vitamins." Kevin smiled as he smoothed her hair. With Leena cuddled in his arms, he could feel his heart beat even faster.


    The moment was peaceful and beautiful, and love made their hearts grow fonder. Although Kevin didn''t say "I love you" to Leena, all the time, actions spoke louder than words.


    It was a daily routine -- Kevin always got up early and came homete. Whenever Leena woke up early, she''d hear a rustling. She opened her eyes, and saw Kevin looking for clothes in the wardrobe.


    "Going to work now?" Leena crept out from the warm quilt with sleepy eyes. She didn''t want to miss one of the few times that she caught him before he went to work.


    "Oh! Sorry I woke you up. Just go back to sleep, baby. It''s too early." Kevin said, yawning as he put his shirt on. As soon as he got his tie, Leena suddenly came over and took the tie from him. She was good at fixing the tie, so he let her do it. She was a fashion designer, and her skill made the tie look wless on him.00000000

 Chapter 1141 Truth And Treachery (Part Three)

    Kevin was surprised by her doing this. He bent his knees to make it easier for her to tie it. In fact, he''d always tied it himself, and so this intimate gesture was new to him. He quite enjoyed it, more, he was touched by her.


    "Okay, finished. You look handsome now." She gave the tie a yful tug. Next Leena arranged the shirt cor and backed up a few steps, surveying her handiwork. She was quite satisfied with her tidying job.


    "Thanks. I''ll take your praise," Kevin said as he reached out and took her into his arms, followed by kisses. The amorous and affectionate kisses made Leena lose herself in love. She even didn''t realize when Kevin put her back on the bed.


    "I really have to go now. Close your eyes and catch some more zzz''s," Kevin said as he covered her with the quilt. Though the heater had done its job and they were quite warm, he still worried she might catch cold with few clothes on. As much as he loved seeing her in that teddy, he cared about her health and happiness more.


    "Okay, take care." Leena blushed. Happy as she was, she was still not used to seeing him being so warm-hearted. It wasn''t like him. He was usually very cold and rigid.


    Kevin nodded and took his army coat with him before he walked out. His handsome and strong figure gradually disappeared from Leena''s sight and she already missed him.


    The winter morning was chilly. Kevin shrugged in his coat when he got outside. With only a shirt and coat, most people would be too cold. But not Kevin. He was different. He was a soldier and he was used to it. His training allowed him to shrug off all but the hottest or coldest temperatures. When he took his afternoon break, he saw Louisa there. She got embarrassed at dinnerst night and left in the middle. Kevin wasn''t happy to see her again. He made an exasperated noise.


    "What is it now?" Kevin asked impatiently with a frown. Because they were on base and themander''s office was just a stone''s throw away, he couldn''t force her to leave.


    "Kevin, please don''t be angry. If you get angry for just seeing me, you''ll blow your top when you see what I have for you!" Louisa said with a cunning smile. She knew that the rtionship between Leena and that foreign guy was more than just a friendship. She wondered what spell Leena cast on Kevin and Gerard that they were so mesmerized by her. Fortunately, Louisa knew what kind of woman Leena was. She was going to show those men the truth, otherwise they''d be tricked by this tramp.


    "Louisa, I really don''t have time for your games right now. I''ve got work to do, and don''t need your nonsense. So what on earth are you trying to say? Get to the point!" Kevin shot her a cold look. If it wasn''t for themander, he wouldn''t even talk to her. "About Gerard, Leena told you that they were just friends, right?" Louisa said with a smug face. She thought if she unveiled Leena''s unfaithfulness to Kevin, then this handsome man would dump Leena and run to her.


    "You seems very interested in this. But it''s none of your business. Leena and I already talked about it. And that''s between us," Kevin snapped. He wondered what she was up to this time.


    "Huh, so she did tell you," she said, rubbing her hands with glee. "It makes you ufortable. I can see it in your eyes." Louisa now wore a smug smile on her face. She thought that Kevin was really intrigued and thought her strategy of keeping up the mystery really worked. But she didn''t know the man that well at all. He was already bored with the conversation.


    "Did youe here just to say meaningless things like that? Just go away. I don''t have time now." Kevin detested her arrogant manner. She had the cat that ate the canary grin on her face, and he didn''t like it, not one bit. So he immediately asked her to leave. "Haha, Kevin, this isn''t like you. You used to be so calm and cool. Since you''re so eager to see what I have, I''ll show you what kind of woman Leena really is." Louisa said as she tossed a USB sh drive to him. He caught it effortlessly, despite theck of warning. Louisa felt lucky that she had some friends in France. It wasn''t hard to find some dirt on that woman.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "What''s this?" Kevin frowned. The files in hisputer were all top secret. He wouldn''t just connect any old USB sh drive to hisputer-- theputer might get a virus. Worse, he''d be in serious trouble if those secret files were stolen and posted on the inte. True, he could just press SHIFT and stop it from running automatically, but who knew what insidious things she''d loaded on there?


    "You can see for yourself. You don''t need me to tell you. It might ruin the surprise," Louisa said haughtily, crossing her arms. She knew sess was in her grasp, and sweet victory would be hers. And Kevin would divorce Leena and be her man forever.


    "I told you. I don''t have time for your games. I''m not interested in something thates from nowhere." Kevin said, still leaning back in the chair. In a direct contrast to Louisa''s enthusiasm, Kevin was calm. Suddenly he didn''t really want to know why she came here. If she wanted to y tricks on him, she wasn''t qualified to be his opponent. So the more eager she was, the more disinterested he pretended to be.00000

 Chapter 1142 The Scheme Failed (Part One)

    "No, you are interested, Kevin. You are just scared to see it." Louisa smiled seductively as a surge of satisfaction came to her. This was exactly what she wanted, to make the man before her fear.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "Scared? I don''t even remember thest time I was scared," Kevin sneered and cocked his head. "It''s useless to irritate me. It''s not working." He knew that whatever Louisa was trying to show him wasn''t good. Nheless, he wouldn''t let her get what she wanted. "That''s what I thought," Louisa said as her smile went more mysterious. She put her purse on the desk and carefully took herptop out. She had prepared everything! She had even brought her ownptop here to show Kevin her files.


    "Goodness, Louisa. I can''t believe that you have done a hell lot of work just for this moment. Impressive," said Kevin sarcastically. He watched her turn herptop on. "What exactly are you trying to show me?" Well, whatever it was, he just hoped for this whole thing to be over. He seriously didn''t even want anything to do with her in the future.


    "You will know once you see what''s on it. Be advised, though, that I didn''t make this up, okay? This is all real." She inserted the USB sh drive into the slot and opened a document. Soon enough and reports written in French came into Kevin''s view.


    He might not know how to read or speak French but he at least knew his wife. Leena, who was dressed sexily in that picture was next to the headline.


    "Are you shocked? She has been lying to you about the so-called friendship she has with Gerard. She hooked up with him a long time ago and everybody in Paris'' upper-ss knows about it," said Louisa in a triumphant tone. She liked how Kevin''s face turned sour upon hearing her acidic words. What beautiful vengeance! The entire evening she spent with her friend was worth it.


    "Watch yournguage! Do you have to be so mean? These are just some pictures. They don''t mean anything. If you think that I''ll be changing my perception of Leena just because of these pictures..." Kevin intentionally hung his sentence and then shot Louisa an uninterested look. "You are so wrong!" Leena had already told him about her past with Gerard the night before. What Louisa was showing him right now didn''t even surprise a single fiber inside him. Did Louisa really think that he would change his judgment just because of petty things?


    "You''ve gotta be kidding me. These pictures prove something, right? Don''t you see how close they are? For Pete''s sake! The journalists call them a perfect match! Let me repeat, a perfect match! They all think that they are getting married! What''s wrong with you, Kevin? How can you be so blind?" In reality, Louisa didn''t know French either. Everything she said was just based on how her friend tranted the report. She really didn''t give a damn what the report was about. Her only focus was to nail Leena for being a slut! "How many of these entertainment reports do you think are telling the truth? I trust Leena and that''s all that matters. She is faithful to me." Kevin averted his stare both from thedy and herptop. He would have fallen for Louisa''s scheme if he hadn''t had that heartfelt conversation with Leena.


    "The proof is already in front of you and you still choose to believe that woman instead of me?" Louisa''s disappointment was seething. She couldn''t believe how all her efforts were suddenly wasted.


    "I do. What you''re saying means nothing to me. Just give up, will you? We are never going to happen." Kevin smirked and then closed theptop. God knew how much he wanted to just throw her out of his office.


    "I don''t believe it! Your wife carried on with another man! Howe you don''t even care?" Louisa shook her head. Things weren''t going on with her n. Kevin''s reaction was totally unexpected.


    "You are lucky that your father is the Commander. Otherwise, I would have thrown you out of the door by now. Your potty mouth is a disgrace to you and your dad!" The sound of Kevin''s hand as he pped the table echoed inside the room. He had been trying to suppress his anger and he was at the verge of failing it.


    "I was just telling you the truth. I didn''t do anything wrong. What? Do you wanna kill me? Do you want to p me?" Louisa provoked him further. She might be frightened but she also knew that Kevin would not dare toy a finger on her. They were at the army base and her father''s office wasn''t far away.


    "Leena already told me about her past with Gerard. Your scheme has failed. Give up. You won''t be able to break us up. At least, not with this type of cheap evidence that you just showed me." The man closed his eyes tightly and tried to calm himself. He couldn''t understand why the Commander was allowing her to enter the army base. She was a civilian and that was against the rules.


    "I don''t believe you. I don''t think that she has the face to tell you something like this! You must be lying! Why? Is your wife''s deed embarrassing you too?" Anger was all over Louisa''s face as she bit her lips. She didn''t believe that Leena would confess her sluttiness to Kevin.000000000000

 Chapter 1143 The Scheme Failed (Part Two)

    "Nobody cares what you believe. What matters here is that Leena and I believe each other. Save yourself from humiliating and disgracing you and your father more. Leave. Otherwise, I''ll go get your father myself to take you out of here." Kevin was grateful to the Commander. However, this woman before him was pushing the limit. He didn''t want to put up with her anymore. She was just getting worse. Who did she think she was to meddle with his personal life? She was just everywhere!


    "You will regret what you did to me today, Kevin. Believe me, it will cost you a lot." Louisa put herptop away as thoughts of her father''s image and reputation came to her mind. She stomped out of Kevin''s office with a crumpled face. She opened the door and was about to dash out when Mark suddenly appeared before her and bumped into her. It was toote to avoid everything! The next thing they heard was herptop hitting the floor with a bang. "Er... I am sorry, Miss Ye. I didn''t know that you wereing out." Mark apologized and squatted to pick theputer up. He got no clue that he just signed himself to trouble.


    "You didn''t know? Is "didn''t know'' a valid reason for you to break myputer?" Filled with rage, Louisa ended up taking her frustration on Mark.This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    "Miss Ye, if you would like, I can check yourputer first to see if it is broken. If it is, I will take it to a shop and have it repaired." As innocent as Mark was, he thought that everything should be fine as long as he fixed theptop. He didn''t think about anything else. "Repair? I just bought thisputer. It is a Terrans Force which cost me more than thirty thousand. You think you can solve the problem by having it repaired?" Louisa''s voice went notches higher in fury and it didn''t escape Daisy''s ears, who was silently waiting at the door. Her tone automatically pissed Daisy off and at the same time, made Kevine to the door too.


    "Then how shall we solve this problem? Are you saying that you want me to buy you a new one?" Beads of sweat suddenly appeared on Mark''s forehead. He came from a rural ce and over thirty thousand was a lot of money to him.


    "Can you even afford it?" Another yell came from Louisa as she looked at her brand newptop. Her whole day was ruined.


    "I''ll buy you a new one for him."


    "He might not be able to buy you one, but I can."


    interrupted both Kevin and Daisy in unison. Their voices almost came into a choir. Neither of them liked Louisa''s arrogance.


    "You just have to tell me how you would like to bepensated for your brokenputer. Would you prefer a newptop or money?" The dislike in Daisy''s voice was so real that it could be felt in the air. She despised thedy more after seeing how rudely she had treated Mark.


    "It was he who broke myputer. Why should I ept yourpensation? It''s absurd." On the other hand, Louisa never liked Daisy either. Daisy had always put on an aloof air which she thought was just an act. In her opinion, Daisy was nothing but a phony. Thus, she mocked her whenever she could.


    "It''s absurd? I am surprised to hear that from you. Don''t you think that way you ask him topensate you is absurd as well? As we all know, theptop dropped because you two bumped into each other. That makes you as responsible as he is. This matter wouldn''t have happened if you had been holding yourputer tighter. I''m his supervisor and he is my guard. I''m supposed to help him out as his superior. That makes my offer valid. You should ept my offer." A cold smile cracked Daisy''s lips. She wouldn''t even bother to talk with Louisa if she weren''t the Commander''s daughter.


    "How am I responsible? I was walking when he suddenly appeared and bumped into me. Just because you are talking loudly doesn''t mean that you are right. You really think you can handle the matter, huh?" Louisa pursed her lips in contempt. How could this small-time soldier say such a thing?


    "I can handle everything as long as it can be handled with money. You are talking too much. Why don''t you just say that you want a newptop? It is easy." Daisy rolled her eyes at Louisa and turned to Mark. "By the way, thisptop is yours now. I''ll buy Miss Ye a new one." As what Edward said, a problem should not be considered as a problem as long as it could be solved with money. Thirty thousand was not even a bother to him anyway.


    "Daisy, that''s myputer! How dare you give it to someone else!" Louisa red at Daisy. Her decisiveness and coldness astounded her.


    "Thisputer doesn''t belong to you anymore since I agreed to buy you a new one. Are you telling me that you don''t want a newptop anymore?" Daisy was just mischievously looking at Louisa with one of her hands inside her pocket. She enjoyed how the spoiled brat''s facial expression seemed to change every second.


    "Fine! You win! Even so, I need to delete the private files on it." Forced topromise, Louisa gritted her teeth. Who would prefer a repairedputer over a new one anyway? Definitely not her!


    "Go ahead. Mark, give her theputer. I will have someone send her a new one very soon," said Daisy with a smirk. She signaled Kevin to stay out of the case since it was just a little trouble. She might as well handle it alone.0000???

 Chapter 1144 The Scheme Failed (Part Three)

    On the other hand, Kevin thought that Daisy actually handled the situation well. Thus, he just remained as a silent spectator of everything. He knew that getting himself involved would only cause Louisa to pester him more. As Daisy said, the issue was easily handled with money. Daisy took a picture of the brokenputer and sent it to Edward. She asked him to have someone send a new one as soon as possible. She just wanted to get the whole thing over with.


    "Okay. It''s done. When will the new one arrive? I''m very busy and I don''t have time to wait." Louisa raised her eyebrows doubtfully. She didn''t believe that Daisy would be able to buy her a newptop in a short time.


    "About two hours. Can''t you wait?" said Daisy in a bored tone. Louisa was never the type of person she liked. Thedy was too obsessed with Kevin and she wouldn''t want Leena to get hurt. She would definitely love to keep Louisa inside a bottle if she could just be sure that she wouldn''t get close to Kevin.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "The problem is not about waiting. What I am afraid is you can''t afford it." Louisa cast a disdainful stare at Daisy. Daisy had always been aloof since the first time she met her. Thus, she thought that Daisy''s husband didn''t love Daisy at all. She was so self-smart that she instantly concluded it as the reason for Daisy''s constant serious face.


    No happy woman would seem so aloof and distant.


    "Don''t worry. It''s just aptop. I will buy you a new one since I said I would buy you a new one. Anyway, since the matter is settled, Major General Gu, let''s go and have apetition." Daisy raised her eyebrows to give Kevin a hint. She actually asked Mark to invite Kevin over. It was just that, they hadn''t expected this ident to happen. Nevertheless, Daisy still thought that it was suspicious for Louisa to be inside Kevin''s office at high noon. She didn''t think that Kevin would cheat on Leena but that didn''t mean that she trusted Louisa as much.


    "Why not? Let''s go. I have been thinking about finding someone to train with metely." Kevin followed Daisy out of his office. Thus, Mark and Louisa were left there while staring at each other.


    "Shoot! Why was that arrogant woman in your office, Kevin?" Daisy nced at the man behind her. She was sure that Louisa didn''t go there for no reason.


    "Well, she is so annoying and I''m fed up with her. She came in just to show me some things about Leena." Kevin smiled bitterly. He didn''t want to keep the matter from Daisy as they were almost like rtives.


    "About Leena? What about her? Leena is so sweet and kind. What can Louisa possibly have against her?" Daisy''s steps instantly halted upon hearing what Kevin said. She quickly turned to Kevin and stared at him curiously.


    "It''s a long story. I''ll tell you some other day. You will surely hear about it soon anyway even if I don''t tell you." Although he knew that Gerard hadn''t given up on Leena, he didn''t stop Leena from seeing him. What he did was against his personality. It wasn''t like him at all! He was a jealous man but he didn''t want other people to think that he was narrow-minded.


    "Hey,e on. Don''t keep me in suspense. Speaking of Leena, what has she been doing after she came back from the capital city? I''m not seeing her much these days." Daisy frowned. Leena never visited her after she came back with Kevin from his hometown. Belinda had told her on the phone that she hadn''t seen Leena either since she was back. That was a bit bothersome.


    "I''m sorry. My sister came here with us and has kept Leena busy. Also, one of Leena''s friends flew here from France. Thus, she hasn''t been able to make time to visit you guys," the man exined in a low voice. He didn''t want anyone to misunderstand Leena. "Oh, I see. But she could have brought your sister together to visit us. We are all nice people! You know what, you don''t have to exin for her. I think she doesn''t care about us anymore after she married you. Now all she thinks about is her new family." Daisy gave a faint smile when she said thetter part of her remarks which was Edward''s exact words.


    "This topic will just get longer. Forget it. Didn''t you say that you wanted to have apetition with me? Bring it on." Kevin had no idea how to exin the friction between Leena and ire so he diverted Daisy''s attention by changing the topic.


    "Major General Gu, go! Senior Colonel Ouyang, Go!" mor rose in the training field as soon as the soldiers heard what Kevin and Daisy were about to do. They hadn''t seen Daisy and Kevinpete with each other for a long time. This day was extraordinary! They were all looking forward to what was going to happen![]

 Chapter 1145 May The Better One Win (Part One)

    "It seems they can''t wait to catch the show," Daisy joked as she shed her uniform. A soldier standing beside her was waiting to take it from her hand, and he treated it respectfully when he did so. "It''s educational." Kevin was just in ordinary fatigues, and rolled up his sleeves. He was ready for this.


    "Come on! They''re not here to learn. This is a nice break for them." Daisy raised her brows and took a cold nce at the soldiers. Everywhere her gaze settled, the noisy soldiers quieted down instantly, as there were an on/off button to control their mouths and Daisy had just switched it off. The camp went quiet. Everyone was afraid that Daisy would punish them by putting them through additional training if they made so much as a peep.


    "Then let them watch. You don''t give a rat''s arse what they think anyway." Kevinughed. The soldiers were extremely quiet whenever Daisy was around, because none of them wanted to end up in one of her excruciating training programs. She was an absolute stickler for the rules. Her training programs were death-defying adventures where someone could be seriously injured if they fooled around. No one wanted to sign up for that.


    "Right. Shut up and fight!" Daisy swung a blow at Kevin even before she finished her sentence, leaving him no time to prepare. He stepped back and she missed, because her blows were usually slightly slower than his. She hated to admit it, but it might be that women were slower than men. That thought burned in her mind.


    The match between these two top-notch officers brought out officers and grunts alike, and they were cheering and egging them on. The speed and force of their moves impressed the soldiers. Watching two titans pummeling each other was a lot of fun to these guys. As a woman, Daisy showed them that women could be just as forceful and fast as men.


    This match was really intended as a demonstration. The fight was supposed to pause every once in awhile, so they could discuss ideas and skills to bring to the soldiers'' own training regimens andbat repertoires. But Daisy and Kevin were really throwing themselves into this fight, and there was no pausing, no quarter given. Of course, both contestants avoided hitting each other''s vitals.


    Daisy had run a lot ofbat drills at JC Military Academy, and she''d run into several soldiers who were bigger and stronger than she was. She took great pleasure in putting these men in their ce. So Kevin wasn''t intimidating to her at all. Her lips curved into a smile, every move of hers felt confident.


    Kevin was d to see her so self-assured. She had been doubting herbat skills ever since Edward got shot. She felt bad she couldn''t protect him, so she hadn''t been as decisive and hard-nosed as she was before. It showed during training, too. Right now, the Daisy he knew and loved was back. The same arrogance and reckless confidence he fell in love with were on full disy here. Kevin made the right decision to stage this fight. It brought out the best in her, and every bruise was worth it.


    The sun was shining, bringing a wee warmth to the cold winter. While Daisy and Kevin were sparring, Edward was busy getting theputer Daisy asked for.


    Every time Edward went out in public, he always caused a stir. After all, he was a devilishly handsome man with an obscenely expensive luxury car. When Louisa caught sight of him, she was stunned, thinking that he was the most handsome man she had ever seen and she didn''t think she''d find anyone more charming than him. Just seeing him made her forget about Kevin. Compared to Edward, Kevin didn''t seem so wonderful anymore.


    "Why did you bring theptop over yourself?" Daisy asked with a happy smile. She draped an arm around Edward, ignoring Louisapletely.


    "You said it was urgent, so I thought I had better do it myself. I had a personal stake in getting it to you as quickly as possible. If I had put somebody else on it and he blew it, I bet you''d be bitching at me right now." Edward leaned against the car casually, looking at Daisy intently. They both were oblivious to Louisa who came out with Daisy to meet Edward.


    "How did you get through the entrance? Did you knock the guards out?" Daisy rolled her eyes at Edward. He was whimsical sometimes, yet she couldn''t help loving him.


    "I told them I came here to see you and they let me through right away. Honey, I''m so proud of you. They all respect you here." Edward sounded a little jealous.


    Louisa had intended to leave the army base early, but to get the newputer, she stayed longer than she was supposed to. She decided to make her presence known. "I know who you are. You''re the CEO of FX International Group. But how do you know Daisy?" Her father didn''t like her staying longer and tried to yell at her, but her father bought every excuse she made. Thankfully Daisy hadn''t mentioned what happened at the office door. None of them breathed a word of it to her father. Otherwise, themander would have gotten really angry, and this little trip out wouldn''t have happened.


    "We''re a couple. Isn''t it obvious?" Edward nced at Louisa and shifted his gaze to Daisy again. He liked the way Daisy looked better, and what was more, she was his wife.


    "So why were you so touchy-grabby with Leena the other day? Is she your side dish?" Louisa thought she could hurt both Daisy and Leena at the same time. It would be killing two birds with one stone. Daisy would feel betrayed by her husband, and Leena would be viewed as a hateful home-wrecker. All this would make Louisa feel great. What surprised her was that somehow Daisy had hooked up with the most wonderful guy in the city and married him. That was quite a feat. ''Respect, ''Louisa thought. ''This chick really knows her


    stuff.''


    "Lady, isn''t it normal for a man to disy his love for his sister? And who are you, anyway? How do you know Leena?" Edward finally directed his attention to Louisa, since she forced the issue. She was a little familiar to him, but since he was totally devoted to Daisy, he wasn''t interested in other women. He couldn''t remember where they''d met. Besides, Louisa was quite ordinary next to Daisy, so he wouldn''t have been interested even in his yboy days.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Edward, this is Louisa Ye. She''s themander''s daughter. Until recently, she was studying abroad," Daisy said in a cold tone. It was obvious to her that Louisa was trying to turn her and Edward against each other, right to her face. How stupid! Not only that, she had only just met the man, but the first words she exchanged with him were hateful ones!


    "Oh, Miss Ye. Quite an honor to meet you." Edward frowned at first, and then he suddenly smiled sardonically. He never imagined that the upright and broad-mindedmander had spawned a daughter who was so rude and shallow. Edward felt bad for him. "Just Louisa, please. ''Miss Ye'' sounds polite yet distant." Louisa was looking for a job. Since Edward was a big shot in the city, her attitude took a sharp turn. Anything she could do to make herself look better was a good idea to her.


    "Sorry, I have this habit. I''m always polite to strangers, so I''ll call you Miss Ye." A sly and sophisticated man like Edward would always take control of everything. He didn''t like being told what to do.


    "Fine. Be that way. But I don''t understand. How is Leena your sister? You don''t even have the samest name," Louisa asked with her head tilted, pretending to be innocent. To make the next move, she had to figure out Leena and Edward first. Best way was the direct way.000000000000000

 Chapter 1146 May The Better One Win (Part Two)

    was.


    "It''s personal. I don''t think I owe you an exnation, Miss Ye. You understand, of course." Edward smiled disapprovingly. She was just the daughter of themander, after all. He didn''t have to take orders from her. Edward was a civilian. He didn''t give a damn who she "Oh, I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to pry. If you don''t feel like talking about it, that''s okay." Louisa had concocted her own little story about the rtionship. She figured that Leena was Edward''s half-sister. Maybe they shared the same father. It happened a lot in rich families. Rich men always cheated on their wives. It was like a biological imperative or something.


    "Now give Miss Ye theptop, please. I need to get back to work. Busy day and all that." Daisy wanted to hide the unpleasant matter from themander. So she had pretended she needed to borrow Louisa for a few minutes so that Louisa could leave themander''s office and he wouldn''t suspect a thing. The truth would humiliate him. He''d see how his daughter behaved and would probably punish her. This way, he never had to know.


    "Oh, theputer is for Miss Ye. I didn''t know that." Edward hesitated to hand over theptop. He worried that someone might start a rumor saying that Daisy bribed themander''s daughter. She''d already been the target of rumors and suffered for it. She didn''t need any more trouble. That kind of thing had happened before. This time, he had to think everything over to stop it from happening again.


    "It''s a recement, not a gift." Daisy didn''t want to talk about it in front of Louisa. As an intelligent man, Edward could tell Daisy''s thoughts from the expression on her face. He didn''t ask any more questions about it. He just bent down, grabbed the box theputer was in, and handed it to Louisa. He didn''t know why Daisy had to rece Louisa''sputer, but since Daisy didn''t want to discuss anything, he didn''t have to know right now.This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    That didn''t stop Louisa from being embarrassed. However, it had gone so far that a newputer was her only choice. Her face turned crimson.


    "Miss Ye, now that you have theputer, we''re even. If there''s a problem with it, it''s under warranty. Thepany should help you. Their number''s in the manual." Daisy looked at Louisa, feeling bad for her superior. Themander had a daughter who was such a snob. A thing like that could threaten his career.


    "Wait a minute, honey. I thought theputer was for you. I asked Luke to bring it to me directly, and he never paid. But now that I know who it''s for..." He paused, giving Daisy a meaningful nce. "I''ll have them send the receipt." Edward looked at Daisy apologetically. She should have told him whom theptop was for so that he could have taken care of everything.


    "That''s okay. Forget it. Since it is brand-new, I don''t think there will be a problem," Louisa said to Edward in a fawning tone. But she was barking up the wrong tree. If she sucked up to Daisy, then things might go better for her. Daisy might go out of her way to make Louisa happy, and Edward would do anything for Daisy.


    "No, that''s not okay. I''ll give you the invoiceter," Daisy said to Louisa. Then she turned to Edward and said, "Honey, thanks so much for bringing this over. I know you need to get back. See you tonight." Daisy rarely called Edward honey, but she called him that when she figured out Louisa would try something. She really had no shame!


    "Okay, see you tonight, my love." Edward never gave a hoot about manners. He did whatever he wanted. So he treated Louisa like she were invisible. After kissing Daisy''s lips gently, he got in the car.


    "Senior Colonel Ouyang, why didn''t you tell me Mr. Mu was your husband?" Louisa asked as soon as Edward left, filled with jealousy.


    "Why would I? Miss Ye, I have a lot of work to do. Goodbye." Daisy didn''t want to waste any more time talking to a mean woman like Louisa, so she just turned around and walked away. And, as she kept saying, she was busy.


    "Humph! Don''t be so cocky! I wouldn''t even give a damn about you if you weren''t Mr. Mu''s wife," Louisa muttered as Daisy headed back to her office. She shouldn''t have been such a snob and offended Daisy. Now Daisy hated her too.


    Kevin just stepped out of his office and was about to go see themander. He saw Daisy and walked over to her.


    "Everything good?" Kevin knew Edward was the man. Edward could buy the whole base aputer if he needed. But Kevin felt bad -- the whole thing started because of him.


    "Yeah. I think so. That''s one of the advantages of being married to a rich man. By the way, the Bald Eagle Program? Are you sure about this? You don''t have to." Daisy was a little worried. If Kevin joined the program, he wouldn''t get much time with Leena. That wasn''t good for their rtionship.


    "If I don''t go, you''ll have to do it. It''s pretty rigorous, from what I understand. Besides it''s mostly men. It doesn''t suit you at all." Kevin would rather go himself than let Daisy train with a bunch of men.


    "What are you saying? That a man''s tougher than a woman?" Daisy red at Kevin, head tilted and eyes squinted. He''d better watch what he said next.


    "Um, that''s not what I meant. You might feel weird around all those guys. You know I respect you a lot. And women can do anything they want. You''re living proof of that." Before meeting Daisy, Kevin did think men were better than women in every way. Since he started to get to know Daisy, he realized how wrong he was. Daisy was as strong and capable as any man in the army, maybe better than most of them.


    "Humph! That''s better. Did you tell Leena you''d be gone for awhile?" Daisy gripped the handrail and looked out at the training field. Suddenly she realized that there were times when a soldier would choose his responsibility over his family. Kevin just did that.


    "Not yet. I''m waiting for the right moment. I think Hank''s changed a lot. Bald Eagle Program could be good for him. Why not give him a chance? He might even get promoted, if he does well." Kevin regarded Daisy while he talked about this. He knew there was bad blood between Hank and her, and was worried that she''d be against this.


    "Makes sense. We all make mistakes. Everyone deserves a second chance. Hank deserves one too. You think he learned his lesson? At least he isn''t all evil." Daisy smiled. She hated Hank for what he did to her. He used to be an asshole, but he had paid for it. He''d been nothing but respectful since then. She didn''t want to kill his career just because she hated him. It would take a lot to earn his old rank back. She felt sorry for him.


    "How about this? I''ll rmend Hank. That''s all I can do. After that, it''s up to themander. Okay?" Kevin wasn''t going against orders. He was doing what he thought was right. He and Daisy were the best in themander''s eyes. He thought other officers should have a shot too. Two people weren''t the whole army.


    "Good. We could use the time to rx, and let other officers show what they can do. That way they won''t think we''re getting any special treatment. They don''t understand -- we didn''t just get the credit, we earned it." Daisy started thinking. They never stopped being suspicious of Kevin and Daisy. It had been going on for a long time, but themander and other higher-ups just ignored it. They always gave the best men the best opportunities. Everyone else who was working hard to be one of the best was passed over time and again.0000000

 Chapter 1147 A Different Leena (Part One)

    Kevin began exining about the positive changes in Hank as soon as he entered the Commander''s office. Hank had improved his behavior and attitude a lot inside the military base and had been working on correcting his previous mistakes. Thus, Kevin suggested giving Hank another chance to be promoted. He believed that Hank could be a better soldier for their country. Sadly, Kevin''s suggestion neither received a yes nor a no from the Commander. Instead, he told Kevin that he would need some time to consider Hank''s case as Hank''s record was one file of a mess. That reply from the Commander disappointed Kevin a little. He wasn''t asking the Commander to approve his suggestion immediately but then he wanted a clear answer at least. The result of his inquiry had him upset until he walked back to his office.


    A few minutes after and Kevin was already spacing out as he sat on his desk. ire''s attitude towards Leena had been worrying him and he had no clue if ire had changed her mind yet. He would feel a lot better about not being home if the two would get along. He wasn''t sure if ire would take this chance to bully Leena again since he would have to participate in the training program soon. Why couldn''t ire just be nice? Was he to expect more conflicts since he couldn''t apany them? God, they should have known that the two of them were the most important women in his life! Leena was his wife and ire was his sister. He adored both of them a lot and hoped that they could be nice to each other even without him around.


    He forced himself to focus on his work. He shook his head and tried to clear his mind from all these thoughts. He took the files from his desk and began to read them carefully. It took him a while to gain his concentration back. He was almost doing okay when a loud ringtone suddenly bombarded his office and also his mind. Shoot! Someone was calling his phone.


    "Hello! Nana, what''s up?" asked Kevin dly as he picked up the phone. His heart skipped a beat upon seeing the number was from his petite wife, Leena. He hadn''t received a lot of calls from her, especially during his working hours. Thus, this call was quite rare. Therefore, a big smile cracked his lips. He was ted.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Hi, Kevin! Umh... Did I interrupt your work?" Leena''s voice was a bit anxious when she spoke. She was sweating heavily while grasping the phone. She wasn''t sure if she called Kevin at bad timing. ''Is he busy right now?'' She bit her lips with the thought. Duke had told her toe home to the Leng''s house tonight and bring Kevin with her. Worse, her brother had also warned her that they must be there no matter what. She wasn''t the type to call Kevin within working hours but the urgency on her brother''s voice had forced her to dial Kevin''s number.


    "Of course not. Stop worrying. You could never interfere with my job. I can''t bring my cellphone with me during missions so you won''t be able to call me. Nana, feel free to call me anytime you want or need, okay? As long as I can pick it up, it would be absolutely fine for us to talk," exined Kevin. Why wasn''t Leena calling him more often anyway? Was she worried about bothering him during his work? How thoughtful and considerate his wife was! So she wasn''t calling him not because she didn''t care. Rather, she cared too much that she wouldn''t want to distract him. The realization that Leena loved him that much made him smile wider. God! His heart felt so good.


    "Good then! You see, Duke said that dad hade home and wanted to see us. We need to go home to the Leng''s house tonight," Leena said those words fast in just one breath. She had been feeling a bit helpless since she talked with Duke earlier. Kevin was a busy man and she wasn''t even sure if he coulde. However, it wasn''t an option for Kevin to be absent too as doing so might worsen the sh between him and her brother. She could have brought Kevin''s situation up but Duke said that he wouldn''t ept any kind of excuses or reasons. For Pete''s sake, it was not even a request but a demand! Therefore, Leena was left with no choice but to dial Kevin''s number to ask for his thoughts.


    "Oh! Dad is back? No worries! I''ll definitely be there tonight. I''ll finish my work earlier today so I can go there with you. I think we should bring the presents we took from the capital city to dad. Would you pack them before Ie back?" said Kevin affirmatively. Time had gone by really fast. It had been more than a month since thest time he met his father-inw, Lloyd Leng, and he already missed him a little. Therefore, he agreed to Leena without any hesitation.


    "Seriously? Are you reallying home early today? You''d like to go home with me?" Leena asked in astonishment. She couldn''t help but repeat her questions over and over as she never expected Kevin to say ''yes'' that easily. She was excited and relieved. Kevin had beening home a bitte for the past few days and she didn''t have the confidence to just ask him to drop his job to be with her. Moreover, going to the Leng''s house meant meeting Duke too.


    "Sure! I''m almost done with work today. I think I''ll have enough time to go home and prepare for tonight before we set off to the Leng''s house," answered Kevin reassuringly. ''You''ve got no idea how much I love to be with you everywhere, Leena. Both as a responsible man and a... loving husband?'' Kevin instantly furrowed his eyebrows with thest two words that got in his thoughts. He coughed to clear his throat and then talked to the phone again, "I''ll be there." Although he still had some work to handle, it was not as important as visiting Lloyd. He could just put the files aside and go back to them tomorrow morning.00

 Chapter 1148 A Different Leena (Part Two)

    "That will be great! Would you like me to wait for you at home or would you prefer to go to the Leng''s directly from the military base? If you like, we could stay at home and wait for you here," replied Leena in a more rxed tone. Even her body felt at ease upon hearing Kevin''s positive response. Who would like to hear Mr. Cold ranting about Kevin''s absence in the first ce? She let out a deep sigh as she leisurelyy on their queen sized bed. She enjoyed talking to Kevin this way.This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    "Umm. Let me see. Well, you can go to Leng''s house first and just wait for me there. Then I could drive from here and directly go to your family''s ce. What do you think?" asked Kevin. Respect was something Leena and Kevin never lost from each other even after being married for a while. They would always consult each other''s opinion before deciding anything, no matter how small or big the concern was. Thus, they felt free to express themselves. This was also the reason why they seldom fought with each other. However, Kevin hadn''t noticed how Leena said "we" instead of "I" thest time she talked. Thus, he thought that it would only be Leena and him that would be there. Shoot! Hepletely missed the possibility that Leena might be bringing ire to the Leng''s house too!


    "Okay, fine for me. I have to hang up now. See you tonight," said Leena as she jumped off the bed. She began to pack up the presents she brought from the capital city happily. The idea that Kevin would be meeting her dad with her tonight excited her beyond words. On the other hand, Kevin smiled as he stared at his phone. He had been wondering every day about what good he had done to deserve a wife as good as Leena. She was energetic and lively. At the same, she was extremely kind and thoughtful to others too. ''Damn it! I did hit the jackpot, didn''t I? Who else could be better than my wife?'' he thought.


    "ire, I need to go back to my home tonight. Would you like to visit the Leng''s house with me? Otherwise, no one would be here to prepare dinner for you," asked Leena. She saw ire doing some yoga exercises as she walked downstairs, so Leena stopped her steps and asked for ire''s opinion about tonight. If ire didn''t agree toe with her, then ire would have no choice but to have dinner outside in a restaurant by herself.


    "Your home? The Leng''s house? Do you mean the house where you grew up? You want me to meet you family members tonight? What about my brother? Will he be there too?" asked ire in excitement as she heard Leena''s words. She immediately stopped her back stretching and turned to face Leena. ire had wished for such an opportunity to learn about Leena''s family background for a long time. How Lucky it was for that opportunity toe to her without any effort! This was the perfect time to confirm if Leena was just a bumpkin from a poor family. ire had always been curious about this since the first time they met. ''Time to remove your mask, Leena. You can never cheat on us anymore! You dirty imposter!'' she thought to herself.


    "Yeah! Your brother said that he would go there from the military base directly. We could drive to the Leng''s house first and then just wait for him there," Leena answered with a smile. She made a mental note of practicing yoga again after seeing ire exercising. She used to do yoga exercises herself during her spare time. Yoga not only helped her to retain her shape but also kept her healthy. Most of all, yoga was the kind of exercise that helped her rx. She used to do it to soothe her tense mind and calm her down. Each yoga practice made her mentally at ease and peaceful.


    "Fine! I''ll go with you. It would be nice to be your family''s guest tonight. I can''t cook anyway," replied ire as she pretended to be reluctant. Who knew about her intention of spying Leena''s real identity anyway? However, it was observable that ire had be less hostile to her sister-inwpared to how she had acted against her before.


    "Okay, it''s settled then. I''ll go pack some stuff now. You could go back to your yoga exercise," said Leena dly as ire agreed toe with her. Honestly, ire''s words were the least of her thoughts. She had been so used to her sister-inw''s hostility by now. Nheless, she had noticed that ire sounded more diplomatic today.


    Leena''s excitement about returning home made ire pout her lips. Her sister-inw''s reaction was upsetting. She snorted and then thought, ''Why is Leena so happy? What''s the big deal with going back to her home? Duh! Anyway, who cares about her? I should keep exercising. I''ve eaten too much recently and now I''m getting the toll of it. I must work harder to lose what I ate. I can''t afford to be a fatso. No gaining weight. No, no, and definitely a no.'' She hurriedly continued with her yoga after thinking of how hideous she might look once she gained weight.


    The Leng''s house had been a little too quiet since Leena and Kevin got married. Duke and Belinda were both too busy with their work and there weren''t many people staying in the house. There weren''t many chances for them to meet up and lift the atmosphere of the house. However, today was a special day. Lloyd Leng was finally back from his long and far journeys! Everyone woulde home tonight, and Leena was not an exception. She had always been their naughty princess. Everyone adored her despite her mischievous behaviors sometimes. No one would even say no to spoiling her even though she was married now. They would all dly take care of her whenever she came back. Take note, the excitement didn''t end with the family members alone. The happiness for Leena''sing back even reached up to their servants who were all busy for tonight''s gathering.00000000000

 Chapter 1149 A Different Leena (Part Three)

    "Goodness! This is your home?" ire''s eyes popped out of its sockets as Leena drove them into the Leng''s house. She wasn''t expecting a house as grandeur and splendid as this! It wasn''t only huge, it wasndscaped to perfection. There were beautiful ponds and many rare flowers arranged carefully around the ce. ire was so shocked that she hadn''t been able to close her mouth for a while. She had never imagined Leena to bring her into such a magnificent ce. ''This is not a house! This is manor with a garden and a chateau!'' she thought. "Yeah! Do you like it?" asked Leena casually as she saw the stupefied expression on ire''s face. She shot her sister-inw a sweet smile and then continued driving. This was her home and growing in it made her too familiar with it. Thus, she never really paid much attention to its details. The only reason why she wanted to bring ire here was to show hospitality. She even thought that this wasn''t the best season to visit their house since it would look even more beautiful during summer. The botanical gardens and ponds would look wonderful during that season since it would be the time for the flowers to bloom at their best. It might be beautiful as for now but it was nothingpared with how it would look on those summer days. Most of the flowers and grasses had withered due to winter''s coldness, even the trees had lost their leaves. The ce was actually dull to Leena''s eyes. The winter wind had blown away the aristocratic glory of the Leng''s house.


    "Wow! It''s so huge! Leena, is this really your home? I mean, are you sure that we''re not driving to the wrong ce?" Disbelief was still all over ire''s face. She had been hesitating about this ce for minutes now. The picture she had sketched in her mind about Leena''s house was far from what was before her. She had imagined Leena''s home to be an apartment. Not a huge vi that upied a broad area.


    "Haha! You can''t be serious, right? Is there even a person who can''t recognize his or her own home? By the way, let me remind you about my brother first. Duke is not an easy going guy. So please, try not to say or do anything that could provoke him. He can be scary when he is mad. Another thing is about his wife. My sister-inw''s name is Belinda. She is a very nicedy. She is very easy to get along with most of the time but her personality is also straightforward. She may speak out whatever she thinks and her words could be hurtful sometimes. Some people don''t like her because of it. I hope you won''t mind if she blurts something that you''re not happy with. She is a goodbination of a sharp tongue and a kind heart. She is really nice inside, no worries." Leena''s smile went a bit fainter. The necessity to warn ire beforehand had pressured her a bit. ire couldn''t keep acting thoughtlessly as how she usually did when she was with the Gu''s or in their apartment. She would know what a disaster meant if she identally provoked that couple. "Okay you are making your family sound so rich, are they?" ire didn''t respond to Leena directly but asked her own question instead. She hadpletely ignored her sister-inw''s warning. She didn''t even care if Duke and Belinda were easy going or not. Her focus was all about how wealthy Leena''s family was. ''Is Leena''s family richer than mine?'' she secretly asked herself. ire wouldn''t want to ept the fact but then found it hard to deny it too. ire was internally having struggles with her thoughts. So Leena wasn''t a bumpkin but an aristocrat! No way! ire didn''t even know what answer she should be expecting from Leena now.


    "Well, kind of. We''re here. Let''s get off the car," said Leena. She felt a bit better after telling ire about the real status of her family. ire would know about this anyway since she nned to stay in S City for a while. There was really no need for her to keep this a secret any more.


    On the other hand, ire was still having a hard time digesting the truth. It wasn''t easy for her to ept that Leena''s family was actually wealthier than hers. She had looked down on Leena''s family countless times and she felt embarrassed now. Leena had always been kind and generous to her even after her stupid acts. The realization of how bad she had behaved was like a p on her face. She was terrible!Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    "Leena, my little girl! Wee back home! Aren''t you going toe home and see me at all if I didn''t ask your brother to call you?" Lloyd weed his princess with fake anger in his words. He hadn''t seen Leena for a while and he missed her a lot. It was the sound of a car pulling over that made him excitedly run out of the house. Heughed so happily upon seeing his child that his eyes narrowed. His voice sounded soft even though he intended to reprimand her. His undeniable love for her was all over his face.0000

 Chapter 1150 A Different Leena (Part Four)

    "Of course I will, Daddy! I''m already here, right? Oh, I missed you so much!" Leena rushed to her dad''s arms and hugged Lloyd tightly. A daughter could never grow up in her father''s eyes and Leena had remained as lovely and adorable as how she had been when she was a kid. On the other hand, ire was stunned upon seeing Leena''s reaction. She had never seen her sister-inw as cute and lively like this. Leena was different tonight and it baffled ire.


    "I miss you too, Leena! Now, let me take a closer look at my little princess. Did you take good care of yourself while I was away? Did you eat enough every day? Come closer, I need to see if you have gained weight or lost weight," Lloyd was trying his best to sound serious. Nheless, he just couldn''t stop smiling since seeing his baby girl. He was so focused on his daughter that he didn''t even notice ire, who was still standing there.


    "Of course I gained weight! Look at my face. I look much rounder than before, right?" Leena said and then puffed her cheeks yfully while blinking cutely at her dad. She tried to make her face look like a plump round apple to prove her saying of gaining weight.


    "A... Then you must have not missed me at all! How can you eat so well if you really miss me?" Lloyd pretended to facepalm and then acted just as yful as his daughter. He found it very interesting to make fun of his daugher sometimes. They might be joking with each other but the love between the two was just impossible to hide.


    "Urr. You''re so bad, Daddy! How could you treat me like this?" Leena pouted her lips and pretended to be unhappy. She knew her dad. Lloyd could always find a reason to me her regardless of what her answer was. He would definitely me Kevin for not taking care of her if she had said that she lost weight. Thus, whatever her answer was would still be wrong.


    It was only then that Lloyd turned and noticed ire who was still standing frozen on her feet. "Oh! You never said that we were having a guest tonight. Thisdy must be..."


    "Oh geez! I almost forget to introduce her. Dad, this is ire Gu. She is Kevin''s younger sister. You could call her ire," Leena addressed to Lloyd immediately. Then she turned to ire and introduced Lloyd to her, "ire, this is my father, Lloyd Leng." Leena stuck her tongue out in a funny way to cover for her carelessness. She had been so busy talking with her father and forgot about ire too.


    "Good evening, Mr. Leng! Nice to meet you! I hope you''re having a wonderful evening." greeted ire politely as they shook hands with each other. She could always behave and keep her good manners in front of the elders, especially to those unfamiliar ones. She was even blushing while talking to Lloyd since this was the first time they met.


    "Good evening, ire! Nice to meet you! You''re my family too since you''re Leena''s sister-inw. Feel free and help yourself as this is your home too. We''re all casual people. Thus, you can always be free as you want." replied Lloyd kindly. ire''s act of sensibility made him fond of her too.


    "Okay, thank you very much, Mr. Leng," said ire. She might seem calm while talking but she was very nervous. This was the first time for her to meet someone so rich. Never had she met anyone who had a higher social status than her father, Nathan Gu. ire bet that Leena must feel the same when she met her dad, Nathan Gu, for the first time.


    "Where are Duke and Belinda? Haven''t they been back?" asked Leena as she took a look around the house. She secretly sighed in relief as she confirmed that the two were not home yet. She preferred not to see Duke because she knew that he would bombard her with lessons as soon as he saw her.


    "They are almost here. They shouldn''t take long. Come on, let''s get into the hall first. Let''s wait for them there," said Lloyd. He walked into the hall with his little princess by his side as his arm was held tightly by Leena.


    "ire,e on in!" addressed Leena as she turned to ire. Leena was always such a considerate person. She didn''t want ire to feel ufortable in this unfamiliar environment. She was the host tonight and ire was her guest so she felt responsible to take good care of her.


    "ire, do you want something to drink? I''ll ask them to bring it for you," said Lloyd. He began to make himself a qualified host of tonight''s family gathering. He liked Kevin, his son-inw a lot so he held a good opinion to ire too. He thought that being Kevin''s sister made ire share the same virtues as her brother.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Oh! No, thank you, Mr. Leng," replied ire. Frankly speaking, she did feel a little ufortable. The overwhelming decoration of the hall was beyond she could imagine. She had thought that Kevin''s apartment decoration was luxurious. It couldn''t be matched to the Leng''s house decoration though. Everything was aristocratic. Even the smallest ornament here was screaming luxury. This noble pce made Kevin''s apartment look like a humble ce.?????????????

 Chapter 1151 A Different Leena (Part Five)

    "Okay, then. But if you want anything to drinkter, please feel free to ask the servants to bring it for you. Make this ce your home and be free to ask for anything you want," Lloyd didn''t insist on giving drinks to ire. Instead, he turned to Leena again and looked at her beautiful face. His daughter was beautiful but there seemed to be another beauty that was ovepping with her face. Leena really looked like her mother. Yes! His precious wife whom he had been missing so much. He had traveled a lot but never once could he let go of his memories about her during his trips. There were even some days when he thought that he couldn''t live without all those great memories with her. His wife was stamped in his head, in his mind, and in his heart forever. He closed his eyes for a while and then looked at Leena again. He could still remember his wife like things were just yesterday. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. What had happened to them made him believe in fate. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have passed away so early and left him alone like this. He felt like an abandoned child all these years after she had left. He was always lonely. Nheless, it also worried him that she might be alone in heaven and he wished to see her again soon.


    "Daddy, what happens? Is there anything on my face? Why are you staring at me?" asked Leena confusedly. It was just now that she noticed how Lloyd was looking at her intensely. Besides, his eyes were so profound and misted like there were some things that he wasn''t telling her.


    "Well, nothing! I was just thinking of how beautiful my little baby has turned out to be. No matter what happens, you''ll always be the prettiest princess in the world. After all, you are my child," Lloyd smiled at Leena and reminded himself that he shouldn''t be gazing at his daughter like this in public. He had never told her a lot about his wife and he didn''t want Leena to know about what he was thinking about. Thus, he diverted her attention away from his real thoughts and tried his best to cover the sadness he felt. However, he was still upset about what happened to him and his wife. It could be because he was getting older that he couldn''t stop reminiscing about his younger years, especially those that he had spent with his beloved wife.


    "Haha! Daddy, this is so typically you! I bet there is no one in the world who would ever boast about himself as shamelessly as you," replied Leena jokingly. She chose to sound funny though she could tell from his eyes that he was hiding something. His answer was too vague and it wasn''tmon for her dad to be as mysterious. Whatever he said must be his way of disguising his real thoughts and Leena was kind enough to pretend that she believed his excuse. Nevertheless, she had marked this down in her heart. She would find out about his thoughts one day.


    "Well, I''m sorry for that, my girl. But hey! You''re so typically you too! You know what I mean, right?" The aged manughed happily and loudly. He knew that Leena was a clever girl. Her thoughts were always different from other people. Thus, her answers were always unique too.


    "Of course, I know what you mean. You were just pretending to give mepliments but in reality, you were boasting about yourself! It is your way of screaming out ''Hey, I''ve got the perfect genes!'' without directly saying that I owe my princess look to you as my father king." Leena replied yfully to her dad as she gave him a curtsey. She bent one of her knees, bowed her head, and held the side of her skirt elegantly as she said ''my father king''. What a lovely but mischievous little princess she was! It was the reason why everyone couldn''t help butugh whenever they were with her. However, as Lloyd''s daughter, Leena had known her father too well. She could easily read between his words and know when he was boasting. For Pete''s sake, he had acted like this for more than twenty years since they lived with each other.


    "Who has the perfect genes?" Leena was still acting when a voice suddenly interrupted them. It was Belinda, who was walking towards them quickly. Belinda was smiling when she asked the question out of curiosity and took everyone''s attention. She was definitely a stunner in her professional suit. Her couture office wear fitted her slim figure so well that her aura had filled the whole room with her confidence and power. It was easy to tell that she was not the type to be underestimated by others because she was a strong andpetentdy in business.


    "Belinda, you''re finally back! I miss you so so so much!" eximed Leena excitedly as she weed her sister-inw. She secretly peeked behind Belinda to check if there was another prominent figureing in. She hadpletely left her dad upon seeing Belinda and threw herself into Belinda''s arms while giggling. She ran to her so quickly and strongly that she didn''t seem to worry about knocking Belinda down at all.


    "Leena! You''re already a married woman. How can you still behave like this? Do you know what you look like right now? You look like an uneducated little girl! I would definitely give you a hard spanking tonight if I weren''t your brother. Someone needs to teach you how to behave like a fairdy." Leena heard another familiar voice which made her turn. She didn''t need to guess who wasing as she knew that baritone voice like the back of her hand. Nobody else in this house could talk in such a cold and emotionless tone except for her brother, Duke! Thus, she had nicknamed him "Mr. Cold". In contradiction to Belinda''s fire like energy, Duke''s presence was cold enough to freeze hell. The way heshed out upon stepping in was already a sample of how his temperament worked. Nheless, his eyes were filled with care and concern to his one and only precious sister while he was staring at Leena.0000Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.

 Chapter 1152 A Different Leena (Part Six)

    "Duke! I miss you so much too!" said Leena loudly as shepletely ignored her brother''s sarcastic criticism. Who cared about what he said? All that was important to her was that he was her brother and she loved him too. She hurriedly let go of Belinda and jumped to Duke''s arms. She was smiling broadly as she squeezed her brother tight. There was contentment in her eyes and she couldn''t be happier at that moment. "Hum! Do you miss me? I don''t think so. Would you evene home to see me tonight if I didn''t give you the final order?" Duke said indifferently. He seemed to have made up his mind of staying angry with Leena for a while. He wanted to teach her a lesson. "Fine. It''s all my fault. Would you forgive me this time, brother? Just take a look at my eyes, please. Do you see how sincerely I am trying to apologize to you?" She looked up at Duke straightly and instantly had an eye to eye contact with him. She gave him a poor puppy stare and blinked a couple of times. She acted like a poor and wrongly treated girl. It was so obvious that she was acting to get her brother''s sympathy but the question was, would it work on Duke?


    "Haha! So that''s what you''re calling sincere? Who would believe you, Leena?" Belinda interrupted mockingly. She couldn''t help butugh out loud upon seeing Leena''s cute face. Belinda knew that she should be helping Leena as her sister-inw. However, she chose to peel off her disguise instead. It seemed that Leena''s act was not gaining any results anyway, or maybe not for Belinda at least. Leena had made herself look cute but not pitiful. So her effort to soothe Duke was at least partly in vain and the result was not even ideal. "Oh my God! Belindae on! Aren''t you my sister-inw? You are supposed to help me out here. Where''d you get the heart to make things even worse for me? Which side are you on?" Leena pouted unhappily as she spoke in a resentful voice. The fact that Belinda wasn''t helping her was bad enough. However, Belinda''s truth-telling had just made things worse. How she wished to zip her sister-inw''s overly honest mouth! She really wanted to make up with Duke but nothing seemed to be working on her way. ''What a terrible world! No one loves me anymore and no one is helping me. Even Belinda is making fun of me now. Where''s the love, guys?'' thought Leena disappointedly.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Okay, fine! Just keep on. I promise I won''t say a single word from now on. Let''s see if your brother will listen to you and forgive you. After all, he has been thinking and talking about his baby sister every day. He was worried if you were eating enough and if you were dressing up correctly. It''s not easy to stop him from caring about you. Moreover, it is even harder to stop him from being mad at you because of your nonchnt attitude to his love. You haven''te back to see your brother for a long time. You didn''t even give him a call. My girl, let me send you my condolences beforehand, you will die under his fury this time," Belinda said and then shook her head. The rtionship between Leena and Duke was hopeless. There were even times when Belinda found it hard to stand Duke''s sisterplex. He was just over-concern, over-protective and overreacting about his little sister. It was still a surprise to Belinda after marrying Duke for so long that he could always have this much care for his sister. Nheless, Duke was also a living contradiction. He might have missed Leena like mad but never had he once initiated a phone call to Leena either. He just kept waiting for his little sister to call. This was how their issue started. It was bothering her to see Leena and Duke this way. If only she could do something about it. "My dear brother, Duke, Mr. Cold, Mr. Handsome, Mr. Gorgeous, look at my face. My face has be slimmer because I have been missing you for so long." Leena pathetically tried a bit more to win his brother''s heart. This was herst resort on mending Duke''s vulnerable and broken heart. She couldn''t think of anything else to do anymore. She was praying for Duke to look at her when Lloyd suddenly sprayed and coughed out the tea he had just drunk, which suddenly rmed everyone.


    "Dad, are you all right?" asked Belinda anxiously. She urgently pulled out a piece of tissue-towel and handed it to Lloyd. She was worried that there might be something wrong with his health.


    "Ahem! Don''t worry. I''m fine," replied Lloyd as he coughed badly to choke the water out. He had been trying so hard to suppress hisughter when he was done. He was half smirking and half smiling when he threw a re to his unpredictable daughter. Hadn''t she just told him that she had gained weight? She even said that her face was rounder than before! How did her face turn slimmer in just a matter of minutes? Didn''t her face slim down too fast? What did her daughter do while talking with her brother? Eating diet pills? Having liposuction?


    Of course, Leena knew why her father had sprayed out the tea. What she just said had contradicted what she had said to her father earlier. These were both jokes anyway and no one should take them too seriously. Thus, she kept blinking at Lloyd to signal him to shut up. Belinda had already slipped, she couldn''t afford for her Dad to do the same thing. It was lucky though that Lloyd regained his posture in an instant and stopped himself fromughing. Leena knew that Duke wasn''t really mad at the moment. However, she was also aware that it would be impossible to soothe Mr. Cold''s anger once he got serious. Leena really didn''t want that.


    Meanwhile, ire was left frozen on her spot as she could only look at Leena with a nk stare. She felt like she was getting less and less familiar with her sister-inw tonight. The Leena who was with her now wasn''t the same Leena she had known. Was this the real Leena? It was only then that ire thought of how much she never really tried to learn about Leena. Leena could act so freely and casually before her family and intimate friends, whom she loved and cared about. She could be cunning sometimes, but also smart. She was sweet but a little evil. Sometimes she was naughty and mischievous; sometimes she was simple and pure; sometimes she was sophisticated and intelligent. She could be both artful and artless. She was a contradiction, a ball where everything blended perfectly, which was impossible for anyone else to do. Nheless, it was this side of Leena that had confused ire the most tonight. She would really need to contemte about this.000000

 Chapter 1153 Willful Mr. Cold (Part One)

    "Be slimmer? Let me have a look!" This was typical of Duke. He was always concerned when it came to Leena. Even small details became important to him. He clearly adored his little sister. "Yeah! My face has be smaller." Leena pouted and sucked in her cheeks. If Duke didn''t quit getting angry at her, she too would act childishly.


    "Stop doing that, or your face will hurt. I forgive you this time because of the effort you just made. But today is a special case. I won''t be so forgiving again." Duke reached out and flicked her nose tenderly. A wide smile spread across his face. With Leena around, he was always happy. "Thank you, bro. I always know that you''re the best brother ever." Leena stood on her toes and kissed Duke''s handsome and perfectly cold face.


    "Leena, is thisdy one of your friends?" Belinda eyed ire warily. She had been watching Leena and Duke, and so had ignored ire''s presence before. "Oh! This is Kevin''s sister, ire." Leena felt a pang of guilt for not introducing ire first.


    "Kevin''s sister, that''s wonderful! You''re wee, ire. Leave these two alone. They just love each other a lot. You get used to it one way or another," Belinda said amiably. She didn''t sound harsh. Sometimes, she felt jealous of the affection between Leena and Duke. However, sibling affection wasn''t the same as the love between a husband and his wife. Belinda didn''t bother to ask Duke foolish questions, such as who would he save first if she and Leena fell into a river and both of them couldn''t swim. Such questions would undoubtedly be silly and annoying to him. Also, it would only frustrate her and possibly worsen her rtionship with Duke.


    "Belinda, don''t be silly. You''re just being jealous. Right?" Leena''s mouth tilted upward as she mocked Belinda''s jealousy.


    "Why would I be jealous? Duke is my husband and Kevin is yours. Go and find your husband. Leave Duke to me," Belinda said haughtily. She was a woman who could be provoked easily.


    "Take it easy. Don''t be so annoyed. I think I have the right to borrow my brother from you every now and then." Leena pressed her body closer to Duke, teasing Belinda some more. Her lips lifted into a sly smile.


    "That... that can be done under certain conditions. You can''t borrow my husband free of charge! However, I can rent him out to you for a reasonable price. Tell me what you can give me if I trade your brother," Belinda said. Her smile was charming. She looked Duke in the eye with some defiance. Duke stared back at his wife in turn. A stern look shed across his face.


    "I see. Actually, I think I better give my brother back to you. I have nothing precious to trade my brother with. I''m sorry," Leena said and jumped away from Duke. He seemed pissed off. If Leena continued to intervene between the pair, she would definitely be med for the possible quarrel between them.


    Duke''s mouth twisted into a humorless smile. His wife really had the nerve to rent him out. However, she was gravely mistaken: nomon woman could steal him from his wife and family. Even if it was his own sister who wanted to borrow him, he absolutely refused to be traded like cargo.


    "How about you, ire? Would you like to borrow Duke?" Belinda didn''t expect Leena to back out. Duke''s dangerous gaze still rested on her as she turned to ire, who looked confused about what was happening.


    "Oh! Borrow what?" ire asked in bewilderment. She had been so lost in her thoughts that she paid no attention to their conversation.


    "Hah! It''s okay. Belinda, you can take your husband home." Leena hurriedly walked up to ire and whispered to her to keep quiet. Duke was obviously annoyed. Leena could feel the anger and coldness radiating from him.


    "Wicked girl, you always trick me. You always leave me so I have to fight with my husband alone. Don''t you know who should be med for what just happened here?" Belinda glowered at Leena. She turned her eyes in Duke''s direction, trying to calm him down.


    "Ha-ha! Belinda, I''m sorry. You know me. I''ve always been timid, so I''ll leave this great mission to you. Daddy, shall we take a walk outside? It''ll be good to enjoy the setting sun." The smart Leena had a mischievous gleam in her eyes. Before she left the room, she decided to take her father with her. Only this way she''d not be held back by her brother or sister-inw.


    Belinda was still startled. She watched Leena exit the room with her father. Looking around, Belinda found herself standing all alone with a pissed-off Duke. She was scared and wanted to leave as well. However, before she could step out, Duke stopped her in her tracks. "Where do you think you are going? Starting a fire and then leaving? Do you really think I''ll let you go so easily?" Duke''s smile was sinister. He leaned against the rail and red at his wife, who looked embarrassed.


    "You misunderstood me. I was just messing around and joking. I can''t count on Leena at all. Whenever shit hits the fan, she just disappears and leaves the mess in my hands. I''m the one who was wronged here." Belinda raised her chin defiantly. Disadvantaged as she was, she refused to give in, whatever might be the cost.


    "Oh! Is that so? You are the one who feels wronged? What about me, whom you apparently nned to rent out, as if I were some kind of goods for sale? Shouldn''t I be the onementing my fate?" Duke stared at her intently and calcted his next move.


    "Don''t be ridiculous! I was just nning to lend you to your own sister, the girl whom you love the most. I don''t know why you feel so flustered about this. When she was away, you talked about her all the time. And now when she is right here, you feel hurt about me letting you spend some time alone with her. What kind of a man are you? Quit being such a hypocrite," Belinda blurted out without thinking of the consequences. As a result, she was brutally conquered in bed by her husbandter at night.


    "Shouldn''t it be clear to you if I''m a man or not? Perhaps I love you too much, so you feel that you can provoke me and go unpunished. But you''re wrong. You can''t ask for my love by doing this. Love can be wild sometimes, but it''s always reasonable," Duke made this statement humorlessly. He had the habit of making everything sound like it was a political report.


    "All right! Duke, we''re educated and civilized people. Don''t treat me in this rough manner. I''m your wife, don''t forget that." Belinda cursed Leena inwardly. Why should she bear the consequences of the wrongs done by Leena? Leena looked innocent, but she was far from that.


    "I''m a perfect gentleman! What''s all this about? I have always been civilized. I have done nothing except love and protect you, haven''t I?" Duke said as he continued to re at her. However, a hint of amusement sparkled in his eyes.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "Oh my God! This is crazy. I can''t talk to a viin about what''s right and wrong!" Belinda gritted her teeth. Duke''s aloofness was maddening. She was so angry that she could kill him. He was a wicked man deep down, but he looked so elegant and dignified in his physical appearance. He acted as if he never said provocative and teasing words.


    "Even if you''re right about me being a viin, I would never touch any other women but you, my darling legitimate wife." Duke was always known for his ruthlessness, however, few people knew that he was also great at charming a woman."

 Chapter 1154 Willful Mr. Cold (Part Two)

    "Fuck off, Duke. Don''t block my way. I need to go upstairs and get changed. Dinner is ready. I should get to the kitchen and give the maid a hand," Belinda announced. She shook off Duke''s hand and ran like hell, as if she was being chased by a monster. "Belinda, are you sure you''ll actually help in the kitchen and not burn it to the ground, along with the house?" Duke said to the disappearing figure of his wife. Upon hearing these words, Belinda nearly slipped and fell from the stairs. She turned around and scowled at him after regaining herposure.


    ''He''s saying the truth, but why can''t he be polite about it?'' Belinda thought to herself in anger.


    Duke blinked at her and forced a smile. He didn''t take the vengeful expression in Belinda''s eyes seriously. After their marriage, Duke had begun to understand how to deal with Belinda. He knew how to soothe her anger and how to conquer her. He didn''t think that such trivial matters could negatively influence their rtionship or their marriage.


    Although Kevin left work earlier than expected, he came herete. He couldn''t help but feel sorry about his dy when he found the entire family at the dining table, waiting for him. He noticed ire and frowned, wondering if she had caused trouble.


    "Hi, everybody. I''m so sorry that I arrivedte," Kevin apologized. He seemed intimidating and humble in his uniform, but also dignified.


    "Nevermind that. Workes first. Everybody, Kevin hase home, so we should begin the dinner," Lloyd said cheerfully. He had always liked Kevin and considered him to be the best husband for his daughter.


    "Yes, we should begin. Kevin, you''re family. Make yourself at home. Go wash your hands and take a seat with us." Belinda had also developed a great fondness for Kevin. She made sure that he didn''t feel embarrassed in front of the entire family. "Thank you, Belinda," Kevin said, giving her a warm smile. The hard lines on his face softened.


    However, the cold and aloof Duke didn''t seem to be so enthusiastic. He was indifferent. An unfathomable smile tugged on his lips as he sat at the table, deciding not to join their conversation.


    "Go and wash your hands. I''lle with you," Leena said. Leena knew that Kevin rarely came to this house. He wasn''t familiar with itsyout. However, Kevin hadn''t told her that he visited her family once when she was in France. "Okay," Kevin said. He didn''t resist Leena''s offer. He wanted to ask his wife in private if ire got into trouble or not.


    "Did you participate in training today?" Leena asked as they walked. She raised her head and looked at her husband. Leena noticed the dirt on Kevin''s trousers.


    "No, I didn''t. I just practiced fighting skills with Daisy. By the way, did ire behave today?" Kevin looked at Leena as he bent over the wash basin and cleaned his hands. He wondered if Leena was annoyed that he mentioned Daisy. "Yes, ire was quiet today." Leena was confused. She had lived with ire for a long time now. ''How did the previously lively ire be so silent all of a sudden?'' she wondered, and failed to notice her husband speaking of Daisy. "That''s nice. But why did you bring her home in the first ce?" Kevin asked with curiosity. His brows furrowed. Kevin took the towel and wiped his hands.


    "Oh. Why do you think? ire is my husband''s sister and my family. Why can''t I invite her to my house to have dinner with my father and brother? Isn''t it normal, this kind of family stuff?" Leena couldn''t help butugh. She hadn''t expected Kevin to think of things this way. "You''re right. I''m just worried that ire would embarrass herself in front of your family. She could mess things up." Kevin loved his sister, but he knew deep down that she still held grudges against Leena. Her behavior had changed in recent times but he was still worried. They were about to have dinner with Leena''s family, and the slightest quarrel at the dining table could lead to a disaster.


    "Rx. ire is doing fine. She''s a big girl, after all. She knows how to be polite. Let''s get out of here and join our family. They are waiting for us." Leena re-arranged his cor that had be wet. At that moment, she indeed looked like a wife, very different from the witty girl she was in front of her family.


    "Okay. We can''t keep them waiting." Kevin held her hands and found that they were cold. He made a mental note to always try and keep her warm. Leena''s hands always felt cold, no matter how warm her clothes were.


    "Kevin! Was my daughter a good girl when she visited your parents?" Lloyd asked, a little embarrassed. He rarely paid attention to these things. But in this case, it concerned his daughter''s happiness.


    "Dad, rest assured. Leena is smart and well-mannered. My parents love her," Kevin said, feeling a little guilty as he remembered that his father still disliked Leena.


    "I''m d to know that. Leena is young. Please forgive her if she does anything inappropriate or wrong," Lloyd said, sighing. Leena had lost her mother when she was a child. Lloyd felt remorseful about theck of a maternal figure in her life. He feared that she didn''t get to learn the qualities of a good wife. Leena had to learn everything all by herself.


    "Dad, Leena is a sensible and thoughtful girl. Don''t trouble yourself over her. Let''s eat." Although Leena had tricked her in the past, Belinda knew that she had a kind heart. The ident urred because Leena was misled by her friend. She was only partly to me. Besides, if Leena hadn''t done that, Belinda and Duke wouldn''t have loved each other as passionately as they did today. They would have been more likely to end up as strangers.


    Leena nced at Kevin and ire, a bit nervous. Obviously, Kevin had lied for her. She not only caused trouble at their parents'' house but also overreacted. Back then, she had been anything but a qualified wife.


    "Kevin, eat some more. You must be tired after working at the army base. Now that you''re home, eat well." Lloyd served some food into Kevin''s bowl. Kevin had already been trying to eat as quickly as possible, but soon enough, his bowl was piled up with more food. "Dad, Kevin can eat the dinner by himself. Eat your own food and leave him alone." Leena took a sharp intake of breath when she saw Kevin''s full bowl. She felt fortunate that it wasn''t her own bowl and te that her father piled the food onto. Otherwise, she would have gained substantial weight after this dinner.


    "Don''t argue, or you''d be next." Duke snickered upon seeing Kevin being treated this way. He didn''t even need to do anything, somebody else was giving Kevin hell and doing Duke a favor.


    "Bro, you must be so delighted right now." Leena narrowed her eyes at her brother in annoyance. She knew that when it came to revenge, he could be even more terrible than those unreasonably jealous women. Leena was agitated to see that her brother still brooded over the fact that she got married without telling him first. He could be so petty and spiteful. A long time had passed since her marriage, but her brother still held grudges.


    "Hmm. What do you think?" Duke didn''t bother to hide his emotions from Leena. He nced at Kevin and wondered how he had managed to win the hearts of his sister and father, two of the most important people in his life.


    "So childish. You''re too old to be headstrong and willful. Shame on you!" Leena said with disdain and pursed her lips. Forcing Kevin to eat more food and add some pounds didn''t feel like a punishment to him. Besides, he was a soldier and participated in military training almost every day. Being overweight was nearly impossible for him. So Duke''s wishful thinking was in vain.0000000This is from N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1155 Looking At Leena With New Eyes (Part One)

    "I''d like to. And it''s all your fault. If you hadn''t married him secretly, I wouldn''t freeze him out," Duke said in a very low voice, but Kevin still overheard it. As a soldier, Kevin''s senses were razor-sharp.


    "Come on! This is old news. Why don''t you just let it go?" Leena pursed her lips. It never urred to her that Duke would always bring this up. How a fully grown man could be so childish was beyond her belief.


    "It doesn''t matter whether it''s old news or hot off the presses. When he talked you into marrying him, he should have thought about that." Duke smiled with a cocky air and gracefully put more food into his mouth. He was a noble man indeed.


    "You''re impossible. Such an idiot," Leena pouted. She thought that Duke was too proud and temperamental. Other people wouldn''t bear grudges like this. Maybe he had too much free time and had nothing else to think about.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "ire, just make yourself at home. Feel free to eat any dish you like." Belinda smiled gently at ire. Belinda was always friendly. Unless someone messed with her, she was always garrulous and loved to make new friends. She preferred to be close to people, so she used ire''s first name, instead of being more formal.


    "Okay, thanks for your hospitality." ire was nonplussed. This was a clearly noble family, and their manners made her arrogance wash away like sandcastles at high tide. These people weren''t any ordinary family. And that really blew ire away. Now she began to look at Leena with new eyes. But why did Leena always keep such a low profile? Leena was a woman from a very rich family, but why she never mentioned this at all. Even though ire assumed that she was poor. Why didn''t she speak up and tell her this?


    "Hey Kevin, how''s Daisy? I''ve been so busy recently that we haven''t had the time to get together. We still call and text, but I want to make sure Edward is treating her right," She took the chance to ask Kevin about Daisy''s recent condition. She really lived up to the title of BFF.


    "She''s fine, She''s vigorous and energetic, just like always." This was true. It was not like she was the worse for wear. Her skill in fighting hadn''t diminished any, and she was as strong and fast as ever. Edward probably made sure she ate right, which was a good thing. Kevin felt happy thinking about this. No matter what, he would always care for Daisy.


    "Belinda, be careful saying that stuff. Edward doesn''t take crap from anyone. He''d probably tank yourpany if he knew you said that." Leena knew what Edward was like. He was vengeful, and it could go badly for you if he was offended. Even if it happened long ago, he''d never forget. He never lost, and made sure of that.


    "Ha! If he did anything to me, I''d take Daisy away and leave him lonely," Belinda said arrogantly, raising her beautiful eyes. She didn''t worry that Edward would get even with her. She had a trump card. She was sure Edward would pay if he tried to make life hard for her. "Yeah, he won''t do anything to you, but he''d make my life hell," Duke grumbled. Duke didn''t take crap from anyone either. And he would pound them into the ground like a tent peg if they tried to hurt him. But up against Edward, he was nothing. If he couldn''t hurt Duke physically, he had other ways of getting back at him.


    "Yeah, I feel you, bro. That''s Edward to a tee. He''s devious. Even if he couldn''t beat you hand-to-hand, he''d still ruin you. He''d find a way to do it so you couldn''t fight back." Leena knew Edward as she knew her ten fingers. They were close, and so she felt confident in her assessment.


    "I still have you. Maybe you''d be my sacrificialmb..." Belinda smiled, as if she didn''t care. She gazed at Leena, and a mischievous glint was in her eye.


    "Huh! Are you sure you''re my sister-inw, not my enemy?" Leena looked at Belinda, dumbfounded. How could Belinda treat her like this? She was too mean! They were family. Leena wouldn''t be anyone''s scapegoat.


    "I''m not dumb. I''m a businesswoman. I use what tools are avable. And who wouldn''t, if Edward came after them?" Belinda wore a smug smile. To deal with Edward, Leena was more useful than Daisy. She knew that if Leena yed soft and showed her puppy-dog eyes and ttering smiles to Edward, no matter how angry he was, he''d let it pass and forgive her. Belinda fell for this more than once, and Leena almost had everyone wrapped around her little finger, even including Belinda. She easily caved when she saw Leena''s beautiful smile, and made some decisions she regrettedter.


    "Duke, are you just going to stand by and take this? Ugh! Listen to her!" Leena looked at Duke with her pitiful eyes. Although it was true that Edwardvished his affection on her, she knew there was a limit. When it came to Daisy, all bets were off. And right now, Belinda was pushing Leena to side with her and help Daisy. That wasn''t going to happen.


    "That''s for you two to sort out. Leave me out of it." Duke decided that he''d sit this one out. Because if he sided with one of them, the other person would be unhappy. He couldn''t win, so he decided to sit back and watch the show.


    "Okay, I get it. Nobody loves me." Leena pouted and lowered her head, pretending to be sad. Not dishing up any food for herself, she silently ate the rice in her bowl, looking rather depressed.?????????

 Chapter 1156 Looking At Leena With New Eyes (Part Two)

    "Leena, don''t be sad. I''m always here for you." Seeing that Leena was unhappy, Kevin jumped to try and console her. He didn''t know that she was pretending to get sympathy.


    When Kevin said this, Leena''s heart warmed. She raised her head and looked at him, confused. Did he mean it, or was he just saying it to be nice? She didn''t know which one it was. Now she was at a loss and didn''t know what to say.


    "Ah! You dummy! She was y acting." Belinda shot him a "you-are-so-not-getting-it" look. Kevin was supposed to be a sharp guy. ''How did he not know Leena was faking it?'' Belinda wondered.


    But Duke had different ideas. He didn''t think that Kevin was dumb for not recognizing Leena''s trick. Really, he had some second thoughts about Kevin. And he didn''t hate him as much anymore. Even he had to admit that Kevin cared deeply for his sister, all because Kevin said "I''m always here for you," instead of "I love you." Duke was deeply impressed when he heard this. He narrowed his eyes and looked at Kevin, with more admiration than indifference.


    Kevin just smiled, despite Belinda ribbing him. He wasn''t angry at her, no, he was happy. It wasn''t a bad thing to be a fool for the woman he loved. She needed him, and that ddened his heart. That kind of happiness was what he wanted to feel for the rest of his life. There was no need to be embarrassed.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    ire felt left out. They were talking about old friends that she hadn''t even met yet. And she got even more of a sense that they lived in very different worlds and there was no way she was on their level. She could also see that they were more like family than friends. And ire wished she had that kind of support system.


    She had finally admitted that Leena was intelligent and capable because of her upbringing from a fairly wealthy family. But from what she saw today, she found that Leena not only had rich parents, but much like her, Leena also enjoyedvish affection from the people around her. Leena was the apple of their eye, and was far more popr than ire. Because Leena was a good person, and pleasant to be around. ire was arrogant and a spoiled brat, and these qualities came out far too often forfort.


    Lloyd watched them teasing each other, and he smiled. Nothing was more important to him than a happy family.


    Dinner ended with easy banter, but theughter didn''t stop there. Because where there was love, there was warmth, and joy would be tagging along.


    "Leena, you''ve had a long vacation, but it''s high time you went to work and learned something about thepany." It was Duke again. He''d trot this out every once in awhile. He had no clue Leena had already established her own brand and was busy with her own projects. He just figured that she''d just beenzy.


    "Oh, no! Not again! Come on, Duke! You know that I have no head for business. Besides, I didn''t have a long vacation. Did you forget? I just graduated not long ago," Leena growled. Duke kept badgering her to work at hispany, and Leena wore a downcast look. "If you don''t want to go to Duke''spany, you cane work for me. I''ve been really busy too and could use the help." Belinda also joined in, trying to help her husband. Leena needed to work. Business was bing more and more demanding. Fortunately, Duke had helped her make some important decisions, otherwise she''d be exhausted every single day. She also med herself for this. She was eager to expand and all sorts of work piled up on her desk. She was overwhelmed.


    "No, I''m also very busy. Besides, are you sure? You''ve seen the way I take life. I might be more of a hindrance than a help," Leena said, her head turned gracefully. If she were interested in business, she wouldn''t have gone to France to learn fashion design. "What are you busy with? Wait, let me guess: shopping, and drinking coffee?" Sometimes, Belinda wished she could switch lives with Leena. That way, she wouldn''t be so bothered by all kinds of annoying business things. Everybody admired strong businesswomen. Sess was sweet, but many people had no idea what it took to get there. If she had her choice, she would rather have been born to amon family. No business to inherit, no property to take care of. Just a simple 9 to 5 job.


    "I''m busy with a lot of things. You just don''t get it." Leena pouted. It was still winter now, but she was already thinking and nning the summer clothing line and the fashion show to showcase the new designs. Because being a designer meant that you always had to be in the forefront, otherwise she would easily lose out to thepetition.


    "Don''t push her. If you''re having a hard time at work, just hire more people to work for you. There is no need to pin all your hopes on Leena," Lloyd said seriously with his eyebrows raised. He didn''t want to see her lovely daughter being forced to do something she didn''t like.


    "Yeah, Dad''s right. If you''re really too busy, just hire people. You can afford the sry, anyway," Leena teased as she looked at them. She felt sorry that she couldn''t help them. But she was not willing to waste her life in theplicated and ruthless business world. She had fashion on her mind, fashion in her blood. There was no way she was going to give that up to go work in some stuffy office.


    "We''re only joking. It''s our business, and we''ll deal with it ourselves." Belinda frowned. She wasn''t really going to have Leena work at herpany. She just wanted to give her more options. Wasn''t Leena going to get bored when Kevin was away? But she didn''t expect that Leena didn''t get what she was doing, and tly turned her down. What was she going to do with this girl?000

 Chapter 1157 Looking At Leena With New Eyes (Part Three)

    "That''s good. You really scared me," Leena said, sticking out her tongue. She would be really busy soon and she was wondering whether she should hire a part-time worker to help with her normal chores. Because she worried that once she got started with the summer lines, she would have no time for housework.


    "Huh, you get stressed out too easily. You need more confidence, really." Belinda smiled. Since Leena made it obvious she wasn''t interested, she stopped pushing her. As Leena said, she just graduated not long ago. And she needed more time to find what she really was into. Belinda remembered that she was forced into the family business as soon as she graduated, while her father went abroad with his wife to enjoy their retirement. Belinda was dog-tired from work ever since. So she didn''t want Leena to end up like her. "You''re right. It''s better for me to stay at home. I need lots of quiet time anyway." Leena heaved a sigh of relief. She looked cheerful and lively in public but in most of the time she preferred to stay alone in a quiet ce. That was the only way she could concentrate and get more inspiration for her design.


    "Are you sure you want to be indoorsy? Be careful about that. You don''t want to get too disconnected from people and the society." Belinda liked to tease Leena. Probably because she was an only child, and she liked having a sister around. Although Leena often acted out and pissed her off, on the whole, Belinda thought she was lucky to have such a funny sister-inw.


    ire sat quietly in the back seat of Kevin''s Humvee after they left Lloyd''s house, while Leena drove her own car back. Kevin came here from the army base, and he also drove a car.


    "Penny for your thoughts?" Kevin asked ire as he nced in the rear-view mirror to see if Leena''s car was behind him.


    "Kevin, is this what you were talking about before, when you told me about Leena before? In fact Leena wasn''t just an ordinary person, but from a wealthy and powerful family?" ire asked, seeming a little confused. Then she realized that she fell into the trap of judging by appearances. What she experienced today really shocked her. That was why she chose to ride home with Kevin. She didn''t know how to face Leena now. And she was trying to avoid her, and not have to admit she was wrong. But no matter what, she needed to connect the dots and figure out what was actually going on.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    "But what''s the difference? It doesn''t matter who her parents are. Rich or poor, she''ll always be my wife and your sister-inw. The only person who thinks this is important is you." Kevin gave her a thoughtful look. He never changed his mind about Leena once he found out about her family background. He didn''t decide to marry her because she was rich or poor, but because he was her first man and he wanted to be responsible for that.


    "So Mom and Dad also know she''s from a rich family, right? No wonder Dad doesn''t like her," ire said as she bit her lip. Her father didn''t like to have any association with people from the business circle. But his daughter-inw happened toe from a family in business. Now she could imagine how her father felt about this. It probably irked him to no end.


    "Yes, they know." Kevin felt upset at the mention of his father. It was true that Leena was from a rich family. But he had never thought of taking advantage of this. And Duke had never asked him for any help for his business, either. Apparently, Duke was not the kind of businessman who liked to have dealings with officials.


    "Am I the only one who didn''t know?" ire lowered her head and gazed at her fingers. She was at a loss now.


    "ire, just don''t worry about it. Leena''s easy to get along with. You know that even I didn''t mention this to you. She won''t give you a hard time. Truth be told, what you saw today is only a small taste. You''d never guess how popr Leena is in this city."


    Kevin meant this as a warning. Leena not only had lots of friends, but powerful ones. He wanted to warn ire not to make schemes with Louisa, particrly ns to hurt Leena. Otherwise, no one could save her. And she couldn''t rely on him either. He was barely able to handle Duke as it was. Even with all his military contacts and his circle of friends, no one could bail her out of whatever trouble she got into if she hurt Leena.


    "I know. I won''t mess with Leena. I''ve been trying to get to know her. Maybe we could get along. We''re just not really close right now. My fault, probably." ire smiled mischievously. But she sighed now that Kevin brought up Louisa. After what happened yesterday, she felt Louisa was bing someone she didn''t know at all.00000???????????

 Chapter 1158 An Accident (Part One)

    "d to hear it. And don''t think too much about it. Leena and her family are good people and they are kind to others." Kevinforted ire, and then added in his heart bitterly, ''except for me.''


    "I know, bro. I''m just trying to figure myself out." ire stared at the neon signs at various establishments they zoomed past. The nightlife here was so much livelier than in the capital. She knew all the hot spots in her home city -- it seemed like she would need a lifetime to see everything in this ce. Leena followed Kevin. Her car followed behind them most of the time. But they lost her after the traffic lights. Leena didn''t really live her life on fast forward. She braked on yellow, waiting patiently for the light to turn green.


    But Leena''s mind wasn''t on the road, it was on Be. Be wasing to visit. Ever since she heard that, she had the feeling of impending doom. But she couldn''t pin down exactly why.


    She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn''t even notice that the light had turned green. The horn behind her shattered her reverie and brought her back to reality. But just as she was about to pull forward and continue her journey, someone behind her was too impatient and mmed into her car. It was good the car wasn''t going full speed, but it still sent her head flying into the steering wheel. She saw stars before the pain started.


    And before she could react, someone was knocking on her driver''s side window. Then she heard a voice, harsh and abusive, "Damm it! Do you even know how to drive,dy?"


    Leena raised her head, blinking away the pain, and then looked out the window. There were a few young men standing outside her car. They were all into street fashion. Some wore bright colors and canvas shoes, along with vintage tees. But another struck a more sinister figure, with a studded leather jacket and an angry expression. But even so, Leena still had to open the door and get out of the car. After all, she should deal with the ident. No matter whose fault it was, the most important thing was that they couldn''t block traffic.


    "I''m sorry! I didn''t notice the green light. I apologize," Leena said. Leena was not a fighter and didn''t like conflict. She apologized first, because she didn''t want this to erupt into major drama. But it didn''t matter to these kids. Leena, who was fair-skinned and attractive, must be a richdy who came from a decent family. Just looking at her car and the way she was dressed, these guys figured she must have a lot of money. How could they let such a golden goose pass unplucked?


    "Lady, you wrecked our car! Just look at that! The front''s all crumpled! Well? Say something! Are you gonna pay for that?" One of the young men said. He looked at Leena with a glint in his eye. He chewed gum, asionally blowing a bubble in his mouth and popping it loudly. He was nearly awestruck by his good luck. In front of them, it was a rich and good-looking woman. Not bad, considering they deliberately floored it and hit her car. They were intending to me her for it.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Pay for it? Why? I don''t think so. You crashed into me, not the other way around. You should be paying me! Maybe we should leave this to the insurance agencies." Leena smiled arrogantly. She''d let it go if these young men could be reasonable. After all, she was partly at fault as she didn''t notice the green light and stayed in one spot for awhile. She indeed had blocked traffic. But if they were trying to extort money from her, she wouldn''t let them off the hook so easily. She didn''t like to be threatened.


    "Pay you? Ha! So you''re telling me you don''t wanna pay? I''m sure a body like yours could make us lots of money -- as a whore!" As they said this, theyughed loudly, showing her filthy, licentious smiles.


    "Really? ckmail? Prostitution? You''ve been watching too many movies. Save yourughter for when you''re dealing with the insurance im." Leena lifted up her chin and looked at them contemptuously. These young thugs outnumbered her, but she still wouldn''t give in. It was the principle of the thing. First, she didn''t do anything wrong. Second, she hated thugs, and hated those who would try to force other people to fork over their hard-earned money.


    "Ha ha! "Well yed! You''re either really brave, or really stupid, you know that?" one of the youths with yellow hair said. "You should be more respectful and y the weak, little girl," he continued, "you don''t know what we''ll do to you if you don''t. You''ve got a pretty face. And it will be a shame to mess it up..." He reached out his hand and touched Leena''s beautiful face. He smiled and said, "mmm mmm mmm." The sexual meaning was obvious.


    "What do you want? You might think twice before doing anything. The cops take a dim view of people like you!" Until now, Leena was a little afraid. She took a step back. She was outnumbered and scared that they might try something.


    "The cops!" he spat, "the cops won''t do anything to us. They''re too scared! C''mon, just pay up...or else!" To be honest, they wouldn''t try anything here. Out in the open, any number of people coulde to her aid. But in an alley, without so many people around... She was a beautiful woman, and you could imagine what they''d try if they could.000000

 Chapter 1159 An Accident (Part Two)

    At this point, Leena didn''t say anything. She just whipped out her phone and dialed 110. It was the emergency number that would summon the police. So, just like she threatened, she was going to call the cops. She didn''t think of Kevin, who was close by. But he was a


    soldier, and his first duty was to protect the people. She shouldn''t call him every time she got into a jam. That simply wasn''t his job.


    "Hey! What are you doing? Calling the cops?" One of them, a rather hairy guy, stepped forward and knocked the phone from Leena''s hand. The phone fell to the ground with a bang. Luckily, it looked to be in one piece. Leena thanked her lucky stars as she was smart enough to buy an OtterBox. "Awesome. Now you owe me a new phone, you dick!" Leena was angry now. She even swore, which wasn''t like her at all. She put her hands on her hips and red at them. She was trembling, but not scared. It was cold, and all she had on was a skirt.This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    "Ha ha! Bros! Did you hear that? We owe this bitch a new phone! Ha ha! Maybe we need to teach her a lesson." The boys all spat out their gum. Pink blobsnded on the ground. Leena frowned. She was disgusted by the disy. In the meantime, she went over various scenarios in her mind. Hopefully, none of them were good at fighting. She''d learned some basic self-defense techniques, but she was wearing a short skirt, and it would definitely fly up when she kicked someone. She just hoped her pantyhose would hide enough of her to


    matter.


    "Now I get it. You guys think that you can do whatever you want, because your families will protect you. Let me guess, your daddies are some big government officials. And you hide behind your parents like some little girls frightened of a stranger. Am I right?" Leena nced at their BMW. That was not a car to go roughhousing in. In fact, it was way too expensive. They weren''t just average, everyday bullies. And they were so arrogant, they must have been spoiled rotten.


    The boys started talking amongst themselves. "Hey! I''m impressed." "You''re a smart girl," the one in leather said. The yellow haired one chimed in, "Since you figured it out, just pay up. Then we can all go home." Their faces all bore the rictus grins of the truly evil. "I didn''t do anything wrong. Why should I give you money?" Leena said as she bent over to grab her phone off the ground. But when she almost reached it, one of the men stepped on the phone.


    "Then just leave your phone. We might get our money''s worth out of it," said the man, making a show of grinding the phone into the pavement. He looked at Leena, daring her to do something.


    "Give it back, or this might get ugly," Leena said angrily. She just thought about letting the phone go. But the data in it was very important to her. There were a lot of important numbers and information in that phone. Or she could just buy another top of the line phone like that one.


    "Dudes, do you hear her? This is going to get ugly? She''s so pretty. I don''t see how ugly it will get. Will you tie me to the bed? Or do you just want to have some ugly car sex?" The manughed. It was a hateful sound. And his words were even moreso.


    "A ssy chick like that, she''d prefer the bed. I bet she is absolutely wild between the sheets. Lucky you, man!" Theyughed again. Lust was evident in their eyes. What was worse, Leena was still trying to get at her phone, and they could see under her skirt. They couldn''t see much, but it was enough to inme their imaginations. And they began wolf-whistling and catcalling.


    Leena gritted her teeth, trying to control her anger that was aching to break free. ''Could I hurt them? Maybe if I aim for that guy''s junk...'' she thought. Her thoughts were interrupted by the thumping beats of G.E.M.''s "Heartbeat." Her ringtone! Someone was calling her! She had to get her phone back!


    Kevin frowned and waited patiently for Leena to pick up. But he wasn''t rewarded by her sweet voice on the other end. Kevin did not know that why Leena fell so far behind. Didn''t she always follow him?


    "ire, I think we need to go back. Leena''s not behind us, and won''t answer the phone. She might be in trouble." Kevin checked the intersection in front of them. He decided to turn back and look for Leena. At first, he thought maybe she was stuck at a traffic light. So he slowed way down, hoping she''d catch up with him. But it had been awhile, and still no Leena. And now she wasn''t answering her phone. He was definitely worried.


    "Did she take a shortcut?" ire hadn''t noticed that Leena wasn''t behind them. When she heard what Kevin said, she began to look for Leena through the rearview mirror.


    "No way, we took the fastest way back to the apartment. And she knew I was in front of her. She wouldn''t have a reason to turn off," Kevin said as he turned the wheel. The car drifted into the nextne over.


    "Did something happen to her?" After she realized what she had said, she quickly covered her mouth. She didn''t want that toe true.


    "She''ll be fine," Kevin said. He was really saying this tofort himself. He was really worried. He checked out the other cars as they headed back, just in case she really was trying to catch up to him.00

 Chapter 1160 An Accident (Part Three)

    And the situation Leena was in was getting worse. The man kept his foot on her phone. Leena couldn''t get to it at all. Finally, she couldn''t control her anger anymore. She aimed a kick at the man''s foot. But she was so angry she didn''t reckon with what they might do in return. "Shit! Bitch! So you know some martial arts. No wonder you think you can stand up to us. We don''t mind ying with you for awhile, chica!" They all fell into fighting stances, rolling up sleeves, shedding jackets. It seemed Leena was in big trouble now. Leena did not pay any attention to what they said. When the man picked his foot up and swore, she quickly grabbed her phone. Her action left her open to a counter attack -- an elbow drop aimed at her back. It hurt so bad that she almost couldn''t stand up. "Ugh! You sure you want to fight me?" Leena said, her voice stiffened with pain. "A rich girl like me could really mess with your parents, and you still want to fight?" Leena said and tried to fight against the pain. Fortunately, they were in the outerne now, so they weren''t blocking traffic. Thank heavens for small favors.


    "Our parents? Tramp, who do you think you are? You got nothing!" The men all burst outughing, thinking that they had heard the best joke ever.


    "Keep going and you''ll find out!" Leena sneered. This was her city, and no one here wanted to piss off Edward. She didn''t want to bring Kevin into this. So she didn''t mention that her husband was a Major General as it might discredit him. He didn''t need to be involved in their spat, and their parents might be able to hurt his career. Leena was trying to protect him.


    "Shit, don''t blow smoke up my ass. My parents!" he spat, "my dad doesn''t fear anyone in this city!" The man with yellow hair shouted again. And after he said that, other youths began to echo his words. This guy was apparently the leader of their little gang. "So, who is your father?" A cold deep voice suddenly sounded. Then Kevin showed up, all decked out in his uniform.


    "Kevin." Kevin''s sudden entrance was a surprise. But when Leena thought for a minute, it made sense. He came back to find her. But why didn''t she think to call him for help just now? She got too used to being alone, so she always thought to deal with everything on her


    own.


    "What''s going on?" Kevin walked over and enfolded his arms around her. And then he looked at the young men surrounding Leena. They were in their early 20s, and it was obvious they were rebellious.


    "Who are you? Something wrong with your eyes? Can''t you see what''s going on?" Those men were frightened when they saw the military uniform. But when they saw there were no signs of rank in the uniform, they calmed down. They thought that he was justmon soldier, no big deal. After all, he was really young, right? A little older than they were. He wouldn''t be a decorated officer.


    "What I see is that you guys surround my wife. I wonder how long you''ll be in prison," Kevin said coldly. At the same time, his eyes fell on Leena''s broken phone.


    "Ha ha! Prison? Do you think the police station is yours? Do you know who my dad is?" the man roared withughter. At the same time, he looked at Kevin, daring him to do something.


    "I don''t care whose kid you are. Jail is no pic. And since you crashed into my wife''s car on purpose... you''ll be paying for the repairs. So go ahead, call your dad," said Kevin.


    Kevin wouldn''t use his rank to show off. But today was an exception. These guys crossed the line. They bullied Leena. So he was going to show these guys a thing or two.


    "Shit! You''re just amon soldier. You have no idea who you''re messing with. You''ll crap your pants when you find out who my father is," said the man with yellow hair contemptuously. This guy in front of him was pretty dignified and down-to-earth. But he still didn''t believe that he would outrank his father. There was no way this would go well for this grunt.


    "So who is your father? I''d like to call him myself." Kevin smiled coldly. Was this guy''s father all that powerful? Kevin also had a father who was a high official. But did he want to y his hand too early? How far were they willing to take it?Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    "You? Call my father? Who the hell do you think you are? My father is the mayor of this city. You sure you wanna talk to him?"


    the man with yellow hair said proudly. Now Kevin knew why he was so arrogant. His daddy probably had got him out of all sorts of scrapes.


    "So you''re the mayor''s son. How about the others? Any other high officials? I''m quaking in my boots," Kevin joked. Kevin sneered and turned his eyes to the others. Unless he guessed wrong, these people were all sons of people in power. And their family might not be low-ranking politicians. This was why they felt they could get away with anything.????????????

 Chapter 1161 Major Generals Anger (Part One)

    "What? You want to know who they are? Aren''t you afraid of me already?" The mayor''s son stepped closer. He stared at Kevin with a haughty look, trying to determine if he was afraid.


    "You can''t run around terrorizing people, even if your father is the mayor!" Kevin frowned upon seeing that Leena was shaking. He moved to pull the car door open and get her coat, but found that ire had already taken out his army coat and put it around Leena''s shoulders.


    "Leena, put this coat on, otherwise you will catch a cold." ire had been sitting inside the car. Seeing that Leena was shivering, she took the coat that Kevin hung on the back of his seat and got outside. She was worried that Leena would catch a cold in this weather. "Thank you, ire." Leena tightened the coat around her, feeling warm on the outside as well as in her heart. Leena was touched by ire''s gesture, no matter why she did it. She was very easy to please.


    "You... You are a Major General?" The mayor''s brash son saw the dazzling epaulets on Leena''s military coat and stiffened. He was, after all, the son of the mayor. He knew what the epaulets represented.


    "Does that make any difference?" Kevin seemed as cold as ever. He hated these spoiled brats. They depended on their parents and made a nuisance in the city. Kevin was also the son of a high-ranking officer, but he never relied on his family name. Everything he had today was earned through his own efforts.


    "There is a difference, of course. If you had told me who you were before, we would not have bothered you." The man''s voice was much lower and less arrogant than before. He knew how powerful a Major General was.


    "Listen, it doesn''t matter that you wouldn''t have bothered us. You should think about whether I''m going to spare you now. Your father is the mayor? So what? You think you can do wrong just because you are the son of a political figure?"


    "Major General, I didn''t know this beautiful woman was your wife. We''ll cover the cost of the car repair. As for her mobile phone, we will buy her a new one. Just please don''t tell my father. Please!" The mayor''s son groveled. It was the first time he had run into a stone wall and gotten into trouble. Previously, whenever he told people that he was the mayor''s son, they would simper and hand him over everything that he asked for. Today, however, he had the misfortune of provoking a Major General. He didn''t expect that a rich girl with a fancy car would marry a soldier.


    "If I was an ordinary citizen, would you let me go?" Kevin asked contemptuously as a sardonic smile shed across his face.


    "Of course. We are targeting people who drive fancy cars. Ordinary people can''t afford to buy luxury cars or give us thepensation we want." The mayor''s son bowed his head. His father had no idea what he was doing outside. If the mayor found out, he was done for. Right now, he could only beg Kevin to forgive him. Unlike most people whom he troubled, Kevin was a Major General. He could contact the mayor easily.


    "Tell me, how many times have you done this?" Kevin''s expression was serious. There was no hint of a smile on his handsome face.


    "Not often. We''ve been spending a lot recently and we can''t get money from home. That''s why we''re doing this." The mayor''s son answered honestly, wringing his hands.


    "Yes! We are just bluffing the rich people, not ordinary citizens. Major General, please don''t tell our parents about this. I promise we''ll never do such a thing again." Another young man begged, and thought, ''If my family know that I do this, they would never spare me.'' "So you think it serves the rich people right to be ckmailed by you guys, don''t you?" Kevin gave them an icy stare that sent a shiver down their spines.


    "No, that''s not what we meant." The young men said at the same time. They had been overconfident and never run into trouble before. But this time, they had angered a Major General. The men trembled under his gaze, frightened.


    "That''s not what you said before. You said you want to teach me a good lesson!" Leena said in anger. ''My back is still aching.'' She thought, ''I don''t want Kevin to let them go so easily! What if they bother some other women tomorrow? These boys are capable of worse things.''


    "That was just a joke, ma''am. Don''t take it seriously." The boys had been arrogant before, but now they dejectedly stood with their head bent. They quickly refuted what she said.


    "Don''t take it seriously? Sorry, but I''m serious about everything. Didn''t you force me to give you money? Go ahead! How much do you want, you cowards?" Leena sneered at them. ''You were being so arrogant and self-important before! Why do you look like cowards now? You bullies, I won''t let you off today. Otherwise you all would really think you can do whatever you want in this city.'' Leena thought.


    "If you want, you can even let us buy you a new car. How dare we ask you for money?" The mayor''s son fawned over her with an ingratiating smile, and cursed inwardly, ''I''m so stupid. How could I anger the wife of a major general?''


    "He''s right. Please spare us. We didn''t mean to hit you just now." Another young man whispered. Leena didn''t even mention that fact; he took the initiative himself to announce that he had hit her. What a fool!


    "What?! You guys hit her? Which one of you did that?!" Kevin hadn''t meant to do anything serious to them. He threatened to tell their parents, but that was only to frighten them into notmitting the crime again. But now, knowing that they hit Leena, he immediately changed his mind.


    "Uh... It was me, but I didn''t mean to do it." The young man drew back as he spoke. At this moment, Kevin looked like Satan. He was so frightening that the young man was afraid to stand in front of him.


    Soon, a clear snapping sound was heard, followed by a howl. Kevin had grabbed the young man''s hand and broken it. He was so fast that no one saw how he approached the man.


    "I''m just teaching you a lesson. Real men don''t hit women. I don''t care who your parents are, or how high their positions in society are. If you''re not happy with what I just did, you can tell me right now," Kevin said quietly. He looked so menacing that no one dared to approach him. Even Leena was scared of him. She didn''t know that a gentle man like Kevin could be so terrifying.


    The young man with the broken hand kept howling, not daring to meet Kevin''s eyes. He was scared out of his wits. He did not know how his hand was broken in a sh. All he heard was a clear sound, following which he felt the stark pain. It had been toote to stop the Major General.This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    "Kevin." Leena looked at Kevin apprehensively, fearing that this could affect his career. Bureaucracy could beplicated and unpredictable in such cases.??????????

 Chapter 1162 Major Generals Anger (Part Two)

    "I am fine. How are you? Did he hit you on the back? Does it still hurt?" Kevin looked over her carefully. If they had not been in public, he would have examined her injuries at once.


    "It hurts a bit. I''ll just get some medicine at home. It''s no big deal." Leena had just wanted to teach these boys a lesson. She didn''t expect that things would get so serious. She regretted her recklessness.


    "No, we''ll go to the hospital. You''re not a doctor, so what you say doesn''t count." All Kevin cared about right now was Leena. He had no time for the injured young man. For their parents'' sake, Kevin didn''t punish the young men severely. He only meant to teach them a lesson.


    "No. I''ll just have Tom check my back tomorrow." Leena hated going to the hospital, so she shook her head, strongly opposing what Kevin said.


    "I didn''t want to be so serious about this, but for your own good, I think I should tell your parents." Kevin said, turning to the men. He took out his cell phone and called Mr. Yi. He and Mr. Yi were quite familiar with each other.


    "Major General, please don''t tell our parents. If theye to know about this, they wouldn''t go easy on us." The young men cried and begged Kevin. They shuffled their feet nervously, wanting to escape.


    "If you do something wrong, you must pay for it. You are not the center of the world." Kevin snapped at them, and he was still on the phone.


    "Hello! Mr. Yi, this is Kevin. There is a civil dispute here. Come over and deal with it. By the way, call the director of Transportation Bureau too." Kevin gave the order without hesitation. Kevin knew that these young men not only extorted people but also beat them. It was a criminal offense. As aw enforcement officer, however, he couldn''t take action himself.


    "Major General, I''ll be right over. I will also inform the director of Transportation Bureau immediately." Mr. Yi replied as beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. ''I don''t know what''s going on with people these days. How could they mess with officers from the army base? Why do they keep picking on these big names? Some of them have angered the Senior Colonel before, and now someone angered the Major General. Do these people want to die? Mr. Yi thought anxiously.


    "Okay, hurry up. I''ll wait for you here." Kevin hung up the phone instantly and nced at the men. If he didn''t teach these bastards a lesson today, they would do this again. He was not going to let them off the hook.


    "Major General, did you just call my father?" A young man asked timidly. He heard Kevin call Mr. Yi on the phone. It must have been his father.


    "Well! So you are Mr. Yi''s son? That''s interesting. I wonder how he would handle this matter when he arrives." Kevin twisted his lip. ''This is interesting.'' Kevin thought. ''Out of the four, one is the son of the mayor and another one is the son of the director of Public Security Bureau. What about the other two? Are they the sons of the directors of Transportation Bureau and the Industrial and Commercial Bureau? Have I offended all these officials?'' Kevin snorted.


    "What about my father? You aren''t going to call him, are you?" The mayor''s son asked in horror, and thought, ''My father is the head of the city. This man doesn''t have the right to ask him toe!''


    "Your father? No, I''m not going to call him. But I can, if you want. It''s up to you." Kevin smiled humorlessly. He didn''t have the power to ask the mayor toe over, but it didn''t mean that the mayor wouldn''t take him seriously. Kevin was a Major General and his father was a high-ranking official. The mayor might not pay heed to Kevin, but he would certainly show respect to Kevin''s father.


    "Uh... Don''t call my father." The mayor''s son shook his head immediately. If the mayor really came here, it meant that the person his son messed with was very powerful.


    "Kevin, is this really necessary?" Leena asked with some unease. She was too young to understand bureaucracy and politics, but she knew that what Kevin did could offend the officials and potentially jeopardize his career.


    "Yes, it is necessary. These officials should know what their sons are doing in the city under their names. Only then would they keep their sons in line. Otherwise it would be toote when theymit an even bigger offense." Kevin frowned. Why did these rich kids of the bureaucracy want to discredit their parents and drag their names through the dirt? Did they not consider that their actions were wrong? Did they not know how much harm they would bring to others?


    Leena pressed her lips together. ''Kevin is right. These men are still young. If they do something worse, they''d get in serious trouble. It is for their own good that they are taught a lesson in time.'' Leena thought.


    "Leena, it''s windy. Let''s get inside the car." ire had been watching the young men quietly. She felt like she was watching herself. ire did not behave criminally like them, but she had done a lot of indecent things in her father''s name. It seemed that there was not a huge difference between her and them.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Yes. Nana, get in the car with ire. When this is done, we''ll go home together," Kevin said. He was used to the cold weather, but it was too chilly for Leena, who was wearing a miniskirt. Leena didn''t like the cold. Even wrapped up in the army coat, she shivered. He could tell that she could barely stand the temperature.


    "No, I''ll be right here with you. Oh, I forgot to give you your coat. How stupid I am! Put your coat on first. I''ll just wear my own." Leena took off the coat and handed it to Kevin. She bent and pulled her own long one out of the car and quickly put it on. Leena felt warmer immediately. Her coat was made of velvet, so it was warmer than Kevin''s thin army one.


    Kevin put on the coat that she handed over without arguing. His mind lingered on her promise that she would stay with him. Warmth seeped into his heart. It seemed that the cold winter night had also grown warmer.


    The young men looked at Kevin with wide eyes, startled. They hadn''t been so intimated previously. Kevin looked even more majestic and dignified wearing his army coat. It made him look unapproachable. They avoided his eyes. The young man with the broken hand was especially frightened.


    They wished that they could turn back time so they would not have hit Leena''s car, and especially not have forced her to pay. Things would not have ended up like this in that scenario.


    Mr. Yi arrived in just over ten minutes. The director of Transportation Bureau was not far behind. As soon as they saw their sons, their faces turned red with anger.


    "Major General, we''re here. What is going on?" Mr. Yi asked. It was winter but there was a thinyer of sweat on his forehead. He didn''t know how to react to this and gave his son a fierce look.


    "You got here quite fast." Kevin had his hands in his pockets and appeared arrogant. He gazed at the officers thoughtfully. They wouldn''t have been so livid if it wasn''t their sons who were guilty of crime.

 Chapter 1163 Teach Them A Good Lesson (Part One)

    "Sorry, Major General, but how did all this happen?" Mr. Wang, chief of the Transportation Bureau asked with respect. He already knew that it was just a typical rear-end collision the moment he set eyes on those two cars. What worried him though was that Mr. Yi was also summoned. Traffic idents were not a part of Mr. Yi''s responsibility at all. Things went even moreplicated when he found out that his good-for-nothing son was there too, together with the Mayor''s son. His heart missed a beat as he suddenly felt confused. Could there be something more than just an ident in here? "See those guys over there? I think you two know who their fathers are better than I do." Kevin pouted his lips to point to the two young men. A few secondster his mouth curled into a smirk. His sarcasm was so obvious in his words.


    "Yes, of course. Have they done something that offended you? If that is the case, I must apologize for all their wrongdoing," Mr. Yi answered immediately and carefully. He had cold feet when faced with Daisy before. Now that it was Kevin whom he needed to deal with, he could just hope that it wasn''t obvious that he was frantic and even shaking in his shoes.


    "You don''t have to scramble to take the fall, Mr. Yi. They are grown ups and can take responsibility for themselves. They staged an ident and tried to ckmail my wife. Worse, they have injured her in the process. Based on your professional judgment, what crimes should they be charged with?" Kevin asked the old man without even looking at him. He was casual while talking about the incident as if it was not important, making it hard for others to figure out what was in his mind.


    "How dare they do these!" Mr. Yi raised his voice after hearing Kevin''s words. He swiftly turned to the young guys and demanded, "What are you waiting for, you little bastards? Come here and apologize to Major General and his wife properly right now! They might forgive you if you make a sincere apology." After saying so, he turned his eyes to Leena, who was standing by Kevin. He had heard that Kevin already married but he never knew who his wife was. Thedy looked familiar to him after he had a good look. He couldn''t recollect where he had seen her though.


    "We are terribly sorry, Mr. and Mrs. Gu! We know we were wrong. Please be assured that we will change and things like this won''t happen in the future!" The guys uttered sincerely with their heads bowed down. They dared not to show any arrogance right now. Meanwhile, Leena was at a loss for words. She stared at the guys when they bowed to her before looking back at Kevin awkwardly. She never expected for things to get as messed up like this. In fact, she didn''t even know how they would mend things up. "It''s good that you can admit your mistake frankly and we ept your apology. However, as a soldier, I know it too well that one may repeat an offense if the punishment is not served right. I believe that Mr. Yi would agree with me on this since he is an experienced policeman," Kevin replied. Then he looked at the old man before him meaningfully straight in the eyes and added, "You know what to do, Mr. Yi." Curiosity was suddenly eating Kevin and he would like to know how Mr. Yi would handle the situation. "That is for sure. How''s Mrs. Gu? Is she seriously injured? I think we''d better take her to the hospital first." Mr. Yi tried to change the topic. He was a cunning old man and there was no doubt about it. He just mentioned Leena''s condition to distract everyone. It was rtively easy to get his own son and the other two young men penalized. The problem was, the mayor''s son was among them. He wasn''t even sure if he should be touching the man. It would definitely offend the mayor if he did. It would be such a disgrace to the mayor if his son was sent to the police.


    "Don''t bother. We will go and get the wounds treated on our own after things here are settled." Kevin responded. Speaking of which, Kevin worried about Leena more than anyone else. It was just that he must make sure that these snooty guys paid the price for hurting her before taking her to the hospital. Otherwise, they would never learn their lesson and would keep on abusing their fathers'' authority, thinking that they could just slip through the.


    "Certainly. But you see, Major General, one of them is the mayor''s son..." Mr. Yi said hesitantly as he cast a nce to Kevin and then quickly looked down. He was now caught in a dilemma and started to tremble. What should he do? The effort of pleasing one without offending the other was like steering between Scy and Charybdis.Exclusive ? content by N(?)ve/l/Drama.Org.


    "Aren''t you the chief of Public Security Bureau? Surely you don''t need my advice on how to handle this situation. All people are equal before thew and you know that. They cannot be exceptions even if their fathers hold high positions," said Kevin sternly while ring at Mr. Yi. It was obvious that these young men''s family background and their parents'' social positions had turned them into arrogant spoiled brats. Their false sense of superiority had made them think that they could get away even if they broke thew. That was why they dared tomit crimes in broad daylight as they presumed that their parents could clean up their mess no matter what they had done.

 Chapter 1164 Teach Them A Good Lesson (Part Two)

    "You are absolutely right. Thank you for reminding me, Major General. I will do just as you say," said Mr. Yi promptly. He read between the lines and understood what Kevin wanted. At the same time, he realized that Kevin''s words had also addressed his concerns. He could now punish those guys without any fear. He shouldn''t be scared of being med by his superiors anymore as it was Kevin, the Major General, whomanded him. That was everything that he needed to save himself. Mr. Yi was an absolutely clever and sophisticated man, he would not be in this high position otherwise.


    "Great. Now, Mr. Wang, could you please take a look at the scene and see who should be responsible for this ident?" Kevin then turned to Mr. Wang and asked. He had actually seen right through Mr. Yi and knew that he wanted him to be held responsible for all the consequences arising therefrom. However, he was ready to bear those consequences since he really wanted to teach those young guys a lesson.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "It couldn''t be more obvious. It was all this BMW''s fault. Don''t worry, Major General, we will get your Ferrari fixed as soon as possible. We guarantee your satisfaction." Mr. Wang replied with a huge smile once he was called. He was well aware of how powerful Kevin was as a Major General. Even with his prestigious family background aside, Kevin was still much more powerful than him in the hierarchy. It was given that Kevin''s power was limited to the military jurisdiction and his to administrative jurisdiction. Nheless, it was more likely for the mayor to treat the military with humble respect if they would ever sh. Thus, it was just natural for a small potato like him not to dare act presumptuously before Kevin.


    "Yes, yes. You see, Major General, we are sensible men and can tell right from wrong. You can be sure of that," Mr. Yi echoed, bowing and scraping. He bit his lip. It was true that he got very upset and disappointed about what his son had done, but as a father, he didn''t have the heart to see him suffer when being punished. It was the reason why he was trying his best to calm Kevin down. He could only hope that Kevin would not be too hard on those young men.


    "I''m d to hear that. Seems that I don''t have to tell you what to do next. By the way, is he your son, Mr. Wang?" Kevin asked as he shot a nce at one of the guys. "I''m sorry but I identally broke his arm just now. Could you please get him treated before putting him into detention? Sorry for all the trouble." Kevin said those things on purpose. Superficially, he was talking about the broken arm. However, what he wanted to stress was that he wanted those guys to receive detention and nothing less. He was sure that Mr. Yi and Mr. Wang were clever enough to figure it out. They wouldn''t dare practice favoritism and bring their sons hometer on unless they didn''t want their positions anymore. Honestly, detention was not even enough if he would consider all their evil deeds. They should be put behind bars for one or two years to make sure that they learned their lesson.


    "Thank you for disciplining my son for me, Major General. I will make sure that he reflects on his mistakes," said Mr. Wang as he wiped off the cold sweat from his forehead. ''Thank God that he has only broken his arm'', he even thought. He knew that even if his son was crippled by Kevin, he had to shed tears of gratitude no matter what.


    "Don''t thank me for that. You know he hasid a finger on someone he is never supposed to. Call me when the car is done. As for the broken cellphone, well... just forget about it since you have to pay a lot for the car repairs." Kevin said with a smirk. He knew that these officials were only acting humbly because of his high status. They wouldn''t have acted this way if it were just some civilians that their sons had bullied. He knew how widespread was this type of injustice nationwide and he was extremely sad that he couldn''t change it by himself. The farthest he could do was to change the ambiance around him but things in other ces were beyond his reach.


    "Sure, sure. We will. We can guarantee that the car will be as good as new soon. Thank you for your understanding." Mr. Wang responded while looking at the floor. He was too afraid to meet Kevin''s gaze.


    "Mr. Yi, tell the mayor to take things up with me if he has anyint. I don''t think that he would spoil his son and disapprove the punishment after all." Kevin said as he looked at the mayor''s son. Then he shook his head disappointedly and sighed. The young man came from a prominent family, he was very likely to have a promising future if he studied hard and behaved. It was a pity that he chose to vite thew. ''There must have been something wrong with how his family educated him. I would definitely break my son''s leg if he acts this way, ''he thought.


    This was Kevin''s idea about education and parenting, and he had put it in practice in the future. That was the reason why his future son would both fear and look up to him. Nheless, it was also the same thing that would enable his only son to surpass his achievements at a very young age.


    "I totally agree. I will absolutely exin all of this to him," said Mr. Yi as he nodded. However, he was actually moaning in his head. He did n to exin to the mayor but he didn''t have the guts to tell the whole story as exactly as it happened. He would need to choose his words very carefullyter to ensure that the mayor would take things well.00000

 Chapter 1165 Teach Them A Good Lesson (Part Three)

    "That''s all. We''ve got to go now, and I''ll leave the rest to you two." Kevin ordered. He wasn''t worried that they would cheat on him and send their sons back home after he left. He was confident that they would obey him since he had been talking tough.


    "That''s what we should do, Major General. We are so sorry to have troubled you and wasted your time," Mr. Yi said, grovelling to Kevin. He spoke in the humblest tone as he had never done before. Thus, it wasn''t hard to imagine how much pent-up anger he would release after Kevin left. He couldn''t go against Kevin, nor did he dare to be too critical with the mayor''s son. Nheless, he could surely take it all out on others.


    "That''s very kind of you, Mr. Yi. How about this? You can report their performance to me every day during their detention. That way, I will know whether they are truly reflecting on their mistakes. Would that help relieve some of your guilt?" yfulness was in Kevin''s voice when he asked. He had already turned away but Mr. Yi''s huge disy of politeness had him curiously turn back. Thus, he took his time to tease them. Besides, it was a good idea to assure that they wouldn''t practice favoritism as that would give him an overview of what was going on. Mr. Yi wouldn''t have a choice but to do as he said. Nheless, Kevin would know whether they were being lenient to the young guys regardless if they nned to rebel against hismand secretly anyway.


    "Well... it''s..." Mr. Yi became a bit hesitant. As a matter of fact, he did n to just go through the motions. However, Kevin''s words seemed to serve as a warning to him and hinted that he should never dream about ying any tricks on him behind his back. His n proved infeasible.


    "What''s wrong? Can''t you do it?" A wicked smile cracked Kevin''s lips. He knew those cunning old foxes too well, thus this idea. He hoped to at least humble these unscrupulous officials a bit by doing this.


    "No, no. That is not what I mean. Of course, I can do it." Mr. Yi hastened to exin. He would never admit how difficult it was to do as he was ordered at the moment. He wouldn''t dare to enrage Kevin more than this. "Awesome! I''ll get out of your way then. See you soon," Kevin said, his eyes roaming over their faces. Kevin was a nice person in general but he had to show a tougher face today since these people reached his limit. "Goodbye, Major General, take care," the two officials replied together and then bowed. They were afraid to show any resentment even after Kevin had turned his back to them.


    "Babe, take all of your valuables out of your car. I will drive you back in mine, okay?" said Kevin affectionately as soon as he faced Leena. It was almost magical how he turned into a different personpletely within a span of a few seconds. His stoic face was suddenly full of love and tenderness as he looked at his wife. Everyone else stood aghast when they heard him say those soft words. ''That mood change was monumentally quick!'' they all thought. At the same time, Mr. Yi and Mr. Wang came to realize just how displeased Kevin was earlier. Compared to how he looked right now, his image earlier couldn''t be tougher. This silently signaled them of how greatly he was offended. Thus, they had to be very careful not to upset him anymore in the days ahead.


    "Okay, I get it." Leena nodded and got into the car. After taking the bags out, she turned and smiled apologetically at Mr. Yi and the others. She then left with Kevin. She had behaved properly throughout the scenario and disyed her elegance, reservedness, andposure as a decent official''s wife. She had stood aside with respect while Kevin was confronting them instead of interrupting her husband.


    "You guys, mind your manner and stand properly!" Mr. Yi finally snapped as soon as Kevin''s military car was out of sight.


    "Dad, you''re not going to put us into detention, are you? I don''t want to spend the night there, I want to sleep on my bed," grumbled one of the guys. As soon as Kevin left, he instantly went back to his old self and leaned against the car door with a scornful look. Such an extravagant idler!


    "I''m afraid that it''s not up to you. Didn''t you hear me? Stand up straight and stop acting like a hooligan!" Mr. Yi yelled at him this time. He couldn''t believe that his own son had grown into such a useless man. Rather than be aw-abiding person, he turned into a racketeer at such a young age. Could anyone believe that the chief of the Public Security Bureau''s son hadmitted crimes? What a shame!This is from N?velDrama.Org.


    "Alright, alright, I will. There''s no need to bite my head off." The young man then rose up with resignation while rolling his eyes. Seeing him still act like a total bum, Mr. Yi fumed with anger. So it was true when people said, "Spare the rod, spoil the child". Mr. Yi now regretted about not paying enough attention to disciplining and educating his son. It might have been his fault that the guy was going nowhere.


    "Calm down, Mr. Yi. It''s no use getting angry now. We''d better follow Major General''s orders. We''ve got no other choice, you see. Besides, it''s about time that these little assholes learn their lessons, lest they never mend their way,"forted Mr. Wang and sighed. It was his wife who took responsibility for their children''s discipline. What an epic fail! It seemed that she had spoiled their son too much. Thus, he grew out to be rude and rebellious.0000??????????

 Chapter 1166 Teach Them A Good Lesson (Part Four)

    "Dad, look at my arm, is it really broken?" Mr. Wang''s son cried with his face twisted with pain and horror.


    "That would be best. Let''s see whether you dare to make troubles like this in the future. Come on, do as the Major General says. You know what to expect. We will get your arm fixed first then send you to the detention center. Is that clear?" Mr. Wang spoke sharply. He didn''t have the nerve to defy Kevin. If Kevin hadid the sanction unto the mayor''s son, then it would be stupid to think that his own son could escape the punishment.


    "Take them back to the police station and make a good record of their confessions. Then put them into the detention center ording to the procedures." Mr. Yi gestured his subordinates to go. What troubled him most now was how he should tell the mayor about what had happened. It was just difficult to exin why he would get his son arrested without irritating him.


    "I will take my son to the hospital first. Don''t worry, I have called my men to clean up the scene and they will be here soon," Mr. Wang said as he shook his head helplessly. Apart from his son, there was a high repair cost to worry about. The more expensive the car was, the higher the repair fee was for it. Good Lord! They had to pay for a Ferrari!


    "Go ahead. As for the repair fee, please tell me how much it ister so that we can split the bill. After all, my son is also to me, and I should shoulder the responsibility too." Mr. Yi suggested. He was now feeling quite embarrassed after his nervousness wore off. How he cringed before Kevin was shameful as all his subordinates were there. This undoubtedly impaired his dignity.


    "Don''t worry about the cost. I''ll go now. Please take charge of the operation once my men arrive." Mr. Wang said and was about to leave with his son. Although he reproached his son by saying that he wished his arm was broken, he was actually very worried about him. So after arranging all the work, he couldn''t wait to take him to the doctor and get him examined.


    "No problem. You can trust me. We have known each other for years, so please don''t be too polite." Mr. Yi replied.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "Of course I trust you. Who else do you think can I count on? My son? Save it. I could only wish that he would not cause any trouble from now on." Mr. Wang answered as he allowed himself a wry smile. He had always known his son to be a troublemaker. It was just that he never expected him to be worse, he became awbreaker. He couldn''t imagine what terrible things he would do next if he was left undisciplined. Kevin''s way of handling the matter was like a loud wake-up call for him. Though sending his own son to the police station was a humiliation, he had learned the importance of parental discipline for children.


    "I couldn''t agree more. But we deserve it, for we haven''t been good fathers all these years, have we?" Mr. Yi also sighed. Had they realized their mistakes earlier, things like this might never have happened. However, it was betterte than never. As long as they started to pay more attention to educating their children, there was still hope that those guys could start again with a clean te.


    On the other hand, Kevin drove to the hospital instead of heading home. And it was the realization that they were heading in a different direction that threw Leena into an instant panic. "Aren''t we going home?" she asked nervously.


    "No, we are not. We are going to the hospital and get you checked out. I need to make sure that you are safe and sound before going back," answered Kevin. He knew that Leena was afraid of hospitals but he was so worried about her that he must take no chances. "No, I''m not going. It was just a punch, I bet we can deal with the wound back home. If there is any, we will just need to apply some medicine to it. Simple!" Leena eximed, bit her lip, and then looked at Kevin in terror. She had harbored an irrational fear of the hospital and shuddered at the idea of seeing a doctor.


    "No, absolutely not. What if there''s an internal injury? What if one of your bones or organs got hurt? That kind of injuries may not be evident, but they could be serious. Do you think you can treat this kind of injury by applying some medicine?" Kevin said with a frown. There was a determined look on his face, which showed that his decision was not open to negotiation.


    "But that''s thest ce I want to go! Can we go home, Kevin? I''m willing to go anywhere except the hospital," Leena begged with imploring eyes. One could tell just how frightened she became by the fear on her face.


    "If so, tell me how can we make sure that you arepletely unscathed, both inside and out, other than going to the hospital?" Kevin asked a bit irritably while slowing down the car. Besides worrying about Leena, he was a bit upset now. There was something that had been troubling him. The ident happened when he wasn''t even driving far ahead of her. She could have telephoned him for help at once but she didn''t. Why? Was it because she didn''t need him at all? Did he ever have a ce in her heart? He came to feel dispensable and unwanted as a husband.0000

 Chapter 1167 A False Alarm (Part One)

    "Okay, fine. On one condition. I get to choose the hospital." Leena studied the man''s unusually grave face. She could tell he was trying to hold back his anger, but didn''t know why.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "Okay, but you have to get yourself checked out." Kevin exhaled sharply and tried to cool down. He was angry, and it wasn''t helping. It wasn''t the time to y the me game. He wanted to find out how badly Leena was hurt. "Hand me your phone. I need to make a call." Leena frowned at her own phone. The thugs had broken it in the altercation. She sighed. She''d have to see what she could get off it, and then throw it away.


    Kevin shot her a nce, his expression confused. He had no idea why Leena wanted his phone, but he handed it over anyway. Then he turned his eyes back to the road and started focusing on driving.


    "Hello, this is Tom. Who''s this?" Tom said. He was at the hospital, examining the X-ray clipped to the wall. He took a sip of his coffee after answering.


    "Hi Tom. It''s me, Leena. Are you at work?" Leena stuck out her tongue, making a cute face. Tom couldn''t see it through the phone, but Kevin could. He saw her eyes full of mischief, and wondered what she was ying at.


    "Oh hey, Leena. Anything wrong? Nothing serious, I hope." Tom set his coffee mug down and looked away from the X-ray. He wasn''t familiar with the number, so he didn''t know it was from Leena at first. When he figured out who it was, he put aside his work and gave her his full attention.


    "Nope. Do I need a reason to call? I haven''t seen you for a fat minute. I miss you, Tom. How are you?" Leena knew how to turn on the innocent charm and turn into a sweet little girl. Her brothers would fall for it every time.


    "Cut the crap, Leena. What do you want?" Tom knew Leena well. It waste, and she wouldn''t call him if she didn''t have a reason. He didn''t buy her line about missing him -- he knew it was more than just a friendly call. He knew the deal.


    "Are you at the hospital? I can meet you there," Leena said with some hesitation. She was hoping not to worry Tom too much.


    "Are you hurt?" Tom sounded nervous. He was rxed, but now he was worried. People didn''te to the hospital unless they were hurt.


    "No. Just tell me whether you''re there or not," Leena replied in an evasive tone. She wasn''t going to tell him what happened just now, or he''d freak out. Everyone would be worried, and that was thest thing she needed.


    "Yeah. I just finished a procedure. Come on over. I''ll be in my office." Tom once again picked up his cup and took a sip. His face looked weary under themp. One of these days, he needed to retire.


    "Ah! Have you eaten?" Leena hesitated, debating whether to turn to this busy man for a minor injury.


    "I''ll eat in a bit. I''m not hungry now." After an operation, Tom had to spend some time just rxing. It was tiring work, and it took awhile to get his appetite back.


    "Well, I''ll bring your favorite food with me." Leena looked out the window. If she remembered correctly, there was a restaurant close by that served Hunan food. She could buy Tom''s favorite there: Griddle-Cooked, Shredded, Spicy, Salted Duck. "Really? That''s really nice of you, Leena. I was just wondering where I should go to dinner." Tom''s eyes shone with excitement. His mouth was watering already.


    "Yeah. Wait for me. See you in a while." Leena quickly hung up the phone without waiting for Tom''s reply. This was perfect. Now she didn''t need to feel so embarrassed bothering him.


    Tom stared at his phone, shaking his head helplessly. He grinned bitterly. Leena, as a married woman, was still so naughty.


    "Let''s swing by the Hunan Cuisine Restaurant, Kevin," Leena said urgently. She had seen the sign already, so she hung up the phone before Tom could say anything.


    "Okay." Kevin didn''t need to say much more. He knew Leena''s ns, because he heard her on the phone. He cursed himself for being a fool. He forgot all about Tom, the genius of the medical world. If anyone knew how to patch Leena up, it was him. "We''re stopping? Are you hungry then?" ire was taken aback when they stopped. She was lost in thought, and was suddenly thrust back to reality.


    "No. I''m getting Tom some dinner. I won''t be long." Leena smiled, grabbed her wallet, and left the car. The wind picked up, and chilled her to the bone. She shivered, and then suddenly felt a warm embrace.


    "I''ll go with you." Kevin gathered his wife''s coat, pulling it tightly to her and fastening it. Then they walked to the restaurant, his arm around her shoulder.


    She nced at the man. He looked cool, but what he did warmed her heart. She felt that even the chilliest weather would be as warm as summer, just as long as she was with him.


    They got to the hospital half an hourter. Luckily, the food was still steaming hot despite the cold weather.0???????????????

 Chapter 1168 A False Alarm (Part Two)

    "Tom?" Leena carefully opened the door a crack and popped her head in to look for Tom.


    "Come in." Tom didn''t think anything of it. He thought that Leena came by herself, so he just nced at her casually and turned his gaze back to the case files again.


    "Sorry to disturb you, Dr. Qin." Kevin followed Leena into the office and greeted Tom first.


    "Hey! Kevin! Been awhile. Oh -- oh no! Is Leena okay?" Tom was surprised to see Kevin, but he was more worried about Leena. He probably took her here, and Kevin wasn''t a frivolous man. It was likely that Leena was hurt. "Yeah. Someone elbowed her in the back. I thought I''d bring her here and get it checked out." Kevin liked Tom. He was a lot nicer than Edward or Duke.


    "What? Leena was attacked? What happened? Do Edward and Duke know?" Tom stood up from the chair when Kevin told him this. This was not the time to be careless. Leena was sick recently, so he had to take precautions. "Don''t tell them, Tom. They''ll have a fit. It''s annoying," Leena said anxiously. She didn''t want to have them make a fuss over her, so she hoped he''d keep quiet.


    "Come over here and lie down on the couch. Let me take a look." Tom stared at Leena angrily. There probably wasn''t anything wrong. Otherwise, she wouldn''t be this happy. The person who beat her was asking for trouble. If Duke knew, he''d track the guy down and chop off his hand. If Edward found out, who knew what might happen? Maybe he''d kill the thug.


    "Go ahead and eat, Tom. No rush," Leena said with a smile, and put the takeout bag on the table.


    "Naw. Let''s get this over with. So, lie down, please." Tom was angry because Leena hadn''t taken good care of herself. Yes, it might be the 21st century. But she would always be their little princess, and anything that happened to her was automatically deserving of treatment.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "You sound mad. You''re scaring me." Leena pouted after she said this. She walked over to the couch andy on it, like he asked.


    "Close the door," said Tom, jerking his head in Kevin''s direction. At his words, he reached for the remote and raised the indoor temperature several degrees higher. He couldn''t have Leena catching cold, now.


    Kevin nodded and quickly closed the door. He was worried about Leena, and paid no attention to ire at all. ire was apparently still lost in her own thoughts too; otherwise she would have said something by now.


    "Can you take off your coat? Make it easier. I don''t have X-ray vision," Tom teased.


    "Err... Sorry. I forgot." Leena made a face and stuck her tongue out at the man. She stood up to shed her long coat, pausing to hang it on the coat rack, and theny back down again.


    Tom shook his head. Sometimes he felt helpless to help her, although he was used to her being scatter-brained.


    "Oh my god," Tom said, shuddering. "We have some bad bruising here." Worry wrinkled Tom''s forehead as he saw the severe bruising marring the girl''s back. Her skin was fairly white, so the bruising looked terrible. It stood out starkly to anyone looking at it. "Is it serious?" Kevin popped his head in. He didn''t take a look at the wound before they came, so he didn''t know whether it was serious. He just thought it was a good idea that she should be examined, just in case.


    Tom looked at Kevin. "Sort of," he said, and then turned his attention back to Leena. "Leena, I''m going to apply pressure to different parts of your back. Let me know if it hurts." Tom extended his hand and pressed lightly around the bruising. He was checking if the impact had affected the bones in any way.


    "Okay. Go ahead." Leena started to blush. She felt shy as her back was bare. Her conservative upbringing wouldn''t let her feel any other way.


    "Does it hurt when I press here?" Tom asked the girl in a concerned tone. He moved his hands and pushed a little. Sweat broke out on his forehead -- he didn''t want this sweet girl to feel any pain.


    "Ouch! It hurts!" Leena had a low pain threshold. She grimaced as Tom pressed hard.


    "Alright, we''re done now. You can sit up. We''ll need an X-ray just to be on the safe side." Grim-faced, Tom pulled down her shirt. He knew Leena could hardly bear any pain at all, but he was still uneasy. He might find something -- a pinched nerve, strained muscle, a bruised bone perhaps. Maybe an X-ray would show him what was going on.


    "What? Why do I need to take an X-ray? Can''t you just give me something for the pain?" Leena pursed her lips, looking pitiable. She came to Tom precisely because she didn''t want an X-ray. It was a headache for her, and frankly she was more than a little afraid of it. But she ended up needing one anyway.


    "You can''t just bat those eyes at me and expect to get anywhere. You need an X-ray. Let''s go. I''ll take you there." Tom grabbed her coat from the coat rack, and held it up while she put her arms through the sleeves. He affectionately tucked the loosened tendrils of hair behind her ear, while her husband Kevin could do nothing but stand by anxiously.0000000????????

 Chapter 1169 A False Alarm (Part Three)

    "What happens after that? An injection?" Leena gulped nervously. She was going to cry if Tom said "yes". First an X-ray, now an injection?


    "It depends. You won''t need one if the injury isn''t serious." Tom showed his teeth in a humorless grin. He was starting to relish this in a way. Leena was quite pretty, and she was especially beautiful when she was nervous. He enjoyed seeing her this way. "You mean I may have to get an injection," Leena said in a resentful tone. She tried her best to give him a heart-rending look.


    "That''s right. Don''t try to weasel out of it." Really, Tom was curious how she got injured, but now was not the best time. But he used discretion and didn''t ask Kevin how it happened. But he did shoot an inquiring nce at him.


    "Kevin..." Since she wasn''t getting through to Tom, she thought maybe if she begged Kevin, who''d been quiet so far, he could speak up for her, and save her all this pain.


    "Don''t be afraid. I''m here with you." Kevin gave his wife aforting smile. It was nice to know that she could depend on him for something. He thought maybe she would turn to her brothers to get whatever she needed, so he was happy to be needed by her. "You do this every time you get a checkup," Tom said. "What are you going to do when you''re pregnant?" Tom shook his head and went out first. To be honest, Edward, Duke and Tom were to me for this. They were protective of Leena, waited on her hand and foot. So the girl grew up to be feminine and delicate.


    "Err..." That gave Leena a nasty shock. She never thought about that. Tom pretty muchid it out clear. She''d get pregnant sooner orter as they didn''t use birth control. The baby woulde at any time, and she wasn''t nearly ready for something like that. "Don''t worry, honey. He''s just talking out his ass," Kevin said patting his wife''s hand. Despite hisforting words, he couldn''t help thinking. If a baby scared her this much, he wouldn''t force her to have one. A child might not fit their happy marriage.


    "Wait up, Kevin." ire darted forward to keep up with everyone. She once again saw how Leena was cared for, and went green with envy. All these guys that she''d never met! How did she do it?


    Tom personally escorted Leena to the X-ray room, so they didn''t have to wait long before they got the X-ray. He finally put his fears to rest after he checked it. Fortunately Leena wasn''t seriously hurt. He overreacted deliberately. Fear lined his face as he checked the X-ray exposures. "Everything okay, Tom?" Leena asked with a trace of hesitation and unease, while Tom was studying the X-ray. She didn''t like the look on his face.


    "Nothing serious. I''ll prescribe some bruise juice for you. Apply it on time once you''re home." Tom originally wanted to frighten her, but he gave up that idea. He didn''t want her to burst into a loud sobbing fit. She just wanted to go home, like everyone would. "Really? Didn''t I say it was nothing? Ha ha!" Leena finally wore the biggest smile. She looked happier than when she first got to the hospital. She was so excited about this that she even nted a kiss on Tom''s handsome face.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    "Look how happy you are! Now you can tell me how you got hurt." Leena''s kiss didn''t satisfy Tom''s inquisitive nature. He got his question off his chest after he was sure that Leena was okay.


    "Well... Eat something. Tom. The food''s getting cold." Leena really didn''t know how to exin what happened to Tom, so she changed the subject instead.


    "Fine, you minx." Tom ruffled her hair. He didn''t want to force her since she decided to remain tight-lipped. Since she wasn''t volunteering any info, she wouldn''t tell him anything no matter how much he pumped her for it.


    "Hee hee. I know you love me the most. Take your time with the food. We''re heading back." Leena said goodbye and Tom didn''t press her further. She especially didn''t want him to ask Kevin about it.


    "Okay. Head on home. Have a safe drive. Remember to apply the medicine after taking a bath. Help Leena with that, Kevin." Tom didn''t ask them to stay. It waste, and he would also go home after stuffing his stomach with food and dealing with his caseload.


    "No problem. Thank you, doctor." Kevin was sincere. He really was thankful. His wife had a close rtionship with Tom, but he still needed to be polite and respectful to him.


    "Come on. Don''t stand on ceremony. I''m no stranger. Just call me Tom! I''ll go home after I''ve finished up here." The procedure took several hours. Tom had to admit he was tired.


    "Bye, Tom. Let''s go." Leena waved goodbye to Tom and then walked out of his office, Kevin on one arm, and ire on the other. She didn''t even think of introducing ire to Tom, and Tom didn''t seem to know she was there. They all forgot her.000

 Chapter 1170 You Are Kidding Me Again (Part One)

    Leena had been smiling mildly since they left Tom''s office. It was refreshing that ire didn''t refuse her friendly approach as before. She let Leena hold her arm without any objection. It might not be a huge change, but it was definitely a good start for their budding


    rtionship.


    "Leena, howe your friends are all so excellent?" blurted ire all of the sudden. She just couldn''t hold back the curiosity anymore. Goodness! Why were Leena''s friends all elites? First, there were Edward and Rain who were both from FX International and then now, here was Tom, a freaking eligible who owned a hospital!Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Haha! Trust me, you will not find them as perfect as you think once you get to know them." Leena chuckled in delight. She grew up with these outstanding men and she sure knew all of them like the back of her hand. They might appear to be the coolest and most domineering people ever, but they were all like kind big brothers to her. She couldn''t even see nor feel their differencespared to other men.


    "Really? Are you kidding me?" ire furrowed her eyebrows as she shot Leena a doubtful re. Uncontented, she even looked straight at Leena''s eyes in hope of finding the truth.


    "Yes, of course, it is the truth. Why should I lie to you?" A sincere smile cracked Leena''s lips and ire ended up cutely squinting her eyes to examine her sister-inw. ''Okay, that smile looks genuine. She couldn''t be lying. Oh, her smile is almost dazzling me.'' she thought.


    Meanwhile, Kevin wasn''t even talking as he just stayed quietly, listening to the two. Seeing that his wife and sister getting along well made him feel much morefortable than ever.


    He was in his best mood as he quickly drove his car back to the Grand Apartment. The gentle breeze was blowing outside, and it was adding a bit of chill to the winter night. However, Kevin couldn''t care less about it as he stood inside that cozy and warm room. There was a tempting body that was lying face-down on the bed. Her pajama-top was pulled up to the nape of her neck, disying both her naked back and luscious curves. It was Leena. She just had a sponge bath and was now waiting for Kevin to apply medicines on her wound. "Nana, it might hurt a little, okay? Try to bear it. Scream out if it really hurts. You will feel better after doing it." Kevin''s voice trembled a bit as he spoke. He didn''t get the chance to see how bad Leena''s wound was earlier. Thus, he got a bit shocked once he saw it for the first time. It was terrible! The bruise was so ugly against her smooth and baster skin, hence the sudden sorrow and regret flooded him. What he did to the person who injured Leena was not enough! He should have torn him into pieces!


    "Ummm, I know," responded Leena in a tiny voice. It was her obedience and sensibility that kept her calm during the incident earlier. She never wanted to make Kevin worry. However, she wasn''t able to stop herself from shrinking back and wincing as soon as Kevin''s hands started rubbing the medicine to her back and forth.


    "Does it hurt?" Seeing his wife''s reaction made Kevin''s heart heavier. He would definitely feel a lot better if this wound was on his back instead. Nheless, he didn''t stop his fingers from pressing harder against her wound as that was the only way for it to absorb the medicine better. All he wanted was for Leena to recover as soon as possible.


    "If I say yes, will you stop?" Leena was teary-eyed when she turned to him. Her beautiful face was all red and it was obvious that she did not like what was going on now.


    "That is impossible but I can consider pressing on it lighter," said Kevin immediately with a forced smile. He pretended not to see her pitiful face as he was afraid that he might stop applying the medicine on her. Leena''s pain tolerance wasn''t good and knowing that made him want to give in. He let out a deep sigh, shook his head and then lessened the pressure he was applying on her back.


    "Well, I know that! I know that you don''t cherish me!" Leenained while pouting. She badly wanted to say something to convert her attention from the pain but then she wasn''t able to control what came out of her mouth. Her unintentional words instantly made Kevin freeze.


    He was just suddenly standing there while looking at her with his mouth ajar. "I''m sorry." He finally managed to mutter after a long silence. He then turned away, picked another ointment and then continued putting it on her back.


    "Uh! Sorry. I am not ming you. I didn''t mean to say that." A frustrated groan escaped Leena''s chest. She just said those as a joke. It was not supposed to mean anything at all.


    "It''s fine. It just makes sense if you want to me me. I failed to protect you in the first ce. You wouldn''t be suffering this if I was there on time. I''m really sorry, Nana." He withdrew his hands from her and rxed his breath. It was a relief that he finally finished applying the medicine to Leena as he didn''t need to fray his nerves anymore. Little did Leena know how his heart hurt painfully every time she clenched her fist, trembled, and screamed. It was even worse than the physical pain he felt.


    "Kevin, are you angry at me?" Feeling the regret in his words, Leena turned her head again and looked at him. She remained lying on her stomach since Kevin hadn''t cued her that he was done.


    "No. I''m not angry at you. I''m mad at myself," replied Kevin. "Anyway, I''m finished. You can turn around now." Without any more exnation, he pulled her pajama-top down and then turned to the bathroom to wash his hands. Leena sat up and watched her husband disappear behind their bathroom door. She looked so confused and her mind was in turmoil. She hadn''t encountered Kevin''s cold side yet and she would never want to confront it.000

 Chapter 1171 You Are Kidding Me Again (Part Two)

    One thing she didn''t know was that Kevin''s feelings were in chaos too. His emotions were mixed and unspeakable. His eyes were fixed on the mirror as he stood idly before the washbasin. The man in the mirror looked regretful and tired both physically and mentally. His hairs were in a mess, and his eyebrows were knitted. His usually lively eyes were filled with remorse. Even his lips were pale and slightly quivering. The man in the mirror didn''t look any inch close to the brilliant and promising Major General the public knew. He couldn''t even recognize himself.


    In all honesty, he never expected Leena to get injured right before his eyes. The enormous remorse and sadness he was feeling were enough to choke him. He wouldn''t say to her but he had been using and suspecting himself since it happened. Was it still valid for him to be called a soldier? He couldn''t even protect his woman! How could he even protect his family and defend the country?


    Kevin was again on the verge of guilt when a beautiful face suddenly appeared in the mirror. She was looking at him through his reflection. A few seconds after and a pair of slim arms embraced his strong waist. It was only upon feeling the warmth of those arms that his body rxed and stopped trembling.


    "I''m sorry, Kevin. Did I say something wrong? I didn''t mean it. Please don''t show me such a depressed look. It makes me sad too," whispered Leena as she tenderly leaned her face against his broad back and listened to his breaths.


    "Louisa came to the army base to see me today." Kevin ignored what the woman said and chose not to answer her previous question. He didn''t confirm whether he was angry or not. Rather, he calmly diverted her attention by telling her somethingpletely unrted to the topic.


    "Did she?" queried Leena in a haste. Her attention was suddenly focused on what Kevin just said rather than what she asked. She tried to stay calm but the way her arms trembled around his waist gave her real emotions away. Her mind was bombarded with too many questions she couldn''t even speak out. ''Why did Kevin say this? What was Louisa doing with Kevin? What were they doing?'' she bit her lower lip to stop herself from wondering. She wanted to trust Kevin and his promises but she just couldn''t stop getting worried upon hearing Louisa''s name.


    "Aren''t you wondering why she came to see me?" Kevin put his hand atop hers and held her. He couldn''t see her face since she was standing behind him. Thus, he couldn''t see the sadness on her face.


    "I''m curious. However, I would not ask you unless you tell me." The warmth from his hands made Leena feel calmer. It was just a mere touch, however, it was enough to make her doubts and uncertainties disappear. This was intimacy she enjoyed with Kevin the most. ''Who cares about Louisa! Kevin is mine!'' her mind screamed as she buried her face on his back even more.


    "Nothing really. She just came there and tried to provoke me about your past rtionship. However, you already told me about Gerard even before she came. So, she failed." Kevin grinned bitterly. He didn''t mean to say that but he didn''t know what was wrong with him either. Leena''s tenderness on him was making him even more guilty. He liked her embrace the most but it felt like he didn''t deserve it at all. And now that he had blurted something he shouldn''t. He was left with no choice but to continue with the nonsense topic. What a shit!


    "I see. So what do you think? Do you think that I''m cunning because I anticipated her n and told you about Gerard ahead?" Leena pulled herself away from him. Was this what he was thinking about all along? Was this the reason why he was suddenly quiet? Did he think of her as someone calcting? Goodness! Were all her worries and shame just for nothing now? How ridiculous she was!All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    "Nana, look at me." Kevin''s reaction kicked in immediately upon hearing the doubt in her tone. He immediately turned to her and looked straight to her eyes. "Do I look like a man who doesn''t trust his wife?" Those words got Leena a bit surprised. She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat and then looked back at Kevin with fake bravery.


    "Otherwise, what do you think? Are you just telling me this to see how I would react? Or would you want to tell me more?" said Leena in a challenging tone.


    "I know it''s my fault that you are feeling this way but I really want to know where I am standing. Compared to your brothers, where am I in your heart, Leena? Am I even there?" He was stuck! For the first time in his life, the Major General was seeing how much he cared about Leena! It was that special type of care that was engulfing him and was driving him topare himself to her brothers. It had been a very slow process for him but he was finally there! He loved her! He loved her more than anything now! He loved her to the extent that it made him scared to think about what he would lose and gain just to be with her.


    "What? What does this have to do with them?" With one of her eyebrows raised, Leena looked at him confusedly. ''Aren''t we talking about Louisa? How was the topic suddenly changed?'' she thought. She raised her head a little like a puzzled child without breaking her eye- contact with Kevin. She badly needed to reconfirm his question.


    "Nothing." Kevin pretended to be cool and then looked around to avoid her stare. He would never tell her his real reason for asking these seemingly stupid questions no matter what Leena would askter. But God knew how much he was dying to find out who was the most important in her heart. "I would still want to know your answer though."??????????

 Chapter 1172 You Are Kidding Me Again (Part Three)

    "You and my brothers are totally different. How would Ipare you to them? Let me ask the same thing, who is more important to you, ire or me?" Leena asked him back and rolled her eyes. It seemed that Kevin was a little strange tonight and she couldn''t understand why. He wasn''t the type to change the topic out of nowhere. He was talking about Louisa and then went jumping to her brothers. What on earth did he want to do? Leena was certainly clueless about his behaviors and didn''t even think of linking his acts to jealousy. "Those two rtionships are defined differently!" Kevin frowned. Only then did he realize how narrow-minded he seemed to ask such a stupid question. How did he evene up with that super-nonsense question?


    "There''s nothing different. All of those people you were mentioning are family members. You should understand that. Do you need me to exin things again?" With a sigh, Leena lowered her voice and tried to cool her head off. Kevin used to be so calm. Why was he suddenly acting like a kid right now?


    "Forget about it. Just pretend that I never asked you about it." That was it. Kevin made an about-face and walked out of the bathroom. He was instantly embarrassed after hearing Leena nagged at him for the first time. He was just a step away from the door when Leena suddenly stepped ahead of him and blocked his way.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    "No. I think I got it!" She eximed as a word sudden shed in her head. ''Jealous! God, yes! Jealous!'' she almost screamed. "Kevin, are you jealous?" A smile as bright as the sun suddenly rose on Leena''s face. Even her eyes were smiling as she looked up at Kevin teasingly. The happiness that was flooding her was immeasurable after finally figuring out what was wrong with Kevin.


    "Me? Jealous? Says who? Why should I be jealous?" Kevin looked up at the ceiling and deliberately avoided her grinning face.


    "Good question! Why are you jealous? Hold on, let me think about the answer for a while. Oh, yeah! I know now." Leena looked up at him and tried to catch his gaze. It took her a second to get Kevin''s attention again and she instantly smiled when she finally met his eyes. "What do you know?" Hesitation was dripping from Kevin''s voice when he spoke. His heart was going crazy. What would he do if she guessed right?


    "I know why you are jealous! It is because Tom saw my back!" Leena spoke out her answer like a student in a quiz-bee championship. She looked so sure about what she said and didn''t even think that he was hurting earlier because of love. She already epted the fact that Kevin never looked at her that way and she was a realist. Thus, she stopped fantasizing about feelings that didn''t belong to her.


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about. I need to go downstairs to check on ire." He said those words so fast in just one breath and then bolted out of the room like he was being run after by a demon. It wasn''t safe for him to stay next to Leena at that time. He was losing control and he might just blurt what was inside his head on her face.


    "Am I wrong?" Leena mumbled to herself while innocently staring at the door Kevin just ran out from. If that was not the reason, then what else could he be angry about?


    After walking out of the bedroom, Kevin felt rxed, with a sigh of relief. If he continued to be questioned by the little girl, he should have no secret in front of her.


    "Kevin, is Leena all right now?" ire asked immediately upon seeing her brother. She was sitting on the sofa while watching TV and Kevin''s appearance took her attention.


    "Ummm. She is okay now. I helped her apply the medicine and I think she will be fine soon." He walked to the sofa and sat next to ire. He turned his head left and right to remove Leena out of his thoughts and then got himself ready to talk with ire. He had been noticing some unusual changes in his sister in the past two days. Thus, he would like to focus on her and understand her more.


    "That''s good! I was worried that she would hurt for a long time." A sense of relief and embarrassment showed on ire''s face when she talked. Compared to her previous attitude, she seemed to be more mature now for considering Leena''s situation.


    "Are you alright, ire?" Kevin asked doubtfully. ire had never been considerate to anyone and what she just said warned Kevin that something might be wrong.


    "Of course, I am very well! What would happen to me?" responded ire and then looked left and right. It was only today that she found out about Leena''s social status. Leena was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. However, she couldn''t see any arrogance nor attitude on Leena''s behavior. Unlike her, she was too naive and narrow-minded. That might be the reason why she couldn''t have real friends.


    "Alright. If youe across anything, just let me know. Don''t hold it up by yourself, understand?" ire might be the type of sister who needed a lot of spankings but Kevin also cared about her nheless. After saying those, he leaned his back against the sofa and ovepped his legs under their coffee table. What a leisure pose! Who would even think that he just escaped from Leena in full panic earlier?


    "I know, I know. I am not a little girl. How could I even wrong myself?" ire smiled calmly. She wasn''t just a domineering and arrogant girl. Not many people knew but she was also a very nice girl too.


    "Okay. If you said so. By the way, after staying here for a while, do you still want tond a job here in S City?" Kevin didn''t really want to ask that question again. He didn''t even think that ire was serious when she said that she wanted a job. As her brother though, he was still curious about her thoughts. He might not be the type to force the information out of his sister, but God knew how important those little things were to him. Still, it would be up to her if she would share her mind with him or not. She was old enough anyway and she deserved some personal space. He was a brother and he would support ire no matter whether she was jobless or not, good or bad.


    "Job? Oh, let''s talk about thatter. I honestly haven''t decided about that yet. I need more time to think about what career I want." If Kevin had asked her a few days earlier, then she would have answered him in an instant. However, the surprises she had these past two days had changed her thoughts. Thus, she needed to reconsider staying in S City.


    "That''s fine. It will always be your decision, ire. Just let me know once you have decision. Go to bed now, ire. I''ll go upstairs too." Kevin stood up and waved at his sister. It waste and he still needed to be in the army base early tomorrow. Thus, he held back from asking more questions. Again, she was now a big girl and she was entitled to live her own life. As a brother, all he could do for her was to support her decisions.

 Chapter 1173 You Are Kidding Me Again (Part Four)

    "Ummm. I know. Good night, Kevin!" ire waved back and sweetly smiled at him.


    "Good night!" Kevin waved at her onest time as he walked upstairs. He got the silhouette of a perfect man, slender and strong. He was the epitome of the word hunk.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    Back to the room, Leena was lying on the bed when Kevin came in. She was indulging in thetest fashion news with herptop open before her. She didn''t even notice Kevin approaching.


    "What are you browsing about? Why aren''t you sleeping? It''ste." Kevin threw a suspicious re at herputer as he sat on the bed. Nheless, he didn''t peep at her monitor.


    "Oh, yes! What time is it? I just checked on some news on the inte, nothing much. By the way, did you juste from downstairs? Is ire sleeping?" Leena closed herptop. It was fortunate that she wasn''t chatting with Patricia just now. Otherwise, she could have jumped out of her skin because of his sudden appearance.


    "Not yet. She is watching TV right now." Keviny down and saw how rxed she was while swaying her feet.


    "Really? Do I need to apany her for a while?" Leena put herputer aside and stood next to the bed. She was a night owl herself. Thus, she didn''t feel sleepy at this moment.


    "Nana, shouldn''t I be the one you need to apany at this hour?" In the past, Kevin didn''t really care about whom Leena would want to be with. However, he couldn''t help himself from thinking about everything associated with Leena now. His realization about his feelings made him into a whole new man. It wasn''t even hard to tell how jealous he was. He was almost like Edward though he hadn''t noticed it yet.


    "But you want to go to bed now, right?" Leena looked at him hesitantly. Why would she need to apany him if he was about to sleep?


    "Then sleep with me." Kevin answered in a calm tone. It was obvious how his face turned indifferent when he mentioned the word ''sleep'', though. He might have mentioned the word without any hidden meaning but his special stress on it made Leena think otherwise. Her face quickly turned red! She just stood on her feet for a while, stupefied.


    "Get on the bed. Don''t you feel cold standing there?" asked Kevin innocently. He frowned slightly at how Leena seemed to be squirming. He couldn''t understand what was wrong with her. He just asked her to sleep. Just sleep!


    Leena bit her lips and then climbed on the bed obediently. She stopped at the opposite edge of the bed which was the farthest from where Kevin was lying.


    "Nana, do I look like a snake or a beast? I don''t eat people. Why are you so far away?" The way Leena was acting made Kevin a little unhappy. Did he say something so terrible that he frightened her? Why couldn''t she stay beside him!


    "No! Of course, you are not. What''s the matter?" She asked while pretending not to understand. She dared not to tell him what her real thought was. She was not afraid of ''sleep'' but she was afraid of what he would do when sleeping together. What a heck! Even just the view of Kevin''s slim waist and tensed stomach muscles was enough to make her legs feel sore all over again.


    "Well, if not, what are you doing there on the edge?" Kevin gazed at her and didn''t allow her to escape his question.


    "Hey! The bed is not that big, how could I be far away? I''m just feeling a little hot, okay?" Leena acted like she was feeling hot. She even pretended to fan herself.


    "Are you hot? If so then just take your clothes off. That would cool you down soon!" Kevin smiled coldly at his lovely little girl. God! There were millions of reasons she could have used. Why did she choose something so stupid! It was winter, and he hadn''t even seen the sun for a long time! It was fine that the weather was cold but then how could she feel hot now?


    "Uh! What?. What do you want me to do?" Leena clenched her pajamas as she stared at Kevin defensively. She wasn''t sure if she heard him right. Since when did Kevin be this sexually brutal? Had he forgotten that she had an injured back!


    "You can guess. What do you think would I want to do?" Kevin asked her. He was slowly moving closer to her seductively while flirting with her in a very sexy voice.


    "Umm. Eh, how could I know?" Kevin''s handsome face was suddenly close to her and all she could do was to swallow hard. She was beetroot red! How could someone as cold as Kevin turn to be this sizzling hot on the bed?


    "You don''t know yet? Do I need to use actions just to tell you what I wanna do?" He reached for her lips and traced them with the tips of his fingertips back and forth sensually. His eyes were burning as he stared at her under his hooded eyes. He looked so seductive and she was beginning to hate her aching back. Why did Kevin need to be in such a mood when she couldn''t even move a muscle!


    "No, no!" She was using all her strength to reject his charm. She was pretty sure that her spine would break once Kevin put this type of love in action. Her injury was like a boulder rock blocking her happiness now! She could just imagine what she would look like while lying on a stretcher after Kevin put his weight on her and moved fiercely.


    "Nana, are you sure you don''t want to try? Seriously?" Although Kevin was teasing her, he was also careful as he was afraid that she might identally roll out of the bed. He got no n of aggravating her injury. That wouldn''t be nice! Thus, when he noticed her moving away again, he immediately reached out and grabbed her hands just in time for her not to fall out of the bed''s edge.


    "Thank you very much!" Leena was scared for a second. Good Lord! She almost fell out of their bed. It was lucky that her shock didn''tst that long.


    "You''re wee!" Kevinughed as if it wasn''t his fault that she almost fell off.


    "No! You''re kidding me again!" pouted Leena as she threw her dagger stares. How could he act so carelessly like it wasn''t him who made her move to the edge! On the other hand, what happened to her? Why did she thank him just now! "Am I? You''re definitely wrong." Kevin yed innocent about what Leena meant. He even gave her an offended look as if it was her who wronged him.


    "Yes, you are. If you hadn''t moved closer and closer then I wouldn''t have moved back! Plus, if I had not moved back then how else could I fall down!" Leena bombarded him with angry questions as she kept poking her finger on his muscled chest.

 Chapter 1174 Louisa Lost Her Composure (Part One)

    "Okay. All right, it''s all my fault," Kevin said as he took the chance and slowly circled his arms around her. A smug smile spread across his face as she settled in. It seemed that his little trick had worked.


    "Of course it''s all your fault." As a couple, they had done the intimate things that couples did, but Leena still felt very shy. She buried her head in his arms and avoided meeting his eyes.


    "Okay, I admit it. So how do you want to punish me?" Kevin''s mouth twitched. He enjoyed her endearing act.


    "How would I punish you? I can''t defeat you in a hand-to-hand fighting; you''re a soldier. Are you intentionally saying this to embarrass me?" Leena pouted. She would not do anything that would bring humiliation to herself.


    "Come on, beat me as you like. I guarantee that I won''t hit you back." Kevin found that he quite enjoyed arguing with her. It was an intriguing thing. He hadn''t experienced this before with anyone else.


    "No, you are tough and you have muscles. My hands might hurt if I hit you." They had been spending a lot of time together recently, so Leena wasn''t as reserved as she used to be with him. She was bing more like herself around him.


    "Oh, then we have no other choice." Kevinughed helplessly and nted a gentle kiss on her hair. He gazed at her, his eyes brimming with affection.


    Whispers between lovers were the most beautiful melodies in this world. The couple grew closer to each other in the intimate atmosphere.


    The next morning, ire was woken up by an early call from Louisa, who was asking her for a favor. Louisa refused to tell her what it was until they met. Frustrated, ire had no choice but to leave the warm bed and go out to meet her. Some unpleasantness had urred between the two of them the other day, but they were still friends. ire felt obliged to carry out her request.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "ire, I''m here." Louisa parked the car outside the Grand Apartment. Kevin had warned her before not toe to his ce, so Louisa didn''t dare toe up to his apartment. It would be reckless. She might run into him and she didn''t have any interest in being humiliated by him again.


    "Louisa, what''s up? It sounded very urgent on the phone," ire asked, still panting. She had rushed to meet her. She bent by the waist and got into the car.


    "Here is the thing. There is a fashion design contest in the city a few dayster. My friend signed up for it, but her models suddenly turned back on theirmitments. My friend didn''t know what to do, so she came to me for help. I think we can do it. We are both tall and pretty," Louisa said as she nced at ire furtively. Although ire''s skin was not white like snow, she could still be counted as a beauty. Louisa was confident that she was qualified for the job.


    "What? You mean me, doing catwalk for a fashion show? But I never learned how to do it. Are you sure that I can do this?" ire was a little hesitant. It was true that she was arrogant and high-handed, but she also had a rigid upbringing. She had never participated in such activities before.


    "Don''t worry, you will know how to do it after some days of practice. Rx, just look at it as an opportunity to widen your horizons. You don''t have any other things to do right now, do you?" No matter what ire decided to do, Louisa wanted to go badly. She wondered if she could enter the fashion circle by doing this.


    "But I am scared that Kevin would oppose it," ire said after a pause. Besides, she was not very interested in runway shows. She worried that she might not do well. To be honest, she was more likely to screw it up, rather than help.


    "Don''t be silly. You don''t have to inform Kevin about it. You can do this behind his back." Louisa shot her a look. How was it so difficult for her to get this through ire''s thick skull?


    "Yes, maybe you''re right. But what if Kevin finds out? You know how perceptive my brother is." ire was a little moved by Louisa''s pitch, but she still had qualms about joining the show.


    "Ah! Don''t worry. If he asks you, you can tell him that you are having fun with me. That would be perfect!" Louisa continued to persuade her. The contest was approaching and it was tough to find girls with beauty and a good figure. She had no choice but to ask ire. She wouldn''t have been lucky to get this opportunity if it was not so urgent.


    "Okay. But if I screw it up, don''t me me. I know nothing about fashion shows." ire frowned. She had watched many runway shows, but she knew it wasn''t as easy as it seemed. She was justified in her concerns.


    "Don''t worry, that won''t happen. So are you in? If yes, we should go to the rehearsals now." Louisa was ecstatic that she had managed to bring ire on board.


    "You pushed me so hard, what else could I say except for yes?" ire heaved a long sigh. She decided to throw caution to the wind.


    "ire, I''m so d. I love you so much!" In her excitement, Louisa grabbed ire by her arms and nted a wet kiss on her cheek. She wasn''t bothered that she had kissed away the makeup on ire''s face.0000000

 Chapter 1175 Louisa Lost Her Composure (Part Two)

    "This is not a time to celebrate. I''m not sure that your friend would find me suitable for this job." Seeing Louisa happy, ire found that she too was delighted. However, she couldn''t help but remind her not to get carried away. "Trust me! She has no choice. You''re herst hope," Louisa said as she started the engine. She was thrilled to get this opportunity. She was tired of her father nagging her to find a job. If Louisa finished this task sessfully, she could start her career in the fashion business at once.


    "I hope so! But I have to call Leena first. She hasn''t woken up when I came out. She would worry when she doesn''t find me in the house." ire took out her cell phone and dialed Leena''s number, but the automated voice told her that Leena''s phone was turned off. She suddenly remembered that Leena''s phone had been smashed by those men yesterday. She also forgot that she had promised Kevin to help Leena apply the medicine on her injured back. But she was already out now. ''What can I do?'' she wondered.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "What''s up? No one answered the phone?" Louisa was displeased to hear ire talk about Leena so intimately. But she was asking ire for a favor. Even if she was annoyed, she couldn''t show it.


    "No, I forgot that her cellphone has been smashed. I will wait for her to call me back." ire put her cellphone aside. Suddenly feeling like she shouldn''t let this matter go, she picked up the phone and dialed again. "Hi, ire. What''s up?" Kevin was examining the army tanks with the other officers. When he heard his phone ring, he walked away to pick up the call.


    "Kevin, I have to go out, but I forgot to tell Leena. If she asks about me, tell her that I went out." ire gulped, hoping that he was not in the middle of work. Otherwise, he would definitely scold her for disturbing him. "Can''t you call her and tell her yourself?" Kevin frowned, thinking that ire was making unnecessary trouble for him.


    "Wasn''t her phone broken yesterday? I can''t connect to her number." ire stared at the ceiling of the car. It seemed that she was not the only one who had a poor memory.


    "Oh! I forgot. Speaking of this, didn''t I ask you to apply the medicine on her? Who will help her if you go out?" Kevin said, his voice rising. His loud tone attracted attention from the others around, so he hushed down.


    "I was about to tell you. Don''t be angry at me. I totally forgot about it when I came out! I won''t be back anytime soon. Could you ask her to apply the medicine herself? Maybe with the help of a mirror?" ire said, her tone apologetic. The whole thing about Leena hadpletely slipped her mind.


    "Okay, fine. I''ll think about itter. I''m busy right now." Kevin furrowed his eyebrows. He turned around and looked at the other officers, who were ncing at him surreptitiously. He hung up at once.


    ire heard the disconnection beep and had no idea whether or not Kevin took offense. She had already promised Louisa that she''d go with her, so she was caught in a dilemma.


    "Did they get into a fight? Why did Leena''s phone get smashed? Did she get hurt in the fight?" Louisa brightened up at this piece of news. Her lips lifted in a smug smile.


    "No, no. That''s not what happened. Kevin and Leena are good with each other, how could they fight?" ire blurted out without thinking. Shepletely forgot that she used to side with Louisa and that she had promised her to help her win Kevin. She didn''t see Louisa''s outraged expression at her words.


    "ire, do you like Leena as your sister-inw now?" Louisa gripped the driving wheel hard, gritting her teeth.


    "Yes. Sorry, Louisa. I really can''t do anything to help you. You know, Kevin doesn''t have feelings for you." ire looked at Louisa and shivered. She looked frightening.


    "Is this the actual reason? Spit it out. You changed sides because she gave you a super-vip golden card, am I right?" If her friend didn''t need ire''s help, Louisa would have driven ire out of the car without hesitation. She was not a mild person by any means. ire should know that she had a temper.


    "No, that''s not the reason. To be honest, we misunderstood her before. She didn''t marry Kevin because of his family background. The truth is that she too is from a rich family. She doesn''t have to work her way up through marriage." ire felt flustered when she remembered that she often poked fun at Leena and mocked her background. But Leena''s family background was way better than hers. Her family was richer and more powerful.


    "What? She''s rich? ire, don''t fool around with me. You must have been tricked by her. You''re too simple and naive and she took advantage of this. She has a lot of tricks up her sleeve." Louisa felt amused to hear that Leena was from a rich family. She would never believe that. Since the first time Louisa had seen her, she took it for granted that Leena was a woman of humble origins.


    "I''m not joking. I went to her family''s house yesterday. Do you know about Leng Group? It''s her family''s business. Moreover, her sister-inw is the CEO of YS Group. You can imagine how rich her family is." ire had been dumbstruck when she got to know all of this yesterday. She had remained silent in the car when they left for home. She had still been lost in her thoughts when Leena was hit by the men.

 Chapter 1176 Louisa Lost Her Composure (Part Three)

    Suddenly, the car screeched to a halt. ire''s body jerked forward because of the sudden brake. Before she coulde back to her senses, Louisa grasped her shoulders, looking at her anxiously. "ire, are you sure about what you just said?" Louisa asked in a hurry. Fortunately, they were not on a road with much traffic, otherwise they would surely have caused an ident.


    "Louisa, why did you suddenly stop? You freaked me out!" ire patted her chest, still suffering from the shock. Louisa''s sudden brake had scared her out of her wits.


    "I''m asking you, is it true? That Leng Group is really Leena''s family business?" Louisa shook her. She couldn''t believe that Leena was a noble woman. It was unbelievable! In her mind, Leena had always been a nobody. How could she ept that Leena was actually very rich? "Please let me go first. You''re shaking me too hard, I feel like throwing up." ire tried to push her hands away. She was flustered and didn''t understand why Louisa lost herposure all of a sudden.


    "Okay, can you tell me now?" Louisa red at ire as if she would eat her up if she confirmed that what she said was true.


    "But haven''t you been living in S City too? Howe you didn''t know about this? If you don''t believe me, you can check it online. Isn''t Leng Group only second to the FX International Group in S City?" ire smoothed her clothes which had been wrinkled by Louisa''s grip. She shuddered as she thought about Louisa''s behavior just now.


    "I know about Leng Group. But it never urred to me that such a bigpany has connections with Leena. I heard that the CEO vishly dotes on his younger sister. Does Leena look like a pampered princess brought up in a wealthy family?" Louisa pursed her lips. It was true that Leena''s family name was also Leng, but she couldn''t believe that it was Leena who was the envy of all the girls in S City. Leena didn''t look like a spoiled girl. She could do house chores. Louisa had seen her doing them herself.


    "Yes, she didn''t look like a princess when she came to our house. But she returned to her roots as soon as she got here. She looks morous. Everyone adores her. Even the maids in her family like her a lot. Do you still doubt it?" ire leaned back. Her mind was still preupied with the things she had learned yesterday at Leena''s family house. Leena''s true identity was hard to believe, but it was inarguably true.


    "No, that can''t be true. She can''t be the rich princess, while I am the nobody who tried to pull her down. ire, something must be wrong. Think carefully, you might be bewitched by her, otherwise you wouldn''t say such unlikely things." Louisa shook her head. ire had made herself very clear, but Louisa still couldn''t believe it. She was determined to think that Leena was a nobody, instead of the richdy whose brother owned Leng Group. If Louisa epted that fact, she could never hold her haughty head high above hers.


    "Louisa, you''re so strange. Why are you so reluctant to ept this?" ire was confused by her peculiar behavior. ''Is it really such a heavy blow for her to know that Leena is from a rich family?'' ire wondered.


    "Kevin doesn''t like me, so I pinned all my hopes on my family background to win him over. But now you are telling me that Leena is rich, so tell me, what would it take for me to steal him from Leena? I thought that I am better than her with regard to family. But now, all is over. I''m done for," Louisa sounded depressed like a defeated cockerel,pletely losing all her will to fight.


    "Well, in all honesty, there are many good men in this world besides my brother. You should stop being so obsessed with him. There are other fishes in the sea. I think it''s impossible that Kevin will divorce Leena. No matter how much you love him, it''s useless to try and impress him," ire tried to persuade Louisa to give up on Kevin. She had given Louisa her firm and solemn promise to help her win Kevin over, but now she ate her words. ire worried that Louisa would be angry at her. Her temper was unnerving.


    "ire, are you still my friend? That is not what you said to me before. Huh. You now know that Leena is richer than me, so you have begun to lick her boots and kiss her ass?" Louisa shot daggers at ire. Why should she give up? ''No way! It is not finished yet,'' she thought. He whoughedst,ughed the best. She still had a chance to turn the tide.


    "Of course, I''m your friend. But I''m not as horrible as you just described. Do you think it''s right to insult me like this when we are friends?" ire bristled. She was pretty annoyed by Louisa''s words. It was true that she had changed her attitude toward Leena these past few days, but it was not to the extent of kissing her ass.00000000000000Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

 Chapter 1177 Dignity (Part One)

    "Sorry! I''m having a blonde moment," Louisa said and started the car. She tried to control her temper and told herself, ''this isn''t the time or the ce. As much as I want to kick ire out of my car, she''s still useful to me.'' "That''s cool. We are still friends?" Could they still be friends, after that? ire wasn''t so sure.


    Louisa and ire arrived at the studio owned by Louisa''s friend. Showing her friend her runway walk, ire knocked it out of the park. Her friend pped enthusiastically. "Bravo!" she said. "You have so much potential! Wee to the world of modeling! Now, as for the rules..." ire was now part of the agency, which meant she had to do everything they told her to.


    It was almost ten o''clock when Leena rolled out of bed. It was toote to fix anything for ire -- she would have arranged for her own breakfast by now. But she had to check on her to see f she was okay. She skipped brushing her teeth and washing her face and raced downstairs. But where was ire? She couldn''t find her anywhere! Maybe in the study? No, not there either. It was like she''d vanished into thin air.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "Where did she go? She didn''t even leave a note," Leena murmured and returned to her room to grab her phone. She opened her nightstand drawer, and saw her phone, in pieces, lying on a scarf. She had tough at her bad memory. ''Leaky like a sieve,'' she thought. She hadpletely forgotten the thugs had destroyed itst night. She had to get a new one as soon as possible. A cellphone was just too useful not to have.


    But she snapped herself out of it. ''Focus on ire,'' she thought, ''not the phone.'' She needed to figure out where the girl went. Although ire was an adult, she was new in town, and might head into a bad area and not even know it. Leena would feel terrible if something happened to her.


    She quickly dressed herself in a cardigan, printed tee, and jeans. She gathered up the pieces of the broken phone, in the scarf and rushed out. She had to get herself a new phone, that would be the fastest way to find ire. Then she could call her. She couldn''t believe howme that sounded.


    With her money, Leena could get any phone she wanted. Finally, she got a new phone easily. She logged into a pay app and used that. Problem solved! But right when she finished setting up the new phone, someone called before she could call ire. It was from Patricia. She hadn''t expected to hear from her. She almost fell over in surprise.


    "Hey, Patricia! Why are you calling on this bright, sunny day?" Leena said with a sad face, then opened the car door and threw the little phone box and herself into the car.


    "Save it! I don''t wanna talk about the weather. I finally got a hold of you. I almost thought you were avoiding me!" And if looks could kill Leena would have been a corpse. Patricia was glowering now, even though Leena couldn''t see her. ''Bad girl, you didn''t tell me you got hitched! Did you forget we''re besties?'' Patricia thought to herself.


    "Now hold on! If you shut up I''ll tell you. My phone was broken. I just got a new one, and that''s what we''re talking on now." Leena wasn''t nning on telling her the truth. In the beginning, she was screening her calls on purpose. She didn''t want to hear it, theining, the "why didn''t you tell me." But she decided to just bite the bullet and tell her.


    "Bad girl, you live life on the edge! You can''t really live without a phone, you know," Patricia snapped. She would never have known Leena was married if she hadn''t set her up on that blind date. Even worse, the guy med her for fixing him up with a married woman. Besides, the guy she married was a major general. There was no way he couldpete with that, and he thought she knew. Boy, she got a piece of her mind after the date!


    "I''ve been too busy," Leena said. Her voice was full of guilt. She wasn''t good at lying, so it sounded very unnatural.


    "Come on! You were busy? Stop lying! Where are you? Do you have some time today?" It sounded like Patricia was really upset.


    "Why? What do you have in mind?" Leena asked, getting even more tense. Her shoulders were hunched and she could feel them start to ache. She felt as if a dangerous person were stalking her. "You sound scared. If you had the guts to hide from me, you should have the guts to listen to me vent," Patricia said. She was as blunt and passionate as Belinda, so she and Leena got along well. "Hide? I don''t know anything about that," Leena replied, sticking out her tongue. ''Girl, you want to get together with me so you could bitch me out? No way! Not happening!'' Leena thought to herself.


    "Fine. Go on! Keep pretending! What? Do you have Alzheimer''s now? Do you need me to help remind you what you''ve done?" Patricia said, then snatched up the car keys and rushed out the door. She wanted details. She was going to grill Leena about her wedding. "No, thanks. I''m too weak to fight about it. I''m not disabled," Leena replied, looking miserable. Anyway, she knew that she couldn''t get out of this.


    "That''s the spirit! So, my ce or yours? Choose, or I''ll choose for you!" Patricia teased, sitting in her car calmly and waiting for the answer.

 Chapter 1178 Dignity (Part Two)

    "Let''s meet at that coffee shop we both like!" Leena said. She knew she couldn''t avoid this and was ready to submit. She just hoped that Patricia could save her some humiliation and not yell at her in public.


    "All right. Get a move on, then. See ya!" Patricia raised her eyebrow smugly after she hung up. ''This girl really needs to be taught a lesson. Why doesn''t she respect me? Then she wouldn''t have to go out of her way to calm me down when I''m pissed,'' she thought. "See youter," Leena said weakly, and put her head down on the steering wheel. She was so depressed right now. Leena would rather be dead than face Patricia.


    Leena stopped feeling sorry for herself after she remembered why she went out in the first ce. She fumbled with her phone in her haste to call ire, but the girl wouldn''t pick up. She pressed redial repeatedly, but there was still no answer. She started to worry, and couldn''t know that ire was practicing her turn on the runway. The music was so loud it drowned out the phone. How could she even tell someone was calling? Her head was in the clouds right now, her worldly cares forgotten.


    ''Where did she go? Why didn''t she tell me?'' Leena thought to herself and wondered if she needed to call Kevin to ask if he knew. It was eleven o''clock and she''d known for an hour that ire was gone. Who knows how much of a head start she already had? After she thought about it for a moment, she finally gave in and called Kevin.


    "What do you need? Shoot!" Kevin said. He thought the call was from ire, so he even didn''t look at the phone number carefully and kept locking his eyes on the soldiers who were practicing on the yground.


    "Sorry! Are you busy?" Leena was taken aback by his abrupt manner. He knew she never called unless it was super-important. Why was he so rude?


    "Oh, hey honey. I thought it was ire," Kevin said in surprise. He didn''t think it would be Leena, because she rarely called. Besides, her phone was broken.


    "Is ire with you? I can''t find her." Leena stated this inly. Sometimes, the in truth was the best policy, and Leena lived by that. She figured she''d let the momentary case of mistaken identity go. Why create more drama?


    "Oh! That. She told me she went out with a friend and asked me to tell you if you called. Looks like you have a new phone?" He knew who ire was talking about, without even guessing. That must be Louisa. He figured that was okay as long as they didn''t try and mess up Leena''s life.


    "Yeah! Just got it. She''s still outside, right? Now that I know she is safe, I''ll stop bothering you. Bye!" Leena said. The only reason she called in the first ce was to figure out where ire was. Now that she had the answer, she figured he was too busy to talk.


    "Wait, bae. Did you apply the bruise cream yet?" Kevin tried to interject quickly, catching her before she hung up. Sometimes he wondered whether she really missed him. He was wondering why she almost never called.


    "Um, I forgot," Leena said, sticking out her tongue. That was because she was in such a rush to get out and find ire, so she cut several corners in her morning routine. ire was missing, so how could she remember something like that?


    "I counted on ire to help you with it, but she didn''t tell me before she took off. So see if you can do it yourself. I''ll help you when I get home tonight," Kevin said, now leaning against the tree. The sun was shining through the leaves, bathing his body in sunlight. "Okay! Got it. See you tonight," Leena said with a tender smile. She didn''t care too much as long as he cared about her.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "See you tonight. Take care of yourself." Kevin said with gentleness in his eyes. Pity that Leena couldn''t see it.


    "Okay, I gotta go now." Leena hung up. She put her head in her hands when thinking of seeing Patriciater. She was not looking forward to that at all. But she faced that like she faced life -- head on. So she started the car and drove to the coffee shop. Patricia was a good looking woman, but not as delicate as Leena. She had a different kind of beauty. Heads were turning in her direction and furtive nces were thrown in her direction while she waited for Leena.


    "Sorry! Didn''t mean to keep you waiting." Leena apologized breathlessly and sat down before Patricia could say a word. She totally forgot her manners, which also showed how tired she was.


    "What did you do? Lollygag on the way here? It wasn''t a long drive. What took your slow ass so long?" Patricia snapped, rolling her eyes. She was farther away than Leena, but she made it here earlier than her. She really had some nerve to make her wait. "You''re one to talk! You drive like you''re training for the Geely Super League. Speaking of which, does your family know you''re a racer now?" Leena said and took her coat off, draping it over her chair.


    "Not yet. I don''t want to freak them out. There is a race next month and I''m thinking of entering," Patricia said with a frank smile. Racing was her favorite pastime. As it was also risky, she always did it in secret, fearing that her family would forbid her to do it. That would be all she needed, so she kept it from them.000????????????

 Chapter 1179 Dignity (Part Three)

    But it always made her heart beat faster in worry to think of her friend crashing.


    "I wish you wouldn''t do it. I worry about you every time you get in that form one." Leena could understand what the attraction was. Out there on the track, with speed and passion, straining the limits of machine and man. It was a way to blow off a lot of stress, she knew. "Silly girl, what could happen? Don''t you trust my skills?" Patricia said with a pretentious smile. She was one of the top three racers in thepetition although she didn''t get the grand prize. It was a good score, and definitely something to be proud of.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "It''s not about trust. idents happen. I just worry about you." Patricia was her BFF and she didn''t want anything bad to happen to her.


    "This race is international. I don''t want to give it up. It could mean big things," Patricia said with a bitter smile. She was fairly rich, and her family was well-educated. The world was her oyster, so why do something so dangerous? But she was the only one who understood why. Her life was boring. Her family was boring. She caught the rebellion bug, as bored teens often did, and started racing. Small-time at first, but she was hooked on the rush. Now, she was after bigger prizes.


    "But, your family will figure it out sooner orter," Leena said anxiously, frowning.


    "What about yours?" Patricia asked. "Does your family know what you did?" Patricia shot a meaningful nce at Leena. From the bottom of her heart, she wanted to be like Leena, carefree, able to pursue her dreams. But that was denied for her, so she chose to race


    cars.


    "What did I do?" Leena asked with a puzzled face. She had nothing to hide from her family.


    "You know. You got married! You brother loves you so much that I can''t believe he actually let you do it. So you must be hiding it from him, right?" Patricia asked and stared at Leena smugly. She wanted to see how long Leena could pretend to be cool in front of her. She totally had it wrong, though.


    "Sorry to disappoint you. My family already knows. I have no secrets," Leena said with a sly grin. ''Huh!'' She thought to herself. She knew this would shock her friend. That was the point.


    "No way! I remember your brother even stopped other guys from looking at you, bullying them until they backed down. How could he ept that you''re married?" Patricia said and looked at Leena with surprise. She always thought Mr. Cold would keep his sister at home forever, a virgin. To her surprise, Leena married at an earlier age than anyone else. There was a saying: "man proposes but God disposes." In the end, sometimes something surprising happens, out of everyone''s control.


    "Don''t you know the saying: ''act first and report afterwards?"" Leena said and took a sip of the fresh coffee. She had no need to hide anything. She knew it was a whirlwind romance, but it still made her the happiest woman on earth.


    "Bad girl, I''m not going to let you off the hook so easily. Tell me. Why didn''t I even hear the tiniest rumor about your marriage? I was worried that you would end up dying alone," Patricia said and red at Leena. It wasn''t the first time and probably wouldn''t be thest. Patricia was like that.


    "Hehe! You know me so well. I love Cappino," Leena said, taking the cup and sipping the coffee. She concentrated on this, which was morefortable than Patricia''s burning gaze.


    "Don''t try to change the subject. Why am I thest one to know about your wedding?" Patricia got even angrier. Even her ssmate, the guy she set Leena up with, knew it before she did. Some friend!


    "I had to find a good opportunity to tell you," Leena murmured. ''Can''t this girl lower her voice?'' she thought to herself. Everyone in the coffee shop was looking at them now. Patricia got carried away and didn''t care who knew. The normally dull roar of casual conversation had died down, as people were trying to figure out why this woman was yelling.


    "What ame-ass excuse! Good opportunity my ass! I don''t think you were even going to tell me." Patricia didn''t lower her voice, instead, she said it even louder. The coffee shop got even quieter, most patrons were now interested in what was going on.


    "Wow, calm down, girl. Let''s not start any drama," Leena said and looked around awkwardly. She lowered her head when she found people were looking at them like that. Thest thing she wanted was to be the center of awkward attention. "What is drama? Can you eat it, or sell it? No, you can''t. So why should I give a rat''s ass?"


    Patricia said in a reckless tone, rolling her eyes. She raised her eyebrow and thought, ''what a hypocrite.''


    "Hey, enough with thenguage. We''re in a public ce. Please stop saying ''ass'' so much," Leena said, frowning. She must be nuts to agree to meet here. If she knew Patricia was going to fly off the handle like this, she would have selected a ce they never went to. "You think ''ass'' is a rude word? Then don''t fart," Patricia said, and looked at Leena, daring her to say something. Patricia acted all high and mighty, so it was like the loser won the game. Leena felt very depressed at this exchange, but she could do nothing. The only thing she could do was to swallow her anger and bleed inside. Her friend was browbeating her into submission.000000

 Chapter 1180 Are You Happy (Part One)

    "Patricia, keep it down, please! You are drawing attention to us now!" Leena felt embarrassed and ufortable about the silent gazes they were getting. She turned to Patricia and signaled thedy to calm down.


    "Who cares! I''m not in the wrong here. Why should I care about others'' gazes?" Patricia curled up her lips and shrugged her shoulders. She never cared about others'' opinions. She was a typical girl who only lived in her own world. What others thought about her was none of her business. She only did what would make herself happy. "But you are making me embarrassed here!" Leena sighed and wiped away the beads of sweat from her forehead. She was slightly distressed that previous request didn''t work. Honestly, Patricia with her wild behaviors was really getting on her nerves now. "Don''t be ridiculous. You are the one who secretly got married without telling us. How could you have the nerves to say you are embarrassed?" Patricia gave her a cold look and snapped. She was still pretty mad at Leena for not telling her about the marriage.


    "Please, for God''s sake! Just keep it down! You are really drawing all the attention to us here! People will start thinking that I am a bad girl!" Leena''s face turned dark. She rolled her eyes in distress and thought to herself, ''Pat, I only kept it as a secret for your own good! I just didn''t want you to feel bad about me. Now you think that I am deliberately lying to you about it. You know what, it really hurts me to hear you saying that. I feel wronged!''


    "Who dares to think that you are a bad girl? I will kick the shit out of him!" Patricia waved her fists in the air and pouted. She valued her friendship with Leena very much. No one could ever say anything bad about Leena in front of her. In Patricia''s mind, only she could bully Leena from time to time. If anyone else dared to insult Leena, she would be the first one out there to protect her.


    "Hey, easy girl! You are not from the Mafia. Could you please quiet down?" Leena helplessly covered her face with her palms. She found it pointless to argue with Patricia as she was so stubborn. She tried so hard but things were not working out the way she wanted. "Hold on a second. You still haven''t told me about your husband''s name. You naughty girl! Tell me now. Who is he? Who is the fortunate guy that married you? To be honest with you, I''m so jealous of him. Me, Patricia, should be the one that apanies you all the time, not some random dude!" Patricia bluffed with a high pitch. She sounded so serious that Leena cracked a big smile on her face. Patricia looked as if she was filled with righteous distress. Leena was pretty sure that if Patricia ever went into a fight, she would be the winner who took all.


    "He is not some random dude! He has a name, alright?" Leena shook her head and forced these words out of her mouth. She was so embarrassed. Patricia had already attracted numerous attention with her loud voice. Leena felt uneasy being the center of attention. She was actually concerned that people who overheard their conversation might take her as some slut who slept around. Patricia really got her into big trouble here!


    "Well, I don''t know him personally. So he is a random dude to me." Patricia raised her chin up proudly. However, she noticed Leena''s awkwardness and lowered her voice.


    "Fine. My bad! Happy now? I hope you are not judging me anymore! By the way, why do I have to be the one to back down first in an argument? It is always me to back down every single time." Leena pouted her mouth sadly. She felt defeated by Patricia. This girlfriend of hers really knew how to bully her!


    "My point exactly! Why don''t you cooperate and tell me things about your husband already? Where is he from and what does he do? I need every single detail of him. I need to run a background check on him for your own good!" Patricia''s eyes were round with excitement. Although she was a small woman, she was full of high spirits now. She meant business when she talked about checking on Leena''s husband.


    "His family is in the capital city and it is quite cold out there. If you tolerate the low temperature, you are more than wee to check his family out! But I need to say, if youe across something good out there, don''t forget to share it with me." Leena rolled her eyes and grinned. Patricia was being ridiculous because there was no way that she could carry out a background check on Kevin. Patricia might be good at fighting but she was not Kevin''s match at all. Leena thought about the time when she was held hostage and how Kevin saved her. That memory made her smile happily. Her Kevin was the biggest hero on earth and no one could defeat him.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Why should I share anything with you? Are you in the right here or should I reward your lying?" Patricia raised her eyebrows and teased Leena. She enjoyed making fun of her from time to time. She felt greatly amused when Leena blushed and pouted her mouth.

 Chapter 1181 Are You Happy (Part Two)

    "Of course I deserve anything you''ll find in the capital city! It is a reward to keep my mouth shut! Aren''t you concerned that I might go there and warn him first since you are saying that you''re going to dig his details? Anyway, don''t tter yourself. You won''t evene closer to him. You will be surrounded by a toon of soldiers even before you get a chance." It seemed that they were having a casual chat. But in reality, Leena said those words to hint that her husband had a military background. This was their unique way ofmunicating. They had been friends for years. Sometimes, they could even read each other''s mind through gestures. Leena was being honest with Patricia. She was her close friend and there was no need to hide her husband''s identity from her. "So what is his name? You could not possibly still keep it as a secret!" Patricia was slightly shocked to find out that Leena''s husband was from the military. Now she was really eager to know about his name!


    "Kevin Gu. I will introduce you to him properly when I get a chance." Leena knew her husband well. He would feel offended if she kept him from all her friends. It was quite important for him to get to know her social circle. She should at least introduce him to her friends as he wished. It was nice of him to try to get involved as much as possible in her life. She felt ttered by the thought.


    "Excellent! I have never met a real Major General in my life before! I hope he is a good-looking man! You know me, I only talk to handsome men. If your husband is not up to my standard then don''t expect me to be friendly to him." Patricia gave Leena a profound look. She had her unique cool way of expressing herself. Leena didn''t take her words seriously as she knew Patricia was just joking around.


    "Whatever floats your boat! I don''t care if you talk to him or not." Leena pouted her mouth and pretended to be annoyed at her friend. She was pondering why on earth would Patricia judge a person by his look. Shouldn''t she value a person ording to his personality? "So, he is not that handsome, I guess? Are you serious? Is he an ugly man? What were you thinking, girl? You are supposed to spend decades of your life with your other half. You could have at least found yourself a hot dude! But anyway, I am more interested to know how you two met. When did it happen? I would never imagine this kind of person walking into your life!" Patricia stared bluntly at Leena. She knew that Leena was keeping something from her and she was eager to find out what it was. They had been good friends for years but she never heard the name Kevin Gu being mentioned once. She was surprised to hear about him. She started to wonder whether she really knew Leena that well.


    "He is definitely not ugly! He is such a fascinating guy. I hope you are not trying to steal him from me!" Leenaughed and teased Patricia. She knew Patricia was an open-minded girl and would not be offended by her harmless joke.


    "Good for you, Leena! I am d that you think I am capable of stealing your man''s heart. You have finally realized that I am the prettier one here." With her loose hair twisting around her finger, Patricia pretentiously winked at Leena. She looked so flirtatious that Leena almost spat the coffee out of her mouth.


    "Shocking! Look at you and your flirtatious move! I have to say, I am not a match to that at all." Leena covered her mouth with both of her hands and tried hard not to burst outughing. She was greatly amused by Patricia.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "Shut up! I know what you are thinking right now. You bad girl!" In reaction, Patricia cracked a big smile on her face and turned her head away. She knew that Leena was holding back herughter hard. Nheless, she was d that her poor acting just now amused Leena.


    "Hey, I am not the one who is flirting around here. You have always teased me. Now it is my turn to tease you back! Every dog has his own day. You have suppressed me long enough and it is my time to shine!" Leena couldn''t hold back herughter anymore. She proudly raised her chin up and looked all triumphant.


    "Is he nice to you?" Patricia looked at Leena in the eyes as she sincerely asked the question. It was to her greatest surprise that Leena chose a military man as her husband. It never urred to her that Leena would make such a bold choice.


    "Of course, I love him." Leena sighed sweetly as she lightly stirred the coffee in her mug. She was always serious when it came to her husband. The topic apparently meant a lot in her heart. Even the tone of her voice changed, she was no longer yful. "Are you happy?" Patricia sensed the seriousness of Leena''s tone and gazed at her warmly. She wanted to make sure that her friend was living her dream life.


    "I am very happy." Leena gave her an assuring look. Her smile was genuine and it instantly made Patricia understand her. She felt truly happy for her.


    "My blessings to you, girl!" Patricia extended her hand and gave Leena a splendid smile.


    "Thanks, hun." With these words, Leena caught Patricia''s hand and held it tightly. She felt greatly blessed to have a friend like Patricia. They didn''t even need many words, just a mere look, and thedy could magically fill her heart with warmth.


    Leena drove directly to FX International Group after bidding goodbye to Patricia. She thought that it would be nice to visit Mr. Mu as it was still early. She remembered what Daisy had told her before and that urged her to see him in person.[

 Chapter 1182 Are You Happy (Part Three)

    "It is my pleasure to see you here." Anna leaped with joy as soon as she saw Leena stepped in. She extended her arms and greeted her warmly.


    "The pleasure is all mine! I heard the good news about your new rtionship. Congrattions to you!" Leena smiled warmly and said. Actually, she was quite surprised to know about her new date. It never urred to her that Anna would date that guy. "Thank you very much, Leena. Actually, I need some help right now. Would you minding in first, please? I badly need help in calming down the president. He is really in a foul mood today and he has scolded several senior managers. It is getting tough here." Anna knew how fond of Leena her boss was and she sincerely wished for her arrival to calm him down. Seeing Leenaing in earlier, flooded her both in so much hope and relief.


    "What happened? Howe? Was Daisy giving him a hard time again?" Leena''s eyebrows slightly furrowed. In her mind, the only person who could possibly cross Mr. Mu was his dear wife, Daisy.


    "I am not quite sure about that. He has been in a bad mood since this morning. I don''t know what is really going on with him." Anna could not draw a conclusion as she had no idea about the exact cause of Edward being mad. It would be wrong for her to give a false guess. "Don''t worry about it! Just leave it to me." With a reassuring smile on her pretty face, Leena walked straight to the president''s office.


    Usually, she would walk straight into the office without knocking. She was a bold girl in front of Edward and would not really care about those polite manners. However, today was a bit different. She raised her hand and earnestly knocked on the closed door. With her lips curled up, Leena thought of a great idea.


    "Come in." A deep male voice sounded behind the door. Leena sensed the irritation and impatience in his voice straight away. It indeed confirmed that someone was really mad today!


    Nheless, what she heard just made Leena''s smile bigger. She deliberately knocked on the door more rather than stepped in. She wanted to see what Edward would do next.


    "Are you deaf? I saide in! If you don''t understand what I said, you might just as well be fired!" Edward was now shouting behind the door as Leena sessfully pushed him over the edge with her bold moves. He sounded really angry and dangerous. Anna''s heart was almost in her throat as she thought, ''Geez, what is wrong with Leena? Why is she irritating Edward like that? Is she trying to pour more oil to the fire?''


    As if she could read her mind, Leena turned around and smiled at Anna. She had the most naughty twinkly eyes Anna had ever seen. She was really worried that Edward might dash out the room like a bullet if Leena kept annoying him.


    Behind the door, Edward''s eyes were ring with anger as he could not believe what was going on at this point. Someone had dared to test his limits and it was indeed a very bad timing. He was growing more and more impatient as he waited for the person toe inside hisir. However, almost one minute had passed and the door was still closed tightly. It was clear that someone was joking around him on purpose. Edward was furious! He couldn''t stand this farce anymore. Thus, he stood up quickly behind the desk and dashed towards the door. He was fuming when he forcefully pulled the door wide open and someone delicate fell right into his arms. Goodness! His world automatically stopped.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "Ouch, Edward! Can''t you open the door gently?" Leena touched her cute nose and pouted her mouth. She bumped him right on the chest and now her poor nose hurt. She was about to open the door anyway, it was just that he did it first. Therefore, she lost her bnce and fell straight ahead.


    "Leena, it is you! Are you okay? Did I hurt you?" Edward raised his eyebrows in shock. All his anger disappeared the moment he realized who was standing in front of him. He couldn''t help but worry about her upon seeing her face twisting in pain. Gently helping her stand straight, he bent down and carefully examined her face to see if her nose was bleeding. To his great relief, nothing major happened. As Leena did not fall down to the ground, she was alright. However, it still made Edward worried to see Leena frowning. He could see that her nose was a little reddish due to the bump.


    "Well, you almost broke my nose there. See? It is now all red!" With her hand rubbing her nose, Leena deliberately gave Edward a cold re. She would not have joked earlier if she knew this would happen. Leena sighed silently and thought sarcastically, ''That''s your fault, Leena! Congrattions for hurting your own nose!'' Now she couldn''t help but worry if her pretty nose was still firm! She was quite proud of her nose to start with.


    "Let me see. It seems alright. If it is actually broken, however, I think we should put a piggie bone there instead. What do you think?" Edward sniggered. He fondly moved her hand away and took another close look at her nose. He was no longer in a bad mood since Leena''s arrival had lightened up his day. He was delighted to see her and her unexpected visit turned out to a big sweet surprise for him. No one could resist the charm of the adorable Leena.


    "What piggie bone? Are you implying that I have a piggie nose? Edward, this is not cool. You are hurting my feelings! I am going home!" With her mouth pouting in distress, Leena stomped her feet and whirled around. However, her arm was caught by Edward. He stopped her and said with a grin, "Hold on now, We are not done yet! Why were you knocking the door withouting in just now?" Edward had to know the answer to that question. Leena was such a yful girl full of interesting ideas. He was greatly amused by her thoughts from time to time. He was wondering what kind of tricks she was pulling just now.0000

 Chapter 1183 Are You Happy (Part Four)

    "I am not tricking you, alright? I am just being polite, like always. It is important to have good manners. Therefore, I knock twice before walking in." Leena''s big eyes were sparkling with mischief. She was now lying to Edward''s face boldly. Under no circumstance would she admit to his usation. "Cut the crap! I can easily recognize all your little tricks! You never knock on my door." Edward shook his head andughed. He knew Leena well enough to tell her bullshit. She was just like Rain, restless and full of surprises. They were like two spoiled kids who tended to act on their own wills. Whenever they came to his office, they walked in straight without knocking at all. ''Manners? Unheard of with these two.'' thought Edward with a big grin on his face. He looked at Leena''s naughty face and again shook his head helplessly. ''She must have heard about my bad mood from Anna earlier. She must have teased me, in order to cheer me up a little bit.'' Edward sighed silently as he came to the conclusion.


    "Whatever you say! I am now more sensitive about manners. I am aware of them because I have matured!" Leena caught his arms and said softly. She smiled at him, knowing that he would never shout at her or get mad at her. Edward always had a good temper whenever he was with her.


    "So, ording to you, you have matured? Oh really? May I ask, is getting married secretly a mature behavior?" Edward tapped on her forehead softly and snapped. Judging from his tone, Leena could tell that he was just as annoyed as Duke when it came to her secret marriage with Kevin. The topic was sort of taboo for everyone who cared for her.


    "Not now! Stop mentioning it! Edward, you are just like my big brother! You guys keep barking about the same old thing! Could you let it go already? Let bygones be bygones! It happened for a reason. I am already happily married. Just let it go!" Leena pouted her mouth and stared back. It seemed to her that it would take a long way before they could finally ept Kevin as her husband. Leena hoped for that day to arrive soon. For now, things didn''t seem easy for her and Kevin. They needed to gain trust and blessings from everyone. "Sorry, no can do. I think I would nag you about this even after half a century. I am permanently traumatized by your behavior." Edward said with an evil grin as he sat down on the sofa. Not surprisingly at all, Leena''s face twisted with anger as she was genuinely annoyed by his words. Poordy. Edward just sniggered triumphantly at her aggravated look.


    "Whatever. I don''t want to talk about it anymore. Let''s change the subject, shall we? I heard that you are not in a good mood today all day long. What and who are you angry with?" Leena tilted her head and gazed at Edward. She was curious to know the answer. Her face was lit with eagerness.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "Who else would piss me off? Of course, it was you. You and your rude manners!" Holding back hisughter hard, Edward gave her a cold stare. He still looked amazingly handsome in spite of his fake angry look. Time did not leave any trace on his face as all his features remained as gorgeous despite his age.


    "Me? How is that even possible? I haven''t seen you for days. How could it be me?" With her lips pressed together, Leena looked all confused. She didn''t expect his answer at all. How could she possibly piss him off?


    "Well, you pissed me off by not paying me frequent visits!" With his back leaning casually against the sofa, Edward opened his mouth and teased her. He looked rxed and somewhat arrogant.


    "Haha! Edward, you are funny. What are you talking about? Don''t be ridiculous. You are just finding excuses here!" Leena burst outughing as her irritation turned to amusement. She walked up to him and sat down next to him on the sofa.


    "Why did you turn off your phonest night?" He sounded serious as he was genuinely worried about her safety. It was important for him to know her whereabouts as he cared for her greatly.


    "About that. I dropped my phone and it broke. Did you try to call me? Wait a minute, is this what you''re angry about?" Even more confused, Leena twisted her lips. She could clearly see the care in Edward''s eyes when she looked up. Why would he get so mad over her phone? He shouldn''t be in a bad mood anyway just because he could not reach her.


    "Well, you tell me. How did you drop your phone?" Edward chose to bury the truth deep in his heart. He didn''t wish to tell her the real cause of his anger at all. It was through Daisy that he heard about what happened to Leenast night. He was upset that she didn''t contact him in time when she was in trouble. Was it just him who thought that they were close and wished that they were closer. She shouldn''t have kept things away from him.


    "Well, it was an ident. I didn''t hold it tight enough. It fell from my hand!" Leena looked away as she made ame excuse to cover up the facts. She didn''t dare to tell him what happenedst night. She knew what Edward was capable of. He was a man of iron will. Things would lead to bigger troubles if she told him about the incident. Thus, she would rather keep him in the darkness. It was a lot better this way than to see him seek revenge for her. Edward would do anything to get even, no matter who he was fighting against. Leena didn''t wish to get him involved at all. Therefore, she even went all out and stopped Tom from telling him the incident.00000000

 Chapter 1184 He Is Your Husband (Part One)

    "Do you really think that I will believe you?" Edward smirked at Leena. He couldn''t believe how she seemingly took him for a fool. How could she think that he would believe such ame excuse? Edward knew that the truth was definitely not as simple as Leena told him. "That is the truth, whether you believe it or not. Besides, look, here is my new phone. I just bought it." Leena took her new phone out of her purse and handed it to Edward. She wanted to prove that she was saying the truth and that she didn''t lie to him. "Well, I believe that your phone was broken. What I don''t believe is how it was broken." Crossing his legs casually, Edward gave her phone an uninterested nce. Yes, it was indeed a new one. However, it didn''t mean that he would believe what she said just because she got herself a new phone.


    "How was it broken? What do you mean?" Leena furrowed her eyebrows and pretended that she didn''t understand what he said. She was secretly wondering if Tom had told Edward about what happenedst night. Good Lord! She sincerely hoped not. He couldn''t have told Edward about it, could he? Tom was not like Rain, he was not the type of person who would be spreading others'' secret like it was butter to a toast. If it was Rain who knew about her secret, then he would have probably told Edward already, but not Tom. She trusted Tom.


    "Well, you''re the only one who knows what I mean. By the way, why did you decide toe here all of the sudden? You haven''t been here for a long while,"ined Edward. It was obvious that he wasn''t happy about Leena not visiting them.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    "I''m sorry but I just got really busy these days! If only I''m not busy, trust me, I will definitelye here to bother up every day until you get annoyed with me." Leena felt a bit guilty that she didn''t spend much time with her brothers after she was married. She knew that they all cared so much about her and would always want her around. However, married life was not as easy as she expected. Thus, she hadn''t had much time to focus on her brothers anymore.


    "On the first ce, why are you so busy nowadays? What the hell are you busy about? You don''t even have time to call!" With one of his eyebrows raised, Edward turned to thedy as he thought about these things. She was never this busy before she got married after all. She would always call him at least every two days even when she was abroad. So what was wrong now? How could she even not call him once every week? Or more, once every two days? Why! He couldn''t help but worry that something might have happened that he didn''t know.


    "I''m just busy. There is nothing big about it. There are just so many little things that I need to do these days. Why? Are you all mad at me?" Leena stuck her tongue out at him. Honestly, she didn''t expect herself to be this busy before she got married too. Things just changed so much that she felt like her time didn''t belong to her anymore. She had lost much of her free time that she couldn''t do what she wanted to as freely as before.


    "Well, how about this? I will send a maid to help you out. That way, you wouldn''t have to do everything by yourself." Edward was not a fool. He might not have clearly understood what Leena meant by ''little things'' but it was easy for him to figure out that she was spending a lot of time on housework. Thus, he offered her a maid. That would definitely resolve herck-of-time issue and get her more time to hang out or even call.


    "Umm. You don''t need to do that. How about we wait and see? If I am still busy after a while, I will go and find a maid myself. You are already very busy and I don''t want to bother you." Leena waved her hands. Truth was, she had already considered hiring a maid before but then changed her mind. She wanted to be with Kevin in their apartment without a third wheel. However, she would need to be preparing the clothes for the uing fashion show within the next few days. The sudden thought of the event made her bite on her lip. She knew that she was no-superwoman at all and doing house choirs would surely take up a lot of her time. She needed to focus on her designs now. Was it really the time for her to get a maid?


    "Don''t exhaust yourself too much, Leena. We can surely hire a maid for you. It''s not expensive at all! Though I know that you like cooking for the ones you love and think that it''s a very romantic thing to do, you have to put yourself first." Edward''s voice suddenly sounded worried. He was even frowning when he continued. "You must take care of your health. Don''t you remember what Tom told you thest time? Your resistance to diseases is lower than before, so you shouldn''t be exhausting yourself." Leena might be careless but that didn''t mean that he was as careless as her. Leena used to be sickly during her younger age and he knew how much she struggled to be as healthy as she was now. Thus, seeing Leena as busy and overworked made those people who cared deeply about her worry.


    "Edward, you don''t need to worry about me. I will look after myself. Can''t you stop being a worrywart?" Leena said these words in a sweet tone before gently leaning into her brother''s arms. She wanted him to stop worrying so much about her. She wasn''t a little girl anymore and she could surely take care of herself. What she was doing right now was actually one of her tactics since she knew that her brothers couldn''t resist her whenever she acted this sweetly.

 Chapter 1185 He Is Your Husband (Part Two)

    "We wouldn''t be so worried about you all the time if you really could take care of yourself as good as you said." Edward''s hand moved to stroke Leena''s hair gently. He was really concerned about her so much and considered her his own little sister. There was no way that he wouldn''t notice whatever was going on with her. "Have I ever told you that I''m the happiest person in the whole world? That is because I have you all in my life, my brothers who treat me like I''m the most precious thing to ever breathe." For the first time, Leena told him about how grateful she was to her brothers. She was aware of how much they truly loved her and she remembered it all deep inside. She might not be the type to put her heart on her sleeves but she was also sure that they could feel how thankful she was through her actions.


    "Leena, you may be thinking that you are the happiest girl in the world because of us. But you know what? In our eyes, you are the best thing we have received. You are the reason why we can be this good." A deep sigh escaped from Edward''s chest as he pondered about their rtionship with Leena. In reality, they were all a bit damaged in different ways. It was because they had Leena, their beloved little sister, that they could never be knocked down easily. It was just natural for them to encounter failures from time to time. But then, Leena was the driving force that kept theming back up to fight again. They all knew that they couldn''t disappoint their little princess.


    "I don''t know about that. What I know is that you all hold a special ce in my heart that nobody can ever rece." Leena was suddenly at the verge of crying upon hearing Edward''s words. She was so touched about what he said that she felt her heart squeezed so good. "Silly girl, of course, we know that already! No more emotional talks, okay? Now that you are already here, why don''t we have dinner together tonight?" Edward held her in his arms gently. He saw that Leena was about to cry, and that was why he diverted their subject. Not all things needed to be said out loud after all.Content bel0ngs to N?vel(D)r/a/ma.Org.


    "Tonight?" said Leena a bit hesitantly. It was true that she wanted to have dinner with her brothers but ire would be home alone. She couldn''t just ignore her and go out herself. Besides, Gerard was also a problem. He flew all the way from France to visit her. She surely needed to be a good hostess to him.


    "Yeah, tonight. Is there a problem?" Edward furrowed his eyebrows after noticing Leena''s reaction. He didn''t know why she was even hesitant about having dinner with him. Was she really that busy? Didn''t she have the time for a simple dinner with her brothers? That was such a bummer!


    "No. It''s just that I have a friend who flew all the way here to visit. So I am not sure if I have the time to eat with you," said Leena in an apologetic tone. God knew how much she wanted to spend more time with them and have a good time. It was just that she didn''t know if her schedule would allow her tonight.


    "Who? The one you are calling Gerard? It''s easy. You just need to invite him to dinner with us. It''s just a casual dinner with family and friends after all and we won''t be talking about business." The more people, the merrier. Edward was not even bothered by inviting someone he didn''t really know.


    "It''s not that easy. My sister-inw is also here." Frustratedly, Leena rolled her eyes. She found ire as the bigger problem in this scenario. She was her sister-inw! She couldn''t just leave her alone and hang out with her brothers.


    "So that''s what you''re worried about? It''s fine. It''s not even a problem. Invite her too. The more, the merrier. Besides, it''s Friday, right? We can spend more time together without worrying about going to work tomorrow." In Edward''s eyes, problems that could be solved by money were not to be considered problems. Thus, he didn''t think that it was a big deal to invite two more people to join them. He could afford it easily.


    "Then how about Daisy? Do you know if she is free tonight?" Leena asked Edward while tilting her head. She wouldn''t dare ask Kevin if he had free time. She thought that if Daisy was free then Kevin probably might be free too.


    "I don''t think that she got anything important to do tonight. Well if she iste, we can eat first while waiting for her and Kevin." Edward wasn''t even worried about this because he knew that there wasn''t much going on in the army base these days.


    "Okay then! Let me call Gerard and tell him. Frankly speaking, I haven''t spent much time with him since he came to the S City." She had been worried that Kevin might misunderstand things if she hung out with Gerard alone. Thus, she wasn''t able to take Gerard out for sightseeing. Hearing Edward''s suggestion made her excited because it would allow her to have a good time with Gerard without worrying about how Kevin would feel.


    Edward shook his head fondly at her. Seeing her this excited lifted his mood too. So he walked to his desk and picked his phone up. Then he called Daisy''s number.


    Meanwhile, Daisy was checking her guns when her phone rang. An instant smirk appeared on her lips as soon as she saw Edward''s name on it. She had been thinking the whole time about how to calm his temper down once she got home. It was actually a surprise that he called her first since Edward was never the type topromise with anyone at all. "What, Edward? Aren''t you mad anymore?"


    "I didn''t say that. I''m still mad at you. Don''t think that I will let this go so easily." Although Leena''s visit cooled his head down a little, Edward still didn''t want to be the first topromise with his wife. They could all me his stubbornness but he would never admit to Daisy that he wasn''t angry anymore.

 Chapter 1186 He Is Your Husband (Part Three)

    "Yeah? Really? Then let me ask you, why are you calling me now, Mr. Mu?" On the other hand, Daisy already knew him so well and had seen right through him. She didn''t even have any issues with Edward being as stubborn, so she just let him enjoy it. Who said that only "I just want to tell you that we will be having dinner with Leena and some other friends. We haven''t spent time together for a long time. So if you are not busy,e home early. By the way, tell Kevin about it too." Edward slightly raised his eyebrows. He delivered his line in such a cold and indifferent tone as if was still very mad with his wife.


    women needed to be spoiled in the first ce? Sometimes, men needed some way to boost their egos too. Thus, she chose to spoil the mighty Mr. Mu today.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    "Okay, I see. Just text me the address of the restaurant once you have decided where we will be eating," replied Daisy in an equally indifferent tone. Well, in fact, it was not just Edward who knew how to y this game of bluff. She couldn''t even help but secretly smile fondly at his behavior. How could he still be this childish before her after all this time?


    "That''s all you want to say!" Edward''s tone came out sounding a little bit more shocked than what he had intended. Shouldn''t it be the time for her to say something sweet and nice to him? Shouldn''t she be pacifying him by now? It would only be after she yielded at him that they could make up with each other.


    "Yeah, that''s all. What do you expect me to say?" Now that made Daisy smirk wider. She knew what Edward wanted and what he was insinuating. It was just that she wasn''t in the mood to satisfy him now.


    "Well, I''m not expecting anything. I have to go now," said Edward disappointedly. He knew that Daisy got what he silently meant but just didn''t want to do it now. It appeared like he had lost to Daisy again on this round. Apparently, he got no one to me as he was the one who had been spoiling her all the time. Great! He was now harvesting the results. Daisy wasn''t afraid of him anymore.


    "Wait." Daisy reacted fast after hearing how upset Edward was. She didn''t want to make him unhappy. If it would only take her a few words to make him happy again, then fine! Why wouldn''t she do it? No matter what, it was still him who called her first. It was technically him whopromised in a way. Thus, it was pointless to act as stubborn and distress him more. She honestly didn''t like how Edward sounded but she didn''t want to hold on to that. It would be easy for them to make up and be happy anyway. Thus, she whispered on her phone sweetly, "I really miss you, honey."


    "Honey, I really miss you too." Hearing those magic words melted Edwards bad mood in an instant. He was suddenly smiling while holding his phone next to his ear. His lighter aura made his already gorgeous face look even more breath-taking. They finally made up! "You are not mad anymore, right?" teased Daisy as she sported an equally gorgeous smile. She knew that Edward was always stubborn and she really didn''t mind spoiling him from time to time. He was her husband after all.


    "Well, you''re not mad anymore so how can I be mad?" answered Edward shamelessly. He was now back to his usual self since his cute wife alreadypromised to him first. Ha! He won!


    "Okay, okay! That''s enough. I have to continue with my job now. Go ahead and do your own things!" Her voice might have sounded a little hard still but Daisy was secretly giggling deep inside. Truth was, she never expected Edward to stay in love with her for a long time when they started living together. She realized how wrong she was as time went by. Edward was in fact very serious about her. He had already proven how loyal and how deeply in love he was with her. How could she not love him back as much?


    "Be careful there. Are you trying to make me angry again, Daisy?" said Edward coldly as he dangerously squinted his eyes. The fact that it was only Daisy who could control his emotions as easily as this was still a surprise to him. Daisy was indeed his kryptonite. "See? I was just joking. Howe you''re serious again? Well, if you want me toe home early tonight, just stop chatting with me and wasting my time. Otherwise, I won''t be able to finish my work." Daisy was aware of how much she could annoy Edward up. Thus, she intentionally teased him. She had already foreseen that he would react this way.


    "Fine! We''ll decide what happens to youter. Do you really think that I can''t do anything about this?" Edward sniggered as some private thoughts came into his mind.


    Hearing him made Daisy shudder out of control. She wondered about what Edward was implying and she was suddenly a bit nervous about it. If her guess was indeed right, then she might not be able to leave their bed for a few days!


    "Edward, how''s Daisy? Is she free tonight?" Leena approached Edward fast as soon as he hanged the phone up. It was out of respect that she didn''t eavesdrop on their call.


    "Yeah! She will being with us but she might be a littlete." A broad smile cracked on Edward''s lips as he talked. Daisy already yielded by saying that she really missed him and that was all he wanted. He was really easy to please. He didn''t even need Daisy to do big gestures or say something more ttering. A sincere confession was enough for him to be happy. Daisy was his everything after all. Her love and care would always be more than enough for Edward.0000000

 Chapter 1187 He Is Your Husband (Part Four)

    "Then how about Kevin? Does he have time too?" asked Leena with a bit worry. She was afraid that Kevin mighte home to an empty apartment without anything to eat. Thus, she badly needed to know if he woulde with them. "Leena, he is your husband. If you want to know if he has the time or not, just call and ask him yourself. You shouldn''t be this careful and worried." Edward slightly furrowed his brows at her question. She shouldn''t be this anxious about calling her own husband, should she? She was being overly cautious!


    "I''m just worried that I might interrupt his work if I call now." The thought of Kevin''s impatient voice when she called this morning made Leena a little depressed. Although she knew that he wasn''t upset with her, she could tell that Kevin wasn''t the type of person who liked being interrupted during his work.


    "You two are already married, Leena. Why are you being so careful around him? You have the right to just ask him! He won''t be mad with just a simple question. There is no need for you to guess. I don''t want you to do that to yourself, okay?" Concerned, Edward shot Leena a soft re. It broke his heart to see her like this. He didn''t know if Kevin still had some unresolved feelings for Daisy. But if so, then it would surely hurt Leena. And frankly, Leena getting hurt was the veryst thing he would want to see.


    "I am not doing anything to myself. Don''t worry about me, okay? Well, it''s time for me to go home now. See you tonight at dinner!" Leena grabbed her purse and got herself ready to leave. She was worried that ire mighte home and didn''t see her. Thus, it was better for her to go home as early as now.


    "Yeah. Go ahead. I have to finish my work too. Remember what I said just now, okay?" Edward was still bothered about Leena and thought that he might never stop worrying about her. He wouldn''t have been this anxious if he didn''t know about Kevin''s feelings towards Daisy before. It was unfortunate that he knew. Thus, he couldn''t hold himself back from being distressed even if she was already married.


    "Of course. Goodbye, Edward!" Leena made a face at Edward. It was true that she was thinking about ire but it wasn''t exactly the reason why she wanted to leave. What she really wanted was to dodge Edward''s constant worry. She didn''t want to talk to Edward about her rtionship problem too much because she was afraid that Edward would see right through her and find something he wasn''t supposed to know. There were a few things that she wanted to avoid now.


    "Bye!" Edward watched Leena quickly leave his office. She was moving so fast as if she was running away from something. That made him frown even more. He was really hoping that things between Leena and her husband were fine. He just wanted his dear sister to be happy and to stop worrying too much. He also hoped for Kevin not to hurt Leena. He could never be at peace until he saw her live happily.


    A few minutes after and Leena was already back at the Grand Apartment. It was then that she met ire who just came in too. Behind her sister-inw was Louisa who drove ire back. Though Leena didn''t like Louisa at all and didn''t want to see her, she had to walk up to them because of ire.


    "ire, where did you go? Why didn''t you answer my call?" Leena put all her attention to her sister-inw and deliberately ignored Louisa. To be honest, she didn''t even want to see Louisa here.


    "Oh!" We went out. The music there was so loud that I didn''t hear my phone ringing." ire''s face looked tired. She never knew that modeling was actually a tiring job until just earlier. The title might be somewhat ttering but it sure required a lot of energy.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "You seem so tired. Are you okay, ire? Are you feeling well?" Leena gave her sister-inw a worried stare. She got no clue of where ire and Louisa went. ''A ce with loud music? Did they go to a bar? But that was impossible! It was daytime!'' she silently wondered but didn''t want to ask ire. She was afraid that ire might think that she was judging her. The two of them had been getting along so well these days and she didn''t want to ask some stupid questions that might damage their fragile rtionship.


    "I''m fine. Don''t worry. I''m just a little tired after being out for a long time. I just need to rest for a bit." ire touched her face after hearing what Leena said. Did she really look that tired? But they only had a few hours'' practice. Maybe it was because she hadn''t exercise for a very long time and that was why she got haggard.


    "Okay. Then go upstairs and have a good rest." Leena''s eyebrows slightly furrowed upon hearing ire''s words. It was fortunate that there were still a few hours until dinner time. Thus, ire could rest for a bit. Otherwise, she would be so anxious that she might not be able to join them for dinner.


    It was then that an uninvited voice tore between the sister-inws'' conversation. It was Louisa, whose only hobby was to pick on Leena whenever she could. Who said that she was a fan of Leena on the first ce? She didn''t even like her! "Leena, where are your manners? Aren''t you going to greet me at all?"????????????

 Chapter 1188 Do Unto Others (Part One)

    "Miss Ye,e on. We aren''t friends yet. Why do I need to do this?" Leena finally looked up at her, and gave a snort of contempt.


    "Really? Why aren''t we friends? Leena, are you trying to hide from me? As for why you''re doing this, I think we both know." Louisa opened the car door and got out. One hand resting on the roof, she glowered at Leena. It was a clear challenge. Everyone said Leena was from a rich and powerful family. Louisa desperately wanted to find out what her bottom line was. "Hiding? Louisa, do you think you''re too ugly to look at? That''s the only reason I''d hide. You shouldn''t be so hard on yourself." Leena went on the attack now. And with good reason. Louisa hade to her ce and insulted her. It was payback time.


    "You... Humph! You''re one to talk," Louisa retorted. "You''re such a slut, you had to sleep with Kevin to get him to marry you." Louisa was embarrassed by Leena''s retort. She gnashed her teeth in anger, but she decided to fight back. What else could she do? She was beside herself with rage. But Leena wasn''t done.


    "Haha! Louisa, you have no idea what a real slut is like! No man would want you even if you threw yourself at him!" She had to be tough and mean. Leena wasn''t trying to hurt her, but she was fed up. Louisa was a constant thorn in her side, and it was time to remove it. "You bitch! What are you talking about? Say that again! I dare you!" Louisa quickly moved around the car and stood in front of Leena. Her eyes zed with fury, her hands were balled into fists.


    "Watch your mouth, if you don''t want to get clocked!" Leena shouted. Leena tilted her chin. If she didn''t have Kevin to think about, she wouldn''t have let this get so out of hand. But Louisa talked about helping his career, being themander''s daughter. She could probably hurt it as well. "What are you gonna do? p me again? Do it. I dare you. But I guarantee you won''t get far. I meant to get pped thatst time. To call you out, and show everyone who you really are." Louisa just stood there, resting her hands on her hips, arrogant and imperious. "That''s right, I''m not an actor like you. But I could still hurt you. I just don''t want to get my hands dirty." Though Leena was absolutely furious, she still put on a false smile. She wouldn''t give Louisa the pleasure of looking frightened or confused. Elegance was one of her best weapons to deal with Louisa.


    "Cut it out, you guys! All you''re doing is embarrassing yourselves," said ire, confusion writtenrge on her face. Leena was ire''s sister-inw while Louisa was her good friend. She couldn''t pick sides here, because she cared about them both. If she did choose one over the other, then either Louisa or Leena would be mad at her. And she didn''t want to hurt either of them.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    "I''m really not in the mood for her crap. She started it." Louisa snorted in disgust. ''Just wait, Leena,'' she thought. ''You''re rich and young now, but eventually I''ll see you beaten like a dog.''


    Leena''s lips trembled, but she didn''t say another word. She did it for ire. Besides, if she said something, that would just keep it going.


    "Come off it, Louisa. I know you started it," said ire. She frowned. ''Since when has Louisa be so aggressive? She was just downright mean, and didn''t listen to anyone. She changed a lot. But I know there''s some good inside her, deep down. I''ve seen that side of her. I want it back."


    "Never mind. I''ll let you off the hook, because of ire." Louisa made a noise. It wasn''t a word, but it was still full of meaning. The sound showed her depth of contempt and disgust for Leena.


    "Louisa, just remember the saying ''do unto others as you would have them do unto you.'' In other words, treat people nicely and they''ll be nice to you. If you don''t, no one''ll have your back when you need it most." Leena really didn''t care if Louisa was haughty or arrogant. Or even if she hated her. But those vulgar wordsing out of Louisa''s mouth were really the limit. She felt really uncool when someone called her bad names, and when she felt like cussing them out because of it. Her elegance was her strength.


    "Humph! Leena, what''s wrong with you? You always hold back. But you have to be miss perfect. Why don''t you stop pretending and show everyone who you really are?" Louisa scowled at Leena and showed the whites of her eyes. She disliked her so much she wouldn''t even look at her.


    "Shut up, both of you. How about this? Louisa, I think you need to go home. Leena and I are going inside." This was so awkward. Both of them were behaving badly, so ire felt bad. Hurting those two was thest thing she wanted to do.


    "ire, I''m going upstairs. See you there." Leena was tired of fighting with the girl. She cast onest contemptuous nce at Louisa, tilted her chin proudly, and left. Her day had been entirely ruined by this horrible woman.


    "Louisa, I''m wiped out, so I''m going to turn in early. Have a safe drive home. Good night." ire felt harassed and strained. Right now she wanted nothing more than a hot bath and a good rest.


    "Good night. Don''t forget rehearsal tomorrow." Regardless of what she wanted, she was looking forward to the fashion show. If she participated, she''d be more likely to be discovered by an agent. The agent would then find ces for her to work, and she might even find a mentor. This would be the turning point in her modeling career.000000000000

 Chapter 1189 Do Unto Others (Part Two)

    "No way! Tomorrow''s Saturday. Can we startter? My legs have got tired after walking for a few hours." ire was beginning to regret agreeing to Louisa''s offer. She was in really low spirits. "There''s only a few days left. So brush up on your technique so you don''t embarrass yourself that day." Feeling trapped, Louisa had to turn to ire for the modeling gig.


    "We''ve got at least a week, right? Fine. I should go. Goodbye, Louisa." With a wave of her hand, ire left before Louisa could even say anything. She rushed to catch up with Leena, who was waiting for the elevator. Louisa gritted her teeth. She had been extremely furious with ire recently. She couldn''t even curse around her now. She swore that she''d teach ire a lesson as soon as the contest ended.


    Leena slowed down and waited, so ire could easily catch up with her before Leena entered the elevator. Although ire found herself panting for breath, at least she didn''t have to wait for the next elevator. "Come on in." Leena was about to push the button to close the door. But she saw ire rushing to her, and hurried to prevent the door from shutting. ire knew she had to exin what was going on.


    "Leena, don''t take Louisa too seriously. I think she''s hurt andshing out. It hurts to lose the one you love so much." ire then bit her lips and looked up at Leena anxiously.


    "I''m good. Her bark is worse than her bite. I''ll leave her alone," said Leena. She didn''t count on ire to help her. However, she did hope that ire wouldn''t join Louisa to attack her. She didn''t need that right now, with the fashion show and everything else. "Probably a good idea. The less you two see of each other the better. By the way, is that a new phone?" ire observed that Leena was in a bad mood, so she decided to m up about Louisa, and change the subject.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "Yeah! I bought a new one today. As you know, the old one broke. You need to get home, take a shower and catch a nap. I''ll take you out tonight, and you can meet my friends." Leena nced at her worriedly. Actually she desperately wanted to know where had ire been.


    "Really? Where''s Kevin? Isn''t heing?" ire''s spirits were lifted when she heard they were gonna go out and have some fun. Since she got here, she almost never had time to go hang out and rx.


    "Oh yeah. Barring serious idents or urgency." Actually, Leena really didn''t know if Kevin would join them or not. She kept going back over their conversation in her head. But she didn''t want to cross the line. If she did that there would be no turning back. So she mustered all her self-control, and walled herself off from her emotions, from missing him and calling him every day, from making trouble for both of them. Deep down, she knew she couldn''t do that.


    Meanwhile, Hank stood in Kevin''s office, feeling awkward and reserved. He wanted to say something, but bit it back.


    "Hank, you want to say something? Spit it out!" Kevin snapped. Kevin frowned. He just finished the training exercises, and still was all hot and sweaty. He hadn''t had the time to clean up, so all Hank was doing was getting on his nerves. Especially just standing there. Kevin just wondered why Hank even came to see him at all, and Hank wasn''t saying anything. Why?


    "I don''t know how to say this, Major General, so I''ll just say it. I understand that you''re the guy who suggested themander assign this task to me," said Hank hesitantly and cautiously. Hank couldn''t believe Kevin would do that. Everyone wanted a shot at this, and he knew that he shouldn''t even be in the running.


    "So? Anything wrong with that?" asked Kevin. Kevin stared at him intensely, and a flicker of confusion passed across his handsome face. Was Hank turning him down? This was a golden opportunity!


    "Nothing wrong with it. I just want to know why. I screwed up, and my career in the army is doomed. So why did you do this?" Hank said suspiciously.


    "So you think I have ulterior motives? Or don''t you think you can hack it?" Kevin asked, ying with the pen in his hand, twirling it in his fingers. He couldn''t hide the amusement in his voice. If Kevin didn''t think Hank was good enough, he wouldn''t have given him a second chance.


    "Don''t get me wrong, Major General. I know I''m good, but you should hate me. Normally I wouldn''t get tapped for this assignment." After what Hank did, Kevin had been messing with Hank''s career, keeping him from getting promoted. He was at the lowest rank and pay grade. So Hank wondered why he was helping him out now.


    "Well, that''s all you, Hank. Trust me, if you hadn''t earned this, you wouldn''t be getting it. You didn''t even grumble much when I punished you. At least, not within earshot." Kevin smiled. At first, he was doing this for Daisy''s sake. However, as time went on, he found that Hank was really a capable soldier. From then on, Kevin came down on him hard, insisting heplete his missions perfectly. He figured that was the way to get Hank to care about what he was doing.


    "Yeah, I know you''re doing this for me. I shouldn''tin," said Hank in a state of panic. He had learned his lesson and kept a low profile for a long time. However, his rep was shot, and people still talked about it in whispers. So he figured that very few people in the army thought much of him, or trusted him to do anything.


    "I get it if you hate me, but frankly, I don''t care, as long as you have learned something from what I did to you," said Kevin peacefully. And he really didn''t care about what everyone thought of him. The only thing that mattered was doing the right thing.00

 Chapter 1190 Do Unto Others (Part Three)

    "Are you saying you''ve done all those things just because you wanted me to improve myself?" Hank grunted. He was wondering about that. He had to do things again and again, until the superior officer thought things were perfect. He thought it was just because of his


    reputation, but now he knew Kevin had something to do with it.


    "I demanded the best out of you so you could learn and grow. So you could show the base what you were made of. Rather than throw punches at Daisy, you''d grow the hell up and take charge of your career." Kevin could do nothing more to help him. Hank had to hold his own against all the ill will he''d earned. But Kevin did give him the chance to redeem himself, and really believed he could do the job.


    "I really appreciate you and Daisy rmending me. I know we aren''t exactly friends." Hank wasn''t young anymore. If he started again from scratch, he would never attain a decent rank again. However, with Kevin''s help, he was offered a huge opportunity to turn the tables.


    "Everyone makes mistakes. It''s water under the bridge. Just learn from your mistakes, and you''ll be okay." Kevin sighed deeply at the thought. People never learned without consequences. If Hank had just done what he was supposed to, he''d be in a much better position. "Yeah, no kidding. I don''t feel good about what I did. But I understand how important this chance is. If you send me on this mission, I won''t fail you," said Hank, righteously and confidently. The incidentst time taught him to be humble and careful. He ditched his conceit and arrogance. And now was his time to prove who he was.


    "As I said, no one''s perfect. However, we learn and do the right thing. Just do your best." Kevin nced at him reflectively. Since the army was known forpetence, he wouldn''t stand out unless he did something exceptional. And he was a capable soldier -- probably more naturally gifted than most.


    "Thanks for the advice. I''ll never forget it. By your leave, sir!" With those words, Hank raised his hand in salute, with infinite gratitude and admiration.


    "Yeah! Go get ''em, soldier! Dismissed!" Kevin raised his hand, indicating that Hank was good to go. Being Hank''s superior officer, Kevin was actually much younger. So, he decided to save him any embarrassment.


    He remembered that Leena called him earlier, so he thought about it a bit, and then dialed her up. He knew he was kind of gruffst time they talked. Although he didn''t mean anything by it, the woman was sensitive, and he needed to exin himself to his wife. And Leena was just walking into her bedroom when her phone rang. She saw it was Kevin calling, and was confused. Why? Kevin never called her if it wasn''t absolutely urgent and necessary. So what was this about? Was he going to bail on their ns tonight? Or something else?


    "Hey! It''s me." Leena sat on the edge of her bed, one hand holding her phone, and the other hand untying the silk scarf around her neck. So now she''d find out why he called.


    "I know it''s you. Back home yet?" Kevin smiled lightly, and the hard lines on his face were softened. It was obvious he was fond of his wife.


    "Yeah! I just got in. By the way, ire''s here with me," replied Leena hurriedly. That usually happened. Leena would lose herposure when she talked to Kevin. She really cared about their rtionship and didn''t want any misunderstandings, so she tried to head those off at the pass. But it just made her seem anxious.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "Did she ever tell you where she went?" asked Kevin. This was just a question that he brought up because she mentioned ire. Pretty random, really. However, Leena misunderstood and thought that he was calling to ask about his sister, which disappointed her. Didn''t he care about her?


    "No. But she looks like a wreck, and she''s tired to boot. Do you need her toe to the phone?" asked Leena tentatively. Both of them felt estranged from each other. Their lovecked warmth and passion. You couldn''t find a rtionship more strained than Kevin and Leena''s.


    "No, I called to hear your voice." Kevin hurried to stop her handing the phone over. In the meanwhile, he felt frustrated, and thought their conversation was always unsatisfying and rigid. Why was it this way? Couldn''t they just be natural and loving like other couples? "Yeah." Leena bit her lips lightly after the lukewarm response. Their conversation was bing annoying and awkward. Was it possible that she still held a grudge? She really couldn''t wait to hang up the phone.


    "Babe, you still mad at me?" asked Kevin tentatively. He''d never get used to the coldness in Leena''s voice.


    "No. Not that I know of. Why?" Leena put on a forced smile. However, Kevin couldn''t see that. It didn''t look natural, and she wasn''t smiling from her eyes, at any rate.


    "You''re quiet. Is this because of the other phone call?" Nervous and worried as he was, he really cared about Leena''s feelings.


    "No, no... Nothing like that. I''m distracted, that''s all. Besides, I''m an elegantdy. I''d never stay mad too long." Leena burst intoughter. She lied, because she did care about Kevin''s tone of voice over the phone. She''d be lying if she said she didn''t. But she wouldn''t worry about it. She felt depressed because of her fight with Louisa. Some mean things were said, and she wasn''t sure if she could forget that soon.


    "I''m sorry if I was too gruff on the phone. I was just distracted, too, being at work. I hope you''re not mad." This might be the first time that Kevin was worried about how Leena might take things the wrong way. So, he tried to exin himself to her sincerely and fully. He wanted to feel good, not depressed.


    "Kevin, do you think of me as your wife?" She cut straight to the heart of the matter. She felt like a cier was standing between them, stopping them from loving each other. She could feel this mountain of ice every time she thought of him, whenever she tried to hug him. She really wanted to melt this ice so their hearts would be warm once more.???????

 Chapter 1191 Getting Together (Part One)

    "Of course. We both signed the marriage license and made it official. It''s all there and ck and white. Littlete to deny it now!" Kevin said in a joking tone. Leena was getting serious, and he didn''t like it much. So he cracked a joke and tried to lighten the mood. "Well... that''s not what I mean," Leena replied, feeling a bit embarrassed by Kevin''s teasing. "Let''s just drop it for now," she continued. "We can talk after you get back. Could you get off early today?" Leena finally brought it up. That question was burning in her brain, but she didn''t want to call and interrupt him in the middle of training. Now that he called her, she seized the chance and asked him. "Hold on. Let me check my schedule and see if there''s anything I can put off," Kevin answered, leafing through the calendar on his desk. Lee had assembled it, and put it there.


    "Here''s the thing. Edward suggested that we get together tonight. Daisy hasn''t told you?" Leena said, confused. It had been some time since she and Edward discussed it in the CEO''s office. Someone should have told Kevin by now.


    "I just finished training for the day, and haven''t seen her so far," Kevin said. He kept thumbing through his calendar till he finally found the current day. He then stopped and leaned forward, examining every line to make sure he wasn''t missing a thing.


    "Oh, no wonder you haven''t heard anything about it," said Leena, a light bulb turning on in her brain. She suddenly realized that she missed an important point. Both he and Daisy were busy bees. Did they really have much time to socialize on base? It might be unrealistic to think that they could talk to each other at anytime and share the information at once.


    "Nothing''s going on that I can''t put off till tomorrow. I think I can get back early. Shall we meet at the restaurant, or shall I swing by and pick you up?" Kevin asked, closing the calendar and leaning back in the chair.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "No rush. ire and I will wait for you at home." Leena did it for ire''s sake. Poor girl seemed worn out today, she could have more time to rest if they waited for Kevin to pick them up. Maybe she''d recover and enjoy the gathering more.


    "No problem. I''ll be home soon. Wait for me, babe," There was profound tenderness in Kevin''s tone, especially when he told Leena to wait for him. His voice held a subtle charm when he said that.


    "Okay. See youter," Leena responded shyly. She blushed, thanks to his tone. You could see stars in her eyes, and she couldn''t be any happier.


    Unlike in summer, when the rosy clouds stood out against the sky, winter''s nightfall was dark and gloomy, with gunmetal clouds hiding the sky. A perfect time to take a stroll down memoryne.


    As he promised, Kevin got home an hour earlier than usual. The sound of the door woke Leena up. She meant to go back to her work room and catch up on thetest fashion news, but somehow felt tired and surrendered to sleep when she hit the bed. It could be seasonal affective disorder, the mise that people felt during the winter, but she apparently needed the sleep.


    "Oh my gosh! What time is it?" When Kevin pushed the bedroom door open, Leena leapt up with a scream. But instead of talking to him, Leena started scrambling for her cellphone on the bedside table, opening the drawer and feeling around for it, her hands a flurry of movement. It wasn''t there. She turned to rummage around the bed without a second thought, and finally found it in the quilt. There were several missed calls. Maybe the ringtone was muffled by the quilt, or maybe she slept so soundly she couldn''t hear the phone. "Not toote. Just after six o''clock," Kevin said, trying to keep fromughing. He found Leena''s panic quite amusing. She was so cute when getting out of bed. Did he miss this kind of thing all the time? He didn''t know, since he had to leave for the army base every morning when Leena was still asleep. This would be worth staying home for.


    "Thank god! That scared the pee out of me! You''re home early," Leena said, breathing a sigh of relief. Fixing her hair and adjusting her clothes, Leena was trying to look her best for her man.


    "Didn''t you ask me toe home early today? So here I am. I live to serve," said Kevin yfully, unfastening his clothes. He was just changing out of his hot, sweaty uniform to get more casual clothes, but Leena wasn''t so sure. She stepped back, wary of what he might do.


    "I DIDN''T ask you toe back early, I was only asking whether you could make it or not. One is amand, the other is a question," Leena argued with a grimace, thinking that Kevin had misunderstood her yet again.


    "But it makes no difference to me. See, when my wife wants something done, I do it. Amand given by my wife is even more important than in the military," Kevin said. Leena watched him take off his coat, toss it onto a nearby stool, and start to unbutton his shirt. As he did this, he moved closer and closer to Leena, who became increasingly rmed. She shuddered? What was he going to do?


    "What...what are you doing?" Leena asked nervously, retreating a couple more steps. With every move he made, a look of panic and horror marred her normally cute face.


    "I''m going to take a bath, of course. "They really put us through the wringer today. I''m all hot and sweaty. I''m not going out like this. What? Do you shower in your clothes?" Kevin replied, raising his eyebrows curiously. He knew what she was thinking, but he still thought it was funny to tease her. This was the most fun he''d had all day.000000

 Chapter 1192 Getting Together (Part Two)

    "Oh, right, a bath, I thought you were..." Hearing his words, Leena was relieved. However, she was too rxed to mind her words and let her thoughts escape her lips subconsciously. She didn''t realize it until Kevin got her. "What did you think I was going to do, huh?" Kevin asked with a wicked smile, shooting Leena a look fraught with meaning.


    "Err...nothing. Take your time. I think...I should head downstairs to see if ire''s up," Leena stammered and sprinted out of the room in no time. Her heart was still beating fast while she was walking downstairs. ''Did you really think I''d tell you what I was thinking?'' she thought to herself. There was no way she would have confessed that she was looking at Kevin, and that beautiful man''s broad chest, and imagining the two of them making love.


    Kevin didn''t stop her, but he saw right through her. He continued to undress, still wearing his mischievous smile. Maybe he''d pursue somethingter, if there were still time.


    One by one, the lights across the city turned on, burning away the darkness of night. The blurred yet colorful lights had be an undeniable part of the city, and had added to its charm. Without them, the city would not only lose its color and vitality, but would also be left in deadly silence.


    Leena chose a bright red coat for tonight. Under the coat she wore a ck close-fitting sweater with subtle puffy sleeves, paired with a skirt of the same series. She then picked a pair of high boots toplete her trendy ensemble. She looked young and trendy, and indescribably beautiful.


    ire''s choice of outfit tonight was eye-catching, thanks to all the clothes Leena let her borrow. What was more, she decided to go for more natural makeup, rather than the smoky eyes. She was never fair-skinned, so that look wasn''t for her. Natural one fit her so much better.


    Given that Daisy loved spicy food, and i I was winter, they didn''t book the Westin for tonight''s dinner, but rather the Kate Hotel. That ce had the best Szechuan food chef. They could also enjoy hot pot there to stave off the cold, a perfect choice for winter. When the three of them arrived at the Kate hotel, they met up with Daisy, who drove herself. She was still in uniform. Apparently, she came directly from the army base.


    "Daisy, what took you so long? I heard that Edward and the others have been here a while, I thought that you were with them." Leena greeted Daisy as soon as she saw her. Leena was ted and held Daisy''s arm while she talked. It was obvious she was excited to see her. It had been too long.


    "I got held up on the base, luckily it''s not toote. And I guess this is Kevin''s sister, right?" Daisy asked, taking a good look at ire. She had never met the girl before, but was impressed by her style. What she didn''t know though, was that everything ire wore was from Leena''s wardrobe.


    "ire, this is the senior colonel..." Leena began to introduce them to each other. At the same time, however, Kevin was wondering what was up. He remembered her saying that she was ready to go when he left the army base. What could have happened afterwards? Why was she sote, eventer than he was?


    "Nice to meet you, Senior Colonel!" ire said. Daisy had also caught her eye. Growing up in the militarymunity, ire had seen soldiers of all kinds, but she never knew a Senior Colonel to be so young and so beautiful.


    "Ugh! Not so formal, please! Just call me Daisy," she replied with a kind smile. This was how she operated, a smile for those she liked, or should like. ire was Leena''s sister-inw, so it was important that she got along well with her. Maybe ire would be nicer to Leena then.


    "Sure. Nice to meet you, Daisy." ire said politely and pleasantly. She seemed more of a lovely girl when she stopped pretending she was better than everyone else. That was why Daisy woulde to adore her.


    "Nice to meet you, too. Let''s just drop the formality from now on. You''re Kevin''s sister and Leena''s sister-inw, so we''re family now. You''re like my own sister," Daisy said. Although ire could still sense that Daisy was a bit cool and distant in temperament, she didn''t think she was a bad person because of her gentle tone.


    ire smiled back at Daisy. ''What does she mean by family?'' she wondered. But she didn''t know how to broach the subject and didn''t press her any further. Daisy had aloofness written all over her, and ire was clever enough to know that as nice as she seemed to be, there was still some distance there. She''d have to get to know her better. Leena was a lot easier to get along with.


    "It''s getting cold out here, Daisy. Let''s get inside," Leena said, huddling against the cold. She was never good with cold, so even if she was swathed inyers of clothes, a gust of cold wind at the gate still made her shiver. That was why the temperature in her house was set higher than normal as well.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    "You should put on more clothes, silly girl." Having said that, Daisy put her arm around Leena''s shoulder, trying to warm her up. She was teasing her, true, but she was also making sure she was well cared-for.


    "You alright, babe?" Kevin asked, gracing Leena with a look of concern. ''Damn, I should have remembered, '' he thought. ''I don''t get cold easily, but Leena does.'' It was his training as a soldier, so he was used to temperature extremes. She wasn''t in the army, so she was standing there shivering, even though she wore more than he did.


    "I''m okay. The wind''s really cold, though. I can feel it right through my jacket." Leena shook her head, smiling. For a moment, she couldn''t take her eyes off Kevin, for the more she looked at him, the more she liked his outfit tonight. She was not only proud of her fashion sense, but she could also see that he looked fantastic in those threads. She chose every piece of clothing for him. He looked both snazzy and dignified. Without a doubt, it was a good look for a major general.00000

 Chapter 1193 Getting Together (Part Three)

    "Come on, it''s warmer inside," Kevin urged gently. Seeing Leena trembling, he really wanted to hold her and warm her up. But since Daisy had an arm around her, it was impossible for him to get between them. So he could only look at Leena worriedly. Mr. Mu was not used to waiting. As a matter of fact, he loathed it. But this became a thing of the past. Ever since he found Daisy, he waited for her. A lot. He''d gotten used to waiting for her, so he didn''t get upset when she walked in. Nor was he surprised. When Daisy and the other three entered the VIP room, everyone else was already there, including the cute and cool kid, Justin. It had been quite a while since Kevin saw himst. Unsurprisingly, he was a lot taller than before.


    "Do you still like me, Uncle Kevin? Howe I don''t see you anymore?" As soon as Justin saw Kevin, he threw himself into the major general''s arms, neglecting his own mother. Little kids were like that sometimes. They''d lived in the same military dorm for years, and Kevin was always avable as a ymate. They were still very attached to each other, and absence had only deepened their bond.


    Kevin stood back and took a look at the kid, as if he was trying to get a better view of someone quite tall. "Hey kiddo! Ya miss me?" Kevin asked, kneeling beside Justin and gently putting his hand on his shoulder. Justin was only six, but because his parents were both tall, he was much taller than most children his age. Kevin guessed that he must be over 4-and-a-half-feet now. He''d grown a lot in a short period of time. In fact, he might eventually grow up to be taller than Edward.


    "Of course, I miss you every day!" answered Justin lovingly, nestling himself in Kevin''s arms. Kevin liked the feeling. He''d thought about kids every once in awhile, because these kinds of scenes warmed his heart.


    As for ire, this was not her environment. While she liked parties, she didn''t know anyone here. What was more, Rain was here. That man captured her attention and got her heart racing, but he didn''t even know she existed. He casually nced in her direction, then looked away again. ire felt rather shy and awkward after that.


    "ire,e and sit down. Gerard will be here soon, I need to go out and meet him," Leena said, motioning for ire to sit next to Belinda. She knew ire had a crush on Rain, and she saw the poor girl looking very lost and ufortable. Maybe if she sat next to someone she''d already met, she''d open up and rx. This was supposed to be fun.


    "I''ll go with you," Kevin said quickly. He let go of Justin and stood up, ready to apany her. He saw her shivering earlier, and wanted to make sure she was warm enough.


    "No, thanks, I can go myself. I''ll just meet him at the gate, in case he can''t find our room," Leena refused. She was pretty sure he was a little worried about Gerard or any of the bad element that seemed to thrive at night. She''d be fine. It was just out to the gate and back. "You should put on my coat then. I saw you shivering out there. I don''t want you to get sick," Kevin said after hesitating a bit. He took off his coat and helped Leena put it on, one sleeve and then the next, like a gentleman. Now she looked a bit awkward, with her coat sticking out under his own, but Kevin didn''t care. All he cared about was that she was warm.


    "Good idea. I won''t be long," said Leena, sticking her tongue out naughtily before giving Kevin a sweet smile. She then set out at a brisk pace, without having the slightest idea that the way she acted caused everyone in the ce to look at Kevin and Leena and if looks could kill -- oh man!


    Kevin knew he was being red at. He didn''t know why, though. There was an awkward silence. He didn''t know what he did wrong. Why was every man in the room staring at him all at once? But one thing was sure. He really didn''t feel good about it.


    "Sit next to me Uncle Kevin, I wanna talk with you!" Justin said suddenly, tugging at Kevin''s sleeve. His innocent words came just in time to defuse the awkward situation, so he sat beside Justin as the child wanted. Thankfully, he felt a lot better, and everyone went back to what they were doing.


    "What''s wrong with you guys? Why stare at Kevin? Let me guess: You''re hot for him?" Belinda chipped in, blinking her bright eyes. She knew what was going on, unlike Kevin, and she thought it was too funny. She couldn''t help teasing them. They were all way too protective of Leena.


    Belinda had just finished with her joke, and then they heard someone choking. Rain acted like he was hacking up a lung as he shakily put his cup down. He had tried tough and drink at the same time, and it didn''t go well. And he took another mouthful of tea, hoping he could soothe his burning throat. That didn''t go well, either, as he promptly sprayed Duke with a few swallows of tea.


    "You retard!" Duke snapped. Duke couldn''t be angrier now. First Leena, his own sister that he had loved and protected for more than twenty years was showing her love to another man under his nose, and now this. This was quickly turning into the night from hell. He was balling his fists, trying to resist knocking Rain into next week.


    "It wasn''t my fault! Your wife totally made fun of us!" Having said that, Rain reached out to grab a napkin and started to dry Duke off. He sat there, staring straight ahead, and his burning gaze could have scorched a hole in the wall.


    "A, what a touching scene. You''re so in tune with each other. You two make a cute couple," Belinda said, shing her charming smile. She looked innocent, but there was the telltale glint of mischief in her eyes.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    "For god''s sake, this is your hubby! You remember, the one you married?" Rain was scared, now. Duke was getting angrier and angrier, and he was the one sitting next to him. Rain couldn''t believe that Belinda would talk this way. It was just crazy. Duke, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes slyly and shot Belinda a sharp cold look. His eyes were so cold that all the heat had drained from the room. ire also shuddered at his frightening expression.


    "What about bisexuals?" she asked. "Don''t know about ''em? There are a lot of them around here!" Belinda feigned surprise, ignoring Duke''s very obvious reaction to her words. She was enjoying this, her husband''s anger be damned. She was certainly fearless. "Stop it, Belinda," Daisy whispered with a frown. She kicked Belinda under the table, trying to warn her that Duke had already been driven over the edge by her words. What was she trying to do? Make her life a living hell?


    "Bisexual, huh?" Duke asked slowly, gnashing his teeth. He stared at Belinda coldly, maybe herst lesson wasn''t enough to stop her from crossing the line again. Maybe she needed a fresh one.


    "Rx honey, I''m just joking. Can''t you take a joke?" Belinda hastily asked. She always tested Duke''s limits, and then backed down before he could do anything. She was always like that. She could dish it out, but not take it well.


    But Duke didn''t buy it. He kept looking Belinda in the eye, a wicked smile spreading across his face. ''Toote, it''s no use trying to please me now, he thought. ''You''ll find out tonight. I''m gonna teach you a hard lesson. Let''s see you mess with me again.'' Fortunately, his terrible n fell through, because of some event well beyond his control. But this was even better than doling out punishment, something that would make him feel beside himself with joy.


    "Come on, that all you got? I thought you could beard the lion in his den. You''re such a wuss," Rain said scornfully. He was enjoying the show, despite his panic at Duke''s anger. She was getting the best of Duke, and he always enjoyed watching that. He was hoping that maybe she''d take it further.


    "Shut up, Rain. Dude, can''t you see how pissed he is? Remember, you''re sitting right next to him," Edward said in a low voice, mouth curled into a sneer. He had been sitting back and enjoying the show himself, but Rain''s bluntness came at the worst time. Rain was a good friend, but sometimes he needed a little prodding to get back on track. He needed to stop ying with fire, lest he got burned.


    "Yeah. Have a bit of a brain fart, dude? That would exin a lot," Tom said in a voice dripping with sarcasm, a flicker of amusement in his eyes. He couldn''t resist getting his two cents in. Duke was dangerous to mess with, but Rain was an easy target. "Hey, back off, dude! Don''t judge me, you quack!" Rain fired back. But he rubbed his nose out of embarrassment. He finally realized that, yeah, it was a dumb idea to insert himself in this lovers'' quarrel.

 Chapter 1194 Close Friends (Part One)

    Justin had been pestering Kevin to ask him about the current situation in the army base and his uncle Lee. Since Kevin had no interest in joining the conversation, he had no idea what they wereughing at.


    "Uncle Kevin, how''s uncle Lee doing? I haven''t heard from him for ages! Has hepletely forgotten about me?" Justin asked. It had been a long time since Justin left the army base, and he was worried that Lee might have forgotten him. They used to be very close and now he wouldn''t even make a phone call.


    "What are you talking about?! That''s not possible! Lee could never ever forget you! If you miss him so much, why don''t you go to the army base next weekend with your mom?" Kevinughed and pinched his cute little nose. When Justin used to live in the army base before, Lee always yed with him. He used to teach him how to shoot with a sling, how to climb trees, and how to escape forest mazes. They had this special rtionship and Justin perceived Lee as his older brother. That was why he missed Lee so much after having left the army base. Some part of his life had been left behind.


    "But mom always refuses to take me to the army base. She''s always too busy for that." Justin looked down and pursed his lips angrily. He had the best time in his life there and really missed everything about the army base, even the waking-up-at-5am-thing. There had been of course hard days -ck of snacks, lots of work, and not enough sleep. But as long as he and his mother depended on each other, he had nothing toin about.


    "How about this: next time, you''ll tell your mother that you want toe and visit me in the army base. This way she won''t have to leave work extra to take you there," Kevin suggested and smiled warmly at Justin. While talking to the boy, Kevin looked often at the door. He was eager and was wondering why it took Leena so long toe back.


    "ire, are you seeing someone?" Daisy asked casually. There were a lot of people in the room. Men and women sat together around the small tables and were enjoying their small talk.


    "No, I''m single." ire smiled shyly and stole a nce at Rain. He was sitting next to Edward and both seemed to be having a very deep discussion. And even though Edward looked much more attractive than Rain, ire had a crush on Rain. She didn''t want dependable men. ire preferred men with glib tongues, yboys as her friend was joking.


    "Really? I don''t believe it! You are such a pretty girl. Why are you not dating anyone?" Belinda overheard the conversation. "Is it because your parents think you are too young to date someone? Or... you are picky in choosing a boyfriend?" she smirked at ire.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "Or maybe it''s because I''m a capricious and selfish girl," ire answered and looked away. She was telling the truth. She had been indeed this girl before. But now no one believed what she said. She was just being modest, they thought. "Come on, ire! You must be joking. You are such a lovely girl. I think the guys are too blind not to ask you out," Daisy said slowly on purpose, so everyone at the table could pay attention. As expected, all men present gave Daisy a long ming look. "Daisy, if you want to mock Edward, just do it, but only him! Why did you drag us in? We have nothing to do with this!" Rain was a simple-minded person, and he was always the first one to react.


    "Rainy Honey, are you trying to say I''m not good enough for Edward? He''s been blind to fall in love with me?" As the saying goes, "He that lies down with dogs must rise up with fleas." Since Daisy had been with Edward, she became as sly as a fox like her husband. She blinked at Rain with a pair of innocent eyes as if she didn''t realize that she had easily set Rain against Edward.


    "Damn! Daisy, you did that on purpose, right? Rainy Honey? You sure you want to call me like that? You make me feel like a sissy!" Rain spurted out the tea water that he had just drunk. Luckily, he didn''t spurt it all over Duke this time.


    "Sissy? I don''t think so." Daisy pretended to be confused by Rain''s reaction and blinked innocently at him. She once heard Cynthia calling him "Rainy Honey" and found it really funny, so she decided to make fun of him with it now. Leaning backzily, Edward gave his wife an approving smile and thought to himself, ''Babe, you are bing cunning as I am, and I love that!"


    "Uncle Rain, you are being such a fool. Why did you try to argue with my mommy? She''s daddy''s favorite. You''re screwed!" Justin''s voice filled the room as he looked at Rain, making fun at his misery. Though it seemed like he was reminding Rain, he was inming the situation actually.


    "Nooo, I was not arguing with her, but I strongly disagree with her statement that men are too blind not to ask ire out." Rain sighed with profound resignation. He was for sure not trying to offend Edward''s beloved wife. If someone had ever done that, Edward would in no way tolerate this. Rain had no guts to set himself against Edward, as everybody else.


    "Are you questioning my choice?" Edward asked in a slow yet firm tone as he decided to join his wife in torturing Rain.


    "Edward, please don''t make fun of me. You know, I never dare to disrespect you in any way." Rain was almost crying now. All he wanted was somebody toe and rescue him from this devastating discussion he threw himself in.00000

 Chapter 1195 Close Friends (Part Two)

    "Good. You have a clear perception of yourself. Always keep that in mind!" Edward said, raising an eyebrow. Since Rain was obedient to him, he decided to let Rain in peace. "Rain, you are a lion among sheep and a sheep among lions!" Belinda joined in the conversation with a sarcastic smile.


    "Hey guys, have I done something to you all to deserve that?! Why did you mock me one after another?" Rain felt sad and dejected at this moment and thought to himself, ''Why is it always me who''s being bullied?''


    "The evil will be defeated even when good men don''t do anything." Tom couldn''t help but put Rain down. Everybodyughed at his words, which made Rain feel even worse about himself.


    "I''m back. Gerard,e in!" The door opened and Leena came in with cheeks all flushed. Kevin wondered whether it was because of the cold weather or shyness, though the second was nearly impossible.


    "So you went out to pick him up?" Duke snorted and looked at Kevin, wondering what he would do. After all, Gerard was one of Leena''s admirers.


    "Yes! Duke, you two have met before, in France. Don''t you remember?" Leena asked with a sweet smile and looked at her brother with her big, bright eyes.


    "Yeah, we''ve met before, but I was not very impressed with him." Duke would never pay any attention to those he was not interested in. As Leena''s brother, he didn''t like her admirers and he disliked Gerard by default. They had just met once, and even so, Duke believed that they wouldn''t be friends.


    "Unless my memory is lying, this young man must be from nc family who owns nc Group. Am I right?" Edward asked with a smile. Though he had recognized Gerard, he didn''t get up to greet him. After all, he was the head here. No matter how powerful nc family was in France, nothing could beat his power and self-consciousness.


    "Edward, you know Gerard?!" Leena asked, surprised. ''In this case, I could ask Gerard to sit next to Edward so that they can make small talk, and Gerard won''t feel left alone," she thought.


    "No, I don''t. I just heard of him before." Edward looked down and smiled slightly. Leena had mentioned Gerard in the past, but Edward had been not sure about who he really was at that time. Now he knew that Gerard was from nc family.


    "I thought you two knew each other. What a pity!" Leena felt anxious. Since Edward and Gerard didn''t know each other, she had to give up her idea and find Gerard another seat. ''Now I can only ask Gerard to sit next to Kevin. At least they''ve spoken with each other before, she thought to herself. Though Duke also knew Gerard, Leena didn''t think Duke would talk to Gerard. She knew her brother well enough.


    "Leena, you two are friends?" Edward asked and smiled politely at Gerard. He curled his lips like he was having something in mind.


    "Sort of," Leena murmured a little embarrassed. Technically, Leena and Gerard used to be a couple. She now knew that she was''t that into him at that time, though it was a fact that they had been dating for a period of time.


    "Good evening, guys! I''m Gerard. Nice to meet you all!" Gerard greeted everyone warmly, though he could feel he was not weed here.


    "Nice to meet you, Gerard. Since you''re Leena''s friend, you''ll be also ours from now on. Wee to the crew!" Belinda was the first one to greet Gerard. She was always so friendly. Men, on the contrary, remained cool towards Gerard and weren''t showing any intention to get to know him.


    "Gerard, it''s so nice to see you again!" Kevin reached out his hand and patted Gerard''s shoulder. He looked really calm and didn''t seem to be bothered by his wife''s ex. Kevin was known for his warm heart and an open mind.


    "Major General Gu, the pleasure is mine!" Gerard had mixed feelings towards Kevin. But he knew that anything that was forcibly done was in no way going to bring joy. And since Leena had chosen Kevin, Gerard, as a gracious gentleman he was, couldn''t wish them anything but the best.


    Kevin turned to Leena and touched her red cheek yfully. Her little cute face was frozen from the cold outside, so he took it with his both palms, in a loving attempt to warm it up.


    "Is it cold outside?" Kevin knew Leena wasn''t used to cold at all, so he had asked her to put on his coat before she had left the room. But he didn''t expect that she returned with such cold cheeks. He should have gone with her, so that he could have held her in his arms, warm and safe, as usual. He loved her so much, he would literally freeze to death but keep herfortable.


    "No, it isn''t. It''s just the wind." Leena looked up to his handsome face and blushed like a little girl. She could feel that all the people were fixing their eyes upon them.


    Kevin wasn''t worried about what they would think. He had tunnel vision for Leena. The man stared at his wife affectionately as if there were nobody else in the world. Gerard smiled warmly, although he felt like he was the third wheel.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    "I guess I have to prescribe some Chinese herbs for Leena to improve her health," Tom mumbled to himself, but everyone in the room heard what he said, especially Leena. She shivered at Tom''s words and her bright eyes widened, full of fear.


    "I agree with you. Please do it as soon as possible!" Duke gave great importance to anything rted to his sister. He immediately urged Tom to prescribe the herbs for her. It was the most important thing for him that she stayed healthy, and this was the only thing that mattered.


    "Guys, take a seat, please. Since everyone is here, shall we start eating? We can discuss this issue after dinner," Edward suggested. ''It''s gettingte and Justin must be hungry now!'' Edward thought. Justin was a growing child and needed more food and better nutrition than adults.00000000

 Chapter 1196 Close Friends (Part Three)

    ."Justin,e and sit with me. You already spent a lot of time with uncle Kevin," Daisy said with a frown. ''Is Justin ignoring me on purpose? He''s been pestering Kevin all this time. He didn''t even greet me nor give me a hug. Is he still angry with me because I punished him a few days ago?'' Daisy thought to herself. "Mommy, I''m starving!" Justin ran towards his mother and threw himself in her arms.


    "Sweetie, the dinner will be served soon." Daisy felt relieved when she realized that Justin wasn''t angry with her. She held him in her arms and asked, "What you and uncle Kevin were talking about?"


    "I was telling him that I miss uncle Lee a lot and I want to visit him at the army base. But you didn''t take me there. Mommy, can you take me to the army base next weekend, please, please? Uncle Kevin said he would take care of me then," Justin asked with his head bending to one side, which melted Daisy''s heart.


    "Well, if you behave well next week, I can take you to the army base." Daisy pinched his little chubby face with love.


    "You love uncle Kevin very much, huh? But you always argue with aunt Leena. Why is that?" Daisy asked curiously, wanting to hear Justin''s answer.


    "Yeah, I do love uncle Kevin. He''s like my best friend, and I love to y with him. As for aunt Leena, she always acts like a little spoiled girl. Even I am more maturer than her. I don''t like ying with her," Justin answered honestly.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "But aunt Leena is uncle Kevin''s wife. If you continue to disrespect her, uncle Kevin may be upset. Do you want to upset your friend? Do you want to hurt his feelings?" Daisy asked with a sly smile and wondered whether Justin would change his attitude towards Leena. Justin pursed his lips. He was thinking the things over.


    After a while, he said, "I don''t think uncle Kevin will get upset with me because of something so trivial. Aunt Leena is a grown up, and she has to act like that. You should probably ask her not to behave like a child anymore. I think uncle Kevin prefers a mature and elegant wife, not a naughty and immature girl." Justin gave ?aisy a big, naughty smile and thought to himself, ''There''s no way I will make friends with her! I don''t like this woman!''


    "What? Boy, I dare you, say it again?" Leena scolded in a harsh voice and stared at Justin.


    "I think uncle Kevin prefers a mature and elegant wife, not a naughty and immature girl. Do you hear me well?" Justin repeated, eyes full of disdain. He wasn''t afraid of Leena at all. In his eyes, Leena was a demon who was hidden and acted as an innocent girl in front of others. Justin would never surrender to her.


    "You''re such a rude child. You really have balls, don''t you?" Even Louisa was unable to irritate Leena like this. Every time Justin and Leena were together, Leena would be easily provoked. Daisy rubbed her temples, having a headache.


    "Daddy, aunt Leena said you don''t have balls." Justin smiled slyly and dragged Edward in like his mother had done.


    "Well, she didn''t even mention me. You two need to work this out yourselves. I''m not getting in the middle of it." Unlike his mother, it wasn''t easy for Justin to set Edward against Leena. Edward would back his wife up at any time, but he wouldn''t do that for his son. "Hahaha! Look at you! You failed to drag Edward in. How bad!" Leena was thrilled to see Justin having fun out of this all. It was very rare for her to witness Justin''s embarrassed look. So she was really enjoying the moment.


    "Well, you are a woman, and me as a man, should respect women. I will neglect your offensive behavior this time," Justin said with profound resignation, looking like a young adult. ''I even missed you thesest days. I''m such a fool! I won''t miss you ever again,'' he thought to himself.


    "You call yourself a man? Hahaha!" Leena quoted him with augher. At this moment, she wasn''t the sensitive and obedient woman in Kevin''s parents'' house but a spoiled girl that she always used to be. Her true self was shining out. Only when she was with the people that were really appreciating her, she could be her true self.


    "Come on, you two! Please stop and eat your dinner. Justin, I thought you were starving?" Belinda rolled her eyes at them, and didn''t understand why they always had to fight with each other.


    Everything seemed fresh to ire. All the men present were so handsome in their own way. She was totally attracted to them and wondered whether she would date someone as handsome as they were.


    ire was not the only one who was amazed by the strong men surrounding her. Gerard''s attention was also focused on the women present. He thought there were just a few pretty girls in S City, but he obviously was so wrong. Every woman in the room was wless and special in her own way.


    "Gerard, this is a hot pot. Have you tried it before? We have two vors here. One is spicy and the other one regr. Just try whatever you like," ire invited like a weing and polite host.


    "I''ve never eaten such thing before, but I like to try new things. Thank you, beautifuldy," Gerard answered in a polite manner. He cast a nce at the woman sitting next to him and found she was young and pretty.


    "You are wee. Leena is my sister-inw. You''re her friend, so we are friends now," ire answered with a smile. Gerard was a handsome young man, though not as much as Edward. He was at his twenties, 180 cm tall. He had wide shoulders and very strong arms. His face had well-defined angles - his forehead, cheeks, and jawline were proportional, forming a kind and friendly outlook, which ire found very trustworthy.000000000000

 Chapter 1197 The Guess (Part One)

    Hearing ire talk that way, Gerard''s heart sank. There was nothing he could do to change the fact. All he could do was try and make the future brighter. He smiled bitterly about her enthusiasm. He could do nothing else, except shaking his head sadly. "ire, are you close to Gerard?" Belinda asked. She saw Gerard and ire talking back and forth. They seemed to know each other.


    "Not too close. We only met once. Why?" ire smiled gently. She felt nervous in front of the gang. Edward, Duke, and the rest of them were so different from her friends. Everyone here acted in a decent and elegant way. They werefortable around each other. They even teased each other. They were nothing like her friends. Those friends of hers could only bully other people and let their parents clean up their mess. Her friends were rude, to boot.


    "Oh! I see! I thought you were old friends, considering the way you were carrying on." Belinda smiled as she looked at ire and Gerard. Then she turned to Daisy and whispered in her ear. "Slow down, Kevin! You know what too much spicy food does to you!" There was worry in Leena''s tone. Lee told her about Kevin''s issues with indigestion. Spicy food seemed to be the trigger.


    "Don''t worry, babe. I can take care of myself." Kevinforted Leena, or at least tried to. He knew his limits well, and no one was more careful about his health than him.


    "Leena''s right. I would have forgotten about your indigestion problem if she didn''t mention it. Kevin, you really should take care of yourself. No more tummy aches. And remember to take the pills with you. It''s not good to forget them." After all, Daisy had worked with Kevin for several years. She knew about all his quirks, including his health issues. Sometimes, it was impossible to ignore.


    "Oh, is it serious?" Tom looked at Kevin curiously. Kevin looked strong and ought to be healthy, at least as far as he was concerned. But, of course, he couldn''t know everything.


    ''No, just a minor stomach ulcer. Nothing serious." Kevin replied casually. He had a devil-may-care attitude about it. But the truth was, he didn''t know how serious it truly was. He didn''t have regr checkups at a medical center. The ulcer might have gotten worse thanks to his unhealthy habits.


    "Hey, stop by sometime. We could check it out. Pain is a sign that something is wrong." Tom wouldn''t care so much about Kevin, but this was the man who was to spend his whole life together with Leena. Tom wanted Leena to have a healthy and long lived husband to take care of her. That was why he said this.


    "Okay, I''ll go if I have time. Thanks, doctor." Kevin knew it would be rude to refuse, so he said yes.


    "Ha! It looks like we''re in the same boat! You''re afraid of Tom, too! That''s why you always remind yourself that he''s a doctor." Belinda found it funny that Kevin called Tom "doctor." After all, they were all family now. There was no need for Kevin to be too formal. "Well, am I scary?" Tom looked at Belinda and asked,ughing as he did so. He didn''t understand where her fear came from. Why would anyone be afraid of him? His job was to save lives, not take them.


    "No, you''re not scary, Tom. But no one likes going to the doctor," Leena answered Tom''s question. She felt the same way Belinda did.


    "Okay, so all of you have ''doctorphobia''. Nice." Tom knew Leena was always reluctant to go to the hospital and he knew why. But why did Belinda not want to go?


    "Not me. I''m not afraid of you at all. I''m just a busy man. Who has time for doctor visits?" Kevin said in a confident way. He was a soldier. After all the things he had suffered from, he was not afraid of a doctor at all. A needle here and there, and cameras, MRIs, X-rays. None of that came close to getting shot.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    "You''d better get checked out by a doctor soon. If you don''t feel like it, do it for Leena." Duke nced at Kevin coldly. ''For Leena''s sake, Kevin really needs to take care of himself. He can''t avoid hospitals his whole life,'' he thought.


    "You''re right. I''ll check my calendar and figure out when I can make it." Kevin knew it was Leena that Duke really cared about. Duke didn''t give a fig about him, but he knew Kevin made Leena happy. And her happiness was all Duke wanted.


    "Men are way moreplicated than women. If we care about someone, we just say it. But you guys don''t. You rationalize a lot to hide your true feelings. You exin things too much, and end up looking foolish." Belinda rolled her eyes at Duke. Even though he was her husband, she still couldn''t understand why he was so indirect. Why couldn''t he juste out and say things, instead of beating around the bush?


    Duke squinted his eyes and looked at Belinda. ''Good. She must have forgotten how much of an animal I am in bed. That''s why she said that. Well, tonight she''ll know. She''ll pay for mocking me.''


    "Belinda, have some fish! It''s brain food." Leena made fun of Belinda. She wondered why Belinda was razzing Duke so much tonight.


    "Thanks, I -- Hey! Are you implying I''m stupid? I''ll make you eat those wordster!" Belinda said that in a huff. ''Leena and Duke are really family. One teases me at home, and the other makes fun of me in public. Did they reach an agreement to bully me? Like sister, like brother...''


    "Implying? No. My bro was unhappy. Yet you kept teasing him. I''m not sure what you''d call that," Leena said in an innocent way. ''What''s wrong with just stating the truth?''

 Chapter 1198 The Guess (Part Two)

    "Here, Belinda, have some fish. Leena is right. It''s good for the brain." Daisy said, serving her arge piece of fish. She also wondered what in the world Belinda was thinking. ''Is there something going on between them?'' she thought. "Et tu, Brute? Not you too?" Belinda red at Daisy. She was a CEO after all. She even knew Shakespeare. How could anyone say she was stupid?


    "I''m not teasing you. I''m trying to get Duke to calm down. Or didn''t you see the look on his face?" Daisy whispered in Belinda''s ear. She was afraid to say it too loud. She didn''t need to draw Duke''s ire.


    "Well, if I did something wrong, so did you. Don''t tell me you didn''t notice that same scary look on Edward''s face," Belinda whispered back to Daisy. She also kept her voice low. They didn''t dare to talk about the two unhappy men in public. That wouldn''t end well for anyone.


    "I noticed. But I''m not worried. If he''s still unhappy tonight, I''ll handle him. I''m a soldier. But in your case, if you go home tonight, you''ll definitely lose." Daisy was a bit worried for her friend. ''I offered to teach you Wing Chun but you refused. It''s toote for regrets now,'' Daisy thought to herself.


    Belinda just sat and stewed. She''d done it now. "Men. All they can think of is getting freaky. I''m ready. I don''t care," Belinda said in a casual way. She had dealt with Duke''s anger a lot, so she got used to it. He had a stick up his ass, anyway, getting angry at the slightest provocation.


    It was Daisy''s turn to choke now. It took her a bit to recover, and she took another mouthful of salt soda to try and recover. Another cough shook her body, but she stopped herself from spraying Belinda. "You don''t know how lucky you are. I almost sprayed you. When did you get so dirty? The Belinda I knew could never say anything like that." Daisy wolfed down a bit more spicy food as she said this.


    "Ha! We''re all experienced women. No need to be too shy," Belinda said and ate a piece of fish, but she spat it out and felt like she was going to hurl.


    "What''s wrong? Too spicy?" Daisy was fond of spicy food, so she thought everything was pretty good. But she forgot that Belinda couldn''t eat spicy food. She was asking out of genuine concern.


    "No, too smelly. Ew!" Bile rose in Belinda''s throat. "I think I need to use the bathroom." Then she stood up. She almost couldn''t hold back the impulse to vomit, so she put a hand over her mouth just in case.


    "I''ll go with you." Daisy stood up, too. Duke frowned at their unusual behaviour. But the women left in a hurry, so he didn''t have the chance to ask what was wrong.


    "What''s wrong with her? She ate something rotten?" Edward asked Duke, teasing him.


    "Dunno. But if it''s due to the food, it''s on you. You''re the owner." Duke rolled his eyes at Edward. But he was still worried about Belinda, so he started to fidget.


    "She probably ate too much. That could make me throw up." No one paid attention to Rain for a bit, so he decided to remind them he was still alive. Unfortunately, he said something dumb to do it.


    "I don''t think so. I need to make sure she''s okay." Leena was worried and started to feel nervous. Even though she made fun of Belinda, she still cared about her. She scooted her chair out and was about to walk to the bathroom after her.


    "I don''t think that''s necessary," Tom said slowly. Then he looked at Duke and grinned. "Congrattions, Dad!" Tom''s words caused everyone at the table to silence. Rain sat there stunned, mouth agape.


    "Ah! No way! Tom, are you sure?" Leena stood there, astonished.


    "Not 100 percent sure. But highly likely." Tom said that casually, but Duke, next to him, was so nervous that he couldn''t sit still.


    "For real? I''m a dad? But what if you''re wrong? What will you say then?" Duke was so nervous that he couldn''t even think. What would Tom do if he were wrong? He''d just be wrong, of course. It was painfully obvious that Duke wanted it to be true.


    "I said I wasn''t entirely sure. Besides, you got her pregnant, not me. Idiot." Tom rolled his eyes at Duke. ''Crazy. He''s freaking out over a baby. This is not going to be fun. Hopefully I''m wrong and she''s not pregnant. I really don''t know how this is going to go over with either of them.''


    ''Uncle Tom, is it real? Is Auntie Belinda going to have a baby? Can I have a pretty little sister?" Justin was thrilled at the good news. He jumped on Tom and asked him all these questions. Tom was a little non-plussed.


    "Never mind. I shouldn''t have said anything. It''ll take a hospital visit to figure this out. I''m not God." Tom curled his lip. He was merely making a guess. Why was everybody so serious and taking it as Gospel truth?


    "I don''t care. I want a pretty little sister!" Justin was unsatisfied with Tom''s answer. The boy pulled on Tom''s arms. Sometimes, it seemed like he was too used to getting his own way.


    "Hey! You got the wrong guy. You want a little sister? Ask your daddy. I don''t even have a girlfriend. It would be a miracle if I gave you a little sister." Tom was now feeling extremely stressed out. Everyone was overreacting, expecting him to promise things he couldn''t deliver. And all this was about an educated guess.


    "That''s what I''m telling you, Jerry! Find a girl and knock her up! Then Justin can have a little sister!" Rain never missed a chance to tease Tom. It''s payback, he figured. Tom always mocked him, so he''d have thestugh now. ''Revenge is a dish best served cold, Tom. Don''t make fun of me again!'' Rain thought to himself.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "Speaking of girlfriends, you should talk. You''re not getting any younger. Find a girl, while you''re still able to use it." Tom red at Rain. ''Why can''t he speak less and be nicer? Why is he up in my business about a girlfriend?''


    "Ha! I''m only a year older than you. We''re almost the same age," Rain said, practically hysterical. ''Girlfriend? I might never find one for the rest of my life,'' he thought to himself.00000000000

 Chapter 1199 The Guess (Part Three)

    "One year, one second... You''re still older." Tom raised his eyebrow and refuted Rain''s opinion. He was so involved in the conversation that he ignored Duke.


    "That''s enough. Just shut up for a second!" Duke yelled at Tom and Rain. Tom made an irresponsible guess and left him floored. Rain was just no help at all. Both of them were annoying him.


    At that point, everyone fell silent. This was the straw that broke the camel''s back. Duke had just lost it, and no one wanted to be on the receiving end of that. They''d seen Duke angry, and they figured the best thing to do was to help him calm down. Daisy had no idea what was happening in the lobby. She smiled when she saw Belindae out of the bathroom.


    "What? Stop smiling like that." Belinda walked to the basin, washed her hands, and rinsed her mouth. Vomit tasted nasty on the best of days. Belinda didn''t like Daisy''s smile, though. She felt terrible right now, and thought Daisy wasughing at her. "When was thest time you had your period?" Daisy leaned on the wall and kept that knowing smile on her face. She was implying something with her facial expressions. But it was driving Belinda nuts trying to figure out what.


    "What in the actual -- why do you ask? You think I can use it as an excuse to avoid Duke?" Belinda pulled a paper towel from the dispenser and dried her hands.


    "You can use it as an excuse, but that''s not why I asked. Did you use birth control every time you made love?" Daisy was trying to be calm, trying to act as a mentor. But she forgot how innocent she was when she was pregnant with Justin.


    "No! What is wrong with you?" Belinda knew Daisy was implying something, but she didn''t know what it was. She couldn''t understand why Daisy asked her about that. And especially couldn''t believe that she did in the first ce.


    "So you really don''t know why I asked? Have you thought about what might happen if you don''t use birth control?" Daisy asked again, as she saw Belinda''s nk look.


    "Er! You mean......" Belinda''s eyes went as wide as saucers, and she looked at Daisy as if she said something unbelievable. Belinda ced her hand on her belly. ''Could she be right? Am I...pregnant?''


    "Uh huh. What do you think?" Daisy blinked her eyes. If Belinda was really pregnant, then she felt happy for her. And it was also a good thing for Duke, as he was aging. A baby would add a different dimension to their rtionship, and they''d need to be ready for that.


    "I don''t know. But it''s been a while since I had my period. Do you really think I''m pregnant? It could be food poisoning. This was just a reaction to that." Belinda was a little thrilled at the possibility that she was pregnant. But she was more anxious because she was afraid that they were expecting too much. She and Duke hadn''t really talked about kids, so she wasn''t sure how he''d react.


    "We don''t know for sure. But you can buy a pregnancy testter to make sure." Daisy found Belinda''s words funny. But she understood her. She helped Belinda brush her hair and straighten up. Daisy was pretty sure that Belinda was pregnant. After all, she had never seen Belinda have such a powerful reaction to fish.


    "Er! What if I''m not pregnant?" Belinda asked hesitantly. She was afraid that things wouldn''t turn out the way she wanted. And then where would she be? Would anything change between her and Duke?


    "Then you''ll just need to try harder! Don''t worry!" Daisy answered,ing up and hugging her. Duke and Belinda were both young and healthy. It shouldn''t be difficult for them to have a baby.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "Alright. But don''t say anything when we go in. I don''t want to be called a liar," Belinda said, sucking in a deep breath. She agreed with Daisy. If she wasn''t pregnant, she just needed to work harder. She''d get there someday. The best thing now was not to get everyone worked up over nothing.


    "They''ve probably figured it out already. Don''t forget Tom is there. He''s the Einstein of the medicalmunity. They might be talking about it right now." Daisy shook her head. She knew what a talented doctor Tom was. She admired him so much that he seemed like God. She hadn''t imagined that a doctor was so skillful. But when she saw the miracles Tom was able to pull out of his hat, she was a believer. Tom was a genius.


    "But I can tell them that I ate something bad and just had to throw it back up. Even if Tom''s a genius, he can only guess. He can''t run tests on me in the lobby!" Belinda didn''t worry too much about Tom being there. ''No one can be sure if I''m pregnant or not. If I stick with food poisoning, they''ll have to believe me. They don''t have any proof anyway, '' Belinda thought to herself.


    "Fine! But I''m not sure it''ll work. By the way, I thought you cared about career more than family. I didn''t know you wanted a kid. When did this happen?" Daisy looked at Belinda and asked out of curiosity. It had been too long since they saw each otherst. Her friend was changing before her eyes.


    "Do you really think I enjoy being a tough woman all the time? I had no choice! I''m an only child! They made me take over the family business. If I''m really pregnant, it will be a perfect excuse for me to take some family leave and let Duke take over. He doesn''t have enough to do anyway. He always seems to have so much time to just hang out while everyone else is busy working. I''ve worked too hard. If Duke can help, then..." She trailed off, not sure of what else to say. She was really tired.


    "Oh! So that''s what you think of your job. I thought so! I was wondering why you seemed so willing to be a mom after you got married. It wasn''t a sacrifice. You had it all nned out," Daisy teased Belinda. But she got it. Daisy always felt stressed out when she went over Edward''s business files. She had no talent for business. Her least favorite subject when she was a student was business management. No wonder Belinda wanted to get away from work. Sometimes, it just got to be too much.000000

 Chapter 1200 A Beautiful Baby Sister (Part One)

    "You know what? I have always dreamed of being azy bone. I may have my own career now but this is not what I want. Being a strong woman just looks good to other people. Most of the times, I need to figure out how to fix problems with my career all by myself." A gentle sigh escaped Belinda''s chest. Frankly, what she wanted was to live a simple life without being disturbed by anything or anyone. She just wanted to dress nicely every day.


    "You can live the life you want even if you are not pregnant. Duke is a capable man. I''m sure that he can run twopanies at the same time. Besides, he has an assistant and a secretary to help him. It won''t be hard for him." Daisy smiled and thought, ''There are many people who would be desperate to have Belinda''s position. However, she is just looking at her position as a burden that she wants to throw away.''


    "I haven''t discussed that with him and I don''t really know his thoughts. Will thepanies merge into one once he bes the sole CEO? I am fine with that but my parents might have a problem with it," Belinda said these words with a bit of confusion. She believed in Duke but it would be hard to run twopanies. He might be irritated once asked to run twopanies full-time. Thus, she would wait until Duke decided on the matter by himself.


    "If you really don''t know what to do with that then you might want to discuss it with Duke. Like what I said, he is a reliable man. He won''t take anybody else''s stuff and drive its owner away as other men do." Daisy looked at her sideways and thought, ''A proud man like Duke isn''t interested in anything that doesn''t belong to him. Plus, his family is wealthy enough so he won''t be interested in YS group''s assets. Many would do that, but definitely not someone as proud as Duke.''


    "We''ll talk about itter. Let''s go back before they get worried." Belinda shrugged. She was justining anyway. It would not be easy giving up her own career after all.


    "It''s up to you. Let''s go." Daisy took Belinda''s arm and smiled softly. Just like all the other women in the world, she dreamed to have a man who was worthy of her tenderness too. She wouldn''t mind stepping out of the limelight for him. She even thought that every woman would think the same for the sake of their own humble and pitiful love.


    All eyes were on Belinda as soon as they opened the door. They were all looking at her belly as if they were wondering if there really was a cute little angel in it.


    "What are you doing? Why are you looking at me like that?" Belinda nced uneasily at her dress and thought, ''I''m dressed properly. So what are those meaningful stares for?''


    "Aunt Belinda, Uncle Tom said that you have a little sister in your belly. Is that true?" Justin said, running up to Belinda and looking up at her innocently.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "No, it''s not true. He''s talking nonsense. Don''t listen to him," responded Belinda. She automatically shot Tom an angry stare as she feared that he would say something to embarrass her.


    "Really? But I want to have a pretty baby sister." The little guy lowered his head in dismay and thought, ''Everyone else has a brother or a sister. I want one.''


    "That is easy. Ask your mommy to give you a sister." Belinda was a little embarrassed. She honestly didn''t know what to do after hearing Justin''s question.


    "Justin, be good. Go back to your seat." Daisy stared at Belinda and thought, ''This woman is so bad. They are talking about her pregnancy. Why would she bring it up to me?''


    "Belinda, are you really not pregnant? I thought I would have a nephew. I was so happy for nothing." Leena was in dismay too, thinking, ''They''ve been married so long, they should already a child now!''


    "Mind your own business, little girl. Just eat your food." Belinda red at Leena angrily, wondering why she was always minding other people''s business.


    Duke looked yfully at Belinda. He knew his wife well and could easily tell that she was hiding something from him. He couldn''t help but smile and feel proud with the thought that Belinda might be pregnant. However,pared with his unseemly behavior earlier, he was now much more normal.


    "I advise you not to drink alcoholic drinkster. Then get a pregnancy test before you go home." Tom suddenly said aloud. Thus, his words brought everyone''s attention back to Belinda again. Their amused nces made her shrink back to her chair a bit. ''Goodness! This is so embarrassing!''


    "Boy, are you saying that Belinda may be pregnant? Well, I''ll congratte Duke on that!" Edward smiled yfully and then turned to Duke.


    "Jerry, what do you mean? Is my wife really pregnant?" Even a cool man like Duke couldn''t stay calm under the situation. He looked at Tom with sharp eyes and did not let Tom dodge his question.


    "Want the answer? Get a pregnancy test. I won''t say anything more." Tom said nonchntly. His actionpletely showed how wayward he was just like most geniuses were.


    "Okay. Okay. Okay. You guys just eat. What are you looking at me for anyway?" Belinda blushed and thought, ''Why are these people discussing my private affairs? Don''t they know that it embarrasses me?''


    On the other hand, Kevin''s eyes had been focused on Leena for a while. It was only now that he realized that he and Leena didn''t adopt any contraception measures. Could Leena be pregnant too? However, Leena never wanted to have a baby. The thought suddenly sent a bitter taste inside his mouth and made him frown. He didn''t want to force Leena onto anything she didn''t like. She was just little girl after all.


    The dinner went out fine. Soon enough and they were all ready to head for Sexy World. Before getting into the car, Belinda insisted on sitting with Daisy because she was too shy to buy a pregnancy test kit alone and wanted Daisy to apany her. Duke agreed to Belinda''s request because he knew what Belinda was thinking. Frankly, He wanted to take Belinda to the hospital right now but it was toote. Thus, he just got into his car alone as he gave up with the idea. He thought, ''I''ll find out sooner orter.''


    Justin was too young to go to such a ce so he was sent home after dinner. Justin was reluctant to leave at first but Daisy''s stern look made him follow what he was asked.


    "Is Daisy the wife of President Mu?" ire curiously asked Leena as they sat in the back seat of the car. She had exchanged a few pleasantries with Edward during dinner but she couldn''t seem to take his handsome face out of her mind even after the meal. "Yes. Haven''t you noticed it?" Amazement was all over Leena''s face when she turned to ire. ire and Gerard had a good chat with each other just a few minutes ago. It was like they had known each other for a long time.


    "I''m afraid I''m wrong." An awkward smile cracked ire''s lips. It might sound odd to say but the closer she came to the life of these people, the more she felt her self-esteem going down. All the while, she felt like she was a noble richdy who was being respected wherever she went. However, it wasn''t the case, she was not at all. Thus, she was nothing.


    "Honestly, he is a very good man but arrogant. He is indifferent to people he doesn''t know but he will be nice to you if you get to know him," sighed Leena softly. Edward''s indifference to Kevin was a very good example of how Edward reacted to things. If Kevin had told Edward that he would marry Leena in advance, then Edward wouldn''t have treated him so coldly.


    However, Kevin didn''t really care about how Edward treated him. He knew that gaining something also meant losing something. Therefore, there was no need for him to care about what others thought of him.0000000

 Chapter 1201 A Beautiful Baby Sister (Part Two)

    used to it as they were before. Fortunately, they had their own private box and didn''t have to worry about being disturbed.


    Sexy World was as busy as usual. This was a seductive ce and the music was deafening. They were all bombarded by the booming noise of the ce as soon as they stepped in. It could be because they hadn''t been in this ce for so long that they forgot how to get "Is Tom telling the truth?" Duke asked as he approached his wife.


    "What are you talking about?" Belinda pretended that she didn''t understand what Duke was saying. She was too shy to discuss such private matters in public. Although others might not be able to hear what they were saying, she would still not want to discuss this thing with Duke in a ce like this.


    "Woman, don''t act like you don''t know what I mean." Duke smiled yfully and thought, ''Maybe she''s not sure whether she''s pregnant or not.''


    "I really don''t know what you''re talking about. Oh! Look! Rain is so upset now. Would you like to sing a song with him?" Belinda looked at Rain as she tried to divert Duke''s attention. She thought that Duke might forget about their topic if he sang with Rain. "I don''t care! There are so many women here. He can just take anyone he wants. It''s none of my business," replied Duke angrily, thinking ''I could have taught her a lesson if there weren''t so many people around. Shouldn''t she know the consequences of provoking me.'' "I just said it because I thought you are worried about Rain." Belinda gave a sly smile. As long as Duke was not talking about pregnancy, then she didn''t really mind if she annoyed this short-tempered man.


    "Okay. You are making me mad now. You need to tell me, why are you doing this? If I remember it correctly, your period is already half a monthte." Duke''s words were stern and slow. He spoke in no hurry and what he said almost tipped Belinda off with surprise. How on earth did Duke know about her period? Did he write it down somewhere?


    "Well... Duke, why do you know about my period?" Dumbfounded, Belinda looked at him doubtfully and asked stupidly. It was said that women who were pregnant tended to be a little stupid. If so, then it seemed like Belinda might actually be pregnant.


    "You know, I am a man." Duke responded in a mysterious tone as he thought, ''Of course, every man knows their wife''s period!'' How could he not know his most hated days? He couldn''t even do what he wanted during those times.


    "What?" Faking her anger, Belinda gave Duke a cold stare and thought, ''Foolish me! Why am I even asking this question?''


    "What are you two whispering about? Why don''t youe and sing?" Rain felt that they were speaking ill of him so he invited them to join him in singing.


    "Go away! It''s none of your business." It was Duke who snapped at Rain. He couldn''t forget about the time when Belinda mistook him of being a bisexual because of this guy.


    "Rain, you''re asking for it. Didn''t you see the two of them talking about personal matters? You are so bold to disturb them. You''re stupid." Leena sighed. Everyone was listening to Gerard and ire singing. They didn''t expect Rain would spoil the atmosphere at this moment.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Little girl, I''m so nice to you. Why would you do this to me? Kevin, you should teach your wife a good lesson." Rain feigned to be angry. He might look angry but if one would check on him closely, it was easy to tell that there wasn''t even a hint of anger in his eyes. "I dare not teach her. If I had done so, you would have pointed your finger at me," responded Kevin breezily. He knew that he would be foolish to reprimand Leena before her brothers. Moreover, this ce was not the perfect ce for it. There were just too many people around.


    "You seem to be very self-aware." Edward smiled while nodding. Men should learn to recognize the situation and understand the principles of flexibility. He felt that he should bemending Kevin for being as sharp as he was.


    "It''s good that we haven''t hurt you yet. You have learned your lesson." It was Duke who said that as he thought, ''Smart guy! He is obnoxious but knows how to read between one''s line and observe expressions.''


    "Yes. Didn''t we say we were going to teach him a lesson? Why haven''t we taught him yet?" Rain looked at Kevin yfully. As always, he was the troublemaker of the gang.


    "The reason why we didn''t do so was that you couldn''t beat him," Tom suddenly said. Of all the people, Tom was the friendliest to Kevin.


    "Fine! Fine! Fine! Why do you guys need to bring this up every time wee out? Don''t you feel tired?" Belinda red at the men. Kevin was her brother-inw after anyway. So she wanted to save him from embarrassment.


    "I think these guys are just bored, and that''s why they keep talking about it." Daisy''s voice was always cold and authoritative. Thus, they all went silent after she spoke. Everyone knew that Edward would always be on her side. Just as Justin said, to offend Daisy was to offend Edward. No one dared to continue talking about the topic again. "You''re right. I think so too. You guys are so fucking boring." Among all of them, Leena was the only one who dared to question Edward. Everyone was even surprised when she finished speaking.


    "Oh! My God! Youngdy, what did you just say?"


    "Leena, watch yournguage."


    "Shut up, Nana."


    Several voices came blurting at the same time that Kevin ended up covering Leena''s mouth in reflex. He couldn''t allow her to say something more!


    "Ha-ha! Good job, girl! I''m the happiest with what you said tonight." Belinda was pping her hands whileughing. Frankly, a richdy like herself, didn''t really like conforming to rules and regtions. It was harmless to asionally talk dirty. No one was perfect anyway! Moreover, perfect things didn''tst long.


    "Oh my God! You''ve always been my little girl who can''t even swear. What happened to you? You almost gave me a heart attack! Rain held his chest and let out a deep sigh, pretending to be really surprised.


    On the other hand, Edward smiled and looked at Leena yfully. He didn''t even notice that their little princess had already grown up. She sounded so tough like she didn''t need their protection anymore.


    "I''m sorry. Sometimes, I would say that when I''m chatting online, so I identally say it." Leena blushed and exined. Her brothers'' stare at her instantly made her ufortable. Thus, she tried to look for an escape. ''It''s Patricia''s fault. She always says these kinds of words, so I learned them under her influence.''


    "Okay. Okay. There is no need to exin. I see what you mean." Belinda was just so happy tonight that she couldn''t stopughing.


    Just then, someone suddenly knocked on the door. Then the box door slowly opened as the manager came in with a few beauties. It was toote for him to run back out when his eyesnded to the group that was all staring at him. He automatically turned pale with fright. He was surprised that there would be women in the box!


    "Manager Tang, what''s the matter?" Edward asked coldly as he looked up at the beauties behind him. Then he thought, ''This guy was trying to sell us beautiful women? Unfortunately, we all got married now.''


    "I am so sorry! We''re in the wrong box. President Mu, wish you have fun tonight. We''ll leave you alone." Manager Tang wiped the sweat from his forehead and thought, ''It''s all on those bitches out there. They only told me that President Mu was here but they didn''t tell me they all brought their wives. I wouldn''t be so embarrassed if they told me on set!.''


    "Wait a second." Daisy said coldly, looking at one woman brought by Manager Tang. If she was right, she seemed to have met someone she knew.00000000000

 Chapter 1202 Met Mary Again (Part One)

    "Is there anything else you want?" The manager asked with a panicked look in his eyes. He wondered what Daisy was thinking right now. Fear made him take a step back.


    "I''m interested in the beautiful woman behind you," Daisy said, standing up. She had already changed out of her uniform into the casual clothes that she kept in the car before she walked in. Because she didn''t think it was appropriate to wear it. She wasn''t here on army


    business.


    As soon as Daisy finished her words, all the people in that room stared up at her incredulously, wondering if she was nning to seal the deal with the women who hooked up with Edward. Did she swing that way? Was she serious? After all, Edward had a lot of history with the women there.


    "Lady, you''re kidding, right?" The manager replied, moving his lips. He doubted that the woman standing in front of him was a lesbian. He had been in this business a long time and he had dealt with a lot of lesbians. But Daisy looked so cold and dignified, delicate yet strong. She was not a lesbian, he figured.


    "No, I''m not kidding. She''s the one I want. The other girls can go now." And one girl, one who had heavy makeup and looked quite lovely in spite of that tilted her head and said, "It''s you! Daisy!" The girl''s expression darkened, her voice heavy with astonishment. She never imagined she''d meet Daisy here, of all ces. It really made her feel ashamed.


    "I know, right? So how did you end up here? I would never have guessed." No one there knew the girl with heavy make-up was Mary. It was obvious these two knew each other.


    "If you want to insult me, sorry! I''m not in the mood," Mary said and looked around. Her eyes fell on Edward, and that was when her spirits fell as well. She couldn''t have him before, and she couldn''t have him now. That was painfully obvious to her, finally. "Oh? You don''t like being trash-talked? Then why did you think I would?" Daisy said. She didn''t mean to embarrass Mary orugh at her. She just felt bad seeing Mary standing in front of her like this. Daisy had a soft heart, and didn''t enjoy gloating. Mary was now amon whore, and it wasn''t something tough about. It was sad.


    "Are you here to lord it over me? Sorry, I''m too busy for that," Mary said. She had thought about so many things since her dramatic rescue by Daisy and Leena. She didn''t have it in her to fight anymore. She wouldn''t even fire back if Daisy decided to insult her right now. But she hoped Daisy would hold back. All she had left was her dignity, and she desperately needed to preserve it.


    "You don''t have to do this. You''re a sharp cookie. You could work at anypany, and live a good life," Daisy said, frowning. Mary had learned a lot about management, wanting to take over Ouyang Foreign Trade. She could probably walk in any door and get a pretty high-level position. "Haha! The world''s not as simple as you think. I don''t have a home now. It''s widely known I was driven out. Knowing that, who would offer me a job?" Mary said with a cold smile. ''Daisy, you''re still so naive for all your experience, ''Mary thought.


    "Okay, think about this: if you don''t ask too much, you can probably get a good job," Daisy replied. She didn''t know so much about the business world, the intrigue and cheating. It was a dog-eat-dog world out there in the corporate environment. Being a career soldier, Daisy had no clue. "I wish that were true. But it''s not. Sorry, I can''t stay. I''m on duty. I need to go." Mary rushed out of the room after nodding to everyone. Working at that kind of ce, she knew she might meet them sooner orter, but she didn''t expect it would happen so quickly. Daisy watched Mary run off. Maybe she should call Brian to see if he could arrange work for Mary at Ouyang Foreign Trade. She knew Mary was familiar with the ways hispany did business. She really hoped she could help her out. Otherwise, Mary''s life would be ruined if she kept living like this.


    She was so blindsided by this, that Daisy wasn''t able to enjoy herself. She didn''t really want Mary to suffer, despite all the bad things she did. Apparently, she wasn''t good at holding a grudge.


    "You are worried about her?" Edward asked and looked at Daisy with a teasing smile, leaning against her. ''Did Daisy forget that this woman made her life a living hell? How could she waste her time thinking about that tramp?'' he thought to himself. "Not exactly. I''m just sad for her," Daisy said, fidgeting. What happened to Mary wasn''t her fault, but Daisy thought she needed to care about her. Mary was Brian''s sister and she didn''t want to see Brian sad about it.


    "Woman, you''ve been around the block a few times. Don''t tell me you didn''t see thising," Edward said. He didn''t like seeing Daisy unhappy. In his opinion, he didn''t want her worrying about Mary, who was so sinister she didn''t deserve anyone''s sympathy. "You think it''s not worth it, right? She hurt me lot, so therefore I can''t care about her," Daisy said, looking at Edward, her head tilted. As a matter of fact, she didn''t like being this way. But still, she couldn''t turn her back on Mary. They grew up in the same house together. She knew Mary, knew she couldn''t cut the rtionship, no matter if Mary treated her badly or not.


    "Not at all. You''re honest, and I love you for it," Edward said, folding Daisy into his arms tenderly. He would respect her decision if she cared about Mary so much. He just hoped that wouldn''tnd her in trouble. They''d had enough drama for a lifetime. ire and Gerard were both single and the same age, so they were bantering back and forth. They were reallyfortable around each other,ughing and having a good time. People would think they were a couple if they didn''t know better.


    Rain was miserable. Everyone in the room was a couple -- everyone except him. He decided to drown his sorrows, downing shot after shot. Finally, he was so drunk that Tom had to carry him back home.


    "Sorry, Kevin! They''re snubbing you. I guess you still have a long way to go to be one of them." Leena apologized, biting her lower lip slightly.


    "It''s fine. I get it," Kevin said, ying with Leena''s hair. Actually, based on his observation, every single person in that room was enjoying their own significant others, so they didn''t care about him. But everyone in that room was also offering him a drink. As long as they were buying, he''d be drinking. Most likely they just wanted to get him drunk so he''d make a fool of himself and they couldugh.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    "But you have stomach issues. Now everyone plies you with booze," Leena said resentfully, pouting.


    "What? You are worried about me?" Kevin said with an evil smile. Obviously, he was drunk.


    "Yes! So, stop drinking," Leena replied, frowning. If he didn''t watch what he ate, they couldn''t figure out whether his tummy issues would be getting better or worse.


    "Don''t worry! I didn''t drink too much. It wouldn''t be harmful to me," Kevin said, patting Leena''s shoulder to console her. He felt a little dizzy, but not drunk.


    "You should care about your health!" Leena said. At that moment, she wasn''t a carefree princess but a responsible wife who was worried about her husband. It turned out she could readily move between the two roles.


    This time, the party didn''t spill over into the wee hours like usually happened when they got together. Still, it was around one o''clock in the morning. It was warm in the club, but outside it was frozen. Leena gathered her coat around her and shivered.000

 Chapter 1203 Met Mary Again (Part Two)

    All the men had taken the phrase "party hardy" to a new level, so they were all falling down drunk. Everyone except Tom, who only drank a little -- an emergency could crop up at any time. Even Gerard was three sheets to the wind. Luke had to drive him to the hotel. "Leena, my brother''s really drunk," ire said with concern. Kevin rested his head on her shoulder.


    "Yeah. As long as his stomach''s okay, he''ll be better after a nap." Leena said, ncing at Kevin in the rear view mirror periodically. She was driving her family back home.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    "They''re quite good at drinking. Everyone needs a hobby, I guess. At least they are quiet," ire said. Most of the time, her friends acted like idiots when they were drunk. Some of them even started bar brawls, or harassed people on the streets. But Leena''s friends were all quiet and peaceful, and that was a rare scene for her.


    "It''s a question of character. Some can control themselves while drunk, which is quite a feat. These guys are all high-ss, they don''t get rude just because they''ve had a few." Leena was always very proud of this. She didn''t have to worry about getting groped or whatever, even when her friends couldn''t see straight.


    "What about Kevin? Is he like that, too?" ire asked in curiosity. She''d never seen her brother drunk. Except this time.


    Leena looked at him in the mirror, saw him half-dozing in the car. "Take a look. Does he act like your friends?" Leena asked with a dazzling smile. She thought ire was a lovely girl when she wasn''t being an unbearable shrew.


    "True," ire said, scratching her head in embarrassment.


    Leena didn''t continue the subject but took a nce at ire. She knew about her crush on Rain, and meant to ask her about it. Maybe spark a discussion. Considering Kevin was there, she decided to table it forter. Although Kevin was drunk, it didn''t mean that he wouldn''t overhear and figure it out. She didn''t need his two cents in this. So she decided to wait till she could talk to ire woman to woman.


    When they got back to the Grand Apartment, Leena and ire cooperated, horsing Kevin inside. Luckily, Kevin showered after work, so he wouldn''t dirty the bed. They just finally threw him into the bed.


    "Well. ire, it''s off to bed for you. Catch a shower and hit the hay. It''ste," Leena said, pulling off Kevin''s clothes. It was a chore, considering his weight was resting on them.


    "You okay with him?" ire said, looking at Leena hesitantly. She kept asking herself how she had totally misjudged her. She was a really nice person.


    "I''m good. Get to bed," Leena said. She asked ire to leave because she was going to take off Kevin''s pants and help him getfortable in bed. ire was Kevin''s sister, but it wasn''t proper to take off his clothes in front of her.


    "Okay! Good night!" ire said, looking at Kevin with concern and finally walking out. She didn''t know if anyone else enjoyed themselves, but she had a good time. Most importantly, she realized that Rain was immune to her charms. She felt relieved when she thought of this. So she set her sights on Gerard instead.


    "Good night!" Leena said with a smile, watching ire leave the room. Then she started to undo Kevin''s clothes.


    Staring at Kevin''s serene face, Leena couldn''t help pinching his cheek tenderly. He didn''t move so much as a muscle. Kevin was totally drunk. Normally, Kevin was awake and alert at the slightest touch, but he was unresponsive to Leena''s caresses. Thanks to her friends, she thought. They worked to get him just as rip-roaring drunk as they could.


    The next morning, Kevin didn''t wake up to his internal clock for the first time. Instead, he blinked himself awake, and found he was holding Leena in his arms, and she was sleeping peacefully. Evidently, he could still have enough love for his wife to cradle her in his arms while he was drunk. Luckily it was his day off, so he didn''t need to worry about anything. ire, still groggy from the night before, awoke to the ringtone on her phone.


    Annoyed by the ringing, she pulled the quilt over her head. However, the phone continued its incessant mor. In desperation, she reached for the phone and put it up to her ear reluctantly. But the beautiful ringtone still yed, and it dawned on her she hadn''t pressed the answer button. Then she had to open her eyes -- and pressed it drowsily.


    "Hello! Who''s this?" ire answered and then fell asleep again. It was two o''clock in the morning when she finished showeringst night. No wonder she was so tired.


    "It''s me. What''s wrong? Why did it take so long to answer? Did you forget we have ns?" Louisa yelled at ire with anger, bombarding her with questions before she was fully awake. ''Bad girl, you''re so entitled. I wouldn''t be nice to you if your dad didn''t outrank mine,'' she thought.


    "Oh! Louisa! What time is it? I''m so sleepy. Another time, maybe?" ire said, yawning. ''You''re pushing me so hard! Why so early?'' she thought.


    "No. Get down here now. I''m waiting for you downstairs. It''s eight now and you have half an hour to dress yourself up!" Louisa said, checking the time. ''We can''t treat this as a joke. I need this opportunity to get into the entertainment business. She can''t quit now!'' she thought.


    "What? It''s eight? Come on, Louisa. I just help with the runway show. Why so serious?" ire asked and gave a loud moan. The covers were warm, the air wasn''t so warm. She didn''t want to pull herself up from thefy bed.


    "A real friend would be up and at least..." Louisa said through clenched teeth. ''If I had someone else to rely on, I wouldn''t be here so early,'' she thought.


    "All right. You scared me. I''m up," ire said, yawning again and struggling out of the quilt. She med herself for saying yes to Louisa''s request. ''I''m done! I can''t even sleep well, '' ire thought.


    "Better hurry up! You have thirty minutes. If you''re a no-show in half an hour, I''d have to rethink our friendship," Louisa said. She knew what ire cared about, so she liked to use this as a threat. It worked every time, too. "Got it. I''ll be quick," ire said, throwing her phone on the bed angrily. She would have just turned it offst night if she knew this would happen. Of course, Louisa would quit calling her or knocking so early. ire reminded herself of the time limit which Louisa hadid out. She even didn''t put on make-up but simply applied lotion and lipstick and then rushed downstairs. She didn''t even let Kevin and Leena know. "Did I make it on time?" ire asked, getting in the car breathlessly, her hand patting her chest to calm down.


    "You ARE a bad girl. Look at those dark circles under your eyes. What did you dost night?" Louisa asked in a cold voice, starting the car.


    "Uh! Is it obvious? Ugh! This is all your fault! You didn''t even give me time to put on makeup! We weren''t even home till 1st night," ire said, taking the mirror from her purse and looking at her reflection. "You went out to yst night. Who with? Why didn''t you call me?" Louisa said reproachfully. ''Okay, so maybe ire can''t help me as much as I thought. So who else can I get?'' Louisa thought.


    "Um... Well. I couldn''t do that. Not my party, not my choice," ire said. If she weren''t Leena''s sister-inw, she wouldn''t have been invited. She knew that implicitly. So how could she invite Louisa to tag along?00000??????

 Chapter 1204 I Wont Give Up (Part One)

    "What are you talking about? So it was you and Kevin and Leena, and who else?" Louisa took a sidelong nce at ire as she mentioned Leena''s name through gritted teeth.


    "Ha! Only all the handsome guys and beautifuldies in the city!" ire said in a cheerful voice. She had never seen people as eye-catching as Leena''s friends before. And not surprising, they were the cream of the crop.


    "Bah! You''re shitting us!" Louisa grumbled, pursing her lips. She puffed out her chest and tried to act self-important. ''There can''t be more hot guys here than at the capital city. And I don''t think the big shots here would be friends with Leena, ''thought Louisa. "Believe it or not, there were tons of great guys there the president and vice president of FX International Group, the president of Leng Group, and the most skilled doctor in the city. And oh yeah, my brother and Gerard too." She sounded like she was intentionally bragging. Because she was. ire was ecstatic to have hung out with so many extraordinary people.


    "What? Gerard was there too? Oh my god! Leena was brazen enough to bring her ex to meet her husband. Wasn''t she afraid of pissing Kevin off?" Louisa asked with a teasing smile, but deep inside, she was really envious of Leena. She was way better than her. This was so unfair! ''Why is Kevin so nice to the bitch? She even brought her husband and ex together. Kevin should dump her right now!'' she thought.


    "What? Who told you Gerard was Leena''s ex? Louisa, don''t talk this nonsense to my brother. He won''t like that." On hearing Louisa''s words, ire was now ticked off. The past few days with Leena were awesome. The more time she spent with Leena, the better she knew her. Leena was not a bad person at all. Why did Louisa hate her so much?


    "I already told him. But he''spletely captivated by the bitch! He chose to believe her instead of me. No wonder people say ''love is blind." Louisa couldn''t help butin to ire. ''Why did Kevin choose that bitch instead of me? I''m hotter, better educated, more regal -I''m better in every way. Kevin must have been blind to choose her. I can''t let Kevin live like this! He deserves a real woman," thought Louisa.


    "That''s where you''re wrong. If you told the truth, my brother would have trusted you." ire was hesitant about what Louisa had mentioned. Though Louisa was her friend, ire didn''t believe everything she said. Sometimes she was t out wrong.


    "Your brother knew the truth, he just couldn''t ept it! Duh!" Louisa thought, ''Leena is a tramp that got lucky. Kevin is a man with a soft heart. If she married another guy, she''d have been beaten up or kicked out of the house.''Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Louisa, I know you have a crush on my brother and want to marry him. But that''s too crazy even for you." ire cast a warning nce at Louisa. She kept telling Louisa that she wasn''t Kevin''s type. Even if they got married, they wouldn''t be happy. Louisa just wouldn''t listen to her.


    "What? Me? Crazy? Looks like you''ve taken up with her now! I thought you hated her too. This is not some cray-cray thing I found on the inte. It''s 100% true." Louisa was so upset by ire''s words that she almost lost control of the steering wheel. ire was frightened by the sudden sharp veer and screamed, "Look out! Keep your eyes on the road! God!" ire patted her chest to calm down. Luckily, it was early and there was almost no cars on the road, otherwise they''d be in an ident. She decided not to argue with Louisa when she was driving. She got too emotional to drive.


    "Never mind. She paid you off, that''s why you don''t believe me. Go ahead. Take her side. You just betrayed your best friend to a woman who stole your brother from you," Louisa said. She sounded indifferent and more than a little self-righteous, but deep down, she wanted to cut Leena into little pieces.


    "Betrayal? Come on, stop being dramatic. Besides, Gerard is one of Leena''s friends. If he were her ex, she wouldn''t have brought him to meet my brother." ire had to defend her sister-inw, but this time she tried to mollify Louisa. She didn''t want her going crazy again. "Just shut up, okay? I don''t want to hear it. You pinky swore to help me. Now you''re on her side. You''re just a fake friend!" Louisa snorted and thought to herself, ''You''re on her side? Fine! But don''t get in my way, or else!''


    "Louisa, please don''t do this. I wanted to help you, but then I realized that my brother would never fall for you. He only has eyes for Leena. Just forget him. You are so young. There are tons of guys who think you''re hot. Why not choose one of them? Besides, if your father knew about it, he''d ground you for the rest of your life!" ire rubbed her temples as she felt a headacheing on. Louisa was such an unreasonable person, and hard to deal with at the best of times.


    "Don''t tell me what to do! What if you were me? I want him and I won''t give up!" Louisa gave ire a withering look. She med ire for not helping her.


    "Actually, it''s not that hard to forget someone. You just have to want it enough." ire gave her a bitter smile. She was really serious about this. ''If I were as stubborn as her, I''d be in the same boat with Rain. But I just gave him up before I got sucked in. Just because you like something, doesn''t mean you need to own it.''


    "Easy for you to say. You''ve never been in love." Louisa spun the wheel sharply and made a U turn in the middle of the road, which caught ire off guard. "Ouch!" ire cried as she banged her head on the window. She wasn''t seriously hurt, but it was still painful. "Louisa..." ire opened her mouth to get her to try to stop, but she faltered and changed her mind. She was afraid that Louisa might go crazy again. And just like that, ire''s phone rang.


    "Who''s that? Never mind. No matter what, don''t tell them what we''re doing." Louisa stole a nce at ire''s phone. She wondered who exactly was calling this early.


    "Why?" ire asked, totally confused. Why would she want to keep it a secret?


    "Don''t ask why. Just do it!" Louisa snapped. She got fed up with ire''s questions.


    "Okay, okay. I get it." Though ire wanted to know why, she stopped asking when seeing Louisa''s face darken. If Louisa got agitated again, she might go insane and that would be dangerous.


    "ire, where are you now?" Kevin asked, frowning. He took another sip of coffee. He had nned to invite ire to have breakfast with him and Leena. It was rare that he had a morning meal with his wife and sister. Of course, when he went looking for her, all he saw was a chaotic mess of clothes and no ire.


    "I''m sorry, Kevin. I forgot to tell you that Louisa asked me out. I''m with her now." ire blinked a bit in anxiety. She felt guilty about lying.


    "Well, okay. You two have fun and be safe. You have a problem, I''m just a phone call away." Kevin was a little annoyed when she told him. He didn''t like Louisa. If she weren''t themander''s daughter, Kevin wouldn''t even talk to her. But ire and Louisa were friends. Kevin couldn''t forbid ire from seeing Louisa. All that would do was make ire go out in secret to meet her.


    "Got it! Bye, Kevin!" ire answered with a sweet smile. She had spent a lot of time with himtely, and now she was closer to him than ever. Kevin was reliable and always had her back.


    "Alright! Bye!" After hanging up, Kevin took another sip of coffee and walked towards his bedroom to check if Leena had woken up yet. He was so drunkst night that he didn''t even remember getting back. When he woke up this morning, he felt good, seeing Leena sleeping in his arms.


    "Hey, your brother didn''t find out, did he?" Louisa asked as she was afraid that Kevin might know what they were up to and stop them. Then, everything she was working for would fall apart.


    "Come on, you heard what I said." ire was a little irritated by Louisa''s suspicious look. ''If you don''t trust me, why did you ask me to join in?'' she thought to herself. The better she got to know Louisa, the less she liked her.0000

 Chapter 1205 I Wont Give Up (Part Two)

    "ire, you mad at me? Come on! We''re friends." It was not the right time to fall out with ire, so Louisa decided to pacify her. She still needed her. "No," ire answered in a cold voice. A note of discord sounded between ire and Louisa. ire couldn''t understand why Louisa turned so stubborn and mean.


    "I know you''re mad at me. I''m sorry. Please forgive me. We''ve got the whole day together. I don''t want you to be mad the whole day. Last time when we went out shopping, you had your eyes set on a dress. How about this? I''ll buy the dress for you," Louisa said as she gave ire a sweet smile. If Leena bought her off, maybe Louisa could buy her back.


    "No need for that. I''m not angry. Hey, is that your friend? Why is she waiting for us outside?" ire asked in confusion as she saw Louisa''s friend zipping back and forth in front of a building.


    "I don''t know either. Is it because we are toote?" Louisa pulled over and was about to get out, but her friend rushed to them immediately.


    "What are we gonna do, Louisa? We borrowed a room to practice in, but thepany we borrowed it from refuses to let us in. We have no ce to practice. What can we do?" The woman was breathless, and the words spilled out in a jumble. She was obviously distraught. She looked like she was about 20 years old. Her features were soft and delicate, skin wless, with a gorgeous s-line.


    "No way! How can they just break their promise like that? They promised to lend us the room! Why do this? Apany like this will go broke sooner orter!" Louisa yelled angrily, feeling both upset and enraged.


    "Well, actually it has nothing to do with thepany. One of my friends works there, and she took advantage of her position to lend me the space. But now, they need the room themselves. I can''t me her for that." It seemed that Louisa''s friend was a sensible girl, unlike Louisa herself.


    "What are we gonna do now? Go back home?" Louisa got really frustrated. She had thought she would be famous this time. This was her chance to shine.


    "You have a lot of friends, right, Louisa? Can''t you call your friends and ask one of them to lend us the space?" The girl looked at Louisa with a hopeful expression. Louisa was herst hope. But her hopes were about to be dashed.


    "I have only a few friends here, and they aren''t rich or powerful. I don''t think they can help." Louisa didn''t want to do that. Though Louisa did have rich friends, she had always been too proud to ask for help. She thought it made her look weak.


    "Really? We''re screwed. The show''s in just a few days. I''ve been preparing for it for six months now." Louisa''s friend lowered her head, feeling sad and dejected. She suffered a double whammy. First, the models broke their contracts; and now, they lost their practice space. She was afraid that her bad luck would continue.


    "Well, like the saying goes, ''the road to sess is always under construction.'' Why not call your friends to see if we can borrow something?" Louisa said with a bitter smile. She knew even if she swallowed her pride to ask her friends for help, they wouldn''t help her, for she had offended too many of them in the past. They really hated her now, and would justugh if they knew she needed something.


    "I called everyone I know. The rooms they have are too small, andrger ones cost too much." Annoyed and perplexed, Louisa''s friend was almost in tears. She was so upset that she was like an ant on a hot pan.


    "What do we do now?" Louisa murmured. All of a sudden, an idea struck her as she turned to ire and fixed her eyes upon her. Startled, ire jerked a bit.


    "Don''t look at me. My family''s in the capital city, and I don''t know anyone here. Sorry, I can''t help." ire blinked her innocent eyes at Louisa, not knowing why she was gazing at her like this. It was starting to get annoying.


    "I remember you said Leena''s brother owns Leng Group, right? Then she must have a lot of houses. Why don''t you ask her to lend us one?" Louisa asked in a cheerful voice as she held ire''s hands. ire was dumbfounded at her suggestion. ''But you hate Leena. Now you''re in trouble, and you ask her for help? Are you insane?'' ire thought.


    "I don''t think that''s such a hot idea. What do I tell her? You swore me to secrecy." Louisa had put ire in an awkward situation. ire had no idea whether Leena had any other houses or not, for Leena never said anything like that. Not only that, was she in any position to ask?


    "Ok, dumb question, ire. You can just tell her that you''ve been in a bad mood recently and you want to live alone." Louisa cast a scornful nce at ire as she thought ire was rather stupid. And ire felt that way, all of a sudden.


    "What if she asks me why I''ve been in a bad mood? What am I supposed to tell her? After all, everything''s been great." ire was a little annoyed by Louisa''s request and seemed like it would create more drama. ire didn''t know how to ask for Leena''s help. "Well... I remember..." Louisa moved around ire, switching from her right to her left side. "You have a thing for Rain of FX International Group, but he didn''t pay even the slightest amount of attention to you. That''s a good reason. You can tell Leena you have a broken heart because of him." Louisa rolled her eyes and thought to herself, ''Why don''t you look in a mirror? No one will ever fall for someone like you!"


    "Dammit, Louisa! It was a secret! Why did you just blurt it out in front of everyone?" ireined, her face blushing with embarrassment. She stole a nce at Louisa''s friend and felt humiliated. She couldn''t even look at anyone now.


    "I apologize, okay? But it is a good excuse. Please call Leena for me. Please!" Louisa bit her lower lip and pleaded. She would never humble herself like this, but she needed the favor. She cursed ire and Leena both. It it weren''t for them... "Okay, I''ll try, but no promises." ire sighed with profound resignation and took out her cell phone reluctantly. Her fingers hovered over the keys, but she hesitated.


    "Alright. We won''t me you if it doesn''t work out." Louisa was thrilled when ire was willing to help.


    "How about we not practice today? I think I need to talk to Leena face to face. I don''t think this will work, though. She and Kevin are my legal guardians. That doesn''t cover living alone." ire hesitated when she was about to dial the number. Though Leena might already know ire had a thing for Rain, ire got the sense that Leena wanted to talk to her about it.


    "What do you think of her suggestion, P?" Louisa turned to her friend. She thought ire''s words made perfect sense. Even if Leena agreed to lend her the house, ire had to go home to fetch the keys.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    "All right. Let''s take a break for today. We''ll see each other after we get the space." P had no other choice but to agree with them. She bid them goodbye and turned to leave.


    "What? We''re going back now? But I just told Kevin that we were hanging out today." ire widened her eyes in disbelief. If she came home now, Kevin would realize that she had lied to him. This n of theirs just dug a deeper and deeper hole, and ire was afraid she might not be able to climb out.0000

 Chapter 1206 The Villa (Part One)

    "Can''t you just say it was canceled for some certain reason? You are an adult person! Howe you know so little about strategies? How haven''t you been killed for being an idiot?" chided Louisa while she glowered at ire. In Louisa''s eyes, ire was but a stupid woman. She was fortunate to be born to a wealthy family. If not, silly as she was, no men would ever have interest in her, let alone marry her.


    "I..." ire tried to defend herself but then gave in and remained quiet. She had a feeling that it was no good for her to quarrel with Louisa.


    "That''s enough! Go hail a cab and go to Leena! I need to go somewhere else and don''t have time to drive you back. As to what I''ve said, inform me if there''s any update. Don''t dy it," said Louisa with a snort. Her tone was filled with contempt. It was clear that she didn''t treat ire as a friend.


    "Oh, I see," ire answered in a low spirit. She didn''t even take much offense from Louisa''s attitude. It was okay for Louisa not to send her home. She could just always call a cab and afford it.


    "I gotta go, P. Catch youter." With that said, Louisa waved goodbye with P and got back into her car.


    "See you!" P waved back. Then she turned her nce to ire and shed an apologetic smile.


    Leena had just finished her breakfast when ire reached the Grand Apartment. She was surprised to see ire at this hour.


    "ire, weren''t you out to have fun with some friends? Why are you back so early?" Leena asked in a surprised voice.


    "Yes, I was. We had to cancel the n because of some sudden incident though. Where is my brother? Is he out?" ire answered as she removed her shoes.


    "Yep. Someone gave him a call earlier and he headed out. He said that he has some emergencies that he needs to handle. Anyway, I didn''t expect you to be back so soon. Have you had breakfast yet?" said Leena as she headed towards the dining room. There were plenty of dishes remaining untouched.


    "He he! Not yet. I wish there is some leftover in the kitchen." ire put her hands to her mouth and breathed to warm her numb fingers. The weather outside was icy cold. It might be caused by the morning frost.


    "Come and have a seat. We have prepared your share of breakfast before you went out without telling us in advance. I''ll heat it up for you." Although Leena knew where ire had gone and whom she had been with, she didn''t take what ire did as a betrayal at all. She believed that she could ce more trust in her sister-inw.


    "Thank you! Since you mentioned it, I''ve been feeling a bit hungry," ire answered with a smirk on her face and followed Leena to the dining room. Her time with Louisa was pointless and she was now filled with a bellyful of anger. She truly needed something delicious to soothe her nerves.


    "Why are you so courteous? That''s unlike you," Leena quipped with a slight frown. She microwaved ire''s breakfast.


    "I''m in the mood, you know! Plus, people change, they always do. I just did! I''m behaving nicely because I''m now mature!" ire hurriedly exined. Her face was reddened by the harsh wind and she was shivering from the cold.


    "Well, that''s highly suspicious. Shall I make you a cup of hot milk? It''ll keep you warm," Leena said with a resigned smile. It seemed that she wasn''t used to ire being so nice to her and would prefer to be treated harshly as usual.


    "That''s nice. It''s freezing cold outside and I still feel a bit chilly." ire rubbed her hands to warm up while wondering how she should bring up the subject that Louisa had asked.


    "Okay. Just a minute," said Leena. She always kept a smile on her face whenever she spoke. She poured some milk for ire and started to heat it up.


    "Leena, do you happen to own some other apartments here in the city?" ire asked. She had to obey Louisa''s orders after all since she cared so much about their so-called "friendship".


    "Why do you ask?" Leena questioned doubtfully with a slight frown.


    "Oh! Since I identally met Mr. Xia yesterday, I''ve finally realized that he isn''t my kind of man. Such a man is out of my league. Lovelorn and heartbroken, I seek a quiet ce to lick my wounds alone." What ire imed was half-true. She had some feelings for Rain, although not that much. It was the unrequited feeling that she had for Rain that made her feel bad about letting go. Thus, she sounded genuine when she stated her request.


    "What? Haven''t you promised that you wouldn''t fall in love with him? Okay! Never mind then. I''m d that you''ve made a rational choice. But speaking of apartments, I don''t think I have any here in the city. If you really want to spend some quiet and peaceful time, I''ll take you to the vi to rx. The scenery there is pretty good." Leena knew exactly how awful it was when one was stuck with unrequited love. She understood how ire felt now as Rain didn''t feel for her the same way.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    "Vi? You must be kidding!" ire was more than excited to hear that. In this way, her task would be perfectly handled.


    "Of course not! It is a new house and we haven''t moved in yet. We''ve already decorated it and stored every necessity one needs there though, so you can move in anytime. The only problem is that Kevin and I will be worried about you if you stay there alone. The vi is far away from our house. I''m afraid that I won''t be able to take good care of you if you are that out of reach." Leena was a little worried. After all, ire wasn''t a good cook and she would easily starve herself. She wouldn''t be able to tend to her needs if she was that far. "Come on! I can take care of myself! I''ll dine outside or order some take-out food when I''m hungry. It''s going to be fine, I promise! I just want to be alone for a few days, not iste myself with the rest of the world." ire''s eyes flickered as she spoke. She tried her best not to stutter as Leena might find out that she was lying, just in case.


    "Well, you still have to ask Kevin. I can''t make the decision alone." Leena ced the dishes on the table for ire. She didn''t have the least doubt in her words.00??????????

 Chapter 1207 The Villa (Part Two)

    "Leena! Please! You must help me. I can''t talk to Kevin about this. If I ever brought it up, he would definitely go to the bottom of it and learn about my feelings for Rain. How can I let that happen?" pouting, ire pleaded.


    "Well... Okay then." For the first time in her life, Leena was treated like a big sister and relied on. Back in her home, she was the one to plead with her big brothers. It was refreshing now that she was the one to be pleaded with. In this circumstance, she felt like she had to agree to ire''s request. "Thank you so much, Leena!" ire eximed happily. She started to feel that it wasn''t too hard to get along with Leena.


    "Just say it in advance, I can''t promise anything. I''ll try what I can. Truth be told, I honestly don''t want you to live there alone. But I''ll try to talk Kevin down." Now that Leena had given her word, she had to bite the bullet and try her best.


    However, things went smoother than both of them anticipated. Later in the evening, Kevin readily agreed when Leena brought it up. Kevin believed it was time for ire to learn about independence. As they had agreed, Leena didn''t mention ire''s feelings for Rain, not only because of her earlier agreement with ire but also for the fear that it might make ire feel worse by them peeping into her broken heart. As she understood, girls were more sensitive than men especially when they were young. Louisa was overjoyed when she received ire''s report. Now that the rehearsal ce was nailed, she stood a chance to be popr again.


    The next morning, after Kevin headed off to work, ire sneaked into their bedroom and woke Leena up. Louisa had urged her many times about the vi earlier yesterday. She could no longer dy it and had to discuss her "moving out" with Leena.


    "Wha-- ire? Gosh! It''s early in the morning. I got to sleep more. I''ll talk to youter..." said Leena, half asleep. Her whole body was sore due to Kevin''s passionate love-making and she had no wish to get up at this early hour. She tucked herself in and fell asleep in a few seconds.


    "No! Please! Leena, I can''t wait to move there! Please take me there! You can have some sleepter." ire pulled the quilt off Leena. When she saw the kiss marks on Leena''s milky white skin, she flushed. It was lucky that Leena didn''t feel a thing because she was nowpletely bleary-eyed.


    "Okay! Okay! You keep getting weirder these days. I''ll take you there. Give me a few minutes to dress up." Still asleep, Leenained inwardly. The Gu siblings were truly some trouble makers. She would be more than happy if she didn''t have to spend a night being tortured by the brother and the next morning being tormented by his sister.


    "Thank you! I''ll wait for you downstairs." ire hurried downstairs, lest Leena would realize that the kiss marks on her skin had been seen.


    However, it was ire''s odd behavior that made Leena wonder. She thought to herself, ''What is wrong with ire? When has she started to leave some space for others?'' Still drowsy, Leena felt like sleeping in but she struggled to get up for the fear that ire might get upstairs again and wake her up more violently. She decided to take ire to the vi as she requested, and had more sleep after everything was fine. She wobbled to the bathroom but when she looked into the mirror, her sleepy eyes widened. She saw the kiss marks leading from her neck into her cleavage, which was an obvious sign for her sex with Kevin. Her face flushed scarlet that she screamed in embarrassment. She now understood why ire retreated so quickly. For a moment, she also wanted to bury her head into the sand like an ostrich to avoid the harsh reality. She felt extremely awkward that her husband''s younger sister had seen their sex life!


    But no matter how much she wanted to run away, she had to take ire to the vi first. Fortunately, it was winter now and she could always wear a turtleneck sweater. That would be a good way to hide the hickeys all over her neck and body.


    Putting herself together, Leena went downstairs with her flushed face. She spotted ire, pretended that she was okay, and then said in a calm tone, "Let''s go! Here are the car keys for you. The vi is located far away from the urban area so we will lend you this car in case you need a ride." Leena decided to behave as nothing happened at all.


    "Thank you. But what about you? I''ve heard that your Ferrari hasn''t been repaired yet. And speaking of which, how''s your back? Are you feeling any better?" ire wasn''t bad in her nature. She was a good girl and knew how to care about people. It was just that she was spoiled and always went in her own way.


    "I''m better. And I can drive Kevin''s car." Leena flushed again upon mentioning Kevin''s name. Yesterday''s memories rushed into her and she couldn''t help thinking of the embarrassing positions Kevin used on her. That man appeared to be righteous and dignified but was always so wicked on the bed.


    "Oh, I see. Let''s go then!" ire knew Leena was a bashful woman so she didn''t dare to mention the kiss marks. However, she wondered why Leena had flushed again. Was it because of Kevin? Had anything happened between them? With that on her mind, she stared at Leena and wished to find out what she was blushed about.


    "Let''s do a convoy. I''ll lead and you will drive after me. I won''t drive very fast and you got this navigation system installed in your car. It will be easy for you to follow up." ire''s stare embarrassed Leena more. She opened the door and walked out first to avoid ire''s gaze.


    Leena''s vi was within the famous vi cluster built by FX International Group. The mentioned vi cluster had its upancy rate reach 100 percent in no time after thepletion of work. Surrounded by nice neighbors, it wasn''t too scary for a single youngdy to live there.


    As they reached the ce, ire got out of the car and looked around. "Leena, why is the vi cluster called Waterside? I haven''t seen any river,ke or spring around yet!" asked her wonderingly.


    "Well, I don''t know either but I suppose it has some special meanings, maybe a metaphor." It was only Leena''s second time to set foot on the vi cluster. In reality, she had no idea about the story behind its name either.


    "I see. But the scenery is still good. I guess the vis here are very expensive," said ire as she nced around. She started to like the vi at first sight.00000000N?velDrama.Org owns this.

 Chapter 1208 The Villa (Part Three)

    "I''m afraid so. Edward gave the vi to us as a marriage present. So I don''t know how much it''s worth. But it seems like a very expensive house." Leena liked this vi too. The only problem that had kept her from moving in was the long distance between the vi and the army base. She didn''t want Kevin tomute for hours to work. Moreover, she didn''t think that she and Kevin should live in a house purchased by another man. No man wanted to live in a house that he didn''t buy anyway. They had their pride and Kevin was no exception. "You mean Mr. Mu? He''s so nice to you, Leena! I don''t think he''s an easy-going person and he cares so little about other people. However, you are special to him and he seems to adore you so much. And he''s not the only one. I think all those guys adore you. Why is it?" That question had been pricking ire''s mind since the night before. Now that Edward''s name was mentioned, she couldn''t contain her desire to satisfy her curiosity anymore.


    "Who? Oh, you mean them! I grew up with them when we were little and I am the only girl among them. They have regarded me as their own sister since then. Thus they treat me well. It is merely a habit for them. It doesn''t mean that there''s anything between us." Leena shed a smile when she recalled the sweet memories. Those people were her dearest fes too. It was very fortunate for her to have met them.


    "I''m being jealous now." This was ire''s true feeling. She was also treated like a princess back in the capital city. However,pared to Leena''s friends, the people were nice to her just because of her family''s power, whereas Leena''s friends were unselfishly loving her without asking for anything in return.


    "Don''t be. I''ll show you around and then I need to go home. I badly need to have more sleep. I don''t know what you are in such a hurry for." Leena yawned as she was very sleepy now.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    "Oh! I can look around myself! You should go home now and sleep since you are so tired. And please don''te to see me. I just want to have some time alone and don''t want to be disturbed. Kevin shouldn''t visit me too. I''ll call you once a day to tell that I''m all safe," said ire because Louisa would visit in any second. She didn''t want them to meet.


    "Are you sure of that? Why are you in a hurry in the first ce? I haven''t unloaded the food storage I''ve prepared for you." Leena gave her a puzzled nce. She was worried that ire might not take care of herself so she bought a lot of food on their way. "Oh! You can put the shopping bags out there. I''ll drag them into the vi afterwards," urged ire. Her phone buzzed again in the handbag and she knew whom the call was from. It was obviously Louisa since she kept urging her again and again sincest night. "Alright. Do you have to answer that? I''ll help you store the food into the kitchen and I''ll make your bed after you''ve decided which room you''re gonna sleep in." Leena shook her head as she was still puzzled why ire was in such a hurry.


    "No, prank call. You should go home, Leena. You look so tired. You don''t need to worry about me. I''m not a little kid. I can make my own bed." Truth be told, ire didn''t even have a clue on how to make her own bed when she first came to S City. It was different now though since she was not the rich youngdy who knew nothing about the world anymore. She was making her own progress.


    "Very well. Since you insist so, I will go back first. Take good care of yourself and remember to close the doors and windows at night," exhorted Leena. She still felt a bit anxious about having ire live by herself for couples of days.


    "I will. Please go home now. Drive carefully on the way. I''ll call youter!" ire escorted Leena to the car to avoid her from staying any longer.


    "See you!" ire''s worried look pushed Leena to move. She started the car and drove away. As her car disappeared from sight, ire took out her phone and called Louisa. She needed to tell her that everything had been arranged and texted her the address.


    In no time, Louisa and P made it to the vi. Louisa couldn''t help but hate Leena more upon seeing the scenery before her. She never believed that Leena was from a wealthy family and even when ire told her so, she still doubted it highly. But now facts had told her that it was the truth. Her hatred was boiling in her like venom. How could this Leena be the heiress to the Leng Group and not her, Louisa Ye? Why did God have to y such a merciless joke on them? She had always wondered why Kevin preferred Leena over her. And now she finally knew the reason. Leena was richer than her, and Kevin was into her money. What a depressing world!


    "Louisa, what do you think? It''s spacious enough for our rehearsal, don''t you think? You''re going to do great. You can practice all the way you want," said ire in a ttery manner as she tried to please Louisa. It was to her disappointment that Louisa turned out more arrogant than she thought. Louisa didn''t even care about the trouble she went through for her.


    ncing around the vi, Louisa snorted. "I guess it''s okay since it''s the best you can get," said her disdainfully while clenching her fists at how resplendent the room looked. Her hatred towards Leena grew with the seconds. Leena didn''t deserve everything she had got. She didn''t deserve to be better than Louisa.


    "Okay? Did you say okay? You''ve got to be kidding me! This is perfect! Now let''s move the couches to the other side of the room and this will be the best rehearsal hall in the world!" said P expectantly. She shed another apologetic smile to ire for Louisa''s disdainful attitude.


    "I said okay because it was just okay. Don''t you argue with me. Alright, that''s enough. Let''s start moving the furniture." Although the other two took Louisa''s anxiety as a sign of the good friendship between P and her, deep in Louisa''s heart, she knew she was anxious because she had bet all her future on this show.


    It was already three o''clock in the afternoon when Leena was woken up by her buzzing phone. Rage immediately burned inside her upon seeing the Caller ID on her phone screen. She let out a mild growl before putting the phone next to her ear. "Yes? What is it?" Leena''s tone was very unhappy when she spoke. She now med Kevin for everything. He was also the culprit who made her a fool in front of ire.


    "Why are you so angry? Did anyone piss you off today? Did ire offend you? If she did, just tell me. I''ll kick her ass when I go hometer," quipped Kevin after a short pause. He was almost amused by his wife''s angry tone, and found it very cute. He felt like teasing her more.???????

 Chapter 1209 A Heinous Woman (Part One)

    red at his picture on the table in her fury, but he could not see it over the phone.


    "Don''t change the subject. You know why I''m angry, right? All these love bites on my neck! I can''t go out in public like this!" said Leena with a flushed face. Her beautiful face was as red as boiled shrimp. She was happy that he loved her that much, but she was shy. She "What love bites? I''m confused now. I''m sure I don''t know what you''re talking about," Kevin replied, pretending to be perplexed. But he knew full well what he did, and he did it on purpose. He left those love marks on her neck to let other men know she was taken, like a dog marking his territory. It seemed that men were also jealous animals in the affairs of love. Kevin might be a great guy, but he was subject to the same passions all men had.


    "Kevin, you know what you did. You left them on my neck, and didn''t tell me. Quit joking around!" Fully aware of her husband''s trickery, Leena protested loudly. He wasn''t going to charm his way out of this one. What was she supposed to believe? That he was stricken with amnesia? Unlikely!


    "I''m wounded that you think I''d do something like that! It''s injustice!" Kevin bit his lips to prevent himself from bursting intoughter while he supervised the training exercise. The soldiers under hismand were trying their best to climb the mountain, starting from its base, making their way along the rugged trails winding upward along the abrupt slope. The training was harsh. But that was just the first step to select the most excellent Falcon candidates among all the soldiers. More tests were waiting for them, which were much more cruel and equally as severe. That was why there were several applicants, but few graduates.


    "All right. Forget it! You won''t cop to it, so there''s no use badgering you about it. I''m not in the mood for your crap!" uttered Leena in anger. What a brazen man! And she even made her swear. She was livid, now. Wasn''t she clear enough? Did he want her to bepletely blunt and use him, fully articting, what he was guilty of? Leena knew precisely what Kevin was waiting for. To hear those sweet blushing words by his wife was the best way to satisfy his male chauvinism. Leena would not take the bait, though. The more Kevin did it, the more she''d challenge him. Let him savor the bitter taste of frustration.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Wow! Angry, Mrs. Gu? I''m just kidding. Are you feeling that upset by it?" Kevin suddenly burst into a fit of heartyughter. That immediately caught the attention of some military officers standing not far away from him. Who was he talking to that was making himugh so loudly? Well, as much as they wanted to know, they weren''t stupid enough to ask him about it.


    "I''m not angry. So... Why did you call? If I recall correctly, you said you were busy. You''re super-busy, but you have the time to call andugh at me?" Leena sat up in bed when she said that. In some way, she felt happy that she could at least make Kevinugh. If she couldn''t give him the love he wanted and make him fall for her, at least she could make himugh. So at least she could do that for him.


    "Actually I do need something. Can you swing by and pick me up? There is something wrong with the car. It''s in the shop, but I don''t think it''ll be fixed in time." It was the first time Kevin ever asked her that. He could take a taxi, but it was too far. Even the nearest bus station was several kilometers away. It would take him nearly half an hour to walk from the army base to the nearest public road, and that was no good, particrly in foul weather.


    "Now?" asked Leena dly. Unlike many other women, Leena dreamed of being a soldier and loved visiting the base. Daisy once brought her there to take a close look at thepound. That was her first visit, and she never expected to get another chance to see it again. So, she was overjoyed the Kevin asked her to do that. The excitement rose in her so much that it escaped her with a faint girlish squeal.


    "Mmm...maybe about an hour from now. By the way... have a safe drive." Kevin felt a little worried when he thought of his wife driving. Though she was careful and a good driver, he could not help but remind her to be safe out of concern. Kevin didn''t shift his gaze from his men while speaking to Leena. He saw the first one attain the top. His lips curled into a smile as a sign of wee as well as praise. That soldier was the quickest one, and he outnked everyone else. That guy might make the Falcon special forces. But he would have to face many other harsh tests and pass all of them with excellent scores before he could make the Falcon team.


    "Yeah, yeah. I will." It would be her first time ever picking Kevin up at the army base. That rare opportunity delighted Leena. Life was never easy on base. They were always busy, and the tasks were rarely simple. Sometimes, they even had to work overtime, working weekends and holidays. Kevin was supposed to spend this Saturday at home. But they wanted him not only Saturday for an emergency mission, but Sunday for special tasks as well. It seemed what the military base employed were not men of blood and flesh, but robots made of iron.


    "So, that''s it! I gotta let you go. Bye, Leena!" Kevin hung up the phone and resumed his calm manner. He walked toward the group and joined his men. He looked quite different from the man who had fervently and gently talked to his wife with a brilliant smiling face just now. Now, he was a hardened major general.0000000

 Chapter 1210 A Heinous Woman (Part Two)

    "Major General, that''s one guy we need to watch," said a captain. He was observing the proceedings, and watched the soldier not only scale the mountain quickly, but now he was making record time getting down.


    "It''s too early to judge. We''ll see how he does on the exams." Kevin took a closer look at him. He definitely seemed to fit the profile: fit, confident, brave. But as the saying goes: he whoughsstughs best. This was just the first test. What he needed was the soldiers who could pass all the examinations with outstanding marks. Many difficulties awaited them. Kevin was not sure whether the man who beat everyone else would get thestugh.


    "You''re right, sir. There are still tons more tests they need to take. And someone might beat him out." The captain agreed with him, perhaps a little too quickly.


    "Let''s wait and see!" said Kevin with a frown. Today''s contest was by no means an ordinary one - some soldiers going through today''s test would be recruited into Falcon. But that was a secret that he couldn''t tell anyone.


    "Yes, Major General. Are there more tests today?" asked the Captain in a respectful manner. Though he was much older than the young Major General, he strictly followed the protocol that a captain should abide by toward his superior. In addition to his high military rank, Kevin had won respect among soldiers for his outstanding ability. Some of this was respect out of duty, but Kevin had proved himself again and again.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Let''s leave the tests for tomorrow. They have too much on their tes today! Have them rx and rest up. They have a much harder and more challenging testing up. Tell everyone to be ready for it," uttered Kevin with a cold smile. The test was a cruel game. These soldiers must fight in harsh conditions, and the tests would reflect that.


    "Major General, are you sure it''s alright for the soldiers to walk across the sharp stone trail barefooted? Isn''t that a bit harsh? It could affect their performance," said the Captain with a worried expression. He''d read the documents. These were missions impossible for ordinary people, and difficult for even a highly trained soldier.


    "It''s painful to walk on a trail of sharp stones. But war is a matter of death and survival, and our enemies are ruthless. If they can''t stand the pain, they can drop out." Kevin nced at the captain disdainfully. Everything these soldiers were going through, he did too. He wasn''t the strongest or the fastest. But he zed through the tests with stunning scores. Was this newest generation bunch of delicate wimps?


    "Understood, Major General." The captain sweated. Kevin''s words had the ring of disapproval. He prayed that his stupid question wouldn''t piss off this cold Major General.


    "Stay and keep an eye on the contest. I need to go back to my office." Kevin lifted his hand and nced at his watch. Since there were piles of documents waiting for him to approve, he couldn''t spend all his time in a supervisory role.


    The sunshine in the afternoon was nice and gentle. Kevin had told Leena to leave in an hour. But Leena was so excited that she departed much earlier. She saw a woman standing by her car when she hit the entrance of the parking lot.


    "Is that your Bugatti, te number 7578?" The woman, who wore heavy make-up, addressed Leena as she neared the gate. In a contemptuous manner, the fat woman tided her hair with her fat fingers that were covered with Lae nail polish, and cast Leena a disdainful nce.


    "Yes, it is. Any problem?" asked Leena in surprise, wondering why she raised such a question.


    "Any problem? You parked your car in my space. That''s the problem!" She started yelling at this point, and stared at Leena with fury.


    "Emm... Really? I got the wrong spot?" said Leena while raising her head to look around carefully. Then she saw it. Her lot was a few meters away. Leena furrowed her brows for the mistake, and shed an embarrassed smile at the woman. It didn''t seem to charm her any, and she began a blistering verbal attack.


    "Are you blind? Do you have any clue how much time I wasted finding out whose car this is?" The woman flew into a rage as she recalled and depicted how she went to the Security Office to ask the security guy and view the monitoring videos.


    "I''m so sorry! My bad. I''ll move my car. I''m really sorry for all the trouble you went through." Leena apologized in a hurry. She was so sleepy this morning that she might have mistaken the number 6 for 9.


    "Do you know what I''ve gone through? You can save your hypocritical apologies! You rich people think you can just walk as though you were the kings of the world, don''t you? You just throw money at it and make it go away. But you''re just like every other millionaire: rude!" The woman shouted in anger, with her scarlet red lips moving constantly. Vicious words flowed from her mouth nonstop. Some spittle, too.


    "Madam, I said I was wrong. Mea culpa, okay? Just stop screaming, please. And you''re calling me rude?" For the first time in her life, someone thought Leena was rude. If Leena were rude, what about the woman in front of her? Did she think that it was appropriate to spit to someone''s face?


    "Hum! Really? You should thank God that you got here in time. If I had to knock on your door, what you heard today would be ruderpared to that." The woman spoke with her chin slightly raised. Actually, she had no idea to whom the Bugatti belonged. So she asked a security guy and was told that it was the girl who owned the red Ferrari. Since she''d seen Leena driving that red Ferrari before, she knew who was responsible. So she waited there, stewing, ready to ambush Leena with a torrent of invective.

 Chapter 1211 A Heinous Woman (Part Three)

    "Okay... How much do you need?" replied Leena in a calm manner. She had seen a lot of people like this. As soon as they figured out she was rich, they''d try to squeeze every penny they could out of her.


    "Ha ha! How much do I need? Nothing from you, slut! I don''t need the money that you earn whoring yourself out. I''d dirty my hands just epting it. And no, I''m not going to let you fuck your way out of this one! Not if you were thest woman on earth! I''m not that type of girl, you disgusting tramp!" The woman sneered with a cold face. Her stare was one ofplete contempt. For some reason, she hated Leena. The fat girl figured that the only way Leena could have several luxurious cars at such a young age was they were gifts in exchange for sex. If she was rich enough to buy those cars on her own, there was no reason that she''d live in such a tiny apartment and not buy herself afortable vi instead. This woman seemed to think that those men got rich overnight, and then kept some hot mistresses around to feed their perverted appetites. She was saying that Leena had sex for money.


    "What are you talking about? You think I''m a mistress having immoral rtions with married men? If that were true, then you''d be a streetwalker! Besides, no man would touch you anyway, no matter how desperate they are. I certainly wouldn''t. Just look at yourself! The thick foundation cannot hide your wrinkled, old face. I wouldn''t sleep with you if you paid me. You''re a disgusting slob!" Leena defiantly raised her chin and gave her reply. She treated everyone with respect until they deserved otherwise. She wouldn''t just sit there and take it. Yes, she made a mistake by parking her car in the wrong spot. She even offered the bitch some money to make the problem go away. But instead of gracefully epting the money, she just hurled more abuse. So it was time to take the kid gloves off, and teach the woman a lesson.


    "What? You - you - ugh! You cunt! I''ll tear you to bits!" She was sputtering now, barely able to form sentences. She roared with anger like a desperate animal. The fat woman reached out her hands, trying to get at Leena''s face. Leena tilted her head trying to avoid the mammoth woman''s crazy response. But it was toote. Her nails raked Leena, though not as badly as they might thanks to Leena''s quick reflexes. But she still drew blood, and it hurt. "You really want to do this?" Leena touched the part of her face that now burned and asked in fury. That shrewish woman was no better than an abhorrent monster. Leena didn''t know that the woman''s finger nails could be so sharp.


    "Why? You afraid? Then get on your knees, and beg like a dog, you bitch! Maybe I''ll be nice and not hit you again!" Somehow, the woman felt absolutely ecstatic to see the wound on Leena''s beautiful face. She hated beautiful girls, because her husband was unwilling to tear his gaze away from those beautiful girls whenever he saw them. She even feared that her husband might have a rtionship with some of them. Her husband''s obvious sexually-charged delight when he saw Leena intensified her hatred for her.


    "Wow! The most hrious story I''ve ever heard. Want me to kneel? Make me." Leena shed a derisive smile at her. She would never kneel, except for her parents and the Gods. This old hag was crazy.


    "What a cow! I''ll tear your face off, finish what I started!" Somehow, this woman put herself higher than Leena, assuming a haughty and arrogant attitude. She couldn''t stand that Leena stood defiant against her.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "Come get some! I''m really busy, and frankly, you don''t rate." Most women fought by pulling at each other''s hair and scratching each other''s faces. Thanks to her husband and Daisy, Leena learned some useful fighting skills. She would never fight like the shrewish woman in front of her.


    "You shameful bitch!" roared the woman. She dashed furiously at Leena. She was at least twice as heavy, and probably more than twice asrge. The fat woman was going to knock her down, and crush her to death.


    An expression midway between a sneer and a smile broke across Leena''s face. She gauged where the woman was headed, and moved aside. The woman missed her target and hit the car. A loud thump sounded, then a piercing rm. Judging by the loud noise, that wasn''t a light impact. Fortunately, she tripped, and most of it was borne by the pavement. Leena even shivered at the thought of how much pain the woman might be in.


    "Oops! Don''t do that. It might be hurt if I''m knocked down by you. You see, I''m so delicate." What Leena said only added to the woman''s fury. All reason had fled her mind. She got up slowly, dusted herself off, and readied herself for another attack. This time, though, she would make sure she hit. It was awkward, falling like that. But Leena needed to be taught her ce.


    "Okay!" Leena said. "Since you''re too stupid to learn the first time..." Leena, too, adjusted her stance, preparing for whatever this woman was going to bring. Leena just stayed there, keeping an eye on the woman''s movement. She swiftly extended a leg, sweeping the legs out from under therger woman. And she stumbled as a result. Fortunately, Leena grabbed her baggy clothes before she fell on the ground, and hauled her up.


    "You''re quick, aren''t you? You have the guts to stay put, whore?" The womanunched into another tirade of abuse. She wasn''t even gracious enough to thank Leena for saving her from a nasty fall.


    "Stay put? That''s bullshit! Think I''m stupid enough to wait for you to pound on me? By the way, watch your mouth. If you can''t control it, then I''ll help you shut it." This was really an unlucky day for Leena. No sooner had she left home than she met this mad woman. Who knew what her problem was, but it didn''t seem like she was entirely sane.0000????????????

 Chapter 1212 A Heinous Woman (Part Four)

    "Ooh, I''m so scared. You think you''re better than me? Do you know who my husband is? You''ll regret everying eyes on me," said the woman furiously, teeth clenched. After failing toy a hand on Leena after two tries, she was done. She realized that Leena was not the girl to mess with.


    "It''s none of my business who your husband is. I''m not into old men. You can keep him," taunted Leena. She figured the husband would be no better than his wife.


    "Worried now? It''s not toote to apologize." The woman shed a delighted toothy smile. As Leena was so young, the woman figured, she could lord it over this girl.


    "Apologize? Are you high? I admitted my mistake, I apologized, and offered to pay you. And you responded to all that by insulting me and attacking me. You don''t need an apology, you need a straitjacket!" Leena hated to be threatened by anybody in a self-righteous manner. But unfortunately, she kept running into those types. Louisa was one of them. And today, this insane woman. ''What? Does she think she''s queen of the world?'' Leena wondered. Those kinds of people ordered others around like they were masters and everyone else was their ve. They were arrogant and conceited, hating everyone, no matter what. They wouldn''t even get to know the people they hated. It would be a mercy if those kinds of miserable people just naturally died off, but unfortunate that breed would probably live forever, just to spite the rest of us.


    "You won''t apologize? Well, watch out! You''ll be run out of town before you know it! Let''s see if you can still smile then." The woman folded her hands into fists. Oh how she wanted to tear Leena apart and pound that smug face into hamburger! But she couldn''t even touch her. The woman was at least smart enough to understand that. So she fought down her fury, and just continued hurling insults.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "Awesome," Leena replied, already bored. "Like that''s gonna happen." Leena lifted her arm and cast a nce at her watch. She''d bete picking Kevin up at the army base. She didn''t want to waste time with this insane woman any more.


    "Hmm! Stupid bitch! The only thing you''re good at is seducing men away from their wives." The woman continued pouring out malicious words to save face. ''Just wait, bitch! I''ll teach you a lesson tonight!'' she thought.


    "Wow, you must think I''m hot shit! Usually, the married men I know, including mine, are faithful to their wives. It would take a lot to make them stray, and it''s probably impossible. Maybe you need to keep a better eye on your hubby!" Leena didn''t get pissed at her. She just let those dirty words go into one ear ande out the other. She was done fighting with her. She just shook her head and gave her a contemptuous look. Then Leena raised her chin like a proud princess, turned toward her car, and walked toward it without paying any attention to the woman.


    "Pah! Disgusting bitch!" The woman murmured and spat furiously at Leena''s back. She still wanted to grab Leena and give her a heavy beating. Leena''s beautiful face and proud air annoyed her to no end. She was proud, but with no reason. And she certainly wasn''t beautiful. She wanted to see if Leena would still retain her beauty and peacock-like elegance if cuts and bruises covered her body.


    The woman parked her car in front of Leena''s. A Porsche, nice. No wonder the woman was so arrogant and aggressive. Her sense of superiority muste from her money. But Leena wasn''t impressed. They were still terrible people. That curious expression midway between a sneer and a smile spread across Leena''s face. Then she slipped into her car, and backed the car out to get round the woman''s Porsche. She had no intention to ask the woman to move her car sideways. And why should she? All it would do is invite more abuse from this hateful woman, and she probably still wouldn''t move her car.


    Leena drove her car out of the parking lot at a low speed. A yful smile emerged on her lips. She wondered what kind of a lesson that insane shrew would teach her. To be frank, she was even anticipating that event.


    This didn''t ruin Leena''s bright mood, however. She felt full of joy and excited all the way to the army base. She got a little frustrated, though, when she arrived at the entrance of the army base and saw the sentries on both sides of the gate. As there was no way she could get in, she had to wait for her husband outside. So she got out of the car and leaned against the door of it in a leisurely posture, eyes fixed on the solemn gate of the army base.


    But Leena managed to confuse the sentries. They had no idea who this beautiful woman was waiting for. Although Leena parked her car near the entrance, she wasn''t blocking traffic. So the sentries had no reason to ask Leena to leave. As Leena didn''t tear her gaze away from the entrance for a single minute, both soldiers blushed under Leena''s gaze. Anyone would have the same reaction if a beautiful girl kept staring at you!

 Chapter 1213 Leena Deserved To Be Cherished (Part One)

    The sun was still shining brightly in the sky though it was already afternoon. The weather was kind of weird. You''d think that it would be warm because the sun was shining brightly and oddly it was not. Leena even felt a bit cold whenever the wind blew. Her face was hurting with how the wind struck it, especially on the part where her skin was scratched. To be honest, that woman was too vicious for her age. Leena wasn''t sure but she thought that she could be thirty or something. It was really hard to tell because of thedy''s heavy makeup. All the products on her face were perfectly hiding her true age. Thus, all Leena could do was to guess.


    With her hair messed by the wind, Leena lifted her hands to tame her mane. She was not in a hurry while patiently waiting for Kevin. In fact, she was enjoying the rare free time she had to the point that she had been sporting a constant smile since she arrived. She chose to wear something really casual today, just a simple white top, a dark gray cashmere overshirt that was cut v-neck, then a burgundy wool coat outside. She paired the ensemble with leather pants and a pair of brown boots with mid heels. She might be casual but still very astounding. She couldn''t look any better with how beautiful she was.


    Her back was against her car''s door the whole time she was standing on that ce. Since she got nothing to do, she turned her gaze on the soldiers who were guarding the door with serious faces. Her eyebrows furrowed for a second as she noticed something about the men. ''Wow! These soldiers look even younger than me!'' Indeed, the soldiers were really young. It was amazing that they were already doing something meaningful for their country at such an age. The idea was so nice that Leena couldn''t help but admire and respect them sincerely for it. On the other hand, the soldiers were a bit bothered by the beautifuldy''s constant gaze. It was unnerving to have someone as pretty as Leena focused on them. It was really easy to tell that they badly wanted to move though they stood still. They didn''t even have any idea about how long would Leena watch them!


    Meanwhile, Kevin hadpletely forgotten that he asked Leena toe and pick him up. He got this bad-mannerism of getting too absorbed with his job once he started doing it. He was engrossed with hisputer when his phone suddenly rang. That forced him to put his work down and then without even looking at the phone screen, picked his phone up and put it next to his ear.


    "Hello? This is Kevin," he said as his eyes never left hisputer screen. He was looking at a picture of a weapon while his other hand wrote down things on his notebook.


    "Kev, it''s me. Are you busy right now?" It was Shannon who was calling. She was sitting on a chair in their yard while sunbathing. There were a lot of snacks on the small table in front of her. There was also a steaming cup of coffee too. She felt kind of lonely when the kids were not around. So she called Kevin to check up on him and ire. It was only recently when her little girl moved out of their house and it worried her that ire was causing trouble for her brother and sister-inw.


    "Hello, Mom! I''m not very busy. How are you and dad?" Kevin finally withdrew his gaze from theputer screen and turned his full attention to the call. It was his mother and to be honest, he missed his parents too.N?velDrama.Org owns this.


    "Don''t worry about us. We''re both fine. How about you guys? How''s ire? Why didn''t she answer my call?" Shannon had a gentle smile on her face. How thoughtful for their son to worry about them!


    "Oh. Maybe she didn''t hear her phone ring? Just call herter," responded Kevin with furrowed eyebrows. Now that his mother brought ire up, he couldn''t help but worry too. He didn''t even have an idea about what she was up to. She just said that she was going to try being more independent the other day. What was with the sudden change? Moreover, she had been abroad for years, so how could she say that she wasn''t independent enough?


    "Yeah, I guess I''m gonna do that. How about Leena? Isn''t she with you right now?" Though it wasn''t really that long ago yet since Shannonst met Leena, she was already missing the sweet girl.


    "No, I am at the army base now. Oh, God! I forgot something important. Mom, how about this. I will call youter tonight. I have something really important to do right now." Kevin''s tone suddenly turned urgent upon remembering Leena. He was rushing when he turned hisputer off while talking. If his mother hadn''t brought up Leena in their conversation, he wouldn''t have realized that Leena was here to pick him up. It was already an hourtepared to what he told her and he wondered if Leena was upset about him being thiste. "Okay! Okay! Go ahead! I just called to chat a bit. We can talkter if you are busy right now." Shannon let out a sigh under her breath. Her children were all grown up and had their respective things to do now. "Yeah. Goodbye, Mom. Talk to youter!" said Kevin apologetically. He would like to talk to his mother a bit longer but it was not the right time for it. Leena was outside and he badly needed to get to her soon.


    "Bye!" Shannon put down her phone after hanging up. She then picked her cup of coffee up from the table and took a sip. She was considering if it was good for her to travel a bit. Perhaps it would be nice to visit her kids, right?


    The disappointment that was written all over Kevin''s face was so clear as he put his phone in his pocket. He picked his briefcase and hat up and then bolted out of his office in huge strides.


    Outside the army base, Leena wasn''t in her car as she waited for Kevin. She was just standing outside with her eyes focused on the gate. She looked like she was spacing out as if there was something mesmerizing her.


    At that point, the soldiers who were guarding the gate all let out a sigh. The beautifuldy had been eyeing them for a very long time. Thus, they were all wondering who she was waiting for. Did this beautifuldy juste here to visit the army base? The possibilities were endless and it stressed them that their only choice was to guess. One thing more was the fact that thedy before them was just standing there. She wasn''t even taking pictures or bothering anyone directly. Therefore, they couldn''t ask her to just leave.


    The distance between his office and the army base gate suddenly seemed like a race track to Kevin. He was almost sprinting as he moved across the ce. It was only when he finally saw the huge gate that his steps slowed down. He used his hand to straighten his uniform the same time he was greeted by the soldiers at the gate. They all gave him a military salute.


    "How long has she been here?" Kevin walked up to one of the soldiers and asked in a low voice. He gestured at Leena''s direction and then gave each of the soldiers there a questioning look.


    "She has been here for more than an hour, Major General," answered the soldier honestly. He didn''t understand why their Major General was asking him about this but he didn''t need to know his reasons either.

 Chapter 1214 Leena Deserved To Be Cherished (Part Two)

    "That long? If one of you see her here next time, go straight to my office and tell me." His soldier''s words made Kevin''s face even darker than it already was. More than an hour? Did Leena leave home early? Otherwise, she wouldn''t have waited that long! "Yes, Major General." To be honest, the soldier was very curious why Kevin cared so much about the woman outside. However, he didn''t dare to ask. It was their Major General''s business and he shouldn''t be putting his finger on this topic no matter what. "Are you curious about who she is?" Kevin was ready to leave but then stopped at thest minute. He turned around to face the soldiers again as he felt that he needed to rify things about Leena just in case they had her wrong.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Yes, Major General." The young soldier answered honestly in a small voice. He didn''t have much chance to talk to Kevin since he was the Major General. Thus, he wasn''t sure if he would have another chance to know something more about Kevin''s private life. "I knew you''d be curious. She is my wife. So be polite to her when you see her. Understood? I have to go now." After these words, Kevin smiled and walked to Leena.


    "Yes, Major General, we understand." The soldier answered aloud. It was his loud voice that pulled Leena out of her trance. She quickly turned her gaze from the sky to the gate. And as soon as she saw Kevin, a sweet smile cracked her pretty lips. She was nothing but a beautiful breath-taking view.


    "Kevin, you are here!" said Leena in pleasant surprise. There was not even a trace of anger nor annoyance on her face. It seemed like she didn''t mind if Kevin had her waiting for a long time. She was just happy to see her husband.


    "Yeah! Why didn''t you call me when you arrived? Plus, why are you standing outside the car while waiting for me? You do know that the weather is chilly!" Kevin touched Leena''s face and frowned upon feeling how cold it was. Then his hand tenderly tucked a few of her hair strands behind her ear. It was when he noticed the faint wounds on her face. That made him instantly grit his teeth. The wounds didn''t look too bad but he wanted to know how Leena got hurt.


    "I know that you wille out once you finish your work. So I don''t really mind waiting for a while. Look, you are here now and that''s what matters. I just wanted to have some fresh air, and that''s why I didn''t stay inside the car. I''m a bit curious if there''s any difference between the air here and the air downtown." Leena lowered her head and let her hair fall. It was her way to hide the side of her that got hurt. She secretly let out a sigh of relief because she had cleaned the scratches beforehand and put a thinyer of foundation on her face. Otherwise, Kevin would surely find out how bad the wounds were. She just had to pretend that it wasn''t a big deal so Kevin wouldn''t have to worry. Little did Leena know of how Kevin looked at her as a silly but cute girl. She deserved to be cherished for she was a kind and generous soul.


    "Silly girl. You should have waited in the car. It''s much warmer there. The air here is just a bit fresher, that''s all. Come on, get in the car! You are freezing." Kevin opened the car door for her and protectively put his hand on the top of her head. He was aware of how careless Leena could get and he wouldn''t let her bump herself on the metal.


    "Yeah, so it''s different! You said it yourself. The air here is much fresher than the air downtown. That''s why I decided to stand outside while waiting for you." Leena lowered her head and got in the car while speaking. Honestly, her legs were starting to go numb because she had been standing in the cold weather for so long.


    "It just happens to be fresher today. You should smell the air when we do a sham battle. It won''t be so nice. The smoky air will surely make you choke." They were living in a peaceful age, so normal people usually didn''t have the chance to closely feel a battle. However, that wasn''t the case for Kevin. He had been on missions abroad several times. The battles he had been through were no better than any raging wars. Given that the weapons nowadays were better than before, he could just say that the situation was even worse. "Aha! So you are saying that I''m extra lucky today?" After these words, Leena put her hands before her mouth and breathed on them to make them warm. She was so cold that she couldn''t even feel her fingers.


    "What do you think? Are you cold? I told you that you should have waited inside the car! The weather is freezing!" Shooting her an irritated re, Kevin didn''t waste a second and turned the car''s heater on. He was getting anxious that she might get sick.


    "Yeah. I feel a bit cold." Leena stuck her tongue out at him as she felt guilty of making him worried. Frankly speaking, she had thought that he woulde out early at first. It was the reason why she decided to stay outside. Obviously, it was her fault that she didn''t bother to get in the car after noticing that Kevin was alreadyte. The whole hour that passed was as short as a blink of an eye. She blinked and then the next thing she knew, Kevin was already out.


    "Come on, give me your hands!" demanded Kevin in a serious tone. He might be a manly and all-powerful soldier. However, he was also the type who would just instantly melt when he was worried about someone. Leena knew about that trait of his. She was aware of how he expressed his love in his own special and unique way.


    Leena gently bit her lip as her gaze fell on Kevin''s hands. He was holding her tightly and the warmth it sent was beyondfortable. She couldn''t help but feel a little shy as she blushed. In the end, she contained herself by adoringly staring at Kevin''s serious and concerned face. Now that view made her heart feel warm.


    "Are you still cold?" Kevin looked up all of a sudden and asked her. He caught her staring at him and she immediately looked elsewhere to avoid his gaze.


    "No, I feel better now," said Leena. She wanted to tell him that as long as the two of them were together, she wouldn''t feel cold even if she was in the freezing winter. It was her bashfulness that stopped her from saying those words out loud though.


    "Don''t be silly and wait for me outside next time. The weather is too cold. I am worried that you''d catch a cold." Scolding Leena was something Kevin couldn''t help himself with. He wanted her to know about how serious he was. As he knew his wife, he was sure that she would do it again if he didn''t say anything about it. That was just how Leena was.


    "Okay. I won''t stay out next time. I promise." In response, Leena nodded her head sessively like a little girl who was scolded by her dad. Only she could tell if she would really keep her promise as she said to Kevin.


    "Let''s go home now! You should have a hot bath after we get home. It will make you warm." Kevin started the car as he spoke. The deep frown etched on his face was getting even worse as it stayed there longer.000???

 Chapter 1215 Leena Deserved To Be Cherished (Part Three)

    moved out of her bed! It was then that Kevin asked her to pick him up. Thus, she didn''t have the time to shop.


    "Okay! Can we pick up some groceries on the way home? Our fridge is almost empty." A guilty smile showed on Leena''s face while she was talking. She actually nned to get the groceries herself earlier but then she woke up toote. It was already afternoon when she "No problem! Where is ire? Is she still home?" Kevin casually asked. He just thought of the call he had with his mother just a few minutes ago.


    "No. She went to the vi very early this morning. She told me that she would call every day and be safe so we don''t need to worry about her." Leena tilted her head to look at Kevin''s profile. She just couldn''t keep her eyes off him. He was so handsome in his military uniform.


    "What? Why? Did she go there that early? Why was she in such a hurry? Didn''t she know that you were really tired!" Kevin blurted out loudly without even thinking. His thoughts went on automatic and he ended up shouting what was inside his head even before he could choose his words. In reaction to it, Leena rolled her eyes awkwardly with a huge sigh. Well, he clearly knew that she was tired because of him but he didn''t say a word before. Now that ire was gone, he suddenly started to me her little sister for tiring her when in reality, it was he who did! Ha! Why didn''t he say something like this before? What a sly fox!


    "Why are you looking at me like that?" Kevin nced at her curiously. He didn''t understand why the expression in Leena''s eyes suddenly turned more dangerous.


    "Oh. Nothing. I didn''t mean to look at you that way." Leena said in an annoyed tone. Fortunately, the hickeys on her neck were barely noticeable after she woke up. Otherwise, she would surely need to put on a big scarf or hide in the apartment and turn herself into a hermit.


    "What do you mean? Are you implying that you don''t want to look at me?" Kevin couldn''t help but tease her as he found Leena extremely cute. He was curious about what she would say. He wouldn''t mind letting her know about the consequence if she answered him wrong.


    "I didn''t say that! Stop putting words into my mouth! But if you really think so, then I can''t help you." Leena turned her face to the window and pretended to be mad. Secretly, she was actually happy that they could have such a light conversation. It was rare for them to be joking like this after all.


    "Yeah? It seems that I need to put in more effort to impress you. So you will only have eyes for me." There wasn''t even a trace of anger in Kevin''s words as he continued to drive smoothly. He had always been a calm andposed soldier.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Umm... There''s no need. I only have eyes for you already." Of course, Leena knew what he meant by ''put in more effort''. Thus, she quickly turned her head to look at him after hearing his words. He already made her limp in bedst night. She couldn''t even imagine how she would be if he really ''put in more effort''.


    "That''s nice to know." Kevin knew what she was worried about but he didn''t say it out loud. Nheless, a satisfied smirk appeared on his face and stayed there.


    "Don''t I get a gift for being this nice to you, Major General Gu?" Leena teased as she looked at him with affectionate eyes. Two could y the game after all, right?


    "What do you want? How about me? Am I good enough for you?" Kevin curled his lips into an amused smile and teased back. He really loved seeing Leena like this, all happy and carefree.


    "You don''t count as a gift. You are already mine." Leena puckered her lips in fake annoyance. Although she said those words, anyone could easily tell that she was indeed very happy with Kevin''s reply.


    Theyughed and joked on the way. Since they nned to buy some groceries, Kevin drove them to the biggest supermarket in the city so Leena could have more choices. Besides, the supermarket wasn''t far and happened to be on their way. They just needed to spend a few more minutes and that was okay.


    Though Leena hade to the army base very early, it was still a bitte when they got to the supermarket because Kevin walked out of his jobte. Neither of them seemed to mind anyway as they just leisurely strolled up and down every aisle of that ce. It was a rare chance for them to do something alone together, even if it was just shopping for food.


    "Just buy more! So you don''t need toe here and buy a lot of things every time." Kevin was the one pushing the shopping cart. He looked at the things on the shelves as he silently thought of things he needed to buy. Though they came here mainly to buy some food, there were still a lot of other things in their shopping cart.


    "We only have to buy what we need right now. There''s no need to buy a lot of things all at once. They all have expiration dates, you know." Leena nced at Kevin. Unbelievably, he was really bad when it came to shopping for groceries. How could he even not know about such a simple thing?


    "You are right. Next time we are in need of anything, just tell me. I can get them on the way home after my work. That way, you won''t need toe here alone." Kevin rarely paid attention to such small things before but looking at Leena who seemed to do this kind of things a lot, he suddenly realized that he didn''t care enough. He let her do a lot of things and took it for granted.


    "You don''t have to do that. I know you are very busy. Besides, it''ste when you get off work. You won''t have the time to buy groceries anyway. Do you really take me for some spoiled rich girl? Really, I can do it. You don''t have to worry!" Leena said without a care in the world. In reality, she wanted to visit her brother''s today. Belinda was probably pregnant after all. She was anxious to know if it was true because she hadn''t heard a word from her brother or sister-inw. However, she didn''t want to call them either. She needed to see them face to face. It was just too unfortunate that she didn''t have that time today.


    "Leena, Kevin! Why are you here?" Life was just so magical sometimes. Speaking of the devil, Leena almost jumped out of her skin when Belinda suddenly showed up. It was like Leena identally summoned her with her thought. Belinda was looking at the two of them in surprise too. It was more than clear that Belinda wasn''t expecting this meet up as well.


    "Belinda, what a coincidence! Where''s my brother?" Leena looked behind Belinda for her brother but he wasn''t there. She turned her gaze back to Belinda as she felt a bit disappointed.


    "No need to look for him. He''s not here. Your brother went abroad yesterday morning. It''s about hispany. He told me it was something urgent." Belinda couldn''t help but feel a little guilty talking about this. Her husband had told her a thousand times to go to the hospital and have a check-up as soon as she got out of the bed. Hard-headed as she was, she hadn''t done it yet. She was actually afraid to disappoint him, so she didn''t go. She was worried that what was going on with her might just be a little mistake and she might not be pregnant after all.

 Chapter 1216 Ten Times Worth Of Damages (Part One)

    "What? He has gone abroad? Is it serious?" Leena asked with worry. Her brother''s safety was her biggest concern.


    "It''s serious, but don''t worry. I am sure he can handle it," Belinda replied. She assumed that her husband was distracted by some emergencies, which was why he didn''t inquire much about her pregnancy. Otherwise, he would have kept in touch with her after informing her that he had arrived safely.


    "Good. What about your pregnancy then? Have you gone to the hospital?" Leena whispered in her sister-inw''s ear so that Kevin couldn''t tell what they were talking about.


    "All right. You girls can have your little talk. I am going to look around," Kevin said, excusing himself. He allowed them some space. When Leena lowered her voice, he knew that they were discussing a secret.


    "Look at what you did! Now Kevin must think we are engaging in a murky conspiracy. Why did you ask me about this all of a sudden?" Belinda said, rolling her eyes at Leena. She was d that Duke didn''t press her about the pregnancy, but didn''t expect Leena to be waiting to fire questions at her.


    "He''s okay, don''t worry! Just tell me!" Leena asked with eagerness in her voice. She knew that her husband was not as narrow-minded and suspicious as Belinda thought.


    "I don''t know. I haven''t gone to the hospital. Besides, it''s just Tom''s guess. Don''t take it so seriously," Belinda said, trying to put off Leena''s curiosity. She didn''t want to tell Leena that she had already taken a pregnancy test. ording to the results, she was indeed pregnant. She was so happy by the news that she didn''t go to the hospital to get a more precise assessment, in case it disappointed her.


    "Belinda, is it because you are afraid of going to the hospital without Duke? How about I go to the hospital with you? It is Monday tomorrow. We can go together," Leena suggested. Even though the hospital was thest ce she ever wanted to go to, she still offered to apany Belinda. Leena was eager to know if her sister-inw was truly pregnant.


    "No, I am okay. You don''t have to do that. I can go there myself if I want to. I am not like you. My legs don''t tremble with fear every time I go to the hospital, okay?" Belinda said, turning down Leena''s offer. If she was indeed pregnant, she wanted Duke to be the first one to know the exciting news, not her childish sister-inw.


    "No, I just hate to go there. My legs don''t shake!" Leena said as she nudged Belinda, pretending to be irritated. She made sure that she didn''t push too hard. After all, Belinda might be a real mother-to-be.


    "Okay, you might not act like it. But it''s all the same to me," Belinda teased her. She enjoyed making fun of Leena, who was absolutely doll-like and adored by everyone. She was a gift from God.


    "Humph! Stop making fun of me or I won''t talk to you anymore!" Leena pouted and looked around, trying to find Kevin in the crowd. She walked across the ce with Belinda when she saw a figure in military green.


    "Since you two are here, why don''t you join me for dinner? Belinda suggested. Duke hadn''t been hometely and his father liked to travel. The house was almost deserted, and Belinda wasn''t used to it.


    "Belinda, how about having dinner at our ce? I am going to cook for youdies tonight. You can have a taste of my cooking," Kevin said immediately when he heard what they were talking about. He offered to cook so that Leena didn''t have to go out. She could have a hot bath at home. Leena had been exposed to the chilly wind for too long and he was afraid she woulde down with flu.


    "Right! You haven''t been to our ce for dinner till now. Anyway, Duke has been outtely. Why don''t youe to our apartment? Please!" Leena echoed Kevin''s sentiment. She was excited to taste Kevin''s food because he seldom cooked.


    "Really? You can cook? How did I not know that before? Make sure your food is edible. I don''t want to be a guinea pig for your experiments," Belinda said lightly. In actuality, she was a bit worried about Kevin''s cooking because she was pregnant. She had to be careful about everything now, otherwise she would be risking her baby''s health.


    "Come on. Don''t worry! Belinda, he is a really good cook," Leena promised her. Kevin only cooked breakfasts for her, but they were pretty great.


    "No way! Really? In that case, Kevin really is a perfect husband. He defends our country and also cherishes his wife and cooks for her. I will definitely have to taste your food then," Belinda marveled at him. She always admired skilled cooks, since she herself didn''t know how to cook. Someone like Kevin, who was both good at his job as well as the household chores, was indeed praiseworthy.


    "You''re wee to try it. You''ve already praised me. It seems I have to y my ace to impress you now," Kevin joked. Even though Duke still wasn''t very nice to him, they were family. Besides, the others were pretty friendly to him.


    "Then let''s go and buy some ingredients that Belinda likes," Leena said, before taking Belinda to the vegetable section. Kevin followed them.


    After half an hour, the excited bunch were done with their shopping.


    As soon as they reached Grand Apartment, Kevin urged Leena to have a hot bath. It was obvious that he was worried about her weak body.


    "Have a seat, Belinda. Dinner will be served soon," Leena said, feeling sorry that she had to leave her dear sister-inw alone for a while. She thought about turning Kevin down, but she really could use a hot bath since she was feeling cold.


    "Sure, it''s all right. Go ahead. I am your family, not an outsider. You don''t have to worry about me," Belinda tried tofort Leena. She didn''t understand why Kevin asked Leena to have a hot bath right now, when it was not bedtime. She didn''t ask about it, as it concerned the two lovebirds'' privacy.


    "What would you like? Tea or coffee?" Kevin asked. He had taken off his military coat and was wearing a thin shirt. He had rolled up his sleeves and was about to go into the kitchen.


    "No, Thanks. I can take care of myself. You go about your business. By the way, do you need my help?" Belinda asked, afraid that Kevin would say yes. Cooking really was not her thing. She wasn''t any good at it. Back at Leng House, the kitchen ended up in a huge mess whenever she went there to help prepare the meals. Besides, it was tiring enough to work in the office and take care of herpany. She was entirely spent when she came back home after a long day of work. It was confusing that her husband, so simr to her, could handle these things easily. Belinda had to admit that men were more capable than women in terms of physical energy.


    "No, you don''t have to do that. I can handle it. Just make yourself at home. I am going to prepare dinner," Kevin said with a smile. The food that he was going to cook was quite simple. He didn''t know how to cook moreplicated dishes.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    It was not the first time Belinda had been to their apartment, but she still stood up to look around. Last time she was here, she had been focused on Leena''s burned hands and hadn''t paid much attention to how the ce looked like. Meanwhile, the doorbell rang. Suddenly, someone began to kick the door with rage.


    Belinda hesitated for a moment before walking over to open the door. Before she could see who it was, a woman pushed her aside and burst inside along with a bunch of men.


    "Hey! Who are you people? You can''t just break in like that!" Belinda hissed, frowning. She could have snapped at them, but she tried to remain calm. After all, she was carrying a baby.


    "Who are you? And where is that bitch? Is she hiding somewhere?" the woman yelled as her restless eyes scanned the apartment.


    "What bitch? Hey, you old woman, I think you havee to the wrong ce." Belinda nced at the woman with contempt. She knew Leena well enough. Leena could certainly be impulsive and immature sometimes, but not enough to mess with this rude woman. "What did you just call me? Old woman? How dare you call me an old woman?" the intruder said as she stared at Belinda with fierce eyes. But Belinda was not the girl she was looking for. The woman felt confused. Had she reallye to the wrong ce? But that couldn''t be! She had asked the janitor beforeing up here and checked the door te before she marched in.


    "What''s wrong? What''s the noise?" Kevin asked, running toward the door. He had been cooking in the kitchen and came outside as soon as he heard the sound. He didn''t even have the time to take off his apron.0000????

 Chapter 1217 Ten Times Worth Of Damages (Part Two)

    "You know these guys?" Belinda pointed at the intruders. Even as she asked, she was doubtful that Kevin had anything to do with such a low-ss gang. "Who are you? How did you get in here?" Kevin asked. He looked at them with cold eyes. His gaze narrowed at the woman who wore the heavy make-up.


    "Wait, let me guess. This is A8001, right? Is the Bugatti with a number te of 7578 yours?" the woman asked. She herself was confused now. This was supposed to be the right ce, but the girl she was looking for was nowhere to be seen. The man in front of her was not fat and old as she had thought he would be. Instead, he was young, fit and wore a military shirt. It seemed that she had really stepped into the wrong house.


    "Yes, it is. But why are you here?" Kevin gritted his teeth. He didn''t know that people were so rude these days that they broke into someone else''s ce for no reason.


    "Then it''s the right ce. I came here to look for the little bitch, not you two," the woman said, snorting. Knowing she hade to the right ce fed her arrogance. Besides, the man was just a soldier. He was a nobody to her.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "Hey, now. What little bitch? Watch yournguage, all right?" Kevin asked, enraged. He red at the woman with his eagle-like eyes. Since he and Belinda were out of the question, Leena was definitely the one they were looking for. But Leena was kind and adorable. How could she have messed with this gang?


    "Mynguage? Humph, you are just a poor soldier. You are asking me to watch mynguage? Do you know who I am? My name would scare you enough to wet your pants. Ask the person in charge to see me! I don''t want to waste my time with a nobody,"


    the woman said, sniffing with derision. This man was just a poor soldier ording to her. His good looks couldn''t do him much favor. However, it seemed odd that a poor person could live in such a luxury apartment. Maybe the young man was just a guest here. The fat and old man must be the master of this ce.


    "This is my ce. You can tell me what you want," Kevin said, ignoring the contempt in her voice. His face held no expression. How could she look down on soldiers, who risked their lives to defend the country and bring people safety?


    "What? You own this ce? You must be kidding me. I want to see the little bitch and her lover. Couldn''t she do something else for a living? Humph, I guess being a mistress is the easy way out," the woman mocked, sneering. She didn''t believe that Kevin, who was a poor soldier, could afford such a high-ss apartment.


    "Wait, wait. What are you talking about? Old woman, who is this mistress and his lover you are talking about? Do you know what you are saying?" Belinda interrupted. She was confused at the rude woman''s usation. It seemed that the woman came here to expose an affair, but the man she was talking about was not here!


    "Humph! If this is A8001, I''vee to the right ce. Don''t waste my time. Where is the bitch? I want her here. Hiding won''t do her any good. I am going to teach her a lesson. I will ruin her face and cut off her eloquent tongue," she said tersely. From her venomous tone, it was easy to gauge how much she hated Leena.


    "So from what I infer, the scratch on my wife''s face came from you?" Kevin asked. He had been confused about why Leena''s face was scratched, and now the reason for it was standing right in front of him.


    "Your wife? What are you talking about? I haven''t even touched her since I came here," the woman said, looking at Belinda. She mistook Belinda to be Kevin''s wife.


    "Why are you looking at me, old woman? He is the husband of my sister-inw, not my husband!" Belinda exined and stepped back. She couldn''t risk irritating this heavily made-up woman. She was by no means a decent person and might lose her mind at any moment.


    "Bitch, how dare you call me an old woman again? Say it again and I will cut your tongue off," the woman said, pissed off. She proved the old saying that women were particrly sensitive about their age.


    "Ooh, I am so scared. Do you know that there is something like being civil? You guys clearly know nothing about thew. You can stay here. I will teach you whatw is," Kevin said. How bold these people were toe to his own house and threaten him! "Oh, really? You? A little poor soldier? Hah! Frightening!" the woman responded with sarcasm as she looked him up and down. Her eyes shed with disdain.


    "Tell me. There must be someone protecting you. Who is it?" Kevin asked as he ignored her sharp put-down. The woman was swollen with arrogance, so she must have someone with authority backing her.


    "Are you blind? Can''t you see the men I''ve brought here?" the woman asked, stupid enough not to know what Kevin meant.


    "Aha, Kevin. I guess you don''t have much experience dealing with this kind of oddballs," Belinda said, chuckling. She didn''t know that there were people who dared to threaten Kevin.


    "What''s so funny, bitch?" the woman hissed at Belinda, who was stillughing.


    "Oh my God. What is it about you that I amughing so much?" Belinda retorted. She nced at the group of men who stood behind the woman, debating whether Kevin could take them on.


    "Okay, I see that you little kids don''t know how to show me some respect. Guys, let''s destroy this ce," the woman ordered the men, motioning them to go inside.


    "Just to let you know first. For what you ruin here tonight, I will ask for ten times worth of damages," Kevin said coldly. He didn''t stop them, for he was looking forward to knowing who was protecting this gang.


    "Oh, really? You ask me for money? Listen guys, ignore him and go inside. I will see what he can do." The womanughed. She was a bit rmed by Kevin''s calm attitude at first, but she soon turned back to her arrogant self when she remembered who was protecting her. "Do you guys know who this man is? I want to tell you before you dare to ruin his ce," Belinda said. She was by no means scared of them, but she wanted to reveal Kevin''s army status to them. What they were doing was a waste of time.


    "What''s the noise? Oh, it''s you, old woman. I see you''ve learned a lot since thest time we met. You brought a lot of stooges with you," Leena said, walking downstairs. She had been enjoying her hot bath but was disturbed by the sounds at the door, so she came down to see what was going on. The old woman had said that she would teach Leena a lessonst time. It seemed that she meant to ransack Leena''s ce.


    "Oh, so you finally decided toe out. I thought you are going to hide forever," the woman mocked Leena. She was furious to see her rival.


    "Humph! I didn''t do anything wrong. Why do I have to hide from you? Who do you think you are?" Leena said, snorting. She wore a casual suit which she had changed into after the bath. The scratch on her face looked more obvious now that she had washed up. "Nana, what''s wrong? It looks like the scratch has be worse," Kevin frowned, looking at his wife with worry. He had thought that the scratch was just a little problem. It should have disappeared in a few days, not gotten worse.


    "I''m okay. It''ll heal in a few days. Look, the thing is, I identally upied this woman''s parking ce this morning, after I drove ire to the mansion. I apologized to her, but she didn''t ept my apology and cursed me. She talked about teaching me some lesson and scratched my face before I could defend myself. I swore to God and said sorry to her, really showing this woman my kindness and respect, but she wasn''t kind in return and insulted me instead. I couldn''t stand her and so we fought," Leena said, frowning. This woman had nowe to her ce, but Leena still didn''t think there was something wrong with what she did. She didn''t mean to take the woman''s parking space. It had only been an ident.

 Chapter 1218 They Were Neighbors (Part One)

    "It''s your fault for parking in the wrong spot. What? Do you think you did it right?" Obviously, the woman didn''t agree with Leena at all. So she shouted again, just in case she wasn''t heard by others.


    "Look, I was wrong, I apologized. I even offered to pay you. What more do you want?" Leena never thought this woman woulde barging into her house, so she felt sorry for Kevin. He worked his butt off on base. He came home to rx, and what did he find? This horrible woman and her gang of idiots.


    "Yeah, you admitted you were wrong, so what? Apology not epted! That''s why there are cops." How the woman wished that she could go and scratch Leena''s milky white beautiful face again to see how she liked being ugly. Yeah, she was young and pretty, but that didn''t mean she should unt it. Shallow women always hated beautiful women. And that was the situation Leena was facing now.


    "So what? You think you''re a cop now? I should call the cops on you. You broke into my house!" Leena sneered at her. Leena hated bullies, and wasn''t about to let this bully win, no matter how many men she had with her. It went against everything she believed in. "Yeah I did. And I have every right to, just like I have every right to burn this ce to the ground for you ying Miss high-and-mighty. What do you say to that?" The woman didn''t take Leena''s threat seriously. Instead, she just got even more aggressive. She only respected strength, and didn''t believe Leena had the strength to bully her.


    Leena giggled mirthlessly. "Yeah right. My house, my rules. And right now my rules say you''re not allowed in here. I worked hard on this ce, so you won''t touch it. Get out. Now." Kevin was a soldier and it was inappropriate for him to hit others. He might be charged with bullying a civilian. But Leena was a different matter. If she hit someone, there might be consequences, but it wouldn''t tank her career. And right now, as she balled her fists, she was close to hitting this harridan.


    "Huhm! Who do you think you are, bitch? You can''t stop me! And --" She was interrupted mid-sentence by a loud p, and her head lolled from the impact. And who did this? Kevin! He didn''t like hitting others, but this time he lost it. His rage was white hot.


    "I never hit women, but in your case I''ll make an exception. You deserved that for the crap that spews out of your mouth!" Kevin had put up with her for a long time. Now he reached his limit. He was a soldier, true, but that didn''t mean he had to listen to this bitch insult his wife!


    The woman recovered, shaking her head. You could see the red handprint on her face, a sign of Kevin''s handiwork. "Help! He hit me! Look at my face! He''s going to kill me!" The woman raised her voice and screamed loudly. She obviously did not connect Kevin''s uniform to anything meaningful.


    Leena stared at Kevin in shock. He hit her! As a soldier, that was a bad thing. Rumors and charges were the kiss of death for a soldier''s career.


    "Come off it! You basically forced your way in, you deserved that, and you cry for help? Get out!" Belinda teased. She could not agree with Kevin''s behavior more. Everyone was in a better mood now. There was only one way to deal with a crazy woman like that. Otherwise, she''d run around bullying everyone, and there''d be no one to stop her.


    "Leave now, and take your men with you," Kevin said, "and you''ll be good. Stay, and you won''t leave this house under your own power. You''ll need a stretcher." Kevin didn''t regret hitting that woman at all. Most of the time, military leaders got embroiled in scandals like this because of their families. That was why some people had a bad impression of the military.


    "Are you kidding me? Do you know who my husband is? You''re just a soldier. A nobody." The woman failed to take Leena out, now Kevin pped her. This humiliation was just too much. So she just continued to rant.


    "Well, you got me there. I don''t know. So who is he?" Kevin raised his eyebrows and asked. She was so arrogant that he had to be someone important. She wouldn''t be acting like this if she thought she had to face consequences.


    "Want to know who he is? Hum! You''re just a soldier, you don''t have a right to know. But since you asked, I''ll be nice and tell you. But just be careful. Don''t get scared, but when you know who he is you''ll know how I can screw up your lives just by asking him," the woman said mysteriously. It was like she was narrating a crime drama, with her husband as the lead actor.


    "Just spit it out. Quit assuming we can''t know him. Who is it?" Belinda was really upset about this. That woman kept insisting that her husband was an imposing figure over and over but she wouldn''t reveal his name. That was the key!N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "Huh! You little shits! My husband is -- the deputy director of the State Taxation Administration!" The woman said and raised her chin like she was the queen at the same time. She nced at Kevin and the others with scornful eyes.


    "Oh, it''s him. I thought this guy was big news." Belinda raised an eyebrow. If she rattled off another title she probably wouldn''t have known him. But she could not be more familiar with the State Taxation Administration. She was a business woman after all and had close ties with the tax department. The deputy director of the State Taxation Administration was a gentleman. Quite unlike this madwoman before them now. Boy, did he marry the wrong woman!


    "Y''know, I think we''re neighbors. Well, in that case, we can deal with this thing more easily," Kevin said and walked over to the coffee table. He picked up his phone, checked the contact list quickly, and tapped one number. Then he pressed "send," said something over the phone in a low voice, and hung up.

 Chapter 1219 They Were Neighbors (Part Two)

    "Who''s he calling?" The woman asked Belinda, confused. She had no clue at all why Kevin said they could deal with this thing more easily. This was bugging her a lot!


    "Who do you think? He''s probably ringing up your husband, Mr. Lu! You''ve done it now. Your husband won''t be happy. You were pretty stupid to get him involved," Belinda smirked. This woman was too dumb to breathe, let alone use her head for anything else. "Who are you? How do you know my husband''sst name?" As expected, this was a serious blow to her ego. So she opened her mouth again.


    "You told us, didn''t you? You said your husband was the deputy director of the State Taxation Administration. I deal with them all the time. What''s more, I met your hubby." Belinda could not help but roll her eyes at her. ''What a stupid woman! I''m sure her husband wouldn''t appreciate cleaning up her mess. She was stupid enough to drag him into it.''


    "I feel sorry for you! We could have dealt with this privately. But you insisted on going nuts. I don''t think this will go well for you," Leena sighed. Her husband was bold enough to deal with the deputy mayor. Of course he wouldn''t be afraid of the deputy director of the State Taxation Administration.


    "Hum! Don''t try to frighten me! What? You own the city? I doubt it." Although this woman was a little scared now, she still did not believe that Kevin was powerful enough to threaten her husband. She still thought they were all full of it.


    "You''re right, we don''t own the city. But we can do something to you, at least." Belinda loved seeing justice be dished out. She was really excited now.


    "Do something to me?" she said. Then, she started to yell. "Do something to me?" she screamed. "Guys, let''s show these jerks! Break everything in this house!" The woman was always bossy and arrogant. She could not stand it when Belinda teased her to her face. And now she had the power, and she was going to use it.


    A chorus of voices erupted from her goon squad, "Yeah!" "We''re here now!" "We should do something!" They all shouted out their agreement. They didn''t want to be thought of as weak.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    "So what are you waiting for? Break stuff! I''ll take all the me." Hands on her hips, the woman nced at Kevin and the others defiantly.


    "Stop it. You idiot! You can''t be responsible for it!" A deep, masculine voice boomed through the room. Then, a middle-aged man in his forties appeared in the doorway. He was breathing heavily, probably because he did his best to get here in a hurry. Get here before anything bad happened.


    "Hey, here you are! They bullied me." The woman sounded thrilled and shouted loudly the moment she saw her husband. She pointed a beefy finger at Belinda, Leena, and Kevin as she used them.


    "I''ll deal with youter!" the man growled. He shot a re at her and then walked to Kevin. He bowed earnestly to Kevin and said, "I''m sorry, Major General Gu. My wife doesn''t know any better and caused you trouble today. I apologize to you on her behalf. Please don''t bring this to the police."


    "Mr. Lu, do you always make excuses for your wife? Doesn''t know any better? Is she an untrained dog or an adult? I don''t think she does know. But I think she''s violent and needs to be locked up!" Kevin lowered his head and looked at him, hands in his pants pockets. "No, no. Major General Gu, please don''t get angry. My wife isn''t usually like this. I don''t know why she lost her mind today..." The deputy director took out a handkerchief and mopped the sweat from his brow as he struggled to exin.


    "Oh! So you mean, we made a mistake." Kevin stopped smiling. He became sharp and cold all of a sudden and shot his eagle-like re at the deputy director.


    "Ah! No, I didn''t mean that, Major General Gu. You misunderstood me. I''ll be stricter with her in the future." The deputy director knew all too well about Kevin. He just sent the sons of prominent leaders to prison a few days ago. Now his wife was trying to stir up trouble with the same guy! What the hell was she doing? If he was lucky, he''d be able to throw some money at this and make it go away. But if he was unlucky, he might lose his position! This was quite usual for those in the political field.


    "Mr. Lu, are you aware of what kind of crimes your wife is responsible for? Breaking into my house illegally is a minor civil case. But gathering a band to make trouble is a serious one." Kevin was most aggravated when he thought of Leena''s face. She was his little treasure and he loved her so much. But this woman attacked her, she scratched her face. How could he just let this woman off scot free?


    "Sorry! I''m so sorry! If they broke something here, or hurt somebody, I''ll pay for it." The deputy director nodded and bowed unctuously to Kevin. But in his mind, he was ming himself. He had thought that it was normal for a woman to be aggressive, so he did not pay that close attention to her rudeness. But he never expected that she would have caused these kinds of problems.


    "It''s not the money. Think of how this looks. You met us today. What if we were just ordinary people? Have you ever thought about the consequences?" Kevin smiled coldly. The city seemed to be having a problem with corruption. He''d seen officials take advantage of their power to bully others. It got worse thest few days. Maybe God arranged it so that he could find the guilty parties and punish them.


    "Yes, you''re right, Major General Gu. I will definitely be strict with my family and would never allow them to abuse others using my position," the deputy director promised, trembling in fear. He didn''t dare to raise his head, unwilling to meet Kevin''s eyes.00000000

 Chapter 1220 They Were Neighbors (Part Three)

    "It''s your business to teach your family manners. I don''t care how. Maybe you can get her to calm down. As the wife of a deputy director, she should at least be polite. And it''s up to my wife whether or not to forgive her." If the deputy director had a bad rep, Kevin would


    definitely punish them severely. However, this man seemed to have a good name, so he didn''t make a big deal out of this.


    "Please don''t worry, Major General Gu. I''ll definitely send my wife to formally ask for forgiveness from Mrs. Gu." The deputy director wiped the sweat from his brow again. He had lived here a long time. But he didn''t know that Major General Gu also lived here. What was more, his wife came to Kevin''s house to harass him! Now she offended him. She just couldn''t do anything right!


    "That''s a start." Kevin took a look at Leena. He worried that she might be a troublemaker at first. Now he realized that trouble found her.


    "Hey! Don''t just stand there! Apologize to Major General Gu and his wife, now!" The deputy director red at his wife fiercely. They were talking about her rude behavior. So why did she just stand there quietly? Why the hell did she bother this guy? "Major General? I''ve never heard of that rank.


    Are you for real?" the woman asked, confused. She just could not understand why her husband was so afraid of a poor soldier. Why did he keep apologizing to him?


    "Ha! No, he''s a figment of your imagination." Belinda could not help but giggle upon hearing the woman''s question. This woman seemed to be extremely stupid. How did she get to be an official''s wife? She even did not know what a major general was. "Don''t make fun of him, Belinda. My husband is quite real, I assure you," Leena exined immediately. The thought shed through her head that this woman might be checking him out. She derailed that train of thought and was thoroughly disgusted. "You''re in this, too, Mrs. Leng." The deputy director did not notice Belinda until now because he was concentrated on dealing with Kevin and apologizing to him. Now he felt even more embarrassed, because they knew each other.


    "Yes, I''m part of this. Mr. Lu, I have to admit that you have really specialized tastes," Belinda said with a cold smile on her face. If she wasn''t here in person, she would never imagine that he would have married such a disgusting woman.


    "I''m sorry. Please excuse me, Mrs. Leng. And this must be Mrs. Gu! I''m sorry, Mrs. Gu! My wife was really out of line. You''re broad-minded and she is just ordinary at heart. Please don''t pay her any mind." The deputy director took a quick nce at Leena. He could do nothing but frown when he saw the scratches on Leena''s face. He saw her several times before and his rude wife cussed him out every time he looked at Leena. His wife always said that he had evil intentions and that he liked that girl. But that was not the case. He loved his wife, and what harm did it do to look. He didn''t need anyone other than her.


    "We''re good. We''re neighbors, and now that we''ve met, we''ll see more of each other. I don''t like to bear grudges. Now that you apologized to us, I''ll ept your apology." Leena said those words because of Kevin. She knew it was not good for Kevin to have too many enemies. You never knew when you might need to ask for help. So apparently this was all water under the bridge. She didn''t like the confrontation, but it was over now. Kevin might not mind. But as his wife, she had to think about everything for him.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    "Thank you, Mrs. Gu. I appreciate your kindness. If there''s something I can help withter, please don''t hesitate to let me know. I''ll definitely do whatever I can." The deputy director didn''t expect Leena to be so kind as to forgive his wife, so he was so grateful when he heard that.


    "Thank you, Mr. Lu. Actually I was wrong, too. If I hadn''t parked in the wrong spot, there wouldn''t be any arguments. So, I''m responsible for this too, in a way." Leena took a look at that woman and found that she was still at a loss for words. How could her husband, whom she believed was so powerful, be so apologetic? After all, she had thought her husband was one of the most powerful men in the city. But now, he was so humble when facing Kevin.


    "Why are you still standing there? Didn''t you hear me? Come here and apologize to Major General Gu and Mrs. Gu," the deputy director shouted. He grabbed a handful of clothing and dragged her over. He was extremely awkward because of his wife.


    "Oh, sorry! I''m so sorry! I don''t know what came over me." The woman lowered her head and was too ashamed to look at Leena. She didn''t think Leena held far more power than she did. But during their argument earlier, she didn''t mention her husband or his position. She didn''t use him to her advantage at all! That surprised her a lot! Nowadays, most people would like to show off who they were, and use their family backgrounds as a weapon.


    "Mrs. Lu, you really need to just watch yourself," Kevin said. "Try to calm down. You met us this time and we can let this slide. But if you meet somebody else, they might be even more difficult to deal with. You don''t want your husband to lose his job, or worse." Belinda disyed a cold smile. She knew why Leena decided to drop this. She didn''t want to cause trouble for Kevin and his career.


    "Yes, yes, you''re right. I''ll definitely pay attention to it from now on. I''m the one who caused all the troubles today. My husband had nothing to do with it at all. He knew nothing about it. Please don''t me him." Despite the fact that Mrs. Lu still had no clue about what a major general was, she began to realize that she couldn''t mess with Kevin anymore when she saw her husband be so respectful in front of the soldier. She finally apologized to Leena.


    Leena wasn''t bold enough to speak for Kevin. So she avoided answering that woman''s request directly. She was clever and confident about Kevin. She knew he had his own opinions. "Well, I''m sure he didn''t know. That''s why I''m going to drop this. It''s just not worth dwelling on. But it''s not up to me, now."

 Chapter 1221 Travel By Train (Part One)

    "Mr. Lu, you may leave now. Your wife should reflect on what happened today." Kevin didn''t want to put Leena in an awkward situation, but neither did he want to spare these people easily. Otherwise, they would not learn a lesson from this. "Sure! I''m leaving with her now. I''m sure she will reflect on her actions profoundly." Mr. Lu heaved a long sigh of relief when he realized that Kevin would not be making things difficult for them. He immediately said yes, for he was afraid that Kevin could go back on his words.


    "Although it was your wife who did wrong, you too should take the me for not having disciplined her. You must examine your actions as well," Kevin said in a cold voice. Kevin''s words brought Mr. Lu''s heart into his mouth. Scared that Kevin was on the cusp of changing his mind, he immediately agreed.


    "You''re absolutely right, Major General Gu! I will do that as soon as I get home." He was itching to leave as soon as possible. Otherwise, Kevin would not let him go so easily.


    "All right. You may take your leave," Kevin said with a frown. ''Leena must be hungry. If it weren''t for these people, the dinner would have been cooked by now, '' Kevin thought. "Goodbye then. We''re leaving." Mr. Lu bowed before leaving the house with his wife.


    "Goodbye!" Leena cast a cold nce at Mrs. Lu. She disliked her immensely because of her arrogant attitude, but she decided to let it go. After all, Mr. Lu was a reasonable man and had apologized to her sincerely. Moreover, they were neighbors. As the saying went, it was better to save trouble.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "They finally left. I almost had a headache because of that woman," Belinda sighed and rubbed her temples. Normally, she was busy throughout the day. Today when she had finally managed to visit Kevin and Leena, she really didn''t expect to witness this drama. "Belinda, I''m sorry. It''s all my fault. I''m such a troublemaker." Leena bit her lower lip, terribly embarrassed.


    "I''m going to the kitchen to make dinner. You two enjoy talking. The dinner will be ready soon!" Kevin took a close look at Leena''s face before going into the kitchen. He felt dejected. ''Leena didn''t tell me about this and even covered her wounds with make-up. She didn''t want me to find out that she was hurt. But why? Was it because she didn''t want me to worry about her? Or maybe she doesn''t feel like she is dependent on me?'' he wondered, as a myriad of thoughts flooded him.


    ''Last time when she got into the car ident, she didn''t tell me about it either. I found out about it myself. This is not right. I''m her husband and the closest person to her. She always hides things from me as if I were an outsider!''


    "Is your face all right? The scratches look a little bad. You''d better ask Tom to prescribe some medicine for you. Otherwise, you would get scars on your face." Belinda was worried about Leena. It would be such a pity if her pretty little face got scars. Once Leena''s sworn brothers found out about this, they would go berserk and try to avenge her.


    "It''s okay. I''ll apply medicine on my faceter. It will recover soon." Leena touched her face softly. They were just scratches. She wasn''t too concerned about them.


    Kevin was a skilled cook. The dinner was ready within half an hour and the food was ced on the table. Leena was surprised to find that all the dishes were new to her. Kevin wanted her to taste the different dishes.


    "How do you find the food,dies?" Kevin stared at them, a little worried. He hadn''t cooked in a long time and was afraid that he wasn''t as good as he used to be.


    "They''re all delicious! I didn''t expect a man like you to be a good cook. I''m so ashamed of myself." Belinda felt a little embarrassed that she couldn''t cook. The dishes Kevin made were so tasty. Belinda wondered if she should find some time to learn how to cook. "Well, cooking is not that hard, really. I believe that if you''re willing to learn, you''ll make a good cook as well." Kevin smiled in a friendly manner as he put some food into Leena''s bowl. He did it naturally, like he was used to it.


    "Really? I guess I have to learn how to cook now. Otherwise, I''d be the only one in the group who can''t cook." Actually, Belinda had only wanted to be a happy housewife, not a CEO of apany. Unfortunately, things hadn''t worked out that way. She had to take over the family business instead.


    "Belinda, why don''t you learn from me? Rest assured, no tuition will be charged." Belinda was willing to learn how to cook, so Leena offered to teach her.


    "You? Never mind. I''m afraid you might blow up the kitchen." Belinda chuckled, shaking her head at Leena''s offer. She didn''t believe that Leena was a reliable teacher.


    "Bah! Well, even if you want to learn from me, I might have no time to teach you." Leena pursed her lips, a little upset. But what she said was the truth; she was going to be very busy in theing days. She wouldn''t even have time to do the housework and was considering hiring a part-time maid.


    Kevin remained silent and listened to their conversation. From time to time, he would put food into his wife''s bowl. Leena had eaten so little recently that Kevin was concerned about her.


    The food was scrumptious and they dly ate it. All three had a great time that night. Belinda had to go to work the next day, so she bid them farewell not long after dinner. Kevin and Leena saw her to the door and said their goodbyes.


    The nights in winter were dark and cold. Tonight, there were no stars in the sky. Leena twisted her hands in herp as she sat on the sofa, staring at her husband with worry. She wanted to say something in her defense, but didn''t know how to exin herself.


    "The wounds are even worse than I expected. I''m scared you''ll get scars on your face." Kevin frowned as he applied the medicine on her face. Most women cared about their appearance very much, but Leena seemed to be an exception.


    "If I get scars on my face, would you still love me?" Leena bit her lower lip, eager to know his answer.


    "Well, if you get scars on your face, I will divorce you and marry another beautiful wife. So you must take care of yourself from now on," Kevin said seriously, as if he weren''t cracking a joke.


    "Just divorce me now and find another wife. I can''t promise you that I won''t get hurt in the future too." Leena wasn''t angry. She gave Kevin a sweet smile, knowing that he was just mad at her injury.


    "If I really do that, you would cry like a little child." Kevin screwed the cap on tightly. Tom had given Leena the scar eliminating medicine thest time she got burnt. Kevin assumed that it would work just as well this time around too.


    "Bah! I won''t cry like a child. I will beat the woman up so she doesn''t dare to seduce my man anymore." Leena raised her fist in front of Kevin''s face. At that moment, she looked like a hooligan who would kill anyone who tried to seduce her husband, not an elegantdy. "Good for you. I hope you can be as brave as you just said." Kevin rolled his eyes at her. If Leena were as bold as she said, she would not have gotten injured so many times.


    "What? You don''t believe what I said?" Leena grumbled, pursing her lips. Kevin was right. If he really fell in love with someone else, she would not fight for his love. She would leave him quietly. She was willing to give him up to the woman he loved, for she believed that if you loved someone, you could do anything for him as long as he was happy.??????????

 Chapter 1222 Travel By Train (Part Two)

    "Other women might beat their husbands'' mistresses, but you would never do that. If I really fell in love with someone else, you would leave me without saying a word," Kevin said before standing up. He gave her a meaningful look before turning around and going upstairs. His silhouette looked lonesome. Leena gazed affectionately after his receding figure. Apparently, Kevin knew her well enough. It never urred to him that Leena would have a choice other than leaving quietly. If Kevin really had a mistress, she could pretend that she didn''t know about it and still stay with him. She was happy as long as he was with her.


    Nothing could be better than sleepingte in the winter mornings. Lying in the warm covers, Leena slept peacefully. The corners of her mouth were lifted upward. Obviously, she was in a beautiful dream. Kevin called out her name, trying to wake her up.


    "Nana, get up. Let me take you somewhere." Kevin was feeling a little discouraged. He had called her name several times. Each time, she answered him faintly before falling asleep once again.


    "Um... I''m listening..." Leena grumbled as she rubbed her face on the soft, warm covers. She drifted off into sleep again.


    "Come on! Get up! I''m taking you to a ce." Amused by her reaction, Kevin reached out to pinch her little nose.


    "Stop that, naughty boy. I want to sleep." Leena probably took Kevin for someone else, for she beat his hand off and turned over in the bed, still sleepy.


    "So, you don''t want to get up, huh? Let''s do some morning exercise then." Kevin gave her an evil smile as he jumped on the bed and took off his coat.


    "STOP! I''m already up." Leena''s eyes shot open at the words "morning exercise". She threw back the covers and jumped off the bed.


    "Really?" Kneeling on the bed, he raised his head and stared at his adorable wife with a teasing smile on his face. It was a rare opportunity for Kevin to wake Leena up in the morning. He was extremely d for it. Normally, she slept veryte. Kevin, however, had to go to the army base very early in the morning.


    "Um... Aren''t you going to work today?" Leena was rather surprised. Kevin should have gone to the army base by now. But instead, he was at home and making fun of her!


    "I''m taking a day off. I''d like to take you somewhere out of the city." Kevin reached out andbed his hand through her messy hair, his eyes full of affection.


    "Really? Are you joking?" Kevin''s n was pleasantly surprising. After all, he seldom had the time to spend an entire day with her. Theirst trip had been to the Capital City. Leena was thrilled at his offer.


    "Really. If you keep lingering around instead of getting dressed though, I''m afraid I might change my mind." Kevin pinched her cheek. The breakfast was ready. They would start off after having it.


    "I''m getting ready. Wait for me! You cannot change your mind." Having said that, Leena rushed to the bathroom, as fast as lightning. She didn''t want to miss this chance.


    "I''m going downstairs to pack our stuff. Juste to have breakfast when you''re ready." Her excitement moved Kevin, who also grinned with enthusiasm.


    "All right. I''ll be there soon." Humming to herself, Leena made a face at Kevin and went to have a bath. Since they were going on a day trip, she picked casual clothes for herself. She looked like a lovely country girl and was quite pleased with it. She snapped her fingers at her image in the mirror and went downstairs.


    "Come and have breakfast. It''s alreadyte." Kevin raised his hand to check the time. He had nned well, but he didn''t expect it would be so hard to wake Leena up. They might miss the train if she didn''t hurry up.


    "Are we going to travel by ne?" Leena asked with curiosity. She sat down beside Kevin and ate.


    "No, we''ll go there by train. It will take three hours." ''Nana might never have been to such ces before, but I really want to take her. There''s a person there who''s very important to me, ''Kevin thought.


    "By train? I''ve never been on a train before." Leena smiled so widely that her round eyes were reduced to slits. Upon hearing that they were going to take a train, a movie that she had seen once immediately sprang to her mind. In it, the hero and heroine had gone to a romantic trip on a train. She couldn''t help but imagine Kevin and her in a simr scenario.


    "Well, the ce is a bit isted. We can only take a train there." Kevin forced a smiled on his face. He felt sad and dejected but hid it from Leena, so she didn''t notice it.


    "I''d like to take the train. By the way, where are we going?" Leena had spent most of her time abroad, so she didn''t really know about the neighboring regions of S City.


    "Technically, I''m going to take you to meet someone. She means a lot to me." Kevin raised his head and looked at Leena hesitantly, afraid that she might be unhappy once they got there.


    "Really? I would like to meet her." Leena was quite eager to find out who this person was, but she did not question Kevin further. She would find out once they got there anyway.


    A cold wind blew from the north, but Leena didn''t seem to notice it. She was with her beloved husband and felt warm on the inside.


    It was her first time being on a train. Leena was bubbling with curiosity about her surroundings. She looked around and everything seemed new to her.


    "Look, Kevin. Sugarcane!" Leena eximed, pointing to a sugarcane ntation in the distance. The train had pulled out of the city and into the countryside. The scenery outside the window was new to Leena. She was amazed by the beautifulndscape. "Yes, Sugarcane can be used to make cane sugar. Have you ever tasted sugarcane before? It tastes really sweet. When we get off the train, you can try some." Sitting by her side, Kevin held her hands and rubbed them, trying to warm them up.


    "Really? But I''m afraid it would be very cold." Leena was not quite used to cold. The thought of cold sugarcane made her shiver.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "That''s okay. You can try the baked sugarcane." Kevin smiled sadly as he mentioned this. Kevin hadn''t known about the baked sugarcane until someone told him about it. However, the man who had told him was already dead. It was his memorial day today, which was why Kevin took a day off and was taking Leena to visit his friend''s hometown.


    "Really? I''ve never heard of baked sugarcane before." Leena was confused. She thought there would be no water left after the sugarcane was baked.


    "Believe me. It tastes really good." Kevin gave her a tender smile and circled his arms around her. He had been separated from his friend for almost ten years now, but thetter was still very much alive in Kevin''s heart.


    "Kevin, would the person we''re going to visit like me?" Leena was nervous about who they were going to visit. She wondered if this person was going to dislike her.


    "Don''t worry. She is kind-hearted and friendly." Kevin''s smile was bitter. He felt guilty toward this person.


    "Great! I hope she will like me then." Leena smiled, feeling at ease. Kevin seemed rather strange today and she couldn''t figure out the reason for it. Leena assumed that she would know the answer once they arrived at their destination.


    When they got off the train, Leena was surprised to find that they were in a little town. It was such an isted ce that there was no expressway here. She then realized why Kevin had said that they could only take the train.0000

 Chapter 1223 A Grave (Part One)

    "This ce is a bit deserted and poorpared to S City. I bet you don''t like it here, right?" Kevin looked up at the sky and thought the air was fresh. Unlike big cities, life in this ce was slow and quiet. Staying here was like staying in a paradise which could make people feel veryfortable. "No. Actually, the ce doesn''t matter. I''m happy as long as I am with you," responded Leena before looking at the very few and scattered bungalows in the distance. She did not know that there were people living in such houses two hundred kilometers away from the city. "Let''s go!" Contented with her answer, Kevin smiled gratefully and carried all the groceries they brought with them. It was a puzzle to Leena why Kevin shopped for so many goods from the supermarketst night. She got no idea of what he was up to at all. "Let me help you," said Leena as she reached for some bags Kevin was holding. She wouldn''t mind giving him a hand with those heavy bags.


    "No. I can handle these." Kevin moved the groceries away from Leena as he refused. They had to climb the hillside before them and he wouldn''t want Leena to get tired. It was lucky that she was wearing t boots today since he didn''t think that high heels would make their journey easier.


    "Are you sure about that?" With a mischievous stare, Leena turned her head to Kevin''s handsome face.


    "Yes, I am sure. I don''t have the gut to lie to you anyway." The man shook his head at Leena resignedly. In fact, he came here every year and was so used to doing it. Even if he was busy sometimes, he would still find time toe to this ce again.


    "I know that you dare not lie to me." Leena picked up an unfamiliar grass and waved it in the air like an excited child. She was following Kevin closely and didn''t even bother to ask about where Kevin was taking her. She loved Kevin and she just simply wouldn''t mind wherever they went.


    "You''re right. Didn''t you say that you were a super-woman? How dare I oppose a super-woman?" Thinking of what she had said, Kevin could not help but make fun of her.


    "You bet! How far are we going to walk?" Leena felt that the road was bumpy. She had a struggle to walk, so she asked.


    "Well... About half an hour. Are you tired?" Kevin nced at her. Apparently, the main vehicle in this ce was the carriage. Local vigers used carriages to pull goods, so people usually walked.


    "Is it a market where we just got off?" Curiosity was all over Leena''s face as she asked. She saw a lot of things on sale in that ce just now. Although it looked crude there, the goods were of a wide variety.


    "Yes. Vigers from dozens of miles around here usually go to that market to buy some groceries and meat." Kevin patiently answered every question she asked.


    "It sounds very inconvenient," said Leena with a frown. She was used to the life in the big city and couldn''t imagine this kind of lifestyle.


    "Yes, but they are used to it. The local vigers are very simple. They only hope for their family to live a safe and healthy life." As Kevin spoke, a figure came to his mind and made him sigh softly.


    "Is this what people say about wanting nothing?" Leena looked at Kevin as she walked, wondering why he was here.


    "Probably. Be careful!" It was when Leena suddenly tripped over a rock and Kevin caught her just in time. All the groceries in his hand fell to the ground.


    "I''m sorry," said Leena in horror. She should have fallen badly if he had not held her fast.


    "Careful, okay? You will be grazed by the small stones on the ground if you fall down. I''m telling you, that will hurt." Kevin frowned as he squatted down. His mouth was shut when he began to pick what had fallen to the ground. Fortunately, it was a fine day today and it wasn''t raining. Otherwise, their groceries would surely get dirty.


    "Let me help you." Leena squatted down too to pick up their things from the ground. She was really sorry about the ident she had caused.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    The air in the country was crisp and fresh. As they were walking side by side, their shadows grew longer behind them as they were hit by the afternoon sunlight. Their love was like their shadows as it grew constantly.


    A few minutes more and Leena was already dying of exhaustion. It was then that they stopped by a humble bungalow. Compared to the sparse houses before, the houses on the ce were now closer to each other. This could be a small vige. Their arrival attracted many locals'' attention and it was really easy to see the curiosity on their faces.


    "Are we there yet?" Leena looked at the house and thought that it was really shabby. A richdy like her had never seen such a house. She didn''t hate it. It was just she couldn''t imagine how life was in a house like this.


    "Yes. Let''s go in." Kevin gently opened the door of the house. The house was so battered that it squeaked as he pushed it. It was the creaking sound that caught the attention of the person inside the house. Soon enough, an olddy came out as she walked happily towards them.


    "Kevin, it''s you! I thought you weren''ting today." The olddy said loudly. She might look old but she was sure in very good health.


    "Mamie, I''m sorry. I amte today." An apologetic smile crossed Kevin''s face. Bringing Leena with him this year made him walk a little slower than usual. It used to take him only half an hour to get here alone. However, it took him more than an hour since he needed to consider his wife too.


    "It''s okay. You''re too busy. I''m so d youe to visit me. Who is this girl? She is so beautiful!" The olddy asked happily. Rural people were very simple. Thus, she just asked what was inside her mind immediately upon seeing Leena.000000

 Chapter 1224 A Grave (Part Two)

    "She is Leena, my wife. I brought her here so you can meet her. We weren''t able to inform you when we got married since we were in a hurry." Kevin shot Leena a warm gaze and smiled. He knew that Leena was not like other wealthydies. Thus, he was sure that Leena would not hate this ce. That was why he brought her along. "Hello, Mamie. Nice to meet you." Leena greeted the olddy with delight. Her curiosity about Kevin''s rtionship with the old woman was eating her but she didn''t ask. She was sure that Kevin would tell her everything anyway since he brought her here. "Nice to meet you, Leena! How beautiful you are!" Mamie took Leena''s hand kindly and looked at her lovingly.


    "Thank you for yourpliment." In reaction, Leena said in a shy tone and bowed her head.


    "Let''s go in first." It was Kevin who broke the exchange of pleasantries between Mamie and his wife. He couldn''t be happier that Mamie seemed to like Leena almost instantly.


    "Oh! Right! I''m so happy that I forgot to let you in. Why do you bring so many presents every time youe?" Mamie grumbled at Kevin and took over what he had in his hand for fear that he would be too tired.


    "It''s not easy for me to see you, so I must bring what you need." Kevin knew that she didn''t usually go downtown and couldn''t afford to buy expensive things. Thus, he bought what she needed every time he went to see her. He felt better seeing her okay.


    "s! I actually don''t need so much stuff since I live alone. I haven''t used up what you bought mest year. There would have been more left of it if I didn''t give some to my neighbors. Don''t buy me anything next time. It is tiring to bring so much stuff," scolded Mamie as she feigned anger. However, it was impossible to hide how much she loved Kevin with the way she looked at the guy.


    "It''s okay. As long as you are happy, I am not tired," Kevin replied brightly. He was still smiling when he gazed around the shabby room. His smile melted in an instant when his sightnded on old furniture. He felt sad with the thought that Mamie lived with these things. He had proposed to rece the furniture there every time he visited, but Mamie declined. Her exnation was that the pieces of furniture there were her memories and she had grown to love them.


    "You silly boy! How can you not be tired? Go and show Leena around. I''ll cook for you." Mamie had the frankness and simplicity of rural women. It wasn''t even difficult to see how warm-hearted she was with just the way she talked.


    "Mamie, let me help you!" came Leena''s voice as soon as she heard about cooking. Adorable as she was, she wanted to help.


    "Oh, no. You stay with Kevin. This is the countryside and cooking in the country is not the same as cooking in the city," exined Mamie as she patted Leena''s hand. She was happy that Leena didn''t hate her humble home. Just looking at Leena''s tender and delicate hands already gave her the hint that Leena wasn''t just an ordinary person. It was the reason why she didn''t dare ask her to help with cooking.


    "Really? Is there any difference?" Leena asked doubtfully and then turned to Kevin. She was hoping for him to tell her more about what Mamie meant.


    In reaction, Kevin pinched her high nose and thought that she was very lovely and charming at the moment. Then he said, "Mamie is right. Cooking in the countryside is about making a fire. You don''t know how to make a fire, do you? How about you help me instead?" "Help you?" Puzzled, Leena''s eyebrows furrowed as she asked. She didn''t think she understood what Kevin said.


    "A lot of things are broken in this yard. I want to fix them. Do you mind passing me the tools as I work?" Fixing the tiny knick-knacks for Mamie had been a yearly duty for Kevin. He did these things yearly. There was no man in Mamie''s family so many things were usually left undone.


    "Kevin! Every time youe, you have to help me. I''m so embarrassed." Mamie said a bit shamefully. She was too old to do many things and it left with no choice but just to let Kevin do as he wanted.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Oh God! Mamie, stop being polite to me! I''m your son, and that''s what I should do." The man tried to sound casual but his eyes gave his real feeling out. He suddenly remembered how his deadradey in his arms during a battle. It was heartbreaking and he wasn''t able to control his eyes from turning a bit red.


    "I know you are my son. Oh dear! It''s already noon, right? You must be hungry. I''ll cook for you." Mamie was sad too. Thus, she hurried to walk away and just reasoned that she should cook. Her sadness was suddenly upying the whole house and Leena could feel it from where she stood.


    "Are you all right?" Leena asked Kevin worriedly. She had been watching him since this morning and still, she didn''t have a clue about what he was thinking.


    "Yes, I am fine. Let''s get to work!" Trying to control his tears, Kevin looked up and blinked his eyes. A few seconds after and he was able to recover himself. He then walked out of the house quickly without even looking back.


    That moment made Leena realize that Kevin and Mamie might have shared something really sad. Otherwise, they wouldn''t have acted that way. She knew, however, she couldn''t ask. Thus, she just silently walked next to him and helped him by handing him his tools. She was mummed the whole time. Her curiosity was eating her inside out but she just smiled at him every time their eyes met and pretended to be calm.


    That afternoon, Kevin and Mamie took her to a country graveyard. Standing before one of those graves there finally made Leena understand how heavy and sad things were for the two. The tall trees around the ce yed as silent spectators to them, together with the mild wind and afternoon sun.00

 Chapter 1225 A Grave (Part Three)

    "Bruce, do you know that Kevin came to see you again? He also brought his wife. Look! Isn''t she beautiful? She is not only beautiful but also thoughtful." Mamie wiped her tears as sheid out the offerings for Bruce. It had been so many years since Bruce left that she thought she would never be sad again. However, she could not help but shed tears whenever she was on that ce. Was there really a way to keep a mother''s heart from breaking every time she remembered her child who died so young? "You should be married too if you''re still alive. I wouldn''t mind taking care of your children. You left so suddenly that you didn''t even leave me a word." Mamie murmured alone, sounding very sad.


    "Bruce, are you all right over there? Do you still sing the song Green Camp every day? You know what? You were a terrible singer. You scared everyrade we had in the dormitory whenever you sang. The bad part was that you didn''t care and still belted it out loud passionately. You really made us love and hate you." Kevin''s voice trembled a bit as he poured wine for Bruce. It was a rare sight for someone as strong as Kevin to cry but that time, he just let his tears out.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    Meanwhile, Leena stayed quiet as she had no intention offorting Kevin. She knew that it would be better for him to have all his pain vented out. Moreover, she didn''t know what was going on, so she wasn''t sure how to express her feelings.


    "Remember the little por we nted together? Thest time I went back to thepany, I found it had grown up. The ces where we trained together have changed but the soldiers didn''t change at all. They love our country as much as we did. Let us drink to our hot- blooded loyalty." Kevin took a sip and poured the wine into the grave.


    "Boy, have you beenzy? Have you regressed? I''m telling you, don''t let me catch up or I''ll take the title of your best soldier of the year!" Kevin poured another ss of wine and continued talking. Leena had never seen Kevin so sad and the sight right now really bothered her a lot.


    "Do you see the beautiful woman behind me? She is my wife. Isn''t she beautiful? Didn''t we say we were going to get married and be fathers at the same time? Why did you lie to me? Do you have a girl you like? If you have, you must be brave to pursue her. Don''t be a coward! We soldiers should be bold in whatever we do."


    A smile cracked Kevin''s lips but it wasn''t the type of smile that Leena would like to see him with. It was outright the saddest smile she had seen in this world and it chipped her heart a bit. She knew that the man buried here must be someone really important to Kevin. "Kevin, don''t feel bad. Bruce was lucky to have a brother like you. It was his fate, anyway." Mamie consoled as she began burning paper money piece by piece. That gave Leena the signal so she bent and bowed. Without a word, she then bent down to put paper money in the fire.


    "Leena, don''t worry much about Kevin. He''ll be fine." A long sigh escaped Mamie''s chest as she thought, ''God is fair to me. I might have lost a son but I received another one.''


    "I know, Mamie. Don''t be sad too, okay?" Based on what they were saying, Leena figured out that the man buried here was Mamie''s son, who happened to be Kevin''srade as well. However, she did not know why Bruce had died.


    "I''m not sad. It''s been so many years. I''m used to it. I know that he is with his father now so he isn''t alone. Here, I have Kevin with me and now I have you. I''m not alone too." Mamie sniffed. She might have said those words to cheer the youngdy up but she was really feeling terrible deep inside her.


    "You''re right. Kevin is your son. I''m your daughter. We will be there for you." The atmosphere that was upying the ce was too depressing. Leena wanted to smile for Mamie but she couldn''t. Her heart was breaking for the old woman that she could almost hear it cracking inside her chest.


    "You are good people! I am so lucky to meet you." Mamie wiped her teary face. She knew that everyone would eventually die sooner orter so there was really no reason to feel sad at all. That was how life was. It was really just a matter of waiting.


    Sadness shouldn''t be something that kept winding people. It shouldn''t besting. Thus, Kevin was already calmer while they were sitting on the train as they went back to the downtown.


    "Do you want to hear a story?" Finally, Kevin spoke as he looked out the train''s window. He could tell that Leena had a lot of questions and he wanted to answer all those. Thus, he opened his heart to her.


    "If this story will make you sad, then I won''t listen. But if you want me to share your pain, I''ll listen." Leena looked at him sideways and thought, ''Thank God! I thought he wouldn''t talk the whole way. I didn''t expect him to speak first.''


    "I gave up college and went to the army without hesitation that year. I deliberately chose apany which was far from home so that I could escape my father." Kevin let out an emptyugh without gazing away from the window. On the other hand, Leena got no idea why he was still looking at the views outside. Perhaps, it could be that he was embarrassed to face her concerned eyes. Or maybe, it could be because he was lost in his memories too.???????????

 Chapter 1226 Kevins Emotional Side (Part One)

    Leena looked at Kevin without saying a word. It was the first time that Kevin had exposed his emotional side to her. Kevin was a red-blooded military officer and always remained calm under all circumstances, so sometimes people forgot that he was just a human being, who could get sad and vulnerable.


    "That''s where I met Bruce. I was told that his father was also a soldier who sacrificed himself to defend our country when his son was little. Bruce didn''t have much of a chance to get to know his dad. He admired his father and chose to be a soldier too when he grew up. That way, he could be a great fighter, just like his role model," Kevin said softly. An image of a fit and cheerful boy smiling at him surged into his head.


    "Bruce worked very hard in training and soon stuck out from the crowd. He was promoted as our squadron leader," Kevin continued, lowering his eyes. The pain was written across his face.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    The storyteller dwelt on this painful memory. His agony reverberated to his audience, who rested her chin on one hand and looked at him with worry. A frown marred her features.


    "As the days passed by, we became experienced soldiers. Bruce was the best we had in the army. We were close, just like brothers. We promised each other that we would treat the other''s parents with respect like they were our own. We imagined holding our wedding together on the same day. Our children would be brothers if they were boys and sisters if they were girls. But if there were a girl and a boy, we hoped that they would get together. If one of us died, the other would shoulder the responsibility of the child and take care of our parents until they passed away," Kevin said, tearing up. They had been young and ambitious in envisioning a beautiful future. Neither of them had expected death toe so early.


    "You must have been heartbroken the day he died, right?" Leena asked. She was never trained in the army, but she could sense how great theradeship had been between them.


    "When the moment came; when the bullet lodged in his head and his face was covered with blood, everything suddenly became too real. I felt death stare at me in the face. But what about our dreams? We had so many things that we didn''t have the time to do. What about our loved ones? How could they get through the agony of losing him?" Kevin bit his lips. The scene shed through his mind. It had happened a long time ago, but he didn''t feel better when the painful memory stirred in him once again. There was no way he could forget all of this. Bruce had sacrificed himself so that they could get back to safety.


    Leena''s eyelids fluttered. The tears in her eyes finally rolled down. She could imagine how painful it was to see your brother die in your arms and have no way to save him.


    "He was twenty when he died. It''s the greatest age of our life. But he gave us the chance of survival and sacrificed himself to defend our country. He died along with the enemies," Kevin said, staring out of the window. He, as a soldier, had experienced a lot of moments like this, but Bruce''s death had had the biggest influence on him because he had died in his arms.


    "So today was the day he gave up his life to our country?" Leena sniffed silently. Upon hearing Bruce''s story, she knew why Kevin had brought her to this ce. Bruce clearly meant a lot to him. They were as close as family. Leena was his wife, and Kevin wanted to share his story with her.


    "Yes. Every year Ie here to have a drink with him and update him about what''s happening in the army. He would love to hear it," Kevin answered. A few times he had military missions on this day, so Kevin came here a couple of days earlier orter - as soon as he was avable.


    "But we could at least arrange for a better life for Mamie," Leena said carefully. Kevin was sensitive when it came to Bruce, so Leena was afraid that she had said something wrong.


    "Yes. I mentioned the idea to her many times before, but she didn''t ept it. She says that she is used to living here. The memories of her husband and son are here, so she doesn''t want to leave." Kevin turned back to look at Leena and frowned. He raised his hand to wipe the tears on her cheek. Leena was so warm and sensitive that she cried upon hearing someone else''s story, but Kevin felt relieved to share this painful experience with her.


    "But we should offer her a better apartment to live in or renovate her ce, shouldn''t we?" Leena suggested, when she recalled how dpidated Mamie''s home was. She wouldn''t have believed that someone could live there until she saw the ce with her own eyes.


    "I suggested it to her once and she said no. Her house has a lot of memories and every part of it reminds her of her husband and son. If we renovated the ce, some torn and old furniture would have to go. Her memories would disappear with them too." Kevin scooped Leena into his arms. Even though he cared about Mamie very much, there was little that he could do. He could only ask her neighbors to take care of her, as he was too busy to visit her often.


    "Maybe it was these memories that helped her get through those tough days. But don''t worry. I will visit her whenever I can," Leena promised him. Mamie lived quite far away from them and Leena''s feet hurt to climb up the steep mountain road, but she was willing to do the effort and visit Bruce''s mother for Kevin.


    "Thank you, Leena. You are an angel," Kevin said, kissing her on the head. The sadness that had been obvious on his face a moment ago hid itself once again. Kevin was back to his usual aloof nature. That was how men were, they kept their true feelings covered up all the time. No matter how pained or exhausted they were, they had to act tough in front of their loved ones.


    Kevin only spared one day for himself to feel sad. For the rest of the year, he was always on his feet. He knew Bruce didn''t want to see him sad. He had sacrificed himself so that Kevin could lead a happy life and make his dreamse true, not for him to wallow in grief. Kevin couldn''t let him down.


    Leena couldn''t fall asleep that night and rolled out of bed. She came into the den and took out her sketchbook. Her pen flowed rapidly across the paper and a beautiful dress was sketched. It was penned in deep blue and was reminiscent of a wide sea. It held a tinge of sadness to it. Leena drew the design in ordance with how she felt. As a fashion designer, everything could be her muse. It was Bruce''s story that made her feel so down.


    Like every day, Kevin opened his eyes at dawn and reached out to the woman who was usually by his side, but found that Leena was not next to him like he was used to. Startled when his handsnded on an empty space, he sat up and looked around to try and find her. He was a light sleeper and always woke up before Leena got out of bed. He must have slept in because he felt too sad yesterday.


    "Oh, you are up. I made breakfast. Have a bath ande downstairs," Leena said when she walked in and ran into Kevin. "Why did you get up so early today? You look terrible. Did you have a bad night?" Kevin asked, stroking her pale face.00000000

 Chapter 1227 Kevins Emotional Side (Part Two)

    "Well, it''s just that I woke upst night and began to sketch. I lost track of time," Leena said. She walked to the closet and took out Kevin''s military uniform. She never had the chance to do it before because he always went to work before Leena even got up. But since she


    had woken up early today, she wanted to prepare his clothes for him.


    "Okay, but be careful next time. Staying upte is not good for you girls." Kevin looked at her. He walked to the bathroom and Leena made a face to his back.


    "Can I drive you to the army base? Or do you want to drive yourself?" Leena askedter, when she stood on her tiptoes to help Kevin wear his tie.


    "No, thanks. Lee will pick me upter. You can go back to sleep after having breakfast," Kevin said. He had to bend down because Leena insisted on making the knot.


    "Has your car been repaired?" Leena buttoned up his shirt. She stepped back to admire her fit, good-looking husband. He was so good-looking that she wanted to ask him if he could be her model, but she dropped the idea. Too many girls would chase after Kevin in that case.


    "Yes. I called Leest night. Don''t worry. Let''s go down and have breakfast," Kevin said, putting his phone in his pocket. He took his briefcase and walked downstairs with Leena.


    She would have had a good sleep after Kevin left if it was not for a call.


    "What''s wrong? Why did you call me so early in the morning?" Leena asked. She picked up the ss of water in front of her and stared at Patricia who sat opposite to her.


    "Hey, hey. Be kind to me. I am your friend! Can''t I just call you for fun?" Patriciained. She always bossed Leena around, so she felt ufortable when her friend spoke so coldly.


    "Then why did you ask me toe here? I have been busytely, you know?" Leena said, yawning. She had only slept for 2 hours when her friend''s call came.


    "What have you been busy with? Oh, I see. You have been busy making a little baby with your husband. You must have worked the whole night, that''s why you can''t stop yawning," Patricia teased Leena, studying her.


    "Can''t you be more decent? I can''t imagine what you are thinking about. I am sick of your cheap jokes." Leena rolled her eyes at Patricia. She didn''t care if her remarks would annoy her friend.


    "Humph! I am here with you, okay? And you are my best friend, someone who shouldn''t care if I sound decent or not! You want me to be an elegantdy who only uses ssic words from Shakespeare? That''s the kind of friend you want, my little princess?" Patricia made fun of Leena. She was not irritated by Leena''sints. Perhaps that was why the two of them became good friends: they had a unique style ofmunication.


    "Oh, stop it! You little bitch!" Leena took a sip of her coffee and red at her friend.


    "Okay, okay, let''s move on. You know something? I am screwed. An unknown bastard told my parents that I am a racing driver, so they took away my passport and bank cards. I am broke and I can''t even pay for my coffee," Patricia exined sadly. She would beat the snitch to death if she knew who the person was, so he would never stir things up again.


    "What? Oh, no. That''s terrible. So I guess you''ll have to skip the game this time," Leena said. She actually felt a little bit relieved upon hearing this piece of news. She didn''t want her friend to go to the dangerous game.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "You little bitch! You must be taking pleasure in hearing that my n was sabotaged. Are you the snitch? If that''s the case, I am going to kill you!" Patricia red back at Leena with fierce eyes. She hated seeing that Leena didn''t feel as sad as she did.


    "No, I am not! What are you saying? Why would I do that? Your eyes must be getting weak. You probably have to take them off to get them checked," Leena said, trying to hold back herughter. She was indeed taking a kind of dark pleasure in hearing about her friend''s bad luck. That was how they were around each other.


    "I am not a transformer! I can''t take my eyes off. I am not as dumb as you, okay?" Patricia rolled her eyes at Leena. Leena was so evil. She made fun of Patricia on one hand and told her that she was her best friend on the other.


    "Hey, I am not dumb! But this time I am on your parents'' side." Leena fiddled with her coffee mug. Her face reddened over the steaming coffee.


    "I knew I couldn''t count on you! I won''t go home until they return my passport and cards. You have to let me stay at your home. Otherwise, I would be homeless," Patricia said, pretending to be miserable. She was sure that Leena would help her.


    "Stop being so childish! How old are you? You still run away from home? If I were your mother, I would have ignored you so you can do whatever you want. You would get back home as soon as you have learned how dangerous the world is," Leena said. She knew Patricia could be immature sometimes, but didn''t expect her to be so irresponsible.


    "It doesn''t matter how old I am. I can still do whatever I want. Besides, I have you, my rich friend." Patricia raised one of her eyebrows and looked at Leena with a wicked smile.


    "I see, you would keep bothering me till I say yes. Oh my God, but who would help me? I don''t want to be with you all the time! You are such a fag hag," Leena said, annoyed. Patricia would keep making fun of her when they lived together. Leena could hardly be elegant anddy-like in front of Kevin then.


    "What? Come on, I don''t bite. I am straight, okay? Hanging out with gays doesn''t mean I am homosexual too. I am not interested in you. Your husband attracts me more than you do." Patricia''s wicked smile sent a shiver through Leena''s spine. ''Why is she smiling so evilly? She must be nning something against me, ''Leena thought to herself.


    "Fine, you can stay at my ce. But I have some conditions. First, don''t show any of your obsession with gay people in front of Kevin. Otherwise, he would know that you are a weirdo. Second, don''t make fun of me when Kevin is around or I will kill you," Leena said, giving her a ferocious stare. It depressed her to think that her happy andfortable life woulde to an end now that Patricia was going to live with her.


    "Okay. Come on, don''t worry. I have a game to go to. I will never give you an excuse to kill me," Patricia rolled her eyes again. Leena couldn''t stop prattling on about various trivialities after she got married. Maybe it was how married women were; they always worried too much. Patricia nced at her friend with disdain.


    "Why the look? You think I won''t dare to kill you?" Leena asked. She sat upright to show that she was not bragging.


    "No, it just looks like you are increasingly bing like my mother who never stops nagging me," Patricia said, pretending to plug in her ears. She would never get married early as Leena did. Marriage would ruin her carefree life. People rightly said that marriage was the tomb of love. "Oh, no. I am too young to have a big daughter like you," Leena said, sighing. She wondered if she should tell Kevin about Patriciaing to their house first. After all, it was his house too. He had the right to turn her down. "As you wish! I don''t want to be your daughter either, okay? And before I go to your ce, don''t you think we should go shopping first?" Patricia said, giving her a meaningful look.


    "What? You didn''t bring anything with you before you got here? What''s wrong with you?" Leena said. She wanted to kill herself for getting trapped with such a burden. Patricia was nothing like a friend. She was a bandit.0000000000000000

 Chapter 1228 Patricia Had A Crush On Tom (Part One)

    "Come on, have you never run away from home even once? If I had my daily essentials with me, it would be called a journey, not running away." Patricia shook her head in disbelief, like Leena was an idiot. "Fine! Let''s go. I wish to God I hadn''t met you." Leena sighed with profound resignation. She had no other choice but to grab her car key and do as she was told. After all, Patricia was her best friend.


    "Honey, I knew that you are my most favorite friend. By the way, would it be inconvenient for you if I live in your house?" Patricia asked with concern and held Leena''s arm.


    "Don''t you think it''s a little toote to ask that question?" Leena taunted her, rolling her eyes. "So you have a brain, huh?"


    The two women were both young and pretty. They turned the heads of men. One was sweet and quiet, while the other was sexy and feisty. Although they were opposite in character, they were best friends and made for a perfect match. "You didn''t drive here?" Leena was stunned to see Patricia open the former''s car door and sit in the driver''s seat. Patricia''s car was her life. Leena couldn''t imagine her running away from home without her beloved car. It was pretty odd! "Well, I don''t want anyone to know where I am. If I drove my car to this ce, they would know I''m here. Come in! Don''t worry." As a racing driver, Patricia must have the steering wheel in her hands, even if it was Leena''s car she was in. "Fine! Please drive slowly though!" Leena sat in the passenger seat and felt terribly uneasy about the uing journey.


    "I''m going to live in your house for a couple of days. Are you sure you don''t want to discuss this with your dear husband first?" Patricia asked with an air of uncertainty. The moment Leena was strapped in, Patricia pressed down hard on the elerator and the car flew like a bat out of hell. Leena was terrified to death and her face went pale. This was why she had urged Patricia to drive slowly, but thetter just ignored her request.


    "Don''t worry. Kevin is soft-hearted and open to persuasion. He won''t have a problem with it," Leena assured her friend. In truth, she was a bit unsure. ''Kevin would say yes, wouldn''t he? He''s a generous man!'' Leena consoled herself.


    "I''m not worried about that. If he gets angry, I''ll leave the house with you - his beloved wife. Then, he is sure to regret it." Patricia pursed her lips before giving Leena a cunning smile. She resembled Michelle in character. They were both proud and unruly. "Don''t be ridiculous. I won''t leave with you." Leena cast Patricia a scornful nce. Given the choice between Patricia and Kevin, Leena would choose thetter for sure.


    "It''s not your choice! Look! The guy over there looks quite handsome." Patricia pointed to a man standing by a car. Though she didn''t want to get married anytime soon, she liked checking out handsome men. She looked askance at the man while driving. "Be careful! You''re driving. You''ve seen countless handsome men before. Why are you so excited?" Leenained before looking in the direction Patricia was pointing to. When she saw the familiar figure, her eyes lit up. "Pull over!" she yelled. The car screeched to a halt. The brakes grinded as Patricia pulled over.


    "What did you just do? Why were you shouting? I was scared to death!" Patricia red at Leena with burning, reproachful eyes. It was really dangerous to shout at drivers.


    "Sorry! I just saw a friend of mine, so I lost my cool," Leena apologized. She pushed the door open and ran toward the Maybach at the roadside.


    "Leena, it''s you! It is very dangerous to brake so sharply like that, you know?" Tom had heard the brakes squeal and turned around. When he saw Leena walking toward him, he was in so much panic that he couldn''t help but me her.


    "I''m sorry for scaring you, Tom. I saw you standing there, so I..." Leena scratched her head in embarrassment. She didn''t tell Tom that she was not the driver.


    "Don''t act like this next time, okay? Remember, you must put your safety first, no matter what happens. You always hurt yourself." Tom frowned when he saw the faint scar on her face.


    "I''ll keep your words in mind next time. By the way, what''s wrong with your car? Why are you here?" Staring at the open hood of the car, she wondered if it had broken down on the way.


    "I have such bad luck! It''s just not getting started. I don''t know what the problem is. Maybe it''s because of the weather." Tom was frustrated. He was highly skilled at making a diagnosis when it came to people''s health, but when it came to cars, he knew nothing. "Have you called the garage?" Leena had no idea about cars either, so she could only suggest this.


    "Not yet. I was trying to fix it myself, but it turns out I can''t do it." Tom looked upset and dejected. He always believed that he was a genius in every aspect, but now he had to admit that he was not an all-rounder.


    "Ah, so you two know each other," Patricia interrupted, crossing her arms. She stared at Tom. The guy looked even more handsome once she stepped closer. She grew a little interested in him.


    "And you are?" Tom asked in confusion. He was so focused on conversing with Leena that he didn''t notice the woman who had followed her.


    "Your car broke down? Do you want my help?" Patricia curled her lips, giving him a teasing smile.


    "Right! Patricia knows how to fix cars. Come on, Patricia. Tom''s car has broken down." Leena was ted when she remembered that Patricia was good at repairing cars.


    "Hey man, do you need my help?" Patricia asked Tom again, looking at him right in the eye. She didn''t n to hide her interest in him.


    "If you really know how to repair cars, that would be great. But are you sure you can do it?" Tom said in a cold voice. He was not a fool and had realized her intention, but she was not his type. "Wanna bet?" Patricia asked, her eyes sparkling. She swore to herself that she would take him down.


    "Really? I didn''t expect you to be a gamester." Tom''s interest piqued. The woman in front of him was certainly different from thedies he hade across in the past.


    "If I have your car fixed, will you pretend to be my boyfriend for the next couple of days?" Patricia blurted out. She didn''t even try to put her request in a more euphemistic way.


    "What? May I know the reason for that?" Tom raised his eyebrows. It was the first time that he had met such a straightforward woman. He was curious about her.


    "Well, you look handsome. You are my cup of tea. Those are reasons enough. Does that sound good?" Patricia disliked doctors. If she ever found out that Tom was a doctor, she would regret what she just said.


    "How do you know I''ll say yes to such an unreasonable request? There are so many other people who can fix my car." Tom leaned against his car and slipped his hands in his pockets. He was not irritated by her words; he just thought she was very arrogant. "I was not forcing you, just asking for your opinion," Patricia said, still gazing into Tom''s eyes.


    Leena looked back and forth between Kevin and Patricia, her eyes wide. All of a sudden, an idea struck her. She giggled to herself without being noticed by the two. ''Patricia hates doctors. She might not have heard me calling his name. She doesn''t know he''s a doctor but has a thing for him just because of his looks!'' Leena thought.00000Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1229 Patricia Had A Crush On Tom (Part Two)

    "I''m sorry, but I can''t say yes to such a strange request. I''m not in a hurry so I''ll just wait for the mechanic." Tom stopped smiling. He didn''t like women who were so dominant in a rtionship, so he did not want to y this game with her.


    "Are you sure? You should know you just rejected a first-ss mechanic!" Patricia was now even more interested in him. Other men would have agreed to her request without wavering for a second, but this man who stood before her refused her. She was quite shocked. "Yes, I''m sure. Thank you for your kindness. If you want to y games, just go find someone else. I''m not interested," Tom said indifferently. He had to admit that Patricia was a beauty, but he liked soft and shy women.


    "What a pity! Leena, let''s go. He prefers to stay in the cold wind. We should leave him be." Tom had already made himself clear, so Patricia decided to leave. She admitted that she had a thing for him, but she was too proud to beg for his attention. She turned and was about to leave, but was stopped by Leena.


    "Patricia, please help him fix it for my sake." Leena held her hands together and looked at Patricia with a hopeful expression.


    "Why should I help him for your sake? Who is he?" Patricia stopped, wanting to know his name and their rtionship.


    "He''s one of my brother''s friends. Please help him!" Leena didn''t tell Patricia his name on purpose, nor did she tell her that he was one of her sworn brothers. She wanted them to spend time with each other for she believed that they were a perfect match. However, if Patricia got to know that Tom was a doctor, she would not give him the time of the day.


    Tom frowned at Leena''s introduction and turned to look at her. He didn''t understand why Leena was keeping his name a secret. But he remained quiet when Leena winked at him slyly. He believed she had her own reasons. Little did he know that Leena was trying to conceal the fact that he was a doctor to set him up with Patricia.


    "I should help him just because he''s your brother''s friend? I''m your friend as well. Why are you not taking my side? You saw how he just treated me!" Patricia stole a nce at Tom. She finally had a thing for a man, but he was not interested in her. It was frustrating. "Come on! Please help him for my sake, all right? Also, you like him. He would never agree to your request. Why don''t you listen to me? I have a better idea," Leena whispered in Patricia''s ear. She didn''t want to be heard by Tom.


    "You''re right. Since he refused to pretend to be my boyfriend, I''d better be his friend first. I believe he will fall in love with me, sooner orter. After all, I''m pretty, rich and smart." Patricia was more confident this time.


    "Yes! Patricia, I''m on your side." Leena giggled to herself. Tom had no idea that his beloved sworn sister was ying his matchmaker.


    "Okay, I''ll trust you this time. You should create more chances for us to date from now on." Patricia tossed back her short hair and walked towards Tom.


    "I will by no means change my mind," Tom said to Patricia. Tom didn''t know what the two women just said, but his gut feeling told him that they were plotting something. He believed that Leena would bring no harm to him, but he didn''t expect her to set up a trap. "Rest assured. Yes, you''re a handsome man, but I will not force you to be with me. You don''t need to think of me as a dreadful monster. I''ll help you for Leena''s sake and won''t ask for anything in return." Patricia smiled in a friendly manner and bent down to check the engine. She immediately realized what the problem was and smiled haughtily. Quickly, Patricia mended the engine and closed the hood. Then, she pped her hands and turned to Tom.


    "Are you done?" Leena voiced her disbelief. ''Patricia only made a few moves. Is the car really fixed?'' she wondered. Tom had the same thought as Leena. He didn''t believe that Patricia was capable of fixing his car within a minute. ''She''s just a young woman. I don''t believe she knows how to fix cars. I''d better call the garage now,'' Tom thought. After all, most mechanics were men.


    "Why not start the engine?" Patricia gave Tom a mysterious smile. The problem was with the auto ignition and it was easy to fix. However, she didn''t n to tell Tom about this because she wanted him to owe her a favor.


    "Give it a try!" Leena elbowed Tom. Patricia knew that Leena had a sworn brother called Tom who was a doctor, so Leena didn''t dare to call him by his name.


    With a strange expression on his face, Tom opened the car door and sat in the driver''s seat. He was stunned when the engine started with ease and cast an approving nce at Patricia.


    "It really works! Thank you so much!" Tom got out and walked toward Patricia. He had misunderstood Patricia and felt somewhat awkward about it.


    "What are you going to offer me in return?" Patricia teased him. Not surprisingly, Tom''s face darkened at her words.


    "If you still insist on what you asked for, I''m sorry, but I can''t do it." Patricia might have helped him, but he disliked her ways. It looked like she had helped him just for what he could give her.


    "Haha! I was just kidding. Do you really think I will ask for your love? If you really want to thank me, why not buy me dinner? I don''t think it''s such an unreasonable request." Patricia still nned to ask him out. She believed that the more time they spent together, the more Tom would like her. Being straightforward would not help her win his heart, so she decided to take it slow.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    "It''s not an unreasonable request at all. Even if you asked me to buy you ten dinners, I would do as you said. After all, you did help me fix my car. By the way, may I know your name?" Tom felt relieved upon hearing her request. He was really not interested in pretending to be her boyfriend, for he was afraid she might fall in love with him and pester him.


    "Just call me Patricia. And you go by?" Patricia looked at Tom with bright eyes. She was thrilled but she kept her enthusiasm to herself. After all, she didn''t want to scare him away. Tom was her cup of tea and she would not mind getting into a rtionship with him.


    "Patricia, we are going shopping, remember? We''d better go now! You can ask him to buy you dinner next time," Leena interrupted them in a hurry. If Tom introduced himself to Patricia, she would definitely lose interest in him. Leena grabbed Patricia''s hand and pulled her to her car before she could say goodbye to Tom.


    "What are you doing? He hasn''t even told me his name yet." Patricia red at Leena, annoyed. She wondered why Leena was in such a hurry. ''She said she would be on my side!'' she thought. ''Since when is going shopping more important to her? She told me to pull over, but now she wants to leave abruptly. What a strange woman!''


    "Don''t worry. I know his name and number. You don''t have to ask him." Leena dodged Patricia''s eyes with a guilty conscience. ''I''m doing this for her own good. She didn''t even thank me and is ring at me instead. How ungrateful!'' Leena thought.00000000

 Chapter 1230 A Warning From A Friend (Part One)

    "Yeah, you''re right. How could I forget? Now he''s your brother''s friend, right? We should get to know each other. He''s avable? No girlfriend?" No matter how hot the guy was, Patricia would never be a home wrecker. She wasn''t interested in being "the other woman" -- her cardinal rule in rtionships. "Don''t worry! He''s single. You have a really good chance here." Leena let out a sigh of relief. As long as Patricia didn''t ask the guy''s name, she had nothing to worry about. Leena had to figure out if she really wanted her friend dating this guy.


    While Leena and Patricia were talking happily, on the other side, ire and Louisa were arguing, their voices echoing around them. This was the first time that they got into it so bad. No one wanted to give in.


    "Louisa, how could you do that? It''s my sister-inw''s vi, for Christ''s sake! Breaking things? Really?" ire red angrily at Louisa. She couldn''t believe that her best friend did that. She looked at the broken swing and the scattered roses with sad eyes. What would she tell Leena? That she let her best friend do this?


    "Huh. I couldn''t stand looking at them. So what?" Louisa spewed these words in a cold tone. She didn''t seem to have an ounce of regret. Her eyes were deadly cold, showing her hatred and jealousy.


    "What? You couldn''t stand them? Really? They weren''t even in your way! Why did you have to break them?" ire was so furious that her eyes were starting getting red. She really couldn''t understand what was up with her friend. Louisa had been so consumed by her jealousy and hatred towards Leena that she had to be hateful and break things. ire was ashamed for her friend''s behavior and didn''t know how to face Leena now.


    "Roses represent love!" Louisa shouted. "Love, that''s something I''ve never gotten. I never had a swing growing up. I just don''t like them! So yeah, they got in my way!"


    Louisa screamed these hateful words. Her eyes were glittering with jealousy. In her mind, the roses and the swing were constant reminders of what she didn''t have, of how happy Leena was. Love was something Louisa wanted so badly, but she could never find it. She wanted to be spoiled and pampered by a lover too, bought nice things, and have a romantic guy. So she had to destroy the roses and the swing. They were a constant reminder of how lonely she actually was. She didn''t think what she did was wrong.


    "Do you even hear yourself? Unreal! Just because you''re freaking jealous?" ire looked down again, staring at the roses on the ground in disbelief. She was extremely angry with Louisa.


    "Ha! What? Jealous? Why would I be jealous of her? Don''t be ridiculous! I''m better than her in every possible way! She''s just a bitch who''s good at seducing men! Cause that''s what bitches do!" Louisa was so jealous, and she wanted so badly to get the things she wanted but couldn''t have. That was why she couldn''t stand someone that she didn''t like being so happy with the man she loved. That was why she let her anger and hatred take over and so she broke something.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "So if you aren''t jealous, why break her stuff? Besides, it''s not your home! If you really can''t stand something here, just leave! Problem solved! Don''t just break stuff! That''s cray-cray!" ire was finally fed up with Louisa. So she stopped pulling her punches. She hated the arrogant look on Louisa''s face, as if she did nothing wrong. What was wrong with this woman? She barely recognized her friend anymore.


    "ire, why are you so angry? What are you doing? You''re supposed to be on my side! I just broke some stupid keepsakes! Why are you making such a big deal out of this? You act like I killed someone." Louisa clearly didn''t think what she did was that bad. ''Just some decorations, no big thing, she thought to herself.


    "Louisa, just think for a second! I''m just stating the truth. I''m not on anyone''s side! This is Leena''s vi. We''re just borrowing it -- we don''t get to change anything!" ire was helpless. She didn''t know how to make Louisa understand the difference between right and wrong. Instead, Louisa was ming her for not taking her side. How ridiculous!


    "Fine. We''re done here. If you feel that bad about it, fix it yourself!" After these words, Louisa nced at ire with a look of disdain. Then she spun on her heel and walked out.


    ire bit down hard on her lower lip. Her body was shaking with rage. What the hell? How could Louisa be like this? What happened to her friend? How could she feel okay about this? She did something wrong and had no regrets. Did she really think that she could do what she wanted in a borrowed ce? But what could ire do? She cared too much for her friend to cut Louisa out of her life. So she had to bite her tongue and figure out how to deal with the roses and the swing.


    Night fell in the blink of an eye. As soon as Kevin got home, he heard cheerful gigglesing from the dining room. That made him stop in his tracks. Who did Leena have over?


    "Kevin, you''re back." Leena heard the sound of front door opening, so she walked out to see who it was. As soon as she saw Kevin was back, the sweet smile on her face grew to a happy grin. She loved it when he got home. "Yeah. We have a guest?" Kevin asked. He kicked his shoes off and nced behind Leena curiously.


    "Yeah! Haven''t you always wanted to meet my best friend? So she came over today to meet you. Isn''t that great?" Leena decided to tease him, because he was upset she hid him from her friend. So she just seized the chance and teased him.


    "Who said I wanted to meet her?" he teased back. "No offense," he added quickly. Kevin nced at Leena. He was just upset that she didn''t mention to her friend she was married. That was all. He didn''t say that he wanted to meet her best friend.


    "I''m not sure how to take that." Patricia walked out of the dining room. And she finally understood why Leena would have gotten married so quickly as soon as she saw Kevin. And why not? Kevin was really a handsome man, and he seemed like a great guy too. Patricia would have snatched him up right away if she were Leena.


    "Um. Sorry. I didn''t mean it like that. Don''t take it the wrong way," he said quickly. Kevin was a little embarrassed. He didn''t expect that Patricia might overhear what he said. He extended his hand, trying to recover. "Nice to meet you."???????????

 Chapter 1231 A Warning From A Friend (Part Two)

    "I''m just kidding. Nice to meet you too. Looks like Leena has a good taste in men after all." Patricia looked him up and down a few times. She didn''t even try to hide it. It was obvious that she was checking him out. Kevin knew too.


    "You want me to turn around?" he joked. Kevin didn''t shy away from her intense gaze. He looked back at Patricia, wondering how a sweet, innocent girl like Leena had a best friend so vivacious and bold. He couldn''t help but wonder how the two met.


    "Haha. Don''t you know it? By the way, I''m Patricia Bai, your wife''s best friend." Patricia reached out her hand to shake Kevin''s, formally introducing herself. To be honest, her first impression of Kevin was not bad. He seemed like a good guy, quick with a joke, and could evenugh at himself.


    "Since you are Leena''s best friend, you probably know more about me than I do about you." Kevin politely shook her hand and then quickly withdrew his hand like a real gentleman. He decided to be careful not to crush her fingers. Turned out he needn''t have bothered. She had a surprisingly firm grip.


    "Ha ha, I can''t say that I know everything about you. But I''ve done my research. By the way, the soldiers you work with, are they all as handsome as you?" Patricia''s eyes were full of excitement when she asked Kevin this question, as if she was already imagining a group of handsome and young soldiers showing off their muscles in front of her. This was a vision she could easily get lost in. She enjoyed herself without reservation. She wasn''t the type to get embarrassed if a man undressed in front of her.


    "Well, I''m no judge, but probably! Why? You interested in our soldier boys?" Kevin''s eyes flickered with excitement too all of a sudden. There were still a few officers who were single in the army base. Maybe he could introduce them to Patricia? Fix them up? He liked the idea.


    "Not really." Patricia pursed her lips. Sure, she could appreciate how handsome they were, but she didn''t want to marry a soldier like Leena. She couldn''t just sit at home and wait for her man. So it wasn''t for a lively woman like her to be a soldier''s wife. Kevin was suddenly at a loss for words hearing Patricia''s reply. He had thought that maybe she was interested in soldiers because she got so excited asking about them. So why did she turn him down? She seemed pretty interested just a moment before. "All right. We should probably move this to the dining room. Or the food will get cold." Leena interrupted them at the right time. She could tell that Kevin was a bit embarrassed and at a loss for words all of a sudden. So she tried to change the subject. Besides, she was sure he was hungry.


    "Okay. Let me go upstairs and wash my face real quick. I''ll be there in a minute. You two go ahead!" Kevin said, walking upstairs quickly. He''d trained with his soldiers today. He wanted to get rid of the sweat and dust on his face before dinner. He didn''t mind getting dirty, but he wasn''t going to eat like that.


    "Stop staring. He''s already gone." Patricia bumped Leena''s shoulder with hers, pulling her out of her trance. Leena''s eyes were following Kevin''s every move.


    "Alright, let''s eat." Leena turned around, then walked to the dining room. Patricia followed her, a meaningful smile on her face.


    Kevin wasn''t long at all, just like he promised. He was downstairs only after a few minutes, only wearing a shirt. He left his coat upstairs. He rolled up his sleeves, looking very casual andfortable. "Sorry for the wait." Kevin sat down, beside Leena, smiling bit apologetically at Patricia for making her wait. She was their guest after all.


    "That''s all right. We got started without you." Patricia held up the piece of pork between her chopsticks. She knew Leena was a good cook. And it had been way too long since shest ate Leena''s cooking, so she couldn''t even wait for Kevin. She was hungry, and her stomach was growling already.


    "Just eat. You talk too much." Leena picked up a piece of eggnt and put it in Patricia''s rice bowl. She was a bit worried that if Patricia continued talking, she would tell Kevin some embarrassing stories about her. She really didn''t feel like being red-faced tonight. "Leena, you did that on purpose! I hate eggnt." Patricia red at Leena without real malice in her eyes. She then looked at the piece of eggnt in front of her with a look of distaste on her face. She wrinkled up her nose, squinted, made a big show of it. "Eggnts are good for you. Since when did you be so picky?" But Leena let it go quickly. She just shrugged and continued eating.


    "Then why don''t you eat onions? They''re good for you too," Patricia teased. Shepletely ignored Kevin and bantered back and forth with Leena.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "How do you know that I don''t eat them?" Leena asked back, feeling a bit guilty. She really didn''t like onions at all. She thought the vor was too strong, and hated crying while chopping them. So she never cooked onions. Kevin nced at Leena in surprise. He didn''t know that she disliked onions before. He silently filed away another fact about Leena. One of the things he liked about her was that she did keep surprising him.


    "Humph! Meanie!" Patricia gritted her teeth and then put the piece of eggnt in her mouth. She still didn''t like it. But she knew that Leena only wanted her to be healthy. As long as it was with her best interests in mind... Leena stuck out her tongue and didn''t say another word. Because she knew that if she kept teasing Patricia, then she''d tell Kevin all those embarrassing stories. That was just how Patricia was.


    As usual, Kevin was the one doing the dishes. But this time, Leena was beside him. From the hesitant look on her face, Kevin could tell that she wanted to tell him something but didn''t know how. But he wasn''t known for his patience. "Why that face? You have something to say to me?" Kevin turned his head so he could see her better while washing the dishes.


    "Yeah. Well, Patricia ran away from home, and wanted to stay here awhile. That okay?" Leena anxiously yed with her hands while saying this. Her tone showed her nervousness. She was hoping that Kevin might say yes, but fearing he might say no.000000

 Chapter 1232 A Warning From A Friend (Part Three)

    "Babe, you don''t need my permission. Do what you want. Of course Patricia can stay here awhile. But if she ran away from home, what about her family? Aren''t they worried?" Kevin straightened his back and asked, feeling a bit worried. He didn''t want any drama. "That''s alright. I have already gone behind her back and told her family she would be staying with me. So they won''t worry too much." Leena sported a big grin after hearing that Kevin didn''t mind Patricia staying with them. She didn''t have to worry anymore. "That''s good. She can stay as long as she wants. Now you have someone to talk to when I''m at work." Kevin also stopped worrying. As a soldier, he didn''t like the thought of Patricia''s parents looking for their daughter and worrying about her constantly just because she ran away from home. Not only that, but she''d be staying at his house. So that was one less thing he had to worry about.


    "Yeah! As long as she doesn''t bug you." Leena put her arms around Kevin from behind and gave him a back hug. She pressed her face into Kevin''s back. She felt very safe and at peace with Kevin here. There was nothing better.


    "I''m good. Besides, you know I''m busy. I''m never home." Kevin wasn''t even surprised at her sudden affectionate behavior this time. Maybe he was already used to her being like this. Which was good, because sometimes he wanted a little affection. So he just lifted the corners of his mouth into a soft smile. He was indeed very happy.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "Thank you! Honey, you''re the best!" Leena rarely said sweet things like this, and she wasn''t used to calling Kevin ''honey.'' Apparently she really cared about what Kevin thought and was very happy that he agreed.


    "Yeah? Just now you realize that I''m the best, huh?" Kevin wiped his hands on the towel and hung it back up. Then he held her cold small hands in his.


    "No! I mean, I always know that you''re the best." Leena wanted time to stop, so they could be like this, holding each other forever. She didn''t need to worry about who Kevin loved, or if he would treat her badly. She just wanted to cherish this precious moment. And the moment''s warmth was enough for her.


    "Oh, yeah? Then how do you n to repay me, Nana?" Kevin had a teasing smirk on his face, looking at Leena with mirth in his eyes. She knew exactly what he was hinting at.


    "Kevin! You''re ruining the mood." Leena pinched him hard on his waist. And at the same time, a beautiful blush appeared on her face. She knew she was beautiful, and so did he.


    "Ahem! Sorry to interrupt you two, but I was wondering, where''s the coffee? I can''t find it -- ah. I did a bad thing. I can see it in your eyes." Though Patricia apologized, she looked straight at the two of them without shame. It seemed that she didn''t feel guilty for interrupting at all. That was Patricia.


    "Um. I''ll go find it for you!" Leena suddenly let go of her hands that were holding Kevin''s waist, blushing furiously. She raced out of the room.


    "You did this on purpose, I gather?" Kevin turned his head and leaned on the ss counter, looking at Patricia with intense interest in this gaze. He had some idea why she did this.


    "Yeah, you''re right. Get this, soldier boy: Whether you love Leena or not, treat her right. If you ever hurt her, I''ll make your life miserable, soldier or not." Patricia looked at Kevin with dangerous eyes. She was arrogant. But it was understandable. Leena was her best friend, after all. He didn''t know if she''d be able to hurt him, but he knew she''d try, and that was all he needed to know.


    "Okay. I promise I''ll never hurt her. Satisfied?" Kevin wasn''t mad about Patricia''s words, because he knew that only the ones who cared deeply for Leena would warn him like this. And he was happy that Leena had such a good friend who could watch her back. That way he didn''t have to worry about her so much when he wasn''t around.


    "Yeah, I''m d you said that. I have your word as a soldier, right?" Patricia asked again, still a bit suspicious. In her eyes, nobody could ever hurt Leena, even if it was her husband. She would do everything to protect her best friend. And if somebody hurt Leena, she would definitely make them pay for it. She wasn''t fooling around, and all it would take was the wrong word in the right ear to make it happen.


    "My word as an officer." He nodded as he said this. "By the way, I want to ask you something. Why did you set my wife up with your friend?" Kevin pursed his lips and looked at Patricia with teasing eyes. He kind of knew, but he wanted to hear it from her.


    "What friend? I''m sure I don''t know what you''re talking about." As she said this, she just remembered. Patricia looked around and avoided Kevin''s gaze. How could she be so stupid and forget about this? Things got awkward all of a sudden. How could she justify this? She really didn''t know Leena was married. She searched her mind for the right words.


    "You don''t know? Really? If I remember right, the guy''s name is Summer something? Or Winter?" Kevin said slowly. It seemed that he really cared about what happened, or he wouldn''t have remembered the man''s name. But why was he grilling her? Her face reddened. "Oh! You mean him! That was an ident! Really! Sorry, I''m not feeling well. I must have eaten too much." Patricia rushed out of the room after she finally got the words out. She didn''t want to admit that she had intentionally set Leena up with another guy, or she would basically be admitting that she tried to break up a military marriage. She was pretty sure Kevin knew that she didn''t know Leena was already married. But she didn''t want to continue his line of questioning. After all, she just threatened Kevin, and she wasn''t sure if he would easily let this go. This was his way of telling her that in a contest with him, she''d lose every time. So she was smart enough to pretend she didn''t know what he was talking about and get the heck out.


    Kevin shook his head helplessly at Patricia''s back. He couldn''t help but smile at her behavior. He thought that she was tough and arrogant. All those big words talking about making him pay. But he shooed her off pretty quickly. Just a few words were enough to make her leave him alone.000

 Chapter 1233 The Role Of A Wife (Part One)

    With Patricia living in her house, Leena certainly felt less lonely than before because she had someone to talk to throughout the day. Unfortunately, she also had a lot more things to do and worry about. idents just kept happening with her friend around. "Patricia, you better tell me right now, why is there water on my floor?" Leena shouted at Patricia angrily with her hands on her waist.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "I was helping you clean the floor, of course! I feel bad crashing for free at your apartment so I decided to help you with the housework." Patricia looked at Leena with innocent eyes. Was she wrong in wanting to help her do the chores? She didn''t understand why Leena was screaming at her like this.


    "Are you sure you are helping me clean the floor? Because from where I stand, I see that you are ruining it! So please, don''t ever feel guilty about living here rent-free! And you better not help me with my housework! You are only increasing my workload." Leena gritted her teeth, trying to contain her annoyance. She looked at Patricia with exasperation. Was her friend being serious right now? How could she not see that she was making it worse? She was ruining the floor by leaving the water on it.


    "Oh God! You are just being dramatic! I watched how you cleaned the floor yesterday and I did the same just now! I have no idea why it turned out like this. It''s not my fault, okay? me the floor for not sopping up all the water." At these words, Patricia looked at the wet floor with indignant eyes. She felt wronged. She was just trying to help Leena; she didn''t expect things to turn out like this. Besides, Patricia had slipped on the wet floor and fallen down. Her ass still hurt. She had already learned her lesson. "What? me the floor? Do you hear what you are saying? It''s a tile floor for God''s sake! And sop up the water? Do you think it''s made up of sponge? I really don''t know what to say to that." Leena was at a loss for words and couldn''t believe what she just heard. ''Fortunately, we don''t have a wooden floor, or it would have surely been ruined by now, ''Leena thought in relief.


    "Oh. It doesn''t sop up the water? Then what should we do? Do we just leave it and wait for it to dry?" Patricia looked bewildered. Finally realizing that she had made a mistake, she was clueless. It was the first time she didn''t dare raise her voice to Leena. "Well, we have to grab a dry mop and clean the floor again. Wait a minute, please don''t tell me that you didn''t dry the wet mop before mopping the floor." Leena red at Patricia again. She hoped that she was wrong; that Patricia wasn''t stupid enough to mop the floor with a very wet mop. But it was obvious that Leena was right in her assumption.


    "How did you know that? You are very clever, Leena!" Patricia smiled, surprised that Leena had guessed correctly. She didn''t even notice the dangerous glint in her friend''s eyes.


    "What the hell! I can''t believe you really did it! Patricia, I''m going to kick your ass for what you did today!" Leena ran over to Patricia in outrage. Seeing this, Patricia quickly dodged her and fled. It seemed that Leena was serious this time. She looked pissed off, so Patricia could only run away. She was not silly enough to linger around and face her wrath.


    "You are being ridiculous! It''s just a floor for God''s sake! Why are you being like this? I will clean it up again, okay?" Patricia didn''t expect Leena to be so angry about the floor. She kept escaping Leena, not wanting to get into her clutches.


    "Clean it up again? Do you think that I would be stupid enough to let you clean the floor once again? You would probably ruin the whole apartment if that happens!" Leena said, beyond pissed. She didn''t know how to deal with her friend anymore. ''Patricia will pay for this!'' she thought.


    "I promise I will dry the mop before I clean the floor this time. Just give me a second chance!" Patricia begged. She wondered when Leena became this severe. She had always been so gentle and nice. But this Leena was freaking her out.


    "Do you think I believe you? You are clearly very bad at housework!" Leena didn''t trust Patricia''s promise. She''d rather clean the floor herself than let Patricia have a second try at it. Only Patricia could be this shameless and im that she had been helping Leena with the chores. She was just adding to Leena''s workload, that was all.


    "Hey! Kevin, you are back!" Patricia suddenly waved at someone standing behind Leena. Her face was enthusiastic, as if she had spotted somebody who could finally save her.


    "Don''t try to distract me! Do you think I''d be stupid enough to fall for your lie? Kevin probably got off work just now. There''s no way he could be home this early." Leena didn''t budge. She still faced Patricia, thinking that her friend was trying to fool her. ''Patricia is trying to distract me!'' she thought to herself.


    "What are you two doing? Why is there so much water on the floor?" Kevin furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. The floor was all wet. He had no idea what had happened.


    "Um! Kevin, you are back early today." Leena immediately turned around upon hearing Kevin''s voice. She was utterly surprised. Kevin was really here. It seemed that Patricia hadn''t been lying. It also meant that Kevin had seen her yelling at Patricia. How embarrassing! All of a sudden, Leena didn''t know how to face her husband.


    "I had to run a few errands downtown and then I came straight home. I think I smell something burning." Kevin wrinkled his nose. Yes, something was definitely burning in the kitchen.


    "Ah! I was cooking the meat!" Leena quickly ran toward the kitchen in the middle of shouting this. In her hurry, she forgot about the wet floor and lost her bnce. Suddenly, she slipped on the water and started falling backward. Patricia gave a yelp at what was about to happen and hid her eyes behind her hands. She didn''t want to see Leena fall. However, when Patricia didn''t hear a loud thump or Leena cry out in pain, she slowly put down her hands and opened her eyes again. Leena hadn''t fallen down. It seemed that Kevin caught her right in time.


    "Be careful. Wait here. I will go and check the kitchen." Kevin let go of the hands that were holding onto Leena''s waist and walked over to the kitchen. He didn''t want her to hurt herself in this anxious state. "Leena, are you okay? You scared the shit out of me!" Patricia walked up to Leena, still a bit worried. She looked Leena up and down to check if she was hurt.


    "It''s all your fault! I just embarrassed myself in front of Kevin because of you." Leena red at Patricia. Luckily her husband was quick to catch her, or she would have fallen down and broken some bones. "What are you talking about? He is your husband! You don''t need to feel embarrassed at all." Patricia puckered her lips. She still couldn''t understand why Leena was so shy and awkward around her own husband.

 Chapter 1234 The Role Of A Wife (Part Two)

    "I will get back at youter. Right now I need to see if the meat is still edible or not." Leena knew that the meat was probably not edible. Her lips thinned in a grim line. "The meat is burnt? Then what would we eat? Please don''t eat me." Patricia looked at Leena with wide eyes. Seeing how pissed off Leena was, she definitely regarded it as a possibility.


    "Ah, that tells me it might be a good idea after all. Thank you, I will consider it." Leena nced at Patricia with a sly glint in her eyes. She followed Kevin and left a shocked Patricia behind, who was frozen in ce. Patricia never thought that she would shoot herself in the foot one day.


    "The meat is burnt. We can''t eat it, so I have to throw it all in the dustbin," Kevin said when Leena walked in. He poured the burnt dish in the garbage.


    "I''m so sorry! It is your favorite dish." Leena lowered her head in shame, like a child who had been caught doing something wrong. Kevin felt amused at Leena''s behavior. He wasn''t even mad, for crying out loud. Why was Leena acting like she did something awful? "That''s all right. Just be more careful from now on, okay? I don''t want any idents to happen to you." Kevin didn''t me her for ruining his favorite dish. He just wanted Leena to be more careful and not hurt herself. He only cared about her well-being. "Yeah, of course. I will be more careful. At least we have other dishes." Leena bit her lower lip gently. She nced at the wasted dish in the dustbin with guilty eyes. She had nned to cook Kevin''s favorite dish for him, but it was all ruined now. "What were you two doing just now?" Kevin turned to face Leena, thinking of the water on the living room''s floor. He was curious as to why it was such a mess.


    "It was just as you saw. While I was cooking dinner, Patricia got the floor in the living room wet. She said that she was helping me with housework and just mopping the floor. But clearly, she didn''t know how to do it! She didn''t even dry the mop, can you believe it? So I got into an argument with her. About the rest, I believe you saw it just now." Leena pursed her lips, feeling a bit embarrassed.


    "Oh, my poor little wife. Not only do you have to look after me when I get home from work, you also have to clean up after your best friend now," Kevin couldn''t help but tease her as he caressed her face affectionately.


    "So, what should we do now?" Leena raised her head, looking at him with big and innocent eyes.


    "Well, I guess we can look after ourselves. Do you expect Patricia to do it, though?" Now that Kevin knew what had happened, he realized that Patricia was bad at housework. He didn''t think they would get any help from her.


    "Of course not! I will be d as long as she doesn''t add to our work." Leena shivered when she imagined Patricia helping her again. She would never want her friend to do the household chores again. The more thetter helped, the more Leena had to fix.


    "I will go and clean up the dining room. Be careful in the kitchen, okay?" Kevin didn''t know what Leena was cooking, so he decided to clean up the floor instead.


    "Yeah. I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to bother you. I know you must be tired after work. Just... I''m sorry." Leena''s tone was very apologetic. It sounded like she was talking to a stranger, not her own husband.


    "Nana, who am I to you?" Kevin suddenly asked out of nowhere. There was a deep frown on his face. Kevin didn''t like Leena talking to him as if they wereplete strangers, not husband and wife.


    "Um, of course you are my husband. Why? What''s wrong?" Leena asked, looking at Kevin in utter confusion. She didn''t understand where this question came from.


    "If you are aware that I am your husband and that we are a married couple, why are you still being this careful around me?" This was not the first time that Kevin had talked to Leena about this. He didn''t know why she was still walking on eggshells around her own husband. Kevin was starting to feel more and more powerless about this.


    "I''m just afraid that you would be unhappy with me." Truthfully, Leena didn''t like being on her guard around her husband either, but she couldn''t help it. She was always cautious around Kevin to make sure she didn''t do anything to upset him.


    "All right. I think it''s my fault. I haven''t made things easy for you. I didn''t let you feel safe enough to let your guard down around me. Which is why even though we are a couple, you are still hesitant around me. You don''t really think of yourself as my wife, you are just ying the role for my sake." Kevin let out a silent sigh. He assumed that she would know how he felt about her, even though he hadn''t told her outright. But it seemed that he was wrong. Leena still didn''t get it.


    "What do you mean?" Leena was bing more and more confused at Kevin''s words. She didn''t understand what he was trying to tell her.


    "I can''t exin it to you, Nana. You have to figure this out by yourself." Kevin put his hands on her shoulders and patted her. He walked out of the kitchen. If he straightaway told Leena what he really meant, she would probably still be wary around him. He hoped that one day, Leena would figure out what he really wanted.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    Leena looked at Kevin''s receding figure and bit her lower lip. She was in deep thought and wondered what Kevin meant. Was he right? That she didn''t think of herself as his wife? Leena was puzzled.


    Kevin''s words kept repeating in her mind. She couldn''t let it go. She still smiled and went about her routine, but her heart lingered on the strange question Kevin had brought up. The next day, when she met Gerard, her mind was still miles away. "Mignonne, are you okay?" Gerard looked at Leena, feeling a bit concerned.


    "Oh! I''m fine. Don''t worry. Professor Be will be in the city tomorrow, right? I want to ask you if she has contacted you in advance." Leena tried to hide that she had spaced out by posing Gerard the question. She had a smile on her face, but it seemed a bit forced.000000?????????

 Chapter 1235 The Role Of A Wife (Part Three)

    "No, she hasn''t contacted me yet, but she said before that she would give me a call when she gets here. Are you worried that you''d miss her at the airport when you go and pick her up? If so, you can send her an e-mail to confirm the time of her flight." Gerard was curious


    about why Leena was asking him about professor Be. She could have just asked Be herself. Why did she want to go through him first?


    "It''s not that. Professor Be told me that the organizers would pick her up from the airport and that they had already booked a hotel for her. So I don''t need to worry about these things. But... I just can''t help but have a bad feeling about this. Maybe I just think too much. I feel like she doesn''t like me anymore." Leena thought back of the conversation she had with professor Be. She thought that the professor had sounded almost too polite; too distant.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "Mignonne, you are thinking too much. You are professor Be''s best student. How could she not like you?" Gerard''s golden hair shone brightly under the sun. He knew that professor Be never nned a soiree for any of her students, but she did it for Mignonne. That was evidence itself of how much she liked Leena, who was her best student.


    "You think so?" Leena was perplexed at first. She looked up and stared at the leaves swaying in the wind and got lost in thought. Suddenly, she realized something and a beautiful smile spread across her face. She understood what Kevin wanted her to knowst night. What she was feeling right now about professor Be was simr to what Kevin must have felt. Leena thought that professor Be didn''t like her because she was being too polite to her. Leena being too careful around Kevin must have felt the same to him too, although her rtionship with Kevin was not the same as her rtionship with the professor.


    "Mignonne, after this I will go back to Paris with professor Be. I will also take over nc Group, so I might not be able to visit you for a very long time," Gerard''s tone was sad. He had expected to be disappointed when he decided toe to this city, but he still came. He had wanted a final shot with Leena. If he hadn''t tried, he would have regretted it for the rest of his life. Now that he knew Leena was happy with her husband, he could finally let go of what had happened between them.


    "Gerard, thank you! For so many things," Leena said and put her hands on Gerard''s gently. Though they had broken up and it hurt Leena for a long time, they had their good times. Leena decided to let bygones be bygones and ept Gerard as a true friend.


    "Mignonne, no matter what, I hope you would be happy forever. Besides, I don''t feel so bad losing you to such a good man. Kevin is great, and I wish you two the best." Gerard looked at her with serious eyes. Leena could tell that he was being honest. Gerard had decided to let her go but it didn''t mean that he would stop loving and caring for her as a friend.


    "I hope you''ll always be happy too. I have a feeling you would meet the girl who loves you for who you are soon enough," Leena said with utmost sincerity. She felt touched by Gerard''s words and had a tender smile on her face.


    "Thank you. I hope you are right." Gerard''s smile was small and bitter. He appreciated that Leena wished him the best, but still, he didn''t know if he would ever meet another girl as sweet as her. Even if he did, it would not be the same.


    The winter sunlight gleamed down on the streets. It was warm but not warm enough to chase away the coldness Gerard felt inside. After he and Leena parted their ways, Gerard had been wandering alone in the city. He had no idea where he wanted to go, nor was he in the mood for sightseeing. He just kept walking, trying to wrap his head around what had happened in thest few days.


    "Hey! Gerard, why are you here alone?" ire was out shopping and didn''t expect to run into Gerard, the handsome French guy.


    But it seemed that Gerard hadn''t heard her. He continued to walk past ire. He was so lost in his own thoughts that he didn''t pay attention to what was happening around him.


    "Gerard? Are you okay?" ire reached out to grab Gerard''s sleeve, making him halt in his tracks. She saw the sad look on his face and wondered what had happened to make him like this. She was worried that he would meet an ident in this state of mind. "Oh! It''s you. Hello, Miss Gu." Gerard smiled to her, but ire could tell that it was forced.


    "Why do you look like someone kicked your puppy? Are you okay, Gerard? You can talk to me if you want. Maybe I could help you?" ire''s first impression of Gerard had not been bad, so she decided to ask him what was wrong.


    "I am all right. I was just wandering around because I am bored. What a nice coincidence to meet you here." Gerard looked down at the bags in ire''s hands and silently took them from her. "Where are you going? Let me help you with this." "Thank you! My car is right over there. How about I give you a ride? Is that fine?" ire asked, feeling a bit shy. Gerard had helped her with the bags. ire only wanted to show her gratitude by giving him the ride.


    "Then I will help you bring these to your car. And thank you for the kind offer, but I want to have a walk and clear up my mind." Gerard followed ire closely and walked over to the car. He didn''t want to go back to his cold and empty hotel room. He really needed some time to make sense of things, as he said.


    "Oh. That''s all right. Well, maybe I could join you? If you don''t mind of course! I have nothing to do right now anyway." ire tilted her head, looking at him with expectant eyes. ire wasn''t busy right now as Louisa had something to do. They had put off their practice forter.


    "Really? Of course, I don''t mind! That would be a delight. Thank you." Gerard didn''t expect ire to want to apany him. He was genuinely happy that he didn''t have to walk around alone. He really needed someone to talk to and it was a bonus that someone was ire. After all, they knew each other through Leena. Gerard was still new to S city and didn''t particrly want to wander by himself.


    "No need to thank me. I would like somepany too. I hate being alone, after all." The two lonely people walked around the city and got a chance to get to know each other. Something was definitely brewing between them, but nobody could tell if it was for the good. They just had to wait for their story to begin.

 Chapter 1236 The Day Before The Competition (Part One)

    "Commander, are you sure that you''re not giving Hank a second chance?" Kevin asked tentatively as he stood at themander''s office. It had been a while since the deliberation started and he was already getting anxious about the superior''s final decision about Hank. "I''m not in the position to decide on that. I''m just carrying out the superior leader''s order. I have nothing to do with Hank and we both know that what he did cannot be forgiven easily." Themander sighed softly and thought, ''You have no idea how much I want to give him a second chance. It''s just that my hands are tied.''


    "But we all see his changes recently. Why don''t you report these things to the superior leaders? I believe that they will forgive him and give him a chance once they know. I''m positive that Hank will not let us down," insisted Kevin with his own opinion. He clearly knew that it would take Hank a very long time again to get a chance like this. Great achievements as such didn''te to them that easy. By the time it came, Hank might have already lost his passion for the army.


    "Do you think that I don''t want to give him a chance? I have exerted my best efforts to argue with the leaders for him but I failed. We have to face the fact. We can''t change this anymore. You might as well prepare for what will happen next." A frown crossed themander''s face as he said those words. He honestly believed that everything happened was Hank''s fault. Thus, he couldn''t me others. It was him who did this to himself.


    "OK. I''ll take your orders." in a low voice, Kevin answered resignedly. ''I tried my best to help you, Hank. You have to rely on yourself from this point, ''he silently thought.


    "You might need to exin to your family just in case that this exercise will spoil the harmony inside your home." Themander talked from his experience as he had already encountered the same. He knew the consequences of leaving home frequently without telling his family in advance.


    "Don''t worry. Leena is a thoughtful wife. I know that she can understand me," said Kevin with a sour face. His aura was suddenly dark and serious when he added, "I''m leaving now."


    "That would be fine. Go home earlier today. Spend more time with her. She is just a little girl after all," responded themander in a fatherly tone. He had seen Leena before at the annual reception of FX International Group. He knew that she was a childish girl and those richdies like her should be more squeamish.


    "I see. That''s it." Kevin didn''t look at themander and left. His back wasn''t as tall and straight as usual. It was obvious that hismander''s reply made him far from happy.


    Standing at the corridor, Kevin looked far into the distance. He knew that he wasn''t allowed to have his own feelings or disobey orders as a military man. He really hoped the army could be more open to other people and stop focusing on just Daisy and him. If the army kept doing this, a lot of soldiers here would lose their chance to show their real capability. He couldn''t just let that thing happen, right?


    "What are you thinking?" It was then that Daisy, who was leaning against the handrail, looked at Kevin interestedly. She had worked with him for so many years but she had never seen him as depressed as now.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Nothing. How about you? Didn''t you say that you''re going to haverge-scale training?" It was only after hearing Daisy''s voice that Kevin came to himself.


    "Yes, we are gonna have one and we are preparing for that. I was nning to get the recruits involved in this training. It was just that they haven''t adapted to the army life yet so I gave that idea up. I don''t want them to hate the training they will haveter." Daisy puckered her mouth as she spoke. It was odd how she remained quite lovely with her mouth pouting that way.


    "I think you are right. Let themy a solid foundation first. There is no need to be in a hurry," agreed Kevin. He knew how cruel Daisy could be while training her soldiers. After all, she didn''t earn the title "Devil Drillmaster" from her soldiers out of nothing.


    "Yes, Major General. I understood now." Knowing that Kevin was in a bad mood, Daisy said these deliberately. She sincerely wanted to cheer him up.


    "Excuse me? So you finally knew I am your leader?" replied Kevin in an amused tone. He couldn''t help but feel happy with what Daisy just said.


    "I heard that the superior leaders are forcing you to participate in that mission. Is that true? Well, if that''s the case, it''s no wonder that you are so depressed." Daisy turned to her back and looked far into the distance just like Kevin. Honestly, she also wanted to know how much more passion was left in her for the military uniform she wore.


    "Yes, that is true. I heard that this training will take three months which are much longer than usual. I hope you can take care of Leena while I''m away." A heavy sigh escaped Kevin''s chest. He and Leena hadn''t stayed that long with each other yet. The thought that they were going to be separated from each other made him feel even worse.


    "What are you being so polite to me for? Leena is our little sister. There will be a bunch of guys to take care of her even if you don''t ask me to." The beautiful army woman rolled her eyes at Kevin. She was wondering why Kevin would say such a thing.


    "I know that. I know that there are a lot of people who care for her in this city but I don''t know if she will be happy." Kevin said as he thought, ''She would definitely miss me when I''m not around her. How will she get through this kind of moments?''

 Chapter 1237 The Day Before The Competition (Part Two)

    "I know what you mean. All our love for her is useless without you. All she wants is for you to stay with her." Daisy smiled sadly. She knew what Leena was thinking since she was a woman too.


    separation will be.''


    The difort that was hitting Kevin was getting heavier as he thought, ''That''s exactly what I''m worried about. I know that I have to let Leena get used to this kind of life since there will be a lot more of these moments in the future. And I have no idea how long each On the other hand, Leena didn''t know how to tell Kevin that she would not be home tomorrow night. The fashion designpetition of Dream City would be held tomorrow and she had to participate in it.


    Leena was walking to the FX International Group building when her phone suddenly rang. "Why are you calling me at this moment?" said Leena as she answered the phone. The security guard there knew her, thus, he didn''t disturb her and even helped her press the button for the special elevator for Edward. It made Leena smile sweetly at the guard''s gesture and say thanks.


    "Well, I just want to know what you are doing now." Kevin was sorting through his briefcase as he talked. As a matter of fact, it was not yet time to get off his job but since themander told him that he could go home early, he packed up his things earlier than usual. "I''m about to meet Edward. What are you calling me for? Are you spying on me?" joked Leena with him while thinking, ''Kevin never calls me when he is working, let alone cares about me.''


    "What if I say yes?" said Kevin and smirked.


    "Wow! I can''t believe that your self-confidence is running that low. Or are you thinking that I''m so beautiful? Are you worried that a lot of men will fall in love with me?" Leena murmured in a teasing voice after leaning her back on the elevator wall. She was much more rxed when talking with Kevin over the phone than in person.


    "Let me think. Yeah, you''re all right. You are so beautiful that makes me lose my confidence about keeping you by my side." whispered Kevin sincerely. He didn''t want to hide his real feelings anymore. Thus, he said the exact things in his mind.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "Whoa! Hahaha! Kevin, are you alright? What are you talking about? That''s not like you at all." Those words from Kevin made Leena feel warm and sweet inside. Kevin was a proud man who never spent the time talking to her this way. His words were just too tender that Leena ended up standing just outside the elevator after she got off. She didn''t even go straight to Edward''s office and just hoped Kevin could chat with her a little longer.


    "Not like me? Why? Do you think I''m particrly handsome today?" A smile cracked Kevin''s lips as he talked. He gave his office a quick once-over and then walked with his briefcase.


    "I don''t think you are particrly handsome. I think you are particrly weird." As Leenaughed, she nodded to an office worker there who greeted her.


    "Can I ask you out, little girl?" It was Leena''s observation that made Kevin go bolder with his words. Actually, he wouldn''t mind saying more explicit things to her if she would ask for it.


    "Well, I''m pretty sure now that something happened today. That''s not how you usually say things, Kevin." With her eyes opened wide, Leena thought, ''I didn''t expect a serious man like him to say such things at all. I guess I really underestimated him.''


    "Oh! Geez! Leena, what are you talking about? I''m on my way home now. I''ll go straight to FX International Group instead, okay? Wait for me downstairs and don''t you dare get me wrong," said Kevin. He was pretty sure that Leena got what he meant even if he said it that way.


    "Did you get out of your office early today?" Happiness was in Leena''s voice when she spoke. Kevining early was actually perfect news!


    "Yes. I''m going to drive.


    Bye." Kevin opened the car door as he spoke. He sat in and had been smiling throughout. Looking at Kevin, the soldiers passing by him thought, ''Why does the Major General look so gentle today? Is it the end of the world? He might be much more amiable than Daisy but he doesn''t usually smile! What is going on?''


    Meanwhile, Leena frowned and pouted her lips. Then she childishly made her way to Edward''s office.


    "Here you are, Mrs. Gu!" Anna had seen Leena ten minutes ago. However, Leena was on her phone so she didn''t bother her.


    "Nice to meet you, Anna. Is Edward here?" replied Leena politely. She had always been polite to everyone she met.


    "Yes, he is, but he was pissed off by Mr. Xia. Thus, he is not in a good mood," said Anna cautiously. She knew that Leena wouldn''t care about that news because Edward would never get mad at Leena for whatsoever reasons. No matter how bad his mood swing was, he would never vent at Leena.


    "It''s okay. I can handle this." Leena smiled shrewdly and then confidently pushed the door to Edward''s office.


    "Get out! Knock the door ande in again." Edward didn''t raise his head and shouted at her angrily.


    "Well, I am wearing a mini skirt and high heels. I don''t feel like doing that. Please don''t ask me to do that." Leena pouted unhappily while sporting her puppy eyes. She stood at the door and looked at Edward who was already turning red and losing his temper. After hearing that, Edward mmed his palm on his desk and finally shot her with a dagger stare.


    "Oh! It''s you! Come in, little girl." The surprise on Edward''s face was monumental. He thought that it was just one of his employees that went to his office. Never had he thought that it was Leena who came.0000

 Chapter 1238 The Day Before The Competition (Part Three)

    "Yes. It is none other but me. Who else would break into your office when you''re in a bad mood? Anyone else who would do that must be fearless of death." Leena went behind him and put her arms around his neck. She pressed her chin against his shoulder and acted like a spoiled child. "I know that you are the only one who would do that. Why are your hands so cold?" A frown got into Edward''s face as he thought, ''Is this girl still so weak?''


    "Cold? I don''t think my hands are cold." In reaction to what he said, Leena put her hands on Edward''s face and thenughed.


    "Don''t you think? Your hands are about as cold as the ice cer." The man shrugged at Leena''s gesture but chose not to pull away. Instead, he cocked his head and waited for her to say what she came here for. He was sure that Leena didn''te to his ce just because she missed him.


    "Ha-ha! Maybe it''s because I just came in from the outside." Leena took her hands off Edward''s face. With a shy smile, she took a few steps forward and sat down on the desk.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    "You know that it is cold. Why didn''t you wear something thicker? Don''t you know that you''re not in good health? You always worry me." Tentatively, Edward touched Leena''s pretty face and sighed a bit. Her face was as cold as he had thought.


    "I''m wearing a lot of clothes. It is just that today''s temperature is too low and that''s why my face is cold." Leena was aware of how much Edward cared for her. Nheless, she still had to argue with him from time to time to defend herself. "Are you ming the temperature?" Edward shook his head and made a phone call. "Anna, bring me a cup of hot coffee."


    "I heard that you are one of the sponsors of the Dream City''s fashion designpetition. Is that true?" Leena asked nervously as she didn''t dare to look Edward in the eyes. She had just found out about it. Thus, she hade to see him in such a hurry.


    "Yes, but I''m afraid that you might have to ask the entertainmentpany if you want to know more. Why are you asking in the first ce? Do you want to see thepetition too? I heard that it will start tomorrow night. Do you have time to attend?" It was only then that Edward realized that he had forgotten Leena''s major. However, the registration was closed six months ago. Although he could use his right to let her participate in thepetition, he was afraid that she would not be able to finish her entry in time. Moreover, he didn''t think that Leena would be interested in this kind ofpetition. She had already achieved so many things. Thus, this would be a downgrade if ever.


    "I don''t want to participate in thispetition. I just want to know which hotel the judges will stay in," said Leena softly. The schedules of the judges were arranged by the organizers and Be did not know which hotel she would be staying in.


    "Why are you asking that? Do you know these judges?" Curiosity was written on Edward''s face when he asked. He was wondering why Leena needed such information.


    "Yes! My French mentor, Be, is one of the judges. It is the reason why I want to know which hotel she will be staying in advance." Leena looked at Edward in a calcting manner. She got no clue about whichpany invited Be toe over before. She didn''t expect FX International Group to do that.


    "Oh. I see. I''ll call and ask." Edward began dialing on his phone as he spoke. The entertainmentpany was run by Rain. He rarely got himself involved in this part of the business. Thus, he didn''t know much about theingpetition.


    "Thank you, Edward." As soon as Leena finished speaking, she kissed Edward''s handsome face and then happily looked at the lipstick she had left on his face.


    As a reaction, Edward frowned and thought, ''This girl is ying a trick on me again. I''m screwed once Daisy sees this lipstick.'' The idea of what was about to happen made him unhappy with what Leena did. However, he couldn''t say a thing to Leena since he was on the phone.


    "Are you trying to make Daisy kick me out tonight?" Edward shook his head resignedly as he hung the phone up.


    "She won''t be mad at you if you tell her it''s my lipstick." With a smile, Leena teased him even more and didn''t even show any intention to wipe off the lipstick she left on his face.


    "Do you think that she will believe me? Don''t forget that Daisy knows about what I''ve done before." Edward red at her angrily as he silently thought, ''This girl doesn''t usually wear makeup. Why is she wearing makeup now? Did she do it on purpose?'' "That''s none of my business! That''s how karma goes. You have to pay for what you did before." Leena gave Edward a confrontational wink and thought, ''Am I that evil? Hold on! Did I do this on purpose to destroy their rtionship? Whoops!''


    "Well, I see. It seems like you don''t really want to know which hotel Be is staying at, huh?" A menacing smile showed on Edward''s face as he thought, ''You are trying to tease me? How could I let you get away with that?"


    "No, no, no! I want to know, Edward. Tell me where Be lives." Leena immediately turned anxious about what Edward said. She wouldn''te this far if she didn''t want to know, right?


    "Think about it. Which hotel will we choose since it is ourpany that sponsored thispetition?" Edward grinned. ''My employees are smart enough to make money for mypany without my orders,'' he thought.


    "Oh! I see. Kate Hotel! What''s Be''s room number? Do you know?" asked Leena happily and thought, ''If that''s the case, then I could surprise Be by suddenly showing up before her!''


    "She''s in the presidential suite. The room number is 818. Be seems to be a big shot." Another smile came from Edward as he thought, ''Only big shot people can live in the presidential suite.''


    "You bet! She usually won''t take part in such a smallpetition unless she has something to do with it." Leena was not sure if Be was here because of her. However, she was pretty certain that the reason why Be did so must have something to do with her.

 Chapter 1239 A Date (Part One)

    "Well, then I''d like to have a look at thepetition," Edward said with a smile. It was a casual remark and actually he didn''t n to go there.


    "Really? So will you be there tomorrow?" Leena asked with a hopeful expression. The following day, Leena would make her domestic debut, and she was very nervous about it. If Edward would be there, things would be easier for her as he would not allow the media to harass her.


    "You want me to be there? Or you also want to join in the fun?" asked Edward. He had no idea that Leena would attend thepetition as a judge.


    "I will be there with Be and I''d be d if you''d be there as well." With her lips pursed, Leena jumped off the desk. At the same time, Anna entered the office.


    "Here is your coffee, Mr. Mu. I also made a cup for your guest." Carefully, Anna ced two cups of coffee on the table and then left.


    "Thank you, Anna!" Leena said as she walked towards the tea table to pick her cup. She was grateful. Badly, she needed something hot for the freezing weather. She knew Edward had asked Anna to make it, just for her.


    "Go ahead, drink something. Your hands are so cold. I''ll ask Tom to prescribe some supplements for you." Rising from his chair, Edward walked towards her and sat on the couch next to the tea table. The coffee was the exact taste he was used to. "What? Oh no! Edward, I hate you! Really!" On hearing about the supplements, Leena put on a long face. She disliked all kinds of medicines or supplements, but her sworn brothers always thought she was too weak and needed more supplements.


    "You can hate me, but your health is the most important thing to me. There''s no bargaining on that. It''s for your own good." To emphasize his point, Edward stared at her with a firm look. He knew she disliked supplements, but he had to stand his ground and force her to continue medication. By any means, he had to put her health first.


    "I knew I shouldn''t havee here." It didn''t go down well with Leena that almost everyone around her seemed to take a keen interest in her health. She especially disliked being reminded to take medication. In spite of who did it, she took the reminder as either an invasion of privacy or simply doting, both of which were unnecessary.


    "Are you mad at me?" asked Edward sping hands while maintaining eye contact. "How about a gift to you for being consistent with the medication? A Porsche. Maybe thetest model, would it be cool?" Feeling at ease, Edward sighed as he yfully pinched Leena''s cute round face. Growing up, she had a happy childhood. With much affection, all her sworn brothers doted on her.


    "That''s not necessary. I already have enough cars. I actually have no extra space in the carport." It was hard for Leena to change Edward''s mind. That was a given. So for the next month, she''d have no other choice but to take supplements. Actually, she had always taken supplements for one to two months each year in the past. But not this year. That might be because she was slowly finding less and less time to meet her brothers after she got married.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "You can move to Waterside. It''s arge vi, isn''t it? But is Kevin willing to live there?" The thought of his sister suffering for a man did not sit well with Edward. Leena was the family''s little princess, and Edward like all his brothers thought she deserved better. "Come on! It has nothing to do with Kevin. I love the ce we''re living in now." The vi in Waterside was indeed spacious and luxurious, but she didn''t want to live there for Kevin''s Grand Apartment was her new home. As the saying goes, "One''s own shack is better than other''s mansion."


    "It''s up to you. From time to time, you may go there for recreation." ''Maybe I have to talk with Kevin. They might befortable with that small house for now, but I''m not sure it would be the best ce for them to call home, should they have a baby.'' Edward thought, peeking sideways at Leena.


    The idea of Leena having a baby and devoting even more time to her young family made Edward''s throat tighten. He felt Leena was continually drifting further and further, away from her brothers.


    "What''s up, Edward? You seem disturbed," Leena asked nervously. ''Did I say something wrong?'' she thought to herself.


    "I''m good. I just realized our little princess has grown up and will never ask for candy from us," he said, with a touch of delightful tongue-in-cheek humor.


    "If I''ve grown up, will you guys stop doting on me? If so, I think I will never grow up." Much as she disliked their doting, Leena was a little cautious. Completely isting herself from her brothers was not something she fancied. She was okay with losing anything else, other than her family who genuinely cared about her.


    "Of course we won''t. You''ll always be our loving little sister." Unwilling to ept the fact that his sister was old enough to choose her own fate, Edward held her in an embrace and buried himself in a myriad of thoughts. He knew she would eventually lean and depend more on her husband than her brothers. But he thought the day had arrived a little too early.


    Even though Edward was a hard man, who didn''t care much about other people, Leena was always an exception. Besides Daisy, his wife, he always had a soft spot for his sister Leena.


    When Kevin arrived at FX International Group, Leena was still in Edward''s office. Kevin didn''t make a call to hurry her up, but pulled over and took a nap in his car. He knew he''d better give her some space.


    "Mr. Xia, is it Mrs. Mu''s car?" Aaron elbowed Rain and signaled him to look at the military car.


    "I don''t think it is. The number is different. Even if it is, she should have gone upstairs." Rain saw the registration number and looked away. He remembered Daisy''s number was not the same. .000000000??????

 Chapter 1240 A Date (Part Two)

    "Sounds right. Let''s just go upstairs as soon as possible, otherwise the boss will get angry again. It''s all your fault. If it weren''t for you, I wouldn''t have to work outside in such a cold day," Aaronined. ''What is wrong with Rain? After Annie went missing, he''s been always trying to provoke Edward, ''Aaron thought.


    "I''m not to me. Maybe your boss has entered upon the change of life." Adamant, Rain shrugged his shoulders, unwilling to admit that he had provoked Edward on purpose each time.


    "You''re screwed. How dare you mock him! He''ll punish you with the meanest way ever!" Aaron sped up and was about to get into the building.


    "I''m not scared of his punishment at all. Let storms rage against me! I fear nothing. Not even death, let alone punishments." Feeling unmoved by anything, Rain let out a mocking smile.


    "You''re not afraid of anything, but I am. Please do not drag me in next time." Walking on unperturbed, Aaron cast Rain a warning nce.


    "Come on! "Real buddies don''t turn their backs on each other that easily. You can''t just back out like that, after all we''ve been through together." With his lips curled in protest, Rain followed Aaron. But after a few steps, he stopped, turned and walked towards the military car. He was stunned to see the person sitting in the car. ''What''s he doing here during office hours?'' he wondered.


    To attract Kevin''s attention, Rain feigned short dry coughs, but Kevin was so asleep that the coughs alone couldn''t wake him. Rain had to raise his hand to knock on the window.


    Tired of waiting in the parking lot, Kevin took a nap. But he didn''t expect he''d fall so deeply asleep. Startled by the incessant knocking on the window, he opened his eyes and turned to look who was knocking. He frowned when he saw Rain. Rubbing his eyes to adjust to the light, he opened the door and got out.


    "Sorry, I was asleep," Kevin apologized. Slightly, he adjusted his wrinkled military uniform.


    "It''s okay. What are you doing here in the parking lot? Why didn''t you go upstairs, instead of sleeping in the car?" With a raised eyebrow, Rain asked, cutting the look of a yboy.


    "Well, I am waiting for Leena. Are you leaving?" tly Kevin answered, sounding neither humble nor pushy. Without a doubt, he knew Leena''s sworn brothers disliked him. But he was not going to suck up to them. Never!


    "No, I am not. I just arrived. Is Leena upstairs? Why didn''t youe with her?" In quick session, Rain fired questions, one after the other. Like Edward, he liked dominating the conversation.


    "I didn''te here with her. It''s only that I got off work early today, so I chose toe here to pick her up," Kevin answered with a friendly smile, maintaining a nonchnt tone. Towering tall like a colossal Greek statue, he was the kind of guy who turned girls'' heads wherever he went.


    "Did you call her? Do you want to go upstairs with us, or you want me to call her?" A snooty smile formed at theers of Rain''s mouth, intended to pass a subtle message. It was his way of telling Kevin that Leena deserved better, and Rain had qualms about her marriage to Kevin.


    "I don''t think it''s necessary. She''s already done and will be here in a minute or two." Used to the condescending attitude of these men, Kevin simply shrugged off Rain''s words. Instead, he looked aside only for his eyes to meet Leena who was running to greet him with arms open wide.


    "Really? Okay." At the same time, Rain also turned and on seeing Leena, put on a charming smile, his eyes lighting up with lots of affection.


    Pointing to her wrist to indicate time, Leena shot at Rain, "Isn''t thiste? You couldn''t manage to be here earlier than this?" Without pausing, she continued, "I''ve just calmed Edward down. Please be careful not to get him so worked up again, okay?" While talking to Rain, Leena stole a furtive nce at Kevin and smiled with a hint of embarrassment. It was quite warm in Edward''s office, so she forgot the time and stayed longer than expected.


    "Provoking Edward is a pastime that I relish with glee. Why would I want to drop that, seeing it''s one of the few things that spice up my otherwise drab life?" Moving closer to Leena, Rain shrugged as he reached out his arms to adjust her coat to make sure she''d stay warm in the biting cold. But he made a show of it, just to get on Kevin''s nerves. The tenderness with which he acted was melodramatic, making it look as if his sister was a delicate, precious gem. Then he cast a disdainful nce at Kevin, to see the reaction.


    "I''m sorry to know you have such hard feelings toward Edward. I know you must be hard on you, coping with Annie''s disappearance, and you are using this way to vent your pain and sorrow." Touched at heart, Leena threw herself in Rain''s arms, in an attempt to console him. Annie had been missing for quite some time now, but they still hoped to find her, although they had not had any positive leads. In frustration, Leena sighed, so many questions crossing her mind. ''We never know the worth of water till the well is dry. Maybe, that''s a point I should keep in mind about the love Kevin and I have,'' she thought to herself, before Rain interrupted her reverie.


    "What?" he began. "You must be kidding me! I''m good," he protested. "What about you? Are you feeling any better?" Unwilling to talk about Annie, Rain changed the subject, as he reached out and held Leena, ignoring Kevin once more. Last time, Tom had cautioned that Leena was suffering decreased body resistance. Thought of it really worried Rain.All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    In silence, Kevin stood looking at them. Though he was a little angered inside, he knew Leena had a close rtionship with her sworn brothers, and there was nothing he could do about it. So he patiently waited for her again.


    "I''m great. I''m as strong as an oak!" While speaking, Leena stole a nce at Kevin. She was afraid if Kevin heard this, he would also force her to take supplements.000000?????

 Chapter 1241 A Date (Part Three)

    "Great! You may get in the car now. It''s freezing outside. I don''t want you to catch a cold." Without further dys, Rain loosened his arms and smoothed Leena''s messy hair, his eyes full of affection.


    "Okay! You may go find Edward now. He must be waiting for you." Leena gave Rain a sweet smile. She regarded her sworn brothers as her own brothers, and didn''t think there was any problem with how they got along.


    "Major General Gu, I''d like to offer you a drink next time." Before turning and entering FX International Group offices, Rain cast a proud nce at Kevin and gave him a cold smile. He had such a delicate face that his picture-perfect smile attracted many girls passing by. "What''s wrong with him?" Uncertain why Rain was acting more weird, Kevin asked Leena. He could feel the hostility in Rain''s eyes. ''Does it have anything to do with the so-called Annie? Who is she?'' he thought to himself.


    "He has been hurt in love, and his heart is broken. Don''t worry. I think he''ll be okay sooner orter." But actually, Leena was not so sure of what she said. Annie had left for a long time, but Rain hadn''t shown any signs of recovery yet. ''Will he behave like this forever?'' she asked herself.


    "Did you drive here?" Leaving aside the problem with Rain, Kevin held Leena in his arms for warmth.


    "Yes, I did. My car is in the underground car park. Are we going home now? Or anywhere else?" Against the wind, Leena soon began to shiver like leaf.


    "Get in the car first. You''re freezing." Kevin opened the car door for Leena and shut it after she got in, before he got in the driver''s seat.


    "Hey, you got off work so early today." Once in car, Leena felt much warmer. She looked at Kevin, waiting for an answer.


    "The Commander was in a good mood today, so he asked me to get off work earlier. How are you feeling now?" As he turned up the heater, Kevin stared at Leena worriedly. He had heard of Leena''s health problem from her sworn brothers'' conversation for more than once. He wanted to know more.


    "Really? Your Commander seems to be a nice man." At the mention of the Commander, Leena forgot about Kevin''s question as she remembered Louisa, the Commander''s daughter. Ever since they met in Grand Apartmentst time, Leena had never heard of Louisa again. Leena couldn''t help but wonder where Louisa was and what she was doing now. Most importantly, she wanted to know whether Louisa had moved on or not. Maybe Louisa was plotting something to destroy their rtionship. Although Leena didn''t want to think ill of Louisa, she knew how crazy a woman could be once her love was betrayed. After all, Leena too had been there and done that. She felt so lucky to finally be Kevin''s wife.


    "Yes, he is. Babe, how about we eat out tonight? I''ll drive you there, and you cane for your car tomorrow." Staring at his beloved wife, Kevin felt guilty for her. Born with a silver spoon, Leena had always been the little princess. But since she got married to him, she had learned how to do the housework. And for that, her sworn brothers disliked Kevin.


    "Oh, really? What are we going to eat? And I would also like to go shopping at the night market. Is that okay?" Leena was thrilled at Kevin''s offer. For all the time they had known each other, they had never had a real date alone, without bringing someone else with them. "I''ll try my best to fulfill all your needs tonight. So you''d better seize the opportunity." Gently, Kevin stroked her hair with a doting smile. A hint of sorrow shed across his eyes and soon disappeared, but Leena was too excited to notice it.


    "Oh, thank you so much, Kevin. That''s really nice of you," Leena said earnestly. In her mind, happiness was as simple as, when she walked closer to Kevin, he took a big step forward. Now that was quite an indication of how highly Kevin thought of her. And for the little gesture, she was enthralled.


    "Sweet girl! What do you want to eat?" Starting the engine, Kevin waited for her answer. Kevin hoped that she would not break to tears after learning of his uing deployment, during which he''d be away from her for a couple of months.


    "How about The Fragrance Restaurant?" It had been a long time since shest went to the restaurant and she really missed the food there. Also, she wanted to introduce Kevin to the staff there, so that they would provide him with the best service on the asions when he''d be there without her.


    "The Fragrance Restaurant? Never heard of that before," Kevin said with a frown. As a soldier, Kevin was very busy and seldom had time to eat outside. As such, it didn''t surprise Leena that he had never heard of the restaurant.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    "They have really nice food there. I''d like to take you there for a sampling of their delicious food." As she located the address with the on-board navigation, Leena gave him a sweet smile. She was really excited to spend the night with him alone.


    "All right. You''re the boss, and I''m all yours tonight." Hoping that Leena would much enjoy the night, Kevin stepped on the gas, not wanting to waste any more time. He''d make this night special so that Leena would be prepared when he finally got to talk about his impending travel. More and more, he paid closer attention to Leena now. It felt like his love for her was being tested in many ways, but he was sure that they would stick together against all the odds. Unbeknown to him, he would soon meet the worst trouble in his life - Leena would be in aa, and they might be forced to separate by death.

 Chapter 1242 Will You Miss Me A Little Bit (Part One)

    With her brow furrowing, Leena opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but she closed it again. Then she just moved her lips, staring at Kevin silently. She felt he was behaving quite strange today.


    The reason why Kevin had kept silent along the way was because he was thinking about how he would tell Leena that he was going abroad for a few months and still not hurt her in any manner. Meanwhile, Leena looked down, still wondering what made Kevin so quiet today. "Is this the ce that you were talking about?" Kevin asked, looking up at therge te with "The Fragrance" written on it. ''What an elegant name! Is it somehow rted to her?'' Kevin thought. Somehow, he felt a little familiar with the building in front of him.


    "Yes! Don''t you think it''s kind of familiar? It feels like a stream of clean water flowing slowly into your heart. Or it feels like you have found an oasis in a desert and you stop to take a drop of the fresh-tasting spring water from it." Leena said, continuing to smile at Kevin. If he could feel the same way, it proved that he also loved her the same way she did. A ce decorated by her could make him feel attached to it just like he was attached to her!


    "Since when have you be so poetic?" Kevin asked, trying to dodge eyes from Leena. It seemed that he still needed one more chance to pour his feelings for Leena out.


    "Just imagine about it a little bit." Leena said, a sh of disappointment reflecting on her lips, then she gave a sweet smile immediately. At that moment, she looked as innocent and graceful as before, pure like a white lotus, without any kind of impurity attached to her. "Let''s go inside!" Kevin said, interlocking his fingers with Leena''s. He could feel the sincerity from inside her heart, and for a second he felt he had fallen into a trance. He felt like he had spoiled something, so he looked at her restlessly his eyes trying to find depth in her feelings. He was wondering if his replies had hurt Leena''s feelings.


    Leena looked up, her eyes right into Kevin''s. Then she smiled slightly, which meant she had locked her sadness in her heart and she would never disclose to anyone about how hurt she was. Subconsciously still holding Leena''s hand tightly, Kevin had an uneasy feeling that she would leave him, which made him feel very sad inside. The gloominess on his face was getting stronger.


    "Are we sitting outside or do you want to sit inside the booth?" Leena asked as she flickered her eyes waiting for Kevin''s response like an eager and timid bird waiting for her partner.


    "The booth!" Kevin answered without any hesitation. What he wanted to do today was to spend time alone with Leena. He didn''t want to be noticed. He knew his uniform could be easily detected and this was something he did not want. "Finally you havee, Leena." As soon as Kevin and Leena walked in, a soft voice whispered in their ears.


    "Yep! Hope everything is fine here?" Leena asked, looking around. Although it wasn''t the time for dinner, all the tables were upied. This was probably the best proof of the reputation of this restaurant!


    "Definitely! We are working very hard even if you''re not here to guide and mentor us." The employees answered cheerfully. Meanwhile, they all were trying their best to not stare at Kevin, who was standing next to Leena and looked very handsome as per them. "Great! I totally believe you." Leena said. She preferred that they call her "Leena" rather than "Boss". So all the employees addressed her like that, which also made the people who didn''t know the truth feel a little strange. However, she thought it was a funny thing that a young pretty girl like her was addressed "Boss" by a group of people who were older than her.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Nana, are you familiar with this ce?" Kevin asked doubtfully. But the next second, he wondered if this ce was the property of FX International Group.


    "Oh! I own this restaurant. So, don''t you think I would be familiar with the ce?" Leena said. The reason why she had brought Kevin here today was that she wanted to introduce her restaurant to him. So it was better if she told him the truth.


    "What did you say? You mean this restaurant is yours?" Kevin asked with astonishment. He had never expected that she could own a restaurant like this. Actually, the thing that Kevin was about to tell her was going to be a bigger surprise than this. It seemed that in the following days, there would be more shocking things waiting for him.


    "Yes! I can tell you that I grew up with this restaurant. Edward and my brother helped me to take care of it when I was in high school. I rarely showed up here because I was busy studying at that time." Leena exined smugly with a smile. In fact, if she had actually handled the restaurant on her own probably it would have stopped existing long back. Because she had no experience in the business. Even her LN Fashion was supported and managed by a very strong group. Without them, she couldn''t handle it by herself as she felt she was not capable enough.


    "You have impressed me again!" Kevin said, shaking his head in disbelief. He thought he knew a little about her. He had no idea whether any other unexpected things could happen again in the future. "Thanks for your praise and admiration." Leena said smiling happily. She took hispliment gracefully.


    "Leena, is this handsome man your boyfriend?" One of the employees asked curiously. Leena had a very good rtionship with the employees because of her easy-going and fun-loving character.??????????

 Chapter 1243 Will You Miss Me A Little Bit (Part Two)

    "Oh! I forget to introduce him to you. To be true, he is not my boyfriend. He''s my husband. So when you see him next time, you should treat him in the same way as you treat me. Hope I am clear?" Leena said seriously, especially thest sentence. It sounded like nobody should doubt her. "Clear enough! Leena. Definitely, I will pass this information to all the staff." One of the employees answered as soon as he could. He had never thought Leena would get married so soon since they were almost of the same age.


    "Good! Is Manager Mo around?" Leena asked casually. Manager Mo was in charge of her restaurant. Although Edward and Duke helped her to supervise the restaurant, it was impossible for them toe here frequently. So they had hired Mo to do the managing work. "He went home earlier today because he said there was some emergency. Do you want me to call him now?" One of the employees asked after some hesitation. After all, it was the first time Leena had asked about the manager. She had never done this before. "No need. We will sit in the booth, so please serve us some favorite dishes in our restaurant." Leena said. She insisted on having the personal touch in her restaurant. So all the staff had to work very hard even if she wasn''t there, and this was something that made her feel very proud of them.


    "Got it. Leena, I''ll do it right now." One of the employees said, nodding and then leaving.


    "Let''s go inside, then!" Leena said, smiling at Kevin shyly. Both then walked inside holding hands with their love visible to everyone.


    "Girl, how many things do you have that I don''t know about?" Taking off the coat and putting it over the back of the chair, Kevin asked while he stared at Leena''s pink face with intrigue.


    "Not too many. Just a few. I think you will get to know them all soon." Leena answered. Then she couldn''t help sighing on the thought of that by tomorrow night, her entire life woulde in front of the press. The truth would have toe to light sooner orter. She decided to just let it be! She never did anything wrong and, so she didn''t think she should hide it from him anymore. However, she wouldn''t speak it out on herself as that mightplicate matters. She didn''t want him to feel that she was trying to show off her position or something like that.


    "How has Patricia been feeling ever since she was picked up by her parents?" Thinking of the situation of that day, Kevin asked though he couldn''t help frowning. He guessed that the girl must surely hate him!


    "I heard she is on a hunger strike now. I don''t think it''s a big deal as she is very fond of food. Once someone puts something delicious to eat in front of her she would have to give in." Leena said. She didn''t worry that Patricia would do anything stupid. Because she felt that in spite of being such a devil, Patricia could never go to the extent of hurting herself.


    "You can invite her to our house whenever she''s free. I am sure she would like this break!" Kevin didn''t say it in a serious way since he knew Patricia was still angry with him. He didn''t think she would agree toe to their house.


    "She has vowed that she wouldn''te to our house anymore." Leena said and felt a little helpless about it. After all, on the day when Patricia was caught by her parents, the situation had be a little out of control. Kevin hade back home and he happened to hear Patricia''s father asking him to catch her. So at that moment, he helped to catch Patricia and foiled her n of running away. That was the reason why Patricia treated Kevin as the traitor who spoilt her life.


    "Things got really serious at that time! It seems that she is still angry with me." Kevin said, moving his lips and feeling that he was innocent. He did it out of the instinct of a military man, he did not realize that it was a family''s petty fight going on! So he ended up catching Patricia who was trying to run away.


    "Never mind. She was just bluffing. I am quite sure she wille to see me in one week." Leena said with confidence. She had been a close friend of Patricia, how couldn''t she know her?


    "That''ll be much better." Kevin said with relief. He didn''t have to worry that Leena would be lonely when he was away. Besides, he had to think about ire. He thought it was better if she went back to the capital city.


    "What? Why are you getting so interested in this matter, may I know your intentions?" Leena asked. She felt Kevin was behaving a little weird today.


    "If I tell you that I will be leaving you for a while, how will you take it?" Kevin asked, staring at Leena quietly and expecting a reaction from her.


    "For how long?" Leena asked peacefully, but something hade to her mind.


    "About three months. Or maybe even longer." Kevin answered, his eyes locked onto Leena. He could see that she was trembling.


    "Can you tell me that are you going for official or personal purpose?" Leena was dismayed about this. If Kevin''s trip was official, she would be absolutely supportive even if she didn''t like it. Because she knew that Kevin didn''t just belong to her but also to the nation. If he was leaving for any personal issue, she would like to know what kind of matter needed his attention for such a long duration.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    "For official reasons. But is there any difference?" Kevin asked, confused. Eventually, he was leaving home no matter what the reason was.


    "Of course. As a soldier, it''s your responsibility to go on your mission. But if it''s for your personal issue, I can''t understand it unless you give me a solid reason to go away." Leena answered. She didn''t think herself was a woman with jealousy. But it didn''t mean that she had no judgement or her own personality.000000000000000

 Chapter 1244 Will You Miss Me A Little Bit (Part Three)

    "Do you think I''m that kind of selfish person who leaves home for some personal reason and doesn''t take his wife along with him?" Leena''s sensible behavior at that moment impressed Kevin. He continued looking at her with more passion. "That''s hard to say! Like my sister-inw said, men should not be trusted." Leena said, looking at Kevin, her eyes trying to provoke him. In fact, as far as she knew, Kevin wasn''t going to do anything that was considered immoral." "Am I also included in it?" Kevin asked, frowning. He didn''t think he was a bad person!


    "What about you telling me?" Leena didn''t answer but asked him, enjoying Mapo Tofu which the staff had served minutes ago. Although she looked rxed, her heart was sad.


    "If you want me to judge myself, I don''t think I''m that kind of man." Kevin answered, grinning. It seemed that his thought process was simr to that of Edward''s.


    "Is your this time''s mission dangerous?" Leena asked, biting her lips. Finally, she asked about something that was bothering her for a long time. Because she was worried that the answer would be something that could increase her sadness.


    "No. It''s just a simple mission. But I can''t promise about any idents that might happen." Kevin answered. He didn''t n to hide it from her. The truth was that this mission was only a little dangerous. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have rmended Hank to themander to finish this mission. The truth was that Hank wasn''t scared of death.


    "Can you not make me feel so worried about you?" Leena asked, looking at Kevin with expectations. She was asking him to make a promise to her although she knew it was just another way to console herself. After all, that promise could not stop any idents from happening.


    "Um! I promise I''ll be fine. Enjoy your food! Didn''t you say that you wanted to walk around the night market?" Kevin said with a doting smile. Although such risks followed the soldiers anywhere, they could minimize them by preparing well and taking sufficient precautions. "Yes!" Leena said, looking down. As a matter of fact, she had lost interest in going around the night market ever since she got the news. Even the yummy food in her mouth felt tasteless now.


    When Leena walked out of the The Fragrance with Kevin, it was so chilly that she couldn''t help huddling up and snuggling in Kevin''s arms.


    "Are you cold?" Kevin asked, pulling Leena''s clothes together tighter, then holding her in his arms and walking towards the car.


    "No. It''s just out of instinct that I am doing that." A stunning smile could make nations and cities fall. But Leena only wanted to win Kevin''s heart with her smile. She didn''t know when that day woulde in near future.


    "Tell me! Where do you want to go? I am going to be yourpany." Kevin asked immediately when they got on the car. He wanted her to enjoy the time that they were together. Then, she might not feel so upset in the months when he was away from her.


    "Suddenly I think I want to climb the ancient pagoda." Leena said, her eyes filled with confusion. It was said that if a person reached the top of the ancient pagoda, he or she could make a wish. When she reached there, she would wish that Kevin would remain unharmed. Other than that, nothing was important for her.


    "But it is very quiet there. Besides, the lights are so faint. Are you sure you still want to go there?" Kevin asked, frowning. He knew all about the legend of the ancient pagoda. By his best guess, Leena was doing this for him. She wanted to pray for his safety. "Forget it. I was just suggesting it. Let''s drive to the downtown and take a simple walk!" Leena suggested, her body buried in the seat. She agreed that it was toote. She thought that they could go there any other day.


    "If you do want to go there, let''s get one shlight!" Kevin said. He didn''t start the car but stared at Leena who looked so depressed.


    "We''d better not. After all, it''s toote now and it''s not safe to go there. Besides, it''s a little far too." Leena said, smiling breezily. She didn''t want anything bad to happen just because of her silly demands.


    "It''s not about the safety. The main problem is that I don''t want you to feel cold there." Kevin said, starting the car and driving into the traffic slowly.


    "Kevin, this time, you would not be able tomunicate with the outside world too?" Leena asked faintly. It seemed that this time too she would not be able to get in touch with him.


    "Exactly. But I will send you a message as and when I get a chance." Kevin said. He knew she would miss him. But he could do nothing about this because he couldn''t break the rules set for him.


    "I''m just wondering if you are going to miss me a little bit." Leena talked to herself, unconsciously blocking the answer that Kevin was giving. It seemed that she was totally disappearing in her own world. Kevin had never seen Leena in such a sad mood. "Nana. You''re my wife, there''s no doubt that I will miss you." Kevin looked very serious and emotional when he said this. He nced at Leena to check her reaction. But she gave no response.


    "Okay. I got it." Leena said, showing neither cheer nor any happiness. As he said, he would miss her just because she was his wife. It wasn''t because he loved her deeply.00N?velDrama.Org (C) content.

 Chapter 1245 The Misunderstanding (Part One)

    The city was a special economic zone, so even at night, the streets were still overcrowded. People did all kinds of things, going to work, going out to eat, going shopping, or just going home. When they walked outside, Kevin always held Leena close in his arms, sheltering her from all the other busy people.


    Walking the busy streets with a Major General was definitely going to turn some heads. Other women looked at the pair with obvious interest. Leena had expected this. But seeing other women enchanted with her hubby still made her unhappy. Leena could tell from their eyes that they couldn''t help but be a little jealous of her, because she was the one in the handsome man''s arms.


    "All the girls are looking at you again." Leena couldn''t help but pucker up her lips, her tone betraying a trace of jealousy and possessiveness. When this kind of thing happened when she was out with her brothers, she hadn''t thought much about it -- because they were all her brothers, and she didn''t need to be jealous. But Kevin was different. He was her husband, after all. So Leena, being the possessive type, could do nothing butin.


    "I didn''t do anything!" It sounded like an usation. Kevin didn''t understand where this came from, because he didn''t even look at other women. All his attention was solely on Leena.


    "Exactly! You didn''t do anything, but they still think you''re hot. And it''s so annoying." Leena rolled her eyes at him. She wanted to hide him away from everyone. She knew this wasn''t logical, and it wasn''t Kevin''s fault for being so handsome and enticing. But she just couldn''t help it. Who would have thought that Leena would be so possessive once she fell in love with somebody? Certainly not her.


    "Don''t worry. They''re looking at me, but I only have eyes for you, bae. You should feel proud of yourself for nabbing a great guy like me." Kevin was clearly very satisfied with himself. What did she want him to do, anyway? Wear a brown paper bag? Then suddenly, he pulled Leena into a ceramics shop.


    "You''re impossible." Leena nced at him. She couldn''t deny that Kevin was really a great and outstanding man. And she was lucky.


    "That''s all right, because I''m only impossible around you. Hey beautiful, look at these! You like them?" Kevin picked up a pair of ceramic dolls and turned his head to ask Leena. He seemed quite excited over the dolls. They looked cute.


    "You want to buy them?" Leena took the pair of dolls from Kevin''s hands, and examined them closely. To be honest, she was not very fond of ceramic knick-knacks. But she had to admit the dolls were quite lovely. And they were a couple just like Leena and Kevin. Leena was surprisingly quite fond of them.


    "Yeah. Think we can find a spot for them?" Kevin looked around, but he didn''t find anything else caught his eye. It seemed that the pair of dolls was the only interesting thing in the shop. Maybe for a rich girl like Leena, things like this were all a bit cheap and boring. "Yeah. We can put them on the nightstand in our bedroom." Leena''s eyes glinted with excitement. She was really fond of the dolls. And her bad mood finally lifted a bit. She needed something to distract her, and this was just the thing.


    A gentle smile appeared on Kevin''s face, seeing Leena''s excitement. Naturally, he walked up to the register. But what he didn''t expect was who he would run into next.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "Hey! Major General Gu, right?" The girl was chewing gum, dressed up like a punk kid. She sat on a stool, staring at Kevin, swinging her legs. She looked just like a thug, and dressed the part. Her hair was short on one side, long on the other. And it was green. "And you are..." Kevin furrowed his eyebrows. He really couldn''t remember where he''d met this girl before. After all, he didn''t pay attention to all the girls he ran into, not to mention a punk girl like Michelle. So it was no surprise that he didn''t realize exactly who this was. "Michelle! You don''t remember? We met in the suburbs. With Daisy. Ring any bells?" Daisy made it clear to Michelle that she shouldn''t talk about the gun fight at all. So Michelle''s words were vague. She hoped Kevin would get it.


    "Oh! It''s you! Yeah, now I remember. Long time no see." Kevin finally remembered who this girl was. She was the crazy girl Daisy mentioned. ording to Daisy, Michelle even managed to piss off Luke. That was hard to do. He got so angry that he knocked her out just to make her shut up.


    "Yeah!" she popped a bubble with her gum inside her mouth. The sound sounded pretty loud in thergely silent store. "And you''re still a hottie!" she continued. Michelle was very straightforward and had no filter. She always said what was on her mind.


    "Thanks. You here alone? Where''s your crew?" Kevin was part of the investigation, so he knew who Michelle really was. He had dossiers drawn up on everyone.


    "I just ditched ''em. I''m still hiding right now. Hope they won''t find me. So what are you doing here?" At this, Michelle carefully peeked outside. She didn''t want to be found, at least not for now.


    "Why? In trouble again?" Kevin asked as he took out his wallet and handed the money to the cashier behind the register. And right on cue, Michelle was in Kevin''s arms all of a sudden before he could realize what just happened. He was absolutely confused and shocked. They knew each other, but this was too much!


    "Sorry, sir. I''ll only be a minute. Help a girl out?" Michelle said in a hurry. As she whispered this, a few men dressed in ck walked in. She made a noise and buried her face in his chest. They looked around the shop. It seemed they were searching for someone someone like her. Finally they looked right at Michelle, who was in Kevin''s arms, hiding her face. They were confused for a moment. But intimidated by the military uniform, they quickly averted their gaze. A punk girl like Michelle wouldn''t be romancing a soldier. Since they didn''t find Michelle, they quickly left.


    "All right. They''re gone now," he said, and disentangled the girl from his arms. Kevin wanted to push her away at first -- a natural reaction, given she wasn''t his wife. But she seemed desperate, so he decided to help her out. When those guys walked into the shop, he knew what was up. So to make her look less suspicious, he held her even closer, letting her bury her head in his chest too.


    "Thanks a lot, handsome. Gotta jet. See you around!" Michelle pulled on her cap and winked knowingly at Kevin. Then she quickly walked out of the shop and disappeared into the crowd.


    Kevin shook his head helplessly, and tucked the receipt into his wallet. Then he turned around and looked around for Leena. But he couldn''t spy her in the store. He looked behind shelves and around other disys. Nothing. He walked back up to the counter. "Excuse me, did you see the girl who was with me just now? The one I came in with, I mean," Kevin asked the shop assistant. At the same time, he still craned his neck and stood on his toes, hoping to catch sight of Leena.


    "Oh. That one? She took off," The shop assistant said, handing the nicely wrapped pair of dolls to him. To be honest, she was also curious why the girl left. The girl was excited when she walked in and Kevin showed her the dolls. But then she left in a real hurry, her color ashen, and her eyes full of tears.

 Chapter 1246 The Misunderstanding (Part Two)

    "What? When? Where did she go?" Kevin took the box that the shop assistant handed to him. His face was full of worry, as was his voice. Why did she leave? Well, he guessed he could deal with thatter. The most important thing right now was to find Leena. "She went that way," The shop assistant kindly told him, pointing down the street. She was pretty sure Leena was distraught. That was why she paid more attention to her. She wasn''t used to her customers looking that way at all.


    "Okay, thanks!" Kevin quickly excused himself and ran out of the shop, heading in the direction the shop assistant indicated. He just hoped that she didn''t go too far. As expected, he had to deal with crowds, turning his body this way and that just to get past them. None of them were moving at the same pace he was.


    Leena walked the crowded streets with a lost look on her face. Tears fell down her already tear-stained cheeks, but she didn''t even realize that she was silently crying. She was like a zombie, walking with her head down, paying no heed to where she was headed. People kept bumping into her, but she didn''t give a damn. She just kept walking with hollow eyes.


    ''She is about my age. Does he think she''s prettier?'' she thought bitterly to herself. Leena saw Kevin talking to her at first, and she didn''t think much of it. She had thought that maybe she was just a friend, someone he hadn''t run into for a while. He''d lived here awhile, so he probably had people he knew. But imagine her surprise when the girl suddenly threw herself into Kevin''s arms. And what was worse, Kevin didn''t push her away, instead, he even held her closer and buried her head in his chest. Leena just couldn''t stand looking at them anymore. This was like a dagger in her heart. So she just left without a word. She didn''t know where she was going, and she didn''t care. She just dragged her numb feet and left the shop.


    She had thought that Kevin was a simple and honest man. But it seemed that she was terribly, deeply wrong. He''d been in love with Daisy, then Louisa popped up. Now, there was another girl she didn''t recognize, and they were obviously affectionate. How many more girlfriends was he hiding from her? Leena couldn''t even think about this without her heart breaking.


    ''Maybe this is why Kevin doesn''t love me.'' Leena couldn''t help thinking. Maybe Kevin didn''t even have a heart. No, maybe his heart was just not hers. He cared about someone else, not poor Leena. He was really cruel, she thought, ruining her life without a word. She''d worked so hard on their marriage, doing everything to please him. Then maybe he''d fall in love with her. But he didn''t even care. How could he be so mean, to just throw it all away without considering how she felt? Should she continue trying? Though she knew it would end up with even more heartache?


    The wind blew, chilling bones and hearts. But Leena, who really didn''t like cold, didn''t even feel a thing. Tears just kept streaming down the mask of pain that was her face, and she just couldn''t stop them. Her makeup ran, and she didn''t care. She knew that everyone gave her odd looks, but she couldn''t muster the energy to care.


    This was the first time she abdicated her figurative throne, gave up being a princess, waited on hand and foot. She did everything she could for the man she loved. She was wary, careful and cautious. But still, in the end, she had her heart broken. She had thought that as long as she treated Kevin with love and honesty, he''d treat her the same. But she didn''t really know him at all. She built up this image of a kind, decent man that wasn''t true. She suddenly lost all hope. She didn''t know if she could pull through this.


    Her phone kept ringing, but she didn''t pick up. She knew it was Kevin. He must have found out she left by now. But Leena wasn''t in the mood to talk to him. She just wanted to wallow in self-pity. She turned the corner, walking into a less-crowded alley. He could just eat her answering machine message for all she cared. Besides, what would she say to him?


    Kevin ran along the street, searching for Leena. But there were a lot of people, and the lights were not as bright during the night, so it was not easy for him.


    He kept calling Leena, but she didn''t pick up. And it was starting to make him anxious. He was about to lose his cool, especially since he knew why she took off like that. She saw him with Michelle and got the wrong idea. He supposed it looked bad. But he was just doing Michelle a favor. Couldn''t Leena figure it out? Why did she just assume the worst and not even confront him? Was he really that bad a guy in her eyes? Thinking of this, Kevin was full of regret. And beads of sweat started to form on his forehead as he got more and more worried. What if something happened to her?


    Looking around the streets, he kept searching for Leena. He turned his head this way and that, pausing for a moment to take it all in, then he was on the move again. He always thought that Leena was a cool and rational girl. But he was wrong. At least not this time. Even if he really did do something particrly heinous, she should have at least given him a chance to exin.


    He had been looking for her for several minutes now, and he finally sensed that something wasn''t right. She couldn''t have walked this far. Hell, his feet were beginning to tire. But he didn''t see her on the way. So he turned around and decided to backtrack, winding his way through the dimly-lit alleys.


    "Hey, missy! What''s a pretty girl like you doing all alone? Like somepany?" A foul-looking man whistled when Leena walked past him. His arms were covered with tattoos, his head shaved, and a vest was stretched across hisrge frame. But he wasn''t fat -- this was all muscle. His words were nasty and as foul as his appearance. Leena just ignored him because she didn''t want to waste any time on someone like that. Her tears finally dried. She walked ahead with a nk face, showing no emotion. "Hey, missy! Didn''t you hear me?" The thug saw that Leena ignored him and was very unhappy about it. So he followed her.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Fuck off! Or else." Leena stopped in her tracks and red coldly at him. She was pissed off. And if the guy continued saying nasty things to her, then she''d make him regret even waking up today. After all, it was a piece of cake for her to beat this guy. "Haha! Whoa, are you a fighter, girl? I like it. That''s hot!" The man tried to grab her while he said this, but before he could touch Leena, a strong hand appeared out of nowhere and grabbed his shirt, bunching it in his fist.


    "Didn''t you hear her? She told you to fuck off." Kevin''s face was stone cold. He pushed hard, and the guy fell down to the ground. And as soon as the guy looked up and saw Kevin in his military uniform, he scrambled to get off the ground and scampered down the alley. He didn''t want a confrontation with a trained fighter. Not only would he be beaten, but he''d end up in prison. That was thest ce he wanted to be, assembling various items all day, hearing the constant cries of "faster", and earning a p or a kick if you looked at someone wrong.

 Chapter 1247 The Misunderstanding (Part Three)

    Leena continued walking as if she hadn''t seen Kevin. He gritted his teeth and followed her. Because he needed time to calm down and think, or he was afraid that he would shout at her in frustration. He was happy when he found her, then she made his heart sink again by walking off.


    He was about to call his men stationed at the base and have his soldiers to help him look for Leena. Because he was extremely worried that something might happen to her -- and he was right. But he heard her voice down the alley, and quickly ran to her direction and helped her chase off the thug. And then she stalked off again.


    Finally, after a few minutes'' walk, he walked up to her and grabbed her wrist. In shock, Leena fell backwards and he caught her in his arms.


    "Why did you leave without saying anything?" Kevin held her tightly in his arms. He had thought he almost lost her. He didn''t mind the people passing by staring at them with strange looks on their faces. He didn''t care. He had her back, and he was in heaven -- for the moment.


    "Not like you care. Let go of me!" Leena struggled violently, trying desperately to break free. But Kevin didn''t let her go, instead, he held her even tighter.


    "Not like I care? What are you talking about? You''re being unfair, Nana. I care about you. A lot." Kevin was frowning, now, his feelings of euphoria forgotten. He didn''t let go of Leena because he had sensed that Leena''s attitude towards him had changed. She was cold towards him. And that was something that never happened before. What was going on? And how could he fix it?


    "Ha! Really? Don''t even try to lie! If you really cared about me, you wouldn''t have let that girl hug you! And you... you... you hugged her back!" Leena had to struggle to get thest bit out. She fought back tears, and tried to keep an even tone. Leena''s tone was cold, distant and full of sarcasm. This was the first time that she showed her jealousy to him. She knew she was being petty, but she just couldn''t help it. She cared too much about Kevin. He just stood there and took it, with an innocent look on his face.


    "Honey, I''m not even friends with her. It''s not what you think. If you''ll just let me exin..." Kevin wasn''t good at arguing with others, especially someone he cared for. So his exnation was palepared to Leena''s acrid words. His words were falling on deaf ears, and she was still mad at him. This wasn''t helping.


    "Why should I believe you? If you''re not even friends, that''s just... even more fucked up." Leena was not her usual self. She was always gentle with her words. She tried to refrain from cursing. But tonight, her words were full of sarcasm and venom. Was she really that disappointed in him? Maybe that was why she stopped caring what Kevin would think of her, and just let all her anger out, hoping to burn him with her white-hot rage.


    "Leena! Would you listen to yourself?" Kevin let go of her and stared at her in disbelief. His eyes were cold, piercing through her already broken heart. And his heart broke to see her like that. It was his fault, in a way, too.


    "Why do you care what I say? Ha! Screw it. Go find a random girl again. Maybe you can fool them like you did me!" She couldn''t contain her tears anymore and broke down again. Yes, she admitted that she was a bit extreme tonight. Her emotions were all out of whack, her self-control gone. But could he really me her for acting like this? Not really. She saw what she thought was a romantic encounter, and she was hurt for it. But Kevin was hurting now, too.


    "Come on! Now I know what the problem is. Let''s go home and talk about this, okay?" Kevin didn''t wait for her reply before taking her hand and pulling her towards the ce where they parked their car. Leena''s body was cold, and he needed to take her home and draw her a hot bath before she fell ill. He didn''t want her to catch a cold before he even left home.


    "No! I''m not going with you!" Leena kept struggling against Kevin''s grip. But she just couldn''t break free. After all, Kevin was a soldier, and he was quite strong.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "Don''t push me, girl. Or I''ll pick you up and take you home myself." Kevin''s tone was serious. He had been looking for her for quite a long time. And he wasn''t in a good mood right now. He just wanted to go back home and sort this out. She had to calm down eventually. Leena gritted her teeth. She wasn''t afraid of Kevin, and she didn''t care if everyone stared at them right now. But she didn''t want to go anywhere with him. It didn''t matter, because he practically dragged her to the car.


    As soon as they got in, Kevin immediately turned on the heat and carefully fastened the safety belt for her. Staring at her for a second, he started the car and drove to the Grand Apartment.


    On the way home, Leena kept her head towards the window, looking at the scenery passing by. She wouldn''t even look at him, wouldn''t say a word. Kevin also kept his mouth shut, lips thinning to a grim line. It was not a good time to exin. It would only make Leena angrier. They both needed some time to calm down first. So they drove in silence, passing by countless businesses hawking their wares in neon.


    Kevin was the kind of man who didn''t like to wait. So as soon as they got home, he went to the bathroom to draw a bath for Leena, making sure the water was hot enough. Then he put a few drops of rxing oil into the water. He wanted to do everything he could to help her rx. She had passed her breaking point tonight.


    Leena just stood there stubbornly, coldly watching Kevin doing all these things for her. She thought that Kevin dragged her into the bathroom with him just because he didn''t want her to escape. She figured, ''Good, let him do all this. He deserves it.'' And to be honest, she couldn''t escape anyway. So she didn''t even try at all.


    "Take off your clothes. Or do you need my help?" Kevin said, taking off his military coat. He carelessly threw it on the shelf beside him. Then he rolled up his sleeves and looked at her with a cold look on his face. It was clear that he was also in a bad mood. He wasn''t yful when he offered to help her undress.


    "No. Just get out." Leena gritted her teeth and said in a cold tone, as if they wereplete strangers. Kevin just sighed.


    "Okay, you need my help." Saying these words, Kevin didn''t give her any chance to struggle. He just grabbed her and yanked her coat off. There was no trace of emotion on his face. It seemed that their rtionship was very strained at this moment. He tried not to be too rough, no matter how angry he was.


    "Ah! Kevin, you little --" Leena wrapped her arms around herself protectively and red at Kevin with angry eyes, fuming. This was not going to be a fun night.00000000000000

 Chapter 1248 A Big Problem (Part One)

    "I think the word you''re searching for is ''asshole.'' A real asshole would never ask for your permission before taking off your clothes, but I did." Kevin gave Leena an evil smile. Though he was still angry at her, her usation amused him. He decided to y with it. Maybe he could put them both in a better mood. "But you didn''t wait for my answer! Liar!" Leena was incensed by Kevin''s sophistry. He did ask her before taking off her coat, but she didn''t say yes. To be fair, she didn''t say no, either. But that still didn''t give him the right. Oooh! The man was so infuriating sometimes! "I''m a soldier. Time is important to me, and even a one second dy would put your life in danger. I don''t hesitate, I act." While speaking, Kevin took off her sweater as well. He was serious about this. She might end up naked if she didn''t do something. "Stop it! I''ll do it myself. Get out!" Leena demanded and rearranged her underwear. He practically took that off.


    At this moment, Kevin''s phone rang. He took a meaningful look at her before he whipped out his phone. He frowned when he saw the number - it was from the army base.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "I need to take this. Have a nice bath!" He didn''t bother telling Leena who was calling. Instead, Kevin warned her and walked out of the bathroom. The subtext behind "have a nice bath" was clear. The real message was "take a bath, now." The moment he stepped out, Leena shut and locked the door, which stunned him. He recognized that sound anywhere. So he walked out towards the balcony, sighing in resignation, and pressed the "answer" button.


    "Hello, this is Kevin Gu." Leaning forward with his hand pressing down on the rail, Kevin wondered why they were calling.


    "Major General Gu, we have a big problem. I don''t know why, but some of our recruits have been beaten up by several seniors." The caller''s voice was thick with anxiety. Obviously, he was frightened by what was going on.


    "What? Are they in the hospital now? Are they okay?" When he heard that, Kevin returned to his bedroom, opened the closet and took out his military coat. This was a really serious problem, and he had to head back to the army base now. But when he was just walking out the door, he remembered something and walked back to the bathroom. He pressed the "mute" button, and said to Leena, "Babe, I have to leave now." Before she could respond, Kevin left without saying more.


    "It''s difficult to say. Some are seriously injured. The doctors are looking at them now," the man hesitated before answering. The injured were now in the operating room, and it was hard to say whether they would pull through this okay.


    "Keep a close eye on them, and make a name list of all those involved in the fight. I want them all to be watched. I''ll be there soon." After hanging up, Kevin climbed into his car and proceeded to the army base. He was in no mood to handle Leena, and he was only worried about his men. He''d figure out his rtionship when the crisis was over.


    When Leena came out of the bathroom, Kevin was nowhere to be found. She heard him talk about taking off, and she was curious about why he had to leave thiste at night. ''So is he working, or going out to see another girl?'' she thought to herself.


    Tightening the belt on her robe, she couldn''t help but worry about her husband, even though she was still angry at him. ''He left in such a hurry. What happened? Did the girl from the store call her?'' She let out a bitter smile and said to herself, "Leena, you''ve now crossed the line. You''vemitted the biggest mistake; you don''t trust Kevin anymore."


    Maybe it was because of the cold weather, or because she was both physically and mentally exhausted, Leena felt funny all over, feeling woozy. No call from Kevin all this time. She''d been tossing and turning all night. She wanted to call, but she didn''t dare to bother him as he might be busy working. It sounded urgent.


    Leena didn''t fall asleep until the morning light. Possibly because of Kevin, but possibly because her mentor Be was in the city. Leena arrived at Kate Hotel at noon, despite her bad cold. Kate Hotel, owned by FX International Group, was also one of Edward''s properties. Leena wanted to buy Be the first meal in the city to y the hostess. But despite this, she grew more and more worried about Kevin as he still had no news for her.


    "Mignonne, are you okay? You look terrible, and you seem so upset. What happened?" Gerard asked worriedly. Since he''d poured out all his feelings for her, he was calmer and moreposed. He didn''t feel lonely as expected, and that was because of ire''spanionship. She was the one bright spot in his life.


    "Uh, I''m good. I just caught a cold." Leena gave him a bitter smile. Gerard was Be''s good friend, and that was why he was here as well. At least he finally epted the fact they would never be together.


    "Have you taken anything for it? Are you sure you''re able to attend thepetition tonight?" Be asked. The reason Be had agreed to take part in thepetition as a judge was because of Leena, her favorite student. Be wanted to raise Leena''s reputation. To be honest, Be had never treated her any other student like this before, but Leena was the special one. Leena was a gifted designer, and Be''s gut feeling told her that they would create new spectacles together. This was a special mentor-mentee rtionship, and had forged bonds that would never break.00000000000

 Chapter 1249 A Big Problem (Part Two)

    "Don''t worry, Be. I''ve already taken some decongestant. I''ll be okay." Leena was afraid that her cold would affect thepetition, so she had already taken something beforeing here. She hoped the pills would work.


    "That''s good. Mignonne, it''s your special performance tonight. Poise and grace are a must, and you can''t let a cold knock you down." Be was a confident designer. She was sure that the media would focus all their attention on the designer of LN FASHION instead of thepetition tonight. After Leena had made her debut in Paris, her poprity had reached a record high. Be believed that Leena would gain the same poprity in China. She had high hopes, and so did Leena. To be recognized in her home country would really be something.


    "Be, why is it my special performance?" Leena knew if people knew she was the designer of LN FASHION, it would cause a stir. But she didn''t know what Be meant by a special performance.


    "You''ve kept a low profile in the past. People want to know the face behind LN FASHION, and when you do your thing, it will go viral. Everyone knows that a prestigious designer in Europe will be at the show tonight. You''ll be the one the media focuses on. They''ll pay no attention to the participants. Pity, that!" That was the real reason Be epted the organizer''s invitation, otherwise she wouldn''t have agreed to take part in such a tinypetition. Of course, there was another reason: FX International Group was one of the sponsors. It was said that the CEO of FX International Group was handsome and charming, and girls the world over were enamored of him. Be also wanted to get to know this dashing gentleman.


    "I get it. But, Be, I don''t want to do the interview." Frowning, Leena thought she''d like to live a normal life. She didn''t want to be popr and live in the spotlight, with the paparazzi reporting on every little thing she did. That would be the saddest thing to her. "Mignonne, you must take responsibility for yourself from now on. I''m afraid I can''t help you anymore. Get it?" Be cast a meaningful nce at herst mentee. She hoped Leena would be able to be the most sessful designer, and this was Be''s long-cherished wish. It would be her greatest sess story, and Be''s reputation would improve immeasurably.


    "Be, I know what you''re implying. You''ll always be my esteemed teacher, whatever happens. If it weren''t for you, LN FASHION wouldn''t be such a great sess." On hearing Be''s words, Leena became a little sad and didn''t feel so hot. Plus, the fight she and Kevin had made tears run down her cheeks.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Why are you crying, Mignonne? You''re no longer my student, but you''re always wee at my house," Be consoled Leena, holding her hands. Leena was the only oriental girl among her disciples, and also the most talented one. Be had a great affection for her. Leena could do no wrong in her eyes.


    "Mignonne, are you sick? Maybe you need to eat something and lie down. A little rest will put you right again. You''ll need it, as one of the judges." Gerard would leave the city after thepetition, and be unable to see Leena again for a long time. The very thought hit Gerard like a sharp knife ripping his soul. But since he had made up his mind to let go of her, he had to stick to it.


    After lunch, Leena drove to the military base. When she arrived, she did nothing but park outside and stay in her car for about half an hour. She had no idea what she should do, so she sat in her car and thought. Should she try to mend their rtionship? She had always been the one who made the first move, but she was really tired now. Plus, she wasn''t sure whether Kevin was here or not. After all, he hadn''t told her where he was goingst night, and she hadn''t heard from him since.


    Leena had been feeling drowsy the whole time, so she drove back home, took some pills and went to bed as Gerard suggested. She knew she would be more of a hindrance than a help if she got sick.


    Meanwhile, Kevin had been busy ever since he left homest night. He went to the hospital first, then the army base. When he made sure the injured soldiers were being treated, he hit the barracks to deal with the senior officers. He''d been busy for several hours without food or rest. The higher ups in the city were upset and they needed to be mollified.


    "Major General Gu, eat something first. You haven''t eaten anything so far." Lee ced the dinner in front of Kevin, looking very worried.


    "Put it there," Kevin said, indicating the spot. "I''ll eat after I finish my report." Kevin''s fingers still danced on the keyboard. He didn''t raise his head to talk to Lee, and his face looked even colder than usual.


    "Major General Gu, this isn''t on you. Why are you making all the reports?" Lee was outraged. He thought Kevin was getting screwed. Though Kevin was Major General, thepanymander and battalionmander should also share the me.


    "Lee, no matter which one of my soldiers made the mistake, it''s still my fault. There was something wrong with how I managed things. I''ve not been doing enough in the areas supervision and administration. I know you feel I''m taking too much responsibility, but it''s my choice. My men, my mistake." Kevin raised his hand to rub his aching head. He had worked the whole day and night without a break, and he felt exhausted.


    "But I still feel you''re getting the shaft," Leeined. He felt that Kevin was dragged into this for no reason.


    "Don''t worry. They''ll be held ountable as well. By the way, is Senior Colonel Ouyang back yet?" Kevin knew Daisy had her own work cut out for her today, so he hadn''t informed her of what had happenedst night. If he had told her that, it would just piss her off and wouldn''t help anything. So Daisy was not in the army base today.


    "No, she isn''t. She''s ted to be back tonight," Lee answered as he checked the time.0000000

 Chapter 1250 A Big Problem (Part Three)

    "Got it! I''m going to the hospital to check the situation of the injuredter. And I''m heading home after that. If you need me, just call." Kevin was worried about his wife now. He had left home in such a hurry that he hadn''t exined anything to her. He hadn''t called her at all as he had been busy the whole time. And now, he decided to exin everything to her when he got home. After all, it was better to exin it face to face. That way he could gauge her reactions and figure out what points to stress. He''d done nothing, but he could understand why she felt he had. "Major General Gu, the Commander said an emergency meeting ising up. So you may have to be here awhile. Please eat something first." Lee transmitted the Commander''s orders to Kevin. Actually, an emergency meeting had already been held this morning. Lee didn''t know why another one was needed, but his order was not to question, just obey. So he did.


    "What? Maybe because some city bigwigs are here." Kevin frowned. He just wanted to get home.


    "The Commander didn''t say. They''ll start when Senior Colonel Ouyang gets here. She''s on her way." It was rush hour, so the traffic was bad. Daisy would not arrive until at least 8 PM. Kevin cursed his luck again. But flexibility was required in the army.


    "It sounds like high muck-a-mucks are here. I guess I''d better prepare the meeting draft." The so-called meeting draft referred to the self-ountability and treatment measures of the unwarranted attack, and Kevin had gathered a lot of information about it today. "But, your meal..." Lee stared at Kevin with a hopeful expression. He hoped that Kevin could eat it while it was still warm, otherwise Kevin might get a stomachache. He cared a lot about his superior.


    "I''ll eat itter. Go. Eat." Kevin buried himself in the report again, without a second nce at the food.


    "Yes, Major General Gu." Lee sighed with profound resignation. He had no other choice but to leave. Kevin was... Kevin. He would do what he needed to get the work done.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    In big cities, neon lights rete into night, and this city was no exception. Leena was wearing a sky-blue silk dress, a white faux fur and a pair of high-heeled shoes, looking elegant and graceful. It wasn''t because she couldn''t afford fur, but she was an animal rights activist and she believed it was very cruel to wear fur.


    Leena went to the venue with Be, and they were well-protected. They arrived without being mobbed by the media. The organizer had done a great job with security. The paparazzi was held behind barriers, well away from the people arriving. Leena wondered whether it would be like this after thepetition.


    "Mrs. Gu, what are you doing here?" Luke was stunned when he saw Leena. The Security Department of FX International Group was responsible for security this evening, and Luke decided to make the rounds himself. He didn''t expect to see Leena here. "Luke, I''ve told you a million times. Don''t call me Mrs. Gu, it''s just Leena. I feel like you''re treating me like an outsider." Leena was also surprised to see Luke here. Did it mean Edward was here as well? That would be great to see him again. "Sorry. I''m used to calling you that. I''ll try to remember from now on." But Leena didn''t believe him. After all, she had corrected Luke many times, but he just couldn''t remember to call her Leena. It was getting old, honestly.


    "Mignonne,e here. It''s our turn," Be urged. Thepetition would start soon, and they had to hurry up. Those fashion shows were borately staged. There was little room for error, and no room for dys.


    "All right." Leena gave Luke an apologetic smile before walking towards Be. It was time. But he understood. It was duty, and he knew duty was all-important.


    When Leena entered the hall, everyone''s attention was drawn to that pretty face and slender body, and they wondered who she was. When Leena sat in the chair with the name of "Mignonne", they then realized she was one of the judges. They had never heard of that name before, so they had no clue that she was the designer of LN FASHION. Leena had never appeared with that name in China, so few people knew the name.


    When the host introduced her as the designer of LN FASHION, they cried out in disbelief and turned to take a second look at her. To ordinary people, LN FASHION only meant one out of countless brands. But to those people in the know about the fashion industry, including some fashionistas, their eyes went as wide as saucers when they heard the news and gazed at her with admiring eyes. They had thought the designer of LN FASHION was an elderly or a middle-aged person. So many designers had paid their dues and gotten their wrinkles and grey hairs. Little did they know that it was an innocent young girl. And to their intense surprise, she was one of Be''s students, world-famous Be. So many people wanted to study under her but failed, as Be was very picky selecting students. Leena stood and bowed to the audience, and won a standing ovation. Though she was used to this happening abroad, she was still a little shy. After all, it was her first time appearing before the public in China.00??????????

 Chapter 1251 The Media Was Being Troublesome (Part One)

    The stage was an attractive ce and all models were eager to walk on it. All the contestants knew that being on the ramp was a privilege that only a few people could get. Hence they put in all their efforts to ensure that they rocked the entire event. The theme of thepetition was "Dream City", so all the clothes that were up on disy focused on that. They were a blend of grace, style and poise, so all models wearing them looked extraordinary too.


    As one of the judges of thepetition, Leena was being very serious about the whole matter. She looked at the clothes on the ramp and wrote her opinion about each. However, she didn''t expect to see Louisa and ire on the ramp, and that surely left her shocked. Actually, Leena was not the only one who was surprised. Louisa and ire were also surprised to see Leena on the jury so much so that they almost fell off. However, the two soon adjusted and became calm like before. They didn''t want to mess up thepetition because of her; otherwise, all their training would have been wasted.


    "ire, what''s going on? Why is she in the jury?" As soon as Louisa came back to backstage, she asked angrily, thinking, ''She is a judge? Who has appointed her to judge me?'' Apparently, seeing Leena there had definitely damaged Louisa''s self-esteem.


    "How do I know? Don''t ask me. I don''t know why she is here." ire said anxiously, and thought, ''I told them I was going to the vi for a vacation, but now I''m on the ramp. They will know that I have been lying. How could I exin this to them?''


    "What? That woman hates me. She must have probably given us a low grade on purpose in thispetition." She didn''t expect that she would meet Leena here, so she had forgotten everything that she had nned to do on the stage. Now, she was worried that no model agencies would be considering her for work. If Leena had given her a low grade, all her dreams and efforts would be wasted.


    "Louisa, Leena is not such a narrow-minded person. You don''t have to worry about that at all." ire said in frustration, thinking, ''Kevin''s going to be very upset when he finds out. It''s all Louisa''s fault. I have been rehearsing for this program for a long time, but I did not expect to be caught like this. It''s so annoying.''


    "What you said doesn''t count. We''ll know when the resultes out." Louisa said coldly. She thought her performance was perfect tonight, and the clothes P had designed were very different and novel too. ''If I don''t receive a good grade tonight, it must be that bitch''s fault only.'' Louisa thought.


    "Even so, you can''t me Leena. After all, P is not the only one who has excellent designing skills." ire thought Louisa was not being logical, hence she supported Leena. "Don''t speak on her behalf. You''re all the same. Both of you are bitches." Louisa red at her. ire was now of no use for her, so she did not care to be a little mean with her. "Louisa..." ire said in surprise, widening her eyes. She didn''t expect Louisa to say something like that, and thought, ''Aren''t we good friends? Why do you say that to me?''


    "Ha-ha! You are surprised? ire, I can''t tolerate you anymore. I don''t want to be friends with you anymore. Now, you are of no use to me." Louisa sneered, thinking, ''Since you are not going to persuade Kevin to be mine, you are no longer of any benefit to me.'' "Can you tell me why you are saying that?" ire said, with her head lowered. At the moment, she felt she had been such a fool. ''This is what I get for being such a loyal friend? Our previous friendship cannot turn out to be so fragile. For you, I have picked fights with Leena so many times. Have you forgotten?''


    "You really don''t know why I said that? You are such a big fool. People are willing to make friends with you because of your father''s money and the fact that your brother is at a high post in the army. Otherwise, who would bother to talk to you even? Frankly speaking, you are nothing without your family''s background." Louisa finally let out all that she had inside, feelingfortable now.


    "I know they think I''m just a fat cat who knows nothing, but I don''t care what they think. It''s just that I didn''t expect you to be like them too. So our friendship abroad was false too?" ire clenched her fist and tried to endure the disappointment and pain she was feeling in her heart. Nothing in the world was more painful than being betrayed by someone you trusted.


    "Ha-ha! As you said, we were abroad at that time. Over there, I didn''t know anyone but you, so I had no choice but to be friends with you, even if I didn''t want to." Louisa said haughtily, feeling especially happy after having a look at ire''s sad face.


    "Stop! That''s enough! We''re friends. We don''t have to fight like this. Besides, the results haven''t evene out yet. Let''s stop arguing. A lot of people are watching us." P looked at ire and then smiled apologetically. She thought that whatever Louisa said was mean, but she couldn''t say so directly.


    "Huh." Louisa snorted coldly, thinking, ''If Leena dares to oppose me, I will not spare her. I am amander''s daughter, I will not be afraid of her.''Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    ire looked at Louisa coldly, as if she was trying to see through her. ''How could I be stupid enough to think that we are close friends? How could she lie to me so cruelly?'' One thing ire learned from this was that there were no true friendships in the world. In a rtionship, the one who was more dedicated was the one who got more hurt in the end."


    At the end of thepetition, thepetitors all got to know their results. Leena was surrounded by media persons from all the sides. They didn''t care who was the newly crowned champion. They wanted to talk to Leena. She was an enigmatic person whose fashion sense was amazing. As soon as the media got close to her, they came to know that she was President Leng''s favorite little sister. Few people in the city knew her identity, so no one knew that she was also Mignonne, the founder of LN FASHION.


    "Miss Leng, can you tell us why you didn''t disclose that you are Mignonne?"


    "Miss Leng, are youing back to S City to give your career wings?"


    "Miss Leng, do you have a boyfriend?"


    "Miss Leng, are you now going to appear in public under the name Mignonne or your good name?"


    Faced with such questions from the media, Leena was very troubled. She didn''t want to answer their questions, and she didn''t know which one to answer first either, so she looked very embarrassed about the whole matter.


    "Miss Leng, I''ve heard that Be only participates in internationalpetitions. And in no circumstances would she participate in a small program like this. Be took up the post as judge of thispetition because you asked her to?"


    "Miss Leng, can you tell us something about President Leng and President Shangguan''s married life?"


    "Yes. Miss Leng, can you please tell us?"


    Duke never gave interviews, so only a few people knew about him. The media finally managed to get this opportunity, so they wouldn''t let it go from their hands.


    "Look, ire. Our work has not even entered the next round. Is it because of Leena?" Louisa angrily stared at Leena, who was surrounded by the media, and thought, ''Why? How does Leena get everything she wants without making any major efforts? Why can''t Ie even close to what she has achieved?''00000000

 Chapter 1252 The Media Was Being Troublesome (Part Two)

    "Huh! Didn''t you see that? In addition to Leena, there are other judges also. Do you think only she can decide whether we should be shortlisted or not?" ire had no idea that Leena was the designer of LN FASHION. No wonder she had a very good fashion sense and had the knack of finding the best piece as a winner. "Huh! She is the designer of LN FASHION? So what? I will be definitely better than her.


    I''m going to make her bow to me. You just see!" Looking at Leena''s smile, Louisa wanted to hurt her somehow, and she thought in anger, ''This bitch has stolen my thunder. No one pays attention to me. It''s all because of that bitch. If she hadn''t turned up, it wouldn''t have been like this.'' Thinking of this, Louisa started hating Leena even more.


    "Louisa, don''tment without thinking. People willugh at you. It is better if you keep quiet at the moment" P gently tugged at her dress. She seemed very calm and did not show any dissatisfaction with the result. She knew that there were many people who were much better than her, so she believed in the fairness and impartiality of the result given. She also believed that Leena was not against them.


    "What do you mean? Now, are you going to make me angry, too?" As Louisa said, she looked at Leena in the limelight. Everyone was trying to get her attention, but Louisa didn''t think she deserved so much importance.


    "That''s not what I meant. I just want to tell you that LN FASHION is an international brand and is popr even in European countries. A lot of people love this brand, including the so-called very rich ss. This brand sells very well in the international market." To avoid getting scolded by Louisa, P tried to exin in a soft voice. She felt that maybe Louisa had no clue of the truth. She also thought, ''I''m not angry with Leena as a participant. Why did Louisa get angry? This is a designingpetition, not a modeling one. This contest has nothing to do with her.''Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "So what? Should I respect her just because she is a renowned designer at LN FASHION?" Louisa gritted her teeth. After hearing what P just said, Louisa became even more jealous of Leena.


    P exchanged a resigned look with ire, and then they both shrugged their shoulders together. They were very helpless, so they both thought it was better to stay quiet for fear that she would get angrier.


    Leena was upset with the media, so she looked around. She wished that someone woulde and save her from the media now. However, when she looked around, she found that all the other judges were also surrounded by the media, and the same for her mentor, Be. It seemed impossible to ask Be to save her.


    "Miss Leng, are you looking for someone? Is the ring on your finger an ornament or a wedding ring?" As soon as reporters saw her looking around, they noticed the ring on her finger that they had not seen earlier.


    "Miss Leng, where does your boyfriend work?" The media persons were trying to chase the wind and clutch at the shadows.


    "If I were you, I wouldn''t ask her such a private question in a public ce. Do you realize that your actions could lead to the closure of your newspaper?" A cold voice was heard and everyone turned to see who it was.


    "President Mu." All the media eximed in surprise. Ever since he announced that his wife Daisy was the youngest colonel in the city, he had rarelye out in the open. Therefore, no one expected that he would suddenly make an appearance. "Don''t you hear me?" Edward smiled wickedly and looked down. When he looked up again, his face was cold.


    "We did not mean any harm. We just wanted to interview Miss Leng. I hope we can do that." Edward was extremely angry by now and one of the reporters was unable to decipher the change in his mood. The media knew that FX International Group was one of the organizers of the program but they did not expect Edward toe here.


    "Tell me which newspaper you''re from." Edward said, with a yful smile on his face. He did not seem to be angry. In fact, however, he was only pretending not to be angry. After all, when he had that kind of a smile, it meant something bad was about to happen. "Edward." Leena nervously called out his name. She did not want him to fight with the reporters and cause damage to their reputation. Though FX International Group was too powerful to care about what the media would say. However, the news media had a big impact on the public, so Leena did not want Edward to offend them and in no situations because of her.


    "Leave her alone. Otherwise, I won''t spare you." Edward knew what had made Leena so worried, so he gave the young reporter a cold look and said nothing more. He nced coldly at all the other reporters present, wondering who else dared to trouble Leena. The media knew that losing their job was a small thing, but if they could not get along with the rich ss in this business, they were finished.


    When the reporters heard him, they looked at each other and gritted their teeth as they parted from Leena. Even though they learned nothing from Leena, they dared not to disobey Edward. Without Edward''s permission, they dared not go against his will even if they only wanted to know gossip news.


    "Thank you, Edward. I''m suffocating here. I didn''t expect them to ask such tough, and direct questions. I can''t even think right now, let alone answer questions." Leena said gratefully, thinking, ''I''m not really fit to face the public. I can''t handle the media.''


    "It''s okay. You''ll get used to it if you give more interviews to the media. You wait for me here for a moment, I will go and say hello to them, and then wille back to you." Edward reached out and gently squeezed her face, which was quickly noticed by the media. Edward and the Leng Group were known to be family friends; however, media always looked for such opportunities to gossip. They here could not help but think if there was an affair between both of them. Some senior reporters didn''t notice this little gesture at all, because they all knew that Leena was like a sister to four celebrity men in this city.


    "OK! I''m going to say hello to ire." Leena knew that Edward had scolded the media persons and they did not dare to interview her again. She was safe now and she could rx.


    "Okay. Go ahead." Edward gently smiled. He wasn''t supposed toe here, but Daisy had called and told him that she wasing back from thepany for a meeting at the army base. Since he was free at that time, he decided that he would go to see Leena. He knew she was looking forward to thispetition.


    "ire, didn''t you say that you were going to be at the vi for a few days? Why are you here?" Leena did not even look at Louisa. She asked gently, trying not to show any anger in her tone.


    "Leena, let''s go to the other side and talk." After what had happened, ire no longer trusted Louisa, so she decided it was better that she did not notice them talking.000????????????

 Chapter 1253 Leena In The Water (Part One)

    affected the texture of the dress. Even so, Leena still gave it a decent score with a slight bias.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "Yeah! Let''s go!" Leena reached out and straightened ire''s clothes a little. From a design point of view, the dress that ire just showed was not bad, but it was not suited for the theme of thispetition. And the chosen fabrics were not wless, which negatively "Leena, I can''t believe that you''re the brand designer for LN. But why didn''t you ever mention this before?" ire pouted and voiced her displeasure.


    "It''s not something worth bragging about. Why would I mention it? Though you should tell me why you are here at thepetition!" The two walked by the pool as they spoke. Since the venue was specifically used for a fashion show, all kinds of set pieces were in ce. The pool was entirely used as a background for something like a swimwear show. The design was made ording to the standards of a model walkway incorporated with the water element.


    "Leena, sorry! I lied. Actually I did this only as a favor for Louisa''s friend. The models who promised to walk for her dropped out all of a sudden, so I filled in when they couldn''t find any other models. I was afraid that my brother wouldn''t agree if he found out. That was why I hid this from you on purpose," ire said quite apologetically. She also chuckled at herself as she was not sure if she should still consider Louisa as her sister. After all their rtionship was very much on thin ice.


    "Even if that''s the case, you should have told me! I really thought you were at the mansion, recuperating. That''s why I didn''t even dare disturb you." Leena was feeling down tonight. Last night, a man broke her heart. The hurt and pain were so much that they had lingered till now. Since then, she didn''t hear anything back from him. Maybe because she was not the one he loved? Was that why she was never treated seriously? Since there was no love, why would he care for her feelings? And without love, why would there be any concern for her at all? A painful smile appeared on Leena''s face. Although her heart was drowning in tears, she had to look up and smile.


    "Alright, it''s all my fault. I apologize, okay? Say, my brother didn''te with you?" ire raised her head and looked around. She couldn''t see her brother, but she understood that it would not be convenient for him to show up on such an asion.


    "He''s busy with some things. Come with meter! You don''t need to go back to the mansion." Leena casually changed the subject. At this moment, she didn''t want to talk about Kevin, though she was somewhat conflicted. She was really worried about him, yet she was afraid that anyone would bring the subject up to her. She felt like an ostrich burying her head in the sand.


    Louisa was ring at Leena with envy, but the more she thought about her, the angrier she got. Louisa couldn''t bear the fact that Leena beat her both in love life and in career. Was it simply because of her beautiful, seductive face? Louisa couldn''t stomach Leena''s confidence. With that thought, she strode towards her.


    "Leena Leng, you must have yed some tricks just now, right? Otherwise it was impossible for us to be disqualified from entering the next round ofpetition. You must be making this personal to get back at me." Louisa intrusively stepped between Leena and ire, staring at Leena in the most condescending tone.


    "Louisa, do you think you are even worth my making it personal?" Leena raised her eyebrows, unfazed. ''Louisa is truly a mad dog biting whateveres within her sight, ''Leena thought. She wasn''t provoking her in anyway, yet Louisa came forward looking for humiliation. Since Louisa made her choice, Leena was not nning on holding back.


    "What''s that supposed to mean? You''re saying that I, a daughter of a militarymander, am not as good as you, a lowly girl from a business family?" Louisa looked down and smirked. She wanted Leena to know that in ancient times, business people were nothing more than peddlers at the lowliest level of the totem pole of careers. It was uneptable for her to see Leena acting so pompously.


    "Ha! Louisa, the reason why I don''t want to tussle with you is exactly my respect for your father themander. I look up to the old man as a hero. He is my husband''s superior officer after all, but that doesn''t mean that you share that same respect. So don''t alwayse in front of me looking for a fight. I''m going to be the hard pill that you wouldn''t want to swallow." Leena always followed the rule of staying in her ownne as long as no one offended her. However, Louisa seemed to be oblivious to her own worst qualities. She was just so insistent on being disgraced, almost as if she enjoyed the humiliation.


    "Tsk! Nobody asked you to respect him. What''s more, my father is not a fan of hypocrites who suck up to him, so why don''t you just save it? Stop acting so high and mighty." If it weren''t for the reporters and the prominent figures in the venue, Leena would have ripped Louisa''s nasty mouth off her face.


    "If that''s the case, then please leave! Do yourself a favor and stop squeezing yourself into ces where you are not wanted." Leena didn''t care that Louisa was barking. She might have been bitten by the bitch, but she was not going to bite back.000000000000000

 Chapter 1254 Leena In The Water (Part Two)

    "Louisa, please just go! And keep it together. After all not everyone is as naive as I was, unknowingly manipted by you like a fool." About her "friend" Louisa, ire had figured everything out. So after she thought things through, she didn''t feel bad about the current situation at all. On the contrary, she was grateful that she saw through Louisa before she could cause more serious damage. After careful consideration, ire felt that this was instead most fortunate.


    "What, you are drawing a line between us so quickly? ire, with your intellect, even if I didn''t manipte you, somebody else will pick up the strings, so why don''t you go home and buy a pig brain so you can have something to stuff in that empty head of yours? That''s in case you''re going to be clueless after some man has his way with you." With her arms crossed before her chest, Louisashed out with such mean words.


    "Then, howe despite your great intellect, you went so low as to seduce a married man, bringing your father shame and disgrace?" ire was tightly gritting her teeth. She couldn''t regret more about helping this evil woman before her in hurting Leena so much.


    "What did you say? I seduced a married man? Are you implying that I was a mistress? Don''t you forget that you were part of that! I''m going to shut your bitch ass mouth up." Louisa lifted her hand as she spoke. She no longer cared about damaging her reputation and swung her palm towards ire. But before she could hit her, Leena reached out and grabbed her wrist. An icy condemnation quickly followed.


    "Louisa, weren''t you just bragging about being the daughter of an official? So this is how poorly an official''s daughter would behave? Look around you. This is not the ce for you to act out like this." Leena forcefully threw Louisa''s wrist as she spoke, causing thetter to lose bnce and falter back a few steps.


    "Who the hell do you think you are? This is between me and her. Since when did you have the permission to intervene? Aha! It looks like the two of you are ganging up against me, huh? Then so be it. Come on! The famous fashion designer is not afraid of being embarrassed, so why should I be?" Louisa was not going to take it all quietly, so after she finished, she lounged towards Leena like crazy with all the intention of starting a huge brawl.


    "Leena, watch out!" Before ire could finish, she heard a ssh. Leena, who was standing by the pool, was knocked into the water by Louisa''s wild charge. ire barely held her ground and fortunately, did not fall into the pool with Leena.


    The moment she hit the water, Leena could feel nothing but the bone-chilling cold surrounding her and soaking her to the bones. Actually she could have dodged Louisa''s attack, but she tripped over her long gown, so before she could get out of the way, she was thrown into the water by Louisa.


    "I... I..." Louisa panicked slightly. She didn''t mean to do this. She only wanted to punish Leena a little out of anger, but she never wanted to push thetter into the pool and let her drown. After all, everybody around was watching. Even if Louisa really nned to take Leena out, she wouldn''t have done it in front of so many people.


    "Help! My sister-inw fell into the water. Anyone of you, please help her!" After being stunned for a second, ire screamed at the top of her lungs. Since she grew up in Capital City and far away from the ocean, ire couldn''t really swim. Under such circumstances, she could only yell for help.


    "Someone fell in the water!"N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    "Seems to be Leena Leng."


    "What do we do? Should we go and help?"


    "No, I''m not sure. It could be someone else. Didn''t you hear the name? The girl was yelling that t was her sister-inw who fell. Leena Leng is way too young to be already married."


    Despite having received Edward''s warnings, there were a couple of reporters watching Leena from afar, but they didn''t daree close. They were just looking from a distance since no one wanted to offend the FX International Group.


    "Never mind. I don''t care who it is. Let''s help her out of the water first!" Before they could make a move, a man had swiftly run towards the scene. He didn''t even take off his jacket before plunging into the water.


    Edward could not have expected that he would witness such a horrifying scene. He just said hello to someone else and was going to take Leena back, only to see her at the exact moment she was falling into the water. So he didn''t think twice and ran to the pool as fast as he could and jumped in. Although he was aware that Leena could swim, he still couldn''t help feeling shocked and worried.


    Leena couldn''t understand if it was the coldness that had made her forget how to swim, or it was Kevin''s aloofness towards her that really hurt her. At such a moment, she didn''t react, but instead she closed her eyes and waited for death to arrive. She thought that maybe this way, her pain and suffering would be alleviated somewhat.


    Everybody saw the sweet smile on her face, but no one knew about her badly wounded heart deep inside. In all honesty, the endless waiting had made her a little tired, so Leena wanted to take a break from it all and start her journey anew. Hopefully, she would not make the same mistake of falling in love with someone before someone falls in love with her.


    Just after Edward pulled Leena out of the water, Luke almost just as quickly got to the scene. He didn''t expect Edward to show up in there either. When Luke left the house, Edward was still at home, so when Luke saw him just now, he was quite surprised. He was just thinking of resuming his guard duties after he finished other business. Yet he could not have foreseen such an ident.


    "Mr. Mu, is she all right?" Luke took off his own clothes and quickly covered Leena with them. Because of the drenched gown that had clung to her body, Leena''s fine figure was quite noticeable through the thin fabric.00000

 Chapter 1255 Leena In The Water (Part Three)

    "Call Tom immediately and ask him to send for an ambnce. And if he''s at the hospital right now, then he needs toe along, too." After he finished, Edwardid Leena on a clean nket that the venue staff brought them. He then started taking first aid measures. The more severe the situation was, the more his calmness and steadiness showed. Edward also kept telling himself that nothing would happen to Leena, otherwise he would never forgive himself. After all, it was under his watch that the girl got into this ident, which meant that it was because of his negligence that she got caught in such a humiliating incident.


    Meanwhile at the army base, a shiver suddenly ran through Kevin''s hand holding a hot cup of tea. Unavoidably, the spilled hot water burned him a little, so he instinctively let the cup go. The crisp cracking of the cup ensued when it hit the ground, shattering into pieces. "Major General, are you alright?" Lee asked hurriedly, thinking that the man might have been too tired to even hold a hot cup of tea.


    "It''s OK, Lee. Why don''t you drive me back tonight?" Kevin sighed gently and pinched the top of his nose bridge that was already in a bit of pain. He hadn''t had a good rest for two days, so to avoid falling asleep at the wheel, he thought Lee would be better-suited to drive. "Yes, Major General." In fact, even if Kevin hadn''t brought this up, Lee was nning on taking the wheel anyway, so he agreed without hesitation.


    When their car just exited the gate of the army base, Kevin''s phone suddenly rang. He lightened up a little, subconsciously assuming that it was Leena who was calling. Did this mean that she had forgiven him? But when he took out his phone, it was his troublemaker of a sister, so he felt somewhat disappointed. But he still tapped the answer button quickly. "ire, what''s up?" As he answered, Kevin was looking out of the window. It was pitch dark outside, but he could still see the icy frost on the trees. It was still visible even in the dark of night. Since this was the suburbs, it was not strange for frost to form at night. It also meant that the temperature would be especially low.


    "Kevin, it''s bad. Leena fell into the water. She''s now being treated for possible trauma at Doctor Qin''s hospital. She almost drowned. They''re saying that her life''s in danger." ire kept choking up as she rushed out the words in between sobs. She was also fearfully watching Edward and his people and didn''t daree forward to them.


    "What is this, ire? That joke is not funny at all. Let''s talk about something else, okay?" Kevin knew that Leena could swim, so he didn''t believe his sister for one second, thinking that she must be pulling his leg. Or he reacted this way because deep down he couldn''t ept such a thing happening.


    "I''m not joking. You can turn on the TV if you don''t believe me. Perhaps every channel is reporting on this right now." ire sniffed her nose. Her sister-inw''s ident took ce in front of the media and reporters, so she dared say that many news outlets were sure to report it. They might even add one thing or another to sensationalize the incident.


    "I''m not around a TV right now. Wait for me there. I''ll arrive soon. If anythinges up, call me." A sharp pang stabbed through Kevin''s heart. His hand holding the phone began to tremble. His face turned ashen.


    "Major General, are you alright?" Lee just realized that he had been asking this a lottely. So apparently Kevin was not in a good shape these days, otherwise Lee wouldn''t need to worry so much.


    "Go, speed up, we''re heading to Renxin Hospital." Kevin''s voice was shaking. Because of ire''s words that "her life''s in danger," his entire body felt weak.


    "Yes, Major General." Lee didn''t know what just happened, but he knew immediately that it was a life-and-death situation since they were going to rush to the hospital. So he stepped on the gas and sped towards the hospital.


    Outside of the emergency room at the hospital, Edward was stillpletely drenched. He covered himself with a thick nket that Luke brought him. Luke had been telling him to change his clothes, but Edward insisted on hearing the results first.


    "Edward, you should go change! Don''t you get sick by the time that Leena turns out OK. Don''t forget the fact that you had a bullet wound before. You can''t be careless with these things." Only at such a time that the mature and calm Rain emerged out of his usual yful personality. He seemed totally different, sharp and impregnable.


    "Yeah! Mr. Mu, please change into dry clothes first! Leena will feel upset when she hears about this." Luke joined in persuading Edward and brought up Leena in the hopes that she could motivate him.


    "Hand me the clothes. I''ll be out in five." Edward was always obsessed with cleanliness. Every time before he changed the clothes that came in contact with his skin, he would take a shower first. But he didn''t care so much today. Edward snatched the clothes that Luke brought and quickly walked towards the hospital toilet. Luke followed him closely.


    Right after Edward left, a discordant set of high-heel steps approached. Soon people saw Belinda staggering towards them. It was obvious how shocking the news was to her. Most importantly, Duke was not in S City at the moment. He said he was returning today, but he was probably still on his flight since he only boarded this afternoon. She wouldn''t know how strongly he would react after learning something as serious as this. She didn''t even dare picture the scene.??????????????Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1256 She Has No Will To Survive (Part One)

    "Rain, how is Leena? What did Tom say?" The moment Belinda arrived, she peeped into the operating room through the ss window and asked for Leena''s news. She was in no mood to make fun of Rain at this critical moment. "Tom is giving emergency treatment to her. Don''t worry. She''s gonna be fine. We have Jerry. He''s the best doctor in the world," Rain assured Belinda. But deep inside, he was worried about Leena as well.


    "I hope so. What happened to her? How did she fall into the water? It''s so cold this evening." Belinda walked up and down with unease. She was flustered and her mind was in great confusion. It was not until now that she realized how important Duke was to her. If he were here right now, she would not be in so much panic.


    "I don''t know either. I guess Edward knows what happened. He was the one who brought Leena here." They had been so concerned about Leena''s safety when they heard the news that they forgot to find out what had actually happened. Leena was saved from drowning. However, they all knew that she could swim. So how did she almost drown?


    "ire, you''re here! Were you with Leena when she fell into the water?" Belinda finally registered ire''s presence and guessed that thetter would know something about this.


    "It''s all my fault. If I hadn''t taken part in the Dream Citypetition, Leena wouldn''t be in danger right now." Recalling what had happened, ire burst into tears again. She felt guilty and repentant. If she had seen Louisa''s true colors at the beginning itself, thetter would have had no opportunity to hurt Leena. "Dream Citypetition? What is that?" Belinda asked with a frown. Worry was etched across her face.


    "I know about it. It''s a fashion designpetition. FX International Group is one of its sponsors," Rain said, rubbing his brow. If he had known that Leena was one of the judges, he would have attended thepetition instead of leaving it to his subordinates. Then this might not have happened.


    "I don''t care about thepetition. All I want to know is why Leena fell into the water." Belinda shook her head anxiously.


    "Um... We had a fight with Louisa and she identally bumped into Leena. That''s how Leena fell into the water." Even though ire had fallen out with Louisa, she still absolved her friend of responsibility subconsciously. She said "identally", as if Louisa''s actions had been unintentional.


    "Louisa? Who is Louisa?" Belinda asked. She had never heard of this woman before.


    "Louisa is the daughter of the Commander, my brother''s superior. We used to be friends." ire was quite nervous, for Belinda looked rather frightening.


    "Why did you have a fight? Leena is very easy to get along with. I don''t think she would have a fight with anyone." Belinda was certain that Leena was too reasonable to start a fight.


    "Um..." ire bit her lower lip, not knowing how to exin everything. Too many things had happened.


    "Just spit it out. I also want to know what happened," Edward said. His clothes got wet when he saved Leena from drowning. He had changed into something dry and felt much better now. He stood in front of ire as his eyes bored into her, dark as ink. "I-I..." ire stammered. She was too frightened to say anything and took several steps back, biting her lower lip. Edward''s face had soured since saving Leena.


    "Loosen your tongue, or I shall have to find other ways of making you talk." Edward had met Louisa once and even bought a newptop for her. She had failed to make a good first impression on him.


    "Here''s the thing. Louisa has a thing for my brother and has hostile designs against Leena. She tried to drive a wedge between Leena and Kevin many times but failed. She has a strong grudge against Leena. She also failed in thepetition tonight. Since Leena was one of the judges, she clearly exploded with the rage that has been simmering in her for quite some time. They had a fight by the pool and Leena fell into the water," ire said. Edward was so frightening that she didn''t dare conceal the truth. She hoped that he would be not too hard on Louisater on.


    "Ha! Louisa Ye, right? Luke, where is this woman?" Edward rubbed his wedding ring. ''The daughter of the Commander? So what? Even if she were the Commander, I would not spare her if she hurt Leena, ''he thought.


    "Mr. Mu, we''ve taken her to the Security Department of FX International Group. We''re waiting for your instructions now." Luke lost no time in getting Louisa under control. As Edward''s right hand, Luke knew he would not let Louisa off so easily.


    "Keep an eye on her. I''ll let her know the consequences of hurting Leena." Edward curled his lips into a cold smile. Luke couldn''t help but shiver at this cruel expression. ''Woman, you bit off more than you could chew!'' Edward thought.


    "Count me in," Rain said. He was an obstinate and unruly man and was not afraid of offending amander. Anyone who dared to hurt his beloved sworn sister would be punished by him. He would show them no mercy.


    "Calm down guys. Let''s wait until Leena is out of immediate danger first," Belinda said. She was in no mood to care about their revenge. All she cared about was Leena''s safety. Leena was Duke''s beloved sister. Belinda couldn''t imagine what he would do if something happened to Leena. Duke loved his sister so much that it even made Belinda jealous. ''Why do women always suffer when men make mistakes?'' Belinda thought, sighing.


    ire stared at everyone''s dark expressions and felt both lucky and scared. She was lucky that she changed her attitude towards Leena in time, otherwise she would have ended up in the same grave as Louisa. She was scared because she didn''t know what Edward would do to Louisa. Judging from their fierce faces, ire knew Louisa woulde to no good end.


    Suddenly, a burst of rapid footsteps broke the silence. A man in military uniform appeared before them. Kevin had rushed here to see Leena. Lee followed him inside the hospital.


    "Kevin, you''re finally here." ire heaved a long sigh of relief upon seeing Kevin.


    "How is Leena?" Kevin asked in a hurry. He had never known it would take so long to reach the hospital from the military base. He had been in deep suffering all along the way.


    "The doctors are still working on her." ire lowered her head in shame. She felt that what happened to Leena was her fault.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Kevin Gu, you should pray and repent before God. If something happens to Leena, I will make you go down with her." Edward grabbed Kevin''s cors and stared at him with dangerous eyes.


    "Major General Gu!" Seeing Edward''s actions, Lee reached out in an attempt to pull him away, but Kevin stopped him. Lee stepped back, watching them helplessly.


    "If something bad happens to Leena, I would not forgive myself either. You should wait until they operate on her," Kevin said in a cold voice. He freed himself from Edward''s grip easily. All he cared about right now was Leena''s safety; he was in no mood to be gentle to Leena''s sworn brothers and face their usations.


    "Bah! Kevin Gu, I am telling you bluntly that if Leena doesn''t make it this time, I will have you and I buried along with her," Rain sneered, casting a scornful nce at Kevin. Resolution was written all over his face. Apparently, he had no interest in living any longer. Annie''s disappearance had been a huge blow to him. There was nothing to keep him in this world now.


    "Come on, guys! Are you cursing Leena? Or do you not believe in Tom?" Belinda cast the three of them warning looks. Why were men so vtile? They were in the mood to fight even in such a critical moment!0000000?????????

 Chapter 1257 She Has No Will To Survive (Part Two)

    "Listen man, you better pray for Leena now. If she doesn''te out of this fit, I won''t spare you, no matter who you are!" People said that Edward was a heartless man, but in actuality, he was extremely loyal and affectionate to the people he cared about. "Edward! Stop behaving like a spoiled brat!" Daisy''s cold voice came from behind them. They didn''t know when she had arrived. Maybe it had been when they were quarreling, so nobody noticed her.


    "Ha! Senior Colonel Ouyang. Did your heart break when you saw him being threatened?" Edward had been going crazy worrying about Leena and began to scold anyone who dared to defend Kevin, including his beloved wife. Leena had been in the operating room for more than an hour. He had no idea what was going on in there.


    "Edward Mu, you bastard! If you continue to act like this, I will cuff you up to calm you down. You''re the CEO of a transnational corporation! Why are you being so ridiculous in such a vital moment?" Daisy cast a stern nce at her husband. She had just got off work and was about to go home, but was informed of the bad news. When she arrived, she saw the three fighting with each other like brats. She couldn''t believe her eyes. ''Are they really looking after Leena in this ridiculous manner?'' she wondered.


    "I told them not to fight but they just didn''t listen to me. I wonder what''s going on in there. I''m so worried about Leena," Belinda said, still pacing up and down. Why was Tom still in there?


    "Belinda, don''t worry. Come and sit down. Take some rest. You should take care of yourself. After all, you''re..." Daisy reached out and helped Belinda sit on a nearby bench. Belinda was pregnant and Daisy didn''t want her to lose the baby because of Leena''s emergency. Belinda hadn''t been to the hospital yet to check out her situation, but she had bought early pregnancy kits which told her that she was pregnant.


    "Shh! I''m okay. Don''t tell them the news yet!" Belinda whispered in a hurry, interrupting Daisy. She didn''t want the others to know about her condition yet, for she wanted to double check it at the hospital first. Moreover, this was not the right time to announce the news. Edward gnashed his teeth together and stared coldly at Daisy, but thetter just ignored him. Blue veins popped out on his temples. ''Fine! You must be spoiled by me. How dare you ignore me? You even scold me in public!'' he thought.


    Kevin walked toward the operating room door, zipping back and forth. He had already been exhausted after not having taken a break for the entire day and night. His expression grew dark when he thought about Leena''s condition. He was in no mood to find out how she fell into the water or what Edward would do to him. All he wanted was his wife to be safe and sound.


    The clock ticked away. None of them tried to speak. Their eyes were fixed on the lit up red letters above the door, that said ''In Operation''.


    After a long time, the light went out and Tom marched outside. His face looked tired and his eyes red. His eyes scanned the hall as he heaved a long sigh of relief.


    "Doctor Qin, how''s Leena? Is she out of immediate danger?" Kevin was at the forefront of the crowd. His eyes were bloodshot and his voice trembled. The moment he saw Tome out, he rushed over to him.


    "Tom, I trust you. She''s gonna be okay, right?" Edward clenched his fists with anxiety. Like Kevin, he was afraid bad news woulde out from Tom''s mouth.


    "She''s out of immediate danger, but her situation is overwhelmingly negative. You know that Leena has had poor resistance all these years. She was suffering from a bad cold before drowning. She breathed in a lot of cold water that aggravated her condition. Leena has a serious pulmonary infection. On top of that, she seems to have no will to survive. I don''t know when she will wake up. That depends on her willpower." Tom cast a meaningful nce at Kevin when he mentioned that Leena had no will to survive for he believed that Kevin was the reason for it. Kevin must have done something wrong which disappointed Leena.


    "What? She has no will to survive? Kevin Gu, what did you do to her? Why does she have no will to survive?" This time, it was Rain who grabbed Kevin by the cors. He knew exactly what kind of sorrow caused people to not want to live. Since Annie left him, he too had no will to live in this world.


    "Rain, stop it. Let''s listen to Tom first," Daisy said in anger, pulling Rain away from Kevin. These men doted on Leena and cared about her so much. No wonder they lost control upon hearing that Leena had no will to survive. It was fortunate that Duke was not here at the moment, otherwise there would have been a huge fight.


    "Leena will be transferred to the ICU soon. She''s out of immediate danger but she still needs to be under observation all the time. We don''t know whether she will suffer fromplications." Tom looked calm andposed but he was under greater pressure than his friends. He was a doctor, and if he couldn''t save a person he cared about so much, he would be gravely affected by it. He would refuse to serve as a doctor again.


    "Complications? Oh no!" Daisy felt dizzy and staggered backward. Luckily, Edward caught and steadied her. Daisy knew how dangerousplications could be. When Edward had been shot, he too had suffered fromplications at that time. It had scared Daisy to death.


    "Well, don''t worry too much. She is under close watch. Ifplications are spotted, we would give her emergency treatment. But she has been suffering from poor health for years and I have a bad feeling about it." Tom frowned. Leena had been in a very dangerous situation in the operating room. Her heart even stopped for a while. Luckily, Tom had snatched her from the clutches of death. He decided not to tell his friends, otherwise they would go berserk.


    "Please tell us what we should do next. We''ll do exactly as we''re told," Edward said in a calm voice as he held Daisy''s waist. Only Daisy knew that Edward was not as calm as he looked. His hand around her waist was shaking.


    "Just be silent as much as possible. No matter how angry you are, you must stay calm until Leena wakes up." Tom sighed with profound resignation. ''I hope she will find the meaning of life again, otherwise even if she recovers physically, she might not wake up at all. She has shut her mind from the outside world. I hope someone can convince her to open her heart and mind again, he thought to himself.


    "Doctor Qin, can I go in to see her?" Kevin pleaded, an expectant expression on his face. He knew why Leena had no will to survive and was seized with remorse. ''If I knew she was so bothered by the hug between me and Michelle, I should have called up and exined everything to her as soon as possible, no matter how busy I was. She wouldn''t have ended up like this then.''


    "We''ll transfer her to the ICU first. Only one person is allowed to go inside. Remember, do not talk too much to her. You can decide who will go in." As a doctor, he could only do as a doctor should do. He wouldn''t make the decision by himself, so he asked the others to decide who would go in.


    Everyone wanted to be the one to go in, but they knew the only one who was qualified for it was Kevin. He was Leena''s legal husband. More importantly, he was the person Leena was most anxious to meet. This was the reason why Leena''s sworn brothers disliked Kevin so much.000All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.

 Chapter 1258 Youre Just Tired (Part One)

    "Kevin should be the one to go inside. Leena might not want to see us." Belinda managed a bitter smile. She had to admit, if she were Leena, she would only want to talk with her husband at this time. That was beyond doubt.


    "That''s right. Major General, Leena needs your encouragement. I guess she has lost all hopes of living, due to some misunderstandings. Right now, her heart is broken. You should try to exin yourself to her and lift her spirits." As far as Daisy was concerned, if a woman felt her life was hopeless, the man was to me. In Leena''s case, Kevin must be the bane of her miserable life.


    "I understand. Thank you," said Kevin while looking at the two women with gratitude. Without theirpany and sincere advice, the damage could have been greater. He knew that he himself could even be badly hurt. Edward and his group cared for Leena so much that they wouldn''t refrain themselves from punching Kevin to death. However, even if this was an unfair circumstance and he was beaten up, Kevin wouldn''tin. He failed to protect his wife, which was an undeniable fact. Consequently he deserved all of this. Kevin''s heart skipped a beat when he went inside the room and saw Leena lying on the bed, her face drained of all colors. Although he had already imagined such an image in his mind, it still came as a shock to him. He had to grab a corner of the desk for support to prevent himself from copsing in a heap.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    "Are you ok?" asked Tom with concern. He frowned. Among all those men who loved Leena, Tom was the only one who didn''t consider Kevin a repulsive man and did not hate him. He didn''t think that Kevin waspletely to me for what happened.


    "I''m fine. Don''t worry." Kevin smiled apologetically at Tom. Then, he walked quietly towards his wife, sat beside her bed and carefully stroked her face.


    "I need to do some medical tests on her. If you want to tell her something, do it now. You can''t spend too much time here." After saying these words, Tom started a thorough examination. Every now and then, he would look up at the bedside medical equipment and write something in his notepad. Although he had so much to say to his wife, Kevin was suddenly at a loss for words. Without thinking, he wrapped Leena''s cold hands with his, and put them on his cheek to feel her soft palms. A sense of pity and fondness dimly flickered in his eyes.


    "Leena, you''re just tired and you need a sleep. I got it. But you have to wake up, do you hear me? Otherwise, I''ll order you toplete 10ps as your punishment for leaving me alone in this world." Kevin''s face and eyes reddened, and he had to refrain himself from breaking down and bursting into tears. Although he had involuntarily fallen for her, he hadn''t got the opportunity to tell her that, let alone to love her with all his heart. It was not until this moment when he was told about Leena''s critical condition that he knew she had already be an inseparable part of his life. His heart had never felt so much pain, not even when he tried to give up his love for Daisy.


    It just took a moment to fall in love with somebody. However, in other cases, more time and experience were needed. Partners needed to see each other from a new perspective. Kevin and Leena were just one of those couples, learning to love each other only after living together for a long time. At first he felt nothing for Leena. All he could give her was his word to fulfill his duty as a responsible husband. However, as time passed, everything changed. He could no longer ignore Leena''s existence, and he had increasingly be dependent on her. Her feelings and emotions mattered to him. For her sake, Kevin was most willing to let his guard down and expose his softened heart. He smiled for her and wept for her. His sheer persistence and love wore him down in the end. Seeing Leena looking pale and sick, Kevin''s heart bled and he surely would do anything to help her recover, to make her smile again, to get her back.


    After a thorough examination, Tom gave Kevin ast sympathetic nce. He shook his head, sighed and made a quiet exit, leaving them alone. Tom didn''t really understand what happened between this couple, and he certainly couldn''t provide any feasible solution. Only Kevin and Leena knew what they wanted deep down in their own hearts. As a doctor, Tom had the power to allow them to spend a little more time together. He believed that Leena could hear whatever Kevin would say, and hoped that it would help Leena wake up. "Leena, haven''t I told you that... you''re such a lovely but annoying angel. Your love''s torturing me. You came into my life unexpectedly and challenged my mind. Without you, whom should I me? I don''t care if you''re in heaven or in hell, I''ll find you and bring you back. You know that?" Kevin smiled, with a mixture of fondness for his wife and deep resentment at his failure to keep her from danger. He glowered at her, as if to say that if she didn''t listen to him, he surely would take actions and kick her ass immediately. Leena felt her way apprehensively in the dark. Suddenly, a halo appeared in front of her and a gentle and beautiful woman waved at her. For a moment Leena thought this woman was the mother whom she had never met before. She had only one of her mother''s photos and used to spend a great deal of time staring at her and imagining their first meeting. And now Leena''s imagination came alive. She was more willing toe forward and hug her mother. Before she could take a step forward, she heard a familiar voice. A voice she longed to hear but couldn''t remember clearly. Her mother kept waving at her and smiling at her. But the voice said otherwise. The voice wanted her back, begged her toe back to his life. Leena''s heart was struggling, and being torn to pieces. She looked around, trying to find out where this voice wasing from and who it belonged to.0000000

 Chapter 1259 Youre Just Tired (Part Two)

    "Babe, our fates have been entwined since the day you got drunk and came to me. You stirred up my life and you should take the responsibility. Are you listening? How dare you pretend to be asleep and keep avoiding me?" Kevin was pouring out his feelings of love for Leena. At that moment he regretted having not done it earlier when he had the chance. Human beings couldn''t realize mistakes until the veryst moment. Regret always camest.


    In Leena''s subconscious, her mother was looking at her intently with a gentle,forting face, and calling out to her in a loving voice. However, she had been waiting too long, and ended up being badly hurt. She needed her mother''s shoulders to lean against and her mother''s soothing voice to repair her broken heart. She longed for everything rted to motherhood, her maternal warmth, care and calmness. She started to walk towards her mother who, she knew, would never hurt her.


    "Christ! Her heart beats are getting weaker and far in between, we''re starting to lose her. Call Doctor Tom, right now!" said an assistant calmly but with a noticeable panic in her voice, picking up speed with her every movement. In response, a nurse rushed outside the room, looking for Tom. The atmosphere in the room got more and more tense, with the monitoring machines and their beep sounds going faster.


    Kevin looked around him, confused and scared, not knowing what was happening. But he knew that it wasn''t something good. He gripped Leena''s hand more firmly. Life or death had never been a big deal for him. However, for the first time, he was scared by the prospect of losing the only woman he really loved and cared about.


    "Nurse, prepare for defibrition. Kevin, go out now!" said Tom hurriedly and in amanding voice. He rushed into the ward, took a look at Leena, and snapped out his orders. Time was of the essence, and he had got no time to babysit Kevin''s feelings. "Tom, please save her," said Kevin in a pleading voice. Kevin''s lips trembled, and his face looked drained of blood.


    "Don''t worry! I''m doing my best," replied Tom. "Now go!" Tom frowned. He must save Leena''s life at all costs. He didn''t need anyone, not even Kevin to tell him that.


    "One more word with Leena before I go." Kevin then whispered in Leena''s ears with infinite love. Then, he turned round and left, looking back at his wife. At such a critical moment, he must have faith in Tom, and allow him to do his job as a doctor.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Start the defibrition, 360J, one time." Tom couldn''t bear to do this to Leena, his beloved sister. However, to save her life, he had no choice. If she had enjoyed good health and had a strong will to live, falling into water would never kill her. However, things did be unpredictable sometimes and there was nothing that anyone could do about it. To make matters worse, she might have developedplications.


    "Do it again. 360J twice." Tom''s handsome face changed colors. Looking outwardlyposed, he was actually in a state of utter panic. He actually had doubts in his own skills and Leena''s will to survive was worrying.


    Suddenly, "Doctor Tom, she is responding!" an assistant cried with joy. She couldn''t believe that this woman''s heartbeat came back to normal only after two doses of defibrition.


    "Don''t be overjoyed just yet. It''s better to err on the side of caution," said Tom, barely concealing the pure relief and happiness in his heart. Tom read the electrocardiographic oscillogram, and cast a quick nce at the door. It was weird that Leena''s heartbeat returned to normal so quickly. Kevin''s whispers must have greatly strengthened her will to fight for her life. As for what had Kevin told her, Tom could only guess.


    As soon as Kevin strode out of the ward, all eyes were fixed on him. Clearly, all of them wanted to know what happened inside and why Tom was called back suddenly and in a frenzy.


    "It''s fine. Everything''s under control," replied Kevin, putting on a forced smile. Kevin said this either tofort himself or to relieve other people''s worries. On top of that, he refused to look pessimistic about Leena''s conditions. He knew deep down that he and Leena had a long life ahead.


    A hush descended over the waiting crowd. They gazed at one another, and then kept quiet. Fear clutched at their hearts. A few momentster, when they saw Toming out from the room, they all cast inquiring nces at him, hoping to hear something from him. Any news was better than nothing.


    "What is the situation?" asked Edward. Even Edward felt helpless and irritated at this moment, knowing nothing and having nobody to exin anything to him. The waiting outside had be unbearable.


    "She''s stable for the time being. You can all go home and have a rest now. I''ll stay here and take care of her. No need for all of you to waste time waiting here. Go home, take a shower and hope for the best," said Tom in a tired voice. He rushed to the hospital from an academic seminar, after he received Luke''s call. It had also been a long and exhausting day for him.


    Kevin felt relieved when he finally got some positive news from Tom. He felt calmness return to him, and smiled his thanks. He knew Leena must have heard his whispers and decided to fight her way back to him.


    "I have got more important things to do than rest," replied Edward coldly. ''Commander, it''s not my fault. First of all, your daughter has crossed the line. Didn''t she know that Leena''s my sister and my family? Even I don''t darey a finger on her. But your daughter easily put her life in danger. Shouldn''t I have a nice talk with your girl?'' thought Edward inwardly.


    "Where are you going?" asked Daisy alertly. Daisy saw Edward''s face contort with anger. Deep inside, she knew that something was wrong.


    "Can I go with you guys?" asked Rain wickedly. Since Tom had asked them to go home, staying in the hospital wouldn''t help. Knowing nothing about medicine, Rain knew he was no use if Leena needed further medical attention. Instead, he had determined to go out and avenge Leena.

 Chapter 1260 Youre Just Tired (Part Three)

    "Wait! Where are you going?" repeated Daisy, standing in front of them and blocking their way. Until Leena was clearly out of the danger zone, she didn''t want any other disturbances created.


    "We''re going to drag the culprit in and deal with her," Rain blurted out. He was too furious and excited to notice that Edward kept shooting him warning nces.


    "Whom are you guys referring to?" Both Daisy and Kevin arrived at the hospitalter and didn''t know who put his wife into the critical condition she was in.


    "For this, you must ask Edward!" Rain met Edward''s angry stare and immediately realized that he was being stupid by telling Daisy such things. Daisy, beyond doubt, would stop them from bringing Louisa to justice.


    "Mr. Edward Mu, I don''t believe that you''re hiding it from me," said Daisy, raising her eyebrows. Strict discipline was imposed on soldiers, which meant that they couldn''t deal with things using questionable means. Under all circumstances, she would try to prevent them from lynching Louisa. Being court-martialed was thest thing she wanted. Besides, tolerating this kind of wrongdoing would make her an aplice. More than that, she was afraid that Kevin''s name would get dragged in the mud if Louisa was hurt. After all, both she and Kevin were special and they couldn''t talk their way out of this.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Damn! Listen to me. It''s rumored that it''s themander''s daughter who pushed Leena into the swimming pool. Now, she''s being held by Luke in the FX International Group building." Belinda was well aware of the potentially severe consequences of this. So, she didn''t dare to keep their scheme from Daisy. Imprisoning Louisa, they had already broken thew.


    "What? It''s madness. Release Louisa right now," Daisy demanded. Her brow furrowed in disgust. What a world of madness! Didn''t they know the possible consequences which their recklessness might lead to? If Louisa reallymitted a crime, she surely would be punished ording to thew. It was not their ce to judge and decide her punishment.


    "Senior colonel, do you have any idea of what you''re talking about? Release her? You must be kidding. Leena''s still lying in bed, possibly dying. How can you make such an order?" Edward and Daisy exchanged furious nces. Leena was still struggling for life, and how could the culprit walk free after all this? Daisy could turn a blind eye to this, but Edward couldn''t. He was determined to seek justice for Leena.


    "I clearly know what I''m doing right now. But your behaviors confuse me. We''re living in a society under the rule ofw. If everything gets out of control, what a chaotic world it would be. Do you really want your children to be born and grow up in such a mad world?" Daisy protested in a cold and serious tone. Reason told her that illegal detention of a civilian, already taking directly from the word "illegal", was terribly wrong. She wouldn''t allow them to deliberately and knowingly break thew.


    "Aha! Sometimes the justice system fails to treat the victims fairly," Edward retorted angrily. Gritting his teeth, Edward knew deep down that it would be decided and pronounced in court as an ident if Leena really died of drowning. And a shrewd attorney would help Louisa out of it effortlessly.


    "It''s your prejudice ying with your mind. Luke, I order you to release Louisa right now. Stay away from this farce if your master can''t think straight." Daisy gave Luke a hard stare. She still stayed calm and reasonable even though Louisa''s actions were definitely unforgivable.


    "Luke, don''t do that." Edward tilted his chin proudly. He refused to give in to Daisy for the first time. Things changed. He couldn''t bear to see his beloved sister suffer while standing around and doing nothing.


    "Mr. Mu, please show mercy. I''ll take the responsibility for whatever she has done," said Kevin imploringly. Kevin was fuming with indignation. His warning had no effects, and failed to prevent Louisa from losing control.


    "Haha! Don''t make a fool of yourself. Correct me if I''m wrong, but Louisa is one of your jealous lovers." Edward fully vented out his feelings in a violent outburst. Kevin had been the bane of Leena''s disaster. The very man who should have protected Leena nearly killed her. "Keep quiet and quit arguing. You''re standing in a hospital and the patients here need rest." Tom rarely dared speak to Edward in this brave way. However, he was extremely worried about Leena''s conditions, while Louisa''s situation didn''t concern him.


    "Look here. Since Louisa is the daughter of themander, please let him be the judge of his own child. I trust him and believe that he''ll be fair and impartial," promised Daisy. Then, Daisy picked up her mobile phone to call themander. She knew she could do nothing to stop them, but she really needed them to calm down. They were well-educated civilians, and not some gangsters so they should do things by the book.


    "You do trust her. Fine, I will let her go, but not tonight. She has to pay the price of hurting Leena." Edward wasn''t going to give in. No matter what, he had to make that woman suffer.


    "Ok, I can promise you that. But you must keep her alive, and not hurt her one bit. Otherwise, it would get quite ugly." Daisy knew Edward too well. He always paid his debt. The use of torture on the imprisoned Louisa was inevitable. Daisy didn''t care whether Louisa was to be flogged or not, as long as she was alive, it was fine. She also felt Louisa''s arrogance and self-will repulsive.


    "I will keep her alive and conscious all the time so that she can have a taste of those gruesome tortures and beg for mercy." Edward took no effort in hiding his true thoughts. He had learnt a thousand methods of torturing a man without killing him. "Don''t overdo it. Even though you don''t mind pissing off themander, please put me and Kevin in your mind." Daisy pursed her lips and wondered whether she had followed a bad example. Otherwise, why would she choose to turn a blind eye to these things that she considered terribly wrong?

 Chapter 1261 Evil Is Rewarded With Evil (Part One)

    Anger like a volcano ready to erupt consumed Edward. All he wanted was to severely punish Louisa in his own way. He closed his ears to everything that Daisy said. "Which side are you on, Daisy? You think I''ve gone too far? Humph! Louisa has been stirring things up. Hasn''t she gone too far? You think I can just sit by idly?" In bitter hatred, Edward clenched his teeth. Louisa''s father was Daisy''s immediate boss, but he was aplete stranger to Edward, so Edward didn''t need to fawn on him.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    "I didn''t say that. Anyway, I have told you what I think. Do as you see fit." With her eyebrows knitted in a frown, Daisy cursed within. Although Louisa was a bitch, her death waspletely unnecessary. And Daisy didn''t want to inme the situation. Sitting by, trying as much as possible to remain calm, Kevin moved his lips, but he didn''t say anything. But in truth, he wanted to kill Louisa, were it not for the fact that he was a military officer who needed to exercise self-restraint. So instead Kevin fought back the urge to act on sudden impulse. Besides, he also believed that Edward knew what he was doing.


    "Don''t worry. I won''t ce you in a dilemma." Dejection written in his eyes, Edward sighed. For Daisy, the love of his life, he had to make concessions. There was no way he would hurt her.


    "Okay," Daisy answered softly. Now, she had no option but to let her husband have his way. If Daisy tried to stop him, it might only get him mad and push him over the edge, which certainly she didn''t wish for. The only thing she could do under current circumstances was to let him be, hoping he wouldn''t lose his cool. She had to trust his judgment.


    When Rain stormed out, preceded by Edward, Daisy knew they wanted to vent their anger tonight. Trying to mediate, she held Luke''s hand and whispered to him, "Luke, you must try to stop Edward and Rain if they lose control of their emotions. Their temper is irrational. Please, don''t let them escte the situation." Their furry unsettled her, but she couldn''t pacify them, so she turned to Luke and hoped he would be sensible.


    "Trust me, Mrs. Mu. I won''t let them do anything unreasonable. I''ll keep them in check, but for now, I have to go." As Luke watched the two receding figures, he wondered why he had made such a promise to Daisy. How would he stop his young master from doing anything he wanted?


    "Okay. Go." Feeling nervous, Daisy bit her bottom lip and gave a weary sigh. She had started her work very early this morning and had been busy dealing with various issues the whole day. She was utterly exhausted.


    "Hope they won''t act recklessly," Belinda said, simrly expressing deep concern. From what she had long heard about Edward''s violent tendencies, it bothered her what would follow.


    "It''s all right. Go back to sleep. You can''t be so tired." Being in her first trimester of pregnancy, Belinda needed to be extra cautious to avoid a miscarriage. And to help with the earlyplications of the pregnancy in the first three months, she counted on Daisy for support in many ways.


    "I''m fine. Don''t worry about me. On ount that Leena is in danger, I won''t fall asleep even if I go back. I might as well stay here with her. It makes no difference going back home. At least she won''t feel so lonely." For a split second, Belinda winced, apparently feeling unwell, although she quickly fought to conceal her difort.


    "You have to go back to sleep, Daisy and Belinda. I''ll be here with Leena," Kevin who was leaning against the wall tried to reason with the two. Although he knew that Daisy and Belinda were worried about his wife, he didn''t think there was much they could do to help her. For this reason, there was no point in letting them stay around, especially when they needed rest. That would be an unnecessary inconvenience to them, Kevin thought.


    "Kevin is right. Just go. We''ll take care of Leena here," echoed Tom. Only he knew how best to help Leena if her physical condition worsened. The others didn''t need to waste their time here.


    "Okay. Then we''ll go back. Meanwhile, I''ll take care of the army base, Kevin. Don''t worry about that. Take good care of Leena here." Daisy thought they were right. There was still much to be done and she decided to help lighten the burden by stepping in for Kevin at the army base, especially in resolving the disagreement among soldiers.


    "Thank you, Daisy. I''ll personally talk to themander about the mission. I''ll ask him to rece me with Hank." With Leena still unconscious, Kevin was at crossroads on how to juggle between caring for his wife and attending to work. It was his first time in the army that he had ignored orders from above.


    "Okay. How about you, ire? I can drive you back," Daisy turned to ire. As a young girl, ire couldn''t stay in the hospitalte at night.


    "Thank you, Daisy, but I want to stay here with my brother." With a smile, ire answered. Since she brought the trouble, she couldn''t stay out of it.


    "Okay. Let''s go, Belinda. We''lle back early tomorrow morning." Calm and collected as ever, Daisy knew what to do at this critical moment, living up to her reputation.


    "Well, then, Kevin and Tom, please take good care of Leena." Hearing what the others said, Belinda no longer insisted on staying. She would go home to sleep ande back tomorrow morning. After Leena woke up, she would need some time to recuperate. They would be busy by then.


    "Don''t stand on ceremony. I treat Leena as my sister, and I''ll try my best to get her out of danger. You have to be careful in the first three months of pregnancy, Belinda." Having observed her for some time, Tom was sure that Belinda was pregnant. Sometimes she unconsciously touched her belly, but he felt that she was hiding it.


    "Take care on the way home, Belinda," Kevin cautioned. Since he knew that Mark would be waiting for Daisy outside, he wasn''t worried about her. Instead, he was worried about Belinda.


    "I will. Take care of Leena." Belinda patted Kevin on the shoulder and looked at Tom. An embarrassing look appeared on her face. Then she reluctantly left with Daisy.

 Chapter 1262 Evil Is Rewarded With Evil (Part Two)

    "I have to go back to my office. Let me know at once if anything happens to Leena." Feeling a little tired, Tom had to take a nap now, to keep his mind clear in an emergency.


    "Okay. Get your things done first." Foring to Leena''s rescue, Kevin was much obliged to Tom.


    "Are you all right, Kevin?" A worried ire asked as soon as Tom left. The usually mboyant Kevin appeared wholly drained of color.


    "I''m fine. Rest assured! Now tell me what happened," Kevin inquired. As far as he knew, ire was in the vi. Why did she stay with Leena and Louisa?


    "I''m really sorry. If it hadn''t been for me, Leena wouldn''t have quarreled with Louisa." Bit by bit, ire told Kevin the whole story, her eyes looking downcast. Her voice was shaky, on the verge of tears. She was really frightened.


    "Don''t cry. God protects the good. Leena will be okay." With a tired, sad expression, Kevin let out a sigh, wondering how little he knew about his wife. It had surprised him to learn that she was such a famous fashion designer abroad. Now he kicked himself for not having known it when he saw her stuff in the workshop. Genuinely, he felt sorry for not having paid attention. How could he be so uncaring?


    "I don''t understand, Kevin. Mr. Mu said that Leena could swim, but why did she drown?" ire had been listening to their talk, so she wondered why.


    "Maybe she was bitterly disappointed in me, so she chose to escape," sighed Kevin. It was clear that Leena always dressed following thetest trends. She always had a great sense of fashion. No wonder she even had her own opinions and taste about his clothes. To discover that Leena majored in fashion design and most of the times she wore her own handiwork was quite out of the blue.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Did you quarrel with each other?" Hesitatingly ire asked. It had caught her unawares that they would quarrel. Never had she ever seen them angry at each other, let alone quarrel.


    "No. Don''t think much about it. Go back. I can stay here alone. I want to calm myself down." There was need to rethink the problems between him and Leena, Kevin thought. He genuinely loved Leena, although she still had some doubts, and somehow misunderstood his true feelings towards her.


    "I don''t want to. I want to be here with you." Even if she went back home, ire thought she''d have a sleepless night, so she wanted to stay around and talk with Kevin. At least he''d havepany tofort him in this difficult hour.


    "No need. I want to be alone. Drive ire back, Lee," Cautious not to get distracted by ire''s presence, Kevin called on Lee who had been standing at the distance.


    "Okay, Major General. Let''s go, Miss Gu." As Lee nced at the intensive care unit, he was shocked to discover that it was Kevin''s wife lying in bed. Despite his sadness, he was worried about Kevin. Lately Kevin hadn''t been resting enough, so he might be unable to stand fatigue.


    "Kevin..." ire tried to persuade her brother as she didn''t want to leave.


    "You heard me." But Kevin, determined on staying alone waved his hand, dismissing ire''s insistence on staying around any longer.


    The winter nights were chilling. Eventually, everyone was gone. Only cold lights and a man with a worried look were left in the corridor. He sat on the bench, listless and pale. Sometimes he really envied Edward and the others who could do whatever they liked. Different from them, he was a military officer, tasked with great responsibilities for the country and the people. At every turn, he had to keep his will in check.


    The Security Department of FX International Group was very bustling tonight. From time to time a woman''s foul oaths could be heard. Although the security guards were fed up with her shouts, they dared not do anything to her before Edward and Luke gave any orders. "Let me go! Don''t you know what you do is against thew? How dare you detain me? Do you know who my father is? As themander of the army base in this city, I can assure he''ll ruthlessly deal with you if he knows what you''re doing to me!" Never before had Louisa suffered like this. She kept shouting, trying to attract some attention, but it was quiet outside. On realizing it was futile, and no one woulde to her rescue, she felt an intensely gnarly fear gripped her. She was terrified. As if a violent gale raged within her, her heart pumped and beat like it would explode if there was no escape. For that, she shouted even louder. You''d think there was a ferocious beast caged and feeling threatened within her.


    "Oh? I wonder how you''ll make us suffer." Edward''s face fell. He walked in with a mocking, arrogant smile.


    "It''s you, Edward. Why do you detain me here?" At the sight of Edward, Louisa was taken aback. This man was so noble and extraordinary that she could only look at him from a distance.


    "Why? Do you think I brought you here for sex because you''re pretty? Look at you. I wouldn''t even take a hopeless jackass like you for a housekeeper!" The man grinned wickedly. As Daisy said, he couldn''tsh this woman, but he could torture her in other ways.


    "You... You''re contemptible, Edward!" Frustrated and fully aware there wasn''t much she could do, Louisa looked at Edward with conflicted emotions. She didn''t know whether to keep on with threats, hoping somehow he''d back down or if ying to his bloated ego would help. But both options were improbable, given the gravity of her offense. With this in mind, she was only left to gaze on with resignation and apathy.000000000000000

 Chapter 1263 Evil Is Rewarded With Evil (Part Three)

    "Don''t be rude to a girl, Edward. You know what? Girls are delicate. We must be gentle to them. Moreover, we have to satisfy their vanity. How about asking some men to serve her?" Rain followed Edward behind, but not as fast. No one could ignore a conspicuous figure


    like him. As soon as he was quiet, Louisa feltpletely deted. Her arrogance was gone.


    "What do you want to do? My father is amander. How dare you take such liberties!" Horrified, Louisa shrank back against the wall. She looked at Rain in a panic, fearing that he would act on his threat and let men vite her. She wasn''t stupid. She certainly knew what Rain meant.


    "Do you hear what she said? Her father is amander," asked Edward, lightly shaking his head apanied by exaggerated gestures. But even so, he still looked handsome.


    "So what? That''s none of my business! Bring me a bucket of water. Fill it with ice cubes, please," said Rain, wearing a mischievous smile. He could be as scheming as Edward if he wanted to.


    "Come on, Rain. You just said I was rude to her. What do you want to do? Do you want to give her a cool shower?" Edward sneered. It was a good idea. His wife had only warned them not to hurt Louisa, but that didn''t bar them from giving her a cool shower, if they wanted.


    "You have no idea, Edward. It''s a veryfortable shower. Leena can''t enjoy it alone. It has to be shared. Miss Ye should enjoy it too." At his words, Rain extended his hand to cup Louisa hard at the chin. The dark, expressionless face he wore looked as if it was carved of stone, his smile bone-chilling. He withdrew his hand and took out a tissue to wipe it as if he just touched something dirty.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    "How dare you! Leave me alone! Give me back my phone. I want to call my father. You two bastards!" A shiver ran through Louisa as she heard what Edward and Rain said. It was hard to imagine the bone-chilling feeling of ice cubes being poured on her body. "You''re right. We''re bastards. It''s just the beginning. There''s something gratifying in our twisted way waiting for you," Edward said indifferently. Seeing Louisa grapple in the ws of fear delighted him.


    "Why, why do you do this to me? I''m not your enemy." It scared Louisa stiff, especially when she saw someone really brought a bucket in. Fear eating at her guts made her stomach churn in intense cramps. The terror running through her body made her feet twitch, her whole body trembling as if she was already dying of hypothermia.


    "Why? Don''t you know why? Then let me tell you. You shouldn''t have offended our beloved girl. What''s more, you shouldn''t have pushed her into the icy pool. Why did you do that to her? How has she wronged you to deserve that?" Rain shot a nce at the stic bucket brought in by the security guard. It was filled with ice cubes. Did Louisa offend him too? He was so cruel to her. Even to him, the bucket sent a chill down the spine.


    "It''s Leena again. What''s good about that woman? All of you like her so much. She is dead, right? So you vent your anger on me. Ha ha! Good to hear that! Kevin will be mine then." Obsessed by jealousy, Louisa relished the thought of seeing Leena dead. Even in mortal danger, at the hands of Leena''s brothers, she sarcastically remarked as if she was beside herself. For that biting remark, Edward, no longer able to contain himself, gave her a stinging p.


    "Louisa, you should be grateful that your father is amander; otherwise you''d be dead by now! But you can rest assured. We''ll tolerate your overstepping due bounds just on ount of your dad''s position. That alone does not guarantee that we''ll be lenient on you, especially if you keep pulling more knucklehead antics. You better watch!" ''She''d better stop bitching around," Edward cursed within. ''Whichever way, she''ll still pay a heavy price for messing with Leena.''


    "How dare you p me! Listen, Edward, I know you like that bitch very much. I''ll make her suffer what I suffer from you some other day! Just wait and see!" Louisa touched her painful cheek. Her ears were tingling. Even so, she stubbornly talked back to Edward. "Forget it, Louisa. You won''t have such a chance." Laughing softly, Rain tipped the security guard next to him a wink. And without hesitation, the security guard grabbed the stic bucket and poured the cold water and ice cubes along Louisa''s neck, doing it leisurely slow, as if it was a special moment to savor.


    "Ah! Damn! Help! Help me! You''re trying to kill me! Bad ass!" It shocked Louisa that they weren''t bluffing. She screamed out, shivering with cold and jumping about like a cat on a hot tin roof, as she tried to shake out the ice cubes inside her clothes.


    "Have you prepared a camera or something for this sexy scene, Edward?" With wicked thoughts, Rain proposed.


    "Don''t you have a phone? You can take some pictures with your phone." Edward rolled his eyes at Rain. It was what Rain wanted. He ordered to pour ice cubes into Louisa''s clothes, and then he could take some pictures. Only a shameless man like him coulde up with such a mean trick.


    "You''re right. Such amazing photos will be an instant hit on the Inte." Eagerly, Rain took out his phone and took pictures of Louisa''s messy clothes. It was known to all that women''s curvy body could often arouse men''s desire. The click-through rate would certainly be high.0000

 Chapter 1264 Edward鈥檚 Tricks (Part One)

    "No, you can''t do that to me! It''s...it''s...inhuman!" Louisa''s voice trembled as she shivered in the cold. But even though she was humiliated like this, she still felt she did nothing wrong. She kept her chin up and shot daggers at them. She still had her dignity, even as water dripped off of her and puddled on the floor. "Huh! Now you finally realized what inhuman is. But did you think about that when you tried to get off with Leena''s husband?" Rain sneered. It was taking all of his willpower not to beat this woman who hurt Leena. Leena was still in aa, and it was Louisa''s fault. "Kevin was always mine. Leena stole him from me, using all her tricks. And she''s just a ho! You people are too much! What made you think that you have the right to use me here?" Louisa shouted indignantly. Why did everyone always side with Leena? Was she wrong to love a man with all her heart? Louisa wondered.


    "Excuse me, did you say that Kevin was yours? That''s odd. He didn''t marry you. Why not?" Nowadays there were too many egotistical women. From Jessica, to Rachel, and now Louisa, they were all great examples. And it all came down to men. Men really didn''t stand up for themselves and say once and for all that they were married to someone, or not interested in someone else. Men would just string them along, not wanting to hurt their feelings. That was why women flew off the handle when their dreams were shattered. "It is all because Leena got in my way, otherwise I would be Mrs. Gu." Even when their rtionship began to sour, she still believed Kevin belonged to her. And no one knew how she came to believe her own delusions.


    "Want some advice? Cut it out. If you keep believing this, you''ll drive yourself nuts. Maybe you''re not the sharpest knife on the block, but that doesn''t mean you should be stupid. Even if Kevin hadn''t met Leena, you''d still be outssed," Rain mocked disdainfully. Although he had some issues with Kevin, he knew the man was still a pretty good guy. Louisa was a naggy bitch. If Kevin married her, she''d drive him to an early grave.


    "You''re not Kevin, how do you know that he wouldn''t choose me?" Louisa curled up and tried massaging some heat into her body. Her clothes, drenched in icy water, made her shiver. Fortunately the heat was on in the room, otherwise she would be frozen and unable to even speak, let alone argue with them so loudly. She was trying desperately to hold on to her pride, but that was evaporating quickly.


    "Because you''re not as hot as Leena. You''re not as nice as she is. You''re a jealous woman and that is never, ever a good look for anyone. When ites down to it, you''re not even worthy to be mentioned in the same breath as her. You''re not in her league. So what do you think you have to make Kevin favor you?" Edward sneered. As a man, he didn''t believe that Kevin would be so shallow to have the hots for Louisa. He didn''t really like him, but Edward still reluctantly acknowledged that Kevin had his own charm, and was not an average guy. He was a leader of men, and knew what he wanted. And what he wanted couldn''t be found in Louisa.


    "Huh! You say Leena''s like a sister to you, but that''s only an excuse. You just want to fuck her and don''t have the guts to say it!" Obviously, Louisa was ying with fire. If she just copped to her mistakes and apologized, Edward might have given her a pass. No matter what, she was a woman, so they wouldn''t get too out of hand. But she crossed the line and pissed Edward off. ''What you nt is what you get!'' as the saying went, Louisa was doomed to suffer.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    Edward caught her by her lower chin. He pressed his fingers harder as his fury rose within him. His usually handsome face grew darker, more menacing. There was nopassion left in him. She really took him past his limit. "First off, watch yournguage," Edward said. "Second, you pissed me off. Don''t ever say anything like that again," he growled. "You are risking your neck. Don''t make yourself a mouse, or the cat will eat you. You dirty gut, you just made the air foul here. You just don''t know when to quit, do you? Do you?" "Ah... let go. I...


    I can''t breathe." Louisa struggled to pry his fingers from her throat. She finally figured out that someone like Edward who was handsome and fascinating could be so horrible when he got angry. The thought never urred to her before. She wouldn''t make that mistake again.


    "I let you off easy. You''d better pray that our little princess ends up safe and sound. Otherwise I''ll beat you to death no matter who you are," Edward said before he flung her away. The worst women in the world fell into one of two categories. The pretentious, artificial women, and the sightless fools who didn''t know where they stood. Louisa was abination of both. And that just made her even more hateful.


    "It''s a shame. Your dad''s a great guy. How did he end up with a daughter like you-a shallow and shameless woman?" Rain said as he sighed and shook his head. He found he didn''t even want to do anything to this woman even to avenge Leena. Had he touched her, it would only make his hands dirty.


    "If you''re so high and mighty, why are you torturing me? Why did you kidnap me? And keep me locked up? You think that''s somehow noble?" As soon as Louisa was able to breathe again, she went back on the attack. She never knew when to stop.

 Chapter 1265 Edward鈥檚 Tricks (Part Two)

    "Yeah, you''re right, we''re not noble. So watch your mouth," Edward said with a cunning smile. Since he couldn''t torture her physically, he would like to change the tactic and torture her psychologically. He liked seeing his foes cowering in fear of what he might do. He hoped "Edward, any ideas of what you want to do with her?" Rain asked blissfully. Truth to be told, he had never seen a woman so pretentious and arrogant. He was anticipating what came next. Edward knew a lot about punishing people.


    "Luke, bring all the home theater equipment in here. Find some horror movies, any old one will do. Put ''em on repeat, so they just y 24/7. Crank up the volume as high as it will go. And get her a nket, if you feel sorry for her." Edward left the room as soon as he gave his orders, leaving no room for her to negotiate. She pissed him off, and had to pay the piper.


    "No, Edward, you bastard! You can''t treat me like this! My father will hear about this, and you''ll pay, believe me!" Louisa cried out and cursed in fright of the unknown looming danger. Louisa never expected that Edward would resort to such a terrible means to deal with her. But all she could do was scream at nk walls that had no answer for her.


    "Save it!" Luke shot her a cold look. If she''d just kept her mouth shut, Edward wouldn''t have been driven to this point. She wouldn''t be treated like this. But she decided to insult him, and Edward never took that well. She had to pay.


    "What a great idea! You are a genius!" Rain followed Edward and jogged to catch up to him. Watching thrillers might be fun for some people. It was fun to be scared sometimes. And binge watching horror movies was always a joy to those who wanted to scare themselves. But for a woman locked up alone here and drenched to the bone by ice-water, it was a torture to both mind and body. And the movies would be ying all day, all night, with the volume at max. Of course she could choose not to look at the screen, but the horrible sounds would haunt her for the whole night. It was daunting even for a ordinary person. For Louisa, sheer torture.


    "Feeling sorry for her already?" Edward asked as he paused. In all honesty, he''d been pretty lenient, as he saw it. If she said that in the past, he''d probably have killed her. He had such a hot temper. But now, he had a family to attend to, and he had to shoulder the responsibility as a husband and father. He couldn''t be like that anymore.


    "Huh! You kidding? The day I feel sorry for her is the day hell freezes over." Rainughed. How could he feel sympathy for that bitch? There was no way. He thought Edward showed remarkable restraint.


    "So why are we still talking about it?" Edward said as he left the office. Hepletely ignored Rain, and that pissed the effeminate man off. But what else could he do? He could only get in the car and leave, sulking.


    Sitting on the bench alone, Kevin had some time to think. Memories shed through his mind, from the moment when he first met Leena in the bar till now he saw her lying in the ward, fighting for her life. He realized what a cold, cruel man he was! He only selfishly used Leena as a way to stay in the city at first. Then, hergely ignored her after they got married. He never really cared about how she felt or what was on her mind. He resolved to do better, if she ever woke up.


    "Here." Tom handed Kevin a cup of coffee. "You look like you need it," said the doctor. He didn''t look as tired as he usually did, probably because he had a good night''s sleep.


    "Thanks!" Kevin took the coffee without hesitation. He thought Tom was right, he truly needed something piping hot to keep his spirits up. It wasn''t Caf¨¦ del Volc¨¢n, but it still was nice and aromatic. And strong.


    "I''m going to check on Leena. Take as much time as you like." Several hours had passed and there was still no news. No news was good news. So Kevin was pretty optimistic about the oue. He was still worried, but less so now than at the start.


    "Thanks, man," said Kevin. He was still in uniform, but covered with an extra military coat. Lee insisted. After Lee sent ire home, he brought the coat for Kevin and intended to stay with him in the hospital. But Kevin insisted that he should go back to the base. So Lee left in the end. He didn''t like it, but he obeyed orders.


    Tom nced at him, but finally said nothing. What was there to say? He turned around and walked into the ward. He knew that Kevin was facing something he never had to worry about before. He was a young and talented Major General, but behind his shining appearance, he had to taste the bitterness of life alone.


    The winter night was bitingly cold, especially at four or five in the morning. Frost glittered on the buildings and the grass. Looking outside through the window, Kevin could see the trunk of the tree had been sheathed in ice -- like it had melted and frozen just as quickly. He could imagine how cold it was outside. He had been sitting here for hours. Although sometimes he stood up and walked here and there out of uneasiness, he still felt stiff all over.


    He took a small sip of coffee. His cold body was warmed as soon as the hot liquid streamed down his throat. The hot coffee rxed him, making him feel a bitfortable. But fatigue still got the better of him. He didn''t get a nap before. But as time passed, he felt drained of energy. It was hard to feel good now, and the only thing he wanted was a bed.00000000

 Chapter 1266 Edward鈥檚 Tricks (Part Three)

    "Hey. Why don''t you catch some zzz''s? I can stay here, and make sure she''s okay," Tom suggested, when he walked out of the ward and saw Kevin''s tired face. "Naw. I''m good.. How''s Leena? Is she alright?" Kevin asked eagerly. He was still deeply concerned, and that eclipsed his need for sleep. Leena''s condition was what worried him most.


    "Currently, her vital signs are normal. I''d like to keep her under observation for a few hours. If she stays stable, we can transfer her to a normal bed." Tom felt delighted to tell Kevin this. More importantly, he could see clearly that Leena had the will to survive now. That was some serious progress. He wanted to see everything be okay again, which was why he became a doctor in the first ce.


    "Really? Great. It''s all thanks to you." Kevin got very excited when he heard Tom''s words. He really wanted to hold Tom''s hands to show his thanks. But he gave up when he found that he had that cup of coffee in his hand. Even so, he couldn''t help feeling overjoyed. He hadn''t felt like this in awhile.


    "Hey, no need to thank me, thank yourself. You lit that spark in her. She improved as soon as you started talking to her. Whatever you said did the trick. " Tom didn''t really want to know what Kevin said to Leena. In his eyes, as long as it worked, the process was not that important.Content rights belong to N?velDrama.Org.


    "I didn''t help that much. You''re the hero who saved the day." Kevin smiled. The past several hours were torturing to him. So he would keep this lesson in his mind and never let any situation deteriorate again.


    "You''re too kind. No matter what, Leena''s my sister. So don''t worry about it. And don''t pay any attention to Edward and the gang. They said what they said because they were worried about Leena," Tom said after he sat down beside Kevin. The white gown he wore made him look all the more gentle. Maybe he wasn''t as drop-dead gorgeous as Edward, Duke, and all them. But he was the nicest out of all of them.


    "I know, it already rolled off my back." Kevin knew they were good to Leena, so he never paid much attention. Besides, he knew who he was, and didn''t care what they thought.


    "I''m d you get it. But keep in mind that I''m a good guy doesn''t mean I don''t have issues with you. I''m just more rational than them, because I''m a doctor. My duty is to heal the wounded and save the dying, and there''s nothing personal. We''re a lot alike, soldier boy. We both serve the people." Tom narrowed his eyes and nced at him. Truthfully, the more time he spent with Kevin, the more he felt that the man was a pretty good guy overall. That might be why Leena married him.


    "Someday, you guys will trust me that I can take good care of Leena. We''ll probably end up in an old folk''s home by then, but at least you''ll trust me." Kevin said firmly. He thought about it for awhile -- he had a long time to do nothing but think. And he finally figured out how he could be a good husband to Leena. He couldn''t follow her around all day, but he could love her wholeheartedly. His love was the only thing he could offer, because she was so rich andcked for nothing. except his love. He aimed to change that.


    The international airport of the city was as grand and spectacr as it ever was. Although there was still some time before dawn, the ce was as busy as it was in the day. The people who had to run around for a living filled the ce, running helter skelter, going about their daily tasks, checking flight info, etc. Duke embraced the first morning ray in the city as he arrived.


    Because his flight taxied in at dawn, Duke didn''t ask Belinda to meet him at the airport. But when he saw the familiar figure waiting for him, he still felt moved.


    "Why are you here? I told you you didn''t have toe. I can just grab a taxi," Duke said with a frown, his face as cold as ever. But when he looked straight at Belinda, his eyes were full of tenderness and affection.


    "It''s okay. I was up anyway," Belinda said with a smile. If anybody knew that the CEO of Leng Group had to take a taxi home, it would make him aughingstock.


    "How are you? Are you alright?" She told him over and over again that she wasn''t pregnant, but Duke still couldn''t believe her. So from the moment he saw her, he checked her out from head to toe.


    "Huh! Right in front of you, safe and sound. You can see for yourself I''m okay." Belinda couldn''t helpughing. Before she went out to pick Duke up, she had called Tom to confirm that Leena was doing better. She felt relived after she got the good news and that was why she was so happy now.


    "I''m gonna get you to a hospital. I worry about you, you know," Duke said as he reached out his arm and circled her waist. They walked out of the airport holding each other. What a loving couple!


    "Where are we going? Don''t we need to go home first?" Duke asked doubtfully when he saw that Belinda missed the turnoff for the highway.


    "Didn''t you say that you want me to get a checkup at the hospital? Let''s drop by there now. We can save time and energy," Belinda said with evasive eyes. She didn''t tell him now that Leena was fighting with death. She didn''t want him to lose his mind. That was probably not what he wanted to hear right when he got home.


    "But we don''t have to do it so early. I just got in. And it''s probably too early for a nurse practitioner." Duke looked at her with doubt in his eyes. Didn''t she say that she was alright? But why did she seem like she wanted to rush to the hospital?


    "Don''t worry. I just called Tom. He''s there now. He''ll get everything set up," It was hard to keep lying. Belinda now regretted that she came up with such ame excuse.


    "Okay, it''s all you. But wasn''t Tom pissed? I know he likes his beauty sleep." Duke didn''t have any reason not to believe Belinda. But subconsciously he had a hunch that something was wrong. He just didn''t know what it was.00000

 Chapter 1267 Dukes Wrath (Part One)

    Belinda just smiled, not saying a word to Duke. It confused him. He had no idea what was up until he got dragged to the ICU. All of a sudden, he felt a bad feeling creep up on him. He looked at Kevin. Why was he here? Who was in the ICU? Why did Belinda get him to


    this ce? Duke had an answer to all the questions in his head, but he refused to believe it.


    "What the hell is going on? Why am I here?" Duke didn''t want to assume the worst, but he had a terrible feeling. He lost his usual cool, afraid of hearing their reply. The panic in his heart rose.


    Kevin and Belinda looked at each other. They wondered how to break the bad news to Duke without making him go crazy. Neither of them opened their mouths. They didn''t know how to exin the situation.


    "Duke? I thought you were still abroad? When did youe back?" Tom, who had just gotten out of the ICU, asked in surprise when he saw Duke. He hade out to tell Kevin that Leena was finally stable and not in dangerous condition.


    "I am the one being kept in the dark! Why are you all here so early in the morning? Who''s in there?" Duke looked from one person to another. His heart pounded faster in his chest as he got more and more anxious.


    "Okay, let me exin the situation to you," Tom said, slightly furrowing his eyebrows. Fortunately, Leena was out of the dangerous condition now, so there was no need to hide this from her brother. To be honest, they couldn''t hide something this big from Duke anyway, even if they wanted to. The real problem here was how to tell him.


    Belinda and Kevin looked at him with grateful eyes as he said this. As Leena''s doctor, Tom was the most appropriate person to exin Leena''s condition to Duke.


    "Then tell me! I''m still waiting!" Duke urged. He didn''t understand what Tom was so hesitant about.


    "Last night, Leena fell in the water. She inhaled too much of it. Plus, she had not fully recovered from her cold, so she nearly lost her life. But don''t worry, all is well now. I just checked on her. She is out of the emergency situation. We can put her in a private ward now." Tom tried his best to be crystal clear, but he left out an important thing. He himself didn''t know when Leena would wake up.


    "What? How did Leena fall into the water? How did it even happen? Kevin, exin yourself!" Duke demanded angrily, suddenly grabbing Kevin by the cor. Leena was Kevin''s wife but he didn''t take good care of her. Instead, he let her fall into the water and endangered her life. He was not a capable husband! This was unforgivable!


    "I am sorry!" Kevin''s lips thinned into a grim line. He didn''t want to exin himself, nor did he think he deserved to. What Duke was implying was right. He didn''t protect Leena well enough. This was partly his fault.


    "Screw you! I don''t want to hear your apology! I should have never let youe near Leena!" Duke smashed his fist in Kevin''s face before anyone could react and ckened his eye. Kevin didn''t strike back. He could have surely dodged Duke''s fist, but he didn''t move, not even a bit. He let Duke punch him because he thought he deserved it. Truthfully, he felt a little better because of it.


    "Stop it, Duke! It was not Kevin''s fault! He was in a conference at the army base when Leena fell into the water!" Belinda grabbed Duke''s hand abruptly, in case he wanted to punch Kevin again. She had heard from Daisy that Kevin hadn''t been sleeping well for two days because of aplication with the army. That was why he looked so exhausted.


    "I don''t give a damn! It''s his fault that he didn''t protect Leena!" Duke fumed but because of Belinda, he didn''t try to punch Kevin again. He was afraid he would hurt her unintentionally. He remembered that Belinda might be pregnant and grew cautious.


    Kevin wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. Duke hadn''t held back when he punched him. Kevin was in great pain.


    "He is not a God for fuck''s sake! He can''t be by Leena''s side 24/7!" Belinda red at Duke in anger. He didn''t have the right to me Kevin for not protecting Leena enough. Did he forget what had happened to her by the sea? How could he even put the me on Kevin? Well, in Belinda''s opinion, the men here were all unreliable. First, Edward nearly endangered Daisy''s life. Then, Rain lost the woman he loved. The two men in front of her were also a handful. They shouldn''t me one another. They were all the same.


    "Kevin, I''m warning you. If anything happens to Leena, I will make your life miserable!" Duke gritted his teeth in anger and red at Kevin. Had he known that Kevin would treat her dear sister like this, he would have broken them up the moment he knew they got married in secret.


    "What are you doing, Duke? Didn''t you hear Tom? Leena is out of danger now! All she needs right now is rest. She doesn''t need you two fighting over this!" Belinda knew Duke would be worried sick over Leena and vexed with Kevin. That was why she didn''t tell him the news the minute she got to know it. Now, looking at Duke, she felt she had made the right decision.


    "Can I go in and see Leena now?" Duke turned to look at Tom with expectation, trying his best to contain his rage towards Kevin.


    "Just wait a minute. Let us run a final test on her and make sure she is really stable. Then we will transfer her to a private ward." Tom could understand how anxious Duke was. After all, everyone knew how much he loved his sister and how he always spoiled her. But still, what was more important right now was Leena''s health. Duke would have to wait for a few minutes until the check-up was done.


    At this, Duke didn''t insist on seeing Leena anymore and red at Kevin one more time. ''Don''t tell me that Leena''s ident actually has something to do with you, Kevin, or I will make you pay for it, ''Duke thought.


    "Kevin, why don''t you go and see a nurse for your wounds? We will wait here for Leena," Belinda suggested to Kevin apologetically. She felt bad about Duke''s violent behavior, not having expected him to hit Kevin out of the blue.0000N?velDrama.Org (C) content.

 Chapter 1268 Dukes Wrath (Part Two)

    "That won''t be necessary. I''m all right. Thank you for your concern." As a soldier, Kevin was used to being injured, so he didn''t care much. Besides, he deserved it for not protecting Leena. He was not a good husband at all and was not as caring and attentive as he should have been.


    Duke still red daggers at Kevin. He didn''t think what he had done just now was wrong. Leena had never been hurt before she met Kevin. But ever since she married this guy, all kinds of idents kept happening to her non-stop. How could Duke not be mad at Kevin? "Leena, please wake up! I''m here." When Duke finally saw Leena lying on her hospital bed, his heart broke. Her face was extremely pale. She seemed sockluster and lifeless. When he had seen her in Parisst time, he thought she was at her worst. He had been wrong. Nothing broke his heart more than the pale little face he saw right now. Her breath was shallow, as if she were seconds away from leaving them for good. Duke was heartbroken and afraid at the same time.


    Kevin, on the other side of the bed, stared at Leena with pain and affection in his eyes. He wanted to hold her in his arms so badly, but he knew it was not the right time to do so. He knew that Duke was probably even more devastated than him. Leena was the little princess in their family. Duke had watched her grow up into a beautiful and kind youngdy. It must be heartbreaking for him to see her like this, so Kevin tried his best to contain his emotions.


    "Tom, what''s wrong with Leena? Why hasn''t she woken up yet?" Duke asked Tom anxiously. Leena was out of her dangerous condition, right? Tom had confirmed it. So why was she still asleep?


    "Don''t worry about it. She will wake up. It''s just a matter of time," Tom said as he carefully checked up on Leena to make sure she was stable. He didn''t want to miss anything.


    "I want to know exactly how long it would be before she wakes up. And who did this to her?" Duke looked at everyone coldly. He didn''t want them to hide this from him.


    "Duke, calm down, please. Don''t you believe Tom?" Belinda was a bit afraid that Duke knew who had done this to Leena. It was not like the person who did this didn''t deserve Duke''s wrath, but she thought that if he knew, he would be even more worked up than Edward and act vengefully. All hell would break loose and it wouldn''t be good for Leena''s recovery. It would only cause more trouble. Besides, she believed that Edward had made Louisa suffer enough for what she did to Leenast night.


    "It''s not that I don''t believe him. I just want to know who did this to my precious sister! She was always weaker than the other kids when she was small. For health reasons, I taught her how to swim when she was five years old. How is it possible that she fell into the water and drowned?" If they told him she had frozen in the cold water, he would have believed them. But drowning? How was that possible? Leena had been swimming for years, for God''s sake! She was such a good swimmer, even better than him. It was quite strange that she fell in the water and drowned. Duke was clever and put two and two together. He came to the conclusion that this ident was not an ident at all.


    "It''s all my fault. Before the ident happened, we had an argument. It was a misunderstanding. I wanted to exin things to her, but there was an emergency at the army base and I didn''t get the chance. Maybe because of that she lost her will to live and drowned." Kevin didn''t want to hide this from Leena''s brother. He was indeed responsible for this and was prepared for Duke''s wrath.


    "I knew it was your fault! Now that I know you don''t cherish her at all, I think it won''t be necessary that you continue being married to her! Get out! We can take care of Leena ourselves. You don''t have to pretend to care about her anymore," Duke''s tone was stone cold. He didn''t want Kevin near Leena ever again. His precious little sister didn''t deserve to be treated like this.


    "You can shout at me and you can punch me again. But if you want me to break up with Leena, it''s impossible. I will not agree to it, not ever!" Kevin red back at Duke. If Duke had demanded this when they were newly married, Kevin might have considered it. But now, after living with Leena for so long, he had fallen in love with her without even knowing it. He would never allow anyone to take Leena away from him, not even her own brother.


    "It''s not for you to decide that. Don''t forget, Leena is the youngest one in our family," Duke hissed, his gaze harsh. No matter what, he would not budge this time.


    "Don''t you forget that Leena is my wife now," Kevin retorted. He wouldn''t get backed into a corner either. He had let Duke punch him because he knew he deserved it, but that didn''t mean that he wouldpromise on everything. He was not a Major General for no reason. "All right, all right. That''s enough, you two! Don''t you see that Leena is still lying here? You are arguing about something that the two of you don''t even have the right to decide! You should know that is Leena''s choice." Belinda couldn''t help but roll her eyes at them. They were such fools. It was ultimately Leena''s decision if she wanted to stay with Kevin or not. Why couldn''t they understand such a simple thing?


    "Humph!" Duke''s eyes did not move from Kevin. He still could not forgive Kevin. Kevin, in turn, stared back defiantly. It seemed that the feud that had always been between them rose again.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "Tom, could you please find a good obstetrician for me? I want to get a check-up done," A deep blush appeared on Belinda''s face as she said this. Now that Tom had guessed that she might be pregnant, there was no need to hide it anymore. After all, Tom was their close friend.


    "No problem. Do you want to see the obstetrician right now?" Tom looked at his watch. It was almost eight o''clock in the morning. The doctors should be here.????????????????

 Chapter 1269 Dukes Wrath (Part Three)

    tired and worried he must be feeling right now. He deserved a good shower to freshen up.


    "No rush. I can go and see the obstetricianter. Kevin, why don''t you go home and have a shower first? We can watch over Leena. You have been here the entire night." Belinda looked at Kevin''s tired face. He was family and she felt sorry for him. She understood how "I will wait until after Leena wakes up. I want to be the first one she sees when she opens her eyes. She''d like it too." Kevin smiled a little, but his smile was bitter. When he had suddenly left, it had made Leena think the worst of him. Now he was determined to never disappoint her again.


    "You should listen to Belinda. Just go home and freshen up. Leena won''t wake up so soon," Tom said to Kevin. From the heavy bags under Kevin''s eyes, Tom could tell that he was indeed exhausted. He had heard that Kevin didn''t sleep in two days, so Tom was touched that he was willing to watch over Leena in this state.


    "Fine, I will be back soon." Kevin nced at Leena with concern. He was afraid that Leena would wake up in his absence and leaned down to gently kiss her on the lips, in spite of others'' presence. As Kevin slowly walked out of the room, he kept turning around to look back at Leena.


    Not long after Kevin left, Daisy arrived. She wanted to see Leena before she went back to the army base, but Leena still hadn''t woken up. Daisy didn''t stay for long as there were still a lot of things at the army base she had to deal with. Besides, she had to visit the injured soldiers before she went back. She didn''t have much time.


    To the people who loved and cared for Leena, the night was painful. At the same time, it was a suffering to Louisa. She had been forced to listen to all kinds of scary noises from thriller movies. Her clothes were wet and cold, making her shiver all night. She couldn''t escape, nor could she sleep. She felt like she was surely about to lose her mind.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Here are your new clothes. Change into them and leave." Luke brought the clothes for Louisa under Daisy''s order. If it were Edward, he would never have been kind enough to give Louisa dry clothes.


    "Where is my phone? Can I have it back now?" Louisa bit her lower lip, wrapping a nket around herself tightly. She looked at Luke with cautious eyes. She was on high alert, especially after the long scary night. "Here. Hope you know what you are doing next time." Luke tossed her phone back at her, his face full of disdain.


    "Just wait and watch! I will get back at all of you for what you did to me!" Louisa red. Her tone was full of venom. She still heard the awful voices repeating in her ears but she didn''t let it show. She tried to seem threatening and menacing, but in reality, she just felt helpless.


    "If you say so." Luke didn''t care about her empty threats. He left the room. If she had not hurt Leena intentionally, he would have called her brave for making these threats. But sadly, she did hurt Leena, so her fate was doomed.


    As soon as Louisa saw Luke leave, she called her father. Her father was themander, he would surely be able to help her get back at them. She would take her revenge on all of them, especially Edward. What she didn''t know was that Daisy had contacted themander first and exined everything to him, including what they had done to Louisa. Daisy was hoping that themander would forgive them for punishing Louisa for what she had done. And yes, they had been forgiven. So when Louisa saw her father, she was shocked when he scolded her harshly.


    "Dad! I am your daughter! Why are you making excuses for them? Do you have any idea how they treated mest night? They not only poured freezing cold water on me, but also forced me to listen to scary movies all night! Besides that, they took photos of me and threatened to put them on the Inte! You have to kill them for me, dad! Let''s start with Daisy. She is Edward''s wife, correct? Let''s start with her first!" Louisa was wrapped in her quilt. Shey in her soft and warm bed as she shouted at her father. "Nonsense! Do you have any idea what you have done? Do you even hear yourself right now?" Themander was beyond furious at his daughter. He couldn''t help but p her. He had thought she got better after all those years of studying abroad. But to his disappointment, she hadn''t changed a bit. She was still the spoiled brat she used to be! She even talked about killing people! What the hell was she thinking? How did she be like this? He really hadn''t raised her up well.


    "How dare you p me? Okay, fine! If you don''t help me, I wille up with something myself! I will make them pay for what they have done to me. Just you see." Louisa touched her face where her father had pped her. It hurt. Her eyes burned like fire as she red at her father, who was as furious as she was. She refused to back down and admit that what she had done was wrong.


    "From now on, you are not allowed to leave this house! If you do go out, don''t evere back." Commander Ye shook with rage. He couldn''t understand why his daughter was behaving like this. Where did he go wrong with her? He could manage soldiers worth an entire army base, but he couldn''t manage his own daughter? How ridiculous! He was a failure of a father.


    "Don''t worry, I won''te back! Do you think I give a fuck? What good is being your daughter? I can''t have the man I like. My own father wouldn''t help me when I''m bullied! You are a coward for a father. You don''t want me as your daughter? That''s fine. I don''t want you to be my father either!" Louisa raised her chin at themander and raised an eyebrow. She was the same as she had been when she got shipped abroad. She felt there was no ce for her in this family anymore.0000

 Chapter 1270 The Sleeping Beauty (Part One)

    "Stop talking nonsense! It''s all my fault. I failed to find out that you had a thing for Kevin. Oh my god! I even let you get close to him! From now on, you are forbidden to contact him, meet him, or even look at him. Disobey me and I''ll sue you myself for sabotaging a military marriage even though you are my daughter!" The Commander closed his eyes in embarrassment. What a shameless daughter he had! How could he face Kevin now? But he knew that he was at fault too. He had been so busy working all these years that he had neglected his daughter''s education. And now she had be a willful person with no morals.


    "Ha! You think that I would still have the chance to get close to Kevin? He hates me and won''t see me anymore. It''s all your fault! When they applied for a marriage license, you should have used your position to turn down their request. Leena wouldn''t have be Mrs. Gu!" Louisa''s voice teetered on the edge of hysteria. She was such a selfish and spoiled little brat that she still put the me on others despite what had happened, oblivious to her own mistakes. In her eyes, she had been betrayed by everyone including her father.


    "What? You still haven''t learned your lesson? Have you got no shame, you woman? I am so humiliated because of what you have done. Look at you! Even if Kevin were not married, he would never choose someone like you. You are a disgrace. Just stop the delusions ande back to reality!" The Commander sighed with profound resignation. He had been so busy at work that he hardly had any time for his family. He now felt much guilt and felt responsible for what became of his daughter. He always met her requests and satisfied her every whim to make up for his absence. He now realized that it was him who had spoiled his daughter rotten.


    "You are not him! You don''t know whom he would choose! Why do you look down on me like that? I''m your daughter!" Tears streamed down Louisa''s cheeks as shemented her father''sck of support. In her eyes, it was all her father''s fault. If her father had considered pairing her and Kevin, then Leena would have had no chance to marry him.


    "You brat! I''m your father. How could you talk to me like that? You must reflect on what you''ve done. I have to fix the situation for you and save your face and mine. If you dare to run away, I swear I will break your legs!" The Commander cast a stern nce at Louisa before leaving and locking her room. She had been punished by Edward the previous night and caught a cold because of it. If it weren''t for that, the Commander would have given her a more severe punishment himself, instead of only locking her in her room.


    "You have no right to order me around! Fascist!" Louisa''s screaming resounded through the house, but the Commander left the house as if he heard nothing. He had loads of things to deal with at the army base.


    When he got into the car, his phone rang. It was from Kevin.


    "Hello! Major General Gu, how is your wife? It''s all my fault. I failed to discipline my daughter and now she has caused you so much trouble. I''m so sorry." The Commander made a sincere apology to Kevin. He had aged ten years since the previous night because of all the stress and shame.


    "She is out of immediate danger, but hasn''t woken up yet. Doctor Qin has reassured that she''d wake up soon so we have that to look forward to." Kevin held his phone with one hand while grabbing Leena''s hand with the other. He was very mad at Louisa, but he wouldn''t lose his temper at the Commander. The Commander had treated Kevin like his own son all these years. As a grateful man, Kevin respected and honored him. It would be unfair to put Louisa''s me on the Commander.


    "If this is really true, it''ll take a load off my mind. Please apologize for me when she wakes up. If it weren''t for my unruly daughter, she wouldn''t have suffered." The Commander had devoted his whole life to his country, and he thought he was worthy of the heart. He didn''t expect his reputation to be ruined by a brat like Louisa who only happened to be his daughter.


    "Commander, you don''t need to me yourself. Leena is not an unreasonable person. I am sure that she will not put the slightest condemnation on you." Kevin stroked Leena''s face gently. He was with Leena alone. A few moments before, Belinda had a test in the hospital and the doctor confirmed that she was pregnant. Therefore, Duke had to go home with his wife. Otherwise he would force Kevin to leave Leena, and they would have a fight about this.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Well, anyway, I should also be responsible for this matter. You can take a day off to take care of your wife. As for your tasks, Senior Colonel Ouyang has mentioned it. I''ll try my best to persuade the higher authorities to reassign it to Hank." The Commander was not an unreasonable person, albeit an understanding one. He could imagine Kevin being too preupied with this crisis to carry out his tasks effectively.


    "Thank you, Commander. I was nning to discuss it with you. You are so thoughtful as to give me a break." That was the reason why Kevin respected the Commander very much. The Commander always ced himself in others'' position and was kind enough to meet their real needs.


    "Don''t worry about your work. Just take care of your wife. I''ll be responsible for everything in the army base," the Commander offered. He had to do this to make up for his daughter''s mistakes. After all, Louisa was his only daughter, and he had to deal with the mess she had created.


    "All right. Thank you, Commander." Kevin could imagine what a difficult position the Commander was in right now, and that was why he didn''t hold Louisa ountable for what she had done. After all, Edward had already punished Louisa. Kevin decided to let go of it, otherwise the Commander would be in an awkward position. Someday, maybe he and Leena would find a way to forgive her and forget about all this.

 Chapter 1271 The Sleeping Beauty (Part Two)

    "Kevin, thank you so much for not holding Louisa ountable. I know you spared her only for my sake. I promise you, she will not have any chance to get close and bother you in the future. You have my word." The Commander''s face blushed red with shame when he said this. It had never urred to him that his daughter could stoop down so low and be a home wrecker. Her behavior had provoked much discussion. Luckily, Leena''s friends didn''t really hurt her. Otherwise, the Commander would be so overpowered by his guilt and shame that he wouldn''t have the face to look Kevin in the eye again. "Let bygones be bygones, Commander. Don''t think too much of it. Louisa has been punished, right?" Kevin didn''t know how Edward had punished Louisa, but he believed it was not an easy one.


    "I''m afraid she still hasn''t learned from her mistakes. Never mind. I''d better call the higher authorities now. The sooner, the better." The Commander was furious with the manner that Edward punished his daughter, but he had to hold back his anger. After all, his daughter deserved it, especially that Leena was still in a semi-stable state. He had heard of Edward''s cruel style of punishment before, and he knew Edward had showed his daughter mercy. The Commander had a clear estimation of himself, and he knew Edward would by no means show mercy to his daughter because he was a Commander, but because of Daisy.


    "Thank you, Commander. Whether the high authorities agree to your request or not, I appreciate your efforts." Kevin rubbed his brow. If the high authorities didn''t agree, he had to leave this evening. Leena hadn''t woken up yet, and he didn''t want to leave her behind like this. After hanging up, Kevin poured a ss of warm water and wet a q-tip to clean her lips with the utmost care.


    "Nana, why are you still sleeping? Are you still mad at me? You are not willing to give me one more chance, aren''t you?" Kevin let out a bitter smile and was ovee with remorse. He would do anything to wake her up, even give his life if that was what it took. Leena heard the man''s voice again, which stopped her from approaching her mother. She was eager to know who it was. But no matter how hard she tried, it was so dark around her that she could hardly see her hand in front of her, let alone the man''s face. "The sun is shining brightly today. Don''t you like basking in the sunshine with me in the garden? If you are going to sleep any longer, you''ll get moldy and stagnant." Kevin really wanted to know what Leena was thinking. Tom said she was already out of immediate danger. Why was she refusing to wake up? Was it because she just hated to see him?


    "Nana, don''t you believe that I have fallen in love with you? You think it''s a dream. You are willing to live in that dream, aren''t you? Let me assure you, I would prove to you in words and in deeds that I do love you." If Leena woke up now, Kevin would be willing to show her his real self and let her know that he fell in love with her and couldn''t live without her.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Edward stood at the ward door for a while beforeing in, pretending not to hear what Kevin had said. He looked at Leena first and then cast a nce at Kevin, asking, "How''s she? Did Tom say when Leena would wake up?"


    "Doctor Qin doesn''t know either when Leena will wake up. It all depends on her own willingness," Kevin answered in a calm voice. He didn''t care whether Edward had heard what he had just said to Leena. He meant it, and he was willing to let everyone know that he loved Leena.


    "Are you okay? Why don''t you go home for a rest. I''ll be here to take care of her. I can handle the files here," Edward offered. Edward disliked Kevin before, for thetter actually had a thing for Daisy first but then ended up getting married to Leena. But after he heard Kevin''s confession, Edward''s opinion of him changed.


    "I''m good. I''ve taken a few naps on the side of the bed," Kevin admitted, a little embarrassed. After cleaning himself up at home, Kevin hurried back as soon as possible without taking a rest. On seeing that Leena was in a stable condition, he slept for an hour or two on the side of the bed. With a few rest periods like that, he was no longer that tired.


    "Well, then you should go and eat something in the hospital canteen. It''s lunch time." Edward had to chair an important meeting that morning, so he had just called Tom to inquire about Leena''s condition instead ofing here. Rain also hade to the hospital that morning, and becasue of that, he waste for the meeting. As soon as they adjourned, Edward wasted no timeing to the hospital.


    "Don''t worry about me. ire just called and she will bring me lunch soon." Edward realized Kevin would by no means leave Leena. He sighed and thought, ''If he had realized his true feelings for Leena earlier, things wouldn''t have worked out this way.''


    "Okay. I''ll go find Tom and ask about Leena''s situation. Please do take good care of her." After thinking for a whole night, Edward had calmed down and was moreposed in the morning. Maybe part of the reason was because Leena was already out of danger. He felt much relieved and was more able to control his temper. As a matter of fact, he was no longer in the fight mode.00000

 Chapter 1272 The Sleeping Beauty (Part Three)

    "Well, she is my wife, and this is what I should do," Kevin said with a frown. He didn''t think taking care of Leena was a burden to him. After all, Leena was his wife, the closest person to him in the world. But Edward''s words, as if giving him orders, made him feel like an


    outsider, which made him very ufortable.


    Then there was a soft knock at the door. Kevin looked up to see who it was and couldn''t believe who was standing by the door. His mother came. Although it was a long way from the capital city, she rushed over as soon as she could. Apparently, Shannon cared a lot about her daughter-inw.


    "How''s Leena?" Shannon entered the ward with ire, travel-worn and weary. Anxiety was written all over her face.


    "Mom, why are you here? ire told you everything, didn''t she?" Kevin had told Leena his true feelings for her the whole day, but there was still no sign of her waking up. Kevin felt both physically and mentally exhausted. Luckily, the Commander had persuaded the superior officers to reassign his tasks to Hank, otherwise Kevin would not know how to bnce himself between his country and his wife.


    "Yes, she did. Last night, she called me and told me what had happened, and I was eager toe here then. But it''s not safe to drive at night. So I set out this morning. How''s Leena? She still hasn''t woken up?" Shannon approached the bed and gazed worriedly at Leena''s pale face.


    "No, she hasn''t. But the doctor said she would wake up sooner orter. Did you drive here? Or dad arranged a driver for you?" Kevin asked casually. He didn''t think his father would care about Leena. After all, he had always made no secret of his dislike for her. "Your father asked his guard to drive me here. You know, I am so worried about Leena. Your father said it was dangerous for me to drive." Shannon didn''t hide her feelings for Leena either. She had actually nned to visit her son and daughter-inw a couple of days before. But she didn''t expect her ns to be realized with the inclusion of such a gloomy event. She shook her head with profound resignation and hoped Leena would wake up soon.


    "ire, why did you tell mom about it? You are not helping." Kevin gave ire a reproachful look as he didn''t want his mother to worry about Leena. The good news was that ire had be a sensible and thoughtful girl. Kevin also finally got to know what a excellent person Leena was in a ze of publicity. He had thought she was only an apprentice with no real job. That was the reason why he was okay with Leena''s refusal to hire a house maid. After all, in his opinion, Leena had a plenty of time to do the housework. He had no idea that she was able to be a great sess in the fashion industry while cleaning and arranging everything in their house in perfect order. He had never put himself in her shoes before, and he felt very guilty about it. Strangely, none of the media had reported on Leena''s drowning. He wondered whether Edward had put pressure on the media to stop them from reporting it. After all, it wasn''t good news.


    "Don''t me her. She was doing the right thing. If I didn''te here during such a critical moment, Leena would think that I don''t care for her enough." Shannon rolled her eyes at Kevin with irritation. She couldn''t believe her son had nned not to tell her about it. "I didn''t mean it that way. I just wanted to tell you about it after Leena wakes up." Kevin scratched his head in embarrassment. In front of his mother, he was no longer the iron-hearted Major General, but a guilty kid who did something petty.


    "Look at Leena. Her face is as pale as death. It makes my heart ache to see her like this. What a bad girl Miss Ye is! How could she push Leena into the water on such a cold day?" Shannon cast a ming look at ire. If ire hadn''t gotten so close to Louisa, the tragedy might not have happened. Shannon hoped that ire had learned her lesson this time. Kevin didn''t know how to answer the question, as he was not Louisa and he had no idea what she had been thinking at that time.


    "Mom, why don''t we go eat something first? And then we can bring Kevin something to eat," ire suggested. She knew Kevin would not leave Leena, so she didn''t even ask Kevin to go with them. She could understand how Kevin felt. If she were Kevin, she would also be unwilling to leave. When Be was about to leave after visiting Leena, Kevin asked ire to drive her back. He had spent the whole day in the ward keeping Leenapany.


    "Oh... Who is this?" asked Belinda in confusion. She drove to the hospital as soon as she got off work, and she was surprised to see a middle-aged woman in the ward.


    "Hi, Belinda. This is my mom, Shannon Long. Mom, this is Leena''s sister-inw, Belinda Shangguan," Kevin introduced, a little embarrassed. He had been married to Leena for quite a long time, but it was the first time that his mother met Leena''s family. What a weird situation it was!


    "Ah, nice to meet you, Aunt Shannon. I''m Belinda Shangguan, Leena''s sister-inw. Just call me Belinda," she introduced herself to Shannon with a wide smile. She didn''t expect Kevin''s mother to be such an elegant and gracefuldy. In her eyes, women from military families were usually careless and didn''t care much about how they dressed in public.


    "Nice to meet you, Belinda. I''m Shannon Long, Kevin''s mother. Leena is such a good girl. She is adorable and capable. Thank you for letting Kevin have the chance to be her partner. We''re so sorry for not having taken good care of her." Belinda could tell from Shannon''s words and manners that she was a well-educated woman. She heaved a long sigh of relief to herself and hoped that Kevin''s family would treat Leena well.


    "That''s very kind of you to say that, Aunt Shannon. Leena is indeed an adorable girl. If she does something inappropriate, please forgive her. After all, she is still young and has a lot to learn." Belinda was a sessful woman in the business circle, and she knew how to switch back and forth with words of politeness for people whom she met for the first time. She thought Leena would not do anything inappropriate, and she was just being polite to say that.000All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.

 Chapter 1273 Time To Get Up (Part One)

    "What are you talking about? As to how I see it, she is doing great! I really admire her. You should know how rare it is to find such a nice and decent girl like Leena." Shannon sighed softly as she silently wished for ire to behave more like Leena. She would surely be happier if that was the case. "Thanks for being so gentle and gracious. My Leena is really lucky to have you as her family," replied Belinda. Then she cast a nce at Leena and smiled. As Leena''s sister-inw, she couldn''t help but feel proud whenever othersplimented Leena. "Actually, I think Kevin is the lucky one here. Being a soldier makes him always busy with military matters. I know that he seldom has time for his family. Therefore, Leena has to manage a lot of things all by herself. I feel sorry for her." As someone who was married to a soldier, Shannon herself knew just about everything that Leena was going through too. It honestly amazed her to see Leena handle so many things by herself despite her young age.


    "Sounds like a heated chat here," said Duke as he stepped in with his gloomy face. He was deeply concerned about Leena''s health and he just couldn''t rx about it. In reality, he had always been worried about her all this time.


    "There you are, Duke. Come here. I would like to introduce you to Major General Gu''s mother. She came all the way from the capital city to see Leena upon hearing about the ident."


    The sincerity on Belinda''s face was so clear as she greeted Duke. It was actually a pleasure to see him here. She had thought of giving him a call and asking him toe just a few minutes ago. Thus, it was a pleasant surprise that he showed up here so unexpectedly. "Good to see you, madam. My name is Duke. I am the elder brother of Leena. It really warms my heart to see youing from afar to visit my sister." Duke sounded indifferent when he spoke. It was obvious that he was still mad at Kevin.


    "Good to see you too. Leena is our daughter-inw. She is part of the Gu family. It is only natural for us toe here and visit her. We are all rtives here, so there is no need to be aloof. Don''t you think so?" As smart as she was, Shannon easily sensed the coldness from Duke''s words right away. It was what pushed her to stand her ground and subtly remind everyone that Leena was already a part of the Gu family.


    "Of course, you are right. We are all family here. I am sure you are hungry. Why don''t we all go out for dinner? It would be perfect if we can treat you a nice dinner since you are visiting our city." Belinda quickly changed the subject upon noticing the tension that filled the air. She was actually worried that Duke might say something wrong, or worse, do something inappropriate


    "Shall we go?" Shannon turned her head and looked at Kevin, who had been silent the whole time. She wanted to know her son''s opinion about dining out.


    "Sure. You guys have fun. I will stay here and look after Leena." Kevin replied without giving much attention to Duke''s attitude. He knew that he was still mad at him. However, nothing could change the fact that Leena was his wife. There might have been a lot ofplicationstely but never had divorce gone any close to his ns. He just simply loved Leena more than anything.


    "Sorry to trouble you then. It might cost you a fortune." Shannon smiled at them and teased a little to lighten up the mood.


    "Not at all. We are actually d that you''re here. By the way, please call me Belinda. It is easier and it sounds friendlier. I''m more used to being called by my first name." Blushing a bit, Belinda smiled back at Shannon. She was an open-minded woman with a great personality. She was naturally friendly, thus, she liked being casual with everyone.


    "You are right. We are all family here. Calling you by your first name does sound better," replied Shannon while nodding. She appreciated Belinda and liked her straight away. She might be much older than her but she was definitely an easy-going woman herself too. She couldn''t agree more to Belinda that families shouldn''t be aloof and distant with each other.


    Silence flooded the whole hospital room the moment they left. Kevin released a soft sigh and turned to Leena who was still lying on her hospital bed. Just the sight of her beautiful face made his heart skip a beat. She was his sole joy after all. He was about to tend to her when someone suddenly knocked on the door.


    "Come in." Kevin was surprised as he was not expecting any visitor at the moment. He wondered who would that be. Could it be the arrogant Edward himself?


    "Major General. Sorry to bother you. There are some urgent documents from the army base that require your signature. I have brought them here for you." Lee stepped in with some files in his arms. He looked apologetic as he knew that he was disturbing Kevin and Leena''s moment together. It was clear to him that the Major General''s priority right now was his beloved wife. However, the issues concerning the army base were also important and couldn''t be dyed. It was Kevin''s responsibility to deal with them as soon as possible. This was what was required of him for being a soldier. With a heavy sigh, Lee nodded to Kevin and walked towards him with the documents.


    "Sure. Noted with thanks. Please leave them on the corner table for me. Has Hank set out already?" Kevin knew that the documents were not confidential since they could be brought outside of the army base. He gave Lee an approving look and watched him carefully put the documents on the table.


    "He has! He actually set out one hour ago. He told me to send his best regards to you and your wife. He said he was truly grateful for your kind help on his promotion." With full respect, Lee forwarded Hank''s messages to Kevin. He then walked to Kevin''s side and waited for his further instructions.0000???????Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1274 Time To Get Up (Part Two)

    "That is really nice of him to say so. Have you had your dinner already?" said Kevin as he looked away from the papers. He wasn''t interested in dealing with those now. Rather, he looked at Lee''s face and noticed that he had been sweating due to the long trip he just had to get there. "Don''t worry about me. I have eaten something on the way. How is Leena doing now?" said Lee as he cast a concerned stare at the sleeping Leena. She used to be so energetic and cheerful. However, it wasn''t the case right now as shey motionless on the hospital bed. The sad sight made Lee a bit depressed. He felt his throat ache a little so he quickly looked away.


    "She hasn''t woken up yet but I think it won''t be long before she recovers. You know Leena, right? She is not the type of person who enjoys lying in bed all day long." As he spoke, Kevin reached out to tuck Leena''s stray hair to the back of her ear. A bitter grin cracked his lips. He was just consoling himself. He knew that there was nothing that he could do to wake Leena up at this stage. Even someone as extraordinary as Tom couldn''t give his words about the exact time Leena would be waking up. Things were really not looking fine for them at the moment.


    "I really hope for Leena toe back to her senses soon. Major General, is there anything I can do for you?" said Lee tofort Kevin. It worried him a lot to see Kevin as gloomy and down as this. He had been with Kevin for years and this was honestly the first time Lee saw him being this discouraged.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "If you have time, could you please help drive Leena''s car back? I got a phone call today that the car has been fixed. I have to stay here and look after her myself. Would you mind driving the car back for us?" In reality, Kevin was actually worried about the car. He had no time to deal with it and couldn''t possibly bother the men from the traffic bureau with such a trivial thing. Kevin knew that Lee would be the perfect man to run the errand for him.


    "No problem. I will do it right away. I will also go and visit the injured soldiers on your behalf. That would make them understand why you haven''t shown up yet." Lee quickly nodded and said with great confidence. He would do anything to ease his Major General''s pain. As cautious as he was, Lee was naturally better at his job than Mark.


    "Thank you for your help. Please tell the soldiers to take good rest and don''t worry too much about the incident." said Kevin. He shook his head and sighed with a heavy heart. Things were happening too fast these days that he couldn''t avoid feeling worn out.


    "I''ll be going now. Major General, again, take care and my sincerest regards to Leena," Lee said with a soft voice. He then shyly touched his head. He wasn''t used to saying sentimental words himself. Thus, he felt awkward. "Thank you. Drive safely. See you soon." A thankful smile cracked on Kevin''s lips as he watched him go. He couldn''t be more grateful that Lee was by his side. He trusted him and knew that he would carry out his orders perfectly. Meanwhile, Shannon had brought her own guard with her, however, there were not enough rooms to amodate all of them inside Leena and Kevin''s apartment. She had to ask him to sleep in the living room for the night and sent him back to the capital city early in the morning. She, on the other hand, refused to go back as soon. She just couldn''t leave Leena behind this way. Knowing that Leena was lying motionless on a hospital bed made her heart sink. Thus, she decided to stay until things were getting better. Shannon started the next day by cooking in the kitchen. She noticed that Kevin didn''t look wellst night. Thus, she decided to make him something delicious and nutritious. She hoped for him to eat more and rest so he could recover better.


    "Mom, Leena is so ill now. Did dad say anything about it?" ire approached her mother in a cautious way. She wanted to ask her that question for a while but she couldn''t seem to open her mouth. She was absent-mindedly watching her mother made soup when she finally mustered up courage to ask the question. She regretted every little lie she told her father about Leena. Deep down, she knew that it might be the reason why her father held a hostile attitude towards Leena.


    "Not much. He is a man of few words and I feel sorry for Leena. He always holds Leena''s wealthy background against her. I don''t know why it bothers him so much. She couldn''t possibly choose her own background, could she?" Resignedly, Shannon sighed and turned the stove off. She turned around and worriedly gazed at ire. As a mother, she cared greatly for Kevin and it wore her out to see him this down. She had to do something for him to share his burden.


    "Well, there seem to be no secrets then. You guys have known that Leena is from a rich family since the very beginning!" ire covered her mouth in shock. It never urred to her that her parents knew about Leena this well. She had always thought that her background was an untold story.


    "Of course, we knew! Your father doesn''t like Leena very much because he is deeply bothered by her family background. He is concerned that her family might be the hindrance for your brother''s career. Who knows what kind of trouble would she bring to our family?" Shannon gave her daughter a sad smile as she bitterly shook her head. She knew her own son well enough that she trusted in him perfectly. Kevin was such a righteous man and he would never do anything against thews to gain profits.

 Chapter 1275 Time To Get Up (Part Three)

    "How could dad possibly think of her like that? From my point of view, Kevin seems to have a better career because of Leena''s help. She is truly an ideal wife and good life partner for my brother." Since ire was brought up in a typical family of high ranking officials, she had been taken good care of and didn''t know much about the business concerning her own brother. It was her ignorance that gave her many doubts about her brother''s marriage. She gazed at her mother''s face earnestly and hoped to find answers from her. "My dear, you are way too naive when ites to the hidden rules in the officialdom. It is considered a big taboo when officials have business connections. People are strongly against the collusion between government officials and business owners. Your father is deeply concerned that Leena''s family would contribute negatively to your brother''s career. Sometimes, bad rumors can literally destroy a person and his future. To be honest with you, I am also slightly worried about it." As she was exining to her daughter, Shannon carefully put the cooked soup into a thermal bottle and sealed it tight. Then she looked up and fondly gazed back at her daughter in an attempt to soothe her concerns. She still believed in Leena despite the little worry she had. In her opinion, Leena was well brought up and her parents were decent people. Shannon had every reason to believe that her daughter-inw was a trustworthy girl and deserved everyone''s love and care.


    "Oh dear, this is quite shocking! I don''t believe it at all! Business is just business. I don''t think Leena''s family has anything to do with the army base! Dad was just throwing false usations around! He shouldn''t be this stubborn. At least, he should view things without any bias!" ire smirked and shook her head in disbelief. She was with her mother on this one. She didn''t think that Leena''s family was a hindrance to her brother''s career at all. Based on what she knew about Leena, her family was powerful and strongly connected to everything. They didn''t need to rely on others just to maintain their well-off life.


    "Alright, I''m done packing the soup. Let''s go now! It has been a long night. I wonder if your sister-inw already woke up. ire, you should have taken my advice and stayed away from Louisa, but you just wouldn''t listen to me. Now you see, things have gone out of control. Such bad luck! I feel so sorry for Leena." A soft sigh escaped Shannon''s chest as she touched her daughter''s forehead. She knew that there was something wrong with Louisa. She had feared that Louisa would cause trouble and harm others. It was unfortunate that her fear dide true and there was nothing she was able to do to prevent it from happening. Now things were even worse than she had imagined.


    "Mom, I am so sorry. I have not contacted her since then," said ire guiltily with her lips pouted. In fact, It would be impossible for her to contact Louisa even if she wanted to. That cunning woman had already turned her phone off for good. There was no way for ire to reach her and scold her anymore. That made ire feel like she was double-crossed.


    Another night had passed but Leena remained lying on the hospital bed. There was not even the slightest sign of her waking up soon. Even Kevin who had been convincing himself to be optimistic seemed to find his hope quite slim. His heart was getting terrified. His hands couldn''t help but shake as he was scared of his own thoughts. He was in that situation when he saw Tom walked into the room. He rushed to greet him with the sincerest question, "Dr. Qin, how is my Leena? Is she waking up soon?" Kevin''s face wasn''t shaved and he looked messy. It was a good thing that he was not in his military uniform, otherwise, it would be a sphemy to the army. He might be tired but it was still undeniable how handsome he was.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Her vital signs are all normal at the moment. I need to study her case further to provide a better method to wake her up. Meanwhile, you should keep talking to her. Try to say something that would stimte her memories and thoughts. In that way, we might help speed up her wake-up process. Hopefully, it would work on her." Tom''s eyebrows furrowed as he was also distressed about Leena''s slow progress. Things were not getting as better as he had expected. He thought that she would already wake up by this morning at thetest. However, Leena was still sound asleep with no sign of waking up anytime soon. She looked absolutely peaceful and beautiful as she slept like she wasn''t bothered by any earthly duties anymore.


    "Thank you for the advice. I will talk to her." sighed Kevin. He had been talking to her all this time. He wanted her back to him so much. He usually leaned closer to her and whispered to her ears softly whenever he got the chance. His words for Leena were all genuine and uplifting, but she seemed to be deaf to all of them. Despite his constant effort, Leena never moved, not her eyes or even her fingertips.


    "You look very tired. ck a bit, will you? You also deserve a good rest. It is pointless to look after her every single minute. Have a break, otherwise, you will fall ill yourself. You need to look after yourself as well." Tom shot Kevin with a concerned look. Leena might be the patient here but that didn''t mean that Kevin could abuse himself. He cared for Kevin too. He never thought highly of Kevin before since he knew very little about him. However, as time went by and they got to know each other better, Tom found Kevin was a really nice man. He felt truly happy for Leena for marrying such a decent man like Kevin. In his opinion, the two were a perfect match. There might be many people in the world, but not all were fortunate to be married with their rightful match.

 Chapter 1276 Time To Get Up (Part Four)

    "Thank you for your kind reminder, Dr. Qin. I will see to that." said Kevin in full respect. He had always thought highly of doctors as they rescued people and saved lives. He honored Tom for saving his wife''s life and he would be eternally in debt to him for that. "You don''t need to be formal with me. You can simply call me by my first name, Tom." A warm smile made it to Tom''s face as he calmly said those to Kevin. He wanted him to call him by his first name just like how the rest did. He was looking at Kevin as a part of his family now since he wasn''t holding any grudge against him anymore.


    "Thank you!" Kevin was no fool. Of course, he understood the message between Tom''s lines. He appreciatively patted Tom on the shoulder and gave him a big warm smile. He was determined to change these people''s view about him through his hard work, including Edward''s.


    "Don''t worry too much about it. My best wishes to you. I need to carry on with my duties in other wards. Please try to talk to Leena as much as possible. Especially about the things that matter to her." With these words, Tom walked out of the room. He cast a profound nce at Leena before he closed the door. She meant so much to him and how he wished for her toe back to her senses right now! As he silently closed the door, the other doctors who were waiting outside all gathered up. Together, they moved on to the next ward. No one asked anything as they knew that Tom had a lot in his mind. They were all aware of how important the patient lying inside that hospital room was to Tom and that she shouldn''t be disturbed at all.


    Back inside the room, Kevin poured some hot water into a clean basin as soon as Tom left. He tested the water temperature carefully before soaking the towel into the basin. He then rinsed it, spread it, and then gently wiped Leena''s face with it. He was extra gentle with his every move. Leena was a girl who cared about her looks and Kevin knew that. He was cleaning her face as he knew that she wanted to be pretty all the time.


    "My little sleepy cat. It is time to wake up. You are going to be chubby if you keep lying here. Are you sure you want to lie here and end up being chubby?" whispered Kevin softly as he lovingly gazed her sleeping face. He remembered that her biggest fear was looking fat and ugly. Thus, he deliberately chose that topic to scare her. He hoped for his words to encourage her and wake her up from her long sleep!


    Not many knew but Leena could hear his familiar voice echoing inside her ear. She knew that it was from someone she had a great bond with. It was the same voice that had been calling her million times and was always there when she needed it most. How she wished to open her eyes and look at the owner of the voice. It sounded so sad and so distant. Her heart ached whenever the voice sadly called her name over and over again. However, she simply couldn''t open her eyes no matter how hard she tried. Her world was surrounded by darkness and it felt like she was shackled to it.


    "Nana, my beloved, is this how you want to love me? Is it supposed to be like this? You are ignoring me here! I am just sitting next to you, watching you sleep away. I know that you may be indulging in your beautiful dreams right now and wish not to wake up. Nana, I am giving you one more day. After that, you have to wake up for me. If you do not wish to see me anymore, I have to go away and leave you alone. Think about what you are gonna do carefully. Is your beautiful dream more important than me, your husband?" Kevin buried his head in his palms and painfully mumbled the words out. He knew it sounded hurtful and harsh but he was at the edge of breaking down himself. He had desperately tried every possible thing but none of them worked. Now he even used pointless threats just to wake her up. He wasn''t even sure if Leena could hear him or not.


    It was the word ''husband'' that triggered Leena''s memories. Everything shed through her mind like a bolt of powerful lightning. Who was her husband? Leena searched beyond the darkness and tried to find the answer to her question. She couldn''t see nor hear. However, the agony of that voice was so strong that it cut through her heart. Uncontrobly, her heart sank down as if it was falling into an endless abyss. She couldn''t find a way to answer the calls. She didn''t even know where was that sad, deep, and heartbreaking voiceing from. Her head was full of sounds from different directions but she had no memory of what they were. All she could feel now was how helplessly at loss she was.


    "Kevin, has Leena woke up yet?" Shannon showed up with a big thermal bottle in her hand. She also brought some other daily essentials for them in a bag. Kevin was always by Leena''s side around the clock and Shannon had to run errands for him so that he could have the things at hand without leaving Leena.


    "Mom, I am so scared. Do you think that she will keep sleeping like this and never wakes up?" Kevin''s mouth trembled. It was difficult for him to ask such vulnerable question. He couldn''t hide his fear anymore before his mother. He emptily stared at his mother as he desperately tried to seek some positive answers from her. His eyes were red but he was holding his tears back bravely. He couldn''t break down right now. Leena needed him.


    "Hey, don''t say things like that. It is too discouraging. Leena is just tired. She is now resting. I am sure that she will wake up as soon as she has enough sleep. It has only been two days since she fell into thisa. We should all be positive. She will definitely wake up soon!" Shannon gently patted her son''s shoulder and gave him a supportive look. She looked stern. Thest thing she wanted to hear from his mouth was discouragement. They should stand firm and keep their faith in this situation.


    "Exactly, please be optimistic for her! Quit your stupid ideas, Kevin. Leena will be fine. After all, she loves you to bits and would never leave you behind. She would never ever hurt your feelings!" ire''s attitude surprised Shannon. She was d to see the change in her daughter. She found it unbelievable that her spoiled daughter now acted elegantly and properly in front of others. It seemed that she had matured a lot. It was to Shannon''s greatest joy that her daughter was no longer a childish brat. Smiling generously at her daughter, Shannon was thankful that Kevin and Leena brought her here in S City. Finally, she didn''t need to worry about ire anymore.


    "I truly hope so. I would do anything to wake her up. I keepforting myself that she will wake up eventually!" A bitter smile cracked Kevin''s handsome face. He then looked away as he tried to hide his tears before his family. He was a strong man of few words. He didn''t wish to reveal his vulnerability in front of his close ones.


    "Don''t worry too much about it. Come here and drink some of this soup I made for you. You have lost a lot of weight these days due to the stress. You are worrying me, child! It would be a huge irony once Leena wakes up and she finds you ill." Shannon''s voice was also trembling despite the braveness she tried to put on. As she carefully poured the soup out of the thermal bottle into a bowl, she tried to keep her hands calm. She needed to look after her Kevin well. Her beloved daughter-inw was already ill. She couldn''t afford to lose her son. The bare thought of Kevin falling ill would destroy her confidence instantly!


    "Thank you for the soup, Mom. I am sorry for making you worry." Kevin took the bowl from his mother''s hands and said gently to her. He knew that he should do anything he could to please his mother. He couldn''t just let his mother worry this much, right? Moreover, he couldn''t afford to break her heart.


    "ire, please bring the rest of the soup to Dr. Qin. He has been busy working for Leena these days. I would like to thank him for his effort." Shannon said warmly as she handed the thermal bottle to her daughter. She only knew about Tom yesterday while she was dining out with the others. Of course, she had also met other close friends of Leena. These men were really outstanding and she couldn''t help but feel proud of Leena upon learning how everyone around her loved her. As the saying went, birds of the same feathers flock together. Judging from the manners of Leena''s friends, Shannon could easily tell that Leena was a nice girl herself without doubt.00N?velDrama.Org (C) content.

 Chapter 1277 Do We Know Each Other (Part One)

    "Okay, I will do it now," ire gently replied, taking the soup from her mother''s hands. Then she walked out of the hospital room.


    "s! What the hell is wrong with Leena? Why hasn''t she woken up yet? Does she really have the heart to hurt us like this? It''s breaking my heart seeing her in this state." Shannon carefullybed Leena''s hair. When ire told her that her daughter-inw was indeed a fashion designer, she was a bit shocked. She didn''t expect a girl from a wealthy family would make a living on her own. After all, it wasmon for children from rich families to spend their parents'' money. But Leena was an exception. She was intelligent, talented and independent. And it pleasantly surprised Shannon. Her daughter-inw couldn''t get any more perfect.


    "Mom, I have to go to the army base this afternoon. So please take good care of Leena for me." In Kevin''s heart, he really wanted Leena to wake up, soon, now, if possible. But there was no sign of her waking up, as if she was intentionally making him suffer for what he had done wrong by keeping her eyes closed.


    "Of course. What''s the matter? Is there something at the army base that you need to deal with?" Shannon would surely take care of Leena. She considered this girl her own daughter. And at the same time, she was also worried about her son''s health. He still looked a little too tired for her liking. She really hoped that he could at least get enough rest.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Yes mom.. It''s a bit urgent. So I need to go now. But don''t worry. I will be back here as soon as I can." Kevin stared at Leena, who was still sound asleep, feeling a bit helpless about this situation. He really wanted to be by her side at all times, but he had work to attend to. He was slowly getting frustrated. He really loved Leena and this was something that he recently realized. And he was thankful that she was willing to be in love with him, even though he hadn''t been treating her right. At the same time, he couldn''t help but be mad at her for not believing in him, for punishing him this way. He didn''t know what else to do now, except patiently wait.


    The sun was beaming down on the whole city on a cold winter day. Patricia got to Renxin Hospital in a hurry. If she hadn''t called Leena''s number and heard the news from Kevin who answered the phone, she wouldn''t have known that an ident had happened to Leena and she was in aa. She immediately came to the hospital to pay her best friend a visit. Unfortunately, she got lost as soon as she got inside the hospital. She couldn''t find the VIP room that Kevin told her about. She was anxious all of a sudden. Luckily, there was a man in a white coat ahead of her.


    "Hey! Handsome doctor! Can you please tell me where the VIP rooms are? I think I am lost." Patricia had been going in circles for quite a moment, but she couldn''t even find a single person, not to mention a hospital room. Maybe she was in the wrong ce? Was this ce not the in-patient department? But why wasn''t there a single person around? Could this ce be the mortuary? Patricia was confused, also a bit scared that she hade to the floor where the dead bodies were stored


    But the handsome doctor, who turned out to be Tom, didn''t seem to pay attention to Patricia. He continued walking, because he didn''t think that the doctor she was calling was indeed him. Though they were in fact in the mortuary as Patricia guessed, there were still a few people around. So he just ignored her and kept walking, not even turning around.


    "Hey! Why are you like that? Why are youpletely ignoring me! You are so arrogant! Haven''t you ever gotten lost at least once in your life?" After these words, Patricia quickly caught up with Tom and grabbed him by his arm. She wanted to know who this arrogant bastard was. She was just asking for directions for God''s sake! But he was acting as if she didn''t exist. That was uneptable for a proud girl like Patricia.


    "How can I help you?" Tom slightly furrowed his eyebrows at Patricia''s behavior. He nced at the woman in front of him and then stared at the small hand which was still grabbing his arm. It didn''t seem like he recognized Patricia at all.


    "Hey, it''s you! Handsome guy, we meet again! Wait a minute, you are a doctor? How could you be a doctor?" Patricia was d to meet Tom again this soon. But after only a second, her brows knitted. She found it hard to believe that the handsome man in front of her was indeed a doctor. She was almost speechless. Why did the man she had a crush on turn out to be in this profession? She had been imagining how they would meet again and fall in love for days! But luck was not on her side. Because in fact, she didn''t like dating doctors. She had no interest in them.


    "Do we know each other? Besides, why can''t I be a doctor? Who the hell are you?" Tom was always like this. All he cared about were his patients and experiments. That was why he didn''t even recognize Patricia at all. Yes, they had met before. But Tom just didn''t make the effort to remember her face. Maybe that was also why he still didn''t have a girlfriend.


    "Of course! You are a friend of Leena''s brother, right? We met each other the other day. I even helped you fix your car! Don''t tell me you forgot me so soon." Patricia felt a bit hurt seeing Tom''s nk face. He surely didn''t remember her. And at the same time, she was also a bit angry at him. Though she wasn''t breath-taking, she was still a beautiful woman. How could he just bluntly forget about her? She was frustrated and disappointed all of a sudden. He even promised to take her out for a meal as a thank-you gift for helping him fix his car. Well, maybe he promised her in the heat of the moment.


    "Oh! It''s you. I''m sorry for not recognizing you. I am really busy recently, so Ipletely forgot about you. Sorry! Well, are you here to visit Leena? How about this. I will take you to her room. But how did you end up in the motuary in the first ce?" Tom finally realized who this girl in front of him was. He was really slow sometimes. He hoped that Patricia didn''t think that he intentionally ignored her because he didn''t want to treat her to a nice meal like he promised.


    "Wait... what? This ce is really a mortuary? Oh my God! No wonder I couldn''t find my way out of here just now. It must have been the ghosts keeping me in here!" Patricia said while getting even closer to Tom, feeling afraid all of a sudden. Her hand on his arm tightened too. It seemed that she really believed in ghosts.


    "Pffft. Please. How old are you? Why do you still believe that there are ghosts in this world? That''s nonsense." Tom shook his head helplessly at Patricia. He had nned to go to the mortuary to get some samples but now that he ran into Patricia, he changed his mind. Well, the samples could wait. The most important thing was getting her out of here and into Leena''s room.000000

 Chapter 1278 Do We Know Each Other (Part Two)

    "How dare you say it''s nonsense! Don''t you know that anything is possible in this big world?" Patricia held her head high and her tone was proud. She didn''t want to admit that she was being a bit dramatic and old-fashioned right now. She was really freaked out being stuck in the mortuary and that was that.


    "Well, I am sure that it doesn''t include ghosts being real. Everything you ever encounter that makes you believe that ghosts are real is just a phenomenon of nature. That''s all. You should believe in science. By the way, your name is Patricia, right? Come on! I will take you to Leena''s room." Tom shook his head at her again. To be honest, he didn''t understand how Leena was friends with this girl. She was too chatty and too vivacious for his liking. Tom could tell that she was not the gentle and caring type of girl at all. "Thank you! What''s your name by the way? Are you the Tom that Leena mentioned before? The almighty doctor?" Patricia looked at Tom in surprise. He was a doctor, and he was also Leena''s friend. Maybe she was right. This man in front of her was Tom indeed. "Yes. My name is Tom Qin. You can call me Doctor Qin. How about you? What''s your family name?" Tom''s tone was polite but distant. One could tell from his self introduction that he didn''t want anything to do with Patricia.


    "I''m Patricia Bai. Why? You don''t trust me? That''s why you asked for my full name." Patricia couldn''t help but press her lips together in a tight line in annoyance as she followed Tom. He was so obvious! It looked like she wanted something to do with him. Well, yes, she did when she first met him. But not now. She had lost interest in him as soon as she found out that he was a doctor.


    "That''s not what I meant, Miss Bai. Please don''t think too much. I just think that we are not close enough to call each other by our first names. That''s why I wanted to know your family name." Tom was always like this. He acted distant and polite to the ones he wasn''t familiar with. He liked to keep his distance. It was as if he didn''t want to make new friends.


    "Fine. Whatever." Patricia was disappointed. She just found out the man she had a big crush on for days was a doctor. To be honest, this was enough for her to give up her original n. Now, Tom''s attitude was like cold water to a dying fire. Well, she was right. There was no way she was going to be together with a doctor. And she didn''t regret it at all.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "I remember that I promised you a meal. Don''t worry, I won''t break my promise. Once Leena wakes up, I will surely take you out for dinner." Tom suddenly said these words out of nowhere. And this made Patricia fully give up on the idea of getting to know him, let alone being with him.


    "You don''t have to. I am not that pathetic. So you don''t have to worry about it, really, Doctor Qin. Besides, please don''t think that everyone who approaches you wants something from you. Well, I admit that I was charmed by your appearance at first sight. But it doesn''t mean that I will pester you endlessly, especially after I know now that you are a doctor. Don''t worry, I don''t want to chase you after all. So you don''t have to intentionally keep your distance from me or be this careful around me. What a turn off!"


    Patricia smirked coldly at Tom. She always hated men who were so full of themselves and thought that every woman who approached them was interested in them. She admitted that she was indeed interested in Tom at first. But it didn''t mean that she was willing to endure Tom''s conceited attitude. He was straightforward and obvious. So she didn''t have to embarrass herself anymore. She would dly leave Tom alone.


    "Miss Bai, what are you talking about? You misunderstood me. Well, that''s all right. It doesn''t matter. I don''t have to exin to you anyway." Tom just shrugged. He didn''t really care what Patricia thought. He just led her into Leena''s room.


    "Auntie, how is Leena? Is she showing any signs that she is waking up soon?" Tom had a very good impression of Shannon, for she was different from all the other richdies he had met before. She was not arrogant at all. She was kind and polite, and she treated Leena like her own daughter, and that was the most important thing to Tom.


    "No, she isn''t and I am worried sick. Oh, Doctor Qin, is this your girlfriend?" Shannon noticed Patricia, who was standing beside Tom. She thought that the pair looked good together.


    "Oh. No, she is not my girlfriend. She is here to visit Leena. I just ran into her at the mortuary, that''s all." Tom shot down her implication in a hurry. One would think that he really hated the idea of him and Patricia together based on his behavior.


    "Ma''am, nice to meet you. I am Patricia Bai, Leena''s friend. You can call me Patricia. He was right. I am not his girlfriend now. Well, he left me for some other woman." Patricia raised one of her eyebrows as a challenge. Well, if he really wanted to get rid of her so bad, she would never easily give him the satisfaction. She was still a bit angry over the conversation she had with Tom just earlier.


    "Umm... What..." Shannon nced from Patricia to Tom. She was suddenly at a loss for words after hearing what Patricia just said.


    "Nonsense! Don''t listen to her. Well, aren''t you here for Leena, Miss Bai? Now that I have brought you here, I should leave. I still have some work to do." Tom didn''t care about Patricia lying about their rtionship. Well, she wasn''t even his girlfriend. No matter what she lied about, it still wouldn''t be true. He was confident that Shannon could see through Patricia''s lie.


    "Then just leave. I''m used to you being cold anyway." Patricia made it sound like she really had a past with Tom. Shannon was totally confused right now. What was happening? Were they ex-lovers or not?


    "Miss Bai, please mind your words. We were not lovers before, and we won''t be lovers in the future. So please stop lying and making others believe that we have a past. You may think it''s funny but it''s in fact very disturbing," Tom said in a very serious tone, staring intensely at Patricia with serious eyes. Then he turned around and left the room without looking back.


    "Are you two in a fight? That''s all right. That''s what lovers do. Just give it time. You can make up when both of you calm down," Shannonforted Patricia with a worried tone. It seemed that she had bought Patricia''s story and actions, thinking that they were really a couple.


    "Thank you, ma''am. Well, how''s Leena? She has been like this the whole time? Hasn''t she woken up even once?" Patricia didn''t exin to Shannon about the rtionship between Tom and her. Instead, she changed the topic and asked about her best friend. She walked to the side of the hospital bed and held Leena''s hand in her hands. Had she known that this horrible ident would happen to Leena, she wouldn''t have been angry at her at all. Now, she deeply regretted having a fight with Leena. Because no matter what she said or how she tried, Leena would not reply to her now.

 Chapter 1279 Do We Know Each Other (Part Three)

    "No, she hasn''t woken up even once. Well, you are her good friend and now that you are here, go ahead and chat with her. Maybe she will react to your words and your voice." Shannon wouldn''t let go any possibility that could wake Leena up. Her heart broke when she thought of the vivacious Leena she had always liked. Now, seeing Leena lie in the hospital bed with her beautiful eyes closed made her feel extremely sad. "Yes, I will definitely give it a try." Patricia smiled to Shannon, but the smile was bitter. She knew Leena was not likely to wake up just because she heard Patricia''s voice. Even Kevin himself could not wake Leena up. But she had to at least try, for her best friend. "Okay. I will go and use the washroom. Talk with Leena please." Shannon looked at Leena with sorrowful eyes. She sincerely hoped that Patricia talking to Leena would stir Leena up. They might have had a very strong friendship. Besides, she was running out of ideas to bring her back to consciousness.


    "Of course, ma''am. Don''t worry." Patricia gently smiled at Shannon. To be honest, she was a very sweet girl in front of her elders. She knew when to hide her true colors.


    Shannon thankfully smiled at Patricia, and then turned to walk out of the room, leaving them alone. In fact, there was a bathroom in the ward, so she didn''t have to go out in the hall. That was just an excuse. She just wanted the two girls to have some time alone with each other.


    "Leena, you keep sleeping just to avoid my punishment, right? You know that you did something wrong. I was right! Or why did you drag me away so hurriedly the other day? Now I know the reason. But it''s a shame that your n will never work. Because Tom has no interest in me at all. He made it very clear. Besides, I date doctors. You know that, right? So you can''t y matchmaker anymore." Patricia''s tone was a bit smug. She didn''t seem to take Leena for a patient who was still in aa. She just talked like Leena was still normal, as if she had already woken up. Only by this way could she convince herself that Leena would wake up and get better.


    "Also, if you don''t wake up soon, I will introduce Kevin to other beautiful women. What will you do then? If you don''t wake up, you will surely be forgotten by him!" Patricia lightly pinched Leena''s nose in fake annoyance. She was a bit frustrated that Leena didn''t respond at all. She didn''t know what to do anymore.


    "Leena, why don''t you talk back? Why don''t you argue with me? You always argue with me. Why don''t you do it this time? Don''t you know that I look very silly here, talking to you all by myself? Do you really have the heart to leave me talking alone? If you are a good friend, you will wake up now." Patricia was getting angrier and angrier as she talked. She even wanted to drag Leena off the bed herself. But as soon as she grabbed Leena''s hand that had an IV attached to it, she just couldn''t do it. She let go of her hand and stared at her very angrily, silently sulking.


    Leena, who was lying on the bed, felt very confused after hearing Patricia''s voice. ''Who is she?'' she couldn''t help but wonder, ''Why she is so rude to me? Wait a minute, maybe she isn''t talking to me at all? After all, there are always so many peopleing and going. But who is she? Why do I suddenly have the urge to meet her?'' Leena had a feeling that she would definitely like this girl.


    "Leena, I am not joking right now. I am serious. So you''d better wake up soon, or I will really introduce Kevin to other women. You can ignore me all you want. But can you really give up on Kevin? I know you really love him. Can you really stand seeing him with someone else? Can you really just lie there knowing that he will be in love with another woman?" Patricia was getting more and more agitated as she spoke. After all, she had always been a very straightforward girl. She just couldn''t stand seeing Leena lying there, lifeless and hopeless, as if she had lost her will to live. They had been best friends for many years, though they didn''t have much time to see each other. Both were very busy with their own lives. But it didn''t mean that it didn''t break Patricia''s heart seeing Leena in this state. ''Kevin, Kevin again. It''s the name I hear the most in the darkness. Who is he? Does he have something to do with me? Why does everyone keep mentioning him to me?'' Leena kept thinking. She couldn''t help but feel very confused. She really wanted to open her eyes to see and open her mouth to talk. But she just couldn''t no matter how hard she tried. She was so tired. And it felt like something was missing in her heart.


    The night came quickly and it was alreadyte when Kevin came back from the army base. He was really tired but as soon as he saw Leena''s face, he forgot about all his fatigue in his body.


    "Mom, how''s Leena? Is she still the same?" Kevin put his briefcase on the counter, and then took off his military coat. The heater was on, so the room was warm enough.


    "Yes, she''s still the same. She still hasn''t woken up. Have you eaten dinner? It''ste. What took you so long?" Shannon''s eyebrows deeply furrowed, looking at her son with sad eyes. She could tell that Kevin was getting thinner and thinner each day. He might not have been eating and sleeping well.


    "Yeah, I already ate. You know, this year ising to an end, so I have many things in the army base to deal with. I am really d that you came here to look after Leena, mom. Or I would surely worry about her while I am away." Kevin gently touched Leena''s cheek as he said these words to his mother. Though Duke and Edward visited Leena everyday, they had their own work as well as other responsibilities. So they couldn''t stay every minute and every hour of every day. He really appreciated his mother for dropping everything toe here and help him.


    "I just hope that Leena wakes up soon. Look at you, you are getting thinner everyday. I am afraid that you will exhaust yourself running back and forth from the hospital to the army base like this." Shannon picked up the coat that Kevin randomly threw on the sofa, and skillfully folded it in case it wrinkled. She then put the folded coat back on the sofa.


    "Don''t worry about me, mom. I am fine. I am more worried about you. Thank you, mom, really," Kevin spoke a bit apologetically to his mother. After all, he knew that looking after a patient was tiring for an elder woman like his mother. He couldn''t help but feel bad that he had to let his mother do the hard work.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "Don''t worry about it. We are a family, aren''t we? We should always help each other." Shannon looked at his son with adoring eyes. She didn''t think looking after her daughter-inw was a tiring job.


    "Where is ire anyway? I will call and ask her toe here and pick you up." Kevin looked at his watch. It was already nine o''clock. Where was ire?


    "She is on her way here. She will be here soon. By the way, ire is getting more and more responsible recently. She even helps me do housework now! I guess that''s all because of Leena." Talking about the positive changes in ire, Shannon was really d. And she thought that it was all to her daughter-inw''s credit. She had taught ire well.0000000

 Chapter 1280 Leena Woke Up (Part One)

    Hospitals usually have a slightly spooky atmosphere when it gets dark. In an army uniform, Kevin stood against the cold wind on the balcony outside Leena''s ward. The decision of the higher authorities had reached the military base in the daytime. Though Kevin was not downgraded, he was suspended. The massive brawl between the seniors and recruits had led to life-threatening conditions as well as damage to property. As their instructor, Kevin had to take the responsibility. He took a drag on his cigarette, and exhaled the smoke. Smoke blurred his face. He hardly ever smoked, but he was very upset now and needed to smoke to vent his frustration and despair.


    Leena suffered a ck-out which so far hadsted for two days. For Kevin it seemed like two centuries. He was used to her being around, especially her smiling face. Now, it was just a quiet Leena that he was not ustomed to.


    Heaving a long sigh of temporary relief, Kevin crushed out the cigarette and entered the ward. He adjusted the covers for her so that she wouldn''t catch a cold, bent down and kissed her softly on her cheek. Then he walked to his briefcase, took out a pen and paper and sat beside the bed. After thinking for a little while, he began to write. The handwriting belonged to a man, vigorous and forceful.


    Kevin was a handsome man. His face had well-defined angles - his forehead, cheeks and jawline. Though he looked a little fierce, it added to his temperament as a soldier with stoicism and fortitude.


    Leena felt like she had an extremely long dream. When she opened her eyes, there was a moment of blinding pain after seeing the light, so she shut her eyes again until they eased in. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in bed and in a ward. Leena looked away from the white ceiling and let her eyes fix on a man who buried himself in writing. At the sight of his figure, she couldn''t help but curl her lips. She stared at him without breathing, as if time stopped. It was his soulful calls that had brought her out of her dream and away from the darkness.


    Though she had been in confusion and even depression for a period of time, she pushed aside all obstacles and difficulties to remember whose voice it was. It was her beloved husband! How could she even forget?


    "Kevin." Leena moved her lips to call him, but her voice was so hoarse and weak that it didn''t sound like her at all.


    Kevin''s hand shook at her call, and a long line was drawn on the paper that his report was destroyed. He would have to rewrite itter.


    Kevin''s heart stopped for a second. Did someone call out his name? He almost did not want to turn around, for fear that it was just his imagination. He started to breathe heavily as his heart beat became faster. He had to look. He had to know. Finally he turned to see the woman whom he had waiting for, for what felt like an eternity. She had slept for a long time, and now she was staring at him with a pair of smiling bright eyes. Blinking his eyes to be sure, Kevin was too thrilled to believe what he was looking at.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    "Nana, am I dreaming? Is that you? How are you feeling right now? I''m going to call Doctor Qin over." Dropping the pen in his hand, Kevin stumbled towards the bed and reached out his arms in an attempt to hold her. But he then backed off for fear that it might be a dream. If it was, he didn''t want to wake up from it.


    "Uh, have I slept a long time? Why do you seem to have aged a lot?" Leena reached out her hand to touch his face, but then she found that she had no strength at all, barely able to raise her limp arm. On seeing this, Kevin held her hand and put it against his face. Her hand was a little cold, which made him worry about her condition. He choked up and couldn''t utter a word at the fact that she finally woke up. His face was flooded with tears.


    "Naughty girl! You''ve slept for two days! And after waking up, you even detest me because I look older? What an ungrateful wife you are! Anyway, I''m your husband, and there''s nothing you can do about it!" Kevin pecked her on the forehead, her cheeks, her nose, everywhere, repeatedly. He was both scared and excited. Just thinking about the possibility that she might never wake up made him shudder. Luckily, she did wake up, making him more than ecstatic.


    "Sorry, Kevin. I heard what you said, but no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn''t get through the dense fog. And I saw my mom. She asked me toe to her, but then your voice stopped me." Leena heaved a sigh of relief. She had made the right decision. Otherwise she would not be able to see her beloved husband again.


    "Thank you, Nana. Thank you so much for choosing me." Leena''s words made him tremble with fear. He held Leena in his arms as he couldn''t imagine what he would do if she had chosen to go with her mother.


    "Kevin, do you really mean what you said when I was asleep?" Leena asked with a sweet smile. Kevin''s confession was so sincere and appealing that she managed to ovee all difficulties to wake up and return to him.


    "What did I say? I said nothing while you were asleep," Kevin teased. He had spent thest two days in tears, worry and frustration and now he decided to crack a joke with her.0000

 Chapter 1281 Leena Woke Up (Part Two)

    "You said it! I heard clearly what you said. You said that you loved me!" Leena blushed scarlet with shyness, which added color to her pale face. "Really? Are you sure of it? You must have misheard it!" Kevin stared at Leena with a big grin on his face, his eyes full of affection for her.


    "Come on! How could you deny what you''ve said? I won''t speak to you until you repeat what you''ve said before," Leena grumbled, pursing her lips. Her energy was starting toe back just because of spending this moment with the man she loved. Leena knew Kevin was trying to make herugh, so she was pretending to get angry.


    Kevin gave her a cunning smile and whispered in her ear, "Nana, I love you. I''ll be there, for better or worse, till death do us part." He finally realized his feelings for Leena and showed them to her without hiding. After all, running away from reality did not help solve any problem.


    "Kevin, you... you admitted it." Leena stared at Kevin with tears of joy. It was because of Kevin''s confession of love that she had woken up from the darkness.


    "Yes, I said it. And I will say it every day from now on." He leaned forward and kissed her softly on the lips. He had suffered all kinds of torment in the past two days, and he was not willing to experience that ever again. As long as she was happy, he was willing to say it every day. "Kevin, do you know how long I''ve been waiting for you to say it? I thought that I would never hear you say it to me in this life. But you just did. Am I still in the dream? I''m so afraid that this is still only a dream." Tears streamed down her cheeks as it had never urred to her that Kevin would someday actually fall in love with her.


    "Silly girl! You are not dreaming. Touch me, and you''ll know I''m real and this is not a dream!" Leena''s reaction amused Kevin. But he understood her and what she felt, as he knew how much she cared about him and the way he treated her in the past.


    "Well, you are real, and you just said those words to me." Leena sniffled and wondered, ''Is this the so-called blessing in disguise?'' But who was thedy? Does she have something to do with him?'' Leena was indeed a grudge holder. She still remembered thedy who hugged Kevin a couple of days before, despite his confession of love.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Are you happy now? You''ve sessfully won the heart of the youngest and best Major General in S City." While joking with Leena, Kevin took out his cell phone to text Tom that she had woken up so he coulde and give her a thorough examination. Kevin still had fears about her health condition.


    "Yes, I''m extremely happy. Is my head easily turned by even a small sess? Oh, by the way, I thought you were leaving for some secret mission? Why are you still here?" Leena asked as she suddenly remembered. Was it because of her that he hadn''t left? In that case, he would miss his chance to show his deeds of merit.


    "Hank has taken over the mission, and we''re happy to do that. So don''t you worry about me, nor feel guilty about it." Kevin let his eyes settle upon her, for fear that she might fall asleep in the blink of an eye again.


    "But Hank hurt Daisy before, right?" Leena asked in confusion.


    "Well, people make mistakes, and it''s okay for us to turn over a new leaf, right? I also made many mistakes with how I treated you, but now I''m correcting them. And so is Hank. Although he was blinded by his interests, he has tried his best to atone for his misdeeds. So we must give him another chance and guide him so that he would not do them again." With a grin, Kevin exined it to Leena.


    "I knew I didn''t fall in love with the wrong man, Kevin. You are considerate enough to forgive others for their mistakes and shorings." Leena gazed at him with eyes full of affection. Though she was a little guilty that he had given up the opportunity because of her, she was thrilled at the fact that he valued her more.


    "So you finally realized it! What a wonderful husband you have! Are you satisfied with your choice?" Kevin shed a sparkling smile. Men are all a little self-obsessed. Modest as Kevin was, he was also proud when hearing Leena''spliments.


    "Help me up please! My back is killing me." Leena cast a nce at Kevin, unable to bear him acting like a peacock. She was stiff all over, probably because she had been in a horizontal position for a long time.


    "Sure. Are you hungry? When Doctor Qin gets here, I''ll go get you something to eat." Kevin reached out his hands to help her sit up in bed and propped a pillow behind her back so that she could lean against it. "I''m not hungry at all. What time is it? It feels like night time." Leena looked at the window, but it was covered by thick curtains. She had to look away and turned to Kevin.


    "It''s 4 AM. It''s almost dawn." Kevin nced at his watch to check the time and wondered if Tom was awake or not and whether he had seen his message.


    "Why were you not sleeping? You''ll be tired and sleepy at work!" Leena said with a frown. Worry was written all over her face. She cared about Kevin so much, despite her own current weak condition.

 Chapter 1282 Leena Woke Up (Part Three)

    "Don''t worry about me. I''ve reported our situation to the Commander so I can take a few days off. So I have plenty of time to be with you," Kevin said, pinching her little nose. He didn''t tell her that he had been suspended like what had happened to Daisy in the past. He didn''t want Leena to worry about him and feel guilty. After all, if he had epted and aplished the mission this time, he would not have been suspended. But he cared about Leena and was willing to ept the disciplinary action. He just treated it as a vacation and nned to stay home to keep his wifepany.


    "Really?" Excitement shed across her face, and her eyes lit up. She really didn''t want to lose hispany just yet. No doubt his words were like a refreshing shot of energy.


    "Of course it''s true. When have I lied to you?" Kevin reached out his hands to pinch her little nose again. He reminded himself to act normal so that she would not expose the fact that he was suspended.


    "Did Leena wake up?" Tom asked as he rushed into the ward in slippers and messy clothes.


    "Tom, I''m terribly sorry to have roused you so early." Leena made a face and stuck out her tongue at Tom. She was deeply moved by his care and concern for her.


    "Naughty girl! I was worried to death about you." Tom held Leena in his arms as a wave of excitement swept over him. He had been sleeping in the hospital since Leena was confined here for fear that she would go into shock, or some other kind of emergency. "Sorry! I was being selfish this time." Leena hugged him back. She knew everyone was scared to death for what had happened to her.


    "You don''t need to apologize to me. As long as you''re okay, it''ll take a load off my mind. Please lie down so I can give you a thorough examination." Tom turned backwards to wipe his tears secretly. Sometimes men are more fragile than women.


    "All right." With Tom''s help, Leenay down slowly. She knew how worried he was about her, so she was willing to follow his instructions and put his mind at rest. Her heart was full of happiness that so many people cared about her. Picking up the stethoscope, Tom began to check her breathing and other vital signs. He had to confirm that she had fully recovered and out of thea. He kept a straight face while doing the checking, which made Kevin very anxious. "How is she, Tom? Is she okay?" Kevin asked anxiously as he was afraid to hear that someplications had been triggered.


    "Yes, she''s okay. She''s just a little weak. I suggest several days of rest and she''d be like brand new." Kevin put away the stethoscope with joy. Though Leena had woken upter than he expected, she was in good condition now. "Really? Thank you so much, Tom!" Excitement filled Kevin''s voice as he stared at Leena.


    "Don''t bother. Leena is my beloved sister. You don''t need to say thank you." Tom rolled his eyes at Kevin. His opinion of Kevin hadpletely changed after he had witnessed how he had treated Leena these past few days. Kevin''s true love for her was very evident. "I must say thank you for saving my wife." Kevin scratched the back of his head and gave Tom an embarrassed look. He couldn''t thank Tom enough, having no idea what to do if Leena had remained unconscious for much longer.


    "Hey, since when did you two be friends?" Leena looked back and forth between Kevin and Tom with amusement. ''Did something happen while I was asleep?'' she wondered.


    "Yes, we''re friends now. This is an adult matter, and as a child, you need to go to bed now." Tom cracked a joke, finally relieved to see Leena up and about.


    "Tom, can she eat something now?" asked Kevin. Leena had been asleep for a couple of days and she could be starving. She had only depended on glucose in the past forty eight hours.


    "She should have some liquid food first, otherwise she might have an indigestion," Tom said with a frown and decided to prescribe some supplements for her to improve her health.


    "All right. How about this? You stay here to take care of Leena, and I''m going home to make some food that suits her," Kevin offered.


    Kevin couldn''t wait to go home and prepare nutritious food for Leena. He was about to leave the ward, but Tom stopped him.


    "No need for that. I''m calling Kate Hotel to ask them to make the food for us, and then I''ll drive there to fetch it. We can enjoy the food from a five-star hotel for free." Tom took out his phone to call the hotel. Only fools will refuse a free meal from a five-star hotel. Tom considered himself a smart person, and he would not do stupid things.


    "But I don''t think it''s appropriate to bother others," said Kevin. Though he knew Kate Hotel was under FX International Group, he felt a little embarrassed to ask people to cook for them in the early morning.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    "It''s okay. The Food and Beverage Department of Kate Hotel is avable at any time. So it''s not even an issue." While speaking, Tom called the Food and Beverage Department. Actually, Leena had more privileges than he did. Leena owned the limited-edition Dragc Card from the FX International Group, and she had the same powers as Edward. Tom had been pining for a Dragc Card, but Edward just turned him down. ''You''re not a friend of mine, Edward!'' Tom cursed silently.


    "Ah, I get it. I thought you were going to wake them up in the early morning." Kevin knew nothing about Kate Hotel and seldom went to upscale hotels. After all, he was a soldier who spent most of his time in the army base. Before getting married, he sometimes went to his friend''s bar to have a drink and that was it. Since he got married to Leena, he always went home after work. No wonder people would treat him like a peasant. Moreover, soldiers were not allowed to frequently visit upscale entertainment venues.?????????????

 Chapter 1283 Asshole (Part One)

    Thank goodness! Leena finally came around. They even thought of all the possibilities and nned for the worst. Now they could finally set their minds at ease. "Naughty girl, you really scared us. We were so worried about you." Rain excitedly gave Leena a bear hug even though he was scolding her on the surface. Duke looked at her, standing frozen. There was a ghost of hesitation on his face. ''I may still be dreaming,'' he said to himself. Leena''s sweet smile seemed unreal. "Brother," Leena looked over to Duke and acknowledged him. She knew that she had frightened him all this time.


    "Do you know what you did? Do you still take me as your brother?" The thought that Leena chose to drown herself instead of swimming to the shallow end of the pool made Duke mad. Kevin broke her heart, while Duke doted on her, but in her mind, Kevin mattered more. "I''m sorry." Leena kept making apologies after getting out of the crisis. She could now see that the wrong decision she made in a moment of weakness greatly affected those who loved her. She shouldn''t have acted like a selfish child.


    "Cool down, Duke. Leena hasn''tpletely recovered. She still looks rather pale," Edward tried to smooth things over as he didn''t like seeing Duke me Leena.


    Duke frowned but he shut up. Truth be told, he didn''t actually have the heart to me Leena. It was all just for show. He straightened his face just for effect.


    "I heard that you are pregnant, Belinda. Congrattions!" said Leena with a grin to cover up her feeling awkward. Although Edward changed the topic, she still dared not look directly at her brother''s stoic face.


    "Thank you. You will also be an aunt soon," Belinda responded wittily. She knew how to ease the tense atmosphere.


    "That''s true, but I seem to have been an aunt for a long time." Saying this, Leena thought of Justin. What a little naughty fellow he was! She really missed him. They were as ipatible as fire and water when they stayed together, but she couldn''t help missing him when he was away.


    "You know, it''s different," Belinda spoke in azy tone, and at the same time, she gave Edward a challenging look, telling him that her baby was more intimate with Leena.


    Edward responded with a grin. He didn''t mind Belinda being jealous once in a while.


    "I''ll keep Leena under observation. If everything is all right, she''ll be discharged in the afternoon," Tom butted in coldly. He didn''t want Belinda to go any further.


    "Hey man! We can afford the expenses. How can my sister be discharged when she has just gotten out of aa?" Duke gave Tom a hostile re. He wanted Leena to stay in the hospital for a few more days, so that she could be nursed back to health. "What are you talking about? She has to leave the hospital as she is well and on the way toplete recovery. There are many types of viruses and bacteria around here. It''s actually not good for her to stay much longer," Tom shot back, not hiding his irritation. Although Leena had just woken up, there was nothing seriously wrong with her, so she should go home and recuperate there. She wasn''t injured, although the drowning might have causedplications. However, there were no major problems, so she didn''t need to stay in the hospital anymore.


    "What happened to him? I just said that causally. What on earth is he angry about?" Duke turned to ask Edward, his face puzzled. Was Tom going through a tough time?


    "How do I know? Since Leena is now doing fine, I don''t need to stay here. Do whatever you like." Edward chuckled at Duke''s embarrassment. He shouldn''t have questioned the gifted doctor''s decision. Obviously, it was a deliberate provocation.


    "Wait for me, Edward. See youter, Leena. Have a good rest." Rain hurried to keep up with Edward. Too many things had happened recently, and it was too much to take all at the same time. Rain wanted a holiday to rx himself, or he couldn''t survive at this rate. "What''s wrong with Rain? Last time I checked, he wasn''t so keen on working. That''s really weird!" Leena shook her head questioningly. As far as she could remember, Rain always fooled around during working hours.


    "That''s the sort of person he is. He often behaves strangely so leave him alone. I have to go too. I need to make the rounds of the wards." After Tom walked out, the lively ward became quiet.


    "We also have to go to work. Take care. Call me if anything happens." Duke jerked his head in Kevin''s direction. He still didn''t like Kevin, but he had to admit that Kevin had done a good job. He decided to put away his prejudices and ept Kevin as part of the family. "I will. Don''t worry and drive safely," Leena said and waved goodbye, smiling broadly. Even in a hospital bed, she was as charming and lovely as always.


    "What a siren. I should go. Take care of Leena, Kevin." Belinda realized again that Edward and Duke couldn''t fuss over Leena enough.


    "I''ve got everything under control now, Belinda. Trust me. Drive safely," Kevin said to Belinda. He knew that Duke disdained talking to him. Maybe he was still angry about what happened.


    "Wow! It''s quiet atst. But what did Belinda mean? Who is the siren?" Leena asked Kevin with curiosity. Now that it was just the two of them, the ward had be quiet.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Forget it. She just said it casually. You''ve been lying in bed for so long. Do you think you are strong enough to go out for a walk?" Leena nodded in delight. Kevin helped her into her thick coat, ran a hand through her disordered hair and helped her out of bed. "Good idea. I can hardly wait." What Kevin said when she was in aa suddenly came back to her. Was he fulfilling his promise?


    The scenery and environment of Tom''s exclusive hospital were much better than those of the general hospitals around the city. Kevin walked slowly with Leena. One of his arms was wrapped around her waist to support her.


    "It''s only once in a blue moon that we can take a walk like this. It reminds me of the clich¨¦d story in that trendy drama. I used to scorn it, but I didn''t think it would happen to me one day." Leena gave a soft smile. She never expected herself to be the heroine in her own story one day.


    "I am so sorry that I didn''t pay you enough attention and care." Kevin felt guilty. After they got married, he seldom spent time with Leena. It was normal for her to feel that way.


    "Never say sorry to me. I don''t want you to keep making apologies for the same mistake." Leena looked up at her husband. If people thought that an apology could solve all problems, they would make endless mistakes.


    "Okay fine. What a clever girl you are!" Kevin rubbed Leena''s nose with affection. He certainly knew what she meant. He really owed her a lot. That was why she would bring it up more often.


    Leena felt herself blush. How she wished she could snuggle in his arms like this and be with him forever. Whether he loved her or not, it would be enough for her to have him by her side.


    "The girl you saw was Michelle. She is a typical tomboy. I met her by ident when she jumped into my arms to avoid her bodyguard that day. It was really not what you thought." Kevin owed Leena an exnation. He had to make it clear to her, so that she wouldn''t continue to be depressed and insecure.????????????

 Chapter 1284 Asshole (Part Two)

    ."I was small-minded. Sorry that I misunderstood you." Leena felt embarrassed. She just reiterated that she didn''t want Kevin to make apologies. However, she kept making apologies herself instead. "Never mind. You cared about me too much, so you were jealous," Kevinforted Leena with a gentle smile. They would love each other more after this.


    Misunderstandings were inevitable in life. As long as we were willing to spend some time exining or listening, we wouldn''t get hurt.


    As soon as Leena got home, Shannon gave her a big hug. She was still worried about Leenast night and wondered when she would wake up. To her surprise, Leena hade home safe and sound.


    "Thank goodness! You''re back atst!" Shannon''s voice was filled with emotion. She stared at Leena up and down with tears in her eyes. Originally, she wanted to cook something for Leena and bring it to hospital, but Kevin told her not to anymore, because they would be back soon. What a pleasant surprise!


    "Mom, I''m sorry to have worried you." Leena didn''t expect that her mother-inw woulde to see her from the capital city. She was moved when Kevin told her about it. Now, she was even more excited and grateful to see Shannon.


    "Silly girl, don''t make a big deal out of it. I''m no stranger! Go wash your hands so we can eat. I made congee with pork bones for you. You can''t eat greasy food for now but I''ll cook whatever you like after you fully recover," Shannon said as she patted Leena on the back. "Okay. Thank you, Mom," Leena answered in a soft voice. She looked around and found that the house remained the same and was as spotless as before.


    "Wee home, Leena," ire said excitedly. She seemed to havepletely changed after the ident.


    "Thank you, ire." Leena gave her a big hug. After Leena was snatched back from the jaws of death, she became more kind-hearted. She didn''t even want to get back at Louisa at all.


    Meanwhile in the hospital, Tom encountered Patricia again. He thought that whatever happened was predestined, and it was useless to think of running away.


    "Mr. Qin, where on earth have you transferred Leena? I went to her ward just now, but I didn''t see her." Patricia gave the esteemed doctor a challenging look. If she didn''t ask the nurse, she wouldn''t know that Tom was in charge of this hospital.


    "Miss Bai, don''t you know that you must be gentle and humble when you ask for help?" Tom''s reply was full of annoyance. Patricia''s nonsense yesterday galled him and he still hadn''t recovered from it.Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org.


    "Sorry. The word ''gentle'' is not in my dictionary. Don''t expect me to be gentle," Patricia answered back as she looked around the dean''s office. It was justrger than the general doctor''s office. There was nothing special about it. However, every inch of shelf space was crammed with books. She could tell that Tom was very fond of reading.


    "Watch your mouth. You''re being impolite." Tom red at Patricia. She was young but rude.


    "Humph. What a pedant. Cut the crap. Just tell me where Leena is," sneered Patricia, curling her lip.


    "You''re friends, right? Why don''t you call her? If I didn''t know any better, I''d say you''re taking this opportunity to approach me." A contemptuous smile crossed Tom''s face. He hated such women the most. He didn''t expect Patricia to be like that.


    "Come on. Seriously, you''re being self-righteous. I admit that I took a fancy to you at the beginning because you were brilliant and promising, but unfortunately I don''t like your chosen career, so you''re in my bad books now." Patricia loathed arrogant men, and Tom was one of them. He was thest person she wanted to get stuck in an ind with.


    "My career? What kind of mind thinks that it''s shameful to be a doctor? Don''te see one when you get sick!" Tom was enraged. He never thought it was humiliating to be a doctor. Instead he was proud to have taken the sacred mission to heal the wounded and rescue the dying.


    "I didn''t say that. I just don''t like you. Since you don''t intend to tell me where Leena is, I won''t interfere with your work anymore. Goodbye, asshole. Hope I never have to see you again." Patricia was short-tempered. She didn''t want to continue arguing with Tom as Tom didn''t want to give her what she wanted. As he said, she would know where Leena was by just a call. It was a waste of time to talk to an asshole like Tom.


    "Stop! Asshole? Who are you talking about? If I''m an asshole, then you''re wanton!" Tom felt his hackles rise. Patricia pissed him off more than she should.


    "Ha ha! I like that. I have never refuted that I''m not wanton." Patricia cocked an eyebrow in Tom''s direction andughed arrogantly. She didn''t care what Tom thought. It had nothing to do with her anyway.


    "I''m warning you; don''t lead Leena astray." Tom tried hard to simmer down his anger. He realized that the tone of this girl''s voice was designed to irritate him. He wouldn''t let her have her way.


    "Oh? Are you trying to keep me away from her? Tell you what, it''s not working. Save your breath." Patricia rolled her eyes heavenward in disgust and stormed out of the office. She thought, ''I lead Leena astray? It''s ridiculous. She''s scheming at birth, but she ys innocent in front of them.''


    Tom saw Patricia m the door. She was hot-tempered and excitable, like a bottle of soda exploding. He just said that casually, but she contradicted him and vented her anger on the door.


    Patricia took out her phone to call Leena after she went out. Leena answered it after a few rings.


    "Hello, Patricia. What''s up?" Leena said in a low voice as she crept out of the bedroom, trying not to wake Kevin who was sleeping soundly. He was probably too tired, so he wasn''t awakened by the ringing.


    "Oh, my God! You''vee back to life! Are you actually real or just a ghost?" Patricia firmly patted her chest to calm down. She was really frightened by the voice at the other end of the line. Leena was lying in a dead faint when she went to visit her yesterday, but now she hade around and been out of the ward.


    "What are you talking about? Of course I''m real! Have you ever seen ghosts in broad daylight?" Leena talked back in an irritated voice. She rolled her eyes although she knew that Patricia couldn''t see her.


    "Thank God! You finally woke up! Where are you? Kevin didn''t call to tell me that you''ve changed rooms. I''m running about like a chicken with its head cut off in this hospital," Patricia said angrily. She was still enraged at Tom''s arrogance.


    "What? You''re in the hospital? I''ve already gotten back home. Would you like toe over?" Leena stuck out her tongue. She knew Patricia must be angry.


    "What? You''re already home? It''s a miracle then! You were just unconscious in bed yesterday, but you left the hospital and went home today. I can''t believe it! Is it because of that doctor dickhead, Tom?" Patricia''s anger rose further, mentioning his name. Why didn''t Tom tell her that Leena had been discharged from the hospital? He just asked her to make a call. What a ssic asshole!


    "Err... You know it." Originally, Leena tried to hide Tom''s identity, but she didn''t think that everything had changed after she drowned.


    "Know what? That you deliberately misled me? Or that Tom is just an asshole?" Patricia didn''t know why she was in a bad mood after she learned that Tom was a doctor yesterday. How agonizing it was.


    "What happened? What did Tom do to you? Why are you so angry?" Leena drew back her neck. She didn''t know why the two were at odds. What happened while she was in aa?!

 Chapter 1285 The Sweetest Moments In Life (Part One)

    "Stop talking about him! You''re being so annoying! Since you''re safe and sound now, I''ll go home. Try to rest up and take good care of yourself. I''ll see youter," said Patricia to her friend furiously. She was fully aware of Tom''s hostile attitude against her. Love and hate sometimes reced each other in their fragile rtionship. "Oh alright, I see. I''ll call youter then." Leena pursed her lips and faint wrinkle lines appeared around her eyes. She wondered what Tom had done to anger Patricia so much.


    "Ok, I''m gonna go. Bye," said Patricia, and hung up. She frowned and headed quickly towards the hospital door. Thest thing she wanted was to bump into Tom in the hospital. Frankly, Tom wasn''t such a terrible guy. However, his arrogance and falseness made her sick. He for sure had assumed, and of course-falsely, that she had fallen in love with him already, and he didn''t need to talk nicely to her anymore. This fake he was!


    She drove away off the hospital and passed dozens of cars, over-speeding. When she looked at the rear-view mirror, her eyes found a Harley-Davidson tailing her car too closely. She couldn''t recognize the rider, as he was wearing a helmet. Patricia looked at him again. She had no idea of why the hell he was driving like that. Was the driver annoyed because she was faster?


    Patricia looked back to the road ahead and ignored the motorbike altogether, even though they happened to be driving down the same path. However, when she pulled over at a narrow street, where the video center was located, the motorbike also stopped beside her car. Patricia''s way out was blocked and she couldn''t even open the car door.


    "Hey! Bro! Could you park your motorbike away from my car? Can''t you see that I can''t open the damn door and get off?" said Patricia with a calm voice, but apparently annoyed deep down. She rolled down the car window and waited impatiently for his reaction. She had no intention of picking a fight with this guy or starting up any trouble on the street.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "What''re you calling me? Bro? Do I look like a man to you?" asked the rider with an ironic voice, surely not a male one. The rider took off the helmet. A girl''s handsome face appeared under. Her name was Michelle. She swung her hair in a pretty cool manner, just like in a music video, and gave Patricia a defiant look.


    "Unbelievable! You are a...girl?" eximed Patricia in surprise. Michelle was dressed in male leather clothes and her face had been hidden inside the helmet. Thus, Patricia falsely assumed this rider as a man.


    "What? Is it so weird to meet a female rider? You''re a female driver too, but you drive like a man. I was chasing you all the way here and I was sure you must be a man as well! It turns out that you''re also a woman with masculine and aggressive image and driving manners. Haha!" Michelle got off her motorbike, but still didn''t remove her motorbike away from Patricia''s path. She wouldn''t have chased her down if Patricia hadn''t sped up quickly and blowed all the damn vehicle''s gas into her face.


    "Look, dumb-ass girl, I still don''t know why you were following me all the way here?" asked Patricia curiously, and yet-alerted. She couldn''t remember to have such an enemy on the road ever before. Patricia carefully appeared out of the car window, staring at Michelle with great interest and alertness. She wondered if she might be one of those reckless and bold girls who just liked to get into fights and create chaos.


    "Don''t be rude. You look more likely to be a dumb-ass girl than I do," Michelle blurted out, not willing to cave in. Michelle rolled her eyes at her. If Patricia weren''t a girl, she surely would have punched her for her arrogance, rudeness and bawdy words.


    "Girl, I don''t think we have met each other before, right? No, we haven''t met or introduced each other before. If you''re not stupid, please tell me your name?" Patricia answered ironily. Being put in an awkward position, Patricia wondered why this woman was so pissed off and why the hell she was following her all this way down out of the city.


    "Why don''t you introduce yourself first? God gave you a mouth, and you should use it to ask and answer questions and not just talk shit," said Michelle aggressively. She suddenly lost her temper out of the embarrassment she started to feel. Obviously, the sly smile on Patricia''s face was going on her nerves. But Michelle was sensitive.


    "Alright! Let me ask you a simple question. What''s your name?" asked Patricia. She stopped herself from bursting intoughter. It was such a rare chance to meet such a strange girl, she thought. It was somehow annoying, yet funny. "Michelle," she sulked. Due to her specific personality, she rarely had female friends. However, she felt drawn to Patricia already. They seemed to share the same temper. So she easily forgot to me her for over-speeding. "Michelle, nice to meet you! I''m Patricia Bai. By the way, can you remove your motorbike for a moment? I really need to get off my car," asked Patricia in a polite tone. She stretched out her hand and intended to shake hand with this weird girl. "Funny, we wouldn''t be friends if you hadn''t chased me down!" said Patricia and smiled friendly.


    "Is this how you usually make friends?" Michelle returned the hand-shake. She was looking straight in Patricia''s eyes and already felt her as a friend. She turned around and removed her motorbike, allowing her new friend to get off.


    "It sounds great!" Patricia thought Michelle was funny. Michelle being 5''3" in height was suddenly dwarfed by the perfect figure of Patricia when she stepped out of her car graciously.


    "Patricia, can I ask you something?" Michelle swallowed with a throat already dry. She somehow admired the way of her new friend was standing out. She even felt jealous.


    "Go ahead!" said Patricia in confusion, wondering why such a strange girl had got so many questions to ask. Patricia mmed the car door shut. While talking to Michelle, she kept looking in the direction of the video center. Shepletely ignored Michelle''s staring. "May I know your height?" Michelle couldn''t help but stand on tiptoe, so that she might look as tall as Patricia.


    "5''7". Why, what''s wrong with that? Why are you asking?" Patricia looked even more confused.


    "Oh! No, no problem at all. I''m just curious." Michelle answered in awe. Her face reddened. Patricia was taller than her with almost 5 inches. It was no wonder that she looked slender and much more beautiful. Michelle''s jealousy started to grow. "Michelle, I have to go now. It was very nice meeting you. Have a nice day!" said Patricia. She was looking forward to rxing herself at the video center, and releasing the sudden tingle of excitement in this strange auto racing game.????????????

 Chapter 1286 The Sweetest Moments In Life (Part Two)

    "Wait! How can I find you again?" shouted Michelle at the disappearing figure of Patricia. She really wanted to follow Patricia inside, and ask her for the phone number. However, she was in a hurry now, and had to leave immediately. Besides, she really disliked the noise at the video center.


    Patricia didn''t even turn around. She shouted out her phone number honestly, without the slightest caution to this weird girl she had met just a few moments ago.


    Destiny tied them together. This was the start of their close andsting friendship. They met because of a misunderstanding, but made friends in an unexpected way. This sort of friendship only belonged to people with some real personality.


    Kevin had a good long sleep, and didn''t wake up until the dinner was ready. He opened his eyes and felt the darkness surrounding and engulfing him, which made him panic unconsciously. He got paranoid due to the nervous tension in thest two days. The boy stood up,pletely losing sight of time and ce.


    Suddenly, the bedroom door opened, and a figure came inside, turning the light on. The bright glow of the light-bulb made Kevin feel dizzy for a brief moment. When the dizziness passed, he saw Leena stand beside the bed and stare at him. He immediately felt relieved. A big smile cracked on his face.


    "You''re already awake! I intended to wake you up if you were still sleeping," said Leena, surprised. She had a long white dress on. It was warm inside the room, so Leena didn''t feel cold. Seeing Kevin was awake already, sitting on his bed, she was really awkward. She didn''t bear to disturb his sleep. But the dinner was ready and her tired husband needed some real food as well as a good rest to get invigorated.


    "Yeah! What time is it? How long have I been sleeping?" Kevin massaged his temples softly and rhythmically. He couldn''t remember thest time he slept this soundly and deeply.


    "Not too long. About five hours. How is your headache? Better?" Leena knelt down on the bed, removed his hands and started to massage his temples.


    "Better. Dizzy but nothing serious. I have slept much longer than I expected." Then, he took her soft hand, and held her in his arms. He hadn''t shaved for several days, and his stubble rubbed against Leena''s smooth skin, which made her feel a sudden feeling of excitement.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Stop! It tickles." This was the happiness that Leena wanted. It would be an extravagant and maybe improper wish to ask Kevin to spend more time with her. Most times a passionate hug was enough to soothe her worried mind and to make her a satisfied wife.


    "Leena, do you have any idea of how important you are to me?" asked Kevin sincerely, looking her in her big lovely eyes. Kevin held her shoulders with both arms, and stared at her eyes, waiting for an answer. "Yes! We''re both THE most important people to each other. Kevin, thank you for loving me and oveing all those difficulties." She tilted her chin and raised her fragile hand, fondling his handsome face gently.


    "I really appreciate that you waited for me for such a long time. You don''t need to experience any more heartache to love me. Just stand there, and I''lle to you, and love you with all my heart. I promise," said Kevin responsibly and lovingly. He was in no mood to make up some love words. He was being vulnerable, trying to prove his love to Leena.


    "Really? Will you take the lead and love me?" asked Leena excitedly. Her eyes were full of tears. She looked at her husband expectantly and never thought this day woulde. And even so soon.


    "Although you don''t want to hear any apology from me any longer, I should apologize to you for thest time. Sorry for what you have been through. I''ll make it up to you, I promise, I give you my word!" said Kevin emotionally. He kissed her eyelids gently, wiping off her tears gently. Such an emotional and sentimental girl. She had such a soft heart and could be moved so easily.


    Leena''s body suddenly felt paralyzed when Kevin leaned forward and kissed her slowly. Her eyes were wide open, staring at the man in front of her. She tried to remember each and every sweet moment they had together. This very moment was so unique!


    The dinner was ready when they came downstairs and walked into the dinning room. Leena was just discharged from the hospital and Shannon was worried about her health. She wouldn''t allow her to help in the kitchen. Their mother had prepared delicious dishes and set the table, as a celebration for Leena''s homing.


    "Come and take a seat. I''m waiting for you," said Shannon when she saw her son and his wife. Shannon untied her apron, delighted to see Leena recover so quickly, with a happy smile on her face.


    "Wow! Such a big meal. Thank you, Mother!" Leena licked her lips. She was starving!


    "Just some home cooking. Don''t tter me. By the way, where''s ire? Why hasn''t shee back home already? It''s gettingte." Shannon looked at her watch anxiously. In the morning, ire told her mother she was going out, but didn''t bother to exin anything else. She should havee back and joined them for dinner.


    "She isn''t home? I better call her and find out what''s going on," said Kevin, displeased. He frowned and picked up his mobile phone.


    "Call her and ask her toe home as soon as possible. She has no sense of time," said Shannon, trying to control her anger. Shannon was also getting angry. Troubles were following ire all the time. So no wonder everyone was worried.


    Kevin called his sister several times and she didn''t answer. He frowned, also worried.


    "What''s wrong? Didn''t she answer her phone?" Leena asked looking at Kevin with worry. She knew ire was a good girl and wouldn''t stir up troubles without provocation.


    "Yeah... I don''t think she heard her phone ring. We shouldn''t be waiting for her. Let''s eat," said Kevin, obviously displeased and disappointed. Kevin left his phone at the table and was about to pick up chopsticks when the door opened and ire came inside. All eyes were on her and she felt embarrassed.


    "What are you doing, staring at me in such a weird way?" asked ire. She looked herself, examining her clothes, but didn''t find anything wrong about her outfit.


    "Where have you been? We''ve been waiting for you to join us for dinner. Don''t you know that somebody back home might get worried about you when you don''t answer your phone? Leena just got discharged from the hospital. Don''t you think you shoulde home earlier and try to take care of her?" Shannon almost shouted at ire. Extremely disappointed, she thought her daughter had changed, but actually she remained the same. She was still the spoiled child, self-willed, selfish and naive.000000

 Chapter 1287 The Sweetest Moments In Life (Part Three)

    "It''s not toote, and you haven''t started your dinner yet. Besides that, I told you I was leaving," ire objected. ire felt herself being falsely med. However, she decided not to get into an argument with her mother, in case she tried to lecture her. She hated being told what should or shouldn''t be done.


    "It''s good that you are back home. Now, wash your hands, sit and eat dinner with us," said Leena,ing to ire''s rescue. She was in ire''s age and knew what ire was doing and thinking. Most girls wouldn''t spend their free time home, or share their private life with their families. They loved parties, nice clothes and all funny things, and boredom was their mortal enemy.


    "Thank you, Leena! ire made a funny face at her mother before rushing to the washroom.


    "Look at her. Not the good girl I have expected her to be when she was born," said Shannon remorsefully. Gritting her teeth, Shannon regretted that her daughter didn''t live up to her expectations.


    "Mother, ire has changed a lot. Please don''t be always so angry and give her more time to grow up and be mature," said Leena in aforting tone.


    Leena really liked her mother-inw. A mother-inw rarely would care about her son''s wife as sincerely and warmly as Shannon did, and Leena really appreciated that. She had feared that she and Kevin''s mother couldn''t get along after the marriage. But their rtionship got even stronger with the time. She was like her own mother now. Shannon rushed to the hospital without a single halt when she heard Leena had an ident. From then on, she had tried her best to take care of her daughter-inw.


    "I''m just worried about her future. ire should be ashamed of herself. She has no idea where her life''s heading and where to find a suitable husband." Speaking of which, Shannon sighed again.


    ire''s father wanted her to marry a suitable soldier. But this was nearly impossible, as ire was demanding, picky, spoiled and unable to do anything well on her own. She would be the bane of the life of any potential husband. She wasn''t a woman yet. And everyone knew that.


    "You can''t force me to marry at such a young age. I am not even 25. No hurry. Isn''t thete marriage andte childbirth popr across the country?" ire grumbled after she went out of the bathroom and heard of her mother''sint. Her beautiful life had just begun, and it couldn''t be fettered by the family responsibilities. She needed time to enjoy the wonderful and colorful life.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "I gave birth to your brother at your age. You''re not that young, don''t you know that?" Shannon put a bowl of chicken soup which she had stewed for several hours in front of Leena, because she hadn''t eaten for several days. She needed some real food to regain her strength and improve her health.


    "Come on! You''re too old to lecture me about love and marriage. I won''t follow your example. This is my life and I''ll be living it differently. I have had enough of your nonsense." ire sat at the table, several chairs away from her mother. She was afraid that her mother might get really angry and throw the chopsticks at her face, which would be too embarrassing. But it already happened when she lost her temper.


    "I''m not asking you to get married right now! Find a good man and learn to love him. That''s all," said Shannon in a sulk. Shannon handed each of them a bowl of chicken soup. The family had been worried and tired recently, and they needed some real food to get the bnce back in their life.


    "Don''t you know? Partners who fall in love have to get married. Otherwise, it would be too sad to see lovers break up," said ire righteously. She smiled. Often, the concise and explicit words were the very truth.


    Leena bursted intoughter. What about her and Kevin who only learned to love each other after they got married and had been living together for a long time. To be honest, she had never imagined her marriage and love life in that way.


    "ire, you''re getting far too cocky! Mother''s only trying to give you a good advice." Kevin gave his sister a long cold look and then turned his eyes to Leena, who wasughing amused.


    "This chicken soup is so delicious. Mother, you''re such a brilliant cooker," said Leena admiringly. Leena caught the secretive nce from Kevin, immediately picked up her bowl and ate the chicken soup, thinking that she had to keep her mother-inw in good mood. It would turn very ugly if Shannon realized that her daughter-inw and ire conspired to make her lose the "fight".


    "Speaking of which, Mother, your chicken soup''s the best soup I have ever tasted. I have a lot to learn from you." Kevin followed his wife''s example and tried to please his mother. He couldn''t take it seeing his mother getting upset about ire''s marriage.


    "It''s true. I must learn to cook some chicken soup some day, as Mother does," said Leena. Leena took another sip of the chicken soup. She didn''t lie, the soup was actually very delicious.


    "I have enough of your pretending. Come on, I know why you''re doing that. I''ll leave the topic of ire''s marriage for now," the mother said, annoyed. She always knew her kids best. However, she had been worrying about her daughter since the day she was born, and hadn''t found a solution to her problems yet.


    "Mother, enough! Men will fight for my love. Tomorrow I''ll go and find dozens of boyfriends and take them home. You can interview them and find the most suitable one as my boyfriend. Are you ok with my n?" ire rolled her eyes, annoyed with this stupid discussion. Mother always liked forcing her opinions upon others. She had put pressure on Kevin to marry a woman. Any woman. Back then he wasn''t ready and he wasn''t in love. And therefore he wasn''t happy. Now, ire was under constant pressure to find a husband, too. "Girl, don''t make a fool of yourself. You can''t bring a dozen of boyfriends home, can you? Even if you try!" Shannonughed bitterly with lots of sarcasm flushing out her eyes. A single good husband was enough for ire. No need to find so many candidates to choose from, which would be too embarrassing for both ire and Shannon.


    "What should I do? If I, as you ordered, fall in love, you''ll also get worried about if he''s really my Mr. Right. In this case, I better allow you to pick a satisfying son-inw for yourself. Then, you''ll stop bothering me, right?" ire answered with mouth full. If her father saw this, he would lecture her about the proper table manners. Her father disallowed his family to talk while having a meal. Especially during dinner. Strict discipl¨ªne was imposed on his family. However, living with Kevin, ire felt relieved and much more rxed.

 Chapter 1288 Put Out To Sea (Part One)

    "Everyone says that a daughter is a sweetheart to her parents. So why aren''t you sweet to me?" Shannon felt frustrated. But ire was her daughter after all and she could not just force her daughter to do something she didn''t want to do. She always wanted to see her daughter do well, not make her a ve. Leena yed with her ring finger. She actually knew who ire was, and what she wanted. She was still a young woman and she enjoyed being free. She didn''t want to settle down and marry just yet. Oh, of course, there were also some idiots like her who married a man at the drop of a hat. But Leena never regretted her decision and considered marriage to be the most precious gift in her life. At that moment, she raised her eyes and took a good look at Kevin. Kevin seemed to sense it, looked her way, and smiled back at her warmly. It made Leena happy.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    "Oh! Leena, Gerard told me that he was d to know you finally woke up. And he passes along his congrattions." After dinner, ire grabbed her chance. Kevin wasn''t around. So she sat beside Leena and carefully outlined what Gerard said.


    "What? Gerard? Didn''t he go back to France with Be?" Leena was surprised to hear it. She tore her eyes from the fashion magazine in her hand and started to think. She remembered hearing from Kevin that Be had already gone back to Paris. But why was Gerard still here? He told her earlier that he was going back with Be. That was when the gears started turning in her head. Why did ire mention Gerard, and why were they talking?


    "He nned to. But he said he was worried about you and wouldn''t go back until he knew you were okay. I think he likes you a lot." ire looked at Leena, lost in thought. Louisa was right that Leena and Gerard were once a couple. But ire chose to believe Leena. She''d seen how Leena and Kevin were when they were together, and she thought Leena loved Kevin and would never betray him. Gerard also told her that he and Leena weren''t a couple anymore. He was still wistful, but she was a memory he chose to treasure. "You talked to Gerardtely, ire?" Leena frowned and asked. She wondered since when ire and Gerard were so familiar with each other. She noticed they got on well, but she didn''t know they were that into it.


    "No, I just ran into him a few days ago. We talked for a bit and exchanged numbers. Why? Is there something I should know?" She looked at Leena in confusion and asked her point nk. She talked to Gerard because both of them were lonely in this strange city. It shouldn''t be a big deal if they tookfort in each other. Besides, he was a charming guy.


    "No, I didn''t mean that. Gerard is not just any guy. He has blue blood from Europe; his family''s rich and so is he. So just... be careful. Don''t let anyone force you into anything," Leena said in a worried tone. She wasn''t too worried about ire and Gerard. Gerard was a good guy. She was worried about the pressure from the nc family. They might not think ire was worthy of their son. Oh, of course, it might be too early for her to worry about it. They weren''t dating, yet.


    "Ha ha. What were you thinking? Even if I wanted to, his family would put the kibosh on that. Don''t worry about me!" ire pursed her lips. She did not take Leena seriously. She and Gerard were just friends; that was all. A love affair wasn''t in the cards. What? Did Leena think she was in love?


    "d to hear it. And now I feel better. By the way, you said you wanted to find a job here in S city. Got any ideas?" Leena took a sip of tea. She wasn''t a fan of this vor. But her mother-inw was kind enough to make this for her and she wasn''t going to disappoint her. "Well, not yet! Maybe I need to think about this longer. I really haven''t got used to the real world, and so I might have a hard time holding down a job," ire said. People were always like this. They needed some kind of crisis before they took good hard look in the mirror. "That''s okay. Take your time. But don''t forget -- there are three bigpanies that have opened their doors for you," Leena promised, looking at her. She didn''t promise anything like that before, because she was unsure about ire. But now she was different. Although she wasn''t perfect, she did make a change. Leena saw this, and thought ire had a promising future. People make mistakes, but they pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and try something different. ire did this, so Leena offered her a second chance. "Thanks, Leena." ire smiled. She didn''t tell Leena that Gerard offered her an opportunity as well. That really made her stop and think. His offer was really tempting. S city was indeed charming, but she wanted to go to Paris, the city of romance and fashion. The next day, Kevin still didn''t go to the army base. That was unusual. Leena was puzzled, because Kevin was always quite busy every day. She had gotten used to him not being around much because of his work. But why didn''t he go to work today? Actually he''d been home the past couple days.


    "Penny for your thoughts." Kevin opened his eyes and reached out to hold her in his arms.


    "Not going to work today?" She asked curiously. Leena reached out and yed with his short hair.


    "No, I''m on vacation. What? You don''t want me here?" Kevin replied, rubbing his nose on Leena. Themander asked him to take some vacation time. So he jumped at the chance and freed himself from endless work for a while. It was nice to have a little time off. At least, that was what he told himself.


    "No. Everything''s great, and I like that you''re home. I''m just curious. Didn''t you take some leave while we visited the capital?" Why was she questioning him on this? Did she doubt his word?


    "Yeah, I did. But it doesn''t mean that I can''t im more vacation days! Are you worried that it might be hard to support the family when I lose my job?" Kevin said in a joking tone. Now Leena wondered if he were joking or not.


    "Are you willing to have me bring home the bacon?" Leena reached out and put her arms around his strong waist. They just looked at each other with their heads tilted together, foreheads touching. It was very sweet and warm. "You bring it home, I''ll eat it." Kevin hugged her harder and their bodies were closer to each other now.


    "Ah! Cut it out! I --" Leena''s face turned red as she felt Kevin''s member brush against her.


    "I want it to be like this all the time. I want to spend every day with you, weing the days and nights," Kevin said emotionally. He looked quite cozy and charming. Leena was still trying to fight down her embarrassment.


    "Am I dreaming, Kevin? I didn''t think you felt that way." Suddenly, Leena felt quite shy and afraid. She was afraid that she might get hurt after this. For a long time, she''d just been willing to take whatever she could get from the man. He was less than romantic, so her heart was happy any time he showed her sweetness. But now, he was so different.000000

 Chapter 1289 Put Out To Sea (Part Two)

    "I do now, angel." He kissed her forehead. "But I think that''s enough for now. Know where I''d really like to go? The sea." Suddenly, Kevin sat up. It was a sunny day today and it was alreadyte in the morning. It would take a bit to get ready, and get out there. People


    usually sleptter in the winter. They got a taste of how bears lived, and why they hibernated.


    "The sea? In the middle of winter?" Leena frowned. Why did he want to see the sea all of a sudden? But she didn''t say no. And when they finally stepped onto the deck of the warship, she was astonished by the breadth of the sky and the sea. This was all you could see as you looked off in the distance. The majesty was humbling. "Are you cold?" Kevin asked, tightening her coat. He was worried that she might feel cold because of the sea wind. He knew she got cold easier than he did.


    "No, I''m not. So is this the navy? What''s the difference between the navy and the army?" Leena wore a warm coat, so she did not feel cold at all. It was lined with faux fur, because she was an animal lover, but it was warm nheless. Fleece-lined, and very fashionable. "Simple. We fight onnd, they fight on the sea." The harmony of sea and sky made a beautiful picturesque view. The ship cut through the water, leaving white rapids in its wake. Waves rose wherever the warship passed.


    "Hey, Kevin! Got your sea legs yet?" A young major came and greeted them respectfully.


    "Hey, Morris, you old sea dog! How have you been?" Kevin looked at his friend''s flushed face and said in an admiring tone. He knew Morris was doing quite well.


    "You got the best deal! Cute wife, and you''re a major general now! Congrats!" Morris Cheng and Kevin were quite close once. They trained together as new recruits. But eventually the service decided Morris was better suited for the navy, and pulled him for special training. Kevin went into the army.


    "All it takes is a little hard work. Besides, you''re headed for family life too, I think. They told me you have a girl you''ve been dating for years. Now you just need to find a good time to propose and marry her." Kevin pped Morris Cheng''s shoulder in a brotherly way andforted him man-to-man.


    "Not me! We broke up a long time ago. Hard to find a gal who will marry a soldier, particrly one going at sea for months at a time." He bowed to Leena. "No offense, Mrs. Gu. You''re the exception. By the way, you look really familiar. Have we met?" Morris Cheng looked at Leena in confusion. It was a gut feeling. He knew he''d seen this woman before.


    "Don''t, please. We don''t run in the same circles," Kevin said hastily. He didn''t mean it like it sounded, but his jealousy got the best of him. Kevin smiled. He held Leena in his arms again possessively. Just like Edward, he was easily given over to jealousy when it came to his wife.


    "Hey! Now I remember! I saw you on TV a few days ago. It was just for a few minutes, but you really made an impression on me. I can''t forget a face like yours." Morris Cheng did a double-take. He started talking, but couldn''t remember why she was on TV. He was flipping channels and stopped when he saw her on the screen. Was she a movie star or something?


    "Thanks, Major Cheng. I don''t know what to say." And she didn''t, turning red again. This was the first time she met Kevin''s friend, so she was a little taken aback and shy.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Please, just call me Morris." Morris was a generous, kind man. He was not stubborn like most soldiers, and wouldn''t stand on formality when it wasn''t needed. But he was big, and imposing. The man just looked dangerous, like a mighty general. He had a bright future in the navy.


    "Can I?" Leena looked at Kevin. She wasn''t sure about that, whether it was appropriate to use his first name. How did Kevin feel about that?


    "No worries. He doesn''t bite," Kevin joked. He continued, "He''s my best friend. We''re just like family. No need to be so polite." Kevin looked at her with loving eyes. He finally figured out his feelings for Leena and now he valued her so much. Every day he found something more to love about her.


    "Hey, you like fresh fish? We can catch things here and eat them if you like." Morris made a suggestion and seemed keen to make a feast. He was an expert on the sea and where the prime fishing spots were. He remembered the time they brought in a load of bass, and the chef made broth-steamed bass. He, of course, vored it with some ck bean sauce he''d smuggled into his cabin thest time they were in port.


    "Really? So we''re going fishing? And eating here, on the ship?" Leena was surprised and rubbed her hands in anticipation. She could barely contain her excitement. She''d only seen fishermen going out to sea in their boats on TV. But she never saw it up close and personal. This was going to be fun!


    "Yup! Come on, Kevin! Show us how it''s done," Morris urged. Morris was joking, of course. He''d been fishing for years, and had a knack for it by now. Thisnd lubber wasn''t going to best him, not by a long shot. But then again, he could get lucky. The sea was full of fish and other wildlife. Who knows? He might catch something.


    "Why not?" Kevinughed loudly. He was arrogant, especially in front of his beloved wife. Men were always proud and would seldom show weakness around their women. Not even Kevin was immune. He''d show Morris a thing or two.


    "Wait a sec. I''ll ask my men to bring some tackle," Morris Cheng said and went back to the cabin. A fishing show was on the way. The crew immediately went to work, bringing out rods, reels, bait, hooks, lines, sinkers, ands. "Here you are. Hold my coat. I got this." Kevin took off his coat and handed it to Leena. His voice was full of confidence and bravery. And more than a little bravado. He''d only fished a little.


    "Big talk, honey. You''ve never fished the whole time I''ve known you." Leena held his coat and looked at the man with soft eyes. He was her beloved man who excelled at everything. But he knew his limits, and she probably knew them better than he did.


    "Nice. Don''t think I can do it?" Kevinughed out proudly. He reached out and rubbed her small nose. He was definitely confident about himself, you could hear it in hisughter. He was having a grand time. Even if he didn''t win, he was making memories.[

 Chapter 1290 Put Out To Sea (Part Three)

    "No, I don''t think I can do it. I''m afraid that I might see someone''s defeat. Is there even a bathroom on this tub?" Leena giggled. She liked this a lot and felt rather happy. Sailing on the colossal ocean inspired her, and now she had a theme for her summer fashion show. As


    a brilliant designer, she got inspiration from everything. She had to remember to put this in her pher on.


    "Come here, man! Let''s see how lucky you are!" Morris Cheng threw a big to Kevin and wanted to see whether Kevin had the makings of a fisherman.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "I''m a major general! Of course I can use a!" Kevin took over the without hesitation. Yes, it was true. He''d never used a to fish. Particrly not a gill. But he''d seen it done in movies and on TV. How hard could it be? All he needed to do was do it like he''d seen it done, right?


    "Yeah, I''m not so sure," Morris warned. He was waiting for Kevin to give it a shot. Fishing was not as easy as people thought. He spent quite a long time figuring out how to manage the at first. It was pretty simple, once you set it up. A fish swims into the, and is caught by the gills. Thoses weremon worldwide. But Morris was pretty sure and fisherman wouldn''t know about all this.


    "Don''t count me out, yet." Kevin readied his and prepared to throw it. First, he grabbed the weight, then threw the out with all his strength. He did it as if he were the god of the seas. The result was sad, though. When the was pulled in, there was no fish at all, let alone a shrimp. He''d failed at his first attempt.


    "Ha ha! Nice catch! Told you. A perfect soldier might not be a perfect fisherman." Morris Cheng burst into loudughter. A soldier standing beside him could not help joining in. He was quieter though. He wasughing at a major general, after all. Although Kevin was not one of the navy, he was still a superior officer in the armed forces, and stillmanded the requisite respect.


    "But I thought -- never mind." Kevin didn''t get it. He did it the same way he saw them do it on TV! It should have worked. But why did he fail? Still, he didn''t feel embarrassed at all. He gave it his best shot, and it didn''t work. The only way he''d be embarrassed was he didn''t give it 100% of his effort. That was shameful.


    "No biggie. I figured it would turn out this way." Morris Cheng kept smiling the whole time. Leena''s gentle eyes were fixed on her husband. Just like Kevin, she wasn''t embarrassed either. Besides, he looked good in a t-shirt. That made up for any fishing faux-pas. "Disappointed?" Kevin walked toward Leena. She could hear a bit of frustration in his voice.


    "Nope. You''re always the best in my eyes." Leena helped him don his coat. The sea wind was a mix of frozen air and the acrid smell of seaweed. And he was starting to get cold. Fortunately, they were able to have a fishy feast, thanks to the capable naval crew.


    They spent the whole day on the sea and did note back until sunset. It was a colorful day for Leena. Boarding a ship of war on the ocean was totally different from taking a leisurely ride on a bateau-mouche down the Seine River in Paris. And it was so different from a cozy and peaceful walk along the streets of the city. It waspletely adventurous and inspiring. The ocean was extremely magnificent, frightening and yet uplifting at the same time.


    When they came back to the Grand Apartment, they were surprised to see a particr visitor. A distinguished and august presence.


    "Dad! Why are you here?" Kevin asked in surprise. Nathan just showed up here all of a sudden without letting them know in advance. That was not his style. Something was up.


    "Everything good, Dad? It''s been a while." Leena bit her lip. She was also surprised to see Nathan too, and a little nervous. Still she greeted him in the sweet tones that made her a star among everyone she met.


    "I heard you weren''t well. Why did you go out?" Nathan asked unhappily, but despite his tone he had a poker face. Showing emotion wasn''t his style.


    "Nathan! Be nice!" Shannon said. "We talked about this," she added under her breath. "Gods above, smile a bit. It won''t hurt." Shannon could not help butin at Nathan. She knew he actually cared for Leena. So why did he need to keep that poker face? It wasn''t necessary around family.


    "You''re spoiling them," he growled. Nathan took a cold look at Shannon. He was teaching his children something. Why did she interrupt him? She always did this when he was in the middle of a teachable moment.


    "I''m done. See you around." Shannon shook her head and walked off. Spoiling them? Come on! He was the expert at spoiling the children! ire was his masterpiece, and a fine example of his handiwork. She ended up arrogant, not caring for others at all! But she seemed to have changed a lot, living with her brother. Thank God, because now Shannon didn''t have to worry about her as much.


    "I heard the news, Kevin. You''ve been suspended for a while. You should take advantage of the time off and think about your mistake. And you should figure out where you went wrong." Nathan frowned. He did not show much unhappiness about Kevin''s punishment. He didn''t show any emotion at all. But Leena was totally in astonishment hearing what Nathan said. She turned to look at Kevin and eventually knew the truth. It turned out that he was not on vacation, but instead being punished! But for what? Was it because of her? "Oh, I have. It was my fault because I didn''t pay close enough attention. I ept the punishment." Kevin squeezed Leena''s hand a bit, to tell her soundlessly he was fine with it, and to reassure her everything would be okay. Couples had such wonderful ways tomunicate.


    "I''m d to hear that you can cop to what you did wrong. There''s always a period of adjustment, when the new recruits and more experienced personnel meet and have to try and get along. You should know this. You''ve been a leader for years and you aren''t supposed to make that mistake. To tell the truth, I''m quite disappointed in you." Nathan was still wearing a poker face. Although Kevin was his son, there was no father and son when Nathan was reprimanding him for something. The man had his principles.


    "I''m sorry!" Kevin pursed his lips and replied. He clearly knew that they were not father and son at this moment but superior and subordinate. So he replied solemnly. The atmosphere seemed to be depressing and serious. It was always like this, and it would probably never get any better. His most powerful memories of his father were when he behaved like this. They didn''t really have a warm family rtionship.00000

 Chapter 1291 A Meeting Between The Two Families (Part One)

    "Never mind. I know you didn''t mean to! Just take this as a lesson. I hope that you will follow the management norms in the future. It would be better and safer for you." Nathan sighed softly. He knew that it wasn''t all Kevin''s fault, but it had its repercussions, even if he tried to cover for him. Moreover, he had no intention of helping Kevin solve the problem because he thought that Kevin should be responsible for his own mistakes as a married man.


    "I know." Kevin didn''t talk much in front of Nathan. Although they were father and son, there was littlemunication between them. Even when they lived under one roof, they had nothing much to say to each other. As both Kevin''s father and his superior leader, Nathan always put on airs in front of Kevin. In the face of Nathan, Kevin also showed respect for him. As a result, the two were indeed so estranged that they did not look like they had any familial connection.


    When Nathan returned home, the atmosphere in the family was less warm and more political. Having married into such a family, Leena became more cautious. She knew that Nathan, unlike the others around her, was a high-ranking andmanding military officer. Her kindness and sweetness were useless in front of him.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Why didn''t you tell me that you were removed from your office?" Leena looked up at Kevin and asked doubtfully. She didn''t know if he hid it from her because he didn''t think she deserved to know or because he didn''t want to worry her.


    "It''s okay. It is only temporary. And I wasn''t removed. I was just suspended. You would have been stressed unnecessarily if you knew. So, I told you instead, that I was on vacation." Kevin said resignedly. He did not expect Nathan to blow the whistle on what he had deliberately kept a secret. It seemed that god''s way was higher than man''s.


    "Even so, you should have told me. Isn''t it hard to suppress it within you like that? Didn''t you say that we should share joys and sorrows as a couple? Or have you forgotten what you said?" Leena reached out her hand and stroked Kevin''s chest, with her lips puckered to show her disapproval.


    "Are you angry?" Kevin lifted her beautiful face and gently kissed her cherry-like lips. The kiss made Kevin feel like he had the world in an instant. He thought, ''Does she know what she is doing? Doesn''t she know how sultry she is now?''


    "Yes. I am a little angry. It makes me think that you don''t want me in your world." She blushed as Kevin suddenly kissed her, but she kissed him back.


    "Little fool. If so, why would I take you to meet my friend? I won''t hide anything from you any more. We will face everything together. I hope you can do the same for me. OK?" Kevin gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead. Leena didn''t expect Kevin to do this to her. She had long waited for this day. She knew that as long as she gave her heart to him, he would correspondingly give his heart in return.


    "OK. As long as we are together, I will follow you for the rest of my life." Leena climbed on top of Kevin and kissed him affectionately. She gave up the kind of restraint that a woman should have, because she loved him. In the name of love, she was willing to share the wonderful love and be one with him, and to be the enchanting woman under his body. With such deep feelings, they longed to spend the rest of their lives together and make each day more intense with passion and love.


    As the night wore on, the music of their love yed deeper and deeper. The two lovebirds were so desperate for each other''s bodies in the moment. Two people entwined together, pushing their unashamed love toward the climax.


    The atmosphere at the Kate hotel today was very strange. Looking at the young people in front of him, Nathan felt a little sad. He used to be as rebellious as them, but eventually he bowed his head to the hands of the clock and became an old man. Time and tide waited for no man. It was difficult for Nathan not to admit his age in front of such a group of virtuous and talented people.


    "Come, Nathan, let me give you a toast. Let''s drink to the first meeting between our families" Lloyd returned to S City yesterday. No one had told him that Leena had drowned and survived, so he was shocked when he found out. Fortunately, Leena did not suffer anyplications, so Lloyd was relieved.


    "My deepest apologies for not having paid you a visit until now. It''s our fault. Let''s have a toast." Nathan took the ss, clinked it gently with Lloyd''s, and drank it down gantly. He did not have any official business to do in S City this time, so he had nothing to worry about. Leena bit her lips and anxiously looked at Lloyd and Nathan, worrying that they might get into a dispute because of a difference in opinion. Fortunately, the two got along very well. Perhaps, it was because Lloyd liked military folks. The two of them spent the night talking andughing. This surprised not only Leena, but everyone who was present.


    "Uncle, I have a very high regard for you and I''d like to have a toast with you, too. You don''t have to empty your ss, as you are our guest!" Edward smiled happily, with a kind and noble spirit that had a natural charm. With an inherent dignity, he looked uninhibited, but he was very polite.


    "Ha-ha. Do you think I drink less than you young people?" Nathan smiled at Edward. He admired Edward''s manners. Although Edward was the president of apany, he was not arrogant.


    "That''s not what I meant, Uncle. I don''t know how much you can drink, But I''ll drink this first." As soon as Edward finished speaking, he raised his head and drank up his wine. Daisy sat by his side, a little worried, but said nothing.


    Nathan looked at Edward, lifted his head, and drank the whole ss of wine in his hand without hesitation. He didn''t want to be looked down upon by these young people.


    "It''s my turn. Uncle Nathan, I know you don''t like Leena very much because of our family background. However, I want to tell you that we treat Leena as a princess and we won''t make her a pawn to gain interests and power. So, you don''t have to worry." Duke toasted to Nathan and then drank down his cup of wine. Although he wasn''t as sensitive as a woman, he knew what Nathan was thinking. The way Nathan looked at Leena was not gentle, so he could tell that Nathan didn''t like Leena very much. Hearing Duke''s words, Nathan was a little surprised, then looked at Leena and thought, ''Did she tell them? If she did not, why would he say something like that?''


    "Don''t worry, Uncle Nathan. My little sister didn''t say anything. What I have just said is just my own spection. If what I just said offended you, please ept my sincerest apologies." Although Duke sounded apologetic, there was a touch of sarcasm in his voice. Leena was no worse than anyone else, so he didn''t want her to be wronged in any way. Even if he might offend Nathan, he would not allow anyone to bully his little sister, whom he had guarded for more than two decades.


    "What are you talking about, Duke? Nathan, he''s just a kid. He doesn''t know anything. It''s my fault I didn''t teach him well. I hope you won''t mind. Come on. Let''s drink more." Hearing what Duke just said, Lloyd hastened to smooth things over, not wanting his son to embarrass himself and the family and ruin the moment.


    "It''s okay. Duke is right. I do have such concerns. Now that he says so, I''m not worried. And I hope you don''t mind that I had this concern before." Nathan was a soldier who had experienced a lot in the army, so he had grace and manners. However, he made no secret of the ideas he had once had, and behaved candidly.


    "Now that you''ve all toasted Uncle Nathan, I''m no exception." Rain smiled evilly. In fact, a military officer like Nathan had little to do with him, and he was just trying to protect Leena. If someone tried to hurt her, he would not let go of that man."

 Chapter 1292 A Meeting Between The Two Families (Part Two)

    "Rain, he would be drunk if you do that." Leena said anxiously. She was aware of Nathan''s personality, so she worried that Rain''s inattentive attitude might irritate him.


    "It''s okay. I''ll drink with you, young man." Nathan took another drink immediately. He knew why Rain was doing this, and he thought, ''It looks like a lot of people like Leena. It doesn''t help that I don''t like her.''


    Kevin frowned and thought, ''Even if I help my dad drink this cup of wine, Rain might not let him off easily. Forget it. Anyway, my dad''s not a bad drinker. He won''t get drunk that easily.'' Kevin consoled himself and silently watched what was happening. "Uncle Nathan, since they''re all toasting you, I''m not gonna be left out. Here, let me propose a toast. I hope you take more care of Leena. She is a good girl." Tom smiled faintly and then drank his wine in one gulp. He was not as gentle as he used to be.


    These people were all speaking for Leena, which made Nathan change his mind about her. ''There is a reason why everyone here is very protective and caring for this girl. She must have a lot of good qualities. Otherwise, it would not have been possible for so many people to like her this much, ''thought Nathan. Nathan looked at Tom admiringly, and then drank the wine, feeling a little fonder of Leena.


    Everyone toasted Nathan at the meal, so he got a little drunk. Everyone got along very well and the atmosphere was not as tense as expected. It was a little awkward, but fortunately there were no major issues. Nathan was finally willing to reflect on whether he was too hard on Leena.


    As an industry owned by FX International Group, the Kate Hotel was fully loaded and well equipped. Here, people didn''t have to worry about getting drunk, because those who got drunk were sent to the guest rooms so that there would be less trouble for them. "Is it proper for father to stay in a hotel?" Leena said nervously. He stayed at the Grand Apartmentst night and ire stayed at the vi.


    "Don''t worry. My mom''s here with him. Besides, Tom is staying here, too." Kevinforted her. Lloyd was not as drunk as Nathan, so he went back with Duke. They both drank quite a bit, so Belinda drove them home. As for Edward, Daisy could take care of him. So, only Tom and Rain, two single men, stayed the night at the hotel.


    "I think it''s inappropriate to let father stay in a hotel. It makes us look uncaring and distant." Leena frowned. Although the Kate was the most exclusive hotel in S City, Leena felt it was not a good ce for Nathan to stay.


    "It doesn''t matter. My father drank too much today. It''s not good for him to go out like this. Don''t think much of it." Kevin pressed the button of the floor they were going and hugged her as they went into the elevator. In fact, Kevin also drank a lot of wine, but he was still sober.


    "You''re right. He''s in his army uniform." Leena suddenly realized that, and thought, ''Why didn''t I think about that? It was these haughty guys who made my father-inw drink so much. Although Kevin helped him drink a lot, he is still very drunk.''


    "That''s right. Can you drive me home?" As soon as they walked out of Kate Hotel, Kevin gave Leena the car keys and raised his hand to rub his dizzy head.


    "What''s the matter? Are you feeling sick? Is your stomach all right?" Seeing him like this, Leena asked anxiously.


    "I''m fine. Where''s ire? Why didn''t I see her?" Kevin asked doubtfully. He had just seen ire saying something to Leena and then she disappeared without a trace.


    "Well... She said she had to go. What''s the matter? You want to speak to her?" Leena opened the car door and looked at him worriedly.


    "No. I was just asking. Let''s go!" Kevin smiled, but felt something strange in his gut and thought, ''Is ire still seeing Louisa? If not, where did she go sote in the night? I remember she has no other friends in S City.'' Hearing Kevin, Leena said nothing and drove away. Luke had a bad day because he had met his nemesis.


    "Damn it! Can you stand still?" Luke said in an irritated voice as he held Michelle up and opened the hotel room with his key card. It was the longest he had ever said to her. Had it not been for the fact that she had saved his life before, he would never have talked to her, let alone helped her into the room. ''This woman is so annoying. Why did she have to lean on my shoulder? What a nuisance!'' At the thought of this, Luke crassly dropped Michelle onto the bed in disgust.


    "Ouch! That hurts!" Michelle bounced on the bed, which shook her up and suddenly she felt sober. She looked up at everything around her in confusion.


    "You deserve it." Luke loosened his tie angrily. Michelle had just been holding him tight, choking him and making it hard for him to breathe.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    "What do you want? I am warning you! Don''t do anything to me!" Michelle grabbed a pillow and covered her chest area and backed away in fear. It seemed that Luke''s action of undoing his tie gave her the wrong signals.


    "What are you talking about?! I''m sorry but I''m not interested in a woman of your size. I am telling you I''m very picky." Luke smiled coldly and looked at Michelle''s body scornfully, making her feel very ufortable.


    "What did you mean? I''m out of shape? My cup size is B!" Michelle straightened herself out. However, because she was still tipsy, she did not sit firmly and hit the bedside, making a loud noise. That woke her up a little more and thought, ''This was a terrible day. Not only did I get drunk, but I am also stuck with this idiot. I shouldn''t havee out tonight.''


    "Are you kidding me? You look like you''re malnourished. Are you sure you have a B cup? Why do I think you look like a man?" Luke sneered. After being around Edward for a long time, Luke had started to sound more and more vicious, like him.


    "You asshole! Did I offend you in some way? Why do you insult me like that? If you are not interested in me, why did you bring me to this hotel room?" Michelle shouted angrily, which made her head hurt even more. What was more, she was hit twice just now, and now she just felt sick all over.


    "It was you who dragged me. I didn''t want to talk to you at all, but you wrapped yourself around me like some crazy drunk squid. Speaking of this, did you cling to my arms on purpose? Don''t tell me it was a coincidence." Luke said, gritting his teeth. He was a quiet man, but now he said so much. It was obvious that he was now mad at Michelle.


    "What did you say? I came here to meet another gang, not you. I just wanted to go to the bathroom, but I didn''t expect you to bring me here. I''m going to call my people so they won''t have to look for me everywhere. Give me your cell phone." Michelle said angrily, thinking, ''Now I''m finished. I made a bet with them that the one who got drunk first would give up West Street unconditionally. This fool brought me here now. They''d think that I deserted them? West Street is going to be theirs.''


    "What? You just threw yourself on me and now you want my phone. You are such a calcting woman! Don''t waste your time. I''m not as stupid as you think. Now that you''re awake, you can get out of here." Luke said grimly. There was no expression on his face, but his eyes were full of contempt.


    "You idiot. Are you suffering from delusions? I just wanted to borrow your phone. You''re overreacting! You think you''re a star that everyone wants your phone number?" Michelle said disdainfully, and then jumped out of bed. ''Do you think I want to stay here? I don''t want to stay here at all. I don''t want to be with a dickhead like you for even a second,'' she thought.0000

 Chapter 1293 Spoiled Louisa (Part One)

    "I might believe you if you were someone else; But you? I doubt if you have any good intention." Luke said, shing an evil smile, which made his cool face seem far more sinister and vicious giving off a deathly air. Then his thick hand pinched Michelle''s chin so hard as if almost to squish it.


    "Ouch! Let go of me, you fucking lunatic! How dare youy your hand on me! You should go to hell, you asshole! What did I ever do to meet such an idiot like you? Are you trying to kill me?" Michelle yelled out, ring at Luke with her big and wide eyes. She was so frightened that all the alcohol buzz had left her body.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Hah! It would be a loss for me to kill someone like you. Get out. Now!" Luke said grimly, opening the guestroom''s door to show Michelle out. He couldn''t eveny his eyes on her for a minute longer.


    "Humph! You ungrateful piece of shit! Don''t count on me to save you when you are in danger next time. And when that happens again, I would sit there with my legs crossed watching you beaten to death while I eat chips." Michelle said with her chin up proudly, like a queen walking past Luke. ''What a poker face! Nothing is attractive about you! With neither any muscles like Sylvester Stallone nor a handsome face like Brad Pitt, I really don''t know why you''re so proud of yourself.'' Michelle thought to herself.


    Luke red at Michelle without any retort and then mmed the door after her. The moment Michelle walked out the door, she couldn''t help but shrink in humiliation. She just left, running away from that ce as fast as her legs could take her as if being chased by a monster.


    "Miss, where have you been? We were looking for you everywhere." The guy working for Michelleined when he saw Michelle walk back into the restaurant.


    "Where''s the damn one-eyed chicken? Is he still here?" Michelle had no time to exin why she disappeared suddenly. All she cared about was the result of the bet.


    "Not any more. He said that you sneaked out first, so the bet ended with your escape. They are in charge of the West Street from now on." One of the men said nervously with his head down.


    "What? I escaped? With which eye did he see me escaping? Was I not allowed to have constipation?" Michelle yelled angrily, with her hands resting on her hips. But what she felt more angry about was that Luke insulted her figure. She hated that Luke didn''t look at her carefully. She thought that although she was short, she had a curvaceous figure.


    "But we searched for you for almost an hour, and we even sneaked into the female washroom secretly. We didn''t see you!" One guy murmured, fearing that Michelle would disce her own anger onto him. After all, she was fuming like the devil and nobody could get close to her.


    "So what? Wasn''t I allowed to use the other restaurant''s washroom? Whichw says that I couldn''t use the restroom of other restaurants? You call that one-eyed chicken shit back here. I can''t give Western Street to him this way." Michelle said, losing all the tenderness and cuteness in her personality. What was left was a dark and mean punk from the underworld. This was her character when she didn''t follow any rules.


    "Ah! Do you still want him back here?" Asked one guy, looking at Michelle with dread. He knew that he would be scolded by her, but he was reluctant to do it.


    "Bullshit! Do you think I''d let them have West Street just like that? I''m not some meek and obedient fool!" Michelle said, raising her eyebrow and looking at the guy with keen eyes. But the next minute she turned to the people passing by and began to yell, "What are you looking at? Haven''t you seen a punk before?"


    "Let''s get out of here! We don''t want to get into trouble."


    "What''s wrong with this young girl? Why does she behave like that at such a young age?"


    "That''s true! I have no idea how her parents raised her."


    The people walking by had something to say about Michelle while walking away. That really pissed her off, but she could do nothing. She couldn''t drag them back and torture them.


    This was a night of joy and gloom. The people who had gained something were joyful. The people who had lost something were gloomy. Michelle was extremely gloomy having suffered a double loss.


    Nathan didn''t stay in S City long and left hastily the next morning. Before that, he had had a long conversation with Leena in the study room, but nobody knew what they talked about. What people could see after that day was that his attitude towards Leena got better. Surely enough, it was a story forter.


    The days passed by in peace. Shannon went to capital city. Surprisingly, ire went abroad for self-development and got into nc Group working for Gerard. As for her future, it would be up to her. Leena had asked Gerard to take care of ire, but she was still worried about her. Like now, Leena started talking about her even though she had just left a few days ago.


    "Kevin, do you think ire could get used to life in Paris?" Lying on the couch and resting her head on Kevin''s legs, Leena asked vaguely. He was watching a military program in which she didn''t have even a bit of interest. Thanks to Kevin''s dismissal, the husband and wife could spend a few days of happy time together. This was how a normal couple was supposed to live together. But Leena wasn''tpletely satisfied knowing that this was just temporary. Once Kevin''s temporary suspension was over, they would be back to the same living set up when they had to spend more time apart than together. Hence, she cherished each and every second of their limited time together. Although the Summer Launch Program was approaching, she didn''t spend any time at her studio for her sketches. "Don''t you remember? She had been abroad for years, so she''ll be fine. Besides, she has Gerard there. So there is absolutely no need to worry about her!" Kevin said, his eyes shifting from the television to Leena. He couldn''t help rubbing her nose because he thought it was both funny and unsettling to see her asking for trouble onto herself.


    "True! How can I forget? I do wonder if she is gonna be satisfied with her house in Paris. After all, it''s a little narrower than the one here in China." Leena said, looking worried about some groundless things. Things that didn''t concern her or things that were beyond her capability.


    "Nana, are you sure you''re really worried about ire and not trying to get my attention?" Kevin said, shrugging and smiling. He realized that his attention was more focused on the TV program than on her. He had to ignore her for a while because that military program was worth learning from and could be his reference.


    "Hehe! You got me!" Leena said and giggled shyly. Kevin was somehow right, but she was indeed a bit worried about ire.


    "Are you feeling bored? Huh?" Kevin asked, bending over Leena and kissing her on the lips slightly. Meanwhile, Leena yed up with him tenderly, putting her arms around Kevin''s neck without any intention of letting go.


    The kiss was neither impetuous nor fierce, like the clean spring flowing down from the heart and then spreading over the peaceful woond. It was like music with beautiful notes that people couldn''t easily walk away from.


    Louisa had never expected her father would do this to her. He not only grounded her, but also took her phone away, which made her life boring as hell. At the thought of how she was treated by Kevin the other day, she ground her teeth with hatred. Then she couldn''t help shifting this extreme bitterness towards Leena. She knew she couldn''t fight with Leena head to head, but she knew she could do something to her behind her back.


    "You get out of my way. I''m going out." Dressing up nicely, Louisa yelled at the soldiers who were standing guard at the door. The reason why she couldn''t go out was because her father arranged for these soldiers to stop her if she tried to leave.


    "Sorry! We are just following the Commander''s orders." Two soldiers replied without a leer at Louisa. They didn''t intend to stand down, holding their ground there as firmly and calmly as couple of iron pirs.

 Chapter 1294 Spoiled Louisa(Part Two)

    "Good, Very good. You won''t get out of my way, right? Actually, you''re just two of my father''spdogs. What''s the big deal? Today let me give you a lesson on how to be obedient." Louisa said, lunging at them with her hands and feet, beating the soldiers and unleashing her fury on them. She didn''t intend to stop or show mercy at all.


    "Miss Ye, please stop. What you are doing is a huge insult to us and disrespectful of our dignity. It''s true that we''re under the leadership of the Commander, but it doesn''t mean that we are the lower ss in our society. Besides, following orders is a soldier''s bound duty, and nothing to be ashamed about." One soldier said, grasping Louisa''s hand. He didn''t allow her to be an arrogant brat. After all, the Commander had specifically instructed that they should stop her if she took as much as one step out of the house and they could do so with whatever method. Hence, they didn''t even worry about handling her physically since they were under orders of the Commander.


    "Let go of me. Believe me that I''ll tell my dad about this when he''s back. Hah! Soldiers like you want to talk about dignity? It''s so funny." Louisa said with a scornful smile, pulling her hand back. Since her father wasn''t in S City, she wanted to take this chance to sneak out today. She would do whatever it would take. Or she would have not a chance at all if he returned.


    "Miss Ye, don''t forget that the Commander also started as a low ranking soldier. Do you think he did not have his personal dignity?" The soldier argued. He was too young and aggressive to bear this. As he expected, Louisa pped him in the face with a sound that echoed in the hall. No one could guess how hard she pped him. Even she herself could feel her hand shaking.


    "You? Do you think you canpare with my dad? Just look at you. There is no contest. Aren''t you apdog? If you''re not, why are you standing guard at my doorway?" Louisa yelled loud, without the slightest remorse.


    "Louisa, what are you doing? Apologize to them right now!" Louisa''s mother hade because of the loud noise their argument was making. She didn''t expect to hear bad words from her daughter, so, with a serious face, she scolded Louisa immediately andmanded her to stop.


    "Mom, why are you taking their side? Don''t you think it''s beneath your dignity?" Louisa said dismissively, pouting. In return, her mother couldn''t stand her and gave her a hard p. The sound it made was less than what Louisa did on that soldier.


    "Louisa, I......" Louisa''s mom said with regret, looking at her own hand in disbelief. After all, she loved her own daughter very much.


    "Great. These are my parents. One grounded me for other people and the other pped me in favor of an outsider. Is this how you show me your love?" Louisa said, touching her painful face. She thought her mother loved her. She had never expected that her mother would punish her because of other people as her father did. She couldn''t believe it. Then she slightly raised her chin disdainfully and walked back into the room in anger.


    Louisa''s mother frowned, sighed, then smiled to the two soldiers apologetically and said, "I''m sorry my daughter did that to you. If she said some impolite words, I apologize."


    "Madam, no need to be like this. We''re really fine." Although they were wronged and vited earlier, the soldiers felt relieved when hearing Louisa''s mother''s apology. After all, they were simple and honest young men. Although they still looked like boys, they were full of courage in their hearts after joining the army.


    "s! I spoiled my girl, so she was so impetuous. I wish she could be as reasonable as you are." Louisa''s mother said, sighed and walked back to the room, leaving the two soldiers staring at each other without knowing what to do.


    Louisa released her frustration by throwing things around in her room. She felt that nothing was going well. She didn''t reflect on what she had done and instead, disced her resentment onto others. A girl like her was very selfish andcked any sense of responsibility. "Louisa. what are you doing?" Louisa''s mother yelled at Louisa as she came in and saw her room in an utter mess.


    "What? I am stuck here at home all day long. Can''t I release my anger by smashing my own things?" Louisa said. Then she stopped throwing things and fell down on the floor, exhausted and intimidated by her mother.


    "Well. Tell me why you''re so eager to go out. Can you get over Kevin?" Sitting on the bed, Louisa''s mother tried to soothe Louisa sincerely.


    "Haha! Mom, do you think Kevin is the only one for me? Or you think I''m in crazy love with him? Let me tell you. It''s impossible. I admit that Kevin is an outstanding person, but I don''t love him. I wanted to marry him just because I thought his status could match mine." Louisa said,ughing. Like she said, the reason why she wanted to have him at the beginning was because his status could satisfy her vanity. Then after, she wanted him just because of jealousy. She didn''t want to lose him to another woman. It was more like she wanted topete with Leena. Kevin was just the prize.


    "In this case, why would you involve yourself in other people''s marriage? Didn''t you know ruining a military marriage is a serious offense? Have you ever thought about your father''s dignity? You''ve always been smart, but why are you so stupid this time?" Louisa''s mother said, looking at Louisa in confusion. She didn''t know why her daughter had be so radical.


    "I didn''t know he was married, okay? It was all your fault. Why did you watch him get married instead of stopping him?" Louisa became more emotional admitting this. Actually, it was impossible that he had no feelings for Kevin. She only had a crush on him at first sight. Now she exined it to her mother this way because she had no ns to give up the fight. But she was just deceiving herself.


    "My daughter, you mention this again. Do you think we are gods? It was his freedom to marry anyone. How could we control him? In my opinion, you''d better stay at home and do some reflecting on yourself! Don''t try to run out. At this point, I totally agree with your dad. So don''t expect that you could get privileges from me." Louisa''s mother said, standing up. She thought she was a little impractical at that moment since Louisa was too emotional to listen to her.


    "Hehe! I knew it. But do you think you can stop me from going out?" Louisa said. She seemed to have lost her mind. Not knowing whether she was traumatized, all the people she met would be subjected to her sarcasm and verbal assaults.


    "Louisa. We''re your parents, so we must discipline you. If you were someone else, I am not sure if we would treat you this nicely. Maybe we would leave you to die in the streets. So you think about it! Think about how to go from here." There are no parents who don''t love their children. But It would be harmful once the children were spoiled. Louisa''s mother could totally understand this feeling at that moment.


    Leena was a little excited to see Patricia again, her face was shining with a sweet smile. She looked at Patricia with acent attitude, in case Patricia would scold her for hiding things from her.


    "Don''t smile like a puppy. Let me tell you. Don''t expect that I would let you off the hook easily. So wipe off that saliva in your mouth! It''s disgusting." Patricia said, looking at Leena angrily. ''Bad girl, you use this trick every time. Do you think I will fall for it again? Nice try!'' She thought.


    "Annoying! Who has saliva in the mouth? Well, you look very good in this suit today! Noble and majestic." Leena said, smiling and looking at Patricia piteously. She was trying her best to butter Patricia up.??????????????N?velDrama.Org (C) content.

 Chapter 1295 Hi, Beauty! (Part One)

    "For God''s sake, shut up. Don''t think I would forgive you so easily! You think making fun of me is funny, you brat?" Patricia hissed at Leena. It vexed Patricia to think of what Tom had said to her. ''Fine! I admit that I had a thing for him when I first saw him, but he is so mean.


    Moreover, he is a doctor! I hate doctors! I can''t be interested in him any longer!'' Patricia thought.


    "Come on, Patricia. I thought you fell for him at first sight. Why are you so mad at me?" Leena asked. She had a guilty conscience for she had concealed Tom''s profession. She wondered why Patricia''s feelings toward Tom had changed so dramatically. Patricia found out that Tom was a doctor, but she shouldn''t be mad at her like this. Tom was a remarkable man.


    "Stop talking nonsense! If I had known he was so arrogant and shameless, I wouldn''t have shown interest in him even if he were the only man left in the world!" Patricia took a slug of her drink through her straw, as if she were sucking Tom''s blood. A couple of days had passed since herst meeting with Tom, but she always lost her cool at the mention of him.


    "You''re acting so weird. Did something happen between you and him? Did he kiss you? Or..." Leena stared at Patricia with a goading smile.


    "Leena Leng, enough of this mind-wandering! If you continue to talk nonsense, I swear I will sell you to a remote mountain area. I hear that bachelors there are pleased to buy a young and beautiful wife like you. You''ll never be able to see Kevin again," Patricia said through gritted teeth. The resolution in her eyes revealed that she was not kidding. She would do exactly that if Leena continued to provoke her.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "You''re an evil woman! I was just wondering about what happened between you and Tom. Why are you so mean to me?" Leena said, her eyes widening. ''What did Tom do to her? She seems to hate him so much!'' she thought.


    "You would do well to remember not to mention his name in front of me, otherwise we won''t be friends anymore. If you don''t believe me, give it a try!" Patricia made her statement firmly as she cast a provoking nce at Leena. Her face was as beautiful as a rose, although she was very angry.


    "You''re awful! Fine, I won''t mention him in front of you from now on. I did this for you, okay? You ungrateful woman!" Leena too gulped down a mouthful of her drink. Kevin had resumed his office duties and was busy again. So Leena killed her time by seeing friends. "I''ve decided to take part in the car race that is taking ce a monthter," Patricia said after a long time of silence. She had aplicated expression on her face.


    "What? I thought your parents forbade you from attending such games. Why are you still taking part in it?" Leena asked nervously. For an unountable reason, she was rather disturbed at Patricia''s words.


    "I had a deal with them. This is myst race. Whatever the result is, I will quit this circle once and for all." Patricia gnawed on her lower lip and gave Leena a bitter smile. ''This is it. I can''t have my parents worrying about me all the time,'' she thought.


    "That sounds great. I don''t care who wins the race. Your safety is the most important thing to me." Leena held Patricia''s hands. She knew it was Patricia''s dream to take part in the international racingpetitions. Patricia would regret it for life if she didn''t participate in this race.


    "Ha! What are you talking about? You say that as if I would actually lose my life in the race. By the way, how are you feeling now? Are you fully recovered?" Patricia eyed Leena from head to toe, heaving a sigh of relief at the sight of her rosy cheeks.


    "As you can see, I''m fit as a fiddle." Leena grinned and looked away, distracted. She couldn''t help but frown when she caught a glimpse of the woman who had thrown herself into Kevin''s arms a couple of days ago.


    "Hey! Michelle, here!" Patricia called out and waved at the woman. Since their very first meeting, their friendship had blossomed because their personalities meshed perfectly. They were both outgoing and cheerful.


    "You know her?" Leena asked in confusion. She had no idea how long Patricia and this woman had known each other. Patricia had never mentioned Michelle to her before now.


    "Yes, I met her for the first time a couple of days ago. I''ll tell you the story some other day." Patricia gave Leena a reassuring smile. Michelle was not a typical good girl like Leena, nor was Patricia. Because of it, Michelle and Patricia got along very well with each other. "Hey, Patricia. You''re already here. And who''s this beautifuldy? Hi, beauty! Nice to meet you. I''m Michelle." Michelle introduced herself to Leena as a wide grin spread on her face. She wore a baggy T-shirt and jeans. Her thick makeup said that she was an unruly person.


    "Hi! Nice to meet you too. I''m Leena Leng. Please just call me Leena." Leena gave Michelle a friendly smile. She decided to forget what had happened between her and Kevin.


    "Have a seat, please. Leena is very rich, but she is easy to get along with," Patricia said to Michelle. This was the reason why Patricia liked Leena so much. Another girl from a rich family would be as proud as a peacock, but Leena was different.


    "Ah, is that the reason you always bully me?" Leena rolled her eyes at Patricia, pretending to be annoyed at her words. ''You just threatened me to sell me to a remote mountain area! What a terrible friend you are!'' she thought.


    "I didn''t bully you, okay? I was just making fun of you," Patricia said and raised one of her eyebrows at Leena. Leena stared back at Patricia defiantly. All of a sudden, they burst into heartyughter.


    "I''m so envious of you having such a good friend," Michelle said to Patricia. Michelle felt a bit lonely. She had no female friends at all.


    "Don''t be upset! I believe the longer we are together, the closer we would be." Patricia patted Michelle''s shoulder and consoled her. Patricia too only had a handful of female friends and could only open her heart to Leena.


    "Really? As long as you don''t mind that I''m a gang member, I won''t hesitate to go through fire and water for you," Michelle said earnestly. Michelle was influenced by other male gang members and was straightforward in expressing her feelings.


    "Don''t worry. A humble family does not determine a humble future. We won''t look down on you," Patricia assured Michelle. Kevin had mentioned Michelle''s family background to Leena before, so she was calm when she heard Michelle admit her family background. She believed that a blunt person like Michelle could never be a home breaker. She suddenly recalled how naive she had been before, when she saw Michelle hugging Kevin. Leena blushed scarlet with embarrassment.


    "Thank God! Here''s to both of you, Patricia and Leena. I hope we will be best friends in the future." Michelle raised her drink and clinked sses with them.


    Three women of different family backgrounds and different personalities started their friendship from this moment onward. After several decades, when they recalled this day, they couldn''t help but marvel at the incredible fate.


    In the evening, Leena sat at the dining table and waited for her husband. Her feelings now were not what they used to be. Since they had confessed their love for each other, she was not as suspicious as she used to be before. Belinda had been suffering from morning sickness increasingly, but Leena was not pregnant yet. She became more and more anxious. She was too shy to see a doctor about this.000000

 Chapter 1296 Hi, Beauty! (Part Two)

    Patricia''s race would be held within a month and it made her worry. She could do nothing other than pray for her. This was Patricia''s dream. Leena had no right to stop her from doing this.


    "Babe, what are you thinking about? You didn''t even notice when I came home." Kevin was surprised to see Leena staring ahead nkly. She looked upset.


    "Um... It''s nothing. I was just in a haze, Kevin. You''re back. Was work busy?" Leena asked and proceeded to the kitchen to fetch the dishes.


    "It was busy as usual. Daisy identally sliced her hand. I guess Edward would use her when he sees her wound." Kevin was now fully aware of his feelings and talked about Daisy very casually. Daisy was family to him now. "What? Daisy got hurt? Is it serious?" Upon hearing this, Leena stoppeddling soup into the bowl. She grew concerned about Daisy.


    "Don''t worry. She''ll recover in a couple of days," Kevin assured Leena and smiled. Daisy was often injured, but this time her wound was not as serious as before.


    "Oh, thank God. I''ll call her after dinner to ask about it." Leena ced a bowl of soup before Kevin. She missed the times when ire lived here. The house had been full ofughter then.


    "All right. But Daisy seemed to be in a bad mood today," Kevin said. He took a sip of the soup. ''Daisy was in a bad mood. That was why she got caught off guard and hurt herself. I guess she was pissed off with Edward, ''he thought.


    "Don''t worry. Daisy is a reasonable person. She won''t vent her anger on innocent people. She has never med me before." Leena put food into Kevin''s bowl repeatedly, as if she wanted to fatten him up before selling him in the market.


    "All right. I''m going to H City tomorrow morning. I wille back veryte at night. Don''t wait up for me, okay? Go to bed early and don''t stay upte. It''s bad for your health." Kevin looked at her in concern. Whenever he was not home, she went to bed veryte. Even if he was home, she tossed and turned restlessly. Maybe she was used to sleepingte and it was hard for her to fall asleep early.


    "Sure!" Leena answered. She would not ask her husband about his whereabouts. She wanted Kevin to know that she was an understanding wife.


    "Why aren''t you asking me why I''m going to H City?" Kevin asked in disbelief. He could understand why she never asked about his whereabouts in the past, for their marriage had been based on different interests at that time. But now that they had confessed their feelings for each other, he didn''t understand why she still didn''t care about him.


    "You''re a soldier. Your whereabouts are top secret. I don''t want to be arrested for exploring state secrets, okay?" Leena grumbled, pursing her lips. The lesser she knew, the safer she would be. She didn''t want to get involved in state secrets.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Ha! Good for you! You should stick to that. Otherwise, I''m afraid you would be arrested one day," Kevin joked. Leena''s words amused him.


    "Don''t scare me like that! I''m a good citizen and I observews and disciplines. I''ve never done anything illegal in my life. I lived abroad for a couple of years, but I swear I never betrayed my country." She knew Kevin was kidding, but somehow she felt a little ufortable.


    "You really know how to clear yourself of usation, huh? Are you afraid of getting implicated by me?" Kevin asked and smiled at her teasingly. He was curious about her answer.


    "No, I''m not. As long as you are here, I''m willing to go through thick and thin with you. You will protect me, won''t you?" Leena stared into Kevin''s eyes. She was willing to trust himpletely.


    "Go through thick and thin with me? Good girl! I swear I will protect you till I die." Kevin smiled at her. He had only been cracking a joke with his wife, but he was deeply moved by her statement. He made a silent vow to be loyal to her all his life.


    After dinner, Leena picked up the phone to call Daisy. She had been injured and Leena was worried about her.


    "Hello, Leena. What''s up?" Daisy was having a shower, so Edward picked up her phone and answered it when he saw the caller ID.


    "Edward, where is Daisy? Is her injury all right?" Leena asked in confusion. ''Kevin said Daisy wasn''t seriously injured. Why is Edward answering her phone?'' she wondered.


    "What? Who was injured?" Edward furrowed his brow on hearing this. He cast a meaningful nce at the bathroom.


    "Um... You didn''t know about it, did you?" Leena scratched her head in embarrassment. ''Damn it! What I have done? Daisy is now in trouble because of me!''


    "I know now! That''s it, I''m hanging up. I''ll ask her to call you backter." After ending the call, Kevin threw the phone on the bed and strode toward the bathroom. He turned the doorknob, but as he had expected, the door was locked. ''Fine! You are trying to hide the fact that you got injured again. We need to have a conversation about this!'' he thought.


    "Hey, what''s with the look on your face? What happened?" When Kevin came out of the kitchen, he noticed the shock written all over Leena''s face.


    "What should I do, Kevin? It looks like I got Daisy into trouble." Leena looked at him expectantly. She hoped that he would have an idea that would fix her mistake. She hadn''t expected that Daisy would make a secret of her injury.


    "What did you do?" Kevin sat down next to her. He couldn''t believe Leena was able to get Daisy into trouble in such a short time.


    "Edward didn''t know Daisy was injured, but I just told him. I''m screwed!" Leena knew how much Edward cared about Daisy. He must have lost his mind after learning that Daisy was injured.


    "Don''t worry. They''ll be fine. You are thinking too much," Kevin assured her. No matter how angry Edward was, he would never hurt Daisy. Edward loved Daisy too much. Kevin was the same. No matter how disobedient Leena was, he would never get angry at her. "Really?" Leena stared at him tenderly. She was ready to believe whatever Kevin told her.


    "Yes, I''m sure of it. Don''t worry about them. Let''s go upstairs." Kevin stood up. He slipped his arm around her waist as they went upstairs. Little did he know that tension was already brewing between Daisy and Edward.


    With one hand injured, Daisy took a long time to take a shower. Much to her surprise, she saw Edward eyeing her from head to toe when she opened the bathroom door. His face was long and hard. He looked like he had something on her.


    "What are you doing here? Were you peeping on me while I was taking a shower?" Daisy dried her hair with a towel. She walked to the dresser and applied her skin care products. It was winter. She had dry skin so she put on moisturizer every day.


    "Senior Colonel Ouyang, don''t you want to confess something to me?" Edward asked, following her. He joked around with her usually, but he was in no mood for it now. Daisy not only got hurt but even tried to conceal the fact from him. They had made a deal before that she would take care of herself and be honest with him, but she had broken her promise. Edward was furious.


    "Confess something? Like how many bowls of rice I''ve eaten today? Or how many men I''ve seen today?" Daisy retorted in a harsh voice. She had seen Edward being cozy with an actress yesterday. It had angered her.


    "Don''t try to sidetrack me. Are you still nning to keep me in the dark?" Edward rested his chin on her shoulder. He stared at the woman in the mirror and gave her a cold smile.


    "I don''t know what you are talking about. I''m going to check on Justin." Daisy stood up and was about to leave, for she felt it was rather dangerous to stay with him.


    "You know what I''m talking about, and you know why I''m angry. That''s why you want to leave now, am I right?" Edward strode forward and blocked the door. He didn''t dare to grab her arm as he had no idea which part of her was injured.0000

 Chapter 1297 I Dont Bite Shit (Part One)

    "Yes, I got injured. But it''s not a big deal. It''s only a minor wound and I don''t think it''s even necessary to discuss this with you or to make a fuss about it." Daisy was a little annoyed. She knew who told him - she heard her phone ring while she was in the bathroom. She assumed that Kevin told Leena about her injury. The call must havee from Leena. She was always the one to spread the information. But she didn''t expect that Edward would pick up the phone. "Senior Colonel Ouyang, could you tell me why you are so temperamental recently?" Edward asked. He didn''t know why Daisy was ying hot and cold with him today and he started to think that he must have done something wrong. But what? "You''re overthinking this whole thing. Let''s stop that, I want to go out and have some fresh air." Daisy gave him a cold look. She just wanted to get off here.


    "I won''t let you leave before we clean this up. Tell me what''s going on!" Edward crossed his arms in front of his chest, ready for the war he felt wasing. He had no intention of letting her go out. And he suddenly realized that something was not quite right. Her injury. He wanted to know what really happened. But why did he have the feeling that she was avoiding the topic? This girl was hiding something.


    "Okay! Let''s talk! Tell me, who is the woman I saw yesterday?" Since he wanted to go toe to toe, she would surly tell him what was bothering her. And she would let him know what he did wrong to earn all that behavior now. ''I will just give him a chance to defend himself before the death penalty, '' Daisy thought.


    "Woman? What woman? I have no idea what you''re talking about." Edward was confused. He didn''t remember meeting any woman yesterday. Anyway, since they were back together, he had never paid attention to other women. Wasn''t she being paranoid? It was maybe because she was bored recently, Edward wondered.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "I''ll give you a hint. The scantily dressed woman who leaned in your arms on that cold day. Huh! It happened just yesterday. Have you already forgotten after a night?" Daisy sneered and mocked him with no mercy in her voice.


    "Oh! You mean Nico. She is the leading star of our entertainmentpany. Yesterday I had to be present in a party, but you were not avable to join me. I had no choice but to ask her to be my partner. Huh, you really got jealous because of this?" Edward answered with a yful smile. He no longer felt angry upon seeing Daisy being jealous. That was rare for her and he knew it would pass once she had the right exnation.


    "Who got jealous? You imed that she was your partner, but who knows what you did behind closed curtains?" Daisy knew it would be bad to get too jealous about this but something was bothering more than expected. Any woman would feel ufortable when she saw her husband flirt with another woman, right?


    "I swear that I only let her hold my arm and danced with her at the party. That was all. If you still don''t believe me, you can ask Rain, he was also there." Edward realized that once a woman got jealous, she would lose her mind, no matter how tough and insensitive she was normally.


    "I won''t ask him. You men are all the same. I won''t make a fool out of me just because you decided it''s appropriate to invite another woman to the party." Although she epted his excuse in her heart, she wouldn''t let him get out of this so easily. Otherwise he would think that she was easy to be convinced and fooled, and something like this was eptable.


    "So are we clear now? Can you tell me how did you get injured? What happened?" Edward would also not let her sneak out. He had cleared her doubts, and it was now her turn to do so. Shouldn''t she exin to him what was going on?


    "I told you already- it''s no big deal. It''s only a minor wound, why make the fuss?" Daisy frowned, unwilling to give a straight answer.


    "If you don''t want me to rip your clothes off and to have an overall check, you''d better tell me the truth. Don''t test my patience." Edward always could threaten and intimidate her. He was such an aggressive man.


    "Okay,e closer! Have a look yourself! Come on, inspector!" Annoyed, Daisy rolled up the sleeve of her pajama, showing him the ce that was covered by the bandage. The injury was hidden under the white fabric, and even if he wanted to see whether it was serious, it was not possible.


    "Daisy, did you forget what you''ve promised me? You promised that you won''t get hurt any longer. But you always get injured from time to time. Do you really want me to make you quit your job?!" The air around Edward froze. He knew clearly, it wouldn''t be some minor injury if there was bandage on it. His heart ached from the view of the heavily bandaged arm.


    "Yes, I promised that I would try my best to avoid getting hurt, but it doesn''t mean I won''t get hurt at all. That''s my job! So you can''t make decisions that don''t depend on you. My job as the Senior Colonel is not controlled by you." Daisy didn''t want to cave in or to hide the truth. The reason she chose not to tell him about her injury before was because she knew he would pester her endlessly like what he was doing right now.


    "Huh! You want to bet whether I''ll really do it?" Edward said with a tricky smile. His arrogant manner clearly revealed his overweening conceit, as if there was only himself in the room.???????????????

 Chapter 1298 I Dont Bite Shit (Part Two)

    "Then I will also tell you that if you really mess with my job, I will never forgive you." Daisy knew what kind of person Edward was. He was a sly man, who had many tools to reach his goals. But she didn''t want to submit to his threats, because they were endless. She raised her eyebrows at him and stared indifferently. As she saw things, there was a limit even between couples. And her concession did not represent that she would allow him to do whatever he wanted. Her perception didn''t align with his demanding personality right now. "Oh, is that so? Let''s wait and see." Edward smiled gently. He was sure that whatever she was saying, she wouldn''t slip out of his control. Men always did things in a sweeping manner, that was how they made their women obey. The only thing that decided his action was whether he wanted to break her heart or not. "Hey, Edward, are you out of your mind? I''ve shown what you wanted to see, but when I disagreed with you, you turned up against me!" Daisy red at him. She was furious. Edward was indeed a very sly man. He could always get what he wanted, even it was an impossible task. If she didn''t want to lose her job and all of her power so quickly, she had no choice but to y to his rules. Moreover, he was behaving like this because he was worried about her safety.


    "Huh! Senior Colonel Ouyang, do you doubt my words?" Edward knew she already gave up on this losing battle. And he might disappoint Daisy again, because this was what he liked to do recently. He really enjoyed seeing how his beautiful wife was pissed off by him and her stubborn side was shining out. Life was too boring and peaceful these days and he had to create something to add spice to their life. Although it was maybe not in the right form, there was an old saying, ''A couple''s quarrel can be mended overnight." They would soon kiss and make up. Edward didn''t worry that Daisy would stay angry for too long.


    "No. But you''ll earn what you deserve," Daisy said and smiled gracefully. At the same time, she suddenly kicked his shank. ''Huh! You are such a cocky man! Then take this!'' Daisy thought. Although she knew he did this all out of concern, she didn''t want to be threatened or controlled. No matter how intimate a couple was, they should leave some space to each other. Otherwise problems would ur as negative emotions umted.


    "Ah! Daisy, you kicked me again!" Edward lifted up his leg out of pain. All this noise spread to Justin''s room.


    "Mommy, what happened to Daddy?" Looking at Daisy''s smug face, Justin asked, confused. He wondered why his mommy would be so happy when his daddy was suffering like this.


    "Nothing. He might have a spasm," Daisy said with a cunning smile. She wouldn''t tell Justin that she had used violence to punish his daddy.


    "But don''t you have to check on him? And make sure he''s alright? It seems very serious." In fact, Justin knew what really happened. He would witness such shows every now and then, and he had already got used to it.


    "No need. Don''t you have to prepare for the test tomorrow? Why are you still ying the game?" Daisy never forbade him ying his games, as this was his passion, but the school test was going to be tomorrow. There wasn''t much time left. She had to urge him to put more efforts in his study.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    "Don''t worry. It''s only a test. I can take the test even with my eyes closed. But I hope you and daddy can make it for the parents meeting next week. Don''t always ask grandma and grandpa to do this for you. People who don''t know you always think that they are my parents, and it makes me feel ufortable," Justinined and pouted. To avoid misunderstanding, he had to call his grandparents "grandma" and "grandpa" very loudly every time in such asion, so people knew who they were. Frankly, it was also a trouble to have such young grandparents.


    "People might be confused at the beginning, but they will get used to it. Since you ask and it''s important to you, I''ll try my best to attend the meeting this time." Daisy pondered with her head gracefully turned. She assumed that there wouldn''t be much work in the military base. Kevin had alreadye back. If there were really some emergency cases, he could handle them. She didn''t have to be too worried.


    "Then I will count on you. And don''t tell this to grandpa and grandma. They would think that I don''t like them to be there," Justin added. He worried that his grandparents would feel neglected. Although he knew his mother would handle everything well, he just wanted to make sure.


    "Yes, I know. You little sweet thing, go to bed early. Don''t be carried away even if you think you know everything!" Justin never made her worry about his study. Daisy felt very happy about this. She was proud to have such an amazing son!


    "Okay, mommy. Mommy. Goodnight!" Justin said sweetly. But he would never go to bed before ten o''clock.


    "Good night, sweetheart!" Daisy said, and she gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead. At the thought that she had to go back and face Edward again, Daisy felt sad. She was very tired, as if she wasn''t raising one kid, but two.


    Walking out from Justin''s room, Daisy didn''t go back to her bedroom, but directly went to the study. Obviously she was avoiding Edward. But to her surprise, as soon as she opened the door, she saw Edward sitting there, with his legs crossed, waiting for her to finish the fight. He was staring at her with a yful smile.


    "Why are you here?" Daisy asked, thinking about how to escape the horror room. Did he have PhD in psychology? Or could he read minds? Otherwise why would he know she woulde here first? What a cunning man! He knew her too good, and he could predict every step she was about to make!

 Chapter 1299 I Dont Bite Shit (Part Three)

    "As you see, I am here, waiting for you. Come here, I''ll help you put some medicine on the wound. The bandage might be wet after the shower," Edward said calmly, as if nothing had happened just minutes ago. Daisy also saw the medical kit beside him. again. The little voiceing from her heart told her that she should try and keep him away.


    "Don''t worry. I was very careful in the shower. I think it''s okay. I can change the bandage tomorrow in the military medical room," Daisy said, a bit resistant. Because her wound wasn''t that minor, as she imed it to be. She didn''t want to be bombarded by his hot temper "Why are you being so resistant? Or maybe you''re hiding something from me," Edward said as he touched the ce where she kicked him before. This vicious woman, why would she kick the same ce every time she got mad at him?


    "Okay, I''ll let you do it. But you need to promise me something. Don''t get angry when you see it. You already got panicked and angry when I rolled up my sleeve." Daisy knew she couldn''t escape. She had no choice but to take the bullet. So she decided to negotiate first and prepare him for what he was about to see. She really feared that without prior agreement, he would lose control again.


    "Fine, I give you my word," Edward said and rolled his eyes. He assumed that she must have been seriously injured, otherwise she wouldn''t make him promise such things. He was deeply concerned already. He worried that if he untied the bandage, the wound was even more serious than he imagined.


    Daisy slightly bit her lip and then walked towards him. She sat down beside him and rolled up her sleeve again, lifting the injured arm in front of him. Meanwhile, she closed her eyes, ready to receive storm of howls.


    "Are you as stupid as a pig? Why didn''t you get a stitch? It''s a deep wound. Okay, I have to send for Tom now. Huh, Daisy, couldn''t you take better care of yourself and make me less worried?" Edward stood up furiously. Only in this way could he suppress the anger and keep his hands off her. Otherwise he really feared that he''d be too indignant and would strangle her.


    "Don''t bother Tom. You only have to apply some medicine and bind it up. Look, it''s bleeding." Daisy thought that stitching the wound was troublesome, because she had to go to the hospital to take out the stitches when the wound was healed. That was why she asked the doctor in the military base not to give her stitches. But if Edward really sent for Tom, it would be unavoidable for her to receive stitches, and then the whole thing would be tooplicated.


    "You are not the one to decide anymore. Let''s stop the bleeding first." Looking at the blood that kepting out, Edward ground his teeth. His heart ached. But he had to bind the wound up and take care of his wife. Later he picked up the phone from the table and quickly made a call to Tom. Inevitably, Tom kept grumbling in the phone. But he still promised that he would arrive in half an hour.


    "Edward, you''re bossy, you know that?" Daisy stared at him, feeling helpless. She knew he would make a fuss, and that was why she wanted to hide it from him right at the beginning.


    Tom had nned to go to bed after he took a shower. He had to perform several important surgeries tomorrow and he really needed to rest. Otherwise it would be hard for him to go through all of them and they wouldst for more than ten hours.


    More surprisingly, as soon as he arrived at the parking lot and was going to put the medical kit into his car, a sports car whirled past him. He quickly dodged aside. He was safe, but the medical kit in his hand dropped to the ground and the medicines scattered all over the ce. The local anesthetics were broken into pieces. He shook his head and realized that he had made a wrong choice to live in an apartment that was near to the hospital for the convenience instead of going back to his own cottage. Otherwise he would not have had such ident. Now he was pretty vexed. It would be toote if he returned to the hospital to get the local anesthetics. He fixed his eyes on the yellow sports car which was rolling back to him. He would like to see who was so impetuous and dared to drive so quickly in the parking lot.


    "Hi, are you okay? It was only a joke. I didn''t know that you are easily frightened," Getting off the car, Patricia smiled at him firmly and looked down. She didn''t dare to look at Tom''s furious face. It never urred to her that Tom was a chicken guy.


    "Huh, it''s you. Why did you do that? Are you following me?" Tom was getting even angrier when he found that the driver was indeed Patricia. He was sure that this woman was the curse of his life. Whenever he met her, something unpleasant would happen to him. "Huh! I''m following you? Are you kidding me? My friend lives here," Patricia pursed her lips and said sarcastically. Nevertheless, she still bent down and helped him pick up the tools from the ground. If it wasn''t because of that troublesome Summer, she wouldn''t have been here in the middle of night. But if she didn''te here, how would she know he also lived here? If she didn''t see him, she wouldn''t get the amazing idea of frightening him. After the analysis, Patricia came to the conclusion that it all came down to one reason - it was him who caused all this.


    "Even so, don''t you know it''s very dangerous to drive so fast in the parking lot?" Tom snapped. He had the feeling that the car was about to crash into him and had thought it would be some friend of his patient who was seeking revenge on him. After all, no matter how excellent he was as a doctor, he couldn''t save everyone. For some cases, even the greatest doctor in the world came, he wouldn''t save them. So he had no choice but to give up on them and ept the facts.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "I don''t know. I have always been driving like this. What? Do you have any problems with that? Come on! Feel angry now? So what?! Bite me!" Patricia felt very guilty in the beginning. But when she heard his menacing words, she was also irritated.


    "Sorry, I don''t bite shit." Tom said as he stood up. He would forgive her this time because she helped him before. But next time, he wouldn''t let it go so easily.000000??????

 Chapter 1300 An Unexpected Situation (Part One)

    "Wait. What do you mean? Did you just say that I am a shit?" With her hands on her hips, Patricia gritted her teeth and red at Tom with dislike. She might be a head shorter than him but that didn''t stop her from being aggressive.


    "I didn''t say that. However, I won''t refuse it if you insist on that meaning," replied Tom as he yanked the door open. He shot Patricia a cold look and then went into his car. He didn''t have any ns of staying here any longer. He honestly just wanted to leave. "Damn it! Stop right there!" Patricia sputtered and shouted at him loudly. She had never expected him to y a trick on her at all.


    "Well, I''m leaving! You can enjoy your time and stay here alone!" Tom screamed back as he started the car. It didn''t take long when his car suddenly shot out of the ce in full speed and disappeared, thus, leaving Patricia extremely angry.


    "Shoot! What a disgusting jerk! He is not even a gentleman at all!" shrieked Patricia on the top of her lungs. Her face was all red with how angry she was. She unwittingly kicked the car next to her in full force and the action jarred the poor car''s rm to an exploding noise! The scandalous sound made her immediately hop into her own car and drive away as fast as she could.


    It was usual for Tom to visit Edward''s house. It wasn''t the first time for him to be called here by Edward. In fact, he was actually so used to doing this already. However, he wasn''t expecting the stabbing re that Edward shot him with the moment he said that he wasn''t able to bring any anesthetic.


    "Hey! Don''t re at me like that! It''s totally an ident. I am also a victim, okay?" Tom looked away from Edward. He hated it when Edward was ring at him this way. Why couldn''t this man just be nicer and stop shooting him with such an angry stare? Didn''t Edward get a clue that his eyes were giving him tiny heart attacks?


    "It''s okay. I can take it. Let''s get started!" said Daisy with a smile. She seemed not to care about the anesthetic at all.


    "It will hurt a lot. Are you sure you can take it?" asked Tom. He had always known that Daisy was a strong-willed woman. There was one time when he treated her injury without any anesthetic.


    "Yes! I''ll just ignore it," answered Daisy in a cold tone. For her, an aching soul was worse than any type of body pain.


    "Ok. Edward, help me to keep her hand still," Tom said as he signaled Edward to hold and support Daisy.


    "Damn it! Can''t you go back and get some anesthetic?" However, Edward was extremely notfortable with what Tom and Daisy agreed. He couldn''t even imagine how painful would the procedure be once the needle passed through his wife''s flesh!


    "No. Do you think it''s a piece of cake to obtain the anesthetic? It''s not like the usual drug." said Tom sternly. He couldn''t help but feel a bit angry. Daisy already said that she could take it. Why was Edward being so stubborn now? He just needed to do three stitches! He would be over with it soon! He wasn''t even nervous about it at first but Edward''s fuss was making him grow anxious.


    "Don''t take his words seriously. Let''s start." Daisy turned to Tom. They had already caused trouble to the doctor when they asked him toe and deal with her wound. Edward should be thankful and should stop asking for too much.


    ''Oh, dumbdy!'' Edward thought as he gritted his teeth. How could she not sense that he was worried about her? Was it even proper for her to ask Tom to ignore him? Fine! Anyway, she should be thankful that she was Daisy. She was the only one who could make him yield. Should she be some other person, he would have just thrown her out of his house.


    Stitching without anesthetic was extremely painful. Despite Edward''s support from behind, Daisy''s face still turned pale and sweaty.


    Tom did it as carefully as he could but Edward''s presence and hard poke face made him a little nervous. He was worried that Edward might hit him anytime as he knew how much Edward ached for his wife. It was a relief that nothing happened and he finished his work smoothly.


    A huge sigh of relief escaped Edward''s chest when Tom finally finished. He felt like he was the one being stitched whenever Daisy trembled in pain. He was stiff the whole duration of the process as he was extremely anxious about his wife.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Is it all done?" said Edward with a trembling voice. His anger for Daisy suddenly vanished. He was getting overwhelmed with the amount of pain he was feeling for her. If only it was possible, he would never want her to endure this much pain again. "Yes! Almost done. I''ll just need to apply some medicine and then bandage the wound. Don''t forget to go to the hospital tomorrow after work. We need to reapply the medicine in the afternoon." Tom couldn''t even blurt the word ''no''. Edward had been ring at him as if he would bite his head off any second.


    "Ok. I get it. Thank you!" Daisy was soon calm and indifferent again. She still looked pale after the procedure but it didn''t even chip anything from her usually heroic beauty.


    "No big deal. Just remember to keep the wound dry. If there''s nothing more to do here, then I''m driving back home. I have an operation to do tomorrow," said Tom as he tidied up his medical bag. He was asked to deal with many patients recently. Moreover, even his friends seemed to be getting hurt one by one. What was going on? Was this year the official year for injuries?


    "Go back home! We won''t keep you here." It was true that it wasn''t Tom''s fault that Daisy had to be hurt again due to the stitches. However, Edward couldn''t help but remain angry at the doctor.


    "I won''t stay here even if you ask me to. Bye, Daisy!" said Tom as he quickly took his medical bag without any hesitation. He was a responsible doctor and he couldn''t just let himself get stress before conducting operations. He needed to have a good rest tonight for him to be ready.


    "Take care and bye." Daisy had always been polite. Thus, she stood up and watched Tom leave. She did not look away from him until the doctor disappeared from their living room. It was only after Tom was gone that she shot Edward with a dagger stare. Then she turned around and walked upstairs without even saying a single word.

 Chapter 1301 An Unexpected Situation (Part Two)

    Now that action got Edward puzzled as he touched his nose. What was wrong with her? He didn''t do anything! Why did she stare at him that way? It was good that he didn''t mind it. Lucky her that he loved her. He didn''t think that he could endure her acts if she was someone else. Edward shook his head helplessly. It was obvious that there was nothing he could do anyway but go upstairs as well.


    On the other hand, Kevin got up early this morning but didn''t want to wake Leena up. Thus he was moving very carefully. However, he forgot what his initial goal was when he saw Leena''s cute lips. He couldn''t help but kiss her softly despite the fact that she was still sound asleep. It was to his great surprise when Leena''s arms suddenly reached out to him and embraced his neck. Then she opened her eyes and looked at him slyly.


    "I got you! How dare you kiss the sleeping princess?" said Leena as she blinked her eyes. She was still sleepy and it was obvious that Kevin''s kiss woke her up.


    "Oh? Well if that is the case, then I must be the prince... Yes. That one who woke Sleeping Beauty from her slumber." Kevin lowered his head and put his forehead against Leena''s. His voice was full of tenderness for his wife.


    "Are you leaving now? I think it''s still too early." Leena took a look at the clock. It was only six in the morning and it must still be dark outside.


    "Yes! I should go now. You can sleep some more, Nana. Cover yourself nicely since it''s raining outside. Don''t get cold," said Kevin gently as he kissed her lips one more time. He then tucked herfortably so she wouldn''t feel cold.


    "Okay. Be careful." Happiness flooded Leena upon seeing what Kevin did for her. She was so touched by his action that she ended up smiling at him sweetly.


    "I''lle back soon." Kevin took a look at her and then walked out quickly. Little did he know about how his gentleness made Leena feel. Compared with sweet words, she liked this kind of tender actions a lot more. She knew that they were a family and she would be waiting for him toe home.


    The Blue Enchantress was far from its usual tonight. Something special was going on as there were several noisy and young women who suddenly appeared here.


    "Drink some, Leena. Don''t just have some juices," Michelle, who already looked a little drunk, persuaded and poured Leena a drink.


    "No, I''m still in recovery and I can''t drink alcohol. Just enjoy drinking, okay? I''m fine!" Leena replied in an apologizing tone. She had no clue about what was wrong with the two women as they were both acting like they were hurt a lot.


    "Leave her alone, Michelle. Let''s have drinks together. Cheers! Cheers for all the stupid and bad men in the world! Let''s go on!" Patricia said as she picked her ss up. She nked it with Michelle''s a bit too forcefully, thus, creating a clear and delicate sound. "Yes! I like it. Let''s cheer for all the arrogant men in the world! Cheers!" said Michelle before letting out a belch. She then picked her winess up and then bottomed it up. She looked quite bold.


    "Hey! Don''t drink too much! What''s wrong with you? What happened to you?" Leena looked at them confusedly. The two were drinking like there was no tomorrow while hugging each other. It was good that they were in a private room, otherwise, Kevin''s friend might see her here with these two. That wouldn''t be good.


    "No. Nothing happened. We just want to have some drinks! How could you, a married woman, understand us the singles?" Patricia said sluggishly while smiling drunkenly. She had a cute small face which was extremely charming at this moment.


    "You are drunk, Patricia. Don''t drink anymore." Leena did not take her words seriously. Instead, she helped Patricia lean against the sofa. It would be so much better andfortable for her friend to sit that way than to lean on the desk.


    "Haha! You are a wimpy drinker! Let''s go. Let''s go out to dance," said Michelle as she rose to her feet unsteadily. She felt like walking on clouds. Perhaps, she did really drink too much.


    "Michelle! Don''t do that! Be a good girl and stay here." Worriedly, Leena reached out and pulled Michelle back to the sofa. Was she kidding? They were totally drunk now. How could they even dance? There were so many men out there and God knew what those guys were capable of doing.


    "Oh? Dance? Great! Let''s go dancing! Hurry up, Leena." Patricia immediately lit up upon hearing Michelle''s proposal. She also staggered to her feet right away and began moving out of their desk.


    "Yes! Let''s dance! And let those damn men go to hell!" Michelle shouted out her agreement with Patricia and stood up again. Leena was really at a loss now. She had no way but run to the door and locked it so she could keep them in. There was this huge possibility for the two to cause trouble since they were drunk to the hilt.


    "What are you doing, Leena? We are just going to dance. We are not going to kill someone. Don''t be so nervous, okay?" Patricia huped and blew at Leena''s face. Leena immediately smelled the thick alcohol from her and could not help but frown. The smell was disgusting!N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    "Can''t you just be quiet? If you really want to dance, you can dance here! Why do you insist on going outside to dance?" Leena stood and protected the door from being opened. She would not allow these two wasteddies to get out of here no matter what. "What did you say? Dance here? No way! There are no other people here. I don''t want to dance here alone," Michelle chuckled. She might be drunk but she still looked quite cute and beautiful.


    "Yes, she''s right! The more people, the better. I want to dance with other people. Don''t talk to her anymore, Michelle. Here''s the n, I get her and you go to open the door," Patricia said and thenughed guilefully. Then without any warning, she quickly reached out and tickled Leena under her arms. Leena immediately lost all her defense. She couldn''t help butugh out loud. Sheughed so hard that she bent over to protect herself from Patricia''s sneak attacks. Michelle took the opportunity and slipped away to open the door. When she managed it, she turned around and gave Patricia a thumb up to praise her.


    "Oh! Wait! I''m going with you!" Now that the two crazy women had done these things, Leena was left with no choice but to run after them. She had to be with them together in case of emergencies since the two were simply out of their mind right now.


    Noisy music, dazzling dance floor and dancing people. These were probably the mostmon elements of a bar! Truth be told, Leena did not like this kind of ce that much. It was just that the two drunk women were enjoying everything and she couldn''t do anything about it.


    Women with beautiful faces and nice figures were always the targets of men in this ce. So the moment Patricia and Michelle went to the dancing floor, they were greeted by oohs and ahhs from the crowd. It was the alcohol that was making the two dance sexily and voluptuously. Series of whistles suddenly filled the ce for the two as they moved to the beat. On the other hand, Leena chose not to join them. She was left standing outside the dance floor while massaging her temples. She was so worried and couldn''t think of anything to control the two.???????

 Chapter 1302 An Unexpected Situation (Part Three)

    The alcohol, plus the hot atmosphere of the dance floor made the two women more excited. They kept dancing and even sped up shaking their bodies. Their bolder actions aroused crazier screams from the crowd. "Don''t just stand there, Leena! Come and join us!" Patricia said and pulled her into the dance floor. Leena instantly felt lost and anxious since she got no clue about how to deal with the situation. She was in full panic! "Alright, Patricia. Let''s get out of here and go back to the room!" The multitude of men surrounding her made Leena leastfortable. However, Patricia and Michelle seemed to enjoy themselves a lot now. They were acting like they couldn''t even hear Leena''s advice. "Hey, beautifuldy. Let''s be friends!" A man took the opportunity and danced close to Leena. He touched her with his body while dancing and Leena was inexplicably disgusted. Her feet immediately stepped backward to avoid body contact with him. Unfortunately, another man was behind her and hugged her in his arms. Leena was so scared that she could not help but scream out. Both Patricia and Michelle were unable to hear her since they were too drunk to care and were also surrounded by crowds of men. Leena was left alone. Meanwhile, Kevin was already on his way back home. He could feel his heart getting softer the closer he was to the downtown. There was only half an hour left before he could see his cute wife again and just the thought of it excited him beyond control. He was filled with thoughts of Leena when his phone suddenly rang.


    "Hello. What''s the matter? If you are calling me to have a drink with you, I''m sorry but I have to say no. I''m not avable today," answered Kevin in a cold tone as he looked outside the window.


    "Oh? Really? What if I tell you that your wife is in the bar right now? Are you not gonnae here? Furthermore, from what I see, she seems to be surrounded by a legion of men now." Hoyle was standing before a ss window as he looked at the dance floor. He was half naked but he was not even worried that someone might see him. It was a one way mirror anyway, thus, he could see them but they couldn''t see him.


    "Don''t you ever try to fool me! She doesn''t like that kind of ce." Kevin did not take his words seriously at all. He knew Leena like the back of his hand. She was the type of person who would prefer to be in quiet ces than noisy ones. It was impossible for Leena to be there.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Well, it''s your choice to believe me or not. Anyway, let''s be clear with this. I am not responsible for the other guys who are flirting with her." Although Hoyle threatened not to do anything, he still turned around, put his coat on, and walked out of the room quickly upon seeing Leena being forced by a man.


    "You will be dead if that is the case! I''ll definitely erase your bar from earth. Trust me," Kevin warned. He didn''t believe Hoyle''s words at first. However, Hoyle wasn''t the kind of guy who would make fun of him with this type of excuse. This had never happened before. "Help yourself, please! The bar doesn''t belong to me alone anyway. Hurry up. I gotta go!" Hoyle hung the phone up as soon as he finished speaking. He slid his phone into his pocket and rushed downstairs.


    "Lee, drive the other way. Let''s go to Blue Enchantress." Actually, Kevin knew that Hoyle would definitely take care of Leena and would not allow anything to happen to her. Still, he was a bit worried about his wife.


    "Yes, Major General," responded Lee as he looked at Kevin through the rearview mirror and then changed the car''s direction.


    "Let me tell you this, stay away from me or there will be consequences for you!" Leena frowned and threw a disgusted re at that man who was clinging on her. Frankly, she didn''t want to make any trouble here. Otherwise, she would have already taken actions and would have not allowed him to follow her from the center of the dance floor to the edge.


    "Thank you for your kind remind, beauty! Show me the consequences, please. Oh, I''m quite looking forward to them," said the man in a lecherous tone. He then gave Leena ascivious stare. It was so obvious that he was a nasty man.


    "Jerk!" cursed Leena between gritted teeth. She decided not to talk with this man anymore to avoid any conflicts. She moved to another seat to keep her distance from him. She couldn''t believe how busy she was! Not only did she need to take care of Patricia and Michelle, who were still dancing crazily in the floor, but also had to deal with this nasty man nearby who considered himself to be the most handsome man to exist.


    "Manager Yi," the employees designated on the bar counter immediately greeted Hoyle as soon as he appeared.


    "Yes! Go and focus on your work!" On the other hand, Hoyle just couldn''t care less with the employees as he leaned his back against the counter. His eyes were sharp and focused on where Leena was. He didn''t have any ns of helping her yet since he could see that she was still able to handle things. He then turned at Leena''s friends to check on them too. ''Aren''t these girls dancing a little too crazy?'' he thought.


    It was then that something happened on the dance floor. The two women finally got tired due to their crazy dance and stopped. He saw them trying to walk out from the center but those men surrounding them were already too hyped and excited. They just couldn''t let thedies go! The group of men surrounded them too firmly. Thus the two weren''t able to make a move no matter how hard they tried. That was when some random guy suddenly hit another and a fight exploded on the ce.


    "Patricia, Michelle!" Seeing that something went wrong, Leena tried to rush to them and give her friends a hand. She forgot about the man who had been harassing her until a pair of disgusting arms hugged her from behind. She was struggling and doing everything she could to escape when another set of arms grabbed her from nowhere. Everything happened so fast that the next thing she saw was how the shameless man crawled to the floor. He was kicked!


    "Get out of here. I''ll get your friends out of here soon." It was Hoyle! He protectively pulled out Leena from themotion and pushed her away quickly. Leena was his friend''s wife and he just couldn''t let her get into this kind of trouble. Of course, he would save her! Leena was left dumbfounded and puzzled as he stared at the man. It took her a few seconds before she realized who the guy was. If she guessed it right, the mysterious man who suddenly appeared must be Kevin''s friend! Otherwise, she really had no clue why he helped her and her friends.

 Chapter 1303 Fight In The Bar (Part One)

    Both Patricia and Michelle were actually quite good at fighting. But they couldn''t muster their actual strength and abilities since they were drunk. Besides, the muscle head they met seemed to also be good at it. That was why they got trapped in the crowd and were unable


    to get out of there. But the root cause was because these two women were too willful. So basically they brought it upon themselves.


    "What the hell! Who did that? Who the fuck hit me? How dare you do that?! No one is allowed to leave here. There are consequences if you hit me," shouted Michelle loudly. After all the tension and chaos, she had be less and less drunk. Plus, she danced fiercely earlier and that helped her sober up a bit. She could finally figure out what was happening around them in the bar.


    "Forget it, Michelle. Where is Leena? Let''s go find her," Patricia suggested as she shook her heavy head a bit. For a moment she had forgotten about Leena. Thank goodness! At least she did not forget herpletely.


    "Oh, right! I forgot that she is still here. Look around and check where she is now, Patricia. She might have been hurt by these sons of bitches," Michelle said to Patricia and kicked off a man who began to cling to her. She was an expert at fighting, having some practice almost every day.


    "Ok, I''ll go find her! You be careful. Why is there so much trouble? We just came here for fun! I hope that she is fine. Otherwise, her brothers will definitely hold us responsible!" Speaking of this, Patricia thought of Tom. His gentle face shed in her head. No, not a gentle face, but a demon''s face! He was gentle in front of other people but not to her! She had seen his evil face several times.


    Hoyle was a soldier once. So it was a piece of cake to deal with those good for nothing punks. He did not expect that these two women could handle them quite well without any help. That was such a surprise. Unfortunately, Mr. Muscle Head was the boss of those punks. That was why they were unable to finish this fight.


    At that same time, Leena was anxiously watching, far away from the center of the dance floor. She stood there, feeling upset that troubles and mishaps seemed to erupt around her all the time. Although she was not one who had to get involved in the fight herself, she still felt sorry that she was the cause of it. That was thest thing she had wanted to happen.


    "Hey, buddy. Are you sure you want to get involved in this?" the muscle head boss shouted to Hoyle aggressively. He did not look like a local,ing to this bar for the first time. That was the reason why he was unable to recognize the bar manager who was standing right in front of him.


    "Well. You may act like this everywhere else that you go to. But I won''t allow this to happen in my own turf." Hoyle smiled coldly. Here in Blue Enchantress, there was an unwritten rule; anyone who made trouble in the bar would be banned for life.


    "In that case, can I take them home with me? Well, not to my home. Maybe somewhere private for just a couple of hours," the man gave out an evil smile. He liked this kind of hot woman, both with that kind of body and temper. They made men more excited and interested, didn''t they?


    "No, you can''t. They don''t want to go with you, and will not go with you." Hoyle looked at him aggressively. He clearly knew that his refusal would cause a new fight because that man didn''t seem to be easy-going. Nheless, he still expressed his refusal. He was a man who valued friendship, after all. Kevin was his friend and he of course would definitely protect his friend''s wife and her friends no matter what happened. Besides, Kevin had asked him on the phone earlier, to protect his wife. He was sure to keep his promise. "Obviously, you are challenging me. Ok. Now that I can''t take them out, I think I''ll just stay here and y a game with you!" the muscle head said and turned around. He showed off and flexed his arms and seemed to be ready for another fight. He did not give his all when fighting against Patricia and Michelle because they were women. But now going against a man, there would be no holding back.


    "I am not challenging you. But they are my friends and you can''t just take them away with you as you like." Hoyle took a look at the gate and wondered why Kevin had not shown up yet. Kevin was a smart guy who was aware how to achieve the best results with the least amount of coteral damage. A fight in the bar would definitely cause damage and it was thest thing Hoyle would like to see. He hated clearing up messy situations the most. That was why he wished Kevin would appear as soon as possible to save this night immediately.


    "Are you kidding me? They''re your friends? Hey, girls! Do you know him?" asked the stranger, turning around and looking at Patricia and Michelle. Obviously, he did not believe Hoyle.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    "I didn''t. But now I do. I think it''s much better for us to go with him instead of you! He is much more handsome than you, isn''t he? Much better than some loser who can''t take a hint!" Chided Patricia who liked beautiful and handsome faces. That was how she made her final choice between the two men. Well, that was amon scene nowadays. A handsome or beautiful face would be much more preferred and weed. How cruel this world had be!


    "Bitch! What did you say? I am strong and heroic. How could it possible that he, a macaroni-like boy toy, is more preferred than me?" The stranger red at Patricia. Herments had insulted him.


    "Pfft! Your reasoning doesn''t stand at all, okay? A butcher is much stronger than you. Am I supposed to like him? That''s totally different, understand? Well, that is if you are also smart, which I doubt, because you are still here!" Michelle pursed her lips disdainfully. She wondered who this big guy was. She had never seen such a rude and stupid man in all the gangs she had met in S city.


    "Bitch! You are asking for death! How dare you mention me and a butcher in the same breath?" The big man was outraged and reached out to attack Michelle. But he was stopped immediately by Hoyle. Hoyle had no way but to twist the corners of his mouth. Why couldn''t the two be quiet for just one bit? Why did they have to irritate each other with shallow yet hurtful words? Fighting was tiring. Especially if it was with this guy who was big and surely powerful.0000000

 Chapter 1304 Fight In The Bar (Part Two)

    "Patricia, Michelle! Stop talking!" Leena finally made her way towards her two friends. She could not help but knit her beautiful eyebrows worriedly at such a confrontation. "Are you okay, Leena?" Patricia felt relieved, seeing Leena appear safely in front of her.


    "I''m okay. But look at you two. What have you done? Now we are in trouble. Oh, God! What should I do?" Leena sniffed. She could still smell the stench of alcohol on Patricia.


    "Trouble? What trouble? They came and bothered us first. We were just fighting back to protect ourselves." Michelle was born and raised up in a gang family. This kind of situation was quite familiar to her. So she did not take Leena''s words seriously at all.


    Leena twisted her mouth a bit and froze immediately. She always acted properly and hardly went to a bar because she did not want to cause unnecessary troubles for her husband, a military man. Now, her two female friends had gotten involved in a bar fight and Kevin would definitely find out about it. His friend came out to help them, after all. This meant that Kevin must have already known by now.


    "Nana, watch out!" The moment Kevin walked to the dance floor, he saw someone throw a chair and it was about to hit Leena. He rushed towards her and turned around to hold her in his arms to protect her from being hit. The chair crashed on his back with a heavy thud. "Kevin, why are you here? Oh, wait... No, that''s not the point! Are you hurt?" Leena struggled out from his arms. She was worried so much, turning him around to check his back.


    "I''m okay. It stings a little. Get yourself out of this area and stay out of more trouble. I''m gonna take care of this situation." Kevin smiled at his wife tofort her. Nothing in him wanted to me her at all.


    "Okay, you be careful!" Leena replied obediently. She was indeed worried about him. But she also knew that it was not the right time.


    Standing there wearing his imposing military uniform was enough to stabilize the crowd. Kevin did not even need to say or do anything. The moment he appeared in the bar, everything and everyone grew quiet. The fighting had dissipated. Even the music stopped. As for the guy who threw the chair at Leena? He was trembling with fear, unable to move from where he was standing.


    "Dude! Why didn''t youe here earlier? You cameter than I have hoped," Hoyle frowned slightly andined. The fight could have been avoided but it had already caused some damage.


    "Let''s talkter! I told you to protect her. But she almost got hurt! I''m not finished with you yet." Kevin shot an angry re at Hoyle and then looked around the dance floor at everyone. When he saw Patricia and Michelle, he looked back at Leena. He was confused seeing them there.


    "I didn''t do anything anymore when I saw youe in." Hoyle was betting, whether Kevin was able to stop the chair from falling on Leena. Truth to be told, he was extremely anxious at that time and was afraid that he made the wrong calctions. Fortunately, Kevin made it. "Major General Gu, we did not do this deliberately. This gori here approached us first with malicious intentions." Michelle worried that Kevin might order his men to throw her into prison. So she spoke to Kevin first to make aint. She and Kevin had met a few times but they were not familiar with each other at all, so she was uncertain how Kevin would deal with it. A first strike could be useful for her.


    "Hey, Kevin. I think you can at least tell right from wrong!" Patricia on the other hand was not afraid of Kevin at all. She had stayed at his home once, so she knew clearly what kind of person he was. But what she did not know was why he appeared at the bar. Leena told her that he was not in town.


    "If you don''t want to get involved in this, you can leave now. Those involved in the fight, stay here." Kevin did not reply to either of Leena''s female friends. Instead, he took a cold nce at everyone again. Those who did not want to see the drama walked away and disappeared immediately. They did not want to cause troubles for themselves, after all.


    "Mr. Soldier, sir! We did not do anything illegal. We just wanted to dance with these two beautifuldies. Is it prohibited by thew? We are happy to pay for all the damages here if that is okay." That man knew that Kevin was different from himself. So he dared not be aggressive and arrogant like what he showed to everyone earlier.


    "It''s not breaking thew to invite someone to dance. But you shouldn''t force them to dance with you if they refuse you. More importantly, thew prohibits you from hitting people. Only an idiot doesn''t know that by now," Kevin sneered at the man, casting a cold re at him, making the atmosphere freeze around him.


    "Yes, yes, you are right," he ttered. The arrogant jerk had turned into an ass kissing mouse. He was not afraid of anyone in the world of gangsters. But he would never want to be enemies with people who were from the military. Otherwise, there would be endless troubles waiting for him.


    "Now that you are willing to admit your mistake, I can let go of it this time. But don''t forget to pay the bill and all the damages you caused tonight." Kevin said this, not to make it easy on him, but because it was not appropriate to punish him. A fight wasmon in such ces like the bar, after all. What was more, no one got hurt or worse, ended up dead. A warning to him was enough in princ¨ªple. Besides, he did note here as an officer on duty. Therefore, he might get into another set of troubles if he showed any abuse of power. He didn''t want to find himself in a viral video about that.


    "Thank you, thank you. We will pay the bill and will be on our way." The muscle head walked away quickly as soon as he finished his words as if he was afraid that Kevin might pull him back. His men also followed him like chickens to a farmer with feed. "Kevin, you just let them go like that?" Patricia still reeked of alcohol. She turned her arm which still hurt a bit, unsatisfied.


    "What would you have preferred? Call the police here? And then the police take you to the station for questioning?" Kevin frowned tightly. He did not want to experience it with them. It would be extremely troublesome.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.

 Chapter 1305 Fight In The Bar (Part Three)

    "No, of course not! But I think you should have at least hit them heavily and given them something to remember," Patricia muttered. Obviously, she was not satisfied with the way Kevin dealt with those guys.


    for the military. Thest thing he needed was another case for disciplinary action.


    "And then? People would have the opportunity to gossip that the military bullies people at a bar and takes advantage of his power? Is that what you want?" Kevin said coldly. It was not that he was afraid of that man, but he did not want to be the one to create a bad name "Is that really so terrible?" Patricia was confused. She heard that soldiers always threw their weight around and disrespected the rights of civilians. Was that not the case?


    "You tell me!" Kevin replied to make her think. The reason why there was sometimes disharmony between the army and the ordinary people was because many people thought of the military the way Patricia did.


    "How could I know? Why do you ask me that?" Patricia red back at Kevin. She knew he wasn''t in a good mood now because Leena was almost hit by a chair.


    "Alright! Why don''t we take this to another room, please! We can continue this discussion there peacefully and with a few drinks and some food. What do you guys say?" Hoyle led the way to a private room. He did not think it was wise for Kevin to stay in the public area with his military uniform on.


    "Let''s go, Nana." Kevin reached out to hold Leena''s hand and talked to her in a careful tone, which was totally different from the cold and distant tone he used to talk to other people.


    "Hey, what''s their rtionship?" Michelle was confused and asked Patricia following them closely behind.


    "Obviously, they are a couple. Can''t you think a bit?" Patricia replied helplessly and looked at Michelle. Actually Michelle was quite innocent. No one told her that they were a couple, and she did not bother to make any analysis.


    "Well. How could I know it without anyone telling me?" Michelle was speechless. What a coincidence! The two people she knew were actually a couple! She never saw iting.


    "Is your back alright?" Leena frowned slightly. She was still not at ease knowing that Kevin was hit on the back with a flying chair.


    "Don''t worry! It''s alright. You can''t just ask to take off my clothes here so that you can check it now!" Kevin whispered in her ears and said with a leer on his face.


    "Hey, stop it, Kevin!" Leena''s face immediately turned red. She was only concerned about his back. How could he be so shameless about it?


    "Hey, you guys. Don''t do that, please. There are still single man and women here! Stop with the disy of affection!" Hoyle said jokingly as he opened the door of the private room.


    "Yes, agreed. I don''t want to see that, either. E! Get a room!" Patricia was unhappy due to Kevin''s attitude towards her earlier. So she spoke out her agreement delightfully as soon as she heard Hoyle tease the military man. She even forgot the fact that Leena, her best friend, was also the target of the teasing.


    "Are you both sober now?" Leena looked at the two women. She was still a bit worried. People had the tendency to turn intoplete idiots once they got drunk. They could not even control themselves.


    "Sure. Can you smell it on me?" Patricia said and breathed in Leena''s face. Leena smelt the alcohol immediately. She could not help but frown. She would no longer drink that easily after one night when she was drunk and slept with Kevin in the bar.


    "You are a couple! To tell the truth, I never imagined that you and Major General Gu were a couple! It''s so shocking!" Michelle did not hide her surprise at all and kept eximing, which made Leena feel a bit awkward. She had this tiny suspicion that Kevin might be having an affair with her! Now she felt embarrassed having had such a nonsense thought.


    "Sorry, I didn''t mean to hide this from you," Leena sounded apologetic. Although neither of them knew that she and Michelle had met once, she could not cheat herself and pretend that they were strangers. She did not tell Michelle that Kevin was her husband because she did not want to talk about the history.


    "It''s okay! You didn''t know that I knew Major General Gu, did you? So it''s understandable. At that time, there was no need to tell me that." Leaning against the sofa, Michelle felt a bit of a headache as the alcohol started to lose its effect.


    "But I..." Leena bit her lips slightly. She had no clue how to exin it all of a sudden. She was struggling a lot.


    "Stop now. Come here, Leena. I''d like to introduce you to my friend, Hoyle." Kevin knew why she was struggling. But he did not think that they should talk about it now. So he spoke to distract her.


    "Nice to meet you. I am Leena Leng. Thank you so much, especially, for your kindness and hospitality." Leena reached out politely to Hoyle for a handshake. Her face blushed immediately at the thought that he always saw her in awkward situations.


    "I''m Hoyle Yi. Nice to meet you, too. Probably my parents were quite confident about their son, so they gave me such an umon name. Also, don''t thank me for the billst time. It''s on Kevin. You can thank him," Hoyle told a joke about his name to rx the atmosphere. At the same time he reached out to shake her hand.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    "No way! You know each other?" Patricia said and took a look at Leena with ming eyes. Now she understood why Leena was so concerned when they invited her to this bar. The boss and Kevin were friends!


    "It''s not her fault. It''s her first time to see me today." Hoyle smiled broadly. Actually he saw her before. He was also present that night when she was drunk. But Kevin was still there with her, so Hoyle did not sit close to her. Despite this, he saw everything, except, of course, what happened inside the private room. He was not a person who liked to talk about what other people did behind closed doors.000????????????

 Chapter 1306 The Appointment With The Obstetrician (Part One)

    "Now is not the time to talk about this. You know the bar is aplicated ce. Why weren''t you more careful?" Kevin didn''t mean to me anybody. It was just that he thought girls nowadays didn''t know how to take care of themselves. Leena was a good example of it. Back then, if she had decided to approach someone who was not Kevin, she might have run into a creep. That would have been a big possibility. How would Leena''s life have turned out then? "Who knew that all men were creeps?" Patricia mumbled, a bit reluctant. They didn''t face such a situation every time they went out to a pub. Besides, they were not as reckless today. How could they have known that this would happen?


    "Wait a minute. Not all men are creeps. I appreciate beautiful women, that''s true. But I am definitely not a creep," Hoyle was quick to exin himself. At a pub, he could meet all kinds of beautiful girls every day. However, he still couldn''t find a girl who truly caught his eyes. Maybe there were just too many choices so he couldn''t decide. He had already forgotten what he had been searching for in the first ce. He knew that every woman had her own special qualities. Every woman he met was proof of it. They also shared a lot inmon, and it confused Hoyle quite a bit.


    "All right, everybody. I know you must be very tired. Let''s call it a night. Hoyle, can you help me drive them home? We should get going now." Kevin looked at his watch. It was already one o''clock in the morning. For some people, this was the beginning of nightlife. But Kevin had had a tough day. He was already tired. It was obvious from the tired expression on his face.


    "Yes, of course. But before we go, could you at least introduce us to one another?" Hoyle''s mouth twitched in amusement. He didn''t even know the names of these girls, for God''s sake. Kevin had forgotten to tell him.


    "Oh! Right. Sorry. The tall one''s name is Patricia Bai. And the short one is Michelle Mi. They are both Leena''s friends." Kevin didn''t want to know how these girls knew each other. Friendships between girls were quite strange sometimes. Men just couldn''t understand it. Michelle already had self-esteem issues about her height. After Kevin introduced her, she felt even more embarrassed about her short stature.


    "Oh, hi! Let me introduce myself again. My name is Hoyle Yi. Nice to meet you two." Kevin had already introduced him to the girls, but Hoyle introduced himself again out of politeness. He was going to drive the two of them home, after all.


    As they walked out of Blue Enchantress, a light rain started to fall. The cold wind blew strong, making the winter night even more chilly.


    "Major General, Leena," Lee greeted as soon as he saw them. He got out of the car.


    "I''m sorry we have to bother you thiste, Lee." Leena smiled apologetically. She felt bad about asking Lee toe here. The weather was so cold that her smile didn''tst for long.


    "That''s all right. I really don''t mind at all." Lee scratched his head. He didn''t know how to react to Leena''s apology.


    "Lee, just drive the car to the army base. You don''t have toe and pick me up tomorrow." Kevin fixed Leena''s clothes for her. He raised his head and looked around. Maybe it was because of the cold weather outside, but there were not many cars on the road at this time.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    "No problem. Good-bye, Major General and Leena!" Lee said. He knew that Kevin had some things to deal with in downtown tomorrow, so he didn''t refute the order.


    "Bye! Drive safe." Leena waved her hand and watched Lee drive away. She got in her car with Kevin. They left the crowded pub.


    "I thought you told me you were okay, but your back is bruised so badly." As soon as Kevin got out of the shower, Leena''s worried eyes spotted the injury on his back. She already knew his back would be bruised, so she had prepared the ointment for it in advance while he was in the shower.


    "It''s not that bad, really. I am used to it. I am a soldier, remember?" Kevin obedientlyy on the bed and let Leena rub her cold hands on his back.


    "This might hurt. I have to rub your back so it heals fast." Leena''s eyes grew wide as she saw the bruise on Kevin''s back. She felt a bit heartbroken that he had been injured because of her.


    "Yeah," Kevin hummed and closed his eyes. Maybe he was really tired, or perhaps Leena was just really that good, so he fell asleep under her gentle hands.


    "I can tell that you are exhausted." Leena didn''t try to wake Kevin up. Instead, she wrapped the nket around Kevin and got under the covers herself. Soon, she fell asleep beside Kevin.


    A week passed by in silence. These days, Leena heard from ire the most. Every time she called, she always brought up Gerard. It seemed that they were getting along well. Even though ireined that she worked too much, Leena could tell that she was, in fact, happy about it. It was a pleasant surprise that she and ire had be good friends. Nobody had expected it because of how much ire disliked her before. But eventually, they put the past behind them and began to appreciate each other.


    Today was the day of Belinda''s appointment with the obstetrician. Leena was woken up by her brother''s phone call quite early in the morning. He had a meeting he couldn''t miss and he didn''t want his wife to go to the hospital alone, so he asked his sister to apany Belinda. And Leena, being her kind and caring self, dly agreed.


    "Wow. Is this the heartbeat of the baby, doctor? It is amazing!" Leena said, the surprise evident in her voice. She couldn''t tell where was the baby on the dark screen, but the heartbeat was there and easy to hear. She had never apanied a pregnant woman to her appointment, so she felt everything to be magical and surprising.


    "Yes, it is. The baby is quite small right now so the heartbeat is not that strong, as you may hear. Don''t worry about it though, it will get stronger as the baby grows," the doctor exined in a patient voice. Belinda was a friend of the head of this hospital, so the doctor was aware that she had to treat the patient carefully.


    "Is the baby healthy, doctor?" Just like every pregnant woman in the world, what concerned Belinda the most was her baby''s health.


    "Yes. From what I can tell, the baby is quite healthy. As a pregnant woman, you should be careful about what you eat. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Protein is important, too. Eat healthy and nutritious food, but also be careful of your dietary intake," the doctor said as she wrote something down on her medical chart. She was d that Belinda''s baby was healthy. As long as Belinda followed her instructions, she should be fine.

 Chapter 1307 The Appointment With The Obstetrician (Part Two)

    "Okay, I see. Thank you, doctor." Belinda put her hands on her abdomen, touching it gently. One could tell that she already loved her baby. The look on her face was the look that only a mother could have for her child.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Besides, you should also walk more. Go for a walk each day. Do adequate exercises every day, but don''t tire yourself out. Don''t have sexual intercourse with your husband during the first three months and thest three months of your pregnancy. The former one may lead to miscarriage and thetter one may cause premature birth. You can have sex in the middle stage of your pregnancy, but please be extremely careful. You don''t want to hurt the baby. That''s all you need to remember," the doctor continued, instructing Belinda about everything she should be aware of. She didn''t notice that Belinda''s face immediately turned red at the words.


    "You could do some antenatal training if you like. Listen to soft music, talk to the baby, etc. Keep yourself in a good mood. Do not exhaust yourself. Sleep is important for both you and the baby. Keep what I said in mind and you would be fine with your pregnancy. You will have a beautiful and healthy baby in the end." The doctor finally finished writing and raised her head to look at Belinda, hoping that her patient kept the instructions in mind.


    "Doctor, the baby is still so small right now. Can it hear our voices if we talk to it?" Leena asked out of curiosity. She had never been pregnant nor met a pregnant woman before. Naturally, she was curious about this and was full of all kinds of questions.


    "Of course. The baby is in her abdomen but it can still hear all kinds of sounds, including your voice. The baby gets the energy from the mother''s food, so it''s important for the mother to eat healthy." The doctor nced at Leena, thinking that Leena was too young to have a baby herself. It was a surprise that she wanted to know about this kind of stuff.


    "Yeah, you are right. I will definitely be careful. Thank you again, doctor." Belinda listened carefully to every word the doctor said. She was fine as long as the doctor didn''t mention her love life in front of Leena, who was her sister-inw. Belinda knew there was nothing wrong with it, but still, it was so embarrassing to her.


    After the two of them got out of the hospital, they decided to take a stroll. Leena was cautious because Belinda was pregnant. Her little niece or nephew was in her. She kept an eye on Belinda in case something bad happened.


    "Leena, stop being dramatic! I don''t need you to help me walk. This is too much. I am fine walking on my own. Besides, I am not that pregnant yet." Belinda looked at Leena, amused. Her sister-inw was on high alert because of her. At the same time, Belinda couldn''t help but think how time flew by so fast. Back when she and Leena first got to know each other, Leena had already begun to think of her as her sister-inw. To everyone''s surprise, Leena was right. She truly became Leena''s sister-inw in the end. Now, she was happily married and on her way to have a beautiful baby. It was like a dream came true. A rich and handsome husband, a kind and generous sister-inw, a father-inw who was always on holiday and now a soon-toe healthy baby. Everything felt perfect. More importantly, she was happier than she''d ever been. It was something Belinda couldn''t have imagined before.


    "Well, Duke has warned me this morning that if anything happens to you while I am here, I would face serious consequences. How could I not be careful then?" Leena puckered her lips and furrowed her eyebrows. The expression in her eyes was innocent. "Your brother is also being dramatic. I could havee to the hospital by myself. He didn''t have to ask you to apany me." Belinda shook her head helplessly as she thought about how overprotective Duke was being. He didn''t need to be so cautious and drag his sister into all this. However, secretly she was d that Duke cared so much. It was sweet of him to try his level best to look after her. Well, maybe he cared more about the baby inside her. Still, Belinda felt special and cared for, knowing what Duke did. "That''s all right. I didn''t have anything else to do anyway. Besides, this way I also get to learn something about pregnancy, right? Now if I ever get pregnant, I won''t be so scared. I would know what to do," Leena said in a small voice and blushed. She spoke casually, but in fact, she was a bit worried that she might really be pregnant. After all, she and Kevin didn''t use any birth control. Truthfully she was not ready for a child right now. She still considered herself as a child who needed to be looked after. It was hard for her to imagine having a baby of her own and care for it. It would certainly be a disaster.


    "Now that you mention it, why don''t you have a check-up too, now that we are already at the hospital? The doctor told me that if you are ready to have a baby and want a healthy one, you should thoroughly prepare for it. It''s good for both the mother and the baby." Belinda didn''t expect to be pregnant so soon. If there was one thing she regretted, it was that she didn''t n for the pregnancy in advance so that she was in her best possible health when conceiving the baby. She couldn''t forget what the doctor said to her. She hoped that Leena would pay attention to the instructions if she wanted to have a child.


    "No. I don''t think there''s any need for me to have a check-up right now. Every child is an angel gifted to us by God. I think I will just wait for it to happen." Leena shook her head. She was still too young to have kids. Besides, Kevin was not of age to want a child either. They should wait a bit longer. Right now, the two of them alone were enough.


    "That''s up to you. You and Kevin are still young anyway. I guess you don''t want a child right now." Belinda smiled at Leena. Ever since she got pregnant, she had be more gentle towards others. There was a glow to her that only pregnant women had. It made others feel morefortable around her.

 Chapter 1308 The Appointment With The Obstetrician (Part Three)

    "You''re right. We will take our time." Leena grinned at Belinda''s words. Her face reflected the happiness she felt. She had been over the moon ever since she came to know that Kevin was in love with her. She didn''t think she could feel any happier at this moment. "There is a mall near the hospital that sells baby stuff. How about we go there and shop?" Belinda asked in excitement. When Duke got to know that she was really pregnant, he took over her business and became quite busy. Belinda, as a pregnant woman, had nothing to do, so she suddenly had a lot of free time on her hands. She was not quite used to it. After all, her life had always been busy before.


    "Okay. I don''t have anything to do anyway." Leena looked up at the sky. The sun was beaming and the weather was nice. It was indeed a good time to go shopping. Besides, she was in a great mood, so she didn''t mind apanying Belinda to shop for her little niece or nephew.


    "But before we go, let''s grab something to eat first! I don''t know if it''s because I am pregnant, but I get hungry very easily these days," Belinda said, looking around for a nice ce to eat. Her eyes immediately lit up when she saw a bakery nearby. She was craving a delicious cake.


    "What do you want to eat? It''s my treat! For my little niece or nephew." Leena looked around too. Maybe it was because they were still outside the hospital, but most of the shops here were flower or fruit shops. It was hard to spot a quiet ce to get something to eat. "Haha. All right. If we are going to go shoppingter, how about we eat nearby? Um, how about cakes? I am craving a nice cake." Belinda didn''t know if it was normal for her to suddenly crave for certain foods. She had never been like this. Ever since she got pregnant though, she always wanted to eat a particr food. The feeling was always strong. She did not rest until she was satisfied.


    "Then what are we waiting for? Let''s go! We can eat all the cakes you want. How about this? I will take charge of your every meal from now on. When the babyes out, you can tell it how I cared for and loved it." Leena walked arm in arm with Belinda. They crossed the road and walked straight toward the bakery.


    The shop was nicely decorated. The ce was full of young couples who were sitting andughing around. Belinda and Leena felt a little out of ce, but they didn''t mind. They just wanted to have nice and sugary cakes. They walked to a table at the corner and ordered a cup of milk, a cup of juice and some small cakes. Talking and giggling with each other, they ignored the rest of the crowd at the bakery.


    Meanwhile, the door to the bakery opened again. Louisa, who was dressed in red today, walked in swiftly. She had been grounded by her father for some time and this was the first chance she got to go out. She decided to treat herself and have some cakes. After all, she had a sweet tooth. Cakes were definitely her favorite.


    Leena and Belinda didn''t see Louisa walk in as they chatted about everything and nothing. Leena was beaming. One could tell that she was in a good mood.All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "I want a green tea cake to go, miss," Louisa said to the waitress in an arrogant tone and raised her chin.


    "I am sorry, miss. Green tea cakes were sold out just now. The new ones will be ready in half an hour. Would you like anything else instead?" the waitress said politely. She wondered why so many people were asking for the green tea cake today. They had already sold out and the new ones were not ready yet.


    "Do you think I am blind? There is still a green tea cake in there! What? Do you think I can''t pay for it, so you won''t sell it to me?" Louisa red at the poor waitress as she pointed at the only green tea cake on disy. She knew the waitress was lying.


    "Umm. I am really sorry, but that cake has already been booked by another customer," the waitress exined patiently. It was rare to meet a stubborn and rude customer. But once it happened, it was a nightmare for the bakery.


    "If it has already been booked, why do you still put it on disy? I demand an exnation!" Louisa was already furious after being grounded by her father. Now, upon hearing the waitress'' words, her anger knew no bounds. Why did everything bad keep happening to her? First, she didn''t get the man she wanted. Then, she was punished by the brothers of the woman she hated the most. Finally, her own father wouldn''t help her. He even grounded her! Louisa didn''t think she deserved any of this.


    "Well, that''s because the customer is still inside the bakery, eating, so we haven''t packed up the cake for her." The waitress scanned the bakery subtly, looking for Leena. She wanted to find the customer first so that if anything happened, she could exin herself.


    "If she is still here eating, why don''t you sell the cake to me and have her waiting for the new one? I am in a hurry here!" If this situation had happened before she got grounded, Louisa would have left to find another bakery. It was not a big deal. But today, she was in a particrly sour mood. Awful things kept happening to her, and that made her jealous and furious. She decided to stay and torture the poor waitress. Louisa wouldn''t leave without the green tea cake she wanted.


    "I am sorry, we don''t know when that customer would be leaving. We really can''t do as you say." The waitress had a friendly smile on her face, but secretly, she regretted that she had forgotten to pack up the cake for Leena. It had led to this disaster.


    "Are you stupid or what? What are you waiting for? Why don''t you go and ask that customer for me? Why did your boss hire a stupid employee like you? I am going to file aint against you if you don''t do something about it right now!" Louisa raised her voice, furious. It drew the attention of the other people in the bakery, including that of Leena and Belinda. From where they were sitting, they could only see the back of the rude customer. Leena didn''t know that it was Louisa, but she did think the voice was quite familiar.


    "Okay okay, please wait here. I will go and talk to her." The waitress looked at Louisa with frightened eyes. This woman was scary and demanding. But she was just an employee so she couldn''t do anything about it. Besides, she was afraid that the customer would be violent. There were all kinds of people in the world. She had to do as Louisa said and go to ask the other customer.


    "Be quick! I don''t have all day." Louisa smirked to herself. She knew that she had to be aggressive and tough to make others do as she demanded. It was the only way to get what she wanted.

 Chapter 1309 The Worst In Louisa(Part One)

    The waitress bit her lower lip and walked uneasily towards Leena''s table. She really hoped that the two women were open to persuasion, otherwise she had no idea how to deal with the situation. "Sorry to trouble you,dies. I wonder if you''d do me a tiny favor?" she asked while looking at Leena with a hopeful expression. It was Leena who had asked her to pack up the cake. "What''s the matter? Rx. Say it to me." Leena gave her a sweet smile. She had a good temper and always spoke softly.


    "Here''s the thing. A guest also wants to have a green tea cake, but there''s only one avable now and you''ve asked me to pack it up first. If you are not leaving so soon, I wonder if we can give her the cake. The new batch of green tea cakes will be avable in half an hour," she said carefully while keeping a close look at Leena''s face. She was afraid that Leena might lose her temper on hearing the bad news.


    "Oh, I see. That''s okay. We''re going shopping in the nearby baby store. I don''t minding back for the cake after that. So yes, go ahead and give the cake to that guest," Leena said as she shrugged. Maybe that person was in a hurry, and Leena could totally understand that.


    "Really? Thank you so much. You really helped me a lot." The waitress didn''t expect Leena to be such an amiable person, and had thought she would be rejected, and even scolded. She was relieved and even a little excited because the problem was easily solved. "No problem. Just give it to her," Leena said while looking in the direction of the showcase. Meanwhile, Louisa was fed up with waiting and turned to check if the waitress was done. As a result, Louisa and Leena saw each other right in the eye and were both stunned. ''That bitch!'' Louisa narrowed her eyes. A streak of gloom shed through her eyes as she was instantly infuriated. ''I''ve been grounded for such a long time. Bitch, this is all your fault!'' she thought to herself. After a short pause, Leena looked away as if she saw nobody. It was not because she was afraid of Louisa, but because she felt Louisa had nothing to do with her and she was in no mood to talk to her. "Good news, Miss. You may take the cake out. The guest is kind enough to give way so you can have it." The waitress couldn''t wait to share the news with Louisa as soon as she went back to her.


    "You mean the cake was bought by that slut over there whom you just talked to?" Louisa asked through her gritted teeth. If the cake belonged to anyone else, she would ept it without any problem. But now that she knew it was supposed to be Leena''s, she was not okay with taking anything that had something to do with her. ''I''m not a beggar, and I will by no means ept something offered out of pity mixed with contempt!'' she thought. She forgot that it was she who had urged the waitress to ask for Leena''s consent in the first ce. "What? Miss, please watch yournguage," the waitress said with a frown. She was not going to tolerate Louisa''s dirty mouth andck of manners. Leena was so generous as to agree to her request, but instead of thanking her, Louisa called her a slut. The waitress shook her head and thought, ''Beautiful as you are, you are ugly on the inside.''


    Louisa snorted and walked towards Leena. She needed to tell her that she didn''t want any pity from her. ''If you were really this kind, why didn''t you give Kevin to me from the very beginning?'' Louisa thought. "Leena, do you know that woman in red? She looks fierce and ising towards us," Belinda asked in a low voice. Even from afar, she could see that the woman was unfriendly.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    "You''ll know who she is soon," Leena said with a frown. She was really in no mood for any interaction with the girl who almost killed her.


    "Leena Leng, I thought you died? Why are you here? Having an afternoon tea?" Louisa took a nce at Belinda first, and then turned to Leena.


    "Don''t worry. You will die first, but Leena won''t attend your funeral because you don''t deserve it!" Belinda said angrily. She didn''t know who the woman was, but she was irritated by her inappropriate behavior. "Wow! Good for you. You''ve taken another helper with you?" Louisa turned her gaze back on Belinda again and began to eye her from head to toe.


    "Louisa Ye, we''re polite with you because we''re well-educated, not because of who you are, okay? Do you really think that the daughter of amander can do anything she wants? Your father is a man of integrity. I really hope that you won''t do any more stupid things to ruin his reputation. If you continue to act like this, no one will ever respect you." Leena''s frustration crept up to her. She didn''t expect to meet Louisa here. And it seemed that Louisa hadn''t learned her lesson at all. Leena couldn''t help but shake her head, feeling pity for the Commander to have such a waste of a daughter.


    "Bah! Did I ask you to do my father a favor? Did I ask you to respect me? Don''t act like you are a noble person. You are making me gross." At the mention of her father, Louisa was even angrier. She didn''t understand why her father helped outsiders punish her instead of taking her side.


    "If it were you who asked us to spare you, we would act as if you didn''t exist, okay? You should feel lucky that you have a good father who is willing to entreat our forgiveness for you, otherwise you would have been dead now. Stop yelling and leave us!" Belinda cut in. She finally realized that the shameless woman was Louisa, the Commander''s daughter, the one who had pushed Leena into the water. Leena had barely survived that catastrophe, drowning and going intoa for two days.00

 Chapter 1310 The Worst In Louisa (Part Two)

    Louisa had thought would always side with her, betrayed her and turned against her. This made Louisa both angry and sad.


    "This is between me and her. You have no right to interfere in our affairs!" Louisa glowered at Belinda. Every time she tried to get even with Leena, there was always a personing forward to protect her. On the contrary, Louisa was always on her own. Even ire, who "Maybe in your eyes, I''m an outsider, but I am not. I''m Leena''s sister-inw. We are family. So I have every right and duty to protect her," Belinda said in a calm voice. She was not angered at all, as it was no use quarreling with a person like Louisa. "So what? Are you going to fight with me because of her?" Louisa suddenly pulled a chair and sat beside them without their consent. Calm as she looked, she was fuming on the inside. ''Why? Why is everyone taking Leena Leng''s side?'' she asked herself. "I''m not going to fight with anyone. But I won''t allow anyone to hurt Leena. I have to be more cautious as there''s a mad dog here." Belinda had a silver tongue and didn''t even yield to Edward in swearing at people.


    "Ha! I know you are trying to irritate me. But I won''t buy it." Louisa was a clever woman. Even though she was pissed off by the two right now, she forced back the strong urge to kick over the table. Otherwise her father would ground her again. "Belinda, let''s go!" Leena offered as she picked up her purse. She didn''t want to waste time on Louisa anymore. They had finished their cakes and there was no reason to stay any longer.


    "All right. Go ask the waitress to pack up the cake. Don''t give it to her." Belinda stood up. She was happy to give the cake to anyone other than Louisa. After all, Louisa was an ungrateful woman. She would not appreciate it even if they helped her a lot.


    "I agree. Let''s go, Belinda." Leena didn''t dare to leave Belinda with an evil woman like Louisa alone. After all, Belinda was pregnant. If anything bad happened to her, Leena would regret it for life.


    Louisa bit her lower lip hard, but she didn''t dare block their way. Being ignored and treated like dirt, she was infuriated, but what she could only do was kick the chair next to her to vent her anger.


    "Miss, do you still want the green tea cake?" The waitress came up to Louisa, staring at her with the utmost care for fear that she would lose her temper again.


    "Give the shit to them!" Louisa thundered. Filled with fury, she watched Leena and Belinda standing at the counter and waiting for the cake.


    The waitress rolled her eyes at Louisa and packed the cake for Leena. Luckily, Louisa left the shop soon after the twodies'' departure. The waitress heaved a long sigh of relief as she really didn''t want to serve her.


    "So the woman is the Commander''s daughter! What a shameless woman! Was she aware that she was making a fool of herself acting around town like that?" Belinda taunted while walking towards their car. ''Why doesn''t she look at herself in the mirror? She can''t hold a candle to our Leena. What makes her think that she can snatch Kevin from her? The nerve!'' she thought to herself.


    "She''s a pretty woman. If she were kind and amiable, she would have been adorable."N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    Leena sighed with resignation. She had met the Commander before, and in her eyes, he was an upright man. Unfortunately, he failed to guide and educate his daughter to be a good person. Like Louisa, ire used to be an arrogant and unruly person. Luckily, it wasn''t toote for ire, who had changed a lot for the better.


    "But Louisa hasn''t learned even a bit! I mean, it''s almost like something is wrong with her brain! I feel pity for the man who marries her," Belinda grumbled, pursing her lips. If she were a man, she would never marry a woman like Louisa.


    "Anyway, it''s none of our concern. It is useless to worry about people like her." Leena smiled and shook away the unpleasant meeting with Louisa.


    At the racetrack, everything was still except for the roar of approaching super engines. Soon, a modified Ferrari zoomed by very close to Michelle. She could feel the force and power of the car, which made her face pale. Patricia, on the other hand, really loved the exhrating feeling brought by high speed driving, and she was on fire at this moment.


    Turning, breaking and slowing down - every move she made was perfect. Michelle, however, was scared to death while standing outside the track to watch her race. She had never expected a woman like Patricia to drive at crazy speeds like this.


    After several circles, Patricia slowed down, pulled over, and got out of her car. She was wearing a red racing suit, which made her look breathtaking, like straight out of a ming poster. Her helmet covered her ruddy face which gave an aura of mystery and sophistication. "Michelle, how was it? Did I go faster than thest time?" Taking off her helmet, Patricia tossed back her short hair, stepped across the railing and strode towards Michelle.


    "Yes! Ten seconds faster! But my heart also stopped for ten seconds. Patricia, how could you enjoy this? It scared me to death!" Michelle was still stunned, reeling from the shock and awe of the race, which amused Patricia.


    "Only ten seconds? That''s not enough. I still need to be faster," Patricia said with a frown as she was not satisfied with the result. It was in the middle of winter, but her forehead had grown damp. She had been really focused on driving.


    "What do you mean? It''s not fast enough? Are you kidding me? I finally realized why you easily overtook me the other day." Michelle shook her head in disbelief. She really admired Patricia for being a highly skilled race driver.000000????????

 Chapter 1311 The Worst In Louisa (Part Three)

    "Ha! That''s why Leena is afraid of riding my car." Patricia picked up the towel she had prepared to wipe her sweat off. Speaking of Leena, Patricia hadn''t seen her in a long time. Thest time they had seen each other was during that incident at the Blue Enchantress. Since then, they had only kept in touch by phone.


    "I bet she is! In my eyes, she is as fragile as a porcin doll. Look how rough our skins are! But her skin is as smooth as silk," Michelle said with a littleugh.


    "Exactly! When we were ssmates, she was always the school muse." Patricia gave Michelle a proud smile as if Michelle were praising her instead of Leena.


    "To be honest, I really envy her sometimes. Even though I''m also a woman, I am sometimes a little attracted to her. No wonder Edward is so nice to her." As Michelle leaned on the railing and stared nkly at the sky, she suddenly became weary of her current way of life. She hoped to lead a simple and peaceful life like Leena was doing.


    "Don''t be upset. We are all beautiful in our own ways. Let''s go. I''m gonna go change." Patricia didn''t envy Leena''s lifestyle as she knew that it just wasn''t for her. She wasn''t the type who would settle down, do housework while waiting for her man toe home.


    "Are you really going to participate in thatpetition abroad? It looks very dangerous. Plus, I believe there will be countless race veterans in the game as well." Following behind Patricia, Michelle looked at her figure with a worried look. She had just witnessed an entire race event, and still cringed when she thought about it. Though being a gang member had its risks, for Michelle, it was far less dangerous than racing. On the track, death could ur in a split second.


    "Yes, I am. And don''t even try to stop me. I know I might lose, but what matters is not the winning but the participation." Patriciaughed out loud. She lived very freely without any pressure.


    "Okay. Then I guess I can only wish you sess." Michelle shook off the negative vibes and smiled at Patricia. ''She is right. Young people should follow their dreams no matter how hard they may be," she thought.


    "Thank you!" Patricia winked at Michelle. She would by no means give up thepetition, for she had had a hard time persuading her parents to support her. She had even promised them that she would get married soon after, whether she won or not. As long as she gave it her best, she would feel no regret in the future. This would give her a treasure of memories to cherish for a lifetime.


    After saying goodbye to Belinda, Leena went straight to the Mu family house instead of heading straight home. She hadn''t seen Justin in a long time, and missed him. Though Justin might not be happy to see her, she still brought his favorite cake.


    "Why are you here? I thought you were still recuperating." Justin was ying alone at the swing in the garden, holding a thick book in his hands. When seeing Leena get out of her car, he furrowed his brow and eyed her from head to toe, wondering what made here to visit.


    "Hey, kid! What''s with the face? Why are you frowning at me? Are you not happy to see me?" Leena pursed her lips grumbling. She wasn''t all that surprised that he was acting like this.


    "I''m not frowning at you. I''m just squinting my eyes, as the sunshine is too bright." Justin jumped off the swing and started to walk into the house holding the book behind his back with both hands. He didn''t invite Leena in, acting as if she weren''t there. "Hey, boy. Don''t you want to know what I''ve brought with me? I think it''s for you!" Leena asked with a proud smile and was sure that the boy would be interested in it.


    "You''re lying. You have nothing in your hands," Justin retorted. He would not be easily fooled by her. He kept walking with a serious face. No matter how cool he pretended to be, he was still a kid, which amused Leena very much. She just smiled to herself. "Ha! You are wrong! Guess what I''ve brought for you? Green tea cake! But if you don''t want it, I guess I''ll take it home with me." Leena picked up the cake from the passenger seat and sighed as if she were really disappointed by Justin''s reaction. "What? Green tea cake? Aunt Leena, you look gorgeous today!" Justin turned at once at the mention of cake. His eyes brightened up and a smile stered across his face. Though thepliment was from his mouth, it was not very real.


    "Really? But your attitude earlier made me feel that I''m not wee here." Leena raised the paper box and gently shook it. She knew Justin would sumb to the irresistible lure of cake, and that was why she came with it.


    "Aunt Leena, you must have misunderstood me. You are most wee in this house. And if you bring cake all the time, you cane anytime you want!" Justin gave her a ttering smile. The cool look and demeanor had disappeared, all for the sweet green tea cake. "Oh? Really? So I''ve misunderstood you. Does anyone else want to have this delicious cake?" Leena teased him with one of her eyebrows raised. But when she saw the cover of the book in his hands, she almost dropped the cake. A kid like him was reading a book on business management! Was he really reading it, though?All content ? N/.?vel/Dr/ama.Org.


    "I want the cake! Please give it to me, Aunt Leena." Justin stopped pretending to be an adult and wrapped his arms around Leena''s legs, shaking and begging her.


    "Stop shaking me. I feel all dizzy. By the way, you are reading a business book. Is that real? Are you sure you can read it?" Leena asked with curiosity. She couldn''t even read the book now at her age, not because she didn''t know how to read but because the contents would bore her to death. "I can''t. Why are you asking?" Justin took away the cake at once, afraid that Leena would change her mind.


    "What? You can''t read? Then what were you doing with it? Do you just carry it around with you without actually reading it?" Leena was even more confused. She didn''t know what the boy had in his head.

 Chapter 1312 Buying Flowers (Part One)

    "By doing this, don''t I look like a smart, knowledgeable man? A stupid girl like you won''t know this," said Justin. With the cake in his hands, Justinughed widely, and then cast a disdainful stare at Leena.


    "What did you just call me? Well now, I want my cake back! Give it back to me," said Leena with a sulky face. Leena glowered at Justin, stretched out her hands, pretending to grab the cake.


    "You can''t take back what you have already given to me. Besides, even if I''m willing to return it to you, won''t you feel ashamed of taking it?" answered Justin, rolling his eyes. ''She never admits that she''s stupid. Did she lose part of her brain when she fell into the water?'' thought Justin inwardly.


    "Feel ashamed of myself? Why? The cake is still mine. I paid for it. You can''t rob me of that!" said Leena defiantly, raising her eyebrows. She looked like a pouting, care-free, little child, which was her actual true self.


    "Feel ashamed of you for Uncle Kevin marrying such azy and uncivilized woman," said Justin, curling his lips. He gripped the cake box more firmly, refusing to let Leena take it from his hands.


    "But Kevin just can''t love me more than he already does. Are you being jealous?" retorted Leena, making faces at Justin and then giving him a sly smile. Her smile was as brilliant as the bright sunshine.


    "Jealous? Of you? Are you kidding? You really are stupid. Why would I feel jealous?" Justin replied with disdain. His cool and expressionless face was very amusing and even funny.


    "Haha! Exactly! You''re not a man yet. Ohh Justin. This is why I''ve missed you. You never fail to make meugh. Hahah!" Leena bent down and burst intoughter. Sheughed out heartily that it attracted curious looks from other people in the garden.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "What a nuisance you are. I''m still a child, but I''ll grow up to be a man one day. Well, I have had enough of your nonsense," said Justin, giving a snort of contempt. The smart but naughty little boy then turned his back, sulkily walking towards the nearby pavilion. He put the cake on the table and took a seat in front of it, refusing to look at Leena who was following him closely. His pride was hurt by Leena''s remarks.


    "Hello! Little man, are you at home alone?" Ignoring his contemptuous and sulky behavior, she took a chair and sat next to him. Edward''s house was so familiar to her that she almost considered it as her own home.


    "I''m not alone. It seems that you have damaged your eyes as well as your brain after you fell into the water. Why don''t you look around and see by yourself? Do I look alone? I have guards and maids all around me," Justin replied sourly. Justin knew what she really wanted, but decided to take revenge on her, since she had just made fun of him. Being the son of Mr. Mu, he couldn''t just let this go without putting up a good fight.


    "Oh kid, Don''t be rude! I''m just asking you where your grandparents are right now?" said Leena. Leena rolled her eyes. She had nned to keep teasing Justin and relieve her anxieties after meeting Louisa again, earlier that day. However, Justin''s behavior had started to piss her off. Now she was fuming with indignation inside.


    "They''re out somewhere. But as for their specific whereabouts, I honestly don''t know. I''m sorry to let you down, but I can''t help you with that," said Justin, pouting. Then, he opened the cake box. Still looking mad at Leena, he cut a piece of cake and offered her the first piece. Obviously, he didn''t dislike Leena as much as he was pretending that he did.


    "Honestly speaking, I never expected that you would know. By the way, I came here for you. Didn''t you know that? Don''t you feel moved and impressed?" Leena asked, trying to butter up to him. She stood there, staring at Justin, and resting her chin on her right hand. "Yeah! You''re right. I''m touched and should thank God for youing to me. But, I think you''re just bored and need a ymate." Justin took a bite of the cake, and really enjoyed it. Young as he was, he knew how to act, even pretended to be a cultivated young man. "Haha! You''re so smart. Your guess is right. The apple doesn''t fall far from the tree," said Leena, with much amusement. Leena sat back in the chair, really rxed, and looked up at the blue sky and white clouds overhead. It was a beautiful day.


    "Quit this fulsome ttery. Just tell me what you want from me! To be clear, before you say anything, I wouldn''tmit murder, or arson, or anything of that sort for you," said Justin, with his small mouth filled with cake. Then all of a sudden, he just spit the cake out. He didn''t trust Leena and didn''t want to owe her a favor. He now hoped that she wouldn''t ask too much from him. She had never really been that kind. Justin started to wonder why she bought him a cake today. Was there a catch? Was she ying a trick on him?


    "I may have disappointed you before. But, your guess is right, smart kid. I do need something from you, and hopefully it is something that you''d be happy to do. Justin, can you do some modeling work for me?" asked Leena, looking at him with imploring eyes. Hearing Justin''s question, she decided to tell the truth andy it all on the table.


    "What? Modeling? Like wear some weird clothes and walk like a fool with other dumb people while others watch you?" Justin asked in surprise. The sarcasm level in this child was higher than that in most adults. He stopped wolfing down the cake, wondering whether Leena was telling the truth or just ying with him. People had got to stop treating him like an idiot.

 Chapter 1313 Buying Flowers (Part Two)

    "They''re not weird clothes. It''s a fashion show. You know, the clothes are supposed to be... Forget it, you won''t understand it yet. Just tell me, will you do it for me?" asked Leena. Leena gave up. She didn''t want to argue with Justin any more. She would never beg a kid if not for the perfection of her summer clothing fashion show.


    "Watch my mouth carefully, and listen to what I''ll say," Justin paused a moment then slowly but clearly said, "I will not do it for you. Never!" Justin pouted. He was clever and cool, just like his father. He wouldn''t help Leena and get judged by some strangers. What kind of self respecting person would want to do that?


    "Are you sure?" asked Leena. Leena gritted her teeth, fuming mad, and stared at Justin. What was the use of being handsome, if he couldn''t do her such a small favor? He wasn''t all cute any more.


    "I''m absolutely sure of this. I''m sorry but I will have to let you down this time," Justin answered confidently. He winked then continued to eat cake. He wouldn''t refuse free food. As for what would happen next, he would think of that only after he was full. "Okay, I respect your decision. But... I think you''ll ept my offer eventually. We''ll wait and see,d! Well, I have to go. See youter!" said Leena in a subtle manner. The mysterious and unfathomable look on Leena''s face sent chills to Justin''s body. He had no idea of what Leena would do next.


    "Wait, wait, wait! What did you mean by that? Exin before you leave," demanded Justin. He frowned and pondered over why Leena was doing this. Did he piss Leena off? But he couldn''t remember which part of the conversation did he go too far.


    "No, I won''t do that. But you can guess. Bye!" Leena replied only turning around slightly. But she kept walking. Leena gave a smile and waved before getting in her car.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    "What an evil girl! Bad things ur whenever she''s around," Justin muttered under his breath. He watched Leena''s car pulling out into the street. There would be another stand off if Leena had heard of what he just said. He then got back to his cake and finished the rest of


    it.


    Actually, Leena had always been living a pure and simple life. Besides her designing career, her only other focus was to be the perfect wife. With the approaching of her summer clothing fashion show, she had less and less time for her family. To cope with that, she employed a maid to do the housework. However, she insisted on cleaning up the bedroom herself.


    When working, thest thing she wanted was to be interrupted by trivial things. She would lock the door to prevent anyone froming inside and interfering with her concentration. Even Kevin couldn''t be a distraction. She had even less time to talk to Patricia. Patricia had been training around the clock for an international race and Leena had no idea of that.


    "Major General, wait a minute. May I ask you something?" Daisy picked up her pace to catch up with Kevin. She frowned and seemed to be troubled by something.


    "Yeah, sure! Anything," Kevin replied amiably. He shot a curious nce at her. He was reprimanded by Leena after he informed her of Daisy''s injuryst time. So he was somewhat worried that Daisy would mention it again.


    "I heard that Leena came to our house and asked Justin to do her a favor. Did you know about this?" asked Daisy. Daisy hadn''t seen Leena in a long time. They used to give each other a call every now and then. However, she hadn''t heard from Leena for a long time. So she started to get worried. Leena seemed to have disappeared recently. So when Daisy saw Kevin, she took the opportunity to ask him about Leena. Was Leena trying to avoid her because she once scolded Kevin in the past?


    "Ah, I didn''t know. She didn''t tell me anything about it. Besides, she has been extremely busy these past few days. Sometimes, when Ie home, she''s still working in her studio. Lately, we''ve had less and less time to talk." Kevin frowned. When both of them became too absorbed with their work, they had no time to share their thoughts to each other and talk.


    "That''s bad! What''s she been doing recently? I was told that she wanted Justin to be her model in a fashion show," said Daisy. Daisy had little knowledge about fashion or modeling. She had gotten used to wearing nothing but her military uniform before she got married. Edward sometimes bought her some fancy and expensive clothes with famousbels like Chanel. She hadn''t heard of them before and naturally didn''t know how to carry them well.


    "She once told me that she was preparing some drawings for the summer fashion show. She needed a quiet environment where she could focus and asked me not to disturb her," Kevin replied. As long as fashion shows were concerned, Kevin was only ayman. Being the husband of a renowned designer didn''t help much. He did what he was told, and supported his wife''s career, even if it meant having to stand by the sidelines and do nothing. He knew she had been doing the same for him all this time. She had made unimaginable sacrifices for the family and for him and he should feel content. Everyone had his or her own goals and dreams that were worth fighting for. He wouldn''t be the one to prevent his wife from pursuing hers.


    "Good designers need all the inspiration they could get. So, she needs solitude. Then you should show her your support and understanding and let her do her work," said Daisy in aforting tone of voice. Daisy felt relieved. She had been worried that Leena had been deliberately avoiding her.


    "Do I look like an unreasonable person to you? By the way, what about the injury in your hand? Has it gotten better?" asked Kevin. He couldn''t refrain himself from asking. He got a serious scolding for this injury in the past.


    "How long has this been? How could it have not gotten better? Don''t you want my wound to heal? You must be holding a grudge against me because I have been pestering you for a long time, right?" Amused, Daisy eyed Kevin, knowing that he was a good sport and wouldn''t feel offended.


    "Hahaha! You know me much better than I have expected. I used to think that I was good at hiding my thoughts from you," Kevin replied, with a smile on his face. They exchanged jokes and talked warmly like two old friends.0000

 Chapter 1314 Buying Flowers (Part Three)

    of her mouth. Then, she got in her car and drove off. She was thinking carefully whether what he had said were all true.


    "Well, it is time for me to go. You can go back to whatever you were doing. Always take care of yourself and be mindful not to make a fool of yourself. My regards to your wife! Bye for now and see youter!" said Daisy as she left. A smile twisted around the beautiful corner Kevin shook his head helplessly. Then, he got on his Humvee, started the engine, and left the army base as well. It was still a bit early in the evening. When he was about to drive past a flower shop, he thought for a moment and pulled over. He jumped out and casually walked towards the shop.


    "Good evening, sir. Are you looking for flowers? Do you have a friend or a lover waiting for you at home?" the young girl at the flower shop cheerfully asked. She smiled at Kevin charmingly. But it had no effect on him. As far as he was concerned, she was no match for his wife. Beauty is truly in the eyes of the beholder. And now, every other woman had be nothing but ordinarypared with Leena.


    "Let me have a look first," said Kevin awkwardly. This was the first time for Kevin to enter a flower shop and he felt embarrassed. To make it worse, some girls were standing in a corner, watching him. He desperately wanted to do whatever he came to do and get out of there as soon as possible. However, as a soldier, he had to stand his ground. There was no escaping from it.


    There were so many flowers in the shop unknown to him that he had no idea which ones to buy for his wife.


    "Wow! So handsome!


    Do you think he has got a girlfriend?" came a female voice from somewhere in the shop.


    "I bet he has some sweetie waiting for him at home."


    "You can''t say that for sure. Don''t you know that some soldiers are not allowed to marry?" another girl said. "Really? Are you kidding? If that were true, it would be such a waste of a handsome man!


    Have you noticed his shoulder mark? He must be a senior officer."


    The young girls spoke in low voices. They had shifted their attention from the blooms to the one thorn among all the flowers, Kevin. Strong and at the same time, handsome men were seldom seen on the street. They were excited and hoped that Kevin could see them and maybe fall in love with one of them at first nce.


    "What''s your favorite flower?" said the shop assistant. She once again approached to the bewildered military man. She decided to give him some advice, if he didn''t know which ones to choose. Her bonus was that she could spend a few moments close to him.


    "I''m sorry. I know nothing when ites to flowers. What flowers do girls usually like?" Kevin was overwhelmed by the wide variety of flowers that came in all sizes, shapes and colors. To make matters worse, those not so secret, stolen nces from the girls made him feel ufortable. Although they spoke in whispers, Kevin still heard what they were saying about him. He wasn''t used to this kind of attention, at least not from very young girls, some of whom were still wearing their school uniforms.


    "I''m not sure. You know girls have different tastes in flowers. Tell me whom you''re buying the flowers for, and maybe I can give you some advice," said the shop assistant, smiling more. She simmered with a faintughter when she saw Kevin''s awkwardness. "It''s my wife. I have never bought flowers for her, and so I don''t know about which flowers she likes," Kevin smiled shyly. He felt a warm blush rise to his cheeks. It turned out that the Major General Gu panicked when he was surrounded by a group of girls. On the other side of the room, the yful young girls'' hearts were broken when they overheard that Kevin had already married. They jealously wondered what Kevin''s wife looked like. Was she also a beauty to match his handsome face?Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Do you at least have any idea of her favorite flowers? A bouquet of roses is always a safe bet, in case you don''t know her favorite. Girls are cheesy and just like all things rted to love, although sometimes they seem boring," the shop assistant replied in a sophisticated manner. She seemed to have experienced a lot at a such young age.


    "I''m not sure. But I have a feeling that she doesn''t like roses. Being smart and bright, she possibly likes something refreshingly exquisite," said Kevin. Kevin fixed his eyes on a bunch of white flowers. They looked pure and simple, suitable for Leena''s character and temperament. However, Kevin couldn''t identify them.


    "That''s the Lily of the Valley. It symbolizes pureness and simplicity. However, I don''t think your wife will like it. Girls usually like things with profound meanings. Flowers are no exception," said the shop assistant. In the assistant''s opinions, the Lily of the Valley was a favorite among middle-aged women. Young girls on the other hand preferred and loved roses.


    "Do you have to tell me so much about flowers?" Kevin asked. He frowned, and became more confused. He struggled to remember any details about Leena''s taste in flowers, to no avail.


    "Of course. However, if you think roses are a bit gaudy, then I rmend tulips. It means perfect love or infinite love. I can also match it with some other flowers to be a part of a grand bouquet. What do you say?" asked the girl, delighted that Kevin was getting closer to choosing the best set of flowers. She stared at Kevin, wondering whether his pure and smart wife would like the Lily of the Valley. She might not like flowers that shared the same characteristics with herself, because she did not need any other things topliment her virtues.


    "I will take your advice." Kevin took a deep breath after he had made up his mind. He wasn''t gonna get out of this flower shop without a beautiful bunch of flowers in his hands.


    "All right. Let me help you. The matching of flower colors may be tricky sometimes. They have their own different meanings. When you mix them up, the meanings change. Besides, you have to know the number of flowers that you want. Different numbers have their own different representation. I can''t exin them all in a short time," said the girl. She then started to choose flowers for Kevin. She had an impressive knowledge of flowers, bouquets, how to care for them and so much more. The more she exined to Kevin, the more he got confused. Eventually, he had to agree with whatever she said.


    Walking out of the flower shop, he was still in a state of shock. However, he had to quicken his steps and almost ran towards his car when he noticed the curious nces towards him. It was strange for a man holding a bunch of flowers and walking on the street.

 Chapter 1315 It Is Great to Marry You (Part One)

    Leena had been at home for many days. She had not gone outside her house at all and was absorbed in her creation, with no interruptions from the outside world.


    now.


    She stretched her taut body. Looking at the sketch on the desk, she put down the brush in her hand and smiled in relief. After several days of hard work, she had finally finished the sample she had failed toplete before. There wasn''t much left and she was winding up Leena pushed open the door of the workroom and rubbed her sore eyes. The air emanated a faint fragrance of flowers and food. It dispelled her weariness, making her feel refreshed. She trotted downstairs.


    A bunch of purple tulips greeted her as she got to the living room. So that was where the fragrance wasing from! Who were those flowers for? Who would receive them exactly? Leena didn''t like tulips very much, but she did know that purple tulips stood for endless love. She couldn''t help but pick the bouquet up and smell it. She put it down gently. She didn''t even think that it was a gift from Kevin, assuming that a man like him would never be so romantic.


    It was said that men who worked hard were the most charming, but in Leena''s eyes, the man who could cook was more attractive. Leena felt it was very affectionate of Kevin to cook for her.


    She wrapped her arms around Kevin''s waist from behind and rested her cheek on his back. She felt him pause for a moment at her sudden move.


    "Are you finished with work?" Kevin asked in a soft voice as he washed the vegetables. He was much more careful than before, for he feared that the cold water would stter on Leena''s hands. "Yeah. It''s almost done. Why are you cooking? Where is the housekeeper?" Leena loved snuggling to her husband like this and feeling his warmth.


    "I got off work early today, so I asked her to go home. Get dressed. The dinner will be ready soon." Kevin put the washed vegetables aside. When he came home, he saw the housekeeper Leena had hired about to cook. He volunteered instead. It was a rare opportunity to show off his cooking skills to Leena.


    "No, I like hugging you like this. It makes me feel warm." Leena seldom flirted in front of Kevin, but today she behaved like a spoiled child. She tightened her hold around Kevin''s muscr waist, unwilling to let go of her hands.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Behave. The oil will ssh on your hands when I cook. You may get burnt easily." Kevin had a turner in his hand. His hands were wet, so he didn''t push Leena away. Although he felt helpless, he kept smiling and looking back at Leena tenderly. It was the first time he had felt Leena was being her real self - willful and adorable. Before, he could only imagine her behaving in such a way when she was around her brothers.


    "How about this? Would the oil ssh on my hands now?" Leena withdrew her hands from around him and put them through his apron. She was unwilling to let go whichever way.


    "Haha. You get sweeter and sweeter every day." Seeing this, Kevin didn''t insist on her leaving anymore. Leena could do what she wanted, and he wouldn''t mind.


    "Kevin, have I ever told you that it is great to marry you?" Leena''s tone was emotional. She didn''t want a magnificent deration of love. Simple, domestic bliss such as this would satisfy her. It was enough to lean gently on him whenever she felt tired.


    Kevin stiffened at her sentimental confession. He always felt that this girl had regretted marrying him. Now, her words touched him immensely. He cherished her trust and adoration.


    "Thank you, Nana. You know, it''s wonderful to have you as my wife too." The shock in Kevin''s eyes disappeared quickly. He looked calm, but a myriad of thoughts invaded his mind. Leena felt his heartbeat elerate and was secretly delighted that it was because of her. "Really? So you finally realize that I''m a good wife?" Leena finally pulled back and looked at his handsome profile. Her eyes were full of fascination for him.


    "It''s obvious to everyone that you''re a good wife. I have long realized it." Kevin nced at Leena. He frowned when he saw the bags under her eyes and worried that she was overexerting herself.


    "How sweet. I like hearing that. I know you''re ttering me, but I don''t mind you praising me once every day." A wide grin appeared on Leena''s face as she gazed at Kevin. Intense emotion shed through her eyes. She thought it was cute how Kevin''s face flushed in embarrassment.


    "Did you see the bouquet? It''s for you," Kevin said, not daring to look at Leena in fear that she would make fun of him. This was the first time he had given her a gift. It was only a bunch of flowers, so he was afraid that she wouldn''t like it.


    "What? The flowers are for me? I assumed some beautifuldy gave them to you. I''ll arrange them in a vase." Leena jumped and left the kitchen, wanting to smell the flowers again. She had been indifferent when she didn''t know who those flowers were for, but was ecstatic upon learning that Kevin had bought them for her. She walked back to Kevin after a few minutes. Kevin stared at her, wondering why she returned. She stood up on her tiptoes and nted a light kiss on his lips before running out with a giggle. Kevin licked his lips instinctively. ''Such a sweet kiss,'' he thought. A small smile hung on his lips as he looked at her receding back with affection. He only came back to his senses when he heard the food sizzle in the pan, suddenly realizing that he had been cooking. The night fell. Leena had been staring at the tulips she put in the vase for several hours and was still reluctant to look away. It was the first gift Kevin had given her so she cherished it very much.


    Kevin was busy typing away on his keyboard. He looked up asionally at the girl who was lying on the couch and staring at the flowers. He didn''t know whether it was her favorite flower or not, but he felt satisfied to see that she couldn''t move her eyes away from them. "It seems you like the tulips very much. You have been staring at them the entire night," Kevin teased his wife. She usually went back to her workroom right after dinner, but she didn''t tonight. Kevin still had some work left to do so he couldn''t give her all his attention. "I like whatever you give me." Leenay on her side and looked at him with her fingers intertwined under her chin. There was a fondness that lingered in the air.


    "You''re so easy to satisfy. Such a good wife you are, honey." Kevin stopped working and smiled brightly. He felt rxed in this quiet atmosphere amidst his busy and tense work.


    "Come on, focus on your work. Don''t get disturbed by me." Leena stood up. She thought it would be better to leave; otherwise she would interfere with his work.


    "It''s all right. I''ll finish the work soon. Why don''t you take a bath first?" Kevin continued to type. Something big was scheduled in the city for tomorrow. The soldiers in his army base would be transferred to maintain order and security, so he had to work out a n in advance.


    "Okay. Meanwhile, I''ll answer my mails." Leena winked at Kevin and went out, still smiling.00000000000

 Chapter 1316 It Is Great to Marry You (Part Two)

    The next morning, Leena got up very early. She had to go to FX International Group today. Justin refused to be a model for her show, so she had to turn to Edward for help. "Hello, Mrs. Gu. Mr. Mu is at a meeting," Anna saw Leena and walked over to her, greeting her. She had always been a conscientious secretary.


    "Hello, Anna. When would he be done with the meeting?" Leena smiled. She was her usual self, sweet and charming to everyone.


    "In about an hour. Do you want to wait for him here?" Anna asked. She didn''t think Leena would want to waste her time waiting over here.


    "Um... I will go somewhere ande backter. Good-bye, Anna." As Anna had guessed, Leena didn''t want to spend her time waiting here in boredom.


    "Okay. I''ll tell Mr. Mu that you arrived. Bye." Anna nodded. She watched Leena enter the elevator and turned away her gaze.


    "Anna, do you know that she is the designer of the famous French brand LN FASHION?" As soon as Leena left, the other gossipy secretaries in the room gathered around Anna.


    "Sure, I know that. Fashion magazines and weekly publications have reported her story. I''ve read them all. Now go on with your work. Work hard, or Mr. Mu will fire you if hees to know that you ck off at work. You know we can''t gossip during office hours." As the general secretary, Anna did her job well and tried to discourage the beautiful women at work who only wanted to marry a rich husband. Naturally, she offended a lot of people. However, this was her job. Even if they said bad things about her behind her back, she wouldn''t change her work ethic. As the saying went, nothing could be aplished without norms or standards. To have a foothold at FX International Group, they must work efficiently; otherwise they would get reced. Anna''s strictness and rigidity were for their own good. Leena left FX International Group and went straight to the Leng Group building. She hadn''t had a good talk with Duke since she recovered, so she wanted to see him.


    Luckily, Duke was in his office. He was acting coldly toward her. She wondered if he was still mad at her.


    "Duke, do you really not want to see me? Then I''ll leave." Leena pretended to walk out in order to scare Duke into letting her stay. She knew he was pissed off because she had deceived him before.


    "Are you aware that I''m your brother?" Duke finally spoke, although the look on his face hardened.


    "Sure. You''re the only man in my eyes." Leena bent over the desk and looked at Duke with wide eyes, trying to tter him and make him believe her.


    "If you know I''m your brother, why was I thest to know that you founded LN FASHION? Even outsiders knew it before I did. Tell me why." Duke put down his signature pen and pushed the documents aside, looking at Leena rather seriously.


    "I''m sorry. I wanted to give you a surprise, but I didn''t think you would be shocked, not pleasantly surprised. Don''t be mad at me, okay? I came over to make an apology today." Leena''s words were pitiful and innocent. She had no intention to hide this from Duke; she just thought it was not the right time. But then, she fell into the water identally. That was why Duke had a fit.


    "Leena, I''ve never hidden anything from you. I hope you can do the same," Duke said. His tone was rxed. He couldn''t bear to see Leena''s sorry expression. No matter how cold and heartless he was in front of others, he''d always be soft-hearted when it came to his sister.


    "I know. I wanted to be the best in front of you, so I nned to tell you only after I seeded." Leena bit her lip. She knew very well what Duke had done for her, so she was more respectful to him than even their father. Duke always cared for her.


    "To me, you will always be my beloved sister. That won''t be influenced by any external factors. It doesn''t matter if you''re sessful. I hope you can tell me everything from now on." Duke sighed. He was heartbroken when he learned that Leena got married secretly. It hurt him that she still hid so many things from him.


    Leena frowned and went around the desk. She leaned over Duke''s shoulder. "Duke, I promise I will never let you worry again," she said emotionally, her eyes welling up with tears. She knew that Duke was scared when she had been unconscious, so he was angry about this too.


    "Good to hear that. By the way,e home when you have time. Belinda is bored at home all alone." Duke had always been like this. He got angry easily, but it didn''tst long. He loved Leena dearly and couldn''t bear to see her suffer.


    "No problem. I''ll have time after I finish the work at hand." Truthfully, Leena was busy and didn''t have much time. The design studio hadn''t moved to her country yet, so she had to go to Paris personally to make the sample into a design.


    No one knew how Leena did it, but Justin had agreed to be a model for her summer dress show. Obviously, Edward must have done a lot to help in this matter. No one could say "no" to Leena.


    "Tell me, how did you get my dad to force me to help you?" Justin red at Leena. She was really a demon.


    "It doesn''t matter. You will help me now." Leena grinned wickedly. Justin was too young to fight her. He just needed to sashay down the catwalk. What was he so angry about?


    "Humph! You''re so mean! Demon!" Justin stared at Leena defiantly. He didn''t want everybody''s eyes on him, so he was reluctant to model for her show.


    "Go ahead. Curse as much as you like. It won''t affect me." Leena turned up her nose at him. A crafty look came to her eyes that further pissed Justin off.


    "Ah! You''re unbelievable!" Justin shouted. How annoying Leena was!Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    "What''s wrong, Justin?" Daisy turned to Justin with a frown. Justin''s squeal had interrupted her talk with Belinda. They had finally found time to get together at Belinda''s house this weekend.


    "Mommy, she''s driving me crazy! I want to get away from Aunt Leena!" Justin put on a long face. Leena was born to be his enemy. She was nice to everybody, but she transformed into the devil in front of him.


    "What happened? Did she ask for your help again?" Daisy was curious. Justin was seldom enraged. What did Leena do to piss him off so much?


    "No. I just have to calm down," Justin said as he walked away. He was quite familiar with the house and headed to the other end of the garden.


    "Leena, what did you say to him? Why is he so angry?" Belinda asked. She was eating oranges and was in fear that she would vomit againter. It was not until today that she realized how painful it was to be a mother. She vomited continuously every morning. She wanted to eat food that she wouldn''t normally want to eat in the middle of the night. The longing for it was so strong and intolerable that she had to wake up Duke from sleep every night. Just so he could get up and drive out to buy her what she wanted.000000

 Chapter 1317 Her Feelings For Him (Part One)

    "Ha ha! I was just joking around with him. That escted quickly." Leena could not help butugh. She jumped off the swing, walked towards them, and finally sat down.


    "Just ignore him. He''s been in a bad mood these days since you asked him to be a model. Why do you still try badgering him? Of course he''s pissed." Daisy took a look at Leena helplessly. She just didn''t get why Leena and her son couldn''t get along.


    "It''s not my fault. He talked to me first." Leena picked up a small piece of cake and popped it in her mouth. She was not worried that Justin might really hate her. They always bantered back and forth. It was always a game of wits, nothing serious. She just figured she''d give him t¨ªme. He was young, after all. That was just how they were with each other. Always poking, trying to get a rise out of the other.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    "You''re not a kid anymore. So why don''t you grow up and stop making fun of him. He''s a child." Belinda did not know what to do with them, either. Those two had fought like cats and dogs since she met them.


    "But he''s so cute when he''s mad," Leena protested. She didn''t even try to hide it, the little minx. She just liked making fun of Justin. She always couldn''t see why it was so wrong.


    "Would you listen to yourself? In the future, he might fight back in a way you don''t like. He is his father''s son." Though it was her son who was bullied, Daisy didn''t want toe between them. No actual threats were made, and she trusted Leena, so she just let them be. But she felt she needed to warn Leena. Her kid was quite precocious, and given to scheming. She didn''t want it to cross over from harmless fun into something worse.


    "Ha! He''s a kid, what could he do?" Leena was not worried at all. She was adaptable, after all. She wasn''t worried at all about what he might do when he was older. Justin yed around, though he looked kind of bored. He was extremely handsome as a young boy could be, not to mention he looked cute with his angry face.


    "What happened, Justin?" Duke asked. He''d juste back from outside with a basket full of oranges.


    "Uncle Duke, will you help me if I tell you who bullied me?" Justin''s eyes lit up suddenly. He hung all his hopes on Duke defending him.


    "Of course I''ll help you, as long as you''re not messing with my sister." Duke cracked a smile. He reached out and mussed up Justin''s hair affectionately.


    "Never mind," he said, mood darkening again. Again, Justin was frustrated. It was written all over his face. He decided not to ask Duke for help and cursed himself being a fool. He knew that Uncle Duke would never side with him over his own sister. Everyone knew that. So why did he even ask? He was barking up the wrong tree on that one.


    "So, what did she do this time?" Heughed, though not unkindly. "Do I have to give her a spanking?" Duke found it both funny and annoying. He wondered what happened this time. There was never a dull moment with those two.


    "Then, can you make her stop bothering me about being a model, Uncle Duke? I don''t want to be on stage," Justin asked, blinking his big eyes. Maybe his uncle could talk to her, at least.


    "Then, can you tell me why you don''t want to to her model?" Duke squatted and asked him in a serious tone. He always treated Justin like he was his son, and there were times like this he was extremely happy that he would be a father.


    "I''m not a clown, and I don''t want people tough at me. Besides, I don''t know how to do any of that, and I don''t want to," Justin mumbled. He was really upset now.


    "Oh, is that all? Let''s look at it this way. You''re not just being part of a fashion show, you''re helping Auntie Leena do her job. You''re not a model, you''re just giving your aunt a hand. See how that works?" Duke smiled andforted Justin. Although Justin was still a small child, he had his own ideas and thoughts, and was very independent. He''d definitely grow up to be a clever man.


    "Okay..." Justin tilted his head a bit and started thinking about it seriously. Duke decided to help him along on that.


    "Of course! Just think about it; Auntie Leena would be happy if you help her with her show. What''s more, it might even be a big hit. And it will all be because of you. How does that sound?" Duke continued to butter him up. He was a child, after all. A child was always pure and innocent. The key was to find something that mattered to him.


    "You''re right, Uncle Duke. I think I get it now. I promise that I''ll be a good boy and help Auntie Leena with her show." Justin had finally figured it out. Finally, he was happy again, and all smiles.


    "Alright! Go off and y, now." Duke finally sighed in relief. He was worried that it might be difficult to convince him. Sometimes he was so stubborn. He was not an ordinary child, after all. Sometimes he thought about things more deeply than the adults. Duke was happy that Justin epted his exnations and decided to help Leena. It was the right thing for the kid, and the right thing for Leena.


    It was not an ordinary day. There was a special patient at Tom''s hospital. Why was this patient special? She headed directly to Tom''s office, and refused to be examined by other doctors.


    "What are you doing here? I''m not running a mall. You can''t just walk in here." Tom put the film on the desk and looked at Patricia, frowning.


    "Huh! Of course I can. Or is your hospital off-limits to me? If I didn''t need your help, I wouldn''t be here." Patricia was annoyed. She didn''t brake fast enough, and crashed into a guardrail. It was lucky she wasn''t in a real race, otherwise the other contestants would have smashed into her as well. Then she''d be in a world of hurt. Right now she was a little banged up, and nothing hurt worse than her pride.


    "There are other hospitals and doctors. You don''t have toe to me." Tom would never talk to her if she were not Leena''s friend. As it was, she was trying his patience.000000

 Chapter 1318 Her Feelings For Him (Part Two)

    "But I''m not interested in other doctors. I''ve met you, I trust you. So you''re my only option." A sly smile cracked on Patricia''s face. Stupid man! Didn''t he see that her hand was bleeding? How could he stay calm and stand there, doing nothing? Wasn''t he a doctor?! A doctor


    was supposed to heal the wounded and save the dying, wasn''t he? So why was he shooing her away?


    "Look, I''m super-busy now. Here, let me call up a buddy of mine. He''ll patch you up," Tom said and picked up the phone, trying to make an internal call to another doctor. Obviously, he did not want to be Patricia''s doctor.


    "Hey! I don''t want another doctor. You wanna watch me bleed to death, that''s fine." Tom didn''t realize why Patricia was here. Another doctor? No. She didn''t just want her wound to be looked at. If she wanted that, she''d go to just any other doctor. If that was the case, she wouldn''t have bitten the bullet and barged into his office.


    "That''s not going to happen," Tom said. "The blood would congeal before you bleed out, and.. you''re threatening me." Tom frowned as it finally dawned on him. Thest thing he wanted to see as a doctor was someone who didn''t value her own life. Most people wanted to be healthy. A doctor was responsible for keeping people healthy. He could be held liable if he turned her away and something happened.


    "Yeah. So don''t try me! My wound could be infected, and I could die from that, huh?" Patricia bit her lip. She didn''t want to force him, either. But his face, voice, and smile shed through her head from time to time now. She just couldn''t get him out of her head. Patricia wanted nothing more than to figure out why she always thought of him.


    "So whye to me, and not someone else?" Tom was gray-faced now. He was still frowning, not because of her bleeding wound, but because it was starting to drip onto the floor now. And rug cleaning was not cheap.


    "I dunno. They seem to trust you, but I''m still not sure I can." This was the first time Patricia went this far for any man. But now she''d figure out, atst, if Tom liked her back.


    "Fine. You win. I''ll treat you. You''re Leena''s friend, so I guess," Tom said, clenching his jaw. Actually, he was kind of shocked by her persistence. But he put it out of his head. He wasn''t going to think about that now.


    "Whatever. Let''s do this." A bitter smile spread across Patricia''s face. She rued the day she got out of the car with Leena. It was love at first sight, at least as far as she was concerned. She dismissed it, thought that she''d be able to stop thinking of him. But she failed. She just couldn''t forget him, still had feelings for him. So she decided to do something about it. She wanted him to remember her, and wanted to know if he felt the same. She got her exam, and she intended to get her answers from his heart.


    "Take off your coat, please." Tom still remained stoney-faced. He wore the medical gloves and prepared to treat her wound. Just like he said, he did this thanks to Leena. Maybe he could leave Patricia alone, bleeding. But he wouldn''t do this because it would hurt Leena''s feelings, and he didn''t want that. So he took out the gauze and the anti-bacterial cream and went to work.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    "Can you help me with the coat? I don''t want to take my hand off the wound." When she did, she found the blood welled up and dripped. It kind of freaked her out. Patricia''s face paled. She just did some simple field dressing at the racing track. So the wound kept bleeding. Obviously, it wasn''t as minor as she first thought.


    "Well. I can cut around the jacket and the sleeve. In order to treat you, I need to get at that wound," Tom said in an angry tone. He was usually gentle. But now he was totally beside himself and was extremely angry. Patricia apparently had a gift for pissing people off. "If that''s the only way, I''m good with that." It was just a coat. She did not care about it that much. She could buy another new coat as soon as she had the money. But she was deeply hurt now. So Tom didn''t like her? She liked him from the very beginning. But all he was doing was giving her the cold shoulder. The more he pulled away, the more she wanted to be closer to him. What was wrong with her?


    Tom was very upset at Patricia''s arrogance. He clenched his fists to calm himself down and suppress his rage. He was afraid that there might be an medical malpractice suitter if he could not control himself well enough.


    "The wound is deep and I''m afraid we''ll need to stitch that up. I''d also get a general checkup to make sure there aren''t any further injuries." Tom did not realize that she was such a mess until now. The injuries were consistent with a crash, so he figured he''d offer some free medical advice. She could be suffering from soft tissue damage, and there might be internal bleeding or some such that might not be immediately obvious.


    "I''ll do that, but can you do the exam? I''d rather not have to answer questions all over again." Patricia looked at him carefully. She was trying to be coy, but it was getting harder. She preferred to be blunt. Now that she had stopped running away from her feelings, she was going to get close to him, no matter how she had to do it.


    "Miss Bai, I think I need to remind you that you are nobody to me. I''m doing this as a favor for Leena, nothing more. After this, we''re done here." Tom was getting angrier and angrier. As he was still dealing with her wound, he was a bit rougher than he had nned to. It was like he didn''t know he was hurting her. But still she clenched her jaw and refused to cry out.


    "What? Did I make you angry?" Patricia smiled carelessly. Though he disliked her so much, she still managed to give out a brightest smile that she could..

 Chapter 1319 Her Feelings For Him (Part Three)

    "I''m really angry that you tricked your way in here. I''m angry at all the patients who don''t value their lives. You know what? You are the first one I''ve treated who''s so gutsy." Yes, it was his first time meeting a woman like that. That was why he tried hard to keep her at arm''s "I can be more gutsy as long as you remember me." Patriciaughed proudly. But she felt hurt deep down. He didn''t indicate he liked her, but instead made fun of her. She pushed her sadness away and still smiled brightly.


    length. He didn''t want to get close to her. To him, they were entirely different people who would never see eye to eye. A rtionship was impossible.


    "Okay, let''s get this stitched. Don''t worry. It won''t hurt a lot. The anesthetic should have kicked in by now." Tom decided not to talk with her about it anymore. They couldn''t be boyfriend and girlfriend. So he wasn''t going to keep her hanging on. He had to totally cut her off and let her know where he stood. Otherwise he''d have no end of troubles.


    Patricia bit her lip. The pain from her wound was fine. It was her heart that hurt. She knew he didn''t want to talk to her, so she stopped trying to make conversation. But she still stared at his handsome face with her obsessive eyes.


    Suddenly, the office got quiet. They could even hear each other''s hearts beating. They both felt really weird.


    "Can you drive me home?" This was what Patricia asked him when they reached the CT room entrance. She was looking forward to his answer. She didn''t want to piss him off, so she got herself checked out. ording to the scans, she suffered a mild concussion, but it was not that severe. She saw Tom''s demeanor soften, so she thought she''d try again.


    "Sorry. I''m too busy here. If you don''t want to go back alone, I can call you a driver," Tom replied distantly. Then he turned around and walked into the hospital quickly. He figured a curt rejection should do the trick.


    Though she figured he''d say no, she didn''t imagine he''d turn her down so directly and decisively. Her heart hurt again. Frustrated and sad, she staggered away from the hospital. She usually disliked doctors, anyway, so it didn''t help her mood any. But why was Tom the exception? What was so amazing about him that she couldn''t get him out of her head?


    Leena was now sitting in front of theputer. She was looking at the pictures of different kinds of clothing her assistant sent to her. She needed to pick out the most appropriate materials she wanted for her summer clothing, but unable to touch them in person through the inte, she couldn''t feel them and choose the best one. Did she need to go to Paris? She was uncertain about those choices. It seemed that it was impossible for her to ck off a bit at work.


    She sighed and stoppedparing the pictures on the screen at that thought. Then she picked up the phone and wanted to tell Kevin that she might go to Paris soon. But the phone rang before she could even call.


    "Hi, Patricia. It''s me. What''s going on? I called you several times, but you never picked up," Leena pursed her lips andined. She called Patricia a few times, but she never got an answer. She thought that strange.


    "Sorry, Leena! I''ve been really busy practicing for the big race, so I didn''t have time to answer you. By the time I got your calls, it was toote to call back." Patricia stuck her tongue out. She overdid it, because she wanted to stop thinking about Tom. She thought if she kept busy, she''d be too preupied to think about him. But she hurt herself, and then she really needed Tom more than ever.


    "Hey! Just be careful, okay? You''ve been going so hardtely." Patricia practiced a lot, out there on the track every day. Leena thought something was bound to go wrong.


    "Are you busy today? Got time toe pick me up at the hospital?" Standing at the hospital entrance, Patricia stared nkly at the cars passing by.


    "The hospital? Are you hurt? Which hospital? I''ll be there right away!" Leena''s stress level skyrocketed when she heard that Patricia was in the hospital. She jumped off the chair and rushed downstairs.


    "I''m in Renxin Hospital now. Nothing serious. I just can''t drive right now. Calm down," Patricia said in an unhappy tone. She sounded lonely and depressed.


    "Okay, be there in a bit. On my way." Leena raced to the bedroom to put her coat on, and then snatched up the keys and walked out in a hurry.


    Patricia stayed there and looked around for a ce to wait. She found a bench nearby and sat down, kicking small stones on the ground under her feet. Although she was quite eye-catching with the blood on her clothes, nobody paid that much attention. She was near a hospital, after all.


    Leena arrived at the hospital quickly, just like she promised. She felt confused when she saw Patricia so depressed, sitting there and doing nothing, looking down. She had no clue why she was so sad.


    "Patricia, you okay? Are you hurt? Did you see the doctor?" Leena walked toward her rapidly and sat down beside her. Then she started to check her wound.


    "I''ve already seen the doctor. Don''t worry! I''m a strong woman. It''s nothing serious!" Patricia raised her eyebrows after she finished speaking to convince Leena as if she was afraid Leena wouldn''t believe her. She wanted to appear serious. "Really? But the blood on your clothes --?" Leena was frightened when she saw the bloodstains on Patricia''s clothes. She was really doubting her at this point.


    "An ident, nothing more. I got stitches. No need to make a fuss. Everyone''s starting to look at us." Patricia rolled her eyes at Leena helplessly. She wondered if Leena''s IQ dropped sharply after almost being drowned the other day. She''d be in a hospital bed if she''d been seriously injured. The Leena she knew would know better.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Look at us? Why are they looking at us? There''s nothing to see here! Is getting hurt against thew?" Leena said carelessly, raising her head to take a quick nce around. She hated when people rubbernecked, sticking their noses in where they didn''t belong, without offering to help.


    "You got me! Well, screw it. I''m hungry. Let''s eat. It''s on you!" Patricia did not care about what other people thought, either. So she continued Leena''s thought, being obvious about her distaste for their actions.


    "Okay. What do you want? It''s on me." Leena did not ask Patricia who treated her wound. She was pretty sure Tom didn''t do it, since Patricia got furious when she mentioned Tom around her. She thought Patricia had been close to walking out on their friendship over

 Chapter 1320 A Broken Heart (Part One)

    "Really? I can eat whatever I want? Then let''s have spicy hot pot!" Patricia suggested with a sly smile, leaving Tom behind for the moment. She wanted to see whether Leena would agree with her.


    "No, you can''t! You are injured. The spicy food will work against your body''s recovery. We should grab some light food instead," retorted Leena at once. She knew that Patricia was just cracking a joke with her. However, she still couldn''t help but worry about her friend. "Didn''t you say that you would buy me whatever I want to eat? How can you just take your words back?" Patricia pursed her lips. She shouldn''t have trusted Leena''s words.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Well, I am taking my words back. What are you going to do with me then?" Leena said with a teasing smile. She was not even ashamed of taking her words back at all. She was confident about their friendship and she was sure that Patricia would not get angry with trivial matters.


    "I guess I have to live in your house for a couple of days again. Otherwise, my parents will forbid me to take part in thepetition once they see my wounds," Patricia said with a frown.


    "No problem! You are always wee to our home. By the way, how did you hurt yourself?" asked Leena confusedly as she opened the car door for her.


    "I got distracted while driving and forgot to slow down when I made a turn. Then my car turned over and I got hurt." Luckily, the car had just started and the speed wasn''t that fast. Otherwise, she could have been seriously hurt. "What? Are you out of your mind, Patricia Bai? How did you dare be distracted on the track?" Leena was horrified about what her friend said and unconsciously spun the steering wheel sharply.


    "Hey, calm down! Focus on driving! I just survived the race. I don''t want to get killed by you like this!" screamed Patricia, who was taken aback by Leena''s unexpected move. She was certain that Leena''s sworn brothers would dig up her grave to whip her body if they died in an ident.


    "Sorry! I forgot I''m driving." replied Leena frightenedly with her face as pale as death. It was a good thing that there were only a few cars on the road right now, or else, they would have had a car ident.


    "See! You also got distracted while driving. Thus, stop ming me for it!" Patricia stared out the window. She realized that they were heading to The Fragrance based on their route. ''Oh no! I know that I must eat light food recently but I really don''t like the dishes there!'' she thought.


    "Got it." Leena didn''t dare to be distracted again and chose to concentrate on driving.


    As usual, all seats in The Fragrance were upied. The restaurant owed its fame to its smart owner and its first-rate team of employees.


    "Leena, why didn''t you ask me about why I went to Renxin Hospital to be treated?" questioned Patricia. Curiosity was eating her as she knew that Leena was the type of person who liked getting to the bottom of the matter. Leena just couldn''t be cool with it, right? Or could she?


    "You told me not to talk about Tom before you, or else, you will be breaking up with me. Did you forget what you said?" Pursing her lips, Leena didn''t understand why Patricia suddenly took back her words either.


    "Ha! You''ve taken my words seriously? I was just kidding. You are so silly!" Patricia couldn''t help butugh out loud. She had long forgotten those words and she didn''t expect Leena to still remember them. "Ohe on! You were serious when you said those that day. Are you telling me that you went to see Tom just now?" Leena leaned closer to Patricia as she was eager to hear her friend''s answer. "Umh... What if I tell you that I have a thing for Tom? What do you think about it?" asked Patricia as she looked Leena''s cute face hesitantly. She wanted to know if her best friend would be against the idea.


    "But you don''t like doctors, right?" Surprised, Leena straightened her back and stared back at her friend. It was well known to her that Patricia hated doctors thus she thought, ''She can''t be damn serious about this. She must be kidding me!''


    "I do hate doctors. Nheless, he is the only exception. I thought that I could shake him off my mind at first as long as I stayed away from him. I was wrong. I can''t forget him no matter how hard I have tried. I even miss him more. I even forgot about my principles because of him. Leena, isn''t it what''s called fate?"


    A bitter smile cracked Patricia''s lips. Never had she kept any secret from Leena. She had to speak out her bitterness even if Leena made fun of her. She should, or else, she would eventually go crazy sooner orter.


    "So you just went to Tom, right?" asked Leena with utmost care. It was only just now that she realized how sad and dejected Patricia had been looking like when she arrived at the hospital.


    "Yes, I did. I even forced him to bind up my wounds against his will. Am I a shameless woman?" Patricia told the story in a self-disapproving manner.


    "No, you are not. You are different and courageous to pursue your happiness. I really admire you." It was said that winning a woman''s heart was difficult for a man, while the opposite was easy. However, Leena knew that it wasn''t really the case. She had so many female friends who had encountered difficulties in pursuing their true love, not to mention that she was also one of them.


    "Thank you for not making fun of me." Poor Patricia disguised her sorrow with a cheerful smile. As Leena said, she was indeed a courageous woman. She was not the type of person who would hold back even if the path to happiness was covered with thorns. Rather, she would move forward boldly as all that mattered to her was to be happy.

 Chapter 1321 A Broken Heart(Part Two)

    "Come on, Patricia. Don''t be so formal with me. I know Tom like the back of my hand. He is honest but dull. He doesn''t like talking and he isn''t that expressive too. Thus, you will have a hard time pursuing his love. Now that I''ve said these things, won''t you change your mind?" Leena said sincerely as she stared at Patricia in the eyes. She would be more than willing to support Patricia if Patricia really loved Tom. However, she didn''t think that dragging Tom to this would work since that might just make Tom hate Patricia even more. "I don''t see myself falling in love with someone else," said Patricia in a serious tone. To be honest, she wanted to drink herself down right now. It was just that she knew that Leena would not allow her to do that. Alcohol was not good for her recovery after all. "Anyway, I hope for you to win Tom''s heart someday. It''s not easy to fall in love with someone." Leena raised her ss of water and clinked it with Patricia''s. She had wanted to set Tom up with Patricia before. That was because she had thought that Tom would have a thing for her friend. However, it turned out that Patr¨ªcia was not his type.


    Kevin saw Patricia sitting in the living room as soon as he got home. For a moment, he wondered if he hade to the wrong ce. Didn''t Patricia say that she wouldn''te here again thest time? Then why was she here now?


    "Major General Gu, you look frightened. What''s the matter with you?" A teasing smile cracked Patricia''s lips when she turned to Kevin. His surprised reaction really amused her.


    "Nothing. I''m just wondering why you took your words back and came to my house again," responded Kevin with a friendly smile. He then looked around to search for his wife.


    "The reason is very simple. I''m here to snatch Leena from you." Patricia''s lips curled. Her eyes were bright as she grinned at Kevin. It was obvious that she hadpletely forgotten about Tom.


    "I''m okay with that as long as Leena agrees," said Kevin confidently. He was pretty sure that Leena would never choose Patricia over him. However, when the time for bed came, Leena came up to him and said, "I''m sleeping with Patricia tonight." It was then that Kevin realized how much Leena valued her friendship with Patricia more than him.


    The next morning, Kevin got up early as usual. He was already about to go downstairs when Leena suddenly appeared before him and stopped him.


    "Nana, why did you get up so early?" asked Kevin confusedly. He had a sleepless night without her by his side. He was already so used to having her next to him and he knew that he wouldn''t be satisfied until he held her soft body inside his arms.


    "I''m going to make you a hearty breakfast to make up for your lossst night," answered Leena as she raised her head and gave her husband a sweet smile.


    "I prefer a kiss than a hearty breakfast." Kevin lowered his head and kissed Leena right on her lips. His lips were demanding and firm when his lips molded hers. He was kissing her with both tenderness and need.


    His hot lips glided to her jaws as he began to nt feather-like kisses across her jaw, her chin, and on the corners of her mouth. All the sensations Kevin was bringing her made Leena close her eyes as she savored the moment.


    "You have the most beautiful skin, pale and wless. I want to kiss every single inch of it," Kevin murmured on the tip of her ear. The huskiness of his voice made Leena''s heartbeat skyrocket. She was suddenly blushing in both shyness and warmth. It felt like time had stopped. She just hoped for this moment tost for an eternity.


    Tom was really excited when he saw Leena walk into his office. However, his mood automatically changed and his face darkened when he noticed who was walking next to Leena; it was Patricia.


    "Hey, Tom! Don''t you want to see me? Why are you sporting that long face?" grumbled Leena as she shook his arm in dissatisfaction.


    "Wrong! He hates to see me," Patricia said and then cast a challenging look at Tom. She was unwilling to show her weakness before him. Thus, she cocked her head and even added, "Am I right, Doctor Qin?"


    "So you know that? I already told you. You can ask for another doctor to change the dressing for your wound. It shouldn''t be me," was Tom''s cold reply. He might not know about women as much as Rain did, but it was easy for him to tell that Patricia had a thing for him. It was bad that she wasn''t his type and the best he could do was to draw a clear line between them.


    "Tom, how can you say that? Patricia is our friend. You should take care of her because she has been hurt," said Leena with a deep frown. She never expected Tom to be this indifferent and cruel. She had always known him to be a soft-hearted man.


    "She is one of your friends, not mine." It was the first time that Tom rejected Leena''s request. He felt sorry for Leena but he had to make himself clear. He didn''t want Patricia to fall for him.


    "Aren''t you a doctor huh? Well, I''m a patient and I have the right to ask you to treat me." A fake grin appeared on Patricia''s beautiful face. Her heart was breaking silently but she did her best to conceal it. She knew that he didn''t want to see her, However, she wasn''t able to help herself from being hurt when she heard his harsh words.


    "I''m the hospital administrator and I have the right to serve you the way I think is the best. I know that you are up to something." Tom wanted Patricia to retreat since what she wanted was impossible. However, he didn''t expect her to be such an insensitive person. He was sure that Patricia knew what he meant but she just refused to ept the fact that he didn''t like her. She was so annoying that even just looking at her could give him headaches.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Tom, why are you being so hard on Patricia? Fine! She might have brought you inconvenience before, but she did it because she likes you." Leena cast a worried nce at Patricia. Just the thought of Patricia getting upset because of this man''s words made her extremely sad.


    "Since you''ve said that, I have to make myself clear. Miss Bai, thank you for your love but you are not my type. So please forget about me and go find someone else. I will never fall in love with you," said Tom as he turned to Patricia and stared at her with his cold eyes.000000

 Chapter 1322 A Broken Heart (Part Three)

    "Ha! Tom Qin, I''m telling you. You can''t just ask me to love someone else. I''m entitled to follow my heart regardless if you ept me or not." That was it! Patricia''s tears began to spill no matter how hard she tried to control it. She couldn''t even understand why was she


    being humble in front of him. Had she fallen this deeply in love with him even before she realized it?


    "I know I can''t force you to do something but please stay away from me," Tom said before turning to Leena. "Leena, I''m tired and I want to take a rest. Take her to another doctor to rece the dressing," he added with finality. He was tough and unwilling to take no for an answer. He doted on Leena but that didn''t mean that he felt the same for her friend.


    "Tom..." Leena still wanted to persuade him but then stopped upon seeing his gloomy face. Tom barely lost his temper and t was more than obvious that he hade to the end of his patience now.


    She was still staring at Tom when a burst of loudughter suddenly took both of their attention; it was from Patricia. She wasughing as if she heard a really funny joke. However, she wasn''t able to hide the bitterness on her face no matter how hard she tried. "Leena, let''s go! Stop begging him." Patricia dragged Leena out of Tom''s office. She didn''t want to act like a poor beggar. She couldn''t even ept the thought that she was actually begging for Tom to love her.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Patricia, are you okay?" Leena asked anxiously as they left Tom''s office.


    "I''m all right. Don''t worry." Patricia dried her tears with the back of her hand and gave Leena a reassuring smile.


    "I''m really sorry. I don''t understand how it turned out like this," said Leena. She felt really guilty for bringing Patricia to Tom. She used to be in the same situation as Patricia and she could perfectly understand how she was feeling now.


    "Ha! Silly woman! Why are you apologizing? Let''s go and find another doctor." Just some minutes ago, Patricia had thought that there was still a chance for Tom to love her as long as she worked hard. However, it seemed that she was wrong. Working hard for his love would never be enough. And now, she didn''t know what else she could do about her feelings anymore.


    Meanwhile, Tom sat in his chair with his eyes both shut. He knew that he had said too many harsh words earlier, and frankly, he could still be crueler than that. He didn''t really care about how brutal he was when it came to Patricia as all he wanted was for her to give up. He believed that a couple should love each other voluntarily. Anything forcibly done just to gain one''s love was greatly unagreeable. Patricia might be pretty but that didn''t mean that she was his cup of tea. Thus, he could only turn her down.


    Tom let out a deep resigned sigh as he picked Leena''s health records. He had collected these reports when she had been admitted in the hospital. His colleague from the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department said that it would be hard to get Leena pregnant because of her weak body. She must improve her health first. Thus, he decided to spend some time sorting the problem out. He had nned to talk with Leena about this, but Patricia had been by their side. Therefore, he needed to dy their discussion about this as it was not yet the best time to do so.


    "Kevin, I''m going to Paris tomorrow. Are you okay with that?" Leena rested her head on Kevin''s desk and stared at him right in the eye. Actually, she should have gone to Paris a couple of days ago. However, Patricia had moved in and she had to postpone her schedule. Now that Patricia had recovered and moved out, Leena decided to leave the next day.


    "How many days are you going to stay there?" Kevin answered in a rxed tone. He had no objection to her n and just wanted to know when would she be back.


    "I don''t know yet. Maybe a week, or half a month." To be honest, Leena didn''t want to leave Kevin. Just the thought of them being separated for an hour already felt like torture to her. She wasn''t even leaving yet and here she was, missing Kevin already. "Wow! That''s a lot of days. What if I miss you?" It was rare for Kevin to show his true feelings to Leena. Thus, Leena was suddenly amused by how childish Kevin looked.


    "Ha! That''s my line!" snapped Leena while giggling. His reaction made her really happy.


    "That just means that we feel the same way and we don''t really want to leave each other." Kevin pulled her over, made her sit on hisp and then buried his face at her neck. He took a deep breath against her skin and smelled her unique scent.


    "Sometimes I feel like I''m in a dream and I''m scared to wake up. What if we are still strangers once this dream is over?" Leena embraced his head and then stroked his hair tenderly. She knew that she was young and she still had a lot to learn. She had been trying so hard to learn how to love him, how to take care of him and how to forgive him.


    She was still deep in her thoughts when Kevin suddenly pinched her cute face mildly as he stared at her with eyes full of affection. "Does it hurt?"


    "Ouch! Why did you do that?" Leena pursed her lips as she grumbled. Then she cast Kevin a ming stare.


    "If you feel the pain, then you are not in a dream." Kevin kissed her on the same cheek tofort her.


    "Bad boy!" blurted Leena. She beat on his chest with her fists. She might be acting angry right now but she honestly loved this moment.


    "Hey, stop that! What time is your flight tomorrow? Have you bought the ticket?" Kevin asked as he grabbed her fists. Leena wasn''t the type who would interfere with his work and neither was he to her. Their love was based in respect and it was simply the best there was.

 Chapter 1323 Flying To Paris (Part One)

    "Three o''clock in the afternoon. Why do you ask?" Leena raised her head to look at him. She was confused why Kevin was asking.


    He thought for a second and then said, "I see. Okay, I''ll drive you to the airport tomorrow then." He was supposed to be at the office at that time, but he still could manage and adjust his schedule so he could go with her.


    "You don''t have to! It''ll be troublesome for you toe all the way here, drive me to the airport and then drive back to the army base again! I can get a taxi myself. And if you are worried about me taking a taxi, I can ask Duke to drive me," Leena didn''t want to bother her husband too much. She was going to the airport, one of the safest ces in the city, not some shady and dangerous ce. She could manage to go there by herself.


    "What? I want to see you off tomorrow! Is that so bad? It''s okay. I won''t be that busy at that time anyway. I have a few hours to spare." Kevin insisted on doing this because he did not want to miss another chance to see her off. She always came back from Paris without telling him, which he minded a lot.


    "Okay fine. If you''re going to be persistent about it, there''s nothing much I can do," Leena gave in with a smile. "I''ll wait for you at home tomorrow, then." Although still reluctant, she also wanted to know how it felt to have someone see her off at the airport, especially if that someone was a loved one. She had seen that warm and touching scene of other people saying their goodbyes all the time, but as an outsider. She finally epted Kevin''s offer and now looked forward to that moment.


    However, while it looked beautiful and tender from the outside, it was also heart wrenching and downright sorrowful, especially if it was the first time. Leena felt it eventually the following day at the airport, as Kevin pulled out her luggage from the back of the Humvee and put it on a trolley. She stood there frozen, her eyes could not help but turn red and blurry with tears, especially when the boarding of her flight was announced on the loudspeakers. So this was how it felt.


    "Hey, girl. It''s just a few days. Don''t cry now." Kevin held her in his arms gently. He was wearing his military uniform, so it was not appropriate for him to hug her for too long. It might leave a bad impression on other people.


    "I don''t know why I want to cry. I just feel so sad!" They had been at this same ce in this same airport thest time. He came here to stop Duke from sending her off to Paris. But this time, him here, seeing her off waspletely different. How time had flown and how things had changed! Leena could not help but feel bitter sweet about it.


    "Ok. It''s time. Go! Call me when yound. I''ll remind ire to pick you up at the airport." Kevin straightened up her clothes a bit. He was reluctant to have her leave, too. But he was a man and knew she had important work to deal with and he could not stop her from pursuing her dreams. He had to be rational.


    "Yes! Don''t try to flirt with other women while I''m not around. I have spies in every corner watching you," Leena sniffed and warned him in a seemingly serious tone.


    "Don''t worry! Your husband is not that attractive to other women." Kevin felt awkward yet funny at her warning. He was aware of the spies she was talking about. Her brothers were excellent examples and they were not easy to deal with.


    "I''m worried that other women would throw themselves at you," Leena pursed her lips and said in a concerned tone. She suddenly found that an extremely handsome husband might be dangerous, too. Although she trusted him with all her heart, it was the other women that she did not trust.


    "Ha ha! Don''t worry too much about me! I promise you that I''ll stay away from any woman within a 50-mile radius. Are we good?" Kevin did not know what else to say so he just smiled. He knew that a woman could turn extremely unreasonable once jealousy took over. "Ha ha! Did you take it seriously? I was just kidding!" She was just kidding with him but he took it seriously.


    "Of course I know you were just kidding. Well, go and get ready for boarding now! You''re gonna miss your ne! Go go go!" Kevin walked her to the gate of the security check point. He did not want to be apart from her, but he had to see her go now. "Bye! I''ll miss you." They had a tight embrace and then Leena went through the security reluctantly.


    Kevin did not go right away. He kept waving back at her until she disappeared in the crowd. It was a busy airport serving thousands of passengers everyday. When he could no longer see her, he turned around quickly and got in the Humvee. He had a gruesome feeling at the thought that he would not be able to see her and fall asleep with her in his arms for quite a while.


    S City did not be lonely when Leena left. Instead, it seemed to have be more lively.


    "Am I invisible to you, Luke? How could you ignore me when I am standing here right in front of you?" Michelle stopped Luke angrily. It was rare for her to see him and yet he kept walking away when he saw her. How could she let him go away easily now that she got to see him this time? "Get out of my way," Luke said with a poker face. He had no clue what this woman was doing in Edward''s house.


    "No, I won''t, unless you apologize to me." Michelle could not help but feel much angrier as soon as she remembered that this man was the cause of her business losses thest time. She had to take lots of remedial measures to gain back control of her territory. West Street first came to mind.


    "Loser." Luke simply let out a word coldly. He did not care who invited her here. She was in the wrong, always looking to find fault with him.


    "What did you say? Did you just call me a loser? Well, go to hell! I''m smart and beautiful. Nothing about me says that I''m a loser, damn it!" Michelle grew more furious at him. This guy could really push her buttons. She couldn''t help it. Every time they met, she just wanted to fight him.


    "A loser would never admit that he is a loser, just like a drunk man would never admit that he is drunk," Luke said and passed her firmly and apathetically. He did not intend to stay and waste time with a stupid woman.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Arghhhh!... I''m gonna kill you!" Such rudeness was uneptable to Michelle. She turned around immediately and rushed towards Luke. However, she was stopped by a leg sweep from Luke and tripped on the grass face down.?????????????

 Chapter 1324 Flying To Paris (Part Two)

    "Don''t overestimate yourself," Luke snorted through his nose. He had no intentions of reaching out to help her up. Oh, he was definitely not the kind who was tender nor sensitive to women.


    "I''ll definitely make you pay for this, Luke. You can count on it." Flopping down on the ground, Michelle red at Luke angrily. She had thought that he was a cool guy. But now he was the world''s biggest asshole.


    "I''ll look forward to it. Don''t make me wait for too long." Luke did not even look at her. He immediately turned around and walked away, both hands in his pockets.


    "What the fuck! That asshole! I''m gonna kill that bastard! Arrrgghhhh! Motherfucker! ..." Michelle was so angry that she could even feel the blood pumping in the veins on her head. But she had to face the fact that she was unable to beat him today, again. "What are you doing, lying there on the grass? Michelle! Did you fall down?" Daisy walked out because she heard amotion. But she never expected to see such a scene. Michelle was down on the ground, all alone with nobody around. Who was she talking to just now? Daisy was confused.


    "Ha ha! Oh my god. Did I disturb you? I''m so sorry, I did not mean to!" Michelle felt extremely awkward and embarrassed. She stood up and patted off the grass and dirt from her clothes.


    "Be careful. The soil under the grass is uneven. You might sprain your ankle or fall down if you are not careful enough." Daisy looked at her from head to toe to check if she got hurt.


    "Yes, I got it. I''ll be more careful. Thank you!" Michelle was cautious in front of Daisy. In her mind, she was like a goddess. She was a bit relieved that no one saw the squabble between her and Luke. Especially not Daisy. There was no need for her to know. "I heard that you are Leena''s friend, is that right?" Daisy took another look at her from head to toe. She was curious how they knew each other as they appeared to be from two different worlds.


    "Yes, we are friends. We just knew each other not long ago, but we felt like old friends at the first meeting." Michelle liked Leena very much. In her eyes, Leena was sweet, gentle and easy-going. It was what men would actually prefer. Although she would sometimes get lost in the moment and appear to have drifted off to some far away ce, she still looked pretty cute. There weren''t many women like her who was beautiful and cute at the same time.


    "You two are of the same age, so it''s easy for you to get along with each other. By the way, I have said before that I would thank you in person. But I never had the chance. I''m d that you are here, and so, thank you," Daisy raised the corners of her mouth and said tenderly. The way she said it with her body stance and venerable eyes made her look regal.


    "It''s my pleasure. It was the right thing to do. What''s more, you have helped me, too. I should also thank you." Michelle was easy-going and unrefined. So she was quite straightforward when expressing herself.


    "You''re wee! But you helped us more than once. You saved us. Thank you so much!" Daisy was referring to the time when Michelle helped Edward and Luke while they were in B Country. Had Michelle not offered a hand, they would have been captured or worse, they could even have died there. They were isted and did not have their men nearby.


    "Oh! I have almost forgotten about that! Don''t mention it! It was my honor and my pleasure to have had the chance to help you. I''ll feel uneasy if you keep thanking me." Michelle wrung her hands nervously. She would not be herself when others thanked her all the time. She was starting to feel ufortable.


    "Ha ha! I''m not teasing you, but thanking you. Don''t feel uneasy." Daisy looked at her interestingly. She liked Michelle and her simple, straightforward personality.


    "That''s how I am. I''m not used to being praised." Michelle''s face turned red a bit. Her eyes were shifting, not even knowing where to look. She shed a nervous smile and started to look around. The smile quickly disappeared though. Not far from her was Luke and she could not help but be angry again. Her knee started to hurt a little from when he tripped her just earlier.


    "What''s the matter?" Seeing the quick change in her expression, Daisy was curious and looked to the direction that Michelle was ring at. Daisy could not help thinking about something when she realized that it was Luke that made Michelle frown.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    "May I ask you a question?" Michelle looked down, scratching the back of her head. The usually candid woman was reced with a meek and dumb high school girl type.


    "What? I''ll tell you everything as long as I know the answer." Daisy could already figure it out and almost knew what Michelle was going to ask. She knew that something was about to happen and she liked it.


    "That guy, Luke. Has he always been so cold?" Michelle asked and red back to where Luke was, as if there was a deep hatred between them.


    "Oh, Luke! What did he do to you? Did he yell at you? Was he rude? Tell me!" Daisy smiled. She did not know much about Luke with the few interactions that they had. Just like Edward''s father, he did not smile a lot. He was mostly cold and distant. "Oh, not exactly. But our conversations never end well." Michelle rubbed her beautiful short hair awkwardly and replied in an uneasy tone. However, in her mind, she swore that she would definitely make him beg someday.


    "Don''t mind him much. That''s how he is. He''s cold to everyone. He seems to be difficult to deal with but actually he''s quite warm-hearted." Daisy decided to put in a good word for Luke. Somehow she felt that with the right circumstances Luke and Michelle might have a chance to stir up a romantic story.


    "Oh, is he? I can''t see that. He is not nice to me at all," Michelle pursed her lips and sneered. Luke had done a good job of being the total bad guy in her mind.


    "You will know him better when you spend more time with him. Do you need my help?" Daisy asked her conditionally. She attempted to know whether Michelle might have feelings for Luke. If yes, she would give them a hand. It was time for Luke to start thinking about settling down, finding the right girl and having his own family, after all.


    "Ummm... What are you talking about?" Michelle lowered her head shyly and in a bit of panic.


    "What am I talking about? Well, I think you know what I''m talking about. Think about it. It might be good for you two!" Daisy tried to say it half implied. Luke was indeed a cold man. But he was also kind-hearted. Luke and Michelle being a couple might be a good thing. Whether they could make it would still depend on both of them wanting to make it happen.000000000000000

 Chapter 1325 Flying To Paris (Part Three)

    "Uncle Luke, does that woman like you?" Justin, the equally straightforward kid asked Luke with a sly smile on his face.


    "Don''t talk nonsense, little boy. I''m not interested in her," Luke replied in a cool tone. He got to know why Michelle was here when he saw Daisy talking with her.


    "There''s time for you to be interested in her! Uncle Luke, she is quite beautiful, don''t you agree? Although not as charming as my mom, she looks quite good. I like her beautiful face." Justin looked at Luke with a seemingly innocent expression on his face. However, he had alreadye up with some ns in his young but advanced thinking mind. It was time for his uncle to have a girlfriend and he could try to do something about it.


    "Really? I don''t see that. She''s just a crazy woman. Beautiful? I doubt it." Luke said with disdain, not giving a crap. He would never be forced to like that little thug. It was totally stupid and thus impossible. It would be easier for the sun to rise from the west than for him to have the slightest feelings for such a creature.


    "Okay, let''s just stop discussing whether she is beautiful or not. But don''t you think she is cute and real?" Justin started to analyze her for him like a mature, grown up man. He seemed to want it very much that Michelle and Luke would fall in love.


    "Hey! How old are you, kid? How do you know these things? Tell me. Have you been checking out the inte for special websites that are not for children?" Luke twisted his mouth heavily. How could kids nowadays think so maturely just like Justin? "Come on! Uncle Luke, don''t be so old fashioned, okay? It happens a lot in the dramas on TV. Almost every channel is showing such love stories. I''ve been watching for a long time. You are the only one who''s behind in these trends." Justin did not consider it seriously though. Though he never had such an experience, he saw it more often than he should be seeing it! It made sense that he knew about these things.


    "It seems that it is time to reconsider if you can watch TV that frequently. Otherwise, the nonsense in your head would only get bigger," Luke said and shuddered at the same time. How terrible had these kids be nowadays? They were supposed to think about toys and books and outdoor adventures, not these romantic dramas that they were exposed to at such an early age.


    "No, you can''t do that to me. If you take that away, I would be an outcast from this society. Do you have the heart to watch me turn into a simpleton?" Justin felt that a disaster wasing for Luke when he saw the two women start to walk closer to them.


    "How would one be a sophisticated man without watching TV? I don''t know how. Maybe you could help me," Luke felt that he was unable to catch up with Justin''s quick but illogical thinking. Now, he doubted himself and wondered whether he was really so old that he was unable to understand what the youth thought nowadays.


    "Think about it! If I were not allowed to ess the Inte or TV, I would stay in my own world and not know what''s happening outside. In that case, I wouldck the necessary skills and abilities to be the future boss of FX International Group. Am I right? I would be a useless dude without any abilities," Justin exined in a serious tone as if everything he said made sense.


    "You have a far advanced view of life. I should not look down upon you though you are just a child." Luke cupped his own hands to show his admiration. He was happy from the bottom of his heart to see that the Mu family was in good hands, having a very qualified


    sessor.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    "What are you two talking about... so seriously?" Daisy looked at the two men intently. The young boy and his handsome uncle seemed to be discussing something seriously.


    "Mommy, we were just talking about Auntie Michelle and how beautiful she is! Weren''t we, Uncle Luke?" Justin looked at Luke naughtily. His innocent face made it hard for people to doubt him.


    "You! Mrs. Mu, don''t listen to him. We were just discussing how dramas nowadays have a bad impact on people." Luke twisted his mouth more deeply. He never expected that Justin was that cunning to say such words and put him on the spot. The young genius had sessfully left him in an embarrassing situation.


    "Please! Just admit it, Uncle Luke! You are a grown up and there is no need for you to be shy about it! What''s more, Auntie Michelle can''t be mad. We have nothing but praises for her, don''t we?" Justin said and openly winked at Luke. Obviously, he was not going to let him get out of it.


    "Well, I''m d to hear that. Now that we know that you like Michelle, can you do me a favor and show her around, Luke? I need to go to the kitchen to check the dishes for tonight''s dinner." Daisy made such a request to Luke and was just very happy to confirm that she and Justin were on the same page. Now she could have some help to get the two to hook up.


    "You tiny little traitor, kid! We really were not talking about her, Mrs. Mu." Luke stared at Justin fiercely. How could he set a trap for him like this? He had to talk with him about thister!


    "Mommy, I want to go with you! I want to see if there''s anything I''d like to eat." Justin grimaced at Luke, took Daisy by the hand, and walked away immediately, leaving Luke frozen and speechless.


    "Let''s go! You foodie!" Daisy was too delighted at Justin''s proposal. So she let Justin take her by the hand so that both of them could leave, which would give Michelle and Luke some time alone.


    Michelle did not say a word but her eyes betrayed her. She was very excited now, unable to control her lips from curling into a smile. She did not care whether Justin was telling the truth or not. She was quite happy to hear what the boy just revealed. "Don''t be happy too much. I will only show you around here this time. It won''t happen again, I promise," Luke gritted his teeth. If Daisy did not request for him to do this, he would definitely not even go near her, let alone show her around.


    "You could have just straight up refused her, you know! I didn''t ask to be shown around. What? Is this a museum or something?" Michelle raised her eyebrow a bitcently. But deep inside, she was screaming with joy at Daisy''s arrangement. Didn''t this man try hard to stay away from her? He had nowhere to run this time.


    "Don''t take this undeserved gain for granted. Let me remind you of this kindly; I dislike you, no matter what you do and how close you get to me." Luke gritted his teeth again. How he wished he could bash her in the face so that she would stop smiling triumphantly. "Thank you for your kind reminder! Well, news sh, I dislike you too. You are nobody to me, and that is not a coincidence!" Michelle hitched her chin toward him. She was unwilling to be the one at a disadvantage in this fight. She''d do whatever it took to save face.000

 Chapter 1326 I Miss You (Part One)

    "Woman, do not try to irritate me, because you will not be able to handle the consequences." Luke felt a suddenpulsion to turn and leave. The reason was quite simple: His life was all about his boss, Edward, and he took no interest in women or getting in a rtionship. "Don''t even think about scaring me, man! I fear nothing." Michelle showed no sign of weakness. As a member of a gang, she was not scared by Luke''s long face at all.


    "I''m warning you, don''t even think that there is something here for you. I''m not interested in women like you." Luke cast a scornful nce at her and shed a mocking smile. Most women would be startled by his devilish face and even walk away from him at once, but Michelle was an exception.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Luke, to be honest, I don''t really have a thing for you. But you''ve got me wrong too many times. And I hate being wronged. I lose sleep at night thinking about revenge. So to get even I''ve decided to make you my boyfriend." Michelleughed out loud and sauntered forward. She was amused by Luke''s arrogance, and since she was currently not upied with anything, she decided to y him to kill time.


    "You damn woman!" Luke cursed through his gritted teeth, staring at her. How he wished he could rush to her and knock her out so he could no longer hear that annoyingughter.


    Taking a sip of his coffee, Edward frowned at what he had witnessed. "Are you really sure that they will bepatible?" he asked when Daisy came and stood by his side. "So you don''t think that they will be?" Daisy looked at him right in the eye, waiting for his reply.


    "Don''t get me wrong. I just think that you shouldn''t meddle too much. Let nature take its course. Without external interference, I think they will have a better understanding of their own feelings." Edward curled his lips to a curious smile. He wanted to know since when had his wife been interested in ying Cupid.


    "I don''t think so. Luke is a dull and inarticte man. He doesn''t know women and is always ready to throw harsh words at them. If I don''t butt in, it might take years before they get together. So I believe that it''s necessary for me to y Cupid." Daisy cunningly smiled back. She was a cool soldier in front of outsiders, but a soft and loving wife before Edward.


    "Exactly. Dad, don''t you think a cool Luke and a cheerful Michelle would make a perfect couple?" asked Justin, showing a row of teeth. This kid knew exactly when to show up and indulge himself in the affairs of adults.


    "Son, you have remarkable judgement. Do you even know what a couple is?" Edward pinched his little chubby face with resignation. He wondered whether Justin really knew what a couple meant. He must be a mature man in a tiny kid''s body.


    "Of course I do. I''ve seen a lot on TV. Once they be a couple, they hug and kiss each other, and then sleep together." Since Justin started going to primary school, he no longer threw himself in others'' arms and asked for a hug. Instead, he rested his arms behind his back, looking like a mini-sized Edward.


    "Whoa! That is too much, son! You have got to stop watching those TV dramas, okay? Just go inside now. Your grandpa wants to y chess with you." Edward stroked his head affectionately. Jonathan was waiting to have a good round of the intellectual game with his grandson to kill time.


    "What? y chess again? Dad, can I say no?" Justin stared at Edward with a hopeful expression. He really didn''t want to y chess with his grandpa, as the elder of the house would y one round after another with him and would not know when to stop. Moreover, Jonathan was quitepetitive, always had desire to excel and was not willing to ept defeat, especially from a kid.


    "What do you think?" Edward asked in reply. He stared at Justin with a sly smile, not nning to help his son. He would actually be happy to see Justin distract Jonathan from him.


    "Got it." Justin lowered his head with disappointment. His legs felt heavy as concrete as he walked slowly towards the room where his grandpa was waiting.


    "Edward, what a cunning father you are! You even set a trap for your own son so you could get rid of them both! Father wanted to y chess with you, not Justin, right?" Daisy rolled her eyes at Edward, as she had realized what Edward just did. ''Poor Justin! You''ve fallen into the trap. Too bad, your father is a shrewd businessman and a master maniptor. He even dealt with you as if you were his business rival!'' thought Daisy.


    "Honey, that is just not true! Father said he wanted to y chess with Justin. Didn''t you hear him say that? It has nothing to do with me." Edward felt insulted that his wife would think of him as capable of this sort of deceit.


    "So you mean, THIS time father asked for Justin to y chess with him, but he wanted to y chess with you in previous times, right?" Daisy said with a teasing smile. She knew it! She was curious how Edward was going to defend himself.


    "Ah, Senior Colonel Ouyang. You are teasing me now, right?" Edward''s eyes lit up. He was thrilled as he realized that his wife had changed from a gentle and innocent woman to a sly and cunning fox.


    "Yes, and I have you to thank. I have learned from a great Master! You should feel honored, because your student has now surpassed you. You should watch out for the day when she eventually turns against you!" Daisy shed a proud and challenging smile. She then gave him a meaningful nce before brushing past Edward and walking to the kitchen.


    Being slightly pushed by Daisy, Edward staggered and stared at her receding figure, rubbing his chin.


    They really enjoyed thefortable and quiet life they were now leading. Though they would have asional arguments and would quarrel from time to time, it didn''t affect their affection for each other. Their love for each other was as strong as ever. They cherished every day that they spent together.


    Paris was like a second home for Leena, and she knew the city like the back of her hand. She could move around without getting lost and act like a local. As soon as she arrived in the city of love, she wasted no time devoting herself entirely to her work. Like every designer, Leena always strove to perfect her artwork and put her heart and soul into it. As a result, she would forget to contact her husband every now and then.


    Kevin felt lonely these days because of her absence, especially at night. He missed her so much that he sometimes would go to his friend''s bar to distract himself.00000000

 Chapter 1327 I Miss You (Part Two)

    "Here you are! Ice and Fire, my new concoction. Give it a try!" Hoyle ced a ss of cocktail in front of Kevin. It had twoyers of color-blue and red. He was excited to see Kevin, as the military man seldom came to his bar, ever since he had gotten married. "Tastes good. But I think women will like it more." Kevin took a sip of the drink and looked at Hoyle in confusion. ''Does he think I likedies'' drinks?'' Kevin thought.


    "I just wanted to know your opinion. If you really think women will love it, bring your wife here soon so we can see her reaction to this Ice and Fire cocktail. What do you think of it?" Hoyle sat on a stool and stared at the dancing girls on the stage while waiting for Kevin''s reply.


    "She doesn''t handle alcohol well, so you''d better give up the thought. Plus, remember what happened thest time she was here?" It was just a suggestion, but Kevin already began to worry about Leena getting drunk. He''d rather steer his wife from any trouble if he could help it.


    "Don''t worry. I''m here and I won''t allow Leena to get drunk. You are way too sensitive and overprotective." Hoyle spun his chair and clinked sses with Kevin before he swallowed the whiskey in one gulp.


    "Whiskey in one gulp? Hey, buddy. What''s going on? Are you okay?" Kevin was a little surprised at Hoyle''s behavior tonight.


    "Nothing. Just drink with me. Let''s drink till all''s blue." Hoyle gave Kevin a bitter smile. Everyone has those days when they feel dejected or down and Hoyle was no exception.


    "Sorry, buddy. I have a lot of work assigned to me tomorrow. I can only drink a little." Kevin was a very reliable and responsible man, and he was very good at disciplining himself. He wouldn''t allow anything to affect his work.


    "Aww... Come on! It''s Friday night! Saturday tomorrow! Who works on a Saturday?" Hoyle asked while filling Kevin''s ss. He felt that his friend was just making an excuse.


    "Us, military work on Saturdays, that''s who. So you can sleep safely at night. I''m not lying. I really have a lot of work to finish. So I can''t get drunk tonight." Kevin took out his phone from his pocket and frowned, seeing no message or call from Leena. ''Has she forgotten about me? She said that she would miss me, but she hasn''t called me or even sent a message in thest two days. Liar!'' Kevin thought.


    "Fine! Then I''ll drink this all by myself!" Hoyle took another full ss of whiskey. Kevin could tell that something was bothering him and wondered whether it was because of some woman. But since Hoyle didn''t want to talk about it, Kevin would not push it. "Okay! But take it easy, bro! It''s still early." When Hoyle was about to drink the third ss, Kevin grabbed his ss and frowned.


    "Hey, do you know that woman over there? She has been staring at you since she came in." Hoyle winked at Kevin, signalling him to look at the woman in the corner. Though he had drunk two sses of whiskey, the alcohol still hadn''t kicked in.


    "Which woman?" Kevin followed the direction Hoyle was pointing at, and when he saw Louisa, he looked away immediately and said in a cold voice, "No, I don''t know her."


    "What? Are you kidding me? If you don''t know her, why is she staring at you like that? And now, she is walking towards us!" Hoyle said as he elbowed Kevin. He didn''t believe that they didn''t know each other.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    "So we meet again, Kevin. What a nice coincidence!" Louisa greeted him with a sweet smile as if she had nevermitted a horrible thing to his wife.


    "I''m sorry, but I just want to drink with my friend alone," Kevin said in a cold tone. He didn''t even raise his head to look at her.


    "Sure. I promise I won''t disturb you guys," Louisa replied still sounding sweet and gentle. She still had a strong desire for Kevin, thinking that she might still have her chance when he got drunk.


    "Miss, didn''t you understand what he said? He meant, he doesn''t want to be disturbed. He meant, he wants you to leave. Is it clear now that I said it?" Hoyle could tell from Kevin''s behavior that Kevin detested her, so he was direct with Louisa and explicitly drove her away. "You are not Kevin. How do you know that he wants me to leave?" Louisa yelled, staring defiantly back at Hoyle. She started to be annoyed.


    "Don''t deceive yourself. You know what he meant. Just leave us alone, okay?" Hoyle finally knew why Kevin hated this woman. She was just so irritating and obnoxious. Maybe even a little mentally ill. If only he knew the rest of what this woman could do.


    "Hah! I''m a customer, and you have no right to forbid me from sitting here or anywhere I want." Louisa sat near the bar counter, close to Kevin. She had made up her mind to wait until he got drunk.


    "Hoyle, I''m going home. Let''s drink again some other time," Kevin said as he stood up, grabbed his coat and was about to leave. It would not be a good idea to stay here with Louisa around. "All right buddy. Take care and see you." Hoyle cast a scornful nce at the woman. He had no idea who she was, but he already hated her. How could anyone have such low respect of one''s self. "See you!" Kevin waved without looking back and proceeded to the door.


    "Kevin, wait for me." Louisa trotted behind Kevin and finally stopped him as he hailed a taxi.


    "Louisa Ye, you''d better leave while I can still hold my anger. Otherwise I won''t care whose daughter you are," Kevin threatened through gritted teeth. This woman''s persistence was just exhausting. He felt guilty for Leena as he could not punish the woman who had pushed her into the water, for the sake of the Commander. He didn''t expect that Louisa had the audacity to appear in front of him and act as if nothing had happened. What a shameless, despicable woman Louisa was! "Kevin, I just want to talk to you. Why are you being so rude to me?" Louisa pursed her lips grumbling.


    "Stop talking nonsense! I have nothing to talk to you about. I have nothing to say to you, except to remind you of the evil thing you''ve done to my wife. Now get out of my face and never evere near me again!" Kevin opened the taxi door and got in before she could respond.


    "I..." Louisa wanted to say something to make him stay, but couldn''t find the words. She could only watch the taxi disappear into the night.

 Chapter 1328 I Miss You (Part Three)

    Watching Louisa in the mirror, he shed a victorious smile. He thought he had been too nice to Louisa, but he couldn''t hold his tongue tonight and gave her what she deserved. It seemed that she had never learned her lesson. He decided to stay away from her from now on.


    It was still early when he arrived at Grand Apartment. An empty living room weed him, which made him feel lonely. ''Oh Nana, '' he thought, ''what are you doing right now? I miss you so much!''


    He turned on theputer, but didn''t know how to kill time with it. Then he noticed the QQ application on the desktop. He hadn''t logged in since applying for an ount thest time. Why did he, a military man, have the need for it? Nheless, with nothing else to do, he decided to log in.


    There was only one person in his buddy list, and it was Leena. Her avatar was grayed out, which meant that she was not online. She had a few updated moments. In the QQ application, a "moment" is an update, story or random thought that a user wants to share with friends. Seeing Leena''s moments in the app, Kevin clicked on one to view the full text.


    "I miss him. I really really miss him. Am I going crazy? We''ve been parted for just one day, but my mind is filled with nothing but him. What am I going to do? Damn! I must focus on my work!"


    Taking a look at the update time, Kevin saw that it was posted just the day before. If she had missed him so much, then why hadn''t she called him?


    He took out his phone from his pocket, not knowing if he should call her now. After a long moment of hesitation, he was defeated by his sensibility and dialed the familiar number.


    "Kevin! Hi! Why are you calling me now? How are you? Have you eaten? I''m so d to hear your voice!" Leena fired him questions one after another, tears streaming down her cheeks. She had been trying not to call him, because she knew she would burst into tears when hearing his voice. She didn''t expect Kevin to take the initiative to call her.


    "Nana, what''s wrong with you?" Kevin got nervous on hearing her choked voice, and wondered what had happened to her.


    "It''s all your fault. I''ve tried so hard not to miss you. But you called and now I''m crying!" Leena sobbed out her feelings. How she wished she could throw everything away and juste back home to him.


    "Sorry, Nana. But if you really miss me, you should want to hear my voice, right?" Kevin didn''t understand what she wanted or what was going on in her head. Women''s wants and needs are not only different but also very fickle!


    "But then, I will think of you even more after hearing your voice. People are like that, always wanting more," Leenained. She knew she was defying logic, but she just couldn''t help it.


    "All right. It''s all my fault. I won''t call you again next time, okay?" Kevin teased, amused by Leena''s words, and decided to make no defense. As the saying goes, "Never try to reason with women."


    "What? If you don''t call me, then I would be worried about you," Leena retorted. In the past, she was willing to suffer in silence. But now, she was acting more willful in front of Kevin. This meant that she was now more confident with their rtionship.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    "Okaaay... Then just tell me, what should I do to make you happy, or at least to lessen your misery over there." Kevin was able neither to cry nor tough. This was the part where men had no idea what women wanted. But deep inside, Kevin was d to know that Leena was back to being the happy-go-lucky girl that she once was.


    "Kevin, do you think I''m going too far with this? Am I being unreasonable now?" Leena asked while watching her staff cut cloth ording to her specifications. It was different from other ordinary fabrics and special attention was required in dealing with it. She walked towards them immediately for fear that they might destroy it.


    "For me, you will never go too far, because you are my wife. I will ept every part of you no matter what," Kevin said affectionately. Since they had gotten morefortable confessing their feelings for each other, Kevin was no longer embarrassed to speak with honeyed words.


    "Come on, Kevin. You are making me cry again!" Leena signaled her employees to stop and nned to cut the cloth by herselfter.


    "You already cried, Nana," Kevin said softly while continuing to browse on the Inte, this time reading her blog. It was not until now did he realize that Leena was a creature of emotions. Her posts in her blog revealed that.


    "Come on! Why did you have to say that? Now, I feel so ashamed," Leena grumbled pursing her lips. Though she was talking to Kevin in anguage her employees didn''t understand, she still felt embarrassed and awkward, walking away to get out of earshot. There might be a chance that one of them would understand hernguage.


    "So Babe, have you eaten yet?" Kevin checked the time and found it was dinner time where she was.


    "Not yet. I''ll go get something to eat after work. Honey, isn''t itte? Why don''t you go to sleep? Besides, I need to get back to work now." After saying that, Leena also checked the time. It would take a long time toplete her scheduled tasks for the day, so she decided to eat first and thene back to finish it.


    "All right. Remember to eat on time and always take extra precautions, Nana. Be on your guard at all times," Kevin reminded her. He was so worried about her as he knew she would be too preupied and would be unable to take good care of herself. "Got it! Okay, good night, Kevin. I love you!" Despite the unwillingness to hang up, Leena said goodbye and decided toplete the work that she came to do, as early as possible so that she could go back home to her beloved husband.


    Staring at his phone, Kevin couldn''t help but sigh at the very thought of Leena''s miserable face. As a soldier, he knew they had to separate from each other from time to time in the future as he had to carry out military tasks. She would have to get used to more separation.0000

 Chapter 1329 Treat Others As You Want To Be Treated (Part One)

    "What are you doing?" Seeing that Patricia was blocking the door to his car, Tom grew furious. Patricia wore a bright smile. ''Howe I keep meeting this woman? The less I want to see her, the more often I meet her. It is so annoying!'' he thought. "Nothing. Don''t you know this parking space is mine? Why are you taking it up?" Patricia raised her eyebrows. She hadn''t seen Tom in days. She thought she had forgotten him, but just now when she saw him, she realized she could not forget him at all. "Are you kidding me? Your parking space? You have your name on it or something?" Tom retorted. ''Ie to this gallery a lot. Does she think she can fool me?''


    "Look! It says ''Staff Only''. You didn''t see that?" Patricia said, pointing to the sign next to her. If someone took her parking space, she didn''t mind finding another spot to park her car. However, she was not willing topromise this time. Not with Tom. "You mean you work here?" Tom asked doubtfully. He didn''t believe that a bad-tempered girl like her could work at such an elegant ce.


    "You have a problem with that?" Patricia pouted. A hint of sarcasmced her tone.


    "No. I just thought it was kind of weird." With an indifferent smile, Tom lifted the convertible. ''Fine, you want to block my door?'' he thought, ''I''ll just get out another way. The door to my car can still open up!''


    "You..." Patricia perceived the sarcasm in his voice and almost choked with anger. She didn''t know his car door could be opened this way.


    "I''m sorry, I have to go." Tom waved his car keys in front of her and walked past her arrogantly. He knew the boss here well and always parked his car at the employee parking lot. He had been doing it for so long that it had gradually be a habit. He had no idea when Patricia became an employee at this ce. He had never seen her here before.


    "You asshole!" Patricia stomped her feet in rage. She looked at his receding figure and kicked his car, venting out her anger. However, her kick did nothing to the car. Instead, she cried out in pain when her foot hurt.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Long time no see, Mr. Qin." As soon as the gallery manager saw Tom, he solicitously walked toward him. They seemed to know each other quite well.


    "Yes, I''ve been a little busytely. Is your boss here?" Tom stood before a portrait. It looked like he had seen the girl in it before somewhere, except she looked fresher and more refined.


    "I''m sorry. She is not here. It''s her daughter who has been running the gallerytely," the manager answered respectfully. Tom was a big client of this gallery, so he must be treated well. "Okay, I see. Is this a new portrait?" Tom held his chin, quite interested in this picture.


    "Yes. The girl in the portrait is our boss''s daughter, so it is not for sale. It''s only for viewing," the manager exined in a low voice for fear that Tom would like to buy this picture.


    "It is a good painting. It has the artistic taste of your boss," Tom said and looked away. Since it was not for sale, he could just appreciate it.


    "Here is Miss Patricia." As soon as the manager saw Patricia, he went over to her, wanting to introduce her to Tom.


    "Miss Patricia, let me help you." The manager took the painting Patricia was holding. It was a bit heavy because of the frame.


    "Thank you. I just met a jerk at the parking lot who took over my parking area, so I had to park somewhere else. My arm is killing me." Patricia shook her sore arm. She didn''t realize someone was looking at her with interest.


    Tom had no idea that Patricia was the daughter of the great painter, Concordia Pei. They didn''t look like mother and daughter at all.


    "You mean I''m a jerk?" Tom frowned, wondering why she called him that.


    "Damn it. Why are you here?" Patricia heard Tom''s voice and realized that he was here too. There were no other shops around except the gallery of her family, so it was reasonable for him to be here.


    "Miss Patricia, do you know Mr. Qin?" the manager asked cautiously, trying to figure out the rtionship between her and Tom.


    "Yes."


    "No."


    They both replied instantly, but their answers werepletely different.


    "Excuse me? I know you don''t want to talk to me and I am fine with that. But why are you pretending not to know me?" Patricia looked at him, still seething with anger. ''This bastard made me walk hundreds of meters with this heavy stuff. I''m exhausted.'' "Do I need to know you?" Tom gave her a cold look, not showing any respect to Patricia in the presence of the manager.


    "Damn it. You''re such a jerk. Why are you pretending? Who do you think you are? I wish I didn''t know you at all," Patricia said to him furiously, wondering why she would fall in love with such a fool. ''When did my taste get so bad? How could I like him?'' she asked herself. "Watch yournguage, Miss Bai." Tom frowned at her. ''She''s the one in that picture?'' he wondered silently.


    "What? You know my name now? Why don''t you go on pretending that you don''t know me?" Patricia hated hypocritical people the most. She could not understand why she liked this man so much. There must be something wrong with her.


    "Manager Cheng, your boss is not here so I am leaving. I''lle by another day." Tom turned to say goodbye to the manager without looking at Patricia.


    "Okay, see youter." Manager Cheng nodded respectfully. He had a smile on his face as he watched Tom leave.


    "Hum! What a fool!" Patricia whispered. She resented Tom''s indifference to her.


    "Miss Patricia, would you like to take rest inside?" Manager Cheng didn''t know what had happened between the two of them, but he thought the way they got along was strange.


    "No. If you don''t need me to do anything, I''m going home. Goodbye, Manager Cheng." Patricia didn''t want to waste any more time here. The wound on her body had healed, so she wanted to continue to train for her race driving. "Goodbye." Upon seeing that Patricia was in a hurry to leave, Manager Cheng didn''t say anything further.


    Patricia had been so angry at Tom, but she felt much happier when she walked out of the gallery. She basked in the warm sunshine. Just as she walked toward her car, Tom suddenly drove up to her. Patricia took a few steps back in shock. "Damn it! Do you even know how to drive?" Patricia was so frightened that she struck the wheel of Tom''s car with her foot.


    "Did someone ever tell you that you should treat others the way you want to be treated? You know what it feels like to be scared now, don''t you?" Just as Tom said this, he drove away in a rush, before Patricia could get in a word. "Are you kidding me? What kind of a man are you? It''s been so long and you''re still mad at me. You''re stupid!" Patricia cursed loudly in the direction Tom left. She didn''t know he could be so mean.


    Tom looked in the rearview mirror and saw Patricia stomping around in anger. He smirked. ''I bet you won''t dare joke about life again.''


    "Hello! Duke. Are you in your office? I''ming," Tom called up Duke as he drove.


    "Yes,e. I''ll wait for you." Duke put down the keys he had just picked up. He wondered why Tom had suddenly nned to arrive. ''Belinda did the birth test at his hospital. Is there something wrong with it?'' he wondered, upset.000000

 Chapter 1330 Treat Others As You Want To Be Treated (Part Two)

    "Okay. I''ll be there in twenty minutes." Tom hung up and drove up to Leng Group.


    Duke frowned. ''He doesn''te to me very often. It must be something important.'' At this thought, Duke became uneasier.


    Although Tom seldom came to Leng Group, the security guards knew that he was a good friend of Duke''s. They did not stop him. Tom made it to Duke''s office without any trouble. "You are punctual." As soon as Duke saw him, he looked at the time instinctively. Businessmen like him were very sensitive to time. Every minute was money for someone rich like him.


    "You bet! You think I have no sense of time like Edward?" Tom smirked. He wondered how Edward would react to this description of him.


    "Go ahead. What do you want from me?" Duke had nned to go to YS Group but changed his schedule temporarily because of Tom.


    "What? You don''t want me toe to you?" Tom raised his eyebrows and surveyed his office wantonly. Unlike Tom''s office, Duke''s office was veryvish.


    "Just tell me. Don''t be glib like Rain." Although Tom was a good friend of his, Duke was still as cold as ever. He did not change his tone.


    "Huh! You have no sense of humor," Tomined. The more anxious Duke became, the less Tom wanted to talk to him. Tom, like a child, enjoyed keeping others in suspense. "You think I am free like you? I don''t have time to discuss my sense of humor with you." Duke red at him. ''Rain has had an impact on this guy. How could he speak to me like that?'' "Who told you I am free? I''m very busy. I wouldn''t havee to you if it wasn''t for Leena," Tom said and sat on the sofa. He knew that Duke was interested in everything about Leena. "Leena? What happened to her?" Just as Tom thought, Duke was particrly interested in Leena.


    "s! There is something wrong with her health. I don''t know how to tell her. You''re her brother. Perhaps it would be better if you tell her." Tom pressed his lips together and looked at him questioningly.


    "Damn it. Can you just say what it is?" Duke asked urgently. ''Since when does Tom speak in such a roundabout way?'' he thought.


    "Would you be patient? You keep interrupting me just when I''m about to say it," Tomined. ''You are the one who keeps on interrupting me. Why are you ming me?'' he thought.


    "Then spit it out! Why don''t you finish your words? Do you want me to worry?" Duke wanted to pry Tom''s brain to see what was inside.


    "Okay. Leena may be infertile. Do you hear me?" Tom shouted. He too felt helpless about this situation.


    "What did you just say? Infertile? How is that even possible?" Duke stared at him as if he had heard an incredible joke.


    "I''m working on it. I gave her medicine. The girl hates Chinese medicine, so I turned it all into pills. If I could, I would convince her to take some syrup. It would be better for her." Tom frowned. He looked at Duke with an expectant look on his face, hoping that as her brother, Duke could convince Leena to take them.


    "Would it work?" Duke asked in dismay. He always thought that he would take care of Leena and make sure she was happy. However, he had been wrong. She still suffered a lot of harm.


    "I''m not sure, but I think it would be helpful for her to take some medicines. If we don''t try, there is no hope," Tom said seriously. As a doctor, he felt particrly upset when he encountered an illness that he could not solve.


    "Have you told her about it?" Duke thumped the table hard. It didn''t matter to him if she could get pregnant or not, but he didn''t know what Leena thought about this. For women, being unable to have children waspletely different from not wanting them. At this thought, Duke was filled with worry.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "No. I don''t know how to tell her, so I wanted to discuss with you first. I don''t want her to feel sad." Tom sped his fingers together and looked down at his toes. It seemed he really didn''t know how to tell Leena.


    "She''s in Paris right now. Let''s try again. Perhaps we could ask Edward and see if he has any good suggestions." Duke felt dejected. He didn''t understand why a nice girl like Leena had to go through something she could not bear at this age.


    "I think that''s all we can do. Should we let Kevin know?" Tom nced at Duke, doubtfully.


    "Don''t tell him. Let''s figure it out by ourselves first." Duke was worried that Kevin would dislike Leena because of her infertility, so Duke didn''t want to tell him. Although he disliked Kevin, he knew that Kevin had his merits. Otherwise, there wouldn''t be so many girls chasing after him.


    "Okay, I''d better leave you to attend to your business. I have to go now. I will be out of town to attend an academic exchange meeting tomorrow. I have to go home and get the papers ready." As soon as Tom finished speaking, he stood up. He had a lot of things to do recently, so he felt tired.


    "Wouldn''t you like to dine with me?" Duke asked as he nced at his wristwatch. As a matter of fact, they hadn''t seen each other for a long time. Everyone was busy, so there had been no time to party.


    "Next time. I am leaving." Tom raised his hand and waved before quickly walking away. He finally said what he wanted to say, so he didn''t have to face this problem alone.


    Duke leaned against a chair and rubbed at his temples. He closed his eyes and fell into deep contemtion. Leena had no idea what was urring behind her back and was enjoying her vacation on the bank of the Seine in Paris. She had been very busy these days. Today, she finally had time to rest, so she felt rxed.


    "Leena, do you want me to take your picture and send it to Kevin?" ire, who had just arrived in Paris, quickly adapted to the beautiful city. Paris had one of the best cultures so she was particrly happy.


    "Haha! No need. We already know each other very well." Leena shook her head, rejecting ire''s suggestion. ''I''ll be home in a few days anyway. I cane back here when the press conference is held, ''Leena thought.


    "Okay. Let''s go! Let''s see what''s ahead." ire pulled Leena forward in excitement. She finally had the chance toe outside, so she wanted to have a good time. After all, when she returned home, there would be no one to hang out with her.


    "ire, wait for me." Leena couldn''t keep up with her pace. She did not know why ire had so much energy. ire was still not tired after walking around for so long.


    "I''m sorry. I was too excited." ire slowed down. She had notpletely changed her unruly personality, but she had be more polite than before.


    "It''s okay. How is Gerard these days? I''ve been in Paris for so long but haven''t seen him yet," Leena asked her casually. No matter what, she and Gerard were still friends.


    "He is trying to learn how to look after hispany''s business. He told me he wanted to invite you to dinner, but he didn''t have time to do so because he had a business deal. I only see him at work," ire replied carelessly, pursing her lips. Her eyes were drawn to a sand painting made by a young man nearby.

 Chapter 1331 That Was Not Really Love (Part One)

    "It seems that he is really mature, knowing that he has to help manage the business." Leena smiled with delight and looked along the direction ire pointed to. "Leena, it''s awesome! Isn''t it?" ire said blissfully and excitedly, sounding like an innocent little girl.


    "Yes, it''s very impressive. This kind of art could be found everywhere, especially on the streets. It seems that it has be a trend nowadays." Leena looked at the art with keen eyes, her delicate faceced with a gentle smile.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    "By the way, has Louisa caused you any more trouble after that fateful incident?" ire asked cautiously, unable to look straight at her.


    "No, never. Why did you ask?" The mention of Louisa reminded Leena of the scene that happened in the cake store the other day. But she quickly shook it off, refusing to dwell on this issue. Louisa didn''t do anything unforgivable that day, so she just let it pass. "Nothing, I was just curious. What she did is hard to forget. At least for me." ire smiled. She and Louisa were friends for years, but their friendship ended in a blink of an eye. Although she felt a little sad over it, she was d that it was over. Because she was fortunate enough to have figured out what kind of person Louisa really was before everything spun out of control. Something bad always tended to happen around Louisa.


    "You''re sad over this." Leena turned her head to her sister-inw. If she were in ire''s shoes, she would be extremely sad and heartbroken too, if she found out that she was betrayed by someone she considered to be her BFF.


    "Was. I was sad. Not anymore. Now I am really fine. Let''s drop it. How about you and my brother? How is everything with you? Have you started nning to have a child? I''m eager to have a nephew... or niece!" re changed the topic and gazed at Leena, eyes gleaming with a yful smile.


    "What? How long have we been married? It''s too soon to have a baby! We haven''t really talked about it." Leena blushed and lowered her head, a smile finding its way to her face, betraying her words. In truth, she was more than ready to have a baby and she had been hoping that Kevin would bring up the subject one of these days.


    "Don''t tell me that you are having birth control. You know my mom expects to have at least one grandson from you. You can''t disappoint her," ire winked and grinned teasingly.


    "Oh, you! You are still a young girl. This is kind of a grown up thing. You shouldn''t be talking about it yet." Leena''s face grew red and she hurriedly walked away. Although she was a married woman, she still felt embarrassed to talk about it.


    "Huh! Leena, you are a fashionista! Your profession requires you to be liberal and even extreme. Why are you so conservative?" ire quickened her pace and caught up with Leena. She wouldn''t let her run away from this topic.


    "Stop, this has nothing to do with fashion or conservative thinking. This is a very sensitive topic, don''t you think? And here we are, still on an open street?" Leena grumbled, avoiding meeting ire''s eyes. Now she finally knew how Belinda felt when she asked her the same question before.


    "Fine! But why should we care so much? These locals here don''t understand what we are talking about anyway." re let out a heartyughter. As visitors in the city, they already stood out among the crowd on the street and the sudden outburst ofughter attracted more attention from the people around.


    Leena shot her a ''You-are-hopeless'' nce and quickened her pace. She didn''t even care whether ire followed. She just wanted to avoid the topic and get out of the hot seat.


    Time passed by quietly and peacefully. Kevin''s days were spent calcting how long before Leena would be back. He found himself so lonely without Leena beside him.


    "A penny for your thoughts? You are thinking of Leena, right?" With a field zer on, Daisy looked at him with a yful smile.


    "Yes, you got it right," Kevin replied with a grin. He had no ns to hide his thoughts from Daisy.


    "I told you, that sometimes giving up one thing was not totally bad. Life could offer you more surprises and better things. As they say, when God closes the door, he opens a window," Daisy said as she narrowed her eyes and looked at him. She was happy to see him very much in love. "Thank you for bluntly refusing me that time. You made me realize what I really wanted and I was able to get what I actually needed." Kevin also wore a camouge uniform. They continued their conversation while standing on the training grounds.


    "Truthfully speaking, you were only taking pity on me at that time, and that was not really love. But now, it turned out perfectly well. You know what is best for you," Daisy said as she looked in the distance. They had met too many hardships and challenges along the way before they got to where they were. But dly, both stories had happy endings.


    "You must have thought that I was extremely annoying at that time." Kevin smiled. He remembered that he was really heartbroken after Daisy turned him down. That was why he tried to drown himself in alcohol. And another door opened for him. By fate, he met Leena and ended up marrying her.


    "No, not at all. Believe or not, I always consider you as family. In my heart, you are more like a brother to me. Until now, that is what I think of you as," Daisy said. Her eyes, her voice and bodynguage showed nothing but genuine sincerity.


    "I know and I believe you. Okay, let''s go! It''s time to check the results," Kevin said while jumping up to his military car. He hurriedly turned away because he didn''t want Daisy to catch him being too emotional.


    Daisy raised her eyebrows and then followed him to the car. They headed to the finish line and were about to see who would be the first few to stand out in the special training project.


    The next time Patricia saw Tom, she was not as irritated as she was before. She seemed very calm.


    "Huh! Doctor Qin! What an honor! What brings you here?" Patricia asked, standing at the door. She was supposed to leave, but happened to run into Tom at the door. What a coincidence!


    "I came to the gallery to see the exquisite art works, of course. Were you thinking that I came here to see you?" Tom frowned and squeezed himself through the door. Whether he bumped into her or roughly brushed her aside, he had no care for that. "Hey! Watch your manners! Why so rude to ady?" Patricia turned around and shouted behind him.


    "Umm, you watch you manners. This is a gallery, an elegant ce. You can''t speak too loudly here." Tom ced his finger on his mouth, motioning for her to keep a low voice. He looked like a gentleman with such a gesture but it was quite condescending.000000????????

 Chapter 1332 That Was Not Really Love (Part Two)

    "Huh? Are you lecturing me on how to behave around high culture? You are the one who don''t have proper etiquette. Pigs would fly if someone like you could understand high art!" Patricia lowered her voice, despite the ribbing tone. She really did not want to be the cause of any disturbance in the gallery. Tom didn''t talk back. He slowed his pace and started his tour, pausing in front of every piece of artwork. For some of the paintings, he had seen them quite a few times. He noticed that his feelings were different each time he appreciated them. He didn''t know whether it


    had something to do with the mood he had at the time when he looked at them.


    Although Patricia was the daughter of a famous painter, she didn''t know much about painting, or most of the mainstream art genres. So she was very curious about what Tom was thinking when he quietly stood in front of every painting in the gallery. To her, they were only scribbles and smudges of different colors and different types of paint. She hardly understood what they really wanted to express. Even so, she still quietly followed him around. She told herself that he might need someone to apany him.


    "Hmm, why are you following me?" After a while, Tom realized that Patricia was beside him. He looked at her with a frown, stepping back.


    "I''m not following you. I am going around and appreciating these paintings. I am also a woman with good taste," Patricia pouted and defended herself. There was no way that she would ever admit that she was following him. Though she had a character that looked tough on the outside which was almost boyish, she also had a pleasant and timid side.


    "Really? So tell me, what do you see from this painting?" Crossing his arms, Tom motioned to a painting of a woman on a couch holding an apple. He gazed at Patricia and waited for her reply. He would like to see how she could continue to support her im that she knew art.


    "Two words, ''too boring''. I wonder what interests you in this. I mean, it''s a woman on a couch!" Patricia pursed her lips. She was straightforward and always blurted out what was in her mind. She didn''t understand art, that was it. She wouldn''t care what others would think of her. Those who thought of her as shallow could just go to hell, as far as she was concerned.


    "Well, why are you here then? I know! Because you are trying to be near to me." Tom''s voice suddenly became icy. He had no qualms about rubbing it to her face despite Patricia''s mother being an acquaintance with him.


    "Don''t tter yourself too much. The gallery belongs to my family, I can stay anywhere I want and do anything I want in here." Patricia pursed her lips and kept her chin up in a defensive yet arrogant and overbearing manner.


    "Okay, well understood." Tom raised both his hands in resignation. "You can stay here and do anything as you like. I will take my leave." Finishing his words, Tom turned around and walked towards the entrance. He wondered why he always had to run into her. But he had never seen her before, especially when he first came to this gallery. It was so strange, that he thought it was an arrangement rather than coincidence.


    "Hey! Where are you going?" Patricia quickly followed him. She would not let him leave so easily.


    "I think I don''t have to tell you where I am going." Tom suddenly stopped and Patricia, unable to stop quick enough, ran face first onto his back.


    "Ouch!" Patricia frowned with pain. "What the hell! You asshole, why did you suddenly stop?" Patricia touched her nose as it went numb. She didn''t care who was to me. Not only was it hurtful, it was also humiliating.


    "What does it have to do with me? Do I have to remind you that I wasn''t the one who bumped into someone!" Tom said gravely, his face as cold as ice. But if one looked closer, one would notice that he was almost grimacing, trying to hold back a bit of aughter. "You are freaking blind!" Patricia stared at him with anger. That was not enough to ease her fury, so she stamped heavily on his feet.


    "Ouch! Are you crazy? Do you even know what you are saying? It does not make you a gracefuldy with such vulgar words." Tom had never met or seen a woman so violent to him like her. His eyes sparked with anger.


    "You are the person who started all this." Patricia moved closer, challenging him. Even when fiercely arguing with each other, as long as he talked to her, that was good enough and she was happy. She was never like this, but for Tom, she was willing to go low, to the extent that she had to invite insult to attract his attention.


    "Crazydy!" Tom said as he checked his shoe which had be dirty because of her stamp. She should feel lucky that the person she stepped on was him. If it was Edward, he would surely make her pay. Edward was a serious germophobe.


    "Jerk!" Patricia cursed back. Deep within, she really wanted to be close to him, maybe be friends with him first. But she still yed hard ball.


    "Hey, do you really want me to be a jerk? Fine, I will not disappoint you. Watch this." Tom said as he suddenly approached her and pushed her against the wall and squeezed his body on her. He leaned forward and ced his hands above her, firmly locking Patricia in his arms, both of them unable to move. She could feel his gentle breath as he spoke and that had her spellbound.


    "You... What are you... what are you going to do?" Patricia''s body became stiff instantly. She couldn''t think straight and was unable to utter aplete sentence. She waited for his next move and at the same time, she was very nervous.


    "What? Isn''t this what you have long been waiting for? Stop pretending that you are a saint! You''ve been dreaming of this."


    After whispering these words, his face approached her lips, a movement that made her think that he was going to kiss her.


    "Tom, you asshole!" At this point, Patricia flew into a fit of rage and pushed him away. She didn''t expect that such a gentle man would be self assuming and disrespectful.


    "Asshole? Haha! Since you already knew that, why did you provoke me? All these stupid games! What on earth do you want from me?" Tom said as he pinched her jaw. Although he only used a little strength, it still hurt Patricia.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "If I tell you, will you do as I wish?" Patricia looked into his eyes. In order to win his heart, she must first show some humility, gentleness and some manners.000

 Chapter 1333 That Was Not Really Love (Part Three)

    "I can only say that you are thinking too much. Patricia, keep your hands off me. If possible, stay away from me. Don''t expect that you will get anything from this because I won''t give you anything. If you were not Leena''s friend, I won''t waste time even talking to you." The "Tom, am I really so despicable to you?" Patricia bit her lower lip. Even though he said such ruthless words, she still kept her chin up, as proud as she had been all this time. She wouldn''t waste a tear or give him the impression that she was easily defeated. "You are not despicable, but what you do makes me feel sick." Tom didn''t know why he would have such a feeling. The more she got close to him, the more he felt resistant, even to the extent of exasperation.


    words that gushed out from his mouth were as cold as if they wereing from hell that had frozen over. Patricia felt a shiver down her spine.


    "Haha! Okay, I hear you. Say no more Doctor Qin, and take care. I hope we never run into each other again." Patrica looked up at the ceiling, trying to hold back her tears. Then she smiled, as if nothing had happened. The bright smile on her face could make one think that she never seriously cared about anything.


    "Good. And I agree. I hope we never see each other again." After saying this, Tom was surprised that he wasn''tpletely happy about this. He was supposed to be celebrating in his heart now that this crazy annoying girl decided to leave him alone. Instead, he felt his heart get stung by something. He fell into a despondent mood as if he lost something valuable.


    Patricia watched him until he disappeared from sight. As soon as he turned the corner, tears streamed down her face and messed up her makeup. She had alreadypromised her dignity in the hope that he could see the vulnerability in her heart. But what she got in return was only ridicule and more hate. Did he really have no feelings or even respect for her? She wondered.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    If time stopped in this moment, could her heart stop bleeding as well? She was so devastated that she couldn''t even breathe. She felt that her heart was broken into a million pieces.


    "Miss Patricia, are you okay?" Seeing Patricia copse to the ground, Manager Cheng rushed out from his office to see what was happening to her.


    "Manager Cheng, I want to be alone in the office for a while, is it okay?" Patricia stood up and staggered towards her mom''s office. She didn''t care how Manager Cheng would think of her.


    "Of course. Can I get you anything? Do you want some water or coffee?" Manager Cheng followed her and reached out his hands to support her, in case she stumbled and fell again. She seemed very weak.


    "Thanks. I only want to be alone for now." Patricia pushed the office door open and threw herself onto the sofa. While she held back all emotions in front of Manager Cheng, now that she was alone, she let it all go, tears rushing out like a flood, making the pain take over her entire body. Tears blurred her eyes, and the pain stabbed her fragile heart. This might be the only time in her life that she cried like this. Even when she got injured in thepetition, she had never experienced this much pain. A physical wound could heal quickly, but a broken heart would be almost impossible to piece together.


    Manager Cheng was very worried about her but as she expressed her desire to be left alone, he let her be. He quietly closed the door and stayed outside to keep watch in case she needed something, hoping that she would rebound from it soon.


    Tom raced back to the hospital. Feeling at a loss, he was absent-minded all afternoon. He always found himself in a trance, gazing at something but thinking about something else.


    "Rain, how about we have a drink tonight?" It was the first time that Tom asked anyone out to drink. He needed to calm himself. After his encounter with Patricia, he had be troubled and restless.


    "Have a drink?! Tom, are you alright? Did I hear correct? It seems like the sun came out from the west today! Where is this urge to go drinking tonighting from?" Leaning back in the sofa, Rain teased in azy tone. If his memory served him right, Tom had never taken the first move to invite anyone to have a drink.


    "Cut the crap. Just tell me if you''ll go or not!" Tom was impatient. He was just asking him to join him for a drink, why was he such a bbermouth?


    "Fine, fine, fine! Tell me. Where do you want to go? I''d love to go to drink with you." Rain stood up from the sofa and walked to the window. Looking down at the busy street, he had no reason to refuse his friend. He was alone anyway, and here came Tom with an offer for a fun night.


    "You decide the ce. I''m not familiar with any ces of entertainment. You''re the expert at that." Tom closed the report he had been reading the whole afternoon. Unlike Rain who was a business man and had frequently been to nightclubs and other entertainment venues, Tom rarely went to such ces.


    "What would be better than our old watering hole? We are already familiar with it and we know the people there," Rain said casually. Since Edward and Duke had their own families, they seldom got together like they did before.


    "Okay, good idea. We''ll go to Sexy World and let''s get hammered." Tom seemed ready to go all out for a binge. He smiled bitterly. It should have been a victory to have gotten rid of Patricia. But he didn''t know why he felt at a loss. He felt anxious as if something was missing, and he didn''t know what.


    "Really? Get hammered? Are you serious? I can''t believe that this remark came out from your mouth. Come on, buddy, what happened to you? Were you beaten up by someone or did some girl turn you down?" Rain teased. He knew Tom was not the kind of guy who would feel down because of woman. He had never seen him attracted by any woman for that matter. Tom was just an unusual person, very different from the others. He seemed to have no worldly desires. The only rtionship he had was with hisb. Nothing else could captivate him.0000

 Chapter 1334 The Encounter (Part One)

    "Fuck off. We''re not the same. I can live without a girlfriend, but you..." Tom quickly attacked Rain for hisments. Perhaps too quickly. Because he kept thinking about a certain girl, and didn''t know why.


    "You mad, bro? Come on, I was just joking. But duty calls. See you after work!" Rain was never one to follow the rules, being a very spontaneous guy. Even if he was one of the most important people in thepany, he only did what he wanted. He even made his own schedule, never showing up at 9, and never leaving by 5. This annoyed Edward a bit. But as long as Rain did his job, Edward decided to turn a blind eye to his actions.


    "Patricia, what the hell is up with your eyes?" Michelle asked loudly, as soon as she saw Patricia.


    "Nothing. I''m good. I just drank too much water before I went to sleepst night." Patricia looked askance as she avoided Michelle''s eyes. She was too ashamed to admit that she''d been crying.


    "Still going to train? If you can''t see that well you might get hurt." Michelle didn''t notice that Patricia was lying. She was just worried about her. She was right, if you were concentrating on your red eyes or blinking too much, you might miss a critical turn and really get hurt. "I''m fine, really. Don''t worry about me." Patricia looked at Michelle with grateful eyes. She really appreciated that Michelle cared about her. But she wasn''t about to skip training. The race was too important to her, and she was definitely ready. "But I still don''t think that it''s a good idea. How about this? We skip training, go out, and have a few drinks! My treat. Sound good?" Michelle didn''t know why, but she had a bad feeling about today. So she was going to try and convince Patricia to y hooky. "But I''ve already changed into my one-piece..." Patricia didn''t like Michelle''s suggestion much. She felt sad and lonely, so she decided to throw herself into her work, get her mind off a certain doctor. She wanted to let it all out.


    "You can change back! It''s no big deal." Michelle was persistent. She really didn''t think that Patricia was in the right state of mind to train. And she was probably right. Last time, she just wounded herself. Who knew what might happen today.


    "Okay." Patricia finally relented. Maybe it was a good idea. Though she couldn''t train today, maybe she could still let alcohol numb her mind and lessen the pain she was feeling right now. And there was such a thing as overtraining. Probably a good idea to have a rest. "Awesome! Let''s go grab a bite first. Then, to the bar!" she pointed, with a flourish. Michelle immediately dragged her away before she could change her mind. She wanted Patricia out and having fun before she could think too clearly.


    Sometimes fate had a way of throwing us together with what we tried to leave behind. So when Patricia saw Tom again, she tried her best to ignore him.


    "Mr. Xia! Fancy seeing you here." Michelle greeted Rain a bit excitedly. She remembered the time she got into a fight with a stranger on the road. Rain and Daisy helped her out.


    "And you are..." Rain was a bit startled. He couldn''t remember this girl. She clearly knew him, though. He racked his brain trying toe up with a name.


    "Michelle! Remember? I got in an ident, but you and Daisy helped me." Michelle knew she wasn''t that hot looking, but she didn''t think Rain wouldpletely forget her. To be honest, she was a bit disappointed. "Michelle?" Rain furrowed his eyebrows and tried to think. A young girl dressed like a punk came to mind. And finally, he remembered! "Oh! It''s you! Long time no see. Looks like your fashion sense hasn''t changed."


    "Oh... I..." She wasn''t sure it was apliment. In fact, she wasn''t sure what to say at all. Michelle didn''t know how to take that. Did she really dress that badly?


    Patricia stopped in her tracks because Michelle stopped to socialize. But she didn''t even nce at Tom. Shepletely ignored him as if they were real strangers. ''This is what he wants anyway, right?'' Patricia thought bitterly to herself. And that was just it. Tom didn''t react, either.


    "It is of course apliment." Rain smirked. He saw her reaction, and he was his usual charming self. One could not tell from the look on his face if what he said was true or not. And that was Rain, all the time.


    "Come on, let''s go!" Tom interrupted. ''Thank God that annoying woman didn''t try to talk to me. Otherwise, that would have been awkward, ''he thought. That was exactly what he wanted, wasn''t it? He didn''t want Patricia to keep pestering him. So why was he disappointed? Was she that far out of his league? Was he out of his mind? He hadn''t even started drinking, for God''s sake!


    "Okay okay. We''re going now. See ya." The only reason Rain stopped to talk to Michelle was that Daisy liked her. If it weren''t for that, Rain wouldn''t have given her the time of day.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Of course. Bye!" Michelle said to Rain. Unlike the girls Rain had met before, she didn''t approach him on purpose. It was just a chance meeting.


    Rain stopped for a second when he walked past Patricia. He nced at her with meaningful eyes but didn''t say anything. Then he quickly caught up to Tom. He was curious. There was something going on there, something he didn''t quite get.


    "Hey! What is it with you and that girl? I know that look, by now, my friend. You guys know each other." Rain elbowed Tom''s side as he said this. He knew it. Now he just had to get Tom to dish.


    "What girl? That chick you talked with at the door?" Tom pushed open the door to the box in the bar. He knew who Rain was referring to by ''that girl'', but he wasn''t going to make it easy for him. Rain was being too nosy.


    "Cut it out. I''m talking about the other one. Isn''t she Leena''s bestie? Are you dating her or what?" Rain followed Tom inside and closed the door. Being his usualzy self, he immediately plopped down on the big sofa.

 Chapter 1335 The Encounter (Part Two)

    "Dating her? What the hell are you on about? I don''t know who she is!" At this time, Tom was getting annoyed. But why? Because of Rain''s teasing, or because he didn''t know how he felt. He certainly didn''t expect to run into her here. And he wasn''t blind. He could tell she''d been crying. Was it because of him? He was worried about her, and mad at himself for getting too involved. ''Yeah, she cried. So what? It can''t be over me!'' Tom tried to convince himself. He still wasn''t sure, though.


    "Ha! Don''t bullshit me. It''s weird enough you wanted to pay for drinks. What is it? You have feelings for her?" Rain asked. He was not one to be tactful. In fact, he was d that Tom finally seemed to like a girl. He had been wondering if Tom was batting for the same team. Tom never seemed to be interested in girls. Or anyone, now that he thought about it.


    Tom shot him a look. "I''d say you''re drunk, but we haven''t even started yet." Tom dodged the question and avoided Rain''s eyes. It was not hard to tell he was lying.


    "Come on, man. It''s me. So? Am I right? Maybe I can even give you some tips on how to work this." Rain needed to know what was going on between Tom and Patricia. And he wouldn''t let this slide easily. It was Rain, he had to know everything, even when it was none of his business. Besides, maybe he could take Tom under his wing. He''d like that. It appealed to his ego.


    "I still don''t know what you''re talking about. Drink up, dude!" Tom picked up the bottle of alcohol that the waitress brought in just now, poured himself a cup and threw it back, clearing his throat afterwards. No, nothing was bothering him in the slightest.


    "All right man. I can''t make you talk. I''ll drop it." Rain also poured himself a cup. But he just sipped his, unlike Tom. They came here all the time to loosen up and forget the day. So the staff here already knew them, and brought their favorite drinks to the box without being asked.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    At the other part of the bar, the waiter also brought Patricia''s drink to her. Like Tom, she downed it in one go. She had things she wanted to forget, too. It was just that she didn''t quite know how.


    "Patricia, slow down, will you?" Michelle furrowed her brow in worry. Yeah, she could be quite oblivious sometimes, but it didn''t mean that she was that thick. She saw Patricia''s reaction to Tom. She didn''t know what happened between the two of them, but Patricia didn''t look happy. In fact, she was paler than when she first came in.


    "What? You''re the one who''s telling I''m too intense. Well, I''m loosening up. Happy?" Patricia said while pouring herself another drink. Again, she downed it in one shot.


    "Yeah, well, slow down. I don''t need to spend the night holding your hair back while you barf." Love was always going to hurt. If Patricia hadn''t fallen in love with a guy who didn''t even like her, she wouldn''t be heartbroken now. And of course, it would take time to get over


    it.


    "Don''t worry. I''m fine. Cheers!" Patricia clinked her ss with Michelle''s. Tom was hard to forget, even with some alcohol in her. She couldn''t stop thinking about this handsome, serious man. She kept wondering what he was thinking. Was he sad that she didn''t talk to him? But she wouldn''t know that unless she asked, and that wasn''t going to happen. She hoped she could drink enough and feel no pain. She really wanted to forget about Tom.


    "Cheers!" Michelle was worried, but she couldn''t do anything about it. She just let Patricia do what she needed. Something was bothering her, and maybe being here with a friend would help her out. Maybe.


    "Michelle, tell me. You have ever been in love with someone?"


    Patricia suddenly asked out of nowhere. There was a resentful smile on her face, and she stared at Michelle with curious eyes, made somewhat ssy by drink.


    "Um, no, I don''t think so anyway. Maybe someday. Why? You in love?" Michelle knew she was probably talking about Tom. But she didn''t say anything. Maybe Patricia would tell her when she was ready, and hopefully it would help.


    "No I mean... That is... I don''t know. It doesn''t matter anyway. He''s not into me." Patricia, somewhat shaky, downed another shot. Her heart grew more and more dour as she talked, and the alcohol wasn''t helping.


    "Don''t give up so easily! What''s stopping you? He''s not... married?" Michelle really didn''t know, and sounded astonished as that thought urred to her. Seeing Patricia like this was scaring her off from falling in love. She didn''t know what she would do if the one she loved didn''t love her back. Or if he couldn''t, because he was already married.


    "Well, he doesn''t like me, for one. At least not the way I do him. So I have to forget him." She poured another drink. "I''m doing a bad job of it." Patricia smiled at Michelle, but her smile was grim and forced. Her words wereced with mockery. If Tom didn''t like her, why did she keep bugging him? Maybe if she stopped thinking about him, she''d at least retain her dignity.


    "Are you talking about Dr. Qin?" Michelle finally blurted it out. She was really curious. She didn''t know much about the doc, but at least he was nice-looking and seemed decent. Patricia had good taste.


    "How... how did you know?" Patricia looked at Michelle in surprise. How did she know? Was she really that obvious? Then she smiled sulkily. ''Yeah, of course I am. Even Michelle could tell, and she doesn''t notice anything half the time.'' she thought to herself. "It''s not rocket science. It was as in as the nose on your face."


    Michelle gave her a look of sincere sympathy. She could tell that Patricia really loved Tom, or she wouldn''t be drinking herself into oblivion right now. It was too bad they couldn''t get together. Otherwise, they would have made a cute couple.


    "He doesn''t like me. I even annoyed him, and he got mad. If I wasn''t Leena''s friend he wouldn''t have even treated me." Patricia mocked herself. She wasn''t really secretive, so this stuff was bound toe out anyway. It was no use lying to Michelle, so she decided to tell her everything.


    "You told him how you felt," Michelle said hesitantly. Patricia must have, right? Or she wouldn''t have known what Tom thought. It wasn''t a question. It was a statement of fact.0000

 Chapter 1336 Drunk And Disorderly (Part One)

    "Come on, that''s not like you. You''re the most driven person I know when ites to racing. Maybe put a little of that chutzpah into going after this guy." That was Michelle to a T. Everyone was fair in the game of love. She didn''t care what other women did. If she fell in


    love with a man, she would do whatever she could to make him her man.


    "Ha ha! I tell you. I swallowed my pride and went straight for him. But he said he wouldn''t even talk to me if I weren''t Leena''s friend. What am I supposed to do?" Patricia drained her wine ss then. The sorrow and grief she tried to push away flooded her heart again. Hearing Patricia''s heart-broken tale, Michelle was at a loss. The only thing she could do was to keep filling her wine ss. Maybe an answer would be found in the bottom of the ss, or maybe sweet oblivion. Maybe if she got drunk, things would be better. "I have to -- have to tell you," Patricia said, her voice thick with drink. "Don''t fall in love with someone if he doesn''t...doesn''t love you back." Patricia sat on the ground. The two young women sat there and swapped tales of their limited love experience. "But you can make someone fall in love, right? With the right wit, charm, and looks? He must have really rattled you." Michelleughed helplessly. A man''s face and figure shed through her head at the same time. "Yeah, you''re right. Well, never mind. Bottoms up!" Patricia picked up her ss and clinked it against Michelle''s. Suddenly, she realized that Michelle and her were both drinking a lot, drowning their sorrows in wine. "Cheers." Michelle got it. Patricia wasn''t going to listen to her. So she decided to let her be and drink with her. It was better that she had a friend, than to have her drink alone. At least she could make sure Patricia got home okay. Tom knew how to drink like a gentleman. He was cultured and able to control himself. So he didn''t m up and try to iste himself, no matter his bad mood. Instead, he was tasting the wine, letting it settle on his palette. Sometimes, things happened for no reason. Tom had never expected that he would see Patricia after he walked out of the box. She was drunk as a skunk. They almost ran into each other.


    "Sorry!" Patricia apologized and let out a belch. She did not lift her head to look at the guy she nearly collided with, but just stumbled ahead.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    "Hey, wait up!" Michelle grinned at Tom and stumbled to catch up with Patricia. They were both three sheets to the wind.


    "Check that out! Those two are snockered." Rain''s eyes widened like saucers. How many drinks did they have? You could smell it on them.


    "Tell me about it," Tom sneered coldly. He didn''t stop and kept walking outside. When Patricia bumped into him just now, he thought she did it deliberately. But he wasn''t sure. But she didn''t even look at him, and was pretty stered now. Probably an ident. "Those two are really irondies," Rain sighed with admiration. He gave them a thumbs up, then struggled to catch up with Tom.


    "Yeah! Like that TV show, high ss and loveless," Tom said. Tom pulled his cor up, a cold wind had whipped up the moment he walked out. But he didn''t stop. Instead, he quickened his pace towards his car.


    "Ha! You watch that, too?" Rain snorted through his nose. He didn''t really feel like drinking anyway. For some reason, he wasn''t in the mood. The wine had even lost its taste.


    "Not really. Just saw ads for it. Hey, how about a rain check tonight? Next time we''ll call Edward and Duke and all them. It felt weird, just the two of us drinking. Bye." Tom waved his hand in a farewell gesture. He had the same thought as Rain. It just felt wrong when the two of them drank together.


    "It''s because we''re gluttons for punishment. We miss getting bullied when Edward''s not around. Take care!" Rain said and got into his car. He didn''t wait for Tom''s reply, and just sped off into the night.


    Tom just watched his car, until Rain disappeared into the distance. He heard a familiar voice the moment he was about to get into his own vehicle.


    "Michelle, I... am not drunk. Really. I mean it. So... don''t worry! I can drive you...drive you back. Leave your car. We''lle..e back and get it tomorrow," Patricia said while belching. She insisted on persuading Michelle that she wasn''t drunk, even though she clearly was. She was so drunk she could barely talk, words slurred, forgetting her train of thought, not to mention the gas that built up in her that insisted oning out when she opened her mouth.


    "Ok! I trust you." Michelle giggled. But she was drunk too and she couldn''t think straight. She just agreed with Patricia, no matter what she said.


    "Awesome! Get in. I''ll drive you home," Patricia answered in an ted tone. She was quite happy when Michelle agreed with her.


    "Are you crazy? How could you drive when you''re this drunk?" Tom ignored them at first, but he overheard Patricia offering to drive Michelle. He was a doctor -- he had to go over and warn them, stop them from risking their lives. They were putting their lives in danger! "Ha ha! You know what? You... look like a man I know. But you''re a...a busybody. That''s not like him," Patricia giggled goofily. She even reached out, trying to pinch Tom''s face. Tom deftly dodged it, but found that his reaction times were far faster than hers.


    "Yup, that''s me! But Miss Bai, maybe you don''t want to live, but I think your friend does," Tom said with a heavy face. What did she say? Not drunk? She didn''t even recognize him! She was as drunk as a skunk!000000

 Chapter 1337 Drunk And Disorderly (Part Two)

    "What? Who... doesn''t want to live?" Patricia shook her head and stared at Tom, confused. Shaking her head was a big mistake, because she was immediately overwhelmed by vertigo. She gripped the side of the car, hoping to stop the world from spinning. "This is getting ridiculous. Don''t drink and drive!" Tom snarled at her. He couldn''t help it. He kept telling himself that he didn''t care about her at all. But here he was, practically yelling at them not to drink and drive. Why was he driven to do this? "Patricia, let''s go." Sitting in the car for a long time, Michelle was getting impatient. So she decided to say something.


    "Michelle, look at this guy! He looks like Tom, huh?" Though she was standing, Patricia wasn''t stable at all, and almost fell down. Tom rushed to rescue her, and caught her before she hit the pavement. He regretted it, because he wanted nothing to do with her. "Who? I can''t see him clearly. I''ll check him out," Michelle said and opened the door, trying to get out. But somehow, she almost tripped over the door. She caught herself, mercifully, before she fell. But she wasn''t exactly light on her feet either. They must have been talking about him while they were drinking. They didn''t recognize him now, but they keptparing his appearance to Tom. He wasn''t sure how he felt about that. So was Patricia talking about him behind his back with her friend? And why? "Ha ha! Maybe I''m wrong. Tom... Tom''s a cold fish! He wouldn''t talk to me, unlike this guy," Patricia said andughed at her own joke, half-mockingly. Sheughed, but her face looked sad.


    "No, Patricia. It''s really him!" Michelle tilted her head and studied Tom carefully. The longer she looked at him, the more she felt that this man was actually Tom.


    "Really? Let me get a better look," Patricia said, and looked him up and down, staring at him carefully with drunken eyes. He certainly looked like Tom, handsome and charming.


    "Where do you live? I''ll call a taxi for you," Tom said in a cold tone. He was now thoroughly annoyed at the inane conversation, especially because it was about him.


    "Live? Hee hee. Why should we tell you? What? You gonna follow us home?" Patricia smiled enchantingly, batting her eyshes at Tom. At least she was drunk this time, so she was a little more mellow than she''d usually be.


    "I''m not interested in you. So save it!" Tom pushed Patricia away angrily. As expected, Patricia fell down. She was drunk, and couldn''t keep her bnce.


    "Ouch!" Patricia screamed in a low voice. She raised her eyes to look at Tom. Her expression was one of hurt. So he not only rejected her verbally, but now physically as well.


    "Oh my god! You okay, Patricia?" Michelle asked in a concerned tone, staggering over to Patricia. She bent over, trying to help Patricia up. Unfortunately, she was also so drunk that both of them fell down.


    "No, I''m fine... so dizzy." Patricia was tipsy and was developing a headache thanks to the strong alcohol wearing off.


    "Hey! What''s wrong with you? You should be ashamed of yourself! Ooh big strong man, pushing a woman around!" Michelle shouted. Then she dusted herself off and stood up.


    "Just tell me, where do you live? I''m leaving if you don''t answer me." Tom sighed helplessly. Though he knew Patricia''s mom, he didn''t know where she lived. What was more, there was Michelle, who probably had her own ce. Now he had two addresses to wrangle out of the drunken pair.


    "Go...go away! We don''t need your help!" Michelle shouted, hands on her hips. She looked kind of cute when she was angry.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    "All right!" Tom shouted back. He had quite enough of them. "Good luck!" Tom was usually gentle. But he would turn into a totally different guy if he got angry. He decided to leave, before things got worse. But right when he was about to get in his car, he heard a honk. "What''s going on?" Luke asked curiously, rolling down the window. He was free today, since Edward was with Daisy. He just had spent a good time with his friend and was headed back home again. But then there was a crazy guy and a couple women standing in the middle of the road, shouting. So he pulled over and got out to see what the matter was. Then, he recognized Tom.


    "Luke, you just came in time. They''re Leena''s friends. They told me to bugger off, so they''re all yours. Please -- help them!" Tom sighed in relief when he saw Luke. The two women were driving him mad!


    Luke frowned and tore his eyes away from Tom to look at the two women. He closed his eyes in exasperation when he saw Michelle. God must be pulling a prank on him. Wherever he went, she always seemed to be there.


    "Hee hee! Stone man! Why are you here?" Michelle said, and belched loudly. She staggered over to Luke.


    "You know her? Good. Then she''s yours. I''ll drive Patricia back to her ce." Tom did not have the heart to leave Patricia alone. She might do something dangerous, or worse, find someone dangerous. If something happened to her, he wouldn''t know how to exin it to Leena, much less Patricia''s mother.


    "Why should I be responsible for it? Why did you let them get drunk in the first ce?" Luke said to Tom. But his eyes were staring at Michelle, with a burning anger. If looks could kill, she would have been a corpse. "Come on! I didn''t drink with them and didn''t get them drunk! Just like you, I came across them. What kind of guy do you think I am?" Tom was originally just angry. Now he felt more insulted thanks to Luke''s teasing. "Hey! You guys. Are we invisible?" No one wanted to be ignored. Michelle was no exception. So although she was tipsy, she still remembered to stand up for herself. She was getting impatient, and tried to boot.


    "It''s always the ugly ones who have to work hard to get attention," Luke teased Michelle coldly. Despite this, he still epted Tom''s proposal. He would make sure she got home safely, trusting that Tom would do the same with his drunken charge.???????????

 Chapter 1338 A Misunderstanding Between Them (Part One)

    "Damn it! What do you mean, ugly one? Who are you referring to?" Michelle gritted her teeth angrily. Although she was drunk, she could still hear everything. "Get in the car now. Or I''ll take you to the police right now!" Luke knew that a thug like Michelle would be afraid of the cops. So he did not hesitate to threaten her.


    "Luke, you bastard! What wrong did I ever do to you? Why are you so mean to me?" Michelle shouted angrily but hardly stood still. She was unable to fight when she was that drunk. Nheless she still cursed him. She was a tough girl no matter what.


    "Because you are trouble in my eyes. Am I clear enough? Ahh right! You''re too drunk to understand." Luke pulled the door open, waiting patiently for her to get in the car.


    "Humph! You are nobody to me! Do you hear?" Michelle said proudly. She turned around and staggered away, trying to leave. But she was stopped by Luke who caught her firmly in anger. He threw her into the passenger seat rudely and she almost hit her head on the car roof.


    "Don''t touch me, you bastard! What are you doing? I''m not going with you," Michelle howled, stamping her feet angrily. The alcohol had made her temper worse.


    "Don''t be afraid, Michelle. I''m gonna help you!" Patricia staggered over to Michelle when she heard her screaming. But Tom grasped her by the arm and threw her into his car as well. Two drunk women, two angry men, in two separate cars.


    "Ouch! That hurts!" The way Tom pushed her down to her seat made Patricia dizzy. She drank too much wine so every sudden movement made her feel like her head was a heavy watermelon that was being smashed with a hammer.


    "Shut up! I am not a gentleman." Tom bent down a bit to help her with the safety belt. Unexpectedly, Patricia puckered up and kissed him on the lips slightly.


    "Hee hee! They are as soft as I''ve imagined." Patricia licked her lips as if she was savoring the aftertaste of that kiss. She giggled at her small victory.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    "You did it deliberately!" Tom almost jumped back with surprise. He narrowed his eyes and stared at her as if he was about to cut her into pieces. He hated it the most when a woman did something inappropriately to him at the excuse of being drunk. It was worse that it was done deliberately.


    "Ha ha! What did I do deliberately?" Patriciaughed obsessively, enjoying this moment. She would not admit her willfulness.


    "This is crazy! How could I argue with a drunk woman? Fuck!" Tom could do nothing but let pass that Patricia came on to him. He found that she was totally a hooligan.


    Luke had nned to drive Michelle back to her home. But he was unable to get her address no matter how he asked her and it had already been a while. He had no other way but to take her to Kate Hotel. He drove away immediately after he left her at the lobby and told the staff to take care of her. He did not even make sure that she got to her room safely.


    Things were not going smoothly with Tom. Patricia wouldn''t give him a straight answer when he asked her where she lived. He made a call to Concordia but her phone was turned off. He could do nothing but to take Patricia to an apartment where she had never been to.


    "Where are we? Why did you bring me here?" Patricia looked around, confused. She was notpletely sober, but she still knew when she should be rmed and protect herself.


    "What do you think?" Tom sneered. Did she finally feel that she was in danger now? If he were really a bad guy, wasn''t it toote for that?"


    "I don''t mind it if it''s you." Patricia replied seductively, her eyes fixed with Tom, batting her eyshes at him. A vague smile cracked on her face, as if she was sending mixed signals.


    "But I do mind it. Now that you are sober, I''m gonna give you one simple rule. That is, you are not allowed to step out of this room. Got it?" As a person who valued his privacy too much, this was how Tom liked it. He hated having other people crashing in his ce. He would not be able to sleep well. So he would keep all the rooms near his bedroom quiet. This room was not an exception.


    "What if I want to go to the toilet?" Patricia felt great pain in her head now. Just like what usually happened when she got drunk. There was always a period of time during the intoxication when she would lose her mind and go crazy. Then she would have an awful headache when she started to sober up. That''s what alcohol does to the body.


    "Well, hold it in! And, don''t you think for one second that you are special to me just because I brought you here to my ce today. I did it because I am a doctor. As a doctor, I can''t refuse help to someone dying. That''s a doctor''s basic principle," Tom exined to her in his most annoyed tone. Would he still do the same if it were not Patricia? There was never any time to think about it.


    "You have universal love for everyone, doctor. In that case, there are tons of people you need to save and bring back here to your house, right?" She winced in pain as if a tiny electric shock went through her head. It hurt this much not only because of the alcohol, but also because of Tom''s emphasizing that she was nobody to him.


    "Whatever. Remember what I said about the rule. I am very strict and very serious about it." Tom turned around and closed the door as soon as he finished speaking. No good nights, no sweet dreams, nothing. He went back to his own room and did not want to stay with Patricia for one more second. He did not even give her a chance to say anything else.


    It was said that one could forget everything and feel nothing when he or she got drunk. But why did the pain seem to have doubled? It was like a drill went through her head and a knife had sliced through her heart.

 Chapter 1339 A Misunderstanding Between Them (Part Two)

    Patricia raised her head and took a glimpse around the room curiously. Then the alcohol eventually took overpletely, knocking her out. She fell asleep on the bed with her mouth wide open.


    After Tom went back to his room, he took a shower. Then he walked to his study to organize the files he had gathered in the past few days. He was free the following day with no scheduled surgery to conduct. So he was not in a hurry to go to bed. He even forgot about Patricia and did not think of her until he passed her room to go to sleep. The door stayed closed firmly. He was a little bit worried about her. He thought for a few seconds and finally opened the door and walked in to check if she was doing all right.


    Patricia slept quietly and peacefully with a cute little snore every now and then. She waspletely different from when she was awake, arrogant, willful and oh so annoying. Tom''s heart could not help but stop beating for a second. He never expected that she would look nice like this, quiet and harmless.


    He hesitated for a while and finally reached out to tuck her in. He did it quickly fearing that she would wake up any second. Then he walked out of the room just as quickly without making a sound. He did not allow himself to stay any longer. He was afraid that the longer he stayed, the more he was going to lose his heart.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The next morning, he almost had a heart attack as he jumped out of his own bed,pletely shocked at what he saw. Luckily he didn''t make a sound. There, sleeping peacefully on his bed was Patricia. He exploded with rage.


    "Patricia, wake up!" Tom liked to sleep in the nude. So he did not wear anything except his underpants. No wonder he was so angry at the sight of Patricia.


    "Umm.. What? What''s with the noise, man?" Patricia frowned. She rolled over and went back to sleep, oblivious to the hysterical semi-nude man in front of her. But Tom would not allow her. He picked up his bathrobe nearby and put it on. Then he pulled away the quilt that covered her. "Get the hell up!" Patricia waspletely exposed in front of him. His eyes widened with surprise because Patricia was not wearing anything except her underwear just like him. He threw the quilt back on her immediately.


    "Woman!" He roared. "Wake up and get up in two minutes. That''s the longest time I can wait. Otherwise, there will be consequences." Tom frowned. He was utterly puzzled. How did this woman get into his bed without him feeling or noticing anything at all? "Okay! Stop it, please. No need to scream and shout!" Patricia sat up in a daze. She still did not know that a part of her naked body was still exposed. A confused expression shed on her face.


    "Tell me, why did youe to my bed in secret? What the hell was your purpose?" Tom red at her. But he moved his eyes away immediately when he saw her naked body. His face turned red a bit. He knew that he saw something he should not have seen. "Oh! Well... I..." Patricia looked around and found that this room was not the one she went intost night. But why was she here now? Did she return to the wrong room after she went to the toilet?


    "What? Answer me. Say something! I never expected that you have such low self-esteem. You have the audacity to do such a thing?" Tom was extremely angry at the thought that this might be Patricia''s n after all. Did she create a scandal and force to marry him? He could not help but throw her such disparaging words.


    "Tom, you can misunderstand me. But you can''t insult me like that." Patricia bit her lips. Yes, she indeed liked him. But she never even imagined setting up a trap for him. What was more, she would lose her reputation should she do that. She was not that shameless. "Misunderstand you? Take a look! Look at yourself now!" Tom sneered and then walked out immediately.


    Patricia paled at his words. She immediately lowered her eyes to check herself upon hearing what he said. She could not help but scream out from inside when she found that she was almost naked. She immediately pulled the quilt and covered her whole body with it No wonder Tom was upset. She might have made herself feel too much at home and taken off almost all her clothes before going to sleep. Much worse, she slipped under the covers in his room and in his bed while they were both almost naked. Who liked to sleep with lots of clothes, looking like a spring roll, right?


    Patricia raised her eyes to take a glimpse at her surroundings, and found that her clothes were lying on the ground, messily strewn about. She took a look at the door, got out of bed to pick up them, and put them on quickly. At this moment, she would rather die than face such an awkward situation.


    She thought Tom must hate her more. Men would not want to be associated with such a loose woman, would they? Although she did not do it on purpose, she still looked like a slut, with no self-respect because of this.


    Her hand resting on the door handle for a long time, Patriciacked the courage to open the door. She did not know how to face him and what she would say. Like Michelle, she had a straightforward personality, but deep inside, she was a conservative at heart. She knew that she went too farst night with what she did.


    But she had to face him eventually, no matter how long she stayed in this room. She had to walk out and talk to him. To her surprise, the moment she opened the door, there was Tom who was already well-dressed. But he was looking at her disdainfully.


    "Tom, I''m so sorry! I didn''t mean it. I don''t even remember doing it, to be honest. I''m afraid, I may have caused you trouble!" Patricia lowered her head and apologized. Then she raised her face and forced a smile to look at him. She did not want to be so humbled in front of him


    "You didn''t mean it? You don''t remember that you took off your clothes and slept in my bed, while I was almost naked in there! So, now you mean, that you didn''t do that deliberately? Are you for real?" Tom crossed his arms around his chest and looked at her in a condescending manner.


    "Well if that''s what really happened, then yes. Am I so cheap in your eyes now?" The smile on her face quickly faded. She wanted to disappear immediately. But she lost all her strength somehow and was unable to move. She just stood there frozen and unable to move, not knowing what to say. It hurt so much because of the man she had feelings for. Every part of her body ached badly. Wasn''t that enough? Why did he still keep hurting her?

 Chapter 1340 Wait For Me To Come Back (Part One)

    "What do you think?" Tom''s face was full of disdain. He didn''t look like he even wanted to talk to Patricia. Truth be told, he was actually a nice guy. But he didn''t know why every time he was with Patricia, he got this uneasy and fluttery feeling in his stomach, making him


    feel extremely annoyed at her. In fact, he didn''t hate her that much. She was not all that bad.


    "Okay. I see. I think I know now." Patricia lowered her eyes and gave a short, bitter smile. Then she turned around, walked away from Tom and didn''t even look back. Her face was determined.


    Tom snorted and pursed his lips, shaking his head. He didn''t try to stop Patricia. Why should he? She could leave if she wanted. After all, this was what he wanted, wasn''t it?


    Patricia waited till she was out the door. As soon as it closed behind her, she didn''t hold back her tears as they began streaming down her face. No matter how tough and strong she was before, she was not prepared to take Tom''s hurtful words. Tom''s coldness was like a knife that cut her heart open, causing her so much pain.


    Winter mornings were always extremely cold. As a strong wind blew, Patricia put her arms around herself, trying to stay warm. She then realized that she had forgotten to take her coat with her when she hurriedly walked out. But she didn''t n to go back for it. If she did, Tom would think that she had left the coat intentionally giving her a reason to go back. No, she had more pride than that.


    The corners of her lips pursed into a bitter smile. She raised her head and looked around. To her surprise, it was the same ce where she startled Tom on purpose. But things had changed quickly as the days passed. The ce was the same, but the feelings were not. Actually it had be the opposite now.


    She walked home alone. Maybe because it was still early in the morning that there weren''t many people on the street. There weren''t many cars either. All this made Patricia feel colder and even more lonesome.


    At this moment, she missed Leena the most. She missed the days when she and Leena would go out and have fun without a care in the world. But Leena was not in the country now. Here she was, alone and crying over a man who would never love her back. She had never considered herself a fragile woman at all. But now she admitted that even a tough and carefree woman like her also had her moments of vulnerability.


    Though there were not many people around, those who walked past Patricia could surely see that this woman was heartbroken. It was not hard to tell that she was feeling sad, with the hollow look on her face and the puffy eyes from all that crying.


    She didn''t know exactly for how long she had been walking without her coat out in the bitter cold. All she knew was that as soon as she arrived home, she fell ill. And it wasn''t just an illness in her body. Her heart was also broken beyond repair.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    But no matter how sad she was, life had to go on. She was still training for the race. But this time, it was different. She put all her effort into the training. And she became wilder, braver and more aggressive behind the wheel. She just wanted to concentrate on the race and forget about a certain doctor. This was equally important to her.


    Meanwhile in Paris, Leena had finally finished her work, happy to finally be able to go home. And before she left, she invited Gerard out for a friendly meal.


    "Mignonne, I''m so sorry. I didn''t have much time to hang out with you, outside of work." Leena could tell that Gerard was tired, judging from the look on his face. He had been working too much. After all, the nc Group was a big and strong internationalpany. It wasn''t easy for Gerard to take over on such short notice. He had to adjust in a shorter span of time than most people and he had to put a lot more effort into it.


    "That''s all right. I was busy too. Besides, this is not the first time that I havee to Paris. You have nothing to be sorry for." Leena was even more mature than she was before. Though she was still very young, her actions and choice of words showed how much she had grown and developed. Yes, she still had her childish moments, sometimes. But she knew how to bettermunicate now.


    "You are right. But I still feel like a bad friend. Well, how''s work been? You have finished it all, right?" Gerard stared at her with curious eyes. Ever since he decided to let go of Leena in his heart, he felt much morefortable and more at ease. Because now he knew that there was someone in Leena''s life who could take care of her better than him. Letting go of her was not an easy decision to make, but it was one of the best that he had ever done. Now he could see Leena as a true friend and still care about her. And he no longer had the same feelings he had for her before. Feelings that could hinder their good friendship.


    "That''s right! I''m d that I got to finish it all in time," she said proudly. "Now, I can go home without any worries tomorrow," she added. The corners of Leena''s lips curled into a beautiful smile just thinking of being back in Kevin''s arms. She was excited and couldn''t wait to go back. She missed her husband too much. And now, she could finally see him again.000000?????????

 Chapter 1341 Wait For Me To Come Back (Part Two)

    had been here for a long time. Of course, she would want to go home to her husband as soon as possible.


    "Tomorrow? That is too soon! We didn''t even have much time to talk or hang out with each other," Gerard said in a rather sad tone. His golden hair shone brightly under the beaming sun. He had thought that Leena would stay longer. But hepletely understood. Leena "We can still do that next time. This isn''t myst time here. I will surelye back to Paris, I promise." Leena was ying with the cup in her hands. Her sweet smile never left her face. She looked at the Seine, admiring the scenery.


    "Excellent! I was a bit worried that you would nevere back." Gerard''s eyes were as intense as they were before, but Leena could tell from the look in his eyes that he really only considered her as a good friend now.


    "That''s silly! Of course I wille back. ire is still here, you know. I have more reasons toe back now, other than for work. Oh by the way, on that note, could you do me a favor and look after her for me, please? Nothing too serious. Just check on her once in a while. This ce ispletely new to her and she still needs to make a lot of adjustments. If you could show her around or something, that''d be great! I am still a little worried about her well-being," said Leena, who was being the good sister-inw that she was. Even when she and ire didn''t get along before, she had thought about her a lot. Since they had be friends, she worried even more, now that ire was living alone in a foreign country.


    "Of course! Don''t worry. I won''t let anything happen to her. She is my friend too." Gerard''s smile was beaming. He and ire had also be good friends. In fact, he even considered ire the only friend who really understood him. So of course he would look after her, even if Leena did not ask.


    Leena let out a sigh of relief as she heard Gerard''s words. Though she knew that ire was more mature than she was before, as her sister-inw, she couldn''t help but still worry about her. But now that Gerard would be around to keep an extra pair of eyes on her once in a while, she felt better.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Sometimes, Leena felt quite surreal when she thought about how her rtionship with Gerard had changed in such a short time. They were never meant for each other, at least not as lovers. Now they had be very good friends, and this made Leena happy. Though they couldn''t see each other as often as they wanted to, because of the distance, they both knew that this friendship would not easily fade away.


    Winter in S City was not as cold as in Paris. So even if it was early in the morning, Leena still felt warm as soon as her feet touched the ground afternding, and especially when she saw the man she badly missed for a long time. She couldn''t contain her emotions. Her eyes reddened when she saw Kevin. She let go of her suitcase and immediately ran towards him. She threw herself in his waiting arms without a care in the world.


    "Kevin, I missed you so much!" Leena held Kevin tight, putting her arms around him, as if she was afraid that if she blinked he would disappear.


    "I missed you more! Here, put on your coat. It''s a bit chilly." Though Kevin wanted so badly to kiss her in front of many people, he couldn''t ignore the military uniform he was wearing because they were in public. He still had to keep the power and integrity that the uniform symbolized. He gently let her go and helped her put on the coat he had brought with him. This morning was a bit chilly, and he didn''t want Leena to catch a cold. After all, she just got out from an air-conditioned ne.


    "You waited a long time, didn''t you?" Leena raised her head and stared at Kevin''s face. She really missed him. ''Is it possible that he''s even more handsome than thest time I saw him?'' Leena gulped when her eyes gazed at Kevin''s thin lips. She wanted to kiss him too. "No not really, I just arrived here few minutes ago. Come on! Let''s get you home." Kevin picked up the suitcase from the trolley with one hand and grabbed her hand in his other one, then led Leena out of the airport.


    "You are lying. The ne was dyed. You must have waited for at least an hour." Leena puckered her lips, staring at Kevin''s handsome profile. She felt a warm glow inside her. Now, she knew the feeling of having someone she loveding to pick her up at the airport, like this. In fact, ever since she knew that Kevin loved her back, she was constantly in a state of tion. Life couldn''t be happier.


    Kevin didn''t say anything. He just nced at Leena with adoring eyes. Yes, she was right and Kevin was indeed lying. He was afraid that he would miss her at the airport, so he came an hour earlier than the scheduled arrival. But what he didn''t expect was that her ne would get dyed. He then had to wait for about three hours in total.


    The sky was still a bit dark, but a mild glow in the horizon was a sign that pretty soon the sun would being up to rise gloriously. As soon as Leena got in the car, and away from ogling eyes, Kevin immediately pulled her in his arms. His lips met hers in a hurried and hungry kiss, gently nibbling, sucking and tasting her full delicious lips. The air in the car suddenly became hot.

 Chapter 1342 Wait For Me To Come Back (Part Three)

    After a long time of steamy making out, Kevin finally let Leena go. He needed to cool down. If he kissed her any longer, he was afraid that he would probably take Leena right here in this car and still on the airport parking lot! A deep blush was high on Leena''s face. She looked at Kevin with hungry eyes, obviously seducing him and testing how much he could control himself.


    "Leena, don''t look at me that way. Or I will not be able to contain myself and devour you here." Kevin curled his lips into a teasing smirk. He wanted Leena so bad right now. But it was not the right ce. He loved seeing Leena like this, all flushed but still looking so innocent. Wow, he really loved this girl and he was more than thankful that he did.


    "Don''t be so crude!" Leena withdrew her gaze from Kevin, feeling shy all of a sudden. She wasn''t used to Kevin being so straightforward, but she couldn''t deny that she secretly loved it. She felt all hot and sweaty, knowing that she was wanted by the man she loved. "Are you hungry right now? How about we eat breakfast first and then go home?" Kevin smiled at her shyness. His eyes were full of affection. He didn''t think it would feel this good once he realized his feelings for Leena and became honest about it. He just wanted to cherish and spoil this woman that he now truly called his wife.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    "I am not hungry right now. Are you?" Leena tilted her head and looked at Kevin in question. She was leaning on Kevin''s shoulder, snuggling up to him. Though she knew that he was driving, she just couldn''t let go of him yet. She wanted to feel him, smell him, be near him as much as possible.


    "What do you think?" Kevin nced at her with a teasing smirk on his face. Leena immediately understood what he meant and her face was red all over again.


    "I guess I will just have to keep my mouth shut for now." Leena puckered her lips and straightened up in her seat. She turned her head to look out the window, acting like she was mad.


    Kevin just smiled at how cute Leena was. Though she said that she wasn''t hungry, he still pulled over in front of a restaurant on the way home. He had to go to the army baseter and didn''t have the time to prepare breakfast himself. So they just had to pick up some food on the way and eat when they got home.


    "Eat your breakfast and then go upstairs and have a nice bath. Then try to have a nice nap, okay? How long was your ne trip again? You must be jetgged," Kevin said to her as soon as they arrived home. He wanted Leena to have a good rest. He knew that such a long flight would be very exhausting, having to sit for several hours at a time and unable to move much. Then he looked at his watch. It was time for him to go to work.


    "Yeah. I know. Don''t worry about me though. I know what to do. Just go to work, or you will bete." Leena saw him look at his watch and knew that he was in a hurry. She didn''t require Kevin toe and pick her up at the airport in the first ce, but he insisted on it. She was d that he came. But then the ne got dyed and it totally messed up Kevin''s original time table.


    "Okay. I''m going now. Take care of yourself while I''m away. I will be home as soon as I can, okay? I love you!" Kevin pulled her into his arms again. And they made out for few more minutes. Then Kevin had to let her go or he would really bete for work.


    "Okay okay. Just go! I am not a baby." Leena red at him with no real malice in her eyes. Although she went weak in the knees and her face was still flushed. Kevin was a very good kisser. Then she straightened out his military uniform for him and pecked him onest time.


    "Just wait till Ie back. We will surely have an amazing night!" Kevin was so in love with the woman in front of him. He didn''t think it was possible to love someone so much. Her every smile, every kiss, every touch, they all left him wanting more.


    The corners of Leena''s lips twitched in amusement. Though she was still a bit shy hearing Kevin''s suggestive words, she was also excited about it. She felt truly happy that he wanted her the same way she wanted him.


    "All right. Just hurry and go!" Leena slightly grimaced because Kevin was hugging her too hard, making her a little ufortable. But she didn''t tell him that. She knew he was just really happy to see her and she didn''t want him to worry.


    "Wait for me till Ie back, yeah?" If it hadn''t been for the important meeting at the army base this morning, he would have taken Leena right here right now. How long had she been away in Paris? He couldn''t count anymore. He just knew that it felt like waiting in eternity. Now that she was back, he finally feltplete. And they would surely make up for the time they had lost. They might never leave the bedroom.


    "Of course." Leena''s face became hot because of his words. Thinking of what was about to happen tonight, her face became even hotter. She couldn''t even meet Kevin''s eyes.


    After Kevin left for work, Leena could finally take a good look around their home. The apartment was still the same as when she left for Paris half a month ago. Everything felt familiar, making Leena feel rxed immediately.


    She ate the breakfast Kevin bought for her. But instead of having a bath and then napping like he suggested, she opened the fridge to check what was inside. Her brows knitted into a frown when she saw that there was nothing inside. Well it was not a big surprise to her. She never really expected that Kevin would have the time, nor the initiative to do the grocery shopping. It seemed that she had to do itter, or she would have nothing to make dinner with when he came back after work.

 Chapter 1343 Car Accident (Part One)

    Although Leena was only gone for half a month, she was seriously homesick. She hit the streets immediately after taking a shower. And she was dressed impably, sporting clothing from well-known brands like Givenchy, Gi, and Balenciaga. She had superb taste. She went to the nearby supermarket to buy some food and various items like toothpaste, lotion, etc. Then she suddenly realized that she had not seen Patricia for quite some time. So she took out her phone and rang her up.


    "Hey, about time you remembered me." Patricia was lying in the sofa cozily when she answered the phone. Her voice sounded non-nonsense like always. If you looked at her you could tell she was lonely.


    "What? I called as soon as I got back." Leena paused for a minute, turning the wheel to head on to a side street. She was driving while on the phone.


    "You''re back now?" Patricia sat up. She was really excited. Her best friend was back, and maybe she''d get to spend some time with her.


    "My nended this morning. And I''m bushed. I think I need to lie down and beat this jetg." Leena arrived at her apartment and eased her car into the parking space. She frowned at the thought that she would have to carry everything upstairs by herself. The items bought from the store, yeah, that would not be fun.


    "Let me guess, you knew that I wanted to hang out. So you shut me down before I could ask!" Patricia had been extremely delighted a few second earlier, but now she was annoyed. She really wanted to see her best friend again, but now she probably had to wait another day.


    "It sounds like something''s wrong. What''s the matter?" Leena frowned deeply. She wanted to ask how Patricia was getting on with Tom. But she didn''t want to ask that too soon. ''I need to wait for the right time,'' she thought.


    "Never mind. We''ll talkter. Have a good nap! Bye!" Patricia threw herself back onto the sofa again. She wasn''t going to get to see her friend.


    "Okay! Call you tomorrow. Bye!" It was not like Leena did not want to meet her friend today, but she still had tons to deal with. Plus, the jetg was getting to her, and she really needed some rest. Kevin made a point of telling her to take it easy as well. Besides, she could use the downtime. She was drained of energy, and wasn''t a goodpany right now.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    Patricia''s joy faded, going away as quickly as it came. She said goodbye to Leena with a low voice and hung up listlessly.


    Leena felt sorry for her. But she really was unable to spare any time for Patricia. She just came back from Paris and there were things at home that demanded her attention.


    She bought too many things, so she had to go out the car twice to bring them all into the house. But she still wouldn''tin about it. Kevin didn''t need that right now. Besides, it made her feel like she was making a real contribution to the family. When Leena plopped down on the warm bed and covered herself with the soft quilt, she could not help but sigh with satisfaction. The familiar smells reached her nose andforted her. It was good to be home. And home was wherever Kevin was.


    High velocity was like a drug for some people. They lived for speed and eleration. That was why Patricia loved it so much when she was flying down ane. She liked that feeling. It helped her take her mind off her troubles, and just retreat into her own little world. As a professional race car driver, her driving skills were unmatched. However, idents happened. When she was supposed to take a turn, her mind went nk. She just let things happen naturally, and that was where it all went wrong. The car mmed into the guardrail at top speed. As metal plowed into metal, the sounds of the crash rang in everyone''s ears. Patricia''s car was thrown around, the damage was too much for her. If she hadn''t been in aa, she would have heard the terrified screams of everyone around her. Michelle was standing in the pit, watching the fateful events unfold. She opened her mouth wide in astonishment. She took out her phone and immediately dialed 120, running towards Patricia. When she saw Patricia''s body covered in blood, Michelle lost all her strength. When she was done with emergency services, she called Leena, holding her phone in her shivering hand.


    "Hello! Michelle. What''s the matter?" Leena had just woken up a couple minutes before. She was going through her closet, picking out an outfit. Michelle didn''t usually call her. They were friends, but she was closer to Patricia.


    "Le.. Leena, oh God. There''s so much blood. I heard Tom is the best doctor in the city. Ask him to help Patricia, please," Michelle said with a shivering voice. She had no idea what to do now. She just stood there, watching the paramedics pull Patricia from the mangled car. She was too scared to even ask if Patricia was still alive. She wasn''t sure what she''d do if the answer was no.


    "Patricia?! Was she racing?! Where is she now? Did you call an ambnce?" The phone dropped out of Leena''s hand and bounced soundlessly on the mattress. She fumbled to pick it up again. She could barely hear, as the chaos rushed in and filled her ears. She kept asking questions until she figured out what Michelle was talking about. She started to panic and had to fight to breathe.


    "We are still at the track. I''ve already called an ambnce." Michelle''s voice was cracked and hoarse. Michelle should have been used to sights like this, since she grew up in aplicated environment with violent people all around. But this was different. This time, it was her friend, and she was paralyzed with fear and worry.


    "Okay. Tell the ambnce staff to take her to Renxin Hospital. I''ll call Tom." Leena hung up immediately after she finished speaking to Michelle and dialed Tom. She almost lost control of her hand because she was frightened out of her wits. It took more than one try before she could summon up his number from her contact list.0000?????????

 Chapter 1344 Car Accident (Part Two)

    Tom was about to leave the hospital for a seminar when his phone rang. As a doctor, there were lots of such seminars and conferences he needed to attend. At times, he grew somewhat weary of them. It wasn''t easy, traveling and living out of a suitcase. "Hey Leena. Back already?" Tom asked and opened the door of his car. Then he got in and stuck the key in the ignition.


    "Tom, are you at the hospital now? It''s Patricia. She''s in a car ident and needs your help," Leena said rapidly. Meanwhile, she grabbed her coat and practically ran out of the bedroom.


    "What? A car ident?" Tom went nk for a few seconds. What scared him most was that deep down, his heart felt like it had been struck by a hammer.


    "Yes. You have to save her, please. I sent the ambnce to Renxin Hospital." Leena burst into tears, finally overwhelmed by it all. The tears blurred her vision and stung her eyes.


    "Ah! Stupid girl! Why did you send them here? The best choice is the nearest hospital. Didn''t you know that?" Tom said and got out of the car. He ran to the emergency room to ask the staff to prep the OR for surgery.


    "I... I don''t know." Leena sniffed. She was telling the truth. Her first thought was Tom. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have told Michelle to do that.


    "Never mind. She''s on her way here anyway. Don''t worry, I''ll do what I can." Tom cared for Leena a lot. He did not have the heart to me her. She was distraught, and yelling at her wouldn''t help anything.


    "Yeah! Thank you, Tom." Leena stood beside her car, hesitating. She eventually decided not to drive herself. She was not sure it would be safe for her to do that, given that she still felt like crying. She would need to calm down before that happened.


    "Thank me after she''s pulled through!" Tom frowned. He did not know how serious it was until he saw Patricia''s bloody form, lying so still. ''She must be in aa, '' he thought, shivering. But he calmed himself down soon enough and prepared himself for emergency surgery. He was a doctor, and had a life to save.


    "Sir, her pulse is erratic," a doctor said to Tom. They were in the ER, and mobilizing for the operation.


    "And fading," said Tom as he pulled on a rubber glove. "Prep her for surgery. I''ll do it." Tom didn''t know why his heart hurt. It almost stopped beating for a second when he saw Patricia''s motionless form.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    She was in pretty bad shape. Although Tom did the surgery himself, her heart stopped beating for a few seconds several times. Her life was on the line.


    The surgery took several hours. When Leena arrived at the hospital, Patricia was still undergoing the procedure. She met Michelle in the waiting room. Michelle couldn''t sit still, pacing back and forth, a worried look on her face.


    "How''s it going, Michelle?" Leena was not her usual stylish self, having rushed out of the house taking no time to dress up. Michelle did not look any better, and indeed worse. She had blood on her clothes and tears lining her face.


    "What should we do, Leena? I''m so afraid." Michelle burst into tears, her voice was thick with grief. Finally, she broke down and threw herself into Leena''s arms.


    "Don''t worry. Tom will save her! He has to." Actually Leena didn''t know whether he could, but she wasn''t going to make Michelle feel any worse. She kept telling herself to keep calm.


    "Tom! It''s all his fault! Patricia couldn''t focus because of him. She drove herself too hard every day!" Michelle flew into a rage when she heard Tom''s name. Leena wished she hadn''t said anything. To Michelle, if he hadn''t hurt Patricia''s feelings, she wouldn''t have pushed herself so hard and put her life in danger.


    "What? Was she practicing a lot then? You were there. Why didn''t you get her to stop?" Leena was in a pickle. She had been away in Paris, so she had no clue what happened here. She didn''t know what she should say, or even could say. She couldn''t take sides -- not Tom''s, and not her best friend''s.


    "She wouldn''t listen to me! She practiced so hard to forget Tom! She''s your best friend! Why didn''t you help her?" Michelle was now thoroughly upset. And she felt like Leena was using her, when she was just trying to find out more about all this. And because she couldn''t yell at her friend, or Tom, Leena became the target of her ire.


    "I''m sorry! It''s my fault. If I did not insist on trying to get some rest and just went out to meet her, things would be different." Leena hated herself a lot right now. Especially when Michelle turned on her, she med herself even more. And she was right.


    Michelle saw Leena''s downcast look and came back to her senses. "I''m sorry, Leena. I''m just worried. I didn''t mean it." Michelle realized that she spoke without thinking and said some terrible things. She shouldn''t take it out on Leena. It was just that she was right there. A convenient target. Leena was innocent, wasn''t she?


    "It''s all good. I''m worried about her too. I get it." Leena tried to raise the corners of her mouth to force a smile, but failed. The grimace on her face looked even more terrible than an expression of grief.


    "She''ll be fine, right?" Michelle did not have many good friends. She cared about Patricia a lot. She did not want to lose her.


    "Yeah she will. She''s ours. No one''s going to take her away from us," Leena said firmly. Her words were serious and heartfelt, like she would kill any one who tried to take Patricia''s life, even God. But in her heart, she also worried a lot and was quite uncertain about what was going to happen.


    "Really?" Michelle was a strong and independent woman. No one could push her around. But right now she felt extremely weak. She was anxious and had no clue what to do about it.

 Chapter 1345 Rescuing Her (Part One)

    "Yes, I''m sure of this." Leena said while firmly gazing at the operation room. She was very anxious and wanted to see how it was going inside. Being this frightened and scared while waiting outside the operation room wasn''t something new to her anymore. She had already experienced this a lot of times. However, it was only now that she realized how fragile life was and how any negligence could put life in a threat.


    Restless minutes ticked by as Leena remained in the same ce. She couldn''t really tell how long she had been sitting there when a familiar face appeared in her view, it was Concordia Pei. This wasn''t the first time that she had met thedy but just like before, Concordia''s artistic air had given her the silentfort that she needed.


    "Leena, how''s Patricia?" asked Concordia worriedly. Her hair was a little messy and it was easy to tell that she had rushed from home to get here. Opposite to Patricia''s carefree and arrogant character, Concordia was a gentle and quiet woman. "Don''t be too worried, Auntie. Patricia is a good girl and God will help her," Leena said as she held Concordia by her shoulders. She was trying her best to give thedy the strength to ovee sorrow. She knew just how much Concordia loved her only daughter. "Thanks. I hope so. I told her not to participate in anypetition anymore but she didn''t listen. What should I do now? She''s going through surgery and her dad happens to be abroad." The aged woman looked at the surgery room with uneasiness. Her usually peaceful face wasced with some apprehension.


    "Don''t worry. We''re here with you. And Tom is doing his best to save her." Leena bit her lips. She was running out of things to say because she was extremely worried too. She couldn''t even help her hands from sweating since she stepped into that ce. "Oh my! My poor girl. Why did she never listen to me? I would be very satisfied if she could be half as obedient as you are," sighed Concordia. Knowing that Tom was inside the operating room with Patricia sent her an immeasurable relief. "Auntie, to tell you honestly, Patricia is already very obedient. It is just that she is going after her own dream," Leena said as her mouth twitched a bit. Who could have thought that such an ident would happen even before Patricia decided to give up racing? "Her dream might kill her sooner orter. Do you think that such a dream is worth anything?" With furrowed eyebrows, Concordia asked and shot Leena with a distressed stare. She was wondering if she had been too negligent about raising her daughter. She didn''t even know that Patricia was a car racer until recently.


    "Only she knows whether it is worth it or not. Whatever we say doesn''t count," exined Leena as she wrinkled her nose. To tell the truth, she was also concerned about Patricia''s upation. However, she respected her best friend''s choice, thus, she didn''t say a thing. "Yes, you''re right. But then, I have never seen a parent who doesn''t care about their own child. I''m worried about her safety, Leena." Helplessness was on Concordia''s face as she said these words. She was growing more and more agitated with every minute that was passing. The longer that surgery took, the more serious Patricia''s condition might be.


    Meanwhile, Michelle had been staying quiet the whole time as she leaned against the wall. She didn''t know Concordia so she didn''t know what to say to her. Moreover, she was feeling really heavy and sorry for Patricia''s ident. She knew that Patricia wasn''t on her best mood and she should have stopped her. This tragedy wouldn''t have happened if that was the case.


    Several hours had passed but the lights in the operation room were still on. The nurses kepting in and out in a hurry. God knew how much they were dying to ask the nurses there about Patricia but they couldn''t find a chance. They were all afraid that they might interrupt the operation if they insisted on asking one of the nurses. They would never be able to forgive themselves if Patricia missed on surviving just because they asked.


    On the other hand, Kevin had thought that he would see his beautiful wife as soon as he arrived home. He could just imagine her weing him with her arms wide open. It was to his surprise though that what weed him as soon as he opened the door was nothing butplete darkness. That was so strange! In the usual scenario, Leena would have prepared dinner and waited for him. Where could she be now? Their house was so quiet. Did she tire herself a little too much again so she stayed in bed?Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    The idea made him walk up to the second floor. He looked for her in every room but he didn''t find her. Worry instantly flooded his veins. He furrowed his eyebrows and immediately took his phone out.


    "Hi, Kevin." Leena''s voice broke as soon as she opened her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes. It had been five hours since Patricia was sent into the surgery room, but there was still no news. She felt like an ant in a hot pan.


    "Nana, what''s up? Where are you?" Kevin asked nervously after hearing Leena''s crying voice.


    "Sorry. I forgot to tell you that I''m in the hospital. Are you off work now?" Leena sniffed and then realized that she had unintentionally forgot about her husbandpletely.


    "Don''t worry about me, Nana. How about you? Are you injured? Is it Renxin Hospital? I will be there right away," Kevin said as he rushed downstairs. All his nerves were suddenly on full alert. His Nana was in a hospital right now and he got no clue on how she was! "I''m fine. It''s Patricia. She got injured," replied Leena with her head down. She didn''t want others to see how much she was crying at the moment.


    "Don''t worry. I will be there soon. Wait for me." Kevin ran out of their house and drove towards the hospital quickly. He could feel how scared and helpless Leena was by just the sound of her voice.


    "They have been inside that operating room for hours, Leena. Why are we still not getting any news?" Michelle asked in a concerned tone as she grew impatient.


    "I don''t know, either. The only thing we can do is wait. Didn''t you say that she was seriously injured? It might take more time and effort," answered Leena as she leaned her back on her chair. Her eyes had been fixed on the operating room for a long while. She could only wish for Patricia to juste out from there!000000

 Chapter 1346 Rescuing Her (Part Two)

    On the other hand, Michelle stood up and started walking back and forth in the hallway. She fidgeted with the hem of her shirt nervously. She wasn''t as patient as Leena and every minute passing by felt like a year to her. It was at that moment when a nurse walked out of the operating room. Leena couldn''t stay calm any longer, so she rushed to the nurse and grabbed thedy by her arm. "Miss, how is the patient now? Is she out of danger?" "I''m sorry but please don''t get in my way. Her condition is grave and we are still working to rescue her." The nurse quickly walked away. Seconds more and she was already running back with two bags of blood sma in her hands. The sight of the blood bags made all of them freeze on their feet as their fear aggravated.


    "Leena, is my Patricia''s life in danger now?" Concordia was a very simple and pure woman. In her world, everything was very pure and beautiful, and that was why her paintings also appeared very pure and beautiful. This was the very first time for her to get exposed to such a serious situation.


    "Don''t worry, Auntie. The nurse said that they are still rescuing her. She''s still alive, okay?" Leena wasn''t sure if what she said was still a valid truth. It had been hours and she really couldn''t tell how much more anxiety could she take.


    Inside the surgery room, Tom was feeling as bad as the women waiting outside. Patricia''s condition was very critical. Even a doctor like him couldn''t help but shudder at the view of Patricia''s injured body. He could hardly believe that the woman lying in front of him was the same hard-headed and hateful girl who used to challenge him.


    Her ribs were broken, one of her lungs, and her liver were severely damaged too. He really couldn''t imagine how fast she was driving at that time for her to be this injured. He couldn''t even find a ce on her body that wasn''t battered. She would surely be dered dead on the spot if another doctor handled her case. Moreover, she might also end up brain-dead even if her body survived. Her heartbeat had stopped more than once. And every time it happened, Tom found himself leaning closely to her while whispering on her ear. He was threatening her that he would chop her dead body to pieces if she dared give up. Magically, heart started beating again every time after he said those things. It was unimaginable to Tom that she had remained headstrong against him even at her state.


    "Leena, how is it going? Any good news?" Kevin embraced Leena into his arms as soon as he came. He was still panting since he rushed to get here.


    "None yet and I''m beginning to think that it is because she is still angry at me. She requested us to meet this morning but I refused. Please tell me that it isn''t the reason that she doesn''t want toe out now. It couldn''t be possible that she doesn''t want to see me anymore, right?" This was Leena''s greatest regret right now. The ident would not have happened if she had met Patricia this morning.


    "Don''t think like this. Patricia won''t be so mean. She is only too tired and wants to have a break." Kevin knew how torturing it was to wait outside the surgery room, thus, he could understand her fear and helplessness.


    "Really?" asked Leena confusedly with her eyes still focused on the operating room''s door. She never shifted her attention away from the room even after her loving husband came.


    Sadly, Kevin could do nothing but shake his head under this case. He then turned around and started walking away. It only took a few seconds more before he came back with several cups of hot milk in his hands. "Aunt, take some hot milk. It will keep you warm," said Kevin as he handed her a cup. He knew that she was Patricia''s mother because she was the same person who picked up Patricia from their apartment to take her home.


    "Thank you foring here, Kevin. I know that you are very busy with your work but you still came." Concordia Pei gave him a sad smile. Kevin had left a good impression on her. She knew him as a humble gentleman, not like any other officers who liked to put on airs. "Don''t be so polite. We are all her friends." A gentle smile cracked Kevin''s lips. Then he handed another cup of milk to Michelle, "Here, have some milk, too."


    "Thanks." Michelle took over the milk and warmed her hands. She was calmer now than how she was hours ago.


    "Here you are, Nana The milk will warm you up," It was only after giving the drink to the two that Kevin approached Leena. He handed her thest cup that he was holding. He then took off his coat and wrapped her carefully with it. He knew that Leena was the type who easily got cold.


    Confusedly, Leena nced at him and found that he was only wearing a shirt after he gave her his coat. "Won''t you feel cold?" She asked with concern.


    "I''m okay. Drink the milk. It''s getting cold." Kevin looked at Leena with worried eyes.


    "Okay." Leena took a sip and felt the milk stream down her throat. Her body immediately felt warm. Even so, her heart had remained feeling cold because Patricia was still in danger.


    "How about I buy some food for you?" offered Kevin as he nced at the operating room. Although he knew that Leena might have no appetite for anything, he still wanted her to eat some food. She needed to remain strong as she waited for any good news.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    "No need. I want to wait until Patricia gets out of danger." Leena raised her head and silently prayed to God. She prayed for Tom to do wonders. She believed that bad luck would never fall on her and Patricia. Furthermore, she believed that Patricia wouldn''t disappoint her this time.

 Chapter 1347 She Was In Danger

    Being a doctor, Tom had already rescued more lives than anyone could imagine. However, he could easily tell that it was Patricia''s case that made him feel worse among them all. Mixed emotions caused him nervous the whole time when he was operating her and he couldn''t even tell why he was so nervous. All he knew was that he would never have the guts to face her or himself anymore if ever he failed. "Dr. Qin, the patient''s hemoglobin is going down." Tom''s assistant looked at him with wondering eyes. It wasn''t normal for the prestigious doctor to be this uneasy. Thus, he thought, ''This is weird. I have never seen Dr. Qin this anxious before. Why?''


    "I know. Stem the bleeding immediately, and check the sma supply." Tom was holding a scalpel in his blood-covered hand. It was winter now but he was sweating badly. The nurse who was standing next to Tom hadn''t stopped wiping his sweat away. Everyone in the operating room knew that this surgery was important to him.


    "Okay." The assistant immediately began to stem the bleeding. They always learned a lot every time when they did surgery with Tom.


    More chaotic hours passed by. It was already passed ten hours when the light in the operating room finally went out and Tom came out.


    "How was Patricia''s operation? Did it work?" Leena stood up as soon as she saw Tom. She wanted to run to him but she couldn''t since her legs went numb because she sat there for too long.


    "I really cannot tell yet. It will be up to her if she will make it or not." Tom''s face looked drained and tired. He hoped he could tell everyone that everything was fine but he couldn''t. He was not even sure if she would survive.


    "Thank you, Tom. I know you tried your best," said Concordia in a thankful tone. She knew that Tom was an excellent and kind doctor. He would not just give up on anyone he wanted to save.


    "You''re wee, Mrs. Bai. I will do everything I could to save Patricia. We are friends, right? You should trust me." After saying that, Tom scanned everyone who was waiting outside the operating room. He then fixed his eyes on Leena and frowned.


    "I will always remember what you did for her. Thank you, Tom," It was Concordia''s sincere words that took his attention from Leena. The old woman had always been a kind and polite person. The situation they were in might be sad now but she just couldn''t stop herself from expressing her gratitude.


    "Auntie, don''t worry. I believe Tom will save Patricia. She will be fine," said Leena with a forced smile. Although she was upset by Tom''s vague answer, she still tried tofort Concordia. She then turned to Tom and stared at him questioningly as she wanted to know more about Patricia''s state.


    "In addition to the minor wounds, Patricia is suffering a broken left leg, severe visceral damage, and severe head impact. She is in danger now," said Tom gravely with a frown.


    "She''ll be all right, won''t she?" Scared, Leena''s feet automatically took a few steps back. She almost fell down when her legs suddenly lost their strength. Luckily, Kevin got his arms around her just in time before she hit the ground.


    "It''s really hard to say. It depends on her own resistance." Helplessness was washing Tom. He didn''t know how to answer their questions in a way that would make them feel better. He just couldn''t lie.


    "Then when can we see her?" Concordia asked anxiously. She rarely cared about Patricia but Patricia was still her daughter no matter what. It was unavoidable for her to feel as anxious as she was.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Not now. I will let you know when Patricia is better." As much as possible, Tom was unwilling to rescue people he knew. It was because he just couldn''t stop feeling miserable for them. Little did anyone know but he had been under a lot of pressure these days because he kept running into simr things.


    "Tom, you have to save her. Please." Leena blinked her tears away and looked to Tom in the eyes. She was really hoping for a positive answer from him.


    "I..." Tom was at loss for word. Leena''s trusting gaze was making him feel extremely helpless. He didn''t know what to say because Patricia''s injuries were very serious.


    "Nana, don''t worry. You should trust Tom." Kevin sensed the hesitation in Tom''s voice, thus, he rushed tofort Leena. He knew that no one could guarantee Patricia''s survival at this point.


    Patricia was quickly transferred to the intensive care unit after her operation. She was badly wounded, so no one was allowed to see her now. Leena intended to stay in the hospital but Tom persuaded her to go home. The hospital had a professional doctor and a nurse to take care of Patricia. Therefore, there was no need for someone to stay in the hospital to take care of her.


    As soon as they got home, Kevin helped Leena get something to eat. However, Leena was in a bad mood, so she just ate very little.


    "Honey, eat some more." Kevin frowned at her. He couldn''t stop worrying about her health since she had a serious illness before.


    "I''m full. You should eat more," responded Leena as she turned to her husband. She might be staring at Kevin but it was obvious that she was in trance. She was in a really bad mood that she was a bit absent-minded now. "Nana, Patricia hasn''t woken up yet. You can''t get sick again." Seeing Leena this upset was thest thing Kevin wanted to see. Just the sight of his wife was enough to make him frown helplessly.


    "But I really don''t want to eat it," muttered Leena as she pursed her lips. She looked even sadder now.


    "Have some more. You won''t be able to take care of Patricia if you get sick again. Tell me. What will you do if you are down with illness too?" Kevin said seriously. He did it because he wanted her to eat more. "You''re just forcing me to eat, Kevin." However, Leena felt even worse upon hearing Kevin. Thus, she couldn''t help but cry.


    "Okay. Okay. Okay. It''s my bad. I shouldn''t have forced you to eat. I am so sorry." As brave as he was with battles, Kevin was ironically afraid of crying girls. Thus, he quickly apologized to Leena as soon as he saw her cry. "You''re not forcing me to eat?" Leena smiled through tears like a child. She became more and more dependent on Kevin, which was why she acted so capricious in front of him.


    "Yes. You little fool. How could youugh right now when you were crying just seconds ago? You are such a baby." Kevin shook his head resignedly. He was tolerant of her temper because he wanted her to treat him like her brothers. He meant no tonic affair but what he really wanted was to get closer to her than anyone else.


    "Hmm! I am not a fool!" said Leena as she red at Kevin. She was just pretending to be angry as she knew that Kevin loved her so much. She wouldn''t tell him directly but God knew how much her heart was melting right now with the sweetness she felt.


    Although Kevin and Leena had been separated from each other for a long time, they were both not in the mood to enjoy this tender moment. They were too worried about Patricia. Thus, they both forgot about their teasing words earlier that day.


    On the other hand, Tom was having the toughest night. It was given that Patricia was not Tom''s type and that was why he turned her down multiple times. However, staring at Patricia as she lying on her hospital bed was driving Tom crazy. He was sad beyond words. He was honestly wishing that she could quarrel with him as before. ''God, what''s wrong with me? Why am I feeling this way?'' he thought.


    A soft sigh escaped from Tom''s chest as his hand moved by itself to touch her cheek. He was only seconds away from caressing her face when he suddenly withdrew his hand, as if he was burned. He felt like there was a beast inside him and he was trying his best to control it. He just couldn''t allow himself to fall in love with her.


    Patricia suffered several cardiac arrests that night and it was fortunate that Tom was beside her to rescue her the whole time. The night was particrly exhausting for Tom. He was both mentally and physically getting tired.


    "Do you need a break, Dr. Qin?" A paramedic in the intensive care unit advised Tom to take a rest. He had been operating on Patricia for so long during the day and had been saving Patricia for the rest of the night. Everyone in the intensive care unit knew how tired he was.00000000000

 Chapter 1348 Death Was No Laughing Matter (Part One)

    "That''s all right. I will be here watching. Otherwise I''ll be extremely worried." As soon as he heard himself say these words, he froze for a short second. He was shocked at himself. Since when did he start caring this much about Patricia? How did this happen? The paramedic also heard it and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. He couldn''t help but wonder what was the rtionship between the patient and Tom. Based on what he heard, the good doctor seemed to care a lot about this girl.


    The morning came and the golden rays of the sun brightened everything they touched. But Patricia still didn''t wake up. She was lying on the hospital bed with a peaceful look on her face. She must have been really tired, both mentally and physically, just wanting to sleep forever and forget about all the pain. Fortunately, her condition had be stable overnight. It didn''t worsen, which made everyone who cared about her let out a sigh of relief.


    Standing inside his own office, Tom''s face also showed how tired he was. Yes, the operation on Patricia was very sessful, but it didn''t mean that she waspletely out of danger. After all, she was badly injured. The surgery performed on her was not an easy one. What happened next would be crucial to her recuperation. Now all they could do was wait. Even Tom didn''t know when she would wake up and if there would be anyplications.


    Why was he so worried about Patricia? Tom couldn''t understand his own feelings towards this girl. Had he be inevitably attracted to her? That would exin why he was so anxious, whether she would wake up from it or not. His heart throbbed, and it was a new and strange feeling to him. This was impossible and it came out of nowhere! In addition, he hated anything not being in control. How did ite to this?


    Though it was a Saturday, Kevin still got up early. He cooked a nice breakfast, nning to bring it to Tom, who had stayed in the hospital all night, keeping watch over Patricia. He knew that Tom would be tired making sure that her condition did not worsen. He also wanted to thank him on Leena''s behalf.


    Last night, Leena tossed and turned in bed and couldn''t get any decent sleep, thinking about her best friend. She finally drifted off close to sunrise only because she got tired worrying. Now she was still sound asleep in bed, and Kevin felt bad waking her up. "Nana, I am going to the hospital now. I will be back soon." Being deeply in love with Leena, naturally, Kevin also cared about those who were close to her heart. He didn''t ever want to see Leena sad or worried if he could help it.


    "Okay," Leena mumbled with her eyes still closed. Apparently she was still deep in her slumber and probably in a dream somewhere. She didn''t hear a word Kevin was saying, but she gave a semi-conscious reply. Then she quickly fell sound asleep again. Kevin was surprised. He had thought that it would take a while to convince her to stay home. Fortunately she agreed easily.


    When Kevin arrived at the hospital, Tom was walking out of his office. So when he opened the door and saw Kevin there, he was surprised. He didn''t expect him here, alone.


    "Good morning, Tom." Kevin dressed casually today. The weather was a bit cold, so he had a down jacket on him to keep himself warm.


    "Good morning. What are you doing here this early?" Tom gave him a curious look as he was about to go and check on Patricia''s condition. Kevin wasn''t the first person he would expect toe here at this time of the day, especially not for Patricia.


    "I brought some breakfast for you. Besides, I want to know how Patricia is doing. Leena was worried sick about her and almost didn''t sleep all night," Kevin said while showing Tom the meal box in his hands.


    "Oh okay, cool. That''s very nice of you! Thanks for the breakfast then." Tom took the meal box from Kevin''s hands. He felt grateful for Kevin''s thoughtfulness. Who knew that he hadn''t eaten anything yet?


    "No need to thank me. We are family, aren''t we? Just eat it before it gets cold." Kevin followed him to his office, d that he and Tom were getting along better now.


    "Where is Leena? She didn''te with you? You said, she spent all night worrying about Patricia?" Thinking of yesterday when she left and how reluctant she was, he felt helpless. He just wanted to know if Leena was alright.


    "Yes, she did. I think she has just fallen asleep when I got up. Also she threw a small tantrum yesterday. But you know her, she is not the unreasonable type. So it is understandable." Kevin felt helpless about the tantrum, but he didn''t feel the slightest irritation with his wife. Well, he loved her, so what could he do? The only thing he could do was spoil her and let her do what she wanted.


    "Yeah, that is just how Leena is. She will throw some tantrums from time to time, but she never holds grudges. So we usually just let her. She won''t do stupid things anyway." Tom shrugged his shoulders. He could almost imagine the look on Leena''s face when she puckered up her lips in anger.


    "Well, maybe she is like that because you all spoil her." Kevin said with a littleugh. He actually liked it, that there were many people in Leena''s life who loved and cared about her. Most of all, he was happy to be one of those people now.


    "So are you unhappy that we spoil our little sister?" Tom raised one eyebrow at Kevin''s words. If Kevin dared to say ''yes'', he might kick his ass.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    "What? No, of course not! In fact, I''m happy that you are spoiling her because I do exactly the same. She deserves it." No matter what Leena was like, with the good and the bad, they had promised to spend their lives with each other and ignore each other''s imperfections. Throwing small tantrums from time to time would be part of that marriage and would not be a big deal. Even Kevin might have his tantrums in the future.0?????????????

 Chapter 1349 Death Was No Laughing Matter (Part Two)

    "Yeah, of course she deserves it." Tom smiled. But suddenly, his smile turned to a frown, remembering that Leena would have a lot of difficulty getting pregnant. He nced at Kevin with worried eyes. Till now, Kevin had no idea about it. But what would he think once he knew? Would he still be this good to Leena? Would he treat Leena the same way he was doing now or would he change his mind? Tom knew that it was impossible for a man topletely ignore it. Maybe Kevin wouldn''t mind it for now. But what if, in the future he wanted a child and Leena couldn''t get pregnant? Who could guarantee that his feelings for Leena wouldn''t change? "How is Patricia doing right now?" Kevin asked Tom in a more serious tone. Since his wife had spent the whole night worrying about Patricia, he couldn''t help but get anxious as well.


    "If I tell you that her condition is not promising, what would you think?" Tom felt helpless. Yes, he was a damn good doctor, if he said so himself. But he also just was human and sometimes, things were just out of his control. It was not up to him which patient got to live and which patient would die.


    "It doesn''t matter what I think. What matters is what you are going to do about it." Kevin''s heart dropped. If Tom, a great doctor, said that Patricia''s condition was not promising, then it was surely not promising at all. Did this mean that Patricia would not survive this ordeal? "I am a doctor. I am not God." Tom rolled his eyes at Kevin. He felt pressured. No matter how good he was in his field, if it was someone''s time to go, it was time to go. He really wanted Patricia to get better. But it was not up to him.


    "So there is nothing you can do? Really?" Though Patricia was not family, Kevin still cared about her as a friend. Besides, he did not know how he was going to tell his wife.


    "At least not for now. Do you think that I would still be here if I already figured out how to save her?" Even if Patricia wasn''t Leena''s best friend, he would still do everything he could so that she would live.


    "So, all we can do for now is wait for her to wake up on her own?" Kevin didn''t hide his uneasiness. He remembered feeling helpless when his own wife had fallen intoa, not knowing when she would wake up.


    "Yes, that''s all we can do for now." Tom had seen many people sumb to death right in front of him. It was a given circumstance in his chosen profession. But his heart throbbed badly when he thought of someone who was once a lively and tough girl, slipping away, never to return. He badly wanted to save her, he really did. Now, he hated the feeling that he couldn''t do anything about it.


    Kevin''s heart still felt heavy when he walked out of the hospital. His mind kepting back to Tom''s words, and he couldn''t help but worry about Leena''s reaction when he broke the news to her. He didn''t get to see Patricia today because she was in a critical state and was still under close observation. They couldn''t risk her being infected.


    Meantime back at the apartment, Leena woke up without Kevin by her side. But she didn''t think much of it. She just thought that he had gone to the army base as usual. After all, things always came up at the army base that needed Kevin''s attention and she had already gotten used to it. Maybe it was an emergency so Kevin didn''t wake her up.


    She didn''t even think of Patricia. Maybe she still hadn''t fully woken up, or maybe she tried to forget about itpletely. She loved her friend dearly but she didn''t like that she had lost sleep the previous night over it.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    Slowly, she got out of bed and walked to the bathroom to brush her teeth and freshen up. Then she started cleaning their bedroom. The room was a mess. Though Kevin was a soldier, he didn''t keep things clean and tidy. Maybe this was because he came from a wealthy family and he didn''t have to pick up after himself. Also, he was very busy with his job so he didn''t have time to do housework.


    They did not hire a servant so Leena had to do it all herself, changing the sheets and even mopping the floor. She acted as if her best friend wasn''t in the hospital at the moment. She could get really oblivious sometimes. Maybe what happened to Patricia was so bad that she couldn''t help but forget about it to make herself feel better.


    "Nana, you are up!" Kevin stared at her with surprise. He didn''t expect to see her cleaning their bedroom when he came back home. What the hell was happening now? Why was Leena acting like this? Was the crisis that Patricia was in, too hard to ept? Or was she tidying up the bedroom to have at least some sense of control? This sometimes happened to people who felt extremely powerless in some situations.


    "Why are you here? Aren''t you supposed to be at the army base right now?" Leena was also startled that Kevin was home so early in the day. She blinked and looked at him with confused eyes.


    "Leena, are... are you okay?" Kevin asked a bit hesitantly. He was suddenly anxious all over again. But this time, he was worried about Leena. He was afraid that she couldn''t ept what had happened to Patricia and lost her mind. He had never seen her act this strange. "Of course I am okay. Why would I not be okay? You still haven''t told me why you came back. Did you forget something?" Leena looked around the room with curious eyes, trying to see if Kevin had forgotten to take his phone or keys with him.


    "No I didn''t forget anything. Aren''t you happy to see me home? Do you want to see me work my ass off and exhaust myself to death? Do you like me going to the army base on a weekend?" Kevin said in a casual tone and then winked. But when he saw that Leena''s face suddenly be pale with what he just said. He immediately realized that he had used the wrong words.


    "Were you kidding just now? Because it wasn''t funny at all! I don''t want to hear you talk like that again! You know how much you mean to me! Why are you trying to twist my words?" Leena was particrly sensitive these days. She didn''t like Kevin talking about his own death, even if it was just a joke. In times like this, death was noughing matter.


    "Okay Nana, I am so sorry! I didn''t mean to upset you. It was just a silly joke. Please don''t take it seriously. I''m really sorry." Kevin had gotten used to her throwing tantrums, but he didn''t know that she could get this sensitive. He didn''t expect that his silly joke would upset Leena like this. Leena loved him so much that she couldn''t even tolerate this kind of joke. She just couldn''t stand the thought of losing him.


    "But I have already taken it seriously." Leena furrowed her eyebrows. Then all of a sudden, she had a feeling that she had forgotten about something very important. But she just couldn''t tell what it was. She felt lost, like a very important part of her memory had faded into nothingness.00000

 Chapter 1350 An Unhappy Encounter (Part One)

    "I''m really sorry. Please tell me you''re gonna get over what I said. I will make it up to you," Kevin said as he walked up to Leena. He pinched her red face, his eyes full of affection. "Never mind," Leena grumbled, pursing her lips. She shook off his hand and continued tidying up the room.


    "Have you eaten your breakfast?" Kevin asked her. He noticed when he hade back, the breakfast on the dining table was still set, just as it had been before. Naturally, he was worried. Leena had suffered quite a shockst night.


    "Not yet. I''ll eat soon and then go to the hospital to check on Patricia''s situation," Leena said, unperturbed. Kevin heaved a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Leena did not forget about what had happened to Patricia.


    "I thought you forgot Patricia''s ident!" Kevin eximed, looking at her with amazement. She looked so calm this morning. He thought she would not be able to stand the blow of Patricia''s ident and forgot everything. He too began to help her do the room. Leena seemed veryposed.


    "Come on. Patricia is one of my best friends. How could I even forget about her? I''vee around to the idea that however sad and dejected I am, she won''t get better anytime soon. So why should I be so hard on myself? I have to cheer up." Leena gave Kevin a bitter smile. She had now be more mature than she used to be.


    "I''m d you see it that way. You know, you really scared mest night." Leena had crumbled under the shocking news of Patricia''s situation. It had startled Kevin. Luckily, Leena seemed to have made her peace with it. Otherwise Kevin would not have known how to console her. After all, Patricia was her best friend.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    "What else can I do? I can''t just be in low spirits all day and do nothing." Leena had finally realized that no matter what happened, life would still go on. She still had to go about her days as usual, even though her best friendy unconscious in the ICU. But the lives of Patricia''s well-wishers couldn''te to a standstill. They were doing their best to wake her up. It would be devastating if Patricia were unable toe out of thea.


    Patriciay in the ICU bed with her eyes closed. She seemed to have no will to wake up. A fewplications hade up, but Tom was prompt enough to bring her back to safety.


    It had been almost a week since her car ident, but her situation had swung about rmingly. If anyone other than Tom had been her attending doctor, they might have given up on her. However, Tom had used expensive medicines to make sure that her heart was still beating.


    Tom sighed with profound resignation at the sight of Patricia''s pale face. He had thought he was one of the best doctors in the world and that he could treat any patient, but right now, he just felt powerless.


    "Tom, do you think she is in a beautiful dream?" Leena asked in a whisper as she leaned against Tom. They stared at Patricia''s immobile face.


    "I guess so. Maybe that''s why she is unwilling to wake up." Tom stroked Leena''s hair. For some unountable reason, his heart felt like it was breaking. Every time he saw Patricia lying on the hospital bed, he felt a sharp pain in his heart.


    "I wonder what''s in her dream. Is it so good? Even more important than us? Doesn''t she know how worried we are?" Leena asked, transfixed as she gazed at her unconscious friend. Her voice choked up and her face grew red as tears streaked down her cheeks. She had thought before that she could stay calm, but the moment she saw Patricia again, she couldn''t help but cry.


    "I don''t know, Leena." Tom allowed himself a wry smile. He wondered if Patricia had been hurt by his harsh words. Maybe he epted her love in her dream; that was why she refused to wake up. In reality, he couldn''t be with someone he didn''t love. To be forced to do something was never agreeable to him. Tom didn''t want to put himself through such a situation.


    "Does she have to stay inside the ICU all the time?" There were many operating devices in the ICU to support Patricia''s life. Leena had seen the devices before when Edward was injured. She still trembled in fear at the sight of them.


    "If she gets better, we''ll transfer her to the High Dependency Unit." Not everyone was able to afford to stay in the ICU. The expenses incurred were high. Patricia had already been in the ICU for about a week. The cost of it was equivalent to what ordinary families earned throughout a year.


    "Tom, may I ask you a question?" Leena turned to look at him, wondering why he hadn''t fallen for a beautiful and sincere woman like Patricia.


    "Of course." Tom cast a final nce at Patricia before leaving the room with Leena. On the way to his office, he looked at Leena, still waiting for her question.


    "You really don''t like Patricia?" Leena fixed her eyes upon his face, not willing to miss a single expression on it. She didn''t want him to hide how he felt.


    "You know I hate being forced to do anything," Tom said with a frown. He didn''t dislike Patricia. She was beautiful, funny and too clever by far. He just hated the way she approached him and how she pushed him to ept her.


    "So, you dislike how forward she is about her feelings?" Leena asked him again. If so, it would be hard for Tom to say yes to being in a rtionship with Patricia.0000000000????

 Chapter 1351 An Unhappy Encounter (Part Two)

    "Yes. It makes me feel like she is intruding on my privacy," Tom said, still frowning. He didn''t intend to lie to Leena. He could always be frank with her about his feelings. There was no point in making a secret of what he thought of Patricia. "Can''t you just try to get along with her? Maybe you''ll fall in love with her after you truly get to know her," Leena said as hope shone in her eyes.


    "Leena, you''re a married woman. I believe you know what love is. What if I force you to leave Kevin and fall in love with someone else? It won''t be right." It was true that Tom felt something different for Patricia now, but he didn''t think it was love. It was a kind of sympathy that a doctor had for his patient.


    "I get your point. I''m just finding it hard to ept the possibility that she may never wake up again." What about Patricia''s F1 racing? Her championship dreams? How could all of it die because of one single ident?


    "Leena, I know. And I am sorry. I''m doing my best to bring her out of thisa. But I can''t be with someone I don''t love," Tom said. He didn''t love Patricia, and that was that. Certainly, he felt bad about the tragedy that had befallen her and hoped she would wake up soon. But after she did, he would not be forced to get into a rtionship with her.


    "Okay, I get it." Leena gnawed on her lower lip and gave up trying to persuade Tom. He had made himself very clear. She had to respect his choice.


    Tom looked at Leena and patted her shoulder. He knew how dejected she must feel right now, but some things couldn''t be helped. As Patricia''s doctor, he too felt frustrated.


    As Leena stepped outside of the hospital, she stared at the people passing by. She had no clue about where to go. Kevin was busy today and woulde homete at night, so she had lots of time to kill.


    She raised her head and spotted the bakery where she and Belinda had delicious cakes the other day. Leena made her way to it.


    The shop seemed deserted. Only a few people upied the seats. Perhaps, the young couples had chosen other ces to go to for their dates. Leena chose a seat by the window.


    "Miss, may I take your order? Would you be eating here or is it a takeaway?" a waitress greeted Leena, smiling warmly.


    "A cup oftte and an apple pie, please. I''ll eat here." Leena gave her a small smile. After Patricia''s ident, Leena felt she had be more mature. She was in a different state of mind these days. It was different from the light-hearted girl she used to be. "Sure. Please wait for a moment. Your order will be served soon." The waitress liked the beautiful and polite customer. It made her feelfortable. She guessed thedy was well educated.


    Leena nodded and looked outside the window nkly. She stared at the crowd along the streets, still lost in her thoughts. Suddenly, her ringing phone brought her back to reality.


    "Hi, Belinda. What''s up?" Leena was d to hear from Belinda. Her voice was eager as she answered her sister-inw''s call.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Naughty girl! You''ve been back for a couple of days now but haven''t even visited Duke and me. You didn''t miss us at all, did you?" Belinda said. After getting pregnant, she hadn''t gone to work at all. She was quite bored at home these days and wished she could hang out with someone.


    "I''m really sorry, Belinda. I''ve been busy these days. Kevin and I nned to visit you guys this weekend," Leena apologized, embarrassed. She had been so worried about Patricia that she almost forgot that Belinda was pregnant. "What have you been doing? I thought you were done with the preparation of theunch event?" Belinda asked as she munched on an apple.


    "I''ll talk to you about itter. Something bad happened to my friend." Leena took a sip of her coffee. She didn''t think it was appropriate to tell Belinda what happened over the phone. It would be better to tell her when they met. "Come on, Leena. Just tell me!" Belinda became more and more curious. She was bored out of her mind, but Leena wasn''t telling her what had happened. What was up with her?


    "Belinda, I''ll tell youter, okay?" Leena was at a loss and wondered whether she should cry orugh. Since when had Belinda be so stubborn?


    "You brat! Stop keeping me in suspense. I can''t bear your naughtiness!" Belinda said through gritted teeth. She was so mad at her sister-inw that she could kill her. "Calm down! Watch yournguage. Your baby is listening, okay?" Leena giggled, amused by Belinda''s reaction.


    "It''s all your fault!" Belinda hissed, putting the me on Leena.


    "Why is it my fault?" Leena thought she was innocent. Belinda had a worse temper ever since she got pregnant. Everyone had to y by her rules and please her.


    "Of course it''s your fault! You made me angry!" Belinda argued. She knew she was making an issue out of nothing, but couldn''t help herself. It was probably her hormones. She was not this rude before she got pregnant.


    "Fine! It''s all my fault. By the way, I''m eating the tastiest cake at that shop we went tost time." Leena''s words made Belinda even more furious. She couldn''t help but curse Leena in her mind. ''She is so awful! I will kill her when I see her. Does she not know what kind of appetite pregnant women have?''


    "Woman, I order you, you must send me a cake over right now!" Belinda demanded in a firm tone. She tried her best to hold back her temper, but failed at the mention of cake.

 Chapter 1352 An Unhappy Encounter (Part Three)

    up her husband and asked him to buy her a cake, despite the fact that he was busy at work.


    "What did you just say? The signal is bad here. I''m hanging up now. I''ll call youter." Saying thus, Leena hung up at once. A cunning smile lingered on her lips. Little did she know that her mischievous actions had made Duke the victim instead. Belinda immediately called The afternoon was pleasant. Leena had her delicious cake and coffee at the bakery. She wished that Patricia could wake up, but was aware it was wishful thinking on her part.


    She looked outside the window and found that she was no longer in the mood to enjoy her food. After paying the bill, Leena walked to the door. As she opened it, a hastening figure knocked her to the ground.


    "Damn it! Are you blind?" The arrogant tone sounded like it was Patricia''s, but Leena knew that was too good to be true. It couldn''t be her. She was lying inside the ICU, still unconscious. How could she appear in front of Leena magically?


    "Please get your facts right. You knocked me down, okay? Now you''re scolding me instead of apologizing to me." Leena struggled to get to her feet and rubbed her aching bottom. She was a little surprised to see Louisa standing in front of her. "Leena Leng, it''s you again! Why do you materialize everywhere I go?" Louisa said as she turned up her nose and looked down at Leena. As the daughter of the army Commander, Louisa had the habit of belittling everybody.


    "That''s what I''m thinking too. You are present everywhere I go. Are you stalking me?" Leena was still downcast because of Patricia''s ident and was in no mood to be polite to Louisa.


    "Bah! Are you afraid of being in a room with me? Is that it?" Louisa was satisfied that Leena was finally treating her as a threat.


    "You are way too full of yourself." Leena cast a scornful nce at Louisa and moved to leave. Louisa was a contemptible, quarrelsome woman who was always looking to make trouble. Leena decided it would be better to stay away from her. "Leena Leng, if it weren''t for Kevin, I would p you right now!" Louisa gritted her teeth. She tried her best to stop herself fromying hands on Leena. Louisa feared she would be grounded again if she gave in to the impulse.


    "I''m afraid you won''t have the chance to p me ever again. I''m not a pushover; if you darey a finger on me, I swear I won''t let you get away with it easily," Leena snorted. She didn''t understand why Louisa hadn''t learned her lesson yet. Hadn''t she done enough? The nerve of this woman! "Bitch! Try saying that again!" Louisa said, still ring at Leena with reproachful eyes.


    "You should get your head checked!" Leena said to her steadily. It was a sheer waste of time to argue with Louisa. There was a growing crowd of lookers and it embarrassed Leena, so she turned to leave.


    "Stop right there, Leena Leng! I haven''t finished yet. You are a coward. Is that why you are running away? You''re afraid of me, aren''t you?" Louisa was mortified at being cold-shouldered. Insults flew out of her mouth as she stared at Leena''s receding back, who was moving away from her rather swiftly.


    Leena ignored Louisa''s mean words and walked forward without turning her head. She didn''t understand why Louisa was so brazen. Louisa had a quarrel with a salesgirl at the cake shopst time, but she still came back. What a hostile woman! Did she have any shame? Seeing Leena cross the street, Louisa hoped that a car would knock her down and tten her right away. That way, Louisa could finally be with Kevin. Unfortunately for Louisa, she was doomed to disappointment.


    When Leena returned home, it was still early. She called up Kevin to check when he would be back.


    "Hi, Nana. Why are you calling?" Kevin was taking a nap on the back seat of his car when his phone rang.


    "Kevin, are you still working?" Leena asked as she stretched out on the sofazily after kicking off her shoes. Warm satisfaction filled her heart at his soothing voice.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    "No, I''m on my way home. I think I''ll arrive in about four hours. What happened?" Kevin had been tired and exhausted after the full day of work, but the moment he heard her voice, he was once again in high spirits.


    "Nothing happened. You are on your way, you said? I thought you woulde back veryte. I didn''t buy any groceries. What am I going to cook now? Oh my god!" Leena said in a soft voice, immediately raising herself up into a sitting position.


    "I finished my work ahead of time so I aming back earlier. Sorry I forgot to call you first. Don''t bother making me a meal. I''ll cook something for myself when I get home," Kevin said and smiled. He had nned to inform her before, but after he got into his car, he felt so sleepy that he took a nap. That was why he forgot to call her up.


    "Don''t worry. I don''t n on making you a hearty meal. You are expecting too much." After hearing what Kevin said, Leenay down again. She was in no mood to make a big meal. She decided to take a little rest first. In any case, if she cooked for him right now, the food would get cold by the time he arrived. She could just make something simple for him when he came home.


    "Nana, you just broke my heart!" Kevin joked, but deep down, he was d that Leena was beginning to regard him as family. Before, she used to treat him with utmost care and cautiousness. It used to stress him out. It was good that she was bing more rxed around him.


    "Liar! I know you are making fun of me." Leena pressed her lips together. She knew he was just teasing her.

 Chapter 1353 Luke And The Lady (Part One)

    "Hey, I didn''t mean it like that." Kevinughed gently. Although Leena wasn''t here, you could still see his love for his wife in his eyes.


    "I don''t like being mocked," said Leena. People in love were always sensitive. Leena was not an exception. A careless word in the wrong ear, and Leena would get insecure. No matter how much she tried to improve, there would always be something wrong. So, like everyone else, she would get anxious and wonder if he still loved her. But it was all on her mind. She wasn''t used to dealing with a rtionship. "I know, I''m sorry. I''ll be back soon, at any rate. Go eat!" Kevin checked his watch and found that it was nearly meal time. He wanted to make sure she had something to eat. It wasn''t healthy to skip meals.


    "I will. Drive safely." After their exchange, Leena hung up the phone. She felt warm from the bottom of her heart. Her eyes wereughing, and that sight was just as beautiful as the crescent moon.


    Kevin looked at the phone. A smile tugged at his lips. He was quite satisfied with his life now. It couldn''t get any better, could it?


    "Major General, are we heading back to the base?" Lee looked at Kevin through the rearview mirror. He wondered if they were going to drop off the documents at the base. These were confidential files, and it would be best to have them under lock and key.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Yeah! We''ll drop by there first!" Kevin was insistent on this. Though he was pretty sure Leena wouldn''t peek at them if he brought the files home, he was a stickler for the rules. They needed to be filed correctly and locked up. He needed to obey the rules even if he was a major general. There was no privilege for him.


    "Yes sir." Lee answered briskly. He liked Major General Gu because he was considerate, but tended to do the right thing. He knew Kevin loved his wife, but duty came first. They all knew that the confidential documents could not be taken home no matter how much they trusted their families. What was more, the military code was very clear on how these files were to be handled.


    When Kevin finally got back home, it was nearly ten o''clock. The lights were off downstairs, and Leena wasn''t there. But he could hear gentle musicing from the first floor. It put him in a better mood and rxed him. Maybe this was the warmth that came from having a family!


    He crept upstairs, wondering what his wife was doing. He carefully monitored his footfalls, like he learned in stealth training in the military. But he was startled when she sensed him and turned around.


    "Ahhh! Leena, is that you?" He wasn''t sure. The creature was wearing his wife''s bathrobe and had her lovely figure, but the hair was hidden by a towel, and her face was covered by an icky green goo. Looking at his wife''s face, Kevin fought down his rising anxiety. What on earth was going on?


    "Calm down, honey. It''s just a facial mask!" answered Leena. Regardless of what Kevin thought, Leena liked the effect of the facial cleansing mask. She didn''t like the way her skin looked recently. So when she had some free time, she decided to apply the face mask. The mask helped to hydrate her skin, removing oil and even helping with her pores. She didn''t expect Kevin would be back now. Being scared? That was on him.


    "So why didn''t I see you doing this before?" Kevin frowned and looked at her. He was calmed down now, and his heart stopped beating like a jackhammer. It was natural to be shocked, seeing that the first time.


    "That''s because I used to be young, but now I''m growing older. My skin''s not as firm as it used to be. And it used to glow. And I want you to think I''m pretty for a long time," Leena said naughtily. Her eyes were full of mischief. But when she closed her eyes, they were covered by the face mask. So the effect was dulled somewhat.


    "No matter what, past, present, or future, I will always love you. I fall in love with you, and that won''t change no matter how much time passes." It was a rare thing for Kevin to be so romantic. Therefore, Leena was moved after hearing what he said. She looked at him with immense affection. It was like there was nobody in the world except Kevin. Nothing else mattered.


    "They say that if guys don''t lie, then pigs will fly. Do you see any flying pigs?" Although Leena felt warm in her heart, she still couldn''t help teasing him.


    "You don''t believe me?" Kevin reached out his hand and pulled her into his arms. Leena''s body was close to his. And Kevin stared at her with mischievous intent.


    "Ouch! It hurts." Leena gave Kevin the side eye and felt he was bing more and more evil. Was this man still the cold major general she knew and loved?


    "No pain, no gain," Kevin said in a yful tone. Leena was absorbed in Kevin''s gaze, unable to tear her eyes away from Kevin''s handsome face.


    "You naughty boy." Leena mustered all her willpower and looked away. She wouldn''t be that easily seduced.


    "I''m only naughty for you. Believe me." Kevin whispered softly in her ear. His warm breath made her knees weak. She wanted to run away, because she knew what he wanted.


    "Well, I''m going to wash my face." Leena said as she bent her knees and escaped from his grasp. She ran towards the bathroom, as if fierce floods and savage beasts were chasing her.


    Kevin smiled evilly. He knew exactly why she wanted to escape. But there was no hurry. The night was still young. He had plenty of time to seduce her.


    While Kevin was enjoying himself, someone else most certainly was not. Michelle just wanted to exercise outside, but then a gang of thugs followed her. She wasn''t stupid enough to fight them. She ran. She didn''t have anyone else to worry about, so she might be able to get away.


    But these bastards had been chasing her a long time, weren''t they tired? Even if they weren''t tired, she was exhausted. She had just been at the gym. She trained to the point of muscr failure, not expecting to have a workout again so soon. She was gasping, her chest hurt, her heart threatening to burst.


    Because she was afraid innocents might be hurt, she aimed for dark alleys and backroads, where they hopefully wouldn''t see anyone. But no people meant less chance of getting help, too. Besides, everyone just minded their own business downtown. If they caught up to her there, there still would be nobody willing to help.


    She could hear the voices of those thugs behind her. "Bitch, can''t you run faster?" "We''re gaining on her!" "You better run!" She rounded the corner, and i I was a dead end. She turned to face them. More than a dozen gangsters blocked Michelle''s path. Some were holding weapons. They advanced on her slowly, enjoying the thrill of the chase, like a serpent stalking a mouse.


    "Are you kidding? I''ll run if I feel like it!" Michelle knew that she was probably screwed. But she held her chin up and faced these guys head on. She acted high and mighty, so maybe she could scare them off. She was arrogant, and it showed.


    "Ha ha! I think the choice is made for you. There''s nowhere to run," one of the gangsters said,ughing. But he coughed a little after that. It was possible he was still out of breath, and needed more time to recover.


    "Great, then I can stop running, huh? Bye!" Michelle joked, stalling for time. She rolled her big eyes as she racked her brain, trying to find a way out of this. She was Michelle. If they intended to hurt her, she wasn''t going to make it easy for them.0000000

 Chapter 1354 Luke And The Lady (Part Two)

    "C''mon, chica. Do you really think you have a chance against us?" Everyoneughed evilly. Everyone, that was, except Michelle, who was getting more and more nervous.


    "I dunno. What if I know something you don''t? I wouldn''t be too quick to judge. If I were you, I''d run now!" Michelle kicked the pebbles on the ground with her toes, regretting her carelessness. A dead end alley was no ce to get caught. She should have seen thating. Theyughed again. "What, you think you''re tough enough? Boys, we have a winner. Let''s have some fun," said one of the men who looked the same age as Michelle. And he seemed just as carefree.


    "I mean it. Back off, now!" She was as brave as she could be, given the odds. She''d been in some of the seediest ces in the city, ande out unscathed. She was used to walking into such ces, risking her life.


    "Bitch, you have no idea. C''mon boys, the moon is high. It''s a night for love!" The man smiled evilly and stared at Michelle''s breasts, visibly moving up and down as she got more and more nervous.


    Michelle frowned deeply, though she just wanted to cry. She had no choice now. As the saying goes, "do or die." Was she really so stupid to continue to insult these guys? But then again, she was Michelle.


    "Hey you! Help me!." Michelle pretended to be surprised and looked over the gangsters'' heads, like there was someone there. Everyone turned their heads -- the police might be there. Michelle''s trick worked, and she ran right past them and out of the alley. They didn''t expect this, and were absolutely pissed at her. Naturally, they gave chase.


    Michelle realized how much a mistake she''d made, trying to find back alleys. There was no one around, and no ce to hide.


    "You''ll regret this bitch! Stop running and let us have some fun!" The gangsters shouted loudly behind her. Michelle ran like all the hounds of hell were after her -- because they were.


    She just ignored their cries and ran even faster. Only an idiot would waste his breath on them. The most important thing to do was run. Let them yell at her all they wanted. Maybe they''d run out of breath first.


    She was headed for the gate of a courtyard when a hand reached out, grabbed her arm, and quickly pulled her into that same courtyard. This guy was big. She tried kicking him and punching him, trying to get him to let her go. But it was like hitting stone. She struggled, trying to ensure her safety.


    "Stop it, you crazy chick!" Still holding on to her wrist, he grabbed her other hand. He was regretting this already. If he didn''t just happen to be here, he wouldn''t have even tried to save her. She probably got herself into this anyway. Why was it his business?


    "Luke? Is it really you? You frightened me half to death. I thought you were a ghost!" As soon as Michelle heard the familiar voice, she shouted in surprise and squinted at Luke through the dim light.


    "Did I scare you more than those guys?" Luke looked down at her with a derisive look, wondering if he shouldn''t help her.


    "No, no, that''s not what I mean. It''s -- I''m -- you''re fine," Michelle exined excitedly. It had been a couple weeks since shest saw him. So she was really excited and happy to see him tonight. Especially given the circumstances.


    "You can shut up now." Luke''s face turned livid with rage. She wasn''t helping her case any. He had an impulse to throw her back out into the alleyway. He was almost beyond caring.


    "Why are you so mean to me? Don''t you know how to treat ady?" Michelle pouted. She felt hurt. But no matter what, she was safe with this guy.


    "I do. Let me know when we meet one." Luke snorted contemptuously at her. He did not like this woman before, and liked her even less now.


    "Ha ha," she said acidly, "You''re one to talk. So how do I not seem like ady? Is it because I don''t strut like a whore? Or ask you for sex? I think you have confused me with someone else!" Michelle was angry at Luke. What he said was outrageous! She wasn''t soft and delicate, but that didn''t mean that she wasn''t ady.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    Luke looked her up and down for a moment, and then the corners of his mouth curved into a contemptuous smile. His thin lips opened, "You''re about as much like ady as an elephant is like a mouse."


    "Why you -- you -- fuck off!" Michelle never imagined that Luke thought so little of her. She was so angry that she almost lost her mind. She shouted and screamed at him.


    "I should be saying that to you. You know, this is my ce, right? Not only are you not ady, you''re a bitch, too." Luke ignored her face darkening. He didn''t care how angry she got. He just continued to insult her.


    "Luke, you, you..." Michelle stretched out her hand to point at him. Luke was usually pretty dull, but his tongue was razor sharp. She was so enraged that she couldn''t even talk. She could only re at him.


    "I think they''re gone. Go home," Luke said, acting as cold as usual.


    "No, I want to stay with you. What if theye back?" Michelle pouted and did not want to leave. In spite of how they fought, she liked Luke, and felt safe around him. Unless she missed her guess, these guys would double back when they didn''t find her. She couldn''t run that fast if they spotted her. So they would start looking more carefully, uncovering hiding spots. Luke frowned and then threw the phone in his hand to her. "Call your friends and ask them to meet you here."


    "What? Why are you being this way? It''s a long drive back to my ce! I''d be in pieces by the time they get to me," Michelle tutted lightly. But she also didn''t return his phone. She dialed her own number instead. She forgot his phone number and figured if it were in her call history she could save itter. "That''s none of my business," Luke said coldly. But his cold manner didn''t freeze Michelle''s mouth.


    "If you save my life, you''ll be doing your good deed for the day. What''s more, we''re still friends," Michelleined to him. Maybe he could get him to drive her home. She really didn''t feel safe anymore.


    "I already saved you once. What? You want me to follow you around and save you all the time?" Once Luke thought of that, he got goosebumps. He could just think about it, but he couldn''t really do it. He was Edward''s bodyguard, not hers. "Wow, that sounds good. So how about it?" Michelle seemed to haven''t heard the mocking tone in his voice. She really hoped that was a serious suggestion. Then, she caught herself. ''Oh my god! What am I thinking? I must be nuts!'' "Are you a retard? Or do you try hard to be that stupid?" Luke didn''t even realize what he was doing. He was a man of few words, yet he was carrying on a conversation with her. Or didn''t he notice that something strange was happening? "Luke, this is so cute. It''s like a lover''s quarrel." Michelle looked up at him as this man was really tall. So she could always just see his nostrils, but not his head. She couldn''t even tell if he was going bald.


    "Take that back. It''s not funny." Luke''s face sank. Instantly, he became even more dangerous. His whole life revolved around protecting Edward. So he never thought about loving anyone, let alone getting serious with a woman. "I''m just kidding. Don''t bust a nut." Michelle felt a little embarrassed. She didn''t know what came over her, but she found herself liking this guy a lot. She wasn''t kidding, but she wasn''t going to let him know that.0000000

 Chapter 1355 Ran Into Rachel (Part One)

    "Don''t talk to me as if we are close. You know what? I''m not even close to you at all. We are literally strangers," said Luke in a hateful tone. Many people said that ''men who are cold always have the warmest hearts''. However, Michelle found it hard to believe that saying,


    because of Luke. For Pete''s sake, Luke was an anomaly! The man was just downright made of ice!Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Oh my God, Luke! Stop looking too highly of yourself. Do you think that you are some kind of a superstar? You don''t even have the right to be arrogant. You are nothing but a ''nobody''. Do you understand?" Michelle cast a disdainful stare at Luke. If he could talk this way to humiliate her, then she could talk the same way to get even to him.


    "Don''t you dare tell me that I talk like a superstar. I don''t and I will never. I''m different," Luke hissed with a warning. It was evident how harsh he was with just the way he spat his words. Having to stay with Edward all the time gave him the chance to deal with different actors and actresses from FX International. For him, the entertainment circle was totally a dirty different world, which was full of conspiracies and malicious things.


    "You..." Michelle might be fluent but definitely not eloquent. She had never won a quarrel with Luke as she usually ran out of words to say against him.


    "You... You..." insulted Luke as he mimicked Michelle''s tone, highlighting how stupid she sounded like she couldn''t even finish her words. "I suppose that you''re trying to ask about me. Well, don''t worry. I''m good. Now, if you don''t want to go, you can just stay here." He then gave Michelle an uninterested once-over with his cold eyes. He didn''t even think that Michelle was of any importance at all. Thus, it was okay for him to be condescending against her.


    "Hold on. Did you just say that I can stay here with you?" A little excitement hit Michelle upon hearing what he said. She couldn''t even understand why she felt happy with the thought that she could stay with him for a while.


    "No. You can stay here and I''ll leave." Luke corrected immediately. He got no ns of acting like a gentleman regardless if Michelle was a female.


    "But it scares me to be alone here. Can''t I just stay with you?" asked Michelle expectantly as she looked back at him with bright eyes.


    She was staring at him innocently when Luke suddenly pulled her without a warning and then pushed her carelessly against the wall closest to the door. Her back made a light thud but Luke didn''t seem to care. Instead, he positioned his hands on either side of her head and then warned her in a dangerous tone. "Let me tell you this, Michelle. Don''t you dare try to get something from me. There will be consequences waiting for you."


    "Don''t say that as if I want something from you, Luke. Let me tell you this too. I already have everything." Michelle jerked her head with pride. To be honest, she wasn''t even taking his warning seriously at all. There was a cunning smile on her face when she added, "Just give me time and patience."


    "Good. I''m d to hear that." A fake smile cracked on Luke''s lips. Then he turned away, opened the door, and walked out of that ce without even looking back. He didn''t even care about leaving Michelle in there all by herself. He was indeed a heartless man!


    "Wait!" It took Michelle a few seconds to snap out of her trance. It was toote when she realized that Luke was not around anymore. Thus, she immediately ran after him.


    Luke continued to walk briskly as if he wasn''t hearing her from his back. He had already finished his task, thus, he should go back to their office to report. Frankly, he would not want to waste more time dealing with Michelle.


    Michelle was already expecting Luke''s cold attitude but never had she thought that he was actually this heartless. She was panting as she ran after him but she couldn''t catch up. She wasn''t even given a choice to stop him when he reached his car and drove away really fast.


    The world-known FIA Form 1 World Championship was about to start. However, the one who wanted topete in it the most was still inatose. Patricia had missed her greatest dream. It seemed like fate had yed a trick on her as sleeping on her hospital bed might be considered a race for her life too.


    "Here is your medicine, Leena. I made it especially for you. Remember to take it every day on time." Tom handed the medicine to Leena. He knew that Leena did not like the smell of herbs, thus, he asked the pharmacist to put them into specialized bags. This way, she would only need to warm the bags to take the medicine.


    "Ur! What is this, Tom? I''m very healthy now. Why should I take medicine?" Leena frowned and immediately walked some steps backward. She had a disgusted expression on her face as she hated taking medicine so much.


    "Your body is still too weak. The medicine will make you stronger," persuaded Tom. Up until this point, Tom still didn''t know how to tell Leena that she had problems with conceiving. Thus, he came up with an excuse and tried to exin in an easy tone.


    "Okay! Stop making fun of me. Look at how strong I am! I can even fight with you! I''m not weak at all!" A carefree smile appeared on Leena''s face. She actually felt really good and she didn''t even think that there was something wrong with her body. Her resistance might be low but she was sure that she would be fine as long as she paid more attention to her health and not get sick. It was so strange that Tom was forcing her to drink some medicine.


    "Be a good girl, Leena. I won''t harm you." Tom was a bit worn out now. His handsome face looked lifeless and drained. He even looked sicker than his patients. Thebination of Leena''s case and Patricia ina took its toll on him in a really bad way.


    "I''m afraid that you are the one who should take the medicine! Look at yourself! You''re getting skinnier!" said Leena. She felt sorry for Tom and thought that it was only Patricia''s case that was draining him. It was obvious how tired and dispirited he was. She knew that Tom was starting to feel something for Patricia but never had he admitted this to anyone. Thus, she had no choice but to pretend that she knew nothing about it.


    "You little fool. I''m on a diet now. I''m not skinny at all. Don''t you think that I have a better built than before?" A bitter smile cracked Tom''s lips. To tell the truth, he was confused about himself too. He was very upset and disdainful about how Patricia was clinging to him before. However, things had changed after what happened. Now that she was lying motionless on her hospital bed, he couldn''t help his heart from getting heavier and heavier every single day.00000000000000

 Chapter 1356 Ran Into Rachel (Part Two)

    "Really? I don''t see that." Leena looked over Tom and thought that he had a better built before. It was actually sad to see his health quickly deteriorating.


    "Don''t try to change the topic. Take the medicine. Make a video call to me every time you take it. I need to make sure that you are having it." Tom didn''t allow her to refuse. He was doing this for her own good after all. One thing he could assure her was that he would never do anything to harm her. "You better kill me. There are so many types of medicine, Tom. How could you give me this when you know that I hate herbal medicines the most?" As hard headed as she was, Leena didn''t give up and kept on bargaining. She was already at the verge of crying as she sniffed. She looked so adorable while looking at Tom puppy-eyed.


    "You are not the one to decide about that. Now, get out! I need to deal with a lot of things." Silently, Tom sighed in relief and evaded Leena''s stare. He couldn''t imagine how heartbreaking would it be once Leena found out the reason behind the medicine he was giving her. He thought that he could get on with the secret as long as Leena stopped asking anything about the herbs.


    "Fine! I have a question though. How long should I take the medicine?" Leena felt frustrated as it seemed that she had no choice but to listen to Tom. She knew that Tom was not the type of person who would force someone to do things unless they were necessary. "I can''t tell you for now. We''ll decide on that once it works," said Tom. He knew that he could only conceal the truth from her temporarily. She would be suspicious should she take that medicine for a long time.


    "Am I going to take it for a long time?" asked Leena as she pursed her lips. She disliked the smell of herbal medicines because it made her feel like vomiting.


    "It''s up to you," was Tom''s answer. He then reached out to pat her on her head with a sad smile. All he ever wanted was for her to be healthy all the time. Now that Leena had a problem, he had to do everything possible to help her.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Poor me!" Leena frowned. She understood that she had to take the medicine regardless if she liked it or not. Tom would be looking closely at her and she felt helpless about it. The sun was shining brightly outside but just the thought of drinking the herbs was enough to make her feel cold.


    Later that day, both Leena and Belinda were surprised when they suddenly ran into Rachel. The woman had disappeared for a very long time. Never had they expected this unwanted meeting to happen at all.


    "Oh, Belinda! It''s you! I''ve heard that you are pregnant. What? Are you that desperate to keep Duke inside that tiny house your family owns?" Rachel smiled widely as she fiddled with the big waves of long hair. Mockery was clearly written all over her face as she looked at Belinda.


    "Of course, I am. You see, there are a lot of evil and low-life women roaming around outside," said Belinda and chuckled. Her belly wasn''t that big yet but people could easily recognize that she was pregnant since she was wearing a maternity dress.


    "Huh! I know what you mean, but I don''t care. Let me give you this advice, keep a close eye to your husband. All men love having affairs, especially at special times like this," said Rachel before throwing a disdainful glimpse at Belinda''s belly. There was no need to exin what she was trying to say. It was obvious enough.


    "Oh! Thank you very much for your advice. However, there is really no need for you to worry about that. I''m confident about my own charm even if I don''t trust my husband." A gentle smile cracked Belinda''s lips. She wasn''t as fiery as she used to be. She attended maternity education and she had learned a lot of new things about motherhood. She was now smiling a lot more. Thus, she did not get angry when Rachel provoked her. Being a future mother had changed her.


    "Well, I hope for that confidence to remain with you all the time then." Rachel chuckled and nced off. Then, she deliberately bumped Belinda''s shoulder slightly as she walked past her. It was fortunate that Leena was there and alertly caught Belinda just in time. Thus, nothing bad happened.


    "Are you okay, Belinda?" asked Leena in a caring tone. She was terrified that something bad might happen to Belinda. She would have no idea how to face her brother in that case.


    "I''m fine. Let''s go to another restaurant! Call Duke about it." Although the story between Duke and Rachel had been a history for a long time, Belinda still felt unhappy about it. Thus, she hesitated to have their meal at this restaurant knowing that Rachel was just around. "Toote. He''s already here." Leena pouted her lips at the direction where Duke was. He was walking towards them at the moment. As always, he was a very eyecatching man. It wasn''t even a surprise anymore when ardent eyes started following him as soon as he stepped in.


    "Why are you standing here? Why didn''t you wait for me inside?" Duke took a quick nce at Belinda''s belly and then looked at them.


    "We haven''t gone inside yet since we just arrived." Holding Belinda''s arm, Leena shot a naughty re at Mr. Cold.


    "It''s windy here. Let''s go inside," urged Duke immediately with a frown. He couldn''t afford to get this twodies sick. Thus, he would not allow them to just stand here at the gate as they might get cold.


    "Brother, can we go to another restaurant?" As a woman, Leena was certain that Belinda minded Rachel, so she made the proposal for Belinda''s sake.


    "Why? Isn''t it good here?" Duke asked confusedly. He had no idea about what was inside Leena''s mind.


    "Yes, it''s good but somehow I want to make a little change. I think it''s better for us to have the hot pot in such a cold weather." A sweet smile appeared on Leena''s face as she spoke. She was acting so nicely that no one could even see through her. She was really convincing when she said that she just suddenly changed her mind and wanted hot pots.


    "How about you? Do you want the same, Belinda?" Duke was still frowning when he turned to Belinda. He wouldn''t mind agreeing with Leena''s thoughts as long as Belinda was okay with it. Recently, he had been doing whatever she wanted. She was pregnant and she was simply his top priority among everything else.


    "It doesn''t matter to me," said Belinda without rifying her thoughts. It was obvious that she didn''t even care. She just had this gentle smile on her face the whole time. She was indeed a mother-to-be.

 Chapter 1357 Ran Into Rachel (Part Three)

    "Well, if you don''t mind it, then let''s not bother going to another ce. Let''s go inside, finish the meal quickly and then go back home," suggested Duke as he reached out for both of their hands. He guided them to walk-in to the restaurant before them and it seemed that his idea was already fixed. Meanwhile, Leena took a quick look at Belinda. She felt relieved when she saw that Belinda was doing alright. She was actually worried that Belinda might be unhappy about this arrangement.


    "Okay, take a seat!" The first thing that Duke did upon reaching their table was to pull a chair for Belinda. He wasn''t saying anything and yet his actions spoke louder than words. He was very considerate to his pregnant wife and it was evident that Belinda had his full attention.


    "Aren''t we going to the private room?" asked Leena as she looked around. She was trying to check where Rachel sat.


    "We''ll stay here. The air is fresher here than in the private rooms. It''s not good for an expectant mother." Obviously, Duke already made a research about the do''s and don''ts for pregnant women. He was an excited father-to-be and he honestly had high expectations for his unborn child.


    "Yes, you are right. I almost forget it." Leena stuck her tongue out and then sat down. She saw Rachel who was sitting nearby upon raising her head. The thought that Rachel was just close made Leena look at Duke nervously. She was wondering if the woman woulde to their table to disturb them. Seriously, it was a disgrace that Rachel''s heart wasn''t as beautiful as her face.


    "What''s wrong with you, Leena? Why do you suddenly look strange?" Although Duke cared about his wife and baby, he would not just simply ignore his beloved sister. Thus, he noticed the slight changes on Leena easily.


    "Oh! Nothing. My leg just hit the desk. It hurts a bit," said Leena with an awkward smile as she discreetly peeked at where Rachel was sitting from time to time.Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Be careful. Don''t be careless all the time!" reprimanded Duke. He didn''t really mean to me her. What he actually wanted was for Leena to be more careful. He scanned through the menu and then passed it to Belinda. He was about to choose their meal but thought that it was better if Belinda could do it herself, just in case she wouldn''t like his choice.


    "Duke, it''s been a long time! I didn''t expect to see you here today. What a coincidence!" Rachel threw a defiant look at Belinda. She really didn''t anticipate to see these two women again after their encounter earlier. She just came back to this country. It was ironic how her smile went brighter when she thought about the bad things that happened to her in this country before.


    "Sorry! I don''t have time to talk to you," said Duke coldly. He might have been gentle to Belinda and Leena but that didn''t mean that he was the same with everybody. He wasn''t kind at all. His tenderness and gentleness were only reserved for those he loved. It was funny, but in all honesty, he didn''t receive the memo that he should be kind to everyone else.


    "We are old friends, after all. Why do you keep pushing me away?" Rachel ignored Duke''s aloofness and stayed smiling at him. It was difficult to tell what was inside her mind at this moment.


    "Miss, I''m afraid you must have been mistaken! I don''t remember having a disgusting friend like you." It was only then that Duke realized why Leena made a proposal to go to another restaurant. Leena might have already known that Rachel was here. It was just natural for his sister to dislike staying here since Rachel was present.


    "Haha! True! I am not your friend. I should have said ''ex'' to be more precise, right?" Rachel turned to Belinda scornfully as she tried to see her pale face. However, she was surprised to see that Belinda was just silently looking at her. Then, Belinda leaned a bit towards Leena and talked with thedy as if nothing happened. Belinda was too calm! How was that even possible?


    "Rachel, if you still want to have a ce to stay in this world, you''d better stay away from me and my wife. Otherwise, you will pay for your behavior." Duke cast a sideway re at Rachel. There was mockery in his eyes. He knew that the woman had been turned down by manypanies within the country. No one would want to be against FX International Group and the Leng Group after all. Since both of the two grandpanies shut her out, otherpanies would never take the risk to hire her.


    "What? Are you going to cklist me from all thepanies at home and abroad? Do you really think that you are capable of doing it? I know that you can do that to me in this country but don''t think of yourself to be God. You cannot order otherpanies abroad to do anything that you like."


    In the past, Rachel wanted to get close to Duke and dated him because she wanted to take advantage of him. She never liked the man on the first ce. Frankly, she did not feel much pain when she realized that she wouldn''t have him. The only regret that she had was that she wasn''t able to find out that Duke was the heir of Leng Group. She didn''t intend to y any tricks to win Duke back as that was next to impossible. However, she couldn''t help but walk to them when she saw Belinda and Duke getting along so well. She knew that she wouldn''t be able to fight with them as she was not strong enough.


    "Try me! Please go away if you don''t want to be looked down to or threatened. We are enjoying our time here," warned Duke in a cold tone. That was his personality. He wouldn''t want to waste his effort on people he disliked. Thus, he easily turned cold.


    "You..." Rachel was suddenly speechless and bit her lips. She had nned to show off before Belinda. She didn''t expect herself to fail though. Although she wanted to vent her anger, she was scared of Duke''s warning. She wasn''t sure about Duke''s capabilities yet as there was FX International Group behind him. Duke might have limits by himself but with Edward in the picture, that was another case. Edward was more powerful and his control was vast. Rachel decided not to be too aggressive. She would not want anything bad to happen to her after all.


    On the other hand, Belinda was listening to Duke and Rachel''s conversation secretly although she was talking with Leena. She pretended not to care about it because she didn''t want to appear rude before Rachel. She wanted her to know how unaffected she was with them talking before her. Seconds more and Rachel stomped her feet and walked out of that ce angrily. Now that made Belinda smile triumphantly. She was very satisfied with Duke''s indifferent and aloof attitude towards Rachel.0000

 Chapter 1358 The Sweetness Of Love (Part One)

    "Why didn''t you tell me that she was also here?" Duke nced at thedies, scolding them. It seemed that all men were ruthless. Once their love for any woman was gone, they would not even want to see her or talk to her.


    "What difference will it make if she is here or not?" Belinda said with a frown. To test whether a man still had feelings for someone, one should check whether she still had any influence on him. If his behavior quickly changed just because she was suddenly around, it only exined one thing that he still loved her. If he felt at ease and handled it well, it meant that he had already gotten over her and he didn''t care anything about her.


    "Nope, it wouldn''t make any difference at all," Duke replied calmly. Just like he said, his feelings were not affected at all just because he saw her.


    "Then, why would you care so much whether we told you or not?" Belinda lifted her ss and took a sip, looking very peaceful. But deep inside, her emotions had gone up and down just like a roller coaster. Her blood was starting to boil, but she was trying to control it. "I just care about you. I think you might be unhappy." Duke was not good with verbal arguments, but he truly cared about Belinda''s feelings. Loving someone meant caring for her and considering things from her perspective. This was one of the basic rules that a mature man should know and follow.


    "She is only a woman from your past. Why do you think I should care?" Belinda smiled. Although she still felt stung thinking that there was another woman he once loved, she wouldn''t show it. She was not that childish.


    "Okay, stop then. Let''s talk about something else. Aren''t you guys hungry? Why do we waste time talking about someone who''s not even here?" Feeling that the atmosphere had be awkward between them, Leena hurriedly averted the topic.


    "Sure. You can order anything you''d like." Duke said as he shot a nce at Belinda, looking for signs in her behavior. To his knowledge, Belinda had never been this calm. A little too calm. Did she really not mind at all? Duke wondered.


    Belinda looked back at him, but said nothing. She ordered something she liked, but nothing for him. She had gone icy cold, punishing him this way. But she still gave people the impression of a polished, lovely woman. Although not the most pleasant, it was not annoying either. It was a normal reaction of someone whose husband was overreacting because of someone else.


    During the whole dinner, Duke changed his usual cold demeanor and served Belinda thoughtfully. Whatever she needed, he would prepare before she even asked. Leena was astonished to see his arrogant brother act so humble. That was not like him at all. Even Rachel who sat not far away appeared dumbstruck when she saw how considerate he was. Duke was normally proud and very conceited and he would never listen to any woman, let alone serve her. It was almost as if it was a different person in front of them. And he did everything for Belinda so naturally, as if he had been doing for a long time. He was very skillful and there was no trace of awkwardness. All his movements were finished in one go, making Rachel''s jaw drop.


    When they walked out of the restaurant, it was already dark. Kevin had gone somewhere else for a military task and Leena felt much colder on such a chilly night. A gust of wind blew in and she couldn''t help but shiver.


    "Are you cold?" Duke frowned and pulled her into his arms.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    "No I''m fine. You may go home first. I want to hang around for a while." Leena forced a smile, fidgeting her hand with her nose.


    "It''ste and it''s cold. The shops are already closed. Where do you want to hang around at this time?" Belinda looked at Leena with confusion. Didn''t Leena hate the cold weather? ''What happened to her? She seems very strange as well. What is with this family today?'' Belinda thought.


    "I just want to take a walk and enjoy the breeze." It had been a month since Patricia fell into aa. Although her faculties had mostly recovered, she was still unconscious. Faced with such a situation, Leena was very depressed. She wanted to find a ce to ease her stress. Otherwise she would go crazy with all this frustration inside her.


    "No, I would be worried. If you really want to hang around, then I will join you. But you have to wait for me. I have to take Belinda home first." Duke would not allow her to stroll along the streets deep in the night. It would be very dangerous for a girl to do that, especially alone. And he insisted on keeping herpany.


    "You are thinking too much. I''m not a child! What do you think would happen to me? Do you think that some one would abduct me and sell me abroad?" Leenaughed. She thought her brother was overacting and being overprotective.


    "It would save us a lot of trouble if you are just abducted. What worries me is that you may make trouble for others!" Belinda teased. She knew what Duke was worried about. But Leena was a grown-up. There was no need to be too cautious. Although she also had qualms about letting her go alone, she didn''t want to make Leena feel restrained.


    "Oooh that''s hateful! I''m not as bad as you described." Leena pouted and stared at Belinda. Then she turned to Duke and showed her adorable face. "Duke, look! Belinda''s making fun of me. You should scold her!"


    "You naughty, naughty Leena! I was not poking fun at you. I was just concerned about you!" Belinda stared at her aggressively. Although she couldn''t do many things after she got pregnant, she felt that she was being treated with privilege in many ways. Leena was a case in point. She used to take pleasure in irritating Belinda whenever they met. But now, she became more moderate in her jokes, and showed her lovely side in front of her more. Surely, it was because she didn''t want to stress the baby in Belinda''s belly.


    "I know, I know! Thanks for your concern. Just be more careful with yourself. Duke, I''ll leave now. I will call you when I get home." Leena said as she quickly left, giving no time for Duke to react.


    "What''s been going on with Leena recently? She looked pale today." Watching her recede into the distance, Duke muttered worriedly to Belinda.00000

 Chapter 1359 The Sweetness Of Love (Part Two)

    "She''s probably worried about her friend, Patricia. Haven''t you heard? That Patricia has been lying unconscious in bed for nearly a month now. And there is no sign when she would wake up. As her best friend, how could she not feel worried?" Belinda could understand why Leena looked stressed out and even a bit moody. If that was Daisy in aa for almost a month, she would also feel gloomy like Leena. She couldn''t even imagine how she would handle it. "What has Tom done? He''s her doctor right? Can''t he save her?" Duke wondered. It was strange. Didn''t Tom dere himself as a miracle-working doctor? Why couldn''t he revive an unconscious patient?


    "No one is almighty, not even Tom. Patricia was badly injured. He already has done a good job keeping her alive." Belinda got this information not long ago from Leena. She had dropped by Patricia''s ward once, when she went to the hospital to do the prenatal check up. The woman lying on the bed was pretty, but her face had be too pale, probably because she had been bedridden for too long. As Belinda looked at her, she took pity on such a beautiful girl.


    "Well, Let''s go then. It''s useless for us to get too worried. Only the doctor could help her now. We can do nothing about it." In Duke''s heart, except for the people he cared about, nothing or no one else could afford him the slightest interest.


    "I''m curious. How long has it been since thest time you and Tom and your other buddies got together?" Belinda asked as they walked towards their car, with Duke assisting her, holding her by her arm. She found that Tom had been in low spirits recently and didn''t know why. So she thought she needed to remind Duke of this.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    "It has been a while. What''s wrong with that? We all have our own lives to live." Duke pulled the door open for her, feeling very strange why she would suddenly ask something like that.


    "Nothing, it just crossed my mind." Belinda smiled. She was probably just thinking too much.


    "No, you must have something to tell me. Otherwise you wouldn''t have asked. Is there something wrong? Did you see or hear anything at the hospital when you went on that check up?" Duke gazed firmly into her eyes, forcing her to face him straight. His instinct told him that Belinda was hiding something from him.


    "Nothing, really. I just noticed that Tom looked more haggard recently. So I wonder if anything has happened to him. As his best friend, I thought you''d already know. Don''t you think you should go and check if everything with him is okay?" Cornered by Duke, Belinda had no choice but to tell him what she observed in the hospital.


    "It''s impossible. Tom would only feel troubled when he encounters medical issues. For example, one time, he lost one week''s sleep, obsessing over the possibility of a quadruple bypass on a seven year-old. Apart from surgery rted issues, nothing else would make him concerned, let alone depressed. I wouldn''t expect him to be worried about me, his best friend, just because I sprain my ankle. How could he possibly be down? You must be mistaken. Maybe he had a difficult surgery the day before and forgot to take a shower. That happens to doctors all the time." Duke muttered as he helped Belinda clip on her safety belt. But judging from Belinda''s serious expression, Duke felt that Belinda knew what she was talking about. Did Tom really have something seriously bothering him? Duke wondered. "Probably. Start the car. But you know what? I suddenly feel like eating some ice, Duke." Belinda looked at him with her puppy-dog eyes. Her appetite had gone berserk after she got pregnant and she ate a lot. Before that, it was almost impossible to get her to eat much. "What? Did you just say, ice? Darling, do you know what''s the temperature outside now?" Duke was startled to hear what she said. She changed topics back and forth swiftly. Thest second she was talking about Tom, and the next moment she averted the topic to food, forgetting the fact that they had just walked out of the restaurant. The mind of a pregnant woman was really beyondprehension.


    "Five degrees. What''s wrong with it?" Belinda answered inattentively, her mind preupied as she imagined the cooling sensation of eating ice.


    "Okay, so you also know that it''s five degrees outside now. Are you sure your stomach will react nicely to the ice?" Duke shook his head. If she had asked to have anything else, he might indulge her. But with ice, that was the only thing he opposed. He would never allow her to eat ice, no matter how obstinate she was.


    "But I just want to eat some. No, it''s the baby who wants to eat some. C''mon!" Belinda said with a mischievous smile. She thought she was allowed to think like that. Because the doctor once told her that pregnant moms might have the tendency to try food that they had never tried before. And this might be a signaling from the baby.


    "Don''t try to push it too far just for the sake of the baby. I said no and that''s it. Icy food would cause harm to your body, it''s not healthy. So stop asking, I won''t let you have it!" Duke was firm in his attitude. To assure Belinda and the baby''s safety, he couldn''t take any risks. In the early stage of her pregnancy, he couldn''t be more careful to avoid a possible miscarriage. He would never risk the life of his future baby and more importantly, his wife.


    "Duke, you are too mean. You Fascist!" Belinda never expected that he would refuse her so bluntly. She felt wronged and her eyes became red. It was amon reaction that pregnant women easily got irrational and sentimental. Belinda now looked insulted.


    "Yes, I''m autocratic and dictatorial, are you satisfied now? Icy food like ice cream is too cold. Can''t we eat it when the weather gets warm? Not now when the ice you eat can make a snow flurry." Duke softened his tone and tried to cheer her up. He admitted that he caved in. One moment ago, he just refused her so firmly, but the next moment, his heart was melted by Belinda''s puppy dog eyes and begging tone. That was why he suddenly changed his attitude.


    "But I just want to eat it now. If we get it on another day, I may change my mind then, and wouldn''t want to eat it at all." Belinda said as she bit her lips. To her, her husband was the person to whom she could act girly and throw a tantrum whenever she wanted.0000

 Chapter 1360 The Sweetness Of Love (Part Three)

    Duke became speechless when he heard her say so. Unfortunately, he couldn''t scold her, let alone beat her. The only thing he could do was to talk her out of the idea of eating icy food by stressing her role as a future mother. But it seemed that he failed. Because he had


    underestimated how much a pregnant woman would crave certain kinds of food.


    "Are you happy now?" Duke asked at an ice-cream parlor. In fact, he had called Tom to ask about this first. He only brought her here after he got Tom''s confirmation. It had to be attributed to her good health. If it were Leena, it would be impossible for her to be allowed to eat ice cream during pregnancy. "Yes, do you want to have one as well?" Belinda asked with a happy smile, as if what she was holding in her hand now was the most delicious food in the world.


    "No, I don''t. Stop pushing it to my face! You enjoy it yourself. But you can''t eat too much, okay?" Duke frowned as he looked at therge bowl of shaved ice in her hand. He ordered for a small cup of the ice, but she insisted on arge one. So that was what she had now. "Don''t worry. I''ll be okay. Didn''t Tom say that I''m very healthy and asionally eating icy food won''t affect the baby?" Belinda was like a spoiled child who just got her sweet goodies. She had been smiling all the way back home and she looked more soft and gentle, a big contrast to the image of a strong business woman she used to be. Probably because of the increase of female hormone inside her body during pregnancy, she looked more tender as a loving expectant mother.


    "You''re only saying that because you want to eat ice water." Duke said helplessly. He loved her deeply after all. He had no choice but to let her have what she wanted.


    "Duke, don''t you agree? Time is an ingredient of magic and miracles! Who would think that we would fall in love one day and have our own baby?" Belinda sighed as she took arge spoon of the ice water into her mouth. She felt that time flew by quickly especially when she noticed the young lovers around her.


    "No. Because I was already pretty sure that you were the special one for me at first sight. So what happened next was all natural to me." Duke said in a proud tone. He was quite self-assured.


    "Duke, I mean it! I''m not kidding." Belinda stared at him. But she felt very happy deep in heart. That was the sweetness of love.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    "Neither am I. Can''t you feel the sincerity in my words?" Duke smiled andbed back her hair with his hand to keep it away from the ice water she was eating.


    "I see nothing but a rascal in front of me right now!" Belinda grinned. She couldn''t help but tease him. This was marriage. Couples turned to be alike in temperament after they lived with each other for a while. They might even merge into a single personality. "Belinda, you should feel lucky that you are a pregnant woman now, otherwise you would see how I will make you convinced of what a rascal I am. And you''ll regret it!" Duke wore a sly and arrogant smile, making him look all the more fascinating. It was as though all the lights shone on him as one spotlight and he became the only one underneath it.


    "You are shameless." Belinda felt hot on her face and her face immediately blushed. She looked around uneasily and then became relieved when she found that no one else heard them.


    "You like it too, don''t you?" Duke looked at her crimson face and smiled yfully. He couldn''t understand why an open-minded woman like Belinda would always flush at his semi-dirty jokes..


    "You jerk! Quiet down!" Belinda suddenly regretted that she had demanded to eat ice. Duke was saying this intentionally. He only wanted to teach her a lesson and intimidate her not to make things difficult for him next time.


    "Don''t worry! Other young lovers are kissing, hugging and doing other things right now. They don''t have time to listen to our boring conversation." Duke nced around. His cold stare shook away all the gazes boring into him from around. He meant what he said and he would make sure everything was under his control.


    Belinda was flustered to see this. It was a good thing that her husband was very popr, which justified her good taste in men. But she also felt very ufortable with other women ogling her husband. She didn''t want others to covet the man she owned.


    Wandering on the street with no clear ce to go, Leena was terribly distraught. What made her upset was not only about the issue with Patricia. She felt more uneasy with the traditional herbal medicine Tom prescribed for her. She thought that it was not that simple to just give her such a prescription only because she was in poor health. And he was quite equivocal in exining the purpose of these medicines. That made her more edgy.


    The night was most morous in S City. Walking on the busy street, Leena was bumped by a passer-by who was going in a hurry. Nevertheless, she still walked forward as if nothing happened. She seemed too lost in her thoughts that she didn''t even feel any pain. When the phone rang, she didn''t n to answer and just let it be. She wanted to leave the world behind her just for once. But the person who called seemed to be so persistent. The phone kept ringing and ringing, and she had no choice but to pick it up.


    "Hi, Tom, what''s going on?" Leena frowned at the prospect that he would urge her to send him the video recording of her drinking up all the herbal medicines. She hadn''t gotten home, so she hadn''t taken the medicine yet.


    "Leena,e to the hospital! Patricia has woken up!" Leena almost dropped the phone. She couldn''t believe what she just heard. But Tom''s excited voice came through loud and clear. Leena could sense how happy he was!


    "What? Patricia woke up? Are you sure? Okay, I will be there right away. Take care of her." Leena''s gloomy face faded away. She beamed and turned around, running towards the direction in which her car was parked. She was very excited to hear such good news and couldn''t wait to get to the hospital.


    "Don''t hurry too much and be careful on the way here," Tom added with concern, his eyes still fixed on Patricia who was staring at him with confusion.[

 Chapter 1361 Patricia Woke Up (Part One)

    "Miss Bai, do you know who I am?" After putting his phone back in his pocket, Tom leaned towards Patricia and asked. He was aware that he had some sort of feelings for her, but as the head doctor in this hospital, his tone remained formal and professional. "Umm... Yes. Yes I do." Patricia blinked. Her voice was a bit raspy because she hadn''t spoken for so long.


    "Okay, good. Then tell me what my name is." Tom stared at her with intense and expectant eyes. He couldn''t stop himself from smiling.


    "Hmm... I don''t know," Patricia said in a small voice. She just woke up and was still confused somehow. She looked around the room, trying her best to take in everything around her. Aside from this doctor, there were also a couple of nurses taking notes from the monitors and gadgets attached to her and to her bed. The doctor''s smile disappeared quickly.


    "You don''t know my name?" Tom couldn''t believe what he just heard. "You asked me if I knew who you were. Yes, you look like a doctor. You didn''t ask me if I knew your name or not. And right now, I am not sure." Patricia looked back at Tom with innocent eyes. She was also confused about his question. Why would she know his name?


    "Okay, I am going to ask you again. Do you know who I am?" Tom had done this before. He knew that sometimes when patients woke up from aa, they would be extremely confused and slow at the beginning. Patricia just needed time to adjust to the surroundings and the people around her.


    "Of course I do! Like I said, you are a doctor! What kind of question is that?" Patricia gently bit her lower lip. She knew that she was the one talking, but the voiceing out of her did not sound familiar. Her throat hurt, she felt no strength and was in pain, like she had been driven over by a big truck.


    "How about my name? Do you know my name?" Tom started to have a very bad feeling about how Patricia was responding. Was there something wrong with her brain? But he brushed it off immediately. ''That can''t be.'' he thought.


    "You are funny. How would I know your name? I haven''t even met you before! Why don''t you tell me your name so we can end this agony?" The corners of Patricia''s lips twitched. ''What is wrong with this doctor?'' she couldn''t help but think. She was getting annoyed with these stupid questions.


    "Okay. Then do you know your own name?" Tom was so anxious now that he could hear his own blood pulsing in his head. This shouldn''t happen! It was different from how he imagined when she woke up. She shouldn''t have forgotten his name if she was so in love with him.


    "I don''t know what you are doing right now, but it''s not funny at all. What kind of question is that? How could I not know my own name?" Patricia tilted her head and stared at Tom with annoyed eyes. She wanted so badly to sit up, but she simply just couldn''t. Her body hurt when she tried to move even a little.


    "Okay. Then tell me your name." Tom didn''t mind the way Patricia was talking to him. He knew how confusing this was to her. Naturally, a patient like her would be irritable. And he also knew that there were still many things that couldn''t be exined and this was one of them. He knew that it was possible for Patricia to have forgotten a few things. But her own name? "Dear God I hope it''s not what I''m thinking now." He silently prayed.


    "Haha. Why? Why do you want to know my name? Are you trying to make a move on me? But tell you what. Let''s get this straight. I am not fond of doctors, at all. Okay? I don''t want to hurt your feelings but that''s just my personal preference." Despite her husky voice, Patricia''s mind was clear. She was still the quick-witted girl even though she just woke up from a month-longa.


    "What? You don''t like doctors?" Tom was a bit surprised at her words. He didn''t know this before. But if she really didn''t like doctors like she said, then why did she keep going after him to the point of making a fool of herself? What if she hadn''t forgotten him? What if she was only acting like this to make fun of him? What if she just wanted revenge after he treated her so badly?


    "Should I like doctors? What is there to like about them?" Patricia asked defiantly, staring at Tom with an eyebrow raised. For someone who just woke up from aa, she was intense, lively and oh so feisty despite her pale face and the dried up wounds that littered her body.


    "We can talk about thatter. Well, Miss Bai, Let''s not talk about me. What else do you remember? Do you remember how you got hurt?" Tom didn''t know why, but he felt disappointed that Patricia seemed to have only forgotten about him. His heart throbbed when he thought about it. But he shouldn''t dwell on it now. There were still a lot of things to do regarding Patricia''s condition now that she hade out of hera.


    "Of course I remember. My car lost control on the track and crashed into the guardrail," Patricia said in an indifferent tone, as if she was talking about someone else''s ident. Though she knew how she got hurt, what she couldn''t understand was why she crashed into the guardrail. She knew she was really good at driving, and it shouldn''t have happened. But she just couldn''t remember what exactly caused her mind to go nk when she tried to think more about it. Something was missing in her memory but she could not pinpoint what. It hurt just trying to think about it.


    "Patricia, Patricia! You finally woke up!" Leena burst into the ward and almost slipped. She happened to be in the neighborhood so it didn''t take long for her to hurry over after hearing that her friend had woken up.


    "Oh please! Stop making it sound like I have slept for a long time." The moment Patricia saw Leena in her room, a sweet smile appeared on her face. She was happy to finally see her best friend.0000000Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1362 Patricia Woke Up (Part Two)

    "Oh yes, you have! Do you have any idea for how long you have slept? For a full freakin'' month!" Leena''s eyes reddened thinking of the past month. She buried her head in the crook of Patricia''s neck, feeling her alive and breathing in her embrace. "What? A whole month? Your''e kidding! I have been in aa for that long? No wonder I feel pain all over my body." Patricia raised her hand, though she could not do itpletely. She put it lightly on Leena''s shoulder, gently patting her, trying tofort her best friend. "Where does it hurt? Tom,e quickly check up on her!" As soon as she heard Patricia''s words, Leena immediately raised her head and looked at Tom with worried and pleading eyes. She had almost forgotten that Tom was also there in the room.


    "It is normal for her to feel pain. That''s because technically, she is still injured. Her wounds aren''t fully healed yet. She just woke up. She did not miraculously get healed all of a sudden. She still has a long way to go." Tom waspletely confused right now. Because Patricia seemed to remember everything well except for him. She could recognize Leena as if they just saw each other yesterday. What the hell was going on?


    "Oh! He is the Tom that you often talk about! No wonder! He kept asking me if I knew him." Then she turned to Tom. "See? Now I know your name. Tom!" It suddenly hit Patricia why Tom asked her those weird questions earlier. He was Leena''s hotshot doctor brother. But what she seemed to have forgotten was that the man in front of her was also the man she deeply loved.


    "What? Are you okay, Patricia? What are you talking about? Don''t you remember him?" Leena''s eyebrows knitted into a tight frown. She looked back and forth between Patricia and Tom with a very confused look on her face.


    "You mean... we know each other? Or both of you wouldn''t have asked me these strange questions." Patricia tried so hard to think when she had met Tom before, but she just couldn''t remember. There were no memories in her mind that included this man. "Patricia, you are scaring me. Have you forgotten how much you were in love with him before?" Leena was so anxious and freaked out that she was about to start crying right now. What happened to Patricia''s memory? Of all people, she couldn''t have forgotten about Tom. It would be insane for her to forget the man she cared about the most when she could clearly remember everything else.


    "In love? I was in love with him? What the hell, Leena. I don''t like jokes like that! How is it even possible? You know me, I won''t ever date some big headed doctor. Nope. Nuh-uh. That just won''t happen." Patricia shook her head both in disbelief and in denial. How ridiculous! Why was Leena the one losing her mind when she was the one whoy like a vegetable in this hospital bed for a month? Patricia couldn''t deny that Tom was handsome. That was true. But he was a doctor. So she just wouldn''t be attracted to someone like him. His job justpletely turned her off.


    "How about other things? Do you still remember Michelle?" Leena thought that maybe Patricia hadn''t known Tom for a very long time, and that was why she couldn''t remember him when she just woke up. But if she couldn''t remember Michelle either, then it would be a serious problem.


    "Of course I remember her! Why are you asking me all this, Leena? Can someone exin to me what''s happening here? I am just injured, not brain-damaged!" Patricia protested. Though her tone was harsh, her voice was not that loud because she just woke up and still felt very tired.


    "Tom, what is wrong with her? Why doesn''t she remember you? Just you!" Leena looked at Tom with tears in her eyes. She didn''t know what to do now.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    "She may have chosen to forget what she wanted to forget the most. Actually, it''s not really that bad for her," Tom answered Leena, trying his best to keep his voice even. In fact, he didn''t know what to think right now. Clearly the person that Patricia wanted so bad to forget was him. Was he really that mean to her? Did he really hurt her that much? He had no answers to the questions in his head. He felt lost all of a sudden. He didn''t even notice that his lower jaw was trembling.


    "But what about you?" Everybody could see how Tom cared about Patricia while she was in aa, especially Leena. So how could Leena believe that he didn''t have any feelings for her? This was a mess.


    "What do you mean? I am totally fine. I even feel quite relieved. This is the best way to get rid of the world''s most annoying person. She''s never gonnae here to bother me anymore, right?" Tom smiled, but the smile didn''t reach his eyes. He just didn''t want Leena to worry.


    "You are clearly lying. But I will let it go this time. Is her memory loss permanent or not?" Leena should be happy that Patricia had forgotten Tom, she really should. Because in this way, Patricia wouldn''t be hurt anymore. But she was still sad because Tom had just started having some feelings for her. She knew this would hurt Tom. If only there was something she could do so that it didn''t have to happen like that.


    "Well, I am not sure about that. Maybe she will never have her memory back, or maybe one day she will suddenly remember it all. It''s really hard to say." Tom smiled again, but his smile was bitter and forced. He should be happy that Patricia forgot him, right? She wouldn''t bother him anymore. And it was something he always wanted, wasn''t it? But why did he feel disappointed and frustrated once those words left his mouth? There was a lump in his throat and he looked away.00000??????

 Chapter 1363 Patricia Woke Up (Part Three)

    "Wouldn''t she be even more devastated if she suddenly remembers it one day? And by that time you have moved on?" Leena asked worriedly. She didn''t mind Patricia listening to them talking about her. She had no idea anyway.


    "Hey! What the hell are you two talking about? I''m starting to feel out of ce here. Hellooo..." Patricia looked between them with suspicious eyes. Though she couldn''t understand what they were saying, she felt that whatever they were talking about definitely had something to do with her.


    "That''s all right. But you don''t have to understand everything just yet." Leena nced at her, eyes full ofplicated emotions. Why the hell did she have to forget about the man that she was head over heels crazy for just a month ago? Was she really so hurt that she wanted to forget about Tom once and for all?


    Tom let out a silent sigh. As a doctor, it was not the first time that he encountered a situation like this. Nothing shocking here. But it was the first time that something like this happened to him on a personal level. What he really worried about was what he would do if Patricia did forget about him for good. As soon as this thought came up in his mind, he froze. What was happening to him? Did he really fall in love with this woman in such a short time? No. He should probably stop thinking about it. He had to nip this in the bud.


    Besides Leena, Patricia''s parents were also the ones who were the happiest about her waking up. They were very grateful to Tom. They thought that he would be the biggest reason why Patricia would wake up.


    Michelle received the news about Patricia the next day. When she arrived at the hospital, Patricia was having some soup. Because she had only just woken up, she could not eat any solid foods yet in case her stomach had any adverse reactions. She had to eat baby food for the time being.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    "Patricia, wee back!" Michelle reached out her hands and gently hugged Patricia. Her eyes reddened because she was so happy. In fact, they all waited so long for this day.


    "Thank you! I am sorry that I made you all worry." Patricia smiled a bit sheepishly. To be honest, she felt thankful too, though she still had to be stuck in the cast on her right leg for several more days. But it was already a blessing that she could enjoy the sunlight shining through her hospital window after a month''sa. She felt calm and happy. She thanked God for this new lease in life.


    "It''s a God-given right for friends to worry about each other. As long as you are now up and about, we are all happy." Michelle grinned with tears in her eyes. Though she seemed careless and tough, she cared very much about her friends.


    "I am really lucky to have friends like you." Patricia winked at Michelle with a smirk on her face. But the smile on her face suddenly turned to a frown when she saw Tom walk into the room. Though nothing happened between them, she still felt a bit awkward because Leena said too many times that she was in love with this man.


    "Hello, Doctor Qin." To be honest, Michelle didn''t like Tom at the very beginning either, because she had witnessed him being mean to her friend too many times. But during the past month, she also got to see that he was in fact not that cold and cruel. He was just too absorbed in his own world and too oblivious of others'' feelings. That was why he hurt Patricia and didn''t know it. He didn''t do it intentionally. She understood that he just didn''t want to waste his time on someone he didn''t like. In fact, there was nothing wrong with what he did, because he had told Patricia from the very beginning that he didn''t like her. But Patricia, being the stubborn girl she was, kept chasing after him, and that was how she ended up being hurt so bad.


    "Hello to you too, Michelle." Tom nodded his head at her, then started the daily check-up on Patricia. For the past month, every test done on Patricia was performed by him. He just couldn''t let anyone else do them. He would get too worried.


    "How is Patricia''s condition? She is getting better, right?" Michelle looked at Tom a bit nervously, eyes full of expectation.


    "Yeah. Everything seems pretty okay today. She is responding well to the medication. If no otherplications arise, she will be back to her original healthy self in no time." Tom''s voice was a bit husky, as if he was very tired. And his eyes also lost their usual shine. He looked quite sad and depleted.


    "Doctor Qin, when can I get out of this ster cast? It is really inconvenient for me." Patricia looked at Tom expectantly, addressing him formally as she would do to any stranger.


    "Well, you will have to live with it a bit longer. Do you feel any pain?" Tom tapped on the cast. Though the operation was sessful, he still couldn''t guarantee if her leg would fully heal. Nobody could tell the result, until after some x-rays or even an MRI.


    "Ow! It hurts." Patricia furrowed her eyebrows in pain. There was not a part of her body that didn''t hurt. She was really badly injured so naturally, it felt like that everywhere.


    "That''s a good sign. Take your medicine on time and don''t eat anything too heavy, especially solid food in case you upset your stomach. Stick to eating baby food for now." Tom''s face was nk, as if he was talking to aplete stranger. He had thought a lot when he got back homest night. It seemed that he had his emotions under control now. At least on the surface.00000

 Chapter 1364 Patricia Woke Up (Part Four)

    "Yes I will. Thank you, doctor!" Patricia really considered him only as her doctor. It seemed that she really hadpletely forgotten about Tom and her feelings for him, or she wouldn''t have been this calm around him.


    Michelle looked at the scene in front of her with a confused look on her face. She didn''t know that Patricia had lost a part of her memory because nobody told her. That was why she felt strange when she heard how Tom and Patricia spoke to each other.


    "You are wee. I have to go and check up on other patients right now," Tom rushed these words out and quickly left the room without even looking back, as if he was running away from something. His lonely back indicated that he was not as calm as he seemed. He was, in fact, a bit devastated.


    "Patricia, what happened between Doctor Qin and you? Why did you talk to each other like that?" Michelle watched Tom leave the room, and then turned around to face Patricia. She was very curious.


    "What do you mean? Talk to each other like how? Isn''t he always like that?" Patricia leaned back on her pillow and looked at Michelle with a strange look on her face.


    "Um. I thought you were in love with him? But why are you acting so cold and indifferent towards him?" Michelle knew that she shouldn''t bring up the sad truth to Patricia when she just woke up. It was not the right time to talk about this. But she just couldn''t help it. She was really very confused.


    "I was in love with him? I don''t know why you and Leena keep telling me this, but I really don''t have any memory of ever being in love with him! And, may I say this again? He''s a freakin'' doctor! I hate doctors!" If Leena was the only one who told her that she was in love with a certain doctor, she would have considered it a joke. But now, Michelle was telling her the same thing, and it made Patricia think that maybe they were really saying the truth. She suddenly became serious.


    "What the hell! You are saying that you don''t remember him, at all?" Michelle didn''t expect this at all. Her mouth was agape in shock. She couldn''t believe what she just realized. Fuck!


    "Yeah, I really don''t remember him. But you and Leena keep saying that he is the one I love. To be honest, I don''t know where you both got that crazy idea from. Did something happen while I was asleep?" Patricia didn''t know what to think right now. Was she really in love with a doctor? Michelle and Leena wouldn''t lie to her, would they?


    "Besides this, what else did you forget? Do you still remember Form One?" Michelle had never seen anything like this before. So she didn''t know how to continue the subject about Tom right now. That was why she decided to ask Patricia about Form One. She was still wondering why Patricia would forget about someone she loved so much. It was unbelievable!Content is ? by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Why would I forget Form One! Duh! But Leena told me that I was out for a whole month. The race must have ended sometime during mya. I can tell, I didn''t win and that''s just sad. Maybe I was never meant to be a world champion, after all." Patricia let out a soft sigh. It was a shock to Michelle seeing Patricia more devastated about thepetition than about Tom. She didn''t even feel sad that she had forgotten about a man she really loved. Instead, she only felt sad when she talked about the race she missed when she was in a


    "Patricia, don''t you think that the most important thing right now is Doctor Qin, not some race?" Michelle was stunned. She didn''t know what to say anymore. It seemed that Patricia was really hurt by Tom, or she wouldn''t have chosen to forget about him. Did she choose to forget him? Or was she that traumatized that nature did it for her?


    "Does he have something to do with me? Wait a minute. I didn''t sleep with him, did I? Did he want something more than what I wanted to share?" Patricia was getting more and more confused and anxious. That was why she had this crazy idea. Otherwise, why they all seemed shocked that she had no feelings for the doctor.


    "It looks like you also don''t remember why you got hurt in the first ce. There was something he said or did that hurt you really bad. That''s why you got distracted when you were training and crashed your car into the guardrail." Michelle tried to tell the story and make her remember what she had forgotten. But it wouldn''t be this easy. It seemed that Patricia had nothing left in her for the man who hurt her so much. Then how could a few simple words make her suddenly gain her memory back?


    "Well, if he really hurt me that bad, then why should I remember it now? Some of the most hurtful things are the hardest ones to forget. Maybe it''s all for the best. All right, you know what Michelle? Let''s stop talking about him. Let''s change the subject. Okay? There are a lot more interesting topics to talk about." Patricia subconsciously avoided thinking about this any longer. She just wanted to end this topic as quickly as possible. She decided to put everything behind her. After all, if Tom really hurt her that bad like Michelle said, she just had to let it go and not obsess about it.00000000??????

 Chapter 1365 I Was Just Passing By (Part One)

    Tom was quite proud of himself. He remainedposed throughout the procedure when he performed a check on Patricia''s body. He didn''t do anything inappropriate afterward either. Instead, he headed out of her ward. A feeling of relief overwhelmed him once it was over, more intense than he had ever felt. Truthfully, this was quite unlike him. His heart beat faster than that of a kid who had stolen a nce of his puppy love. He breathed heavily and his blood drummed in his ears as he walked down the corridor.


    Tom''s excuse was that he was making the rounds of the wards. In reality, he had already inspected this area of wards before he checked in on Patricia. He left her ward because he feared he would do something improper if he stayed any longer. So, like a defeated soldier at a battlefield, he fled.


    "Tom, hi! I was looking for you! Why are you lurking around here?" a female voice suddenly called out, snapping him out of his thoughts. It was Leena. She carried a thermos jug in her hand, which contained the nutrition soup she had made for Patricia. She hoped her friend would recover soon when she had it.


    "Hi, Leena. Nice seeing you too. I was just checking in on Patricia inside," Tom answered, collecting himself. He feigned being calm and indifferent as he spoke. His feelings were all over the ce but he hid them well.


    "I see! I''ve brought a bowl of soup for you too. I didn''t see you around, so I went to your office and put the soup on your table. You better drink it hot. It wouldn''t taste good when it''s gone cold." Leena was a considerate person. Since she had made soup for Patricia, she thought she''d make some for Tom too. She liked to cook for her friends.


    "Soup? Are you using that to bribe me into sparing you from your daily medicine?" Tom rarely joked, but when Leena was around, he always felt like teasing her. The girl was too naughty and full of tricks.


    "Oh no, that''s pure nder. I brought the soup for your good. I saw you looking pale and wanted to make something good for you. How could you misunderstand my good will?" Leena pouted, reproaching him yfully.


    "Sounds sweet. All right, you can go inside. When you are done, don''t forget to stop by and fetch your medicine." Tom couldn''t help but grin. This girl always made himugh. He could never be too tough on her.


    "Ew..." Leena grimaced. That medicine was the worst. It tasted awful and she always tried to avoid it. Even looking at it reminded her of its bitter taste. Leena deliberately missed the doses. Several times, her attempts were almost discovered by Kevin. It was lucky for her that Kevin wasn''t always home, otherwise he would have nagged the hell out of her.


    Upon seeing the change in Leena''s expression, Tom smirked. Before Leena could reject him, he turned around and strode to his office down the corridor. He knew he didn''t have the heart to say no to her puppy eyes and innocent pleas. He wouldn''t be able to resist them. So, he decided not to give her any chance to plead with him.


    Leena frowned as she watched Tom walk away. She let out a resigned sigh and turned to face the ward door. As she entered, she greeted the two girls inside, "Patricia, how are you feeling? And Michelle, d to see you here!" Leena ced the soup on the side table and examined Patricia from head to toe, checking her physical status.


    "Thank you for asking, Leena. I''m feeling much better now." Patricia smiled at Leena. Although the pain in her body had not eased, her spirits were much higher afterst night when she had woken up.


    "Leena, why didn''t you call mest night? This was an emergency situation!" Michelleined. There was more concern than malice in her tone. She too cared a lot about Patricia.


    "It was quitete and I didn''t want to wake you up. And everything turned out well in the end. Now you know that Patricia is fine. It''s all good." Leena tried not to sound guilty as she gave her answer. The real reason she hadn''t called Michellest night was that she had been far too ted about Patricia waking up. In her excitement, she forgot to inform Michelle. She decided to keep this little fact from Michelle, in case thetter got mad at her.


    "Really? Are you truly that considerate? I think you just forgot to tell me." Michelle gazed at Leena with doubt in her eyes. During their short time together, she had discovered something interesting about Leena - when she told a lie, she felt so guilty that she avoided all eye contact.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    "Haha, I like your sense of humor! Oh, Patricia! Come, I''ve made some pork-bone soup for you. I bet you would love it." Leena quickly changed the subject. Seriously, how could Michelle read her mind?! Leena would be foolish to admit her assumption was true. "Pork-bone? Isn''t that too oily?" Patricia scowled. She preferred to eat light. If she refused to take the soup, she might hurt her friend''s feeling. On the other hand, she hated greasy food. She was in a dilemma.


    "Rest assured! I know what you like. The pork was lean. Before I made the soup, I parboiled it several times to clean out the blood and fat. The soup is delicious but also light," Leena said quickly. She still avoided Michelle''s eyes and was upied with opening the thermos bottle.


    Michelle was now convinced that her guess was correct, but she chose to let the matter go. Leena had a point anyway. It was only one night''s dy, and it was okay. Even if Michelle hade to know about the news the night before, she could not have done anything about it. Needless to say, one was not entitled to learn about everything about one''s friends.


    Just as Leena said, the soup tasted great. She had simmered it for hours to thicken the chowder. Although there was surprisingly little grease in it, it allowed for a unique but delightful taste. Patricia had just eaten some hospital food, but she still took some sips of the soup. "Hey, Patricia? I just saw Tom in the corridor. He looked so lost and bewildered. I wonder what happened to him," Leena asked once Patricia put the soup away. She wasn''t a gossipy person by nature, but she cared for Patricia and Tom. Patricia was her best friend and Tom was like a big brother to her. Leena wanted to help them out if they were in some sort of trouble.


    "Really? I have no idea. He seemed fine when he left. I think he said he was going to make the rounds of the wards. He had been gone for a while when you came... How could you have met him in the corridor? Didn''t he go to check on his patients?" Patricia was puzzled. Her brows knit together into a frown. She too started to feel that something was wrong here. Was it possible that Tom liked her? Every time he looked at her, it was like he tried to express something through his eyes. His gaze always seemed affectionate, but he never said anything out loud.????????????

 Chapter 1366 I Was Just Passing By (Part Two)

    person, but at the same time, remember everyone else? She was puzzled. What kind of magic was that?


    "I guess he was just upset about something. He was just lurking out there." Michelle studied Patricia''s face but failed to find any clues regarding her feelings toward Tom. Michelle couldn''t believe what had happened. How could someone happen to selectively forget one "Hey, why are you looking at me? Are you suggesting that I am the one who upset him?" Patricia asserted her innocence. She just woke upst night. She hadn''t even had time to catch up with what was happening yet. How could she be the one to upset Tom? "You don''t say. He is upset for you, somehow, because you two were in a very twisted rtionship. He''s been trying to make up for it. Tom hadn''t been too kind to you in the past but has been taking such good care of youtely. You don''t have to feel obliged to be nice to him, though." Michelle was a fair person. She didn''t like to see other people being wronged. She always stayed impartial and never exaggerated or concealed the truth for dramatic effect.


    "Well, it sounds like I am the bad guy here. But what am I supposed to do? Love him in return? Come on, I don''t even remember who he is. How can I pretend to like him just because he''s upset?" Patricia grimaced. She wanted to get her memories back more than anything else, but try as she might, she never seeded in doing so.


    Aftering out of Patricia''s ward, Leena lingered in the corridor for ages before turning in the direction of Tom''s office. She hated the traditional Chinese medicine and would do everything in her power to stall for time. It was only when she couldn''t dy it any longer that she knocked on the door of Tom''s office. When she heard a soft e in" from inside, she pushed open the door slowly.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    "Tom." Leena scowled as she walked in reluctantly.


    "Hi, Leena. I have to take a look at this X-ray to make sure of something. Have a seat. I''ll talk to you as soon as I''m finished," Tom said. He held a film in his hand and was watching it intently in the light.


    "Okay, take your time," Leena said. She frowned and took a seat on the sofa. As she settled down, her eyes were drawn to an unexpected picture in the newspaper nearby. She couldn''t be more familiar with this handsome figure. But why was he shot by the paparazzi and this story published on the entertainment page? He always kept a low profile. This made no sense.


    Leena reached for the newspaper. As she read it, she felt even more confused. The article said that Dorothy, the famous movie star, was kidnapped and that Kevin rescued her. Why had she not heard a word from him about this?


    "There you go. Medicine for a week. Take it the same way as before. Come to me next week for the new batch." Tom didn''t notice Leena''s perplexed expression as he handed over the medicine he had wrapped up.


    "Ew, the smell makes me sick! Tom, I''m actually very healthy. I don''t really need this medicine," Leena said. She hung her head dejectedly and widened her eyes in mncholy. She wished she was in a Hollywood drama and that the medicine would be destroyed in an explosion the very next moment.


    "I am the doctor here. I am the one who gets to tell you whether or not you''re healthy. Just go home and have your medicine on time. I have other patients to take care of at the moment," Tom said. He was d that Leena was so focused on the medicine that she had forgotten to ask him about Patricia. He was in no mood to talk about her right now.


    "All right. I''d better go home and take the medicine then," Leena said. She hadn''t forgotten about Patricia, but Tom seemed so busy. Leena decided to leave him alone.


    Tom watched Leena walk out of his office and breathed a sigh of relief. Knowing Leena''s character, he had been really worried that the girl would go hard on him. But to his surprise, she just let him go. She didn''t ask him a single question about Patricia. Leena left the hospital to go home, but steered in the direction of FX International Group half-way. When she arrived, she saw the most unexpected person at the building gate. Michelle seemed to be looking for someone.


    "Michelle? What are you doing here? Are you trying to find someone?" Leena said with great surprise. She looked in the direction Michelle was gazing at, trying to find what her friend was looking at.


    "Um, hi Leena! Oh, it''s nothing. I was just passing by and thought I should stop. It''s the famous Edward Mu''spany, after all." Truthfully, Michelle was here to look for Luke, but she was not going to confess to it. Last time, she had managed to get Luke''s phone number, but when he figured it out, he blocked her. The guy was no fun. It looked like her pursuit would end nowhere.


    "I see. Do you want to go upstairs and have a cup of tea? You''d be even closer to the famous Edward Mu up there. I am paying him a visit and can bring you along with me," Leena suggested. Naively, she bought Michelle''s words in an instant. There was not a sliver of doubt in her voice.


    "But that sounds very inappropriate..." Michelle wanted to decline Leena''s offer, but she was intrigued. There was a good chance she would meet Luke inside. Then she remembered his cold attitude toward her and couldn''t help but feel a bit downhearted. "Oh,e on! Nothing is inappropriate about it. Come and have a cup of tea with us!" Leena said as she pulled Michelle forward. The guards knew Leena, who was a frequent visitor to FX International. They didn''t question her and let them in respectfully. "Leena, what if Luke is with Mr. Mu too?" Michelle asked once they were in the elevator. She was riddled with a guilty conscience. Luke hadn''t been friendly with her.


    "Luke? I don''t know about that. What''s wrong if he''s there too?" Leena asked, ncing at Michelle.


    "Oh, it''s nothing! I was just asking," Michelle said in a hurry. Her strange behavior raised suspicion in Leena''s mind. Michelle seemed very tense.


    "Is that so? Are you sure everything is all right?"


    "Of course! Why would I lie to you?"


    Michelle averted her eyes, fearing that Leena would guess what was in her heart. She didn''t want Leena to know about her feelings towards Luke. They were friends, but not so close yet that they could speak freely about these things. Before long, the elevator reached the top floor and came to a halt. As the door slid open, they saw Luke walking toward them in the corridor. It looked like he wasing straight from Edward''s office.


    "Hi, Luke, is Edward inside?" Leena greeted Luke, giving him a sweet smile. She didn''t notice the subtle change in Michelle''s expression.???????????????

 Chapter 1367 I Was Just Passing By (Part Three)

    "Yes, he is. I was just talking to him," Luke said. He ignored Michellepletely, as if she were invisible.


    "I see! I''ll go and meet him then. See you!" Leena waved Luke goodbye and stepped aside to make way for him.


    "Bye." Luke walked past them. His voice was cold and emotionless as always.


    "Let''s go, Michelle," Leena called out when she realized that Michelle wasn''t following her. She turned around and nced at Michelle, surprised to see the lost look on her face. ''What is up with this girl?'' Leena wondered.


    "Sure," Michelle said, snapping out of her reverie. She followed Leena down the corridor, but turned around again to watch Luke''s receding figure. It wasn''t until the elevator door closed between them that she drew back her gaze. Inside the office, Edward stood by the window and looked out. His slender and charming profile was aze with the iing sunlight. Leena and Michelle held their breaths at the scenery in front of them, in fear of disturbing his brooding figure.


    Leena had always known Edward Mu was a good-looking man. He had a handsome face but was also a person with hidden depths. His style of dressing up brought out his enchanting and royal temperament. The ck shirt he wore would have looked gloomy and harsh on anyone else, but on Edward, it looked charming and eye-catching. He had a trace of untamed arrogance on him that was irresistible.


    "Come on in. Why are you just standing over there?" Edward turned around and called thedies inside. He nced over them with careless eyes and took the seat behind his desk.


    "Edward! How do you know we are here? I thought I moved quietly." Leena smirked. Walking in, she blinked her eyes at him mischievously.


    "Please, your footsteps might be quiet, but the gasps gave you away. I heard them when you were standing there, drooling over me." Edward rolled his eyes. His gaze moved to Michelle. Intrigued, he wondered if she was here to see Luke.


    "d to see you, Mr. Mu. I hope I''m not disturbing you." Michelle smiled sheepishly. In fact, it was she who had gasped out loud.


    "Not at all. Are you here to pay me a visit, or are you looking for someone whom you were hoping to find in my office?" Edward asked her. A slow, yful smile spread on his face.


    "Someone? What are you talking about?" Leena butted in curiously, cocking her head.


    "Nothing. It''s nothing. You will get to knowter," Edward said as he turned his gaze back to Leena. He had heard from Tom that Leena had started taking the Chinese medicine. He hoped it would be effective enough.


    Meanwhile, Michelle was so mortified that she wanted to dig her head into sand like an ostrich. Were her feelings toward Luke so obvious to everyone else?


    "Umm. You''re obviously hiding something from me. But don''t worry, I''m not the prying kind. You can keep your secrets to yourself." Leena pouted. Although she said she wasn''t interested, her curiosity was piqued. It made her a bit restless. Driven by her inquiring mind, she decided to figure out what they were hidingter.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    "Okay, let''s get back to you, Leena. I doubt you visit me just because you want to see me. What do you want?" Edward knew Leena well. Since her marriage with Kevin, she had never paid him a visit for no reason. Edward was sure that she wanted something, otherwise, she wouldn''t have stopped by to see him.


    "How dare you? You say that like I''m some heartless little brat." Leena coughed slightly and avoided his eyes. It was true that she was indeed about to ask for a favor from him. But how could she admit it now? It would be so embarrassing.


    "No? You want nothing? Well then, I am much relieved. I have other important affairs to take care of," Edward said, making a show of checking his fingernails in disinterest. He knew Leena didn''t like it when someone questioned her goodwill. He needed to push her a little harder for her to admit she wanted something.


    "Uh, no no no! Wait, stop. Fine, you''re right. I am here to ask you for a favor. The fashion show will take ce the next week and I want to know if Justin''s schedule is good to go." Leena frowned, feeling a bit vexed. Edward always saw right through her. It was no fun. "You should ask Justin that. Why are you asking me?" Edward said, already feeling a headacheing on. Leena''s rtion with Justin would always remain a mystery to him. The two of them were nice and easy-going with everyone else, but when it came to each other, they were always at loggerheads.


    "I asked him but he didn''t answer me." Leena was downcast. She had no idea how she had offended Justin again. She remembered when she had brought him the cake, he appeared to be delighted. But when she asked him about the schedule, he simply ignored her, as if to humiliate her. She was so annoyed that she wished she had never given him the cake at all.


    "Uh huh, I see. You asked him and he gave you no answer, so you came to me for help. That exins why you pay me a visit out of the blue." Edward already knew that Leena came here because she wanted his help, but his heart still ached at the thought. It seemed to him that they were bing more and more estranged from each other. It was disheartening. Perhaps they had be more mature now and so had grown apart.


    "Not at all! I don''t visit you just to know about Justin''s schedule. I visit you because I want to have dinner with you and Rain," Leena exined, smiling awkwardly. She knew she hadn''t seen them in a long time, but avoiding them was far from her intentions. Since her marriage, she had be so busy. She had a household to take care of. And now Patricia was injured, so Leena had to look after her too. She had no time to catch up with her other friends and family.


    "Nice try. I''ll buy it though. Michelle, do you want to join us? Well, if you do, I have a nice little surprise waiting for you," Edward said. A mysterious smile bloomed on his face. Since Daisy was interested in bringing Michelle and Luke together, he decided to y matchmaker too. He would definitely try his best to set them up.


    "What surprise?" Leena interrupted him. The conversation between them piqued her interest, so she couldn''t help but ask again.


    "It''s none of your business, Leena. I want to have a little talk with Michelle here, and you are going to check whether or not Rain is back in his office. Then we''ll go and have lunch together." Edward deliberately sent Leena on the little mission of finding Rain so he could have a chat with Michelle alone. His conversation with Michelle wouldn''t be private if Leena were around.


    "Oh, okay." Leena was still mildly curious as she walked out of the office. She turned around to the door but kept stealing nces at the two of them from the corner of her eyes. She didn''t appreciate being shooed away. All the way to Rain''s office, she wondered what this surprise was.


    "Now that we''re alone, what do you want to say, Mr. Mu?" Feeling the sudden shift in the atmosphere, Michelle decided to take charge of the conversation as soon as Leena left. She was an easy-going and carefree person, but she was also quite perceptive. When she heard Edward ask Leena to leave, she knew he meant to talk to her about something specific. Michelle had dealt with Edward a few times before and knew him to be an unpredictable and enigmatic man.

 Chapter 1368 A Disturbance (Part One)

    Edward''s aura was.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    "Are you serious with Luke?" Edward asked as he leaned back in the chair. He looked quite rxed when he locked his fingers behind his head and then stared at Michelle. Though he was smiling, Michelle couldn''t help but shiver as she could feel how dangerous "I don''t know what you are talking about, Mr. Mu." Michelle refused to answer his question and bit her lips.


    "You know what I''m talking about. I think you''d better be honest with me if you want my help," said Edward. Michelle might have helped him once but he didn''t think that he had to pay for that by helping her back.


    "I..." stammered Michelle. A part of her wanted to admit her feelings for Luke but she shook her head and chose to say nothing. If Luke didn''t have a thing for her, he might be pissed off once Edward forced him to ept her. This would be thest she wanted. Although she hadn''t spent a lot of time with Luke, she could tell that he was a confident and proud man who wouldn''t be forced to do anything he didn''t want to do.


    "Don''t you need my help?" Edward asked again upon not getting any response from Michelle. Her reaction was really surprising him as he had anticipated her to happily ept his offer.


    "Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Mu, but I don''t need that." A forced smile cracked Michelle''s lips. It was ironic how she had been persuading Patricia not to give up a forest for just one tree. However, she never expected herself to fall for a man who didn''t love her as well. Unlike Patricia, Michelle didn''t even have the courage to express her true feelings for Luke.


    "Okay. Remember this though, this is yourst chance to ept my offer. I won''t help you with this same issue next time. Do you get me?" Edward gave her an indifferent smile and tapped his fingers on the table. He wasn''t used to getting his offers rejected. He could just hope for Michelle not to regret her decision in the future.


    "I understand, Mr. Mu. However, I believe that nothing forcibly done should be considered agreeable. Thank you for your kindness anyway." Michelle tossed her short hair back as if doing so could shake all her troubles away.


    "Okay. But let me remind you, no one can hurt Luke. Not even you. Even though you helped me, I won''t spare you if you hurt him," said Edward in a serious tone. To him, Luke was more than just his subordinate or friend. Luke was a part of his family. He wouldn''t forgive anyone who dared to hurt Luke.


    Michelle''s lips trembled but she said nothing. Her grin even became wider as she thought that Edward was just cracking a joke with her. She didn''t think that she was capable of hurting Luke. Instead, she was the one who was usually getting hurt by him. If Luke had known that Michelle would attend the lunch as well, he would have declined the invitation. However, it was toote now for him to leave.


    Meanwhile, Leena had no clue about the reason behind this lunch, thus, she thought that it was just a simple gathering with friends. It was only after she noticed that Michelle was peeking on Luke from time to time that she realized Michelle had a thing for Luke. An awkward kind of silence was developing in the room. Interest was written across Rain''s face as he looked back and forth between Michelle and Luke. He had a weird smile on his face as his fingers tapped on his ss. He wasn''t saying anything though, since he didn''t intend to break the ice.


    "Hey, why aren''t you guys talking?" Edward was the first one to talk as he really wanted to know why everyone was speechless. Luke was a man of few words and Edward was already used to it. However, the others were not. He couldn''t help but wonder why they said nothing.


    "No one dares to speak first before you," teased Rain with a taunting smile. He was wearing a ruby earring this time. Other men would look sissy with the earring but Rain was an exception. It didn''t even lessen his manly aura, instead, it entuated his yboy personality.


    "Since when have you regarded me as the head? I really want to know," Edward taunted back. He cast a nce at Luke and then immediately looked away. He was really curious about Luke''s feeling for Michelle.


    "Oh, Edward! You got me wrong. I''ve always regarded you as my boss." Rain was good at licking his boss'' boots. In fact, he was not even ashamed of it at all.


    "Stop talking nonsense!" Edward sneered and then turned to Luke. "Luke, Michelle saved us once. Don''t just eat the dishes but take good care of her for me." Though Edward decided not to intervene between Luke and Michelle, he still nned to create an opportunity for them.


    Luke''s lips jerked at Edward''s request. He didn''t understand why his aloof boss began to y Cupid. Thus, he felt extremely ufortable.


    Meanwhile, Michelle felt really embarrassed. She could clearly see the dislike on Luke''s face when she discretely nced at him. Was Luke thinking that she arranged all these? She could bet her bottom dor that he hated her more now.


    "Michelle, please eat some more. The dishes here are really delicious," Leena butted in to make things lighter. It was the longest lunch Michelle had ever eaten. Everyone there had their own thoughts as they smiled wickedly. They were all acting as if they were gate crashers that shouldn''t be there and as if she and Luke were the only ones who were supposed to meet.


    "Thanks, Leena." Michelle peeked sideways at Luke. However, thetter just ignored her as if he didn''t notice what she did.0000

 Chapter 1369 A Disturbance (Part Two)

    "Michelle, there are so many good men in the world. Why did you fall for a blockhead? You''ll regret it soon," Rain said with a teasing smile as he looked back and forth between Michelle and Luke. He didn''t even care to lower his voice, thus, everyone in the room heard him.


    As a reaction, Luke raised his head and cast a warning re at Rain. Michelle was so embarrassed that she could only wish that there was a hole in the floor she could jump into. She had never confessed her feelings for Luke but everyone knew it now! How was she able to face Luke in the future?


    Edward watched the drama indifferently. However, he would not bother himself to defuse the tension since Michelle had rejected his help. He decided not to give her any advice from now on.


    After lunch, Michelle made an excuse and left them hurriedly. Her movements were so fast as if she were chased by a wild animal. She couldn''t stand Luke''s detached attitude anymore as it made her feel low.


    "Mr. Mu, since when you''ve begun to y Cupid?" asked Luke with a frown. He was really displeased with this arrangement.


    "You''re misunderstanding me. Michelle is Leena''s friend and she came to FX International Group with Leena. I was being polite when I asked her to have lunch with us." Edward was too proud to admit his initial n of pairing Luke with Michelle. He didn''t want Luke to think that he was a matchmaker.


    "Really?" Luke said in disbelief. He had served Edward for so many years and knew him well. He didn''t think that Edward was telling the truth.


    "Forget it," responded Edward in a cold tone before turning to Leena. "Leena, do you want me to drive you home?" he offered as he didn''t want to continue with the topic anymore.


    "That''s not necessary. I''ll drive myself home. Don''t worry," answered Leena with a sweet smile as she set her eyes to Luke. She knew that Michelle had a thing for Luke, thus, she decided to help her win his heart. They were really good friends after all. "Leena, let''s go for a stroll," Rain suggested as he draped his coat on his shoulder and smiled.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    "Oh, okay. Where are we going?" Leena was genuinely surprised by Rain''s suggestion as he seldom asked her to go for a stroll.


    "Let''s just roam around the city, okay?" Oddly, Rain had changed a lot since Annie''s departure. Not only had he shown no interest in women but also barely went to the clubs. It was like he was reborn, however, his character remained the same as before. "Mr. Wu wille to discuss the contract this afternoon. Aren''t you going to work?" Edward asked with a frown as he had no clue of what was wrong with Rain.


    "Come on! You are there. I believe you can handle it. Leena, let''s go," said Rain nonchntly as he grabbed Leena by the hand and pulled her away. His abrupt action shocked Leena, thus, she could only turn her head to Edward and gave the man an apologetic look. Edward took a deep breath to stop himself from wanting to catch Rain and beat him up. He couldn''t believe how Rain had be weirder and weirder just because of Annie. Rain might have been unruly in the past. However, he was way out of the line now. "Rain, slow down!" shouted Leena as she tried to keep up with Rain''s pace. She was wearing a pair of high-heeled shoes, thus, she was having a hard time.


    "Sorry. I was losing control." Finally, Rain slowed down and looked back at her. His handsome face and extravagant clothes attracted the attention of some people passing by.


    "It''s okay. What''s the matter with you? Are you still upset because of Annie?" Smoothing her messy hair that was ruffled by the breeze, Leena stared at Rain to observe his expression.


    "I''ve heard enough about her, so skip it. Let''s just take a walk." A frown appeared on Rain''s face. However, it didn''t evenst a second before his expression turned casual again. He then started walking forward without even looking back. "Are you trying to run away from the reality?" said Leena as she followed him. She thought that Rain couldn''t live like this anymore.


    "Leena, you can leave now if you just keep talking about her." Rain stopped and shot Leena a disappointed re.


    "Okay, okay! I won''t mention her anymore. Rain, will you buy me delicious foodter?" Leena held his arm and shed a big grin. It was obvious that Rain wasn''t in the mood to talk about Annie, so she had to respect that. "Oh,e on! You already have a chubby face. Aren''t you afraid of gaining weight?" Rain pinched her cute face as he ignored the curious stares of the passersby.


    "You brat! Why are you always reminding me of my weight?" Leena feigned anger as she turned her head and shook off his arm. Then she walked past him without even waiting for him as if they were a couple who just had a fight. In reaction, Rain just chuckled as he caught up with her. He grabbed her hand and then walked through the streets and alleyways.


    Theyughed and yed with each other like they were still children. They were free and careless at the moment as they forgot about all their troubles and difficulties. It was indeed a good time.


    On the other hand, Kevin was stopped by amercial vehicle as soon as he walked out of the army base. He was still wondering about who was bold enough to block his way when a beautiful woman got off the car.


    "Major General Gu, it''s so nice to see you again." Dorothy greeted Kevin with a smile. She didn''t look like she was wearing makeup, but she still looked extremely beautiful with her clean, sharp eyebrows, full lips, and pretty nose.

 Chapter 1370 A Disturbance (Part Three)

    "Ah, it''s you, Miss Lu. Why are you here?" Kevin asked with a frown as he checked the time on his wristwatch.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    "Here''s the thing. I''m wondering if I could have the honor of inviting you for dinner since you saved mest time. It was very kind of you to help me." Dorothy was a popr celebrity. She was both pretty and smart.


    "Thank you for your kindness, Miss Lu. Serving the people is a soldier''s pledged duty. Dinner is not necessary." Kevin turned her offer down without hesitation. He didn''t save her in exchange for anything. Furthermore, he didn''t want to have dinner with a woman alone. "Major General Gu, are you looking down on me because I''m an actress? Do you think I don''t deserve to have dinner with you?" Dorothy''s voice trembled a bit as she pretended to feel sad and dejected.


    "Miss Lu, I didn''t mean it that way. I just can''t make it this time." Embarrassment washed over Kevin in an instant. He would have rejected her offer in a more resolute way if Dorothy acted bossy. However, she looked like she was about to cry and Kevin really had no idea on how to politely decline her offer. He simply didn''t know women.


    "If you really have no time, then I won''t push you. How about this? Will you please give me your private number? We may have dinner next time when you''re avable," asked Dorothy. She might be a little disappointed, but then, she was clever to know when enough was enough.


    "I''m sorry, but we soldiers are not allowed to disclose our numbers." Kevin rejected Dorothy in a more subtle way this time. He didn''t want to have a close rtionship with any woman other than his wife. Though he didn''t think Dorothy bore malice against him, he was always alert to the possibility of getting involved in scandals. He was a soldier and he must be a model of clean living.


    "Oh, really?" Biting her lower lip, Dorothy felt embarrassed. Kevin had refused her repeatedly and it made her feel awkward. She could sense that he was making excuses to turn her down.


    "Sorry. How about this? I''ll treat you dinner if there''s a chance." Kevin gave her a nd smile. He looked so gentle that time, thus, Dorothy couldn''t help but fall for him.


    "That would be embarrassing. You saved me and I should be the one to buy you dinner," said Dorothy. She then shed a charming smile as she felt much better after hearing his words.


    "It''s okay. I''m a man, so I should be the one to pay for the bill. I have some work to finish. Miss Lu, I gotta go now." Kevin checked his watch again. He was alreadyte and he couldn''t believe that he was still detained by Dorothy. He was really anxious.


    "Oh, okay. See you next time." An embarrassed smile cracked Dorothy''s lips. She had waited in vain for him for more than an hour.


    "See you." That was when Kevin got into his car. He then started the engine without turning his head. Dorothy was not his wife, therefore, he did not care for her feelings at all.


    Smiling bitterly, Dorothy watched how Kevin''s car drove away. It was only after the car was out of her sight that she got into her own car. Little did she know that a paparazzo had taken their photos. The next morning, Dorothy''s pictures together with a handsome major general went viral and became the buzz topic among people. Moreover, a story spread that an A-lister had been saved by a young and handsome major general recently. In addition, the story also said that the two had dated many times.


    "Kevin, what''s going on?" said the Commander as he banged a newspaper on Kevin''s desk. The issue about the fierce fight among the soldiers inside the army base had scarcely died away when Kevin''s scandal boomed. The Commander was afraid that this might affect his entire future.


    On the other hand, Kevin never really read entertainment news, thus, he had no idea as to why the Commander was so angry at him. He picked up the newspaper and read the story with a deep frown.


    "Commander, do you think the news is true?" asked Kevin in a calm voice as he put the newspaper back on the desk. He couldn''t understand how the paparazzo was able to cook up such a long story based on some pictures, in which Dorothy and he were chatting. "I know what kind of a person you are but others don''t know! You are a soldier and you should stay alert at any time. Why haven''t you discovered that you were being tracked and photographed? I''m so disappointed at you!" The Commander shook his head with resignation. He was really annoyed by the news and was wondering what he should do to solve the problem.


    "I don''t care what others think of me. A straight foot is not afraid of a crooked shoe." Kevin responded with a smile and thought, ''What''s wrong with those paparazzi? How could they just cook up a story out of nowhere?''


    "This is not your private affair. The army base and even the whole army force are involved in this. We must give the public a satisfactory answer." The Commander stared seriously at Kevin. He had known Kevin since Kevin was a kid, thus, he knew Kevin like the back of his hand. However, the outsiders knew nothing about Kevin, and would think ill of him. This would greatly affect the reputation and image of army force.


    "Don''t worry. I''ll handle it myself," said Kevin through gritted teeth. He really felt angry and frustrated. Nheless, he had to face whatever problem it was and find a way to solve it. He believed that there would be a way out.


    "How are you going to solve it? People won''t believe what you are going to say." The Commander sighed with resignation. He would be retiring in a few years and he had nned to rmend Kevin for a higher position. However, it seemed impossible now as this situation would leave a stain in Kevin''s personnel file. Furthermore, the fight among the soldiers had barely subsided when the army base was again exposed in the public eyes. It would be really hard to put things in order again.


    "I will find a way out. If you don''t need me for anything else, I''ll take my leave," said Kevin. The only thing he was worried about now was that Leena might have seen the news and misunderstood him. He had to call her now to exin everything.???????????

 Chapter 1371 The Truth (Part One)

    As Kevin walked out of the office, his phone rang. He took it out, and was surprised to find that it was from Edward. "Hey, Edward, what''s up?" Kevin sounded helpless. He knew why Edward called. It would surely be for Leena''s sake.


    "Kevin, by hook or by crook, I want this shit gone. Get your act together and pick up the pieces. One condition. Don''t hurt Leena, or you''ll be in trouble." Edward sat at his desk in the FX International Group. He was enraged by this tidbit in the entertainment weekly. "It''s not what you think. Don''t worry. I know what to do," Kevin said as he walked to the parking lot. He had to go home. It was better to exin this in person than on the phone.


    "Good. Don''t let me down. I''ll try to block the news. Just do what you have to do." Edward pressed a button on the private line on his desk, and Anna came in quickly. She stood quietly and waited for his instructions seeing that he was still on the phone. "Thanks a lot, Edward. You''ve been great. I don''t know how I could possibly thank you enough." Kevin didn''t refuse Edward''s offer. He knew clearly that Edward had a wide range of connections and could efficiently solve the problem. He was grateful for that. "Mr. Mu, you have a task for me?" Anna asked after Edward hung up.


    "Anna, ask the Public Rtions Department and the Media Department to do whatever they can to block the news released by TT Entertainment Weekly this morning. And incidentally, send them ourwyer''s letter." Edward yed with his signature pen and let out a mocking smile. They could write whatever they liked about Dorothy, but they shouldn''t have involved Kevin in it. Although he didn''t like Kevin much, as his wife''s sworn brother, he would never allow others to wreck Kevin''s reputation.


    "Okay. I''ll do it right away. Is there anything else before I go?" Anna knew why Edward gave this order. She had been working for him for several years now, and somehow, she had gained a few insights about how his mind worked. "That''s it. Just go." Edward waved his hand. Some might think that he acted too mightily and that he bullied the weak, but he didn''t care. What mattered was the result, and the process was never his concern. As they said, the ends justified the means. Meanwhile in the parking lot, as Kevin was about to get in his car, he saw Louisae to him. He frowned, not in the mood to talk, especially not with her.


    "Hey, Major General Gu!" After her father restricted her freedomst time, Louisa bitterly resented Leena and lost no opportunity to put down Kevin.


    "Sorry. I''m busy now." Kevin opened his car door. He really didn''t want his soldiers to see them quarrel.


    "I know you''re busy. Well, it''s tiring to date twodies," Louisa scoffed. She rushed over after reading the gossip this morning. She wouldn''t miss this chance to gloat and make fun of Kevin. In the past, Kevin turned her down with the sole reason that he was a married man, but why did he have an affair with Dorothy?Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    "If you have something to say, say it. Don''t beat around the bush. I have no time for this bullshit." Kevin closed his car door and looked back at Louisa. He didn''t want to talk to her at all, but she was themander''s daughter, and themander helped him a lot in his career. He couldn''t cut down the tree that gave him shade.


    "There''s no need to beat around any bush. Your affair has been published in the major papers and is now known to all in the city. Almost all married men have love affairs, and you''re no exception. But I''m surprised that you have one with an actress. I never knew that she was your type!" Louisa bit her lip. It was a severe blow to her pride that Kevin chose an actress over her.


    "I''m faithful to my wife. It''s not what you think, but I don''t need to exin it to you or anybody. This is one thing that I do not want to talk about. I''m sorry. I have to go." Kevin opened the car door again and slid inside. His mind waspletely taken up with how to reassure Leena. He didn''t want to talk to Louisa now or at any time at all.


    Kevin''s car screeched away, leaving Louisa alone in the parking lot. Lines of displeasure marred her attractive face, even with impable makeup. Instead of humiliating Kevin, she made a fool of herself.


    Leena got upte today. She left in a hurry after visiting Patricia. She needed to prepare and go to Paris for the Fashion Week in a few days, and there were still many things to do. She turned around just when she was about to leave from the hospital because she wanted to ask Tom whether she could now stop taking the medicine.


    The door of Tom''s office was a bit open. She was about to walk in, but what she heard from inside made her stop.


    "You prescribed Leena so many kinds of medicine. Doesn''t it arouse any suspicion?" Belinda came to the hospital for the pre-natal examination today. She worried about her baby because recently, she would often have a slight pain in her stomach. Fortunately, the results showed that it was just a normal gastric reaction and nothing to worry about, and she could set her mind at rest.000000000000000

 Chapter 1372 The Truth (Part Two)

    "Yeah. She has asked about it many times. I can''t cover up the secret for too long. I''ll have to tell her the truth when the timees, and that time is soon." Tom was in a dilemma. Leenained every time she came to him. He wanted to tell her what the deal was, but the words always got stuck in his throat.


    "Oh my! Poor Leena." Belinda was depressed. Leena was a good girl, but she seemed to attract a lot of misfortunes in her life.


    "Don''t worry too much. I''m trying to find a cure for her. Maybe she can get pregnant one day. It''s the 21st century. It''s no longer imperative to have a baby. Even if Leena can''t get pregnant, I don''t think Kevin will make a fuss over it." Some time ago, Tom got so preupied treating Patricia that he didn''t have time to look into Leena''s infertility. But now that Patricia was up and about, he could now concentrate on Leena and how to solve this problem.


    "No woman can ept that she''s infertile. Leena will get devastated when she finds this out." Belinda was an expectant mother, so she knew the feeling very well. She hoped that all women could be pregnant like her, at least at the right time when they were ready. "That''s why I haven''t told her yet." Tom massaged his temples and grimaced. It already took an extraordinary effort to treat Patricia. Now it was his sister''s turn. He had to think about Leena''s problem.


    Leena didn''t know how she left the hospital. She always thought that Tom''s prescriptions were to build up her resistance. It wasn''t until she overheard Tom and Belinda talking that she found out they were for infertility. She thought she was still young and wasn''t in a hurry to have a baby, but to be deprived of that option was a different story. With mixing feelings, she walked on the street, and her eyes became dull and remote. She had no idea where her feet were taking her.


    She tried to control herself, but the tears streamed down her face. At this moment, she admitted that she was fragile. Kevin, the man she loved, finally fell in love with her, but here came another hurdle. A massive blockade before she could enjoy his sweet love. This might seriously affect the course of their rtionship.


    If she had known that she couldn''t get pregnant, she would have never tried to win his heart. Infertility was always agonizing for a couple. Honestly, she would rather bear the awful pain alone instead of dragging Kevin down with her.


    Passers-by shot nces at her and tried to avoid her. For them, she was just a stranger. Some even thought that she was just a crazydy on the street. A few strong men roughly bumped into her and sent her reeling, but she lost all sensation like a doll without a soul. She didn''t react even once.


    Then she passed by a roadside newspaper booth and she was drawn to the front page with the image of the man she loved most on it. Her body was on autopilot as she handed the money to the vendor, and then she hurried away without waiting for her change. She really wanted to know what news about Kevin and Dorothy would be reported after he saved her.


    It wasn''t that Leena didn''t trust Kevin. She just didn''t trust other women. Kevin was an educated and decent man, but he might still be seduced and even cornered by other women. That was what Leena was worried about.


    She walked back to the ce where she parked her car. She couldn''t wait to read the newspaper as soon as she got in. She was always the most insecure in front of Kevin.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    Haha! Dorothy was grateful to Kevin for saving her and wanted to marry him? What an old-fashioned trick. Leena sneered and threw the newspaper aside. If Kevin really had an affair with Dorothy, they wouldn''t date at the gate of the army base in broad daylight. They wouldn''t be so stupid to let others know that something was going on between them.


    Suddenly Leena''s phone rang. She sniffed, calmed herself down, and then pressed the answer button. It was Kevin.


    "Where are you, Nana?" Kevin asked anxiously before Leena could say anything.


    "I''m outside. I just left the hospital. What''s wrong?" Leena answered calmly as if nothing had happened. She decided to keep her sorrow to herself. Kevin''s smiling face was all she wanted.


    "Are you okay?" Kevin asked with worry. He drove back at full speed but didn''t find Leena in the house. He was afraid that she would take the news to heart and do something silly.


    "Yeah. I''m all right." Leena smiled sweetly although her eyes were red and tears marred her face.


    "Where are you? I''ll pick you up." Kevin didn''t believe her. The news gave rise to much discussion all over the city. Leena must have seen or heard about it.


    "Err... Aren''t you at work now?" Leena''s smile died. She thought she misheard Kevin.


    "Well, I just went downtown for some work, and then I returned home, but you''re not here." This was the first time that Kevin had told a lie to Leena since she bared her heart to him. He felt bad about it, even if it was just a white lie.


    "Don''t bother to pick me up. I brought the car and I''ll be home very soon. Take out the ingredients in the refrigerator. I''ll cook lunch for you when I get home." Holding back her sadness, Leena started her car and drove into the traffic, knowing that Kevin was at home waiting.000

 Chapter 1373 The Truth (Part Three)

    "Okay. Have a safe drive." Kevin was relieved. On the phone, Leena sounded okay.


    "Okay. Be with you in a sec." Leena hung up and put her phone down. Kevin would be worried if he saw her red and swollen eyes, but she didn''t have sunsses in her car. At this thought, she swung by a shop.


    Kevin took off his military coat and obediently went into the kitchen to take out the ingredients from the refrigerator. Instead of waiting for Leena till she got back, he began to prepare it himself. Leena shouldn''t have to do anything. They could have lunch as soon as she came back.


    After Leena parked her car, she looked in the mirror and saw that her eyes were still red and swollen. She sighed. It was impossible to reduce the swelling in such a short time. She had to wear the sses she just bought. The sunsses would arouse Kevin''s suspicion, so she bought a pair of non-prescription sses. In this way, she would be able to muddle through. Otherwise she really didn''t know how to exin why she wore sunsses in the house.


    At the door, she hesitated for a while, but then decided to go in. Kevin might suspect something if she spent too much time at the door. Besides, she didn''t know whether Kevin had to rush back to the army base this afternoon, so she had to prepare lunch quickly. To her surprise, as soon as she opened the door, the smell of delicious food greeted her. She took a few deep breaths, making her feel better momentarily.


    She knew she still had to face Kevin no matter whether the tidbit was true or not. Therefore, she didn''t intend to waste time. She held back her sadness and walked to the kitchen with a sweet smile.


    "Oh my god, Kevin! I told you to just thaw the frozen ingredients. I wasn''t expecting this! Everything smells and looks good and really appetizing!" She said as she walked up to Kevin, trying to act natural.


    "Yeah. It''ll be done in a minute. Are you wearing sses? Since when did you start wearing sses?" Kevin looked back at Leena. The sses didn''t fit her well, making her look weird.


    "Well, my eyes feel a bit of a sting these days, so I wear sses to protect them from the light." Leena had thought of the excuse on her way back. She needed it to sound usible.


    "Maybe it''s because you always burn the midnight oil, working till morning. I tried to warn you about it many times, but you didn''t listen to me." Kevin felt strange, but didn''t think much about it. He had no idea that Leena''s eyes were swollen from crying. He thought if she really misunderstood him, she would not be this calm and would be throwing the biggest tantrum by now.


    "Don''t worry. I''ll be all right in a couple of days. Let me set the table." Leena was relieved that Kevin didn''t ask more. She took out the chopsticks and bowls from the cupboard and walked briskly out. The moment she turned around, the smile on her face disappeared and was reced by a doleful frown.


    Kevin was a little bothered. He felt that something was wrong, but he didn''t know what was that. He shook his head and continued to wash the vegetables. He decided to exin the issue between Dorothy and him after lunch.


    "Help me roll up my sleeves, Nana," Kevin asked Leena for help as his sleeves slid towards his wrists when he was washing the vegetables.


    "Sure. On my way." Leena once again pretended to be calm. She thought inwardly with a bitter smile that she could win the best actress award if she were an actress because she could perfectly hide her emotions in an instant, with no one being able to see through her. The water in winter was ice-cold. Leena shivered as her slender fingers touched the cold water running on Kevin''s arms. She always soaked her hands in hot water before she washed vegetables. She didn''t dare to directly wash them, because the cold water would chill her to the bone.


    "It''s chilly, right?" Kevin looked up at Leena, with an apologetic look in his eyes. He felt deeply guilty at the thought that she was exposed to cold water every day to prepare dinner for him and tidy up the house. She didn''t need to do these things, but she did them without anyints. Kevin always thought that he was the luckiest man to have Leena as his wife.


    "Sort of, but it''s okay." She smiled with embarrassment. She kept her head down and didn''t dare to look at Kevin. She was afraid that Kevin would see through her little game.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    "Thanks, Nana." Kevin seldom thanked Leena. He thought marriage was a two way thing, so both of them should assume their respective responsibilities. But somehow he wanted to say "thank you" to her today. He thanked her for her selfless love, but he did not say it. "Ha ha! What''s up? What do you thank me for out of the blue?" Leena giggled. Kevin gazed at her with seriousness and emotion, and she felt herself blush. She quickly ran out but Kevin didn''t stop her. He just shook his head and started to cook thest dish. Time was running short, so he didn''t cook too many dishes. He just cooked some simple ones that Leena liked. Obviously, he did this to tell Leena how much he loved her.


    There was no escape from reality and from the truth. After lunch, Kevin made some tea and asked Leena to sit next to him. It was time to exin the thing between Dorothy and him. Although she didn''t bring it up, she looked very preupied. Kevin had to get rid of her hang-up.000

 Chapter 1374 Remember What You Said (Part One)

    "What''s wrong with you? Why are you so serious?" Leena asked nervously as Kevin''s seriousness was frightening her.


    "Nana, have you read the report?" Kevin already knew Leena had read the report but he asked anyway. Although Leena had just lied about her eyesses, he could tell from her movements and expressions that she had cried.


    "Yes. I''ve seen it," confessed Leena openly. Honestly, she didn''t even care about the report at all. What she was concerned about though was the explosive news she heard in the hospital.


    "Do you believe me?" Kevin asked anxiously as he feared to hear her say no.


    "Have I ever let you down?" Leena looked at him sideways as she spoke in a shy tone. She felt much better now although her eyes were still red.


    Instead of answering her, Kevin reached out his hand and pulled her into his arms. His kiss fell gently on her lips before it touched every inch of her skin. He couldn''t speak whenever he was faced with Leena''s faultless eyes, thus, all he could do was to express everything he felt through gentle kisses.


    There were some times when actions spoke louder than words. A trusting look, a warm hug, and a gentle kiss were all more powerful than meaningless words. These had fascinated people greatly.


    Faced with Kevin''s kisses, Leena couldn''t help but blush. She breathed softly and looked even brighter. It wasn''t the first time she had kissed Kevin but she was still shy. Thus, she buried her head on Kevin''s chest.


    "Dorothy was held hostage by a mentally-ill fan that day and I happened to be nearby. I saved her. She came to the army base yesterday to invite me to dinner. She said she wanted to thank me for saving her life. I turned her down because I knew that you were waiting for me at home," patiently exined Kevin. He was patting her back gently with his big hands as if he was coaxing a child.


    "Shh! Don''t say anything. I trust you." Leena put her finger to her mouth and gestured him to stop talking. In this love endurance race, she chose to trust him unconditionally.


    "Now can you tell me why you just cried?" Kevin asked her about what bothered him most. Since she chose to trust him, it would be impossible for her to be saddened by the unreliable reports that came out. He was certain that there was something else that might have made Leena really upset.


    "Well... I just went to the hospital to see Patricia and it broke my heart when I looked at her. I couldn''t help but cry. I was afraid you would know that, so I wore sses," said Leena as she pretended to be shy. She got no ns of telling him anything about her real condition. How would he react once he found out that she couldn''t give him a child easily?


    "Little fool. Why are you crying for this? You are no longer a child." Kevin touched her hair gently and thought, ''Fortunately, she doesn''t misunderstand me. I think I can rx now, right?''


    "Will this report have any impact on your career in the army base? There will be a business party tomorrow. I actually didn''t want to go before but I''ve changed my mind now. I want you toe to the party with me so we can clear the rumors up. What do you think?" Leena''sst appearance as a judge on the Dream City Design Competition quickly made her a national celebrity. She had refused various media and magazine interviews since then. She wasn''t the type of person who wanted too much attention as all she ever wanted was to live quietly.


    "No need. Don''t worry. I can handle this." Kevin bowed his head and kissed her on the forehead. Like Leena, he didn''t like to be in public often, thus, he kept a low profile most of the time. However, because of his position in the army, he sometimes appeared in military newspapers and military channels.


    "But this is the easiest way to clear the situation up. Are you sure you don''t like it?" Leena continued to persuade him. They would not need to say or do anything to clear the rumors anymore if Kevin agreed to go attend the party with her.


    "If you want me toe with you, I will. But if you''re just trying to clear up the rumors for me, then I''m not going." As a man, Kevin was willing to cooperate with her social needs. However, he didn''t want to rely on his wife to solve his problems.


    "Forget it, then. I''m not into socializing, either." In reality, there were only very few people in the fashion industry that were like Leena. Everyone in the industry wanted to increase their poprity by appearing in public. She was a rare case as she didn''t want to attend any big events at all. It was odd that the more she refused the more attention she received. Every magazine literally wanted her to be their special guest.


    "I just want you to be happy. If you need to bring your husband with you on any asion, I am fine with that." Kevin pinched her cheek gently. His handsome face was beaming with confidence. In fact, he didn''t care about the report at all. Had it not been for the fear that the story might tarnish army base''s image, he would not have taken it so seriously.


    "You''re so narcissistic. Do you think you''re cute?" Leena red at him and pretended that she didn''t care. At that moment, she buried her sadness as she didn''t want him to encounter unpleasant things again.


    "Am I not handsome? Are you jealous of me?" On the other hand, Kevin felt that he said a sick joke, thus, the smile on his face was stiff.


    "Ha-ha! Howe I didn''t know that you were such a narcissist before?" said Leena as sheughed happily. She didn''t know whether they could be together in the future, so she cherished their sweet time together.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    The news about Dorothy was quickly taken down due to the intervention of FX International Group. The following day, TT Entertainment Weekly issued a letter of apology to Kevin as they acknowledged that the story was questionable. They also apologized for the impact caused by this report on Kevin and the army base.


    In FX International Group


    "Anna, did you ask TT Entertainment Weekly to write this apology letter?" Edward looked at the paper on his desk and thought, ''Why did TT Entertainment Weekly publish a letter of apology? I don''t think I asked Anna to do this.''


    "No. I think it was the Major General''s request. I heard that he went to TT Entertainment Weekly after we left and stayed there for a long time. He might have told them something, thus, they did it." Anna replied honestly. She wasn''t the type of person to take credits for something she didn''t do.


    "I didn''t expect him to do that. I always thought that he was a meek fellow." A meaningful smile cracked on Edward''s lips as he yed with the phone in his hand. It seemed that he had underestimated Kevin. As a major general, he couldn''t keep silent after being bullied. "Then shall we send awyer''s letter?" asked Anna cautiously. She knew that Edward was a thoughtful man who couldn''t be seen through by a little secretary like her.


    "No need. We''ll see." It would be great if Kevin could solve it himself. In this way, Edward would be much relieved.


    "I see. Then I''ll go now." Anna was wearing a shiny ring on her finger and it caught Edward''s interest as she was about to leave his office.


    "Wait a minute. Did Aaron propose to you? When will be the wedding? You have to tell me in advance. I will prepare a wedding present for you." Edward already knew what happened when he saw the ring on Anna''s hand. He was d to see two of his most capable assistants getting married.0000

 Chapter 1375 Remember What You Said (Part Two)

    romantic


    proposal.


    "I have just epted his proposal. As for the wedding... I don''t know." Anna, who had always been aloof about this topic, blushed. She didn''t expect Aaron to propose to her. Though she had many doubts about it, she was moved by his sincerity and agreed to the less "Well. You should keep him waiting longer, lest he does not cherish youter." Edward could only imagine how Aaron would react if the man heard what he said. Aaron probably didn''t think of him to say that. After all, Edward was a very serious man deep inside. Unlike the calm atmosphere at FX International Group, Kevin was a bit surprised when he got punched as soon as he met Duke. Kevin knew that Duke would question him when he arrived but he didn''t expect Duke to instantly punch him when they met. "What, huh? Do you think you are wronged?" Duke gritted his teeth as he looked at Kevin. He didn''t usually pay attention to entertainment reports, thus, he didn''t see the story about Dorothy until today. He immediately called Kevin to find out what was going on right after he read the report.


    "No," answered Kevin as he rubbed the corner of his mouth. He knew that the corner of his mouth was bleeding because he tasted blood from it. Even if Duke did this to him, he didn''tin because he knew that he was wrong in the first ce.


    "Who do you love? Louisa, Dorothy, or my poor sister? Tell me. How many women are there with you that I don''t know?" Duke was furious. He might be behind Kevin when it came to verve. However, he was better looking than Kevin in terms of appearance whenever Kevin was down and without his military spirit.


    "I could assure you. Regardless of how many women are around me, I only love Nana," said Kevin with a frown. His mouth was still bleeding and he was thinking about how to exin the injury to Leena once he got home.


    "Remember what you said," Duke said coldly as he sarcastically gave Kevin a once-over. Leena was the most important person in his life, thus, he didn''t feel that there was anything wrong about what he did.


    Aftering out of Duke''s house, Kevin looked at his mouth from the rearview mirror and thought, ''Damn! It really hurts. This may take a few days to recover. How am I going to exin this to Leena when I go back? I can''t tell her it was from her beloved brother.'' Just the thought of this made Kevin a bit hesitant.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Recalling his visit to TT Entertainment Weekly yesterday, he could not help butugh at himself. It was the first time he had used his rights to settle his personal problems, so he had a mixed feeling now. He did not like to spend too much time on such matters and wanted to resolve it quickly, lest it would be moreplicated. ''I don''t care even if people will use me of using power to suppress them. It would be better to get rid of such things as soon as possible, ''thought Kevin.


    Looking at the newspaper in front of her, Leena thought, ''Yesterday afternoon, Kevin said he was going out. It turns out that he has gone out to settle this matter. If he did so, he will be criticized for showing off his power. Will this affect his future? The rumor about him and Dorothy was so loud before, but everything changed overnight. It''s hard not to associate all this with him.''


    A gentle sigh just escaped from Leena''s chest. There were so many things that had been bothering her recently. It even felt like she had no spare time anymore. Moreover, she was really getting concerned about her physical condition. She was even willing to drink her most hated traditional medicine now as she also wished to have a baby. She knew that she must try, or else, her happiness would vanish.


    Kevin was supposed to go back to the army base first. However, he changed his mind after checking the time. His shift in the army base would be over anyway once he got there, thus, there was no need for him to do so anymore. Nheless, he didn''te home immediately and chose to drive to a quiet ce instead. He badly needed to clear his mind.


    He was deep in his thoughts when his phone suddenly rang. He smiled when he saw who the caller was and then pressed the answer button.


    "Hello! Nana, it''s me." Kevin''s voice was very energetic when he spoke. Thus, it gave the person on the other end a sense of spring.


    "I know. Buy me a bottle of vinegar when you get back from work. I want to make dumplings but we ran out of vinegar at home." Leena''s sweet voice came from the phone. However, instead of asking where he was, she asked him to buy her something. This was an obvious disy of how much they trusted each other as she wasn''t even bothered about him being outte.


    "Okay. I''ll be home in half an hour." Kevin started the car as he spoke. He looked at the time and thought, ''I''ve been here for two hours? I didn''t think I''d been here so long.''


    "Half an hour? Are you downtown now?" Leena frowned and thought, ''He came back home early these days. It seems that he is not busy in the army base recently.''


    "Yes. I''m driving now. I''ll talk about it when I get home. Bye." Kevin waited for her to hang up rather than hung up on her first. Unlike Edward, Kevin was very considerate to his wife in so many ways.


    "OK. I''ll wait for you at home." On the other hand, a lot of things changed with Leena since she married Kevin. Most of those would be observed with her personality. She was a lively and lovely little girl before. However, after marrying Kevin, she quickly matured enough to match her military officer spouse. She was now very mature and sensiblepared to her peers.


    Kevin went to one of Leena''s favorite supermarkets. He didn''t expect to meet Rain here as soon as he finished parking. Moreover, Rain was apanied by a beautiful woman. ''Didn''t he say that he only likes Annie? Who is the woman beside him?'' Kevin thought. "Wow! Aren''t you the most popr major general in thest two days? What happened to your face? Who beat you up?" Rain didn''t even make an effort to hide his schadenfreude. He was even smiling brightly as he thought that Kevin deserved his bruise. "What do you think?" Kevin didn''t answer him directly, nor did he say anything more about his ridicule. Rather, he nced at the woman standing next to Rain. The woman was very beautiful but she was reeking of strong perfume. ''How can Rain stand the smell of this perfume?'' he thought.


    "I''m not interested in it. I must tell you bluntly that I don''t care about how many gossips you have. Once you let Leena get hurt, I will never let you go. Trust me. This will be far worse than the bruises on your face," threatened Rain. The woman next to him was a neer to the film and televisionpany of FX International Group. He came here in order to resolve the publicity issue between this woman and her client. Rain didn''t expect to meet Kevin here.


    ''Well. It seems like Tom is the only one who hasn''t threatened me yet among Leena''s brothers. I must be really lucky to be threatened by these influential men in S City, ''Kevin thought as the corner of his mouth twitched.


    "Thank you for your warning. I won''t let that happen." Kevin might look a little distressed right now but then he replied in a firm manner. He was a proud man after all.


    "Remember what you said." Those were thest things Rain said before leaving. He didn''t even pay any attention to the woman beside him. By the time that the woman realized that Rain had left her, she smiled apologetically at Kevin and caught up with Rain in a hurry.000000000000????

 Chapter 1376 Danger In France (Part One)

    "Oh my god! What happened to your face?" The moment Kevin went into the house, Leena immediately saw the injury on his face. This rarely happened to him, maybe never, and was something that she wasn''t used to. She dropped whatever she was doing and walked to him immediately.


    "I hurt myself during training. Don''t worry, it was my fault. Nothing serious." Earlier, Kevin did not know what to tell her because he did not want her to worry one bit. He thought of tons of excuses to avoid her question and he picked out the most convincing one. "Really? Because it looks like you were hit by someone!" Leena did not believe him right away. She felt sorry for him and reached out to touch the wound but decided not to, because she was afraid that she might hurt him more.


    "Yes, really! I did not focus well during one of our practice fights so one of the recruits did a nice upper cut and got through to me. Don''t worry. It''ll be fine in a few days." Kevin grinned but was quickly jolted and grimaced in pain a bit when the part of the wound on his face was stretched because of the smile.


    "I''ll go and boil some eggs! You can roll them on the wound to ease the pain," Leena said and walked to the kitchen before Kevin could protest. She didn''t like seeing her husband injured like that.


    Kevin did not try to stop her. He was actually relieved. At least she didn''t look closer to examine the wound, which had started to darken around the edges. She could do whatever she wanted, after all. What was more, the injury on the face would heal more quickly with her suggestion and there was no reason for him to refuse it.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    For most people, hospitals were typically terrible and they would avoid them as much as possible. They were mostly dark and gloomy, with a lot of worry, sadness and suffering in the air. Death was also inevitable in hospitals. But it was different for Tom. He liked hospitals a lot. He liked the feeling of aplishment whenever he got to save someone''s life and again when the patient was fully recovered. Recently, however, he was beyond frustrated not being able to make Patricia remember him. He had tried different methods and various approaches. He even contacted some of his colleagues in Europe for advice but none of them could be of help.


    "Miss Bai, the nurse will help you remove the ster castter. After that, you need to undergo a series of rehabilitation exercises and therapy to help you fully recover. So please prepare yourself for that," Tom had started to get used tomunicating with her in a professional and distant tone. Although it felt like his heart was going to burst, he did not show it. He chose to close the door to his heart and did not want to admit that he had begun to have feelings for her. Maybe he could still turn this around and go back to how he used to be.


    "Doctor, Leena and Michelle are just pulling my leg, right?" Patricia asked, head tilting with her innocent and bright eyes staring at him.


    "What did they say?" Tom was vexed as could be seen from his knitted eyebrows.


    "They said that I liked you! It''s ridiculous! There''s no truth to it, is there? Because you are so formal to me. You address me as ''Miss Bai!" Patricia looked right into his eyes. Did she have a one-sided love for him that she knew nothing of? Patricia could not help but wonder. No way! She would never do such a shameful thing!


    "Miss Bai, if you want to fully recover more quickly, don''t try to irritate me, please." Tom tried to suppress his anger. He clenched his fingers into a fist to contain it. How he wished he could strangle her. How could she be so arrogant to do that? She grasped every chance to get close to him before, but now she had singled him out and somehow erased him from her memory. Just him! He knew how the brain worked and was one of the best neurosurgeons in the city if not the whole country. How dare she make a fool of the great Doctor Tom? But no, he had be her helpless prisoner who willingly jumped into the trap that she dug for him. Now she wasughing at him standing at the edge with no ns of pulling him out of it.


    "You...! I didn''t do anything. Why are you so angry at me? I just asked a question out of curiosity," Patricia murmured innocently. She was indeed curious about the rtionship between them. Was it a crime to ask him questions?


    "But are you aware of the kind of trouble you would cause for someone when you ''just ask''? If you are not, then don''t ask freely," Tom shot a fierce stare at her with cold eyes. Then he walked out of the room immediately before Patricia could even think of a reply. The moment he was at a good distance from the room, he breathed in deeply. The atmosphere in the ward was much too stressful for him with Patricia there. He never imagined how painful it would be when someone he cared about only considered him no better than a stranger at a convenience store. No significance whatsoever. No wonder she chose to forget him, subconsciously taking advantage of the ident.


    The smile on Patricia''s face disappeared immediately. Did she say something wrong? Why was he reacting a little too dramatically? Was there really something between him and herself? Her friends already said so. And Tom''s behavior seemed to support it. She shook her head and decided to forget the weird conversation between them just now. That was her character. For things that were difficult to understand, she would not make too much effort and would choose to let things be. So she did not take it seriously when Tom acted abnormally. For in her mind, she had never met Tom until recently. She had no memory of him so she just assumed that that was his normal self.


    Leena went to Paris with Justin to prepare for the summer fashion conference of the year despite still being worried about Patricia. Her business and career also needed her attention. Justin had never been trained to walk on the ramp as a model, but he did quite well during the rehearsals. Leena was both surprised and proud of the little genius.


    "Good job, Justin! You did very well." It was the first time Leena openly praised Justin because he really did perform very well. That was one less thing to worry about.


    "Humph! There is nothing in this world that I can''t do!" Justin raised his chin and cracked himself proudly. That was the truth. As long as he liked doing something, he could do it easily when he devoted himself to it. He had inherited some good genes and acquired this good character from his parents.


    "Well! Don''t feel much too confident and cocky when you are praised." Leena pursed her lips at him. She did not think it was good for him to feel self-satisfied and arrogant too easily.


    "I have the talent, don''t I?" Justin brushed the clothes on him as if to beat the dust off. He totally spoke like an adult, to be more precise, like Edward.0000

 Chapter 1377 Danger In France (Part Two)

    "Ha ha! You little thing. Do you really think you are an adult? Let''s go. It''s time to go and eat something." Leena reached out and tapped on his forehead sightly with a helpless expression on her face, looking a bit annoyed.


    "Wow! I''m free! Finally! But for how many days do I have to walk on the stage like a clown from the circus?" Justin wrinkled his nose and rolled his eyes. He actually disliked such activities. If his father had not asked him to help Leena, he would never have agreed toe here with her, let alone for such a frivolous event. He did enjoy the journeying here. He had never been to this world famous city that many people had been talking about, so he was interested in everything about Paris. "Kid, what did you say? Like a clown from the circus? It''s all about fashion, understand?" Leena knocked on his forehead heartlessly instead of merely touching it this time. Of course, she did it with proper strength so that it wouldn''t hurt Justin much. "Ouch! That hurt! I''m gonna tell Daddy, that you hit me!" Justin red at Leena, stroking the part of his forehead that hurt.


    "Go ahead. Do you need me to make the call for you?" Leena did not worry about it at all because she was certain that Edward would not rebuke her for this kind of thing. Edward was a reasonable man.


    "I..." Justin was surprised and froze. He did not expect Leena to call his bluff. Moreover, his father told him that he was a man and he should get along with Auntie Leena well, and that he should be kind and polite. He shouldn''t quarrel with her. He should act like a gentleman, or other foreigners mightugh at him if he did not behave well.


    "Let''s go! Kid, I''ll buy you something delicious to make it up to you, okay? Are we good?" Leena let out a giggle. She was d that she won this round. But what she did not know was that Justin let her win deliberately.


    Leena was still like a child. Although she was quite busy and her schedule was tight, she still made time to take Justin around. Because why not? It would be a great pity if the little boy came all the way to Paris and did not enjoy this beautiful city.


    "Auntie Leena, wait for me, please!" Justin tried hard to catch up with his short legs. He never felt frustrated doing this, because no matter how fast he ran, he seemed unable to catch up with Leena, who had long legs and had gotten used to the way Parisians walked around, as if the entire city was a catwalk. That was the difference caused by age and experience. Although he was smarter than most people, he was still trapped in the body of a small child.


    "Hurry up, short legs! Leena turned around andughed. Justin always looked down upon her in terms of intelligence. Now she had the chance to fight back. She felt herself to be at an advantage this time.


    Justin gritted his teeth a bit. Fine! He would not say anything to insult her for now! Short legs? They would grow to be longer one day. Longer than hers.


    Leena''s main purpose foring to Paris was to prepare for this year''s summer fashion conference. Sometimes, she would get too busy and would not have time to take Justin around. When that happened, she turned to ire for help.


    "You must be Justin! You are so handsome." ire half squatted and said to Justin in a ttering tone. It was her first time to try and get along with such a little kid, so she felt quite uneasy.


    "Of course. You have good taste, not like someone who always dents my confidence." Justin tilted his head and replied proudly. He cast a sidelong disdainful look at Leena at the same time. Obviously, she was that someone.


    "Oh you! Stop saying bad things about me, now. ire, I gotta go. I''ll have to leave him with you. Don''t feel nervous. You can just keep feeding him and that''ll be good enough," Leena suggested and did not mind talking like that in front of Justin. "Okay, in that case I think we''ll be fine!" Although it was ire''s first time to take care of a kid, she didn''t think it would be all that difficult, seeing that Justin was sensible like an adult. So she dly epted the task.


    It was fine with ire, but with the little boy, it was a different story. He rolled his eyes at Leena to show his displeasure. What did she say? Just keep feeding him? What was he, a pig or some sort of animal at the zoo? Even zoo animals weren''t allowed to be fed by just anyone! But hisints would not work because ''someone'' had already left immediately and disappeared.


    "Justin, it''s my first time to take care of a kid. So please bear with me, okay?" ire just came back to Paris yesterday. She went with Gerard on a business trip a few days earlier. And today was her first time to spend this much time with Justin. Although they had met before, they did not really have a conversation. That was why she felt a bit awkward. Although he was just a kid, he looked quite like Edward who was always serious. No wonder she felt a bit intimidated.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    "Is ire your name? But how should I call you? Daddy told me that you are Uncle Kevin''s sister. Should I call you Auntie ire?" Justin asked as he wanted to address her properly. He did not want others to think he was rude.


    "Yes, you can call me Auntie ire! That sounds good to me." After living in Paris for quite some time, ire had be more sophisticated and matured like an adult. She was no longer willful and arrogant like what she had been like in the past. She had blossomed into a gentle and elegantdy.


    "Yes! Auntie ire, will you stay here in Paris for a long time?" Justin raised his head and asked curiously. Although he thought Paris was very beautiful, he did not want to stay here all the time. The reason was simple. His beloved family was not here. So even if this city looked and felt like heaven, he would still prefer to live in the warmth andfort of his own home.0000000

 Chapter 1378 Danger In France (Part Three)

    "Yeah, I will. At least for the time being. Why do you ask?" ire liked her present life very much. In Paris, she could have the chance to start her career and pave the way to her dream. She had to make great efforts by herself because no one from her family could protect her here. Although Gerard gave her a hand from time to time, it was different from that of her family. Back home, she used to be very aggressive and did whatever she liked, taking advantage of her father being a big personality in the military. But here in Par¨ªs, her father would not have much power to help her, no matter how capable he was in the home country. Her life here also made her realize how rude and unreasonable she had been in the past. She cringed every time she remembered those days. It was hard to believe that she was once that kind of person who probably caused her family a lot of embarrassment.


    "Oh, nothing. I''m just wondering. Don''t you miss your family, living so far away from them?" Justin asked with his childish voice. Although he asked from the perspective of a kid, his question hit ire. She could not help but be emotional.


    "Then, Justin, tell me, do you miss your daddy and mommy?" ire was afraid that she would break into a sob if she kept talking about this topic. So she did not answer the boy''s question. Instead, she returned the question to him.


    "Of course I miss them! I started to miss them as soon as I stepped into the ne. But my dad told me that I am a man, so I have to be strong as a man should be," the little man replied proudly, as if he were already an adult. There was pride on his face. "Yeah! You are right. You are a man. So could you do me a favor now?" ire felt that Justin was so cute when he talked like an adult. Her face also turned red because she had to suppress herughter thanks to Justin''s cuteness. How she wished she couldugh out loudly! But she was afraid that Justin might feel awkward. She would just have to try hard to hold thatughter.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    "Okay. Say it! What can I do to help you?" Hearing ire not tease him but even say that he was a man, Justin could not feel prouder. He straightened his back immediately, waiting for ire''s request. He stood so straight as if he was standing at attention when he did something wrong and Daisy punished him like a soldier.


    "I''d like to go shopping. So, could you be my hero to protect me during the whole time?" ire coaxed patiently. She believed that no matter how smart he was, he could feel extremely ttered when she said that she needed his help. He was a child, after all. "Okay! You know what, Auntie ire? I''m very good at taekwondo!" Justin did not exaggerate it. He might not be as strong as an adult in strength, but he did the moves excellently. He had a military mother and started training in the army base before. There was not doubt that he could do the taekwondo moves well.


    "Oh? Really? I don''t need to be afraid even if we run into a bad guy, then." ire thought he was just joking and did not take his words seriously. She did not believe that a kid could be that capable. But what happenedter totally surprised her and her jaw dropped, when she saw what Justin did.


    Here was what happened next. ire first took Justin to a grocery store nearby to buy some daily necessities. Taking a look at the time, she found that it was still quite early in the day. So she took him to the Seine River to enjoy the beautiful scenery and enjoy some food along the way. Unfortunately, they came across two young men who seemed to be bullies.


    Although ire was not as pretty as Leena, she was still considered to be an exotic beauty in the Western setting. No wonder the two bullies came to her. Even though she was not alone and Justin was with her, the two young men did not consider that as a hindrance. They reached out and grabbed ire by the arms and forced her to go with them. She was so terrified that her face paled immediately. Her mind went nk, not knowing what to do. Although sometimes men would cat call when she walked by, it was the first time that someone actually got physical with her. She never got involved in such a situation before, so she had no idea how to deal with it. She could smell the alcohol on the two ruffians. They were definitely intoxicated. Otherwise, they would not be bold enough to do such a stupid and dangerous thing.


    "Let her go! Or I''m going to kick your ass!" Although Justin was a kid, he was brave to stand up and warn in French. ire was astonished because even she was unable to speak fluent French though she had been in Paris for quite some time now. She usually spoke English.


    "What? Hey kid, how dare you interrupt us. Run away now if you don''t want to get hurt!" The two men were still at a young age, probably in theirte teens and were afraid of nobody. They would never listen to Justin and take his warning seriously.


    "Justin, don''t worry about me. Go and call the police, now!" ire was afraid that they might hurt Justin. So she shouted out loudly to him and told him to run away. She did not want him hurt because of her.


    "Auntie ire, I''m not leaving. I promised to protect you, didn''t I?" Justin said with no fear on his face at all. He showed a stern expression which was inconsistent with his age. The two guys were frightened by him and could not help but hesitate. But soon, because of the alcohol, they became more confused. They continued to drag ire and did not let her go. Even though there were many people in the area, they just passed by in a hurry and no one cared to stop to give a hand.


    "Justin, I was just kidding! You are still a kid. Don''t try to be brave. Just go!" ire was extremely worried, seeing that Justin was not listening to her. Without thinking twice, she lowered her head and bit the man who grasped her on the arm. The young hooligan felt the pain and let go of her. ire took the chance and turned around to run away. But she forgot that there was still another thug. He caught her by the hair and pulled her back.


    That all happened in an instant. So Justin was unable to realize what happened until she screamed out because of the pain. The moment he heard her screaming and saw the terrible thing that man did to her, Justin ran to him quickly and kicked him in crotch. His mother once taught him that he should find a smart way to win over someone who was stronger than him. That was why he kicked his balls. They liked beautiful women, right? So he did them a favor to let them know how it felt when something happened to their balls. It must feel ''extremely good''.

 Chapter 1379 Kung Fu Boy (Part One)

    The young thug felt a sharp pain in between his legs, and couldn''t help but let go of ire. He grabbed his crotch with both hands, screaming unholy things at her. She had no idea what he was saying as she knew next to nothing about French.


    Seeing hispanion down on the concrete, wriggling like a worm in water, the other hooligan spat out and reached out to grab Justin. He thought hispanion was just caught off guard. It was hard for him to believe that a boy of Justin''s size could easily fight them and even hurt them. Before he knew what was happening, Justin jerked out of the way and even put his leg out to trip him. The man staggered and fell to the ground face down.


    The two men might have been a bit tipsy as they were quite slow in reacting. That was why Justin had taken them down that easily. He stood there proudly like a hero, as a shocked ire watched with widened eyes and her jaw wide open.


    The man was infuriated after falling but was not about to give up just yet. He struggled up, raised his fist and threw a punch toward Justin''s head. But Justin was flexible enough to dodge the attack, turn around for momentum and kick the man hard in the shins while throwing a solid punch to his belly.


    "Justin!" ire screamed as she finally came to her senses. The two meny on the ground, moaning. She grabbed Justin''s hand and they ran as quickly as they could. She didn''t dare to linger in that ce, for she had no idea who they were. They could have friends nearby who could quicklye and create bigger problems.


    "Aunt ire, we don''t have to run away. I could easily hurt them more. I want to teach them a lesson." Justin didn''t understand ire''s reaction. He knew that the two losers were no match for him.


    "We don''t know who they are. What if they are gangsters and they havepanions? Safety first, you know." It was easy to deal with the two men because they were drunk and were not at their best physical condition, but what if more of them arrived? ire couldn''t imagine what would happen then. Sure, Justin won this time, but they were still strangers to this big city.


    "Oh, okay, fine. If we were in S City now, not only would I teach them a lesson, they will also find themselves behind bars!" Justin said confidently. He was way more mature and more dominating than any child and other people twice his age. His sardonic grin and the way he raised his brow - he was the spitting image of his father.


    When they returned home, Leena hadn''te back yet. Safe as they were, ire was still suffering from the shock, breathing heavily and her face was pale as death.


    "Hey kid, are you okay, though? Did you get hurt?" ire didn''t realize it until she calmed down a little, so she began to check if Justin sustained any injuries.


    "Aunt ire, I''m okay. You''re the one who got the scare of your life. Sit down and drink some water." Justin shook his head and sighed to himself, ''Women are all delicate and fragile, but Mom is an exception. She''s awesome!'' Being consoled by a kid, ire felt a bit embarrassed and her face was flushed. She did look much better now, with a bit more color on her face.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    It was already close to midnight when Leena got back home. She hadn''t put down her bag when she was informed of the incident by ire. The news came as a shock to Leena. She had been living in Paris for a couple of years already, but had never been robbed or evene across such people before. She thought public order was good here and safe for a woman to walk around at any time, even past midnight. It had never urred to her that someone she knew would be involved in such a situation.


    Leena entered Justin''s room to check on him and saw that the boy was fast asleep. Though Leena and Justin always had a skirmish with each other, she cared about him very much. When she looked at the sleeping boy on the bed, a myriad of thoughts came rushing to her. She wondered if she would be able to have a cute baby like Justin in a couple of years. She felt lumps in her throat at the very thought of it. She looked away and stared up at the ceiling, holding back her tears.


    She left the room in a hurry, afraid that she might be haunted by the thought of being unable to have her own baby. Tom''s words were stuck in her mind, putting a great strain on her.


    The summer wearunch came out as a huge sess. After that, with all her work done, Leena prepared to go home together with Justin. She didn''t meet Gerard this time. On the one hand, they were both very busy, and on the other hand, she was not really in the mood to visit him. She was just excited to get home to Kevin as soon as possible. After bidding goodbye to ire who saw them off at the airport, Leena and Justin boarded the ne.


    When they arrived in S City, Edward was already waiting for them. As soon as Justin saw him, he dropped his suitcase and threw himself into his arms.


    "Daddy, I missed you so much!" Justin held Edward''s neck with his arms and shed a very happy smile. ''What a hypocrite this little gremlin is! Justst night, he kept talking about the food he hasn''t eaten yet. He didn''t miss Edward at all, nor did he want toe back home. Little liar, ''thought Leena.


    "Son, I missed you too." Edward kissed his face softly, his eyes full of affection. Earlier, while he waited for Leena and Justin, a group of girls took notice of this masculine man and started flirting with him from afar. Some even took out their cameras in hopes of taking selfies with him. But now that they saw this lovely family scene, their shallow hearts were broken to pieces - this handsome man was already married and even had a son. They would have no chance to be with him.


    "Hypocrite!" Leena blurted while pretending to cough out loud. She didn''t lower her voice, so both Edward and Justin could hear what she said.


    "It''s none of your concern!" Justin retorted immediately and even made a face to Leena without being noticed by Edward.

 Chapter 1380 Kung Fu Boy (Part Two)

    "Not again, you two! Did you guys quarrel with each other every day when you were in Paris?" Edward asked with a frown. He was really having a headache because of these two.


    "Hmph!"


    "Bah!"


    Leena and Justin blurted out at the same time and stared at each other up and down with scornful eyes. They just couldn''t make peace with each other.


    When they got out of the airport, Leena couldn''t help but shiver at the cold weather. Then a warm coat was ced on her shoulders.


    "It''s a little cold in the morning. Don''t catch a cold now." Edward gave her a short brotherly smile, which made Leena feel really warm.


    "Thank you, Edward." Leena put on the coat and zipped it up to make herself warm. Paris was much warmer, and the clothes she wore were too permeable for S City.


    "Okay, get in the car. I''ll drive you home first," Edward offered as he knew Leena might get sick if they stayed out in the cold much longer.


    On their way to Grand Apartment, Justin kept talking about the interesting things that he had witnessed and experienced while he was in Paris. Leena, however, didn''t seem to be in the same car, looking out of character. She stared out the window and remained quiet all the way, which made Edward feel strange.


    "Hey there, how was your trip to Paris this time?" Edward asked with a frown. He noticed that she was in low spirits and wondered what had happened to her. ''Was it because of her business? Was her summer wearunch a failure?'' he thought to himself.


    "Well, theunch was a sess, especially for the children''s wear part. We have received a lot of praise and de for that one. And I owe it to some certain arrogant little boy, who was actually a great model and the perfect illustration of my designs!" Leenamented, looking at Justin. Leena wasn''t making it up. At theunch event, the shutter sounds had clicked one after another at a rapid speed, along with unstoppable shes that had been almost blinding.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    "You''re ttering me. Well, a certain woman has really done a great job in design. And I think that is fundamental to the sess," Justin ttered back. He had long thought that Leena was a woman who did nothing but bully him. But after seeing how confident and reliable she was when she was at work, Justin then realized that she was indeed a very talented designer.


    Edward''s face convulsed when he heard them talking. "Wait, what? Really? Why are you two praising each other in such an odd way?" he asked in disbelief. He was not used to this kind of pleasant exchange between the two.


    After arriving at Grand Apartment, Leena bid them goodbye and entered the house. The room was silent, but Leena curled her lips and felt happy. It was the ce that she and her beloved man called home. Kevin knew that she would being back today. But unfortunately, he had a meeting in the capital city and would be unable to pick her up. Fortunately Edward offered to do it, since he was picking up his own son.


    She was about to unpack her things when her phone rang. She looked at the screen and found that it was Kevin calling.


    "Nana, are you at home now?" His voice was hoarse and cracked, and he even coughed a little.


    "Hey you!" she chirped happily but suddenly changed tone. "I just arrived. Kevin, what''s wrong with you? Have you got a cold?" Leena asked worriedly. The weather had dipped recently, and it was a high-urrence season for the flu. She began to get worried about him. "No, I haven''t. I just feel itchy in my throat. Don''t worry about me. I think I will be here another couple of nights, so I guess I won''t be home until the day after tomorrow. I hate it. I want to be home with you now. But do take good care of yourself, okay?" Actually, Kevin had got a cold because of an outdoor training a couple of days ago. It had been raining and the cold wind cut through his thin clothes. He was now well enough but he lied to Leena as he didn''t want her to worry about him.


    "I miss you too! I was hoping we''d have dinner together tonight." She puckered a frown. "Remember to drink some water. That would be good for your throat." Leena was a little disappointed upon hearing that Kevin wouldn''t be back until the day after tomorrow. "I will. Honey, I have to go now. Bye!" Kevin hung up and checked the time. This time he came to the capital city for work, but instead of staying at the pre-arranged hotel, he chose to stay at his parents'' house. He had very few opportunities to meet his parents often, and ire was now in Paris, so he decided to take this chance to visit them and to keep thempany for a few days.


    After unpacking her bags and taking a bath, Leena went to the hospital without taking a rest. She had been really worried about Patricia while she was in Paris. More importantly, it was time for her to fetch the medicines from Tom to improve her health. This time, she stopped resisting them, for she really wanted to have Kevin''s baby.


    "Hey girlfriend! How have you been? Are you feeling better?" Leena asked as soon as she came in, holding up a gift which she had bought for her in Paris. Patricia was now sitting on a wheelchair. Leena could tell from the look on her face that she had gotten much better while she was away.


    "Hey, Leena, you''re back! Yeah, look at me! I''m much better, haha! How''s your trip to Paris? Was it a sess?" Patricia was thrilled to see Leena. The car crash did not kill her but the boredom in this hospital might. Michelle often came over to keep herpany, but she couldn''t go anywhere, and that stressed her out.


    "Yes, it was a sess. How about your therapy?" Leena looked worriedly at her leg which was not in ster anymore. She was afraid that there might beplications in the future.


    "I''ve made some progress, but it is really exhausting." Speaking of therapy and rehabilitation, Patricia couldn''t help but remember Tom''s cold face. The rehab was carried out by a doctor with specialized training in the field. Tom, however, woulde every time she was in session. Oddly, he didn''t even cast her a single nce. He would say a few words to the doctor but he would leave in a hurry. Patricia couldn''t help but wonder what Tom was actually up to.000

 Chapter 1381 Kung Fu Boy (Part Three)

    "Don''t worry. Take it easy. You''re gonna be okay sooner orter. What about the scars on your face? Did Tom say something about it?" Leena looked at the dried up wounds on Patricia''s face. Though the wounds were not very deep, they would leave permanent scars if they were not properly treated. She wondered why Tom hadn''t applied the special scar eliminating gel on her face. Was that jerk doing it on purpose, still hating on Patricia?


    "Do you think I''m ugly with the scars?" Patricia asked, stroking the scars on her face.


    "No, I don''t. But they remind me of that ident," Leena said honestly. She regretted having asked Patricia the question. After all, Patricia was a woman, and it was a huge deal for women when it came to anything about their looks.


    "Ha! Don''t worry about me. I believe I look cool with the scars," Patricia said with a smile. She lived very freely, refusing to give in to the pressure of modern society on women when it came to beauty.


    "Good girl! You are so cool that no men dare to get close to you." Leena rolled her eyes at Patricia. She had never seen a woman who didn''t care about her face at all.


    "Hey, woman! Was that a back handedpliment? Does Major General Gu know you are actually a mean woman?" Patricia retorted at once.


    "Really? I''m a mean woman?" Leena asked in reply while casting Patricia a reproachful nce. ''I''m not mean at all. I was telling the truth. Does she really think that it''s cool to have scars on her face?'' she thought to herself.


    The two spent a few more hours catching up until it was time for Leena to leave. After bidding goodbye to Patricia, Leena went straight to Tom''s office. She pushed the door open without knocking, in attempt to surprise him. But to her disappointment, Tom was not in his office. She entered the room, looked around and sat casually on the sofa. He must be making the rounds of the wards, so she decided to wait for him. She picked up a magazine to keep herself busy.


    But she didn''t expect herself to wait for such a long time that she fell asleep on the sofa. When Tom came back and saw Leena asleep, he signaled his colleague to keep quiet. Then they left the room and Tom closed the door quietly behind him. They went to a balcony on the third floor of the hospital together.


    "Hey, you can tell me now. What do you want to say?" Tom put his hands on the railing, and instead of staring at his colleague, he looked into the distance.


    "Mr. Qin, shall we make a new rehabilitation n for Miss Bai? I don''t think the current program is working well," said the doctor with utmost care, not to upset Tom.


    "You are the doctor in charge of her rehabilitation. If you think that it is time to change the program, you have every right to make a new one. You may use any n that you think is proper. No need to ask me for approval," Tom said with a frown. He usually got more excited whenever Patricia was involved.


    "Uhh..." Tom''s reply came as a shock to the doctor, and he didn''t know how to respond. ''Isn''t Miss Bai special to him? If she isn''t, then why has he attached great importance to her rehabilitation progress? Maybe my assumptions were wrong?'' he asked himself.


    "Is there anything else? You may take your leave if there isn''t," Tom said impatiently. Tom was a gentle person, but recently, he had been quick to lose his temper. As a result, all the employees in the hospital had to double check their work with utmost care for fear that they could be the target of Tom''s tantrum.


    "No, there''s nothing else. I''m leaving now." The doctor left immediately as he couldn''t stand being around Tom. Having to interact with him had gotten too stressful.


    Tom went back to his office and pushed the door gently, trying not to wake Leena up. ''Shouldn''t she be in Paris right now? What is she doing here?'' he wondered.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    Tom sighed with resignation and was about to take out a nket. Luckily, the air conditioner was on, otherwise Leena might catch a cold here.


    Leena was usually a light sleeper. When she sensed that Tom entered the room, she opened her eyes slowly and stared nkly at him.


    "Hey, Leena. Did you know that you fell asleep here in my office? Here, take a ss of water." Tom poured a ss of warm water and handed it to her. He could tell from her dry lips that she needed to drink something.


    "I was here waiting for you, and somehow I drifted off. It was so warm here that I felt drowsy," Leena exined with an awkward smile. But actually, it was because she hade directly to the hospital without taking a rest first and she had been so sleepy. She had juste from Paris today.


    "Have you been waiting long? Why didn''t you call me?" Tomined. He sat on the sofa beside her and smoothed her messy hair. Leena had always wanted to crop her hair short, for she didn''t want to do her hair every day. The daily upkeep of having long hair was sometimes more than she couldfortably deal with. But the idea was voted down by her sworn brothers who thought she looked like a princess with curly long hair.


    "I thought you would be back any minute, so I didn''t call you." Leena made a face and stuck out her tongue at Tom. If she had known that it would take him so long, she would have called him right at the very beginning.


    "When did youe back from Paris? This morning?" Tom asked and wondered how Leena had the patience to wait for him for such a long time. Was there something important she wanted to talk to him? It had gotten to be that.


    "Yes, I arrived this morning. Edward picked me and Justin up and drove me home. Then I came here to visit Patricia and you. I nned to go back home and really have a good rest after this, but I didn''t expect myself to fall asleep quickly. I guess I was that tired." Leena smiled shyly like an innocent girl.


    "So you''ve seen Miss Bai?" Tom asked. He didn''t look at Leena in the eye as if it were a casual question, but his heart began to beat faster just by saying that name.


    "Yes, I''ve seen Patricia. And I want to discuss something with you about her," Leena said honestly. She failed to notice the strange expression that suddenly appeared on Tom''s face.

 Chapter 1382 An Annoying Couple (Part One)

    "Oh, all right. I''m listening," Tom said while standing up. The gentle person had be indifferent and cold. Leena couldn''t understand why love always wore people out.


    "Um... the scars on Patricia''s face... I mean, what are you gonna do with them?" asked Leena after a short hesitation. Tom had been really weird recently. She was afraid that she might piss him off easily by mentioning Patricia before him.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    "Did she send you here to ask about it?" Tom replied with a mocking smile. He was having a hard time epting the truth though he knew that Patricia forgot about him because of her serious injuries. It was Patricia who had intruded into his life and told him that she had a thing for him. Sadly though, it was also her who took the unteral decision of pulling out of the love game just in time he fell in love with her.


    "No! Don''t get me wrong. She is okay with the scars. It''s just that I''m worried about her. You know, women all care for their faces." Leena scrunched her nose. She was at the verge of tears as she wasn''t used to seeing Tom torture himself like this. However, she also understood that things were happening with reasons. If only Tom hadn''t kept rejecting Patricia before, then the two might have been happily together by now.


    "Since she''s okay with the scars, why are you so worried about her?" Tom''s voice sounded grating on Leena''s ears that it stunned her for a while. He honestly didn''t know what was wrong with himself too. Leena was his beloved sworn sister and he shouldn''t talk to her in such a rude manner. It was just that he couldn''t help but lose his temper whenever he heard of Patricia.


    "Tom, are you okay? You''ve been acting really weird recently," Leena asked in a worried tone. Tom had never med her regardless of her mistakes in the past. Thus, she felt wronged.


    He had never been this impatient while talking with her.


    "I''m really sorry, Leena. I didn''t sleep wellst night and that''s why I''m really tired now. Please don''t get angry at me," apologized Tom upon realizing what he just said.


    "Was it because of Patricia?" It was then that Leena decided to make it clear with Tom. She didn''t want him to be full of remorse like Rain.


    "Leena, I really don''t want to talk about it right now. I want some space, okay?" Tom turned his back to Leena as he didn''t want her to notice his sorrow.


    "Running away from reality doesn''t help solve any problem. You have to face it. If you have a thing for her, you can court her to make her fall in love with you again. However, if you don''t love her, isn''t it best for you to ask for her forgiveness at least?" Leena said as she stepped closer to Tom. She had to figure out a way to cheer Tom up. He had been really depressed recently and she couldn''t bear to see him like this any longer.


    "I don''t think that she''ll fall in love with me again. She has forgotten me after she woke up. It only means that she has subconsciously decided to move on." Tom''s voice shook a little because of his uncontrolled emotions.


    "You won''t know the result until you have tried your best. Tom, you are my family and Patricia is my best friend. I really hate to see both of you suffer in this love game," Leena said sincerely. Though she was unable to see his face now, she could tell that his heart was terribly broken.


    "Leena, don''t worry about us. Since you''re back, why don''t you continue to take the herbal medicines? I''ll go fetch the medicines for you soon," said Tom as he wasn''t in the mood to talk with Leena about Patricia anymore.


    "Tom, may I know why I have to take these medicines?" Though she already knew the answer, she just refused to believe it. She was hoping that she had just misheard him, thus, she decided to confirm it with Tom. "You''ve always been in poor health. The medicines are to improve your condition," answered Tom as he turned to Leena and looked her in the eye. He wanted to convince her that there wasn''t anything wrong.


    "How long are you gonna keep lying to me?" said Leena in a low voice. A bitter smile cracked her lips the same time her tears began to fall. She was still young and in no hurry to have a baby. However, she knew that Kevin was desperate to have one. Kevin had mentioned it to her once and she had kept that in mind.


    "You... You knew it?" Flustered, Tom suddenly hesitated to talk. It had never urred to him that Leena already knew about her case.


    "How I wish I didn''t know about it." If she hadn''t known about it, she would be now hoping to get pregnant and give birth to a cute boy or girl for Kevin. However, it seemed so impossible now.


    "It''s okay, Leena. You must trust me. You will have babies soon, okay?" Tom hugged her in his arms. He had nned to find the right time to tell her but she had already known about it.


    "Okay, Tom. I will give my full cooperation. No matter how much I hate taking herbal medicines, I will do as you say," Leena promised. She wanted to sh a smile but failed.


    "I''m d you said that. By the way, does Kevin know it too?" Instead of asking Leena how did she find it out, Tom wanted to know Kevin''s attitude towards the problem. If Kevin minded the matter very much, Tom had to figure out a way with his fellows.


    "No, he doesn''t. Tom, please don''t tell him, okay? Letting him know won''t help. I don''t want him to worry about me." Leena managed to smile this time. Just the mere thought of Kevin lightened her mood. Though he was now in the capital city, his name alone was enough to cheer her up.


    "Why are you always so humble in front of him? What will happen to you if you cannot handle the pressure anymore?" Not many knew but Tom envied Kevin a lot. How lucky Kevin was to have such a good wife like Leena. She had changed immeasurably and without anyin, devoted herself to him.


    "I don''t worry about it. I''ll just let nature take its course." Naturally, Leena also wanted to be a spoiled woman who was cherished by her husband. It was just that it was clear to her that she loved Kevin more than he loved her. Thus, she had to be a considerate wife instead and danced to whatever tune he wanted.


    After taking the medicines and bidding goodbye to Tom, Leena drove back home and was weed by an empty house. She was unable to stand it as Kevin''s figure kept shing across her mind. Therefore, she took her suitcase out again and packed several clothes. Less than an hour after that, she was already driving to the airport.


    Upon arriving at the airport, she booked the earliest flight to the capital city which was two hourster. It was not until now that she realized how impulsive she had been toe here without checking the flight schedule. She could just guess how tough the two hours waiting time would be for her.


    To kill time, she went to the coffee shop at the airport and ordered a cappino. She looked around to observe people''s clothes in an attempt to get new inspirations. She had a pretty face and her long ck hair framed her distinct beauty perfectly. Thus, her presence attracted the attention of many passersby.


    She was still observing when a familiar built suddenly caught her attention. To her intense surprise, she saw Dorothy! The same woman who had been in the newspaper with Kevin not long ago. Though Dorothy''s sunsses were big enough to cover half her face, Leena still recognized her. Dorothy was sitting on a nearby table. She didn''t wear any makeup and looked like a girl next door. That was why nobody recognized her except for Leena.


    On the other hand, Dorothy let out a friendly smile upon seeing Leena. Then she lowered her head to read her magazine. She was really graceful and elegant.


    Leena curled her lips, stopped looking around, and enjoyed her coffee.00000

 Chapter 1383 An Annoying Couple (Part Two)

    Time dragged and Leena felt hungry after having a cup of coffee. She realized that she hadn''t eaten anything the whole day. Thus, she ordered a cake and some snacks.


    Before her food was served, a young couple sat opposite to Leena. She looked around and found that the shop was fully upied. The weather was so cold that everyone wanted to have a cup of hot coffee. The girl threw herself in the boy''s arms. They were upied with endless whispers of love and even exchanged passionate kisses. They were acting as if there were no one else sharing the coffee shop with them.


    Nheless, Leena didn''t know whether tough or cry at the scene. She would have no appetite if the couple continued acting like this for a minute more. So she stared at them deliberately in an attempt to remind them to behave. "Hey, old woman, stop staring at us!" said the girl in an arrogant way. She raised her head and stared back at Leena defiantly.


    ''Old woman?'' Leena was stunned at her words and didn''t know how to respond. The girl was really impolite and rude.


    "Sorry. You may go ahead," said Leena after some seconds of silence. Her face was suddenly flushed scarlet with embarrassment. The girl''s loud voice attracted too much attention from the people inside the shop. Leena felt like she was a peeping Tom!


    "You''ve ruined our romantic moment. What a romance breaker!" The boy was also infuriated so he cast a burning nce at Leena. In reaction to it, Leena remained quiet on her seat as she mocked herself inside her mind, ''So I''ve changed from a peeping Tom to a romance breaker?''


    Leena furrowed her eyebrows. She did feel a little sorry to have interrupted them at first, but she was totally angry now because of their attitude. It was they who behaved improperly in public. ''How dare you two use me? This is a public ce, not a bedroom. If you two want to have sex, just go back home!'' She thought.


    "She must be an old maid and no man loves her," the girlmented as she shot a scornful nce at Leena.


    "Hey, watch yournguage. If you two are in heat, please find somewhere else. You are making me gross, okay?" Finally, Leena said calmly and looked away. These two were simply making her sick.


    "Honey, she is mocking us! Teach her a lesson!" The girl held the boy''s arm and acted in a pettishly charming manner.


    "Babe, don''t get angry. She is jealous of you. She really envies you. No man loves her, so she can''t bear to see couples show their affection to each other before her." Leena red with anger and thought to herself, ''Is he too young or just dumb? How ridiculous he is! So what if I''m traveling alone? Does this mean I''m single? Even if I''m single, does it have anything to do with him? A single woman can also live a happy life, okay?'' Leena was never a fan of male chauvinism.


    To be honest, Leena had never been a mean person, nor had she ever judged other people by their behaviors. Nheless, she was really pissed off right now. Thus, she put on a sweet smile and asked in a clear voice, "Do I need to ce a king-size bed here so you can do whatever you like?" Leena snorted after having said that. She really felt sick of them.


    "You! What a shameless woman you are!" the girl scolded and pointed her finger at Leena. She never expected a seemingly weak woman to reprimand them like that.


    "Come on! I thought you wanted to have sex right here, right now." Leena had considered leaving but changed her mind. She took the table first. Why should she leave it to them? They should be the ones to leave!


    "Hey, old maid, are you insane?" The boy became angrier upon seeing his girlfriend being scolded. Therefore, he tried to argue with Leena. He had to admit that Leena was a beautiful woman but he was loyal to his girlfriend. So in a sense, the boy had his own strong points.


    "You''d better leave now if you don''t want to humiliate yourselves more," Leena said in a calm tone as she showed no fear for them at all. The boy stood up, in an attempt to teach Leena a lesson.


    "Honey, let''s go. You don''t want to bother yourself arguing with her kind. She will find nopany and die alone eventually." The girl stopped her boyfriend and left some really mean words before dragging him away. This was in the airport and there were armed policemen everywhere. She didn''t want her boyfriend to get into trouble.


    The girl''s words meant nothing to Leena. She even heaved a sigh of relief after the couple left. She really hated arguing with people like that. Moreover, her food was already served, so she nned to enjoy it.


    "Ha!" She was about to take her first bite when a woman''sughter suddenly came from beside her. Leena raised her head with a frown and found that it was Dorothy whoughed.


    "Ah, sorry. I didn''t mean it." Seeing Leena''s unhappy expression, Dorothy then realized that she was being impolite. Thus, she immediately apologized.


    "It''s okay." Leena smiled in a friendly way. She was a reasonable person. If the couple had acted in a more polite manner, she wouldn''t even bother to argue with them.


    Leena immediately left the little incident behind and enjoyed her food. The boarding time finally arrived, and she found her seat and sat down. She just couldn''t wait to see her dear husband. However, it was to her surprise again that Dorothy was taking the same flight and was even sitting next to her! Moreover, the couple who had a quarrel with Leena earlier sat on Leena''s right hand. Leena''s eyes widened and her jaw dropped when she saw them. What a coincidence! "Hey, we''ve met again. I wasn''tughing at you earlier." Dorothy was also surprised to see Leena sit by her side. She felt that it was necessary to exin herself.


    "I know. Don''t worry. I don''t mind it," said Leena in a polite but cold manner. She and Kevin had been married for about a year. The time had seen her change from a willful girl to a graceful woman. The media had tagged Dorothy as someone who had dated Kevin many times. Though Leena knew that the media had just been cooking up stories, she still disliked Dorothy.


    Dorothy, of course, perceived that Leena disliked her, so she kept quiet and read the magazine on the ne. It was a popr fashion magazine and when she saw the pictures in it, she suddenly froze and then started to ask.


    "Excuse me? I think you must be Leena Leng, designer of LN FASHION?" Dorothy was really thrilled. The poster women of LN FASHION had all gone popr. Now that the designer was right beside her, she wondered if she could seize the opportunity. "Yes, I am. And you must be Dorothy Lu, a popr celebrity in S City?" Leena said in a whisper as she could tell that Dorothy didn''t want to be recognized.


    "Uh... how did you recognize me?" Dorothy asked in a low voice as she looked around. She feared that the others might also recognize her. She was dressed in a totally different way today as she didn''t want people to know who she was. She had stayed in the airport for a few hours but her fans hadn''t even recognized her. How did Leena recognize her? After all, they hadn''t seen each other before.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    "Well, I guess that''s because I''m a designer and have a pair of sharp eyes. Don''t worry. I won''t expose your identity," Leena assured her. She was not the type of woman who always put her finger into another''s pie. Frankly, she was not even interested to know the reason why Dorothy was dressed like this.


    "Oh, thanks," Dorothy said. She was about to go to the capital city for private affairs. Even her agent or assistant knew nothing about her trip, let alone her fans.


    "No problem." Leena closed her eyes to take a nap and hoped that Dorothy was clever enough not to bother her. Fortunately, Dorothy was a smart woman who kept quiet the whole journey.


    It was already dark outside when Leena reached the capital city. It was not her first time here but it was the first time she came here alone. After walking out of the airport, she was at a loss of what to do next. It was much colder than S City and she couldn''t help but shiver.0000000000??????

 Chapter 1384 A Surprising Reunion (Part One)

    "Miss Leng, is no one going to pick you up?" Although the night had already fallen and it was generally dark, Dorothy was still wearing her big sunsses in order to avoid being recognized in public. In contrast, Leena was dressed casually. Despite the fact that she had built a name for herself abroad, there were not many people who knew her back home. Here in her own country, ordinary people usually did not pay much attention to designers unless they were closely connected to celebrities. Instead, they cared more about the brand. As for the designer behind the brand? They did not care much. They only cared about superstars, those who had be famous in TV and movies, as well as those who had be popr as singers and musicians. They were the ones whom people usually followed blindly.


    "No, I''m good. Thank you! I just decided toe here in the spur of the moment. So, I''m kind of in a hurry," Leena replied politely with a smile on her face. Although she tried to be as mature as she possibly could, she still looked quite sweet. It seemed that she was born with a natural sweetness and charm in her personality.


    "Same here. That''s why I need to call a cab." At this time, Dorothy took out a mask and put it on. Then she took off the sunsses. Looking out of ce with sunsses at night, she would be more visible in public.


    "Then, have a nice drive. I gotta go now." Leena said goodbye to her cheerfully after she took a look at the taxi spot. The moment she turned back, she ran into the couple she had met earlier. What was more, the girl was holding a cup of hot coffee, and the coffee was spilled right on Leena''s clothes. None of them had expected that. So all of them froze, standing mortified for a moment.


    "It''s not my fault. You came to me and hit me," the girl murmured, looking at Leena and having no idea what to do. She was so shocked that she forgot to apologize.


    "Are you okay? Was that hot coffee? Did you get burned?" Dorothy came rushing over and asked Leena in a caring tone. Then she took out a napkin from her bag and wiped the coffee off nervously.


    "I''m fine. Don''t worry about me. Thank you!" Fortunately, it was in the winter, so she was wearing a fewyers of clothing and thus she did not get burned by the hot coffee.


    "Your clothes have gotten wet, though. Would you like to go to the restroom and get changed?" It was such a cold evening that although the coffee was spilled on her coat, the spilled coffee could seep into the rest of the clothes under the coat and would soak them wet after quite some time.


    "It doesn''t matter. I''ll get changed when I get back home. I''m fine, really! Okay? Don''t worry about me. Thank you." Leena smiled kindly at her. She did not expect that she was such a warm-hearted woman. Now she had a different opinion of her.


    "Okay! Bye!" They waved their arms and then walked away in opposite directions. Both of them turned their backs on that couple as if they were not even there.


    Leena was able to hail a taxi and got inside. After she told the driver her destination, she suddenly felt that she might have acted too abruptly. She did not tell anyone that she came here. Probably everyone would be astonished if she appeared all of a sudden. But she wanted to see Kevin so much, that she came here without hesitation.


    It usually took more than one hour from the airport to Kevin''s family home. Plus, there was a traffic jam on the way. So by the time she finally arrived, the sun had gone down and sky had already be dark.


    The soldier guarding the gate did not know Leena. So she was not allowed to go inside though she told him who she was, showing some identification. She never expected this to happen.


    "Look, Major General! The woman standing there at the gate. Isn''t that Leena?" Lee slowed down the car and spoke to Kevin who was in the backseat to call his attention. That time he wasn''t looking out the window. His head was lowered, looking at the file in his hand. "It can''t be her. She did not tell me she would being here." Although he said such words, he still raised his head from the file and looked outside.


    When he spotted that woman, Kevin''s heartbeat sped up immediately. He couldn''t believe his eyes. There she was standing, with a small suitcase in her hand. Her hair was messed up by the wind with strands flying in the air. Half of her face was covered by the hair, but Kevin recognized that face and body frame, anytime and anywhere.


    "Lee, stop the car." Regardless of the reason why she came to the capital city, Kevin felt his whole world light up the moment he saw her.


    He didn''t wait for the car topletely stop. He opened the door and got out. He held his breath and walked towards her, his passionate eyes staring at her and smiling the broadest smile. As he got closer to her, it felt like she was the only person in the whole world and all the other things just faded in a blur. She was his light.


    At that same time, Leena seemed to feel a pair of burning eyes staring at her as a man on her right side walked towards her. She raised her head to check who it could be. The moment their eyes finally met and stared at each other, both of them felt that time stopped and the world around them froze.


    "Hello you! What a nice coincidence, Kevin!" Leena smiled and greeted. Although she felt a bit worried in her heart as if she did something wrong, she brushed it aside and kept smiling, looking sweet and beautiful.


    "Yes, haha. Is it a coincidence?" Kevin said the same in order to match up with herme way of greeting. How he wished he could hold her in his arms and kiss her until they were both out of breath. But he held himself back. He reached out and took the suitcase from her. Then they walked back to his car.


    "Hey! It''s really you, Leena!" Lee opened the door for Leena and greeted her with a sincere smile on his face.


    "Hi, Lee. Yes, it''s me. It''s been a long time," Leena responded, feeling a bit shy.00??????????Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

 Chapter 1385 A Surprising Reunion (Part Two)

    "Let''s go." Kevin told Lee softly, not taking his eyes off the beautifuldy beside him. If he blinked or looked away for one millisecond, he might wake up from this dream.


    The car stopped in front of Kevin''s home. Kevin took Leena by her hand and walked in hurriedly. He even forgot to get her suitcase from the car. When they got inside, there was nobody in the living room. Kevin lifted her off her feet and carried her upstairs and went straight to the bedroom before Leena could say a word. He did it so quickly, looking so serious. Leena felt a bit worried. She wondered whether he was angry because of her sudden and unannounced visit.


    "Is that you, Kevin?" Shannon heard something in the living room and walked out to see who had possiblye in. But nobody was there when she took a look at the stairs. Did she hear it wrong? Maybe no one came back at all. At that moment, Kevin and Leena stood frozen behind the stairs and did not make a sound. Kevin put a finger over her lips to signal her to stay quiet. It took all her strength and self control to keep fromughing. They remained like that, hardly breathing, until Shannon went back to her room. They then hurriedly but silently went to theirs.


    The moment they entered the bedroom and closed the door, Kevin pressed his lips onto Leena''s with shameless passion. He kissed her on the lips wildly without any skills nor style. Leena never had such an experience. She had no other choice. She was forced to take his crazy kiss and tried to kiss him back.


    "Ouch! It hurts!" Leena could not help but let out a yelp in pain, when he bit her on the lip way too heavily.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    "So now, you know how it feels, huh?" Kevin let go of her lips and put his face on her shoulder, continuing to nibble at her neck. He allowed himself to lose control just now. How he wished he could throw her and himself onto the bed and "y a really nice game" with her! But against his will, he eventually decided not to pursue it, at the thought that she might be hungry.


    "Are you mad at me?" Leena''s beautiful eyebrows met into a frown. She asked in a worried tone.


    "Guess." Kevin made great efforts to calm himself and suppress the erotic feeling that was about to burst from inside him. He looked into her eyes with hands resting on her shoulders.


    "I''m sorry! I missed you so much! Two days is just too long for me. I can''t wait. That''s why I am here now." Leena stuck out her tongue and licked the lip which was hurt because of his bite. She looked like she was vited but she liked it. What Leena did not know was that she looked extremely sexy to Kevin when she licked her lip. Kevin even could not help but swallow secretly.


    "Why did you turn off your phone? And, why didn''t you inform me in advance? I could have sent Lee to pick you up at the airport." Kevin sighed. There was indeed a second when he was extremely upset with her when he saw her, because he thought she had be too willful and that she always turned a deaf ear to his concern for her. He had tried calling her a lot of times earlier, but he was unable to get through to her as her phone was turned off.


    "Oh! I turned off the phone before boarding. You know, flight regtions. And thenter I forgot to turn it back on. Besides, I wanted to surprise you!" Leena''s heart was beating fast under his gaze. She even felt like she was having a hard time breathing. "Yeah, obviously, you made it. I''m indeed totally surprised! Have you eaten?" Kevin felt helpless. He had no choice but to go with the flow. Besides this was one of the best surprises he''d ever gotten. She was his wife, after all. He loved to be her prisoner in love. "Not yet!" With her arms around his waist, Leena pouted while staring at him. The closer she was to him, the more reluctant she was to leave him. Even when he did not fall in love with her in the past, she still wanted to be around him. She was happy enough, then, just to be in the same room with him, looking at him and them together, breathing the same air.


    "OK then. Let''s go get something for you to eat! Kevin raised his hand from her back towards her shoulders, stealing a squeeze on her bosom, preparing to take her to the kitchen and get something for her to eat. But he quickly frowned firmly when he felt the wetness in her clothes. Leena immediately understood why.


    "I ran into someone by ident at the airport. I mean, I physically bumped into this girl with a cup of coffee so..." Leena lowered her face and exined in a low voice, as if she was a kid who did something wrong and was waiting for the reproach from her parents. "I see! That made sense. Then what are you waiting for? Aren''t you ufortable in that? Take those off and get in the shower. I''m going downstairs to get you some food. You can eat here in the bedroom." Kevin tried to say it as nicely as possible but looked visibly annoyed as could be seen from his face. So he made that suggestion to save time and hit two birds with one stone.


    "But, I should go and greet Mom and Dad first! I don''t want them to think that I''m a disrespectful daughter-inw." It was already rude for them to rush upstairs. Should she not go downstairs to greet her parents-inw as a sign of courtesy? She might be considered to be ill-mannered if she did not.


    "It''s fine. Just take a shower first! They might feel strange if they see you like that. I''ll tell them you are here, and you can exin it to them yourselfter when you''re done," Kevin looked at her with an amused expression on his face. Did his cute wife finally realize how rude their behavior was just now? But he did not n to help her with it. She needed to learn to deal with it by herself. It was a lesson for her to some degree.0000000

 Chapter 1386 A Surprising Reunion (Part Three)

    "Oh! How could you be so cruel to me? Besides, you''re the one who half-carried me up here! It''s not fair!" Leena felt pressured and a bit wronged at Kevin''s suggestion. She could not help but shiver a bit as soon as she thought of her father-inw seriously staring at her.


    It was not because she was afraid of him, but that she felt quite intimidated at his extremely powerful countenance.


    "That''s the punishment for you." Kevin let out an evil smile and then walked out. Leena was left alone, helpless and dumbfounded at his childish behavior.


    The moment Kevin walked downstairs, his mother was waiting by the living room, staring at him with burning and questioning eyes, her arms folded across her chest. He took a glimpse at the suitcase beside her and immediately knew why. Lee must have told her everything.


    "Is there anything you''d like! I''m getting her some food." Kevin frowned a bit and felt a bit awkward thanks to his mother''s piercing look into his soul. But he brushed off the awkwardness and kept himself as calm as he had always been. The distant and indifferent expression on his face blocked everyone who tried to see through him.


    "I''ve already sent Maud to do it. So, don''t you ever try to find any excuse and get away from me." Shannon knew her son''s intention. She was his mother, after all. She was intentionally stopping him and blocking his way so that she could have the chance to make fun of him. As far as Shannon was concerned, he must have been too horny, missing his wife all too much and had already done something with her daughter-inw!


    "I''m not a criminal. Why should I run away from you?" Kevin replied, eyes shifting. He wondered since when did his mother be a gossiper.


    "Where''s Leena? What did you do to her?!" Oh, she missed her too and her son knew it! But what did he do? He took her to his room without so much as a hello, not allowing her to see his mother!


    "Oh, God! My dear Mom! Is that the kind of man you think I am?" Kevin said in a helpless tone. There was not much time at all. Even if he wanted to do "something" to her, the time would be too short?


    "Then, tell me, why didn''t shee down with you?" Shannon twisted the corners of her mouth a bit. Although she was an adult and of course knew all of these things, she still felt a bit embarrassed hearing her son say those words in an arrogant tone.


    "She is taking a shower. Any problem?" Kevin frowned a bit. He was confused why his mother asked him such a question. His face looked even more handsome and heroic in the military suit.


    "Hey, you did something to her!" Shannon stamped her feet and said in a ming tone. She doubted if she could see her daughter-inw tonight. She must now be lying asleep in bed, exhausted from what Kevin did to her.


    Now, the corners of Kevin''s mouth could not help but twist fiercely. He finally realized what his mother was thinking about. That was way too imaginative and much too awkward for his own mother to think that about his son. He had not even done anything yet. Come on! He was not that horny! He was melting inside out of embarrassment but he did not show it. He was a well respected military officer.


    "No I did not! I''m afraid you are thinking too much, mother. Where is Dad? I need to talk to him." Kevin had to change the topic. He decided not to talk about Leena with his mother anymore, and asked about his father to steer away from this conversation. This probably never happened in other families. What kind of mother would talk to her son about his sex life? Unbelievable!


    "He''s in the study," Shannon replied. She still kept craning her neck to look upstairs. Obviously, she was desperate to see Leena. She liked her daughter-inw very much and if she could only go upstairs to see her and say hello, she would.


    "She''ll be downstairs soon. She hasn''t eaten anything yet." Kevin was kind enough to let her know, seeing his mother so curious. Then he walked to the study, with a faint smile on his face and shaking his head. He loved his little old woman to death and was thankful that he was born into this kind of family. All families had their own little quirks and his was no exception. But his family was the best.


    After her quick shower, Leena lingered in the bedroom for quite a while, stuck in a dilemma. Finally, she got up the courage and walked out. She did not know how to exin her sudden presence to others. To be more precise, she was quite embarrassed to exin why she was already in the house all showered up.


    Fortunately, Shannon did not closely interrogate her about it. She just kept telling Leena to enjoy her meal as she sat beside her, watching her eat. Her gaze was fixed at Leena too much, which made her feel awkward.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    "Mom, how about you join me and eat some yourself?" Leena smiled sweetly. She finally could not stand her mother-inw staring at her with extremely passionate eyes. So she decided to invite her to divert a little of her mother-inw''s attention from her. This was most probably because ire was not home. Shannon had missed taking care of her daughter and now that Leena was here, she took it out on her. She was a good mother.


    "It''s okay! Just enjoy it! We''ve already eaten." In Shannon''s eyes, her daughter-inw was lovely and favorable from every angle. The gracious smile kept lingering on her face.


    Nathan on the other hand did not have much response toward the news that Leena hade for a sudden visit. However, his eyes were much warmer than they used to be, towards his daughter-inw. However, being his true self, he still remained serious like always. They had a short chit chat and then Kevin took Leena back to the bedroom hurriedly, regardless of his mother''s curious and prying eyes. As soon as the door was locked, he did not try to hide his desperation to pour out his overwhelming love for his wife. He almost ripped her clothes off in a thoughtless blur of desire. He had been missing her so much that he wanted to be one with her as closely and as deeply as he possibly could, until nothing in him remained. This was one of those moments and he did not want to waste it.000????????????

 Chapter 1387 A Surprising Reunion (Part Four)

    After a long time of making love, the two young sweaty bodies finally stopped. Leena was exhausted from the raw animal passion that they shared just now, andy on top of Kevin''s body. Her sweaty face was slippery against his sweaty neck and she breathed deeply.


    She bit his chin slightly as if to punish him for being too crazy on the bed just now. He in return grabbed her behind, squeezing her more tightly to him.


    Kevin did nothing with her bite. He merely smiled and let her be. She then slid downward and bit his arm. It did not hurt him at all. Instead, he was quite aroused again. However he was concerned that she might feel too tired. Should she keep biting for a long time, it could mean one thing. The muscles on his body were quite firm, after all. Before long, they were kissing again. This time, as she was already on top of him, she took the lead for another round of fiery intercourse.


    Kevin came back to the capital city because of work instead of personal reasons. So he had to deal with lots of business in the day time and thus did not have much time to spend with Leena. Leena was sensible and knew this all along. She did not me him for this at all. She could entertain herself easily and could find other things to do while he was off and busy with work. She was already pleased and satisfied as long as she stayed close to him.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    It was much colder in the capital city than in S city. Leena put lots of clothes on in order to stay warm. Despite theyers of clothing, she still felt a bit cold when she walked on the street.


    "Are you cold? I told you, that you didn''t need toe here with me. But I couldn''t convince you otherwise," Shannon said in a doting tone. She heard that Leena got cold easily, so she tried to persuade her to stay at home instead of going out. But Leena insisted on going out with her to have some fresh air. It was also a good chance for her to keep Shannon somepany. Leena did note to the capital city a lot and nowadays, ire wasn''t around, living abroad. Shannon was touched by her kindness of course. But it would not be worth the candle should she catch a cold or worse, the flu.


    "I''m okay! Don''t worry about me at all. These clothes are warm enough." She did not bring those clothes back to S cityst time and kept them here. Plus, she was clever enough toe here with lots of warm clothes as well. All were made for the cold weather of the capital city.


    "Leena, don''t mind it if my husband doesn''t talk to you a lot. He is always such a stubborn man. Actually, he was much more stubborn in the past. But he seems to have improved in that aspect. I''m not sure if you could notice." Shannon patted Leena on her hand gently tofort her. Here was a very sweet girl. But she could just not understand why that old man did not like her.


    "It''s okay. Actually, I can understand why. It''s all my fault. Father is a bit biased against me because I didn''t do well enough. But all is not lost. I''ll make every effort to make him like me more," Leena said with smile on the face. However, while she showed her mother-inw a happy and delighted expression, she herself knew how frustrated she was inside, not being able to please him, no matter what she did. She knew that the peaceful and happy life she was living now could just be a dream, and that it could all be taken away and disappear into nowhere in the blink of an eye.


    "You are doing well enough in my eyes. You don''t need to change yourself to appeal to him. It''s that old man who needs to change his mind and attitude towards you. He has to get rid of his prejudice against you. To be honest I don''t understand where that ising from." Shannon walked into the open market, holding Leena''s arm. Although she was a high official''s wife, she was not the kind who washed her hands off the housework. She actually liked to be involved in the care of her family. So, most of the time, she went to the marketce to choose the food of her family, herself. She was a housewife after all and all her life was devoted to serving her family. She felt herself valuable and needed when she did such things. This was where she was the happiest and most content.


    "Let''s buy some radish!" Leena said and walked to the shop where radish was sold. Eating radish could help remove the harmful toxins in the body because it could help clean the throat, and generate more saliva so as to maintain a high level of moisture in the lungs. It was also effective in helping relieve coughs. Leena wanted to buy some to make radish soup for Kevin as she heard him cough a lotst night.


    "Oh you, kid. That''s so sweet of you. It''s really Kevin''s good luck to marry you." Shannon had nned to do something about Kevin''s cough recently. She also heard him cough heavily these days while he stayed with them. She was about to make some special foods to help him fight the cough. But she was delighted to find out that Leena had thought the same as her.


    "I''m ttered!" Leena chose two pieces of radish and proceeded to pay. Actually she did not like to go to the open market that much. But it would be another cup of tea when she went with her mother-inw.


    They were like any ordinary mother-inw and daughter-inw. Both of them were easy-going and stayed in a low profile. They did not think of themselves as superior to others despite their identities and status in society. But their innate elegance and dignity could still be perceived in the way they carried themselves, the way they spoke and the way they treated others. People nearby could not help but notice them.


    They talked andughed as they wandered around the market. Sometimes, they stopped to check and buy some other things. Before they knew it, they were already carrying more and more items in their hands and their shopping bags had almost be full. Despite this, they did not feel tired at all. On the contrary, a happy expression lingered on their faces. They got along with each other so well.


    There was someone who seemed to appear wherever Leena went, as if deliberately and all the time. At the oddest of times, she felt like she always came across Dorothy. The moment Leena and Shannon finished shopping at the marketce and walked out, there she was, whom Leena had just run into at the airport yesterday. Compared with yesterday''s attire, Dorothy was now dressed like a teenager. The exaggerated sunsses were reced by a pair of ordinary sses. No one would consider her to be a super star with such a look. Moreover, she did not really have that many fans in the capital city. That was why Dorothy could hang around everywhere. She did not need to be concerned too much about catching any attention.

 Chapter 1388 Too Many Coincidences (Part One)

    "Miss Leng, what a coincidence!" Dorothy looked surprised. Fate was magical and it made them meet again.


    "Hi!" Leena replied with a graceful smile. However, a suspicion secretly crept over her. ''Howe there are so many coincidences between us recently? Isn''t it too strange?'' she wondered.


    "Leena, is she your friend?" Looking at Dorothy, Shannon asked curiously. If they were friends, then howe they were so polite with each other? They even seemed estranged.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    "Hi, Madame. My name is Dorothy Lu. Miss Leng and I met each other on the ne," Dorothy greeted before Leena could even reply.


    "Oh! You met each other on the airne! What a coincidence!" said Shannon with a graceful smile. She felt restrained to be too enthusiastic as she sensed that Leena was very indifferent to Dorothy.


    "Yes. Are you Miss Leng''s mother? You look so young!" Dorothy shifted her attention from Leena and began to grease the wheels with Shannon.


    "I''m ttered. I''m already old. By the way, I''m not her mother. To be precise, I''m her mother-inw," Shannon said with a smug smile. She felt happy to hear the praise. All the more, she felt proud to have a good daughter-inw like Leena.


    "What? She is already married? But isn''t she reported to be only about twenty-something?" Dorothy was bbergasted. The fact that Leena was already married really surprised her.


    "Miss Lu, sorry. We have many other things to do and we can''t stay here too long. Mom, let''s go now." Leena had never been so impolite and left so bluntly. It was just that she had this strange feeling that Dorothy would cause her trouble soon. Thus, she didn''t want any connection with Dorothy.


    "Oh! Sorry! It slipped my mind that you are carrying a lot of groceries. It''s my fault to keep you standing here for too long." Dorothy patted her head and smiled embarrassingly.


    "Well then, we will take our leave first, Miss. Bye!" Shannon smiled gently as she spoke. She had disyed her noble manner and good cultivation all the time.


    "Goodbye!" A cunning smile showed on Dorothy''s face for a while as she watched Leena hurriedly walking away. However, the smile soon disappeared as she left the ce and joined the hustle and bustle on the street as if nothing had happened.


    On the other hand, Shannon nced at Leena as soon as they got in the car. She seemed to be thinking of something. She felt odd that Leena was not very friendly to Dorothy. That was not like Leena because Leena had always been very enthusiastic about making friends.


    "Leena, are you okay?" asked Shannon with concern as soon as she was seated in the car.


    "Nothing. Let''s go home," replied Leena with a forced smile. It was clear how absent minded she was.


    "You don''t like Dorothy, do you?" Shannon couldn''t help but ask after a few seconds of hesitation. Dorothy seemed to be a good girl in her eyes. Thus, she wondered why Leena was so cold and indifferent to her.


    "Mom, you are thinking too much. We only know each other''s name and we are not that close. I don''t think I have to be friendly with her. Otherwise, other people may take that I want to get something from her." Leena didn''t n to tell her what had happened before in S City. She just mentioned Dorothy as someone she was not quite familiar with. She didn''t want to talk about Dorothy with Shannon. No matter what, she thought that their paths would never cross in the future. Thus, she didn''t need to be too bothered to deal with her. "Yes, you''re right." Shannon agreed with her. But she was still very doubtful about this. If Leena really didn''t want to make friends with Dorothy, why would they exchange their names? Did anything happen between them that Leena didn''t want to tell her? She wondered. Leena didn''t immediately go upstairs after they got home. Instead, she stayed with Shannon in the kitchen to help her prepare the dinner. Keeping herself busy could help her forget many things that bothered her, for example, her health problem. However, the more she wanted to avoid such a sensitive topic, the more it found its way to her.


    "Leena, do you have any good news to share with me?" Shannon asked as she prepared the vegetables. She was very anxious. Old people always hoped to have grandchildren as soon as possible, and Shannon was not an exception to it.


    "What good news do you mean?" Confused, Leena asked and turned to her mother-inw.


    "It''s about the baby. What else could it be? Leena, haven''t you ever thought about this?" Shannon looked problematic when she nced at Leena. Although she knew that Leena was still very young, she thought that it would be better for Leena''s figure to have a baby as early as possible. Thus, Leena wouldn''t worry that she would be out of shape after giving birth to a child.


    "Oh! Well. I''m just in it." Leena''s face immediately flushed. She honestly didn''t know how to react in regards to her mother-inw''s question.


    "Really? Don''t lie to me." Shannon became very excited upon hearing Leena''s answer. Knowing that they were not intentionally doing birth control made her feel relieved.


    "Yes!" Leena smiled amidst the bitterness that engulfed her heart. Yes, she was in it, but it would be a very long journey before she could get pregnant.


    Kevin came home veryte that night. He also reeked of alcohol. It was easy to tell that he had drunk a lot. He might have been together with his colleagues after the meeting was finished. It was a pity that he didn''t have extra space in his stomach for any food that Leena had specially made for him.


    "Why did you drink so much?" Leena frowned and covered her nose with her hand. Kevin was smelly. Seeing her turn her head away, Kevin mischievously blew in her face.


    "Stop it! Take off your coat first!" said Leena as she pushed his face aside. Then she helped him to take off his coat.00000000000

 Chapter 1389 Too Many Coincidences (Part Two)

    "Haha! Nana, do you think that I am drunk?" Kevin suddenly pulled her into his arms and blew hot air around her neck.


    "Drunk people would never admit that they are drunk," snapped Leena while avoiding his tease. She was also trying to untie his necktie from his military shirt.


    "Leena, are you so eager to taste me now?" Kevin shed a sly smile. Leena''s hands paused when she saw that smile on his face. He didn''t look like the usual upright major general at all. Leena gazed at him unbelievably.


    "You are shameless and dirty! You untie the tie yourself!" Leena gritted her teeth and cursed. Then she broke herself free from his embrace. Why hadn''t she found about this side of him before?"


    "Are you mad at me, Leena?" Kevin sat up and nced at her.


    "Go take a shower, I will go downstairs to get some soup to sober you up," Leena said as she avoided looking at him. Yes, she was mad because he made her worried. He drank so much despite the fact that he knew how vulnerable his stomach was to alcohol. He always med Leena for not taking good care of herself and always making him concerned. However, Kevin was no better than her in that matter.


    Seeing Leena''s sullen face, Kevinughed. He didn''t feel angry at all. On the contrary, he was surprised to see Leena be so hot-tempered. In fact, he didn''t drink much. He only drank a few sses as necessary for socializing. He was far from being drunk. They were going back home. Kevin came here by car so they could just drive back. That would save them from a lot of trouble since they didn''t have to wait for a long time in the airport lounge if they went back by air.


    "Lee, the New Year ising in one month. What gifts do you prepare to bring back to your family?" Knowing that Lee would go home to visit his family during the New Year Holiday, Leena took the chance to ask. In this way, she could help him to prepare the gifts. She was always a very thoughtful woman.


    "I haven''t got any idea yet, but I think, the happiest thing for them is to see mee home," said Lee with a grin. Kevin was driving the car, so Lee was pretty much free.


    "Yes, you''re right. Your family must miss you very much since they haven''t seen you for such a long time." Leena could understand what it felt like when one''s family was away. She remembered that when she was in Paris, she always felt like there was something missing even though her family often visited her. It was not until now that she realized what it was! She missed the cheerful ambiance when everyone got together at home.


    One''s life was doomed to be full of boredom the moment he chose to be a soldier. Thus, the moment when those soldiers put on their uniforms, it also meant that they had chosen to live with loneliness and had to suffer from separation from their family. Leena came back to her usual carefree life upon returning to S City. It was still a long time before autumn, thus, Leena didn''t have to hurry about the preparation for the autumn fashion show. However, she couldn''t understand why a particr someone always appeared in her life.


    "Rain, when did she suddenly be the star of FX International Entertainment Company?" Leena had nned to ask Rain to have dinner with her. However, the huge poster which was ced on Rain''s desk had her sidetracked and surprised.


    "Oh! She just joined thepany several days ago. She will act in a movie that ourpany has recently invested. She chose to work with ourpany. We already signed the contract. What? Are you still thinking about the rumor on the report? When did our fearless princess be so cautious?" Rain teased. As a businessman, he would not let any chance of making money slip away. Dorothy was a very popr star now and she still had space to grow.


    "But didn''t she sign for anotherpany before?" Leena asked doubtfully. Did Dorothy cancel the contract by herself? She wondered.


    "Well, it was said that the contract was expired and she was looking for a newpany. That''s why she is with us now. We are lucky to have her. Taking her saves us a lot of money." A smile cracked Rain''s lips. He always looked utterly carefree.


    "Oh, I see." Leena smiled back and wondered if she was thinking too much. However, she really felt strange that there were too many coincidences happening between them. Moreover, there was no valid reason to exin what was going on. She didn''t know where her eerie feelings wereing from either. She just had the instinct that it was not that simple.


    "What other reasons could she have to join us? Let''s go! It is my treat today," Rain said as he put the poster aside. The poster was sent to him from the entertainmentpany. Thepany wanted to get his opinion about the poster. However, he was not interested in it. He would say ''yes'' as long as it looked good. Compared to the other people in the entertainmentpany, he was not in the position to offer very professionalments.


    "Okay, be prepared to empty your wallet." Since Leena knew that it was difficult for her to conceive, her smiles never appeared as sweet and bright as they used to be. There wereplicated emotions in her eyes and she looked sad and gloomy the whole time. Nevertheless, her innocent beauty never faded away and her mncholy made her all the more captivating.


    "That will depend on how much you can eat." Rain felt sad as he looked at Leena''s forced smile. He already knew what happened to her but he didn''t ask. He just pretended to know nothing about it because he didn''t want to make her feel depressed.


    Walking out of the office, they happened to run across Edward who just came back. His face was sullen and cold. The anger in his eyes was so prominent that it was easy to think that he met something that made him very irritated.????????????Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.

 Chapter 1390 Too Many Coincidences (Part Three)

    "Edward, you''re back!" Leena greeted him enthusiastically as if she hadn''t seen his angry face.


    "Yes. Where are you going?" Edward frowned and shot a nce at Rain. ''Is Rain thinking of cking off again?'' he wondered.


    "Of course we are going out to have a meal. Where else could we go at this hour?" responded Rain aggressively while raising his eyebrows.


    "Do you want to join us, Edward?" Leena knew that Edward was extremely mad. However, she didn''t feel afraid of him at all. Whatever he was mad about had nothing to do with her. She wasn''t the one who ruffled his feathers anyway. "You guys go ahead. I''ll stay here. I have a lot of work to do," said Edward as he touched her cold cheeks. He furrowed his eyebrows deeper as soon as he felt her cold skin.


    "Edward, you are implying something, aren''t you?" Rain was flustered. He was only going to have a meal, did Edward have to show that somber look when he said that? His words sounded like that Rain had left all the work to him..


    "What do you think?" Edward raised his eyebrows and nced at him coldly. It was true that after two people lived together for a long time, they would influence each other''s personality. Look at Edward now, he was showing the indifferent and aloof demeanor that could only be seen in Daisy before.


    "Huh! You are so shameless to admit it so bluntly. Leena, let''s go. Don''t mind him. Probably he''s suffering from premature climacteric and that''s why he is so mercurial recently," Rain said as he grabbed Leena''s hand and dragged her away. He got no n of spending more time arguing with Edward. He would just end up with a cruel and ruthless man if he did.


    When they reached downstairs, they saw Michelle by chance. She looked just as hesitant as she was when she first came here. She probably came here to look for Luke and had qualms abouting in without an appointment.


    "Hi! Luke''s girl, what are you doing here? You look like Amah Rock," Rain teased Michelle with a yful smile. He really admired Michelle''s persistence.


    "Leena, you are also here!" Michelle ignored Rain directly. Rain might be handsome but he had a sharp tongue. Michelle thought that it was better for her not to invite trouble for herself. Rain would just piss her off if she confronted him.


    "Yes. Michelle, are you looking for Luke? Do you want me to call him?" Leena didn''t have the slightest intention to make fun of her. On the contrary, she thought highly of Michelle''s courage in pursuing love. Thinking about herself, Leena could see that Michelle was braver than her.


    "No, thanks." A mild smile appeared on Michelle''s lips. She knew that Luke didn''t want to see her. However, even if she was having a bloody battle with denial, she would still want to have a try. In that case, she wouldn''t have regrets with her youth.


    "Okay, then we will leave first. Good luck!" Leena said as she patted Michelle''s shoulders. She didn''t know why all her friends had so many problems in the way of pursuing love.


    "Bye!" Michelle smiled embarrassingly. It was possible that all the people in the FX International Group knew her now. She had been seen here often recently and some people might have taken her as a harasser.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    Luke was standing by the window when he spotted Michelle. His mood automatically turned sour upon seeing her. Thus, he red at her with a sneer. Didn''t this hateful woman understand his refusal? He had warned her over and over again that she would only bring humiliation to herself if she wanted to get the thing she wanted from him. However, she still didn''t change her heart. Did she really think that every cloud had a silver lining? Luke wondered.


    "What are you looking at? You look so obsessed." Edward looked along the direction Luke was gazing at. He shed a knowing smile when she saw Michelle outside. He had wondered what was bugging Luke. On the other hand, Luke seemed so lost that he even didn''t hear Edward when he called his name. It seemed that the iron-hearted Luke could also be affected by a woman.


    "Mr. Mu, are you asking me? What can I help you with?" Luke took his gaze back and regretted his absentmindedness. His work was to protect Edward but he became negligent and let his mind drift away just now..


    "Yes. Send this file to Leng Group and give it to Duke." Since Michelle refused his help thest time, Edward intentionally didn''t do anything in between. He was a man who always acted on his words. "Okay, I will go right away." Taking over the file from Edward, Luke turned around and was about to leave.


    "Luke, if you really have feelings for her, you should give each other a chance." Edward suddenly blurted out. It was true that he had said that he wouldn''t do anything to help Michelle but he didn''t say that he wouldn''t help Luke. Therefore, he couldn''t help but push Luke to have a try when he saw Luke so troubled.


    Pausing for a few seconds, Luke continued his steps and walked out of the office without hesitation. He thought that he didn''t need any woman in his life. He hadmitted himself to protecting his young master. Except for his work, nothing else could make him interested.


    Edward heaved a sigh. He knew that Luke didn''t listen. However, he couldn''t do anything about it because Luke was the one who decided his own life. "Luke, you are here!" Michelle''s heart beat faster at the sight of Luke. ''So it is not that he has no feelings for me at all,'' she assured herself in her heart. In response, Luke shot a cold nce at her and walked past her. He didn''t say anything to her at all, as if she was very ridiculous in his eyes.


    That reaction made Michelle bite her lips. However, she had no ns of giving up here. She shed a bright smile and caught up with him immediately. "Luke, wait for me!" Michelle''s legs were not very short and she walked very fast. It was just that her legs were no matchpared with Luke''s long legs.


    Luke couldn''t hold his temper any more when Michelle followed him to the parking lot. He reached out his hands and cornered her to the side of his car. "What on earth do you want?" He red at her in fury. It looked like he would kill her immediately If murder was not considered a crime.


    "I... I..." Michelle swallowed hard in fright. She suddenly realized how horrible Luke was when he became angry. She was considering whether she should escape immediately because she really didn''t know how to face the extremely furious Luke.???????????????

 Chapter 1391 Being Mad At Her (Part One)

    "You still have no shame. Why are you always chasing after a man who wants nothing to do with you? Oh, I get it. You are a thug. So how is it possible that you would have any shame at all?" Luke sneered. He used the worst words he coulde up with to insult her. "What... What did you just say?!" Michelle widened her eyes at him. Her lips quivered in shock. She knew Luke disliked her but she couldn''t believe that he would throw such hurtful words to mock her.


    "What, didn''t I make myself clear enough? Or do you want to hear what I said one more time?" Luke gritted his teeth and looked her over from head to toe. Despite the fact that he just talked to her so hatefully, he could not help but feel sorry when he caught a glimpse of the sadness that lingered in her eyes. The guilt caught him off-guard. It was strange to experience such a feeling.


    "Yes, you are right. I''m a thug and I don''t have any shame. That''s why I keep chasing after you regardless of what other people think and how they taunt me. But if you think I''ll give up on you so easily just because of the way you insulted me, you have another thinking. You underestimate how far I can go!" Michelle felt like her heart was being torn apart, but she still forced a bright smile on her face. He was right. She could indeed be quite shameless.


    "Michelle, I''m warning you; stop following me and trying to get close to me. You don''t know what I could do to you if you persist." Luke''s hand still rested around her neck. He could have strangled her if he exerted enough strength to squeeze her neck.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    "Haha! Whatever. So you want to kill me? Just do it then! I''d rather die than live like the walking dead," Michelle said as she closed her eyes and waited for his next move. She suddenly felt relieved. Should she die, she would not have to suffer from insomnia all night long, working out ways to get closer to him. She would not be so careless as to run after a man who looked like him on the street.


    "You mad woman! You are not even qualified to be killed by me." Luke finally let go of her. Did she really want to die? Well, he would not let her wishe true!


    "Does it make you feel better when you insult me like this? You say that I am a shameless woman but I am not asking for too much. I don''t expect you to fall in love with me someday. All I want is for you to allow me to be around you. That''s all I ask. It''s such a humble request. Why are you denying me?"


    Michelle asked him, dejected. She stared into Luke''s eyes imploringly. People said that one could not force a person to fall in love with them. Yes, she was a thug, just as he described. She had been spoiled by her family ever since she was a little girl. She was used to bossing around and demanding things. It was not easy for her to ept rejection from someone.


    "Can''t you just finish this? Why are you being so stubborn? So that''s your request, huh? To be around me? Fine! I''m okay with it. But if you try to ask for more, you would be gravely disappointed. I''m not the right person for you," Luke said before throwing her aside. He drove away without any hesitation. After all, he still had work to do. That was his priority. Not some girl who kept stalking him.


    This time, Michelle did not make any response. Instead, she stayed on the ground, dumbfounded. Luke''s words lingered on her mind. Had he just epted her request?


    The moment Luke drove away, he regretted it immediately. Damn it! Why did he say that? He was just angry and wanted to hurt her. How he wished he could take those words back. But it was toote.


    "Miss, let''s go back!" Michelle''s men walked over and looked at her with concern in their eyes.


    "Stay away! All of you, stay away from me!" They were the reason Luke had been so harsh on her. Michelle wished she could hide somewhere and nevere out. If these men did not exist, she would not have been a thug in Luke''s eyes.


    The men stared at her, somewhat panicked at her screams. They didn''t think Luke was a good man. He behaved so coldly, as if he was born in Antarctica. It was a mystery why Michelle liked that man so much and tried every possible way to reach him. Luke was lucky that Michelle was into him. He''d better take the opportunity given to him. They would have certainly shot him if he was anyone else.


    "Did I not make myself clear? Go away! Are you people deaf? Go away! All of you!" Michelle was unable to control her emotions. She rose to her feet unsteadily and staggered forward.


    The men stared at each other. They had no choice but to run after Michelle, otherwise they would be punished severely by the boss if something bad happened to his daughter.


    Luke said Michelle was not qualified for him, that she was shameless and a stalker. He used the meanest words to malign her. Still, Michelle did not cry. Instead, she felt likeughing out loud. ''Luke, you look down upon me? I would never have liked you or your cold attitude towards me if I was prone to giving up so easily. Now that I have chosen to love you, I will never stop until I have achieved my goal. I will pursue you endlessly, whether you like it or not. Don''t try to escape me, unless you really want to shoot me.''0000

 Chapter 1392 Being Mad At Her (Part Two)

    As time went by, Dorothy became one of the stars of FX International Group. She was a high profile celebrity. Leena had great difficulty recognizing her when she saw her with the heavy makeup in press conferences. Back in time, she had been so innocent and pure. The woman was a stunner. Her beautiful face had made it possible for her to be a star. With the right makeup and clothes, she looked even sexier.


    Leena could not help but smile as she turned her eyes away from the big screen. She was probably too concerned about this. She and Dorothy had nothing to do with each other. They were strangers. Why would Dorothy cause trouble for her on purpose? Leena''s mood lightened up as she convinced herself of this. But as soon as she saw the dreaded medicine bag lying on the dining table, she fell down in the dumps again.


    In the past, she had never thought it would be difficult for her to give birth. However, the cruel fate had decided that it was beyond her to have a child.


    "Major General, Lieutenant General Hank is back." Lee rushed into Kevin''s office. He was unlike his steady and calm self.


    "Oh! Really? I''ll go and see him then." Kevin was happy to hear this piece of news so he did not reprimand Lee for his behavior.


    "He is reporting to themander right now," Lee said, following him. It seemed that Lieutenant General Hank had done good work this time. It had been obvious from the delighted expression on his face.


    To wee Hank and celebrate his sessful work, the army base held a party that night. Kevin was unable to return home on time. It was the same for Daisy.


    "Here, Major General Gu and Senior Colonel Ouyang, I''d like to make a toast to you both. Thank you for being generous in rmending me for this task." Hank held a ss in his hand and looked at Kevin and Daisy with sincerity.


    "You are wee, Hank. We merely rmended you. You were only sessful because of your real strength," Kevin said. He did not want to im credit for Hank''s sess. Daisy voiced her agreement.


    "Yes, he is right. If you were not the right person for the task, you would not have been chosen, no matter what we said to themander. You have to believe that you earned it because of your reputation. You are a capable soldier and you deserve this," Daisy said, her voice cool as usual. Somehow, she looked more feminine today.


    "Thank you! Cheers." Hank swallowed the wine in the ss in one go. He did talk too much, but his gratitude was obvious.


    "Cheers!" Kevin and Daisy looked at each other and drained down their own sses without hesitation.


    Daisy had not had alcohol in a long time. Her face turned red as soon as she finished the wine. She looked even more beautiful under the light.


    "Are you all right?" Kevin looked at her with worried eyes. As always, Daisy didn''t do well with alcohol. She had been married to Edward for so long that Kevin thought she had finally been trained by Edward on how to handle it. It turned out she was still a wimpy drinker. "I''m fine. I just drank too fast and choked on the wine a bit," Daisy replied, smiling. She shook her head helplessly. It seemed that alcohol and her just didn''t get along. She had a reaction to just a cup of wine. It was embarrassing.


    "Do you want some water?" Kevin asked, still staring at her carefully. He no longer had feelings for her and wasfortable being friends.


    "No, I''m fine. Hey, I heard that Leena''s summer clothingunch was a big sess." Daisy coughed a bit and changed the topic of conversation. She thought about how, before Justin went to Paris, he was reluctant to model for Leena. However, after he came back, all he could talk about was how great he looked on stage. Daisy realized that she did not have enough time to take Justin on holidays. He obviously loved his trip to France.


    "Well, she did not tell me. She only said that it was not bad." Kevin frowned. He had asked Leena about the show, but she answered him very briefly. He did not press her for details. That was not his style.


    "Oh. She is always so low-profile." If Justin had not told her how sessful Leena''s fashion show actually was, Daisy would never have known how popr Leena was in the romantic city of Paris.


    "Yes, you are right. She likes to keep a low-profile. But somehow, I feel that there''s something off about her since she came back from Paris. She is trying to act normal but I can tell from the look in her eyes. Eyes don''t lie," Kevin said in frustration. Sometimes, he felt like no matter how much he loved her, he would always be unable to see through her. She was clearly hiding something from him. How could she not trust him with her secret?


    "Really? Didn''t you ask her what happened?" Daisy hesitated. She did not know if she should tell Kevin the truth. Leena had asked her and the others to keep the secret from Kevin for now. Daisy was in a dilemma.


    "Yes, I did. But I think she didn''t tell me the truth. She said that she watched too many Korean dramas, so now she''s been feeling sad. I can tell she only said it to keep me from worrying over her," Kevin sighed heavily. He had been wondering about her situation for thest few days and almost couldn''t stand it anymore. It was overwhelming him. Was she in trouble?All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Maybe you are thinking too much. Don''t worry. She''ll be fine soon." Daisy struggled with a guilty conscience, yet she forced herself to speak and behave as usual. To ease her mind, she picked up the ss in front of her. it had been filled up by the waiter again. Daisy gulped down the liquid. She coughed heavily immediately afterward.000000

 Chapter 1393 Being Mad At Her (Part Three)

    "Why did you drink it in one go? No one''s gonna take the wine away from you." Kevin frowned. Daisy''s behavior was very suspicious. He could tell she knew what was wrong with Leena, but she was keeping him in the dark. Why was she hiding this information from him? Why was she helping Leena keep this secret? "Sorry, I thought it was water," Daisy said, grimacing. Who filled up her cup without her realizing it? Well, she would definitely be intoxicated soon enough. Daisy could already feel the shivers.


    "Let''s go. I''ll drive you back." Kevin shook his head at her. No one would believe that such a reckless woman was the youngest female senior colonel in S City, if they saw what thisdy was up to tonight.


    "It''s okay. Edward will pick me up. He''ll be here soon." Daisy raised her arm and took a look at her wrist watch. It was quitete already. The party was supposed to end soon.


    "Okay. Then you stay here and take a seat. I''ll go and talk to the soldiers, in case there is any trouble brewing." Kevin stood up and turned around. He walked over to the group of soldiers who were easily distinguishable as the battalionmanders. Ever since the fight between the new recruits and senior soldiers, Kevin had been more careful when it came to their security and discipline. He would never allow such a thing to happen again.


    A car was parked outside the army base. Edward was not sitting inside. Instead, he leaned against the door frame and patiently waited for his wife toe out.


    A handsome man''s stance, even a casual one, could be fatally attractive to a woman. When Daisy stepped out and saw Edward leaning against the door so casually, her heart could not help but beat faster.


    She knew he was an extraordinary man. He had the most handsome face and elegant manners. Even now, his charm and sexiness made her heart run a mile. Her mind just went nk as she stared at him unabashedly. At that moment, she forgot that this man was her husband, not a god whom she should worship.


    "Hehe! Darling." Daisy staggered to him, giggling.


    "Mrs. Mu, are you telling me that you got drunk again?" Edward did not step ahead to hold her steady. Instead, he still leaned against the door as he looked at her expressionlessly.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Yeah! You are right! I''m drunk! But how''d you know that? I swear it wasn''t on purpose!" Daisy looked at him and smiled tteringly. Her face was all red, which only added to her charm and cuteness.


    "Could you tell me which time you got drunk intentionally? I knew you would do this again, you troublesome woman!" Edward was helpless. He had no choice but to reach out and hold her slim waist. Carefully, he helped her into the car seat.


    "Hehe! Darling, you look so cute when you are angry." Daisy seemed to be totally intoxicated. Otherwise, she would never have been bold enough to describe Edward as ''cute''.


    "What did you just say? Cute? Damn you. Say it again if you dare!" Edward sputtered in annoyance. He shot a re at Daisy and fiercely kissed her on the lips. She needed to be responsible for her words.


    "Hmm....." Daisy tried to escape from his kiss. Yes, she was drunk, but she was aware of where she was right now. She did not want to make such a scene at the gates of the army base. There were soldiers standing guard not far away from here!


    "I''ll deal with you at home, woman." Edward let go of her, out of breath. He reached out and tidied his crumpled clothes, transforming into a modest gentleman immediately.


    "You are threatening me! Do you know what the consequences are of threatening a soldier?" Usually, Daisy would merely roll her eyes at him. But today she was up to a challenge, thanks to the alcohol.


    "I don''t know. I''m all ears," Edward replied as he raised his eyebrows. He bent over to help her buckle up. What she said was quite interesting! He was quite curious about what kind of crime she would convict him of.


    "You know what? In ancient times, your head would have been cut off and hung for the crowd to see." Daisy hupped and giggled with pride. She looked so alluring to Edward at that moment. He wished he could punish her for what she said right here, right now.


    "Compared to that punishment, I''d rather you punish me some other way, preferably in bed." Edward raised the corners of his mouth in a smirk. He started the car and drove away at full speed. He desperately wanted to go back and enjoy the most wonderful time with her in bed. The passion for her ignited in him at once, calling him to take action as soon as possible.


    "Uh! You have a strange taste, Edward Mu." Daisy shook her head in surrender. Truthfully, she was worse than him in terms of being shameless.


    "Thanks to you." Edward raised his eyebrows at her, still smirking. Cut off his head and show it to the crowd? Come on! They were not in the middle ages anymore. They were in the 21st century. He had only made a threat. Was it so terrible that he had to suffer such terrible punishment? He might not be a doctor, a professor or even majored inw at university. But he still knew much about thew. She could not fool him.


    "Yeah yeah, whatever." Daisy closed her eyes. She felt so sleepy.


    "Sleep for a while. I''ll wake you up when we arrive." Edward knew she was exhausted, so he sobered up and fell silent.


    "Yeah." She felt that she would be safe and secure as long as he stayed with her. Daisy fell fast asleep. She was exhausted because of the heavy workload recently. Plus, she drank alcohol at the party. It was natural that she wanted some rest.


    Kevin did not drink too much. When he arrived home, Leena was asleep on the sofa. Herptop was on the coffee table, still running some Korean drama. If he remembered correctly, this one was her favorite. It was named Secret Garden. She must have watched it a thousand times, but she never got bored of it. Kevin saw her watch the show from time to time, her eyes red and restless.


    He shut down theptop and was about to pick her up from the sofa to take her to the bedroom. That was when Leena opened her sleepy eyes and stared at him.


    "You''re back." Leena reached out and put her arms around his neck, snuggling infortably.


    "Yeah. You fell asleep on the sofa. Don''t do it again. You might get a cold." There was nothing but deep affection in Kevin''s eyes. He let her adjust herself to find the mostfortable position to snuggle up to him. He never expected to love a woman so passionately, with all his heart. Finally, he had found his Mrs. Right. A smile from her was enough to take his breath away.


    "Don''t worry, I''ve turned on the heat. So how was it? Did you enjoy the party?" Leena raised her head to look at him. There were only a few inches between their faces. She could kiss his soft lips if she just leaned forward a little.??????????????

 Chapter 1394 I Am In Love (Part One)

    of himself if he agreed with their idea.


    "It was just a gathering of officers and soldiers. I don''t think you like those types of events," answered Kevin. Frankly, he felt awkward when the soldiers asked him to sing a song earlier. He was never a singer and he couldn''t even carry a tune. He would just make a show "Have you been drinking in the party?" Leena asked as she could smell the wine from his breath.


    "Yes, but just a little. Don''t worry. I''m not drunk," assured Kevin before kissing her on the forehead. He knew how much Leena hated it when he got drunk, thus, he just drank a little.


    "Take a bath now, Kevin," said Leena while standing up. She had initially nned to wait for him but she didn''t expect herself to fall asleep on their couch.


    "Nana, I guess we need to talk." Kevin''s voice was low when he spoke. He then looked at his wife straight into her eyes as he didn''t want to miss any of her expression.


    "Oh, okay. What are you trying to say?" In reaction, Leena sat again as she waited for his response.


    "Nana, I''m really worried about you. You''ve changed a lot since you came back from Paris. Can you tell me what happened?" As Kevin wasn''t the type of person to beat around the bush, he went straight to the main problem without any ado.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    "Uh... Are you kidding me? I think you''re thinking too much," said Leena. She refused to talk about it as she still wished to get pregnant soon. She was not ready to tell Kevin about her situation right now. She sincerely didn''t want him to worry about her. Moreover, she feared that he would leave her once he found out the truth.


    "Nana, running away from reality doesn''t help solve any problem. We can face everything together, okay?" Kevin noticed how Leena evaded his eyes and looked guilty even. Thus, he was sure that she was hiding something from him. His wife''s reaction made him a bit upset since he hoped for their rtionship to be based on honesty.


    "Could you give me more time, Kevin? I will tell you everything once I''m ready," pleaded Leena with a hopeful expression. She knew that her secrets would be eventually exposed. However, she was not prepared for it yet. She and Kevin had just confessed their feelings for each other and she didn''t want anything to destroy their happiness.


    "Okay, but you have to give me a deadline. I won''t bother you before that time," Kevin said in a serious manner. He couldn''t just wait without a deadline. He would be lost in various spections in case.


    "I..." stammered Leena. God knew how much she wanted to tell him to retract his words and say no deadline. It was just that she couldn''t. Hesitation flooded her in an instant as she didn''t know how to respond.


    "Forget it. I won''t force you. You can tell me once you''re ready. I''m going to take a bath." After saying that, Kevin went upstairs without looking back. It was easy to tell how sad and dejected he was with how his shoulders sagged.


    On the other hand, Leena sat on the couch, rigid. Biting her lower lip, she buried herself in deep thoughts.


    ''Is he angry at me? Is he hurt by my attitude? Does he think that I don''t trust him?'' she asked herself silently. She would also get angry if she were Kevin. However, she just didn''t know how to tell him the cruel fact.


    There was amotion in Renxin Hospital early in the morning. Patricia had been under treatment for a long time now and yet she hadn''t seen any improvement. She was having a nervous breakdown as she couldn''t contain her grief anymore. She began smashing everything she could grab against the wall. Thus, the nurse who was taking care of her freaked out.


    "Miss Bai, calm down, please! This is not good for your recovery." The nurse was dodging everything in horror. Patricia had always been an amiable and calm patient. However, it was such a surprise that she suddenly went crazy today.


    "Get out! Get out of my room!" screamed Patricia as she waspletely losing control. It scared her to realize that she might be disabled forever. The idea itself was enough to frighten and anger her. ''I might have to sit in a wheelchair for the rest of my life! No, this can''t be true! No!'' she thought.


    "What''s going on here? Why is it so noisy?" A cold voice came from outside the door. Tom entered the hospital room and frowned at the sight of the mess all over the ce. It was then that his confused gazended on Patricia, who was still hysterical on her bed. He didn''t intend to but for a while, he felt his heart broke silently while looking at the woman he secretly loved.


    "Doctor Qin, please do something. Miss Bai got angry as she thinks that her medication isn''t working." The nurse exined in one breath upon seeing Tom. Fear was written all over her face and it seemed like she was going to pass out anytime. "You may leave now. I can handle this," said Tom to the nurse as he walked towards Patricia. His eyes were dark as he focused all his attention on the woman.


    Meanwhile, the nurse who was attending Patricia left the room in record speed. The door even created a huge bang when she shut the door behind her. She really felt grateful that Tom came as she didn''t know if she could stand another second inside the room.????

 Chapter 1395 I Am In Love (Part Two)

    "What are you going to do? Are you deaf? Get out of my room!" Patricia yelled loudly as she tried to reach for even more things to throw. She didn''t see who was approaching as she was staring nkly at nowhere. She looked very frightening right now as she moved madly on her bed. However, Tom didn''t care. "Patricia, what do you think you are doing? Do you think that this is helping your recovery?" Tom rushed to her as he spoke. She was holding a flower vase now and he was afraid that she might hurt herself with it. He suddenly got no sense of danger for himself. All he wanted was to protect her when he suddenly stepped on something that was sttered on the floor and he began staggering. Goodness! He almost fell on his face.


    "You are not the one who can''t stand! If you put yourself into my shoes, you would know how I feel," Patricia continued to scream. Seconds more and she began to beat her leg as hard as she could. "God! Why couldn''t I feel a thing? Why? Why!" Seeing Patricia losing it scared Tom to death. Thus, he quickly reached for her hands and stopped her at once.


    "Can you please calm down? The rehabilitation is slowly working. You will be able to stand in the future," Tom assured her. Honestly, he also hoped for her to stand as soon as possible. However, as a doctor, he knew it would take a long time for her to recover. The process of rehabilitation was long and boring and it demanded patience from Patricia.


    "In the future? When? When I''m already a granny?" roared Patricia at Tom. Her eyes were beaming with anger.


    "You won''t be able to stand till the end of your life if you keep acting like this!" Tom thundered back. He was too angry to notice what he just said. Patricia''s heart sank at his words.


    "But you are a doctor. The most talented doctor in S City! If you can''t even treat my leg, how''s it possible for people to call you the skilled doctor?" Patricia raised her head and looked at him right in the eye. There were tears streaming down her cheeks. How cruel it was for a Form One driver to lose her leg!


    "Yes, you''re right. I''m useless. If you don''t trust me, then transfer yourself to another hospital! Find yourself a better doctor! I won''t stop you." The bitterness in Tom''s voice echoed on every wall of the hospital hall. All his pent up emotions exploded at once and it was toote for him to take them back. The nurses passing by quickened their paces away from Patricia''s room as they feared being involved.


    "Fine! I''ll go to another hospital. I don''t want to see your long face ever again!" Patricia was a woman with a fierce temper and she flushed bright red as a spurt of anger shed through her.


    "Go ahead. I won''t keep you here." As the most skilled doctor, Tom had always been treated with the utmost respect by powerful and rich people. He couldn''t bear being used like this by just a simple woman. ''Yes, I have a thing for you but it doesn''t mean that you can step over me like this!'' he thought.


    "I''ll leave soon! You are all lying to me here. They said that I loved you before I had the ident. Now I know they were joking with me." Patricia''s face was wet with tears. She had forgotten Tom since she woke up from the ident. Leena and Michelle had kept telling her that Tom was her boyfriend and she believed that. That was why she felt wronged at this moment and couldn''t help but me Tom.


    Tom said nothing. Different emotions were attacking him all at once that he wasn''t able to control his next moves. He unwittingly grabbed Patricia and without any ado, pressed his lips against hers to stop her fromining. He had long wanted to do this and never had he expected their first kiss to be happening this soon.


    Patricia was stunned by his sudden move. Her eyes widened out of surprise. She even forgot to shut her eyes, thus, she stared at the man in disbelief. Oh, Lord! She wouldn''t want to wake up anymore if this was a daydream.


    Tom had always thought that her lips would taste sweet. However, he was wrong. Her lips tasted a little salty as he tasted her tears on them. Nevertheless, her lips were so soft that he couldn''t get enough of it.


    Tom thought he must be crazy now. He had just wanted to stop her fromining with his lips but now he was reluctant to let her go. Patricia''s breath hitched. She couldn''t take her eyes off him. He reached up and gently ran his fingers down her cheek to her chin. His lips were demanding, firm and slowly molding to hers.All content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Tom stopped and retreated just in time she thought she would suffocate. He licked his lips unconsciously which made her swallow. She felt a sudden impulse to kiss him again.


    "You... I..." Patricia stammered as she was still in shock.


    "If you ever try to piss me off again, I''ll punish you this way. So look before you leap," said Tom with a sly smile. He felt much rxed now as he just made up his mind to court Patricia. Yes, she had forgotten about him. So what? He could make her fall for him once again. Oddly, he felt as if a heavy weight just got lifted from his chest. There was this type of warmth that filled him and for some reason, made him happy.


    "Uh... Tom, are you going nuts?" Though Leena and Michelle had kept telling her that she loved Tom, Patricia had always doubted that since Tom had been treating her in a cold way. If Tom was really her boyfriend, why was he so indifferent towards her? However, he just kissed her and she couldn''t deny the impact of that kiss. Patricia was now a little more convinced that Leena and Michelle might have been telling the truth.

 Chapter 1396 I Am In Love (Part Three)

    "I guess so, otherwise I wouldn''t do something like that," said Tom with a shrug. He couldn''t stop smiling at her.


    "What do you mean by that? You regret having kissed me or regret having been hasty?" Patricia''s attention hadpletely been shifted from her leg to Tom''s kiss.


    "Maybe both. But I''m not gonna apologize. It was you who started it first by irritating me. You should pay for what you''ve done." Tom was now acting like Edward, arrogant and shameless.


    Patricia was dumbfounded at Tom''s shameless behavior. ''When did I irritate you? It was you who started a fight with me first! You are such an ass!'' she thought.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    "Actually, you have a thing for me, right? But why have I forgotten you? Did you do something horrible to me in the past that I''ve blocked you from my memories?" asked Patricia in curiosity. Her cheeks flushed and lips were trembling a bit. She was no longer feeling bad but happy after he kissed her.


    "Well, I won''t tell you that. Why don''t you try to remember everything? Then you''ll know it. Just be patient with your rehabilitation. No pains, no gains. Stop being so willful, okay?" Tom said in a soft voice. His face twitched when he saw the mess in the ward. "But I want you to be my doctor. I will be more motivated that way," Patricia said with a shy smile. She was still thinking about the kiss.


    "No way," Tom rejected in a cool way. He was really busy every day and had to deal with tons of patients. He really had no time to apany her.


    "Come on! Don''t just say no," pleaded Patricia. She should have been pissed off by his kiss as she didn''t know him, let alone love him. She didn''t know why but she felt a sense of familiarity when he kissed her as if they had done it before.


    "No! That''s not possible. So you better stop daydreaming." Tom left without turning his head after saying that. He acted so indifferently as if the man kissed Patricia before were not him.


    Patricia pursed her lips as she felt wronged. She was a straightforward woman and she shook the unpleasant things off easily. However, she decided to think about the rtionship between Tom and her carefully. She had no idea why she forgot Tom but the reason must be hurtful. So this time, she had to take it seriously as she didn''t want tomit the same error.


    The nurse who had left the room earlier saw Tom walk out of the ward. She knew that Tom had already calmed the patient down. Thus, she entered Patricia''s room to clean the mess.


    Patricia''s parents were busy with their work and had no time to apany her. It was the reason why they hired a 24-hour nurse to take good care of their daughter. Patricia was pleased with the nurse, as she was a careful girl and would talk with her to kill time. "Hey, what are you thinking about? Your smile is so sweet today, I''m getting diabetes," said Leena. She just arrived at the hospital and noticed Patricia deep in thoughts as she walked into the room.


    "Leena, here you are! I think I''m in love!" Patricia said shyly. She was smiling brightly that moment and it was easy to tell how happy she was.


    "Come on! You''ve long fallen for Tom," answered Leena indifferently as she put the fruit she bought for Patricia on the table. She was the first one with whom Patricia shared her secret, thus, she was not surprised at all.


    "Leena! I didn''t mean it that way!" Patricia snapped. Her best friend''s reaction made her a little angry. ''Why is she so indifferent this time? She is so weird, ''thought Patricia.


    "What do you mean by that? You mean you have a thing for another man? Who? Another doctor in this hospital? Or have you met a special patient here? That can''t happen. What are you going to do with Tom?" Worry flooded Leena as she thought of Tom. She was really satisfied with Tom''s attitude towards Patricia recently. She was convinced that Tom had begun to fall for Patricia. Though it was a little toote for him to realize that, Leena thought that it was just a matter of time for the two to be together.


    "You naughty woman! Can''t you just be a little more serious?" Patricia rolled her eyes at Leena as she was really mad by her nonsense. How was it possible for her to fall in love with another man so soon? ''You cannot be faker than this, Leena,'' she thought.


    "I was serious. You said you are in love. However, I have already known about that for like a hundred years!" Leena argued while pursing her lips.


    "You knew that like a hundred years ago but I remember nothing, okay? For me, it feels like I''m falling in love for the first time." Though Leena and Michelle had kept telling her how much she loved Tom, she just couldn''t believe it and hadn''t had a thing for him. However, things had changed. Her heart went wild the moment Tom kissed her and she even thought that she would pass out at any minute.


    "Fine! Then tell me who''s the lucky guy that is making you drool?" Leena was really angry at Patricia and began to worry about Tom. ''Tom will be extremely sad once he knows about this!'' she sighed to herself.


    "You little liar! I''m not drooling!" Patricia wiped her mouth with the back of her hand subconsciously but immediately realized that she was making fun of her. Then she flushed scarlet with shyness as she remembered the affectionate kiss. It had been a while since they kissed but Patricia could still recall every single detail of it. He had nted kisses across her lips, her jaw, and her chin, which made her face still feel very hot now. ''Oh my! What a skillful kisser he is!'' she thought to herself.


    "What do I know? Maybe you''ve wiped the saliva off before I came here. Come on, just tell me who the man is! Otherwise, I''m leaving," Leena threatened Patricia and pretended to leave. Actually, she really had something else to do.


    "Okay, okay. You know him. He is your beloved sworn brother Tom," said Patricia with a guilty look on her face. She had told Leena before that she hated doctors and would never date any of them. However, she was taking back her words now. She felt so ashamed of herself. She just couldn''t understand why she had a thing for Tom. Though she had changed her views towards doctors after having spent such a long time in the hospital, she still couldn''t ept to date doctors other than Tom.


    "What? Are you serious? What did you just do? You''vee to the third base, right?" Excitement suddenly flooded Leena upon hearing what Patricia shared. That was the best news she had heard recently. Her face lit up in joy and she was eager as curiosity ate her up at once.


    "Come on, Leena! Stop making fun of me!" Patricia snapped at Leena but actually, she was not angry at all. They had been friends since they were students, and they always made fun of each other. This was the way they showed their affection for each other. Patricia''s face flushed again when she thought about Leena''s question. But this time, she decided to take it easy with Tom.0000000

 Chapter 1397 We Are Not That Familiar (Part One)

    "I am just happy for you." Leena had a big grin on her face. Well, her best friend and her brother were finally together. Wasn''t it a huge miracle and something to really be happy about?


    Patricia rolled her eyes at her friend''s words in fake annoyance. Leena was indeed her best friend who knew her inside out. They were alike in more ways than one.


    Life was just perfect for Patricia now. She had great friends who cared much about her around, a bittersweet love she would remember for the rest of her life and a lot more to look forward to.


    "Hi, would you mind if I sit here?" In an elegant and tranquil coffee shop, Dorothy gently asked Leena in a sweet voice, looking at her with smiling eyes.


    "Oh. Hello, Miss Lu. Of course not. Please, have a seat." The corners of Leena''s lips lifted into a gentle smile. She was much more mature than she was before. She had that beautiful and elegant aura around her just sitting there.


    "Thank you." After these words, Dorothy pulled a chair and sat down in front of Leena. As usual, she had that pair of over-sized sunsses, hiding half of her face. She looked sexier than thest time they saw each other and Leena noticed it.


    "Would you like something to drink? I can order it for you." Saying this, Leena raised her hand and gestured for the waiter toe. There was a small smirk on her face. ''What is going on, that Dorothy and I keep running into each other? I can''t even have a cup of coffee alone.'' she thought to herself.


    "I will have atte. Thank you." Dorothy gratefully smiled at Leena. The smile lit up her young and beautiful face. Though she and Leena were about the same age, Leena still thought that Dorothy looked more youthful and was much more childish than her. Maybe Leena just went through too much in her life that she couldn''t help but be a grown up.


    "Miss Lu, it''s such a surprise seeing you here. Are you not busy filming? How about other projects?" Leena asked in a casual tone, taking a sip from her coffee. She was really curious why Dorothy would be here instead of working.


    "I just happen to have some time for myself, that''s all. I will start filming a big movie in a few days. I won''t be so free and easy then," Dorothy said while looking at Leena''s face. To be honest, she envied Leena for her wless skin. Leena''s skin was fair and luminous, making her shine like a doll. She hoped to get her secret of keeping such beautiful skin, one day.


    "That''s good to hear. What is the movie about? I''m sure, with you in it, it will be a blockbuster." Talking with someone you didn''t know well was definitely torture. It was boring and also awkward for Leena. Fake smiling at Dorothy and chatting with her could get exhausting. It would be easy to run out of things to talk about.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    "You can call me Dorothy, you know. No need to be so distant," Dorothy said in a friendly tone, looking at Leena with eyes full of expectation. It seemed that she really wanted to be friends with Leena.


    "Well, we are not yet that familiar. Besides, you are a big star and I''m just a nobody. How can I call you by your first name?" Leena refused in a smart and diplomatic manner. The truth was, she really didn''t want to be friends with this woman. It was not because of the rumors involving her and Kevin before, but because she gave her a very ufortable feeling. She couldn''t pinpoint what but it just did not feel right. So she didn''t feel the need to get to know her better.


    "I am ttered. But you really can call me by my name. Everybody knows that you are thedy of the Leng Group. So it would be quite an honor if I could be friends with you." Dorothy didn''t seem to be angry for getting rejected by Leena. In fact, she thought that it was normal for an upper ss girl like Leena to have a little bit of temper. So she didn''t feel surprised that Leena didn''t want to be her friend so easily. She did know that when the wealthy wanted to be friends with someone, they didn''t stop until they actually became friends. So she was taking her chances.


    "You seem to know me well. You must have done quite a thorough research on me." Leena raised one of her eyebrows and looked at Dorothy with challenging eyes. Did this woman already know that she was Kevin''s wife? It was why she intentionally approached her, wasn''t it? But why would she do that? Getting close to her didn''t make any sense. Was she a friend or still an enemy, smiling in front but stabbing her behind her back? Maybe Leena misunderstood her? Maybe she just wanted to make up to her like she said? Leena was suddenly confused, but she did not dwell on it.


    "Haha. You are wrong. I know you are thedy from the Leng Group because that''s what the media says all the time. The designer of LN FASHION is the daughter of the Leng Group. Haven''t you read about that report?" Dorothy giggled at Leena''s words, as if she had said something really funny.


    "Oh. I see. I am sorry then. It seems that I overreacted." Leena never knew of any report like that. In fact, she was in aa during that time. She barely had gotten out of danger and didn''t have time for anything else other than focusing on her recuperation. Reading news around the world as well as tabloid gossip was the least of her priorities that time.


    "That''s all right. Ipletely understand. There must be many people who approach you on purpose for your fame and money, because you are talented and from a big and rich family. That is why you are so cautious around me." Dorothy said in a genuine tone, looking like she really understood Leena''s situation. It put Leena into a slightly awkward position. It made Leena seem too paranoid and not to trust Dorothy who was being all friendly and understanding. But fortunately, Leena was not the same naive girl like before. She didn''t really mind what others thought about her. So she quickly threw it in the back of her mind, smiled at Dorothy and didn''t say a word. She didn''t want to change just because of what the young actress just said. Especially an actress that she wasn''tfortable calling by her first name.


    "I am wondering if it is possible to ask you a... quite a private question?" After an ufortable silence, Dorothy hesitantly asked Leena a question.


    "Well, if you are sure that it''s a private question, I guess it would be better if you don''t ask. There is a reason that it is called a private question," Leena said while ying with the coffee cup on the table. Originally, she wanted to have some time to herself in this quiet coffee shop and think about some things in private. But now, it seemed impossible with Dorothy at the same table, struggling to do away with the awkwardness. She should just go away.


    "Umm..." Dorothy was a bit stunned at Leena''s subtle but direct refusal. She didn''t expect that Leena would be this straightforward and she was taken aback. She just shut her mouth. Now, after Leena specifically said no, she couldn''t ask the question that had been lingering in her mind anymore.


    And right at this time, Leena''s phone suddenly rang, breaking the deafening awkward silence. She smiled at Dorothy a bit apologetically and picked up the call.00000

 Chapter 1398 We Are Not That Familiar (Part Two)

    "Hello. It''s me," Leena answered in a low voice and didn''t say Kevin''s name out loud because she was in front of Dorothy. She didn''t want Dorothy to know it was Kevin''s call. "I know it''s you. I am wondering if you are free now?" Kevin felt amused at her words. How could he not know whom he was calling?


    "Yeah, I am free. What''s up?" Leena got a bit nervous all of a sudden. She was worried that he might want to discuss with her again, the thing that he brought up the other night.


    "Right. I forgot to bring one of the documents. I''m sure I left it on your desk. Do you think you can bring it to me?" It was not some secret file, just his daily report that was important for the meeting this afternoon, Leena could save him a lot of time and effort if she could bring it to him. This way, he wouldn''t have to drive home himself..


    "Yeah, of course. Give me your location and I''ll bring it to you. See youter." Leena stood up after these words. But then she sat down again as if she suddenly thought of something.


    "Miss Lu, I''m sorry. I have to go now. I have something urgent to do. You can stay here and finish your coffee. It''s all on me, as an apology." Leena smiled a bit apologetically at her. Secretly, she let out a sigh of relief. She was d that Kevin called her now, because she really wanted to leave but she couldn''t find a good excuse to do so. It was so awkward sitting in front of a person she didn''t really like and having small talk with the said person. The call was really a life-saver.


    "That''s all right. Just do your thing. Thanks for the coffee. Good-bye!" Dorothy shed a friendly smile at Leena and thanked her for the coffee, as if she didn''t mind Leena brushing her off at all. But as soon as Leena turned around and left the coffee shop, her smile quickly disappeared. She stared at Leena''s back with cold and angry eyes, then a mocking smirk slowly came up on her face as she rolled her eyes.


    When Leena pulled over in front of the army base, Kevin was already there waiting for her. As soon as he saw Leena''s car, he quickly walked over to her with an excited smile on his face. He was grateful that Leena had agreed to bring his document for him. Also, he was happy to see his adorable little wife at his ce of work. It was not the most ideal thing to do but maybe they should do this more often.


    "How long have you been waiting here?" Leena asked a bit sheepishly while getting out of the car. She was not a fast driver, so it took her quite a while to get here.


    "Not for long, just a few minutes. Are you cold?" Kevin reached out his hand and fixed her coat for her. He had a small amused smile on his face. Leena was never a fan of the cold weather. She was more of a summer kind of girl. So she usually dressed herself up like a bear with multipleyers when the weather was too cold.


    "No, I''m not. I am dressed warmly today." Leena had a big silly smile on her face, looking at Kevin with adoring eyes. Ever since Kevin realized his love for her, breaking down that solid barrier of indifference, she could tell from his small acts of endearment that he was really in love with her. This made her very happy. It was true that the big and grand gestures were the most unforgettable ones, but it was the small things that truly counted and held everything together. So now, it felt like nothing would ever break them apart. "That''s good. Well, thanks again! I really appreciate youing all the way over here and doing this. I''m the luckiest man in the world, aren''t I?" Kevin inhaled deeply, enjoying this moment. "Well, take extra care as you drive back. I will see you tonight! I love you! Unfortunately, I have to prepare for a meeting now." Kevin nced down at his watch. It was time for the meeting. Though he wanted badly to stay here and chat with his wife some more, he had to get inside now. It was an important session with a few superiors attending and he didn''t want to keep them waiting.


    "Um, can I wait for you here, until you get off work?" Leena rarely came to the army base, so she wanted to stay and wait for Kevin so that they could go home together. It would be nice to go home with her husband, like what normal couples would do.


    "It''s still a few hours till I get off work, silly girl. I don''t want you to waste your time just sitting around, waiting for me here." Kevin gently pinched her face. She was really cute sometimes. But Kevin didn''t take her words too seriously. He thought that she was just joking. If she decided to actually stay until he got off work, she would have to wait for hours before they could leave.


    "I won''t mind it at all. I really want to." Leena stared at Kevin with eager eyes, hoping that he would see how much she wanted to wait for him. She didn''t have anything else to do for the rest of the day anyway. It would be better than just staying around the house. Their home felt empty without him.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    "Are you serious?" Kevin couldn''t do anything about it, because Leena seemed to have already made up her mind. He just shook his head helplessly at Leena and silently agreed. Well, if this was what she really wanted, who was he to deny her this little wish??????????????

 Chapter 1399 We Are Not That Familiar (Part Three)

    "Yes! So you will let me stay here?" Leena got excited because she could tell that Kevin would eventually give in. She didn''t mind waiting for hours at all. Waiting for her own husband to get off work was actually a pretty sweet thing to do, in her opinion.


    tapped her forehead with his finger, with eyes full of affection towards his wife.


    "Well, how can I refuse if you insist like that? You make such good arguments that you''re so hard to resist. Of course I agree. Just wait here. Let me ask Lee to take you to my apartment here. Such a stubborn girl!" Kevin couldn''t do anything about her perseverance. He "Yay! Thank you thank you thank you!" Leena stood on her tiptoes and smacked a loud kiss on Kevin''s cheek. Her face was proud and showed her happiness. She was d that she had Kevin wrapped around her little finger.


    "Leena, we are in a public ce," Kevin gently warned Leena, as he rubbed his face. It seemed that a little smudge of red had stayed on his cheek. Then he nced back at the gate of the army base. He didn''t know if Leena''s behavior just now was seen by any of the soldiers. He sincerely hoped not. How would he keep his reputation of being strong and tough in front of them, if he was seen making small lovey-dovey, public disys of affection in the army base? Might as well strip off the uniform and wear a pink couple T-shirt during training.


    "It''s just a friendly smack. I did it everyday when I was abroad. Don''t think too much of it." Leena looked at him with raised eyebrows, a smirk on her face. Though her heart felt a pinch of pain whenever she thought that maybe one day Kevin would belong to another woman, she kept the sweet smile on her face.


    "But don''t forget we are not abroad. Besides, we are in front of the army base. Well, I have to go inside now. Wait here, okay? Lee wille get you shortly." Kevin shook his head helplessly at her. He found that Leena was more and more lively around him, and it made him very happy. It was just what he wanted for her. He was d that Leena was this blissful around him.


    "Okay." Leena lowered her head and smiled to herself. Then she watched him walk back inside the army base. She only withdrew her gaze when Kevin disappeared behind the gate and from her sight.


    After a few minutes, Leena saw Lee quickly run out towards her. He didn''t want Leena to wait too long. So he immediately came over after getting Kevin''s instructions.


    "Sorry for the long wait, Leena." Lee smiled a goofy smile at her. Lee was still very young, almost like a college boy. He was generally quiet and shy and he always turned red in front of girls. Leena hoped that it was only because he was embarrassed. So now, his face was all blushed, standing in front of Leena. She couldn''t understand why he still behaved this way. He and Leena already met countless times.


    "That''s all right, Lee. Sorry to trouble you." Leena felt a bit guilty that Lee had toe and get her. She was afraid that she had interrupted his work because she was just so stubborn and didn''t want to leave. But it was quickly reced by the delight of getting to wait at the base just like a real military wife.


    "It''s no trouble, Leena. Besides, it''s an honor to be of service to you," Lee yfully replied. He was still a young boy after all. He quickly got over his initial embarrassment and now he could even joke back and forth with Leena.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    This was the first time that Leena walked around the ce where Kevin had been living for years. And just as she expected, everything was neat and clean, showing the cold and serious atmosphere that only soldiers could have. There was nothing fancy about his apartment. It only had the bare necessities for him to function properly and effectively. Despite that, the apartment showed respect, discipline and efficiency. To be honest, this ce made Leena feel a bit intimidated. It was quite different from the extravagant and frivolous life in the world of fashion that she was hugely involved in.


    Lee still had some work to do, so he quickly left after dropping off Leena. Leena walked around the apartment with curious eyes. She suddenly felt a lot closer to Kevin seeing this ce. She now had a better idea of how Kevin''s life was like before he met her. Everything felt real, as if she was surrounded by her loving husband.


    Leena drew a deep breath. She could feel him in this building. She could hear his footsteps and his faint voice. She could even catch a waft of his manly scent. Yes, this ce smelt just like Kevin. It was the same faint mint smell she was so familiar with. She then entered the bedroom and opened the closet to have a look. The clothes were mostly military uniforms. But there were still some casual outfits. It seemed that Kevin rarely bought clothes for himself. It was understandable. He could not wear anything other than his military uniform when he was at work. He hadn''t worn most of the clothes she bought for him, much to her disappointment, which she didn''t show. He hadn''t even gotten rid of the tags attached to the clothes yet.


    Also, Leena couldn''t ignore that the apartment was sparkling clean. Leena knew it must be Lee who helped Kevin clean his own room. She knew Kevin too well. He was never good at doing housework, and he was definitely not the one who made the ce this clean. For one, he never lifted a finger to do any housework back home, other than cooking.


    Maybe because Kevin didn''t live here for long periods of time, this ce seemed empty. And to make it worse, there was no heater in this apartment, so it was a bit chilly for Leena''s liking.00000

 Chapter 1400 We Are Not That Familiar (Part Four)

    Suddenly, something caught Leena''s eye. It was a phone that was on his desk. The photo of Kevin on the phone had a big happy smile on his face, looking at Justin with eyes full of affection. At this moment, Leena suddenly realized how much Kevin adored kids. If she


    really couldn''t have kids, what would Kevin think? Would he still love her like he did right now? Or would it affect their marriage?


    Leena had no answers to the questions in her head, no matter how hard she tried to think of one. Her mood suddenly turned sour thinking of this. And she also realized why she always wanted to be by Kevin''s side. She just wanted to cherish every precious moment together with him, in case one day he would leave her, after finding out that they couldn''t have a baby together.


    The day had ended and as soon as Kevin finished his work, he hurriedly walked to his apartment where Leena had been waiting all afternoon. He was worried that Leena might have been bored just hanging around for hours. But what he didn''t expect was to see her sleeping peacefully in his bed. Maybe she had waited too long and had gotten a bit tired.


    Looking at her beautiful and angelic face, he silently let out a sigh. He felt lucky that such a good girl hade to his life and fallen in love with him. Yes, there were ups and downs in their rtionship. But in the end, he was blessed with the beautiful life that he wanted. But when he looked closer, he noticed that there was still something hiding behind her eyes that showed a trace of sorrow. Was it possible to know what it was? Maybe she had decided to keep it to herself and he respected that. A woman had every right to keep her secrets. Though he wanted to be as close to Leena as possible, there was a part of her that he might never get to see, which made him feel helpless.


    "Nana, wake up. It''s time to go home." Though Kevin wanted to let Leena sleep some more, he had to wake her up because it was alreadyte. The sky would be fully dark by the time they were back downtown.


    "Hey you''re back! How did the meeting go?" Leena cutely rubbed her eyes. She just wanted to have a short nap to rest her eyes. But to her surprise, she had fallen sound asleep. She must have been too tired and slept the whole time.


    "The meeting went well. It''s already 6 o''clock. You must be really tired." Kevin quickly pulled her up and then grabbed her coat that was on the bedside table and gave it to her, in case she caught a cold. He didn''t know much about fashion, but he could tell that Leena''s clothes were expensive. They were all nicely designed and looked good. Leena had the knack of picking nice things to wear.


    "It''s already thiste? It looks like we won''t have time to cook dinner," Leena said with a shudder. Maybe it was because she just woke up, she felt a bit chilly even though she was wearing a coat.


    "That''s all right. We can just swing by a restaurant and have dinner out before going home." Kevin was amused at her words. All this girl thought about was cooking, whether for breakfast, lunch or dinner. She was really sweet. Maybe she should switch careers and be a chef instead.


    "That would be nice. I was nning to make dinner here, but I found there was nothing in the fridge and your kitchen barely had any utensils. Just enough to boil noodles!" Leena''s nose wrinkled, and she looked at Kevin with disapproving eyes, silentlyining that he didn''t stock any food in his fridge here.


    "We don''t live here, do we? Of course there is nothing in the fridge. Whatever! Come on! Let''s go." Kevin fixed her hair for her because her hair had gotten a bit messy from her sleep. Leena''s hair was long and soft, framing her beautiful and small face.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Kevin, did you cook for yourself when you lived here?" Leena asked out of curiosity, walking arm in arm with Kevin.


    "Not all the time. As you can imagine, I was busy and up to my neck with work. There were times when I came back past midnight. So usually I didn''t have the time to cook for myself. I always went to the mess hall - that''s what we call the cafeteria around here." Kevin was going to tell her again that they were in a public ce and it would be better if they didn''t walk arm in arm. But he decided against it at thest minute after he saw the happy smile on her face. If Leena wanted to walk with him arm in arm, he would let her. After all, everyone in the army base knew she was his wife by now, so it was normal for them to be intimate with each other. In the first ce, they weren''t being inappropriate.


    "I thought you cooked for yourself when you were here. No wonder there''s nothing in your fridge." Leena pursed her lips and red at Kevin teasingly. "Major General Gu, is this beautiful girl your wife?" As soon as they got downstairs, they ran into a woman who was looking at Leena with curious eyes. "Yes, Mrs. Xu. This is my wife, Leena Leng." Kevin scratched his head a bit sheepishly. "Nana, this is Mrs. Xu, Battalion Commander Xu''s wife."


    "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Xu. You can call me Leena," Leena introduced herself sweetly to Mrs. Xu, shing a beautiful smile on her face.


    "Nice to meet you, Leena. Kevin''s very lucky. You are a really pretty girl." Mrs. Xu had a friendly smile on her face as well. She lived here in the military base premises with her husband. She was a very friendly and forthright woman. Seeing a beautiful and sweet girl like Leena made her want to hug her as if she was a friend that she hadn''t seen in a very long time.


    "Thank you Mrs. Xu! Yo are also very pretty yourself!" Leena thanked Mrs. Xu and then nced at Kevin with a proud look on her face. She raised one of her eyebrows at him as if saying, "Look! Your wife is so adorable and everyone likes her!" Kevin just smiled happily at her and didn''t say any words.


    "Do you have any ns this evening? How about the two of you have dinner with us at our home? It''s about time for dinner after all. Besides, you can meet my husband. You haven''t been around for a long time, Kevin." It seemed that Mrs. Xu was also hospitable. She had just met Leena, but she immediately invited them to her home for dinner.


    "Nana, what do you say?" Kevin tilted his head and asked, looking at Leena. He often went to Battalion Commander Xu''s home before. But ever since he got married to Leena, he didn''t go there anymore. Especially nowadays, he went straight home after work so he didn''t have time to visit or hang out with his friends anymore. He still remembered the happy times when Daisy and Justin were still here and they all got together and just hung out. But ever since they all moved away, this ce seemed much quieter. There were new people who came but it wasn''t easy to make new friends.

 Chapter 1401 The Plan (Part One)

    "You''re the boss," Leena answered, her eyes full of affection. She always looked favorably on Kevin''s ideas.


    "Well, then let''s go have dinner with them?" Kevin asked, looking at her. He always asked for her input. That was how rtionships worked best.


    "That is great," Mrs. Xu said. "Leena''s never been here before, right? There are some friends in this building really want to meet her. We''re all military spouses so we definitely have things to talk about." Mrs. Xu held Leena''s hand and led them to her house. She was so kind that Leena and Kevin couldn''t very well refuse.


    "You''re too kind, Mrs. Xu," Kevin said with a smile. Mrs. Xu was right; he should have introduced Leena to his co-workers and their wives. Leena might be happier making new friends.


    "Please, not so formal. I''d like to have you and Leena over every day." Mrs. Xuughed. Her child was a junior high school student and was in boarding school, so he was only home on weekends. And her husband was busy at work, so she stayed home, bored and alone. Battalion Commander Xu''s apartment was on the first floor, and the entrance faced the elevator. Mrs. Xu left her door open, so other people coulde and join them.


    The building was originally quiet, but became louder thanks to Leena''s visit. People who got along well with the Xu family came over to have supper with everyone.


    "Major General Gu, now I know why you never brought Leena here. She''s so pretty and soft, and you just want to hide her away from prying eyes, right?" Battalion Commander Xu asked with augh. Battalion Commander Xu was the eldest one there. He was born and raised in a small vige, and was promoted to Battalion Commander from a soldier. He was broad-minded and willing to help others. As a result, he was very popr among the officers and soldiers.


    "Exactly. He''s been married for a long time now, but he never introduced her to us," another officer echoed. But they were wrong. This wasn''t the first time Leena had been here. She had been to the army base before, and Kevin had showed her around. But none of the officers realized that.


    "Sorry guys, but I''ve been super-busy. And right after I got married, I got assigned to an external training mission. Of course it slipped my mind then. How about this? We''ll have you over for dinner soon," Kevin exined in embarrassment. He really felt sorry for not having introduced Leena to his colleagues, even though it wasn''t quite his fault.


    "That''s better. We''ll get you rip-roaring drunk. You won''t be allowed to leave until you have more alcohol running through you than blood," Battalion Commander Xu said. Many officers living in the building ate with them, with their wives in tow. They heard that Kevin''s wife was from a rich family, and wanted to find out what she was like.


    "Come on, guys. Don''t be so hard on me." Kevin produced a forced smile, slightly worried now.


    Leena, on the other hand, was also having trouble coping with the pile of questions from the other gals.


    "You''re a fashion designer, right?" a young woman in trendy clothes asked excitedly. She looked at Leena''s clothes with admiration. Leena could tell that she must have gotten married recently. The woman''s face beamed with a happy smile.


    "Yes. Yes I am." The women were so warm and talkative that Leena didn''t know how to handle them. She answered all their questions, but their presence was almost suffocating. She''d never had this many people interested in her at once.


    "Great! Could youe over and help us match clothes? I could use your expertise," the woman asked with a hopeful expression. In her eyes, Leena had exquisite taste. She knew how to dress - mixing colors and styles, and she looked fashionable and elegant. "Uh..." Leena stammered, not knowing how to answer. She turned to look at Kevin, hoping that he would arrange a way out for her.


    "Does Major General Gu keep you at home a lot?" the woman asked, noticing Leena''s reaction.


    "Uh... You have it wrong," Leena exined immediately. She didn''t want them to think that Kevin kept her locked in all day. She had the freedom to do what she wanted, most of the time. She didn''t want Kevin to look bad just because they didn''t get it. "Lee said you''re a great cook. He said he tasted some dishes that were to die for. Major General Gu is so lucky to have you," said a mature woman, trying to change the topic to save Leena from embarrassment. Leena felt really grateful to her. "Ha! I just know how to cook, that''s all," Leena said with a smile. She was a modest woman, and didn''t want to show off in front of other people.


    "I heard it was a whirlwind romance between you and Major General Gu. So who made the first move?" another young woman cut in. Leena''s face flushed red at her words, and she had no clue how to answer the question. And their early days weren''t exactly fodder for happy memories.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Come on now. Don''t be so curious! This is her first time here. You''ll scare her off and she won''t want toe back," Mrs. Xu said, saving Leena from yet another awkward question. She knew they wanted to know all about Leena, but she didn''t think that question was appropriate.


    "But I really wanna know. Come on, Leena, am I bothering you?" the woman asked. She just wouldn''t let Leena go. She was in her twenties, and she was certainly pretty and trendy. But she wasn''t smart enough to figure out her question was out of line. "Uh... no, you''re not," Leena answered after some hesitation. The "not" in her statement was higher pitched, more like a question than a reply. Deep inside, she thought, ''Yes, you are bothering me. So can you just shut up?'' But she gave the woman a sweet smile, pretending she was okay with that.

 Chapter 1402 The Plan (Part Two)

    "See? I''m not bothering her at all!" the woman challenged Mrs. Xu, holding her gaze. She didn''t want to hurt Leena, but she was making her ufortable.


    The women here were all military spouses, but Leena was the only one from a rich family. Moreover, her husband was capable and handsome. Some were ovee with jealousy, and really did want to bring her down. Leena had no choice but to handle them with grace. After supper, Kevin and Leena bid them goodbye and left the building. Kevin had some wine, so he didn''t drive, but instead sat in the passenger seat of Leena''s car.


    "You were great tonight! Everyone likes you!" Kevin teased her with augh. He was going to butt in and save her from the embarrassment when she had to field countless questions, but then he decided to let her deal with them by herself. After all, he couldn''t always hide her, and she had to meet them one day. His decision was correct; Leena had been very reserved at the beginning, but she rxed and was bantering with themter.


    "Well, I am such an adorable girl, and everyone loves me," said Leena who made a face and stuck her tongue out. Then sheughed out loud.


    "Tonight was your warmup. They get worse as time goes on, believe me." Kevin lived in the building for several years, and knew them well. Not everyone was as kindhearted as Leena. Daisy had also lived there for years, and had been the talk of the building. She had been a single mom at that time, and hot as well. But Daisy couldn''t care less what they thought. Let them talk, she figured. It had nothing to do with her.


    "I know, but I think I can handle them. After all, I''m clever," Leena said proudly. She believed she could get on well with anyone as long as she was willing to. She had even won ire over, and ire had hated her at first.


    "Well, now you''re an official member of the military spouses'' club. Congrattions!" Kevin cracked a joke with Leena. Though she wasn''t perfect, she managed to catch everyone''s eye. She was so dazzling that no one could ignore her.


    "Ha! So I cane here whenever I want?" Leena asked, staring at Kevin. It was not a bad idea for her to drop by when she was avable.


    "I never said you couldn''t!" Kevin said in confusion. He didn''t understand why Leena thought that he''d be unhappy if she came by.


    "I didn''t want to be in the way," Leena exined in a soft voice. Kevin had never said no to a visit from her, but she was worried that she might be bothering him by doing that.


    "I''ll be working while you''re visiting. We might not even bump into each other. Don''t worry. You won''t be bothering me," Kevin assured Leena in a soft voice. He felt really sorry for her. Really, Leena deserved a better man. But it angered him to think of another man holding and kissing Leena. He shut down the thought instantly.


    "All right. I''lle over when I''m free. But you didn''t take me here before," Leena said, casting an using nce. If she hadn''t insisted on staying here, she wouldn''t have gotten to know so many military wives, much less make friends with some of them. "Okay, okay, mea culpa. Please forgive me, my queen," Kevin apologized in a teasing voice.


    "Well, alright, I forgive you," Leena answered, proud as a peacock. If Leena were not driving, he swore he would pinch her little face right now.


    Meanwhile, two women were sitting face to face in a remote, dark ce. They were discussing something in a low voice. One of them was Dorothy, the most popr actress, who was as pure as a lily; the other was sitting in the dark, her face unseen. "Why hasn''t anything happened yet?" the woman asked in a harsh voice.


    "I''m sorry. But I''m still figuring it out. Major General Gu rejected my invitation without hesitation, and I can''t get close to him. As for Leena, she''s also suspicious of me," Dorothy answered in a shaky voice. She was really scared of the woman.


    "So, I guess you''re okay with me posting your private photos online?" the woman threatened Dorothy, voice full of disdain.


    "Please don''t do that! I''ll try harder. You do that, my life is over," Dorothy pleaded with a hopeful expression. The woman had photos in which Dorothy had sex with different men. If she posted the photos, Dorothy''s fans would know what a slut she was and her career woulde to an end. So Dorothy would do anything the woman ordered, as long as she held those pics over her head.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    "That depends on you. Be careful, and don''t let anyone find out our n," the woman said impatiently as she waved her hand dismissively, indicating that Dorothy should leave. And she did have to be careful if they were spotted by paparazzi, it could ruin everything. Dorothy bit her lower lip. She was going to speak, but thought better of it.


    "What? Anything else?" the woman asked, annoyed.


    "Why do you hate Leena so much? There''s gotta be a story there," Dorothy asked in confusion. In her eyes, Leena was so kind and adorable. Why did the woman want to hurt Leena?


    "None of your business! You may have heard the expression: curiosity kills the cat. Just do as I say." The woman''s voice was cold as ice, which made Dorothy tremble. Dorothy could imagine the hatred on the woman''s face. She could feel it.


    "But... what if I mess everything up?" Dorothy asked tentatively. She knew she wasn''t a nice girl, but she didn''t want to hurt Leena. It was only the photos that kept her here, and doing as this woman demanded.

 Chapter 1403 The Plan (Part Three)

    "Well, you can try. Even if everything is out in the open, I''ll get off scot free. That''s why I have you," the woman taunted. She was always cloaked in darkness. Even if things went south, Dorothy would take the me.


    Dorothy bit her lower lip, saying nothing more. She had no other choice but to follow the woman''s orders. After all, the woman had her career in her hands.


    At Renxin Hospital, Tom was in the rehabilitation room with Patricia. Though he turned her down when she had asked him to be her doctor, he''d help her out as much as he could.


    "Let''s do it again," Tom encouraged. It was the dead of winter, but their faces were covered with sweat.


    "Damn it! This isn''t helping," Patriciained, breathlessly. She was totally discouraged, unwilling to move anymore. It was hard work, it was painful, and in her mind it was useless.


    "You''ve only practiced for a couple weeks. It''s no secret it''s slow. Do you know how long it takes for other people to walk again? Don''t give up just like that, okay?" Tom said. He would get angry every time Patricia wanted to give up. But he was not angry at her, but at himself, for he thought he was good for nothing. People called him the genius doctor, but he could do nothing to fix her leg. So the hard work began.


    "I can''t even move if I don''t hold the railings," Patricia said, exhausted. She didn''t think she was making a fuss over nothing. She was exhausted, for she had been grinding away for the past couple weeks. However, it all seemed worthless. She was making no progress. No wonder she was so upset right now.


    "Well, how about we call it a day? We''ll give another go tomorrow," Tom offered. As a doctor, he could understand how Patricia felt. So he wouldn''t force her to continue. It would be no good for her if he forced her to go on practicing when she was frustrated.


    "Tom, are you mad at me?" Patricia asked, a little embarrassed. During the conversation between Patricia and the nurse taking care of her, Patricia knew Tom was busy every day and had to deal with tons of patients. Sometimes, he even didn''t have time to eat. Even so, he still tried his best to see what he could do to help. Patricia was positive now that Tom loved her. Otherwise, why would he be so nice?


    "No. Let''s go. I''ll take you to your ward," Tom said in a soft voice. He swore he wouldn''t be angry because of her. He was angry at himself - he was responsible for all this.


    "Can you take me to the garden? I''m really bored cooped up in the ward," Patricia asked after some hesitation.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    "I''ll get the nurse to take you there," Tom said. Though he had already kissed her, he still kept her at arm''s length. No wonder Patricia had a bad mood.


    "But I want you to take me," Patricia insisted. No matter how cool she used to be, she now became a clingy woman who wanted to be with Tom as much as possible. And it was stopping him from getting his work done.


    "There are so many patients waiting for me, and I really need to go now. Just let the nurse take you there. Please." Tom raised his wrist to check the time. He had appointments with other patients, and he couldn''t just break the appointments. Moreover, he didn''t want other doctors to take over his schedule - they weren''t as good as he was.


    "Fine! I''ll just go back to the ward!" All Patricia wanted was to spend more time with Tom. If he asked the nurse to take her to the garden, then what was the point? She''d rather stay in the ward.


    Tom cast a meaningful nce at Patricia and said nothing. Then he pushed her wheelchair, bringing her to the ward. He was silent this whole time, even when helping her out of the chair and back into the bed. "Sorry!" Finally, Tom broke the ice. Atst, he realized he knew nothing about women. He didn''t understand why Patricia wanted to go to the garden first and then changed her mind. Women were so fickle, he thought. "Why apologize? You make me feel like a spoiled woman," Patricia said with a frown. She really couldn''t figure out why she had fallen for him in the first ce. Tom was so dull and inarticte. Why couldn''t she see that before?


    "Never mind. I have patients I need to see. I''ll drop by when I''m done," said Tom. He knew it would take a long time for him to figure out what Patricia was thinking, but he didn''t have time for it now. He hoped that she would be a little bit more rational when he got off work. Patricia watched his receding figure and felt sad and dejected. Cool as she was, she was sensitive and fragile in love. Was it right for her to continue this? After all, she had already forgotten him. Would it be better if they broke up? But when she was thinking of leaving Tom once and for all, her heart began to ache, as if a sharp knife had been plunged into it. She shook off the thought and concentrated on how to improve their rtionship.

 Chapter 1404 A Marriage Promised (Part One)

    It had been one week since Michellest saw Luke. For the previous week, Michelle went to a remote vige with the excuse of traveling. But in fact, she wanted to stay away from S City for a while in order to rethink about herself and her feelings for Luke. She was the kind who expressed her love and unhappiness without inhibition. In order to win Luke''s heart and make him change his attitude towards her, she had to be strong enough, so that she would be able to endure the pain that he caused over and over. That was how much she loved him.


    He still remained cold with a certain, noticeable distance between them and Michelle still could not help but feel small. Despite this, she still raised her chin and proudly walked up to him.


    "Hey! Iceman." Michelle tried as hard as she could to greet him with a steady voice and calm expression. She greeted him in a casual tone as if she just ran into him. But actually, she followed him all the way here.


    Luke saw her but did not acknowledge her, acting indifferently and continuing to drink the tea in his hand. At this time, Edward was staying with Daisy so he did not need to be on standby for any work for Edward. He was enjoying his rare free time, especially happy that Michelle hadn''t shown up for an entire week to bother him, which he appreciated. But now, out of nowhere, she showed up here, and that was something Luke did not anticipate. He thought she''d already given up.


    Michelle had already gotten used to his attitude. But she still could not help feeling a bit awkward when he made no response at all. It was as if they did not know each other and Michelle was talking too loudly with someone else. There was nothing she could do but let out a smile to cover her embarrassment.


    "May I sit down?" Michelle asked for his permission. But she took the seat before Luke made any reply. She knew she could not allow him any chance to refuse her.


    Luke did not even nce in her direction and ignored herpletely, indicating that it did not matter to him whether she was there or not. He looked down with pursed lips and widened eyes, looking embarrassed, as ifining to someone, even though there was nobody else except for Michelle.


    "Luke, you like tea!" Michelle had difficulty finding an interesting topic. She seemed to feel that the air surrounding them was so thin and stressful that she was almost unable to breathe. Despite this, she did not back down. She stared at him with ttering eyes and a bright smile on her face, waiting for their eyes to meet.


    When a man did not like a woman, he would consider her as invisible and ignore herpletely. And Luke did it perfectly. The indifference andck of response could be the most powerful weapon to kill someone''s confidence and passion.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    But not to be intimidated easily, Michelle did not mind it at all and kept staring at him. Just now, she realized that she had gotten better at coping with stress. She was even able to remain patient and calm in the face of such an asshole.


    Michelle stared at him with passionate eyes all this time. Luke, though a cold man, finally started to feel a bit uneasy. He could not help but frown as he began to feel annoyed. Michelle''s approach was finally working. He did not want to get mad at her though, so he tried hard to hold it in. He really had great difficulty understanding why she just couldn''t give up on him, after all the bad things he had said and done to her. Did she have no concept of shame? Luke could not help but get annoyed at such a thought all of a sudden. "You won''t let me go no matter how many times I refuse you, right?" Unable to contain himself any longer, Luke finally spoke to ask. His voice still sounded chilling, as he stared at her with his cold eyes.


    "I won''t give up. That is until you get married." Yes, she indeed liked him a lot. She never cared how rude he was to her because deep inside she knew that it was just his rigid facade. Maybe he had gotten hurt badly in the past and had now sworn off every woman in the universe. But she would not give up on him. She would keep popping up everywhere until he got used to her and started appreciating her. The only time she would stop bothering him was if and when he got married. She would not be a shameless loser who ran after a married man. Yes, she was a thug, having connections in the underworld, but she had her limits and she would draw the line at some point. Far up ahead, she already knew what she should and should not do.


    "Fine. If that''s the case, I will marry you! But I have one request. You go and persuade your parents about it. Don''t expect me to help you with that. I''m not the type who visits the family and asks their daughter''s hand in marriage. Yuck." Luke shrugged in disgust. "Let me know how that goes." Just then, Luke stood up. His parents actually could not stop talking about his future, especially about marriage recently. He did not want them to worry about him anymore. Plus, Michelle was the only single woman he knew. So he''d considered that it could be worth a try. She desperately wanted to have him, while he was in need of a wife. As long as his parents were happy, he did not care who his wife was, at all.000

 Chapter 1405 A Marriage Promised (Part Two)

    "Excuse me? What did you just say? Are you serious?" Michelle opened her eyes wide, staring at him in disbelief. She never saw thating and was totally out of the blue. She was expecting a rude retort, not a marriage proposal. It wasn''t a romantic proposal but still, what a surprise! She was so shocked that she just could not think of a proper response. So many things were going on in her head at the same time.


    "Well, I hate repeating myself," Luke said impatiently. Had Cynthia and Jonathan not kept bugging him that they would like to introduce a woman to him, he would not have said that. Even though he was just an adopted son, he considered them his natural parents and gave them the highest respect. And since it was their wish for their son to get married, he would make every effort to please them. That being said, Michelle was just a sacrificialmb whom he took advantage of to make them happy. Apart from that, she was nobody to him. "Fine. I think I heard what you said. It is just very hard to believe. Especially with your attitude towards me. Also you blocked me. I can''t call you," Michelle said in a wronged tone. Anyway, she received the best and most inspiring response from him. Of course, she was not that naive to believe that he decided to marry her because of love. But she did not care. She believed that he would eventually fall in love with her someday as long as she tried hard enough and did her very best.


    "I''ll unblock you. Oh, and just to be clear, there won''t be any wedding ceremony. We''ll simply go to the civil affairs bureau to register. If you are fine with it, we can do it soon. If you are not, then forget about it, this whole deal is off." Luke turned around and left as soon as he finished speaking. He did not allow any time for Michelle to think it over. Was this the kind of marriage that Michelle really wanted? He did not care. Plus he was not about to spend a single cent on a circus ceremony that he despised. He was a jerk, not an idiot. Michelle bit her lips. For her, it was fine to have no wedding ceremony at all. But her parents might be unhappy with that arrangement. Although her family had something to do with the underworld, they merely ran some "special business", and they were not one of those big time criminals. As parents, they would surely want their daughter to have her dream wedding ceremony.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Michelle made great efforts to persuade her parents. Her father was so furious and insulted with the setup that he even wanted to kill someone to vent his anger. But for her daughter''s sake, he calmed down and eventually epted it. She was his beloved daughter, after all. He had no choice but to be gracious about it and give them his blessing because his daughter had already decided that she would not marry any other man except for Luke. Eventually, he made thepromise. But there was still one thing he insisted on, that the families of both sides should meet at least once before they got registered. Otherwise, he would not agree to this marriage.


    "Dad, Mom, I''m getting married." Right after dinner, Luke announced his percussive decision to finally tie the knot. Everyone was shocked upon hearing the news. Edward spit out some tea. They were filled with a mix of joy, tion and disbelief. Luke''s mother was all smiles, proud of his son.


    "Really? Lukie?" Cynthia asked in surprise as she hugged her son. This news just sounded unbelievable to her. She had arranged blind dates for him many times. But he just refused to go on those dates. For quite sometime, she even thought that he liked men instead of women! She could now heave a big sigh of relief, hearing such good news tonight!


    "Mom, are you not afraid that the one he''s going to marry is a guy? He hasn''t told us yet if it''s going to be a woman!" Edward pursed his mouth and let out an evil smile. He was aware what business his parents were busy with. He probably knew that Luke decided to give in to them by marrying Michelle thanks to their excessive and relentless badgering. Oh, yes, of course, he knew it was Michelle that Luke would marry, because Luke did not know any other woman apart from her. It looked like Luke was deliberately forced into a marriage which turned to be a blessing in disguise for Michelle. Had his parents not paid too much attention to Luke''s personal life and pressured him about it, he probably would not have considered even hanging out with her. Fortunately for Michelle, the stars in the sky, with the help of the gods, had aligned perfectly to her favor. Edward knew Luke well. If he had his own way, he would not even think of getting married.


    "No way! Uncle Luke, are you confirming to us that you like men? I remember that Grandma was busy choosing among lots of women for you. But it turns out that you like men!" Justin joined in the conversation and turned to his uncle. He took his father''s words seriously. Actually, he did not think there would be something wrong should his Uncle Luke marry a man. These were the modern times and he was allowed to love anyone he wanted. As for the sex? It did not matter a lot, did it? It was done in private and was nobody''s business, so why worry about that?????????

 Chapter 1406 A Marriage Promised (Part Three)

    easy to please him, let alone make him fall in love. Only an extraordinary woman would be able to do it. Who on earth could it be?


    "Hey, you boys, be quiet, okay? Let Luke exin it." Daisy shot a cold re at the father and the son to stop them from being too noisy as they were not helping. Also, she was curious about who that woman was. She knew Luke was a tough man and it was definitely not "What''s her name? Who is she?" Jonathan finally asked in a calm tone when the noise had died down. He asked seriously because he knew Luke was of stability and mature, and that his son would not marry a man.


    "Yes, tell us. What''s her name? Did you just pick up a girl at random outside to y us, poor old people?" Poor old people? It just sounded so weird when Cynthia described herself to be poor and old because both she and Jonathan could easily pass for someone in their forties! Wouldn''t she feel embarrassed to consider herself an old woman?


    "You''ve seen and met her before." Luke felt a big headache, thanks to their ridiculous guesses and usations of him being gay. What were they thinking? He might not be an expert in dating women. But he would not just pick up a girl at random and bring her home! "Oh! I know! I know her! It''s Michelle, right?" Edward stepped ahead excitedly and raced to be the first to guess, as if it were a game. He apparently did not like it when he was ignored.


    "Oh! Daddy, so you''ve already known! Why did you keep it a secret and didn''t tell us?" Justin was totally a junior Edward. He wanted to be the center of attention, just like his father, forgetting about the soon-to-be groom.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    "Hey, boys! Can''t you just spare some time for Luke?" Daisy almost got mad at them, and was about to throw them a napkin. She was waiting for Luke''s reply, but the father and son tandem just could not quiet down and kept making a fuss. Oh, God! Please make them shut up for a while!


    "Ok, ok. We''ll shut up. My son, we have been rebuked by your mom. Poor you and poor me." Edward shrugged innocently. He was telling the truth! Did it matter who uncovered the mystery first?


    "Lukie, is it true? But I remember that you said you did not like that My-shell." Cynthia could not help but frown. Although she indeed wanted Luke to marry a woman as soon as possible, she would not want him to marry a woman he did not love. He would be unhappy in that case and she did not want that for her son.


    "Oh! Grandma, her name is Michelle, not My-shell." Justin burst intoughter. He admired his grandma a lot when it came to changing other people''s names. Michelle was a beautiful name. But she thought it was pronounced My-shell. What a ridiculous and ugly name My- shell was!


    "They sound the same, don''t they? Tell me, Lukie! Is it really Michelle? There, I said it right this time!" Cynthia had no more energy to care about those minor details such as the name. She wanted to confirm it with Luke.


    "Yes, it''s her. I''d like to propose that the two families meet with each other before we register. How do you like it?" Luke did not want to agree to this suggestion from Michelle at first. But when he thought of all the harsh requirements he gave her, it was only fair that he agreed to this one.


    "Of course, we should meet! We need to discuss the wedding ceremony after all, don''t we?" Cynthia had met Michelle before. Although she did not look like a typicaldy, Cynthia liked her straightforward personality. What was more, Luke was a reserved man. It would not be appropriate for him to marry a quiet girl as well. From this perspective, they were a very good match.


    "There won''t be a wedding ceremony. We''ve discussed and agreed on it. A registration would be fine." Although it was him who required not to hold the wedding ceremony. He did not n to tell this to them.


    "What? No wedding ceremony? Oh, no! So I lost the chance to arrange a grand wedding ceremony!" Cynthia was stunned. She screwed Edward''s wedding ceremony upst time. So she had thought she finally had the opportunity to n a wonderful wedding ceremony again! But now, it turned out to be a huge disappointment since Luke said there wouldn''t be a wedding. She had rejoiced too soon.


    "It doesn''t matter. Let them decide that by themselves. Pick up a date, Luke. Any day is fine with us." Jonathan still remained cool, but he became softer when around his family. Although the changes were not obvious to most people, it was already too much for him, considering that he was more uptight and much stricter in the past.


    "Okay. I''ll let you know when we decide on it. Thanks!" Luke sighed in relief. He had been worried that they might object to this marriage. Michelle was from a gangster family, which was a sharp contrast to his family that Jonathan led with strict values.


    "Anyway, Luke, congrattions to you." Daisy was the first to congratte him and Michelle. Although she was not sure whether they were getting married out of love, she was still willing to support them, and believe that they would live a happy life and get what they wanted as long as they worked hard for it.


    "Thank you," Luke replied in a cool tone like always. However, his face turned a faint red as he could not help feeling a bit embarrassed at this time.0000000????

 Chapter 1407 A Marriage Promised (Part Four)

    "What about your life after getting married? Are you gonna stay here or live somewhere else? I''ll prepare the house for you." This was what Edward was concerned about. If Luke and Michelle stayed here, he would have the rooms in this house rearranged. But if they


    wanted to live somewhere else, all he needed to do was find another house that would be perfect for them.


    "We haven''t discussed it yet. But we probably won''t live here. I''ve started looking around and I have my eye on a few good houses nearby." The reason Luke did not want to stay here with the rest of the family was because he did not want them to find anything wrong between Michelle and him. He was worried that their rtionship would be the center of excessive attention. A different house would be good to maintain privacy. That was why he preferred to live with his future wife separately.


    "Okay, I got it. I''ll take care of the house hunting. You don''t need to worry about it," Edward said in a serious tone. He stopped making fun when it came to serious topics like this.


    "It''s okay! I can pay for it!" Luke refused. He had saved arge amount of money through all the years. He could even afford to buy a grand shopping mall if he wanted to. He had been well-paid thanks to Edward. Besides, he had stock shares in FX International Group. He was literally quite rich.


    "Consider it our wedding gift to you and your new wife! That''s all. Don''t refuse us brother!" Edward surely knew that Luke did notck money, and that he was actually rich. He knew exactly how much money he made. But the house was a gift that he wanted to prepare for him and he would not take no for an answer.


    Besides, it was not a tough task for Edward to find a house nearby, especially that money was not an issue. He had bought a house not far away from his own home at highest price. That house was newly built and no one had ever lived there. The seller was not a local of this city and only built it for investment. So he agreed to sell it to Edward without hesitation when Edward paid a fortune. What was more, he made the deal on behalf of FX International Group. That was the key. All the businessmen in the city knew that they would earn a promising amount money with FX International Group as one of their clients.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    Everyone apart from Daisy, who couldn''t get out of work, was present when the two families met. Before they met, Michelle''s father was unhappy andined a lot. Michelle was his only child, after all. He believed that his daughter deserved the most wonderful wedding ceremony, instead of just a simple registration. When he found out, however, that Luke''s father was the former boss of FX International Group, he stoppedining immediately. He was not a person of narrow mindset and he surely knew what FX International Group was and its power and capabilities. But he could not help feeling worried at the same time, because they were at the top of the society''s hierarchy and quite unreachable. Would his daughter be happy to marry into this kind of family and lifestyle? Would they find fault with her because of her family background? As a father, he had to think about all these concerns. In his eyes, this strong-willed, confident and self reliant woman would always be his little baby girl.


    One the other hand, the longer a mother-inw spent time with her son-inw, the more she would like him. Leaving her husband''s opinions aside, Michelle''s mother was quite happy with Luke. She stared at Luke with a smile on her face all the time, which made Luke twist the corners of his mouth a lot. He understood why Michelle was good at staring at someone for a long time now. She inherited that ability from her mother!


    "This is it. You can still get out of it if you want. Are you sure you want to do this?" Before they stepped into the civil affairs bureau, Luke stopped and asked her, giving her thest chance to turn around and change her mind.


    "Are you? Let''s go!" Michelle took a deep breath. She had long decided and chose him. So no matter how difficult her life might be in the future, she would be strong and wear a smiling face to deal with all the hardships, all for this difficult man that she loved with all her heart.


    There were other couples inside. But none of them were wearing a calm andposed face like them. Michelle felt a bit awkward in such an atmosphere. All the couples around were talking andughing intimately and happily except them. They came with serious faces with no smile at all. It made people feel like they did note here to get married but to get a divorce.


    Luke stood there with a cool face. There was no expression on his face at all as if he was being held hostage. He just kept distant. It seemed that the happy air and couples nearby did not have any effect on him at all.


    Michelle momentarily paused as if in deep thought when she was about to sign on the paper, which made Luke frown a bit. What was she thinking now? Was there a bit of regret?


    "Miss, you can stop now if you don''t really want to marry him." A young female was proceeding with their registration. She never saw a mane here to marry with a cool face like Luke. He even read the marriage deration so reluctantly with a poker face and a monotonous voice during the whole time, as if someone was holding a knife against his throat.


    "No. I''ll be done soon." Michelle smiled awkwardly. She made up herself slightly today and put on a skirt she seldom wore. She dressed herself elegantly, thanks to Leena''s fashion sense. Leena, being a celebrated designer made sure that her friend looked great on her wedding day and prepared all of these for her.


    When their marriage certificates were sealed officially, they both felt quite relieved as if the seal was stamped on their heart. She felt that this man finally belonged to her for eternity, and he knew that his life would be changedpletely, which was something he dreaded a lot.00000000000

 Chapter 1408 Tied In Wedlock (Part One)

    After getting the stamp on their marriage certificate, Luke and Michelle were finally tied in wedlock. Previously, their life was riddled with skirmishes, quarrels and insults, but Michelle was now Luke''s wife. However, at the gate of the Civil Affairs Bureau, Michelle realized that she was the only one happy about it. "Here are the keys to the house. Pack your things and move them there. But I can''t help you. I have to go to work." Luke took out a bunch of keys from his pocket and handed them to Michelle. He gave out a faint snort, barely looking at her, and then turned around to leave.


    "Okay," was Michelle''s simple answer. She really didn''t know what else to say. Luke had already told her that he could only give her a nominal marriage, and she''d better not try in vain to expect other things.


    She didn''t pack up that much. Except for some clothes and things she held memorable and dear, she didn''t need to bring anything else.


    It was said that the house was newly decorated as ordered by Edward. The ritzy and glitzy furniture suited his taste. Nothing in that house was cheap. Michelle felt embarrassed remembering how she refused his help rudely before. Now, she was concerned how to get along with him from here on.


    Thinking that she would be living here with Luke afterwards, Michelle was of course secretly pleased. She didn''t know whether she could be a good wife, but she would double her efforts anyway.


    While hanging her clothes in the wardrobe, Michelle suddenly found that Luke had nothing but ck suits and white shirts to wear. She frowned at the monotonous and dark colors and thought that her husband was too stereotypical of a bodyguard. She thought long and hard, trying to remember if he had worn anything other than white shirts and ck suits, and she couldn''t.


    "Mrs. Luo, would you like to have dinner here at home or in Mr. Mu''s house?" The servant asked Michelle as she went downstairs.


    "Huh? Mrs. Luo? Maria, that sounds so strange." Michelle gave the middle-aged Maria a nce, her expression confused. Cynthia sent Maria from the Mu family''s house to take care of this ce. Michelle didn''t think that she would be Luke Luo''s wife so soon. "Not at all. You are married now. You''d better get familiar with this title soon." Maria began to work as a servant in the Mu family''s house at a young age and hadn''t retired yet. Ever since Jonathan and Cynthia moved to Edward''s house, Maria was sent there to care for them with only a few people left to look after Jonathan''s house.


    "Ah ha. I know. But you can just call me Michelle, Maria. ''Mrs. Luo'' sounds good but I am not really used to being called formal titles like that. We are family now." Michelleughed out loud. She was more of a tough girl rather than a prim and proper one. "But..." Maria hesitated. She had to observe the proprieties, but she couldn''t disobey Michelle either. Now she was at a dilemma, not knowing what to do.


    "No worries. And by the way, Luke said that we''d be having dinner at Mr. Mu''s house afterwards, so there is no need to cook for us here," Michelle instructed. Then she got herself ready and went to Edward''s house. As a new daughter-inw, she had a lot to learn so she was being careful.


    Cynthia was very happy to see Michelle. She was actually the one who insisted that Luke and Michellee over for dinner. They were all of the same family and lived so close to each other that there was no need to cook separately. At least not tonight.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    "Well, Michelle, how was your first day as Luke''s wife? Have you settled in with your stuff?" Cynthia held Michelle''s hands affectionately. She loved her new daughter-inw very much.


    "Yes. I have unpacked and everything has been put in order. I didn''t bring many things, just some clothes." Michelle felt nervous in front of her respectable and attractive mother-inw. She never troubled herself much about dresses, so she was a little restrained and uneasy.


    "Have a seat. Since you are married to Luke, you are one of us now. But don''t get stressed out. Just be yourself." Cynthia could tell that Michelle was nervous. She smiled at Michelle elegantly and nobly but was gentle enough to put her at ease.


    "Okay. Thank you." Michelle rubbed her nose and grinned embarrassingly. It was not until the day their parents met that she found out that Luke was an adopted son of the Mu family. She sighed as she felt that she knew very little about him, but it was not her fault. Luke worked as Edward''s bodyguard and assistant. Other than that, she didn''t know much about his real identity.


    As a new wife, Michelle knew nothing about cooking. She grew up around gangs and adopted that kind of rough and always on the go kind of life. Surprisingly, Cynthia didn''t know how to cook either. She hired cooks and didn''t have to worry about everyday meals for her and her family. Michelle went to the kitchen because she thought she needed to learn about cooking. She couldn''t be as good a cook as Leena now, but at least she needed to learn to cook something decent and fit to eat. It had been amon joke how some women got married and then fed their new husbands burnt rice, fried egg with sugar or soup with too much salt. There were other horrifying stories such as entire families needing to go to the hospital after eating what the new daughter-inw made.


    In this family, Daisy was always thest one to arrive. Although she looked cold on the outside, Michelle got to know that she was a lot nicer than the others who gave out a feeling of invisible pressure.


    "So Michelle, have you adjusted to living there now?" Daisy in an olive-green army uniform looked bright, snappy and respectable.000000

 Chapter 1409 Tied In Wedlock (Part Two)

    "Yeah. It''s very nice of you to ask, Senior Colonel Ouyang." Michelle was embarrassed. She felt as if they met yesterday, but everything had changed now.


    "Ha ha! Just call me Daisy. You''re part of the family now." Daisy grinned. Luke was unwilling to change the way he addressed her, but she didn''t want Michelle to follow his example. "But is that proper?" Michelle hesitated. She felt gawky because of Luke.


    "Sure. We''re of the same family. Luke has been used to calling me Mrs. Mu and he said he can''t change it. That''s why he calls me like that. I''d say bullshit, but if he''s happy with it, I won''t make a big fuss." Daisy didn''t expect that Luke and Michelle would get married so quickly. They didn''t even go through the proper dating and falling in love phase and now, all of a sudden, they had be husband and wife. They still had a long way to go. Unexpectedly, change was an instantaneous thing.


    "Okay, Daisy." Michelle smiled as she purposefully mouthed out the name. She had be morefortable around these two women of the Mu family.


    "Auntie, Grandma said you married into our family. Is it true?" Justin came out from nowhere, blinking his big ck eyes and smiling excitedly.


    "Huh?" Michelle was taken aback. What an awkward question this boy asked. But she had to answer him, "Yes, it''s true."


    "Wow. Then you''ll have babies, right?" Justin asked another straightforward question. Michelle''s face reddened. She just got married and hadn''t thought about that. Justin''s question prompted her to put it on the agenda, but she knew that it would be difficult to get intimate with Luke. She had be his wife, but it didn''t mean that she could now make major changes in his life. He had the final say in having babies, while Michelle was thrown into passivity.


    "Auntie, you''ll have babies, right?" Unable to get an answer, Justin shook Michelle''s hand and raised his head, seemingly innocent, but only Daisy knew that this little fellow was making a show to get attention. If she wasn''t wrong, only Cynthia could ask Justin to say these things to Michelle. Cynthia thought that Justin, being the sole grandchild, was lonely without cousins, so she wanted Michelle, who just married into this family, to have babies soon.


    "Enough, Justin. You know what? You should ask Uncle Luke that question." Daisy smiled away the embarrassment and helped Michelle out of the hot seat. She knew the boy would ask more awkward questions if she didn''t stop him.


    "But Uncle Luke is too cold and tough. Whatever I ask him, he''ll only say one word! I''m not sure if he means what he says." Justin pouted and hung his head low.


    "So you turn to Michelle?" Daisy squinted, crossing her arms at Justin. Michelle just moved in today, and she was still trying to get ustomed to the life here. She must be anxious in this totally new environment. However, Justin was already making trouble by asking her embarrassing questions.


    "Fine! No more questions then. Humph! You''re bad, mummy." Justin curled his lips and ran away. He dared not really annoy his mom; otherwise he would have to do push-ups as punishment. It was thest thing he wanted, because he would be drenched in sweat and look dirty and ugly.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Michelle, don''t take it to heart. Justin was just kidding. Well, you must be tired today. Don''t you need to get some rest? Come on!" Daisy encouraged Michelle. She had had the experience, so she knew how Michelle felt.


    "Thank you, Daisy," Michelle thanked Daisy from the bottom of her heart. Luke on the other hand totally ignored her all night. She felt like an unwanted gatecrasher who came knocking on the door asking for food; she had to suffer in silence. However, she was relieved and thankful for Daisy who spent most of the night making her feel like part of the family.


    "It''s okay. We''re sisters-inw now, so we have to take care of each other." Daisy seldom smiled, but she kept smiling tonight, just to help Michelle feel more at home andfortable around everyone. Under her strict and rigid appearance hid an eternally fervent heart.


    "But I still want to say ''thank you'' to you." Daisy didn''t know how Michelle felt. Edward loved Daisy ardently, but Luke had no feelings for Michelle. It was twopletely different stories of two different couples.


    The evening went by and before long it was time to go home. "Silly girl, go home now. Don''t keep Luke waiting." Daisy said nothing more. She knew what Michelle thought. It wouldn''t be easy, but she had a lot of time.


    Michelle went to say goodbye to Cynthia before she left, but Luke wasn''t outside waiting like Daisy said. She was disappointed not to see him there, but she brushed it off and confidently raised her head and walked home very leisurely.


    When she got home however, it was strange that the house was quiet. ''Hasn''t Lukee back? Maybe I misunderstood. He''s probably still back in Daisy''s house, ''thought Michelle.


    A deep frown marred her face. She threw herself onto the couch. She was always optimistic, but now she suddenly felt a bit sad. She really didn''t know whether she had made the right decision. She was finally married Luke, but she could tell that he was colder to her than ever and even acted as if she were just a stranger who had nothing to do with him. It was easy to pay no mind to it when they were just people who knew each other. But now they were a married couple, and that kind of behavior was impossible to ignore. However, since she had made this choice, she had to work hard to win his heart.000000

 Chapter 1410 Tied In Wedlock (Part Three)

    Luke came downstairs naked to the waist, wearing a pair of casual trousers. He stopped when he saw Michelle, but then he went straight to the refrigerator, took out a bottle of water and drank it.


    "You''re home, Luke. I thought you were still in Daisy''s house." Michelle jumped up from the couch instantly when she saw Luke. Her mncholy was gone, and she brightened up, just seeing him. When she saw Luke''s six-pack abs, a mild blush appeared on her cheeks. Her eyes were glued to his midsection, staring at him without a blink. She had never seen his abs before. "Wipe that drool off your face, will you?" Luke put the bottle of water back in the refrigerator and brushed past her in a distant way.


    "Err... Drool?" Michelle wiped her lips. Then she realized that she was fooled as she found that she didn''t salivate at all. She turned around and followed Luke upstairs with a ttering smile.


    "When did youe back? Why didn''t you wait for me?" Michelle asked while she trotted to catch up with Luke. Luke didn''t give any answer but went straight into his study.


    "Hey, say something." Michelle frowned, now having a bit more courage toin.


    "I remember I have warned you that we''re a couple in name only. Don''t try to impress me. It''s useless. And please, oh please, don''t disturb me here at home." Luke suddenly stopped, and Michelle bumped into him unprepared. She felt great pain in her nose, but his cold and ruthless words hurt her more. He didn''t care that his sudden action might have physically hurt her too.


    "I''m sorry. It''s my fault." Michelle bit her lip, turned around sadly and walked silently to the bedroom, humiliated. Luke just exhaled heavily, rolled his eyes and went to his desk. Apart from being Edward''s bodyguard, he still had to be in charge of all the security measures under the FX International Group, so he wasn''t as leisurely as he seemed and had a lot of work to do. In many cases he had to bring his work home.


    Michelle had been a stubborn girl from the beginning, whether with the big things or the small things. She seldom cried over difficulties, but she felt some tears streaming down her face just as she turned around. If it was someone else that talked to her in this way, she would just smile nomittally, but in front of Luke, she was more of a delicate and sensitive girl rather than a tough and stubborn one.


    She sniffed back her tears and kept telling herself that it was okay. It wasn''t a big deal. He was right. He told her what the setup was going to be and she was the one who vited that rule. But now she just couldn''t stop her tears.


    This was supposed to be the case, and she needed to remind herself to just ept it, even though what happened was different from what she expected.


    "Aren''t you going to sleep here?" Michelle was surprised to see Lukee in and take his clothes with him.


    "No. I''ll be sleeping in the guest room." Luke didn''t want to answer Michelle, but he thought it was necessary to tell her that.


    "Could you tell me why?" Michelle closed her eyes. Her eyes were still a little red and stung a little from the crying.


    "I thought we had reached an agreement before, but it seems that you have no idea of who you are in this marriage." Luke looked back and gave Michelle a sharp and fierce stare. It could have cut the atmosphere like a knife.


    "I don''t know what you meant by that." Perhaps Michelle was humble in front of love, but she was arrogant and dignified in the face of Luke''s questioning.


    "Oh I know that you know what I meant by that. You can''t wait to have sex with me! Don''t forget that what I give you here is only the marriage certificate, not love. Don''t you think it''s a shameful thing to have sex without love?" Luke stared down at Michelle with a scornful smile. There was a glint of mockery in his eyes. Obviously, he was pushing Michelle away, stopping her from getting close to him and actually having a romantic rtionship with him.


    "Do you think I''m an easy girl?" Michelle asked in a wobbly voice. She was cream-faced, clenching her fists. How could Luke humiliate her like this? It was normal for a couple to sleep together. Why did Luke say it was a shameful thing? What was shameful about that? "You know the answer well. Go to bed early if you have nothing else to do." After stating his piece, Luke left without looking at her, leaving a resolute and ruthless figure.


    Michelle stood there, not knowing what to do. It was exactly the marriage Luke had described and he was being true to it. No surprises there, but she had this wishful thinking that she could turn this around into a fairy tale. What she did was actually asking for an insult. This was her wedding night but the room was so quiet that she could hear a pin drop. And she could also hear the sound of her own heart breaking into a thousand pieces. She shouldn''t have had any wild wishes for this marriage. Her wishful thinking only brought her much pain.


    The night grewte. The bed was just an arm''s length from her but she stood frozen, quietly, forgetting the time and herself. Like a ghost, she let her thoughts wander around.


    Desire was really a very strange thing. Sometimes people would want to get something desperately, but suddenly realized that it wasn''t what they wanted after they got it. They set goals, sometimes impossible ones, but found that they were wrong in the first ce. Michelle was a good example. She was in a dilemma and didn''t know how to free herself. And this was just on her first night as a married woman.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    She spent a sleepless night. The next morning, she wasn''t downhearted anymore as she had straightened out her thinking. When the sun shone through the window curtain and gently cast its rays on her body, she let out a brilliant smile. She knew that every rtionship had its share of ups and downs, and all the problems would be readily solved as long as she rose to the challenge. She was going to patiently wait for that day. Only in this way could she stand on top as the winner.0000???????

 Chapter 1411 The Newlywed Woman (Part One)

    In a VIP ward of Renxin Hospital, Patricia was chatting with Michelle, who had just gotten married. Though Patricia was still unable to walk on her own, her condition was much better than before. So, she was in a good mood.


    "So, Michelle, how was your wedding night? Was it exciting?" Patricia teased, as she eyed Michelle up and down in an attempt to to find some hickeys and other signs of a wild night.


    "Fuck off! Stop talking nonsense! You are such an asshole! By the way, how''s your leg?" Michelle gave her shoulder a light thump. Though she wore a big grin on her face, she was weeping deep inside.


    "Don''t try to sidetrack me. How would you assess your husband''s skills from 1 to 10? What''s the score?" If Patricia knew the actual state of Michelle''s marriage, she would not make fun of her like this.


    "Well, well. If you really want to know what a wedding night is like, why don''t you get married with Doctor Qin. Then, you''ll get to know and give a score yourself!" Michelle rolled her eyes at Patricia. She also wanted to know what a wedding night was like, but she hadn''t even been able to hold Luke''s hand, let alone have a hot wedding night.


    "Hey, stop making fun of me. We''re talking about you and Luke. Let''s not get distracted." Patricia didn''t intend to let Michelle off so easily.


    "Okay, okay. A wedding night is just like... um... a man and a woman sleep on the same bed... uh... they kiss and..." Michelle''s face flushed scarlet with embarrassment. Gang member as she was, she had never dated someone before, and she was still a virgin. Plus it was hard to describe something that she had never experienced.


    "What? You think I''m a 3-year-old child? I want to know the details, okay? Give me size, duration, the sensation. That kind of shit!" The more Michelle refused to tell her the details, the more interested Patricia became. She shook Michelle''s hands, begging her to tell more. "No! I won''t tell you anything more. Why don''t you marry Doctor Qin ASAP? Then you can tell me your wedding night. It''s an awesome idea!" Michelle retorted, casting Patricia a scornful nce. It was not until now did she realize that Patricia was a woman who was persistent and insisted on getting to the bottom of the matter.


    "I was just curious about it. By the way, why are you dressed up like that? You look so weird!" Patricia asked in confusion when looking at Michelle from head to toe. Michelle was wearing a silk dress and matching shoes. She was beautiful but it was not her style.


    "I look weird? Why? Leena said that men liked soft and vulnerable women, so I picked this dress. I don''t like this kind of dress, either, but..." Michelleined with a bitter smile. Living with a group of uncouth fellows, she had grown up to be a tomboy. She felt really ufortable in a soft, long dress like this. She was more of a big boots, leather jacket and ripped jeans kind of girl.


    "You are such a fool! Leena is a soft and sweet woman, and she looks great in dresses like that. But you are not! You should change back to your own clothes, otherwise you look really weird." Patricia giggled, staring at Michelle. Actually, people who didn''t know her would think that she looked beautiful in that dress. But people like Patricia who were unustomed to her style would think and feel weird.


    "Hey, I heard my name. Were you two trash-talking me behind my back again? You fake, traitor friends!" Leena said with a teasing smile as she suddenly entered the ward with a vacuum bottle. Obviously, she brought Patricia something to eat.


    "Haha! You caught us red-handed. But I won''t tell you what we were talking about," said Patricia. She was not embarrassed at all, as she and Leena were best friends and they always mocked each other. That was their way of expressing their affection for each other. "Fine, fine, fine! Remember, when you speak ill of me next time, make sure that I''m not behind you, first!" Leena rolled her eyes at Patricia. She had always brought some nutritious soup for her, to help her recover and get back to normal.


    "I''m a cripple now. It hurts when I even turn around with my neck so I''m unable to check if you''re around. What''s this? Not soup again? Oh my god, I''m sure I''ve gained a lot of weight recently because of your soup," Patriciained with a frown. People who were confined in the hospital usually lost weight, but she was an exception. Leena had brought her rich and nutritious food every day. Patricia was sure that when she was discharged from the hospital, she might be a fat woman. She wondered if Leena was doing it on purpose.


    "Hey, stopining, okay? It took me hours to make this soup. You should thank me instead ofining," Leena scolded. In her eyes, Patricia had been too skinny in the past, and she now looked more beautiful after gaining a little bit of weight. Her body had be sexier with perfect curves at the right ces.


    "You''ve fattened me up, and you now forbid me fromining? What a tyrant you are!" Patricia teased. She knew Leena was doing this for her own good, and she was just ying with her. They could talk to each other in whatever manner they wanted and they could say whatever dirty words they wanted to say. That was how real best friends were.


    "Well, yes! I n to sell you at a higher price after fattening you up. How skinny you were in the past! No man was interested in you before, right?" Leena smiled proudly, as she had an excellent body shape - a slender waist as well as a pair of perky boobs and a nicely shaped butt. She was sexy and she knew it.


    "Pfft! I think you only have a pair of B-cup boobs," Patricia sneered as she cast a mocking nce at Leena''s breasts. For her, Leena was just daydreaming and must wake up from it.


    "You''re just being jealous! And excuse me, but I wear a C-cup bra!" Leena defended herself, looking down at her breasts and shaking them a little. ''Patricia must be envious of me!'' she thought to herself. "Why not ask Kevin? I''m sure he knows it," Patricia said, giggling. She was really in a good mood to make small dirty talk with her friends. They could never talk like this in public within earshot of anyone. "Bah! Look who''s talking? I won''t let myself be fooled by you. Where''s Tom? I''d better call him over here so he can teach you a lesson," Leena snapped, staring at Patricia with a cunning smile.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1412 The Newlywed Woman (Part Two)

    "Don''t ever say that name in front of me again. He is just so dull and inarticte! I still can''t understand how I had a thing for him. I need to exercise more so that I can recover as soon as possible," Patricia said with a frown. In her eyes, the reason she fell for Tom was because she had stayed in the hospital for a long time and there were no other handsome men around other than him. So she wanted to recover soon. Then she would be able to meet more handsome guys, and maybe she would forget that boring, arrogant doctor. "Well, after you get discharged from this hospital, will you still continue racing?" Leena asked worriedly. She didn''t want Patricia to engage in such a dangerous sport anymore.


    "I don''t know yet. But I have to do something first. I must go out with more handsome men, so that I will get to know whether I''m insane or not, to have fallen for this doctor," Patricia said, dejected. She was really frustrated at Tom''s cold and indifferent attitude towards her. If Tom held the same attitude towards others, then Patricia would not feel so bad. But Tom was amiable and friendly, always beaming to others while he was a jerk to her. Patricia could do nothing but curse him secretly.


    "What? Are you going nuts?" Leena yelled, rolling her eyes at Patricia. She wondered what Patricia''s feeling would be after her memories of Tom came rushing back.


    "Leena, just ignore her. She has been in such a romantic rtionship recently, but she never seems to get enough. Let''s just go now, otherwise we will get sick and tired of her public disy of affection," said Michelle, who believed that Patricia was groaning but not really in pain. Michelle, on the other hand, was really upset because of the frustrating rtionship between her and Luke.


    "I guess you''re right, Michelle. By the way, how about your married life?" Leena directed her attention towards Michelle. She had been really busyst night, so she had no time to call Michelle. Besides, there was no wedding ceremony that she could invite her friends to. "It is just like that. Normal. Nothing exciting." Michelle shrugged her shoulders and heaved a heavy sigh.


    "Don''t worry. You two are not familiar with each other yet. I believe things will get better soon," Leena reassured Michelle. She could still clearly remember when she and Kevin had just gotten married, Kevin had been really cold towards her and it had hurt. But now he cared so much about her and never missed a day to tell her that he loved her. Leena, however, suddenly remembered the thing that she had been hiding from Kevin and she had to try extra hard to maintain her smile. ''What if he finds it out? Will he leave me?'' she thought to herself.


    "I hope so. Leena, are you avable now? I have to buy some daily necessities, but I don''t know which brands to buy so I need your help. Could you please go to the market with me?" Michelle asked. After getting married to Luke, she found that marriage was moreplicated than she had thought. And more importantly, Luke didn''t love her. She didn''t know how long she was going to be able to live like this.


    "No problem. I was nning to go to the supermarket as well, anyway," Leena replied with a cheerful voice. The pressure cooker in her house seemed to be busted as air escaped too freely through the lid. She thought it was really dangerous and she''d better have it reced.


    "Hey, old women! Would you please stop your private conference in front of a cripple like me?" Patriciained as she felt that she was the outsider in the room.


    "Old women? You are the old woman! The spinster! Do you know what a spinster is? It''s an old single woman who has never married. Why don''t you just ask Tom to marry you? I believe he''d be more than willing to do it," Leena teased, ignoring herint. "Tom? Never mind. I''d rather die alone." Patricia crossed her arms and pretended to look away, upset. She believed she should be prudent and cautious when it came to marriage, and she didn''t think that getting married with Tom was a good decision. Tom said very little, and she would be bored to death if she spent the rest of her life with him. Well her life would be short because the boredom would kill her quickly.


    "It''s okay for you to say that in front of us. But remember, do not tell Doctor Qin about it. Otherwise, he will get angry at you," Michelle said, shaking her head in disapproval. Was Patricia still the same person that she had known? Before Patricia had the ident, she had been so much into Tom that she was willing to even die for him. Back then, Michelle had been staying by her side tofort her, so she knew about Patricia''s feelings for Tom well. But now, Patricia seemed to be totally indifferent towards him. Sadly, she might have permanently forgotten him.


    "Michelle, let''s go and leave her alone. She needs to calm herself down," said Leena. She grabbed Michelle''s hand and left the ward, leaving Patricia behind. Patricia yelled at them toe back, but they just ignored her and giggled their way out of the hospital.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    "Do you think it''s okay to leave Patricia like that? She might never forgive us," Michelle said. She was a little worried about Patricia. She had made friends with her not too long ago, so she didn''t know Patricia well like Leena did. "Don''t worry. She''ll be okay soon," Leena reassured her with a smile. "If she gets mad, she''ll stay mad for a very short time. Trust me." She knew Patricia would not really get angry at them, so she agreed to go shopping with Michelle.


    "Leena, I am wondering if you could teach me how to cook well, one of these days. I know nothing about housework, and I feel useless. I''m a good-for-nothing wife." Michelle was in low spirits. She wondered whether Luke would fall in love with her after she became a good housewife.


    "All right. But I''m not a good cook either. Why don''t you learn how to cook in a chef academy? I once enrolled at a chef school, and it has helped me tremendously. I think it will work," Leena said with a friendly smile. She was really not that good in cooking. She knew that she wouldn''t be a good teacher and it would only end up in disaster.0000000000????

 Chapter 1413 The Newlywed Woman (Part Three)

    "Well, okay? How about you go with me to the chef school to inquire?" Michelle asked with a hopeful expression. She was worried that she might be the dumbest student in the ss. If Leena went there with her, she would feel much better.


    "I''m sorry, but I''m hustling and grinding at work recently. The Paris Fashion Week is in just a few months, and I have to design new, cutting edge clothes for that," said Leena, apologizing profusely. If it weren''t for that, she would be very happy to go with Michelle. "Oh, it''s okay. If you don''t have time, then I''ll go by myself," Michelle said, a little disappointed. But she knew Leena must be really busy now as she was a well-known designer. She could do nothing about it.


    "I''m really sorry," Leena apologized, as she held Michelle''s arm tofort her.


    "We''d better hurry up then. What if Patricia were so angry that her leg suddenly got healed and then she ran away from the hospital, so that she coulde after us?" Michelle cracked a joke with Leena. She really couldn''t get angry at her.


    "That would be a piece of good news for sure. If that happened, she wouldn''t have to go through that boring rehab program. Then she should thank us," Leena joked back. They stared at each other, and then burst into a heartyugh together.


    "Did you drive here?" Michelle asked when they arrived at the garden of the hospital. Michelle''s car was not so good. She was afraid Leena might not like it.


    "Yes, I did. Just follow my car. I''ll take you to a nearby supermarket," Leena said. But then she frowned at the sight of a familiar figure. ''What the hell? Oh dear god, not again! I''ve seen this woman so many times recently. She didn''t even get recognized by her fans for once. Is it because she''s not that popr yet? Or her fans are too blind to notice her?'' Leena thought to herself.


    "Hey, are you okay? What''s going on? You spaced out all of a sudden," Michelle asked, noticing Leena''s sudden change of expression.


    "Oh, nothing. I just saw someone I don''t like very much," Leena said. She didn''t intend to hide her distaste for Dorothy. Michelle was her friend, and she was willing to share everything with her.


    "Are you referring to that young woman over there? It''s Dorothy Lu, isn''t it? She has just signed a contract with FX International Group who is going to manage her career. She has really be popr recently,"mented Michelle. Michelle cared about Luke, and had kept an eye on FX International Group. That was the reason why she knew Dorothy had signed a contract with FX International Group.


    "Oh, so you know her as well?" Leena asked, a little surprised. She thought a gang member like Michelle would not be interested in shallow tabloids and made-up entertainment news.


    "She''s in the newspaper every day. It''s really difficult not to notice her. By the way, did she do something wrong to you?" Michelle only knew that Dorothy had signed a contract with FX International Group, but she knew nothing about the story between Kevin and her. "Well, she didn''t. I just really don''t like her." Leena shrugged her shoulders. She didn''t know why, but she could sense that Dorothy was harboring malicious intentions towards her. So she really felt ufortable when Dorothy got close to her.


    "What a coincidence, Leena Leng. Are you here to see a doctor?" Dorothy asked with a sweet smile. She was again wearing a pair of extra-sized sunsses, but Leena still recognized her with a single nce. But who would not notice a beautiful petite girl like Dorothy? Maybe it was because of a woman''s gut feeling.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    "It is indeed a coincidence, Miss Lu. Is it because of destiny that brings us together?" Leena said with a fake smile. Every time she was talking with Dorothy, she would feel that she had be a hypocrite. She detested Dorothy, but she had no choice but to pretend to be polite with her.


    "Exactly! I have the same feeling!" Dorothy answered, a little embarrassed, for she could tell from Leena''s voice that she was mocking her. But at the thought of her photos, she had to go on with her plot.


    "So... what are you doing here?" Leena asked, wondering if Dorothy was following her. After all, she had met Dorothy many times after the media had released the picture of Dorothy and Kevin together. Leena couldn''t help but wonder what Dorothy was up to. "Leena, is this your friend?" Michelle cut in, pretending not to know Dorothy.


    "Miss Lu, do you think that we''re friends?" Leena asked Dorothy instead of answering Michelle, for she actually wanted to know what Dorothy had in her mind.


    "Uh... I guess we''re friends now. First time strangers, second time friends, right?" Dorothy answered with utmost care while observing Leena''s expression.


    "Well, I think we are not really that close yet, Miss Lu. I guess you have the same feeling as well?" Leena said with a mocking smile. Actually Leena was not an arrogant woman, who would go out of her way to make people feel bad. But she just hated being fooled by people like Dorothy. It was no longer a coincidence that she had run into Dorothy so many times already, and most recently too. Something was up with this girl, and she knew that she was not going to like it.


    "Um... I think you are a kind person, and I really want to be friends with you." Dorothy praised Leena as if she had no idea of Leena''s distaste for her. However, Dorothy''s reaction convinced Leena even more that Dorothy was up to something, otherwise she would have been pissed off by now.


    "I''m d you see me that way. I''m sorry, but we have to leave now," Leena said with a polite smile. She was in no mood to talk to Dorothy any longer. Their encounters had be really boring and meaningless.


    "Wait! I am wondering if I could invite you to dinner." Dorothy immediately stopped Leena when she was about to leave. If she missed this opportunity now, she didn''t know how and when she could get close to her next time.00000000????

 Chapter 1414 Confronting Dorothy (Part One)

    "Have dinner with you? May I know why I have the honor?" Leena stopped, turned to look at Dorothy in bewilderment, and wondered what on earth this woman was up to.


    Dorothy burst intoughter at Leena''s uncertainty. "It''s just a meal, and a wee opportunity for conversation. I hold nothing against you, I promise. There''s no need to worry, I''m not an enemy. I''m working for the FX International Group now, remember? I heard that you and our boss are good friends, so it''s only natural that we connect. I have hoped that having a meal and a chat, might start our friendship." Dorothy assured her. Her carefully chosen words were aimed at making refusal impossible, and she watched Leena enquiringly. "Seems that you know a lot about me, Miss Lu. Let me guess: You are aware that I am Kevin''s wife?" Dorothy nodded, and Leena continued, "In that case, I should get to know you too." Leena''s reply wasced with an ironic smile. It was a cunning woman who stood in front of her, she thought to herself. Strategically, Dorothy had mentioned the FX International Group to cotton up to Leena. If Leena declined her offer, she would seem most ungracious.


    "I see that I can hide nothing from you. I know that Major General Gu is your husband, but only became aware of this fact after I signed with the FX International Group. Someone mentioned it, and then I understood why you had been so hostile to me. Please don''t misunderstand, there''s nothing between Major General Gu and I. I visited him that day to express my gratitude, and that was all. I never expected that the paparazzi would snap a shot of us together, and cook up a story which could provoke so much discussion." Dorothy exined with fake innocence. She would never confess that she was behind all of this, or that it had been she who had leaked their whereabouts to the press. Hungry for stories, they had helped her start the rumor. Gossip had been her goal after all.


    "I''m afraid that you have misunderstood me. I have never believed the press lies, nor did I ever hold hostility towards you. It''s just that... I''m introverted and not very good at socializing. If I happened to offend you, I apologize." Leena said casually, rxing now. Graciously, she acknowledged that she had already known of Dorothy''s link to Kevin, and that she didn''t take the media hype to heart at all.


    "I''m relieved to hear that. In fact, I am thinking about also inviting your husband. What do you say? I really want the opportunity to thank him for saving my life, I would feel bad if I can''t, you understand?" Dorothy sweetly set the trap. Through her best y at sincerity, she studied Leena in anticipation.


    "Sorry, I can''t ask him out for you, that''s not my ce. You do know that as a soldier, it''s his duty to save people, so you don''t have to worry about thanking him." Leena refused, without a second thought this time. She wouldn''t make decisions for Kevin, so, she couldn''t say ''yes'' for him now.


    "You are right, of course. But, consciously, I would still feel a twinge of regret, if I don''t thank him properly." Dorothy said with a pinched frown. Leena''s outright rejection had surprised her. Could it be that Leena had actually guessed her n?


    "There''s really no need. You are a taxpayer, and it''s this country''smitment to you, that you will be offered help when in need." Leena stated. ''This is the public view, especially on the Inte, isn''t it?'' Leena thought to herself with a wry smile. Everyone believed that soldiers should do whatever was required by the public, by their duty; because that was what they were paid for with the taxpayers'' buck. This idea, at first logical and epted, now shot a strange pang through Leena''s heart, especially after she married Kevin. Only those who were close to soldiers knew how devoted they were, and how much they did daily to earn their money. It was a feeling which observers would never feel, standing on the outside as they did.


    "Err... I have never thought of it in that way. You offer a unique perspective, Mrs. Gu. No wonder you have achieved so much in the fashion world." Dorothy forced a smile, she didn''t push her agenda, lest Leena would get annoyed.


    "Thanks for thepliment. Here is my business card; call me when you have a time and ce in mind for a meet. I''m always avable, but right now I have to run. I''ll see youter then," Leena said, handing Dorothy her number, cautious tomit to more. She didn''t want to have dinner with this woman, but she might have information about an issue which had deeply concerned Leena ofte. This woman might have the answer, and for that sake, Leena epted her invitation.


    "I''ll contact youter then, see you." Dorothy agreed. Respectfully, she took the business card, a smile of satisfaction spreading across her face. Her efforts today had not gone unrewarded. After all, Leena had agreed to have dinner with her. If everything went ording to n, it wouldn''t be long before she got what she wanted.


    Before leaving, Michelle gave Dorothy a spective look. This woman was familiar to her, but not because she had seen her in entertainment news. Now that Michelle thought about it, she might have met this woman long ago. However, the details presently eluded her.


    That night, finally home, Leena started to microwave the Chinese medicine for herself, like she often did. As she was about to drink it, the medicine was snatched away by someone from behind.


    Startled, she heard Kevin''s voice. "What''s this, babe? If you want to drink it, you have to tell me what this dark liquid is first." Kevin insisted, regarding Leena with the same doubt he had shown to the medicine bag.


    "You''re home early, Kevin." Leena said, trying to keep her voice steady. Kevin''s discovery that she had been taking medicine, left her a bit flustered. She tried not to stare at the medicine bag in Kevin''s hand, her face turning pale. Feigningposure, she turned to look at him.


    "Yeah. I finished work early today, so I came home early. Now, what is this?" Kevin insisted, as he examined the bag carefully. He couldn''t figure out what was inside, and his brows knitted together as he puzzled over the thing.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Well... it''s nothing. Tom said that my physique is poorly, and he suggested that I take some medicine to improve my general health," Leena answered with a bright smile. Luckily, she had not been in very good physique recently, and Kevin knew that. Hopefully Kevin would find that reason enough for her to take medicine.


    "When did he suggest this? Why didn''t you, or he tell me about it?" Kevin demanded, still frowning. From his point of view, Leena''s condition was quite a big deal. Tom should have discussed it with him beforehand. He was Leena''s husband after all.


    Leena giggled lightly upon hearing his words. "Take it easy, dear. Honestly, I''ve only taken it for a few days now. I just didn''t have a chance to tell you about it. You''ve been so busy recently." Leena shrugged off his concerns. She would not admit that she had in fact, taken this medicine for nearly a month! The medicine made her horribly sick every time, but she forced herself to drink it, for Kevin''s sake.00000000??????

 Chapter 1415 Confronting Dorothy (Part Two)

    "Is it really just for improving your health?" Kevin asked disbelievingly. He dubiously gave the medicine back to Leena, still considering whether he should trust her or not. In the past she had always been afraid of taking Chinese medicine, and this change concerned him. Howe she was willing to take it now? Kevin remembered that Tom had once told him how Leena disliked taking bitter Chinese medicine so much, that she would run away from it. So, it was just odd that she was now taking it in secret.


    "Of course, what else do you think it is for? I have nothing to hide from you." Sheughed, trying not to sound nervous. "Now, you should go wash up. Dinner will be ready soon." She changed the topic. As a matter of fact, the medicine was indeed a kind of tonic, therefore Leena''s words were somewhat true. What she didn''t tell Kevin though, was the medicine''s intended use and desired result.


    "I''ll fix the dinner," Kevin offered, "go, take your medicine first," Kevin said, removing his coat. Tossing the garment over the back of a dining-room chair, he returned to the kitchen, rolling up his sleeves.


    "I can cook after taking the medicine. You really should take a break," Leena quickly said. She knew how tired he could be from his work, so she hadn''t the heart to let him cook.


    "Don''t worry. I''m not very tired today, it was quiet at work, and I didn''t have much to do." Kevin said cheerfully, and bowed to kiss Leena gently on the forehead. He then started cooking, beaming with satisfaction.


    Seeing Kevin working happily in the kitchen, Leena no longer insisted on fulfilling her womanly tasks. Watching his broad back, Leena felt a gush of happiness sweep through her. He was such a thoughtful husband, and cared so much about her. She sincerely believed that she might be the happiest woman in the world. Most women would feel the same way if they were Leena. After all, who didn''t want to be loved and adored?


    After gazing affectionately at Kevin for a while, Leena sighed wistfully and turned to drink the medicine. Like always, it tasted terrible. So, when the liquid went down her throat, she couldn''t help but gag, her face turning pale.


    "Are you okay, babe?" Kevin asked, concerned by the sound. He set the spat down at once, and came to Leena''s side, his face showing his concern.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "I''m fine. I just don''t like the taste. I will get over it soon - "However, before she could finish, she choked again. Kevin was startled and concerned about her illness, but she had gotten used to it; the nausea and daily sickness, which the medicine brought had be an old friend to her. Kevin, on the other hand, witnessed her suffering for the first time. He hastened to fetch her a cup of warm water.


    "Have some water, Nana." He insisted. Kevin passed her the water, gently stroking her back. He had long known that she didn''t like the taste of the Chinese medicine, but he never expected it to cause her this much difort. His worry was understandable. Leena took the cup and sipped slowly. Although the bitter taste lingered in the mouth, it wasn''t strong enough now to make her feel nauseous.


    "Are you feeling better now?" Kevin asked softly, his tone full of concern.


    "Yeah, I feel a lot better. Don''t worry, I''m okay." She smiled wanly. She wanted Kevin to believe that it was really nothing serious, and that she just couldn''t take the bitter taste. She hoped that he would cease worrying.


    "Go lie down, get some rest. I''ll finish cooking," he urged, leading her from the kitchen. He was determined now to ask Tom about the medicine. If it was just some ordinary tonic, he didn''t think that Leena would push herself this hard to drink it, especially if it was making her react so badly. He needed to find out what it was that made her take this medicine, which clearly, was making her sick.


    Two dayster, Dorothy called, inviting Leena to a Hunan restaurant. She chose the ce because it had a quiet ambiance, and more importantly, it was rtively hard for the paparazzi to find.


    "Hello, take a seat, Mrs. Gu." Dorothy stood as Leena entered. "I''m very sorry about this small, humble little restaurant; but, I need to keep a low profile, as you can understand." Those were polished words, for the restaurant was by no means small. Though not as grandiose as the luxury upmarket restaurants, it was not small, nor humble.


    "It''s okay. You are a celebrity now, and can''t be too careful in public, or about who you are seen with," Leena said with a tight smile. Formalities observed, Leena gracefully sat down. She wore a new winter suit from Chanel today, and her model-like physique highlighted the outfit''s appeal, showing how well it was designed. The designer would have agreed: she wore it like it was made just for her, and draped around her, it echoed the design philosophy offort, simplicity and elegance.


    "Oh, you tter me. But I bet that you are much more famous than me, especially in France." Dorothy said, forcing a wide smile in an attempt to hide her envy of the beautiful other woman. She had no intention of starting a conflict with Leena, at least for now, so she tried her best not to lose her temper. Instead she bit down on a bitter reply and the pangs of jealousy.


    "That I can''t say. It''s only your guess. By the way, Miss Lu, I don''t think that you asked me out only to have a meal and a chat." Leena said coldly. She took up the ss in front of her, and slowly sipping the contents, she studied Dorothy''s expression.


    "Why? What else could I possibly want from you?" Dorothy asked, still with the sameposure, but there was a trace of derision in her smile.


    "That I can''t say, either. But we have met several times before, and I don''t believe that they were chance encounters, were they?" Leena stated, her slim fingers rounding the ss. Though she might seem delicate and sweet, she was never weak. So, she cut through the pleasantries, getting straight to the point.


    "It seems to me that you, Mrs. Gu,cks a sense of security. That could exin why you tend to think that everyone who approaches you has an axe to grind." Dorothy replied with a sneer. It was true that she had an agenda for getting close to Leena, but not all of their meetings had been nned; at least, the one in the Capital City was merely a coincidence.


    "Believe me, I wish I was imagining things. But Miss Lu, could you guarantee that you want nothing from me?" Leena asked. She wasn''t irritated by Dorothy''s words, for she trusted her intuition which told her that, Dorothy was a sophisticated woman, but not as nice a person as she pretended to be.


    "If you insist." Dorothy sighed. "If I left you with this bad impression, you have my apology." She took a deep breath and continued, "Yes, I try to make friends with you for a reason, but it''s not what you think. All I want is the opportunity to repay Kevin for his kindness, and for that I need your help." Dorothy said demurely. Sorrow was seemingly written on Dorothy''s face, as if Leena''s words had been a real blow for her.


    "Very good, though I must say, Miss Lu, that this reason does not seem convincing at all. If you want to repay Kevin, you can approach him directly. Surely, you do not need my help. I''m not involved in this in any way." Leena stated coldly. ''I wasn''t born yesterday!'' She thought, not knowing whether tough or cry. She just couldn''t believe that Dorothy woulde up with such ame excuse. It was almost as if she had just recited lines from one of her pulp dramas. Good heavens! Mentally, Leenaughed at the tragedy of it.

 Chapter 1416 Confronting Dorothy (Part Three)

    "I did! I went to him some time ago, but he simply refused my offer. He was not even willing to give me his phone number. I''m surprised that you don''t know this, it was all over the news." Dorothy said dejectedly, momentarily looking so sad that someone who didn''t know her maniptive nature might have believed her.


    "I think he has already then given you his answer, and quite clearly so. You should forget about it, move on. Why do youe to me now? Don''t you see that your efforts have caused us much trouble already?" Leena said grimly. She was not happy with what Dorothy had done, and made no secret of it. She wouldn''t have spoken such harsh words had Dorothy not disturbed their peace and threatened their life together.


    "I''m so sorry, I never realized that to be the effect, I just wanted to say ''thank you'' to Kevin," Dorothy apologized guiltily. Despite the seemingly earnest apology, she was gnashing her teeth, her nails digging deep into her palms. What she had truly realized now, was that she had underestimated Leena. She had mistaken Leena for a mere pushover, and had believed it would be a piece of cake to use her. But now Leena had proven herself to be a clever woman, and Dorothy knew from her tough stance on the issue that she would fight if her limit was challenged.


    "Never mind. d that we can talk it out. If you really are grateful to my husband, please leave us in peace. That would be the best reward. We all know that you are a public figure, who can easily catch the media''s attention and make the headlines. Remember, we don''t want to be any part of your story. Can you understand my meaning, Miss Lu?" Without batting an eye, Leena voiced her worries firmly. She knew that it was a bit mean to speak to Dorothy in this way, but she had to. She wanted nothing to do with this woman anymore, as she knew instinctively that this woman wanted more than simply returning Kevin''s favor. Leena hadn''t figured out her true purpose so far, but subconsciously she felt it wise to keep her at a distance.


    "Of course, I understand your concerns." Dorothy responded, biting her lip. Her n fell through, and she didn''t know how she was going to exin everything to that woman.


    "That''s all I want to say, and I no longer see the necessity of this meal. Now if you will excuse me, I''ve got to go. Thank you and good-bye, Miss Lu," Leena said, rising to leave. Though it was rude to leave, she felt it better than forcing down a meal with a stone face. After all, with Dorothy around, the meal would not be enjoyed.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    Stunned, and dizzy, Dorothy could only mumble, "Bye." She could actually picture in her mind what a stir it would cause if her explicit pictures were posted on-line. Her career, which she had built through years of effort, woulde to an abrupt end.


    After leaving the restaurant, Leena hesitated. It would be foolish not to eat something due to the exchange with Dorothy. But on second thought, she didn''t think she could simply ignore the unpleasantness of the previous exchange. It would take a hypocrite to do that. ''To enjoy a meal I''d better leave this ce,'' She thought, then walked away without looking back.


    Originally, Leena had intended to go home directly, but she changed her mind upon remembering that a mission was scheduled on the army base, and Kevin wouldn''t be home until muchter tonight. Turning the wheel, she headed for Duke''s home instead.


    "Well, well! Who do we have here?" Belinda taunted when she saw Leena at the door. Belinda regarded Leena with a spective look, as if to say, ''Still know your way home, huh? I thought that you had forgotten all of us''.


    "What''s wrong, Belinda? So, it''s true that pregnancy dulls your wits? I''m surprised that you said those words!" Leena eximed, pretending not to have noticed Belinda''s teasing tone. Instead, she looked at her burgeoning baby bump, grinning.


    "Who are you calling ''dull'', wicked girl? Now, What brings you back here anyway?" Belinda demanded in a ratty tone. Pregnancy was grinding at her patience. She had needed to limit her activities after getting pregnant, so her feeling restricted somewhat exined her moodiness. It was an unavoidable part of pregnancy for most women, but it seemed to be so much worse for her.


    "Take it easy. I''m not here to start a battle, I''m here to see my cute little nephew." Leena answered, yfully touching Belinda''s swollen tummy. "I''m so worried about you, my dear. You see, your mother is too childish to take good care of you and your future," Leena mumbled with pity, touching Belinda''s tummy to feel the baby move. She said it in all apparent seriousness that Belinda felt that she could do nothing with her.


    Exasperated, Belinda threw her hands in the air. "You want no battle, huh? And this is your way of making peace? You are driving me crazy!" Belinda sighed deeply. Gently pushing Leena''s head away from her belly, she said no more, hinting that she had thrown in the sponge.


    "Really? You? Crazy? Let me have a look." Leena just would not stop. "You look perfectly normal to me. It pains me to admit, but you are still so beautiful! My gosh, how can this be? I''ve heard that pregnancy makes women ugly, which is not true in your case, I see. Contrarily, you''ve grown in grace and charm!" Leena cried out joyfully. Obviously, she was ttering Belinda. ttery seemed the best policy when you had irritated someone like Belinda, especially when she was nearing the end of her pregnancy. Almost all women feared that pregnancy might disfigure them, by adding weight and twisting their shapes. So, Leena was sure that herpliment would work.


    "Save it, girl. I know what a beauty I am, so stop trying to butter me up. By the way, what are you doing here alone? Where''s Kevin? Isn''t he with you?" Belinda asked, craning her head to look for Leena''s absent husband. She turned to look at Leena questioningly, after she realized that Kevin wasn''t there.


    "He''s not here. He''s got work on the army base, and won''t be home early tonight. I wouldn''te here otherwise, you know." Unthinking, Leena''s answer gave her away.


    "What? I knew it! I knew you were not so kind as to simply visit us! Here you are, all reluctantly because your husband isn''t at home." Belinda teased. "You heard her, my baby, she isn''t here to see you. That was merely sweet talk. The truth is, all of us are nothingpared to your uncle Kevin!" ''An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth,'' Belinda thought, making fun of Leena by talking to her unborn child.


    Her words made Leena giggle, the game continuing. "Is it good mothering to teach your baby to bear grudges at such a young age? I wonder if Duke knows about your parenting skills." Leena could not helpughing. What was more, she suddenly realized that there might be others who held the same idea as Belinda, believing that Leena had forgotten about her family after marrying Kevin. Or else Belinda wouldn''t have said that she didn''t care about them all.


    "Are you talking about me?" Duke''s deep voice interrupted from behind. They looked up at his appearance on the stairs. He descended slowly before they answered his question, his cold eyes studying the two women he loved. Of course, his attention was quickly caught up by Belinda''s pregnant belly. He frowned, remembering again what Tom had said about the decreased absorption rate of the baby, which was the reason why Belinda''s belly was rtively small. This problem had been troubling him constantly, and he was quite worried about Belinda''s health.000

 Chapter 1417 Create A Business Empire For You (Part One)

    "There you are! I didn''t think you''d be home yet." Leena happily walked up to Duke and cuddled up to him. Though they were brother and sister, she was always loved, so cuddles and hugs weremon between them.


    "What are you doing here?" Duke asked, pretending to be indifferent to her. In fact, in his mind, he really wanted her to visit more, but he wasn''t about to let her know that.


    "I miss you, silly! Not buying it? Alright, the truth then. I came for dinner." Leena looked up, smiled sweetly, and didn''t mind how Duke felt when he heard that.


    Belinda smiled, too, and thought, ''Does this guy still think he''s the only one in Leena''s heart? Ha-ha! He has a strongpetitor now. And that is Kevin.'' "Where''s Kevin?" Duke asked. He could never bring himself to like the guy, but he still cared about him.


    "Kevin? Why do you care? You always give him a hard time. He''s not here. He doesn''t want things to be awkward," Leena said mischievously. She blinked, and thought, ''How can this big man be meaner than a woman? I''ve been married to Kevin for awhile now, and he''s still mad. That''s nuts.''


    "Ha ha! He should know it''s all in fun. Now wash up for dinner!" Duke frowned and seemed a little unhappy.


    "Did you hear that, youngdy? My husband asked you to wash your hands. So get your paws off him! He''s mine!" Belinda said in a yful tone and raised her eyebrows. Sometimes Belinda envied the way they got along with each other, wishing she had a big brother like Duke to take care of her. ''She''s lucky to have so many brothers like Duke. Why can''t I get pampered too? Lame!'' Belinda thought.


    "Belinda, stop looking at me like that. It''s scary." Leena shrank into Duke''s arms, pretending to be frightened by Belinda.N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    "That''s right. I''m giving you the jealous wife re. So hands off!" Belinda said jokingly. She had always been blunt, with no filter.


    "Hear that? She''s threatening me." Leena turned to Duke and pouted in an exaggerated way.


    "Yeah? So? She''s pregnant now. She''s allowed to be a little nutso. Just go wash your hands, okay?" Duke gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead, and then shook his head resignedly. Now he finally knew what it was like to be with two women at the same time. He wasn''t sure he was entirelyfortable with that.


    "Fine. I''ll forgive her - for you." Leena pretended to be serious and bounced off to wash her hands happily.


    "You spoil her so much!" Belinda said in an envious tone.


    "What? You jealous now?" Duke took her gently in his arms, bowed his head, kissed her on the lips, and whispered in her ear, "See? That is the difference."


    "Me? Jealous? Never!" Belinda retorted in a low voice. She pretended to be angry, but in fact she felt very warm in her heart.


    "Ha! It''s written all over your face." Duke called her out without hesitation. How could he not know what she was thinking as her husband?


    "Yeah, I''m jealous. What of it?" Belinda looked up and raised her eyebrows at him. She had to look up - he was way taller.


    "What am I gonna do with you? It''s time to eat anyway. Don''t make my kid go hungry." Duke knew she wasn''t really angry, so he didn''t take her words seriously. It was all in good fun.


    "You only care about your baby." Belinda pursed her lips to show her displeasure. When women got pregnant, they got more sensitive.


    "Bollocks! I care about both of you. Don''t forget, the baby''s in your tummy," Duke said resignedly, thinking, ''She''s jealous of her own kid? Women do go nuts when they''re pregnant.'' In fact, Duke was told about this before, but he didn''t take it to heart. So it always threw him for a loop, though it shouldn''t.


    "Cut the crap. The baby is the baby, and I''m me. We''re separate people. You think I''m as dumb as Leena?" Belinda said angrily. Now she seemed seriously upset.


    "Don''t believe me? I guess I''ll have to show you how much I love you." And he grabbed her, passionately, not roughly, and pulled her into a kiss.


    "What... What are you doing?" Belinda blushed and thought, ''Damn it. This guy always acts so serious, but when we''re alone, he''s a big flirt-monster.''


    "You know what I''m doing, don''t you?" Duke gave her lips a gentle bite, which just turned her on even more. As Leena walked out of the bathroom, Duke moved away from Belinda and smiled yfully as if nothing had happened. "Belinda, what''s wrong? Why''s your face so red?" Leena looked curiously at the two of them and wanted to know what they were doing just now. Or maybe, on second thought, she didn''t want to know.


    "Don''t ask me. Ask your brother." Belinda blushed, red at Duke, and hurried to the dining room.


    "What''s with her?" Curiosity was written all over Leena''s face when she asked. ''She was fine just a bit ago. Then why is she angry now?'' Leena thought.


    "Nothing. Let''s eat." Duke''s smile didn''t leave his face. He was not stupid enough to tell Leena what he just did.


    After dinner, Leena stayed and visited for a while before returning home. When she came home, she pushed the door open and it was all dark. She was disappointed. Kevin wasn''t back.


    After a rxing bath, Leenay on the couch and then turned on the TV. She kept changing channels, but couldn''t find her favorite show, so she felt particrly bored. She turned off the TV and went to her workroom. Meanwhile, Luke stood by at Edward''s ce, waiting for a reply.


    "You mean Dorothy had dinner with Leena?" Edward frowned and thought, ''What is Dorothy up to?"


    "I don''t think so. Leena was there awhile before she left for Duke''s house, so I don''t think they ate together," Luke replied respectfully. Whatever his cover story was, he never forgot that he was a bodyguard above all else. "OK. I see. Keep an eye on Dorothy. I''m sure I''ll catch her." Edward sneered. He knew that Dorothy must have had some schemes in mind. She wouldn''t talk to Leena otherwise.


    "I will. But why Dorothy? You think she''s up to no good?" Luke''s face was a mask of confusion. ''Isn''t this the woman who signed with FX International Group?'' Luke wondered, ''Why spy on her? Did I miss something?''


    "Don''t you think the news before was too dramatic? Someone did that on purpose." No matter why Dorothy came to Kevin, Edward would never allow anyone to hurt Leena.


    "You mean the report about Dorothy and the Major General? I remember they said they were being followed by paparazzi." Luke looked at Edward doubtfully and thought, ''That was some time ago. Why is he so agitated now?''


    "She showed up at the army base, no disguise. She wasn''t hiding from anyone. I think she did this on purpose." Edward tapped on the table in a rhythmic pattern, thinking, ''If she went to Kevin to pay him back for a favor, it makes sense. But why would she want to meet Leena?''


    "Then should we warn the Major General and Leena?" Luke asked. He believed Edward was right about this, as usual.


    "No. Just send someone to keep tabs on Dorothy. And, if necessary, you can ask my dad for bodyguards to protect Leena. Go home and rx. Your wife will be happy to see you." Edward smiled yfully, a glint of amusement in his eyes.


    "Don''t make fun of me, Mr. Mu. You know me too well." Luke''s mouth twitched a little. He knew why Edward said this, but he had little interest in married life. He liked being a bachelor.00????????????

 Chapter 1418 Create A Business Empire For You (Part Two)

    "Yeah I do, but time changes. You''ll understandter," Edward said. He was talking from experience. He used to think that way too. When he met Daisy, everything changed. "Nope. I just got married to make Dad and Mom happy." Lukeughed at himself and thought, I know that sounds bad, but it''s what she wants. There''s nothing wrong with making her happy.''


    "Luke, don''t say that. Anyway, she''s a girl, and girls need attention. Whether you love her or not, you should be the best husband you can be. If it doesn''t look like you''re trying, other people will talk about you behind your back," said Edward with a frown. Frankly speaking,


    he did not approve of what Luke had done to Michelle.


    "I see. If there''s nothing else, I can take off." In fact, Luke really hadn''t listened to Edward at all.


    "OK! Be nice to your wife. Remember that." A gentle sigh escaped Edward''s mouth. He promised not to stick his nose in Luke''s business anymore, but he still felt he needed to remind Luke to be nice to Michelle for returning her favor.


    Coming out of the study, Luke walked so fast he didn''t notice Justin. If Luke hadn''t stopped in time, he might have knocked Justin down.


    "Oh! Uncle Luke, in a hurry much? You almost broke my cute nose." As Justinined to Luke, he gently rubbed his nose, as if he wanted to make a point.


    "You all right? Let me see. It''s just a little red. No need to worry about your cute little nose." Luke seldom spoke; much less told stupid jokes. Thus, what he just said sounded awkward.


    "If it was broken, then what would you do? Huh! Where are you going in such a rush anyway? In a hurry to see Aunt Michelle?" Justin said jokingly with a sly look in his eye, gazing at Luke expectantly.


    "I''d shut up right now, young man. Isn''t it past your bedtime?" Luke gave him a serious look, which made him look even more aloof.


    "Gosh! I''m a genius. Try and keep up." Justin shook his head and pushed the study door open.


    Luke''s mouth twitched a little. ''The boy is as narcissistic as his father, '' he thought.


    "Daddy, are you still busy?" Justin walked over to Edward at a brisk pace.


    "Right now? Yeah. What''s up?" Edward asked without looking up, eyes still resting on the paper in front of him.


    "Here''s the thing. Remember thatputer game I was working on? It''s done. So, I was thinking you might want to buy the rights? FX would own everything. What do you say?" Justin looked at Edward fawningly. As his son, Justin was very proud to have such a handsome father.


    "We''re family right? Why not give it to me for free?" Edward finally raised his head and looked at Justin, and thought, ''This little man wants to do business with me? I didn''t just teach him the art of the deal - I am the art of the deal.''


    "Daddy, you''re not going to stiff your son after he worked so hard?" Justin didn''t expect Edward to say that, thinking, ''I''m so stupid. How could I forget what Uncle Rain told me?''


    "No. I''m not ripping you off. You know that FX International Group is yours, right? Well, the less we pay for something the more money we''ll have." Edward was a genius when it came to business, so no one could take advantage of him, even his son. And so he convinced Justin to turn over his hard work for free.


    "Yeah, you''re right. But why do I get the nagging feeling you''re taking advantage of me?" Edward frowned and thought, ''He''s obviously trying to cheat me. So why did he say that?''


    "There is nothing wrong with it. Think about it. You know you''ll inherit FX International Group in the future, right?" Edward pretended to be serious, but he could not helpughing in his heart. ''It''s not so hard to fool this little guy. That''ll teach you not to cheat me, ''thought Edward.


    "Yes, but now you''re trying to trick me, and you get all the profit if my idea takes off. And I won''t see a penny of it." Justin was confused, but he knew when he was being ripped off.


    "Yes, but that''s just for now. I am working so hard now to create a business empire for you. Do you think you should ask me for money?" Edward raised his eyebrows and thought, ''Although Justin is smart, he''s just a kid and he can''tpete with me. I''ve been doing this for years.''N?velD(ram)a.?rg owns this content.


    "No." Justin answered him sheepishly. Edward knew he could put one over on him. Sometimes even a genius could be stupid.


    "Anything else, son?" Edward bowed his head and smiled quietly. He didn''t want Justin to see the glint in his eye.


    "No, but I still think you''re trying to pull a fast one." Edward might have convinced him, but he did nothing to quell his doubts. That was why Justin was so confused.


    "Go back to your room and figure it out. I''m busy right now." Edward knew that he had only convinced Justin for the moment. Justin would figure out Edward was fooling him sooner orter. So, Edward had to think about what to do about that before he found out. When Luke got home, he couldn''t find Michelle. Maria told him that Michelle had gone out. After hearing that, Luke frowned unhappily. ''I forgot to let her know that once she was married, she couldn''t run around like a wild woman like she used to. If she keeps making trouble, I''ll have to tell her father, ''Luke thought.


    In a noisy bar, Michelle was in her element, dancing with the deafening music. Men and women were wriggling their bodies. Michelle stood in the middle of the dance floor, shaking her head and hips frantically and unleashing her passion.


    After marrying Luke, Michelle had been very sad. Luke wouldn''t even look at her, let alone have sex with her. At first, she swallowed her pride and took the initiative to please Luke. However, whatever she did, he didn''t care. This hurt her, so she came to the bar to work off stress and feel no pain.


    Michelle didn''t have as nice a body as Leena, but she was quite sexy. So when she wantonly danced in the middle of the dance floor, all eyes were on her.


    After dancing for a bit, Michelle, body glistening with perspiration, ordered a ss of wine and downed it at once. Her sexy dancing and brazen attitude had everyone at the bar counter interested.


    "Hey! Girl, can I buy you a drink?" A man came up to her and spoke to her in a yful tone. This man must have a lot of confidence in himself.


    "Thanks, but I don''t need it." Michelle didn''t even look at the man and went on pouring more wine into her ss from the carafe. She felt so suffocated by Luke that she just wanted to get drunk and throw off her shackles. She felt so sorry for herself, and felt so ridiculous that she fell in love with a man who didn''t love her.


    "Then let''s have a drink together. I''m alone anyway." The man took the initiative to sit beside her, ogling her breasts with lust in his eyes. Seeing the beads of sweat rolling down her chest, he couldn''t help licking his lips.


    Michelle ignored him. She didn''t own the bar, so she couldn''t stop him. She just kept drinking, without saying a word.


    "You can hold your liquor. I like that in a woman. Wanna to race me to see who gets drunk first?" Seeing that Michelle was ignoring him, the man continued to jabber.


    "Really? You think I don''t know what you''re gonna do to me when I''m drunk? You are unbelievable! That won''t work on anyone. Quit bothering me and piss off! Now!" Michelle stared at him coldly, thinking, ''Don''t you know who I am? Are you tired of being alive? How dare you hit on me like that?''

 Chapter 1419 Prostitute (Part One)

    The man looked at Michelle disdainfully and aggressively. He became very angry after being made fun of by Michelle.


    "Men hook up with girls in bars with only one purpose and that is to have sex with them. What other reasons do you think there could be? Huh? You are looking for your customer here today, am I right? Don''t think that you can fool me, pretending that you''re a clean girl." "What did you just say? Say it again if you have the guts!" Michelle suddenly grabbed him by his cor. What made him think that she was looking for her customer? Was this son of a bitch blind as a bat?


    "Yes of course! I will say it once again. And listen well so that I don''t have to repeat it over and over again. You. Are. Only. A. PROSTITUTE! Don''t pretend to be a good woman. Is that clear enough for you?" The man continued to challenge her. He was indeed very bold. It was extremely humiliating for a man to be seized by a woman in public. How could he be a coward while being watched by so many people?


    "Okay, you will be surely dead! Consider yourself already dead!" Michelle gave him a punch in the gut without hesitation. The man curled down in pain but was able to straighten up and swing back. Fortunately, she was able to avoid it. In an instant, the situation went out of control. Before she realized what had happened, she was already at the police station. Much worse, she had to face Luke, who bristled with rage.


    Even a good-tempered man would feel infuriated if he was called to the police station in the middle of the night to fetch his wife who got involved in a brawl with some stranger. One could just imagine how it would be with the hot-tempered Luke.


    Michelle lowered her head and looked at her toes. The man whom she punched sat beside her, moaning in pain. His shirt had been torn to shreds, showing multiple deep scratches that bled and worst of all, his right face appeared swollen. His eye socket had darkened and his lips seemed to have burst from a hard punch. If the police officers had not required her to call her parents, Michelle would not have given them Luke''s phone number.


    Luke was a very cold and ruthless man. Now he became more frightening with his devilish look. He gazed at her with hateful eyes. If his eyes could kill people, Michelle would have died more than a dozen times already.


    "Okay, Mr. Luo, How do you want to resolve this? Do you want to go through the legal process or settle this matter in private?" said the police officer who handled this case, looking at Luke. Although he was an officer, he still couldn''t help but cower inside at the sight of Luke. The way he carried himself was too intimidating, and the police officer felt a shiver down his spine as he looked at the frustrated man.


    "Let me talk to the guy first," Luke replied without even turning his head. He clenched his fists to suppress his anger. He had thought of making rules with Michelle and warning her not to make trouble for him outside. But things happened faster than he could give her the warning. Obviously, trouble had already caught up with her and that was why they were at the police station now.


    "Listen, I will never ever settle this in private. That woman is the devil in human form. Look what she did to me. Look at my swollen face. I will certainly make her pay for this!" The man said emotionally while wiping the blood away from the corner of his mouth. It had bulged so much that it was almost difficult to understand what he was saying.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    "You fucking scum! You came to me and harassed me first! You dirty mindless prick! I was already very gracious to only give you a few punches. You dared to take advantage of me! Who do you think you are?" Michelle was enraged at the mention of this and began to w at the man. One of the officers standing nearby had to pull her back and restrain her. She momentarily forgot about Luke''s murderous look boring into her.


    "Shut up!" Luke growled through his teeth. Didn''t she think that she was troublesome enough?


    Michelle''s lips trembled. She nned to say something to defend herself. But at the sight of his intimidating eyes, Michelle swallowed back her words and didn''t dare to make another sound.


    "This will be a private settlement, whether you like it or not. Spit it out! How much money do you want?" Luke didn''t want toplicate the matter. He did not want to have this resolved any other way. This problem must go away quietly because he didn''t want the FX International Company to be dragged into the mud.


    "Why should we give him money? I did nothing wrong! He was the one who harassed me!" Michelle said as she looked at Luke angrily. Terrified as Michelle was by Luke''s furious look, she knew that she was on the right side of thew and didn''t want to be wronged. "Look! This is not a thing that could be solved with money. You heard what she said and you know what an unscrupulous woman she is!" The man shouted, as if only he could be counted on as a good citizen who observed the rules ofw. He was aggressive and arrogant earlier, but now reduced to a filthy lump. .000000

 Chapter 1420 Prostitute (Part Two)

    "Is 10, 000 enough for you? Or you can consult the police and let them make the calction for you," Luke said while taking out his wallet. If it was not for his identity, he would not give the man even a penny.


    "10, 000? Do you think I am a beggar? No matter what, you need to pay at least 20, 000." The man was getting too greedy. In fact, it was beyond his expectation for Luke to offer 10, 000. But seeing that he didn''t have any hesitations about taking out so much money, the man decided to take advantage of him and demanded more.


    "What? 20, 000? 10, 000 is a lot already. If you want that much money, you''d better go and rob the bank! You are shameless and pathetic!" Michelle was vexed. ''God forbid that I ever run into this hillbilly again, otherwise I will really break his legs. We''ll see whether he''d dare to demand that much money again!'' Michelle fumed inside.


    "Okay fine, here is 20, 000." 20, 000 was to Luke what 200 was tomon people, so he didn''t care at all. The man''s jaw almost dropped to the floor when he saw Luke take out the money. He didn''t expect that it would be so easy for him to get 20, 000. He considered whether he should have asked for more.


    "Why the hell are you giving him the money? He''s ripping you off and you''re giving him what he wanted. Luke, are you brainless?" Michelle stood right up out of anger. She hated it the most when people who had wronged her got to show their smug faces in front of her. Completely ignoring Michelle, Luke turned to the man who seemed to be the chief at the station and said, "Officer, we have reached an agreement. Could I take her home now?"Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    "Oh! Sure. Just sign your name here, then you can go." Truthfully, the chief officer was also taken aback by Luke''s way of dealing with this matter. He didn''t even try to make a bargain, or more precisely, he only said a few words and the matter was solved. ''Money makes the world go round'', and it couldn''t be more right in this situation.


    Luke leaned down on the desk and quickly signed his name. Then he nodded at the policeman and walked out of the police station, without even asking Michelle to follow him.


    Michelle bit her lips and stared hard at the man who gloated over his triumph. Then she hurriedly rushed out.


    "Sorry!" Michelle trotted and finally caught up with him. Ignoring the cold air that was frightfully frozen around him, she apologized cautiously, "I really didn''t want to make trouble for you. I swear."


    Remaining silent, Luke ignored her and directly walked to his car. He opened the door and got into the car. He seemed very calm on surface, but the way that he flung the door shut almost made Michelle jump in fear, realizing that he was raging inside. Standing beside the car, Michelle was very uneasy, not knowing whether she should get in. A gust of wind blew and she couldn''t help shivering.


    "Well? Get in the car. Are you waiting for some chivalrous invitation or something?" Luke lowered the window and looked at her indignantly.


    "Oh." Michelle bit her lips and got into the car timidly. Because it was the first time for her to ride Luke''s car, she was very nervous. But at the same time, she was very excited. The interior of the car was all luxurious leather and nothing was spared with all its trimmings, safety features and advanced electronics.


    "Put on your seat belt." Luke said, still in a cold tone. Looking furtively at his handsome profile, Michelle could still feel that an angry storm was about toe down on her.


    "Oh." Michelle followed his order obediently and didn''t even dare to breathe too hard.


    The posh European car rumbled to life with its V12 engine and whirled away from the police station like a shooting arrow, whisking past other ordinary cars. Everything outside almost looked like a blur but it felt light and almost motionless inside. On the way home, Luke did not say one word, gazing firmly at the road ahead. The air around him made Michelle feel so cold that her ears felt almost numb. It wasn''t the car''s climate control doing that but the chilly atmosphereing from Luke.


    Arriving home, Luke got off the car and directly went inside, not caring whether Michelle followed him or not. He walked towards the fridge and took out arge bottle of ice water. He raised his head and gulped it down in a second. Without the ice water to cool him down, he wasn''t sure whether he would do something outrageous or not.


    Lingering at the door for a long time, Michelle still didn''t dare toe into the house. She was used to dealing with gangsters all day long and paying no mind to her own life. But now she was only afraid of one person, her husband. People always had their own soft spot and for her she had given in to Luke.


    Luke was very patient tonight. He crossed his legs andy back in the sofa, waiting for her to deliver herself into his hands. He didn''t think that she would stay outside overnight. She could if she liked the freezing cold. Plus, he had pretty much time anyway. "Okay,e on, Michelle. You can do it." Michelle encouraged herself and knocked her fist on her chest, then she walked into the house as if she were a heroining in for a death fight.


    She was not good at ying the "graceful card", but no one could be better than her in ying the fool. So after she entered the house, sheughed a sillyugh in front of him and hurriedly said, "I''ll go upstairs to take a shower now." Then she quickly disappeared, running up the stairway.


    Luke was not in a hurry and just let her go. She could take her time. He had already waited for so long so he didn''t mind waiting a little bit longer.


    But she had to face what woulde to her sooner orter. When she walked out of the bathroom, she saw that Luke hade to the bedroom. It was rare for her to see him there, but Michelle didn''t look surprised. She knew Luke wouldn''t let her get away with this fiasco so easily. During the shower, she had prepared for the worst and told herself to behave her best. She also made up her mind that she would not talk back no matter how harshly he scolded her.???????????

 Chapter 1421 Prostitute (Part Three)

    "I am very sorry for what happened today," Michelle apologized, wondering whether this could make him less angry. It was a long shot but she said it anyway.


    "Do you know what you did wrong?" Although Luke was only Edward''s bodyguard, he also had his own unique and strong presence. Michelle felt frightened and backed a few steps as she saw him casually raise his eyebrows.


    "I admit that I shouldn''t have gone out to drink sote. But I don''t think that I was wrong to punch that low-life piece of scum," Michelle said defiantly. She soon forgot her initial n to y soft, getting defensive after seeing his overbearing manner.


    "In that case, why did you call me instead of solving the matter yourself?" Luke said, a little irritated. Although he had tried his best to suppress his anger, he still had the urge to strangle her to death. In fact, he already considered it a miracle that he could hold his temper for this long and didn''t let it explode.


    "It was the police officer who asked me to send for my parents. I had no choice but to give your number to him," Michelle said in a weak voice. She was his wife, and she didn''t think that it was still appropriate to call his father in this case. If her father came, he might burn the police station down. Her father got quite a temper and did not respect the police force. He actually had quite a few unpleasant encounters with them! It was a miracle or rather it was the loopholes in thews that made him walk freely on the streets. "You sound as if you are the one wronged and I''m the one who deliberately put you into trouble." Luke narrowed his eyes and gazed at her with his raging eyes. His voice was solid but it trembled at certain points of uncontroble fury.


    "I didn''t mean that. Since you are not happy about it, I will not call you next time." Michelle swallowed hard and didn''t know where to look at under his intense gaze.


    "Next time? There''s going to be a next time? You mean you will find yourself in trouble back at the police station again?" Luke asked in a piercingly cold tone. If Edward hadn''t talked to him earlier that night, he would not have been so calm. She should feel lucky. "There are so many bad guys out there. I can''t assure you 100% that I won''t run into them in the future. Otherwise I should just stay at home and be locked up here all day long and just be a grumbling and nagging housewife. Is that what you want?" It was true that she loved him, but that didn''t mean that she would bend over backwards and lock herself up in a dungeon for him. In this case, Michelle would not be Michelle anymore. She would be a ghost.


    "Very good. You have a gift of a gab. It seems that I have stuck my nose into your affairs tonight. My apologies." Luke said sarcastically as he looked deeply into her eyes. He sneered and turned around to leave.


    "Hey, wait. I am here at your disposal. You can do anything, if you want to beat me up or scold me, I will notin." His indifferent manner was emotional abuse to Michelle, and that was more of a blow to her than any kind of beating or scolding. That was why she couldn''t stand it anymore earlier tonight, and went out to have a drink.


    "Beat you up? To be honest, you don''t deserve me lifting my hand. It''s not even worth it." He didn''t mind what she would think about him, cruel or ruthless, anyway, he wanted her to know that he didn''t care for her a tiny bit.


    "Then why did you marry me? Huh, Luke? Why?" Michelle bit her lips, her face ghastly pale.


    "Because I needed to have a wife, and you happened to be there, just pestering me. That''s all. I thought we were already clear about that. And I thought I had told you that I hated repeating myself!" Luke pretended that he did not notice her depressed expression. Every word that tumbled out from his mouth was like a rusty needle that pierced her heart.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Anything else? Don''t you feel anything for me? Any emotion at all?" Distressed, Michelle closed her eyes and waited for the answer. She felt hurt as much as she loved him.


    "No. And don''t ever expect to get a tiny bit of love from me. It''ste. Go to sleep now. Oh and before I forget, if possible, try to stay away from your old way of life. You know, the lowly filthy type." Luke knew that it was over the top for him to say this. But considering the general interests of all involved, he didn''t want Michelle to bring trouble to this family. For example, Michelle''s background came into conflict with Daisy''s profession. Military officers and gangsters were enemies and Michelle''s identity was a huge threat for him. "Okay, I see." She had told herself that she would never cry. But seeing Luke leave so resolutely, she could no longer hold back her tears. So again, that night with a broken heart that was further broken, she cried her eyes out. She grieved that she loved him to the bones, but what she got in return was nothing, except the desperation that almost destroyed her world.


    Luke paused a while when he heard her cry. Without turning his head, he decidedly left. He would not allow himself to have any feelings for her, not even pity on her. Not even one tiny bit.


    Michelle found her life changed dramatically and overturned. She no longer rode her favorite Harley and whirled in the streets of S City. Nor did she meet and coborate with other gangsters to join the turf wars with other groups. Instead, she either stayed at home or at Edward''s mansion. Soon, she lost her usual energetic and cheerful spirit, giving in to the strict and formal rules of higher society.


    "Aunt Michelle, what are you looking at? There are nothing other than clouds in the sky. Are you waiting for pies to fall from the sky or something?" Justin suddenly appeared beside her. He raised his head and looked up the same way as Michelle did, to see what made her so engrossed in the sky, but he saw nothing special.


    "Oh, hi Justin, there you are! You already came back from school?" Michelle took her gaze back down from the sky and pinched Justin''s young and rosy cheeks.


    "Yes I did! Aunt Michelle, you haven''t told me what you are looking at in the sky," Justin looked at her and asked persistently, his head turned gracefully.


    "Nothing. I just feel really bored. Let''s go back inside." Michelle stood up from the bench. Now she was pretty much like an angel whose wings were broken. She could no longer fly in the vast sky, restricted to some limited space with an invisible chain that was stronger than any piece of steel.


    "It''s said that only a genius could feel that life is lonely. I didn''t expect that ordinary people would have the same feeling." Justin sighed and shook his head. He walked into the house first with a pitiful look, leaving Michelle behind. Michelle''s mouth twitched. She stood there dumbstruck, forgetting even how to respond.


    "Michelle, Michelle, what are you thinking about? I called you so many times but you didn''t seem to hear me!" Cynthia frowned and patted her on the shoulders.


    "Oh! Mom, you are back. Sorry, I have drifted off, daydreaming." Michelle said and smiled apologetically, feeling embarrassed, "What happened to you recently? I notice that you always seem to appear distracted." Cynthia cared about everyone in this house, and she could observe the slightest weirdness immediately. Michelle''s strange behavior had finally got caught in her radar.


    "Probably it''s because I haven''t gotten used to the life here. It will be better after a period of time. Don''t worry, I''m gonna be right." Michelle shed a forced smile. Even though her rtionship with Luke did not exactly qualify as a real rtionship, not once had she ever thought of reporting this to his mother. That was not her character.


    "Is it because of Luke? Did he say anything that made you unhappy? He is a good man. He is just cold and indifferent to people. Don''t be too bothered about this. You should try to do something to make him change, make him be more excited about you." Cynthia knew that it would be very difficult, but who knew how it would end up without even giving a try?


    "Mom, I know." Michelle smiled bitterly. Perhaps even the warmest sunshine would be unable to melt the most frozen piece of ice which was undeniably the one in Luke''s heart.


    Michelle had thought that as long as she devoted herself into loving him, she would be duly paid back with his love. But she didn''t expect that all her efforts would have no effect on him. She never wanted him to be that enthusiastic about her. She only wanted him to ept her love, to allow her to express her love to him.


    Love is aplicated thing in this world. It depended on how one perceived it. Now she was caught in a dilemma and wasn''t sure how to continue. She didn''t want to me anyone for this. Her only regret was that she shouldn''t have agreed to this marriage set up so rashly.


    Leena still had to drink the herbal medicines everyday. The bitter vor almost made Leena throw up every time. Seeing Leena''s miserable expression, Kevin thought that he needed to take some time from his busy schedule to visit the hospital and discuss it with Tom. "Major General Gu, what brought you here?" Tom teased when he saw Kevin drop by his office unexpectedly.


    "Who knows? Maybe I was carried here by the tailwind. Are you still busy now? I kind of wanted to have a talk with you." Since thest time they talked to each other, they got along quite well. So Kevin didn''t have qualms about exchanging any banter with Tom. "So you came here especially to talk to me?" Tom was a little surprised. He had thought that Kevin came here with Leena to visit Patricia. It was always the case. At least in this hospital, it was strange to see Kevin here without his wife with him. "Yes, pretty much." Kevin nced around the room and then sat on the sofa without waiting to be invited.


    "What do you want to talk about? It''s about Leena, I''m sure." Tom knew that try as they might to keep the truth from him, Kevin would sense it. It was only a matter of time. And he was right. Kevin hade today, wanting to find out the truth.00000??????????

 Chapter 1422 What Is The Truth (Part One)

    "Obviously, you knew I woulde. Let me guess. What Leena has been taking are not exactly health supplements. Am I right? They''re not really tonics, right?" Kevin cautiously asked in a nervous voice. He wasn''t sure whether he guessed it right. The uncertainty of it made him uneasy and anxious.


    "No, you''re wrong. She is indeed taking tonics. But if she doesn''t want to tell you why, then I can''t say anything else." Tom had promised Leena that he wouldn''t take the liberty of telling Kevin the truth, and he would never go back on his word. As a doctor, he had sworn to protect the patient''s privacy. "Fine. But could you at least tell me whether it''s life-threatening or not? I mean, what she''s taking them for," Kevin asked with hopeless expectation. He wondered how serious it was before he figured out why she had to take tonics. As her husband, he felt that he had the right to know.


    "Well, it''s hard to say," was Tom''s ambiguous answer. He understood how frustrating it must be for Kevin, but at this time, Leena was his patient and therefore he couldn''t tell Kevin. He pondered that some women had died during childbirth, so one could say that it was life- threatening. That was why he couldn''t give an absolute answer.


    "What? Tell me. Is she going to die? You''re a doctor, Tom. Can you save her?" Kevin rose from the couch but did not let go of it, trembling as he started to panic. He was mistaken about Tom, so he lost control of his emotions.


    "As you can see, I''m doing everything I can to help nurse her to optimal health. So please calm down. You are scaring me right now." Tom patted his chest, as if he was really frightened.


    "What disease is she suffering from? Why is it so serious that it''ll endanger her life?" Kevin was too busy freaking out, ignoring what Tom was doing or saying. He was only concerned about his wife.


    "What? I didn''t say that it would take her life! Stop talking nonsense!" Tom rolled his eyes at Kevin. He thought Kevin, a major general, would be tougher than this, having gone through more challenging circumstances in the military. He might have even already stared down the barrel of a gun. But to his surprise, and a bit of amusement, Kevin was an emotional sack. He loved Leena too dearly that he couldn''t remain calm.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    "But... That was what you just said, right? Are you telling me that I misunderstood? Whew! Thank God!" Kevin let out a long sigh of relief. The more he loved Leena, the more he was afraid of losing her. He didn''t want Leena to die. They were supposed to grow old together. This life without her would be terrible.


    "I didn''t say that. You just made a blind conjecture and may I say, a little bit of over-reaction. Well, would you like to have a drink?" Patricia''s amnesia still puzzled Tom. He was at aplete loss as to what to do. It was a very tricky problem because Patricia remembered everyone and everything, except him. And he needed an outlet to release some stress from it.


    "I''m not in the mood for that now. I''m gonna have to take a rain check." Kevin didn''t like to leave problems unsolved, so he wanted to go back and directly ask Leena about it. Otherwise, he wouldn''t be able to sleep at night.


    "I may not be free another day. If you''re worried that Leena doesn''t let you drink, I''ll call her." His friends he used to go drinking with had all gotten married and now had children, while he still remained single. Now they seldom got together, leaving him almost no one to hang out with.


    "No need. I can call her myself. But you still haven''t given me a concrete answer, so I will have to go back and ask her myself." Kevin picked up his briefcase from the couch and walked quickly towards the door. He was still eager to know what was going on with his wife. "Hey, listen, if she still doesn''t want to talk about it, don''t force her. Give her time and space to decide until she''s ready to open up about it. You''re her husband, and she knows that she will have to tell you one time or another." The look in Tom''s face hardened. He wouldn''t bear to see Leena get hurt. She was already suffering immensely from the mental and emotional torture because of her condition, and there was no need to make it worse.


    "Don''t worry. If she''s still not ready, I won''t push it. I have to go. Let''s have a drink another day." Kevin left Tom''s office in a hurry, leaving the door ajar, as if he hadn''t evene at all.


    Standing outside Patricia''s ward, Tom thought for a moment before he pushed the door open.


    "How is the rehabilitation going? Are there any improvements?" There were a lot of patients today, so Tom didn''t have time to visit Patricia until now. For quite some time since she got out of hera, he had been faced with a dilemma. He didn''t dare to tell Patricia his feelings for her because it mightplicate things. If they somehow fell in love now, he had no idea whether she would still ept him after she got her memory back. Most of her memories of him had not been pleasant, to say the least.


    "Yeah. The doctor said it was good. Have you finished your work for the day?" Patricia was beaming with pleasure at the sight of Tom.


    "Good to hear that. Yes, I''m pretty much done. Try to get exercise as much as you can, or ask the nurse to massage your weak areas. It''s very helpful for your recovery." Tom didn''t know why he always kept a poker face in front of Patricia. He liked Patricia, but he didn''t know how to get along with her. His IQ was high, but he had an EQ simr to an eighth grader, insecure and uncertain.


    "What''s happening to you, Tom? You make me feel weird." Patricia sitting in a wheelchair gazed at Tom, her face puzzled.00000000000

 Chapter 1423 What Is The Truth (Part Two)

    "Nothing. I''d like to have a talk with you." Tom sat down beside Patricia. His love for her was immense, so he decided to take the initiative to start some sort of courtship. "About what?" Patricia didn''t know what game Tom was ying. They already had a long talk about rehabilitation not long ago. What did Tom want to talk about this time? "Well, I want to talk to you about your amnesia." Tom looked Patricia directly in the eye. No one could escape from the facts.


    "I''m recovering well. Why should we talk about this again?" Patricia was nervous. Was Tom seeing through her now? Was it time for the big revtion? If so, what should she do?


    "Don''t you want to have yourplete memory restored?" Tom pondered more seriously. Didn''t she want her missing memory back? Maybe she didn''t want to remember anything about him.


    "If it''s a bad memory, I''d rather not remember it. I do think that I remember everything, despite everyone telling me otherwise." Patricia stared at Tom. If she''d lose him after she remembered the past, she''d rather not go down that route.


    "So it doesn''t matter if you forget some things about me?" Tom knew that Patricia had a lot to hate about him in the past. She surely wouldn''t want to recall those days with him.


    "But I know you now, right? Isn''t that all that matters? Why do you think the past is so important?" Patricia bowed her head. She felt apologetic, but she didn''t say anything about it.


    "Okay, I hear you. Whatever you say." Tom knew it was a lie. He put on a bitter smile. For better or worse, no one wanted to be forgotten.


    "Come on, Tom. How about a smile? Don''t be so damn serious. I mean, we are already in a hospital." Patricia was as lively and active as ever. Everything was normal, except that she once fell in love with Tom.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    "Okay, time to knock it off. Let me know if you don''t feel well." Tom forced a smile at Patricia. He didn''t want to upset Patricia.


    "Huh? I thought you were gonna stay with me tonight." Patricia shot the doctor a reproachful pout. She had waited for Tom the whole day. Suddenly he was going to leave after just spending a few minutes with her. Was it something that she said? She wondered whether they were really in love now.


    "I''m tired today. I will try to spend more time with you tomorrow, okay? Have a good rest." Tom bent over to kiss Patricia on the cheek. They seemed to love each other, but they were both being extremely cautious. Tom felt there was a time bomb in his heart. Everything would change dramatically if and when Patricia got her memory back.


    Looking at Tom''s receding figure, Patricia pursed her lips. Should she tell him the truth? Should she tell him that she had regained all her memory? That she still loved him in spite of it all? She wasn''t ready to tell him, because she was afraid that he would get mad and hate her all over again, after he found it out.


    She found him cold, ice-like and distant in the past and didn''t want to be hurt again. She knew that he would know the truth sooner orter, but she wanted to hide it for the time being. Maybe she was being selfish, but she didn''t know how to keep him close without pretending like this. It was still possible to lose him, and she didn''t know how she''d handle it if that happened, so she chose to pretend for now.


    Kevin got home and found that Leena wasn''t home, which made him panic a little. By this time, she usually had gotten dinner ready, but she was nowhere in sight. What happened today?


    Kevin hurriedly took out his phone and called Leena, and was startled to hear her phone ring right beside him. He looked back and saw her phone on the table still ringing. He hung up from his phone.


    Where was Leena? Kevin quickly went upstairs, but he didn''t find even her shadow inside or outside. This made him feel terribly uneasy, his heart starting to beat faster.


    He went downstairs, thought for a minute and then picked up the car keys again. He didn''t want to wait around for her at home, so he decided to go out and look for her. Without her phone with her, there was no easy way of knowing where she was.


    Just when he opened the door, in came Leena carrying a lot of things. She was taken aback as she was fishing around in her handbag trying to find the house key. She wasn''t expecting anyone to open the door at that exact moment.


    "Hey, you''re back!" Leena smiled radiantly and greeted Kevin excitedly. She would have run into his arms if not for the huge stack of things that she was carrying.


    "Where on earth have you been? Why didn''t you take your phone with you?" Kevin took the bags in Leena''s hands. He could feel at ease now that she was home.


    "Ah yeah, sorry I forgot and left it somewhere. Actually, have you seen it? Did you call me?" She stayed in the workroom all day and forgot the time. Close to six o''clock pm, she realized that she hadn''t bought any food and there was nothing to cook for dinner, so she rushed to the supermarket.


    "How heavy are these. Why did you have to buy so many things?" Kevin grumbled. Leena always bought much food every time she went to the supermarket.


    "That''s all right. I have gotten used to it. I''m sorry! I was so absorbed in my sample drawings that I forgot the time, so I haven''t cooked anything yet," Leena apologized and followed Kevin into the kitchen. She could only cook some simple dishes tonight.


    "You''re my wife, not a hired cook. You don''t have to apologize to me for that, you know." Kevin put down the grocery bags in his hands and turned to look at Leena. His face grew solemn because her apology was unnecessary.


    "Hey! You look too serious, Major General! Of course I know I''m your wife, not your mistress." Leena grinned. She didn''t look very good as she had been sleeping little recently.

 Chapter 1424 What Is The Truth (Part Three)

    "I actually want you to be my mistress. Then you wouldn''t need to do anything but wait around for me, doing nothing but keeping yourself pretty," Kevin blurted out. He was so annoyed that he didn''t know what he was talking about. "Hah! I would like to see that! Don''t forget that you''re a major general. If you had a mistress, you''d be turned over to the military court." Leena challenged, finding it funny to see a man like Kevin get irritated.


    "I''m willing to risk everything for you." Kevin rolled up his sleeves and began to wash vegetables.


    "Well, it sounds like I''m a seductive but dangerous woman. I have actually heard that before. I just don''t remember who said it!" Leena affectionately ran her hands on Kevin''s back. She knew that Kevin wouldn''t let her cook tonight, so she just helped him. "Well, you might be such a woman. But maybe in ancient times." Kevin was dying to ask her about the tonics, but this wasn''t the best time. No matter how anxious he was, he had to take his time and wait for the right moment.


    "Ha ha. Then that would make you a kinsman of the emperor." Leena was getting good at jokes now. The Gu family had held high official positions in the army for generations. They had been influential in the capital city as a notable family. "So you''re just a siren." Kevin was no longer angry. He liked this intimate time, cooking with the woman he loved dearly.


    The two teased each other. Leena preferred such a warm scene to cooking alone. Her heart danced with happiness.


    After dinner, Kevin led Leena to sit on the couch. This time he had a straight face which made her nervous.


    "What''s wrong? You''re being too serious now." Leena was curious and wondered what had suddenly happened to her husband tonight. Was there something in the food they ate? She seemed fine.


    "Nana, I''m your husband, right?" Kevin put his hands on hers and turned her around to face him, his eyes fixed on her. Leena could no longer escape this time.


    "Of course. Why?" Leena''s heartbeat pounded in her ears. She felt something was about to happen.


    "But you''re hiding something from me. We havee to an agreement that we won''t keep any secrets from each other, but you are not beingpletely honest with me," Kevin said with a frown. He looked dejected. "What are you talking about, Kevin? I swear I am not hiding anything from you. Don''t fill your head with nonsense. You look terrible. Are you sick?" Leena put her hand on Kevin''s forehead with worry.


    "I''m okay. And you know what? I went to the hospital earlier today to see Tom. But he didn''t tell me anything and asked me to talk to you, instead." Kevin took Leena''s hand. It was the saddest thing to be not trusted by his own wife. "Kevin... Please forgive me. But I really need some more time to think about it." Leena knew that she couldn''t conceal her infertility much longer, but she didn''t expect Kevin to find out or figure it out so soon. She thought she wouldn''t need to worry about it before she finished the sample drawings for Fashion Week, but she had no choice but to face it now.


    "Nana, I want to be by your side whatever happens. Please don''t keep things to yourself." Kevin was hurt that his wife didn''t include him in her most trying times. He should have been the first person that she turned to in times of difficulty.


    "I know, but it''s really not a serious problem. Please understand. And now, I''m so tired. I want to take a bath and go to bed early." Leena stood up. She really didn''t have the heart to tell him the brutal truth that he might never be a daddy in this life, at least not with her. "Okay, fine. I won''t force you, but you know, I''m always by your side. Come to me whenever you are ready." Kevin promised Tom that he wouldn''t force Leena. Since she didn''t want to talk about it now, he would give her time. He believed that she would be able to straighten out her thoughts and tell him one day.


    Leena directed a meaningful look at Kevin and then staggered upstairs, as if there was a fierce flood and savage beasts waiting for her.


    Keviny back on the sofa with a sigh and closed his eyes. ''Nana, '' he thought, ''I''m your husband. Why don''t you open your heart to me? We should face this together.''


    Leena hurried into the bathroom. She turned on the shower directly without even taking off her clothes. The water poured down her face, washing away her tears.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    The inability to conceive a child was no longer a huge deal in modern society, but it was hard for Leena to ept that she might never be a mother. If she didn''t fall in love with Kevin, she could just sign a divorce agreement, but she didn''t want to leave him and give up her hard-won love because of this.


    When she was a child, she had never felt that she was unfortunate even without her mother''spany, because her brothers regarded her as a treasure and took good care of her. But now she felt so helpless and thought that God was so unfair to her. She had a happy marriage that everyone admired, but why were they deprived of a wonderful baby?


    If she was selfish, she could just ask Kevin and give him the choice to divorce her for this reason, but she couldn''t do it. She loved him too much, and she was unwilling to impose her misfortune on him. He didn''t do anything wrong. None of this was his fault and he shouldn''t have to suffer because of her.


    She washed away her tears, filled with deep sorrow. Although she had known about her infertility long ago, she bore it alone silently and didn''t cry. But when her husband started to ask her about it, it was as if the dam that had been holding all her fears and emotions broke and they had alle crashing down on her. She wanted to lean in his arms and listen to hisforting words, but she didn''t have the courage to see his sad eyes when he found out the truth, so she chose to be cowardly and wanted to escape from it.000000

 Chapter 1425 Long Time No See (Part One)

    Kevin stood before the bathroom door and knocked for several times. Leena had been in the bathroom for quite a while. She should havee out by now. Thus, he couldn''t stop worrying that something might have happened to her in there. "I... I forgot to bring my clothes." Leena answered abruptly upon hearing him knock. Her voice was a bit raspy as she had been crying for a long time.


    "Okay, wait a minute." Feeling amused, Kevin shook his head at her words and turned around. He walked to the closet and took her pajamas out for her. He had thought that she fainted in the bathroom. However, he felt relieved that it was just the clothes that she forgot and that she didn''t know how to tell him. That was just so Leena.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    She was still a bit embarrassed about things like this. Though they had seen each other naked many times by now, she just couldn''t shoo the awkwardness she felt whenever she thought about it. She was just that shy.


    "Nana, open the door," said Kevin. He walked back to where Leena was and waited for her to open the door. He knew that Leena was shy whenever he was around, thus, she would neverpletely open the door.


    And he was right. Soon enough, the door cracked open and a thin arm reached out from it as if waiting for Kevin to put the clothes in her hand. If it weren''t winter, he would surely tease her for a bit. However the air outside the bathroom wasn''t warm enough, and Kevin was worried that she would catch a cold if the door was opened for too long.


    The door closed again but Kevin didn''t leave. He stood by the door and waited for her toe out. He looked a bit sad tonight. His handsome face was hard and serious. The traces of sadness in his eyes were so potent that one could even taste it in the air.


    "Did you cry in the bathroom?" As soon as Leena was out, Kevin immediately pulled her in his arms and started nting small kisses on her face. He stopped when his lips touched her eyelids. He noticed that her eyes were a bit swollen and red. Thus, he pulled back and locked eyes with her as he wanted to hear the truth.


    "No. It''s just the steam. It made my eyes water." Leena was forced to look into his eyes upon saying that lie. She could feel the heat radiating from Kevin''s body and God knew how much she wanted to feel his warmth all over again.


    "Nana, have somebody ever told you that you are a really bad liar? I can tell from the look on your face that you are lying." The corners of Kevin''s lips lifted into a smirk. The act made him so handsome and it made Leena''s heart skip in her chest.


    "I..." Leena was at a loss for words. She didn''t know how to reply to what Kevin said. Yes, she lied to him but she didn''t want to tell him why she had cried either. Leena then struggled to pull away from Kevin''s arms but Kevin was so strong that she couldn''t pull away. Instead, he even hugged her harder.


    "Nana, don''t ever try to run away from me, okay?" His lips almost touched her ear and it made her face burn. Leena could tell from his tone that his warning was serious. At the same time, his possessive behavior was turning her on.


    She raised her head and nced at him with nervous eyes. Did he notice what she was doing recently?


    On the other hand, Kevin couldn''t help but be turned on as he was looking at Leena, who just got out of the shower. Her skin was a bit red because of the steam and it looked wless and juicy. Her eyes were shining brightly as she looked at him in such an innocent way. It made Kevin gulp. He just couldn''t contain himself anymore. He leaned down and put his lips on hers in a passionate kiss. The air became hot all of a sudden. He wrapped her tightly in his arms as he pulled her to their bed. He gentlyid his little wife and bent down to kiss her some more. Their kiss became more and more fervent. They were both lost in the burning desire.


    After their passionate lovemaking, Leena immediately fell asleep because she was too tired. Her breath was even and her face was peaceful. However, Kevin couldn''t fall asleep at all. He tucked Leena in and walked to the balcony. A few minutes after and he was already looking out at the night sky with a cigarette between his fingers.


    In fact, he rarely smoked but tonight was an exception. He just couldn''t help but feel that something was wrong with Leena. Although they just made passionate love with each other just now, he still felt that something wasn''t right. He had a very unsettling feeling about the way Leena acted these days. He couldn''t help but be afraid that he might wake up and find Leena gone. She was so important to him. She had already be a huge part of his life. He just couldn''t lose her.


    He knew that something was bothering Leena but she just wouldn''t tell him. It frustrated the shit out him. That was why he was gentle but also passionate with Leena during their lovemaking as if he was trying to melt away the pain that was buried deep inside Leena''s heart. He tried to tell Leena that he would be with her no matter what through his action. At some point during their lovemaking, he had felt that he seeded. But what now? He still didn''t know what Leena was thinking.


    Kevin''s lips twitched into a bitter smile. His heart throbbed painfully in his chest whenever he thought about it. As a tough soldier, he didn''t think that there was something that he couldn''t achieve as long as he worked hard enough. However, with Leena, he just felt so useless sometimes. He still couldn''t fully understand her even though they were in love with each other. He was sure that Leena loved him to the moon and back but he just couldn''t understand why Leena was hiding something that made her sad from him. He didn''t know what to do in front of her sometimes, especially when Leena acted like this.00

 Chapter 1426 Long Time No See (Part Two)

    He really wanted to know what was hurting his precious girl. He wanted to make Leena happy again. He just couldn''t think of anything that could make Leena cry in the bathroom alone. His heart ached when he thought of Leena''s swollen red eyes. He wanted her to forget


    about the thing that pained her, so he kissed Leena to take her mind off it. And now, he was the one left alone while smoking in the cold night air.


    He put out the cigarette between his fingers. He was suddenly no longer in the mood for smoking anymore. He turned around and walked back into the room. Standing beside their bed, he stared at Leena''s sleeping face. She was as peaceful as an angel. Then he bent down and gently kissed her cheek. She was so beautiful. He got inside the bed and pulled Leena in his arms. Leena struggled a bit in her sleep but she settled down soon upon finding afortable ce in his arms. She then continued her sleep.


    A tender smile cracked Kevin''s lips upon seeing Leena''s peaceful face. She was as cute as a small kitten and it melted his heart. He adoringly kissed her forehead and tightened his arms around her. It was time for sleep. Regardless of what was bothering her and how serious it was, he was going to face it with her. He would never leave Leena no matter what.


    The next morning, as usual, Kevin was not in the bed anymore when Leena woke up. Though she told herself that she was used to it now, she still couldn''t help but feel a bit disappointed. She slowly got up. Her body was sour everywhere and the slight tingles on her skin made her think of how she and Kevin passionately made outst night. A blush crept up her face as she felt shy though nobody was around.


    She didn''t know if it was because both of them were anxiousst night, thus, their lovemaking was more passionate than usual. Maybe they just wanted to make sure the other was indeed here and that they were not going to be apart.


    She got out of the bed and nearly fell on the floor because her legs were so sore. She stumbled into the bathroom and looked at her flushed face in the mirror. She couldn''t help but feel more embarrassed at herself. She and Kevin had been married for so long but she was still shy like a small girl whenever they were intimate with each other.


    It was then that her phone suddenly rang and pulled her out of her trance. She was startled and walked out of the bathroom to look for her phone. She found it on the counter and picked it up. One look at the screen told her that it was Kevin who was calling. She was surprised. Kevin never called her at this time of the day due to his work.


    "Hello, Kevin," Leena greeted him in a light tone as if nothing had happenedst night. She had a beautiful smile on her face whenever Kevin called.


    "Hello. Are you up?" Kevin felt that he was gradually influenced by Leena. He even called her when he should be watching his soldiers train on the field. He would never do this kind of thing before.


    "Yeah. I just got up. What''s the matter?" Leena walked to stand in front of the mirror. She slightly furrowed her eyebrows when she saw the hickeys on her neck. They were so evident. It was lucky that it wasn''t summer yet, or else, she would never be able to walk out without everyone else seeing her neck.


    "Well, the wives of the soldiers keep asking me when you will be here at the army base. They all want to ask you something about fashion." In fact, Kevin just used this as an excuse to call her and see if she was at home or not. He didn''t know why but he felt anxious and restless this morning. That was why he chose to put down his work and call her first.


    "I am sorry. I will be busy for the next few days. Please tell them that I will be there as soon as I am not that busy. I will definitelye." Leena patted her forehead in annoyance. How could she forget about this? However, she really was busy recently. Thus, she didn''t have time to go to the army base and meet them.


    "I already told them that, so don''t worry about it. Have you eaten?" Kevin''s tone was gentler than ever. Leena felt kind of strange that Kevin was talking to her in such voice. It was not like him at all.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Um. Not yet." Leena was a bit confused. He called her just to ask if she had eaten or not? That was really strange. Besides, shouldn''t he be working at this time of the day?


    "What are you doingter? Are you staying at home or going to the hospital to see Patricia?" The Kevin before would never ask questions like these. Since when was he curious about Leena''s daily life? Leena couldn''t understand why he was asking these normal but also weird questions.


    "I am not sure yet. But aren''t you busy right now?" Leena asked in a curious tone. He was acting really strange today. Thus, she just couldn''t help but wonder if something had happened.


    "Yeah. I am in the training field right now. All right, go and have some food! I am going back to work as well." As soon as he saw amissar walking towards him, Kevin quickly said goodbye to Leena and hung the phone up. He didn''t want the official to see him calling his wife when he should be watching over the soldiers on the training field.


    Leena pursed her lips, tilted her head, and thought for a moment. However, she quickly shrugged, threw her phone on the bed, and put it behind her. It seemed that Major General Gu could also be weird sometimes, just like her brother Edward. They were indeed very alike in some ways.0000000000000000

 Chapter 1427 Long Time No See (Part Three)

    When she arrived at the hospital, Patricia was sitting beside the window, staring outside. She seemed to be simply spacing out. Leena called her several times but she didn''t even hear her. She was transfixed.


    "Patricia, what are you looking at? Is there a handsome guy outside? You didn''t even hear me," Leena teased her as she looked outside the window herself to see what had caught Patricia''s attention.


    "Yeah. How did you know? There was indeed a very handsome guy just now. However, you are unlucky, he just left. Why are you here? I thought you were busy preparing for the fashion week? By the way, I think your job is really tiring. You just finished the summer fashion show and now you have to work on the next fashion week. I feel tired just hearing the work you have to do." Though Patricia just graduated from university, she didn''t seem to be worried about her job at all. After all, she would take over her mother''s gallery one day for sure. That was not a very tiring job and she was happy about it.


    "What can I do? Working in the fashion industry is tiring. If I don''t have my newest designse out, I will be reced by some younger and talented designer soon. There are hawks watching your every move closely in this cruel industry. It is just what it is." Leena let out a silent sigh. She didn''t choose to be a fashion designer because of the money. She chose it because she really loved it.


    "Yeah, you are right. It''s a shame that I can''t help you with it. However, I am here for moral support." Patricia looked at Leena with apologetic eyes. As her best friend, she surely knew how tiring Leena''s job was. She admired her for choosing it. Leena could have chosen a much easier job as she was already financially stable but she didn''t. It was something that Patricia would never have the courage to do.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    "Thank you. Well, how is your leg? How long till you can get out of the hospital?" Leena looked at Patricia''s legs and asked. Her best friend had been here for quite a long time by now. She could leave here soon, right?


    "It''s much better now. I can even walk a few steps by myself. I believe I can walk normally in no time." Patricia was really excited that she was healing so well. She could finally leave the hospital soon! However, just the thought that she wouldn''t be seeing Tom every day once she was out of here got her sad and disappointed all of a sudden.


    "Really? That''s great news! Besides, I won''t have toe here so frequently." Leena jumped excitedly upon hearing Patricia''s words. And it made Patricia roll her eyes at her behavior. All she worried about was that she wouldn''t have toe to the hospital, really? What a good friend she was!


    "Why didn''t you bring me any food today? It''s unlike you." Patricia suddenly noticed that Leena didn''t bring anything with her. That was strange. She would always bring some foods for her whenever she came. She couldn''t help but feel a bit disappointed that Leena didn''t bring her any food this time.


    "I thought you didn''t like them? So I got toozy to prepare food for you." Leena felt a bit guilty because this was not the real reason. Last night, Kevin made her so tired that she couldn''t get up early today. That was why she didn''t have the time to prepare food for Patricia. "I can tell from your eyes that you are not telling me the truth. Besides, I can see the hickeys on your neck. You didn''t hide them very well. You guys amaze me!. You and Kevin have been married for a long time by now but you two are still going at it like teenagers." Patricia tilted her head and looked at Leena''s neck. The hickeys were still showing even though Leena had put some concealer on them. Being the smart girl she was, she could see right through Leena.


    "I don''t know what you are talking about," said Leena while pulling her cor a bit higher. Her dodging eyes and unnatural behavior spoke for her.


    "No need to hide them anymore. I have already seen them. I can tell that Kevin was really passionate. Wasn''t he afraid of breaking you if he was that rough?" Clearly, Patricia was enjoying this too much as she rarely got the chance to tease Leena like this. She just had to seize this chance.


    "Enough! Shut up, will you? I am going to ask Tom to teach you a lesson." Leena had a beautiful blush on her face. She red at Patricia without real malice. However, Patricia didn''t seem to be afraid of her warning. She knew her best friend. Leena was a big softie, so she wouldn''t mind.


    "All right, all right. I won''t joke about it anymore. By the way, your sister-inw came earlier. She was here for a check-up on the baby and she dropped by." Patricia stopped her teasing in case Leena really got angry. She knew that Leena was shy about topics like that, so she just didn''t have the heart to tease her anymore. She could already see Leena''s face burning. She decided to let it go easily this time.


    "Oh! What did she say? Is the baby healthy?" Leena was a bit frustrated. Had she known that Belinda would be here, she would havee here earlier to see her.


    "Don''t worry. The baby is healthy and everything else is also fine. Just wait to be an aunt! Talking about this, when are you going to be a mother? Are you on birth control? With Kevin being so eager, you should have already been pregnant by now." Patricia put her eyes firmly on Leena''s stomach. Was Leena already pregnant and just didn''t tell others?00000000000000

 Chapter 1428 Long Time No See (Part Four)

    "Um. I am still too young to raise a child, don''t you think? There is no hurry." Leena''s face became pale for a second but she quickly hid it and acted as if nothing was wrong. In fact, her heart throbbed painfully when Patricia unintentionally brought up this sensitive topic.


    She didn''t want her to know. She didn''t want her best friend to feel sorry for her.


    "Yeah, you are right. You should enjoy your life with Kevin first. You are too young to be a mother after all." Patriciapletely agreed with Leena on this. To be honest, she didn''t think that it was the right time for Leena to have a child either. After all, Leena still needed to be taken care of. Then how could she take care of a baby? She was still young and didn''t need to think about this.


    "Yeah. That is exactly what I think." Leena forced a smile on her face as she silently let out a sigh of relief. She was d that Patricia easily epted her excuse and didn''t ask more questions.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "By the way, I have a question for you, Leena. If you suddenly know that somebody has lied to you, what will you do?" Patricia bit her lower lip and looked at Leena with nervous eyes.


    "What will I do? Well, I guess it all depends on why this person has decided to lie to me. If it is a white lie, I guess I won''t be so mad. However, I will definitely still feel sad about it. But if this person lies to me because he or she tries to hurt me intentionally, then I will never forgive him or her for it. In my opinion, being lied to is always going to hurt, no matter what the reason is. It''s just my personal opinion after all. Why are you suddenly asking me this?" Leena looked at her with suspicious eyes as if she was trying to find out the real reason behind this question.


    "No reason. It is just a random question. That''s all." Patricia''s heart dropped after hearing Leena''s words. If Leena''s attitude was like this, how would Tom act after he knew the truth? Patricia couldn''t even imagine. She was afraid that Tom would be so angry at her. "You are lying. Tell me, why did you ask me this weird question? Are you hiding something from us?" Leena felt more and more paranoid about Patricia''s sudden question. She had a feeling that Patricia was hiding something from them all.


    "What can I possibly hide from you? You are just being too paranoid!" Patricia retorted. Truth was, she felt a bit guilty inside. She was indeed hiding something from them and it made her feel very anxious and ufortable. She wanted to tell them the truth. It was just that she was also afraid of their reaction.


    "Then why did you ask me that question out of nowhere?" Leena still didn''t believe her words. She knew that there was something on Patricia''s mind. She just didn''t know what it was. It wasn''t like Patricia to sit silently by the window and space out when she arrived here. "What? I can''t even ask you some random question anymore? Let''s not talk about it. Now that you are here, why don''t you take me out for a stroll in the garden? I need some sunbathing. I am bored to death staying in the hospital room all day." Patricia really wanted to tell Leena that she had remembered everything. However, it didn''t seem to be the right time. Thus, she suddenly changed the subject.


    "The weather is not good today. You can''t even see the sun." Though Leena said these words, she still pushed Patricia out of the room.


    "I just want to have some fresh air. No need to be sarcastic. I don''t really want to sunbathe, okay? I don''t know why you took my words so seriously." Patricia was in front of Leena, so she didn''t see Leena rolling her eyes at her words.


    "Well, you said the words yourself. Why? Aren''t you happy that I take your words seriously?" They were always like this, bickering with each other. However, if something happened to one of them, they would surely back the other up in no time.


    "Of course I am not happy about it. By the way, is the man ahead of us Summer? Why is he here?" Patricia suddenly changed the subject when she saw the man walking towards them. Summer was a lovely and handsome guy. She had a crush on him when they were both still in the university. She just hid it well unlike other girls. Who wouldn''t like a handsome guy like Summer?


    "Yes, it is him." Leena hadn''t seen the man for a while too. Thus, she still felt a bit awkward seeing him.


    "Hello, Patricia. I was in the neighborhood so I decided toe and visit you. Hello, Leena, I didn''t expect that you''d be here," Summer greeted them friendly with a beaming smile on his face. Though they were all about the same age, Patricia and Leena both thought that Summer was more vibrant than them. Maybe it was because they both went through a lot of things.


    "Yeah. Long time no see." Leena politely nodded her head at him. Though they were both tricked by Patricia, they didn''t have any bad impressions on each other. They couldn''t be lovers, that was true. However, they didn''t have to be enemies either.


    "Yeah, long time no see indeed. You are still as beautiful as thest time I saw you. Unlike some girl I know, who is not even like a girl. Tsk! She even got herself injured," said Summer while ncing at Patricia. It was obvious that the girl he referred to was Patricia. "Hey! You can suck up to Leena all you want. But don''t drag me into it!" Patricia was unhappy about Summer''s words. Why did he say that she was not like a girl? She was just strong and tough, okay? She also had her feminine side that Summer didn''t know.??????????????

 Chapter 1429 Even Death Cant Part Us (Part One)

    "Hey, where are you going?" Summer asked in curiosity. It was freezing outside. He wondered why Leena and Patricia wanted to step out instead of staying inside the warm ward. "We''re going to bask in the sun in the garden. What does it have to do with you?!" Patricia blurted out. She was clearly a bit pissed off with him.


    "Are you sure you want to bask in the sun on such a cloudy day? You might get wet instead," Summer said ironically. He looked at the sky from the window. It was damp and cold outside and it was probably going to rain. What the hell were these two women up to? "That''s none of your concern! Leena, let''s go. Don''t waste your breath talking to him!" Patricia pulled at Leena''s arm as she rolled her eyes at Summer.


    "Hey! Why are you getting so pissed off? This is not like you at all!" Summer stooped down to rest his hands on Patricia''s shoulders. He stared at her teasingly. Just then, Tom entered the ce. From his angle, it looked like Summer was kissing Patricia. "What are you doing?!" Tom interrupted them all of a sudden. His icy re could have frozen ake. Patricia couldn''t help but shiver at his tone.


    "Tom, you are here!" Leena greeted him with a smile. She had nned to visit himter on, but here he was, in front of him. She hadn''t expected him toe.


    "Hi, Leena. Come to my office in some time," Tom said to Leena, but his eyes were still fixed on Patricia. He was still waiting for her answer to his question. She must exin herself!


    "Tom, how did you find time toe here today?" Patricia asked him eagerly. She was so excited to see Tom that she didn''t notice he was about to lose control. He misunderstood what he saw.


    "Why? You''re upset you''ve been caught red-handed, is that it?" Tom taunted her while casting a contemptuous nce at Summer. He seemed to be a handsome man but also somewhat flighty. Patricia needed someone more mature and subdued. "What? What is that supposed to mean? You''re confusing me. Caught red-handed? Do you mean you know we''re going to the garden?" Patricia asked, clearly puzzled. What was Tom so furious about?


    "Really? That''s your exnation? Never mind. You can do whatever you like. I simply don''t care." Tom looked back and forth between Patricia and Summer. He shed them a mocking smile and left briskly.


    "Leena, what''s wrong with him? I have no idea what just happened," Patricia asked, looking utterly bewildered. Why was Tom behaving like this? It was making her nervous.


    "I''m assuming he misunderstood something," Leena said, pursing her lips in amusement.


    "I think he misunderstood our rtionship. He is jealous," Summer said with a frown. He had no idea what was up between the doctor and Patricia, but his instincts told him that the doctor had reacted to him with hostility.


    "Haha! You must be kidding me. It is impossible he would be jealous of seeing me with another man," Patricia said, amused. But deep down, she pondered on Summer''s words. ''Really? Was Tom jealous of seeing me with Summer? Does that mean he loves me?'' A number of questions flooded her immediately. She wanted to know the answers to them at once.


    "Summer, why don''t you stay with Patricia for a while? I''ll go to Tom''s office to see what''s going on," Leena said and bit her lower lip. She was distracted. Her mind lingered on the reason why Tom had asked her toe to his office.


    "Oh, all right. Rest assured. I''ll take good care of her," Summer said cheerfully. His work had been so grueling that he seldom had time to visit Patricia, even though they lived in the same city. He was always hustling and grinding. As a result, he knew nothing about what was up between Tom and her.


    Leena gave Patricia an apologetic look before she proceeded to Tom''s office. She took a deep breath at the door and told herself that everything was going to be fine.


    "Tom, are you really so angry?" Leena asked him as soon as she entered the office. She gave Tom a cunning smile.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    "No. Why should I be angry? Come, sit down. Let me make you a cup of coffee." Tom acted indifferently in front of Leena. He would never admit how his temper had risen earlier, when he had seen Patricia kiss Summer. Tom tried his best to keep himself in check. "I was just wondering if you misunderstood what happened." Leena sat next to Tom on the couch, still smiling slyly.


    "Don''t talk nonsense. I didn''t misunderstand anything," Tom snapped. His lips thinned grimly. He was too proud to admit that he had indeed been jealous of the other man. She was probably right ¡ª he had misunderstood what was going on between them. After all, Leena had been there as well; they couldn''t have kissed each other in front of her. He cared about Patricia so much that he really lost his cool sometimes. He lost sight of clear judgement when it came to her.


    "Oh, really? So what was that back there? Why did your anger hit the roof?" Leena asked him with augh. She didn''t believe what he just imed.


    "It was just that I was in a bad mood." To cover up his embarrassment, Tom held his fist against his mouth and coughed shortly.


    "That''s a very poor excuse," Leena grumbled and pursed her lips. She decided to let it go. Tom was not ready to admit to his feelings.


    "Who''s that man?" Finally, Tom couldn''t help but blurt out.


    "Which man?" Leena pretended to be clueless, like she didn''t know who he was asking about.


    "The man who was with you and Patricia. Don''t y around with me, you naughty girl," Tom said as he pinched her cheeks.


    "I thought you didn''t care about that," Leena teased him.


    "I don''t care. I am just curious," Tom mumbled, a little embarrassed. The color on his cheeks heightened a bit.


    "Okay. He is Summer Xia, Patricia''s senior at university. He has excellent manners and was brilliant at academic performance. Also, he''s so handsome. He used to be very popr at university, you know. He even won the de of Mr. University," Leena said before she sighed in admiration. She continued to tease Tom. She wanted to see how he would react.000

 Chapter 1430 Even Death Cant Part Us (Part Two)

    "Hmm. Excellent manners and academic performance? Mr. University? I don''t think so," Tom said, snorting. Summer was only above average in looks, ording to him. Why he was so popr with women? "Tom, I heard that Patricia used to have a thing for him," Leena whispered conspiratorially. She winked at Tom, goading him.


    "What? Are you joking? Patricia has such bad taste in men." The moment he heard that Patricia had a thing for Summer, Tom immediately straightened up. Suddenly, he realized that he was acting weird and leaned back against the couch in repose, as if nothing had happened. However, he was troubled inside. Did Patricia still love Summer?


    "Bah! Just admit that you''re jealous of him. You are such a stubborn man!" Leena said. ''Are all men as stubborn as Tom? He obviously cares about Patricia. He is just too proud to admit it,'' she thought.


    "I am not jealous! Has that man left yet?" Tom defended himself, even as he wondered about Summer. His reaction amused Leena. Tom used to be coolheaded. When did he be like this?


    "I asked him to take care of Patricia before I came here. So, no. I think he''s still with her," Leena said honestly. She didn''t think it was a big deal. If Patricia and Summer still had a thing for each other, they would have long be a couple. "What? Why did you leave him with Patricia?!" Tom raised his voice instantly. He realized that he was no longer rational when it came to Patricia.


    "Haha! What happened? Why couldn''t I leave Patricia with Summer? He is a reliable man! Oh, I see. You don''t feel at ease when they are together, do you? Don''t worry your pretty little head, Tom. They are just good friends," Leena said with augh. It seemed that Tom had really fallen for Patricia and he didn''t even realize it.


    "I was just kidding, Leena. You are still as gullible as you used to be," Tom teased her. He flicked her button nose and looked at her affectionately. He wanted to lighten up the mood. The news he was going to break to her was bad.


    "Tom, you are such an ass!" Leena gave him a reproachful look. She thought she was teasing Tom, but he ended up making a fool of her.


    "Okay, okay, enough joking. Let''s get to the point. Here''s your examination report. You might want to check it first. Let me know what you can''t read." Tom handed Leena the report. He knew few people could read medical reports, but he believed it would be easier for him to get to the point after she read what was on it.


    "Never mind! Just tell me the results. I can''t read this report anyway," Leena told him with a bitter smile. She knew the results were probably not optimistic, otherwise Tom wouldn''t have tried to tease her earlier.


    "These figures suggest that you''re still not likely to get pregnant. It means the medicines you''ve taken in thest month didn''t work. I need to prescribe you new ones," Tom said. He observed the expression on her face, afraid that she would be unable to ept the truth. "Right. I get it," Leena said in a low voice. She forced a smile on her face. She had prepared herself for the worst, but it still broke her heart.


    "Leena, don''t be sad. I swear I''ll find a way out. You have to trust me with this, all right?" Tom hugged her close. He truly felt sorry for her. It was better for her to cry right now than pretend to be calm andposed, while she was all broken inside. "Okay." Leena clenched her jaw, afraid she wouldn''t be able to hold back her tears any longer.


    Tom was in distress too. He wasn''t used toforting people. He gently patted Leena on the back in an attempt to console her. He knew that fancy words would be useless to her at the moment. She looked so pale and weak. Tom held her for a long time, feeling the anguish in her heart.


    Leena had no idea how she came back home. She staggered into the living room and sat on the couch, staring into the darkness nkly. She didn''t know how long she had been sitting there, but when she came to her senses, she realized she was stiff all over. She thought she would cry, but sorrow had dried up her tears. She grew desperate to cry, but found she was numb and unable toment her grief. Was this what heartbreak felt like?


    After supper, Leena turned to Kevin. Very gently, she asked, "Kevin, I am wondering if you would apany me to a walk?"


    "Right now?" Kevin was a little hesitant. He still had some work to finish.


    "Yes, now," Leena answered coolly. She knew she was acting like a spoiled child, but she just wanted to go on a walk with him.


    "All right. But you must put on a coat first." Kevin stood up and went to the bedroom to fetch a coat for her. To him, Leena was more important than work.


    It was their first time strolling through the park at night. They walked slowly, hand in hand. ''How I wish this moment couldst forever, ''Leena thought.


    "Are you cold?" Kevin asked as he cinched her coat, fearing that she might catch a cold.


    "No," Leena said. She raised her head and looked at him, smiling sweetly. She treasured every moment she spent with Kevin.


    "Did you go to the hospital today?" Kevin asked her. He could tell she was in a different mood tonight and it made him nervous.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Yes, I did. Patricia''s leg ising along fine. I guess she will get discharged from the hospital in a couple of days," Leena told him. She entwined her fingers with his as they wandered through the path lined with trees. It waste and the sun had gone down. Streetmps gave off uneven beams of light on the cobblestones. Maybe it was because of the cold winter, that only a handful of people could be seen outside. Silence hung around the park.00000000????????

 Chapter 1431 Even Death Cant Part Us (Part Three)

    "Really? That is great!" Kevin was d to hear the news, but he was puzzled. ''If this is not the reason why Leena is upset, then what could have happened to bother her so much?'' he wondered.


    "Yes, it really is. I''m so happy for her," Leena said and smiled. She truly loved this moment - strolling together through the beautiful park in peace, when no one was around.


    "Nana, do you have something you want to tell me?" Kevin stopped and looked at Leena in the eye.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    "No, I don''t. I just want to go for a walk with you after dinner," Leena said, dodging his eyes. She didn''t think it was the right time to tell him the truth-that she could not get pregnant.


    "I wish this moment couldst forever. We could walk hand in hand to the end of the world," Kevin said as he started walking again. He had thought she would tell him what she had been hiding this evening, but it seemed she was still not prepared for it. He''d have to be more patient with her.


    "I feel the same way. What a coincidence." Leena turned to look at Kevin with a smirk. She decided not to look so dejected in front of Kevin, otherwise, he would grow concerned.


    "Yes, it is a coincidence," Kevin said. He rubbed her hands together to warm them up. Suddenly, a thought popped into his head - that Leena would leave him. ''What am I thinking?'' Kevin shook his head.


    "Kevin, I''ve made a prepayment for the utilities and gas. The water and electricity as well as the gas won''t get cut off in a long time," Leena told him casually. She looked calm, but deep down, her heart was breaking into pieces. The pain seemed to spread through her veins.


    "Why are you saying that?" Kevin stopped in his footsteps once again. He stared at Leena, trying to figure out what was going through her mind.


    "Uh. I thought you wanted to talk, so I was just trying to make conversation. If you don''t like it, I''d just keep quiet," Leena said. She smiled wryly. She pretended to be pissed so Kevin would not uncover her true intentions. "Nana, you know I didn''t mean it that way. You''ve been so down recently. I''m really worried about you," Kevin said earnestly. Somehow, he had a bad feeling about all of this.


    "What? Come on. You are not making sense! I''ve been very good. You haven''t noticed because you''ve been ving at work and are exhausted all the time." Leena tried her best to hide her grief, still acting like the sweet and happy wife in front of her husband.


    Kevin also wished that he had just misunderstood Leena''s mood. But she kept telling him about trivial matters in the house that needed his attention, such as his clothes and the electricity. She sounded like she was going to leave for a long time. It was really confusing for him. What was she nning?


    "Kevin, I''ve matched up your clothes and hung them in the wardrobe. When you have to wear them, just take them out in sets, okay?" Once again, Leena began to remind Kevin of household affairs. He was unable to stand it anymore, so he came to a halt. He pulled her arm to stop her and faced her, staring in her eyes.


    "What is all this? What do you want to tell me? What are you going to do?" Kevin asked. His eyes were fixed upon her face as he tried to figure out what she was thinking. Leena still tried to avoid his eyes. She was being too elusive.


    "Hah! Kevin, you are way too sensitive. It''s nothing. Just that I won''t be at home every day. My time will be spent in preparation for fashion week in theing months. I''m afraid I won''t be able to take care of you then. You would need to look after yourself." Suddenly, Leena threw herself into Kevin''s arms and kissed him on the lips. She hadn''t expected Kevin to know her so well. He had guessed something was wrong with her.


    "Nana, don''t try to sidetrack me. My gut is telling me that you are hiding something from me." Kevin was not distracted by her kiss, nor did he believe her exnation. She had been busy in the past, but back then she had never spoken such words to him. He was bewildered. ''Why is she speaking like this? Does she have a fatal disease?''


    "Oh, really? Then guess what I''m trying to hide from you. I promise I won''t make fun of it." Leena shed him a wide grin. Those who didn''t know her well would be deceived into thinking she was happy, but Kevin knew her too well. He could see the sorrow in her eyes. She was deeply distressed.


    "It doesn''t matter what you are trying to hide from me; you are my wife in this lifetime. You are not allowed to leave me. Wherever you go, I will find you. Even death can''t part us," Kevin dered firmly. He was quite frustrated. He was dying to know the truth, but he could not force Leena to tell him. Her sweet smile was ripping his soul apart as a sharp dagger would. She wasughing in his arms but crying on the inside. It was painstaking.


    Leena met Dorothy once again. This time, they met at the promotion party for a TV show. Leena had gone there as Rain''spanion.


    "Leena Leng, you look stunning tonight," Dorothy told her with a smile. She was wearing a purple dress that entuated her perfect body.


    "Thank you, Miss Lu. You look good too," Leena answered politely. To most people, she was a sight to behold. She had fair skin and brown hair that emphasized her bright eyes. She was fond of white, so she chose to wear a white dress tonight. She looked like a fairy out of a tale with her light make-up and jacinth lipstick.


    "Why isn''t Major General Gu with you tonight?" Dorothy asked her when she noticed that Kevin was not around.


    "Oh, well, he neveres to this kind of parties," Leena exined casually as her eyes followed Rain. She saw him flirting with the actresses. Leena felt sorry for him. She wondered how long it would take for him to finally move on and find love again.00000

 Chapter 1432 A Drunken Rain (Part One)

    "Oh, well, I can understand it. After all, he is a Major General," Dorothy said politely, by way of exnation. Passersby greeted her from time to time; she was after all a popr actress.


    "Excuse me," Leena said, "but, I must be leaving now." Leena frowned as she noticed Rain, surrounded by a group of women fawning over him. She quickly trotted over. He really was going too far. Dorothy drank some more wine and stared at Leena, licking her red lips. The woman who had used her photos to ckmail her was pressing her again, and Dorothy must do something about it this evening. "Enough, Rain! Stop drinking!" Leena instructed firmly, taking his ss and setting it on the table next to them.


    "I just had a few sses," Rain exined. ''I shouldn''t have asked Leena to be mypanion to this party, she is being a bore,'' he thought.


    "It doesn''t matter how much you drank. You are going too far this evening. You are acting like a fuckboy!" Leena gritted her teeth in suppressed anger. Leena hated this kind of behavior, especially in men, so she was quick to stop him.


    "Oh no, look, our little princess has gotten angry," Rain teased in an animated voice, avoiding Leena''s disapproving eye.


    "I''m not angry. I just don''t want you to be taken advantage of by a group of shameless women," Leena said with a frown. She just didn''t understand how women could act so shamelessly, and without honor. They pretended to be the purest and most innocent women, but under the magnifying ss they were revealed as willing to sleep with anyone who was rich and powerful.


    "So what? If I have sex with them, I''m not the one on the loose," Rain said, arching one eyebrow. Rain found that Leena had changed a lot since she got married. In the past she would not have involved herself in his affairs.


    "Come on! You were acting like a man-whore, with those women touching you all over. And to act so in public! I hate seeing you like this, so I interceded. But, if that''s how you want to act and be seen, then go ahead, I''m tired of caring." Leena was really pissed off with Rain now as he was making a mockery of himself.


    "Ha! Why should I deny myself some pleasure? No one truly loves me, so if so many women are interested in spending time with me, why should I turn them down?" Rain said bitterly. Sorrow had crept into his voice, breaking Leena''s heart.


    "Do you have to think like that? What if Annie saw how you just behaved? What would she think of you?" Leena hadn''t wanted to mention Annie, especially not in front of Rain. She knew that he would be hurt, but she had to stop him from doing something he would regret. "Annie? Do you think she really cares how I act? If she really cared for me, she wouldn''t have left me without even saying goodbye!" He half choked on emotions threatening to erupt. Embarrassed now, he reached out his hand to take a new ss of wine from a passing waiter and gulped it down.


    "You are not like this! How do you know she doesn''t care about you? Come on, let''s call it a day and go home," Leena pleaded, taking his hand and preparing to leave.


    "Here''s to you, Mr. Xia. I want to thank you for taking the time and honoring me with your presence today." Dorothy interrupted their departure with her approach. She had taken the opportune moment to cut in.


    "Dorothy Lu? Sorry, I''m not here for you. As the VP of FX International Group, I always attach great importance to the interests of thepany. I would do anything for the benefit of the FX International Group," Rain spoke with a lip contemptuously curled and a cold smile. Although Dorothy was popr, she was nothing more than a money maker to him. Most importantly, she had once been romantically linked with Leena''s husband. Leena was Rain''s beloved sworn sister, and he would by no means be nice to anyone who dared to hurt her. Dorothy was embarrassed into silence at Rain''s statement. As a public figure, she hadn''t been treated like this before. Her ns to stop Leena from leaving the party had failed, and she was struck numb by the vehement insult.


    "Miss Lu, please don''t mind Rain''sments. He''s quite drunk, and didn''t mean it that way. I apologize on his behalf," Leena said earnestly, aware of the people surrounding them. Many people were attracted by the scene, and their faces changed, showing disbelief at Rain''s words. Leena didn''t want the employees of FX International Group to be disgruntled with their VP, so she immediately apologized to Dorothy to make up for Rain''s mistake.


    "Oh, it''s okay, Mrs. Gu. You don''t have to apologize. I do believe that Mr. Xia has drunk too much." Dorothy regained herposure, grateful to Leena for saving her from public humiliation. Despite her gratitude, she still had a n to carry out against Kevin and Leena. "Excuse me, but I had better get him home now. Enjoy the party," Leena said, guiding Rain away from the scene.


    "Slow down, Leena. People will get the wrong idea," Rain sighed resignedly. ''Leena is being a real mother hen, people will believe that I am hen-pecked, '' Rain thought to himself.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    "So, you do care about what other people think, huh? Then, why did you just make a scene in front of so many employees?" Leena demanded in exasperation. They were just surrounded by the employees of FX International Group, and Leena was sure that everyone had heard what Rain had said to Dorothy. What if someone told the media? It would definitely cause a scandal.


    "Ha ha! So, that''s what you are worried about? Never mind, I simply don''t care what people think of me. They can''t do anything to me," he stated cockily. Like Edward, Rain didn''t care about what other people thought of him. What really mattered in his world was your power, not something as transient as what you said.


    "s, why did I waste so much energy being worried about you? What a fool I am!" Leena sighed in mockery of his bravado.


    "Silly woman." Rainughed. "Let''s go. It''s only 10 PM and the night is young. I don''t know why you dragged me out from that fabulous party? Without wine and beauties, life would be so boring." Rain rolled his eyes at Leena, thinking, ''She says she''s worried about me, but it''s an excuse. I know she misses Kevin, and wants to go back home.''


    "Why don''t we go to the KTV?" Leena suggested suddenly. She had been blue recently, and wanted to vent her sorrow by yelling at the KTV. She thought that it might help Rain too.


    "Just the two of us? That''s hardly funny." He was not in the mood for antics. Actually, he had not been in the mood to do anything since Annie left. He felt like a zombie, a walking dead in his own life.


    "You think that I can''t be fun?" Leena cast a challenging nce at him.


    "Look at what you are wearing! You are in a formal dress. Have you seen anyone go to a KTV in a formal dress?" Rain nced pointedly at Leena''s dress and added, "You''re being silly."


    "Oh, no, well I guess not. I didn''t consider that," she admitted, deted by his attitude. "So, where do you want to go then?" she added and shivered in the freezing cold outside. Leena wanted to go home now, but she was worried about Rain, and didn''t want to leave him alone.


    "Let me drive you home. We can''t go anywhere with you dressed like that, in any case." He had noticed her difort, and draped his coat over her shoulders.


    "Okay, let''s hang out next time, then," she suggested, grateful for the warmth of his coat.


    "You''ll owe me one." Rain agreed, walking her towards his car.


    Arriving at Grand Apartment, they saw Kevin, who had just returned from out of the city. Kevin, however, didn''t see them, and walked briskly towards the elevator. "Kevin, wait!" Leena called out to him. She recognized her husband, even though his broad back was towards them. She was thrilled to see him.


    On hearing her familiar voice, Kevin turned, and was stunned to see Leena and Rain.000000

 Chapter 1433 A Drunken Rain (Part Two)

    "Nana, Rain, were you out together?" Kevin asked. "It''s none of your concern!" Rain blurted out. He still held hostility towards Kevin. "Rain!" Leena rebuked him, furrowing her brow. She pinched him hard on the side. She was angered by Rain''s attitude.


    "Hey, would you stop pinching me? What an ungrateful woman you are! I''ve been so nice to you, but instead, you hurt me for another," Rain said bitterly, rubbing at his bruised skin. He felt heart broken; the reason why he had always held hostility towards Kevin was that Kevin was now more important in her eyes. Amused by Leena''s move, Kevin tried his best to hold back hisughter. He felt great having such a sweet and loyal wife.


    "Rain!" Leena coughed dryly, embarrassed by Rain''s statement. She hadn''t expected Rain to say it out loud, and Kevin must now think her a rude woman.


    "Stop coughing, okay? Kevin already saw your true colors now," Rain said, walking to the elevator, and leaving them behind.


    "Rain, where are you going?" Leena called in confusion. She couldn''t understand why he was going to the elevator, and not back home.


    "Aren''t you going to invite me in? How rude? I''m so disappointed in you!" Rain said coldly, looking Leena in the eye.


    "Uh...sorry. I thought that you would be going back home now." Leena apologized, rubbing at her nose in embarrassment, concerned that she had gone too far and offended Rain.


    "Let''s go in," Kevin said, indifferent to the sudden tension. Leena had been in low spirits recently, and he thought it was not a bad idea to have Rain forpany to cheer her up.


    Rain didn''t want to go back home now. There would be no one waiting for him, and he would be alone and bored there. So, he decided to stay at Leena and Kevin''s house instead. They entered the house. Rain walked towards the couch, and leaned casually against it, while Leena went upstairs to change her clothes.


    "What would you like to drink, coffee or tea?" Kevin offered from the kitchen.


    "Is there a third option?" Rain asked spitefully, intending to make things difficult for Kevin.


    "Yes, there is. So, you want water?" Kevin replied seriously, as if he didn''t realize Rain''s intention.


    "Ha ha! Kevin, can you stop being so serious? Never mind, give me coffee, please." Rain was upset that Kevin had avoided his n, and he was unable to be difficult any further.


    "Sure. Wait a minute, while I put the kettle on." Kevin continued seeming serious, but actually handled Rain''s demanding attitude effectively.


    Rain''s face twitched, and he agonized that it was stupid to tease Kevin further. Kevin was after all so dull. ''Oh, my god, I''d better avoid him, ''Rain thought glumly. However, he was bored even more by the awkward silence, so Rain decided to make small talk. "Kevin, are Daisy and you the only two capable people in the army base? You two are so busy every day!" Rain asked, not really interested, but merely curious about their daily life. "I thought soldiers only needed to do some daily practice in peace time. But you two seem so busy every day, what are you doing?" Rain asked.


    "No, you are quite wrong. As modern soldiers, we not only need to strengthen our physical qualities, andbat skills, but, we also need to expand our knowledge through training. We need to put what we have learned in books into practice, so that the strength of our army will reach an even higher level," Kevin replied, earnest now. He always paid attention to protect the image of soldiers to themon people, though there were indeed some soldiers who ruined the image of the army by acting undisciplined in public. Fortunately, they were merely a minority. Kevin believed that it was his duty to maintain a good image on behalf of the army.


    Rain was stunned by Kevin''s practiced monologue. He was just making small talk with Kevin, but thetter was so serious.


    "Kevin, do you always recite an essay when people ask you questions?" Rain asked, feeling sorry for Leena, as her husband was quite the verbose bore.


    "No, I don''t. But, when people misunderstand the armed forces, I need to correct them," Kevin said, cing a cup of coffee on the table in front of Rain. Preferring tea to coffee, he made himself a cup.


    "So, you mean I misunderstood you?" Rain continued. He was really bored now, and he wanted to bait Kevin for entertainment. Rain was a yboy, and he hated serious men like Kevin.


    "I was just exining why Daisy and I are always busy," Kevin said, hiding a frown. Rain had misunderstood him, but he would not say it, unwilling to be baited. He thought that Rain was even more difficult to deal with than Edward.


    "What are you guys talking about? You two seem a little weird," Leena asked, walking downstairs, dressed in pajamas now. She was surprised at seeing that Rain and Kevin both wore long faces.


    "Nothing. I''m starving, Leena. Please, make me something to eat," Rain said, covering his growling stomach with a hand. He hadn''t eaten supper yet, and felt hungry now.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    "I warned you to eat something first, before drinking, but you just didn''t listen. What would you like to eat? I''ll make it," Leena said, shaking her head resignedly. She was really worried about Rain. As the VP of FX International Group, he often had to go out for drinks with different business partners. As a result, he asionally suffered from stomach trouble.


    "I want as many delicious dishes as possible," Rain said teasingly. Tomorrow was Saturday, and he didn''t need to rise early, so he could easily stayte with Leena and Kevin.


    "You want a heavy meal at 11 PM? You must be kidding me!" Leena eximed, angered that Rain was now making trouble for her.


    "Yes, I want a big meal. Please! I''m starving!" Rain pleaded, his expression hopeful.


    "Even if I want to cook it for you, I don''t have enough ingredients here," she protested. Leena didn''t know whether to cry, or tough. She bit her lip spectively and thought, ''What is wrong with Rain? He is acting really weird.''


    "I''ll cook something for him," Kevin offered with a cautious frown. "Nana, you keep himpany." He also realized Rain was acting really weird. It was not strange for Rain to make trouble for Kevin. But now, Rain was even making it difficult for Leena, which was pretty strange. After all, Leena was Rain''s beloved sworn sister, and he shouldn''t do that.


    "No, I want Leena to cook for me," Rain insisted. His eyes had gone a little red, like he was about to cry.


    "Fine, I''ll cook. But, I have to warn you first, I''m not a good cook." Entering the kitchen, Leena winked at Kevin, silently asking him not to argue with Rain.


    "Hey, Kevin. Do you have any wine? Let''s drink together," Rain said, rubbing his nose to cover his emotions. Rain didn''t know why he missed a sense of home, when seeing Leena and Kevin together. He anguished and almost lost control.


    "Yes, we have," Kevin said, but made no move to fetch any. Rain had drunk enough. Leena had told him about the story of Rain and Annie, but he hadn''t met the mystery woman.


    "Kevin, you know what? You are so lucky to have married Leena. But, you had better promise to never hurt her, otherwise I''ll not spare you," Rain stammered, the liquor he had consumed catching up to him now.


    "I know. I''ll always thank god that I met her." Kevin smiled, unavoidably happy. Seeing Kevin''s joy made Rain feel even more dejected.


    "What a lucky dog you are! She is our little princess, but you stole her away!" Rain said darkly. Rain took a sip of his coffee. It was bitter, but he liked it, for his heart was filled with bitterness. He had met the detective this afternoon; he had said that they had tried their best to look for Annie, but had failed, finding no sign of her. They guessed that Annie might have left the world. Rain had had a tantrum upon hearing the news, and had almost thrown the detective out of the window.

 Chapter 1434 Got Drunk (Part One)

    "Sorry for this," Kevin smiled and said apologetically. Even though they had held grudges against him because of his sudden marriage with Leena, he would notin. Because in this regard, he actually owed them. He admitted that he did not really take their feelings into consideration when he married her. "Just forget it. The rice is already cooked. What is done cannot be undone. What else could we do now?" Rain smiled helplessly. The talk concerning marriage made Rain be very emotional as he suddenly thought of Annie. Although they had already slept with each other, Annie still left him without so much as a note or goodbye.


    "Have there been any problems in your work recently?" Kevin asked casually. This was a mission from Leena. Rain hadn''te around yet from his emotional issues, so Leena asked Kevin to straighten him out. But in Kevin''s eyes, he himself was the one who needed to be straightened out. He also had a lot on his mind recently.


    "Work will never be the reason that bothers me. Work problems are not real problems for me. Moreover, even if the sky falls, Edward is the one to bear the brunt." This was the first time that Rain had been willing to spend time with Kevin as friends. Probably because he was down and depressed today, and he really needed to let off some steam. Unlike on other days, he had be less overbearing.


    "Then it is love that you are troubled by." Kevin frowned, feeling that Leena had given him a very daunting task.


    "What do you think?" Rain pursed his lips andy back on the sofazily. He was always like this, idle and carefree.


    "It''s beyond me," Kevin acknowledged. He was not a person who was good at reading people''s minds.


    "Then don''t try to pry into my personal affairs." Rain was a man who liked to showcase his individuality, that he was different from most people, but he turned out to be very reserved when it came to matters of the heart.


    "I''m sorry if I crossed the line," Kevin said apologetically with an embarrassed smile. He was quick to admit his mistakes.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Don''t take it too seriously. I was only joking. By the way, don''t you need to check out what Leena''s doing? Maybe she doesn''t know how to cook." Rain was a little concerned. He didn''t worry about Leena''s cooking skills, instead he worried that Leena might y tricks on the dishes as a revenge for his unreasonable requests.


    "Don''t worry. I trust her cooking skills. She''s actually good. We sometimes cook together," Kevin said lightly, unaware of what was on Rain''s mind.


    Rain seemed to havee here especially to get drunk tonight. He didn''t eat much of the dishes that Leena had prepared for him. Instead, he kept gulping ss after ss of the wine, as if there wouldn''t be a tomorrow. He was intent on getting himself really hammered. What was disconcerting to Leena was that Kevin seemed to be influenced by Rain, instead of the other way around. He clinked the sses and drank with Rain, going all out to catch up with him.


    "Hey! Don''t drink too much!" Leena frowned. Didn''t these two men have issues with each other before? How did they suddenly be friends drinking merrily together? Leena wondered.


    "Aww Leena,e on, don''t be a party pooper. Come and have some wine, too," Rain proposed as he poured her a ss of wine and neared it to her mouth, smiling charmingly.


    "No. I will stand by and watch how you two get drunk because I know what will happenter. And I will take your embarrassing photos and post them on social media. Then everyone in the world will see that the handsome Rain and Kevin are actually silly and vulgar in real life," Leena pouted and said impulsively. She could already imagine what it would be like when they really got drunk. And she knew she was the one who had to clean up the mess. She started to worry how she would help the full grown drunk men to their roomster. "Oh, no! You can''t do that. Leena, we are family. Be a good wife and sister and show us some kindness and consideration! We are just having fun!" Rain looked at her in surprise. Of course he didn''t believe that she would actually do it. He said this only to amuse her and make her happy..


    "Hmp!" Leena grumbled and turned her head away in defiance. She threatened them because she cared about their health. Too much alcohol would make them sick.


    "Nana, don''t worry! We''ll be okay. You may go to sleep if you''re tired. You don''t need to wait up for us. I''m sure we''ll be fine. I will stay here and keep himpany." Kevin kissed her cheeks affectionately, not caring about Rain''s presence.


    "I''m not tired. I am only worried that you may drink too much wine and get sick. It''s not good for your health." Leena had never cared before, whether Kevin drank or not. But she began to be very careful about this after she got to know how vulnerable his stomach was to alcohol.


    "Leena, it''s unfair. I have never seen you worry about us like this before."


    Rain said jealously. Men were all like this. They tended to be petty on trifling matters, and unbelievably childish.


    "Because you are too good at drinking, it''s no use for me to worry about you. Okay, you can both continue but don''t overdo it. I don''t want to see either of you crawling or rolling on the floor. Otherwise, it''ll be a social media viral party with you in the spotlight, understand? I will go upstairs to handle my emails." Leena thought that it was better for her to keep them out of her sight. If they wanted to get drunk, then just let them be! At least they were not out in a bar or somewhere else, doing something they might regret. Probably they would feel better this way. She knew they would not cause anymotion here even if they got too drunk.


    "Okay! Go then!" Kevin agreed. He didn''t want her to stay here and nag him all night.


    "Come on, cheers!" Rain was eager to gulp the whole ss of wine down. He really wanted to get drunk.


    "Hey,e on, take it slow!" Kevin reached out his hand and tried to stop him. If he continued to drink like this, he''d be drunk and unable to control himself way before midnight.


    "Huh! You are probably worried that I would drink up the good wine you have collected here at your home, right? Well don''t worry about that. I will give you a truckload of your favorite wines tomorrow." Rain said impulsively. He had started to get a little tipsy now. "It''s not the matter of the wine. Leena would be worried." Although Kevin also drank much wine, he was still very much clear headed. He could hold his wine well and few people could beat him in this aspect.0000000

 Chapter 1435 Got Drunk (Part Two)

    "It surprises me and makes me very happy that you care very much for our little princess. I hope that you can always be this good to her. Even if you know that she may never be pregnant, you should always love her and treasure her. Because she is the most precious person in our hearts, and no one else could rece her." Rain probably had already gotten drunk, otherwise he wouldn''t be so negligent and spill the beans to Kevin. His tongue got too loose too soon. "Huh? Wait... What did you say? Who may never be pregnant?" The alcohol had started to kick in and Kevin was a little dazed. He was already zoning out at the moment, that was why he didn''t hear it clearly.


    "What pregnant? I never said pregnant. I said that Leena was very precious to us. Come on, let''s drink some more." Rain momentarily became sober as he identally blurted out Leena''s secret. Fortunately, Kevin didn''t clearly understand because of the alcohol and Rain was quick enough to rebound and cover it up. But in his own honest opinion, he believed that Kevin should be informed of such an important thing. But Leena insisted that they help her hide it from her husband. She just wasn''t ready to ruin Kevin''s happiness and bliss with such bad news, choosing to keep the pains and sorrows to herself.


    "No, that''s not right. I know you said ''precious'', But I know that I heard you say something like pregnant as well." Kevin frowned and tried to remember what Rain said exactly but he couldn''t. Was he really drunk? The alcohol might have nked his memory and that was why he might have misheard Rain.


    "Aww, Come on! Let''s just keep drinking. Any way, thank you for taking care of our precious Leena," Rain hurriedly tried to steer the conversation away from a potential disaster. He couldn''t let Kevin sense that something was amiss.


    The drinking session ended with both men so drunk that they almost couldn''t get up from the couch. Leena couldn''t let Rain go home like this, so she made him stay in the guest room for the night.


    "Annie..." Rain mumbled. One could feel how much he loved her in the endearing way he called out her name.


    Leena bit her lips. Although she felt so sorry for her brother being so heartbroken, she couldn''t do anything about it. She couldn''t make Annie appear right in front of him. What she could do now was only to kiss him gently on his forehead to console him. Then she tucked him in before she walked out of the room.


    "And as for you, dear husband. Let''s go upstairs!" Leena helped Kevin stand up. She knew all along that she would be the one who had to handle all the mess and take care of them after the drinking. And it turned out she was right.


    "Nana, don''t move." Kevin was really drunk this time. He couldn''t see her clearly now. He reached out his hand and tried to touch her beautiful face, but Leena was still a few feet away. He touched nothing but air.


    "I''m not moving. You''re so drunk that everything is spinning around you. I told you not to drink too much. But you didn''t listen. And now you''re a mess!" Leena stared at him, pretty vexed. But even so, her tone of speaking showed more love than me.


    "I''m not drunk. Maybe you''re drunk! Nana, you smell so good." As Leena struggled to pull Kevin up, he tucked his head into her neck and breathed her in, savoring the fragrance that emanated from her..


    "Hey! Watch your step! Or we would both fall down the stairs. My, you''re heavy!" Leena snapped. One of them missed and almost slipped. Thanks to Kevin who grasped the handrails or they would have rolled down the stairs. Leena wondered whether Kevin was really drunk or he was just faking it. Because he reacted so swiftly even when he appeared to be zombie-like drunk.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Nana, you don''t... believe me? Don''t you know who I am? I am a gant... soldier and a major general of the army. How could I possibly let... you fall?" Kevin said seriously. But the hupsing out from his mouth made his words less convincing to Leena.


    "Yes, yes, Major General Gu, I definitely believe you, and I trust you with my life....wait, no, that''s the closet! Our bedroom is over here!" Leena tried her best to steer her confused husband to the right room. "The problem is that now you are so drunk that you can''t even find your way in your own house!" Leena narrowed her eyes and stared at him. Although she wasn''t too happy that her husband was hammered now, she wasn''t expecting that he would get along very well with Rain. She was reluctantly thankful for the alcohol. As the saying went, there were no permanent enemies on tables where wine was served. Countless times, alcohol had helped break the ice and was now fondly called a social lubricant.


    "Huh! So you don''t... believe in me?" Still with hups, Kevin said as he suddenly circled his arms around her waist, followed with passionate kisses on her full and luscious lips.


    "Hummmppp.." Leena was taken aback and was reluctant to let his tongue in. She waspletely unprepared as Kevin stole a deep kiss. In order not to fall down, she hurriedly grabbed the top of the stair railings to keep bnce and at the same time tried to breathe as a certain military officer tried to stuff her mouth with his.


    "Honey, you really don''t believe in me." Kevin suddenly stopped and let her go. He was hurt by her unwitting resistance.


    "Well... It''s not like that," Leena tried to exin. She knew she might have hurt his pride. But it was not because she didn''t trust in him. It was only a movement by instinct in the face of danger.


    "Then kiss me," Kevin looked deeply into her eyes and suddenly ordered her.


    "Oh! Out here in the hallway?" Leena was stunned. She nced at the stairs and looked hesitantly. Although Rain was drunk, she still worried that he might suddenly appear. "What else do you think?" Kevin suddenly became sulky and stubborn just like a child. No one knew what was on his mind now. He was just making a fuss.


    "Let''s go to our room first, okay?" Leena frowned and refused subconsciously. He never behaved aggressively like this before. Leena wondered what happened to him tonight. "No, I just want to do it here, right here," Kevin insisted, unwilling topromise. He looked intensely at her with his blurry eyes and rested his gaze firmly on her luscious lips.


    "Haha! Kevin, what happened to you tonight? You are acting like a kid!" Leenaughed. The Kevin before her now was not the one she knew. He was confronting her with raised eyebrows, together with a tinge of charm and childishness. This was not like him at all.. "Don''t try to distract me. I will not fall into your trap of maniption." Kevin firmed his grasp and pulled her closer to him. He looked deep into her eyes, his face bing red and hot and his eyes shing with passion and fire.


    Leena exhaled deeply and took a look at the downstairs again. Then she tiptoed and timidly nted a quick kiss on his thin lips, the way a dragonfly would skim the surface of the water.??????????????

 Chapter 1436 Got Drunk (Part Three)

    "There, are you satisfied now?" Leena bit her lips and lowered her head, looking at her toes. She felt a bit embarrassed at the unfamiliar thing she just did. Kevin was making her do little shameless things bit by bit. What was going to be next? "Just so so," Kevin replied. He stopped messing around because he felt a little more dizzy now. The alcohol was really starting to have its full effect.


    "Okay, okay, let''s go into the room now." Relieved, Leena helped him into the room. They could finally rest. With that much alcohol, she saw how her husband could turn into a giant baby.


    "Nana, you are good at taking advantage of loopholes." Lying on the bed, Kevin gazed at herzily.


    "Me? You are so wrong! Stay there, I will go to prepare the bath water for you." Leena hurriedly ran into the bathroom, happy that she managed to muddle through this situation but she wouldn''t admit it. Wasn''t he the one who said it? She only needed to kiss him. He didn''t require how long she should do the kiss. Therefore it was up to her to decide how long it was going to be.


    Kevin smiled with self-mockery. It was true that he was a little drunk, but he was still conscious. He then remembered and dwelled on the thing that slipped out of Rain''s mouth earlier when they were drinking. He felt that he hadn''t misheard anything. The feeling in his gut that they were deliberately hiding something from him was getting stronger.


    The next day when Leena woke up and opened her eyes, she found herself in the arms of Kevin, who was still in a deep sound sleep. She felt so warm as Kevin wrapped her by the waist with his muscr arms. And she found that he would subconsciously tighten his grip at her slightest movement, as if he was afraid that she would go away at any time. She carefully and quietly slid out of his embrace and got out of bed. There were now two men in the house who would need breakfast soon.


    Coming downstairs, Leena found that Rain was still asleep. He drank too muchst night. He was so drunk that he didn''t even have any reaction when she walked into his room and tucked him in.


    Thinking that they would feel like crap after they got up because of the hangover, she went into the kitchen and cooked some millet porridge. She added some corn flour in the porridge to make it more tasty.


    Kevin awakened to something that made his face itch. Thinking it was some bug, he raised his hand to swat it. When he opened his eyes, Leena was stroking his face with her hair. She was looking at him with her clear eyes, shing a sly smile.


    "What time is it now?" Kevin pinched the spot between his eyebrows. His head felt so heavy that he didn''t think he could raise it.


    "Good morning! It is already about ten o''clock. Do you want to get up now?" Leena leaned on his chest and continued to tease him with her hair. She was having fun with him.


    "Yes. Where is Rain? Is he still sleeping? And could you please not yell at me?" Kevin had never slept in and woken aste as today. He didn''t even notice when Leena got out and came back into the room. He was indeed beastly drunkst night. And the hangover was so bad that even the slightest sound seemed very loud.


    "No. I have already woken him up before I came back up here to you." If it wasn''t for the porridge that was getting cold, she would not have been so eager to wake them up.


    Rain was a little embarrassed after he got up in the morning. He had never expected that he would be so drunk that he would need to sleep over in their house that night. So when he saw Kevin again, he wasn''t as cocky as he was the night before as if nobody on earth could beat him. Today, he lowered his head, both to hide his embarrassment and to not directly look at the light which made his headache feel worse.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    "Morning!" Kevin greeted him, already feeling better and looking good. He found that Rain was easy to get along with after a good round of drinking. Although sometimes he had a sharp tone, he was actually a man with good morals and values. Kevin held him up in high regard because of that.


    "Huh? Good morning? Are you making fun of me now? Don''t you know what time it is now? And you''re just saying ''morning'' to me?" Rain snapped and stared at him. Even though he was still recovering from his hangover, he still looked very handsome and fascinating. "It''s ten o''clock. So technically it is still morning." Kevin sat down opposite him. Leena kept silent and served them the porridge. In this situation, she thought the best choice was to remain quiet, stay out of trouble and avoid drawing fire upon herself. "You were indeed born in the year of the pig." Rain nced at Kevin disdainfully. It had never urred to him that when Kevin was on his way to work every morning, he was actually still tucked in bed. Well, different people had different times of waking up. "No, you are wrong. I was born in the year of the horse," Kevin said seriously, as if his birth year sign would be really changed if he didn''t correct him.


    "What? Oh, no! So you are even younger than me? But why do you look years older?" Rain would not stop if he didn''t piss others off. That was what the real Rain was like. But when the opponent was Kevin, it was hard to say whether he could win this time. "You are wrong again. That is because I am more mature than you." No matter what Rain threw at him, Kevin fought back in a calm and yet condescending manner.


    "Huh! Kevin, could you please just stop refuting every remark I say?" Rain was starting to get riled up and irritated from embarrassment. No matter what, he was the brother of Kevin''s wife. Why couldn''t this army baboon show any tolerance towards him? Unfortunately, Kevin didn''t have the slightest intention to stop. Rain felt that words failed him after several rounds of this verbal skirmish with Kevin.


    "Since you asked, I will show due respect," Kevin said while casually eating the porridge in his bowl. He probably was unaware that his responses made Rain go nuts.


    "Rain, I cooked a few more dishes especially for you. Have a try! I know they''re your favorite," Leena hurriedly interrupted the two and came to the rescue. She could no longer sit and watch, as the situation might spin out of control.


    "Specially made for me? Look at that! Just for me, right? Surely I will have a try." Rain looked at Kevin with a smug face, as if saying, ''Look, these dishes are specially made for me by Leena. You can only watch me eat, huh!''


    "Is it good?" Leena kicked Kevin under the table, ordering him to shut up. She was happy to see that Rain and Kevin had just started getting along, and she couldn''t let the newly built and still fragile rtionship go back to being cold and abrasive.


    "Yes! It''s very tasty. I''m very proud to have such a sister, who is always the best in everything." Rain beamed. He was happy to see Kevin''s face be sullen.


    Kevin frowned but he said nothing. He thought, ''Huh! Your sister? She is my wife now! If it were not for Leena who asked me to keep quiet, I would definitely strike back!''


    The breakfast ended in an awkward atmosphere. Seeing that they stopped wrangling with each other, Leena felt relieved. She really thought that her life on earth would be shortened if they kept quibbling.


    Rain soon bid good bye to them and left. He didn''t believe that Annie would really disappear from his life easily and once and for all. So he decided to go to a morepetent detective agency to find her. He would not easily give up until he was left with no other options.000

 Chapter 1437 I Love Her Only (Part One)

    "Kevin, do you know what''s wrong with him?" Leena asked. Watching Rain''s car pull out into the street made her hug herself worriedly.


    "Only love can hurt him that much," Kevin replied in a low voice. He remembered what Rain said to himst night, thus, he sighed.


    "Love can be tiring sometimes," said Leena with a disapproving frown. She then gently leaned against Kevin''s shoulder as if wanting him tofort her.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    "You''re right, Nana! By the way, It''s cold here. Let''s get inside." Kevin wrapped his arms around Leena as he spoke. He had always cared about her health, thus, he protected her from the cold wind.


    "Aren''t you going to the army base today?" inquired Leena as she looked up at Kevin. Spending some quality time with him wasn''t something she could easily get due to his career.


    "I''m free today. Would you like us to go somewhere and do something together?" Kevin lowered his head and kissed his wife''s forehead gently. Leena had been excessively stressed recently. Heaven knew that he would do everything tofort her mind.


    "I''m too familiar with S City and we don''t have much time to enjoy some out-of-town trips. Just forget it, Kevin. Let''s just stay at home." These days, Leena had spent most of her time at home as she was rushing her designs. She would love to go out and travel. However, she wasn''t ready to do that with Kevin emotionally yet.


    "How about we go shopping? Don''t girls like that? Just walking around the mall with their boyfriends or husbands?" He was trying his best. Nheless, Kevin felt as though Leena was getting out of his control. He really couldn''t stop himself from getting illusions that she would leave him soon. He was wondering if his hunch was because of him being under great pressure recently or if it was his intuition that was telling him these things.


    "Girls do that but not me. If you prefer to go shopping, we can buy some groceries." Leena had been getting herself ready for this for a long time now. As a worried wife, she intended to store somemon goods for him just in case he might use them in the future. "Didn''t you buy some of them a few days ago? Have you used them all already?" Disbelief was all over Kevin''s face when he asked. He straightened his back as he looked at Leena with confusion. He was sure that her odd behaviors meant something. Was she nning to do something he didn''t know?


    "No. It is just better for us to have more in case of need," replied Leena. She seemed unsure of herself when she abruptly dodged Kevin''s stare and looked away.


    "Are you telling the truth?" Kevin lowered his voice even more. He hadn''t been treated so carefully by other women. However, of all people he knew, he couldn''t exin how Leena just did it to him so naturally. "Yeah! Otherwise, why would I do that?" Leena said. She put on a forced smile as she tried to hide her awkwardness. She couldn''t afford to get her lie exposed so easily.


    Born in a wealthy family, Leena had her own lists of luxury brands. It had been a habit for her to carry Kevin''s bank card every day. However, she seldom used it as she always used her own money rather than his. "Leena, I''ll pay this time," said Kevin. He gave his credit card to the shop assistant before Leena could take money from her bag.


    "Ok! Thanks." Honestly, Leena didn''t care about who would pay the bill. They were husband and wife. She would be happy enough as long as they were happy together.


    A few minutes after, they were already carrying many shopping bags across the parking lot. However, just before they could open the trunk of their car, a ck car suddenly rushed to them without even slowing down.


    "Leena, watch out!" screamed Kevin. His body quickly reacted to pull Leena to his side. His teeth were gritted when he turned to the car that almost hit Leena.


    Little did everyone know that the driver did this deliberately. When the driver realized that Leena had escaped, he mmed on the brakes, turned around, and rushed to them again.


    Realizing the immediate risk, Kevin took Leena''s hand and ran towards the exit. There was no way that Leena''s life could be put into danger.


    "What the fuck!" Leena was still in full shock about what was going on. However, Kevin''s presence somehow calmed her down. She trusted Kevin and she knew that he would protect her no matter what.


    "Let''s get out of here. A car wouldn''t run towards us twice without the intention of killing us," said Kevin seriously. Kevin eyed the car cautiously and put Leena behind him. His mind was reeling whether the driver was an enemy. He knew deep down that he might have pissed off some gangsters in the past. This could be an act of revenge against him.


    "Let''s get out of here," said Leena. Terror quickly ate her up after hearing Kevin''s exnation. Moreover, she could read from Kevin''s serious face that they were indeed in great danger.


    "It''s toote. I bet the roads outside have been blocked," Kevin frowned when he saw another car driving towards them. He had always been a brave man, however, an unexinable fear still made it to his chest. What if these people got desperate and shot him and Leena? They might not survive this if that happened.


    "What about now? What should we do?" To be honest, Leena had never been scared of death. However, knowing that Kevin was in danger together with her still frightened her. Kevin''s safety was her biggest concern.


    "Get on the car right now and call the police," ordered Kevin in a calm tone. His eyes were now focused on the group of men who were getting off the cars. He felt relief washed over him upon seeing no signs of guns anywhere.0000??????????

 Chapter 1438 I Love Her Only (Part Two)

    Leena didn''t hesitate and got on the car as quickly as possible. She had faith in Kevin''s judgment and never would she dare question him right now.


    On the other hand, Kevin took off his coat and threw it into the passenger seat. He could sense that there would be a fight soon and he didn''t want his coat to get dirty. "Nana, close the window," said Kevin, without looking back at his wife. His expression was so dark that even Leena felt terrified just by how dangerous his eyes were.


    "Not bad, kid! I have thought you would escape with your wife. However, you didn''t do that. You do want to be a hero, don''t you?" said the man who appeared to be the leader. He had blond hair and he wore a pair of big earrings. He removed his sunsses while walking towards Kevin.


    "Who are you?" asked Kevin curiously. He wasn''t wearing his uniform today. Nheless, his sportswear didn''t make him look any less dignified than how he usually was.


    "No need to introduce ourselves. Regr men shouldn''t make friends with us," said the leader arrogantly. He thought that Kevin was just a nobody. His master only wanted Leena dead. However, Kevin was standing between him and his prey, thus, he had to deal with him. "Don''t be a fool. Do you want to do it on your own or together with them?" Kevin scanned the group of men standing behind the leader. There were seven of them and he immediately knew that he was much better than all of thembined. The men might look terrifying but then they weren''t soldiers. What did they know about actual and life-threateningbats?


    "Be a smart man. Walk away from here while you still can. Don''t call the police because we have already blocked the signals here," said the leader while smiling coldly. In his own twisted mind, he regarded himself as someone professional. He wouldn''t even take the risk and attempt to kill someone in broad daylight if he didn''t know how to do his job right.


    "It looks like you''re well prepared. Since we''re outnumbered and there''s really no way of escaping this, can you tell us who sends you to do this?" After a while, Kevin felt that these viins were not sent here to take revenge. They were hired-killers. Based on what the leader said, it was also clear that they weren''t here for him. For Pete''s sake! They were too calm before him. They should have taken him down by surprise if they were really after his neck.


    "Yeah, you''re right about that. You can''t do anything. We have dealt with the monitors and nobody woulde to your rescue. We want the girl dead. It is better for you to walk out as you will not be able to save her no matter what you do," said the man. He raised his eyebrows and looked at the car behind Kevin. He was confident that the girl inside the car wouldn''t have the chance to escape his group.


    "That girl''s my wife. I bet you don''t know her, thus, somebody must have asked you to do this. Tell me who it is and I will spare your life." Kevin''s aura was getting even darker as seconds passed, The guys before him seemed well prepared. He could tell that they knew what they were doing. The situation had be extremely dangerous for them and he had no idea how many more people were hiding in that parking lot. What if they were just waiting for him to loosen his guards before they attacked?


    "We will tell you nothing. However, if you want to marry another wife, hand her to us and you can walk away safe and sound. There is no need for you to die for her. You must have got dozens of girls waiting for your kiss," said the man in an amused tone. He was paid enough money to kill just one person. Although he didn''t bother killing another one, that additional kill would just be a waste of time. His master only wanted the woman dead. Other person''s life wasn''t his concern.


    "I''m sorry. I can''t satisfy your wish. Although there are lots of excellent girls out there, I only love my wife. Those girls are nothing to me," said Kevin sternly and righteously. His eyes remained sharp while looking at the guy dangerously. "Good! I never thought that you are such a loyal husband. What a pity that you have to love her in the hell," said the man with a wicked smile on his face. He rubbed his chin with his left hand and then gave Kevin a confident grin. "Can you tell me how much were you paid to kill? I''ll pay you twice whatever the price is," said Leena scornfully. She got off the car and stood beside Kevin. Her sweet face hadpletely changed from being angelic to looking bloodthirsty.


    "Good girl! However, we must follow the rules. You are a dead woman regardless of how much you''re offering. It just doesn''t work that way," said the man slowly and calmly. The leader''s aura was dripping with confidence. He wasn''t even worrying about any potential helping here to rescue his prey. Moreover, he didn''t even think that his prey could escape him. He eyed Leena amusedly and felt bad that such a beauty had to die.


    "You have to ask for my permission if you want her life." It was then that a cold voice suddenly cut between the conversation. It was from Luke. His young master had ordered him to protect Leena as soon as the incident was reported to them. Thus, he came here as quickly as he could to rescue her.


    "Luke, what are you doing here?" asked Leena in surprise as she scanned the number of men that came with Luke. Calmness returned to her and made her smile sweetly again.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1439 I Love Her Only (Part Three)

    "How did youe here?" asked the leader in shock. He had ordered several of his men to guard the gates. Had they been killed by this Luke and his people?


    "We walked inside without being interrupted. Next time, if you want to do such a job, find yourself better people to work for you. Otherwise, they would be dead even before they know what happens," said Luke in a cold and threatening way. His eyes scanned the killers thoroughly. Had he known that Kevin was with Leena, he would have note here running like hell. He was almost halted by a policeman because of over-speeding. It was lucky that another car distracted the policeman.


    "Impossible. I should have been warned if you tried to break in," said the man in disbelief. The man saw the people standing behind Luke. He couldn''t believe how his men were dealt with so easily. It didn''t even make a sound!


    "Your men are pigs. They don''t know how to fight. However, as I can see, you''re not smart either. Otherwise, you wouldn''t have agreed to kill without doing some pre-work," said Luke. Luke''s group closed in on him. Luke controlled S City and he could do whatever he wanted. Besides, the Mayfly would give them enough support.Property ? 2024 N0(v)elDrama.Org.


    "What do you mean?" the man asked. He really loved learning and would ask whenever he had some doubts in his mind. However, he clearly should be considered stupid for not knowing what Luke meant.


    "You''re making a fool of yourself. Do you have any idea of whom you''re threatening? Hurt him and you''ll find yourself being hunted down by a whole army. Is that what you want?" Luke seldom teased people. Nevertheless, he was amused by how foolish these people before him were. A huge sigh escaped his chest as he couldn''t help but feel sorry for these men''s miserable fate.


    "Don''t try to frighten me. I''ve been killing people when you were just a kid. Don''t you dare talk to me this way! Piss me off and you''ll regret it," the man said as heughed wildly. He just wanted to kill the woman. Why would an army hunt him down? It would be ridiculous to think of that.


    "You''re just an ant which I can kill easily. Besides, I have already called the police before I came here. They would be here soon. I''m sure you''ll spend the rest of your life in a stinking prison. I should kill you for your stupidity but I don''t want to get my hand dirty." Edward might be good at sneering, however, Luke was better. He learned from the best after all.


    Kevin shrugged his shoulders and then began putting their shopping bags inside the trunk leisurely. He was now acting like those killers were not even there. Leena saw the easy expression on his face and was shocked. Didn''t he worry that Luke might fail to protect them?


    Sometimes, she just couldn''t understand how Kevin''s brain worked. Meanwhile, Kevin knew that Luke was Edward''s most trusted friend and bodyguard. Luke should be an extraordinary man himself. Otherwise, he wouldn''t get through all the dangerous tasks of his career without breaking himself to pieces. Therefore, Kevin had faith in Luke as he knew that he was more capable than everyone else.


    "Kid, you''re being stupid. You can''t even stop us once we leave. You''re outnumbered," said the man. He was actually thinking of how to escape from Luke as he spoke. He had already wasted too much time talking. If he had been careful and prudent, his mission would have been done.


    "I can do him a favor and help to take you down," Kevin closed the car door and finally decided to participate in this farce.


    "Aren''t you a coward? What can you do?" said the man disdainfully. He didn''t believe that Kevin could fight. Kevin seemed to be gentle and weak. Nobody would even think that Kevin was a major general when he wasn''t wearing his uniform. It was too bad for the leader that Kevin happened to be an elite soldier.


    "Yes, I can do nothing. But I could definitely fix you," said Kevin with a smile. Honestly, Kevin was confident that those men couldn''t hurt him even without Luke. However, Leena''s safety was his top priority and he would not take the risk.


    "Major General Gu, you can go with Leena. I''ll y with them. There''s no need for you to waste time here." Although his master held some grudges against Kevin, Luke still admired him. Kevin''s skill wasn''tmon and he was amazed how Kevin managed to advance in his career at such a young age.


    "It doesn''t matter. I haven''t done some exercises for a long time. Today''s an opportunity." Kevin closed hands into fists and rxed his muscles. It was easy to tell how ready he was for a good fight.


    "What did you call him? Major General Gu? Is he the young Major General Gu in S City?" The man stared at Kevin in disbelief. He was doomed if Luke was telling the truth! Goodness! He would need to fight with a whole army if he dared to hurt Kevin in case. "Yes, it''s him. What? Are you losing your fucking mind now? Tell me. What has the woman promised to you after you finish your mission?" Luke''s eyes went cold. He knew that Dorothy might be behind this. However, he had no time to think of why she would do such a thing.


    "Do you think I''ll tell you that?" The man eyed Kevin in awe. He had never wanted to pick a fight with a soldier, moreover, an elite general! He knew that doing so would be as bad as digging up his own grave.


    "Of course, you can keep quiet. However, I have various ways to make you speak," said Kevin with a wicked smile on his face. Nobody was better than Hawkeye when it came to interrogation. However, he didn''t expect his skill to be of use today. He wouldn''t mind to demonstrate how Hawkeye handled their prisoners. One thing for sure though was that there had never been a prisoner strong enough not to beg for mercy under their brutal trials.


    "I''m afraid that you won''t have the opportunity! Guys? What''re you waiting for? I want him dead right now," shouted the man in a suddenly desperate tone. He rushed to Kevin as he believed that Kevin was young and weak. He was expecting Kevin to surrender as soon as he got punched and kicked. Kevin was too young to be a major general and he might have used influence for him to climb the armydder. It would beughable if this weak looking guy knew somebat skills or martial arts.00000??????

 Chapter 1440 What Jessica Ended Up With (Part One)

    Kevin had been in several fights before. He realized his opponent was too strong for him to fight head-to-head. With a strong offense, his target was also too arrogant to let him get away. Fortunately, this worked for Kevin just fine.


    As a soldier, Kevin often took a more practical approach to subdue enemies, which was hitting right in the vital parts instead of unting his strength. So as the man ran towards him, Kevin didn''t evade and grabbed him by the wrist just as the man was about tond a punch on Kevin. Immediately after, Kevin twisted the man''s arm behind his back, and a loud agonizing pop was followed by the man screaming in pain.


    The pain briefly disabled the man from fighting back, and then he attempted to give a sweeping leg. Unfortunately for him, Kevin noticed his slow move and jerked away from it. While evading the man''s attack, Kevin struck him in the stomach with his fist. His counter- attack was so smooth that the man didn''t even get the chance to defend himself.


    When the boss was defeated, his men fled in confusion with their tails between the legs. It seemed like these men were only good at bragging after all.


    After a while, when themotion finally died down, the police cars raced along with sirens at full st. They were sote to the party that Leena wouldn''t have survived if it weren''t for her husband.


    After taking all of the fighters to jail, Kevin asked Hawkeye to interrogate them one by one. He really wanted to know the culprit behind all of this. To everyone''s surprise, the person turned out to be none other than Jessica.


    It didn''t, however, make sense. Jessica was one of Edward''s ex-girlfriends. ''What did she have against Leena?'' thought Kevin.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    But he was, by no means, a softie. He didn''t care whether there was just some misunderstanding between Jessica and Leena. What happened was as clear as crystal. Jessica broke thew and tried to inflict pain on Leena. Kevin gave an order that Jessica was a wanted felon.


    It surprised Edward that his former girlfriend was the one behind the whole fiasco. Why she had the nerve to provoke was beyond his knowledge. So Edward asked The Mayfly to track down Jessica before the police.


    "Tell me," he said, "Why did you do it?" Edward frowned. Regret washed over him as he thought about how he had let Jessica, a crazy woman, stay with him for so many years.


    "Oh," said the woman casually, "You''re here. I bet you never suspected that it was me." She smirked viciously. "I saw that you guys love that little bitch very much," she shared, "So I wanted my revenge, and I thought that she was the best target. As soon as that little bitch dies, all of you men will suffer in agony too. What do you think about my n? Perfect, isn''t it?" she asked,ughing hysterically. "How do you feel now? Don''t you just want to tear me apart since I had her killed?!" Jessica screamed, her face which had undergone so many stic surgeries was distorted with extreme fury.


    "I''m so sorry to tell you that your n failed. She didn''t die. Don''t count your chickens before they''ve hatched," Edward sneered at her lopsidedly. The only reason he wanted to find her, before the police could, was so he could show her how happy he was with Daisy now, and that there was nothing she could do to sabotage it.


    "It can''t be!" she eximed, "He assured me that he''ll kill Leena! Did he lie to me?" The satisfied smirk disappeared from her face. All that was left was shock. Didn''t Edward go to her because Leena was dead?


    "He didn''t lie to you. He did try. Just that he failed," Edward told her, standing at a distance. He was already disgusted, just being in her presence. Standing close to the crazy woman would make him sick.


    "Why?! Why wasn''t she killed? It couldn''t have failed!" She shook her head. "I nned the murder for such a long time, and it was perfect! You must be fooling me!" Jessica used angrily with wide eyes. She stared at the man who she once fell in love with. Her hatred towards him now was as strong as her love used to be in the past.


    "As the old saying goes, evil people never win," said Edward coldly, "You''re just crazy now. You''ve totally lost your mind." Infected with HIV, the rest of her life was bound to be miserable even if Kevin wasn''t going to teach her a lesson. She could''ve chosen a different path, but instead, she chose to dig her own grave.


    "What''s that I just heard? Evil people never win? I can''t believe that''sing out of your own mouth. It''s your fault that I''vee to this!" Jessica cursed, staring with tortured and enraged eyes. Had she not been tied up, she would have hit him as much as she could. "Jessica, you volunteered to be a part of this game. You''ve always known that I''m way out of your league. You shouldn''t have fallen in love with me," snorted Edward. Their rtionship was purely a business deal. Jessica was his sex partner, and in return, Edward gave her money and fame. How could she me Edward for dumping her when all he did was give her every fancy thing that she wanted?


    "But, what is it about Daisy?" asked Jessica, "What''s so special about her?" If only Edward had treated all his girls the same, Jessica wouldn''t have hated him so much. It was because there was an exception, someone who was treated better than the rest - Daisy, who made jealousy get to Jessica''s head.


    "Right. I ask myself the same question. Like, why Daisy? What''s so special about her? I''ve been looking for all the reasons, but haven''t had much luck finding an answer. All in all, she just ended up bing part of my life. She just... became someone whom I can''t live without," Edward replied, getting lost in his own musings. It was true that he had asked himself the same question plenty of times. The answer just never came to him.0000000

 Chapter 1441 What Jessica Ended Up With (Part Two)

    "Then, what about me? I used to be a part of your life too! How could you just dump me like I''m a nobody?" Jessica asked, biting her lips. She didn''t get the satisfaction she imagined she would get after having her revenge. Even worse, she was now beginning to have doubts if it was ever worth her sacrifice. "You are a nobody to me. Jessica, listen, the biggest mistake you''ve made was to mess with Leena. She is too adorable to get in touch with someone like you." To Edward, Jessica was the embodiment of craziness and evil. He felt deeply sorry to see that Leena became her target. "Someone like me? What kind of woman do you think I am? Am I too indecent to you? That''s funny." she snorted sarcastically, "Have you already forgotten all the times that we''ve had sex? You didn''t use toin before. And now, you think I''m dirty just because I slept with tons of men. What about you? How many women have you slept with?" she asked in an using tone. When he didn''t answer quickly enough, she continued, "We are the same, you see." Jessica struggled to get free. Her hands, however, were tied too tightly. Her attempts did nothing else but bruise her. But it was better than doing nothing as he looked at her with those cold, judgemental eyes.


    "Look at yourself, Jessica. You''re totally a crazy whore now. You wouldn''t have ended up with this if you had given it up in time. Before it ever got out of hand." Edward said lightly. Even though Jessica had gone insane, and he could no longer talk some sense into her, he truly felt bad for her. He still felt a small amount of remorse since they had spent so many years together.


    "Now you''re trying to offer me better life choices? Where were you before? I am telling you, you''re not qualified to teach me how to improve my situation. I don''t need your pity, so save it," Jessica snorted, her unwavering re still directed at him. It was true that she slept with so many men. But only because she needed their help to have her revenge on Edward. He was the reason why she had be obsessed with getting her payback.


    "What? You must be mistaken. I don''t feel sorry for you," he rified harshly, "I''ve thought of ways to punish you before I came here. But look at you right now, you''re miserable enough and you''ve already ruined your own life. I don''t need to bother dealing with you anymore." As a woman, Jessica should have learned more about how to cherish herself. She had always sought validation from others.


    "Edward," said Jessica quietly, "Doesn''t it make your heart hurt a little bit to see me in this situation?" As Jessica could not disappear from his life, she couldn''t stop bothering him and thus, went astray. The irony was, although her rebellion seeded as Edward now stood in front of her, it also ended up ruining her life.


    "You were just one of my girlfriends. I don''t bother to deal with women who I''m not into anymore. Jessica, it''s like what you''ve always wanted. You''ve be a thorn in my flesh. But you have no idea what kind of punishment you''ll get in exchange for it. We have to put an end to all of this." Jessica totally went nuts this time. She was like a bomb which could explode in someone''s face at any moment. For everyone''s safety, Edward had to make sure that Jessica spent the rest of her life in prison.


    "Edward, what are you going to do with me now?" Jessica asked, trembling a bit. Would Edward hold her in jail until the day she died? She was terrified, just thinking of the possibility. Even though she had drifted into prostitution, she was at least free. She would rather die than spend the rest of her life in a dark and tiny cell.


    "Don''t worry. I''m just going to send you somewhere you asked for. Luke, call Kevin to take care of her," ordered Edward, "She is a criminal, and it''s the police''s job to arrest her." Luke nodded. Edward felt relieved that he finally put an end to the whole mess. Soon, it was all going to be left in the past. Jessica was sick, and there was no need for Edward to waste any more of his time on her. It was time he moved on from this chapter of his life.


    "Copy that, Mr. Mu. Would you like to go home?" Luke asked, while dialing a call. He knew what his boss had in mind, so calling Kevin was the best choice. It was better to leave it to the police.


    "Edward, you hypocrite! Come back! We''re not done yet! What''s so good about Daisy? I can bring you more happiness than her!" screamed Jessica madly. She thought Daisy was just a better sex partner who was more skilled than her, and that was why Edward was obsessed with her. But judging by his words, she was starting to notice that there was something more. And she wanted to know what it was, wanted to hear ite from his own mouth.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Shut up! Mr. Mu is not as vulgar as you. Mrs. Mu is so extraordinary that you will never amount to anything close to her." Luke said, ncing at her in contempt. He would never have interacted with her, if she had not been his boss'' girlfriend. She had always rubbed him the wrong way.


    "Shut your hole up, stooge. Who do you think you are, talking to me like that?" Jessica snapped, gritting her teeth. Luke had been holding a grudge against her since she became Edward''s girlfriend. But Luke was shrewd. He always wore a poker face whenever he was around her.


    Luke didn''t bother to talk back. He put on a pair of gloves, and went over to Jessica to show her what a stooge would normally do.0000000

 Chapter 1442 What Jessica Ended Up With (Part Three)

    "What are you going to do?" Jessica felt a sudden rush of panic, as Luke walked towards her. That was typical of Jessica: she only had the nerve to bully someone who was vulnerable. But once they began standing up for themselves, she would cower back almost at once.


    "Don''t worry," assured Luke mockingly, "You''re too vulgar to be my taste." Suddenly, Luke pped Jessica across the face. He had worn the glove to prevent his hands from touching her. Luke took it off, and flung it on the ground to humiliate Jessica further. Hearing what Luke said, one of his men''s mouth twitched. Edward would have been furious if he was present and heard Luke use Jessica of being vulgar. After all, she was still once Edward''s taste.


    Kevin took care of the case personally, and made sure Jessica spent the rest of her life in prison. After all, no one wanted such a dangerous person out in the open. Kevin''s priority was to protect his loved ones. It was the first time he made use of his job to deal with personal matters. Jessica was indeed a special case. She deserved everything she got in the end, trying to murder Leena. Even though she failed, it was still attempted murder. The police would never go easy on her even if Kevin didn''t involve himself. The next day, Dorothy called Leena. She wanted to apologize to her.


    "Mrs. Gu, I''m so sorry for what I did to you," she apologized. Being told that Jessica was caught, Dorothy began to worry about her video being exposed to the public, and so she confessed everything to Edward. Even though she did get involved once in the murder, fortunately, she didn''t hurt anyone. Besides, she was a signed entertainer of FX International Group now. It would do thepany no good if her career was ruined. So Edward went easy on her, warning her to be more careful after getting her video back.


    "It''s okay. You should call the police the next time something like this happens again. In that case, you won''t be threatened by someone," Leena knew Dorothy was up to something when she took the initiative to approach her. But Leena didn''t expect that she was simply a poor girl who was being controlled by someone vicious.


    "I''m so sorry!" She looked remorseful. "As you know, for us entertainers, any scandal, no matter how small, would ruin our career. So I panicked when she came to me. I didn''t have any other choice but to obey her first. I didn''t mean to hurt you. And I''m so sorry for what I did to Major General Gu. I really didn''t mean it. I was just threatened by her!" Dorothy was shaken by the mere memory of it all. If Jessica hadn''t made the first move to deal with Leena, then the one in trouble now could have been her.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Luckily I didn''t give you any chance to hurt me. But since you''re done apologizing, I guess we''re done here. But I''d like to give you an advice: Be more careful next time, especially since you''re an entertainer. There are so many people waiting for your scandals to get out." As a fashion designer, Leena always worked with models and entertainers. She was familiar with how things worked around them. Everyone in the fashion industry was eager to step over others, wing their way to the top. It didn''t matter if they hurt someone along the way.


    "Thank you for your advice. But can I ask you a question? Did you know that I was up to something when I first approached you?" Dorothy wondered how Leena saw through her act as she made sure her every move was perfect.


    "Yes, I did. Sometimes, being perfect is the biggest w. I began to suspect that you were plotting something as you always appeared just in time. Pretending to be kind isn''t enough, because your true color will always reveal itself in the long run. Being sincere is the only way to make true friends." Leena took a sip of her coffee. She was more mature deep inside than most of her peers, and what she said just proved it.


    "Oh, that''s it. I thought you were being jealous," Dorothy chuckled in embarrassment. Even though she was attracted to Kevin, Dorothy knew that he was way out of her league.


    "No, that''s not true. I know Kevin. He''s not that kind of man who enjoys flirting with girls. So no matter what I''m told, I would definitely defend him." How typical of Leena. She had always hadplete faith in her husband. But it seemed that she wasn''t so good at opening up about everything, as she left without saying goodbye.


    After Dorothy left, Leena went to the hospital. Even though it seemed that the Chinese medicine she took didn''t work, Leena wanted to try one more time.


    "Leena, what brings you here?" Tom asked, surprised to see Leena as he had already told her it wasn''t necessary toe again. Because of her situation, he had to make up a new prescription. So Leena didn''t need to take any medicine recently.


    "Tom, could you please give me my new prescription? So I could get the medicine I need when I get out of the country," Leena asked, pretending to be casual. She avoided Tom''s eyes in case he would see how much she wanted a child.


    "I haven''t worked it out yet. But when did you be so mature? Now you''re asking about taking medicine?" Tom frequently worked on finding how to improve Leena''s health during his spare time. But being a busy person, he kept being distracted by other patients and hadn''t been able to finish it yet.


    "What are you saying? I''m mature all the time!" Leena pouted, ying with his stethoscope.


    "I''ve always seen you as a little girl. You''re like a little sister to me," Tom teased. He had been told about what Leena had gone through these past few days. It was a relief to see that she wasn''t hurt. Otherwise, there was nothing he could do.


    "Hmpf! Can''t you just take me seriously for once?" Leena frowned, giving him a stern look. Even though she still looked like a young girl, Leena had be pretty mature deep inside after going through a lot of things. Her young appearance just made it easy to conceal everything.000000000000

 Chapter 1443 Back To Base (Part One)

    There was a nk look on Leena''s face as she walked out of the hospital building and stood at the entrance. She would have to wait a while to carry out her n. Heaving a sigh of relief, Leena decided to treat this period as a reward for herself.


    She remembered what Kevin had told her a couple of days ago. After thinking for several minutes, Leena proceeded to her car and drove towards a big mall. Hourster, she emerged bearing various stic bags in both hands, with several sales clerks following her


    carrying more shopping bags.


    Afterward, Leena headed to a supermarket for food supplies. Her car was filled with an assortment of stuff when she drove to the army base.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    It was 1 PM by the time she arrived at the residential area of the army base, which appeared deserted. She thought people might be napping.


    She brought out the food that needed refrigerating before going upstairs. There were still a lot of things in the car, but it was impossible to carry all of them inside. Leena nned to call Kevin for help.


    Using the key given by Kevin to enter the house, Leena found it empty. "Isn''t Kevin taking a nap?" she asked herself.


    Puzzled, she took out the coffee pot and began to make coffee while calling Kevin.


    Kevin picked up the phone and recognized Leena''s voice. "Hello, Nana!" he greeted her. The man was busy, but stopped what he was doing. He was studying arge military map spread out on his desk when Leena called. There was another military assignment for him again.


    "Kevin, where are you?" Leena inquired. "In the office?" she guessed. While speaking, she familiarized herself with the kitchen. Thest time, she had a hearty meal in Battalion Commander Xu''s house. Deciding to invite Kevin''s colleagues and their wives to dinner this evening prompted her to shop spree earlier.


    "Yes," he answered. Suddenly alert, he asked, "What''s wrong?" He dropped his pen and leaned back on his chair to take a break. Kevin was hunched over his desk and realized he needed to stretch.


    "Nothing," Leena assured him. "I didn''t see you around, so I called to check on where you are." Opening the refrigerator, she saw there was only dried food inside, and no fresh produce. She filled it with her purchases.


    "You didn''t see me around? Does that mean you''re in the army base?" Kevin asked. He was surprised by what she said, and sat straighter on his chair.


    "Yes, I am. I just arrived," Leena told him. "You told me the women here miss me, so here I am," she said with a bitter smile. He couldn''t see her expression, which was just as well. Leena was afraid there would be no chance to visit in the future, so she took the opportunity to see the military spouses now.


    "Is that so? Okay, wait for me," Kevin said as he cleaned up. Quickly, he put the things away, stood up and walked to the door.


    "I thought you were busy," Leena hurriedly said. "So, you don''t need toe. I can handle myself, thank you." The only reason she called Kevin was to ask him to invite his colleagues and their wives to dinner.


    But Kevin insisted, "It''s lunch break. You don''t think I need to take a break?" As he opened the door, Kevin was startled to see Daisy standing outside and was about to knock.


    "Where are you going? You seem to be in such a hurry," she pointed out with a frown. Fortunately, Daisy was quick enough to pull back her hand because otherwise, she would have rapped on Kevin''s face.


    Regaining hisposure, Kevin said, "Hi Daisy!" He was trying to think if they had an appointment. "Did you want to see me about something?" Kevin inquired. He was still speaking on the phone and didn''t hang up because he thought there was nothing between him and Daisy that he needed to keep from Leena.


    "Oh, I just wanted to discuss the Falcon with you. But if you''re busy, I cane backter," Daisy put on a smile as she answered. Thanks to Edward, she had mellowed in personality.


    "Hmmm. How about this? You can go with me to discuss it on the way. Leena''s here, and I''m on my way to see her," Kevin suggested. He was dying to see Leena immediately. He missed her, and like any man madly in love with his wife, he was rushing to see her. "Really? Leena''s here? I haven''t seen her in a long time. Okay, let''s go!" Daisy said enthusiastically. Her smile grew wider after hearing that Leena was in the army base. Daisy always treated Leena like her own sister.


    Since Kevin hadn''t ended the call, Leena overheard their conversation. Her face twitched. She was thinking Daisy might scold herter for not having visited her and Edward for a long time.


    Kevin and Daisy went downstairs together. Soldiers were taking a nap, so the army base was quiet.


    "I heard army wives are very fond of Leena," Daisy said. A story came to her mind about an officer who told Daisy about his wife always asking when Kevin''s wife woulde to the army base again.


    "Yes, she gets along well with them. You know, our army base is far away from the city and traffic is not convenient. So women here seldom have the opportunity to go to the city to shop for clothes. Leena is a fashion designer, and they want her to help them mix and match clothes for them. That''s quite understandable, right?" Kevin exined. He smiled as he remembered the many times soldiers'' spouses would stop and ask him when Leena would being. Unfortunately, his wife had been really busytely.


    "Oh, I see. I was wondering if we could arrange a shuttle bus to run twice a day between the army base and city, so people without cars can go there ande back easily and without hassle. Presently, we only have a bus operating between the camp and food market, and this isn''t very convenient for them," Daisy suggested. She''d had this idea for a long time, but no one proposed a shuttle bus before. So, Daisy thought they didn''t need one. Now, it seemed she''d been wrong in her assumption, and they indeed needed to go to the city frequently.000000000000

 Chapter 1444 Back To Base (Part Two)

    never thought of this before.


    "I think it''s a great idea. If there''s a shuttle bus avable, spouses can go shopping as many times as they want. Remember to send me a written proposalter so I can approve it immediately," Kevin said. Like most men, he was not interested in shopping at all, so he had "Hey, why don''t you write the proposal yourself?" Daisy suggested. She cast him a reproachful nce. Kevin could write the proposal himself so she wouldn''t have to be bothered to do it, Daisy thought.


    "Because I''m your superior, that''s why you should do it," Kevin answered smartly. Heughed at his statement. He only dared to talk that way in front of Daisy, but never in front of her husband, Edward. Otherwise, the man would figure out a way to punish him on behalf of his beloved wife.


    "Fine then! I''ll write it. After all, I''m just a subordinate," Daisy murmured. She pretended to act as if Kevin had wronged her, though she knew the man was just teasing her. So, she teased him back.


    Kevin broke intoughter. "I was only kidding. Are you angry with me?" he asked, his eyes smiling mischievously. If there were soldiers nearby, they would have been startled by Kevin''sugh knowing he always had a poker face.


    "Yes, I''m angry. You know I''m a woman, and women easily take offense," she retorted. Daisy pretended to be annoyed, but her curled lips gave her away.


    "Don''t worry," Kevin assured her. "I''ll ask Lee to write the proposal, so you don''t have to worry about it. But it is a good suggestion," he said. Kevin shook his head in resignation. It suddenly dawned on him that women were so fickle, and he was only beginning to realize this.


    When they arrived at his quarters, Leena was busy preparing food. She nned to make a sumptuous dinner, so she needed to start early.


    "Daisy!" she squealed. "I missed you so much!" The moment Leena saw her husband and Daisy, she rushed towards them and gave the woman a tight hug. She knew this was the best way to soften her up.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Oh really? You missed me? Then why didn''t you give me a call when you arrived?" Pretending to be unhappy, she pouted. But deep inside, she''d already forgiven Leena for thispse.


    "I just got here," Leena defended herself. "And I was about to call you after talking to Kevin. But since I heard you were with him, I decided to wait to see you in person. Please don''t get upset with me, okay?" She shook Daisy''s arm like a guilty little child. "Okay, okay, you win. Hey, you brought a lot of food with you. How many dishes are you nning on cooking?" Daisy asked curiously. Looking around the kitchen, she frowned at the number of ingredients all over the ce.


    "Oh, those are just the stuff I got out of the car. There are more there, since I couldn''t bring all of them at the same time." She smiled excitedly. But it was evident she was exhausted and cooking would take up more energy. Hauling the bags upstairs added to the fatigue she was already feeling.


    "What? Did you buy all those ingredients from the food market? Are you sure you can cook so many dishes all by yourself?" Daisy was incredulous and doubted Leena could prepare all that she nned on cooking.


    Leenaughed out loud. "I know I can''t. But, you''re here. So, pleasee and help me when you get off work this afternoon. After all, you''re a better cook than me," Leena said. She gave Daisy a sly smile, knowing she wouldn''t refuse. "What? Naughty woman! Do you think I have time to help you?" Daisy asked with one eyebrow arched high.


    "Well, I don''t know if you have to work overtime. But I already called Edward and told him I wanted you to do me a favor. He said yes without a hint of hesitation." The truth was Edward would say yes to Leena no matter what she asked for. After all, Leena was his beloved sworn sister.


    "You''re as cunning as Edward! So, you believe I won''t say no to you?" Sighing deeply, Daisy shook her head in resignation. Actually, it wasn''t only Edward and Leena''s other sworn brothers, but Daisy herself that could never say no to Leena.


    "Of course. I know you''re the best and you don''t want me to get too exhausted, right?" She batted her eyshes for added effect, and then smiled. Although she was a married woman, she was still young and would always be a little girl in Daisy''s eyes. "No, you''re wrong. I''d be happy to see you exhausted," Daisy teased. She began to unbutton her military coat and started to help Leena prepare the ingredients. Daisy wondered whether Kevin deliberately brought her here to help Leena with the cooking. "Daisy, you''re a soldier, and it''s your duty to help me." Leena''s eyes twinkled as she gave Daisy a sly smile.


    "Oh, yeah? Well, Kevin''s a soldier, too. And he''s my superior. So, he''s more obliged to help you," she argued. Their earlier banter about Daisy being Kevin''s inferior came to her mind, and that she was obliged to obey him.


    "Uhmmm..." Kevin thought he needed to escape. "I''m going downstairs to get the rest of the things in the car." He needed an excuse to leave before he got caught up in the banter between the two women.


    Leena crammed so many things in her car that Kevin was bbergasted. There were ingredients and shopping bags everywhere that the driver''s seat was the only empty space. His face twitched at the mess before him. He would need to make several trips to get all of them upstairs, so Kevin decided to call for reinforcement. He called his guard, Lee, and Daisy''s guard, Mark. Anyway, Daisy was with him, so it was only right for Mark to help her.0000000000000000

 Chapter 1445 Back To Base (Part Three)

    "Major General Gu, did Leena buy all these? Was she out of her mind?" Lee asked in disbelief. His reaction wasn''t very different from Kevin''s when he saw the things in the car. Lee arrived with Mark as soon as he received his superior''s call.


    "Oh, why don''t you ask herter? She''s upstairs," he said coldly, throwing his assistant an annoyed look. ''How dare Lee say Nana was out of her mind! What a disrespectful boy! It must be Mark who''s a bad influence on him!'' Kevin thought as he shed a meaningful look at Mark. Daisy''s guard trembled in fear, unaware of what happened. "Major General Gu, I didn''t say anything!" Mark said in defense. He was a good soldier, but when Kevin looked at him that way, Mark felt his heart race.


    "You cunning boy! No wonder there''s nothing Senior Colonel Ouyang can do to you!" With that, Kevinughed heartily. An annoyed Daisy shed in his mind. Edward was the person who helped Daisy change from being aloof to a more mellow person, while Mark was the one who made her lose control. Mark had pissed her off many times in the past.


    "Did I say something wrong?" Lee asked in confusion. He didn''t know what they were talking about.


    "No, you didn''t. Let''s hurry up and get these things upstairs," Kevin urged. "There are still a lot of things for you to do," he added with a frown. He blew out a breath in frustration. Kevin was resigned to the fact that intelligence wasn''t one of Lee''s strong suits.


    "Sir, why did Leena buy so many things? What is she going to do? Cook a hearty meal?" It was Mark, the curious, who threw him the many questions. As Daisy''s guard, he knew Leena well and was aware that Daisy and Kevin were always courteous to her.


    "Not only a hearty meal," Kevin said, shaking his head. He had yet to open the trunk. Kevin was willing to bet that Lee and Mark would be scared silly once they saw the rest of the stuff inside.


    The general''s words sounded ominous to both Lee and Mark, who quaked in fear. They were okay to help Leena with manual work, like hauling stuff, but they knew nothing about cooking. Did they have to help her with that, too?


    "Oh my God! What is all this?" Her eyes nearly popped out when Daisy saw Kevin, Lee, and Mark bearing loads of bags. How much did Leena buy?? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    Shrugging his shoulders, Kevin said, "You better ask Leena about that. There are still many things in the car, and we have to go back to get them." He epted his role of principal cargo boy. But he was also bewildered why his wife bought so many things. Beforeing up with the first lot of things, Kevin saw ingredients, clothes, cosmetics, and essories. Was she going to move in?


    "Leena, are you going to move in here?" Daisy asked in confusion. Her husband, Edward, was used to a very expensive lifestyle, and Leena appeared to be the same. Daisy sighed and epted the fact that they were indeed family.


    "No! You''re reading this all wrong. The women here at the army base want to learn how to dress up fashionably. But I''ve been quite busytely, so I can only buy clothes, cosmetics, and essories for them. With all these, they''ll know how to dress up the next time," Leena exined to Daisy. She smiled at Daisy while she spoke. Leena thought this was the easiest way to teach them how to dress up. It might have cost her a lot of money, but money was no object to her.


    "What?" Daisy''s eyes were wide, and one brow arched. "And how did you manage to find out their sizes?" She seemed to be in perpetual disbelief with Leena. Did she take their measurements ahead of time?


    This prompted Leena tough. "Have you forgotten what I do for a living? As a designer, I must be able to take measurements just by using my eyes. That''s how I know their sizes. So, I thought of buying suitable clothes for everyone." Her bright smile was full of confidence. She was sure there would be no mistake in the sizes she picked out.


    "Ah, I see. I guess I''ll never be a designer," Daisy conceded. "I might be able to measure one or two with my eyes, but beyond that, it''s impossible! And there are more than ten women here," Daisy eximed. She truly admired Leena and thought of her as a very gifted designer. Not every artist had that kind of skill and talent.


    "You can do it as well. You get the hang of it eventually. But I don''t know whether they will love these clothes or not. I selected these things based on their looks and personalities." However, Leena was a bit worried because her taste in clothes might not be these women''s preferences. Teaching others to dress up wasn''t as easy as it looked.


    Daisy patted her arm infort. "Don''t worry because I know they''ll love the clothes. And these are all famous brands. Knowing how expensive they are, I don''t think they''ll pass up wearing designer clothes." She did frown at the thought. Daisy had lived in the army base for a couple of years and knew the women there well.


    "Are you sure? Or are you only trying to put my mind at ease? I''ve tried my best to select some popr low-priced clothes. So, I think they can afford these," Leena exined. Looking at Daisy''s expression gave her doubts. She did consider the prices.


    "Leena, do you think officers here earn a high sry? As far as I know, this dress costs half of an officer''s monthly sry." Daisy had picked up one clothing item and inspected the price tag. She pinched Leena''s pert little nose and thought she was such an adorable girl. It waspletely understandable that Leena''s taste was on the high-end side. After all, the woman was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. A dress worth several thousands of dors would easily fall under Leena''s category of popr low-priced clothes.000000

 Chapter 1446 Do You Envy Us (Part One)

    "Umm... I really don''t know about that." Leena bit her pink lip awkwardly. She had never asked Kevin about his sry, nor did she know how much money he had. As a matter of fact, she didn''t care if Kevin was rich or poor, because she was never short of money. Leena, Daisy didn''t care how much money her husband made, because she was an independent woman herself.


    "Silly girl, you must have never asked Kevin about this, right?" A smile cracked Daisy''s lips as she asked. And she realized at that moment that she didn''t know how much Edward was making a month either. ''He probably doesn''t know it himself, '' thought Daisy. Just like


    "I don''t need to know. I''m not a gold digger, you know," said Leena, pressed her lips into a tight line. As a financially independent woman of the new era, Leena focused on improving her own values, rather than her husband''s financial situation. Moreover, she did not want to interfere with his work. After all, when it came to money, rtionships became delicate, even between couples. As a child who grew up in a rich family, Leena had seen too many couples split up because of money.


    When it was time to go to work, Kevin and Daisy went back to the office, and Mark had been assigned to go somewhere. Only Lee was left behind.


    "Leena, are you going to fry ribs?" Lee asked, surprised that a richdy like her could cook. He closely watched Leena''s skillful movements.


    "Yes. I''m going to make Pepper Salt Spareribs, but I haven''t cooked in a long time. I don''t really remember how it''s done. I hope ites out well," Leenaughed nervously and ced the spareribs into the heated oil pan slowly. She was wearing a pair of disposable gloves to protect her skin from any possible oil sshes.


    "It''s going to be better than my cooking anyway," Lee said modestly, without hiding his shorings. His cooking skills were highly questionable.


    "By the way, who used to cook for Kevin when he was at the army base?" Leena asked curiously, because she didn''t think he would go to the army base''s cafeteria every single day.


    "Well, Senior Colonel Ouyang used to cook for us when she and Justin were at the base. She was an exceptional cook. The Major General was mostly busy, but he still asionally cooked for us. I cooked sometimes too. But when we were all busy, we would go to the cafeteria." An embarrassed smile appeared on Lee''s face. He didn''t want to tell Leena that Kevin went to the canteen because he thought Lee''s cooking was worse than the canteen''s.


    "Daisy is really good at everything she does. She is graceful in the drawing room and skillful in the kitchen," Leena said. Leena had always admired Daisy. In her heart, Daisy was the perfect woman, with absolutely no faults to point at.


    "So are you, Leena," said Lee. He wasn''t trying to tter her; he really thought she was an amazing person.


    "Thank you," Leena said happily. She never deliberately showed modesty to other people''s praise because she thought that being too modest was hypocritical.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Leena''s arrival made the whole building abuzz. Everyone in the building had received gifts from her, so they were very enthusiastic about weing her. Leena had given them luxury goods as gifts. Most importantly, what she had given them was what they had wanted the most, so they were jubnt when they received them.


    "Leena, these are very expensive gifts," Battalion Commander Xu''s wife said tentatively. In fact, people there had been living a simple life and were not used to such luxuries. They were all ttered when they saw her gift.


    "Please, don''t mind the price. I''ve been married for so long, but I haven''t been able to invite you to dinner till now. I''ll feel better if you ept my present," said Leena. The woman smiled and understood that Leena was a very thoughtful person because she even remembered what they had said to herst time.


    "I''m happy that you feel that way, but we still don''t think it''s a good idea to ept your gift. And you have prepared such a delicious dinner for us, which is so sweet of you," the woman said. Leena could see that she was a good-hearted person from the way she spoke. "Come on, mydy, don''t say that. Leena is so rich that these expensive gifts mean nothing to her. It''s hardly worth her pocket money, I''m sure," said a woman in heavy make-up. As she spoke, she stared at the gift Leena had given her. She looked at it with greedy eyes and it was evident that she liked the gift and was not ready to part with it.


    Daisy, meanwhile, sat in a corner and said nothing. Everyone knew that she was a cold fish, so no one took the initiative to talk to her, but she didn''t care; she enjoyed the silence around her. Despite being a woman herself, she didn''t particrly enjoy their gossips and noisy chatter.


    "Major General Gu, I am very jealous that you''re married to such a wonderful woman," one of Kevin''s colleagues said. His other colleagues nodded in agreement andughed. Leena was not only beautiful, but was also such an amazing cook. They were bound to be envious. Women like her were so rare. Not every man was lucky enough to meet someone like her.


    "Thank you. I did marry a good woman," Kevin said proudly, stealing a nce in her direction.


    "Don''t show off, man. If we were nearly as handsome as you are, we could have married one like her," Battalion Commander Xu quipped. He and Kevin were good friends. So, even though Kevin was his superior, there was no restraint between them. "Yeah, we really have to stick together if we are going to y against Kevin and beat him," the other officers joined in and teased Kevin.


    "Please tell me you''re joking about ganging up against me! I''ll apologize for my arrogance," he joked as he looked at Leena who was in the next room with the otherdies. The women had excused themselves after the dinner and the men who were still drinking remained in the room. "So, you finally decided to bend your knees! Ha-ha! Don''t worry, we''re not mad at you," the Battalion Commander Xu said jokingly, with a sly smile on his face. They drank to their fullest capacity, except those who had night shiftter. They couldn''t afford to be drunk while on duty. Although they all held high positions now, they hade from ordinary families. And unlike Kevin, who was born into a high-status family, they had to work up thedder to realize their dreams and make their families proud. He had immense respect for hisrades. They were all very passionate soldiers. They were like eagles that soured the skies, risking everything, including their lives, to achieve their ambitions. They were also the umbre of themon people. They served the people of their country and protected their lives and homes. Sometimes, they quarreled with each other like kids, but when they put on their military uniforms, they were united under a single g.


    "Daisy, why don''t you go and have a drink with them?" Leena sat next to Daisy and asked her curiously. ''Aren''t those men herrades-in-arms? Why is she avoiding them?'' Leena thought.


    "I''m a cheap drunk. And moreover, if I join them, they won''t be asfortable as they are now." Although she was always told that there was no difference between men and women in the military, it was obviously not true. Like in this case, the men were allughing and joking around together. They probably cracked some dirty jokes or said something inappropriate. Had Daisy been there, they would have to exercise control and be more restrained as she was a woman and they would have to behave with dignity in front of her. Leena smiled. "You''re right. We should just let them enjoy." She looked at theirughing faces and said, "They all look so brave, as if there is no difficulty that they can''t ovee. It''s so wonderful." Her eyes immediately fell on Kevin''s handsome face.


    "For now, they might think that; but they will encounter difficulties too and will feel regret and grief. At some point, they might get confused about the meaning of life too. It''s all just a part of being a soldier." Daisy smiled bitterly. She knew that because she had gone through all those difficulties as a soldier herself.000

 Chapter 1447 Do You Envy Us (Part Two)

    "Maybe," Leena said, lost in thought. In her eyes, Kevin had always been an omnipotent man, and he could solve all kinds of troubles in the world.


    "Girl, when you get to know more about them, you will understand what I mean. To tell you the truth, when they take off their uniforms, they are as fragile as ordinary people, just like you." Everyone in the room had experienced failures and setbacks, but they were all survivors. They had fought their way through to be winners. Their greatest enemy was not someone on the other side of the battlefield, but themselves. "Senior Colonel Ouyang, may I take a picture with you?" a woman asked nervously as she approached Daisy. Her husband had told her that Daisy was called the ''Devil Drillmaster'' at the army base. So, she was obviously a little scared to approach her. However, when she saw Daisy, she was so attracted by her that she couldn''t help but ask for a picture with her. If Daisy allowed, she could show off her photo to others.


    "Of course," Daisy could tell that she was nervous, so she readily agreed to her request.


    "Really? That''s great! Thank you. Leena, could you take a picture of us?" The woman handed her phone to Leena, and sat cheerfully besides Daisy.


    Leena''s mind drew a nk when she was suddenly handed the phone. She wasn''t listening to the conversation between Daisy and the woman, so she didn''t understand what the woman wanted. But when she saw her sitting next to Daisy and posing, she figured that the woman wanted her to take a picture. Although she had never used that particr brand of cell phone, she turned it on and soon found the camera application.


    "Are you ready? I''m going to take the picture." Leena looked at them through the screen and thought, ''Daisy is so beautiful,pared to other women. She looks like a queen and the woman next to her looks like a servant girl... Oh my God! How could I think that? I''m such an idiot, Leena felt guilty about being mean to the poor woman.


    "Leena, take some more beautiful pictures for us," the woman made a victory gesture and leaned her head towards Daisy.


    "Rx. Even if it doesn''t turn out well, you can still retouch the photo." Daisy opened her mouth to say something, but decided not to. She thought that she was beautiful and her pictures didn''t need to be retouched at all. At the woman''s request, Leena took a few more photos for her.


    Looking at the photos on the phone, Leena realized that she had never been photographed with Daisy either, and she hadn''t clicked any pictures with Kevin either, except for their wedding photo.


    When other women saw what was happening, they all wanted to take pictures with Daisy. They knew that it was difficult to be friends with Daisy because of her indifference. So, none of them wanted to miss the opportunity to take a picture with her.


    "Daisy! Smile," Leena said, as she showed her a big smile. Leena had noticed that Daisy had not shown any smile all night. The truth was that Leena didn''t know that Daisy never smiled at the army base and was used to being cold. Daisy was always strict and serious at the base, so she couldn''t smile naturally in such a situation. It was awkward and out of ce for her.


    When Daisy smiled for the picture, Leena cringed visibly and said, "Forget it. You''d better stop smiling." Her smile was so unnatural that it was even worse than crying.


    Daisy gritted her teeth, red at her, and thought, ''Damn it, woman! Are you kidding me? You just asked me to smile, and now you''re telling me not to. Do you think I am some sort of actress?''


    Leena smiled sheepishly, knowing what Daisy was thinking. ''Sorry, I didn''t mean it. I didn''t know that you would smile so unnaturally, Daisy,'' she said in her mind.


    It was past ten when the dinner party was finally done. Instead of leaving early, Daisy stayed with Leena. At the party, Daisy realized a very subtle truth. Previously, the wives of the officers feared her, not because of her status, but because of her indifference to people. She was always so demanding and inessible. But they only felt this way because they didn''t know her well enough.


    People had to go through experiences like these, so that they could know more about themselves, and about the people around them. Only by understanding each other did we get mutual trust and love.


    "Nana, I''m so proud of you," Kevin said drunkenly, on the way home.


    "Why?" Leena was driving, so she carefully looked at him sideways. Daisy''s car was in front of them, leading the way just in case they were not yet familiar with the road.


    "Because the whole army base is jealous that I have such a beautiful and amazing wife." Kevin leaned back against the seat and fixed his eyes on her.


    "Oh? Is that so? Weren''t you proud of me before today?" Leena puckered her lips and gave him a look of petnce.


    "That''s not what I meant. Nana, I''m a little dizzy. Don''t make fun of me," Kevinined, rubbing his forehead gently. He thought, ''This girl knows that I didn''t mean it, but she still deliberately says these things to make me nervous.''


    He looked in front of him and saw Daisy''s car slowing down. He asked, "Why is she stopping?" Leena did not answer, but slowly stopped the car behind hers.


    "What happened?" Kevin asked, sitting erectly on his seat. He looked ahead and found Edward''s limousine parked on the side of the road.


    "It''s Edward. Didn''t Daisy ask him not toe? He''s really not afraid of getting into trouble," Leena said as she opened the door and got out.


    "Nana, put your coat on." Kevin picked up her coat, got out of the car, and draped it over her.


    Edward was looking at Daisy, but he frowned when he saw Leena getting out of the car in her thin clothes. He was relieved when he saw Kevin put the coat on her.


    "Didn''t I tell you not toe? Why are you here? We would be home soon," Daisy said, looking at him tenderly. This man always surprised her in the sweetest ways. No wonder she loved him so much.


    "I was worried about you, so I came. Have you been drinking?" Edward leaned towards her and sniffed.


    "Yes, I had one drink. I didn''t drink more because I was afraid of getting drunk." Daisy blew him a gentle breath mischievously. Her formerly pale face turned red as he approached closer.


    "So you admit that you lose yourself in your cup?" Edward couldn''t help smiling and thought that it was nice of her to admit her mistakes.


    "Hum. I just can''t hold my liquor. That''s all. I don''t forget myself in my cup!" Daisy red at him, and then raised her foot to kick him. Edward quickly dodged as if he knew that she would make that move.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Are you trying to flirt with each other in the middle of the night?" Leena looked at her sideways and asked jokingly.


    "What? Do you envy us?" Edward pinched her face gently. If it hadn''t been for Leena, Edward wouldn''t have let Daisy go out with anyone.


    "Of course not! I don''t envy you," Leena raised her delicate chin and looked at Edward with contempt.


    "Admit it. I promise not to make fun of you." Edward nced at Kevin, who was standing next to him. Instead of saying anything to him, however, he continued to y jokes on Leena. ''I don''t know why she keeps saying strange things to metely. It''s really worrying, '' thought Edward.


    "I''m not going to admit anything. You two can stay here. I''m leaving now. It''s so cold out here! Only idiots like you would want to y in this freezing temperature," Leena said, as she hugged her coat tightly.


    "Are you cold? Get back in the car. We''ll leave now," Edward said as he hastened her to get in the car for fear that she might catch a cold.


    "Okay, you lead the way. We will follow you," Leena said, as she pushed Kevin into the car.


    "Kevin, do you have time to drink with me some other day?" Edward asked, out of the blue. It surprised all of them because, with the exception of Duke, Edward was the one who hated Kevin the most.00000

 Chapter 1448 Improve Your Culture (Part One)

    "Okay!" Kevin gave him a t response, without even turning his head. He was a little drunk so his usual awe-inspiring and righteous look wasced with a tinge of devilish hue. Everyone got on their own cars and left. This time Daisy got in Edward''s car.


    "Why did you suddenly invite Kevin for a drink?" Daisy gazed at him, her eyes full of confusion.


    "What? Are you worried that I might do something to hurt him?" Edward said with a yful smile. His delicate and handsome face still looked young and fascinating. He was the obvious proof of people who had defied the passing of time.


    "Huh! I don''t worry about him! I am more worried about you. If you two get into an actual fist fight, you are surely not a match for him." It was not that Daisy had no confidence in Edward. But as someone from the army, she had experienced Kevin''s real strength herself, and it really intimidated her.


    "My dear wife, you underestimate me. Sometimes, when dealing with a master hand, one does not have to battle against his strength. The key is to outwit him." This was what Edward was like. He never had any scruples about showing his skills in maniption. FX International Group would not be where it was if he did not know how the world worked.


    "You are indeed an unscrupulous businessman, always thinking of how to set others up every single time." Daisy narrowed her eyes and nced at him, but she felt sweet in heart. This man, one of the most powerful men in the city,pletely belonged to her, although sometimes he pissed her off. The good thing was that he no longer had any affairs with other women. She was d that they had gotten past that horrible period of their lives. She had never dared to imagine that he would be hers for life. Because in her eyes, Edward had always been the noble and god-like man and was beyond her reach.


    "You don''t know, that nowadays, if you don''t set others up first, then they would be the ones to do that to you, or worse, even try to kill you. As the CEO of FX International Group, I will never let that happen to me or those that I care about. I know that it''s a dog-eat-dog world out there but I''ll make sure that I will rise on top." Edward was always a cocky man but he had every reason to be arrogant, for all the gifts that God had bestowed on him. Standing on top of the world, he was privileged enough to be able to look down upon others. No wonder he was very domineering and downright tyrannical all the time. This was the life that he had been used to.


    Daisy remained silent. Because she knew that he was right. She bit her lips and began to brood over his words.


    "Hey, why did you suddenly stop talking?" "Is Daisy mad at me again? Just because I don''t like Kevin the way she thinks I should?'' Edward wondered.


    "No. I just couldn''t find any words to refute you. This is probably natural for you and I feel that I can''t do anything about it." Daisy raised her head and smiled helplessly at him.


    "Huh! Senior Colonel Ouyang, you are a military officer, not the Lord and Savior. I''d hate to break it to you but, this is out of your bounds and responsibilities. You can''t take every single person''s life and interest into consideration." Edward knew that it was not easy to get through to his wife, someone who was a kind-hearted and gracious woman. It was sometimes a stark contrast to the uniform she wore and the power it represented. But she had to ept that it was the reality of life.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    "I know. But I also hope that everyone could live in peace and happiness," Daisy sighed. As Edward said, she was not the Savior. In many cases, she really couldn''t do anything.


    "Don''t you think this conversation has gone too deep? Weren''t we talking only about Kevin just a minute earlier? Then why are we talking about general human life and society issues now?" Edward suddenly realized he had been steered to a different topic. It was rare that he was influenced by others in a conversation. But if it was Daisy who lured him off-track, it didn''t matter to him. No one else had the courage to do it anyway.


    "Well, what do you want to talk to him about? Is it about Leena?" Daisy felt sorry for Leena when thinking of her sufferings. Leena hated herbal medicines the most. But now she had to live with it. The mere thought of this made Daisy sad.


    "Don''t think too much. We will just have a drink, nothing else." Edwardughed. ''Am I such an insensitive jerk who always like to mess around in her eyes? It is so absurd! But wow, she''s really taking me the wrong way!'' Edward thought.


    "To be honest, Kevin has been very good to Leena. I think you have also observed it these days. Don''t dare make things too difficult for him." She only worried about Edwards''s ability to control himself. If he flew off his handle, everything would be screwed up. He got quite a temper and this disconcerted her.


    "Why do you always have doubts in me? You always think that I am obstinate and unreasonable and make a fuss out of nothing, right?" Edward nced over her beautiful face and fixed his eyes back on the road.


    "Aren''t you? Kevin and Leena have been married for quite some time and you never seem to sincerely ept them as a couple. And especially Kevin. I really don''t know what to say now. Do you think if you love someone, it is justifiable for you to lock her up, and keep her close to you for the rest of your lives? Don''t you think you should give her enough freedom to find herself and create her own happiness outside of the rtionship?" Daisy had said this to him many times, but he never took it seriously.


    "Why should I let her go? She is happy with us and we all care about her. She doesn''t need anything else." Edward snapped. He felt annoyed because Daisy always stood up for Kevin.


    "But she needs more than what you could offer to her. Yes, you''re right, that she is loved and cared by all of you. But have you ever thought that she may need someone who really understands her? You may all say that you all understand her well. But that is a pile of bull crap and you know it. What she really needs is a soulmate. A man that she loves and loves her back. That is something that you can never be able to give her," Daisy argued strongly on these grounds. She always thought that they were overprotective of their princess Leena. Sometimes, suchvish affection might cause stress to her rather than do her any good. Fortunately she did not grow up to be a spoiled and rotten brat who would terrorize the society.

 Chapter 1449 Improve Your Culture (Part Two)

    "Senior Colonel Ouyang, if I didn''t know well enough, I would believe that you are picking a fight with me now. Am I right?" Edward said coldly. Daisy should not forget that Kevin used to be Edward''s rival in love. Now, if she kept favoring and defending Kevin all the time, it


    would only awaken Edward''s already forgotten insecurities. How could he remain cool now?


    "I''m not quarreling with you, I am only trying to get through to you with reason." Daisy frowned. She knew that she made him angry again. But she really didn''t want to listen to him every time they had different opinions. She was firm on her stand this time and her sullen face made the atmosphere more tense.


    "But you just made me feel that way, and you are very aggressive now." Edward stepped on the gas pedal of the car and sped up as anger rose in him. The car went so fast that Daisy felt gravity pin her to her seat. Meanwhile, Edward''s hands which held the steering wheel tightened their grip. Obviously he was enraged.


    "I don''t think I am the one who''s being aggressive. Moreover, don''t you think the word ''aggressive'' is bit too much?" Although Daisy already felt the anger that was about to burst in him, she continued to challenge him. She was sure that no matter how vexed he was, he would not pour out his fury on her. She found that the biggest change in him after she came back to him was that he had learned to control his temper, especially with her. No matter how mad he got, he would choose to suppress it and dare not act on it or do anything that would hurt her. Daisy had prepared for the worst him pouncing on her and pouring out all his frustrations on her in bed.


    "I found that you liked badgering me more recently," Edward said through gritted teeth. Like Daisy had thought, he was indeed pissed off, but he could only hide it in his heart and do nothing to her. It seemed that she got to know him more thoroughly, and that was why she felt reassured and emboldened that she wouldn''t end up with a ck eye. It was actually his own fault, as hevishly tolerated her. So even at his tipping point where his level of fury was at its highest, he could do nothing but try his utmost to take it somewhere else, usually on his staff or sometimes on his own brothers. Anyway it was his own doing and he had to suffer it.


    "You are the one who started all this. You are a grown man, so stop being so mercurial just like a child. You know what you are like now? You easily show your teeth at the slightest provocation." Daisy snapped and stared at him. He was the CEO of a well respected international group ofpanies. Was it too much for him to bear? He lost his temper so easily these days.


    "It is all because you can trigger me more easily than others. Your opinion matters, that''s why. If it was someone else, do you think that I would even blink my eyes?" Edward cooled down with that mock from Daisy. He could always regain hisposure quickly after any setback. Just like now, he came around easily after being pissed off, not as irritated as he was just a few minutes ago. Very few couples could manage a fight like that inside a car.


    "I know that you are just being sensible." Seeing him change his attitude, Daisy stopped nagging. Fortunately, she also knew when to stop and not give her husband any more stress. Sure, she wouldn''t bear the brunt but some poor employee might, so she just sat back and remained silent. The most important thing between a husband and wife was to know when and where one should stop, otherwise more was lost than gained. The temporary victory in verbal arguments would not guarantee that one would always prevail and dominate in a marriage.


    "Is there any reward for me, then?" Edward asked with a mischievous smile. He was asking for more than what he thought he deserved.


    Daisy took a deep breath. She was taking all her willpower not to punch him. He was always thinking of ways to take advantage of her whenever he got the chance and she had had enough. Wasn''t he a gentleman in public? Why was he such a vulgar man when he was with her in private? Did their argument make him horny?


    "You want a reward? Let me think." Daisy gave him a graceful smile and even licked her dry lips seductively which made Edward swallow hard. He was distracted by her provocative and sensual movements that the car slightly steered to the right. Fortunately Edward got it back on track quickly.


    "Let me make it clear first. I don''t want anything that makes my body suffer." For one moment, Edward was really enamored by her teasing act. But soon he came back to his senses. After being with her for such a long time, he knew when she showed that sly smile, she was fooling around with him and making him dance in the palm of her hands. What a maniptive woman!


    "Don''t you want the special treatment? Then it''s a pity for you. Your loss, hah! It''s rare that someone would give up such a good opportunity!" Daisy looked at him with a bright smile. Huh, she knew Edward would say this. Did he really think that Senior Colonel was only a title? She made sure that she lived up to the name.


    "You suck! Daisy You are doing this on purpose!" Edward''s voice sounded resentful in the quiet night. Sadly for him, he realized that Daisy learned how to read what was on his mind and how to y with him.


    It seemed that every couple had their own way of getting along with each other. But it all came down to the basics of love. If love was not present in a marriage, then it was surely a pathetic one, doomed to fall apart in no time. Michelle was suffering from this kind of marriage now.


    Michelle had never experienced what it felt like to wait till she got married with Luke. Everything happened so fast that it almost seemed like a shotgun marriage. No falling in love, no courtship, no wedding ceremony. She just woke up one day and she was already Mrs. Luo. Now, she had to get used to always waiting in boredom and loneliness with each passing day in a cold and lifeless marriage.


    "Luke, can I talk to you?" Michelle got up early today and stopped Luke who was getting ready to leave for work.


    "What is it?" Luke asked as he fumbled with his tie, not even taking a look at Michelle.


    "Well, I want to study painting." Michelle bit her lips. She really wanted to help him with his tie. It was normal for a wife to help her husband with it, but she didn''t dare to do this. His warning still rang in her ears and she quickly pushed this idea out of her mind. It was only a delusion and kind of out of reach for her.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.

 Chapter 1450 Improve Your Culture (Part Three)

    "You? You want to study painting?" Luke somewhat felt that he misheard her. It sounded quite ridiculous and didn''t match her personality. Who would believe that a girl born in a gangster family would be interested in high culture such as art?


    "Yes. I liked to draw when I was very young, butter I gave it up. So I want to take this opportunity to pick up where I left off, if it is still there...I mean the skill. And Patricia''s mother is a famous painter, so I want to learn from her." Michelle was a little hurt by Luke''s tone. She had already lost a lot of things that defined her original character after she got married with him. She had be less confident, being the target of his disdainful look all the time. It made her feel that she was good for nothing in his eyes. "Whatever! It''s your own business. You can decide for yourself when ites to those matters. This is my credit card, buy whatever you want and don''t ask for money from your parents," Luke said as he took out a gold card from his wallet and handed it over to her. "Oh! I don''t need it. I have money for the sses." Michelle refused immediately. If she took the card, it would make him think that she married him for the sake of money.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    "What? Do you have any doubts about what I am saying? Or do you want to embarrass me and make everyone think that my wife still has to live with the support of her parents?" Luke was a little displeased, the veins on his hands which held the card bulging. He was trying his best not to get irritated and ruin his morning.


    "I didn''t ask for money from my family." Michelle bit her lips, feeling deeply wronged. But she still took the credit card anyway. She didn''t dare to test his patience. Plus she had promised herself that she was going to be an obedient wife, no matter how rabid her husband talked to her. If everyone came to this world for redemption, Luke would undoubtedly be the biggest challenge and hurdle that she had to ovee. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn''t get to his heart. In the eyes of others, she might appear to be a masochist. "Good. And have you found a school?" Luke added as he prepared to leave.


    "Yes! Patricia''s mother has contacted a school for me," Michelle said cowardly. She had no idea that her unwitting words would be the cue for him tosh out another wave of angry words at her.


    "Well, since you have already decided, why take the trouble of asking me?" He shook his head and snorted with an irritated smile. Although he didn''t want to give a care about her own affairs, it didn''t mean that he didn''t mind what she was doing.


    "Not exactly. If you don''t agree, I will not go." Seeing his sullen face, Michelle felt confused. Wasn''t he always nonchnt to anything about her? Why would he be angry now?


    "I didn''t say that, considering your origin, it''s good for you to improve your culture and add some refinement in your personality." Luke didn''t really mean it like that. But when those words slipped out of his mouth, it sounded rather insulting as if he looked down upon her as low ss.


    "You seem to care so much about my origin." Slightly closing her eyes, Michelle felt the bitterness rise in her and spread all over her body. Lately, he seemed to mind her background as a gangster, a lot.


    "No, you are thinking too much. I didn''t let you get in my things, of course I won''t get in your business. It''s rather fair this way, right?" Luke said and looked deep into her eyes, then he walked out of the room without hesitation. Michelle didn''t want to think deeply about what he meant behind his cold eyes. She didn''t want to know. When she was sure that Luke had left, she leaned against the wall and slipped slowly to the floor, all strength draining out of her.


    Yes, she had thought too much. She thought that as his wife, she at least should let him know what she was doing with her daily life. But no surprise there, he didn''t care one bit. Then why was she doing this? She was so stupid! It only invited insult to herself. She couldn''t choose nor change her origins now and he should have known that before diving into this rtionship. But he specially and deliberately kept bringing it up to hurt her. Was it really so humiliating for him to ept her family background?


    Looking at the credit card in her hand, she suddenly felt that she was being very ridiculous. Was this the marriage she had wanted? They lived under the same roof, but they didn''t have any connection. Perhaps it would be better if they were just strangers. At least she wouldn''t feel hurt without knowing what she did wrong.


    When Luke left the house, he couldn''t help but turn his head and take a nce at the door behind him. Then he quickly strode away. A lot of things stormed his mind now, with guilt, anger and depression tangling together. He was upset because he always couldn''t hold his temper in front of Michelle, and what made him depressed was that even though he tried to keep her away from her past life, she could still find some other way to have fun and enjoy herself.


    Michelle didn''t linger too long in her pain and sorrow. When life pushed her over, she stood up and pushed back even harder? That was what Michelle was like, and she wouldn''t allow herself to be trampled over by it. Besides studying painting, she also joined a crash course to learn cooking. She would not waste too much time on remorse and be productive instead.


    "Mrs. Luo, are you going out now? It''s still early," Seeing Michelle walk downstairs, Maria asked in confusion. She rarely saw Michelle get up so early.


    "Yes! I will go to the hospital to visit a friend. You don''t need to prepare lunch for me. I might be back quitete." Wearing her hair in a bob and with casual clothes in neutral style, Michelle looked very cool and pretty.


    "Okay, I got it, Mrs. Luo." Looking at Michelle walk out of the house and disappear, Maria couldn''t help but sigh from within. Mr. Luo was a cold man by nature and it would not be easy for any one to warm his heart. But she hoped that with the passing of time, he could finally feel and appreciate Mrs. Luo''s love for him. Otherwise, they would have a miserable marriage and resent each other throughout the rest of their lives.0000000???????

 Chapter 1451 Starting School (Part One)

    Patricia was practicing how to walk alone in her room when Michelle arrived at the hospital. Finally, she could now walk slowly again! Her dness was evident on her face whenever she managed to make a tiny step. She might only be able to walk for some minutes at most now, however, she was sure that she could do better soon. She was lucky enough to survive the car crash. She just couldn''t ask for too much, could she? "Why are you here so early today?" asked Patricia as soon as she saw Michelle walked in. She stopped in her track and slowly made her way to sit on the bed. She was heaving when she grabbed her cup from the bedside table and gulped down a lot of water in one go. That practice really made her thirsty! "You made it sound like all I do is to sleep." Though Michelle indeed slept the whole day every day, she still felt a bit embarrassed that her friend had pointed it out as soon as she saw her. So what if she waszy? She was just naturally like that.


    "Don''t you? By the way, why are you here empty-handed? Have some manners, will you?" Patriciained in fake annoyance. Leena would always bring some food to her whenever she came. However, Michelle was different. She didn''t even bother to bring her anything at all! She always came empty-handed. Thus, Patricia found it really amusing.


    "Why wouldn''t Ie here empty-handed? What do you need? As far as I can remember, you wereining about getting fatter thest time I was here. You said that Leena brought you too much food every time she came. Thus, I don''t bring you anything. Don''t you think I''m clever? This way you won''t have a chance toin about me." Michelle shrugged. She didn''t feel a bit guilty about it because she couldn''t cook at all. Moreover, she didn''t know what to bring to Patr¨ªcia. She was not in a good mood today. She felt a bit dizzy and sad for what happened between her and her husband earlier.


    "You should have at least brought me some breakfast!" said Patricia as she rolled her eyes at her.


    "Um? You haven''t eaten breakfast yet? Where is your personal nurse by the way? Didn''t she prepare you something to eat?" Michelle was a little confused. She suddenly realized that she hadn''t seen Patricia''s nurse today. It was her nurse who usually prepared everything for her.


    "She told me that something urgent happened in her family. So I gave her a few days off." Patricia waved her hand as she spoke. She was indeed a very nice person. She didn''t want to see others sad, thus, she immediately agreed. It was lucky that her nurse''s leave wouldst only a few days because honestly, she got no clue on how to do things on her own.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    "Why didn''t you tell me? What do you want to eat? I can go and buy some food for you right away." Guilt washed over Michelle as she scratched her head. She never thought that Patricia hadn''t eaten breakfast yet. Now her conscience was bugging her for not bringing anything to eat.


    "Forget it. I have already asked Leena to bring something for me. She will be here soon, I guess." Patricia said expectantly. She was actually looking forward to the food that Leena was about to bring because Leena was a really good cook. She was sick of the food her nurse prepared for her. Thus, she decided to enjoy some delicious food made by her best friend today.


    "What a brat! If she is going to bring you food then you shouldn''t have made me feel guilty at all!" Michelle pretended to be angry at Patricia. How dared she y her like that? For a second there, she was really guilty and wanted to go out and buy Patricia food! She didn''t expect that Patricia already asked Leena to bring her food.


    "By the way, did your husband agree to let you study drawing? My mom said that she had already contacted the school. You can go whenever you are ready." Being the smart girl she was, Patricia quickly changed the subject upon seeing Michelle''s angry face. She didn''t want to anger her more, so she tried to distract her with the thing Michelle was interested in.


    "It doesn''t matter if he agrees or not. You know about my marriage and how it is. He won''t care about what I am doing as long as I don''t go back to my family. So I guess I am sort of free to do whatever I want to do." Michelle''s lips curled into a bitter smile. She was thinking that happiness never belonged to her. For the longest time, she could only watch others be happy with their lives. She knew that she would never have a loving husband, a perfect career, and a loving family. Fortunately, she still had her friends whom she could count on. "Don''t give up on him so quickly. Just give it time. I am sure that he wille around," said Patricia with a sympathetic smile. She didn''t know how tofort Michelle. She was aware that her words were meaningless, however, it was the best that she could say. Her situation wasn''t ideal either. She was still healing from her injuries and she was anxious about her rtionship with Tom.


    "I sincerely hope you are right. Did your mother tell you when I should be at school?" Michelle forced a happy smile on her face. She was not the type who was willing to show her sadness before others, even though they were her good friends. She was used to dealing with all kinds of things on her own because she was the independent type. Besides, she didn''t want to burden anyone with her own sadness. Nobody deserved to be an emotional shock absorber.


    "Whenever you are ready. Oh! Wait a minute, she gave me a rmendation letter. It''s for you," Patricia said while opening the drawer beside her bed. She took out a letter and gave it to Michelle. Her mother was really considerate.0000000

 Chapter 1452 Starting School (Part Two)

    "Oh! That''s excellent! Please tell your mother that I appreciate this a lot. She is so nice to me. And please tell her that I want to treat her to a nice dinner as a thank you gift." Michelle took the letter from Patricia''s hand. She had an excited grin on her face. She didn''t expect that she could go back to school after all these years. Moreover, she was going to study her passion, drawing! Suddenly she forgot about what had happened with her husband earlier. She finally had something to look forward to.


    "Don''t mention it. We are really good friends, aren''t we? Friends help each other. No need to be so damn polite and distant. However, if you really want to thank her, just treat me to a nice dinner once I get out of the hospital. Well, I am her daughter after all. You treat her or me to dinner, it''s the same!" Patricia said with a happy smile. She loved seeing her friend this excited and happy. She knew that it was what Michelle really wanted. Besides, after staying in the boring hospital bed for so long, she missed the delicious food outside the hospital.


    "You are aware that you didn''t do anything, right? Your mother was the one pulling strings for Michelle. Howe you can be so shameless and ask her for dinner?" It was then that Leena''s voice butted in. She walked into the room with arge container in her hands. She was amused. Her friends were talking so loud, she could hear their voices from the hallway.


    "Leena! You are finally here! Do you know that I would be dead by starvation if you dyed yourself for even a minute? I survived a serious car ident but end up dead because I don''t have anything to eat. How ridiculous would that be?" A huge grin appeared on Patricia''s face as soon as she saw Leena. She was really d to see Leena because it meant that food was also here. She didn''t eat muchst night and she had been practicing to walk all morning. She was so hungry right now that she thought she would faint.


    "Stop being so dramatic, will you? Don''t you know that cooking takes time? I need time to prepare your food. Besides, who was the oneining that she was getting fat because I kept feeding her the other day? Howe that person suddenly wants my food?" Leena rolled her eyes at Patricia in fake annoyance. It was fortunate for her that she was her best friend. If it were anyone else, Leena would not even give a damn. It was winter and the weather was very cold. Who wouldn''t want to stay home and sleep in a warm bed? However, Leena, being the caring and nice friend she was got up early to prepare a delicious meal for her friend in need.


    "Yeah, who is she? I surely have no idea! Who could be that shameless with our little princess Leena?" said Patricia as she pretended not to know what Leena was talking about. She had an overly sweet smile on her face as she pleaded with Leena with her puppy eyes. "Stop pretending you don''t know who she is talking about! It''s you! I can even remember youining about getting fatter because of Leena''s food." Michelle immediately interrupted. She had a smug smile on her face while saying these words. She liked to tease her friends like this. Furthermore, not being a thug made her life more boring than usual. She needed something to distract herself from thoughts about her husband.


    "See! Even Michelle knows about it! Stop pretending you don''t know what I mean." Leena raised one of her eyebrows at Patricia smugly. There was a smile on her face. However, Patricia didn''t know why she had a feeling that the smile didn''t reach Leena''s eyes. It seemed that she was hiding something from her friends.


    "You two! How dare you gang up against me! Don''t forget that I am still a fragile patient here!" Seeing her friends'' teasing smiles, Patricia quickly pulled up her puppy eyes at them in hopes of them showing mercy at her.


    "Ha! Fragile patient? That''s funny because I have never seen a patient as lively as you. Just stop with your puppy eyes. You know that they don''t affect us." Michelle was sitting on a chair while swinging her legs. She had a smirk on her face as she looked at Patricia with teasing eyes.


    "Yeah, I agree with Michelle. Besides, I have never seen a patient who has such a good appetite either," added Leena quickly with a smirk.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Enough, you two! Are you still my friends or not? Why are you treating me like this?" Patricia whined and puckered up her lips. Her life was never boring with these two beside her. Though sheined a lot, she was indeed very grateful for having them in her life. They loved her and cared about her unconditionally. Thus, she intended to do the same for them.


    "Of course we are your friends. In fact, we are your true friends who speak the truth to you. If it were anyone else, we surely wouldn''t have given a damn about her." Leena raised her chin up and looked at Patricia with excessive pride. Her skin was really wless. Her skin still looked fair and dewy even under the dry and harsh winter weather, hence, making others jealous.


    "Don''t mind her, Leena. She must have gotten insane during her stay in the hospital. That''s why she keeps saying those crazy words." Only when she was bantering with her friends like this could Michelle return to her carefree and lively self. She was like this before she got married. However, ever since she got married, she had be dull and sad. It was unfortunate that she couldn''t stay with her friends all day. Thus, it was rare for her to forget about the unhappiness in her life and be happy with her friends. .???????????

 Chapter 1453 Starting School (Part Three)

    Leena had a veryplicated feeling when she stepped into Tom''s office. She was anxious because she didn''t know what medicine Tom was going to give her this time. Moreover, she was also a bit expectant. What if the previous medicine he gave her worked? She honestly didn''t have a clue if the medicine Tom was about to give her would work this time. Regardless of those things, she was still willing to try. She didn''t want to have any regret. She knew that Kevin wanted a child and she didn''t want to leave him just because she was incapable of giving him what he wanted. God knew that she would do anything to give him a child.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    She had all these thoughts inside her head when she pushed the door open. However, she was stuck on her feet as soon as she saw what was going inside Tom''s office. Shame suddenly flooded her as she didn''t expect to see a number of doctors inside the ce together with Tom. It was easy to tell that they were all discussing something important based on how the doctors'' faces looked. Instantly, a beautiful blush appeared on Leena''s small face when all the serious doctors turned to her in unison upon hearing the door open. She felt extremely embarrassed now.


    "I am so sorry! It seems that I have interrupted you," said Leena quickly. However, it was toote to step back now. If she turned around and walked out, it would seem too weird, right? Thus, she ended up putting an embarrassed smile on her face as she apologized to them.


    "All right, let''s wrap up today. You can all go back to work," said Tom to all the doctors in his office upon seeing Leena. He didn''t even show any sign of surprise. It seemed that he had expected for her toe and find him. After all, he knew how badly Leena wanted to make herself healthy and strong enough to bear a child.


    The doctors all nodded in a friendly way to Leena. They collected their documents and walked out one by one. On the other side, Leena, who still felt embarrassed about what happened just now, put on a polite smile and watched them walk out. She didn''t move a bit because she didn''t know if she should just walk inside as if nothing happened.


    "Come on in, Leena!" Tom got up from hisfortable chair and walked to the water cooler. He grabbed a stic cup, poured a cup of warm water, and then put it on the table for Leena.


    "Did I interrupt something serious? I feel so bad. I should haveeter." Leena''s eyebrows furrowed cutely. She walked to the sofa and sat down.


    "No, you didn''t interrupt us at all. We were about to finish anyway. Here, drink some water first." Tom poured the cup of warm water for Leena because he knew Leena well. If nobody was there to remind her to drink some water, she would definitely not drink water at all because she didn''t like drinking in water. Thus, every time Tom saw her, he would pour her a cup of water and make her drink it all. Plus, she needed water and it was good for her health.


    "Water again? I just drank some water." Leena immediately refused because she really didn''t like drinking water at all. It was the reason why she abruptly lied. Her beautiful eyebrows knitted into a deep frown.


    "Don''t lie to me. I know for sure that you didn''t drink water. Look at your lips. They are chapped because ofck of water. Just finish the water, will you?" Being the brother who knew Leena so well, Tom immediately saw through her lie. He didn''t give her any chance to refuse. He really couldn''t understand why Leena would be so against drinking water. He had thought that she paid attention to her health.


    "That''s because I was in a hurry this morning and forgot to bring my lipstick with me. You know the weather. It''s cold and dry. The wind is extremely strong today. That''s why my lips are chapped. It has nothing to do with not drinking water." Leena mumbled in a small voice. She was making excuses and she was sure that Tom knew it too. Though she said these words, she still took a sip from the cup. She knew that her brother meant well and he was just worried about her.


    "Why were you in a rush? You don''t have to work, do you?" Tom slightly furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. He had no idea that Leena had to get up early today. He didn''t know why she was this busy. After all, she didn''t have to work, did she?


    "Why? It''s because you don''t know how to take good care of your future wife! Thus, I have to step up and take care of her for you." Leena puckered her lips and red at her brother without real malice in her eyes. She had no idea why Tom would be this dense. Why couldn''t he be a considerate and loving boyfriend for Patricia? He didn''t even realize that his girlfriend needed to be taken care of because she was still injured and couldn''t look after herself.


    "What do you mean by that?" Tom had a confused look on his face because he didn''t understand what Leena was saying. Future wife? Did she mean Patricia? She was good in the hospital room, wasn''t she? Why did she need Leena to take care of her?


    "I knew you would say this. Don''t you know that her personal nurse is in a few days off because of an emergency? Patricia doesn''t have anyone who can take care of her right now. That''s why I am here today." Leena didn''t know what to say to Tom anymore. Why didn''t he know that Patricia''s nurse was not here? How could he not know about it? Last time she checked, he was still Patricia''s boyfriend. He really should know.


    "I have no idea. Since when? Why didn''t she tell me about it?" Tom''s frown deepened even more. Last night, a dangerous infection happened to a patient and made the said patient''s breath stop for a few seconds. He had brought the patient back to life but he was still in a dangerous condition right now. That was why he had a few good doctors in his office to discuss what they should do next. It was the reason that he didn''t have time to visit Patricia today. Thus, he had no idea that she was struggling without a personal nurse.0000???????????

 Chapter 1454 Starting School (Part Four)

    "Why would I know? Aren''t you the one who should be asking her directly? I guess you two really needmunication. All right. It''s your business. I don''t want to talk about it anymore." Leena felt amused about Tom''s situation right now. This was getting ridiculous. She didn''t know what to think of the couple. Patricia didn''t tell Tom because she didn''t want to burden him with her problems. However, Tom didn''t try to make the effort to know what was happening around Patricia because of it. That was why they ended up in this situation. Leena seriously thought that they shouldmunicate more. Patricia shouldn''t bottle everything up inside her and Tom should know that his girlfriend needed his attention.


    "I really don''t know how to thank you, Leena. Not only do you have to worry about your own things but you also have to worry about Patricia and me," Tom teased his sister in a gentle voice. He might be joking but in fact, he was really grateful for having a caring and kind sister like Leena. Even though he didn''t say anything about what Leena just said, he realized what he had done wrong. He really didn''t pay Patricia much attention. One thing for sure though was that he would change that from this point on. "Yeah yeah. Of course! So, how are you going to repay me for it?" Leena raised her chin up and looked at her brother in an arrogant way.


    "Of course there will be a reward for you. I have already written a new prescription for you. Here it is! Take it as a reward from me. You are wee," responded Tom in a serious tone as he tried to keep a straight face. Nheless, it was obvious that he was just joking while looking at Leena.


    "What? What kind of reward is that? Are you kidding me?" Leena''s face instantly dropped after hearing Tom''s words. Nevertheless, she epted it. It was why she came here in the first ce, wasn''t it? She had no right toin. If she wanted to have the chance to conceive a child, she had to take her medicine.


    "Of course I was kidding! All right, tell me. What do you want for a reward?" Tom asked again. This time in a more serious tone. Leena was his precious little sister and he would give her anything she ever wanted in a heartbeat.


    "Um. I haven''t thought about it. I will tell you as soon as I have something that I want." Leena pretended to think for a short moment as she looked at the prescription in her hand. Just as she expected, she could not understand a word on the piece of paper. Tom''s handwriting was so bad. She had heard that all doctors'' handwriting were bad and didn''t believe it. She knew better now though, it seemed that it was indeed true. Doctors didn''t write for the patients to read anyway. As long as the person who prepared the medicine could understand, all was good.


    "I have already asked someone to prepare the medicine for you. However, it won''t be ready until this afternoon. So I am afraid that you have toe here again this afternoon. Or I can send the medicine to youter when I am off work. Either is okay." Though Leena had told him the reason why she needed the prescriptionst time, Tom still had a feeling that there was something that Leena was hiding from him. He felt a bit nervous about it. He had a bad feeling because he had no idea why Leena needed the prescription when she could have him prepare the medicine for her every time.


    "I wille byter and pick the medicine myself. I have to bring Patricia food anyway. So you don''t have to bother." As considerate as she was, Leena had already brought lunch for Patricia. Patricia just had to heat it up when she was hungry.


    "Thank you very much, Leena. I really don''t have time to look after her today. You know my job. I am extremely busy. I have a big operationter and I have to prepare for it," said Tom in a thankful tone. He was grateful that Leena was willing to look after Patricia for him. He leaned forward and gently hugged her as a thank-you gesture.


    "Pffft. Why are you being so damn polite to me? It''s actually nothing. Besides, I am not looking after Patricia for you. She is my best friend. Of course, I will take care of her no matter what. I should be the one stepping in when she is in need of help. That is what friends do, right?" Leena chuckled, feeling a bit amused that Tom was thanking her in such a formal way. To be honest, she had been just messing with him. Did he take it seriously?Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    "I know what you mean. But I still want to thank you, my dear little sister." Tom rarely got this emotional. However, seeing Leena get more and more mature recently made him really proud of her. Nevertheless, he couldn''t help but feel a bit sad about it too. If he could, he really wanted Leena to remain innocent and carefree. She shouldn''t worry too much in her life.


    "I should thank you too, Tom. Thank you for caring about me and loving me all these years. I really can''t imagine my life without you." Leena''s beautiful eyes reddened after hearing his words. She couldn''t help but get a little emotional too upon seeing Tom like this. Her heart throbbed painfully whenever she thought about not being able to see the ones she loved for a long time. However, at the same time, she kept telling herself that it was all right, as it would be okay in the end.

 Chapter 1455 Starting School (Part Five)

    Meanwhile, Michelle went to the painting school and sessfully enrolled in. There was one thing that worried her though. That was her marriage. That was why she had asked the principal not to mention that she was already married. She wanted to hide it from her future ssmates because it was disturbing. The person who was sitting beside Michelle was a chubby girl. She had a friendly smile on her round face. It seemed that she was happy to see a new ssmate like Michelle. Then she put out her hand as if she wanted to shake hands with Michelle.


    "Hello! My name is Hilda Shen. Nice to meet you!" The girl introduced herself in an excited tone. This quickly made Michelle calm down a bit. To everyone''s surprise, Michelle was indeed very nervous about starting school. Having a friendly deskmate definitely helped a lot. "Hello, my name is Michelle Mi. Nice to meet you too." A beautiful and friendly smile appeared on Michelle''s face. She quickly reached out her hand to shake hands with the friendly girl.


    "Let me tell you, all the people in our ss are indeed very nice, except that girl. You should not anger her if you want to have an easy life here. She is from a very rich family and she is considered the prettiest girl here. Thus, be careful and don''t go against her. You will surely have a hell of a life if you make her unhappy," said Hilda as she leaned towards Michelle. She was talking in a small voice as if she was telling a secret.


    "All right. I see. Thank you for telling me this." Michelle nodded seriously, but in fact, she didn''t pay it much mind. Normally, she was the one frightening others and not the other way around. She was not afraid of the girl at all.


    "Besides, let me tell you! The food here is very delicious," added Hilda. She was a very vivacious and lively girl. It seemed that Michelle didn''t have to worry that her life here would be too boring.


    "Yeah, I can tell." Michelle nced at her chubby body with knowing eyes. Well, if Hilda could get this fat here in school, it must mean that the food here was definitely not bad at all. Now she had another thing to look forward to.


    "Um. I have to exin. I was already this fat before I got here. It''s not the food here that made me fat," exined Hilda to Michelle in an embarrassed tone. The girls in their ss didn''t want anything to do with her because she was fat. That was why she got so excited that there was a new student in her ss. She was hoping to be friends with the new student.


    "I am sorry. I didn''t mean to hurt your feelings. I wasn''t making fun of you." Michelle quickly exined herself. She didn''t want to intentionally hurt Hilda''s feelings. It was not her fault that she was chubby.


    "That''s all right. In fact, I have already gotten used to it. Others call me fattie all the time and it is not in a kind way." Hilda puckered up her lips and said in a small and sad voice. It was clear that she was not happy being called fattie.


    "Maybe they mean no harm? Maybe it is in fact in a funny and friendly way? Don''t think too much of it." Michelleforted her and tried to make her feel better. To be honest, she was a bit frustrated with herself. ''Good job, Michelle. You have only been here for a few minutes and you have already pissed off a ssmate.'' she thought bitterly to herself.


    "Yeah. In fact, I don''t mind. You won''t mind that I am this fat, will you?" Hilda raised her head and looked at Michelle with eyes full of expectation. It was clear that she really wanted to have a friend.


    "Oh, yeah! Of course, I won''t mind." Michelle was a bit hesitant but it was not because she minded having a fat friend. It was just that Hilda was being too forward and pushing, and it made her a bit ufortable. But all in all, she was still very happy that she got to know such a friendly ssmate.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Hey! New kid, are you trying to be friends with this fattie?" Suddenly, a girl with long legs appeared in front of them. She rolled her eyes at Hilda in disdain and then turned to nce Michelle up and down.


    "Why? Am I not allowed to be friends with her?" Michelle didn''t even look up. She knew that this girl was the one that Hilda mentioned earlier. Yes, she looked nice but Michelle had met prettier girls like Leena. She had nothing on them. If she was right, this girl had done tons of stic surgeries on her face.


    "Well, I''m not saying that you are not allowed to befriend her. I''m just giving you a friendly warning. Your life will be hell once you befriend this fattie. I am sure that you don''t want that." The girl snorted and raised her head up arrogantly. Then she turned around and walked away in her high heels. She was really a self-absorbed bastard in Michelle''s opinion.


    "Michelle, she is the pretty girl that I told you about. What do you think? Isn''t she pretty? She also has a hot body. She really is perfect. No wonder all the boys love her." Michelle didn''t know what to think anymore. She was shocked that Hilda would say such things about the girl who bluntly insulted her. She didn''t know if Hilda was too innocent or if there was something wrong with her brain. Why was she like that? How could she say such nice things about the girl who insulted her? Michelle had no idea.


    "Well, in my opinion, she is just so-so. She is not that pretty." Maybe Michelle had seen too many pretty girls in her life. After all, her friends were all prettier than the girl. Anyone who was not blind could see that she had too many stic surgeries. Moreover, Michelle was not very fond of this kind of beauty. That was why she was not impressed by her looks.


    "Um. Really? A lot of guys in our school are in love with her. They all say that she is a goddess and treat her like one." Hilda tilted her head and looked at Michelle in disbelief. Did she just hear Michelle right? If Michelle considered the most beautiful girl in this school ''just so-so'', then she surely couldn''t imagine a beautiful girl in Michelle''s standard.

 Chapter 1456 Her Leaving (Part One)

    Michelle smiled, but secretly sneered internally. Although she was only a young, vibrant woman in her early twenties, she had matured a lot for her age ever since she got married. She had learned to be calm in her mind when tough situations arose. Like a wintersweet


    blossom in the harsh winter, she remained soft yet tough in the cold.


    She didn''t want to cause any troubles for anyone, and was not pleased when other people found fault with her. She clearly knew that she wasn''t that innocent girl anymore. She was a wife now, and that was her new identity. In other words, she behaved as if it was not just her own business anymore, but rather intertwined with Luke''s.


    Leena''s head was spinning with the amount of tasks she had done and had to do. She definitely needed a break but she was extremely busy these days. There were tons of things she needed to prepare and required her attention. Although she couldn''t exactly take care of each and every single one of them, she at least had to finish the things she had promised.


    When nighttime fell, Leena was resting tiredly with her head on Kevin''sp and asked, "Kevin, do you like the kids?"


    "Yes." Kevin carelessly replied in a monotonous voice, not looking down at her from the news report he was watching on the TV. It slipped him why she had asked such a strange question out of the blue.


    "How many kids do you want to have?" Leena pressed her lips into a thin line and asked again.


    "Girl, are you pregnant?!" Suddenly, Kevin turned to her and asked surprisingly, shock written all over his face. This did not escape Leena''s gaze and she couldn''t help but feel bad for herself.


    "Ahh... No. I''m just asking." Seeing Kevin reacting like that, Leena couldn''t bear to tell him the truth. It would greatly disappoint him. She had to swallow the bitter pill all by herself, but of course someday he would eventually know about it. One couldn''t hide a secret forever, after all.


    "Well, I''m going to think about it carefully. As long as you are the mother, it doesn''t matter how many kids I want to have. I''ll love them all anyway. But it is probably not allowed to have too many children as a soldier. What about this? What about twins?" Kevin suddenly became interested in this topic. He stopped watching the military channel he liked on TV and started to discuss the issue of children with her.


    "Sure," Leena replied sweetly, but deep inside her heart was filled with sadness. The more he was getting into the conversation with her, the more her heart ached. He liked kids so much, but she couldn''t make his dream a reality for him. People without such experience didn''t know how painful that was. Her heart was bleeding with sadness and despair.


    It was drizzling and the soft fluffy clouds had curtained the bright sunlight on the day she left. It felt much colder in this freezingte winter. Her heart seemed to be one with the weather as well, as she knew that she would disappear from his life on that fateful day.


    She had determined that she probably wouldn''te back anymore. She left everything at home. His bank card, her car keys, and the keys to this house... She put all of them on the table, together with a signed divorce settlement and a letter. The lettery silently on the table. It contained all the words she had wanted to tell him but did not.


    When Kevin went home that night, there was no warm light in the house and delicious smell of dinner cooking in the air weing him from a long day at work. Instead, all he saw was an empty and dark house with nobody inside. His heart was beating fast and a terrible feeling spread through every fiber of his being. He stood in the living room, frozen with his mind nk, waiting for her toe up suddenly out of somewhere and grimace at him.


    However, nobody came up. He went upstairs with heavy steps and kept telling himself that she must be sleeping or was busy with her designing work. But the reality was cruel. When he walked into the bedroom, the well-ced things on the dressing table came into his sight. His face paled immediately. He knew what wasing.


    His big hand picked up every single object on the table, long fingers quivering as he touched and observed them one by one. Finally, he came to the envelope that was stained with tears. He didn''t even have the courage to open the letter let alone read it because he feared its contents. He just remained silent and thought about all the possibilities he could think of in his head.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    However, no matter how reluctant he was to ept the fact that she was gone, he had to face it anyway. So he picked up and opened the envelope, took out the letter to face the words which might drive him crazy.


    "Hi, my husband. It seems to be my first time to call you like this. Probably it''s also thest time." Upon reading these few simple words, Kevin could already imagine the smile she forced to put on her face.


    "I''m sorry that I left you without letting you know and saying goodbye to you. I love you, so I have to leave because I don''t want you to have pity in your future life." He noticed that there were many dried tear stains on the paper. Some of the words were even blurred out because of the tears. It was obvious that she was heartbroken so much that she could not stop crying, the tears swirling the ink in the wake.


    "I asked you once to be more patient and give me more time. I thought God always blessed me. But this time, he is not standing with me. I know that it''s time for me to leave." As he continued the letter, it was like Leena''s every thought as she wrote it came to his mind. When Leena wrote this letter, every word was like a knife piercing its sharp de through her heart. She hurt so much.


    "Tom told me that it was difficult for me to get pregnant. I''m sure you can never imagine how helpless I was when I first knew this fact. How I wished I could put myself in your arms and ask for yourfort. Even a small hug could be enough for me. But I knew I couldn''t. So I locked myself up and asked everyone to hide this fact from you. I don''t know whether you will love me like always when you know that I''m not a perfect woman." Leena sniffed as she bit her trembling lip. God knew how she was unwilling to leave him and how she wanted to be selfish this time. But she dared not bet, because she was afraid of the moment when Kevin knew it.0000000

 Chapter 1457 Her Leaving (Part Two)

    "You said that you would love the kids as long as I was their mother. But I didn''t have the courage to look into your passionate eyes. I know I can''t have the baby that you want, so I have to go away." By that time, Leena had stopped writing. She put down her pen and burst into tears on the table, the liquid gushing out like water from a bursting dam. She was alone that time so she was free to cry all her feelings out and sobbed loudly to let out her sorrows. The letter continued, "I thought I would have a cute baby with you as long as I did what Tom told me to do, so I kept taking those disgusting medicines to adjust my body. Even when you saw me taking those medicines by ident sometimes, I still smiled at you and told


    you that I was fine as if nothing happened.


    I always looked into your face when you fell into sleep. I firstly knew how it felt to suffer from insomnia. For a thousand times, I wanted to reach out to touch your handsome face. But I didn''t, because you might be disturbed in your peaceful sleep and wake up. There was nothing I could do but look into your face so that I would not forget it through the dim light. You are going to be the most memorable and precious one in my future lonely life." Tears were sshed on the paper and blurred the words. It was the darkest time in Leena''s life. Her broken heart would never be healed.


    "I know that you will not leave me even though I cannot have a baby. But there is still very little chance for the other possibility, which is the one I can''t bear. I dare not imagine how important and precious I am to you. So I choose to leave you. I can''t just be a willful woman. I love you with my whole heart and I don''t want to be a selfish one. Maybe you will say that I am a coward and that I escape you with such an excuse, yet I insist on my own thought. I will probably regret someday my decision to leave you. But as long as you can live a happy life with a good wife and lovely children, I can free you from our marriage." When Leena wrote these words, she was smiling. It was a bitter yet extremely beautiful smile. Although she was helpless, she still felt a bit relieved, because she had made her decision and got through this difficult step.


    "I''ve already signed on the divorce settlement. You told me once that it was difficult to divorce for a soldier. But it is still possible, right? I''m sorry, that I didn''t keep my promise about our marriage. I''m sorry I will be absent in your future life. Please forgive me." Leena clenched her fist as her fingers rubbed her strained forehead when she looked at their marriage certificates. Sobs racked her body in extreme grief. It was highly possible that not long after, the divorce statements would rece the marriage certificates.


    "Lastly, thank you for loving me. Being with you as a couple is the happiest thing I have experienced. I''ve spent the most wonderful time with you. Although you did not stay with me all the time, I knew you woulde back to our home. But this time, it''s me who will leave the house and will nevere back. Please, don''t wait for me, and don''t try to find me. Find a good woman you will love. Yes, I will be extremely jealous of her, but I will not disturb you and instead I will pray for you. Please allow me to congratte you in advance." At this point, Leena was unable to hold the pen anymore and ceased writing. Her heart hurt so much as if a sharp de was hacking it into pieces when the idea that Kevin would marry another woman sprang into her mind, and that she would rece her to rest in Kevin''s arms. "Also, I putbels on all clothes in the wardrobe so that you will know which clothes you can wear in different situations and how to match them. It''s thest thing I can do for you now. What''s more, the most important thing I am worried about you is your stomach. When I am not around you, please eat on time and take good care of yourself. Don''t worry about me, okay?" Leena smiled bitterly. She finished the letter and put down her pen on the table. The sad and beautiful smile that was stered on her face disappeared immediately. There were too many things she wanted to write to him, but she knew that she could not just keep writing all of them down because they were endless.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    Kevin read the letter with mixed feelings. His tears kept flowing out like a swiftly coursing river and rolling down his cheeks. His heart was sinking too. What a stupid girl! Did not she know that his life without her was iplete?


    He took out his phone and dialed her number with a quivering hand. However, her phone only rang out with the beautiful ringtone she used in the room as if it wasughing at him. She leftpletely, leaving no trace of her at all so that he was unable to get in touch with her.


    Kevin smiled again. His eyes ached because of the sorrow. ''Nana, I know all the time that you don''t trust mepletely, but I never tried to do something to fix this problem. I thought that everything would change as time went by. But now you are shocking me with this. You just left in secret and escaped from my world. You don''t know, but my heart left with you too.''


    He suddenly ran out of the house like crazy. He would not just let her leave that way. Yes, he indeed liked kids, but kids were not necessary in life because in his heart, Leena was the most important person to him.


    He quickly got in his car and started the engine. He drove to the airport at full speed, not caring about any traffic vitions. He was aware that she might have already left, but he still wanted to go there to see if she was at the airport. He would not let any chances go. They just confirmed that both of them loved each other, and their happy life just began. He would never allow her to leave. They were not supposed to end like this.


    Kevin always paid attention to his clothes and behaviors as a soldier. However, at this crucial moment, he had no spare time to focus on them anymore. His necktie was loosened up a bit because he ran in a hurry. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up as he ran in haphazard motions back and forth in the airport to search for Leena.


    He ran to every woman who looked like Leena from behind to check if it was her. Most of them forgave his rude behavior because of his handsome look and the uniform, but still some thought he was a weirdo and thought him to be a psycho. There was no military insignia on his shirt to show his identity. No wonder he was considered to be a psycho ying pretend and running around frantically across the ce.

 Chapter 1458 Her Leaving (Part Three)

    After his unsessful attempts in finding her, he decided to go to Leng House. It was quitete when Kevin finally got there. When Duke greeted him at the door, he was shocked to see Kevin''s messy appearance and his clothes in disarray.


    "What happened to you? Were you robbed? But that doesn''t make sense! You''re a soldier. No one would rob you unless they don''t want to live!" Duke teased him coldly, eyebrows wrinkling in slight confusion.


    "Do you know where Nana is?" Kevin didn''t mind the teasing at all, but he couldn''t mask the frustration on his face. He didn''t find her even after several hours of searching at the airport with the people looking at him like he had gone mad. He felt like he was about to copse.


    "What do you mean? Did something happen to Leena?" Duke then stopped teasing him when Kevin said that. He immediately asked when Kevin mentioned Leena, nervousness evident in his voice.


    "No. But she left." Kevin sadly shut his eyes. Before he opened them, a heavy fistnded squarely on his face. However, he did not feel surprised at all, it was as if he was expecting it.


    "Kevin, you bastard! She left? What do you mean by she left? Tell me what happened!?" Duke punched him again. He would lose control in anything bad that concerned his sister.


    "I said she left! Didn''t you hear me?" It was the first time Kevin shouted at Duke. He yelled at him not because Duke hit him, but because that he had no way to ease the pain in his heart--so he shouted at him, expecting Duke would beat him to no end. That way, he might feel better. It was a bitter attempt at catharsis but he really couldn''t bear the pain of Leena leaving.


    "Where did she go? Tell me!" Duke shouted back at him. He red at the inconsble man in front of him with rage filled eyes, the hate radiating from every nerve in his body. He did not punch him this time.


    "I would note here if I know where she is," Kevin replied curtly. At this moment, he was so weak and done. He felt extremely helpless because he was unable to find any trace of her at all. Before he came here, he called ire to keep an eye out because Leena might go to Paris. She had her work and needed to prepare for the fashion week, after all.


    "What happened?" Belinda had heard themotion and went downstairs, walking down the steps as carefully as she could with her big belly. Seeing the two men locked in a staring contest as if they were about to kill each other made her feel rmed.


    "I''m sorry to interrupt you, Belinda," Kevin greeted. Although Kevin had lost his mind and patience because of Leena''s leaving, he was still polite.


    "It''s okay. Are you talking about Leena? What happened to her?" Leena was the only reason why both of the two men were mad at each other as if they wanted to rip each other''s throat out.


    "Yeah. When I got home, she wasn''t there. She left the divorce agreement and a letter and then disappeared. I''m wondering, you must know something, right?" Kevin looked at Belinda with utmost sincerity in his strained eyes, hoping to get something out of her--but judging from how Duke reacted, they seemed to know nothing at all.


    "What?" Disappeared? I know it, I know that she''s such a stupid girl." Needless to say, Belinda was shocked. She should take the responsibility. She had sensed before that Leena was acting quite weird recently, but she did not think about it too much and thought that maybe, she just felt sad because she had difficulty in conceiving a baby. However, she had never expected that she was actually nning to leave.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    "You know it. All of you know it, except me!" Kevin couldn''t help but scream his words out in realization. He was at a loss. He did not know how to feel at this moment. He was her husband, but she had no confidence to confide in him at all. Instead, she told everything to others.


    "Kevin, don''t think about it too much. Leena didn''t tell you because she thought Tom''s treatment would work so she didn''t want you to worry about her. But unfortunately, it didn''t work at all. I know how she feels as a woman." Belinda looked at Kevin worriedly. There was an obvious punch mark on his face. That would surely turn into a big, ugly blue bruise in no time. It was obviously Duke who did this to him without thinking. She turned around and shot him a pointed re. He always lost control because of Leena. Thank God that Kevin did not fight against him seriously. Otherwise, he would be beaten worse.


    "But anyway, she was supposed to tell me, right? How could she know my reaction if she did not tell me?" Kevin said as his teeth bit hardly on his bottom lip and he clenched his fists. It was obvious that he was extremely angry now as it could be told from the veins popping out from his temples.


    "That''s not the point now. You are a major general. And there is something you can do to find her! Go and check with the airport to see which one is her ne!" Belinda said in an exasperated voice. She was worried about Leena. She was a sweet girl, but she was extremely decisive sometimes. It was hard to convince her out of her decision.


    "I''ve already checked. But she is not on the list of all the flights today," Kevin said in frustration. It was the second time he used his power as a major general for Leena. She was obviously extremely important to him.


    "What? She is not in the list? Then she must still be in S city, hiding somewhere. She must be waiting for the time when we stop keeping an eye on the nes, and then that''s when she''ll leave in secret," Belinda said thoughtfully. Leena was smart. Belinda knew her. She clearly knew that Kevin and Daisy had easy ess to these information, so Kevin would easily know exactly where she was as long as he knew which country she went to--so she did not just take a flight and went into hiding instead.


    "I''m not sure. It''s why I came here to see if you have any clue where she might go," Kevin said, rubbing his fingers on his temple. Kevin did not fully trust them. They might hide Leena''s location from him. After all, they helped Leena to keep the secret that she was having difficulty in conceiving the baby. It was possible that they helped her leave, too.


    "Kevin, are you suspicious about us, that we helped her to leave? If it were about other things, of course we would probably help her. But helping her go away? No way. We have no idea about it at all. I just felt that she was acting quite strange recently. She said some thankful words from time to time, but I did not take her seriously. I thought she was just too emotional at that time." Belinda said as a frown was written across her features. She reached out and touched her belly tofort her baby out of maternal instinct. She felt the little one inside of her moving around a lot, as if he could feel her nervousness, or even know that his auntie ran away.

 Chapter 1459 Leenas Whereabouts (Part One)

    "Sorry! I didn''t mean it that way. I hope you understand. I am really anxious right now," Kevin apologized to Belinda. Thinking about it for a while, he took out his phone and dialed Hawkeye''s number. He decided to use his position in the military to search for Leena. "Hello, Major General Gu, what can I do to help you?" was Hawkeye''s greeting to Kevin. As a soldier in the Special Forces, he was always ready.


    "Hawkeye, I need you to carry out a city-wide search for my wife, Leena Leng," Kevin demanded. "Do everything you can and keep me updated at all times." He knew he would get in trouble for using military resources for personal matters, but he was willing to ept the punishment they would put on him. After all, Leena was his beloved wife and he would spare no efforts to find her.


    "Yes, I guarantee you that the mission will be carried out to the best of our abilities. Please send me a picture of Mrs. Gu." Hawkeye was ready to ept the order without any questions or hesitation.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "I''ll send it to youter. Just remember, no civilian citizens are to be harassed in this mission," Kevin urged. He became the cool and smart Major General again.


    "Copy that, Major General Gu. I''ll arrange the search now." Hawkeye hung up. Curious as he was, he dared not to ask Kevin further more.


    Duke cast a cold nce at Kevin before he turned to Belinda and said, "I''ll call Edward. He has more resources and a wider connection. I believe he will y a part in searching for Leena."


    "Alright," Belinda answered with a frown. Then she turned to Kevin and said, "Kevin, you haven''t eaten yet, have you? I will tell Giselle to prepare a meal for you."


    "Thank you. But no need for that. I don''t feel like eating. Please let me know when you have some news. I''ll take my leave now. I don''t feelfortable staying still and not looking for my wife." Kevin didn''t even have time to sit down and take a rest, let alone eat. "Kevin, I know you are desperate to find her, but you have to eat something. How can you have the energy to look for her with a weak mind and body? You still have to look after yourself." Belinda called out after Kevin as he walked away, but he didn''t stop.


    Kevin drove around the city for a few hours. He went to some ces that she frequented, but found no clues. He mmed his hands on the steering wheel in frustration, his eyes red.


    ''Damn it! During the past days, she has called my attention to the things I need to pay attention to. She must have already made up her mind to leave back then. But I was too insensitive to notice it. I am such a jerk!'' he thought to himself.


    The city was not peaceful that night. Men in ck suits rushed across the high streets and backnes. There were even some mysterious men searching every alley and stopping at the smallest shops. The same situation had happened before when Daisy had been abducted.


    Maybe Leena had already left the city. Although she didn''t take a ne or drive her car, she might have taken the bus or train or some other kind of public transport. It was not easy to look for someone in such a big city.


    The city remained the same, but in Kevin''s eyes, everything seemed different without Leena by his side. He had searched high and low for her, and he was physically and mentally exhausted. No matter how many people he and Edward had sent out, Leena was nowhere to be found. If she hadn''t left Kevin a note saying that she was leaving, Kevin would have easily believed that she was kidnapped. Only he wouldn''t know who would do that as he didn''t have any known enemies.


    He only went home in the wee hours of the morning. Opening their shared closet, he was stunned to find that she had already matched his clothes for him, and there were even detailed notes on each one. He felt weak as he read each one of them. "Where are you Nana?" he whispered. Much worse, none of her clothes remained, leaving the closet clean and empty without so much as a speck of dust. Her scent still lingered but there was nothing else that he could hold on to. Did she decide to leave this house forever? Why did she take everything with her? Why didn''t she take him with her as well?


    In these modern times, men, especial male soldiers, are often told things like, "big boys don''t cry" or "take it like a man." Kevin, however, just couldn''t help but break down in a heap as he stared at the empty closet. In the confines of the room and without anyone watching, he cried shamelessly, feeling the crushing pain in his chest. He hadbed the entire city with not even a shadow of a lead. He even checked a million times with the airport, but there was no sign of Leena boarding any ne. He had checked the surveince videos of every long-distance transport station in S City, but still came up with no clues. He really didn''t know what to do now. It was as if he hade to a dead end.


    The search had even gone international. ire had asked Gerard to help them find Leena using his family''s resources, but Leena was not in Paris either. She just left quietly, leaving no clues and not telling a single soul. She was a really good student, who had fully mastered the skills she learned from Kevin to avoid detection. She not only took away her stuff, but also Kevin''s heart.


    Extremely reluctant, Edward had no choice but to seek help from his father after days of searching in vain.


    "You want something?" Jonathan asked. He was still so handsome and looked younger than his age, almost as if he was just Edward''s older brother instead of his father.


    "Father, I didn''t want to bother you but I need your help to find someone," Edward confided earnestly. They were both handsome, but in their own unique ways.


    "Are you talking about Leena? Let me tell you what I think. Leena needs time to cool down and rethink things. In my opinion, we shouldn''t pressure her and make things worse by doing this massive search as if she were a criminal. Give her the space and time." It was not that Jonathan didn''t want to help. He just thought that Leena had been mentally and emotionally exhausted and needed to take a break. It was good for her to take this opportunity to travel, rx herself and think carefully about her rtionship with Kevin. Jonathan was confident that she woulde back after she came around to it.

 Chapter 1460 Leenas Whereabouts 锛圥art Two)

    "But we are very worried about her. What if something happens to her?" Edward insisted. He had never had Leena out of his sight before. He was okay with leaving her alone and not seeing her in the flesh, but he must at least know where she was and that she was safe.


    "No, I''m not for you guys looking for her. After all, she is a grown up woman and knows what she is doing. For God''s sakes, she has lived in Paris alone and you did not bat an eysh! You can''t always treat her as a little girl. Moreover, she has done a great deal to make sure that you couldn''t find her. So why do you have to go against her will? You all have to take a hint. She does not want to be found yet," Jonathan pointed out, gazing at his son. He had always treated Leena as his own daughter. Although he was also worried about her, he had decided to respect her personal decision.


    "Your words make perfect sense, but I still worry about her. What if something bad happens to her? What if someone hurts her?" Edward asked with a frown. Jonathan had him almost 100% convinced, except for the question of her safety. It was hard for him to ignore that part. He had regarded Leena more as his daughter instead of his sworn sister, and he couldn''t bear losing her.


    "How about this? I can send my men to look for her. But I will only tell you that she''s good. If and when I do find her, I won''t tell you where she is. I want her to enjoy a rxing journey. I prefer her peace of mind over yours," Jonathan offered. Apparently he knew something, but he just didn''t want to tell Edward.


    "Yes, thank you father. As long as I know she''s safe and sound, I, together with everyone else, can rest assured." As a clever man, Edward realized something was wrong when his father, who disliked poking his nose into others'' business, refused to tell him Leena''s whereabouts. But he had to agree with his father''s offer.


    Seeing Edwarding out of the study, Daisy walked up to him and asked, "What did father say?"


    "My gut is telling me that he knows something. As a matter of fact, I am starting to believe that the reason, Leena is able to hide from us has something to do with him. Otherwise, it is impossible for us to not have any clue. I think she has found someone who is able to keep her from us, and that person must be someone she is familiar with. Also, father said that he wanted her to ''enjoy a rxing journey''." The more Edward heard what he himself said, the more he became suspicious of his father.


    "Well, your words do make sense. Even Hawkeye is unable to find any tiny clue about Leena." Daisy stroked her chin, thinking carefully about Edward''s words. Because of Leena''s disappearance, Kevin had been in extremely low spirits, and Daisy had to take over most of his affairs in the army base.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    "So that would mean, Leena must be safe now. But I''m not sure if she is still in the country. After all, it is a piece of cake for The Mayfly to whisk her away to a foreign country without being noticed." Although Jonathan hadn''t told him about Leena''s current condition yet, Edward was finally relieved. He could now think that Leena was indeed safe and sound.


    "In this way, I guess you can tell your people and Kevin''s, to stop looking for her. After all, with father''s people around her, nothing bad can happen to her," Daisy suggested. ''We may be able to resist the urge to go and see Leena, but what about Kevin? Will he be able to endure not seeing her?'' she thought to herself.


    "But father hasn''t given me a feedback yet. So we better wait for another couple of days. Don''t worry. I believe it won''t take long." Edward knew his father well. His father cared about Leena very much, and he would "find" her soon.


    "I hope so. Once father tells you that Leena''s safe, please remember to tell Kevin at once. He has been so stressed these past few days that he looks much older and very haggard." Daisy couldn''t help but frown at the thought of a bearded Kevin. She had thought Kevin would be in low spirits for a long time, but actually he plunged into his work with immense zeal. He had kept himself so busy that he missed his meals and lost a lot of sleep.


    "All right." Edward knew how much Kevin loved Leena, so his opinion towards Kevin hadpletely changed. He was happy for Leena to have such a caring husband like him. Just as Daisy had said, Leena needed not only affection from her family, but also love from her husband. In that area, there was no substitute for the young Major General.


    By now, many people had known about Leena suddenly going away and were naturally worried about her. Tom especially med himself for not having noticed the early clues and signs that she was about to give up and disappear. He had sensed something had been wrong with her, but he didn''t pay enough attention to it. He thought it was just some petty domestic quarrels with her husband. Now, Tom couldn''t forgive himself for failing to prevent it.


    "Have you found Leena?" Patricia asked, leaning against the window to support herself. She had just finished practicing walking, and she was really tired.


    "Not yet. But Edward said she''s safe and sound, and asked us not to worry about her." Remorse filled his voice. He shouldn''t have listened to Leena. If he had told Kevin the truth thest time he came to visit him, then maybe Kevin would have detected her unusual behavior and nipped it in the bud. Leena wouldn''t have gone missing now.

 Chapter 1461 Leenas Whereabouts (Part Three)

    reproachful expression. But she could understand why he chose to do what he did.


    "Where did she go? She is such a silly girl. Why didn''t she tell me about it from the very beginning? And you, Tom! Why didn''t you tell me about her health condition? I could haveforted her! Poor Leena, she must be miserable now," Patricia med Tom, casting him a "Tell you? Pfft! The only person needing sce at that time was you!" Tom blurted out. He didn''t mean to me Patricia, but just cracked a joke.


    "Sorry! I forgot about that." Patricia knew how Tom cared about Leena, so she didn''t mind his outburst at all.


    "Don''t worry. It was all my fault. By the way, how was your therapy today?" Tom walked towards Patricia and held her in his arms. His beloved sworn sister had gone missing, and he didn''t want his girlfriend to disappear into thin air either. It would drive him mad. "Tom, are you okay?" Patricia asked worriedly.


    "Shhh! Don''t talk. Don''t move. Just stay here in my arms." Tom rested his head beside her neck. Smelling her light fragrance, he felt much better.


    Patricia went rigid, not knowing whether she should hold his waist or not. Tom had always been aloof and never showed his vulnerability in front of her before.


    "Since Mr. Mu said that Leena''s safe, we can rest assured now. So don''t worry." After struggling to have afortable position for a long time, Patricia finally decided to hug him back.


    "Um, I know it. I just feel a little tired and want to have a rest." Tom let go of Patricia. Her soft and warm body made his heart pump faster and feel hot, so he had to release her to cool himself down.


    "Oh, yeah. I understand. We all have our weak moments." Patricia smiled, but deep inside she wondered whether he was feeling ufortable with her in his arms.


    "Why don''t we take a walk in the garden?" Tom suggested, in an attempt to rebound from his unusual behavior. He was mortified at what he just did.


    "Great! I''m happy to go for a walk." Patricia shed a wide grin. But deep down, she remembered the harsh words he had thrown at her before and felt sad about it but quickly brushed it off. She still couldn''t believe that Tom had fallen in love with her. Tom helped Patricia walk towards the elevator. The sun was shining brightly, and it was a great idea to bask in its gloriously warm rays.


    "Where are you going?" Belinda, who had just arrived, asked with a smile, standing not far away from them.


    "Hi, Belinda. Are you here for another prenatal check-up?" Patricia was surprised to see Belinda.


    "Yep! Maybe it was because I was very worried about Leena in thest couple of days, that the baby in my belly also became a little short-tempered. So I came here to have a check-up. Hey, Patricia, I haven''t seen you in a few days and you look much better! I guess you''ll fully recover a few days from now," Belinda encouraged her. Although Edward had confirmed that Leena was safe, Duke and Belinda were still worried about her. She had felt a tightening in her chest, and it was better for her to have her baby checked.


    "You better pay attention to it and stay in a good mood. Otherwise you might get into earlybor," Tom said with a frown. He didn''t want anything to happen to Belinda''s baby.


    "Don''t worry. The doctor just told me the same thing," Belinda said with a smile. Apparently, she was a happy mother and only a few things could upset her.


    "Remember to take a walk every day. It''ll be helpful to prepare the body for naturalbor," Tom continued. As a doctor, he hoped every pregnant woman could take good care of herself and her baby. He had seen so many pregnant women crying and screaming in fear and in pain, which was really bad for themselves and their babies.


    "Got it! I will do as you say. I''ll take my leave now. Bye, Tom, bye, Patricia." Actually she had taken a walk every day since she found out that she was pregnant. It had been so boring staying home alone, so she could only take a walk around the house and have a breath of fresh air. There was a beautiful garden there.


    "Wait, did youe here alone? Do you want me to drive you home?" Tom offered. He felt that he should remind Duke that it was very dangerous for a pregnant woman to drive, especially as it got closer to the expected date of delivery. Expectant mothers are not that quick to react during pregnancy.


    "Oh, that''s not necessary. The driver brought me here and he''s now waiting for me outside," Belinda immediately responded. Duke had nned to drive her here at first, but then something urgent hade up in hispany and he had to ask the driver to take her to the hospital.


    "Oh, all right. You know that you should stop driving on your third trimester, that''s three months before you deliver the baby," Tom said. It was only now that Patricia could see that he was a gentle, caring and sensitive man. A far cry from the cold and indifferent man that she used to know. However, although he didn''t reject her like before, she still couldn''t feel that they were a real couple. There was no passionate and sweet love between them.


    "I know. Come on, Tom! Don''t you trust your own doctors in your hospital?" Belinda said with augh. She really thought Tom acted like her mother who was always worried about her.


    "Belinda, don''t mind him. In front of his patients, he really talks a lot, as if trying to impress them all the time! You''ll grow used to it." Patricia giggled. She thought she was the only one that had to listen to his babble, but it seemed that Belinda was another victim.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Haha. To be honest, I''ll never get used to it. So please do me a favor and get him away from me. I really need to leave now. See you guys." Belinda left immediately after saying that. She didn''t dare walk too fast though, for she was afraid that she might slip and fall. She just waddled away to the waiting car. She could still hear Tom nagging behind her. "Walk slowly! Look out for that trash bin on the right! Hold on to that railing!"


    "Come on, Tom! You shush! Otherwise Belinda will speed up," Patricia said. She found that Belinda was also a straightforward woman, and they shared the same character.


    "I was just worried about her. Am I wrong?" Tomined. He felt that he had aged a lot recently, as there were so many things he had to worry about.0000

 Chapter 1462 Michelle Got Sick (Part One)

    "No," she paused for a moment. "You''re right," she continued, her mouth feeling a bit tight. Patricia rubbed her nose and frowned. She thought that Tom was wrong, but she wouldn''t point it out. He had the looks of a gentle man, but she knew his true nature of being sternly


    cold and unmovable. It would be foolish to provoke him, and she wouldn''t dare to do so.


    The man''s eyes were cold as he looked at her. He knew perfectly well that she wouldn''t dare to disobey him, buttely, he was picking up something strange from her behavior. Sometimes, it was as if she had already recovered her memory. He noticed how cautious she would act around him, and how she would hesitate before responding to him. She was no longer as unscrupulous after losing her memory, and he could tell that she was reluctant to ept him as her boyfriend.


    Kevin''s chest felt as cold as the terrible winter upon him. There was a time he always braved the cold with a smile on his face and skipped in his step, but at that moment, the cold wind had him chill to the bone.


    Three days had passed since Leena left, and Kevin was no longer too racked with anxiety. He had somehow resigned to the fact that she was gone. After failing to find her, all he could do was waiting for her in S City. The day she came back to him, the first thing she would see was the fire burning in his eyes.


    His life didn''t change drastically after she left. He knew she was safe, so he didn''t let his mind be upied with unproductive dismal thoughts. Instead, he shaved off his beard, and restored the image of a handsome, young, clean-cut general. He knew all too well how Leena didn''t appreciate his sloppiness, so he decided to keep himself neat, and his house tidy, while she was away.


    "Are you alright, Kevin?" Daisy''s words cut through his newfound image. It was mere camouge, and she could tell. She knew that he was going to paralyze himself in training again.


    "Of course. Why, don''t I look good?" He yfully raised his brow, his thin, finely structured face looking handsome.


    "You look pale. Do you really want to die by exercising every day until you drop?" Daisy''s face was twisted into frustration.


    He sighed. "Don''t worry. I just lead the soldiers'' training and help them work on their muscles." He had to keep himself busy. He knew he needed a good amount of distraction to keep Leena from taking over his mind.


    Daisy almost rolled her eyes at his response. "Don''t you know about all the soldiers''ints? They don''t want to train with you. None of them does," she emphasized. If Kevin kept it up, he would take over her title as the "Devil Drillmaster."


    "Really?" He was quite surprised as he didn''t really think much of it. He looked at Daisy in disbelief, trying to figure out whether or not she was exaggerating.


    "Yes. It''s true. I know you want to keep yourself busy, but you don''t have to over strain yourself through training." She cocked her head to the side. "You know what? There are plenty of documents piled up on your desk, waiting for your approval. How about doing something different today, hm?" Kevin was still her superior in the army base, so she raised her suggestion with respect.


    "You''ve grown tired of helping me with the documents, haven''t you?" This made Kevin burst outughing. She used to be so frank, but now she spoke in too many euphemisms.


    "So, you finally understand. My effort is not in vain." Daisy sighed in relief, and her frown was reced with a radiant smile.


    "I''m sorry that you have to do so much for my saketely." Kevin felt apologetic. He realized he might have taken it too far. Although they both had suffered, he knew that he was much luckier because Leena loved him.


    He offered a small smile in return. "It''s okay. The work is nothing, really. I''m just afraid that you''ll take Leena''s leaving too hard. Don''t be too harsh on yourself. Just think that she''s traveling abroad. Don''t worry, alright? She''ll be back eventually." Daisy''s smile became tight lipped, but she agreed with her father-inw. Leena wanted to be alone, and they had to let her go. It was her choice.


    "But... She didn''t just leave, did she?" Kevin shook his head slowly. "How could I think of it as her being on a little holiday?" If only Leena could contact him once a day, he wouldn''t feel as bad as he did. He smiled bitterly.


    "As Dad has promised, she''s safe, and closely protected. Don''t burden yourself with this." Originally, Edward and Daisy were also worried about Leena, but Jonathan reassured them that Leena was under the Mayfly''s protection. Nothing could go wrong.


    "It''s not just the worry," Kevin added. "I miss her...terribly. It''s almost unbearable." He had to smile at that, but his eyes looked defeated.


    "Yes, I know. I''ve had a simr experience before, and I can say that I know how you feel. But remember, you are a military officer. You need to keep your head clear, and bear the burden, because you shoulder more responsibilities than others. You know this." Daisy knew Kevin quite well, so she knew that she had to make his sense of responsibility surface to get him out of his downward spiral.


    Since Leena left, S City had been facing endless rain and dullness. Michelle cursed when she realized she forgot her umbre. She could only brave the rain and run to school after getting off the bus. It was no wonder she arrived at the ssroom dripping wet. "Look what we have here, a soaking rat." Michelle heard the vilement, and thought it must be from Erin Yu, well known in the college for her pretty face.


    "Michelle, why didn''t you take your umbre?" A concerned tone from Hilda Shen drowned out the teasing remarks as she took out a pack of tissues and began patting Michelle''s head dry.


    "It''s fine, just some light rain." Michelle was grateful for the concern, and gave Hilda a smile in thanks, Erin Yu and herment already forgotten.


    Michelle always rode the bus to school to avoid being too conspicuous among the other students. It was a shame that her beloved Harley-Davidson motorcycle was locked away in the garage at home.


    "Light rain?" Hilda looked at her incredulously. "You''re soaking wet, Michelle." Hilda''s thick lips were almost pouting in disagreement.


    Michelle chuckled. "Hilda, I''m fine. It''s just a little water. It''s not a big deal. You don''t have to make such a fuss. Look, you''re calling everyone''s attention now." She grabbed Hilda''s hand in reassurance. She appreciated the concern for her, but she felt a little helpless. All she wanted was to blend in, and in turn stay unbothered.


    "Err..." Hilda looked a little guilty. "Sorry. How about going back to the dorm to get changed? Your clothes are wet, and you might get sick." Hilda was a cute friend, Michelle thought. The girl stuck out her tongue yfully.


    "I''m a healthy girl. I don''t get sick easily." The night proved her wrong, however, because Michelle felt unexpectedly ill.


    When Luke came backte, he was surprised to see that Michelle wasn''t waiting for him in the living room like she usually would. He was curious, but didn''t worry too much about it. She might have just gotten tired and went ahead to bed. No one would actually want to wait for a poker-faced man, he thought.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    When he walked past the master bedroom, he paused a moment before rushing away. He had made up his mind to stop getting mixed up with Michelle, and he was determined to stay away. Love was unattainable for him, he believed.??????????????

 Chapter 1463 Michelle Got Sick (Part Two)

    Meanwhile, Michelley in bed rather dazed. She enjoyed a hot bath and soothed herself with some ginger decoction for warmth, but she caught a cold anyway.


    Her door was unlocked so she could hear when Luke arrived. Her heart went a mile a minute when she heard his footsteps stop in front of her door, and felt his presence close. To her great disappointment, though, the footsteps continued at a much faster pace as he walked away without giving her a visit.


    Maybe it was the illness that made her feel so vulnerable. She had already told herself repeatedly that the man was cold and unfeeling, but somehow her body still couldn''t ept it. She couldn''t control the tears running down her face. She chose Luke as her husband, but all she could do was staying silent. If she married any other man, she could probably have him at her beck and call. But Luke--Luke didn''t love her, she believed.


    Michelle knew it was helpless, but she couldn''t persuade her heart to understand and ept it. To her, he was home--a harbor where her drifting heart could dock securely.


    Late in the night, Michelle''s temperature went up into a high fever. Her whole body was burning, and she felt weak and hazy as the drowsiness took over. She didn''t seem to be fully there, and the sensations smothered her.


    She carelessly reached out to turn on the bedsidemp so she could get up and look for something to take that could help. Her stubbornness kept her from going to Luke for assistance, but she was too weak. When she tried to sit up, she fell back down, and she hit her head on the bedside a little too hard.


    "It''s reallyte. Why are you still up?" The voice surprised her, but in aforting manner. Luke appeared quietly at the door and switched on the light. He was on his way downstairs for water when he heard her rustling about. He walked in on instinct, thinking that something might be wrong with her, only to find her rubbing her head and grimacing in pain.


    "Sorry. Did I disturb you?" Michelle looked unusually ruddy, her voice hoarse.


    Her voice and pale skin concerned the man. "Are you alright? You sound strange." He frowned. He thought it would be best to leave her alone to rest, but before he knew it, he was walking towards her.


    "Yeah, I''m good. Maybe it''s because I went to bed a little too early tonight." Her eyes were trained down, and she couldn''t bring herself to look up at him.


    He almost smirked. "I''m not stupid. Do you really think you can use going to bed too early as an excuse?" Without hesitating, he put his hand to her head, and knitted his brows when he felt how hot her skin was. "You have a high fever." He frowned. ''Women truly are troublesome,'' he thought.


    "It''s just a little cold. Some antipyretics will do." She coughed, and Luke''s hand on her forehead was doing nothing to bring down her temperature.


    "When did you get sick? Why didn''t you tell me about it?" If he hadn''t gone downstairs for water, she would''ve struggled with a fever all night without him knowing.


    She sighed in defeat. "I didn''t think it was a big deal earlier, so I didn''t think I needed to say anything. I didn''t expect I''d get a fever." It was not that she didn''t want to tell him, really, but she was afraid that he would be indifferent if she did. She didn''t want to face that icy rejection.


    "Lie down. I''ll find you some antipyretics. You''re a real pain in the ass," he stated as a matter of fact. He went out to look for some medicine. He was seldom ill, but there had to be some ready at home.


    Michelle bit her lip andy back on the bed obediently. Luke''s impatience hurt her, and she didn''t mean to bother him at first. She didn''t mean to bump her head and make a sudden noise.


    Before long, Luke came back with a cup of water and some antipyretics.


    "Take the antipyretics. If it can''t reduce your fever, I''ll take you to the hospital." Luke put the antipyretics in Michelle''s hand and passed the water over after she sat up.


    His tone wasmanding, and Michelle didn''t dare to disobey. She smiled apologetically and muttered a soft "thank you."


    He merely nodded in response. "Go to sleep. I''ll stay here and take care of you." Michelle felt a different kind of warmth run through her. It was the first time Luke had ever stayed in the master bedroom of his own volition. She knew though, of course, that it was because she was ill.


    "I can take care of myself." She wanted him to stay, but she couldn''t quite let the words slip through her mouth.


    "I don''t want the others to say that I''m ruthless," he simply said. He was a man of few words. Apart from Edward, he barely talked to anyone else. Michelle was another exception, as it turned out, but he hadn''t realized it just yet.


    A thought suddenly struck Michelle. Luke didn''t stay for her, not because he cared about her. He stayed only for what other people would think, and it made her heart ache.


    She didn''t know Luke, though, not really. If she did, she would know that he said it only for the sake of it, and not because he meant it as the truth. He was not one to care much about etiquette, or others'' gossip. His ears were closed to such things. As a matter of fact, it was Luke who was more upset at the time, because he didn''t even truly know why he was so driven to stay. After Michelle closed her eyes, he had finally made a conclusion for himself. It was because he was afraid he''d be implicated if the high fever didn''t break and caused her brain damage, so he had to feel bad. That was all.


    Luckily, after that whole episode, Michelle''s immune system came through. The medicine worked well while she slept, and Luke didn''t need to do much more about it.


    He left before she woke up. When Michelle opened her eyes, she was a little disappointed to be greeted only by Maria.


    "Mrs. Luo, you''re finally awake. How do you feel? Any better?" Thedy walked up to the bed hastily as soon as she saw Michelle opening her eyes.


    "Yeah." She nodded at nothing in particr. "Much better." Her eyes scanned the room, and she couldn''t help butugh at herself. Going over the events ofst night, it would seem she thought much too highly of herself. Luke had said he would take care of her, and she took those words and made them heavy in her heart. ''Foolish,'' she thought.


    "Would you like some congee?" Maria interrupted her thoughts. "Mr. Luo asked me to cook some before he left. He said you might want something hot after you wake up." Maria''s tone was concerned, but Michelle looked at her, puzzled.


    "What did you say? Luke was herest night?" Maria''s words sparked some hope in Michelle. She looked at her with her eyes ame.Owned by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Yes, he looked tired, like he didn''t get a wink of sleep." Maria was pleased to see the strain easing between the two. She wanted to see their rtionship grow well. Maybe they would even have a baby soon, she thought. The night was promising.


    "Did he say where he was going?" Michelle felt something skipping happily inside her. He was true to his word, it would seem. He stayed by her sidest night, so that must have meant progress, right? He was beginning to ept her as his wife, she thought eagerly. "I''m afraid not. But at this hour, he''s usually off to work with Mr. Mu." Maria found the question odd. How could she know about Luke''s whereabouts?


    "Okay." Michelle smiled. "I see. Thank you, Maria. You can go about your day. I''ll go downstairs and eat the congee in a bit." She had no appetite, but it was Luke who had Maria cook congee for her. She put her hands on her cheeks when she felt herself smiling. To show she was grateful, she had to go try some.

 Chapter 1464 Discharged From The Hospital (Part One)

    During the time that Leena left, everyone seemed to gradually forget her. But in fact, all the people she was close with still knew in their hearts that their love for her never stopped, hoping that one day she woulde to her senses and return.


    The sun cast its bright light through the room, filtered by the blinds and bathing the room in a soft yellow glow. Patricia sat on the hospital sickbed. Today was the day she would be released from the hospital. She had almost recovered and was allowed to leave the facility that she had stayed in for a few months. Although she still felt a little reluctant to leave, what she truly wanted was the wider skies from the outside. She didn''t want to be confined in only a small world.


    "Although your feet can walk smoothly, they still haven''t returned to their best state. So after you go back home, you should take careful steps when you go back to your usual routines. Remember to not run or participate in strenuous activities. As long as you do some proper rehabilitation exercises, your feet can return to their original state of health," Tom said, holding a stic blue clipboard as he perused her feet. He said it as best as he could from a doctor''s point of view. The reason he reiterated everything carefully was because he knew that Patricia was an active and lively girl, so he was afraid that she''d do something reckless like a wild horse without reins. It was crucial that she took extra care unless she wanted to stay in the hospital again.


    "Well, I see. You''ve told me these things three times already." Patricia''s fingers stroked her forehead. And she wondered if every other doctor would be so wordy to their patients, just like him.


    "That''s because it''s the most important thing for you right now. I have to say you''ll need more time as well in case you don''t take serious care of it." Tom didn''t think there was anything wrong with what he said. On the contrary, he spoke these words with sheer confidence as a knowledgeable and well meaning doctor.


    "Alright, just let me go now! I promise that I will remember everything you said. That okay for you?" Patricia said with finality and shook Tom''s hand. She yed the vivacious coquette as she was afraid he might actually say that again.


    "Has everything been sorted out?" Tom asked. Tom sensed the change in the way Patricia spoke and acted. He thought that he could stop talking about her injuries to her. He decided to change the topic.


    "Yes, I have packed up all my things and I''m good to go," Patricia said as she quickly nced at her belongings. She actually did not have too many things that she brought along for her hospital stay. Besides, she could always wear just the hospital gown when she was in the ward. So it was really easy to pack up her things.


    "Are you really so happy to be released from the hospital...?" Tom asked as he looked over her bag and examined it. He was rather displeased to see her so happy to leave. He briefly wondered if she was so eager to escape from his side.


    "Of course. You might actually be more eager than me if you get to live in a hospital for so many months. I feel like I have missed out on a lot of things being cooped up in here." Patricia simply said, not noticing his unhappiness. She just answered him happily.


    "Well, I need to stay in the hospital everyday," Tom said coldly, feeling slightly bothered by her insensitive words. He said it straightforwardly without considering how she might react. He just thought that she was a really heartless care who didn''t stop to think about him. She didn''t even bother to pretend that she was reluctant to leave. She had happiness written all over her face.


    Patricia rolled her eyes. Tom got angry again. However, she felt wronged at his reaction. Because to her, she was just being honest with her feelings. She really had no idea how she offended him. She just felt that he was a moody man.


    Tom walked out of the ward without a word. "Tom, wait for me!" Patricia quickly said. She grimaced in chagrin at Tom''s actions. She tried to follow him as fast as she could. But the injury on her feet had not fully recovered yet. She couldn''t walk very fast.


    Tom turned back when he heard the struggling footsteps. "Do you not remember what I said? Why are you walking so fast? Or do you really not want to recover?" Tom hissed at her in an irritated voice. Strange enough, he was angry when he saw Patricia following him so fast as her injured feet could take her. He gave her an icy stare as if he wanted her to feel he was angry.


    "It''s because of you, you know. You didn''t even wait for me. I just wanted to catch up with you. So I forgot that for a while." Patricia said to him in a small voice. She thought the man was really hard to please. She could never fully read him and it was really hard for her to understand him.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    "Don''t me your mistakes on others. That''s not a good habit." Tom also did not know why he was saying things in such tone. He always felt that he was a contradicting person. He really wanted to express his love for her but on the other hand, he was always troubled by the fact that she had lost her memories. Therefore, when he wanted to show that he loved her, he would always think about her past. There was something he couldn''t quite ce about what he felt towards her memory loss. So he would always feel confused. He didn''t know how he could adjust such a prized mentality.


    "Well! "I know." Patricia felt she said something wrong again, but she obediently epted his criticism without saying anything. She suddenly felt chastised in front of him as if she was just like a scolded child. It was true that she asionally caused troubles carelessly, but she never dared provoke him as he could be indifferent to her. Yes, they were in love now-but she couldn''t feel the kind of empathy between lovers.


    Tom was an extremely gifted doctor, and many people constantly ttered him. There were also many beautiful and charming women always showing their admiration and vying for his attention. To top that, he was also very handsome in appearance--but most importantly, he had a clean personal life. He was a good man and he had no love affairs. It could be said that he was a rare golden bachelor.


    Patricia followed Tom to his car with careful steps. It was her first time to ride in it and she noticed that there was none of that annoyingly strong scent of perfume, and no strands of long hair on the seat that coulde from women who rode in the car. Patricia felt that sitting in the car of such a man was refreshing and pleasant.


    "Tom, may I ask you umm...a rather personal question?" Patricia sat on the shotgun seat and tilted her head to ask him. She was just a little bit curious to ask him more about his life.


    "Since it''s a personal question, don''t even ask," Tom answered in a brusque voice. He just started the car and drove away. He didn''t want to try imagining the type of question she wanted to ask him.00??????????????

 Chapter 1465 Discharged From The Hospital (Part Two)

    "But I really want to know," Patricia asked carefully. The kind of love that was always too meticulously maintained could never withstand any wind and rain. Patricia clearly knew this. But whenever she was in front of him, she could never feel free and rxed. She only wanted to know more about him. "If you want to ask me if I''ve been in this car with any other woman, I could only tell you one word: yes." Tom replied in a clipped voice. Although he had not been in love before, it didn''t mean that he did not understand what women thought secretly when they saw him. So it wasn''t so difficult to guess what Patricia was itching to ask.


    "Err... I see!" Patricia said. She couldn''t help but feel the disappointment tugging at her heart. She originally thought that Tom didn''t involve himself in such affairs like the rumors said. It turned out that he did bring back girls in his home. Thinking of that made her even more depressed.


    Tom just smiled as his eyes just focused on the road. He didn''t tell her that the "woman" was only Leena. If she really believed him, she would trust his words no matter what he said. If she did not, she really wouldn''t trust him no matter how hard he would exin to her. There was only so much one could do to convince a stubborn person, after all.


    The skies were clear and the grounds were filled with the pleasant chatter of students and some faculty alike. Michelle just entered the school when she saw Erin and her cliquish group of friends bullying Hilda. She could choose to just ignore Hilda if she didn''t get well along with her as she always believed in staying out of trouble. Since Hilda was nice to her, she decided to walk towards them.


    "Let her go." Michelle''s cold voice held a trace of disdain. She just couldn''t understand why these people couldn''tprehend that they were in college. Why did this feel like she was still in a gang?


    "You actually want to stand up for her?" Erin challenged her as she blew one expertly manicured fingernail in azy,nguid voice.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "I''ll say it again: let her go." Michelle just ignored Erin''s attempts to provoke her. Her eyes mercilessly nced at the women who were pressing Hilda on the wall. She just couldn''t understand why they always wanted to gang up on innocent. Were they really such boring people that they needed to satisfy their sadistic abnormal tendencies in such manner?


    "What if we don''t?" Although they felt a little intimidated by Michelle''s fierce gaze, they were still confident as Michelle was just alone. She was outnumbered.


    "Then don''t me me for being rude." Michelle really did not want to cause any troubles. But she hated bullies with a passion.


    "Haha! What did you say? Did you just hear that? How could you be rude to us?" Erin merely sneered and rolled her eyes at her. She refused to believe that Michelle would fight them when she was obviously outnumbered.


    "Michelle, just go. Don''t worry about me. I''m thick skinned and there''s no part of me they can even beat up seriously. Just act as if you didn''t see me. Hurry up and leave!" Hilda said. She was slightly embarrassed. She really hoped that Michelle wouldn''t involve in this affair. She''d been beaten more than once anyway, this was nothing she couldn''t handle. She was used to it.


    "Have you heard what she said? She''s the one we''re bullying, not you. She didn''t even care about it. Why are you still here? Are you stupid?" Erin said haughtily. She was acting like a domineering excuse of a gang leader with her arms folded on her chest. She cast an arrogant look at Michelle. She had no idea where this woman came from. In ss, she was the only one who wasn''t scared of her. Moreover, she always acted as if she was a deep person. Erin felt quite annoyed at this girl.


    Michelle refused to say anything more as she knew that these women weren''t capable of basic reasoning. Therefore, she just reached out her hand to grab Hilda''s arm and pulled the poor girl towards her. She only wanted to see if Erin''s minions would let go of her hands. If they did, then that would be a lot better. But if not, she would have no choice but to raise her hands at them too. She knew that the girls in front of her had poor grades, so how could they even pluck up the courage to bully other students when they were pieces of work themselves? They didn''t even look at themselves in the mirror. She truly felt pity towards them.


    "Since you''re so stubborn, then we''d just let you do what you want. Right sisters?" Erin said to her little band of followers. She loathed Michelle ever since. When Michelle came to their ss for the first time, she thought that the girl might have an affluent background as she just came to the school so suddenly. But after some time of observation, she found out that Michelle was just a poor and needy girl who always took the bus to school. Did she really think that she was rich and pretty?


    "Of course, we should help others do what they want to do." The other girls all echoed Erin''s sentiments. Erin was born to a wealthy family. Her pathetic so-called friends were willing to follow her as long as they would get something in return. So they all ttered Erin shamelessly and catered to her whims.


    "Since you are so eager to help others, how about you all going out to satisfy those hungry and thirsty men! I don''t need your help." Michelle said tauntingly. She wouldn''t deny that the girls in front of her were all pretty. But they justckedmon decency and basic respect. She had no idea what they even did with their parents'' money. Although she herself wasn''t an angel before, she wouldn''t stoop so low as to bully innocent people.


    "Bitch, what did you say? Who do you think are we?" Erin said angrily. As she said this, she raised her hand to p Michelle. However, Michelle was able to dodge that by grabbing her wrist.


    "If you want to beat me, I suggest that you should weigh up your power first. And bitch... I ask you the same question. You rely on your own advantages to bully others. Don''t you feel shameful?" Michelle said coldly. She yanked Erin''s wrist forcefully. She was born in the underworld to a family who were not well-to-do. It was true that she would always get into fights. But she had never been pped by others. So to be honest, it was impossible for Erin to p her.


    "Don''t be so confident. We''re still here. Have you forgotten us?" The other girls said. When they saw Michelle was threatening Erin, they hurriedly aimed at her andpletely forgot Hilda.


    "Hmmph! You''re just a disorganized, pathetic excuse of a mob. And you will copse at the first blow. I''ll tell you now that I won''t be responsible for the muttion--so if you don''t want to suffer for it, I suggest you all leave right now." Michelle said as her whole body fumed with iciness. It made people feel even colder than the winter.

 Chapter 1466 Discharged From The Hospital (Part Three)

    Everyone looked at her stance. They began to fear for themselves. After all, they just liked to form cliques. They had no idea what it was like in the underworld. They felt afraid under Michelle''s cold, icy re.


    "A bunch of crap," Erin said as she gritted her teeth. She left the ce angrily. Michelle pinched her wrist before she dropped it and that was painful. So she didn''t try to put up a fight with her anymore.


    "Hmmph!" This time, I will just let you two go. But you won''t be so lucky next time," said Erin. After that, she led her people away as they sweared and cussed in the hallways. Although she didn''t want to let them go just yet, she didn''t dare to fight Michelle. To put it bluntly, they were those pitiful kinds of people who only bullied the weak and feared the strong.


    Michelle sneered as they left, and nced coldly at their receding figures. She would never be afraid of other people''s attempts to provoke her. Even if they gathered together to fight her, she wouldn''t fear and back down.


    "Hilda, are you all right?" Michelle looked towards Hilda and asked. She reached out her hand and helped her stand up. She brushed off the dirt on her clothes.


    "I''m okay, thank you. It was just that you offended them so publicly today, they might wonder how to get revenge on us now." Hilda brushed off the remaining dirt on her clothes. She was already ustomed to being bullied by Erin and her clique. She knew that the pain from their beating would onlyst for a few days. So it was nothing serious. However, she just wasn''t sure what would happen now after the fiasco as she noticed Erin''s look towards them was far from pleasant. They all said that the most poisonous thing in the world was woman''s heart. Moreover, a beautiful woman like Erin was even more insidious.


    "It''s okay. If they dare to bully you again in the future, you could just tell me. We are in the school but not in the underworld. They could not act arbitrarily," Michelle said calmly. It looked a little bit deste in the deep winter of the campus. The ce where they stood was such a remote ce. It looked way chillier.


    "I have no knowledge about that. Erines from a rich family, so even if she always likes to bully me, I have no choice. I juste from a normal family. I could not fight against them." Hilda felt somewhat helpless. She did not look pretty and she came from amon family. It was not a rare thing for something like this to happen to people like her.


    "Even if she is rich, does she have the right to bully innocent or evenmon people? They''re a bunch of heartless idiots. And you should change your ideas. To be poor is not your fault, so there is no need to live in inferiority and let yourself decline. And don''t be resigned to just letting them do that all day." Michelle got pretty angry about her foolish thoughts. How could this woman be so silly? If it wasn''t for the fact that she was poor, she would not interfere in her business. After all, she originally never helped others. She thought that it was okay if she would be happy. She never wanted to be a nice person. It was just because of such kind of thought that many people might think she was selfish and cold-blooded--but she was born in the underworld, she was just different from the average person. "I just don''t want to make any trouble. Besides, in this society, the rich are always the first. So a weak person like me could only endure it," Hilda said helplessly. She clearly knew that her family was not rich, so she could not afford to y such kind of a high-end game. If something went wrong, they could just deal with it by using money--but she had no money. She could only suffer it silently. She had long epted this kind of social reality.


    Michelle''s lips moved slightly. Finally, she didn''t say anything as she found that she could not give a rebuttal to her words. After all, it was true. The world simply operated in that narrative. Rich people tended to live superior lives, while poor people like Hilda could only live humbly.


    After experiencing such a thing, Michelle was now forced into confrontations with Erin. And she made Michelle''s school life miserable. Sometimes, she would put a live mouse on her desk. Or she would apply paint on her chair. However, seeing such a childish behavior only made Michelleugh it off every time. She could deal with them without any pressure one by one. Suddenly she found that actually, this kind of campus life was also very good. It was also not too boring, wasn''t it? After all, every day there were so many small idents waiting for her like an adventure with many quests.


    It was one fine afternoon. The sun wasn''t too hot and the breeze gently blew in the air. "Luke, I''m going to paint outside the city with my ssmates this Sunday," Michelle said excitedly on the way back home. Although she knew that Luke might not respond to her, she still hoped that she could get his attention.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    "I see." Luke''s answer was still very concise. It was just how he was. To the outsiders, there was nothing wrong. However, Michelle was his wife. She still felt hurt as he even did not feign care and attention to her.


    They just kept silent all the way home. Michelle felt that in these trivial daily urrences, she began to slowly lose herself. She could not find the wild figure who drove a motorcycle carefree shuttling in the streets andnes blithely anymore. The person she used to know was slowly bing distant.


    The cold marriage life made her lose the happiness that she used to have. Because of that, she grew mature in her struggles. However, she grew more and more lonely too. Her eyes were no longer filled with enthusiasm, and became insipid like tepid water. Anyone would find her strange in the way she acted. Even Luke, who was indifferent to her also noticed her changing.


    "You have something on your mind." On that one particr day, when Michelle sat quietly on the swing in the garden, Luke suddenly appeared beside her with doubt etched across his face.


    "Do you care?" Michelle asked him. It was true that she loved him. But she believed that if she continued to live like this, she would lose all her enthusiasm in life.


    "Could I not care about you? Mom has asked me about why you behaved so strangely nowadays." Luke just stared at her. If it wasn''t for the fact that he had just been scolded by his mother, he would not even care about her.


    "I know that you don''t care about me. It turns out that you got scolded by your mom, so you will care to ask me once. In fact, you could just ignore me. After all, I am just your nominal wife. In your heart, even a stranger might be more important than me!" Michelle tightly bit her bottom lip that it turned quite red. She looked up at the sky and tried to hold back her tears. She could not cry, especially now that she was in front of him. She must hold back her tears no matter what.0000000

 Chapter 1467 A Class Activity (Part One)

    "I thought we had already reached a consensus from the very beginning. Yes, I married you, but I don''t love you. I don''t want to repeat it again and again. You are really annoying me, you know? I don''t know how else to spell it out for you!" Luke said with a frown. Michelle''s words really made him irritated and downright angry. He had gotten tired of telling her the same thing over and over again. But she wouldn''t relent. She had tried countless times to soften him, even though she also failed countless times. "I''m sorry. It''s because I love you. But now I am starting to regret it. I don''t know how much longer I am able to bear your indifference. It just hurts too much!" Michelle yelled hysterically, her hands holding tightly on the chains of the swing. "Thest thing I want is love. You are not supposed to attach any extravagant hopes and dreams to it," Luke said coldly. He couldn''t bear to hurt her like this, but he didn''t want to go against his will either. He couldn''t find it in his heart to love her for real. "Haha! I know that you don''t love me. Fine! I deserve it! Luke, you have wasted my love for you. Don''t worry, I won''t pester you anymore. And this time it''s for real," Michelle said with a bitter smile. She jumped off the swing and walked past him, poker-faced. She walked very fast, as she was unable to hold back her tears and didn''t want Luke to see her weakness.


    Watching her receding figure, Luke felt a little guilty. Michelle had always been a simple and outgoing woman. Since when did she be defiant and cold? He was about to admit that something was wrong with him, but he couldn''t figure out what it was. Michelle entered the bedroom, shut the door behind her and struggled to lock it. Then she slipped and sat on the floor, breaking into violent and uncontroble sobs.


    Her dignity and her love were just trodden beneath Luke''s feet, making her feel like she was just a little speck of dust in front of him. How straightforward she used to be! But now she had be a woman that she used to dislike. A prim, proper, soft and gentle woman that Luke was supposed to like but kept pushing away.


    Standing outside the bedroom door, Luke could clearly hear her cry. He felt sad and regretful for what he had done, for her cries had pierced his heart like a sharp knife.


    But he knew that it was useless for him tofort her. The primary cause of this was that he didn''t love her. He could only wait until she no longer loved him and made the first move to end all of this.


    Michelle didn''t go to the Mu family house to have supper. Considering her current condition, Luke asked Maria to cook for her this evening in their own house.


    "Luke, I think we need to talk." After the supper, Daisy found Luke in the garden and wanted some time alone with him.


    "Sure, Mrs. Mu. What do you want to talk about?" Luke asked respectfully.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    "Have you noticed what''s going on with Michelle recently? She has be sadder and more dejected, something that I haven''t seen in her before. I remember that she had this energy and flicker of life in her eyes. But they seems to have gone. Luke, you were the one who proposed the marriage to her, so as the man in your rtionship, you should own up to your decision and treat her well. You will regret it one day when she finally gives up on you and you may not get her back," Daisy warned earnestly. She was very worried about Michelle and Luke, but Edward always told her to let nature take its course. That was why she hadn''t intervened in the beginning. But as time passed, the rtionship between them had grown colder and more bitter. As their sister-inw, she felt obliged to talk to Luke. She didn''t want Michelle to think that the members of the Mu family were all cold and indifferent.


    "I get it. I will pay more attention to it from now on. I''m sorry to have worried you." Luke had always respected Daisy, and he would do as Daisy said.


    "Don''t be so formal with me, Luke. We are family. I know that you know that. But I''m d that you will take it into consideration. Be a husband to your wife. You may go back home now. Michelle must be lonely at home." Daisy didn''t ask Luke why Michelle hadn''te for supper. But she was a smart woman and she already knew the reason. She just chose not to speak of it.


    "Okay. Thank you. I''ll take my leave now." Luke turned and left. His figure slowly disappeared in the dark night as he walked back home where Michelle was.


    "Mrs. Mu, could you please exin to me why you are staring without blinking at another man?" Edward''s voice came from behind Daisy''s back. Jealousy filled his voice. He approached her and yed with her hair.


    "I don''t think it''s necessary for me to exin anything. It is regarded as a courtesy to watch people leave. Don''t you know that?" Daisy snapped and cast a reproachful nce at Edward.


    "Then why haven''t I seen you watch me leave? Not even once? Senior Colonel Ouyang, could you exin it please?" Apparently, Edward was trying to make a fuss about it.


    "There are no eyes in the back of your head. How are you supposed to know that I haven''t watched you leave? And, here we go again. Are you asking for trouble right now? Because I''m busy." In no mood to argue with her husband, the CEO, Daisy turned to go back to the house. She knew him well, and he would dwell on the matter for hours if she didn''t leave.


    "Hey, woman! Do you mean you always watch me leave with your loving, longing, affectionate eyes?" Edward followed and asked her with a proud smile, looking smug.

 Chapter 1468 A Class Activity (Part Two)

    "Daddy, will you please stop making a fool of yourself?" Justin asked as he leaned against themp standard in the garden and rolled his eyes at his father. He just couldn''t bear his father pretending to be silly at all.


    "You brat! Wanna be beaten up? Why do you say that I am making a fool of myself?" Edward stopped and cast a warning nce at Justin. The father and son were so alike in character.


    "What do you think of it? It makes me embarrassed to have a father like you. I thought you were a cool dad, but... Such an old man acting like a spoiled and insecure little child. I mean I am a child and I never act like that! I think I''m gonna throw up."


    Justin pretended that he was going to vomit before he shook his head and walked towards the house. Edward, however, stood there dumbfounded. He watched Justin''s receding figure, not knowing how to react. His own son had just mocked him and knocked his confidence.


    After a short while, he came to his senses as his face twitched. He thought in disbelief, ''Did my own son just mock and insult me? How dare he? I''m his father! I must teach him a hard lesson! Something he won''t forget for a long time.'' He immediately walked towards the house in an attempt to stop Justin. He must re-establish his authority as his father.


    "Justin Mu, stay where you are!" Edward roared. However, it was only the handful of servants in the house who were frightened by his voice. As for Justin, he had already sneaked out of the house. He was such a clever boy and would by no means hang around after provoking his father like that.


    The next morning, Michelle left the house early. The bus was scheduled to depart at 7 AM, so she didn''t say goodbye to Luke and went directly to the agreed meeting ce.


    She only had a backpack with her, which was a striking contrast with the other girls. They all had their fancy luggage with them.


    "Michelle, why did you only bring a backpack with you? We will be away for a couple of days," Hilda asked in confusion. Erin even brought several suitcases with her. Obviously, she had brought a lot of clothes.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    "I don''t think I need so many clothes. We are going out sketching, not for an entire fashion show," Michelle said indifferently. She had cried a long timest night and her eyes were sore and swollen. She would have to wear sunsses all day today. "Makes sense." Hilda nodded with a smile. She hadn''t brought many clothes either. But that was because she didn''t have many clothes.


    "Hmm!" Erin snorted and walked past them. She deliberately kicked Hilda''s old suitcase. Judging from her curled lips, she didn''t like Hilda and looked down on her.


    Michelle''s face soured at Erin''s behavior. She really disliked that woman. Yes, Erin was from a rich family and she was beautiful. So what? Did those qualities make her a more noble person? Look at Leena! She was also from a rich family and was more beautiful. More importantly, she didn''t have to have stic surgery. She was still kindhearted and amiable despite her high status in society.


    "Michelle, don''t mind her. I''m not even angry at her," Hilda assured her. Hilda didn''t think it was a big deal for Erin to kick her suitcase. After all, Erin didn''t kick her this time. Born to a poor family, Hilda had learned how to swallow insults and humiliation in silence. "That''s why she dares to bully you. You don''t raise any protest at anything she does." Michelle grabbed Hilda''s suitcase and put it in the baggagepartment of the bus.


    "Hey, what are you doing? Don''t put that dirty suitcase next to mine!" Erin yelled when she saw what Michelle was doing.


    "There''s no other space here. If you don''t want it, then you can take your suitcase away and ce it under your feet." Michelle cast a cold nce at Erin. She was not afraid of Erin at all.


    "Damn you!" Erin stamped her feet and cast a warning nce at Michelle. Michelle, however, showed no fear at all. So Erin turned to stare at Hilda instead.


    "Michelle, how about I take my suitcase with me and put it under my feet? It''s not a big one, and it won''t take up a lot of space," Hilda said in a whisper as she hid behind Michelle.


    "No! Don''t be afraid of her! Let''s get on the bus now." Michelle turned down Hilda''s suggestion. She wouldn''t allow her friend to be bullied.


    "But..." Hilda hesitated. She really didn''t want to offend Erin. However, Michelle grabbed her hand and pulled her up onto the bus.


    "No buts! Hurry up, the bus is leaving and we need to get good seats!" Without turning, Michelle knew Erin must be giving her a murderous look, but she didn''t care. If Erin dared to confront her or challenge her, Michelle decided to teach her a lesson to vent her own frustrations. This wasn''t a good time to mess with Michelle.


    Looking back and forth between the luggage and the two women, Erin could only watch helplessly as the driver closed the luggagepartment before getting on the bus. When passing by the two, she cast a fierce look at them. Hilda cowered in fear and grabbed Michelle''s arm for support. Michelle, however, remained expressionless as if she didn''t see Erin.


    It was the weekend, and Luke got upter than usual. When he walked past the main bedroom, he found the door was open. He frowned as he felt something was wrong. Remembering Michelle cryingst night, he was a little worried.


    He rushed towards the bedroom and the first thing he did when he entered the room was to open the closet. He heaved a long sigh of relief seeing Michelle''s clothes still hanging there. It seemed that he did care about her, but he just didn''t notice it or he was unwilling to admit it.00

 Chapter 1469 A Class Activity (Part Three)

    "Mr. Luo, good morning. Your breakfast is ready if you want to eat now." Passing by with a basket ofundry, Maria greeted Luke the moment she saw him.


    "Morning! Where''s Michelle? I haven''t seen her," Luke asked with a frown. His voice was as cold as ice. Obviously, he didn''t remember what Michelle had told him a couple of days ago.


    "Oh, Mrs. Luo has a ss activity today. She''s going on a 2-day sketching activity with the entire ss somewhere, like a field trip. I think, she told you before. Don''t you remember?" Maria looked at Luke in confusion. ''Did Mrs. Luo lie to me? Why did Mr. Luo not know about it?'' she thought.


    "Ah, now I remember. Sorry, I just forgot it." Michelle did mention it before, but he had been thinking about something else then and hadn''t paid attention to what she had said. He actually didn''t listen to her much, on purpose.


    Luke ate breakfast alone in silence. He had grown ustomed to having a woman around and nagging him. He shook the weird feeling off and decided to focus on his work. He didn''t need love, and he would not allow any woman to affect him. Michelle''s ssmates were in high spirits and chatted all the way. Michelle, however, stared dejectedly out the window while listening to Hilda''s light snore and thinking about Luke.


    ''Has he gotten up now? Did he miss me when he found out that I''m not home?'' Then she shook her head and smiled bitterly. ''Nah. He would by no means miss me. What a humble and delusional woman I am! Last night, I told myself that I should just love me and not love him anymore. But I''ve begun to miss him again. Ohh well, I have got no pride!''


    Their destination was a remote mountain area and although it was cold in winter, this ce did not seem to be affected by the changes in the weather and even the seasons. There were green trees and beautiful flowers on the mountainside while there was still ice and snow everywhere else.


    Amazed by the beautifulndscape, Michelle got off the bus and took a deep breath to enjoy the fresh air. Then she walked around to enjoy the scenery. This was indeed a good ce to draw inspiration from.


    "Country bumpkin!" Erin snorted from behind and when she passed by Michelle, she bumped into her deliberately. However, she underestimated Michelle''s reaction. Michelle dodged her at once, and as a result, Erin tripped and fell to the ground. "Ouch!" Erin cried and stared at Michelle angrily. Michelle sneered and walked away. She was in a good mood to see the beautiful scenery and didn''t want anyone to ruin it.


    They had already booked a local bed and breakfast, which was small but cozy and clean. The bed and breakfast was specially built for travelers like them.


    As there weren''t enough rooms for everyone, each had to share a room with another student. Michelle, of course, shared her room with Hilda. Erin, however, refused to share hers with anybody else. It took the teacher a lot of time to convince Erin. Finally, she agreed with the premise that her roommate had to sleep on the floor.


    Michelle gave Erin a cold sneer. She knew that Erin was selfish but didn''t expect her to let the other girl sleep on the floor on a cold winter night. On the other hand, she thought the girl deserved it. She was one of those who used to fawn on Erin because thetter was rich. They had picked on ssmates together many times, which was ridiculous as they were already adults and not 8th graders.


    Michelle used to love the noise and excitement, but now she had be a quiet woman. Because of this, she now appreciated the serene beauty of the mountains. The marriage between her and Luke had changed her a lot. She still remembered that Luke didn''t like her because she was vapid and had no substance. So she tried her best to be a better person. That was one of the reasons why she joined this ss. Although it might not work, she was willing to give it a try.


    "Michelle, I heard there is a hot spring around here in the mountains. Why don''t we check it out and have a try?" Hilda asked in excitement as she also liked this ce.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Who told you that?" Michelle asked indifferently as she was not that interested. She was sorting through her clothes.


    "Erin and herpanions. They are now preparing their swimsuits." Hilda mentioned Erin''s name without so much a hint of a grudge. Hilda was a simple-minded girl and easy to please. That was why Michelle was willing to make friends with her.


    "We don''t need to go with them. We can go thereter, just the two of us. By the way, did you bring your swimsuit?" Michelle asked casually. Although she had no interest in enjoying the hot spring, she didn''t want to put a dampener on Hilda''s day. She took out her phone and checked if there was any message from Luke. To her disappointment but not unexpected, there was none.


    "Don''t worry. They sell swimsuits here, but the prices are kind of high." Hilda shrugged her shoulders. She really wanted to give the hot spring a try, but the expensive swimsuit was killing her.


    "Oh, don''t worry. I''ll buy you one as a gift," Michelle said casually. She didn''t mind buying it for her friend.


    "Really? But you''re not very rich as well." Hilda was a little embarrassed to ept Michelle''s kind offer. She knew Michelle went to school by bus every day, and thought she was as modest as herself.


    "Oh, don''t think about that. I can afford to buy you a swimsuit." Michelle patted Hilda''s shoulder tofort her. All of a sudden, her phone rang. She was so ecstatic that she immediately checked who it was. However, her joy disappeared quickly. It was not Luke.


    "Hi Mom! Yes, We''ve already checked in," Michelle said. It was Cynthia, who also knew about Michelle''s ss activity and was calling to make sure she was alright. Cynthia was good to her two daughters-inw, always showing her concern for them.


    "All right. And how was your trip?" Cynthia asked. Daisy was sitting next to her, and got close to the phone to hear Michelle''s voice. Daisy also cared about Michelle a lot and was very supportive of her.000000

 Chapter 1470 Girls Fight (Part One)

    "It was alright, Mom. Thank you for your concern," Michelle answered politely. Michelle saw Cynthia as a graceful and elegantdy, from a world very different from hers.


    "Come on, Michelle. You don''t have to be so formal with me. Have fun and be safe," Cynthia urged. She had never looked down on Michelle because of her humble background. She strongly believed that Edward and Luke didn''t need to marry women from rich backgrounds, but they needed women who were strong enough to stand by their side at all times.


    "Don''t worry, Mom. I will," said Michelle obediently. Though Jonathan and Cynthia always treated Luke as their own son, it still wouldn''t change the fact that Luke was an adopted son. He treated the members of the Mu family with utmost respect. And as Luke''s wife, Michelle also made sure to be the same.Property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "You must be tired. Get some rest. Bye!" said Cynthia. She felt that Michelle was being too polite to her. Michelle talked to her as if she were talking to her boss, and not her mother-inw. Cynthia decided that she needed to have a long talk with Michelle when she returned.


    "Okay, Mom. Bye!" Michelle hung up and heaved a long sigh of relief.


    "Michelle, why were you being so polite to your mom?" Hilda asked, confused. She didn''t understand why Michelle was being so formal to her mother.


    "Oh, my mom is a distant, austere person. Never mind. Let''s go buy our swimsuits," Michelle said, as she took out her wallet and walked out of the room with Hilda. Erin was at the hot spring too, but Michelle decided to ignore her and have fun in the hot waters. "Michelle, are you really going to buy me one too? It''s rather expensive here. I heard it goes upto dozens of dors. And that price is dozens of times higher than the ones we get at the mall. But they said that the quality is better here," Hilda talked endlessly. Michelle rolled her eyes and ignored herining.


    "Oh my god! Why are you here, fatty? Are you here to buy a swimsuit? But I don''t think you can get into any of them," Erin taunted, giggling.


    "Well, at least she has an original face, unlike someone who has had countless cosmetic surgeries," Michelle sneered back. As a gang member, she would, by no means, swallow insult and humiliation silently. As the saying goes, "We will not attack unless we are attacked; if we are attacked, we will certainly counterattack." She was never one to be bullied. And Luke was not around, so she didn''t have to feign innocence.


    "What did you just say? I haven''t had any cosmetic surgery!" Erin yelled, angry and red-faced. It had never urred to her that Michelle would see through her.


    "Oh? Then why are you so pissed off?" Michelle asked casually as she rested her hands in her pockets. She liked wearing boy''s clothes, and she looked rather roguish in them.


    "You..." Erin was too furious to utter a single sentence. There were some boys around who were buying swimming trunks nearby. Most importantly, the boy whom Erin loved was also there. She had been pursuing him for a whole semester, but he hadn''t even cast a nce at her. She was really frustrated by his avoidance.


    Bradley He stole a nce at Michelle. He had apletely different opinion of her now. He had thought that she was an arrogant girl like Erin, because she had gotten into the ss through the back door. But it looked like he had misunderstood her.


    Michelle chose a conservative swimsuit for herself, because she wanted to conceal the scars and the tattoos on her body. She figured it would be inappropriate to show them out in front of the other students.


    Hilda also chose a simple one because of her over-sized body. But her swimsuit revealed much more than Michelle''s.


    "Michelle, I noticed our school hunk stealing a nce at you earlier. You think he has a thing for you?" Hilda said in a whisper. Excitement was written all over her face.


    "School hunk? Who are you talking about?" Michelle asked casually. She only knew that Erin was their school belle.


    "What?! You don''t know? Bradley He! Everybody knows him. He is a very talented painter and a straight A student. But most importantly, he is so freaking handsome!" Hilda said, her face flushing crimson. Every girl had her Prince Charming, and Bradley He was hers. "I don''t know him," Michelle answered indifferently. She was already married to Luke, so she never paid any attention to the boys in the ss. Plus, the boys in the ss were always trying to flirt with Erin, except Bradley He.


    "Really? Are you kidding me? Haven''t you noticed all the girls whoe to our ssroom during breaks? Theye to our ss to get close to Bradley. He, however, is too aloof to be interested in anyone." Hilda''s expression amused Michelle. "So, you have a thing for him as well?" Michelle asked smiling.


    "I do. But there''s no way that he will fall in love with a girl like me," Hilda said, dejected. She had no self-confidence because of her figure and her humble family background.


    "Don''t say that. Who knows, he might just fall for you some day," Michelle said reassuringly. She didn''t say that just for the sake of it; she really meant it. Hilda was such a sweet girl, anyone would be lucky to have her. Hilda shook her head slightly and smiled. She knew that Michelle was just being kind to her.


    Michelle had no interest in the so-called school hunk, for she gave all her attention to Luke. Luke, on the other hand, showed no interest in her at all. He had said that he didn''t need her love, which had made her really downhearted.000000000000

 Chapter 1471 Girls Fight (Part Two)

    The hot spring was not on the mountain like Hilda had said. Instead, it was in a valley and was surrounded by green trees and beautiful flowers, like a retreat away from the hustle of the outside world. The air was fresh, unlike that in the cities. It was serene. The men''s pool and the women''s pool were separated by thick wooden nks. The girls and boys couldn''t see each other, but their voices could be heard clearly over the wooden division.


    Michelle and Hilda took their time to change into their swimsuits. When they arrived at the pool, Erin rolled her eyes and snorted at them, "What country bumpkins!" Erin was wearing a bikini, which entuated her sexy body. Several girls were swimming around Erin and fawning over her.


    Michelle and Hilda entered into the pool and stayed away from Erin. But Hilda still felt ufortable in Erin''s presence.


    "Erin, you have such an exquisite, well-shaped body unlike someone here who is dressed like an olddy," the girl, who was next to Erin, sneered. She had always disliked Michelle. ording to her, Michelle was just a broke girl from a poor background and should also fawn over Erin like she did.


    "Exactly. Look at her t chest," echoed another girl, who cast a scornful nce at Michelle and Hilda.


    Hilda bit her lower lip and turned to look at Michelle to see her reaction. But Michelle didn''t seem to be bothered at all. She had shut her eyes as if nothing had happened. She let the warm spring water rx her body. Satisfied with the insults, Erin raised her head and looked at Michelle. She had thought that Michelle would be ashamed of herself, but she was wrong. She gave absolutely no response to their taunting. Erin was annoyed.


    "Hey, fatso! Get out of here. Your presence is making me sick," Erin yelled at Hilda. She could do nothing to Michelle, so she decided to teach Hilda a lesson.


    "I..." Hilda stammered, biting her lower lip. She was hurt by Erin''s harsh words.


    "Don''t mind her. Barking dogs never bite," Michelle said indifferently. She didn''t even open her eyes.


    "Hey gritter, what did you just say?" Erin yelled hysterically. But no matter how angry she got, Michelle remained indifferent, which angered her even further.


    "Are you deaf, Erin? You want me to really repeat it?" Michelle asked coldly. Erin did not intimidate her at all. She had seen worse.


    "Don''t be so arrogant, Michelle! Erin''s father is one of the board members of our school. He can kick you out!" another girl said proudly. Obviously, she was one of Erin''sckeys, trying to impress her.


    "I can''t believe you just said that. Schools are supposed to be the most sacred ces in the world. If your father really does make students quit school just because you don''t like them, then I''ll have to report this issue to the higher authorities and ask them to investigate him." Michelle wasn''t even bluffing. If Erin and herckeys hadn''t provoked her, she would have minded her own business and wouldn''t have bothered to argue with them. She was not even interested in ying around with these people.


    "What?! You bitch! I''m gonna kill you!" Erin yelled. She hadpletely lost her cool. She stood up and charged at Michelle like a savage beast.


    "You are asking for it," Michelle said coldly. She finally opened her eyes and grabbed Erin''s wrist just as Erin was about to p her. Erin, however, was not someone who admitted her defeat so easily. She raised her leg to kick Michelle. If they were fighting onnd, this would have been a piece of cake for Michelle. But since they were partially underwater, she couldn''t fight back normally and so got kicked a few times as a result. Moreover, she couldn''t use her full strength on a school student like Erin, so she pulled her punches and went easy on her.


    "Please stop fighting," Hilda urged, terrified at the fight that had unfolded in front of her.


    "Fatty, get out of my sight! Girls, why are you just standing there and watching? Come and help!" Erin shouted at herckeys. Michelle had her wrists in a tight grip and so, all she could do was kick randomly at her.


    The girls who had been fawning over Erin quickly gathered around Michelle. It was a golden chance to prove their loyalty to Erin. They had thought that Michelle was good at fighting, but it seemed like she was not that skilled after all.


    Michelle frowned. She couldn''t use her full strength to attack the girls, but if she didn''t counter their attack, she would get beaten up. And fighting in the water was making things moreplicated. She was at a disadvantage. Michelle sighed silently. This was getting to be a pain in the ass.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    "What... What are you guys doing?" Hilda gulped nervously and stood in front of Michelle. Although she was trembling in fear, she still stood her ground without running away.


    "If you don''t want to get beaten up, get out of here." One of the girls cast a warning nce at Hilda and pushed her into the water.


    Michelle watched as Hilda struggled to stand up. She frowned. She knew how these cat fights yed out. They weren''t really skilled fighters. All they did were push and pull whoever was weaker than them. They would gang up and pull each other''s hair, probably end up tearing their swimsuits and wing at each other''s face with their long polished nails. Lucky for her, her hair was short and she was wearing a simple swimsuit. "So you want to gang up on me, huh?" Michelle mocked. Then she looked at Erin and smirked, "Are you too weak to fight me alone?"


    Erin''s nose red in anger. "You shameless bitch! You are so dead!" Michelle showed no fear as several of the girls came at her at once. And this irritated Erin. She couldn''t understand why Michelle was not affected by her words or her punches. She wanted Michelle to fawn over her like the others.000000000000000

 Chapter 1472 Girls Fight (Part Three)

    Three more girls joined the fight and Michelle said yfully, "Why don''t all of you just attack together, so that I can knock you all out quickly and go back to enjoying the hot spring peacefully?" Michelle wasn''t afraid of them, but she knew that she must take them seriously.


    When a girl reached out to grab Michelle''s hair, she dodged and released Erin. She had to focus on the fight.


    "Michelle, let me help you. You bitches, go to hell!" Hilda dashed towards the girls. Frightened as she was, she still wanted to help her friend. Michelle was the first one in the ssroom who was kind to her, and it would be ungrateful if she didn''t help her when she was in trouble.


    "Fatty! Do you wanna get beaten up so badly?" The girls'' fight left the pool in a chaos. And the girls who were not involved immediately left the scene.


    Michelle frowned at the sight of Hilda being pushed around by the other girls. Now, she had to deal with the girls and protect Hilda at the same time. She was getting tired of all this stupidity.


    Michelle knew how to fight, but it was hard for her to use her skills in such a chaotic situation.


    A girl''s bra was ripped off in themotion and another one''s pants were pulled off. Everyone had gone crazy in the pool.


    It was the craziest fight Michelle had ever encountered. She honestly felt that I was easier for her to fight men, as they never used such mean tricks. With them, it was purely strength and skills.


    "What is going on here?" a man''s voice suddenly came from the poolside. Some girls immediately covered their breasts and sank into the water. Michelle raised her head and saw Bradley He standing beside the pool. There was a scorn on his face. "Well, you came at the right time," Michelle scoffed and adjusted her swimsuit casually. She wasn''t affected by his sudden appearance like the other girls.


    "Bradley, look what this crazy woman has done. She tried to beat us up!" Erin said and pointed at Michelle. She and Michelle were the only two girls who hadn''t covered their bodies under the water. Erin was very proud of her over-sized boobs and deliberately lifted her chest in front of Bradley He.


    He ignored Erin, and asked Michelle instead, "Are you saying I shouldn''t havee?" He had heard the whole fight over the wooden separation and hade over just in case things went out of hand. He really admired Michelle''s courage. She was definitely his type and he was more interested in her now.


    "Oh, you thought I couldn''t handle myself?" Michelle asked coldly. She didn''t need his attention and wanted to ask him to fuck off.


    "No, I think it was a good fight." Bradley curled his lips as he saw the anger rising on her face.


    "Yes, it was. Until you showed up." Michelle got out of the pool slowly. When she walked past Bradley, she looked at him and sneered. She then left without turning back. ''So this is the so-called school hunk? He doesn''t hold a candle to the handsome men I''ve seen. Edward, Rain and even Luke are much more handsome than him. I wonder what the girls see in him to rank him as the school hunk,'' she thought.


    Bradley He smiled and didn''t stop Michelle. She was an amazing girl. Although she had a bad mouth, she was skilled at fighting. He knew that she was not the quiet girl that she was trying to pose as in ss. He was eager to see the real face behind her mask. "Bradley, why won''t you talk to me?" Erin bit her lower lip and hit the water, agitated. ''How did that bitch attract his attention so easily? I''ve been pursueing Bradley for a whole semester, but he treats me so coldly!''


    "Erin Yu, this has been such an eye-opener." Bradley cast a meaningful nce at Erin before turning around and leaving. Watching his receding figure, the girls in the poolined to each other, "Damn it!


    He saw me fighting like a crazy woman. What should I do?" "No! I''m screwed!"


    "Did he see me naked?" "Oh my god!"


    "This is so humiliating! How am I supposed to look at himter?"


    They cried in remorse, wondering how they were going to face Bradley He after their dirty fight scene. They had to somehow get back onto his good side.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    "Michelle, you have scratches on your face. They might leave scars! And you have injuries on your body as well. I''ll go to the nearby shop and check if they have some medicine," Hilda said worriedly. She was hurt too, but she was already ustomed to it. "There''s no need for that. I''m fine. These scratches will disappear in a couple of days," Michelle assured Hilda. For a gang member like Michelle, getting hurt was all in a day''s work. And the scratches were nothingpared to the wounds she had received when she had been engaged in street fights.


    "Sorry, Michelle. It was all my fault," Hilda sniffed and tears formed at the corners of her eyes.


    "It had nothing to do with you. They just hate me. Anyway, forget about it. Let''s go take a stroll around this ce." Michelle had changed into a sports suit and was nning to go mountain climbing. The scenery was rather beautiful and she didn''t want to miss out on the view from the top of the mountains.


    "Sure! Wait a minute. I''ll go and get changed." Hilda couldn''t refrain from smiling through her tears, and went to the dressing room to get changed. She was indeed an innocent girl.


    Michelle took a look at her phone and forced a bitter smile. There was still no message or call from Luke. She shouldn''t have hoped for it, but she just couldn''t help it.


    Michelle was having such a wonderful time in this beautiful ce. She didn''t want anything to get her into a low mood. The only drawback was that she had to deal with Erin all the time. She didn''t waste a single opportunity to provoke Michelle, which was really starting to annoy her.000

 Chapter 1473 He Knew The Truth (Part One)

    Luke did not feel different the first day Michelle left. But soon, he started to feel restless. He was not used to not having her around. He became annoyed and agitated, as if something was missing.


    "What are you thinking about, Luke?" Edward frowned at him. He had called out Luke''s name several times, but thetter had not made any response. He seemed to be lost in his thoughts, and that had never happened before. Was he in love? "Sorry, Mr. Mu. I didn''t hear you speak to me," Luke told Edward truthfully after pausing for a moment.


    "What is it? Has Michelle note back yet?" Edward asked in a careless tone, feigning indifference. However, his guileful eyes were clear with intention.


    "Not yet. She''ll probablye back soon," Luke replied in an unnatural tone. He avoided eye contact with Edward unknowingly. Still, he felt like he had no way of hiding himself under Edward''s stare.


    "Probably? Haven''t you called her yet?" Edward asked again, frowning. He put down the pen in his hand, still gazing at Luke.


    "No," Luke said honestly. To be more precise, he did not even have Michelle''s number. She had called him in the past, but he never saved her number because he did not think it was necessary. He never felt any need to call her before.


    "No way! She has been gone for three or four days now, but you have not even called her. What about her? Has she called you?" Edward felt utterly helpless about this situation. Sure, Luke and Michelle weren''t a couple and weren''t in love, but they could at least get along. They were living under the same roof, for heaven''s sake! Why did they want to keep each other at a distance?


    "No, she hasn''t." Luke furrowed his brows, feeling strange. Michelle always called him up every time he waste in getting home. Now, it was already several days since she was gone, but she didn''t call him. Was something wrong with her? Luke shook his head, refuting this suspicion. She had gone out with her ssmates. Had something bad happened to her, he would have been notified long ago.


    "Oh, God. You are such a strange couple!" Edward spluttered, not knowing what else to say. He could not tell them what to do. Luke and Michelle were adults, after all. They had their own ideas and judgments. They had the right to do whatever they wanted. Edward, as an outsider, could not butt in and get involved.


    Luke''s mouth twisted upon hearing Edward''s reply. Was it so obvious that he did not care about Michelle? Everyone looked at him strangely. They always seemed to be exasperated when it came to him and Michelle.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    Patricia was still the same person and the gallery was the same, yet she felt like things had changed when she walked in. It was her first timeing to the gallery after being discharged from the hospital. Tom was apanying her. He was standing in the very same spot he had been so cruel to herst time. Patricia''s eyes grew disconcerted when she thought of that memory.


    "What happened? Why are you upset?" Tom asked her in confusion when he saw her halt in her footsteps.


    "Nothing. I was just reminded of something unpleasant." Patricia forgot that she was supposed to have lost her memories of Tom. At his question, she spoke her mind unknowingly.


    "About me?" Tom''s expression immediately turned grave. If he remembered correctly, he hadshed out at her right here before she got into the car ident. Was she lying to him? Didn''t she lose all her memories about him? Was she pretending to have selective amnesia, just to make fun of him?


    "Uh! No, no. Let me exin." Patricia''s face paled. She had thought about being honest with him someday, but she never expected him to find out the truth in this manner.


    "Are you satisfied that you''ve yed me for a fool?" Tom clenched his fists as he red at the woman in front of him in anger. He felt like this woman was a stranger to him.


    "No, that''s not it. Tom, I got back my memories not long ago. I was waiting for the right time to tell you," Patricia exined herself in a hurry, grasping Tom by his hand.


    "Enough! Are you still gonna treat me like I''m an idiot? Patricia, I didn''t know how maniptive you are until today!" Tom yelled at her. The one thing he hated the most was when others lied to him. But this woman, with whom he wanted to spend the rest of his life, had been lying to his face all this time. Tom''s heart thundered. He could not feel any worse right now.


    "You think I''m lying? Tom, I kept it from you that I got back my memories, but you can''t deny that I love you with my whole heart!" Patricia had gone deathly pale. Tom seemed to think that she was a cunning woman who just wanted to trap him with her wiles. "Hah! Love? You fall in love with a man so easily, huh? Your love is cheap, Patricia." Tom was bristling with rage. He intended to hurt Patricia as much as he could, the consequences be damned.


    "Yes. I fell in love with you that easily. I love you so much that I lost my dignity. You''re right, Tom. My love is cheap," Patricia said. She smiled bitterly as tears fell down her face. It was said that during a fight, a coupleshed out at each other with the most hurtful insults. That was indeed the case here; Patricia felt it now.


    "So you admit it. You yed me for a fool. You did it on purpose because I hurt you before, am I right?" A malicious smile cracked on Tom''s face. It could make anyone tremble in fear.00000

 Chapter 1474 He Knew The Truth (Part Two)

    "If that''s what you think, I can''t change your point of view no matter what I say. The only thing I did wrong was that I didn''t tell you about my recovery in time. As for everything else, I don''t regret it. Believe me when I say that I love you with all my heart," Patricia said, fixing her eyes on him. To tell the truth, his usation of her had once again thrown her into an endless abyss. She felt heartbroken, just like when he had hurt herst time.


    "You don''t regret it! Good, good for you! I need time to think. I think both of us need to take a break." Tom turned around and left as soon as he finished speaking. Patricia ran after him immediately. In the hurry to get to him, she tripped and fell, letting out a cry. Her foot still hadn''t healed. At the sound, Tom slowed down, feeling like his heart was breaking. Soon, he resumed his steps and left without turning around to check on Patricia. "Tom, you bastard! Just let me exin!" Sitting on the ground as she looked at Tom''s receding figure, Patricia howled inconsbly. Tom did note back. Just likest time, he had disappeared mercilessly and left her in the dark.


    She had imagined that he might be angry when he came to know her secret, but she never thought he would be so enraged. She was helpless and at a loss. Patricia had no idea how to fix this.


    Tom drove his car at full speed. This was his first time driving so fast. Usually, he followed the rules. But today, he did not know how to vent out his anger. Driving at full speed helped him shed some of it.


    He made a call to Rain. "Where are you?" he asked rudely. "Come out and have a drink with me."N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    "Shoot! Are you ordering me, Tom? Do you know who I am? I''m an elite!" Rain said arrogantly, as if he was the busiest man in the world. In truth, he was bored. However, he could not miss a chance to make fun of Tom.


    "Damn it, stop talking nonsense! I''ll wait for you in Sexy World." Tom hung up immediately without waiting for Rain''s reply. He would not allow Rain to refuse him.


    Rain held the phone to his ear for quite a long time, despite nobody being on the other end of the line. What happened to Tom? Who had sinned him and made him so angry that he wanted toe to Rain to vent out?


    When Rain walked into Sexy World, he saw that Tom had already started drinking. Usually, Tom did not drink much. But tonight, he was gulping down the red wine one ss after another as if it was water. It was a strange sight to behold.


    "Hey! Man, what''s wrong with you tonight?" Rain looked as handsome as always. He was a masterpiece, made by God himself.


    "What? Do I need to have a reason to invite you out for a drink?" Tom shot him a helpless look. Why did he always dress up in such sexy and revealing clothes? Did he not know that people took him to be ady-boy?


    "Of course... not! I''d be an idiot to refuse your invitation if it means I get free drinks! Yeah!" Rain sat down opposite to him. He picked up an empty flute ss and filled it with wine. Recently, almost everyone in their group had been hanging out with their wives, leaving him to be the only bachelor sitting at home with no ce to go. He felt quite lonely. Tom''s invitation was probably the best news he had received in a while.


    "I knew it! You are such a shameless dog. You are always fond of taking advantage of others," Tom teased him before taking a sip of the wine. He had calmed down a bit and felt more rational now. He should go easy on the drinks.


    "What? A dog? What a repulsive animal! Don''t mention me and a dog in the same breath, you rascal!" Rain disliked dogs the most. He had been chased by a dog when he was a kid. It was an awful memory for him. Try as he might, he could not forget it.


    "Ha ha! No way! It''s been such a long time! Are you still scared of dogs?" Tom burst intoughter. Only him and a few other friends knew that Rain was scared of dogs. He had thought that Rain would forget that terrible memory as time went by. It turned out that he was still scared to death of dogs.


    "What if it was you who was chased by a dogrger than you? Try and run from that! You would probably do worse than me!" As he mentioned the awkward memory from his childhood, Rain could not help but feel embarrassed. It still wounded him to think about it, but there was nothing to hide.


    "Well, I''d say no, thanks. I don''t want to experience it. I don''t like animals who have hair." As Tom drank the wine, he talked to Rain about any and everything they did when they were kids. It seemed that only this way could he forget the anger brought on by Patricia''s deceit.


    "Then stop teasing me, my friend! Come on. Cheers!" Rain took his ss and toasted to Tom. His brows furrowed as he contemted Tom''s behavior. He looked a little upset tonight. "Cheers," Tom raised his ss and saidzily.


    "If I''m correct, you''re in an awful mood because something happened between you and Patricia," Rain said curiously. He would never let go of any chance to gossip about his friend. "How''d you know that?" Tom cast him a sidelong look and drained all the wine in his ss.


    "Of course I know! You are a man! There are only two reasons for a man to drink up. One is his career, and the other is his love. As far as I know, you''re doing quite well at work. So love is the only option left." Rain did not drink like Tom. He only took cozy sips, which looked to be quite elegant.


    "Wow, you are a talented analyst. Yes, you are right. Cheers, to the two frustrated men!" Tom drained his wine again, as if he would not stop until he was totally intoxicated. The phone on his table kept ringing, but he did not spare a look at it.


    "Sure, cheers!" Rain did not pester him about Patricia. They were close friends, but Tom had his own private issues.


    Patricia kept calling Tom over and over again. She pulled at her short hair in worry. That man refused to pick up his phone.???????????????

 Chapter 1475 He Knew The Truth (Part Three)

    She felt helpless. Leena was nowhere to be found and Michelle had note back yet. There was no one she could turn to. She had to stay at home, agitated and nervous. No matter how much Tom insulted her, she would never be able to stop loving him. He said that both of them needed a break; that they needed time to calm down. What about after that? Would he break up with her? It made her so nervous. She had made a lot of efforts to make him ept her. Now, she did not want him to break up with her because of this one mistake! "Are you gonna leave it like that? Don''t you want to pick it up?" Rain cocked his head. He did not want to bother himself about the ringing phone, but the phone just kept chirping and it agitated him. He was kind of jealous as no one called him like this all the time.


    "It doesn''t matter. Just leave it be," Tom said casually. He did not want to hear that woman''s voice right now. However, Tom could not help but wonder how she was doing. That was why Tom did not turn off his phone and left it ringing. This way, he could at least be sure that she was safe. Truth be told, he felt a bit ashamed. Tom shook his head, telling himself to keep it together. Still, his heart could not help caring about her. Despite the alcohol, that woman''s smile, her lovely face and her voice kept shing through his head over and over again. He seemed to have been poisoned. The name of that poison was love and Patricia was the one who fed him the venom.


    "You bastard, you are unting that you have a woman who cares about you, aren''t you?" Rain said in a seemingly angry tone. He swirled the liquid in his ss as a wicked smirk spread on his face.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    "You are thinking too much! Just keep drinking." Tom rolled his eyes at Rain. He was not so jobless that he''d bother to tease his friend about something so trivial.


    It was known that Tom was the weakest drinker in their group. He got drunk in a rtively short time. Rain smiled a bit and reached out to get the ringing phone. He answered it without thinking twice.


    "Hello! Tom, thank God. Finally, you picked up the damn phone! Where are you? I''ll be there soon. It''s really not what you think. Just let me exin myself!" Patriciaunched into a rant before she could even confirm who was on the other end of the line.


    "We are at Sexy World. Come over. He is drunk. I''ll wait for you here." Rain pursed his lips and smiled. Apparently, he was to be the Mr. Moral to help them fix their problems. They loved each other, and Rain could tell. They should not run and hide when something went wrong.


    "And you are... Rain, right?" Patricia asked in hesitation. She was not sure whom that voice belonged to.


    "Yes! It''s me, Rain. Hurry up ande over." Rain told her their room number and hung up.


    Once, this kind of misunderstanding had happened to him too. He did not want Tom and Patricia to avoid their troubles and end up like him. Only people who had experienced that kind of heartache knew how terrible it was. It hurt far too much.


    Soon, Patricia arrived at Sexy World. She felt relieved to see Tom lying on the sofa silently. Her worries vanished in an instant. She broke out in tears, as if they had not seen each other in a thousand years.


    "I''ll drive you home." Rain moved toward Tom to help him walk out. He knew it had not been long since Patricia was discharged from the hospital. She would find it difficult to hold such a strong man.


    "Okay, thank you." Patricia reached out and wiped off her tears. She felt embarrassed to be crying but was touched by Rain''s thoughtful actions.


    "You are wee. No need to be so polite to me. We are family." Rain frowned, not liking Patricia''s overly polite tone. Tom was his best friend. She had no need to be so polite.


    "Oh. I see." Patricia gave him a weak smile. She thought Leena was exaggerating when she talked about how handsome Rain was. But now, seeing him in person, Patricia knew it to be the truth. He was indeed enchanting to look at.


    Rain drove the two of them to Tom''s mansion instead of the apartment near the hospital. The apartment was quite far away and he did not want to drive all the way and back. Rain waszy and did not bother wasting his time.


    "You stay here and take care of him. I''ll go home now." There was a slight smell of alcohol on Rain. He knew Tom definitely wanted to get drunk, so Rain did not drink much himself. Someone had to drive them back. He would not have been so careful before. Back in those days, he would have gotten drunk as a lord if it meant someone else was paying for it. He seemed to have missed an excellent opportunity.


    "OK! But are you sure you can drive back alone?" Patricia asked him in concern. Rain was fairly drunk too. He seemed to hate her politeness, so she did not want to press him.


    "I''m okay. Goodbye." Rain dashed away quietly. He cut quite an unruly figure.


    Patricia watched him going away. She did not tear her gaze from him until he disappeared into the distance, before looking down at Tom.


    She sighed slightly and walked over to the bed. His face was red. Did it hurt him so much that she did not tell him the truth?


    She put her cold and shivering fingers on his handsome face and traced his features. It was the first time she was seeing him looking so quiet and harmless. He looked like an innocent child when he was asleep. This man did not look like the one who had hurt her with the worst words he could find. Her eyes zeroed in on his lips. After some hesitation, Patricia lowered her head and kissed him. She had nned to leave a gentle kiss and stop, but somehow, she couldn''t help but linger. She kissed him deeply, enjoying the taste of him.


    When she finally decided to move away, the man who was supposed to be in a deep sleep suddenly opened his eyes. He took one look at her and in a drunken stupor grabbed the back of her hair and pressed her down toward him. He kissed her with enthusiasm, the passion between them scorching hot.00

 Chapter 1476 Her First Time (Part One)

    Patricia''s eyes widened as she wasn''t expecting things to turn out this way. She couldn''t resist his advances; she didn''t want to. Tom was on top of her and her hands were wrapped around her waist. She quietly let him touch her body. If this was what he wanted, she was willing to give him her first time. She had already given him her heart and her love, and she didn''t mind giving him her body too. Under the heavy influence of alcohol, Tom showed no mercy. He had rough sex with Patricia that night, even though it was only her first time. After that, he immediately fell asleep. Patricia''s body was killing her, but tears of joy flooded her eyes. She loved him, so she was happy that he needed her.


    She sniffed and thought to herself, ''I have always expected that my first time would be romantic and dreamy, but this was nothing like that. It was just a drunken night. But, I don''t regret it. I''m willing to give Tom my everything.''


    Shey next to Tom and listened to the constant rhythm of his breathing. Too excited to sleep, she stared at his face affectionately.


    It was a first for her when she had humbled herself to pursue this man, and it was her first time that she had loved someone in such a humble manner. She wished that this moment wouldst forever.


    Eventually, Patricia fell asleep in Tom''s arms. The next morning, when Tom opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was her face. And then he realized that they were both naked.


    Rubbing his aching brow, he tried to remember what had happenedst night and epted the truth peacefully. He got off the bed and went straight into the bathroom.


    He turned on the shower and let the cold water fall on his body. He began to recollect everything that had happenedst night. He had been shit drunk and had no control over himself. But he wondered why Patricia hadn''t refused himst night. If she had refused him, he wouldn''t have done that to her.


    ''Why did Rain bring her herest night? Didn''t he know that we had a problem with each other?'' he thought.


    After the shower, Tom walked out the bathroom. He couldn''t help but swallow hard on seeing her naked body. He walked towards her and tucked her in.


    Tom really wanted to ask her why she had stayed silent. He had said so many harsh words to her, but she had still given him her body. Why?


    "Since you are awake, why don''t you go freshen up? I think we need to talk," Tom said. He was a doctor, and it was easy for him to tell that she was only pretending to be asleep.


    Patricia froze in surprise. She hadn''t expected that Tom would notice. When Tom had got off the bed to go to the bathroom, Patricia had woken up. She didn''t know how to face him after what they had donest night, so she pretended to be asleep. She had nned to run away while Tom was still in the shower. But she had to give up the idea at the sight of her torn clothes scattered across the floor.


    "Uh... May I take a shower first?" Patricia asked, blushing.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    "Sure, take your time. I''ll be waiting for you downstairs. Take one of my clothes from the drawer for now," said Tom, frowning at the torn clothes on the floor. ''Did I go totally crazy on herst night? I should stop drinking too much, ''he thought.


    "Okay," said Patricia. She heaved a long sigh of relief as she watched him leave the room. She didn''t dare get off the bed yet, fearing that he mighte back to get something.


    After a few minutes, she ran towards the bathroom and locked the door. Seeing the naked woman in the mirror, she blushed crimson. There were so many hickeys all over her body. ''Oh my God! It was such a crazy night!'' she thought.


    She took a hot bath to soothe her aching body. When she lowered herself into the bathtub, she sighed contentedly. It was such a physical and mental relief! The water washed away everything that had happenedst night, but the memories stayed intact in her mind.


    She put on Tom''s pajama pants and a white shirt. She hesitated as she stood in front of the mirror and looked at the new woman who was staring back at her. She stayed there for a while and finally decided to go downstairs.


    "Come and have breakfast," Tom said. The sight of Patricia in his clothes amused Tom. His heart softened and he suddenly thought that it might not be such a bad idea to live with her.


    "Oh... All right," she stammered. She slowly walked towards the dining table.


    Tom frowned at her frightened reactions. He didn''t understand what she was afraid of. There was no one else in the house, but them. Like other young men, Tom preferred to live alone. He needed a quiet environment to study, so he was the only one staying in the vi. As for the house work, his mother always sent servants to clean the house when Tom was at work.


    "Um... I..." Patricia tried to form a proper sentence, but couldn''t find the right words.


    "Have breakfast first. We''ll talkter," Tom interrupted and began to eat his Western style breakfast.


    Patricia quickly looked at her te and began eating. She stole nces at Tom from time to time and wondered what he was going to tell her. ''Is he going to say that what happenedst night was just a mistake?'' she thought anxiously.


    Tom noticed her nces, but ignored them. He didn''t know what he was supposed to do with her, and while he ate, he kept thinking about what he was going to say or how he should take responsibility.


    Breakfast was over quickly in a weird and dull atmosphere. Patricia nervously sat on the couch in the living room, waiting for Tom''s decision.0000000

 Chapter 1477 Her First Time (Part Two)

    "I will take responsibility for what happenedst night," Tom said, as he ced his coffee mug slowly on the table after taking a sip.


    "What?" Patricia was leftpletely confused. She didn''t understand what Tom meant.


    "I said, I''ll take responsibility," Tom repeated. He let his eyes settle upon her face. He knew that it had been her first time, and he decided to man up and do the right thing.


    "But that''s not what I want," Patricia said, biting her lower lip. She wanted to marry Tom because she loved him dearly. But if he decided to marry her just because he had had sex with her and wanted to take responsibility, she''d rather part ways with him. She wanted his love, not just his hand in marriage.


    "Did you just turn down my offer?" Tom narrowed his eyes, which made her hair stand on end.


    "No, that''s not what I meant. I just don''t want a marriage without love." Patricia raised her head and looked at him right in the eye. She had changed a lot after she had fallen in love with him, and she had once believed that she would be happy as long as Tom was with her. But after having witnessed Michelle''s marriage, she realized that she couldn''t live like that. She wanted him and his heart wholly.


    "I have no idea what you mean. I am willing to marry you. Of course, you can turn me down. But I''m warning you, you have only one chance. If you refuse me now, then I will leave once and for all." Like Edward, Tom was too proud to ept the fact that he was turned down by a woman.


    "I... I need some time to think about it." Patricia lowered her eyes and looked at her interlocked hands on herp. She thought to herself, ''Why? Why is this so different from the romantic proposal that I''ve dreamed of? Just say that you love me, and I''ll ept the marriage proposal in a heartbeat. But why does it sound more like a threat than a marriage proposal?''


    "Okay. But I hope that you won''t take too long," Tom said coldly. He had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth and had grown up to be a dominating man. He wanted to always be the one to take the lead in everything, including his marriage. He was not a man who was willing to admit defeat, especially in front of a woman. His ego would never let him.


    Patricia was a little frustrated, but she knew that she couldn''t run away from reality. She loved Tom so much, and couldn''t bear leaving him. So she would eventually say yes to him. But before that, she wanted to ask Tom a question.


    "Tom, may I ask you something?" she asked. Tom nodded slightly, and she continued, "You want to marry me, right? But is it only for the sake of taking responsibility or is it because of love?" She stared at him right in the eye, trying to figure out his real thoughts. However, Tom didn''t show any emotion on his face.


    "What''s the difference?" Tom asked coldly as he stared back at her.


    "You think there''s no difference?" Patricia asked, shocked.


    "What kind of answer are you expecting from me, Patricia?" Tom asked with a frown. He was starting to get annoyed by her troublesome questions. ''Why is it so hard for her to make a decision?'' he thought.


    "I... I need to know how you really feel about me," Patricia said, feeling like an idiot. She shouldn''t have had hopes and should have already known what his answer would be. The only thing she wanted was to hear him say those three words. But Tom hadn''t realized his love for her yet, or he was just too proud to admit it.


    "Would you believe whatever I tell you?" Tom asked, his eyes dark. Displeasure was written all over his face.


    "Yes, I will." Patricia forced a bitter smile. Even if he lied to her, she was willing to ept his lies too.


    "Fine. To tell you the truth, I''ve never thought about all that. Responsibility or love? I don''t know what it is. But either way, it''s still going to end up in marriage, isn''t it?" Tom said, as honestly as he could. He didn''t have any reason to lie to her.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    Patricia was dumbfounded at his answer, her eyes wide and her jaw ck. She said nothing. ''This is good, isn''t it? At least, there''s a possibility that he wants to marry me because he loves me,'' she consoled herself in her mind.


    In the mountains, Michelle''s ss activity was now nearingpletion. For the past few days, Hilda had kept nagging her like a restless bee. What annoyed Michelle the most was Erin''s presence. She had kept provoking her throughout, and she just wouldn''t stop till Michelle was ready to surrender to her.


    "Hey, woman!" Michelle heard Erin''s voice from behind her and she quietly rolled her eyes. "What on earth is your rtionship with Bradley? Why does he always stand up for you?" Erin yelled at Michelle again.


    "Why don''t you go and ask him? I''m not in the mood to answer your stupid questions," Michelle answered coldly. She cast a scornful nce at Erin before turning back to the canvas on which she was drawing. The drawing had taken her a couple of days, and she was nning to use it as the project for this ss activity.


    "You must have seduced him. I should have known. Poor women like you dream of marrying into rich families. That''s why you seduced Bradley. Look at yourself in the mirror! Do you really think that a rich and handsome man like Bradley would ever fall in love with a bimbo like you? Don''t you dare think that you can marry into his family just because you''re pretty. You don''t even deserve him!" Erin taunted her. She was rude and arrogant, as usual.000000000000

 Chapter 1478 Her First Time (Part Three)

    Michelle was really annoyed by what Erin had said. As far as she was concerned, Bradley was just an immature boy, nothingparable to her husband. When Erin said that she was trying to marry into a rich family, she rolled her eyes and thought, ''Yes, my father is a gang leader, but that doesn''t mean we''re poor. In fact, we''re actually rich. Moreover, I''ve already married into a rich family. My husband, my brother-inw and my father-inw are all rich.'' Michelle had almost reached her limits with this girl. She turned around to re at her and said, "You have a thing for him and believe that he''s the best man in the world, but I don''t think so. If that''s the only thing you want to talk to me about, rest assured, I have no interest in him."


    "Huh? You think I would just take your word for it? If you haven''t seduced him, then why did he tell our teacher that he wanted to be in the same team with you tomorrow?" asked Erin, not believing a word of what Michelle had said. It vexed her to think about Bradley''s cold attitude towards her. Just moments ago, Erin had invited him to group with her, but he had told her that he didn''t want a dumb teammate like her. People around them hadughed out loud at her. She had felt so humiliated. So she had decided to settle ounts with Michelle instead.


    "I don''t care if you believe me or not. That''s none of my concern. And I think you are overestimating me. Like you said, I''m just a poor woman. I don''t think he''s interested in me," Michelle mocked her. But at the same time, she thought to herself, "What the fuck is Bradley thinking? Doesn''t he know that Erin has a thing for him? Why is he dragging me into this shit? So that he can enjoy two women fighting over him? What a jerk! Well, unfortunately for him, I have no interest in him at all. So his little scheme isn''t going to work.'' "At least, you know your ce. Now go to him and tell him that you don''t want to group with him," Erin ordered. She was taking Michelle for granted and it was pissing her off.


    "Rest assured, I won''t be his teammate tomorrow," Michelle said with a frown.


    "And don''t tell him that it was I who forbid you to group with him," Erin added. She was really going too far with her attitude.


    "Erin Yu, don''t push me," Michelle warned. She didn''t want to group with Bradley either, but she also didn''t like Erin''s bossy attitude.


    "Hmph! Just do as I say." Erin stamped her foot and left, proud as a peacock.


    ''Unbelievable!'' Michelle thought and refocused on her drawing. She had just begun to learn how to draw, so she had to be more focused than the others.


    Early next morning, the teacher announced that Michelle and Bradley would be in the same group. And as for the other students, they were given permission to group with anyone they liked.


    Michelle raised her hand in protest. "Excuse me, but I don''t want to group with him." She was wearing a cap, so nobody could see her face or her expression as she said this.


    "Give me a reason for that," the teacher said. She was a gracefuldy, and was well-educated.


    "Uh... I''m not ustomed to grouping with someone I''m not familiar with," Michelle made a random excuse. She really didn''t want to group with Bradley. He was nothing but a troublemaker.


    "I don''t think that''ll be a problem. He''s your ssmate, and you''ll grow familiar with each other soon enough," the teacher dismissed Michelle''s request, no matter how hard she tried to persuade her.


    "Michelle, you are so silly! You''re so lucky to be in the same team with Bradley. Why would you try and destroy such a wonderful opportunity?" Hilda asked in a whisper. She really didn''t understand what Michelle was thinking.


    "I don''t feel so lucky right now," Michelle grumbled. She didn''t want to get close to Bradley. This was not because she was afraid of Erin, but because she didn''t want to get into trouble. So many girls admired him, and they would alle after her.


    Erin cast a warning nce at Michelle. ''Damn that woman! I asked her to go to Bradley and turn him down personally. But instead, she told the teacher that she didn''t want to be Bradley''s teammate. Bradley is the beloved student of all the teachers in the school. So the teacher would obviously not reject his request!'' she thought.


    Erin walked up to Michelle and asked angrily when the teacher had left, "Michelle, I thought we had a deal. I told you to go to Bradley and turn him down. Why didn''t you do it?"


    Michelle grunted like an angry beast, "I went to look for himst night, but couldn''t find him anywhere. He was probably hiding on purpose. He is such an ass!" Last night, she had gone to look for him after finishing her drawing. But she had searched all over the holiday vige in vain. He had been definitely hiding from her on purpose. She knew it!


    "Really? You think I''m an ass?" Bradley asked casually, cing his hands in his pockets.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    They both turned around to look at him. Erin gasped and Michelle just raised her eyebrows at him. "Bradley, let me be your teammate, okay?" Erin tugged at his sleeve and pleaded with a hopeful expression. "No," Bradley answered shortly and shook off her hand.


    Michelle smirked coldly. If looks could kill, Bradley would have been dead a thousand times over. Now because of him, Michelle would have to deal with all his admirers. This was turning out to be a major trouble.000

 Chapter 1479 Yes I Do (Part One)

    "Why?" Erin continued to pester him. She would not give up until she got what she wanted.


    "You''d better stop asking. I don''t want to embarrass you and break your heart," Bradley said as he raised his eyebrows. Although he was saying this to Erin, his eyes were fixed on Michelle. It was the first time for him to have been turned down by a woman and it was not eptable. He needed to know the reason why Michelle didn''t want to be in the same group as him. "Is it because of that bitch, Michelle?" Erin turned her head to Michelle and shot daggers at her. She thought that Michelle was held to be the most culpable.


    "Erin, watch your mouth. Don''t push me to resort to violence!" Growing up with gangsters, dirty words were nothing new to her. But what she hated the most was when some people spat ''bitch'' whenever they were displeased. It was insulting.


    "Huh! Who do you think you are? Don''t you know whom you are talking to, here? Just admit it, you are a bitch!" Biting her lips, Erin wanted to show Michelle who she really was. She was about to throw a tantrum. But Bradley was in front of her and she didn''t want him to see her ungraceful side. She had no choice but to suppress the anger in her and act graciously.


    He watched all this silently, with a yful smile. Actually, the more he knew about Michelle, the more he became interested in this neer.


    "Are you happy with what''s happening now?" Michelle was annoyed. She really wanted to rip that smile off his face. The mischievous and yful look on his face disgusted her.


    "If I say yes, what are you going to do? Are you going to beat me up?" Bradley stopped smiling. He already knew the answer from her eyes which glowed with fire.


    "Beat you up? I''m not that bold. I don''t want to be the target of all the hate from the girls." Michelle turned around and walked away, not caring whether Bradley followed her or not.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    "I have a feeling that you hate me." Bradley quickened his pace to catch up with her. Erin was pissed off, seeing that Bradley and Michellepletely ignored her.


    "I neither hate you nor like you. You''re just a normal citizen to me." Michelle frowned. She wore a pair of t boots today, and she didn''t have any problems walking in rocky steps of the mountains.


    "Can you tell me why? I don''t remember that I have ever offended you." Bradley did not want to give up easily, trying to get more out from the already pissed off Michelle. He did not know how to take a hint.


    "Yeah, why indeed? In fact, I also want to know why. If you do know, you can just go ahead and spit it out." Michelle suddenly stopped and turned around to face him.


    "Are you... angry at me?" Bradley asked hesitantly. It seemed that she had a lot of issues with him.


    "Seriously, dude. What do you think? Should I or shouldn''t I be angry? We just met and we are not very familiar with each other. So why are you so intent on wanting to team up with me?" Michelle spat out what was on her mind. She was very blunt and straightforward, and she usually offended many people because of this. She was just being honest. If she didn''t like someone, she would say it directly. She didn''t want to betray her heart and stress herself out just for the sake of looking pleasant and ying up to anyone. "Because you are so different from all the other horny girls. Isn''t this reason good enough for you?" Bradley replied honestly. She stayed cool and wasn''t like other girls who went crazy for him. And that caught his eye and sparked his interest in her. He got challenged and wanted to know why she didn''t have so much as a bit of feeling for him.


    "Oh! So what you are saying is that you like to be abused. There are tons of other girls out there who desperately want you. But instead you came after me and you seem to enjoy being verbally abused by me. It looks like something is wrong with the wiring in your brain, dude?" Michelle continued to walk away after saying those words. Although thepetition she joined was only a small one, she was taking it seriously. She didn''t have any extra time to waste, discussing such a boring topic with him. One of the biggest turnoffs was when a man liked to talk about himself.


    "Yes, maybe you are right, otherwise why would I be so curious about you? By the way, may I ask you why you don''t have any interest in me?" Bradley continued to walk behind her. The usual cool and aloof man suddenly became very talkative when he was with Michelle, probably a little too talkative and annoyingly persistent.


    "Because I am the only person who has a clear mind. I know what I want and what I don''t want. Everyone else around here has got some problems in their heads. And embarrassingly, their personal standards are too low." Michelle replied impulsively as she turned around again to look at him from head to toe. She got fed up with him pestering her and wanted so desperately to get rid of him.


    "Wow, am I that despicable in your eyes?" He was both surprised and disappointed at the answer that he got. It never urred to him that a woman would think of him this way. It turned out that all those girls who went crazy for him were all fools. Well, ording to Michelle.


    "Maybe you are. What I think of you and anyone else is my own business," Michelle said honestly. In her eyes, except for Luke, all the other men were nothing to her.


    Bradley''s mouth twitched when he heard this. She was too honest and he really didn''t know how to respond. But the more Michelle tried to get away from him, the more he became captivated by her. That was the nature of men, always striving for something that was difficult to get. This was part of men''s desire for the un-achievable which provided the greatest pleasure and satisfaction when finally conquered. And Michelle''s cold attitude towards him only ignited his eagerness to win her heart.


    The tripsted for a week. Every day, Michelle missed Luke and anticipated that he would send her messages or call her. She was hoping that he would miss her too. But there was nothing. Not one ring nor one message came, not even a single emoji. When Michelle finally arrived home, she felt that the past seven days had passed like a dream.


    Everything was so familiar back home, the familiar vor, the familiar furniture, but one thing was missing - the familiar man she missed most who at the same time was also the man she feared to see most.


    Tired as she was after the trip, she still went to Edward''s house to say hello to Luke''s parents first. It surprised her that she also met Daisy there. Then she realized that it was Sunday today. Where was Luke then? Had he alreadye here today? Michelle wondered. "Michelle, you''re back! How was your trip? Did you have fun?" Daisy looked at her with a gentle smile. She was quick to notice the disappointment in Michelle''s eyes.


    "Yes. It was good. The scenery was very beautiful! It was just breathtaking and I will remember that ce for a long time. It would be nice to go back, next time with the family." Michelle smiled to cover her embarrassment. She felt more helpless than happy during this trip. Erin, with her wicked attitude really exasperated her.0000000

 Chapter 1480 Yes I Do (Part Two)

    "How about your drawing and painting skills? Have them improved? Are you able to keep pace with your ssmates?" As Michelle just joined the course in the middle, unless she was really gifted in this area, she had to study twice as hard as the others. "There are still gaps and a lot of things to learn. But I am trying my best to catch up." In front of Daisy, Michelle was still the girl that she had seen the first time they met. Her humble and graceful manner made Daisy feel veryfortable. "Come on! One day you may be a famous painter and that will bring honor to our family." Daisy patted on her shoulder and gave her some encouragement. Then her attention shifted to the man who walked in. Her eyes softened at the sight of him. "Oh please! Daisy, don''t make fun of me. I''m far from being a painter, let alone famous painter." Michelle also noticed Edward who just came in, but she couldn''t see Luke anywhere. She was having a conversation intently with Daisy but inside her head were echoes of her own voice looking for him and questioning why he wasn''t around.


    "If you put enough effort and even sacrifice for it, you will get close to your goal. We both know that it is notpletely impossible for you to achieve that, isn''t it?" Edward saidzily. He embraced Daisy into his arms and stole a passionate kiss on her lips. He did it so casually, not caring about Michelle''s presence. It would have been a ruckus if Justin was also here.


    "What are you doing? Michelle could see what you''re doing!!" Daisy said as she pushed him away. She stared at him with her face blushed all over. She acted like she didn''t like it but she felt otherwise.


    "Oh Please! It''s as if I am not even here! You may continue, I''m okay with it." Michelleughed a little. It was true that she envied them, but she also knew that Luke would never be so amorous to her like Edward was to his wife.


    "They already took you as if you are invisible even if you didn''t say it. So Aunt Michelle, you now know how bad I feel, being left out of this game that they like to y by themselves! Poor me!" Justin walked into the house, his innocent face looking upset. "Justin, what did you say? Poor you? What made you think that there is a poor you?" Edward stared at him with sinister eyes.


    "You just disy your affection for each other in my face every day. Have you ever considered my feelings? I''m still way too young and worse, I''m still single! You only care about your happiness!" Justin sighed, looking hurt and rolling his eyes.


    "Haha!" Michelle couldn''t help butugh. But when she found that Edward and Daisy were ring at Justin, she immediately stoppedughing, wondering whether she should sneak out now.


    "But what I said is the truth!" What''s wrong with being honest?" Justin backed a few steps. He didn''t think that he had said anything wrong. But why did they look so angry, as if he really had done something unforgivable?


    "I think I should go to the kitchen to help with the dinner." The awkward atmosphere that Justin created made Michelle want to disappear. She didn''t want to be involved in the danger that seemed to loom above them.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    "Hey, aren''t you my friend? Don''t go! Wait for me!" Justin ran to catch up with her. It was not a joke now. Who knew what his parents would really do to him? He would be an idiot if he continued to stay there. "Look at your son. You educate him so well that he now knows too much at such an early age!" Daisy stamped on Edward''s foot to show her dissatisfaction.


    "Ouch! What the hell! That hurt! How did that have anything to do with me? You know what your son is like. Does he need anyone to teach him about anything? He learned everything himself!" Edward hopped, holding the other foot with his hand to ease his pain. He regretted that he had forgotten that Daisy could be violent. He was too careless and that was how Daisy got the chance to stamp on him.


    "Like father, like son, it''s all because of you!" Daisy looked at Edward angrily and then left haughtily with her chin up, a smile spreading over her beautiful face, at an angle that her husband couldn''t see.


    Edward smiled yfully. He could see from her shaking shoulders that she wasughing hard, walking on the air. Because she had beat him again. Even so, he still felt amused. She was his wife and he would let her do anything she liked. As long as she was happy, he was happy too.


    Michelle''s return from the trip seemed to have no effect on Luke. He only felt slightly surprised when he saw her in the house, but no other emotions were involved, no excitement, no joy. Such a nonchnt expression was bitterly disappointing for Michelle. But then again, it was something she should get used to.


    On the way back to their own house, Michelle followed closely behind him. This time, she was not as enthusiastic about him as she was before. Nor was she looking for or hoping for anything tonight. Probably she didn''t want to push herself too hard. So, she chose to take everything easy. She just wanted to get a good rest.


    Luke frowned. He found that she had changed much after she came back from the painting trip. She no longer had that intense gaze at him. Instead, her eyes looked calm and peaceful just like clear water. What caused these changes? Was it the broad sky, or was it because her heart was purified by nature? Or was there some other man that made her go cold on their rtionship? If this was the case, he would let her go without hesitation. Because he didn''t have the right to stop her from seeking her own happiness. Michelle remained silent all the way, lost in her thoughts. When they arrived home, Michelle bumped into Luke who suddenly stopped at the door..


    "A!" Michelle came back to her senses and raised her head, looking upset..


    "What? Is there money on the ground? Watch your step!" Luke said in his usual cold tone. Michelle had already gotten used to his indifference.


    "Sorry!" Michelle apologized politely. The estrangement he sensed in her voice made him feel mildly weird and ufortable. But he didn''t take it to heart. He shook his head and walked into the house.


    Michelle touched her nose. It still hurt. But she had never expected that he would be gentle to her. She shook her head helplessly and then followed him into the house.


    After a warm bath, she began to organize her sketches. But it was strange that she couldn''t find thendscape painting she intended to hand in to the teacher the next day. She became very anxious. She looked for it all over the house but couldn''t find it anywhere. There could be no way that it could go missing! She remembered clearly that she had put it in the picture book and it was impossible not to have brought it back. She sat on the bed and began to think what could have gone wrong, trying to retrace when she saw itst. Why couldn''t she find it?


    Oh shit! It was that damn Erin! Then the memory of seeing Erin in her room the other day shed in her mind, and Michelle went ballistic. She had put up with her and let her go over and over again, but she didn''t expect that the bratty bitch would go further and cross the line. She felt strange that time, when Erin unexpectedly appeared in the room she shared with Hilda during the trip that day. She had no business being there because she did not get along with neither Michelle nor Hilda. Now she realized what she had been up to. ''Huh! Just wait till Monday when I see you in school. You are really gonna get it, you slut!'' Michelle thought.0000000

 Chapter 1481 Yes I Do (Part Three)

    She had worked so hard on her homework and now it was gone. She was extremely furious. She had to hand in the homework on Monday. Now she had no choice but to draw a new picture. Even if she tried to remember all the details in her former painting, it wouldn''t be the same as the original which was done by looking right at the scenery in person. She was in a fret because she couldn''t have a good sleep tonight even though she was exhausted. But she really didn''t want to move now. She only wanted to lie in bed and close her eyes. Michelle pulled at her hair in despair. If Erin was right in front of her now, she would definitely punch her in the face and shave her bald. Then she would see how Erin could show off with her swollen face every day. She was doing her best not to show her true gangster colors but if a bitch like Erin would push her to the edge, she would dly give her a taste of her fist.


    "What are you doing? Are you hurting yourself now?" Luke crossed his arms and leaned against the door, smiling yfully as he watched her tear at her hairs and scream inwardly in frustration. "Oh! Well, what are you doing here?" Michelle hurriedly smoothed her hair which was in a mess. She felt very embarrassed of being caught acting like she was possessed by the devil. "Well, I just heard some strange noisesing from your room, so I came here to check if anything is wrong." Luke snorted and then turned around. He was about to leave. "Luke, can you spare several minutes for me?" Michelle asked abruptly. She suddenly found a new subject that she wanted to paint for her homework. Forget the mountain scenery. "What?" Luke stopped and said shortly, not willing to waste any words.


    "Can you be my model?" Michelle pleaded while biting her nails.


    "Pfft. What makes you think that I''d agree." Luke snorted and refused her without hesitation.


    "Why not?" Michelle didn''t want to give up. She had only one day left and she was desperate.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    "You will take advantage of me. I am sure of it." Luke was a cocky and arrogant man and he had every reason to show off. He knew what a hot guy he was!


    "Oh...umm..." Michelle was surprised. She looked at him with her eyes widened. When did this serious and dull man begin to tell jokes? Especially provocative ones?


    "Could you think about it for one second? please." Michelle took a deep breath, trying toe around from the astonishment.


    "No way. You''d better find a quicker way to solve your own problems rather than waste time bargaining with me here." Luke walked away as soon as he finished his words. Model? How absurd! It was a job for that effeminate and metrosexual Rain, not him! Luke thought.


    Michelley back on the bed, depressed and disappointed. She knew she couldn''t count on him. He didn''t even want to talk to her, how could he possibly care about her homework? She regretted to have asked him on a whim with the hope that he would help her. She got the bitter answer. And now she felt worse.


    Some people, once let go, will be gone, forever. It wasmonly believed that one could always find someone better next time. And for Patricia, she knew clearly that Tom would not always be there, waiting for her. And she might not find anyone who''d make her heart flutter the way he did. So after much pondering and careful consideration, she had the answer to the question that Tom asked her.


    "So, have you thought it over?" Looking at the woman who stood in front of him, Tom asked calmly as he sat at his office desk. He seemed outwardlyposed, but deep inside, uneasiness and anxiety flooded him in waves. He feared that he would get an answer that was different from what he was expecting.


    "I think, you already know the answer, don''t you? Because you are the only man I want. Even if it is only guilty conscience that made you offer that proposal, I still don''t want to let this chance slip by." Patricia forced a smile. He appeared nonchnt. Was it because he was so sure of her heart that he looked like that? He knew that she couldn''t live without him, Patricia thought.


    "You overestimated me. I''m not a prophet and the ability to read people''s minds is not something that everyone could acquire." Tom sighed with relief. As long as she agreed to let him take the responsibility, everything would still be on the right track. Thinking of this, everything that had happened between them seemed to be well nned by the God. Probably he had had sex with her the other night with a clear purpose. He needed a reason to take care of her for the rest of her life, so he exerted himself tirelessly and indulged himself in the amorous love that night.


    "But are you sure that your parents will like me?" This was what concerned her the most, because she really didn''t want him to have trouble with his family. Although she was not sure if she was important enough to influence his rtionship with his parents, she still cared a lot.


    "Don''t worry. As long as it is my decision, they will be all for it. It won''t matter to them if I marry one of my nurses, a homeless person or even a cat or a dog." It was just a figure of speech and he didn''t really mean to degrade Patricia. Although she understood what he tried to say, she still felt ufortable on hearing his remark. She didn''t know why. He should have at least used ssier examples.


    "Okay, I say yes. Yes! I do!" Patricia said firmly, as if fearing that she would regret the next second. She spoke with curt finality and told herself that there was no going back. This was it!


    "Yes? Yes! Great! There must be a wedding ceremony! You agree with this, right?" Tom looked at her. It was his mother''s wish to have a wedding ceremony for her son, and he would finally be able to fulfill it.


    "Yes of course, but can we wait until Leenaes back?" She couldn''t imagine her wedding without Leena by her side. Leena was her BBF and her absence would be a big regret in her life. She would be happy in this marriage and surely she wanted Leena''s blessings. In fact, she wanted Leena to be her maid of honor.


    "I agree. She is my sister and I also want her to be there on the biggest day of our life." Tom used ''our'' instead of "my" in his words. It clearly showed that from the moment Patricia said yes, he bound her to him and would never let her go.


    A marriage was settled without a matchmaker''s help or their parents'' permission. What would await them? What would their married life be like? Were they going to be happy in this marriage or not? It would all depend on how hard they were willing to work for it, to fight for it.000000000000000

 Chapter 1482 I Miss You But You Dont Know (Part One)

    "Why did you steal my painting?" asked a woman''s voice. It was Michelle. She found Erin in the restroom. Erin wanted to escape, but Michelle stopped her. After looking at her scathingly, Michelle put the "Cleaning, Do Not Disturb" sign at the door, to avoid having someone interrupt them.


    "What are you talking about? Who stole your painting?" asked Erin innocently, taking a step back in fear. She never knew this side of Michelle. She had heard rumors, but it was her first time to see it with her own eyes.


    "What? Just admit it, you are a bitch!" Michelle teased, using the very same words Erin had used on her in the past. She wasn''t a weak woman, and she wasn''t about to let anyone bully her as they wished. Michelle decided to take control and fight back. "I don''t know what you''re talking about," snapped Erin, but couldn''t meet Michelle''s eyes. Determined, she continued to deny the usation. There was no way she''d admit the truth. Michelle was right: she had something to do with the missing painting. "Really? You really don''t know?" mocked Michelle. "You never got along well with Hilda. But all of a sudden, you appeared in our room. And just when I came back from outside, you seemed to be shaken by something. Are you still sure you don''t know what I''m talking about? And, oh!" eximed Michelle, adding as an afterthought, "Don''t tell me you felt sorry for Hilda, and that''s why you went to our room." Michelle pped her hand against the door to stop Erin from opening it. She wasn''t going to let the woman get away before admitting the truth.


    "What are you saying?" said Erin, her eye contact faltering. "I just - I just went to warn her about something." Michelle was getting closer to the truth, and it worried Erin. She didn''t know what else to say, but she had to make a good excuse to divert Michelle''s attention. "Did you? Hilda was so nice. She must''ve made you a cup of coffee. If I''m not mistaken, was that when you took my painting?" A glimmer of guilt appeared on Erin''s face. "No... sorry, you didn''t take it. You stole it!" yelled Michelle angrily. Thanks to Erin, she had to spend an entire day working on a new painting. Because of it, she had to miss her cooking ss, so no wonder Michelle was all riled up.


    "I didn''t like her coffee!" Erin said foolishly, swallowing hard as she looked at Michelle in fear. She was surprised that Michelle was so powerful despite her slim figure. That was just unbelievable to her.


    "No, you may not have liked her coffee. But you made her go away by still asking for one to set your n in motion. Oh," said Michelle, squinting her eyes venomously at her. "I heard that the most terrible thing for people who have had stic surgery is to be hit on the face. I wonder what your face would look... if I punch you right in the cheeks." Just then, an evil smile appeared on Michelle''s face. She knew that narcissistic people always cared the most about their face. Erin was exactly one of them.


    "You would dare?!" Erin said, outraged. ''That bitch!'' she thought angrily. Ever since Michelle revealed to the public about Erin having stic surgery, fewer men had flocked around her. She was rather upset about it. She''d never allow her to hurt her face. "Try me!" challenged Michelle. "I''m also curious how you''d chase your beloved man, Bradley, with your beautiful face gone." At the moment, Michelle was an absolute hellion. The only reason she got into this college was thanks to Patricia''s mother. So while it was inappropriate to make amotion over this, it didn''t mean that she could not at least teach her a lesson. Michelle hoped that after this meeting, Erin would give up trying to sh with her on everything. She realized, however, that it would be too good to be true. "Oh, okay, all right! I''m sorry, okay?" Erin could tell that Michelle wasn''t just joking. It scared her, and frankly, she was a kiss-up and kick-down type. Without anyone enabling her, she''d only show her true personality: a coward.


    "If an apology was all that was needed, then the police would lose their jobs. How could you have the heart to let that happen?" Michelle''s fingers wandered back and forth on Erin''s face. With a little more strength, she could break the skin of that beautiful face. "What do you want? Just let me go. Please," Erin asked, holding back her breath in fear. She couldn''t afford to fight Michelle, scared that the crazy woman would mean what she said and hurt her face.


    "It''s not what I want, it''s what you want. I don''t remember a time when I try to pick a fight with you. But you always do. So tell me, who here is being unreasonable?" Michelle said in azy tone, like a cat who was ying a mouse. A cat didn''t eat a mouse as soon as it was caught. No, not in a single bite either. Instead, the cat would y with it until it became too weak to resist - until the mouse could not fight back anymore.


    "I promise I''ll never pick a fight with you for no reason again. Even if I see you, if I have to, I will go the other way. Is that enough for you?" Erin was smart to save herself. In a situation where she was at a disadvantage, it would be best to let Michelle win this round. She knew, without a doubt, that she could not fight against her face to face. So she promised what Michelle wanted to hear. However, whether she would keep the promise? It was another story.


    "If you''re nning to have your revenge in the future, you''d better give it up. I''m a nobody, and I don''t care about being alive or not. If you do something again to me, I''m not sure what kind of crazy things I''ll do as a payback. Trust me, you wouldn''t want to know. Am I clear enough?" Michelle shook her head. She was born and raised in a faction after all. If there was something she learned in a troubling environment, it was to stand up for herself. If needed, she knew how to be intimidating as well. And she was doing it extremely well towards Erin.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    "I..." Erin swallowed hard once again. She could not help but shudder at the sight of Michelle''s insidious eyes.


    "Of course, if you do as you promised, I''ll be nice to you. So... if I were you, I''d think about it carefully," Michelle said, and yed with her curled hair. She twirled Erin''s hair yfully, as if she was a man flirting with her, and it almost looked evil and terrible. "Okay. Can I leave now?" Now all Erin wanted was to escape from this ce, from Michelle, as soon as she could. As for her other ns, she would think about them another time when she was safe.000

 Chapter 1483 I Miss You But You Dont Know (Part Two)

    "Yes, please," Michelle pped her hands and took a step back. If she were still the old Michelle from the past, Erin would have already been hit by Michelle and would not have any opportunity to find fault with her.


    Erin staggered away in haste. Before she walked out of the ce, Michelle said from behind, "That guy, Bradley. It''s your business if you like him. But please, don''t consider me to be your rival. He''s not my type." Obviously, Michelle was sneering. She had been busy


    handling Luke, and she didn''t want to have to deal with other troubles on top of that.


    Erin turned around to nce at her. Then, quickly, she walked away. Michelle was absolutely a crazy woman. And everyone would do well to steer clear of a crazy woman.


    Michelle smiled coolly. Oh, God! Since when did she be so kind? She was nice enough to let her get away unharmed. This would never have happened with the old Michelle. Perhaps, the evil Michelle was in the process of bing a kind Michelle. Patricia felt like she was in a dream as she examined the red marriage certificate in her hand. Everything seemed to be unreal. She wasn''t sure about how she felt. Happy? Worried? She was about to find it as soon as Tom and she lived together.


    Her parents were ecstatic when she told them she was marrying Tom. They were beyond satisfied to have him as their son-inw so that they wanted to send her to Tom''s home in a heartbeat. In their opinion, Tom was an excellent man. She, on the other hand, had some reservations about him. Whether she liked it or not, she was tossed into Tom''s house by her parents. And although she had been there before, she didn''t get to take a close look at it then. When she stepped into the house, however, she felt like she was dreaming again. "It''s a new house. Of course, if you don''t like the decoration, feel free to change theyout of the room as you like," Tom said with a gentle voice, his hands in his pockets. Although he was hurt by her when she lied to him, he couldn''t bear to see her hurt again. The car ident nearly took her away from him for good. So despite not falling in love with herpletely, his concern for her did not diminish one bit. Seeing Patricia all bloody and unconscious after the ident made him panic more than he thought he could be.


    "It looks good to me. I''m fine with it," Patricia said with a small smile. She didn''t want Tom to feel like she was a difficult woman. She didn''t want to change his living environment because of her.


    "That''s good. Then..." he cleared his throat. "Let me just say, wee! We are family now," said Tom in an official tone. It made Patricia want tough aloud. But she held back herughter in order not to anger him.


    "Is it really okay if we don''t live with your parents?" Patricia asked hesitantly.


    "They''re your parents now too. What? Do you want to live with them?" Tom frowned. His mother often liked to nag him. Hence, he refused to live with his parents. Living together would only be a disaster, and it would make focusing on his work difficult. Ultimately, he thought it was better that they lived on their own.


    "Oh! No, that''s not what I meant." Just like most modern women, Patricia liked her freedom. She had a ratherzy disposition, which might cause some tension if they lived with her parents-inw. Not many parents would like a daughter-inw like her. She wasn''t like Leena, who was an expert at house works. Due to this difference in lifestyle, family conflicts might be amon urrence. And so, discreetly, she agreed with his decision to live outside his parents'' roof.


    "Good to hear that. Since you''re not good at cooking, Mom said she would send some people here to help us with that. So there''s no need to worry about housework and such." Although Tom didn''t find it convenient, he decided topromise with his mother''s demands. As long as they didn''t disturb him, and didn''t appear within his restricted area, he would be fine with them.


    "Did I make you feel bad?" Patricia finally knew why Michelle went to cooking ss. She wasn''t ashamed of not being good at housework before she was married. But now, she found herself changing her mind.


    "It''s normal for young people nowadays to be terrible with house work. There''s nothing to be ashamed of. Plus, you''re my wife, not my housemaid." It was, perhaps, the most touching words that Tom had ever said to her. She was his wife, and not a housemaid. Anyone could be a housemaid, and he wouldn''t blink an eye, but only she could ever be his wife.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    "What about Leena? How do you feel about her?" In Patricia''s mind, Leena was an exception. She couldn''t fathom how Leena was capable of doing everything including housework, even when she was born in a wealthy family. She could have lived without lifting a finger. But the truth was, she was quite an expert on that. Although Leena was her best friend, Patricia could not help but feel a bit envious of her in that respect.


    "Leena? She''s an extraordinary exception." Tom''s eyes became gentle and soft at the mere mention of Leena. She had been missing for a while. All he knew was that she was safe and living a good life. But apart from that, he knew nothing else.


    "Hm, I was wondering when she''d think it through ande back," said Patricia. She felt a bit frustrated by theck ofmunication. Leena had not been in contact with anyone, leaving no clue where she went. Was she really going to give up on her marriage after everything? But, if she was considering it, shouldn''t she at least listen to what Kevin had to say?


    Meanwhile, Leena, who was on the other side of the world, couldn''t help but sneeze a bit. She ced her pen brush down, and sniffed unknowingly. A family photo of Kevin and her could be seen in front of her. She had badgered him constantly to take this picture, not knowing that someday she would leave him, and have only the photo to remember his handsome face.


    Her fingers rested on his eyebrows. She could not help but rub to ease the wrinkles on his forehead unconsciously. Thoughts ran through her mind as she stared at the picture. How was he? Was he eating well? Did he miss her? No, no! She shouldn''t ask him to miss her. After all, it was she who decided to leave. Now that she chose to let him go, she shouldn''t expect him to wait for her. She didn''t want to give any more false hopes. That was why she kept herself from all the news surrounding her family and him.


    She knew her sudden disappearance must''ve upset many of her friends and family. But at the time, she felt it was the only choice she had. She just couldn''t behave well and be honest with Kevin, especially during the times when he talked passionately about having kids.00000000000

 Chapter 1484 I Miss You But You Dont Know (Part Three)

    Leena nced at her watch. It was time for her to take her medicine. Although she had left Kevin, she still insisted on taking the medicine to treat her body. She was unintentionally making an effort, like she was still harboring some hope in her heart. The medicine was


    bitter, and more disgusting, than thest one she took. Yet she controlled her urge to vomit, and forced herself to take it all in.


    Paris was a city she couldn''t be more familiar with. Choosing to hide here didn''t make her feel lonely. In fact, it helped as she had several things to keep her mind busy. And being busy kept her from bingzy. The only inconvenience was that she had to be under a disguise at all times to avoid being recognized. Aware of the likelihood that her family and friends hired some private detectives, she had to be very careful to avoid exposing herself. Although Edward''s father sent some people to protect her, it couldn''t hurt to take extra precaution. Looking at the thick, ck concoction, Leena bit her lower lip in deep thought. Finally, she mustered all the courage she had and drained all of it in a single gulp. The bitterness lingered in her tongue, just like the bitterness she had in her heart. It seemed like the taste wouldn''te off her tongue.


    Kevin''s stomach dropped all of a sudden, as if he felt Leena''s experience and it made him worry. It had already been a month. He had assumed that Leena wouldn''t be able to handle the pain of being apart from him. But no. After waiting for her toe back this whole time, nothing changed. He seemed to have gravely overestimated his importance in her heart for she was still nowhere to be found.


    He tore up the divorce settlement in anger. The letter she left for him was stored in the locker of his desk. It recorded both her love and cruelty towards him. Every time he missed her, he would take it out and read it again. He would stare at it longingly, as if he could see her writing the letter.


    "Major General Gu," greeted Mrs. Xu. "Where is Leena? She hasn''t visited here for a long time." Kevin was at the dormitory building, and Mrs. Xu happened to see him. His house was haunted by Leena''s presence, and everywhere he looked, he was reminded of her. Needing a ce to free his mind, he decided that the dormitory was the best ce to go.


    "Oh!" eximed Kevin, "She went abroad, and she''ll be staying there for a while. I''ll tell her about this and maybe she can visit as soon as she''s back." With a polite but forced smile, he didn''t know what else to say. Truthfully, he didn''t know how long she was staying there too.


    "Oh, I see, I see. It''s all right! I haven''t seen her in a while. We all just miss her." Mrs. Xu admired Leena; she was kind, and never forgot to send them some presents. Besides that, she was beautiful and didn''t have a hard time getting along with them. Everyone somehow ended up liking her even when she didn''t try.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    "Okay, I''ll tell her all about it." They missed her, but nowhere near as much as he missed her. He yearned for her so much that he could barely breathe sometimes. But if the day came when she decided to return, he still wanted to be there for her. He had to suppress the pain and keep living like nothing happened.


    He walked upstairs. When he found that someone was standing by the doorway of his room, he frowned. As soon as he recognized the person, he turned and made his way towards the stairs again. Kevin knew that Leena wouldn''t like it if he stayed anywhere near that


    woman.


    "Kevin, wait!" Kevin cursed under his breath. Louisa ran towards him as soon as she saw him.


    Kevin walked faster upon hearing her. But as he had to stop and greet another officer, she managed to catch up with him quite easily.


    "Why do you always avoid seeing me, Kevin?" asked Louisa, pouting coyly. She heard that Leena had disappeared from his side, and was quick to make a move. ''Finally,'' she thought, ''I have the chance to have him now.''


    "Because my wife doesn''t like it when I meet with other women," Kevin replied simply without turning around to look at her. He just kept walking to the army base directly. He had nned to stay in the dormitory tonight. But it seemed, based on this interaction, that he would have to go back tonight.


    "Didn''t she leave you? I warned you, you know, that a rich girl like her would not make it as a soldier''s wife!" Louisa chuckled, as if she were righteous and thoughtful about his well-being.


    "That''s what you think," said Kevin, still walking. "Miss Ye, if I remember correctly, Commander forbids you to enter the army base. I wonder how he''ll feel if he finds out that you are here. Pissed off, maybe?" Kevin wore a cold smile as he nced at her shocked expression. He knew that the guards didn''t stop her as she followed him into the base. It was the only logical reason for disobeying the Commander''s orders.


    "You... you did it deliberately!" Louisa''s face paled immediately upon realization. Her father had warned her in the past, that if he ever found out that she disobeyed his orders, he would make her move out and live in a dumpster. She had been unemployed because of herck of skills. In short, she would die if she was kicked out by the family!


    "Bye!" said Kevin, neither admitting nor denying. He merely gave out a simple response, got into his car, and then drove away. He didn''t want to waste much of his time on her at all, not for another second.


    ''Damn it!'' she thought, stomping her foot. Louisa walked out of the army base swiftly, hoping that her presence wasn''t reported to his father. Otherwise, there would be terrible consequences waiting for her at home.


    Kevin had gotten used to days with warm dinner waiting for him at home. But now, with Leena gone, there was nothing but darkness weing him. Although it had been a month now, he still couldn''t ept the reality. He always imagined that Leena woulde out from somewhere in the house, look at him with a bright smile, and then leave a gentle kiss on his face. He would be extremely d if that happened.


    "Most of the time, I miss you, but you don''t know it," he said quietly to himself, swallowing back what seemed to be lodged in his throat. Wherever he looked, he would see Leena. The cute her, the wronged her, or the lovely her. He missed all different versions of her. But whenever he reached out to touch her face, to hold her in his arms, she would disappear into the thin air. His heart hurt so much as if it was going to break at any time.00

 Chapter 1485 Be Honest With Each Other (Part One)

    "Are we going to sleep in the same room?" Patricia asked nervously as she bit her finger. She was sitting on the bed and God knew how fast her heart was beating just by gazing at the man before her.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    "So what? We''re married. What''s wrong if we sleep in the same room?" said Tom as he unbuttoned his shirt one by one. It seemed that he didn''t even care that Patricia was there at all. He was too casual as if stripping before her was the most natural thing to do. "Oh! Okay! Are you going to change?" Patricia looked away. There was this mixture of awkwardness and warmth that was crawling her skin. Yes, she might be a straightforward person but that didn''t mean that she was shameless enough to watch this handsome man undress before her. Thus, she said, "Let me walk out of here for a while. I''ll go back into the room once you''re done."


    Those timid words made Tom frown for a second. He never thought of a person as bold as her to be this shy. "Seriously, Patricia? Is that even necessary? Haven''t you seen me naked already?"


    "Nonsense. I''ve never seen you naked, okay?" countered Patricia as her face blushed at once. She felt her neck went stiff as she dared not to look at Tom.


    "You mean you want to see it again?" Smiling wickedly, Tom suddenly stepped closer to her and bent over to examine her beautiful face. He was obviously enjoying this. He couldn''t even exin why her bashfulness was turning him on.


    "Uh... No, I''m fine. I''ll go downstairs and get some water." Patricia swallowed and then hurried out of the room as if a monster was chasing after her. Nevertheless, her steps automatically halted at the moment when she stepped out of the door. ''Wait! Haven''t I been imagining him to do such long ago? Tom is now showing me his naked body for free! Why would I refuse? I''m such a fool,'' she thought.


    Meanwhile, Tom smiled quietly and didn''t mind that she just walked away. He then went into the bathroom. He was aware that it could take time for people to get used to something. Thus, he decided to give her time to adapt to him. Frankly, regardless of how much he loved that woman, he needed time to get used to her too. Suddenly living with someone was such a new phase to him as well anyway.


    Long minutes had passed but Patricia still hadn''te back to their room. She said she would just drink water. Tom found it weird but then ignored it. Instead, he went straight into the study room. He simply didn''t have time to spend with her since he got a lot of difficult cases to study.


    Moreover, Tom was afraid that his friends might y a trick on him once they found out that he got married secretly. Thus, he was nning to tell things to them soon. His friends were a bunch of wild cats after all. He was pretty sure that there would be serious consequences for him if he wouldn''t announce his marriage soon.


    He had this thought in his mind when he picked his cell phone up and started dialing a set of numbers.


    "Darn it, Tom! Why are you calling me sote at night?" It was Edward who first picked the phone up. He was sitting on the bed while gently shaking the wine ss in his hand. Daisy had to write a report tonight hence she didn''t have time for him. That was such a mood bummer and Edward couldn''t stop himself from sulking over it. It was also the reason why he sounded mad on the phone.


    "What''s the matter with you? I haven''t said anything yet." Surprised, Tom thought, ''Who is Edward mad with? I shouldn''t have telephoned him at this hour.''


    "I want someone to keep mepany. Will you do that for me?" Edward said angrily. He raised his head and finished the wine in his ss.


    "No. You might as well have Daisy with you. I''m not a gay." Tom hurriedly refused as his mind answered silently. ''This guy must be kidding me. I''m not a gay. I don''t want to be alone with a man sote.''


    "What are you thinking about? You are so creepy." Edward poured himself another ss as if he wanted to make himself drunk.


    "Excuse me? Do you remember what you just said? That''s very misleading. Besides, you''re the creepiest man in our group,"ined Tom while thinking, ''Everybody says that I''m a good man. Not only am I in good shape and good-looking, but I also have a good career and good temper. How can Edward call me creepy? This is ridiculous.''


    "Are you scolding me? Am I right?" An evil smile cracked Edward''s lips. He would never argue with Tom if only Tom chose to be at his side.


    "No, no, no. How dare I scold you?" denied the doctor. Even if Tom wanted to scold him, he wouldn''t be that stupid to do so nor admit it.


    "That''s good. Now let''s get back to the point. I heard you''re married," said Edward casually, which surprised Tom out of his wits.


    "What? How did you know? I was just about to tell you." Tom shook his head to dismiss his shock. He was married just yesterday and it was extremely surprising that Edward already knew about it. He surely got his way of getting information in record speed! "Have you forgotten who I am? You cannot hide anything from me." Edward sneered with a smug expression on his face.


    "You are right. Then why should I call you? What a waste of time!" Tom felt so stupid. Not only was he scolded by Edward but he also wasted his time. However, he did not dare to let Edward know what he was thinking. The situation was bad enough and he didn''t have ns to make it any worse.


    "How do I know..." Edward said as he held his wine ss against his lips. He was about to say some more surprising facts when a slender hand suddenly grabbed the goblet he was drinking from.


    "You''re right. I was so stupid," said Tom gloomily as he thought, ''Am I too simple, or is Edward too cunning?''


    A yful smile cracked Edward''s lips upon realizing who grabbed his wine. He then looked up at Daisy who frowned at him. His breathing stopped for a while as he was taken aback by the most beautiful face he knew. Thus, he forgot that he was still on the phone with Tom. "Have you finished your report?" He finally managed to ask after a few seconds, not realizing that he still got his phone against his ear.


    "What report? Who are you talking to?" Tom felt a little confused as he suddenly got no clue of what Edward was talking about.


    "Yes. Who are you talking to on the phone?" Daisy raised her eyebrows. She shot the phone in Edward''s hand a cold stare to remind him that he was still on the phone.


    "Nobody." Edward hung up the phone immediately and turned all his attention to her.


    "Hello? Hello?" Tom was frowning when he stared at his phone. ''Damn it! Nobody? How can he say that? Hum! Don''t bother me next time you have troubles, Edward Mu. I am an insignificant person anyway.''


    He let out a deep sigh and then slid his phone back to his pocket. If Edward already knew then most likely, everyone else did too. Thus, he didn''t have to call them one by one. On a positive note, that saved him a lot of time.


    Patricia had spent a lot of her time downstairs before deciding to go back to their room. A long sigh escaped her chest upon seeing that Tom wasn''t in the room. She trudged towards their bed in relief and started to rx. Although she was not familiar with the ce, the smell of Tom in bed gave her a certain peace of mind. Who could have thought that they would marry? Nheless, she was positive that things would be alright. She didn''t know how many difficulties would be ahead of them but she knew that they would be able to solve them as long as they loved each other.


    Unlike other men''s bedrooms, Tom''s room was exuding simple luxury. Every inch of it was highlighting his personal taste and fashion sense. However, Patricia thought that his room was dominated by cold tones with no warmth. The warmth of a particr ce was the most important thing that women cared about. Tom''s ce was simplycking it. Thus, it made Patricia a little ufortable.


    There were a lot of things going through Patricia''s head as shey wide awake. She was getting jitters with the thought that she and Tom were going to sleep in the same bed. The feelings he stirred in her were still lingering all over her body. She didn''t know if they would have the same passion tonight but she hoped that they would. She missed how his lips made trails against her skin. How he kissed every inch of her and how he imed every part of her body.


    Patricia''s face instantly turned red upon realizing her train of thoughts. Thus, she looked even lovelier.


    She was still stuck on the bed when Tom came in. His eyesnded on the stunning woman on his bed. Her white skin and long legs immediately had his heart skipping a beat. However, he soon recovered and approached her with fakeposure.

 Chapter 1486 Be Honest With Each Other (Part Two)

    "What took you so long to get up here? What were you doing downstairs?" asked Tom with a yful smile. He then walked towards their bed and sat next to Patricia. "Uh... When did youe in?" Patricia sat up straight and thought, ''Damn it! Does he know what I was imagining about? Shoot!''? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    "When? Just in time to see how you were clutching my pillow and smelling it." Tom joked out as he leaned against the headboard casually. He looked very seductive when he crossed his long legs and turned to his wife. Then he added, "Ah? Are you seriously that crazy about me? That''s how you look like while you''re sniffing my pillow."


    "No, I am not. I just sniffed your pillow to check if there''s any sweat on it. Didn''t they say that men''s pillows are the most smelly in addition to the socks?" Patricia fancied out the message she had heard when she was a student.


    "It could be true for other men but then I''m a doctor. Do you think I''m that messy? For a man like me, I would never let my pillow to stink." Tom felt a surge offort while talking with Patricia. It seemed that marriage didn''t really bother him at all. Actually, he felt great. ''I guess it is nice to have someone around and talk about trivial things every day. This is perhaps how simple and sweet life should be,'' he thought.


    "For your information, I don''t have any clue about doctor''s hygiene. I must do that sniff-test to make sure that your sweat smell won''t wake me up just in case I cross over your pillow." After hearing his exnation, Patricia did not know what to say, so she began to quibble. "You''re being unreasonable. Come over,"manded Tom. He was looking at her as if he was a king who was waiting for Patricia to answer back.


    "What are you doing?" Patricia unconsciously tugged at the cor of her nightgown as if she wanted to protect herself.


    "Tell me. What should a newly married couple do in the same bed?" Although Tom did not intend to do so, he couldn''t help but tease the beauty who was lying next to him.


    "Er... But... I''m hungry..." Patricia immediately regretted what she said as soon as it came out of her mouth. She thought, ''How could I say that under such circumstances? Oh my God! He is sure to misunderstand me. How could I be so stupid?''


    "Girl, you''re so passionate. Are you sure you''re hungry? Well, okay. I don''t really mind if you want to taste me that much," said Tom viciously. He was just like any other men. He might look like a gentleman outside, but he got his needs too. He desired his wife. "That''s not what I meant. I mean I''m hungry. Literally!" Patricia exined anxiously and thought, ''Oh my God! What the hell am I saying? He is the one initiating it! Howe it suddenly appears like I''m the one seducing him? I''m not that kind of girl! This is so unfair!'' "Why, Patricia? Can''t a man as big as me satisfy you?" Tom raised his eyebrows. He loved to see her at a loss. There was happiness cruising through him whenever he saw her this way, thus, making him forget about the deception she did. In fact, men could be very generous. However, it was a different story when we talked about forgiving those who lied to them.


    "You aren''t mad at me, are you?" Patricia leaned closer to him and held her chin with her hands.


    "Why? Do you want me to be angry?" Tom had a lot of thoughts these days and understood her struggles. People all said that they wouldn''t love or hate a person for no reasons. Although Tom did not agree with what she did before, he knew that she did it for him. Nobody was perfect after all and everyone would eventually make mistakes. No matter how close the two people were, they would still fight with each other. ''If I really love her then I should ept everything about her. I know that whenever I tolerate her, she is also tolerating me. he thought. That thought made him less angry about everything. People tended to get different results when they tried to see things from different perspectives.


    "No, I don''t. You look scary when you''re angry," said Patricia in a pained voice. Her heart ached at the thought of him leaving her alone that day. As a wife, she knew that she still had many shorings. However, she was willing to learn how to be a good wife for him. "Are you afraid?" Tom touched her short hair gently and then smiled. He knew she was very nervous now. Thus, he wanted her to rx.


    "Yes. I''m afraid you''ll leave me. You were always mean to me. Why did you hate me so much before? Is it because I fell in love with you first?" Patricia enjoyed talking to him like this. She discovered that he was a gentleman. He was neither as cold as she had imagined nor as fierce as when he quarreled with her.


    "Yes. I''m not a social person and I don''t like meeting new people. You annoyed me because you were always pestering me. When you told me you liked me, I wanted to escape more than feel surprised. I don''t know what love means to me. I''m not even sure if it is a part of life. I was scared it would rob me of my whole life. That kind of thought made me panic. I didn''t want to change my lifestyle because of you. However, I couldn''t thank you more foring near me. It''s hard to meet someone in life who can move you, let alone love you. Do you know that I was really scared when I was operating you? I was so afraid to make a mistake. I was terrified that I might not save you. I felt like my chest was being cut by a knife when I thought that you were not going to wake up again. It was then that I realized that I already fell in love with you even before I knew it."


    Tom sighed after he said all his thoughts. He found that he needed only to be a little braver to ept her. It was not as difficult as he had imagined. Was he still alone if he didn''t ept her? Tom didn''t want to know the answer but he was grateful for everything he had now.


    "Oh my God! Tom, that''s so sweet! I will love you forever." This was the first time that Tom had said so many words to her. It was refreshing to finally get to know what was in his mind. ''He didn''t ept me because he didn''t know how to face me. Maybe I pushed him too hard.'' she thought. It was fortunate that everything was clear now. They could finally enjoy their happiness after all the sufferings they went through. Although she wasn''t sure of how much he loved her, she was no longer concerned about it. She believed that as long as they were together, they could solve all the things that would get in their way. This was the most important thing for her.


    "I know." Tom replied confidently. He knew that she loved him and he was moved by it. He was ready to give her a chance. Unlike newly bloomed romantic rtionships, being married was not only about love. It was also about protection, responsibility and encouragement.


    "Then why did you leave me the other day?" Patricia pouted with red eyes.


    "I''ll make it up to you now, okay?" Tom moved closer to her until his lips was next to hers. He could feel her clean warm breath against his lips and it was turning him on uncontrobly.


    "Can I say no?" Patricia swallowed. Such a provocative gesture woke up the woman inside her and made her whole body soft.


    "What do you think?" Tom said and kissed her. His kiss was so delicate and fascinating. Tom was all excited at the taste of her sweetness. This was their wedding night and they didn''t need a lot of things as long as they loved each other.


    Patricia closed her eyes. It turned out that such a moment was not as awkward as she thought. Although this was not the first time between them, there was a big difference between a ''drunk Tom'' and a ''sober Tom''. Thus, it was natural for Patricia to be nervous. Patricia did not think that Tom was a great flirt. His emotional words made her swallow her pride. She gave up all her inhibitions before him. She was willing to share the wonderful love and be one with him. She wanted to be the enchanting woman under his body over and over again.


    The night waste but their love was just beginning. Scent of lust was suddenly upying the four corners of the room as the two burned in heat. There was no word to exin the peace they shared as their bodies became one. If they wanted to be with each other forever, they had to work harder. This night belonged to them. No one could get involved.000

 Chapter 1487 Mingling With The Elites (Part One)

    When Patricia woke up the next morning, there was no sign of Tom anywhere. In her mind, the crazy night seemed unreal, but her aching body was telling her it had not been a dream and they had gratifying sex on this soft bed.


    She got up and walked downstairs. The morning sun came through the ss windows. Patricia was in a happy mood because Tom didn''t get angry even after she deceived him. "What am I going to do today? It''s so boring to be staying home alone," she mumbled to


    herself. They still hadn''t seen Leena, and Michelle had to go to school. So, Patricia was really bored.


    "Mrs. Qin, what do you want for breakfast?" Zanna, the housekeeper, asked when she saw Patricia. The housekeeper was sent by Tom''s mother to take care of her son. Zanna was good at reading people''s minds, and Tom''s mother trusted her very much. "Don''t bother, Zanna. I''ll eat whatever is avable." Patricia gave her an awkward smile for waking upte. With a secret smile, she thought, ''This is all Tom''s fault. If not for him, I wouldn''t have gotten up sote.''N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    "All right then. I''ll serve you the same breakfast Mr. Qin had this morning." Zanna was in her forties. She looked pleasant and amiable, and not the kind who would make trouble.


    "All right. Thank you, Zanna." She smiled at the housekeeper. Perhaps it was because she came from a family of equal social rank, so she didn''t feel ufortable living in such an enormous vi. Neither did she feel awkward having a servant attend to her needs. After breakfast, she drove to a market selling home decorations. Patricia wasn''t very fond of their bedroom design and wanted to buy fashionable items to enhance the space. Tom had told her she could rece everything in the house as she wanted. Patricia decided not to redecorate the entire room, but only to add colorful ornaments.


    She was in the middle of bargaining for a porcin vase when she got the call from Tom''s mother, Pam. Her mother-inw requested to see her, so Patriciaid down the vase and turned to leave. But the storekeeper suddenly stopped her as she decided to ept the price Patricia wanted. Unfortunately, the customer had changed her mind because of more important things that needed her attention.


    Pam, a well-educated woman, had graduated from a distinguished university in S City. She was beautiful and came from a wealthy family. It was love at first sight for Tom''s father, but he had courted her for a long time before they became a pair.


    "Patricia! Over here!" Pam called out. Patricia arrived shortly at the restaurant and searched for Tom''s mother. Aside from Pam, there were other middle-aged women sitting at the table.


    "I''m here, Mom," Patricia said as she walked up to the table. "Good morning, aunties." She greeted thedies politely, though she didn''t know who they were. She then sat next to Pam.


    She discreetly looked at her mother-inw''spanions, trying to figure them out. "So, this is your son''s new wife! She is indeed pretty and very polite," one of the women, wearing dazzling jewels, said.


    While she appeared to be praising Patricia, disdain was evident on her face. Graciously, Pam replied, "As long as Tom loves her, I don''t have a problem with anything about her." She was aware of why her femalepanions asked her to call Patricia and have here over. All the women were wives of wealthy men. They hung out together and showed off everything their husbands, sons, and daughters, as well as sons- and daughters-inw. And frankly, this annoyed Pam a little.


    Pam''s statement humbled Patricia. The first time she met Tom''s mother, she found her quite amiable. Now, she liked her even more because of her character. Patricia believed they would make good friends in the future.


    "You''re such a wonderful mother-inw, Pam. Your son''s wife should be grateful to have a mother-inw like you," another woman taunted her while ying with her diamond ring. The woman eyed Patricia from head to toe, apparently forming an opinion based on appearance alone. The young bride felt awkward as they scrutinized her like a piece of merchandise. Had she known so many discriminating women were waiting for her, Patricia would havee to the restaurant aste as possible.


    "Exactly!" another woman with a round face, piped in. "What is her name, Pam?" she asked. She looked gracious enough, but also looked down on Patricia.


    "Aunties, my name is Patricia Bai. And you can call me Patricia," she immediately stood up to introduce herself. Pam was just about to speak when Patricia beat her to it.


    "And what do you do, Patricia?" asked onedy in a very cold tone. From her tone alone, Patricia knew it would not be easy to get along with this woman.


    "I''ve only graduated from university, and haven''t applied for a job yet," she answered truthfully. The fact was, Patricia still had no ns of looking for a job and nned to enjoy her time. After all, she didn''t need a sry to support herself. If she did look for a job someday, it would be out of interest rather than money. But now, faced with so many critical women, she was embarrassed by her decision.


    "Ah, is that so? And what do your parents do?" The onught of questions didn''t stop. And to Patricia, it seemed as if they would not stop asking until they dug deep into her family background.


    Thest question flustered the young woman. "Uh... My parents..." Patricia tried topose herself before replying. "I''m from an ordinary family," she admitted. Forcing a smile to conceal her embarrassment, Patricia was too modest to say that she was from a family of schrs.


    "Ahhh! So you are a real life Cindere! What is that saying again? ''A poor man''s child soon learns to cope.'' Mrs. Qin, you are very fortunate to have such a daughter-inw, because from now on, she will manage everything for you." They were pretending topliment Patricia, but were actually mocking her foring from a poor family.


    Displeased with the interrogation, Pam jumped in, "Yes, it''ll be much easier for me now. Patricia, after all, has been managing her mother''s gallery since she was in high school." Initially, Pam nned to keep quiet and let Patricia deal with thedies herself. But the girl wanted to keep a low profile, which gave them the opportunity to attack the Qin family. So, Pam decided to stand up in her defense. Staying low key was not wrong, but in upper-ss circles, if you didn''t show your real strength, others would dly step on you. ''Patricia is still too young to know this, and I''ll have to talk to her about itter. Besides, she has to learn how to deal with these people after marrying into the Qin family. I know she''s a modest girl, but she has to learn to handle people like these, '' Pam thought firmly.


    "Gallery? It seems Patricia was just being modest," the one who mocked the girl gave an awkward smile. In the eyes of the nouveau rich, painting was considered a refined art form, and only the well-educated knew how to appreciate and enjoy it. She herself knew nothing about the arts, so she was forced to change her opinion of Patricia after Pam''s revtion.


    The young woman only smiled but said nothing. She didn''t understand why her mother-inw told them the truth, because it embarrassed her to be somewhat bragging about her family. "I guess Mrs. Qin means the kind of store selling cheap paintings. That''s why Patricia was embarrassed to disclose this." The woman with a diamond ring blew on her fingers before casting a mocking nce at Patricia.


    Slightly angered by the remark, Patricia said nothing. She was unsure whether these women were Pam''s friends or not, so she refrained from speaking harshly.


    "I don''t know when Rarity Gallery started selling cheap paintings," Pam spoke up, as she sipped lemonade. Although everyone in the table was rich woman who wore fashionable clothes and expensive jewelry, Pam was more graceful and elegant than any of herpanions.


    "What? Rarity Gallery? The one run by Concordia Pei, the well-known painter? So, Patricia is Concordia Pei''s daughter?" one woman eximed. Almost everyone in the city knew who Concordia Pei was.


    "Ah, no wonder you look so educated and sensible, Patricia. Your parents are both well-known schrs. I heard your father is a professor in C University and is a famous calligrapher. His works are priceless, right?" Then came a series of questions that had Patricia confused and unable to withstand the interrogation. She wasn''t expecting her family''s exposure so quickly, and all she could give them was an awkward smile.000000000000????

 Chapter 1488 Mingling With The Elites (Part Two)

    "Uhhh, I appreciate that people love my father''s works," Patricia acknowledged. It felt ufortable to speak about her family''s aplishments. She was thinking that she looked like a fool, and was still wondering why Pam exposed her family background. Patricia didn''t know what to do or what to say. She finally cast a pleading look at her mother-inw to ask for help.


    "Patricia, you are so modest!" Theplete turn-around in attitude was so abrupt and caught Patricia off-guard.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    Her situation now made Patricia realize that what she had learned in school over the years never prepared her to cope in these kinds of circumstances. Not only did she feel too young, but also naive to be dealing with them. She was still in shock long after lunch was over. After Pam and Patricia bid thedies goodbye, Tom''s mother smiled at her daughter-inw. "You aren''t ustomed to all this yet, are you?" she asked. Pam knew Patricia was thinking about what just happened because she had been in a simr situation when she had been the girl''s age. But after so many years, Pam had gotten used to the pretentious ways of the elite.


    "No, I''m not," Patricia admitted sheepishly. "I feel like a hypocrite!" she told her mother-inw. The young woman was overwhelmed by her experience and didn''t want to lie to Pam.


    "You''ll get used to it, don''t worry. To remain among the upper-ss, you have to keep a high profile in front of them. I believe you want to support Tom, and be a good wife, right? So, you must learn all this," Pam exined patiently. While she barely knew Patricia, Pam decided to ept her as a daughter-inw as long as Tom loved her. And being the future hostess of the Qin family, Patricia still had a lot to learn. Pam vowed to do her best in training Patricia to be a qualified hostess. Being in this strata of society required doing certain things even those they were not willing to do.


    Eyes wide, Patricia cried in disbelief, "What?? You mean I still have to dine with them in the future?" Being surrounded by such kind of women made her lose her appetite. And after being grilled by them, she felt dejected.


    "Unfortunately, that''s unavoidable. But cheer up! Why don''t we go shopping? I''d like to buy some clothes for you," Pam offered. She grabbed her daughter-inw''s hand and dragged her to the car. Most people had the impression that wives of rich men lived an easy life, but they had no idea that these women also had troubles of their own.


    Blowing out a breath, Patricia beamed and said, "All right. Thank you, Mom!" After hearing Pam''s words, Patricia suddenly felt a great deal of pressure. She finally understood the famous saying that "Only two persons are concerned when ites to love, but two families are involved in a marriage."


    "Oh Patricia, don''t be frustrated. Actually, it''s not that unbearable. You can regard it as a TV drama, and you''ll soon find it funny to watch them ying out the scenes." She couldn''t help pinching her daughter-inw''s pretty face. Pam found her quite adorable. She believed Patricia would soon get used to the ways of the wealthy.


    "Really, Mom? You think of it as a TV drama?" Her eyes widened in shock, and she didn''t know if Pam was kidding or not.


    "Yes, I do. It''s quite fascinating, don''t you think so?" Pam replied. Rich wives her age didn''t normally need to work, so they hung out together to kill time.


    "Uh... I don''t think it''s funny at all," Patricia said. She was a straightforward person, so there was no way she was going to think that was funny.


    "Okay then. What do you think about it? Think of this, our husbands are usually very busy. They rarely have time to apany us. So, what would you do? Nag them andin? They''re already exhausted from work and are hardly in the mood tomiserate with us. Therefore, we must find ways to entertain ourselves, right?" Unlike other mothers-inw, Pam was not offended by Patricia''s manner of speech. She didn''t think the young woman should always be careful with her words and actions when they were together.


    Patricia''s face twitched at her mother-inw''s words. She could already imagine how miserable her future life would be. Only married to Tom for a day but Patricia already felt lonely without hispany. Patricia admired Leena because when Kevin had to carry out missions from time to time, she was often left alone for at least two weeks. Patricia couldn''t imagine how lonely Leena felt when her husband was on a mission. If she were in her shoes, she would have already gone mad.


    Unlike other military personnel, Kevin had an easier work. Soldiers stationed around borders or mountainous areas had a more difficult existence. They only got to see their family once every few years. Military spouses were a remarkable group of people, who not only needed to take care of their families but also had to bear the loneliness.


    Pam bought several clothes for Patricia, who often dressed like a tomboy. The very thought of wearing feminine clothes made Patricia break out in cold sweat. She was both embarrassed and too polite to say no to her mother-inw, who was warm-hearted. So, Patricia had no choice but to try on many kinds of dresses.


    Pam was a woman with a mission, so she next dragged her daughter-inw to the shoe department. The sight of Patricia''s sneakers made Pam frown. Sighing, she knew it would take a little time to transform the young woman into the ideal future hostess of the Qin family. She was okay with Patricia''s usual attire on regr days. But she believed Tom''s wife needed to wear formal clothes on certain asions because she was representing the Qin family.


    "What? You mean we aren''t finished yet?" Patricia eximed. She looked at her mother-inw in desperation. All Patricia wanted was to go back home and throw herself in bed because she was both physically and mentally exhausted. In her eyes, shopping was more tiring than exercising.


    Her mother-inw patted Patricia''s arm. "You can''t wear a beautiful dress with sneakers, can you? You don''t need to wear these clothes every day. But you have to wear formal dresses when you apany Tom to formal events," Pam exined. She pulled Patricia and steered her towards the shoe department before the girl changed her mind.


    At that moment, Patricia felt like a hypocrite. Her insides quivered. She didn''t want to go with Pam but was too embarrassed to say so. In her mind, she was screaming, ''God! Please save me!'' When Tom came home from work that evening, he saw his wife sprawled on the couch, eyes nk, looking as if she were dead.


    "What''s wrong with you?" he asked, as he approached Patricia. He was frowning as heid his briefcase on the table. Tom wondered whether he had been a bit rough with his wifest night.


    "Oh, I''m half-dead," Patricia groaned. Her voice sounded like she had no strength left to talk. She finally understood why men disliked going shopping with women. It could indeed be exhausting! She was a woman but couldn''t bear it herself. Patricia wondered why Pam didn''t feel tired at all. ''Did she give herself a shot in the arm?'' she thought to herself. ''That''s probably the reason! After all, Tomes from a family of doctors. Maybe Pam has analeptic at home.''


    "Did you go climbing a mountain? Or did you swim a whole ten kilometers?" he asked, as he loosened his necktie. Tom looked at his wife worriedly. For someone always so full of energy, this was the first time he had seen her this way.


    "Mom and I went shopping." Patricia sat up and began massaging her aching muscles. She had just recuperated from the ident and felt ufortable after having walked for a long time during their shopping spree.


    "I told you not to walk for so long because you''ve just recovered. Do your legs hurt? Let me check." He couldn''t help but be anxious. Taking off his coat, Tom sat next to Patricia andid her legs on top of his to examine them.


    "They hurt a little. I didn''t want to go shopping, but your mother said she was changing my style of dressing. When you go upstairs to our room, don''t be shocked by the number of shopping bags you''ll see," she warned her husband. Even though Patricia was exhausted, her face flushed crimson as she felt somewhat shy while Tom held her legs.


    "Mom asked you out? She didn''t tell me," Tom said, slightly annoyed. He hadn''t informed his mother that Patricia had just recovered from a car ident. Tom decided to call Pamter and tell her about this. He only wanted to prevent something simr happening in the future.

 Chapter 1489 Playing Hard To Get (Part One)

    "Why?" asked Patricia in confusion. "What would you have done if she told you?" Tom didn''t answer while Patricia continued. "Would you have joined us for shopping? Is that it?" Her brows creased into a beautiful frown. She didn''t understand why Tom was serious about it. After all, it was the first time she saw him act in such a way. A consistent frown on his face made him appear more intimidating than usual.? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    "Did you really think I''d want to join you? That''s ridiculous," huffed Tom, looking at her weirdly. Patricia merely shrugged. "You silly girl. Why didn''t you tell mom that your leg was hurting? She would have understood," scolded Tom as he massaged her leg with a gentle hand. He didn''t like the idea of her leg hurting.


    "I just couldn''t tell her at the time. Do you have any idea how excited she was?" asked Patricia, ncing at him. "She really enjoyed shopping with me. I just didn''t have the heart to let her down, that''s all. I was trying to get on her good side." She sighed in delight. "If I could just make her like me, I guess we won''t have a difficult daughter-and-mother-inw rtionship in the future," Patricia reasoned with Tom, who had been silent this entire time. She recounted all the times her leg hurt, and why she felt it was best to keep it to herself. While she knew deep in her heart that Tom''s mother wasn''t unreasonable like other mothers-inw, she still couldn''t help it. Even though her mother-inw would have understood, she just didn''t want to cause any friction between them. It was better to be cautious. "You make it sound like my mom''s unreasonable. Can you stop worrying? She is very kind and considerate. She is easy to get along with. She would never give you a hard time." Tom was really confident about this. He was convinced his mother would never intentionally do anything to make Patricia''s life harder, being the kind and gentle woman that she was. She had good manners, and would definitely attempt to get along with her daughter-inw, even if it was only for her own son''s sake.


    "I know! I can tell that she is. But that''s not it. The more she is kind to me, the more I don''t have the heart to let her down. I just really don''t want to disappoint her, Tom." Patricia rubbed her nose, feeling rather silly for admitting it to him. This was one of her weaknesses. The more others treated her nicely, the more she wanted to give back. She dreaded the chances of letting down the people who were nice to her.


    "So? Is that why you decided to let yourself be hurt?" he asked skeptically, "All right. Go upstairs and have a shower. Then let me put some ointment on your leg when you''re done." Tom let out a silent sigh. Though her leg was red and a bit swollen, it was not that bad. All she needed was some ointment, and then she was fine in a matter of hours after some rest.


    "But we''re about to have dinner. I was just waiting for your return. Besides, I am really hungry right now." Patricia was the kind of girl who couldn''t stand being hungry. When in such a vulnerable condition, she couldn''t focus on anything else. She was simply unable to function on an empty stomach. That was why she didn''t run upstairs to shower before having something to eat.


    "You''re hungry already? Didn''t you have lunch earlier?" Tom asked, looking at her with curious eyes. If she went and had lunch, she shouldn''t be feeling hungry so early. So why? Did she have to pass up on lunch to keep shopping with his mother? It sounded a bit extreme to him. Was she too shy to tell his mother that she wanted to eat? Did his mother really forget to invite her to some food, at least some snacks? Tom''s mind was reeling with so many possibilities but Patricia was quick to put him at ease.


    "We had lunch together," she said, "But I didn''t have an appetite at the time, and didn''t get to eat much." Thinking back of the lunchtime when she had to go through with those pretentiousdies today upset her all of a sudden. They were too mean and obnoxious for her liking. She couldn''t stand it at all. If she had her way, she would never talk to any of them again in the future.


    "Why is that? Was the food not delicious enough?" Tom put her leg on the floor and stood up. He was curious to know what made Patricia, a woman who enjoyed eating so much, lose her appetite. It piqued his interest immeasurably. Could there be something bothering her?


    "The food was all right. It''s just... the crowd, you know? They were just a bunch of nosy and obnoxious women. I just didn''t feel like eating a lot around them earlier." Patricia was being honest. She didn''t want to lie to Tom, especially not about something as trivial as this. It wasn''t a big deal, so she might as welle out with the truth.


    "Ha ha," chuckled Tom, rxing upon hearing her exnation. "I think I know what you mean. Were they mom''s so-called friends? They''re not her real friends, to be honest. Somehow, she just has to socialize with them." Tom exined to Patricia and felt amused by her reaction. Though he didn''t like the olddies himself, he knew how to ignore them. Patricia, on the other hand, was easily fazed by such type of people.


    "You know about this?" Patricia asked in surprise. "To be honest, I''m really impressed by your mother. I just can''t understand how a nice and kind person like her can be friends with those pretentious and obnoxious women." Patricia was amazed by her mother-inw''s tenacity around such a difficult group of women. She could stand being friends with them despite their nosiness and, in her books, that was truly impressive. If it were Patricia who had to socialize with them, she would have given up a long time ago and run away as soon as possible. She wasn''t the kind of woman who could easily deal with people she didn''t like, and quite frankly, she was fine by that.00000000000000

 Chapter 1490 Playing Hard To Get (Part Two)

    "Well, she has to. There are all kinds of people you won''t find yourself liking in this world. But sometimes, you''ll still have to socialize with them. It is what it is. I know it''s not ideal at all," he said, noticing the look on her face. "But to be frank, we can''t really do much about it. It''s simply out of our control." The corners of Tom''s lips lifted up in a bitter and helpless smile. In his opinion, Patricia was still too young and had a long way to go before she could understand the way things worked in the real world. It was understandable though, as she had been sheltered by her family her entire life. It was why she lost her appetite when she had lunch with some less desirable people. Much to Tom''s surprise, Patricia could be really naive sometimes.


    "I know. I really understand what you mean. I just can''t help but feel that living that way could be tiring. Maybe I just need some time to adjust to it." Patricia concluded, silently letting out a sigh. Whenever she thought about the likelihood of having to socialize with those people in the future, whether she liked it or not, she felt sad. Honestly, it wasn''t the kind of life she pictured for herself.


    "What? Are you afraid? It''s not like there''s anything you can do about it right now." Tom didn''t mean it, even after saying those words. He was only trying to scare her a little. In fact, if she really didn''t want to spend time with any of those pretentious people, she wouldn''t have to do that and he would never force his wife either. After all, he wasn''t the kind of man who needed his wife to suffer in these types of situation. More so since he, too, did not like to be around fake people and often avoided it when he could.


    "Will I be fake and obnoxious like them one day? Will Ipletely lose myself when I''ve adjusted to them?" Patricia stared at him with worried eyes, a deep frown on her face. Suddenly, she had a feeling that the marriage wasn''t as good as she had imagined. It seemed like there were a lot of responsibilities, and a lot of challenges she had tomit to in order for it to work.


    "You just want me to say that no matter how much you change, I''ll still always love you," he said, a small smile on his lips. "Don''t you?" Tom turned around to look at Patricia. She had followed him into the kitchen, where he was washing his hands. There was a flicker of slyness in his eyes. He could tell it was what Patricia wanted to hear from him.


    "Yeah, you''re right. But you won''t say it, will you?" Patricia asked in a small, disappointed voice.


    "Do you think life''s a fairy tale?" Tom almost berated her. "Don''t be silly, Patricia. If a man ever promises you that, then he must be lying to make you happy for the meantime. That''s all there is to it. And I don''t ever want to lie to you." He turned off the faucet, and dried his hands with a towel. There was a smirk on his face.


    "Don''t you think that white lies are necessary sometimes?" Patricia was leaning on the door, staring at Tom expectantly. She waited for an answer.


    "It depends. All right,e on!" said Tom, trying to change the subject. "Didn''t you say you were hungry? Come on, let''s go eat." Tom didn''t want to argue with her. So he grabbed Patricia''s hand and led her into the dining room, where dinner was served. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the food, and Tom thought he had seeded in dropping the subject at hand.


    Although Patricia warned him as soon as he got home, Tom was still shocked to see all the shopping bags in their bedroom after dinner. Why the hell did Patricia need to buy so many things? It was like she bought the entire store!


    "What is it? Are you shocked?" Patricia knew that he would react this way. If she was being honest, she felt the same way as well when she brought them all upstairs. She didn''t realize that she bought so many things today.


    "Uhm. That''s quite... impressive." Tom''s lips twitched in amusement. It seemed that his mother really liked Patricia to a point where she wanted to train her to be like her. One thing his mother didn''t realize, however, was that Patricia didn''t do well with people like she did. So no matter how much she taught her, she''d never be as superb as his mother in this respect.


    Patricia grinned shyly, before sorting all the bags out. Adapting would take her some time, that was for certain. After struggling a bit more inwardly, she decided to ept her fate. She couldn''t get away from it anyway, so she might as well embrace and prepare for it. Patricia made up her mind: she would learn to socialize with people, even those whom she didn''t like.


    It was a chilly morning in S City. Michelle, who had short hair and dressed in gender-neutral clothes, walked towards the bus stop. Everyone who noticed her would presume she was a lively and vivacious youngdy when in reality, she was really just runningte for school.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "Get in the car," said a demanding voice. A sleek ck car stopped by her side. The window rolled down, showing Luke''s emotionless handsome face.


    Michelle looked at him with uncertainty. "Don''t you have to go to thepany with Edward?" She asked in a perplexed tone. She thought Luke already left with Edward. Instead of leaving, however, he came to find her.


    "Someone else is following him. Hurry up! Aren''t you about to bete?" Luke asked, his eyebrows knitted into a serious frown. It was clear that he was an impatient man, and wanted to be back on the road immediately.0000000

 Chapter 1491 Playing Hard To Get (Part Three)

    Michelle sighed in defeat. "Okay." She quickly got in the car. She nced in Luke''s direction while fastening her seat belt. It was strange having Luke willingly drive her to school. A surreal feeling indeed. She couldn''t help but wonder why he was doing this. Usually, Luke couldn''t care less about what she was up to as long as she didn''t return to her family. Now, even as he was obviously reluctant, he still came and made her get into his car. "I just don''t get it. You have a car yourself. Why don''t you just drive to school?" Luke asked, confused. Why Michelle didn''t want to use the car, he couldn''t understand. It would have been a more convenient option for her.


    "I''d rather not draw attention to myself by driving a car," she said, shrugging. "So it''s better to go by public transportation. Besides, it''s kind of liberating getting there by bus." Michelle withdrew her gaze from him. Maybe she had mastered controlling her feelings, she wasn''t sure, but she just didn''t feel excited being in the same car as Luke. It felt like a long time ago since she first met him. His cold and cruel attitude made her lose the feelings she had for him. Though her heart remained somewhat bitter, she was no longer easily influenced by him. It wasn''t the same as before anymore.


    "In fact," continued Luke in an indifferent tone, "You can ask our driver to send you to school. I rarely use him anyway." He watched the road the entire time he spoke. Not a single nce was spared at her, and his face remained as cold and emotionless. It wasn''t like he was talking to his wife at all. If someone saw them, they would think they wereplete strangers. For a while, Luke wore an unreadable expression.


    "I guess I''d better not bother him. Commuting is good. I really enjoy going to school by bus." Michelle was being genuine. Going to school by bus made her feel like an ordinary girl; that she wasn''t someone''s wife, and not someone''s daughter either. It made her feel like she was just a simple student who wanted to learn how to draw. She felt more at ease, not being recognized by other people.


    "Does it really make you feel good? Going to school?" Finally, Luke nced at her for a split second. Though his tone remained cold, he was no longerpletely ignoring her. He might even be a bit curious.


    "Yeah, it does," she said eagerly. "I''m learning what I''m truly interested in. It makes me happy. My school life is busy, yet interesting." She hade to ept the fact that she was unlucky in her love life. Thus, she preferred to pay most of her attention on other things including drawing. What else was there for her to do? If you thought she''d be depressed over unrequited love and give up on herself, then sorry, but you were awfully mistaken! She knew better than that. Michelle was never that way. She wasn''t the kind of girl who was easily knocked down in life. Yet there were instances where she got sad and lonely, she chose not to dwell on them for too long. She got on with her life and stayed strong.


    Luke didn''t utter another word. His lips were pursed tightly into a grim line. His face was cold as usual. On the other side, Michelle was used to his personality by now. She faced the tinted window and looked out pensively. The only thing she actually received from their wedding was that she had learned to be more mature. She wasn''t the same naive little girl that she once was before.


    "You can pull over at the corner. I''ll just walk the rest of the way," said Michelle, as she noticed that they were nearing the school.


    "There''s still a long way to your school." Luke looked at her cluelessly. He just didn''t understand why Michelle would rather walk when he could easily drive her to school.


    "I know. But I just don''t want other people to see me in an overly expensive car," Michelle wanted to put all her attention on drawing while at school. She didn''t want to draw any attention and cause drama along the way. For once, she would rather have a simple, if not uneventful, school life. "Why?" Luke asked, ncing at her with his cold eyes. Michelle could read his thoughts, and it unnerved her.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "Don''t think too much of it. I just really don''t want to stand out in the crowd," Michelle was quick to exin, realizing that he might have misunderstood. She really enjoyed going to school. It was the simple yet full life that she had always wanted but couldn''t until now. She didn''t mind being thought of as a poor girl. She couldn''t care less about what others thought anyway. She just wanted things to remain the same for now. She wanted to keep her life at school as simple as possible.


    "If you don''t want others to know about us or our rtionship, just tell me. No need to be all secretive about it," Luke turned the steering wheel, and stopped the car by the corner that she told him. He should be happy about this, shouldn''t he? He got what he wanted. Luke had demanded her to keep some distance from him, and now that she did, he felt ufortable. Almost like he wanted to take back his word. He didn''t appreciate being kept a secret. He realized that it made him feel like she was ashamed of him. Despite knowing that it wasn''t the real reason, he couldn''t help but have his thoughts wander around, only to be unhappy once he came across some negative thoughts.


    "Ha! Luke, you know what? You''re being ridiculous right now. You were the one who told me that I''d better not have any unrealistic feelings towards you. And now that I''m finally over you, you''re bummed out about it?! It''s like whatever I do, you always find something wrong about it." Michelle chuckled bitterly. Luke always set the rules for her. And she, being the obedient wife, always did whatever he wanted her to do. What more could he ask of her? She really couldn''t understand the man sitting beside her at all.00000000

 Chapter 1492 Playing Hard To Get (Part Four)

    "No, you''re right. I''m the one being unreasonable. Now get off my car." Despite being irked, Luke was clueless why he felt that way. Yes, it was he who told Michelle not to bother him. But he didn''t expect her toply with his request without a fight, and it annoyed him so much more than he expected. Recently, Michelle treated him like aplete stranger even though they lived together. Instead of treating him like her husband, she just nodded at him impassively whenever they crossed paths in the house. She gave him the cold shoulder several times, and Luke, who was always chased by girls, was not used to this silence treatment.


    Michelle bit her lower lip, not uttering a single word. Her eyes reddened upon hearing Luke''s words, hating the fact that she could still be influenced by him so easily. She shook the thought off her mind. It wasn''t the best time to be overwhelmed by negativity. She raised her chin up and opened the door. She got off the car without saying goodbye. With quick, long steps, she hurried towards the school, as far away from him as she could.


    Luke, on the other hand, didn''t start the car as soon as she left. His gaze remained locked on Michelle''s back, following her until she disappeared in a corner. He was lost in his own thoughts. When did Michelle start acting this way? Back then, she was always eager to get his attention? What changed? She must''ve been losing interest in him. This thought should have made him happy, but didn''t. Why was he so bothered by it? Luke just couldn''t figure out all the answers to these questions.


    "Hi! Good morning, Michelle!" As soon as she walked past the school gate, Bradley greeted her in a lively tone. It seemed that he was happy to see her. Like every rich and spoiled kid in school, he was driving an expensive sports car. "Good morning," Michelle replied shortly, brows slightly furrowed. As much as she didn''t want to talk to him, she couldn''t afford to be that impolite. Besides, she didn''t really dislike him. She just didn''t want toplicate things by socializing with him.


    "Get in the car! I can drive you to school." Bradley slowed down his car, driving beside her whilst beaming at her with a huge smile on his young face. Michelle couldn''t help it; she ended upparing her husband with Bradley. They were really different men. Luke was cold and distant. He liked to keep a straight face at all times. Meanwhile, Bradley was arrogant and vivacious. He knew he was handsome and rich, and didn''t know how to be shy about it.


    "No, thanks. I''m here to learn," she said, "Not make enemies." Michelle''s tone was a bit sarcastic. She knew the consequences of getting a ride from Bradley, the most popr boy in school. If the girls saw her in his car, all hell would break loose. And while she wasn''t afraid to confront them, she enjoyed her simple status in school too much to ruin it for a ride. Rather than be attacked by his enthusiastic followers, she would dly walk on her own instead, maybe even keep her distance from Bradley.


    "Make enemies? Don''t be dramatic! It''s not that bad. If you get in my car, the most terrible thing that could happen is someone pulling your hair," Bradley said nonchntly. He knew how crazy the girls who were smitten with him could be. If he was being honest with himself, he could get quite frustrated by all the attention of the girls in school. They liked to analyze his every move, create rumors behind his back. Both of which made him ufortable. Even as a guy who enjoyed being in the limelight, too much unwanted attention also had the effect to frustrate him.


    "Isn''t that serious enough? I''d like my hair intact, thank you very much. I''m here to learn, not join some high school drama that no one cares about," After uttering these words to him, Michelle took a shortcut without bothering to hear Bradley''s reply.


    Bradley smirked at Michelle''s words. Speechless, he watched her leave. Interest flicked in his eyes. It was evident how intrigued he was by Michelle. Perhaps, because it was the first time he did the chasing and not the other way around. Michelle. She wasn''t like the other girls. She wasn''t interested in him. And this ultimately caught Bradley''s attention. He wanted to be noticed by her. Call him childish, but he had made up his mind. He was going to make Michelle fall for him.


    As soon as Michelle walked into the ssroom, all eyes were on her. She felt ufortable under their suspicious looks. She wasn''t sure what the attention was all about. ''Does it have something to do with my clothes?'' she thought nervously.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    "Michelle, I heard you came to school with Bradley, all giggling andughing. Is that true?" Hilda asked under her breath,pletely curious.


    "Who said that?" Michelle grimaced. Giggling andughing? What the hell? She was definitely sure that she didn''t even smile at the guy! Who the hell would say that?


    "They''re all talking about it. It''s wild! Maybe someone saw you two together. You have to realize that Bradley never smiled at any girl. But lo and behold, he smiled at you! Do you know what that means? Maybe he''s interested in you!" Hilda was overexcited about some rumor. She''d love for it to be true. It would make her happy.


    "What the hell are you talking about?! That''s ludicrous! Do you really think a popr guy like Bradley would fall for a tomboy? I don''t think so. There are plenty of beautiful girls in school that would get his attention. Not me." Michelle burst inughter. It was never going to happen. And besides, she didn''t give a damn about what Bradley was thinking. Amused, Michelle looked around and took a deep breath. No wonder her ssmates were acting strangely. Now she knew the reason.


    "Well, it''s hard to tell. You never know. Some rich guys have rather weird tastes these days. You could be his type," Hilda whispered mysteriously, as if she knew a lot about rich men.

 Chapter 1493 Playing Hard To Get (Part Five)

    "Hey! What do you mean by that? That didn''t sound like apliment at all. Are you saying I''m some strange girl that caught his attention? Because I''m weird?" Michelle said in annoyance. She had a casual frown on her face. Bradley was bad news. She had to keep her "Michelle! Do you remember your promisest time? What now? Exin yourself!" Erin, who suddenly appeared in front of them, said in an angry tone. She was ring at Michelle, radiating all the hatred a person could possibly muster.


    distance from him. A few words with him earned her several res. She could only imagine what would happen if she hung around him.


    "Yes, I remember," said Michelle unblinkingly, "I promised I''d never fall in love with him. That doesn''t mean I wouldn''t even talk to the guy." Michelle already had a feeling that Erin woulde and find her to confirm if the rumors were true. And just as soon as the thought crossed her mind, Erin appeared before her eyes. It was like the very thought alone summoned the devil.


    "You really have an answer for everything, don''t you?" asked Erin, giving him her infamous scathing look. "But you can''t fool me. I can see the look on your face when he''s around. And you can''t justify what you''ve done." In fact, Erin was a bit afraid of Michelle. That was why she had avoided arguing with her alone. Now that there were so many students around them, Erin found the courage to confront her. Michelle wouldn''t dare to do anything in front of everyone after all.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "You''re being unreasonable, Erin. What did I do?" she asked, "I just said a few words to the guy, that''s all. You can''t force me to be impolite to a friendly ssmate. Not when he talked to me first. Can you?" Erin didn''t answer. "How about this? If you''re really unhappy by what happened, why don''t you go back and speak to Bradley yourself? Just tell him you don''t want to see him talking to me. Quite simple, right?" Michelle leaned on her chair, pretending to cooperate. She didn''t care about how Erin felt about her talking to Bradley. It was none of her business. She just wanted Erin to leave her alone. For all Michelle cared, Erin could have Bradley all she wanted. She wasn''t interested, yet everyone seemed to be having a hard time epting that.


    "You''re unbelievable! How could you suggest that? You know that if I ever bring this up to him, he''ll be even more annoyed with me. Ha! I know what you''re trying to do," sneered Erin, "You just want to make him hate me so you can have him. You can''t fool me!" Erin raised her chin and red at Michelle. She thought she exposed Michelle''s ns and for a moment seemed triumphant.


    "Whatever you say. If you really don''t believe me, then I''ve nothing else to say to you." Michelle shrugged. If there was anyone who had to be angry about what happened, it should''ve been her. She just wanted to have an ordinary school life. Was that such a difficult wish? No matter how many times she denied the usations, she kept being dragged into this drama. It was annoying her to no end. Was Erin deaf?


    "Ha! I knew it! No one can ever resist a handsome and charming guy like Bradley. You''re just ying hard to get." Erin raised her voice intentionally as soon as she saw Bradley enter the ssroom. She wanted to be heard by him. Then he would know Michelle''s ns. She would never allow Michelle to have Bradley. Never.


    "Yeah, you''re right! I like him! I am charmed by him! That''s why I changed my mind, and broke my promise to you. Are you satisfied now? Can you leave me alone?" Michelle said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She was tired of Erin insisting the same thing over and over again. She might as well admit it if it would shut Erin up. Michelle just wanted to get her off her back.


    "I''m so d to hear that, Michelle." Hearing Michelle''s words, Bradley''s lips lifted into a smirk. He looked at her with overt interest. Though he could tell that her words weren''t genuine, it satisfied him.


    Erin froze for a few seconds, then quickly warned him, "Bradley, she doesn''t really like you! She''s only interested in your money, that''s all! Don''t fall for her lies." This was definitely not what Erin had in mind. She didn''t expect Bradley to react this way towards Michelle''s outburst.


    "You''re not her," said Bradley, "How would you know that she''s after my money?" Bradley nced at her with eyes full of disdain.


    Michelle didn''t know how to react to the situation. She only said those things to rile Erin up so she could leave her in peace. She should''ve looked around before opening her mouth. If she did, she''d have seen Bradley''s arrival and avoided this from happening. Sufficed to say, Michelle was at a loss for words.


    "Of course I know! A poor girl like her definitely wants a rich boyfriend who''ll spoil her. Is it that hard to tell? Besides," added Erin, "She''s not good enough for you!" Erin red at Michelle arrogantly. While Michelle was dressed in designer brands, there was no telling that whether they could be fake. Michelle didn''t look like the type of girl who could afford expensive clothes anyway. For God''s sake, she came to school by bus!


    "She''s not good enough for me? Are you saying that you''re good enough for me then?" sneered Bradley, "Because I think not. In my opinion, natural beauty like Michelle is way better than you''ll ever be, with all that stic surgery you did on your face." Bradley grew aware of his harsh words. He nced at Erin''s angry face, and then turned his gaze on Michelle, who was standing with an awkward look.


    Michelle cleared her throat. "If you two want to argue about this, will you go somece else to talk? I''m not interested in this conversation at all. Please don''t drag me into this mess." Michelle gently rubbed her forehead. The issue was making her head hurt. After pulling that stunt with Erin, what could she do now? Her reckless outburst had only worsened things for her when Bradley overheard it too. Then there were the rest of the people who heard everything. Damn. How could she let herself get into such a messy situation? For Heaven''s sake, she wasn''t interested in this arrogant guy! Why couldn''t people see that? Besides, she was already married. It was understandable that none of her ssmates knew. But even if she wasn''t married, one thing was for sure. Bradley was definitely not her type.000

 Chapter 1494 Michelles Changes (Part One)

    Erin stamped her foot, and stormed out.


    "I don''t care whether you were just joking or not. I like you a lot and I''m going to court you until I sweep you off your feet," Bradley bent and whispered in Michelle''s ear. The onlookers gasped on seeing his quick and sly move. They hated Michelle more. Michelle had goosebumps all over, as she felt really ufortable. ''I''m a married woman, but Bradley just said that he will court me. At least this is a man who actually likes me. Oh my god! Am I daydreaming? What should I do?'' she asked herself. "Of course, you can court all you want. This is a free country. But I can guarantee that the result will be a big NO," Michelle said coldly. She was here to learn painting, not to get into a rtionship. She was already in one.


    "It''s up to you. I''m just telling you my ns." Bradley gave her a teasing smile before leaving. Obviously, he had a lot of confidence in himself.


    "Wow! He''s so cool! Michelle, what did he just say to you?" Hilda asked with curiosity. Bradley had said it in such a low voice that only Michelle heard it.


    "Nothing. The nerve, this guy!" Bradley was the school hunk, and was popr all throughout. It was said that many girls had a thing for him and would dly drop their pants in front of him. If Michelle really went out with Bradley, she would garner the hate of every girl and be theirmon enemy. She didn''t want any of it.


    Hilda was shocked on hearing Michelle''s words. She thought, ''s! Only Michelle treats the recognized school hunk as a lunatic. Other girls including me would easily drool at the sight of him, but Michelle, in contrast, always stays away from him.''


    When Michelle and Hilda entered the school canteen at lunch time, they were stopped by Bradley. "Michelle,e with me. I''ve already ordered food for you," he said.


    "What for? I can order lunch by myself! Plus, I''m not ustomed to eating with boys," Michelle declined. Many girls in the canteen were staring at her with hostility. Michelle couldn''t help but cringe on the inside. They could have him if they wanted him. They all had no self- respect anyway.


    "You''ll get used to it," Bradley said gently. The more reluctant Michelle was, the more he wanted to conquer her. She would be his most aspired trophy.


    "I think I will never get used to eating with you," Michelle said with a frown. She had a strong aversion to such stalkers. And it was not until now did she realize why Luke hated her so much. She had been a stalker to Luke as well and this relentless following around, the ufortable staring and gazing, as well as her popping up in the most unexpected ces could get really infuriating.


    "Michelle..." Hilda tugged at her sleeve as she felt Michelle was going too far.


    "Never mind. I have some work to finish, and I''m leaving." After saying that, Michelle turned and left the canteen alone. She had lost her appetite.


    Being rejected in public, Bradley felt a little humiliated. He ran after Michelle, leaving Hilda behind. The onlookers widened their eyes, jaw ck in awe.


    "Are you trying to humiliate me in public on purpose? But you know what? I don''t mind. I''m willing to take whatever you do to me," Bradley said as he trailed behind Michelle, resting his hands in his pockets.


    "I''m not that kind of girl who does something special in order to make you notice her. Please forget what I said this morning. I was just trying to provoke Erin. I don''t have a thing for you, and I won''t in the future. So could you please leave me alone? You are causing me trouble. Go with Erin. She''s already obviously throwing herself at you," Michelle stopped and said earnestly. She was a married woman. And despite the fact that her husband didn''t love her, she was not interested in having an affair.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    "This may sound crazy, but I really love you. You have the right to turn me down, but I also have the right to love you. You cannot stop me from loving you." Bradley really meant it. Michelle was the first girl who didn''t fawn on him because of his family background. He swore to himself that he must have her for his girlfriend.


    "Pfft. Don''t be silly. You''re not my type. To tell you the truth, I have a boyfriend," Michelle said with haste and half regretted it. She didn''t want her ssmates to find out that she had already gotten married. Otherwise, they would treat her differently in the future. But she was getting desperate to get rid of this annoying guy.


    "You are lying to me, aren''t you? You just don''t want me to court you, right? But if you really have a boyfriend, I would like to have a fairpetition with him. It is not yet the end." Bradley didn''t believe what Michelle had said. He thought she had just made an excuse to turn him down. He would still try to win her heart whether she had a boyfriend or not.


    "No, I''m not. I''ve already told you that I have a boyfriend. Please stay away from me from now on. You''ve already caused me a lot of trouble in the past few days. I don''t want to be the most hated girl here in school." Michelle noticed that many girls were staring at them, green with envy.


    "Do you really hate me like this?" Bradley asked as his face twitched. It was his first time to be disliked by a girl.


    "I believe that you already know how it feels to be pestered, because there are many girls pestering you every day, right? I was really annoyed when you said you love me and you want to court me. I think you have had the same experience." Michelle didn''t want to hurt his feeling, but she had to. She would by no means ept another man in her life. She was Luke''s wife and she loved him. Bradley''s behavior made her realize how much trouble she had brought to Luke. She now felt really sorry for him.


    "First of all, I''d like to apologize for the mean wordsing from the girls. Please believe me, I won''t let anyone hurt you from now on," Bradley reassured her in a serious voice. But unfortunately, he just didn''t understand that whatever he did, Michelle would never love him. And again, Michelle was irritated by his non-stop pestering.


    "Bradley He, how many times do I have to repeat to you that I have no interest in you. This conservation is over. I am leaving and don''t follow me!" Michelle left as fast as she could. She didn''t know how to deal with this situation effectively. She must find another way.

 Chapter 1495 Michelles Changes (Part Two)

    "Bradley, why do you have to humble yourself in front of a woman like that? She can''t even hold a candle to me! Why do your eyes only see her?" Erin asked, showing up from nowhere. She red at Michelle''s receding figure with burning eyes. If eyes could kill, Michelle would have been murdered thousands of times.


    "You won''t understand me. That''s because you haven''t met someone who makes you want to be humble, someone that you are willing to do everything for." Bradley was also a little confused by himself now. At the very beginning, he had just wanted to teach Michelle a lesson. He had been insulted as she hadn''t fawned on him like the others girls. But now, he had developed a special feeling for her, and he hadn''t had this kind of feeling before. He hated it but he couldn''t do anything about it. Could he?


    "Oh my god! Are you saying that the great and handsome Bradley, Greek god of this school, who could have any girl he wants, has fallen in love with that rat, Michelle?" Erin asked sarcastically. She looked confident on the outside, but deep inside, she prayed that Bradley would deny it, and that he just wanted to make fun of Michelle, instead of falling for her.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    "It''s none of your concern! By the way, I must remind you not to make trouble for Michelle from now on. Otherwise, I won''t let it pass. You know how I punish those who disobey me, and you won''t be willing to give it a try."


    Bradley cast a warning nce at Erin and shed an evil smile before leaving.


    Erin stood frozen and startled. ''Did he just admit that he has a thing for that slut? Then what about me? I''ve been going after him for almost half a year! Why is a poor woman like Michelle able to attract his attention? No matter how hard I''ve tried, he just ignores me. Damn that woman! I wish she had nevere to this school!'' she thought.


    Ever since Bradley made his statement in public, Michelle could hear the hushed gossiping about some rtionship between her and Bradley. This extremely annoyed her. Although she had told herself countless times not to mind what others said, those harsh words still came into her ears - "She doesn''t deserve Bradley!" "Ugly duckling!" "Poor woman!" "Shameless slut!" Those words hit her like a sharp knife, ripping her soul. She could do nothing but speed up to get away from them as fast and as far as she could.


    On the weekend, Michelle spent the whole morning cooking a meal. She had been taking cooking sses, and now was the best time for her to apply what she had learned. Considering that Luke and Michelle had their own life together, Cynthia finally stopped insisting that they should eat in the Mu family house all the time. So Michelle took this opportunity to make a meal for Luke, hoping that he would like it. "Luke, have taste of this. I made it just for you," Michelle said with a hopeful expression when her husband came to the table. "You made it?" Luke asked in disbelief, his eyes wide. He was really doubtful of her skills, thinking that the dishes might taste really bad. Michelle''s parents had told him that she didn''t know how to cook. Luke stared at the dishes on the table and hesitated. "Come on! Please give it a try!" Michelle pleaded, pursing her lips.


    Luke''s usual behavior was to turn her down and embarrass her. But somehow, when he looked at her hopeful expression, his heart softened. So after a short hesitation, he sat and took a pair of chopsticks. The dishes looked great, but he wasn''t sure of the taste. He picked up a small piece of sea cucumber and put it into his mouth. Much to his surprise, it tasted really good and he enjoyed it in his mouth. She seasoned it with chopped pepper, so the sea cucumber didn''t taste fishy.


    "So, how is it? Is it good? Am I a good cook now?" Michelle asked eagerly when Luke took the first bite.


    "It''s not bad. A bit hard to swallow." Luke was trying to be mean, but he didn''t put down his chopsticks. Instead he picked another piece of meat and put it in his mouth. The food was so good that it could make him smile, but he was doing all he could not to. He struggled to keep a straight face.


    "Really? That''s it? Just, not bad? I cooked them meticulously, step by step." Michelle was a little disappointed. She had repeatedly practiced these dishes in cooking ss, and her teacher even praised her. Why didn''t Luke like them?


    "You learned how to cook from books or videos?" Luke asked. He was really surprised that Michelle could make it in such a short time, but he just didn''t want to tell her the truth. He didn''t even know why, but he just wanted to mock her whenever he saw a bright smile on her face.


    "I''ve been learning them in cooking ss. You know, I have plenty of time. I thought I told you about it too," Michelle said, shrugging. Since she had gotten married to Luke, she had tried hard to be a housewife. No matter how hard it might be, she had promised herself that she would try her best to adapt to her new role.


    "A cooking ss? That''s a surprise! This is so not you." Luke was a little moved, thinking whether she had done all of this because of him. She went to learn painting to be more educated and refined, and also learned cooking to make him delicious food.


    "Well, I have a new role as your wife now. So I need to change. I used to be a gang member. Now I want to improve myself in various aspects," Michelle said with a bitter smile. She wanted to develop herself, to be a woman good enough to deserve Luke. Even if he still did not love her, at least she had tried her best. And she would keep trying until she no longer had the strength to try.


    "Uh... Sorry... I didn''t mean it that way," Luke apologized with a frown. He remembered what harsh words he had said to her, but he hadn''t meant it that way. He had just been talking in frustration.


    "I know you didn''t mean to hurt me, but what you said was all probably true. I know my identity as a gang member has dishonored you. But I am trying hard to improve myself. And I feel really sorry for having pestered you in the past. Now I realize how annoying I was at that time." Michelle made a sincere apology to Luke, which moved thetter. The sincerity showed on her face made him notice that something was different about her this time. .000000

 Chapter 1496 Michelles Changes (Part Three)

    "I never thought that your identity dishonored me. If my behavior or words made you think like that, my apologies. Well, the food is getting cold. Let''s just eat." Luke was telling the truth. He didn''t love her, but that had nothing to do with her identity. "May I ask you a question? It''s rather intimate, deeply personal." Luke seemed to be in a good mood, and Michelle thought that he might answer the question this time.


    "Sure. As long as I can answer it, I don''t mind," Luke said coldly, but his face softened somehow.


    "I heard that there used to be a girl that you loved deeply. Is she the reason that you don''t love me?" Michelle asked after hesitating for a long time. She had pondered on that for many days, and now she finally had the courage to ask Luke. "What?! What girl? I don''t know what you are talking about." Luke dropped his chopsticks and stared at Michelle right in the eye, looking puzzled.


    "Uh... I heard you were deeply hurt by that girl." Michelle stared back at Luke, confused. ''Luke doesn''t seem to be lying. Did Edward lie to me?'' she wondered. "Well, what you are talking about is pure nonsense! Who told you that?" Luke''s face twitched and he wondered who had dared to cook up a story like that. "Edward. He told mest time in B Country." Michelle lowered her head in embarrassment. She finally realized that she had been fooled by Edward.


    "Damn it! Don''t listen to him. He was just making fun of you." Luke rubbed his temples in frustration. It had never urred to him that Edward would say something like that about him. But Luke could do nothing about it. Edward was his boss, so there was no way he could get even.


    "Sorry! Now I feel kind of stupid to have believed it." It dawned on Michelle how gullible she was and she felt sad. No wonder Patricia always called her "silly woman." It turned out that she was indeed silly, believing everything she heard from anyone.


    "Mr. Mu is a sly and maniptive fellow. Not all his words are to be trusted." It was the first time that Luke spoke to Michelle in a friendly manner. She was really surprised, but she did not make a big deal out of it. If she did, she might jinx it and it could disappear all of a sudden. So she just sat with Luke and quietly cherished that moment.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    "I get it," Michelle murmured. Her face flushed crimson with embarrassment. No wonder Edward had smiled weirdly at that time. He had been deceiving her!


    "Just eat! The food is getting cold. It wouldn''t be as tasty then," Luke urged. Luke also noticed his own unusual attitude towards her. He felt a little strange about himself.


    "Sure!" Michelle was ted. All she wanted was that they would get along with each other like this from now on.


    Luke cast a meaningful nce at her and was about to say something, but eventually he said nothing. He just shoved piece after piece of food into his mouth. Although the dishes were not as delicious as those in the Mu family house, he enjoyed them very much. After all, Michelle was still a beginner in cooking, and she had especially made the dishes for him.


    As it was the weekend, Edward didn''t need to go to thepany and Luke had the two days off. After lunch, he reclined on a chaise lounge in the garden to bask in the sun.


    Standing beside the French window, Michelle gazed quietly at Luke and didn''t dare to bother him. She had finallye to see that when you loved something, you''d better just enjoy it than try too hard to possess it. She wondered, if she hadn''t pestered Luke too much in the past, would he have adopted a different attitude towards her?


    There was a nk stretched canvas beside Michelle. She turned and picked up the brush. A paintbrush dipped full of ink flew quickly and gracefully across the stretched canvas, and the figure of Luke basking in the sun slowly came to form. Although Luke was not a patch on Edward, he was still very handsome and strong in his own way. He was a tough guy, and that might have something to do with his job. Every time Michelle saw him, she could feel that he was a strong and dangerous man.


    Luke''s facial features began to take shape on the canvas - his eyebrows, his nose, his jaw line and his angles. Judging from the painting, people could already tell that Luke was a cold man. Michelle wondered how long it would take for her to get really close to him¡ªthe closeness like that of a real couple in love. She never expected him to love her. All she wanted was that he could pay some attention to her.


    Luke could sense Michelle''s affectionate gaze, but he didn''t open his eyes. He needed time to reconsider this rtionship between them.


    Michelle continued with her drawing. Maybe Luke had been deeply rooted in her mind. Maybe she had gazed at him for so many times that she already had the perfect image of him in her head. The man she painted was very lifelike. ''This must be the most sessful painting I''ve ever made,'' she thought.


    When her phone rang, she had just finished the painting. She put down the brush and answered the phone.


    "Hello! This is Michelle." While speaking, she let her eyes settle upon the man, not willing to look away.


    "Michelle, it''s me, Hilda. Are you free? How about we hang out?" Hilda asked hesitantly and cast an uneasy nce at the man before her, Bradley, who was listening to their conversation. It was Bradley who had asked Hilda to call Michelle and invite her out. If Michelle found out that she had lied to her because of a man, she might never forgive her.


    "Where are you? I''m going there now." Hilda had never asked Michelle out on weekends. Out of friendship, Michelle agreed to her invitation despite her preference to stay home with Luke.


    "Oh, I''m still in the school. I was afraid you wouldn''t say yes, so I haven''t left yet. You know, it would be so boring to go shopping alone." Hilda made an excuse. She really felt guilty for having lied to her best friend.


    "Okay. You may set out now. Let''s meet in the Central za, okay? Call me when you get there." Michelle put the painting away and was about to go to the garden to tell Luke. But when she turned around, Luke was at the doorway.


    "Hey, so are you going out?" Luke asked casually. Michelle had no idea when he had entered the room.


    "Michelle, who''s the man talking to you? He has a nice voice. Is he your brother?" Hilda asked as she heard Luke''s voice. Her words made Bradley frown, but because he was standing behind Hilda, she failed to notice it. "Uh... I''ll tell you about itter. Bye!" Michelle hung up the phone in a hurry. She stared at Luke and wondered when he had left the garden toe over.00000

 Chapter 1497 Lukes Changes (Part One)

    "A friend from my ss. She wants me to go shopping with her," Michelle said, sliding her phone into her pocket. Luke was behaving very strangely today. He had never been bothered about her daily life. But he was showing some interest today. It was totally weird because she was usually invisible to him. "Okay," Luke replied, indifferently. He had been lit up and had nned to take her out for a walk or something. But his passion was put off by her words. Now that she was about to head out for shopping, he couldn''t ask her to go for a walk anymore. "I''m leaving. I''ll be back soon." Michelle knew that he wouldn''t care, but she still said that to keep him informed. She didn''t mind anyway. She loved him, and she wanted to share everything with him, even though he did not care about her. "Fine," Luke snorted and then went upstairs, leaving her alone.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    Michelle bit her lower lip lightly. She had thought that there might have been a little improvement in their rtionship. But, it turned out that it was nothing but an illusion. He was as cold as he always was to her.


    Standing by the window on the second floor, Luke watched Michelle walking out of the house at a brick pace. Luckily, the transportation service near the house was quite convenient. So even though she did not drive, she could still take a bus or a taxi. Luke did not tear his gaze away from her receding figure until she had disappeared around the corner. When she was finally gone, a wave of loneliness swept through him. He had never had this happen to him before. He felt bored in her absence, and was upset like he had lost something important. He looked at the empty front gate, and quickly turned around and walked away from the window.


    "Why is HE here?!" Michelle exploded when she saw Bradley standing beside Hilda. She felt as if she was being treated like a fool. And the one who had nned all this was her good friend, or so she had thought. Her heart tightened in pain and anger.


    "Sorry, Michelle," Hilda said, looking guilty as hell. "He asked me to do this. I really didn''t know how to refuse him." Hilda looked at Michelle, who was enraged. She felt a bit scared.


    "So, you chose to lie to me instead?" Michelle red at her angrily. She was extremely upset with her. But she also knew that Hilda would never deliberately bring him along to fool her.


    "It''s not her fault. I asked toe with her. Don''t be mad at her," Bradley immediately exined, seeing that things were going sideways between the two girls.


    "Of course I know that it''s not her fault. This is all your trick. Tell me, what do you want from me?" Michelle asked, fuming. He had set a trap for her and she had gullibly fallen into it.


    "My trick? This is not that big a crime. I just wanted to invite you to watch a movie with me and then have a meal together. That''s all. There''s no trick involved here. I only asked Hilda not to tell you that I would being. Don''t get me wrong, please. I just wanted to surprise you," he tried to reason. Michelle''s anger was totally unexpected. He was shocked at her reaction and did not know how tofort her. She looked terrifying in her rage.


    "Well, consider me surprised! I don''t care what your intentions were, but I don''t want to be close to rich guys like you." It was pretty ironic,ing from her. But that was just the best things to say to arrogant boysing from wealthy families. It usually hit them at the right spot.


    "You seem to dislike rich people a lot," Bradley said, frowning. He was confused by her anger; she was so easy on the trigger today.


    "No, I don''t dislike rich people. I just don''t want to waste my time with you. I don''t want this happening again." The longer this boy pursued her, the more difficult it would be to get it fixed. Michelle liked to deal with things quickly. She didn''t care how much he liked her, or why he wanted to stay close to her. As far as she was concerned, he was just a rich spoiled brat, who was obsessed with her on an instinct. A Mr. Dandy like him would never love someone with all his heart, at least not at this age.


    "But from what I can see, you''re prejudicing me." Bradley had never been so humble to a woman. Michelle was an exception. She made him do things he had never done before.


    "That''s because you are the only one I don''t want to talk to," she said harshly. She was hoping that he would read the meaning in her words and stop following her already!


    "Why?" Bradley asked, dissatisfied with her exnation.


    She sighed, "Because you are not my type. Even if you were, it wouldn''t change anything because I love another man and we are going to spend the rest of our lives together." She wanted to reject him wholly and tried to make things crystal clear. It was time for him to stop this nonsense! Bradley was taken aback by her confession and Hilda looked at her in shock. But he did not lose heart and said firmly, "I don''t mindpeting with him fairly."


    "Well, I mind," a voice suddenly said from behind. Michelle turned around swiftly, recognizing the voice.


    "Luke! I..." She stammered. He wasn''t looking at her. His eyes were fixed on Bradley, but she couldn''t read the expression in those eyes because of the ck sunsses he was wearing. Michelle had never expected that Luke would show up there. She panicked because of his sudden appearance and because of the awkward situation in front of her. She didn''t know what to do.


    Hilda rushed to her side and asked, "Is this your brother, Michelle? I have heard his voice on the phone before. But I didn''t think he would be so handsome." She ogled at Luke obsessively. He looked so mature and calm. A boy like Bradley could never give out such an aura.


    "Uh... He..." Michelle was at a loss. There was no way that she could exin this situation to either Hilda or Luke right now. Luke felt awkward and angry. Since when had he be her brother instead of her husband?


    Bradley stared at the man for a while and after hearing Hilda, he came forward and said, "You are Michelle''s brother. Nice to meet you. I''m Bradley He, Michelle''s ssmate." He extended his hand out for a friendly shake. Luke stared at his hand and then looked at him coldly, without responding. Bradley had to withdraw his hand awkwardly. He was infuriated. He had never been treated this way by anyone. First Michelle, and now her brother. He gritted his teeth, but didn''t say anything.


    "Is that how you''ve introduced me to your ssmates?" Luke asked through clenched teeth. Although he was wearing sunsses, Michelle could still feel his fierce look on her.


    "It''s not what you think. I''ll exin it when we get back, okay?" At that moment, a thought suddenly struck her. Luke was home when she had left. Then why was he here? Did he follow her secretly? Michelle felt her anger rising when she thought of that possibility. She thought that he did it because he didn''t trust her.???????????????

 Chapter 1498 Lukes Changes (Part Two)

    "Not what I think? And how do you know what I''m thinking?" Luke took off his sses and red at Michelle. He would not have grown so angry if he hadn''t heard what Hilda had said.


    To make things worse, Hilda interfered again, "Please don''t be angry, Michelle''s brother. It''s my fault. I''ve called her out for shopping. Don''t get angry at her. I''m the one to be med." Hilda was flustered. She hadn''t expected that her n would cause such a terrible trouble. She regretted it now. She should never have lied to Michelle. And now, the situation had be a total mess. Michelle was pissed off at Bradley, and her brother was angry at her.


    Luke gritted his teeth at Hilda''s words again. Michelle quickly said, "You have nothing to do with this, Hilda. Why don''t you go back now?" Michelle blinked her eyes at her, hoping she would understand. Honestly, she was so tired of all the farce. "But..." Hilda was worried about her. She was hesitant to leave.


    "Just go." Michelle shook her hand, signaling her to leave quickly. Hilda''s reactions were so slow. She hadn''t even felt that something was not right from the way they were talking and still thought that Luke was her brother. And Bradley... He was arguably one of the brightest students their school had ever had. He should have been smarter than her! But he was just tagging along with Hilda and making the situation worse.


    "And you. Go back, please." She did not want him to stay there and cause more trouble for her. She raised her brow and gave him a knowing look.


    "I..." Bradley looked at Michelle and then at Luke. He then looked at her again. He had a feeling that they were not siblings. They looked more like a couple! And if that were the case, there was no way he would leave! He had said earlier that he would like topete with that man! He would be a coward if he ran away now.


    Michelle red at Bradley as he stood rooted to the spot. She said angrily, "Fine, you can stay here. We''re leaving." Michelle reached out to take Luke''s hand. But he avoided her deliberately.


    "How could I leave when there''s someone here who wants to challenge me? Don''t you think that I should ept his challenge?" Luke asked with an evil smile on his face. The boy was bold enough to pursue his woman. He couldn''t just let it go.


    "Don''t, Luke. There''s obviously something wrong with his brain." How Michelle wished she could yell out now. She was upset and annoyed. How could she have been so careless as to let the two of them meet?


    Bradley red at Luke. "Oh, I get it. He''s your boyfriend. Well, he''s nothing special from what I can see." Bradley cast a disdainful look at Luke. He assessed him from top to bottom. Luke appeared to be stronger than him. But other than that, there was nothing good about him and Bradley thought that he was much more handsome than Luke.


    "You couldn''t find any better looking guys in your college? This one is not even good enough to make friends with," Luke teased him back. He was an expert in teasing people, an attribute he had picked up from Edward. He was with Edward all the time, after all.


    "Okay, first of all, he''s not my friend or anything else. Don''t talk about me like that, please. And before you use someone of something, you should at least listen to their exnation." Michelle''s anger was growing by the second. She was already pained and angered thinking that Luke had followed her secretly to monitor her.


    "Fine! Then exin it to me. What does he want from you?" Luke had calmed down. He looked at her and then at him. It looked like she was enjoying her college life. He hadn''t expected that.


    Although Bradley was initially shocked by Luke''s cold attitude, he still worked up the courage to challenge him face to face, because he did not want to look like a coward in front of her. He stepped forward and dered, "It''s simple. I like Michelle. So I''m openly dering war on you. We''llpete to see who can win her heart."


    Luke raised one of his eyebrows. "Didn''t you tell him that he has no chance at all?" he asked, a disdainful smile on his face.


    "I told him. But he doesn''t believe me," Michelle replied in an irritated tone. She felt helpless being the topic of their conversation. Other women might have felt happy to see two men fighting for them. But she did not enjoy this feeling. She did not like it when people argued or fought because of her. It was an inconvenience and it didn''t sit right with her.


    "Luke, what''s going on? Oh! It''s you, Michelle," Edward came in at that moment, with a big box in his hand. He looked at them with his keen eyes.


    "Edward, you are here too!" Michelle had thought that Luke had followed her here, but now that she saw Edward, she figured why Luke was really here. She silently felt guilty for misunderstanding him.


    "I came to buy a present for Daisy. What''s happening here? You all seem so tensed." Edward looked at them back and forth. Something was wrong.


    Luke sighed secretly. He had apanied Edward to buy the present. When he had seen Michelle, he had asked his men to follow Edward and he hade to see her. Unexpectedly, he had heard that Bradley wanted to pete with him''. He was a man, and of course, he couldn''t just let that statement go unchecked. And that had resulted in the situation they were in now. "Are you done, Mr. Mu? If so, then let''s head back," Luke said.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "What about you, Michelle? Are you going back with us?" Although Edward was talking to Michelle, his eyes were fixed on Bradley. He was a young, handsome man.


    "Not yet. I''ll go back by myselfter." Luke had not asked her to go with him and she felt a bit frustrated.


    "Okay, how about this? Luke, you stay here and apany Michelle for a while. I''ll go back by myself," Edward said. When he said he''d go back by himself, he didn''t mean that he''d go back alone. He had several of his men protecting him. He wanted to leave Luke behind because he had sensed something off about the situation. If he had to guess, he would say that Michelle hade out to see this young man and Luke hade across them here. Edward felt strange while he was picking up the present for Daisy. Luke hade here with him, but he was suddenly nowhere to be seen. And it turned out that he hade here to ''greet'' them.


    Michelle didn''t want this awkward conversation to go on any longer, so she said, "That''s all right, I guess I''m done here anyway. I''ll go back with you." She wondered how she was going to exin about Bradley to Luke. She did not have the emotion to go shopping after all of the chaos. She just wanted to go back home.


    "Good. Then, let''s go!" Edward ignored Bradleypletely. He was an arrogant man and wouldn''t easily talk to unfamiliar people, let alone a boy like Bradley.00000000

 Chapter 1499 Lukes Changes (Part Three)

    "You..." Bradley stammered, "Aren''t you the President of FX International Group?" Bradley had been staring at Edward ever since he had shown up. He was from a rich family. It was normal for him to know Edward''s face. "Do I know you?" Edward frowned. He looked at Bradley carefully now. But he couldn''t remember his face.


    "Oh, no, sir. But I know you. I have seen your pictures in the financial newspapers. My father also mentioned about you a lot, and has always asked me to learn from your example." Bradley''s face lit up like Christmas. He had even forgotten all about Luke and Michelle. "Thanks! Please give your father my regards. Bye!" Edward disliked it when others ttered him in order to get close to him. He dismissed Bradley fast so that he wouldn''t have any chance to talk to him further.


    "You''re noting?" Luke asked, looking at Michelle, who hadn''t moved from her spot.


    "I''ming!" Michelle threw a nce at Bradley and then ran to catch up with them. Bradley was totally confused now. He had always thought that Michelle was born in an ordinary family. But from what he just witnessed, he figured that there was more to her than she was letting on.


    This was not Michelle''s first time riding in Luke''s car. She felt uneasy as she stole a nce at the cold, handsome face beside her.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    "Are you still angry at me?" she asked, aplex feeling emerging from her heart. She did not know what it was. She was hoping that he would be angry, yet she was afraid he might be. Contradictory emotions swirled inside her.


    "We''ll talk about it when we get home," said Luke. He was focused on following Edward''s car tightly. He wouldn''t forget his duty. It was a peaceful world and seldom did idents happen, yet it paid to be alert at all times because hell could break loose in the blink of an eye. Luke was not a man who left anything to chance.


    Michelle understood that it was not the proper time to discuss the problems between them. She stopped talking, leaned against the back seat, and closed her eyes. She thought about everything that had happened today. It was such a mess. She had to sort it out soon. Luke cast a side nce at her. For the first time, he thought that she was beautiful when she was quiet, which he had never noticed before.


    By the time they arrived home, Michelle was fast asleep. She did not open her eyes when the car came to a halt in front of the house. Luke did not wake her up. He always thought that he was the only man she liked. He had, in fact, taken it for granted. But today, he realized that she might be taken away from him by another man, who was either really brave or really stupid to dere war on him. He suddenly noticed that she could have more choices in her life, but she refused them because she loved him.


    That other guy was young. He was younger and more energetic than him. More importantly, that guy liked her. But what did he do for her? He refused her over and over again, without opening any doors for her. If she fell in love with another man, he would not stop her from pursuing her happiness. But at that moment, he felt his heart tighten in some kind of pain which he had never felt before. It was only a slight hurt, yet it made him want to change his attitude towards her. He could feel something changing in him. "Oh! Are we home already?" Michelle opened her sleepy eyes and looked at the surrounding outside the car.


    "What were you doingst night? You look really tired and you fell asleep in such a short time." Luke shifted his eyes and avoided eye contact with her to calm his messy heart.


    "I was working on my paintingst night," Michelle said, pursing her lips awkwardly. She had only closed her eyes to think about some stuff. She did not think that she would have fallen asleep all the way.


    Luke did not respond. He cast an interested look at her, and then turned around, got off the car, and walked into the house without looking back. His back looked so distant to her.


    Michelle sighed slightly. What else could she do? She got off the car. She hesitated for quite a long time outside. When she finally entered the house, she did not see Luke around. She guessed that he might have gone upstairs. She was relieved. This way, she did not have to talk to him immediately. She did not know how to exin today''s event to him yet. She was still struggling with it.


    "Mrs. Luo, here you are. Mr. Luo asked me to inform you to go upstairs as soon as you came in," Maria said in a hurry, as she passed her a ss of water. Luke knew Michelle''s personality very well. He had guessed that she would try to buy time.


    "He said so? OK then." Michelle was annoyed again. It looked like she had nowhere to hide anymore.


    "Yeah! Why don''t you go upstairs already? Or he might get angry," Maria sighed helplessly. She wondered when their rtionship would improve and when they would start loving each other. They both deserved happiness.


    Michelle took a deep breath. She stirred up her courage and started walking up the stairs as if she was getting ready to face death, unflinching. What happened had happened and now she had nowhere to hide. So, it was better to face the consequences sooner thanter. Despite such brave thoughts, she was climbing the stairs as slowly as a snail.


    "What are you doing? Climbing a mountain?" Luke stood near the second floor rail and looked down at her climbing the stairs. He was wondering why she hadn''t shown up yet, and then found hering up the stairs as if she was half dead from the effort. "Woah! Why are you there? You scared me!" Michelle patted her chest slightly, pretending to slow down her heartbeat from the scare.


    "Well, if I weren''t here, I wouldn''t have known that you were trying so hard to buy time." Arms crossed over his chest, Luke teased her. He found her quite cute from that angle.


    "I wasn''t buying time! It''s these stairs. They are steep." Michelle had to admit to herself that that was themest excuse she had ever used in her life. But that was the best one she coulde up with at the moment.


    "Why don''t you me your short legs?" Luke teased again. That was the stupidest excuse she could have given. At least, she should havee up with something smart enough to convince him. ''Steep stairs'' was the best she coulde up with? Needless to say, he wasn''t impressed. But he was definitely amused.


    "Ha ha! That''s right. My short legs are also the reason." It was true that she did not have long, pretty legs like Leena or Daisy. They were both tall and had beautiful legs. But hers were pretty fine,pared to other women''s. Anyway, she hade to terms with it long back. She had no one to me, but her genes.

 Chapter 1500 An Involuntary Kiss (Part One)

    "You seem to always find an excuse to save you ass," Luke said, his eyes full of mischief. He found the woman in front of him quite amusing, though he managed not to show it.


    "I am simply telling the truth. I do not lie," Michelle replied, slowly stressing each word, for she was not only telling the truth, but was also talking about a virtue that she had always been proud of.


    "Really? You mean, never? Then how do you exin what I saw just now?" Luke scoffed. They stood face to face on the stairs, one looking down and questioning condescendingly, the other looking up in defense and trying to challenge and argue.


    "Well, that wasn''t my fault! Hilda asked me to go shopping with her, but I didn''t know that that jerk Bradley woulde, too! I did not invite him toe along," Michelle said, her fingers kept scratching the handrails a bit nervously. She didn''t feel guilty at all, it was just that Luke''s high and imposing manners tended to create stress in every conversation that they had. It also seemed like Luke was already convinced with his belief and wouldn''t think otherwise.


    "No, not that. I don''t give a shit about that guy at all. I mean why didn''t you tell the people in your school that you are already married?" Luke looked her in the eyes. He just couldn''t forget how Michelle''s ssmates had mistaken him for her brother. It was truly awkward and embarrassing. He somehow felt a pinch of disappointment. He might not admit it but it hurt a little.


    "Because I don''t want to stand out and attract everyone''s attention. Besides, I need some privacy. I don''t think it is necessary to announce my private life to everyone in school," Michelle said seriously. What she feared the most was people around found out about her marriage, and started treating her differently. They were already giving her a hard time for Bradley giving her the special treatment. This would be more ammunition for them to attack her. She would have to take more heat from all those bitches, and it was thest thing she wanted. She took sses to learn, not to make enemies.


    "So this... is what you want? Keep it a secret so that you could flirt around with others and win yourself a few more suitors?" Luke asked sharply. Those words hurt, but he was only telling what he had in his mind.


    "Ridiculous! That''s not what I want. If you listen to what I''m saying, that silly Bradley is the only one making advancements. As a mater of fact, it takes most of my energy trying to avoid him and get away from him!" Michelle retorted. She felt a bit uneasy when speaking of Bradley, and she tried to hide it. However, there was suddenly an untimely neck pain and she couldn''t help but bow her head to relieve it. It was a slight movement that caught Luke''s attention nheless, and he took it as a sign of guilt.


    "Only one? You seem quite disappointed that you can''t get more of them. You know what, Michelle, I never knew that you are such an experienced woman when ites to handling men," Luke''s face darkened. He didn''t know what came over him, but whatever Michelle said to exin herself, he would fight back with harsh words. He just would not listen.


    "I beg your pardon?" Michelle gasped. "What did you mean by that, Luke?" She avoided his gaze earlier, but now she looked at him in disbelief. She wouldn''t let this one pass. So he thought that she seduced Bradley, as a loose and easy woman?


    "What more could I say? To tell you the truth, what you have done really disappointed me. But if you want to make me jealous by ying this kind of trick, I''m afraid that you have miserably failed. Just don''t overestimate yourself." This time, even Luke himself couldn''t believe that he had actually said those words. He didn''t mean to, but he just kept unleashing those hurtful words.


    "So now you are saying that I have staged all of this, and I asked Bradley to pose as my suitor, to get back at you and make you jealous? Oh wow! Do you think that I am crazy enough to ask for trouble and make that annoying guy follow me around? Why, that''s like picking up a rock and hitting my own head with it! I am not that crazy, Luke!" Michelle''s voice was starting to rise but her heart was sinking horribly. ''Am I such a sophisticated, cheap and shameless woman to you, Luke?'' She thought helplessly.


    "Who knows. That''s just your side of the story. You may never tell me, but I bet people concerned would know the whole story. Anyway, I don''t want to be a part of it." Luke waved his hands in disgust. They were at swords'' points now and were ring at each other. They both took such a tough stance that another mean word could start a bigger fight.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    But then... "I don''t know what else to say if you insist on it," Michelle relented, sighing. "I just hope that you could be more sensible, and try to be more considerate. I really wish that you don''t hurt me like this anymore. I''m scarred, you see. I don''t know how else I can take ashing from you. My heart is made of flesh, not rocks. Your harsh words have hit me, cut me, stabbed me and ripped me open like a sharp knife tearing through my soul. Really, it hurts, Luke," Michelle said faintly. She continued up the stairs, going past Luke without waiting for his answer. Feeling frustrated, she cast him a intive nce when passing by him, and went into the bedroom without looking back.


    Luke was speechless. He was clenching his fists, not out of anger, but with remorse. ''Damn it! I have hurt her again," He thought regretfully. He had vowed to himself that he would care more about how he treated her, but what he had just said and done was simply counterproductive. ''What an idiot!'' he thought to himself.


    Not knowing what Luke was thinking, Michelle mmed the door and sat on the bed. ''He would do this every time!'' Whenever she thought his attitude towards her might be changing for the better, he would prove her wrong by dealing her a blow. Did she deserve it, because she was not good enough for him? It must be, because whatever she did seemed wrong in his eyes. But what did she do wrong, though? If she ever made a mistake, it could only be that she had fallen in love with him.


    Life is hard, she knew it. She could drink life''s gall, but she just couldn''t stand it that she loved him with all her heart but got no more than a casual nce in return. Most of the time, they were angry nces.0000

 Chapter 1501 An Involuntary Kiss (Part Two)

    She didn''t know whether it was typical for a couple to be at each other''s throats like this, but she just couldn''t take it well. Feeling overwhelmed, she would be quite fragile at such times. She could do nothing but let the tears run down her cheek quietly. On the other side of the door, Luke was standing in front of it, biting his lip. He wanted to knock on the door, but lowered his hand in the end. He didn''t know how to open the closed door just like he did not know how to open his own heart. Love might note through the rigorous trials of quarrels. They had always had a hard time strengthening their bond, but today''s conflict had made their rtionship reach its new low.


    Once Michelle arrived at the college on Monday, Hilda came to her with an apologetic look on her face. She opened her mouth, hesitated, and swallowed hard. It could be seen in her eyes that she had a lot to say. "Are you still mad at me, Michelle?" She finally asked.


    "No, I''m not. Really. Don''t get me wrong," Michelle said ndly. Her expression was a bit cold today, apparently she still was not in a good mood. Hilda thought that she was still upset with her, thus giving her the cold shoulder. But in fact, Michelle was distracted by her troubles with Luke. She just couldn''t understand why they would fall out so often, and deadlock seemed inevitable. To make things worse, neither of them would concede once they bickered. So she didn''t know what to do now.


    "Okay, then what''s wrong with you? You look a bit exhausted. Didn''t you get a good night''s sleep?" Hilda asked with concern.


    "No, I didn''t." Michelle said simply. Obviously, she didn''t want to talk about this.


    Hilda bit her lip. She wasn''t stupid, so surely she could sense the coldness in Michelle''s attitude towards her. But she knew that she couldn''t me her, for she had lied to her, and helped Bradley pursue Michelle without her knowing. It was only natural that she would be upset about it, and Hilda thought that she deserved it if Michelle got mad at her. She was Michelle''s friend who was supposed to protect her, not sell her out to Bradley.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    Michelle had been quiet the whole morning, and would only give short answers when being asked questions. She was a cool girl, but today she showed a bit more indifference.


    Like Michelle, Luke was not having a good time, either. "Seriously, Luke? You still have no feelings for Michelle?" Edward asked in a casual way. He didn''t even look up at Luke when talking to him, but concentrated on reviewing his documents.


    "I have no idea," Luke said without giving a definite answer. He found himself losing control of his emotions recently, which he rarely did, and he didn''t know why. There was something he had never felt before, but he couldn''t pinpoint it. "Oww? Sounds like you already have a crush on her. You''re already falling for her, aren''t you?" Edward didn''t believe him. He was suddenly intrigued. Putting down the files, he leaned backwards and shot Luke a look fraught with meaning. "Pfft. Crush? What is that? I don''t know what that is," Luke asked expressionlessly. Being someone clumsy in love, he was actually deeply puzzled by this question, and failed to see what he really wanted.


    "Well... you get angry seeing her with another man, you feel bad when she''s upset, you get on a sugar high when seeing her smile, but quickly be selfish and want to keep the smile for yourself. Sounds like a crush to me, or even love." Edward reeled off a list, and the list could go on and on. Having been with Daisy all this time, he had tasted the sweetness and bitterness of love, and knew too well what the "in love" feeling was like.


    "So you feel this way if you have a crush on someone? But what does it have to do with love?" Luke asked with a frown. He probably had been there already, so he knew how it felt. The problem was, he was still unsure whether it was love or not.


    "You need to figure it out yourself. Listen to your heart. You''re the only person who knows whether you truly love her or not. Love is something that can''t be seen or described. It can only be felt," Edward replied. He didn''t give a straight answer, but he had already guessed what was going on. The girl had now captured Luke''s heart. Luke might not have realized it yet, but he would, soon enough.


    Although Luke hadn''t found the answer yet, Edward''s words did point out the obvious. So Luke went to Michelle''s collegeter, for the first time. He drove his luxury sports car there and parked near the gateway. This caught the attention of everyone passing by. But he simply ignored those curious eyes, and waited patiently in the driver''s seat for Michelle.


    "Let me give you a ride, Michelle," Bradley said. He drove his sports car very slowly alongside Michelle, with his handsome face sticking out of the window. Without a doubt, he had drawn a lot of attention, and people around all craned their necks to listen in on their conversation. "There''s no need. I''ll take the bus. It''s much more convenient," Michelle refused, quickening her pace and walking towards the school gate. All she wanted now was to get rid of him, making him go away. She was married after all and wanted nothing to do with other men. "Hey, I know what''s on your mind. But don''t be afraid, I don''t bite! I won''t force you to do anything that you''re notfortable with," Bradley just would not give up. In fact, he had tried all his best to approach her the whole day, but every single time, she would cleverly avoid him. This might be hisst chance today, so he must try and seize it.


    "Did you ever think you could? Don''t be silly. Stop talking me into it, I won''t buy it. You are just wasting your time!" Michelle smirked. If they were not in a school, and he wasn''t a student, she would have definitely beaten him up, rather than let him make such a fuss in front of her.

 Chapter 1502 An Involuntary Kiss (Part Three)

    "Listen. If I''m not mistaken, your so-called boyfriend doesn''t love you, is that true?" His words touched Michelle''s sore spot and further destroyed her dignity like a crumbling empty snail shell. She was stunned, but quickly came to herself again. "What makes you think that?" She said after taking a deep breath. From Michelle''s point of view, he was telling the truth. But she was unwilling to show her pain or sorrow, so she asked the question calmly, wanting to know his opinion from an observer''s opinion. "I saw the way he looked at you, and I didn''t see love in his eyes. Of course, it''s only my personal opinion, it might be one-sided and even radical, but I trust my intuition," Bradley said confidently. In order to win her heart, he thought it a must to put his rival down with words first.


    "Yeah, you are right," Michelle said with a casual air. "It''s only your personal view. Unfortunately, you are wrong. We are very much in love, you can be sure of that." Michelle smiled contemptuously. But however confident and satisfied she seemed to be, her heart was bleeding. She feigned happiness, but her heart was suffering, choking inside.


    "Fine. Here is a very simple question: If he really cares about you, howe I never see him pick you up after school?" Bradley pressed on, raising his eyebrows. He was sure that he could creep in under her defenses bit by bit.


    "Michelle, over here." Just then, Luke''s voice came from not too far away. The moment he saw Michelle appear at the gate, he got out of the car to greet her. However, he never expected that the over-sized boy he met days ago was again with her. Michelle was right, Bradley was the one pestering her. The look of delight faded from Luke''s face, and he put on his cold and distant look, just like before.


    "I''m sorry, but I''ve got to go," Michelle smiled triumphantly. She didn''t care what Bradley might think, or how he would react to it. She just turned her back to him, and trotted to Luke, whose very presence was a big p on Bradley''s face. At least it seemed that Luke did care about her, and it proved Bradley wrong.


    Luke''s luxury car alone was enough to steal the scene and catch everyone''s attention, causing a stir. And when those losers discovered that its owner was a cold and handsome man, they went nearly mad. This situation was exactly what they had been dreaming of, so when they finally saw it, they couldn''t take their eyes off Luke, and had forgotten all about the school hunk Bradley who seemed like a schoolboypared to Luke, a real man.


    Bradley, on the other hand, watched Michelle get in the fancy car. Even he himself couldn''t deny that Luke''s car was much more expensive than his. So Michelle''s boyfriend was also a rich person? He wondered.


    "Luke! What a surprise! Why did youe and pick me up today?" Michelle asked, her heart rejoicing. She hadpletely forgotten about Bradley and the displeasure he brought to her.


    "I''m here to see who you are dating, and I''m lucky enough to see your little boyfriend. You two seem quite close, huh?" Luke quipped. It made Luke very angry to think of how Michelle walked and talked with that boy in that intimate manner.


    "So you are here to continue this fight with me, right? You couldn''t wait till I get home?" said Michelle stiffly. There had been so much quarreling recently and she felt upset and frustrated. It hurt her a lot to hear Luke''s words and the warmth she felt just now had immediately turned into another bitter disappointment.


    "Why? Ashamed into anger when being caught red-handed?" Luke went on while he started the car and drove away from the school at a speed so fast, it sent the leaves on the ground flying up into the air, some of themnding on Bradley''s car.


    "I can''t stand your irrational suspicions any more! Yes, he did offer to drive me home, but I refused. He just would not leave me alone until you came to my rescue. But now I know I have simply jumped from the frying pan into the fire getting into your car and listening to all of your nonsense!" Michelle eximed helplessly. Now it seemed that Bradley was right, Luke didn''t care about her. Not even a bit! She was too upset to realize that Luke thought this way precisely because he cared about her.


    "Why are you raising your voice? So, this means that you are actually guilty?" Luke asked, still with contempt, and sounding more ironic now.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    "Stop the car, now," Michelle ordered decidedly. She must get out of the car and get away from this man as quickly as possible, or else she would go insane just listening to him.


    "No way," Luke answered and locked the doors at once, fearing that she would get too emotional and jump out of the car even while it was still moving.


    "Tell me, Luke, is this supposed to be funny? You always say and do things to hurt my feelings," Michelle blurted. "Why? So what do you think of me? A wife only in name who is just your toy, am I right? You would tease me whenever you want and toss me aside like a piece of trash when you don''t need me. No, I''m less than a toy. You might look at a doll once in a while, but what about me? You won''t even bother to look at me!" Michelle suddenly broke into tears. She was so frustrated that she fell apart and wept in the car, and it was the first time that she acted this way in front of Luke. She had been repressing her emotions all this time, and she couldn''t bear it anymore. So she gave way to a flood of tears without caring whether she was making a scene.


    "I..." This was also the first time that Luke had to deal with a crying woman, and he was at a loss. Should hefort her? Should he do nothing until she calmed down? He quickly pulled off the road, but didn''t unlock the doors of the car. He just looked straight ahead as Michelle wept and sobbed.

 Chapter 1503 An Involuntary Kiss (Part Four)

    "You know, I thought I''d be okay with it. I didn''t care whether you loved me or not, I just wanted to be with you, so I could love you with all my heart. I thought it would be enough, as long as I could keep you with me," Michelle continued. "But how wrong I was! Over time, I found it hard to give without getting anything in return. I have be tired and frustrated when my love for you did not get the reciprocation it deserved. So I tried to please you, hoping that I could get through to your heart. But it was yet another daydream, Luke. No matter how hard I tried, whatever I did, you just wouldn''t appreciate me or what I do! I feel degraded begging for your love. But I beg you again, Luke, could you please care a bit more for me? I am not asking for much, just stop looking at me with coldness in your eyes. Be a bit more gentle with me, and I''ll be happy with it." Michelle cried her heart out, almost hysterically. And this time, she did not hold back despite what Luke might think.


    "I''m so sorry," Luke muttered. He never knew what was in her heart before, and he was shocked to learn just how she actually felt, especially after all those things that he had said and done to her. He knew that he was deliberately making her give up on him and leave him. He had been refusing her, turning her down, and insulting her in the most cruel way possible. He knew that it would upset her and discourage her, but he never thought that he got so bad that it would break her heart. She seemed all careless and easy-going that he never thought that there was a fragile and sensitive girl behind that strong facade. Now he felt like the world''s biggest asshole for failing to see all that.


    "Is that all? You''re sorry? You know what, Luke? I don''t need an apology. Like I said earlier, all I want is for you to care for me a bit more. Acknowledge me. Look me in the eye like a normal person, maybe see me as your wife. Is that so hard to do?" Through her tears she looked at him, looking all soft and delicate.


    Luke looked at her without a word. Then, before he knew it, he leaned over, cupped her face in his hands, pressed his lips on hers with great affection and gave her the biggest kiss he had ever given his entire life. A kiss to make up for all the wrongs he had done. Silence had reced Michelle''s voice. Their lips remained locked for more than a minute.


    Michelle was astonished. She forgot that she was weeping and her mind just went nk, overwhelmed by what was happening. She looked at him wide-eyed, not knowing what to do.


    Luke could feel that his heart was pounding harder than ever. Her lips were softer than he had imagined, and this was the only thing on his mind now. It seemed that taking the first step and kissing her was something easier than he had thought. "Stupid Luke" he said to himself. ''Does he have any idea what he is doing?'' was the first thing that crossed Michelle''s mind. Was this another one of his tactics to humiliate her? He would kiss her now, so that he could tease herter by iming that she had seduced him? Then immediately after, he would go back to treating her like he would do to a piece of garbage, right? At the thought, Michelle came to her senses all of a sudden, and struggled to free herself. But Luke pulled her back, more tightly and kissed more deeply and passionately.


    Finally, when Michelle felt that she was practically out of breath, Luke moved his lips away and looked her in the eyes. Panting, Michelle could see an expression of tenderness on his usually cold face.


    "Well... I thought it was the only way to stop you from nagging. Besides, you shouldn''t have looked at me like that, I just couldn''t help it," Luke said a bit awkwardly. He gave a little cough to cover up the embarrassment.


    "I knew it," Michelle said, licking her lips to ease the pain from his kiss. ''Fortunately I wasn''t too naive to think that he kissed me out of love. He will make a fool of me again sooner orter,'' She thought to herself. "Knew what?" Luke asked, looking confused. Although his face was still stoic, his eyes had turned gentle.


    "I knew that your kiss was just another way to insult me, wasn''t it?" Michelle felt disappointed again. However, having said that, the feeling of the kiss kept lingering, not only in her mouth but also all over her body, and she couldn''t get enough of it. Her body was screaming for more. Her love had gotten conquered and she had be so humble in it.


    "Yeah, you are right, congrattions!" Luke replied, gnashing his teeth. He decided to say no more and started the car exasperatedly. She had gone too far taking his kiss as an insult, especially when he finally showed his feelings and softened heart. ''Take it any way you wish, girl, he thought angrily.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    "I shouldn''t have attached any grand hopes to it. I should have known..." Michelle allowed herself a wry smile. ''Forget it, just let it be,'' sheforted herself and looked out the car window. But she could not forget about that kiss. The electricity kept reverberating all over her, making her breathe heavily. Even if it was kind of humiliating, if Luke grabbed her again, she would ept the kiss, for she wanted so much to get closer to him.


    "Know what?" Luke didn''t want to pay attention, but he somehow asked.


    "That you won''t love me in return. Am I not a loser of love, someone who loves without dignity, Luke?" Michelle forced a smile. Her heart was dull with pain, but she tried to let her smile belie it.


    "I''ve got nothing to say if you want to look down upon yourself. All I want to say is, the kiss just now was a subconscious and spontaneous reaction. I did it with no agenda, I was simply following my heart," Luke said calmly. Even though he was giving an exnation, he remained a cool guy, and no one could see any shame on his face.


    "Really? Are you serious?" Michelle asked delightedly, her hope being restored. She turned to look at his handsome profile, this time with rekindled fire and with confident expectation. It was hard to believe what she heard but she heard it clearly.


    "Yes. But of course, you can choose not to believe me. After all, for the most part, I have been nothing but the source of all your pain," Luke answered. It was now his turn to feel disappointed. He had never expected that his first love confession was questioned. How tragic!


    "So I can trust you now? Is this all real?" This came as a real surprise, and Michelle just couldn''t believe it.


    "Don''t you question me again, or I will tell you that it''s all but in your dreams." Luke turned to re at her. What was wrong with her? Were his words not convincing enough? Well, he had been a dick to her ever since they met. This was a whole new Luke. Who knew that there was a caring and sensitive side to his otherwise cold personality? Certainly not him.0000000

 Chapter 1504 The Fight (Part One)

    Michelle was shocked. Did Luke like her? She didn''t understand what was going on in his head. And she couldn''t ask him either. Luke drove the car faster in his anger and disappointment. He regretted telling Michelle that. He shouldn''t have.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    When they reached home, he parked the car in the garage. When he was about to get off, Michelle said, "Luke, forget what just happened. You don''t have to force yourself to make any change in our life. If it''s forcibly done, it won''tst. I won''t beg for your love. Just be yourself and don''t take myint to heart. We''re good now, right?"


    "Yeah, as you wish," Luke said through clenched teeth and mmed the car door. He had finally managed to make up his mind, and now, Michelle was asking him to give up instead.


    Luke walked away from the car, without bothering to wait for her. She looked at his straight back and thought, ''This is for the best''. Michelle didn''t want to force Luke to do something that he didn''t want. She loved him, so she was willing to give up her dignity and cater to him. She would have left long ago if she didn''t love him so much.


    The rtionship between the two didn''t change after their first kiss. However, Luke''s eyes often wandered and settled down on her sadly.


    He thought that he wouldn''t feel the pain if his feelings were burned to ashes, but he had underestimated their power to corrode the body and the mind. They had eroded his brain and his thought processes, leaving him with no ce to hide.


    "Michelle, I heard that a cool sports car came by to pick you up the other day," Hilda said, nonchntly. After what had happenedst time, Hilda didn''t want to intrude Michelle''s privacy, but there was a gossip going around the campus. It was a rumor that Michelle was a home wrecker, and her reputation had been greatly damaged. It was worse than before.


    "Yeah, so?" asked Michelle. She knew what Hilda was getting at, but she didn''t really care about the rumors. She was really busy doing her thing and minding her own business that she didn''t have the time or the energy to waste on such insignificant gossips. "Was it your boyfriend?" Hilda smiled, embarrassed and prayed that her answer wouldn''t be the same as the rumors.


    "Yeah. You met him the other day." Michelle smiled softly. She felt that Hilda was being too careful with her.


    Hilda''s eyes widened. "Really? You mean the handsome man I metst time? He isn''t your brother," Hilda said sheepishly as she realized that she had made a stupid mistake.


    "Luke is the only man I love. So stop trying to hook me up with Bradley. That''ll never work," Michelle said, solemnly. She had long decided to restrain her mboyant personality so that she would stop attracting attention. She had only craved for Luke''s attention in the first ce, but now, even that didn''t seem necessary. There was no need to let Luke know that she loved him anymore. She would just keep her feelings to herself. Even if they weren''t close to each other, she could silently stay by his side.


    "Sounds like you really love him. I wish you all happiness, Michelle, but haven''t you heard the gossip going aroundtely?" Hilda asked, worried.


    "I know that they''re spreading the rumor that I''m a home wrecker. Let them be. My clear conscience can easilyugh at those false usations." Michelleughed. In this troubled society, it was impossible to avoid gossips.


    "Michelle... The gossips, are they..." Hilda couldn''t go on. She was afraid that Michelle would get pissed off and wouldn''t want to be her friend.


    "You want to know if the gossip is true? What do you think, Hilda? Do you think I''m a girl of easy virtue?" Michelle asked. She wasn''t angry, but she looked intensely at Hilda.


    Hilda looked at her earnest eyes and said, "Sorry, Michelle. I shouldn''t have doubted you. They were speaking about it as if they knew the truth and I just had to ask you about it personally." As Michelle''s friend, Hilda thought that she shouldn''t have had misgivings about Michelle, but the rumor seemed well-grounded and reasoned, so she had begun to distrust her.


    "I can understand," Michelle said, smiling bitterly. She didn''t know what else to say. Their friendship was not that deep, and so Hilda couldn''t trust her blindly. It took time to build mutual trust. She had to wait for Hilda to know her better. Just like her love... She was waiting for a turning point in her marriage, for Luke to recognize her love.


    "Humph! You always act so aloof, but it turns out you''re a bitch," Erin sneered. She hade from behind them and was standing with her arms crossed over her chest. Behind her was arge group of girls - her loyal followers. They looked arrogantly down at the two girls sitting on the grass.


    "Bitch, who are you talking about?" Michelle asked with a smirk. Some people were afraid that they would be forgotten, so they appeared from time to time to show off their existence.


    "I''m talking about you!" Erin yelled, exasperated. She didn''t realize she had fallen into Michelle''s trap.


    "Ha-ha!" Hildaughed out loud in an instinct, but then immediately ceased herughter when Erin angrily stared at her.


    "You know yourself so well. Good for you," Michelle said, not even bothering to hide her smug smile.


    "You freaking bitch! How dare you make fun of me? Haven''t you learned your lesson yet? This time I will tear your insolent mouth apart!" She was irrevocably depressed when Bradley had warned her to keep her distance from Michelle. She felt like she had lost him to her. She had been waiting for an opportunity to get back at her and finally, today she was going to vent all her anger on her. And to make things easier for her, Bradley wasn''t at school. So she could do whatever she wanted and nobody would stop her.


    "I think it''s better to drop the idea. Although this is a remote area, we will still be punished if we fight here," Michelle said,zily leaning against the tree trunk. It looked like her peaceful afternoon wasing to an end.


    "Humph!" Erin scoffed, "You are the only one who is going to be punished today." Erin ran to Michelle and grabbed a lock of her hair, and herckeys followed her.

 Chapter 1505 The Fight (Part Two)

    "Oh yes," Michelle said through clenched teeth, "I forgot that your father is a member of the school board." She was forced to stand up. It was widely acknowledged that they lived in a daddy-is-the-key society. And Erin knew how to use her daddy''s name to get whatever she wanted. Michelle sighed and slowly got up to face Erin''s wrath. She thought, ''Is Erin some kind of gangster? Why is she so hellbent on violence?'' Erin never missed an opportunity to pick a fight with her. If nothing else, her persistence deserved some appreciation. "Stop! Just calm down! Why do you want to fight again?" Hilda screamed, trying to get across to the girls. She was trembling already.


    "You stay out of this," Erin yelled at Hilda, "We didn''t fight it outst time. Today, we have to decide the winner. Only one of us can survive in this campus!" Ever since Michelle''s arrival, Erin had had nothing but misfortune. What was worse, Michelle had even threatened her in the bathroom. She had long wanted to avenge herself, but Bradley had warned her not to. Today she had to take advantage of his absence to find her footing.


    "You''re being over-confident again," Michelle warned, as she reached out and easily seized Erin''s hands. A delicate girl like Erin could never beat her.


    "Count us in," a girl shouted from behind Erin. Her loyalckeys started forming a circle around Michelle, ready to attack her at Erin''s signal. ''Do they really think that they can win with superior numbers? How naive.''N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    Michelle exhaled and responded with a sneer. ''Fine. They want a fight? I will give them the fight of their lifetime, ''Michelle thought. Michelle wasn''t one to shrink back from a scuffle.


    Hilda watched in horror as the girls surrounded them. "Michelle, let''s run! We can''t defeat them! We''re outnumbered!" Hilda was almost in tears. As Erin''sckeys drew closer and closer, she could hear her heart pound in her ears.


    "Stay where you are and don''t distract me," Michelle whispered to Hilda and pushed her aside. She flicked her beautiful short hair and threw her coat down on the grass. She used to be a gang member. There was not a snowball''s chance in hell that those weak girls could win against her, even with their numbers.


    "Michelle, it''s not toote to beg for mercy. If you kneel down obediently, apologize to me and promise not to get off with Bradley, I will let you go." Erin looked sideways at Michelle with an arrogant smile, as if she had already won the fight.


    "How stupid do you think I am? You have me surrounded by your underlings. Even if I kneel down to make an apology, you still won''t let me off easily. So why should I even bother?" A contemptuous smile crossed Michelle''s face as she refused Erin''s offer. She had seen much of life in the gang. Erin was a weakling when it came to negotiations.


    "So you really want it the hard way? Fine. Remember, you asked for it." With the tip of her tongue on the gum and her lips slightly open, Erin looked unruly andughed wildly at her. Michelle was right. Even if she had made an apology, Erin wouldn''t have let her go. The girls sensed that it was time to get their ws on the prey and rushed fiercely towards Michelle. Because of her, they had made a fool out of themselves in front of Bradley. It was their turn today.


    Michelle''s hands and feet were buried in waterst time, so they got a seemingly fair fight. But today was different. She was not going to let them pull her hair and kick her around.


    "Be careful, Michelle!" Hilda cried out; she was like an ant on a hot pan. Erin was all powerful in this school, so she really didn''t know whom to turn to for help at the moment.


    As she stared coldly at the group of women making threatening gestures at her, Michelle suddenly found herself in a bit of a dilemma. She didn''t know how much strength she could safely use on the girls. Too much strength would injure them seriously, but they wouldn''t learn a lesson if she held back.


    While she hesitated, a heavily built, tall girl punched her on her nose, making her grimace in pain. Without thinking, she punched the girl back on her chin and hit her over the head.


    Borrowing support from the big tree beside her, Michelle jumped out of the encirclement. The girls who were trying to ram into her, bumped into each other instead, while she stood with her arms across her chest and watched the fun. "Ow!"


    "That hurt!"


    The girls shouted. After the collision, they were all hurt in varying degrees, but Michelle had broken out of the encirclement before they could evenprehend her actions.


    "Look how weak you are. How are you nning on taking me down? Who''s next?" Michelle taunted. The pain on her face told her that it must have been bruised.


    "Don''t get too cocky. You are about to get your worst beat down," Erin said as she fixed her messy hair. She wondered how Michelle had escaped from their encirclement. She couldn''t see her moves at all.


    "Oh, scary," Michelle mocked, "I''m waiting." She scoffed. It was boring to fight with these stupid girls. They were not at all a challenge for her.


    "Erin, she must have used some trick. She''s a witch. How did she run away so easily?" One of the girls stammered and stared at Michelle furiously. She was hit so hard that she had a lump on her head.


    "Shut up! She''s not a witch! Don''t talk rubbish. She did some trick. That''s all." Erin rolled her eyes at the girl.


    "Michelle, are you okay?" Hilda came running to her side. "My god! Your face is swollen!" Hilda screamed and reached to touch her face.


    "I''m all right. Don''te near me till this is over," Michelle said, as she grimaced. She had gotten careless and got punched while she waspletely unprepared.


    Erin looked at the girls, who were all hesitating to approach Michelle now. "Why are you all just standing like stones? Don''t you want to pay off the old scores?" Erin snapped at them, without worrying that their fight might attract other students. This area was far away from the study building, so generally no one came here. Even if some students passed by, they would just walk away from the things that didn''t concern them. They were wise and knew that they had to y safe when Erin was involved, or else they would be expelled from the school. Money talked in this society, and everyone had to yield to those who had it.00000000000000

 Chapter 1506 The Fight (Part Three)

    The girls were still shocked by Michelle''s move, but as soon as Erin gave the order, they rushed forward to encircle Michelle again. Michelle fought with precise movements. There was no wasted energy on her part, while the other girls huffed and puffed around her. She dashed around elegantly, quickly dodging their strikes and taking them down one by one. Michelle didn''t seriously injure the girls, but definitely taught them a lesson. Wherever Michelle went, the girls cried out in pain. But Michelle was also hit a few times because she was outnumbered. She didn''t exert full force as she was afraid that she would seriously injure them.


    "You know kung fu." Erin held her hurt arm and looked at Michelle in disbelief. She finally understood why Michelle was so arrogant. She was an expert in martial arts. It was no wonder that she hadn''t taken their provocations seriously at all.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    "You didn''t expect that, huh? Lucky for me, I know kung fu. I can''t imagine what would have happened to me if I didn''t." Michelle wiped the blood oozing from the lower corner of her mouth, wondering which bitch had tried to tear her mouth apart.


    "Michelle, here''s a facial tissue. You''re bleeding," Hilda said. She was nervous as hell when the fight broke loose, but she was relieved after she saw Michelle punch the air out of everyone, although she was outnumbered. However, the scar on Michelle''s face made her nervous again.


    "So, do you want to continue?" Michelle took the tissue from Hilda and wiped the blood off.


    "I''m not that stupid. You are obviously stronger than us, I admit that. We are like eggs hurled against a stone. But don''t count your chickens before they are hatched. This was just a lucky win. We won''t let you win so easily next time," Erin said indignantly. She couldn''t beat Michelle, but there must be someone else who could. She had already devised a n to find a person who was stronger than her and then get her sweet revenge for all this humiliation.


    "Since we are done here, I''ll be taking my leave," Michelle said with a gloating look. Then she looked in Hilda''s direction and said to her, "Let''s go, Hilda."


    "Are we just going to let her leave?" Watching Michelle leave unharmed, a girl muttered angrily.


    "What else do you want to do? She knows kung fu! She took all of us down so easily. I bet she has aplex social background. An ordinary girl wouldn''t be able to fight so fiercely," another girl rebutted her angrily. The blood streak at the corners of her mouth indicated that she was hit hard by Michelle.


    "We can''t beat her ourselves, but we have money to burn. Money makes the mare go," Erin said as she gazed after Michelle''s receding figure. There was something cold and sinister in her eyes. She couldn''t admit defeat so easily.


    "Oh!! I know what you mean, Erin. Even if she had wings, she would hardly be able to fly away!" They all smiled, even in their defeat, as they realized that they could bring in somebody to help them vent their anger.


    Michelle and Hilda slowly walked towards their ssroom, not knowing that Erin and herckeys were scheming against her. She would have to suffer some more before she could be truly formidable.


    When she got home that evening, she dressed the wound on her face, but it was so serious that the swelling hadn''t reduced even though she had applied ice for a long time.


    "Mrs. Luo, how about using some boiled eggs? They can subside the swelling more quickly," Maria said, "You should be more careful while you walk. I can''t believe that you ran into a tree!" She was terrified when she had first seen Michelle''s injury.


    Michelle smiled in embarrassment. "Good idea. I''ll take a shower ande back," Michelle said. She hadn''t told Maria that she had a fight in school. Maria would be shocked to no end if she knew the truth.


    "Okay. I''ll bring them to you after they are done." Maria shook her head, sighed and went back into the kitchen.


    Michelle shrugged and looked helpless in front of her motherly care. Just as she was about to turn around and go upstairs, Luke, who usually came backte, entered the house.


    "Luke, you''re back," Michelle said, lowering her head. She was afraid that Luke would see the injury on her face.


    "Yeah." Luke nced at Michelle and hurried upstairs. He hade back to pick something up. When he was halfway up, he suddenly walked back to Michelle, cupped her chin, and forced her to raise her head.


    "Did you get into a fight?" Luke asked coldly. There was a trace of displeasure on his lips.


    "I..." Michelle wondered how to answer. She remembered that he had once told her that he didn''t want her to make trouble like a delinquent girl.


    "Forget it! You don''t have to tell me about it." Luke loosened his grip and went upstairs. When he turned around, he felt heartbroken.


    Michelle looked at her husband and stood there nkly. After Luke had kissed her, they seemed to be getting more and more alienated from each other. Was it because of what she had said? Had her words dampened his enthusiasm? She wondered what she had done wrong to receive this cold treatment from him.


    Before long, Luke hurried down with a folder in his hand.


    "Are you leaving?" Michelle asked, disappointed.


    "Yeah. You can have dinner without me," Luke said and left without another word.


    "Okay..." Michelle''s voice was a whisper, but Luke didn''t seem to care about her answer anyway.


    After getting into the car, Luke banged on the steering wheel in frustration and hit the horn identally. The sharp noise from outside made Michelle shiver and she felt that more trouble was on the way.

 Chapter 1507 Sleeping In The Same Bed (Part One)

    The bar was a ce for people to vent their emotions in every city. Luke wouldn''t go out and drink with his co-workers. So this was the first time that he drank with them.


    "Mr. Luo, you seem kinda down." People in the security department rarely hung out together, so everyone was in good spirits, except Luke. He sat drinking alone on the other end. They all knew he was a cold fish, but he never behaved like this before. "I''m fine. Just have fun, guys," Luke said, pouring himself another ss of wine. ''She seduced me first, and then she just ran away. What the hell? I''m no saint. A man can only take so much, ''Luke thought.


    The thought of the bruises on her face made him even more depressed, so he looked up and finished his ss.


    ''She''s an excellent scrapper. She grew up that way, and learned how to street fight. So if it wasn''t a garden-variety thug, then who did that to her?'' Luke thought quietly.


    If you never fell in love with someone, you wouldn''t know about the heartache. So in a situation like this, you''d be in some kind of never-ending emotional tug-of-war. The game would go on so tortuously long that there could be no winner.


    Michelle paced back and forth in the living room. She thought Luke had gone out with Edward, but Maria just came back from his house, telling her the CEO had not gone out today. ''So who did Luke go out with? Why didn''t he answer my calls? He''s never been thiste getting home before. This is too much!'' she thought worriedly.


    Michelle reached out to touch her red and swollen cheeks, and thought, ''I wouldn''t have gotten into it with Erin if I''d known he''d get so pissed. It felt good to vent, but now I''ve made things worse.''


    She was such an impulsive person that she made a mess of her rtionships and life. To be honest, she was very insecure about her rtionship with Luke now. If they kept ignoring each other like this, their marriage would definitelye to an end. Michelle had always been decisive in everything else. However, she was very indecisive about her rtionship with Luke.


    A dazzling light derailed her train of thought. She looked up and ran out happily. ''It''s his car!'' Michelle thought, ''But where is he? Wouldn''t he be driving?''


    "I am sorry, Mrs. Luo. Mr. Luo got stered, so I drove him home." Michelle knew this guy. She knew that Luke thought highly of this man, and that he would send this man to keep Edward safe whenever he was too busy. Luke had a lot of confidence in this person.


    "It''s okay. Thanks for getting him here safely." Michelle smiled sweetly. She used to be in a gang, and knew there was little difference between her and the bodyguards. They fought for different reasons, but it was essentially the same thing. Thus, she knew that the bond of brotherhood between them was very precious. In their profession, you''d never know what kind of danger you''d face. In situations like that, the spirit of teamwork trumped everything. So they had to understand and trust each other.


    "Hey, no big deal. Want some help lugging him inside?" Because of Luke, he was quite respectful to her.


    "It''s okay. I got this." Michelle looked at Luke who was leaning back in the seat, eyes closed, and thought, ''as long as he stays like that, it should be easy to get him upstairs.''


    "At least let me help you get him out of the car." The bodyguard spread his legs to get lower, and pulled Luke from the car. Michelle hurried over to grab him. A heavy, wine-like smell invaded her nostrils which made her crinkle her nose.


    "Take the rest of the night off, and get some rest. I''ll take it from here. Thanks for all your help." Michelle put one hand on Luke''s waist and draped his arm around her shoulders. It was the first time he''d been so close to her.


    "OK. Take care, Mrs. Luo." As soon as the bodyguard finished speaking, he drove Luke''s car away, without worrying if Michelle could get Luke upstairs. ''I don''t want to invade their space. They can do what they want now. Maybe it''ll spice up their rtionship, ''thought the bodyguard.


    "C''mon big guy! Let''s go!" Michelle was very slender, but wiry. She could get Luke upstairs.


    Luke nced at her drunkenly, and gently closed his eyes when he saw that it was Michelle next to him. He really put away the booze tonight; otherwise he wouldn''t have been so drunk.


    After she helped Luke upstairs, she was exhausted, mostly because of his bulk. She almost fell down several times. If she fell and that kind of weight came down on her, it would go very badly.


    After lifting his heavy body onto the bed, she was so tired that shey down as well. Then she suddenly realized that she had forgotten that they never slept in the same room. She had only just thought of how to help him onto a bed, so she brought him to her own room. ''When he wakes, will he get pissed he''s not in his room? But I''m too bushed to get him to the other room now,'' thought Michelle. She injured her hand during the fight. She needed to ensure it healed well.


    It was the first time Michelle had really looked at him at such a quiet moment. ''No matter if he loves me or not, as long as he''s by my side, I''m happy,'' thought Michelle.


    She had not known that he looked as lovely as a child when he was asleep, and not as cold as usual.


    A gentle sigh escaped from Michelle''s chest. She got out of bed and tried to take off his shoes and coat. He slept like a baby, so it took Michelle a while to pull it off of him. It was hard when he was lying on it. Looking at his tie, she hesitated, and then unbuttoned it. She undid his shirt, and her cheeks became even redder. Her fingertips identally brushed his warm skin and she felt his downy hair, which made her blush from nervousness.


    "What are you doing?" Luke''s eyes snapped open, and he frowned at her.


    "Uh... Helping you out of your clothes. You can''t sleep in them!" She didn''t expect that he would suddenly wake up. She was so frightened that her heart skipped a beat.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    But Luke wasn''t awake for long. Her answer seemed to satisfy him, so he fell asleep again, which confused Michelle. She went to the bathroom and got a hot towel to mop his hands and face. ''As for the bath, he has to draw that for himself when he wakes up. I can''t help him bathe. Besides, he probably doesn''t need my help to take a bath.'' Thinking of this, Michelle felt a little upset.


    "Luke... Luke..." Michelle gently whispered his name. After making sure that he was sound asleep, she was so tired that she sat straight down on the floor. Staring at the motionless figure on the bed, she held her chin in her hands and thought, ''I wish I could look at you like this all my life.''


    Looking at Luke''s soft lips, Michelle wanted to kiss him badly. However, she dared not do so and could only imagine what it was like to kiss him. ''This man is my husband. No one will believe this is the first time we have slept in the same bed. But... It''s true.'' Michelle thought sadly.


    Luke woke up in the middle of the night. When he opened his eyes, he still felt dizzy. He felt very thirsty and was ready to get up for a drink. He swung his legs off the bed, and almost hit something or rather, someone. He saw Michelle sitting on the ground. Luke looked around and found that he was sleeping in Michelle''s room. Surprised, but not angry, he got out of bed and walked carefully around her. Looking at the sleeping Michelle, he hesitated, then gently gathered her in his arms, lifted her into bed, and covered her with a quilt.


    After carefully finishing all this, Luke crept downstairs to pour himself a ss of ice water and then went upstairs for a hot bath. As he prepared to return to his room, he stood between his and Michelle''s, feeling very hesitant. Finally, he found the courage to return to Michelle''s room. He stood in the room looking at her quietly for a few minutes, and then went quietly to bed. Though they slept in the same bed, they clung to opposite sides with a gaping empty space between them.00

 Chapter 1508 Sleeping In The Same Bed (Part Two)

    Meanwhile, Luke''s head and body were still heavy with drink, so his movements were still less precise. Even after he bathed, he still felt a little dizzy. Although it was the first time they had shared a bed, Luke felt no stress and fell asleep quickly. Luke always had a soft body in his arms when he slept that night.


    Michelle felt quite toasty and snug tonight, as if there was a warm current surrounding her. The current kept drawing her closer. It was not until she waspletely surrounded by it that she smiled and curled up surrendering to itsfortable embrace. The next day, they were woken up by the shrill tones of the rm clock. When they both opened their eyes at the same time, they found themselves cuddled up together. Both of them were quite embarrassed and confused.


    "Uh... You were drunkst night. I got you this far, but you''re a big lug." Michelle reached over and turned off the rm. She exined nervously that she didn''t notice anything different about Luke''s clothes.


    "I know." Luke didn''t stir from the bed because her feet were on his privates, but she didn''t seem to know that. He wasn''t about to tell her, either.


    "Bedtime wasn''t really in the n forst night, but I don''t know when I got up." Michelle bit her lip and exined, thinking, ''When did I go to bed? Why can''t I remember? Think, girl! Why am I in his arms? He must think I did this on purpose.''Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    "I know," Luke said, a blush spreading across his face.


    "What do you know?" Michelle looked at him nkly and thought, ''Does that mean he won''t make fun of me?''


    "I brought you to bed," Luke said, thinking, ''When is she gonna figure out she is putting her feet on my junk?"


    "So you got upst night? Why didn''t I know?" Michelle was a little excited as she said this, so she wriggled her body. And that was when she figured out where her feet were. She was touching Luke''s naughty bits, and he was hard. She was so embarrassed that she didn''t know whether to move her feet or to act as if she didn''t know. In any case, all she wanted right now was to disappear.


    "Could you take your feet off me?" Luke bore his difort like a Spartan, and whispered to remind her. If she continued to do so, he didn''t know what would happen. After all, he was a red-blooded normal guy.


    "Uh... I..." After hearing Luke''s words, Michelle quickly moved her feet away and wrapped herself up in a quilt. She came out of the quilt, however, as if she suddenly remembered something.


    "Don''t you have ss today?" Luke asked leisurely. Though he got drunkst night, he knew that there was always a guard on Edward. He was sure of it, so he didn''t worry about that at all.


    "Ah! Look at the time! I''m so dead!" Michelle hurried out of bed and ran into the bathroom, her short, messy hair bouncing. As for Luke, he was trying to rid himself of the stiffness afflicting his member.


    On the way to school, Michelle kept thinking, ''Why did he choose my room to sleep in when he woke up? He could have gone elsewhere. Has he forgotten all those mean things he said to me? Or did he change his mind?'' The conundrum had gued her all day, and even Bradley''s annoying behavior had little effect. She dedicated everything to solving this problem.


    "Michelle, your face! Did he hit you?" Bradley thought Luke hit Michelle, but he was wrong. Cold as Luke was, he would never beat a woman.


    "Keep out of it," Michelle said as she made to leave. She thought she could sort out her thoughts in this quiet ce, but she didn''t count on meeting Bradley.


    "Wait." Bradley reached out and grabbed her wrist.


    "Let go!." Michelle looked at him coldly, with hostility in her eyes. Bradley always did this, and she got the me.


    "And if I don''t?" Bradley said defiantly, thinking, ''No woman would ever do this to me. You always give me the cold shoulder. ying hard-to-get?'' "Remove your hand, or I''ll remove yours." Michelle tried to break away, only to find that he had no intention of letting her go. His grip tightened.


    "Why are you with that dude anyway? He''s so...basic," Bradley eximed. And his handsome face was full of jealousy.


    "What are you? My mom?" Michelle''s eyes grew even colder, thinking, ''You can do anything to me, but you can''t look down on Luke.'' In Michelle''s eyes, although Luke was only a bodyguard, he was much better than a guy like Bradley. A good student like Bradley was popr in the campus, but it still didn''t mean he was the guy for her.


    "I don''t have to be your mom. I know how to use the inte. Just type ''CEO of FX International Group'' in Google. And you''ll find everything you need to know. That''s how I know about Luke." Bradley snorted coldly, thinking, ''I thought Luke was rich, but he''s just a bodyguard. How does he even rate?''


    "So? Yeah, you''re so much better than him said no one, ever." stated Michelle, feeling salty and staring at him in exasperation. She hated egomaniacs like Bradley.


    "I''m rich and better looking." Bradley proudly unted his strengths, and thought, ''You have to know that much. There''s no contest.''


    "Ugh, you think so? Sorry but I can''t agree with you." Michelle broke free while he wasn''t paying attention. She red at him coldly, and then left, saying "FOH!"


    Michelle knew that if she loved someone, she wouldn''t care about who his family was or what he did for a living. Luke was a bodyguard, but his lifestyle and fancy cars showed that he was richer than the average guys. They''d be okay.


    "Damn it, Michelle! You walk away now, and we''re done!" Bradley shouted. Now he had totally lost his mind because of jealousy, so he behaved like a madman.


    Hearing Bradley''s shouts, Michelle thought, ''Maybe I''ll regret it, someday.'' However, it wouldn''t be because she had a thing for Bradley, but because her love for Luke waned.


    "A penny for your thoughts?" Daisy and Michelle were walking together in Edward''s garden.


    "Oh, nothing. I''ve been so happy recently. See, I put on a few pounds." Michelle pinched her cheek to prove she wasn''t lying.


    "And not because someone hit you?" Daisy looked at her and asked jokingly, hands in her pockets.


    "Uh... You know? Is it that obvious?" Michelle stuck out her tongue in embarrassment.


    "What do you think?


    One cheek is way swollen. Only a blind person wouldn''t know," said Daisy, thinking, ''This couldn''t be Luke? That''s not like him.''


    "Do Dad and Mom know?" Michelle sighed, hoping her parents-inw wouldn''t go off on Luke, ming him.


    "I think they noticed. They''re pretty sharp, but that''s not the point. How on earth did you get that bruise on your face?" Daisy stared closely at her without giving her a chance to lie.


    "God, this is embarrassing. Okay, here is the thing I got in a fight at school." Michelle smiled awkwardly. Daisy was such aforting presence, so Michelle didn''t have to worry about anything around her. She really enjoyed the way she got along with Daisy. "You can''t do that anymore. You''re married, remember?" Daisy was relieved to know that Luke had not hit her. However, she frowned again, worrying about Michelle''s behavior. She was not afraid that anyone would hurt the girl. She was afraid that Michelle would hurt other people, and they might use thew to get back at her.


    "Chill. It wasn''t my fault. They''re just a bunch of bullies, and I beat them anyway. If I hadn''t fought back, they would bully me. Besides, they''re girls too, and I pulled my punches." Michelle understood what Daisy was worried about and that was why she mentioned it. Although Daisy and Michelle weren''t in touch very often, Michelle knew that although she looked ice cold, Daisy really had a warm heart.00000

 Chapter 1509 In A Foreign Country (Part One)

    "That''s good. You know, you are not the same girl you once were. You have developed a different identity now. So, you should start thinking twice before you act. You should consider if you should do something, or not." Daisy had been just like Michelle, when she was her age. She was a wild one too, and she had struggled a lot to get the things she wanted. Besides, just like Michelle, she had gotten married at a very young age, and didn''t gain the love she had so badly wanted from her husband. They were so alike. But at the same time, they were also very different. Daisy had, in the end, finally received the love she had always wanted. Now, she had a loving husband, a great son, and a blooming career. All her hard work had paid off; she was now happy with her life. Michelle, on the other hand, was still struggling with her marriage, and her future career. She really hoped that Michelle would, like her, seed in the end, and get the love she craved from her husband Luke. She knew that Luke was not a bad guy, and Michelle was also a good girl. They were just struggling with unresolved feelings and misunderstandings. She had a feeling that they could eventually solve the problems between them, and be happy together.


    "Yeah, now I know. Thank you, Daisy. I wouldn''t have known what to do without your guidance." Michelle was being honest. She was truly grateful for Daisy''s friendship. She was d that Daisy was willing to teach her how to achieve her goals. To be honest, she had already be aware of what Daisy was trying to tell her. If not for this insight, she would have already made things worse. She had be more mature than she was before. No longer the childish and quick-tempered girl she once was; she could now let go of people who insulted her.


    "Pfft. No need to be so polite to me. We are family now. By the way, how are the things between you and Luke now?" To be honest, Daisy had hesitated before asking this sensitive question. But after a few seconds'' pause, she still asked. She was curious, this was true; but, she was also worried about them. She wanted to know if there was anyway in which she could help them.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    "I am not sure what to tell you, or myself. Every time I think that there might be a glimmer of hope for us, it always turns out to be my wishful thinking. I don''t know what to think anymore. I have no idea where we stand right now. Maybe I thought that things would be easy when I first got married. Now, I am the one paying the price. Things are not under my control anymore." Michelleughed at herself bitterly. The rtionship between her and Luke was really bizarre right now. They were not behaving like a married couple at all. One could rather call them friends, or even acquaintances at most. They didn''t talk much. Every time they met, they justmunicated with awkward nods. Michelle was slowly bing more and more unsure of how to behave around Luke. Yes, they had enjoyed some special moments, in Michelle''s opinion. Sometimes they had shared a brief, but rare, special connect between them. But maybe this was just her wishful thinking? Those moments, however didn''t lead anywhere.


    "Just give yourselves time. Love is something magical, this I can''t deny. All men and women want it. But at the same time, it is hard to get. Michelle, you can''t keep giving and getting nothing in return. If you are tired, just change the way you live! Don''t consider him the only thing that matters in your life. Focus on other things. Maybe you will be happier than you are right now. Besides, Luke mighte around when you are not revolving around him. You could both be nicely surprised." All men were like this; they just took things for granted. They didn''t miss the water, till the well ran dry. The easier they got the things they wanted in life, the less they tended to cherish them. But once you didn''t pay any attention to them, they immediately became ufortable and would begin chasing after you. "In fact, I have recently been trying to get my mind off of him. I should let him go. I can no longer treat him like the center in my life. I have really been trying. I even started going to school to learn how to draw. But still, there is always this empty feeling inside my heart no matter what I do. My heart hurts more than usual. Daisy, what should I do? I really don''t know what to do anymore. Do you think that I can get over him one day? Or will I be like this for the rest of my life?" Michelle stared at Daisy with a distant look on her face, her eyes confused. The more she told herself that she should get over Luke, and get on with her life without him, the more she kept thinking about this cold and cruel man who wasn''t willing to love her. It seemed that she was a prisoner to her love for a man who would never give her a chance. She didn''t stand a chance in this marriage.


    "That''s normal. You are in love with him. It''s bound to hurt sometimes. You just need to be patient and wait. I am sure that you will get what you want one day." Daisy gently pulled Michelle into her arms,forting her with a hug. Her heart ached for Michelle, she knew how painful it could be, trapped in an unrequited love. After all, she had been through the same thing. But she had not been as lucky as Michelle at the time. She didn''t have anyone who could tell her the same things she was telling Michelle now. Nobody was there tofort her and offer her advice.???????????????

 Chapter 1510 In A Foreign Country (Part Two)

    "Mommy, Aunt Michelle, what are you two doing? Are you two..." Justin studied his mother and Michelle, a thoughtful look on his face. It seemed that he had something more he wanted to say, but he hesitated, unsure of how to say it. "What? Huh? What are you trying to say?" Daisy raised her eyebrows at her son, waiting for him to continue his words. If he rudely said what he was thinking, then he would be punished for sure. She was his mother, after all. So, how could she not know what his little brain was thinking right now? "Umm. Nothing, nothing. You two continue. I didn''t see anything. Really. You can just ignore me." Justin''s face had fallen, and he looked at his mother with sad eyes. His mother only knew how to threaten him. He was just stating what he had seen, that was all. He wished she didn''t have to be like this.


    "But you have already interrupted us. So,e on. What do you want?" Daisy rolled her eyes at the look on her son''s face. He was bing more and more brazen, just like Edward. She didn''t know what the two were doing and talking about when they were alone without her. All in all, her son was no longer the tame and docile child he had been.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "Daddy asked me to tell you that, maybe Uncle Luke wouldn''t get jealous when he sees you two, but daddy would surely get jealous seeing you hug so tightly." Justin snickered at his own words. His father really was the jealous type. Well, he had just said what his daddy told him to. His mother wouldn''t get mad and punish him for that, would she?


    "Ha ha! It seems that Edward is getting jealous." Michelle was bemused at hearing Justin''s words. At the same time, she was also envious. She really wanted a loving rtionship like that which Daisy and Edward shared. They were faithful to each other. And most importantly, they loved each other deeply. Michelle hoped to one day have the chance to know the workings of a happy marriage.


    "Don''t mind him. The more attention you give him, the more dramatic he will be. He is just bored and making things up, I''m sure." Though Daisy said these words, she couldn''t help but look in Edward''s direction. Her gaze lingered on the handsome man who was standing far removed from them. It was evident that Daisy cared very much for her husband.


    "Mommy, you are wrong this time. Daddy also said that if you didn''t listen to him, then he would surely keep you busy tonight," Justin said with a sly smirk on his face. Yes, he had told his mother the exact words his father told him. He had just let out the rest of what his father had said. He didn''t know that passing a message for his daddy would be this much fun.


    "What? He said those exact words? Edward! What did you tell Justin?" Daisy shouted while quickly running towards Edward, who was now looking her way. Seeing her angry like this, Edward suddenly had a bad feeling. He was not afraid of her, of course. But he considered for a few seconds whether he should flee. Maybe it would be better for him to speak with Daisy when she had calmed down first. He didn''t know what Justin had just told her, so, he didn''t understand her sudden anger.


    "Well, I didn''t even finish speaking. Why did mommy leave all of a sudden?" Justin pretended that he didn''t know why his mother had be angry all of a sudden. He would never admit that it was his intention to make Daisy misunderstand Edward''s words. What Justin hadn''t said was that if Daisy didn''t listen to Edward, he would keep her busy tonight by sparring against her. But of course, Daisy had misunderstood the half-conveyed message. Well, adults really should get their minds out of the gutter. It was not Justin''s fault that Daisy got mad so swiftly. Yes, he had left out something, but it was just a harmless joke after all.


    "Little man, you do know that you will be punished once your mother finds out what you did?" Michelle teased Justin. She had guessed right away that there was something that Justin hadn''t told Daisy. Though she had not been married to Luke for long, she had quickly be aware of how smart this little guy could be. Besides, Leena had also warned her against him before she left. She had cautioned Michelle that Justin was definitely a handful, and she should be careful around him. He was cute and could act sweetly towards you, but he would definitely trick you if given a chance.


    "Aunt Michelle, do you want to know some embarrassing stories about Uncle Luke? I can tell you some!" Justin looked at Michelle with pleading eyes. He was hoping to bribe her with embarrassing stories of Luke, so that she would not tell his mother of his prank. He really didn''t want to face his mother''s wrath.


    "Why I didn''t know that you have embarrassing stories about me?" Luke interrupted suddenly, startling both Michelle and Justin. They hadn''t noticed his silent approach.


    "Oh. Uncle Luke, I didn''t hear you at all! You made no sound." Justin had an awkward smile on his face. He hadn''t expected Luke to overhear his conversation. His uncle was really sneaky, and it frightened him.


    "That''s because you were too focused on telling her something bad about me. That''s why you didn''t even notice meing this way to catch you out." After berating Justin, Luke''s gaze traveled to Michelle''s face. She looked better, but her face was still a bit swollen. Luke was confused about his feelings for Michelle. He just knew that he worried about her, but he was still annoyed that she kept her distance from him.


    "I wasn''t saying bad things about you! I just wanted to tell Aunt Michelle some interesting stories about you, so she could know more about you. Well, now that you are here, you can tell her yourself. I won''t bother you two any further. Bye!" With these words Justin scampered away. In his little mind, adults were annoying sometimes. They all had each other forpany, but nobody was here to y with him.


    "Did you finish work?" Michelle raised her chin and nced at him, a faint smile ying on her face. But as soon as she remembered what Daisy had just discussed with her, the smile on her face quickly disappeared. She put on an emotionless facade, trying to again keep her distance from Luke.


    "Yeah. We can go back now." Luke had, at first, wanted to take her small hand and lead her back, but as soon as he saw the indifferent look fixed on her face, he changed his mind. He was not sure his touch would be weed. He didn''t want to embarrass himself, and so, he didn''t even try.0000000000000000

 Chapter 1511 In A Foreign Country (Part Three)

    "Okay, let''s go." With these words Michelle started leaving. She didn''t look at his face, thus she didn''t notice theplicated emotions warring there. "Um. About that thing you saidst time. Do you still mean it?" Luke hesitantly asked Michelle in a small voice, after a few seconds of pondering in stride next to her.


    "What thing?" Michelle''s face remained emotionless. Luke had no visual clues as to what she was thinking right now, and it bothered him. Luke helplessly furrowed his eyebrows. It was a taste of his own medicine. Now, after being treated coldly by Michelle, he finally realized how she must have felt all this time, while being constantly rejected by him. He had hurt her badly. Thinking of this, his heart began throbbing in his chest. Was there any chance that he could fix this? He had no idea. In fact, he still had very mixed feelings about Michelle. He had been so sure that he could never love her, but finally seeing the pain he had caused her made his icy heart thaw. And now, he wasn''t so sure about his previous decisions.


    "Nothing. Just forget it." Michelle''s indifference was like cold water being poured over him. Only now, did he realize that sometimes, being treated coldly hurt even more than being the object of anger. He didn''t know what to say to Michelle anymore. It felt like they were slowly drifting apart.


    The way back home was filled with an ufortable silence. Both of them were in deep, but different thoughts. The atmosphere was a bit awkward. They had beplete strangers, not a couple. Luke wanted to change it, but he just didn''t know how.


    "Are you still sleeping here tonight?" Michelle asked with a surprised look. She really couldn''t understand his recent actions. She had originally hoped that maybe he was ready to let his guard down and ept her. But it seemed that she had hoped falsely. She didn''t feel any change in his attitude at all. He was still cold and ignoring her. If he was not going to change his mind, then what he was doing now? Why did he insist on sleeping in the same room as her?


    "Don''t forget that this is also my room. Besides, we are a married couple, and it is normal for us to share a room, isn''t it?" Luke said boldly to Michelle. He seemed to havepletely forgotten what he had said when the two of them first got married. He had said so many harsh and cruel things to Michelle, often and had easily broken her heart.


    "But you said differently when we got married." Michelle was a bit slow in the uptake. She didn''t realize that Luke was trying to get closer to her. He wanted to mend their rtionship, but he also wasn''t the type to pour his heart out. This was the best approach he could think of.


    "It was said when we first got married. Now I''ve changed my mind." With these words, Lukey down on therge bed, hisrge figure taking up more than half of the space. He didn''t exin more, having let her know that he had changed his mind about their sleeping arrangement.


    "Luke, I will say to you onest time. If you are so sure that you don''t want to have anything to do with me, then please don''t give me any false hope. I want to take it seriously." Michelle said in a neutral tone, her face showing no emotion. She was behaving differently around Luke from before. Now, she was no longer willing to satisfy him, or to do anything he asked her to, and thereby lose her own dignity. She had now decided to put herself first. She had to protect her heart from being broken by him again. She would never make the same mistake twice. As long as she knew for certain that Luke would never love her back, she could maintain a facade of indifference. She didn''t want to hand her heart to Luke once more only to have it broken again.


    "What if I say that I am being honest this time?" Luke looked over at Michelle. There was still hesitance showing in his eyes though. It was clear that he was still very conflicted and hadn''t made up his mind. This was not the assurance that Michelle wanted to see. She just couldn''t risk it again.


    "Yeah, what if? You are not even honest with yourself. So please, I beg you, don''t give me any false signals ever again. Let me at least keep my dignity, for that''s all that I can keep for myself right now. If you don''t love me, then just leave me alone. Don''t pretend to care about me. And don''t try to sweet talk me. Just continue ignoring me. It''s what you are good at, isn''t it? I really can''t afford to be hurt again." Michelle spoke sincerely, staring at Luke with intense eyes. She had kept her face nk, though deep inside, her heart was beating painfully, making it hard for her to breathe. But she wouldn''t show Luke her weakness. She wanted so badly to salvage her self-respect.


    Then there was silence. The two of them stared at each other, not saying a word. Neither of them was willing to look away. It seemed that they were both trying to prate the empty look on each other''s face, and see what the other was thinking. Michelle was wondering what Luke really wanted. He had possessed all of her once, but he didn''t cherish what he had. All Michelle wanted now was to avoid more heartbreak. Across the room, Luke was also wondering what Michelle wanted. He wanted so badly to know if he could ever hold a special ce in her heart again.


    Unfortunately, they were not the only ones who were hurting. On the other side of the globe, Leena was also suffering, having left her family and friends behind. Surprisingly, it had already been a full month. She hadn''t expected that she could make it this far when she first left the country. But time flew by swiftly, and she kept busy. She was constantly drawing and working, trying so hard to avoid thinking about Kevin and the rest of the people she missed. But now, she had finished all her work. Unupied by work, all the thoughts about Kevin suddenly rushed back. She missed him so badly.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.

 Chapter 1512 In A Foreign Country (Part Four)

    She picked up a photo of him. Seeing his beautiful smile in the photo, she couldn''t help but drop a light kiss on his face. She hadn''t made contact with him for a month, and she didn''t know if he was doing well or not. Was he still the same? Was he still worried about her? Or had he already given up on her and moved on? She had no idea, because she refused to know anything about what happened back in the S City. Only now had she begun realizing how cruel she could be, punishing herself and the ones that she loved so deeply. She had left those who cared for her; her husband, her faithful friends and her brothers.


    She was still taking her medicine everyday. Even when she was extremely busy with her work, she had never forgotten to take her medicine for even one day. She was being really harsh on herself. Else, she wouldn''t have chosen this way to torture herself. She knew that her actions must have hurt the ones who loved her. But she saw no other choice. She just had to leave that city.


    The sun was beaming, and the weather was very pleasant. The Leena of a year ago would surely have enjoyed walking along the river Seine under such agreeable conditions, drinking in the fresh air that belonged only to this beautiful city which she loved. The city was still delightful, and the people here hadn''t changed. However, she was not the same. She couldn''t enjoy the beautiful scenery surrounding her, because her mind was constantly fixated on a certain man.


    She missed Kevin constantly. She thought about him often, especially when she was not keeping herself busy. He was constantly in her mind. She missed his attractive smile, his gentle words, his warm hands, his fervent touch; and most importantly, she missed his love. "Mrs. Gu, have you ever considered a change in scenery? You have been here for so long. And you have been grieving all this time." The man who spoke to Leena appeared to be in his thirties. He was the mysterious type. He was rarely vocal and rarely smiled. He was always a silent presence. Sometimes, Leena would even forget he was there.


    "Do you have any rmendations?" Leena thought that maybe he was right. She had been here for quite a long time. And she had been moping for even longer. It was time for her to find somewhere she could enjoy herself. She knew that no matter what she did, she would never get her mind off of Kevin. But at least she could try to rx.


    "How about New Zend?" The man was one of Jonathan''s personal bodyguards. Jonathan had sent him to apany and protect Leena. It was evident that Jonathan cared very much about Leena, which was why he was willing to send his most trusted bodyguard with her.


    "New Zend?" Leena was intrigued. New Zend was very different from Paris. She knew that the scenery there was very beautiful. Perhaps this was a good idea?


    "Yeah, New Zend. If you want to go there, I can make the travel arrangements for you." The man looked at Leena with a nonmittal face. He was not the type to easily reveal his emotions in public. But if you looked closer, you would find that his eyes showed the sorrow he felt for Leena. Clearly, he was aware that she was grieving continually, and he was trying to help.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    "All right. Maybe that''s a good idea. Please book a flight for me." Maybe a change in scenery would help her get her mind off of Kevin. Perhaps in New Zend, she would not miss him this much. After all, she would be upied exploring the new country, and being revived in the atmosphere there. Maybe she wouldn''t have time to think about the people back in the S City.


    The luck was not on Kevin''s side. He arrived in Paris at the same time as Leena boarded the ne for New Zend. He didn''t know that he had just missed the chance to find Leena. He just couldn''t sit at home in their apartment and wait for Leena toe back. He just couldn''t stand their home, so empty without her. So, he decided toe to Paris and search for Leena. He wanted to try his luck and see if he could find Leena in the city which she had lived in for such a long time. This decision made sense, because one tended to choose a ce he or she was familiar with to live in. In fact, Kevin was right about the city. It was just unfortunate that he hadn''te here earlier.


    "Kevin, here!" ire shouted, waving her hand to catch Kevin''s attention. During the time while Leena was away, she had been helping her brother search for Leena, and keeping this a secret from their parents. But now, it seemed that they could no longer hide the troubling news from their parents anymore. They were already getting suspicious, and lying to them made her very anxious. She really hoped that they could find Leena as soon as possible.


    "ire, you look different. You''re all grown up now." Kevin was a lot thinner than he was thest time ire saw him. Maybe he just missed Leena too much. In missing her he couldn''t sleep or eat well without the one he loved beside him.


    "Of course I had to grow up. I''m more mature now. I can''t let you down, can I? Come on! Let''s go. Gerard is outside, he''s waiting for us." ire linked with his arm, walking arm in arm to the airport exit. She had missed her brother very much and was happy to see him, even though the situation was not ideal. She knew that he was here to look for Leena.0000000???????

 Chapter 1513 In A Foreign Country (Part Five)

    "You and Gerard, huh? Are you guys serious about it?" When Kevin first heard that she was together with Gerard, he was a bit hesitant. He wasn''t sure whether he should be d about it or not. After all, he knew clearly who was really in Gerard''s heart. Being a protective brother, he was concerned that his little sister would get hurt. "Yes, we are serious. We are doing really well together right now." ire had a sweet smile on her face. Clearly she was happy with her life at the moment. She knew what Kevin was worried about. But Gerard had promised her that he was definitely over Leena and she chose to believe him. She knew that Gerard was a really good guy, and he would never hurt her intentionally. Though she understood that Leena was a great woman who deserved to be loved by someone like Gerard, she knew that she was also good enough for him. She was confident that she would make Gerard fall in love with her one day.


    Standing in the same house that Leena had lived in, Kevin felt her everywhere. It seemed that he could glimpse Leena in every corner of this house. But when he looked closely, she vanished in the blink of an eye. He was slowly losing his mind.


    Leena had told him that she liked taking a walk along the river Seine under the warm sunlight. She always enjoyed the beautiful scenery, and it freed her mind from everything that was bothering her. There, she could let herself go for once. That was also why he had spent a whole day strolling along the river Seine, hoping to God that he would meet her here. But, much to his disappointment, he had not seen her by the time the sun set.


    He had also heard that the Eiffel Tower was a ce that lovers frequented, so he went there to try his luck too. But he had no luck. There were a lot of couples there, making him feel bitter. But in the crowd, he didn''t see the face he longed for most.


    He just wanted to feel how her life was before she had met him; he had walked the streets she had walked; been to the ces she had been to; and eaten the food she had eaten. Though, during his journey, he had been constantly bitter and sad; he felt like she was by his side all the time. Though not together physically, he felt that their hearts were still connected.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    Leena was really cruel to him. He missed her so badly. If this was karma punishing him for having been cold and cruel to her at the very beginning, then he was already paying for it. Every day without her was torture in Kevin''s eyes. He had only himself to me. Why hadn''t he realized that she was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with from the beginning?


    Standing in the unfamiliar streets, listening to anguage he didn''t understand well, seeing different faces passing by, he felt empty and alone. Every time he saw someone who looked even a bit like Leena, he would quickly walk up to her expecting to see Leena. But he was disappointed every time. They were not her. He began feeling that he would never find her.


    Days passed by quickly while he was looking for Leena. Soon, it was time for him to return, even though he hadn''t been to all the ces that Leena had mentioned to him in the past. He was a soldier, and he had his responsibilities. So, no matter how much he didn''t want to leave Paris, he had to go. But he made a promise to himself that he would be back. Hopefully next time when he was walking along the river Seine, that Leena loved so much, he would see her beautiful smiling face.


    "Kevin, don''t be sad. I am sure that Leena wille back one day. She loves you to the moon and back, so she will never really leave you behind. I know she won''t do that to you. She just needs time right now. I believe that''s why she left in the first ce. When she sorts everything out in her mind, she wille back to you," ireforted her brother in a gentle voice. They were at the crowded airport, Kevin was about to go back home for his work. Ever since she changed her initial opinion about Leena, she had thought that Leena and her brother made such a perfect couple. They were perfect for each other. She didn''t want to see them break apart, because of a silly reason. Yes, she knew that their parents were both eager to have a grandchild, but that was only because they didn''t know about Leena''s health condition. She believed that if they knew, they would never mention it again. They were not unreasonable, and they would surely understand.


    "Yeah, I know. She just wants some time to clear her mind. She wille back once she gets tired. You, be happy with Gerard, okay? Now that you have already decided what you want, stick to it. Don''t give up on him easily, understood?" Kevin gently kissed her forehead, stroking her hair. To be honest, he was not worried that Leena would nevere back. He knew that she wouldn''t leave him for good. He trusted their deep love. They had been through so much, and he was sure that Leena wouldn''t give up on their love so easily. It was just that he was impatient. He wanted so badly to see Leena''s face. As long as he kept waiting for her, she would surely return one day.


    "Of course I won''t give up on him. It''s time for you to get on the ne. Take care, Kevin." ire couldn''t help but be emotional. She could tell how exhausted her brother was right now. His eyes were red. She knew that he was worried sick about his wife, in fact, they all were. When did he be like this? She felt sorry for her brother. ''Leena, where the hell are you? Kevin is about to lose his mind. Pleasee back.'' she silently prayed.


    "I know. You take care of yourself too." Kevin hugged his sister tightly onest time, and then he looked around them with disappointed eyes. He still hadn''t found Leena, yet. This city was where Leena had lived. Though he had to leave right now, he would surelye back again one day. He would not rest until he knew where Leena was and brought her home. He couldn''t live without her, and he had to make sure she knew it.

 Chapter 1514 Classmate Gathering (Part One)

    "How was your trip to Paris?" Leaning on the railings of the corridor outside her office, Daisy looked at Kevin with a yful smile. She wondered since when the iron soldier had be so infatuated with a girl. Love was indeed a magical thing, deep, mysterious and unfathomable. "I knew this would happen even before I went there. I just wanted to have a try. I was prepared for this so it was not that disappointing." Kevin smiled helplessly. He knew that she would make fun of him. She had told him before he set out that as long as Jonathan was involved, he would never let anyone find her. So it would only be a waste of time for him to go to Paris. But he insisted. Even though the chances of him finding her was next to zero, he still wanted to take a walk on the ce she once set foot in.


    "Don''t worry! My father-inw wouldn''t really keep her away forever. Since he said that she was safe, then everything is okay with her. You don''t have to feel uneasy with regards to her safety." Daisy also missed her. She always felt something was missing without Leena being around her. And sometimes she also felt empty.


    "I know. Yeah, I''m not that worried anymore. I just miss her a little." Was it really a little? Kevin smiled with mncholy. In all honesty, he was missing her wholeheartedly. Shepleted him and each day that he did not get to spend with her was just torture and agony.


    "Missing someone is like tasting a ss of bitter wine, just enjoy! In fact, it is also quite amon knowledge, and you have to devote yourself to mastering it." They had been apart for only one month. What could be more torturing than the six years that she had spent without Edward? So when it came to missing someone, she knew how it felt more than Kevin, or anyone for that matter.


    "Yes, I''m learning to cope with it. So for the military training this time, it''s better that you take over. I am not in the best condition, being distracted like this. My concern is that I might screw it up and bring shame to the army base." As long as Leena was away, it would be hardly possible for him to return to normal. He was demoralized every day. As one of the top performing military officers at the base, the most important thing for him was to keep his spirits up at any time. He knew what he should do, but he just couldn''t fully concentrate on his work at this time.


    "Okay. I have been too idle these days and I have been nning to take time to use my muscles, otherwise I would be too rusty with mybat skills." Daisy itched to give it a try. She was having a hard time with Edward recently and she thought maybe keeping an appropriate distance was a good thing for both of them. It was said that staying with each other for much too long would easily cause aesthetic fatigue. ''Absence makes the heart grow fonder, '' as the saying went. So she thought her decision to go for the military training was a great idea to keep their love fresh.


    "Is it okay with Edward? Won''t he oppose it?" Kevin asked. As his rtionship with Edward became less tense, instead of addressing him formally as Mr. Mu, he could now call Edward by his first name like his good buddies did.


    "It''s okay. Don''t mind him. This is my work. If he really has any issues about it, he could talk to themander." It was only going to be a week, not parting forever. They had been apart for much longer so Daisy was more than confident that her husband could cope with it. He was a tough man anyway, in addition to being a very busy one.


    "How about this? If he really disapproves, then I will go. You won''t have to take my ce. It doesn''t matter if we lose thepetition just for once. If we lose, it is because we are getting old," Kevin joked. In fact, Winning the first prize all the time also put him under a lot of pressure. He should give the other army bases the chance to also taste victory.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    "Nah, we won''t have a problem with that. He would not disapprove it. He may be a rascal in other matters, but he would never interfere with my work. He has promised that he wouldn''t and I believe he would keep his word. He is a true man." At the beginning, she thought that he was only trying to muddle through with his promises. But after some time, she found that he really acted on his words. Truly, she looked at him with fresh new eyes after she found that he could really keep his promises. It was a rare quality that could be found in a former yboy.


    "You''d better talk with him first. I don''t want you to quarrel with each other just because of my issues. That would be really bad." While being apart from Leena, Kevin had learnt a lot of things. He thought that any trouble between a couple would not be a problem to him because he knew what to do and could easily handle it. The biggest issue he had now was that he didn''t even have the one who would cause trouble for him. Now that she had gone, he could do nothing but wallow in regret.


    "Don''t worry about me! You''d better think how to cover it up when your parents start asking about her. I will go to the training ground now." Daisy snapped and stared at him. She felt bad that he worried too much.


    s! It was indeed a big headache for Kevin. It wouldn''t be a problem for his father because in that household, he cared for Leena the least. But what was he supposed to say to his mother? Leena used to often call her. Now a month had passed, but there was not even a message from her. It wouldn''t be a surprise if his mother started wondering why. He needed to take some time to talk to his mother about this matter.00000000

 Chapter 1515 Classmate Gathering (Part Two)

    persuade Michelle to go with her.


    In the beginning, Michelle was reluctant to join the ssmate gathering. But she finally nodded in agreement as Hilda kept pestering her to go. In the whole ss, no one wanted to be friends with Hilda, but she really wanted to join the party. So she had no choice but to At the party, Bradley especially went over to Michelle and sat beside her, which attracted the attention of many people around them, mostly feeling jealous and angry. Erin was especially mad. Michelle could feel her sinister eyes boring into her, and that made her very annoyed. "Later, put this into the drink of that bitch, Michelle. But make sure that no one sees you." Erin handed a small bottle to a girl beside her stealthily, her menacing eyes glinting with sinister pleasure.


    "Huh? What is this? Will it kill her?" The girl asked in fear. It was true that she also hated Michelle, because she had Bradley spellbound. But she dared not involve herself in a murder plot.


    "It''s nothing serious. It is a kind of medicine that can make her have delusions which will spin her out of control. It''s not fatal. You''re actually gonna enjoy it! I will find a way to make her move away from her drinkter, and you can do it at that time. Remember not to let anyone see you," Erin exined her n to the girl calmly, thinking of how to make Michelle temporarily leave her seat so they could get the chance to carry out the n. "Don''t lie to me." The girl was so cowardly that her hand trembled while holding the bottle. She had never done this before.


    "What are you afraid of? I''m here and I will bear all the consequences. Don''t worry, you dumb little chicken! Besides, the sooner we do this, the better. You wouldn''t have to see Bradley fawning over that slut around school anymore." Erin snapped and stared at her. She must do this perfectly. If she wasn''t daring enough to do this, what use was this girl to her?


    The girl bit her lips and rolled her eyes but did not show it to Erin. If only her father was not employed by Erin''s father, she would not consider doing such a risky thing. She could get in trouble with the school and even be the center of ridicule if the students found out. But if she didn''t do this, she feared that her father would lose his job. Erin and her family seemed to like to bully those who were beneath them. So she had no choice but to do as she said.


    "Michelle, go to the toilet with me," Erin said loudly and confidently in public. She didn''t think that Michelle would refuse her.


    "Huh? Of all people, why ask me?" Michelle askedzily, feeling uninterested. If it wasn''t for the fact that everyone was gazing at her, she would not even respond.


    "Because all the other people are eating. Only you seem uninterested in the food." Although the excuse soundedme, what she said was true. Looking around, everybody was hurriedly grabbing some food to stuff in their mouths, afraid that there wouldn''t be any left. Only Michelle was free and at ease with no ns of getting anything to eat.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    "But why do you need anyone to apany you to the toilet? Can''t you pee by yourself?" Michelle frowned. Did she think she was the Queen, who was attended to by arge number of followers and servants wherever she went?


    "I dare not go there alone. Does that reason work for you? I''m too pretty. What if I get harassed by some dirty man in the toilet?"


    "Do you want me to go with you? Huh?" Bradley looked at Erin coldly. She was the daughter of a noveau riche family. Her father just recently hit it big in business and they had just started living an affluent life. Did she really think that she was born with the silver spoon? She was bold enough to talk to others in such amanding tone.


    "Oh! You must be joking. You are a man and you might take advantage of me in there. Sorry! Women only! I want Michelle to go with me." As much as she liked Bradley, she would not be that crazy to let him go to the toilet with her. At the same time, she realized that there was a w in her n. Even if she took Michelle away from the table, Bradley would still be there. He sat right next to Michelle. If anyone did something to Michelle''s drink, he would be the first one to notice.


    "Erin, I''ll go with you. I have started on a new diet recently anyway," Hilda volunteered, she wanted to save Michelle from the awkward situation.


    "You? Forget it. You know what? I don''t have to go right now." Erin looked at Hilda with contempt. She''d rather give up the n than go to the toilet with this fat loser.


    Michelle sneered. She knew why Erin didn''t want Hilda to go with her. Erin simply felt ashamed to be seen and associated with someone like her. But it was impossible for Michelle to go with her. First of all, they were not friends. They actually had skirmishes almost every day. And most importantly, she hated having others boss her around, especially someone like Erin. There was still a bit of gangster in her. She should be the one bossing people around.


    "Hurry up! We will be going to the karaoke after dinner." Feeling embarrassed, Erin ground her teeth and hurriedly changed the topic. It seemed that it was not a good time to carry out her n and she would have to wait for another chance, if that ever came along. "Huh? Wait, are you going with them to the karaoke, Hilda?" Michelle frowned. She had no interest in entertainment ces like karaokes.

 Chapter 1516 Classmate Gathering (Part Three)

    ."Yes, of course! I seldom have the chance to go out and have fun. C''mon, go with me, please! I know you don''t like it much, bute with us, just for tonight! Please, please, please!" Hilda knew Michelle didn''t like boisterous events, so she begged and pleaded relentlessly.


    "C''mon Michelle, Join us! Give it a chance. Maybe you''ll like it this time," Bradley also tried to persuade her. A ray of hope glinted in his eyes, and everyone could see how much he was looking forward to hanging out with Michelle. "Michelle, go with us, please!" Hilda kept begging, gently shaking her cuffs and pulling on her sleeves.


    "Okay, okay, I''ll go with you, just to keep youpany." Michelle finallypromised. She couldn''t bear Hilda''s pitiful eyes. Deep down, she was really softhearted. She could bicker with Erin and fight off Bradley all day, but she would easily yield when people like Hilda looked at her expectantly with big puppy eyes.


    There were not many people in her ss, so a big private room could amodate them. Michelle sat and leaned back in one of the sofaszily, regretting why she agreed toe. She wondered why Hilda insisted her going with her. There was nothing fun nor interesting here. She could only sit and watch others get drunk and scream into the microphone with horrible voices and make fun of themselves. She just didn''t fit in. For all she knew, they all came so that they could say they hung out with Bradley.


    "Michelle, let''s sing a song together!" Bradley asked loudly into her ears. It was too noisy around.


    "Sorry! I can''t sing." Michelle moved her face away from him and didn''t even blink her eyes when she told the lie. In fact, she could sing very well. She could do the rap with good flow and rock the stage like a pro. She often did this with her former bros, but now it was all in her past. But singing a love song with Bradley? That could never happen in this lifetime. ''Ew!'' she cringed at the thought.


    "It doesn''t matter, you can choose any song that you are familiar with." Bradley believed her and thought that she really couldn''t sing. But he still thoughtfully humored her.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    "Bradley, did I speak in a foreignnguage to you just now? I said I can''t sing, that means I can''t sing any of the songs." She really got fed up with Bradley pestering her the whole night. His efforts got shot down every day and yet he still acted as if he was already her boyfriend.


    "Okay, that''s fine. If you don''t want to sing, forget it." Bradley felt embarrassed at her yelling at him in public, although only a few people could hear her clearly above the din.


    Michelle nced at him speechlessly, and then she silently stood up and quickly walked out. Seeing her leave the room, Bradley thought that she was pissed off at him and was about to leave the ce. He hurriedly followed her out.


    "Hilda,e with me!" It was now or never. Seizing the perfect timing, Erin tried to send Hilda away first. She didn''t have time to care what Michelle and Bradley were doing now.


    "Where are we going?" Hilda asked. She was totally confused. She didn''t know why Michelle suddenly walked out. But she still stood up at the order of Erin.


    "Just follow me. And shut the hell up!" Erin winked at the girl beside her and then walked out of the box. She didn''t think that Michelle would get away this time. Michelle was going to make a humiliating exhibition of herself tonight, and Erin couldn''t wait to watch the show. Bradley eventually caught up with Michelle. He reached out his hand and grabbed her wrist hastily. He shouted, a bit irritated, "Hey! Where are you going?"


    "To the toilet. What? You want to go with me to thedy''s room?" Michelle looked coldly at the big hand which grasped her hand. She didn''t like his overbearing manner.


    "Isn''t there a toilet in the box? I thought that you were angry at me and was going to leave." Bradley let go of his grip resentfully under her stare. He felt helpless about it. She was very different from other girls and it was difficult for him to decipher what was on her mind. "Angry because of you? Oh please! It''s not worth my while." The person who would easily make her mad was not here. The man who could make her mood fluctuate and make her heart flutter was probably sitting in his study right now, enjoying his coffee. Anyway, it would never be Bradley.


    Luke had raised his hand and looked at the time several times. She told him that she was out to have dinner with her ssmates, but why hadn''t shee back yet?" She hadn''t even given him a call yet or a simple message. How hard could it be to inform a spouse of one''s whereabouts? It seemed that she really didn''t take him seriously and looked at him as dispensable. And that was probably why she turned a blind eye to the recent changes in him.


    He also knew that it was nobody''s fault but his own. He had no one else to me. But wasn''t this woman too casual with love? How could she have a change of heart so quickly? Was love really such a fleeting thing in her eyes? Luke thought, feeling ufortable by the minute.


    Time ticked by. When the phone rang, he immediately answered it without even taking a look at who was calling.


    "Luke,e to pick me up at Star KTV right now. Right now! I may have been drugged by someone. Please, hurry!" Michelle was breathing hard as she supported herself with her hands against the wash basin. Her head felt so heavy that she had no choice but to droop down. Her forehead was sweating heavily and everything looked blurry. She regretted being too careless, falling into someone''s trap.

 Chapter 1517 Classmate Gathering (Part Four)

    "Stay there, don''t move. I''ll be there right away. Don''t hang up." Luke immediately grabbed the car keys and rushed out, without even putting on his coat.


    "Okay, I''ll stay on the line." Michelle turned the tap on and continuously sshed cold water on her face. As soon as she found something was amiss, she immediately walked out of the box and came to this washroom. She didn''t tell Hilda and chose to call Luke first. One could see that Luke was always her first priority in her heart and in everything she did. "Didn''t you go out to attend a gathering with your ssmates? How would you get drugged?" Luke put on his Bluetooth earpiece and started the engine. The car ran just like an arrow that left its bow. Fortunately by that time, there were fewer cars on the street so he was able to go very fast.


    "I don''t know. Maybe someone put the drug in my drink while I was away." Michelle replied faintly. If she was right, it was Erin who added something into her drink when she went to the toilet just a few minutes earlier. As she didn''t have any way to prove it now, she couldn''t make any clear usations.


    "How do you feel now? Do you feel hot in your body or weak in your limbs?" Luke was a man with a lot of experiences in a lot of things. He knew how dangerous society could get and how sinister people could be. He wondered who drugged Michelle. It might be a jealous ssmate or imcable foe. If it was her ssmate, that would be too horrible. They were still a group of students, and it was almost unthinkable that a young student could do such a malicious thing. But if the person was an imcable foe of Michelle, she was in great danger now. Those people were gangsters. Virtue and morality could never be found in their dictionary. These unscrupulous gangsters would never easily give up on this opportunity to strike and have their revenge.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    "I can''t describe how I feel exactly. I just feel dry in my mouth. I''m feeling worse and worse every second." And there was another thing that she didn''t tell him. An unspeakable desire had started rising from her within. Although she had forced herself to vomit just now, there was still some residue of the drug left in her that had already spread all over her body.


    "Just hold on for ten more minutes. I will be there very soon." Luke said while stepping on the elerator. Anxiety found its way to his usual cool and expressionless face.


    "Okay, I will wait for you. Hurry." Michelle felt her lips going extremely dry. Fortunately every box was equipped with a private toilet, so few people would go to the public ones. Otherwise she really didn''t know what to do with her current situation. Michelle''s words rang in Luke''s ears. It urred to him that even though she alienated him recently, in time of danger, he was still the first person she called. It exined one thing - he had always been the person that she trusted most in her heart. "Huh! Look who it is! Everybody!" Isn''t this the bitch that Bradley is drooling over?" Erin and several other girls walked into the washroom. They all wore a smug smile when they saw Michelle''s diposure.


    "It''s you, right? You were the one who drugged my drink." Michelle used her while holding her phone firmly. Luke asked her not to hang up, so she still kept the call connected.


    "You''re slinging mud at me - and that''s a pack of lies. How can you prove that it was me who did it?" Erin crossed her arms and turned her nose up at her. No matter what, she was determined to let this woman make a show of herself tonight.


    "Do you want evidence? Don''t worry, I will show it to you soon." Michelle felt hotter all over her body and had the urge to take off all her clothes. Wherever her fingers went, she scratched the spot open, showing her snow-white skin.


    "Okay, I will sit and wait for your evidence. Feeling very hot? Why not take all your clothes off?" Erin coaxed. Later she would find a man for Michelle. Then they would all watch how Michelle would shamelessly pounce on him. She and the other girls only had to stand by and take photos...no, videos. Videos nowadays easily became viral in social media. She believed that tomorrow Michelle''s sexy photos and videos would circte, not only in the whole campus, but the whole world.


    Luke didn''t say anything. His eyes narrowed into slits. If he was right, Michelle''s drugged drink had something to do with the woman speaking to her.


    "Erin, don''t walk on air. Do you think that I will yield so easily? You are too naive!" Michelle said while sshing a handful of cold water on her face without hesitation. The cooling sensation immediately made her feel better.


    "It doesn''t matter. We have plenty of time. As long as you are here, we can wait until you are ready to strip and dance around naked." Erin was also a woman, she knew how it would feel if she were in Michelle''s shoes now. But she seemed to have lost her mind. It was all because Michelle despised her and had an ambiguous rtionship with Bradley. Otherwise, how could Erin possibly have resorted to such extreme means to deal with her? This was what insecurity, jealousy and envy could do to a person.000000

 Chapter 1518 One Step Closer (Part One)

    "You''re viting thew. You know that?" Michelle said, gritting her teeth and managing to fight against the warm stream running inside her. Her face was wet but no one could tell the thing rolling on her face was sweat or water. Her clothes were torn, exposing her bra,


    making her look even more wild and enchanting. All the girls standing around her whipped out their cellphones and began snapping pics.


    "Don''t you know? Everything is decided by the rich, and you''re just a poor girl. You think that you could enter their world, just by being a mistress to one of them? Every inch of you screams poverty. I can''t believe that you are able to sacrifice your body to have a rich life, but I have to admit at least you''re working hard at something." Every word came out of Erin''s mouth was harsh and sarcastic. It seemed like that she would do anything to crush Michelle under her feet for letting her anger out.


    "What makes you think I''m poor? Or a mistress?" Michelle said. She would have pped Erin except that she felt like she was being eaten by ants. The drug was having its intended effect. ''Bitch! I shouldn''t have let you gost time, otherwise we wouldn''t be doing this now, ''Michelle thought.


    "Don''t BS me. You were picked up by a guy in an expensive car. So if you aren''t his mistress, do you really think you could be his girlfriend? Just look at yourself. You think a girl like you could nab a man like that?" Erin said, winking at the other girls to bring some boy there.


    "She has more of a chance than you," Luke said breathlessly. His tone was cold enough to freeze the air around them.


    "Who are you? How did you get in here?" Erin asked angrily, looking in the direction of the doorway. The two girls who were supposed to be lookouts hung their heads in shame.


    "I''m Mr. Right. You know, the guy with the car? I''m Michelle''s husband," Luke said. For the first time, he volunteered that information. He sounded bold and decisive.


    "What? Husband? Are you kidding? How? When?" Erin was bold, with so many people to back her up. Still, she was frightened by this man before her, like he was some devil spawned from Hell.


    "She doesn''t have anything to prove, and neither do I. The only thing that I know is I''m about to knock that crown off your head, princess," Luke said, walking over to Michelle and folding her into his arms. Fortunately, he grabbed the coat out of his car. That was perfect for him to wrap it around her wet body.


    "Who the hell do you think you are? You''re threatening me?" Erin said, stepping backwards in fear. She had no idea if Luke was able to back up his threats.


    "Luke." Michelle said, looking at Luke''s handsome face and gripping his clothes tightly. It was obvious she liked what she saw. The closer to Luke, the hotter she felt.


    "Don''t be scared. We''re outta here," Luke said with his fist clenched, ncing at the other girls with his cold eyes. If they weren''t girls, Luke would have taught all of them a lesson they''d never forget.


    "No. They took pictures of me," Michelle said shyly. It was getting harder and harder to breathe. She was anxious. Although she wasn''t totally naked, her cleavage was showing. She wouldn''t allow them to disgrace her like this. With Photoshop, they could strap her head onto a nude body, or show her in the midst of a lewd act, or even sell the pics to someone despicable. There was no limit to their mischief.


    Luke understood exactly what she meant. He advanced on them. "You''re going to delete every pic you took -- now. You have two choices: you do it, or I do it. If I do it, I''m smashing your phones," Luke warned, his handsome face a mask of sinister intent. The other girls looked at each other and then began to delete the pictures by themselves. They thought this man was too cold. They felt like they were at the North Pole even at a distance.


    "Of course you can choose not to delete them all. In that case, I don''t mind taking legal action. You''re probably smart enough to know whichws you''ve vited already!" Luke said. The most important thing he learned from Daisy since she came back was solving problems by using thew, instead of by violence. Prisons were no joke here.


    The girls hurried to delete the remaining pictures in their cellphones after hearing what Luke said. Obviously, they didn''t delete all the pictures the first time around, thumbing their nose at him.


    "Tell me. What drug did you feed her?" Luke asked. He intended to walk away, but he stopped for one more question.


    Every girl turned their eyes to Erin in a sh. Only Erin could give the answer because she offered the drug.


    "What are you looking at me for? I didn''t drug her," Erin said. She wasn''t stupid. Under Luke''s cutting gaze, only an idiot would cop to it.


    "But you gave me the drug," one girl murmured. ''Does she want to pass the buck?'' she thought.


    "Exactly. I gave you the drug. But you were too obedient. Why did you do as you were told?" Erin asked outrageously. In her eyes, money could solve anything. Only Bradley was an exception. So she had to take Michelle, whom Bradley liked, as her target. "Erin, you......" one girl said, who was the person who actually secreted the drug into Michelle''s drinks. At that moment, she was too angry to defend herself.


    "Great. No one answer me? I suppose the drug fairy came by and made her take it. I bet you would like to pay a nice visit to a police station and talk about what went down there," Luke said and frowned, because he felt a little ufortable with Michelle''s body close to his. Then he caught hold of Michelle''s hands which were running along his chest.


    "Ecstasy derivative. The cheap kind. Gives you fever, hallucinations. It''ll wear off in an hour, which is why it is so cheap," Erin said, biting her lip. Everyone was staring at her. She had to go to school, and she needed allies to survive there.


    "You better be right, or I''ll be back. You''re lucky you''re a girl, otherwise I would have beaten you to a pulp. Oh, don''t be too happy, because I''m going to take my time crafting the perfect punishment. Just you wait!" Luke said to Erin, eyes burning in a darkened gaze. Then he walked out supporting Michelle and bumped into Bradley and his ssmates. Michelle hadn''t been back for awhile, and they wanted to know why.


    "What''s wrong with her?" Bradley got in Luke''s face. When their gazes locked, the eyes of both men zed with hatred. It wasn''t a good time for fighting, but Bradley didn''t care.


    "None of your business." Luke sniffed. ''You''re just a kid. Who do you think you are? Don''t get in my way,'' he thought to himself.


    "Michelle! What happened to her?" Hilda asked in amazement. Before rushing out, Michelle just told her that she went to the washroom. She didn''t think this could happen in thirty minutes.


    "Sorry. I need to get her back home," Luke said. He knew Hilda because he''d met her before. Knowing she was Michelle''s friend, he talked to her politely.


    "Wait. Looks like she''s high as a kite. Wouldn''t a hospital be better?" Bradley said, gritting his teeth. He really didn''t want to see Michelle taken away by Luke like this. Moreover, he didn''t want to see her loved by someone else.


    "This is between me and my wife. Don''t worry. Tell Erin she''ll be punished. She has my word on that," Luke said. He figured he''d have a leg up if he let people know they were married. He was right.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "What? Your wife? So you and Michelle are --" Bradley asked. He was too devastated to finish his question or step back.


    "Yeah. Got a problem with that?" Luke asked. He was jealous of this young boy who had the guts to love and hate. Luke couldn''t do that.


    "No," Bradley replied, stepping aside. He knew he had no chance with Michelle, especially since she was married.


    Michelle had no interest in anything but Luke. She let her guard down and totally counted on him to take care of her since Luke got there. While she was nestling closely with Luke, her hands were moving constantly over him. Luke sneered and then hurried away with his hands holding Michelle. If he stayed there too long, she would have his shirt off.00000???????

 Chapter 1519 One Step Closer (Part Two)

    "Don''t worry, we''ll be home in no time," Luke said softly, turning to fasten Michelle''s seat belt. He started the engine and drove away from that ce. This might be his most tender act yet. About whether he had caused a stir or what it might lead to, Luke didn''t consider at


    all. His thoughts were consumed by getting Michelle home as fast as possible.


    Bradley stood there, still stunned. He didn''te back to reality until Erin and the other girls came out of the washroom.


    "Erin, this has you written all over it," Bradley said, smiling coldly. At first, he did look down upon Luke as he thought Luke was just a bodyguard and he couldn''tpete with him. Then his father told him that Luke wasn''t just a bodyguard but also Edward''s father''s adopted son. In other words, there was no way he couldpete with that.


    "So what? I just taught her a lesson." Erin replied, biting her lip. Although she felt restless inside, she didn''t care about it too much.


    "Anyway, I just want to let you know that you''re barking up the wrong tree. Remember what Luke said? I wouldn''t wanna be you, right now!" Bradley mocked with a smile. He had a feeling that Luke''s revenge would not be simple or swift.


    "Trying to scare me?" Erin asked. ''He was pretty big, though. And he looked thoroughly pissed. But surely he wouldn''t go that far...'' she thought.


    "Humph! Just wait and see! You can ask your father about FX International Group. I''m sure he can fill you in." Bradley nced at her with sympathetic eyes and left quickly. He med himself for what had happened just now. He was too careless to let things get this out of hand. He was the ss president, and it was his responsibility.


    "Ah! FX International Group, the leading business in S city! What should we do, Erin? The CEO doesn''t know the meaning of forgive and forget!" one girl said. All of these girls lived here, how could they not know about FX International Group? They were frightened. Edward had a reputation for ruthlessness.


    "So what? I''ve met the president of FX International Group and I know what he looks like. I''m sure that man isn''t the president. So you don''t need to worry," Erin said, though fear still gnawed at her. ''It can''t be true! If it''s true, my dad will skin me alive,'' she thought. "Maybe he''s connected with FX. I don''t think Bradley would have just tossed that out there." Erin wasn''t totally terrified, but she couldn''t speak for the others. After all, they were all from the families of Petty Circle, so they couldn''t suffer major losses.


    "Enough! This is all sus. Chill, okay?" Erin said. She was right, it was all suspicious. And their prattling didn''t help. But on the off-hand chance it was true, she needed to let her family know. They scraped their way to the top, and entered the upper-ss world with great difficulty. She didn''t want Edward or Luke to go after her family. She needed to talk to her father now.


    Speaking of Luke, he drove Michelle home like he was behind the wheel of a Form 1. Although Michelle tried to disturb him with her hands when he was driving, he fought her off and kept control of the wheel thanks to his years of driving experience.


    "Come on. Be careful." Luke said, unfastening the seat belt for Michelle and taking her out of the car. The minute when she got closer to Luke, she clung to him tightly like a leech.


    "Luke, tell me. Will I die? It feels like thousands of ants are biting me," Michelle said. She was really loopy. She didn''t stop Luke when he announced their marriage in front of her ssmates. But she really didn''t need to be secretive anymore. In fact, she should have announced it earlier. It might have saved her a lot of trouble.


    "No. Don''t worry! You''ll be fine soon," Luke said, carrying Michelle upstairs. Entering their room, he uncovered Michelle, removing his coat from her body, and brought her to the bathroom.


    "But I feel so hot. It seems like I''m gonna burn up," Michelle said, trying to rip off her clothes with her own hands. She didn''t get much, but she managed to undo her bra. She took Luke''s big, cold hands and put them on her exposed breasts.


    "Let me help you take a bath. You''ll be fine in a minute," Luke said, his face getting red. So he grasped her moving hands quickly and then stooped to fill the bathtub.


    "What''s the matter, don''t you like me?" She didn''t like being rebuffed, no matter how out of it she was. Her words were slurred. She felt her skin burning like her blood vessels were about to rupture.


    "That''s not it. I... I don''t want it like this," Luke said, hands on her shoulders, looking at her with fiery eyes. He had suffered a lot because of her. But he didn''t want her like this. This wasn''t how it was supposed to be. What he wanted was her heart and soul, not to take advantage of her when she wasn''t lucid. ''She wants it now, but what happens when it wears off? I don''t want her to resent me, ''Luke thought. Luke was not willing to take that chance.


    "I know. But rx. We''re husband and wife. I want you," Michelle replied and then stood on her toes to kiss Luke. This was torture. Luke''s coldness, ther burning up inside. She couldn''t stand it any longer.


    Luke set aside his worries. It had been a long night, and he was only human. She broke down his walls, and he grabbed her, kissed her back harder.


    The night was long and their love was deep. The romance and passion between them blossomed. Maybe they could take things to the next level after this intimate skin-on-skin experience. Erin might have had evil in mind, but that didn''t mean it had to end badly. After making love, Michelle basked in the afterglow and finally surrendered to sleep, while Luke was totally awake. She was a virgin, which he didn''t even dare to imagine. Michelle was just full of surprises.


    Looking at the girl curled up against him, holding his arms, Luke felt more responsibility than ever. That was a feeling he never had before.


    Perhaps he needed a serious rtionship, not one full of drama, but a simple and warm home.


    She tried so hard, which he saw but often chose to ignore. People said he was ruthless. True, he kept people at arm''s length because his life as a bodyguard was dangerous. He didn''t need anything or anyone to worry about, because that would either hurt him, or could be used against him. Michelle woke up, and her body was sore. Looking at the other side of the bed when she opened her eyes, she found nobody there, which made her feel lost.


    She thought back on their night of passion and blushed. Then she screamed loudly and blundered into the washroom after ncing at the clock on the table. ''Not again! I''ll bete,'' she thought.


    But she looked in the mirror. She was ratchet. ''Screw it! I''ll stay home today. I can''t show up like this. Everyone would talk,'' she thought. ''And that''s thest thing I need.''N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    Thinking about the things Erin had done to her, Michelle squinted her eyes and took on a sinister cast. ''You bitch. You won''t get away with this,'' she thought. In this case, she would like to make fun of Erin so that she could understand the feeling of being drugged. Anyway, she always had somebody who would like to do something for her. Wasn''t it right?


    But Luke was already on it.


    "Mr. Mu, how long would it take to devastate Tosca Corporation?" Luke asked seriously in front of Edward.


    "Tosca Corporation? That upstartpany? What? Someone there pissed you off?" Edward asked out of curiosity, because he had never known Luke to ask him for anything like this.


    "You could say that," Luke replied in a matter-of-fact tone. He was totally serious now.


    "All right! Give me some time and you''ll have your answer. By the way, what happened? This has to be good," Edward said with a teasing smile. He really wanted to know what drove Luke to this point.000000000000????

 Chapter 1520 A Crush On Her (Part One)

    "Do I have to tell you the reason?" Luke asked with a frown. He was too proud to admit that he was enraged because someone tried to hurt Michelle.


    "Of course. I need to know the reason. Otherwise, I can''t just overthrow apany out of nowhere." Edward leaned back andced his fingers together smugly. He then shot Luke a teasing re. He was really interested in what the CEO of Tosca Corporation had done to offend Luke. He had known Luke for many years, but this was the first time Edward heard his friend ask him to overthrow apany. "Uh... Here''s the thing. Last night, Michelle was poisoned by her ssmate." Luke bowed his gaze and scratched the back of his head. It was obvious how embarrassed he was.


    "What? Are you kidding me? Are the students now that unruly? Oh, let me guess. You detoxified Michellest night, didn''t you? How did the third base feel like?" A cunning smile cracked on Edward''s lips. He could easily guess what kind of poison Michelle''s ssmate had used on her based on Luke''s embarrassment. Moreover, he also could tell that Luke had a thing for Michelle now.


    "What''s worse, the girl who poisoned Michelle doesn''t regret what she has done at all. I must teach her a good lesson. Otherwise, she might hurt others in the future." Luke furrowed his brows as he felt that Edward had be more and more interested in asking about others'' secrets. Edward wasn''t like this before.


    "Okay, I''ll do as you say. Can you tell me why she poisoned Michelle? Is it out of jealousy or something else?" Edward asked. He also realized that he really liked gossiping about others recently. It wasn''t a bad hobby at all. Was he really this bored with his own life? "Why don''t you ask the girl out to have a cup of coffee? I believe she will be d to share it with you." Luke''s face twitched. The situation had been really urgentst night. Thus, he never got the chance to know the whole thing.


    "Hey, are you suggesting me ask a girl out? I''ll tell Daisy about it and you''ll be screwed." Edward cracked a joke with Luke.


    "I believe that I''m not the one who will be screwed. If you don''t need me for anything else, I''ll take my leave." Luke gave him a sly smile. He was happy to see Daisy give Edward a lesson.


    "You brat!" Edward cursed through gritted teeth. Since when did Luke dare to make fun of him?


    "I''ve learned that from you, my dear master," replied Luke with a grin.


    "Get out!" demanded Edward in frustration. For some reason, he really missed the honest and upright Luke he used to know.


    Turning around, Luke curled his lips in satisfaction. This was the first time that he saw Edward look like this and scoring one against his master really felt great!


    After the ident, Michelle noticed that there were many people who were staring at her with both confusion and terror as she went back to school.


    "Michelle, you''re finally back. Are you okay?" Hilda asked while eyeing her from head to toe. She wasn''t sure what had changed, but Michelle seemed to be different. She seemed more feminine.


    "Hey, Hilda! Don''t worry. I''m great!" greeted Michelle in a cheerful tone. She was honestly d to see her friend again.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "So you''ve been married. No wonder you don''t like Bradley." Hilda made a face and stuck out her tongue at her.


    "I''m sorry I didn''t tell you that," apologized Michelle sincerely. Hilda was her friend but she kept her marriage a secret from her. She felt a little guilty about it.


    "Oh, no problem. You must have your own reason. I can understand it and I''m really happy for you to have such a handsome husband. By the way, I''m sorry for treating you as a poor person like me in the past." Hilda lowered her head in shame. She was actually wondering if Michelle was still willing to be her friend in the future.


    "What are you talking about, Hilda? I''m still the same Michelle. Are you not going to make friends with me anymore just because I''m rich?" Unlike Erin, Michelle didn''t think that poor people should be perceived as inferiors. She believed that friendship was based on sincerity instead of materials.


    Meanwhile, Erin noticed Michelle when thetter entered the ssroom. She decided not to waste more time; she dashed towards Michelle and shouted at the top of her lungs, "You bitch! What have you done to my father''spany?"


    Little did Erin expect the next thing that happened. Michelle stood up in an instant and before she knew it, the loud sound of a palm pping her on her face already echoed inside the room. Frankly, Michelle hadn''t settled ounts with Erin yet. Where was Erin getting her guts? How could shee rushing to her just to me her? Shouldn''t she be apologizing to her instead? How ridiculous she was!


    "Watch yournguage! If you dare call me a bitch again, I won''t let you go easily. Moreover, I don''t know who your father is. What could I have done to hispany?" Michelle withdrew her hand and felt her palm stung a bit. She had pped Erin too hard. Nheless, she never regretted it.


    "You! How dare you hit me?" Erin covered her face in astonishment.


    "Why can''t I? Are you expecting me to be polite after what you have done to me?" Michelle raised her chin and looked down at Erin. Her face was as cold as ice.


    "I admit I''ve done something wrong. I''m sorry. However, you should have not involved my father''spany!" Erin yelled. A financial copse had taken ce in her father''spany yesterday. It turned out that the man who had saved Michelle had taken actions. "How many times do I have to repeat? I don''t know who your father is." Michelle rolled her eyes. As a gang member, all that she could do to avenge herself was to beat Erin up. She didn''t think she was capable of overthrowing apany. Nevertheless, Erin didn''t seem to tell a lie too. What could be going on?


    "Okay, I know you did nothing. But what about the man that night? Did he do something to avenge you?" Erin retorted. At the beginning, she didn''t think FX International Group was a big deal. What had happened yesterday was a big blow to her. She finally realized that she had offended someone whom she shouldn''t offend. Her father had med her for what she had done and even threatened to cut her off from the family.


    "He... I don''t know..." Michelle hesitated. She would believe what Erin had said if it were Edward whom she was pertaining to. After all, Edward would fight over the smallest trifles. On the other hand, she wasn''t even sure if Luke would do the same for her. She knew Luke didn''t love her.


    "It must be him! He told Bradley that he would have cruel ways to avenge you!" Erin said through gritted teeth. ''I thought the man was just bluffing. How could a poor woman like Michelle have a powerful husband after all? Damn! I was wrong!'' she thought to herself.


    "I know nothing about it. If you are telling the truth, then why don''t you ask him yourself?" Michelle frowned. She didn''t even notice any changes with Luke these days, thus, she really couldn''t tell if he did something. Furthermore, he wasn''t even talking about the ident anymore. Had he really used the power of FX International Group to overthrow Erin''s father''spany? Michelle wondered if she should ask Luke about it.


    "I will go ask him about it! Let me tell you this, you cannot overthrow my father''spany. Not even a chance! Let''s wait and see!" Themotion between them had collected attention from their other ssmates. They were now staring at them. Erin didn''t want them to know that her father''spany had a problem. So she decided to let Michelle go for now. Nevertheless, her withdrawal from this argument didn''t mean that she admitted her defeat.


    "The nerves of her!" Michelle snorted while looking at Erin''s receding figure. She wondered whether Erin would really go to Luke. If Erin really did it, she would be definitely screwed as Luke was by no means a gentleman.


    "Michelle, your husband looks like a big shot. I heard him say that he would teach Erin a lesson that night. Was it possible that he did something to her father''spany?" Hilda asked. She was dying to know Michelle''s husband''s real identity.


    "I have no clue. But I think he''s a man of his word." Michelle knew that Luke would not easily change his mind once he decided to do something. She was kind of convinced now that Luke had done something to Erin''s father''spany for her.


    Hilda''s eyes widened in shock. She was wondering if Michelle''s husband was a rich second generation. However, she seldom had the chance to learn about the upper ss circle. Thus, she immediately shook her head to dismiss the thought.0000????????

 Chapter 1521 A Crush On Her (Part Two)

    Michelle had been distraught the rest of the day, not only because her ssmates had been looking at her with fearful expressions the whole time, but also because of Bradley. The man looked so sad and dejected and Michelle couldn''t help but feel as if she had cheated on him.


    However, it was a really good thing that Bradley wasn''t pestering her anymore. He just threw sad nces at her every now and then. It was annoying. Thus, she left the ss as fast as she could when the ss was over.


    It was Michelle who arrived at their home first. It was a few minutes more when Luke entered their house too. This was her chance. She immediately walked up to him and asked, "Luke, did you ask Edward to deal with Erin''s father''spany?" It was evident how their rtionship got better since they had sex.


    "Yes, I did. She always acts like she is different from others, right? Well, I decided to have her father''spany go broke. I want to see how she would act once she is no longer rich," said Luke with a cruel smile. In reality, Luke detested women like Erin. He just couldn''t stand girls who thought of themselves as world leaders whom everyone should obey. Jessica was the same type of woman as Erin and it was needless to say how he used to hate her very much.


    "But a lot of people will lose their jobs if thepany goes broke, right?" Michelle asked anxiously. It seemed that their marriage had changed her a lot. She had be more kind-hearted. She hadn''t cared about others at all in the past. However, she couldn''t help but feel worried about those innocent people who might get involved in the fight between Luke and Erin''s father now.


    "You don''t need to worry about that. Mr. Mu has his own arrangements. By the way, did the girl give you trouble today?" Luke asked. Luke felt the sudden urge to pinch her cute face but then tried his best to hold back. He was too shy to do those intimate things, especially to her.


    "No, she didn''t. Come on! I used to be a gang member. How could she give me trouble?" Michelle lied because she thought that Luke''s revenge was cruel enough. She had no ns of making the argument worse. Yes, Erin had poisoned her but Luke had saved her in time and nothing serious had happened. Michelle decided to let Erin go this time. It would be really hard for Erin to ept the huge drop in her social rank. Michelle shook her head and thought to herself, ''I already forgave Erin. I hope she won''t be stupid enough to offend me again.''


    "Huh? Are you kidding me? You''ve gotten injured several times recently." Luke rolled his eyes at Michelle and sighed with resignation. ''Why is she so kindhearted?'' he thought.


    "Uh... They were just idents," Michelle murmured embarrassedly.


    "idents? That many idents? If you are not happy in that school, why don''t you quit it and find another one?" Actually, Luke just wanted her to quit school because he didn''t want to have more opponents like Bradley. However, Michelle was so into painting and he didn''t want to stop her from following her dream.


    "Don''t worry. I love the school. I have a good friend there." Michelle refused Luke''s proposal. It would take a long time for her to adapt to the new environment if she went to another school.


    "It''s up to you. If you want to go to another one, just tell me and I''ll arrange it. Oh, by the way, remember to visit the Mu family more often. Mrs. Mu is in special training. I think mother is lonely nowadays." Cool as Luke was, he was a careful and caring man. "What? Daisy is in special training? Since when? I didn''t know about it at all," Michelle said in astonishment. She hadn''t gone to the Mu family house for like only two days.


    "Oh, she left yesterday. And if it weren''t for that, Edward wouldn''t have been so frustrated and vented his anger on Tosca Corporation. Oh, do you know Tosca Corporation? Your ssmate''s father''spany. What bad luck the girl''s father has!" Lukemented with a cunning smile.


    "Ah, I see," Michelle murmured. Luke''s attitude toward her hadpletely changed and she was not ustomed to it yet. As a result, the atmosphere grew a little awkward.


    "Michelle, why don''t we start dating from now on?" Luke said after a long hesitation. He then swallowed hard as he waited for her answer.


    "What?" Michelle''s eyes widened in shock. She was suddenly confused if her ears just yed tricks on her.


    "I said, why don''t we start dating from today on? I thought you wanted this. Have you changed your mind?" Luke looked at her right in the eye.


    "Are you serious? You are not making fun of me, are you?" Michelle still couldn''t believe what she heard as she looked at him. God knew how she wished she heard him right.


    "You think I would make fun of it? If you don''t believe what I said, then forget it." Luke turned and was about to leave. He was a little angered by her reaction.


    "I believe you! Luke, I was just too surprised, okay?" Michelle jumped to her feet and then without any ado, grabbed Luke''s arm and pulled him to turn around. He was still without any clue when Michelle suddenly tiptoed with her body pressed against his and then bit him on the lips.


    "Ouch!" Luke couldn''t help but frown at what she did. Nheless, he wasn''t able to control himself from teasing Michelle the moment she withdrew from him. "Hey, easy! Are you a puppy? Only puppies bite."


    "Uh... I..." Michelle stammered. Her face flushed crimson with shyness as she didn''t know how to react. What on earth did she just do? She was too excited and she ended up kiss-biting him in impulse.


    "I have to tell you the truth. I may not be a qualified husband. So we need topromise with each other in the future no matter what mistakes we make, okay?" Luke said earnestly. Now that he had a thing for Michelle, he would like to try his best to be a good husband. "I promise you. Even if you didn''t say that, I would do my best to be a good wife as long as you''re willing to try to love me." Tears of joy streamed down her cheeks. She had waited a long time for this moment. She had thought that Luke would never fall in love with her. However, here they were and the day finally came. "Sorry. I treated you very bad in the past. I didn''t expect you to say yes." Naturally, Luke held Michelle in the arms. He had no ns of hiding what he was feeling anymore. He was willing to admit his mistakes and make up for what he had done.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    "I love you regardless of how you treated me in the past. I''m always willing to be with you. I''m so d, Luke. My dream has finallye true." Michelle smiled. She felt really happy at this moment.


    "Thank you." Luke kissed her on the lips. Actually he had fallen in love with her a long time ago. It was just that it took him a long while to realize it.


    Michelle shut her eyes and just enjoyed Luke''s embrace. She asked herself silently, ''Would I fall in love with Luke if I had known at the very beginning that I would suffer from his coldness for a long time? I''m afraid the answer is yes.'' The lovers held each other tightly in silence.


    Edward had just used three days to deal with Tosca Corporation, which would go broke soon. As a result, Erin came to Michelle again.


    "Tell me, what should I do to ask for your forgiveness. Please let us go." This time, Erin was not that arrogant as before.


    "If you had apologized to me at the very beginning, I would have interceded for you. However, it''s toote now. I don''t think I''m able to help you," Michelle said coldly. She knew it would cost a lot of energy and money to overthrow apany. She couldn''t just go to Luke and ask him to stop.


    "How about I kneel down? I was too blind to see who you really are. I''m really sorry. Please spare me this time." Erin bit her lower lip, her face was as pale as death. She had suffered a lot during the past three days. All her families began to me her for the stupid thing she had done.


    "I''m not the one dealing with your father''spany, so I can do nothing about it." Michelle was at a loss and didn''t really know how to react. She would just refuse her request without hesitation if Erin came to her arrogantly. However, Erin looked so pitiful and Michelle just didn''t know what to do.000000000000

 Chapter 1522 Sensible Side Of Michelle (Part One)

    "Can you at least tell me who I need to see? I only want to save my father''spany. Please, I beg you. I treated you wrong all this time, and I am sorry for it. Please forgive me, and help me." The girl standing in front of Michelle was no longer proud and arrogant. Now, Erin was only a girl who badly wanted to save her father''s firm. She had to apologize to Michelle, knowing she was probably the only person who could help her. As long as Michelle forgave her, she would be fine. Erin was aware of the consequences of her father''spany going bankrupt. Everyone surrounding her andplimenting her was only after her money and status. Yes, she could live afortable and happy life now, all because her father made a lot of money. That was how an arrogant and mean girl like her became so popr. If her father became broke, then she would lose everything, and this was thest thing Erin wanted to happen.


    "Why didn''t you think about the consequences before doing something bad?" Michelle goaded Erin. Yes, Erin had no one else to turn to, and that was why she was willing to throw away her dignity and pride to ask Michelle for help. Michelle knew what would happen if thepany of Erin''s father went bankrupt. But she felt no sympathy for the girl who had done something so unforgivable against her. But she did feel sorry for thepany''s employees because they had no idea they were going to lose their jobs.


    "I am truly sorry!" Erin cried out. "I know what I did was extremely wrong! I will never do anything like that again, I promise. But please, please help me. I don''t know what else to do now. Can''t you show some mercy?" Erin''s anxious tone showed she was ready to do anything since there was no one else to ask for help. She stared at Michelle with pleading eyes, hoping she would agree to help her despite what happened between them before. After all, Michelle was the reason why that man decided to bring down her father''spany. He was seeking revenge on Michelle''s behalf. It was evident that Michelle had a special ce in that man''s heart, and this was what gave Erin the confidence that only Michelle could help her.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    "Erin, I have told you a thousand times that I am not powerful enough to save apany from going bankrupt. I am not a god. Now you get a dose of your own medicine. If you hadn''t done anything to harm me, then you wouldn''t have to face this awful consequence. This should teach you a lesson. You always need to be kind because karma is a bitch. When you do something evil, one day, it will surelye around to bite you in the ass."


    "But your husband can help, can''t he? Don''t tell me that you want to watch my father''spany go bankrupt! Do you truly hate me so much that you want me to be miserable for the rest of my life? You''re unbelievable!" Erin was almost screaming. Suddenly furious because Michelle would not give in to her request, Erin raised her voice and became pushy. Why? Why wasn''t she willing to help her? It was easy for Michelle to help her. She asked nicely, she begged, what more did she want anyway? What Erin didn''t realize was that Michelle wasn''t obligated to pay for her mistake.


    "Well, if you really believe that he can help you, then I don''t mind you going to him asking for mercy. But I won''t be the one to speak for you!" Michelle was starting to get annoyed with Erin, too. And she hated this feeling. What happened to Erin''s family had nothing to do with her, for God''s sake! Why did the girl make it sound like she was the one to me? It was her fault that she only realized her mistake when things got out of hand, so there was no one else to me. And no way was Michelle asking her husband for mercy on Erin''s behalf.


    "I thought I was the cruel one, but I didn''t expect you to be even harsher! Okay, fine! FX International Group, that''s where your husband works, right? I will go and ask him myself since you''re not going to do anything to help me!" Erin blustered in anger. Her face turned bitter once it became apparent that there was nothing she could get from Michelle. She red at the woman with hatred in her eyes. It was evident she was furious with Michelle because she refused to help her. Erin brought her feet down in frustration, then turned around and stomped away.


    Michellughed self-deprecatingly. For a second, she actually thought that maybe Erin had learned her lesson and started to change for the better. But clearly, she was wrong. Erin was still the selfish and mean girl that she was before. She just hid it better now because she needed Michelle''s help. It seemed impossible for someone to change personalities overnight.


    After finishing her ss, Michelle immediately went to her father-inw''s house because Luke had asked her to do so. She happily agreed because the alternative was to stay home alone, which bored her. At least when she was at Edward''s house, Michelle would be talking to someone.


    "Mom, are you home alone?" she asked Cynthia as soon as she arrived. The house was unusually quiet, which was rare. Michelle looked around and saw her mother-inw was indeed alone.


    "Yes, I''m the only one here. Your father-inw went to pick up Justin. Maybe they''re still somewhere outside ying. They should be back by now. I don''t know why they''re thiste," Cynthia replied with a smile. The woman was simply elegant that each time Michelle saw her, she was always blown away by her mother-inw''s quiet beauty.000000000??????

 Chapter 1523 Sensible Side Of Michelle (Part Two)

    "Perhaps it''s because of the traffic," Michelle offered. "It is rush hour. Traffic was so bad on my way back home so they must have gotten caught in it," she added. She returned Cynthia''s smile because it was impossible not to be infected by her pleasant manner. "Whatever. I don''t care where they go as long as theye back in one piece. By the way, look at you. It seems to me that you look more radiant and happier than thest time I saw you. Let me guess, does it have anything to do with Lukie?" Her eyes twinkled teasingly. As soon as Michelle entered the house, she found her daughter-inw looking happier than usual. She was aware of how much Michelle had suffered in the past few days. So it was good to see her this way. The joyful and radiant look suited her well.


    "Uhmmm... Oh, they''re back! Dad and Justin are here," she announced. A blush had colored Michelle''s face at her mother-inw''s teasing. She was too shy to answer. Honestly, Michelle had no idea what to say. Fortunately, Jonathan and Justin arrived, saving her from having to answer Cynthia''s query. So, Michelle quickly changed the subject to divert attention away from her.


    "You keep dodging my question, sneaky girl," Cynthia pretended to scold her but stopped asking anyway. She could tell the young woman was embarrassed, prompting her to drop the subject. As long as she was happy, Cynthia didn''t mind what was going on between her and Luke.


    Laughing nervously, Michelle said, "The food smells delicious. I''m going to the kitchen to check out what Mrs. Wu is cooking." She walked off to escape further interrogation. Michelle was really in a good mood recently because of the way things were between her and Luke. Things were looking very bright and promising. And this excited her to no end. Moreover, Michelle felt the warm wee extended by members of this family. Everyone was friendly to her, and she could feel they genuinely cared about her. And they cared about her not because she was Luke''s wife, but because she was Michelle.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "Grandma! I''m going to tell you something. Grandpa was staring at a beautiful woman on our way home!" As soon as they came inside the house, Justin rushed towards his grandmother to give his report. He had a mischievous smile on his face while rting his observations to Cynthia. It amused him to catch his grandfather being a bad boy. The boy also enjoyed ying tricks on his family.


    "Oh yeah?" Cynthia decided to y along. "Is that so," she asked while ncing at her husband with mirth in her eyes. The woman looked very interested in what her husband was going to say to defend himself. Cynthia was quite aware of what Justin was up to and decided to humor the boy.


    "Don''t look at me that way! It''s not my fault. Little guy here asked me to take a shortcut, saying it would save us time getting home. Unfortunately, I''m not familiar with the route he chose. So I ended up crashing into another vehicle, although it was a minor ident. I had to look at the woman to check if she was all right. That''s all," Jonathan exined. He sighed. His grandson was a sly little fox. He had promised his grandfather to keep the minor ident a secret before they arrived. So Jonathan didn''t expect that the moment they got home, Justin would throw him under the bus so quickly. Before he could react, Justin had already told Cynthia about some mischief, leaving him no option but to exin what truly happened. It seemed he couldn''t trust the little boy to keep secrets anymore. Cynthia''s smile quickly disappeared after hearing their experience. "What about you two? Are you all right? You''re not hurt, are you?" she asked in session. She looked worried and no longer cared about the woman Justin mentioned earlier. Cynthia quickly pulled the boy towards her and began checking if he was hurt. She wanted to make sure both her husband and grandson were okay. It was a car crash, for God''s sake.


    "I''m fine, grandma, promise. Don''t worry about us. Grandpa was driving slowly, so it wasn''t that serious. I think that woman saw my grandfather was so handsome, so she acted fragile and helpless. She only wanted attention. But in truth, nobody was hurt," Justin exined. He puckered his lips after speaking. Justin didn''t understand the female species. Once they see a handsome guy, they immediately want to get their attention. That was why he purposely called Jonathan grandpa out loud in front of the woman. The boy would never forget the shocked and embarrassed look on her face when she heard what Justin called Jonathan. It was strange that she didn''t think it was possible that the man was married, and that he was much older than her.


    "That''s good to know," Cynthia said. "So, as soon as your grandpa saw that it was a beautiful woman, he kept looking at her?" she prodded the boy. Of course, Cynthia knew Jonathan well. And he was not the type of man who would be unfaithful to his wife, even in thoughts. That was why she didn''t take Justin''s words too seriously. She only asked to go along with little Justin. Cynthia knew the kind of boy her grandson was, and she was willing to go along with his teasing.


    "Yes, that''s right. That woman stood in front of our car, blocking our way, and refused to budge. She even demanded grandpa to buy her a new car. That''s just ridiculous! So, grandpa red at her with his cold and frightening eyes until she felt uneasy and decided to finally leave. That''s what happened." Justin was very excited as he rted their experience as if it was some make-believe tale. He told Cynthia every small detail of what happened on their way home.

 Chapter 1524 Sensible Side Of Michelle (Part Three)

    "So, you mean that you crashed into her car and didn''t even offer to pay for what you had done? That... that doesn''t sound like something you would do," Cynthia said looking at her husband. The little boy''s words intrigued her. She raised an eyebrow at her husband to ask. Cynthia wanted to know what exactly happened. Jonathan was never one to be short of money. So, why didn''t he offer to pay that woman for the problem that he caused?


    "No! We paid her! Grandpa wrote her a 50, 000-dor check to have her car repaired. But that woman was greedy. She wanted more. Of course, we wouldn''t agree. That''s why grandpa red at her to make her leave," Justin continued his narrative. Her grandson was more excited than usual. Maybe it was because it was his first time to experience something like this ande across a woman who wanted to rip money off his intimidating grandfather. How ridiculous! Such a situation seldom happened, so Justin was thrilled to be part of something fascinating.


    "Oh, I see. I think she saw how very generous your grandpa was. That''s why she wanted him to pay her more. After all, if a slight scratch can get her 50, 000 dors, she would be a fool not to try to rip him off," Cynthia nodded in understanding. She finally understood what exactly happened, and now everything made sense. Cynthia knew her husband didn''t care much about the money he had, so he might have been willing to give her more to repair the car. But if, as Justin described, the woman was greedy, she would have annoyed him enough to make him treat her that way. She couldn''t help but think, ''Some women nowadays are really shameless. All they want is money.''


    "Yeah, I think so, too, grandma. Hey, do you think that woman was interested in grandpa?" the boy asked hesitatingly. He might be young, but he was smart and had a wild imagination. No wonder everyone loved Justin.


    "Well, you two can discuss the matter all you want. But I am not joining you. That''s it! I''m going to get myself out of this mess," Jonathan said. He looked at his wife with knowing eyes for several seconds. They had been a couple for so many years and knew each other well enough. Of course, he knew Cynthia was only going along with Justin in teasing him. But he was not going to say this out loud. His wife could do anything she wanted as long as she was happy. After all, he was very secure in the fact that his wife knew how much he loved her. She would never doubt Jonathan simply because of Justin''s mischievous words. So, let them talk if that was what would make them happy.


    "Why grandpa? Are you guilty?" Justin quickly asked. Seeing his grandfather head to his room, Justin became a little anxious. Unless Jonathan stayed and listened, everything he''d been saying would go to waste. That was the reason he couldn''t let his grandfather walk out.


    The old man turned and held Justin by the shoulders. "Little guy, don''t try creating a conflict between your grandma and me. We are unbreakable because we love each other so deeply that you can''t even imagine how much. So, save it." His tone was somewhat severe to make the boy understand. Being the boss of the famous Mayfly, Jonathan quickly saw through what Justin was doing and had figured out his ploy now. It was apparent to him that his grandson was only trying to get back at him for not allowing Cynthia to y with him the other day, so he wanted to embarrass his grandfather in front of his wife. But it was something Jonathan would never allow. Frankly, both he and Cynthia knew what Justin was trying to do and would never fall for his act.


    "All right," Justin sighed. "You caught me." There was a look of frustration in his eyes. After hearing Jonathan''s words, the boy wrinkled his nose. He knew it! He would never win against his grandfather. But at least he tried.


    Cynthia broke intoughter. "Come one, little guy. It''s time for dinner. I bet you''re already hungry," she invited Justin. It amused her to watch the interaction between Justin and her husband. The boy could sometimes be very cute. But she and Jonathan had been through so much. They even went through some life-and-death situations. Of course, they had had their share of ups and downs, but because of their love for each other, they overcame these challenges. So sensitive words would hardly break them apart. "We don''t need to wait for Daddy and Uncle Luke?" Justin asked. He raised his head to look at his grandmother while following her to the dining room. The boy didn''t expect his father and uncle to miss having dinner with them.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "No, we don''t have to wait for them. Your daddy is having dinner with a client. And Uncle Luke will be joining him," she exined. Holding Justin''s hand, Cynthia led him into the dining room. It felt like she was back in the days when her son was as old as Justin. Unfortunately, holding Edward''s hand when he was very young rarely happened. She didn''t have a good rtionship with her son as he was growing up, which was why they had always been distant as if they weren''t mother-and-son. But that was all behind them now, because everything was all right. Cynthia had made up with her son, and their rtionship now was much better. She couldn''t be happier with her life. A loving husband, an intelligent and sessful son, a sweet daughter-inw, and a beautiful grandson, all these made her feel like the happiest woman on earth.

 Chapter 1525 Sensible Side Of Michelle (Part Four)

    After dinner, Michelle didn''t stay long. She bid them all goodbye and left for home. When she got home, Luke still wasn''t there, so she had some alone time to think. Erin''s pleas were still in her mind and she didn''t know what to feel. Michelle didn''t want to help her, not only because she couldn''t forgive what she''d done to her, but also because she knew Erin wouldn''t change. But at the same time, she didn''t have the heart to make other people suffer because of Erin''s mistake. She considered talking to Luke about what happened today. And if he agreed with her, he could at least make them suffer less. "What are you thinking about now?" Fatigue was all over his face, but he saw his wife''s look. Luke hadn''t been resting well the past few days, and it was catching up with him now.


    She looked up at his voice. "Oh, nothing. You''re back." His question startled Michelle, and she got up from the bed and walked to stand in front of Luke.


    "Yes, I am," he said tiredly. His tone was not as icy as before. Luke did promise Michelle that he would try to make this rtionship with her work. He would let his guard down around her, and at least be nice to her.


    "You look tired," she pointed out. She looked at his face and stroked a cheek. Michelle couldn''t help but worry about Luke as she realized how much she truly cared about her husband.


    "Yeah, I''m a little bit tired. I''m going to take a shower first," Luke said while removing his coat. He wasn''t a clean freak like Edward, but he wasn''tzy when it came to personal hygiene. Besides, maybe a nice shower would make him less tired and loosen him up.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    "How about I draw a bath for you? I think it will help ease your tiredness. You can take your time rxing while you wait." Michelle had to look up to see Luke''s eyes. Her face was full of concern for him. Because of her height, she had to raise her head every time she wanted to look into her husband''s eyes. She was too short, and Luke was quite tall.


    "No need to do that. It would be too much trouble. I''ll just take a shower," Luke answered while grabbing his pajamas. He was in the bathroom in no time. His actions seemed very natural, betraying the fact that he''d just recently moved into this room with his wife. Luke was like already used to sharing the room with Michelle.


    Michelle watched her husband walk into the bathroom, but her mind was somewhere else. She was confused, unsure if she should talk to Luke about Erin or not. Erin''s face while pleading for mercy earlier was still etched in her memory. At the same time, Michelle also worried that if she told Luke about Erin, he would be unhappy.


    "Do you have something to tell me? You''re lost in thought again," Luke said while drying his hair with a towel. As soon as he walked out of the bathroom after a quick shower, Luke found his wife once again in deep thought. She didn''t even notice himing out. That was how he knew she wanted to tell him something but was reluctant to do so.


    "Well, yes... I want to talk to you about thepany owned by Erin''s father. Do you really have to make it go bankrupt? Is there no way around it?" There was a hint of hesitancy in her tone. Michelle bit her lower lip after asking, as she remained unsure how Luke would react. It would seem ungrateful since the only reason he was taking revenge on Erin was because of Michelle, who needed to settle a score for something unforgivable done to her.


    "That''s right. We''ve already put too much effort into this, so we need to get something out of it. Why? Why are you suddenly asking me all these questions." He stared at his wife with a confused look. He didn''t understand why Michelle was asking about Erin''s father''spany. Usually, she didn''t care about things like this. Besides, it sounded like she wanted him to go easy on them, and it surprised Luke. It seemed that Michelle had changed a lot from the strong-willed thug she once was. The bully Michelle would never speak for anyone, especially someone who wasn''t nice to her.


    "Uhmm, it''s just that... I''m wondering that maybe we''re going a bit too far? Perhaps, we are too harsh on Erin and her family. After all, the employees of thatpany are innocent." Her tone was hesitant, and Michelle didn''t know what to think right now. Yes, she wanted to teach Erin a lesson for what she did to her. But Michelle wasn''t sure if what they were doing was right. Admittedly, it was simply a feud between two ssmates. There was no need to make such a big deal out of it.


    "She never thought of the consequences when she decided to drug you, did she? Erin did this to herself. She made a mistake, so she should pay for it. It''s that simple. Besides, have you ever thought about what might have happened if I hadn''te for you in time? Do you have any idea what would have happened to you if I wasn''t there? That woman is so vicious. I think it serves her right. She''s getting a dose of her own medicine. She''s an adult, and she should always think twice before she decides to harm others," Luke pointed out. He''d always been on the dark side of society and had witnessed enough disgusting things to be aware of how dangerous the world could be. That was why Luke felt no guilt when he decided to take revenge on Michelle''s behalf. And judging from her family background, he thought Michelle knew this, too. Maybe, the peaceful and happy life now made her forget all about this.00000000000000

 Chapter 1526 Sensible Side Of Michelle (Part Five)

    "Can you at least make her suffer less then? After all, we are still ssmates. Though I know she hates me and has done something unforgivable, I really don''t want to see her father''spany go bankrupt. She''ll lose everything and so many innocent people will suffer because of this," Michelle said. She thought about all this in just a few seconds. Michelle was aware this was not something Luke could easily decide on his own. But considering his rtionship with Edward, if he was willing to talk to his brother about it, thetter would surely agree.


    "Well, I can only promise to try my best. Honestly, this doesn''t seem like something that you''d say to me. It''s not like you at all. And it was a surprise to me that you''re willing to go easy on Erin," Luke pointed out. His wife''s change of heart was a definite surprise. And he wasn''t sure if it was a good change or a bad one. All he knew was that he felt happy to see a more sensible side of Michelle. It felt like unearthing a hidden facet of her that no one had ever seen, so it made him feel closer to his wife. There seemed to be a lot more things he didn''t know about Michelle, and Luke was looking forward to discovering them.


    The next day, before Luke had a chance to speak to Edward about what Michelle said to him, they ran into Erin. She had been waiting for them outside thepany building. As soon as she saw the two men walking in, she immediately ran to them, her face looking very anxious.


    "Mr. Mu, please, please don''t let ourpany go bankrupt. I beg you. Please. I know what I did was wrong, and I will never do anything like that ever again," Erin pleaded. She kneeled before Edward and Luke to block their way. Erin raised her head and looked at them with a look of pity in her eyes. It was evident she''d been crying because her eyes were red and swollen, and there were tear tracks on her face.


    "Who are you? Do I know you?" a startled Edward eximed. He quickly schooled his expression, so his face became impassive after getting over his initial shock. Edward had no idea who this woman kneeling before him was because he''d never met her in person. The unfamiliarity with Erin was what confused him.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "She''s Michelle''s ssmate, the daughter of Tosca Corporation''s CEO," Luke said by way of introduction. His tone was icy, intended to keep Erin quiet. He stared at the crying woman in front of them. Luke remembered all Michelle told himst night and suddenly wanted to give her a second chance. He didn''t want to put his wife in a dilemma, after all.


    "Ah, it''s you. You''re the one who drugged Michelle before," Edward said as recognition dawned on him. Now her words started to make sense to him. It wasn''t surprising for her toe and plead for mercy. After all, situations like these always happened because FX International Group was arge and powerfulpany. As thepany CEO, Edward was used to peopleing over to ask for mercy, and truthfully, he was numb to it already. For FX International Group to grow into a powerful international firm, his hands were hardly clean. Arranging for a smallpany to go bankrupt was not something new, and he didn''t feel the slightest sense of guilt over what they would do.


    "You can go now. Michelle talked to me about thisst night. We will consider it," Luke told Erin. He stood beside Edward and spoke in a cold tone. He also watched her with stone cold eyes and made no gesture to help her stand up. Erin didn''t deserve anything. But he promised to consider it because of his wife.


    Stunned, Erin said, "Really? Are you serious? You''re willing to leave my father''spany alone?" Her crumpled and tear-stained face suddenly broke into a huge smile. Erin knew it had been the right decision to seek Michelle''s help. Now, she wouldn''t have to lose everything! All of a sudden, the woman was ecstatic.


    "I didn''t say we would easily let go of yourpany. We will just consider our methods to make you suffer less. That''s all. So, don''t get your hopes up," Luke rified briskly. Leave her father''spany alone? Ha! That was never going to happen. Edward couldn''t promise her that, more so Luke. There was only so much they could do to make it less painful for everyone. If it hadn''t been for Michelle, Luke would never have batted an eye for this woman.


    "What?! So, you''re still going to destroy ourpany?" Erin cried out as her smile froze. She couldn''t believe what she was hearing. What did Luke say? She thought they were willing not to bother her father''spany, but apparently, she thought wrong. The matter was not solved after all. She shouldn''t have gotten her hopes up, Erin thought.


    "If you don''t get up and leave now, you will lose this only chance to save your father''spany, too," Edward threatened Erin. While he wasn''t sure what Luke was nning, Edward trusted him unconditionally. Given what he said, Edward decided not to contradict him while Erin was still there. He knew Luke must have his reasons for having a change of heart. As long as they were eptable reasons, Edward would consider it.


    "All right. I will do anything you ask me to do, as long as you don''t allow my father''spany to go bankrupt," Erin said as she stood up. Using the back of her hand to wipe her tears away, Erin didn''t seem like the arrogant pretty girl she was in school. She had never once thought that she would one day meet the CEO of the famous FX International Group. Secretly, Erin was impressed by Edward''s handsome looks. He was even more good-looking in person, and photos on the Inte did him little justice. But she didn''t dare say what she was thinking. Now was not the time to drool over some handsome, rich guy. Erin didn''t forget that she was there to plead her case, to save her father''spany from going bankrupt.00?????????????

 Chapter 1527 Sensible Side Of Michelle (Part Six)

    "From now on, behave yourself," Luke said brusquely while looking at her onest time. Turning around, he walked into thepany premises with Edward without looking back. Luke sincerely hoped he would never have to see or meet Erin ever again. He knew the kind of girl she was and didn''t like her one bit.


    The moment they stepped into the elevator, Edward turned around to look at Luke, with a knowing smirk on his face. He looked intrigued as he stared at hispanion as if there was something interesting on his face. Out of the blue, Luke felt ufortable, once he sensed the intensity of Edward''s gaze.


    "Why are you looking at me that way?" Luke asked while touching his face self-consciously. Was there something on his face? Why was Edward looking at him in such a strange way? It was unnerving!


    "I am thinking," he started, and paused. "Has Michellepletely melted you? I''ve noticed that recently, all you talk about is her. Your life seems to be revolving around your wife now. Don''t you notice this about yourself?" Edward knew he was right. He''d known Luke for years but had never seen him acting this way. It was as if being with Michelle changed him, making him softer than usual. But, he was also d about this change. They made a cute couple. Edward, though, was curious about how Michelle had tamed the cold and stoic Luke.


    "Are you really enjoying making fun of me? Why are you being so damn curious?" Luke demanded while rolling his eyes in exasperation. There was nothing new about Edward being nosy like he was now. While Luke had a vague idea what Edward hinted at, he didn''t want to humor him with an answer. He was annoyed because he had never been nosy when it came to Edward and Daisy''s rtionship.


    "Of course I''m curious as hell! Have you seen yourselftely? You were always cold and unapproachable. But ever since Michelle came into your life, you''ve be different. She''s melted the ice around your heart easily. So how can you expect me not to be curious?" Edward said. With Daisy away, Edward was quite bored. He missed his wife so much. And other than work, there was nothing else for him to do. That was why he wanted to hear juicy gossip about Luke and Michelle. He was truly surprised by the big difference in Luke. It was something that had never happened before. It appeared Michelle had had a tremendous influence on Luke. And being a usually nosy person, Edward wanted to know Luke''s thoughts.


    However, Luke was in no mood to satisfy Edward''s curiosity. So, he threw an icy nce at Edward after his annoying questions. The man was too curious for his own good. But, he knew the man''s character, which was why he didn''t like discussing his rtionship with Michelle. Besides, it was still delicate and fragile, and he needed to figure it out himself first. So, he would take the cue from Daisy and do what she often did with her husband -- ignore him!


    Finally, in deference to Michelle and Luke, Edward decided to change his decision regarding Tosca Corporation, much to his dismay. Instead of allowing it to go bankrupt, he allowed Erin''s father to stay on aspany shareholder. It was the best he could do. It would mean Erin''s family wouldn''t be as wealthy as they were before, but they would also not lose everything overnight. He considered it charity work. He saved a family from breaking apart. Though he''d only seen Erin once, it was clear to him that she was the type of girl who would go to the extreme. There was a big possibility that she would do something reckless and stupid if her father''spany really went bankrupt. And Edward didn''t want to see that happen. So going easier on them was also doing him some good by saving him from more trouble. It was a win-win situation.


    After the recent events, Erin learned to keep a low profile. She still didn''t like Michelle but realized it wouldn''t do her any good to go after her. Knowing what Michelle was capable of, Erin tried her best to keep her distance. Admittedly, she was a little afraid of her ssmate. Besides, she''d already lost many ''friends'' because of what happened. All those pretentious people knew she was no longer the rich and powerful princess that she once was, and quickly deserted her once she had no use for them. That was how things worked in the real world, and Erin learned this lesson the hard way.


    Michelle was relieved that Erin would no longer harass her, meaning she could finally live in peace. She knew bing friends with Erin was a remote possibility. For now, it was best that Erin avoided her, and this should make both their lives easier. They only had to consider each other asplete strangers to co-exist peacefully.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    The fact of the matter was, it was Hilda that benefited the most from this mess. She was once the least popr girl in school because of her figure. But since she was friends with Michelle, people had started talking to her, even sucking up to her, to try and get in touch with Michelle with her as a conduit. Everyone was aware that Michelle had a powerful husband who worked in the famous FX International Group, who was protective of her. They all wanted a piece of Michelle. And approaching Hilda first was a good idea.


    It seemed as though Michelle''s life had be peaceful once more. But she still felt something missing at the back of her mind, and this would sometimes dampen her spirit. Her life was perfect now -- a promising rtionship, good friends, and a ce where she could learn to draw. She couldn''t ask for more. Yet there was still an emptiness in her heart, probably because not everything was perfect all the time.000000000000000

 Chapter 1528 Spring Festival (Part One)

    When Shannon hadn''t heard from Leena for a long time, she grew anxious and couldn''t stay still. For this reason, she found herselfing to S City for a visit. Entering her son''s apartment, she sought for her daughter-inw but to no avail. The woman was simply nowhere to be seen. However, Shannon''s presence under his roof surprised Kevin. He hadn''t found the right time to tell her about Leena''s disappearance yet, and didn''t think that he would have to do it some time soon. In fact, he never expected Shannon toe without prior notice. Taken aback, he rushed towards her.


    "Mom, what brings you here?" he asked. "You should have called me first." Taking her bags immediately from her shoulder, he carried them to the living room. Luckily, it was the weekend and he was at home.


    "Can''t I visit my son when I feel like it?" Shannon asked angrily. She had asked about Leena''s situation on the phone several times. But Kevin, who was great at deflecting, only told her that Leena had gone to Paris. That was it.


    "I didn''t mean it that way, Mom," he said, as she sat on the sofa. "Tea or water?" She was one of the few people who wasn''t a fan of coffee. Shannon gave him a brief, surprised look before looking away.


    "Iced water!" Rolling her eyes, she expected Leena to appear out of nowhere. Despite knowing she wasn''t around, she couldn''t help but hope to be surprised.


    "That doesn''t sound like a good idea," said Kevin, frowning. "I''ll pour you a ss of warm water." It was freezing cold outside, and Kevin wasn''t sure if Shannon was only trying to spite him.


    "Where''s Leena?" she asked, just before he could leave to fetch the drink. "Has she note back yet?" she persisted stubbornly. Her eyes roamed across her son''s face, never missing a single expression. His hesitance spoke a thousand words she didn''t want to hear. "Uh," he said, "I''ll talk about it with youter. Let me make you something to eat first." With his mothering over by surprise, Kevin was unprepared and couldn''t think of the best way to tell her the truth. Worrying her mother was thest thing he wanted to do, and if he could prolong the announcement of Leena''s disappearance, he would.


    "You think I came all the way here for food?" asked Shannon incredulously. s, it seemed like Kevin could not escape his mother''s impatience. "Tell me the truth!" she demanded. A lot of what Kevin said didn''t add up. Even if Leena had gone to Paris, that would not have stopped thedy from calling to check in on her mother-inw. And when Shannon called Leena, her phone was always off. It was like she didn''t want to be found.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "Uh," said Kevin, standing awkwardly by the doorway. "Okay." He turned and crossed his arms. Constantly changing position, he finally cleared his throat and said, "Before that, I''ll go get your water first." With that, he scurried away from the living room and took his time getting the ss of water. When he returned, Kevin ced the drink in front of her on the table.


    Shannon merely looked at it. "Oh my god, just tell me," she burst in anticipation. "Did something bad happen?" She had been having a bad feeling about it for a while, and seeing her son''s odd behavior only magnified her worry.


    "I told you that Leena went to Paris," he began in a low and sad voice, "but I actually lied. The truth is that I''ve lost her." His shoulder slumped in defeat. "I don''t know where she is now," he admitted. The thought of Leena pierced his soul like a sharp knife.


    After his confession, Shannon had her hand over her mouth. "What do you mean... you''ve lost her?" she asked in disbelief. "Kevin, you''re a Major General. If you can''t even protect your wife," she paused for a while and added, "how do you expect to protect your country?" After she observed him more carefully, her heart sank. She noticed he had lost some weight, likely in the absence of his wife. The thought only made her heart ache more unbearable.


    "Sorry, Mom," he said genuinely, "I''ve let you down." Continuing, he went on to say, "I didn''t pay Leena enough attention before. If I had done it, I would have recognized her odd behavior. But... I didn''t." He lowered his head in misery, sitting on the armchair beside Shannon.


    "How can you be so irresponsible? A girl from a well-off family chose to marry a soldier like you... because she loves you," emphasized Shannon. "How could you lose her? What have you done?" A reasonable person like Shannon wouldn''t defend Kevin just because he was her son. She demanded to hear the whole story. Having known Leena''s exceptional character, however, Shannon felt inclined to take her side.


    "Mom, it''s not what you think," said Kevin quickly. "Leena... she just left me." His mother''s reaction gave off the impression that, perhaps, she misunderstood the situation. As much as Kevin wanted to rify everything, he just didn''t know how to properly exin himself. "And you just let her leave without stopping her?" questioned Shannon dubiously. She paused for a while before asking, "Kevin, did you have an affair with Louisa?" Having uttered such a question, Shannon felt like she lost her mind. How dare she question her own son''s loyalty? But it seemed like the only reason for which an amazing woman like Leena would have to disappear without a word.


    "Mom!" eximed Kevin in shock. "What are you even talking about? I''ve never had an affair, especially not with Louisa! I don''t even want to hear her name." He let out a disgruntled sigh. "If I had known that she''d leave, I wouldn''t have let her." Her mother was too anxious to be rational, he thought. This was exactly what he feared to happen.


    "Fine!" snapped Shannon. "Just tell me why Leena suddenly left. I won''t... I won''t make any more presumptions until you''re done." Calming down, she realized that her emotions got the better of her. She took deep breaths, and pursed her lips tightly in anticipation of Kevin''s exnation.


    "Leena... It''s extremely difficult for her to get pregnant," Kevin said, feeling his chest tighten as soon as he mentioned it. If only he''d known about the status of Leena''s health from the beginning, he would have refrained from expressing his affection for having children to her. He might have even insisted that he didn''t want kids at all. Because of him, Leena probably believed that it was better she left since she couldn''t give what he was dying to have. As her husband, Kevin hadn''t even noticed that she wasn''t herself. He just couldn''t forgive himself for it. What an uncaring and ipetent husband he was!


    "So?" pressed Shannon. She just couldn''t understand why Leena would leave because of it. Unless... She looked at Kevin and asked, "Did you express any regrets because of it?" As Shannon really admired Leena, she couldn''t help but side with her as soon as Kevin finished talking. Her son was at a loss for words. He didn''t know whether tough or cry, thinking, ''I''m your son! Yet you act like Leena is your daughter, and I''m just an outsider. ''000000000???????

 Chapter 1529 Spring Festival (Part Two)

    Scowling, he said, "Mom, do you really think I''d me her for this?" Staring at Shannon in the eye, he wondered since when his mother had started to look down on him. It was like she didn''t know his own son well enough.


    Emotionally exhausted, Shannon took a sip of her warm water. "It''s unfortunate news, all right," she remarked. She put the ss of water down. "I just don''t understand why she didn''t tell us first." As he didn''t have the answer, Kevin could only shrug. "It''s a sad thing, yes. I also love kids, but even if she can''t get pregnant this instant, maybe it''s still possible as soon as her health gets better." She shook her head. "Even if that doesn''t happen," Shannon added, "we''ll be okay with that. As long as you two are happy together, your father and I won''t intervene." Although Shannon was saddened by the news, she had a liberal mind. Leena''s problem with having kids might be a bitter pill to swallow, but she was quick to ept it. All she wanted for the meantime was to have Leenae back home.


    "You mean," said Kevin slowly, "you won''t dislike her even if she can''t have a baby, right?" Eyes wide open, he thought it would be more difficult than this to get his mother''s eptance. Apparently, he was mistaken, and happily so.


    "Come on, Kevin!" eximed Shannon. "Do you think I''m that unreasonable?" Surprised, she stared at her son and felt bad. "She must''ve been in pain if she thought that way too. Rather than me Leena, what we should do when we see her is tofort her. Oh, what a poor girl!" While Shannon wanted to have grandchildren as soon as possible, she simply valued Leena much more.


    "Mom," started Kevin, unable to express his gratitude. "Thank you. She mighte back, I believe, if she finds out about how we feel about it." Standing up, Kevin leaned over to hug his mother affectionately. Too often, stories of mothers disliking their daughters-inw could be recounted. Once they found out that the women were incapable of giving them grandchildren, many would force their sons to divorce their wives. As Shannon appeared to be an exception, Kevin was touched.


    "You don''t need to be so formal with your mom," said Shannon, patting her son on the back. As he retreated from the hug, they shared a look of worry. "Do you really not know where Leena is?" she asked. As Shannon recognized Leena''s setbacks in life, she decided to treat the young woman better when she came back.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "I don''t know," said Kevin, "but her sworn brother said that she''s safe and sound. I haven''t given up that she''ll be back one day." Leena was like air to him. Without her, he would be unable to keep living.


    "Can''t you ask him to bring Leena back?" she asked, looking hopeful.


    If it were that easy, Kevin would have already done it. It wasn''t like Kevin hadn''t tried to look for her on his own. As much as Jonathan looked like an ordinary businessman, he must be backed up by some great power to be able to hide Leena''s whereabouts from Kevin. "If you see this man again," said Shannon, thinking deeply, "please ask him to give my message to Leena." Kevin waited for her to continue, "Tell her that whether or not she could have a baby, she''ll still be my daughter-inw forever." Even when she wasn''t sure about her husband''s thoughts on this matter, she decided to speak on both their behalf for now. She would just have to persuade him in the future.


    "I get it, Mom." Relieved, Kevin appreciated his mother''s attitude. ''Nana, I miss you so much. Do you miss me? If you do, why don''t you juste back to me?'' he thought to himself.


    With the Spring Festival happening in a couple of days, Kevin had promised Lee that he would let him take some days off without any problems. He called Lee into his office to inform him that he had already booked his flight ticket home. The man came in with a grateful expression.


    "Major General Gu, my father just called. He said he received arge parcel with several valuables in it," shared Lee. "You must have sent them. I feel so grateful, Major General Gu. Thank you." Lee couldn''t help but be moved by all of Kevin''s gestures. Earlier, he had chosen to travel by train as a cheaper mode of transportation. Kevin, however, had already paid for the airfare. And now, he even sent those valuables to his father.


    "What parcel?" asked Kevin in confusion. "I''ve no idea what you''re talking about." He leaned on his seat. "Did someone else send it?" Both men were at a loss. To be fair, Kevin had intended to buy some gifts for Lee''s family. And as he didn''t have the chance to buy them yet, the parcel in question couldn''t havee from him.


    "That is strange. The Sender''s name indicated it was from you, Major General Gu," said Lee in bewilderment. "Also, my family house is at a remote mountain area. They don''t usually deliver parcels to our vige so we have to go to town just to collect our parcels. This time, though, the courier delivered it right in our doorstep." Lee scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "The sender, who I thought was you, must have requested it specifically," he concluded with a modest smile.


    "But I didn''t send it," Kevin insisted. ''Who could''ve sent it though?'' he wondered.


    "Ah, I get it!" said Lee suddenly. "It must have been Leena. She asked me before where my family lives, and even mentioned that she might visit me there in the future. So I gave her my address." Interlocking his fingers on the table, Kevin gave it some thought. It was possible.


    "I guess you''re right," sighed Kevin. "Well, just go ahead and take them. Don''t forget this, too." He put Lee''s flight ticket on the table. "Enjoy your holiday at home." Wearing a bitter smile, he thought to himself, ''Nana, you can be so kind to people around. I just don''t understand how you can be so cruel to me. Do you even know how much you broke my heart when you left?''


    "I will, Major General Gu. Will Leenae back soon?" asked Lee with a hopeful expression. Aware of Leena''s departure, Lee could only hope for her safe return. He could tell her disappearance was taking a toll on Kevin.


    "She will," answered Kevin optimistically. But deep inside, he wasn''t so sure. Leena hadn''t given him any signs yet. That didn''t matter though. Determined to find Leena, Kevin was dead set on showing her his love and sincerity.


    It was the saddest and most depressing Spring Festival that Kevin ever had. While others were dining with their families, he only had Leena''s photo to keep himpany. He missed her dearly.


    "Major General Gu," greeted Mark. "Senior Colonel Ouyang asked me to give you these dumplings. Happy New Year!" As Mark had been on leavest Spring Festival, he decided to stay in the army base this year. He felt it was fair to give other soldiers the chance to go home to reunite with their families.0000000?????????

 Chapter 1530 Spring Festival (Part Three)

    was on duty, he couldn''t leave his post without permission, and had to kindly reject her offer.


    "Thank you, Mark," Kevin said a bit indifferently. After taking the food from Mark, he continued, "Happy New Year to you too! Have you eaten yet?" The man smiled and nodded. Earlier today, Mrs. Xu had asked Kevin to have dinner with her family this evening. But as he "I''ve already eaten. That''s all yours." Just as he was about to leave, Mark turned to add, "They''re going to get cold so you should eat them as soon as you can." Although the dumplings were in a thermal container, the weather was very cold this time of the year. Kevin appreciated the simple reminder.


    "All right." During this time, the canteen at the army base often served dumplings. Before he got married, Kevin used to have them in the canteen with the other soldiers. This year, however, he wasn''t in the mood as it reminded him of his reality. But he wasn''t the only one suffering. While he missed Leena terribly, thetter also experienced an intense longing for her husband.


    She had been to different countries these days, enjoying differentndscapes and eating at local restaurants. It was easy to keep herself distracted in the day. During the dead of night, however, she was harassed with thoughts of her husband all at once.


    As it was the Spring Festival, she made dumplings for herself even when she didn''t have the appetite. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she tried to eat some of her cooking. If she were by his side at this moment, they were probably feeding each other dumplings. Soon, the journey would be over. And when that happened, what would she do then? When would she stop missing him? The idea of never seeing Kevin again tortured her.


    Taking out her cell phone, she looked at Kevin''s photo. Whenever she moved to a new city, she would preupy herself with activities as many as she could. Otherwise, Kevin''s face would cross her mind, and that made it difficult for her to stop herself from buying a ticket to go back to him.


    As it was currently daytime where she was, that meant it was night back in the city where Kevin was. Curious, she wondered what Kevin was doing right now. Was he having dinner with his family or the soldiers at the moment? Or was he alone like she was? Or, did he already fall in love with another woman? Unable to breathe, Leena wished it never crossed her thoughts.


    The longer she was away from Kevin, the more she missed him. Unfazed by it at this point, she knew she was being followed by some people these days, probably by the men who were sent by Edward''s father. Time and again, Leena wondered if Jonathan would ever spill her whereabouts to Kevin. And if he did, she thought, ''Will he fly to me one day?''


    During the Spring Festival, the streets in S City were lively. Kevin, however, stayed in the army base every day to avoid it altogether. When Duke asked him to have a meal together, however, he had a hard time giving an answer. In fear of meeting anyone rted to Leena, Kevin eventually turned him down in a nice way. The encounter would simply drive him crazy.


    "Really? Are you sure you don''t want to join us?" asked Duke, disappointed. There was only silence. "Dad wants to talk to you," he insisted. This was the first time he ever treated Kevin nicely, and he was rejected. This made Duke feel somewhat ufortable.


    "I''m not avable today," said Kevin casually. "How about tomorrow?" Before Duke could answer, he spoke again, "Don''t worry about dad. I''ll apologize to him tomorrow." Given that Kevin took the initiative to take all the duties during the Spring Festival, the other soldiers were free to go home and reunite with their families. Other people assumed he was doing it for them. In reality, Kevin felt like he was doing it more for himself.


    "All right then. I''ll see you tomorrow." Duke couldn''t conceal his long face and thought, ''You think you''re the only one who''s busy?'' He shook his head and red at nothing in particr, thinking, ''I''ve been busy myself too, taking care of my pregnant wife whileforting my father who misses his daughter. I miss Leena so much too, that ungrateful woman!'' He was fuming, and the thoughts didn''t stop there. ''I took good care of her for so many years, but then she left me for a man and didn''t even give a call or message.''


    On the other end of the line, Kevin spoke again and brought Duke out of his deep thoughts, "Sure. Please let dad know how sorry I am that I can''t make it," The conversation was making him ufortable, and he wondered if it was because he had been too busy to have an actual long talk with anyone these days. With that thought in mind, he rubbed his aching eyes.


    "Okay. Bye." Duke hung up, and stared at the phone for a bit. His sister had been away for more than two months now. He worried about her health and if she lost weight.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Is Kevin not joining us tonight?" Belinda noticed Duke''s gloomy face. After having invited Kevin to join them several times, everyone began to worry about him as his response was always the same. If he wasn''t on duty, he would reason that he was exhausted. Did he really have a lot on his te? With everything happeningtely, Belinda was beginning to be worried about Kevin''s health. As everyone was focused on Leena''s disappearance, it seemed that they overlooked the Major General''s well-being.


    "Hmm," said Duke pensively, "he said he''ll drop by tomorrow." Then shrugging, he said, "I don''t know why he''s been so busytely." Usually calm and indifferent, Duke didn''t allow other people to get to him. He didn''t care enough to be affected by them. But because of Belinda, he became a caring husband and a good father-to-be.


    "We should cut him some ck," said Belinda. "Kevin took all the duties during Spring festival." She rubbed Duke''s arm gently. "He must just be really tired, that''s all." Then she moved her hand from his arm to her belly, stroking it affectionately. As days went by, the baby got naughtier and naughtier. When the firecrackers were crackling, the baby bashed and kicked about in Belinda''s belly. She didn''t know whether to cry orugh, thinking, ''This baby must be so naughty in the future!''


    "He deserves it!" snapped Duke. "He''s such an idiot for taking all the duties during the Spring Festival!" With his sister gone because of that man, he couldn''t stand hearing his wife put in a good word for him. Duke resented it very much. "Baby," cooed Belinda at her belly, "look how naive your daddy is!" Duke looked at her. "You mustn''t be as naughty as he is, okay?" she continued in a serious manner. The father of the unborn child merely gawked at his beautiful wife.


    "Are you sure you want to speak ill of me to my child?" asked Duke through gritted teeth. Because of her pregnancy, he felt like he was a bachelor all over again, and this frustrated him.


    "So now you''re ashamed of yourself?" challenged Belinda. Her husband scowled. "Look!" She made him look at her. "Why did Kevin take all of the work he could get?" she asked, but Duke wasn''t listening anymore. "Because Leena left, and he''s sad and dejected." Then Belinda rested a loving hand on Duke''s cheek. "Instead of mocking him, we should beforting him. That''s all I''m saying." If she had been in Kevin''s shoes, she''d already have gone mental. Thus, Belinda somehow understood what the man was going through. If anyone came home to nothing but a divorce agreement, it was understandable for him to break into pieces. It had been more than two months since Leena''s disappearance, and instead of a meltdown, Kevin chose to drown himself in his work. The man, refusing to copse, was being more resilient and stronger than anyone could in his situation.000000

 Chapter 1531 The Meaning Of Family (Part One)

    "Are you saying that I am a terrible brother?" An evil smile cracked on Duke''s lips. He raised his eyebrows and gave Belinda a teasing re.


    "Ah? I don''t know what are you talking about. I never said that," replied Belinda as she tried to remain casual. She leaned her back against the headboard of their bed and hoped to rx. She wanted to stay cool but Duke''s dangerous eyes still managed to send chills down her spine. ''I know that he won''t do anything to me right now. So why am I still shaking? This is so strange. Could it be his aura? Is it why I can''t ignore him?'' she thought. "Stop arguing with me. You''ll know you are wrong after you give birth to our baby." Duke stared at Belinda''s stomach with a serious expression. A few seconds after, he lifted his hand to touch her tummy lightly. He thought, ''Who said that women are the only ones who suffer from pregnancy? I''m suffering, too.''


    "Are you threatening me?" Belinda frowned at him and then looked down at her tummy too. "Baby, did you hear that? Your father doesn''t love us." She pretended to be very sad. However, she was really happy deep down inside her. She was even smiling secretly while talking to her child.


    In reaction, Duke twitched his mouth while thinking, ''Does this woman really think that I can''t do anything to her right now? Is that why she provoked me shamelessly?''


    "Do you really think that I would not do anything to you right now? Huh?" Without any ado, Duke suddenly rolled over quickly and leveraged himself above Belinda. He tactically pinned her against the bed. He pressed his upper body against hers sensually while being careful not to give any pressure on her tummy. In a snap, he dove for her lips in an erotic kiss that was explosive enough to blow her mind.


    "What are you doing?" Belinda''s eyes widened in shock as she swallowed. Red crept to her cheeks as the gentle pressure from Duke lit tiny fires on her skin. ''Oh my God! Is Duke serious about this?''


    "Just as you wished." Duke hissed before kissing her deeply again. His lips were eager and hungry as he tasted every crevice of her mouth. There was a hint of anxiety and anger on how he imed her and it was making Belinda''s head swirl with all the sensations. What was love? Was it a kiss? A look? Or a special feeling that existed inside people''s hearts? No matter what it was, one thing for sure was that love didn''t need too many words. It just needed two people to be happy. Most of the time, it was the braver ones who tended to get the life they wanted.


    Kevin arrived at Duke''s ce early the next day. Although exhaustion was visible on every corner of his face, he was still undeniably handsome.


    "You look like you didn''t sleepst night. Are you that busy?" was the first things Duke said as soon as he saw Kevin''s tired face. He just couldn''t help but taunt the military man.


    "Yes. I''ve been on duty and stayed in the army base for several days. Thus, I look this tired." On the other hand, Kevin didn''t notice the sarcasm on Duke''s tone and mistook what he said for a caring question.


    "Dad is waiting for you in the study." Hearing such a calm answer from Kevin, Duke felt a little bored and continued reading the newspaper in his hands.


    "Then, excuse me," said Kevin politely before turning to the direction of the mentioned room. Regardless of how much Duke picked on him, there was just no way for Kevin to feel insulted at all. He was a naturally cool-headed man and it would take a lot of bad things before one could fire him up.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    A few seconds more and Kevin was already standing next to the study room. Nheless, he didn''t knock instantly. He just stood there as if he was in deep thought. It was already after a while when he finally moved to raise his hand and knocked against the luxurious door.


    "Come in." A loud voice came from the study. Just the sound of his voice was enough to let everyone know that Lloyd was in good health.


    "Happy New year, Dad. I am sorry that I didn''t visit you until now," greeted Kevin in full respect as soon as the door opened. He had always looked up to Lloyd, not only because he was Leena''s father, but because Lloyd was simply a great man. Meeting with Lloyd always led Kevin to learn more and more things.


    "Kevin, here you are. Why are you so thin now?" said Lloyd as soon as he saw his son-inw. The smile that cracked his face easily gave out how delighted he was.


    "Really? Maybe it''s because I haven''t slept much these days. That must be the reason why I look extremely exhausted too." Kevin ran his fingers through his hair awkwardly. He was still wearing his army suit since he went here directly right after his shift. It was actually good that he still looked tall and straight even after the sleepless nights.


    "Have a seat. What do you want to drink? I''ll have a servant prepare it for you." Honestly, Lloyd was more enthusiastic about Kevin than his own son. He was just proud of being Kevin''s father-inw.


    "No need. I have brought you guys some tea." It was when Duke came in without knocking on the door. The reluctance on his face was too evident as he walked. He actually got no n of serving the two drinks. However, Belinda asked him to do it and warned that she would do it herself if he wouldn''t. He just didn''t want her to do anything that could tire her while she was pregnant. Thus, he ended up agreeing to whatever her request was.


    "Aren''t you going to thepany today?" asked Lloyd in a surprised tone when he saw Duke.


    "Yes, I was. However, I dropped the idea since Kevin came here. Otherwise, he would say I was mean to him." Duke put the tea on the table. In reaction, Kevin immediately helped his brother-inw arrange the space for it. He knew that Duke was provoking him but he just smiled and didn''t show any reaction about it. He felt that Duke''s remark was a sign of approval for him. He knew that Duke wasn''t the type of person to talk with people he didn''t care about.

 Chapter 1532 The Meaning Of Family (Part Two)

    "Why do you talk like that, child? Go ahead. Leave us alone." Lloyd frowned. He knew that Duke had always been a cold man. Nevertheless, he got no clue on when had his son turned this childish. ''Is Duke still angry about Kevin and Leena''s secret marriage? Oh, Lord!


    That''s so unbelievable!'' the old man thought secretly as he tried not to facepalm before their guest.


    "Do you think I am not a busy person? Since you say so, I will leave you alone." Frankly, Duke had been waiting for Lloyd to shoo him away. He was now running twopanies and he had to review a whole lot of documents every day. He wondered if the two men before him had any idea of how tiring it was.


    "Go ahead. Don''t disturb us," said Lloyd as he waved his hand impatiently. He might not be saying anything, but at that moment, it was easy to tell how much he liked his son-inw than his own son.


    Hearing his father''s words made Duke roll his eyes and think, ''I brought them tea but they didn''t show any gratitude for it. And now what? They are asking me to leave? That''s so unfair to me!''


    "Kevin, I''m sorry. You must be very sad these days. I guess we spoiled Leena a bit too much and that''s why she is so impulsive." Lloyd said apologetically. Actually, he had always liked Kevin and he couldn''t help but feel guilty about Leena''s sudden leave. He thought he had not taught her well, thus, she did that.


    "It''s not your fault, Dad. In fact, Leena is a very sensible girl. It''s my fault that I didn''t take good care of her. Thus, she lost faith in our marriage." Kevin''s answer went out in an instant as he was surprised at what Lloyd said. For some reason, the old man''s tone made him anxious.


    "Stop making excuses for her. I know what kind of person she is. She did not have the courage to face all this, so she chose to leave." Good parents would never me others for their children''s mistake. Lloyd was one such parent. It was no wonder that he was able to teach Leena so well.


    "She did it for a reason. It''s not her fault. I don''t think she would have left me if she had not been so disappointed." Kevin tried to reason out for Leena further. He wouldn''t be tired of exining on her behalf, because he loved her so much. He would not want anyone to say anything bad about her, even if it was her father.


    "s! I don''t think anyone will defend her except you! Others will just be happy to see her leave." Lloyd was well aware of his daughter''s strengths and weaknesses even if he wasn''t around all the time. He just knew his daughter too well. The only reason he med Leena before Kevin was to show that he wasn''t covering up for his child.


    "I love her so much, thus, I understand why she did it." It was the first time that Kevin showed his ardent love for Leena before Lloyd.


    "Leena is lucky to marry you. Why doesn''t she treasure you? Give up on her if she doesn''te back. There''s no need for you to wait for her," said Lloyd as he reached for the teacup and sipped from it. He was saying this not because he didn''t like Kevin, but because he wanted Kevin to know that no matter how deep their love was, it would fade one day. It would be pointless for anyone to wait for someone.


    "Dad, I''m sure that Leena wille back. Don''t say that again. Please." Kevin replied defensively while thinking, "I have been waiting for her for two months now. Two years or even twenty years would never change a thing. I would still wait for her.''


    "Okay. Just know that you are wee to our house regardless of what you and Leena''s rtionship is. I hope for her to clear her mind ande home soon. Otherwise, she would regret losing someone like you." A heavy sigh escaped Lloyd''s chest. He didn''t want to lose a good son-inw like Kevin. However, he didn''t know what to do with Leena''s caprice too. All he could do was to tell Kevin what he would be facing in the future. It would be better for him not to waste his youth.


    On the other hand, Kevin was also hoping for Leena toe back to him sooner. It was hard to admit that Leena seemed topletely forget about him, thus, she hadn''te back yet ''It can''t be possible that she doesn''t love me anymore, right? However, is she forcing herself to forget about me?'' thought Kevin as he closed his eyes sadly.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    ''Love knows no space nor time, '' had always been Kevin''s belief. Thus, he would always love Leena no matter how long it took her toe back. He loved her to his bones that he was even willing to wait for her even if she had already given up on him and fallen in love with someone else. Just like one novel said, ''All other women will be worthless the moment your Miss Right appears.'' He indeed found his Miss Right, and it was Leena.


    "Kevin, I don''t know what dad said to you but I hope you don''t give up on Leena. She''s a good girl and she deserves a good man like you." Belinda walked toward Kevin as soon as she saw him walk out of the study. She might be guilty of annoying Leena a lot in the past, nevertheless, she still wanted her to be happy.


    "Belinda, don''t worry. You know how much I love her. I won''t give up easily." said Kevin as he forced a smile. He couldn''t imagine himself falling for some other woman.


    "That would be great. Go upstairs and take a break. Leena''s room is still as before. I''ll call you at lunch." Smiling back sadly, Belinda gave up the idea of chatting with him more and decided to offer him some rest. He looked so exhausted, a little older even. It was easy to see he had lost a lot of weight without Leena around.


    "Okay. I''ll go upstairs first." Kevin knew he really needed a good rest, thus, he didn''t turn down Belinda''s advice.


    "All right. See youter." Belinda sighed and nodded her head politely to him as she thought, ''What have you done, Leena? How could you have the heart to hurt such a good man?''

 Chapter 1533 The Meaning Of Family (Part Three)

    Walking into Leena''s room again felt like walking into a time machine for Kevin. Everything there was the same as he remembered. It could have been a perfect nostalgia if only Leena was around. His heart broke a bit more when his eyesnded on the huge picture she had inside her room. It was a floor to ceiling picture of Leena smiling brightly. His feet moved by their own towards it as he couldn''t help but want to touch it. She was so beautiful and innocent on that photo and God knew how it was making him miss her more. ''Nana, when are youing back? Did you forget your way home? Did you forget about me? There are a lot of people who love you in S City, you know?''


    He ran his fingertips on the photo to gently touch Leena''s lips. He had always been a strong man but then he wasn''t able to control himself from crying at that moment. He was empty! He was nothing but a hollow space without her and it hurt more than any other pain that he had encountered in the battlefield.


    There was still a faint smell of her perfume that was left on her soft bed. Standing inside the room where Leena had lived for many years gave Kevin the feeling that she was still next to him.


    With her scent surrounding him, Kevin soon felt at ease and fell asleep. He was too worn out that his body couldn''t take the abuse anymore. He couldn''t sleep the past few days, and he even couldn''t eat. Belinda was about to wake him up for lunch when Duke suddenly stopped her. Duke might not be on the good side with Kevin but then he knew that his brother-inw badly needed to rest.


    "I am sorry that I''ve slept too long." Kevin felt a bit ashamed the moment he stepped into the living room and found everyone waiting for him. He just had a shower, thus, part of his hair was still wet. He didn''t expect himself to sleep that long at all.


    "It''s okay. You are too tired. We were about to wake you up for lunch earlier. However, you were sleeping like a baby, so we didn''t do that." Lloydughed as soon as he saw Kevin''s reddened face.


    "Dinner will be ready in a minute. Are you hungry? Would you like something to eat first?" interrupted Belinda with a soft smile. Everyone in the room looked easy and light except for Duke who remained cold as ever.


    "It''s all right. I can wait." This was the first time Kevin had been with them without Leena. Although he was not restrained, he was somewhat disappointed. It just felt like everything around him didn''t mean a thing without Leena around. "Thene and sit with me." Lloyd motioned Kevin to sit next to him enthusiastically. The old man did it with so much warmth that it took Duke''s attention from hisptop. Suddenly jealousy flooded Duke, nheless, he kept quiet. "Okay." Kevin did not refuse, and went straight to him and sat down.


    "Are you feeling better now? Are you still tired?" Lloyd said happily with a kind smile on his face. Even in the face of Leena, Lloyd had not been so happy like now.


    "I''m fine. I''m sorry I''ve slept long this afternoon." Kevin ran his fingers through his hair awkwardly. It was the best sleep he had since Leena left.


    "You don''t have to be sorry. This house is also your home! You can do whatever you want here," Belinda looked at Duke. She knew that her husband would not say a word, thus, she felt obliged to talk on his behalf.


    "Maybe Major General Gu doesn''t take this ce as his home at all." However, in contrary to what Belinda believed, Duke was more than willing to say something, especially in a sarcastic tone. ''Why is everyone paying attention to him?'' he thought while looking at Kevin uninterestedly.


    "You could have done better if you have kept your mouth shut! How could you say that?" Belinda said in a high tone as she turned to Duke. She then looked back at Kevin and smiled at the man apologetically. "Kevin, ignore him. He is such a strange man. You know that." "It''s all right. I know he''s just kidding with me." To tell the truth, Kevin didn''t even care if Duke meant what he said or not. In his heart, he had long regarded them as his family and was willing to tolerate everything about them.


    "You bet!" Duke chuckled and thought, ''Forget it. You''ve been sad for so many days. Let''s cheer you up.''


    Kevin smiled and didn''t mind what his brother-inw said. For him, Duke could say whatever he wanted as long as he was happy.


    After dinner, Kevin yed chess with Lloyd. It was when he was already about to leave that Duke suddenly asked him to drink with him out of nowhere.


    "You know what? Now, I am the most insignificant in our family. I am even less important than you." Dukeined. As the heir to Leng Group, Duke was destined to be much busier than his peers around him. It was the reason why he learned to disguise his vulnerability with apathy as a child. It was not until his mother gave birth to Leena that he felt a change in life. It was unfortunate though that his mother died early. Thus, he had been taking care of Leena all these years until Kevin showed up. It was only after Kevin that he was able to get back to his own life. He knew that the little girl had grown up and no longer needed his care.


    "I''m sorry! I seem to have stolen your thunder." Kevin, as he said, poured him a ss of wine and thought, ''I''m not going to the army base tomorrow, so I can have a drink with him.'' He knew that Duke also loved Leena. It was possible that Duke asked him to drink because he was missing Leena too. Little did Kevin know though that his guess was right. Duke was already on the verge as well, thus, he asked Kevin to drink with him. His love for Leena was no less than Kevin''s after all.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "That''s fine. Remember, you owe me this." Duke raised his ss and gently clinked it against his. In fact, there was no eternal hatred between the two. Although he was reluctant to ept the fact that his little sister was married, he knew that Kevin was a man worthy of Leena''s love. His sister might be away for now but he believed that Kevin and Leena would eventually get back together.


    "I know what I took from you. I will cherish it." Kevin knew that what Duke wanted most was hismitment to Leena, thus, he told him that. He never meant to give up on Leena.


    "You have to remember what you said. Don''t let me down. I''ve always been worried about Leena. To be honest, I didn''t want her to marry you at first! However, after observing you these days, I think you are the only one who can make her happy. You mustn''t hurt her. Although she is gone now, I believe in her love for you. You must be patient until shees back. I believe that after this, she will be maturer and more suitable to be a soldier''s wife." This was the first time Duke had spoken so much to Kevin. It might be all about Leena, but then, it also showed how Duke was slowly getting rid of his bias against Kevin.

 Chapter 1534 The Earthquake Relief (Part One)

    "I know. Even if you didn''t actually say that, I''ll stick to it," Kevin said. Different from his father, Duke hade straight to the point. By nature he was arrogant and unruly.


    That night, the two men had drunk a lot. They finally had something inmon - their love for Leena. The rtions between them had be more harmonious.


    Days passed, and after the New Year holidays, Lee returned to work. However, Leena was still nowhere to be found.


    "Major General, you should eat something now." Lee''s eyes were clouded with worry: Kevin was wasting away, daily getting thinner.


    "Okay. Put the food over there. I''ll eatter." Kevin answered absently, not raising his head, focused as he was on the topographic map on his desk.


    "It doesn''t take long to eat! If you continue starving yourself, you will end up with stomach trouble," Lee grumbled. Kevin had been eating irregrly since Leena left. His health would soon suffer. "Lee, you''re being just as garrulous as Mark!" Kevin had raised his head, and was now teasing Lee.


    "Do you think that I like seeing you like this? You don''t take care of yourself, and now I have to remind you to do so all the time." Lee was ufortable under Kevin''s steady gaze. He was worried about Kevin''s health, but more importantly, he had to take good care of Kevin for Leena''s sake to show his gratitude. Leena had gifted his family with many things, and he estimated that these must be worth no less than 100,000.


    "Fine. I''ll eat right now. There, are you satisfied?" Kevin had no choice but to reach for the meal which Lee had brought for him from the canteen.


    "Major General, Lieutenant Colonel Han said that you would be inmand of the seven-day survival challenge. But then you will miss the officer assessment in the capital city, right?" Lee was trying to confirm what he had heard. He often heard rumors through the grapevine, and from his good friend Mark.


    "Yeah. Senior Colonel Ouyang will be attending the assessment," Kevin responded, his expression stolid. He didn''t consider this a serious matter.


    "But you will lose the chance at promotion!" Lee said anxiously. Although Kevin already held the rank of major general, he was destined for higher stations. As the saying went, men struggled upwards, while water flowed downwards. How could he now not desire progress? "It doesn''t matter. I''m content with the status quo," Kevin answered as he ate. Lee had urged him to eat, but now he kept asking questions, diverting his attention.


    Lee''s face was ckened with anger. Seeing Kevin''s indifference to status, he didn''t know what to say. His heart was torn with anxiety at Kevin''sck of drive. "What else?" Kevin again looked up at Lee.


    "No. Take your time and eat. I''lle backter." In fact, Lee had a lot more to say, but since Kevin took such a cavalier attitude, he believed that if he continued, his words would fall on deaf ears. So, he kept his mouth shut.


    After Lee left, Kevin wanted to set aside his chopsticks, but he was afraid that Lee would return, and harass him further, so he decided to finish eating first. However, before he could begin to eat, the door opened yet again. "You''re eatingte," Daisy said in surprise when she saw Kevin''s unfinished meal.


    "Yeah. Lee brought the foodte. What''s up?" Kevin looked at her, somewhat surprised. It was the first time that Daisy had entered without first knocking at the door.


    "No, eat first. It isn''t that important." The two had been friends for years, so she knew Kevin well. If she spoke to him now, he would stop to listen and never finish the meal.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    "Shoot. I can listen and eat at the same time." Kevin sensed Daisy''s poorly concealed anger, so he couldn''t eat now.


    "I heard that you won''t be taking part in the officer assessment in the capital city." Daisy had heard about it from Mark, and she was shocked.


    "Yeah. There''s a field survival training, so I''m not going to be attending the assessment." Kevin was relieved. He thought Daisy hade for something more important, but it turned out to be this small matter.


    "You can leave the training to Hank. Surely, you don''t need tomand it yourself. Are you demoralized because Leena left?" Daisy was pissed off because she knew what such an opportunity should mean to them as military officers.


    "No, I''m not. I''m just contented with my current position." True: Leena''s leaving was one of the reasons, but it was more because he was an easily contented man, and ced little value on getting promoted.


    "This is not like you at all! Have you ever considered who will have the best chance at seeding themander when he retires? If you give up now, he will be greatly disappointed, because he likes you very much." As Napoleon once said, every soldier carries a marshal''s baton in his knapsack. In the past, Kevin had sprinted on the road to sess, but now, suddenly, hecked drive. Leena''s leaving must have been a severe blow for him.


    "You can take part in it. We''ve always been well-matched," Kevin said with a smile. He had be indifferent to power. Moreover, the powers-that-be might already have decided on a sessor for themander. Though not officially announced, the sessor might not evene from their army base.


    "Don''t tease. I''m not interested inpeting for the position." In the past, Daisy had worked hard to catch up with Edward, but now she was well satisfied, as she had won his heart. She had no interest now in the position ofmander, and had decided to make room for someone more qualified.


    "Neither am I. Don''t force me to fight for it." Kevin''s greatest hope now was that Leena would return as soon as possible. He no longer cared about advancement or promotion at all.


    "Haha. The others strive for advancement, while we both don''t care about getting promoted. It''s interesting!" Kevin''s words amused Daisy, and she couldn''t helpughing. Her cool face softened.


    "Maybe it''s because we''re old. We''re no longer as frivolous as when we were younger." Kevin sighed. He knew full well that age had nothing to do with it, but rather it was his mood.


    "Fine. Since you have made up your mind, I won''t force you. But our army base must be presented at the assessment. I''ll have to go as representative, if you won''t go." Daisy felt resigned. She didn''t want to attend the assessment, but since Kevin had decided to refuse, she had to step up. She sighed at the thought of her arrogant husband. He would be angry with her again, likely for several days this time.


    "I''m sorry that you have to go on my behalf." Kevin grinned by way of thanks.


    "It''s all right. It''s good to be assessed more often, and it''s not really hard work anyway," Daisy said with an indifferent shrug. Anyway, one of them had to attend the assessment. She was considerate and would rece Kevin.


    Everything seemed to be doomed. The next day, after Daisy headed for the capital city, Kevin received new mission orders. It was not the special training for field survival, but rather a relief mission after an earthquake struck a coastal city far away from S City. Although the epicenter was not deep, the resulting tsunami had brought massive losses and injuries to the earthquake-stricken city.000000000000000

 Chapter 1535 The Earthquake Relief (Part Two)

    of the tsunami''s devastation everywhere. Many victims were shocked and cried silently. This natural disaster irked him.


    After receiving the order, Kevin had no time to prepare before leaving for the rescue mission with the soldiers. Disembarking from the military aircraft, he saw that the disaster was more tragic than he could have imagined. There were copsed houses and other evidence Without taking the time to calm down, he threw himself into the intense rescue efforts. In the aftermath of the tsunami, the cement of copsed houses had solidified with the debris, whichplicated rescue work. Moreover, they had to guard against the constant aftershocks.


    Bad weather often presented a major obstacle to rescue efforts. Though he was a major general, Kevin wasn''t amander who hid behind the soldiers and did nothing. Instead, he worked with his men, removing big stones with shovels, and even at times with his bare hands.


    "Major General, you will get injured if you continue in this way. Let me do it!" Lee pleaded with Kevin, worried. They were all wearing raincoats, but these didn''t really work. In addition, the temperature in early spring was still very low, so their numb fingers weren''t dexterous or quick in action.


    "Never mind that. Our first priority is to rescue the people. Don''t worry about me." Kevin took off his raincoat to facilitate more flexibility in his work. The soldiers quickly followed his example.


    Aftershocks threatened every earthquake-stricken area from time to time, and it held true here. What was worse,pared with other earthquake-stricken areas, there was an additional risk here - tsunami. The rescue operations couldn''t be carried out on the streets where flooding had not receded, because they simply couldn''t reach those areas to find out whether there were people still buried in the ruins.


    It had been a day since their arrival. The aftershocks urred asionally, and they hadn''t made much obvious progress. They had just escaped another aftershock, and adrenalin was running high.


    "Protect yourselves during the rescue work. You must be very careful." Kevin was soaked to the skin. The wind picked up, and he could feel the chill in the air on his damp body. All the soldiers looked like drowned mice.


    "Yes, Major General!" The soldiers answered loudly, despite their exhaustion.


    Kevin took a deep breath. His handsome face was streaked with mud and rain, and his grimy eyes showed deep sadness. Many of the people they rescued had weak vital signs and perished before they could be taken to safety. This was devastating for the soldiers, because they believed that they came toote.


    "Let''s check again. If nothing is found here, we''ll move on to the next sector." In addition to Kevin''s unit, there were officers, soldiers and volunteers from all over the country. Even so, they seemed like a mere drop in the relief bucket.


    "Major General, there seem to be signs of life here." The detector showed that there was a survivor still trapped underground.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    "Hurry up! Everybodyes to help! We have to be as careful as possible when digging. Avoid causing a second copse. It''ll endanger the person trapped inside the rubble." Kevin''s fighting will was aroused. In his eyes, every life was priceless and he would take their rescue seriously.


    The soldiers carefully and quickly dug downwards. Whenever a little gap was cleared out, they would shout loudly to get a response from the survivor inside, so as to determine a more urate position for a safer and faster rescue.


    "It seems to be an old granny. What do we do? It may be difficult for her to move." The soldiers looked at Kevin for orders.


    "Well, let''s dig the gap bigger, and see if we can get to her," Kevin said with a frown. The buried person would suffer more, if they dyed for much longer. Moreover, if an aftershock urred, it could fill the gap they had just excavated again. Then the old granny''s position underground would be even more perilous.


    After nearly half an hour of careful digging, the entrance was finally widened, but there was an additional problem: the old granny couldn''t move, so she couldn''t climb out of the tunnel they had dug by herself. Someone would have to go in to rescue her. "I''ll go down." Kevin decided without hesitation.


    "No, Major General! Let me go down." The soldiers didn''t want theirmanding officer to go down, so they volunteered themselves.


    "Stop. Follow my order. Prepare the rope, so that I can tie the old granny to my back after I get to her," Kevin admonished them. Every life was precious. He wouldn''tmand his soldiers to do such a dangerous thing.


    "But Major General, it''s very dangerous." Despite Kevin''s instruction, the soldiers refused to ept his decision.


    "No more talking! You have my order. Now obey it. I''ll go down first to assess the situation," Kevin said as he carefully lowered himself through the narrow entrance. The soil was wet, and he found it difficult to move downward through the tunnel. The soldiers watched him nervously, and held their breath, afraid to even blink.


    "Where is the major general?" Lee asked, not seeing Kevin upon his return from fetching some drinks for everyone.


    "He''s inside the hole." The soldiers looked at each other, unsure who should tell Lee where theirmanding officer was.


    "What? How could you let him go down there alone? Don''t you see how dangerous it is?" Lee became nervous upon hearing that Kevin had climbed into the ruins.


    "We wanted to go in, but he refused. He decided to go in alone." Ashamed, the soldiers lowered their heads. They regretted not stopping Kevin.


    "Forget it! Let''s focus." Lee was very upset. If he had been here, this wouldn''t have happened.


    Kevin crawled with difficulty inside the ruins. One ce was blocked off by a big stone, so it was all but impossible to move, but atst, after some wiggling, he reached the old granny.


    "Grandma, how are you? Are you hurt?" Kevin asked the old granny, concerned as soon as he saw her.


    "I think that my feet are crushed, and I have some other minor injuries. Thank you foring to save me!" The old granny was in her sixties. She was relieved to see Kevin. After being buried for a day and a night, she was finally saved.


    "It''s what we do, Granny. Now, we have to find a way to get you out of here." Kevin looked around. The ce where the old grannyy was somewhat protected by arge prefabricated board, which was why she had survived. "Major General, what''s going on down there?" Lee''s voice came over the radio. He sounded worried.


    "Lee, ask the soldiers to prepare a board for one person to lie on. Then make a few holes to tie her to the board, and let the soldiers hold the rope. The passage down here is too narrow, so we can''t both make it through at the same time. I will tie the old granny onto the board, and you can pull her out." Kevin calmly gave the orders. If the old granny''s feet had not been injured, she could have climbed out using the rope. But she couldn''t move now, so this wasn''t an option.


    "Okay. I see. I''ll get everything ready right away!" Lee didn''t dare to dy, and rushed to find what was necessary. Fortunately, it was an easy task, because many of the things he needed were at the ambnce station.


    The waiting felt long, and the old granny was scared. Kevin spoke to her encouragingly while studying the debris around them.


    "Major General, I''ve got everything ready. Now, I am going to push the board down carefully." Lee said as he began pushing down the board he had just made, but it was difficult for the board to make the descent. Kevin didn''t wait idle; instead, he returned to the ce with the big stone, that he had previously passed, and eased the board down.


    "Grandma, I''ll lift you onto the board and secure you with a rope. Then they can pull you out," Kevin exined to the old granny. He was afraid that she wouldn''t understand and be panicked.


    "Okay. That sounds like a good n." The old granny had been buried for a long time, but she seemed to be mentally equipped, and had coped well with everything that had happened. She didn''t object to Kevin''s arrangements.


    Kevin carefully lifted the old granny onto the board, and then tied her to it with the rope he had brought down with him. He was careful to tie her in such a way that she could grasp the rope for support. "Okay, you can pull up!" Kevinmanded the soldiers on the ground above over his radio.


    As the old granny was slowly pulled free, Kevin prepared to climb up. However, as he started his ascent, the ground suddenly began shaking violently. An aftershock at the critical moment of his escape!

 Chapter 1536 The Critical Moment (Part One)

    "Major General Gu!" The soldiers weren''t expecting the aftershock to hit so quickly. As soon as the aftershock stopped, they called out for their Major General.


    "Help him! Hurry up!" Lee yelled, his face pale as death, as he picked up a shovel and began to excavate the ruins. He hoped that Kevin was able to find a safe ce to protect himself from the rubble. "Hurry up, guys! And be careful not to hurt him!" the toon Leader demanded and joined in with the other soldiers to find Kevin.


    At that moment, Leena was drinking lemonade in a cafe. As she was about to take the ss, it slipped from her hand and smashed on the floor. As she looked at the shattered pieces on the floor, her heart fluttered with an ominous anxiety. ''Why is this happening? Why do I have this horrible feeling?'' she asked herself. She bent over to pick up the broken ss, but she cut her finger on a sharp fragment and blood oozed out. "Ow!" she gasped and looked at her bleeding finger. She panicked and wondered, ''Is everything okay in S City? Why am I seeing so many bad omens today?''


    The secret guard sent by Jonathan quickly appeared before Leena when he heard the sound of ss breaking. "Oh my god, are you okay? You''re bleeding! Let me wrap your finger up," he said, furrowing his brows when he saw that she was hurt. "Adonis, could you call your master and ask him if everything is all right in S City?" It was the first time that Leena had made a request to him after she had left S City. She grew more and more restless. She just had to make sure that there was nothing wrong. "Sure, I''ll call him. But only after I finish bandaging your finger. And please remember, do not pick up the fragments again. Just ask the waitress or use a broom if you wish to clean it yourself," he said in a soft voice. Adonis was his code name in the organization, and he had already forgotten his real name.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Okay." Anxious as she was, she had to listen to Adonis. She knew that he was Jonathan''s right hand man and was capable of taking care of everything. No matter which country she went, he was able to learn about their local culture and give her advice. While Adonis talked to Jonathan on the phone, Leena waited anxiously.


    "Master said that nothing out of ordinary has happened in S City. An earthquake urred in a domestic coastal city, but S City was not affected," Adonis said in a reassuring voice. Adonis knew that Jonathan wouldn''t lie to him. And even if there was a big ident in S City, Jonathan would call him immediately.


    "Really? That''s a relief," Leena said, heaving a sigh. She should have been happy at the news, but somehow, she was still fidgety. Her mind was still not at ease.


    When the soldiers dug the ruins out and found Kevin, he was unconscious. No matter how hard they tried to wake him up, he didn''t respond at all. If it weren''t for his heaving chest, they would have believed that he was dead.


    "Major General Gu, wake up!" Lee provided first aid and carried out the emergency assistance, but it did not work. Keviny still on the stretcher.


    "Get out of the way! The doctor is here," a soldier shouted as he ran towards them, followed by a doctor. Most buildings in the city had been ruined in the earthquake, including the hospitals. Therefore, the situation was dire.


    "The patient is seriously hurt, and needs to be treated as soon as possible. But as you can see, our hospital has also been damaged," said the doctor as he carefully assessed Kevin''s injuries. After providing some immediate medical care, the doctor said, "He must be transferred to a hospital immediately."


    "We need a helicopter to transfer Major General Gu to S City right away. That is the closest city from here," Lee said to the Battalion Commander, who was standing next to him.


    "Sure, I''ll arrange the helicopter. You stay with him and make sure he''s okay." The Battalion Commander quickly left the scene to arrange for the helicopter, without wasting a single second. He couldn''t afford to lose Kevin here.


    Tom was traveling with Patricia when he received the emergency call. He swiftly returned to the hospital in S City without any hesitation. When he saw that it was Kevin being carried out from the helicopter, Tom held his breath and wondered, ''What''s the matter with these guys? First it was Leena, then Patricia, and now Kevin. I guess we should visit a templeter and pray for all our lives.''


    "Hurry up! Take him to the operating room." The operating room was already prepared. Tom had been told that a military officer was seriously injured and needed an operation as soon as possible. He hadn''t known at the time that it was Kevin, and had nned to assign the operation to another doctor. But when he thought about his two friends in the military, he had changed his mind. He felt so lucky right now that he had changed his mind. If something bad happened to Kevin because of his negligent behavior, he could never forgive himself.


    Kevin was quickly taken to the operating room. When Lee saw the lit up red letters above the door that said ''In Operation'', he dropped down to the floor and wept. At one point during the transport, Kevin had stopped breathing in the helicopter. It had taken the doctor a long time to revive him. Lee knew that Tom was a highly skilled doctor, but he was still worried about Kevin. He had seen Kevin''s injuries. Lee''s eyes brimmed with more tears.


    When Edward and the others learned about Kevin''s injury, they flooded to the hospital. Kevin was Leena''s beloved, and if something happened to him, it would be worse than death for her.


    "How''s Kevin? How long has the operation been going on?" Duke asked, with a worried expression. He and Kevin had dined together just a short while ago. Little had he expected that Kevin would be in such peril so soon.


    "It has been more than two hours now," Lee answered as he wiped his tears with his sleeve. As Kevin''s guard, he knew that Duke was Kevin''s brother-inw.


    "Was he seriously injured?" Edward asked, staring at the door of the operating room. His face was calm, and his hands were ced in his pant pockets. But his eyes betrayed his emotionless face.


    "We don''t know his condition yet. No one hase out of the room," Lee said, his head hung low.


    "Lee, why don''t you go change your clothes? Your clothes are wet and dirty. You might catch a cold. You have to take care of Kevin after the operation. You can''t do that if you fall sick now," Belinda suggested. She was more considerate than the men who were crowding him for information.


    "That''s all right. I''m fine," said Lee. Kevin was still fighting for his life. Lee didn''t want to leave.


    "Just do as she said. We are all here. Don''t worry," Rain said, crossing his arms across his chest and leaning against the wall. It waste at night, and he was in a horrible mood because of Kevin''s ident.


    "I think we should inform Leena about this. She maye back after hearing the news," Belinda said, looking at Edward, because only he could do this.


    "Okay. I''m calling dad now. But I''m not sure if she wille back," he said. Edward also believed that Leena woulde back after learning about Kevin''s ident. Kevin was at death''s door. There was no way that she would ignore such a situation. He knew that she would probablye running.


    Leena was sitting in a cafe in an old town in El Salvador, listening to folk music. She really loved ces like these, as she felt at ease there.


    She saw Adonis walking up to her in a hurry. He looked anxious. "Master just called. Uh... Something has happened," he said, hesitating. Leena felt a chill run through her spine.


    "What happened?" Leena stood abruptly and knocked a vase over. Water spilled from the vase and wet her pants. But she didn''t care.


    "Major General Gu was trapped in the debris during the aftershocks of the earthquake which had urred earlier. He had been engaged in rescue and relief work there. He has been seriously injured and is undergoing an operation as we speak," Adonis said and he watched Leena''s expression closely.


    "Operation? No, this can''t be true!" Leena was gripped by panic. It looked like her gut feeling was right all along.


    She started trembling and was about to fall. Adonis quickly held her shoulders and supported her. He tried to calm her down. "If you want to go back, I can arrange it. You can fly back immediately," he said in a firm voice.???????????

 Chapter 1537 The Critical Moment (Part Two)

    "I need to go back, Adonis. I want to see him right now. I can''t just pretend that I don''t care about him." Leena grabbed Adonis'' clothes in terror. She loved him, and she decided to not run away from the reality. She had to go back to him right away. He was in critical


    condition, and she must be by his side at a time like this.


    "Understood. We''ll head back." Adonis was single, and had never been in love. But he could tell that Leena loved her husband to death and wanted to get back to him.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    The red letters, ''In Operation'', shed brightly even after ten hours. Kevin''s surgery was taking longer than expected. But no one left the hospital. They patiently waited for his news outside the operating room.


    By the time Leena showed up in the hospital, the operation had been going on for eighteen hours. When they saw Leena''s staggering figure, they held their breaths and widened their eyes. They couldn''t believe that she was here.


    "Duke, where''s Kevin? How is he?" Leena stumbled towards Duke. But she was in no mood for a meet and greet.


    "So now you are worried about him?" Duke taunted. On the inside, he was happy to see his little sister, but it vexed him that she had left them for a man. Even though this wasn''t the time or ce to show his anger, he still couldn''t control his emotions. "Sorry Duke, I..." Leena bit her lower lip, not knowing how to exin. She was still worried about Kevin.


    "If it weren''t for Kevin''s ident right now, you wouldn''t have ever bothered meeting us, would you?" Edward asked in a cold voice. They used to dote on her, but she had left them without saying a word, which broke their hearts.


    "I''m so sorry..." Instead of answering Edward''s question, she apologized to him. She had foreseen their reactions on her way to the hospital. She could do nothing but take the me silently.


    "Leena, you''re finally back," Shannon said and held Leena in her arms. She heaved a long sigh of relief and hoped that Kevin would wake up to see his wife.


    "Mom, it was all my fault. I shouldn''t have left," Leena said, tears streaming down her cheeks as she hugged Shannon back tightly.


    "It''s okay. Now that you''re back, Kevin would be thrilled and he''ll wake up soon." Shannon stroked Leena''s back. She hade to S City as soon as she had heard the news of Kevin''s ident. Kevin''s father had something urgent to do in the army, so he couldn''te along with Shannon.


    "Leena, Major General Gu has been waiting for you all this time," Lee said, happy to see Leena. Although Kevin was still in the operating room, Lee believed that he was a tough man and would survive this ordeal.


    "Lee, what happened to Kevin? Why was he injured?" Leena felt guilty because she felt that what had happened was somehow her fault.


    "Major General Gu rushed in to rescue an elderly from the debris regardless of his own safety, and the aftershocks struck sooner than we estimated," Lee exined, sniffling a tear. How he wished he could have been the one who had gone in to save the person. "What about the other soldiers? Were they injured?" Leena asked as she knew what Kevin cared about the most.


    "We''re all safe. Only Major General Gu was hurt." Lee cast a nce at the door of the operating room. He never knew that an operation couldst so many hours.


    "Don''t worry. He''ll be okay," said Leena. She didn''t know whether she was trying tofort him or herself.


    The man she wanted to see the most was in the operating room, and they were separated by the thick doors. Her heart was gripped by the red light that was shining above the door. She felt suffocated by it.


    "Have some water. You need to calm down," Duke said, handing Leena a bottle of water. Despite his anger, Duke still cared about her.


    "Duke, thank you," Leena said, moved by his gesture. She hadn''t expected that her brother would wait here for such a long time. After all, Duke had always disliked Kevin.


    "I''m d that you''re finally back. When you are in trouble next time, please tell us, instead of leaving us behind, okay?" Duke sighed. Luckily, his father was traveling now and they hadn''t told him about Kevin''s ident yet. Otherwise, the old man would have passed out from the news. He liked Kevin very much.


    "Okay," Leena said, tears appearing at the corners of her eyes. "Edward, Rain... I''m so sorry. And thank you." Leena couldn''t thank them enough. Words failed her. Even after what she had done, they still waited for hours outside her husband''s operating room. She knew that they were doing it for her sake.


    "Leena, since we''re in a serious situation here, we will take this matter off the table for the time being. But when Kevin gets better, we''re going to teach you a lesson you won''t forget," Edward said. He knew that it was partially their fault because they had spoiled her and that was why she had be so willful.


    "I agree with Edward. Leena, you are not going to get away this time," Rain said with a teasing smile. Luckily, she was finally back, unlike a certain someone who was still missing. ''Will she onlye back when I am at death''s door like Kevin?'' he wondered. "I''ll take whatever punishment you give me," Leena said, with a small smile through her tears. Her heart melted when she realized that so many people still cared about her.


    "Put on this coat," Duke said, as he took off his coat and put it on Leena''s shoulders.


    "Where''s Belinda? How is she?" Leena asked as she hadn''t seen Belinda around.


    "She''s fine. She was here for a while. But since she''s expecting to have the baby soon, she can''t strain herself too much. I asked her to go back early and get some rest." Belinda was due to give birth in a month. Duke was really looking forward to meeting his child. "Good, I''m d she''s fine," Leena sniffed and shed a gentle smile.


    "You look really ugly now. Here, wipe your tears." Edward handed Leena some tissues. He was a fanatic for cleanliness and couldn''t bear to see Leena''s tears and snot.


    "You are such an ass!" Leenained as she grabbed the tissues from him and wiped her face with it.


    "Why is Tom taking so long? He has been in the operating room for almost a whole day. Why hasn''t hee out yet?" Rainined. Ever since he''d had drinks with Kevin in the Grand Apartment, his opinion about Kevin had changed. Now, Rain was really worried about him.


    "His injuries might have been severe," Edward said in a low voice, making sure Leena didn''t hear his words. They were all tired. They hadn''t had any rest, nor had they eaten for the past twenty hours. They wanted to stay by Kevin''s side for Leena''s sake. Although she was now here, none of them wanted to leave. They wanted to be with her.


    After another two long hours, the red light above the door finally went out. Everyone''s heart began to race, as they waited for Tom toe out.


    Leena grabbed Duke''s coat tightly. Her face was so pale that she looked like she was about to pass out.


    "Leena, rx. Kevin will be fine. You have to trust Tom," Dukeforted her as he stroked her back to calm her down.


    "Hmm. I do trust Tom. I''m not worried." Leena tried to sh a smile, but failed. She was unable to calm herself down.


    She was not the only one who was nervous. The operation had taken so long and no one wasing out of the room. They couldn''t be at ease until they heard from Tom. The men were just better at hiding their emotions than Leena.


    After a long while, the door was pushed open from the inside. The person who came out first wasn''t Tom, but a nurse. And she was in a hurry.


    "Lady, how was the operation?" Leena asked anxiously.


    "Excuse me, please don''t stand in my way. Dr. Qin has passed out, and I need to fetch the injection for him." Saying that, the nurse left in a hurry. Her words froze the blood in their veins. ''Why did Tom pass out? How was the operation? Did he pass out because the operation has failed?'' they thought. ¨¦veryone''s heart bounced to their throat. They stared at Leena, wanting to console her, but didn''t know what to say as they watched her terror stricken face.000000000000

 Chapter 1538 The Operation Was Very Successful (Part One)

    "What did she mean?" Rain asked, looking at everyone with confused eyes. He didn''t understand what the nurse meant. The situation was tense and worrisome, and Rain was no longer his usual carefree self. "Why are you asking me? How would I know?" Edward rolled his eyes at him in annoyance. If he had any idea what was happening right now, he would not be so anxious. Rain''s question only made him feel more stressed.


    "Everyone, calm down, okay? Everything will be all right." Shannon was naturally more mature than all of them because she was older. Though she was worried sick about her son, she had to be strong for all of them. She needed them to calm down. That was why she said these words tofort them. But who was she kidding? Saying those words, she was also in fact trying tofort herself.


    "Will it, Mom? Is he really going to be okay?" Leena asked in a shaky voice. She could not even breathe right now. Her heart was beating so fast in her chest that she could hear the blood pulsing in her head. She didn''t know how to feel except that she was feeling numb. To say that she was worried sick about Kevin and Tom was an understatement, especially when she didn''t know what was going on.


    "Yeah, of course, it will. I guess Tom is just a bit exhausted. You know, the surgery has been going on for hours now." Duke answered, then dropped a gentle kiss on her forehead. He knew clearly what Leena needed the most right now. All she needed was reassurance, and he was more than willing to give his little sister that. He knew that he should be strong for her during this extremely hard time.


    Just then, the same nurse who had just left hurriedly came back. They all knew that this could be an emergency, so none of them stopped her this time.


    Leena couldn''t tell what she was feeling right now. Her head was in a mess. Her thoughts kept alternating between Kevin and Tom. They were both equally important to her. She couldn''t even imagine her life without Kevin. She deeply regretted ever leaving without telling anyone. What if Kevin died before he got to see her again? What if she never had the chance to talk to him ever again? She didn''t know what to think anymore.


    The silence was deafening. Nobody talked, because nobody knew what to say at that moment. They all had nothing but tired looks on their faces, and each person had different thoughts in his or her mind. Nobody dared to think about the worst case that could happen. All they could do right now was to wait.


    Their hopes got up again when they heard the door to the operation room swing open. Everyone turned to look with intensely hopeful eyes. This time, Tom walked out. They all held their breath, waiting for him to open his mouth and say something.


    "I am sorry!" Tom, seeing all eyes on him, suddenly felt a bit self-conscious. That was why the first thing he did was to apologize for making them wait this long. But it came off differently, how he said it, thus they misunderstood him. Everyone gasped in disbelief and said at the same time, "That''s... that''s all?"Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    "What do you mean, you''re sorry?"


    "Oh my God..."


    "So you mean...he''s..."


    "Kevin..." Hearing Tom''s words, Leena immediately thought the worst. She fainted right after saying his name. It was too much for her to take.


    "Leena! Leena! Wake up! Oh dear. Leena!" Duke, who was standing beside Leena, was immediately able to catch her as she fell. She might have hit her head on the table had he not caught her. He was afraid that Leena would also fall ill because of what just happened. "Tom! Take a look at her, quick! What the hell happened to her? Why did she faint all of a sudden?" Edward asked in an exasperated tone. Things were getting out of control. Everyone was still confused about Tom''s ''I am sorry'' statement, and now, Leena had fainted. It felt like things couldn''t get any worse. Not only did they have to worry about Kevin''s condition, but now Leena fainting had be another problem to attend to.


    "Everyone, give her some room. Let me check." Tom quickly walked over and started to check on Leena. He gently stroked her face. Fortunately, Leena regained consciousness, putting their fears to rest. They could now heave a sigh of relief, at least for Leena, who most probably couldn''t handle any bad news about her husband.


    "Leena, are you okay? Do you know that you fainted? How are you feeling now?" Tom asked while checking her vitals. He knew that Leena was probably so anxious to know about how Kevin was doing that she fainted, but he just had to make sure. He didn''t want anything to happen to his precious little sister.


    "Tom, is... is Kevin..." Leena bursted into tears before she could even finish her words. She didn''t want to think of the worst, but she just couldn''t get her mind off the possibility that she would never see Kevin again.


    "Don''t worry! The operation was very sessful. I just had to make sure everything was perfectly okay, considering that he is a soldier. I had to make sure that he would still have an agile body and that he could still function the same way as before. That''s why it took me so long to finish the operation." This was definitely the most tiring operation that Tom had ever performed. He was being extremely careful because he knew how important Kevin was to Leena. That was why he fainted the moment he got out of the operation room earlier. He was just too tired, and he could finally rx his strained nerves.


    "Really? You are not lying to me? Oh my God, thank you so much Tom! Thank you! When can I see him then?" Leena hugged Tom as her face broke into a huge smile though there were still tears on her big beautiful eyes. She knew that Kevin wouldn''t have the heart to leave her. He loved her too much to do such a cruel thing to her.


    "Tomorrow morning is the earliest time you can see him. He has to be in ICU under close observation for now. All we can do is hope for the best that noplications arise during this time." Tom pinched the ce between his eyebrows, feeling tired as hell. This operation had taken him almost 24 hours to finish. Fortunately, the result and outlook were positive. He sessfully saved Kevin''s life and his efforts had not gone to waste at all. He was happy that Kevin was okay for now. He knew Leena would be devastated if anything bad happened to the man whopleted her life.

 Chapter 1539 The Operation Was Very Successful (Part Two)

    "Damn you Tom! Thank God Kevin is okay! Why did you say sorry to us the second you got out? You scared the shit out of all of us!" If Tom hadn''t fainted just now, Rain would have surely knocked Tom out himself. His mis-worded and untimely apology made everyone''s hearts jump out of their mouths. For a second there they all thought that Kevin had died on the operating table. Fortunately, it was just a misunderstanding. "Ummn, well... I thought you were worried about me? That''s why I apologized for making you wait so long. Wait a minute, so none of you were worried about me at all?" Tom was a bit confused. After a long and tiring operation, his mind was a bit slow. Who told them the operation was not sessful? Why would they think that?


    "Why would we be worried about you? You were not the one whose life hung on the bnce. You are totally fine! We are worried sick about Kevin! ''I am sorry'' are the words a doctor tells a family when he couldn''t do anything to save the patient''s life. So when you said those words, you gave us all a heart attack, thinking that we lost Kevin!" Edward couldn''t help but shout at Tom. Though he was grateful that Tom was again the life-saver, he indeed gave them all a scare. Whether he did that on purpose as a practical joke or not, he should never do that again, especially to other families in the future.


    "All right, all right. You really know how to make me feel special," Tom said sarcastically while moving to sit on the closest chair. He was too exhausted right now to move. The operation was hard, and it tired the crap out of him. He felt that he could sleep for days. All he wanted right now was a clean and warm bed to rest. He couldn''t even raise a finger now.


    "Well, Thank you! Thank you very much, Doctor Qin! You are literally a life-saver!" Shannon said to Tom in a sincere tone. She was extremely grateful that this talented doctor had saved her son''s life. She couldn''t be more grateful. For a second there, just like Leena, she had thought that she had lost her beloved son. Fortunately, the oue was good. Now she could finally let her mind rest and heave a sigh of relief.


    "You are wee, ma''am. It''s my sworn oath to do my best to save people. Kevin will be sent to the ICU soon. They''re just finishing up the dressing of the wound, among other things. Well, right now I need to grab a shower. So if you all would excuse me." Though it was still winter and the weather was cold, Tom was all sweaty after performing the lengthy surgery. He needed to take a shower to freshen himself up and rx his rigid muscles. Then, he would have a nice long nap.


    "Of course. Go ahead. You absolutely deserve it." Shannon was also tired herself, but she was still poised and elegant as ever. All throughout the whole ordeal, she remained calm, even though deep inside she had a storm of uncertainties about whether her son would survive.


    "Thank you so much, Tom! You have no idea how much this means to me and to all of us." Leena thanked him with happy tears. She knew how tired Tom must be right now, and she was grateful for having him in her life. Tom must have been extremely careful with Kevin knowing that it was Leena''s husband he was operating on. Though as a doctor, saving people was a natural thing to do, he couldn''t help but pay more attention to every detail in Kevin''s case. He was family. Period.


    "Yeah, but don''t forget, you still owe me an exnation, Leena." Hearing Leena''s words, Tom didn''t even look back at her. It seemed that he was really hurt by Leena''s abrupt, selfish actions. In fact, they all were. Leena did such a cruel thing to them, and the least she could do was to let them know why she did it. They would definitely all understand why. But they needed to hear it from her.


    Leena gently bit on her lower lip hearing what Tom said. She knew that she had gone too far this time. She had been too selfish, and she had only considered her own feelings. Not only did she leave her husband behind, but she also disappeared without a trace from all the people who cared deeply about her. What she did was like a p to their faces, making it seem like she didn''t trust them enough. Shepletely ignored them and cut them out in her life.


    "All right. Now that we know that Kevin is okay, I guess we can all go home and have some rest. We cane back tomorrow and check on him," Duke interrupted. He didn''t want to embarrass Leena and make the atmosphere awkward again. They had had enough drama for one day. Though he was also a bit disappointed at Leena himself, he still didn''t have the heart to scold her right now. Maybe they all needed some time to calm down and think. He knew that Leena had a lot of exining to do, but now was not the right time. Kevin should be their main focus now.


    "Yes, I agree. We all need to recharge. If something happens, just give us a call." Edward was also tired after staying in the hospital for too long. He never liked being in this ce. All he wanted was to go home right now, have a good bath and rx. His mind had be at ease knowing that Kevin was going to be okay. Moreover, Leena had finallye back, and he was happy about it.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "Leena, you should go home and have some rest as well. I know that you have had a long flight. Maybe take a hot bath like what everyone is talking about. I will be staying here and watch over Kevin," Duke suggested. He knew his sister. She must be exhausted right now aftering here straight from the airport. If she didn''t rest now, she might fall ill, especially because her defenses were down and now exposed to other illnesses at the hospital. Duke certainly didn''t want that to happen.


    "No I can''t do that. I am staying here and I will wait for Kevin to wake up. I want to be the first person he sees when he wakes up. How about this? You take my mother-inw home so she can have a good rest. I will call you as soon as Kevin wakes up." Leena nced at Shannon, who had a tired look on her face. She was worried about her mother-inw. She deserved to rx and have some sleep after thinking about her son for so long.????????

 Chapter 1540 The Operation Was Very Successful (Part Three)

    "I can do that, but are you going to be okay here on your own?" Duke asked, a bit hesitantly. Leena was right. They should drive Shannon home first. Now that Kevin would not be able to look after his mother, they should at least do it for him.


    "You know what guys? I will also stay here with Leena. Somebody needs to look after her. We''ll see you all tomorrow. Hopefully there will be more good news then," Rain cut in. Now that they all knew that Kevin would be okay, he was back to his carefree self. He could surely stay here with Leena and keep herpany. He didn''t have anything else to do anyway. Besides, even though Leena said that she wasn''t tired, Rain was sure that she''d pass out from the fatigue sooner orter.


    "That''s cool. Okay fine, we are going then. Mrs. Gu,e with us please. You can stay at our house tonight. Kevin will be okay under Tom''s supervision," Duke turned to Shannon and said to her with a smile. He had to admit that he wasn''t fond of Kevin at first, but he didn''t have anything against his mother. She was a polite and elegant woman, and Duke had a good impression of her.


    "Okay, thank you so much. Leena, my child, I am going with Duke now. Take care of yourself, okay? I will be back hereter." Shannon reached out her hand to fix Leena''s messy hair for her. She felt that Leena had matured a lot while she was away. They hadn''t seen each other for months and to be honest, Shannon missed her daughter-inw a lot.


    "Of course, Mom. Duke, take good care of her for me, okay?" Leena smiled sheepishly because of Shannon''s affectionate gesture. She didn''t expect that her mother-inw would still be this understanding and kind towards her, after what she had put them through during the past few months. It had been hell for both her and the ones who loved her. In retrospect, she deeply regretted ever leaving, considering that her issue could have been easily sorted out had she expressed herself more openly. She felt so guilty right now. After exchanging good-byes and hugs, they all left the hospital except for Rain and Leena. Then suddenly, it became a lot quieter.


    "Hey Leena, aren''t you hungry? I can go get you something to eat. I think I passed by a cafeteria earlier," Rain suggested to Leena, sitting beside her. It was already early morning. And none of them had anything to eat because of how preupied they were. "Thank you, Rain, but I am not hungry at all. But by all means, you can go eat if you want. You, yourself must be starving. I will just be here. I''m not going anywhere." Leena knew that she did not have to stay around. She was not a doctor after all and there wasn''t much she could do if anyplication arose. But she still didn''t want to leave. She felt closer to Kevin by staying here waiting for him. She wanted so badly for him to know that she was back, that she was just nearby in the other room, and that she would never leave him ever again. She had realized how wrong she was, and she would never make the same mistake. No matter what they might confront from now on, they would face it together, and she would not give up so easily like she did before. She had realized that leaving wouldn''t solve the problem. Instead, it would only make it worse.


    "But you have to at least eat something! You must be hungry by now. Well, I will decide for you and get you a bowl of soup or whatever. Are you okay staying here alone?" Rain asked in a worried tone. He was a bit afraid that Leena would faint again while he was away. He had to make sure that she waspletely fine by herself.


    "Of course. I am fine now. I don''t think anything is going to happen with Kevin in the ICU so don''t worry about me." Leena raised her head and smiled at Rain. But this time, the smile was not as sweet as those smiles she had before. It seemed forced and sad. After Rain left to buy something to eat, Leena walked to the ICU. The curtains were down, so she couldn''t see anything from the outside. At this time, no one was allowed inside so she just stood by the door.


    "Leena, how is the Major General''s operation going? Is it finished?" At this time, Lee came back from the army base. He had no idea about Kevin''s situation, and he was clearly distraught about it.


    "Yes, they have just wheeled him into the ICU. Tom said that he is stable for now. The operation was very sessful," Leena told the good news to him in a happy tone. But as soon as she realized that she had to wait for a long time before she could see Kevin, her smile faded. "Really? That is so good to hear!" Lee was also happy that the operation was sessful. He knew that his Major General would make it!


    "Have you finished the things you had to do?" Leena asked in a concerned tone, looking at the bags in his hands. It looked like he had rushed to the hospital while still in the middle of a task.


    "Yes, I have. All things werepleted on time. Besides, themander instructed me to stay here at the hospital to look after Major General. That''s why I have brought some clothes with me just in case I need to change here." Lee scratched his head sheepishly. He didn''t mind staying at the hospital at all. All he wanted was for his Major General to be back and be his old self again. He had always been by his side, so he was aware of how sad Kevin was while Leena was gone. Now that she was back, he sincerely hoped that Kevin would return to normal. The strong, confident and reliable leader that he had grown ustomed to.


    "Lee, has Kevin said anything about me while I was away? How has he been?" Leena asked in a hesitant tone. She bit her lower lip, badly wanting to know how her husband handled her disappearance. Had he been taking good care of himself? Did he miss her as much as she did him?This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1541 The Operation Was Very Successful (Part Four)

    "Leena, I have to tell you the truth. Major General hasn''t been eating well and barely had any sleep when you left. He has been working so hard to get the pain off his mind. He used his job to numb himself. Besides, he has lost so much weight that this is the thinnest he has ever been. I am not sure if you have already seen him. So when you do, please don''t be too shocked." Lee was not exaggerating at all. Kevin had lost a lot of weight as he lost his appetite and didn''t sleep well, having been used to having Leena by his side. He was constantly worried about Leena''s well-being and spared no efforts to find her. Only the blind would not notice that it had taken a huge toll on him.


    "Really? Why was he so silly? He should have taken good care of himself! If he didn''t want to do it for himself, he should have at least done it for me." Leena immediately burst into tears after hearing Lee''s words. She was heartbroken by what she had just heard. She didn''t expect that her sudden leaving would hurt Kevin that much. She knew it would stress him out a bit but she never thought that it would be this bad. If she had known that this would happen, she would never have left at all. Now she had only herself to me. "Major General said that as long as he waited for you, you would definitelye back. And he was right. You are back now. I believed the Major General when he said it. Hepletely trusted and believed in you." Lee had never been in love. That was why he couldn''t understand how love would affect Kevin so much. Love was indeed a very strange thing that could cheer one person up andpletely destroy another at the same time. Now he knew that he had to be cautious when it came to love.


    "I am really sorry, Lee! I didn''t know it would turn out like this." Leena bit harshly at her lower lip. She wanted so badly to turn back the time so she could undo all the pain and suffering that she had caused her beloved husband. She should never have left him alone. In her desire to not share the emotional pain of her inability to conceive, she had actually caused more harm to him, almost costing his life. Leena hated herself for this.


    "Leena, you don''t need to say sorry. Major General told me that he would never me you. He only mes himself for not having taken good care of you. That''s what he told me." Lee was speaking to Leena on Kevin''s behalf. It seemed that Kevin couldn''t stop talking about her, and Lee had to listen to all of it. He repeated every word that Kevin had ever told him about Leena. So now, he also wanted to see Leena and Kevin make up and be happy together.


    "I was too selfish, wasn''t I? I only considered my own feelings andpletely ignored everybody else. That''s the reason why I hurt not only Kevin, but also the people who love me." Leena was aware of what she had done. She hurt so many people by leaving without a trace and without even a note. There were no words to describe how remorseful she felt. She hoped that she could make it up to them in some way, sometime very soon, if they''d give her a chance.


    "Leena, you are wrong. You are not selfish at all. If you were really selfish, you would not havee back the second you heard that Major General was in danger, and you would not have sent us so many things on Major General''s behalf. I know that you did all those things because you love him so much. I don''t ever doubt the love between you two. It''s just that you chose the wrong way to protect him, thinking you could solve your problem on your own." Lee was being very honest. He didn''t care that the woman in front of him was his Major General''s wife. He just wanted to say what was on his mind. That was why he told Leena all these words without any reservation.


    "What are you two talking about? And why have you be a crying mess again, Leena?" Tom had changed into his casual clothes after the operation. After having a shower and freshening himself up, he couldn''t fall asleep so he left the doctor''s lounge and came back out. He now looked much better, at least not that tired.


    "Tom, do you know when Kevin is going to wake up?" Leena quickly wiped her tears. Tom was right, she cried a lot just now. But she didn''t care at all. Now, all she could think about was Kevin, and Kevin only. She just wanted him to wake up and get better.


    "That is hard to tell. It depends. You know, the operation being sessful doesn''t mean that he ispletely out of danger. You should know. It happened to you before. Now, all we can do is wait for him to wake up. But I think that his condition is promising as long as he doesn''t have anyplications. Besides, I don''t think that he is in aa." Tom was being honest and didn''t want to hide anything from Leena. After all, he could never hide something as important as her husband''s chances of survival and recovery. And Leena must know about this already.


    "Yeah. I know that." Leena tried her best to smile, but to Tom, it was just a grimace. She was still worried that Kevin would not wake up soon.


    "Don''t worry. He will be okay," Tomforted her. He didn''t want to see his sister so sad and worried. He would try his best to help Kevin recover from his injuries. He would never let anything happen to him, even if it was just for Leena''s sake.


    Just as Tom predicted, Kevin had a feverter. Maybe it was because he had been caught in the rain for a period of time and his immune system was weak. That was the most probable reason why his temperature would not go down.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    Tom tried everything he could think of to make his fever go away. But nothing really worked. But still, to his relief, Kevin''s condition didn''t get worse, and his situation was way past the danger zone. That was something that they all wanted to see. He just hoped that Kevin could get through all of this.0000???

 Chapter 1542 The Operation Was Very Successful (Part Five)

    "Leena, here you go. Eat something first. Don''t worry so much. You already know that Tom is a very good doctor. He can surely take good care of Kevin for you. Right now you should look after yourself." Rain trusted Tom with his life. He believed that he would definitely be able to help Kevin recover. He was a great doctor after all. If there was only one person who could save Kevin, then it would be Tom. "But my stomach really can not handle anything right now." Leena''s eyebrows knitted into a tight frown. She really didn''t have any appetite now. They had been in the hospital room for so long, and she was dying to know Kevin''s condition. She wanted to know if he was


    getting better or not.


    "Do you want Kevin to see you like this when he wakes up? If you do, then suit yourself and not eat anything." Tom raised one of his eyebrows and looked at Leena in a way that would pressure her a little. He knew that he was trying to make Leena feel guilty so she would eat, but he was just being honest. She would not stay healthy if she kept missing her meals, considering that she already had a very weak body.


    "Fine. You are right. I will try to eat something," Leena finally agreed, though she really didn''t have the appetite. But Rain was right. She had to be healthy and strong for Kevin. Now was not the time to fall ill. So she''d better have some food.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    "That''s good. Come on, you can start with some soup." Rain had gone to the Kate Hotel. The food they served there was delicious and thanks to the nice packaging, the food was kept warm despite the cold winter air. It was a good thing that Leena decided to eat, so the food wouldn''t be wasted.


    By the time Kevin''s condition finally became stable and out danger, it was already the next day. But it didn''t mean that he would wake up immediately. Fortunately, Leena was finally allowed to go in and see him. She couldn''t wait to see his face after being apart from him for several months.


    Though Lee had warned her in advance, when Leena walked into the ICU and saw Kevin''s face, she gasped in shock. He was thin, almost too thin. Her heart broke when she looked at his pale face. She almost couldn''t believe that the man who lying on the hospital bed was Kevin, her loving husband. She almost couldn''t recognize him. She had to cover her mouth to keep from crying out loud.


    She reached out a shaky hand to gently touch his face. She was wearing gloves, but she could still feel the warmth of the fever from his face. This sent aplicated feeling through her heart. She felt happy that she could touch Kevin again after so long. But at the same time, she was also afraid, because she didn''t know what was going to happen now or if Kevin would get better.


    "Leena, you can only be here for 15 minutes at most. So make good use of the time and talk to him! I think he''d like that. I will be waiting for you outside," Tom said while gesturing to the doctor and the nurse who were standing close by, signaling them to leave the room to give Leena some privacy. He knew that Leena must have so many things to say to Kevin, after being away for months. The time was limited, so Leena should make good use of it.


    "Okay, thank you!" Leena looked at him with grateful eyes. She reached out her hand to grab Kevin''s big hand without touching the needle that was inside the big vein of his right arm. She had to be careful handling this fragile sleeping man.


    "Kevin, it''s me. I am back now. Can you hear me? I''m right here. I heard you missed me a lot. Don''t you want to open your eyes and see me?" Leena broke down, her whole body trembling with so much emotion. Her small face was half-covered by the big mask on her face that started to soak with tears. One could only see her big and watery eyes.


    "I am so, so sorry! I know it is not what you want to hear right now. And I also know that a simple apology will never make up for what I have put you through. But I just need you to know that I really am sorry for what I have done, okay? I am sorry for leaving, and I am sorry for hurting you." Leena sneezed, and wiped her tears away. Then a beautiful smile appeared on her face all of a sudden.


    "Have I ever told you that I really love you. I love you so much. Even when I was away, I never stopped thinking about you. You were constantly in my mind. I have been to so many ces during the past few months. I have been to some beautiful small towns, and also heard of many beautiful love stories. They all reminded me of you. I thought that I would slowly forget about you as time went by, but I was awfully wrong. I love you too much to be able to do that. The more I told myself to let you go, the more I missed you. Are you happy to hear my words? I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you so much, Kevin." Leena''s lips curled into a bitter smile. She looked at her badly injured husband with pained eyes. She couldn''t bear seeing him like this, so thin and so fragile, lying unconscious on the hospital bed. If she could, she would take all the pain away from him. She would rather be the one who was lying there, instead of the one she deeply loved.0000

 Chapter 1543 I Cant Lose You (Part One)

    no response, not even a smile. Nothing in the world could be more painful than this.


    "Kevin, you can''t just leave me like this. Wake up! Please! I can''t lose you. Please wake up." Kevin was lying right there in the hospital bed in front of her, but she felt he was a million miles away. It was the first time she ever felt this way. She just looked at him, but he gave "Why are you doing this? Is it because I left you? I came back. Do you hear me? Oh God, please wake up!" Leena''s tears fell on his hands. At that moment she realized that when she left, it hurt him as well as herself.


    "I''ll never leave you this time. I won''t leave you again, even if you drive me away with a stick. Maybe I can''t have kids, but that''s okay. It''s really okay. I don''t want anything. I only want to be with you." She decided that after the ident, she was going to go after what she wanted. As for Kevin''s family, she would work really hard to earn their understanding.


    "I''m sorry Leena. We need to fix his intubation. I need to boot you out." Tom entered the room again. Kevin was still under observation, so Leena couldn''t stay in the ward for too long.


    "OK." Leena nodded and let go of Kevin''s hand. She knew it was about Kevin''s life, so she had to listen to Tom. As she left the room, she couldn''t help looking back at Kevin in his bed.


    "It''s all right. Just go back home and get some rest. I promise when you wake up, Kevin will be out of danger." Tom wiped away her tears. She had been here a long time, and Tom was afraid she might get exhausted.


    "No. Tom, don''t ask me to go home. I want to be with him." Leena shook her head, not wanting to leave the man she loved. Even leaving him for a second, she felt that her heart was broken into tiny pieces.


    "Don''t do that. We don''t need you sick too," Tom insisted. In Tom''s opinion, Leena stressed herself out too much. If she was ill right now, he might not have enough energy to take care of her. For some time now, he had been treating his loved ones, which made him feel nervous and afraid.


    "No, really. Go home. Sleep," Lee said. "I''ll take care of him here," he continued. Lee had been here the whole time. Everyone else who came to visit Kevin came and went, and only Lee and Leena kept their vigil.


    "I don''t want to leave him. I want him to know that I have been with him the whole time. Then he''ll have to wake up," Leena said sadly. She was not as fragile as she looked, and had an inner fire that burned brightly when it was needed.


    "How about this? I''ve got a couch in my office. When Kevin wakes up, you can see him right away." Tom could not persuade her, so he tried a different tactic.


    "But..." Leena still hesitated.


    "Okay, I''m going to say this inly. Get some rest, or you can''t see him." Tom threatened her in order to force her to get some sleep.


    "All right. Two-hour break. When Kevin wakes up, let me know right away." Leena saw that Tom was angry, so she agreed to his proposal. "OK. I''ll let you know immediately when he opens his eyes," Tom assured her. She had to trust him. There was no other choice.


    Kevin was in good health, so even though he suffered a serious injury, he was soon transferred from the intensive care unit to the general ward.


    Leena was so tired that she slept for a long time. Her eyes closed at the moment when her head hit the pillow. When she woke up, it had been six hours.


    When Leena opened her eyes, the first person she saw was Patricia. Leena hadn''t seen her in months. Patricia was not a tomboy anymore. She was more of a woman now. "Patricia, why are you here?"


    "Bad girl, I thought you really walked out on us." Patricia gave her a big hug. When Patricia learned that Leena had returned, she rushed to the hospital. When she walked in, she found Leena sleeping, so she did not disturb her. The racer just sat quietly, thinking a lot. That was when she started remembering that Leena had done a lot for her, and she did nothing in return. She felt ashamed. Maybe that was why Leena chose to bear this alone, rather than burden others. She suffered in silence until she couldn''t bear it and then chose to leave, but all she did made other people feel even more painful.


    "I''m sorry. I''m not leaving you. I''m back now, right?" Leena hugged her back. Although she didn''t know what time it was, she was sure that Tom had just let her sleep. So now she couldn''t wait to find out what happened to Kevin.


    "What was going on in your head, anyway? If Kevin hadn''t gotten hurt, would you havee back?" Patricia asked sadly, sniffing.


    "I don''t know. What time is it?" Leena stood up and looked around.


    "It''s afternoon. Don''t worry. Kevin was taken to the general ward about noon. Tom said that he was stable, and he will be fine soon." Patricia knew what she was worried about, so she told her everything she knew. "Oh! No! I slept too long! Patricia, I''m sorry. I need to go see him now," Leena said apologetically. She knew that she should not ask that now. After all, they just reconnected. However, she did worry about Kevin.


    "OK. I''ll go with you." Patricia fully understood her friend''s mood. If she were Leena, she would do the same.


    The next time when they saw Kevin, a lot of the equipment had been removed from the room. He was off life support, and the cadre professional doctors who had been with him left. The room was quiet except for the machine that monitored his blood oxygen and his vitals, and Lee was alone with Kevin. Seeing Leena and Patricia, Lee quickly stood up. "Leena, sleep well?" Lee stayed up allst night. As a solider, he was used to going days and nights without sleep during field exercises, so this was nothing for him. Meditation kept him sane and energized.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    "Yeah I did. How is he? Did he ever wake up?" Leena touched Kevin''s cheek carefully, feeling he was much thinner than before.


    "No. Dr. Qin said there was no head trauma, so he shoulde around any time now." Lee asked a few more questions because he was worried about Kevin.


    "Good, good. You have the key to our house, right? Lee, go back to our ce, take a shower, and get some sleep. He needs someone to take care of him. We''ll do it in shifts. We can''t all be here at the same time, or we''ll all be screwed." After her nap, Leena was thinking much more clearly and she was now able to organize things properly.000000

 Chapter 1544 I Cant Lose You (Part Two)

    "Yeah. You''re right. I have the key, so I''ll head out. Be right back." Lee thought she was right and did not oppose her proposal.


    "No Lee, you''ve done too much already. I''ll hold things down here,e back tomorrow." Leena turned him down in a hurry, because she wanted to spend more time alone with Kevin. She had a lot of things that she hadn''t had the chance to say to Kevin. "Why?" Puzzled, Lee frowned at her.


    "Stop asking. Do what Leena says. She''s not gonna hurt Kevin. Don''t you worry." Patricia knew what Leena was thinking, so she pulled Lee out.


    Leena blushed watching Patricia do this, knowing she must have read her mind.


    Patricia took Lee out of the room. Her recklessness made Lee, who had never touched a girl before, extremely embarrassed.


    "You big dummy! Leena wants to be alone with Kevin for a while. Don''t you understand?" Patricia didn''t know why Lee was acting so strangely, so she scolded him sarcastically as soon as she let go.


    "I''m sorry. I didn''t know." Lee scratched his head in embarrassment. He really didn''t get it until now. He realized how foolish he had been.


    "You''re all good. Now swerve!" Patricia suddenly had a feeling about Lee. He seemed like a great guy, a cut above most of the people she had met so far.


    "Then I''ll go now. Good-bye, Mrs. Qin." Patricia was no stranger to Lee. As for the people and things rted to Kevin, he would find a chance to know them in advance.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    "Bye!" Patricia waved to him and watched him leave. Although she did not know Lee well, she was polite to him.


    "What are you looking at?" Tom, in his white coat, had just finished a meeting and wanted toe and see Kevin.


    "Oh! Are you off work?" Patricia was so pleased to see Tom that she put her arms around him and did not care who could see them.


    "No. It''s a while before my shift ends. Where''s Leena? She awake?" Tom didn''t push her away. Though he was not used to it, he forced himself to adapt. He knew they were husband and wife, so that kind of intimacy was normal to them.


    "Yeah. She''s awake. In Kevin''s room. You going in?" Patricia smiled brightly. Although Tom was absent-minded most of the time, he had changed a lot. She was happy with it. She knew she should learn to be content with what she had, and being too greedy would only hurt their rtionship.


    "Yeah, I''m going to conduct an exam. He''s fine for now, but we can''t let our guard down." Tom opened the door and saw Leena carefully wiping Kevin''s face.


    "Tom, why didn''t you wake me up?". As soon as she saw Tom, Leena began to fling usations at him.


    "You slept like a baby, so I didn''t wake you up." Tom was not lying. When he went back to his office to get the patient''s case, he found her sleeping deeply so he did not wake her up. He knew she would be worried about Kevin if she woke up. It was better for her to just rest. Kevin wasn''t going anywhere.


    "I knew you would do that, somehow. It''s so you." Leena was relieved to see Kevin out of danger, so she didn''t mind Tom not waking her up so much.


    "Hmmm... his lips are dry. I''ll get some medical swabs for you to wet his lips with. Don''t move him, though. Be gentle," Tom ordered as he examined Kevin.


    "OK. Copy that." Even if Tom hadn''t asked her to do it, she would do it anyway. It was just one more way she could show him she loved him.


    Duke and Belinda ordered dinner. Although Belinda knew that Leena was back, no one had sent her, so she had to wait for Duke to bring her. After all, she was pregnant now and she needed someone to be there for her wherever she went. "Belinda, you''re getting so big." Looking at Belinda''s belly, Leena touched it curiously.


    "Yeah. And if you don''te back, you won''t see your little nephew." Belinda said crossly. Although it was nice to see her, Belinda felt a little sad at the thought of her leaving without saying goodbye before.


    "I''m sorry, Belinda. I know you love me and I hurt you. You forgive me?" Leena was ying now. She knew Belinda didn''t mean that, and she would rather have her back than resent her.


    "Why should I be angry with you since you don''t remember who we are?" Belinda said this deliberately, thinking, ''I need to let her know that what she did was wrong, so she doesn''t pull this again.''


    "Oh! I already said I was sorry. I know I was wrong. What more can I do?" Leena pursed her lips, both hurt and moved. She knew that no one but the ones who loved her would care about what she did so much.


    "OK. I''m not gonna be mad at you. Come on, eat. You''re in your twenties and still so immature." She was mad but Belinda still couldn''t help but care for her


    "She''s still my sister," Duke said suddenly, standing nearby. Sure enough, hevished all his love on her as usual. He would not allow anyone to mess with her, not even his beloved wife.


    "And you are still too protective. Didn''t you say you''d give her a piece of your mind when she got back? Why change your mind now?" Belinda rolled her eyes in silence. She knew he didn''t like lecturing Leena, so she didn''t take what he said seriously. "What? Jealous now?" Duke suddenly smiled. Although his smile was not obvious, you could tell he was happy.


    "I''m not like that. That''s more your style. Rx." She knew how much Duke sheltered Leena. If she really cared, she would be pissed off. But he was stubborn, so all she''d be was unhappy. So she made up her mind not to care. Besides, they were brother and sister and could not be lovers. So what was there to be jealous about?


    "Good girl. I''ve trained you well," he teased. Duke''s eyes rested on her asymmetrical, pregnant figure. Since bing pregnant, she asked Duke every day if she was ugly. Sometimes, Duke would joke to her that she was really ugly, but he never thought of it that way. It took a lot of sacrifice for a woman to have children for a man. Because he loved her heart, he could never find her ugly.


    "Don''t tter yourself too much. I am still very much my own woman," Belinda said smugly. Her stomach was muchrger than before, but the rest of it had not changed much. She was now a beautiful pregnant woman.


    Leena never spoke and just ate in silence. Now that the topic had finally shifted from her to Belinda, she didn''t want to catch any more ck. Belinda, however, did not intend to let things go that easily.


    "You''ve only been away a few months. How did you get so thin? Are you trying to lose weight?"ined Belinda. Compared to Leena''s slim figure, Belinda looked fat, which depressed her.


    "You kidding me? I haven''t lost any weight!" Leena almost choked. She put down her fork and tried to recover.


    "Leave her alone. She''s just jealous of your figure." As Belinda''s husband, Duke certainly knew what she was thinking. She was jealous of Leena. If Belinda hadn''t said a word, no one would have noticed anything, because Leena was the same size as she always was. "Ganging up on me now?" Belinda was frustrated by Duke''s constant taunts. This was how pregnant women were.


    "Belinda, do you want a reason toin?" Duke said yfully, a hint of danger in his eyes. Belinda, overwhelmed by Duke''s words, thought, ''Damn it. I made him angry again.'' For his part, Belinda had a lot of leeway, but he wouldn''t allow her to be too independent. That was his bottom line.

 Chapter 1545 The Quickening (Part One)

    "Hey! Get a room, willya?" Leena cracked a joke to try to calm things down. She knew Duke liked wrangling with Belinda, but some words were hurtful.


    "Just eat, and mind your own business," Belinda said, giving Leena a grateful wink. Leena winked back, meaning "no problem."


    Duke noticed the secret interaction between the two women, but didn''t say anything. At least they got along with each other. That made him happy, because they were the two most important women in his life.


    "Did Tom say when the dude would wake up?" Duke asked with a frown, staring at Kevin who was still in aa.


    "Don''t call him dude. He has a name!" Leena pouted.


    "Chill, alright? I call everyone dude." Duke was a little ufortable when he heard Leena defend Kevin. He had always done his best for her, and he thought he would always be her "go to" person. But now, it seemed that he was wrong.


    "Come on! If Kevin calls you dude, will you get angry?" Belinda snapped. She just couldn''t understand why Duke always had to make trouble. When Kevin had been in the operating room, Duke had been scared to death. Now that Kevin was out of danger, Duke changed back to Mr. Cold.


    "Do you always have to argue with me?" Duke rolled his eyes at Belinda. Other wives would always stand by their husbands'' side, but it seemed like Belinda was always finding fault.


    "I always believe in justice," Belinda said with a proud expression. Duke''s anger meant nothing to her.


    "Oh really? Then I''m Justice Leng from now on." Even though he was really frustrated by Belinda''s attitude, he could do nothing but re at her. He really wished the baby could pop out right now, and then he could spend the whole night teaching her a lesson. Leena sighed, rubbing her temples. ''Can''t they just get along with each other like normal couples? They love each other so much, but they always argue. They''re so weird!'' Leena thought to herself.


    After bidding goodbye to Leena, Duke and Belinda walked to their car in the underground car park. Belinda pursed her lips as she really felt hurt by Duke''s attitude.


    "Stop pursing your lips. You look like a duck." Duke strapped Belinda in and sighed with profound resignation. Since she had gotten pregnant, she had changed a lot. She used to be blunt and strong, but now she was too sensitive. He wondered if he should take her to the doctor and get her checked out.


    "Just stop," Belinda said coldly. She was acting like a spoiled child now. ''He''s getting on to me for everything!'' she thought.


    "You''re my wife, and I''d prefer you not act like that." All of a sudden, Duke bent over and kissed her on the lips softly, in an attempt to calm her down.


    "Mind your own business." This time, her voice was much lower. Obviously, Duke''s kiss worked.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "I don''t think you want that! If you don''t want me to mind your business, then I will mind other women''s instead. Look! That chick is stacked!" Duke pretended to be attracted by a woman not far away from them. She was trotting their way and looked beautiful.


    "If you darey a finger on her, Edward would take your hand and mount it as a trophy!" Belinda taunted andughed out loud. As the woman came closer, Belinda discovered it was Daisy, who had juste back from work.


    "I didn''t mean her." Duke rubbed his nose to hide his embarrassment. As the light was dim in the underground car park and Daisy was wearing ck, he had failed to recognize her.


    "Quit trying to weasel your way out of it." Belinda was d to see Duke make a fool of himself, and a big grin spread across her face.


    "I hate you," Duke said resignedly. He rolled his eyes at her and got out the car. Obviously he didn''t hate her, but he wasn''t too happy right now.


    "Hi, Duke! What are you doing here?" Daisy had juste from the capital city, and directly came here without returning home. She was so worried about Kevin.


    "Daisy, I thought you were in the capital city?" Duke asked in reply. He felt a little embarrassed by what he just said.


    "Oh, I just got back. How''s Kevin?" Daisy was too anxious to notice Belinda, who sat in the car.


    "He hasn''t woken up yet, but Tom said he should be okay." Duke respected Daisy a lot, so he always talked to her politely.


    "Leaving? Or did you just get here?" Daisy cast a nce at his car, wondering whether he wasing or going. Then she saw Belinda sitting in the passenger seat, smiling at her.


    "I''m leaving. Belinda''s in the car," Duke said with a smile. As Belinda was almost nine months along, she couldn''t get in and out of the car easily.


    "I see her." Daisy walked towards Duke''s car, and Belinda pressed the button and the window hummed as it rolled down.


    "Hi, Daisy! How did your test go?" Belinda greeted her casually. It tickled her to think of what Duke had said earlier. If he really wanted to mind Daisy''s business, Daisy wouldn''t let him. Nor would Edward.


    "Not bad, I think. How about you? You look ready to pop. Does the baby keep you up?" Daisy had a son herself, so she was fully aware how much physical and mental distress pregnant women would suffer in the third trimester.


    "Yeah. I''m always worried about that, like I''ll roll over and squish the baby. So I don''t get a lot of sleep." To be honest, what Belinda worried about the most was the so-calledbor pain. On the one hand, she was looking forward to meeting her baby. On the other hand, she was really scared of the pain. And would she be able to tell the difference between contractions and bad food? She was both physically and mentally under pressure.


    "Don''t worry, Belinda. You won''t hurt your baby by sleeping on your belly. Believe me, you won''t want to. Really, if you sleep on your left side it''s better for the kid. And rx. It''s important to be happier." Daisy hadn''t thought about all these when Justin had been growing in her belly. She had been a single mother at that time, and she could only depend on herself. She had been so busy to support herself every day that she had had no time to think too much.


    "I know you''re right, but I just can''t help thinking about all of it." Belinda stroked her belly softly. Maybe the baby got bored because they had stayed here too long, so it began to give Belinda some hard kicks.


    "I think you need a way to kill time, to stop you from overthinking everything. It''ste. You should go head home. I need to check on Kevin." Daisy rolled her eyes at Belinda. After Belinda had gotten pregnant, Duke stepped in and essentially took over herpany. As a result, Belinda had nothing to do. If she had been still busy like before, she wouldn''t have had the time to worry.000000

 Chapter 1546 The Quickening (Part Two)

    "Sure. We need to get together for tea soon." Belinda decided to learn more aboutbor from Daisy. She was really scared of it. When did it start? What should she do? How much did it hurt? "Okay. Have a safe drive." Daisy turned to Duke and urged him to drive slowly, as there was a pregnant woman in his car. She was always thinking of others, but paid less attention to herself. "Got it. Bye, Belinda." Duke nodded as he got in and left.


    Daisy watched the car leave the car park. Then she turned and walked to the elevator. She was stunned to see Leena sitting at Kevin''s bedside. Nobody had told her Leena was back. "Leena?" Daisy said hesitantly when she saw the woman clean Kevin''s lips with a Q-tip.


    "Daisy!" Leena didn''t know why, but the moment she saw Daisy, she felt hurt and threw herself into her arms.


    "You''re finally back. We missed you so much." Daisy patted Leena''s back tofort her. She knew how sad Leena felt, so she was not willing to me her for anything.


    "I missed all of you, every day." Leena sniffed. Somehow she felt like Daisy was like her mother, and that was why she was unable to hold back her tears when she saw her.


    "Since you missed us so much, you should havee back earlier. We were so worried about you." Daisy released her and took out a tissue to wipe her tears.


    "I''m so sorry. I won''t leave you guys again." Leena turned tears into smiles. She had her time alone, and realized that she couldn''t live without her friends and family.


    "All right. How''s Kevin? When will he wake up?" Daisy asked with a frown when she looked at Kevin''s unconscious form. She had gotten wind of Kevin''s injury on the third day of her assignment to the capital city. She came back home as soon as she finished her test.


    "I don''t know. Tom didn''t say. But he did say Kevin was going to be okay." Leena cast a worried nce at Kevin. She had spoken to him almost constantly since she got to him, but he hadn''t moved so much as a finger.


    "Rx. Since Tom said Kevin''s fine, he''ll recover soon. So don''t worry. Maybe now that you''re back, he''ll start taking better care of himself." Daisy sighed with profound resignation. Love is so painful, and her friends had all suffered because of it. Daisy turned Kevin down when he had confessed to her. But Kevin hadn''t acted like this. This meant that Kevin''s feelings for Daisy were not real love. After having witnessed Kevin be a train wreck, Daisy realized that Kevin only loved Leena.


    "Daisy, do you think I''m selfish? I only focused on my feelings, and shut everyone else out." Leena bit her lower lip and felt regretful. She felt that she was the one to me for Kevin''s injury.


    "Don''t me yourself, Leena. I get it. If I were you, I''d be upset that I couldn''t get pregnant. And you would put yourself in Kevin''s shoes and wonder whether he will hate you in the future when you can''t give him a kid. So you chose to leave before he found out the truth. Am I right?" Daisy held Leena''s hands and stared at her. She was also a sensible woman, so she could understand Leena''s choice.


    "You know me well." Leena was so excited that Daisy could totally understand her. What Daisy said was exactly what Leena had been afraid of.


    "It''s not that hard to know who someone is. You just have to care for them, and pay more attention. You are like my own sister, and I care about you." Daisy shed a big grin. At the very beginning, she had decided to learn more about Leena because Edward cared about Leena a lot and she wanted to know why. The more time Daisy spent with Leena, the more she liked her. Leena had a very charming personality that drew people in. She was so kindhearted and innocent that nobody was willing to hurt her.


    Leena was deeply moved by Daisy''s words. She finally realized why Kevin used to have a thing for Daisy, because Daisy was a remarkable woman.


    After Daisy bid Leena goodbye and left the ward, Leena was left alone with Kevin. It was very quiet at night, and she could only hear the beeping of the medical monitor.


    "There are so many people who care about you. I''m even a little envious of you," Leena said to Kevin, eyes full of affection.


    "Kevin, should I cut my hair short? I''d like to try a new hair style." Leena talked to Kevin without stopping. She just wanted to tell him everything, no matter whether he could hear or not. Tom told her to do this anyway, and she was good at talking.


    "Why don''t you answer me? Tom said you''re fine. Don''t you want to be with me right now? What''s that? You don''t want to see me? Hey, don''t be so naughty." Leena stroked his handsome face softly, but he didn''t respond at all.


    "You know what? I''ve been taking my meds. But I won''t ask Tom for another exam. We failedst time, and I don''t think this time will be any different. But no matter what, I''ll take the meds for us. They''re really bitter - you should try one. But I''ll take them as long as they can help me get pregnant." Leena forced a bitter smile, tears streaming down her cheeks.


    "I realized that you got closer to my brothers and friends when I was gone. Turns out I''m the one you guys fight over." Leena kept talking, but there was still no response. She finally got too tired to continue. After giving Kevin a soft kiss on the lips, she fell asleep at the edge of the bed.


    Kevin couldn''t see a thing. No matter how hard he tried, everything around was pitch ck. The voice around him was so familiar that he was eager to see whether it was the woman he had missed so much. But he just couldn''t see her, and that drove him nuts. He even felt her soft lips pressed on his, and they felt so real. But before long, the voice disappeared and everything became quiet. It must have been a dream. After all, Leena left him without even saying goodbye. No matter how much he missed her, she wasn''t back- he had to face reality.


    Eventually, he managed to open his eyes. There was a moment of blinding pain after seeing the light, so he closed his eyes again, wishing the throbbing ache in his head to go away. Then he opened his eyes again slowly.


    Squinting against the light, he shielded his eyes with his hand. Looking around, he found himself in a white room. It was so white that he thought he might be in heaven.


    He looked away slowly as he was still very weak and unable to move his head as quickly as usual. When he saw the familiar figure at his bedside, his eyes widened and his heart stopped. The medical device even made an rming beep at this moment.


    Was it Leena? Did she reallye back? It must be a dream! It must be illusion, because he missed her so much. At the thought of it, Kevin forced a bitter smile and closed his eyes again to calm himself down.


    But her unique aroma lingered in his nostrils. And his hand was held by another pair of hands, soft and warm. The feeling was so familiar, as she had held his hand countless times in the past.


    Kevin moved his body in an attempt to attract her attention, but his whole body was aching and he had to stop doing that. He then tried to call out her name.


    "Nana," he croaked. His voice was low and husky, as he had been unconscious for a long time.


    Leena had fallen into deep slumber and didn''t hear Kevin''s voice. However, she held his hand even more tightly, as something told her he was awake.


    Kevin was filled with joy, as Leena came back to him. He didn''t dare to interrupt this peaceful moment, but tried to turn his head to stare at his beloved wife. As she slept, her face was covered by her long hair. He was unable to see the face that he had missed for such a long time. But as long as she was by his side, he was already satisfied.


    Feeling her warm hands, Kevin couldn''t help but thank God in his heart that Leena came back to him again. He came back to life, and couldn''t be happier.??????????????N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.

 Chapter 1547 Stick To Kevin (Part One)

    It was as if time had been put temporarily on hold. The bedroom was in a sea of silence. The sheets rustled as a body adjusted its position. On one side of the bed, the man slept peacefully. Kevin''s injury was quite grave so he couldn''t hold out for too long, and soon he got tired and fell asleep. When Leena woke up and her groggy eyes adjusted to the darkness, she didn''t see any changes in Kevin as he still slept soundly on the bed. She still thought he was unconscious.


    She nced at the digital clock on the nightstand. It was still early before the break of dawn, but she was fully awake now. She remembered what Tom suggested to her--she took a cotton swab from the nightstand drawer and used it to moisturize his lips.


    Shortly after that, Leena felt quite bored as she had nothing else to do. She turned back to Kevin again and traced the contours of his face with her fingers as a mischievous smile cracked on her lips and her eyes glinted with mirth. Her fingers danced across his skin as she imagined her love transforming into a kind of magical power that she passed on to him through the tips of her fingers. She really hoped that she could wake her sleeping prince up this way.


    "You are having so much fun in it." A hoarse voice broke the stillness of the dawn and startled Leena. Her fingers abruptly stopped in their movement and she looked at him incredulously. However, his eyes were still firmly shut and nothing seemed different from what he was usually like when he slept--heavy snoring and living in his own dreamnd. It made Leena doubt whether she was just delusional or that she was in a dream when she heard the voice. It was quite strange, she thought and no signs showed that the voice came out of his mouth.


    "Kevin, is that you? You''re awake, right?" Leena asked, not sure if she was right. Had she mistaken the voice for something else? Yet after pondering over it, she really felt that the sound was real, because the voice was so familiar.


    "Leena, yes, it''s me. Did you just realize it?" In fact, he had woken up as soon as she started moisturizing his lips with the cotton swab. He chose to pretend sleeping to keep everything as it was because he feared what he saw before and what just happened right now were only a dream--worrying that he would disturb the fairy Nana in the dream. However, it seemed that Leena quite enjoyed her little magic finger game and he knew that would be endless. He couldn''t stand it anymore and he finally blurted out in his pretend sleep to stop her. "Oh, you are a naughty guy! You freaked me out on purpose, right?" Leena was overjoyed to hear him and she cuddled him close, cheek to cheek. Deep in her heart, she felt extremely grateful to God for giving Kevin back to her and rekindling her hope to live. "Nana, I miss you so much!" His voice cracked with hoarseness because of getting too emotional. He wanted to embrace her with his arms, only to find that he couldn''t move. He felt the unbearable pain searing sharply through his body on the first try. "I also miss you, every minute and every second. So even if you don''t want me anymore, I will still stay here with you," Leena said as tears of joy rolled down her cheeks, and she bent towards Kevin and rubbed all the tears and snot onto his neck. "Silly girl. It will always be the case that you can abandon me, whereas I will never give up on you," Kevin said in a faint voice. He sounded extremely sad in that sorrowful tone.


    "I''m sorry! So sorry!" Leena didn''t know what else she could say except for the apology. After all, she hurt him deeply and cut his heart into pieces.


    "Don''t apologize. It''s my fault. I failed to make you feel how much I love you, and that is why you didn''t feel safe around me," Kevin said as he looked deeply into her eyes with affection as if he wanted to engulf her whole being with his tender love which was as deep as the


    sea.


    "No, it''s me. I was too selfish and ignored your feelings." Leena sniffed, not caring how she looked with all her tears and messy hair at the moment. She had never cared about her manners and image when she was with him, and she didn''t mind exposing the real self to him one more time.N?velDrama.Org: owner of this content.


    "Don''t cover my ass. The more you me yourself, the more guilty I will feel." Leena shushed his mouth with her fingers to stop him from continuing his words. She would feel too ashamed if he wanted to put all the bad things that happened between them on himself. "Okay, I''ll stop. Come closer to me. I want to take a good look at my girl." Kevin hungrily devoured Leena''s beautiful face with his hungry eyes. There were still splotches of tears on her cheeks, but that only made her look all the more fascinating to him. Those tears were just like dew drops on a rose''s petals on a fine sunny morning.


    "Do I look awful now?" Leena wiped her tears with her arm in embarrassment, in a way just like a child did.


    "Not at all. You are much thinner than before." Kevin frowned as his heart twisted in realization of this. She was already too thin to begin with and now, she was so skinny to the point that a gentle gust of wind would blow her away.


    "Huh! Look at yourself! You are the one who really has be so thin that I could hardly feel your flesh when I touch you," Leena said with an innocent expression painted on her face. She didn''t mean anything else as she saw that his face really looked so skinny.

 Chapter 1548 Stick To Kevin (Part Two)

    "Oh! It turns out that you have already touched me all over!" Kevinughed wildly, intentionally teasing her.


    "Ah! No, I didn''t mean that!" Leena said as she bashfully lowered her head in embarrassment to avoid meeting his yful eyes.


    "I was joking. Don''t take it seriously, my silly girl." Kevin had considerably livened up, but he still didn''t dare to move. He still felt painfully sore all over his body.


    "Do you feel anything wrong with your body? Are you alright? I''ll ask Tom to check on you," Leena asked nervously when she saw his mouth twitch in pain.


    "I''m okay, only feeling a little pain on the spot I got injured. Don''t bother Tom." Kevin knew it was normal to feel pain after the surgery, so he didn''t think it was necessary to send for Tom.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    "I''m sorry." Leena felt guilty again. If only he knew how much she hoped that she could bear the pain for him instead!


    "I said it had nothing to do with you. Don''t take it to heart." He remembered when the aftershock urred, he really thought that he would just be buried under the debris and lose his life there. However, Leena''s sweet smile shed through his mind and somehow, he was able to subconsciously dodge the falling debris and hide under the concrete b. That prevented him from suffering any further harm caused by the aftershock.


    "I won''t feel relieved until you recover." Leena said as a lump formed in her throat. She found it rather easy for her to shed tears tonight.


    "It sounded like you are threatening me." Kevinughed, but soon he let out a strangled cry because the action ofughing had caused a sharp pain in his lung. He had to restrain himself fromughing.


    "What''s wrong? Are you in a lot of pain?" Leena feltpletely at a loss about what to do when she saw his face twist in misery.


    "Nothing. Probably my lungs hurt when Iughed." Kevin reassured her as he tried to make her less worried. It seemed that his lungs were severely damaged, otherwise he wouldn''t have such reaction with mere a giggle.


    "Be careful. Tom said that all your vital organs were hurt to some degree, and it took him a lot of efforts to revive you. You can''t disappoint him." Leena said in a reproachful tone, but her soft voice after the crying made her words lessmanding.


    "Okay. He must be annoyed because of me. I made too much trouble for him," Kevin said. Right now however, he really wanted to ask her how she got to know that he was injured. But after a second thought, he felt that it was unnecessary now. Who else would spread the information to her except for Jonathan?


    "Nope. He''s a doctor and his duty is to save people. He just doesn''t want to see anyone suffer from any illness." Leena knew Tom cared more about patients'' health than feeling troubled.


    "Nana. Have I ever told you that I really love you? Please don''t leave me again," Kevin said in a torn voice. She left him, and that had made him extremely heartbroken. He felt as if he stood on thin ice and the ground suddenly cracked open, the frigid waters swallowing all his happiness and freezing the love that was deeply rooted in his heart.


    "After I left, I''ve figured out a lot of things. Maybe one day you will mind that we have no child and may distance yourself from me. But even so, I get together with you at least and I will not have regrets," Leena said. She looked at him intently. It was the first time that they talked about this issue face to face. Although she felt demeaned in herself, she really cherished every beautiful moment she spent with him.


    "Since we''re on the subject already, I''d like to reiterate that even if we can''t have our own child in the future, I will never think that you''re any less worthy for me. In fact, I will cherish you even more, because what makes you suffer will also make me suffer. And I will always be around to protect you, until the end of my life, regardless of your inability to conceive--so please, don''t try to give up our marriage because of this reason, okay?" Kevin said sincerely, his gaze locking with hers. He knew that he wasn''t good with sweet words or making romantic vows. He only knew that he deeply loved this woman and his heart would only beat for her until death did them apart.


    "Honey, thank you! Thank you for your tolerance and also your unflinching courage. Moreover, thank you for still loving me despite my imperfections," Leena said as her voice was racked with sobs. To her, what Kevin just said was probably the most beautiful whisper of love the world had ever heard.


    "My silly girl, when did you suddenly get so emotional?" Kevin said affectionately. He seldom heard her call him honey, so that made him very pleased.


    "I''m so lucky to have you around," Leena said with her voice carrying all the tenderness she could hold. She gently nted the softest of kisses on his lips to avoid hurting him.


    The unexpected kiss caught Kevin off guard. He looked at her with his eyes wide open in surprise, even forgetting how to react. When he came back to his senses, Leena had already finished the kisses and was looking back at him.


    "Tell me, where have you been when you were away?" Kevin said curiously. He really wanted to know what she had been up to when he was not around.00000

 Chapter 1549 Stick To Kevin (Part Three)

    "Well in the first month, I stayed in Paris to work on the garments for the fashion show. The next month I just went around and traveled across Europe. I thought if I did, I could forget you this way--but only to find out that I just couldn''t do it. During the day time, I could handle it because I had kept myself busy with work or other things to keep me from thinking of you. But when nighttime came and I was alone, with everything so quiet around me, I just couldn''t help but miss you. I missed you so much and it was just like the high tide washed and flooded over me that I couldn''t even breathe," Leena said as a smile of self-mockery found its way to her lips. She loved him and she had no reason to hide it from him, especially now.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    "No wonder I didn''t find you in Paris. It seemed that I was toote because you already left," Kevin said as he briefly recalled that time. If he had known this, he would''ve gone to Paris a few days earlier. That way he might havee across Leena in Paris and saved both themselves from the torment of love-sickness.


    "Have you been to Paris looking for me?" Leena asked,pletely surprised. She knew that he was always very busy with his work, and that came with his obligations as a soldier. He even had to work on the weekends and seldom had any free time. How could he possibly fit in his schedule flying to Paris to look for her?


    "Yes!" Kevin said. "Because I didn''t have much time, I only stayed there for two days," he added. In order to take time from his busy schedule, he had worked overnight for several days to finish the work beforehand. Unfortunately, he got nothing from the trip. "Should I reward you with one more kiss for that?" It would be a lie if she said she was not moved by his act, but she didn''t want to be too affected. She wanted to use another way to express her thanks and at the same time to keep herself from crying again. ''Don''t cry anymore, tough girl! Otherwise you will be a crybaby, ''Leena told herself.


    "Yes, with pleasure," Kevin said and leaned his face toward her, looking at her expectantly. She just brushed a gentle kiss on his lips and that was far from enough. He was itching for more at Leena''s teasing offer.


    "But I suddenly changed my mind upon seeing that expression on your face." Leena backed down as she felt Kevin''s passionate eyes boring into her own.


    "What? Do you fear that I will eat you up? Come on! Even I have the thought, my body would fail me. You see I can''t move a bit right now." Honestly, he really had the urge to pounce on her and taste her. It had been a long time since theyst had sex and he missed her so much. Unfortunately, he had wounds all over his body and he could only keep this dirty little thought in his mind.


    "You men are all like this. You and your dirty guts! Can''t you think about anything else?" Leena said hotly as she blushed furiously from her neck to the tips of her hair. Her eyebrows furrowed as confusion spread over her beautiful face. She really couldn''t understand these male creatures in the world. She wondered why they would still have sexual urges even when they got severely wounded like this.


    "It''s normal. You know we are men." Fine, he admitted that he especially said these to cheer her up because he could feel her guilty conscience deep inside her heart. He didn''t want to see her feel sad for this.


    They acted quite cautiously in this emotional reunion. They said and did everything extremely carefully, mindful to avoid touching the soft parts in each other that would be painful while still giving each other pleasure and all the love they could convey with their bodies. They didn''t want anything to ruin their beautiful reunion.


    The room was awake as the warm sunlight dripped through the curtains. There were several people milling about inside. Besides Leena, Shannon was perhaps the most excited when she got to know that Kevin had woken up. She brought her hands together and constantly thanked God for his kindness.


    "Mom, I''m sorry. I made you worried," Kevin said guiltily as his mom stood near the edge of the bed. When the aftershock came, he briefly thought about giving up his struggles in one moment. He felt his life was meaningless after Leena left him. He regretted that he didn''t take his parents'' feelings into ount. He was also their son and he still had to take care of them. He was really a jerk to have thought about giving up in that moment.


    "It''s your work. It''s not something you can choose and we can understand. We never med you." There were a lot of soldiers in the family, so she knew that it was very clear that they could not choose their fate. People''s interests always went first above their lives. "Is everything okay with dad?" Kevin asked worriedly. His father had unstable blood pressure. He hoped that his blood pressure would not surge when he got the news of his injury.


    "You know how strong he is. Don''t worry. He''s always fine. And you, you should be good to Leena this time. If you let her go again, I will not forgive you." Shannon stared at him with a warning look. She sided with Leena every time, because she liked her.


    "Mom, rest assured. If I miss her again, I know you won''t forgive me, and I will not forgive myself either," Kevin said to his mother, but his eyes were fixed on Leena who was talking to Tom at the door."

 Chapter 1550 Stick To Kevin (Part Four)

    "I will go back to the Capital City soon. You take care of yourself. I feel relieved that Leena is with you now. Your father needs me and I can''t stay here too long," Shannon said. Just like any other old couples who had been with each other for far too long, they constantlyined about each other. However, it was known that their quirks were hardly about to change, so they were already used to each other''s habits and were able to live around them. Because of this, now it would feel strange and ufortable when they left each other for too long.


    "I know. I will bring Leena home to visit you after I recover." Before, Kevin was not the type of man who often felt homesick while he was on duty. ''Ambitious men aim far, '' as the saying went. Because of that mindset, he focused a lot more on his work and ignored his family--but it wasn''t until he got married and had his own family that he realized how difficult it was to manage everything well in a family.


    "Okay, but all those things should wait until you recover," Shannon said and then cast a few nces at Leena. She thought she needed to talk to her before she left.


    "Kevin, I will do a physical check on you," said Tom. Although Kevin woke upter than he had expected, all his vital organs seemed to function well.


    "Thanks!" Kevin said politely and sincerely.N?vel(D)rama.Org''s content.


    "We are family, don''t be too polite," Tom snapped chidingly at him as he looked over his body. Then, he began to check on his wounds to see whether they became inmed.


    "Leena, I want to take a walk in the garden, join me?" Shannon''s voice cut through Leena''s thoughts, and she looked at her with pleading eyes. She was not like other mothers-inw who always behaved overbearingly and made their daughters-inw feel intimidated. "Okay." Leena nodded with pleasure. She didn''t think too much about her invitation as she simply thought that Shannon was going to breathe some fresh air in the garden. Thus, she naturally held Shannon by her arm and walked out with her. It was quite a lovely scene to watch Leena and Shannon strolling out in the gardens, arm-in-arm.


    When they got to thewn chairs, Shannon spoke first, "Leena, I know what you are worried about. Although your father and I really want to have grandchildren, it all depends on you, and your health. Now that we know your situation, we really feel very sorry for you. But that''s it, nothing else. We don''t have any other thoughts. We only hope that you can take it lightly and rx, and live happily with Kevin. As for the other things, we will not push you. Just let nature take its course." Shannon knew that even when Leena came back, it didn''t mean that she would feel rxed and confident as she used to be, so she hoped that she could at least make her rx and ease her anxiety. She said all of this sincerely in hopes that Leena would understand her good will. She only wanted the best for them. "Thanks, Mom, I really appreciate your consideration. Truthfully, I really feel lucky to have such a family. It must be the good karma I earned from my previous life that leads me to be a part of this family. So if you like, I will stay until you are fed up with me." Leena didn''t expect that Shannon would say this to her. She felt touched, but also a little uneasy. The more Shannon treated her nicely, the more she felt confused and at a loss.


    "Don''t be silly. We will always open our arms and embrace you. I have also said this to Kevin. You are always my daughter-inw as long as you like." She didn''t want to get too sentimental with her words, but she had to let Leena know that she wanted her to stay. "Mom, you made me want to cry." Unable to control her tears anymore, Leena cried in Shannon''s arms. She was troubled by the problem of how to exin her infertility to them before. It surprised her that they could be so open-minded towards her w when other parents would be mortified. How could she not be moved?


    "Good girl. Cry as you want. You will feel better. Don''t keep everything to yourself. Although you are my daughter-inw, in my heart you are just like my own daughter." Shannon patted her back, trying to console her. She knew she had a lot on mind. As a woman, how could she not know how Leena felt now? She would not rub it in her face.


    They said their goodbyes for now as Shannon had to go back home to her husband. After seeing Shannon off, Leena went back to the Grand Apartment. It was the first time that she went home after she came back. The first thing she did was to take a good bath. All the things in the house just remained the same as they were before she left. She felt familiar with everything. Yes, it was home.


    When she opened the wardrobe to get some clothes, her eyes almost stung with hot tears at the sight of the tags which she hung on the clothes with reminders she left for Kevin. She felt it was like a dream thinking of the several months when she was away. When she woke from the dream, she was still in the home, as if she had never left. Everything was so familiar as things remained just the same as they were.


    The credit cards and the car keys she put in the drawer were still there, untouched. However, the Divorce Agreement was nowhere to be seen. She assumed that Kevin must have torn it into pieces. She knew him too well.


    Since she had decided toe back, she would not leave again no matter what happened. From now on, she pledged her life to protect this family and stick to the man who loved her dearly, till death did them apart.0000

 Chapter 1551 Do You Even Know What You Did (Part One)

    Kevin was quite strong because of his impable fitness regimen. With Tom''s excellent medical expertise, he recovered quickly. He was up and about only a weekter.


    "Major General, the soldiers are wondering if they cane and visit you. You know, they are very worried about you." Lee traveled between the army base and the hospital every day to deliver documents to Kevin. The major general still had work to do, even though he was confined to his bed. However, his work was easier than usual. "I''m very grateful for their kindness, but tell them not to bother. Inform them that I''m okay. They should focus on their training right now. I''ll fully recover soon. I just need some time to recuperate." Kevin refused the soldiers'' offer. They had good intentions, but Kevin was unwilling to keep them worrying.


    "Okay. I''ll tell them that. Would you like to read this document now?" Lee said, presenting the document bag in his hand. He didn''t know what the document was about as the bag was sealed. Obviously, it was an important and confidential one. A guard such as him was not allowed to read it.


    "Yes. Give it to me. Have the soldiers who went to the coastal city for earthquake reliefe back yet?" Kevin was ashamed even as he voiced the question. He had been injured at a critical moment and could not give a hand in the earthquake-stricken area. However, the news that a major general was buried underground had caused quite a sensation. Everyone in the city was shocked.


    "They will be back in a few days. The rescue hase to an end. As for the rest, the government will be responsible," Lee said respectfully. He did not want Kevin to burn the candle at both ends in concern.


    "The local people must have suffered much from this earthquake. There is a bank card in my desk drawer. Donate all the money on it to them." What came from the people should be used to help the people. Kevin decided to donate his sry of recent years to the injured civilians.


    "Major General, there is no need for that. Leena has already contributed quite arge sum of money to the cause," Lee said with a frown. As Kevin''s bodyguard, he knew what card Kevin was talking about.


    "What? Leena has made a donation? Of how much?" Kevin could hardly believe his ears. He didn''t imagine that Leena would bother herself with the livelihood of these people.


    "More than ten million. I went with her for the donation." For Lee, who came from the countryside, ten million was astronomical. He felt great respect for Leena when he saw Leena donate the amount so generously. It was a small sum for the wealthy, but not all rich people were willing to give back to the public.


    "Oh, I see. Donate the money on my card too. It was very kind of her to make a donation. I want to make one too." Money was merely a worldly possession. Kevin was satisfied as long as he had enough to carry on with his life. He wasn''t a miser by any means. Gains and losses did not matter much to him in this regard.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    "Okay. I''ll do it when I go back." Lee pursed his lips. Kevin had made up his mind, so Lee had to respect his decision.


    "Good. Where is Leena? I haven''t seen her this morning." Kevin frowned, wondering where his wife had gone to so early.


    "Well, she wanted to make some soup for you, so she went home. She knew I would be here." Lee had received a call from Leena on his way to the hospital. She asked him to take care of Kevin and not to rush back to the army base before she returned. "Doesn''t she know that I can''t have soup right now?" It sounded like Kevin wasining, but in truth, his heart bubbled with happiness.


    "You can have it now, Major General. Dr. Qin said that you can eat everything other than spicy food." Leeughed to himself. He knew that the major general was still sullen that he couldn''t have the soup Leena had cooked for him a few days ago.


    "When did he say that? And why didn''t he mention it to me?" Tom came to Kevin''s ward several times a day. He checked his wounds but never said anything to him!


    "Last night. That''s why Leena rushed to buy fresh ingredients early this morning." Lee touched his temple lightly, wondering if he said something wrong.


    "Oh, I see." Kevin took out the document from the bag and read it carefully. Seeing this, Lee decided not to disturb him any longer and left for the small reception room outside.


    Leena was a good cook. Her food brought water to people''s mouths. Tom was no exception to it.


    "Leena, could you teach Patricia how to cook when you have time?" Tom said to Leena out of the blue. He had been suffering silently in recent times. Patricia was quite a lousy cook. It would be easy for her to wait for dinner to get served, but she was hell bent on cooking these days. The food she cooked had a nasty taste to it and was frankly unptable, but Tom didn''t have the heart to tell her that. The frustration was driving him mad.


    "What? Why?" Leena asked curiously, halting in her actions. She had beendling out the soup for Kevin.


    "Don''t ask me why. If you don''t want to see me lying on the hospital bed soon enough, you''d better do as I said." He was not exaggerating. Patricia was terrible at cooking. It was a miracle that Tom was still alive after eating the food she cooked. She was overconfident and tried to cook different dishes for him, with no concern that he might get loose bowels. Did she want to murder him?


    "Haha. Is it so serious? What has she done to make you so afraid of her?" Leena chuckled, shaking her head. She assumed Tom was being dramatic.


    "Ah. Forget it. Just remember what I said," Tom said as he picked up arge piece of spare rib. After a long time, he finally got to have a delicious meal.


    "All right. I will visit you once Kevin gets discharged from the hospital." Even though Tom didn''t exin it further, it was easy to figure out what was going on. Patricia was too cocksure of herself. She knew she didn''t have the talent for cooking. She didn''t go to the training ss like Michelle. She just tried to cook as she liked. Instead of pleasing Tom, it was scaring him away.


    "Don''t tell her that I asked you to do it." It was not that Tom was a hen-pecked husband. He just didn''t want to upset Patricia. He didn''t have the heart to disappoint her, so he couldn''t tell her the truth. Tom seemed to be cold to most people but transformed into a gentleman in front of his wife.


    "I know. I''m not stupid. Don''t worry," Leena reassured him smugly.


    "Get over yourself. You know you''re good. I don''t want to praise you." Tom rolled his eyes at Leena. Her meticulousness was obvious to all. Everyone knew she was a good cook.


    "Hehe. You know it''s my virtue." Was she being cheeky? Not at all. It was not wrong to admit one''s strong points.


    Kevin watched the interaction between Leena and Tom affectionately but didn''t join in. He knew his wife quite well, so he didn''t need to express his personal opinions.


    Half a month passed before Kevin recovered and left the hospital. He had not yet regained his full strength but it didn''t hinder his work. However, he still couldn''t undertake strenuous exercise.


    He had promised his mother to take Leena to the capital city, so the day after he was discharged from the hospital, he boarded a flight with his wife. The trip was too long and arduous for him, so they chose not to travel by car, unlike before.


    Shannon was very pleased to see the two of them back. Nathan was as pensive as ever, but as soon as he saw Leena, his face grew visibly softer. Still, it was obvious from what he said next that he was furious.


    "Do you even know what you did?" Nathan''s words were directed to Leena. His tone sounded more usatory than angry or worried.


    "Dad, sorry for worrying you." Leena looked down toward the floor. She was the one to run away from home in the first ce, so it was only right that Nathan med her. He was her father-inw. It was his right as an elder.


    "Don''t run away from home again. Be a better wife. Look how thin Kevin is!" Nathan didn''t actually mean what he said. He had been anxious to death when Leena had run away, but now that she was here, he couldn''t help buty the me on her. In truth, he just didn''t know how to express his concern.???????

 Chapter 1552 Do You Even Know What You Did (Part Two)

    "I know. It''s my fault. I won''t do it again." Leena admitted to her mistake modestly. She didn''t want to argue, for that would only worsen things.


    "Don''t ever leave without telling us! We already have enough children to carry on the family line! Don''t you ever worry yourself about that." Nathan threw her a chilly look before storming to his study.


    "Look at him! He is just worried about you. He didn''t mean to make it sound like a threat. Leave him be, Leena. He just doesn''t know how to express his emotions." Shannon tried to ease the situation. She was surprised that Nathan had finally straightened out and changed his thoughts regarding Leena. What had made himpromise?


    "I know he cares about me, Mom." It was fine that her father-inw was upset. Leena was just relieved that he didn''t make a fuss over her infertility.


    "Good. Don''t take what he said seriously." Shannon patted Leena on the shoulder,forting her.


    "I''ll go and have a talk with him." Just like Leena, Kevin didn''t expect his father to be so liberal this time. As his son, Kevin thought he should talk to him.


    "Okay. Be nice. Don''t piss him off." Shannon looked at Kevin with admiration in her eyes. She had never needed to worry about her son and hoped that she never would have to either, in the future.


    Leena bit her lip, feeling ufortable. She knew she shouldn''t have been so headstrong and run away from home. She had troubled so many people.


    "Dad, are you all right?" Kevin asked Nathan with a hesitant look in his eyes. He stood respectfully at the end of his father''s desk.


    "As you can see, I''m very well." Nathan red at his son. It was Kevin who wasn''t all right. Why was his son asking him this question? He just left the hospital and hadn''t even fully recovered yet.


    "Thank you, Dad. Thank you for epting Leena." Kevin knew it was hard for his father to make such a decision. He could understand what Nathan was going through.


    "Yes, well. We are family. Besides, you''re not my only child. ire will have babies, won''t she?" Truthfully, Nathan was disappointed, but he could do nothing about it. He had just resigned himself to the unpleasant fact of Leena''s infertility. He wanted Kevin and Leena to be happy together. Infertility shouldn''t be an obstacle in their marriage.


    "Again, I want to thank you for understanding this." For the first time, Kevin realized that his father was not as old-fashioned as he had always thought. Nathan was surprisingly considerate about this.


    "y chess with me." Nathan sighed. He didn''t like Leena at first, but as time passed by, he found her to be quite a good girl. She had many strong points that most young people didn''t have these days. It was tough to marry a military officer, but Leena, who came from a rich family, had done her best. Nathan was hard pressed to find fault in her.


    "Okay," Kevin dly agreed. He looked up and observed that his father looked much older. Nathan was not as daring and energetic as he used to be when he was young. After the recent misfortune, he looked quite dispirited. Kevin took a deep breath, feeling sad.


    Kevin and Leena stayed at the capital city for two days. After returning to S City, Kevin became busy with his work again. Leena was worried about him and feared that he would overexert himself.


    "Major General Gu, how are you? Do you feel much more energetic after the holiday?" Themander joked as he walked into Kevin''s office. He had had a lot of work to do while Kevin was away.


    "Yes. Thank you for asking." Kevin knew that themander would not havee to his office without any reason and wondered what he was up to this time.


    "Oh, stop. Well, since you can''t participate in the military exercise these days, you can help me write a n. Daisy and Hank will participate in the operation." Sure enough, themander hade here with a purpose.


    "Commander, I have almost recovered fully. Can''t I join the exercises now?" Therge-scale military exercise was held every two years. If Kevin missed this one, he would have to wait for two more years to participate, so he was unwilling to pass the chance. "No, don''t even think about it. You know it''s not an ordinary military exercise. It will have live ammunition. You can''t go. If you hadn''t been injured, you''d have had your say. But this time, I refuse your request," themander said in all seriousness. He couldn''t let Kevin take risks before he returned to health.


    "But I''m afraid they''re notpetent enough in actualbat." Kevin frowned. Themander was right. Intelligence and agility were equally important in this nationwide military exercise. Kevin was smart, but right now, he was not as skillful as before. He was still injured.


    "That''s why I asked you to write an operation n for them. Write down your past experience and they''ll have a look at it." Themander was worried about the n, so he came to Kevin as soon as thetter returned to work.


    "Okay, I see. I won''t let you down." Kevin no longer insisted on joining the exercise. He knew it was time for Hank to improve his fighting abilities.


    "I know you''re an able man, but don''t work too hard and wear yourself out. Otherwise I wouldn''t know how to defend myself to your family," themander teased him. He thought about how his daughter still had feelings for Kevin and sighed inwardly. When would Louisa give up? She should know that nothing forcibly done was ever agreeable. Her behavior was very toxic.


    "Don''t worry. I won''t," Kevin said with a smile. He didn''t think he was so fragile.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    "Well then. Go ahead. I''ll go and meet Daisy." Themanderughed loudly and left, marching in the direction of Daisy''s office.


    Belinda''s baby came ahead of schedule. After receiving her anxious call, Leena rushed to her house. ''Duke shouldn''t have gone on a business trip right now!'' she whined to herself. ''Didn''t he know that the baby coulde at any time?''


    "Belinda,e on. Calm down. Are you havingbor pains?" It wasn''t summer yet, but Leena was so nervous that she was covered in sweat. She should have called Tom ahead of arriving here all alone.


    "Nope. The baby won''te out so fast. I just feel a dull pain. Duke is not home, so I think it''s better to go to the hospital in advance, just in case." Belinda''s forehead was bathed in sweat. One could not tell if it was because of pain or nervousness.


    "Okay. Tell me if you feel any pain. I''ll drive you there." Leena took a deep breath. Everyone was at work except for her. She could not call anyone to help her out. Leena was in a state of panic, but she had to calm down to prevent any idents. That would do them no good.


    "Okay. Let''s go," Belinda said. Her mouth twisted all of a sudden as she felt a burst of pain in her lower abdomen.


    Leena drove cautiously. She paid attention to the traffic on the road and to Belinda simultaneously. In the process, Leena felt like her muscles had gone stiff.


    "Belinda, call Tom and ask him to meet us at the gate of the hospital," Leena said to Belinda. She was driving so she dared not make the call herself.


    "Oh, right! I almost forgot to do that. I''ll call him up." Belinda felt relieved when the pain in her stomach ebbed away. She exhaled slowly and took out her phone.


    "What about Duke? Should we call him too?" Leena proposed. When a woman gave birth to a child, she felt at ease in her husband''spany. Leena was sure that Belinda would feel better with Duke there.


    "He should be on the ne. He saidst night that he would fly back today. He might arrive in an hour or so," Belinda said. She dialed Tom''s number and told him that her baby wasing.


    "Good. I was afraid he wouldn''t make it." Leena was reassured to hear that Duke woulde back soon. She sighed and ckened against the car seat. She wouldn''t know what to do if Duke didn''t arrive in time.

 Chapter 1553 Belindas Delivery (Part One)

    After receiving an urgent call from Belinda, Tom raced to the entrance of the hospital with some nurses right behind him. Restless, he waited in anticipation of Belinda''s arrival. The thought of the woman giving birth on the way bothered him, but he was quickly reassured by Leena''s approaching car. "Tom!" Leena greeted as she got out of the car. A sense of relief washed over Leena when she saw him. His appearance alone made all the difference during this stressful time.


    "Leena," Tom greeted,forting her. She appeared to be just as tense as him. "Is Belinda okay?" he asked while opening the door. Taking her hand in his, Tom carefully helped the pregnant woman get out of the car, saying, "Be careful now, Belinda." "Thank you, Tom," acknowledged Belinda. Too weak to stand by herself at the moment, she appreciated all the help she could get. It was the first time she was experiencingbor pains, and she didn''t know it would be this draining.


    "How are you feeling?" Tom asked promptly. "How often are thebor contractions?" While amodating her needs, he simultaneously signaled one of the nurses to bring the wheelchair over.


    It took her a few seconds to answer, "About once every ten minutes." Just as soon as she replied, however, another contraction took over her, making her tightly grab Tom''s sleeve to curb the pain.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Rx," Tom said calmly, "Follow my instructions and take a deep breath." With his assistance, she managed to sit on the wheelchair, still hissing in pain.


    "Will you be the one to deliver Belinda''s baby, Tom?" asked Leena cautiously. She followed after them, fiddling with her fingers nervously.


    "No," he said, "we do have a highly skilled obstetrician here. so there''s no need for anyone to worry." After Belinda''s phone call, the first thing Tom did was to contact the best obstetrician in Renxin Hospital. Even though he wasn''t going to be in charge of her case, he couldn''t just let anyone take over. If there was anything he could do to ensure this wonderful experience to go smoothly, he made sure to take care of it before their arrival.


    "What?" asked Leena, eyes growing wide. "It''s not going to be you?" Doubt was apparent in her voice. As Tom was the only doctor she trusted, she had hoped that he would deliver the baby.


    "She''ll be fine, Leena," Tom reassured patiently. "The obstetrician will be there the entire time to tell her what she needs to know." Although he knew where her concern wasing from, Tom could not help but be at a loss whether tough or cry. Despite being an exceptional doctor, he had never delivered a baby before. It just wasn''t his field specialty.


    ording to the doctor, even with all the contractions that Belinda was experiencing, there was still a long way to go before going intobor. As it turned out, her uterine cervix was only 3 cm dted, and therefore, she had to stay in the pre-delivery room for the meantime. As soon as Duke alighted from the ne, he turned on his phone and saw countless messagese in. Like that wasn''t rming enough, there were also several missed calls. As soon as he skimmed through the messages, he dashed out of the airport and drove to Renxin Hospital.


    With the contractions recurring more frequently, Belinda''s difort grew more agonizing. Beads of sweat dripped from her forehead as she clenched her teeth to suppress the need to cry. People''s descriptions ofbor pain were, as Belinda realized, apparently quite urate. She felt as though her body was being torn apart, and a small part of her wished she could die then.


    "Belinda," said Leena, trying to distract her. "If you''re in great pain, just shout it out." The woman going through contractions looked at her indecisively. "I saw a lot of women do it on TV," insisted Leena. "It should make you feel better." Since Duke hadn''t arrived yet, Leena felt obligated to apany andfort her sister-inw. She offered her hand for the distressed woman to hold onto, which thetter dly took with such force.


    "I''m not like those women," Belinda scowled. "If I shout out loud, I''m going to sound like an Amazon and that would be so humiliating." Rolling her eyes, Belinda thought her suggestion was ridiculous.


    "Come on!" asserted Leena. "There''s only three of us in here." She gestured around, as if to make a point. "No one else would know or hear you." Apart from the two of them, the only other person in there, was the assistant. The obstetrician had left earlier, and was only going to return when Belinda was due forbor.


    "You just want to make fun of me!" used Belinda unreasonably. Starting to feel better as the pain gradually eased out, Belinda began to gather just enough strength to retort.


    "How on earth can you assume that?" Leena grumbled, pouting a bit. "Do you think I''m such an ass?" Before her sister-inw could reply, Leena''s cell phone rang in her pocket. She took it out, and rejoiced upon seeing the caller ID.


    "It''s Duke," she announced to Belinda. "I guess he finally arrived!" Ever since Belinda and she were on the way to the hospital, she had been sending her brother messages to let him know of the situation. It was in hopes that he could hurry over as soon as he got off the ne and get the chance to witness his newborn child''s first cry.


    "Leena," came Duke''s urgent voice from the other end of the line. "How''s Belinda? Did she have the baby yet?" Leena couldn''t help but smile at the worried tone of the father-to-be. ''He''s going to make a great father,'' she thought.


    "She''s fine, Duke. The baby hasn''te out yet, but she''s been having contractions for a while now. You have toe here as fast as you can." With one hand holding the phone, the other was still under Belinda''s possession. If she was going to be honest, she wanted Duke toe as soon as possible so her hand could be rescued. Leena didn''t want to admit it, but she was starting to lose sensation in her hand.000000000???????

 Chapter 1554 Belindas Delivery (Part Two)

    "I''ll be there in 20 minutes. Please take care of her while I''m on the way," Duke requested. "Thanks, Leena!" ncing at the road, Duke allowed himself to rx. It was, fortunately, not rush hour. So he didn''t have to worry about being caught in a traffic jam. He would


    never forgive himself if he missed Belinda having the baby.


    "You don''t need to be so formal about it," said Leena kindly. She nced at the clock. "Take your time and have a safe drive." As much as Leena wanted Duke to get there, thest thing she wanted to happen was for her brother to have a car ident. There was no


    contest; his safety mattered more than the doom of her hand in a pregnant woman''s care.


    "Don''t worry about me. I''ll be fine," assured Duke. "Is Belinda beside you right now?" Rubbing his brow briefly, he asked, "Can she talk to me?" All he could think about was how much his wife must be suffering at the moment, and he wished that he could be there beside her. ''If only teleportation was possible, ''he thought grimly.


    "Belinda, Duke wants to talk to you." The frown on Belinda''s face disappeared as Leena put the phone against her ear.


    "Duke? Duke!" eximed Belinda happily. "You''re back!" It was all she could say to express her tion. Enjoying the good news, however, didn''tst long as another round of painful contraction took over her body. In response, she squeezed Leena''s unfortunate hand while clenching her teeth.


    "Honey, wait for me. You''re doing amazing," he said, hearing her whimper on the phone. "I''ll be right beside you very soon." Her sharp breaths increased Duke''s anxieties, making him step on the elerator a bit harder. It was either the sound of his eleration or his rattled voice, but somehow his wife''s instinct was spot on.


    "Drive slowly, Duke," said Belinda weakly. "I''m okay." Albeit, that wasn''tpletely true. She was exhausted, weakened by the recurring contractions. Hearing Duke''s voice over the phone just made her want to throw herself in his arms.


    "I will, honey. Just wait for me." If only he had a pair of wings. Flying to Belinda sounded like a great idea right about now. Duke mentally hit himself. His desperation was making him think of impossible ways to get to the hospital quicker. Had it not been for urgent business, he wouldn''t have had to leave the city before Belinda''s delivery.


    Thebor pain became more and more frequent. When the assistant checked her uterine cervix, it was dted at 6 cm. The assistant frowned, wondering, ''Why are the contractions recurring more frequently at an early stage?''


    Quick to notice, Leena asked, "Doc, is there anything wrong?" The assistant''s facial expression worried her. Her hand, which had permanently taken on the role of Belinda''s anti-stress toy, was in so much pain that she could pass out at any minute now.


    "Oh, nothing to worry about," the assistant answered. "The uterine cervix is dting slower than we anticipated, but that''s quite normal as it usually takes a long time to be dted at 10 cm. Since the contractions have be too frequent though, she can be sent to the delivery room now." Knowing they were Tom''s friends, the doctor waspelled to pay closer attention to the patient''s needs.


    "What?" asked Leena in surprise. "You mean she''s going to give birth now?!" Leena''s body recoiled as if she were the one about to go into the delivery room to give birth.


    "Not quite yet. It depends on how long it will take for her uterine cervix to be fully dted." Then the doctor ced a firm yet gentle hand over her belly, and pressed with calcted intent to inducebor.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    "But my brother hasn''t arrived yet," Leena found herself saying. Eyespletely focused on Belinda''s well-being, the doctor didn''t immediately respond to her. ''Duke said he would be here in 20 minutes. But why hasn''t he arrived yet?'' thought Leena.


    After what felt like ages for Leena, the doctor finally responded, "Don''t worry. We''re just sending her to the delivery room. She won''t give birth that soon." After pulling down Belinda''s hospital gown, the doctor gave Leena a friendly smile. "Will you please help me get her to stand?"


    Leenaplied, and with the assistant on the other side, they both helped the pregnantdy get off the bed. "May I go in with her? Just until the father arrives." A nurse entered and took over her ce, but her hand was still in Belinda''s grasp.


    "I''m sorry, but you''ll need to wait outside." As the assistant was about to push the door open, Duke rushed in with Tom right on his heels.


    "Belinda!" eximed Duke as soon as he saw her. "Are you all right?" Both women were just as relieved to see him as he finally made it. Atst, he could be by her side during this challenging experience.


    "I''m..." But before Belinda could finish her sentence, she was struck with yet another contraction and gripped Leena''s hand tightly again. At this point, Leena''s face was too pale for her own good.


    "She needs to go to the delivery room now," the assistant instructed. Together, they helped the pregnant patient move towards the delivery room. If anyone saw them, it was almostical to be surrounded by so many people as they walked.


    "May Ie in with her?" asked Duke with a hopeful expression. He hoped to be in the room with his wife, to hold her hand in support, as she gave birth to their child. There was no way he''d back down, now that he was there.


    "Let him in," Tom said, sympathizing with the soon-to-be father. With eyes that glimmered in delight upon Tom''s approval, Duke patted him on the shoulder appreciatively before returning to his wife''s side. At that moment, the pregnant woman let go of Leena''s hand to be enveloped in her husband''s strong arms.


    Exhausted, Duke entered the delivery room with Belinda. Right after the delivery, however, the new father swore that he would never allow his wife to get pregnant again. In his opinion, it was beyond terrifying! He couldn''t bear to go through that again. And although Belinda didn''t scold him or beat him like other women inbor would, she grabbed his hand so tightly that her nails pierced into his skin.000?????????

 Chapter 1555 Belindas Delivery (Part Three)

    Caressing her dampened hair, Duke felt his heart break. Belinda''s mind grew numb for she had been in too much pain. The only thing she could do was follow the doctor''s every advice like she were on autopilot mode. After a while, she didn''t even have the strength to cry. When she was about to bite her lower lip, Duke noticed it and very swiftly, reached out to cover her mouth. Reacting unintentionally, she ended up biting his hand with no restraints. "Arghh!" His face twitched in pain, but he didn''t withdraw his hand out of fear so that she wouldn''t bite her lip instead. Despite the sting of her teeth sinking into his skin, he was too busy feeling fortunate to have acted fast enough to care. Every single thing they had to endure was worth it when they heard their baby''s first piercing cry. Duke, who was too tired to stand, decided to sit on the floor.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    "Congrattions! It''s a healthy baby boy!" the obstetrician said gleefully. He then passed the baby to the nurses who began to clean the baby''s body. At the same time, they checked his general health such as height, weight, and everything else.


    "Honey, I love you," Duke said, kissing his wife on the lips. If he hadn''t seen it with his own two eyes, he wouldn''t have believed how painful it was to give birth to a child. Now that he knew better, he swore to always treat Belinda with great care, and to never betray her. After all, the woman just gave birth to a son. The least he could do was to ensure herfort and happiness.


    "I love you too," replied Belinda, exhausted yet smiling. Extremely worn-out, she had just experienced the greatest moment for women: to bring a delicate life into the world.


    When everything was set, the nurse brought the newborn baby to his mother so she could interact with him. Moved beyond his imagination, Duke stared at the little baby, his cold face softening with each passing second. He looked affectionately at the two most important people in his life, wondering how he was this lucky to have them. From that point onwards, he had be a father. It was time that he learned how to be a responsible and present one.


    When the nurse took the baby out of the delivery room, Leena excitedly stared at her little nephew, gasping. "Aw, his whole body is all wrinkled down. He looks so ugly... like a monkey," she said, but with such affectionate tone. Then she squinted her eyes. "Who does he look like?" Her heart melted at the smallest moment her nephew made. It never urred to her that babies could be so soft and fragile.


    "Newborn babies are all like that," Tom said with a smile. "Don''t worry. He starts bing cute in the next few days."


    She turned to look at him, asking, "May I hold him in my arms?" Reluctant, Tom carefully observed her hopeful expression.


    "Are you sure you know how to hold a baby?" Tom asked slowly. Holding a newborn baby required unique skills to avoid anything unfortunate from happening. Not to say that hecked trust in Leena, he was just uncertain if she was prepared for such an undertaking. "Never mind," decided Leena, as she wasn''t sure of herself. The baby simply looked so fragile. And on top of that, her hand was still recovering from Belinda''s handiwork.


    After a few more minutes, the nurse decided it was time to take the baby away, even though, to Leena, it didn''t feel like she spent enough time with the adorable baby. Gazing at the retreating nurse, she wore a small, distant smile. The expression on her face made Tom feel sorry for her. It strengthened his resolve to find a cure for her condition so she could someday have her own baby.


    When Duke came out of the delivery room, he appeared to be all sweaty and spent, yet at the same time, exhrated by the new addition to his family. Meanwhile, Belinda was still inside.


    "Duke," cried Leena, "your hand is bleeding!" Lifting his hand, Duke suddenly recalled what happened earlier.


    "Don''t worry about this. It''ll heal," Duke said indifferently. His pain was nothingpared to what Belinda endured in the delivery room.


    "Go to the nurse station and have your hand treated for now," said Tom, checking Duke''s hand casually. "Now that the mother and son are both safe and sound, this is my cue to leave." He nced at both of them. "I''ve got work to finish." With that, Tom left in a hurry. Due to Belinda''s emergency, Tom postponed much of his schedule to make sure he was around in case he was needed. As her delivery took ce without anyplication, Tom decided it was time for him to go back to his work.


    After his shift was done, Kevin went straight to the hospital. When Leena called to tell him that she didn''t have the time to cook, their options were narrowed down to eating outside or going to the Leng family''s house. So he offered a brief congrattions to the newest parents, and then left the hospital with his wife. As Duke was prompt to hire a professional midwife to tend to the needs of Belinda and the baby, Leena didn''t have a hard time conceding to hunger.


    "Ouch!" yelped Leena when Kevin grabbed her hand. "Ohh, it hurts!" She applied pressure on the bruised hand, groaning helplessly.


    Kevin frowned and asked, "What''s wrong? Here, let me check." Waiting for her to show her hand, he held it lightly and saw the uneven bruises on her pale skin, more so on one side than the other. The man took a deep breath. "What happened? Did you get it treated?"0000???????????

 Chapter 1556 Belindas Delivery (Part Four)

    "Uhh... It''s nothing. Belinda happened to grab my hand while she was inbor pain. I''ll recover soon enough," Leena reassured. Granted, her reactions in the past might have been exaggerated to a point where she wanted to die. But since she knew that she had been helpful when her sister-inw was inbor pain, the bruises on her hand became more of a medal of honor that reminded her what she did that day.


    "Did she endure so much?" Kevin asked, while blowing her hand softly. Although it didn''t really do much to alleviate the pain, she was moved by his disy of affection.


    "I don''t know," said Leena, putting on a rueful smile. "But she looked like she was in great pain." She thought to herself, ''Maybe it''s the kind of pain I''ll never get to feel.''


    "Nana," Kevin said, noticing the change in her facial expression. "What do you want to eat? I''ll buy you dinner." As he noticed that the topic was beginning to be too much for her, he decided it was time to talk about something else.


    Leena wore a teasing smile, asking, "Are you sure you have the money?" Lee had told her that Kevin HAD donated his wages to the people who were affected by the natural disaster. On top of that, he had also given her his ATM card when she returned to him. She could only guess that he didn''t have much money on him right now.


    "Rest assured. I can afford us some street food," Kevin said with a confident smile. "As long as we don''t go to some fancy restaurant, we''re good." He wasn''t embarrassed at all to admit it. With Leena, he could always be himself.


    "Never mind that," said Leena, shaking her head. "Let me buy us dinner." Her offer wasn''t brought on because she looked down on street food. ncing at Kevin, she realized that he was still in recovery and thus, needed nutritious food. "Really? Well, I''m so d I have a rich wife then," Kevin teased. In order to avoid her aching hand, he held her shoulder gently. Discreetly, he decided by himself that he was going to apply medicine on her hand when they got home. Quietly enjoying each other''spany for dinner, they were met with an unexpected guest.


    "Leena Leng? I thought you already left," said a dissatisfied voice. "Why are you still here?" Inplete disbelief, Louisa stopped in front of their table. When the news of Leena''s disappearance had reached her, she thought that she might finally have the chance to be with Kevin. But if the rumors were true, then why was she there?


    "I went away to travel abroad, okay?" said Leena coldly. "Whatever I do in my own time has nothing to do with you," she added. "So it''s really none of your business." Still arrogant like she used to be, Louisa was never going to learn her lesson. It seemed like she was fated to make the same mistakes over and over again.


    "You''re lying!" Louisa snapped back at her. With nostrils ring, she dared to say, "I heard you were divorcing Kevin!"


    "Then you must''ve misheard it," Leena said, and then turned to Kevin, a yful glint in her innocent eyes. "Honey, do you think I''d ever divorce you?"


    "Honey," began Kevin, not missing a beat. "Don''t listen to her. Just eat your food." And without casting a single nce at Louisa, Kevin put more food into Leena''s bowl. In the past few days, Louisa had sought for him in the army base several times, and in all those asions, Kevin had dodged her every single time.


    "Miss Ye," Leena said, looking at her unblinkingly. "You heard my husband." Deep inside, she was filled withughter and amusement. "So please," she continued, taking a sip of her water. "Please leave us alone." Noting the hurt look on Louisa''s face, Leena suppressed a triumphant smirk. ''Hurt, are you?'' thought Leena. ''Well, serves you right.''


    "Ugh!" Louisa stamped her foot. "You bitch!" And then, quite reluctantly, the woman turned away and left, her mind racing with several thoughts. ''Damn you, bitch! Why didn''t you just die when you were abroad? Why is it so hard for me to just be with Kevin?'' "Eat more food. You look thinner." Kevin kept on adding food to her bowl. The appearance of Louisa didn''t affect him at all.


    "You should eat more. I''m a woman, and I should keep fit. You''re a man, and men should be muscr." In return, Leena put a lot of meat into his bowl. Astonished to see all the meat, Kevin wasn''t sure whether tough or cry. ''Does she think I''m a big eater or something?'' he thought in amusement.


    "But I''d like you to gain weight," he said casually. "Then you''ll be soft to touch." His voice sounded as though he was only talking about the weather, so nonchnt, rather than overtly flirting with her.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    "Oh really? I''ll buy a sow for you," grinned Leena. "It will be softer to touch, I''m sure." Rolling her eyes at Kevin, she noticed that he was getting more and more cunning. He was starting to y mind games with her.


    "I have no interest in sows. Only in you." He then winked at her, which absolutely startled the woman. Kevin had always been an upright man towards Leena, but at that moment, she realized that he had changed.


    "Come on!" Leena said, avoiding his gaze. "Don''t act like that." She didn''t dare to look back at him, knowing his eyes were filled with desire at the moment. As they were in a public space, she didn''t want to enable his behavior. Especially not when it contrasted his military uniform.D

 Chapter 1557 A Celebration For Spencer (Part One)

    As the days passed, Kevin gradually but steadily recovered. Meanwhile, Duke''s son had reached his first month after being born. They named him Spencer, a name given by his grandfather Lloyd. The boy had impressively taken after his parents, and was both cute and handsome. In addition to the advantages of his fine gics and physical features, he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, so it wasn''t hard to presume that he would grow up in wealth and privilege.


    Considering that the child was still new in the world and not strong enough, the Leng family decided to put off the celebration till he reached a hundred days, so that he could stay indoors to be protected from the alternating warmth and coldness at this time of the year. It was not a good time for a baby to stay out for too long.


    Leena adored her nephew very much. She would go and see the boy whenever she was free, so it had be a ritual for Kevin to go to Duke''s home to find his wife there after work. Naturally, they would have dinner there before going home every time. Leena joked about this matter by saying that they had no choice but to bum meals off them, since Kevin had donated all his money to the earthquake-hit area.


    Sometime before the celebration, Leena, Patricia and Michelle all went shopping together. This had be something that they seldom had the chance to do, now that they had their separate and private lives. As punctual people, Leena and Patricia arrived on time, but Michelle waste as always. She exined that it was because she was rushing to finish a painting.


    "Hey! What''s the matter with you, Michelle? Didn''t we set the date early yesterday? Why didn''t you finish your paintingst night?" Patricia asked, giving Michelle a meaningful smile when she discovered that her face blushed immediately.


    "Well...something came upst night, so..." Michelle gave a little cough. Instead of continuing to exin, she grabbed the ss in front of her and took a gulp to hide her nervousness. She would never volunteer the information that she had actually spent a passionate evening with Lukest night.


    "What happened? Was it serious?" Leena asked, half confused, half worried. Patricia tipped her a wink, but she just didn''t get it at all.


    "Let me guess: Was it something romantic? Something hot and spicy?" Patricia pressed on, still casting Michelle a look fraught with meaning.


    "Are you talking about things between you and Tom? Look at your neck, there''s still a kiss that''s shimmering wet on it!" Michelle fought back, raising her head gloatingly.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "What? Really? Let me have a look," Leena turned and asked. She was a bit slow in this regard, thus believed Michelle''s words at once and leaned over to check Patricia''s neck.


    "Don''t believe her, silly girl. If there really is a hickey, it will be on her neck, not mine! And not just one, I''m sure!" Patricia eximed, ring at Leena. Come on, she was wearing a turtleneck, so even if there was any hickey on her neck, Michelle wouldn''t be able to discover it. So apparently, Michelle was poking fun at her.


    "Seems that you two are leading a very happy life and I''m very happy for you," Leena said, smiling brightly. She was not a bit irritated when teased by her two friends, regarding this matter. On the contrary, she was rather gratified to know that they had each finally found someone to make them happy. Otherwise, they would be in no mood to make fun of each other like this. ¨¦specially the naughty kind of fun.


    "You speak as if you are not. We all know how much Kevin loves you, and cares about you. We have a long way to go,pared to you," Michelle said enviously. Although she quite liked the way Kevin and Leena got along with each other, she wasn''tining about her own man. Luke had been treating her well these days, but since he was rather stiff and reserved by nature, Michelle knew that it was not that easy for him to always disy his love and affection like other guys. If Luke became even half as showy of his love as Kevin was, Michelle would be happy.


    "Absolutely. As I see it, she just takes it for granted!" Patricia chimed in.


    "Oh you two! I swear I haven''t. It''s just that your happiness has added to mine," Leena said sincerely. She was indeed living a wonderful life, and it would be greedy of her to think that it was not enough. It was actually more than she could ever ask for.


    "By the way Leena, could you design several evening dresses for me after your fashion week?" Patricia suddenly asked. She remembered her mother-inw''s advice, and she thought it made sense. Now that she had be Tom''s wife, she should look like one. The wife of the hospital chief must be someone who looked in tune with him and his status. She had promised herself that she would always change herself for the better, for the sake of her marriage, and for the sake of Tom.


    "Well, I can do it now, if you want! I have already finished all the work needed for the fashion week. So I am free and I''m all yours. Let me know what kind of evening dresses you want. But then again, why? Do you want to change your fashion style?" Leena asked. Knowing that Patricia preferred casual clothes, she was a bit surprised that she would show interest in evening dresses.


    "Yes, I do. After all, I''m the wife of a highly esteemed doctor now and I need to improve my public image. Besides, I''m helping my mother manage the gallery, so surely I need to look demure and sophisticated at the same time, in case I''m not in tune to its surroundings," Patricia exined with a sigh. She actually wouldn''t change a bit if she had the choice. However, everything has its price. Besides, she should give it a chance. Maybe she''d like it after all.

 Chapter 1558 A Celebration For Spencer (Part Two)

    Michelle burst intoughter "So you actually pay attention to your appearance now? What a surprise! From racer girl to the doctor''s wife!" Michelleughed her head off. She had never known Patricia to be an elegantdy all these times, and now she just expressed that


    she wanted to be one? She''d bet that she Patricia wasn''t so elegant in the bedroom. That was just hrious.


    "Stopughing," Patricia said with a frown. "Even someone like you began to pay attention to self image, for your man! I will be left in the dust by you two sooner orter if I don''t do this." Patricia meant what she said. This was something she would never do if she had not met Tom. Now she felt that she could make any change for the man she loved. She wouldn''t think that she was making apromise because it was going to be worth it.


    "I have only dressed a bit more formally. It''s not a big deal!" Michelle replied, with a giggle. Michelle, too, felt that she could be all that Luke wanted. She had been used to dressing like a bad girl for years, but now she was willing to do away with that because Luke didn''t like it. After falling in love, one would be surprised to find that it was quite easy to let go of the small trivial things. So as long as you pluck up your courage and start to make a difference, everything would most definitely get better.


    "Speaking of which, why don''t you also go and learn some cooking skills with Michelle?" Leena said to Patricia. She suddenly remembered that Tom had asked her to help Patricia improve her cooking, so she seized the chance and brought up the topic


    "Why? Is it because Tom has someints about my cooking? But I think that I have made great progress! He mostly eats everything that I prepare for him," Patricia said, biting her lip and looking very frustrated.


    "Well, it''s only my suggestion. You see, Tom is working hard every day, as you could see what he has to go through at the hospital. So at the end of the day, he must be very tired. You''ll be more help if you can cook something nutritious and energizing for him. You know, it will also help him fall in love with you more," Leena said gently, choosing her words in order not to give Tom away.


    "Sounds like a good idea. You''re so sweet, Leena. By the way, I wonder why you don''t treat me as your sister since you have always taken Tom as your own brother?" Patricia asked as if something struck her, and smiled at Leena with an evil smile. Leena smiled back and shuddered.


    "Why should I?" Leena refused in a joking manner. She wasn''t that naive. She knew that if she started calling Patricia her sister, then she must treat her as an elder, and show her respect. That would automaticallye with the title. "Isn''t it obvious? I''m your big brother''s wife. Surely you should take me as your own big sister as well," Patricia saidcently. She seldom got the opportunity to make fun of Leena like this, so she wouldn''t let go of her easily. "Dream on, Patricia. Let''s go, Michelle! Just leave her alone to daydream. She''s no longer interested to go shopping," Leena said, rising up unexpectedly. She then took Michelle''s hand and turned on her heel before Patricia could react. "Wait a minute! Miss Leng, no, Mrs. Gu, you still have to pay the bill!" Patricia shouted at their retreating backs in astonishment. What good friends they were!This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Excuse me, aren''t you the wife of a hospital chief? I bet your pocket is deep enough to take this one! We''ll be waiting for you outside," Leena said, shing her most enigmatic smile, which had added to her sweetness. It even charmed more than a few men around. "How dare you! So you won''t even share the bill?" Patricia grumbled. Seeing them run out of sight, she knew that she had no choice but to take out her purse. ''No, I''m not dropping this.'' She decided to get her money back from Tom tonight. ''Isn''t it reasonable enough that he should pay for his dear sister Leena and her friends?''


    You could be sure that Tom would definitely do as she said after a string ofints. You can still be your own master in a rtionship, but need to bear in mind that love is about giving as well as taking. Only when you learn to asionally humor your partner can you truly see the beauty of love.


    It rained a lot in the spring, and as the rain fell, the weather gradually got warmer and everything in the surroundings came back to life. The trees, bushes and other nts started growing new buds and small colorful blossoms started to pop out everywhere. During this period, the fashion week wasunched and it was a great sess. Everything went well, except that Leena still hadn''t gotten pregnant. She was still taking that bitter medicine secretly, and she had been more careful not to worry Kevin.


    Leena was so much in love that she wished that time would stop at certain moments of happiness. But how time had flown. One day, out of the blue, she ran into Dorothy again. The moment Leena saw her, she noticed that she had changed a lot. The pure and innocent girl in her, seemed to have all but gone, showing a more maturedy. It seemed to Leena that she had a lot of stories to tell.


    "Mrs. Gu! It''s nice to see you again," Dorothy greeted. You could actually see a sophisticated woman in her now. She wasn''t expecting to run into Leena, either.0000000

 Chapter 1559 A Celebration For Spencer (Part Three)

    around in the entertainment industry and you shouldn''t believe any of the hype.


    "Nice to see you again, Miss Lu, although I heard that you have also gotten married, is that right?" It had been told inside a few circles that Dorothy had married someone, but Leena didn''t take it to heart when hearing about it. After all, there were always rumors flying "Yes, I have," Dorothy had always wanted to marry into wealth, but once her dream came true, she found that life was not as good as she had imagined, not to mention that her husband was much older than her.


    "Well, congrattions! I''m happy for you!" Leena said. Not knowing the truth about her situation, she congratted her heartily.


    "Thank you. But it''s really nothing to celebrate. I have simply jumped from the frying pan and into the fire," Dorothy replied, allowing herself a bitter smile.


    "You know, we all tend to envy others for their happiness, but chances are that others might be envious of our life, too. We just don''t know it. We may all think that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, but one man''s meat might be another man''s poison. I bet you''re leading a much better life than a lot of others! Why not try to soften your attitude towards it? Enjoy what you have, and I''m sure that you will find yourself a happy person," Leena said tofort her, seeing the sadness in her eyes. She was not good at making ttering remarks to please others, but she did have the wisdom to help others see things in a positive way.


    "You have married Kevin, your dream guy, who''s both an excellent man and a thoughtful husband, it''s only natural that you''re so optimistic about life. But what my life looks like is apletely different story," Dorothy said, and heaved a sigh. Had she married someone as good as Kevin, she wouldn''t have felt this dissatisfied and frustrated.


    "I agree that he''s an excellent man, a good soldier, but he isn''t without shorings. And by now, I know every single one of them. Trust me, it takes a wife or someone who lives under the same roof with him, to see him for what he is. Don''t take things at face value or believe everything you see," Leena chuckled. She wondered how Kevin would react if he found out that she belittled him like this behind his back.


    "Perhaps you''re right. Thank you for your encouragement anyway. I''ve got a few other things to do, so if you will excuse me. It has been very pleasant running into you, Mrs. Gu," Dorothy replied. Much to her frustration, she found herself inferior to Leena in almost all aspects. She felt too ashamed to continue the conversation. Nheless, she thought that maybe Leena''s words did make sense, and that she should be content with what she had.


    "Likewise. See you around!" Leena waved goodbye. Dorothy gave a small smile, which implied that she was actually well-mannered and elegant. She needed to know that everything had a cost, and must know what to expect since she chose to marry into the purple. She also had to take the risk, for a good marriage in other people''s eyes wouldn''t necessarily give her everything she wanted. And if she married for money from the very beginning, she shouldn''t have expected her new family to treat her in exactly the same way she expected. That''s the world we are living in today. No pain, no gain.


    Spring passed and then summer, Spencer was finally a hundred days old. His father Duke, who had been keeping a low profile, had done the opposite for the first time and went big with the celebration. He invited all his business partners to a grand event held for his son. "Show me a smile, Spencer," Leena said. She made faces at her nephew to make himugh. A hundred days after he was born, he had only be more and more handsome.


    "Oh, stop it. He won''t think it''s funny. He''s not as stupid as you are," Justin stood by and teased Leena.


    "I beg your pardon, little tyke? Who are you calling stupid?" Leena turned and red at him. Her sweet smile had faded. Justin could only see an angry face now.


    "Well, I won''t bother myself arguing with a woman. It''s just boring. Good luck with her, Spencer!" Justin said, his chin jutting out in contempt while walking away from Leena and Spencer quite casually.


    "What? How could you? Stop, you brat!" Leena shouted at Justin in a fit of pique. She was nearly driven mad by this little guy and was too ruffled to remember that she had a baby in her arms. She finally did when he burst out crying because of her loud voice.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    "Oh, I''m so sorry. Don''t cry, my baby Spencer. You needn''t worry. I''m scolding your cousin Justin, not you," Leena hurried to pacify the child, patting him gently. ''Now who did I piss off? Look what you''ve done, Justin!'' She thought helplessly.


    "You really think he can understand you and stop crying, silly girl?" Just then, Rain''s voice came from behind her. Seeing Leena in a panic about pacifying the baby and keeping him from crying, he showed no intention to help at all. Instead, he took pleasure in it, and teased her. Clearly, he wanted to make fun of her, too.


    "What''s your advice then? Or you want to have a try?" asked Leena grumpily. ''Don''t you see I''m like a cat on hot bricks? Shouldn''t you at least give me a hand?'' Leena thought exasperatedly.


    "I won''t be of much help since I''m not his mother. I would give him back to Belinda if I were you. If I''m not mistaken, he is now hungry," Rain replied with a wicked smile, his hands in his pockets, looking quite rxed.


    "Bravo, Rain! How did you know that?" Leena looked at him in surprise. ''Don''t tell me you have had a child!'' She thought secretly.000

 Chapter 1560 A Celebration For Spencer (Part Four)

    "You''d better put aside that silly and vulgar idea," was Rain''s reply, with a sneer. He could tell from the twinkle in her eyes that she was making wild guesses. It was just typical of her to do that.


    "Humph! Don''t make it sound like you know what was on my mind!" Leena retorted with a grimace. The fact that Rain had seen right through her, annoyed her again. Because she did imagine him as a seasoned pro in child care just now, although it didn''t really suit his


    image at all.


    "What''s the matter with Spencer? Why are you crying so hard, baby?" Belinda asked worriedly, hastening to them upon hearing her son''s loud and continuous cry.


    "Maybe my voice was too loud and it scared him, or maybe he feels hungry. I''m so sorry," Leena said in a low voice, feeling very embarrassed.


    "I''ll take care of him. Kevin has just arrived, why not go to him?" Belinda said, taking her beloved baby from Leena carefully. She became a bit more plump after giving birth, but it had only added to her radiant charm. She was attractive and maternal in a way that only a married woman could be.


    "Oh, he got off early today," Leena said without taking her eyes off Spencer. Seeing him settle himself in the arms of his mother, Leena couldn''t help but pinch his rosy cheeks gently. ''You ungrateful little rascal,'' she thought to herself. I''ve been so nice to you, yet you would always cry in my arms. You know, you really embarrass me by turning tears into smiles once your mother''s here.''


    "Yeah, he arrived with Daisy," Belinda answered, kissing the baby on his chubby cheeks most lovingly.


    "I''ll go and find him then. See you, little snob!" Leena said. She pretended to be angry at her cute nephew and gave him a funny re before leaving happily.


    "What a silly girl. How could she take a child so seriously?" Belinda said, shaking her head and feeling torn betweenughing and crying. It was not until then that she discovered that Rain was behind her. "What are you doing here? Those men out there are looking for you. Why don''t you join them?" she asked.


    "Don''t give me away. I just want to take a break from it, and I''m sure they are very well able to deal with all those guests," Rain hastened to exin, throwing himself into a nearby chair as if all strength had drained from his body. He got away from the busy party scene in order to avoid any social engagements. He didn''t want to go back to it so soon.


    "What''s wrong? You look a bit unhappy," Belinda asked, taking away the baby''s little hand, which had been pulling her hair.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    "Hey! You are a mother now, so please pay more attention to your baby rather than my private affairs," Rain snapped at her while smiling. He could still remember seeing Belinda for the first time. She struck him as a decisive and capable woman, and it made asting impression on him. But she seemed to be changing gradually after marriage.


    "Well, I''m worried about you! You should be thankful, for I wouldn''t even give a damn about you if we were not friends!" Belinda snapped, rolling her eyes at Rain. But honestly, he surprised her a bit by how quiet and reserved he had be. She thought that he might indulge himself again in a new rtionship after Annie left, but now he seemed to prefer solitude and peace.


    "Alright, alright! Thanks for that, I appreciate it! But could you leave me alone for a while, Mrs. Leng? I''m begging you. I just want a few moments of peace," Rain replied with a smile. He had even bowed his head with folded hands, as if to beg for mercy. To some extent, Belinda was right. Ever since Annie disappeared, he somehow tended to avoid this kind of bustling social scene. It would only remind him of his loneliness, and give him a new dose of pain that was beyond description.


    "Peace isn''t what you want. It''s Annie, isn''t it?" Belinda said matter-of-factly. She could see that he was truly tired and upset, so she didn''t push him to rejoin the gathering. Nheless, she wouldn''t miss this opportunity to tease him. Rain frowned slightly hearing her words, but said nothing in return. After Belinda left, he leaned back against the chair, lost in thought. In the dim light he sat still, surrounded by quietness and looked so beautiful like a fine piece of art. "Hello there! You came early today!" Leena came to Kevin and naturally slipped her arm in his. Kevin turned and saw her sweet smile, which to him, was the only bright spot in the room.


    "I sloped off, in case Duke thinks that I am putting on airs again," Kevin whispered. Before anyone noticed, he gave her a peck on the forehead. He had to watch out when Duke was around, for Duke would still say something with a trace of sarcasm even though he no longer despised his brother-inw.


    "Don''t worry, he''s too busy entertaining the guests today to notice you," Leenaforted him, her face blushed. His peck alone was enough to get her heart racing.


    "A lot of people, especially friends havee today, huh?" Kevin looked around and found the ce almost packed with people from the upper ss. All were wealthy and respectable in society.


    "Yes. Most of them are Duke''s business partners. I''m sure he has struck a deal or two tonight. You owe them a lot, you know, as they have kept him upied. He has been attending to the guests for nearly an hour, and I''m sure that he has no time for you." Leena said. This scene was very rare in Duke''s home, for he was not much of a party person, and seldom held banquets. So this was also a rare opportunity for those snobbish social climbers and other bigwigs to suck up to Duke.


    "Pleasee here, Kevin." No sooner had Leena finished speaking than she and Kevin both heard Duke''s deep voice.


    "Hello there! Okay,ing," Kevin replied at once. Before leaving, he narrowed his eyes and directed a meaningful look at Leena. ''Didn''t you say that your brother WON''T notice me? How do you exin this now?"


    Leena read it in his eyes. "You''re out of luck, babe. Sorry about that," she shrugged and said, wondering why Duke called him over. After all, Kevin never liked dealing with business people.

 Chapter 1561 How Time Flies (Part One)

    "Duke, I''m here." With his army uniform on, Kevin looked intimidating yet handsome, aggressive yet calm, looking special yet not sticking out like a sore thumb among the guests.


    "Okay, good. I need your help. Go over to those gentlemen by the table and have a few sses with them. I already drank too much. I don''t think I can take another drop," Duke said while pressing on his temple. He really overdid it today. "Okay, let me handle this." As a Major General, he was good at socializing. It was a piece of cake for him to deal with all kinds of people.


    "Hey wait. No, you can''t drink too much!" Leena blurted out. He just had a lucky escape from death several months ago. He might have notpletely recovered yet. He still had to watch his alcohol intake.


    "Don''t worry. I know my limits." He gave her a reassuring smile. He knew that she was worried about his health, so he would not really take the risk and get into drinking games and challenges with other guys tonight.


    "Can you do it? If not, I will get Rain to take your ce. Where is Rain? That jerk, he''s gone in the blink of an eye." Duke reeked of alcohol and his face waspletely flushed. While he tried his best to stand straight, his intoxication was showing in the way he walked. He really drank a lot tonight.


    "I''ll go to find him and bring him back," Leena said with a sly smile. For the sake of her husband, she had no choice but to sacrifice Rain who was surely now hiding somewhere. But better him than Kevin.


    "It''s okay, Nana. I can do it. Like I said, if I feel that I''m close to my limit, I will stop, okay?" Kevin stopped her. It was rare for Duke to ask him for a favor. He didn''t want to disappoint him, especially now that he needed him the most. That man waspletely tanked! "Okay! Then I''ll go and look for Sis Daisy." Leenapromised at his insistence. She didn''t want to be the wet nket.


    In fact, as soon as Daisy reached their mansion, she was dragged to a secret ce by Edward. Passionate kisses followed. Daisy could smell gunpowder in the air and fireworks were about to ensue, or worse a gunfight. "Woo... Edward, what are you doing?" Daisy broke free from his arms and looked around timidly. Fortunately, nobody was around, otherwise her good image would bepletely ruined by this carelessness.


    "I''m avenging myself for what you did this morning." The mere thought of what he saw when he woke up this morning enraged him again. Daisy was too bold. He was just being too violentst night, hungrily and incessantly fucking her with the lust of a wild animal. But in the morning, she dared to literally make doodles such as a turtle on his back. As if that was not enough, she left messages as well. Some of them read ''Bring it on!'' or ''Hey hot guy!''. This infuriated him. He was a man and even though he wanted tolerate this, his manliness would not allow him to take in the insult.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "I was only giving you a taste of your own medicine." Daisy folded her arms tightly across her chest, preventing him froming near her. If it wasn''t for the violent sex which made her nearly unable to stand up and walk this morning, she would not be so angry that she yed tricks on Edward by drawing on his body. He was the one who caused all this in the first ce.


    "A taste of my own medicine? I think you''re insulting me and challenging my pride as a man, Huh?" Pinching her chin and lifting it up, Edward rested his eyes on her swollen lips caused by his kisses. A cunning smile found its way to his face.


    "So what? You also challenged my pride as a Senior Colonel. Did you only want an obedient little housewife who would bend over for you and your every whim? But I am not that person. And now we are even." Daisy faced him fearlessly, showing unyielding courage and dauntless bravery as an officer of the military.


    "Once the game is on, you are not the one to decide the results. So, my beautiful and arrogant Senior Colonel Ouyang, are you ready now?" Edward raised his eyebrows and looked at her with his fascinating eyes, trying to captivate her.


    "I will not indulge in your crazy game. If you really can''te around, I don''t mind you taking a cold shower to cool that thing between your legs." Daisy sneered with contempt. Since they came here to attend Spencer''s 100th day celebration, she was supposed to be around the cute baby, instead of trapped with Edward here and messing around with him. He was not the star of the party today, the baby was.


    "But I mind. So even if I really take a cold shower, it''d be better that I bring you with me in there. We can y in the tub like Mandarin ducks," Edward came closer and rested his body onto her and whispered to her ears, not aware that they were in the open air. "Oh crap! Oh my god! I''m so sorry! I didn''t see anything! You two may continue whatever you two were doing." Leena covered her eyes with her hand while peeping through her fingers.


    "Leena, can''t you be more affected? Since you know that you are not supposed to be here and see us, why not just walk away quietly, instead of making a fuss?" Edward stared at the intruder, extremely frustrated that the moment was ruined.


    "Sorry, I forgot. You may continue, and I swear I won''t utter a word again." Despite saying so, Leena still stood there, showing no intention to leave.


    "If you were in my shoes, would you still be in the mood to continue? You did it on purpose, right? Did you follow us here? How much of our conversation did you hear?" Edward said, grinding his teeth. Then he leaned closer to Daisy and whispered in her ear, "Don''t think that you have already gotten away with it. We can discuss this the whole night. As to the way how I discuss it, I think you don''t need me to remind you. You know that."


    Daisy gazed at him incredibly. Oh, no! Come again? They had crazy animal sex the whole nightst night, and she still felt sore all over her body and especially down there.


    Leena craned her neck, trying to listen in and trying to figure out what they were talking about. But she didn''t hear anything. Sheined to herself, ''Edward is too mean! He would not lose a piece of flesh even if I hear what he says.''


    "Tell me, what did you hear?" Edward repeated with an ambiguous yet threatening tone as he turned around and leaned closer to Leena. This caught Leena off guard.


    "What did I hear? Hmm. Did you say anything?" Edward''s intimate gesture almost took Leena''s breath away and made her heart stop beating. If he was not her brother whom she had always respected since she was young, she would definitely be captivated by him. Yes, Edward''s attractiveness was of a different level.???????????

 Chapter 1562 How Time Flies (Part Two)

    "You are very smart, you slick girl!" Edward''s mood lightened up. He nted a gentle kiss on Daisy''s forehead and left with a roar ofughter.


    "Sis Daisy, what happened to Edward? Was he beaten by something?" It sent a shiver down her spine at the thought of his actions towards her moments ago. No wonder so many women had gone crazy about him and thrown themselves at him. He had the natural charisma that had all kinds of women spellbound. Even she, herself, was almost entranced by him just now.


    "Don''t mind him. He was flooded and infested by dirty thoughts in his brain tonight." Daisy felt a little embarrassed, being caught fooling around with her husband.


    "Daisy, is it the nature of men to be so shameless?" Thinking of how Kevin behaved towards her recently, Leena''s face darkened.


    "Probably. But it depends. Sometimes, it''s normal for men to have dirty thoughts on their wives. But if he also acts like that to other women, then that would be something else. We call those men, assholes, jerks or pigs!" No one can be a real saint in this temporal world. Daisy could understand Edward''s moments of uncontroble desire towards her every now and then. They were a couple and they were supposed to be bound into one.


    "Okay, I see. Daisy, I found that you have a thorough understanding of almost everything. I really admire you and you deserve my respect." Leena raised her head and looked up to Daisy who was a little higher than her, with admiring nces, "Don''t worship me like that. The one you imagine in your head may only live in fantasies and the stuff of legends." Daisy couldn''t help butugh as soon as she finished her words. It was not her style to use the online buzzword in her remark.


    "Ha!" Leena alsoughed. Daisy''s joke lightened up the mood and Leena felt less depressed.


    "Well, Leena, how is everything with you? Are you still drinking the herbal medicine?" Daisy asked with concern while helping her brush away the petals which had fallen on her dress.


    "Yes I am. Tom is still giving them to me. But don''t tell this to Kevin. He doesn''t like me pushing myself too hard." She felt grateful for his affection towards her. But that didn''t mean she would take it sitting down. As long as there was hope, she would not give up. "Leena, I am so sorry. If only there was something I could do." Daisy pulled her into her arms, her eyes bing red as she got emotional. Even as a woman who had grown up infort, and belonged to a rich family, Leena could endure all the hardships for the sake of love. She was a tough girl and that won Daisy''s respect and affection.


    "I know. But don''t be sad for me. As long as I feel loved, nothing can get me down." Leena tried to make Daisy less worried about her condition, an assuring smile finding its way to her face.


    "Come on! I know you can seed in this challenge. It is nothingpared to the worse things that you have gone through." Except for this, Daisy really didn''t know how to encourage her. "Mommy, what are you doing here? You two are hugging each other." Justin raised his head and looked at them, holding an airne model in his hand.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    "Justin, it''s you again. Huh! You love to pop out in the most unexpected ces." Leena was revengeful when it came to issues with Justin. So every time they met, there would be a fight.


    "Aunt Leena, I now really suspect that you have entered your midlife crisis phase already, otherwise why would you be so hot tempered? You get upset at the simplest of things." Justin''s face crumpled, as if he was really worried about Leena''s condition. "What? Who did you say has entered the midlife crisis phase? Were you referring to me?" Leena was flustered. She red at Justin with piercing eyes and her eyebrows raised.


    "Mommy, look, Aunt Leena is picking on me again." Justin quickly hid himself in Daisy''s arms, making a face at Leena.


    "Justin, do you know that you are just bringing trouble to yourself? You should shoulder the me for your own fault. Don''t seek shelter in my arms. You are a boy and you should take your responsibilities like a man." In Daisy''s eyes, a child should never be spoiled. Therefore, she was very strict with Justin, which was a stark contrast to Edward''s parenting style. This was probably the reason why Justin behaved like that. Edward''s style was kind of a free-range parenting style. As long as Justin was healthy and happy, nothing else mattered. So Edward didn''t set as many rules as Daisy did to Justin.


    "Did you hear that? You are just asking for trouble yourself." Leena winked mischievously at Justin with a smug face. Having fought in the verbal wars with Justin for so many rounds, Leena found that still neither of them could win.


    "Huh! Mommy, you don''t love me any more!" Justin pouted, feeling unfairly wronged. Every time he argued with Leena, he was always the one to me. Was it because he was just a boy? If that was the case, he would rather be a girl just for once. That way his mom would be more impartial. Maybe take his side more...well if he became a girl, then "her" side.


    "Yes, you''re right. Your mommy loves me the most. More than you!" Leena intentionally annoyed him, adding fuel to the me. She was obsessed in making fun of him.


    "It doesn''t matter. I will go and find Uncle Kevin and tell him that you bullied me," Justin said as he left Daisy''s arms and started running away from the garden and back inside the house.


    "Ah! He started all this but now heys it all on me!" Leena raised her eyebrows. When did she bully him? She just had verbal arguments with him.


    "What? Are you afraid of him?" Daisy looked at her, amused. No wonder there were endless squabbles whenever they found themselves in the same room or the same ce. It turned out that they had one thing inmon, that both of them hadn''t really grown up yet. It seemed that no matter how mature Leena acted in public, she was still a little girl inside. Her true innocent nature was just hidden and restrained by the bonds of marriage.


    "Are you joking? It''s impossible. Would Kevin really eat me up for this? It''s so absurd." Leena said casually. She would never worry that Kevin would believe Justin and do something to her.


    "Then what else are you worried about?" Let''s go! I miss the baby already! I want to look at him all the time!" Daisy shook her head helplessly. The girlish manner that Leena asionally behaved made Daisy want to love her and care about her as if she were her little sister.


    Time went by. Good news about being pregnant came one after another from Leena''s friends. But for herself, there were no signs of any conception. Although Tom proposed to check on her many times, she turned him down politely. She didn''t want to pin too much hope on it. She just did what she could secretly following the prescription that Tom ordered for her.00

 Chapter 1563 How Time Flies (Part Three)

    Every time she saw how much Kevin adored Belinda''s baby, she would weep in the corner and keep all the tears to herself. It turned out that he couldn''t really act like he didn''t mind at all. She could see his eyes light up when he was with kids.


    "Kevin, how about we adopt a child?" Leena suddenly proposed one day.


    "Why? Aren''t we good with our life now?" Kevin wasn''t very excited about the idea. He didn''t want to hurt her. This would cause much more stress to her and possibly drive a wedge into their marriage.


    "Yes, we are. But I just think that you may want to have a child." The truth of the matter was, if they really adopted a child, she was not sure if she would handle it well.


    "Don''t think too much. You don''t know how tiring it is to raise a child. Aren''t you going to prepare the winter fashion show soon? Why not put more efforts on that?" Kevin embraced her and squeezed her into his arms. His brows furrowed. Did he do something wrong that had unwittingly hurt her? He wondered.


    "Okay. I will listen to you." Cuddling up against him, Leena beamed. But deep inside, she felt cold as if there was a snow storm in her heart.


    "I will go abroad next month and I will stay there for about eight weeks. Will it be okay for you to be here at home alone?" In fact, besides training, there would bepetitions which would be as fierce as ever. They had to cross the rain forest and ovee life-and-death challenges. The one who held on until thest moment would be dered the winner.


    "Huh? Is it a military task? Isn''t it dangerous?" Leena backed a few steps. She was worried whether his body could cope with it.


    "A little dangerous. But don''t worry, I will be very careful." As a soldier, it was his obligation to follow the orders. He couldn''t have any other choices. But since he loved his job, he would stick to it until the very end.


    "You''d better consult it with Tom. You just had surgery." Leena grabbed his cuff firmly. It was not that she didn''t want to support his work. She just didn''t want to see him get injured before hepletely recovered.


    "Okay, I''ll call himter. Will that make you feel better now?" In fact, he also didn''t want to make her worried. But military orders cannot be disobeyed. Moreover if he didn''t go, the task would fall on Daisy. It was very dangerous and he didn''t want Daisy to take the risk. "No, I will ask him myself." Leena raised her chin slowly and arrogantly, showing disbelief in him.


    "What, you don''t trust me?" Kevinughed. Was he a man with such a low credibility in her eyes? He wondered.


    "Yes, I don''t trust you." Leena blurted out bluntly.


    "Okay." Since she was very concerned for his health and safety, Kevin just let her do whatever she wanted.


    As soon as she arrived at the hospital, she happened toe across Patricia.


    "Leena, what are you doing here?" greeted Patrica. It was a pleasant surprise and she was very happy to see Leena.


    "Did youe here for a prenatal check?" asked Leena. Looking at Patricia''s bulging belly, Leena felt envious and a little downcast.


    "No, I was just dropping by. And you?" Patricia smiled happily. In fact, she didn''t expect to get pregnant so soon. It was an unnned pregnancy. The baby was conceived by ident but she decided to keep it. It would be their biggest blessing and proof of the love between her and Tom.


    "I have something to discuss with your husband. Have you seen him? Isn''t he in the office now?" Leena asked as she nced around the office, but she didn''t find Tom anywhere.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    "There was a emergency case, quite a serious one, and he was called to lead the assessment of the injury andter he will be the head of the surgical team - that is if a surgery is necessary. It will take a while, probably." Patrica had be more voluptuous than before. Her breasts had started to pop out of her clothes, most probably due to her pregnancy. She had be lovely and radiant as an expectant mother!


    "It''s okay. I can wait. How are you? Are you okay with the morning sickness?" She remembered that Belinda suffered a lot with the morning sickness when she got pregnant.


    "Probably because I am very strong, I haven''t had any morning sickness yet." Knowing Leena''s condition, Patrica had qualms about discussing such a topic with her. She worried that she might unwittingly hurt her.


    "In the blink of an eye, you have already be an expectant mother from what used to be a car racing, man hating tomboy. How time flies!" Leena said sentimentally. Patricia got married a lotter than her, but she already got pregnant. What about herself? She didn''t want to think much of it. She felt inadequate as a woman every time she gave it much more thought.


    "Leena, you can if you try. Don''t be discouraged, okay? Your time wille. I know it!" Patricia intentionally avoided meeting Leena recently, because she worried that Leena would feel down seeing her pregnant.


    "I''m okay. I just thought that time goes by really fast. And it is so true!" Leena gave her a bright smile and tried to get rid of all the unhappy thoughts. Even though she was not pregnant now, she believed that one day her wish woulde true.


    "That''s great. I am happy that you think that way. But, don''t push yourself too hard." Patricia patted her shoulder, feeling very sorry for her.


    Tom came back soon. The assigned doctor to the emergency case was not sure of his diagnosis, so he conferred with Tom so he could have a look.


    "Leena, it has been a long time since you came herest." Tom said while putting down the medical records on the desk. He was quite surprised to see her.


    "Oh, no. Tom! This is the hospital. Why would you expect to see me here frequently?" Leena switched naturally from a mature woman to a lovely and sweet girl, as if she had a dual personality.


    "Good point! Besides, who makes the rule that people can onlye here when they are sick? Right? Well, Since you came, you must have something to ask." Tom recognized what she came for as soon as she finished talking.


    "That''s why I always told other people that you are a smart guy. You are really a genus." Leena smiled embarrassedly. As expected, Tom saw through her. So she was not surprised at all.000000000000

 Chapter 1564 Visiting The Army Base (Part One)

    "Just tell me. Don''t keep me guessing," Tom said, smiling. He shook his head helplessly at his little sister, feeling amused. He was dressed in his all-white uniform, looking handsome and gentle as ever. His smile was enticing, making everyone around him return it.


    "Well..." Leena hesitated, "Kevin is going for a field training next month. I heard that this training is especially hard. I''m not sure if he can handle it, considering he has just recovered from his injuries. I am a little worried. I want to hear your thoughts about it." Leena gently bit down on her lower lip. Her worried eyes were fixed on Tom. She wanted to know exactly what he thought about letting Kevin go for the training. She didn''t want Kevin to injure himself again. She was there for his professional advice.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Since when have you started being so formal with me?" Tom sighed, "Ask him toe here for a check-up. I will run some tests on him and see if he has recoveredpletely. But I don''t think there will be any issues. It has already been more than half a year since Kevin''s ident. Considering his current health condition, there shouldn''t be any problems. I''m sure he can handle a little hard training. But I''ll run some tests anyway to make sure. Better safe than sorry." He smiled reassuringly.


    "Okay, I will ask him to drop by whenever he is free. Kevin has been very busytely. He hardly has any time to eat and sleep. It would be hard for him to squeeze in some decent time for a check-up," Leena frowned.


    "Let hime when he has some spare time. Just give me a call before hees, okay?" he said, as he nced at Patricia''s belly. He had been prepared to be a ve for her when he hade to know that his woman was pregnant. But much to his surprise, this little woman didn''t have any morning sickness. Her conditions were normal to his relief. He was grateful for that because, in this way, he didn''t need to worry much about her while he was at work. "Thank you, Tom. I am really sorry to bother you at work," Leena said, wrinkling her nose in a cute way.


    "You are acting strange today, Leena. You have never been this polite to me," Tom joked and then continued in a serious tone, "By the way, since you are here already, why don''t I run some tests on you?" This was not the first time Tom had brought up this subject. But every time, Leena found excuses to refuse him. Tom could not force a check-up on her and didn''t know what to do about her constant rejection. If he didn''t have an idea about her condition, he couldn''t write a new prescription for her to get better. So he really wanted to convince her to get a check-up done.


    "Not right now, Tom. Maybe next time. I''ll be free when Kevin goes for his training. I will drop by then for the check up," she said. When she saw Tom frown at her, she added, "I promise to follow all your instructions." She smiled, but her heart was bitter. Though she had already epted that she might never have a child of her own, she couldn''t help but wish that that was not her fate. She was still trying to remain hopeful, but the chances were very less. Tom saw through her and decided to let it slide. He hated to see the sad smile on Leena''s face.


    He quickly changed the subject, "All right, deal! Nowe on, it''s time for lunch! My treat!" Tom said. He took off his white coat and grabbed the car keys on the desk. When his eyes fell on Leena''s messy hair, he couldn''t help but reach out to fix her hair for her. She was still his adorable little sister. His love and care for her hadn''t changed even though he got married and had his own little family now.


    "Great! I am actually pretty hungry. Looks like it''s my lucky day!" Leena said happily. She was d that she didn''t have to eat lunch by herself today. She finally had her brother and her best friend to give herpany.


    Tomughed, seeing her enthusiasm and said, "You can eat anything you want. Patricia, are you with us? You seem to have spaced out. Come on, let''s go." He grabbed Patricia''s hands, bringing her out of her trance. He was surprised, because Patricia was never this quiet, especially when Leena was around.


    "Oh! Sorry, my mind was elsewhere," she said inly. She felt a bit uneasy seeing Leena and her husband''s interaction. She knew that she was being irrational, because they were just like siblings and she was sure about it. But if anyone who didn''t know that they were sister and brother saw them together, they would definitely take them for a couple. Patricia had to admit, she was a bit jealous.


    "What were you thinking about? You seemed really focused on your thoughts," Leena teased her as they walked down the hospital corridor together. But Patricia was going through someplicated emotions regarding the rtionship between Leena and Tom. She knew that they cared deeply for each other and that mutual feeling waspletely tonic, but she still couldn''t shake off her doubts. What if there was a glimmer of a chance that they might be holding some subtle feelings for each other?


    "I''m afraid that you will bothugh at me if I tell you." Tom gently held her hand as they walked and the small gesture warmed her heart.


    "Why is that? Patricia, were you thinking about some other handsome guy?" Leena teased her again, winking at Patricia with a meaningful smile. Leena knew that Patricia had always been fond of pretty boys. But she was just pulling her leg. Leena knew how much Patr¨ªcia loved Tom. But she was very curious as to what she was thinking about, especially after Patricia had said that they mightugh at her.0000000

 Chapter 1565 Visiting The Army Base (Part Two)

    "Of course not! What are you talking about?" Patricia scowled at her best friend. She stole a nce at Tom, wondering whether he looked jealous or angry. He wasn''t.


    "Oh really? If I remember right, you were the one who was always chasing after handsome boys all day," said Leena, mercilessly throwing her best friend under the bus. Leena knew that Patricia was hiding something. She was trying to get her to tell the truth. But she wasn''t really lying about how Patricia always fell for handsome boys. That was the reason why she had fallen in love with Tom at first sight. "Leena! Are you my best friend or not? Why are you telling this in front of Tom? It is so humiliating!" Patricia shouted, her beautiful face turning red. She felt embarrassed. She gently pped Leena''s back, hoping she would shut up.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    "Tom, help! She is trying to hurt me!" Leenaughed and hid herself behind Tom''s back. She grabbed his arm, knowing that he would protect her from her friend''s yful attacks.


    "All right, all right. You two, calm down." He couldn''t help but let out a silent sigh at their childish y. They had gonepletely off-topic. He had to step in and take the rein on the conversation once again. "Patricia, tell us, what you were thinking about. You seemed awfully serious at the time. Is something bothering you?" Tom asked, furrowing his eyebrows. He was still waiting for Patricia''s answer. He was very curious to know why she was distracted.


    "Um? What was I thinking?" Patricia looked bewildered by Tom''s sudden question. She was too engrossed in the conversation with Leena that she hadpletely forgotten what they were initially talking about. She looked so confused. Leena, hid behind Tom, trying her best not tough out loud.


    Tom looked at her in disbelief. He thought to himself, ''She already forgot what we were talking about! She is just pregnant! It shouldn''t affect her memory, for God''s sake!'' Tom was worried for a second, thinking that she might have lost her memory again. Leena finally lost control andughed out loud. "How could you forget it so quickly? You are really cute sometimes, Patricia." Leena couldn''t contain herughter anymore. She looked at her best friend''s oblivious face. She was just so adorable, especially now that she was pregnant and glowing.


    Patricia blinked and then eximed, "Oh! That. It''s nothing. Forget it." Patricia wasn''t curious anymore. She didn''t want to know their answer, but she couldn''t tell why. Besides, it would be weird if she asked that question. They would probably think that she was silly and jealous, or evenugh at her. It would seem like she didn''t trust the rtionship between her best friend and her husband.


    "Now you have piqued interest. Tell us!" Leena''s face was full of excitement unlike Patricia''s, who had a disturbed look on her face. Leena wondered why Patricia, who was always straightforward, would hesitate so much.


    "Just tell us. I want to know too," said Tom, staring at his wife with curious, intense eyes. He didn''t want to let this slide either. He was also wondering what could make Patricia, who was always blunt about everything, hesitate in front of her best friend and her husband. "Okay, fine! If you insist. But let me remind you, you are the ones who want to hear it, okay?" she said, pointing her finger at both of them. She hesitated for another moment and then asked, "I was just wondering... You two have a very strong rtionship and you are so good together. So, why haven''t you ever thought of bing a couple? I know this is silly, but I just couldn''t help but wonder." Patricia immediately lowered her head, feeling embarrassed as hell. She was afraid of their reactions, because she had no idea what they would think of this stupid question. Would they be offended? Or would they think that she didn''t trust them?


    Leena was the first to break the ice. Sheughed, "That''s your question? Wow, this is a hard one. Tom, why don''t you answer her? Why haven''t we ever considered being a couple?" Leena snorted. It was the first time anyone had ever asked her this kind of question. It was funny. Such a thing hadn''t even crossed her mind. Leena was surprised that Patricia thought to ask this.


    "That''s simple. I see you as my sister," Tom said, shrugging. The hand that was holding Patricia''s tightened a bit. He looked at her, as he held her hand in his, telling her through the gesture, ''I do not want anyone else''. Patricia smiled warmly at her husband. "Yes, exactly. I see Tom as my brother. It is really a ridiculous and weird idea for me to get involved with him in any non-tonic way. No offense, Tom," Leena said. They were just too familiar to ever be lovers. They considered each other family, but they just didn''t see each other like that.


    "That''s it? It''s that simple?" Patricia looked between the two of them in shock. She was surprised by their simple answer. She had thought that maybe there was some serious and more detailed reason.


    "What else were you expecting to hear?" Tom asked, abruptly stopping in his tracks. Suddenly, he wondered why she would think to ask such a thing. Was there something wrong with the rtionship he had with his sister? Where was thising from? Well, at least Patricia was right. It was indeed a silly question.


    "I mean, I just thought that there might be some other reason. You two always behave like a couple. You are intimate, you know. That''s all," said Patricia, biting down a bit harshly on her lower lip. She didn''t know how to exin it without making herself sound unreasonable. Was she wrong? Was there something wrong with her? She knew that she shouldn''t have asked that! Maybe she was just thinking too much into it. It was kind of ridiculous anyway.

 Chapter 1566 Visiting The Army Base (Part Three)

    "Patricia, it''s not just Tom. In fact, I act the same way around all my brothers. They are all the same to me, really. I have only ever considered them as my brothers," Leena said, furrowing her brows. She had a feeling that something was slowly changing, and she also wondered if she was behaving inappropriately around her brothers. Should she start keeping her distance from them, now that they were all married? Maybe that was the reason why Patricia had that ridiculous question. To be honest, if Patricia had known any better, she would have found that Leena was much closer to Edward and Rain than to Tom. But it was understandable, because Patricia was Tom''s wife and she had probably only noticed her interactions with him. "Leena, I was just curious. I didn''t mean it in a bad way," Patricia said in a hurried tone. She didn''t want Leena to misunderstand her. She had only asked out of curiosity, not to cause trouble or to warn her.


    "Of course. I know you were just curious," Leena said with an understanding smile. It looked like she really didn''t mind Patricia''s doubts. But she was secretly thinking back if she was really behaving inappropriately around her brothers. After all, they were all married and now belonged to other women. They were not just her brothers anymore. Maybe she was just so used to the way she had been interacting with them that she hadn''t realized that it might cause their wives to feel uneasy and suspicious. So maybe this should change from now on. She shouldn''t be too close to them anymore.


    Tom had a bad feeling when he saw the bitter smile on Leena''s face. He knew that Leena''s smile was just a farce to cover up what she was really thinking. He looked at her with a worried expression. He knew his little sister very well, and she had always been extremely sensitive when it came to things like this. He just hoped that she wouldn''t take Patricia''s words to heart.


    "Okay, enough of this ridiculous talk! Let''s go have lunch," Tom said, breaking the awkward silence. He reached out to grab Leena''s hand, but to his surprise, Leena hurried ahead and dodged his hand, as if she hadn''t seen his hand at all. Tom''s heart sank at her reaction. He finally understood what Leena wanted to do. She wanted to keep her distance from him after hearing Patricia''s question. Tom felt so lost at Leena''s behavior. Why did she have to do this? Patricia seemed really understandable. Now he regretted ever keeping asking his wife what she was thinking about. He should have just let it slide.


    Throughout their lunch, Tom noticed that Leena was intentionally keeping her distance from him and avoided his concerned questions. If he asked her something, she would give short answer. She didn''t demand his attention like she always used to, and she didn''t initiate any conversation with him either. Tom was deeply hurt by her avoidance. He didn''t like Leena being this way towards him. He had a feeling that she was gradually trying to disappear from his world.


    On the other hand, Patricia waspletely oblivious as always. She didn''t notice anything out of the ordinary between them. It seemed to her like they were behaving as always. And it was probably because Leena kept smiling and talking as she always did. She seemed happy, so Patricia didn''t read more into it. But Leena''s acting couldn''t fool her brother, who had grown up with her. Tom kept ncing sideways at Leena with a saddened expression.


    After lunch, Tom and Patricia went back together and Leena sat alone in her car, with just her thoughts forpany. Though she badly wanted to be close to her brothers, she knew that Patricia''s doubt was legit. Hearing her words made Leena realize that maybe she should start keeping her distance from all of them, including Duke. After all, they all had their own families now. And Leena was married too. She wanted to avoid such situations from happening again. Besides, by being extremely close to her brothers, she was also neglecting Kevin''s feelings. She was feeling very lonely all of a sudden and decided to call Kevin. She took out her phone from her purse and dialed his number. He answered the call almost immediately. She asked, "Kevin, can Ie and pick you up after work?" "Nana, I might have to work longer today. Just wait for me at home, all right?" Kevin was standing beside the training field. Though he was talking to Leena, his eyes were fixed on the soldiers standing on the training field.


    "But Kevin... I really want to," she pleaded. Leena bit her lower lip, waiting for her husband''s reply. It was the first time that she was insisting something from him. She knew exactly why she was feeling sad after her lunch with Tom and Patricia, and she needed her husband''sfort more than ever.


    Kevin raised his eyebrows in surprise when he heard Leena being so persistent. He had a feeling that she was not quite herself. Kevin was now really sensitive when it came to things that involved his little wife. "All right. I will have Lee go and get you when you arrive here," Kevin said softly.


    "Okay! Go back to work now. I don''t want to disturb you anymore." Leena finally smiled. She really wanted to go to him, and she looked forward to picking him up in the evening.


    Kevin hung up, and was immersed in thought. ''Didn''t she say that she was going to visit Tom at the hospital today? Why did she want toe here and pick me up? Besides, she sounded so weird, as if something was weighing on her mind.'' He wondered if Tom had said something that might have worried her. He was curious and a bit worried. He disliked seeing Leena unhappy, and that was why he had agreed to let here to the base.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1567 Visiting The Army Base (Part Four)

    "Major General, can we end this punishment now?" Lee asked a bit hesitantly, pulling him out of his thoughts. The soldiers were being punished and had been half-standing in the field for more than two hours now. They had also missed lunch time. Lee thought that maybe this was enough. "Yes. That''s enough. Let them go eat lunch," said Kevin. He nced at the time on his watch and nodded in agreement. This kind of punishment was a necessary evil. If he didn''t punish them for messing up, they might never learn. That was not something he wanted to see from his subordinates. "Understood, Major General," Lee saluted and immediately ran to the training field to relieve them from the hell they had been in. He had a feeling that the Major General might go easy on them. It must have had something to do with the phone call he had just answered. But that was just his guess.


    Looking at Lee''s retreating back, the corners of Kevin''s lips lifted into a smirk. Then, he turned around and walked to his office. He still had some paperwork to finish.


    "Looks like I am no longer the Devil Drillmaster anymore. You are the real Devil here," a voice said from behind him as he walked into the building. He stopped and turned to look at the owner of the voice. Daisy was quickly walking towards him. It looked like she was in a hurry.


    "I learned it all from you," Kevin immediately countered. He rubbed his nose a bit sheepishly. He was always worried about his soldiers. And this time, he had lost his cool and decided to punish them harshly for their mistake. He wanted them to remember the pain and not repeat their errors. It was for their own good.


    "Hey, don''t drag me into this. You make it sound like I really am a cruel drillmaster," Daisy protested. She was strict with the soldiers, that was true. But she would never admit that she was cruel and cold towards them while they were in training. She surely didn''t deserve that nickname.


    "Where are you going? You seem to be in a hurry," asked Kevin.


    "Oh, right! I almost forgot. I have some urgent errands to run downtown, so I don''t have time to watch over the Falcon training. You can take over, right? Sorry to dump this on you in thest minute." The Falcon was a specially formed secret squad of elite soldiers. So the less people knew about it, the better. They were keeping it under wraps. That was why only Kevin and Daisy were in charge of their training. Now that Daisy was upied, Kevin had to take her ce for the day.


    "No problem, don''t worry about it. You take care of things on your side," Kevin replied while nodding his head. Daisy didn''t tell him what exactly she was going to do this afternoon, but he wasn''t nning to ask again. Everyone had their own secrets, especially when it came to professions like theirs. Kevin figured that whatever she was going to do was either a secret mission or some personal matter. He had no right to ask.


    "I will," she said and then teased him yfully, "You know what, you are not as cold and distant as people say you are." Kevin smirked. To him, Daisy was more like a little sister than some mighty Senior Colonel, or the famous Devil Drillmaster. His feelings for Daisy were totally tonic now and she had be a good friend to him.


    "You are the one who is always cold and distant, not me," Kevin scoffed. He had a pretty smile on his face, making him look more handsome than ever.


    "All right, all right. Whatever floats your boat. Anyway, I should get going. Mark is waiting for me." Daisy waved her hand and turned around to leave. But after a few steps, she turned her head back all of a sudden and said, "Kevin, be good to Leena, okay?" She said that out of nowhere, then walked away in a hurry again, leaving a shocked Kevin behind.


    Kevin just stood there, staring at her back, with a confused look on his face. He had a feeling that Daisy was suggesting something, but he didn''t know what exactly she was hinting at. He nned to carefully think about itter.


    Leena arrived at the army base earlier than expected. But she didn''t enter the militarypound yet, because she was in a bad mood. She didn''t have the energy to talk to the soldiers'' wives today. She was tired and just wanted to see Kevin and go home together. She looked around to see if Lee was waiting for her. He wasn''t. She had arrived too early. But she didn''t want to call Kevin either. She just sat in her car, eyes fixed on the big gate of the army base, thinking of everything and nothing. She decided to stay in the car and wait. The soldiers at the gate of the army base recognized the beautiful Ferrari because their Major General had driven it there more than once. One of them ran inside to inform Kevin that his wife was waiting outside. So Leena didn''t have to wait for too long. A few minutester, Lee appeared at the gate and ran towards Leena''s car.


    "Leena, you are early. The Major General told me that you would not be here until at least 5 o''clock." Although it was already autumn and the weather was chilly, Lee still had a thinyer of sweat on his forehead because he had run all the way to the gate.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "I didn''t think I''d be here this early either. Is Kevin still busy?" asked Leena. She couldn''t tell Lee that she had intentionally arrived an hour earlier. She didn''t want Lee to tell that to Kevin and worry him unnecessarily.


    "Yes, he is still working. He is in the middle of something important right now and is not in his office at the moment. How about letting me give you a tour around the army base? I don''t think you have visited before, have you?" asked Lee. He didn''t know what else to do with Leena because Kevin hadn''t given him any particr instruction. It was a good idea to apany Leena in visiting the army base. After all, she seldom had a chance to visit the base, and she was a curious one. Lee assumed that she might enjoy it.

 Chapter 1568 Visiting The Army Base (Part Five)

    "Really? Can we do that? I am really interested!" Leena eximed. She had only been in the base once when she hade with Daisy. She was happy that she got the chance to look more closely at the ce where her husband worked.


    "Of course, it''s just a visit. It''s no big deal. We can totally do it." Lee looked at her in confusion and thought, ''Why is she so excited all of a sudden? Doesn''t she know that she can visit the army base as the wife of the Major General?'' "Great. But what about my car?" Leena asked, looking at her car. She couldn''t leave it outside the army base.


    "We can park it in the parking lot of the army base. Let me. You are not familiar with the ce," Lee said as he opened the car door, and got into it before Leena could even reply. Ever since Major General got married to Leena, Lee had been lucky enough to drive some expensive cars which he had never even seen before. He was pretty much used to it now.


    Leena quickly got in the car too. She didn''t know if it was the right thing to do by showing up at the army base, but she couldn''t care less. After the lunch with Tom and Patricia, she had been feeling extremely low. She didn''t me Patricia at all, because she had a point. She knew that her best friend had no intention to hurt her whatsover. But still, it had hit her hard when she had realized that she couldn''t be close to her brothers anymore, because she didn''t want to cause any disputes between the couples. She wanted to see Kevin badly and beforted by him.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    As they drove into the army base, Leena heard the loud and strong calls of the soldiers. And it made her feel warm. She felt closer to Kevin, and she was happy to know more about his work life.


    They parked the car and started walking around the base. Walking beside Lee, who was closer to Kevin than anyone here, Leena felt that she was being watched by everyone. They immediately realized who she was. She heard greetings from all around her, shouting, "Mrs. Gu."


    Leena was startled, because she had never heard anyone call out her name so loudly. A cute blush appeared on her face. She nodded at them with a sweet smile. She was happy to be weed so enthusiastically by them.


    Maybe it was because Leena was a beautiful girl with a nice personality, the soldiers watched her with admiring eyes. But it was mostly out of respect, as she was their Major General''s wife. They would never dare hit on Leena, no matter how pretty she was. "Looks like you are already popr, Leena," said Lee.


    "Really? Why do you think so?" Leena was oblivious. Ever since she was a little girl, wherever she went, she could feel eyes on her. Being watched by others was a normal thing for her. She was used to it. Besides, as long as their gaze didn''t make her feel ufortable, she didn''t mind.


    "Well, you will see for yourself," he said with a smile. Lee didn''t exin further. Instead, he continued showing her around the army base. They also met some of the officers she had met before when they had dinner together at the militarypoundst year. But they only chatted briefly, because they were all busy this time of the day.


    Visiting the whole army base didn''t take too long. Kevin still hadn''t gotten off work by the time they had finished the tour. It was already dinner time, and Lee was afraid that Leena would be hungry. He took her to the canteen to have dinner. When they walked into the canteen, all eyes turned to look at them, especially at Leena. It was also dinner time for the soldiers, so there were many people there. Many of them had heard that the Major General had married a very rich and beautiful girl, but they had never seen her in person. Now, they had finally got the chance to meet the woman who had stolen the Major General''s heart. Some even whistled at her in excitement. All the attention made the heat rise in Leena''s face. She was embarrassed.


    When Kevin got the news and went to the canteen, there were already several soldiers around Leena''s table. They were looking to gossip about the Major General. The soldiers realized that Leena was easy-going and kind, and that she was willing to talk to them. So they were not afraid of her and were willing to hear her talk too.


    "Leena, our Major General isn''t romantic, is he?" a soldier with a cute face asked out of curiosity. He didn''t think that the Major General was the romantic type at all, considering how serious and harsh he was when they were training.


    "What kind of stupid question is that? You should ask Leena what she sees in our Major General," another soldier interrupted, making everyone else around themugh. They were so focused on their conversation with Leena that they didn''t even notice Kevin approaching stealthily behind them.


    "Yeah! That''s a good question. Tell us your love story, please! We are curious." They all seemed super intrigued by the second soldier''s question. They wanted to know some juicy stories about the Major General. Leena was a bit startled by their curiosity. Besides, that was a question Leena didn''t know how to answer. She couldn''t tell them that she had a one-night-stand with the Major General, could she? That didn''t seem like a proper answer. So Leena kept her mouth shut and just smiled at them, pretending like she didn''t hear the question. "Why don''t you let me tell you our love story, huh?" Kevin asked in a cold voice, driving the whole canteen silent. The soldiers froze for a moment and then immediately straightened their backs and looked at him with serious eyes. The smiles on their faces had been wiped clean.


    "Major General, we have finished our meal. So, we''ll leave you and Mrs. Gu to enjoy your dinner now," a petty officer said immediately. He wanted to get the soldiers out of there as soon as possible. They would never dare to gossip about the Major General when he was right in front of them. That would be suicide.

 Chapter 1569 Feeling Depressed (Part One)

    Leena looked nkly at the soldiers who just fled. Then she turned to Kevin and wondered, ''Why did they all run away? Is Kevin really that terrifying?''


    "Major General, would you like to choose your own dishes or shall I help you with it?" However, unlike the other soldiers, Lee remained calm upon seeing Kevin. Even his voice didn''t show any trace of fear at all when he approached.


    "Help me choose," said Kevin as he sat next to Leena. Feeling her staring at him made him look back at her too. He thought, ''I didn''t expect her to get along that well with the soldiers.''


    "Is there anything on my face?" Leena unwittingly touched the corner of her mouth. She felt her cheeks burned under Kevin''s gaze. Thus, she silently thought, ''Do I have rice on my face or something?''


    "No. You look great." The gentle smile that cracked Kevin''s lips surprised all the soldiers who were still eating around them. Kevin had always been very strict with their training, thus, they were shocked to see him so gentle. He was like a different man when he was with Leena. The difference between how he treated the woman and them was just so evident that they could taste it in their food.


    "They all seem to be afraid of you." Nevertheless, Leena seemed to be unaffected by all the attention when she looked at Kevin and sweetly smiled. The more she stayed in this ce, the more she admired Kevin.


    "And you? Why aren''t you afraid of me?" joked Kevin while raising his eyebrows. He couldn''t help but wonder about what happened to Leena today.


    "Who told you that I''m not afraid of you? I''m always worried that you''ll be angry," whispered Leena innocently. Little did Kevin know about the great pressure she was feeling whenever he was mad at her. It seemed that her fear of him unconsciously sprang from his career. He always looked so majestic, dignified, and intimidating.


    "So are they. They''re afraid whenever I''m angry too." In reality, Kevin was actually more approachable than Daisy. There had not been a soldier who dared to talk before the woman. The soldiers were so terrified of her that even just her mere stare could cause the soldiers to run out of breath.


    "Kevin, don''t you think they''re cute?" The two talked quietly. Their voices were so low that only they could hear each other.


    "That''s your opinion. You wouldn''t say that if you were with them every day." Most of the soldiers inside the army base were good looking indeed. However, Kevin couldn''t even care less about that as all he was after was to make them progress in exchange for the efforts. They were in the middle of that conversation when Lee quickly came to their table and politely arranged the dishes for Kevin. He quietly left the couple without interrupting their conversation.


    "Do you eat the same food every day?" Curiously, Leena looked at the dishes served to them and thought, ''His food seems to be simr to mine.''


    "Of course not. Can you stand the same food every day?" Kevin said as he put some foods on her bowl. He was so used to serving Leena this way. Thus, for the second time around, almost all the soldiers surrounding them went silent in surprise. "No. I''m full." Leena puckered up her lovely lips and felt embarrassed while looking at the pile of food in her bowl.


    "Eat more. You can''t waste food inside the army base." Kevin said in a warning yet caring voice. He didn''t even care about how his current actions were messing with the serious image he put up before the soldiers.Copyright by N?v/elDrama.Org.


    "But this is your food." Leena red at him. ''Why does he keep asking me to eat? Does he think I''m too thin? I don''t think he feels ufortable with my built whenever he touches me. So why on earth is he forcing me to eat?''


    "I know but I want you to eat more." Kevin had no intention of showing off how sweet their rtionship was. However, his sweetness towards his wife was more of a natural act that he just kept doing subconsciously.


    "But I really don''t want to eat." Leena looked at him with begging eyes. For a moment, she looked like a little child who was at the verge of crying. On the other hand, the nosy soldiers around them were still checking on them discreetly while wondering what Kevin would do next.


    "Just eat more. Be good." As soon as Kevin finished speaking, everyone around them made a startling cry. They didn''t expect their Major General to be so gentle, thus, they were all so shocked that they fell off their seats.


    It was only after hearing the noises that Kevin seemed to recover himself. He gave everyone around them a quick nce and then in a stone cold voice ordered, "Five-kilometer cross-country race for everyone. Fully armed." What he said caused another series of surprised cries from the soldiers again. How could their superior change from one persona to another in just a nick of a second? How was that even possible!


    On the further corner of the room, Lee, who was just silently sitting on one of the seats, twitched the corner of his mouth and thought, ''Ah! You all deserve it. Why did you guys stay here just to spy on the Major General anyway? You guys are already done with your dinner! Good luck to you all. May you guys survive the ten kilometers run in fullbat gear you''ll do tonight. Tsk! You guys are so screwed.''


    "Umh... Kevin, do you still have a mission tonight?" Leena looked at Kevin''s serious face doubtfully as she didn''t get what he meant.


    "What the Major General said is a punishment to the soldiers, Leena." It was Lee who answered her query. However, the poor soldier instantly received a warning re from Kevin right after he exined. It was as if Kevin was telling him that he should have not said that. "Why? They didn''t do anything wrong. Why would you punish them?" asked Leena in an even more confused tone. Her eyebrows were even knotting as she stared at the man. ''I just had a good time with them. I don''t want them to be punished,'' she thought. "Did you guys hear that? You all should thank my wife. I won''t punish you today." Kevin let out a defeated sigh and then looked at Leena. This was how much he adored his wife. Regardless of how hard he was as a person, one word from Leena could make him melt.000000000000000

 Chapter 1570 Feeling Depressed (Part Two)

    "Yes. Thank you, Mrs. Gu," said the soldiers in unison. Their voices went too loud that it echoed through the whole dining hall. Hearing their neat answers, Leena scratched her head in embarrassment and blushed.


    "You guys can leave now." Kevin nced at them and the soldiers all left as fast as they could. Frankly, they were afraid that Kevin might change his mind and push for the punishment. They all moved so fast that for a moment the hall was filled with the sounds of running footsteps.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Leena had been smiling the whole time until she went out of the army base. Shepletely forgot about her displeasure before visiting the ce.


    On the other hand, Kevin was watching her through it all. He had been wanting to ask her why she was so happy. Her sweet smile was stered on her face until they both reached the Grand Apartment. Nevertheless, he chose to put his questions on hold as he was afraid that doing so might change her mood.


    "Why are you so happy today?" asked Kevin when he was finally parking the car. He''d bottled up his question for so long that his curiosity was already eating him at this point.


    "Ha-ha. Nothing. I just never thought of the soldiers to be that interesting." Leena giggled as she remembered the scenes inside the army base. She thought that the experience she had today was nice. It was only now that she had the chance to observe the soldiers. She never thought of them to be that enthusiastic, strong and brave.


    "Since you like them, I can take you there to see them more often." Kevin put his army coat over Leena''s shoulders. Autumn nights were cold and he didn''t want her to catch a cold.


    "Really? Promise that to me then! You should swear to me that you are not lying!" Leena stopped and looked at him with questioning eyes.


    "You little fool, I swear I''m not lying." Kevin tenderly squeezed her nose. He smiled at her and then ran his fingers through her soft hair.


    "How will I know that you''re not lying?" As she said, she happily took his arm and walked close to him into the elevator.


    "What did Tom say today?" Kevin inquired as the elevator went up. He chose to ask this rather than answer her question. God knew how long had he been itching to know what Tom got to say about them.


    "Well. He said that if you are free, you can ask him to give you a full-body check-up, so that he cane to a conclusion." Leena''s smile disappeared as soon as she mentioned the doctor''s name. She felt a little disappointed just by remembering Patricia''s words.


    "A full-body check-up?" Kevin frowned and hesitated for a few seconds. It didn''t take long though before he said, "Then I''ll see him before I go to the army base the day after tomorrow."


    "OK. I''ll call him tomorrow and ask him to make time for that," said Leena. She tenderly looked up at him and then nestled tightly in his strong arms.


    "Am I going to disturb him if ever?" Kevin held her cold hand tightly and stepped out of the elevator.


    "No. He said you would be wee to his hospital at any time." A smile appeared on Leena''s face as she lowered her head. She looked as lovely as a doll.


    "Is there anything else you want to tell me?" Kevin couldn''t help but ask.


    "Nothing more. I saw Patricia today and her stomach has grown a lot." Leena said as she followed him into their house. As long as he was there, she just needed to follow him without doing anything else. "Then why did you have to go to the army base to see me today?" asked Kevin while staring at her curiously.


    "Because I suddenly missed you so much and I wanted to see you soon." Leena wrapped her slender arms around Kevin''s waist. She didn''t want Kevin to read through her mind, thus, she buried her face in his arms. "Nana, it''s okay. I will be there for you." Kevin mistakenly thought she felt bad by the sight of Patricia''s belly. However, it wasn''t the case.


    "I know. I will be happy as long as I''m with you." Leena took a deep breath as she talked. She found the smell of his sweat oddlyforting.


    In reaction though, Kevin smiled, pushed her out of his arms a little, and then kissed her with his warm lips. It wasn''t the first time he kissed Leena. However, he still couldn''t control himself from wanting her more.


    Leena passively responded to his enthusiasm. She stood on tiptoe and just let herself get lost in his tenderness. Her arms slowly moved to embrace his shoulders as she was trying to tell him how much she loved him with this kiss.


    The kiss turned sizzling the next few seconds, erotic even. It was consuming her sanity, thus, she felt her knees going weaker. She clung to him tighter as she wanted to be one with him.


    However, Kevin wasn''t lost in the kiss as much as Leena. His mind was still reeling thoughts about Tom''s request. He said nothing about it though and just continued to kiss her savagely hot while hugging her against him.


    This was the first time that they had longed this much for each other''s bodies. The passion was just intense and intoxicating. They were burning with lust and their wild kisses were simply unbelievable. For a while, it felt like everything else just melted on the background with nothing else left, but them alone.


    The next day, Kevin left the house early. Leena missed tying his necktie for him again. She was too tired fromst night and just couldn''t move a muscle, thus, she never got the chance to fix Kevin for work.


    Kevin''s physical examination showed that his body had basically recovered. Therefore, he was given the opportunity to go out on a mission. He was already one step out of the door when Leena suddenly tugged on his sleeves tightly and shot him with her sad eyes.


    "I think you should go back to your brother''s house when I''m not at home, Nana. It''s a lot better since they can take care of you. Besides, Spencer is there too. You like him, right?" Kevin tried to sound casual amidst the worry that he had for Leena.000

 Chapter 1571 Feeling Depressed (Part Three)

    "Don''t worry about me. I''ll take care of myself," responded Leena as she patted the military uniform he was wearing with her palm.


    "Okay, if you said so. I''ll call you sometime. Wait for me." As soon as he finished speaking, Kevin grabbed Leena''s face and gave her a deep kiss. It was passionate but it didn''tst long enough. He immediately withdrew himself and then left as fast as he could just before he even changed his mind. Leena was left at the door as she watched him leave. He had not gone far yet but she was already missing him. Tears welled up in her eyes as she followed his figure.


    He would be away for two months on this mission. Two months wasn''t long but it seemed like it was for Leena. Therefore, she nned to use the two months to deal with her own work and keep herself busy.


    One day, Leena went to Edward''s house but none of them were home. Thus, she drove to visit Michelle''s house instead, which wasn''t that far from the Mu''s residence.


    "Leena, why are you here?" Michelle was so happy to see Leena. She had asked for a leave from school due to her pregnancy. She decided to stay home alone, which was actually boring.


    "I was supposed to see Edward and Daisy but I heard that they were on vacation." Leena took a sip of the water that the maid handed her and thought, ''It''s very rare that Daisy has time to go on vacation.''


    "Yes. They went to the surrounding city for two days. I think they''ll be back tomorrow night." Michelle answered and smiled. It was obvious how she had matured a lot since her pregnancy. She had turned gentler and nicer, just like how expecting mothers were.


    "I see. I was just wondering why Daisy had the time to hang out." Leena thought that Daisy should be busier nowadays since Kevin wasn''t around.


    "Kevin''s been gone for more than a week, right? Did he call you?" Truth be told, Michelle admired Leena a lot. She and Luke rarely had time to spend time with each other. However, their condition was much better than that of Leena and Kevin. Although Luke was oftente, he made a point toe home to her every night. Michelle was more than satisfied with that.


    "He hasn''t called me yet. By the way, why didn''t you join Daisy and Edward''s vacation?" Leena leaned back on the sofa and askedfortably.


    "As you can see, I''m pregnant now and I really don''t want to travel." Michelle touched her stomach with her hand. She had been taking care of her baby carefully. It was a joy that her pregnancy was going five months now.


    "You are right. How about Luke? Did he go with them?" Leena looked around and hoped to see the guy.


    "Yes. The whole family is on vacation, so they need Luke to take care of them." A sweet smile appeared on Michelle''s face just by mentioning Luke''s name. Although Luke was a cold and domineering man, he had made her the happiest woman alive.


    "I can see that you guys are on good terms. What you suffered before has not been in vain," Leena joked. Honestly, she had hoped that all her friends could find their Miss Right or Mr. Right. However, the thought that all of them ended up with happy endings made her both happy and envious at the same time.


    "Yes. I can finally be happy." Since Michelle was pregnant, Luke indulged all her whim. It was hard to imagine a cool guy like Luke would be so gentle and attentive to her, so Michelle had a great time every day.


    Leena was a little depressed when she walked out of Michelle''s house. She drove around the street for a long time. ''Why does everyone, except me, have their own mission?'' she thought as she touched her stomach and sighed.


    A few minutester, she found herself sitting alone inside the Fragrance. She would just feel sad while eating if she would go home, thus, she chose to eat here instead.


    Nevertheless, she didn''t expect that she''d run into Brian while she was here. ''Isn''t he abroad? When did he get back?'' she asked herself confusedly.


    "Brian, what are you doing here?" Leena asked happily. It looked like she was about to havepany now.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "It''s you, Leena. I just returned home yesterday. I heard my sister say that the vegetarian food here is good, so I want to try it. Are you alone?" Brian was still very handsome. His father was in a poor mental condition before, thus, he came back to run his father''spany for a while. It was only after his dad recovered from the mental case that he left the city again. Honestly, this city was filled with sad memories for him, thus, he didn''t want to stay here.


    "Yes. And you? Are you alone?" Leena looked behind him.


    "Yes. My sister said you owned the restaurant. Is it true?" Yakira might be a bad woman, nevertheless, she had a good son. Brian was not only handsome but also of a good character. This was definitely not inherited from Yakira.


    "Yes. Let me buy you a dinner to wee you home." Leena patted her chest with pride. She looked more like a tomboy than a richdy.


    "Lucky me." Brian said and didn''t even turn her offer down.


    "Let''s go. I''ll ask the cook to make something special for you." In fact, the two of them were not so familiar with each other. However, they feltfortable after exchanging some few words. It seemed that they were both very extroverted people. "That would be great." Brian followed her in. It was the first time that he had been at the Fragrance, thus, he couldn''t help looking around. He was pleased with the wonderful decorations of the ce.


    They had a delicious dinner. Brian shared some interesting stories to her about overseas. They both studied abroad, thus, they got along very well. However, good times were always so short. After saying goodbye to Brian, Leena began to feel lonely and bored again. Leena missed Kevin like crazy as soon as she stepped into their home. She wondered how good it would be if she had a child to apany her whenever Kevin was away. God knew how tired and lonely she was and how much she yearned to have a baby.

 Chapter 1572 A Pleasant Surprise (Part One)

    Kevin had been practicing overseas for ten hours a day. The sessions were so grueling that he sometimes wondered if he was not at a training base but in a living hell.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    He had promised Leena he would call her daily, but he hadn''t had the time to do so even once. He had been here for a month already. His body was sore and ached all day long. Kevin had no time to spare to Leena or his family.


    At the training base, Kevin was not a Major General. He was an ordinary soldier - just like the others. He had no privileges or a sense of superiority. Everyone was equal here.


    His feet were worn and his arms had cuts and bruises all over - it was not unusual among the soldiers here. They not only needed to trainnd battle skills, but also to improve on air and navalbat. The practice made them stronger and more able soldiers.


    Hispanions included some western soldiers. Kevin was as tall as they were but less muscr. That didn''t mean that he was too weak to fight them or that hegged behind. Kevin was highly skilled in unarmed and hand-to-handbat. He proved to be a good match for them.


    Once, they were practicing high altitude jumps. One of the soldiers was new to the training and frightened. He was about to jump. On an impulse, he grabbed Kevin, who was standing behind him. They took the fall together. Anyone else would find it a jarring experience and be rattled, but Kevin was an exception. He opened his parachute in ordance with the steps, the very picture of calm vignce. Both of themnded safely.


    Since then, Kevin had developed quite a reputation among the soldiers. The incident counted among his many achievements. Many admired him for his courage andposure. Kevin always had eyes on him and would take the lead in every project. The soldiers addressed Kevin as "The Soldier King" in reverence. His intense training during the time Leena had left him certainly had an impact on his performance.


    They jumped through burning mes, crept forward in muddy waters and climbed high mountains. This not only strengthened their bodies - it increased their agility, discipline and more importantly, made them more fearless.


    People admired soldiers for they looked so handsome in military uniforms, but little did they know how dangerous their training sessions were. Sweat and blood had turned them into excellent assets. Being in the military was not just about surface heroism. The ordinary people who had not enlisted in the army would never understand that.


    God was never cruel to kindhearted people, and it was the same with Leena. Perhaps he had been too busytely, so Leena''s good fortune was a littlete to arrive.


    Leena had been so busy with her designs that she hadn''t taken her medicine in the past few months. Now that she had some time on her hands, she decided to go to Renxin Hospital and get a thorough examination done. Tom had advised her to do so previously. When Leena entered Tom''s office, she didn''t throw herself into Tom''s arms like she used to. Instead, she shed him a friendly yet distant smile as she greeted him.


    "Tom, good morning." She still sounded sweet and caring, but Tom could tell she was maintaining a distance from him. She was not being casual or intimate.


    "Oh. Good to see you, Leena." Her distant behavior ached Tom''s heart. ''Why is she being so formal with me? Is this about what happened earlier?'' he wondered.


    "Uh... You said I should get myself examined again. I was quite busy before today. So here I am," Leena said with some hesitation. In truth, she had been free for a couple of days now. However, fearing that she would encounter the bad news once again after her examination, she didn''t daree here. Today, she had finally gathered up the nerve.


    "So, you''ve made up your mind?" Tom asked. A frown marred his face as he stared at her.


    "Yep! I''m willing to undergo the treatment. Even if the medicines are bitter, I''m willing to take them as long as they help," Leena said. She was firm in her decision.


    "Before all that, I want to have a talk with you." Tom leaned back in his chair, his eyes fixing on her face. He wondered what was going through her mind, judging from the perturbed expression on her face.


    "A talk? About what?" Leena was reluctant to talk. She didn''t want to face any questions Tom would raise. But Tom was determined.


    "Why are you treating me like this? Why are you suddenly alienating yourself from me?" Tom asked out loud, giving voice to his frustration. He couldn''t understand what her reasons were. Leena was still his most beloved sworn sister.


    "Tom, I don''t know what you are talking about. You are overreacting. Everything is the same." Leena dodged his eyes. Tom knew she was lying. Every time she told a lie, she didn''t meet the other person''s eyes.


    "Leena, I know you well. Don''t hide the truth from me. I deserve better than that." Tom sighed with profound resignation. Her behavior really bothered him.


    "Tom, I''m sorry. Everyone has their own life to live, and I feel like my behavior has troubled a lot of people," Leena said. She wanted to give him a reassuring smile but failed. It was difficult for her to hold back her affection for her sworn brothers, and Tom was one of them. "Is it because of what Patricia said to you that day? Have you decided to stay away from me?" Tom asked, shutting his eyes. He rubbed at his temples in annoyance.


    "She does mind our rtionship, doesn''t she? We might be close, but we can''t be selfish and ignore how others feel." Leena bit her lower lip gently. ''Tom, why do you have to force me to say it out loud? I''ve always been close to you. It''s a struggle for me to hold myself back,'' she thought.


    "Leena, have you ever thought about my feelings on this?" Tom asked. ''Patricia and Leena are best friends. They know each other so well. How is it that they are fighting because of me?'' he thought.


    "I''m sorry, but I have to respect her feelings. Between the two of you, I can only choose one." Leena smiled bitterly. She couldn''t behave as intimately with Tom as she used to. Tom was Patricia''s husband now. His first priority should be Patricia, not her. Maybe this was the cost of growing up.


    "Fine. I get it." Tom was a little heartbroken. ''Why do I have to choose between my sister and wife? Can''t I have them both? It''s cruel.''


    "Tom, don''t worry about it. You still are and will forever be my dearest brother. We might not be as close to each other anymore, but our affections won''t change." Leena raised her head and shed him a wide grin, hoping it would reassure him.


    "All right. Let''s take your examination." Tom stood up and made his way to the examination room. His voice was remote and emotionless, and his face had turned dark.


    Leena''s heart broke when she saw Tom''s reaction. ''Am I wrong? Patricia seems to have an objection to the way Tom and I behave with each other. What should I do? I don''t want to lose either of them!'' she thought, perplexed.


    "Aren''t youing with me?" Tom asked Leena, his tone cold. He noticed that she didn''t follow him. In the past, she would have immediately looped her arm through his. But now, she kept a certain distance from him. It confused him and made him ufortable. "Uh..." Leena caught up to Tom. She was worried about him. He had never spoken to her in such a cold manner before. It looked like she had really hurt him.


    Once the examination was over, Leena looked at Tom uneasily and waited for his final judgment. Deep down, she expected to hear about her misfortune once again. What could have changed in such a short time?


    "Are you feeling nervous?" Tom softened his voice at her sad expression. He might be disappointed with her decision of distancing herself, but she was still his sworn sister.


    "A little." Leena smiled weakly. She was indeed a bundle of nerves. It felt like she was almost suffocating.


    "Don''t worry. You have faced worse situations before, haven''t you?" Unconsciously, Tom reached out in an attempt to hold her. But as soon as he remembered her resolution to keep him at arm''s length, he withdrew and stepped back.


    "I know I have. But I just can''t help it." Leena clutched at her dress, wringing it nervously. Each second that passed by felt like a year to her.0000000

 Chapter 1573 A Pleasant Surprise (Part Two)

    Tom opened his mouth to try and console her but eventually decided against it. There was a clear wedge between them. No matter how hard they tried now, they couldn''t just go back to the way they used to be around each other. After a long while, the nurse finally came in with the results. She put them on the desk in front of Tom.


    Before picking up the documents, Tom gulped and cast a nce in Leena''s direction. He found that she was shaking, her face as pale as death itself.


    "Would you like a ss of water first?" As Tom spoke, he poured out a ss of warm water for her. Hesitantly, he put his hands on her shoulders tofort her. Slowly, he went behind his desk and picked up the report.


    Suddenly, his eyes lit up. His gaze turned to Leena in disbelief, who was still avoiding looking at him. Tom bubbled with excitement. He was eager to share the great news with her but stood stock still. He feared that the nurse had brought him the wrong documents, so he double checked the patient''s name on it.


    "Leena, have you been feeling differenttely?" Tom asked. He was too afraid to speak out the truth. He felt like he was in a dream and could be roused to the bitter reality any moment.


    "Feeling different? How?" Leena shot him a questioning look. She didn''t understand what Tom was trying to imply. Why would she feel any different?


    "Have you felt ufortable recently?" Tom continued as he perused the results in his hands. Finally, he heaved a long sigh of relief once he reached the end of the report.


    "No. But I wake upte in the mornings. Maybe I don''t sleep so well these days." Leena gave Tom an embarrassed smile. She really missed Kevin. Sometimes, it was hard to fall asleep at night without him.


    "Come over here," Tom ordered her quickly.


    "What? Why?" Leena walked up to him in confusion.


    "I just want to hug you." Before she could say anything, Tom pulled her into his arms and rested his head on her shoulder tenderly.


    "Tom, is this because the results are so bad that you just want tofort me?" Leena asked. Her heart felt like it was shattering. She had prepared herself for the worst this morning, but if Tom actually said the result out loud, she might not be able to ept her bad luck.


    "No, you silly girl! Congrattions!" Ever since Tom came to know that Leena was infertile, he hadn''tughed in such a carefree manner. Now, he felt buoyant and happy. Today''s results were a miracle. He couldn''t help but thank God in his heart.


    "Congrattions? What do you mean?" Leena broke herself free from Tom''s arms and stared at him nkly, wondering why he was smiling so widely.


    "You''re going to be a mom! Aren''t you thrilled?" Tom dered in excitement. The results indicated that Leena had been pregnant for about a month now. It was astonishing.


    "Haha! Tom, you wretch! Are you messing around with me?" Leena furrowed her brows. She couldn''t believe what Tom was iming. She couldn''t be so lucky. How could her dreame true so soon?


    "What? You don''t believe me? I didn''t trust it either when I first saw the report. So I double checked the results. You are indeed pregnant!" Tom handed the documents to Leena, grinning widely.


    "Tom, you don''t have to make this up to console me. I''m not sad, really." Leena''s eyes reddened. She just couldn''t believe her ears. This was unreal.


    "I can understand why you don''t believe it. But miracles do happen, right? Leena, just look at the results with your own eyes. You''ll believe me then." Tom could understand what she was going through. She had been looking forward to having a baby for so long. Now that the day was here, she was hard-pressed to believe that she could be so lucky.


    Leena looked at the documents suspiciously. "Tom, pinch me. I want to make sure I''m not in a dream." Leena flipped through the documents. Her hands were shaking. Happiness snaked through her and she shivered. She hadn''t expected this result so soon. "Sure." Tom pinched her chubby cheek hard, just like she requested.


    "Ouch! That hurts! Tom, why did you pinch me so hard?" Leena threw him an usatory look and pouted, stroking her aching cheek.


    "You asked me to!" Tom stared back at her with innocent eyes. He had just done as he was told!


    "I didn''t want you to pinch me so hard!" Leena whined, lifting her head to look at him. It was not until now that she realized she was not in a dream. She was pregnant. It was true.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "If I didn''t pinch you so hard, you would still think that this is a dream." Tomughed. He felt like he was happier than she was, knowing that she was finally having a baby.


    "Thank you, Tom. For everything." This time, Leena took the initiative to hug him. She apologized to Patricia silently. ''Sorry, Patricia. Please allow me to hug Tom just this once. He has been there for me throughout all this. I''m so grateful for what he has done for me.'' "Silly girl. Why thank me? It''s the result of your hard work." Tom kissed her hair in affection. Finally, this chapter hade to a close.


    "No, Tom. I know how hard you''ve tried to treat me." Leena let go of Tom and stroked her belly in amazement. It was incredible to think that she had another life inside of her. She couldn''t wait to share the news with Kevin.


    "By the way, have you taken your medicines recently?" Tom asked her seriously. Some medicines had side effects on pregnant women. He must review Leena''s prescriptions.


    "No, I haven''t. I''ve been really busy in thest few months, so I haven''t been taking any medication. Why?" Leena grew nervous at Tom''s serious expression.


    "Thank God! I was worried about that." Tom was sure that the medicines he had prescribed for Leena were safe. But she was pregnant now. He didn''t want to take any risks, however imusible. Leena was his sworn sister. He would ensure she gave birth to a healthy child.


    "Would it hurt the baby if I take the medicines?" Leena asked in curiosity. She had been busy with her designs in the past several months. Afraid that the difort of taking the medicines would affect her ideas and inspiration, she had opted out of taking them. It was fortunate that she had done so, because now she was pregnant. Leena shook her head. Only a few months ago when she had left Kevin to go abroad, she had taken them every single day!


    "No, but I don''t want you to take any risks. I''m going to fetch some folic acid and calcium pills for you. I''ll also ask an obstetrician to give you some advice." Tom was fretful. Perhaps it was because it had been so hard for Leena to have a baby, but he felt even more excited now than when Patricia was pregnant.


    "Sure." Leena was over the moon. Until now, she had never felt that life could be so beautiful. Silently, she thanked God for this much-awaited gift.


    Leena still felt like she was in a dream when she left the hospital. She walked back to her car carefully. The obstetrician had told her all the precautions she needed to take. She needed to fullyply with them. This baby was hard-won. Leena would do everything she could to protect it. Following those instructions was a small price to pay.


    The person she wanted to share this news with the most was not here. How she wished she could throw herself into his arms and kiss him! He had promised her that he would call her, but he hadn''t even left her a message. It puzzled her. She wondered if he was still training, or if thepetition had already begun.


    Leena imagined how excited Kevin would be when he learned that he was going to be a father. Picturing it, Leena felt like she could burst with happiness. She smiled widely to herself.


    She stroked her belly as softly as she could, as if afraid she would scare the baby away. It was still just a fertilized egg. She had nothing to worry about.


    "My baby, thank you," she spoke to the baby. "Thank you for choosing me to be your mother. Thank you for bringing us this happiness. In future, I promise to love you and protect you with my life, so you grow up healthy and sound.


    I can''t give you all the wealth in the world, nor can I promise you''d be the most fortunate person alive, but I will shower you with the purest love of a mother. I''ll try my best to keep you happy, my child."??????????????

 Chapter 1574 The Most Precious Person (Part One)

    Everyone was delighted to hear that Leena was pregnant. The gang blessed her and her baby sincerely, and Belinda stopped by, her precious newborn baby in tow.


    "Oh, Spencer. A... Let me hold him." Leena reached out so Belinda could ce Spencer in her arms. Belinda and her baby were radiant in the sun, the rays shining through the leaves to create a checkerboard of shadows on everyone there.


    "Probably not a good idea. You''re pregnant right now, and we don''t want you to strain yourself!" It was a Herculean effort for Leena to get pregnant with all those physical examinations and medicines. Belinda wouldn''t allow Leena to do something risky, even a little. "Hey, easy, dear. I''m pregnant, not dead. Hand him over, please." Leena''s beautiful face turned red thanks to Belinda''s teasing.


    "Don''t think so. Your baby is a gift from God. Can''t be too careful." Belinda headed into the house with Spencer in her arms. Ever since Spencer was born, he was all Belinda focused on. Duke was very unhappy with it, iming that Belinda did not care for him as his wife. Men were obviously childish in love. Spencer was still a baby, and his son, to boot. How could he be jealous of him?!


    "Yeah, well, I can take care of myself. Don''t worry. Where''s Duke? Didn''t see him. He wasn''t supposed to leave you two alone!" Leenabed her long hair with her fingers, trying to tidy it up. She was too excited to fall asleepst night, and it was the wee hours before she finally did. Early birds were beginning to chirp when she finally closed her eyes. She hadn''t been up for long when Belinda and Spencer arrived. She hadn''t even had time to get herself ready for the day.


    "He''s in the office now. He only has weekends off. He''s not supposed to stay home. Actually he''s worried about you, so he sent me by to check on you." Belinda ced Spencer on the soft sofa. That little boy even rolled over so he could sit up. He was a quiet child, so obedient and cute.


    "Worried about me? Why? I''m all good! Right, Spencer?" Leena bent over and left a soft kiss on Spencer''s plump face.


    "Kevin will be back soon, right? He''s been gone for like a month." If she were Leena, she''d never be able to get used to that. Why marry if your husband wouldn''t be around? Being a soldier''s wife was not an easy job for most women.


    "Don''t think so. We''ll have a long wait ahead of us. He said the assignment was for two months." Leena raised her eyes to look at Belinda.


    "He''s going to be thrilled when he hears the news." Belinda was happy for Leena from the bottom of her heart. For a woman, having a baby with the man she loved was one of the happiest things ever.


    "Maybe! He''s not good at expressing himself, you know." Leena felt like she didn''t know Kevin that well. The Kevin she was familiar with was the one in his private time. As for the workaholic Kevin, she barely knew him. She only saw him at work one time. He was so heroic and overwhelming. She never saw that side of Kevin at home.


    "Oh. Come here, girl. Give me a hug." Belinda let Spencer nestle in the sofa and then bent forward to give Leena a warm hug. She was so happy for Leena and her eyes could not help turning red.


    "Hey, Belinda. You miss Duke so much that you''ll take a hug from anyone?" Leena teased her, but not unkindly. She was touched as well. There were so many friends and family here, caring for her.


    "You bad girl, y nice. I''m happy for you. Don''t make fun of me." Belinda red at her in mock anger. Leena''sment was kind of out of bounds.


    "Don''t get mad. I was just kidding. Spencer, kiss your mom so she won''t be angry at your auntie, okay?" Leena smiled and looked to her nephew, who was grabbing his mother''s sleeve and trying hard to stagger to his feet. He seemed to understand Leena''s words and then struggled to hug Belinda.


    "You siding with your auntie? Don''t. She ys lots of tricks." Belinda found it ridiculously funny. She stopped her son from grabbing her around her face. He was indeed a junior Duke Leng, and was good at annoying her.


    "You take that back. I''m an innocent angel," Leena protested, giggling.


    "Oh yeah, before I forget... did you tell Kevin''s mom that you''re pregnant?" Belinda grasped the little hand that was continually pulling her hair. Spencer was more able to make movements as time went by. He liked to y with his mother''s hair, which literally was the reason why she lost her hair recently.


    "Not yet. Maybe when Kevin''s back!" Leena still felt like that she was living in a dream until now. So she wanted to wait for more time to confirm and digest this news. Kevin was the one she wanted to share it with. Also, she needed his help to make sure it was all real. She was just too thrilled and didn''t think she could contain herself long enough to tell her inws. As long as Kevin was around her, she''d be okay.


    "Yes. I get it. You want him to hear it first. Big-mouth Tom had to go and b the news." Belinda burst into giggles. When Duke got the call from Tom and heard the good news, he thought Tom was kidding. That was why Duke was so serious around Tom. When he confirmed that Leena was pregnant, he told everyone to be careful and take care of Leena the whole time. He was a totally different person.


    "I didn''t think that he''d tell everyone." Leena was quite embarrassed about it. Everybody knew she was pregnant all of a sudden, thanks to Tom.


    "It''s wonderful news. No wonder he was desperate to share it with others. Oh, Duke wants you home with the family while Kevin''s gone. You''d be alone here. He''s not happy about that." Belinda came here today to help out Leena, who Duke valued more than his own life. He would never let anything happen to her.


    "Oh! Ha ha. Why? I won''t be alone for long. I can move easily, and I can take care of myself now!" Leena felt that Duke was making too much of a fuss. So she turned him down. She wanted to stay here, making sure everything was in tip top shape while Kevin was away. "Well, I''m afraid you need to tell him yourself! I''m just the messenger." Belinda took out a baby bottle and fed it to Spencer. From a mother-to-be who could barely take care of babies to a skilled mother, she had spent lots of time learning everything. We never know how much our parents love us, until we be parents ourselves. It was a tough task to raise a baby, especially for a mother.


    "Alright! I''ll callter. Spencer, you need to hurry up and talk so you can tell me what you want. Auntie Leena is gonna spoil you rotten." Leena began to y with her nephew again. He was so cute, with a round, pink face. He even looked like a girl sometimes. "Duke said he''d send Giselle over to take care of you. I thought you should know." More news from Belinda, and this time Leena was speechless. She didn''t even know how to respond to this news.


    "No, Belinda. If Gisellees here, what about you? You need her help!" Leena gave Belinda a confused look. True, there were lots of servants in Leng house. But Giselle was the best. She was the one who made out the chore lists for the other servants. It would be chaos if she wasn''t there. What was more, Spencer was still a newborn. He needed to be looked after carefully. Would Duke be okay leaving him with just anyone?


    "Don''t worry about that. My mother''sing to help with Spencer. I''m going back to work soon. Duke is so tired of dealing with twopanies. It''s time for me to go back." Belinda felt sorry for Duke. He was her husband. When she saw him almost exhausted managing the twopanies, her heart ached. So, after careful consideration, Belinda decided to return to work. She would not handle everything like before. Instead, she would work as an assistant to reduce Duke''s workload. Duke would be the acting CEO who gave orders, and she would be the consultant.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Back to work? So soon? If that''s the case, you need Giselle even more! Tell you what: keep Giselle. We''ll manage everything here. What''s more, I''m not too big. I can take care of myself right now." Leena insisted that Giselle stay at Leng House. She could hire a professional nanny to help her when she couldn''t handle herself. She could afford it, anyway. Money was never a problem for her.

 Chapter 1575 The Most Precious Person (Part Two)

    "But, you just got pregnant. That wasn''t easy. You need Giselle more than we do." If Leena had gotten pregnant soon after the marriage just like Michelle and Patricia, Belinda would not feel so nervous for her.


    "Don''t worry, Belinda. I''ll be fine. And besides, the baby was fate, not an ident." Every baby was a gift from God. If this gift didn''t belong to her, she would not force it and would ept that. She had the patience to wait for her gift. Belinda stayed at Grand Apartment and didn''t leave untilte afternoon. Spencer was fussy and crying, so Belinda had to leave in a hurry. Leena was alone again, but everything was peaceful.


    Eventually, Leena stepped into the building of FX International Group. Anna congratted her the moment she saw her, and Leena''s face turned red from shyness. She thanked Anna and fled into the president''s office.


    "What''s the hurry? A ghost chasing you? Don''t run like that. It''s not good for the baby." Seeing Leena rush into the office, Edward frowned and scolded her in a serious tone.


    "Thanks, I never would have known that," Leena said sarcastically. She stuck her tongue out naughtily. Her fight or flight instincts kicked in when Anna congratted her, so she ran.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Ah. A difference of opinion. How do I get you to be more careful? Something to drink? Milk?" Finger on the inte, Edward waited for her reply.


    "No, thanks. I''m not thirsty now." Leena took off her coat and sat down on the sofa. Winter was on the way, and t was getting colder these days.


    "Daisy will be here soon. Let''s go out for a bite." Edward talked with her while focusing on his work. A file needed hisments and approval urgently, so he was working on it, his brow fixed and intent. Leena was used to it. She grabbed a magazine beside her and began to go through it to kill time. "Isn''t she on base now?" Leena asked, after being quiet for a while.


    "She sometimes gets business here to deal with. So we decided to have lunch together." Edward took a look at her and then lowered his eyes and focused on the documents again.


    "Oh! Got it. I''ll grab Rain." Leena recalled that Rain was in a blue mood earlier when he drank with her. She decided to go check on him.


    "He''s not here. He went out to see a client. Just sit tight for a bit. I''ll be done soon." This was really an urgent set of files, so he had to deal with them as soon as possible. Otherwise, he would have given her his full attention.


    "Oh. I see." Then, Leena stopped talking with him in order not to disturb him. She began to go through the gossipy articles in the magazine. She could not help frowning when she saw an article on Dorothy, who apparently was in a domestic violence case. She remembered that Dorothy looked unhappy whenst they met. It turned out that she was trapped in that kind of scandal not long after she married. Was it true? Or was it just media hype? Leena could not help wondering.


    Actually Dorothy was not that bad a person. She just trusted the wrong guy. Leena got it. She wanted to marry a rich guy and be a member of a rich family. But what she did not know was that there was always a dark side where those rich families were concerned. "Hey, so what''s up?" Edward already finished his work. He sat down beside her.


    "Edward, is it true? The domestic violence thing?" Although Dorothy had tried to mess with her, Leena did not have the stomach to see her end up in such misery. Leena felt sorry for her. If she married a guy who loved her, instead of pursuing a rich guy so blindly, she would definitely live a better life.


    "What''s that?" Edward took a look at the magazine in Leena''s hand. "Well, you can''t tell whether it''s true or not. Gossip rags are rife with stories like this. There''s a chance it''s true, but we don''t have the full story."


    "Isn''t she your girl? She signed with you. Aren''t you afraid of bad publicity? Something like this gets out, it''s --" "--Not for me to decide," Edward interrupted. Leena found it confusing. Things became more intricate, and harder to understand in the entertainment circle. "It''s probably just media hype," Edward continued. "Actually, when she decided to get married, her value fell anyway. Guys aren''t going to be drooling over a housewife." That was how it worked in a jungle. It was cruel and everyone had to ept it. "Are you so cold-blood to everyone, Edward?" Leena felt a bit frustrated with this fact. She was flooded withpassion again.


    "Look, girl. We''re running apany, not a charity. This kind of thing happens a lot in business. It''s just normal. It has nothing to do with so-called cold blood." He did not keep a close eye at the entertainmentpany under FX International Group. Rain handled everything in it. Edward kept himself away from those women ever since Daisy came back to him.


    "Fine. Never mind. So, you finished your work?" Leena left the magazine alone and decided not to talk about Dorothy. No matter what kind of life she was living now, that was her choice. She should be responsible for her choice.


    "Yeah! Hungry?" Edward took a look at his watch. It was still a bit too early for lunch.


    "No. When''s Daisying? Will she be here soon?" She hadn''t seen Daisy in a long time and missed her a lot.


    "Afraid not. So, you came here today, of all days. What''s the matter?" Leena seldom wanted toe here. She would not show up here unless Edward called her many times, and made many assurances. It was a big surprise for Edward to see her pay a sudden visit. "I miss you! Isn''t that enough?" Leena smiled sweetly, stared at him with her big blinking eyes.


    "You''re not really here to see me, are you?" Edward was a sharp guy. Ever since she got married, he was suddenly less important in her world.


    "Well! You''re confident. Why do you think there''d be another reason?" Leena wrinkled her cute nose. Edward made a mistake. She came here because she genuinely missed him and Rain.


    "Confident enough. So, tell me. What do you want? It''s yours." Edward squeezed her face with a seemingly upset expression on his face. She was the apple of his eye and he would buy everything she wanted.


    "Why? I don''t need a gift. Being with you is enough of a treat." Edward made it seem like she needed him to buy her something.


    "It''s not for you. It''s for my future nephew." Edward fought back with an excellent excuse. Leena usually won, but this time, he found a nice opportunity to take her down.


    "Ha ha! Seriously? Come on, you even don''t know if it''s a girl or a boy! And you''re secretly nning on getting him some gift? That''s so ridiculous." Leena burst intoughter. She was totally shocked by Edward''s proposal. "It''s my gift. I''m d to buy him a gift. Isn''t that okay?" Edward felt a bit awkward being teased by her. He stared at thatdy who wasughing loudly, teeth gritted. She''d grown up so much.


    "Yeah, of course, it''s okay. It''s just, you are too funny." Leena tried hard to stopughing. Hearing Edward''s n made her think of Duke, who was also pondering buying a gift for her unborn baby. The two men deserved each other. "Hey, what are you talking about? What''s so funny? I could hear youughing all the way down the hall." Daisy suddenly appeared in the doorway, still decked out in her olive-green military uniform.


    "Oh hey, Daisy. Ask Edward! You mayugh, too." Leena stayed close to Edward. It was a normal picture for Daisy. She''d already got used to the way they got along and she did not think it was anything inappropriate.


    "Hey. I didn''t expect you so soon. Finish up early?" Edward would never show any embarrassment in front of his wife. So he changed the subject.


    "Yeah, it went faster than we thought. Hi Leena, been here long?" Daisy walked to the desk. She picked up Edward''s ss and drank some water. She had been busy at work the whole morning and now she felt a bit thirsty.


    "I just got here. I nned to have a nice meal with Edward. But he said you''re going out for lunch," Leena said in a seemingly annoyed tone, as if she was the drama queen.


    "Oh, really? I know when I''m not wanted," Daisy said and pretended to leave.


    "She''s joking, honey. Rx." Edward stood up and walked to Daisy with deep and tender eyes. He found the fire left Daisy''s eyes, and she became more easy-going now. She didn''t used to joke in the old days -- in fact, she had nothing to joke about. But now, here she was, making fun of Leena. That was not like the old Daisy.0000???????????

 Chapter 1576 The Ke Family (Part One)

    "What should I do with my time then? How about taking me out to dinner with you?" Daisy teased, smiling broadly. She had developed beyond the aloof military officer and could now rx with the people she cared about. "No. Leena and I are going out on a date." Edward raised his head, acting proud and offended.


    "Daisy, I''d rather go out on a date with you. Let''s go and leave him behind." Leena winked at Daisy and hugged her dear friend. She pulled a face at Edward and stuck out her tongue.


    "Yeah, sure, why not?" Daisy pinched Leena''s chubby cheek softly, and cast a challenging nce at Edward.


    "Never mind! Women are way too fickle to ever understand. Alright, my two beloved princesses, where would you like to eat? It''s my treat," Edward said feigning a hurt expression as he raised his wallet.


    "Leena, where would you like to go for dinner? You''re pregnant, so you decide." Daisy asked Leena to select a restaurant. When Daisy had received the news of Leena''s pregnancy, she had breathed a long sigh of relief. She immediately called Leena up to rte her joy and her own experiences with pregnancy.


    "Uh... Anywhere is fine with me. You don''t have to specially cater for me." Leena thought, ''They are all overreacting, and they are even more nervous than me.''


    "Let''s go to the Westin. I''ll ask them to prepare some delicious soup for Leena," Edward suggested seeing the two women''s indecisiveness.


    "Sure. Leena, let''s go there." Daisy held Leena''s hand and they walked slowly towards the elevator. She was a caring maternal figure.


    The three entered the elevator, joking and chatting at ease. When the elevator stopped at the first floor, an unexpected figure was waiting for them outside - Rain. He was leaning against a pir in the lobby, hands resting in his pockets. His face still bore the ever present cynical scowl.


    "Rain, what are you doing here?" Leena asked in surprise, walking up to Rain.


    "I was waiting for you." Rain reached out and embraced Leena with genuine warmth. He had also heard the news and was extremely happy for her.


    "How did you know we were going out?" Edward asked with a frown. This time, he was not as sharp witted as normal.


    "I saw Mark in the lobby, and the elevator was going down. No one could have been using it, except you," Rain exined with a shrug. It was such simple reasoning that he was amazed at Edward for not putting two and two together. He could not believe that Edward was so slow this time.


    "Fine! Hats off, you are the smart one!" Edward conceded through gritted teeth. Although Rain didn''t say anything to ridicule him, Edward could feel his momentary contempt.


    "Thank you." Rain shed a cunning smile. It was the first time that he had outwitted Edward, and he relished the moment.


    "Rain, why don''t you have dinner with us?" Sensing the increasingly tense atmosphere, Leena butted in to defuse the situation.


    "Why not? Edward, you''re paying, right?" Rain as always acted indifferently and nomittally, like he was not interested in anything.


    Daisy was secretly d to see her husband being beaten by Rain. She tried hard to conceal her true feelings, but the raised corner of her smile betrayed her.


    "You are so happy to see me fall short, aren''t you?" Edward whispered in Daisy''s ear.


    "No, I''m not. Come on! Don''t read into things that aren''t there." Daisy was a clever woman. She would never admit to taking pleasure at her husband''s embarrassment.


    "Mrs. Gu." As they walked outside, Mark, who was waiting outside the building, stepped from his car and greeted Leena respectfully.


    "Hi, Mark. I didn''t know you were here!" Leena was surprised at seeing Mark, as she thought Daisy had driven herself there.


    "Hey, Mark! You saw me when I arrived here earlier, right? Why didn''t you bother to greet me?" Rain asked with a teasing smile. He was right; Mark had seen Rain earlier when he had arrived at the building, however, he had made no move to greet Rain. "Because Mrs. Gu is different. She is Major General Gu''s wife. I should greet her to show my respect to her," Mark exined very seriously. The soldiers were always respectful to military spouses.


    "So, is this a kind of civilian discrimination?" Rain was really not letting this go. He enjoyed seeing Mark squirm nervously.


    "Mark, just ignore him. Follow us with your car." Edward, seeing Mark''s uncertainty, spoke to help him out of the predicament.


    "Sure, Mr. Mu." Mark bowed slightly, much relieved to Edward, and got in his car. He now realized that he was unable to deal with the likes of Rain.


    "Leena, why don''t you travel with us? Stay away from this ass," Edward said while casting a challenging nce at Rain. He was somewhat amused when Mark fled in disarray and thought, ''He still has a lot to learn.''


    "Who are you calling an ass?" Rain stared defiantly at Edward.


    "You know who I''m referring to." Edward smiled coldly.


    "Your whole family are asses!" Rain said with short, clipped words.


    "Leena, he just said that you are an ass," Edward said dryly as he took Daisy''s hand, leading her to their car.


    "Rain!" Leena shouted, casting a reproachful nce at Rain. Aware that they were joking, she decided to y along.


    "Uh... Leena, let''s go." Rain scratched at the back of his head in embarrassment. ''Damn it! I was so stupid," he mentally cursed himself.


    "Hmm!" Leena snorted, blowing through her lips in imitation of a donkey before following Rain. She would fetch her own carter.


    Rain shed a stoic smile, and then started the car.


    The Westin Western Restaurant was always fully booked. As they arrived, Rain was shocked to see his father, Sanford Ke, waiting for him.


    "Are you Rain?" Sanford Ke asked. He looked old and tired, and he walked with the aid of a cane.


    "Sorry. You''ve mistaken me for somebody else." Rain and Leena had entered hand in hand, and Sanford Ke''s sudden appearance made Rain tighten his grip on her hand. Leena''s hand pained sharply, but she didn''t show it, nor did she pull away. She could tell from Rain''s reaction that he knew this old man somehow. Otherwise, Rain wouldn''t have acted this way.


    "I know that you still hate me, even after all these years." Sanford Ke''s frail body trembled like a candle me flickering in the wind.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "I don''t even know you. Why would I hate you?" Rain asked coldly. His face was twisted in a cold rage and he looked very frightening at this moment.


    "Rain," Leena called out to him, worried now.


    "Mr. Ke, why don''t you join us in our private lounge?" Edward suggested. The lobby was too public to talk.


    "Sure!" Sanford Ke answered, happy for the opportunity to speak privately.


    "I don''t think that''s necessary," Rain interrupted angrily. He really had nothing to say to the old man.


    "Rain. Come now, this is not the ce for this conversation." Edward patted Rain''s shoulder in appeasement. He knew Rain hated his father, but he also believed Rain needed to talk with him.


    Rain pursed his lips and rushed to their private room, still holding Leena''s hand and dragging her away.


    Daisy momentarily stared at the old man in confusion. He and Rain shared some resemnce; then she realized that the old man must be Rain''s biological father. She sighed with resignation.


    "Let''s go, Mr. Ke," Edward said to the old man. Yes, Sanford Ke had mistreated Rain when he was young. But now he was old, and possibly did not have many more years to live. Edward was afraid Rain would feel regret for not talking with his father now if the old man died.00000

 Chapter 1577 The Ke Family (Part Two)

    "Thank you, Mr. Mu, for taking care of Rain for so many years," Sanford Ke said. He deeply regretted abandoning Rain all those years ago, and he was not surprised that Rain treated him with disdain.


    "Rain is my best friend. It is fitting that I look out for him," Edward answered, indifferent to the expression of gratitude. Sanford Ke could tell from his words that Edward med him. As a friend, Edward had taken better care of Rain than his own father, who abandoned him, ever had. Edward was a cunning fox; he subtly scolded Rain''s father with the carefully chosen insult.


    Leena staggered into the private lounge, pulled along by Rain, his hand still locked onto hers. She sensed that Rain''s strange behavior had something to do with the old man. She didn''t know who the old man was, but she chose not to ask Rain about him.


    "Don''t ask me anything," Rain dered, releasing her numb fingers. He poured a ss of water and finished it in one big gulp.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Sure." Leena rubbed her throbbing fingers. She saw Rain''s bad mood and decided to rather keep quiet.


    Edward and Sanford Ke entered the room, followed by Daisy and Mark. Wisely, Mark said nothing and quietly chose a seat.


    "Have a seat, please." Edward offered Sanford Ke a seat.


    "Thank you, Mr. Mu." Sanford Ke studied Rain intensely, but thetter ignored him.


    "When did you return home, Mr. Ke? I thought you were still abroad," Edward asked casually. No matter how much Edward disliked the Ke family, he had paid attention to them because of Rain.


    "I returned not long ago. As for the reason, well, I guess you already know it. After all, you''re a businessman also." Sanford Ke sighed sorrowfully. He felt ashamed of the state of his family affairs.


    "Yes, I''ve heard rumors about your family''s dealings, but I don''t know the exact details," Edward answered. The Ke family was still a rich and powerful family in S City, despite their recent decline. Lately, Sanford Ke''s sons and grandsons were scrambling for their inheritance of the family properties. This had be a hot topic, with much public spection.


    "s! I have two unfilial sons. They wait anxiously for my death, so they can carve up mypany." His sons were both senior members of thepany; their greed would divide thepany holdings, and bankruptcy would not be far off.


    "Hmm! How''s it possible? You are still counting on them to support you," Rain snorted. He had never epted being abandoned by his father. He had often been called "bastard" and "son of a bitch" when he was a kid. And that might be part of the reason why he became such a cynic growing up.


    "Rain, I sincerely invite you toe back home and take over the running of thepany for me. The future of the Ke family now rests on your shoulders. You are our only hope." Sanford Ke looked at Rain expectantly. Rain finally spoke to him, dashing Sanford Ke''s hopes that his son''s heart had softened.


    "Are you kidding me? My family name is Xia, and I want nothing to do with the Ke family." Rain scornfully nced at the old man.


    "Are you so cruel-hearted that you would watch thepany, that I''ve worked all my life to create,e to nothing?" Sanford Ke asked in stunned disbelief. He knew how audacious it was to ask Rain to run thepany for him, all things considered, but he had no other choice. His two other sons were good-for-nothing wastrels.


    "I''d enjoy seeing that. You abandoned my mother and me for thepany, remember? I owe you nothing. Why should I run thepany for you? Ha-ha! This is ridiculous!" Rainughed mockingly. The Ke family members were all hypocrites.


    "I know you won''t ever forgive me, and I know I shouldn''t have abandoned you and your mother. But I had my own reasons." Sanford Ke lowered his head in shame. There was no defense against the truth; the shame was his to bear.


    "Really? You had your own reasons? I could understand you. After all, no one has affection for the family bastard. You and your family wanted to stay away from me. I was ostracized. I don''t think it would be possible for your family to ept me now." Rain shook his head in sorrow. Finally, for the first time, he was able to reveal his sad life in front of his friends. Maybe he was finally ready to move on? He surprised himself that he was able to discuss the Ke family, and his own jaded past in such a calm and indifferent manner. "Rain, please, reconsider. Just think about it. I''ll wait for your decision. There''s no rush," Sanford Ke pleaded, trying to cajole Rain. But in Rain''s eyes, the old man was so obviously fake.


    "No, there''s no need for reconsideration. I have made up my mind. I will never go back to the Ke family. Yourpany has nothing to do with me. I''m Rain Xia, not Rain Ke." Rain turned Sanford Ke down without any hesitation. He thought to himself, ''When you were young and rich, you just abandoned me and my mother. And now that you are old and yourpany is failing, you dare toe to me and ask me to help you. Who do you think I am? Your Savior?''


    Sanford Ke opened his mouth to speak, but eventually chose silence. Rain''s words made perfect sense, and Sanford Ke couldn''t find any words to refute him.


    "Can I weigh in here, Mr. Ke?" Edward asked with a frown. It was the Ke family affairs, but Rain had never treated himself as part of the Ke family. As his best friend, Edward felt obliged to speak for him. "Of course, Mr. Mu. Please continue." Sanford Ke showed great respect to Edward, despite thetter being much younger. Perhaps this was because he thought Edward had been kind to Rain, or maybe because Edward was the head of the leading enterprise in S City. "Rain is leading a happy and simple life now. I don''t think he should get involved in the family''s property fight. Besides, the Ke family members dislike him. If he goes back to the Ke family, and takes over running thepany, it would only worsen the situation. I don''t think it will help save yourpany." Rain and the Ke family members all lived in the same city, but not one of the Ke family had ever acknowledged Rain as a member of the family. As a result, Edward would not allow Rain to demean himself by helping the Ke family now. "But Rain is my son. I can''t just watch him be without family, or a home!" Sanford Ke argued immediately. He knew what Edward said did make sense, but he had an ulterior motive for asking Rain toe back to the family. He hoped that Rain could save thepany. After all, Rain was a capable businessman and he had a powerful friend, Edward.


    "Without family? You must be kidding, Mr. Ke. We have always treated Rain as family. He is not homeless." Edward had been polite to Sanford Ke because he was Rain''s biological father, but he wouldn''t allow him to use his friend.


    "I''m sorry, Mr. Mu. I was anxious and spoke without thinking. Rain, I still hope you will reconsider your decision, and think carefully about what I said." Sanford Ke stared at Rain with hopeful eyes.


    "Mr. Ke, I think you should be the one to think carefully, before you ask Rain to go back. What do you want? Do you want him to go back because you miss him and want to make up for your mistakes as a father, or do you just want to use him to save yourpany?" After having listened to their conversation, Daisy had formed a rough idea about the story and didn''t agree at all with Sanford Ke''s request. The family members of the Ke family were squabbling amongst each other for family properties. Sanford Ke wanted Rain, who had never even been admitted as a member of the family, to get involved in their fight. Daisy couldn''t understand how Sanford Ke could be so cruel to Rain. He had never treated Rain as his son, but now wanted to use him as a tool to save hispany. Daisy felt she should speak up for Rain. She pushed back her chair to do just that.


    "And you are?" Seeing her stand to speak, Sanford Ke asked in confusion. He really didn''t know who she was, as he had been abroad for two years, and had just returned because of the family crisis.


    "She is my wife. She is a straightforward person. Please don''t mind it if she says something unpleasant," Edward said in a calm voice. He continued being polite to Sanford Ke, simply because thetter was his friend''s father. If it weren''t for that, he would have asked his men to throw the old man out.


    "No, I don''t mind. Mrs. Mu, I''ve heard what a remarkable woman you are! To reach the rank of senior colonel at such a young age." Sanford Ke had been focused on Rain and only now did he begin to notice the others. He then looked at the girl who Rain had grabbed by the hand. Sanford Ke remembered suddenly that the girl was Duke Leng''s younger sister. ''Is Rain and the girl in a rtionship now? Does this mean that the Leng family will also help Rain?'' Sanford Ke mused joyfully.


    "You are ttering me, needlessly," Daisy answered coldly. She disliked Sanford Ke, and she wouldn''t be polite to him like her husband. She was above false ttery.00

 Chapter 1578 The Bastard (Part One)

    Rain looked pale as a ghost. He was still frozen by the old man''s words and sorrow hung heavily in his heart. He couldn''t move from his ce even after the old man had left his side.


    "Rain, are you all right?" Leena reached out and gently touched his arm. There was concern in her beautiful eyes and she held his arm tofort him. Rain seemed to have much lingering in his mind. He looked so gloomy and shocked that she was really worried about his well-being. Rain quickly forced a smile and said, "Don''t worry about me. I''m fine." He realized that his reaction to the news had caused concerns. He felt embarrassed and tried to change the subject. "How''s your hand? Let me take a look," he said and took her hand. In his trance, he had grabbed her hand quite forcefully.


    Leena flinched and said, "Hey, don''t worry about me." She pulled her hand away gently. Thest thing she wanted was for him to worry about her bruised hand right now. "Trust me, it doesn''t matter," she said with a small smile.


    "Shit! It''s bruised. I am so sorry, Leena. I didn''t mean to hurt you. I had no control over myself," Rain said, when he saw her bruised hand. He rubbed his forehead in distress. He wasn''t himself at the time. He was in a state of shock and had no idea what he was doing. He had squeezed her hand to control his anger and grief, but her delicate hand was bruised because of his irrational behavior.


    "Rain, there''s nothing to apologize for. I can''t even fathom what you are going through right now and I want you to know that we are here for you. Always." Leena leaned in closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck in a heartwarming hug. She had been sitting by his side and listening to every word that the old man had said. The truth had shaken her, but she made peace with it. She had known that Rain''s true family was somewhere in the world. However, it never urred to her that the truth would be this painful. The old man''s words made her question the meaning of family bond. After hearing the whole story, she thought that Rain was better off without his so-called family. She, along with his other friends, would be his real family; their rtionship with Rain was stronger than the superficial blood-bonds.


    Sanford''s sudden appearance, along with his unpleasant truth, made the meal tasteless. The ambience at the table turned sour and the food remained untouched in their tes.


    When they returned to FX International Group, Rain simply bid them goodnight and left immediately. His eyes were empty and lonely as he pulled out of the driveway and sped down the road, as if he was trying to leave all the sadness behind him. As she stared sadly at his disappearing car, Leena thought to herself, ''Rain, I hope you can get over this mess soon.''


    As his blue sports car disappeared around the corner of the street, Leena turned around and fixed her big eyes on Edward''s handsome face. She said, "Edward, I am worried. Is he gonna be all right?" Leena''s fear was clearly visible on her face.


    "The truth might be painful to digest. But don''t worry about him. Give him some space. He''ll know what to do." Edward reached out his hand and carefully tucked her hair behind her ear. She was so worried about Rain that tiny sweat beads had formed on her forehead, making her hair look messy. Leena smiled bitterly at Edward. They all knew that Rain was definitely facing a hard time right now. As his friends, they wanted to be there by his side, but there was so little that they could do to help him. Rain had to ovee this pain ande out of it himself. He had to ept the truth and move on. Edward frowned and thought, ''The old man came out of nowhere, dared to abruptly step into Rain''s life and dramatically turned his life upside down in one evening, ''he sighed, ''If I were in his shoes, I would be crushed for sure."


    Daisy stood behind them and shook her head slowly. She wasn''t yet out of the shock either. But she was confident that Rain would find his way back. He was mature enough to deal with the mess. She walked up to Edward and said, "I have to return to the army base," and then she turned to Leena and asked, "Leena, would you like me to give you a lift home?"


    Leena shook her head. "Thank you, but no. I drove here myself." She smiled softly at Daisy. Her mind was still with Rain. She couldn''t help but worry about him.


    "All right! You take care then. I am taking off," said Daisy. As she was about to leave, Edward quickly caught her wrist and pulled her back into his strong chest. Before she could react, she was awarded with a hot kiss which instantly sealed her ruby lips. Edward had no care in the world about all the people who were standing around them. He kissed her passionately. When he finally let her go, she was breathless and his smile was splendid like the summer sun.


    "Hey! I don''t wanna see this!" Leena covered her eyes andughed, "Get a room, you two!"


    "Very naughty..." Daisy smirked yfully at Edward, her cheeks turning red. She gave him a nudge before stepping into the car.


    "Why are you covering your eyes? As if you''ve never been kissed before." Edward watched his wife take off, then turned to Leena and rolled his eyes.


    "That''s not the point!" Leena protested, embarrassed by hisment. "Anyway, I am going home too." She turned to leave, but Edward held her back.


    "What''s the hurry? Why don''t youe with me to my office now and I will drop you hometer," he said. He would have liked to drop her home right away, but he had to sign some important documents which were back at his office and it couldn''t wait. He thought it would be better if Leena stayed at the office till his work was done. And then he would have all the time in the world to drive her home in person. He didn''t want her to drive home on her own in her delicate condition.


    Leena sighed. She knew what he was thinking. "I''m not ill, you know. I''m just pregnant. I can manage on my own," she gave him a reassuring look and continued, "I can drive back myself. And I don''t want to keep you away from your work any longer." She looked at him sternly. She wasn''t their little princess in distress anymore. She was perfectly capable of taking care of herself.


    Edward wasn''t convinced. He asked with a raised eyebrow, "Are you sure that you can manage on your own? Shall I send Luke to apany you home? I assume he is free now. I can give him a call." Edward''s gaze shifted to her pouted belly and his lipspressed into a thin line.


    Leena shook her head violently. "Absolutely not! Luke is thest person I want to trouble right now. He must have gone with Michelle for her pregnancy check. They hardly get any time to spend together. I know how precious it is to finally be able to hang out with the person you love. So leave him alone, okay? We should not bother them now." Leena said, with her hands on her hips. Her warning was sweet and needless to say, Edward was amused. Leena rolled her eyes at him. She didn''t understand why all of her friends treated her like a spoiled brat who needed constant attention. She was honestly tired of their overreaction towards her pregnancy. She was actually wondering what more ridiculous things they woulde up with once her belly started to grow.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1579 The Bastard (Part Two)

    Edward saw the confident look on her face. He didn''t want to dishearten her, so he gave up and said, "Alright then, you take care of yourself on your way back. Drive carefully and please remember to call me once you are home." Leena gave him a wide smile. His caring words warmed her heart and she felt blessed to have friends like him in her life. Edward looked at her kind smile and wondered if Kevin was properly attending to her needs as much as he should. Patting her softly on the shoulder, Edward sighed silently. He just couldn''t help worrying about her safety.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Rx. I will call you as soon as I reach home. Stop nagging me," said Leena, giggling and shaking her head at his over-protectiveness. Edward waved and smiled awkwardly as she quickly walked away from him.


    ''Come on! I wasn''t trying to nag you,'' thought Edward. However, he didn''t say anything to her. He watched her walk swiftly to her car, as if she was trying to escape from him. Edwardughed at his little sister''s enthusiasm. It was about time he took off too. He was indeed worried about Rain, but there was still work to be done.


    Meanwhile, Luke and Michelle were taking a slow walk down an empty street near the hospital. Luke had learned that short walks were suited for pregnantdies. Leena had guessed it right - Luke was truly enjoying the time with his beautiful pregnant woman. Although it was nothing extravagant, Luke still cherished this precious moment with Michelle. "Luke, are you sure that you are not needed at thepany right now?" Michelle gazed warmly at her husband.


    "Don''t worry about it. I arranged other guards for Mr. Mu ording to his demands before I took my leave toe and see you," Luke said, giving her a reassuring look. Ever since he had admitted his love for her, he had be gentler. Although he was still a man of few words, he had all the patience in the world for his beloved wife and was willing to talk to her as much as possible. Michelle felt the same way towards him too. She was obsessed with this man. She had never thought that one day she would actually live her dream life with a beloved and devoted husband and their soon-to-be-born child. Sometimes, it still seemed like a wild, beautiful dream.


    "Ow!" Michelle gasped in pain, holding her belly.


    Luke quickly came to her side. "What''s wrong? Are you hurt?" His face was filled with concern as he held her shoulder protectively.


    "It''s nothing. It was the baby. It kicked me real hard just now," Michelle said, smiling timidly at him. Her reaction might have been a little too dramatic and she realized that she might have scared him. Their baby was definitely way too active and that was unmistakably a strong kick.


    "He must be really excited." Lukeughed as he extended his hand and stroked her belly. His touch was so gentle and it was filled with so much love for their unborn child. The corner of her eyes became wet. She gazed at his hand profoundly as his fingers lingered on her belly. At that very moment, she felt his unspoken love.


    "Yeah, I guess he wants to be with us already," she said, smiling at him. He returned her smile and she blushed red. Her face became more and more feverish as he swept his hand across her belly again and again. His touch was sensational. Such gestures from Luke were so rare as he was a man who seldom expressed his feelings. She enjoyed their intimacy and hoped that he could do it more often. But she didn''t want to force him to change his character. She loved him just the way he was.


    "Are you tired? Should we go back inside?" He held her hand and she slowly leaned against his chest. Walking by her side, he tried his best to support her and her big belly with atmost care. A ruthless man as he was, Luke only demonstrated his deepest feeling towards her. Only Michelle was allowed to see his soft side as he knew that she was the only one for him.


    "I would never get tired of this. I have yearned so much for this day and it''s finally here. I couldn''t ask for anything more in this life. Luke, thank you for loving me. Because of you, my life has meaning. You havepleted me." She looked up at his stern, yet gentle face. Her eyes were sparkling with joy. He might not be the most perfect man in the world, but he was the one for her. He was the only man she had ever cared for. She knew from the beginning that he was the one. They were bound to each other for a life time. Luke gazed at her loving eyes and said, "I am the one who should thank you for loving me. Thank you for not giving up on me when things were unclear between us. Thank you for your consistent love and care when I was still indifferent to you. You were kind enough to tolerate my radical behavior when I was not in love with you. Thank you for apanying me in exploring the meaning of love when I was lost. Thank you so much for your patience and everything you have given me along this journey. I have fallen irrevocably in love with you. Because of you, my world is nowplete. I love you." He squeezed her hand gently. His words were sincere and his eyes were dark with desire. He was no longer the old Luke who didn''t know how to express his feelings. After marrying Michelle, he had changed immensely. She was a wonderful woman who generously shed him with unconditional loving words without any reservation. He learnt from her everyday and eventually realized that he needed to respond to her love with his own words and actions as well.


    "I can''t tell you how happy I am to hear those words from you. Call it even?" Sheughed happily. Thanks to Luke, her heart was now filled with joy. The journey they had was rough but it didn''t matter anymore. As long as the ending was a happy one, she couldn''t care less about the process. She wanted nothing more than his responding love. Luke and hispanionship was the only thing she ever wanted.


    "No. It is far from being even. I owe you way too much. I will spend the rest of my life loving you without any reserve. And I will never let you feel lonely again. You deserve the world and I will strive everyday to give it to you." Michelle''s heart was beating too fast. For a moment, she thought she was in heaven. Her eyes brimmed with tears of happiness. Her heart was full now. Luke''s stern yet gentle face attracted all her attention that she couldn''t look away from him for one second. Lost in her wildest thoughts, she almost forgot how to breathe.


    She was grateful that she never gave up on him. Her pursuit to gain his love and her confidence were unwavering. Of course, there were times along the way when she had thought of giving up. However, she wiped away her tears and loved him more everyday. At the end of the thorny road, she found her roses and he finally recognized her love and now they were expecting a child together. Her life was blissful.


    Love was in the air. She could feel it. He hadpletely given her his heart just as she had wanted. She couldn''t possibly think of a life without him anymore. She smiled and shook away her tears. "Luke, I am craving for strawberries. Could you get me some?" Her eyes were still wet as she softly asked him.


    "Right now?" Luke asked her, raising one of his brows. It wasn''t strawberry season yet. Where on earth could he source the sweet berries for her?

 Chapter 1580 The Bastard (Part Three)

    "Yeah! You will find some for me, won''t you?" Her voice wasced with honey and her look was so innocent.


    "Of course. Anything you want. Let''s go and buy some together," Luke said, grinning. Her innocent look melted his heart like an ice cream in hot summer. He was ready to turn the world upside down for her. And today he had plenty of time to spoil her. Today, he belonged to no one but her.


    His earnest look filled her heart with the sweetest joy. Without any morous words, he easily took her breath away. Michelle remembered a saying- ''Happiness is a choice. There will always be stress in life, but it''s your choice whether you let it affect you or not.'' With Luke by her side, she knew that she was blessed with incredible happiness every single second of her life.


    Rain drove all the way to the beach. He desperately needed to breathe in some cool sea air to calm down. The ocean breeze gently brushed against his face. For just a moment, he felt refreshed. His heart was hurt badly and it ached so much to even think about the past. As he walked along the shore barefooted, Rain could feel the roughness of the sand under his feet. The waves sshed against the small rocks, wet his trousers and washed away his footprints as he walked. The water was cold, but he couldn''t care less. His mind was upied with something even colder.


    His life was a ridiculous farce! He felt like he was living in a TV drama. He wondered if anything surrounding him was ever real. Rain curled up his lips and grinned bitterly. What a joke! The ancient Ke family, the unspoken and honorable family that represented power and privilege. But, in his eyes, they were nothing. He despised them and everything they represented.


    His hands rolled into tight fists as he thought about his mother. Back then, his mother must have suffered greatly in the Ke family. She was seen as a despicable mistress and was never treated with respect. Tears formed in his eyes as he thought about his humble mother being humiliated by others. His mother had no choice. She was tricked into the ill-fated rtionship. She had no idea that Rain''s father was a married man. Little did she know that he never loved her. The only thing that had mattered to him was his desire to conquer her. He was only after her looks and her body. Rain was disgusted by the man. His father had only ever valued his own status in the society. He never gave that up, nor did he ever give his heart to the woman who had loved him with everything she had.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    The past haunted him like a ghost. His head was feeling heavy. He desperately shook his head, trying to get rid of the mad thoughts. He felt suffocated by the truth. His peaceful life was over the moment his so-called father had showed up. Cold and lonely, Rain stood on the shores, gazing nkly into the far ocean. How could he possibly deal with all the mess in his life now?


    When his mother left, she made him promise that he would return to his family. However, Rain was finding it harder and harder to ept these people as his family. He honestly didn''t want to be a part of them.


    As he stood all by himself, he wished that he had a strong shoulder to lean on, to vent his frustration. Rain''s hair was tossed back by the breeze. His face was dark with sorrow. He longed for a warm hug from his beloved, but there was still no word from her.


    The wavesshed more powerfully along the shores, bigger and fiercer than before. It looked like a tide wasing. Rain stepped further into the mad waters. He wasn''t afraid of its anger at all. In fact, he wanted to be swept away by the raging waves. He had nothing left but an aching soul. He couldn''t deny the fact that he was one of the Ke family after all. Maybe the ocean could carry away his disgusting mortal body for good.


    As soon as she reached home, Leena called Edward to inform him of her safe arrival. After she hung up, her mind drifted to Rain. The way he had left them was worrying. She thought for a moment and then picked up her phone once again. Without any hesitation, she dialed Rain''s number swiftly.


    However, her call was never answered. She held tightly onto the phone, her heart in her throat. Small sweat beads started to form on her smooth forehead. Leena closed her eyes and took a deep breath. What was going on? Where was Rain? Why was he not picking up the phone? Numerous questions popped up in her head, and she started to panic. With trembling hands, she dialed his number over and over again. She couldn''t give up on him!


    ''Where is he? I hope he is fine. What could be the worst case scenario?'' thought Leena. Her mind was a mess at this point. She tried to focus, but her fear was growing uncontrobly. Edward had assured her that Rain could take care of himself. But right now, she wasn''t sure anymore. She thought of several reasons as to why Rain wasn''t picking up her call and none of them sat right with her. ''Something must have gone terribly wrong!'' she thought nervously. She stared at the nk screen in horror. "Why are you not picking up the phone, Rain?" Leena whispered at the phone. Her hands were trembling so much that she almost dropped her phone. She thought that maybe Rain got overwhelmed by the blow and had done something dramatic. A bad taste filled Leena''s mouth and she could no longer remain calm.


    With the phone in her hand, she paced in the living room back and forth. Loose hair stuck to her sweaty forehead, but she had no time for it. Scary thoughts were flooding her mind, they almost suffocated her. She gasped rapidly, trying to find something to lean on. She was at her wit''s end.


    Eventually, Leena came to her senses. She pressed her lips into a tight line, forcing herself to calm down. Slowly, she moved towards the sofa and sat down. Panicking wouldn''t solve the issue at hand. She had to remain calm for Rain''s sake. As she stared at her phone, she quickly thought of other possible ways to contact Rain.


    She started to text their other friends. They all came back with positive replies. As she talked to more people, she gradually epted that Rain would be alright. She chose to believe Edward''s words- Rain wanted to be alone at the moment. He needed space and time to deal with his problems. As his friends, the best thing they could offer him right now, was to give him time to heal. Leena agreed with Edward. She put away the mad thoughts in her little head and chose to step away from the phone and wait.


    Leena''s calls were pointless at this point because Rain had left his phone in his car. He didn''t even hear the phone ringing. He was sitting on a big rock by the shore, staring aimlessly into the distance. The sea breeze gently tossed his hair back as he raised his head to look at the horizon.


    He looked like a motionless statue from afar. To Rain, the word ''Bastard'' was a disgrace. He absolutely hated it. He would rather have been an orphan like Luke than a bastard. ''Bastard...What a disgusting identity,'' thought Rain. He felt sick to the stomach.

 Chapter 1581 The Bastard (Part Four)

    He sat idly on the rock for a very long time, as if he was part of a painting which blended perfectly with the blue sky and the indigo ocean in the back. Big wavesshed onto the shore, one after another. White foams sshed onto his shirt, some of them wet his mouth. He


    licked the foam; the bitterness of the sea made him smirk. His heart was more bitter than the ocean.


    His life was a show he put up for people around him. He was a funny, cool gentleman in front of others. But as soon as the lights went out, he had to return to his little dark corner. There, he had to clean up his unseen wounds and amend his own broken heart all by himself. He was like an artist- performing and faking emotions. He knew how to distract people with his uniqueughter. He never revealed his real self to anyone. The people around him thought of him as a funny, positive and generally happy person. But they couldn''t be more wrong. He was torn, beaten, and wounded by his harsh life. He had to live with his mask on. His life was merely a show for others.


    The sunset over the horizon was simply breathtaking, but Rain was not paying any attention to it. Nothing seemed beautiful or wholesome to him anymore. Waves nosily hit the rocks underneath his feet one after another and then faded away. asionally, a seagull would fly across the sky, hovering above the ocean not far from where he sat. Rain watched the view in front of him, his mind galloping wildly. Time seemed frozen at some point. He couldn''t control his emotions any longer.


    His past haunted him like a vengeful ghost. So many scenes shed in front of his eyes, messing up his mind. No matter how desperately he tried, he couldn''t break the shackles of his nightmares. They were everywhere. There was no escape. Rain buried his face into his palms and moaned in agony. Depression soon overwhelmed him. He was the one who had chosen to ce all his burdens on his own shoulders. Now, he had to face the consequence with his remaining courage.


    When the sun finally disappeared into the sea, Rain dragged himself back to the car. He closed his tired eyes and took a few minutes'' nap. He picked up the phone by his side and was surprised to see so many missed calls. One of the callers was Leena and she had called him over a hundred times! Rain twisted his stiff neck and shook his head in disbelief. Silly girl! Along with her calls, there were several other calls from his other friends. As he stared at all those familiar numbers, Rain felt something warm in his frozen heart once again. One of the numbers caught his eye. It was Edward. Although he had called only once, Rain still appreciated his care. Unlike Leena, Edward knew when to stop. One call was enough. A single call was enough to say, ''I''m here for you.''


    Rain let out a soft sigh as he went through all his unread messages. Most of them were from Leena. She had been texting him for so long, asking about his whereabouts. Deeply touched by her concern, Rain''s eyes filled with tears. He quickly turned his head towards the open car window, lifted his nose in the air and inhaled deeply.


    Her messages seemed so magical that he was afraid that if he read another one, he might end up with tears streaming down his cheeks despite his own will. One of her messages read- "Dear Rain, I am cooking something delicious tonight. Pleasee to my house as soon as you read this message. I will be waiting for you, no matter howte it gets. We''ll eat together. PS: If you do not show up, I will not eat at all!"


    She sounded quite childish, but Rain knew it was her unique way offorting him. Leena was a sweet girl. She was delightful, understanding and most of all, she cared for her friends without any reservation. Everyone liked her, spoiled her and would literally do anything for her in return. As he put away his cell phone, Rain smiled from the bottom of his heart. Thanks to Leena''s warm messages, he now felt much better.


    Her words melted his frozen heart and swept away the gloomy mood within him. He knew he was not alone. Although he was just a bastard to the Ke family, he was greatly cherished by his friends. Leena might not be rted to him by blood, but she was living proof that there were bonds which were stronger than blood. She cared for him dearly, despite his background or identity. Rain knew that she would always be there for him. For which, he was eternally grateful.


    Leena had a tough afternoon. She was agitated because she hadn''t heard from Rain. He was the type to always return her calls, no matter howte. She was going crazy as she waited to receive a call or a message from him. Overwhelmed by her anxiety, she couldn''t eat or sleep. Every single cell in her body was screaming, ''Find Rain right now!''This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    As she was sitting on the sofa, thinking about the worst-case scenario, someone rang the door bell. Leena sprang up to her feet, dashed towards the door and pulled the door wide open. Kevin had warned her numerous times that she should only open the door after checking who the visitor was. But she had no time or patience for all that.


    Rain stood casually at the door and smiled at her. "Hey girl, I''m starving. What have you cooked for us?" Leena smiled brightly and threw herself into his arms. Rain embraced her warmly. His strong arms wrapped around her slim shoulders, his bearded chin resting just above her shampoo-scented hair. He brought in the strong scent of the sea into the room. He smelled like a thick bunch of seaweed.


    "Oh my God! Rain, let me go first. You stink!" Leena pushed him away and quickly covered her mouth with both her hands, almost on the verge of puking.


    "What?! Do I smell that bad?" Rain raised his eyebrows as he watched her run away from him and straight into the bathroom. He lifted his coat and sniffed the fabric. A strong smell hit him. Rain sniggered. She was right. He did smell unpleasant. But it wasn''t that horrible. Inside the bathroom, Leena bent over the toilet and puked everything out. With trembling legs, she came back to Rain''s side and gave him a weak smile. With a baby growing inside her, she couldn''t stand any strong smell. Rain, with his trip to the ocean, caused her to have that crazy pregnancy reaction.


    "You poor little thing, are you all right? Do I really smell like rotten fish to you?" Rain patted her softly on the shoulder, trying to help her feel better. Then he went to the kitchen and fetched a ss of water for her to wash away the smell in her mouth. As they sat down on the sofa, he looked at her and said, "I do smell like seaweed, I suppose. But boy, you are over-reacting!"


    Leena rinsed her mouth and pulled herself together. Then she said weakly, "I am not over-reacting! I''m pregnant, you know. I''m sensitive to scent, especially unpleasant ones like this. Even the slightest odor makes me vomit."


    "Oh! I almost forgot that you are pregnant. Now I understand. For a moment, I thought that I was so stinky that the mere sight of me sent you straight into the bathroom!" His casual joke made herugh. She gave him a friendly nudge and giggled. Rain had the magical power to cheer others up. Despite the fact that he was a broken man inside, he never showed his vulnerability to others. He armed himself with the most gorgeous smile.000000

 Chapter 1582 His Mind Changed (Part One)

    "Were you on the beach?" Leena asked, daintily wiping her mouth with a napkin. ''No wonder he didn''t answer my calls. He needed time away in a pure environment to heal himself. I just hope that it worked.'' She thought.


    "Um! I realized just how dirty the atmosphere in the downtown area has be, so I needed the ocean breeze and some freedom, to clear my mind." Rain said, smiling dazzlingly. The smile appeared strange on his normally mncholy features, and it revealed how handsome and elegant his face could be. Clearly, he had inherited his attractive attributes from his mother, not his father.


    "Dig in! Eat! I have prepared all this yummy food, they''re all your favorite dishes." Leena encouraged. She had been greatly concerned about him and had spent the whole afternoon preparing his favorite foods to make him feel at home with thefort of wholesome dishes to enjoy.


    "Girl, why are you suddenly so nice to me?" Rain was moved by Leena''s efforts, but he asked the question off handedly, trying to hide how affected he felt. Over the years, he had often spoiled her, because of her beauty and kindness; he had nursed a secret desire to see their rtionship reach fruition.


    "Why do you think?" Leena asked, batting her eyshes seductively. Then she vanished in to the kitchen, wrapped in an air of innocence.


    "You want my body, right?" Rain called after her with a teasing smile and raised eyebrow. It seemed that he had finally banished his bad mood. It was pleasant to tease and joke with Leena.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Sure, Rain, you''re pretty handsome. But, sorry, no! I like a man full of vigor. You''re just not my type." Leena saidughing at their game of tease. She settled at the table next to him, an elegant blush spreading on her beautifully rounded face.


    "How am I not your type? Look at this perfectly triangr figure. Don''t underestimate me." Rain argued seriously, lifting up his shirt to show off his lean, muscr frame. He was a perfect example of "Being skinny with clothes on and muscr without them." "Puff! Rain, I was talking about the spirit, not the body!" Leenaughed so hard that she spewed some soup out into the hastily raised napkin.


    "Wow. Girl, you obviously take me for a pig, right? Look at all this food! Are you serious? You''re jealous of my sexy figure, and now you are trying to fatten me up like a pig, right?" Honestly though, Rain was deeply touched by Leena who had prepared such a feast for him, despite her advancing pregnancy. She had cooked the feast herself to console him.


    "Well, only a fat pig can be sold at a good price, right?" Leena teased Rain. From their teasing she knew that he would be okay.


    "See? Finally your evil n is revealed! Clearly, this was your ploy all along, right?" His hands had been busily stuffing food into his mouth while talking. He thoroughly enjoyed the overindulgence, because he didn''t often get such delicious home-made food. Moreover, Leena was an exceptional cook.


    "Oh, no! You''ve discovered my designs, how careless of me." Leena said, pping a palm to her forehead in feigned regret. She felt her efforts were worth it, seeing him enjoy himself, carefree now.


    "Girl, thank you!" Rain said all of a sudden. The words sounded incidental and casual, but they contained the depths of his extreme gratitude.


    "Rain, you never have to thank me, because we''re a family, right?" Leena said simply, a pretty smile gracing her lips with an offer offort and understanding.


    "Okay. Then I won''t say it, but rather show my gratitude through my actions, okay?" Some feelings had no need to be vocalized to the people close to you, they just understood your intent. Others would never know your unspoken meaning, they were visitors in your life, and their presence was swift and then gone.


    Rain had crammed his stomach beyond capacity this time. It was hard to tell why he had eaten so much; perhaps to fill up the emptiness he felt, or simply because Leena''s fabulous cuisine lured him to overindulgence.


    "Do you need some Alka-Seltzer? Unbelievable! I warned you not to stuff yourself so full, but you didn''t listen." Leena nced reproachfully at his empty te. ''Great! You have eaten too much to move, already!'' She thought.


    "That''s okay, I just need a little walk around the house to dete. It''s because you cooked such a wonderful meal that I couldn''t stop myself!" Rain said and burped,pletely leaving propriety behind. Fortunately, he was with Leena; for with any other girl, Rain would have beenpletely humiliated.


    "So, ording to you, I am the one to me!" Leena said, pouting. ''Is he biting the hand that just fed him?'' She thought.


    "Exactly! You cooked, so you must be responsible for this." Rain said, around another spoonful. His handsome face slightly resembled a chipmunk with stuffed cheeks.


    "Who cares about who''s to me? Humph!" Leena said, raising her chin proudly. She was enjoying this moment of carefree banter with Rain. He had finally emerged from the dark corner he had recently fled to.


    The next morning, two handsome men were studying at each other in the President''s Office of FX International Group. It seemed like they intended to pierce right through each other with the intense focus of their gaze.


    "Tell me! What''s your idea, have you formted a n?" Eventually, Edward started the conversation, as the boss he had the responsibility of leading the dialogue. Rain would take his cue from him.


    "What ideas do you suggest that I should have? Life goes on, as usual. Do you have a n?" Rain asked. His fair skin wasplimented by the pale purple suit which he wore, making him look very winsome.


    "Don''t y dumb with me. KD Group has recently lost out on a property dispute again, but it''s still a powerfulpany which can''t be underestimated. Their oversight was just because of some internal scum dragging heels." Edward said, his hands held together meditatively on the table. He stared intently at Rain who was slouching on the couchzily.


    "So what? It''s none of my business." Rain shrugged, he didn''t consider KD Group as his responsibility. On the contrary, he''d love to see it fail. If that happened he would enjoy seeing how awkwardly they would squirm in their demise. It would mean an end to all those who had always lorded over him.


    "Don''t you want to turn the tables on them? Make those who hurt you, kneel at your feet. Keep in mind: you have the might and power of the FX International Group at your back." Edward said with an evil smile. Daisy was right; Edward was a devious businessman. "In this way I would take KD Group back to it''s former glory indirectly, won''t I?" Rain sat up as insight dawned, looking at Edward. ''What a holy-shit idea from him? He must have known that I''ve been looking forward to seeing KD Group''s downfall. It would be very kind and merciful of me not to take advantage of the situation and give them a further hit. Why did he think I would turn the tide in their favor?'' He thought.


    "Have you thought this through? You could manipte the situation and establish your own dominance in KD Group, then everybody there would be at your beck and call." Edward said, revealing his ultimate goal. He wanted the people, who all used to look down upon Rain, to rely on him for their living. This was not an easy strategy, but in the long run a much more satisfying way to get back at them.


    "Let me think about it." Rain said, his mental gears grinding at Edward''s idea. If this seeded he would finally win respect for his mother! He hesitantly considered theplicated dynamics of the Ke family''swork.


    "Let me know your answer, once you''ve made up your mind. We''re not short of investment opportunities, but KD group is ripe for the taking, why not do it? Besides, the Ke family owes you, doesn''t it? I know you don''t give a shit about them, but there''s no reason for you not to profit from the people who mistreated you." This was Edward. He would find a way to take advantage of someone who owed him.00000000000

 Chapter 1583 His Mind Changed (Part Two)

    "Got it. I''ll sleep on it." Rain said, deep in thought. He had thought that the more isted he could be from that family, the better he would feel. But Edward''s idea made him uncertain what to do next. ording to Edward, he should consider taking their money byContent is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    manipting the situation, why should he decline it if they offered the opportunity to him?


    Edward observed Rain thoughtfully. He hadn''t asked Rain to defend his position before, because it wasn''t good timing then. But, now everything was ready. He just hoped Rain could fight for himself, not for the sake of the family property, but for his standing with the Ke family. In the following days, Rain continued pondering his options. He had previously made lots of assumptions, but they were being overturned now. He hadn''t wanted tomunicate with anyone in the Ke family.


    His hesitation was ended by an incident which finally made up his mind.


    Rain was always making public appearances as the Vice President of FX International Group. This wine party was no exception. Unexpectedly, he was confronted by one of the Ke family members, the eldest son of the Ke family, who had voiced the biggest disapproval of Rain.


    "Since when are they inviting anyone to a high-end wine party?" Cyrus Ke said with a sarcastic smile. He regarded Rain proudly, his eyes full of contempt.


    "I couldn''t agree with you more. Why, I can hear dog''s barking in this very ce?" Rain fought back lightly. He hadn''t sought trouble, but Cyrus hadunched the first assault. ''You wanna do it the hard way, right?'' He thought. "Who''s the dog?" Cyrus ground his teeth, staring hard at Rain. If his father hadn''t asked this rogue to take over thepany, he would not have bothered himself to pick a fight with Rain.


    "The one who barked at my question." Rain replied, behaving like a punk as usual. He was calmly making fun of the eldest son of the Ke family.


    "Humph! Do not deceive yourself into believing that you coulde back to our home, just because my dad suddenly thinks highly of you. Let me tell you straight, it''s impossible. Don''t forget that my mom is still there!" Cyrus said with a sinister smile. As long as his mom was in the Ke family, the bastard would never have any chance at setting foot into that house.


    "Let me rify something: In your eyes the Ke family is heaven, but for me, it''s a filthy ce. Even if you wanted to invite me to step into that ce, you would need to ask me if I would like to dirty my feet." Rain said with disdain, expertly swirling the wine in his ss and then taking a sip of it.


    "Haha! Dirty? You have never even tried to enter in to the Ke family? What? Do you suddenly think you are a noble man, since you became the vice president of FX International Group? Let me tell you. Bastard is bastard. No matter how hard you try to hide it, you can''t hide the smell of humble on you." Cyrus said, ring at Rain, but his wordscked strength. He was shorter than Rain. So, he looked very insignificant with Rain towering over him.


    "Oh! Now that you are more prominent than me, you think it''s beneath you to face me?" Rain said. He wasn''t angry or annoyed with Cyrus, but rather kept his public face in ce. In any case; if you took your enemy too seriously, you would lose. Hence, if you wanted to kill your enemy in secret, you had to show little interest on the surface, so that your enemy would not see youing.


    "If you didn''t want something that doesn''t belong to you, then I would have no reason to humiliate myself by confronting you," Cyrus said, almost crushing the ss in his hand in suppressed fury. ''Damn it. After such a long time, this bastard has be so powerful that even I am beginning to feel a little scared of him,'' thought Cyrus. Every word out of Rain''s mouth sounded rxed andzy, but Cyrus could feel the sleeping lion inside Rain stirring. Once he crossed the line, the beast would definitely awaken and jump to the ughter without any hesitation.


    "Something that doesn''t belong to me? Cyrus, ording to that reasoning, you''re afraid that I may want to go back to the Ke family, aren''t you?" Rain asked, his interest peeked by Cyrus''s statement. He studied Cyrus, eyes glittering with malice. Like his mom, Cyrus wasn''t a bad looking man but he possessed a feminine face, which made him seem unprincipled.


    "What did you say? I''m afraid of you? Rain, don''t forget yourst name is Xia not Ke. So, what on earth makes you think that I could possibly be afraid of you? My dad will never abandon me, his heir, no matter how badly I behave. You, are however, the bastard whom my dad has never cared about. How well do you expect my dad will treat you? And you shouldn''t forget one final thing! That my dad chose to abandon you and your mom for his reputation." Every word Cyrus had said was a nail into Rain''s wounded heart. But on the surface, Rain appeared untroubled, like it wasn''t him being offended and he kept smiling easily.


    "So what? At least, now, he regards me as an important yer, right? So, perhaps I should take over KD group right away?" Rain didn''t just say it to scare him, because Cyrus''s arrogance had now provoked his ambition. In that moment, he began to fully consider Edward''s suggestion. ''Since you disagree with me returning, perhaps I should give you a big surprise, to thank you for your cruel reminder of my past?'' Rain thought.


    "It''s true, youe bearing evil motives. Nice try. I''ll definitely unmask you in front of my dad. You just wait! You will never have the chance to get into the Ke family." Cyrus growled. He hadn''t expected that every word he said would irritate himself instead of angering Rain. The other man''s calm reaction drove him crazy.


    "If he believes what you have said, do you think he would have asked me to go back?" Rain departed with augh. He didn''t want to hear more of the dog''s barking. ''Cyrus, you will pay for what you did tonight. I wasn''t interested in KD Group at all before this public humiliation. Now, I will take all that you care about so much. I will do what you fear, I will act with full consideration of the KD group.'' He thought.


    Cyrus was angry with Rain, but he had no release for his anger when Rain left him so proudly. All he could do was clench his teeth and ball his fists. He wanted to p the smile off of Rain''s handsome face. His father had been attracted to Rain''s mother because of the same enchanting features. Then she gave birth to the bastard Rain, who now fought over the fortune with him. He had been squabbling with everyst one in his family already. Now, there was another unexpected contender. With enemies inside and outside, how could Cyrus not feel exasperated?


    Compared to Cyrus, Rain felt more cheerful. He had just won the first round of the game. The sense of achievement was more fulfilling than securing a lucrative tender. Cyrus now paid attention to him, which meant he possessed something that scared Cyrus. So, Cyrus tried to scare him off with intimidation. He had previously felt insulted and cursed by them, because of his inferiorityplex. But today, he would not let history repeat. ''So, Cyrus, get ready, because I have a huge surprise for you! I promise, you will not like it.'' Rain thought.


    The Ke family, with a long history, was one of the noblest families in S City. It was Cyrus''s father who had taken KD Group to the top and turned it into a business empire. But thepany had sadly begun to back slide over the past two or three years, because Cyrus''s father stepped down. Even so, thepany wouldn''t be closed down that easily, since it possessed a firm foundation. But it was just no longer as steady as before, when in it''s full glory.

 Chapter 1584 The King Of S City (Part One)

    Polished leather dress shoesnded on the concrete ground in front of a tall, imposing ss building. It was not as grand as FX International Group, but it was still as famous in S City. The handsomely dressed man walked to the entrance and stepped inside. The opulent crystals of the chandelier glittered when the sunlight hit them as they cast beautiful patterned shadows on the glossy granite tiles of the floor. The man, Rain, didn''t expect to enter KD Group so easily, yet less than a week after the wine party, here he was. The conference room was littered with thepany''s key people in a heated discussion about something. Although everyone knew that Rain would be the CEO of KD Group, Sanford''s family still came to thepany to change his mind and persuade him from letting Rain be the acting president of KD Group.


    "Daddy, why? Why do you want that little bastard to be CEO of KD Group?" Vance Ke said. He was Sanford''s second son. He looked rather arrogant with his hands folded across his chest as he huffed in annoyance.


    "Watch your tongue. He is not a bastard. He is your brother." Sanford red at him as he thought, ''If you guys were as capable as Rain, then I wouldn''t have to do this.''


    "My brother? He is not my brother!" Vance sneered and his nostrils red in irritation.


    "Vance is right. There''s no way Rain will be my brother." An elegantly dresseddy in a red wrap dress beside Vance echoed his sentiments with contempt. She was Tiana, Vance''s sister.


    An older, yet just as sharp voice added fuel to the fire. "I''m still alive. If that little bastard wants to get into the KD Group, he''ll step over my dead body." After all these years, Sheena was still shrewd as ever. Although time had left its mark on her face, her character and attitude were still as fiery.


    "Nonsense! I''m not asking for your opinion. I''m telling you that if you have a problem with it, you can leave the house or thepany." Sanford red at them. They allpsed into silence as he looked somanding that his presence made the atmosphere in the room tense.


    "Dad, we''re not against him entering ourpany. We just think it''s too risky for you to let a vice president of anotherpany run our own." A calm but confident voice echoed throughout the room. It was Hannah, Cyrus'' wife. As a smart and capable businesswoman, she held a high position at KD Group.


    "I agree with Hannah. Dad, everything is fine in ourpany. Why are you making sudden employee changes? It''s not that we don''t trust Rain. Think about it. He is the vice president of FX International Group. Are you really not afraid that he will do anything bad to ourpany?" The next person who spoke up was Eugenia, Vance''s wife. She looked a lot softer than Hannah, but she had more guts than her. At KD Group, they seemed to have the typical management dominated by males like otherpanies, but it was actually the women whomanded most of the shots. If Rain was unprepared, people could imagine how miserable Rain could be in managing KD Group. He was willing to go head to head with his fellow men, but sometimes he just didn''t know how to deal with women. "All right. Then tell me, who can save ourpany now?" Sanford questioned them pointedly. His sharp eyes were scanning the whole room which made everyone bow their heads down.


    "Daddy, don''t be angry. I am here. I will graduate next summer. I will certainly work in thepany to help you," Tiana spoke confidently. She was the favorite in the family, and Sanford doted on her. Thus when he got angry, Tiana was the one who tried to cheer him up. "Next summer? KD Group would''ve gone bankrupt by then. Let me tell you, Rain will be the new CEO of KD Group whether you like it or not. Therefore, you must follow his orders and put thepany''s interests first," Sanford spoke with finality in his deep voice. It seemed that he was firm in his decision and had made up his mind to let Rain take over thepany. No one could change his mind now, not even Tiana.


    "Dad, do you think the board of directors will support your decision?" A male voice was heard in the room. For the first time that day, Cyrus voiced his doubts. Personally, he felt that even if Sanford supported Rain to lead KD Group, the board would not necessarily approve of his decision.


    "You don''t have to worry about that. This is an unanimous decision we made after a long discussion. If you guys have a problem with that, you are all free to leave ourpany," Sanford calmly said. When he was young, he had always concerned himself with so many things that the only woman he ever loved slipped from his fingers. Now, he didn''t want to repeat the same mistake so he didn''t wish to be hesitant like before. He wanted to take charge and make his own decisions.


    came.


    "They all agreed? That''s impossible!" Cyrus said incredulously. He clearly could not ept such a fact. He spent so much time trying to reach out to thepany''s shareholders in hopes of gaining more support and traction when the time topete with Vance for assets "You think I don''t know what you did behind my back? I am warning you. Don''t do anything like this again, or I''ll never let you off." Sanford scowled at him with piercing eyes and thought, ''Did you really think I would let you run thepany? I know what you''re thinking.'' "So that''s your final decision?" A feisty voice spoke up. Sheena suddenly got up as she said that and thought, ''They all agreed, but so what? I haven''t agreed yet. I''m also a shareholder in KD Group.''


    "If you want your money to go up in smoke, you can object to my decision," Sanford retorted. Sheena and Sanford''s union was a result of an arranged marriage decided by their parents. It was just a trade-off for financial benefits. Sanford had no feelings at all for Sheena, so when at some point in his life he met Rain''s mother, he couldn''t help but fall in love with her. However, Sanford was pressured by his family to break it off and soon enough, he was unable to cope with it and couldn''t be with her. Rain''s mother was unhappy ever since and left the world early with pain and regret.


    "Are you threatening me? Don''t forget, my family is still here!" Sheena Cheng was not by any means from a famous family, but they were quite well-off. Therefore, she was also a respectable figure in the upper ss circle. It was why she was able to forcefully take Sanford back from Rain''s mother and prevent him from marrying her.


    "You think your family will still help you now?" Sanford snorted and coldly shot back at her. He thought, ''Do you think you''re still that same richdy?'' He knew that ever since her eldest brother took over their family business, he had never given her any help or assistance. After being exposed by this little revtion from Sanford, Sheena suddenly nched. He was right. Before KD Group encountered any difficulties, her brother was generous to her. However since that misfortune, he had turned his back on her.


    Meanwhile, downstairs at the building''s lobby, Rain had entered KD Group''s premises. As soon as he stepped inside, a middle-aged man walked towards him.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Mr. Xia, nice to meet you. I am Lawrence, the legal adviser of your Dad. I''ve been working for him for many years. He told me to wait here for you," Lawrence greeted him. When Lawrence saw Rain, his eyes went a little red and he suddenly remembered Rain''s mother. They looked so much alike.


    "Nice to meet you, too. Lawrence. Just call me Rain, if you don''t mind. By the way, he is not my father," Rain said back. Rain wore a piercing dark navy blue suit for this day. From the suit''s design, to its craftsmanship and intricate details, it was not difficult to see that his suit was tailored by a famous designer. It was actually a suit from LN FASHION, a stylish and dapperbel especially chosen for him by Leena.


    "No, no, no. I can''t call you like that. You''re the new CEO of KD Group after all," said Lawrence in slight trepidation. It was rumored that Rain was an ipetent fellow, but when Lawrence saw him, he found him to be quite charming and impressive in the way he carried himself, which was totally different from what the reports imed.00

 Chapter 1585 The King Of S City (Part Two)

    "I will take that as a yes," Rain said with a smile. He knew what he was going to face without a moment''s thought.


    Lawrence frowned, but he didn''t say anything. He just led him to the elevator. ''Rain looks smarter and more capable than his two brothers, ''Lawrence thought to himself in silence.


    The short trip was quiet. Lawrence bowed to him respectfully and left when they reached the designated floor. Rain walked to the doors of the conference room and when he entered, everyone''s heads turned to look at him with resentful gazes. He felt a shiver run down his spine.


    "Hello, everyone. You didn''t expect us to meet so soon, did you?" Rain addressed everyone happily. He smirked mischievously and at the back of his mind he thought, ''Just wait, you bastards. I will treat you "well."Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "No one wants to see you, you little bastard. You don''t deserve to sit here!" Sheena sneered at Rain and red at him. She was furious because when she looked at Rain, she remembered how her husband betrayed her. "Mrs. Ke, you just called me a bastard in front of Mr. Ke. Aren''t you afraid he''ll get mad?" Rain said ironically as he scanned the people present in the room. He knew all of them except two women.


    "Don''t try to ruin my rtionship with Sanford. Even if you can get into KD Group, you can''t go back to our house. As long as I''m alive, you can''t get what you want." Sheena hissed at him like he was an annoying little shrew. A cunning woman like her would still be pissed off at Rain.


    "Don''t worry, I never wanted anything to do with your family. Your house is too dirty for a noble man like me." He had only agreed to help Sanford run thepany, but he had no intentions of returning to their home at all.


    "Since you despise us so much, then why did youe to KD Group? If I were you, I won''t ask for trouble," Vance said haughtily. He thought he was handsome, but when he stood in front of Rain it was as if he was overshadowed by his brother''s presence. "You should ask Mr. Ke that question. You should ask him why he wants me to run yourpany. Is it because you are all too ipetent to do the job?" When it came to arguments, no one faced off with Rain except Edward. That man was a sophist after all. "Don''t be so arrogant. Do you really think you can save KD Group?" Cyrus said as he scowled at Rain and thought, ''Damn it! Didn''t he say he wasn''ting to KD Group? Why is he here today? Is the threat I made to him that day useless?'' "We''ll see," Rain said proudly. He believed that he could prove himself worthy of the position with his skills and abilities.


    "Stop! That''s enough! There will be a board meetingter. Rain, I hope you can use your abilities to convince people by then." Sanford bellowed to silence their argument. He frowned and thought, ''It looks like they''re not going to get along.''


    Rain turned to Sanford and said, "You know how great I am, and that''s why you chose me. By the way, I''d like to rearrange the employee structure of thepany," He said as he nced coldly at the people in the conference room. He knew that if he wanted to get KD Group back on track as quickly as possible, he would have to get rid of some people. He therefore hoped that he would have the autonomy in this aspect.


    "Don''t be so greedy!" Someone contested him. Upon hearing Rain''s words, they all felt that he would take this opportunity to retaliate against them and they all inwardly shuddered with panic.


    "That''s all I ask. As for the answer, it is up to you," Rain said in a calm manner as he thought, ''I can do what I want. Sanford now believes in me, not you lot. What can you do about me?''


    "Okay, I am fine with that, but you have to make a reasonable adjustment," Sanford said topromise with Rain after a moment of hesitation. He knew that Rain got to the bottom of thepany''s problems, and that was why he made the request. Others however, might not support Sanford''s decision. "Dad..." Everyone looked at Sanford in shock. They did not expect him to agree to Rain''s request.


    He said to everyone present, "I know what you''re thinking. I don''t think Rain will fire you if you do your job well." Sanford stopped there as he didn''t want to talk about it anymore. Besides, he wouldn''t change his mind no matter what.


    As vice president of FX International Group, Rain was admired for his business acumen and marketing talent. He had a natural knack for the things he did at his job. In the board meeting regarding his position at KD Group, he won the support of all the people with his brand new ideas and sagacious mind. It could be said that no matter howzy he might seem during ordinary days, he could make a difference when it came to the crunch.


    His poprity among the board members made others resentful. Rain certainly knew what he was going to face, so he was ready for the difficulties that came with the job. All of this he did for his mother.


    After the rather eventful meeting wrapped up, Rain did not immediately order the implementation of the reform measures. Instead, he left KD Group in a hurry. He had more important things to do. The people one by one filed out of the conference room. "Brother, wait for me." As soon as Rain stepped out of the door, he was stopped by a young woman in his tracks.


    "Oh! It''s you. What''s the matter?" Rain turned to her and asked. Although she was about the same age as Leena, he couldn''t find himself to be gentle towards her.


    "So, you are my brother. You are so handsome. Can Ie to apany you at thepanyter?" Tiana asked as she looked up at him adoringly,pletely forgetting that she previously rejected him as family awhile ago in the meeting. "I''m sorry, I''m not your brother. And don''t call me that. You don''t deserve to call me that," Rain said in a dry, derisive tone.


    "Why?" Tiana asked as she looked at him innocently. It was normal for her age to be interested in good-looking males, especially one like Rain.


    "I told you. You''re not my sister! Now is there anything else you want? If it''s alright, I''ll go." Rain then turned on his heel and walked away, not caring if his words would hurt Tiana or not. He simply had no pity or care for Sheena''s children. Tiana stomped her foot in mild irritation but tried to catch up with Rain. In her mind, he was like a famous movie star. She didn''t want to miss the chance to take a picture with him. If she got to take a picture with him, she could show off in front of her ssmates.


    "Wait for me!" Tiana hollered. If Leena had called him, he would have stopped walking to wait for her at once; but it was Tiana who did, so he hastened his pace to get in the car.


    Tiana honestly did not expect Rain to do that to her, so there was nothing she could do but watch him drive away. She felt annoyed at this but she didn''t give up the idea of taking a picture with him. Rain nced at the receding figure of Tiana through the rear view mirror. He smiled coldly and thought, ''Tiana, though you didn''t actually hurt me, you are still Sheena''s daughter. You deserved that.''


    The car soon turned to a buildingplex and stopped at the parking space. Rain got out of the car to go inside and made a beeline for the executive lounge. Being back at FX International Group made Rain feel rxed. The silence and people at KD Group smothered him. "So, how''s it going?" A man in a charcoal gray suit sauntered to him. For the first time, Edward offered him a drink and sat down beside him.


    "Everything is fine," Rain said confidently. He knew that this was only the beginning, and he had a lot of things on his te to face next.


    "That''s great! You''re so awesome! Let''s toast to your victory!" Edward said approvingly as he raised his ss of cogniac and made a celebratory toast to him. What they really wanted was not Sanford''s property or assets, it was the feeling of superiority that woulde from defeating them. They wanted all those who ever looked down at him to know that he was the king of S City.00000

 Chapter 1586 Kevins Return (Part One)

    "Thank you!" eximed Rain in exasperation. "In my opinion, the situation in KD Group has be ratherplicated!" It was a rare sight to see the man so frustrated. The chaos in KD Group must have really agitated him.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    "Well, what else do you think?" questioned Edward. Rain threw him an expectant look. Rolling his eyes, Edward exined, "KD Group is a family business. If you want to have it under control in a short period of time, you''ll need to take down nepotism in the office first." As Edward rubbed his chin thoughtfully, Rain snorted at the proposal.


    "In that case, I guess they''ll just tear me up," said Rain sarcastically. The Ke family''s attitude didn''t go undetected by him. So he could only imagine what trap and challengesy in wait at the KD Group. If there was anything to be learned from his past encounters with them, it was that working there would usher in a regr dose of distress and pressure. What fun!


    "Well, are you going to cower in fear just because of a challenge?" Smirking, Edward turned his head sideways and nced at Rain.


    "You can''t pull back an arrow once it''s shot," Rain scoffed, "Do you think I''d quickly get knocked down?" Before entering the KD Group, he was smart enough to make a detailed investigation on the Ke family''s existing personnel. A man with a n, Rain was more than well-equipped to deal with them.


    "Good," Edward said, "You''ve really got some guts there with you." Grabbing his drink on the table, Edward clinked sses with Rain. A big n seemed to be in order. And all they needed to do now was patiently wait for the perfect time to set it in motion. The Ke family was about to taste the kiss of betrayal. And they wouldn''t know what would hit them.


    "Of course, I''m Rain the Invincible," said Rain smugly. Hearing apliment from Edward himself, Rain couldn''t help but feel a bitcent.


    "Just because I praised you, though, doesn''t mean you should be overconfident with yourself. You shouldn''t underestimate the Ke family!" Then he sniffed and shook his head. "Unless you want to identally fall into someone''s trap." Thepany rtions of the Ke family wereplex. Most of their negotiations were done under the table. And anyone who appeared to be an ally could turn into an enemy the next day. It was better to take more caution.


    "I know that. Do I look like a dimwit to you?" Rain asked seriously. He folded his arms and looked at the floor. "More than anyone else in the world, I''m well aware that they want me dead. So why would I ever be careless?" Back then, his presence meant nothing to the Ke Family. They wouldn''t have bothered to touch him. Things were different now, however. And they saw that he was, in fact, a threat to their personal interests.


    Agreeing, Edward said, "I''m d that you have realized it by yourself. Just don''t forget the fact that you''re also the Vice President of FX International Group." It was something that needed to be said for rity. Although he had allowed Rain to get into KD Group, thetter man had to remember that it didn''t mean he was out of FX International Group.


    "What''s that supposed to mean?" asked Rain. He didn''t like the sound of his voice.


    "You still have to fulfill your responsibilities in the FX International Group," Edward answered casually. On the inside, however, he thought, ''Haha, let''s see if you could remain overconfident with your ns.''


    "What?! Oh no, Edward," whined Rain. He red at the smug man. "Do you think I''m superman or something?" KD Group on its own was enough to take most of his time. With the responsibilities he had in FX International Group on top of that, there would be none left for him to even take a break to breathe!


    "Are you not the Vice President of FX International Group?" Edward retorted indifferently. He couldn''t help it. The man needed a bit of reality check before his ego became his downfall.


    "You''re just taking advantage of me, that''s what," said Rain in frustration. All his time would be devoted to working in bothpanies. It seemed that he wouldn''t even have the chance to drink wine, and that was ridiculous.


    On the second day at work, Rain made big changes in the KD Group''s personnel. People who got their position solely because of bias and personal rtionships were reced by more adept employees. This n of action was bound to provoke some of the affected ones.


    "Rain Xia, what did you just do? Why did you dismiss my man?" One of the first toe knocking on his door was Hannah Zhang. And she was less than happy about his move.


    "From where I''m standing, the capable need to be rewarded and the ipetent need to be demoted. Hard-working employees need to be recognized. I''ve considered it for the interests of thepany," Rain said casually. He looked at her straight in the eyes. Judging by the furious look she wore, he could tell that it was just the beginning of the war he started. Her violent reaction wasn''t unfounded. Rain just happened to have dismissed one of her rtives. And on top of that, someone might have also sneakily called her rtive ipetent. This was just the start of many more oppositions for his business decisions. Indeed, he would be amenable to some revisions, provided that they were backed by sound justifications. If Hannah knew that, would she back down now? He quite doubted it.


    "Interests of thepany? Then why was it just my man who was dismissed?" she snapped. Hannah wasn''t angry because of private interests. The decision just seemed unjustifiable, and she needed people to aplish her delegation. Under those circumstances, anyone would be just as enraged. So Hannah''s reaction was definitely normal.


    "The reason why your person lost his position was that, instead of trying to focus on his work, he was too busy provoking me," responded Rain calmly. "As the president of KD Group, should I have no punishment to him as a warning to anyone who wishes to follow his footsteps?" ying with his signature pen at the tip of his fingers, he gave the woman enough time to let his words sink in. It was a habit that grew more difficult to change.


    "Okay, Rain Xia," said Hannah, finally. She red at him. "Let''s see how long you can keep up with this charade of yours." A part of her believed that she was at fault for forgetting to remind her people to follow the rules during this transitional period. And as a result of her negligence, their careless mouths dragged them directly before the muzzle of the gun, bing the first to be dismissed.


    "Why don''t we just wait and see then!" Rain said unblinkingly. As she was only a woman who came from a slightly rich family, Rain was impervious to her threats. Did she really think that she could run around and demand things just because she was married to a member of the Ke family???????????????

 Chapter 1587 Kevins Return (Part Two)

    "Hmp!" Hannah stomped her foot and left his office. On her way out, she met Eugenia who seemed to be on the way to meet with Rain as well.


    "Hey!" greeted Eugenia in surprise. She nced at Rain''s office door before turning to her. "What''s the matter, Hannah? Did you know someone who got fired?" Secretly, the two women had beenpeting to one-up the other. And after butting heads too often, both of them had agreed that it was best to keep their distance as much as they could. "Eugenia, shouldn''t you be more anxious than me?" Hannah asked politely. "With the things you''ve done, I''m not surprised you''re here." Never underestimate a woman''s envy, for even if it were over a trivial matter, they could hold a grudge for a very long time. "We shouldn''t be at each other''s throats right now, you know," said Hannah, walking away slowly and facing her. "We have amon enemy, and it''s that little bastard in there," She nodded towards Rain''s office. When she had joined the Ke family, she didn''t know the existence of the man. Only recently did she hear about him, and she wasn''t impressed.


    "You provoked me first. Why is it my fault now?" asked Eugenia casually. Somewhat headstrong, she wasn''t used to admitting defeat. It was a w that developed due toing from a rich family. And she had always found it convenient against her enemies. "Okay, okay. It''s my fault then," Hannah said, "I''m sorry. Is that enough?" Considering themon interests they shared, Hannah had to let go of her pride to appease Eugenia. At any rate, there was plenty of other opportunities for them topete in the future. Today''s mishap required a truce.


    "Well..." Eugenia trailed, "It''s not like I''m entirely meless. Why don''t we just forget it? I''ve got something else to do." Since Hannah threw in the towel first this time around, she concluded it was best not toe too aggressively, and didn''t push the conversation further. Watching her enter the President''s room, Hannah''s eyes turned dark as she dropped the pretense. Did she really think she was stupid? Even though they were civil, she still saw Eugenia as an enemy.


    "If you''re here to me me for that rtive of yours, I''d advise you to just shut up!" said Rain tiredly. "I doubt that if I would change my mind this soon. And I''m not even sure yet if I''m going to pursue taking legal action instead of just dismissing him." On his table, there was a thick stack of documents that needed to be dealt with. With all the interruptions, however, it was going to be difficult to get through all of them today.


    Not backing down, Eugenia said, "I just think that, even if he is a criminal, he should... I don''t know, he should also have the right to exin himself." She was burning with anger. And the only way to conceal was by biting her lower lip. Marrying Vance was a waste. The man couldn''t even manage his ownpany. ''Why did he even need an outsider to intervene in the affairs of thepany?'' she thought.


    "I guess you also knew that his behavior could be categorized as financial crime. He embezzled 50 million dors from thepany," he said coldly, and opened his drawer. "Besides, even if I gave him the chance to exin himself, do you really think he could still get away with it?" After airing his question, he put all the pieces of evidence he collected beforehand on the table. Many presumed that Rain''s actions were arbitrary. But this was the truth. Without these important documents, it would have proved rather difficult to dismiss the man.


    "Where did you get all of these?" asked Eugenia, gobsmacked. As she held the documents, her hands trembled. If these fell in Sanford''s hands, it wasn''t just her rtive who would be used of breaking thew, but herself as well. After all, she had been the one who referred the rtive to thepany.


    "You don''t need to know where I got them. All you need to remember at this point is that I''m the President of KD Group now," he said haughtily, "so the next time you want toe into my office, kindly bear in mind to raise your noble hand and knock on the door. Don''t be rampaging all over the ce like a wild bull." Despite being a man who didn''t usually knock on doors either, even if it was Edward''s office, he still didn''t appreciate the employees of KD Group''s tant disregard for his personal space. If he wanted to get things done, he had to draw the line somewhere.


    "I''m sorry," said Eugenia suddenly. "I have things to do. Then I''lle back here to discuss this again." At first, Eugenia felt guilty because of his speech. But the longer she thought about it, the more she felt dejected.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Just as she left, Rain couldn''t help but sneer at the door. Did she really think he was clueless about the dirty deeds happening in thepany? If he were that ipetent, Sanford wouldn''t have persuaded him several times to join the KD Group. These people were slowly starting to learn that he had been very much underestimated.


    Even the turmoil in KD Group couldn''t hold back Kevin''s return. When he finally set his feet on thend of S City, he took a deep breath and exhaled.


    "Major General, which would it be? Do you want to go home first, or return to the Military base at once?" With the Major General gone for two months, Lee was ecstatic to see him again.


    "Let''s go home first," answered Kevin instinctively. "I could go to the Military base tomorrow," He patted the man on the shoulder. "How''s Leena? Has she been doing okay?" Wearing his military uniform, Lee noted that Kevin got a tan. It was likely due to the tropical conditions in the foreign country.


    "Well, she''s okay! Although," said Lee, thinking carefully. "There was that one time the other day when she vomited so much because of the foul-smelling fish odor." He recalled the time when she was cooking fish. Like a true soldier, Lee followed Kevin''s instructions without question. Every weekend, he would drop by to see Leena and apany her.


    "What, she vomited?" asked Kevin, starting to worry immediately. "Has she seen a doctor yet?" Keen to find out if his wife was okay, he wished he could see Leena already. And after finding out about her ailment, he couldn''t wait for another minute anymore. "She said it was just the fishy odor that got to her," exined Lee. As Lee was oblivious to Leena''s current sensitive condition, he thought it was just a simple stomach ache.


    "I didn''t know she hated the smell of seafood," Kevin muttered, as they walked out of the airport. A gust of cold wind blew past them. Sighing, he reveled as the cold wind hit his face.


    "Ah, I didn''t know either," shrugged Lee. Given the fact that Kevin, the husband, didn''t seem to know about it, it was ridiculous to expect Lee to possibly know.


    "Did you tell her of my return?" Getting in the car, he turned to look at Lee with an expectant look.

 Chapter 1588 Kevins Return (Part Three)

    "Not at all!" answered Lee, proudly. "You said you wanted to surprise her, so I made a mental note not to open my mouth about it." Lee would''ve been pretty foolish to disobey Kevin''s instructions.


    "That''s good to know," said a satisfied Kevin, "let''s go then." Resting his hands into his pockets, he clutched the gift he brought for Leena. During hisst training, he asked a friend to help him buy a gift. It was not, however, for Leena. Although he had hurt her plenty of times, he had hoped that the small gesture would be enough for her to forgive him.


    When he arrived at the Grand Apartment, the entire house was dead silent. Apparently, Leena wasn''t at home yet. So it seemed that it was not a proper time for his wish to give her a surprise.


    Even when he was away for a while, nothing much had changed in the house. Everything seemed familiar, and in some cases, he would catch a whiff of Leena''s perfume hanging in the air.


    After looking around some more, he decided to take a quick bath first while she wasn''t home. After his bath, Leena should be back by then.


    Meanwhile, at the supermarket, Leena was ambling around aimlessly. She didn''t know why, but ever since she became pregnant, her appetite had improved so much. She grew an appreciation for eating all kinds of snacks, and wasn''t sure if it would induce an uncontroble weight gain.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    In front of her was a young couple. The woman''s belly stuck out and Leena could tell almost immediately that she was expecting too. She was pouting, angry like she was having an argument with her husband. The closer she got, the more convinced she was by her theory. But then, the husband was quick toprom¨ªse. Smiling, the man consoled his wife. After a few more hushed exchanges, she stopped being angry. A small smile crept up on her face.


    Seeing such a scene made Leena admire them. Her hand instinctively rested on her abdomen. ''Oh baby, your daddy broke his words. He said he''d be back within two months. But it''s been two days overdue, and he still hasn''te home, ''Leena thought to herself. Leena heard from around that as a pregnant woman, she had to eat more fruits and vegetables. With that in mind, she dropped by the fruits section and started grabbing everything she liked. In this way, she would avoid starving herself even she wasn''t in the mood to cook. Discouraged by sticky frying pans, she didn''t look forward to cooking for just herself.


    Carrying the small bags up the stairs, she took her time with them as she remembered the doctor''s rmendation not to carry heavy things. As a pregnant woman, she wasn''tpletely helpless. She just needed to be smarter with her every move.


    But the moment she opened the door, she had a strange feeling in the house. It was like someone else was in the house. Uneasy, she wondered if there were thieves around. If this happened in the past, she wouldn''t be afraid of a thief. In fact, she might even charge towards the abominable person. But now that she was pregnant, she had to be more careful. Fighting was no longer an option.


    While tiptoeing upstairs, she didn''t notice another living soul in the house. At this point, she was half-convinced that maybe her intuition was off. After all, she was living in a top residential area. How easy would it be for the bad guys to get there?


    After Kevin''s bubble bath, Leena still hadn''te home. So he went to the study room and did the training report. Upon noticing someone enter the house downstairs, he stood up happily. ncing at his reflection, he hoped that his tanned skin wouldn''t frighten her. Running his hand over his hair a few times, he walked out of the study room. Almost instantly, his sharp eyes caught Leena walking up the stairs like a thief. He was tempted to scare her with a loud noise, but refrained from doing so in fear of causing an ident. Thus, he settled with leaning against the wall, a yful smile in ce as he watched her every move.


    After not seeing her for about two months, she seemed to have gained some weight. ''At least, ''he thought, ''she is no longer as thin as the time she ran away from home''.


    "Leena, are you a thief? Or are you trying to look for a thief?" He couldn''t help it. She looked rather silly while going up the stairs.


    "Kevin? Kevin! You''re back!" she eximed in shock. "I thought it was a thief. I was really scared!" Startled by his voice, Leena almost rolled down the stairs. Fortunately, Kevin stepped forward just in time and took hold of her hands.


    "If I were really a thief, I would have caught you," he said logically, "How could you catch a thief with all that sound you made?" Kevin shook his head. Even when his hiding ce was visible, she still didn''t notice him quick enough. Had it been a sly thief, would she have been safe?


    "Kevin," she began, "your skin''s darker now." Dismissing his mocking tone, Leena frowned up at his darker face.


    "Is there nothing else you have to say?" asked Kevin, feeling a bit distressed. For nearly two months, they hadn''t seen each other. The tall man was hoping to hear from his wife how much she missed him. Lo and behold, his extraordinary wife managed to say something else. And of all things, it had to be his skin turning darker.


    "But that''s the first I thought when I saw you," insisted Leena. "Don''t worry though," she added as he scowled, "I definitely don''t mind as you look so much more manly." Then she rushed into his arms. The familiarity made her breathless and happy at the same time. "Nana, I''ve missed you so much," Kevin said. As it didn''t seem like she was going to say it, he thought he might as well admit it first. He really, really missed her a lot.


    "Oh Kevin," said Leena, "I''ve also missed you. I missed you for every minute when you were away." Leena looked up to please him. Her eyes were beaming with joy. Lowering his head, he leaned over for a hungry kiss.


    Leena quickly wrapped her hand around his neck. She stood on her tiptoes, responding to his heated passion. As she longed for such a kiss the entire time he was away, she didn''t hesitate to give him what he wanted.


    "Wait a minute, Kevin," said Leena, realizing something. "Not now." Stopping Kevin''s hand just as he was reaching out to lift her shirt, Leena tried to catch her breath. The doctor said that she had to be careful during the first three months of her pregnancy. Thus, she decided she couldn''t risk it for a moment of joy.


    "Why?" he asked. "Oh! Is it because you have your period?" Kevin wasn''t exactly familiar with periods. Although he heard other girls mention it in the past, he so rarely cared about it. Ever since he married Leena, however, he took it upon himself to understand and pay more attention to it.


    "That''s not the reason," said Leena, shaking her head. "I''ll tell youter!" As soon as her hormones calmed down, she began to panic. Leena didn''t know how to announce such a big surprise. Staring into his beautiful eyes, she wondered how she could open this to him. "Why wait for a moment?" questioned Kevin restlessly. "Can''t you just say it now?" And for that two months when he was away, he didn''t get to have sex with her. Despite the interruption, his enthusiasm didn''t waver. He rubbed her earlobe lovingly, teasing her. "No, it''s just that..." Leena''s breath hitched at his gesture. Her body was burning with excitement. Closing her eyes, she leaned close against his body. She wanted it just as much as he did. But despite her desire, herpelling reason told her that she couldn''t.0000000

 Chapter 1589 Youre Going To Be A Father (Part One)

    "Just what, huh?" Kevin was busy with his lips roaming her neck. "What do you want to tell me?" he moaned. He looked at her with lust-filled eyes as he kept kissing her, and coaxed Leena to return his ministrations. They hadn''t seen each other for more than two months,


    and Kevin missed his wife like hell. He couldn''t wait any longer and wanted her right here, right now.


    She was trying not to be distracted with what he was doing. "I, ahhh..." Pausing for a few seconds, Leena then stood on tiptoe and leaned towards Kevin. She brought her mouth next to Kevin''s ear and whispered, "You''re going to be a father soon." Then she stepped back and blinked her eyes in expectation, waiting to see Kevin''s reaction. He didn''t disappoint her. Kevin pulled back and stood frozen with his mouth agape.


    "Whaa... What, Nana? What did you just say? Please say it again!" he asked her hoarsely. After recovering from the initial shock, Kevin tried to contain his excitement. Did he hear Leena correctly? But it couldn''t be real! It was impossible for his wife to bear children. So, he couldn''t believe the good news he heard.


    Slowly, Leena repeated, "You are going to be a father soon." His stunned look amused Leena. She understood the reaction because it was how she felt once she heard the good news herself. Like Kevin, she was in disbelief. Leena never thought it was possible, but here she was now, pregnant! A baby was growing inside her.


    "Tell me it''s real! You''re not kidding?" he asked excitedly. The man couldn''t be happier. Leena getting pregnant was something Kevin never expected. He still couldn''t believe he was finally going to be a father! And it was so precious because it would be his and Leena''s first child.


    "No, I am not kidding, Kevin. We are going to be parents soon. It''s really happening!" Leena reiterated, excitement evident in her tone. She shared Kevin''s happiness and excitement. After her confirmation, Kevin wrapped his arms tightly around her, then lifted her and spun her around. Her husband felt like he was ready to burst into happy bubbles.


    "Kevin! Be careful, please. You might hurt the baby," Leena reminded him. She was extremely thrilled by the news, but Leena was even more stunned by Kevin''s exhration. His reaction made her cry out inughter. Her heart burst at seeing her husband so happy, but at the same time, she was also worried that he might identally harm the baby.


    "Oh, sorry! I''m sorry!" he quickly said. "I am just too happy. How''s the baby? Is it okay? I didn''t hurt it, right?" Kevin was all concerned now. He immediately set his wife down and then reached out to touch her belly gently. He was careful, still in disbelief over the good news they had received. Leena''s belly was still t because her pregnancy was still at its early stage. But there was a sense of wonder in Kevin''s eyes at the thought of the cherished child inside her belly.


    "I think the baby is okay, so don''t worry. You did stop once I asked you to," she smiled at Kevin in assurance. Like her husband, Leena was ecstatic. Leena had never felt this happy. She was even more content knowing Kevin was happy too. She had no idea it would feel this good to share the good news with someone whom she loved deeply.


    "Nana, thank you!" Kevin said reverently. News of Leena''s pregnancy was a pleasant surprise for Kevin. He never expected to hear this kind of good news once he came back from two months of training. Kevin was ready for the worst and epted the possibility that they might never have a baby. So this pregnancy was truly a blessing.


    She broke out inughter after hearing his gratitude. "Silly! Don''t thank me. I couldn''t have done this alone, you know." Her face blushed pink and added to her beauty. She remembered the passionate love-making she shared with Kevin before he left for his training two months ago. If she guessed correctly, the baby was conceived the night when they couldn''t get enough of each other. They were so hot and crazy for one another because they didn''t want to be apart. Suddenly, Leena felt shy, and her face turned red in embarrassment. "Yeah, I guess you''re right. Kudos to us both. By the way, Nana, what do you want to eat tonight? I will take charge of dinner. You don''t have to do anything but rx," he offered. Kevin was feeling a bit guilty spinning Leena in circles a while ago in his excitement. Despite her assurance that she and the baby were all right, he was slightly worried. Then it struck him what Lee meant when he mentioned, ''Leena''s vomiting.''


    "You don''t have to do that. I can do the cooking. You just came back from training, so you should rest. You must be feeling tired," Leena stroked her husband''s cheek. The joy Leena felt at that moment made it easy for her to feel satisfied. She had always been this way, that was why most people liked and loved her. It was easy to befortable around Leena.


    "I am not tired at all," Kevin assured her. "By the way, when did you find out you were pregnant?" He was disappointed to miss hearing the good news with Leena and was eager to find out how far along was her pregnancy. Kevin wanted to know everything about this miracle. "Let me think... Probably about a month after you left for your training. Tom asked me to go to the hospital for a check-up. That''s when I learned the good news," she answered. All of a sudden, she felt shy disclosing all this to her husband, and she hung her head low. "So, how is the baby? Is it healthy? Did Tom say anything?" Kevin asked, his brows furrowed. Like many soon-to-be fathers, the first thing he was worried about was the baby''s health. It was a normal reaction for first-time fathers, and Leena appreciated his concern. She sighed in contentment. "Yes, the baby is healthy. The doctor told me everything was fine. I only need to go to the hospital for a check-up every few weeks, for now. Also, I need to eat food high in protein. That is all I need to worry about right now," Leena exined. Gently biting her lower lip, the young woman couldn''t contain her smile. Whenever she thought of going to the hospital for check-ups like Patricia, she couldn''t help but feel happy and excited. All her hard work had paid off. She had expected that being pregnant with Kevin''s child would make them happy, but she had no idea it would be this joyous for her.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    "That''s good to know," he said, blowing out a breath. Then he put his lips on Leena''s and gave her a resounding kiss. Kevin was less worried now that he knew their baby was all right. He was so happy that it made him nearly dizzy.


    "By the way, why didn''t you let me pick you up?" Leena asked. She puckered her lips and looked at her husband with using eyes. She wanted to pick him up herself so she could see him earlier.0000000

 Chapter 1590 Youre Going To Be A Father (Part Two)

    his pocket the entire time. He opened the box, took the ne out, and put it around Leena''s neck.


    He shrugged apologetically. "I wanted to surprise you, but didn''t expect I would end up being surprised," Kevin exined. "I prepared a gift for you. Close your eyes first, and no peeking." Checking that she couldn''t see anything, Kevin took out a box that had been inside "What is it?" Leena asked curiously. But she kept her eyes closed as Kevin told her. Leena still had no idea what her husband got her. Still, her heart melted at the thought that Kevin would buy a gift immediately after his two-month training stint.


    "You can open your eyes now," Kevin said softly. He examined the ne he had put on Leena, and took a deep breath as he admired the way it made her look utterly beautiful. The ne entuated her gorgeous neck. Her face nearly glowed with the silver chain, which made her skin lighter. Perhaps, it was pure happiness that made Kevin think he had never seen Leena look this lovely. He was hoping his wife would appreciate the gift.


    "Is it a ne?" Leena asked as she opened her eyes. She had felt Kevin''s hands around her neck and made the right guess. It pleased her that he thought of her during his training and presented her with such a wonderful surprise. Leena bet it was a gorgeous piece of jewelry. "It''s actually a ring. But I put it on a silver ne so you won''t ever lose it," Kevin said. His thoughtfulness touched Leena. It was a promise Kevin made to his wife before that he would pick rings for them himself, and he remembered to do it.


    "But why are there two rings?" Leena asked as she inspected the ne. She felt two rings on the silver chain, and this confused her. Did Kevin give her two rings? But why?


    "You know that I''m a soldier, correct? So, I''m not allowed to wear a ring when I am at the army base or on a mission. That''s why I decided to let you keep my ring, too. This way, you can look at it whenever you think of me. Think of it like I''m beside you all the time. Do you like it?" Kevin said. There were many things he regretted not having done for Leena. But he could still make up for them now. He had the rest of his life to cherish his wife and love her, and he would start showing her now. With a baby on the way, everything seemed perfect in his life.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    When she understood, a smile lit her face. "Yes, of course! Thank you, Kevin. I will definitely cherish these rings," Leena said. She leaned forward to kiss him ardently. There were unshed tears in her eyes because she was genuinely touched by what he had done. The pregnancy made her more emotional than usual. But she badly wanted to let her husband know how much she loved him through a passionate kiss.


    "Oh, have you told our parents about the baby?" Kevin suddenly asked. He broke the kiss, however much he wanted it to go on. Did his parents know about the good news? If they did, they must be ecstatic.


    "No, they don''t know. I was waiting for you, that way we could tell them the good news together," she replied. Leena thought it would be better for Kevin to tell them about her pregnancy, instead of her. That was why she kept it a secret and waited for Kevin to return before making the announcement.


    "They''ll be thrilled when they hear of the good news!" he said. Though Kevin''s parents said they didn''t mind if they couldn''t give them a grandchild, they still felt sad about it. His folks also didn''t want to pressure Kevin and Leena. Besides, they knew she was a good girl, and a good daughter-inw, so they said nothing so as not to hurt her feelings. It made Kevin happy to have such understanding parents and never brought up the subject again.


    "Yeah, I think so, too. I think your parents would probably be happier than we are about the news. I know they''ve long been waiting for a grandchild," Leena said. She was in Kevin''s arms, her head on his shoulder. The woman sighed deeply. At that moment, Leena felt like the happiest woman in the world. She was content where she was, with a husband who was deeply in love with her, a healthy baby on the way, and friends and brothers who cared for her a lot.


    "Is there something you want to eat now? I can go out and buy it for you," Kevin offered. He remembered Lee saying that Leena could not stand the smell of seafood because it made her sick and vomit. Thinking of this, he suddenly became anxious knowing that her condition was due to the pregnancy. Kevin believed it was better for pregnant women to consume more fish and seafood than meat. Leena needed protein right now. That was why he wanted to know what his wife wanted to eat since she couldn''t stand the smell and taste of fish.


    "No, I don''t want to eat anything right now. Speaking of which, I almost forgot that there are a lot of things that I bought and are still in the car. I can''t bring them with me all at once because they''re pretty heavy. Can you do me a favor and go downstairs to get them?" she requested. Several things were strewn all over the living room floor. Thinking that there was a robbery in their apartment, Leena had thought it best for the things she brought herself to remain in the living room for a while before she figured things out.


    "Of course. I''ll go get them right now. And next time you need to buy something, call me. Wait for me to go shopping with you, so you don''t have to carry heavy bags yourself, okay?" Kevin said worriedly. After learning about her pregnancy, Kevin started worrying more about his wife''s well-being. She had to be extra careful now because of the baby she was carrying. Kevin didn''t want anything to happen to the baby or Leena. He knew this child was priceless, a gift from God. And they were both grateful to have the chance to be parents, so Kevin vowed he would take good care of his wife and child.


    "Okay, I promise," Leena told her husband. She knew Kevin was both happy and worried about her condition, so she agreed with everything he said to make him worry less about her. Leena knew she had to be careful, and she too was aware of how blessed they were to have a baby on the way. She would not let anything screw this up. Besides, she was also aware that Kevin rarely had free time, and he would not be able to apany her every time she went shopping.


    "Good, that''s settled. I''m going down to get the things now. I''ll be back in a bit," Kevin said. He was out the door instantly. Meanwhile, Leena immediately walked to the bathroom inside their bedroom. She wanted to have a close look at the gift Kevin gave her just now through the mirror.


    She had never been the type of woman who cared a lot about gifts because she was a practical person. But Leena didn''t mind receiving a significant gift from her loving husband. And just like every girl who received a gift from her beloved, she was delighted. Leena wanted to inspect the rings that signified their deep love for each other.

 Chapter 1591 Youre Going To Be A Father (Part Three)

    When their parents learned that Leena was pregnant, they were all ecstatic. Shannon was so happy that she shed a few tears of joy. They all looked forward to bing grandparents. In her happiness, Shannon went to the temple to thank Buddha for granting her wish of


    a precious grandchild. Now, all they wanted was for Leena and the baby to be healthy.


    On the other hand, Nathan was all smiles after hearing the good news. He was not one to easily show his emotions, regardless if he was happy or sad. But he called Leena to say a few words to her, mainly telling the mother-to-be to take good care of herself, but in his


    usual stern and strict way. It seemed that he did not dislike his daughter-inw after all.


    "What did dad say to you?" Kevin inquired. He saw Leena hang up the phone after speaking to his father. He was curious because it was surprising for Nathan to call Leena. As far as he knew, his father never called Leena, not even once. Usually, it was their mother who called.


    "He told me to eat more and eat healthy now that I''m pregnant. He also told me to be careful and take care of myself and the baby. He said I should not act childish and go away when I want to, because I am no longer alone," Leena recounted Nathan''s words. Biting her lip, Leena thought about her conversation with Kevin''s father. As he spoke, Leena didn''t feel like it was a scolding. He might have sounded stern as if admonishing Leena for a wrong she had done, but the girl felt her father-inw''s concern for her and the baby. Leena decided it was Nathan''s way of showing that he cared for her.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "His tone isn''t nice, is it? But that''s just how he is. He talks that way even with me, so don''t mind him," Kevinforted his wife. He was worried that Leena would be upset if she felt his father was berating her, so Kevin immediately sought to assure her. He didn''t want to see his wife be depressed over something that was due to misinterpretation.


    It was Leena''s turn to assure Kevin. "I''m fine, don''t worry. I''m not upset. Besides, I think that he cares more about me now than he did before. He used to be so indifferent to me in the past. But now, he even called me himself. That''s a huge step forward, don''t you think so? So I am not going to be upset with his manner of speaking." She had put on a pretty smile. The doctor told her it was not good for the baby when the mother was in a bad mood. So, she tried her best to look on the bright side of things and to always be in a good mood. Admittedly, Leena was beginning to experience mood swings because of the pregnancy. She often felt emotional, and was emotionally fragile these days, but worked hard to control her moods.


    "I know you''re right. My father is strict and uptight. But, perhaps he''s changed. Calling you himself should mean something, don''t you think so? I think most of the time he''s just too shy to show how he truly feels. Or perhaps, he doesn''t know how to deal with you. After all, he''s done some not-so-nice things to you before," Kevin said. Knowing his father well, even Kevin felt intimidated by the man. Ever since he was small, he had always been afraid of Nathan because he was strict and harsh. He treated his son as if he was a soldier. And this was one of the reasons why Kevin decided to join the army when he became older. The fact was, being raised as a soldier by his father helped him get through military life, and Kevin would always be grateful to Nathan for that.


    "That''s right. So, I''ve decided to think that what your father said to me was his way to show concern for me and our baby. I promise I will not think that he doesn''t like me or isn''t nice to me based on that conversation. Please stop worrying," Leena told her husband. Nathan''s firm nature was totally different from Jonathan''s cold-heartedness. But Leena also saw the simrities between the two men. She sensed that Nathan and Jonathan had strong personalities. While they might initially appear indifferent, once they got to know you, they turned out to be kind and generous human beings.


    "You''re really a good daughter-inw, and should be awarded for that," Kevin teased his wife. A warm smile spread on his face. Kevin appreciated what Leena said. The woman was indeed very kind, and he felt very lucky to have her in his life. "Well. I wouldn''t mind getting one. No, I think I do deserve an award," Leena teased back. She was d Kevin was back home. The apartment was no longer empty like it was thest two months. Leena felt safe with her husband around, because she knew he would protect her at all costs.


    "All right, all right, you cockydy. I won''t argue with you anymore." That said, Kevin quickly stood up as if he was leaving. His behavior confused Leena. He just got home, where was he going now?


    "Where are you going? It''s already sote in the evening," she pointed out, a look of concern in her eyes. Confused, she wondered where Kevin was going this time of the day. Did she say something wrong that upset him? Leena suddenly became anxious.


    "Rx. I''m just going to get you a ss of milk downstairs. Did you really think I was leaving you? That''s ridiculous! I am never going to leave you, okay?" Kevin assured his wife. Before going to the car to get Leena''s purchases, Kevin had quickly called Tom to ask about things he should keep in mind while Leena was pregnant. And it was Tom who advised him to make his wife drink milk before going to bed because it promoted a peaceful night''s rest.


    "Oh? Milk for me? But we''re going to sleep now. Why do I need to drink a ss of milk? I will be fat if I drink milk sote in the evening," Leenained. Her beautiful brows furrowed in concern. She didn''t want to drink milk before going to sleep. She was surely going to gain weight if she did that. Thinking of how fat she used to be, Leena was horrified. ''I am never going to be fat again!'' she swore to herself.


    "Nonsense! You''re not going to be fat. Milk doesn''t make you fat, it makes you healthy. Besides, I can tell that the baby wants it." It was in moments like this that Kevin realized his wife was still a young girl. She acted childishly at times. Secretly, he was amused. Though Leena imed to be mature, there were instances when she behaved like a child. He liked this cute Leena, whom he found adorable.


    "Of course, all men are like this," Leena mumbled to herself. Her brows remained furrowed. When she first heard Patricia and Michelleining to her about their husbands'' overprotectiveness, Leena thought they were only exaggerating. Now, she understood they were telling the truth. Men were all like this. They would force you to eat something they thought was good for the baby in the name of caring about the child''s health.


    "What do you mean by that?" Kevin stopped in his tracks when he heard her words. He turned around and looked at Leena with curious eyes. He wanted to know why his wife said this.


    "You care so much about the baby''s well-being that you forget your own wife''s feelings," she pouted. Leena knew she was acting childish, but couldn''t help it. She was not jealous of the baby. But she did feel it was unfair when her husband thought of the baby first.


    "Nana, you''re wrong. Let me tell you why. If a man doesn''t love the woman who''s carrying his child, he''ll never embrace the baby in her womb. He won''t care about them. You know I love you, that''s why I also love our baby," Kevin exined. He was aware there were men who only cared for the child, not their wife. But Kevin wasn''t like that. He was a husband first. The only way for him to be a good father was to be a good husband. Yes, he cared about the baby''s well-being very much, but it didn''t mean he cared less about Leena. The truth was, he cared about the baby''s mother very much.0000000

 Chapter 1592 Youre Going To Be A Father (Part Four)

    Frustrated with herself, Leena admitted, "I''m just being childish. Don''t think too much into it. I''m fine." Honestly, she had no doubt that Kevin loved her, but she didn''t know why she blurted out what she said without a second thought. Even Leena could not exin what made her say things that would upset her husband. But she couldn''t help herself then. Her hormones were probably on overdrive because she was pregnant.


    "No, I understand. All right, stay here. I''ll be right back," Kevin said kindly. He remembered Tom saying that pregnant women were likely to have mood swings quite often. So no matter what unreasonable things Leena said to him, he should not take them seriously. Kevin now knew she was not able to control herself during certain instances.


    Smiling sheepishly, Leena nodded at her husband. She was grateful that Kevin was very understanding. If there was one thing she was sure of, it was that he would make a good father in the future. Leena, for now, was only being dramatic.


    Since Kevin did very well during his two-month training, he was given a week off from work. The break allowed him to stay home and rest. More importantly, it gave him a chance to take good care of Leena. He did everything to make his wife''s life more convenient and happier, and she didn''t even have to lift a finger. If she wanted a certain kind of food, Kevin would either make it or buy it for her. He didn''t allow his wife to do any housework, and he treated Leena like a queen at home. Kevin had never been this careful and considerate before.


    "Why do I feel like you have more scars now than before? Did you get hurt again?" Leena asked worriedly one day. He had removed his shirt in front of her and Leena saw fresh scars all over his body. Her heart broke thinking that Kevin got badly hurt during training. "I ran into some wild animals in the rain forest and got scratched trying to escape them," he answered. What Kevin said was only partly true. He didn''t dare tell his wife how ferocious those wild animals were because he did not want to scare Leena and make her worry. "What? Wild animals? How did you run into them? I thought there weren''t any wild animals where you were training," she said looking terrified. The whole time her husband was away, Leena believed there were no wild animals in the rain forest where they underwent training. She thought Kevin would be safe there.


    "Of course there are still wild animals in the area where we train. That''s how you make training more challenging. You just didn''t know about this before," Kevin exined. The rain forest training was nothing like his daily training. It was harder than usual. Kevin didn''t think there was any training that could be harder than what he went through. The two months spent there was like a living hell. There were always some tough soldiers who couldn''t bear the training and chose to leave. Kevin had to admit he also considered giving up once because it was simply too grueling. But he didn''t quit. He was a proud soldier and believed he could make it. No matter how hard it was, Kevin vowed not to give up. He had to be strong and pull through.


    Anxiously, Leena asked, "Kevin, is there going to be a training like this every year? And other than yourself, is there no one else who canplete this program? Do you have to go every time?" Things were no longer the same for Leena. This year''s training was the same asst year''s. But her feelings hadpletely changed. Last year she was not in love with Kevin, so she didn''t care much if he got hurt undergoing such rigorous training. But that was then. Now, Leena was frightened at the thought of Kevin getting hurt in training because love changed her perspective. If she could have her way, Leena wouldn''t agree to Kevin going back to training, especially since they were expecting a child. It would devastate Leena if something happened to him there. It was then she realized that she could not live without Kevin.


    "I can''t say for sure if there will be training like this every year," Kevin started. "But usually, there is. As to your second question, besides Daisy and me, I don''t think there''s anybody else in the army base qualified for that training. They are just not prepared for it." Yes, Kevin could ask others to take his ce in training. It would be a legitimate request. But he didn''t want to. Because he knew they would never make it. If they would only fail, Kevin would rather they didn''t go at all. It had something to do with their country''s reputation as a military power. That was why he chose to go to the training himself.


    "Oh... So, it''s only you and Daisy," Leena said with a deted spirit. The information made Leena worry more. Like Kevin, Daisy was equally important to her. She was her brother''s wife, and Leena knew Edward loved Daisy very much. If anything happened to her, he would be heart-broken, and would even possibly leave this world to be with his wife. If Kevin didn''t go to the training, Daisy would definitely go. But Leena didn''t want to see Daisy hurt either, so it was truly a dilemma.


    He frowned over Leena''s low mutterings. Kevin felt his words already scared his pregnant wife. Yes, the training was tough and dangerous, but Kevin knew he would make it out alive. Because up to now, no one had died in the annual training. Some soldiers were severely injured, but there were no casualties. So Leena didn''t have to worry that something bad would happen to him.


    "Nana, what are you thinking about?" he asked. Gently touching her shoulder, Kevin pulled Leena out of her trance. He now knew for sure that his honesty frightened her.


    She quickly snapped out of it andposed herself. "Oh, nothing. I just admire you and Daisy. You''re both exceptional, sacrificing for our country," Leena told her husband. She forced herself to smile because she didn''t want Kevin to see her worried. But deep inside, Leena was so anxious that she couldn''t help but think of the worst.


    He turned Leena''s face, so they were looking eye-to-eye. "Don''t worry. Nothing will ever happen to me. I will always be by your side, and our baby''s, like the rings you''re wearing around your neck. I promise I will never leave you." He pulled her into his arms and gently held her. Kevin regretted ever telling her things about his training. At that moment, he decided it was better to avoid such subjects in the future.


    Her voice muffled, Leena said, "Kevin, if... If something bad should ever happen to you, please don''t let them tell me. I can''t take it, and I mean that. Just let me think that you''re at some ce that''s far, far away, and that you''re not really gone." Suddenly, she felt like crying. Leena was having difficulty in controlling her feelings now. For the first time, she had been bothered by Kevin''s upation. Right this moment, Leena wished her husband was not a soldier. She realized it was a very selfish thought knowing how much Kevin loved what he did. But she didn''t want him to get hurt.


    "Silly girl. That day will nevere, I promise. My work can be dangerous sometimes, I admit. But I will definitely take care of myself for you and our baby. Besides, we''re in a peaceful age. It''s not like I''m going to war," Kevin assured her. He was aware that idents happened every day, but Kevin was confident he would be able to take care of himself and stay out of danger. He didn''t want Leena to worry about him, especially because anxiety was not good for the baby''s well-being. He vowed to protect himself and his family, so Leena had nothing to worry about.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.

 Chapter 1593 Youre Just Edward Mus Dog (Part One)

    Rain''s return to the Ke family did nothing to ease the fight within the KD Group. He became themon enemy of the members of the Ke family, and all eyes were hot on him. "Why did you cancel my bonus for this quarter?" Cyrus asked with a raised voice as he stormed into the CEO''s office. "You''re using your position to get back at me for a personal grudge?"


    "The money you have filled your own pocket with is much more than that bonus you''re demanding." Rain answered him indifferently, unaffected by the outburst. He continued burying himself in the documents as if Cyrus weren''t even in the office.


    "What did you just say? I stole money from thepany? Don''t be so quick to use me of anything you don''t have proof of," he scoffed angrily. "Ridiculous!" With his hands on his hips, he looked down at Rain expectantly. He was positive that Rain was acting solely on a grudge, and had no real proof.


    The CEO raised a brow without looking at the other man. "Do you want to see it with your own two eyes, then?" The Ke family thought too much of their cleverness for their own good. They did their business sure that they wouldn''t possibly leave any evidence behind, but Rain dug up some dirt quite easily. They had done some significant damage to thepany.


    "You''re bluffing," Cyrus used as his eyes narrowed. "If you do have proof, show me!" He was in a sour mood because he and his wife had a fight that morning. Rain''s attitude was only provoking him, and he let himself vent out all his anger on the bastard.


    "So you won''t believe me until you see irrefutable evidence, I see?" Rain asked as he slowly stood up with both hands on the table, giving a menacing aura. "I thought I''d let you save face, but it doesn''t look like you''re learning a lesson." He finally lifted his gaze, cold and straight into Cyrus'' eyes. "You want evidence? I''ll give it to you." He grabbed a thick stack of documents and threw it haphazardly on the desk with a loud thump. "Here you are. Take a close look." He wanted to see how Cyrus would react when he saw the result of his crimes.


    "Rain Xia, are you kidding me? This has nothing to do with me." Cyrus shuffled through the papers in a rattled state. Luckily, he had been smart enough to never sign the documents himself.


    "Whates next, hmm? You''ll tell me you don''t know this person who signed the documents? He was a ssmate of yours, wasn''t he?" Rain''s demeanor was calm, but his tone was almost sneering as he leaned back on his chair and waited for Cyrus'' response. "What? Is it illegal now to hire an old ssmate? Does that make me a criminal?" Cyrus'' teeth were gritted, his fists clenched. ''I''m the oldest son of the Ke family head, and I''m the KD Group''s heir. Who the hell do you think you are? You''re the bastard of a shameless mistress,'' he thought and sneered at him. ''What makes you think you have the right to challenge me?''


    Rain''s expression remained calm, as he shrugged. "Nothing wrong with hiring him, of course. Your crime is stealing thepany properties with him, and using him as a scapegoat." Lately, people woulde into Rain''s office to hurl questions at him, one after another, like Cyrus was doing. Normally, they would go away themselves in dejection after Rain threw the evidence he had at them. He wondered if Cyrus would be smart enough to do the same thing. "Who can prove that?" Cyrus had no intention of admitting anything.


    "How about I call him to confront you right now?" Rain asked with a sneer. He had expected it enough, and knew how he should deal with it.


    "Go ahead then! I''m not afraid of you." Cyrus red at him, confident that his ssmate wouldn''t sell him out. After all, he also managed to gain arge sum of money from the whole thing.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    It wasn''t surprising that Cyrus had this thought. His mistake, however, was being too sure. Even the closest person might turn himself against you one day, if it would benefit him more than you, let alone a mere old ssmate. Little did Cyrus know that his partner had already changed sides..


    "Okay. I''ll call him right now," Rain simply agreed. He picked up his phone and was about to dial the number when Cyrus stopped him.


    "Wait, wait! You''ve already bribed him, haven''t you? You did something?" His eyes were a little wide in panic as he eyed Rain''s phone.


    Rain scoffed at the idea. "Ha? Bribe him? Do you really think I need to do that? Maybe you''re forgetting, but KD Group is now under my control. If I really wanted to frame you, do you think I would just cut your bonus?" He sneered at the now trembling man. No wonder KD Group was on the decline. The heirs of thepany were a bunch of cowards like the one standing before him.


    "What are you going to do... fire me as well?" Rain had fired Cyrus'' men one after another. Cyrus suspected he was next.


    "Maybe. Why do you think I''ve chosen toe back and take over thepany?" He gave Cyrus a teasing smile as he answered the other''s question with a question. He was there for revenge, and he supposed Cyrus knew it.


    "I know! Does my father know?" The desire to sh his fist in the other man''s face was strong, but he knew he was no match for Rain. For goodness'' sake, Rain just taught Vance a lesson the other day, he thought.


    "What do you think?" He paused and pursed his lips before continuing, "Cyrus Ke, listen, I''m not the poor little kid I used to be. Now, I have money, power, and resources. I can takeplete control of KD Group in a matter of days, not to mention take it from a fool like you." Rain was arrogant, as he knew Edward and FX International Group would always be his strongest support. He could do whatever he wanted to the Ke family and the KD Group, really.


    "Ha! Do you really think you''re someone? More than trash? You''re just Edward Mu''s dog. A nobody." Cyrus raised his voice at that point.


    "Even if I were a dog, I could beat you down effortlessly. Does it mean you are not even a patch on a dog?" Rain asked indifferently. He did not engage himself with Cyrus'' mean words and res. Instead, he even found the man''s actions quite amusing.


    "Rain Xia, don''t celebrate too soon. The board of directors gave you a three-month deadline. If you''re not able to reach the goals by then, you''re out of thepany." With Rain gone, Cyrus wouldn''t have to suffer the way he was. He decided to stir up trouble for him in the next three months.


    "You look happy to see myck of achievements, hmm?" Rain cast a scornful nce at the other. If he truly wanted, he could change the whole system of thepany within three days. But that was not his mission. He loved the game, and he wanted to y their little cat-and-mouse dynamic a little longer with the Ke family.


    "You just can''t do it," Cyrus sneered. "You think you''re some kind of genius? That you can learn all the ins and outs of the businesses within the KD Group?" His tone was taunting.


    "Let''s just wait and watch. If you have nothing else to report, you may leave now. And remember, don''te to my office again if you''re going to bother me about these trivial matters. I''m too busy for that." Rain dismissed him coldly.


    Cyrus pursed his lips and clenched his jaw, restraining himself. "I''m warning you. Do not provoke me again, or I''ll expose your identity as a bastard," Cyrus threatened with a point of his finger. He thought that if the people in thepany knew about Rain''s true background, he wouldn''t have anyone on his side. He would be too busy controlling the public opinion to even care about the business. If that was the case, he would never be able to make the necessary changes within three months, Cyrus schemed in his head.


    "Do you really think you can simply threaten me like that? I was wondering if your wife knows that you''re having an affair with the young model?" Rain threatened back. He was not afraid of the other''s threats in the least. Before he took over KD Group, he made sure to prepare for everything, and anything. He had all the dirt on thepany''s seniors.


    "You had me investigated? You bastard!" Cyrus had an image to uphold. If his wife knew that he had an affair, that image would crumble to dust.


    "I didn''t need to investigate you. Your opponent told me easily enough. If you don''t want your own affairs exposed, you''d better stay away from me, and quit trying to provoke me." It was Luke who had investigated them and given Rain the little tip. He was a capable man, and one of the few that Rain trusted.


    Cyrus groaned, "Okay, you got me! This doesn''t mean you can stay in thepany for long. Just you wait and see." He was in no mood to demand for his bonus anymore. He stormed out of the office and banged the door behind him. He had to find a real way to get Rain out of thepany.000000000000

 Chapter 1594 Youre Just Edward Mus Dog (Part Two)

    "Arrogant bastard!" Rain could hear the petty man''s yelling from inside his office, and scoffed. He adjusted his chair and continued studying the current status of KD Group. The more he learned about thepany, the more he wanted to give up. To save the group was far moreplicated than he had expected. Time flew by in a blink, and the Spring Festival wasing up soon. Patricia''s due date was in a mere couple of days. She had been on tenterhookstely, and didn''t dare visit anyone for fear that she would go intobor at any moment.


    "Tom, I just want to have a painlessbor, okay?" Patricia sat on the couch, and looked at Tom with a hopeful gaze.


    "The painlessbor doesn''t actually mean you won''t feel any pain. It just significantly reduces the pain. Although it won''t affect the baby, the anesthetic will possibly affect the mother. I still suggest that you go through with naturalbor. Don''t worry, Patricia. I''ll be right here the whole time." Tom held her hand and stroked it gently in constion.


    "I''m so scared," she admitted to him with a pitiful look. ''You''re not the one giving birth. Easy for you to say that,'' she thought to herself as she looked at Tom.


    "Rx, you have me. I''m a doctor, you can feel safe with me. After all, you want to meet our baby as soon as possible, don''t you? You''re strong, and you have to deliver the baby sessfully." Tom''s words didn''t do much to ease Patricia''s anxiousness as her due date was approaching. Although Tom had consoled her everyday, she was still under immense pressure.


    "Can I trust you?" Patricia asked carefully and grabbed his hands as tightly as if she were just about to give birth.


    Tom sighed, "I''m your husband, and the father of our baby. Why can''t you trust me?" He frowned at her. He loved her with his whole heart, he thought. Why couldn''t she rx with him around?


    "I''m sorry. I know you get angry," she apologized at once after realizing her question hurt him.


    "I didn''t get angry. I just don''t want you to test me with these kinds of questions in the future. I''m your husband, and if you can''t trust me, then who else can you trust?" Tom was rather hurt by it still, and he couldn''t believe his wife couldn''t trust him. He could imagine how miserable it would be to live in a family full of doubts, and he wasn''t sure he wanted to start that kind of life.


    "I didn''t mean it like that. Please don''t get irritated." Patricia got affectionate. She pleaded in a rather charming manner, with her arms snaked around his neck. She was not match for Leena when it came to acting like a spoiled little child, but she knew she had to give him a little bit of it. She sighed to herself at the thought of Leena. Since thest time she had questioned the way Leena was getting along with Tom, she noticed that the woman began staying away from him, but it made Tom sad and dejected. Patricia wanted to restore their rtionship, but had no clue how to do so. The jealousy couldn''t be helped when she saw how intimate they looked together, so she had to voice it out, but she didn''t mean to undermine their rtionship.


    "Nevermind. I''ll go check if your soup is ready." Tom stood up and went into the kitchen. He decided to let the question go, otherwise, it would do damage to their affection for each other. He knew he shouldn''t take it to heart, because she was his wife carrying their child. Patricia stared quietly at his retreating figure and thought she should have a little talk with Leena on the matter. Although Tom never med her for it, she could tell that he had been in a bad mood because of it.


    It was the first Spring Festival that Leena and Kevin had spent together. As Kevin was on duty, they didn''t visit the capital city to see his parents. Instead, they went to the Leng family house to have a family reunion dinner. Afterwards, Kevin had to go to the army base for the party with the other soldiers. Leena was adamant about going in with him.


    "Kevin, how do you often celebrate the Spring Festival in the army base?" she asked out of curiosity.


    "We make dumplings and y some funny games. It''s pretty interesting, I guess. You''ll seeter." Kevin held Leena''s arm and helped her along. Although her belly was not that swollen yet, people could tell she was pregnant. "What if I''m not wee?" She voiced her worries. The soldiers might feel reserved by her presence.


    "Are you kidding me? You''re beautiful, and so adorable. There''s no way you''re not wee." Kevin reassured her with a smile, and opened the passenger car door for her. He helped her in and settled into the driver''s seat himself. She chuckled at hisment. "You''re ttering me." Leenaughed a bit more, and Kevin grew more and more glib-tongued by the minute.


    "I was telling the truth. My wife is the most beautiful woman in the world. Don''t you agree?" Kevin strapped her in and started the engine. Before they drove off, his phone suddenly rang.


    "Should I grab it for you?" Leena offered as she saw his phone was in the storage bin.


    "Look who''s calling." Kevin was backing up the car, so he couldn''t really answer the phone at the moment.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "It''s Daisy. Let me answer it for you." Leena happily picked up the phone anyway when she saw Daisy''s name.


    Kevin stayed silent. He knew what Daisy was going to tell him even without answering the phone. She must''ve called to ask him to keep Leenapany at home, and stay away from the army base.


    "Hi Daisy! It''s me, Leena. Kevin''s driving." Her voice was soft and friendly, always making people feelfortable around her.


    "Hi Leena! How have you been? Are you still suffering from morning sickness?" Daisy asked while she adjusted her military uniform on the other end of the line.


    "I feel much better now, thank you. But I still get the morning sickness from time to time. Tom said people normally don''t have it anymore after early pregnancy, but some have it the whole time. I''m scared to be one of those few." At one point, Leena would just throw up anything she ate. She couldn''t keep anything down, and it was troubling for Kevin. He was busy in the army base in the daytime, and had to take care of Leena at nights. "Don''t scare yourself too soon. Your baby shouldn''t be that naughty. Kevin''s driving, you said? Where are you going?" Daisy held her phone in one hand as she packed her stuff with the other. She cast a nce at Edward who just entered the room.


    "Kevin said he''s going to celebrate the Spring Festival with the soldiers, so I want to go with him." Leena was looking forward to spending the night in the army base. She was curious about how they celebrated the day.


    "What? I was trying to tell him to stay at home with you." Daisy was shocked by what Leena said, and cursed herself for not calling him earlier.


    "Oh, nonsense. You know how much I love to have fun with you guys. Do you want to speak to Kevin? He''s pretty free right now." Leena then realized that they were already on the road. She wanted to give Kevin the phone, afraid that Daisy might have some important things to tell him.


    "No, it''s alright. See you at the baseter. Tell Kevin to have a safe drive," Daisy said instead. Kevin had been on duty during the previous Spring Festival, so Daisy felt obliged to go to the army base this year.


    "Sure. See you, Daisy." Leena shed a wide grin at the thought of seeing Daisy soon. They hadn''t seen each other in quite a while.


    "Daisy is going to the base as well?" Kevin asked her with a frown, his eyes on the road. He nned to let Daisy spend more time with her family, and didn''t expect her to be joining the others that day. "Yeah, she wanted to ask us to stay home. She didn''t think we would already be heading off." Leena stared at his face with affection. His fine profile was addicting to her, and she couldn''t get enough. "That''s fine. The more the merrier." The soldiers wouldn''t expect Kevin and Daisy to celebrate the festival with them. ''It would be a good night,'' he thought.


    Daisy put her phone away and stared at the man in front of her.


    "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked. He would always act a little oddly from time to time. No matter how much time they spent together, though, she couldn''t get used to it. His eyes were too piercing, too sharp, as if she werepletely bare and unguarded, as if she had no hold on her secrets from him at all.0000000

 Chapter 1595 Female Soldier (Part One)

    "Leena is going with Kevin to the army base? Then I''m also going," Edward said, running a wisp of her hair between his fingers and smelling it.


    "Do you really want to go with me?" Daisy beat his hand off with a reproachful nce.


    "Yep! Why, can''t I?" Edward rubbed his aching hand. ''Ungrateful woman! Why did she have to strike me so hard? It is so cruel of her to treat me, her husband, like this,'' he thought to himself. "Okay, why not? You cane with me." Daisy agreed after a momentary hesitation.


    "Daddy, Mommy, where are you going? Can I alsoe with you?" Justin suddenly appeared from out of nowhere.


    "You little brat! Were you eavesdropping, huh?" Edward pinched his son''s chubby face with profound sufferance. It was not always easy having a clever child like Justin.


    "Don''t you even think of leaving home without me," Justin cajoled, looking back and forth between his parents.


    "Have you prepared a talent show? If you have, then you maye with us," Daisy said. She was, at times, fed up of having to deal with the cunning father and son duo.


    "What? A talent show? What about daddy? Has he prepared something as well?" Justin grumbled, pouting his lips. He hadn''t prepared a talent to show off.


    "Well, why don''t you ask him yourself?" Daisy said, turning away, so Edward would not see her smile. She didn''t want him to realize that she was poking fun at him, or she''d never hear the end of it. "Daddy!" Justin stared at his father wide eyed in anticipation, trying to win Edward''s heart with his innocent gaze. But he forgot that Edward was never a soft-hearted man.


    "Don''t look at me like that. If you want toe with us, ask your mommy." Edward was changing his clothes. He would never stoop to giving a performance in public, unless it was apany speech. "Mommy, take me with you, please!" Justin pleaded. He knew his mother would never refuse him.


    "Let''s make a deal first. When you see Aunt Leena, you must not do anything to provoke her. She''s pregnant now." The rtionship between Leena and Justin was a constant headache. They just couldn''t see eye to eye. "No problem. I promise, I will stay far away from her," Justin immediately promised. He was eager to go to the army base with his parents, and no matter what conditions Daisy imposed, Justin would agree to them all. "Really? You are not just saying that?" She had to cement an agreement with Justin in advance, as she didn''t want to spend the night sorting out endless bickering between Justin and Leena.


    "I swear, Mommy." Justin ran to his room with a happy smile. He wanted to change into a more appropriate outfit.


    "I just can''t deal with the two of you anymore." Daisy rolled her eyes at Edward, wondering why they both wanted to apany her to the army base.


    "I''m d to hear that. It means Justin and I still have some pull with you," Edward said. This year, Daisy had been busier than normal. She had even been away on official business for an almost two month stretch. Edward was bing really frustrated; he felt she was moving farther and farther away from her family responsibilities.


    "What do you mean by that? I can tell you are implying something." Since Daisy knew Kevin was also on his way to the army base, she was not in a hurry, and would get to the bottom of his insinuation.


    "I didn''t mean anything. Forget about it. It''s just ament." Edward had promised that he would respect her work, and it was normal for her to get busy. He was just feeling left outtely.


    "You know what, you are acting like a little wife, making me your husband, and I''m getting pretty fed up with your endless whining." Having said that, Daisy burst outughing and ran downstairs as fast as she could. She was not stupid enough to stay there, and face Edward''s imminent wrath.


    "Daisy!" Edward yelled after her, but he could do nothing. Daisy was already out of his sight.


    "Daddy, I''m ready. Where''s mommy? Uh, why are you looking upset? You look really angry." Justin had changed into a camouge uniform, and looked the part of a little soldier.


    "Why do you think? Who else pisses me off, more than you?" Edward asked in reply. Quietly, he pondered how to teach her a lesson.


    "Got it! Mommy made you angry again. Where''s she? Has she left already?" Justin inspected his uniform sadly.


    "No, but if we don''t hurry, she will leave us both stranded," Edward said. ''She is bing more and more guileful. And who''s to me? Me! I spoiled her, and now I reap the fruits of my own actions. But she has really gone too far this time. Shepared me to a wife whoins constantly? I will exact revenge for that insult!'' he thought to himself.


    "Let''s hurry up, Daddy!" Justin urged Edward, eager to catch up with Daisy. He had deliberately put on the uniform to show off for the soldiers. He rushed down the stairs, taking them two at a time.


    "Slow down! What if you trip and fall?" Edward rushed after Justin. He was worried about Justin''s safety. If Justin got hurt, Daisy would not forgive Edward for not having taken better care of him.


    When the family of three arrived at the army base, it was already dark. The soldiers had already eaten dumplings, and the party was in full swing in the assembly hall. The hall resounded with the soldiers'' merriment.


    "Mommy, are wete?" Justin had spent all his Spring Festivals at the army base bar the previous year''s. He knew the schedule by heart.


    "Yes, we''rete. But the party is not over." Soldiers would present their talent shows during Spring Festivals. It was an opportunity to express their loyalty to their country and show affection towards their families.


    "Well, if we were at war, this army base would be seized easily with all the soldiers gathered in the hall," Edward said. The moment they entered the hall, he couldn''t help but frown in distress at the crowd. There were so many soldiers in uniforms, and their irregr patterns caused Edward''s heart to beat wildly. He suffered from trypophobia, and preferred a in or structured environment.


    "Oh really? Why don''t you try tounch an invasion right now? Are you blind? Did you not see the soldiers on duty everywhere?" Daisy took a reproachful nce at Edward. ''Are you really the CEO of a multinational group? Why are you being so stupid tonight?'' she thought.


    "Come on! I was only kidding." Edward could tell from her scornful smile that she held him in disdain for hisments. So, he tried to bluff a joke to recover someposure.


    "Mommy, I''ll go y with the uncles." Justin had spent much of his formative years in the army base, and knew most of the soldiers. After bidding goodbye to Daisy, he ran towards some of the soldiers whom he knew.


    "Son, don''t run about. What if they think you''re a spy and arrest you?" Edward teased Justin, but Daisy red at him with burning eyes. She felt Edward was ying the fool today.


    "It''s you who might get arrested instead. Mr. Mu, are you here to cause trouble?" Daisy asked coldly. She really began doubting his intention foring here.


    "Don''t concern yourself about me. I''m not your responsibility," Edward answered coldly.


    "As long as you''re in this army base, you are my responsibility, and I should discipline you if you step out of line." Daisy looked around, searching for Kevin and Leena. It was difficult to find them in the mass of simrly dressed soldiers. "Why don''t you go discipline Kevin and Leena? They are also here, after all," Edward retorted.


    "Seriously? Kevin is my superior. He would be the one to discipline me. Edward, what is wrong with you tonight?" Daisy gnashed. She finally saw Kevin and Leena. Grabbing Edward by his wrist, she hauled him towards them.


    Edward stifled some dry coughs in his fist to conceal hisughter. He was afraid that Daisy would realize that he was baiting her, and in rage drop him to the floor right here. The mere thought of the humiliation that would cause, made him tremble. "Daisy, there you are. Edward, what are you doing here?" Leena greeted them happily, clearly surprised to see him there.This content is ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "You''re here. So, why can''t I be here?" Edward was feeling at odds with Daisy, and now vented his anger on Leena.000000

 Chapter 1596 Female Soldier (Part Two)

    "What is wrong with him?" Leena whispered in Daisy''s ear. She was momentarily concerned by Edward''s uncharacteristic snappiness.


    "Just ignore him. I think it''s that time of the month," Daisy quipped with Leena, while they joined Leena and Kevin. The soldiers were enjoying the show and they spoke in muted tones. Kevin looked around, searching for Justin. "Where''s Justin? Didn''t you bring him tonight?" Kevin changed the subject, noticing Daisy and Edward''s disgruntlement.


    "We brought him with us, but he''s off ying with his friends," Daisy said with resignation. Her son was so naughty and tried her patience. Luckily, this was an army base; she was not as concerned that he would stir up trouble here.


    "Daisy, are you going to partake in the talent show? Did you prepare a speech or something?" Leena asked intrigued, as she had seen such an evening party on TV before, and leaders would usually take this opportunity to make a speech. Kevin had presented a fine speech earlier. Leena wondered whether Daisy would follow suit.


    "A speech? I know nothing but army jokes." Daisy was not one for talent shows. In such events, she was happy to participate as part of the audience, instead of performing. She suffered from stage fright and she would rather go into battle, than present a talent in front of an audience.


    "Ah, but you have clearly underestimated yourself." Edward''s reprise was cold.


    ''What a mean man! Can he still be angry because I teased him about participating in the talent show?'' Daisy brooded.


    "Look at Justin! He''s on the stage!" Leena cried, pointing out the boy on the stage. He looked quite adorable in the mini-sized camouge uniform.


    "Damn it! What is he doing up there? Oh my god, now all the soldiers know I''m here." Daisy covered her face in embarrassment. Unlike his mother, Justin was always so enthusiastic about performing for an audience.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Are you afraid Justin will make you lose face?" Edward asked excitedly, curious now as to what talent Justin would present to them.


    "The following act will be a solo titled: Female Soldier. And the singer is our own little soldier, Justin Mu." Even before the host had finished his announcement, apuse cracked out like spring thunder. Many soldiers knew Justin.


    "Good evening, everyone! I''m Justin Mu and I dedicate this song to my mother, as a token of my affection and gratitude. I''m so very proud of her. And I also want to dedicate this song to all the soldiers present. Thank you for your support of her work." Young as Justin was, he had a lucid brain and knew how to ther. He didn''t suffer from stage fright at all.


    "Senior Colonel Ouyang, to be honest, you''ve taught Justin well." Edward apuded warmly, gazing fondly at the little boy on the stage, eyes full of affection. Although he always liked to tease Justin, it was his way to express his love for him.


    "Just listen to the song," Daisy muttered coldly. Although she looked unperturbed, she was stirred to the core by Justin. As a soldier, she customarily hid her feelings, appearing calm andposed at all times.


    Justin had a child''s voice and was unable to reach the timbre of the soldiers'' singing, but they were touched by his performance.


    "When did Justin practice the song? It''s a magnificent performance," Leena praised. If Justin had heard this, his eyes would have widened in disbelief. After all, Leena always mocked him.


    "Justin likes to perform in front of people, and this is not his first performance," Kevin exined calmly. When he had been living in the army base, he had seen Justin''s performances several times, though this time, Justin''s performance was much better than before. Clearly, he had practiced it many times.


    "Oh really? I''ve underestimated him." Leena stroked her belly and wondered if her child would be gifted in as many ways as Justin.


    When it came to the chorus, the booming voices of the soldiers rang out to fill the hall. It was the first time Leena and Edward witnessed the camaraderie and enthusiasm of the soldiers. They finally came to understand just what real soldiers were; blood rushed through their veins in excitement.


    After the party, the four of them walked along the path, while Justin was again no where to be found. Although the soldiers revered Daisy, they adored Justin even more and he was probably off, ying with them.


    "So, is the party over? Why didn''t you and Kevin perform?" Edward asked. He was again stirring trouble this evening.


    "I was wondering, when are you nning to perform on the stage at FX International Group''s party?" Daisy countered smartly. She was bing annoyed by Edward''s attitude. It was an opportunity for the soldiers to rx and have fun, and they might feel ill at ease in the officers''pany.


    "Are you kidding me?" Edward snapped without wavering a second. He seldom attended celebratory parties, let alone performed in public.


    "Then why did you ask me such silly questions? Actually, the soldiers would feel more rxed andfortable without Kevin and me. Moreover, we are not guests at the party. We are here to express solicitude with the soldiers who stand on duty tonight. So, Edward why don''t you hang around with Leena, for a while? Kevin and I need to visit the soldiers. Please remember, do not get close to any ces bearing a boarded sign indicating Military Confinement," urged Daisy. Some soldiers were unable to join the party as they were on duty. They would feel sad and dejected tonight. As officers, Daisy and Kevin held an obligation to console them.


    "If I don''t get close to it, how am I supposed to know what''s on the board?" Edward stared defiantly back at Daisy. He couldn''t help but retort to everything she said.


    "Edward Mu!" Daisy gnashed her teeth. She didn''t know what possessed the man tonight, or why was he acting like a wronged woman?


    "Daisy, you go fulfill your duties with Kevin now. I''ll keep an eye on Edward," Leena said. She was curious to know why Edward was acting so strangely, but she knew now was not the right time to discuss it, when he was obviously still angered.


    "Sure. Thank you, Leena, for your kind understanding. Someone is really acting like a spoiled child," Daisy taunted and rolled her eyes in Edward''s direction. She was really bing agitated by Edward. She wasn''t interested in containing her anger anymore. This was the army base, not FX International Group; and here, she was the boss!


    "Who do you think is acting like a spoiled child?" Edward demanded coldly, narrowing his eyes like a cat about to pounce.


    "Daisy, let''s hurry up. Otherwise we''ll bete with our rounds." Kevin steered Daisy forward by the wrist, tired of their bickering now. He was, however, not concerned about leaving his wife in thepany of such an angry man, because he knew Edward doted on Leena and she would calm him down.


    "Edward, what happened to you tonight? You were behaving so childishly this evening." Leena pursed her lips and stopped Edward from following Daisy with a small raised hand.


    "So, you are on her side?" Edward retorted, though he made no move to shake off her hand. She was pregnant, and he feared hurting her in any way. Helplessly, he watched Daisy''s receding figure.


    "I was simply asking. Truthfully, I am concerned about you. Even if Daisy did something wrong, you really shouldn''t stir up trouble here. The army base is her domain. You could rather have a talk with herter, when you''re back home." The weather in the army base was more chilled than in the city, perhaps because it was a suburban area. When the wind blew, Leena couldn''t help but shiver.


    "When we''re back home, a talk will not suffice to calm me down," Edward said with a cunning smile as he took off his coat and without hesitation ced it around her shoulders. He had already decided that he would give Daisy a lesson, so she could remember who was the boss in the family.000000000000000

 Chapter 1597 Difference (Part One)

    "So what are you gonna do to her?" Leena asked with an interested smile. It was easy to tell how curious she was with what Edward was about to say.


    "It''s not like that! Don''t forget that you are a pregnant woman now. Remember that whatever you say and whatever you do will affect your baby," reprimanded Edward before flicking her forehead.


    "Hmp! Don''t act like you''re innocent." Leena pouted her pretty lips while rubbing her hurt forehead. She wondered, ''Why was Edward born this evil?''


    "Girl, I never said I was a good person. I''m not even connecting the word innocent to me at all," Edward said in a serious tone. To be honest, he had already experienced a lot of bad things since he started with their business. Except for killing people, the list of evil things he had done was already endless.


    "Is it possible for you and Daisy to be enemies one day?" asked Leena as she straightened her back. She wasn''t stupid and she knew what it took to run apany as vast as the FX International Group.


    "I''d like to do whatever I wanted before. However, I''ve changed since Daisy and I got together. I''m very cautious about everything I''m doing now. I don''t want to put her in any trouble nor ruin her reputation." A bitter smile cracked Edward''s lips upon remembering how he used to live his life. It was only after he fell in love with Daisy that he decided to be stricter to himself as not to damage her.


    "Then why did you behave like that in front of Daisy earlier?" Sensing how the atmosphere around them turned tense, Leena shifted the subject to what she really ought to know.


    "What? Girl, did you just set me up? You seem to be getting smarter nowadays. What you saw back there was just the spark between her and me. You didn''t expect that, did you? Haha! Keep learning, youngdy." Edward chuckled before taking her hand. He guided her to stand up from her bench. A few seconds after and they were already strolling around the army base with their hands intertwined.


    "Oh! I see! Well, actually I was just nervous for you." Leena sped her chest with her free hand after an exasperated sigh. She continued walking next to him while thinking, ''Gee! I thought that they were fighting. Good heavens, they are not!''


    "Haha! Think about it. How could there be anything wrong between me and Daisy? You know that we love each other and we are doing everything to make things work." That was an honest remark from Edward. He was aware that a rtionship could notst long if there was no one to add new things to it. It took more than just simple things to maintain a rtionship.


    "You''re right. I guess I''m just paranoid." After hearing Edward, Leena took another deep sigh and began to reflect on her rtionship with Kevin. She couldn''t agree more when he said that love needed to be maintained by both parties. Just as what the saying stated, ''It takes two to tango''.


    A few minutes after and they were still leisurely walking across the army base. It was then that Edward suddenly stopped and turned to her. "Leena, can I ask you a question?"


    "Sure! What is it?" She replied quickly.


    "What happened to you and Tom? Why am I sensing that there''s something wrong between you twotely?" Truth be told, Edward had wanted to ask her this question for a long time now. It was just that he never had the chance to ask before since he was busy. He had been working with Rain for the KD Group and that took much of his time.


    "Well..." A sudden silence made its way before them as Leena didn''t know how to answer him. She felt a little embarrassed, thus, she evaded his stare instead.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    "What''s wrong? Don''t you want to tell me?" Edward raised his eyebrows as if he was thinking about something.


    "Have you ever felt that your life has changed since you got married?" Instead of answering Edward''s question, Leena resorted to asking him a different one. Her voice was bitter when she spoke.


    "I feel more responsible. As for the rest, I don''t see any change," answered Edward. It was the sense of responsibility that came together with the rtionship that pushed him to strive harder. He needed to maintain harmony inside his home since he loved both his wife and son. It required him a lot of things. Nheless, it was worth it.


    "What about with your friends or rtives? Has there been any difference?" Leena asked tentatively. She honestly couldn''t exin how she and Patricia ended up as strangers because of Tom.


    "A real man will never alienate his rtives or friends just because he is married. Rather, he should be cherishing them more than ever." Edward didn''t have a clue about what others thought in regards with what he said. However, he actually believed that there was no reason for someone to do such a thing.


    "Are you sure? Aren''t you worried that Daisy might hate you for being nice to another woman?" Leena didn''t know how to express her frustrations, thus, all her questions to him sounded tentative.


    "It depends on who the woman is. If my wife doesn''t know the woman, then she will be angry. However, if the woman is our friend or family member, I don''t think my wife would be so narrow-minded." Daisy''s sensibility was one thing that Edward admired the most with his wife. She was a woman of good behavior and judgment. She had her own ideas and knew how to stand her ground. She wasn''t the type who was easily influenced by the crowd. Moreover, she didn''t like wasting time on unimportant things.


    "No wonder that she''s never been angry with me for being close to you." Leena smiled as she thought of how different Daisy was with Patricia. She couldn''t me her best friend though. After all, there had been a lot of men whomitted affairs with their wives'' best friends. It was probable that Patricia was seeing her as an imaginary enemy. ''Why did she misunderstand Tom and me? Is it because pregnancy is pressuring her? Or is it because she is not confident enough? Everyone in S City knows about my rtionship with Tom. Doesn''t she know? I regard both of them as my family. How on earth did our rtionship turn out like this?'' she silently thought.


    "Why did you ask? Did Patricia say something to you?" Edward frowned while thinking, ''There must be something wrong with her and Patricia. She wouldn''t be this hesitant if things are going smoothly.''

 Chapter 1598 Difference (Part Two)

    "No. It''s just that I felt that Patricia didn''t want me to be too close to Tom." Leena bowed her head as soon as she finished speaking. Although she was so used to being close to Tom, she was willing to change herself for their happiness. "Really? Does Tom know that?" Puzzled, Edward''s eyebrows furrowed. Everybody in the upper-ss circle of S City knew that they treated Leena as their little sister. How could Patricia even think of Leena that way?


    "Yes. However, Tom said that Patricia is Patricia, and I am me. His feelings towards us are different. Nevertheless, I always felt that I shouldn''t be bothering him anymore so I deliberately distanced myself from him. It makes me feel bad though because I knew that I hurt Tom with what I did. I can sense it whenever he looks at me." Finally, Leena was able to tell the whole story as to why she was confused.


    "How about this? Go talk to Patricia first and exin yourself to her. Not every woman is as rational as Daisy. Moreover, not every woman is as generous as Belinda too. It is just natural for Patricia to behave as she does." Frankly, Edward got no clue about how to fix issues between women. Every woman had their own personality and ideas. Thus, it was really hard for him to map a resolution for this case.


    "I have ns of doing that but I can''t find the right time to talk to her about it." A cold wind blew and made a mess of her hair. However, even the cold breeze wasn''t enough to take away the bitterness in her heart.


    "Trust me. You can do it." Disputes should be resolved no matter what and Edward could only wish for the two to have a good talk. It would be nice if the two could understand each other. He let out a soft smile after a while, then asked, "Are you cold?"


    "I am not cold. I wear a lot of clothes." Kevin was frantic earlier about her catching a cold. Thus, he asked her to wear a thick coat before she stepped out of their house.


    "It''s getting colder out here. Let''s go back." On their way back to the assembly hall, Edward was thinking, ''Has Daisy been bothered about my rtionship with Leena too? Anyway, she has never mentioned anything to me nor questioned me, so I don''t think that she has.'' With this in mind, he felt that he should ask Daisy about these things as to avoid the same concern with Patricia.


    Kevin and Daisy were already back at the their seats when Edward and Leena arrived. In addition, little Justin was there too. It also seemed that the three had been to a lot of ces.


    "You did a good job, little fellow. Tell me, how long have you been practicing secretly?" Leena couldn''t help but tease Justin when she saw him.


    As a reaction, Justin opened his mouth as if to say something really harsh but then bit his lips in the end. He remembered about his promise to his parents that he would not offend Leena today.


    "Aunt Leena is asking you. Why don''t you answer her?" Daisy looked at Justin with wondering eyes and thought, ''Since when have my little boy be this rude?'' It was obvious that she hadpletely forgotten about Justin''s promise. "Mother, didn''t you tell me to leave her alone? I''m sure I''ll make her angry if I say something." The little child pursed his lips irritatedly. He knew himself and Leena too well. Once the two of them started talking, they were bound to quarrel. "Really?" Surprised, Kevin couldn''t help butugh with what he heard. Although he knew they were always quarreling, he did not expect that they would quarrel as soon as they talked.


    "Uncle Kevin, do you know how mean women are?" Justin crossed his arms over his chest and said the words as if he was an adult.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    "What are you talking about, Justin? I''m a woman, too. Are you talking about me being mean?" Daisy gritted her teeth as she thought, ''How can you say that women are all mean while I''m around? It looked like you want me to teach you a lesson.''


    "No! I didn''t say you''re included. I mean those shallow women are mean. A woman as powerful as you has nothing to do with what I said." The little child tried to exin anxiously while looking at his mother. ''Shoot! I''m done! Why did I even say that? I shouldn''t have said that in front of my mom!'' Trying to be cute, Justin smiled widely at his mother in an attempt to cool her head down. It seemed that he would cause trouble sooner than he thought.


    "Excuse me. Are you saying that I''m shallow?" Leena pretended to be angry as she stared at the child. ''Goodness! Did this little guy just say that I''m a shallow woman?''


    "I... Forget it. Everything I said was wrong. You can do whatever you want with me. Are you satisfied now,dies?" Justin looked back and forth between Leena and Daisy. Making his mother angry was bad enough, he couldn''t imagine how he would end up if Leena was angry too. Nheless, it seemed that he was fated to make two women really angry today.


    "OK. It''ste now. It''s time to go home. Leena and I are going to stay here." Kevin rushed to smooth things as soon as he noticed Leena and Justin quarreling again. He still had some work to do tonight, thus he decided to stay in the army base with his wife.


    "Yes, you are going to save more time that way. But what about Leenaing back with us? It''s colder here than downtown." Daisy knew that Leena was afraid of cold weathers. She was actually getting worried about Leena not being able to adapt to the temperature here.


    "Don''t worry. I brought her very thick clothes, so it''s okay," said Kevin assuringly. He had readied everything that Leena might need as he really nned to stay in the army base.


    "All right! Just take good care of Leena, okay?" Daisy didn''t say more after hearing Kevin''s idea. Leena would always need someone to take care of her now since she was pregnant. It was actually the reason why Daisy felt a little worried that Leena would stay in the army base. "Okay. Be careful, guys." Kevin took Leena''s little hand while bidding goodbye to the Mu family. However, his smile instantly faded as soon as he felt how cold her hand was. ''Why is her hand so cold? Isn''t she dressed thick enough?'' he thought.

 Chapter 1599 Difference (Part Three)

    "You know how good I am at driving, Kevin," retorted Daisy. Then she looked at Leena and gave thedy a motherly smile. "Leena, we''ll go. Take good care of yourself."


    "OK, I will. Thank you, Daisy." Leena had not nned to stay in army base tonight since Kevin had never mentioned it to her. Thus, she got a little confused earlier upon hearing what Kevin said. Nheless, she trusted Kevinpletely, so she just smiled through it all and never said a word.


    They were still bidding their casual goodbyes when Edward suddenly walked up to Leena and gave her a brotherly hug without any ado. She was still in shock when he whispered, "Just follow your heart. Don''t think too much about it." After that, Edward let her go and left that ce together with his family without even looking back.


    All of them were left puzzled about what Edward did. They got no clue about what he said to Leena at all. Thus, Daisy was extremely curious while driving away from the army base.


    "What did you just whisper to Leena?" She finally managed to ask.


    "You want to know?" replied Edward as a mysterious smile appeared on his face. It looked as if he was trying to tease her.


    "You don''t have to tell me. I don''t want to know anyway," said Daisy proudly as she turned her eyes to the road ahead.


    "Woman, can''t you just be patient?" Edward was utterly surprised when he suddenly turned to Daisy. He never expected her to give up that soon. ''Can''t she just give me a damn?'' thought Edward.


    "Why? I don''t have to know." On the other hand, Daisy was not a gossip girl. She just asked because she thought that what Edward did was a little strange.


    "You have to know." Edward was ying with his temper again. He hated being ignored and what his wife was doing wasn''t how he liked it.


    "What? I said I didn''t want to know. Why are you forcing me to know? It''s so typical of you!" Frustratedly, Daisy shook her head. There were really some days when she couldn''t figure out Edward. Didn''t Edward know how hard it was to handle someone as headstrong as him? "How can you say that? I am your husband, Daisy!" used Edward as his eyes turned colder.


    "Stop it! I''m driving." Although Daisy was confident about her driving skill, she didn''t trust others. Moreover, t was the holiday season and she was sure that there would be a lot of drunk-drivers around. She had to be more careful in case anything happened to them. "Fine. I''ll talk to youter," said Edward with a defeated sigh. He decided to stop picking on her since she demanded him to. However, he ended up thinking about a lot of things as soon as he shut up. Meanwhile, Justin was in the backseat. He was quiet while watching them. He was actually wondering if there was anything wrong between the two.


    Back in the army base, Leena followed Kevin to his office. This was her very first time to step inside his workce, thus, she was curious about everything.


    "Come on. Drink. Your hands are so cold. Are you not dressed thick enough?" Kevin poured her a cup of warm water and thought, ''I should get her a glove or something.''


    "Don''t worry. It is just that my hands turn instantly cold when the wind is cold. I''m okay, Kevin! I''m warm!" said Leena with a sweet smile. For a moment, she wondered if her poor resistance to cold was the reason why she was so weak.


    "Are you hungry? Would you like to have a snack or something?" Kevin wanted to keep her with him tonight. Thus, he decided not to let her go anywhere.


    "No. I already ate too much. I am still full now." Leena pouted her lips. Just the thought of food was already making her hate it. It was weird how everyone seemed to be so afraid of her being hungry. She would definitely gain more than ten pounds after this holiday. "Oh, okay. How about my baby? Did you feel anything?" A bright smile cracked Kevin''s lips upon mentioning about his baby. What else could he ask for? He already had beautiful wife who loved him so much, and now, he was about to have a precious little child! "Your baby is fine. I''m only three months pregnant and I don''t feel anything yet." Leena smiled back at him as she spoke. It was funny how Kevin seemed to be more nervous than her since she got pregnant.


    "You''re right. I need to work on some documents. Think about this ce as our home. Let me know if you''re bored. I''ll ask Lee to take you back to the residential building." Kevin showed her some military newspapers. He honestly got no idea if she would like these things or not.


    "I''m fine as long as I can stay with you. I will not feel bored." Leena had missed Kevin so much during his mission. Just the thought that he was now finally around was enough for her to feel very happy. Moreover, how could she be bored when someone as handsome as Kevin was just around?


    "Then I''ll work first. You can lie down on the sofa if you feel tired." His office didn''t have any temperature control system. Kevin was worried that she might catch a cold, so he took off his army coat and carefully wrapped it around Leena.


    "Haha! Are you trying to kill me with that coat?" Leena joked out as she thought that he was too nervous. In fact, it was warmer inside his office than the outside. Even the temperature outside wasn''t really as cold as she thought. "Nonsense! Don''t say that word again. That''s bad luck! Put your clothes on. I don''t want you to catch a cold," snapped Kevin. His face was suddenly serious and Leena couldn''t help but feel intimidated with him.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    "Okay... Fine. I''ll wear it. Just go to work. I will take good care of myself." Forcing a smile, Leena looked up at Kevin and thought, ''Does this guy really think that I''m that vulnerable?''


    A few minutes more and Kevin was already reviewing the documents on his desk very carefully. These papers were so important that he couldn''t allow himself to make mistakes.


    On the other hand, Leena decided to read the newspapers he handed her. However, she got bored with it after a while, thus, she stopped. She then rested her back against the sofa and just watched Kevin until she felt sleepy. She carefullyy down on the sofa and after a few minutes, she fell asleep.


    Kevin burst outughing as soon as he saw Leena sleeping. I know that your reading won''tst long, '' he thought. He walked over to his wife and tucked her with his army coat gently. He bent down to her afterwards and gently pressed his lips against hers. After making sure that she wasfortable, Kevin walked back to his desk while thinking, ''I have to hurry up and get my work done. I badly need to take her home early.''0000000

 Chapter 1600 The C-Section (Part One)

    The sound of the opened door and ck of heeled shoes in the foyer let the people in the house know that someone had just arrived. It was Daisy, followed by Edward and Justin. As soon as Daisy and Edward stepped into their room, she dropped her bag on the table and that made Edward look at her instantly. "Spit it out! What did you want to ask just now?" Daisy asked as she scrunched up her face in seriousness, her hands on her waist. She had a feeling that there was a secret between her husband and Leena.


    Edward raised his eyebrows in mild surprise and said, "Okay, one question first. Will you mind if I''m asionally affectionate towards Leena? For example, will you mind me hugging her or other close types of contact like that?" Edward asked because he wanted to know what Daisy thought about this, but he subconsciously believed that she wouldn''t be so narrow-minded and shallow about these types of things.


    Daisy raised her eyebrows and replied, "Why do you ask that? Well since you brought it up, I''d like to share my thoughts with you-- but first, tell me, will youpletely ignore me when youvishly dote on Leena?" Daisy finished. She had always thought of herself as a very generous and broad-minded person. She never bothered herself with trifling matters and was quite confident in things that were significant to her.


    "No." Edward answered without a slight hesitation in his deep voice.


    "Since you said no, why should I be bothered? I know what Leena is like. She is such a smart and lovely girl. I''m fond of her. Why should I be jealous because you also adore her?" Daisy answered thoughtfully, the hands on her waist dropped and her body visibly rxed. She had been really upset inside seeing Edward and Leena hug each other when she first saw her, but she didn''t know back then that Leena was like an endearing sister to Edward. When she got to know this, she felt rather ashamed of how narrow-minded she had acted. "Really? Do you really think so?" Edward looked at her with a happy smile that graced his lips. He knew that the woman he had chosen would not be that shallow. He was right in his previous belief.


    "And now it''s your turn to tell me why did you suddenly ask such a question. Is it something about Leena?" Daisy folded her arms across her chest. Her face became serious again and she trusted her instinct.


    "Hmm. Yes, it is. Probably because Tom adores Leena too much and that made Patricia very ufortable. She was quite unhappy about it recently." Patricia was a straightforward person. She couldn''t understand such kind of a close and intimate rtionship between Tom and Leena. Their closeness extended to a lot of hugging and almost jovial kinds of conversations.


    "It is valid for her to feel like that, but she forgot that no matter how much Tom adores Leena, she is only like a sister to him. There are no conflicts between Tom''s love for his wife and his closeness to his family and friends." Daisy bit her perfectly cut nails as she analyzed the whole thing and thought deeply about what Edward said.


    "But she is not you and she can''t think in the same way as you do," said Edward. In that moment, Edward felt that he was so fortunate to marry such an excellent woman who could do everything well. Most importantly, this woman loved him deeply. She was confident and put a lot of trust in him and their rtionship.


    "Don''t worry! Patricia is not an unreasonable woman. She woulde around after a period of time," Daisy finally said. It wasn''t something difficult to get over. It was just a situation that needed time.


    "I hope so! But now, should we talk about us, our matters?" Edward said as his voice dipped an octave lower and he shed a sly smile. When it came to love, he became very mean. So how could he possibly let Daisy get away so easily?


    "Us? What matters are there between us?" Daisy said defensively as her eyes nced sideways and her legs backed a few steps. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She knew Edward was not easy to fool around, but did he really have to show that horrible smile? It gave her goosebumps!


    "What do you think?" Edward said as he sauntered over to her. Heughed softly because it didn''t help when she backed off as he could just go closer to her.


    "I''m warning you, don''te any closer to me." Daisy was cornered when she felt her back hit the wall, and she suddenly realized that she had made a very stupid mistake. She had always been very smart, but where was that smartness now?


    "What if Ie closer? What would you do to me?" Edward was so close now that Daisy could smell his masculine scent and it sent shivers down her spine. He had always been the overbearing and tyrannical boss, and how could she possibly exert this power over him? He didn''t show any signs to stop at her warning. He just continued to inch closer to her as his eyes scanned her in a controlling manner. He was so close now that if he slightly dipped his head lower, he could easily kiss her forehead. Daisy felt his breath on her ear and that sent shivers down her spine.


    "I''m sure you will regret," Daisy said with gritted teeth as she tossed her head to the side. She was once again caught in his arms, and it sucked.


    "Okay, show me how you will make me regret.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    I can''t wait to see." Edward only smirked smugly even more. Daisy almost stumbled at the sight of his wicked grin. ''Huh, I am an honorable Senior Colonel, how could I possibly be intimidated by such a shameless man? How could I live up to the name of my title after so many years'' training in the army base?'' Daisy thought.


    "Edward Mu, you''re offending the military officer. Do you know it''s a serious crime?" Daisy suddenly changed her demeanor and said in a sultry voice as she grasped his tie, an equally mischievous smile on her luscious lips. Gone was the shy girl who was itching to get away from him a while ago and the tough senior colonel was suddenly reced by this vixen.


    "Oh? I didn''t know that. But I''m willing to listen what crime I havemitted." Edward''s eyes narrowed into slits as he gazed at her. She was still green at teasing a man as she awkwardly gripped his tie with a trembling hand. However, he was quite eager to see what she would do next.


    "Huh, you silly man. Do you really want to know? Beg me." Daisy stood on her tiptoes and caressed his senses with her sultry voice. Her luscious lips grazed the shell of his ear and lightly touched his earlobe. She subtly tried to arouse his sensual desires. She was definitely more open nowpared to what she was like a year ago.


    "Dear, you are amazing. It seems that you have learned a lot of these skills. You are stirring up the fire in me, but have you thought how could you get away once I lose my control?" Edward''s brows shot up in mild excitement as he was more curious to see what she had to show next. His lustful eyes bore into her own, as if trying to light the passionate fire in them.


    "I have never thought of getting away." Daisy said as her hands fumbled around his body, her fingers tracing the contours of his abdomen beneath the dress shirt he wore. An innocent smile found its way to her face. She grabbed his attention even more.


    "Oh. So does it mean that you have given in to me?" The more Daisy tried to seduce him, the more Edward became vignt. He felt that this act might be a honey trap and he should be cautious.???????????

 Chapter 1601 The C-Section (Part Two)

    "What else could I do? I''m now like a piece of meat on the chopping board. How could I not sumb?" Daisy said with a slight edge in her voice. Howe he wasn''t enamored by her and her seduction attempts? This hateful man!


    "Dear, truthfully, you have shown me a good y--but it is a pity I am not like any other stupid men. I''m Edward and I won''t be tricked." Edward''s voice cut into her thoughts. Although, he did have to admit that at a certain point, he almost lost his mind at her amorous advances but he tried his best to suppress his sexual desire. However, since she liked to y the game, he would join her and let her know what a real game felt like, and who would truly win it.


    "Oh? Really? How about this?" Edward didn''t have the time to reply as her lips were pressed upon his and her tongue tried to gain entry into his mouth. She didn''t believe that he would still resist the temptation now. Soon he would throw himself at her feet, as what she expected.


    However, a cunning look crossed Edward''s eyes as he shut them and enjoyed the kiss, but he didn''t quite give in yet. It seemed that Senior Colonel Ouyang had gone all out to make him yield, but she had forgotten one thing. Once a man''s sexual desire was awakened, there was no way she could fully stop it. Daisy was less shrewdpared to Edward when it came to the art of lovemaking. She could be a goodmander on the battle field, but when it came to sex, she could never take the reins. She eventually became themb to the ughter on bed as Edward gained the upper hand.


    Daisy had thought to use the honey-trap to make him lose his senses, and then she would take that chance to give what he deserved. However, it seemed that it never came to her that he had a firmmand of making hot, amorous sex, and he got what he wanted. His palms were now t on the wall and his arms caged her as he took control of their lustful kiss. In the end, she lost the bait along with the fish as they tumbled together in a passion-filled evening.


    The only sound that could be heard in the room was the beeping of the health monitors and other medical equipment. Patricia slept peacefully on medication. She had nned to go into a naturalbor, but the B ultrasonic diagnosis showed that the umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby''s neck. Worse, it circled the baby''s neck for a few rounds. Thus, she had no choice but to do the C-section. Fortunately, Tom made the whole process almost painless for her. She only felt a little stinging after the anesthesia wore off.


    "Tom, how is Patricia? When could she wake up?" Leena''s soft voice resonated in the room. From the moment she got the news that Patricia was sent to the hospital, she immediately prepared the chicken soup and rushed to the hospital. She had been waiting outside the delivery room the whole time. Since Patricia''s mother was out of town to visit a friend, Leena did everything that she could think of to help her friend. What a considerate BFF!


    "She will wake up after the effect of anesthetics fades away, but she can''t immediately eat anything before she expels the gas," Tom replied as he gazed tenderly at Patricia. He had never been treated ill by his wife. Like any other couples, they would argue with each other sometimes--but Patricia had never acted unreasonably, like pulling his hair or cursing him in vulgar words. In the moment when he saw his little baby, he was deeply moved and felt something that was hard to describe. He felt grateful to Patricia for giving him the gift of such a beautiful life. Maybe that was how it was when one became a parent for the first time.


    "Okay. But when can the baby be sent back to the hospital room, to stay with Patricia?" Just like any other newborns, their baby also had the typical bluish-yellowish skin, so the baby had to receive the blue light treatment.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    "That has to wait until after 24 hours. If you want to see the baby, you cane tomorrow," Tom said. The couple had never cared whether it was a girl or a boy right from the beginning. It wouldn''t make any difference to them, as they would love the baby wholeheartedly regardless of the gender. However, personally for Tom, he preferred to have a girl. Wasn''t there an old saying that the daughter was the father''s lover in the previous life? Therefore, he quite hoped to have a baby girl. Although he was a little bit disappointed when it turned out to be a boy, he was still d to ept this fact. ''God sent me a boy, that''s also very good. He can protect his mommy when he grows up,'' Tom thought."


    "I heard that the baby weighs over 3.5 kg. I can''t wait to see his round chubby cheeks," Leena said in delight. It was lucky that Patricia had done the C-section, otherwise such a big and plump baby would make thebor more difficult.


    "Yes, he has absorbed all the nutrients his mother ate, I guess." He said as happiness radiated from his face at the mention of his baby. He couldn''t believe that he had be a father so soon, and it was a joyful feeling.


    "This is perfect. The mother doesn''t have to lose weight and the baby is very strong. That''s wonderful." Leena had always liked chubby babies. She was sure that the little one was very adorable with soft chubby cheeks and chubby hands. Her heart had already melted as she imagined herself touching the soft and fleshy face of the baby.


    "You are indeed real friends; you and Patricia share same views in this." Tom was rather stunned by the tacit understanding between Leena and Patricia. He remembered that Patricia felt quite lucky that she wasn''t out of shape after she got pregnant. It was true, because except for her pregnant belly she still looked just the same as she was before.


    "So what? Isn''t this what BBF means?" Leena said curiously. Although there was somewhat a rough patch between she and Patricia recently, they had been friends for years and something like that wouldn''t change their friendship.


    "Yes, thank you for making me know what friend means. You should go home now to have a break. I will stay here with her." Tom worried that Leena might overexert herself and be exhausted, so he kindly asked her to go back home and take a much-needed rest. However, she insisted, "I want to wait until Patricia wakes up. I already told Kevin about this and he would pick me up after work." Leena was not a spoiled princess. She didn''t feel tired at all. It was nothing for her to take care of something like this.


    "Okay. You stay here and I''lle back soon." He had just excused himself for temporarily leaving his other patients and came there to check up on his wife. Although there was another doctor avable to handle the other patients, he still wanted to go back and finish his rounds. He was a good doctor and would always take responsibility for his work and his patients.


    "Okay. Go then! I''ll take care of her." Leena said as she smoothed out Patricia''s messy short hair, her eyes full of concern. She suddenly thought that all women were great on the day they gave birth to their children. She didn''t know what it would be like when her turn came. She even hated going to the hospital the most because she was weak in bearing any sort of pain.


    Patricia woke up half an hourter, and Tom still hadn''t been back. He was probably dyed by some very urgent cases.


    "Patricia, how do you feel now? Are you alright?" Leena asked anxiously as soon as she saw Patricia open her eyes.


    "Leena, it''s you! Where is Tom?" Patricia asked with a slight frown on her pale face. She got a little disappointed when the first person she saw as soon as she woke up was not her husband.00000

 Chapter 1602 The C-Section (Part Three)

    "Oh, He said that he woulde back soon and he asked me to take care of you for the moment. Don''t worry. He would be here soon." Leena sat beside her and beamed, delight written across her face.


    "Where is the baby?" Patricia still couldn''t move because she had undergone the C-section. Unlike other moms who went through naturalbor, she couldn''t hold her baby freely and kiss him all over or even feed him immediately after her baby was born. "Tom said the baby is now receiving the blue light treatment. He would be sent back to you 24 hourster. Don''t worry," Leena exined in a gentle voice and tried to reassure her that everything was fine.


    "Blue light? What''s that?" Since her husband Tom was a doctor, she cared little about medical things because even if the sky fell, Tom was there to solve everything for her.


    "It is said that blue light is a kind of therapy to cure Neonatal Jaundice. But I don''t know much about it." Leena only heard the doctor mention this kind of condition when she went to do the prenatal check before. Although Tom also mentioned it just a while ago, he didn''t really exin what it was. It was beyond Leena''s knowledge to exin such medical terms to Patricia.


    "Okay. As long as Tom didn''t say anything bad, then the baby is okay. Leena, thank you!" Patricia said in a faint voice. Leena was dumbfounded to hear her friend suddenly say thanks to her.


    "Patricia, why did you say thanks to me? We are friends!" She said a little anxiously. She was a little disappointed to see Patricia be so polite to her.


    "I just want to apologize for what happened before. You seems to have misunderstood me." Patricia finally spoke and mustered up the courage to show her regret. She didn''t want their friendship to be broken.


    "Patricia, it''s a happy day today. Let''s just celebrate the arrival of the new baby. Anything else doesn''t really matter," Leena said in an attempt to hurriedly shift the topic. She didn''t want any unpleasant thing to spoil her good mood today.


    "No, Leena. I must clear this up with you today. In fact, I don''t really mind your rtionship with Tom. I was only being a little jealous. It is not like what you are thinking, that I don''t like you two to be close." She recently had a hard time because she felt that Leena was lukewarm towards her. They had been friends for years and she really didn''t want them to split up because of this, so she had decided to confront the nagging issue now.


    "Patricia, truthfully it''s normal for you to have such thoughts, because if I were you, I probably won''t be as generous as you are now. So I think if we can consider things from the other person''s perspective, we can understand better what is on each other''s mind." Leena smiled lightly. She really didn''t want to have such a disagreeable conversation with her, as Patricia just woke up from a surgery. However, since Patricia was firm to talk it through, Leena had no choice but to show her stand.


    "Leena, don''t you think that we have be estranged recently?" Patricia said as her eyes reflected the discontent in them. She was incredulous of her friend''s reply as she somewhat felt that it wasn''t really what Leena thought about this matter.


    "Patricia, you''ve thought about it too much. I just changed a little bit in the way to get along with you, but I still feel the same towards you. Nothing in our friendship has ever changed." It was difficult for her to exin and even more difficult to convince Patricia with her exnation. And Leena had never thought herself as an eloquent speaker. Sometimes, she just felt that it was hard to find the right words and string them together to express what she really wanted to say.


    "Really? It''s not a lie?" Patricia looked at her incredibly. She had a subconscious feeling that Leena only said this to make her happy.


    "Okay, Patricia, I know what you want to say. I admit that at the beginning I really felt hurt, but soon I came around. So please believe me. I''m fine now." To be honest, Leena really didn''t mind that much now. She had already forgotten the hurtful feelings with the passing of time. The moment Patricia saw her son, she suddenly felt that all the hardships she had gone through were worth it. Especially when the baby boy opened his eyes and looked at her, she felt her heart melt and her worries go away.


    "Tom, whom does he take after? Why do I think he doesn''t quite take after us?" Looking at the baby whose skin was wrinkled and saggy, Patricia wondered, ''Is this my son?''


    "He is still very small and we can''t really tell clearly whom he looks after. Maybe we can see better after a few days when he grows up a little bit." Babies usually grew very fast. Although his skin was still wrinkled, he would look positively better after a few days. As the baby put on weight, the skin would expand to gain the normal texture. Every baby had to go through this process.


    "He''s so cute. Don''t you think so?" It was their own baby and they couldn''t see enough of him. They also firmly held the belief that their baby was the prettiest in the world.


    "Yes! Thank you, darling. Thank you for making my life perfect, with a beautiful wife and a cute boy." Tom bent down and wrapped Patricia and the baby in his arms. From now on, he was not only a husband, but also a father, an important mission that was bestowed on him from the moment the baby was born.


    "I also want to say thanks to you. Thank you for all this. I''m happy with everything you have done for us." Patricia was truly and extremely happy in this moment. Although she still felt a slight stab of pain on the spot of the incision, it was nothingpared to the overwhelming happiness her baby brought to them.


    What was home? Was it amp, a cup of tea, a table full of dishes, or warmness that filled the house? No matter what, they would cherish each other, help each other, and create a happy life together.


    "Will you still make chicken soup for Patricia today?" A still sleepy voice resonated within the walls of the bedroom. The early morning rays of the sun flitted through the heavy curtains. Kevin woke up early every day and it had been several consecutive days already for Leena to get up right after Kevin finished dressing himself. It was still cold in the early morning and Kevin couldn''t help but feel concerned with Leena and her rigorous routines.


    "Yes. Patricia''s mother won''t be back until the day after tomorrow, and I won''t be rest assured if anyone else handled the work. Besides, Patricia likes my soup best." Although it was a tiring work to get up early every day and buy all the ingredients to make the soup, Leena somewhat felt that it was worth it, because in this way, she could see the adorable little baby every day.


    "But didn''t you just hate going to the farmer''s market before?" Kevin still remembered that Leena couldn''t stand the bad smell from the poultry in the farmer''s market.


    "But only the chickens from the farmer''s market are the freshest, and the soup made by the fresh chicken would be the most delicious." Leena said as she got up and walked towards him. She stood on her tiptoes to help him fix his tie. Leena finally had the chance to do that for Kevin thanks to Patricia, for he usually had already left for work when Leena just woke up.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    "How about this? I will go to the market to buy the chicken for you now. I''m very worried about your health and safety. You know, you are now pregnant with our baby," Kevin said as he briefly checked his watch. He only had to drive fasterter on his way to work to avoid beingte.


    "Nope. I don''t have any problem in walking and moving around. I can still buy the grocery now. You''d better go directly to the army base. I can do it myself," She said gently as she patted the knot of his tie and smiled at him. She knew he was worried about her and it was really sweet and nice of him, but she was the mother of the baby inside her. She would certainly be very cautious with everything she was doing.00000000000000

 Chapter 1603 The Babys Name (Part One)

    The sunlight cast a soft glow on the pure white snow, making the icy little kes glitter like white crystals on a bright day. It was a cold but fine winter morning. Inside the Grand Apartment, Leena was helping Kevin prepare to go to work. "Okay. It''s freezing outside and don''t get a cold. Drive slowly. Be safe," Kevin said as he double-checked everything. He was good to go. But before he left, he just could not be more careful about his wife. How Kevin wished that he could take Leena with him whenever and wherever he could ever since he knew about her pregnancy. He was very anxious and wanted to be around her all the time.


    "I''ll be fine, Kevin. Don''t worry too much about me. Go now. Or you''ll bete," She said as she gently smiled at him. Leena had never imagined that Kevin, a strict and serious soldier, would be the emotional and loquacious man that he was now, especially when Leena also had to go out herself.


    "Call or message me when you get back, okay?" Kevin said as he gave her a peck on the cheek. He could not just feel easy when Leena went out alone in her delicate condition.


    "If you continue to be so talkative, you''re really gonna bete for work," Leena chided him like he was a naughty boy. Leena prodded him out of the door, urging him to go. Otherwise, they would take long again and Kevin might never even get out of their apartment. Kevin couldn''t do anything else but lower his head in defeat at his wife''s gentle pushing. He gently kissed her soft lips before he said goodbye and went out to work.


    Leena watched his car going until it disappeared into the distance. After that, she took a quick shower and got ready. She chose a simple andfortable outfit and since she didn''t like being in the farmers'' market due to the pungent smell in some areas, she brought a mask to help with that. Sometimes she still felt like she wanted to vomit, especially with her pregnancy.


    Leena took her car to the market. The scenery outside was nice and peaceful with the snow making everything look pure and white. At first, she had no clue how to choose good chicken with firm flesh to make tasty soup, so she asked Giselle for help. She considered it to be an important thing she could at least do for Patricia, so it was why she set out to buy ingredients.


    She was a really kind-hearted person. Being nice was fundamental to her as she never thought of bearing any ill will towards others. This gentleness and kindness had be her most characteristic traits. It was no wonder that her friends and family all loved her so much.


    Tom''s father, the former president of Renxin Hospital, named his grandson Eden. He wished his grandson to live a delightful life and not to be trapped in any darkness.


    Patricia liked this name, and immediately agreed to have her baby named Eden Qin. It stood for hope from a grandfather. However, Tom had different opinion. He thought that this name was a bit old-fashioned, but he couldn''t do anything anymore because the name was already printed on the birth certificate.


    "Thank you so much, Leena. Thank you for taking care of Patricia when I was not around. What''s more, you are carrying a baby," said Pam, Tom''s mother. Pam always liked Leena. In her opinion, Leena was sweet and warm-hearted. She treated her as her own daughter all these years. In the beginning when Tom and Leena were close, she had actually thought that they would end up together and that she might be her future daughter-inw. However, no matter how Tom and her got along well, they just never had those kinds of feelings for each other, so Pam did not force it. She just epted the fact that they were better off as friends. Let children deal with their own business. As a parent, she preferred to stay outside of her kids'' matters.


    "Auntie, don''t be so formal with me. I''m supposed to take care of her. Patricia is my best friend, and my brother''s wife," Leena said gently. She had been taking care of Patricia for a few days and her growing belly made her feel exhausted faster than the normal rate.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "My girl, you can leave these chores to the nanny. You don''t need to do all of them by yourself." Tom''s mother said as she helped Leena tidy up. Leena was born and raised up in a rich family, but she never behaved arrogantly like a spoiled brat. Tom''s mother liked her in this respect a lot. She found that among the daughters and daughters-inw of her friends, very few to no one could reallypete with Leena in this aspect. ''Even my own daughter-inw may not necessarily do better than Leena, ''she thought.


    "I''m alright. Patricia did not eat well these days. She likes my cooking. Besides, in order for the baby to have sufficient breast-milk, I''d like to help her with it no matter how tired I may be," Leena said as she smiled shyly. She was indeed taking care of Patricia by doing all those. However, taking care of Patricia also helped her prepare for what was toe for her as well. By doing so, she would be more familiar with the life of having a baby, and she could get through the process more smoothly when her own baby came out. Plus, Kevin was busy with his work, and it was possible that he would be unable to spare too much time for the baby and herself. With this, she decided to learn as much as she could in order not to burden Kevin.


    "Oh, Leena. That''s so sweet of you. Thank you so much. I am Patricia''s mother-inw and I''m supposed to do these but here you are, doing it for me." Tom''s mother said gratefully. Tom''s mother had never anticipated that Patricia would give birth when she was out of the country. When she heard the news, she had already arrived at her destination, unable to fly back again. Because of this, she decided to note back first until she finished her work.


    "Auntie, I would feel shy if you insist on thanking me all the time," Leena said as her face turned beet root-red. She was indeed very shy, and she blushed easily all the time.


    "Ok, I''ll stop it now. It''s quitete. Go home and take a good rest. Hand the rest of those over. Look at you, you are still so skinny. You need to eat more to keep healthy, okay? Your baby needs you, too," Tom''s mother said. Leena already had slim figure to begin with. Then, she vomited a lot during pregnancy, which made her look even thinner than she was.


    "Yes, Auntie, thank you. I''ll be sure to eat more. I''ll leave now, please tell Patricia when she''s back. Goodbye!" Patricia went to see her baby being bathed by the nurse before they left the hospital. Only Leena and Pam were in the ward.000

 Chapter 1604 The Babys Name (Part Two)

    "Yes, you be careful. Don''t drive fast. Let me know when you are home," she saidstly. Pam then helped Leena with her coat and walked her out of the hall. After saying their goodbyes, she remained by the door until Leena''s car disappeared in the distance. She admired Duke a lot whenever she looked at Leena. Leena was so well-educated when it came to these things, thanks to Duke. After their mother was gone, he must have devoted himself a lot! Patricia''s little baby grew quite fast. A few dayster, Eden had already added a few centimeters to his height. He was so cute and everyone loved to y with him.


    Meanwhile, Michelle pondered over her own baby as she watched over Eden with Luke. Tom and Patricia already went out of the ward. The little one had finished bathing and was now ying with them. "Hey, Luke. Will our baby be as cute and handsome as Eden?" asked Michelle. She stroked herrge belly. At this rate, her baby was probably about toe out. She had the penguin-like gait of most pregnant women due to herrger size.


    "Of course he will. He has me as his father," Luke said in a carefree voice. Luke was by no means being arrogant when he said that. He might not be as sexy as Edward and Rain, yet he was handsome and cool. In other women''s eyes, he was also hot.


    "Haha! I didn''t know you were such a narcissist." Michelle rolled her eyes at him while ying with Eden. She waved his chubby little arms this way and that, and the baby giggled cutely.


    "What? Don''t you think so? Or do you think your husband is not that good enough?" Luke said. Luke was usually taciturn and silent, but things were different whenever he was with Michelle.


    "I didn''t say anything. Don''t try to use me," she said steadily. Michelle stepped backwards while holding little Eden''s soft hand. Every time Luke talked to her in such tone, she felt as if she was shrouded in danger.


    "Where did they go? They''ve been out for a while. They''d better not get out of the hospital with their baby still here," Luke said tly. Luke was terribly too logical and serious in his way of thinking. He was also good at changing topics. They were talking about himself just now but then, he came up with a totally different subject.


    "That''s not funny at all. Don''t make such joke. Would you forget such important thing?" Michelle was mortified as she said this seriously. Luke''s apparent joke was terrible. Michelle knew that it would be weird for Luke to behave in such manner. That was not his style. "No, I wouldn''t. But, for them, I won''t rule out that possibility," Luke replied in a serious voice as if Tom and Patricia had already indeed left their baby and gone home themselves.


    "Probably you need some help from Tom. I mean it," Michelle said incredulously and looked at him with unbelievable eyes. She thought that he was just kidding, but from the serious expression on his face, Michelle realized that he might actually mean it. "Who needs help from me? Luke, are you sick?" Tom chimed in from the foyer. He had arrived with Patricia and heard a part of Michelle''s words.


    "I rarely get sick, you know it. Well, since you''re already back, I think it''s time for us to leave now," Luke said. Luke was there to keep his wifepany for the regr check-up. However, Tom and Patricia needed to run a few errands, so Michelle volunteered to watch over their baby and so did he.


    "Did Edward call you?" Tom asked. But that did not make sense. Luke must have informed Edward about his whereabouts. Edward would definitely not call to disturb him now.


    "No, he didn''t, but it''s just lunch time now. My baby needs to have lunch." If if were Rain who said it, that wouldn''t be more normal. However, it was Luke who said it and that sounded just as weird. "My baby?" he definitely did not say things like that. "Come on. Your baby doesn''t literally ''have lunch''. The baby is not hungry. You are hungry!" Tom said as he rolled his eyes at Luke. He was a doctor. How could Luke be such a show-off right in his face?


    "Yes, my baby doesn''t have lunch. But his mother needs nutrition. If Michelle doesn''t have lunch, my baby would get hungry," Luke retorted smugly. "Don''t you underestimate me. I learned these, okay? As a father-to-be, it''s the basic knowledge I should know," he added. "You... Fine. Luke. You got me." Tom gave up, for now. Tom was choked in this round.


    "You''re wee." Luke''s eyes were like little crescent moons as he smiled contentedly. He did not fight the usual way like other people did but instead, he did the unexpected. He learned that from Edward.


    "Well, enough, you two. Michelle, what did the doctor say? When is the due date?" Patricia said and then turned towards Michelle. When she saw the two childish men quarrel meaninglessly, she thought themdies would not join them. "About three weeks. But, I''m not sure." Michelle''s pregnancy was a monthter than Patricia''s. Her baby would probablye out when Eden was one month old.


    "Okay. You should take walks often these days. It''ll be good for the baby if you get a little bit of exercise," suggested Patricia. Tom always talked about these things within her earshot, and she gradually became more aware of them. Thus, she was able to offer Michelle some advice.


    "Yes, thank you. I also heard that naturalbor is good for both the mother and the baby. I''ll try." Michelle was no longer the former thug and gang member that she had been before. She was more mature now. Just like many mothers, she wanted only the best for her baby. "Yes, I trust you''ll have a naturalbor. You will make it," Patricia said. Patricia did not have a naturalbor but a cesarean one since her body condition did not allow that. However, she hoped that Michelle could have a normal childbirth.


    "Let''s go, Michelle," Luke said from the other side as he looked at his watch. It was now time for lunch. He couldn''t be any more careful when it came to taking care of his pregnant wife.


    "Patricia, we''re gonna go now. I''ll pay you a visit some other day," Michelle said. She knew that Luke didn''t like to be around people that much, so she was sensitive enough to also bade for them to leave.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Okay, take care. Bye!" Patricia said as she watched the two take their leave. She was allowed to leave the hospital this day. She had to stay for more than a week for observation since she had undergone a cesarean birth. If it was a naturalbor, she would''ve gone home in two to three days. The hospital had good facilities and it was nice to stay there, but she felt that it was better at home. She wanted her baby to get used to their house earlier.


    KD group was flourishing greatly and they were doing great in the market. Rain had seeded in his ns for thepany after three months. He reaped far more profit than the required quota. Everyone who nned to bring him down and watch drama unfold were rendered mute because of his sess. However, it couldn''t be helped that there were still some troubles.

 Chapter 1605 The Babys Name (Part Three)

    "Tiana, I am warning you thest time; if you dare take my pictures in secret and put them on social media, I promise that I''ll get your naked pictures and post them to the public!" Rain roared with gritted teeth and tightly clenched the phone in his hand, as if he refused to let go until the device got broken. He tapped his foot impatiently on the floor. What a damn woman! He had warned her before, but she did not stop her ridiculous behavior. He usually was not active on social media, but still he paid attention to it. That was why he found out what Tiana did. "Don''t get mad, my elder brother. You are handsome and beautiful. You don''t need to worry about looking ugly. Didn''t you see thements? Tons of women said that they wanted to marry you." Tiana did not think she did something wrong at all. The photos she posted on her social media made more people follow her ount. The more followers, the higher her chances to enter the entertainment industry. Although she had chosen business administration as her major in college, she did not learn much because she put all her efforts and attention to be a star.


    "Shut up! And, I''m not beautiful!" Rain red fiercely at her with aggravation written all over his face. If she wasn''t a woman, he would''ve punched her with full strength.


    "Fine! I won''t say that," Tiana muttered in defeat.


    "Delete all my photos you''ve posted, NOW. Otherwise, I''m gonna block your ount. You know I can do that," Rain said indignantly. Well, well. Tons of women wanted to marry him? What a hrious joke! They were all beneath his attention.


    "Please don''t. I got lots of followers thanks to your pictures. I would lose them if I deleted them." Tiana refused his request without thinking twice. Everyone in her family except her father told her to stay away from Rain, but she just couldn''t help herself keeping approaching the man.


    "Well. Do you want to lose your fans, or do you want me to have your ount deleted? Choose one." This photo posting made him look like some sort of Inte celebrity thanks to her. Come on! He was the vice president of FX International Group, for heaven''s sake. He should never bepared or connected to Inte celebrities. That was poor taste!


    "May I choose neither of them?" To be honest, Tiana felt a bit scared when Rain became genuinely angry.


    "It''s not up to you now. Delete all my pictures in two hours. If you do not finish it in time, your ount will be deleted forever. Keep that in mind and get started now." Rain was not terrifying her. He was simply capable of that. It was just a piece of cake for him to disable an ount in social media. "Fine, fine. I''ll do that! I don''t like you anymore," Tiana said angrily as she stomped her feet and ran out of the room in frustration. She ran into Vance when she was still annoyed at her loss. Yes, Vance, another one of her dear, evil and terrible brothers. Today was not her day.


    "Oh! My dear sister. Why are you in such a hurry? Don''t tell me you went to find that bastard again? Hey, sister, didn''t you hate him before? What made you change your mind?" The members of Ke family were not close to each other. There was none of that familial joy and bonding among them. That was simply how it was in the family atmosphere.


    "Like you said, I hated him before. Now, I like him. Is that not allowed?" Tiana retorted with reddened eyes. She just got into a spat with Rain earlier so she vented all her anger on Vance.


    "Don''t be stupid! Didn''t you know what he did to us? If you are expecting him to treat you as his sister, let me kindly tell you; that''s not going to happen. Don''t be naive," Vance said as he flicked his front hair in a way he thought was handsome. Damn Rain! He thought that as long as he employed his tricks and yed his cards right, Rain would be kicked out of KD Group. However, his ns did not work. Instead, he almost got caught and caused a boatload of trouble for himself. Luckily, he had anticipated that and prepared ordingly so he didn''t end up with a much worse result. Otherwise, he would''ve been eliminated by Rain.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    "That''s none of your business no matter how he would treat me. Just wait and see. I''ll make him acknowledge me as his sister," Tiana said determinedly. The harder the task, the more she would be stubborn at it. If she was persistent like that in her career, she would definitely seed. However, if she insisted on forcing others to do something they disliked, she would be the root cause to make people hate her.


    "Oh? Really? I''d like to wait and see. Maybe when that dayes, he would be already kicked out from this family." In Vance''s opinion, Rain only used saving KD Group from bankruptcy as his excuse to get revenge, since he knew kindness was not in his book. "He''s not that bad. You are the bad ones. From what I can see, you all think about the family property all day. That''s why thepany was on the verge of dying." She knew everything. She just kept silent before because she did not want to think about those nasty things. "What did you just say? Don''t take nonsense! Shut up," Vance shouted. What Tiana said was something everyone in thepany knew. It was an open secret, but no one dared to discuss this secret out in the open. Because of this, Vance could not help but grow enraged when his sister exposed his evil intention.


    "I am just telling the truth! If Rain takes over thepany, I won''t feel surprised at all. You don''t deserve thispany." Tiana was a typical rich youngdy with an arrogant and willful character. She would never be afraid of Vance.


    A clear p sounded in the hall andnded squarely on Tiana''s face. What Tiana said was just going too far for Vance. He was her elder brother, after all. How could she help a stranger to fight against him? Vance did not regret pping Tiana''s face at all. He even thought that he should have pped her heavily sooner to keep her from protecting his enemy.


    "You... You beat me!" Tiana looked at Vance in equal parts of disbelief and astonishment. She could not believe what he had done to her just now. Although they usually did not get along quite well, he had neverid his hands on her. Now what just happened was a different story. He pped her in the face just because they had disagreements. What a cold-blooded brother he was! It was just uneptable.


    "I did that to keep you awake! Please realize the fact and don''t be fooled by him. Do you really think that he would consider you as his sister when you address him as ''brother?'' Don''t be so naive, okay? You may just end up in tears." The people milling about and minding their business in the office couldn''t help but nce at them in curiosity. However, they didn''t show it too obviously in fear of getting fired.


    "I don''t need your care. That''s none of your business! Just get out of my way!" Tiana rushed out and went away angrily. She finally realized that everything changed ever since her brothers got married. Everyone was busy in getting their greedy hands in thepany. They would never return to that time when all of them got along well.


    Vance frowned too as he stood there in deep thought. He just could not figure out why his sister wanted to get close to a bastard. Was he that charming that even his sister decided to support him? It was unbelievable. Face decided everything nowadays.

 Chapter 1606 Michelles Delivery (Part One)

    Rain would still often wonder about the what ifs that had not left his mind since the day that Annie had left him. The most prevalent question that would not stop crossing his mind was what would have happened if he had drunk more responsibly what would have happened if he had not gotten so drunk? Would he still have Annie right where she should be, which was right beside him? His mind unceasingly dwelt on these wonders day and night and he would tire but the next morning he woke up, the questions would still be there. But, as the saying went, Rain would often repeat to himself that there was no use crying over spilled milk. Although he wanted so much to change what had happened, there was nothing that he could do.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    The circumstances that took ce were surprising, but Annie''s departure was something that Rain knew had always been destined to happen, if not nned. Annie''s departure had long been established. Rain could only assume that Annie had everything nned out; that she had been merely looking for a loop hole she could deliberately use as an exit when she got the opportunity to. Otherwise, she would still be here. No matter how hard Rain looked, he achieved and found nothing. His searches were in vain.


    That was why he had been keeping himself distracted and upied by taking over the KD Group. Nheless, shes of Annie''s face would keep revisiting him. All their friends including Edward, Duke, Tom, and Leena had a happy life in love with their partners. The fact that he was the only one without a significant other made Rain feel rejected.


    The constant istion he always felt always made him feel empty; much so that this evening, he decided he would go to Sexy World. He went there by himself, which made it twice as sadder than it already was. As what one would expect, there was a woman wearing a sexy attire, sitting right next to him. This woman was doing her best to get the attention of Rain, seducing him into taking her, but as the numbness ate up Rain, he had no response to these advances at all.


    The reason why he asked for this woman was not for his pleasure, but used as a cover up to his long figure; he didn''t want to look like he came there by himself, even if he did. So when the club manager suggested this woman to Rain, he found it best not to refuse the offer. Besides, it was not like he did not have any money if he wanted to, he could buy anything. If he wanted to, he could even buy the whole club.


    He finished a full ss of wine with just a single swig. Like most nights, he missed Annie more and more. He could not afford to be without her and the thought of recing her really gave him a bad feeling. At the wave of his hand, he dismissed the woman he had just paid to be with him.


    He had no idea how he could move past Annie, let alone forget about her. He could try, but it would all be in vain - he had tried just to prove the former. To stop missing her, he would spend nights getting drunk just so he would fall asleep. Sleeping wasn''t a problem until he lost the one he would slumber next to every night.


    Again, he wondered whether Annie had loved him or not. He would think to himself, ''If she loved me, then she wouldn''t have left me without giving me the chance to exin just how much I love her, '' he thought.


    Rain''s life was no walk in the park. Putting the issue of Annie aside, he would still be miserable. With his mother being a mistress, they were abandoned when he was a baby. If it hadn''t been for Edward, he thought, he''d probably have been dead by now. But, with Annie he was miserable at best. Life remained tough, but it became less of struggle to fight it because of the love he and Annie shared. He would always wish that Annie would just decide toe back to him.


    On the day Michelle gave birth to her baby, Luke was not by her side - he was with Edward, together on an overseas business trip. Fortunately, Cynthia was a very loving and caring mother-inw who was there for Michelle every step of the way to the hospital. It was also fortunate that Michelle was a fighter; she was strong and she delivered her child with naturalbor. The baby was a healthy baby boy.


    Michelle breastfed her son, and that was one of the benefits of naturalbor; she did not have to wait for the supersession of anesthetic. There and now, she could hold her son.


    "Why don''t you hand me the baby and finish your soup first?" her mother-inw offered. When she first met Justin, he was already a young boy. She had been not able to meet his first and foremost when Daisy gave birth to him. So now, she was really interested toe and see the new-born baby.


    "Okay, mom," said Michelle. "But will I really have to eat chicken soup for a whole month?" Michelle carefully handed the baby to Cynthia as she furrowed her brows at the sight of the usual chicken soup made by Mrs. Wu.


    "Don''t worry, Mrs. Wu will make you different soups everyday," said Cynthia. The truth was, Cynthia wished Michelle would have given birth to a daughter instead so that she could dress her up like a princess. Justin was such a naughty boy, so Cynthia always had headaches instead of y dates.


    "Oh, thank God. I thought I''d have to consume the same kind of soup everyday," eximed Michelle. "I would go crazy!" Michelle made a funny face and stuck her tongue out. Although she was a little pale, her spirit was high. She was happy after all.


    "Luke called. Give him a ring when you finish that soup, okay?" Cynthia teased the little boy with her eyes filled with affection and love. Belinda and Patricia gave to boys not a little long ago, too. Leena would also give birth soon. Their offspring would, in a couple of years, be ymates. However, Cynthia couldn''t help but feel troubled at the thought of Rain. She was certain that while they were celebrating life, he was mourning every bit of it.


    "Of course," said Michelle, "Did he say when he''ll be back? I need him here," Michelle asked in eagerness. Like most wives, she also wanted Luke to be with her in significant moments such as this one. Although shepletely understood why he had to be away, she couldn''t help but miss her husband, especially now that she had given birth to their son.


    "In two or three days, he said. I feel sorry for you, Michelle," said Cynthia with remorse and guilt in her words. Edward''spany had an emergency and he had to go overseas to deal with it. As Edward''s right hand, Luke had to be present. .000000????????

 Chapter 1607 Michelles Delivery (Part Two)

    "I''m alright. I understand the situation." As much as Michelle was a gang member, she was also a considerate wife.


    "Every man should be there for his wife when she''s giving birth!" eximed Cynthia. Nobody anticipated that Michelle would go inbor while Luke was away.


    "Well, he wouldn''t be able to help me even if he were here. It''s not like he''s the one who''s going to give birth," Michelle said jokingly. "And besides, I still had to be isted, right?" Michelle said all these things with a reassuring smile. The chicken soup she had dreaded earlier on was actually very delicious. It was just the thought of having to consume strictly just soup for a month that heavily burdened Michelle. She wondered if she would gain more weight in theing month.


    "You are such a considerate wife! Most women would have held a grudge," said Cynthia. She was grateful that both her sons, Edward and Luke, were lucky enough to marry wives who weren''t selfish and demanding.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    "Mom, I know if I threw a fit it would only get between me and Luke," Michelle exined, "It would only break us. I love him, and I''m not willing to lose him over something so petty." She knew Luke loved her and she knew it was a matter of work that Luke had to leave the country. She had no intention of brewing a storm over something so simple.


    "It''s really so kind of you to say that. Oh, baby, you have such a great mother!" Cynthia then nted a kiss on the cheek of her grandson.


    "Hey! What a beautiful and warm family we have," eximed Daisy who came rushing from behind Cynthia. She had just gotten off work and made her way to the hospital immediately as she clocked out.


    "You''re finally here, Daisy. Still haven''t gone home huh?" Daisy came without Justin, so Cynthia knew Daisy hade directly from work. If Daisy had gone home first, she would have Justin tag along. Justin was also eager to see his little cousin.


    "No, I haven''t. I came here as soon as I could." Daisy walked up to Michelle and gave her the warmest congrattions. "You''re a mother now," she said with her eyes crystallizing from the tears of joy she was trying to hold back.


    "It''s an important stage in a woman''s life to have babies. From this, you will grow a whole new instinct; a whole new identity," Daisy exined.


    "Thank you, Daisy," said Michelle. She looked at the baby in Cynthia''s arms and felt utter affection.


    "How do you feel? Was giving birth as horrible as you thought it was?" Daisy asked for details as she couldn''t help but tease Michelle for finally sharing the same torment and agony on giving birth, remembering how frightened Michelle had been a couple of days ago. "No, it wasn''t, actually," Michelleughed. "I was such a fool." Michelle covered her face with both hands in embarrassment. She felt ashamed of herself because she had overthought so many things that could go wrong before giving birth.


    "Like I said, take it easy. Let birth take its natural course." Daisy remembered the day she had given birth to Justin. She had been both in physical and mental pain then. Fortunately, luck came after all that she had to suffer.


    Right after learning that Michelle had a boy, Justin kept pestering Jonathan to visit them. Jonathan had no other choice but to sumb to the boy''s stubbornness and took Justin to the hospital.


    "Mommy, why isn''t it a baby girl? Uncle Duke already has a boy. Uncle Tom also has a boy. There''s no girl, mommy! I want a baby girl," Justin grumbled as if something could be done to shift the gender of the newborn baby. "Why do you want a baby girl?" Daisy asked with a patient smile. She was curious of Justin''s answer.


    "So that I can protect her," Justin answered confidently. No matter how clever Justin was, he was still a child.


    "It''s not just baby girls who need protection. Boys need protection as well." After saying this, Daisy was torn betweenughing and crying.


    "Boys don''t need protection! They can fend for themselves. Only girls need protection and you said that to me! You said boys should be strong enough to protect girls, right? Have you forgotten?" Justin eximed in a serious manner. His mother used to tell him that as a boy, he should protect his mother who was a woman.


    "I didn''t forget it. But, look, this baby is so little that he can''t protect himself yet. As an older brother, you are to protect him until he is old enough to do it himself." Daisy wiped the sweat off her forehead. She found that it became harder and harder to convince Justin with her words as he grew older.


    "I still prefer girls. Aunt Michelle, can you give birth to a baby girl next time?" he asked with a hopeful and innocent expression.


    Michelleughed. "You naughty boy! I can''t promise that. I can''t possibly predict the oue." Michelle was amused by Justin''s childish words. She hadn''t even decided on having a second baby yet.


    "Mommy, please give birth to a girl!" Justin turned to Daisy and pleaded.


    "Take that thought out of your head!" Daisy turned against Justin''s wishes without second thought.


    "I knew it. Aunt Leena is going to have a baby soon. I''m hoping she gets a baby girl." It was at this moment that Justin forgot the odds between Leena and him. It seemed that he would set aside personal conflicts and grievances if it meant he could take care of a baby girl. "Even if your Aunt Leena has a baby girl, it''s still not your duty to protect her. Your Uncle Kevin is a soldier and he is in charge of protecting his child," Daisy said, trying so hard to hold back herughter. She could not help but make fun of her son.


    "But Uncle Kevin will surely be busy, so the baby girl will be under my care." Justin shed a big grin as he began to imagine the things he would do to protect his Uncle Kevin''s baby girl in his ce.


    "Fine," Daisy gave up. "But I don''t think your dream wille true," she added with a shrug.


    "Don''t you and your Aunt Leena have problems getting along? Do you think she''ll ever ask you to protect her daughter?" Michelle joined Daisy in teasing the boy.


    "Dang it! I almost forgot. Aunt Michelle, will Aunt Leena forgive me if I be nicer to her from now on?" Justin asked hoping to get the answer he wanted to get.


    "Why don''t you give it a try? It just might work." Michelle burst intoughter this time. Justin was such an adorable and charming boy that he seemed to be convinced that Leena was for sure going to have a daughter.


    "Okay, let''s stop teasing the child. Why don''t you have another baby?" suggested Cynthia while stroking Justin''s head affectionately.


    "What? You must be kidding me, mom. Michelle just gave birth! Give her a break. At least a year or two." Daisy stared at Cynthia in disbelief.???????????????

 Chapter 1608 Michelles Delivery (Part Three)

    "Well, it doesn''t have to be just Michelle. This could be for you, too, right?" Cynthia turned to Daisy and smiled. She really hoped that her daughter-inw would consider having another baby with Edward.


    "It''s not that easy," Daisy stammered. The truth was that Edward had already gone through the male sterilization procedure; through this, they would never have another offspring again.


    "Why not? Justin looks like he really wants a younger sister. Isn''t that right, Justin?" In the eyes of the elders, it would be better to have both a daughter and a son than to just have a son. Cynthia in particr was no exception to this stigma. She thought Daisy and Edward were still young that they could still have another child.


    "Uh... Mom, it''s really not in my ns at the moment," Daisy exined to Cynthia with an awkward smile etched on her face. They had not told Edward''s parents about the sterilization, so she didn''t know how else to break it to her mother-inw.


    "It''s just a suggestion. No pressure," Cynthia said with a pitiful frown. She prided herself with being the considerate mother-inw who used no force towards her daughters-inw.


    "Mommy, please have another baby. That way I wouldn''t have to befriend Aunt Leena, the devil herself." Justin held Daisy''s arm to plead.


    "You brat! Are you speaking ill of me?" Leena''s voice came from outside the room. Justin turned his head in shock and fear, seeing Kevin helping Leena into the room.


    "No, I am not. You misheard me!" Justin immediately denied. ''Justin, you have to hold back your anger for the sake of a baby girl. Do not anger the vessel! Otherwise, your n will fail, '' Justin thought to himself.


    "Huh? Are you saying I''m deaf?" Leena gazed at Justin as if Justin were gazing at the abyss. ''This kid really never stops talking behind my back, ''Leena thought.


    "Come on, Nana! Don''t get angry! You''re carrying a child." Kevin consoled his wife and rubbed his temples as a notion of resignation. Why did the odds lead to crossing paths with Justin all the time?


    "Oops, I almost forgot. I can''t argue with you now but I''ll set you straight after giving birth, you hear me?" Leena threatened Justin with her naturally arched brows.


    "Mommy, listen to her!" Justin did not dare provoke Leena, so he had to turn to his mother for defense.


    "Don''t involve me! Sort it out yourselves." Daisy was not the kind of mother who spoiled her child by solving every problem that came his way.


    "Uncle Kevin!" Justin resorted to Kevin as his options were narrowing down to one. He hoped Kevin would at least say something to defend him.


    "Don''t fret, Justin. She''s just trying to scare you off." Kevin knew his wife well. He also knew that Leena was just teasing Justin and that it was out of her ns to get Justin in trouble after the birth of her child.


    "Why did you stille here? It''s gettingte. Why don''t youe visit Michelle tomorrow?" Daisy asked, worried for Leena. Leena''s health had been plummeting to risky levels. Her poor health had burdened her all these years. Tom even said that she had to pay closer attention to her health.


    "She''s eager to see the baby. So, I came with her. I wouldn''t let here alone," Kevin said with a smile. Leena really wanted to see the baby, and Kevin was not about to turn her down.


    "He looks cute! Congrattions, Michelle!" Leena eximed as she looked at the baby in Cynthia''s arms. She didn''t think it was necessary for her husband toe and assist her and thought he was overreacting about her condition. Her friends persuaded her to move to the vi and even arranged several servants for her. She was going to refuse, but Kevin would be relieved that his wife was under the servants'' care. She then had to move to the vi and epted the special amodation granted to her by the servants. After all, the Grand Apartment would be too small after she gave birth.


    "Thank you, Leena. I''m also looking forward to meeting your baby." In Michelle''s perception, Leena looked soft but she was a strong woman. Leena had suffered a lot because of Kevin, but she never gave up on him.


    "So am I. I will give birth to a cute and healthy baby." Leena gave Michelle a sweet smile and swore that she would protect herself and her baby at all times, under any circumstance.


    However, she did not know what was about toe her way.


    Sitting at a table by the window, Leena shed a smile and asked, "Rain, why are you suddenly inviting me to dinner?" She was wearing a maternity dress, but she did not look big at all.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Well, I haven''t seen you in a long time. How have you been?" Rain asked. He had been so busy with the KD Group that he had no time to spare to catch up with anyone, including Leena. He really missed her.


    "Really? I thought you''ve forgotten about me. You''ve been so caught up in so many things recently. Did the Ke family members offend you? Have they threatened you? It must be tough." Leena knew the situation between Rain and the Ke family, so naturally, she was worried about the man.


    "Don''t worry, I''m alright. They can''t do anything to me." The Ke family members perceived Rain as a mere outsider. They would not allow Rain to take over thepany and take their shares. No matter what they did in the dark, Rain decided to turn a blind eye so that he would not get caught up in a conflict with the family. He was temporarily overseeing thepany, but he had no intention of taking it for himself.


    "You know you have to be careful, right? Edward has arranged several body guards to protect you, but you still have to know how to protect yourself," said Leena. The Ke family was a big n, but Rain had never regarded them as his family. Leena felt bad for Rain and she didn''t want him to fall under the harm of the Ke family.


    "Don''t worry, I know how to protect myself. Hey, eat more." Rain added more food onto Leena''s bowl. He was very cold to others, but he had a soft spot for Leena.


    "Rain! It''s really you. What a coincidence! Who is this woman? Is she your girlfriend?" Tiana walked up to them. She was wearing fashionable designer clothes and essories, grabbing the attention of everyone. However, as a designer herself, Leena did not appeal to her style. She just put on all the elements together without thinking of the coordination, which made her look like a mess.


    "We''re having dinner. We don''t need you here," Rain told off thedy coldly. He would get headaches here and there because of that woman. He had asked her to delete his photos not long ago and he hadn''t seen her for a while until now. He did not expect toe across her and he had hoped not to see her ever again as she was really irritating. Rain couldn''t help but frown at the coincidence he was faced with.

 Chapter 1609 It Was No Accident (Part One)

    "I haven''t eaten anything either, and I''m wondering if thisdy would mind if I join you." Tiana knew that Rain disliked her. So, she asked Leena who was seated beside Rain, hoping she would agree to have her join them for a meal. Leena hesitated and nced at Rain. "Well..." She didn''t even know the woman, so she was wary about inviting her casually to sit down with them.


    Angrily, Rain blurted out, "Tiana Ke, do not try to annoy me!" He had turned sullen when Tiana tried to insinuate herself. He was adamant that she should stay away because he didn''t want to lose his appetite.


    "I didn''t do anything, Rain. I only want to join you for a meal. Is that such a hardship that you have to be annoyed?" Tiana said. The more Rain refused to be with her, the more curious about Leena she became. She wondered why this woman was sharing a meal with Rain.


    "Rain, since it is Miss Ke, perhaps she could just join us," Leena suggested. After hearing Rain mentioned Tiana''s name, Leena surmised the woman who wanted to join their meal was a member of the Ke family. She thought of Rain and decided it would be better to invite her to eat. Otherwise, Rain could get into trouble.


    As soon as Tiana heard Leena, she couldn''t help but look at the woman from head to toe.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    Blowing out a breath, Rain grumbled, "Since Leena has agreed, you might as well sit down! But you''d better not be saying anything horrible on this table." He warned Tiana. The man was worried that Tiana would say something to embarrass Leena, thus the warning. "Thank you for agreeing to let me join you, ma''am," Tiana said. As soon as Rain gave in to Leena, Tiana immediately sat down and shared a meal with the two happily.


    "You''re wee. We only started eating. If there is something you would prefer to eat, go ahead and order," Leena encouraged her. It slightly annoyed her when Tiana addressed her as ''ma''am'' when she didn''t seem older than her. But she opted not to correct her anymore.


    "Is this ma''am your wife, Rain?" Tiana asked curiously. Her eyes wantonly surveyed Leena up and down again. She noted the dress the woman wore was quite old-fashioned. No matter how she looked, Tiana felt that the dress was something worn by pregnant women. Leena, still looking slim, sat quietly during the cursory inspection. Apparently, Tiana didn''t figure out that Leena was pregnant.


    "No, I''m his sister," Leena answered for Rain. She spoke casually and thought nothing more of it. Leena didn''t notice the sudden change in Tiana''s expression.


    "Sister? How is that possible? I remember his mother only gave birth to him! There was no other child. Unless," she paused and stared at Rain in confusion. Now Tiana was wondering if they were all cheated by that woman. So, did it mean she not only gave birth to Rain, but also to this girl?


    "No, Miss Ke. Please don''t misunderstand the term. We are not real brother and sister. It is just that our rtionship is like brother and sister," Leena exined. She quickly realized the wrong impression it made on Tiana. So she decided to rify things immediately. "Leena, you don''t have to exin anything to her. Come on, eat more shrimps! These are nutritious," Rain cut in. He shelled the shrimps and put them on Leena''s bowl. Tiana was stunned by the gesture. To her mind, Rain had always been ruthless. But right now, he humbled himself before this woman by shelling shrimps for her. That was unbelievable.


    She finally surmised that this woman must be of great significance to Rain. It was either he loved Leena very much, or she had a different charming side that captivated him. Otherwise, why did he act so exclusive with her?


    "All right. Thank you, Rain," Leena said with a smile. Obediently, she ate the shrimps. As long as they were good for her baby, she would not refuse to eat them. Fortunately, her morning sickness had already passed, so there was no fear of throwing up while eating until she gave birth to the baby.


    Flirtatiously, Tiana fluttered hershes at Rain and requested, "I also want to eat shrimps, Rain." Even at home, none of her brothers ever took care of her like that. So, when Tiana saw how Rain treated Leena, she was envious and wanted the same attention. "Shell it yourself," Rain said sharply. He dismissed Tiana''s affectations. Besides, it was impossible for him to serve her.


    Startled, Leena turned to look at Rain. She had always known the man to be pleasant, ready with a cheeky smile. She was witnessing one of the rare asions when he disyed ruthless behavior. "But I want you to shell them for me," Tiana whined. She bit her lip, and then pouted. Her expression slightly stiffened at being rebuffed.


    Disgusted, Rain said, "Tiana Ke, have you no sense of your identity? Who do you think you are?" There was always a sense of aversion each time Rain thought of members of the Ke family. He believed that he would not have been orphaned at a young age if not for them.


    "Then why did you shell the shrimps for her? Am I not your sister like her?" Tiana demanded. There was an ache in her heart at being ignored by Rain. She only wanted to experience being pampered. Was it so hard for Rain to act as an elder brother?


    "From the beginning, I only acknowledged having one sister. That is Leena," Rain said coldly. The cruel words uttered by Rain cut into Tiana''s heart like a sharp de. For Rain, the only reason he returned to the KD Group was to avenge his loss. He had no desire to be caught in family bonds. And he made sure to focus on that.


    Bitterly, Tiana dered, "Vance was right. No matter how I try to please you, you will never regard me as a sister. Initially, I thought he was merely trying to sow dissent between us. Now I realize that what he said was true." Had there been noparison, there would have been no harm done. But how could Rain give her a hard blow after she saw how well he treated another girl whom he considered a sister?


    "It''s good that you''ve finally epted the reality of the situation. I hope you will no longer bother me in the KD Group," Rain said bluntly. The reason he was able to say that was becausepared to other members of the Ke family, Tiana wasn''t so bad.


    Her response was bitterughter. "Why not? KD Group is not yours! As a member of the Ke family, I have ess to thepany," Tiana remarked. Her eyes had turned red, and tears threatened to fall. Tiana now realized one truth. The greater one''s expectation was, the more desperate they became when this was not met in the end.


    "Of course you have the right to go to the KD Group offices. But your rights don''t include free ess to the President''s Office," Rain dered. When he said that, his tone was so cold. It would have frozen Satan in his descent to hell.00000000000000

 Chapter 1610 It Was No Accident (Part Two)

    "And in case I actually did that, then what?" Tiana challenged. All she wanted was a little family affection from him. But why was it so difficult for him to give that to her?


    ring at Tiana, Rain said, "If you want to do that, you can always give it a try to see what would happen." The corner of Rain''s lips curved into a twisted smile. He couldn''t understand why Tiana insisted on provoking him with ridiculous demands. But he would make up his mind that she was not worth his time or attention.


    Sensing the rising tension between her twopanions, Leena quickly intervened. "Miss Ke, I think it is better for us to start eating before the food gets cold," she said with a nervous smile. Noting the curious looks thrown their way by other customers in the restaurant, Leena thought it best to settle the animosity between Rain and Tiana or at least calm them down.


    "Do you think I still have an appetite after all this?" Tiana cried out. She was annoyed that all Leena could think about was food. But then, it wasn''t Leena who was reprimanded in public.


    Rudely, Rain said, "If you don''t want to eat, you''re free to go. Leave us in peace to enjoy our meal." Rain hated seeing Leena being taken advantage of. So he said his piece without hesitation. In the family, no one had the heart to say hurtful things to Leena, so how could an outsider like Tiana do such a thing?


    Angrily, Tiana dered, "Well, I''m leaving! Do you honestly think I want to have a meal with you?" She stood up quickly, oblivious to the stares of everyone. Before finally exiting, she gave Leena a thoughtful look. A shudder ran down Leena''s spine from the cold scrutiny. "Rain, she seems to like you a lot. Why are you doing this to her? Why being so cruel?" Leena pointed out. She was still trying to figure out why Rain was so disgusted with Tiana. While she might be part of the Ke family, Leena didn''t think every one of them was so bad. "If I don''t do this to her now, I will only be waiting for the day when she will brutally hurt me back," Rain exined. There was no member of the Ke family that he could trust or believe. That said, he wanted no ties with any one of them.


    "I simply don''t understand it," Leena sighed. That woman only looked a little older than she was. Could she be as bad as Rain imed she was?


    "I understand if you don''t get all of this. I''ve read that a pregnant woman would be foolish for three years. I believe that with your intelligence quotient, you could suffer from foolishness for twice as long," Rain teased her. He gave Leena a dazzling smile. Rain was staring intently at Leena and didn''t notice that Tiana never left the restaurant. Instead, she found a seat that had a perfect view of their table but was out of their line of sight. There, she secretly observed the two.


    "Ahem! Now, you''re making fun of me!" Leenained. She pouted and pretended to be angry. Rain''s mood had considerably improved since Tiana left them.


    "Well, I won''t tease you anymore. But I do want you to eat more. Afterwards, I will send you back," he said. He pinched her nose fondly. It was just like before. Every time Leena became angry, Rain was responsible. But he would quickly coax her out of anger.


    How could two people eat while fighting? And then there would be a burst of controlledughter from their table. Tiana stared at the two. Envy was burning her gut. She, too, would feel happy in that kind ofpany. But it disgusted her to watch the scene. Because in her world, there was no one who had shown her kindness and unconditional love.


    Once they finished eating, Rain stood up and carefully helped Leena to get up. No one watching his careful actions would think he was merely doing something brotherly. It would be easy to assume that Rain and Leena were a couple deeply in love.


    When they came to the door, a cold wind swept towards them. Leena couldn''t help but shiver. Cold temperatures had always been her weakness, and not even impending motherhood could get rid of that frailty.


    "Are you cold," Rain asked solicitously. He hurriedly covered her with his coat to warm Leena''s body.


    Shivering, Leena nodded. "Kind of," she replied. There was central heating inside the restaurant. So, the temperature wasfortable enough for her. However, the cold wind blowing towards them made it intolerable for Leena.


    "Let''s go! It will be warmer inside the car," Rain told Leena. She nodded, still shivering from the cold. He let go of her hand to fish out the car keys from his pocket. At that moment, someone pushed Leena from behind with enough force to send her toppling down the restaurant stairs!


    "Ahhhh!" Leena screamed as she felt herself falling. Her first subconscious thought was to put a hand to her belly. Like any pregnant woman, the instinct was to protect her baby. But it often disregarded their own safety, especially during dangerous situations, like what Leena faced now.


    "Leena! Be careful!" was all Rain could shout when he saw what was happening. He tried to grab Leena with his outstretched arm but it was toote. Thinking quickly, Rain jumped towards Leena, hoping to break her fall. He ended up prone on the ground, absorbing the impact of Leena''s hurtling body.


    Landing squarely on top of Rain''s body, Leena was so shocked at what happened. After oveing the shock, her first thought was the baby. Panicked, Leena thought her child was hurt from the fall.


    "Leena, are you okay? Is the baby hurt?" Rain asked quickly while grimacing in pain. He didn''t care about himself, or any injuries he might have sustained. Nervously, he looked at Leena, who continued to sit on top of him. With their position, it was impossible to see if she was okay.


    Agitated now, Leena cried, "Rain, I feel pain!" Her legs felt like jelly. But what worried her most was the pain in her lower abdomen.


    "Okay, don''t be scared. I''m taking you to the hospital," Rain said, scrambling to get up after Leena had gotten off him. He ignored his own pain and struggled to wrap his arms around Leena while helping her walk towards the car. Before moving, he turned around to see who pushed Leena down the stairs. He was furious when he saw her and wanted to p the person hard. But now he knew it wasn''t the right time. What was critical was to get Leena to the hospital as soon as possible.


    Tiana was stunned. She had been so mad with Rain for being kind to Leena and only intended to give her a slight push. How was she to know the woman''s knees were unstable from the cold? Then she overheard Rain ask about the baby, so Tiana discovered that Leena was pregnant. She thought that mean act would have been revenge enough. Rain would not make it easy for her. Had she known the woman was pregnant, Tiana would never have touched her. So that was why her dress was unfashionable and like those worn by pregnant women. She was indeed heavy with child.


    "Tom, hurry! Meet us at the emergency department. Leena had an ident, and I''m bringing her to the hospital now," Rain said in his call to Tom. He honked his horn like crazy, driving to the Renxin Hospital at the fastest speed allowable.


    "What''s the matter? Is it serious? Is there any bleeding?" Tom fired a series of questions over the phone. From the moment he heard that Leena had an ident, Tom immediately stood up and hurried to the entrance of the emergency department. He left whatever work he was doing unfinished.000This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1611 It Was No Accident (Part Three)

    "No, but sheined of pain in her lower abdomen. So, you''d better get ready. We''ll be there in ten minutes," Rain said while concentrating on his driving. It had never been a moment in Rain''s life when he felt so scared. He knew well how difficult it was for Leena to


    have conceived the baby. And he was also aware of what that child meant to Leena.


    "All right. Be safe on the road!" Tom said. He hung up the phone and ordered the nurse to notify the Director of Obstetrics and Gynecology to be ready for treating an emergency case.


    "Leena? Are you all right? Do you still feel pain in your stomach?" Rain asked worriedly. Although it was spring and the weather was cool, Rain sweated buckets because of the fear gripping his heart.


    "It''s not as painful as before. Don''t worry, the baby will be okay," Leena said softly to assure Rain. The words were meant tofort both Rain and herself. When she felt her dress, Leena was thankful there was no sign of bleeding. So she hoped her condition wasn''t too serious. Thanks to Rain jumping ahead of her, she didn''t hit the ground directly. Or that would have definitely been more serious.


    "It has to be okay, or I will cut myself over it!" Rain said. ''Damn it, Tiana Ke!'' He cursed her in his head. Rain vowed to make her pay for what she did to Leena.


    "Rain, please don''t say things like that. You frighten me," Leena pleaded. Leena was already panicking because of her condition, but Rain''s words made her feel even worse.


    "Okay, I will refrain from saying such things. Just sit tight, and we''ll be arriving at the hospital soon," he told Leena. He stepped on the elerator and maneuvered the car expertly. The only thing Rain focused on right now was to get to the hospital safely in record time. Thest time Tom stood outside the hospital was to wait for Kevin. Now, he was waiting for Leena. He was beginning to think this couple was quite troublesome.


    Then he saw Rain''s car screeching towards the hospital. So he ran to meet it.


    Opening the passenger door, he quickly examined Leena and urgently asked questions. "How do you feel now, Leena? Do you still feel pain?" He carefully helped her out, and then picked her up lightly to prevent more stress. He was afraid that walking would cause her situation to worsen.


    "I''m feeling better. I''m relieved to see you, Tom," Leena answered. In her eyes, Tom was omnipotent, so she put herplete faith and trust in the doctor.


    "You need to have a series of tests first, okay?" he told Leena. There was no time to speak to Rain. He walked quickly towards the hospital. Leena would be taken to the obstetrics operating room where they had thetestprehensive diagnostic equipment.


    The Director of Obstetrics and Gynecology was already waiting for them there. When she spotted Tom, the doctor immediately checked Leena, who continued to grasp Tom''s hand. As much as she wanted to be optimistic, Leena feared the result could be devastating. "Take it easy. It''s going to be all right," Tom said while patting her hand. He could feel the woman''s panic as she clutched his hand tightly. Tom rubbed her shoulders for assurance.


    "It''s not a big deal. Later, I will have an injection ready for you to protect the baby. Then you have to rest for a couple of days. You''ll both be fine." The obstetrician''s words allowed Leena to sigh in relief. The conclusion came after a series of examinations. Although Leena fell from the stairs, she did not hit hard objects. So, it was not as serious as they imagined.


    "Are you sure? So, my baby is fine?" Leena shut her eyes for a few seconds. She touched her belly and started rubbing it gently. The doctor''s diagnosis was a pleasant surprise for Leena. On the drive to the hospital, she had psyched herself to receive bad news. "Yes, the baby is fine," the physician assured Leena. "But you can''t be careless after what happened. If you''re still worried about your baby''s condition, I suggest you stay in the hospital for observation. Two days should be enough," she added. The obstetrician also told Leena that when she listened to the baby''s heartbeat, it was strong and stable.


    "Stay in the hospital for two more days! It''s safer that way," Tom made the decision for her. "If she''s going to be confined, I''ll make the necessary arrangements," the doctor told Tom and Leena.


    Tom acknowledged her with a nod. The doctor turned around and left without saying anything more. She knew the patient would be in good hands with Tom at her side.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    Anxiously, Leena asked, "Tom, do I really need to stay in the hospital?" She was in a quandary. If confined even for a few days, Kevin would find out that she has fallen down. It would surely lead him to restrain her from going on any outings in the future.


    "Yes, just in case there are otherplications or problems," Tom gently argued. There were many hidden dangers that could result from a fall that initial testing might have missed. Or they could developter. Tom didn''t want to take any chances where Leena''s baby was concerned.


    After arranging the ward for Leena, Tom left the room. At this time, he finally saw Rain. "What''s the matter with you? Why do you look like you''ve just climbed out of a dumpster? Why are your clothes covered with dust?" Tom asked.


    "If Leena and the baby are okay, it doesn''t matter if I climbed out of a cesspool," Rain retorted. He leaned against the wall and sounded weak when he spoke. When the obstetrician who checked Leena came out, Rain hurriedly asked for an update on her situation. Once he learned she was okay, he let out a deep sigh of relief.


    "Let''s go!" Tom pulled Rain. "I''m going to check on you and any injuries you may have. I heard from Leena that you also got hurt," Tom said. It was still a puzzle to Tom how the two of them got hurt. They just went to eat out. What happened that made them both injured? "I''m okay. It''s just a small bruise. I don''t need you to check up on me. I want to go see Leena first," Rain insisted. He was still thinking about what happened. And deep inside he could still feel the panic. Trying to shake off the fear he felt earlier, Rain wanted to see for himself that Leena was all right.


    Tom blocked his efforts. "Leena said that you should have your body checked up first. Then you can go and see her. So, stop arguing and just do it!" Rain was obviously reluctant to undergo examination. Tom wondered how nervous the guy was about his injuries. If Rain wasn''t enthusiastic to be examined by Tom, neither was Tom looking forward to examining him. But Leena had made the request so he was going to do it, even if he wasn''t going to get paid for doing it.


    "That wrench!" Rain gritted his teeth in annoyance. Since it was Leena who asked that he should be seen to by a doctor, Rain had no choice but toply. It would be easier to follow Tom and let him examine his injuries.


    "Fortunately, you protected Leena well enough and broke her fall. Otherwise, the baby would truly be in danger," Tom reported. He still was curious why Leena fell down from the stairs but he said nothing. What was important was that Rain was there to protect Leena in such a dangerous situation.


    "Stop talking about it, okay? I still feel panic just thinking about it," Rain said morosely. He rubbed his chest anxiously. If something serious had happened to the baby, Rain didn''t know how he could face Kevin after.00000

 Chapter 1612 Running Into Louisa (Part One)

    low-down about pregnancy. After all, Rain would eventually get married and have a child of his own.


    "You better keep a few points in mind when you are with a pregnant woman. Don''t stand too close to the stairs. Don''t go into crowds. Keep track of your surroundings at all times so that you keep potential dangers at bay. Got it?" Tom felt it would be good to give Rain the "By all means! But I won''t dare to take her out before the babyes out. That''s just too risky." Rain got the fright of his life today. He never wanted to experience something like that ever again. ''No way, he thought sardonically as his eyes rolled upward in pain. "Well, in that case, don''t expect your future wife to go out when she gets pregnant." ''Rain is just overreacting, ''Tom thought. A pregnant woman didn''t have to be confined to her house. As a matter of fact, going on walks outside was beneficial for her health.


    "Oh, for sure! Ouch! That hurts! Are you actually trying to heal me? Or are you just making it worse? Stop rubbing so much of that alcohol on me!" Rainined, screaming out in pain. It hurt like a bitch when Tom applied the rubbing alcohol on his wound. He only got scraped a bit. The wound was not even that serious. A little alcohol on a cotton swab was enough. To Rain, it felt like Tom had emptied the entire bottle of alcohol on his cut. Maybe Tom was exacting some sort of twisted revenge on him.


    "Of course I am healing you! You don''t want the wound to be infected, do you? Don''t scream like a little girl now. I am the doctor here. I get to decide how to treat your wound," Tom reassured him, but he would never tell Rain that he was being a bit rough on purpose. Leena was still worried about Rain, when she herself had been in a precarious situation. Tom was somewhat jealous.


    "Fine. I don''t want to fight with a quack anymore. Just finish it quickly. I need to check on Leena; see how she''s doing." Rain rolled his eyes at Tom impertinently. How he wished he could throw the contents of that bottle into Tom''s mouth! Rain would see how he would not scream then. "Oh, so now I am a quack? Go and find yourself a genius doctor to treat your wound then!" Tom halted in his actions and turned around, ignoring Rain''s protests. ''Ungrateful brat!'' he thought, as he moved to exit the ward.


    "Hey! Jerry, don''t! You can''t just leave! You have to finish what you''ve started, all right?" Rain stood up and followed Tom with determination. Tom had quite a temper on him. He was so easy to anger!


    "I don''t know about that. After all, I have no medical expertise," Tom replied in a seemingly sour manner. He was about to get some medicines, not to storm out of the room, pissed off. He still needed an ointment to put on Rain''s wound.


    "So, you are admitting you are a quack, then? Oh, finally!" Their voices faded away into the distance as they walked out together, farther from the ward. The room grew quiet once again.


    As soon as Kevin was informed of Leena being admitted to the hospital, panic arose in him. He rushed to the hospital, having clocked out early from work.


    "Kevin, why are you here?" Leena chewed on her lower lip. She felt a bit awkward facing him.


    "What happened, Nana? You should be more careful than this," Kevin said, walking toward her bed cautiously. Rain told him that everything was fine, but seeing Leena on the hospital bed, Kevin just felt restless.


    "I''m sorry that I got you worried about me. It won''t happen again, I promise." The doctor told her she needed to be more careful. Leena did not dare to get off the bed.


    "Oh, my darling! If you want to go out next time, make sure it''s with me. Otherwise, I''d be scared the entire time." Kevin admitted to himself that it was arbitrary and controlling of him to put such restrictions. However, it was the only solution he could think of right now. "Oh Kevin. Please, no." Leena''s face wrinkled up at Kevin''s words. She didn''t want to be a prisoner in her own house! Kevin didn''t get much free time. When would she ever go out, if he was only avablete at night, after work?


    "Would that be a problem?" Kevin raised an eyebrow at her questioningly.


    "Well, no." Leena''s voice was meek. Even if she did have a problem, she would not voice it out loud. Not today. Truth be told, the ident was not her fault. She had been careful. It happened because of that girl named Tiana, who had bumped into her all of a sudden. "Well then, it''s settled. Don''t try any tricks on me." Kevin knew Leena was outdoorsy, but he could not allow her to do whatever she wanted before the delivery of the baby. This was different. Both of them needed to exercise caution for some time.


    "So, what''s for dinner? I''m hungry." Leena sensed that Kevin was about tounch into a speech, so she immediately deviated from the subject to distract him. She was not his subordinate, who was supposed to listen to his lecture whenever she made a mistake. "You''re hungry? I''ll call to check if the dinner is ready. If not, I''ll go to Kate and get something for you." It was one of the benefits of being Edward''s friends. They could get what they wanted from a world-ss kitchen, whenever they liked. "Hah. Edward would be so mad at us." Leena burst intoughter. They went to Kate a lot recently because of her sudden cravings. She always wanted to eat a particr dish or a cake.


    "I doubt it. Even if you go there every day, he would be fine with it. He loves you far too much." Compared to before, Kevin was more subdued about Leena''s wealthy brothers now. He was no longer so concerned about his self-respect.


    "Okay then. I want peeled prawns. I am craving them suddenly." It was good that she had a rich brother. She could order whatever she wanted to eat for free.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "You glutton. Wait here. I''ll get you the food soon." Kevin bent his head and left a gentle kiss on her lips before leaving the ward.


    Leena sighed in relief as she watched Kevin leave, having managed to escape his tirade. Thank God she didn''t have to endure his endless chattering anymore!


    "Hey, Kevin. Didn''t you juste? You''re leaving so soon?" Not long after Kevin walked out of Leena''s room, he met Tom.


    "Leena wants something from Kate Hotel. I''m going to get her some food." A pregnant wife was of utmost priority. As Leena''s husband, he would do whatever was in his power to satisfy her.


    "Great. Bring me some too! It''s been a long time since I enjoyed Kate''s foodst time!" Tom drooled at the mention of Kate Hotel. He loved the food there. Unfortunately, he seldom got to go there after marriage. Because of Patricia, he didn''t get a lot of chances to eat outside.


    "Are you not going home today? Patricia is probably waiting for you for dinner!" Kevin looked at him, squinting his eyes. He heard that Tom had turned over a new leaf after getting married. He was the obedient husband to his wife.???????????????

 Chapter 1613 Running Into Louisa (Part Two)

    "I have a patient who has a severe condition. It''s not very optimistic. I have to be here all night and keep a close eye on him. He should be ready for surgery at any moment." Tom was exhausted. He had been working for hours and the patient''s condition was very serious. "Oh, all right. What would you like me to get you then?" Kevin rarely had food with Tom, so he was unaware of thetter''s preferences.


    "Anything would be fine. I''ll have what Leena has ordered." Tom was not a picky eater. He was fully aware as a doctor that a bnced diet and nutrition was important to keep the body strong and healthy.


    "Okay. I''ll bring the food to your officeter." Edward was going to foot some bills tonight, seeing the amount of food they were going to order.


    "Oh, no. You can just call me and I''ll join you. It''s a bit lonely to have dinner all alone!" The more people, the merrier it was for Tom.


    Kevin and the staff of the catering division knew each other well. They quickly packed up the food he ordered and saw him off. The girls stared at him with pining eyes, marveling at how handsome and brave he was. They dared not get close to him. They knew they couldn''t be someone special to him, as that position already belonged to his wife. Leena was a sessful and charming woman who had an excellent family background. Kevin only had eyes for her. They were a match made in heaven.


    As Kevin walked out of Kate Hotel, his eyes met an approaching Louisa. S City was not that huge. It was normal to run into acquaintances. Louisa was behind a man, who had his hand on her arm. Kevin wondered who the man beside her was. Wasn''t he too old to be her boyfriend?


    The man pulled Louisa into the hotel. Louisa made no response when her eyes slid to Kevin, as if he was a stranger. Her gaze was vacant and devoid of any emotion. It was unusual behavior on her part; she always greeted him when she saw him.


    Kevin could not help but frown. He had no interest in saying hello to her, but something felt fishy about this situation. The man was being strange. Louisa was a picky woman when it came to men. Kevin doubted she would want this old and ugly man as her boyfriend. "Wait!" Kevin turned on his heels and walked over to the pair, speaking loudly. His stern tone caused them to stop at once.


    "Yes?" Initially, the man had been nervous when he saw Kevin in his military uniform. He was obviously a high-ranking military official. Now, as Kevin approached them, his voice trembled.


    "What is your rtionship with her?" Kevin was puzzled as to why Louisa still did not make a sound upon seeing him approach. He looked at her with his eyebrows nted, but did not question her.


    "Sir, it must be obvious. We came to the hotel hand in hand. She is my girlfriend, of course." The man''s eyes shifted as he spoke. He was ill at ease. He had paid a lot for this woman. He could not just let her go.


    "If that''s the case... would you mind telling me her name?" Kevin stared at him pointedly. By now, he was sure that this man was not good or honest. What was wrong with Louisa? She was never so quiet when she saw Kevin.


    "I can''t just tell you her name. She''s a woman. It would not be appropriate for me to give away her details," the man grumbled anxiously, attempting to drag Louisa. He tried to sidestep Kevin. Should he be unable to get rid of this soldier, he would not hesitate to run. There was no way he was giving up his prize.


    "What happened? You don''t know her name, am I right? Do you need me to tell you?" But Kevin was already a step ahead. He had seen through the man''s intentions and in the blink of an eye, mped down on his arms to keep him from running away.


    "What... Excuse me! What are you doing?" The man had not expected Kevin to move so quickly. He raised his voice in defense, not caring about Louisa.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "I should be the one asking you that. What did you do to her?" Kevin had a strong grasp on the man. His other hand carried the packed food.


    "Sir, don''t joke with me. I told you, she is my girlfriend. I''m afraid it would not be appropriate to tell you what we did!" the man answered, even as he struggled to escape Kevin''s strong hold.


    "If she really is your girlfriend, let her say it to me personally!" Kevin nced at Louisa, who had run to hide behind his back. What happened to her? She seemed so dull.


    "I''m afraid she can''t, sir. She is deaf and mute. She doesn''t talk." The man tried to make his move and escape, but found himself unable to do so. Kevin''s tight hold was bruising him.


    "Is that so? A deaf-mute? Don''t try to y with me. Are you going to tell me the truth, or am I going to have to get it out of you?" If he was correct in his suspicions, Louisa was drugged. That must be the reason why she was unable to speak and was clearly slow in thinking.


    "I''m telling you the truth, sir! Why would I deceive you? She is genuinely my girlfriend. I paid for her services." The man''s voice had lowered a notch. He cursed himself inwardly. He should have taken her away at the beginning itself, rather thane here. Now all his efforts had gone in vain. Besides, he might be in serious trouble now.


    "You bought her! Are you telling me that you''re involved in human trafficking?" Kevin''s mouth tightened. He grasped the man firmly as he put the food aside on the ground. He made a call to Mr. Yi within seconds. This kind of crime came under his purview. "Sir, no! You misunderstood me. I wasn''t involved in any human trafficking. I just wanted a girlfriend, that''s all. It was that simple." Human trafficking was a serious usation. He might end up in prison for several years! He was not stupid to admit to this crime. "You don''t look like you can''t find a girlfriend for yourself. Don''t try to fool me anymore." Kevin''s grip tightened. The man''s wrist turned purple as he yelped in pain.


    "I didn''t fool you. Yes, you''re right. I can find myself a girlfriend if I want, but those women are far too ordinary and money-minded. But this woman? It''s not easy to find a girlfriend like her. She is beautiful and well-bred," the man spluttered, gasping. He would not have taken this risk if he did not want an excellent girlfriend for himself.


    Beautiful? Kevin nced at Louisa quickly. She was indeed beautiful. But well-bred? She had a poor temperament, which had nearly cost him her wife''s life. Most women Kevin knew were well-bred, but not Louisa. She definitely did not fall under that category. "Just tell me. What have you drugged her with?" Louisa might be sluggish, but she seemed to have an idea of the situation she was in. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have hid behind Kevin. She could sense she was in danger.00000

 Chapter 1614 Running Into Louisa (Part Three)

    "I didn''t do anything. She was like this when another man handed her over to me. The guy said she would recover within a few hours." He had nned to take advantage of her while she was unable to resist him, so he decided to take her to the hotel. Unfortunately, they


    came across this damned soldier. What misfortune he had! Not only had he lost his money, but he would also be facing serious charges now.


    As a soldier, Kevin often had to take on important tasks. He was aware of the drugs that circted in the underworld. They were prevalent in crimes against women. Because ofck of self-protection and vignce, women and girls often ended up as victims of human


    trafficking.


    Mr. Yi rushed over soon after Kevin''s call. He could not afford to slight a high-ranking official like Kevin.


    "Major General Gu, isn''t this the Commander''s daughter?" Mr. Yi said in astonishment upon recognizing Louisa. What had happened to her? How did she fall into the clutches of a bad guy?


    "Yes, it''s her. We''d better keep this a secret. Don''t leak this out to anyone. You know what to do." Kevin passed over the man to Mr. Yi. What happened next was not in Kevin''s hand. Mr. Yi should be capable enough to see Louisa to safety.


    "I''ll take care of it. Shall we inform Commander Ye?" Mr. Yi asked, a bit hesitant. Something awful happened to a Commander''s daughter under his jurisdiction. It was a serious matter.


    "You tell me." Kevin cast him a cold look. Who would pick up Louisa and get her home if he didn''t inform her father? Was Mr. Yi getting old? Maybe it was time for a capable young man to take over his position. Thew must be taken more seriously. They couldn''t risk the citizens'' lives.


    "Yes, yes. I got it." Mr. Yi felt Kevin''s icy gaze prickling over his skin.


    "Don''t tell him it was me who found her." Kevin wished to avoid an awkward encounter with the Commander. He didn''t want his superior to know that he left Louisa in Mr. Yi''s hands, instead of calling him in person.


    "Okay..." Mr. Yi was in a dilemma now. He could promise not to tell the Commander, but what about Louisa? She would definitely tell her father! Kevin had thrown him for a loop.


    "You take care of the rest. I got to go now. Bye." Kevin nced at his wristwatch. He was already half an hourte. Leena must have gotten anxious.


    "Okay. Goodbye." There was nothing Mr. Yi could do except bid him farewell.


    "Sir, don''t go away! I didn''t do anything! Please tell him it wasn''t me!" the man spoke out in his defense as soon as he saw Kevin was about to leave.


    "Shut up. You can tell us everythingter!" Mr. Yi berated him furiously. He would have to follow this lead and nail the crime once and for all! The human trafficking ring was bing a pest to this city.


    Kevin picked up the food package and was about to walk away. Unexpectedly, Louisa grasped his hand, unwilling to let him go. She stared at him with frightened eyes and shook her head, as if asking Kevin not to leave her alone.


    "Miss Ye, please let go of me. Go to Mr. Yi. He will send you home." Kevin tried to pry off her fingers but her grip was too strong. She did not cken her hold a bit.


    "Major General Gu, if possible, could you please take her home? I''ll ask her the questions once she recovers." Mr. Yi did not dare to pull Louisa off Kevin. She was the Commander''s daughter, after all.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Well! It seems I''ll have to do it." Her off-putting personality aside, Kevin was unable to ignore the frightened expression she wore. She knew him. Plus, he was a responsible soldier. He could not just leave her alone in such a situation.


    Louisa loosened her hands as she got in his car, but the moment she seated herself, she gripped Kevin by his sleeve again and did not let go. They walked into Leena''s room like this, with Louisa dragging him by his clothes.


    "What is..." When Leena saw Kevin enter the room with Louisa trailing behind him, an unspeakable sadness washed over her. She had wondered what took him so long. Apparently, it was Louisa.


    "Nana, don''t misunderstand me. Take a close look at her. She is being very strange." Kevin had assumed that Leena would misunderstand things once he walked in with Louisa, but he had no other option.


    "Yes, she is indeed being strange. Otherwise, she would not have been clinging to you like this. What an intimate couple you two look," Leena responded sarcastically. She was a sensible person usually, but one could not me her for seeing red when she saw her husband standing so close to another woman.


    "What the hell? Kevin, don''t tell me you fell in love with another woman in the blink of an eye." Tom had been impatiently waiting in his office for Kevin''s call. He finally decided toe over and see for himself if Kevin was back. However, Tom didn''t expect to see such a


    scene.


    "No, it''s not like that. Let me exin." Kevin reached out to pull Louisa off him. However, Louisa only clung harder. She just would not let go of him.


    "I believe what I see. You have two choices: either you kick this woman out, or both of you get the hell out of here!" Tom grew furious. Leena had an ident earlier and was now in the hospital so that she and the baby were steady. How could Kevin bring another woman here, right to Leena''s face?


    "I choose neither. Nana, other people won''t believe me, but what about you? Don''t you trust me?" Kevin looked at Leena in disappointment. He thought she knew him well, but it seemed he had been over-confident. She chose to believe someone else when facing with such a minor misunderstanding. How fragile their love was! Like a house of cards, it coulde tumbling down with one strike.


    "Kevin, it''s you who''s in the wrong, not Leena. Don''t ask her to believe in you when you''re lying," Tom said in Leena''s defense, even before she could open her mouth in response.000000

 Chapter 1615 The Father Of The Victim (Part One)

    other, and their trust should be unconditional. Leena would believe Kevin''s words, no matter what anyone said.


    "Kevin, I believe you. I was just kidding. Well, you threatened to limit my personal freedom first. So, we''re even now." She knew Kevin better than anyone else and he could stand being misunderstood by everyone, except Leena. The reason was simple. They loved each Tom''s eyes widened at her words. "Leena, how can you still believe him? You saw everything. He is obviously lying!" Tom couldn''t understand why Leena still believed him. She had seen everything with her own eyes, for God''s sake! Leena was just too kind and too


    trusting sometimes. That was also the reason why she was always the one who got hurt in the end.


    "Tom, it''s all right. I really do believe him. The truth is that it''s Louisa who isn''t letting go of him, and not the other way around. I know that Kevin would never do this to me. Besides, if he really wanted to cheat on me, he wouldn''t have chosen such a silly and evident way to do it." "Leena, you believe me! Thank God. You almost gave me a heart attack. How mean are you?"Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    Kevin finally heaved a long sigh now that he knew Leena hadn''t misunderstood the situation. As a couple, they had been through too much to easily break the trust between them. They had been through situations that had endangered their lives, after all. Nobody could ever break them apart anymore. The bond they had forged was special and precious.


    "Wow, you two! Quit it already. Why am I suddenly the bad guy here?" Tom rolled his eyes at the couple. Their love was sickening, and it was mean of Leena to trick him into believing her.


    "Forget about that. Tom, what is wrong with Louisa? She doesn''t look too good. Have a look at her, will you?" The Louisa she knew would never remain quiet for so long after seeing Leena. If she was her usual self, she would have already said some snarky words to her. But now, she just stood there in a daze and hadn''t said a word. Besides, she seemed pretty frightened, as if she was afraid that they were going to hurt her. She refused to let go of Kevin''s coat.


    "Oh yeah!" Kevin pped his forehead, feeling silly, "I forgot that you are a doctor! Please, take a look at her. I was informed that she was drugged and was sold by some men. She''s extremely lucky that I happened to run into the guy who bought her at Kate Hotel." Kevin nced at Louisa, whose eyes looked nk and devoid of life.


    Leena gasped in shock and looked closely at Louisa. She asked urgently, "She was taken and drugged? What about the kidnappers? Did you find them?" Leena looked at her rival and thought, ''She was drugged and sold to a random man? What the hell? I wouldn''t say Louisa is a very smart girl, but she''s not stupid enough to believe some strange men and get herself sold. This is ridiculous.''


    "Yes, The guy who bought Louisa coughed up all the information. I have already handed the case over to Mr. Yi. As for how and when she was drugged and sold, we''ll know only after Louisa''s mind is clear. Only she can tell us what has really happened." There was an increase in criminal activities involving human traffickingtely. The police worked around the clock to find missing persons, especially women and teenage girls. These gangs of kidnappers were the reason why there were so many broken families. Sometimes, the victims were lucky to be found before being sold and shipped elsewhere, and that was a very small number considering the number of people who went missing. And even for the victims who were found, life would never be the same again. They were hurt and broken, and it wasn''t easy to go back to their normal lives.


    Tom ced the stethoscope on her chest and listened to her heartbeat. He checked her eyes and noticed her reactions to his touch. "Her eyes seem sluggish and she doesn''t seem to be in any state to talk to anyone. Her heartbeat is erratic, but there doesn''t seem to be any major heart problems. It looks like she really was drugged. I''ll ask a nurse to draw some blood and then we''ll know for sure," Tom said, cing the stethoscope around his neck. He looked at Kevin, who seemed worried. He had misunderstood Kevin earlier. Well, who could me him for misunderstanding him? He did bring back a woman with him, all of a sudden.


    "You can''t tell what''s wrong with her right now?" Kevin asked, furrowing his eyebrows. He didn''t really like waiting for too long.


    "Do you take me for a God? I can''t tell what exactly is wrong with her without seeing the report of her blood sample," Tom said. "But as far as I can tell, she seems to have been drugged with two kinds of drugs. That is probably why her heartbeat is so erratic and her reactions are sluggish." As he exined the situation to Kevin, Tom took out his phone and texted the duty nurse, asking her to draw some blood from Louisa, who still looked terrified.


    "You are right. Sorry, I didn''t mean to rush you. Besides, it really looks like she has lost the ability to talk. Is it because of the drug?" Kevin asked. He wanted to get as much information as possible so that he could pass it on to the authorities who were on the case. But for now, they were not going to get any useful information from Louisa.


    "I would say so. But I can only be sure after we know what drugs were used. It could also be due to the shock following the events that have happened to her. Either way, we are not dealing with local criminals. They clearly know how to deal with this sort of stuff. If I have to guess, I would say this was done by a very organized human trafficking group," Tom said, ncing at Louisa. She was quite a beauty. No wonder the traffickers had chosen her as their victim. And besides, from what he had heard from Leena and Kevin, she didn''t seem like a sharp one. She was probably easily fooled into being drugged.00000000000

 Chapter 1616 The Father Of The Victim (Part Two)

    even people who hurt her.


    "Will she be all right, Tom?" Leena asked, a bit worried. This was just so Leena. She was such a kind girl. Though Louisa kept hurting her and wanted to take her husband away from her, Leena still couldn''t help but worry about her. She never wished ill-fortune on anyone, "Let''s hope so. We''ll have to wait for the result of the blood sample. There''s nothing much we can do right now. I will order a transfusion as soon as we get the results," Tom said. He looked at Leena''s saddened expression and added in a cheerful tone, "Man, I am starved. Let''s eat first." Only at that moment did he remember what he was actually there for. He quickly opened the containers Kevin had brought earlier and started eating without waiting for them.


    "Seriously? At least help me out first! She is grabbing me so tight!" Kevin red at Tom annoyingly, as he tried to pull away from Louisa''s grip.


    Tom sighed. "Just take off your coat," he said, shaking his head at Kevin.


    "Oh... Right. Why didn''t I think of that?" Kevin quickly shrugged off his coat. He didn''t want anything to do with Louisa and he didn''t want to be close to her if he could help it. When he finally got out of her grab, he let out a big sigh. "Because you are stupid. Come on, Leena. Let''s eat. Don''t mind Kevin," Tom joked. He had thought at first that Kevin was very smart. But after seeing him act silly so many times, he was not so sure anymore.


    Kevin was toozy to argue with Tom. He was tired from all this drama. When he got out of Louisa''s tight grip, he immediately walked away from her. He didn''t want her to clutch onto his shirt next. Then he had to end up stripping, one piece of cloth after another. Louisa tightly grabbed onto Kevin''s coat after he had taken it off. Her gaze was still unfocused and she still looked out of it. But her eyes followed Kevin wherever he went, even though she was notpletely lucid. Maybe it was because she still remembered Kevin for whatever reason. Or because it was Kevin who had saved her from the man who had bought her. Whatever the reason was, she trusted him even at a subconscious level.


    In a few minutes, the nurse came to draw Louisa''s blood. But when she saw the needle in the nurse''s hand, Louisa struggled violently. The nurse couldn''t get close to her at all. She couldn''t hold the woman down and draw the blood simultaneously. She turned around and looked at the people in the room. Kevin didn''t want to volunteer, no matter what Tom said. He didn''t want to risk getting grabbed by her again. And Leena couldn''t help either, because she was pregnant and it was dangerous for both her and the baby to enter into the struggle. In the end, Tom ended up holding her down while the nurse patiently drew her blood.


    The nurse left with the vial of blood and Louisa was quiet once again. "I think I should give themander a call and let him know," Kevin said, taking out his phone. He dialed themander''s number and waited for him to pick up. Kevin was wary of giving him the news. But he had the right to know about his daughter''s whereabouts.


    Leena tilted her head and looked at Louisa with curious eyes. Louisa was not at all her usual self. She was not vicious and arrogant and looked so beautiful when she was quiet. She could have been such an amazing person if it wasn''t for her aggressive and arrogant behavior.


    Although Leena didn''t like her, she still thought that Louisa was just an unfortunate girl -- a girl who was in love with someone who didn''t love her back. Her feelings would never be reciprocated. She kind of felt sorry for her at that moment.


    Love couldn''t be forced upon someone, and it was not something that could be stolen from another person. It was really something that was very hard to achieve. True love was magical, but Louisa''s love was misced. And she didn''t want to acknowledge this. Instead, she did everything possible to ruin the happiness of the people around her to get what she wanted. But it was fate''s y that she had ended up here in this hospital.


    Themander arrived soon after, along with his wife. He was shocked by Kevin''s call. They had thought that Louisa was at her friend''s cest night when she hadn''te back home. Louisa mostly stayed back at her friend''s ce these days. She wouldn''t even call her parents to inform them where she was. And if they called her to ask where she was, she would get upset about not being given enough freedom. ?o they had stopped trying to control Louisa and instead let her do whatever she wanted. They had thought that she was capable of taking care of herself. But they hadn''t expected that something like this would happen to their daughter.


    "Major General Gu, Louisa was lucky that you ran into her at the right time. If you hadn''t, I can''t imagine what might have happened to my daughter," themander sighed. Once again, he had failed to be a father. Though he was amander who disciplined battalions of soldiers, he still couldn''t raise his daughter right. She had already caused so much trouble for both herself and Kevin''s family, and now she even got herself kidnapped! He was incredibly grateful that Kevin happened to be at the hotel to save his daughter, while he couldn''t.


    "We were indeed lucky this time. I have already handed over the suspect to Mr. Yi. I believe we will know more about the case soon," said Kevin. The one that themander should have really thanked was, in fact, Leena. He had only gone to the Kate Hotel because Leena wanted to eat the food there.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "I will personally look into the case. We will definitely take down this trafficking group once and for all, before more people get hurt," themander pledged. There was anger and grief in his voice. He really hadn''t expected that something like this would happen to his daughter one day. He vowed to take down the whole group, not only for his daughter, but also for the people he had pledged to always protect.


    "Of course. I will ask my soldiers to look into it too," Kevin said. It was clear that themander was furious that his daughter was drugged and kidnapped. If he couldn''t even protect his own daughter as amander, how could he protect the people?


    Meanwhile, themander''s wife held her daughter tightly in her arms, even as Louisa struggled to get out of her embrace. She patted Louisa''s head and murmured soft words to her, trying tofort her daughter. She was heartbroken after seeing her daughter in such a condition.000?????

 Chapter 1617 The Father Of The Victim (Part Three)

    Leena looked at them. Louisa was such a lucky girl. She had parents who loved her deeply no matter what she did. But Louisa took it for granted. Leena looked at Louisa and her mother with envious eyes. She had never gotten an embrace like this from her own mother. The nurse came in with Louisa''s report soon after and handed it over to Tom. He frowned as he read her blood sample report. The drug that the criminals had put in Louisa''s food or drinks had already been banned and should have been destroyed a long time ago. He wondered how they had managed to get their hands on it. "What? Is it bad?" Seeing the look on Tom''s face, Kevin asked in a worried tone.


    "Yeah, kind of. I have to perform a full-body check up on her ande up with an appropriate treatment immediately," Tom said, going through the report once again. This drug was very dangerous and if Louisa was left without treatment any longer, there would be some seriousplications.


    "Then what are you waiting for, Tom? Hurry up!" said Leena, who was more anxious than anyone else. Though she didn''t like Louisa, she still wanted her to get better, especially after seeing her mother''s tear-filled eyes.


    "I know, I know. Stop rushing me! You take care of yourself." Tom red at his little sister in fake annoyance. Only Leena could be this kind to someone who bore nothing but ill will for her.


    Themander''s wife raised her head and looked at Leena. ''Is this the woman who Kevin is in love with? My daughter lost Kevin to her?'' she thought to herself, ''She is beautiful and sweet, but looks fragile. Is she really a suitable woman for a strong and powerful man like Major General Gu?''


    Feeling the woman''s gaze on her, Leena looked straight into her eyes. She sent a sweet smile her way. No matter what Louisa had done to her, her mother had nothing to do with all that. She was just a mother who was in pain right now. Themander''s wife could not help but return the small smile. Leena''s smile was really infectious.


    Tom and his attendants at the hospital took Louisa out of the room in a wheelchair to get a full check-up done. Themander and his wife followed them. After they left, the hospital room was quiet again.


    "Kevin, do you... Do you think that Louisa has been raped?" Leena asked in a low voice, turning towards Kevin. As a woman, she was aware of how frightening it would be to be in that situation. She sincerely hoped that Louisa didn''t have to go through that.


    "I can''t say for sure, but from the way she was dressed, it doesn''t look like she has," Kevin said, rubbing his chin. Usually, human traffickers who kidnapped beautiful women would keep their victims intact so that they could sell them at a high price. So he didn''t think that Louisa had been raped. He had saved her just in time, before the man who had bought her could do anything to her.


    "Thank God," she sighed, "But Kevin, how can you say that from the way she was dressed?" Leena asked innocently. Kevin smiled at her curious face.


    "I have dealt with cases like this before, so I can tell. But you have no way of knowing since you are not a professional. So, don''t think about all that and get some rest now." Kevin pulled the covers up until her chin, carefully tucking her in. He was afraid that she might catch a cold. Ever since Leena got pregnant, he had be more and more cautious around her.


    "You are teasing me again. I don''t like it." Leena pouted and red at Kevin. She was annoyed that she had to stay in bed for the next two days straight. She would be bored to death. She didn''t want to stay at the hospital, but she had to, for both her and their baby''s health.


    "Who is teasing you again? I can totally kick his ass for you," Edward''s voice interrupted their conversation even before he entered the room.


    "Could you be any more crude? Kick his ass? What uncivilizednguage is this? What are you? A gangster?" Daisy rolled her eyes, as she followed him into the room. She looked at Leena who was lying in the hospital bed. They had heard from Rain that she was in the hospital, so they had hurried over.


    "Daisy, Edward! Why are you here?" The quiet room had once again be noisy. Leena shook her head. There was nothing wrong with her or the baby. They didn''t have to rush here. Leena wondered who was going to show up next. Maybe Mr. Cold and Belinda woulde too.


    "You know why we are here! We heard from Rain that you are, again, in the hospital. You had us worried sick. Daisy and I were finally going to spend some time alone, just the two of us. But you had to choose this time to end up in the hospital. Congrattions, you''ve sessfully destroyed our time alone," Edward teased Leena. He stood proudly in the middle of the hospital room as if he owned the ce.N?velDrama.Org (C) content.


    "Don''t mind him. He''s always saying stuff like that to annoy people. You will get used to it," Daisy told Kevin, without even looking at Edward. She sat by Leena''s bed. She looked cold, yet she was very gentle. She and Edward were pr opposites.


    "Senior Colonel Ouyang, is this any way to treat your man? Why do you have to insult me in front of them? Don''t forget that I am your husband," Edward said in fake annoyance. Daisy was always spouting bad things about her own husband in front of their friends. "You are lucky that you are my husband. Or I wouldn''t have even bothered to say anything about you." Daisy didn''t even blink as she said that. She was long used to Edward being dramatic.


    "Kevin, don''t you think we are being ignored again?" Leena said, amused at their bickering. "I don''t think they are here to visit me. They are here to put on a show for us." This always happened when Edward and Daisy were together. They bantered nonstop and teased each other relentlessly, but Leena knew that they also loved each other deeply.


    "Yeah, you''re right," Kevin said smirking, "Well, we can just enjoy the show as long as it''s free, right?" Leenaughed with him.


    "And who told you it''s free? If you want to watch more of this show, then you gotta pay," Edward scoffed, turning to Kevin. Well, he couldn''t say anything to his wife, but at least he could do something about these two.


    "Money? Is that all you think about? Doesn''t it get boring? You really are a sly businessman." She raised one of her eyebrows at her husband with an obstinate look. "Why don''t you keep your mouth shut if you don''t have anything good to say?" It looked like she was really in the mood to keep bantering with Edward.00000000000

 Chapter 1618 The Father Of The Victim (Part Four)

    "Of course, I do have good things to say to you. Would you like to know? Huh?" Edward winked at Daisy. His words and tone were so suggestive that Daisy''s face turned red immediately. "Ahem!" Daisy cleared her throat without replying to him. She was at a loss for words, shocked at Edward''s shamelessness.


    "Could you two stay here and look after Leena? I have to go and see themander. He is here too," Kevin interrupted, breaking the awkward silence. Themander was his superior and it was only proper for him to go and visit him to inquire about his daughter. Besides, he could tell that Daisy was feeling embarrassed at the moment, and he didn''t want to make her feel ufortable by being there.


    Daisy looked at Kevin in surprise. She asked, "What happened to themander? Why is he at the hospital?" She wasn''t informed that themander was ill.


    "He is all right. It''s Louisa who is in a bit of a trouble. It''s kind ofplicated. I''ll exinter." Kevin didn''t want to give them any details about the incident without getting further information. They would have to wait till Louisa was fully conscious and could tell them what had happened to her on her own.


    "I''ming with you," Daisy said, with a finality in her tone. Themander was Daisy''s superior too. Now that she was here at the hospital, she had to pay him a visit too.


    "Okay. Let''s go. Nana, we will be back soon." Kevin fixed the bed cover for her again, giving Leena a small smile. One could tell from the small gestures how deeply Kevin cared about Leena and their baby.


    "Okay," Leena said, worried about Louisa''s condition too. So she didn''t mind Kevin visiting her. She wanted to know what the hell had happened to her and if she would be okay soon. "Don''t worry about me. Edward is here."


    Kevin nced at Edward. If Leena hadn''t reminded him about Edward, he would havepletely forgotten that Edward was there in the room. He ignored his presence as usual.


    Kevin shrugged and turned to leave. "Huh! I bet he''spletely ignoring me. Again," Edward mumbled unhappily, watching his wife and Kevin walk out of the room and disappear from his view.


    Leenaughed. "That''s not true. You are just reading too much into it," she said. She knew that Kevin must have ignored Edward on purpose, but she didn''t want to admit it. She didn''t want Edward to feel embarrassed or unhappy about it.


    "I heard that the one who pushed you down is someone from the Ke family?" Rain was so furious when he told him the news. And he had sworn that he wouldn''t let this go easily. Edward could understand his anger, because he was furious about it too.


    "Um, she didn''t exactly push me. She just shoved me a little. She probably didn''t think that I would fall down." From the terrified look on Tiana''s face, Leena could tell that she hadn''t meant to push her. Tiana was also scared that something horrible might have happened to Leena.


    "It makes no difference. She is the reason why you fell down. It is only natural that Rain is furious. I have no idea what he is going to do to her." Edward wasn''t going to stop Rain. If he were Rain, he would have been even more aggressive and she would have been done for by now. When he had received the news that Leena was in the hospital, his blood had frozen in fear. Leena was the apple of their eye and none of them could bear it if something happened to her or her baby.


    Tom had just finished her check-up when Kevin walked into Louisa''s hospital room. Luckily, the drug hadn''t affected any of her organs. He prescribed some medicines to help her get over the reaction of the drug.


    "Hello,mander," Daisy greeted him in a polite tone. Though she didn''t like Louisa much, she still had the highest respect for her father.


    "Oh hello, Daisy. Howe you are here?" Themander had a tired look on his face. It looked like he was worried sick about his daughter.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Oh, I havee here to visit Leena. And I heard from Kevin that you were here." Daisy nodded at themander''s wife. She always acted cold and distant in front of people she didn''t know very well.


    "Well, thank you foring over. Louisa has been staying outte with her friends recently, and we have gotten used to it. We didn''t think something like this would happen to her," themander said, as he lowered his head in shame. He had failed as a father, and he felt even more shameful admitting it in front of his subordinates. Though he was such a sessful soldier, he was still a miserable father.


    "Didn''t Miss Ye go homest night?" On their way to Louisa''s room, Kevin had filled her in on what had happened. She was curious about the time when Louisa had got drugged and kidnapped, because she didn''t think that the criminals would dare to kidnap amander''s daughter in broad daylight. Louisa must have been drugged and takenst night.


    "No. We thought that she was staying at her friend''s. She often does that now. That''s why we paid no mind to it." Ever since she had realized that she could never have Kevin, she had sort of started giving herself away too freely. She would go out drinking with her friends almost every night. And she never told her parents where she was.


    "Okay. Anyway, this is not the right time to talk about that. It can wait till she wakes up. The most important thing right now is her well-being." Even if they managed to grab these criminals, there were many others just like them all over the world and they could never fully get rid of them. So, the only option was for the women to be careful and mindful of their surroundings. They would have to watch out for themselves and be aware of the people around them, in case things like this happened.


    "Doctor Qin is treating her right now. I believe she will recover soon. Then we will know exactly what the hell has happened." As amander and the father of the victim, he was angry and also shameful that his daughter got drugged and kidnapped under his very nose. It was like a p to his face. He had to take down the criminal group, no matter what, to get revenge for what they had done to his daughter and also to save his face.


    "I am going to give Mr. Yi a call and see how the case is proceeding," Kevin said, and left the room to call Mr. Yi. He stood in the long hospital corridor, with the phone to his ear. Under the pale light, his military uniform seemed even greener, making him look more handsome. He was really a charming man, even when his face was so serious.000000

 Chapter 1619 Sanford Ke (Part One)

    The ward''s doors swung open revealing Duke and Belinda''s tired faces. They arrived in a hurry and evident on their faces was that they ran more than they walked. They were thest to know about Leena''s ident. Behind them in the hallway was an agitated nurse berating the couple for walking in without registering. "Where the hell is Rain? Why the hell did he take you out when he was unable to protect you?" eximed Duke. Leena waved the nurse off, signaling that everything was fine. As long as the situation involved Leena, it was expected that Duke would be on top of it. He would get emotional and do whatever he could to protect his dear sister.


    "Stop it. Don''t me Rain. He also got hurt for me," Leena retorted, in a fruitless attempt to defend Rain. She believed that Rain would rather get hurt rather than just stand there and do nothing. Moreover, Leena just got frightened. She never got in any serious harm. "Why do you keep on defending him? He took you out so he had this obligation to protect you. That''s what a decent man should do, shield women and children from any harm, not put them in its way," said Duke, his eyes intense and expression furious. The air suddenly became heavy in the ward. The atmosphere only got worse when they arrived. Duke could be unreasonable sometimes. To his eyes, Leena was still his baby sister that he helped raise and carried around everywhere years ago who needed protection and care 24/7. "Don''t be ridiculous. You think Rain would have wanted this? I''m sure Rain must be beside himself for what Leena has been through." Although Belinda liked cracking jokes, she was reasonable and more level-headed. She didn''t lose control of herself like Duke whenever Leena was involved.


    "I guess you''re ming me," said Duke, turning to his wife, frowning. Like Edward, he ced a lot of importance on how his wife saw and treated him. He could get really upset if his wife had a bad opinion of him.


    "Of course not. Stop being silly." Belinda quickly replied. Duke obviously made a mistake. Even then, he refused to admit it. Who was he trying to impress?


    Leena sighed inwardly and felt awkward. An ufortable silence nketed the average-sized ward. A few moments ago, she witnessed a couple walking out of her ward. Now, another couple were arguing in front of her.


    "Oh hello there! I didn''t expect you guys to get here so fast," said Kevin as he opened the door. Duke was obviously irked, and Belinda just stared at him. Leena just looked at the foot of the bed. Kevin apparently went out to buy some strawberries for Leena. When he came back to the ward, he was surprised and anxious to find Duke and his wife standing beside the hospital bed.


    "You better have a good exnation for this. Why the hell didn''t you call us to tell that Leena got confined in the hospital? If it wasn''t for Edward, we wouldn''t even have the slightest idea of this," said Duke coldly, his eyes almost piercing Kevin. Duke just stared at Kevin grimly. Rain must''ve been scared to death for what he did, since he didn''t even dare to call Duke.


    "I told Rain not to bother you with this. Leena isn''t even in a serious condition. I just thought there was no need to get everybody worried. Besides, I can look after her myself," said Kevin apologetically. He went further into the room to the nearby table and gently ced the box of strawberries. Since it was alreadyte, he had originally nned to inform Leena''s brother the next day. However, Edward told Duke immediately, hence they rushed to the hospital.


    "Kevin, please don''t be offended. Leena''s his sister and he''s just really worried about her and the baby. Only family can tolerate his bad temper. Other people would have felt offended and even picked a fight with him," offered Belinda.


    "It''s okay, Belinda. I would have dropped everything and run to the hospital if the same thing happened to my sister," Kevin replied with a sad smile. Kevin knew that Duke was furious because seeing his dear sister on a hospital bed was hard and it got him extremely worried. He could hardly me the guy for losing control of his temper.


    Meanwhile, in the living room of a mansion, the Xia family was gathered. The fire crackled gently in the background but only served to intensify the heavy silence that covered the spacious room. Tiana hadn''t the slightest inkling that Rain was pissed that much. She only knew when she recieved a notification that all her bank ounts had been frozen. She''d rather be screamed at and insulted than be penniless.


    Apart from the initial shock, she was also awed by his capability to freeze her bank ounts in such a short period of time right before the banks closed. What a horrible man for him to do this to a woman.


    Tiana turned to her father and broke the silence. "Dad, please go and talk to my brother. Ask him to show me mercy and unfreeze my bank ounts," pleaded Tiana in a dramatic voice. She knew her father loved her too much to tolerate what his son did. So, she tried to convince her father with her sweet smile and tiny voice. This worked for her for years.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "I''m sorry, my dear. My hands are tied. You know your brother won''t listen to me," answered Sanford helplessly. His son had held a lot of grudges against him for such a long time that he wouldn''t even crack a smile at him.


    "Stupid girl. Don''t you dare call him brother again. We do not have such a son, and he definitely isn''t your brother. Remember that," her mother snapped in a fury. As far as she was concerned, Rain was just a bastard. No more, no less. Knowing this, he had the gall to treat himself as a high-born son of this family and even sessfully convince his father to ept and love him. It was absurd, let alone unbelievable.


    "You watch your mouth, woman. This is my family and I never want to hear anyone of you calling him bastard ever again. Otherwise, I promise you''ll regret your imprudence," shouted Sanford at his wife. Back then, he wouldn''t even have dared to raise his voice at his wife. But now things had changed. His family''s power wasrgely stronger than hers now. He wouldn''t allow her to insult his son whether he was a bastard or not.


    "Dad, please don''t be angry at mom. She was just telling the truth. Don''t you know what things have happened ever since Rain took over thepany?" asked Cyrus grimly, gritting his teeth. Cyrus hated Rain and barely held back on his words, as long as they smeared Rain''s reputation. Rain not only stopped him from getting his bonus, but also threatened to shut his illegal operations down.


    "Innovationes out of controversies. I know all of you have felt dissatisfied with him," Sanford turned to Cyrus and continued. "I know what you have done and what you''re thinking right now. I made the stupid mistake of turning a blind eye to your filthy business in the hopes of saving our family from the humiliation you will no doubt bring. But Rain wouldn''t be as lenient as I was. He has a sense of right and wrong. He dug deep and exposed your ugliness. Now you feel insulted and decide to take revenge." He knew he had to pay the price for his mistakes. Perhaps dealing with his family was his punishment.00000000000

 Chapter 1620 Sanford Ke (Part Two)

    "Do you really think he''s honest? He once told me he came back to this family to take his revenge," said Vance. Vance, over time, had been getting more and more irritated at Rain''s pride and ignorance. He was the real son of the family. Now Rain wanted to take that


    away from him. ''Well, he''ll take it over my dead body.'' Vance thought.


    "No matter what he said about his motivations foring back, he has brought new hopes for KD in a short span of time. Could any of you have pulled this off?" said Sanford angrily, scanning and meeting the eyes of his family coldly. He knew what these people in the room were thinking of. They all wanted to take thepany away from him. Be he would not let them seed no matter what the cost. "Dad, how about you persuading him to let me head the ounting department?" asked Hannah, who was standing beside the firece. As long as Rain controlled the capital, thepany was his, Hannah thought.


    "Wow sis, clever of you to propose such a thing, but not clever enough to be in charge of such an important department." Eugenia, who was slumped on one of the chairs, quipped and then burst into a chuckle. She also wanted this job, and so prevented Hannah from getting it.


    "So, what, you think you''re smart enough?" retorted Hannah, sneering at her sister-inw. She and Eugenia were sopetitive in everything.


    "I don''t think so, sis. You''re way better than me in all aspects. I would never argue that without justified reasons. But I just heard that KD just got a big project that involves the government. How about you letting me handle that, Dad?" said Eugenia in a sincere tone. She would be showering with money if this project was given to her.


    "Now I understand why they call you the most shewd woman in the family," Cyprus said, halfughing. "You really think big, huh? If you get to be in charge of this, you''ll be earning a lot." He looked at Eugenia with a critical eye. He was so desperate to expose her scheme before the whole family and embarrass her.


    "You''re wrong. I work only for the betterment of the family. I won''t line my pockets with public funds. You all know me. I''m the simplest and honestest person in the world. Why don''t you trust me? Have I ever disappointed you once?" eximed Eugenia in an attempt to defend her honor. The mask was torn clean off. All color drained from her face. She felt insulted to the highest degree.


    "Yeah, sure you serve the family well. As for the money that clearly doesn''t belong to you though.. We all know about that." said Hannah passively, her hand under her chin looking smug. Eugenia still felt aloof even after her scheme was exposed to the family, and everybody inside the room had known her ugly heart all along.


    "What are you doing? Stop bickering, all of you!" Vance shouted as he slowly sat up, his legs crossed in a perfect right angle. He was, actually, better at scheming than his siblings.


    "Calm down, guys. There''s really no point in arguing here. When I put Rain in charge of thepany, I decided to let him call all the shots. I gave up my power in deciding anything for him and thepany. Are we clear?" Sanford said with finality. Trusting himpletely and allowing him to do whatever he wanted with thepany without interference was the firstpromise Sanford made with Rain.


    "Wait, Dad. What are you talking about? Didn''t you tell us that he''s just the acting president of thepany for the meantime? But now, it seems that Rain is the sole owner of thepany?" Cyrus asked incredulously, visibly irked by his father''s lie.


    "Cyrus is right, Father. What is going on here? Are you saying that Rain has inherited thepany?" Vance interjected. After the shocking announcement, all bickering had ceased. They now all looked worried and anxious.


    "No, he hasn''t. But all of you should follow the rules and work even harder. Or else, I will consider the possibility of passing thepany down to Rain." Sanford proimed, dead serious. Sanford knew in his heart that Rain was the most qualified person among his children to run thepany. But he kept his mouth shut to avoid any more squabbles within his family. Rain''s ability to turn a profit for thepany and the family was what kept Sanford''s sons and daughter frompletely turning against him. But once they knew Sanford had decided to give Rain the reins to thepany forever, well, they definitely wouldn''t sit still and let that happen.


    "Don''t you dare do that. If you really give ourpany to your bastard, don''t even think ofing back here. Leave this house and have your bastard keep youpany and look after you," said Sheena as she shifted ufortably in her seat. She never thought that her husband would even consider such a thing. Feeling nothing but disappointment, she knew she had to fight against that bastard for her children. If she didn''t, she too didn''t deserve a ce in the house, Sheena thought to herself.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "I will not allow you to threaten me that way any longer. Twenty years ago, I might''ve thought twice before defying you and your family. But now, do I even have to consider your feelings?" answered Sanford sarcastically with a defiant look in his eyes. He had regretted doing so many things because of his wife''s threatening look and the power that supported her.


    "What do you mean, Sanford? Are you going to divorce me?" Sheena screamed at Sanford in a fiery fury. In all their years together, in all the decades, she believed that Sanford had forgotten that woman. She had never been more wrong. He loved that woman all along. All that time she just married a man who raised a bastard and mourned that bastard''s dead mother.


    "I won''t divorce you. That would only bring shame for the both of us," replied Sanford solemnly. If he really wanted to leave her, he wouldn''t have waited a long time to do it. Even though he never loved her, she gave birth to his children, raised them and guided them from the start. He appreciated her efforts all those years to hold the family together and owed too much to her to divorce her.


    "What is wrong with you people? I thought you were here to help me." Tiana pushed her seat back noisily, its legs scraping against the wooden floor. She then stood up. "But you never once stopped bickering ever since you arrived at the house. So, will you help me or not?" Tiana said in a desperate voice, her eyes pleading and face flushed. The memory of how tenderly Rain treated Leena kept ying over and over in her mind. How she wanted such a loving and kind brother. Her family disappointed her so much.


    "You made a big mistake. Do you realize that now? You were always scurrying to win his favor. What did that get you in the end? I tried warning you back then of the possible consequences of your actions, but you refused to listen to me. Now you''ve fallen, and you want us to pick up the pieces. Don''t you think it''s a bitte for us to do anything useful?" proimed Vance. Recalling how badly Tiana treated him with her attitude, he couldn''t help butugh out loud at his sister''s misfortune.0000000000??????

 Chapter 1621 Sanford Ke (Part Three)

    "Enough, Vance. Don''t make her feel worse than she already is. Tiana, go on, tell us what happened. Why did he freeze your assets? What did you do for that to happen?" asked Eugenia in a serious tone. Eugenia was woman of breeding and knew when to get serious,


    especially in critical situations. She wouldn''t lose control of herself and put her family in even more danger.


    "I just touched the girl Rain had dinner with. How should I know she was pregnant." said Tiana in a low voice, her feet fidgeting slightly. She agonized over whether she knocked Leena down and caused her to miscarry. Was that why Rain was utterly furious? "What? She was pregnant? Are you sure?" asked Eugenia, visibly rmed. She then descended in deep thought, as if she had thought of something important. If the girl was pregnant, there was a big possibility she was married. Why did Rain and a pregnant woman have dinner together?


    "Yes, I am absolutely sure about that. She was pregnant. I remember her to be really sweet, lovely and young, even though she was pregnant." Tiana added. All this could have been avoided if only she paid more attention to her belly rather than her disarming beauty. "Well, is she Rain''s girlfriend?" asked Hannah after being quiet for some time. She never knew Rain was in a rtionship.


    "Nah, she isn''t. I guess she is probably Rain''s sister." Tiana said as the memory yed again in her mind. She winced when she felt jealous of the intimate rtionship between the two and jealousy spawned wicked ideas.


    "Is she Duke Leng''s sister?" Eugenia guessed. She was trying to cover all the possibilities. She knew that Duke''s sister was well-connected and loved by many powerful people. Some rumours even said that the all-powerful FX International Group was also behind her. "Ah! I don''t really care about her name or family. Can any of you lend me your credit card?" Tiana asked, clearly exasperated. With her bank ounts frozen, she couldn''t help but feel defenseless and ufortable.


    "Well, if nothing else is to be done, I have more work to do. I''ll be upstairs," Hannah said as she promptly got up and made for the door. She left so quickly that Tiana didn''t have a chance to say anything. To her sister-inw, money was always the top priority.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "I have some documents to finish and check. I''ll leave you guys alone now," added Eugenia apologetically. Deep down, she thought lending money to Tiana would be thest thing she would do.


    Tiana again couldn''t say anything before she left. Feeling dejected, she turned to her brothers and pouted. "What about my dear brothers? Will you lend me money?" She hoped that her two brothers would take pity on her and concede.


    "Do I have to repeat myself? Again, we don''t have money with us. My wife controls and manages my finances," answered Tiana''s brother, a bit annoyed. Women were always much stronger and clever in their family.


    "How about you dad? Don''t tell me you also don''t have any money with you?" asked Tiana wearily. Tiana knew from the start that she couldn''t rely on her two brothers to do anything for her. So she decided her best hope of assistance would be her father.


    "I might have given you money if I hadn''t been warned by Rain. He would leave thepany if I gave you money. So don''t force me to make that hard decision, dear," answered Sanford. He winced at the fact that he couldn''t even help his own daughter. In the safety of his mind, he thought Rain had gone too far with leaving his sister penniless like this. But he wouldn''t take the chance to defy Rain for the sake of hispany''s future. Thepany would surely tank if Rain left. After all, most of the recent sessess andrge-scale orders were all because of Rain and his team''s hard-work and effort.


    "Let him leave if that''s what he wants. I don''t believe for a second that he has the balls to threaten you or thepany." Sheena quipped angrily. Rain was obviously a thorn on her side. She would do everything to stop Rain from seeding.


    "Dad won''t lift a finger. On the contrary, he''ll even ask him to take over thepany permanently," said Vance in a low voice. Slouching on his seat and looking at the mes crackle and spit, he couldn''t help but expect the worse from this whole Rain thing. So pissing his father off with his words was the least of his worries.


    "You don''t know that. Don''t forget that your father isn''t the only person who can decide the future of thepany. We have countless other shareholders we can bring to our side," offered Cyrus. He knew that the shareholders wouldn''t easily ept Rain as the new president. He decided to y a dangerous game, and the loser would be kicked out of thepany indefinitely.


    "If you really want the helm of the KD group, try harder. Talking nonsense would do you no good. Do something and actually impress me with your capabilities," reprimanded Sanford. If his sons were even half as excellent as Rain, he wouldn''t have seen the need to let a bastard run thepany.


    "You don''t get to say that. You haven''t given us enough chances to work with you. If I were made the new president, I''d outperform Rain in a heartbeat," murmured Vance. As the family''s second son, he couldn''t bear seeing Rain''s arrogant face. How could a bastard tell him what to do? That was uneptable! Vance thought to himself.


    "Say I did make you president, could you secure even half of the achievements Rain has made? Don''t overestimate your capabilities. I''m tired now, you may take your leave. If you have any advice to make thepany better, go talk to Rain. I gave my word that thepany is his and he has my full support," said Sanford wearily. He was visibly tired. It was like he aged more and more every minute he squabbled with his family. He studied his two sons intently. He wouldn''t have been annoyed if they knew their positions well and were able to run argepany.


    "How about me, Dad? Will you ignore my problems again?" Tiana shifted ufortably in her seat and felt anxious when her father started walking towards the study.


    "Your problems are not my concern any longer. You should work it out with Rain with a justified exnation and an apology." Sanford himself wouldn''t have stayed at home if he knew Tiana was there, prepared to harass him for money.


    Hearing the door close, she quickly turned to her mother. "Mom, everybody left. I have nobody else, except you," pleaded Tiana desperately. Mom was herst hope. All would be lost if her mother chose to just stand by and watch.


    "I want to help you my dear, but my hands are tied. Haven''t I told you that I invested too much into the stock market?" answered Sheena with a hint of sadness in her voice. The stock market was looking up and she was expectingrge returns when she invested. However, unexpected things happened all the time and her stocks plummeted. She almost lost all of her savings.


    "Wait, what? Does father know about that? You promised you would change!" Tiana said in disbelief. She just stared at her mother in shock. She never thought her mother would enter the stock market again after promising not to.


    "Shhhh. Keep your voice down," shushed Sheena. "Do you want the whole house to know that?" She red at her daughter, while slowly drifting into deep thoughts. She had always taken Rain lightly. But now he had drawn her attention, and she wouldn''t let him go that easily. She would utterly destroy him.00

 Chapter 1622 First-month Celebration For Lukes Baby (Part One)

    It was alreadyte in the night when Louisa eventually became soberpletely. She imed that she was invited by a friend to a bar for a birthday party. After the party was over and everyone had left, she felt that she didn''t have enough fun so she stayed a bit longer and drank alone to drown out her misery.


    A man came over, trying to have a little chat with her. She wasn''t really in the mood but when she gave him a second look, she found that that man wasn''t all too bad. The longer she stared, the better he looked. Maybe it was the alcohol. She was already miserable anyway, so she did not refuse him. Meeting strangers and hooking up happened a lot in bars.


    After a few drinks and a bit more conversation, they had befortable with each other. Louisa gradually rxed and let her guard down. The stranger then took the opportunity to put the drug in her drink secretly and had her finish it all.


    She did not feel genuinely scared until she felt too dizzy and was unable to speak. It no longer felt like the typical alcohol buzz.


    For what happened next, she had no idea at all. Her mind went nk all the way. When she finally woke up in the hospital, she felt as though she had just woken from a dream. A bad one. Everything was so unreal.


    Aplex of emotions surged from within her when she found out that Kevin saved her. While she was very thankful, it was frustrating to think that in front of the very person she wanted to impress the most, she was always at her worst. No wonder he was never thrilled by her. No one wanted to waste time with a loser.


    "I heard you are pregnant. Congrattions," Louisa said in a tone that was less than enthusiastic, as she stood beside Leena''s bed. But she realized that she could not keep running after a happily married man for the rest of her life. She knew that she had to move on and this time there was no turning back.


    "Yeah. Thank you. Are you okay?" Leena had never expected that she and Louisa would talk in such a peaceful atmosphere especially after what happened in the past. Leena had almost lost her life because of Louisa.


    "Tell me honestly. How do you feel when you look at me? Do you feel happy and avenged seeing me end up in such a tragedy?" Suddenly, Louisa felt shame beyond measure as she recalled what she had done to Leena.


    "If my answer is no, you may think that I''m pretentious. But you know what? I may not be the most generous person. But I never take advantage of someone else''s misfortune, nor do I find happiness in it." Leena raised her eyes and smiled. She thought that Louisa already left with her father, themander. It turned out that she was still in the hospital.


    "I think I know. I''m sorry that I was mean to you. If only I could turn back time, I would definitely grasp my chance to win Kevin''s heart and wouldn''t allow you any opportunity." If she had not been so confident about herself and had chosen to tell Kevin she liked him, instead of going abroad, would everything be different now?


    "That''s fate. It''s just mysterious and magical. You would eventually have what is prepared for you by God. For things that are never meant to be yours, they will never be yours, no matter how hard you try. Your efforts will only be in vain." Hopefully, Louisa woulde around and grow up. She had to stop being too willful after the terrible thing that happened to her.Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Thank you for your honesty! I appreciate it. Bye." Louisa did not wait for Leena''s reply and made a sudden leave. She appeared out of nowhere and then left all of a sudden. She had probably figured out everything. That helped exin her sudden kindness to Leena. Within a few days, the suspects were identified and arrested. Unfortunately, the police were not able to take down the entire criminal gang. They were cunning enough to disperse their people all over the country and nevermitted a crime together, thus it was difficult to pinpoint a crime directly to the gang. Despite this, Mr. Yi did not give up. He coordinated with the police teams in other areas and proposed a joint operation, aiming to detect all the potential criminal activities. They would make sure that those criminals would not be spared from justice.


    Today was Luke''s baby''s first-month celebration. Spring was about to end, ushering the start of the summer season, so the weather was quite warm andfortable, perfect for a celebration.


    "Hey, little Owen, you poor little boy. Look at you, lying here by yourself. Where is your arrogant cousin? Doesn''t he want to y with you?" Leena was affectionate to every new child except Justin. The smart-ass always got on her nerves every time he opened his mouth. "Hey, are you speaking ill behind my back again? When are you ever going to stop?" Justin pursed his lips and red at her with narrowed eyes.


    "Young gentleman, did I mention your name? You are not his only cousin," Leena raised her chin and refuted back. She did not want to be looked down upon by a kid.


    "Yes, you may be right about that. But I am the only one who can y with him." There was a struggle in Justin''s mind when he looked at Leena''s big belly. Should he try to be nice to her? Or should he keep bickering back and forth with her? "Really? How can you be so sure about that? I remember that Spencer can y with him, too." The corners of Leena''s mouth could not help curving upwards whenever she thought of her little cute nephew waddling around.


    "Really? He can''t even walk well now! Don''t treat me like a fool! Come on!" In Justin''s mind, the short-legged cute baby Spencer was just like his auntie and did not always get along well with Justin. But as soon as he saw Justin, he would run to him and ask for hug. "Don''t overreact. Did he piss on you again?!" Leena gloated. Spencer liked Justin. He would cling to Justin as long as they were together. Several times, he couldn''t hold it in and pissed on Justin. Did Spencer think his cousin was a toilet bowl? It was always hrious. "Auntie Leena, is your baby a boy or a girl?" Justin changed the topic, trying to get more information. That was his strategy when facing a potential enemy.


    "You can make a guess." Leena could not help wondering what was wrong with Justin. He quickly changed topics, one after another. He must have his own purpose and agenda. She decided to be calm when dealing with him.


    "I won''t ask you if I could guess it." Justin cast a disdainful look at Leena, as if she was talking about something really stupid.0000

 Chapter 1623 First-month Celebration For Lukes Baby (Part Two)

    "Well, I don''t know, either. At least not yet." Not knowing the baby''s gender might not be a bad thing. Leena did not ask the doctor about it either. It was a blessing from God, whether it was going to be a boy or a girl.


    "What''s up, you guys? It looks like you are getting along quite well today." Michelle was not as slim as before. After she gave birth, she had be more calm and mature, as could be told from the gentle expression on her face. She had be a mother. For those who knew nothing about her past, it would be hard to believe she used to lead a wild and carefree life. "Auntie Michelle, something must be wrong with your eyes. Me and her? Getting along well? That''s not gonna happen. Ever." Justin wanted a female cousin.


    "Oh? Really? So this is all a mistake then?" Michelle exchanged a look with Leena. She joined Leena in making fun of Justin, to Leena''s delight.


    "Of course, it is. Me and her get along? We are just like the water and the fire which would never get along. Never, ever, ever. Auntie Michelle, you''d better keep close watch over your baby. Keep him away from someone with horrible intentions." Justin cast a sidelong look at Leena. Obviously, the someone he was referring to was Leena.


    "You little brat. What did you just say? What the hell? Horrible intentions? Don''t talk bad things like that about me again. I''m offering you a chance to take it back." Leena was sweet to most people. But things would always go differently when she was with Justin. If there was any possibility between them to stay in peace, Mars would collide with Earth.


    "Listen, Auntie Michelle. You heard it. She is saying rude words. There''s no way that she could say kind words to me. Oh, do you know that she has been doing prenatal education? I seriously doubt it, if the education would work. I''m so worried about my future cousin!" Justin said in a concerned tone as if he was helpless against his Auntie Leena.


    "You''d better worry about yourself!" Leena retorted back in a seemingly angry tone and moved threateningly towards Justin.


    "Uh-oh! She''s pissed off. I''m not gonna talk with you anymore." Seeing Leena angry, Justin responded quickly and decided to run away. He would be a fool should he continue quarreling with her.


    "Haha! Leena, there''s no way you can win against that boy." Michelle burst intoughter. She was greatly amused by Justin''s antics.


    "Are you taking a kind of dark pleasure in it?" An evil smile cracked on Leena''s face as she nced at Michelle and pretended to roll her eyes.


    "Oh, Owen might be hungry now. I should go check on him." Michelle stoppedughing immediately. But deep in her heart, she was still giggling.


    "Come on! All of you make fun of me now that I''m so heavy with this extra human being in my belly," Leena pouted. She still looked cute even while carrying a baby.


    "Hey, Leena. I heard you from a mile away. What''s up? Who''s making fun of you? Tell me. I''ll go after him. No one messes with my Leena." Rain walked towards Leena leisurely.


    "Hi Rain. Thank God, here you are, finally. Hey, I thought you were gonna stay at KD Group forever." Leena did not see him since the ident. Although he cared enough to call from time to time to check on her, seeing him in person was a totally different thing.


    "Oh, no. That bitch! She has gathered investments from outside in the name of thepany, and then used the money to invest in stocks. All those investors came to me directly. It was the hardest thing that I have ever had to deal with!" Rain frowned deeply upon talking about the business in KD Group. He had spent lots of time taking measures to turn the crisis around. Fortunately, he had many connections in FX International Group. Otherwise, he might have ended up as a big failure.


    "How about now? Is everything okay? Are you able to fix it?" Leena did not know much aboutrge conglomerate businesses. She could do nothing to help him except ask him questions so that he could at least vent a little. "Almost. Where is Edward? I haven''t seen him." When Rain came in, Edward wasn''t in sight.


    "Oh! He is in the study. He is probably having a video conference with an overseas office." Edward was busy at work now. That was why she was so bored that she came here to y with Owen.


    "Okay. I''ll go to the study then. Oh, another thing. Michelle. Here you go. Here''s my present for your baby. Congrattions!" Rain took out a red packet and put it on the baby''s bed before Michelle said anything. Then he rushed upstairs as if running away from a pack of hunters.


    "Why was he in such a rush? I wasn''t gonna refuse his gift." Michelle could not helpughing. Luke had told her to ept all the gifts for their son and there was no need to decline. All of their friends were rich, anyway.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Haha That''s Rain. Probably there''s something very important for him to discuss with Edward. That''s why he left in such a hurry. Well good luck with that, if he could get Edward''s attention." Leena shook her head slightly. She felt that Rain was acting a bit weird as well. "Never mind. Where is Patricia? She hasn''te yet, has she?" Michelle waited for Patricia for a long time. But she just did not show up yet.


    "She''s probably getting her baby ready! You know, a mother would have tons of things to prepare before she goes out with her child." Leena was learning what a mother had to do in different situations, thanks to Belinda. Spencer was more than one year-old now. But every time Belinda went out carrying Spencer, she had tons of things to prepare first.


    "That makes sense. By the way, where is Belinda? I haven''t see her either." Michelle agreed with Leena''s possible exnation. She decided not to worry about Patricia.


    "She is in the garden with Daisy. They seemed to have something important to talk about." That was probably why Spencer liked to cling to Justin. Their mothers always left them together.


    "When will Kevine back?" Michelle yed and teased Owen while chattering with Leena. She did not have to go out to deal with the guests because her parents-inw were the ones doing the entertaining.


    "Not today. He called mest night and said that it would be another two days before he got back." Leena had already gotten used to this kind of life, being the wife of a military man. She had to be strong enough to endure the days of being apart from him. "Is he away to attend a meeting?" Daisy mentioned something about it to Michelle so she knew a bit.


    "Yes. Nothing to worry about." Leena reached out and touched her belly gently. She did not feel likeining. Instead, she tried to make the most of the moment and feel happy while waiting for Kevin toe back home. A reunion was always especially precious after being apart for a long time.

 Chapter 1624 First-month Celebration For Lukes Baby (Part Three)

    "Well. Sometimes, I admire you a lot. You are very open-minded." In the past, Michelle did not know much about Leena. In her opinion, everyone liked Leena because of Duke. However, as time went by, Michelle gradually realized that it was too shallow for her to think like that. Leena deserved all the love that she got from her family and friends. She had her own personality and charm, which could not be measured or bought with money.


    "Oh, don''t. Maybe I am, but so are most people. It is very difficult to live life these days if you''re not open minded." Most of the time, Leena did not struggle for something that didn''t belong to her. She was optimistic that, what was meant for her woulde to her when the right time came.


    Leena had be another unique woman in Michelle''s eyes. Just like Daisy, Michelle found Leena to be another inspiring woman. She had something that she did not have.


    This party was held to celebrate Owen''s first month of life. All the guests were mostly rtives and close friends. Everything went smoothly and everyone had a great time. Kevin was the only one missing as he was on a business trip. Patricia arrived not longter. Somehow, Patricia felt that there was something wrong between her and Leena. They had not been as excited about each other as before. Their friendship seemed to begin to have a gap. "Leena, how''s everything going? Are you and your baby okay?" Patricia greeted Leena in an ordinary tone. However, in her mind, how she regretted saying those words to hurt Leena the other day. But there was no way to undo it. "Yes. I''m good. No vomiting anymore. Hey, baby Eden, did you miss me?" Leena liked kids except for Justin. Probably because he was just too old for her to like. Plus the child always found a way to piss her off!


    "Oh he missed you. But it is just exhausting to take care of him. He is just a handful!" Patricia did not realize how tiring it would be to raise a kid until she became a mother herself.


    "That makes sense. Eden, you are so cute! You are going to grow up to be a handsome and charming man." Eden Qin had a small, round and fleshy face. He looked healthier and stronger than Spencer. His father was a doctor, after all. He was probably fed with a better and more bnced diet and his sleeping pattern must be perfect.


    "Come on! Of course, he''s going to be a super cool man. Like father, like son." Patricia couldn''t help feeling helpless when she thought of the time when she shamelessly chased Tom.


    "Good boy, you are going to be a handsome, charming and cool man." Should Leena not be pregnant, she would definitely hold this cute boy in her arms.


    "Oh, no. Auntie Leena, are you having bad thoughts with that baby too?" Justin always chose a key time to appear. He must have gotten his mean tongue from his father, Edward.


    "You have bad thoughts, not me! What? Could you leave us alone? We are very busy with these wonderful babies here that we love so much!" Everyone seemed to be showering love and affection on all the babies, except Justin.


    "I''m not a baby. I don''t need your love." Justin was taller than the time when he had juste back. It had been two years after all so he appeared more mature and more grown up.


    "I smell some jealousy in the air." Leena took a deep breath. She and Justin loved each other. Yet she just would not let go of any chance to make fun of him and neither would Justin. That was the actual way they got along.


    "There must be something wrong with your nose. You''re seeing things differently and that is causing you to imagine things." Justin would be seven years old soon and he had be smarter than before. He could easily understand a difficult concept with hidden meanings and came up with an excellent response every time. This was in addition to his already very high IQ. He looked like a grown-up when he stood and talked seriously. He was, without a doubt, an Edward junior.


    "Really? I''m imagining things? Hey, kid, you know what? I feel that your mommy and daddy love Spencer now." Leena raised her eyebrows to signal Justin to look to another direction where Daisy was holding Spencer and Edward was jiggling him. "Hmmp! You think that''s going to work? Don''t try to sow division between me and them. Daddy and Mommy love me the most." Justin pursed his lips and told himself not to be jealous. Or he would be walking into thisdy''s trap.


    "Oh! Do they? I don''t think so!" Leena said carefully while observing him. The truth was that she overdid it and caused him trauma. Justin now had a haunting and crushing doubt about his parents'' love for him, "I''m not gonna talk to you anymore. I''ll tell Uncle Kevin that you are bullying me again," Justin said in an angry tone and walked to Edward. He knew that his mommy and daddy would love him the most. But somehow, he wanted to go over to them to make sure.


    "Naughty and evil aunt." Tom came and saw what just happened.


    "I didn''t do anything, Tom. He made fun of me first," Leena exined in an innocent tone.


    "You two naughty kids! You never get along in peace! Well, tell me... How''s your diet going recently? Do you eat as well as I told you?" Leena and Justin always quarreled. Everyone had already gotten used to it.


    "Yes. I''m fully aware of my nutrition. I am never picky about food. I even force myself to take that crap tasting concoction of yours." She would do whatever it took to make sure that she gave birth to a perfectly healthy baby.


    "Good. Come to my office when you do your pre-natal check up a few dayster. I need to give you a bit more advice." Leena was in her second trimester now. There were notices and advice that he needed to tell Leena. He just could not be more careful. "Yes! I got it." Something just felt wrong. No matter how open-minded Leena was, and no matter how hard she tried, she felt that she was unable to be so intimate with Tom like before. There was now this invisible wall between them that could not be torn down. She was not the only one having such a thought. At that same moment, Tom was equally frustrated about it. He felt that Leena had be more distant in front of him. But there was nothing he could do but let it be. It probably would not matter a lot, as long as she was fine. The summer came after the spring. The weather was getting hotter. Leena became more unwieldy as the baby grew bigger in her belly. Kevin''s worry increased as well.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Nana, don''t sit for too long when you are working on your drawing. You need to walk a bit to avoid cramps." In the past, Kevin seldom called home. But recently, he made a call to Leena from time to time. He was just too restless while he was away.

 Chapter 1625 An Old Married Couple (Part One)

    "Come on, Kevin. I can take care of myself. Aren''t you busy now?" Leena asked. She had been sitting there drawing before Kevin called. She stood up and stretched her legs.


    "Yeah, I am. But I''m worried about you." While speaking with Leena on the phone, Kevin let his eyes settle upon thetest weapon designs on the table in front of him.


    "Don''t worry. That''s what servants are here for. We have three of them." Leena believed that Kevin was overreacting. There were three servants in their house, and she believed there was nothing for Kevin to worry about.


    "I''d still be worried if we had 30. Have you had any milk?" After learning that drinking milk during pregnancy was good for both mom and child, he made sure Leena had a ss of milk every day. She was beginning to get sick of it. "Come on! I already had a ss. Stop nagging." Leena shook her head in resignation. She lowered her head but wasn''t able to see her toes, as her belly was swollen like a basketball.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Okay, okay. I gotta hang up now. I''m very busy and won''t be home tilte. Don''t wait for me to have dinner." Kevin couldn''t help but frown when he thought about his assignment-check on the Falcon''s training schedule. The training program seemed to get nowhere. "Got it! Take care of yourself. Bye!" After hanging up, Leena stared back at her designs on the desk. It seemed that theunch event of autumn clothing needed to be postponed. She couldn''t finish the designs on time. As for the winter clothing, she really had no time and decided to cancel it.


    At FX International Group


    "Hey, why are you here?" Edward asked with a frown, looking at Leo.


    "Here''s the thing. My birthday''s in a couple of days. I was wondering if you and Daisy could have dinner with us on that day?" Leo answered politely. He couldn''t help but show respect for Edward.


    "That''s not up to me. I''ll have to ask Daisy first," Edward said with a shrug. Although Daisy didn''t object to Edward and Justin contacting Leo, her attitude towards him hadn''t changed. There was no love lost there.


    "I know. Please tell her Brian will be back then. She''d like to see him, I think." Leo knew Daisy cared for her brother, Brian, and she woulde as long as Brian would be there as well.


    "I will, but no promises." Edward, however, didn''t think Daisy would say yes.


    "That''ll be great. Thank you, Edward." Leo had done something really terrible to Daisy and her mother. That was why he was unable to face Daisy now. He even humbled himself in front of his son-inw. "Since you''re here, why don''t you have lunch with me?" Edward suggested. Even though Daisy didn''t regard Leo as her father, Edward decided to treat him better. After all, blood is thicker than water. "No need for that. I''m headed to the hospital now. Thank you though," Leo said with a smile. He hadn''t felt well at all in recent days, so he decided to visit the doctor to figure out what might be wrong. "What''s wrong? Are you sick?" Edward asked with a frown.


    "It''s a chest problem, I think. I wheeze and cough all the time. No big deal." Leo didn''t take it seriously. He was too old to run hispany now anyway.


    "Got an idea. My family doctor, Tom. I''ll call him now. He''s at Renxin Hospital." Edward took a closer look at Leo, taking in his stooped posture, and the lines and crags on his face. The old man did look much older than before. He felt bad for the way he''d treated Daisy. This depressed him, and his guilty heart weighed heavily on him.


    "Don''t bother him on my ount. I heard he''s very busy." Leo was thrilled. Many of his friends had wanted to make an appointment with Tom, but failed. He knew it was extremely hard to make an appointment with Tom. But now Edward was offering him a chance at the top notch doctor in the city.


    "It''s okay. He''s my friend." Edward dialed Tom''s number and told him Leo''s situation.


    Leo was moved by Edward''s kind offer. If he hadn''t driven Daisy and her mother out of the family, they would still be together, and happy. He regretted what he had done deeply.


    "Alright. I got a hold of Tom. He''ll be in his office waiting for you," Edward told him. He didn''t think he had done a lot for Leo, so when he noticed Leo''s grateful expression, he was a little embarrassed. He did this only because Leo was Daisy''s father and he didn''t want Daisy to feel bad if something really was wrong.


    "Thank you so much!" Leo was moved to tears. He believed Edward cared about him so much.


    "Ah, don''t be so formal with me. You know I did it for my wife." Edward trotted out a friendly smile.


    "I know, I know. I shouldn''t have treated her like that." Leo was burdened by guilt and regret. But he could do nothing to make up for his past mistakes. He could only try to make the future better.


    He only realized the true worth of his family''s love after he had lost it. But it was already toote.


    After work, Edward went directly to the army base. He pulled over and waited for his wife. It was not his first time here. But every time he came here, he felt exhrated. Just like the first time he saw Daisy in military uniform, he had mixed emotions. Leo''s visit made Edward think a lot. Sometimes it was toote to make amends. But wouldn''t it be better to just let it go and move on?


    Edward felt stuffy in the car, so he opened the door and stepped out. He was a tall and handsome man, and the evening sun warmed him with its radiant glow.


    He looked at the entrance and frowned, wondering, ''Why hasn''t she gotten off work yet?''


    "Senior Colonel Ouyang, it''s Mr. Mu''s car!" Mark informed Daisy. She was resting in the back seat.


    "Why''s he here now?" Daisy grumbled. She stared out the window and fixed her eyes on Edward. She had long known her husband was handsome and many women were interested in him, but she had never cared about that before. Now she suddenly felt she was so lucky to have such an outstanding husband. He leaned against the car and looked at Daisy''s direction. Even the sunlight was obscured by his gleam.


    "Didn''t he call you to let you know?" Mark asked and stopped the car. It was not the first time that Edward came to pick Daisy up.


    "Uh... You''re dismissed. I''ll ride in his car." Daisy straightened her clothes before getting out.


    Edward stayed still and stared quietly at his wife. His eyes were full of affection.


    Daisy walked up to him, her face burning, red with shyness. His eyes were so zing hot that she couldn''t bear it.


    "You haven''t waited long, I hope?" she asked as she reached out to hold his waist. Her heart softened.


    "Um, about two hours," Edward checked his watch and answered indifferently. He stroked her back and urged, "Let''s go." His voice was gentle, and his eyes were soft. He was a man of grace and elegance.


    Edward opened the passenger seat door and closed it after he made sure she was all in. Even though she was a military officer, he believed that she still needed his care.


    "You seem to have something on your mind," Daisy said, as she put her bag in the back seat and smoothed her hair.


    "Leo came to see me today." Edward stole a nce at Daisy, interested in how she would respond.


    "Oh, okay," she said indifferently.


    "You don''t want to know why he dropped by?" Edward was surprised to see herck of interest. He hadn''t seen thating.


    "No, your business is... well, your business." Daisy turned her head and looked out the window.00??????????

 Chapter 1626 An Old Married Couple (Part Two)

    "It''s not business. His birthday is in two days. He wants us to have dinner with him." Edward wanted to know her answer. Given her coldness toward Leo in the first ce, he wasn''t expecting much. "Yeah, okay. You and Justin can go." Although she still hated Leo, she would not stop Justin and Edward from having dinner with the man.


    "He wants to see you. By the way, Brian will be there too," Edward said casually. He had done his best, and he could do nothing if Daisy still refused to go.


    "That was all he wanted? Nothing else?" Daisy snorted. ''Now he regrets what he did, huh? It''s already toote,'' she thought.


    "I got him an appointment with Tom. He wasn''t feeling good." It was not until now that Edward remembered that.


    "Ha-ha! That old faker!" Daisy taunted. Disdain was written all over her face.


    "Daisy, I think he was serious." Edward turned to look at Daisy, as if he didn''t know this woman. She was always thoughtful and considerate of others. Most times, even sympathetic. Why was she so mean to Leo? "Leave me alone! You don''t know anything about it! My mom and I went through hell because of him," Daisy snapped back. She was a little annoyed by Edward''s nagging.


    "What do you mean, I don''t know?" Edward asked coldly. He was a proud man, and he couldn''t bear to be used by his wife like that.


    "Sorry. I lost it there. Please don''t take it too hard." Daisy sincerely apologized. Leo wasn''t worth her starting an argument with Edward.


    "You think I can pretend nothing happened?" Edward tried his best to hold back his anger. He had waited two hours for Daisy, but hadn''t expected that they would start arguing over something stupid.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "Fine! Mea culpa. I overreacted." Daisy was really frustrated now. She had thought she could pretend that Leo was not there and live her life without him. But the truth was he was still very much a part of her life and she just couldn''t move on. "You know, I don''t need your apology." Edward''s voice softened. No matter how angry he was, his anger would fade when he saw her frustration.


    "You know, this kind of crap''s getting old. Like us." "We are so familiar. I know you like the back of my hand. I can get your point just with a look,'' she thought to herself.


    "What do you mean by that?" Edward cried. The car screeched to a halt with grinding brakes as Edward pulled over.


    "What the hell? You scared me half to death!" Daisy red at Edward with burning, reproachful eyes. Luckily, the road between the army base and the city was empty. Otherwise, they might have had an ident. Daisy started to shake. "Answer me! What do you mean?" Edward looked Daisy in the eye.


    "Don''t get me wrong. I was just wondering... maybe we''ve grown old. And there''s no passion there anymore." Daisy sighed with profound resignation. She was unwilling to face Leo. She was like an ostrich who thought running away from reality would solve the problem. So she created a different one.


    "Ah, I get it. You''re right. We''re an old married couple now." Edward knew Daisy was trying to sidetrack him. But since she felt there was no passion between them, it meant that there was something wrong with their rtionship. Problems don''t pop up in a rtionship thanks to just one person. Sometimes, it does get old. The same patterns, once thought of as adorable, are now annoying. It saps the life out of a rtionship.


    "I thought you''d be more pissed off." Daisy looked at Edward in disbelief.


    "Why? It''s true," Edward said honestly. Since there was a problem, he would find a way to solve it.


    "Let''s go. It''ste." Daisy didn''t know how to respond, so she changed the subject. It was not because she was unhappy, really. It was just she hadn''t been on any missions recently, and felt quite bored.


    On their way home, they both remained silent. Edward was thinking about how to rekindle the passion between them, while Daisy was worried about Leo''s health. Even though she hated him, she still cared about him.


    When Edward pulled in, Justin ran out of the house and threw himself into Edward''s arms.


    "Hey, kiddo! You''re growing like a wild weed. Soon enough I won''t be able to pick you up." Edward picked Justin up anyway, bantering with him like father and son.


    "Daddy, it''s Saturday tomorrow. I want to go to the beach." Justin loved ying at the beach in the summer.


    "Not again!" Edward cried as he felt a headacheing on. He still remembered thest time he had taken Justin to the beach! That was anything but fun!


    "Again? You guys went to the beach without me?" Daisy asked in confusion. She had never been there with those two.


    "Mommy, there were so many beautiful girls there. They all hung around daddy," Justin said excitedly. He forgot the deal between Edward and him.


    Edward feigned a coughing fit to remind Justin to stop. ''You brat! We had a deal. You promised me that you wouldn''t tell mommy about it. Your mommy justined about our rtionship. I have a bad feeling about this, ''he thought to himself. "Daddy, what''s wrong? Did you catch a cold?" Justin asked with innocent eyes. He realized that he said something wrong, and he decided to y dumb.


    "Brat!" Edward said through gritted teeth. He knew his son well, and wanted to teach him a lesson.


    "You two! Ten hut! Dress right! Eyes front! At ease!" Daisymanded. With guilty consciences, Justin and Edward followed her orders immediately. They didn''t dare to disobey their queen.


    "Now, tell me what happened. Did daddy do something wrong?" Daisy looked back and forth between Edward and Justin and finally rested her eyes on Justin. ''And behind my back, too!'' she thought.


    "Mommy, it was just a slip of the tongue. Nothing happened, really!" Justin dodged Daisy''s eyes and thought, ''Dang it! Will mommy punish me? It was all daddy''s fault. He should have reminded me earlier.''


    Edward sighed with profound resignation. He shouldn''t have trusted a little kid to be reliable. ''What should I say? How can I calm her down?'' he asked himself in his mind.


    "Really? Nothing happened? Mr. Mu, why don''t you tell me the truth?" Daisy turned to Edward and looked at him right in the eye, hands behind her back. She was the picture of authority.


    "We went to the beach. And there were a lot of girls around. It was not my fault. I was born with a handsome face." Edward answered in a serious manner, as if he were a soldier answering the officer''s question.


    "You seem to be quite proud of yourself. When did this happen? Why didn''t you tell me?" Daisy sneered. ''You''re handsome? Why don''t you say you''re unfaithful?'' she snorted to herself.


    "Senior Colonel Ouyang, you were off on a training mission, under a radio silence order. We were unable to tell you," Justin answered in a loud voice. He had been living in the army base for years, and he knew the jargon, and how to answer the officer''s question. "And after that? Why didn''t you tell me when I got back?" Daisy asked. It was long ago, and she and Edward weren''t that close at that time. She was a little embarrassed as she began to think she was making a mountain out of a molehill.


    "Senior Colonel Ouyang, we thought it was no big deal, so we didn''t tell you." Edward answered the question in the way Justin did. He didn''t think it was necessary to tell Daisy. After all, he had countless admirers. If he had to tell Daisy about stupid little things like this, he''d be exhausted.


    "Well, Mr. Mu, what do you think is a big deal, then?" Daisy continued. She wouldn''t let Edward go unless he gave her a satisfactory answer. She was now treating Justin and Edward as her inferiors, and she should maintain her dominating aura. She liked it. Justin tried his best to hold back hisughter. His mother was now concentrating her fire on his father, which meant he was safe now.

 Chapter 1627 Trip To The Beach (Part One)

    "Really? Do I have to answer that question... now?" Edward stole a nce at Justin and hesitated. ''There''s a kid here. I don''t think it''s appropriate to discuss this right now,'' he thought to himself. "Yes, right now. I want to know," Daisy answered without even a second''s diffidence.


    "Well, Senior Colonel Ouyang, I think the most important thing is our sex life," Edward mumbled in a low tone, but his expression remained fixed, denying that he had just discussed something inappropriate.


    "Ha-ha!" Justin couldn''t helpughing out loud at Edward''s mumbled words, but he immediately hid his wide toothed grin behind hastily raised hands when he saw Daisy''s stern face. He wisely decided to keep quiet, otherwise his mother would surely punish him. "Mr. Mu, you are such an asshole! How can you even mention that in front of our child?" Daisy snapped, her face twitching in surprise. She had always known he was a willful man, but she hadn''t expected that he would broach their sex life with their son present. "You demanded an answer to your question!" Edward defended himself, looking rather innocent.


    "Really? So, you''ll do whatever I ask you to do? Then, why don''t you do 100 push-ups right now?" Daisy said through gritted teeth. She was feeling disarmed by her husband''s innocent defense.


    "Now?" Edward asked in disbelief. He was in full business attire, including leather shoes!


    "You don''t want to do it?" Daisy snorted.


    "Fine! Just 100 push-ups. That''s a piece of cake." Edward began to unbutton his coat. If his employees were here, they would never believe their eyes. Their aloof boss was amb, tamed by his wife.


    He shed his coat and briefcase into Daisy''s arms purposefully. Since she asked him to do the push-ups, she could carry his stuff.


    "Justin,e sit on your daddy''s back!" Daisy ordered just as Edward dropped down.


    "Great! I love that." Justin was excited at the free piggy-back ride.


    "Wait! Are you trying to murder your husband? You didn''t mention that earlier!" Edward was startled. Yes, 100 push-ups meant nothing to him. But if Justin sat on his back while he was doing push-ups, he believed he would be challenged, possibly beyond even his limits.


    "I just changed my mind. You did say that 100 push-ups is a piece of cake for you. So, I have to make it harder. Otherwise, you won''t learn your lesson," Daisy said with a cunning smile. ''He will be exhausted after that, and he will be unable to punish meter,'' she thought to herself. "Can I say no?" Frustration was written all over Edward''s face. He hadn''t expected his wife to be so cruel.


    "Hmm, what do you think?" Daisy riposted with a sweet smile.


    "Okay, I get it." Edward sighed, summoning up some profound fortitude. He just hoped that Justin would behave on his back, otherwise he would bepletely finished.


    "Be quick! I still have some work to finish," Daisy said, purposefully checking the time. Although she was secretly thrilled, she remained poker-faced.


    "Mommy, why don''t you leave and finish your business? I will monitor daddy for you," Justin offered with a big grin.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "Sounds good. But I warn you, do not try to employ trickery. I''ll monitor you both." Actually, Daisy didn''t really want to be mean to Edward, especially since he hadn''t even eaten yet. If he became resentful, it would make her feel wretched. Justin''s offer came as a pleasant solution to the dilemma that faced her. She knew the father and son would y tricks after she left, providing Edward a way to save face.


    Edward winked at Justin, signaling him to show mercy on himter.


    "Don''t worry, Mommy. I''ll be a strict supervisor," Justin assured his mother confidently. But furtively he nned to clinch a deal with his father as soon as she left. After all, Justin still needed leverage to convince his father to take him to the beach.


    Daisy eyeballed Justin and Edward before walking towards the house. As soon as her back was turned she entertained a cunning smile without their noticing. She knew they would plot something in secret, but she didn''t really mind. After all, women should y dumb sometimes.


    "Kid, thank you!" When Daisy left, Edward began negotiations with his son.


    "Daddy, don''t you think that I''ve been a good boy? Will you please take me to the beach tomorrow?" Justin gave Edward a winsome smile, but got straight to the point.


    "Oh no! And here I thought it was unconditional support." Edward was at a loss whether to cry or tough. His son was bing as cunning as he.


    "Please, please! Daddy, I''ll persuade mommy toe with us," Justin sweetened the pot, with a whispered suggestion.


    "Please don''t! I don''t want other men to notice her perfect body." The very thought of other men ogling at Daisy in a bikini made Edward emulous. How he wished he could just keep Daisy at home forever. He didn''t want to take her to the beach at all. "Don''t be silly, daddy! You can ask mommy to wear a conservative swimsuit." Justin rolled his eyes at Edward, a mock imitation of Daisy''s mannerisms.


    "Sounds good. Okay. I should probably do some push-ups now. Otherwise, your mommy may cotton on and get angry." What if Daisy was monitoring them from the house? Edward decided to do dozens of push-ups so that Daisy would not get suspicious or angry. Daisy stared out at her beloved husband and son through the French window on the second floor. When Edward began to do push-ups, she allowed herself a big grin before going to the study. Sometimes, she couldn''t be too serious with her family.


    The next morning, Justin was thrilled as Edward had finally agreed to take him to the beach. Daisy joined them as well. She didn''t n to swim, so she didn''t bring her swimsuit. Instead, she was wearing a T-shirt and denim shorts, the image of youth and beauty. Contrary to what Edward had said, it was not a group of men ogling at Daisy, but a group of women who showed great interest in Edward. They winked at him, even though his wife and son were right beside him. Daisy didn''t know whether to cry or tough. Was a handsome face all that mattered when selecting a partner?


    Thinking about it, Daisy stifled a giggle behind a raised hand, for Edward had in fact captivated her heart from their first meeting, because he was so handsome.


    "Honey, are you sure you don''t want to swim with us?" Edward invited her again. Although he didn''t want other men to look at her body, he was also afraid that she would feel bored sitting alone.


    "It''s okay. I don''t feel like swimming today. You and Justin go enjoy yourselves." Justin had warned her, as part of his maniption to ensure her presence, that Edward would be surrounded by countless women. Piqued, she had decided toe with, but it was very hot, and she wished suddenly that she had rather stayed in their air conditioned home.


    "You had better keep a close eye on me. Otherwise your handsome husband may be abducted by crazy women," Edward cracked a joke, giving her a guileful smile. He was so stunning that many women were already stopping to gawk at him.


    "Just go, already! Keep Justin safe." Daisy cast a withering nce at him before she looked around casually. She seemed to be enjoying the view, but actually she was observing their surroundings and the people in it. Edward was a big shot in S City, and had many enemies; danger could spring from any corner.


    "Will do! Try to rx a bit, honey. And watch out fordy-killers!" After saying that, Edward ran towards Justin who was ying in the sand. This was a family excursion, and they hadn''t brought a bodyguard with them, as they wanted to enjoy the trip without being checked


    on.


    Daisy''s eyes twinkled at Edward''s words. ''Lady-killers? There''s only ady-killer here, and that is you, my dear!'' she thought.


    Daisy reclined on a deck chair, shaded by a beach umbre while she gazed at her husband and son affectionately. The moment was filled with contentment, and she considered that she had told Edward their rtionship had be stale only the day before. How wrong she had been, for all she really wanted was to spend time with her husband and son, forever.


    At times, the ocean was a calm opportunity for refreshment of body and soul, but sometimes, it became fatal and restless, offering only danger. Daisy was pulled from her reverie when she saw Edward and Justin''s motorboat rushing through the waves. Anxious now, she leaned forward, fearing a mishap was eminent. Edward fortunately, was knowledgeable and cautious when their son was concerned.


    Daisy, caught up in the safety of her loved ones, did not notice that many men were staring at her instead of the bikini girls. She emanated a unique aura, a charm which people in her presence found hard to resist.

 Chapter 1628 Trip To The Beach (Part Two)

    However, no one dared walk up to her or strike up a conversation. She looked so aloof and distant that people hesitated, fearing they would be made a fool if they approached her unassable presence. Passersby contented themselves with stolen nces in her direction. Daisy, of course, waspletely aware of their covetous nces, but she paid no heed to their attentions. Her world revolved around her husband and son. She kept a mindful eye on Justin and Edward, who were joyously romping through the shallow waves with the motorboat. Justin hadn''t known that his father was a top-notch water sports enthusiast. Edward showed off by ying several water games with him on their boat. Justin considered that he had underestimated his father.


    "Daddy, you seem to know everything!" Justin praised his father excitedly, as they pulled to a stop in the shallows with the engine still purring behind them.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "Yes, your father is an all-rounder. Do you think it''s easy for me to be the fantasy of all women? It takes knowledge and skill." The word "modest" was not in Edward''s dictionary. He epted Justin''spliment proudly, bantering sonorously due to his wife''s absence in the boat.


    "You mean you''ve practiced these sports before?" Justin asked again, as Edward had reached a whole new level of cool in his young mind, and he was ovee with admiration.


    "Come on! No one is made to know everything." In Edward''s eyes, Justin was enjoying a much happier childhood than he had. Justin was assured of his parents'' and grandparents'' love andpany, unlike Edward who had been doomed to a lonely youth, absent of familial love. As a youth, he had entertained himself with various kinds of sports to stave off boredom. As a result, he had gained many skills.


    While they were still chatting, a figure raced past them and dashed into the surf.


    "It''s mommy!" Justin yelled, his eyes wide with surprise. He didn''t understand why Daisy would suddenly run into the water.


    "Don''t worry, son. You stay here. I''ll go check on her." Edward was concerned that something was wrong, and he wanted to follow Daisy. But, torn between his son''s safety and the safety of his wife, he briefly hesitated. Despite how clever Justin was, he was still a child and needed minding.


    "Daddy, just go to help mommy. I promise I will stay right here." Justin pped a hand to his chest to assure Edward. He knew why Edward hesitated.


    "Some people are drowning!"


    "The water is too deep over there. I don''t dare to go in."


    "A woman is already swimming out, but I wonder if she can save them."


    Edward realized what happened from the nervous chatter of the crowd. Without wavering any longer, he ran through the shallows and then swam after Daisy. He had never seen her swim before, so he had no idea whether she could even swim.


    When Daisy had been observing Justin and Edward, she had seen a hovercraft being overturned by the ocean waves. Believing that the people on the hovercraft knew how to swim, she hadn''t reacted immediately; but when someone began to struggle in the water, Daisy had realized that something was wrong, and dashed to the rescue without any further consideration.


    A young couple had been aboard the hovercraft. They had been too excited to notice the dangerous swell building into strong ripples. When their hovercraft capsized, they panicked. The boy knew how to swim, but ovee with anxiety, he was too shocked to save his girlfriend. He just watched her struggling helplessly.


    Swimming was one of the training programs at the JC Military Academy. Soldiers not only needed to know how to swim, but also had to be able to save drowning people. As a result, it was a piece of cake for Daisy to save the girl.


    When Edward neared Daisy, thetter was swimming to the seashore with the girl locked in her arm. She was surprised to see Edward swimming out to help her.


    "Let me take her," Edward offered, nning to take over towing the unresponsive girl to the beach.


    "No need for that. Go check on the boy. He seems to be frightened." She reacted instinctively and quickly ordered her husband to check on the boy. The boy had been treading water strongly, so Daisy had paid no attention to him.


    When Daisy finally pulled the girl ashore, she began to carry out CPR on the non-responsive girl. She had learned to perform chestpressions and assisted breathing techniques in the JC Military Academy.


    People began to gather around Daisy and the girl. They hadn''t expected this aloof beauty to rush into the water to save the girl in the first ce; after all, she looked so cold and indifferent. People were moved by Daisy''s self-less act. The water was rather deep there, and most men didn''t even dare attempt a rescue of the girl. Daisy was now stared at with awe; she was a hero!


    Edward helped the boy ashore. Though the boy could swim, he was scared witless. Edward didn''t me him, for the boy looked young, little older than a student. The girl also didn''t look older than her teens. They were too young to have reacted calmly in the face of danger. Edward thought that they would learn their lesson this time, and would hopefully react responsibly in future.


    "Mommy, how''s she?" Justin had fixed his eyes on the dramatic rescue the whole time. As soon as they were ashore, he had run to them, his little brow furrowed with concern.


    "Justin, call an ambnce!" Daisy instructed and continued the resuscitation process. Her face was contorted with effort, and she was sweating with effort. She was focused, but anxious as she really didn''t want the girl to lose her life over a youthful mistake. "Sure, mommy." Justin turned to scamper to the locker to grab his phone.


    "No need for that. We''ve already phoned for an ambnce," a man said. Although he hadn''t been brave enough to face the ocean''s power, he had immediately called emergency services. No one wanted the girl to die.


    "Guys, step back. Give her some room to breathe!" Edward demanded. He had relinquished the boy on the sand and stood behind Daisy. The boy was okay, though stunned and in shock.


    After a long time, the girl finally coughed up a mouthful of water and became responsive. She was out of immediate danger now, but this didn''t mean she was safe and sound. She would still need to go to the hospital to be checked out and treated for secondary infection, as she had inhaled some of the sea water which mightpromise her lungs.


    As the girl stirred, people began praising Daisy with a round of apuse. There were thumb-ups all around and many people called her a hero. Some recognized Edward and then realized who the woman was; she must be the wife of the CEO of FX International Group. A year ago, Edward and Daisy had stolen the show at the anniversary party of FX International Group, and thanks to the media, almost everybody in S City knew who they were.


    After realizing their identities, people began to fawn over them. Once the girl was taken away by the ambnce, Daisy and Edward immediately retreated to their car with Justin. "Honey, dry your hair first. Justin,e here to the passenger seat. Let mommy change her clothes." Edward handed Daisy a clean tower and opened the car door for her. "No need to change the clothes. I''ll take a shower once we get home." Daisy took the towel and began to dry her hair.


    "Okay. Wrap yourself with a dry towel. Otherwise, you might catch a cold." Edward handed another towel to Daisy before jumping in the driver''s seat. It was a hot summer day, but his swimsuit was still damp. He considered briefly that their wet clothes would spoil the leather seats and these might need to be recedter.


    "Justin, change your clothes." Daisy took out Justin''s clean clothes from a stic case. She was too shy to disrobe from her wet clothes in public and in front of Edward and Justin. But Justin was still a child, and she felt that it was fine for him to quickly change clothes.


    "Mommy, why did that girl go near the deep water? She doesn''t even know how to swim. Didn''t she know that it would be very dangerous?" Justin asked in confusion. He knew he was not a skilled swimmer, so he didn''t dare to go near deep water. Even a small kid like himself knew to avoid danger; so, why didn''t the girl realize her folly?


    "Maybe, she didn''t expect the hovercraft would be knocked over by the big waves," Daisy said shrugging. But on the inside, she thought, ''Perhaps, she was too busy having fun with her boyfriend, and didn''t notice that they had reached dangerous and deep waters.''

 Chapter 1629 Leos Birthday (Part One)

    "What happened to you?" Cynthia asked when they returned home. "I thought you were going to the beach?" Taking in Daisy''s appearance, she grew inquisitive at once. "You look quite messed up," she continued to probe. Turning to her son, she looked at him expectantly for an exnation. The woman was freezing in wet clothes.


    "We had a bit of an ident, that''s all," said Edward, and then stealing a nce at Daisy who appeared ufortable under Cynthia''s scrutiny, he added, "We''ll just take a shower and get ourselves cleaned up. I''ll exinter." Worried about Daisy, he just wanted her to get out of those wet clothes straightaway as she was on her period. She was particrly more susceptible to getting sick during such time each month, and thus, he wanted to ensure she was okay before sitting down with Cynthia.


    "Don''t worry, Mom," Daisy said, putting on a faint smile. "I just really need to get changed right now." Surprised to have Edward wrap a towel around her, Daisy didn''t notice until then that since she was drenched all over, her clothes had be transparent. Thanking him quietly, she turned her attention to Cynthia again.


    "Okay," Cynthia conceded. "Go on then. Even though it''s still technically summer, you could still catch a cold." Whenever Daisy encountered problems, she always handled them with a calm and mature demeanor, and Cynthia just admired that about her. She was a woman who knew how to remain levelheaded, and generally did not like to trouble others with things she could deal with on her own.


    After they excused themselves politely, Cynthia gazed after their retreating back. Once they disappeared out of sight, she turned towards Justin, and began to ponder about things.


    "Why are you looking at me with such eyes, Grandma? Have I done something wrong?" the boy asked nervously. "You''re freaking me out a bit." The boy couldn''t help but feel guilty as she stared at him. Although he behaved well and didn''t get into any trouble, he somehow felt the opposite under her overcritical gaze.


    "Why don''t you tell me what you did?" It wasn''t Cynthia''s first thought, but after Justin''s strange response, she became suspicious. As the adults were too busy, she decided to dig for more information through her little grandson in the meantime.


    "Okay!" conceded Justin helplessly. "I should not have pushed them to go to the beach today." A profound sensation overwhelmed the young boy. Although he was aware of their situation, he still urged his parents toe out in public like earlier. Now he realized, however, that he shouldn''t have.


    "Anything bad happened out there?" Recalling the awkward situation a moment ago, she started to feel nervous. Could something terrible have urred while they were away?


    "Oh. No, Grandma. Nothing serious," said Justin, and then sighed, "Mommy saved a drowning girl, and everyone recognized her. What she did will probably be reported in tomorrow''s newspaper." As his mother never enjoyed the media''s attention, he could tell that she must be upset by the possibility. Indeed, it was amendable deed to save a girl''s life, but at the end of the day, having it broadcasted for everyone to knowpromised the privacy which Daisy favored so much more.


    "That''s good news!" eximed Cynthia, and then noticed the boy''s disheartened look. Confused, she asked him, "She saved a girl! What''s there to be upset about?" Being clever and noble enough, Cynthia was once a social icon who had been seen on the newspapers a lot. So this kind of situation never daunted her.


    "Maybe if it were someone else, they''d be eager to get featured," said Justin, and then shook his head. "But not Mommy. She doesn''t like that." Although he knew it was never his mother''s intention, people were drawn to her because of her mysterious aura, brought by her consistent refusal to do any and all kinds of interview. It seemed like the more she deflected them, the more they pined to have her in the limelight.


    And he wasn''t wrong. Daisy did not like to have her private life being examined under a microscope. As she got out of the shower, she quickly began a conversation with Edward.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "Can you please do me a favor and stop them from reporting about me?" she asked him. "I don''t want to make the headlines tomorrow." Sitting in front of the dressing table, Daisy toweled her hair dry while looking at the gentleman affectionately through the mirror. Unable to resist a smile just by looking at her, he said, "Well, I''ll try! But I''m afraid I can''t guarantee it." Most of the people who witnessed it were ordinary civilians, and not from the media. No matter how powerful he was, Edward couldn''t, with absolute certainty, prevent everyone from sharing what they saw.


    "Okay," said Daisy, her shoulders somewhat drooping. "Thanks," she said distractedly, and then saw his expression changed. "Even if it doesn''t work, it''s okay. Really." Wearing a genuine smile, she assured, "It''s the thought that counts." When Edward nodded in response, she let out a heavy sigh.


    "Don''t worry, darling," Edward said, "Everything will be fine. It''s only a matter of time before people forget it ever happened. Two or three days at most." Taking the towel from her, Edward began drying her hair ever so tenderly. After being together for a while, the woman could still bring out his soft side, and he didn''t mind it one bit. "Okay!" She said, shrugging while looking at him with soft, loving eyes. "As the saying goes, ''Whatever will be, will be.'' Let''s just see what happens." Leaning against himfortably, she decided not to worry about it anymore, and left nature to take its course. "Are you really not going tomorrow?" She couldn''t keep escaping from it, Edward thought, and thus he felt obliged to open the same topic they discussed yesterday. Her father was just there, and she couldn''t keep ignoring his existence forever.


    "It sounds like you really want me to go, huh?" Daisy asked, pouting. If there was anyone she didn''t like to be reminded about, it was Leo. Her heart ached immediately every time she thought of him.


    "No. I respect you," he said. "But I think I have to go since he sent the invitation to me. Hey, darling." He gently rested a finger under her chin and continued, "He''s always going to be your father. You have his blood. That''s never going to change." As much as Edward didn''t want to keep persuading her, he just didn''t want her to wake up one day with regrets.


    "Okay," Daisy agreed slowly. "Just give me some time. I''ll think about it." She reached out and hugged him by the waist. Closing her eyes, she rested her head against his arm to seek warmth. Every moment she had with Edward was a joy to behold. No matter what happened, she could talk to him.


    Smiling inwardly, Edward lowered his head to nt a soft kiss on her wet hair. He knew why she was struggling so much, and so he decided not to badger her further. He might as well give her the time she needed.


    Eventually, after giving it much thought, Daisy decided to go with Edward back to the house again. Everything had changed since thest time she was there.


    Daisy''s appearance came as a huge surprise to Leo. He was so touched by it, and so overjoyed that he couldn''t utter a single word.0000

 Chapter 1630 Leos Birthday (Part Two)

    "I''m just here for Brian," said Daisy curtly. Even as she saw his eyes welling up with tears, she was determined not to forgive him easily. There was no way she could forgive a man who hurt both her mother and her so much. "Sure, sure. He''s upstairs at the moment." It didn''t matter who Daisy came for. To Leo, as long as he could see her, everything else was minor details he could live with.


    Despite frowning upon his wife''s stubborn attitude, Edward did not try to say anything. He loved her no matter what, and if this was the only way she could cope for the meantime, he would be by her side to guide her until she was ready to take another step closer to letting old wounds heal.


    "Happy birthday, Grandpa!" greeted Justin. As a child, he didn''t know what was going on between the adults, and he didn''t want to get involved in it either. Thus, he treated people the same way they treated him, regardless of their rtionship with one another. "Justin. You look taller now. Come here, I have a gift for you!" Although Leo felt somewhat hurt by Daisy''s distance, his young grandson''s cheerful spirit uplifted him.


    "What''s that, Grandpa? Is it the telecontrolled aircraft that you promised mest time?" Justin ran toward him happily. It appeared like he was close to Leo, almost as though they frequently met up with each other.


    "Go and check it. You won''t be disappointed." Leo cherished the happy atmosphere with family around. Although Daisy didn''t attempt to offer any kindness towards him, her presence was more than enough.


    An inexplicable feeling arose within Daisy as she saw Justin getting along well with Leo while she walked away. Deep down, she couldn''t me her father so much as Justin was a sweet boy who could charm anyone around him. "Daisy, Edward," greeted Brian. "You''re here!" With casual clothes on, Brian looked much more mature than he did a year ago. They seemed to fit him as he looked rather dashing now.


    "Hey, Brian. You got more handsome." A bright smile appeared on Daisy''s face as she said it. She hugged Brian affectionately, but not for long, as she was pulled away by a jealous man. Edward stared at the man with restrained fury. "Hey, Edward! Be confident about yourself!" Brian taunted. His eyes flickered yfully, eyeing Edward''s stiff body in amusement.


    "My confidence isn''t what''s questionable here," he said coolly. "I''m just taking care of my wife, and keeping her away from another man." Brian''s rtionship with Daisy was far too intimate for Edward''s liking. Thus he often paid close attention and intervened before the other man could get what he wanted. In this case, it was the attention of his wife, Daisy. Edward made a mental note to be more careful of the man, particrly now that he was more powerful and charming than before.


    "Don''t talk to me as though I''m evil," chided Brian. "It''s fine if you''re not confident about yourself. I won''t make fun of you." Then he turned away from him, and looked at Daisy, his voicepletely changing to a more caring tone. "Come with me. I brought you a gift." To be frank, Brian let Edward''s words pass from one ear to the other. He couldn''t care less whether the man was jealous of him or not. Holding Daisy''s hand, he led her upstairs with Edward hot on their heels.


    "Really? A gift for me? What is it?" Daisy asked, following him calmly while ignoring Edward''s scowl.


    "Guess it." A cryptic expression appeared on Brian''s face. Meanwhile, as Edward was ignored by both of them, he stood there and red at the other man in the room.


    "Well, I''m not really the best at guessing." Daisy rarely got gifts. Her world was often filled with cold weapons, and truthfully, they were the only things that she was interested in.


    "Here you go! It''s a Buck Strider 888. Short and sharp. You''ll like it." It was abat dagger. It looked like a normal knife, but it was extremely sharp. It would be of great help during a close quarters battle. With a sharp cutting edge, and a short body, the dagger could be hidden well without being noticed. It could also neutralize the enemies, and they wouldn''t know what hit them.


    "How did you get to take it into the ne?" asked Daisy, running a little bit out of air from so much excitement. "It''s not exactly allowed!" ted, Daisy had always wanted a short dagger exactly like that for self-protection during her assignments. But time hadn''t permitted her to find a proper one, until Brian did her this favor.


    "Well..." Brian trailed. "That''s a secret." Brian could never admit that he used a friend''s private ne on the way back. Otherwise, the details might be an issue, and she would likely not ept his gift.


    "Anyway, thanks so much for this." She liked the dagger so much that she could hardly tear off her gaze away from it. Her eyes flicked with interest as she continued to be mesmerized.


    "Come on! I thought it''d be something precious," Edward interrupted in a jealous tone. "It''s just a dagger. I can get you as many of that as you want." He realized that he didn''t care about Daisy''s favor. She liked this type of things. A dagger excited her greatly, and he couldn''t help but me himself for not noticing her needs.


    "Well, this is very precious," countered Daisy, feeling taken aback by what he said. "Speaking of which, you never give me such a gift. Try me." Although she was a hard-working soldier, she was still a woman who expected gifts from time to time. It didn''t hurt to be appreciated every once in a while. Edward, however, rarely if ever at all spoiled her with gifts. In this particr aspect, he didn''t do too well.


    "I didn''t think that you liked gifts." Yes, Edward truly thought so. In his mind, she could have everything that she wanted in the army base. It never urred to him that perhaps, Daisy cared about these kinds of gifts.


    "No, I like them. Just like any other ordinary woman." Daisy lifted her chin in annoyance, looking at him with passive-aggressive eyes. Edward decided it was time to wave the white g.


    "Okay. I''ll get you lots of giftster then, if you like them so much." When she looked at him that way, he just couldn''t stand it. So he conceded almost immediately, and promised to give her gifts like she wanted. Anything, just as long as she didn''t need to receive it from Brian anymore, But the man in questionughed at him. "Are you buying her vegetables? Lots of gifts?" questioned Brian. "Don''t you know that less is more?" Having no mercy, Brian burst into fits ofughter as he teased Edward.


    "That''s none of your business," Edward said, gritting his teeth while ring at Brian again.


    "How typical of a rich man. I can understand it," said Brian mockingly. He took pleasure in seeing Edward''s pissed off expression.


    "Okay gentlemen," Daisy broke up their bantering. "Can''t you two try to maintain peace? You always fight when you meet." If not for her intervention, the men wouldn''t have stopped. They were a lot like Justin and Leena, who never got along well with each other. No matter how much they tried, they still wound up quarreling the moment they were in the same room.


    "He started it!" used Brian, feeling a bit wronged.????????????This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1631 Leos Birthday (Part Three)

    "If you didn''t tease me intentionally, I wouldn''t have retorted back. My time is too precious for that but you gave me no choice." During fights like these, Edward was as cunning as a fox. No wonder he could make managing a grandpany look so effortless. "Oh, never mind. I''m going downstairs now. Please, you guys enjoy bickering after I''m gone." With that, Daisy turned around, leaving them alone. Out of sight, out of mind. She decided not to waste any more of her time trying to get them to act civil around each other. It was a fancy dinner that consisted of various dishes which Justin and Daisy liked. Although he wasn''t sure if he''d make it, Leo did everything in his power to gain their favor. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have known their preferences.


    "I''d like to make a toast. It''s an amazing opportunity for us to be together, and I thank everyone foring. I wish for all of us, a healthy body, and happy life. Cheers!" Leo''s voice trembled as he spoke in front of a lot of people. It was the first time in a long while since so many people gathered together like today.


    Everyone, except Daisy, raised their sses. And although Leo noticed it, as much as he felt sad and awkward, he couldn''t help but think that he deserved it. It was his own fault.


    "Mommy," Justin implored with desperate eyes. He was feeling sorry for his grandfather.


    "I''m sorry! I''m just not feeling too well right now. Alcohol is just too much for me." By being there alone, Daisy had alreadypromised so much. But drinking? She just couldn''t make herself do it.


    "I''ll drink in her ce," offered Edward,ing to her rescue. "She went to the sea yesterday, and doesn''t feel too well." Aware of the greatpromise that Daisy did to appease his request, Edward understood why she''d rather not drink with Leo. "I suppose we can''t force you then, Daisy. Be careful," Leo said, forcing out an awkward smile.


    Secretly, Brian was upset too. He knew who was responsible for this. It was his mother, and knowing that it was her, he felt so much more ashamed.


    Despite the fact that dinner seemed peaceful on the outside, the depressing atmosphere made them feel suffocated. In the end, it wasn''t an enjoyable dinner.


    So Edward and Daisy were d that they didn''t stay for too long. After the cutting of the cake, they left the ce, with Daisy wearing an aloof expression the entire time. There was no turning point from it anymore, and no sense crying over spilled milk. Was this birthday a happy one? Probably not. But Leo, despite everything, felt satisfied. It was a meaningful day to him because, for the first time in a long time, he saw Daisy again. At the very least, he enjoyed the family happiness this year.


    "Dad, don''t push Daisy too much," Brian said carefully. "She''ll only feel more upset if you try too hard." Although Brian understood what Daisy was going through, he couldn''t be on anyone''s side. No matter who he supported, the other one would just feel hurt. All he could do, for now, was tending to his father''s needs.


    "I know I really shouldn''t push her. But I just couldn''t help but have some expectations when I saw her. It''s possible that she won''t forgive me for the rest of my life." Upon seeing Daisy''s attitude, Leo felt that she still wasn''t ready to talk to him. Therefore, it would be naive of Leo to have any idealistic hope regarding the future.


    "Daisy... she''s struggling too. I can tell. She doesn''t hate you right now. Yet at the same time, she''s just not ready to respect and love you as a father." Although Brian was young, being surrounded by all these types of problems forced him to grow up. Now, he was doing an excellent job at reading minds.


    "I see. Well, let it be then! At least, she came here today." His daughter''s forgiveness, he realized, was something Leo definitely wanted in the end. Even as it might not go as nned, he still hoped that Daisy would one day not refuse to meet him. "I''ll pay mom a visit tomorrow. Will you join me?" No matter how shameful he was to have Yakira as his mother, her blood ran deeply within his veins.


    "No," said Leo. "I don''t want to see her." Leo hated that woman with a passion so much so that he had to squint his eyes every time he thought of her and what she did. If it weren''t for her, he wouldn''t have done those nasty things and would have lived a happy life. "Okay. I''ll go alone then," Brian said, smiling bitterly. Brian was the most awkward one in the family. Although he didn''t want to visit Yakira as much, he couldn''t just leave her. And yet, still, he was unable to choose her.


    Time flew by quickly, and autumn arrived right after summer. Leena''s due date was fast approaching, and she hadn''t been sleeping well at night because of the growing belly.


    Going to the toilet, Leena unexpectedly had a cramp in one foot. She was almost going to fall down before she grabbed something and prevented it from happening.


    "What? Nana?" Awakened by the noise, Kevin turned on the bed light and got up to take care of Leena.


    "It''s nothing... I wanted to go to the toilet. But my foot..." her voice trailed as she made a face. Seeing her suppress the pain, Kevin could tell that it was definitely not ''nothing'' as she had imed.


    "Let me help you," suggested Kevin. "Here, hold me and stand up slowly. That should help with the pain." With Kevin putting both her feet on the ground, she began to feel better. After a while, she sat down on the bed again. Kevin, not taking his attention off his wife, knelt to rub her sore foot.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "Kevin," began Leena, pouting. "Do I look terrible right now? My legs... they''re getting thicker and thicker." Annoyed, she could feel all the changes in her body as time went by.


    "No, darling. Not at all. You will always be my beautiful princess." It was every pregnant woman''s fear that their body would never recover from all the pregnancy weight, and an even bigger fear, that their husband would resent them because of it. Leena was no exception. And so, any chance she got, she would ask Kevin for validation to put those worries to rest.


    "Really? But I just feel like I''m so clumsy now." Frustrated, she also worried that her baby might not be getting enough nutrition. So even when she didn''t feel like it, she forced herself to eat a lot of nutrient-rich food. But upon looking at herselftely, she wondered whether she overdid it as her body grew thicker with each passing day.


    "You''re not clumsy, darling. That''s just your imagination. I mean, you have a baby in your belly, all right? It''s normal to feel off bnce sometimes," Kevin reasoned with the pregnant woman. "Come on then." He helped her up. "I''ll walk you to the toilet." Secretly worried that she might fall down again, he offered to walk her there just in case. ''Better to be safe than sorry,'' he thought.


    "Oh no!" said Leena, shaking her head. "You don''t have to. I''ll be fine by myself." Her face turned red immediately after he offered to bring her to the bathroom. Despite being married for a long time, she still wasn''t used to Kevin being openly intimate with her. "Okay. You be careful, okay?" Kevin said uneasily. In three months, a new baby was going to join them, and bring so much joy into their lives. For a man like Kevin, he couldn''t ask for more, as having a healthy baby with Leena had always been everything he dreamed of.???????

 Chapter 1632 Let Her Go (Part One)

    Leena was currently in Paris for work and it worried Kevin a lot. However, Leena enjoyed the trip because she hadn''t been abroad for months due to her pregnancy. It was only now that she finally enjoyed the journey alone.


    Another big news was that ire and Gerard were now a couple. They were so in love with each other that people who saw them might even mistake that they were each other''s first love. Many people said before that they would eventually give up because of something. They were all wrong. Their rtionship was stronger than anything and it was bound tost a lifetime. "Mignonne, you''re going to be a mother. I''m so happy for you." Looking at the woman he once loved deeply, Gerard felt relief washed over him upon realizing that he wasn''t obsessed with her anymore.


    "Thank you! I''m so happy for you and ire," said Leena calmly. It was obvious how she had be maturer. She was glowing with a mother-like elegance that she never had before.


    "I''m sorry. I have not kept my promise." A man in a bad mood was easy to move. ire had shown up on his saddest moment. He was guilty of taking ire as Leena''s substitute at first. He wasn''t able to control himself though from falling in love with her gradually. Now, he had forgotten the painful memories of the past and had be happy again.


    "I think this is the best for us." Leena smiled softly without showing any other emotion.


    "Yes, you''re right. I''m happy with her now." Gerard knew what she meant, thus, he gave her a gentle smile.


    "Please treat her well." Sister-inw or not, Leena thought that ire was a good girl even if she used to be headstrong. She couldn''t request for anything else but for ire to have the best.


    "I will. I want you to be happy, too." This was the first time Gerard sincerely wished her well since they broke up.


    "Thank you. I''m sure that we will all be happy," was Leena''s reply before turning to the door. She saw a familiar built approaching, thus, she waved her hand and said, "Look, herees ire."


    "You have changed so much. I almost didn''t recognize you." ire naturally sat next to Gerard and kissed him. The action was so sweet and intimate and yet Leena didn''t feel embarrassed witnessing it. Rather, she felt happy for the love between the two. "Really?" Leena asked anxiously. She had been very worried about getting fat due to her pregnancy and ire''s remark just made her feel more ufortable about the thought.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "Haha! I''m just kidding. You are the most beautiful expectant mother of all even if you gain a little weight. Most of all, no matter how fat you are, my brother will love you as before." It was easy to see from ire''s smile that she was really happy now. It could be because of love that she hadpletely changed.


    "Girl, don''t make fun of me like that. When will youe back? Your parents miss you very much." Leena''s little house was empty since ire was now living with Gerard. It was actually fortunate that she had notid off the man who took care of her house, or else, it must be dusty by now.


    "We''re thinking about that. We''ll go back and talk to them about getting married." Since Gerard had already asked ire to marry him and she had already said yes, they both wanted to get married as soon as possible.


    "You''re getting married? That''s a big surprise! They will be very happy about this. Do you have any clue about how worried your mother is because she thinks that you would not get married?" This news could have surprised Leena big time. However, the thought of her sh marriage with Kevin crossed her mind just right then, thus, she had remained calm. Well, it seemed that sh marriage ran in the family after all.


    "Don''t tell them. We want to give them a surprise." In fact, ire was worried that her parents would not approve of her marriage to Gerard. She would have to live with Gerard in France after their wedding. She could already foresee how that idea would worry her parents to the brink.


    "Okay." I''ll keep your secret. I won''t tell anyone, including your brother." said Leena with a sweet smile. She was fine with the idea as long as the two were happy with it.


    "When is your due date? Is it a boy or a girl?" ire asked excitedly while looking at Leena''s tummy. She had a hunch that the baby would be a boy, however, she wasn''t sure where she was getting that idea.


    "In a month. Kevin and I don''t really have any gender choice for our baby. We will be very happy either if it''s a boy or a girl. We just want her or him to be healthy." Honestly, Leena didn''t care about what their baby would be. It had been a long way before she finally got pregnant with this child. Thus, she couldn''t wish for more but for it to be healthy.


    "You''re right. By the way, may I ask you a question?" ire asked tentatively.


    "Certainly. I will tell you everything I know." Leena took a drink of water and thought, ''Let me guess. Is she going to ask about Louisa? Well, she wouldn''t be this cautious if not, right?''


    "Is Louisa okay now?" Louisa had never contacted ire since she left the country. It might be sad to be betrayed by someone. Nevertheless, it was still worse to lose someone who had betrayed you. Letting someone go was never an easy thing, especially in ire''s case. She had been sincere to Louisa and never had she expected for Louisa to reward her with ruthlessness and deceit.


    "I don''t know how to tell you. Everyone has difficulties and only she knows how she is doing." Leena had no idea of what happened to Louisa. She just got no clue if she was doing well or not. Many might think that Louisa was doing well but Leena thought the other way. She was just really not in the position to tell anything rted to Louisa as of this point.


    "I see. Well, forget it. She means nothing to me now." ire''s tone went a bit sad as she thought of why should she be caring about someone who hurt her. Nevertheless, it didn''t take long for her to recover from the sudden bitterness and smile again to Leena. "How long will you stay in Paris this time?"


    "About a week or so. I''ll need to go back once I''m done, or else, your brother will keep calling me. That is so annoying." A helpless smile cracked Leena''s lips as she thought, ''Why is it just now that I''m realizing how annoying Kevin''s concern can be?''


    "It''s fine! That''s what you call happy annoyance. He is just doing it because he loves you so much." ire felt a little sad upon thinking of how Kevin might have looked while Leena was away. He might be depressed.


    "I know that. Nevertheless, he''s really annoying." Kevin was calling Leena every two hours. In her opinion, it seemed that Kevin was doing it not because he loved her but because he was worried about the baby in her belly.


    "Then tell him he is annoying!" joked ire with a lightugh. She never expected this time toe. A moment when she could just be happily talking with Leena. She used to hate her so much in the past.


    "I can''t do that, youngdy," Leena said nervously as she silently reprimanded herself, ''Gosh! Why did I even tell it before her? Stupid Leena! How on earth did I forget that they are siblings? Of course, she''ll take her brother''s side!''


    "Haha! Don''t be so serious. I''m just kidding." Talking to Leena this way put ire in a good mood. Thus, she forgot about Louisa for a moment.


    Meanwhile, Gerard was just listening to them the whole time. He felt really nice to see these two women this happy. He was finally over Leena, therefore, he could now give his all to ire.


    Sometimes, giving up someone who didn''t love you back could be a good thing. As long as you knew how to handle the situation and choose wisely, then you could still be happy. Gerard had proven that. He had regained himself with the help of ire. Not all people who came to our life were bound to stay forever. Thus, you should be sensible to see the one who would stay beside you for a lifetime.

 Chapter 1633 Let Her Go (Part Two)

    Leena went home after the show. Though she was very busy during her business trip, she still made it a point to visit some ces as she wanted her baby to feel how it was being in the ce where she had lived.


    It was six o''clock in the morning when the ne she was in arrived at the S City International Airport. Kevin was already there too. He rushed to her as soon as he saw her pushing her suitcase in a trolley. His happiness was evident on his face when he approached and weed her with a sweet kiss. "Nana, how''s your trip? Are you tired?" He began to examine her carefully right after he let go of her lips. He then picked her suitcase up for her.


    "I''m not tired. Have you been waiting for a long time?" Leena wasn''t really tired about the journey but she still felt that the trip was a little more exhausting than usual. It could be because of her pregnancy, thus, she felt that way.


    "No. I''ve just arrived. I asked Lucy to make breakfast for you so you can have it when you get home. Let''s go!" Lucy was a professional housekeeper who was arranged by Edward to take care of Leena. She was a cautious person. "Yeah, I''m a bit hungry." The fact that Leena hadn''t been abroad for a while made her feel weird about foreign food. As a result, she wasn''t able to eat much while in Paris.


    "You greedy cat," said Kevin adoringly. He then led her out of the airport happily while carrying all her things with just one hand.


    "It''s not me. It''s the baby." Leena pouted like a spoiled child. She was even acting like a straightforward kid. She was already toofortable with Kevin''s presence, thus, she wasn''t hiding her feelings anymore.


    "Oh, yeah? When did our baby say that? Why don''t I know?" Kevin couldn''t helpughing as he thought, ''She has been using our baby as an excusetely.''


    "It''s telepathy! Don''t you know? Every mother knows what their baby is thinking," replied Leena immediately. It was good that she was able to make up that reason fast! She didn''t even have an idea if what she said was true or not. "Really? Then I really don''t know that." Kevin put the luggage in the trunk and opened the door for her to sit in.


    "Do you want to know? Do you want me to tell you?" said Leena with pride of a peacock. It felt good to see Kevin believed what she said even if it was without any basis. She hadpletely forgotten about how long her journey had been to get home. "Okay, then tell me." Kevin pretended to be curious as he wondered how far could Leena cope up with what she was saying.


    "I''m not going to tell you for free," countered Leena upon sensing how Kevin was provoking her. In reality, she didn''t have much idea about what she was saying. She just said it to make fun of Kevin.


    "I''m paying you with my body. Is that, okay?" Kevin shot her a flirty smile and drove away. As he drove, he thought, ''Since when did she start caring about money?''


    "Kevin, tell me. Does a man like you have any case-dough in his pocket?" Leena''s question shocked Kevin to the core, thus, his foot slipped the brake. Their car suddenly moved sideways and it was fortunate that he was able to respond to the situation quickly. It only took a snap for him to regainposure and go back to the rightne.


    "Don''t ask strange questions while I''m driving. It''s so scary." Kevin said seriously and then he looked at her. He did not breathe a sigh of relief until he was certain that she was fine.


    "Okay, but why do you react like that? You must have it, right?" Leena said with conviction as she thought, ''If he doesn''t, why did he react like that?''


    "Why do you say that?" This was the first time Leena talked to him about money. She never mentioned it in front of him before. It seemed that she was as neurotic as any other pregnant woman and liked to ask such strange questions.


    "That''s a woman''s intuition. Do you believe it?" Leena looked at him sideways. She hadn''t seen this handsome man for several days, so she missed him very much.


    "It''s a pity to tell you that your intuition is wrong." Kevin never hid his money from Leena, thus, he never had any case-dough.


    "Really?" Leena''s stare at him turned thoughtful. She wanted to make sure that he wasn''t lying.


    "Yes." Kevin answered without even thinking. He didn''t know why she was interested in this. Nheless, he was willing to answer all her questions honestly.


    "All right, then. I believe you." A cunning smile cracked Leena''s lips as she talked. She found it interesting to tease him like this.


    "Wait. Did you just y a trick on me? Tell me. Who did you learn that from?" It was only then that Kevin realized that Leena just yed a trick on him. He had to admit that it made him feel both helpless and happy. It seemed that he was going to be teased by her for the rest of his life.


    "I learned it from you. Don''t people say ''A wife is her husband''s echo"?" Leena raised her nose up in the air. She was both so happy and proud that she had long forgotten that she was hungry.


    "All right, then. I like your answer." Passionate love did not mean happiness for a couple. Most of the times, the in and light emotions that each brought to one another were already the definition of happiness. Just like any other ordinary couples, they did have times when they quarreled. Nevertheless, happy or mad, love was still a wonderful thing.


    Leena was about to deliver their baby aroundte autumn. However, Kevin wasn''t there for her that time since he was out in a mission. That made her extremely nervous. After all, she was a person who was very afraid of pain.


    "Leena, don''t worry. We''re all here." When Leena gave birth to her baby, Edward, Tom, Rain, and Duke all came. The handsome men were waiting for her outside the delivery room. Perhaps people who didn''t know them would think she had a dissolute life. thus, she didn''t know who the father of her kid was. And that was why she had so many men with her.


    "Okay. I''m not afraid, really." Leena''s face was turning pale with pain. However, she was still trying to smile just like before. She was a sensible girl who would never bring her negative feelings to others.


    "Be strong! Leena," Rain said nervously. This was the first time for him to witness and experience such a thing. Thus, he was the most nervous of all the men there.


    "Why do I think that you''re more nervous than I am?" Leena wanted tough but the pain stopped her.


    "Tom, can you do something to lessen her pain?" Duke still cared about Leena as much as ever. He would definitely try everything he could to make things easier for her little sister.


    "She''s going to have a baby. How could it not hurt?" Tom red at Duke and thought, ''You have seen a woman giving birthst time. Why are you still so uncollected this time?''


    "Be quiet! Don''t you see how hard it is for Leena? Why do you have to argue with each other at this time?" Edward red at them and neither of them said a word. Edward''s words seemed to work better.


    "I''m fine. Don''t worry about me." As soon as Leena finished speaking she felt another twinge of pain. She could not help but hold Edward''s hand so tightly that her nails sank into his flesh. However, Edward remained expressionless as if nothing had happened.


    "Tom, can you ease her pain?" Edward forgot what he had just said to them and suddenly blurted the question out loud. From the way Leena grasped him, he knew how painful she was now.


    "I really can''t. It could have been less painful if it is cesarean, but I don''t rmend it." Normal childbirth was better than caesarean birth in every way, so as a brother and doctor, he didn''t want Leena to have a caesarean birth.


    "I don''t want a caesarean birth. I can hold on, really." Leena honestly wanted to see Kevin the most at that moment. However, he was a soldier who always had his own mission toplete.


    "Another contraction within five minutes and we''ll take her to the delivery room." As a doctor, Tom had been observing the intervals between her pains.


    "Girl, we can''t go in with you. We''ll be waiting for you outside the door. Don''t be afraid." Edward pulled his hand away from her. Leena''s abuse on his hand was so evident that it was covered with deep fingerprints. Even his blood fments were all showing out due to how hard Leena had grasped him.


    "Okay. I know. I won''t be afraid," Leena said emotionally. Although Kevin wasn''t with her, her brothers'' words made her feel warm and happy.


    "All right. We should go now. We all have to trust her." Tom carefully lifted her out of bed. He felt a little worried as he wouldn''t be the one to help her inside the delivery room.


    "How''s it going? Did she give birth?" Suddenly, a sound of anxiety came. Daisy appeared in front of everyone in a green uniform.


    "She is just going into the delivery room. What are you doing here?" Edward looked at her in surprise.


    "I was just downtown when Belinda called me, so I came over." She was so worried that her forehead was still covered with sweat even in autumn.


    Belinda was supposed toe to the hospital with Duke today, but Spencer had to stay with Belinda. Thus, she had to call Daisy.000Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1634 Call Him Richard (Part One)

    "Daisy..." Leena said weakly at the sight of the woman. Her nose twitched upon seeing Daisy''s uniform as it reminded her of Kevin, the one person she wanted to see the most. Although many came to apany her, she could still feel Kevin''s absence. Hence, the sheer color of Daisy''s clothes was enough to remind her about it.


    "Nothing to be afraid of, Leena,"forted Daisy. "I''ll be there with you." As someone who was once in that position herself, Daisy understood how Leena was feeling. Helpless, and flustered, like things were falling out of ce. But Leena was more fortunate to be surrounded by those who cared about her, and whether it was family or friends, they made sure to let her know she wasn''t alone during all of this.


    "Thank you..." Leena said with a relieved smile. Then her face twisted into a frown, and she appeared to hold back the pain as the contractions began again.


    "Please take great care of Leena, Daisy," said Duke gratefully. Since he had been worrying about Leena going into the delivery room alone, Daisy''s arrival was a great reassurance for him. With her around now, Leena might find it less ufortable and frightening to go intobor. While his sister didn''t like to show it, he knew her too well to ignore her current fears. After all, it was normal for women to have anxieties during pregnancybor, and Leena was no exception.


    "Rest assured. I will," said Daisy assertively. After she was done assuring the worried men, she entered the delivery room with Leena, holding her handfortingly.


    Every moment that passed rendered everyone''s anxiety to grow stronger and bigger, particrly now that Leena was at high risk, and they weren''t sure what to expect. While waiting for the oue, they paced restlessly in the corridor, back and forth. Once in a while, they would meet each other''s gaze without exchanging words. As they couldn''t do anything further to directly help at this point, they were left feeling restless in the waiting area.


    "Sing me a song, Daisy," Leena requested suddenly. "A song you often sing at the army base." The pain had be so unbearable that she sought for a distraction to keep herself conscious.


    "No problem," Daisy said gently. "Let''s see. Why don''t I sing ''I''m Only A Soldier'' for you then?" Through her firm grip, Daisy could feel her trembling. For someone who grew up as an overprotected princess who was adored by everyone around her, Leena must''ve found it taxing to bear this kind of pain.


    "Thank you," said Leena, giving a faint smile. As the pain grew more intense, her face turned paler.


    Daisy bowed to kiss her on the forehead. Wiping off the sweat beads that trickled down the distressed woman''s temple, she began to sing one of her favorite songs, ignoring the medical workers around them.


    "Though I''m only a soldier, I can tell things about love," sang Daisy. "But sorry I must tell you I can''t give up my uniform. You may get roses from some other man, but I really want to hold you, as tight as I hold guns in my hand." Although it was a mncholic song, it appealed to Leena, and worked as a distraction from the immense pain.


    Immersed in the song herself, Daisy relived old moments from her past as she continued to sing. Her persistence, craziness, and all her sorrow, all remained fresh in her memory.


    While listening to the song, Leena found herself rting it to Kevin''s feelings. She could imagine the sacrifices he made, and how despite all the obstacles that got in his way, he kept his chin up. The thought gave her enough courage and strength to go on regardless of the pain.


    Giving birth was like gambling, in which the stakes were her own life. Not to mention, women had to endure severebor pain, which was known to be the most agonizing experience they could have in their life. Suffice it to say, it was the case for Leena at the moment. To keep the diversion, Daisy hummed the song softly, again and again. Though Leena''s involuntary grasp was starting to hurt, she didn''t try to take her hand away. Instead, she squeezed her hand in return, encouraging her to do anything that could alleviate the pain. "Cry out if you have to, Leena," coaxed Daisy. "If it helps lessen the pain, cry. Don''t hold yourself back. As long as it makes you feel better, no one''s going to me you for this." Daisy couldn''t bear to see her suffer. She had witnessed her grow up all these years, from a carefree little girl to someone''s wife, and now, a mother. Although Leena had been leading a happy life, Daisy knew that the pain she experienced in the process was no less than hers.


    While Leena did not want to take her advice, the pain was already unbearable. But there was anything she could do to get through this sooner, she had to try them. So she gave in. "Ahhh!" cried out Leena. Exhausted, she was bathing in sweat. It was a testimony to all the efforts she put into bing a mother.


    As it was the only thing she could do for her other than keep talking, Daisy wiped the sweat off with tissues. But for the final move, the final push to bring life into this world, Leena could only rely on herself. Everything was in her hands now.


    "Come on!" cried the doctor. "I can see its head!" Without a doubt, her words became a positive reinforcement for Leena to keep up the momentum. ''Focus,'' she thought to herself. ''Keep pushing!"


    "You heard that, Leena?" Daisy was saying in her ear. "Come on, keep breathing. Yes, and then - push!" As Leena was doing an amazing job so far, Daisy made it a point to keep encouraging her. Every so often, she''d chime in a piece of advice that could make her feel less ufortable.


    "I miss..." sobbed Leena. "I miss Kevin so much, Daisy..." The pain got stronger by the second, and after a few more minutes, she felt as though she lost control of her body and emotions at the same time. Her longing for Kevin, who had been away for half a month, continued to multiply as time went by. And as she grabbed onto Daisy''s hand tightly, the feelings reached the zenith in her moment of desperation.


    "I know, I know," Daisy replied, stroking her forehead. "He must be worried about you and the baby right now." If there was any way she could, she would have volunteered to carry out the mission to rece Kevin. That way, he could be the one by Leena''s side instead. But as that wasn''t the case, being present was the next best thing Daisy could do for the couple.


    "Push! That''s it! You can do it. It''s - it''sing!" Hearing the doctor cheer her on, Leena focused on her voice and did as she was told.


    "Ahhh!" Leena let out another cry of pain as she pushed. It was at that point when she experienced a kind of pain that she never thought it existed. Instinctively, she doubled the strength to squeeze Daisy''s hand, trying to reduce the pain that was almost suffocating her. It was as though she was trying to share the pain, and Daisy epted it.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    "That''s it, that''s it! Push! I can see it''sing!" Whenever Leena thought her soul was abandoning her, she could feel its return thanks to the doctor''s encouragement. It allowed her to somehow muster all the strength and courage that she had left.000000000000

 Chapter 1635 Call Him Richard (Part Two)

    "Did you hear her? The baby''s almost out. Just keep going, do your best not to pass out. You can make it, Leena!" Daisy kept talking to her, as if the pain from Leena''s grasp meant nothing. She knew all too well that in order to give a sessful birth, there was a lot of


    suffering in the process. All of this, after making it through, was going to be worth it.


    "Kevin!" Leena couldn''t help but scream as she pushed through the pain, and squeezed the baby out. An immediate silence ensued after her cry and the medical workers'' voice. Then, after what seemed to be a long time, a baby''s loud cry broke the silence. Everyone had a smile on their face at the sound. Truly, it was music to their ears. Seeing the baby in the doctor''s hands, Leena smiled weakly. But before she could manage to say anything, she had lost consciousness.


    "Leena? What''s the matter? Can you hear me?" asked Daisy, panicking as she noticed Leena''s grasp loosening. "Doctor, please," cried Daisy, as Leena started losing color again. "You have toe here and check her at once."Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    Hurrying over to Leena''s side, the doctor checked her pupils. To Daisy''s surprise, the doctor gave her a smile and said, "Don''t worry," she said, letting out a relieved sigh. "She just fainted out of fatigue. I''m sure she''lle around after having some rest." "It''s a healthy baby boy," said the doctor gleefully while approaching Daisy. "Weighing nearly eight pounds. Congrattion!" Upon seeing the baby, Daisy couldn''t help but smile again. It was definitely no easy job to give birth to such an adorable chubby boy. Meanwhile, the men waiting outside were overjoyed. "Did you hear that?" asked Rain in excitement. "The baby''s born!"


    "We''re not deaf, Rain," Edward said exasperatedly, ring at Rain. "Just don''t make a fuss over it, will you?" Apparently, Rain was the most enthusiastic out of all the men. His scream earlier startled the others, and it nearly drove them mad.


    "I''m sorry," said Rain impishly. "I was too happy and I couldn''t help it." He then nced at his boss and lowered his head. Fearing that his boss would have him dragged out of there, he cleared his throat and tried to behave himself.


    "I wonder if Leena''s all right," Duke asked in concern. He worried about his sister, almost like how parents cared about their children. And it was for good reason. Due to the sensitivity of Leena''s health in the past, he was secretly more concerned with how she was doing. "She should be fine," Tom assured. "The prenatal examinations showed normal findings. There shouldn''t be anyplication." While idents could still happen, Tom certainly wouldn''t leave it to chance. Especially not with Leena.


    "Here we are," said a nurseing out of the delivery room, wheeling the bass towards the men with a bright smile. They all gathered around it. "Say hello to our little prince," she said. Since Daisy was still anxious about Leena, she didn''t leave the woman''s side and stayed in the delivery room.


    "Wow, let me have a look at him!" Rain bent down to look at the baby, and grinned. "So this little guy over here is the one who made Leena suffer?" A typical reaction from him, the others simply shared a look. They were all just used to his antics. He probably couldn''t stop himself even if he tried.


    "How''s the mother?" Duke asked the nurse, ignoring Rain. "Is she all right?"


    "Don''t worry. She''s fine," the nurse answered. "It''s just that she''s exhausted. She''s taking some much needed sleep at the moment. After we''re done with stitching the wound, she''ll be sent back to the ward." With so many handsome men around the nurse, the woman felt her heartbeat quicken. Blushing a little, she turned aside to cover it from the oblivious men. It was unnecessary though, as something else caught their attention.


    "Did you just say wound?" Edward asked nervously. "Howe she''s got a wound?" For someone who had little knowledge about childbirth, the nurse''s answer seemed strange.


    "Yes. Nothing serious," the nurse rified, her face turning redder. "It''s just a small one to help the baby out." Apart from her innate shyness, she found it a tad bit embarrassing to have to exin something extremely personal to a man.


    "Well," Duke interrupted before Edward could ask more questions. "Just forget it. All that really matters is Leena''s fine." Being present during Belinda''sbor, Duke knew how a mother got the wound in question. And he''d rather the nurse didn''t borate it.


    Tom, on the other hand, joined the overenthusiastic Rain and fawned over the cute baby. Knowing too well what a delivery was like, he wasn''t as nervous about the whole thing as Duke and Edward. He was disappointed, however, that no matter how hard they tried, the little guy just didn''t want to open his little eyes yet. It seemed that their newest family member was yet another proud prince, not giving in to his two uncles'' silent requests.


    The baby had white and fair skin, which he inherited from his mother. If you looked closely, you would find that the little one had glossy ck hair, and it was thanks to Leena''s effort to eat so many care products and tonic. And if the baby resembled his father in any way, it was his father''s perfectly shaped eyebrows. Whether or not he would take after his father''s dashing spirit, they would just have to wait and see.


    It wasn''t until half an hourter that Leena was brought out of the delivery room. During that time, she was still too tired to wake up.


    "Tom, take a look!" Duke asked, directing Tom''s attention towards Leena. "What''s wrong with her? Why hasn''t shee around yet?" It was the worried brother''s turn to jump to his feet like a cat on hot bricks.


    Tom replied in a hushed voice, "Calm down, man. She''ll wake up soon after regaining her strength. You probably shouldn''t make such a noise again as you might wake her up, you know." Surprised, he never knew that the cold and distant Duke could act like a nagging old woman. Time and again, Tom was forced to exin to him that Leena would be fine. But Duke, who had a hard time taking his word for it, kept asking the same question around.


    "Has Mrs. Gu woken up yet?" asked Lucy, who came with a lunch box. "I brought her some chicken soup." The woman appeared to be in her forties. She was rather well-mannered. She almost seemed like a city-born woman.


    "Not yet. You can just put it on the bedside table," Daisy replied, smiling. "She can eat it right after she gets upter." Chicken soup was universally known to be good for women who had just given birth. So naturally, Lucy felt that Leena had to eat as much as she needed. "I''ve got work to do at the army base," Daisy said, lifting her hand to check her watch. "Sorry, I''m going to have to run now." Edward, who was listening, happened to notice the scratches on her wrist.


    "What are those? Are you hurt?" He grabbed her quickly, and took a closer look at the wounds. Frowning, he found that there were many of them.00000000

 Chapter 1636 Call Him Richard (Part Three)

    "Don''t worry about it. They''re just some small scratches. I bet they''ll heal quick enough. Wait..." Daisy paused, looking at Edward''s hand as well. "You''re hurt too! What happened?" she asked in surprise, forgetting about her own wounds. When Leena was holding onto her hand earlier, Daisy knew she would unintentionally end up scratching with her nails. These wounds, though, were nothingpared to the injuries that she would expect during missions. "Oh, all right. Now I get it! Was it all Leena''s doing? Seems like we''re both her enemies who deserve to be punished." Edward chuckled. It seemed like they were asking for it, in a strange way, since they simply adored Leena so much.


    "Just don''t take it to heart," she said, and then looked at Leena affectionately. "I don''t even want to call them wounds. I have to go now. Mark is waiting outside." The new mother was still very much tuckered out and still asleep.


    "All right," Edward said, looking at her. "Let me walk you to the car." Before Daisy could object, he took her other hand and headed for the door. Although he didn''t seem like the type, he disyed his love and affection brazenly for all to see. Without looking back, he simply ignored the amused people in the room who were jeering at them.


    "Bye, everyone! Please take care of Leena and the baby," Daisy said hastily. Being dragged by Edward, all she could do was waving good-bye over her shoulder while following him.


    "Bye, Daisy!" the others answered in unison. "Don''t worry, we''ll take good care of them!" "Thanks for everything, Daisy!" Duke shouted after them, just before they left the room.


    "I''m surprised that Edward didn''t get mad after knowing that Daisy has got hurt," Rain whispered in a low voice. "Seems that Leena really has a good influence on him." It was just odd, in his opinion, to see his overbearing boss justugh it off. Had it happened another time in the past, Edward would''ve definitely flipped out about it.


    "Didn''t you know?" Tom said, bursting intoughter. "Thest time when Leena fell down ''cause of you, he managed to swallow back his anger and didn''t blow up." It probably sounded like an exaggeration, but Leena was the apple of Edward''s eye as well. Seeing her like a real sister, his love for the woman was no less than Duke''s.


    "Well," Rain flinched. "That''s good to know." ''Thank God, '' Rain thought to himself. ''If I pulled something else funny earlier, he might have knocked the living daylights out of me!''


    After some time, Leena finally woke up. One of her first questions was regarding the baby as she was eager to see what the little guy looked like. She needed to have a look at what she got after all those tears she shed from such painful childbirth.


    "You''re so mean, Leena. We''ve been worried to death because of you. Shouldn''t you at least say thank you andfort us first?" Rain asked. Always the most talkative, he was ignored by the others again.


    "Haha!"ughed Leena. "So sorry about that. I just wanted to see my baby so much that I forgot to consider your feelings." She looked at everyone. "Thanks so much, everyone! I''m fine. I hope I didn''t cause you all so much trouble." A sense of happiness enveloped her as she saw everyone''s expression. Although Kevin couldn''t make it back, she had them to support her. And she had an inkling, that these men would always be there for her in the future as well.


    "We''re all good. Rain was just talking nonsense," Tom said, giving Rain the stink eye. "Just a moment, I''ll ask the nurse to get the baby." Knowing Leena wouldn''t be able to rx until she saw her son, Tom went out immediately to have that arranged.


    "Eat some soup, Leena," Duke said, passing the chicken soup brought by Lucy. "You need to get back your strength if you want to hold your baby."


    "Sounds great," Leena replied with a sweet smile. "Thank you, brother." She tried to sit up, but clenched her teeth when she felt pain in her lower body. Edward immediately stood up to help her.


    "You don''t have to get up," he said. "Let me lift the upper part of the bed so that you can sit up." Even though he was clueless about what new mothers would go through, he understood why Leena frowned and offered to help.


    "Let me help you eat, Leena," Rain said, walking over to her bedside. "I want to make amends." Every time he thought of the mistake hemitted, he felt resentful. Fortunately, Leena was fine, or he would have never forgiven himself. "Seriously?" Leena giggled. "I''m not a baby," Leena refused, although she was smiling. "I think I can eat fine by myself." Though she hadn''t regained her natural color yet, she looked just as sweet like before.


    "Why not let him since he volunteered, Leena?" Duke said, trying to convince her. If someone wanted to help him with taking care of his sister, who was he to object? He could use all the help he could get to make his sister feel at home while she was recovering at the hospital.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "All right then," Leena said slowly. After a few spoonfuls, however, the baby was brought in by Tom. The food was forgotten at once, and all her attention was focused on her son as she reached out to hold it.


    "Here, Leena. Take him slowly now," said Tom, putting the baby carefully in her arms. Maybe the little guy sensed his mother''s presence, as he finally opened his eyes and kept rolling them in Leena''s direction. He looked absolutely adorable with such innocent twinkle in his eyes.


    "He has such nice skin. Much smoother than mine," Leena eximed. She reached out to touch his cheek gently, fearing that she might caress him too hard. Looking at his face, her eyes welled up with tears. A wave of warmth rushed over her, leaving her almost speechless.


    "Of course! After all, he''s just a baby, while you''re a mother already. I''d be surprised if your skin''s better than his!" Rain teased. He, too, liked the chubby little guy very much. His praise for him was almost too generous for someone like Rain.


    "Our doctors did his checkup just now. Everything''s fine, except that he has mild jaundice. What you can do for now is to nurse him in the following days, and from there, we can observe whether it can clear itself. If not, I''ll treat him with blue light radiation," Tom said confidently. As he knew that mild jaundice in newborn babies wasmon, due to their livers not being fully developed, he didn''t worry too much. To be sure though, he nned to check the baby''s progress himself.


    "Is it serious?" Leena, on the other hand, was instantly filled to the brim with worry. Although she had witnessed Eden receive blue light treatment before, she still couldn''t stop herself from worrying when it happened to her own son.

 Chapter 1637 Call Him Richard (Part Four)

    "It will be fine, Leena," Tomforted. "Usually, it should clear up without treatment. With few exceptions, of course," Unless it was pathologic jaundice, it was expected for mild jaundice to go on its own. The odds that a newborn suffered from pathologic jaundice were


    rtively low, and Tom doubted that Leena''s son would be one of them.


    Determined not to let her son suffer, Leena tried to nurse him as best as she could over the next few days. Perhaps it was because she had only just begun with breastfeeding, she found it really hurt when the baby sucked. Nheless, she withstood the pain without a singleint. As soon as Shannon learned that Leena had gone intobor, she dropped everything she was doing and left for the S City right away. Not only that, Nathan had also gone with her. Obviously, they were just as excited to meet their grandson.


    As soon as they arrived, Shannon quickly thanked the new mother. "Thank you so much for all the sacrifices you''ve made, Leena. You were so brave without Kevin being there for you, even though he should have been. And we couldn''te to you at once since we live so far away. I''m so sorry for letting you face it alone. We all should''ve been here to look after you," She said sincerely. For her, Leena was precious, and often gave her heartaches, not only because she was a sensible girl and often thought of others before herself, but also because she was such a brave woman who faced difficulties head on. She looked so delicate, and yet at the same time, she was willing to shoulder so much burden.


    "That''s all right, Mom. Many of my friends havee and taken great care of me. I never felt that I was alone," Leena replied. They weren''t just empty, polite words. Not a single second passed by without having people in her ward to take care of her. She was, truly, taken good care of the whole time she was in the hospital.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "I can see that too. But we still feel terrible about not having been there for you when you needed us the most," Shannon said, sighing. Knowing the story of Leena losing her mother at a very early age, Shannon had decided to apany her into the delivery room to relieve her fear. s, she never expected the baby to arrive early before the due date.


    "You didn''t mean to," Leena replied with a kind smile. "I know that." This was how she had always been. No matter how much she suffered, she''d still put on a beaming face to hide any signs of difort or sorrow, in case it made those around her worry. She was much like Rain in this respect.


    "You should eat more, Leena. You''re as thin as a rake, and if you want to stay healthy, you''ll need to put on some weight," Nathan said, avoiding Leena''s eyes. As far as Leena could remember, this might very well be the first time he had ever shown his concern for her. She wasn''t sure how to react at first. He might not have spoken gently, but Leena could tell it was his way of showing his kindness.


    "I will. Thank you, Dad," Leena said happily. Come to think of it, she couldn''t quite believe that he called her a rake, and was torn betweenughing and keeping a straight face. She managed to hold it back just in time.


    "Have you named the boy yet?" Nathan asked abruptly. He seemed quite serious, but there was a hint of excitement glistening in his eyes. Nathan continued to surprise Leena with all these small revtions.


    "Not yet. Actually, I''ve been expecting that maybe you could give him a name," Leena blurted. As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized that her words might''ve been just a bit ttering, for she wasn''t so sure about the name given by the old man, fearing that it could be toomon or outdated.


    "Call him Richard, then," said Nathan nonchntly. "I know that young people all like fancy names these days, so if you like it, then use it. Just ignore the meaning behind it." Richard used to be an Emperor''s name. Though that wasn''t the reason why Nathan gave it to his grandson. It wasn''t because he wanted him toe out on top, for as long as the baby grew up happily, healthily, and made contributions to the society in the future, that was enough for him.


    "That''s great, thank you so much!" Leena said, relieved. Richard sounded like such a nice name to her. ''Quite an elegant name,'' she thought. ''It must have taken Nathan a long time to finally pick the name.''


    "You want to know something?" Shannon chimed, earning a look from Nathan. "He came up with this name on our way here. In fact," she added. "He had many alternatives in mind before, but they were mostly girl''s names, so we had to put them aside." Both Nathan and she thought that Leena had been expecting a baby girl, but as it turned out, it was a handsome, chubby boy.


    Astonished, Leena looked at Nathan upon hearing Shannon''s word. A part of her always thought that he preferred boys to girls. Now it just seemed that she was dead wrong about him. If he had really disliked girls, he wouldn''t have even bothered to choose a name for the baby, thinking it would be a girl. But more than that, it was already a blessing for Leena to be able to get pregnant. So whether the baby was a boy or a girl, they would happily ept it.000000

 Chapter 1638 Kevins Return (Part One)

    Leena gave birth to a baby boy, which was much to Justin''s disappointment as he had been hoping for a girl. He did not look forward to weing a baby boy cousin. So, it was with an unhappy face that he paid Leena and the baby a visit with his father to express his strong dissatisfaction. "Hey there! You look very upset. What has gotten you so annoyed?" Leena asked. It was frustrating to see Justin depressed. Leena refrained from teasing himtely. She wondered why the young boy looked miserable.


    "You lied to me! Where is the baby girl?" Justin blurted out. Another boy! He didn''t want a boy. He had long been wishing for a baby sister to love, not a naughty little boy!


    Leena couldn''t help butugh. "When did I promise you that? You can''t me me," Leena defended herself. She was at a loss for words after learning why Justin was unhappy. She recalled him asking about the baby''s gender before, but didn''t remember saying it would be a girl. Even she didn''t know until the baby was born what it was.


    "Humph!" Justin grumbled. "You''re still the bad guy," he used Leena. The boy felt down in the dumps. Hisst hope for a sister had vanished. Scowling, he crossed his arms in annoyance. But it dawned on him there was still another chance. His mother could have a baby girl! But Justin was embarrassed to bring the matter up with his mother. What a bummer!


    "Hey, don''t get mad at me! Look, Uncle Rain doesn''t have a baby yet," Leena pointed out. "You can count on him for a baby sister," she told Justin. Since Spencer didn''t ask for his mother the whole day, Belinda was able to visit Leena and congratte her for being a new mother.


    "Uncle Rain?" Justin scoffed. "Come on. He doesn''t even have a girlfriend yet! And my guess is when I turn 18, he would still be a lonely, single man," Justin groaned. "Now I miss Auntie Annie. I wonder how long he''s going to wait for her." The boy wasn''t going to count on Rain for a baby girl. With Annie gone so long, it might take a thousand years before the two would meet again.


    Belinda looked at Justin sharply. "Don''t ever mention her name to his face, is that clear? He may kill you," she warned. Annie''s name was taboo among them. Everyone avoided talking about her so as not to rub it in Rain''s face.


    "I got it, Auntie Belinda. You didn''t bring Spencer with you today. That''s a wise decision," Justin remarked. Every time he recalled what Spencer did to him in the past, Justin would get a headache. That boy was probably born to be his nemesis. He was even more terrible than his Auntie Leena. Justin vowed to stay as far away from Spencer as he could.


    "Justin! Don''t you like Spencer?" a startled Belinda asked. What she heard from Justin depressed her. Belinda was hoping that since they were cousins, the two boys would get along well. But that didn''t seem to be the case.


    "Yes, I do like him. But I don''t like it when a baby boy clings to me. I feel ufortable when he does that," Justin exined. The two women looked at each other as they listened to a boy speaking so maturely. Justin had always been a profound speaker.


    "No way! You''re just a kid, and you''re saying things like that? You''re refusing to y with Spencer because he''s also a child?" Leena rolled her eyes at Justin. Even after giving birth, Leena''s attitude towards Justin remained the same. She half hoped her feelings for the boy would change, but it didn''t. Perhaps, their fighting would never end. However, no one could say what the future held. There might still be a chance that the two of them would get along in peace some day.


    "A kid? No! Mommy said I''ve already be a man. So, I cannot keep acting childishly. Daddy? Mommy said that, didn''t she?" The boy was upset at being called a kid, so he turned to his father for help.


    "How am I supposed to know what your mom told you?" Edward replied. All this time, he had been working on his phone. Edward was clueless about what the three were talking about when Justin called out to him.


    Leena burst intoughter. But the sound startled her son Richard, who was sleeping peacefully. He suddenly cried out, and Leena had tofort him.


    At the baby''s cry, it was Justin''s turn to gloat. This time, heughed aloud as Leena bent tofort the crying baby. That was what people called karma!


    Leena stayed in the hospital for three days. Baby Richard received the proper care and attention, both from Leena and the doctors, so his jaundice did not progress. They were all relieved that he didn''t require the blue light treatment.


    "Leena, don''t work so hard on your designs. You''re a new mother now. You should get some rest and take up walking as a form of exercise. Both will help you to recover faster." It was Shannon giving Leena advice. She didn''t go back to the capital city with Nathan because she was worried about the new mother. So, she decided to stay behind to look after Leena and her baby.


    "Okay, Mom. By the way, where is Richard? Is my son asleep?" she asked Shannon. Sheid down her pencil and then got out of bed to walk around. It was already a bitte for the winter collection, but Leena continued to work on her designs. ''A little is better than none,'' she told herself.


    "Yes, the baby is asleep. He''s a good little boy, just like his father," Shannon happily said. It was hard not to smile every time they talked about her grandson, who had charmed everyone in the family.


    "Ha! Ha! Ha!" Leena broke intoughter. "Really? Was Kevin not fussy as a baby?" she asked. Suddenly, she found the topic very interesting and turned her attention to Shannon. Kevin''s mother sat down to think about her son.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Yes! He always fell asleep once he was full. And he didn''t cry when he woke up. I never worried about him at all," Shannon reminisced. Although it was more than twenty years ago, she could still remember the days when Kevin was a newborn baby. All her experiences while bringing up her son were forever etched in her memory.


    "But why is it that he was punished a lot by Dadter?" Leena inquired. She remembered Kevin telling her stories about his childhood when they first went to the capital city. As a young boy, Kevin said his father was very hard on him. And Leena wanted to know more about what happened for Nathan to treat his son that way.


    "Oh, yes! That''s right, and it''s a long story," Shannon said. "Boys always go through a naughty phase, and it is not totally a bad thing. Look at Kevin today. He''s a very aplished man, isn''t he? So, boys misbehaving when they were young doesn''t define the men they be." Nathan often punished Kevin when he was a teenager. His father was very strict, which led him to rebel. Eventually, Kevin was enlightened and understood what he had to do when he was older.


    "What you said is true. Now, I''m wondering when Kevin will be back. He''s unreachable by phone, so I am a bit worried," Leena said. Kevin''stest assignment was in a remote ce where phone signals were weak.


    Patting Leena on the arm, Shannon assured her, "Don''t worry so much. I''m sure he''ll be fine." The army''s destination for every mission was always top secret, as were details of their task. And the families of soldiers were never clearly told where they were going. Having been a soldier''s wife for several decades, Shannon had gotten used to this. Kevin''s wife, however, was new to this, so she had to assure her daughter-inw.

 Chapter 1639 Kevins Return (Part Two)

    Leena''s next question was a surprise. "Mom, can I ask you something? How do you like foreigners?" ire would be marrying a foreigner, so Leena wanted to find out her mom''s attitude about the matter. "Oh? And why the sudden interest in foreigners?" Shannon retorted. She was puzzled by the question.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "Oh, nothing. I was just curious," Leena quickly replied. However, she refused to say why she asked the question.


    "Well, I do have my thoughts about them. In my opinion, they have their advantages. Foreigners are independent, but they also have weaknesses. Sometimes, I feel that they are not very serious when ites to rtionships. If I were dating a foreigner, I don''t think I''d feel safe. Of course, that''s just my personal view. Maybe, I''ve based my opinions on those television dramas. But, I''m not quite sure as to how genuine they are in reality." She didn''t know many foreigners, so Shannon''s views about them were also limited. Slightly disappointed by the response, Leena said, "I understand." But Shannon''s words did little tofort her. All she could think about was ire. ''Poor ire. She doesn''t know that she''ll be facing a big problem. It seems that Mom doesn''t like foreigners that much,'' Leena thought.


    "Is there something you''re not telling me? Why ask such a weird question?" Shannon probed. Pondering over the strange question, Shannon didn''t believe Leena asked her for no reason. Her instinct told her Leena was hiding something from her.


    "Honestly, Mom, it''s just chitchat. There''s nothing to tell," the new mother replied. She knew it was a weak excuse and that her reply was insincere. But Leena felt she needed to speak to ire soon to warn her about this possible obstacle. Stormy weather worsened conditions in the remote ce where Kevin and his team were assigned. That was whymunication signals were weak. Aside from this, he and his men had little ess to clean water and adequate food rations.


    He had been asked to join an international assignment to hunt and arrest a criminal group. The mission was dangerous because they were up against elite fighters, who were well-trained in detection and anti-detection operations. It was not an easy task to take all of them down at one time.


    Kevin and his team were able to trace the gang. But they wasted a lot of time doing so because they were unfamiliar with the area. Unfortunately, they missed the best opportunity to arrest them, and they ended up being lured to a thinly popted area.


    It was a week of lying in wait for the gang that they traced to a rain forest. Kevin''s team easily had the advantage when they started. But things changed, and the tables had turned. It was toote when they realized their enemies were not a small-scale criminal gang, but highly-trained men with richbat experience. The members used a brilliant strategy to set a trap for Kevin and his men, luring them to the horrible ce where they were stuck now. There was nothing Kevin''s team could do now but wait. And it annoyed them that their efforts were all in vain.


    Throughout the operation, Kevin thought about Leena. He mentally shook himself to set aside thoughts about his wife in the meantime. Only with a clear mind could heplete their task sessfully. Kevin knew he was risking his life fighting against desperados. He could end up dead from the enemy''s bullets if he became distracted.


    He knew it was nearly time for Leena to give birth. And Kevin''s being away for the childbirth must make Leena very sad. Did she miss him as much as he missed her? Or was the baby taking up all her time and energy that she no longer had time to remember her husband?


    The real world was very harsh. Kevin and his men had to endure endless mosquito bites in the rainforest. Other than insects, they had to be aware of venomous creatures like serpents that lurked there. Even though they were all well-armed, some of the men still got hurt and left the team. In order not to be kicked out, Kevin forced himself to stay focused all the time.


    Kevin''s team and their enemies were locked in a face-off. On Day Ten, the thugs finally gave up, unable to endure the harsh conditions. They began to move, giving Kevin and his men the chance to strike back. It had been a very long wait, but patience worked to their advantage.


    The fighting was fierce. Many from the gang were ex-servicemen. They hadbat skill and tactics. And more importantly, they knew how to hide.


    In a crackdown campaign, there would be injuries and casualties from both sides. Kevin was among those that were hurt. A bullet grazed his shoulder, but fortunately, he was quick to react and avoided being directly shot. Otherwise, he would be lying in a gurney, waiting for surgery.


    The mission took two weeks toplete. Almost every member of the army was hurt in varying degrees. They were all a mess. But what was important was they carried out their task sessfully. They neutralized the criminal group and arrested their boss at the same time.


    When Kevin finally returned to S City, it was past midnight. The familiar scene that greeted him was that of street lights casting shadows on surrounding buildings. It made him extremely excited to be home where he would see his beloved family.


    Carefully, he opened the door. Everything was quiet inside. Everyone was tucked in bed and enveloped by sweet dreams.


    Slowly, he walked up the stairs guided by a dim light. To his surprise, the lights were still on in his bedroom. Was his wife waiting for him?


    Pushing the door open carefully to avoid making any sound, the smell of breast milk weed him. The one he expected to be waiting for him was in deep slumber, and Kevin was slightly disappointed.


    But his attention was quickly drawn to the baby ying by himself. He found a little baby boy in the crib, waving its arms and legs. The little human being was enjoying himself quietly. When he felt Kevin''s presence, the infant had no reaction. Kevin might be his father, but he was a stranger. Baby Richard started to giggle, and Kevin was so touched seeing this little man.


    Was this baby his son? Everything felt surreal for Kevin. He bent down and reached out to touch his round pink cheeks. It all became real for him when he felt the baby''s warm breath brush his hand. It was not a dream. This was reality.


    Richard seemed to appreciate his father''s touch. He became more excited and pedaled in the air with pudgy legs to wee Kevin. The baby, already two weeks old, didn''t understand what was happening but felt a connection.


    "Hey there! Daddy''s here. Come here, boy," Kevin crooned softly. Carefully, he reached out, trying to hold the baby in his arms clumsily. It frightened, yet at the same time, excited him. The baby was so small and delicate. Kevin was afraid he might hurt him.


    Suddenly, he heard Leena. "Kevin? Is that you?" She had been roused by the baby''s giggling. Leena, still groggy from sleep, saw a man standing beside the crib and called out to confirm it was Kevin.


    He turned around and looked straight into her eyes. He walked toward her, closing the gap between them. Leena rushed into his tight embrace. Silence and human contact spoke volumes more than words could.


    "I''m sorry, darling, for making you suffer so much," Kevin whispered. "Thank you so much," he said, while raining kisses on Leena''s face and neck. He couldn''t believe he was finally home and his wife was in his arms.


    "Hey, stop that! You''re tickling me," she said breathlessly. "The beard," Leena said, while pushing at his face slightly. She shrank back because she found his beard too itchy.


    "Is it now?" Kevin teased her. "How about this?" he murmured as he continued to kiss her neck. Leena struggled. "No, Kevin. Stop it. Richard is staring at us."

 Chapter 1640 Kevins Return (Part Three)

    It slipped her mind that the baby couldn''t still see, and was unaware of what was happening. But Leena felt awkward being so intimate with her husband in front of the baby. Kevin stopped and held his wife at arm''s length, drinking in the sight of her, before it hit him.


    "Richard? The baby''s name is Richard?" he asked. Finally, he released Leena. Hearing his son''s name felt strange.


    "Yes, that''s right," she replied. Leena brushed back her sleep-mussed hair. "I forgot to tell you that he is Richard, our son. Dad gave him the name. It sounds perfect. How do you like it?" she spoke quickly. Whenever she talked about the baby, Leena was always delighted. "Not bad. But..." Kevin slightly frowned. He blew out a breath. The early bird indeed catches the worm. Obviously, in this case, the early bird was his father. Kevin had wanted to name his son. But Nathan beat him to it. Wait! Their son? A boy? Justin must be extremely depressed! The little boy had told Kevin how much he wanted a baby girl. So, he didn''t get his wish after all.


    "But what?" Leena prodded him. "I think it''s a good name." She pursed her lips, so they curved into a smile. The name was like a gift from their father. "Good? Not at all. I doubt it," Kevin remarked. He was busy inspecting his wife. Her figure was fuller after giving birth. And she looked charming and sexier.


    Oblivious to Kevin''s lustful looks, Leenaughed. "Don''t be unreasonable. It''s a good name. And all of us think it is, so, you''re outnumbered," she taunted. Sometimes, Kevin behaved like a child, like he wanted to pick a fight with another kid, and this was annoying. "A good name will leave a good impression. I want nothing but good health and happiness for our boy," Kevin said. He turned to look at the crib again and stared at the tiny human being lying there. His wish for his son was simple. Happiness and good health were what mattered most.


    "I like his name. It sounds gentle but strong," Leena said. She held Kevin by the waist, and looked into his eyes, forcing him to agree with her.


    "Nana, can we stop quarreling about the name? I just got here. Isn''t there anything you want to tell me?" he sighed helplessly. Arguing about the baby''s name was a waste of time, and Kevin had other things in mind. They had been apart for too long.


    Inhaling deeply, she cried out, "Say what? That your son and I miss you very much?" All the pain she suffered during childbirth was worth it as along as she had her husband back safe.


    "Did you hate me very much when you were giving birth? I''m truly sorry I couldn''t be there for you then," he said apologetically. He touched his forehead to hers. Kevin heard how painful giving birth was, and women usually cursed their husbands with terrible words. He wondered if Leena did the same.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "No! Why do you think that? I missed you so much then," Leena said hoarsely. She pulled his head down to kiss his lips while reaching out to cover Richard''s eyes. Such a shy and silly woman!


    "I missed you too, darling. I was so restless and kept ming myself for not being there with you. It was agony to think of you giving birth without me at your side. I''m sorry that I can''t be like other husbands because of my job," Kevin said miserably. Although he had made arrangements so he could be with Leena when she gave birth, it was difficult to predict the oue of their mission. Kevin truly wanted to be with Leena to wee the arrival of their baby, so his wife knew she was not alone. But as a soldier, he had to follow orders. "Do you know what I want the most, Kevin? I want to see youe back safely every time. That''s all that matters. I promise to be strong and fix my life during those times when you can''t be with me. I will always be here at home, waiting for you. You don''t need to be sorry, because I''m just d you''re back now," Leena said, her voice full of emotion. Each time they were apart, Leena simply imagined life with her husband, like when he apanied her to go shopping, or the times Kevin helped carry her bags from the supermarket. But Leena was realistic enough to know such moments would be very few, given her husband''s line of work. Kevin was a soldier. So, she would do what any loving wife and mother would do, hope and pray for his safety while taking care of their child and home. Sighing deeply, Kevin said, "Thank you, darling. Thank you for your understanding and support. And thank you, for Richard, for my son." He wrapped his arms around her and held Leena even tighter. As if on cue, their little prince started to wail. He was probably feeling ignored by his parents. Richard was now crying for attention.


    "Hey, baby Richard! Are you hungry? Or do you need a change of diaper?" Leena had gotten the hang of holding her son masterfully. After weeks of caring for her child, she had be more skillful at handling him.


    Standing to the side, Kevin carefully watched to learn how to change diapers. He still felt guilty because Leena had to work so hard to care for their child, instead of living a rich life, all because she was married to a soldier. If Leena didn''t marry him, she would probably be enjoying life traveling the world. And this stabbed at Kevin''s heart."


    "Kevin, can you please turn around?" Leena requested. She finished changing Richard''s diapers when she suddenly made the request.


    His brows furrowed, Kevin asked, "Why?" It was a strange request that he didn''t understand.


    "I need to feed the baby now," she said. Leena blushed. Although they had been married for quite some time, she still felt shy around him when it came to bearing her body.


    His face lit up mischievously beforeughing. "Darling, you''re still feeling shy around me? I''m your husband, not just anyone," he coaxed. They were a couple and had to be frank with each other, both in mind and body.


    "I know. But please, just turn around. I can''t get used to it," Leena answered meekly. Leena bit her lips anxiously. The thought of Kevin watching as she breastfed Richard made her heart pound. She couldn''t help but be embarrassed.


    Kevin gave in to her request. "All right. I''ll go and take a shower," he said. His wife needed time to ease the transition, so Kevin would give her the time and space she needed to befortable.

 Chapter 1641 The Reunion (Part One)

    Being a wife is one thing but, being a mother is another. Adjusting to a new lifestyle was incredibly difficult for Leena but, together with her husband Kevin, she could manage. Now, they were a family of three, having a new born son as an addition to the family. Leena, Kevin, and their son were in the bedroom, preparing themselves to end the day. She cradled their son as he ced a kiss on her cheek and a kiss on their son''s forehead. The infant smiled and chuckled. "Good evening," she beamed.


    "Good evening," he responded and then looked at their son. "Good evening to you, too."


    She faced her husband. "Go take a shower. I''ll prepare us some food."


    "That''d be great." He then took the towel on the bed and headed towards the bathroom.


    When Leena saw Kevin enter the bathroom, it was only then she pulled down the top of her blouse, and started to breastfeed their son. She sighed, her cheeks slightly pink. "No matter how long it has been, I still can''t get used to doing this in front of him." She looked at her son and then the bathroom door. Her gaze shifted often on those two. She could not help but feel as if, she had not been doing the whole ''mother'' thing correctly.


    Leena then carried her son out of the bedroom and headed over to the dining area. She ced her son at a cradle and smiled. "Wait here for a bit, okay? Mommy''s just going to cook something for daddy."


    As if the baby understood, he smiled sleepily in response. Leena then walked her way to the kitchen and started to whip up a basic meal. She set the table up and ced the dishes she cooked at the center of the table. She served herself some food on her te and then took her son from the cradle and cradled him. She sat herself down and started to eat.


    Amidst eating, Leena was often interrupted by her own baby being yful in her arms. The baby would kick his legs and often pulled on his mother''s clothes tightly, as if demanding for attention. She could not be angry at the baby. She looked at him with soft eyes as she beamed. "You''d grow up to be a yful, naughty boy, Richard. I''m sure," she said.


    Inside the bathroom, there stood Kevin in front of the mirror and held his shoulder. He let out a long sigh and slowly started to remove his shirt carefully, but despite his slow and careful actions, his shoulder started to throb, immediately getting Kevin to wince with every movement and effort he made to remove his top.


    He then stepped inside the shower and let the water soak his body. He stood still and his eyes were glued to the tiles. The water dripped from the tips of his hair.


    ''I should tell her. I know I should but... I just don''t want her to worry. She already has a lot on her te...'' Kevin closed his eyes. ''I don''t want to lie to her.''


    After he had bathed, he stepped out of the shower, dried himself with a towel and wrapped himself with it as well. He saw the clothes Leena had prepared for him at a dry ce in the bathroom, but he chose to ignore it and left the bathroom with just a towel covering his body.


    He took a deep breath and finally, he made his way to the dining area where she was.


    Leena could hear Kevin''s footsteps approach the dining area, so she turned. "I cooked you some-" Leena''s eyes widened at the sight of Kevin. She immediately ced down her baby at the cradle, fast asleep, and rushed to his side, worry painted all over her face. She saw his shoulder patched with a gauze. "Your shoulder! What happened, Kevin?! Why are you hurt?!"


    Kevin ced a finger against her lips and hushed her. He then smiled. "I''m okay. Don''t worry." Kevin looked around, and started to whisper, "So, where''s Richard?" Kevin''s eyes then fell back to Leena, "Is he asleep again? Have you taken him to the crib?"


    "Yeah. He got so full that he fell asleep." Leena hurried back to the dining area. She took their son out of the crib and cradled him in her arms as she walked back to their bedroom while Kevin followed. As Leena reached the bedroom, she then slowly ced their son down in the crib. "He''s obedient and he seldom cries, too." She turned to look at Kevin and said, "Mom said you were obedient as well when you were a baby." She turned to look at Kevin and beamed. "You know, newborn babies usually cry a lot and their parents can''t sleep well. I''m happy Richard isn''t like that."


    She rushed out of the bedroom for a brief moment, and came back with another towel in hand. She handed it over to Kevin. He grinned as he took the towel and started to dry his hair. "Are you praising me?"


    Leena''s expression grew blue, as she crossed her arms. "Don''t try to change the subject, Kevin. Tell me how you got that wound on your shoulder. Moreover, have you gone to the hospital?" Kevin stopped drying his hair and let the towel rest on his neck. He sighed, "So close..."


    He looked at his shoulder and then to her. "A bullet just grazed me so it''s nothing big. It''ll heal in a couple of days." Ever since his return back from his job, his body was hit with exhaustion. He hadn''t had a decent sleep. All he wanted to do now was just rest up. Leena looked at Kevin, concerned. "Are you sure you don''t need to rece the dressing? I-I mean, you got your wound wet. Wouldn''t that be bad?" It was only then Leena got to look at Kevin''s body fully. His body was covered in scars, all in varying sizes as well. Her heart ached as she looked at him.


    It was this that Kevin wanted to avoid that painful look that she had on her face. It hurt him as well. Kevin took a step forward and ced a kiss on her cheek. "No need. It''s just the gauze that got wet. I''ll have it reced tomorrow back in the army base." He then walked over to the crib, leaned over, and kissed his son''s cheek softly.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Leena could sense that Kevin was extremely exhausted and figured that he might not want to eat anything now, so she wrapped her arms around his body and said, "Why don''t you head to bed? It''s gettingte, after all. It''s already 2AM." Kevin turned his body to face Leena. "Don''t we have to keep an eye on Richard?" She smiled as she saw how Kevin was worried for Richard.


    "No, we don''t have to. He doesn''t usually wake up until 6 in the morning." When Leena and Kevin looked at their son, Richard had a smile etched on his face. Kevin couldn''t help but wonder if he was having a pleasant dream.


    Kevin then decided to take the offer. "Looking at how Richard''s fast asleep made me want to sleep, too." "Sure. But, put some clothes on, okay? I don''t want you to catch a cold." Leena smiled.


    Kevin yfully rolled his eyes and just took her hand and led her to the bed. He sat down on the edge of the bed while she went inside the bathroom to take the clothes she had prepared for him.00000

 Chapter 1642 The Reunion (Part Two)

    The moment she stepped out, she already saw Kevin asleep on the bed. She sighed as she approached the bed and started to carefully dress Kevin up without disturbing his sleep.


    When Leena finished dressing Kevin up, her eyes fell on the scars Kevin had on his body. It hurt her to see him like this but, when she saw Kevin asleep blissfully, tears started to fall down her cheeks slowly.


    She stretched her hand and caressed his cheek. She always remembered how he said goodbye when he had to leave her for a month to attend to the army. She had missed him dearly as he could not be there during their child''s birth. She smiled silently and thought, ''Look at how much you''ve changed, Kevin. I''m really worried about you.''


    People say that women should be strong and independent and live a happy life, even without a man by their side. But, Leena needed Kevin. Even if she had a son to apany her, she still wanted Kevin by her side.


    Leena then went to the dining area and cleared the table. After that, she went back to the bedroom, took Kevin''s hand and wrapped his arm around herself. She closed her eyes. ''At least, you''re here now. That''s all that matters.''


    Morning then arrived, the sun illuminating thend, and the birds sang a song to whoever was up and awake. At the dining area, the table was set and filled with food to eat. The first one awake, Shannon hummed in satisfaction, "Looks good! Now, let me check up on Richard."


    Shannon climbed up the staircase and went to the bedroom where Leena and Richard would be. Before Shannon could even open the door, she saw the door open and there stood Kevin at the other side.


    Kevin''s eyes widened as he was surprised. "Mom? Why are you here?"


    Shannon was surprised as well. She was a light sleeper so there was supposed to be no way that she hadn''t woken up at Kevin''s arrival. "When did youe back?" she asked and looked at Kevin from top to bottom. "I didn''t know you already returned."Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "I just arrivedst night. It waste and I didn''t want to wake you up," Kevin responded. Shannon saw that Kevin was already in his military uniform and about to head back to the army base. She looked behind him and saw that Leena and Richard were still fast asleep. Kevin looked back at earlier events. He seemed to have remembered that Leena had tried to wake him up to help her tend to their son but, Kevin had been too exhausted to even respond.


    Kevin then passed Shannon, closed the door quietly and started to walk towards the hall. Shannon immediately tailed after Kevin, clearly angry with what was happening. "Where are you going?" She stomped and started to grumble as she waited for Kevin''s response. ''He just came back and now he''s leaving again!'' she thought.


    Kevin then responded, "I''m just going to the army base. I''ll be back quickly." Shannon stopped at her tracks and looked at Kevin as he proceeded to the hall. When Leena gave birth to Richard, he hadn''t been there to apany her. He felt very guilty and decided to ask his superior for a two-day leave to be with his wife and son.


    She eximed, "I made breakfast! So make sure you eat first! I''m going to check on Richard!" Nights were difficult for Leena as she had to continuously feed the baby. Shannon saw how difficult it was for Leena before thus, she took initiative to take care of Richard in the morning so Leena could have an adequate amount of rest forter on in the evening.


    "No, thanks. I''m good," Kevin responded as he climbed down the flight of stairs rather swiftly. "When Nana wakes up, do tell her that I''m in the army base, okay?" Kevin then looked at his wrist, reading the time on his watch. ''I woke upte. It''s been a while since I waste to anything,'' he thought.


    Before Kevin could even leave the house, he heard Shannon''s voice yell at him once more. "Just eat your breakfast! It won''t take long!" Kevin stifled augh, left the house and headed to his car.


    He was usually picked up by Lee but, this time, he took his own car and drove to the army base.


    After arriving at the army base, Kevin pulled his car up at the parking lot. He stepped out of his car and locked its door. As Kevin was making his way to the office building, a familiar female voice called out to him, "Hey!" He turned to see Daisy and assumed she just arrived as well. Daisy caught up to him. "You''re finally back! How was the mission, hmm? A sess?"


    Kevin sighed heavily, "Not bad but, there were some casualties that urred during the mission." He would never forget what happened during that mission. He felt so sorry for the people who got injured and even killed. Daisy felt Kevin''s bright atmosphere from earlier fade away.


    She felt guilty for asking him such a question. She then cleared her throat, ced her hand on his shoulder, and made an attempt tofort him, "Don''t be so sad. It was inevitable. Your target were ex-servicemen and it was a tough mission as well." "This was the most dangerous one I''ve ever engaged in," Kevin responded, his voice solemn. "I''m thankful I''m still alive."


    They both fell silent as they walked their way to the office building. All people in the field knew that escaping the cruelties of war unscathed would be close to impossible. Attempting to lighten up the atmosphere, Daisy shattered the heavy silence as she asked Kevin a question in a rather teasing manner, "So... How did you feel when you saw Richard?" Richard was an adorable baby and almost everyone loved him the moment he was born. Even Justin, who disliked Richard at first for his gender, eventually fell for him as well. Daisy saw Kevin smile. His mood lightened up immediately. "It felt like a dream. I''m also so grateful for Nana." Kevin always thought he''d never have a child but, it looked like the heavens heard his wish and he was blessed with a son.


    "Make sure you be nice to Leena, alright?" Daisy warned Kevin. "She deserves it. If you do anything to hurt her, I swear I''ll..." At the very start, Daisy had always seen Leena as a weak girl but, as time passed, she realized that Leena was strong and capable. Daisy could not help but admire her. "I will, I will." Kevin stifled a chuckle. "Don''t worry. Besides, I feel so lucky to have her in my life."


    "You can''t even imagine what happened when she gave birth to Richard!" Daisy eximed. "She kept on calling your name over and over again!" Daisy knew how Kevin felt when he couldn''t support Leena when she was giving birth as she was a soldier as well. But, Daisy knew it''d be unfair if she did not say anything to Kevin about it. Kevin looked at Daisy, his tone dropping as he asked, "Was she helpless then?"


    "Of course she was," Daisy responded. "Giving birth is a highlight in every woman''s life, you know? Even if her friends were there, she needed you the most. No one could ever rece you." Daisy was a mother herself and shepletely understood Leena''s sentiment. Kevin felt absolutely guilty. He then sighed, "Looks like I owe her a lot mentally and materially."???????????

 Chapter 1643 The Reunion (Part Three)

    "Which is why you have to be nice to her no matter what happens!" Daisy eximed, as ifmanding Kevin. "Got it?!"


    What Kevin did next startled Daisy. He stopped in his tracks, stood firmly, saluted, and responded in a loud and firm voice, "Yes, Senior Colonel Ouyang!"


    Daisy put on a furious expression and pointed at Kevin sternly. "Don''t you dare make fun of me!" Daisy and Kevin looked at each other and then broke into a joyousugh. It had been a while since they hadughed and bantered around. It was a nostalgic feeling they dearly missed.


    Kevin and Leena held an extravagant party to celebrate Richard''s birth and to their surprise, Richard had received plenty of luxurious gifts. Edward gave Richard a vi and Duke granted Richard ten percent of shares of the Leng Group. Rain and Tom couldn''t lose to the two and sent Richard expensive gifts as well.


    Leenaughed with glee. "Richard, you''re such a rich boy!" She didn''t expect her sworn brothers to be so generous to her son.


    Justin scoffed, "Littlendlord." Richard was the apple of everyone''s eyes and they barely paid attention to Justin which made him displeased. Not to mention, Spencer kept pestering him. Justin finally made a break for it and ran away from him.


    Justin huffed in victory as he had ced a big amount of distance between him and Spencer. Leena''s eyes fell onto Justin and Spencer. Her brows arched.


    "Jus... Jus..." Spencer staggered towards Justin with his arms wide open. He wanted to y with him.


    Then, Justin burst in anger, "I''m not Jus! It''s Justin! J-U-S-T-I-N! Stop bothering me and just go stick to your aunt!" Justin quickly ran off, not intending to y with Spencer at all.


    "Jus..." Spencer tried to run after Justin but his feet got tangled and he fell to the floor. Spencer then started to bawl. Leena was about to rush over but she already saw Justin rushing in to help Spencer stand.


    "Are you an idiot?" Justin asked. "How the heck did you fall?" Justin offered his hand and Spencer took it. Justin then helped Spencer to stand back up on his feet. Spencer sniffled and wiped his tears away with his sleeve. Justin let go of Spencer and took a step away from him. Justin thought that Spencer wouldn''t try to chase him anymore since he fell but, he thought wrong.


    "Hug." Spencer opened his arms once again. Justin''s eyes widened at Spencer''s gesture; he started to sweat and grew flustered.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    "Stop! Don''te near me!" Justin yelled as he took steps back. Spencer approached Justin while thetter took steps back away from Spencer. "Wipe the snot off of your face!"


    Justin was about to run off once again but was blocked by Daisy. She looked at Justin while Justin just averted his gaze. Daisy then walked over to Spencer, lifted him up, and carried him in her arms.


    "Aww, don''t cry, Spencer." Daisy looked at Justin as she asked Spencer, "Did Justin bully you?" Daisy sent Justin a threatening re. But, Justin wasn''t going to have it.


    "I didn''t do anything!" Justin eximed and pointed at Spencer. "He just..." Justin then put his hand down and hung his head low, "Fell on his own..." But, Justin knew he was partly at fault since Spencer chased after him. Justin then just epted his fate to be lectured and scolded at.


    "What Justin said is true."


    Justin''s eyes dted. He lifted his head up to see Leena by his side.


    "It wasn''t his fault, Daisy. And I can prove it. I saw everything."


    Although Justin and Leena weren''t exactly on good terms, Leena was never the kind of person to let these kinds of things slide.


    Justin looked at Leena,pletely puzzled. He thought that she would do something bad to him but, she didn''t. He could not help but wonder why she took his side this time.


    "Aunt Leena..."


    Leena turned to look at Justin and smiled. Almost immediately, Justin turned his head away from her and pouted.


    All were happy to be together with their loved ones. They sharedughs and smiles but, someone didn''t exactly feel the same way as everyone else. This was none other than Rain. Despite being surrounded by the people he cared about, he still felt terribly lonely as Annie still hadn''t been found even after several seasons hade and gone. Rain could only wish Annie was still safe.


    Two years eventually passed and Rain had managed to develop the KD Group to be a sessful business. He was considered to be the youngest businessman in this time. With thepany fully under his rule, the members of the Ke family had to show the highest respect to him. If not followed, Rain had countless of ways to make them regret they ever crossed him.


    At the entrance of the army base, Kevin was making his way out to meet his family but, only to be greeted by his son Richard who threw himself into his arms.


    "D-Da..." Richard then tugged onto Kevin''s uniform and looked up to his father with sparkling eyes. Kevin couldn''t resist to pick him up and so he did.


    "It''s ''daddy''! I taught you so many times!" Leena eximed as she finally caught up to the two. "Geez... Richard just ran so fast when he saw you." Kevin chuckled and rubbed his forehead against his son''s chubby, soft cheeks. "Really? Daddy''s so happy to hear that!" Leena then gestured to the car and started to make her way there. "Come on, we have to go."


    Kevin followed Leena to the car as he carried Richard in his arms. Leena opened the car door and urged Kevin to move and get in quickly. "We''re alreadyte, you know!" The family was in the car and all they needed to do was to start the vehicle. Richard started to move around Kevin''s arms, stretched out his hands, and called out for his mom. "Mommy! Mommy!"


    "I''ll take him from you for a bit." Leena beamed at Kevin as she took Richard from Kevin''s arms. "Daddy has to drive now so, Mommy will put you on your seat, okay?"


    As Richard understood, he smiled as Leena ced him at the child safety seat and buckled its seatbelt. Once Richard was secure, Kevin and Leena did the same and eventually, they started to drive and head off to the venue. It was the 60th anniversary of the FX Internation group and a grand party was held wherein elite and famous businessmen from various countries around the globe were invited to attend the party. "Nana!" Kevin called out and smiled.


    "You look absolutely breathtaking!" Leena wore a long, white fitting dress which entuated her statuesque body. She did not look like how a typical mother looked after birth. She loved to take care of her body, after all, and had asional trips to the gym. Leena returned the smile as she tucked in a lock of her hair behind her ear. "Thank you."


    She then looked at Kevin from head to toe and hummed, "You''re not in a suit..." "Ah, I''m sorry. I just got back from the base and..."


    "It''s fine," Leena interrupted. "You don''t need a suit. That military uniform fits you best."


    Two years had passed and everything seemed to have changed. All except one thing, that Rain was still single. Rain stood by a French window, dejectionpletely written all over his face. "Rain."


    Snapping Rain out of his own trance was none other than a familiar voice. Rain turned to see Leena approaching him with two sses of champagne. "Ah, Leena... Hey," Rain responded in monotone.

 Chapter 1644 The Reunion (Part Four)

    Leena knew that Rain was depressed and this made her worry. She knew she had to try to cheer him up at least a bit. She then handed him one of the sses she carried. He took this in hand and bowed his head slightly in thanks. No wonder tons of people came to like Leena. She was always so thoughtful and considerate. It just warmed everyone''s heart.


    Rain took a sip from his ss. "So... Where''s Richard? I thought he was with you." "Aah, he''s ying with other kids and besides, Kevin''s with him so," Leena said with a shrug. "I can take a bit of a break."


    She took a sip from her ss and looked where Kevin and Richard were. She smiled at the bright and yful sight. Boys at Richard''s age be naughty and yful, and since Kevin wasn''t around most of the time, Leena had to entertain and tag along with Richard. She was easily exhausted every time this happened.


    Leena found it amusing when the other kids were so stiff around Richard. Maybe it was because his father, Kevin, was wearing his military uniform.


    As Leena continued to look at Kevin y with Richard and other children, Rain''s eyes were on her. Leena wore a white dress as well and Rain could not help butpare her to a fairy. "You look stunning in that dress, Leena," Rain said with a soft smile. "Really, you do." Leena turned to Rain, surprised at his statement. "Really?" She looked down at her own body and like all women, she sighed. She could never be satisfied with the figure she had. "I think I''ve gained so much weight though."


    "Don''t say that!" Rain eximed as he started to look at her from head to toe. Rain nodded firmly. "You look perfect."


    Leena just looked at Rain and pouted, not buying whatever he had just said to her as she yfully hit him on his shoulder. No matter how skinny women are, they just can''t be satisfied with what they are blessed with.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    Leena and Rain continued to talk to each other with champagne in their hands and talked about anything under the sun. They sharedughs and smiles, enjoying each other''spany.


    At a far corner of the room, there stood a woman that held a wine ss. Her eyes were fixed on Rain and Leena the whole time they talked.


    ''He still hasn''t changed since four years ago. He looks a lot more mature now. And that woman next to him...'' She hummed for a brief moment and yed with her drink as she spun her ss gently. ''Ah, I remember. She''s the woman who embraced him at the entrance of the FX International Group four years ago. She then folded her arms together, but her gaze was soft, yet so bitter. ''So they''re still together... Rtionship seems to be still good. Turns out I made the right decision to leave him.''


    Amidst the conversation, Rain felt something rather strange. He asked Leena, looking ufortable as well, "Do you feel as if... someone''s been looking at us?" Rain had no problem with someone staring at him but, felt that this gaze was full of longing and, that was enough to get him a bit bothered.


    Leena shook her head. "No. Not at all." Rain tried to look around but, his eyes found no one. Leena did the same, bearing the same result.


    "Never mind. It might just be my imagination." Rain shook the feeling away and desperately looked for something to shift his attention to.


    As if on cue, an energetic young voice started to yell, "Mommy! Mommy!" Rain and Leena saw Richard running towards them. Richard was two years old and waspletely taller than anyone else his age. Richard staggered towards his mother, Leena.


    "Hey there, little prince." Rain squatted down and greeted Richard. "Come over here." Richard moved towards Rain and eventually, Rain carried him up and held him in his arms. Rain then ced a peck on Richard''s cheek which never failed to make Richard giggle. The face of the woman who had her eyes on Leena and Rain grew pale. She felt a sharp pain in her chest. Her hands turned into fists as she saw the sight in front of her.


    ''They have a child? I-I mean, they hugged each other tightly four years ago.'' She bit her lip. ''I shouldn''t be surprised that they have a child together...''


    Snapping her out from her thoughts was a male''s voice that called out her name. "Annie. You''ve been here the whole time?" Annie''s gaze finally shifted away from Leena and Rain and to the voice.


    "I''ve been looking for you." A tall and dapper man dressed up in a tailored suit approached Annie and sighed in relief.


    Annie had no sorrow in her eyes when she looked at the man. "Fred, shall we get going?"


    "We''ll have to wait a bit longer," Fred responded. "Are you worried about Joyce and Huey?" That tall and dapper man dressed up in a tailored suit was none other than Fred Chen. A talented musician and the only son of the Director of People''s Procuratorate in T City. Fred Chen had been living overseas and seldom went back hence a few people only got to recognize him. His brokerage firm was one of FX International Group''s partners, thus he was invited to the party.


    "No. I was just feeling bored," Annie responded. Fred had asked Annie toe attend the party with him. As a good friend, Annie agreed to his request even when a lot of people in the party knew her and she didn''t wish to be recognized. Not just that, the man she loved the most was there.


    "Just bear with me for a bit longer," Fred Chen said to Annie. "It''ll end soon, I promise." Fred Chen searched for Edward as he hadn''t greeted him yet. It would be impolite for anyone to leave without greeting the host of the party, after all. "Okay." Annie remained at the corner and hung her head low. "You should go talk to others, too. Don''t worry about me too much," Annie said. Fred Chen shook his head and stood by Annie''s side. He leaned against the wall behind them. "No. I''d rather be here and keep youpany." Fred Chen wasn''t the type of person to enjoy these kinds of morous parties as he hated social interactions.


    Annie nced at him and asked, "You sure?" Annie didn''t want Fred Chen to get distracted because of her.


    "Yeah. It''s no big deal," he responded. "I only know a few people here." As a musician, Fred Chen was rather mncholic and sentimental.


    "Ah! My ball!"


    A sharp voice interrupted their conversation. Annie then saw the ball rolling towards her. She raised her head and saw a young boy running towards her.


    "Richard, stop running! You might trip!" Annie knew who that voice belonged to. She could never forget how the voice of the man she loved sounded. Her body started to shake, and she could feel her eyes starting to swell. Their eyes finally met and, it was as if, time had stopped.


    Rain stood still. He could never forget how Annie looked like. He always made sure to remember her delicate features.


    There was never a day wherein Rain didn''t imagine that he''d meet Annie again but, he didn''t expect it to be something as unexpected as this.


    Annie''s lips start to tremble. She parted her mouth open but, no voice came out. No matter how much she wanted to say something to Rain, her voice faltered.


    It had been four years. With what Annie saw earlier, Rain might have already moved on, while she still harbored the same feelings of love for him that never died.

 Chapter 1645 Miss An And Mr. Xia (Part One)

    Rain felt that his world stopped the moment heid his eyes on her. Everything else on that party just seemed to melt on the background in an instant. He was suddenly deaf of the ssical music that was filling the ce as all he could hear was the loud sound of his heartbeats.


    "Ball. Ball." It was then that a little boy''s voice broke the silence that had upied him temporarily. It was Richard, Leena and Kevin''s little boy. The young boy was staring at Annie too just like Rain. His toy ball rolled towards the woman and coincidentally stopped between her feet. "Oh. I''m sorry! Here''s your ball." Annie looked away from Rain hurriedly and bent over to get the toy. She had believed that she would not lose herself again before him after so many years. However, it was easy to tell that things didn''t happen the way she expected. Just the mere glimpse of the man she loved was enough to make her lost again.


    On the other hand, Rain tore his gaze from her and turned to the man standing next to Annie. The man''s face was not bad. He even looked gentle and well educated.


    Fred Chen was also looking back at Rain too. This was the first time he had met Rain. He thought that Rain''s face was beautiful rather than handsome. His features were soft and yet eye-catching. ''Rumor has it that he is the vice president of FX International Group. Could that be true?'' he silently thought.


    "Hey, boy. Here you are." Annie felt more depressed upon seeing Richard as she thought that the little boy was Rain''s son. Nevertheless, she did not allow the sadness to show on her face as she remained smiling at the little boy.


    "Thanks, Miss An." Rain finally managed to say after a long while. His voice was distant and emotionless. He was feeling too many emotions inside him that he couldn''t exin.


    "My pleasure, Mr. Xia," Annie replied in an equally cold voice. She did not want him to look down upon her, thus, she decided to be distant from him. An eye for an eye as they said. However, she could not feel sadder deep inside. It broke her heart to see him again and find that he already had his own family. She even thought that it was pathetic that her heart was beating like crazy right now inside her chest.


    "Come here, Richard. It''s time to go! Say goodbye to Auntie!" Rain reached out and carried Richard on his arms. He was silently choking with the tension washing over him that he couldn''t stop his hands from shaking. God knew how much he was trying his best to remainposed.


    "Goodbye, Auntie," the little gentleman said politely. As a small kid, he did not feel anything strange between the two and even gave Annie an innocent giggle.


    "Bye," responded Annie bitterly. For the second time, she had confirmed that he never had any feelings for her at all. ''It happened again. Am I the only one who really fell in love in this game?'' she quietly sighed. "Annie, do you know each other?" Fred Chen who was still standing next to Annie sensed that something was fishy between the two. Thus, he automatically cracked the question as soon as Rain turned around.


    "Kind of. But we are not familiar," was Annie''s reply in a very low voice. Little did she know that Rain heard her. He felt his heart broke inside his chest silently thus, his steps slowed as he thought, ''Shit! So we''re not familiar? Is it really how it is? Maybe. Otherwise, she wouldn''t abandon me like this, right? Who is that man next to her? Is he her husband or her lover? Damn! What am I doing with myself? Why am I even asking? It is none of my business anymore! She already said it. We are not familiar. Not even close!''


    "Daddy! Daddy!" It was Richard''s screaming voice that woke Rain up from his short trance. He lifted his head and saw Kevin standing not far away. The man who was currently being surrounded by a multitude of people looked dignified while wearing his military uniform. His face was cold as he answered questions from people around him.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Okay! I''ll take you to your Daddy," said Rain as he decided to put his thoughts of Annie aside. A mocking smile cracked on his lips as he began to walk towards where Kevin was. He had been waiting for her for so many years and even kept himself away from any other woman. He never imagined himself as just a stranger to her, thus, he felt crushed.


    Most of the people surrounding Kevin were known to be snobs and elites. Their ttery sounded fake in Kevin''s ear and it was hard for him to stay polite at this case. Dealing with this type of crowd was exhausting. Thus, seeing Raining to him with Richard instantly washed him with relief.


    "Hey, kiddo! Are you having fun?" Kevin instantly rejected the people around him and took his son from Rain. He was in a rush to get rid of these people. He immediately stepped out of the crowd with his son inside his arms the moment he saw a chance. He moved so fast, thus, he didn''t notice Rain''s emotional instability at the moment.


    "Daddy." Richard giggled inside his father''s arms. Kevin was a very busy man and he really didn''t have that much time to y with him.


    "Yes, I am here! Let''s go and find Mommy, okay?" Since Richard was still a kid, Kevin could carry him easily as he avoided the people around them.


    He was already a few steps away when he turned to Rain and noticed the man''s pale face. "What happened, Rain? You look terrible."


    "Oh! Nothing. I''m just a bit tired." A forced smile showed on Rain''s face as he walked next to the two.


    "Oh, okay! Go and take a rest. I''ll take Richard to his mother." Taking his answer casually, Kevin did not think too much and then turned around to search for Leena. Therefore, Rain was left standing in the middle of the crowd alone.


    "Uncle Rain, guess what I saw!" It was only a few seconds after when Justin suddenly appeared next to him. He was nine years old now and was taller than his peers. It was all thanks to his parents'' excellent genes that he grew up as a very charming boy. Nevertheless, he was still obviously smarter than average and acted maturely.


    "Oh? Tell me about it. What did you see?" Rain shot him a depressed nce. He still couldn''t believe how Edward made an exact replica of him through Justin. Heck! He looked exactly like his father.


    "I saw Auntie Annie! However, there was a man with her," said Justin in a joking tone. He was actually silently observing when Annie and Rain met. Frankly, he was expecting something exploding to happen back then. He was imagining Rain jumping on Annie and hugging her excitedly. Nothing of his expectations happened though. Everything went too quiet between the two and it was not like his Uncle Rain at all!


    "Are you here tofort me or make fun of me?" It was weird for him to discuss such an adult topic with a child. Nevertheless, Rain had never treated Justin as a simple child. Justin was like a matured man trapped inside a child''s body.


    "Neither. What I''d like to say is that you should have approached her regardless if there was a man with him or not." Justin let out an evil smile which made him look like Edward more.00000000000

 Chapter 1646 Miss An And Mr. Xia (Part Two)

    "Hey, kid! Are you sure you are only nine years old? You sound like ny." Rain walked to the nearest bar stand and reached for a bottle of wine. His chest was still aching, thus, he bottomed up the bottle he grabbed in just one huge gulp. "I already told you. My brain was not designed to be understood by a mere normal like you, Uncle Rain," Justin teased and sighed. He was quite content about himself.


    "Justin." Another child''s voice was heard from behind them and made Justin frown. ''Oh my God! He''s here too!''


    "Hello, Uncle Rain." It was Spencer who was looking super cute as he ran towards them. He was taller now than how he had been two years ago. The only thing that didn''t change with him was his brotherly obsession with Justin.


    "Hey, Spencer. Are you here for Justin?" Hearing the child made Rain forget about being depressed. He thought that it was better for him to divert his attention, thus, he started making fun of the kids. Everyone knew that Spencer liked staying around Justin so much. "Yes, Uncle Rain. I like to y with Justin." Children were living in a very simple world and Spencer was sure enjoying it. He was so innocent and uplicated when he immediately said his purpose.


    "Oh, God! I shall go and hide now," sighed Justin in desperation as he thought, ''How could Spencer be as innocent as this?''


    Rain kept smiling while talking with them. Although he was here, his eyes were still searching for Annie unconsciously. She was still very beautiful after so many years. Moreover, she seemed to be stronger as she matured in grace.


    Probably he should take Justin''s advice. He should have told her how he was feeling regardless if there was a man next to her. He would definitely have done that if he still was the former Rain. It was just that he wasn''t the same man anymore. He was done with being young and reckless. He had also matured. He realized just then that loving a person didn''t mean that he had to be with her. What mattered most was that Annie was happy.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Meanwhile, Daisy was extremely eye-catching tonight. She was wearing an elegant evening dress which was designed by Leena. She was the icon of the party and everyone couldn''t just take their eyes off her.


    Like always, Edward remained handsome. They were a perfect match while standing together. It wasn''t even a surprise that all the people there were attracted by the couple.


    "Annie? I almost didn''t recognize you! It''s really you!" Delight flooded Daisy''s pretty face as soon as she saw Annie. She couldn''t believe that Rain''s dream had finallye true. Nevertheless, seeing the gentleman beside Annie made her a bit hesitant of that thought. "Daisy, it''s been a long time." Annie also felt the same when she saw Daisy again.


    "It''s nice to meet you, Mr. Mu. I hope yourpany to always take the lead," Fred said as he bid them goodbye. He nned to take Annie home as she was not herself tonight. It surprised him a bit when Annie suddenly walked over the bar earlier and started drinking heavily. It wasn''t like her at all.


    "Thanks for your blessing, my great musician. It was because of you that there are many guests today. Please excuse us if you didn''t enjoy the party." Edward was not familiar with Fred since he only met the man once. He only knew about Fred''s reputation and that was all.


    "Oh don''t look at it that way. We actually enjoyed ourselves with delicious food and drinks. I think we are the ones to say ''thank you"." Fred was not a businessman, thus, he wasn''t an expert at being sophisticated in business asions like this. He was just casually smiling at everyone as that was the best thing he could do.


    "That''s a relief to me. Is your wife thinking the same?" Edward smiled evilly and looked to Annie. His question might have sounded simple and yet it was dripping with double meaning. He wanted to test Annie and see what she was going to say.


    Annie was about to speak but Fred Chen interrupted her fast. "Of course, both of us enjoyed very much."


    "Nice to see you again, Mrs. Chen." Edward reached out for a friendly handshake. He was keeping his eyes at Annie''s face and it was easy to tell how much he was enjoying the awkwardness on it.


    Although Annie felt a bit embarrassed with how Edward was taunting her, she still reached out for his hand to ept the handshake. Edward might seem silent right now but he was a very cunning man. He was already plotting something good for Annie as of this point. Honestly, Annie had nned to exin that she was not Fred''s wife. She had already sensed what Edward was pointing out right at the moment he imed not to know her. However, she suddenly felt that there was no need to exin anymore when Fred already answered on her behalf.


    Daisy looked over Fred Chen and wondered whether they were truly a couple. She just couldn''t see them as one since they were acting too weird. Moreover, she was wondering if Annie hadpletely moved on with Rain? Why would she drown herself in wine if that was the case? If it wasn''t for her feelings for Rain, then where was her sorrowing from then?


    The party was like a reunion to everyone. Someone who had disappeared for years was suddenly there. It was noticeable how everyone had matured and how they weren''t young anymore. Even Rain and Annie seemed to have changed as both of them learned to restrain how they felt despite their love for each other.


    Rain was too upied with drowning himself in wine. Thus, he didn''t even notice that Annie already left with the gentleman she was with.


    Annie''s bright smile was etched on his brain. It was the same smile that had made him fall for her. He could clearly remember how they used to embrace that night and how it felt to make love to her. However, nothing was left of that anymore. It was just like a dream. "Annie, are you hiding something from me?" asked Fred while they were driving away from the party. It was hard not to notice how strange Annie had be since they encountered the vice president of the FX International Group.


    "No. Why do you ask that?" Annie took a deep breath to calm herself down. She smiled to force herself to look okay as she didn''t want him to see that something was wrong with her.


    "Let me make a guess. Is FX International Group''s vice president their father?" Annie''s children resembled the man so much and Fred was not a fool to miss that fact.


    "I''d prefer not to discuss this topic for now." Annie frowned. Fred had been helping her with her kids for a long time and she was grateful for it. However, it didn''t mean that she was willing to give up her privacy. She disliked it when others tried to spy on her. Moreover, she wasn''t happy with how Fred interrupted her earlier. They were never a couple but his behavior and words were misleading. That was just not right.


    "Okay! I won''t force you. We''ll leave tomorrow anyway." Fred Chen smiled gently. Frankly, he wasn''t even looking at Rain as a rival in love. Annie and Rain simply should have not been apart for so many years if they truly loved each other.000

 Chapter 1647 Miss An And Mr. Xia (Part Three)

    Their car drove to the hotel where they were staying and neither Annie nor Fred noticed the car that was following them discreetly. That car did not turn back and drive away until the man in the car confirmed their hotel.


    "Mr. Mu," called Luke as he quickly walked across the party towards Edward.


    "How was it? Did you locate their hotel?" Edward asked while sping his hands behind his back. The stance made him look both professional and smart.


    "Yes. It''s Kate Hotel. What a coincidence." Luke followed the two after they left the party as what Edward ordered. It turned out that Annie and Fred chose the most familiar hotel in the city.


    "That''s great. Where is Rain? Is he still upstairs?" Edward smiled guilefully as he thought, ''Screw it, Mrs. Chen. I will be helping Rain this time no matter what.


    Say goodbye to being a stranger because you will be family." "Yes," Luke answered in a low voice. He was clueless about Edward''s n. Nevertheless, he would never dare question this man''s decisions since he had proven him to be a wise man. "Bring him to Kate Hotel. To be specific, drag him to Annie''s room." Kate Hotel was one of Edward''s properties. It would be just a piece of cake to execute what was in his mind.


    "What? Are you sure? Isn''t it a bit inappropriate?" Luke did not understand Edward''s intention.


    "Just do it. I''ll take the responsibility," said Edward nonchntly. He was a decisive and powerful man. Thus, he would not allow any question towards his decision.


    "Yes. I''ll do it right away," said Luke with a nod. To be honest, he didn''t like Edward''s idea but he would not defy his order either.


    "Wait. Remember this. Be carefully and leave no trace." Edward did not believe that Fred Chen and Annie were truly husband and wife. Therefore, he was sure that the two would not share the same room. He easily sensed the coldness between the two just by hearing them talk. They were too distant to be a real couple.


    "Copy that," Luke promised and then left to carry out Edward''s order. It was truly a challenge. Edward must have trusted him a lot to leave this hard task to him.


    Edward was smiling evilly and was about to take a sip of red wine when a familiar voice cracked his silence.


    "Tell me! Did you do something bad again?" It was Daisy. She knew her husband so well that she couldn''t just keep quiet.


    "Don''t use me. Your husband is not a bad guy." Edward reached out and hugged her out of nowhere.


    "No, don''t. They are watching us." Surprised, Daisy tried to avoid his embrace. They were still in public now, thus, she struggled a bit to keep a proper distance from him.


    "It''s okay! We are a couple. Being intimate is natural for us." Edward never cared about other people''s opinions.


    "I saw Rain killing himself with wine. He must be sad seeing his beloved woman standing next to another man. He has been waiting for her for so long." Daisy failed to escape, so she stopped struggling. She ended up just letting Edward embrace her tenderly and let him be.


    "Poor man. Watchers usually see more than yers. He is the poor yer. God helps those who help themselves. No worries, I''m already helping him," Edwardmented with confidence as if he could foresee the future and he had everything in control. "So, you mean, Annie will be Rain''s, right?" Daisy believed that Annie was not the kind who easily changed her mind.


    "Do you really want to know that?" Edward lowered his head and whispered in her ears seductively. "Kiss me and I''ll consider whether to tell you or not."


    "Stay away!" Daisy stepped on his foot heavily as she thought, ''Damn man! I knew it! I should not be too generous on him. He would ask for extra as long as there''s a chance!''


    "Hey,dy! We are in public! Don''t make me awkward!" Watching her walking away, Edwardined in a low voice. He did not offend her. He just asked for a kiss. It was a simple request. ''Was it really that difficult?'' he thought.


    "You deserve it." Duke walked to Edward slowly. Needless to say, he came here for Rain. Annie''s appearance caused a chaos among them.


    "Just shut up." Edward rolled his eyes at Duke. All his friends were sometimes so mean to each other, himself included, of course.


    "It''s my freedom to speak." It was obvious how Duke was much more gentle now than how he had been in the past. Probably it was his beautiful wife and cute son that changed him.


    "Yes, you have the freedom but don''t makement on me, please. You can talk to Tom." Edward was still wincing in pain when he shot Duke a dagger stare. Daisy stepped so heavily on his foot that he probably got bruised.


    "What are you talking about?" Tom appeared all of the sudden just like a ghost.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "Well. Everyone is here. Let''s have a discussion! What''s in your mind about Annie and Rain?" Edward could not help but smile as they seemed to make a plot.


    "In my point of view, as long as Rain likes her, we should help him. I don''t even care about Fred at all," Duke said in a cool tone. Rain could be counted to his family. He''d like to do everything for him.


    "But before that, I think we need to figure out something. I remember that Annie liked Rain so much and it seemed that she would not marry any other man. In that case, how''s it possible that the man named Fred is her husband now? She won''t change easily." Doctors were good at reasoning. Tom was good in taking everything into consideration.


    "You hear that? That''s what a clever man would say. You would only mess thing up, Duke." Edward cast a disdainful look at Duke as if Duke was a saucy man. In reality though, Edward was thinking the same way as Duke before Tom said a thing.


    "Come on. Don''t try to fool us. You must have done something already, right?" Duke would never believe that Edward would let thing be without taking any action.


    "I won''t allow my friend to be teased, even though she is a female,"mented Edward. Annie must know that there was a high possibility to meet Rain when she decided to attend the party held by FX International Group. He found it odd that Annie decided toe in with another man. Had she even thought of Rain? He had been waiting for her for four years. How could she even show-off on his face?


    "Great! As expected! Would you mind telling us a bit?" Duke smirked while looking at Edward. Edward would always be the first to protect his family and friends.


    "Two words." A cunning smile cracked Edwards lips while looking at his friends.


    "What?" Tom and Duke asked in chorus.


    "A secret." Edward left immediately when he finished speaking, leaving the two looking at each other cluelessly.


    "What did he mean?" Duke said puzzledly with furrowed eyebrows.


    "A secret, he said." Tom was also ready to leave. Edward kept it a secret because he would not tell them. That was simple to understand. Thus, he thought, ''Since when did Duke be this mentally slow? Probably since Spencer was born. But then, people say that it is the mother who is mentally affected after giving birth. How is it even possible for Duke to be this blunt when it is supposed to be Belinda?!''

 Chapter 1648 Misunderstandings (Part One)

    At Kate Hotel


    Just as Annie entered the bathroom and shut the door, her room door was opened from the outside and a few people sneaked in. They put someone on the bed and covered him with her quilt before leaving the room. The whole stealthy processsted no more than a minute.


    Outside the room, by the door, Luke shed a cunning smile, holding a camera in his hand. Not too long ago, he had convinced a bellman to put the camera in the room with the excuse of giving Annie a bottle of wine as a present from the hotel. That way he could know when she would enter the bathroom and take this opportunity to send Rain in. After they put Rain in the room, he took the camera out with him. The n seemed perfect. The first half was executed perfectly. Now all they needed to do was to wait for the rest to unfold. Meanwhile, Annie immersed herself in the warm water. She didn''t hear anything from outside the bathroom as the sound of flowing water drowned out any other noise. Besides, she was still dwelling on the encounter with Rain at the party earlier.


    Her heart felt like it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand when she remembered that Rain had called her Miss An in an indifferent way.


    She had always thought of Rain as a yboy without any ns of getting married. To her dismay, it turned out that he not only got married, but now had an adorable son.


    Before going to the party, she had hoped that Rain would still be single. She was going to test the waters and see if they could have a chance to get back together. She loved Rain and was willing to work out their differences and perhaps change his mind, so they could get married in the future. But with what she had seen this evening, her n almost made her look like a fool and she felt sorry for herself.


    She pretended to be okay in front of Rain. But she was alone now and did not need to hold back her tears.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    She stayed in the bathroom for a long time and her eyes were red and swollen. By the time she came out, she had calmed down a little. She applied some products on her skin and was about to go to bed. She threw back the quilt and was startled by the man asleep on her bed. She gave out an ear deafening shriek. Fortunately, the sound instion was quite good at this hotel. Otherwise, other guests would have heard her screaming. Her scream was extremely loud but the man did not wake up.


    She patted her chest to calm herself down, and when she recognized who the man was, she was shocked, her eyes wide. ''Am I dreaming?'' she thought to herself. She rubbed her eyes and realized that she was not.


    ''How did he manage to get in? Did hee here by himself?'' she scrambled for answers. Annie looked around to check if there was something off in her room. She even put on a robe and opened the door to look out in the hallway. It was quiet and not a soul was in sight. She came back inside, totally confused.


    She then went back to the bedside, and this time she smelled the alcohol in his breath. She couldn''t help but furrow her brow.


    She took the time to gaze at his handsome face. ''He still looks so charming. That was the main reason why I fell for him from the very beginning.'' She remembered how she had been mesmerized the first time she saw him. "Rain, wake up." She forgot to call him Mr. Xia this time.


    "Mmm. Leena, I want to sleep." Rain turned over and didn''t open his eyes. Since Annie had left him, he had never dated another woman. The only woman close to him was Leena, so he thought it was Leena who was talking to him.


    Annie''s face turned pale when she heard that name. She almost forgot that he had a happy family and a beautiful wife. There was no way she could win in this situation!


    ''What should I do? I can''t just let him sleep here. What if his wife misunderstands when she finds out about this? Yes, I am still in love with him but I will by no means be the third party,'' she thought to herself.


    She walked back and forth by the bed. She still hadn''t figured out how he had gotten in her room. It couldn''t be that he had entered the wrong room. She didn''t believe that a grand hotel like Kate Hotel would make such a mistake for something so simple and basic as room assignment.


    The current situation was like the one which had happened years ago. The difference was that he had been single then and was a married man now. She couldn''t sleep with him like they had done thest time.


    "Water..." Rain moaned in a low voice.


    Water? Annie was stunned for a little while and then ran to grab him a ss of water.


    "Here you go. Have a drink." Annie knelt beside the bed and handed him the ss, but he didn''t respond. It seemed that he hadn''t woken up and was just talking in his dream.


    Annie bit her lower lip and pondered for a while. Then she ced the ss on the nightstand and reached out to help him sit. However, when she touched his body, she withdrew her hands at once as if she had touched something with electrical current. ''Rain, what should I do? I can''t just leave you here alone, and I can''t sleep with you either. You are really causing a big problem for me here,'' she thought to herself.


    She went to the couch and sat there, thinking about their past and looking at him. She really regretted having left four years ago. But there was no time machine that would take her back to undo what she had done.


    She held her knees and stared at the man on the bed who was sound asleep. How she wished she could hug and kiss him. But she was a virtuous woman and would not sleep with someone else''s husband. She kept telling herself that he had a beautiful wife and a wonderful son. No matter how much she loved him, she couldn''t be the homewrecker.


    She shed a bitter smile and mocked herself. Her heart was aching as if someone were ripping it apart, the pain reaching the depths of her soul. She took out her phone and the screen lit up.

 Chapter 1649 Misunderstandings (Part Two)

    The screen showed a picture of a boy and a girl. They quite looked like each other, meaning that they could possibly be twins. Annie touched the screen and said in a light voice, "My babies, I''m really sorry. I can''t bring your daddy home to you."


    She stared at the picture on the phone until she fell asleep on the couch.


    When Rain woke up, he felt parched and the pounding pain in his head was killing him. He didn''t open his eyes, but rubbed his brow to alleviate the pain. After he felt better, he opened his eyes and got the shock of his life.


    He threw back the quilt and jumped off the bed. ''Where the hell am I? Did my friends just throw me in a hotel room instead of sending me home? What fucking fake friends I have! I''m gonna get those sons of bitches next time!'' he cursed in his mind.


    He looked around and his eyes widened when he saw a woman sleeping on the couch. He looked closer and easily recognized who it was. Annie! What was she doing here? And why were they in the same room?


    He fixed his eyes on her face and didn''t dare to move. He was afraid that this was just a dream, and Annie would disappear once he woke up. He wanted to stay in this moment a bit longer.


    She didn''t seem to be sleeping well as her brow was furrowed. The phone in her hand was about to drop. He walked to her quietly and caught the phone as it was about to fall to the carpeted floor.


    He knew it was not right to invade her privacy, but his curiosity was killing him. He turned on the phone and it felt like his heart was pierced when he saw the twins on the screen. ''She has a son and a daughter, and they look like two or three years old. It means that she got married and got pregnant after she left me. Ha-ha! I am such a fool!'' he mocked himself.


    ''But why do these two kids look so familiar? And I couldn''t help but feel warm looking at them, ''he thought.


    He shook his head and brushed the weird feeling off. He thought it must be because he loved Annie so much that he couldn''t help but be fond of her children. Maybe he even loved them already.


    He put her phone on the nightstand and sat on the edge of the bed. Since she already had a family with two children, Rain decided to give up on her and let her go. He believed that if he truly loved her, he should be strong enough to give way. He shouldn''t be the one who destroyed her beautiful family. As long as she was happy, he was happy too. He could and would do everything for her.


    He checked the time. It was 4:00 in the morning. He looked around and realized where he was judging by the furnishings and the theme of the room. He curled his lips and shed a mocking smile. He knew why he was here; it must be Edward who had asked his men to put him in this room. ''Thanks, bro, but I don''t think I need it, '' he thought to himself. ''But where is Annie''s husband? Why isn''t he here with her? Or maybe this is not her room either and she was brought here by Edward''s men as well. Those jerks!'' he thought to himself as he tried harder to figure it out.


    No matter what the truth was, Edward''s n seemed doomed to fail. She had already gotten married and had two adorable children.


    "Hmmpp..." As she was not sleeping well on the couch, she let out a soft moan and turned over, in an attempt to find a morefortable position. She almost fell down to the floor. She woke up instantly and yelled in surprise.


    Rain made a few dry coughs and looked away. Embarrassment and awkwardness hung in the air.


    "Rain, you are awake!" Seeing Rain sitting on the bed, Annie was thrilled and walked up to him.


    "Hi, Annie. You''re awake too. Why am I here?" Although he had known the answer, he pretended to not know it.


    "I don''t know either. When I took a bath and got out the bathroom, you were already in my bed," Annie exined, staring at Rain with a pair of innocent eyes.


    "Sorry. You must have been scared to death." His voice was softer this time, as he had calmed down.


    "Uh, I was fine. How have you been?" Annie asked. Actually she was dying to ask if he had missed her.


    "Not bad, as you can see. You seem to have a happy life," Rain teased. He put on his usual warm face to cover his sorrow. He had no idea that Annie had misunderstood the rtionship between him and Leena. Otherwise, he would exin it immediately. "Actually..." Annie opened her mouth, trying to exin her rtionship with Fred, but eventually decided not to.


    "What?" Rain asked, eager to know.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Nothing serious. I''m d to know that you are happy, Rain." Annie gave him a sweet smile, but on the inside, she was crying.


    "Thank you," Rain replied coldly as his heart sank. He thought Annie was trying to dissociate herself from him.


    "You have a beautiful wife and an adorable son." Annie tried her best to sound natural, but her shaking voice betrayed her.


    "What? What are you talking about? I have a wife and a son?" Rain reacted in disbelief, his jaw ck. He was totally confused. After a while, he realized that Annie must have thought that Richard was his son. But who did she think his wife was? And why was she thinking like that? "Uh? Did I say something wrong?" Annie asked in reply, seeing the bewildered look on his face.


    "Never mind." Rain shook his head. He nned to exin it, but at the thought of Annie''s husband and children, he decided not. What was the use?


    They remained silent for a long time. Rain bid her goodbye as he couldn''t bear the silence anymore. Yes, he still loved her. But so what? She was married, and he could do nothing about it.


    Annie watched his receding figure. She wanted to stop him, but didn''t. If she stopped him, what would she tell him? She didn''t know.


    Rain didn''t leave the hotel. He had his own suite just a few floors up, so he headed straight to it. As soon as he got in, he threw himself onto the soft bed burying his face into the pillow.00000

 Chapter 1650 Misunderstandings (Part Three)

    There was nothing he could do to solve the problem now. He didn''t want to destroy her family, and decided to set her free.


    When Annie was still sound sleep, her phone rang. She cursed silently and reached out to answer it.


    "Hello." Her eyes were still puffy and her voice was husky.


    "Mommy, it''s me, Joyce. When will you be back? Huey and I missed you so much." A child''s voice came from the other end of the line, which made Annie sober up immediately.


    "Joyce baby, mommy missed you too. Have you been a good girl while I am away?" Annie asked in a soft voice.


    "Yes, I have. But Huey hasn''t. He forbade me from ying with him," Joyceined. Annie could imagine that Joyce was now pouting her lips.


    "Oh, really? And what is your brother doing now?" Annie asked. Her heart melted when she heard her own daughter''s voice.


    "He''s ying with his remote control car. He said that I''m a girl and he doesn''t y with girls," Joyce grumbled.


    "Ha! Really? Honey, put your brother on the phone, okay? Let mommy teach him a lesson." Annie knew her son must be next to her daughter and ying with his new favorite, a remote controlled car. The reason he didn''t make any sound was that he was too focused on his toy to say anything.


    "Huey, mommy wants to talk to you." The girl turned to her brother and reached out her hand to give him the phone.


    Huey put the remote control down and took the phone with resignation. "Hello, Mommy." His voice was sort of cool.


    "Huey, Joyce said you didn''t want to y with her. Is that true?" Annie asked in a soft voice.


    "She told you that? What a leaf blower." Huey cast a reproachful nce at his sister. He looked much more mature than his sister.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Was she not telling the truth?" Annie had always told the brother and sister that in this world, they should be the closest people to each other and they needed to love each other. But it seemed that Huey was rather cold towards Joyce.


    "Liar!" Huey cursed in a low voice. It was Joyce who didn''t want to y with the remote control car with him. But now she told Annie that he didn''t want to y with her.


    "What did you just say?" Annie didn''t hear what he said. She had hired a nanny to take care of her children, but she still felt tired.


    "Nothing. Mommy, when will you and Uncle Fred be back?" Huey quickly changed the subject.


    "Well, our flight is in the afternoon. I''ll be home in the evening. Be nice to Joyce, okay? I know that you''re a good brother," Annie urged.


    "I will, Mommy. Bye!" Huey hung up the phone and was about to talk to Joyce. But she already ran away as she knew what she did and now she got caught. She had made her brother mad for turning against him.


    After hanging up, Annie shook her head with resignation. She didn''t want to sleep anymore, so she readied herself and went out to have a look around the city.


    Thest thing Rain wanted to do was meet Fred under such circumstances. He had a hangover and looked rather tired and dispirited. He didn''t want to look like a loser in front of Fred.


    "Mr. Xia, what a coincidence! Why are you here?" Fred asked in confusion. He didn''t know that Kate Hotel was under FX International Group, so he was surprised to see Rain here.


    "So, you didn''t know that this hotel is under FX International Group? I''m here for business." When he was drinking with Tomst time, thetter had kept telling him important things about Fred. As a result, Rain knew much about him. "Oh! I thought..." Fred stopped and didn''t say what he wanted to say. He thought Rain was here for Annie.


    "You thought what? You thought I have a thing for you?" Rain teased with an evil smile.


    "No, no, no! Mr. Xia, you are thinking too much." Fred shook his hands at once. He found that he was too young to deal with Rain.


    "I have some work to finish, so please excuse me. Goodbye!" Rain turned to leave. He was in no mood to make small talk with Annie''s husband.


    "Bye!" Fred was an artist, and didn''t like businessmen. He didn''t want to make friends with Rain either.


    Rain entered the elevator and mocked himself in his mind, ''Am I a fool? I was trying to meet Annie before leaving the hotel. But instead, I met her husband. What freaking bad luck!''


    Fred could clearly see the arrogance in Rain''s eyes, but he was not intimidated at all. He left the unpleasant encounter behind and walked to Annie''s room.


    "Annie, are you awake?" He knocked on the door softly.


    "Hi Fred! Wait a second." Annie knew nothing about what had happened in the hallway. She was applying lotion to her face. After that, she stood and opened the door for Fred.


    "Are you ready? Our flight is in the afternoon. We still have time to have breakfast and stroll around the city. I heard there are many delicious things to try here, like snacks, street food and many others." Fred looked at the woman in front of him with eyes full of affection. He had a thing for her, but she was too insensitive to realize it. Besides, it showed on her face that her heart belonged to someone else.


    "Yeah, sure, why not?" Annie didn''t expect Fred to have the same idea as her, so she was thrilled when she found out that their minds worked the same.


    "Let''s go." Fred had doubted that Rain had just left Annie''s room. But on seeing her reaction, Fred knew he was wrong.


    Annie was not familiar with S City, nor was she aplete stranger. She had been here before. But the city had changed a lot during these past few years, and it looked different from how she remembered it. She believed that she would never forget this city, because the man she loved the most was from here and lived here.0000????

 Chapter 1651 An Accident (Part One)

    When Rain got home, Edward, hearing about the news, immediately called him.


    "Don''t say anything yet - I know what you want to say," said Rain once he had picked up the call. Rain knew that Edward was good-intentioned, but he also knew that whatever Edward thought was wrong; Rain would never be the one to wreck another man''s family. "Man, give it to me straight. Are you acting like some kind of coward in front of Annie again?" Edward wore a frown in his face. When he heard that Rain left the hotel alone, he was certain that Rain did not seedst night.


    "No, I''m not. I don''t want to make a fool out of myself, Edward. I don''t want to look like a creep," exined Rain who looked down. His grief came in waves, devouring him.


    "Hold on. What do you mean?" Edward did not think that Annie would ever have the guts to turn down Rain. She had loved Rain dearly in the past and it wouldn''t be like her to just change her mind all of a sudden. "Edward, she has children already. Do you think I would stand a chance?" asked Rain, trying not to me fate so that he could face the music.


    "Are you sure? You can''t just assume those children are hers," Edward debated. He was trying not to show that he was taken aback from what he just heard and was thinking if he was wrong about how steady Annie''s love for Rain was. As much as Edward wanted to agree with Rain, he was positive about what he saw: Annie and Fred, however, treated each other like guests. The two did not seem like a couple at all.


    "It''s obvious," Rain said. "They''re a couple and it''s normal for them to have children," he added with a bitter smile stered across his face.


    "A couple? You really think those two love each other? I don''t agree." Edward snorted, looking handsome and striking even in the midst of disgust.


    "I saw this with my own eyes, man. It''s an immutable fact," Rain said in a depressed tone.


    "Come on. Not everything you see is necessarily true. Sometimes, you have to look with your heart, not with your eyes." Edward was once in the same situation as Rain before, so he could empathize with Rain very heavily.


    "Stop trying tofort me." Rain knitted his brows in despair and closed his ears to whatever Edward had to advice.


    "Fine. Tell me, was there anyone else in the room besides you and Anniest night?" Those who were closely involved couldn''t see as clearly as those who were outside. Edward decided that he would help Rain think rationally so that everything could fall into their respective order.


    "Nope. Weren''t you the one who arranged the room?" Rain was perplexed. He had no idea why Edward would ask such a question.


    "Oh, man, no. We didn''t do anything," Edward said, thinking how foolish Rain was.


    "So you''re saying my eyes deceived me?" Enlightened, Rain sprung up from the sofa, overwhelmed. ''Why didn''t I figure this out sooner?'' he thought to himself.


    "Thank God, man! Your dense little head has finally wrapped itself around the situation. Now that you get it, do something! Find Annie and never let her go." Edward had let out a long sigh of relief. He had finally made Rain realize reality in its truest form much so that Rain had to act on it.


    "Thank you, Edward! Drinks on me the next time we go out. We''ll get drunk!" Rain picked up the car keys on the table, hoping to do something redemptive.


    "Forget the drinks. You owe me greater things. I''ll ask you for something else soon." Edward was always like this; he never did as others said. He had his own rules.


    "Suit yourself. I have to go." Rain hung up and hurried out. He got inside his car and revved the engine. The minute he was about to drive, his phone rang. His secretary, William He, was calling him.


    He picked up the call and immediately asked William what the call was for. "Hey, William," he said, "What''s up?" William was an intellectual and was capable of many things. Rain transferred him to the KD Group from the FX International Group because he trusted William. "Mr. Xia, there is something wrong with the project in the Western Hill. It seems that the materials aren''t very high quality, much less durable. As I like to put it, the materials are inferior. This being said, many workers have been injured from the rubble. We need you here right now," William spoke fast. It was very noisy on the construction site because everyone was crowding up the site and talking about the ident.


    "What?" asked Rain in utter annoyance, "Who''s responsible for this project?" Rain then drove to the Western Hill instead of driving to Annie. He had to set her aside for work.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "Mr. Ke is responsible, but I can''t seem to reach him. His phone must be off," said William.


    "I see. Do your best to rescue and aid the victims and send all those who are wounded to Renxin Hospital. I''ll meet you there. Call the police for back up," Rain instructed as he made a turn for the hospital. ''Damn,'' he thought to himself, ''I shouldn''t havepromised with the Ke Family.'' "Alright. I''ll make arrangements right away." William hung up the phone and executed Rain''s instructions immediately.


    Rain closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself down. He then called Tom.


    "Hey, man. Are you calling to share your joy this early in the morning?" Tom smirked knowing that every minute ofst night was precious for Rain.


    "Cut the crap, Tom. Get your men ready for the casualties. I''ll be right there." Rain wanted to see the site for himself first but he thought twice about this and changed his mind. The lives of the staff were more important so he postponed his site visit.


    "Wait. What do you mean? Get ready for the casualties?" Tom thought that he was still tripping in his sleep.


    "An ident happened in the Western Hill project. Many people were hurt and I ordered to send them to your hospital." Rain did not trust other hospitals except Tom''s. He was aware that the casualties would be costly but to Rain a human life held greater value than anything else.


    "Really? It sounds really serious." Tom walked out of his office and made arrangements for the pressing task he had to do.


    "I have no idea what happened, but if it''s saving lives then it''s my top priority. I''ll see youter." Rain hung up and called Sanford.??????????

 Chapter 1652 An Accident (Part Two)

    "Hey Rain," Sanford greeted Rain in a rather hoarse voice. It was the first time that Rain had initiated to call him this early in the morning.


    "I want to see Cyrus now! Otherwise there will be consequences and he should know what they are," Rain demanded. He did not sugarcoat his words anymore.


    "Huh? What''s the matter?" Sanford could tell that Rain was angry but he had no idea why. What did Cyrus do to get on his nerves?


    "Ask him yourself. Tell him if he doesn''t want to get arrested, he should see me right now!" Rain threw the phone aside. ''Damn it, '' he thought. ''Why did the ident have to take ce now out of all the times that it could?'' His ns to get Annie back were sabotaged by the circumstances and he could not do anything about it.


    Sanford hung up trembling. It was the first time he had encountered Rain''s anger. Fortunately for him, he did not have to see Rain throw a fit in person. Otherwise, Rain would have channeled all his rage to Sanford.


    Rain drove faster than he usually would; he drove recklessly until he arrived at the hospital where he found that the ambnces had note back.


    "Are you alright?" Tom asked, worried and concerned about the condition of his friend. However, Rain kept a straight face and Tom could not help but wonder if he was sessfulst night.


    "I''m fine. Do all that you can to aid the injured and don''t worry about quoting me the medical bills." As Rain had been treated meanly when he was little, he always told himself that all people should be treated equally regardless of their social statuses and social standing; he showed no prejudice and practiced equality as much as he could.


    Tomughed at the man. "Look how generous the cold hearted man actually is," Tom teased Rain for the first time. Rain was older than Tom so Tom was always tiptoeing around Rain out of respect.


    "Stop beating your gums. Are all the doctors and nurses ready?" In all of this, Rain was still hungover so he looked really pale and dispirited.


    "Don''t worry. I never joke about lives," said Tom although the opposite could be said about him since there were lives he had refused to save because he did not think they were worth saving.


    More than a dozen injured people were sent to the hospital. Two were seriously hurt while the others were just slightly harmed. Luckily, none of the workers died.


    "Mr. Xia, some journalists have taken photos before I arrived. The ident will be published to the newspapers soon," William anxiously reported to Rain. He was nervous because he knew that if the ident reached public knowledge, the KD Group''s stock would be affected and all of Rain''s efforts for more than two years would be in vain.


    "Try not to worry. I''m trying to deal with it." Along the way, Rain had already thought about all the possible oues; he had thought of the worst so that he could prepare for the worst. He had called the PR team of the FX International Group and asked them to prevent the media from reporting highly detailed news regarding the ident.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "The police have cordoned off the site. You will have to go there personally." William''s eyes were clouded with worry because he could not bear to tell Rain about the tragedy in the construction site.


    "Alright. I''ll be there in a minute." Rain massaged the temple of his head. His thought was in a downwards spiral and he did not have the energy to think about his situation with Annie.


    Annie had no idea what Rain had been busying himself with. She was obliviously eating sumptuous snacks with Fred in the food street of S City.


    "Annie, I can''t think of a reason why you like the food here so much." Fred looked at Annie who was freely indulging herself.


    "It''s not that I like the things that go on around this district, but no girl can say no to delicious food, can they?" Annie said with a dazzling smile. She was not like the other girls who preferred food more luxurious than the food she would hoard and purchase along the streets of a dangerous part of the city.


    "That''s right. You don''t look very good though. Did you sleep wellst night?" Fred asked carelessly.


    "I guess it''s because I''m not really used to this ce." Annie was reluctant to think over the things that took ce the night before because she knew that it would depress her.


    "I met the deputy CEO of the FX International Group outside your room this morning," Fred shared, watching Annie''s facial expression shift drastically.


    "Oh? Really?" Annie''s heart jolted but she did her best to look as calm as she could, trying to hide her excitement.


    "Aren''t you curious?" Fred asked, thinking that Annie would be more interested in the topic.


    "Should I be?" Annie looked up to him innocently wondering.


    "I thought he came for you," Fred said. He regretted the words that came out of his mouth because he knew that they were words that would piss the woman off. "What are you implying?" Annie asked angrily. She could not bear the tone that Tom took.


    "I''m sorry. I went too far." Fred was right; he had overstepped Annie.


    "Fred, you and I are good friends. So much that I apanied you to that celebration. I didn''te there with personal agendas. Please, don''t get me wrong." Fred, after all, could not find a femalepanion to take to S City so Annie was kind enough toe with him. If it were for any other reason, Annie would not havee back. The city held too many sad memories for her that she could not escape. But Fred suspected her of being ill-intentioned and that offended her. She did not like being misunderstood. As much as she could, Annie tried to maintain the purity of her integrity.


    "I know. Please, don''t be angry. I really didn''t mean anything offensive. It was just a casual question I mindlessly asked." Fred wiped the sweat off his head. Annie was different; she was of distinct personality and she did not like it whenever other people questioned her. "Forget it. Let''s just go." Annie immediately lost her appetite, so she got up and left, knowing real well that Fred would follow her.


    Annie still remembered how she sadly walked along the same streets alone. It had been more than four years, but she still remembered so vividly. Even if Fred was with her now, she still felt lonely and isted because the man who was with her was not the man she loved most.

 Chapter 1653 An Accident (Part Three)

    Fred fixated his attention on Annie. Although she kept denying it, he could tell that she met a terrible feeling within the city. Otherwise, she would not look so sad.


    Rain was too upied to attend to any of his personal endeavors. After he made sure that every wounded person had already been attended to in the hospital, he rushed down to the Western Hill. He came to collect the details before going to the police station to file a report. Cyrus was nowhere to be found. Not only was Sanford unsessful in finding Cyrus, he also had no clues since not even his wife knew his whereabouts. ording to Cyrus'' wife, he did not go homest night and he had turned off his phone so that no one could get in touch with him. That was why Rain had to handle the ident that Cyrus had caused alone.


    "Mr. Xia, I have a hunch that all this is a conspiracy," William spoke out his mind. He felt that it wasn''t a coincidence that Cyrus was nowhere to be found. He must have nned his escape.


    "I know, but what happened has already happened. Even if there''s a trap, I still have to go ahead without hesitation if I want to find out what''s on the other side." Rain was no longer a frivolous yboy. He became a responsible CEO who could keep hisposure and could stay level headed.


    "It''s monstrous!" William fumed. "He keeps making things look like your fault. This time, you even have to take the me for him!" William was disgusted and upset. Everything went smoothly back when they worked at the FX International Group. It was nothing like this. Edward might have been bossy then, but they got along just well with each other.


    "It''s okay. It''s not like I''m easy to defeat." Rain sneered. He knew he was nobody''s patsy. He was not as vulnerable as he was a decade ago. He learned his lesson.


    "But the police might arrest you," William added.


    "Mr. Yi knows what to do." Rain had absolute confidence in this. Even if Mr. Yi did not help him for the sake of Kevin and Daisy, he had to in order to show his respect and gratitude for Edward. Moreover, Rain believed that the police would not do anything to him until they found out who was responsible for the ident.


    "How about the media?"


    "I have arranged everything for every circumstance. I''ll hold a press conference in the afternoon. Please, do prepare for it." It was better for Rain to take initiative than to await his doom so he approached the circumstance. "Understood, Mr. Xia." William finally broke into a smile. It seemed that his boss already had everything figured out.


    It was not until Annie arrived at the airport that she heard about the news regarding the ident that took ce. She had not seen Rain for years so she was surprised to know that Rain had be the CEO of the KD Group.


    "Annie, isn''t he the deputy CEO of the FX International Group? I didn''t know he was also the CEO of the KD Group," Fred asked in curiosity. Annie sat still, trying to keep her heart steady. Her eyes were ssy trying to hold back the tears at the sight of Rain.


    "I have no idea." Annie was just as confused. There were butterflies dancing around inside her stomach, violently trying to get out.


    "I am very sorry for the ident that took ce under my care. My improper management opened the door for disaster. I will identify the families of the injured employees and the affected personnel in order to extend my apologies to them. I will make sure the KD Group covers all medical expenses." Rain''s low voice echoed in Annie''s ears. She thought that he looked more depressed than he originally wasst night.


    Annie had no idea what Rain said next. She was so lost in the face of Rain that she could not hear anything and anyone else just wondering how Rain was doing.


    "Annie, it''s time to board the ne," Fred reminded her. She looked like she lost her soul. Fred became more certain that there was something between Annie and this man. At least, there used to be.


    "Okay," Annie said. "Let''s go." Annie thought Rain had nothing to do with her already. He had someone to take care of him, but she could not help but feel heartbroken.


    "Annie, this way." Fred dragged Annie who was going in the opposite direction of where the flight was.


    "Oh," Annie said, "Sorry, I''m being so absent-minded." Annie frowned and knew that something was going inside of her. Seeing the depressed look on the face of the love of her life made her want to shelter him in her arms and console him. ''Am I being crazy?!'' she thought to herself. "Hurry up. We''re going to bete for our flight," Fred urged since he felt that the longer Annie stayed, the more dismayed she felt. He was afraid to lose his friend to the city so he was really eager to leave.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Okay." Annie went with Fred to the right direction but would look back repeatedly every step of the way, longing for the warmth of Rain''s embrace.


    After the press conference, Rain was already exhausted. However, he still had to follow up some tasks. That was why when he saw Tiana, he just got more short-tempered.


    "Rain, are you alright?" Tiana did not know about the ident so she rushed over to watch the press conference.


    "Get off my neck, Tiana. I''m busy." Rain impatiently broke away from the grip of her hand. This caused Tiana to fall down. He stopped for a moment, thinking maybe he should help her, but he decided that he had better things to do and hurriedly marched away from her. "Miss Ke, get up. Mr. Xia is in a bad mood. Please, don''t put anything more on his te." William helped Tiana up and quickly went back to serve his boss.


    Rain pushed the door to his office open and mmed it shut. He still had a lot of repressed anger to release when his phone rang.


    "Hello?" He answered weakly.


    "Annie will leave by ne at four o''clock," Edward said in a deep voice, taking a serious tone.


    "So?" Rain sprawled onto the couch, showing no interest. ''Let her go then, he thought. They had been separated for so long that Rain had no concrete proof of whether or not Annie still had feelings for him. Even if Fred wasn''t her husband and even if the children he saw weren''t hers, he no longer had anything to do with her. Annie didn''t ask him to stay the moment he leftst night. Rain thought he was being delusional and had given up on getting the love of his life to stay.00000000000?????

 Chapter 1654 Why Isnt Daddy Back Yet (Part One)

    "So? Shouldn''t you go to ask her to stay?" The living room was silent except for Edward''s pissed voice. He looked at the view from the floor to ceiling length windows, and not even the lovely skyline could calm his temper. His lips twitched in annoyance. He was irritated by Rain''s carefree manner as if things had nothing to do with him. He was holding the phone in vice-like grip as the other person hissed into the receiver, "You already said the flight will take off at four o''clock. But it''s now fifty past three. Do you expect me to fly there by rocket?" On the other end of the line, Rain reclinedzily on the cream-colored sofa. He watched the crystals of the chandelier sway a little bit with t eyes. This misfortune woulde to him sooner orter, and here he was. It would be useless for him to make any further efforts to try and change anything. Forced love did notst. "As long as you want, nothing is impossible for me." Edward visibly rxed a little and shed a sly smile. His hands loosened the grip on the phone. To dy a flight was a rather simple thing for a powerful man like Edward.


    "No need. Like I just said, I don''t want to cause her any trouble," Rain said with a hint of finality in his voice. He stopped watching the chandelier crystals and turned to look at the bare white wall instead. As time passed, his ardor for love gradually wore off. He had be more mature in handling his emotions now.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "You can continue to be an airhead if you like. But don''te running to us if you regret this." Edward retorted and he didn''t bother to hide his irritation. Now he was truly annoyed. Hadn''t Rain always been a womanizer? He was rather known for that, even. When did he suddenly be so nonchnt and uninterested in love? Was he a saint now or was he on some sort of sabbatical? Edward wondered.


    "Do you think that is even possible? Someone who is so handsome and attractive like me will never regret." Rain snorted, his toneced with both arrogance and a tinge of self-mockery. The white wall seemed to be agreeing with him in this matter. He closed his eyes and threw his head back on the sofa.


    "Whatever. I already told you what I knew, and it''s up to you to decide what to do. Let''s drop it and talk about KD Group. How''s it going with the matter of West Hill project?" Edward spoke in a more serious tone. All the PR teams of FX International Group had been devoted to dealing with the ident. If they still failed to handle it well, then Edward would no longer have a face to show as the CEO of thepany.


    "We''re still working on it, but the stock is declining." The past few years had witnessed fat and tremendous development in KD Group''s performance in the market. However, the recent ident greatly affected them and they would surely have a tough time in patching up things. The media being able to blow up things out of proportion certainly didn''t help out either.


    "If this was before, I would suggest you giving up and getting yourself out of this mess. Now it is different, and I know how much effort you''ve put in thispany. I know that it would be pretty hard for you to do so, which is why FX International Group will give you full support." What was a brother? He was the person who stood behind you and held up the sky for you.


    "Edward, don''t say these sentimental words or else, I will be moved to tears. It is not your style." Rain might actually be moved to tears which was a weird sight for a bossy man like him. His eyes became a little red. Ever since the ident happened, all his family members had hidden from the public sight, which pushed him to bear the brunt. It seemed like that he had ended up with such a cruel fate, but he had already anticipated it.


    "Shut up! I''m offering you help! Stop saying so much bullshit," Edward snapped at Rain''s sappy words. That was totally not how they dealt with things.


    "Pardon me, your majesty. And please excuse me, I will say good bye now," Rain said in an effeminate tone with a hint of self-mockery, as if they were joking at a brunch and not dealing with a scandal. He felt that he was like ackey who always ttered and sucked up to his master.


    "Huh! You brat!" Edward got even more annoyed and he hung up. He pressed the end button quite hard as he did so. He thought that he had worried too much. But why the hell should he be so concerned with Rain? He wasn''t even his parent anyway.


    Meanwhile, in the settee of Rain''s office, Rain closed his eyes and let the bright light turn into dim figures under his eyelids and he sighed deeply. How he wished he could just stay like this for a long time, his eyes closed off to the world and keeping all the trouble out of his sight! All the things that happened during the short day had exhausted him.


    A heavy hand knocked loudly on the oak door. He didn''t even bother to respond. He just let the sound pass through his ear. The door creaked open after a few moments when no one replied to the visitor.


    "Rain, are you okay?" Sanford came in and asked with concern. He felt sad to see Rain reclinezily on the sofa, looking weary. His one leg even rested on the smooth ss of the coffee table. "As you see, I can''t be too good," Rain replied coldly, a little vexed.


    "I have sent people to look for your brother. But we still haven''t found him anywhere, so..." Sanford said tentatively, as he tested the waters. He had always acted very cautiously in front of Rain as he felt that he would annoy him if he said something inappropriately. "Stop! I don''t have a brother like him. He is only your son and it has nothing to do with me." Rain''s defiant voice rang loudly in the room. What he hated the most was whenever Sanford connected him with his family. He refused to be a part of their revolting n. "How''s the matter now? Has it affected the stock?" Sanford decided to try switching the subject as he asked carefully.


    "Haha! I should have thought that this is what you really care about," Rain said as his lips smiled in self-mockery for the umpteenth time. Although he thought that he wouldn''t be affected by anything this family of his did, he couldn''t help but feel hurt by them at this time. "I..." The light in Sanford''s face dimmed, not knowing how to exin himself.


    "Since you are worried about it so much, I can tell you now. As long as I am here, thepany won''t fall." Rain faced him and his lips were formed into an unfathomable smile. Even so, the smile couldn''t hide the somber mood he was hiding deep inside. "That''s good, it''s really good!" Sanford breathed a sigh of relief. If that was really the case, the family would not fall into a decline.00000

 Chapter 1655 Why Isnt Daddy Back Yet (Part Two)

    "Huh," Rain snorted. He knew that his father didn''te here to show he cared about him. Under all those kind words of asking how he was were just thepany this, thepany that.


    However, he also didn''t care whatever reason Sanford came here for. He had always felt distant from his family as hepletely lost faith in these cold-hearted so-called family members. He only hoped that they would not disturb his life and his personal affairs. "Rain, do you have any issues with me?" Sanford suddenly asked in a thick voice. His eyes firmly rested on Rain''snky posture which sat in repose, his eyes closed as if he was not even there.


    "What do you think?" Rain''s eyes shot open and he looked sharply at him as he asked in an equally disdainful voice.


    "I know you are ming me for not having taken good care of you and your mother, and you think that''s the main reason that had caused your mother''s death," Sanford reflected. The past was the past, and it was gone forever. If only he could go back in time and make other choices, he would choose not to be that weak-willed.


    "You? Do you think you even deserve to mention her in my face?" Rain hissed. He had such a bad temper today, his emotions flitting through sadness, irritation, and anger. He had already been exhausted enough, and now his father''s visit only added fuel to the fire. Moreover, his father''s mention of his deceased mother hit the weakest spot in his heart.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "I''m your father, so watch your mouth!" Sanford shot back. He felt rather offended by Rain''s harsh usation.


    "Father? Who said you are my father? I have never admitted it. From the moment my mom died, you already became a stranger to me. Your only contribution to me was your sperm." Rain was too emotional now as he couldn''t help but stand upright in retort, his eyes sending daggers to the man in front of him.


    "You..." The sound of a palm hitting the cheek was like a cracking of a bullwhip. Sanford looked at his hand that hung in air, not believing what he just had done.


    Rain was absolutely dumbfounded for a moment. He didn''t expect that Sanford would p his face. However, he suddenly roared withughter as if he didn''t feel miserable at all just a while ago.


    "Are you satisfied now? Or do you want to give me another p? Here, p the right side of my face." Rain glowered sharply at his father as he tried to hold back from smiling mockingly at the man.


    "I... Rain, listen, I can exin..." Sanford was also stupefied. He didn''t know why he suddenly lost control and pped his son.


    "Exin? Huh! Save it for yourself! I''m very tired now, please leave," Rain said in a voice that left no room for arguments. His feet sharply turned around as he went to his desk and tried to hide the tears that were pooling in his eyes. Who said that men did not easily shed tears? It was only that the world didn''t let them grieve openly.


    "I will go back first. Call me then," Sanford said apologetically. His head hung down as he took his leave and softly shut the door. He truly regretted ever having done it the moment he took back his hand.


    Rain did not respond. The stinging pain on his face told himself how much it hurt. He took it all, without even a slight dodge.


    The moon graced thendscape with its gentle light, making the colors of the flower petals appear ethereal in their beauty. The waves rolled by peacefully as storks asionally flew over, sometimes picking up small fish in their beaks. Phuket Ind was thergest ind in Thand and also the smallest province in the country. It was known as the ''Pearl of the Andaman Sea'' for its beautiful scenery and rich tourist spots.


    Rain would never know that the person he had been looking for in the past few years was living on such an ind. It was either due to the private detectives that he hired were very ipetent, or Annie just hid too well that Rain failed to find her.


    The house rattled with the sound of running footsteps rushing to the door. As soon as Annie arrived home, Joyce rushed into her arms and gave her a kiss before Annie could put down her luggage.


    "Mommy, I miss you!" The little girl absolutely got the best genes from her parents. Her skin was smooth and flushed a healthy pink color. Her big doe eyes glittered like ck diamonds, and her longshes fluttered and swept daintily across the tops of her cheeks. What an adorable girl she was!


    "Mommy also missed you! Where is your brother? Why didn''t I see him here?" Annie said lovingly as she pecked her on her cheek, then she raised her head and looked around to search for her son.


    "He is taking the shower now. He didn''t want to have a shower until the Nanny threatened him." Joyce couldn''t wait to tell on her brother, even when her mother just arrived home from a long journey.


    "Oh? Did he? Then have you taken a shower yourself?" Annie put down her carry-on and the rest of her luggage before cuddling her lovely daughter, trapping her in a bear hug.


    "I''m a good girl. I have already washed myself clean. Mommy, smell me. Do I smell good?" Joyce reached out her hand and ced it near her mother''s nose in a mboyant gesture.


    "Oh? Let me smell. Yes, you smell of Jasmin. I like it. Good girl!" Annie smiled at the little Joyce. She was always the loving and doting mother whenever she was with her kids.


    "Mommy, where is Uncle Fred? Didn''t you go with him?" Joyce released herself from her mother''s embrace and backed a few steps, just to see if Fred was behind her mother. Since Fred was the only man she ever saw around her mom, Joyce hoped that the kind man could be her father.


    "Uncle Fred has gone back to his own home. Huh! You are actually missing your Uncle Fred, not your mommy, right?" Annie said in a pretend sad voice, with a matching forlorn look on her face.


    "Of course not. I missed mommy the most!" Joyce''s voice was as sweet as candy that it could bring instantfort or a pick-me-up to anyone who heard it. It was as if it could heal like some sort of magical medicine, and Annie''s heart melted at the sight of her.


    "Huh! She''s lying. She talked about Uncle Fred every day and spoke highly of him. Of course, she misses him. Everyone can see that." A boy''s voice interrupted Annie''s musings. Huey just walked out of the bathroom, wearing a set offy nnel pajamas and looking quite fresh after his shower. Unlike Joyce who excitedly rushed to her mommy as soon as she saw her, Huey remained calm when he saw his mother. He just slowly walked over to them and acted very cool.


    "No, I am not lying. Mommy, Huey is the one who''s lying. I wasn''t missing Uncle Fred." Joyce refuted in an almost crying tone as she was extremely anxious.

 Chapter 1656 Why Isnt Daddy Back Yet (Part Three)

    "Okay. I know. Huey is teasing you. It''s just a joke. Don''t take it to heart, okay?" Annie said to console her daughter when she saw that the little one became quite sad.


    "It''s not a joke," Huey said tly. Boys were boys, they always tended to make fun of their sisters at home. However, if anyone outside dared to bully their sisters, they would spare no effort to defend them. Such was the strange but precious phenomenon of sibling love. "Huey!" Annie snapped with a straight face. It was only when Annie showed anger that her son knew that he should be nice to his sister.


    "Okay. I know. Mommy always favors Joyce over me. Hmph!" As soon as he finished his words, Huey instantly turned around and rushed upstairs, the sound of his running feet hitting the hardwood quite heavily. He was indeed hurt by his mother''s scolding tone. "Mommy, is Huey crying?" Joyce asked with concern as droplets of tears started to pool and wet her longshes.


    "Don''t worry. He''s alright. He is a boy, and boys don''t easily cry." Despite saying so, Annie was still a little worried. After she had calmed Joyce down, she walked upstairs.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    Annie turned to his bedroom door and turned the knob gently. She poked her head inside and saw her son sitting on the windowsill, his eyes turned up to the sky as he watched the clouds quietly. Annie knew that when he acted like this, he really was very upset. "Huey, what are you looking at?" It seemed that living with a single mom made the poor boy get easily sentimental.


    "Mommy, do you remember? You said that Daddy wille back in winter. But it is the second winter since you said that. Why isn''t Daddy back yet?" During the day when he was at nursery school, his ssmates once again told stories and boasted about how wonderful their dads were. However, dad was only a name to Huey, and the concept of having a father was actually quite distant to him.


    "Daddy is at a ce that is very far from us. He wille back but it takes more time because it''s too far away." Since the kids were two years old, they had been asking about their dad. When Annie was faced with these questions she really didn''t know how to exin the situation to two very young children who had yet to understandplicated things, except for telling them that their father took a trip to a very far ce.


    "You are lying. You said exactly the same thingst year." Huey turned his head to Annie and replied back, sadness evident on his face.


    "Huey, do you really wish that your dad coulde back soon?" Annie felt her heart bleed in excess to see her son so depressed. However, their father had his own family and child now, and she didn''t want to disturb his life.


    "Doesn''t mommy also hope so?" Huey cocked his head to one side and looked at her curiously.


    "I..." Annie lowered her eyes and bit her lip at the question. This was not a matter that could be solved simply by wishing it would be.


    "Mommy, tell me the truth, Is it because dad has abandoned us? Don''t worry, if that''s the case, I will not be sad." Huey was such a considerate and understanding boy, a quality that was beyond his age.


    "No, your daddy will never abandon you." In Annie''s eyes, if Rain knew the existence of the kids, he would never turn a blind eye to them. He was not that ruthless. From the beginning to the end, the only person he didn''t want might be her, not the kids.


    "But why doesn''t he evere back? Why aren''t there even any calls from him?" Huey didn''t notice that Annie actually said ''you'', not ''us'' in her reply. That meant she didn''t consider herself as someone important to the kids'' father. Still, Huey was only a little boy, but he tried his best toe around the situation.


    "Can we talk about it some other day? Mommy is a little tired today." For the moment, Annie really didn''t know how to answer Huey''s questions, so she made an excuse to evade her son''s pressing curiosity about his father.


    "Okay, mommy. You may go to have a good shower." Huey wiped the tears on his face with the sleeve of his shirt, and went back to gazing at the window. He focused his big eyes on the starry sky in the night, as if something there interested him a lot. The little glittering dots stared back at him.


    "Okay. Be good, my little boy!" Annie leaned down and gently kissed his forehead. She walked out of the room and shut the door to go to her own bedroom.


    Pieces of memories shed briefly in Annie''s mind as she opened the door to her room. The sight of Rain looking dejected before she boarded the ne wrenched at her heart. She told herself over and over again not to think about him, and to get rid of him from her world. However, she couldn''t make it. As long as there was something connected to Rain, she couldn''t help but pay attention to and brood over it.


    When she reached her bathroom, Annie turned on the tap and filled the tub with warm water. She then added a packet of Epsom salt and a bath bomb to help her rx. When she deemed it enough, she removed her clothes and submerged her body into the water. The warmth of the bath made her feel relieved from all the troubling things that day as she enjoyed it in afortable silence.


    A whole lifetime was too much of a stretch, and she didn''t know how long she could hold on and how long she could hide all this from her children. It stressed her out so she just decided to go ahead with the flow and deal with whatever that would happen along the way. She had no other choice now anyway.


    The sky in S City was filled with thick, greyish cumulus clouds that made the atmosphere quite cold this year. It was probably due to the weather, or it simply varied from person to person. However for Rain, it had never been too cold for his liking.00

 Chapter 1657 Why Isnt Daddy Back Yet (Part Four)

    The West Hill ident was a big blow to KD Group. In order to decrease the loss to the minimum, Rain busied himself more than ever with fixing the issue and driving thepany away from further damage. Only asionally when he sipped his coffee during a break or


    when he took a nap that Annie''s beautiful face would sh in his mind. She was wearing a blue evening gown and smiling at him.


    Slim fingers tappedzily on the sleek keyboard. "Uncle Rain, why did you have to ask me to design the software? Don''t you know I have much homework to do every day?" Justin saidzily as his eyes darted to his uncle. In order to make Justin a qualified sessor for the FX International Group in the future, Edward had required him to learn a lot of things about thepany. That was to say, Justin had to learn the business of thepany as well in addition to juggling his schoolwork.


    "Do you think that I will believe a person who always hides in the corner to y the games would be a busy one?" Huh, Justin was a cunning boy, and he was a lot like his father.


    "I just want to rx myself a bit after getting too stressed with all the heavy homework. Do you really hope that I die from overwork?" Justin sighed as his fingers stroked and massaged his forehead. When he had finally found some free time to rx himself, he was unluckily caught by Rain.


    "Cut it out! Don''t pretend to be a poor boy. I know what you''re like. It won''t work for me," Rain said, as if to crudely expose his lie.


    "Uncle Rain, do you really want to treat me like this? Don''t forget that I''m still a kid." Justin continued to give Rain those puppy-dog eyes in an effort to try to get some sympathy out of him.


    "Kid? Are you sure this word is for you?" Rain looked at him disapprovingly with contempt. This silly "kid" had no idea how silly he sounded right now.


    "So what? You can''t deny the fact just because I''m smarter than any other kids. I''m just a prodigy." Justin sighed once again. ''You''re overestimating me! You asked me to design a software. Are you kidding me? It''s not just as simple as ying games. God knows how many brain cells it would kill if I can finish that!'' Justin thought.


    "Yes, you''re a kid. That''s right. If that''s the case then the new advancedptop you asked for is gone. You are a kid and kids don''t need high-techptops." Rain wore a smug look on his face. ''Huh, you brat! Just continue to y your tricks and pretend to be innocent.'' Rain thought.


    "Ah! Uncle Rain, What kind of software are you asking for?" Justin looked at him in shock and immediately changed tactics. ''You sly man! How could you threaten me with the thing that I want the most?'' Justin internally grumbled.


    "Wow! Why the sudden change of attitude? Weren''t you having many excuses and thinking that you are only a kid?" Rain said as he smirked, his eyebrows raised in mock surprise. As long as he knew Justin''s weak spots, nothing was impossible with the boy. "Uncle Rain, who are you talking about? Is he a dumb twit to refuse such a good offer?" Justin wondered innocently. He had gone all out to get the thing he wanted, even sacrificing his dignity. He inwardly cursed himself for his defeat. ''No one can defeat the meanest person, or so as the saying went.


    "Well, what do you think? This is my requirement. Give me the result in three days." Rain put down the file he was holding on Justin''s desk as soon as he finished his words.


    "What? Three days? Uncle Rain, did you just say it wrong? I think you might mean three weeks." Justin nced at the file that Rain flopped on his table. Damn, he would die young with such a daunting task.


    "I know you can do it, but seeing your pitiful face, I can be lenient and give you a week to finish it." Rain just took for granted that Justin could work for him. He was a match to Edward in regard to cunningness, and many times it didn''t fare so well for the people on the receiving end.


    "Thank you for your kindness, my dear Uncle Rain," Justin replied in a gloomy voice. It was as if his fate was sealed and he had fallen to the deep pits of hell.


    "Okay, then I won''t disturb your work now. Come on! Thepany''s future lies in your hand!" Rain waved him a cheery good bye as soon as he finished his words. Then he haughtily walked out of the room.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    ''Huh! Thepany''s future is too far for me! It would be years till I can take over thepany!'' Justin thought. He made a face behind his uncle''s back like an annoyed child. After Rain was gone, Justin had no choice but to pick up the file from the table and study it carefully.


    When Rain had stepped out of Justin''s ce, Anna was at the door waiting for him. "Mr. Xia, Mr. Mu asks you to go to his office," she said respectfully.


    "Anna, it seems that your married life with Aaron is very happy. You look good!" He was always frivolous and carefree in front of people he knew well, as if he never seriously cared about anything. When he faced people he hated or when it was about his work, it was a different story.


    "What? Are you envious or jealous? Then why not find a wife and start a happy marriage like us? Don''t be all talk and no action!" Aaron''s voice popped up as he came from the other side of the corridor and he walked over to them. He appeared on perfect timing to save his wife from embarrassment.


    "Aha! Someone got angry. Okay! I''ll stop bothering you. You two lovebirds just continue your business." Rainughed jovially and then pushed the heavy double doors open, and entered the president''s office.000

 Chapter 1658 Persistent Eleanor (Part One)

    "How can you even beughing at this time? You''re amazing!" Edward said. He nced at Rain and studied him for awhile. It was indeed amazing how Rain appeared unconcerned. It had already been a month yet he had not taken action, except to remain calm. The only


    exnation Edward could think of was that Rain was growing more mature and patient over time.


    "What? Would you rather see me cry?" Rain insisted. The truth was, he did feel like crying. As if the problems faced by the KD Group were not stressful enough, here was Edward giving him more matters to sort out. Rain was sure to be busy in the next few days. "Yeah, you should," Edward encouraged, and added, "I heard that Vance has been secretly contacting all the shareholders." That said, Edward dumped a stack of documents on the desk, without having to give instruction that he look these over.


    Inhaling deeply, Rain concurred. "Yes, I also heard that. It''s just surprising he isn''t behaving as sneakily as I thought he would. I mean, look, even you found out about what he was doing." His lips curled into a sardonic smile. ''Ha! It appears they haven''t learned their lesson from Cyrus'' experience. Well, I don''t mind teaching them again, '' Rain thought to himself.


    "Be careful, Rain, and don''t let them fool you. It''s crucial not to let your guard down after what happened thest time," Edward warned. If not for the help of the FX International Group, Rain would not have the upper hand in the end and be able toe back. He really should remember to be more careful now.


    "I know," Rain agreed. "So I''ll be more careful this time. Now, I understand why they''re doing this. What they want is for me to quit the KD Group. That''s what this is all about," he added. His lips curled into an unfathomable smile, yet Rain''s face remained unreadable. He honestly didn''t give a damn about KD Group initially, because he had no intentions of kicking the people out so he could take over thepany. But since it became clear to Rain that they badly wanted him to leave, he wasn''t ever going to give them that satisfaction. Rain vowed to stay put in thepany.


    "Well, are you going to quit thepany willingly?" Edward inquired. He leaned back on hisfortable chair and looked at Rain thoughtfully, but with a knowing smirk. Edward had the feeling Rain wasn''t the type to go easy on people he didn''t like.


    "Of course not! You know me. I am not giving them that satisfaction," Rain retorted. It was clear they were not happy with Rain''s present position in thepany and were trying to kick him out. The knowledge made Rain very happy because he liked seeing them suffer. "That''s good to know. Here, this is the n with the HT Group. I was going to cooperate with them at first. But now, I''ve decided to give this n to you. Use it wisely, and teach those pricks a lesson," Edward stated. He then tossed another file towards Rain. "Huh? It''s so unlike you to give money to other people," Rain pointed out. Although he teased Edward about his generosity, deep inside Rain was very grateful to have been given a chance. He neatly caught the file Edward threw his way and started going over the entire n. It was indeed brilliant, and he was suddenly confident about what he needed to do to implement it.


    "I''m not giving money to other people. I gave it to you. There''s a difference," Edward said while rolling his eyes. The man was shameless. After being given money, he had the nerve to tease his benefactor about it.


    "And what about me? Am I also ssified as others?" The cold tone interrupted Edward and Rain''s conversation. Both men looked up to see who had spoken and found Duke standing at the door.


    "What are you doing here?" Edward asked with his brows furrowed. It puzzled him why Duke was there at that time of the day. He must have something to ask for, Edward concluded.


    "Didn''t your entertainmentpany just sign a new actress recently? Let her do amercial for us," Duke proposed. He quickly cut to the chase so as not to waste time.


    Rain quickly reacted. "Hey! Do you have any idea how much effort and money we have spent on that actress? And you, you want her to do amercial for you without spending a cent? That''s ridiculous!" He threw Duke an annoyed look, then broke into a grin. In truth, Rain was merely teasing the man. He was aware Duke was dying to find a suitable actress for theirpany''smercial.


    "So what? Do you have any objections? Wait! Do you need her for the newmercial of the KD Group, too?" A grin was not going to appease Duke, who looked at Rain with a raised eyebrow.


    "No, no, no! We''ve already found our actress for themercial. We don''t need another one now," Rain announced. Eleanor Xiao wasn''t a fit for the newmercial. She was full of enthusiasm and very outgoing. The advertisement called for a person who was sweet- tempered and refined, which made Eleanor an unsuitable representative.


    "That''s a relief to know. Then she can be the face of our new product," Duke dered. Theirpany''s new product needed a person who was confident and vivacious to represent the idea of freedom. Duke heard the new actress recently signed up by Rain was what they required. She would be perfect for theirmercial, and Duke wanted her to do it. That was why he came over to ask this favor.


    "Well, you can go and talk to her yourself. I''m not going to help you convince her," Rain said. He now looked impassive as he spoke. He didn''t want to talk to Eleanor Xiao if he could help it. Rain honestly didn''t like the woman at all.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    And his attitude irked Duke, who gritted his teeth in annoyance. He red at Rain for a moment before turning to look at Edward. He hoped the other man would say something about his request. He badly needed this favor.


    But Edward was quick to disassociate himself. "Don''t look at me. I''m not in charge of the entertainmentpany," he said. But he was telling the truth when he said that. Edward wasn''t in charge of the entertainmentpany. To make sure his wife would not have reason to be jealous, he stopped associating with women in showbiz. Thest thing he wanted was a misunderstanding because of women.


    "Aren''t you the CEO?" Duke demanded. "This is something you can clearly decide." Instantly, Duke''s pleading gaze turned into a re after hearing Edward''s words. How could both men reject his request when he rarely asked them for favors? Duke was in disbelief. "Well, you''re a CEO, too. So, you should understand. You can''t control what your employees want to do or not," Edward said calmly. He did roll his eyes at Duke''s outburst. He might be the CEO, but he was not in charge of every little detail. Duke himself should know this because they held simr positions.

 Chapter 1659 Persistent Eleanor (Part Two)

    "I know you can''t control your employees'' minds, but this is rted to work. As an employee, she has the responsibility to do things you ask her to do. And shooting amercial is part of her job. Besides, she''s also going to gain fame and money while doing it, so why


    shouldn''t she? Or are you telling me you can''t order your employees to take on work?"


    Duke looked at the two men before him. He was sure that Edward, with his strong personality, would never allow his workers to disobey him. He was simply too aloof to help him out. Of course, there were exceptions, and in this case, it was Rain, the self-centered guy. Rain was always free to do what he wanted, regardless of what anyone else thought of his ideas. Even Edward couldn''tpel him to do something he didn''t want. He allowed Rain to do whatever he wanted as long as hepleted his work.


    "You have a point. While Eleanor did sign a contract with us, it is still her choice to ept or reject a work offer. I can''t decide for her if she wants to ept yourmercial or not. I can''t control her that way," Edward exined. Frankly, Edward and Rain''s entertainmentpany was indeed very generous. They entered into contracts with actors and actresses to make money. But they also gave their artists a chance to shine and do what they truly enjoyed doing. No one was ever forced to do something they didn''t want to do. And they made it clear thepany and its officials did not control every aspect of their lives.


    "So, you mean there''s really nothing you can do about it?" Duke nearly whined. He was very frustrated and on the verge of giving up. The truth was, his staff had already gotten in touch with Eleanor, but it seemed negotiations didn''t fall through. She did not ept the offer. That was why Duke decided toe and ask the two men for a favor.


    "I didn''t say that. Well, how about you ask Rain for his help? He''s good at dealing with matters such as these. Besides, the woman seems to be charmed with our Rain here. I bet she would dly do it if Rain asks her to do it," Edward offered with a secret smile. He nced at Rain with knowing eyes and smirked. Anyone not blind could see that Eleanor found Rain charming and wanted to get close to him.


    "Hey, don''t drag me into this! You made it sound like I have something to do with her," Rain shuddered. Getting involved with Eleanor was thest thing Rain wanted to do, and never imagined himself doing. He couldn''t stand women who didn''t know when to back off if they weren''t wanted. Eleanor was the exact type of person. He knew if he gave her a chance to be around him, she would never let him out of her sight, and Rain detested that.


    "That''s none of my business. I don''t care if you two have a thing together or not. That''s it then. You''re going to help me get Eleanor to do my newmercial, okay? I have something I need to take care of now!" That said, Duke quickly turned around and left the room. He didn''t wait for Rain to agree. The man had to help him. Duke wanted Eleanor for thismercial, and he would get her. He didn''t care how Rain made this happen. What was important was he got the woman to do it.


    "Hey! I didn''t agree to anything!" Rain protested. "Where are you going?" he shouted at Duke''s retreating back. Rain''s protest fell on deaf ears. Duke never even nced back, nor said a word. Instead, he quickened his steps, wanting to leave the ce as fast as he could. He didn''t want to give Rain a chance to refuse his request.


    "Stop shouting!" Edwardmanded Rain. "Just agree to do it and help him." He watched Duke and Rain argue with amusement. Edward was sure Duke intentionally said those words and left immediately. And that he pretended not to hear Rain''s objection. But he also knew Rain wasn''t going to refuse to help Duke.


    "I am not going to help him. He can go and find another actress. That''s it. Besides, I have more things to take care of at the KD Group. Why do you keep asking me to do these things, huh? Do you honestly think I have a lot of free time?" Rainined. He stood up abruptly and decided to leave. Rain gathered everything Edward handed him earlier to start going over them.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    "At least you have more time than any of us. You don''t have a wife and child to look after, neither do you have a girlfriend to spoil. Of course, you do have more work," Edward answered smartly. With one eyebrow arched, he looked at Rain with a smirk on his face while speaking. He didn''t quite understand Rain''s way of thinking. He''d given him an address days ago, but the man behaved like he had no idea where the ce was. He wasn''t even trying, for God''s sake!


    "All right, all right! You''re right. Just stop nagging me. I will dly take on more work," Rain snarled at him. He blew out a breath. Rain knew where this conversation with Edward was going and saw what his friend was trying to do. Yes, he was somewhat jealous about the happy love life of his friends. But he didn''t want to discuss his own with Edward. That was why he quickly turned around to leave.


    He watched Rain quickly disappear from view, beforeughing out loud. Always sensitive about the subject of his love life, Rain always avoided talking about it. Edward''s grin was irresistible. Any woman seeing his expression now would surely be charmed.


    After storming out of the FX International Group building, Rain got into his car and slumped in the seat. He felt miserable and suddenly lost his usual energy. He was extremely frustrated and didn''t know what to do. And it was only when Rain was alone that he let out his weakness.


    He fished out a piece of paper that had always been inside his pocket. Rain felt the paper burn his hand. Written on it was an address that he hadmitted to heart after looking at it a million times. He hadn''t the courage to look for the woman he badly wanted to see. In truth, he was afraid of getting hurt again. He feared that what he desired was all wishful thinking. And he was terrified that she might have already moved on. Rain was scared to admit his fragility and that he couldn''t afford to get hurt all over again.


    If she truly loved him, then she wouldn''t have left him years ago, with no intention of returning. If she still cared for Rain, she wouldn''t have been indifferent when they saw each other again. He reyed how calm and distant she looked as if they wereplete strangers, and it hurt him deeply. So, these instances and emotions confused him. He was no longer sure of what to think or feel, or if she still felt anything for him.00000000000

 Chapter 1660 Persistent Eleanor (Part Three)

    Finally sighing deeply, Rain started the car and drove away. But he didn''t return to the KD Group like he told Edward earlier in his office. Instead, he headed to the cemetery. He had a strong urge to visit his mother now.


    On his way to the cemetery, he bought a bunch of white chrysanthemums that his mother loved so much. When he arrived, Rain quickly got out of the car but walked up the steps slowly, with his head hanging low. When he reached her gravestone, he stopped and saw it was clean. Heid the white flowers on the ground, and slowly lowered himself to sit facing his mother''s grave. Rain sat very close to the gravestone and stared at the ck and white picture on it. Lifting his hand, he gently stroked the woman''s picture, as his eyes filled with regret and love. Rain truly missed his mother now and wished she was still by his side to guide andfort him.


    The woman in the photograph was beautiful. Her smile dazzled, and her eyes were kind and gentle. She looked like the type of woman who was warm-hearted and loving. It was probably what made her more stunning. Rain felt extremely blessed to have inherited her good looks, which was why women were often attracted to him.


    "Mom, I really don''t want you to see me like this, depressed and sad. But I can''t help how I feel. I''m sad and lonely, and I miss you terribly. And these feelings simply won''t go away. I wish you were here." Then Rain closed his eyes and leaned on the gravestone. Suddenly, he felt like he was in his mother''s loving arms. There was a real warm sensation that enveloped him.


    "You once told me that I should fight for the things and people I love. But mom, what if that person I want doesn''t want to be with me? Should I still fight for her? Or do I just give up? I don''t want to end up like you, Mom. I honestly don''t. I knew he lied to you. And in the process of hurting others, you also harmed yourself, didn''t you?" Rain sniffled. As he talked to his mother, tears kept streaming down his face. His greatest shame was being born an illegitimate child. But not once did he me his mother for his circumstance. It wasn''t her fault. His father lied to her. Since then Rain realized the world just wasn''t fair.


    A self-deprecating and bitter smile crossed his handsome face. The sunlight shone on his miserable face, but it couldn''t warm his freezing heart. He was at a loss as to what to do now. Rain wanted to find the woman who had always been in his heart but was unsure if he should. He was afraid to make the same mistake as his mother, and end up hurting not only himself but other people as well. That was the one thing he didn''t want. He continued to lean on the gravestone with eyes closed, unaware of how beautiful a scene it created, that would surely break many girls'' hearts.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Maybe I should listen to my heart and try to win her back again. I should see her and put an end to this. Because no matter how hard I try, I can''t get her out of my mind. I really can''t forget her. The more I try to forget her, the more I end up thinking about her. It seems that I can never get over her, mom," he wailed. He breathed deeply. Rain didn''t know what was happening to him. Maybe he shouldn''t wait any longer because it only tortured him more. Perhaps, he should summon his courage and go to the address Edward gave him, and talk to her. Or maybe, he was only trying to convince himself now to do all this.


    Rain spent a long time in the cemetery, thinking, and talking to his dead mother. He poured his heart out to her, telling her all his frustrations and pain. Speaking to her was the only way he knew to deal with his feelings. It was not as if he had no one else to turn to, but there were just things he wanted only his mother to hear. He couldn''t see himself opening up in front of anyone else. Telling his mother everything he had bottled up in his heart was his only way of release. Talking relieved him of the burdens he bore and left him happier. He had also finally made a decision.


    When he returned downtown, the sun had already set. Thinking of the case Edward wanted him to handle, Rain was prompted to bring out the document to read again. It seemed that next Monday would be extremely busy for Rain. It was this thought that made Rain want to loosen up tonight and have some fun. Hopefully, it would take his mind off things that had been bothering him the past few days.


    At that moment, his phone rang. He dropped the document and picked up the phone. He nced at the name on the screen. He couldn''t help but smile a little when he recognized the caller.


    "This is a nice surprise. Hey, busy man, what can I do for you? Does this mean you aren''t busy?" he asked. It was rare to receive a call from Kevin, being the active soldier that he was. And Rain thought it was a pleasant surprise.


    "Nana said that you were extremely busy these days, and she was afraid that you''d exhaust yourself. That''s why she wants to invite you over for dinner at our apartment. She''s preparing some fantastic dishes right now," Kevin extended the invitation. Admittedly, Kevin was a bit jealous of Rain. Recently, he found out that Leena cared more about Rain than him, her husband. And the jealousy was reflected in his tone.


    "Really? That''s wonderful! I''m not saying no to your invitation. I''ll be there soon, okay?" Rain said. Before Kevin called, he was just wondering where to eat tonight. His call saved him from thinking. Leena was truly a kind and considerate little sister.


    "Get yourself a drink, because I''m not letting you have mine," Kevin told him. His tone was indifferent, to clearly show he wasn''t as happy as Rain.


    "All right, all right. I''ll get liquor for myself, you miser!" Rain said happily. He quickly hung up and raised his head to look around. Fortunately, he saw a liquor store nearby, so Rain didn''t have to drive elsewhere to get his preferred drink. He drove straight to the shop and parked in front of it. It was indeed his lucky day. Earlier, he decided to have some liquor to rx tonight. With Kevin''s call, Rain would havepany while drinking.


    The corners of Kevin''s lips curled into a yful smile. Rain was always picky about almost everything, especially hard drinks. So, no matter what he decided to bring would not be bad at all. The truth was, he would also be happy to see Rain and share a drink with him although he admittedly felt a little jealous of the man because his wife cared about him too much. It seemed they''d be having some fun tonight.000000000000??

 Chapter 1661 Persistent Eleanor (Part Four)

    "Kevin, how did it go? Is Rain joining us for dinner?" Leena asked her husband. She was walking out of the kitchen, the apron still on her waist while holding a spat.


    "Of course. He immediately said yes as soon as he heard you were cooking. He''ll be here soon," Kevin reported. Any invitation which included a meal was always wee for Rain. He would never turn down Kevin''s invitation because honestly, he missed Leena''s cooking. Rain lived alone and was notfortable letting people he didn''t know well into his home. That was the reason why he never even hired a housemaid. He enjoyed living alone but seldom had a good home-cooked meal since he didn''t know how to cook. "By the way, where is Richard? Why isn''t he with you?" Her brows furrowed when she didn''t see her son around. She had asked Kevin to look after the boy while she cooked.


    "He''s being punished. I had him stand at military posture," Kevin said nonchntly. He said it a if it was no big deal for a small child to take on the stance that broke even adults.


    "What? Stand at military posture? Where is he?" Leena raised her tone. She immediately panicked upon hearing her husband''s words. The boy was only two years old, for God''s sake! Why was he given that kind of punishment? And what did he do to be punished that way? At times, Kevin was really something else.


    "He''s there by the door going to the garden," Kevin replied. He pointed his chin towards the direction of the garden. Leena immediately turned to look that way. She sighed deeply. "All right. Tell me, what did he do?"


    The boy was very precious to Leena, and at that age, she didn''t want to see him being harshly punished. But Leena also believed in teaching her son the right values. Thest thing she wanted was for the boy to grow up spoiled and then end up a brat. So, if he did something wrong, Richard had to be punished. And it was up to his father to decide how to discipline their child.


    "He destroyed my model tank," Kevin simply said. Kevin spent his free time, amounting to many months, finishing that model tank. He was very fond of it. And his son managed to destroy it in a few minutes. It was all broken and looked beyond repair.


    The corners of Leena''s mouth twitched. The model tank was serious business. She knew how much time and effort Kevin spent in making it, and how much he treasured it. So she understood why his father punished Richard that way. Still, he was only two years old, and Leena was sure he didn''t destroy it on purpose. Wasn''t the punishment a little too harsh for him?This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Do you want to turn our family into the military, too?" she asked her husband. She drew a deep calming breath and then red at Kevin. He could at times be unbelievable. Imagine punishing a two-year-old boy by making him stand at military posture? It was ridiculous! Did he actually want to turn their family into soldiers? He was doing now what his father used to do to him before.


    "Don''t worry!" Kevin assured her. "It''s just for ten minutes. I''m not totally heartless, you know." He wasn''t a fool. Kevin was aware of how young the boy was and didn''t want to punish him severely that he would be hurt. Now if Richard were bigger and older, the punishment wouldn''t just be standing for ten minutes. For sure, Richard would be made to do push-ups, among other things.


    "Okay, fine! I won''t stop you as long as he doesn''t get hurt," Leena stomped back to the kitchen. While she hated to see her son punished, Leena knew he should learn from his mistakes. And out of respect for Kevin, she didn''t want to interfere when her husband disciplined their child. She knew that in his heart, Kevin loved Richard more than anyone else in the world. And it was for the boy''s sake that he was being punished.


    Kevin shrugged and didn''t answer. He knew Leena didn''t want him to punish their son, and honestly, he didn''t want to, either. But it was something he needed to do. Only by being punished would Richard learn from his mistake and never do it again. He wanted his son to learn lessons and be a better person. Kevin didn''t want to be the kind of father who constantly spoiled his child.


    Meanwhile, Rain was in a liquor store and didn''t expect to meet thest woman he wanted to see. As he was choosing the bottle to buy, someone tapped him on the shoulder. Startled, he turned and came face-to-face with Eleanor. What an unpleasant coincidence! He just wasn''t in the mood to deal with this woman right now.


    "Oh, it really is you!" Eleanor said excitedly. "Mr. Xia, I thought you were someone else and wanted to be sure." There was a genuine look of surprise in Eleanor''s beautiful face as if she hadn''t approached him in recognition first. Like they had discussed earlier, the woman proved herself to be outgoing and full of enthusiasm, never shy about revealing her feelings and desires. That was why Duke wanted her for themercial. And just by looking at how she dressed, one could easily tell the kind of girl Eleanor was. She wasn''t embarrassed to show off her body, that was very enticing to men, and was never opposed to using this to her advantage.


    "Hello, Miss Xiao," Rain greeted her stiffly. If only she knew the truth that Rain was unhappy to see her there.


    "What kind of liquor are you looking for, Mr. Xia?" Eleanor asked curiously. Her eager eyes showed her interest in the single, handsome and affluent man in front of her. Eleanor was not afraid to approach him and had a reputation for getting what she wanted. She didn''t just like Rain, Eleanor believed he was perfect for her. At the same time, she was aware that there was a lot ofpetition because of Rain''s poprity, so she was taking every chance she had to flirt with him and get the man to like her. She wanted Rain, and was confident she would soon get him.


    "Anything is fine. I''m supposed to be somewhere, so goodbye," Rain quickly answered. Randomly, he grabbed a bottle of Tequ and turned to walk to the counter. He wanted to quickly pay for his purchase and leave the store as soon as possible. Rain wanted nothing to do with Eleanor. Women, who didn''t know how to read signs when they were not wanted and kept chasing after men, annoyed him. Like Edward, Rain could be cold and cruel in situations like this. He didn''t want to be involved in messy rtionships. As soon as he knew someone he disliked was interested in him, he would immediately cut her off and block any attempts of approaching him. Rain was not blind. He could see through what Eleanor was trying to do.


    "Hold on! Since we happened to meet here while we''re both shopping for liquor, are you going to be gentleman enough and pay for my purchases?" Eleanor asked sweetly. She smiled at Rain flirtatiously, while ncing meaningfully at his chest. He''d left some of the buttons of his shirt undone, and a small patch of smooth skin showed. Eleanor was doing her best to seduce Rain and was not being subtle about it. She had no idea that her actions only made Rain dislike her more.

 Chapter 1662 Persistent Eleanor (Part Five)

    He didn''t expect that toe so he let out a quick breath before saying. "Okay." Even if he disliked Eleanor, Rain as the gentleman, agreed to pay for thedy''s liquor purchases. Besides, he had the money. It was only a few bottles of hard liquor that wouldn''t cost very much. But his tone remained cold and emotionless because his ns did not include making friends with the woman flirting with him. There was only one woman who owned his heart, and no one else was wee there.


    "Thank you very much, Mr. Xia," Eleanor said with a smirk. She didn''t expect Rain to turn down her suggestion. Eleanor was aware of how rich he was, and that he didn''t care about money. But still, she was happy that he agreed. It meant that Rain didn''t dislike her, didn''t it? He was willing to pay for her bottles of liquor. With a wide smile, she put the bottles she was carrying on the counter next to the bottle of Tequ Rain got.


    He quickly nced at the bottles Eleanorid down on the counter, and his brows immediately furrowed. All were very expensive. It was not that hecked money, but Rain simply despised people who took advantage of him. Eleanor was either shameless or testing him for whatever reason. But Rain kept quiet. He wanted to finish the transaction and be on his way. The man took his credit card from his wallet and handed it to the cashier to pay for both their purchases.


    The woman who stood beside him, secretly watching his every move, was a bit surprised by Rain''s generosity. She was thinking he would back out of paying when he saw how pricey the bottles she had chosen were. But Rain said nothing. He paid and signed for everything, proving that money was no object to him, which impressed Eleanor. The bottles she picked were worth at least a million dors.


    "Should I pack them all together?" the cashier inquired helpfully. She looked shyly at Rain. It was very rare to see someone as handsome and rich as Raine into the store. He didn''t even bat an eysh when he saw the prices of the drinks. That was a genuinely rich gentleman.


    "No. Just leave out the bottle of Tequ and pack the rest together," Rain instructed. Rain had never been the kind of man who cared much about money, maybe because he had so much of it. He didn''t mind paying fordies, because he always had cash and was generous. What he detested was the way Eleanor tried to make him pay for her purchases. Did she have to be that shameless? That was why Rain refrained from speaking while waiting for the cashier to pack up their drinks. And the silence was ufortable. As soon as they walked out of the liquor store, Rain walked to his car hurriedly, hoping to get away from the ce, and the woman, as quickly as he could. But persistent girl that she was, Eleanor ran after him and tried to talk to him again.


    "Mr. Xia, thank you so much for today. You''re really very generous," she said a bit breathless. Though she could sense Rain was in no mood to talk to her, Eleanor persisted. She was confident that Rain would someday like her. After all, she had the looks and body that were the envy of most women. Why shouldn''t Rain like her?


    "It''s nothing, just a few bottles of liquor. It''s no big deal. You can think of it as a gift from your boss," he said dismissively. He did his best to sound formal. Rain didn''t want to give Eleanor the wrong idea about what just happened inside the store. That was why he behaved in a way that would make it clear he wasn''t interested in her at all. Rain sincerely hoped she would get the message and give up. If not for Duke, who was still waiting for him to get Eleanor to agree to do his newmercial, he wouldn''t even be talking to the woman.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    "If that''s the case, then you must really be a generous boss to your employees, Mr. Xia. I know these bottles are worth at least a million. I am very fortunate to be your employee," she said snarkily. She couldn''t help but get a bit frustrated with Rain''s attitude. Why did he want to keep his distance from her? Wasn''t she good-looking enough? Did she do something that he didn''t like? Eleanor didn''t like his attitude at all. In her mind, it should be easy to win over Rain''s heart, with her natural good looks.


    "Well, I have to go because there''s something that needs my attention now. Goodbye, Miss Xiao," Rain said without emotion. He opened the car door and put the bottle he just purchased on the passenger seat. Then he got in. It was clear Rain didn''t want to continue this pointless conversation with Eleanor.


    "Wait a minute. Will you give me a ride? I didn''t bring my car," Eleanor quickly said. She wasn''t about to let him go easily. Running into him today was a wee coincidence, and Eleanor didn''t want to waste this excellent opportunity. So, even if Rain''s attitude was annoying, Eleanor knew she needed to make apromise if she wanted to be with Rain.


    "Sorry, but I''m not headed in your direction. So, I can''t give you a lift," Rain said briskly. It was ame excuse, the only one that quickly came to mind to avoid being with her. Rain hastily closed the car door, started the engine and drove off. As he left, he nced at Eleanor through the rear view mirror, with a sarcastic smirk on his face, and his eyes full of disdain. He couldn''t stand being around that woman anymore. As she stood watching Rain leave, Eleanor''s expression turned sullen. She didn''t expect Rain''s blunt refusal of her request for a ride.


    She blew out a breath in annoyance. "I will let you go this time, Rain. But you won''t get this lucky next time. I want you, and I will have you. I always get what I want anyway," she muttered confidently. She remained unfazed because, in her mind, she had the right to be self-assured. After all, she had an undeniably beautiful face,plemented by an amazingly hot body. Most importantly, Eleanor had youth on her side. She was in her prime as a woman. And what was not to like about her? Eleanor was sure she would get Rain in the end. She had yet to meet a man who didn''t fall for her charms.

 Chapter 1663 Return To S City (Part One)

    Rain drove directly over to Waterside, where Leena had been living. Their homes were now much closer.


    "Hey, you tightwad! There you go! Your wine." Rain tossed the gift bag straight into Kevin''s arms as soon as Kevin opened the door. Kevin''s request had been expensive, costing an exorbitant amount of money. ''If not for Kevin, I could have saved the money and bought Richard more toys, ''he reasoned.


    "What''s wrong with you? Did you run into shit again? Why are you so angry?" Kevin was confused by Rain''s childish behavior. Thoughical, something about his conduct smelt fishy.


    "Worse! I was being taped out!" Truthfully, money was not an issue, as the amount was mere pittance to Rain. However, he didn''t like to be fleeced or taken for a fool.


    "Uncle, uncle." Richard ran towards Rain as soon as he heard him arrive. Rain was delighted as always by the cute angelic child.


    "Hey, little man! You have grown so much taller already. Tell me, does your mommy feed you like a cute little piglet, ripening you for ughter?" Rain scooped Richard up and ced a great big sloppy kiss on the infant''s chubby cheek. "Don''t be so mean to me, Rain. From what I see, you are actually the pig, and not a cute one." Leena had heard Rain poking fun at her son and her. So the moment she stepped into the living room, she shot an annihting look at Rain.


    "No way! My dear sister, I see that you don''t love your brother anymore, especially now that you have a son to rece him in your heart. I feel so sad!" Rain instantly turned into a professional, if overly melodramatic, actor. Hand sped over his heart, he feigned extreme disappointment and suffered with a deeply furrowed brow.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "Okay, it''s time for you to give it a rest now! Richard is going tough at you," Leenained sourly, while looking over him from head to toe. She was immediately rmed when she noticed his slightly red eyes. What happened to him? Had he cried beforeing here?


    "Richard, tell me, will youugh at your uncle?" Rain continued teasing Richard. Precious moments like these allowed him some respite from his grief over Annie. His family offered him the warmth which he craved, but oftencked in his personal life. Richard, still an infant, did not grasp any of Rain''s banter, and kept giggling in the safety of his arms.


    Rain and Kevin drank a lot at dinner. Fortunately, Leena interceded periodically to prevent them from bing too inebriated.


    Kevin was rarely home, but he tried to be supportive when he was there. After dinner he gave Richard a bath. While Leena dealt with most of the house chores in his absence, he tried to help when he was avable. This was after all his duty as a father and husband. Enjoying a rare free moment, Leena chatted to Rain in the dining room.


    "Just listen to me, Rain. Go and talk to her! I know Annie still loves you." Leena was a woman, and her intuition screamed at her that Annie would not forget Rain so easily.


    "Oh, Leena, thank you, I know you mean well, but I doubt it. If she really cared about me, she wouldn''t have been hiding away for so many years. If she loved me still, she would have returned with haste." He had lingered here in S City and waited for her return all these years, afraid that she might be unable to find him if he left. His wait was not rewarded, and he knew now that he must have gravely overestimated his importance in her heart.


    "You won''t know for sure, unless you talk to her. She probably loves you. But she still, has her pride. From my perspective, she may not have returned earlier, because you never told her how you feel. Maybe she is afraid to invite humiliation from you, and that''s why she hasn''t made any contact. That would make sense." Leena did not know much about Annie. But judging by how Rain had always carried a torch for her, she believed that Annie was not a bad woman. Leena trusted Rain''s heart and its decision.


    "Wasn''t I being too obvious? Perhaps applying too much pressure?" Annie was the first woman he had formally introduced to his circle of close friends. It was as close to introducing her to his parents as it would get.


    "I know, I understand your doubts, but you know something? She may continue denying her own desires, if you don''te out and admit how you feel to her. A woman can easily run from an unstable rtionship, so she needs to hear you. It would mean a lot to hear that you love her. A promise means a lot to a woman," Leena kept coaxing Rain, but she smiled bitterly at the same time, for she had experienced the devastating effects of ack ofmunication in her rtionship before. She knewpletely what Annie might be feeling and thinking.


    "I need some time to think about this carefully," Rain responded, draining his ss once again.


    "You''re running out of time, my dear brother. Don''t think for too long." Leena worried that he might not act.


    "It''s probably already toote, and it may not make any difference, even if I try." Rain felt like giving up. His rtionship with Annie seemed doomed.


    "You won''t know unless you do something. Action will definitely make a difference. Trust me! I''ve had some experience in this." Leena frowned at hisck of mettle to take action. How she wished she could have a really serious conversation with Annie on his behalf! But she wouldn''t, since it wasn''t her ce.


    "You saw herst time. She has found someone and he is her final choice." Four years might have changed everything. It was only natural for her to move on.


    Leena opened her mouth, trying to refute this, but silence swallowed her words eventually. Only someone who had been in such a heartbreaking rtionship could understand how it felt, and know that there were no words that could help.


    A regr board meeting was held on Monday. During the proceedings, Vance kept trying to persuade the board members to vote Rain out. Uncharacteristically, Rain did not grow angry at all. Instead, he merely sat silently; not even trying to defend himself, and leaving them to their heated discussion. As thepany''s director, he should be open to all opinions, but he almost seemed disinterested.


    "Are you done? If yes, then it''s time to get down to business now." Rain suddenly shook off the appearance of beingzy and indifferent. He sat upright and cast a cool nce at the gathering.


    "What business? We have been discussing the day''s business. Haven''t you noticed? Don''t try to mislead everyone." Vance red at Rain angrily. Rain''s calm demeanor made him rather unsettled.


    "Distribute the files to everyone, please. It''s now time to voice our opinions." Rain turned a deaf ear to the fuss Vance caused and signaled his secretary to hand out the files. In his eyes, Vance was nothing but a clown, trying to stir up his audience. He decided to ignore his antics.00

 Chapter 1664 Return To S City (Part Two)

    "What the hell are you doing, Rain? Didn''t you hear all those voices against you? They preferred you to stay away from thispany!" Vance roared hysterically. His brother had already been dismissed to a subsidiarypany, leaving only him as Rain''spetition. He had been plotting how to get rid of Rain, and finally came up with an idea which would take advantage of the board in an attempt to dismiss Rain. But Rain did not fight back at the meeting at all. Instead, he treated Vance as invisible! How arrogant of Rain! "The file you have been given contains all the information about this project. I believe all of you are aware of therge profits the KD Group stands to generate from it. So, I''m awaiting a perfect proposal from you in a limited time," Rain ordered decisively, leaving Vance muted in anger.


    "Yes, sir. We''ll do everything in our power to create a perfect proposal," the leaders of the management team chorused immediately. They had always admired Rain for his extraordinary business talent.


    The board members nodded at each other in satisfaction after perusing the document. It was as if the ones who had earlier agreed with Vance, and spoken in favor of removing Rain, suddenly changed identity.


    A cold smile appeared on Rain''s face. A bunch of old foxes! But he would outfox them! They would easily sacrifice their principles, as long as there were profits luring them. Rain decided to deal with them by pretending cordiality temporarily. After thepany passed this critical period, he would no longer need to tolerate them anymore.


    As the meeting closed, the dust had settled. But Vance was still unwilling to submit to Rain''s leadership. He stormed into the CEO''s office immediately after the meeting.


    "Rain, it must be a phony project, right? The HT Group won''t award KD the case so easily." Many bigpanies were bidding on the project of the HT Group. Choosing the KD Group to be the executivepany was just too good to be true. After all, the KD Group had just experienced a very risky period not long ago.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    "That''s your opinion, and I won''t make anyments. For you though, it may have been a huge difficulty to secure the project. You''d never have seeded. But I have! I have that capability," Rain sneered with cold eyes. Vance looked even more like a clown with his eyes bulging in rage.


    "Hum! If I''m not mistaken, you won the project thanks to FX International Group!" Everybody in business circles knew of Edward''s extraordinary and guileful negotiation talent. He was no exception.


    "What of it? It''s KD''s project now, and it''s me who made it a reality. You know something? You won''t get things that don''t belong to you, unless you are a very smart man." If the KD Group had not suffered a heavy setback because of the Western Hill project, Rain would not have made the effort to secure this project. He hoped to bring the dying KD Group back to life with it.


    "Don''t be too confident, you won''t have thestugh. Yes, you set my brother up and he is no longer at headquarters now. But, I am still here. Don''t getfortable being a dictator. I''m watching you." Vance had great difficulty understanding why his father and the stakeholders would think highly of Rain. Apart from several major projects he had secured, there was nothing really special about him! If he were assigned to take charge of those projects, he would do much better than him!


    "I stayed safe and sound when both of you were here. Now, you are the only one left. Do you still believe you can beat me? Don''t be so naive." In public, Rain concealed his purpose for working with the KD Group. But he still wished that he could leave the Ke Family to stew in their own juices.


    "Hum! I am the only one left? I don''t think so," Vance sneered. Rain would soon find that the Ke family females were even more aggressive than males. It had evolved into a tradition among the women.


    "Yes, that might be true. But for me, it makes no difference." Rain weed both open and covert attacks. He was capable and had handled the family members when they found fault with him at every step, anyway. As for the result of their struggle? No one could know the oue until he faced thest minute.


    Things would go perfectly ording to n, if all the problems could be dealt with swiftly. But unexpected twists of fate and unintended idents lurked in the shadows, and no one could foresee the future.


    A monthter, Annie returned to S City once again. She did note here to offer any help, as she had donest time. Instead, she returned for brand promotion of her newly designed jewelry range. She brought her children with her, since she would be staying in the city for a while. For some reason she grew restless at the prospect of running into Rain again.


    "Mommy, why does everyone here look like us?" Her daughter Joyce asked, looking around curiously.


    "Because we are from the same country, my silly sister. That ce we lived in is another county. It''s not our home." Huey imperiously gave his sister a lecture with his limited knowledge.


    "All right. Don''t quarrel, please. Let''s go!" Annie felt like there might be somethingcking from her education of the two youngsters. Why did they always bicker?


    "Will we stay in a hotel, Mommy?" Joyce was at the age when she had discovered questions and she asked them endlessly. Herrge luminous eyes stared at her mother, blinking in excitement.


    "No, thepany will find us a ce to stay." Annie raised her head, searching for the representative her new cooperatingpany was supposed to send.


    "Excuse me, are you Miss An from Thand?" A capable-looking woman approached them and inquired politely.


    "Yes, I am. Are you from the YS Group?" Annie nced the pretty woman over from head to toe, and then asked to confirm her identity.


    "Yes, I''m Janice. Nice to meet you." Janice offered her hand for a friendly handshake. Actually, she was not employed by the YS Group. She had worked for Duke as his special assistant. After Duke and Belinda''s marriage, the YS Group and the Leng Group had be one grandpany then. So, iming herself to work for the YS Group was not entirely correct, but in the scope of things, it was urate.


    "Nice to meet you, too." Annie epted her outstretched hand.


    "I look forward to working together." Janice was a natural at getting along with people due to her gracious approach. She had earned much praise as Duke''s right hand.


    "Same here!" Annie was a bit astonished to be working with such a young woman, and she wondered briefly if Janice was capable enough toplete their tasks.


    "Are these your kids?" Likewise, Janice was also amazed when she saw how young Annie was. She struggled briefly to reconcile the idea that Annie was both a jewelry designer, and a mother to such young neonates.


    "Yes. Huey, Joyce, say hello." Annie never relied on her family''s status, so she avoided using their money when she had left. She worked as a jewelry designer to support herself and her children. At first, it was quite a struggle, but she had the talent. So, she quickly earned a sessful reputation andrge profits.000

 Chapter 1665 Return To S City (Part Three)

    "Nice to meet you, I am Huey." "Nice to meet you, I am Joyce."


    The two greeted Janice obediently. The girl was lovely and had an easy smile, while the boy yed it cool, and reserved.


    "Nice to meet you too. Wee to S City. Let''s get started! I''ll take you and mommy to the apartment now, okay?" Brand promotion of Doyce Jewelry was a project the YG Group recently set its hand to. Duke entrusted Janice to run this project, as she was highly capable and he had faith that she would handle it well. She seldom bothered Duke, unless she needed him to secure a celebrity to cut promo. His connections to the FX Group made this process easier, if he dealt with this side of the project.


    The two children, especially Joyce, kept asking various questions along the way as they left the airport terminal. Everything was so new to them.


    YS arranged top ss amodation for Annie within a secureplex with a clean and natural environment. Although it upied only about a hundred square meters'' space, it was exceptionally neat and offered enough space for their needs. "So, how do you like it? Is it okay?" It was a bit airless, with all the windows closed firmly, so, when they entered the apartment, Janice opened a window to let fresh air in. Despite the air being a bit chilly, it livened up the room and it soon felt better.


    "Yeah. It''s very nice. Thank you!" Annie was very satisfied with the residence. It was quiet and she knew that she would be able to rx here after a busy day''s work.


    "We have provided a car for you. It''s the one that I drove us in from the airport. Please feel free to use it as you like." Janice handed the key to Annie. Duke was always generous to his business partners.


    "Oh, that''s so kind of you. But actually I can just grab a taxi when I need to get somewhere." Annie had never anticipated that the YS Group would think so highly of her, to spoil her with such luxury treatment, and she felt extremely ttered.


    "We might need to have a meeting at a moment''s notice, and taxis are not always on hand. To avoid wasting time, please use the car." As a professional assistant, Janice had a quick mind. She always considered situations in the scope of herpany''s interests. She always put thepany first, which was another reason Duke thought highly of her.


    "Ok. I''ll use it for a while then. But you know, with the kids: I am wondering if you could rmend a suitable nanny? I''ll need someone who is trained at taking care of children." Annie had not brought her nanny with. So, she now had to find one to supervise the two. Otherwise, she would not have enough energy to look after them and work.


    "Oh, I''m afraid I''ll need some time to arrange that, unfortunately you didn''t mention it earlier. I''ll get on it right away. Don''t worry." Janice had no experience at selecting a nanny. So she would defer to Duke.


    "Thank you so much. I''m not familiar with the au-pair agencies here." Annie smiled apologetically. Her main concern was that an unskilled nanny would cause trouble or ce her kids in danger.


    "No problem. I''ll find someone suitable. You should get some rest and familiarize yourself with the area. We''ll get started on the project the day after tomorrow. Does that suit you?" Janice proposed that Annie use some time to get settled. The Leng Group cared more for its employees and partners than otherpanies.


    "That''s perfect. Thank you for being so thoughtful." Annie had thought that she would get started on the project as soon as she arrived. It was kind of thepany to leave enough time for her to get used to the city.


    "That''s great. Here are my contact details. Please, feel free to call me if you need anything." Janice passed her business card to Annie. She had taken an instant liking to Annie, as Annie had an innate kindness which most designers didn''t normally possess.


    Annie reached out and took the card respectfully. Her heart jumped when she noticed the contents of the card. It read ''Special Assistant of Leng Group''.


    "Leng Group? Aren''t you from the YS Group?" Annie asked, frowning. She wanted to keep herself as far away from Rain and anything or anyone rted to him, as possible.


    "Oh, sorry I didn''t rify it earlier. The Leng and YS Groups are actually a conglomerate ofpanies. The YS Group''s president, Belinda Shangguan, is Mr. Leng''s wife. She handed over the running of YS to Mr. Leng when she became pregnant. So basically, Mr. Leng is taking care of the YS Group''s business now. Mrs. Leng, assists now and again, but she doesn''t get too involved in the business." Janice had not nned to exin it to her. But she decided to elucidate matters to avoid confusion now that Annie had asked. "Oh, I got it." Annie was a bit confused, and slowly began to recall Belinda. Her memory barely recollected Belinda from the party since she had been so enthralled by Rain at the time, that she had barely noticed anyone else there.


    "Is there any other questions that I might clear up for you?" Janice was unaware of Annie''s past connection to Rain, so she had no idea why Annie had suddenly paled and be concerned.


    "Oh. No, thank you. You have been very helpful." Had Annie known about the rtionship between Duke and the YS Group, she would have reconsidered this business alliance carefully, instead of returning to S City and her past. "Great. I''m afraid I have to go now. Hey, Huey, Joyce, it was lovely meeting you. See you soon!" Janice was due to make a progress report to Duke before getting off from work. She needed to return to the office toplete it for presentation. "Bye-bye!"


    "Bye-bye!"


    The two kids chorused politely from where they had been ying with each other.


    "I''ll see you out," Annie followed Janice to the door and offered politely.


    "Oh, it''s okay. I know the way out. Actually, I live nearby, so, you are wee to call me - even if it''s not for work stuff," Janice declined with a smile. Annie was the guest, and it was not protocol for her to walk Janice out.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Okay, I''ll see you the day after tomorrow then." Annie waved her hand by way of farewell. Alone now, she surveyed the amodations. If everything went smoothly, this would be their home for at least two months. Hopefully, there would not be any unforeseen incidents.0000

 Chapter 1666 Having An Affair (Part One)

    Annie had to buy a lot of daily necessities since she just moved into the new apartment. She went to a nearby supermarket together with her children after taking a rest. In the supermarket, she ced Joyce in a shopping cart and urged Huey to grab her clothes and follow


    her.


    "Mommy, can we buy some candies?" Joyce stared at her mother with a hopeful expression.


    "No, honey. I don''t want you to have bad teeth." Annie turned her down without wavering even a second. Joyce loved eating candies and hated to brush her teeth. The little girl would even start crying whenever she asked her to brush.


    "Mommy, please! I promise I''ll brush my teeth," pleaded Joyce while pursing her lips.


    "Your promise is not credible. So, no!" Joyce had made the same promise more times than Annie could count. However, her little girl would go back on her word each time.


    Unlike his sister, Huey didn''t even have to ask for Annie''s consent. He just put the things he wanted into the shopping cart and was indifferent to his sister''s behavior.


    "Howe Huey can have what he wants?"ined Joyce. She felt wronged as her brother could take whatever he wanted and she couldn''t. She thought that Annie loved Huey more.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Because the things Huey takes are not food. They are school supplies," Annie exined in a soft voice. Huey was more mature than his twin sister. Every time Annie came to supermarkets with the twins, Huey would take books and toys that could help develop intelligence. Annie was happy to see that.


    "I want candies!" Joyce looked at her mother in the eye. She knew her mother would eventually give in.


    "No! You can''t eat candies!" asserted Annie. She thought she should not keep spoiling Joyce.


    "Waah! Mommy, you don''t love me, do you? I want candies!" It was then that Joyce started to cry. She could see it on her mother''s face that she would not give her what she wanted.


    "Idiot! You know nothing but eating and crying," Huey interrupted as he rolled his eyes at his sister. He couldn''t even figure out why Joyce was so naive.


    "I''m not an idiot! You are a bad brother! I''m not ying with you." Joyce cried even harder.


    "Okay, okay. Don''t cry, baby. You can have a lollipop, okay?" Annie couldn''t help but surrender to her daughter''s tears. She sighed with resignation and thought, ''It seems like being a strict mother isn''t an easy thing after all.''


    "Ha! Thank you, Mommy!" Joyce smiled through tears. She cast a challenging look at Huey as if saying, "I win!"


    Annie was still attending her kids when something suddenly caught her attention. There were a gentleman and a woman standing not far away from them and she couldn''t help but be shocked by what she saw. The two wereughing and talking while selecting groceries. They were even holding hands and exchanging sweet gazes every once in a while. It was Leena and Kevin.


    ''Hold on! Isn''t she Rain''s wife? Why is she with this man? Oh my God! Is she having an affair behind Rain''s back?'' Annie thought as she bit her lips.


    Thinking of that possibility, Annie couldn''t help but worry about Rain. She wondered if Rain knew that his wife had an affair.


    "Kevin, let''s go buy some strawberries. Richard loves it." Leena didn''t know that Annie was watching them. She held Kevin''s waist and looked at him affectionately.


    "Sure. Why don''t we buy all the things we need this time? I don''t usually have as much free time like today." Kevin stroked her hair softly and gave his wife a warm smile. He was about to kiss his wife when he instantly stopped. He sensed something weird. His gut was telling him that someone was watching them. Thus, he turned his head and looked into the direction where Annie was standing. Annie didn''t expect the man to turn and look at her. She looked away immediately and pushed the cart away.


    "What''s wrong?" Leena followed Kevin''s sight but saw nobody.


    "Oh, nothing. Never mind," said Kevin as he patted Leena''s shoulder to reassure her. It was just a woman with two children. They couldn''t be spying on them.


    "I think you are overreacting,"mented Leena while shaking her head. She continued to choose some goods from the storage rack.


    "It''s not like that. We soldiers need to stay alert." Kevin followed Leena with their shopping cart. Shopping with Leena was something he really enjoyed a lot in his free time. He would have shared what he saw with Leena if only he knew Annie. However, he didn''t even have a clue about who thedy was.


    Seeing his mother leave in a hurry, Huey followed her and asked in confusion, "Mommy, what''s wrong?"


    "Oh, nothing. I just saw your favorite milk. Why don''t we grab a carton?" Annie made an excuse as her steps slowed. ''Gosh! Why did I overreact? The man doesn''t know me. I could have just looked away and pretended that it was nothing!'' "Sure. Thanks, Mommy." As Annie said, his favorite milk was beside them. He ran towards the storage rack and took a carton of milk.


    "Mommy, I want milk too," Joyce cried as she didn''t want to lose against her brother.


    "You can pick your favorite milk as well." Annie was still worried about Rain, so she kept following Leena and Kevin. She was stealing nces at them from time to time. Her heart sank when she saw Leena and Kevin hug and kiss each other. Leena had never dreamed of being regarded as a woman having an affair. She was enjoying her time with Kevin''spany. They bought many things and drove back home.


    The next day, Janice took a nanny to Annie''s apartment. The nanny was from the Leng family. It was really hard to find a reliable nanny in such a short time, so Janice asked for Duke''s help. It was Duke who personally arranged everything upon learning about the situation. Annie didn''t expect Janice to be such a capable person and thanked her sincerely. However, she was feeling a little depressed as she would sooner orter meet Duke. The man was Rain''s good buddy and she didn''t think it was okay for them to be close. The day finally came. Duke''s eyes were suddenly wide in shock when he realized that the designer from Doyce Jewelry was no other than Annie.


    "Mr. Leng, nice to meet you!" Annie offered a casual handshake with Duke like she didn''t know him at all. She tried her best to act normally in front of him.


    "Miss An, nice to meet you too!" It was only then that Duke came to his senses and shook her hand in a gentle way. Since Annie pretended to not know him, he decided to adopt a businesslike manner.


    "I will, on behalf of Doyce Jewelry, work with you for the next two months. I''m hoping for us to have good cooperation." Annie was in a fitted business suit. She was very professional as if her father weren''t the CEO of C Financial Group.


    "We''ll try out best to cooperate with you. If you have any requests or inconvenience, please let us know and we will try to meet your requirements." Although Duke looked indifferent, he was considering how to help his buddy court Annie on the inside.


    "Why don''t we start discussing our contract now? As we said before, we will charge a 40 percentmission. If you have no objection, please sign the contract," Annie said. She was handling the situation expertly and it seemed that she had learned a lot in the past few years. She now had this air of a professional businesswoman.


    "Here, I must say that we, YS Group, will not be responsible for any financial and legal disputes caused by the quality of your products." Duke skimmed through the contract and put forward his requirement. He ran twopanies with great facility.


    "Of course, Mr. Leng. I''d like to renew my request as well. Our designers have their own design concepts and I hope you won''t enforce your will upon us." Annie didn''t likeymen making indiscreet remarks on her work.


    That statement from her made Duke furrow his brows and tap his fingers on the desk. As a businessman, he had to consider it carefully so as to make the best decision for thepany.000?????????????

 Chapter 1667 Having An Affair (Part Two)

    On the other hand, Annie secretly bit her lower lip and wondered if she was going too far. They were designing the products in ordance with YS Group''s image after all and it was understandable for them to have their own thoughts. However, she really didn''t like to be bothered while she was working.


    "I agree. Janice, remember to add those two items to the contract." After a short consideration, Duke decided to agree with Annie. Since he had chosen herpany as a partner, he should trust her. Moreover, Annie was Rain''s beloved woman and he hoped that he would help Rain win her heart again.


    "Thank you, Mr. Leng." Annie was thrilled. She didn''t really expect Duke to say yes.


    "No problem. You''re Rain''s friend and I will do whatever I can to help you." Duke gave her a friendly smile.


    "Uh, Mr. Leng, could you please not tell him that I''m in S City?" Annie asked, embarrassed. She was worried that she couldn''t help but warn Rain about his wife''s affair thoughtlessly once she met him.


    "Can you tell me why?" Duke asked confusedly. He furrowed his eyebrows and remembered what Rain had told him before. ''Does she really forget Rain? That can''t be possible!'' he thought.


    "We both live a happy life now. So there''s no need to bring more trouble." Annie smiled bitterly as she didn''t think that she was able to get back together with Rain again.


    "I think you mean you live a happy life now." Disdain was suddenly written all over Duke''s face. He thought that Annie had a happy family now and didn''t want Rain to disturb them.


    "Mr. Leng, I don''t get your point," Annie said with a frown. ''Is Rain not living a happy life? He has a beautiful wife and an adorable son. Oh, maybe Mr. Leng knows that Rain''s wife has an affair," she thought to herself. "You''ll get my point as long as you still care about him," Duke said in defense of his best buddy. His goal was to help Rain win her heart back. He really didn''t want Rain to live in sorrow.


    "Mr. Leng, the contract is ready." Janice entered the office at that moment, which helped Annie escape the embarrassment. Otherwise, Annie didn''t know how to respond.


    "The next thing is to find the suitable model for our products. I''ve already found one. However, I think it''s still necessary to listen to your opinion." Duke looked at Janice and asked her to give Annie the model''s information. "Sure." Annie took over the documents and started to check on the model. The model was pretty and bright. ''If only she could be a little reserved,'' thought Annie.


    "What do you think of her?" Duke asked. He got a little worried when he saw her furrowed eyebrows. He was suddenly wondering if she would vote the model down. They had picked Eleanor as the model before as they thought that she was perfect for their products. "I have no objection." Annie knew that it was extremely hard to find a model that would fit the product perfectly. After all, this one was able to demonstrate the products fine. She knew that happiness was based on contentment and she decided to ept the model. "Yep. Okay then. We''ll arrange a meeting for you and the model, thus, you can tell her your ideas." Duke felt a sense of relief. He had even asked Rain to set up a honey-trap for Eleanor just to make her work for them.


    "Sure. If you don''t need me for anything else, I''ll take my leave now." Annie stood up. She wanted to take her children to stroll in the city.


    "Miss An, may I invite you to dinner?" Duke asked in an attempt to create opportunities for Rain.


    "What about some other day? I really don''t have time today." Since they just moved to S City, Annie wanted her children to get used with the city''s environment soon. Moreover, the nanny she had was new, thus, she was still worrying that she might not be able to handle the twins.


    "All right. Please call me when you are free." Duke didn''t insist. As Annie would live in S City for a long time, he believed there would be plenty of chances for Rain to court her.


    "See you, Mr. Leng." Annie wanted to leave Duke''s office as soon as possible. Duke got an odd smile on his face and her gut feeling was telling her that she should run to safety. "Janice, please escort Miss An out." Duke looked at Annie''s receding figure and pondered hard on how to help Rain.


    "Yes, Mr. Leng." Janice trotted towards Annie. She was very curious about Annie''s identity as Duke showed great interest in her. She even wondered if Duke had a crush on her. After the door was shut, Duke picked his phone up and called his good buddy, Rain.


    "What are you calling for? I''m busy." Rain''s cold voice came from the other side of the line as soon as the call was connected. Rain couldn''t help but get angry at Duke because he had invited Eleanor to dinner the other day despite his unwillingness. It was all because of Duke.


    "I want to tell you something about Annie. Are you still busy?" Duke teased him with a cunning smile.


    "Come on! Don''t make a fool of me. I won''t be tricked. What''s more, she has nothing to do with me now." Rain buried himself in a lot of documents while speaking with Duke. Edward had been abroad for business these days. As a result, Rain had to deal with the businesses of both FX International Group and KD Group. He was exhausted and in no mood to chat with Duke.


    "Really? She has nothing to do with you now? You know what, she just left my office," Duke said casually like he was talking about the weather.


    "Are you serious?" Rain dropped the documents and stood. He began to feel nervous.


    "I won''t lie to you, okay? And let me tell you this, she''s in the city with two children. There''s no man around her." Duke felt that he had done a lot for Rain. If Rain still couldn''t take this opportunity to win Annie back, there was nothing Duke could do to help him. "How did you know that?" Rain still couldn''t believe what he heard.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "Janice told me. Do you think she was lying? She was the one who arranged an apartment for Annie." If Duke had known that Annie was with Doyce Jewelry, he would not have arranged a nanny for her. Instead, he would have sent Rain there. "Where does she live? Give me the address," Rain asked anxiously. He swore, if Duke dared to lie to him, he would teach him a hard lesson.


    "I don''t know her address but Janice knows it. However, I have her number. Do you want me to tell you her number?" Duke asked with a teasing smile. He decided to not give Rain the number so easily.


    "Give me the number!" Rain picked up his pen to write it down.


    "I can give you the number. However, what do you n to offer in exchange?" Duke shed a cunning smile. ''Dude, you always oppose me. This time, I won''t let you have Annie''s number so easily, ''he thought.


    "You brat! Two bottles of Hennessy! Are you satisfied?" Rain thundered through gritted teeth. If Duke were right in front of him, he would punch him on the face.


    "Ouch! My ears! Are you trying to murder me?" Dukeined. Luckily, he had already moved his phone away from his ear.


    "I''m in no mood to talk nonsense with you. Give me the number, now!" Rain threatened. He still had a lot of work to do and he didn''t want to argue with Duke anymore.


    "I''ll text you the number when I''m in a good mood." After saying that, Duke immediately hung up. He didn''t want to face an angry Rain.


    "Damn it!" Rain banged his phone on his desk. He knew Duke was getting even with him for the model thing. ''Mr. Cold is as cunning as Edward!'' he thought to himself.


    Rain was in no mood to deal with the documents anymore. Thus, he stood and walked to the French window as he thought of Annie.


    Although Duke told him that there was no man around Annie, she had two children. Who was the children''s father? Did they get married? Or had they already divorced each other? A myriad of thoughts flooded Rain. He needed to figure it out and think about what he should say when he saw her next time.

 Chapter 1668 So Close To The Truth (Part One)

    Duke meant to annoy Rain by texting him back two hourster. Thetter seethed in anger, thinking about how he should exchange the high-end wine he was about to give Duke with a low-grade one. Rain stared at the phone number on his screen and pressed back to the home screen, feeling like he wasn''t brave enough to ring it up. His enthusiasm was gone.


    After hesitating for a while, he gritted his teeth together and took a deep breath. He decided to let go of his anxiety and do what he really wanted. No matter what response he got, he needed to do this.


    Rain looked at the phone number again and dialed it. The ringing was endless and he was disappointed to hear no one answer it. He was just about to hang up when a feminine voice spoke at the other end of the line. "Hello, this is Annie speaking. Who is this?" At the familiar voice, Rain was suddenly at a loss for words. What would be appropriate for him to say?


    "It''s me. I was told you are in S City now." His voice was low and hesitant as he answered her, trying to suppress his eagerness.


    "Rain?" Annie was flustered. It seemed that Duke told Rain everything.


    "Yes. Do you have a minute? I hope we can have a drink." Rain''s desk was covered in tons of files. He had a lot of work to do, but the files could wait. First, he wanted to give their rtionship another chance. "Right now?" Annie didn''t hesitate in turning Duke''s offer down, but when it came to Rain, she couldn''t help letting her feelings get to her head. She was always pulled to him.


    "Would that be okay?" Rain''s voice was cautious, as if he was afraid she would say no.


    "Yes. Where will we meet?" Annie smiled sadly. It turned out she still had feelings for him. She hadn''t forgotten him at all.


    "I''ll pick you up. Tell me your address." Rain exhaled deeply upon hearing her answer. She had agreed to meet him! He grinned in relief.


    "That''s fine. I have a car. Just tell me where we will meet." The news of his marriage had cut Annie to the quick. Her heart still stung.


    "I''ll text you." They were in uncertain waters and talked warily, as if one wrong word had the power to offend the other person.


    "Okay, see youter." Annie hung up soon, feeling like her heart was about toe out of her chest.


    Rain put the phone down and sent her an address, frowning. He was lost in thought for a while. Soon, he walked out of his office.


    "You look nice, Mom. Are you going out?" Huey asked her when he saw his mother put on make-up carefully.


    "Yes, I am going out to meet a friend. Take care of your sister and don''t bully her, all right?" Annie brushed off her dress, embarrassed to be praised by the little guy.


    "Mom, are you going to meet a man?" Huey wondered if that was why she dressed up.


    "Little monkey, who told you I am going to meet a man? What if it is ady?" Annie''s cheeks grew hot. Her son saw through her so easily. Was it so obvious she was meeting a man?


    "You wouldn''t wear lipstick if it was ady," the little boy said, frowning.


    "Who said I can''t wear lipstick when I meet ady? It is not like what you think! I''m going now. Don''t tease your sister when she wakes up, okay?" Annie was worried to leave her two children at home all alone. They argued with each other all the time.


    "I know. See youter, Mom." Huey could tell that the guy his mother was going to meet was important to her. Was he right in guessing who he was? His mother looked so nervous. Could it be his father? Huey''s heart jumped in excitement at the thought. Rain arrived at the caf¨¦ in advance and sat by the window, watching the door. He couldn''t help but smile when he saw Annie approach.


    Annie took a deep breath before stepping inside. Her hair was up in a bun and she wore a light over-knee dress. She looked quite elegant.


    At this time of the day, there weren''t many people in the cafe. Annie spotted Rain easily and walked over to him on unsteady feet. Her heart thumped, tensed.


    "Have you been here for long?" She smiled, trying to suppress her nervousness.


    "Not really. I just arrived. What would you like to drink?" Rain stared at her, surprised to see how much she had changed. She wasn''t a little girl anymore. She looked mature, and even more beautiful.


    "Oh. I will just have what you''re drinking." Annie nced at the coffee in front of Rain, wondering what kind it was.


    Rain beckoned the waiter over and ordered her the same coffee. He turned his gaze over to Annie and studied her slowly. Annie reddened under his scrutiny. She didn''t know where to look. She calmed down, telling herself not to get so fidgety.


    "I was told you came here for business," Rain said. He had called up Duke to know more about her situation before he got here.


    "Yes. I got here the day before yesterday." Annie lowered her head, trying to avoid his eyes.


    "Then why didn''t you call me?" Rain regretted it the moment he blurted it out. Annie was a married woman. It was obvious why she wanted to avoid getting in touch with her ex.


    "I worried that my call would trouble you. I didn''t want to bother you, so I didn''t try to get in contact." Annie gnawed on her lip and raised her head to look at him. Everything about the man in front of her was still so familiar to her. Annie could tell it was him even with her eyes closed.


    "Really? Bother me? Well, maybe," Rain forced a smile on his face. Ironically, he had thought his call would trouble Annie!


    "Last time at the airport, I saw you on the news. Are you all right?" Annie blurted out. She couldn''t help but pay attention to everything that concerned him, even though she knew she shouldn''t. She was unable to control her feelings when it came to him.


    "Oh, I''ve already sorted it out. Thanks for asking." Rain hated the aloof politeness between them. They were acting as if they were strangers, but he didn''t know how to break the ice. He wanted to speak out what was in his heart, but was afraid she would just run off again. At least, they could still be friends if he didn''t let slip how confused he felt.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    The moment turned awkward. They remained silent until the waiter served the coffee.


    "It''s bitter. I am afraid you probably aren''t used to it," Rain said when Annie frowned after taking a sip of the coffee.


    "No, it is kind of good. I like trying something new." Annie didn''t think Rain could bear to drink something so bitter. She was afraid to take a second sip. Rain seemed to know her mind and asked the waiter to serve her something else instead.


    "How long do you n to stay?" Rain asked her as he drank his coffee, his eyes guarded.


    "It depends, but I am here for months." The two of them talked casually over the coffee, neither of them mentioning the pressing issue between them.


    "Would you like to tell me why you left four years ago?" Rain finally asked, pinning her with his gaze. He tried to remain calm. Deep inside his heart, he was dying to know the answer to the question that had been dogging him all these years. He would not leave here before he got her exnation.


    Annie stole a nce at him in panic. Her heart plummeted to her stomach when she heard him refer to their history.


    "I..." Why did she leave? Was it because she knew he didn''t love her? Or was it because she was afraid to get hurt again?


    "You want me to say the reason out loud for you? It''s because you loved another man, so you left me after you were done with me." Rain''s chest tightened as he recalled the red stain on the sheets.


    "Another man? What are you talking about?" Annie frowned. She had been reluctant to talk because she had been worried he would ask her about the kids. Rain knew Annie had two kids, but he didn''t know they were his kids.

 Chapter 1669 So Close To The Truth (Part Two)

    "Fine. It''s your own private matter. Sorry for intruding. Maybe I asked for too much." Rain fidgeted, his lips turning into a wry smile. From her frown, he could tell the question had annoyed her. "No. I want you to be clear. Who was this other man?" Annie would never admit to doing something that didn''t happen. Rain obviously held a misunderstanding.


    "Annie, oh no, Mrs... I don''t know... You have kids, don''t you?" He recalled the photo of the two adorable children on her phone. Rain wished they were his kids, instead of some unknown bastard''s. "You... How did you know that?" Annie turned white. She should have guessed this would happen. Janice was Duke''s right hand; she would have told his boss everything.


    "It''s easy to know. You must love the man a lot, so you had his kids." A wretched look dominated his expression, revealing his prolonged suffering. He felt as though his heart was sinking.


    "Yes, I love him very much." Annie gazed at him profoundly. Rain, having lowered his head, missed the deep feeling in her gaze.


    Her answer almost tore his heart apart. It was time for him to move on. Finally, he had her answer. She truly fell in love with someone else.


    "I should have known." Rain picked up his cup of bitter coffee and swallowed it neat. It tasted like water to him, ovee as he was by disappointment and sorrow. His chest felt heavy.


    "What should you have known?" Annie frowned, wondering if he knew the man was him. She was in love with Rain, but he was already a married man. She couldn''t tell him the kids were his and ruin his family in the process. Besides, he didn''t love her. Why would he care?


    "Nothing. Is he nice to you?" Rain smiled sardonically. There was nothing he could do now but wish her happiness.


    "He..." Annie bit her lower lip. Her heart felt like it was being stabbed. "No, he is not," she finished.


    "What?" Rain didn''t expect her answer to be in the negative. His head snapped up to her in confusion.


    "Rain, can''t we just move on? I don''t want to talk about it anymore." Annie was unwilling to linger on the issue. The man they were talking about was right in front of her. How could she criticize him when he was around? The only thing she could do was cover up her feelings for him. "That''s why you came here all alone, with your kids?" Rain cast his eyes down, miserable. He wished he were that man. He would have never left her in the lurch.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "Yes." Annie looked away, mortified. She could not convey the grief she felt.


    "Call me whenever you are in need while you''re at S City." ''Damn, '' he thought. ''Fred looked so decent. I didn''t expect him to be such a jerk. How could he not cherish Annie?'' "Okay, sure. You..." Annie debated whether or not she should remind him of something, but dropped the idea eventually.


    "What?" Rain was confused when she didn''t finish her sentence.


    "Oh, it''s nothing." After all, it was none of her business.


    "Give a call to your family. They are worried about your safety." A month ago, Annie''s brother hade to see Rain, thinking he''d find Annie with him. Her brother had med him for not convincing her into staying. He didn''t even know her phone number then. Rain admitted to his fault. He should have been more responsible.


    "How are my parents?" Annie hadn''t been in touch with her family. Once they knew where she was, they would have definitely told Rain. The same would have been true for the opposite. She wondered if Rain had already told her family where she was.


    "What do you think? All of a sudden their beloved daughter was nowhere to be found. How could they have been okay?" Annie had sent them a message when she left, but there hadn''t been anymunication since then. It was natural that they were worried about her safety.


    "I am not a good daughter." Annie licked her lips, thinking that she should go home and see her parents.


    "Right, please get in touch with them. Talk to them. They are very understanding. I''m sure they would ept your kids'' father," Rain said, seemingly calm, even as his heart broke.


    "Okay, thank you." Her family might be willing to ept her kids, but they would not be so understanding if they knew that their father was married to another woman.


    "When are you free? I want to take your kids out to dinner." Their rtionship might not have survived, but Annie could still be his good friend. Plus, she was staying in S City all alone with her kids. As a good friend, it was Rain''s duty to take care of them. "Well! There''s no need for that. My kids are noisy. I am afraid they would bother you." Annie turned him down quickly, worried that he would know Huey was his son as soon as his eyesnded on him. The little guy looked just like his father.


    "It''s okay. I am used to kids." Rain was pretty much always surrounded by kids, so he was used to their noise and mischief.


    "Oh, right. I forgot that you have a kid too." Annie smiled thinly, misunderstanding what Rain meant again.


    "Me? A kid? What do you mean?" Rain asked.


    "That little boy at the party. Isn''t he your son?" Annie asked. At his response, she began to wonder if he had more than one kid.


    "Oh, you mean Richard! He is adorable, but he is Leena''s son." Rain''s mouth curved upward. He couldn''t help but grin when he thought about that little guy.


    "What? Leena? Who is Leena?" Annie had met Leena once, but at that time she had been totally wasted. She didn''t remember that Leena was Duke''s sister. When Annie had seen Rain and her hugging at the gate of FX International Group, she had misunderstood their rtionship entirely.


    "You don''t know who Leena is? She is Duke''s sister, and our little princess." Rain felt surprised to know that Annie didn''t know Leena. A thought struck him and he wondered if she had perhaps misunderstood something.


    "Sorry. I don''t think I''ve ever met her." Among the people in his circle, Annie had only met Daisy and Belinda. As for Leena, the name didn''t ring a bell to her.


    "It''s fine. She''s a nice girl and very easy to get along with. She''s our precious sister. You will definitely like her once you meet her." Rain talked about Leena with pride. She was so charming and lively that one couldn''t help but love her.


    "Is she? I am interested to meet her now." In the past, Annie didn''t make time for friendships because of her family. And after she had kids, she was so busy taking care of them that she didn''t have the chance to go out and make friends.


    "Next time, I will introduce her to you. You''re both girls. Since you are in S City, you can ask her for advice anytime." Rain would be the first one to step up when Annie was in need, but after all, he was a man. If Annie had girl problems, he could scarcely help.


    "Okay. I am looking forward to meeting her." The real reason Annie wanted to meet Leena was because she was a mother too. They could share experiences of raising kids with each other. Even though Leena''s kid was younger than hers, there were always new things Leena could tell her.


    "I thought you already knew her since she came to the party too. Maybe you didn''t notice her." Rain frowned. He remembered Leena talking to him all night. Annie couldn''t have missed Leena if she noticed him.


    "No. It seems I didn''t see her." Annie had panicked when she saw Rain with his wife, so she hadn''t paid attention to anyone else. She still felt the sharp pain in her heart at the image of herughing with him.


    The misunderstanding between them could easily be solved as long as both of them were on the same page, but neither of them wanted to press the issue. They kept a lid on their feelings in fear and deviated when they got close to the truth, again and again. After meeting Rain, Annie went to a shopping mall instead of going home. She didn''t carry a lot of clothes with her as she had two children to take care of, so she wanted to buy a few things for them. She had realized something when she was with Rain, earlier. She couldn''t help but want to get close to him, even though he was a married man now. It was awful. How could she be so shameless?

 Chapter 1670 Family (Part One)

    After leaving the cafe, Rain didn''t return to FX International Group. Instead, he chose to cruise straight to KD Group, because William had given him a call saying that Hannah had called many of her supporters together in order to coerce Rain to reinstate Cyrus back in the


    head


    office.


    "Mr. Xia, thank God you''ve arrived. Their foolish acts are ruining thepany to the extent that the day-to-day affairs of thepany are in peril," William received Rain and alerted him in a hurry. His arrival had been anxiously awaited by William for a while now. Situation had been spiraling out of control and the situation demanded a man who could take charge in order to ameliorate this disaster.


    "When did they initiate? Why wasn''t I informed about this sooner?" Rain asked in an enraged tone while striding himself into thepany, with the heavy smell of gunpowder still persistent on his face. He cursed them in his heart for not letting this body to gain a pinch of meaningful rest.


    "At the outset, we were under the impression that we had the situation under control. Butter, all of us came to the conclusion that it has spiraled beyond our hands. We decided unanimously to maintain restraint considering your family rtions with them and leave the decision to your wisdom," William exined while rushing to keep pace with Rain.


    However, the heavy footsteps of Rain echoing across the corridor ceased abruptly as soon as he heard what William had just said. Turning around and keeping a cold stare on William, he whispered slowly, as though he was dropping the words one by one, "They are not my family. I don''t want to hear anyone saying that ever again."


    After uttering that, he walked straight into the elevator, without caring to pause for at least a moment.


    William struggled awfully to catch up with Rain. He knew that Rain wasn''t so fond of the Ke Family, but he hadn''t expected that he loathed them to this extent.


    As soon as he arrived at the top floor, Rain heard a pang of hubbub. It seemed to him that he had justnded at the epicentre of terrible scene in the making. Rain twisted his eyebrows into a clean furrow. The apparently short limits of his temper were being put to test today.


    "Everybody please calm down. The CEO is here," William yelled, suppressing the slurry of noise.


    In an instant, every pair of eyes in the room shifted to focus on Rain. Seeing his cold yet handsome face, the essory perpetrators of this troublesome incident hid their face in an rmed state.


    "It seems that you''ve enjoyed yourselves while I was absent from thepany for a short period. I can''t help but wonder who the brilliant organizer was, or should I say, conspirator?" Rain asked with a sly smile on his lips while ring at several members of the Ke Family, who he believed had never done any work melessly in their entire lives.


    "Before you turn all authoritarian with your questions, you may just have to calm down. First of all, let us ask you a question. As the CEO of KD Group, do you think it is morally right to go to FX International Group to lead their work instead of working here? Are you worthy of our trust?" Eugenia took the lead inunching an attack, without the shadow of thest bit of fear seen in her eyes. She was still and firm as a rock.


    "Trust, wow... I''m amused by the way you people manipte the situation. I assume that ording to you, this is the way to express your trust in me," Rain pped his hands to apud in an apparent appreciation to them, filled with frozen sarcasm.


    "Do not try to deviate from the real issue in question. Since you are notpetent to continue as the CEO of KD Group, we all strongly feel you should quit so that someonepetent can take up this job," Hannah said, or perhaps yelled. In order to expel Rain out of thepany, she had to ignore her previously held enmity towards her colleagues in order to rally more support for her cause.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "I see. Is that your ultimate aim? But unfortunately, I''m not so much of a feeble person as to help you achieve that aim. I won''t just surrender when you put down the white g of peace. Therefore, I''m afraid that your wishful thinking will remain grossly unsatisfied," Rain answered. He realized that as long as any member of the Ke Family existed in thepany, he couldn''t dream of living a peaceful life. Perhaps, it was high time for him to consider the various means in his disposal to weaken their power and reputation in thepany. "Despite upying the chair of the CEO of KD Group, he is still in charge of the business affairs of FX International Group. How can we justly believe that he has no selfish motive? I wonder whether he delegates any business belonging to the KD Group to FX International Group from behind the curtain," Vance blurted out in a fit of rage towards the CEO. It looked like the perfect opportunity to force Rain to abdicate the CEO position while Sanford was absent from S City.


    "Mr. Ke, when you wish to tell a joke the next time, please tell a reasonable one. Do you really think that in the current situation KD Group is qualified to be mentioned in the same sentence alongside the FX International Group?" Rain asked. The reason why he chose to say that was not because he wanted to legitimize himself once again, but because that was exactly the harsh reality. Perhaps KD Group could have been counted as apetitor to FX International Group ten years ago, but in recent years, KD Group''s performance had shrunk badly.


    "Finally you seem to walk on the path of honesty! In fact you look down upon KD Group with disgust. Everybody please listen to what our most respected CEO thinks of thispany carefully. While he manages KD Group with such a mindset, how can we put our trust in him to carry thepany forward to greater heights?" Vance said with a gloomy face. He still hadn''t epted that such a legitimate son as him could not beat a bastard.


    "Vance is right. The CEO of KD Group goes so far as to look down upon thepany under his own management. He insults and rebukes us. Working underneath him will only render disasters to thispany."


    "Right! So we require the dismissal and recement of the CEO. I''d consider transferring Cyrus back from the branch office as a good option."


    "Otherwise, it''d also be wonderful to let Vance take up the position."


    Hearing their discussion, Rain stood still with a faint smile on his face. Like a flock of sheep without a shepherd, they had earned the guts to provoke him. It appeared that they had saved enough money and it was time for them to go back home and live on their own fat. "Do you really want me to quit even at the cost of an imminent copse of the KD Group?" Rain didn''t give a damn about the position of KD Group''s CEO, because even if he resigned from KD Group, he was still the Deputy CEO of FX International Group. But KD Group was the institution wherein he had left so many footprints altogether. He didn''t really feel like the writing on the wall had appeared asking him to quit.


    "Stop exaggerating the situation beyond our wildest imagination to freak us out. You seem to think that the entire operation of KD Group relies on you solely," Vance smiled, without giving a definite answer. He didn''t believe Rain was indispensable for KD Group.

 Chapter 1671 Family (Part Two)

    "William, fetch me the current financial statements of KD Group. Hand over a copy to each of them. Let them decide whether their CEO is exaggerating the situation just to keep his position," Rain ordered. To put it mildly, their survival depended entirely on his existence in thepany; to put it harshly, they were nothing but a bunch of dogs fed by him. The difference between them and dogs was they remained disloyal to their master. "Yes, sir!" William strode away. As far as he knew, Rain had invested a big chunk of his personal wealth in KD Group. In other words, forty percent of thepany''s shares had one rightful owner''s name beside it- Rain.


    "Alright. Expose the financial documents to us. Who cares?! I just hope you won''t end upmenting this decision," Eugenia said in a sarcastic tone. As a senior executive of KD Group, she was aware of everything that happened in thepany, so her retort sounded slightly uncalled-for.


    "Eugenia, you needn''t to care about his emotions anymore. Do you think a man such as him would have a sense of shame? Don''t forget who he is and who we are," Vance said with a strong sense of superiority. Inside his head, Rain had already been defeated. But was he?


    "I''d have forgotten about it if you hadn''t reminded me of it," Eugenia held her head high in pride soon after being reminded by her husband.


    "You''re undoubtedly beyond my understanding. But I''ve one advice for you. Don''t be over aggressive. If you try to do more good in this lifetime, then perhaps God will permit you to be born as a human being in your next life instead of a beast again," Rain was exceptionally capable of using very cruel words to get his way under Edward''s influence, who he knew was more cruel than him. Therefore, it definitely wouldn''t be a cakewalk for them to beat Rain in a verbal debate.


    "Rain, don''t push me beyond my natural limit," Vance began cursing Rain, brawling in absolute fury.


    Noticing that Rain and Vance were fighting with each other, Hannah felt a little relieved. Internally, she started plotting her next move.


    "Sir, the financial statements are here," William said after he came back with Rain.


    "Go ahead and circte the statements with them. They have to see the situation with their own eyes," Rain said, ncing at them coldly. They were acting adamant so Rain didn''t mind adding fuel to the me. Angrily, Vance took the financial statements from William. He took a moment for the information to sink in. Finally, he understood the fact that KD Group was actually in a horrible situation yet he was unwilling to believe.


    "These data can''t be true. Show me the real ount book rather than the fake one," he said. In panic, he threw away the papers. He thought it was impossible for KD Group to be a victim of debt.


    "I don''t care if you won''t ept it but this is the truth. If you want to know the reason then please take a look at the incident that happened at the West Hill more than a month ago," Rain said while raising his eyebrows. Now, he felt he was in control here. With his sharp eyes, he nced at everyone present there.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    "Okay, I agree that incident was bad. But what happened after that? I am aware that KD Group has received several big cases after that. How could there be no revenue but only expense?" Hannah feltpelled to speak up and put forth her question. She knew her husband was responsible for this yet she was stunned to hear that thepany was weak enough to be knocked downpletely. Thus she couldn''t tolerate watching her husband get humiliated in front of everyone.


    "Aha! Don''t sway away from the topic. Right now let us focus! Let''s talk about how you have carved out and swallowed the capital of KD Group overtly and covertly," Rainughed. The reason why he had ignored what they had done was because he had the apparently sinister intention of wanting the KD Group to break down, and then he would be the architect of its rebirth. During that period, the Ke Family would be his loyal subordinates and willing to fulfill his every whim and fancy needs.


    "Rain, don''t describe yourself as a man of high eminence. What you do behind closed doors is no more presentable than what we do," Vance said. It was not until very recently that they had gotten to know about Rain having invested extensively in order to purchase the KD group''s shares. They had been rmed, anxious and tensed ever since. They feared the obvious possibility of Rain turning out to be thergest shareholder of KD Group sooner orter, after which he might expel them out from thepany.


    "You people have no right whatsoever to judge me. Regardless of whether I''ve been egoistic or not, at least I''ve never embezzled any fund of thepany. Therefore, I didn''t let the staff of KD Group down. As for you, can you confess to your deeds in public?" Rain let out a cold sneer. Then he passed by them arrogantly and domineeringly.


    "Wait a minute. What on earth did that mean?" Vance tried to get even with Rain, but William asked him to refrain from it. William knew that Rain would not spill anything more. If they continued pestering him, the already hostile situation would turn explosive. "Get out of my way! You''re a mere secretary. How dare you block my way?!" Vance shouted in fury, as he began feeling inferior due to the underestimation he was exposed to, even from Rain''s secretary.


    "Mr. Ke, let me give you an advice. You''d better stop annoying the CEO. The reason why the CEO stormed out is that he has had enough of your provocations. If you''re so immune and impervious to the ruined affairs of thepany that you only want to catch up with him in order to argue with him, I''m afraid the result will reveal itself to be something much worse than what you expect," William said. He had in him a congenital hatred for kids of rich families, so from the very beginning he had despised the several members of the Ke Family, who never avoided a chance to ridicule him.


    "What a henchman! You are paid by the Ke Family, not your esteemed master of humble origin," Vance said. Since William had long been an unpleasant sight to his eyes, he was now getting even with him.


    "I''m sorry to inform you that I am being paid by the FX International Group instead of KD Group. Thus what you say would mean nothing to me. We consider them as nothing but nonsense," William said irreverently. Previously he had been polite to Vance in consideration of his identity as the second son of the Ke Family, but now he found that it wasn''t a sufficient reason anymore. A person who didn''t bother to respect himself wasn''t worthy of anybody else''s respect.


    "That''s impossible and undeniably outrageous. How could FX International Group pay a KD Group employee?" Vance didn''t believe a word of what William had just blurted out. He thought William had said that in order to mislead them.


    "That depends entirely on the people currently upying the important chairs. Whenever our Mr. Xia is in need of anything, our CEO Mu makes sure that he takes care of it. That is to say, as long as Mr. Xia has an intention to control KD Group, he will get it done without the slightest of worry," William said before he took the financial statement copies back. He wasn''t going to reveal that just as they had assumed a moment ago, KD Group had in fact received several big cases, each of them having a good margin of profit. The fact that none of those projects had made its way to the revenue report of thepany was undeniable.

 Chapter 1672 Family (Part Three)

    Hearing what William had said, several members of the Ke Family stood startled and recused themselves into absolute silence. FX International Group was indeed a shark in the ocean and it was clear that it wasn''t to be messed with. All that was left to be done for them was to stare in cold, shameful and pitiful silence when the documents were being taken back. Yet again, another attempt to ambush Rain had ended in a disgraceful defeat for the Ke family.


    As soon as he returned to the familiar atmosphere of his office, Rain threw off many documents that were lying on the table to the ground. His burning fury shone brighter than the afternoon sun. His past and his beginnings were a soft spot in his heart. Those were easy targets for anyone who wanted to infuriate him. He exploded on the inside whenever that topic was brought to discussion, even though he always managed to maintain his normal demeanor.


    Previously he had been frustrated by Annie, but the new set of troubles beingunched by the Ke family were hardly anticipated. If it had not been for many of the nned projects, he wouldn''t have left them unharmed to wander around in thepany.


    "Rat-rat," William knocked the door gently before he pushed the door open and walked into the room. Witnessing the sight of the mayhem Rain had created in a few minutes, he felt frustrated but chose to let it go. He took the initiative by himself and began picking them up one by one. He wasn''t going to disturb Rain and be a subject to his burning me of fury.


    "William, rush to the YS Group and ask for their Recent Events Schedule," Rain ordered. Since Annie had turned up for work this time, being its partner, YS Group would certainly possess first-hand valuable and confidential information about her.


    "Yes, sir," William replied. Many questions popped up in William''s over-curious head but he knew that now wasn''t a good time for the questions to be asked. Previously, Rain just had to ask via phone in order to be aware of the affairs of the YS Group. But this time around, he chose to send William in person to run his errands. That seemed to confer a high degree of importance to this mission.


    Rain shut his eyes as though in search of a world of peace. The invincible CEO had been challenged and weakened both mentally and physically. The atmosphere around him seemed to choke him with suspicion and rage. He was feeling more and more defeated in this whole battle.


    Annie didn''t return home until several hourster. The handful of bags apanying her conveyed the fact that she had indeed bought a lot.


    "Mommy, didn''t you have an appointment with someone important today? How did you manage to buy so many things in spite of it?!" Huey stared at her in dumbfounded silence perfused withck of facial expressions. He then chose to walk a few steps ahead and lend his hand to her.


    "We went to have coffee. Later, I did a bit of shopping. I still had some time left so I went to buy something for you and Joyce," Annie answered, with a smile. It had been a long time since they spent time with each other so peacefullyst time, so Annie was satisfied with a cup of coffee.


    "Wow! There''re so many beautiful clothes. Thank you, mommy, I love them," Joyce eximed happily. Joyce had been ying in her room but she lost interest in her game when she heard her mother''s voice. When her eyes fell on the shopping bag, her excitement magnified. Even though she was very young, she had an affinity towards everything beautiful.


    "Don''t be in such a hurry, love. Your hair is a mess," Annie said while stretching her hands to tidy her daughter''s hair. Growing up in a rich family, she was used to tidiness. Even a small mess was enough to put her in a foul mood.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "Mommy, this is Huey''s fault. He threw a pillow at me and my hair became messy," the little girl replied in her defense. She looked rather sad at being used by her mom.


    "Huey, do you remember what I said to you before I went out? I told you to be friendly to your sister. You both have to get along rather than fight with each other," Annie frowned after she said this. She knew better than to expect obedience from him.


    "Mommy, why do you trust her more than me? The reason I threw the pillow on her was because she cluttered my puzzles. Ipleted it with great difficulty but she spoiled it all. Moreover, I didn''t exert much strength to the pillow. I threw it very lightly. Her hair had been messy from the very start, so don''t me me for it," Huey exined, pouting. He had known that his mother would be on his sister''s side. He had seen this happen so many times yet it made him sad.


    "Joyce, is your brother speaking the truth?" Annie asked, straightening her face. She noticed how aggrieved her son was by her words. She was more strict with him than with his sister but that didn''t mean she loved him any less. He was the only male in the family and she feltpelled to make him behave well.


    "Sorry! I didn''t do it on purpose. I did this only because Huey didn''t y with me," the little girl said while holding her clothes tight with her hands. Her eyes got moist and it was evident that she was about to cry.


    "I told you to wait a minute for me, but you didn''t listen!" Huey said. Every-time his younger sister misbehaved, he felt annoyed and impatient.


    "Okay. Now you two petty belligerents shake your hands like two gentlemen and bury all your enmity and hatred once and for all. It''d be beneficial if both of you find reasons why you were wrong rather than right," Annie said in one swift delivery before she stood up and headed upstairs. Her eyes had gone red with sadness. She always yearned for a pir of support whenever incidents such as these happened. It had gotten more and more difficulttely for her to shoulder all the responsibilities of the family.


    Looking at their mother''s highly emotional state, both of the kids regretted having gotten their beloved mother there. After all, they both loved their mother very much.


    "Huey, I will not ruin your things again. You''ve my word. Can you forgive me?" Joyce asked. Girls had a delicate and flexible mind even during early childhood, or so it seemed for now.


    "I''m sorry! It was partly my fault too. You wouldn''t have had to ruin my things if it wasn''t for my perpetual ignorance towards you," Huey suddenly felt the urgent need for him to gain some broad mindedness. His mother had told him sometime ago in a tender tone that as the little man of the family, he was entitled to protect his mother and his sister and take genuine care of them.


    "I forgive you. Can I get a hug?," Joyce pleaded yfully. The elder brother and the younger sister hugged each other happily, with which the conflict ridden atmosphere seemed to vanish into thin air. With a smile, they became model siblings, yet again.0000000000??????

 Chapter 1673 A Shocking News (Part One)

    Annie was a perfectionist. She was very picky about details. Anyone who knew her was well aware of her dedication when it came to her work.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Nice to meet you, Miss Xiao. I''m Annie An, the jewelry designer." She extended her hand friendly for a handshake. She examined Eleanor, noting that she was more beautiful in person than in the photograph she saw.


    "Nice to meet you too. Hope we''ll get along well, Miss An." Eleanor reached out and touched Annie''s hand slightly, almost as if she was disgusted at the thought of touching Annie.


    Annie dismissed Eleanor''s arrogant attitude. She knew that Eleanor had received invitations from many other brands. Although it was wrong, it made sense that she would think so highly of herself. The fact that they would only be working together for a short amount of time gave Annie a peace of mind. Annie just smiled, keeping her cool until she could finish her job.


    "I''d like to introduce you the jewelry -- the emotions and meaning behind every piece." Annie took out a sketch book and flipped through the pages. She moved in closer to Eleanor so she could have a better look.


    "Umm... Is it really that necessary?" Eleanor was still fairly young, and yet she acted like a mean olddy. She had only been recently involved in the fashion world, which might have contributed to her sass and bad temper.


    "No, no. I didn''t mean that. I just wanted to exin them to you, you know, so that they woulde alive as they were intended, and that you''d see how impressive they really are." Annie''s forehead furrowed a bit. She had never anticipated that Eleanor would be so uncooperative. She imagined that if Eleanor would be like this all throughout, finishing this job would be next to impossible!


    "Wait a minute. If I remember correctly, didn''t you choose me because the theme fits me? You don''t have to worry about me. Just do your job, and I''ll do mine," Eleanor said, pursing her lips and raising an eyebrow at Annie.


    "I''m sorry, Miss Xiao. But I do hopemunicating with you won''t be a problem. If I may say, YS Group chose you to model for my jewelry because you are beautiful. And that you are. However, in this disy section, the focus here is the jewelry -- not you," Annie said through her teeth, all the while maintaining a professional smile. She was getting a bit angry now at Eleanor.


    "Let me tell you this, Miss An," Eleanor crossed her arms over her chest. "I don''t like this job. If it were only up to me, I would have never shown up here. Don''t mess with me." Eleanorughed sarcastically. She didn''t see YS Group as a criticalpany. She worked for FX International Group. That was all that mattered for her.


    "You are not going to be cooperative, are you?" Annie said, bringing back her more professional tone. Deep inside her, she began to dislike thisdy. In Annie''s opinion, now that Eleanor decided to ept this job and came here, she should be professional as a model and was supposed tomunicate nicely with others, instead of being so uncooperative.


    "I didn''t say that," Eleanor said with a scoff. "Yes, I know you designed and created the pieces. But I''m the one who''s going to wear and show them off to the public. Don''t you think that it''s my job to decide on the style during the disy?" Eleanor raised her brows at Annie. Probably because she went too smoothly on the way to go viral and almost never ran into a stone wall, she tended to behave more arrogantly in front of people whom she thought to be unimportant.


    "Oh, really? Please tell me about your ideas. I''m all on ears." Annie held in her anger. Because the photos she saw of Eleanor were so beautiful, she had never thought she should have such a rotten attitude.


    "From how I see it, all you need to do is provide the jewelry. As for how I''m going to disy it, that''s my business. I know myself best, after all." Eleanor disliked it when she had to follow instructions. One of the things she hated the most was feeling restrained and controlled.


    Annie stared at Eleanor, speechless. She had worked with many actors and stars. Most of them had an air to them. It was expected that they would have some sort of starplex. But Eleanor exceeded her expectations; never in her life had she met someone like Eleanor.


    Annie gave a curt smile, and left the meeting room. As soon as her back was turned to Eleanor, she glowered. Her patience had totally receded.


    As she was walking down the hall, she heard a voice calling out to her. "Hey, Annie! It''s really you!" It was Belinda. Belinda heard from Duke that Annie was working with YS Group. She didn''t believe him until now.


    "Hi, Belinda! It''s been a long time." There was no surprise in her voice when she said this. Annie had been well aware the YS Group was Belinda''spany.


    "Yeah, a really long time. How are you holding up? We''ve been missing you so much, especially Rain," Belinda chatted happily. She was like an open book, especially in front of her friends. That was why she barely thought twice when she mentioned Rain.


    "Rain?" Annie said, obviously surprised. ''Didn''t he get married already?'' she thought. She felt slightly embarrassed. A married man missing someone who wasn''t his wife wasn''t something taken lightly. She looked around, trying to see if anyone was nearby who might have heard what Belinda had said. Thatst thing she needed was unnecessary misunderstandings and gossip.


    "Yeah, Rain. Don''t you know? He''s had a rough time ever since you left. Here,e with me. Let''s go to my office and catch up some more," Belinda urged. She had already turned and walked towards her office. Annie walked quickly to keep up with Belinda''s pace. A lot of questions were running through her mind.


    "Isn''t he married?" Annie asked, mustering up all her courage.


    "Oh? Who told you that?" Belinda turned around to look at her, puzzled.


    "So... he''s not?" Annie was uncertain at Belinda''s response.


    "Of course not! That''s the most ridiculous thing I''ve ever heard. He even hasn''t had a girlfriend for god knows how long!" Belinda chortled. Although Rain liked to make fun of her, Belinda knew he had changed a lot over the years, so did the others.


    "Then who was that woman I saw he was with? That must have been at least his lover or something." They were already only a few feet away from Belinda''s office. Annie had stopped in her tracks,pletely in shock. She tried to process what she knew, what she saw, and what she had just recently learned about Rain.


    Belinda sighed, "No, you must have been wrong. Apart from Leena, there is no other girl in that man''s life." Belinda pushed the door open and walked in. She held the door and waved her arm, urging Annie toe in.


    "No. It''s impossible. That''s impossible." Annie walked into the room robotically, her thoughts whizzing through the air. If what Belinda had just said turned out to be true, then that would mean she had been misunderstanding him this entire time.???????????

 Chapter 1674 A Shocking News (Part Two)

    "Go and sit anywhere you like. Do you want something to drink?" Belinda asked nicely, not noticing Annie''s strange change.


    "A ss of cold water would do." Her head was still spinning from all this new information about Rain. She slumped back on the plush leather couch, and put her hand to her head. "What? Cold water? Are you sure? It''s freezing cold today!" Belinda looked at Annie, her eyebrows knitting.


    "Oh, sorry. I..." Annie could no longer muster up any other words. She was deeply unsettled at what Belinda had just told her. It was only then that she had realized how much hurt she must have caused Rain. The wooziness in her head had gone; it was reced by a terrible heaviness in her chest. Annie closed her eyes, covering her eyes with her hand.


    "I''ll get you some warm water. Okay?" Belinda noticed that Annie seemed to be aghast. She looked at Annie with a bit of worry, but thought it best not to pry. She went over to the mini bar in her office, grabbed a small ss, and filled it with water. She walked over to Annie and gave her the drink.


    "Thanks." Annie took the ss and downed its contents. When she had finished, she breathed in deeply, trying to calm herself down.


    Belinda had sat down across from her. She tucked one leg in front of the other. "I heard that you got married, right? And have kids." Belinda started. She felt sorry for Rain for missing someone he loved. But she also understood that love was mutual and now that Annie was married to another man, she couldn''t just force Annie to divorce and marry Rain.


    "I..." Annie contemted whether or not she should tell Belinda the truth. She bit her lower lip and diverted her gaze from Belinda.


    Belinda saw Annie was getting ufortable. "Never mind. It''s okay if you don''t want to talk about it. By the way, are you free for lunch? Let''s have lunch together. It''s on me. I''ve missed you so much!" Belinda said hurriedly.


    "Thank you for your invitation, but perhaps some other time," Annie politely declined. She knew Belinda was kind enough to invite her to lunch. But she got another emergency to deal with. "I need to find a school for my kids. They''re starting kindergarten soon." "Kindergarten? Why didn''t you say so! My son''s in kindergarten as well. You could enroll your kids there. The staff and facilities there are also top-notch. They could look after each other if they are in the same one." Belinda rmended enthusiastically. "That sounds great, but it still depends on how far it is from my ce." Needless to say, the school Belinda''s son was enrolled at must be very expensive. It was not really a problem for Annie, as she was genuinely more concerned about the convenience. "That''s not a problem. It''s just around here," Belinda reassured.


    "Really? Could you tell me the address? I think I''d like to go visit the school first." Annie wanted to be absolutely sure first of the quality of education her children were going to get. It wasn''t that she doubted Belinda; as a mother, this was a natural concern.


    "Do you want me to go with you? I mean, you are just new here," Belinda said as she fished around her bag. She took out a name card and handed it over to Annie.


    "No, I can go by myself. Don''t worry. Thank you, Belinda." Annie took the card and read it. The address sounded familiar, and, just like Belinda had said, was just near thepany.


    "Don''t mention it! That''s what friends are for." Belinda smiled. Her thoughts went back to Rain. She sighed, still feeling sorry for the mess those two were in. But then again, Annie had already married, with children, even. There was no turning back anymore. "Thanks, again," Annie smiled back. "I''ll let you get back to work. See you around." Annie stood up and said goodbye. She walked over to Belinda to give her a tight hug. She decided to check on that school Belinda had rmended. It was not that she did not trust Belinda. It just would not hurt to be more careful as a mother when it came to her kids. A mother wanted the best for her children. She was doing everything in her power to be a good mother.


    "Okay, let''s have lunch some other day! We still have lots of chances." Belinda hugged Annie back. She had hoped that that would be enough topensate for all the words left unsaid, like how much she felt sorry for her and Rain. "Yeah. Bye," Annie replied. She then turned around and walked away.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Bye." Belinda stared at Annie''s back as she walked out the door, looking at her worriedly. ''What a predicament those two have gotten in!'' Belinda thought. ''She seems to be so happy and settled with her current life now. Poor Rain.''


    As soon as she closed the door behind her, Annie steadied herself against the wall. She slumped down to the floor, feeling distraught. She was so frustrated at everything that was going on. Tears threatened to roll down the corners of her eyes. After a couple of seconds, she shook her head andposed herself with a sniff, hoisting herself up from the ground. She couldn''t pinpoint where she had gotten Rain wrong.


    Annie staggered out of the building, still shocked from the information Belinda had unknowingly given her. Her body felt tired and drained. Instead of going to the school Belinda had rmended, she went to a nearby cafe to clear her head.


    She had heard the name of Leena before but never saw her in person, much more what she even looked like. If the girl she saw at the party was Leena, then Leena was definitely the reason why Annie had left Rain four years ago.


    Annie ordered a cup of brewed coffee. She found herself a seat by the window. The weather was really cold that day. Maybe some hot coffee would help her lessen the throbbing pain in her head. She closed her eyes, and rubbed her fingers at her temples. She was at a loss now. Annie had thought that she and Rain would never have to interact ever again. But now, things were different.


    Just then, her phone rang. Annie let it ring for a while, not intending to answer the call. But the phone just continued to ring. With a sigh, she reached for her phone. She read the caller ID -- it was Fred. With a sigh and a click, she answered the call.


    "Hey, Fred. What''s the matter?" Annie had stayed at S city for a while now. It slipped her mind that she didn''t even call Fred ever since.


    "Annie, is everything okay there? You said you would call me as soon as you arrived." Fred was totally engrossed with his music career that even he thought to call Annie only now.


    "Yeah. Everything''s good. I just got here and have lots of things to prepare. I''m also trying to adjust to my work and the people here. Sorry I didn''t call you sooner," Annie sighed. She was grateful that she had a friend like Fred around. He had helped her and the kids so many times. "It''s alright. I was busy these past few days too. I''ll go to S City when I finish work here. See you there soon," Fred said. Although he didn''t let it show, he was a bit on edge with the thought that Rain was in the same city as Annie.00000

 Chapter 1675 A Shocking News (Part Three)

    "Oh, no. We''re good here. Just go focus on your work," Annie quickly reassured.


    "No, Annie. It''s not that. I have work there, you see." Fred took a job as a judge of some rookie singingpetition in S city. He would have declined the offer in a heartbeat, if only Annie wasn''t in the same city as well.


    "Oh. Really? Are you extending your business to S City, too?" Annie, although maintaining her tone, frowned deeply. Somehow, she felt that Fred''sing here would only bring trouble. He had misled everyone at the party into thinking that she was his wife. Things would just get moreplicated if he came here.


    "No, it''s just some kind ofmercial work. I don''t have other ns apart from that. But I am also thinking about apanying you for a while until you''ve finished your work there," Fred replied. He felt very possessive of Annie; he couldn''t handle the thought of having some other man swoop in and take her away from him.


    "No, really. It''s okay. If you think you need to look after me and the kids, you really don''t. I can''t ask that much from you. Besides, we''re doing great over here." Annie tried to fake some enthusiasm, anything that would make Fred change his mind. "What? Don''t you want to see me?" Fred said quietly. There was a hint of hurt in his voice. He had spent three years chasing after Annie, hoping that one day she would feel the same way he did. Thest thing he wanted was to lose his chance with her. "Oh, no. It''s not that. I''m just a bit tired recently," It was true, though. With her new job, new surroundings, and new information she had just learned, it felt as if her life was running along the fast track.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "You should get some rest then. Look, I won''t disturb you anymore. Just don''t be too harsh on yourself. You have kids to look after," he said. There was no doubt that Fred loved Annie to his very core. The only problem was, he never really directly showed those feelings to her. All those years, Annie had thought he was just being a good friend.


    "Okay. Bye." Annie hung up immediately, not wanting to hear any more caring words from Fred.


    Fred looked at the phone, stunned. He felt hurt that Annie had suddenly hung up on him just like that. He wanted to talk to her some more, ask about how her day was, how the kids were doing.


    The next day, Annie went to MY Mall to do some market research. She heard that all the world-famous brands were there. Little did she know, however, that the mall belonged to FX International Group.


    MY Mall was a ce overflowing with luxuries. Anyone could find the most world-famous brands there. The floors and pirs were made out of solid marble, and the lights hanging above the mall shone brilliantly against the stores and items. The air even seemed to be sweeter there. Everything about that ce was absolutely lustrous.


    Annie browsed through some jewelry stores. She also tried to look for inspiration from everywhere else. It was difficult to be in the fashion industry -- you always had to be ahead to stay in the game.


    ''Is it her?'' Annie saw Leena again. But this time, she was not staying with a man but with two peers. They talked andughed happily, which made Annie admire a lot. They must be very close friends. Annie had never had such good friends in her life. That was just like a dream to her.


    "Leena, you are so lucky to have Richard," one of Leena''s friends, Patricia, said to her. "It''s so easy to calm him down! Not like my son. He''s always clinging to me. It gets so annoying! I have toe up with numerous excuses just to get away from him." Her son, Eden, would follow her all the time no matter where she went. Sometimes, he even squeezed in between her and Tom when they were trying to make out.


    "It''s all because of his father," Leena said matter-of-factly. "Kevin always talks to him like an adult. He never treats Richard like he''s a kid, even though sometimes Richard may not understand himpletely. But hey, Richard turns out to be a really independent kid." Her mother-inw also mentioned that Kevin would be easily satisfied when he was a baby. Probably Richard inherited this good character from his father.


    "Owen is also quite independent," chimed in their otherpanion, Michelle. "He has his father''s temper, though. Like father, like son." She rolled her eyes. "Owen doesn''t even talk to me that much. But anyway, I just try to keep it cool." The three womenined about their children, yet anyone could see in their eyes and how they sighed afterwards how much they loved them.


    "Oh, speaking of which, I forgot to tell you about Luke. I get a bit nervous whenever I see him. He just seems like he''s too cool for me! Did you know I''ve never seen him smile? Not once!" Patricia eximed. Eden was obviously scared of Luke as well. Every time Luke would throw Eden a cold stare, he would instantly go quiet. Tom joked about it, teasing that he''d like to leave Eden with Luke.


    "I know what you mean. I get scared of that guy, too," Michelle replied, pursing her lips. Every time she did something wrong, Luke would cast her a chilling look. She would do his bidding in a sh. Before, she walked around doing as she pleased without any fear. Now, things werepletely different because of Luke.


    "No way! Luke is nice! He is not terrible at all." Leena looked at them with puzzled and hurt eyes. She could admit that Luke was cool and definitely not the friendliest guy around. But he would never hurt a fly!


    "That''s from your point of view." Patricia and Michelle rolled their eyes at Leena. Before they stepped into this inner circle, they had never known how those men doted on Leena. When they did, they finally saw it with their own eyes. Leena was totally the princess. Those men would grant whatever was requested by her. Michelle and Patricia would be lying if they said that they were not jealous of Leena. But they also knew for a fact that Leena was unique and irreceable. Everything and everyone had the destiny to fulfill.000

 Chapter 1676 Clarified Misunderstandings (Part One)

    "Wow, you two are really on the same page! But why the need to speak so loudly...I am so scared..." Leena scratched her ear gloomily, wondering why they were so excited. as the little princess.


    "Because what you just said was a shattering blow to our pride." Patricia said with an expressive look telling Leena that she deserved it. What Leena didn''t know was that nobody ever did dare to show her any negative facial expressions since she was publicly recognized


    "Well, I didn''t mean to! I was just telling the truth." Leena really didn''t understand their situation. Because Luke had always been nice to her, she automatically thought that Luke was very easy to get along with! And when they said they were afraid of him, his cold eyes and his sharp tongue, she had no idea what they were talking about. Luke was never mean to her.


    "The ''truth'' you just told was actually torture for us," said Michelle, who this time agreed with Patricia and began to reproach Leena, as Luke''s cold eyes often intimidated her and made her unable to say anything.


    "Then fine, I will just shut my mouth from now on. Is that okay for the two of you?" Leena said, pursing her lips. Although she said that, her mind was racing wildly.


    "Nope, that''s not enough for us. Unless you treat us to something delicious... and expensive, we will not consider letting it go." Patricia thought of eating something delicious again. The three girls were around the same age, and anyone watching, who didn''t know them would surely think that they were just young and immature millenials, instead of grown up women with children.


    "You glutton! But fine, no problem. I will treat you," said Leena, then she turned around abruptly to scan the surrounding area. She felt that there was someone hiding somewhere close and watching her.


    Annie, who was standing not far away and looking at Leena, was startled by Leena''s actions. It was so unexpected that when she tried to avoid seeing her eye to eye, it was toote. Leena had already seen her. She could only pretend to look at the items on the counter. "Annie..." After recognizing Annie, Leena muttered, and walked quickly towards her.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    "Hey, Leena, why are you walking away so fast? You really should help me carry some of these bags." When Leena suddenly walked away, Patricia was again irritated as a lot of shopping bags were piled up at her feet. They would be too heavy for her and Michelle. As if hearing nothing of what Patricia said, Leena hurried over to Annie.


    "Annie, you''re in S City! What a surprise to see you here!" Although she had heard that Annie was now the wife of someone else, not Rain, Leena was still delighted to see her.


    "Excuse me. But do we know each other?" Annie genuinely asked. Although the woman in front of her had been spending a lot of time with Rain, Annie could not be sure that she''s the Leena that Belinda had talked to her about.


    "Of course, more than four years ago, I saw you at the Mu family house." Leena jokingly rolled her eyes. "but you were drunk at that time," She smiled sweetly, not embarrassed when she realized that Annie had second thoughts about their acquaintance. "Oh, I''m so sorry! You are right. I was there that day." Annie was kind of embarrassed and reserved after hearing what Leena said.


    "It''s all right. Anyway, it''s good to see you here. My name is Leena Leng. You can just call me Leena." She introduced herself happily. Although already a mother of one, she was still so sweet and beautiful that people did not want to take their eyes off her. She was just so pleasant to look at.


    "So you are the Leena! I''ve heard them talk about you a lot, but I''ve never had the chance to meet you in person." It turned out that she really was that Leena, "The Leena" as a matter of fact. Then all the misunderstandings she had about Leena would be unreasonable, and a deep sense of guilt arose at the thought that she regarded Leena as a woman who was disloyal to her family.


    "Annie, when did youe to S City? I didn''t hear any news about you from anyone." If and when Annie was in S City, they should have had the first-hand information about it.


    "Well, I''ve been here for a few days now. I''m just looking around and enjoying the city. I haven''t gotten the chance to see a lot of it thest time I came. Also, I''ve met your brother and sister-inw." It was exactly like Rain had told her that the girl in front of her was very warm and unpretentious.


    "So that exins the matter. They all seem to be hiding it from me," Leena murmured, and thought, ''It is really unrighteous for them to know such an important thing but never tell me.''


    "Leena, it looks like you have run into a friend." Patricia and Michelle had followed Leena to where she was talking with Annie, looking at her curiously.


    "Yes! This is Annie. Annie, these are my two good friends, Patricia and Michelle." Even if Annie could no longer be her brother''s wife, Leena was still not aloof towards her.


    "Are you saying that this is Annie? That monster, Rain Xia''s taboo?" Patricia burst out her doubts on the spot immediately. Her character was also rtively straightforward.


    "Whoa, whoa! Well, Annie, she''s just kidding." Leena said with a kind of embarrassment, secretly tugging on Patricia''s sleeve, indicating that she really should learn to shut her mouth sometimes.


    "It''s okay. After all, they are all your friends." Annie smiled calmly, not knowing what Patricia meant by her being Rain''s taboo. But if she guessed right, they were all familiar with her name and already knew who she was in Rain''s life.


    "Hello there! I''ve heard of you before. A lot! I''m Patricia, Tom''s wife. " Patricia stretched out her hand for a handshake. She was also a person who loved to make friends, so she was genuinely d to introduce herself.


    "Hi there! And I''m Michelle, Luke''s wife." Michelle had changed a lot since she got married. Especially after she became a mother, she was more mature and charming now, and her image as a gangster girl had been long gone. These were all part of the strong influence of Luke''s cold face, that a slightest twitch of his eyebrow would have Michelle doubt herself, as if there was something wrong that she had done.


    "How are you! I''m Annie. It''s very nice to meet you." "I have only been away for a few years and I have no idea that so many people have already gotten married.'' Annie thought.


    "Annie, there''s a coffee shop upstairs. How about we go there and continue to hang out and talk there?" It was such a rare chance for them to meet like this. Also, Leena wanted to know a few more things from her.


    Annie checked the time on her watch, felt a little indecisive, but still she agreed to Leena''s suggestion, "Okay!"


    In a lot of ways, the four women were so different from each other, but when they walked together, there was no sense of discord. Instead, they all looked very harmonious, as if they had been friends since they were little girls. After they each ordered their favorite coffee, the topic was jump started by Leena.


    "So Annie, did youe to S City alone? How long will you stay here?" Leena stirred the coffee gently and looked at her with a smile.

 Chapter 1677 Clarified Misunderstandings (Part Two)

    "I came here with my kids, and I''ll be here for about two to three months. Rain mentioned the other day that he wanted to introduce you to me. I didn''t expect that we would meet like this without his help." Since her having her own children was no longer a secret, it was not necessary for her to hide it.


    "Really? Rain has told you that?" It seemed that everyone had seen Annie and known that she was in town, except for her.


    "Yes he did! He had nothing but good words and praise for you." Rain was right about Leena. She was one of the easiest people to get along with.


    "Pfft! Please stop! I still have a lot of shorings." Leena was a little embarrassed. It was supposed to be a good thing to be praised, but when the praise was conveyed by others, she felt a little weird.


    "Don''t be too humble. We''re used to following behind your shadow anyway." Patricia stared at Leena with a bit of exasperation, because whenever Tom got angry at her, he alwaysined and told her to be more like Leena and learn more from her. So over repeated arguments, she had the suspicion that it was Leena, not herself, that Tom was in love with.


    "Yes! Luke always said that to me as well and asked me to learn more from Leena." Michelle felt helpless and just threw her hands in the air and rolled her eyes. It was not that she didn''t want to but it was really not an easy thing to do. Following Leena''s footsteps to the Top? Impossible! Leena was simply the darling of the gods. In any way, she could show and had always shown her talents, so highly that it made others feel inadequate and ashamed about themselves.


    "It seems that your excellence is really worth it." Thinking of her previous misunderstanding about her, Annie felt a moment of shame. Since Leena was not Rain''s wife, then the man she saw a few days ago should be Leena''s husband! She didn''t know what his job was but she felt that he looked quite handsome and upright.


    "Oh, c''mon you guys! Don''t even talk about me anymore. Annie has just arrived at S City, and we should know more about her. "Leena''s pretty face reddened as she unexpectedly was put in the hot seat. She never thought that she would be the one to be put on the spot. "Annie, how old are your children?" said Patricia. Hearing such an offer from Leena, she immediately asked, because the most she had heard during recent times was that Rain had been waiting for the return of his lover, but in vain. So she really wanted to know why Annie turned her back on Rain and fell in love with someone else.


    "After the Spring Festival, they should be four years old. What about you? I guess you all, already have children!" Annie said in a pretty confident way. As an experienced mother, she was adept at observing them and she also saw that many of their shopping bags were all filled with children''s items.


    "Yes! They are almost three years old. But Leena''s child is a few months younger than my son and Michelle''s," said Patricia Speaking of children, Patricia still remembered Leena''s prickling pain in her bones, feeling as if it was just yesterday, jotted clearly in her memory. "I recognize Lenna''s son. His name is Richard, right? I saw him one time at a wine reception party held by the FX International Group. He was very cute." ''At that time, I mistakenly thought that the little guy was Rain''s child, and now I feel so ashamed to even have thought about it. But I also me Rain for not exining it clearly to me at that time, which was why I made such a big mistake.'' Annie kept those thoughts in her mind.


    "Thank you! Annie, your children''s father didn''te here together with you?" Leena asked and tried to squeeze out more information from Annie. Yet, she was increasingly annoyed at herself as she was digging too much into someone''s privacy. But she had to, since she wanted to know more about her for Rain.


    "My children''s father?" Annie didn''t answer her directly but just repeated her words. ''How do I tell them that my children''s father is in fact, Rain?'' she wondered.


    "Yes! Your children''s father. He seems confident enough to have you travel by yourself and that you will live here alone." The man''s name was said to be Fred, but Edward told her that they didn''t look like husband and wife, so she was really curious who the man would turn out to be.


    "Well... He didn''te with us." Annie was a little flustered, feeling that her lie was getting bigger and bigger. She knew that she had to stop it before it spun out of control.


    "Okay. I got it! Annie, whenever it''s convenient for you, you can always bring you kids to my home so they can y and have fun together! Richard likes to y with children older than him." While in the conversation, Leena was also observing Annie''s reactions and body movements. She had the gut feeling that Annie was hiding something.


    "Well, that sounds like a good n! I will let you know soon!" Although she felt a little indecisive, she still agreed to Leena''s invitation. However, the fear that her children''s identity would no longer be hidden, lingered in her mind. After all, Huey and Rain looked so much alike.


    "I think the day after tomorrow would be a good day for a small get-together! It is going to be a weekend, so I''m sure that everyone would be free and coulde." In this respect, Leena had an impatient disposition, so she thought she should seize this opportunity as it might nevere again.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Ohh! So soon!" Annie was a little surprised since she didn''t think Leena would be the person who would do something as soon as she proposed it.


    "I think the day after tomorrow will be convenient for us. Then, it''s settled! When we go to Leena''s home, we can also have the chance to taste all the delicious dishes made by her. I am telling you, she is a really good cook." Patricia said with excitement. She was 100% in favor of any party, and most importantly, she hadn''t had a chance to taste the delicious dishes made by Leena in a long time.


    "Oh, really? I never knew that." Annie was surprised again. As the princess of the Leng Family, no one would expect Leena to be so good at cooking, which was really a big surprise for Annie. Although she could also cook, she was forced by her living environment to learn to cook after leaving home.


    "Don''t listen to her. She was exaggerating. My cooking skills are not really worth mentioning. It would make the actual experts cringe when they hear it," Leena said with modest smile on her face. She was really looking forward to seeing Annie''s kids.


    "Leena, are you making us look and sound awful on purpose? If your cooking skills are not worth mentioning, then, how about ours?" Michelle said, pretending to be a little upset. Although she enrolled in a cooking ss, she always thought she had only scratched the surface, learning only the basic cooking skills. Her son always disliked and even avoided eating the food she made.


    The four women had a nice conversation as time slipped by without them noticing. So when the time to bid farewell came, they all felt a little reluctant to say goodbye. But as they were all mothers with children, they had to go home to their families.


    "Huey, Mommy wants to ask you a question, okay?" Annie began to test his son that night, as there was something that she could no longer keep inside.00000000000000

 Chapter 1678 Clarified Misunderstandings (Part Three)

    "What question? As long as Mommy wants to know, I will answer it honestly," Huey put down the toy in his hand and replied seriously, his eyes looking right into her mother''s. "If your daddy is in S City, would you like to see him?" Annie observed his reaction secretly, wondering if the subject would seem a little heavy for him. After all, he was just a child.


    "What about you, Mommy? Would you like to see him, too?" The little boy tilted his head, and wondered, ''So, it turns out that the ce far away from home that mommy told me is here. So, she has been lying to me? I could not see daddy, not because he is too far away and couldn''te back, but because he doesn''t want to see me at all. Hmmm, just as I have guessed.'' "I..." Annie was a little hesitant. ''Can I tell him? As a matter of fact, I really want to be with Rain, even in my dreams.'' She thought secretly.


    "If Mommy doesn''t want to see him, then I also don''t want to see him. Anyway, he doesn''t want us." Huey mumbled in resignation. Annie''s hesitation led to his misunderstanding. So it was but natural for a child to think and react that way, now thinking that his own father was hiding from them.


    "No honey, it''s not like that at all. Your daddy would love to see you and your sister so much; but he doesn''t even know about you two yet." Annie said and bit her lips. Although Huey was only four years old, his understanding was a lot higher than most children his age. "So what you just said is not if, but Daddy is actually in S City, isn''t he?" said Huey, looking at his mommy with great expectation. Thinking that they were so close to his daddy now, he couldn''t help but get excited.


    "Yes, that''s right. So I''d like to ask your opinion. Would you like to see him?" Looking at him very earnestly she was curious to know what his real feelings about it were.


    "Mommy, didn''t you just say that Daddy didn''t know about us yet? Don''t you first have to tell him about us and ask him if he''d want to see us?" Huey was analyzing the situation like a small adult.


    This had be a very serious problem, so Annie suddenly fell into silence. As Leena only said that everyone would get together, but she was not certain whether Rain would also be there. That was to say that she might not even see Rain on that day. In that case, she would have much to worry about. She did not want to disappoint her kids.


    Just as Rain Xia walked out of the FX International Group building, he saw Eleanor waiting there. He paused for a moment, but the next second he still chose to walk towards her.


    "Mr. Xia, what a coincidence!" Eleanor smiled and waved to check if he really saw her.


    "If it is business, pleasemunicate with your agent directly. If it is a personal matter, then I am sorry! I have no obligation to stay here and chat with you." What made him most annoyed was when such a woman like Eleanor, whom he only asked for help once, would think that he owed her the world and he would be at her every beckon and call.


    "I was just saying hello to you. It''s not asplicated as you think," Eleanor didn''t expect Rain would be so annoyed at her. She felt a little offended.


    "Well, that''s very good! Now, I have to get going. Good-bye," said Rain, who started walking away and did not intend to spend any more time with her.


    "Wait, Mr. Xia, can you tell me why you hate me so much?" It seemed that Eleanor was not a woman without her own discretion, but she was just too blunt.


    "In this world, there is no love for no reason, or no hatred for no reason, so my attitude to you depends on your behavior," Rain sneered, and then quickly walked away.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Eleanor Xiao was confused and frowned. Watching his back as he strode away, she wondered what he meant by what he said. Did he like her or hate her? It was just a simple question with a simple answer.


    "Miss Xiao, I''ve got the information we needed. We can leave now." A man scurried to her and said apologetically.


    "Okay, are you sure? You got the clear and urate information? So, who was chosen as the main actress for the new y?" At the first sight of the man, Eleanor asked nervously. It seemed Rain really misunderstood her. She was not here to wait for him, but for another important matter.


    "Yes, I''ve found out clearly. It is said that it would be a neer who has just entered the entertainment industry this year." This man was Eleanor''s agent, who helped her arrange schedules and acquire all kinds of projects and activities.


    "What? A neer? How could she get that role?" Eleanor was very dissatisfied and refused to ept the final decision, because she had wanted so much to be the main character of the y. It was said to be a ssic costume drama with an investment of five billion dors. Since the cast had not yet been finalized, it had created quite a stir. It had be one of the daily top trending tweets and posts on Twitter and other social media tforms. That was to say, whoever was chosen to y the leading role would certainly be super star and earn a spot in entertainment history. In this way, she could be an A list celebrity, loved and adored by all.


    "The heroine in the y was a pure and unworldly woman, so..." her agent wanted to speak more but stopped on second thought, unsure if he should tell her the truth.


    "What do you mean by that? That I''m not pure and unworldly enough?" Eleanor gritted her teeth bitterly as she had thought that it would be a breeze for her to take the role as the leadingdy through her connections, but didn''t expect a dark horse, a neer to turn up from nowhere and ruin her chances.


    "Judging from the tone of the casting agent I talked to, that was what they were thinking about you." Her agent spoke haltingly, a little worried that he''d be the target of her grumpy temper.


    "He-he! Pure...I guess she got the part because she has already offered her body to someone, most likely the casting director. Everybody knows that it happens a lot in these circles." Eleanor said angrily and clenched her fists. ''No, I couldn''t sit still and do nothing. I need to figure out a way to get that part. That part belongs to me and nobody else! In any case, I can''t miss this chance to be a super star.'' Her mind was racing as her nostrils red.


    The corners of her agent''s lips twitched violently. He wondered, ''Serving such an actress is really...I am going to be killed by her big venomous mouth some day. Is she really not clear what ce they are in now? How should she dare to talk a lot of nonsense here? Does it mean that she doesn''t want to be engaged in this business anymore? As they say, do not bite the hand that feeds you.'' A simr thing had also happened before. She offended, Vice President Xia just because of an advertisement. Fortunately, he had a broader mind and did not cause her trouble, even if he could do it easily with just a snap of his fingers. Otherwise, Eleanor would no longer be where she was at the moment, probably working at some filthy red light entertainment ce.??????????????

 Chapter 1679 A Ferocious Quarrel (Part One)

    Before the partymenced, Belinda unwittingly saw Rain. As someone who rarely came to YS Group, it came as a surprise to see him there, and she found it a rare opportunity to make fun of him.


    "Hey Rain," taunted Belinda, "Did the sun start to rise from the west? To what do we owe the pleasure of having you here?" As she took a jab at the unsuspecting man, Belinda feigned surprise as he drew closer. Then, as if to support her inquiry, she peered through the


    window mockingly, checking if the sun did choose to rise from the other side that day.


    Rain did not expect that Belinda would really believe that the sun was rising from the west and even try to figure out. He just said ironically, "Now, do you find out where is the sun rising from?" He gave her a long and daring look, his scorn visible from a mile away, and the scent of irony basically oozing from his suit.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "What nonsense. Have you seen what time it is? The sun''s in the middle of the sky," Belinda said, matter-of-factly. "How would you see whether the sun rose from the west or east at this hour?" Throwing a dirty look at him, Belinda snorted derisively at his simplicity. "Good for you to know that," said Rain indifferently, "So why were you pretending to see the sun then? You silly girl." Aware of the woman trying to y him, Rain couldn''t figure out whether to stoop to her level. It was apparent that Belinda was only intending to tease him. ''What a terrible woman, '' he thought to himself.


    "I just want to. What''s it to you?" retorted Belinda, not skipping a beat. Personally, she was angry at Rain for the way he would act and speak to her. His tone was rude, and he often acted inconsiderate, yet treated Daisy with such reverence. The huge difference made Belinda ufortable.


    "Where''s Annie?" After a short and ridiculous quarrel, Rain decided to ask what he really wanted to know.


    "I wouldn''t know," said Belinda, "It''s not like she''s my employee." As his attitude persisted to vex her, she didn''t want to give him the satisfaction by answering him quickly. She intended to drag this for as long as she could.


    "That''s enough joking," said Rain seriously, "Just tell me. I''m very busy." There wasn''t a lot of time to waste. The boss'' arrival was sometime tonight, and it only meant two things. He had to work at FX International Group, and on top of that, he also had toplete a few things in KD Group.


    "Okay, well," Belinda said, pretending to be deep in thought. "If you say something nice to me, I might just consider whether I should tell you what you need." It annoyed her that he always referred to her as Belinda Chick. Not once had he called her respectfully, like he so adoringly did when it was Daisy, and she thought this was rather unfair.


    "Belinda Chick," emphasized Rain, frowning. "You''re not getting any younger. In fact, you''re the mother of a three-year-old kid. So could you please be a little mature?" Although serious, he couldn''t help but find the nickname just as interesting and funny as the first time he thought of it.


    "Go away! Since I''m immature as you like putting it," Belinda said, gritting her teeth, "Why don''t you just look for her yourself?" Staring at him, she felt a rush of blood to the head. How difficult was it for him to say something nice to her?


    "No, no, no," said Rain, like a child throwing a tantrum. "Please tell me! You know as well as I do that if I run around to find her, it will impose a negative impact on yourpany''s usual operations. I suspect you wouldn''t want that to happen, would you?" It was widely known that women, if bewildered enough, could be quite fickle. In his own opinion, no one else in the world suited the term more than Belinda Chick.


    "Since the CEO of thispany doesn''t mind you running around here, why do you care?" asked Belinda in annoyance, "Just find her yourself! Stop dawdling, and be a man, okay?" Seeing him anxious put a grin on Belinda''s face. Nothing in that moment was better than watching him break out in a cold sweat.


    "Hey, hey," Rain said defensively, "This entire thing has nothing to do about being a man." All he asked was for Annie''s location. How could Belinda say such a ridiculous thing? It was simply irrelevant to his question.


    "Of course, it''s got something to do with being a man. If I''m not mistaken, you have her mobile phone number... right?" asked Belinda. "Well, why don''t you call her directly? Why did you have to go through a long chat with me when you could have done that? How''s asking around like a lost puppy going to make you manly? You silly guy!" Her lips curled into a sneer at his thought process. When it came to falling in love, it appeared that no man or woman could stay rational for very long.


    "You''re just talking nonsense now," Rain said, rolling his eyes. "For the record, did you not think that maybe I already called her? And that her phone might be off?" It was the only reason why he came all the way from FX International Group in such a haste. Had Annie been reachable through a phone call, he wouldn''t have had to withstand the woman''s ridicules.


    "So now, you''re anxious? What''s the point in restraining yourself? You''re no saint. If you like someone, show her your intentions. It''s meaningless to hide it, and by doing so, you might even lose your only chance." He looks so smart and sophisticated. Why would he hesitate when he found love?'' Belinda thought secretly.


    "You can''t mean that I should destroy someone''s marriage, can you? You must be mad." Rain looked at her with such incredulous eyes. It never urred to him that she had such a twisted moralpass.


    "Why not? Maybe she loves you all this time? So instead of putting it that way, you should think of it like you''re not destroying her marriage... but that you''re saving her from an abyss of suffering." As Belinda wasn''t involved in the predicament, she found it easier to provide frisky pieces of advice without taking the consequences into ount.


    "Do you think life''s like a romantic drama? Get your head out of the clouds, Belinda Chick!" Rain sulked and turned around. He didn''t have any more time for such a nonsensical conversation. On the other hand, maybe she was right. Finding Annie by himself might''ve been a faster way to make it.


    "Hey!" called out Belinda in surprise. "Don''t you want to know where Annie is anymore?" Although Belinda didn''t tell him what he wanted to hear at once, she didn''t intend to never tell him at all. All she wanted was to y a joke on him first. But she never expected that he''d give up in the middle of their bantering to find Annie himself.


    "No!" Rain said decidedly. Then without a nce, he got ready to leave again.


    "Hey! What''s with the bad temper? Now that I want to tell you where she is, you''re not going to listen?" Marching briskly, Belinda tried to catch up to him.


    "Hey," Rain said abruptly, turning around to face her. "Does your husband know that you pursue another man behind his back?" A mischievous glint in his eyes appeared, partnered with a yful smirk. Confused, Belinda took a moment to digest the sudden attack which made no sense.


    "What do you think?" asked Belinda. Since Rain was ready to start another row, there wasn''t a reason for Belinda to back down.

 Chapter 1680 A Ferocious Quarrel (Part Two)

    "I think you don''t love him anymore. You''ve shifted your love to me," he said hastily. ''All right!'' thought Rain triumphantly. It had been a while since Rainst yed mind games with Belinda. Now he was interested in ying it all over again, particrly now that someone else had joined them in the room. As Belinda was about to refute him, a cold voice spoke to them, "Am I invisible to the two of you?" Both were taken aback from hearing the allegation. Shifting their gaze from each other, they looked at the culprit who spoke to them.


    As soon as Belinda recognized the person, a big smile unfolded on her face, her bantering with Rain all but forgotten. She spoke, her voice all sweet and flirtatious. "Haha, honey. Why didn''t you tell me that you were here?" Under her radiant smile, a weird and unpleasant feeling settled in her stomach. It seemed that she was trapped by Rain, that awfuldy boy. He must have seen her husband approaching them, and tricked her into saying those words.


    Ignoring the exaggerated smile on his wife''s face, Duke replied cold heartedly, "If I didn''t show up here, I think you might''ve gone with another man," And as he spoke, his gaze shifted between Belinda and Rain. His cold facial expression made his wife forget everything, and wait in anticipation of Duke''s next words.


    "Hey, hey, Mr. Cold. You saw it yourself. It was your wife chasing after me rather than the other way around. Don''t you go beating me to a pulp, okay?" Rain said with an innocent face. Secretly, he relished the possibility of seeing the couple have a fight. If that happened, it would be a rather fun and interesting form of entertainment.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    "Just shut up!"


    "You shut up!"


    Simultaneously, the couple berated Rain to stop talking. Both stared at him like they were only seeing red, which signaled Rain that it was time to get out of their face.


    "Woops," he said feigning remorse. "If you guys want me to shut up, I will dly take my leave. Maybe then, when I''m gone, you guys can carry on with your lovers'' quarrel." Although he hadn''t forgotten about his priorities, Belinda Chick being reprimanded by her cold and jealous husband amused him to no end, and thus, as soon as he stirred another round of trouble for her, he made a quick run for it. Another reason why he dashed away from the couple was the enraged look he got from Duke.


    "Hey you!" Belinda shouted after him. "You can''t just go away now, Lady boy Rain!" As she knew well how jealous her husband could be, Belinda needed Rain to stay and exin on her behalf. Otherwise, it would be nearly impossible to convince her husband by herself.


    Her outburst, however, was misinterpreted by Duke. He took her words in apletely wrong sense, and said scathingly, "What''s the matter? Don''t want him to leave you, do you?" With his eyes fixated on her, Duke waited for an exnation. If she failed to provide an answer worthy enough in his opinion, Belinda feared that he might turn into the Hulk and cause a scene in the office.


    Sensing the danger in his tone, she denied his usation immediately, "What are you even talking about, honey? That''sdy boy Rain!" She said, as though that was self-exnatory. "Why would I ever want him to stay in that way? But dear," she added, unable to refrain fromughing affectionately, "I really like it when you''re jealous. I just love it so damn much!" As she expressed herself, she smiled at him hugely, like a chrysanthemum in full bloom, which revealed how hard she was trying to seek his favor. It was apparent that she wrestled to soothe his jealous husband, preventing him from bursting out in anger. In her mind, however, she had already cursed Rain a thousand times for putting her in a tight situation.


    Her efforts, though, were futile as his husband said emotionlessly, "Don''t suck up to me. I''m not jealous at all," And with that, he passed by her and walked directly towards the CEO office.


    At a loss for words, Belinda stared at her husband''s retreating back. If he wasn''t jealous, that wasn''t the right way to show it! ''Why is he so angry?'' she thought in bewilderment. With herints drifting aimlessly in her mind, she had no choice but to follow her husband into the office. Indeed, she couldn''t just forget aboutdy boy Rain''s trickery; he managed to throw her under the bus so hard he might actually win an award for it. Now, it was her duty to seduce her jealous and temperamental husband to expunge the image that Rain painted with his deceit.


    Meanwhile, Rain was satisfied by his aplishment. A smile on his face indicated that he was in a good mood. With Duke in jealousy mode, Belinda didn''t even have the chance to stop him for, in that instant, her husband became her top priority. Clearly, he had to watch out for Belinda in the future since she was a vindictive woman, and if she had the chance to execute her revenge, she would take the leap without hesitation. For Rain''s own good, he had to stay away from her for as long as he could.


    Just as he was about to press the elevator button, the staff elevator opened. Out of instinct, he peered inside, not expecting to see the one person he''d been looking for. Before he could let out a word, Annie greeted him first. "Rain!" Annie, who had such a busy schedule, didn''t expect to see him in YS Group. A pleasant surprise indeed.


    "Why is your mobile phone switched off?" Rain asked directly, skipping the formalities. ncing at her from head to toe, Rain noticed that the woman was holding a pile of things which indicated that she had just returned from outside.


    "Uhm," she said uncertainly. "Was it switched off? I didn''t notice at all. Maybe I ran out of battery." As she conveyed her bafflement at his words, Annie reached into her pocket and checked her mobile phone. Due to her hands being preupied with holding so many things, however, she couldn''t get it, and resulted in dropping all the things on the floor.


    Upon seeing this unfold before his very eyes, Rain sighed inwardly and said, "Are you always so careless?" Frowning, Rain squatted to help her pick up the things on the floor. Annie nced at him for a moment, before grabbing everything and rearranging them. "Of course not," she said, flustered. "Are you here for Belinda?" She stole a nce at him sideways, curious of his facial expressions as her words began to register.


    "Can''t Ie here for you?" After the bantering with Belinda, Rain did feel enlightened on some matters, and decided not to suppress his emotions. Therefore, more concealed meaningsy hidden under his words in an attempt to dere more of his love than in the past. "For me?" Annie repeated, inplete disbelief of what she heard. Confused by his words, her hands that were scrambling on the floor for everything stopped in mid-air. Lifting her head up, she looked at Rain directly.


    "Yes," said he, "For you. I heard you were looking for a kindergarten. I found one for you." After picking everything up, Rain stood up and didn''t return the things back to her. Instead, he stared at her while carrying them for her.


    "That''s so nice. I can''t just ept your kindness. And..." What Annie was dodging to share with him was that Belinda had already introduced her to a nice kindergarten. But as she didn''t want to let him down, Annie decided not to tell him instead.


    "I assure you that you''re going to like it! It''s quite close to where you live. It''d be very convenient for you!" Essentially, it was Belinda who let him know that Annie was in search of a kindergarten. As he wanted to be certain with his rmendation, he went to the kindergarten in person and checked its facilities, environment, and faculty.00000

 Chapter 1681 A Ferocious Quarrel (Part Three)

    "Really?" she asked, intrigued. Upon hearing his rmendation''s convenience, Annie felt frisky enough to ask for confirmation. If the kindergarten was indeed close to her house, even if she didn''t have the time to send her children herself, the babysitter could do this for her.


    "That''s true," Rain affirmed, "Let me take you there sometime to check it out." Rain had no idea why he was too eager to help. After all, the children weren''t his flesh and blood. So why was he ying such an active part in Annie''s personal affairs? His inner thoughts, however, couldn''t help but be interested in anything that concerned her. Due to such a dangerous undertaking, he thought he must be going mad.


    "Sure. But before we go, I need to put these things in the office." Taking her things from his arms, she walked to her office quickly to drop the documents and prepare her purse.


    What she didn''t notice was Rain''s unceasing gaze after her as she went into her office. Seeing her pace in glee, Rain felt like his soul seemed to be captivated by her grace.


    When she was ready, they made their way to the parking lot where Rain''s car was parked. It was a bright-colored and eye-catching ride, standing out amidst other cars like a big frog in a small pond.


    Just as Annie was about to head to her car, Rain held her back. Shocked at his own actions, he began talking before he was even aware of what he wanted to say. "Let''s just go together in my car!" he suggested. "After the visit, I can just drive you back here."


    Annie hesitated, "Won''t that be such a bother to you though?" As he was an important figure who - ording to Belinda, was in charge of twopanies, Annie didn''t want to take much of his time. Having so much on his te, the man must be exhausted from his work and thus, she felt obliged not to demand more than the generosity that he was already showing her.


    For Rain, though, it was anything but not the trouble to be able to spend more time with her. So, he replied in an affable manner, "It doesn''t matter. It shouldn''t take much time." Opening the door for her, Rain waited for her to ept his proposition.


    Since it hade to this, it would be inappropriate for her to say no again. Caving in to his charm, she entered the car, and let Rain close the door for her.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "Buckle up your seatbelt," he said, refraining from doing it for her. But as he found that she was a little lost in her own thoughts, he went against his own better judgment and stretched the belt across her body, buckling it up for her. He did it with such kindness and patience, so pure that he wondered of their origins.


    Annie, who was stunned, watched him in silence. When Rain''s face drew so close to hers, she could see the tiny pores on it. His gesture was so affectionate, it drove her heart to skip a beat, and even do a somersault afterward.


    A wave of warm breath touched his ear lightly as he returned to his seat, nearly making him lose his mind for a few seconds. Despite remaining calm and concealing the turmoil that wrestled inside of him, he didn''t notice that his red ears had forsaken his attempt to be indifferent. Taking a deep breath, he told himself repeatedly that the woman beside him didn''t belong to him.


    After what felt longer than it really was, he said in a mellow voice, "Let''s go," Hiding his emotions, he slowly drove out of the parking lot.


    On their way to the kindergarten, Annie''s heart continued to bounce in every direction possible. On top of an internal struggle that she didn''t understand, she could feel her heated face experience a mild burning sensation due to unease. She thought it would be better to talk with him to muffle the embarrassment.


    So she started a topic, "Yesterday, I saw Leena. She sure is a lovely and adorable girl." But her efforts didn''t make a dent in the weird and bizarre atmosphere inside the car.


    After a short pause which Annie felt was like a century, Rain opened his mouth and replied, "Oh! I see. I did hear back from her. She called me recently," The woman was huge trouble, and she had asked him to save tomorrow for her. Up to this day, he still had no idea how to cope with her.


    "I''m so sorry!" said Annie, realizing she had made a mistake. "I had honestly thought she was your wife." If it weren''t for so many misunderstandings, then maybe, she would have never left without a word before. Perhaps then, there would have been an alternative endingpared to what actually happened.


    "What are you talking about?" Rain asked, hitting the brakes suddenly. The car stopped in a dramatic fashion, and the abruptness caused Annie to lose her bnce. Her head was about to hit the window, but Rain, with such quick reflexes, stretched out his hand to protect her. Loud, anxious horns behind them broke their intense eye contact.


    "Are you okay?" he asked, ignoring the horns. As he looked at Annie''s face, he checked for any sign of bruises.


    After a short while since meeting Rain''s gaze which was full of love and care, she lowered her eyes in hesitance and said, "I''m fine. Let''s go." She looked around andmented, "We''re getting in the way of other people on the road." The sudden brake actually frightened Annie. Her face had lost some color after that happened. But what mattered most was that they were safe, and they didn''t get into a car ident.


    Once Rain found that she was fine, he restarted the engine only to pull over somewhere close. He wanted to figure out what was the real meaning behind her words just recently, as it came as a great revtion to him.


    Confused by his actions, Annie asked, "What''s the matter? Shouldn''t we be on the way there?" Annie turned to look at his symmetrical face.


    "Why did you think that Leena was my wife?" he persisted, "Don''t tell me that was the silly reason why you left me in the past?" With eyes fixed solely at Annie, he had the inkling that his guess might be true.


    "I..." she said, her voice trailing into silence. She felt obliged to meet his gaze. The hot and sharp eye contact made it more difficult to admit the real reason why she left him many years ago. This simple reason, however, sounded so stupid and meaningless now. She wanted tough so badly at the irony of their fate.


    Even when Annie couldn''tplete her sentence, Rain already understood her words the next moment. Thus, he wanted to break the frozen atmosphere and said unwaveringly, "Well, I already know what you meant. Is it safe to assume then that you left me just because I let you down rather than the fact that you didn''t love me?" A gush of sorrow overwhelmed him as he asked her. If that were true, both of them were simply the biggest idiots in the world. How could they be apart from each other for so many years just because of a silly misunderstanding?


    Finally, Annie opened her mouth and said, a sad smile on her face, "Rain, does this still matter now?" She bit her lips and lowered her head. No matter what reason, it seemed that they could never reverse the past. What happened back then was an unchangeable fact. It was simply impossible to undo several things that already took ce.000000

 Chapter 1682 A Ferocious Quarrel (Part Four)

    After hearing her words, Rain drew a heavy sigh. "That''s true. You''re right," he said, sounding a bit defeated. "I almost forgot that you''re married now and have your own children." Despite epting the harsh reality, he still found it difficult to forgive himself, and punched the steering wheel as hard as he could.


    "But you''ve never considered to ept me, right?" Annie asked softly, ignoring the way heshed out. At the age of 16, she fell in love with him. It never changed for the longest time. But how did he choose to respond to her love? Escape. In order to evade her, he even left the UK, a country he loved so much, and came back to S City. It was he who gave up on her love first. From the very beginning, it was his choice. The choice of leaving her.


    "You''re not me." Rain yelled, "How can you read my mind and know what I''m thinking?" Her usation made him feel extremely insulted and pathetic at the same time.


    "You''re right," she was quick to agree. "I''m not you." She looked at him with such intense eyes, continuing, "So I always believed that if I kept insisting my love for you, that one day, you would be moved by my persistence. But finally, I discovered that you could be moved by anyone in the world except me. What an ironic reality!" Since the situation reached this point, Annie gave up suppressing her emotions and revealed her real feelings to him, pouring out all her sorrow, pain and grievance on Rain, the man she had loved for so many years. She resented him for thinking that he was the only one who suffered in this rtionship. When in reality, it was she who bore the most pain in this rtionship all those years.


    Rainughed so hard as if it were the only way to release the pain that he felt. "Annie, what are you talking about? If you really cared about me," he dared to say, "How would it be possible for you to marry another man so quickly and bear his kids in such a short period?!" With such overflowing emotions, Rain decided to let it all out, and didn''t even notice his wide eyes and distorted face. He was on the verge of breaking down.


    "Yes, you''re right! I couldn''t wait to marry him and give birth to his children. I''m a nasty and lowly woman. I''ve epted it. Are you happy now?" Deep in her thought, Rain was the only man she wanted to marry and bear his child. But given the situation, she failed to control her emotions due to his incessant rage and unreasonable allegation. Despite knowing that she should have been calmer, she couldn''t help but meet his level of frustration as she had suffered so much for him.


    "I..." Rain stopped himself, realizing that he was spiraling out of control. Taking a deep breath, he regained control of his emotions and said in a soft voice, "Sorry. I didn''t mean to say it."


    "Let it go," Annie sniffed. "Let''s continue our trip to the kindergarten, okay?" Fixing the end of her sleeve nervously, she avoided his eyes. She didn''t want to have this quarrel with him. She was exhausted, and the conversation was nonsensical.


    When Rain noticed the tears on Annie''s face, he handed over the tissue to her. Feeling apologetic, he looked at her with a mixture of remorse and regret.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    Starting his car, they got back on the road in silence. During the remaining part of the trip, the awkward silence dominated the atmosphere inside the car, leaving both of them to get lost in their own thoughts.


    Annie liked the kindergarten that Rain found for her. As he had said earlier, it was in the vicinity of her apartment. It took only a little more than ten minutes on feet. And most importantly, the kindergarten was blessed with a sound environment.


    After showing her around, Rain asked, "So? What do you think about this ce? Is this okay?" After a long while of silence and calming down, they were able to revert back to talking casually as if the unpleasant conversation didn''t take ce. Like a pair of talented actor and actress, they pretended to be good friends.


    "Yes!" Annie nodded, showing her satisfaction. "That''s nice with a favorable fee." The ce was charging much less than the kindergarten that Belinda rmended. And since her kids and she weren''t nning to live there for a very long time, it wasn''t necessary to spend so much money on an expensive kindergarten.


    "Since you''re happy with this ce, it won''t be so difficult for you to make a decision. Let''s go," he said, catching a glimpse of his watch. "My friend isn''t here right now. But I''ll inform her of this matterter." As he had an important meeting in the afternoon, he had to speed things around a bit. It was imperative that he caught up to the event.


    Noticing his action, Annie could tell that he had other things he needed to tend to. So she said considerately, "You can go do your thing now, Rain. My apartment is just in the vicinity. I can walk home from here, no problem." She had already taken much of his time, so it would be better to let him go first.


    "But don''t you have to go back to YS Group to get your car?" Rain asked, frowning. He could sense that she was only trying to keep a distance from him, which gave him an unpleasant sensation in the stomach.


    "Oh, you''re right. I almost forgot about that." She thought little about her car in the YS Group. Quite frankly, it would''ve been fine to get it another time. But then there was the case of her visiting Leena over the weekend, and if she didn''t drive on the way there, it was going to be extremely inconvenient.


    "You still act the way you used to. Often losing your mind and forgetful. Let''s go pick up your car first." Shaking his head slightly, Rain smiled at her inattention. Although a sort of fondness remained in his heart, his voice seemed as cold as his stare. And it was these things that caught Annie''s attention.


    "If you''re in such a hurry, I could just take a taxi," she muttered, as she truly did not want Rain to be angry again. As she found that he was more susceptible to tantrums today, it would be better, for both of them, that she didn''t get into a situation where it was usible to have another fight with him.


    "Just rx. I still have enough time to send you back," he said, quickening his pace. Annie waspelled to follow him. She knew he was still angry and sighed inwardly. What a temperamental man he was!


    After driving her back to the YS Group, he rushed towards KD Group. Had it been the meeting of FX International Group, he wouldn''t have had to be in such a haste. For KD Group, however, it was crucial that he attended the meeting as so many people wanted to oust him from his position in the Group. Pulling himself together, he willed himself to be cautious. He took a deep breath, and then entered the front doors of the building.

 Chapter 1683 The Truth (Part One)

    Morning light lit the living room, bathing the interiors with a soft warm glow. The house was quiet and calm. Annie stood by the door and scanned her phone. Leena had called and offered to pick her up. Although she wasn''t familiar with S City, she politely declined Leena''s


    offer. She didn''t want to bother her and besides, she could always use the vehicle GPS navigation.


    Soft footsteps were heard from the stairs. Annie turned around and saw Huey, who was dressed in his casual clothes. He rubbed his eyes sleepily and asked curiously, "Mommy, is the auntie who invited us your friend?" He hadn''t seen his mother hang out with her friends before. "Uh, sort of." Annie shrugged. She really didn''t know it either. ''Is Leena my friend? We just knew each other the day before yesterday,'' she thought to herself.


    "Mommy, will daddy be there too?" Huey asked hopefully and broke Anna from her thoughts. His eyes glittered with hope at the prospect of finally seeing his father.


    "Maybe." Annie shrugged again. Truthfully, she wasn''t even sure if Rain would be there. The thought made her feel ufortable and uneasy, and her stomach churned because if he was there, how was she supposed to tell or exin to him about the children? "Will he ept Joyce and me?" Huey asked again, anxiety evident all over his little groggy face.


    "I don''t know either." This time, Annie shook her head with a frown. She honestly had no idea what Rain thought about. Perhaps he had changed a lot during the past four years.


    Two little feet excitedly ran down the stairs and stopped in front of the two. "Mommy, look! Am I pretty?" Joyce had gone out of her room and went down. She twirled around and shed a big grin at Annie as she showed her the princess dress and white fur cloak she wore. "Wow! Are you a little princess, Joyce? You look gorgeous!" Joyce was just like a little version of Annie. Annie couldn''t help but remember how she used to be carefree at that age when she looked at her little girl. Now, she had too much trouble to handle on her te. "Mommy, will there be some other boys there who can y with me?" Joyce yfully asked as her grin grew wider when her mother praised her look for today.


    "Yes, they are younger than you. You can y with them." Annie''s hand stretched to smooth out her daughter''s hair. She didn''t know how to deal with the peopleter yet and here her little girl was, already thinking about ying with the other children there. "But I don''t like younger boys. They are so annoying!" Joyce grumbled in annoyance, her lips pursed into a tight line. She remembered their neighbors'' kids on Phuket Ind who used to cry all day long. She really felt frustrated at the thought of dealing with that. "You can''t say that before others, okay? It''s not polite," Annie chastised little Joyce and beckoned her to turn around. She gathered a lock of hair from her daughter''s head and made twin tails. She then adorned the hairstyle with a beautiful headpiece she designed herself. She held Joyce at an arm''s length, who now looked like a princess.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    "Okay, Mommy." Joyce gave a peck on her mother''s cheek with her soft little lips, and she felt extremely happy at this moment. Maybe it was because Joyce was a girl, so she was not that looking forward to meeting her father like Huey. She was already perfectly content with just her mother.


    "Okay guys, let''s get going." Annie grabbed the twins'' hands and walked them out to her car. Leena''s house was quite far away from hers, so they needed to hurry up and leave if they wanted to make it there on time.


    Leena frantically juggled cooking food and calling Rain repeatedly. She turned the knobs on the stove while dialing a number on her phone. She already called him the day before and demanded Raine to her house this morning. When she called him again, no one picked up the call. Maybe he was still sound asleep because he had workedte thest night. Finally at her next attempt, the receiver picked up.


    "Hello." Rain spoke, his voice still thick and husky with sleep.


    "Rain, why haven''t you woken up yet? It''s already 10 AM," Leena said as she went to the kitchen counter to chop and cut up the other ingredients.


    "It''s only 10 AM? Why did you call me this early? Let me have more sleep." Despite saying so, Rain still struggled to sit on the bed and groggily rubbed his eyes with his other hand as he stifled a yawn. The sun shone brightly through the heavy curtains. Today was a good day.


    "But Annie will be here soon. You need to entertain her for me." Kevin still had some work to finish, so he had gone to the army base early in the morning. Richard had been pestering his father to bring him to the army base for a while. Kevin, with no other option, took Richard with him and said they woulde back before lunch.


    "What? They''ll arrive so soon? All right. I''ll be right there in half an hour." Rain''s apartment was near Leena''s, and it only took about 10 minutes for him to get here.


    "Okay. Hurry up! See you." After hanging up, Leena rushed to the stove as the food she was cooking was about to be burnt.


    Rain heaved a sigh andy back on hisfortable bed again. After several minutes, he sprang up and rushed to the en suite bathroom.


    After a nice hot shower, he wrapped the towel around his waist and went to his walk-in closet to get dressed. He decided to look great for Annie and scanned his expansive clothing and shoe collection. It took him about a dozen minutes just to select his clothes. He finally picked what he wanted. He then pulled on the pair of dark pants and a casual looking dress shirt as he thought about Annie and her children. It made him quite nervous.


    Even though he knew she was married and had two children with another man, he just couldn''t move on and forget about her.


    He shook off his thoughts and got out of the apartment as soon as he finished prepping himself up. He went to his car and drove to Leena''s house. After a few minutes of driving quietly, he spotted his destination and turned to the curb in front of Leena''s house. When he pulled over, he saw Annie''s car approaching.


    Annie had really set out earlier than Rain, but because she wasn''t familiar with S City, she got a bit lost and arrived a littleter than him.


    Her heart pounded loudly in her chest when she saw Rain, and she almost crashed with another luxury car.000000000000

 Chapter 1684 The Truth (Part Two)

    "Mommy, what''s wrong? Can we go down?" Huey asked in confusion, his brows furrowing. He and Joyce were sitting at the back, so they didn''t see Rain.


    "Oh, let''s get out." Annie''s head rang as her biggest secret that she managed to hide all these years was about to be exposed.


    Rain also got out of the car and trotted his way over to them. But when his eyesnded on the two children, he halted.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Were they Annie''s children? Rain held his breath as his eyes darted back and forth between Huey and Joyce. His heart raced and beat wildly in his chest. Somehow, the boy looked very familiar to him.


    "Did you just arrive?" Annie asked as she walked over to him. She stood in front of the kids to stop him from ogling at them. What would Rain do after he found out the truth?


    "Yep.


    Your kids look adorable," Rain said as his eyes looked away. Deep inside, he pondered on who the boy looked like.


    "Huey, you look like this uncle!" A little girl''s voice piped up from behind Annie''s back.


    Annie''s face immediately nched. She dodged Rain''s questioning eyes and scolded her daughter, "Don''t talk nonsense!"


    Rain''s eyes widened in shock. He pulled Annie aside and stared at the boy carefully. He finally realized that why the boy looked so familiar. He was a mini version of himself.


    Rain turned to look pointedly at Annie. "Can you exin?" His eyes roamed across Annie''s face, never missing a single expression. Her every move was now under his scrutiny.


    "I..." Annie clenched her fists tightly into a ball, her nails digging into her palms. She wondered how she should exin everything. Four years ago, they had one passion-filled, romantic night and two monthster, she found out she was pregnant. She panicked at the beginning and even considered abortion -- after all, it was very hard for a woman to raise her child alone. However, she eventually decided to keep the babies. If she couldn''t be with Rain, it was not a bad idea to have his children.


    "Annie, you''ve been hiding them from me all these years? It seems that I''ve underestimated you." Rainughed bitterly. He didn''t expect this woman to have made a fool out of him. He suddenly felt that he didn''t know her at all.


    "Rain, you got me wrong. Please let me exin." She had imagined countless possibilities of how Rain would react when he saw the children, but none of them included this. She was rather shocked by his reaction and didn''t understand why he was so angry.


    "Exin? Annie, you know what I hate the most in my life! I hate that my father abandoned my mother and me, and that I was called bastard. Why do you have to let my children go through the same experience again? I hate you!" Rain bellowed as his eyes fiercely stared at her. He had a miserable childhood, and he had sworn he would never let his children undergo the same experience. But what did Annie do?


    "Bad guy! Leave my mommy alone!" Huey yelled from behind his mother and proceeded to punch Rain''s leg to protect Annie. Meanwhile, Joyce freaked out at the situation and burst into tears.


    "Huey, don''t do that. He''s your daddy," Annie told her son as she sniffled, tears flowing down her cheeks. She knew Rain''s miserable past, and she had thought repeatedly about how to exin the kids to him so he could forgive her. Huey huffed and had an angry look on his little face.


    "No, he''s not my daddy. Daddy won''t hurt mommy!" Huey argued. He had long been looking forward to meeting his father, but the way Rain acted right now really scared him and he refused to believe that the man who just scolded his mother was his father. He was too disappointed to ept that.


    Rain was shocked. He was just guessing that Huey was his son based on how he looked, and now Annie''s words definitely confirmed it. He turned to look at the boy, not knowing what to say or do. He was currently at a loss on how to deal with the situation. "Mommy, is he daddy? He''s so pretty," Joyce said as her big, innocent doe eyes stared at Rain.


    ''Pretty?'' Annie''s face twitched at Joyce''s description. Had she just used the word "pretty" to describe Rain? Rain hated being called pretty. Despite her reluctance, Annie nodded slightly.


    "What''s your name?" Rain tried his best to calm himself down and squatted down in front of Joyce. He regretted having lost his temper before the kids. They were still so young, and it was obvious that they would freak out when heshed in anger at Annie. "Daddy, my name is Joyce An, and he''s Huey An." The little girl was not shy with strangers at all. She introduced herself and her brother to Rain in a cheerful voice as if she already forgot how scary this man had been and how she had cried about it just a few moments ago. "Why did you tell him my name? He didn''t ask for it," Huey said defensively as he pouted his lips. He had wondered what his father would look like many times, but Rain was not the kind of man he liked. He was a little too handsome, so no wonder Joyce was attracted by him easily.


    Rain felt extremely ted and was on cloud nine when the little girl called him daddy. Now, he had a different problem to face -- his son disliked him terribly.


    "Could you please tell me your name, boy?" Rain then turned to Huey and spoke gently in a voice that he deemed was his softest. The little boy and he shared the same attitude -- they were both stubborn and adamantly refused to ept defeat.


    "No! You bullied mommy. I won''t tell you my name." Huey didn''t know what was going on between the adults, but he could tell that his mother was having a hard time.


    "I didn''t bully your mommy. There were just some misunderstandings between us," Rain said mildly. He had mocked Edward before because thetter hadn''t known he had a son until Daisy brought Justin to him. Now, he was in the same position. He suddenly had a son and a daughter! How amazing it was!


    "Really?" Huey didn''t believe what Rain said at all. He looked at Annie, waiting for her response.


    "Your daddy is right. He didn''t bully me." Annie heaved a long sigh of relief as the secret she had kept for four years was finally out and she didn''t have to keep things in secret any longer. She didn''t know what Rain would do next, but at least she didn''t have to hide from him anymore.


    "Fine! I forgive you. But I have to warn you, do not bully my mommy. Otherwise, I''m not talking to you," Huey said again with a pout.


    "I''ll settle things with youter," Rain turned to Annie and hissed in a hushed voice in her ear. ''How could she marry that damn Fred and let my children call him daddy?'' he cursed in his mind.0000000

 Chapter 1685 The Truth (Part Three)

    Annie looked back at Rain. ''I thought everything was clear now. Why is he still angry?'' she wondered.


    "Come on! Let''s get in," Rain said cheerily as he reached out his open palms after a few moments, and grabbed each of the twins'' hands. The three of them walked into the house, leaving Annie behind.


    The other people had already arrived earlier than them, and were waiting and rxing in the courtyard with Leena''s refreshments. When the sliding door opened and they saw Raine in hand in hand with two children in tow, their eyes widened in disbelief, and jaws cked.


    "Oh my god! Rain, whose children are they?" Tom asked in a shocked voice as he looked back and forth between Rain and Huey, who closely resembled each other. The boy must be Rain''s son!


    "Am I daydreaming? Rain, are they..." Belinda murmured in an equally surprised tone. When Annie slid the door open and came to join them, they finally understood the situation.


    "No, you''re not daydreaming, as you can see," Rain said proudly. He previously thought that he was the only one who had no partner and children among his friends, but he was so wrong. His children were even older than Leena''s, Tom''s and Duke''s. "Good for you! You have twins!" Edward piped up from the lounge chair where he sat. He just came back from an overseas tripst night. Edward got up and gave his brother a yful punch on the chest. He was genuinely happy for him.


    "Yes, I have twins! Are you guys jealous of me?" Rain felt extremely ttered at their reactions andpliments. He was the only one among his friends who had both a son and a daughter.


    "Annie,e here." Daisy waved her hand from beside Edward. She cared about Annie very much. Daisy herself had raised Justin alone for several years, so she knew how Annie felt and how hard it was for her to raise the twins alone, without Rain''spany. "Hi Daisy," Annie said shyly as she walked up to her. Aside from Leena, she was only familiar with Daisy and Belinda in the house.


    "You must have had a hard time raising the children alone. Why didn''t you tell us the truth earlier?" Daisy asked gently as she reached out to wrap Annie in aforting hug. They shared a simr experience of being single mothers, and Daisy couldn''t help but feel wronged for her.


    "I''m sorry, you must have been worried about me for years." It was very hard for her to exin the whole story, so she could only apologize to Daisy.


    "Well, since you''re back, you will have Rain to raise the children with from now on." Before she had seen Annie''s children, Daisy never thought that Rain could have a chance to win Annie''s heart back. However, things were different now. Daisy thought that Annie loved Rain so much that she didn''t love and marry another man and even gave birth and raised Rain''s children all by herself.


    "Uncle Rain, can I y with her?" Justin asked and stared at Joyce with a hopeful expression. His dream finally came true -- he had a little sister.


    "Kid, stay away from my daughter!" Rain demanded in a stern voice and stood between his daughter and Justin. Like every father, he regarded every male, regardless of his age, as a threat who would do something to his daughter. "Daddy, look at Uncle Rain!" Justin then turned to Edward for help.


    "Bro, what are you doing? They are just kids. You can''t forbid your children from ying with others." Before Edward could say something, Tom stepped forward and rolled his eyes at Rain. He thought the man was overreacting.


    "Don''t talk nonsense! Justin''s father used to be a yboy. He must have picked up his father''s gift for flirting with girls," Rain said annoyingly as he thought he had to nip the bud before it was toote.


    "Man, you''re really dancing with death," Edward snapped through gritted teeth and shot Rain a murderous nce. He immediately turned to look at Daisy to check if she had any reactions. He knew she minded his past very much, and he didn''t want her to get upset at Rain''s distasteful choice of words.


    "Daddy, he''s so scary!" Joyce was startled by Edward''s irritation and hid herself behind Rain''s back. She looked at the scary uncle through the gap between his legs.


    "Edward, look at what you did! You scared my daughter!" Rain said as he picked Joyce up and patted her back softly in an attempt to console her.


    Huey looked at his sister whose head was restingfortably on Rain''s shoulder, and he was green with envy. He also wanted to be held by Rain, but he was too proud to admit it.


    "Rain, you finally came!" Leena''s bubbly voice burst out from the kitchen as she entered the courtyard. She received many guests so she had been busy preparing food in the kitchen all morning. When she heard Rain''s voice, she came out to greet him. "Annie, you''re here as well!" Leena eximed cheerfully when she saw Annie standing behind Rain. She knew Annie had twins, so her eyes scanned the courtyard around to look for them.


    Then, she saw the little girl perched on Rain''s arms. "Wow, what a cute girl! She must be your daughter, Annie?" she asked and wondered why the girl was in Rain''s arms. Joyce looked like Annie very much, so Leena didn''t realize that Rain was the father.


    "Uh, yes, she''s my daughter, Joyce," Annie answered awkwardly. She felt very embarrassed right now as she used to think that Leena was Rain''s wife.


    "Joyce, this is Aunt Leena," Rain held his daughter out a bit and told her in a soft voice. He pinched her chubby face affectionately. His heart immediately melted at the sight of his angel.


    "Hello Aunt Leena, I''m Joyce An." The little girl''s voice was so gentle that everyone present couldn''t help but sh a big smile at her adorable nature.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    "Hello Joyce, nice to meet you. Wow, you look so adorable. I wish I could have a lovely daughter like you." Leena smiled as she stroked her soft cheek lovingly. She knew it would be very difficult for her to have another baby because of her previousplications. Having Richard was already like a miracle!


    "It seems that Kevin need to work harder," Patricia teased with a mischievous smile from where she stood, a drink in hand. Eden had been pestering her all this time, so she was unable to y with the cute girl.


    Joyce was the only girl among the children and as a result, she had won the affection of all the adults and boys present. The adults all wanted to have a cute daughter like Joyce, while the boys wanted to y with her despite Rain''s long face. He was going to have so much trouble with his daughter already being a heart breaker at such a young age.000

 Chapter 1686 Unopened Hearts (Part One)

    "I''m sorry, work hard on what?" Kevin then walked in the scene with his son, Richard, in his arms. Whenever he wore his military uniform, there just seemed to be a strong and robust aura surrounding him. "Work hard to have a sister for Richard." Everyone in the room started to break out inughter. They had always been so fond of teasing Kevin ever since they had epted him into the group.


    "Oh?" Kevin raised a brow. "Is that what you want, Nana?" Kevin''s ardent eyes then fell on his wife, Leena. A cheeky smile was etched on his face as the corners of his lips curved upward. He then made his way to Leena, ced an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. He turned his gaze to Leena and wore an impish smile. "As long as you want it, I would most definitely work hard."


    Leena then took Kevin''s hand off of her waist and averted her gaze away from Kevin. Her cheek stained red as she responded, "Kevin! Don''t tease me! There are kids here!" Leena was embarrassed whenever they would banter regarding these kinds of things. She tried to look around, just desperately trying to avoid Kevin''s gaze and eventually, her eyes fell on something much more important than everyone teasing her.


    "Rain," Leena started, her eyes wide. "He..." Leena finally lifted her head up and looked at Rain. She had a surprised look on her face, "He looks just like you!"


    "Ah, yeah," Rain stifled a chuckle. "He''s my son, Huey." Rain didn''t realize that he had ced all his attention on his daughter and somewhat had forgotten that he had a son until Leena had mentioned it.


    "Oh my God!" Leena gasped, "So Joyce is your daughter?!" Leena was astounded at the new information. She then started to fan herself, "I... I need a drink." Leena then approached Edward, took the ss from his hand, and started to gulp down the drink Edward had. "Ah!" Edward stretched his hand. "T-That''s---!" But it was toote.


    Edward saw that Leena had started to drink from the ss. He then proceeded to cover his eyes to avoid the iing tragedy.


    Then, Edward heard what he had expected from Leena. He then uncovered his eyes and saw Leena''s revolted expression. Leena spat out the drink from her lips and screamed,pletely appalled by the drink she just swallowed. "What the hell is this drink, Edward?! Is this even a drink?!"


    Edward chuckled, obviously amused by Leena''s reaction. "Not bad, right?" "Not bad?!" Leena repeated. "I just said it''s horrible!"


    "I made that drink especially for Rain, you know," Edward informed Leena and shrugged. "But, there you were, gulping down his drink."


    "You intended to make Rain drink this?!" Leena pointed at the ss,pletely stupefied. Edward just nodded with a grin on his face. He had nned on giving another worldly drink to Rain. He even lost track of what he had mixed in the said drink.


    Recently, Rain had been blessed with luck, to the point that almost everyone in the room envied him for it. Edward wanted to be the one to break Rain''s streak and get someughs out of him. But Leena ended up being the victim of Edward''s prank whichpletely got everyone taken aback.


    "No way..." Rain looked at Edward, shocked. "How could you do this to me?" Rain then looked at Leena and said, "I''m sorry, Leena... For you having to drink that for me..." Rain started fake cry and wiped his non-existent tears from his cheek as he lowered his head. However, Rain was absolutely thankful that he wasn''t the victim, it looked like his luck wasn''t going to leave him anytime soon.


    Stepping into the scene was none other than Kevin with a ss of water in hand. Unlike all the other men in the room, Kevin grew concerned for Leena. Kevin rushed to Leena and handed her the ss as she took the ss. "Here, drink some water."


    Belinda let out a frustrated sigh. "That''s enough, all of you. The one who drank that was none other than your very own princess. If this happens again..." Belinda didn''t need to finish her statement as she had warned everyone in the room with a re. "You''re all grown men and yet here you are, still pranking one another! Geez!"


    A loud yet cute voice then started to prate their ears. They all looked to see who it belonged to. It belonged to Richard. "Uncle Edward, ears on me!" Richardmanded. "Attention! Eyes left! Eyes front!"


    Richard was incredibly fond of his mother and when he saw that her mother, Leena, was a victim of someone''s prank, there was no way he would let it slide.


    Edward was very amused at Richard as he barked orders at him with a tiny, baby voice. Edward decided to just y along. Richard couldn''t utter some words correctly but, most people in the room understood what he tried to say. Rain then started tough, "Good job, Commander Richard! I am very proud of you!"


    "Keep that mouth open and there''ll be flies in your mouth." Duke finally made his presence known once again as he started with a rather bold statement. Duke had an indifferent expression as his eyes fell on Rain who continued to crack up.


    "I don''t understand how on earth you couldugh at something like that," Duke remarked. "It wasn''t funny." Rain ceased hisughter and just nced at Duke. Rain rolled his eyes. "Yes, Ice Queen. I''ll keep my mouth shut for you." Rain sent Duke a re. ''Why does he always have that frigid expression on his face. At this point, I won''t be surprised even if he has an ice castle where he keeps his loyal subjects. He could''ve been nicer about it. What a killjoy.''


    When Leena finished washing the taste of that other-worldly drink with water, she then decided to step in. "Alright, you guys. Let''s stop this. Since you still have some energy to spare, why don''t you just y with the kids, hmm?" All the people in the room were already adults, even parents and yet, they still acted so childishly. "Why can''t you be like your children?" Leena sighed. "They all get along so well."


    Belinda then pped her hands. "You hear that? Your beloved princess just gave you all an order. Go on and take the kids to y." In the mind of all those men in the room, Leena was always right and they wouldn''t ever go against her word. But, if ever someone else were to tell them to do something, they would not even budge.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    The men shot each other looks, asking themselves one question, ''Since when did we be the babysitters?''


    They were central figures in S City who had great impacts on S City''s economy or politics. But in front of their wives, they were nothing but husbands and fathers who were supposed to bring their kids up and take care of families. They couldn''t refuse.


    Annie was petrified that the man she saw the other day at the supermarket was a high-ranking military officer, and his ranking seemed to be higher than Daisy''s. Annie couldn''t help but lower her head in embarrassment due to her own misunderstanding. Annie sighed heavily to herself, ''Oh God. Just let me disappear...''


    Daisy nned on helping Leena prepare the lunch at an earlier time but, was inevitably dyed by Rain''s arrival.


    Then, a pleasant smell started to waft around the area which made Daisy lift her head up. She could also hear the sound of pans that nged together. "Hey, Leena." Daisy called out as she peeped from the doorway of the kitchen. "You done preparing lunch? I could help you out."


    "Hey Daisy! Yeah, I''m actually almost done!" Leena replied. "So, just go around and have a good chat with everyone here! And don''t worry, I can handle things here on my own, okay?" Leena had be a more mature woman. Leena found it easier to get along with people as well. It was a big, mental change.0000

 Chapter 1687 Unopened Hearts (Part Two)

    Annie looked Leena earnestly and put on a small smile. She offered, "Why don''t you let me help you? I did say I wanted to learn some things from you, after all." Despite Annie having seen Patricia and Michelle, there was still this lingering feeling inside her heart that she just couldn''t enter their world. Leena looked at Annie for a moment then responded, "Alright. Come with me." Leena then turned the stove off and took the pan with the dish she had just cooked with her to the dining area. Annie followed, "I''ve already finished cooking the dishes so... maybe you could help me out in setting the table. Or, if that''s too simple for you then, I can free up some time to teach you." "Ah, no! Not at all!" Annie replied with a smile.


    "I''m usually free when I finish my work these days so, I''m just really looking for something to keep myself preupied. And I appreciate your kind suggestion. After I finish my work these days, let''s have some time so I can learn a lot from you. Thank you so much." Annie then started to make her way to the dining room but, something caught her attention. It was the view of all men in the area, ying andughing along with the kids. One child, Joyce, who was a girl, was also well protected. It was such a heart-warming view to see. And it made Annie''s heart ache.


    ''I wonder how long happiness such as these wouldst...'' Annie thought to herself as she gazed at the view longingly. Annie bit her lip. ''When Rain told me he was going to talk to meter, his expression seemed so serious..."


    Breaking Annie away from her trail of thoughts was none other than Leena''s sweet voice. "Isn''t it beautiful, Annie?" Annie turned to see Leena who was looking at the same view. Leena had a soft and delicate expression on her face. Annie knew that Leena felt blessed for what she had.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Annie then looked back at the view in front of them. "Hey... Thanks Leena... For inviting me." If Leena hadn''t invited Annie over, her secret would still be in the shadows, and Rain would never have a chance to even know that he had children.


    Living with a heavy secret was never easy.


    Leena smiled at Annie. "You''re wee. And hey, don''t act so distant with me. Also, correct me if I''m wrong but, you''re not married, right?" There''s a saying that goes that women would always be more intelligent than men due to their innate ''sixth sense.'' When Leena knew that Huey and Joyce were Rain''s children, all the questions and doubts she had within herself were answered. She sighed in relief as she knew a happy ending was waiting for Rain.


    "Uh, no! I never said that I was married!" Annie protested. "You guys arepletely out of it!" Though, in the deepest depths of Annie''s heart, she felt ashamed of what she had done. Annie had, indeed misled them and never admitted it. Even when she gave a tacit consent to Rain, she kept her lips shut as she was too angry with Rain.


    Leena shyly smiled. "Yeah, it''s our fault. I mean, we just assumed. That''s why everything bes soplicated." Annie never said anything about being married. All justpletely assumed that she was as well.


    "It''s also my fault," Annie responded, her tone somber. "I deceived you guys." Annie waspletely full of regrets when they had questioned her. Annie kept asking herself why didn''t she just exin everything clearly rather than let go.


    "Are we counseling each other right now?" Annie jested. "Aren''t we supposed to be preparing lunch?" Leenaughed. "Ah, right! Lunch! We almost forgot!"


    "Then, let''s get started," Annie said andughed as well. "They''re probably starving!" Annie feltfortable around Leena. Leena was like her warmth, her light that would never fail to illuminate the darkness inside her heart.


    Laughter and smiles were present all throughout the lunch party in Waterside. All stayed at the area, enjoying themselves until the sun had switched ces with the moon.


    When dinner was over, they said their goodbyes and see youters to one another and one by one did the guests start to make their departure.


    Rain sent Annie and the children home and insisted he stay and spend some time with the kids,pletely trying to get his mind off of the problem he needed to face very soon. Throughout the whole family party, he barely kept himself together regarding Annie and Fred. When the children grew tired, he bathed them and tucked them to sleep.


    Rain made his way back to the living room and already saw Annie sitting down on the couch with her hands together.


    Now that the festivities were over, both knew that it was time to face this problem head on.


    When Rain arrived, Annie stood up and spoke, her voice giving away how nervous she was, "W-Would you like something? H-How about some coffee? Or maybe s-some tea?"


    "Iced water," Rain answered simply and took the seat across her. Rain thought that maybe a ss of iced water would cool down his nerves.


    On the other hand, Annie was surprised. She stared at him for a brief moment, remembering that she had also done the same in Belinda''s office.


    "I-I''ll just get you some warm water," Annie responded. Annie then made her way to the kitchen and poured Rain a ss of warm water and eventually made her way back to the living room, cing the ss of warm water in front of Rain. Shepletely ignored Rain''s request.


    "Isn''t there something you''d like to tell me?" Rain started. The question shocked Annie but, she knew it wasing.


    As long as the thought of Annie marrying another man with their kids crossed Rain''s mind, he was more than upset. He felt annoyed. The more he had talked andughed with his children, the pain in his heart grew bigger.


    Annie then sat herself down across Rain. She rubbed her hands together and asked, "What would you like to know?"


    "Why the hell didn''t youe back to me and why did you marry that damn guy?" Rain didn''t even want to mention that man''s name. It felt like poison to him.


    "If I hade back to you, judging from your attitude towards me at that time, wouldn''t you think that the kids were my bargaining chip to threaten you into marrying me?" Annie answered Rain with another question. Thest thing Annie would like to see was having Rain marry her just because of the children but not because of love. She would rather give up a marriage devoid of love.


    Rain then looked at Annie in the eyes. "So, in your opinion, I''m a shallow human being?" Rain huffed, averting his gaze away from her as he wore a bitter smile. "I see how it is."


    "It was my problem," Annie responded, her voice full of conviction. Thest thing Annie wanted to hear was Rain ming himself. "I just wasn''t confident about myself." Rather, Annie was uncertain about him and their rtionship.


    "You wanna know something?" Rain looked at her with a sarcastic smile, though his eyes were full of deep sorrow. "You''re an expert at knowing how to piss me off." "I--"


    Annie''s eyes widened at Rain''s statement. She couldn''t say anything thus, she just lowered her head and avoided his piercing gaze.


    It hurt Rain to see Annie like this. He had to resist the urge to hold her in his arms and tell her he was sorry. But, Rain knew he wasn''t the same Rain Annie had been with before. He was no longer a man who would easily be swayed with his emotions. Rain would not move until he had confirmed that one thing he wanted from Annie.


    That was if, she had continued loving him. Annie then took the courage to raise her head and meet Rain''s gaze head on but only to find herself looking back down, unable to do so. Annie held her hands together tightly.


    "So, tell me." Rain said, his voice barren of emotion. "What''s your n, hmm?"????

 Chapter 1688 Unopened Hearts (Part Three)

    Annie was puzzled and asked, "n?" She rattled her head at what Rain might''ve meant but, it drew a nk. "W-what do you mean?" Annie asked eventually.


    "Don''t y stupid with me," Rain demanded, his voice growing stronger by the moment. "Now that I know that I have children, there''s no way I''d allow any other man to be called their father but me!" Rain''s mind waspletely somewhere else from the start. Things were getting confusing, even for Annie. How could Annie tell Huey that Rain was his father if she had let the children call another man Dad?


    Annie blinked, "Y-You''re not making any sense..." Even Leena could recognize that problem but, unfortunately for Rain, he couldn''t. Rain''s mind was consumed by his own thoughts that he couldn''t think straight.


    "I didn''t get anything wrong," Rain responded, he seemed to be clenching his teeth in anger. "Didn''t you marry another man with my children?." Rain took the ss of water from the table and gulped it down in one go, as if to die the fire that was burning inside of him. Then, Annie responded with a question, "Who told you I was married?" Annie felt upset with Rain''s allegations towards her.


    It was just like how an old saying went, "If you are out to condemn someone, you can always trump a charge."


    That sayingpletely summarized what was happening between Rain and Annie.


    "What?" Rain''s eyes widened. Rain couldn''t believe what he heard. He felt like his ears were ying tricks on him. Rain shot up from his seat. "Could you say it again?" Rain heard Annie the first time and he just wanted to hear Annie say it, that one line that would end all his suffering.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "I never said that I was married!" Annie eximed, she sighed afterwards. Rain always had his habit of always considering that whatever he thought was right and carelessly med her for everything but, in reality, she was in the white.


    Rain''s face immediately lit up at Annie''s response. He just couldn''t believe it. "You''re telling the truth, right?" The colorless world Rain lived in then started to take on vivid colors. Rain hated being in such a monochromatic ce. The atmosphere became lighter. His body then began to move on its own as he moved towards Annie. Now he was lost whether he should embrace her tightly or not.


    "Why would I lie to you?" Annie smiled at the sight of Rain being washed in relief.


    "But what about that guy Fred?" Rain asked. "Who is he to you?" Rain had always hated her mother being so down and trapped in sorrow ever since he was a child. This made Rain extremely cautious about everything and he would never allow himself to make the same mistake that the man had done with his own mother.


    "He''s just a friend," Annie answered. Annie felt slightly frustrated as Rain didn''t believe her and continued to press on about Fred. "Any more questions?"


    Rain shook his head and had a smile all over his face. "No. But, do get things packed up tonight. I''ll pick you up tomorrow." He couldn''t contain his excitement and started to pace back and forth.


    "Where are we going?" Annie asked, confused with Rain''s statement. Annie was ready to be scolded by Rain. She had prepared herself for that moment but, it never came, which got herpletely confused.


    Rain then finally answered with a frown, "To my ce, of course. My kids are supposed to stay with me, aren''t they?"


    The atmosphere turned heavy once again with Annie''s response. "I don''t think I can do that..." Rain talked about the kids and never mentioned her name.


    Not even once.


    In Annie''s mind, Rain only reacted like this for his children. Annie found it odd that he remained calm and collected when she told him she wasn''t married but, whenever they talked about the children, Rain couldn''t keep himself calm and would react intensely.


    Rain then turned to Annie. "Give me a reason and I''ll think about it." Rain thought differently. He thought he made his words clear. When he mentioned that he''d pick them up tomorrow, he meant that the two of them should live under one roof and raise their kids together. But, as an old saying goes, "A woman is much more sensible than a man."


    "I think we need to ask the kids about this," Annie started. "They need to be the ones to choose who they want to stay with." Annie wasn''t an arbitrary mother. She would always leave the choice to her children.


    "What are you talking about? Are you noting with?" Rain asked and started to grow confused. Even though Rain was an illegitimate child, he was blessed enough to get whatever he wanted. Sometimes, his mind always failed to see the most essential thing. "Could I really?" Annie asked, her expression looked bitter. "Don''t you think that it''d be strange if I go with you?" Annie wasn''t pushing Rain to make her a promise. Annie just honestly felt that it would be peculiar if she had suddenly moved in with Rain and lived with him under the same roof.


    "Strange?" Rain repeated, he started to frown. "You''re their mother. Why would that be weird?"


    "Even though I am their mother, I..." Annie paused for a second before she continued. "I still feel like that exnation sounded forced..." Annie bit her lower lip and began to think to herself, ''If being the kids'' mother is the only reason why he''s taking me with him, I''d rather refuse.''


    "So, what do you want?" Rain''s tone was heavy. He looked straight into Annie''s eyes. Rain didn''t want to lose her again. "If you really want to be my wife then I have no objections."


    "If you just said that for the kids, then save it," Annie remarked, her tone firm. Annie still had her dignity and she wouldn''t let anyone trample all over her just because she loved Rain with all her heart. She had a bottom line.


    Rain looked at Annie. "What do you mean?" They had never opened their hearts to one another. They were always doubting and misunderstanding each other everytime they talked.


    "Rain, don''t lie to yourself," Annie sighed as she massaged her temple. "You don''t love me and I''mpletely fine with that. I just hate the fact that you''re pretending that you still do. Marrying me just because of the children isn''t something I want." Annie was never picky. She would never mind if she didn''t get a fairy tale like proposal or a heartfelt confession. She would always understand Rain and forgive him. But, thest thing Annie wanted Rain to do was to marry her just for the children.


    "You don''t know me at all," Rain said in frustration, his tone dyed in sorrow. "You wouldn''t have said such things to me otherwise." The two had been apart for four years. Rain loved Annie and that was an undeniable fact and so did Annie. But, they never had the chance to open their hearts to each other.


    This was why they always had tough conversations.


    Both of them acted as if they had closed off their hearts to one another, acting indifferent despite their hearts screaming otherwise.


    Silence dawned upon Rain and Annie, as if everything was still.


    Then, Annie broke the silence with a simple statement.


    "You''re right." Annie then averted her gaze. "You''re more like a stranger to me the more I talk to you."


    She took a deep breath and looked up. "I''ve been wondering for thest few days, whether you are still the same Rain I have loved." Rain''s statement immediately made Annie''s heart sink.


    Annie couldn''t help but look back to the time when they just started to get to know one another. Rain kept on running away while Annie kept on chasing him.


    Annie loved Rain dearly. But now, Annie grew tired.


    She looked at Rain with agony inside her heart, ''Looks like I was wrong to hope things have changed...''


    Time might have changed their surroundings and the people around them but, some people still remained idle, unchanged.000000000?????

 Chapter 1689 Rivals In Love (Part One)

    Blowing out a breath, Rain blurted, "Okay, you''re right! I''m no longer the same person I was before. I''m almost a stranger to myself. I no longer have any interest in other women except for the one who stole my heart, and she doesn''t even care about me!" Rain shouted out his resentment. It broke his heart to hear Annie doubting his love for her. She had no idea how he continued to pine for her, and only her. She stared at Rain with astonished eyes, and her heart started to pound violently. Amid jumbled emotions, she thought, ''Is he serious about what he''s saying? Is the woman he''s referring to really me?''


    "It''s unbelievable, right?" Rain scoffed. "But as I said, you managed to steal my heart, and I''mying bare my feelings for you," he said bitterly. Any proud man would be upset to give in to the woman in a rtionship. But Rain had no other choice but to open himself up to her. After all, he was already in too deep with this woman, and it was nearly impossible for him to pull away from her.


    "Are you saying that you''ve fallen in love with me, Rain?" Annie gasped. It was pleasure she felt once she realized his feelings for her. Happily, Annie thought, ''It seems that all my efforts through the years have finally paid off!'' His admission was such a surprise that Annie wondered if it was all a dream.


    Pouting, Rain grumbled, "I must say you''re quite an insensitive woman. Did you really think that every woman who falls in love with me will be allowed to live in my home?" He thought he had already expressed his feelings for her through his actions, but it seemed he had overestimated her perceptiveness.


    "I didn''t know," Annie said helplessly. She looked stunned, never thinking that his actions meant he was in love with her. When Rain brought her home with him four years ago, Annie thought he was merely doing it as a favor to her parents. It never urred to her that it was an expression of his love for her.


    "Er... I think I need a little time to absorb all this," a confused Annie remarked. The man''s sudden confession overwhelmed the woman. But with her answer so vague Rain at once fell silent, fear gripping his heart. What did she mean, he wondered. With her thoughts in a mess, Annie casually said, "Be careful on your way home." While Rain had no intention of leaving, he interpreted Annie''s words as her way of dismissing him. Grinding his teeth in his fury, he quickly turned around and left.


    His heart plummeted. After much hesitation, Rain eventually decided to confess his feelings for Annie. Now that he''d done it, he felt disappointed that things didn''t work out the way he thought it would. Rain sank deeper into depression as he pondered over his situation. Still in shock, Annie watched Rain leave wordlessly. Then she snapped out of her trance and realized what she had told him. She remained seated, even more dumbfounded, and her mouth agape. "What the hell have I done?" she shouted at herself. "I''ve waited so long for his love, and now that he''s dered it, I drove him away without a thought," Annie said in despair.


    Annoyed at being told to leave, Rain drove at full speed. With his state of mind, he stepped towards the bar counter in the kitchen after he returned home. He took out a bottle of whiskey and poured himself a ss which he drank bottoms up. Rain wanted to get drunk to drown away his sorrows.


    He felt his phone ringing incessantly inside his pocket but ignored it. He refilled his ss but resorted to sipping rather than gulping it all down. His mind eventually calmed down with the alcoholic beverage. Rain tasted the drink as he began to collect his thoughts. At the other end of the line, Kevin stared curiously at Leena, who was holding the phone to her ear. "Why isn''t he answering?" Kevin asked.


    Leena finally hung up and replied worriedly, "I don''t know. Maybe, he''s taking a shower and can''t hear the phone. We''ll let him be. I''ll call him again tomorrow. Besides, it''ste now and he might be tired. Uhmmm... Where''s Richard? Is he in bed now?" She finally nestled her head on Kevin''s chest and settled herselffortably.


    "Richard is already sleeping. After having so much fun today, the boy was worn out. He didn''t even need to be told to go to bed early," Kevin reported. His lips curled into a soft smile as he spoke about his son. He lovingly stroked Leena''s disheveled hair with one hand, while the other held Leena''s hand.


    "Uhh, Kevin? Do you think it goes smoothly between Rain and Annie?" She felt her husband pat her back in assurance. Leena called Rain to ask how things turned out when he saw Annie. It worried Leena when he didn''t pick up to answer.


    "Listen, no one can predict how a rtionship will turn out. It''s something the two people involved have to deal with themselves. So I say, leave them alone to sort things out!" Kevin replied grumpily. He lovingly pinched Leena''s delicate nose. Kevin thought his wife worried too much about Rain and Annie, and all he got was the cold shoulder.


    "Ow, that hurts!" Leena cried out in pain. She quickly swatted Kevin''s hand away and stared at him while mumbling. Although the pinch was done with affection, Leena was slightly miffed.


    "I''m sorry. Let me have a look," her husband said. He bent his head to inspect her face with a pinkish nose. Serious at first, his expression slowly changed and his eyes filled with passion.


    "Why are you looking at me like that?" Leena whispered nervously. She noticed the wild gleam in his eyes, and it sent a slight shudder down her spine.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    Hoarsely, Kevin said, "Don''t move. I''m going to kiss you." Slowly, he brought his face closer to Leena''s, but before his lips touched hers, the woman burst outughing.


    Then she was giggling. "Hi, hi, hi!" Inhaling deeply, she controlled the giggles and said, "I''m sorry, my dear. But you sounded really funny. What gentleman informs the girl beforehand that he''s going to kiss her?" Her wide grin was obviously meant to tease her husband. Their intimate position had her automatically switching to a term of endearment.


    "You silly girl! Is that really funny?" Kevin shot back. He tried to keep a straight face because while he was annoyed by Leena''sughter, he was also amused. Kevin was ttered by the intimate way she called him, so he decided not to punish his wife for interrupting his passionate urge.


    "I''m so sorry," she said in between giggles. "I just couldn''t helpughing." Leena said apologetically. Her lips curled into a smile. Seeing the disappointed look on her husband''s face, she wound her arms around his neck, pulled his face down towards her and pressed her lips onto his.


    A seductive glint came into Kevin''s eyes as he started kissing Leena back. Gradually, it was he who was dominating the kiss that became heated.


    The next morning, Annie was shocked to see Fred at her door. She didn''t expect him to fly to S City and suddenly appear on her doorstep, but there he was.


    "Fred! How did you know where we live?" she asked. Annie stepped aside to let him enter.


    "Did I surprise you?" he replied with a smile. It wasn''t difficult to learn where Annie lived because all it took was a phone call to Joyce. The girl was quite fond of Fred and would willingly answer anything he asked without reservation.


    "Well... It''s more shock than surprise, actually," Annie murmured. She checked to see if Fred had heard her. What caught her off-guard was not that Fred found them, but that he found them rather quickly.


    "Uncle Fred!" Joyce squealed upon seeing the man. "I''ve been dying to see you," an excited Joyce ran up and jumped on Fred.0000000000000???

 Chapter 1690 Rivals In Love (Part Two)

    "Hey there, my little princess! Now that''s what I call a really warm wee," Fred remarked happily. He gathered the little girl in his arms and hugged her tightly. Fred was very fond of Joyce. He had taken an overnight flight to S City after hearing from the girl that she had seen her daddy. "Hello, Uncle Fred." Compared to his excitable twin sister, Huey was more reserved in greeting Fred. The boy only gave the man a slight smile to wee him, unlike Joyce, who quickly jumped into Fred''s arms.


    "Hey, Huey! I brought you your favorite model toy. Do you want to see it?" Fred announced. He settled Joyce on the floor and dug into his bag for Huey''s gift. The boy was usually indifferent when Fred was around, and the man didn''t know how to connect with him. "Really? Let me have a look!" Huey demanded. He beamed with pleasure as soon as Fred mentioned about his favorite toy.


    "Fred, you know you don''t have to get them gifts. You embarrass me when you do that," Annieined. She felt awkward to see Fred spending money on her children, for Annie''s sake.


    "Oh,e on, Annie. We''re friends, aren''t we? So there''s nothing to be embarrassed about. Besides, it''s just a little something. Nothing expensive, so don''t mind it." Pretending to be exasperated, Fred knitted his brows. He hated it when Annie would stand on ceremony with him.


    "But really, you don''t have to bother bringing them presents. And it''s not the first time you''ve done that," she argued. The young mother didn''t want to spoil her children, so she usually didn''t buy them stuff.


    "Well, forget it," Fred said dismissively. "Uh, don''t you think this house is too small for you?" He was looking around and noted that the ce was not only small, but its general appearance was unsatisfactory. Annie quickly retorted, "Not at all. I like it, and the ce is just suitable for the three of us." There was a smile of satisfaction as she answered Fred. While the house wasn''t veryrge, it waspletely equipped. Suddenly, he felt a tug on his shirt. "Uncle Fred, aren''t you forgetting something?" an unhappy Joyce asked. She was pouting in envy since Fred only brought out her brother''s gift. But Joyce was bold enough to remind the man about his oversight.


    "Oh. I''m sorry!" Fred said with an apologetic smile. "I nearly forgot it. But here you are, my little princess. Your favorite Barbie doll!" He rummaged through his suitcase and found Joyce''s gift. Fred was so eager to see the family that he skipped going to the hotel first so he could immediately visit them.


    At the sight of the doll, the little girl gave Fred a huge smile. "Wow, I love it! Thank you, Uncle Fred!" Joyce squealed in delight. She quickly opened the box to inspect the precious doll and looked rapturous, her grin growing wider and wider.


    Annie sighed in resignation. Every time Fred visited, he would always bring the kids'' favorite toys. It was no big deal for Fred, and he liked doing it. However, Annie was worried that her children would get too used to this and keep expecting gifts from Fred. "Haven''t you booked a hotel yet?" Annie inquired politely. She saw his clothes were still in the suitcase along with the kids'' gifts, thus her curiosity.


    "The organizers arranged amodations for me. But I came straight here, instead of checking in. Hmmm. Are you afraid I''d ask to stay with you?" Fred teased. The truth was that was his intention, but he knew very well Annie would never agree.


    "No, it just crossed my mind, seeing your stuff," she replied. One reason why she and Fred were good friends was the knowledge that Fred was an upright man. Otherwise, she wouldn''t be friends with a man so easily.


    "Don''t worry. I have a good sense of propriety," Fred told Annie. "And I won''t push you into a rtionship with me. I''d rather you decide how it should happen. Don''t you think so?" It unnerved him to bare his intentions to Annie. Fred rarely uttered such kind of words, but he felt there might not be any other opportunity to express his feelings for her if he didn''t do it now.


    "What are you talking about, Fred?" His remarks confused Annie, who raised an eyebrow. She had always treated Fred as one of her best friends, and it puzzled her why he was suddenly talking about a rtionship between them.


    The sound of pping handsing from outside broke into her thoughts. Both Annie and Fred turned towards the open door and saw Rain standing there. His eyes were filled with disdain to match his mocking smile.


    "What are you doing here, Rain?" Annie called out. His sudden appearance disconcerted her. Although she and Fred were only friends, Annie had the uneasy feeling like a wife being caught cheating on her husband.


    "You don''t look happy to see me, Annie," Rain noted unhappily. He wondered, ''Is it because of this man that she doesn''t want to see me?'' Rain sighed.


    "It''s not what you think," Annie said, hating herself for being defensive. But she nced at Rain with fear in her eyes. She was worried that he would misunderstand her rtionship with Fred.


    Suddenly, Joyce cried out, "Daddy!" She was a typical "fangirl" not of a celebrity, but of her handsome father. Her favorite Barbie doll was suddenly forgotten as sheunched herself into Rain''s arms.


    "Hi, Joyce! How''s my girl? Did you miss me?" Rain asked his daughter. At the same time, he threw a triumphant and aggressive nce at Fred.


    "Of course, I did! Daddy is the greatest man in the world!" she enthused. The little girl rewarded Rain with a smacking kiss on the cheek as an expression of happiness.


    Huey snorted in envy. "Hrmph! What an apple polisher!" he snapped. The boy pursed his lips in discontent. Despite hisints, Huey was envious of his sister. His daddy had never held him in his arms, and he was longing for a warm hug as well. "Hey Huey! Come over here so I can give you a hug, too," his father invited. He put Joyce down and opened his arms for his son toe to. Rain had noticed the glint of envy in the boy''s eyes.


    There was a hint of shyness in Huey''s face, but he eventually walked up to Rain. Once enveloped in his father''s arms, an innocent grin reced the usually stern expression on the boy''s face.


    A faint bitter smile crossed Fred''s face. He had always been around for Annie''s family for years, but Rain quickly managed to captivate the children in just one day, something he was never able to do. He looked downcast now.


    Meanwhile, Annie, who stood between the two men, was faced with an embarrassing dilemma. She never imagined Rain and Fred would appear in her house at the same time.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Mr. Xia! What a strange coincidence to meet you here," Fred said in greeting. He wanted to be the first to greet Rain so he could initiate their conversation.


    "Well, I wouldn''t call it a coincidence since I aming back to my home," Rain said aggressively. He had no intention of making any concessions with a perceived rival standing before him.00000000

 Chapter 1691 Rivals In Love (Part Three)

    "Your home?" Fred raised an eyebrow to underscore his words. Irked by Rain''s arrogance, he taunted, "Mr. Xia, you seem to have consumed too much liquorst night, but you should have recovered from your drunkenness by now. As I recall, this is Annie''s home, where she and her children live. I don''t remember it being your luxury mansion." He had no idea why Rain and Annie separated in the past, but Fred believed it was Rain''s fault that resulted in Annie bringing up the twins by herself. But regardless of the reason, Fred believed that a man should never allow his wife to raise their children alone.


    "Well obviously, Mr. Chen has an interest in my affairs. Otherwise, how did you know I was drunkst night? Or could it be possible that you had someone spying on me?" Rain sneered at him. He stered a mocking smile on his face while thinking to himself, ''Is he trying to take my woman from me?''


    "Mr. Xia, you''re overthinking things. When would I ever have the time to do what you''re using me of?" Fred attempted to be flippant. Inside, he was gritting his teeth, trying very hard to suppress his anger.


    "So be it. I only wonder why you appear in my home at such an early hour," Rain challenged. He cast a nce at Annie, who was looking pale while watching their confrontation. He tried remembering what Annie said about Fred. ''She told mest night that there was nothing between her and this man. I can''t wait to hear her exnation about this situation, ''Rain thought.


    "I''m a good friend of Annie, and it''s quite normal for me to visit her. Mr. Xia, I also want to ask you what do youe here for?" Fred shot back. Although Rain''s face remained impassive, Fred could sense a dangerous aura emanating from the man, which was difficult to ignore.


    With one brow arched, Rain replied, "That''s easy. I''m here to pick them up and bring them to our real house." In his head were happy thoughts. ''You won''t have any opportunity to approach my woman and our kids once they live with me, ''Rain said in his mind. "Really, Daddy? Is that true? We''ll really be living together from now on?" Joyce asked eagerly. As Rain nodded, she let out a joyful shriek. "Hooray!" Joyce''s high-pitched tone snapped Annie out of her trance and brought her back to the present. Rain had told her of this nst night, but she''d almost forgotten about it and had no opportunity to discuss the matter with the kids.


    "Of course it''s true. We''re family, so it''s best that we all live together, right?" Rain replied. He nted a soft kiss on his daughter''s cheek. The man was confident Fred wouldn''t do anything to derail his ns. "Daddy, what about Mommy? Will she also be moving to your house?" Huey suddenly cut in. The boy was mature in his thinking and considered things more thoroughly than his twin sister.


    "What do you think, my dear?" Rain threw the question at Annie. He meant to throw Annie off-guard with his intimate tone, and he noticed this tactic worked.


    She stuttered, but was unable to form an answer. Annie had definitely no ns to move into Rain''s home, so she was baffled by his sudden decision.


    "Don''t allow yourself to be pushed around, Annie. Just do what you think is best for you and the kids," Fred urged. Heid a hand on her shoulder as an expression of his support, and to help Annie calm down. Rain''s sharp gaze caught that supportive hand on her shoulder and it stayed there. Angrily, Rain thought, ''How dare he act so intimately with my woman in front of me!''


    "Fred, why don''t you check into your hotel first?" Annie suggested. "I''ll get in touch with youter after you''ve settled in." Her eyebrows were tightly knitted now. Annie thought she needed another private talk with Rain. "But, I''ll worry about you," Fred whined a little. In other words, Rain''s presence didn''t make himfortable.


    With a ghost of a smile, Annie assured him, "Don''t worry. I will be all right." Pretending to be calm in front of Rain was a challenge for Annie, because she was really nervous and breathless under his piercing eyes.


    Conceding defeat, Fred said, "Okay, I''ll get going. But I will call you once I reach the hotel," he promised. Reluctantly, he collected his luggage and prepared to leave. Although worried about Annie, Fred didn''t want her to feel awkward because of him. He knew if he insisted on staying, it would make her resent his presence.


    A smile of triumph spread on Rain''s face. He considered it a victory to get rid of Fred.


    "Have you already packed up all your stuff?" he asked Annie. Once his rival departed, Rain put the aloof expression back on his face.


    "Can I say no to your request?" Annie finally found the courage to speak. She made ast attempt to resist. Annie knew that her kids weed the idea of living with their father, but she didn''t want to go with them.


    "Impossible," Rain said firmly. He looked her in the eye, daring Annie to argue.


    But she agreed. "As you wish," she acquiesced. "I''ll pack up their stuff now," Annie dered. She knew arguing with Rain would lead to nothing but a fight, so she gave it up.


    "Mommy, aren''t youing with us?" Huey inquired. The sensitive boy noticed the way his mother was speaking, and it bothered him.


    "No, I won''t be going with you. Only you and Joyce will live with your Daddy." It was with a heavy heart that she said this. Anyway, Rain was the twins'' father, and he had a right to decide such matters. And while she couldn''t refuse his request to have the kids live with him, it was Annie''s right to decide if she woulde with them.


    Petntly, the boy dered, "If Mommy isn''t moving with us, then I won''t go with you either." While it was true that he liked his daddy and would love to live with him, he loved his mommy more and would never agree to let her live alone.


    "Joyce won''t go as well!" Huey''s twin followed her brother''s lead. "Joyce wants to stay with mommy!" she shouted. She echoed her brother''s words and squirmed to get out of Rain''s embrace.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "This is what you want, Annie, right?" Rain gave a bitterugh. "It seems that in your eyes, I really am a bad father," he said sadly. He was so naive to believe that one night would be enough for Annie to figure things out regarding their lives, but that was not to be so.


    Annie knew she had to be tough and remain strong in front of her children. "Both of you, be good, all right? Go live with Daddy for a few weeks. Mommy has a lot of things to take care of, and I won''t have time to take care of you," Annie lied. She scrambled her thoughts to convince them to go with Rain. Annie had no idea the kids would be so unwilling to leave her, and she felt sorry when she looked at Rain.


    "No! We don''t want to be away from mommy!" Joyce burst out crying. The first thing that came to her mind was that her mother didn''t love her anymore, and that was why she was giving them to their daddy, to stay.


    It was partly guilt, partly annoyance that had Annie raising her tone with Joyce. "Be quiet, Joyce. I don''t want to be angry with you," she told the sobbing little girl.


    But the girl continued bawling. "Mommy doesn''t love Joyce anymore!" she cried out miserably. "Please give me another chance. I promise to be obedient from now on," she sobbed. Annie raising her voice didn''t pacify Joyce, so she tried another tactic.

 Chapter 1692 All Hope Is Gone (Part One)

    "If this is what you want, then you have won. I give up." Rain was so crushed that he had to close his eyes for a moment. He was really hoping that they would move into his house, but not in this way. Seeing his daughter cry struck the softest depths of his heart, making it too painful for him to continue. "Rain, do you think that I am such a cold-hearted and calcting woman that would use my own children against you?" "I never expected that they would behave like this. Judging from their earlier response, I have thought that they would love to live with you, ''Annie wondered. "The truth is right in front of us. If you don''t want to live with me then tell me straight. Don''t use the children as a tool for your rejection, "Rain said, enraged. To use one''s own children against the other parent, struck a chord with Rain. It reminded him of his own family when he was growing up. His mother used to be denigrated for using him as a weapon against his father. This made him extremely sensitive when he saw that Annie was doing the same with their children.


    "You can believe what you want. But I didn''t do that!" Annie burst out. She felt wrongly used by him. Her eyes were red with tears.


    "It doesn''t matter to me anymore. Since you have rejected me so strongly, then I wish you well, good-bye!" Rain looked at his children longingly. He then turned and left with a heavy heart as he couldn''t bear to see them crying because of him.


    Annie''s heart was full of bitterness. Once again Rain turned his back on her and walked away hurt and lonely. She knew that probably this time he wouldn''t be back again, which meant that she had extinguished a good chance of them getting back together. "Mommy, doesn''t daddy love us anymore?" Huey asked, looking at her with a sad face. ''If he loved us, he wouldn''t have left us, '' he thought.


    "No, he will always love you two. He left because he''s angry at mommy, not at you two." Annie felt nervous. Even she questioned what was going through Rain''s mind.


    "Mommy, you don''t love daddy. Is that why you don''t want to move to daddy''s house with us?" Joyce asked in a little voice. Her eyes were full of tears. Annie''s heart broke seeing Joyce like this.


    "No sweetheart it''s not like that, don''t think too much about it. Huey, take your sister into the room now," Annie said softly. She had a very bad gut feeling that she had lost Rain forever.


    "All right Mommy," Huey nodded. He gently took his sister by the hand and led her to her room. He was such a sweet and obedient boy.


    Annie paced the room back and forth weighing up if she should exin everything to Rain. After some consideration, she decided to swallow her pride. It was more important for her to go after him than to risk losing him forever.


    Running down the stairs as fast as she could, she ran out onto the street only to see his car speeding away in the distance. She had missed him by only a few seconds.


    ''How could you just drive away like that? Don''t you care about your own children anymore?'' she thought bitterly.


    Rain drove his car straight to the KD Group. Before the argument, he had nned to spend the whole day with Annie and the kids, but now that n was quashed. So he decided to immerse himself in his work to try and forget about the pain that he was now feeling in his heart.


    "Mr. Xia, what a coincidence! I was thinking about calling you and here you are," William said cheerfully as he walked towards Rain to greet him.


    "What''s the matter?" Rain asked impatiently. "Whatever William is going to say, it couldn''t be something good, ''he thought.


    "Well, the thing is, the model that previously signed the contract with ourpany was in a car identst night. She wasn''t badly hurt, but she doesn''t seem to be able to attend any of the activities," William replied a little bit at a loss. It wasmonly known fact in the industry, that changing a model temporarily wouldn''t be beneficial for thepany.


    "What? Why didn''t you tell me this earlier? What did the advertising department say? Have they found a recement for her yet?" Rain asked, irritated. He was having a really bad day. Everything just seemed to be out of his control.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Not yet. It''s very difficult to find two people with the same style in such a short time," William answered cautiously. He felt as if Rain, the president was about to explode with rage.


    "I see. I''ll fix the problem right now," Rain said, frowning. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he reached for his cell phone. Fortunately, FX International Group had signed on many new models, so finding the right one shouldn''t prove to be too difficult for him. After finishing the call, he copsed on to the sofa, sinking deeply into it, with his own thoughts...


    Annie thought about calling Rain, but she didn''t know what to say to him. So, instead, she spent the whole day restless, and even during the night she tossed and turned in bed.


    The next morning when she went to work at thepany, the first person that she saw was Belinda. Belinda always looked professional, immactely groomed, capable and experienced.


    "Good morning, Belinda," Annie said, greeting her with a small smile. She didn''t sleep well and her eyes were puffy.


    "Good morning Annie. Your eyes... Didn''t you sleep wellst night?" Belinda asked with a look of concern.


    "Yeah, I went to bed a littletest night," she said embarrassed. Annie touched her face and thought, ''Is it that obvious?'' She tried to hide her puffy eyes with heavy makeup this morning but obviously, it hadn''t worked.


    "How about you join me for a cup of coffee in my office now?" There were so many people at the get-together party yesterday that she didn''t get a chance to talk to her.


    "Sounds good," Annie said, thinking for a moment and then agreed her offer.


    "Annie, you are very good at keeping a secret. You never told us that Rain was the father of your children, why keep that from us?" Belinda gave her a stern look pretending to be angry with her, but inside she admired her courage.


    "I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to hide it from you all. I just didn''t know how to tell you." "If I had told them that Rain was the father of my children, they would probably all think that I had an ulterior motive,'' she thought.


    "Well, I guess you are right. Anyway, have you two talked about when you are going to have the wedding?" Belinda asked directly, curious and worried about them.


    "Well no, not yet," Annie said, frowning. ''Why do they all just assume that we are going to get married,'' she thought sadly.


    "Well, you should both make the time to have the wedding. After all, your children are growing up very fast. It''s not good for you both to wait for too long. Besides, Rain has been waiting for you for a very long time." Belinda couldn''t understand the brotherhood that Rain had with his mates. But she could tell how much Rain was in love with Annie that she could see with her own eyes.


    "Was he really waiting for me?" Annie asked a little surprised. She did wonder if Rain might look for her after she disappeared, but now to hear it with her own ears from someone else...000

 Chapter 1693 All Hope Is Gone (Part Two)

    "What do you think? When you wake up and find that the one you love is not there, how do you think you will feel? So, Annie, don''t make him wait too long for you. In thesest few years, he has been through so much, not to mention the KD business. All of his friends have married and have children of their own, while he is still single and so lonely. Maybe you feel like you are having a hard time, but there are two beautiful children with you and what about him? He has no close family members around him except for his friends." After getting to know men like Rain, you would find that they were not as perfect as they might look. They all had their weaknesses which they preferred not to show on the surface for all to see. "Belinda, do you really think that I am the one he is waiting for?" It was reasonable for Annie to question if Rain was truly waiting for her, especially after the way he had treated her.


    "Are you kidding me? Annie, please don''t ever let Rain hear those words from you. Otherwise, he would be deeply hurt," Belinda said, looking at her in disbelief. She thought that the misunderstandings between them were cleared up. But now, it seemed there were still some misunderstandings between them.


    "I don''t know. I just don''t feel like he really needs me," Annie said tly. In her mind, the only reason why Rain would propose to her was only for the sake of the children. Not because he was in love with her.


    "Annie, what does your heart say? Don''t just look at things on the surface, but feel them with your heart. I heard that you were in love with him for many years. You had even been courting him for years, so you are supposed to know him better than any of us. In regards to the question, if he needs you or not, we can''t give you the right answer. You should look into your own heart for the answer," Belinda said sincerely. After hearing how Annie felt, she began to worry about Rain''s future.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Annie thought for a moment in silence, thinking about everything that Belinda had just told her. Her children had taken up so much of her time and filled her with so much love, that she didn''t feel that she needed Rain so much as before. This also led her to ignore the true feelings that she felt in her heart for him.


    Annie was still in deep thought when she left Belinda''s office. She didn''t even notice Eleanor Xiao, who hade in for an audition and bumped right into her.


    "Designer Annie, watch where you are going! What are you thinking about?" Eleanor brushed her clothes down with her hand as if she was wiping dirt away that she got from bumping into Annie.


    "Miss Xiao, I''m sorry. I''ll bring you the essories that you will be wearing today," Annie said apologetically, snapping out of her thoughts.


    "Fine," Eleanor said as she arrogantly walked into therge indoor studio of YS Group, treating Annie as if she were her maid.


    Annie took a deep breath, and she reminded herself that she needed to tolerate Eleanor, for Belinda''s sake.


    Eleanor was a model and was suppose to work with the designer''s requirements. However, she was very bossy and hard to work with. Things were done on her terms and her way, she wasn''t very cooperative with Annie at all.


    Not only did Eleanor belittle Annie, but she even showed very little regard for Belinda. Yet Belinda was not as easygoing as Annie. Just as Eleanor was fussing and making a scene in the studio, Belinda walked in.


    "Miss Xiao, do you think that the advertisement for our YS Group can''t be made without you?" Belinda questioned Eleanor angrily. If the person had been anyone other than Annie that Eleanor was bullying, she wouldn''t have cared or even shown up. But since the person that was being bullied was Annie, it was a totally different situation.


    "Isn''t it true, though? If the vice president of FX International hadn''t personally invited me, I would never have stepped into YS Group." Eleanor had never met Belinda before, so her attitude towards her was very arrogant and disrespectful.


    "Oh, Is that so? If I say you could be kicked out of this industry forever, by the YS Group, would you still be so contemptuous?" Belinda asked with a mocking smile. Eleanor had just started her modeling career and yet she still dared speak to Belinda in that tone and manner. To some extent, Belinda found it amusing and admired her courage.


    "Are you kidding me? You, an ordinary worker thinks that you could ruin my career, dream on!" Eleanor said resentfully, looking Belinda up and down. In truth, Belinda was even more beautiful than she was. However, Eleanor wrongly assumed that Belinda was a secretary judging by the sophisticated suit that she was wearing.


    "Well! Miss Xiao, she is not an ordinary worker, but the president of the YS Group." Eleanor''s agent said in an uneasy tone. He med himself for not informing her earlier so that she wouldn''t make such a fool out of herself and show such disrespect towards Belinda. "Who cares? Do you think that your YS Group is more powerful than our FX International Group?" Eleanor said disdainfully. ''It''s a well-known fact that FX International Group is the leader in S City. How could such a small group like YS bepared to the FX International?'' Eleanor couldn''t help but wonder.


    "Well, of course, we are not as powerful as FX. But you obviously haven''t heard that the rtionship between FX and YS is very close. I could even ask the whole FX team to work for me, let alone an insignificant model such as yourself." It was the first time that Belinda had ever met a person like Eleanor who wanted to bite off more than she could chew. ''Even some bigger stars wouldn''t have been so conceited like that. You should really take a good look at yourself and check to see if you have the goods to act like that. Did you really think that YS chose you because of your poprity? Of course not! It''s just that you happened to have a lot inmon with the range of essories that we''re about tounch,'' Belinda thought, irritated.


    "Who are you trying to bluff? I just don''t believe that you can do that." Eleanor started to feel uneasy after finding out all of the information that Belinda had just told her. In their circle, there were a lot of famous people with their own influence. Belinda, might just be one of them.


    "If you don''t believe me, you can continue with your bad working attitude and find out what I am capable of doing. Or, if you don''t want to find out, then I suggest you cooperate and don''t let something like this happen ever again!" Belinda said tly. She didn''t return kindness for arrogance.


    Eleanor pursed her lips, disgruntled. In the back of her mind, she worried that Belinda really could ruin her career so she dared not provoke her any further. She turned her eyes on Annie, giving her a hateful look. She med her for causing all of thismotion and embarrassing her in front of so many people.


    Annie was grateful to Belinda, who showed up in time. She saved her a lot of trouble now and with any future dealings with Eleanor. Although Belinda was speaking on behalf of thepany to keep Eleanor under control, it was also an indirect way of helping Annie out.000

 Chapter 1694 All Hope Is Gone (Part Three)

    At a restaurant, Annie sat, pushing the food around on her te absentmindedly. She had agreed to go out to a restaurant with Fred and her two children for the first time. With a heavy heart, Annie was trying to enjoy the meal but anyone could see by the look on her face that her mind was in another ce.


    She was thinking about Rain, who seemed to have disappearedpletely out of her life. Ever since thest argument, not a single phone call did she get from him. She was hurt that he didn''t evene to see the children. It was as if he hadpletely forgotten about them. She had his cell phone number on her phone, but she didn''t have the courage to dial it. She didn''t know how to tell him the real reason why she didn''t move in with him. ''How can I tell him how I truly feel? I don''t want him to feel like he has to ept me unwillingly into his home just for the sake of the children? I don''t want to be there if I am not wanted. I want to tell him that I miss him so much, but I don''t know how to start,'' she sighed, thinking sadly.


    "Annie, what''s the matter? Don''t you like the meal?" asked Fred a little worried. Fred knew that Annie and the kids didn''t move in to live with Rain and he was both happy and relieved about that. It meant that he still had a chance to date Annie. But now seeing her so unhappy, he couldn''t help but worry about her.


    "Oh, no. The meal is fine. It''s just that I haven''t had much of an appetitetely," she said, squeezing out a small smile.


    "Are you exhausted from your work? You really shouldn''t work so hard. After all, it''s not like it''s some big important corporation," he said, frowning, concerned.


    "It''s okay, you don''t need to worry. How about you? How is everything going? I''ve seen your publicity poster and it seems that even in S City your influence cannot be underestimated," she said, moving the topic of conversation away from her. It had only been two days, since the news announced that Fred was going to be the judge of the Starlet Contest in S City. The residents of S City couldn''t have been more thrilled at the news. Everywhere in S city was an exciting buzz in the air.


    "I didn''t expect that I have so many fans in China. Before this event, I was a little worried that the people in S City haven''t even heard of me," Fred said honestly. For a musician, to be recognized by the audience was the most important thing above all else.


    "That''s because your work really touches the audience deeply, and that''s why you have so many fans," Annie said, full of admiration. ''I''m an insignificant person without any fame. Even a starlet like Eleanor can bully me. Even though Belinda taught her a lesson that day, she will only cooperate with me inside of work. But after work, she will still be looking for any chance to cause trouble for me. I really don''t know what I have done for her to hate me so much, ''Annie wondered bitterly.


    "You''re also very outstanding!


    Who hasn''t heard of the beautiful and talented designer of Doyce Jewelry?" Fred eximed happily. In Thand and many other countries, Doyce Jewelry was the favorite among the upper ss.


    "That''s just your personal opinion, but thank you just the same. Anyway, we''d better focus on our dinner now," she said with a smallugh. Annie''s mood was slightly better after her little chat with Fred. However, it dropped drastically when she saw a person she knew well walk into the restaurant. Her heart was beating so hard that she thought it mighte out of her chest.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    Tiana, who was just the half little sister of Rain''s, had finally seeded in getting him to apany her to dinner, so she felt very pleased and excited. She wrapped her arm affectionately around his as they walked into the restaurant.


    Rain didn''t n on having dinner with her at all. But she persisted so hard and managed to persuade him into going. After all, she had always been so nice to him for all the years that he had known her so he made an exception for her.


    When Rain saw Annie and the children his face softened and he felt a little twang in his heart at seeing her again. He was pleased to see them. But when he noticed there was a man sitting with them his demeanor had changedpletely. It was all clear to him now. He smiled politely and sat down as if nothing was out of ce. Looking at him no one would suspect that anything was wrong.


    "Mommy look, it''s daddy over there," Huey said. He was excited at seeing him, but angry at the woman who was leaning on his father.


    "It really is our daddy! But who is thatdy? I don''t like her! Why is she so close to daddy?" Joyceined. Her little eyebrows wrinkled into an angry frown as she stared at Tiana.


    Annie''s face went pale and suddenly she felt nauseous. ''Rain left angrily in his car a few days ago, not even allowing me to exin anything to him. He hasn''t even bothered to call me nore to see the children. Now I know why that is! He has already found another interest,'' she thought, crushed. After seeing Rain with another woman, Annie found it very hard to believe anything that Belinda had told her about the feelings that Rain had for her.


    Fred looked at her very concerned. It was obvious that she still had deep feelings for Rain. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have reacted in that way.


    "Rain, do you know that family over there? Why are they staring at us like that?" Tiana asked, feeling very self-conscious.


    "Yes," Rain answered tly. He gave the impression that he didn''t want to say anything more about it. ''Indeed, they are just like a family. It exins why she refused to move into my house with the kids,'' he thought bitterly. "Why don''t we go and say hello to them then?" Tiana suggested. Tiana smiled kindly at the two children. However, she felt a lot of anger and resentment sent to her from them.00000000

 Chapter 1695 A Fuss (Part One)

    "There''s no need to say hello to them. Why don''t we order our food?" Rain said in a low voice as he tried his best to not look at Annie and the twins. He was dying to go there and hug his kids, but he didn''t want to make them cry again. "Rain, don''t you think the man looks familiar? He looks like Fred Chen, the Prince of Music. He is really popr these days." Tiana took a close look at the man and thought that he must be the artist.


    "Hey! Focus on the menu. Are you here for food or man?" Rain cast a disdainful nce at Tiana. ''Oh really? My sister is a fan of my rival in love? God, are you kidding me? Why can''t Tiana be as considerate as Leena?'' he thought to himself. More importantly, he was afraid that Tiana would realize how much Huey looked like him. He didn''t want the Ke family members to know about his children''s existence.


    "Oh sorry. Rain, the steak here is nice. Why don''t you give it a try?" Tiana turned her gaze to her brother. She had begged him to go out with her many times and he had finally agreed. She didn''t want to irritate Rain.


    "Sure, why not?" Rain said and turned to stare out the window. He looked sad and dejected which gave him a unique sense of beauty that passersby couldn''t help but notice him.


    It was very difficult for him to let Annie and the twins go. However, as long as this was what she wanted, he would respect her decision. Regardless of how much it felt like a knife was cutting his chest, he was willing to let them go as long as she was happy.


    Annie and Fred were talking and joking with the kids together, and they looked like a happy family. No wonder that she had been hiding from him all these years. It seemed that Rain was the only one who had been suffering. Even the twins loved Fred and chose him instead of Rain. Rain forced a bitter smile and mocked himself, ''I''m such a loser! I thought she loved me and wanted no one but me. It turned out that I was an idiot to believe so.''


    "Rain, why haven''t you dated any girl all these years? Are you too picky to date one?" Tiana asked with curiosity. Since he had taken over KD Group, Tiana had never seen her brother date a girl. Rain was a rich and handsome man. It was a piece of cake for him to find a girlfriend.


    "I''m not interested," Rain answered shortly. He hadn''t moved on from Annie and he just couldn''t ept another girl yet.


    "But you are no longer young. I know some pretty girls from decent families. Why don''t you give them a try?" Tiana offered. ''If Rain marries one of my friends, then our rtionship will be closer,'' she thought.


    "You think I need a blind date?" Rain cast a cold nce at Tiana and took a sip of his iced water. He looked so graceful and charming.


    "I didn''t mean it that way. I was just worried about you," murmured Tiana. She lowered her head as she didn''t dare look at him in the eye.


    Meanwhile, Annie was stealing nces at Rain and hispanion from time to time. She couldn''t help herself but wonder about who the girl was. ''Is she Rain''s girlfriend? Howe they don''t seem to be close at all?'' she thought.


    "Annie, have more soup." Fred filled her bowl with soup and gave her a warm smile. She didn''t eat much and he knew it was because of Rain''s presence. He told himself, ''I still have a chance.''


    "Mommy, Uncle Fred is talking to you," Joyce said loudly in Annie''s ear when thetter didn''t respond.


    "What? What did you just say?" Annie regained herposure.


    "Uncle Fred asked you to have more soup," said Huey. He was worried about her mother. ''It seems that mommy still loves daddy. Why can''t adults just be honest with each other?'' he thought.


    "Uh. Okay. Thank you, Fred." To cover up her embarrassment, Annie picked up the bowl and drank the soup in a hurry.


    "Take it easy," Fred said with resignation. Just then, Annie began to cough as she took a big gulp and chocked.


    "Uh! Sorry. The soup is so delicious." Annie had a few tears. Fred wondered whether it was because of the coughs or because of Rain.


    Fred picked up a tissue and wiped her tears gently. Rain happened to see his action and cursed him in his mind. How he wished he could go to them and cut Fred''s hand off! He also med Annie for not stopping Fred. "Mr. Xia, it''s really you! What a coincidence! I didn''t expect to meet you here." Eleanor walked up to their table and greeted Rain with a big smile. She really didn''t expect to meet Rain here. Thus, she was thrilled. "Hi, Miss Xiao," greeted Rain with a frown. He didn''t like this woman.


    "Ahhh! You''re Eleanor Xiao, aren''t you? You are more beautiful than how you look on TV!" Tiana cried in disbelief. Like ordinary boys and girls, she had a kind of worship for film stars and she liked Eleanor very much.


    "Really? Thank you." Eleanor answered coldly and looked down at Tiana. She was as proud as a peacock. She was wondering about the rtionship between Rain and Tiana. ''It doesn''t matter if she is Mr. Xia''s girlfriend. I can easily snatch him from her. I''m better than her in every aspect,'' she thought.


    "Miss Xiao, are you here for lunch?" Tiana asked with a big grin. She didn''t even notice the disdain in Eleanor''s eyes. She had just graduated from university and was still simple-minded. That was the reason that Rain didn''t hate her, even though she was also a member of the Ke family. "Yes. May I join in?" Eleanor asked while staring at Rain. However, he didn''t even look at her. He just stared out the window like he was attracted by something outside. Well, actually, he was looking at the reflection of Annie and the twins on the ss.


    "Sure. We just arrived and the dishes are not served yet." Tiana was thrilled as she had the chance to have dinner with a celebrity like Eleanor.


    "Mr. Xia, are you okay with it?" Although Tiana said yes, Eleanor didn''t dare to sit down and asked for Rain''s approval.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Just sit," answered Rain briefly. Tiana was a chatterbox and he was really in no mood to chat with her. He thought Tiana could talk with Eleanor so that he could remain quiet. "Thank you, Mr. Xia!" Eleanor was excited at Rain''s consent. She immediately sat down as she was afraid that Rain would change his mind at any minute.


    Annie''s face turned pale when she saw this.


    ''So, Eleanor is one of Rain''s women. No wonder she was so arrogant. But if the two are both his women, how can they be so at peace with each other?'' Annie thought to herself.


    "Annie, how''s your work?" Fred asked as he tried to draw back Annie''s attention. Thedy was nkly staring at Rain''s table and the scene there got Fred confused. ''Rain did see Annie but why didn''t hee to her? I thought Annie and the twins were moving to his house but then they didn''t. What happened between them?''


    "Oh, not bad," Annie answered. If Eleanor had been more cooperative, the work would have been much easier.


    "Is there a possibility that you can finish your work and return ahead of time?" Fred asked again. The sooner Annie left the country, the more possible she would be with him.


    "I don''t think so. Why?" As Eleanor was not cooperating, Annie''s schedule might be postponed. Actually, she also wanted to leave the country as soon as possible since she was feeling more depressed with the thought that Rain was just in the same city.


    "Nothing. It''s just an idle question." Fred stole a nce at Rain. He had searched for his information online but only knew that he was the VP of FX International Group and the CEO of KD Group.


    A few minutes after and theypsed into silence again. The atmosphere was bing weirder and weirder every passing second.


    On the other hand, Eleanor and Tiana were chatting happily with each other.??????????????

 Chapter 1696 A Fuss (Part Two)

    "So, you are Mr. Xia''s sister?" Eleanor asked in surprise. She thought that Tiana was Rain''s girlfriend. It turned out that she was wrong. She was thrilled. Being close to Tiana would be as good as being close to Rain. She didn''t even care that Tiana and Rain had differentst names.


    "Yes, I am," Tiana replied while peeking sideways at Rain. He had never admitted that they were siblings to anyone.


    "Just eat. I don''t like people who talk too much." In Rain''s eyes, Tiana was too naive to realize Eleanor''s intention. Thus, he urged his sister to stop talking even before Eleanor could inquire more.


    "Oh." Seeing Rain''s long face, Tiana shut her mouth and gave Eleanor an awkward smile. She didn''t dare to offend him as he was by no means a kindhearted man. All the Ke family members knew it clearly.


    "Mr. Xia, I heard the casting of the new TV series is in progress. May I rmend myself for the female leading role?" Actually, Eleanor had already known that the female leading role had been set. She was just pretending not to know about it as she hoped for him to give her a chance.


    "It''s the director''s affair and not my concern." Rain had no interest in intervening in casting. He knew that the director was more capable of it and he didn''t want to abuse his power to satisfy someone.


    "But I think you have a say in it." Eleanor looked at him with a hopeful expression while waiting for his reply.


    "Yes, I do have a say but why should I do that? If you want to take part in the TV drama, then why don''t you go to the director? Am I clear now?" Rain snapped with a frown. He hadpletely lost his appetite.


    "I''m really sorry, Mr. Xia. I was being impolite." Eleanor felt very embarrassed at Rain''s reaction and her face flushed with shame. She lowered her head and ate her food quietly.


    Tiana had thought that there was something between Rain and Eleanor. However, she realized that he didn''t have a thing for her at all now and it was just Eleanor who kept pestering him.


    "Enjoy your food. I''ll take my leave first." Rain stood suddenly and was about to leave. He really didn''t want to stay in the restaurant anymore.


    "What? But you barely ate something," Tiana said with a frown. She finally managed to have the chance to dine with her brother but this was all ruined. She felt frustrated.


    "I''m not hungry. By the way, I''ll pay the bill." After casting a scornful nce at Annie''s direction, he turned and left the restaurant. He was too proud to keep pestering a woman who didn''t love him despite his deep love for her. He went to his car and sat in the driver''s seat. He seldom smoked but decided to light up a cigarette this time. Leaning against the seat, he shut his eyes and pondered on he and Annie''s past.


    "Tiana, is your brother always so hard to get on with?" asked Eleanor. She heard that among the group of four rich and powerful men, Rain was the easiest one to get close to. However, that news seemed to be untrue.


    "Don''t take it personally. He is always cold." Tiana had spent a long time making Rain change his attitude towards her. Thus, she thought that it was just normal for him to be cold to Eleanor too.


    "Alright. I won''t give up so easily." A bright smile showed on Eleanor''s face. She was confident that she would eventually win his heart. The more indifferent he was to her, the more interested she was in him.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "What? Do you have a thing for him?" Tiana asked in a low voice. Usually, actresses would not fall into a rtionship so easily. Otherwise, they would lose many male fans.


    "You think I''m not good enough for him?" Eleanor asked in reply.


    "I didn''t mean it that way. To be honest with you, it''s very hard to win his heart." Judging from Rain''s previous attitude towards Eleanor, Tiana knew that he didn''t like her at all. He even hated her.


    "I have you, right? Though we just met today, you and I are like old friends. I believe you will help me, won''t you?" Eleanor looked at Tiana with a sincere expression. She knew that most people would have a hard time once she acted this sweet.


    "Uh. He won''t listen to me. I''m afraid I will let you down." Tiana gave Eleanor an awkward smile. She had a clear estimation of herself. She knew that Rain would by no means listen to her. He would even get irritated if she helped Eleanor court him. She didn''t want to ruin the rtionship between Rain and her, so she could only turn Eleanor down.


    "Tiana, please don''t turn me down. Reconsider it, okay?" Eleanor didn''t believe what she heard and thought, ''Did this woman really just turn me down? The nerve!''


    "Miss Xiao, my brother hates being forced to do anything. Please forgive me. I''m unable to help." Tiana lost her appetite as well and wondered how she should excuse herself in a polite way.


    "Fine! I don''t believe your brother would refuse a beautiful girl like me." Eleanor decided to take all means to win Rain''s heart. With her pretty face and sexy body, she didn''t think it was very hard.


    Tiana''s face twitched when she heard what the actress said. She could tell that she was not Rain''s type at all. He loved the kind of soft and obedient woman. However, she didn''t think she should tell Eleanor about it. After having spent the time with her, Tiana found that she didn''t like her anymore.


    Annie had seen Rain leave the restaurant. Frankly, she wanted to run after him and just leave the restaurant too.


    "Huey, Joyce, have you finished your food? It''s time to go back home," asked Annie in a soft voice. She tried her best to sound normal like she was not affected by Rain at all.


    "Yes, Mommy. Let''s go home." The twins dropped their chopsticks and shed a big grin. Joyce wasn''t sad at Rain''s departure at all. Maybe it was because she hadn''t lived with him before, thus, she was okay with it. Huey, however, looked sad and dejected. He had always wanted to live with his daddy. He just couldn''t understand why his parents couldn''t be together.


    "Well then, let me drive you home." Fred knew that Annie was not in a good mood, so he didn''t try to keep her stay.


    Thebination of a pretty woman and a handsome man, as well as adorable twins attracted the attention of most guests in the restaurant, including Eleanor and Tiana. When Annie walked past their table, Eleanor suddenly stood and blocked their way.


    "Miss An, I didn''t expect you''re already married. Are they your kids? They look adorable." Eleanor eyed Fred from head to toe. She had to admit that he was a handsome man. Nevertheless, he was still no match for Rain. She snorted in her mind and looked back at Annie. "It''s not working hours, so please excuse us." Annie didn''t want to argue with this woman before her children, so she just gently avoided her and was about to leave.


    "Come on. Don''t be so aloof. Are you not going to introduce your husband and children to us?" Eleanor taunted. She had been fully focused on the leading role of the new TV series recently, and hadn''t paid attention to thetest news. As a result, she didn''t recognize Fred and thought the man was just a nobody.


    "Miss Xiao, please get out of the way," Annie said with a frown. If it weren''t for Eleanor getting in her way, she would have just left without even talking to her.


    man.


    "Oh my God! Eleanor, you see, the boy looks like my brother so much!" Tiana cried in disbelief. After taking a close look at the little boy, she realized that he was a mini-sized Rain. Her eyes widened as she wondered who this woman was and why she was with another Annie was shocked by Tiana''s words. ''Brother? Oh my God! Did I just misunderstand Rain again? I thought she was his woman. Oh, what a fool I was!'' she thought.


    Eleanor turned to look at Huey on hearing Tiana''s surprise. Just as Tiana said, the boy closely resembled Rain. She had a bad feeling that this woman must have something to do with Rain. Suddenly, her eyes were burning with rage as she stared at Annie.0000

 Chapter 1697 Anyone But Her (Part One)

    "Miss, there''s a saying that barkers are not biters. If you''re done talking nonsense, can you please get out of our way?" Fred said sternly. Eleanor stood there, dumbfounded. Fred eyed Eleanor with resentment when he saw that Annie was starting to get ufortable. "Mommy..." Joyce called out as she tugged on Annie, clinging to her closer out of fear.


    "Let''s go, Joyce," Annie said softly, patting her lightly on the head. She took her daughter''s hand and walked past Eleanor while she was still distracted.


    As Annie brushed past her shoulder, Eleanor finally came to her senses. "Wait! So, does this child have anything to do with Rain?" she said, calling grumpily after Annie.


    "Sorry, but I have nothing to say about that," Annie answered, not even bothering to look back. Eleanor took a step to follow Annie, but was stopped by Fred who already had his hand firmly on her shoulder. He shook his head, implying that she should just leave them alone. He then turned and caught up with Annie.


    "Damn it!" Eleanor said through clenched teeth. She frowned as she looked at them walking farther away -- her suspicions grew along with Annie''s denial and evasion.


    "Miss Xiao, I''ll... get along now. Excuse me," Tiana said. She, too, was in shock. There was a strong, undeniable resemnce between Annie''s son and Rain. Her thoughts raced as she tried to take everything in. She needed to calm down and think about the exnation, one that was reasonable enough to exin the rtionship between them.


    "Alright..." Eleanor mumbled. Tiana went on her way. When she was out of sight, Eleanor slumped down on the seat. It was a real blow to the chest for her -- like she had already lost the game before it even started. She could barely deny it to herself anymore; just moments before, she had thought Fred was Annie''s husband, and that Huey was their son. Why the boy would take after Rain? Her brows furrowed, and even if the facts wereid before her, she still couldn''t piece it together. Or perhaps she just couldn''t bring herself to ept it. This was odd enough!


    Somewhere along the road, not too far from the scene, Rain had been silently watching. Although he had excused himself from the table, he didn''t leave at once. He sat in his car, watching all of them argue with one another. He was not able to hear what they all talked about, but he did notice, however, the way Fred acted towards Annie.


    Rain saw how protective Fred was of her. More importantly, she seemed to appreciate it very much. Besides, it looked like that his own son and daughter preferred that man to their own father. ''So maybe that''s why they didn''t want toe live with me, ''Rain thought bitterly. They already had someone else to take his ce, and be the father he wasn''t able to be. Why should they need Rain now?


    He sat there in his car, his heart sinking to his stomach. He shook his head, trying to calm himself down. After taking a deep breath, he started the engine all of a sudden and sped past them in a fit of pique.


    Rain reached for his phone and dialed Edward. After a couple of rings, Edward answered, "Hello?"


    "Hey, are you free right now, boss? Let''s go out for a drink," Rain said, keeping his eyes on the road. His heart was throbbing unbearably in his chest. The only way he knew how to cope with it right now was with alcohol. "Okay, where? I''ll just tell Daisy that I''m going out then I''ll be on my way," Edward said without hesitation. He had just finished his dinner, and was about to take a walk in the garden when Rain called out of the blue.


    "The usual ce. Please tell Daisy that I''m sorry for stealing you away for a couple of hours," Rain said with a bitter smile. He realized that not every man would be as lucky as Edward, and not every woman would be as loyal as Daisy. He and Daisy seemed to be perfect for each other. But you just couldn''t have the grand hope that you would definitely find the right person. So it was only natural that he and Annie would end up like this, and he should simply ept what he had seen just now! He shook his head, thinking how stupid he was to believe and rely on destiny.


    "Oh shut up! I''ll see you in a bit," Edward said jokingly. He hung up on Rain, and paused, deep in thought. He knew Rain well enough to hear the pain in his voice. Edward stood there, his phone still in his hand, trying to figure out what could have possibly happened to his dear friend.


    "Edward!" Daisy called from behind him. "Come back inside or else you''ll catch a cold! Or at the very least, put a coat on. Don''t think that I''ll be around to take care of you when you get sick, mister!" She walked up to him and draped a coat over Edward''s shoulders. Only then did he notice that the Senior Colonel was ring at him.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    "Well, that''s just what I want! Since you''ve said it yourself, I''ll get a few pretty young girls toe and take care of me without any guilt," Edward teased while drawing the coat closer around him. He then wrapped his arms around Daisy''s waist and pulled her close to him. But his eyes were fixed meaningfully on Daisy''s rosy lips, which were pursed out of displeasure and jealousy.


    "Only a few? Are you sure that''s enough for you? I bet your insatiable appetite won''t be satisfied unless you get dozens of them!" Daisy sneered, squinting her eyes at Edward. ''So you think I''m not pretty now, eh? Am I getting too old for you now?'' she thought to herself. "Looks like our Senior Colonel quite approves of my capacity in...that regard?" Edward whispered in her ear, a mischievous smile forming on his lips. He pretended not to notice Daisy''s slightly bitter tone. He had found it quite amusing to tease her with this sort of stuff. "I''m sorry, but I am never one of those perverts, so I don''t know anything about capacities and the like. Go and ask people of your kind!" she snapped. ''What a sleazy man!'' Daisy thought in disbelief. ''How can you say things like that so freely?'' Although she was getting really a bit annoyed, she still couldn''t help blushing.

 Chapter 1698 Anyone But Her (Part Two)

    pulled away from her, and looked at his wife with a devilish smile. He lifted up his hand and ced a finger over her lips.


    "How could you! You ARE of my kind! How could you call yourself a pervert?" Edward feigned seriousness and said. Then, before Daisy knew it, his mouth pressed lightly on the edge of Daisy''s ear, sending uncontroble vibrations up and down her spine. After that, he Daisy''s mouth twitched. ''God damn it! Don''t try to lump me in with you!'' Daisy thought, quite ruffled. Without a second thought, she opened her mouth wide and bit Edward''s finger.


    "Ouch! It really hurts,dy! What are you? A dog or what? Hey, okay stop! Let go now, baby," Edward eximed, stamping his feet. But no matter how desperately he struggled, Daisy showed no intention of letting go. Daisy enjoyed his torment. She then proceeded to nibble on Edward''s finger, sucking and licking it like a lollipop. She looked at Edward suggestively, her eyes shining with excitement.


    "Did I say let go? I take it back, please continue. You have no idea what this looks like to me," Edward said with a smirk. He was very much aroused now at what Daisy was doing, even more so by the looks she threw at him.


    At first Daisy didn''t understand. She stopped and thought fast without letting go. But the moment she realized what he was thinking, she spat out his finger. To further express her disgust, she spat over the side beforeshing out at him, "You filthy pervert! I can''t believe that you think this way!"


    "It wasn''t my fault! You were the one acting all sexy!" Edward said defensively, bowing his head like a scolded child. ''Typical!'' hemented to himself. ''Women like her would always do this! I don''t understand why she has to lure me into a dead end. Ahh, this is driving me crazy!''


    "Why won''t you just admit that you''re the one who has a dirty mind? It takes a vulgar person to talk and think dirty!" Daisy retorted. Before Edward could say anything, she had already turned her back and walked back towards the house, thinking that she must leave here as soon as possible or else she could be driven mad by him. She had already walked a few steps away from Edward when she suddenly stopped. Suddenly, she turned around, walked back to Edward, and pulled the coat off his shoulders. ''You deserve the cold, shameless perv!'' she thought with a scowl on her face. She stuck her tongue out at him and walked away.


    Edward blinked, uprehending the series of events. Suddenly, heughed loudly. It seemed that his little girl really blew up this time, thus this childish behavior. He knew Daisy well enough to figure out what she was thinking and what she wanted -- right now, it was time to humor her. He jogged up to her and slung his arm over her shoulders, theirughter soon filling the cold, winter air.


    Later on the night, Edward had arrived at Sexy World. He saw that Duke and Tom were there, too. If Rain had invited their whole group, it could only mean that he really wanted to get stered tonight.


    "Buying drinks for all of us, Rain? Well, aren''t you so generous..." Tom teased, elbowing Rain''s side. Tom had begged Patricia to let him go out with his friends. She made him promise over and over again that he would behave himself. Tom practically knelt down on his knees in front of her before she let him go.


    "You''ve missed something significant, Jerry. He might be mean in a general way, but he is always generous when ites to liquor," Duke said with his lips curled into a sneer. He was referring to how Rain had lost a fortune when he and Edward sloped off without paying the huge bill many years ago. It was still fresh in his memory after all these years.


    "Of course, there''s no need to worry. Drink as much as you like. Edward is very capable to pay for everything!" Rain said a bit loudly, his words slurring. He had arrived here before anyone else, and had already downed a few drinks, which made him reek of booze. "Oi! I never knew that this was supposed to be my treat. Don''t count on me!" Edward replied. He casually tossed his coat aside, found himself afortable position and sat down. He gave a sigh of relief -- it took him a long time before Daisy forgave him for the things he had said.Text ? by N0ve/lDrama.Org.


    "Aren''t you the boss? That automatically makes you obliged to pay for the bill!" Rain replied, sounding like Edward had asked a stupid question. Rain grabbed his ss, and downed its contents before mming it back down on the table.


    "What''s the asion anyway? What blow have you suffered exactly that has made you drink like a fish?" Edward asked while gracefully turning a cup over and pouring himself some wine.


    "Who were you talking about? Me? Got a blow? Come on, is it so wrong to ask my buddies out for a drink?" Rain denied, not wanting to show his pain and sorrow. He reached across the table to get more liquor.


    "Or do you think that he meant us? Come on, what happened? You weren''t like this even when Annie left. And now, you look like your life is falling apart," Duke asked, drumming his fingers on the table. From what Belinda had told him, Annie seemed not very eager to be reconciled to Rain. Duke wasn''t surprised. After all, it was quite normal if their rtionship went cold after so many years apart.


    "Shut up. Don''t be a wet nket, dude. Let''s talk about anything else but her," Rain said. He raised his ss in the air. "I propose a toast!" Rain cheered. But Duke''s words had gotten to him, especially when he heard Annie''s name. Her return was like a stab in the chest. While she was away, he could still dream about meeting her once again. But now that she was here, and seemingly with another man, he felt as if his heart had shattered into a million pieces. At this point, he hadpletely lost all hope.


    "You shouldn''t keep running away from your problems, Rain, I''m sure you''re aware that Fred is in S City. There''s no way he''d go out of his way to attend some small-time talent show. It''s pretty obvious what or who he''s really here for," Edward said. He took a sip from his ss, looking intently at Rain to see how he would react.


    "And so? Why should I care?" Rain forced a smile. ''Tch. Of course they''d side with Fred. He looks more of a family man than I''ll ever be, '' Rain thought, a wave of pain running through his chest. He filled up his ss and lifted it to his mouth, emptying it with one swift gulp.000

 Chapter 1699 Anyone But Her (Part Three)

    "Stop acting like you don''t care, dude. You wouldn''t have asked us out if you didn''t feel upset about all this," Duke said, rolling his eyes at Rain. He had seen right through this friend, and he didn''t think that he could maintain the pretence for long. ''Let''s see you keep at it,'' he thought.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Why are you all ganging up on me? This isn''t the first time wee out here for a drink. I don''t need an excuse to get drunk. I''ll drink whenever I want!" Rain refuted. What he was doing was what people called "to be more nice than wise". The throbbing pain in his chest wouldn''t go away. Rain grunted, tightly gripping his ss. There was no chance that he would admit how he felt about Fred... how he felt about Annie. It would just hurt him even more.


    "You are really something, eh? If you never nned on telling us anything, you shouldn''t have dragged us out here to watch you sulk," Duke snapped at him. In truth, although Duke was getting angry at Rain, he was deeply concerned for his friend. ''Come on, Rain, ''he had wanted to say. ''Annie''s just a girl for crying out loud!''


    "Calm down, Duke. Stop putting him down. Let''s just drink the night away," Edward interrupted. He had no idea what had happened between him and Annie. But right now, the best thing to do was to give him thepany he needed.


    "At least Edward gets me. Cheers to that!" Rain grinned. It was dim in the bar -- nobody had noticed that tears were already welling up in his eyes.


    Edward clinked his cup to Rain''s. He wondered what was going on in Annie''s mind. He knew for a fact that Annie was hopelessly in love with Rain at first. What else did she want now that she finally won his heart and had his children? What was behind all her hesitation? They no longer touched on that topic for the rest of the night. The drinks seemed to flow endlessly, one bottle after another. It was no surprise that they all ended up extremely drunk. With a sigh, Luke called out the other bodyguards to help escort them back home. The next day, Annie showed up in the CEO''s office of FX International Group. It was Edward who asked Anna to invite her there.


    When she entered, she saw Edward gazing out the window. He looked up upon her arrival, and gave her a friendly smile. "Hey, Edward. What do you need?" Annie greeted him with a smile of her own. She walked across the room, and sat down on the chair in front of Edward''s desk. She bit her lower lip nervously. She had no idea yet what Edward wanted from her.


    "I heard that you are the designer of Doyce Jewelry? I was wondering if you would do something for me," Edward said slowly, pouting his lips at her with great interest. He leaned his shoulder on the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.


    "You want me to work for FX International Group? But why?" Annie asked in a surprised tone. She was very confused at Edward''s request. After all, she was now working with YS Group. Was Edward trying to poach her from her currentpany?


    "No, no. Don''t worry. It''s for nonmercial purposes. I was wondering if you could design a collection of essories for my wife? The designs arepletely up to you. My only request is that they''re all one of a kind," Edward exined. In truth, he was trying to set Annie up with Rain. Edward just had to carefully bait her into the conversation. He waited for his opportunity to open up the topic. After all, he thought that he had to do something about it, for Rain''s sake.


    "Wow! Daisy is so lucky to have such a thoughtful and loving husband like you."


    ''Bingo, ''Edward thought to himself. Annie thought it over; she had a very busy schedule ahead of her, but wanted to make time for Edward''s request. Not because Edward had asked her, but because she wanted to repay Daisy somehow for saving her life. "Well, you know you shouldn''t be so jealous of Daisy. You could have had a loving husband as well. The only problem is, you don''t seem to be that interested... unless, of course, you''ve already found your happiness in life," Edward chose his words carefully. He wanted to help rekindle Rain and Annie''s rtionship. As he saw it, there was no one else more suitable for those two than each other. And there was no one in the world that could truly make her happy, except Rain.


    "I-I''m sorry, Edward, but I have no idea what you''re implying," Annie stuttered, her eyes averting his gaze. She knew without a doubt that he was talking about Rain.


    "Oh, but I believe you do. What you don''t know is that Rain got very drunkst night because of you. He and I have been friends for a long time -- and I can say with confidence that I''ve never seen him that drunk. And it''s all because of you. He''s still in bed right now as we speak. How does that feel? You broke his heart, Annie. You already had his heart at the palm of your hand, and yet you still left him just because he didn''t love you right away," he said coldly, his gaze piercing through Annie. Edward might have sounded rude, a bit too harsh even. But he had always been like that. Edward was never the type to beat around the bush.


    "What? How drunk was he? Is he all right?" Annie burst out, meeting Edward''s eyes. Her face was full of surprise and worry. It was as if she didn''t hear everything else Edward had to say when she had learned that Rain wasn''t doing okay.


    "What do you think? How would you feel if you were the one who got rejected?" he asked. Edward had thought it would have been hopeless if Annie''s first instinct was to defend herself. But here she was, asking how Rain was doing. It was obvious enough that she still had feelings for Rain.


    "I''m so sorry. It seems that our rtionship has caused a lot of people so much trouble. I''m really sorry," she replied. She didn''t expect that she would be so transparent about her feelings towards Rain. She still loved him, but found it hard to bring herself to confront those emotions. And before she could, she found it hard to ept him frankly.

 Chapter 1700 Anyone But Her (Part Four)

    "You''re scared that Rain is still a womanizer, aren''t you? Speaking as someone who''s been down that road, I can assure you that he''s no longer that type of person. The looser and easier a man appears to be, the more serious he would be about love. Once he has found the girl he knows he wants to be with for the rest of his life, you can guarantee that he will unconditionally give you his loyalty and love. No matter how many temptations there are in this world, no matter how enchanting and attractive other women might be, his attention would only revolve around you," Edward said matter-of-factly. He was quite confident about that, for he himself was one of this kind of men, and was best qualified to pronounce on such a matter "That''s not what I''m worried about, honestly," Annie meekly said, feeling a little embarrassed. She wanted to speak out her true feelings, but she was worried that Edward might not understand.


    "What is it, then? Are you worried that he won''t marry you? I think he''d go marry you without any hesitation, if only you want him," Edward pressed on. He didn''t leave any room for Annie to defend herself. This was probably the only chance he was ever going to get. "I don''t want him to marry me just because of our children!" Annie shouted. Edward was taken aback. He had not expected that answer. Annie''s hands were balled up to fists on herp.


    "Yes, I''m a mother," she continued in a quieter tone. Her voice was shaking. "But don''t you think it''s wrong if he marries me solely because he''s the father of my children? I know it may sound a bit selfish, but I want to marry someone who loves me for who I am -- I do not want to marry someone just because he feels obliged to do so." Tears threatened to roll out of Annie''s eyes.


    Edward looked at her, his expression softening. "Annie, have you thought all this time that he only wanted to get married to you because of his children? To be fair, he didn''t even know that you had Huey and Joyce before you came back. Nheless, he kept sending people out to look for you. He was so desperate to find you that he gave up the night life he had been ustomed to. On top of that, he never approached any other women and even kept them at a distance. He was literally living like a monk. He missed you so much to the point that the pain he felt had be a part of his daily routine. Having heard all of that, if you still think that he doesn''t love you... I don''t know what else I can say to you." Edward asked solemnly. Annie''s immediate and fierce reaction was exactly what he wanted. As long as she could speak out the thing that had been troubling her, Edward could seize the chance and tell her the truth. Then there was hope that their problem could be readily resolved.


    Annie looked at Edward with shock. Her eyes wandered, trying to make sense of everything he had just said to her. "I...I don''t know. I don''t know what to do. I don''t know how to face him anymore!" Annie said as she shook her head. She put her hands over her ears, trying to calm herself. Her mind was throbbing; this was all new information to her. Rain''s actions looked different to her aspared to how Edward had put it. There were so many conflicting emotions going through her right now that she didn''t know what to believe at this point.


    "If I may be so frank, you have been heartless. In my opinion, you don''t have a heart. If you had empathy, you would easily be able to see and feel everything Rain has poured out for you. That''s all I have to say about that, believe it or not. But I need to warn you that there is but one Rain in the world, it''s now or never. You don''t want to shed tears of regret, do you?"" Edward said with an ironic smile. Now he suddenly realized just how bold and resolute Daisy was. She knew about Edward''s lifestyle, and entered their rtionship with boldness nevertheless. But it was her confidence that captured Edward''s heart and changed his yboy ways for good. It was thus clear that confidence was important for a woman.


    "I..." Annie stammered. First Belinda, and now Edward. They had both advised her to feel the whole thing with her heart, and give her rtionship with Rain a second chance. Was it really true that she had dreadfully mistook Rain? But then again, she thought, if he really loved her, why didn''t he ever tell her outright how he felt? Or showed her that she could put her faith in him at the very least?


    "Well, let''s just drop it," Edward cleared his throat. "As for the deal I mentioned earlier, I hope you''ll sleep on it. I look forward to hearing from you soon," Edward said in a rxed tone. He knew very well that as a soldier, Daisy would have very few asions to wear those essories, but he insisted on giving them to her. As her husband, he wanted the best for her, even if she never had to use them, he thought it enough to let her own them, and look at them whenever she wanted. That was how he expressed his love, to give her everything that other women might have, and never let her experience the sense of loss.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    Annie blinked. "Yeah, of course," she said. For a while, she hadpletely forgotten about the jewelry Edward requested to getmissioned. "I''ll let you know as soon as possible. I''ll get going. If you will excuse me..." Annie replied. She now thought it a must to take some time and think over Edward''s words, in case she failed to see important things


    "Alright, then. Please consider everything I have said. Be nice to Rain, he is your Mr. right, apanion worthy of you," Edward pressed. If everything he had said to her still wouldn''t change her mind, then god knows what would. If so, they had better make a clean break and call an end to the torment.


    Annie nodded, and walked unsteadily out of the door. Her head spun, her face looking pale. She was still unsure of Belinda''s advice to her, and now Edward''s words made her feel overwhelmed.


    When Annie had closed the door behind her, Edward gave a sigh of relief. ''The things you make me want to do for you Rain, you stupid brat!'' he thought to himself. ''You''d better not mess this up. I hope you know that you''ve made the president of a multinationalpany your own personal matchmaker. How annoying!''


    ?.0000000

 Chapter 1701 Any Importance (Part One)

    Rain didn''t wake up until noon time came. His mind was still in a whirl since he had drunk too muchst night.


    His hand moved to blindly find his cellphone which seemed to be lost somewhere in his bed. However, he didn''t expect to see its battery drained. Frustrated, he threw it back onto the bed forcefully and staggered to the bathroom.


    His knees were wobbly when he reached the wash area. A few seconds after and he was already looking at the gaunt face that was staring back at him from the mirror. He couldn''t help but doubt if the man he was seeing was him. His reflection was just too far from the lively and high-spirited self he had always known.


    ''Annie, this is thest time that I''m allowing you to hurt me this much. From now on, I will go back to the life I had before you came. You have made me realize how worthless I am to you. Since you don''t value me, I will put myself higher than you could ever reach. You can''t hurt me anymore, Annie. I will not give you the chance to do it anymore, '' he thought.


    There had been a lot of changes with Rain''s perspective sincest night. He was eager to live together with his children but he knew clearly that they loved their mother more than him. He would not be so cruel as to take them away from Annie by force. However, he hoped to at least have ess to his kids. Thus, he called Annie right after he took a shower.


    "Hello, Rain?" asked Annie as soon as she picked the phone up. She was a bit surprised to receive a call from him this early. Edward had said that Rain had drunk too muchst night, thus, she thought that he was still asleep.


    "Yes, it''s me. Are you free today? I want to have a talk with you," Rain said in an unusually apathetic tone. He had controlled himself quite well that his voice came out cold and dry without any trace of emotions at all.


    "How about we meet after an hour?" Annie checked her wristwatch. Little did Rain know that she was dying to talk with him too.


    "I''m okay whenever you''re free. Decide which ce is most convenient to you," Rain said in a polite tone. However, the courteousness that he showed stung Annie''s ear, thus, she thought, ''Why am I feeling that something has changed with Rain?'' The indifference in his tone made her feel sad. However, she didn''t dare to ask him what was wrong, so she just said, "Okay, I will send a message to you soon."


    "I''ll wait for it then. See youter!" Rain hung the phone up as soon as he finished talking. It was as if the person he just talked with was just a nobody. He acted so good that no one would even think that he had loved the same woman for years.


    On the other hand, Annie was stunned and was left speechless for a while. Rain had been trying to reach out to her since the day she hade. It was only her who had been avoiding him all the time. The sudden change in Rain made her really uneasy.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Although every color went well with Rain''s fair skin, he never liked wearing white that much. However, he still found himself wearing a white suit today which was a little weird based on his personality.


    He did nothing but to sit nkly inside his room while waiting for Annie''s text. William gave him a call earlier and asked him some questions about thepany. He couldn''t be more thankful that his secretary didn''t bother to ask why he was absent.


    It had been more than two hours and he was about to lose his patience when he received Annie''s message. Goodness! Did Annie really need to choose a ce that far? The address she wrote would take him more than hours to drive. However, he didn''t want to miss the chance to talk with her, thus, he immediately picked his car key and walked out of his house.


    One long drive after and he finally reached the ce where Annie was. She was already sitting inside the cafe when he stepped in. Based on how she looked, it seemed that she had been in this ce for quite some time now.


    "I''m sorry to have kept you waiting." Rain greeted coldly. His beautiful face was void of any emotion as he walked to her table.


    "Never mind. I''ve just arrived anyway and this ce is a little far from your address," Annie answered. As a reaction, she furrowed her eyebrows while looking at him confusedly. She still couldn''t figure out Rain''s sudden indifference with her.


    "Would you like something to drink? Or have you already ordered anything?" Rain said as he sat down. He was acting as if he didn''t care about how Annie looked today at all. He had been discreet when he gave her a quick once-over secretly with the corner of his eyes. He had to admit, her extraordinary beauty could still take his breath away after all these years. Nevertheless, he chose to remain mum about it and just kept it to himself.


    "I ordered a ss of lemon iced tea for me and a cup of ck coffee for you. Is that okay?" There was a sudden hesitation that showed on Annie''s face when she spoke. She knew that Rain had liked ck coffee years ago. She wasn''t sure though if Rain had already changed his preference by now.


    "Thanks!" replied Rain with a nod. To be honest, he hadn''t drunk ck coffee for a long while.


    "You''re wee. May I know why you asked me out?" Annie tried her best to smile sweetly at him. The only thing inside her head as of this moment was to clear all the misunderstandings between her and Rain. What Edward had told her this morning had melted her heart, thus, she wanted to give them another chance.


    "I think it''s necessary for us to have an agreement about our kids," said Rain in a serious tone. He didn''t even hit around the bush anymore and just stated his point directly.


    "About our kids? I beg your pardon. I don''t think I understand what you mean," Annie''s voice trembled upon hearing what he said. She wasn''t used to seeing him like this and his presence was making her anxious.


    "Huey and Joyce are my children regardless of whatever is between us. I won''t insist on making you live with me anymore since you refused it. However, I want to have the rights to see my kids anytime I want." A bitter smile cracked Rain''s lips as he stared at her. God knew that he was trying to be as reasonable as he could. He was only proposing his idea to her after all. As always, the final call would still depend on what Annie would say.


    Flustered, Annie wasn''t able to open her mouth and just gazed at him nkly. She thought, ''What does that mean? Is he giving up on us?''


    "Is it that hard to respond to my conditions, Annie?" it was Rain who broke the sudden tension that suddenly filled the space between them. Her silence made him frown a bit. ''You can''t be this selfish to me, right?'' his mind silently sighed.


    "No, but can I give my opinion?" Annie was able to recover herself and evaded his stare. She had been told that he had fallen in love with her. Furthermore, she had also been told that this man had never experienced at least a day of happiness without her. seemed that those were just empty rumors and nothing more. He shouldn''t be giving up this easy if those were true, right? She didn''t think that Rain''s reactions were making sense at all.000000000000000

 Chapter 1702 Any Importance (Part Two)

    to get his chest ready for another blow.


    "Of course you can give yours. I only gave my opinion. You can contradict me anytime you want," Rain never stopped looking at her face since he sat there. She had be pale but he didn''t think too much about it. She probably didn''t like what he just said, thus, he had "It''s quite impractical to let you see them at any time you want. You see, we both often have some things to do. I think it would be better to define a regr schedule for the kids. Let''s say once a week?" Annie wet her lips unconsciously after she talked. ''That is it! Rain is only after the kids!'' she thought.


    "Okay. I''m taking what I said back. I''m not going to demand ''anytime I want anymore. However, don''t you think that once a week is too harsh for me? Let''s adjust it and make it twice a week. What do you think?" Rain said his words as if he was debating for a business proposal. He had already reached his rock bottom and was ready to let her go. It wouldn''t make sense to keep her into something she wouldn''t be happy about anyway. Regardless of how long he had been loving her, doing so would only be a waste of time. He just wanted to let her go as fast he could.


    "Fine if that''s what is convenient for you. However, I have to remind you that we will only stay here in S City for more or less three months. We will be back to living abroad after this. Are you sure that you can keep seeing them twice on that setup?" Annie''s words sounded a bit defiant. His casual retreat hit her heart really bad, thus, she felt a need to defend herself. What he had said made her as indifferent as he was since she didn''t want to look pitiful.


    "Please know that I will not give up any of my right to love my kids no matter what," Rain raised his chin with pride and looked down at her. His expression was still nk when he added, "By the way, thank you for introducing me to the kids as their father. Please forgive me for all the financial damages they have caused you since I didn''t know about them before. Anyway, I will be starting with my duties to them from this point and will be paying for the alimony." It was obvious that he had already nned for everything. These were actually the exact things that were ying in his mind while he had been waiting for her text earlier inside his room.


    "I don''t think that it is necessary for us to talk about that. I''m fully capable to bring the children up," said Annie in an equally freezing tone. Everything that Rain said since he came to that ce was like a bitch-p against her face. It was easy to see from where she stood that things were never going to be alright between them anymore. They were back to beingplete strangers. He was pushing her to be desperate and she was now beginning to doubt everything she said. She probably should not have refused him so firmly earlier! "I insist!" Rain pinned about the financial support for their kids. That was the most he could do for Huey and Joyce for now and he wouldn''t allow Annie to steal that from him. It took him some seconds to calm himself again and said, "In the end, please ept my best wishes for you and Fred. That''s all I want to say. Goodbye!" He sprung out of his chair as soon as he finished talking and didn''t even taste his coffee. Then he began walking away from her with false calmness. He silently thought that he should be pping for himself the moment he finished this performance. He didn''t even know how he managed to stay that calm. Nevertheless, his heart knew better and it just couldn''t stop from breaking silently with his every step.


    "Well, Fred and I..."


    "What?" Rain turned upon hearing Annie''s hesitant voice. However, what he saw just made his heart crashed even more. She just coldly evaded his gaze as if he just blurted things out of nowhere.


    "Nothing. Goodbye!" Honestly, Annie meant to rify her rtionship with Fred by that time. She wanted to tell him that what he saw yesterday was just a friendly meal. She wanted to urge him to trust her since she already told him that Fred and she were nothing but friends. But on the second thought, she found it pointless to exin anymore since Rain had already decided. He gave up on her, thus, she should be giving up on him too.


    "Bye!" Rain felt worse as he left. ''What was she about to exin back then? Was she about to admit her rtionship with Fred? Probably!''


    Annie couldn''t tear her gaze from Rain''s back as he walked away. She had been holding her tears for so long and she couldn''t keep doing it with all the emotions flooding her right now. She was silently crying and hoping for Rain to look back at her direction at least. Rain''s false calmnesspletely broke down as soon as he stepped out of the cafe. He wanted to scream and just pick a fight with anyone. However, he didn''t do it and just ended up gritting his teeth the whole time.


    Tiana walked towards him immediately as soon as he reached the KD Group. She had been waiting for him here for nearly the whole morning.


    "Rain, thank God you''re here now! I''ve been waiting for you since morning and I already missed lunch," said Tiana as she pouted her lips.


    "Say what you have to say," It was unfortunate though that Rain wasn''t in the mood to talk with anyone at all. Hepletely ignored her and walked straight to the CEO''s office.


    "Well, after you left yesterday, I found that the little boy from the family that you know looked quite like you," Tiana flew a kite while observing his reaction. She followed him to the office but then remained just right at the door.


    "It''s none of your business. Have you finished the market research I told you to dost week? Give me the reports immediately," said Rain as he shot her with a freezing nce. This girl had to prove her value if she really wanted to work together with him. "Eeeek! That... I haven''t finished it yet," Tiana stuck her tongue out and thought, ''Damn it. I kicked an iron te!''


    "Then make yourself busy with it! You might as well do that rather than poke your nose on things that are not your business!" Rain didn''t want his private affairs to be known by the Ke Family, including Tiana.


    "Yeah! But Rain, is that kid actually your son?" Nevertheless, Tiana was unwilling to give up. She badly needed to hear what her brother got to say since she had been restraining her curiosity for a whole night and a whole morning now.


    "Aren''t you supposed to go now? Fine, Tiana! You are not allowed to work at KD Group anymore," Rain scolded her harshly. His stare on her went even colder than how it had been earlier.


    "No! Don''t say that! I''m going to do that market research now!" Tiana left the room unwillingly. Her disappointment was showing on her face since she hadn''t found anything.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    Meanwhile, a slight smile escaped from Rain''s lips the moment he was left alone. He rarely smiled because of his family. However, he felt different for Tiana as his sister was the only one in the Ke Family who could make him happy. He was aware of how Tiana had stood by him during the years that he was going against all the members of the Ke Family. He might be reluctant of sharing things with her but still, Tiana was someone he trusted most.

 Chapter 1703 Any Importance (Part Three)

    Annie didn''t leave the cafe until more than an hourter. She had been thinking the whole time since Rain left. She had meant to tell Rain that she had agreed to move into his house together with the kids in order to see how they would get along with one another. Never


    had she expected all his vicious blow though. She hadn''t even been given a chance to talk.


    She made a call to YS Group and advised that she would be absent for the afternoon. Her heart was aching too much and she didn''t think that she could work properly with how emotionally drained she was. Rather, she drove straight back home.


    "Mommy, you''re back. Why are you home so early today?" Both the kids were very happy to see her because she generally had only a little time to be with them. They had used to be together with the housekeeper for most of the time back when they had been in Phuket. "Because you''re going to kindergarten tomorrow! I want to y with you before you guys get busy," Annie answered. She had been working on making the kids familiar with S City. She believed that it was time for them to meet new friends. "Really? Yey! We can meet new teachers and new friends tomorrow!" Joyce was quite happy to hear what her mother said. She was so giggling and it was easy to see that she wasn''t even affected by all the things that had happened to them recently. "Hmm! Are you happy?" Annie stroked her daughter''s hair and forced a smile on her lips.


    "Of course I am! It''s boring at home," Joyce answered. Children always like being together with as many people as possible.


    "Mommy, are we staying here in S City for good?" However, Huey was not so happy as Joyce. He had always been maturer than his sister and could read through situations well.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    "No. We will probably go back to Phuket after the Spring Festival. Why? Do you want us to stay here?" Annie''s eyes went milder as she stared at Huey. Huey looked exactly like Rain and looking at her son usually gave Annie the feeling that she was looking at Rain. "I want it here because daddy is here!" Huey said. His sister could have all the freedom in the world to like Uncle Fred but he only liked his father.


    Annie quickly stood up and walked into her bedroom after hearing Huey. She didn''t know how to tell him that it would be impossible for her and his father to get together again. What had happened earlier already marked the end for them. She had already let theirst chance slip between her fingers in exchange for her poor pride.


    "Huey, what''s wrong with mommy? Did you make her sad?" The little girl asked while pouting. She felt that Huey was the one to me for her mother''s sadness.


    "It''s all your fault. Why did you tell Uncle Fred where we live?!" Huey got angry too. If Uncle Fred hadn''te to their house, then their father wouldn''t have caught their mother and their Uncle Fred together repeatedly. That could have lessened the misunderstanding between their parents greatly!


    "You''re annoying. Didn''t Uncle Fred buy a toy for you?" Joyce''s eyes turned red and it seemed that she would burst into tears at any time.


    "I don''t want his toy at all! I only want daddy," Huey yelled to her. There were times when he really hated her princess'' syndrome, though she was his own sister.


    "But I like Uncle Fred. He''s better than Daddy. Daddy doesn''t want us," The little girl stomped her foot stubbornly. Despite the tears in her eyes, she didn''t cry out.


    "Who says that daddy doesn''t want us? The truth is that he didn''t even know we exist!" Huey said. It was said that boys were more likely to like their fathers. Obviously, it was true with how Huey behaved.


    "I don''t care about that. I like Uncle Fred more than daddy!" Joyce contradicted him aloud in an imposing manner. She refused to admit defeat. It was said that a daughter was the lover of her father in their previous life, but it seemed that Rain''s daughter was his enemy. "That''s your business! Never fight against me about daddy in future!" Huey left in anger. He was really matured despite his young age. Perhaps, children who were growing up in a single parent family knew things better.


    "I won''t! Hmp!" The little girl was still unwilling to admit her defeat. She even straightened her little back in a proud manner.


    Early in the next morning, Annie sent the twins to kindergarten. She was about to pay for their tuition fees when she received the news that somebody else had already paid for them.


    Annie felt unhappy about that. She guessed that it might be Rain who did and it irritated her that he didn''t even tell her in advance. Was it that difficult to call her and let her know? Everything he did was making her embarrassed. It was as if they were both hiding skeletons from each other''s closet.


    It was still early when she arrived at thepany. She nned to do what had been left undone yesterday afternoon. However, things didn''t work out as she expected.


    "Ms. An, I thought you would keep avoiding me for the rest of your life," Eleanor said. She didn''t really have any work schedule today but she came to YS Group early in the morning. She wanted to block Annie''s way and ask her some questions. In fact, she hade here yesterday afternoon too. It was unfortunate that Annie hadn''t been here though.


    "What do you exactly mean?" Annie said without even raising her head. She knew that matching Eleanor''s rudeness would only cause more troubles. There was definitely no doubt that Eleanor was after one right now.


    "Don''t y the fool. Tell me! What''s your real rtionship with Rain? Why does your son look so like him?" Eleanor asked vulgarly. The manner she pushed Annie verbally made her look far from the star she was.


    "I''m entitled of my own privacy and you don''t have any say with that," Annie said with a cold smile. She suddenly thought that letting Eleanor wear her designs would be a great insult to her art.


    "Why don''t I have the right? Rain is the one I want to marry. How could that have nothing to do with me?" Eleanor said and thought, ''Since you''re married, you should help your husband and bring up your children. Why are you even fighting for Rain?''


    "It''s your life and that''s none of my business. If you feel that I''m stopping you, oh please stop worrying. As you can see, I have a happy family," Annie told a lie in order to escape from Eleanor''s inquiry. However, she should have chosen to be more domineering by telling her that Rain was indeed the father of her children. She was curious anyway of what Eleanor would say if ever she found out about that fact.


    "That couldn''t be better. You should know that Rain will finally be my man. Thus, you''d better not attempt to y any trick if you''re wise enough," said Eleanor. What Annie said made her feel relieved. Even if Annie had Rain''s children as she guessed, Annie was married to another man. Therefore, she wasn''t of any importance.

 Chapter 1704 Happy Hour For Dad And The Kids (Part One)

    "Sorry. I am busy and I have some important work to deal with." What Annie said could not be more obvious. She was implying that Eleanor should go away now.


    "Keep what you said today in mind. Humph!" Eleanor sneered at her with a disdainful look. Then she turned around and left arrogantly, being confident that her message was delivered and her warning was heard.


    After Eleanor left, Annie felt so upset that she threw her pen on the table. ''That bitch! How shameless she is! Rain has never admitted that she is his girlfriend. Even if he did, why would shee over and brag to me in my face? I have nothing to do with their business!'' Annie was simmering with rage.


    She took a deep breath to suppress her anger. Because of what happened, she felt like she lost her motivation to work hard. So she just kept sitting on the chair, staring nkly at the wall.


    Belinda knocked on the open door, trying to get Annie''s attention. However, thetter did note to herself, lost deep in her nk thoughts. So Belinda just walked in with a smiling face.


    "Annie, are you okay? Annie." Belinda frowned and couldn''t help wondering what she was thinking about. She seemed to be utterly lost in her mind. She had left work early yesterday. Was she bothered by something? "Oh! Belinda, it''s you! I''m sorry." Annie raised the corners of her mouth and a faint smile appeared on her face.


    "Was that Eleanor? What did shee here for? Jeez! Did shee to you just to pick up a fight again?!" Belinda could ascertain that Eleanor came to find fault with Annie as long as she appeared in thepany.


    "Oh, no. She was justining a bit. Nothing serious. I can handle it." Annie smiled bitterly. People would not cherish things until those things were taken away from them. That was exactly what was happening to her now.


    "You have to be strong and never back down when dealing with arrogant people like her. Otherwise, she would think that you are weak and she would keep bullying you. ''Bully the weak and fear the strong'' is one of their life mottos." Belinda hated these kinds of people the most and she had a technique to deal with them. The best way was to be strong and powerful at the very start so as to establish who could and could not be bullied.


    "She is probably just too young. That ismon among the younger generation nowadays. But thanks for asking and for your advice." Somehow, Annie felt helpless and oppressedpared to Belinda. That feeling just came from nowhere. Belinda was capable, experienced and decisive, who never hesitated when dealing with a problem. Compared with Belinda, Annie was unsure and indecisive.


    "Annie, I heard that..." Belinda bit her lower lip and hesitated whether she should try to ask or not.


    "Yes? What''s the matter, Belinda?" Annie looked at her, puzzled.


    "Oh, nothing. A meeting is waiting for me. So yeah, go ahead and focus on your work. Good job. Bye." Belinda wanted to ask her something. But after a brief pause, she believed that it was inappropriate for her to do so. She then decided to remain silent about it and left immediately to avoid any awkwardness.


    "Okay, Bye." Seeing words getting in Belinda''s way, Annie knew that there must be something Belinda wanted to talk to her about, and that it might be embarrassing. Otherwise, Belinda wouldn''t have been so hesitant.


    The moment she stepped out of Annie''s office, Belinda hung her head low in frustration. She had nned to talk to Annie and see whether the embattled single mother could open up to her. This way, Belinda could be able to help her. The day before yesterday, Rain hade to them and he was definitely in trouble. He must have been too burdened and exasperated by a problem that must have something to do with Annie. That was why Belinda wanted to hear it from Annie herself. But she realized that she, as an outsider, shouldn''t stick her nose into their private matters.


    "Hey, my darling. I''m standing right here. Can''t you see me?" Seeing Belinda walking by, Duke growled in a low voice, teeth gritted.


    "Oh! Duke, honey, why are you here?" Belinda let out an awkward smile upon recognizing him.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Hey, is everything okay? Tell me, what''s on your mind?" In his eyes, Belinda was not as sophisticated as other people, even as a grown-up.


    "Oh, nothing serious. I am just feeling sorry for someone." Belinda felt a bit depressed. Why did he have toe here in the morning? Wasn''t there an important meeting to be held at the Leng Group?


    "That doesn''t sound too bad. At least, you are thinking about me." The corners of Duke''s mouth lifted upward and a beautiful smile appeared on his face. Making Belinda, the tough businesswoman, feel guilty was not an easy task. Now, he did it!


    "Don''t overthink! I''m not feeling sorry for you. I''m sorry for Rain. Maybe I said too much to Annie that she could hardly bear it. And that''s probably why they are staying away from each other." Belinda was tormenting herself with remorse. She felt that it was her fault for letting such thing happen.


    "I told you not to get involved in their affairs because you would only make things worse. They are adults, and they''re supposed to deal with their problems maturely and on their own. No one knows them better than themselves. Breaking up or being together just depends on the very two people involved in that rtionship. They are just wasting their precious time being suspicious of each other and trying to feel each other. It is almost ridiculous!" Duke hated a long drawn fight the most. He liked to take the initiative to solve problems when there were any, in the quickest and most efficient way possible. Wasting his time was just too costly to him.


    "Yes, you are right. That''s exactly why I feel sorry for Rain. I should have done nothing." Belinda felt that her strength was drained all of sudden. She leaned towards Duke naturally.


    "Then, don''t do that again." Duke reached out to hold her by her waist and led her towards the President''s office.


    "But I did it for their sake! Not for me. I''m really worried about them. Actually, they can end up with a happy marriage only if they have an honest heart-to-heart conversation. But theirmunications are always in a deadlock. No one is going to give in." Belinda had an impatient disposition. It was just such a pain seeing the two struggling without any sign of resolution.


    "That''s their business. And since they, themselves created this mess, they deserve it." In Duke''s opinion, a woman''s coquetry was eptable. But when she had gone too far, she would only annoy the hell out of people.


    "Haha! Are you sure you''re Rain''s friend?" Belinda giggled. Where did his strange theorye from? She seemed to be more on Rain''s side, though.


    "Oh wow, look at my wife, thinking about my friend''s private life all day. Do you think I would be happy with that?" Duke rolled his eyes at her helplessly. He felt like that his own wife had gotten too keen on the rtionship between Rain and Annie.0000

 Chapter 1705 Happy Hour For Dad And The Kids (Part Two)

    "Oh my god! Are you jealous of that? You are even more childish than Spencer. I thought he was the only baby in this family!" Standing opposite him, Belinda reached out to straighten his crooked tie. "Haven''t you heard of the saying? Love makes people childish," Duke said and lowered his head. There were only a few inches between their faces. He could steal a kiss on her lips if he bent forward a bit more. "Yeah, you''re right. You know something? Probably your IQ is even lower than Richard at this time." Belinda thought that her son Spencer was much smarterpared with Duke, Spencer''s father at the moment. When it came to mental age, Duke was behind by a mile, seemingly much naiver than the little cute Richard who was just a toddler.


    "Hey, honey. Don''t you think that your metaphor is a bit unpleasant and out of ce while we''re enjoying a tender moment here?" Duke felt a bit frustrated. The romantic atmosphere he had tried hard to create had immediately dissolved into thin air, thanks to her withering sarcasm.


    "The tender moment only applies to you, not to me. All right. Now that you are here, take the chair at the meeting for me, please. I''d like to go and see Leena so would you, please?" Belinda had grown more exhausted taking care of thepany''s affairs and activities. She especially hated those standard routines and time killers such as meetings. If she had her way, she would reduce the meetings to once a week. Duke''s arrival would free her from that burdensome daily affair.


    "I am so sorry but I am going to have to refuse that. There''s a brutal reality you have to face, that I just came here for a particr file, not to save your ass from a task that you hate. So, I''m afraid you need to take care of the meeting yourself," Duke said and walked directly to the desk. He bent over to check the file he had left here a few days ago. As a matter of fact, he could have sent Janice to fetch it for him. But he eventually decided toe here in person in order to see his beloved wife even though it had to take a bit of driving. "No, please! Duke, you have to help me with this one!" Belinda began to be unreasonable. She stood right in front him, stopping him from running away. If he had note here, she would have no choice but to hold the meeting. But now that he showed up, she would never let him go that easily.


    "Hey! What are you doing? They are waiting for me back at my office." Duke smiled wryly when she started acting up. He now realized that his decision toe here in person might have been a mistake. He just threw himself into the fire.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Humph! That''s your excuse." Belinda rarely acted like a spoiled girl. She would scoff at that kind of behavior if she were the former Belinda. But ever since she married Duke, she always wanted to see him lose his coolness or get out of control because of her. He was such a cool man who never lostposure that it was a small victory whenever she got her way. She had developed a way of acting coquettishly and pretending to be angry.


    "Be a good girl, honey. I have to go now. A critical meeting is waiting for me in the Leng Group." Duke lowered his head and kissed her slightly on her lips before he left hurriedly. He would not stay there anymore. Otherwise, Belinda might pull on all the stops to pester him until he gave in.


    "Hey, Duke. Don''t go away! Hey! Damn it!" Belinda stamped her foot and spluttered. But he had already gone and was nowhere to be seen. Disappointed and furious, she could do nothing but to start preparing the documents needed for her meeting.


    Duke did not slow down until he was far enough from Belinda''s office. Thisdy had be better at usingdylike techniques in order to manipte him. He was almost deluded by her and was really close to epting her order just now. He felt that it was necessary for him to work out a counter n to avoid being on the receiving end of this maniption, being passive in every round, and falling into her trap without realizing it.


    In the afternoon, Rain made a call to Annie, iming that he would pick Huey and Joyce up from the kindergarten and would drive them back to her ce in the evening.


    Although Annie did not think that it was a good idea, she still agreed and let him spend a bit of time with the kids. She had promised before that she would give him time to spend with them, so she could not be selfish now.


    It was the first time for Rain and his two little kids to spend time alone and without their mother. He started off early enough in advance to avoid the possible waste of time brought by the traffic jams. When he arrived at the kindergarten school, it was still early. But he was not in a hurry, so he sat in the car quietly, closing his eyes for a rest. Soon enough, he heard the bell and knew that the kids wereing out from ss.


    Just like Edward, Rain was eye-catching no matter where he went. Standing in the crowd consisting of parents and guardians waiting for the kids, he was extraordinarily noticeable.


    "Daddy, it''s you! But why are you picking us up? Where''s Mommy?" Huey''s face lit up the moment he spotted his father. He forgot to keep his reserved character and sprang at Rain happily.


    "Don''t you like Daddy toe here and pick you up?" Rain bent over and held him in his arms.


    "I do! I was just surprised." Huey couldn''t stop smiling every time he was in his father''s arms.


    "Where''s your sister? I haven''t seen her." Rain craned his neck to see who else wasing out of the gate but did not find his little girl.


    "She has short legs, so she walks slowly," Huey said in a sympathetic tone. Actually, that was not the case. The truth was that Joyce had made a few friends when she became a member of the ss. She was saying goodbye to them now.


    "Hey, Huey. Can I talk to you about something?" Suddenly, Rain looked at Huey with serious eyes.


    "Sure, what''s that, Daddy?" Huey became a bit uneasy. It seemed that his father was about to tell him something that he wasn''t ready to talk about.


    "I need you to do me a favor. In the future, wherever you go, you need to wait for your sister and stay with her at all times. You are the man between you two, right? You have the responsibility to take care of her as the stronger one. Don''t you agree?" Rain exined gently and patiently, hoping that his son woulde to know the responsibility as a young man.


    "Yes, Daddy, you are right. I''ll keep it in mind. Hey look, it''s Joyce!" Huey felt it was a bit unfair that his father asked him to do that. He was a bit jealous of his sister because now, both their mom and dad told him to take care of her. He just didn''t feel it was his job to babysit his annoying twin sister.00000000000

 Chapter 1706 Happy Hour For Dad And The Kids (Part Three)

    "Joyce! Over here, my little princess!" Rain saw Joyce too. She indeed looked like a princess in the crowd when she came out with other kids. She was no doubt Rain''s daughter. Judging by the number of girls surrounding her as she walked out the gate, she had be so popr at such a young age. "Daddy." Joyce was also very happy to see Rain. She left her friends behind and ran towards her father excitedly, forgettingpletely what she had said yesterday.


    "Oh, oh, oh, slowly. Don''t fall down." Rain put Huey down and held out his hand to the little girl who had jumped to cling to him.


    "Where''s Mommy? I don''t see her anywhere. Didn''t shee with you?" The girl soon noticed it. She tilted her head and asked in a confused tone.


    "Mommy is still at work. So Daddy will y with you today, okay? Don''t you two want that? Just us three hanging out?" Rain lulled Joyce carefully. Somehow he felt that Joyce was more difficult to get along with than her brother Huey.


    "But, if we stay with you, won''t Mommy get mad and disappear forever? She won''t abandon us?" A child''s words sometimes hurt the most, because they were readily blunt and didn''t really know how to sugarcoat words. There was a moment when Rain paled. But soon he adjusted himself.


    "No, of course not. What are you talking about? I''ll drive you back to Mommy''s ce after dinner. So no, there is no way that Mommy will abandon you. I promise!" Rain thought that his baby girl might have said it subconsciously to hurt him, and he thought he was ready for that. But when he heard it in reality, he still couldn''t help feeling a pinch in his heart.


    "Really? That''s great! Huey, did you hear? We are having dinner with Daddy. Isn''t it great?" Joyce forgot things quickly. As soon as she heard Rain''s words of reassurance, she became rxed and delighted.


    "Yes! So, where are we going, Daddy?" No matter where Rain took them, Huey was happy as long as he could spend time with his father.


    "Let''s go to my ce, okay? Would you like that?" In order to amodate them in his house and make sure that they werefortable there, Rain had hired some servants such as a chef and a steward to look after Joyce and Huey even though he did not like it very much when there were strangers in his house. Although Annie refused his offer that they all moved in with him, he still kept them around, hoping that someday Annie would change her mind and eventuallye with the kids to live with him.


    "Hmmm! I don''t think Mommy would be happy about it." Joyce was struggling. She still remembered that her mother had inly refused to move to her father''s ce.


    "Don''t worry! I''ve already informed Mommy of it. So, I am allowed to take you anywhere I''d like during this time," Rain exined helplessly. He ced them one after another on the child seats in the car.


    "Yeah! Huey, Mommy will not be angry with us, right?" Joyce pped her hands to express her happiness.


    "No, I''m sure she won''t." Huey was a bit worried when he remembered that Mommy was visibly sad yesterday. But he still wanted to spend some time with Daddy.


    Rain smiled and shook his head helplessly. Then he ced himself in the driver''s seat and got ready to leave. Huey and Joyce talking about their mommy all the time made him realize that even though they were staying with him, the most important person in their lives was still their mother.


    "Are you guys ready? Let''s go!" He had prepared the child seats a while back in case they might be useful someday. That was smart of him.


    "Yes, we are ready!" The two kids replied in a chorus. Without worrying about their mom, they became utterly happy now, with bright smiles on their faces. Their voices even became brisk.


    Rain was a bit anxious to take the kids home. It was his first time staying with them alone and he was worried that he might be unable to take good care of them mentally and emotionally. "Wow! It''s so beautiful here! There are a big swing and many interesting toys!" The moment Joyce got off the car and entered the house, she wasted no time going to the slide she liked.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    Huey was more restrained than Joyce. Even though he was desperate to join his sister immediately, he still kept a cool demeanor and walked to Joyce unhurriedly like an adult. That was really funny to see.


    A smile spread on Rain''s face when he saw his children enjoying themselves a lot. He had these amusement amenities for children made today temporarily. Now he felt that all his efforts were worth it.


    "So do you like them?" When Rain was a kid, his mother could not provide him with many interesting toys. He had no choice nor alternatives. So he decided that he would do everything he could to make his kids feel loved.


    "Yes, Daddy. Catch me!" Joyce said and climbed to the top of the slide, preparing to slide down. Now she was not an elegant princess anymore. Instead, she had transformed into an utterly naughty kid.


    "Yes, go ahead. Don''t be afraid. Daddy will catch you." Rain stretched his arms, waiting for his little girl to slide down to him. He absolutely loved that he was able to spend this time with his kids. He felt thankful, happy and rxed. He believed that they would love him like they loved their mother if he stayed and yed with them long enough. Before that, he needed to stop being a boss to them and should reach out to them, down to their level. That was the quickest way to make a connection and be closer to them. "Daddy! Catch me too, please!" Huey was unwilling to be left out. He followed his sister and slid down.


    "Okay, watch out! Watch out!" Huey had already started before he could put down Joyce. Putting her aside quickly, Rain reached out and caught the flying little figure in time.


    "Wow! That''s fun! I want to do it again!" Once again, Joyce climbed to the top of the slide. Her worry for her mother waspletely gone now. They might have even forgotten about her at that moment. Rain was right. If he wanted them to ept him as their father from the bottom of their hearts, he had to try hard to wholeheartedly love them first.


    They yed happily in the garden before they could even enter the house. Hanging out with his children, Rain felt like he had returned to the good old days when he was young and innocent. Although he and his mother had not lived a wealthy life, he felt that every day was full of hopes and dreams. He knew that there was going to be sunshine as long as he stayed with his mother. Those were the good old days.


    Finally, they stopped after quite some time, feeling a bit tired. A big boy, a little boy and a little girly on the grass, looking at the faint glow of the sky as the sun had set somewhere far away. It just looked so beautiful, just like a painting.


    "Daddy, can wee here againter? And again, and again, and again?" Joyce hadpletely forgotten that she had once said Fred was her favorite but not her Daddy, Rain.


    "Of course you can. You cane here anytime you want." He had everything built for them and what he wanted the most was for them to visit all the time. If only they could already live here.


    "Really? Wow! Daddy, I like you so much," the little girl said happily. She sat up and kissed Rain at his face loudly. Then the garden echoed with a lovely peal ofughter.0000

 Chapter 1707 Confess Everything (Part One)

    Huey rolled his eyes at his little sister and thought, ''Didn''t Joyce once say that she loved Uncle Fred the most?'' It was just so typical of girls- they were capricious, no matter how young or old they were.


    Since Rain had missed most of their childhood, he didn''t know much about their eating habits. He had no idea what they liked, so he asked the chef to prepare all sorts of food for his kids to choose from. He honestly wished all kids were like Justin, who was such a foodie, and by no means, a fussy eater. Rain was nning to visit Daisy and ask her to share her experience of raising a kid.


    When Joyce saw the extravagant food, her eyes slowly filled with tears of disappointment. "Humph! These are all food that Huey likes. There is nothing that I want here!" The little girl cried as she looked at all the dishes and didn''t find any of her favorite food on the table. Rain''s eyes popped out when he saw her eyes fill with tears. He rushed to her side immediately and said, "Joyce! I''m sorry! I am so sorry! I didn''t know what your favorite foods were, so I asked the chef to prepare all kinds of food for you. But I didn''t think that you had different dishes in mind. And I didn''t mean to favor your brother either." Rain panicked when he saw that she wouldn''t stop crying.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "No! That''s not true! You must be mad at me because I said I liked Uncle Fred more," she sniffed and wrinkled her tiny nose. Joyce was stubborn and spoiled because her mother and brother always put up with her. She was nothing like her brother, who was way too mature for his age. They hadpletely opposite characters.


    Rain''s heart ached to hear his beloved daughter use him of favoring her brother. Rain smiled bitterly and scooped his little girl up in his arms gently.


    "I don''t care if you like someone else more, Joyce. You will forever be my little princess, no matter what. I am your father and I will give you anything and everything you desire. You have my word." Rain didn''t wait to grab a tissue, he used his long fingers to slowly wipe away the tears from her soft cheeks.


    "Really?" Joyce asked, sniffing. Her round eyes were fixed on her father, looking for confirmation.


    "Of course! You should never think that I love you any lesser than Huey. That''s just impossible," Rain said, smiling at his little girl''s pouted lips. Even though Joyce was adamant and needy, Rain gave in to her because she was still a little girl. Girls were hard to deal with, especially at this age. Besides, Rain had just been reunited with his girl, so they needed time to get used to each other. He was worried that Joyce might hate him if he was too hard on her from the beginning. He wanted to create a good first impression with his children.


    "Okay! But next time you should remember what I like." Joyce smiled through her tears and hugged Rain''s neck, kissing him on the cheek to show that she forgave him.


    "That''s my girl! Now tell Daddy what you like." It was easy to tell how much Joyce''s tears had made Rain nervous from the beads of sweat on his forehead. He felt relived to see his little princess'' smile again.


    "Let''s see...I like broli, fried shrimps with leek, stewed eggnt with mince..." Joyce started listing out all her favorite foods. Rain could tell that their eating habits hadn''t changed even though they had lived in Phuket for so many years.


    Joyce''s mood was lifted after Rain promised that he''d have all her favorites prepared the next time she came to visit. The three of them had a wonderful dinner together. Huey disyed incredible table manners. After all, his parents were from well-known families, which were both rich and powerful. High ss and nobility ran in his blood.


    After dinner, they yed a few games for a while. But Rain took them back to Annie''s ce before 9 o''clock. They had to go to their kindergarten ss the next morning.


    When they reached home, Joyce ran to her mother. "Mommy, Daddy''s home is so beautiful. There are so many toys there for me and I love it so much!" she told her mother excitedly. Rain remained silent and let the happy little girl update Annie about the day''s events. He didn''t want to spoil her excitement by interrupting.


    "Really? It looks like my two little monkeys had a wonderful time today." Annie kept her eyes on the children in an attempt to avoid looking at Rain.


    "Yes! Daddy told us that we could go to his home whenever we want!" Her excitement was so evident from her voice and her bright eyes. She told her mother how much Rain had spoiled them. She was too happy to notice that her mother had turned pale. Annie''s heart raced at her daughter''s exciting stories about her father and she was worried that her kids might end up wanting to be with Rain. She hated to think that they might start loving him more than they loved her.


    She couldn''t bear the thought of losing her children. She forced a smile and ignored Joyce''s words. She looked at Rain sideways and asked, "Do you want toe in and get some rest?"


    "I''m okay. The kids are tired. Let them go to bed early tonight," Rain said, with a stolid face. It was hard to tell what kind of emotions he was going through at that moment.


    "Fine. Drive safe," said Annie. Disappointment wasced in her voice as she hadn''t expected that Rain would turn her down.


    "Thank you," he said to her and then smiled at his kids, "See you around, you little monkeys." He waved good-bye to them, and ignored Annie''s pale face.


    "Goodbye, Daddy!" they said together. Rain was reluctant about leaving. He had such a great day with the kids, it was pure bliss. He didn''t feel like going home without them. Kids had pure hearts - as long as you cherished them, they''d love you with all their heart. There was no ce for hatred and ego in them. Annie watched him turn around and leave. She had the urge to stop him, to ask him to stay. But as Rain closed the door behind him, Annie knew it was toote.


    Rain fought the urge to look back too and quickly walked away. No one knew how much Rain wanted to hold Annie in his arms when he saw her sad, pale face. But he was too proud to expose his soft side to others and so was Annie. That was the reason why they were at this point in life.

 Chapter 1708 Confess Everything (Part Two)

    Rain pressed the elevator button and waited. When the door opened, he frowned. Fred walked out of it, with a surprised look on his face. They weren''t expecting to see each other at Annie''s ce at such an hour.


    "Mr. Xia, what a coincidence. Are you also here to visit the kids?" Fred asked with a casual smile as if Rain was, by no means, a threat to him.


    Rain was in no mood to exchange pleasantries with him. "It''ste. What brings you here, Mr. Chen?" Compared to Fred''s enthusiasm, Rain''s voice sounded cold.


    "Well, it''s not thatte. We often meet at this time." Fred ignored Rain''s reproachful tone. He kept his voice cheerful, trying to show off how decent he was, unlike Rain, who seemed narrow-minded.


    "Oh, do you? I forgot that you guys were close. Well, have a nice time," Rain said with a bitter smile and walked into the elevator. He pressed the button and left without hesitation.


    Fred snorted in smug satisfaction and walked swiftly to Annie''s door and knocked.


    Annie had just asked the children to take a shower when she heard the knock on the door. She ran excitedly to open it. She assumed that Rain hade back. She threw the door open quickly, but her smile froze when she saw that it wasn''t Rain. "Why do you look so terrified after seeing me?" Fred noticed the smile on her face disappearing in a sh. He could tell that she was expecting someone else at the door instead of him.


    Annie wasn''t terrified. She was just disappointed. She forced a smile and said, "Come on in. What brings you here at this hour?"


    Fred walked in and asked, "Where are the kids? Have they slept already?" He was surprised that Joyce and Huey were not around. They usually got excited when they heard his voice. But today was somehow different.


    "Not yet. They are taking a shower. They just came back home." Annie poured him a ss of water and put it down on the table in front of him. She was feeling a little ufortable because she knew that he must be there for some reason.


    "Oh? Did you guys go out? I met Mr. Xia at the elevator," Fred said carefully, waiting to see Annie''s response to the mention of Rain''s name.


    "What? You ran into him here?" Annie blurted out. She was worried that Rain might have thought that something was going on between Fred and her.


    "Yeah. Is something wrong?" Even though Fred knew very well that he wasn''t the one who had Annie''s heart, her concerned look still made his heart ache.


    "No, nothing''s wrong," she said quickly and looked away from him. "Um... I''ve been following your show. It''s pretty good," She said, dismissing the subject to hide her embarrassment.


    Fred grabbed the opportunity. "That''s why I''m here. I was hoping you and the kids woulde to the show this Saturday. I''ve reserved tickets for the three of you." Fred looked at her with expectant eyes. He was worried that she would turn down his offer.


    "Oh! For the show? I should probably ask the kids first. I''m not sure if they''ll be interested in the show," Annie said, in a vague tone of voice. She wanted the kids to decide for themselves.


    "Yeah, you''re right. I forgot to ask the kids about their opinion. Besides, I am avable on Sunday. Why don''t we take the kids out for a pic? The countrysidendscape around S-city is mesmerizing." Fred immediately changed his ns into something that Annie couldn''t possibly refuse. He had to take the kids into consideration when making ns.


    "I can''t say right now. I have to check my schedule first." Annie didn''t know whether Rain would ask to meet the kids on Sunday, so she couldn''t decide without consulting him first. She didn''t want to cause unnecessary trouble for anyone.


    "All right. I''ll wait for your answer." Fred could already tell that Annie wasn''t interested in going out with him and felt disappointed.


    "I am so sorry, Fred. My hands have been full recently, so I can''t give you an answer at such short notice," Annie exined when she saw Fred''s face fall.


    "That''s okay, I understand. We can always go out another time," he said, smiling bitterly, "Anyway, it''s reallyte and I should leave. Good night." Fred began to stand, ready to leave even though it had been less than ten minutes since he had arrived. "Don''t you want to say hello to the kids?" Annie asked, surprised. Fred always asked to see the kids before leaving.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "It''s alreadyte and they are still in the shower. If I stay, they might end up ying with me and it would be toote for bed. I''ll see them next time," Fred said, walking towards the door. Annie was the reason why he came to her ce and the kids were just an excuse. Now that she was right in front of him, there was no need for him to use the kids as an excuse.


    "Okay, I''ll see youter," Annie said, walking him out.


    "See you." Fred walked out the door reluctantly. He was so close to blurting out to her and asking whether she felt his affection or not. But he kept his emotions in check. If her answer was negative, then it would ruin their friendship forever.


    Rain hadn''t left after going down the elevator. He was waiting in his car to see how long Fred would stay at Annie''s. He snorted when Fred left only a few minutester. Rain drove away without a word as he already had the answer he was looking for. Time flew by and a whole week passed in an instant. It was Saturday, and just as Annie had expected, the kids were not interested in the show. So she turned down Fred''s offer. But the kids were into the idea of having a pic. So they took off to the countryside on Sunday morning. "Mommy, don''t we need to take a tent for the pic?" Joyce was a fun-loving kid and she had a keen interest in everything new.


    "No sweetie. We are having a pic, not a camp," Annie answered. She was looking out the window and enjoying thendscape alongside the road.


    "Oh... I thought we will be having a tent." The little girl pouted, her little lips turning upside down.


    "Joyce, do you want a tent? We can get er," Fredforted her when he saw her sad face in the rear view mirror.


    "Really, Uncle Fred?" Joyce''s eyes popped out in excitement once again. She felt like she was the happiest kid in the world at that moment.


    "Of course, I would never lie to you!" Fred said. He was relieved that he had already prepared a tent in advance. She would be surprised if he pulled out the tent at the pic spot.

 Chapter 1709 Confess Everything (Part Three0

    "Great! Uncle Fred, you are the best. I love you the most!" Joyce was like a little chameleon. She unconditionally loved anyone who fulfilled her every request. Huey shook his head at his sister. "Huey, why the face? Aren''t you excited about the pic?" Annie asked when she noticed that her son had remained silent throughout the trip. She turned to look at him.


    "I am. I just miss Daddy." Three days had passed since they hadst met. Huey could tell that his Daddy was a busy man and that he didn''t have time to visit them.


    Annie didn''t know how tofort him. So she told him the truth, "Daddy is very busy with work, Huey. He doesn''t have time to meet us now." Belinda had said that Rain had gone out of town for some business purpose. It was odd that he hadn''t said when he woulde back or hadn''t even called the kids in the past three days.


    "I understand that he is busy. I am not ming him for ignoring us. I''m just worried about him. We live together and can take care of each other. But Daddy lives alone. What if he gets sick?" Huey asked with a concerned look. He was very mature and considerate, almost like an adult.


    "Umm..." Annie was at a loss of words. Even she hadn''t thought of such a thing, while her little son had.


    Fred frowned and began to worry as Huey''s words showed that the kids really loved their father. They had only been reunited a few days back and they were already so close. Was it because Rain was his biological father?


    Joyce looked confused by her brother''s words. "Huey, Daddy has a butler. Don''t you remember? We met him the other day," said Joyce, naively. She was just like all girls her age. She only saw the surface of things and this irritated Huey.


    "He''s just a butler, not a family member," Huey raised his voice, as he tried desperately to prove his point to his sister whocked any principle.


    "Mommy! Huey is shouting at me again!" Joyce said, crying. She was brought up from a very young age assuming that girls should be spoiled. So she thought that it was natural that everyone gave her what she wanted. That was why Joyce couldn''t tolerate any sharp words, even if they were from her brother.


    "Don''t worry. He''s just joking with you." Annie scooped her daughter up in her arms. She spoiled Joyce because that was how she was raised too. Annie was from a rich and powerful family and had grown up with everyone being kind and polite to her. And that was why she was so immature about dealing with problems in her life. Even though Annie had gone through tough days because of that, she just couldn''t alter something that was deeply embedded in her heart. Annie didn''t know how to teach her daughter to be different either, and continued to spoil her.


    Huey was used to the way his mother treated Joyce. He didn''t think badly about it either, He just thought that it was his duty to protect and humor his spoiled little sister.


    The pic spot was very beautiful and the amazingndscape wasn''t influenced by the winter season. The green nts and the colorful flowers reminded visitors of spring.


    Winter was never the right time to go for a pic. It was really cold and the wind was raw and biting. But the kids were very happy as they rarely came to the countryside and was amazed at how different thendscape was from the city.


    "Annie, have you ever thought about giving the kids a happy family?" Fred asked, looking at Annie earnestly as the kids ran on thewn.


    "Why? What makes you think that we are not a happy family now?" Annie tried to fob him off. But there was no way that she could avoid Fred anymore as his intention was so obvious. Even though Annie didn''t know what he was getting at in the beginning, she had figured it out after getting to know him.


    "But they need a father." Fred knew that Annie was trying to avoid talking about it. He wasn''t going to let her off easy.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "They do have a father. You know him." Annie didn''t know how to deal with the situation. She wished she didn''t have to.


    "But you are not together now, right? Why don''t you give me a chance? I am sure that you already know how much I love you. I don''t treat you as a normal friend. I love you and I want to be your husband. Besides, I love the kids very much. I think we could make a happy home together." Fred finally let it all out. He said what he had always been wanting to tell her for such a long time now. He couldn''t afford to wait anymore. If he did, he would lose the game. He seized the chance to confess his love to her and make sure that he had a fighting chance.


    "I''m sorry, Fred. I''m not ready for this yet," Annie bit her lower lip and lowered her head to avoid eye contact with him. She blushed under his gaze. His confession had taken her by surprise.


    "I won''t force you to give an answer right away. But I hope that you would take what I said seriously and think about it. I love you and I mean it," Fred said. He believed that Annie would choose him in the end as long as he didn''t give up.


    "Fred. I''m not a young girl anymore. I have two kids. I''m not good enough for you. You deserve someone better, not a single mother like me." She was already hurt by the failed rtionship between her and Rain, and hadn''t recovered from that pain yet. Besides, she still loved Rain and there was no space for others in her heart.0000000

 Chapter 1710 An Engagement Ring (Part One)

    "Annie,e on. Please don''t be so hard on yourself. You''re beautiful, unique, really one of a kind." Fred looked at Annie straight in the eye. He held her hands in between his own. His hands even trembled a bit from all the emotion he was feeling. Without a doubt, Fred loved Annie with all his heart. He had also grown to love the twins. He''d treat them as if they were his own children -- if only Annie could find it in her heart to let him inside her life.


    "Fred, please stop. I''m already in love with somebody else. I''m so sorry." Annie lowered her eyes, feeling embarrassed. She couldn''t bare to look at Fred as he confessed.


    "Is it because of Mr. Xia?" Fred asked, his voice sad and low. ''If only I had met Annie before that bastard Rain did, ''Fred thought to himself.


    Annie flushed, her face got hotter. "I''m so sorry. I should have told you," Annie looked up at Fred through hershes. She gave him a weak smile as somefort at the very least. But right after she had finally told him the truth, she couldn''t help but feel a sense of relief. The weight of the burden she carried was finally lifted from her entirely.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    "But how can you even be sure that he''ll love you back! What if he bes unfaithful to you, Annie? Have you ever thought of that? That maybe he doesn''t love you as much as you love him?" he cried. He let go of Annie''s hands, and ruffled his hair in his frustration. ''Come on, Annie. Think! If he really loved you, he wouldn''t have left you and the kids!''


    "I-I..." Annie stammered. Fred''s questions had her stumped. She herself did not know why she was still so drawn towards Rain.


    "See! You can''t even back him up. But you can count on me." Fred held on to her hands once again. "I can assure you that you will be the only woman I will ever need and want in my life. Please..." Fred was not about to give up. This was the first time he had been so vocal about his feelings; this, to him, was his chance to take the next step with Annie.


    "Fred, I don''t want to talk about it anymore," Annie said, drawing back her hands from Fred''s hold. She was getting much too overwhelmed from Fred''s confession. Her head spun, and right now, the best solution she could think of was to avoid the conversation altogether - - even though it didn''t really solve her problem.


    Fred looked at her, looking defeated but still hopeful. "I understand. But I hope you''ll consider everything I have said." He stood up and walked over to the twins, leaving her behind. He thought that at least he was able to let his feelings be known to her. All that he could do now was to give her some space and time to think it over.


    Later that evening, Joyceined that she wasn''t feeling so good. Perhaps it was because of the cold weather, or maybe because of exhaustion. For whatever reason, she was starting to get a high fever. Annie panicked; they had just moved to S City, and did not know which hospital she should bring her daughter to. She had already spent hours washing Joyce''s body with a sponge dipped in cold water.


    "Mommy, why don''t we call daddy? Maybe he''ll know what to do," Huey suggested anxiously. He didn''t sleep - instead, he stayed beside his sickly sister as he held her hand. Although their personalities were different and they didn''t get along as well as they should, Huey loved and cared deeply for Joyce.


    "I''m sorry. Daddy''s on a business trip right now, sweetie." It was true, though. Belinda had informed Annie before that Rain would be out of town for a whole week.


    "Well, maybe he came back early?" Huey pressed.


    "I don''t think so. If he came back early, he would have visited you and Joyce." Annie bit her lower lip, trying to figure out what the best thing to do was. She dipped the sponge in the basin of cold water beside her, wrung it, and ran it up and down Joyce''s body once more. "I can call daddy to check if he''s back," Huey said as he ran to get his mother''s phone.


    Annie was about to stop Huey, but thought otherwise right after. There was nothing she could do -- not on her own at least. She had thought of calling up Fred instead. But he, too, was a stranger in this city. On top of that, given theirtest conversation and surprising confession, Annie really didn''t want to bother him again.


    Huey looked for Rain''s number on Annie''s phone. He dialed, waiting intently as the phone rang. After only a couple of rings, Rain picked up the call.


    "Yes, hello? What is it Annie?" Rain asked. He wondered why Annie would call at such ate hour. ''What is she going to say?'' he thought to himself. He was really anxious. He had gone away in such a rush without even telling her, and had been busy during his entire trip. Now, he wondered if she called because she missed him... or maybe it was theplete opposite. His heart beat loud and quick in his chest.


    "Daddy, where are you? Joyce has a high fever. Mommy''s been crying because she''s so worried for her, and so am I," Huey said over the receiver.


    Then, Rain felt as if his heart hade to a sudden stop. He didn''t expect to hear Huey''s voice, and he certainly didn''t expect what he heard. "What? Where are you now? In the hospital?" he said, his voice suddenly stern and urgent. He was already putting on his coat and had grabbed his car keys in one swift movement. In just seconds, he was already running out his apartment.


    "We''re at home. We don''t know what to do," Huey exined. Just like Justin, Huey was ahead of his years, a lot more mature than he should be for his age.


    "I''ll be right there soon. Wait for me." Rain hung up and got in his car. He started the engine, and in no time, was on his way to Annie''s house. He drove as fast as the traffic would allow him, intent on getting there as soon as possible.


    ''Daddy said he''ll be right here soon. Does it mean he''s in S City now?'' Huey thought as he ran towards his mother.


    "Mommy, Mommy! Daddy said he''ll be right here soon and asked us to wait for him," Huey eximed in a cheerful voice.


    "Really? He''s back?" Annie said, surprised. She let out a long sigh of relief. Although she wasn''t so sure why, she trusted Rain. She was confident that he would know what to do. "Yeah. I told him Joyce has a fever, and he said he is on his way." Huey was ted. From their short phone conversation, Huey could tell that Rain loved him and Joyce very much. Annie said nothing more, and continued to give Joyce the cool sponge bath. Although she didn''t want to bother Rain, she felt happy that he seemed to still care for them.0000000

 Chapter 1711 An Engagement Ring (Part Two)

    Meanwhile, Rain was still on the road. He kept one hand on the wheel while he dialed Tom on his phone with the other. He put it on loud speaker and put it down on the passenger seat. It rang numerous times before Tom finally picked up.


    "You brat! Do you know what time it is right now? You better have a good reason or else you''re a dead man!" Tom roared. He had just fallen asleep, pissed at Rain''ste night call. Rain frowned.


    "Dude, rx. I''m driving. This is important. Joyce has a high fever and needs to be treated now. Can I bring her to your hospital or should I just bring her directly to your house?" Rain asked, his eyes glued on the road.


    "Oh, damn. I''m sorry. I don''t have a lot of medicines here. Send her to the hospital. I''ll be there soon. Don''t worry," he replied, his tone changing dramatically. Tom rubbed his eyes off from sleep and rolled off the bed. He knew there were a lot of well-equipped doctors at the hospital. A fever was rarely a cause for rm. But Rain was one of his best friends -- he wasn''t going to let him down.


    "All right. Thank you, Tom. See youter." Rain stepped down on the gas a bit harder, swerving sharply from left to right. Every second he wasn''t there was a second wasted, he thought.


    When he arrived at Annie''s house, he pulled over and ran to ring the doorbell. It was Huey who opened the door for him, which made Rain frown. He believed he had to talk with Annie on the security problem, as it was very dangerous to allow a kid to open the door. What if it was a bad guy outside the door? But now was not the right time, and he decided to talk to herter. The most important thing right now was to send Joyce to the hospital.


    "Daddy, you''re here so soon!" Huey was thrilled to see Rain stand outside the house.


    "Huey, where''s Joyce? Is she okay?" Rain entered the house, shut the door and held onto Huey''s hand.


    "She''s in her bedroom. Mommy is wiping her body with cool towels." Huey raised his head to look at Rain. He couldn''t keep his eyes off his father.


    Rain came into Annie''s view. She opened her mouth to talk, but no words came out.


    "Pack some of Joyce''s stuff. Clothes, and a couple of toys maybe. I''ll drive her to the hospital." Rain had no time to study Annie''s feelings right now. He walked up to Joyce and touched her forehead to feel her body temperature, furrowing his frown. Then he wrapped her with a nket and picked up her.


    Annie blinked, finallying to her senses. "Okay, hold up," she said. She grabbed Joyce''s thermos mug and coat. She also got a couple of pajamas and Joyce''s favorite stuffed toy.


    "Okay. Let''s go. Huey, are youing with us? Or do you want to stay?" Rain said in a soft voice.


    "I''ll stay here with nanny," he replied. Huey had already thought that he would be more of a hindrance if he came along.


    "All right. It''s veryte. You need to go to bed now. Don''t worry. Joyce will be fine." Rain gave Huey a reassuring smile.


    "I''ll be waiting here until Joyce cane home. See you, daddy." Huey hugged Rain tightly around his legs.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    "Let''s go," Annie urged. Huey let go of Rain and went up to Annie to give her a hug. She bent down and kissed Huey on the cheek before following after Rain.


    Shortly after, they arrived at Renxin Hospital. Tom was already there waiting for them. He went to work at once. He pressed his stethoscope against Joyce''s chest. After that he examined her mouth and ced a thermometer under her arm. "How''s Joyce? Is she okay?" Rain asked worriedly.


    "It''s not a big deal. She''s caught a cold, and her throat is inmed. I guess she was out in cold wind earlier today, huh? I''ll ask a nurse to give her an injection to bring down the fever. It''s a bit high -- 39.2 degrees." Tom put aside the thermometer and began to jot down prescriptions for Joyce on a piece of paper.


    "Cold wind?" Rain turned to Annie with a questioning look on his face. She lowered her gaze, trying to avoid eye contact.


    "Yeah. Well that''s my guess at least. She was probably sweating then, which would exin the fever," Tom replied, unaware that the question was not intended for him. He didn''t realize the weird atmosphere between the other two. Annie''s heart dropped to her stomach; she felt so ashamed of herself because she hadn''t paid close enough attention. The twins were ying on outside in the countryside all day. It was lucky that Huey didn''t catch a cold himself.


    Joyce had fallen asleep when the nurse finally came in with the antibiotics for her fever. But as soon as the needle went beneath her skin, Joyce screamed and wailed, struggling against the needle. Rain held her arms down, all the while trying to give her words offort. "Shhh! Joyce, don''t be afraid. This will help you get better, okay? Don''t worry. Daddy''s here to protect you." Rain consoled his daughter in a soft voice. His heart ached as he saw tears rolling down his daughter''s cheeks. At that moment, he wished so hard that he could suffer instead of Joyce.


    "Okay, it''s done. She needs to stay here for observation. When the feveres down, you can go home." Tom looked at Rain with awe. He didn''t expect a yboy like Rain to look so... father-like.


    "Thank you so much, Tom." Annie sighed in relief. She had met Tom before, but never knew that he worked as a doctor.


    "Don''t be so formal with me. Rain''s my best buddy. I''m going to my office now. Feel free to find me if there''s an emergency or if you need anything else." Tom left with a knowing smile. He looked at Rain suggestively, as if to say to him that now was his opportunity with Annie.


    Rain cradled Joyce in his arms. Soon enough, she was fast asleep once again. He carefullyid her on the hospital bed, and pulled up a chair to sit beside Annie. Silence stretched between Rain and Annie.


    "Belinda said you were on a business trip. When did youe back?" Annie started. She slowly nced at Rain, feeling that he was not really in a good mood.00000000???????

 Chapter 1712 An Engagement Ring (Part Three)

    "I literally just arrived at home when Huey called me," Rain replied curtly. He kept his eyes on Joyce, not meeting Annie''s gaze.


    "Thank you for taking us here. I didn''t know what I''d do if you weren''t here." Then, Rain looked at Annie. She panicked all of a sudden -- what if he knew that another man had confessed his love to her?


    "Thank you? Are you kidding me? Joyce is my daughter. Don''t thank me as if I''m just some random guy who was kind enough to lend a helping hand," Rain snapped back at Annie.


    "No, please don''t get me wrong. I didn''t mean it that way." she defended.


    "Okay. Why don''t you tell me what you meant? And what happened to Joyce? Where did you go?" Rain held his stare on Annie, expecting a decent exnation. ''Why is she like this? The way she talks... it''s like I''m not even the father of her children!'' he thought to himself.


    Annie looked away, unable to handle his burning re. "I... well... Fred said it was nice in the countryside, so we took the children for a pic today." She stole a quick nce towards Rain. "It was all my fault, and had nothing to do with Fred." Thest sentence had Rain infuriated. ''Really? I was just asking where you went. You couldn''t wait to defend that brat. You really love him, huh?'' he thought.


    "Ha-ha! Really? If you wanted to go out on a date with that man, just go with him by yourself. Why did you have to bring my children there? What were you thinking? Do you want my children to call him dad and have a happy family dinner?" Rain spat sarcastically. "Did you even have any idea that it''s winter now and how much colder it is in the countryside?" Rain fired one question after another, his eyes glistening with anger.


    Annie looked down, her hands balling up to fists at her sides. "Rain Xia," she said, her voice trembling. "Why are you so mean to me? I was so scared just moments ago that I might lose Joyce. I''m in this strange city, with no one to turn to. I don''t know where the nearest hospital is. Even if I did, I still wouldn''t know if that hospital is any good. Can''t you understand how frightened I was?" Annie had been depressed even since she came back to the city. She had been holding in her feelings for so long. She needed to -- for the kids'' sake. But now, it was too much for her to handle. "Obviously, you don''t understand because you''ve done nothing but yell at me! You''ve never consoled me, not even once!" she exploded. She turned to Rain, tears running down her cheek.


    Rain was stunned for a couple of seconds when he saw her crying. Then he held her in his arms, doing his best tofort her. Annie sobbed harder, trying to push him away. The more she pushed, the more Rain''s arms tightened around her. He was ready for Annie''s harsh words. But the tears and the hurt on her face?


    "I''m sorry... I''m sorry.. I didn''t mean to me you. I just couldn''t bear how you treated me when I saw you after so long," Rain cooed. The first thing he wanted to do when he saw Annie again was to hold her in his arms. Blood rushed through his body as he felt Annie''s warmth after years of separation. Before, he was still too proud to tell her that he still had feelings for her -- that he still loved her. Now, he just couldn''t bear it anymore.


    "No, of course you did! You''re always so cold and harsh towards me. You keep on saying hurtful words and expect me to forgive you right after. You even told me you''d marry me but you never even got a ring!" Annie cried. She no longer tried to push Rain away; she just sobbed against his shirt, letting the soft fabric absorb all her tears. Rain''s scent wafted into her senses. Annie sobbed softer, feeling a wave offort running through her body.


    "Okay. I''m sorry. It was all my fault. I won''t be cold towards you anymore. I won''t say any hurtful words. And you want an engagement ring? Okay, I''ll go buy one now." Rain consoled her in a soft voice, stroking her hair. After a couple of seconds, he pieced everything together, only then realizing what had been said. Rain pulled away from Annie and looked her straight in the eye, his face in shock. ''What did she just say? So does that mean it''s not that she doesn''t want to marry me but because I didn''t buy an engagement ring?'' he asked himself in disbelief.


    "Annie, what did you mean by that? When you mentioned the ring? Are you saying that as long as I propose to you, you''lle back to me with the kids?" Rain asked, his voice trembling. He couldn''t believe what he just heard.


    "What? No, I didn''t say anything..." Annie lied poorly. She looked away, embarrassed. She just got too excited that she went way ahead of herself and opened up to Rain more than she had anticipated. ''Oh god! How embarrassing!''


    "No, I heard you say it! The only reason we''re not married yet is because I didn''t buy an engagement ring sooner. Tell me that''s true!" Rain put his hands on her shoulders and forced her to look at him in the eye. This was his chance to finally get back together with her. "No,e on. It was just a slip of the tongue. Don''t take it seriously. I was just... going through a lot of emotions with Joyce being sick and all." Annie lowered her eyes to avoid eye contract with him.


    "Really? Wow... That really hurt." Rain lowered his head, trying his best to look sad. He gave a fake sniff, pretending that he was on the verge of tears. Annie turned to him, suddenly full of worry. "Hey, Rain. Are you okay?" Annie bit her lower lip. ''Did he really get hurt from what I said?''


    Rain convincingly acted like he was sad, but in reality, he was thrilled. He had just found out that Annie still loved him, and that was the best news he had ever heard in a long time.


    "Rain?" Annie called out as her hand reached to touch his back. ''Did he really believe what I said?'' she thought.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Shh!" Rain suddenly looked up at her. "Don''t talk. Let me take a close look at you." He cupped her face and gazed at her affectionately. All this time, he had thought that she didn''t love him anymore. But now, things were different. He didn''t know what he needed to do. Right now, all he wanted to do was to kiss her right then and there. His face inched closer to hers, his breath hot on her face. Annie was surprised, but she didn''t resist.


    Just when their lips were about to meet, Joyce groaned, waking up from her sleep. Annie and Rain straightened up right away.


    "Uh, I''m going check on Joyce." Annie stood and walked up to Joyce.


    Rain was a little disappointed, but a strong raging fire was starting to burn inside him. This was the chance he had waited so many years for. It was just a matter of time for them to get back together.00

 Chapter 1713 The Proposal (Part One)

    "Mommy, I feel sick," Joyce cried out softly. The pain caused by the high fever was bing unbearable to her.


    "Don''t worry, Joyce, you will be fine soon. Just take a good rest. When you wake up, I promise you will feel better, sweetheart," Annie murmured gently as she patted Joyce on her back in an attempt to console her.


    Rain came over and put the back of his hand on Joyce''s forehead to gauge her temperature. It didn''t feel as hot as before. The fever seemed to have reduced.


    "She''ll sleep well. The fever is almost gone. We can go home after a while," Rain said as he smoothed down Annie''s messy hair. She had rushed over to the hospital in such a hurry that she didn''t have time to put on a coat orb her hair. Fortunately, the room was equipped with a heater, so Rain didn''t need to worry that she might catch a cold.


    "Okay." Annie turned her head to the side timidly, avoiding his touch. She was embarrassed by how she had lost control of her emotions and thrown a tantrum at him just moments ago.


    "Bring Joyce to my ceter. I will send someone to pick up Huey in the morning, all right?" Rain suggested, feeling uneasy. He feared that Annie would refuse his offer once again.


    "I..." Annie was caught in a dilemma. She didn''t want to agree, as she somehow felt that there was no valid reason for her to stay over at his ce. She was not his legal wife. If she refused, there would be little chance that they would be together again. It was a difficult and momentous choice that would decide their fate together.


    "Annie, I know what you are concerned about. You are not secure around me because I used to be a womanizer. But I''ve changed, Annie. I promise you, from now on, I will only love you and the kids. No one else holds a ce in my heart. Just give me a chance, just one. I want to take care of our family," Rain said. He took off the ne from his neck and slipped out the ring hanging on it. Getting down on one knee, he gazed at her, his eyes shining with sincerity.


    The ring was old and might not have been appropriate for a proposal, but it was special to him. It was the only thing his mother had left him. He had been wearing it all these years. The piece of jewelry spanned two generations. Today, he wanted to hand over the precious ring to Annie, in hopes that she could feel his love through it.


    "You... are you serious?" Annie was too familiar with the ring. She remembered that many years ago, when she was in Britain, it had piqued her interest when seeing it on him. She found it strange that a man would wear a ring around his neck. Besides, it didn''t fit in with his handsome and modish look. The ornament looked a bit cheesy on him. She could tell from first nce that the ring didn''t cost much, and she had suggested he change into a more fashionable ne.


    He had all but refused her, dering that it was the only thing he had of his mother. He had no intentions of having it taken off his neck unless he died. It shocked her that he used the same ring to propose to her. It was a clear indicator of how important she was to him. Annie knew how much courage and determination it took for him to hand it over to someone else.


    "Of course, I''m serious. I imagine my mother would be happy to see you wear the ring. Please, just ept it." It was not the right time or ce for a proposal, but he was consumed by the desire to make her his. He feared this was all a dream and that once dawn broke, he would wake up and the moment would disappear into thin air.


    "Rain, can I... can I really take it?" Annie looked down at him with tears in her eyes. It was all going too fast and had managed to catch her off guard.


    "Let me put it on your finger. Sorry, it is sote and I can''t think of anything else that I can give to express my love for you. Please make do with this ring for now. I will buy you a new one first thing tomorrow." Hesitating, Rain slid it on her ring finger. As he saw the ring rest on it, he let out a trembling breath. He was finally relieved.


    "You don''t need to buy me another ring. I like it. It belonged to your mother and I know how important it is to you. You''ve given it to me now. I promise I''ll never let it out my sight. I see how much you want this between us." Annie gestured to the space between them, smiling as happy tears slid down her face. They had been quarreling with each other just moments ago, and now they were engaged. What a leap! She didn''t think they woulde into marriage so soon.


    "Is that a yes?" Rain was still slow and hesitant to realize what was happening. His silly question came after he had already put the ring on Annie''s finger. Did he not get a hint, or was he just obtuse?N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    "You have to promise me that you won''t shout at me as you did just now." Annie pouted, looking unhappy. She was the daughter of the British C Financial Group''s CEO and had always lived a luxurious life. If it were not for Rain, she would not have left herfortable home and traveled this far. She was a girl born with a silver spoon in her mouth and was easily hurt when someone talked to her harshly. That way, she could be very obstinate.


    "Okay, I promise." As long as she was willing to marry him, Rain would do whatever she wanted. Even if she asked him to p himself, he would relent!


    "Get up. You look so stupid down there." Annie didn''t think it was possible for her to forget Rain in this lifetime. She wanted to give their rtionship another chance. They might not have a perfect ending, but at the very least, they would make some beautiful memories together. She was just being realistic, not cynical. In these times, it was not umon for a marriage to break. Rain had always been a yboy. Today, he might feel as if he loved her so much that he couldn''t live without her. But tomorrow, he might feel the same about another woman.


    "Then it''s a yes?" Rain asked his idiotic question again. His IQ must have fallen to zero because he was so in love.?????

 Chapter 1714 The Proposal (Part Two)

    "If you keep asking me that question, I will probably change my mind." Annie was shy about saying a straightforward yes, but Rain wasn''t getting the hint. He kept trying to force an answer out of her. It was beyond annoying. "Really? Annie, I must be the happiest man in the world right now," Rain said loudly in excitement. Rain lifted her to his chest and spun her around.


    "Shush! Be quiet. Don''t wake Joyce up!" Annie shushed him with a forefinger to his lips, throwing a quick look at Joyce. She was satisfied to see that they hadn''t disturbed Joyce in her sleep.


    "Don''t worry. The fever just went down. She must be sound asleep." Rain lowered his head and leaned closer to Annie. She could feel the warm breathing from him.


    Only a second before Rain could taste her luscious lips, a perfunctory cough broke the silence.


    "Excuse me! Sorry, I didn''t barge in on purpose and disturb your private moment. I just wanted to check if Joyce''s fever is gone." Tom gulped as Rain red at him. He forced a smile and went to Joyce''s bedside.


    Rain gritted his teeth. Tom was shameless enough to say that interrupting them was not his intention, that jerk! He could have private moments with his wife whenever he wanted, but Rain was a single man. He finally got the chance to kiss his girl but lo and behold, Tom just popped out from nowhere at the critical moment! If he truly didn''t want to disturb them, he could have ignored them and quietly walked away. But instead, he made the sound just to startle the couple. Rain could tell from the sheer amusement on Tom''s face that he had been fibbing. He just wanted to annoy Rain.


    "She''s all right. The fever is down. I prescribed some medicines for her. You must remember to give them to her on time. I have also prescribed her an anti-pyretic. Give it to her when her temperature gets over 38.5. Clear?" Tom babbled on, dodging Rain''s pointed, burning gaze. It could havebusted him on spot. ''Huh, does he really need to be so furious? He looks like he wants to make a meal out of me. I only stepped in at the wrong moment, while he wanted to get cozy with his girl. It''s not my fault. I have to check on my patient!'' Tom knitted his brows in frustration.


    "All right. Then could we take her home now?" Annie used ''we'' instead of ''I''. It was obvious that she had already agreed to Rain''s suggestion. Tom too got her hint and winked at Rain surreptitiously, congratting him in secret. He was finally sessful in winning Annie back.


    "Yes, but you still need to pay attention to her. Her fever shouldn''t return." Tom lowered his head again. He could feel the pair of vengeful eyes bore into him all this time.


    "Okay. Thanks. Sorry to trouble you thiste." Rain was good friends with Tom, but Annie was not very familiar with him. She felt the need to express her utter gratitude to him.


    "It''s okay. Now only if the guy next to you stops ring daggers at me!" Tom put the stethoscope back in its case, ready to escape at any moment.


    "Huh! So you finally realized it! You are such a smart guy, Tom," Rain said coolly, narrowing his gaze. If it wasn''t for the fact that he had troubled Tom in the middle of the night to check on his daughter, he would have the doctor regret intruding on them just now. "Of course. I''m a doctor. No one is smarter than me," Tom said, oblivious to the sarcasm in Rain''s voice. He grinned as if he was walking on air at the high praise, almost forgetting that he had antagonized Rain just moments ago.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    "Oh! If that''s the case, we can save a lot on our research funds next year. You won''t need the money. You can do all the research with your smart brain itself." Rain smiled at him slyly. ''Try and piss me off next time! I''ll watch how you do your research without the money,'' Rain thought.


    "What? No! I didn''t mean that. Don''t take back your funds, please! I''ll get out of your sight immediately and never bother you ever again!" Tom wheeled around and hastily left before he could even finish speaking. He disappeared as quickly as a gust of wind whirling past them.


    "Haha! What is up with him?" Annie couldn''t help butugh, amused at Tom''s reaction.


    "Don''t mind him. Let''s go! You go and take the medicine, I''ll take Joyce to the car," Rain said as he bent down, ready to lift Joyce up. Suddenly, he seemed to realize something and straightened up. He took off his coat in an instant and put it on Annie gently. "This is to make sure you don''t catch a cold."


    "But what about you?" Annie''s heart warmed at Tom''s offer. But when she saw that he only wore a shirt and a vest, she felt a bit hesitant.


    "Don''t worry. I''ll be fine without the coat." Rain wrapped Joyce safely in the nket they had brought along. He held her to his chest, making sure she wouldn''t feel cold. It was said that a father''s arms was the safest ce in the world. Joyce smiled in her sleep, happy to be held so tenderly by her father.


    It was not the first time that Annie had entered Rain''s house, but when she set foot into the ce again, she felt like she was in a dream.


    Rain took Joyce to the room that he had specially prepared for her. It was decorated in pink, as if for a princess in a fairy tale. Cautiously, he put her down onto the bed and tucked her in. Finally, he heaved a sigh of relief. She could rest well now. "When did you prepare all this?" It never urred to Annie that he would have set up rooms for the kids. She was moved by his actions.


    "It was when I got to know they are my kids. I wanted us to reunite one day, so I asked the designer to n the kids'' rooms and decorate them. It was all very quick. All work was done within one week." Rain smiled intively. Unfortunately, he had been turned down by Anniest time. But his efforts weren''t in vain. The kids would live in their new rooms now that their family was reunited. It was a happy ending.


    "Thank you! Don''t say I shouldn''t be thankful. I mean it. I want to express my gratitude to you." Annie''s eyes reddened. Who didn''t want to be cherished like this? Rain had been so generous to them.


    "Silly girl. We''re family. Don''t say thank you to me ever again. I''ll forgive you for now, but just this once." Rain shushed her with his forefinger. He focused his eyes on her intently, his gaze full of affection. The deep love that had been kept locked up in his heart for so many years seemed to surge up.


    "You should go and take a shower. Take some rest. I can stay with Joyce." Annie assumed that he was exhausted after his journey in the flight. He had been beside Joyce, taking care of her in the hospital for so long too.????????????

 Chapter 1715 The Proposal (Part Three)

    "I''m not tired. It''s a pleasure to take care of my kid. But I may need a good bath." Just like Edward, Rain too was a germophobe. He paid excessive attention to personal hygiene.


    "Okay, go then." Annie avoided meeting his passionate gaze. She was overwhelmed by his enthusiasm tonight.


    Rain lowered his head and nted a gentle kiss on Joyce''s forehead, before turning around and leaving the room.


    After he left, Annie nced around the room with curiosity. The room had pink sheets, pink curtains and pink furniture. Everything was pink. It was the kind of room that appeared in the fantasies of every little girl who wished she was a princess.


    Annie was struck by tangled feelings when she thought about starting their new life. Whether or not their life would be happy - Annie didn''t know yet. But she should at least give it a try, not just for her sake but for the kids.


    Rain finished with his shower and walked in Joyce''s room, seeing that Annie had already fallen asleep by Joyce''s side. Annie had been exhausted. She had been running around with the kids all day, and at night, Joyce had fallen ill. Annie''s energy was consumed up. Fatigue got the better of her and she dozed off.


    Rain picked her up in his arms silently and tucked her in beside Joyce. He sat on the chair beside the bed. Tom had said that Joyce would need extra attention during the night. Rain didn''t dare go to sleep, fearing that Joyce might get feverish once again.


    Next morning, Annie blinked open her eyes, feeling that something was amiss. Yes, it was the room that Joyce had stayed inst night. But where was Joyce? She was not beside her. Besides, why was she lying in bed? She didn''t remember having gone to bedst night. "Joyce! Joyce!" Annie got up and walked out of the room without even wearing her shoes.


    As she walked toward the stairs, she heard joyfulughtering from the dining room. The sound was familiar to her. It was indeed Joyce.


    Doubtful, Annie walked down the stairs. Joyce was sitting on Rain''sp and eating porridge. He was feeding her with a spoon. She looked better after a good night''s sleep.


    "Mommy!" Joyce blurted out in excitement. Her eyes had moved toward Annie as she came down.


    Rain raised his head. He frowned at the sight of Annie''s bare feet and put Joyce in her chair, walking toward his fianc¨¦e.


    "Why didn''t you wear your shoes? Don''t you feel cold walking barefoot?" He lifted Annie up without hesitation. She was startled by his sudden action and yelped, wrapping her arms around his neck instinctively.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Haha! Mommy, you are an adult. You don''t need Daddy to hold you." Joyce pped her hands merrily, making fun of her mother.


    "Rain, put me down. Joyce is looking at us!" Annie''s face was flushed. Joyce was rather mischievous, and that made her all the more embarrassed.


    "Now you''re embarrassed. Remember to put on your shoes next time. It''s winter now, not summer." Rain put her down on a chair. He bent down and touched her feet with his hands. Her feet were freezing.


    "I''m okay," Annie said meekly. The more Rain cared for her, the more she blushed. She couldn''t help but hold her feet back.


    "Don''t move. I''ll warm your feet right up." Rain wrapped his hands around her feet. He was much like Edward when it came to love. When he didn''t love a person, he could ignore herpletely. But once he truly fell for someone, hevished all his love on the object of his affection. He was ready to make Annie feel like she was the luckiest woman in the world.


    "No, no. They are dirty." She had walked barefoot on the floor and was sure that her feet had dust on them. They would only make his hands dirty.


    "Don''t worry about that. The floor is very clean. If you think your feet are dirty, it means that the cleaners were cking around." Rain raised his eyebrows at her, smiling cunningly. He was curious as to how she would escape him now.


    "Oh!" Annie stuck out her tongue in embarrassment. Of course. She had not considered that the maids had cleaned up.


    "Mommy, where is Huey?" Feeling ignored, Joyce immediately butted in, attracting their attention.


    "Huey is at home. You had a high fever yesterday, so he stayed at home." Annie moved her feet back toward herself. She was not ustomed to being intimate with Rain in front of the kids.


    "Don''t worry, Joyce. I have called up Huey. I told him that I would pick him upter." Noticing that Annie had shuffled her feet back, Rain stopped pestering her. They were not as cold as before now. He had warmed them up enough.


    "Really? Yay! That''s wonderful. Mommy, does that mean that we would always be here from now on?" Inparison to the ce they lived before, Joyce preferred to stay here. Not only was the mansion huge, but there were so many toys here that she could y with. Her room was beautiful too, right out of a fairy tale.


    "Yes." Annie had been keeping her head down all this time, like she was a newly-wed. She felt bashful and dodged Rain''s ardent eyes that were pinned on her. He was smirking at her wickedly.


    Rain didn''t want to force her to face him. He wanted to see when she would stop being so shy.


    "Well, I have to brush my teeth. I''m going to wash up," Annie blurted out nervously, standing up. Before she could step on the floor, however, Rain gripped her arm. "Put on the shoes first," Rain said as he stood up with her and picked up a pair of cotton-padded shoes from somewhere.


    "Thanks." Annie put on the shoes and pushed past his shoulder without turning around to look at him. She felt it would be dangerous if she stayed here for a second longer.


    "Daddy, what''s wrong with Mommy?" Joyce asked, her expression curious.


    "Nothing. Your Mommy is just being shy." Rain grinned, no longer looking like a yboy. Instead, he had transformed into a loving family man.


    "Oh! I see. Huh. Mommy is shy!" Joyce giggled, her shoulders hunched. Her mouth was covered by her hand in an attempt to be silent.


    "Don''t say it to her face. She would blush and get embarrassed." Rain was just learning how to get along with his daughter. He hoped that Joyce would ept him as her father in a short time. He recalled how Joyce had said once that she liked Fred more than him. Rain was determined to double up his efforts to win Joyce''s heart.


    After breakfast, Rain went to Annie''s house. Joyce had notpletely recovered and Annie had to stay back to look after her. Rain needed to pick up some essentials for them from Annie''s house. As for the rest of the stuff, Rain nned to move it all to his house some dayster.

 Chapter 1716 I Will Be With You As Long As You Want Me (Part One)

    Huey didn''t know that things could change so fast, almost overnight. When he opened his eyes, everything was different, like his life hadpletely changed in the blink of an eye. He was overwhelmed with excitement and happiness. So, when he saw Rain, he immediately ran towards him and threw himself into his father''s arms. It was the first time that he could act like a boy his age. Huey had always maintained a cool and collected facade. It was rare for him to show his true feelings.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    "Daddy, are we going to live with you forever from now on? We will not be apart again, right?" Huey''s small voice trembled with barely contained excitement, but also fear at his father''s answer. After years without a father, his joy was only marred by the threat of losing Rain again.


    "Yes! Does that make you happy?" Rain assured him with a huge hug and a sound kiss on his cheek. He was also thrilled that he finally had a family of his own, and he couldn''t wait to start the new chapter of his life with them.


    "Yes! I am really, really happy!" It was understandable why Huey was this happy. Because now, he was finally like other kids and had two parents. He finally had a mommy and a daddy. He finally had a whole family like he had always wanted.


    Being reunited with your family was a joy which couldn''t be articted to others. At the prospect of living happily together from now on, Huey''s little heart skipped a beat. Always a cautious child he was aware that there were people who could be jealous and petty and threaten their contentment. He had already decided in his young mind that he would fight for his new family. No one was going to steal their joy.


    Back at the FX International Group.


    "Congrattions! I heard that Annie ''actually'' said yes to your proposal," Edward said with a teasing grin. In fact, his heart was really happy for Rain, and it showed in his easy smile. He was d that Rain had found Annie and that they had been able to make up. Life was full of surprises and it had gifted them with two beautiful children. Now, Rain also had a family that he could call his own.


    "Thanks! I appreciate it, and of course she said yes." Rain couldn''t stop smiling, his face glowed with joy. His life finally seemedplete. Since Annie had agreed to marry him, his face had lit up incandescently.


    "When is the wedding ceremony? I can''t wait for it. It will be a good opportunity for all of us to get together and celebrate your good fortune to have finally found love." They were all busy, and the opportunities for them to get together and have fun were bing fewer. With their own families to take care of, there just wasn''t much time during the past two years, especially since they started having children. Responsibilities and age had changed their previous carefree lifestyles.


    "We haven''t decided, yet. I will have to go back to the UK with her first." Rain had already begun preparing for the meeting with Annie''s family in the UK. There were a lot of things that he needed to exin to them to assure them enough so that they would let Annie marry him. It seemed that he had a lot of groveling to do. That was why they hadn''t even talked about the wedding ceremony, but now that Edward mentioned it, they needed to take care of that swiftly.


    "Oh, then you should prepare for it with some careful consideration. I am certain that her family will not easily ept you, especially if they know that she left home because of you." Edward intentionally feigned serious concern, making the trip sound scary. In fact, he had heard that the CEO of the C Financial Group was a very reasonable man, so he wouldn''t intentionally make Rain''s life harder by not letting Annie marry him. Rain didn''t have much to worry about.


    "Yeah, I am aware of that. But it''s all right. I deserve anything they do to me. It was indeed my fault that Annie left home. As long as they let Annie marry me and give us their blessing, I don''t care what punishment they choose to impose." Rain smiled recklessly, for he was truly not afraid of meeting her family or getting chastised by them. He knew what he had done wrong and he was ready to own up. He would not give up so easily. God gave him a second chance to be with Annie and their beautiful kids, and he would not let the precious chance slip through his fingers again.


    "That''s good to hear. But about the KD Group... You should be careful of them. I am afraid..." Edward''s worry was legitimate. Maybe they couldn''t do anything to Rain, but they now had a soft target to aim at with his new family. Edward worried that they would choose to threaten Rain''s children and Annie, because they were now his vulnerability.


    "Yeah, I have considered it too. I have to be extremely careful and ensure that they are well protected. That brings me to the reason why I am here. I know that your father has contacts with some good bodyguards, right? Can I borrow two professionals from him? I want them to secretly follow and protect the kids and Annie, around the clock, in case something happens which threatens them." Rain knew that there was a big possibility that the people in the KD Group would want to hurt Annie and the kids to get back at him. So, he had to be prepared. His first thought, concerning their safety, was that Edward''s father (being the leader of a secret organization), must have some really good bodyguards who were trained in such matters.


    "I see. I will speak to him this evening when I get home. There shouldn''t be any problems. But I have to warn you that he hasn''t been in a good mood recently. So, the price of borrowing bodyguards from him might be exorbitantly high." Edward shrugged helplessly. Recently, the atmosphere at their home was chilled with confrontations between his parents.


    "Why is that? Does it have something to do with your mom? Maybe she stared at some other handsome guy and made your dad jealous?" Rain asked, his curiosity piqued. In fact, things like that constantly happened with Edward''s parents.


    "Something like that," Edward grumbled, not knowing what to say about his parents. They were both over fifty, but sometimes, they still acted like children with endless bickering and squabbling.


    "Okay, fine. If that''s what it takes, then I will have to pay a lot," Rain said with a helpless sigh, pretending to be sad at spending extra money. But in fact, he was never short of money. He just hoped that Edward''s father would not give him a hard time, and make the arrangements swiftly.


    "Just pray to God to let the two of them make up soon." The corners of Edward''s lips lifted into a sardonic smirk. It was somewhat entertaining to watch his friend agonize about these minor details.


    "All right, all right. As long as he is happy and agrees to lend me some bodyguards, I don''t mind spending extra money." Rain was unconcerned about the money. Annie and his children were now his priority. He rose and prepared to leave.00000000

 Chapter 1717 I Will Be With You As Long As You Want Me (Part Two)

    "So, if you''re fine with paying more, then I can tell my father to charge you even more." Edward said in a yful tone, though, he was just messing with Rain. Of course he wouldn''t do that.


    "What the hell, Edward? I am broke as fuck! Besides, now I have a wife and two kids to provide for! You just can''t do that to me!" Rain whined aloud. Had he known that Edward might do this, he wouldn''t have acted that he didn''t care about money at all.


    "Well, it''s out of my hands. You''ll have to discuss it with my father." Edward didn''t lend any credence to Rain''sints. He knew that Rain was a wealthy man. He earned more money at the FX International Group in a year, than most people earned in their whole life- time. He could easily afford to pay for professional bodyguards.


    "Well, I don''t dare toin to your father." He knew how frightening Edward''s father could be, and he would never seek to cross him. That would never happen.


    "Then there is nothing I can do about it." Edward just shrugged helplessly with an indifferent look on his face, acting like there was really nothing he could do to help Rain.


    "All right, all right, if that makes you happy. I have to go now. There are other matters that require my attention. And Edward, remember what I said." With these words and a small wave, Rain headed for the door and a mission of great importance to him. "Where are you going?" Edward asked him with a knowing glint in his eyes.


    "I''ll tell youter, don''t miss me too much." Rain replied over his shoulder without a backward nce, and then he was gone.


    "What a cheeky bastard," Edward mumbled under his breath, feeling amused. Rain had a new lease on life, it seemed, but to be honest, Edward was really happy for his friend. For a moment longer Edward studied the door which Rain had disappeared through, then he picked up some reports and continued working.


    Today they were filming themercial outdoors, so Annie was weighed down by a big backpack loaded with jewelry samples and anything else that she might need. Despite it still being winter, Annie had ayer of sweat beading her brow. Shooting outdoors was really tiring.


    "Miss An, can you help me polish my shoes? Look, they are a bit dirty. I am afraid it will affect the result of the wholemercial." Eleanor called out to her. She had disliked Annie at first sight. There was no obvious reason why she took a loathing to the talented young designer, but her gut told her that this woman could cause her some serious difficulty. So, whenever she got a chance, she would try to make Annie''s life unpleasant.


    "Well, sorry. That''s not my job," Annie bluntly refused her unreasonable request. She couldn''t understand why Eleanor thought she could ask her to polish her shoes for God''s sake! She was neither her assistant, nor her agent. She was not responsible for her shoes, or any other menial tasks. Annie felt slighted by the spiteful request. Who did she think she was, to ask Annie to polish her shoes for her?


    "But I am representing your brand image, correct? So, you should be responsible for the design and finish. Am I right?" Eleanor was a typical diva: all cocky and arrogant. She acted like she was entitled to be pampered and fawned over by everyone. In fact, she hadn''t dared to be so petty to Annie when they were at thepany facilities, because Belinda was there. But now, it was different. There was no one to back Annie up, and Eleanor could now do and say anything she wanted to.


    "No. I am only responsible for making my designs be showcased effectively on the model. That''s my only job here. I am not responsible for you and your shoes, let alone polishing them for you." Annie couldn''t help but get angry at Eleanor''s behavior. To be honest, Eleanor was definitely the most difficult model she had ever worked with, and herck of professionalism frustrated the shit out of her. She didn''t know when to stop and was arrogant for no reason. Besides, she wasn''t as good a model as she believed.


    "What if I demand that you polish my shoes?" Eleanor growled harshly. She was bing vexed at Annie''s refusal. In her mind, Annie had no right to rebuff her like this. She was merely a jewelry designer, nothing more. Besides, she needed her modeling skills to do thismercial and sell her jewelry. She should do as instructed.


    "Then I refuse!" Annie answered firmly, without a second''s hesitation. Eleanor''s unreasonableness was making Annie angry now. This model was impossible to get along with, let alone work with.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Fine. If you don''t polish my shoes right now, I will not finish shooting themercial for you." Eleanor arrogantly raised her chin, ring at Annie proudly. She seemed satisfied that her behavior would be epted and win her this argument.


    "How about I personally polish your shoes for you, huh?" Rain interrupted suddenly. Both women looked around startled, as he had appeared out of nowhere. Standing casually, with his hands in his pockets, he stared Eleanor down coldly. She was frightened by his cial gaze. She had never seen him act like this before, and she instantly regretted that she had not kept her mouth shut earlier.


    "Mr... Mr. Xia. What on earth are you doing here?" To say Eleanor was rattled was an understatement. She was utterly shocked at Rain''s presence. She never expected that he would attend today''s shoot. She realized that he must have heard their heated exchange and now he might think poorly of her. She didn''t want that to happen. What she didn''t know was that even if she had been nice to Annie, Rain still would not like her.


    "If I hadn''te here, I wouldn''t have seen such an interesting drama happening in front of me. What do you say, Miss Xiao?" Rain nced at Annie in concern, then turned his head to fix Eleanor in ce with an angry,. stone cold re. Though he acted calm and collected, inside he fumed over Eleanor''s attitude and words. He wouldn''t stand for his wife-to-be being treated like dirt by some random and insignificant woman.


    Annie hadn''t expected Rain''s arrival either; so, she felt unsure of how to react now. It was embarrassing for her that Rain was seeing her being treated so disrespectfully by a model. It was humiliating that it appeared like she couldn''t deal with Eleanor herself, and needed Rain''s help.


    "Um. You... you misunderstood. It''s just us girls teasing and bantering. It was a joke, really. Am I right, Miss An?" Eleanor''s eyes pleaded with Annie for support and help out of this awful mess she was now in. But of course Annie wouldn''t help her after her appalling attitude towards her. She just ignored Eleanor and pretended not to notice her silent appeal. Instead, she lowered her head and started sorting out the contents of the backpack.


    "Well, it seems, Miss Xiao, that you really enjoy acting. If you like acting so much, then I have a golden opportunity for your skills. Ourpany just signed on the production of a new movie. There is a role in the flick that is quite suitable for you, in my opinion." Rain''s tone was businesslike, but there was a cold mirth flickering in his eyes. Of course he wouldn''t let this woman''s insulting treatment of his beloved go unpunished. She would surely pay for her actions.00000

 Chapter 1718 I Will Be With You As Long As You Want Me (Part Three)

    "Re... Really? You are not pulling my leg? Am I going to be the lead actress, Mr. Xia?" Eleanor stuttered, somewhat surprised. She had feared that Rain would be unhappy with her, after witnessing the interaction between Annie and her. What she would never have


    expected was that he would offer her the chance to appear on the big screen. She was so happy that her eyes were shining with excitement.


    Upon hearing Rain''s words, Annie felt utterly confused. She turned to look at Rain with a muddled stare. She had no idea what he was trying to do. Why would he reward Eleanor, the woman who just insulted his babies'' mother, with a chance to be on the big screen? She just couldn''t understand.


    "You are wrong, but not by much. You are not going to be the leading actress. You are ying her maid. I heard that it is a very difficult role. The main character likes to torture her maid. I was just wondering who I was going to choose to y that part, then I saw you! What a nice coincidence. Clearly, there is no one who is more suitable for that role than you. Besides, since you enjoy acting so much -- who am I to deny your desire to act? The role is yours. You are most wee." Rain''s tone was sarcastic and snarky. Eleanor really did overestimate her charms. Rain couldn''t possibly dislike her more than he did at that moment. Who was she to insult the woman he loved like that? She was surely too arrogant for her own good.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org.


    "Ha ha!" Annie couldn''t help butugh out loud. She had thought that Rain was really giving Eleanor a chance to be famous. But it seemed that she was wrong. Rain was really something else. How did hee up with such a good idea to punish Eleanor so swiftly? Annie really couldn''t figure it out.


    Eleanor red apoplectically at Annie upon hearing herugh. If looks could kill, Annie would have dropped dead on the spot. Then she turned her head to Rain with a fake smile fixed on her lips. Her eyes were pleading now, "Mr. Xia, can I not y that role. Please." "Of course, you can refuse the job. But be careful, if you give up this rare chance, you might not be offered roles in the future. It''s totally up to you though." Rain didn''t even try to hide that he was threatening her with the death of her career. He knew that Eleanor wanted to be famous, but he would ensure that the road to sess was not an easy one. She had already gotten on his bad side, and he was not likely to forgive nor forget.


    Eleanor couldn''t help but falter and stumble backwards a bit upon hearing his threatening words. How did ite to this? Why was he helping Annie? And most importantly, why was he treating her like this? She knew that she really shouldn''t have treated Annie so badly in front of him. But now, it was toote.


    Rain directed a sarcastic smirk at her, and then walked to stand beside Annie. He didn''t say another word, but just silently took the backpack from her and helped her carry it. As soon as he took up the backpack, his eyebrows knitted in surprise. Why was it so heavy? Did she put stones in it? How did she carry it by herself?


    "Why are you here?" Annie asked in a small voice, her lower lip adorably caught between her teeth. She didn''t know why he woulde here all of a sudden, without telling her first.


    "We have somewhere to be, so I am here to pick you up. Belinda told me that I could find you here, so, I came right away." When he was talking to Annie, Rain''s attitudepletely changed. It was like he was someone else, someone gentler and softer. The icy heart melted away instantly in front of Annie. He spoke to Annie with a tender tone that Eleanor had never heard before, and his eyes were full of affection and love when he looked into Annie''s eyes.


    Eleanor watched the scene happening in front of her with disbelieving eyes. What was happening? Was she dreaming? Annie had told her that she didn''t have anything to do with Rain for God''s sake! ''Did she lie to me about her rtionship with Rain?'' Eleanor couldn''t help but think. ''How will she exin this then? She must have lied to me! Or maybe Rain is just fooled by that sneaky woman.'' She tried to convince herself and find a truthful reason for the intimate interaction between Rain and Annie.


    "Mr. Xia, um, do you know that Miss An already has a husband and two kids?" Eleanor interrupted them in a malicious tone. She red at Annie with unkind eyes. She thought that Rain was fooled by Annie and that he thought she was still single. ''It is the only possible reason why he seems to be attracted by her. That''s definitely it!'' Eleanor tried to reassure herself. She wanted Rain to know the truth and see through Annie''s lies. She wouldn''t lose Rain to some in and ordinary designer, never!


    "Yes, of course I know. You wanna know why? Because I am her husband. And those two kids are also mine. They are my family." Rain was never the type of man to hide his feelings. He was not afraid to show everyone that he was in love with Annie. It was the truth after all, and he shouldn''t want to hide it. That was why Rain was being honest, and didn''t mind others knowing about their rtionship.


    "Wh... what? What did you say? It... it can''t be real! It shouldn''t be! You are lying, right?" Eleanor was so shocked that she couldn''t even stand on her own legs. Her body was shaking and it seemed that she was about to faint. Luckily, a nearby crew-member gave her a hand and steadied her so she didn''t fall to the ground.


    "Of course, I wasn''t lying. Why can''t it be real? Anyway, what is it to do with you, Miss Xiao? Huh?" Rage had now filtered into Rain''s face and he smiled darkly, but the smile didn''t reach his stone cold eyes. Eleanor was an insect caught in the re of his hard stare.


    "I would have known about it, if you were really married! You must be lying!" Eleanor continued protesting dumbly, totally confused. She couldn''t believe her own ears. It was a huge mess. If Rain really was Annie''s husband, then who was the man she saw with Anniest time? Eleanor couldn''t think straight anymore.¨®?????????????

 Chapter 1719 I Will Be With You As Long As You Want Me (Part Four)

    "Ha! You are really funny, Miss Xiao. Why would I lie about something like this? Besides, why should I tell you if I am married or not? It is none of your business! I have nothing to do with you. Even if I had, you would not have the right to know, let alone judge my decision! You are nothing to me." Ever since he found out about Eleanor''s designs on him, he had been keeping his distance from her. He didn''t want to cause any false rumors about the two of them at all. Now, it seemed that he had been wise to keep his distance. She was an arrogant and vicious woman. What? Did she really think that she could tame him and make him fall in love with her? That was just in ridiculous! It would never happen, not even in her wildest dreams. You could call Rain arrogant and self-absorbed all you wanted, but he had just known that Eleanor would never be good enough for him.


    "But why does it have to be her? Why Annie?" Eleanor was confused and furious at the same time. She could not understand what Rain saw in Annie. In her mind, she should be the one standing beside Rain and being loved and spoiled by him. Why did it have to be Annie? Why? After all, she had a hotter and nicer body than Annie. And she was younger than Annie, too. She was better than her in every possible way! Why couldn''t Rain see it? Was he blind? What did Annie have, that she didn''t? Sure, she was an elegant designer, Eleanor couldn''t deny that. But that was it. That was all Annie had going for her. ''She has nothing on me!'' Eleanor thought indignantly.


    "Why? Ha, you are really ridiculous, Miss Xiao! You don''t have the right to demand any answers from me. But tell you what, I will be generous and put you out of your misery. I chose her because she is the mother of my kids, and she is therefore the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. I love her, and that will never change. So, I don''t want to see something ugly like this happen again while you are working with her, understood? Or I won''t hesitate to find another model." Though he was aware that he didn''t represent the YS Group, he believed that Belinda wouldn''t disagree with him, not if she knew exactly what had happened. She might even be angrier than him, to be honest.


    Annie turned to look at Rain in surprise upon hearing his words. She was deeply touched by his confession and her eyes couldn''t help but glisten with emotion. She suddenly felt that everything had been worth it upon hearing his words. Though she had suffered through a lot alone, and had been raising the kids on her own, she was now truly happy that she and Rain had still found each other in the end.


    "Come on, let''s go!" Rain took Annie''s hand and gently led her away. He had somewhere else to be with her right now. To be honest, he had spent so much time publicly exining to Eleanor not only to help Annie, but also to let others know that Annie was the woman whom he loved and cherished. He wanted everyone to know it, and understand the unassable ce which Annie held in his heart.


    "Where are we going?" Annie asked confused, but since she trusted himpletely she didn''t struggle in his grasp. She knew now that she could count on Rain to deal with anything. That was why she didn''t hesitate to leave themercial shoot with Rain. She was however curious as to where Rain was taking her in such a hurry.


    "I am going to sell you," Rain jested. He wasn''t going to tell her where they were going. To be honest, he was a bit afraid that she would refuse to go with him. He feared that she would anticipate his intentions and rebuff him. That was why he first wanted to get them to his destination, and then she would know what he wanted to do. And if she opposed to his idea, then Rain would just have to give up and wait.


    "I don''t think that I would fetch you a lot of money," Annie quipped. Sensing Rain''s urgency, she got in the car with Rain. In fact, she didn''t worry about where they were going as long as Rain was with her. Besides, Rain''s defending her in front of everyone had put her in a very good mood.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    "Well, it seems that you know you aren''t worth a lot of money too." Rain smiled warmly at her, turned the ignition and started driving.


    "You meanie!" Annie puckered up her lips in a cute way, didn''t say anything else, but smiled brightly.


    Annie was surprised when they parked in front of the local Civil Affairs Bureau. Her mouth was agape with iprehension as she looked up at the building through the car window. No matter what she might have expected, she''d never have expected this at all. Why did Rain bring her here?


    "Wha... what are we doing here?" Her heart started beating faster and faster in her chest. She could hear its rapid stato pounding in her ears. It was so loud that she almost felt dizzy. The answer to the question lingered in her heart, but she dared not believe it. She needed to hear Rain say it out loud. She was excited and expectant; but at the same time, she was also a bit nervous and hesitant.


    "Will you say no? If you want to refuse me, now is yourst chance." Rain stared into her eyes, serious as hell. He might have seemed to be calm and collected; but, inside he was so nervous that he felt he might ruin everything by retching. He held his breath, waiting for Annie''s answer.


    "And what about you? Must I give you the chance to say no, too?" Annie had been pondering all considerations for thest few days. And she had made up her mind. Instead of hesitating and waiting for the right time toe, she would rather seize every chance at happiness and face everything that was going to happen to her. She wasn''t afraid to face challenges with Rain, and she knew that they could do it. As long as they fought together, they would be happy in the end.


    "No, of course I won''t. I want you! Then, does it mean that you are ready to marry me?" Rain asked her for thest time, wanting to make sure that she was really ready to marry him. He didn''t want to waste more time, for they had wasted too much time already. Besides, he didn''t want anyone else to sweep her off her feet before he had a chance, especially not Fred. He was his biggestpetition. Rain just had to make Annie his as soon as possible.00000

 Chapter 1720 I Will Be With You As Long As You Want Me (Part Five)

    having no regrets. And by the time the two of them left the building, she had already be Mrs. Xia legally.


    "Yes, I am ready! I will be with you as long as you want me. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I am sure of it." Annie nodded firmly, looking at Rain with determination andrge affectionate eyes. She took Rain''s hand and walked into the building with him, finally "Congrattions, Miss An. You are Mrs. Xia from now on. How do you feel right now?" Rain reached his hand out to shake hands with Annie, sealing their deal, and trying to keep a straight face at the same time. In fact, he just couldn''t contain his happy grin. He was finally married to the woman he loved!


    "Congrattions to you too, Mr. Xia. Now you finally have a wife. How do you feel right now?" Annie reached out and took Rain''s hand in hers. They were finally married after all these years'' suffering and waiting. She finally had the man she had been in love with, and chasing for years. Now, they were a legal couple, and they had their own little family. They couldn''t wait to start their married life.


    "I feel like kissing you. I really want to kiss you, right now!" Rain said in a fervent tone. And before Annie could react, he put his lips on hers and held her tightly in his arms. Though it was not the first time that the two of them kissed, it felt like the first time. Now, they kissed as a bona fide married couple, and their passionate kiss showed their deep love for each other.


    Kissing in public would surely make some heads turn, but they didn''t care at all. They just got married for God''s sake! They were happy and needed the kiss to celebrate their love and seal their promise. Besides, this was the local Civil Affairs Bureau after all, and they were not the only ones who were here to get married. People here would surely understand their feelings. It was a sacred ce, and it was also the ce where they became legal partners.


    Unfortunately, right as they were passionately kissing each other, Annie''s phone rang, making both of them jump in surprise. They had to break the kiss. Annie removed her phone from her pocket and frowned at the name on the caller ID.


    It was Fred. Annie hesitated, and looked at Rain with unsure eyes. She was worried that Rain would be unhappy. This was after all their moment, so she didn''t know if she should answer it or not.


    "Just take the call! What are you waiting for? Maybe he has something urgent to tell you." This time, Rain was not jealous, because the woman standing in front of him had just be his legal wife. Now, he had nothing to worry about. He no longer feared that some other man woulde and snatch her up anymore. They belonged only to each other from now on. And it made him extremely happy.


    Annie let out a sigh of relief, assured by his words. Then she took the call. "Hello, Fred. What is the matter?"


    "Annie, where are you? I rang your door bell, but no one answered. The neighbor told me that you moved away. What happened? Don''t you live there anymore?" Fred felt uneasy. He didn''t know why Annie had moved without telling him. He had a very bad feeling about this. Something must have happened that he didn''t know about.


    "Oh. I moved away the other day. I don''t live there anymore. I am sorry that I didn''t tell you sooner. Ipletely forgot. I am extremely busy these days. I am really sorry, Fred," Annie said in a very apologetic tone. She wasn''t lying. She hadpletely forgotten that she should at least tell Fred that she had moved away. In fact, she hadn''t expected that things would happen so fast with Rain. That was why she hadn''t had any time to consider other things and call Fred to tell him the news. But Annie was unconcerned as she was happy where she was right now. She finally got married to the man she loved. She looked forward to her future life with Rain and their little family.


    "You moved away? Then where do you live now? Please give me your new address. I wille and find you." Fred''s heart sank upon hearing Annie''s words. Why did she move away? Was she avoiding him? He felt that things were getting out of his control. Suddenly, he didn''t know what to do anymore. That was why he hurriedly asked for Annie''s new address. He wanted to see her and be assured about their rtionship.


    "Um. Fred, how about I call you backter? I am a bit busy right now, so, I can''t really talk," Annie answered Fred''s question a bit vaguely. She didn''t know how to exin to him about her rtionship and history with Rain. She just didn''t know what to say, because it wasplicated, and she was also still confused herself. She just knew that she loved Rain, and was ready to spend the rest of her life with him. But she couldn''t just tell Fred that, because she knew that it would hurt his feelings, and she didn''t want to hurt him. Besides, it was not a conversation that should be done over the phone. Though she had never epted Fred as a significant other, she could not bluntly ignore his care andpany over the past few years. He deserved better from her. His solicitude was something she was forever indebted to him for, and she couldn''t thank him enough for being there when she needed someone. But she just couldn''t lie to herself. She would never be in love with Fred. So, no matter what, she owed it to him to rify things, and give him a proper exnation. After all, Fred had just confessed his feelings for her the other day. If not for that, she could have pretended that she was unaware of his feelings, and everything would have been fine. But now, she just couldn''t act like nothing happened between them. She would set things straight. It was just that today was really not the time. This was their day. The day that she and Rain got married, and it belonged to the man she would spend the rest of her life with. It was time for celebration and being with their family.


    "Oh, okay. I will wait for your call then." Fred''s heart had sunk into his stomach. He couldn''t help but fear the worst. She wouldn''t even tell him her new address for God''s sake! He felt sad and uneasy. It seemed that they were suddenly drifting apart, and it was not something that Fred wanted. He was in love with Annie, and he wanted to be with her. He knew he was pressuring her, but he just couldn''t help it. He had a bad feeling that he was about to lose her. Thinking of this dark possibility, Fred just couldn''t breathe. His heart throbbed painfully in his chest, making it hard for him to breathe properly. It felt like his whole world was crumbling in front of his eyes.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1721 Let Her Go (Part One)

    After hanging up the phone, Annie took a look at Rain, trying to gauge his mood. To her surprise, Rain grinned at her. "Let''s go!" he said. "Let''s go back home!"


    It was not like he wasn''t a little suspicious of Fred. He was, but he knew that Annie was right here. Right now. With him. He just learned to rx and let it go.


    Annie made an appointment to meet Fred the next day. Before she got to the meeting ce, she felt somewhat embarrassed. She had made this big decision all of a sudden, and everyone would be blown away if they knew.


    Sitting at a table beside the window and waiting for Fred, Annie looked out the window, staring at the passers-by outside hurrying about their business. It was for the first time in her life that she felt close to this city, because from now on she could live happily here, with her family.


    "Sorry I''mte," Fred said as soon as he arrived. He was decked out in a formal suit and a woolen overcoat. He looked like a dapper gentleman.


    "No, you''re notte. I got here early," Annie said. Since she was the one who suggested they meet, she had gone out quite early. She didn''t want to keep Fred waiting.


    "You''re in a good mood," Fred said, taking off his coat and putting it over the back of the chair. He observed her carefully this whole time.


    "Really? Thank you!" Annie touched her face with her hand in embarrassment. She could feel her blush.


    "Something to drink?" Fred felt dejected. Annie looked different today. She was strong and happy. It bubbled up from within her, and anyone close to her could feel it.


    "I already ordered," Annie said with a faint smile. "I got you your favorite coffee," she continued. She wore a faint smile on her face, which wouldn''t look offending to the eye.


    "Joyce and Huey all right? I hope they weren''t too pooped after the pic the other day," Fred beat about the bush. He was ufortable asking why she had moved.


    "They''re okay. Joyce had a high fever, but she''s good now," Annie kept her head low. She didn''t want to look him in the eye.


    "What? A fever? You must have been worried! Why didn''t you call?" Fred asked. He was annoyed. He med himself for forgetting that the wind at the countryside was a bit too cold for the kids. All he had wanted was to make them happy.


    "It waste, and I didn''t want to bother you. Besides, you don''t really know your way around here, huh?" Annie said, frowning. Really, she was ufortable as well. She was trying not to be too honest, so people didn''t worry about her. But still, that was exactly what was happening.


    "Bother me? I already said that I care about you, and I got your back. We are not strangers," Fred tried to wear a smile, feeling discouraged. With a heavy heart, he found that Annie had be more distant. After he had confessed his love to her, everything had changed. "I didn''t treat you as a stranger, but Huey made a call to his daddy, so..." Annie didn''t speak frankly, but she didn''t have to say it. Fred was smart enough -- he got it.


    "So you''re together?" Fred asked. His gaze was fixed on the diamond ring on her finger, his eyes turning dark.


    "Yeah, because we love each other. Previously we broke up because of some misunderstandings. We couldn''t see eye to eye until now," Annie answered. Following Fred''s nce, she knew he was looking at her ring. She tried to hide it, covering it casually with her other hand. Rain had solemnly put this ring on her finger himself yesterday after the registration. Rain was not poor, and the ring was not cheap, either.


    "I won''t say congrattions, but I wish you all the happiness in the world," Fred said. He felt like his heart was being sliced to ribbons again and again. He knew it was over, he knew she was with Rain, but it still hurt to admit it.


    "I''m sorry! You deserve someone better," Annie raised her head to look at him. If she hadn''t met Rain first, Fred would have been a good choice.


    "I''m all right. There''s someone out there for everyone. I just have to find her," Fred said. Despite appearances, he wasn''t looking on the bright side. He knew he had lost this contest of love, and decided not to make a scene about it.


    "I''m d you''re taking it so well. On the way here, I was thinking you might get angry and yell at me," Annie sighed, now relieved of a heavy load. Then the smile on her face looked brighter and more charming.


    "Would that help anything? Would you leave him and get together with me if I did? No. So why bother?" Fred smiled bitterly. It was exactly because he loved her that he wouldn''t put her in an awkward situation. If you truly loved someone, it didn''t mean you had to be together. It was also a wonderful thing to silently watch her being happy. He cared about her happiness more than his own.


    "I''ll never forget you, Fred. Thank you for being in my life," Annie said. She bit her lips as she could not bear seeing that he was so sad, but what she could bear less was hurting Rain.


    "If -- if you met me first, then would we be together now?" Fred asked, staring at her expectantly.


    "Yes. If I didn''t fall in love with him first, you''d be first on my list," Annie looked at him in all sincerity, as if she was afraid that otherwise he might not believe what she said.


    "Thanks. So if I die tomorrow I can be happy." Since she was never his, he''d just back off as long as she was happy. Despite everything he did, he hadn''t meant to hurt her. He was just so desperate for her love. Now that it was over, he didn''t me anybody or anything but the bad timing. Seriously, he didn''t feel it was a shame to lose to an excellent man like Rain.


    His love was heavy and painful. Unfortunately, among the numerous choices on the path to love, he had chosen one-sided love. In this case, nobody else could help him. He had to bear the pain alone.


    When Annie got home, Rain wasn''t back yet, and neither were the children. So she felt the pangs of loneliness, but only for a moment. Rain and the children were like the impetus in her life.


    Burying herself in the sofa, she thought about Fred. She knew him too well. Right now he was probably at a bar, trying to drown his sorrows.


    She guessed that things would be tense between them for a while. She would rather he hadn''t confessed his love to her. In that case, she would not have to worry so much about trying to be his friend.


    Her messy thoughts were drawn back by the rings of her cellphone. Taking a look at the number disyed on the screen, she was surprised to find that the call was from Leena.


    "Hi Leena! So what''s up?" Annie answered the phone. She liked Leena because she knew Rain cared about her very much.


    "You at home?" Leena asked. Since Rain had asked Leena to design a wedding dress for Annie, she had to get her measurements. After all, it was winter, and everyone was all bundled up, so you couldn''t just eyeball it.


    "Yeah. Youing over?" Annie responded to her with open arms though she had no idea why Leena was asking all this.


    "Hmm! I''ll be about a half-hour." Leena sprang to her feet when she heard Annie would be home. Thefort of the sofa could wait.


    "Okay, I''ll be here," Annie hung up. Remembering how she had misinterpreted Rain and Leena''s rtionship before, she broke into giggles.


    Leena appeared at Rain''s vi half an hourter, just like she had said. She still looked like a sweet middle school student though she was actually a mother now.


    "Leena,e in! You must be cold," Annie said. She opened the door and walked out to receive Leena as soon as she heard the sound of a car. When she came out, Leena was getting out of the car.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    "Naw, wind''s not too strong today," Leena jogged into the house,ughing. She got cold easily, so she was bundled up in severalyers.


    "Where''s Richard? Why didn''t you take him with you?" Annie asked out of curiosity.


    "He''s at home. It''s too cold outside. I didn''t want him to get sick," Leena answered. She came here to work. If she had taken him with her, she would be very likely to have left her work half-finished when they left. "Here... a cup of tea to warm you up," Annie poured a cup of steaming tea for the girl. She wondered why Leena came to see her.0000000000?????

 Chapter 1722 Let Her Go (Part Two)

    "Mmm! Thanks! Joyce and Huey are at school right now?" Leena raised her head to look around. Rain''s vi was not strange to her, but she found that many things were new this time. "Yeah! They''d raise a ruckus if they stayed home." Annie sat down opposite to Leena. They both were from well-off families, but Leena looked much quieter than Annie.


    "That''s right. I heard you registered for marriage. Congrattions! So when''s the ceremony?" Leena congratted Annie from the bottom of her heart. They were just like family. "Thanks! But we haven''t nned a wedding ceremony," Annie looked at her in confusion.


    "Maybe Rain wants to surprise you! He told me to design a unique wedding dress for you," Leena said. She had never worn a wedding dress. She wasn''t quite sure how she felt about that. Regret, maybe? But all her regrets could change into happiness as long as she was together with the person she loved.


    "Really? You''re a designer?" Annie asked. Still with a suspicious attitude, she could not believe what Leena had said.


    "Hmm! Yeah, I''ming here to measure you. Something wrong?" Leena could not help but burst intoughter. Then she opened the bag she took with her and took out a tape measure and a notebook.


    "No one told me," Annie said. She thought they were only registering for marriage. After all, they had already had two kids. She hadn''t expected that he would give her a spectacr wedding ceremony. She''d be lying if she said she wasn''t surprised.


    "That''s exactly why I said that it would be a surprise! Annie, I need to measure you now," Leena said, walking towards Annie, tape measure in hand.


    "Okay," Annie stood up to cooperate, with an expression of shyness on her face. She had thought that Leena was a full-time housewife, but she turned out to be a designer too. Same as her, only that they designed different things.


    "Hmm... you''re in good shape. Standard BWH ratios," Leena could not help but praise Annie after measuring her vital statistics to make sure to get the right fit. Even she herself didn''t have such nice proportions.


    "I think you''re in better shape," Annie replied. Standing side by side, Annie was shorter than Leena by about half a head. That was inevitable, because Leena was almost 5''6, while Annie was only a hair over 5''3. But Annie was taller than Michelle by about one or two inches. In other words, Michelle was the shortest one among them.


    "I''m only a little taller than you. But I think I''m getting fat," Leena said sadly. That was her sore spot. Since she had given birth to Richard, she had gained a lot of weight. Although Kevin said he didn''t care about all that, she had tried to shed the pounds as soon as Richard had been weaned. To her disappointment, she had unsatisfying results. She had only lost less than thirty pounds this year. She thought she would never get back in shape.


    "You? Never! You''re so skinny already. You don''t want to end up anorexic," Annie said crossly. In her view, Leena was not fat at all. She was pleasingly plump, as they said.


    "I know you''re just being nice. I was a hundred before I became a mom. Now I''m over one hundred. How could you say that I''m not fat?!" Leena didn''t like herself very much. She teaued, and couldn''t lose thosest few pounds. Not only that, it seemed like she was regaining what she lost.


    "I think a dozen pounds shouldn''t matter at all. You look healthier, really, with more obvious assets," Annie said, ncing at Leena''s breasts with a wicked expression in her eyes. Obviously she meant something sexual.


    "Annie, does Rain know you''re so evil?" Leena asked, covering her breasts with both her hands instantly, as if she was protecting herself from an indecent Annie.


    "Do I know what?" Rain asked, walking inside the room. He was back home ahead of schedule as he felt uneasy about the meeting between Annie and Fred.


    "Nothing. Why are you so early?" Annie cut off the previous topic hastily, because it was girl talk. He didn''t need to know any of it.


    "Oho. I knew Leena would be here, so I wasn''t going to miss the chance to see her," Rain would never tell her that the reason he hade back home was that he had been worried about her, otherwise she might feel that he didn''t trust her.


    "Ah Really? Rain, I didn''t tell you I would be here today. How did you know?" Leena nailed his lie relentlessly, making him feel miserable for quite a while.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    "I swear I heard you say you''d be here in a day or two. I guessed right," Rain tried to justify himself while holding his breath and ming Leena for not helping him make his lie usible.


    "Ha! You''re not here to see me. You''re here to see Annie. Right?" Leena curled her mouth. She didn''t want to cooperate with him at all.


    "What?!" Annie flushed in shyness.


    "Leena knows me too well," Rain finally admitted, bluntly.


    "All right. I''m sure you two lovebirds need to be alone, so I''m not going to disturb you any longer," Leena made fun of them intentionally while packing up her things.


    "Leaving so soon? Couldn''t you stay a bit longer?" Annie was somewhat loath to part with her. Leena didn''t stay long enough for them to get to know each other. She had just arrived and hadn''t warmed up yet.


    "Not interested in being a fifth wheel. Besides, Richard will cry for me soon," Leena exined with a guilty conscience.


    "Come off it Leena. Don''t even try to lie. Richard is a pretty quiet baby," Rain rolled his eyes. He thought Leena always liked lying through her teeth.


    "None of your business! Annie, I''m headed back. When the design sketch is done, I''ll bring it to you first. If you''re not satisfied, I can fix it," Leena said, making a face at Rain. She was ready to leave.


    "Hmm! Thanks! Be careful on your way back," Annie no longer tried to persuade her to stay longer since she insisted on leaving.


    "Okay. Goodbye!" Leena waved her hand and walked out in a hurry. In fact, she was not eager to go home. Instead, she was eager to get to the army base to pick up Kevin. She heard that he hade back from an away mission, so she could not wait to see him. Since she hadn''t seen him for a whole week, she missed him a lot.


    "Why didn''t you tell me you asked Leena to design a wedding dress for me?" Annie reproached Rain while looking at him flirtatiously. As bad as he was, sometimes he was so very, very good.


    "It was supposed to be a surprise. But she said that you wore too many clothes to figure it out discretely. So, she had toe here to measure you in person," Rain felt a bit regretful, but a surprise was less important than a beautiful wedding dress. "Then what about your dress suit? Her brand also?" Annie was somewhat curious. She wondered how good Leena was.


    "Yeah! She designed the wedding dress for Belinda and the suit for Duke when they got married! They were beautiful. So I decided to have her work her magic on us. We shouldn''t belittle her. After all, she is the brand designer of LN," Rain said, which he hadn''t known in the beginning. Leena had hid that from everyone for some time.


    "Really? She''s that high-up, huh?!" Annie was so surprised that she opened her mouth. It was really shocking news for her, because LN had branched out into various fields, and their new products had always sold out in the shortest time, creating a legendary fairy tale in the fashion circles. Annie had never imagined that she''d ever get to meet a big name designer, much less a nice one like Leena.


    "Yeah! She''s excellent! That''s why I asked her for help. She agreed to help because we know her. If someone else asked her to design a dress, she would probably blow them off. She''s good to her friends," Rain said proudly. Although she had to look after Richard recently, her prestige had risen step by step. So Leena was a role model: a sessful woman who neglected neither family nor career.


    "Oh wow! I need to get her autograph!" Annie was more than a little excited.


    "Come on! Are you kidding?!" Rain was left almost speechless, a rare event.


    "If you enter our field one day, you will know how much we worship a talented designer," Annie was not exaggerating. As a designer who hadn''t made it past the local scene, she was still inferior to a big brand like Leena''s.


    "Probably not, But it''s fine with me. You don''t understand my world, and I don''t understand yours, either." Rain said, shaking his head. Fortunately Leena was a female. If she were a man, Rain would be sure to envy her because of Annie''s admiration.00000000000

 Chapter 1723 Bad Guys Started Plotting Again (Part One)

    When Leena got to the army base, it was still early. She had thought of going to the militarypound to visit the wives of the soldiers, but she finally decided against it. She was worried that she might stay too long and get dyed.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    Every time she came to the army base, she could not help but respect the soldiers who sacrificed themselves for the country. She was very proud to meet them and get to know them. She was also proud that she, herself was also the wife of a soldier and thus felt some sort of affinity to them. That was why every time she came, she looked at everything and everyone with admiration.


    But she didn''t expect to immediately see Daisy. She ran into her even before she got to see her own husband.


    "Leena, what are you doing here?" Daisy called out as she spotted Leena. Asking Mark to stop the car, Daisy got out with a pleasantly surprised look on her face. She wasn''t expecting to see Leena here at the army base.


    "Hello, Daisy. Are you off work?" Leena couldn''t help but feel a bit embarrassed seeing Daisy. A faint but noticeable blush quickly appeared on her cheeks. Her ears also turned slightly red. She thought she coulde and find Kevin without anyone knowing. But to her surprise, Daisy saw her from the car. A beautiful girl like her would be visible even from afar.


    "Yeah. Why are you here? Are you here to pick Kevin up? It seems like you can''t wait for him toe home, huh!" Daisy teased Leena with an elbow nudge and a yful smirk on her face. She could tell from Leena''s sudden rosy cheeks that she was here to see Kevin, and that she must miss her husband that bad. That could be the only reason that she came here today. Leena just couldn''t wait still at home for Kevin to get off work. She wanted to see him so badly that she decided toe to the army base to pick him up herself. This way, she could see him sooner.


    "No! Of course not. I was just bored and had nothing else to do. Also, I am just out for a stroll. Nothing more." Daisy had seen through her but Leena still tried to exin defensively, the faint glow on her face bing redder and more prominent. Daisy had hit the nail in the head and guessed it right, but there was no way that Leena would want to admit it in front of her. She was either too embarrassed or too proud to admit out loud, that she missed Kevin too much.


    "A stroll? At the army base? Ha ha. It is quite a far stroll, it seems." Daisy wasn''t nning to let this slide easily and kept teasing her with a knowing smile. She was having a fun time seeing Leena like this, all flustered and almost speechless being caught red handed. "Um, you know me, I just have a poor sense of direction. That''s why I ended up here." As soon as she finished these words, Leena regretted ever saying them. She was being more and more ridiculous. Why couldn''t she just bite the bullet and admit to Daisy that she was here for Kevin? Now, Daisy probably thought that she was being silly.


    "Well, yeah. Your poor sense of direction took you to the ce you wanted to go to the most. Right!" Daisy couldn''t help but feel amused at Leena''s poor exnation. Here she was, having fun, teasing her and the more Leena tried to exin, the more ridiculous it sounded and the more awkward and embarrassed she felt. Daisy wouldn''t be surprised if Leena wanted to disappear right there and then.


    "Come on, Daisy! Stop teasing me like that. Where is Kevin? Is he still working?" Leena didn''t know what to say anymore, so she just gave up and admitted that she was indeed here for her husband. Now that Daisy had already seen right through her, she didn''t need to pretend anymore. She would rather know where Kevin was right now.


    "You should have admitted that you are here for Kevin the first time I asked you. Well, Kevin is with themander now, giving him his report. He should be out in a minute or two. I am sure that he''d be so happy to see you here picking him up." Daisy stopped teasing Leena and answered her question. She knew how much Leena wanted to see her husband and was probably getting antsy by the second. Ah, such young romantic lovebirds!


    "That''s good to know. Thank you, Daisy. Well, I don''t want to bother you and take up much of your time. I''m sure that you were on the way to somewhere before you spotted me here. Don''t let Edward wait. I will be here and, as you already know, will be waiting for Kevin." Leena had a sheepish smile on her face. Daisy was right. She should have told Daisy the truth from the get go. How silly of her to have forgotten what Daisy did for a living. Of course she would know that she was making up ridiculous excuses. It was indeed impossible to hide something in front of the smart senior colonel.


    "Okay then. I am going now. Stay in the car, understood? It is warmer in there and morefortable than standing outside. Take care of yourself," Daisy said in a concerned tone while fixing Leena''s clothes for her. She had to hurry to the prison, so she couldn''t stay and wait for Kevin with her.


    "I know. Don''t worry, Daisy. I''m sure I can handle it while waiting. Plus I''m no longer a child!" Daisy''s caring words warmed Leena''s heart. But she still felt a bit ridiculous and helpless being treated like a small child, as she was already a mother herself. She was the one who should be looking after other people, and not the other way around. Unfortunately for her, her dear brothers and "sisters-inw" still considered her their baby princess who still couldn''t take care of herself sometimes.


    "Who said that you''re not a child anymore? You will forever be our little princess who needs to be taken good care of. Besides, sometimes you just behave like one." Daisy couldn''t help but roll her eyes fondly at Leena. She was still the precious little sister that everyone loved and spoiled. This while she already had a kid of her own. Nobody could ever deny that.


    "Sis Daisy!" huffed Leena indignantly. She knew she was acting childish, but she just couldn''t help it.


    "All right, all right. I won''t tease you anymore. I should get going. And you wait here for your husband. Good-bye!" Daisy said seriously and stopped teasing. She waved her hand and turned around to get back inside the car. "Bye, Daisy! Be safe." Leena watched Daisy''s car drive away. Then she let out a weak sigh, d that the teasing was over. She then continued to patiently wait until her husband got off work.


    From that time, the wait took quite a bit. Just when Leena thought that Kevin wouldn''te out, there he was, walking fast to his car with Lee trailing behind him, like Daisy said. When she saw Kevin''s car drive out towards her, Leena was almost frozen to death. She didn''t wait in the car as Daisy advised. Because she wanted to see Kevin as soon as he came out, she just stood outside the car the whole time. She could miss seeing Kevin if she just stayed inside.


    "Major General, howe Leena is here?" Lee was surprised to see Leena there. He didn''t expect to see the Major General''s wife standing there waiting for her husband. .00000

 Chapter 1724 Bad Guys Started Plotting Again (Part Two)

    guestrooms. Lee had been staying in one of them as it was convenient for both Lee and Kevin, as far as work was concerned.


    "Hmm, howe, indeed! Okay Lee, you can drive home by yourself. Obviously, I''m going with my wife." After these words, Kevin quickly got out of the car. Ever since they moved to the vi, Lee had been staying with them. The vi was big and had a few spacious "Kevin! There you are!" The corners of Leena''s mouth lifted into a happy grin as soon as she saw him walking towards her. Her cheeks were unusually red standing in the cold for too long. The wind was blowing strongly that it must be hurting her face. "Hey you! What are you doing here? And why do you wait out in the cold. You should have given me a call, you silly girl! Look at you, all frozen and shivering!" Kevin reached out to touch her red cheek. As soon as he felt the coldness of it, he couldn''t help but furrow his eyebrows into a tight frown. Her warm breath was creating small clouds of mist and her lips were trembling. Concerned that his wife might fall ill, Kevin immediately helped her into the car and turned the heater on.


    "I ran into Daisy just a few minutes earlier. She told me that you were giving your report to themander. So I didn''t want to be a bother and interrupt your work. You were about to finish anyway. Besides, I don''t mind waiting for you. Not even in this cold weather." With these words, Leena put her cold hands in front of her mouth and blew on them to keep warm. Daisy told her that Kevin would be out soon, so she just waited and didn''t want to call him to inform him that she was here. But to her surprise, it took almost an hour for Kevin to get off work. And by the time he found out that she came, Leena was almost freezing.


    "Now you know that you should have waited in the car, right? Look at you! You are shivering!" Kevin said in a seriously concerned tone, but he still took her hands in his and tried to warm them too. He was afraid that she would catch a fever after staying out in this kind of weather.


    "I am fine. Don''t worry about me. You should worry about your own health. You look like you have lost weight." Leena puckered her lips. She couldn''t help but feel that life was really unfair sometimes. She had put in a lot of effort to lose weight, after gaining several pounds due to her pregnancy. But Kevin just did it so easily. He was only away from home for a week and Leena could easily tell that he had be significantly thinner than before. Admittedly, he looked more handsome, showing a sharper jawline.


    "I just didn''t eat well thest few days. The food was not so nice. I miss your cooking!" Losing weight was a normal thing for Kevin whenever he went out on a mission. It was even normal for him to not eat anything all day. On several asions, he had gone a few days without food as part of his survival training, so he had gotten kind of used to it already. Not eating wasn''t a big deal when he was at work. He could totally handle it.


    "I don''t know what to say. I want you to eat healthy and be healthy but at the same time, I am so jealous of you. You can lose weight so quickly while I have to work hard for it, and the results are dismal at best!" Leena puckered up again. She didn''t know if she would feel sorry for Kevin or be jealous of him. She had been trying so hard to go back to her originally fit shape, while Kevin already had a perfect body without even trying.


    "What are you talking about? You are not even fat for God''s sake! I like how you look right now. No, I love how you look right now. You look beautiful with a healthy glow. You were too skinny before. What do you want? Please don''t tell me that you want to go back being bony and skinny." Kevin couldn''t help but raise his eyebrows at her. He didn''t know what Leena was thinking right now. In his opinion, she looked much healthier than she did before, which he liked better. She was curvy and sexy in the right ces at just the right amount, instead of just skin and bones. Contrary to what most women thought, this was what a lot of men liked.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    "Pffft. I wasn''t even that skinny, okay?" Leena felt amused. She knew that Kevin was just exaggerating to make her feel better. But she didn''t dwell on that issue anymore. "Come on, let''s go home."


    "Next time, if you want toe and pick me up, don''t wait outside. Just wait for me in the car. This is just ridiculously cold. You don''t have to endure this kind of harshness." Kevin let go of her hands while saying these words. He nced at the army base through the window and found that no one was looking their way. Then he leaned forward and kissed Leena gently on the mouth. The kiss was quick and light.


    "But I can see you the minute you are out when I am standing outside," Leena countered back, grinning with an innocent look on her face. At this moment, it was hard to tell that she was actually a mother because she looked and acted like a childish girl instead. Kevin couldn''t help but shake his head fondly at her behavior. She was just irresistibly cute sometimes.


    "You silly silly girl. That''s why I love you so much, Nana." It seemed that Leena would be the death of him. She was still so innocent and so kind after all the things that they had been through. Kevin silently let out a helpless sigh. He felt warm, taking time to enjoy this precious moment.


    "Hey! I am not silly!" Leena pped his arm a few times in fake annoyance. She knew that Kevin didn''t mean anything bad by his words. He was just too fond of her. In fact, Leena could feel his love for her in his words and she was happy about it. She loved him more. Love was really a mystery, something amazing to have and to give. Leena could see every little special thing about Kevin, and she would just fall in love with each one of them.


    Leena spent a whole week designing the dress for Annie. And while she was busy with it, Rain went back to the UK with Annie and their two kids. Though he was beaten up by his brother-inw, he still got the approval he always wanted. He deserved it anyway. Annie''s family had agreed to let him marry their own little princess and Rain couldn''t be happier.


    Annie was also thrilled when she heard the good news, and she was in a very good mood the next few days. But her good mood didn''tst too long when the perennially annoying,pany bitch came up to pester her.


    "Annie An, is Mr. Xia really married to you?" Eleanor just couldn''t bite her tongue. She felt so upset and jealous when she saw the big and beautiful wedding ring on Annie''s finger. She just couldn''t understand how she had lost to this ordinary designer in front of her. Why? Why wasn''t she, the beautiful Eleanor the one whom Rain chose to marry?


    "Yes. Hard to believe, right? He is my husband now and that makes me Mrs. Xia!" Annie raised her head and replied in a firm tone. She looked at her with calm eyes, unafraid to face an insecure woman like Eleanor. In her eyes, Eleanor was just a childish and spoiled model who needed to know her ce.

 Chapter 1725 Bad Guys Started Plotting Again (Part Three)

    "Is that so? I think you two are just pretending to be a couple. That ring isn''t real, right? Everyone here in S City knows that Mr. Xia is the most eligible bachelor here. You can''t fool me!" Eleanor was still in denial that a yboy like Rain would get married to someone like Annie. She had pondered and thought for a few days, and this was the exnation that she thought was the most believable. From what she had heard about Rain, he was never the type of man who would settle down. Besides, she didn''t think that a woman like Annie would catch his eye, let alone marry him. "He was the golden bachelor before. But not anymore. He is happily married now. Married to me. Certain people need to get over it and have some closure." Annie stared at Eleanor in the eye while saying it. If Eleanor made that assumption a week ago, she would have still been right. Because at that time, Annie and Rain weren''t married yet and Rain was still the famous golden bachelor in the city. Rain had legally be her husband and the father of her two kids now.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    "Ha ha ha! It looks like I truly underestimated you. You are something else, Annie An. You got Mr. Xia wrapped around your finger so easily," Eleanor snorted, jealousy evident in her voice. She just couldn''t make peace with the fact that Annie was the one Rain loved and married. Now, all her previous ns had be dreams that would nevere true. She felt frustrated that all her efforts had been in vain, but she just wouldn''t want to admit defeat.


    "Thank you." Annie didn''t get angry at Eleanor''s attitude. She just epted her words as a nicepliment. She knew that Eleanor was just angry that she couldn''t have Rain anymore. Besides, she was not in the mood to argue with such a vile and fake woman. She had better things to do. As far as she was concerned, Eleanor was a loser on so many levels.


    "But don''t be so sure of yourself, yet. Though Mr. Xia is married to you right now, it doesn''t mean that you can have him forever. Nowadays, getting a divorce is just asmon as getting a new pair of shoes. So be careful. He may fall in love with another woman one day and leave you like a wasted pile of leftovers," Eleanor warned Annie in a threatening tone. She was burning with jealousy, and she couldn''t help but wish bad things to happen to Annie, that Rain would stop loving her one day and make her life miserable. Besides, she didn''t think that Annie had the power to tame a yboy like Rain. Rain might have been fooled and bewitched for now, but it wouldn''tst forever. They might seem happy now, but it could be destroyed overnight. There were so many other beautiful women out there who still kept their eyes on Rain''s every move. These women didn''t have morals and wouldn''t hesitate to try and seduce Rain even though he was already married. It would be easy for Annie to lose Rain.


    "Thank you for your friendly warning. I will be careful. I know that these immoral women are always lurking nearby. Sometimes they''re just standing in front of you." Annie had an easy and carefree smile on her face while saying these words. She was still calm and collected, as if she wasn''t affected by Eleanor''s words at all. And this infuriated Eleanor to no end. She felt like she was ying a mono-drama, and it was humiliating as hell. She was so furious that she wasn''t able to catch the subtle jabs that Annie was throwing her way. "Huh. Stupid woman." But Eleanor still acted cocky and arrogant though she was aware that she had already lost to Annie. She raised her chin up and walked away from Annie with a proud look on her face. She intentionally knocked her shoulder into Annie which nearly made the newly married girl fall down. This was just how Eleanor was. She was vicious, and just too proud to ever admit defeat, especially to a seemingly ordinary woman like Annie.


    Though she was nearly knocked down on the ground, Annie was still not angry. There was no use in being angry with a woman like Eleanor. She was nothing to her, and she didn''t want to waste her precious time on somebody who was so trivial. No matter how Eleanor screamed and shouted rolling on the floor like a spoiled child, Annie knew that she had won. Now, her life was just perfect. She had a loving husband who cherished her with all his heart, and two kids who were both beautiful, well mannered and smart. Besides, her career had started to take off. She just wanted to focus her mind on all the good things that were happening in her life.


    Annie wasn''t familiar with the Ke family, and she didn''t know anyone who belonged to it. So when she was invited by someone named Eugenia to meet, she felt curious about who she was and what she wanted from her.


    "Hello. I am Annie An. I am very curious about the purpose of this meeting. Is there anything that I could help you with?" Annie asked in a friendly tone as soon as she sat down. She cut to the chase and wanted to know what she was here for. At the same time, she was watching the woman who was sitting in front of her. She looked like a bold and smart woman who was not afraid to do anything. And this intrigued Annie. Why did this woman want to see her?


    "Hello Annie, my name''s Eugenia. I am the second daughter-inw of the Ke family," Eugenia introduced herself while sizing up Annie as well. In her mind, Annie seemed like an ordinary and naive woman. She didn''t appear to be from a wealthy family of rank. So, she felt that she had nothing to worry about.


    "Oh. You are from the Ke family. But you seem to have invited the wrong person. I am not familiar with that name and I don''t know anyone in your family." In fact, Annie had heard of the Ke family, and she had also asked her husband about them the other day because she was curious. From what Rain told her, besides Tiana, there was not a single person in that family with a good reputation. So Annie didn''t want anything to do with them. To be honest, she did not even want to be in this meeting now.


    "No. You are the one I wanted to see. Annie An, right? I heard that you got pregnant with that bastard, Rain''s kids and had two, before you even got married. Am I right?" Eugenia nced at Annie with disdain evident in her eyes. For her, Annie was just a small jewelry designer, nothing more. She had nothing to be afraid of. She wasn''t rich nor famous, and she only had Rain behind her, which didn''t amount to anything. That was the reason why she didn''t care about her manners and the way she chose her words. She hated Rain, and of course she didn''t like the woman who gave birth to Rain''s kids either.


    "Please be careful with your words. That''s my husband you are talking about," Annie said in a stone cold tone. She was furious at Eugenia''s attitude, but they were in a public ce right now, so she didn''t want to cause any drama. She hated it when anyone said any bad things about her husband or anyone she cared about. Who was this woman to call Rain a bastard?


    "Ha! Funny. A shameless bitch asking me to be careful of my words. That''s a first time." Eugenia kept saying these vicious and hurtful words to insult Annie and her family. Her behavior didn''t fit in with the way she dressed or her status. To be honest, she was way more like the shameless bitch between the two of them.00000000000000

 Chapter 1726 Bad Guys Started Plotting Again (Part Four)

    "Excuse me! If you invited me to this meeting only to insult me and my family, then there is no reason for me to stay here any longer," Annie said while getting up from the chair. She was beyond furious right now. Had she known that Eugenia was such a mean and foul mouthed woman, she would never even have taken the effort to leave the house ande here in the first ce. She deeply regretted evering here. What was she thinking? Not only was it a waste of time, but now, some stranger had unnecessarily insulted her and her family. It would have been avoided if she had just stayed home.


    "Wait a minute. Why in a hurry to leave? I am not finished with my words yet. What? Are you afraid that I will do something to you?" Eugenia said slowly in an arrogant tone. She even picked up her cup of coffee and had a sip without looking at Annie, as if she was sure that Annie would not leave. She could bet that Annie was still curious about why she had asked her out here in the first ce.


    "I am not afraid of you. I just don''t have time to listen to your vicious words," Annie retorted back. She stopped in her tracks, but she didn''t sit down. She just looked down at Eugenia with a cold look on her face. She was nice, but it didn''t mean that she would let anyone I insult her like that.


    "Hah! You are too arrogant and cocky for a small jewelry designer." As soon as Eugenia heard that there was a woman in Rain''s life, she immediately started looking into it. She had someone checking Annie''s background until she thought she knew enough about her. She was just a jewelry designer that caught Rain''s eyes only because she had his children. She was a nobody, and shouldn''t have that kind of confidence and arrogance.


    "Do you have something against jewelry designers? I make a living using my own talent." Annie gritted her teeth and gripped her hands into tight fists. She had never been this angry before. And to be honest, it was also her first time being treated so badly by someone she met for the first time. Eugenia was just too rabid and obnoxious that Annie''s face couldn''t help but flush with anger.


    "Well, I can''t say for sure. If you really make a living only with your talent as you imed, you wouldn''t have gotten married to a rich guy, using two kids to secure your marriage. Clearly, you just want to be rich. You are the shameless one, desperate enough to use kids to get ahead and have a better position in life," Eugenia said in her most cruel tone. She kept insulting Annie with the purpose of making her the angriest she could ever be. She wanted to see how Annie would burst. However, it seemed that she was really good at containing herself and managing her anger. That was interesting to know.


    "What did you say? I just want to get rich? Ha ha! That''s just ridiculous! In fact, that''s probably the funniest thing I have heard today." Annie couldn''t believe what she just heard right now. What was Eugenia thinking? Was she out of her mind? Did she have any idea who she really was? She just wanted money? Ha! That was just ridiculous. Though the C Financial Group was not as big and powerful as the FX International Group, it was still much more powerful and more influential than the KD Group. In fact, KD Group could neverpare to it. If the C Financial Group was based in S City, it would be one of the toppanies here, second only to the FX International Group. She was certain about that. This woman had no idea what she was talking about and who she was talking to. Annie found her advantage over her.


    "You think it''s funny? Let me warn you, Annie An. Don''t think that you can get any money from our family now that you are married to Rain. That will never happen! As long as we are still in the Ke family, we won''t let you get anything from us." Eugenia finally revealed what she was really here for. It seemed that the Ke family sent her to meet with Annie to warn and intimidate her. They didn''t want her to get anything from them. They were afraid that Rain''s father would give her and the two kids money when he found out about them. Having married Rain, their family now had a rightful share of the KD Group.


    "Wow! Hahaha! Money from your family? How much do you have? To be honest, I really don''t care about your small amount of money. If you are here just to tell me this, then you can all rest assured and keep your precious and pathetic little money. I don''t need it and I never want to get any money from you. I am much richer than you can ever imagine." Annie really felt so angry that she was almost amused. Only the people in the Ke family would think that other people wanted to gain something from them. They cared so much about money only because money was all they got. They had no love and no dignity, and that was why they all tried to hold on to the only thing that could give them a sense of security so tightly. She now felt sorry for them.


    "Pfft! You are rich? You, a small jewelry designer? Get your head out of your ass ande back to earth! If you really are rich yourself, you wouldn''t have chosen to reappear in Rain''s life when he got back in the KD Group. You heard about it and decided to use your kids to get married to him. You are, in truth, a scheming woman who''s only after the money!" Eugenia knew that her kids were about four years old now. It meant that they got together before Rain was even in the KD Group. She wasn''t sure why Annie and Rain broke up at that time, but she bet that it had something to do with money. Maybe Annie didn''t like that Rain had no status and money at that time. In her mind, that was the only possible reason why Annie had left Rain without even looking back. And now, after finding out that Rain had be the CEO of the KD Group, she came back with two kids and got back together with Rain. It was hard for Eugenia to believe that she was not back in Rain''s life for money and money only.


    "I don''t give a damn if you believe it or not. I didn''t get married with Rain for money. Only shallow people like you would think that money is everything. To be honest, I even feel sorry for you. That''s all you have in your life." Annie looked at Eugenia with disdain and pity in her eyes. She was being honest. She truly felt sorry for her. The bitch could only see money in her life and that was just sad.


    "Don''t make yourself sound that great. We will see. I am sure that you are after his money. It may not show now but everything will be revealed sooner orter. We all have our eyes on you, you fucking gold digger." Eugenia was so sure about her guess. She had seen way too many materially obessed girls like Annie. And she could never fool her. No matter what Annie said and imed to be, Eugenia knew better.


    "Well, then open your dog eyes and see. And don''t ever call me a gold digger ever again or I will lose the tiny respect I have for people like you and give you what you deserve." Annie couldn''t help but insult back. She was beyond furious after hearing Eugenia''s hurtful and condescending words. She was just ridiculous! Annie couldn''t believe that she had wasted so much time talking with this shameless woman. She was also a bit angry at herself for ever agreeing to meet her.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.

 Chapter 1727 Bad Guys Started Plotting Again (Part Five)

    "What are you talking about? Dog eyes? Ha! It seems that you are not as polite as you im to be, Annie An." Eugenia also got up from the chair with these words. She didn''t want Annie to look at her in such a condescending way. And she didn''t want to raise her head to look at Annie anymore.


    "Well, spoken from a certified vicious woman. You should be the expert on that! Excuse me. I have something better to do than this kind of shit." Annie didn''t think that she had anything else to say to Eugenia. And with that, she turned to leave.


    "I heard that you have a daughter and a son. I am wondering, do they like ying games like hide and seek with their lovely mommy?" In truth, Eugenia didn''t want to continue this conversation either. But she wasn''t the type who would easily let an opponent like Annie go like this. She was the type of woman who always wanted to have thest word. That was why she casually and mildly threatened Annie in an indifferent tone.


    "What do you mean?" Annie immediately turned around to look at Eugenia upon hearing her words? What did she mean? Was she threatening her with her kids? Did they send someone to do a close surveince on them? Annie had a bad feeling about this all of a sudden.


    "Nothing. It was just a friendly reminder. It is never easy to get into the Ke family and take our money, as you imagine." Eugenia tilted her head and looked at Annie with a smirk on her face. She felt happy when she saw a flicker of panic in Annie''s eyes. But much to her disappointment, Annie quickly shook herself back into being calm and indifferent.


    "I am not afraid to tell you this. I have no interest in your family''s money at all. But if you dare to do anything to my kids, then I won''t hesitate to make yourpany go bankrupt overnight, and I won''t leave you a single cent," Annie said in a cold tone, gritting her teeth to contain her anger. Eugenia could say anything and do anything she wanted to her, but she could never do anything, not eveny her eyes on the ones she cared deeply about. If she did anything to her kids or Rain, Annie would surely make sure that she and the entire KD Group would pay for it.


    "Keep bluffing. You can''t do anything to ourpany. You are nothing but a jewelry designer." Eugenia paid no mind to Annie''s threat. She had nothing to be afraid of, with this small designer. She was just bluffing. She had nothing but empty words and threats. "You can try if you don''t believe me. As the daughter of the C Financial Group, it is easy for me to destroy yourpany if I want to." Annie was never as meek or gentle as Leena, who wanted to hide her real identity. In sharp contrast, Annie wasn''t afraid of people knowing who she really was. In her eyes, if she could make things easier by revealing her identity, she would do it. She never wanted to make thingsplicated. She was a practical girl but at the same time, she was also cautious when it came to her loved ones. "Wha... what did you say? C Financial Group? The one in the UK? Thepany that cooperated with FX International Group on a case years ago?" Eugenia couldn''t even believe her own ears. She looked at Annie in utter surprise. It couldn''t be real! She just wouldn''t believe it. How did Annie, an ordinary designer, be the daughter of the C Financial Group? If she wasn''t lying, then it meant that Rain had more power, now that the two of them had gotten married. Now this was bad news for the Ke family. If this were true, then it would also be more difficult for them to beat Rain down and kick him out of thepany. No! It couldn''t happen! She had to get home immediately and tell her family about this shocking news. They could never let Annie and Rain merge their powers and aim at them. They should do something to destroy their rtionship or Annie would surely help Rain to put the KD Group down. Eugenia''s mind was racing, trying to process this new and uneptable information. It seemed that things gotplicated all of a sudden, and unfortunately for them, they no longer had the upper hand. They needed to have an emergency meeting for they had a lot of ns to make.


    "Exactly! The C Financial Group. The one in the UK. Thepany that cooperated with the FX International Group years ago," Annie repeated every word to mock Eugenia. "So you are not so ignorant then, huh?" Annie nced at her with disdain onest time before turning around and leaving with her head held high. In her eyes, Eugenia was just a dancing clown. She shouldn''t be afraid of apdog like her. What could she possibly do anyway? The Ke family was not that powerful and were just deceiving themselves if they thought that they would scare Annie just like that.


    This time, Eugenia didn''t stop her. After watching Annie leave, she sat back down on the chair with a frustrated sigh, her nostrils ring. She was at a loss with what to do next. Why? Why was that bastard so lucky? Firstly, he got the FX International Group on his side. And now, he even married the daughter of the C Financial Group. That was just utterly bad for the KD Group. They would have to find better ways of kicking Rain out of the KD Group now that they knew of his solid connections. And this infuriated Eugenia to no end. Annie remembered Eugenia''s threatening words in her heart. That was why she was being extra careful when she was with the kids. Any mother would be overly protective of her children and Annie was no exception. She held their hands tightly whenever they went out together, and she would not let either of them get out of her sight for even a short second. She was on high alert in case something happened to them.


    But Rain had no idea about all of this, mainly because Annie never mentioned her meeting with Eugenia to him. She just didn''t want to add to his pile of worries. But Annie couldn''t help but constantly worry about their kids. Eugenia sounded serious about her threat and she became overly anxious and even paranoid at the possible things she could do to her family. Rain could tell that there was something bothering her.


    "Annie, what are you thinking right now. You look so serious. Are you nervous because of the uing wedding ceremony?" Rain asked in a soft voice, putting his arms around Annie''s waist from behind with his chin on her shoulder. He wondered what Annie was thinking right now. She couldn''t wipe the frown off her face.


    "No, I''m okay. Everything is fine. I am not nervous. You are a bitte tonight by the way," Annie scolded in a light tone to change the subject, turning around in his arms and looking at him with disapproving eyes.


    "I was out with a client. I have sent you a text message. Didn''t you see it?" There was a faint smell of alcoholing off his breath and his neck. It was clear that he had quite a few drinks with the said client.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "I put my phone upstairs so I didn''t see your message. Did you drive home by yourself? Even after drinking?" Annie couldn''t help but furrow her eyebrows. She was never fond of the smell of alcohol, even if it was from her own husband.


    "No, of course not. William drove me back. Why? Are you worried about me?" Rain couldn''t help but put his forehead against hers and rubbed his nose with hers affectionately. He liked this. He liked that she was worried about him. He felt loved and cared about.???????????

 Chapter 1728 Money Makes The Mare Go (Part One)

    "You should start drinking less..." Annie said worriedly, "I''m really worried about your health." Despite Rain calling for a driving service every time he was intoxicated, Annie couldn''t help but still be worried about Rain''s health. Alcohol does harm to your body. "Don''t worry. I won''t drink too much," Rain responded. He then tried to change the topic, "So, did you like the wedding dress? How was it?" Rain knew Annie had gone over to Leena''s ce to try on the wedding dress that was specifically designed for her by Leena. He


    looked forward to seeing his woman in a wedding dress.


    "I love it!" Annie smiled widely. "Leena really knows her stuff! The dress is in the trend and it looks absolutely stunning too! I just know she''d let me look beautiful!" Rain could see how Annie had taken so much interest for the dress.


    "I''m d you like it. I mean, she has no other redeeming qualities other than being gifted in fashion design, you know?" Rain jested. Though, Annie took it the wrong way.


    "Rain! Come on, don''t say that!" Annie pouted. "As far as I''m concerned, she has many good qualities and almost everyone likes her! It''s only Justin that would always pick on her every time they see each other!" Annie had admired Leena for a long time now, but her admiration for her grew when she learned that Leena was none other than LN FASHION''s designer.


    "Justin and Leena?" Rain repeated, as he pinched the bridge of his nose and heavily sighed. "Those two? They''re both such a headache. They can''t even see each other eye to eye." If ever they saw Leena and Justin pass a day without arguing, they''d all think that the end of the world wasing.


    Annie then fell silent for a moment before she spoke up again, "It''s actually really weird. I mean, they share a lot inmon. But, maybe that can be the reason why they don''t get along so well? Like, you know, chemistry? Do you get where I''m going?"


    "Maybe you''re right. But, let''s not talk about them for now." Rain turned to Annie, his focus all on her. He wanted to know what was wrong. "You don''t seem happy recently. Did something happen?"


    Annie then covered her noise. "Why don''t you take a bath first, hmm? You reek of wine!" She stood up from her spot. "I''ll just go check on Joyce and Huey." She just didn''t want Rain to worry about her and she had no intention of telling him why her mood had been down. ''If I tell him about Eugenia''s threat, I don''t think he''d rest easy...''


    "Are they asleep?" Rain asked as he stood up from his spot as well. Rain felt he owed much to the twins as he hadn''t really taken on the role of a father. He had already missed a lot and this time, he made sure he wasn''t going to miss any more. Though, his position as the Vice President of the FX International Group and the CEO of the KD Group was demanding. It always consumed his time to be with his children.


    Annie nodded. "They wanted to wait for you, but since they have school tomorrow, I asked them to go to bed early. It was pretty difficult to do so, you know?" Ever since they had moved in with Rain, Huey had changed. He used to be aloof and calm but now, he resembled his twin sister, innocent and adorable.


    "I''lle with you to check on them," Rain said as he took Annie''s hand in his. Annie smiled at Rain''s gesture and then, they headed up to the children''s bedroom. To them, love wasn''t the strongest vow they had but rather, the simplepany they spent with one another. She had never been happier being around him.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    They both made their way inside the children''s bedroom and their children were both fast asleep on their beds. Huey was tucked in on his bed while Joyce had her quilt all over the floor. They found it amusing that Joyce would be messier than Huey.


    "You know, Joyce resembles you a lot," Rain said rather teasingly. He approached Joyce''s bed, picked up her quilt and tucked her in bed.


    "Don''t make stuff up," Annie remarked, folding her arms. "I''m clearly not like that when I''m asleep!" Annie''s cheeks turned red as she averted her gaze. She knew what Rain was talking about.


    They had been separated for four years, after all. Of course, Rain would want to catch up on lost time and the best way to do that was with sex.


    Annie couldn''tst long with Rain''s sex drive. They''d go for several rounds and her body could barely take in all of the sensations she felt in her body whenever they did. Annie had missed this but, it clearly got her exhausted every time. "Well, that''s obviously because you''re in my arms when you''re asleep," Rain teased with a mischievous smile.


    "Ahaha! I just remembered that I... Uh..." Annie waspletely flustered. "I still have work to finish!" She then fled out of the children''s room, her face beet red. ''It''s not like I don''t like that, but it''s just embarrassing!''


    Rain''s lips curled upwards, as he was amused with Annie''s reactions. He followed suit and left the room silently.


    Rain eventually arrived at the bedroom and he was surprised to find that Annie wasn''t there.


    ''Huh... So she wasn''t kidding when she said she had work to finish. She''s probably in the study, then.''


    Rain then decided to leave her be and went to the bathroom for a hot bath.


    Stepping out of the bathroom, Rain still found Annie not in the bedroom. He sighed as he took on some casual wear and headed for the study. Before he could even open the door of the study, he heard her voice booming. ''Is she arguing with someone?'' he thought to himself.


    At the corner of Annie''s eye, she saw Rain right at the door of the study. She hurriedly put the phone down. She looked at Rain, as if to check whether he had heard the whole conversation. Rain opened the door and stepped in the study. Annie feigned calmness as she asked, "Have you taken a bath?"


    "Yes," Rain answered simply. "It''ste. Who were you talking to?" he steered the conversation elsewhere. Rain didn''t intend to pry something out of Annie''s personal life, but he couldn''t say that he wasn''t curious.


    "Oh, it''s one of my clients. They weren''t satisfied with the design I made," Annie lied. She couldn''t possibly tell Rain that it was none other than Eugenia who had called. Eugenia said that, Sheena, her mother-inw, wanted to meet her, but Annie had refused. Annie knew the story between Rain and the Ke family and she wanted nothing to do with them.


    "You know, you can just always quit if work gets too demanding," Rain remarked. "I can support our family." Rain always wished for Annie to have a simple life filled with happiness, wherein she didn''t have to worry about anything at all.


    "Don''t worry." Annie shed Rain a reassuring smile. "I''m used to it." She had been through so much hardships during the past four years, but she still managed to break even. She had herself and her children to support after all. She owed her strength of perseverance to her children.00?????????????

 Chapter 1729 Money Makes The Mare Go (Part Two)

    "But, I feel sorry for you." Rain approached Annie and pulled her in his arms. He lifted up her chin and ced a tender kiss on her lips. As his husband, he wanted to provide for his wife and children with the best things. No husband would ever want for his wife to feel wronged.


    Annie''s eyes fluttered to a close and just melted in Rain''s kiss. Ever since they had tied the knot, she was ready to fight against the Ke family with him. She decided to visit Sheena to prove that not once was she afraid of them. Rain pulled away from the kiss and looked into Annie''s eyes deeply. He whispered huskily, "Your skin resembles an angel''s. It makes me want to ce my kisses on your skin." Annie felt heat shoot up to her cheeks. "Rain, you''re drunk..." Annie''s heart never failed to beat erratically whenever Rain would whisper sweet words into her ear.


    Rain then leaned in against Annie''s ear, "Drunk of you." Rain pulled back and looked at Annie''s profile. He knew that she had lied. He knew she had a reason why she had to keep it from him. He didn''t probe any further.


    "W-Would you please stop being so dirty?" Annie stuttered as she turned away from Rain''s strong gaze.


    "I''m only dirty for you, honey." Annie could feel Rain''s rising excitement. ''This is all because of that wine...''


    She then pried Rain''s hands away from her body. Not long after, she started to switch off the lights, heading out of the study afterwards. "Don''t speak nonsense. It''ste already," Annie said as she began to walk ahead to the bedroom. "Let''s go to bed." Rain grinned. He stepped out of the study and lingered behind her. He started to tease her, "Oh? Looks like you couldn''t hold it in anymore, hmm?"


    Annie turned her head to look at Rain. "Geez, Rain. What in the world are you even thinking about? You''ve been so differenttely as well." Rain then caught up to Annie, ced a hand on her shoulder, and whispered in her ear as he grinned, "I''ve been thinking about you, honey."


    Annie couldn''t help but smile at Rain''s words. "Oh? Then, I''m d to hear that." As soon as they both reached the bedroom, Annie kicked the door to a close and snaked her arms around Rain''s neck. He was her husband and she knew that there was nothing to be ashamed of in front of him. Though, she wouldn''t dare to do these kinds of things outside of their bedroom.


    "So..." Rain''s eyes lingered onto Annie''s robe. "You ready?"


    Annie then beamed. "Let''s see if you can catch me first." She then ran to the other side of the room. She wouldn''t let him have her body that easily.


    Rain turned, a brow arching upwards along with a cheeky grin. "Oh, you want to y it that way, hmm? Sure, I''ll y along." Pleasure filled moans echoed throughout the room along with the bed that creaked beneath their intense actions. Annie''s hands were bound to the bed frame as Rain continued to ravage her sensuous body. The more she screamed, the more he was enticed to move quicker, deeper, and stronger. He never failed to make the woman beneath him scream out his name endlessly.


    Their screams harmonized, making a lewd symphony and with one final thrust, all was undone. Rain, then looked at Annie. He grinned as he panted, "It''s still too early, honey. Don''t sleep on me."


    Annie let out a weakugh, her cheeks dyed in red. "You monster."


    Morning eventually came and the sun''s rays had seeped into the couple''s bedroom. Annie''s eyes fluttered open. She looked to her side, and saw that Rain was already gone for work.


    She then pushed herself to sit upwards, feeling an aching sensation on her hips. She was reminded of what they had donest night. Her face turned red and chuckled.


    She took a deep breath and knew that when a new day started, she had to do what she needed to do. She then reached for her phone at the side table and called Rain to tell him that she''d be visiting Sheena as she was afraid that the Ke family might do something. Annie arrived where Sheena was, at a restaurant. It was the first time she met Sheena, but she could tell that Sheena was considerably stronger than Eugenia. Not to mention, she was slightly terrified of her. More importantly, there was another woman other than Sheena and Eugenia, which was Sheena''s eldest daughter-inw, Hannah.


    Annie bowed her head lightly. "Good Morning, Mrs. Ke." "Take a seat," Sheena said rather sternly. Annie was surprised that Sheena would even let her sit. Annie took the offer and sat down. The moment she did, Sheena started to yell, "How rude you are! Why did you tell Eugenia that your father is the head of the C Financial Group?! She''s too naive to even trust you!" Sheena never believed at whatever Eugenia had told her; instead she wanted to confirm everything with Annie with her own eyes.


    "Then, what do you think of me as?" Annie responded rather coldly, ignoring Sheena''s poisonous words. It was up to Sheena herself whether she''d believe her or not, after all. It''d be a waste of time.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    Sheena scoffed, "Are you ying dumb with me?" She eyed Annie from head to toe and didn''t see any trace of jewelry on her body. ''There''s no way this woman woulde from a wealthy family!''


    "I don''t know what you''re talking about," Annie brushed Sheena''s question, "If there''s anything you want to say, I''d like you to refrain from beating around the bush and just spit it out. It''d be easier for the two of us." Annie never wanted to argue with this kind of woman. But, she was pushed to a corner. If she didn''t meet up with her, Sheena would tell the whole media that Rain was a bastard of a shameless mistress.


    "Hmph!" Sheena clicked her tongue. "You''re exactly like that snake who seduced my husband." Every time Sheena spoke of Rain''s mother. She would remember everything. There were times Sheena even considered digging up that woman''s grave and hitting her body despite already being six feet below.


    "Mrs. Ke!" Annie raised her voice. "Please just go straight to the point!" Sheena''s eyes widened at Annie''s tone. Annie couldn''t believe that a wealthy woman like her was boorish.


    "I''ll give you any amount of money you want," Sheena started. "Just leave that bastard." She then took out a check book and a pen from her bag. "Name your price."


    Annie''s eyes widened inplete shock. She felt stabbed each and every time Sheena had called Rain, her husband, a bastard. Annie could never imagine how Rain would feel if he had heard it. "Are you kidding me?"


    "To tell you the truth, it would be impossible for you to get married to that bastard. We''ll stop it no matter what. Don''t think we''d be so keen on giving that man a happy ending." Sheenaughed darkly. Sheena didn''t want Rain to marry Annie due to her doubts. If Annie was really from a wealthy and powerful family, it''d be possible that her family would support Rain after their marriage and it would be much more difficult to get him out of the KD Group.000000

 Chapter 1730 Money Makes The Mare Go (Part Three)

    "Mrs. Ke, the reason why I''m still being respectful to you is for the sake of Mr. Ke, not because I''m afraid of you." Annie looked at Sheena straight to the eye. "Our wedding will happen and it won''t be cancelled or dyed by anyone or anything. That I''m sure of." "Oh? Really?" Sheena had a wicked grin stered all over her face. "But what if there isn''t a bride, hmm?" "W-What are you saying?" Annie felt cold all of a sudden.


    "Do you think that there would still be a wedding if there is no bride?" Sheena resembled a witch in Annie''s eyes. Nevertheless, Annie was thankful that the children were still out of this.


    "I just want to remind you that we have thousands, no, millions of ways to stop the wedding." Annie''s head snapped to see who had said that and she saw Hannah who had been standing just a few meters behind her, observing her the whole time. Hannah guessed that Annie might be from a well-off family as she had this elegant aura surrounding her. Hannah began to sweat. ''What if she''s really the daughter of the CEO of the C Financial Group?"


    Annie remained calm and poised as she stated, "Mind you that this is a society governed byw." ''Aah... I felt like I shouldn''t have done this...'' Annie scolded herself, ''What if they try to kidnap me?''


    "But, we''d like you to remember an old saying." Eugenia wore a smile of mockery. "Money makes the mare go."


    "Are you not allowing me to leave?" Annie asked, desperately hoping that they''d let her go. ''I shouldn''t havee here alone. If I were in trouble, would Rain rescue me?''


    "We never said any of the sort," Hannah said as she yed with her diamond ring, amused by Annie''s reactions. "You''re overreacting."


    "Then I''d take my leave then." Annie quickly took her purse and stood up from her spot.


    Sheena shed Annie a crooked smile, "I hope to see you again. You may now leave." Annie found it odd that Sheena was practically not preventing her from leaving. It made Annie uneasy.


    Annie then walked her way to the door and opened it. Though, before she stepped out, she turned her head slightly and said, "I don''t think we should ever see each other again. We''re not family, after all."


    Annie then left the restaurant and ran her way to her car. She found her own body trembling in fear. ''This is bad. They must be plotting something. But what are they going to do?''


    She then saw a ck car moving directly towards her at an erratic speed. She was in stunned shock and unable to move at all. ''Oh my God! I can''t make it! I''m going to die!''


    She felt a strong force push her to the ground and then the sound of two cars that crashed reverberated against her ears. She found herself, still alive, on the concrete road, still in once piece. Though, the same couldn''t be said for her car.


    She sat up and saw her car smashed and scattered into pieces. She couldn''t believe what her own eyes were seeing. If she hadn''t been pushed away, she would have been killed along with her car.


    She couldn''t breathe. Cold sweat ran down her body at the thought of how close she managed to escape the hands of death.


    ''They... They tried to... make it look like an ident...'' Annie thought to herself, her body visibly trembling with fear. The Ke family weren''t afraid of thews at all as they hired someone to dirty his hands for them.


    "Mrs. Xia," a male voice called out to her. Annie turned her head to the voice, "Are you alright? Shall I send you to a hospital?" She then saw a man in a ck suit and shades approaching her. She was still stricken in fear and couldn''t move. But, she managed to move her lips and ask the male a question, "W-Were you the one that saved me?" Annie''s voice was trembling and so did her body. She still couldn''t believe she had such a close encounter with death. No one could recover that easily.


    "Yes. Mr. Xia has hired me to protect you,"


    the man responded, though lowered his head in shame. "Though, I am terribly sorry that I had to push you so rashly. I apologize for any injury you may have gotten from your fall." "N-No, I''m alright. I would prefer to have an injury rather than die in a staged ident. Thank you very much." Annie bowed her head in gratitude. She couldn''t help but feel lucky.


    "No problem. Can you stand, Mrs. Xia?" The man then offered his hand to help Annie up her feet.


    Only then did Annie remember that she had a body. She felt immense pain, specifically in her arms.


    "Mrs. Xia, are you alright? Are you hurt?" the bodyguard asked worriedly. As a bodyguard, he felt ashamed of himself as the person he was supposed to protect had gotten hurt. But, he knew that, if he hadn''t done that rash action to push Annie, she would have been sted to pieces like the car in front of them.


    "I think they are just scratches. Don''t worry. I''ll apply some medicine when I return home." Annie then looked at the bodyguard. "Since when did you start protecting me? I had no idea someone was even watching me..."


    "I have been protecting you for more than a week now, Mrs. Xia," the body guard answered. He offered his hand to Annie. "Let me help you stand. Mr. Xia will be here soon." Annie then took the bodyguard''s hand and was pulled back up to her feet. "How does he know I''m here?"


    "I sent Mr. Xia the address the moment you stepped in," the bodyguard answered.


    "You''ve been doing that for more than a week?" Annie was surprised. ''If it was for more than a week already then... this means that Rain must''ve known that I''ve met with Eugenia...'' Annie began to ponder. ''Why didn''t he ask me about it?''


    Arriving at the scene was none other than a traffic officer. He began to page the other officers. "There''s been a severe car ident at the downtown area. No passerby was killed during the crash."Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    He then saw Annie and her bodyguard and approached them.


    "Good day, ma''am. We''re d you''re safe. We''ll just conduct a small investigation as to who owns the car that caused the incident." He then walked up to the ck vehicle and looked at the driver''s seat. With one nce he knew that it would be difficult to identify whoever had done this as his body and face were mangled and crushed beyond recognition.000

 Chapter 1731 Counterattack (Part One)

    "I''m sorry! I am the owner of the car." Annie was still in a state of shock. Her face remained pale.


    "Could you tell us what happened? Please start from as far back as you can remember." The police officer took out his book and prepared it for note taking. "Sure." Annie narrated the entirety of the incident ordingly as she remembered it. As for what would happen next, it could only be determined by the police.


    "Do you mean to say that the perpetrator did it on purpose?" The police officer looked at her. He just wondered that how could such a beautiful woman be hated by someone, not to mention someone who would act on that hate.


    "I''m not sure about that. So please do a more thorough investigation." Annie guessed that the people who came and tried to kill her might have had connections with the Ke family. That was what made sense for the time being. But since she had no solid evidence, she had no choice but to keep it to herself.


    "Well, Ma''am, we will need your full cooperation during this investigation. We will be in touch with you again at any time before the case is finalized. So please keep yourmunication lines open." After writing down Annie''s testimony, the police officer noted Annie''s name and phone number. Then he turned to continue the site investigation.


    And right at that moment, Annie heard a loud screeching of the brakes from behind. Her body shrank in fear. But when she saw that it was Rain, she heaved a sigh of relief and rxed.


    "Annie, are you all right?" Rain even did not have the time to close his car door. As soon as the car stopped moving, he quickly ran towards Annie and looked at her from head to toe to check that if she was okay.


    "I''m all right. I am just a little scared, that''s all," answered Annie. As it was winter, she was dressed inyers. Her thick clothing helped to soften the impact. So she was not seriously hurt when she fell to the ground. She did have a few minor scratches.


    "Don''t be afraid. It''s all right, I''m here now," Rain said. He gently pulled her to his arms and gave her a tight embrace tofort her. Unknown to her, he himself was also scared bloody cold after seeing the twisted and mangled metal of the two cars. If he did not arrange for people to protect her, he really dared not to imagine what would have happened today.


    "Okay. I''m so d that you''re here." Leaning against his tight chest, Annie could finally feel a little warmth. Before this, the cold had crept through her clothes. It made her whole body shiver. Thinking about her escape from death was enough to chill her to the bone. She really did not know why someone would be so determined to want her dead.


    Rain''s eyes turned gloomy. Unless he guessed wrong, it was definitely not just a simple ident. Just at that moment, he saw several women from the Ke family walk out of a cafe nearby. It was too good a coincidence that they would happen to just be there, as if waiting for the crash to happen with a front seat view of the whole thing. He curved his lips into a grim smile. Since they were ruthless enough toe up with such an n, he would give them a dose of their own medicine. If it was a game they wanted, then a game, they would get.


    "Oh my god! What just happened here? What a disaster!" Sheena shouted out exaggeratedly when she saw Rain and Annie. She pretended to be relieved to see that Annie turned out to be safe, but her face couldn''t hide the fact that she seemed annoyed and disappointed.


    "I think, of all people, you are the one who knows what kind of disaster it was supposed to be." Rain gritted his teeth and stared at this woman. He had put up with what the Ke family members were doing for a long time. But what he got was nothing but headaches, pain and disappointment from them. From here on, he did not want to tolerate them anymore, especially after what had just happened.


    "What do you mean by that? We know what it was supposed to be? What are you talking about? I do not like your tone. It''s as if you are saying that we have arranged for all this to happen," Eugenia said. Eugenia hated Rain the most as Rain was the one who had ended the cooperated rtionship with her familypany once he became the President of KD Group. Becasue of what he had done, her familypany got a hard hit.


    "Whether that''s a yes or a no, God knows the answer. And one way or another, he will not let the real bad guys get away with it." Rain''s eyes coldly swept over the women in front of him. He knew that every single one of them was involved in this scheme. They were so tightly knit that none of them could easily keep out of the whole thing, from nning to execution.


    "Haha, if you are trying to be funny, well, it is not working. It is true that we have called her and had here and meet us. But it doesn''t mean that we orchestrated this ident. Be careful with how you use your words against us. We really could not afford such a serious usation." Hannah raised her eyebrows coldly at the cars that had been reduced to nothing but scrap iron.


    "You''d better pray that I don''t find any evidence of your involvement, or I''ll make sure that you''ll all be miserable." Once Rain turned serious, everyone trembled in fear as his voice thundered with such strength. Very few people had seen this side of him as he rarely showed it.


    "Suit yourself and look all you want! But if you find no evidence and still smear our name, we will sue you for defamation." Sheena''s confidence did not waver. She was not worrying about a thing. She was sure that everything was seamlessly done ording to n, with the exception of the target not getting killed. Rain''s efforts would be futile.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    "Hah! Don''t be so sure about it. The truth alwayses out. Always!" Rain knew well what kind of people the Ke family were. He always felt disgusted whenever he had to face them. The world would be a better ce without the existence of this curse of a family. "h! h! h! Until you find the proof, you have nothing but words! Let''s go girls! There is nothing for us here." Sheena nced to the site of the ident. ''Damn it, how could she still be alive under such a circumstance,'' she grumbled in her heart. These people arrogantly left with their heads lifting high. They were confident to the core that Rain could not find any evidence against them.


    "Let''s go! We need to find Tom so that he can give you a thorough check up. You may look fine now but we don''t know if you are sustaining any internal injuries." Although Annie said she was okay, Rain couldn''t becent. He needed the final word from a reputable doctor like Tom to dere that she was indeed ok. He did not want to take any chances and risk the shock in the future that an illness would suddenly arise because of this ident.


    "But what about here? Are we free to go?" Annie looked around the scene of the ident with a bit of worry.


    "It''s okay. I''ve arranged someone toe and help deal with it," Rain said. He then helped Annie get into his car. Until he was finally in the driver''s seat, grasping the steering wheel, he realized how frightened he was because he could clearly see his hand still shaking. Inside the car, the noise from outside had been muffled. So he could hear his own blood pulsing in his head.


    "Rain, what''s wrong?" Seeing that Rain still did not start the car, Annie could not help but ask.


    "I am okay. Don''t forget to buckle your seat belt." Rain calmed himself down. He could not let her know that he was scared. After all, as the man of the house, he was expected to protect her and their children.0000000

 Chapter 1732 Counterattack (Part Two)

    When they arrived at the hospital, Tom had just finished one surgery. After he heard what had happened today, he was also inexplicably shocked. Fear was written on his face. He merely thought that the people from the Ke family were too overbearing. He never thought that they would be this ruthless to even dare


    do such kind of thing. These people had no morals.


    "The left elbow has a tendency to fracture, so I have to have the nurse bandage it. You will not be able to use it for a while." Tom''s assessment of Annie''s condition wasn''t as serious as they had thought. There were no signs of internal bleeding nor any concussions. In addition to the hurt in the left hand, there was no massive injuries like they feared she would have. Considering that they were aiming for her to be no less than dead, it was a miracle that she was able to walk away with just a few cuts and bruises. "Well! Thank you very much!" Annie smiled lightly. She really cherished such a new lease in life after such a near-death disaster. And all this was owing to Rain''s foresight. If he did not ask people to secretly follow and protect her, she might have been dead today.


    The nurse was very gentle and caring as she applied the bandage around Annie''s cuts. Afterpleting a few other procedures to make sure that Annie wasfortable, she smiled and went out.


    "You''d better pay more attention to this in the future. It''s really horrible." From their narration, Tom imagined such a breathtaking sceneparable to the special effects action sequences in Hollywood blockbuster movies.


    "I hear you and yes I agree 100%! They almost got us once. Do we still not know how to protect ourselves against them? They need to be stopped!" Rain was d that he had thought of this in advance. If not, he could have lost his wife today. Then he would not really know how to go on in this life without her.


    "That was close. You might not be so lucky next time if they decide toe at you again. And next time they will leave nothing to chance and make sure that they seed. For now, you''d better take her home and have a good rest. I''m sure that she was pretty scared today." It was not difficult to tell from Annie''s heightened pulse rate that her mind was still lingering in that horrible moment. She might be having the same shback over and over again and she could not help it. It might be necessary for Rain to seek the help of a psychiatrist and start some sort of therapy, so as not to cause any permanent mental and emotional damage.


    "Well! OK then. We will bid our goodbye. Thank you so much for your help." Rain knew that Tom was busy being the head of arge hospital. So he did not stay a minute longer unnecessarily to bother him.


    "Remember to change the dressing regrly." Tom said as he was not confident that they''d remember it all so he called out to remind them. The wedding date was just around the corner and it was not good to let the bride walk down the aisle wrapped in gauze. "I know. How could I forget?" The wedding was supposed to be held two whole weeks from now. He just hoped that Annie would bepletely okay by that time.


    "Don''t me me. I am just worried that with everything that happened today, you might forget it." Tom was speechless and he rolled his eyes. Was it wrong to care so much and keep reminding them?


    Rain just ignored him. He led Annie out the lobby and soon left the hospital. After they left, Tom made a phone call to Edward.


    So for a while, the news that Annie almost got hit by a car spread like wildfire within their circles. Everyone thought that it was a conspiracy orchestrated by none other than the Ke family. Annie had juste to S city, and it was utterly impossible that she had made enemies so fast.


    "It looks like they still want to kill her. So what you''re going to do next?" Edward yed with his chin, looking thoughtfully at Rain.


    "It''s time to have some changes in thepany." Rain said with sinister smile. He originally did not want to make a major revamp of thepany organizational structure at such an early time. He just thought it would be okay to let them stay in thepany for a while. But now it seemed that there was no need for him to be kind to them. The cunning and sly foxes had begun to bite the hand that had been feeding them.


    "Make sure to make swift decisive actions! Only by cutting their ie at the source will there be no money for them to pay for thugs and henchmen to do the dirty work for them." In Edward''s opinion, Rain was too kind to the Ke family. If it were he who had to deal with that kind of thing, he would fire them all as soon as he took over thepany. So they would know that who was the real boss.


    "Well, I will certainly do that. But I am afraid that they will retaliate and do something unexpected. So in terms of the safety of my wife and my two children, could you ask Uncle Jonathan to pay more attention to it and improve security?" Rain was never worried about himself. All he wanted was for his loved ones to be safe and happy. So now that Annie was hurt, he nned to stand up and make sure that it never happened again.


    "I''ll ask him to double the people protecting them and make sure he does it as soon as possible." Edward had experienced that kind of feeling that his family was in danger. So he could totally rte to what Rain was worried about.


    "Thank you, Edward. I don''t know how could I express my thanks to you. Just thank you." Rain was at a loss for words, but Edward was his brother. He knew he would help him at this time.


    "You don''t need to say thanks to me. We are good brothers. But don''t just focus on the safety of your wife and children. There is a good chance that their next target would be you." Edward thought that there was indeed such a kind of possibility. Failing topletely hurt Annie, they would guess she was sure to take extra precautions from here on and it would be hard for them to even get close to Annie. Furthermore, Rain would certainly strengthen security around her, perhaps add more bodyguards. So it would be easier for them to approach Rain.


    "Thanks, I will also pay attention to this, so rest assured! I also want to live long enough to grow old together with my wife." Rain said firmly. In order to secure a peaceful life in the future and for him to give his family a safe and harmonious environment, he must do something about it.


    "I wish you the best of luck." For the first time, Edward talked sincerely with him. He was always a joker around Rain and never took him seriously. But in crucial times when there was a matter of life and death, he had reserved his gentlemanly character for such an asion.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    "Thank you!" Rain winked at him.


    In the following days, Rain took a series of personnel adjustments in KD Group. The key personnel from the Ke family were all dismissed with different reasons. For a period of time, the wholepany had be stirred up and muddled because of these drastic changes.

 Chapter 1733 Counterattack (Part Three)

    "Rain, what are you doing? Why are you driving me out of the KD Group? Don''t forget, that thispany belongs to the Ke family, not the Xia family." Vance rushed into the President''s office, angrily pointing his finger and shouting at Rain.


    "So what? May I remind you who is in charge of KD Group now? And I suggest that you never, ever forget." Even though boiling with anger inside, Rain just slightly retorted. He knew that many people woulde to him in protest. This was going to be a long day. "Well, are you finally willing to show what your intentions are in KD Group? You no longer need to pretend." Vance was the first one who was dismissed from thepany. So it was just natural for him to be furious about it.


    "What I did today was all because of what you all did first. You should have left my family out of this. If you hadn''t tried to hurt them, this would not have happened to you." Rain meant to let them stay in thepany. But they were ungrateful and went on to try and hurt Annie. As a husband, it was natural for him to react this way.


    "Who hurt your family? Have you produced any evidence? If you have not, then you have nothing to use against us. Stop being such a hypocrite." Vance said this with a little guilt. But he also thought that Rain would never find anything to link them to the ident. Because of this he was able to act arrogantly in front of Rain, while crossing his fingers behind him.


    "Well! Don''t you worry... or actually you should worry, because I am getting closer to it. And I will let you see it all and rub it in your faces, before taking you to court!" Rain then turned around. He did not want to argue with him further. As for the evidence, he had let the people in the Mayfly take care of it. He could not believe that the Ke Family could act so arrogant all the time.


    "I''m telling you that I''m not going to leave KD Group no matter what. So do you think that you could dismiss me so easily." Vance, after all, was the legal son of the Ke family. He would not ept such a kind of treatment. He was the future of the Ke famly and even by himself, he was the face of it. No one had the right to drive him away from thepany associated with his family for such a long time. He would not leave KD Group now. Rain would have to pry his hands away from his desk.


    "It''s not up to you. I''ll tell the security guard not to let you in anymore. Oh, and it''s not just you, but your entire family. So please, you are free to break this news to them, and send them my regards," Rain said. Rain gave him a disdainful nce. For now Vance was the only one who came to find him. Sometimeter, more people from the Ke family woulde to confront him.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    Sure enough, he had anticipated this. Not only the two daughters-inw of Ke family came, but Sheena also came barging in. They seemed to want to trample down Rain''s office.


    "Son of a bitch, how could you drive us out of KD Group?" The time Sheena entered the office, she scattered papers from Rain''s desk onto the floor. She actedpletely like a shrew.


    "Well, I''m now thergest shareholder of the KD Group. So don''t you think I have the right to do that? My statement is 100% urate and you know it." Rain was still calm. Good that they all came. He wouldn''t have to hear and say the same shit over and over again. "So what? We''re all shareholders of KD Group. And even if you fire us, you will have to go through the board of directors." Eugenia stared at Rain in rage. When she came to work in the morning, she just found that her position had been reassigned to someone else. She was in a state white fury and near getting violent.


    "What made you sure that you''re still a shareholder in KD Group? How about you check your shares now? Now you are just ordinary employees. And there is no superiority among you. Oh no! Wait, you are not even ordinary employees anymore as I have already dismissed all of you, right? So I advise you to pack up all your belongings and leave thepany within the given time! Otherwise, the security personnel have been instructed to rough you up if you refuse to cooperate. And when the timees, don''t me me for not giving you a dignified exit." Rain coldly looked at this farce, feeling that he should have done it sooner.


    "Don''t try to mislead us by saying that. We don''t have as many shares as you. But added together, our shares would be equal to you. So you could not encroach on all of the Ke family''s assets." Vance was a little nervous when he said this. Because after a bad investment over a month ago, he was not sure how many stocks he owned now. But it was never going to be zero.


    "At this point, you should know better than me. One of you likes gambling, and one of you failed in an investment. Oh wait... one of you is funding your parents'' family. And thest one is the most ridiculous. She even tried to buy my shares. But she didn''t expect that her shares had already been bought by me. So you could figure out for yourselves how you have sold your shares to me bit by bit in thest year or two," Rain said with a smug look on his face. He would have spared them if they had not hurt his family. But since they were so cruel, he did not need to worry about anything. He now held them by the neck and they would have to get down on their knees.


    "Are you saying the people who bought our shares are all your people?" Hannah asked. trembling. If that was the case, they really didn''t have a chance to stay at KD Group much longer.


    "What do you think?" Rain did not answer her question but asked her. He looked at them teasingly. The only one left standing was Cyrus who hadn''t been dismissed. For him this was a blessing in disguise. At least he would not be affected by this incident, staying in a branch of thepany. But it did not mean that he was a good man. Rain knew that he still needed to pay more attention and be on guard around him, lest he hurt him one day.


    "So, you have dismantled this family enterprise little by little, by buying our shares. Congrattions, you are finally andpletely in charge. When ites to being mean, Rain, I have to say that we do not hold a candle to you. Who would have thought that you were capable of such an upset in thispany. But don''t be fooled. Sooner orter, you will be the one to pay for everything that you did today." Vance shrank in hopelessness. He just med himself forcking the foresight to see thising. Now he and his family had been beaten by a single man. It hurt to think that he had failed miserably. It seemed that none of them was as smart as Rain who had outwitted them, slowly but surely. Today he won this battle.


    "I will be waiting. But know this. You forced me to do what I have done today. If you had not challenged my threshold and hurt my family, all things would have been the same as they were. I have been the main share holder for a long time now. And I gave you face and let you continue to stay in the KD Group. But I didn''t expect that my kindness would encourage you to be more cruel and wicked! I think we are done here. There is nothing more for us to talk about. William, please escort these people out of my office, and then tell the security to make sure that they have all vacated thepany premises. Without my permission, they are not allowed to enter thispany." All this time, Rain did not use his anger to settle the matter. Instead, he was a gentleman all throughout. Once someone forced him down the end of his rope, no one could change his mind. He did not and would not mind what others said about him. Cruel? Arrogant? Whatever. For his family, he did not fear anything, no matter what they called him.

 Chapter 1734 CY Technology (Part One)

    The pointed tip of a ck stiletto tapped in a stato beat on the glossy marble floor. Tiana walked to her brother who sat on an ottoman swivel chair at his desk. "Rain, are you driving me out of thepany as well?" she asked. There was a heated discussion between him and her brothers and sisters-inw and she stood behind them by the door, waiting for them to finish. It was not until they left that she had a chance to talk to Rain. She didn''t know why Rain was mad and threw a fit at them.


    Rain stared at her and his cold heart softened. "If you want to stay, then stay in thepany." Actually, Rain was not all made of hardness and cruelty unlike people made him out to be. He had a heart and although Tiana was part of the Ke family, she was the only one who was nice to him. Because of that, he was willing to at least repay her in kind.


    "I want to know what you think. Do you want me to stay?" she asked hopefully. Tiana carefully watched his reaction. She knew how much he despised the Ke family, so she never dared to mention anything rted to her family before him. She didn''t want him to stay away from her and it was already hard enough to try to build a friendship with him.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    "Don''t push me. You know the answer would be hurtful," he answered coldly. If he was rational enough to really put thepany''s interests first, he would have driven her out of thepany along with the rest of her family. She was part of the Ke family after all, and might turn herself against him one day.


    "I think I know the answer now. Rain, take good care of yourself. Goodbye!" Tiana gave him a long, deep gaze before she turned to leave the office, tears pooling in her eyes and streaming down her cheeks. She had always treated him as her brother, but it seemed that he never liked her.


    Rain''s lips trembled as he watched her leave his office in tears. He wanted to stop her, but in the end he decided not to. Since he was resolute on taking revenge against the Ke family, it would be the best to draw a clear line with every member of the family. Thest person he would have to confront was Sanford. Rain knew Sanford would not sit by idly and remain indifferent, so he waited for his biological father toe to him himself.


    It turned out that it didn''t take too long, and soon enough the door burst open. Sanford stormed angrily in his office and pointed a finger at Rain, his hand shaking.


    "You... That''s how you repay me? After I''ve given you mypany?" It had never urred to Sanford that Rain wouldpletely take control over thepany and drive all the members of Ke family out, like a purge of thepany''s upper management.


    "It serves you right. As a man sows, so shall he reap." Rain shed his father an arrogant smile, but in reality his heart was bleeding on the inside. When he was a little boy, he had longed to experience paternal love. However ironically, his father only treated him as a tool. "I know I did something wrong to you and your mother. You can punish me in whatever way you want, but why did you have to involve the innocent people?" Sanford questioned Rain''s decisions. However, he didn''t know that his wife and daughters-inw had tried to murder Rain''s wife.


    "Ha-ha! Innocent people? Are you serious? If they were innocent, then there would be no bad guys in this world," Rain said through gritted teeth. He couldn''t believe that Sanford still tried to defend those who tried to kill Annie. He should never have had ced his hopes on Sanford from the very beginning.


    "Stop talking nonsense! I guess you''ve nned to make thepany yours ever since I asked you toe back, huh? That''s why you''ve asked for so many privileges!" Sanford said usingly. He thought he had discovered the truth at this revtion, and he deeply regretted having asked Rain to help him manage thepany.


    "Ha-ha! It''s toote that you just realized it now. You thought I really wanted to help you? Everything that I''ve done is for revenge. Is it clear now?" Rain said harshly, yet he lowered his gaze to conceal the true sorrow in his eyes. If only the Ke family had treated him a little nicer, he would have forgiven them. However, the truth was they even wanted to murder his wife. He had even used all his personal funds just to save KD Group to the point where he himself had some financial difficulty. He was only lucky enough to have FX International Group behind him.


    When he took over thepany, it was on the verge of copsing at any minute under the heavy weight of its debts. Rain had devoted all his money and energy to saving thepany from ruin. He believed that with all his efforts, he had done his best and had given the Ke family members many chances, but it seemed that they just couldn''t learn their lessons.


    "Ha-ha! When they warned me that you would steal thepany, I chose to believe you. I didn''t expect you to repay me this way. What a fool I was!" Sanford staggered his words as he found it hard to ept the terrible truth.


    "But now you don''t believe me, do you?" A bitter smile forced itself on Rain''s lips. He finally understood that no matter how much he had done for him and thepany, Sanford would always choose to believe his family instead of him. After all, he was just a bastard. "I wanted to trust you! But you let me down," Sanford shouted. His heart sank as he realized that he would be a nobody without KD Group.


    "Don''t make any excuses! From now on, I have lost all hope for you anymore. You''ll still be a shareholder. I think I''ve been merciful enough to you." No matter what Sanford had done to him and his mother, he was his biological father. Rain would give him a peaceful and affluent life, and that was all he could offer.


    "A shareholder? Don''t you think I would appreciate that. It''s you who destroyed our family!" Sanford hit the floor hardly with the end of his mahogany cane and suddenly heaved. He then ced one hand on his chest. Apparently, he was not feeling well. "Really? I destroyed your family? I think you know best who destroyed your family. If thepany hadn''t been deep in crisis, you wouldn''t have asked me to manage thepany from the very beginning. You would have treated me as a stranger as you had already done!" Rain''s heart ached painfully as he spat out those words at his father.


    Sanford stared at his son, his eyes wide in disbelief. He was quite stunned as he didn''t expect him to be aware of his true intentions. When thepany had been in crisis, Sanford had gone to Rain, for thetter was the VP of FX International Group. Sanford had believed that Rain would be able to save thepany. To his credit, Rain did save thepany. However, all the members of the Ke family had been driven out except for Sanford. Moreover, the seniors and upper management of thepany all followed Rain''s lead now.000000]

 Chapter 1735 CY Technology (Part Two)

    "Are you done talking now? If so, please take your leave. I still have work to finish," Rain said coldly. The overall renewal of the shareholders would definitely cause inconvenience to thepany. Rain needed to make sure that KD Group got back on track.


    "Rain, why don''t you let go of your hatred? Your brothers and sisters-inw have nothing to do with your mother''s death. Why did you have to turn yourself against them? You''re family," Sanford said as he sighed with profound resignation. He believed that Rain had made up his mind to destroy the Ke family, and he could do nothing but intercede for his sons and daughters-inw.


    "Hahaha! Family? Have you ever treated me as your family? Have they ever treated me as their family?" Rain shouted at Sanford once again. He hadpletely lost control of his emotions now. ''All that matters to him is his family, and he never ever cared about me once. I should''ve known it from the very beginning. Why is my heart still aching? I''m such a coward, '' he thought sadly to himself.


    "Please show mercy to your brothers and sisters-inw for my sake. They are nothing when they leave thepany. I know you would by no means keep them here. Why don''t you assign them to the branch offices? They won''t be a threat to you that way." This was Sanford''sst request. He knew Rain had made up his mind, and he could do nothing now.


    "I''ll consider it." Rain''s heart softened when he saw his father''s face. It was like he truly looked at him for the first time. His hair was greying and his pale skin wrinkled in many ces, particrly around his eyes. It was as if he felt his father''s aging.


    "I hope you''ll keep your word." Sanford gave him a long look before leaving the office. He had asked Rain toe back and save thepany. Now thepany was saved, but the Ke family members except for him were all driven out. Although he was still a shareholder, all the seniors weren''t on his side anymore.


    Now that thepany waspletely under Rain''s control, he had decided to change its name to CY Technology.


    The changes in thepany name and ownership gave Rain a bad name. Many outsiders thought that he was an ungrateful person who only plotted to steal thepany. Only the insiders knew what Rain had done for them and thepany would''ve long gone bankrupt if it hadn''t been for him.


    Edward''s head popped up from the doorway. "I knew you would go soft on them," he said to Rain as he shook his head. He also heard that Rain had promised Sanford to transfer the Ke family members to the branch office. He knew that Rain still had a soft spot for them despite how much he seemed to hate them. He was only worried that the Ke family members might hurt him in return one day.


    "I guess I''m a hopeless coward. I just can''t allow myself to be too cruel to them." Rain sighed profoundly as he leaned against the couch and looked dejected.


    "I''m d you know that. You should be extremely cruel and merciless to your enemies. Otherwise, they woulde for you one day." Edward and Rain had been good friends for many years, and he knew Rain quite well. Even though none of the Ke family members had ever treated him as a part of their family, Rain still held out the tiniest bit of hope that they would, but he was just too proud to admit it. ''He needs to be loved and cared for. I better have a talk with Annie and tell her about it," thought Edward.


    "Never mind. Forget it. I''m tired of handling them," Rain said with a firm finality. He didn''t want to talk about the Ke family anymore as it would only make him sadder.


    "You better keep an eye on them. I don''t think they will give up so easily. You should stay alert all the time." Edward knew that the members of Ke family would not be grateful even when Rain showed mercy to them, despite everything they did. Instead, they would use what remained of his tenderness for them to hurt him further.


    "Got it. Hey, I''m leaving now. I still have a lot work to finish," Rain said and got up from his seat. As for Annie''s car ident, he hadn''t found any evidence yet and that made him very anxious. He was afraid that they would find ways to hurt his family again. "Alright. If you need help, just call me." Edward knew Rain had invested all his energy and money into CY Technology. He didn''t want his good friend''s efforts to go in vain.


    "I will. Thanks for being my best bud," Rain said and pped his hand on Edward''s back. He finally turned to the door and left while waving goodbye to Edward.


    It seemed that everything was turning better, but only Rain knew that the war against the Ke family was far from over.


    Rain hadnded back on the lobby of CY Technology. He made a beeline for the elevator and went to his office. When he got to the right floor, he was weed by an unexpected person -- Tiana. ''I thought she left thepany once and for all. Why is she here?'' he asked himself. "Rain," Tiana greeted him with an awkward smile. She had pondered on the whole situation for a couple of days, and finally decided to meet Rain.


    "So, what are you doing here?" Rain asked. Tiana was the only one in Ke family who had been nice to him, so he was nice enough to not make things difficult for her.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "I''ve made up my mind. No matter how much you dislike me, I choose to stay in thepany and remain by your side." Tiana felt that Rain had treated her better than her own brothers, so she was willing to stay around him.


    "Are you sure? I''m warning you, if you betray me, I would not spare you," Rain said seriously with a slight frown. To be honest, Tiana was a capable worker, and he thought highly of her. If she would be loyal to him, it would be a good idea to have her stay in thepany. "Yes, I''m sure." She sniffed. Before she decided to meet Rain, she had actually put a good word for him before her mother, but that only enraged her. Sheena had struck her violently across her cheek and even grounded her as punishment. She only got to thepany because she escaped the house through the window, but she wouldn''t tell Rain about that.


    "Follow me." Rain cast a nce at her before proceeding to his office without saying anything more.


    Tiana didn''t expect Rain to agree to her stay so easily. She was thrilled and followed him silently. ''I knew it! Although he looks cold, he still treats me as his sister,'' she thought to herself.


    "You''ll be responsible for the Marketing Department for now. If you need help, just go to William." Rain decided to give her a chance. If she was doing very well and was loyal to him, he would not mind her staying in thepany.

 Chapter 1736 CY Technology (Part Three)

    "Thank you, Rain. I will do my best." Although she was unfamiliar with the field of marketing, she would try her best to learn.


    "I must warn you, I don''t allow ipetent people to stay in thepany. You have to show me your best abilities," Rain said coldly. When he said this, he hoped that she would give up now if she had some ill will against him.


    "Rest assured." Tiana bit her lower lip. Her family was already scheming and plotting against Rain. She was afraid that they would use her as a tool to merge together with otherpanies. She previously heard Eugenia suggest to Sheena that Tiana marry the head of CM Company so that they could fight against Rain together.


    "You may go to work now." Rain lowered his head, not intending to speak to her again.


    Tiana secretly pumped her fist to encourage herself and then quietly left his office. It seemed that her efforts to get close to him in the past two years had finally paid off.


    Meanwhile, a heated fight ensued between two women at an office in YS Group.Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    Eleanor and Annie weren''t in good terms. Annie was always pissed off every time she had to work with Eleanor as thetter had a talent for stirring up trouble. Eleanor even cut her own finger to frame Annie. She allegedly said that her finger was cut because of the jewelry Annie designed. Annie really didn''t know how to deal with the likes of Eleanor.


    "Annie An, did you do it on purpose? You dislike me, so you set up a trap for me, huh?" Eleanor asked, pointing at Annie. Her finger was bleeding, but it was actually sliced with a sharp cutting tool. Annie didn''t think the ring she made would cut a person''s finger. She knew it was all part of Eleanor''s plot.


    "Miss Xiao, why would I set up a trap for you? Your getting injured doesn''t do me any good. It will not only dy my schedule, but also bring shame on Doyce Jewelry. Do you think I would do such a stupid thing?" Annie asked in reply as she tried her hardest to suppress her anger. Since Eleanor knew that Annie was going to marry Rain, she would cause Annie trouble every day.


    "How am I supposed to know your motives? Maybe you are simply a lunatic. You got hurt, and you wanted me to get hurt as well." Eleanor looked at her fractured arm in a sling and shed an evil smile. ''I heard this woman had a car ident. Damn it! Why was she not killed? Even if I''m unable to get Rain, I would use all means to separate you two!'' she thought.


    "Really?


    That''s what you think?


    Who is the real lunatic here?" Annie smiled at her coldly as she watched her assistant treat her wound with the utmost care and respect, as if she were a queen. She knew that Eleanor held a grudge against her because of Rain, but she did not want to tell him about this. "Don''t think you''re so superior just because you found a rich husband. You''re merely a little designer and you have to treat me with utmost respect." No matter how much Eleanor hated Annie, she didn''t dare do something to her for she was afraid that Rain might do something drastic and not spare her. Instead, she just settled for humiliating her like what she was doing now.


    "Who told you Annie had to treat you with utmost respect? Miss Xiao, who do you think you are?" The twodies were startled by another female voice from the door. It was Belinda who happened to pass by, and when she saw what Eleanor was doing to Annie, she immediately cut in to defend her. It seemed that Eleanor hadn''t learned her lesson yet.


    "Mrs. Leng," Eleanor greeted Belinda with an embarrassed smile. Her face was drained of color when Belinda interjected to defend Annie. When she realized that YS Group was a powerfulpany, she didn''t dare say or do anything to provoke Belinda again, otherwise the woman would ban her from working with them.


    "Miss Xiao, I told you before. There are many models in the entertainment circle. If you continue to act like this, I would not mind recing you," Belinda said with disdain written all over her face. Although recing Eleanor would cause losses for thepany, she didn''t care about it at all. She was the CEO of YS Group and her husband was the CEO of Leng Group, after all. They had more than enough money to do whatever they wanted.


    "I get it," Eleanor murmured in slight irritation. She still cast a warning nce at Annie, though.


    "Okay. Go back to work." Belinda shook her head in disbelief. She thought that Annie was too soft to Eleanor. If she were Annie, she would have taught Eleanor a hard lesson she wouldn''t forget.


    Belinda sighed and gestured to take her leave. "Belinda, thank you for defending me." Annie followed after her and thanked her sincerely.


    "Annie, why were you still being kind to her? You have to show her that you''re not a doormat. I can defend you once, but I can''t be there all the time." Belinda thought she had to remind Annie. Otherwise, Eleanor would not only continue to belittle Annie, but also dy thepany schedule. She wondered why Annie was so soft. Annie was from a prominent family, and she shouldn''t have been acting like this.


    "I know, Belinda. I just thought that I should be lenient whenever it''s possible, so I always try to avoid arguing with people." Annie smiled sheepishly at Belinda. During the time when she had left home and lived alone, she didn''t have the life skills to support herself and thus, had a lot to learn. Because of this, she had always swallowed the insults and humiliation silently. After all the meekness and internalizing everything, she had gotten into the habit of being soft towards others. Even when she had made a name for herself as a famous designer now, she was still humble and modest.


    "Silly girl! How''s your arm? When can the sling be removed?" Belinda asked with a frown. She felt quite uneasy to see Annie''s arm in a sling, for it always reminded her of the scene she had seen in the CCTV cameras. If it hadn''t been for Rain who arranged bodyguards for Annie, she would have been killed by then.

 Chapter 1737 Not Your Moneymaking Tool (Part One)

    "Pretty soon. Oh, right," Annie said, a bit embarrassed. "Tom told me it''ll only be a few more days. Don''t worry!" Wearing the bandage to work had been rather inconvenient. Due to her hand being temporarily out ofmission, there were also instances where doing day to day activities felt rather tedious.


    "That will be great. I was worried that you would have to wear the bandage on your wedding day," Belinda said, heaving a sigh of relief. "Since it''s Tom taking care of your wound, I feel more at ease." ncing at the bandage, she offered a warm smile. Annie shouldn''t have to suffer the same pain as she did - the pain of struggling to put on her wedding dress.


    "It''s actually not as serious as it looks," assured Annie softly, fiddling with her long hair. "I just need to take some medicine, and I''ll be fine. But Tom - well, you know how serious he can be. He insisted that I wear the bandage like this." Since one of her hands was injured, she often had a hard time tying up her hair. And as much as she wanted to pull it up in a neat ponytail, she had no choice but to leave it hanging down her back nowadays.


    "I guess he thought that since your wedding wasing soon, he should help you recover as quickly as possible," Belinda said,ughing cheerfully. As a former patient of Tom''s professional services, she wasn''t new to his dedicated spirit. So Belinda fully understood what Annie had to deal with.


    "Yeah, maybe!" agreed Annie. Noticing the time, she prepared to leave in haste. "Belinda, I''m so sorry but I need to get back to my work now. I''ll see youter!" The shooting wasn''t finished yet, and she had to be back before they ever noticed she was gone. Besides, if she stayed longer, Eleanor might decide to create more trouble for her.


    "Okay!" said Belinda immediately. "You get back to your work. But I''ll see you at lunch!" These past few days at work had been rather dull since she had been having lunch alone, and she had gotten tired of the routine. Hopefully, Annie could apany herter.


    "All right," Annie said earnestly, "It''ll be my treat." Considering Belinda had always been helping her out of trouble, the least Annie could do was to buy her lunch to show her gratitude.


    Smiling, she responded, "I''ll dly ept that," Lunch wouldn''t cost a lot, so Belinda agreed to let Annie pay without hesitation. Had it been a different case, she might''ve refused a bit more adamantly.


    "See you at lunch," Annie said hastily, and then began walking away at full speed. If she wanted to keep her promise, she had to finish her job as soon as she could. Worst case scenario was that she''d be pulled back to work on unforeseen circumstances, and it would be embarrassing to bail after making ns with Belinda.


    Shrugging, Belinda returned to her own work as well.


    Having been busy with the affairs of CY Technology recently, Rain barely had time for food or sleep. Even the wedding affairs couldn''t fit into his schedule, and as a result, he hired wedding coordinators to deal with it. So when Leena dropped by to see him, he was utterly surprised.


    At a coffee house near CY Technology, Rain and Leena were having a conversation. "Rain," chided Leena, upon seeing him. "You really shouldn''t overwork yourself! Look at you," she frowned," You''ve lost so much weight in such a short time." Pouting her lips, she continued to fuss over Rain out of deep concern. It seemed that he had been putting in a lot of effort on managing CY Technology at the expense of his well-being.


    "Losing weight works for me. At least I won''t need to exercise anymore," Rain joked with her. Speaking of exercise, he hadn''t stepped foot in the gym for a long time. It was one of the many things he had sacrificed for work.


    "Losing weight through exercise is a totally different thing from overworking, okay? So will you please get some rest? I can only assume that you wouldn''t want to look like a mummy at the wedding!" Leena forewarned, feigning anger as she pinched his cheek. Upon doing that, however, she was more convinced that his drastic weight loss was truly unbing, as there was hardly any excess flesh on his face to squeeze. Even more upsetting was that all of them had slimmed down except for her.


    "Leena, you''re exaggerating," whined Rain, taking her hand off his face. "How did you find the time to see me? Aren''t you supposed to apany Richard today?" Looking at her closely, he asked, "Tell me, what brings you here?" Rain rubbed the delicate cheek that managed to escape her fingers. ''You said I was skinny and yet you still pinched so hard?'' heined to himself.


    "Have you forgotten? Richard got picked up by his grandmother for Capital City. Apparently, his grandfather misses him so much, so I was forced to let his grandmother take him away." Leena said, faking helplessness as if the mere thought of being temporarily separated from her son distressed her.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Come on, you''re not sad to see him go," Rain said rolling his eyes at her. "You actually looked forward to that!" She pretended to be shocked at his words, earning a sneer from the irate man. After all those years, he couldn''t be more aware of her peculiarity.


    "Oops! You got me." Leena said casually, beaming with a bit of embarrassment. It wasn''t because she didn''t love her son, Richard. But with him around, there wasn''t much for her to do anything other than look after him. So when his grandmother took Richard off her hands, she was happy to have her own leisure time. By any means, she had been preparing for a spring dress conference recently, and this extra time was exactly what she needed.


    "It''s a piece of cake for me to read you, okay? But seriously, could you just tell me why you''re here?" Rain asked earnestly. He had a feeling that she didn''te all the way to have coffee with him for a quick chat, and spected that perhaps something serious was happening.


    "Well! Here you go." Leena said, putting a debit card in front of him.


    "What''s this all about?" Rain asked, frowning. "Why are you giving me a debit card?"


    "Rain, don''t think too much of it," Leena said, seeing his expression. "I''m giving the money as an investment. Please take it. Otherwise, I''ll be upset ''cause you don''t want me to earn from yourpany." She had been knowing Rain all too well. If she gave him the money directly, he would refuse to ept it at once. For that reason, she had no choice but to bring it up as an investment proposal. Even though the money wasn''t a lot, it was sufficient for CY Technology to get through its most grueling period.


    "Leena, I know you too well," Rain said, unwilling to ept her money. "Your investment is clearly just a ruse. You''re just trying to help me out!" Frankly, he was quite moved that she thought of helping him out of his current financial difficulty. But it wasn''t like he had fallen into an inescapable financial situation where hispany couldn''t survive without her help.


    "It''s not what you think. I really want to invest. You see, Kevin''s a military officer, and he''s not allowed to do business outside. So, it''s my duty as a mother to make a long-term financial n for our son," Leena exined sincerely. "Just in case we don''t have anything to offer him when he''s all grown up." On the one hand, I really want to help you out. On the other hand, I also have a selfish motive - that is, a mother''s deep financial concerns for the future of my son.'' Leena wondered, waiting for him to respond.


    "Do you mean it?" asked Rain, still skeptical. Uncertain whether to ept her exnation, Rain folded his arms and looked at her in the eyes.


    "Of course, if it''s not for my son, do you really think I''d be that generous to you?" she asked in a nonchnt tone. Holding back a sigh of relief, Leena could see that he was starting to get convinced.0000000

 Chapter 1738 Not Your Moneymaking Tool (Part Two)

    After what seemed like a long time, Rain finally said, "Well, if that''s the case, I''ll take your card. And since it''s money in exchange for shares in mypany,ter I''ll ask William to prepare a document showing your shares based on the money you put in." Even though she had her shares in the Group Company of the Leng Family, no one would assume that they were too wealthy to earn more. Not to mention, as she said, it was to create a better future for Richard.


    "Pfft! You really don''t need to be so formal about this!" Leena said in an uneasy tone. She didn''t realize he would be so serious about the legalities of the investment proposal. Her mouth twitched. If he was going to settle her shares ordingly with the money she provided, she wasn''tpletely providing support as she had nned to, but was instead robbing him when he was already in trouble.


    "There''s nothing to discuss. I insist we do it that way, or I won''t ept a single penny from you," Rain said firmly. Looking at her reaction, he frowned and realized that her ultimate purpose was to help him out of his financial trouble. But since she had the will to invest in hispany as a shareholder, he would definitely make her investment more valuable.


    "All right, then!" Leena said glumly, pouting her lips. As soon as he brought up his conditions, Leena was reluctant to agree as it might put him in a more difficult position in the future. But seeing it was the only way for her to help him at the moment, she decided to ept his proposal. "Well, I want to propose a toast," Rain said happily, raising a cup. "To our pleasant partnership." Clinking his cup with hers, he took a sip of his coffee. Perhaps on another day, somewhere in the brighter future, they would be sharing another toast but with wine instead. "Wow! I guess it''s official! Cheers to a happy partnership," Leena beamed, and took a sip as well. She, too, felt it was odd of them to be consuming coffee for the toast. Probably, only the two of them would do something as strange as that.


    When it was time for Leena to leave, Rain returned directly to hispany. As he reached the entrance of hispany, however, he saw Tiana and Sheena having a loud argument free for everyone to see.


    "Did you hear me? You need to go back home with me right now!" Sheena yelled, "Stop hanging out with that little bastard! Your sister-inw found you a suitable man, and it''s best that while you''re still young, you marry him. If you keep dying it until you''re no longer young, it will be very difficult for you to find a suitable man that will want to marry you." After saying these ruthless words, she tugged Tiana''s dress to pull her out of the building.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Tiana stood her ground, but could not escape her grasp. "I don''t want to go back with you!" she responded back angrily, "And I don''t want to marry that man you''re talking about. It''s the president of CM Company, isn''t it?" She was outraged. "He''s almost old enough to be my father!" she retorted, "And I don''t love him at all. So it''s impossible for me to marry him." The younger woman blinked back her tears. She didn''t expect to be caught off guard by her mother as soon as she left thepany.


    "What are you talking about? He''s only around forty years of age, and definitely not old enough to be your father. More importantly, he''s filthy rich... you know?" Because Sheena was so ustomed to living an extravagant life, she never knew how to cater to others. But due to the current situation of her family, she had to find a new way to maintain her financial support. Unfortunately for Tiana, she became thetest victim of Sheena''s greed.


    "Mom, I''m your daughter. Not your moneymaking tool." Tiana answered, seeing red all over. "You have no right to manipte my life like this." Being sold out by her own mother like an animal, she felt her heart being crushed. Out of fear of being locked up in their house, she had been living with a friend in thest few days. Despite her attempts to avoiding Sheena, she still managed to catch her at work. What terrible luck she had!


    "You stupid girl. The fact that you know you''re my daughter must mean that you know your obligation to contribute to our family," Sheena snapped. No longer an elegant and wealthydy like she used to be, she turned into a vulgar she-devil who would go so far as to argue with her daughter in public about fixed marriage. She had crossed a line that neither of them coulde back to.


    "Why? Why should your happiness be based on my lifelong happiness? Are you sure you''re my real mother? Am I really your daughter?" Tiana despaired. Unable to contain the tears, she broke down in front of Sheena. When she was young, she was pampered by her mother. Although she always felt like something was missing in their rtionship, it never urred to her that they would ever find themselves in this situation.


    "I''m doing all of this for you. Think about it. When the president of CM Company bes your husband, you won''t need to work here anymore as a ve to that little bastard," Sheena said, running a little out of breath. After all, she wasn''t getting any younger herself. Her physical condition wasn''t as good as it used to be.


    "I don''t care! I don''t give a damn about that. If you care so much about it, why don''t you marry him?" Tiana burst out, overwhelmed by her rage since she was so taken aback by her mother''s words. No mother by nature liked to be talked back. Sheena was no different in that respect. Pissed off by her daughter''s insolence, she pped her in the face.


    When Rain witnessed this incident, he was too far from them, so he had no way to stop Sheena from pping Tiana.


    Tiana let out a derisiveugh. "Great! you p me again! Please, go ahead. p the other side of my face and make it swollen as well. That way, both sides would be symmetrical, you know?" Tiana said, provoking her mother despite the sting on her cheek. Thesest couple of days had brought more pain than her previous yearsbined. So at this point, another p in the face wouldn''t be such a big deal.


    "You stupid girl. Do you think I won''t?" seethed Sheena. "You''re so disobedient now! I don''t know why I ever brought you home that time," Sheena said, increasingly irritated as Tiana intended. Without another thought, the older woman raised her hand, and gave Tiana another hard p in the face.


    "You..." Tiana was too stunned toplete her sentence. She never thought it would be possible to be pped twice on the same day. Meanwhile, Rain was stunned to witness the second p as well. Wasn''t Tiana supposed to be the favorite princess of the Ke family? It just didn''t add up. What he was seeing was totally different from what he had thought this entire time.


    "Tiana, you have to stop behaving this way right now. Or else, you''ll suffer so much more. So, let''s go. Come with Mom now," Sheena said gently. Once she found that tough approach wouldn''t work on Tiana, she decided to try a softer approach.


    "You know what? These two ps you so nicely gave me was thest straw. Now I''ve lost my attachment to the Ke family, and it''spletely impossible for me to go back with you." Tiana said firmly, wiping the blood out of the corner of her mouth. She waspletely heartbroken now. It wasn''t until that moment that she really doubted whether she was Sheena''s real daughter.


    "It''s not up to you. I''m not leaving until you agree to go back with me," said Sheena, starting to get irritated again. Although it wasn''t long enough, Sheena figured that the soft approach wasn''t going to work on Tiana as well.


    "I said it''s impossible unless you kill me first," said Tiana,pletely resolved. If her mother thought she was going to agree to marry that old man, then she must have gonepletely insane. Tiana would rather die than get married to him.00000000

 Chapter 1739 Not Your Moneymaking Tool (Part Three)

    "You think you can threaten me with that? If you wish to die so badly, I''ll grant your wish with pleasure," Sheena sneered, raising her hand again. For more than two decades, she wore the image of a loving mother to Tiana. It was all destroyed in a single eye-opening


    argument where Sheena revealed her ws. This time, however, her hand was held back by another powerful hand.


    "If you want to teach your daughter a lesson, please teach her at home. It''s office time. Don''t get in the way of my staff''s productivity," said Rain tly. Granted, it was originally their family business. So it felt inconvenient for him, as an outsider, to interfere in their personal affairs. Nevertheless, he couldn''t take another minute of watching Tiana being bullied by her mother.


    "Rain," Tiana beckoned to him, looking helplessly sad. Aware of her pathetic situation, she lowered her eyes to hide her pain from Rain.


    "What does our family affair have to do with you, you son-of-a-bitch? What? Now that you''re the president of KD Group, do you really think that you''ve be noble now? Don''t forget that regardless of your status changing, it will never erase the fact that you''re still just an illegitimate child." Sheena said coldly towards him. Then, with great force, she pulled her hand back. If it hadn''t been for him taking over KD Group, she wouldn''t have be the viin shouting in public and humiliating her daughter.


    "So what? At least I took over KD Group by mypetence, not by selling out my daughter for power and wealth like someone," Rain said ironically. ncing at Tiana''s face, he saw the reddish marks on her face. She must be in great pain at the moment.


    "Hah! Did you say, by your ownpetence? That''s right. When ites to being brazen and sly as a fox, who''s better than you?" Rain bit back a response, and let her continue, "Did you think that after you putting my sons and daughters-inw in the branch office, I''d be grateful to you? ¨®h, on the contrary, I''ll curse you to die like a dog forever." Sheena snapped, gritting her teeth. She didn''t even attempt to conceal her hatred for him.


    "Whatever! If cursing actually worked, maybe you''d be dead several times now," Rain retorted, ring up at the insensitive woman. If she thought that her resentment towards him was bigger than the other way around, she had another thinging.


    "You stupid girl, did you hear what he said? He''s a man who wants us to die, and you''re stupid enough to stay here and work for him. Do you have any self-esteem left at all?" Sheena used swiftly, trying to twist the facts. In fear of Tiana making a run for it, Sheena kept a tight hold on her sleeve.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Self-esteem? I don''t remember you giving me anything like that before," Tiana said defiantly. She was pped in public by her mother in this very spot by the entrance of thepany, humiliating her in front of people. And now, her mother had the guts to ask for her self- esteem? How ridiculous!


    "Are you really going to be on his side? Well, fine! As long as you give me six hundred million dors, then I''ll have nothing to do with your business. Anyway, I don''t want a daughter like you. Not as good or reliable as money," finished Sheena, licking her dry lips like a mad woman.


    Tiana neverughed so hard in her life. "Six hundred million! I never imagined that my life would be so valuable. So you''ve estimated my price early in the morning. If I guess correctly, this is the price you agreed with the president of CM Company, isn''t it?! So this is how you''re selling me out." At a loss for words, Tiana didn''t know how to express such an inexplicable pain in her heart. It was like that the mother in front of her, and the home that she had lived in for more than 20 years, had be too foreign to recognize. "It''s good for both of us since you guessed correctly. If you were not that beautiful, the president wouldn''t have been that willing to pay such a high price." Sheena said, full of pride, without the slightest sense of shame. As she had raised Tiana all those years, she felt entitled to some type of repayment for her efforts.


    "Tiana, go inside first!" Rain said abruptly. Rain had heard enough. Were such words really what a mother should say to her daughter?


    "But..." Tiana began, sounding helpless. Struggling to escape from Sheena''s grasp, Tiana tried to move away but her mother had no intention of letting her go.


    When Rain noticed what was going on, he turned to her side and squeezed Sheena''s wrist with great strength, forcing her to release Tiana.


    "OUCH! He''s trying to kill me! Everybody, look at what he''s doing now! The little bastard is trying to kill me right now!" Sheena cried out due to the pain. As soon as Tiana was free from Sheena''s grip, she rushed inside thepany without another thought. "Mind your words, or I really won''t mind killing you right now." Rain said, warning her in a very low voice. For a woman who could say everything that Rain had the misfortune to hear, bringing out facts and reasons would never work out. What he needed to do was be crueler than her.


    "You''re not allowed to leave. Since you released that stupid girl, you''re obligated to pay me the 6 hundred million dors," Sheena said shamelessly, holding his suit''s sleeve instead. Assuming that he truly cared about Tiana, Sheena thought he''d be willing to pay for her. "You''re barking up the wrong tree. You''re asking for 6 hundred million dors? I won''t even pay you 6 pennies!" Rain said firmly. Rain wasn''t Tiana. With a nonchnt yet swift move, he got himself out of Sheena''s grasp, and shot a sharp look at her before striding inside thepany. On the way in, he told the security guards not to let her in, and that if she continued to cause amotion by the entrance, they better call the police.


    "Rain," As soon as Tiana saw Rain entering the building, she called out his name softly.


    "Are you dumb? She already pped you once on the left cheek," he said, "And yet you still let her p you again on the other side?" Rain questioned her, a mixture of anger and pity resonating in his voice. Despite his unapproachable disposition, he still pulled her into the special elevator for the president.


    "I didn''t think she''d really p me again," said Tiana grimly. After being scolded by Rain, she felt even more ufortable, her tears beginning to well up in her eyes again.


    "She pped you the first time. Do you really think she''d care about doing it again?" said Rain, a bit infuriated with himself as he wasn''t supposed to interfere in the first ce. No matter how many times he tried to not get in the middle of the Ke family''s business, nothing just seemed to go ording to his ns as he was inevitably involved in it again.


    "I''m so sorry!" Tiana said, sensing his anger. His animosity must have been induced by her mother scolding him, and so naturally, she felt like she owed him an apology.


    "Don''t say sorry to me. Say sorry to your cheeks! You owe me nothing! And why didn''t you tell me that your family wanted to marry you off to the president of CM Company?" Rain questioned her. He was almost positive that the people of the Ke family had lost their minds. Otherwise, why on earth would they let such a beautiful youngdy marry a man who was so much older than her? Did it really mean that deep in their hearts, money was more important than family?


    "I was afraid you wouldn''t allow me to stay at yourpany, so I hid it from you," Tiana said, biting her lips anxiously. If she had told him the truth earlier, he wouldn''t have cared about her. With the fact that her beloved family could treat her that way, she could only assume that he would do the same since he had always regarded the other members of the Ke family as his enemies.


    "You''re really very aware of the whole situation," Rain remarked, honestly. As soon as they emerged from the elevator, Rain pulled her into the office of the president, raising people''s curiosity for a while. Soon enough, he walked out and ordered casually, "William, go get me some ice, and gauze," "If Tiana''s face wasn''t treated immediately, it would swell up like a pig''s head, ''Rain thought to himself.


    "I''m on it, Sir," William said quickly, "I''ll bring them to you right away." Although William didn''t know what was happening, he didn''t bother to ask questions and preferred to follow his boss'' orders.

 Chapter 1740 Illegal Detention (Part One)

    "Why doesn''t your father do something if your mother keeps treating you like this?" Rain drew a piece of tissue from the desk and gave it to her. He was confused why Sanford would let Sheena treat their daughter like this. Something like this shouldn''t be happening, in his opinion. "My dad went abroad, right after you announced that KD... no, CY Technology was founded. He said that he felt too ashamed to stay in this city anymore. He has no idea what happened after he left. That is why he couldn''t do anything about it," Tiana replied in a small sobbing voice, taking the tissue from Rain''s hand and used it to wipe her tears away. Her action was gentle and cautious because her face was badly hurt. Even with her gentle hands, she could still feel her face throbbing, every movement creating ripples of sharp pain from the wounds. She felt so bitter and hurt right now.


    "By the way, where have you been staying these days?" Rain knew that she hadn''t been going home. In fact, it had been a few days since she had left home. That was why he asked out of curiosity. He hoped that she at least had a decent ce to sleep. "I have been staying at one of my friends'' house," Tiana answered honestly. She knew that it wasn''t a very good idea to keep staying with her friend. She couldn''t intrude for too long. But she just had no other choice right now. She just needed a few more days before she figured out what to do next.


    "You''ve been staying with your friend? I mean, don''t you have your own ce? Your family didn''t get you your own house or something?" Upon hearing Tiana''s words, Rain couldn''t help but feel a bit surprised. Howe Tiana didn''t have her own ce? Usually, rich parents would buy at least one piece of property for their children. So he couldn''t understand why Tiana didn''t have a ce where she could stay and had to stay at someone else''s house. She should have her own vi, or at least a small apartment. "No! Of course not. They only give me money to spend when I need it. They never bought me any property." Tiana wasn''t lying. The car she was driving was a birthday gift from her father. Other than that, she hadn''t received any big gifts. It seemed that for a girl from a wealthy family, she wasn''t being treated very well.


    Rain couldn''t help but knit his eyebrows into a tight frown. Why was that? He had thought that Tiana was spoiled in her family. Was it all just for show to other people? The truth of the matter was, Tiana wasn''t even a princess in her family, living a quite ordinary life, even as a rich girl. All of a sudden, Rain remembered a few of the words he had heard just earlier when he was downstairs. If he remembered right, Sheena said that Tiana was brought home by her? Could it be true? That Tiana was adopted and not Sheena''s biological daughter after all? If it was, then a lot of things would make sense. Firstly, Sheena''s attitude towards Tiana.


    "Let me have a look at your face. Oh. It looks bad. It seems that you shouldn''t be going out in the next few days," Rain sighed. He pulled away her hand that was holding her face and looked at the injured part closely. Her cheek was all red and swollen, and it looked kind of frightening. Rain couldn''t help but sigh again. In his opinion, Tiana was a pretty nice girl, and she didn''t deserve to be treated like this.


    "Is it really that bad?" Tiana couldn''t help but ask. She felt a bit more perplexed after hearing Rain''s words. He sounded pretty serious. And she still hadn''t gotten the chance to see her face through a mirror, so she had no idea how bad her face looked.


    "What do you think? Tell me honestly, do you get beaten up a lot at home?" Rain asked in a pretty casual tone. He didn''t want to let Tiana sense that he was fishing for information. Although in fact, he was. He wanted to know how Tiana was being treated at home. This was a possible case.


    "No. In fact, this is the second time. The other day, I defended you in front of them. That''s the reason why I got pped in the face." Tiana couldn''t help but pucker her lips while saying these words. But she quickly gave up and her face turned into a grimace because her cheek just hurt so much with her every move.


    "Am I really that good to you that you had to defend me in front of your family?" Rain asked. He was touched by Tiana''s action, not expecting that she would defend him in front of her family and get herself hurt. No one had ever done this for him. He would be lying if he said that his heart didn''t melt upon hearing why she got hurt in the first ce. But he quickly snapped his face back into the yful and indifferent one. He was just that good at hiding his emotions. This was no time for him to get emotional.


    "Yeah. To be honest, I feel like I am with my family only when I am with you. You are easier to get along with and a far cry from my own real family who are just brutal and mean. You feel like home to me," Tiana replied honestly. She also felt that this was pretty strange. With the people that she had been living with for over twenty years, she had never felt safe and secure. But as soon as she saw Rain, she immediately felt that they had a certain connection, and she didn''t waste any time letting her guard down around him. She knew that she could trust him. He felt more like home than any one else and it scared her in a nice way. She could tell that the two of them were alike, having so many simrities.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Like home?" Rain had a confused look on his face. He didn''t know how to feel about her confession. He knew that she wasn''t lying at all. Did he really make her feel so much at ease and wee? Did she really feel like she was at home when she was around him? Did he really give off that kind of family vibe that she was looking for? If the answers to his questions were yes, then why hadn''t he ever felt it himself?


    "Yes, like home. What is it, Rain?" Tiana asked, looking at him with confused eyes. She didn''t know why he looked so serious all of a sudden. What happened?


    "Nothing. I have already asked William to bring an ice pack for you. He should be here in a minute. Gently ce it on your swollen cheek. I am sure that it will make you feel better." Rain avoided Tiana''s question, walking over to his desk and sat down on the chair. He turned his back to her, trying to hide what he had been really thinking just now.


    "Thank you so much, Rain." Tiana felt happy, that he seemed to care about her. Even if it was just a tiny bit of concern, she was already satisfied. Rain''s actions told her that she didn''t get pped for nothing. She defended Rain in front of her family, and in return, Rain was seriously concerned about her well being and safety.00000???????????

 Chapter 1741 Illegal Detention (Part Two)

    "Mr. Xia. Here is the ice pack you asked for. Is this okay?" William walked in the office without even knocking on the door, because he was in a hurry. Rain had instructed him to bring it as soon as possible.


    "Yes, that''s just all right. Hand it over to Tiana," Rain said, nodding his head to Tiana. He thought it was really a good idea to take William with him to CY Technology. He was such a good employee who did everything that was asked of him to do, efficiently, perfectly and quickly. His job was impable.


    "Here you are, Miss Ke." William handed the ice pack to Tiana without saying anything else. Though he was curious why her face was all red and swollen, he didn''t say anything about it. After all, it was none of his business. He was not the big boss of CY Technology, and he understood his ce, knowing when he should keep his mouth shut.


    "Thank you, William." Tiana took the ice pack from William''s hand. She couldn''t help but lower her head, feeling quite embarrassed that he had to see her like this.


    "You are wee. I should go back to work now. If you need anything, just call me, Mr. Xia," William made a slight bow and said to Rain in a polite tone.


    "Go ahead." Rain waved his hand, gesturing for him to continue his work. But all of a sudden, he called after William, making him stop in his tracks and look back at him with confused eyes. "Wait. Please find me some ointment for her cheek too. Thank you, William." "No problem, Mr. Xia." Though William answered in an obedient tone, he was getting more and more confused inside. He had thought that Rain didn''t like Tiana and wasn''t in good terms with her. But why was he being so nice to her all of a sudden today? He couldn''t understand, but it was not in his position to question it and even say it out loud. He just had to do what Rain told him to do and ask no questions.


    Of course, Rain couldn''t know what William was thinking about. He just stared at Tiana, who was carefully dabbing the ice pack on her swollen face while grimacing because of the pain. He didn''t know how to feel about her anymore. One moment she was just his half- sister whom he thought was all right but didn''t like. And now, she was the same half-sister who defended him in front of the family who had raised her for over twenty years.


    "Okay, now, go to the bathroom to see your face. Only when you see how swollen your face is will you take it more seriously," Rainmanded in a serious tone. He saw that Tiana didn''t dare to put the ice pack fully on her face because it hurt so bad. But it wouldn''t do much good to her swollen cheek. She should know how serious her wound was so she could treat it more seriously.


    "Okay." Tiana nodded, standing up from where she was sitting. Then she walked to the bathroom within the office with the ice pack in her hand.


    Once she walked into the bathroom, she immediately looked at herself through the mirror. As soon as she saw her own reflection, her jaw dropped inplete shock. The sight frightened her because she didn''t expect that the wounds and bruises on her face were that bad. She almost couldn''t recognize herself. Then a bolt of pain suddenly hit her because she opened her mouth too wide. Who could me her if she was that surprised to see such damage to her face?Copyright N?v/el/Dra/ma.Org.


    She couldn''t help but feel bitter about it. Never in her worst nightmares did she imagine that her own mother would be the one to attack her like this. As soon as this thought crossed her mind, her eyes were filled with tears again. Tears kept streaming down her cheeks, making the wounds sting and hurt even more.


    Deep in her heart, she knew that she couldn''t hide forever. It was not a good idea to run away from her problems, and she could not solve them by doing this. She was extremely lucky to have gotten away, but it didn''t mean that she could always be this lucky. She just had to face the real problem and find a solution to it.


    Pretty soon, William walked back into the office with the ointment Rain had asked for. Rain gestured for him to put the ointment on the desk and leave. Now, there was only Rain in the office waiting for Tiana, who was still in the bathroom checking out her face.


    But after a long time, she still hadn''t gotten out, and it worried Rain a bit. He got up from his chair and walked to the bathroom. He stood outside the door and gently knocked twice. "Tiana, are you all right?"


    "Um. Yeah. I will be out in a minute." Upon hearing Rain''s voice, Tiana knew that she must have been in the bathroom for too long. She immediately turned on the tap and quickly washed her face. She tried her best to keep calm and lookedposed before walking out of the bathroom. Her eyes were still a bit red, though.


    "Were you crying in there?" Rain couldn''t help but nce at her twice. He noticed that her eyes were redder than before. She must have indeed cried.


    "Of course not! It''s just that my face hurts really bad that I really can''t stand it," Tiana answered in a fake joyful sound, and she avoided looking Rain''s eyes the whole time. She didn''t want to admit that she did cry in the bathroom like a little baby who couldn''t handle her own issues. The truth was, she felt so lost, which was worse than the pain on her face. She was like a kid who suddenly lost everything she had and became homeless. But Rain saw through her. She was really a bad liar.


    "Here. This is the ointment that I asked William to get for you. It''s good for your face. Try putting some on," Rain said while handing the ointment to her. He could easily see through her lie, but he didn''t want to make a big deal out of it and embarrass her. He could understand how hard it must be for her to be treated like this by her own mother. He knew that she must feel betrayed and very disappointed. But he didn''t know how tofort her and he wasn''t sure if he should. So he just kept his mouth shut and pretended to believe that she was telling the truth.


    "Thank you." Tiana was really touched by his actions. He could have done nothing to help her and he did not have the obligation to do so. But he still tried to help despite the feud between him and her family. She almost cried again because of this. But she just tried her best to contain her emotions and calm herself down. She didn''t want Rain to see her cry any more. It just made her look weak and useless. So she just turned around and walked back into the bathroom with the ointment that Rain gave her.00000

 Chapter 1742 Illegal Detention (Part Three)

    As soon as she disappeared behind the bathroom door, Rain got lost in his thoughts again. He was considering how he should deal with this thing with Tiana. He really wanted to help her get through this problem. If her crazy old mother, Sheena found out where she was, she would surely be taken back and be forced to marry that old man. He just had to do something to stop it. Tiana shouldn''t have to be used as the sacrificialmb and marry the old man for the sake of her family! Rain wouldn''t let this happen to her. He didn''t know why he was so keen on helping Tiana, but his gut told him that it was the right thing to do.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    In the evening, Rain gave Edward a call, asking him for a favor.


    "What''s the matter?" Edward picked up the call and walked out on the balcony. Daisy just got out of the shower and was blowing her hair so it was a bit noisy in the room. He stepped out so that he could hear Rain better.


    "Yeah. Can you do me a favor? Can you talk to your father and ask him to check if Tiana is really Sheena''s biological daughter? I have a feeling that she might have been adopted." The more Rain thought about this, the more Rain believed that there was a big possibility of Tiana being an adopted child. He didn''t think that it was possible for a mother to do such a vile thing to her own daughter. Besides, he never thought that Sheena really cared about the young Tiana. Her motherly love always seemed a bit fake to him. "Are you serious? Why? What''s going on?" Rain''s words piqued Edward''s interest. He also wondered, since when did Rain start to care about anyone from the Ke family. Why did Rain care about Tiana so much? He just couldn''t make sense of it.


    "Yes, I am serious. Today, in front of thepany, I heard Sheena talking. She used a wrong word that made me suspicious about it. She must have slipped unintentionally," Rain answered in a serious tone. If Tiana was indeed not Sheena''s real daughter, then so many things would make sense. He really hoped that Edward''s father could help him find the truth about it.


    "Okay. I will ask my father for you." Edward had heard that Tiana, unlike the rest of her family, was indeed very nice to Rain. That was the reason why he decided to help her. Besides, he was also curious to know the truth himself.


    "Thank you. But please make it quick. And don''t forget about the evidence for the car ident," Rain reminded Edward again. He had a feeling that something big was about to be revealed, and he couldn''t help but feel excited about it.


    "All right, all right! Stop rushing me! Both of these things will take time," Edward said in an annoyed tone and rolled his eyes at Rain''s excitement. ''Give me a break, will you?'' he couldn''t help but think to himself. He himself also had a lot of things to do. "Okay. Then I won''t disturb you anymore. You can go back to your thing. Thank you and bye!" Rain teased with a knowing grin on his face. He thought that Edward was this agitated and impatient because he had interrupted him in the middle of something important. Maybe he interrupted him and Daisy? No wonder he was this annoyed.


    "Go back to my thing? What thing? What are you talking about? Jeez! Get your mind out of the gutter, will you?" After these words, Edward immediately hung up the phone without even waiting for Rain to reply. Rain was getting cheekier and cheekier recently. Maybe it had something to do with his new found family? Or maybe it was because now that he had his ownpany, he thought that he could start acting brash in front of Edward? But Rain must not forget, though he had his ownpany now, he still had to work for Edward who by now, had be a master of the trade.


    "Who called you? Why do you seem so irritated?" Daisy walked out on the balcony after her hair had gotten dry. She felt confused. Why did Edward seem so angry? Who called to ruin his evening like this?


    "Of course it was Rain, that brat. Who else could it be? He told me to go back to my thing. He has been acting audaciously, especially now, that son of a bitch. Do you have any idea what he meant by ''go back to my thing''? Do you know what thing he was referring to?" Edward fumed, intentionally asking his wife. Of course he knew what Rain was talking about. He watched Daisy''s face closely, trying to figure out what she was thinking. He really wanted to see how she would react.


    "I have no idea what he meant. Besides, how and why should I know? You were the one he was talking to." With these words, Daisy turned around and walked back to the bedroom. She knew what Edward was trying to do. She could easily see through her husband. And she would surely not walk into his trap.


    "You don''t even want to guess?" Edward quickly walked after her, not easily letting this go.


    "No. I still have work to do. I am not as bored as you, you know," Daisy retorted while picking up her pace. She knew that Edward must be up to no good, and she didn''t want to engage him by getting herself into trouble. So, she''d better get out of there quickly. "Senior Colonel Ouyang, are you afraid? Afraid to have even a little guess?" Edward stopped in his tracks and asked her in a fake mocking tone. He was trying to irk Daisy with the words she disliked the most. He knew that Daisy would fall for his trick and turn back to argue with him.


    "Yes, you are right. I am indeed afraid," Daisy answered him in a light tone. Much to Edward''s surprise, she bluntly admitted it without any struggle, and it astonished him, suddenly not knowing what to say or do next. In Daisy''s mind, it was not a big deal to admit this to her husband from time to time, if this would make him shut up. She didn''t have to win the argument all the time. In fact, even if it appeared that she lost but she got what she wanted, then she was the one who would have won.


    "Umm..." Edward was at a loss for words all of a sudden. Never had he thought that Daisy would bluntly admit to him that yes, she was indeed afraid. It was not like her to admit fear and defeat without even putting up a good fight.


    Seeing his reaction, the corners of Daisy''s lips curled into a smug smile. She had made him tongue tied, not knowing what to say. She had stunned him! It was rare and this made Daisy very proud of herself. Well, it seemed that sometimes, one didn''t have to always struggle to get the upper hand and win. Sometimes, maybe just admitting defeat would turn out to be surprising results.


    But on the other hand, Edward wouldn''t be himself if he justpletely gave up that easily. He was stunned for a minute but he regained his thoughts and quickly grabbed Daisy right before she was about to walk out of the door. He gently pulled her towards him, and Daisy, who was not prepared for his sudden moves, fell into his tight arms with a startled look on her face. So she did not win after all.0000

 Chapter 1743 Illegal Detention (Part Four)

    "What are you doing? Let go of me, Edward!" Daisy tried to struggle and get away from his arms in a deadlock. But as soon as she looked into Edward''s charming eyes, she just lost her strength and couldn''t do anything about it. She wanted to bury herself in Edward''s


    loving arms and never leave. Her whole body quivered as if slowly melting under his gaze.


    "Don''t you think that, if Justin really wants a little sister, we should just give him a sister?" Edward smirked while saying these words. He looked at Daisy with intense eyes, trying to gauge her reaction.


    "Give him a sister? It''s not like we can make a daughter out of thin air. Do you think that it''s that easy? Oh yes of course, you do think it''s easy. Your job is done in the next five to ten minutes while I''m stuck with it for 9 freaking months. No thanks! Besides, we can no longer have another baby." Daisy rolled her eyes at Edward''s words in annoyance. Did he really think that it was that easy? Did he forget that he already had a vasectomy before? They couldn''t have any more kids.


    "You don''t understand. It is not asplicated as you think. Do you have any idea that with today''s technology, everything is possible? Besides, we still have the winning card," Edward said in an easy tone with a smile on his face. He knew what Daisy must be thinking right now. Yes, he did have a vasectomy. But he asked Jerry before the operation if this was reversible. He had promised him that yes, he could have a baby again if he changed his mind and wanted one.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "A winning card? What are you talking about?" Daisy asked in confusion. She had no idea what he was talking about. And his smug smile annoyed her to no end. She didn''t like the feeling that Edward was hiding something from her with no intention of ever telling her. "You will know it soon, my dear Senior Colonel Ouyang." Edward couldn''t help but lower his head and kissed Daisy gently on her lips. In his mind, he considered this talk as a preemptive strike. He wanted another child, and he considered that Daisy already said yes.


    "Huh. Whatever. Let go of me. I really have to work right now." Daisy thought that Edward must be messing with her intentionally, so she paid his words no mind, not taking what he said seriously. She wanted to focus her attention on the unfinished work that was waiting for her. She just wanted him to let go of her so she could get back to what she had left undone.


    "Fine, go ahead." Edward let go of her without any struggle. He shrugged as if without a care in the world. He thought that what he was doing was good for their son Justin who had been implying that he really wanted a little sister. If they were going to give him that, it would mean that Edward would have a satisfying night tonight. Coming up with a n, a smug and suspicious smile appeared on his face, suddenly making Daisy doubtful.


    "Wait a minute. Why are you letting me go this easily today? And why are you smiling like that? All smug and secretive. You are acting so weird today. Tell me, are you hiding something from me? What the hell is going on in that dirty head of yours?" Daisy was not a fool. After years of being together, she knew her husband better than the back of her hand. Any small change in him wouldn''t go unnoticed. She immediately sensed how Edward was acting so out of the ordinary today. She knew something was off, but she just couldn''t figure out what. What did Edward really mean by what he just said? She hoped that it was nothing serious. She didn''t like the uncertain feeling that her husband could be nning something against her.


    "No! I am not hiding anything from you, silly! You are just too paranoid, that''s all," Edward hurriedly said, immediately snapping back into a serious look. He couldn''t afford to risk it. Daisy shouldn''t crack the mystery of what he was nning. But at the same time, he was also a bit surprised and impressed that Daisy could see right through him just from a slight difference in his happy smile. How many smiles did he have that Daisy knew of? Because he himself didn''t know. But why the hell did Daisy think that his smile was smug? It was clearly just a happy smile for God''s sake!


    "You''d better be telling me the truth, or I will be very mad at you. Don''t let me find out that you are doing something behind my back, understood?" Daisy warned him in a dead serious tone. But she just forgot one thing. The man in front of her was not one of her obedient soldiers. He was her husband who was not afraid of anything in the world. So her warning would surely fall on deaf ears. Edward was definitely cooking up something.


    "All right, all right. Just go and do your thing. Since when did you be such a worrywart?" This time, Edward didn''t try to stop her anymore. Instead, he even shoved her out of the room, because that was all she''d been talking about -- her unfinished work.


    The more Edward acted this way, the more suspicious Daisy became. Why Edward was acting like this, she had no idea and did not understand why. Daisy suddenly thought back to the words he said just a few minutes ago. Giving Justin a little sister? He couldn''t be serious, could he? Daisy was not sure about it anymore. If Edward was going to push through with whatever he was plotting, she was seriously going to lose her mind. She was going to be extremely busy in the next few weeks, and she didn''t have time to deal with Edward''s childish and mischievous games. Hopefully, Edward wasn''t really serious about it. Oh how ironic it was, wishing that someone wasn''t serious about something ridiculous.


    Meanwhile, back at Rain''s house, the atmosphere in the room was just too heavy. Both Rain and Annie had serious looks on their faces.


    "Oh my Rain, is it the truth, really? This is serious! Did Tiana really get pped by her own mother?" Annie just couldn''t believe her own ears. She was very confused. Though she had only met Tiana once or twice before, she felt that she was not that kind of girl, brave enough to go against her own parents. In her mind, Tiana was an obedient daughter who listened to everything her parents told her. So what excuse was there for her mother to eveny a finger on her? Every sane mother would protect her delicate child from even a mosquito bite, yet Tiana''s mother was treating her like a punching bag. Annie was at a loss trying to find any sense in it.


    "Yes, I''m telling the truth. It is exactly what happened. Sheena wants her to marry a guy who is much older than her. And of course she wouldn''t do it. That''s why she got pped. There''s no other exnation." Rain shook his head in frustration. He had a lot of things to deal with which required a lot of his time and energy. These things made him extremely busy and worried. However, he just couldn''t ignore Tiana and what she was going through. Adding this to his pile, he felt even more agitated and bothered. He couldn''t understand how a parent could hurt her own child.00000000000????

 Chapter 1744 Illegal Detention (Part Five)

    "What the hell? Tiana is her own flesh and blood, that she carried in her own body for nine freaking months! She gave birth to her! Why is she so keen on marrying her off like that, sacrificing her daughter''s happiness like that? I just can''t believe it! What a monster that mother is!" Annie just couldn''t believe it. She thought that this kind of thing only happened in the old days. She had no idea that parents would still do this to their children in these modern times. Annie''s opinion of Sheena had sunk low and deep. How could these kinds of people still exist in this harmonious and supposedly civilized society?


    "Yeah, I am also confused. It is hard to figure out what is going on in that crazy woman''s head," Rain said in a tired voice. Just thinking of Tiana''s plight was indeed very exhausting. He reached out to pull Annie in his arms. He just wanted thefort of his dear wife''s embrace. He could only handle so much and could not save the whole world. He must make peace with it.


    "I understand. But you said that you didn''t want anything to do with the Ke family, didn''t you? So don''t worry about it too much." Annie held Rain tightly in her arms. She was aware of how pressured and tired he must be. She wished that she could help him, but what could she do? She let out a silent sigh, feeling a bit helpless. She gently patted his back, trying to give him thefort he deserved. Maybe in everyone else''s eyes, Rain was a tough man who was not afraid of anything and could achieve anything. But Annie knew better. Even the toughest man had his weak moments. And she should be there for him whenever he needed her.


    "Yeah. That''s what I think too." Rain closed his eyes, slowly falling asleep in her arms.


    As the wedding date approached and got closer, Rain started getting busier. He wanted to finish all his tasks in advance so he could focus on his wedding and finally and legitimately be with the woman of his dreams.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    While Rain was busy working his ass off, Tiana was not that lucky. Her family found where she had run off to and forced her to go back home with them. The Ke family wouldn''t let her out of her own room because they were afraid that she would run away again. They were really dead set on marrying her off to the CEO of the CM Company. It was almost like a cross between kidnapping and illegal detention. Rain knew about it but just couldn''t do anything about it. He had researched for information about the CEO whom they wanted Tiana to marry. Yes, he was indeed wealthy, but he was not known to be a nice person. He was famous for sleeping around with different women and he looked down on people below him, treating them like trash. As expected, he was much too old for Tiana. Marrying him would certainly be a nightmare for her. Rain just couldn''t let this happen.


    "Let me out, mom! Cyrus, do you want me to marry someone who is much older than you? My brother, please open the door!" Tiana shouted helplessly in her room which was at the top floor of the Ke family''s big house. But her cries and pleas fell on deaf ears. There was hardly anyone who came near her door.


    "Hannah, you are a woman too! You should understand! Do you really want to see me live a miserable life?" Tiana knew that she couldn''t run away forever. But she just didn''t think that her family would be this merciless and vicious. They made every effort to search everywhere for her and when they finally found her they brought her back and locked her in her room. It pained her when she realized that they had no second thoughts doing such a vile thing to her. She couldn''t recognize her family anymore as they had be ruthless strangers who were only after the benefits that they''d get. They were really willing to sacrifice her happiness so that they could continue to live infort.


    "Vance, Eugenia, what have I ever done to you to deserve this? I have always been very nice to you! Why are you two treating me like this?" Tiana kept shouting in frustration calling out to her brothers and sisters. But no one answered. They all pretended to not hear anything at all. They didn''t care what she said as long as she could not run away again.


    "Mom, do you really think that it''s a good idea to marry Tiana off to that man? Wouldn''t that make dad furious when he finds out?" Eugenia asked her mother-inw in a worried tone. At least for her, she couldn''t deny that Tiana was a good girl and treated her really nicely. And she felt pity for her too. But they just needed the money so badly. That was why they had no choice but to agree with their mother and sacrifice Tiana.


    "If hees back. You said it yourself. We don''t know when he is going toe back, or if he ising back at all. By then, it will be toote. He wouldn''t be able to do anything about it except just be mad. He can get as angry as he wants but by that time Tiana would have already been married," Sheena answered in a cold tone, a smug smirk on her face. She talked as if the girl who was being locked up in her room was not her own daughter. She talked about Tiana like she was just an object that she could sell whenever she wanted to.


    "Yeah, mom is right. I don''t understand what you are afraid of," Hannah interrupted, rolling her eyes at Eugenia. In fact, she was the one who thought of that idea to marry off Tiana and told her mother-inw about it. It was just a careless whim. But to her surprise, Sheena took it seriously and really thought that it was indeed a very good idea.


    "I am not afraid. I just feel sorry for her. That''s all. Just pity." Like Tiana said, she was really nice to Eugenia all the time. That was why Eugenia couldn''t help but feel a bit guilty about what they were doing, ganging up on the poor innocent girl. They might have really gone too far this time, but there was no turning back now.


    "Pity? That''s funny. When she gets married to the CEO, she will be the wife of a CEO. She will live a wealthy and happy life. I really don''t know what you are thinking right now, Eugenia. What, you don''t want your share of the money anymore?" Hannah didn''t care whom Tiana was going to marry, for she was not her real sister anyway. As long as her marriage was good for this family and benefited them, then she would agree to anything.


    "Of course I want my share of money! Don''t you dare think of keeping all the money to yourself!" When it came to money, Eugenia immediately forgot that Tiana, who had been really good to her, was suffering right now. She wanted money too, and she was going to get it. Nobody could stand between her and that money.


    "I am not nning to. Don''t worry," hummed Hannah in a mock tone. She thought that Eugenia was really fake sometimes. She even said that she pitied Tiana. How ridiculous was that? What a hypocrite! If she really pitied her, she wouldn''t have helped them bring Tiana back at all. Eugenia was just as guilty as every single one of them.0000000?????????

 Chapter 1745 Negotiation (Part One)

    "Everyone, shut up! Arguing like this is not helping! Why don''t we stop wasting spit and actually think of ways to get her to agree with our n. How are we going to send her there when she absolutely refuses to marry that old guy?" Sheena said loudly as she abruptlyPlease check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    stood up and banged the table with both her hands. Tiana''s yelling was still going on. It ate at her already distressed mind.


    "I don''t see what the problem is. We could just knock her out," Cyrus blurted out, running out of patience. At first he didn''t want to contribute to the discussion, since hearing Tiana''s crying made him feel guilty. Tiana was his little sister, despite all their problems. At that moment, he just couldn''t ignore her miserable voice and act like he didn''t care about her at all. He wasn''t that evil of a brother. However, his heart was touched only for an instant. Reality sunk in and hardened his sympathetic heart. He desperately needed this exorbitant amount of money to recover his merciless losses from the stock market. In light of the imminent bankruptcy that loomed over, he no longer hesitated to join the n to set his sister up.


    "Easier said than done. The ring w in your solution is how the hell are you going to knock her out? Don''t tell me you''ll just do a karate chop down her neck. Such a heartless thing for a brother to do to his little sister! I, on the other hand, haven''t even considered such a method," Vance replied sarcastically, fully intent on getting on his brother''s nerves. Seeing his wife buckle under the weight of the embarrassment caused by Hannah''s words, Vance couldn''t help but avenge her by giving Cyrus a hard time.


    "Dumbass! There are other ways other than a karate chop, less stupid ones. Have you been isted all these years to not know of a sleeping pill?" Cyrus barked. He looked at his brother with scorn in his gaze. All of this was because of his stupid younger brother. Vance was too greedy. He wanted to take everything away from him. This vulnerability gave Rain, that son of a bitch, a chance to get his revenge on them. If Vance had shown restraint, they wouldn''t even have been in this mess. They wouldn''t need to argue with each other about which method would best set Tiana up, their only sister in the entire world. No one would have liked to peddle their own flesh and blood this way.


    Oh, great! You think you''re so smart, huh? Well, genius, the sleeping pill will only work if she''s willing to take it," Vance snapped venomously at his brother. He saw the murderous look on Cyrus'' face but he wasn''t bothered in the least. He took Cyrus'' look and spit it back at him with a look of his own. He lifted his eyebrows and smirked as if to say, ''Since you''re so good at this, why don''t you feed the sleeping pills to Tiana yourself and save us all the time and trouble. Howe you''re still sitting here talking so shamelessly to us? I know why. It''s because you can''t do this either! You''re the one to talk when you can''t even follow up your suggestion with action. Genius!''


    "Why are you fighting again? Aside from these idiotic suggestions, doesn''t anyone have even an inkling of a good idea? Can''t you run up there and convince her with all that charm and wit you boys always boast about?" Sheena asked, clearly running out of patience. Her brows were furrowed deeply, she thought to herself with profound sorrow, ''Why are my two sons so stupid and useless? Especially at this critical moment, neither of them can give any help! They keep spewing these useless ideas! They''re more interested in insulting each other rather than focusing on our dire situation. No wonder they couldn''t even do the simple thing of holding on their ownpany. What is the big deal with that bastard Rain, anyway? He''s nobody, but my sons still couldn''t handle him at all.''


    "Come on, Mum! We''re not Rain. How could Tiana ever listen to a word we say?" Vanceined almost immediately. He was genuinely curious as to what Tiana was thinking right now. He never understood her even after having lived together for more than twenty years. They were family, not that bastard Rain, but she was always thinking about that little bastard all the time. Even if Rain had never smiled at her, she was still willing to drop everything to help and protect him.


    "Well, then, what the hell were you doing before all this? For more than two decades, you boys couldn''t even earn the trust of a little girl?" snapped Sheena sarcastically. She was fed up of this hopeless situation. She then gave her sons a disappointed look. She felt so helpless when she realized the difference in capability between her sons and Rain. They were just hopeless.


    "It''s not our fault that we look like you," Cyrus murmured, almost whispering. He retreated to his deep thoughts, ''That lucky bastard, he looks exactly like his mother. No wonder he always gets what he wants being all handsome and charming. If I looked half as good as him, I wouldn''t be worried about anything.''


    "What?! What the hell did you just say to me?! It sounded like you were ming me for your own stupidity and ugliness. So it''s all my fault now?" Sheena asked, quivering with rage. Her voice was shrill and cold. At that moment all her blood went up her head and she was ice cold with anger. She always knew that she never looked as beautiful as Fiona Xia, and this had always been a painful scar in her heart. No one had dared broach it for so many years, not even her husband. She never expected this toe from her own son. How could he bring it up knowing full well how affected she was by it. He just tore the scar open and even deepened the wound. He just stabbed her with his sharp words.


    "No, Mum! You''re drifting off-topic again. Let''s just deal with Tiana right now," Cyrus immediately offered. He sensed theing onught from his mother and tried to save the situation. ''It''s better to go back to the task at hand. Otherwise, God knows how she would react if she is as furious as this,'' Cyrus thought to himself.


    Meanwhile, in the second floor of the Ke mansion, Tiana was prone beside her bed. She was agonizing over the fact that the family she grew up with and loved all her life were now discussing how to sell her to someone. She had no idea she had been a fish on their frying pan now, and they would never allow their paycheck to escape.???????????????

 Chapter 1746 Negotiation (Part Two)

    On the drive to the Ke Mansion, Rain was organizing his thoughts for theing confrontation. The drive was painfully dull. In order to save Tiana, Rain decided he needed toe back to the wretched ce which he had vowed never to step on in his entire life.


    Moreover, he had to face the disgusting "family members" of Tiana and him.


    When he first came about the news that his little sister had been taken back to the Ke mansion by her family, he stayed upte to think hard for a reasonable excuse to help her out, but even he failed. It was only with the unexpected help of the Mayfly did he obtain the damning evidence he needed. This was his smoking gun. So here he was in front of the Ke''s, waiting to pull the trigger.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Hmph! It''s you, Rain." Vance said his name in his most venomous tone. "If I remember correctly, didn''t you vow never to step into our house ever again? So why the hell are you here again? What brought you here, huh? And in case you still don''t know, that spot you''re standing on right now belongs to the Ke''s. It''s our ce, not yours," Vance scoffed at Rain as soon as he saw him. It annoyed Vance greatly that no matter when and where they met, Rain always had the aura of a real prince, whose noble features and elegance were so strong that they radiated around him, and anybody would always look twice.


    "Oh! You think I''m willing to stand in your house? If it weren''t for Tiana, I would never have allowed myself to be in such a filthy ce," Rain replied calmly but scornfully. He was no longer so easily irritated by these unimportant people and their lies. As he looked up around the huge living room, he realized the Ke''s ce had changed drastically over the years. The wallpapers had changed, and even the floorboards weren''t as polished as they used to be. One thing that had never changed, though, was that the people who called this ce home were still and always would be disgusting to him.


    "Well, well, well. It seems that Tiana''s effort finally paid off. I''d never have expected your highness toe here and be with usmon people in such a filthy ce," Eugenia said in a sarcastic tone. Her words were thinly veiled insults that hurled at Rain.


    "I''m not here to listen to your bullshit. Where''s Tiana? I want to see her now," Rain replied coldly,pletely ignoring Eugenia''s mockery. He wouldn''t even look at her if he could help it.


    "She''s my daughter, remember? Why should I listen to your requests? We''re not all at your beck and call, your highness," Sheena smirked and asked, eyeing him with utter contempt. Every time she saw Rain, she saw his mother - Fiona. He was almost a perfect replica of her, which was evident in his chiseled features. As Sheena remembered how beautiful Fiona had been, all she could feel was resentment to her, and to her even more brilliant son.


    "It''s well within your rights to refuse my request, this is your house after all. Though, I have something here that you should really be interested in," Rain answered calmly. His face a mask of indifference. In a swift motion, he took out a recording pen from his pocket. As he pressed the y button, the recording pen immediately yed a conversation between a man and a woman. Their voices reverberated across the hall.


    "If you can kill the woman for us while making it look like an ident, then this ten million dor cheque is yours," a woman''s voice said from the recording pen. It was obvious to everyone in the room that the voice belonged to Sheena. Even though Rain hadn''t been there at the time of the recording, he could picture in his head how vicious Sheena had been when those words left her mouth.


    "Yes, Mrs. Ke. I''ll take care of it. You can count on me. But I just have one more request. If something happens to me while doing this job, would you please take care of my family for me?" a man''s scruffled voice could be heard. Judging from the quality of his voice, it wasn''t hard to tell that he was in histe forties. But it wasn''t determined yet whether he was the driver who had been killed in the car ident the other day.


    "Yes, yes. You don''t have to worry about anything! As long as you finish the job perfectly, both you and your family will be set for life. I''m sure you''ll get all that you deserve," Sheena''s chilling voice came again. Ordering someone''s death like that could always rock the listener to the core. As soon as Sheena''s voice from the recording pen finished her words, Rain pressed the stop button and in a swift motion, tucked it in the secret pocket of his suit jacket. He did so quickly that Sheena, who already pounced on him in rage, had no chance to take it from his hands.


    "Impossible! You little bastard, where did you synthesize the voices? Who did you ask to help you edit this? The woman from the recording pen is definitely not me!" Sheena cursed madly, her tone frantic. Her voice was raised to the point that it broke. But deep inside, past the rage and fury, she was panicked and felt anxious on how Rain obtained that recording. She could only mask the fear with her anger for now. She delivered a flurry of blows at Rain like a rabid animal, in futile hopes of taking the recording pen. However, Rain dodged expertly without even breaking a swear, his face a mask of calm.


    "You said this wasn''t you, but why are you so defensive and nervous?" Rain asked casually with a menacing smile on his face. He had got her. He was so sure of it. No matter how hard and how clever she hid the truth, there would always be a sliver of evidence left behind. This allowed him to track her and catch her by the tail eventually.


    "What the hell are you talking about? I''m not nervous at all, you little bastard. If you think you can threaten me with one stupid recording, that''s where you''re wrong!" Sheena denied quickly, her voice quivering. All her bodynguage betrayed her true feelings though. Her erratic movements became more and more apparent. She was sweating like a pig by now. All her strikes on him were in vain so far, so she felt the urge to act more ferociously. She iled at Rain and attacked crazily with increased intensity.


    "Stop! You stand down if you don''t want the police involved! I will not hesitate for even a second to send you to the precinct if you continue to be violent," Rain''s voice boomed. Themand echoed around the chamber. He was losing patience because he got hit a few times. Seeing that Sheena was bing more and more unreasonable, he got mad too.000000000000

 Chapter 1747 Negotiation (Part Three)

    "Rain, even if you''ve got that recording, so what? You can''t prove anything with this. On the contrary, we can sue your ass for nder. ording to this rording, you synthesized my mum''s voice to incriminate her," Cyrus interjected slowly. As he just thought of the idea, he felt a slight tion knowing he could contribute to his mother''s defense. Nowadays, the technology had be so advanced to the point that it was actually pretty easy to find experts that could synthesize perfect emtions of other people''s real voices. If it was absolutely necessary, as long as you could pay the hefty fee the experts charged, the job could be done in a rtively short time and you could decide whoever''s voice you''d like to emte. Thus, in this society, holding merely a recording in one''s hand actually meant nothing in court. Cyrus was not frightened in the least by Rain''s recording.


    "Oh! Really? What if I tell you that I have in my possession a videotape that goes with this? Do you still think that would be nder?" Rain asked back, feeling quite rxed. A cold smile stered on his face. He was in no rush and had nothing to worry about. If he didn''t have a smoking gun, and wasn''t one hundred percent sure with what he had, he would never have stepped in this evil ce. He was more than prepared to face these demons.


    "Don''t even try to threaten us. We didn''t do this, so no matter how much evidence you think you''ve got, think again. This is just a minor nuisance to us," Vance spat back confidently. He didn''t believe that his mother had been so careless that she hadn''t even noticed she was being recorded both in audio and video. But on the slim chance that the recording was real, then the situation was really serious now.


    "Whether it''s useless and nonsense or not, let''s try and see. But before we get to that point, I feel like we should make a deal first. Once I send all the evidence I have to the police, it would be toote for you to change anything, and you would never be able to salvage the situation even if you want to. So don''t try to contact me and ask me to help you if that timees, because that would be useless and ridiculous. Even if youe down on both knees and beg, I can''t and won''t give you a second chance. It''s all in the police''s hands by then," Rain said slowly, his tone grim. He didn''t expect them to stay calm as they were, and he was getting intrigued with what they would do next.


    "Send it to the police then! We don''t care! Do you really think we would be scared, and even threatened by your stupid recording?" Vance snapped defiantly, walking a little bit closer to Rain, openly challenging him. Sometimes, the way he talked was really simr to how Rain talked. Even if neither of them would ever admit this, it was undeniable that they were still brothers and they shared the same bloodline of the Ke''s family.


    "Well, do you really think I won''t? Since you don''t even care about this, I think there is nothing else to discuss," Rain replied coldly, looking at Vance straight in the eye. This was a man who wasn''t bluffing. He immediately turned around and started to walk away. He came here to see them grovel for the evidence he had, not the other way around.


    "Wait. What do you really want from us?" When Sheena saw Rain starting to leave, she panicked and asked in a hurry. She was so against the idea ofpromising with Rain, but it was necessary. The bastard left her no choice and only she herself knew whether the recording and the other evidence he imed to have were real or fake.


    "Very simple. I want Tiana Ke. Let her out," Rain answered directly. He didn''t mind telling them straightly what his real purpose was. There was no need to hide and leave them guessing, which would just waste his time. But if he seeded, it would be a little bit unfair to Annie, as he could have avenged for her using the evidence he had in his pocket. Now, in order to save Tiana, he had to make an exchange with them and sacrifice Annie''s retribution for now. He had to choose between them and he had no other choice.


    "No way. You could ask for anything else, except her," Hannah interrupted boldly. She would never agree to this. If Rain took Tiana away from them, they would lose not only Tiana, but the payday of several hundred million.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    "But except her, I want nothing else," Rain insisted on his demand. He expressed himself very clearly, and he would neverpromise with them either, not even a small step back.


    "Then we''ll need to take deliberate consideration about this. Give us time to think," Sheena replied. She believed that money was very important to her and she wanted a lot of it. The more money, the better. But she knew better that once she was caught by the police and sentenced to jail, she would never have the chance to spend all that money. No matter how rich she was, it would be useless by then. And she didn''t want to be a miserable old woman who had to spend the rest of her life hopelessly rotting away in a dark prison, living a terrible life, being called a criminal by everyone she knew. Deep in her heart, she had already decided. It was no question what to do.


    "Fine, but please be quick. I don''t have a lot of time to waste on you guys. I''m a very busy man," Rain said with a smug look on his face. He knew that he was so close to seeding. He wasn''t worried that they wouldn''t agree to his terms. Actually, he was pretty sure about the oue of this visit even at the beginning. It would have been so disgustingly easy to convict them based on the evidence he had in his hands. Prison was thest thing on their mind.


    The rest of them began to murmur in discussion. Their small voices resounded through the room. None of them was willing to give up arge amount of money so easily, while they didn''t want to take the risk of being sent to jail either. But they had to choose between money and freedom now since they just couldn''t get both, or Rain would not allow them to get both at the same time. Was the money more important, important enough for them to take the risk of being thrown in jail? Or was freedom more important? But if they could take the risk, could they get both? Was Rain just bluffing this whole time? Or did they really have topromise? Each one of them had conflicting ideas.000000000000

 Chapter 1748 Negotiation (Part Four)

    "Mum, I say we just ignore him. I don''t think he really has the real evidence he ims to possess," Vance suggested. He was blinded by greed, refusing to see anything but the money.


    "You shut up! Don''t talk nonsense if you don''t know anything," Sheena rebuked immediately as she red at him. Couldn''t he even tell if the voice yed by the recording pen was his mother''s? "How about this? Let''s actually try to think of a way to get the recording pen from him," Cyrus whispered this time. Just like his brother, he needed this money too, so he didn''t want to lose this chance either.


    "Do you honestly think he''s as stupid as you guys? He wouldn''t dare show up alone if he wasn''t prepared," Hannah replied, rolling her eyes, dumbfounded by her husband''s idiocy. She felt intense regret that she had been so blind that she chose such a stupid man to marry.


    "Alright. I''ve made my decision. Let Tiana out," Sheena said solemnly after moments of deliberation. She finally epted Rain''s offer. If that was what it took to get rid of the evidence, then they would give her to him. Besides, he didn''t say anything about denying them the opportunity of kidnapping Tiana again.


    "Mum, is that really what you decided? Are you sure you''re done thinking about it? She is worth a lot!" Vance said. He couldn''t believe what was happening. He was so close to getting the money, he was unwilling to give it up so easily. All he could do was to remind his mother of Tiana''s immense value.


    "What''s wrong? You don''t listen to me now?" Sheena spat angrily as she red at her son. Agreeing to her decision went against every fiber of his being. Was the money more important than following his mother?


    "Howe, Mum? Of course I''ll listen to you. I''ll run upstairs and," Vance sighed. "..let Tiana out," Vance continued. He then started to climb the staircase in the middle of the room. He was loathe to let go of the money that easily, especially when he was so close to getting his hands on it. He was just one step away from sending Tiana to get hitched with the old man. However, he didn''t dare disobey with his mother''s decision this time.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    Standing some distance from them, Rain was looking at them coldly as they discussed how to deal with him, loudly enough for him to hear. Despite this, he feltpletely rxed and took this in stride. He knew they weren''t that stupid to refuse his terms. Meanwhile, Tiana was locked in the room for almost two days without eating or drinking anything. She looked like a mess, and she was too weak to move. The first thing that Vance noticed was the stale air in the room. He saw his sister, lying beside the bed motionless and sobbing. When Tiana saw Vance approach, the light in her eyes returned.


    "Vance, does Mum finally see reason and agree to let me go?" Tiana asked hopefully. She had refused to eat or drink anything during her captivity. She did this out of protest. She knew that to fight for her own happiness, she had to absolutely refuse to give in to marrying that old man.


    "Oh yeah! Look how happy you are now," Vance answered indifferently. He felt extremely disappointed and depressed. He knew that when he let go of Tiana, he would lose the only chance to get all that money effortlessly. He could only fake a smile on his face, and he couldn''t bring himself to be happy for her sister.


    "I knew it! I knew Mum wouldn''t discard me like that. She wouldn''t sell me to that old man. She can''t force me to marry him," Tiana said happily and excitedly. If she could jump for joy, she would have. A smile finally bloomed on her face for the first time since she was locked inside the room. It seemed that her hunger strike finally worked.


    "Hum! Let''s get out of here now, the smell is making me sick," Vance said without any emotion in his tone. He just couldn''t share the happiness that his sister was feeling, because her freedom and happiness only amplified his misery.


    "Sure!" Tiana replied. She knew Vance wasn''t happy. She just decided not to think too much about it. She was beyond excited now. But as she tried to pick herself up, she fell down. After two days of no energy intake, she was too weak that she couldn''t support her own weight.


    "See! I told you. You should have eaten something," Vance said to his sister after seeing her attempting to stand up to no avail. He could have said more. He could have med her for everything that was happening to his family now, but he didn''t. When everything had been all said and done, she was still his sister. He had never felt so helpless in his entire life. He walked to the prone Tiana and held her in his arms to carry her downstairs.


    "Thank you, Vance," Tiana said gratefully with a smile as her brother picked her up. But what she didn''t know was that the brother she was thanking was also the same brother who would sell her for marriage in a heartbeat. Even now, with his sister in his arms, he felt bad not because they treated her harshly, but because they were about to lose the opportunity to exchange her for the money he needed. What a cruel irony it was for Tiana to learn!


    Vance replied with a faint smile. A hollow smile. He didn''t know what to say. So without any more verbalmunication with Tiana, he took her downstairs in silence. Tiana was surprised to see Rain downstairs. She never expected to see Rain in this house, so she thought she was seeing things since she was so weak and delirious.


    "Tiana, are you alright?" Rain asked anxiously. His eyes filled with concern when he saw her being carried by Vance. He felt that something terrible must have happened to her. Why was she brought down by her brother? Why couldn''t she walk by herself? ''This can''t be, '' Rain thought. Tiana was the little princess of this family. Was she abused? How could they treat her like this?


    "Rain? It''s you! It''s really you!" Tiana eximed in a burst of happiness when she realized this wasn''t an illusion. She was so happy that her eyes started welling up. Tears began to flow down her face. She didn''t even think why Rain would be here in the house he detested so much.00000

 Chapter 1749 Negotiation (Part Five)

    "There, we let her go. Now, give me the videotape and the recoding," Sheena smugly requested. She had seen everything about Tiana and Rain from her cold, brutal eyes. She didn''t mind showing Tiana how cunning and maniptive she actually had been to her all this time. Whether Tiana could ept this cruel truth was beyong Sheena''s responsibility now. All she cared about was the evidence in Rain''s possession that could destroy her life. "Don''t worry! I''ll definitely hand them over to you after we sign the contract," Rain replied. He wasn''t some stupid man who got lucky. He was a sophisticated businessman who worked with Edward for so many years. He learned a lot under his tutge. "Rain, what are you talking about?" Tiana asked in confusion. She waspletely disoriented now. She had no idea what was happening ever since she had been locked up.


    "Nothing that should concern you. Don''t worry," Rain replied gently. He believed that it would be best if Tiana knew as little as possible between their deal, considering her physical and mental states. She was too weak to take all of this in at once. "What contract are you talking about?'' Sheena asked, also confused. She didn''t know what Rain was up to.


    "Of course a contract that says, from now on, Tiana would have nothing to do with you people. Otherwise, who knows when you''ll attempt to kidnap her again after I turn over the evidence?" Rain replied matter-of-factly. He didn''t worry that they might cheat him after the deal, because the contract he prepared was full of contingencies and no loopholes.


    "What if we don''t sign this?" Sheena asked increduously.


    "That would be fine, too. I have more than one copy of the evidence," Rain replied passively. Trying to y tricks on him? He never knew they were that stupid to attempt this. His IQ was leagues higher than these people.


    "You shameless bastard!" Sheena cried angrily. It never came across Sheena''s panicked mind that Rain would make copies of the evidence. If that was true, then the n she came up with earlier would be useless. She couldn''t kidnap Tiana back anymore, which again would mean no money for her. She even felt so superior to her sons when she thought of such a perfect n, but Rain knew these people well. He knew their rotten ways.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    "Well, not as shameless as you people considering you were going to peddle your daughter for money," Rain replied with a smile. He picked up the briefcase he left on the floor and ced it on the nearby table. He then opened it with a satisfying click and took out the documents he prepared earlier beforeing to this mansion. In fact, signing the contract was actually beneficial to the Ke''s as well. It was mentioned in one of the uses that as long as they left Tiana alone for good, it was guaranteed that Rain would never hand over the evidence to the police in his lifetime. So they were protected by this contract as much as it protected Tiana. Since he still had the damning evidence Sheena dreaded, they wouldn''t dare try to harm his family in the future. If they pissed him off again, they would find themselves in a heap of trouble. If they followed the rules to the letter, then it would be a win-win situation for both parties.


    On the other hand, Tiana had heard enough to put two and two together and realize the truth. She realized that she was freed not because her mother saw sense, but because Rain made a deal with them to release her. Thinking of all this, she shivered from the terrible chill that went down her spine. Her heart was hardened from the icy cold words and heartless acts done to her by her so called "family". She was trembling from phantom cold. A trance befell her, she felt nothing even when she had already been taken to the car by Rain. Only when their car stopped in front of a stark white vi did she recover a little from her stupor.


    "Tiana, we''re here. Can you walk by yourself?" Rain asked in a soft voice. Seeing how terrible she looked, he believed he made the right choice of taking her with him. Though he had never discussed this with Annie, he trusted her to make the right choice. Annie had a kind heart and when she saw Tiana, she wouldn''t refuse to let her stay.


    "Rain, everything I heard back at the house earlier wasn''t real, right? I was just hallucinating and hearing things. My own family wouldn''t treat me like that, right?" Tiana asked in a tiny voice. Her questions were more to convince herself than to know the truth. She didn''t even know what kind of answer she wanted to hear. All she wanted was to feel that everything wasn''t true. She was wallowing in her own thoughts. She had heard everything her family said. Too shocked to stay conscious, she was slowly feeling faint. Deep inside, she knew what was real. Everything was real. She could only wish that she had imagined everything. She couldn''t ept the harsh truth, the ruthless truth that was her nightmare.


    "Everything that happened, everything that you''ve heard, it''s all true. What your family did to you, that''s also true," Rain replied in a firm and stern tone. He knew Tiana was hurt deeply that she tried to avoid the truth. He also knew Tiana wanted so desperately to escape reality. But since the truth had been burned on her mind, he knew he had no choice but to bring her back and let her face this herself. She would have to do this eventually. The sooner she epted her situation, the less pain she would feel over time. So he decided to be the cruel man that shattered her beautiful dream. But also in his strong voice, he tried to instil some strength, confidence, and love in her. He told her the harsh truth, but he also let her know the love and support from her real family that truly cared about her.


    "But why did you save me?" Tiana asked again. She couldn''t understand him either. It seemed that he gave up something important in exchange just to help her out.


    "Maybe for my unborn sister who died before she could even see this ugly world," Rain answered, his voice lowering unconsciously. Everyone thought that he hated the Ke''s because of his mother''s death. But there was something more to it than that. The deeply buried wound was about his unborn sister, who died too early. This was also the reason why his mother became depressed all those years, which finally led to her death.


    "What did you just say?" Tiana asked. She hadn''t listened to him intently. As Rain spoke in an almost hushed whisper, Tiana couldn''t catch what he had said.


    "Nothing, let''s get out of the car now," Rain replied. He had decided early on to hide his pain deep inside his heart for the rest of his life. He wouldn''t easily tell anyone about his deepest secret. He didn''t even mention this to his best friends.


    "Well, okay then," Tiana replied, disappointed. She sensed that Rain wasn''t willing to expound on the subject further, so she stopped herself from prying too much. She opened the car door and stepped outside. As soon as she put her weight on her leg, her body began to tremble. Fortunately, Rain was swift to catch her, otherwise she would have fallen on the ground the moment she left the car.0000000

 Chapter 1750 Not Daughter Of The Ke Family (Part One)

    "Careful," Rain said to Tiana as he helped her walk into the house.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    Annie rushed down the stairs as she heard themotion. She saw Rain supporting Tiana by the arm. "Tiana, what happened?" Annie said.


    "I''m fine. Just feeling a bit faint, that''s all," Tiana replied with an embarrassed smile. Rain sat her down on a chair. She slumped down, trying to catch her breath.


    "I''ll tell you what happened. But right now, she needs something to eat first," Rain quickly interjected. Although taking Tiana home was not Rain''s intention, he felt an exnation was in order.


    "Okay. Maybe Tiana would like to freshen up a bit first?" Annie offered. Tiana looked like a mess -- her hair was in disarray, and her clothes looked sweaty and wrinkled.


    Rain cast a sidelong nce at Tiana, and thought to himself that Annie had a point. "Okay, how about this? You take Tiana upstairs to freshen up while I go to the kitchen and ask them to prepare something for her to eat."


    "All right. Tiana, let''s go." Annie extended her hand to Annie, helping her up to her feet.


    "Thank you, Annie," Tiana said, her eyes starting to water.


    "Don''t mention it. We''re family," replied Annie with aforting smile. Tiana felt so many emotions going through her -- it was as if her whole world had turned upside down. The people whom she had thought were her family had tried to hurt her, and then someone she barely even knew was helping and being kind to her right now!


    "Huh." Tiana nodded absentmindedly.


    They walked over to Annie''s room with small, sure steps. "Okay, you sit over here for a while," Annie said as she guided Tiana towards the bed. "I''ll just run a bath for you." Tiana sat down. Her gaze was still far off. ''What could have happened to her?'' Annie thought worriedly. With a light sigh, Annie walked into the bathroom to fill the bath with warm water.


    Tiana was still in shock and pain. She couldn''t stop thinking about what happened.


    She couldn''t understand why the people she had loved and known her whole life were willing to sacrifice her for their own interest. Her very own family! What did all those years with them mean now? All theughter, affection, and priceless memories... was it just fake all along?


    "Hey, Tiana. The bath''s ready for you. I''ll put out some fresh clothes for you to wear." Annie had walked back into the bedroom. Tiana had not moved since Annie left. Annie couldn''t help but feel sorry for the poor girl. Although Annie''s own family were not close to her, they had not harmed her at least.


    "Okay. I''m sorry for all the trouble," Tiana replied meekly.


    After her shower and putting on some clean clothes, Tiana looked much better. Her eyes, however, were still clouded with sadness.


    Annie had been waiting for her outside. "See, doesn''t that feel better? You look good," she said encouragingly. "Let''s go downstairs and have something to eat."


    Tiana only nodded silently and followed Annie to the dining room.


    "Tiana,e. Have a seat. Please, eat," Rain offered. He worried that it might only be a matter of time before Tiana went through a nervous breakdown. She had been listless ever since she knew that he had traded something for her freedom. "Okay," she responded mechanically like a marite.


    "Rain, she doesn''t look alright.." Annie said, biting her lower lip. Tiana looked worse than before she had walked into the bathroom -- even more distracted and depressed.


    "I''ll handle it." Rain read the time on his watch. "It''s time to pick up Huey and Joyce. Can you go get them, honey? I''ll talk to Tiana," Rain said with a soothing smile. "Alright. You stay and talk to her. I''ll go get the kids," Annie nced back at Tiana onest time and sighed.


    Rain escorted her to the door, giving her a peck on the cheek before she headed out. His eyes were smoldering with love for Annie. He wanted to make sure she felt how much she meant to him. When Annie had left, Rain walked back to the dining room and sat across the table from Tiana.


    "Tiana," Rain started, "I know you are sad right now. But you are a grown woman, which means you should be capable of handling difficult times like this." Rain looked at Tiana intently, hoping to see some sort of reaction. He was the worst when it came toforting people, but right now there was nothing else he could do.


    "Rain, it''s okay. Just say what you have to say. I can handle it," her voice almost came out in a whisper. She raised her head a bit to look at him.


    "Eat something first. For your sake. You might not be so hungry anymore after what I''m about to say." He pressed his lips into a thin line. He was sure that what he was going to say would cause Tiana even more stress. That made him feel terrible.


    "But I can''t bring myself to eat anything unless I hear what you have to say. Please," Tiana''s voice broke as she fretted. Whatever Rain was going to tell her, she couldn''t imagine it would be worse than her family working together to hurt her. That was the biggest blow in her entire life -- surely she could handle every other bad thing that would happen to her in the future, she thought.


    "Okay," Rain took a deep breath. He paused, looking at her straight in the eye. "You don''t have to be so sad about what they did to you... because you are not Sheena''s biological daughter," he said to her. The Mayfly had confirmed it. His hunch was right all along. "What?!" Tiana''s mouth went ck, her eyes widening. She had thought of that possibility before, but not once did she ever think that it would turn out to be true.


    "You''re not the daughter of the Ke family," Rain said, as if to make himself clearer. They didn''t know who her biological parents were-- not yet at least; he had already asked the Mayfly to find out.


    "Huh! How can this be? This is crazy. You''re lying. Tell me you are lying!" Tiana cried. The pain in her chest worsened. Grief flooded through her; not because she was not a part of the Ke family anymore, but because the only connection between her and Rain was also now gone. How could she continue to stay at his house now?


    "I''m not lying. You should have sensed Sheena''s attitude towards you, which is really not an attitude a mother should have towards her daughter," he replied. It might have sounded blunt and harsh, but Rain thought it was better not to beat around the bush.


    "It''s not that I''m sad over this whole family ordeal. I.. I''m sad that I''m going to lose you as my brother." Tiana''s voice sounded so broken and hurt. After the abusive treatment the Ke family had given her in the past few days, she no longer had a home. She didn''t want to have anything to do with that family anymore. She had just started to feel close to Rain. But now, it appeared as if that would change too.


    "No, you won''t lose me. I will always be like a brother to you as long as you like. I''m always here for you. Nothing will ever change that," Rain promised, smiling warmly at Tiana. He was in fact a sensitive man. It was one of his merits. However, his frivolity might have made people neglect that.


    "Really? You still want to be my brother?" Tiana''s face lit up, her mood greatly improving. Rain''s words offered her muchfort.


    "Yes, but don''t you feel sad that you''re no longer a member of the family?" Rain was surprised at her reaction. He could imagine that people would feel devastated at such news -- going hysterical, bursting into tears or something like that. But somehow Tiana seemed relieved.


    "Why should I feel sad? You don''t like the Ke family either, do you?" Tiana thought that since she was not a Ke anymore, Rain wouldn''t hate her as much as he used to.


    "My rtionship with them is much different from yours," Rain pointed out. As much as he hated that family, they were in his blood. That would never change. He envied Tiana, and wished that he could wake up one day to find out that his life had changed like Tiana''s had. "I understand. I''m sorry. They''re your real family." Tiana didn''t know what to do with her life yet. But she had high hopes that she would figure it out. Things always eventually worked themselves out in the end.0000000

 Chapter 1751 Not Daughter Of The Ke Family (Part Two)

    "I''m d to hear that. Now, eat," Rain said, sliding a bowl of food towards her. He sighed. Seeing her being so understanding and calm made Rain think that he might have worried too much earlier. "Rain, can I ask you something?"


    "Sure, fire away."


    "What did you give them to make them agree to let me go?"


    Tiana''s heart ached a bit still. She had lived with them for more than twenty years after all. Her feelings and attachment towards them wouldn''t disappear overnight.


    "That''s a thing of the past. Don''t think about it anymore. Just rx. You''re always wee here," he replied, averting his gaze.


    "I don''t want to be a bother," she said faintly. Tiana heard that Rain and Annie were going to have a wedding. It would be inevitable that they would want to get some time alone. On top of that, she didn''t want to get in the way as they started their family


    "What are you talking about? You won''t be. This house is big enough for all of us. It would be a waste if no one upies any of these empty rooms," he reassured her. Just then, a car was pulling up in front of the driveway. ''That must be Annie, ''Rain thought. He stood up from his seat to meet her and the kids.


    "Thank you, Rain," Tiana said politely. The usual spoiled and haughty tone of hers was gone. It was as if she had matured overnight.


    "Don''t mention it," he replied. "Annie and the kids are back. I''ll just go meet them." He walked up to the front door with long, quick strides. He gave the knob a turn; Joyce and Huey were already there, waiting with big smiles on their faces.


    "Daddy!"


    "Hi dad!"


    The kids ran straight into Rain''s arms as soon as they saw him. An overwhelming warmth flooded through Rain. He beamed back at them, kneeling down to give them a tight hug.


    "Hey there! Did you miss daddy?" Rain gave them both a big kiss on the cheek.


    "We did. And daddy, Huey made a girl cry today," Joyce said, suppressing her giggles.


    "Oh, really now? Huey, why did you do that?" Rain asked seriously. He had high regard for the children''s education -- not only at school; it was important for him that they were taught the right value.


    "I didn''t! She wanted to y with me and I didn''t want to y with her, so she cried," Huey answered defensively.


    "Oh, I see... But she is your ssmate. Why didn''t you want to y with her?" Rain asked, his voice lighter. He suddenly understood Huey better after thinking it over. Huey rarely even talked with his sister, let alone other girls. In spite of that, Rain still didn''t know how to handle the issue.


    "I just didn''t want to," Huey replied as he rolled his eyes. "I don''t like girls. They''re so immature." "He''s just like Justin, ''Rain thought.


    "Daddy, does that mean Huey thinks I''m immature?" Even though Joyce didn''t quite understand what being immature meant, she figured that it couldn''t mean anything good since her brother said it.


    "No, darling, that''s not what Huey meant," Rain said as he tried to mediate the two. "Yes, it is! You''re just defending Huey because he''s your favorite," Joyce said, looking like she was about to cry. Rain forced a smile. "No, it''s not like that, sweetie." He was starting to panic. ''Is God mad at me? Why did HE have to send these two imps to corner me like this right now?


    Is this my punishment?'' Rain thought to himself. He gave a sigh of relief when he saw that Annie was already walking over to the house.


    "Joyce, be good. Don''t you see we have a guest in the house?" Annie said as she took Joyce into her arms.


    "Guest? Where? Who is it?" In an instant, Joyce''s mood changed, her voice suddenly full of excitement.


    "It''s your aunt," Annie said with a smile. She thought to herself how smart Joyce really was -- although she was happy about it, she wondered if Joyce was getting too smart for her own good. "Aunt? Is Aunt Leena here?" Huey asked joyfully. Leena was the very first one on his mind; he had missed all the mouth-watering food that she cooked.


    "No, it''s not Aunt Leena. It''s Aunt Tiana," Rain told them.


    "Aunt Tiana? Who is she? Howe we have never met her?" Huey wondered.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Come. Now''s your chance to meet her." Rain gave them a sly smile and led the children into the living room.


    Tiana got to her feet at the sight of the kids. "Hello, guys," Tiana said to Huey and Joyce, waving her hand.


    "Huey, this is your Aunt Tiana," Rain said as he put Huey down.


    "Hi, Aunt Tiana..." said Huey politely. He looked at her inquisitively, trying to figure out where he had seen her before.


    "Joyce, say hi," Annie said to Joyce.


    "Hello, Aunt Tiana! I''m Joyce," Joyce said. Compared to her brother''s greeting, Joyce sounded more sincere. She looked at Tiana, a million questions running through her head.


    "Hello to you too. How adorable you are!" Tiana had already seen both of the kids before.


    "Oh, I know you. You had dinner with daddy the other day and thenter on you were with a bad woman," Huey dered innocently. He had remembered who Tiana was, thanks to his remarkable memory.


    "Um..." Tiana''s face turned red with embarrassment. She knew that the ''bad woman'' he was referring to was Eleanor.


    "Okay now," Annie interjected with a nervousugh, trying to spare Tiana from further humiliation. "Go y, both of you. Aunt Tiana needs her rest." She knew Huey was referring to what had happened in the restaurant the other day.


    "Oh no. It''s okay. I''d actually like to spend time with them," Tiana said with a slight smile. She needed the kids''pany right now; she figured that ying with Joyce and Huey might preupy her enough to forget about the pain she felt. "Yeah sure. I think that''s a great idea," Rain agreed. He had guessed what she was thinking. Rain winked at Huey, and nodded towards the garden.


    Huey took the hint and walked over to Tiana. "Aunt Tiana, let''s go y in the garden," He took her hand and led her outside. Aside from his mom''s, he had never held another female''s hand before.


    "Huey, wait for me!" Joyce called, running to catch up with them.


    Soon, they were all out of the house. Rain let out a long breath of relief.


    "Honey, what do you want to know? Go ahead. Ask me," he said to Annie. He was sure that she must have been wondering why he had brought Tiana home.


    "Was Tiana hit again?" asked Annie. A few days before, Rain had told her Tiana had been hit by her mother in front of her workce. She wondered if the same thing had happened again.


    "Worse. They locked her up and wouldn''t let her out unless she agreed to marry that old man," Rain said scornfully. Every inch of the Ke''s residence reeked of dirty business and revolting ideas.


    "So you got her out of that ce for good, right? But even so, we could only help her for a while. What about next time? She''s still a member of the family after all," Annie was worried. ''The Kes are really horrible!'' she thought to herself.


    "Oh, speaking of which, I need to apologize to you -- I traded the evidence of the scheme against you for Tiana''s freedom," Rain said slowly. He looked at Annie, wondering how she would react.


    "What? You found evidence? Was it really the Ke family who did it?" Annie had always had doubts about that car ident. It couldn''t have been that simple and ordinary.


    "Yes. Sorry that I made the decision without counseling you." Rain felt bad. Since Annie was the victim, it just seemed wrong that he chose what to do with the evidence and not Annie.


    "Why are you apologizing?" Annie said with a smile. "I wasn''t badly injured in the ident anyway. Since the evidence could be traded for Tiana''s freedom, I think you made the right decision." Rain smiled back, sighing in relief. Either way, the car ident case had already been reported to the police. Right now, they just had to wait for the result.


    "Thank you for understanding." Rain wrapped his arms around Annie and hugged her tightly. "But..." he continued, "there''s one more thing."


    "What is it?" Annie asked anxiously.


    "Tiana is not daughter of the Ke family." Annie pulled away from Rain. She was more shocked by the news than Tiana had been.


    "What? No way! Are you serious?" Annie''s eyes widened, looking at Rain in disbelief.


    "It''s true. I have just found out about it," Rain didn''t tell her, however, that it was the Mayfly that had confirmed the information. The Mayfly''s existence was supposed to be confidential.?????????????

 Chapter 1752 Nothing Had Really Changed (Part One)

    "No wonder she looks so sad," Annie gazed around the garden, where Tiana and the kids were ying, brow furrowed with worry. She wondered whether Tiana would be able to survive the pain. "Don''t worry! Everything that happened is in the past, and she will be fine," Rain lowered his head to give Annie a slight kiss on her forehead.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "I hope so!" Annie wasn''t so optimistic about that as Rain.


    Due to circumstances, Tiana hade to stay at Rain''s home as a temporary arrangement. In consideration of her low spirits, thepany granted her leave for several days to deal with her mental crisis.


    On the day of the wedding ceremony, Annie wore a wonderful wedding dress tailored specially by Leena, and she was surrounded by a halo of happiness.


    Compared with Belinda''s stunning wedding dress earlier, Leena had outdone herself with Annie''s. It was decorated exceptionally well, and Leena had carefully sketched the contours and seen to the creation of every stitch. It was a gorgeous realization of every little girl''s fairy tale dream.


    "Leena, wow, what a good job! Your wedding dress designs are bing increasingly beautiful," Belinda said trying to hide her envy. The wedding dress Annie was wearing was certainly much more beautiful and exquisite than her own wedding dress had been. "Belinda, if you ever get married again, I will design a new one for you," Leena blurted out without even thinking. She was, in that moment, unaware of the repercussions that her ill-considered words would have.


    "Leena,e say that again, to my face!" Duke''s cold voice cut through their chat suddenly, and he red at Leena with a frosted light in his eyes. He hadn''t imagined she would go so far as to instigate her elder brother''s wife to marry once again. Did she consider what kind of a situation her elder brother would be in then?


    "Yikes! Dear brother, I was just teasing. Please don''t let my silly words upset you. I''m just talking trash!" Leena quickly covered up, sticking her tongue out in jest. She thought, ''Gosh! I really sent myself to the gun now.''


    "All right. Duke, Leena doesn''t mean anything by it. Please, don''t be angry with her," Kevin exined when he noticed Duke''s anger, and the tension of the situation. But he need not have worried, as Duke loved his sister very much, and could not remain angry with her. "Kevin, set your heart at rest! His dear sister is thest person he would remain angry with. So, let''s just rx and enjoy the ceremony!" Belinda had nothing more to say about the matter. She knew that no further words were required, as their flustering was due to them caring so much for each other.


    "You know me quite well. Better than I know myself, it seems," Duke said crossly, while staring at his wife pensively.


    "No, how could Mr. Cold''s thoughts be known by someone as ordinary as me?" Belinda said, pouting. If this had happened earlier in their life together, she would probably have been frightened by his coldness. But now she didn''t treat it seriously at all, because she knew that he was only a paper tiger, as far as she was concerned.


    It was a perfect day, and of course Huey and Joyce served as page and flower girl. Everyonemented on how fabulously the family of four were dressed.


    Annie''s family had also alle from Britain to attend the wedding ceremony. After all, she was the apple of their eye, her parents'' beloved daughter, so, how could they possibly have missed out on her big day?


    Rain had never been so excited before. Seeing Annie walk towards him on her father''s arm, he could not stop the bombardment of feelings in his fragile heart. He had waited for such a long time, and this was finally the moment when he could celebrate his marriage to the woman he loved the most in the whole world, in public and with friends and family present.


    He smiled unconsciously, his eyes locked to the beautiful face of his bride, everything happening around them was unreal to him. He wondered if his mother were still alive, if she would be happy today. He decided that she would be thrilled for her son.


    When her father gave her hand to Rain, Annie''s heart began beating violently. She had pursued the man in front of her from her girlhood, and had only dreamed that one day she would marry him and spend the rest of her life with him. Now, they were here, and it was so much better than her dreams had ever been.


    The most holy objects in a wedding ceremony were the wedding rings. As soon as they slipped the ring onto each other''s ring fingers, they changed from two individuals into one integrity. They would live together with each other from now until they died, regardless of what life threw at them.


    While vows were only temporary, it was the road that brought them to this moment that sealed their confessions. They had faced hardships, found each other despite all the odds. Everyone present at the ceremony gave the couple their very best wishes that they would always live together happily.


    Since CY Technology was still in the initialization period, there was no time for a honeymoon trip, instead they booked the honeymoon suite at the Kate Hotel for their wedding night.


    "Annie, finally, you belong entirely to me, and I to you," Rain said very emotionally while holding Annie into his arms. He considered that their rtionship had been a marathon, and he had often wondered if they would reach the finish line and victory. But finally, after years of waiting, he triumphantly held his wife in his arms.


    "I''m still a bit confused, everything feels so unreal, like I''m going to wake up and this is just a dream," Annie held on to him tightly. At that moment, there was nobody in their hearts except each other.


    Rain lowered his head to kiss her on the lips, enjoying her wonderful, delicate taste. He didn''t release her until quite a whileter. "How does it feel now? Does it still feel unreal?" Rain asked with great tenderness.


    "Not any more. Rain, have I told you yet, that I can''t live without you?" Annie took the initiative this time. She stood on her tiptoes to give him a shy kiss, filled with promise. If Rain had not persisted in his pursuit of her, she might not have been the one in his arms tonight. He had fought for their life together.


    "Likewise, have I told you, that you are the only woman I have ever loved?" Rain said. Then with her in his arms, they tumbled onto the king-sized bed, formalizing the start of their wedding night.


    That night, while Annie slumbered in the deep silken bedsheets, Rain was not tired at all. He felt no fatigue from the night''s exertions, instead he felt wonderfully alive, but also aware of an emptiness which still ached in his heart.


    Getting out of bed silently, he stretched his long arm out to grasp the bathrobe. He tied the garment''s belt while walking out onto the terrace.


    Though he was happy with the night spent with his beloved, he didn''t know why he just couldn''t fall asleep. Then his mother came to mind again: She had never enjoyed a wedding ceremony, neither had she ever worn a wedding dress.


    When he had seen Annie walking towards him step by step at the wedding ceremony, he had felt like he was seeing his mother, staring at him lovingly through his bride. He had felt warmed by the vision of her, but also cold at the same time, having known so little about


    her.


    It was said that his mother had always lived a rough life. So, when she had met Sanford, she had finally been pushed to the brink of abysmal destruction. She had died before she had enjoyed even one day of a happy life. From then on, he had been alone, separated from his mother forever.


    "What are you thinking about?" A pair of soft hands encircled his waist from behind, and her face snuggled up to his broad back.


    "Sorry. Did I wake you?" he asked while turning around to hold her in his arms. Then he carried her back into the room. It was cold outside, so he was afraid that she would catch a cold in her light bedclothes.


    "I couldn''t sleep without you by my side," Annie felt his genuine warmth andmitment in his concern for her well being.


    "I''m sorry for waking you up!" Rain transferred her directly back to bed, and slipped under the covers with her.


    "It''s all right. Were you thinking about your mother just now?" Annie knew that the early loss of his mother had always been a deep wound in his heart; so, it was natural for him to recall her on such an important day as his wedding.


    "Hmm! How about visiting her grave with me someday?" Rain suggested. He considered that he had been undutiful for not introducing Annie and their children to his mother yet.


    "Okay. She is my mother too, now. I heard that she was very pretty when she was young, right?" Annie asked in a soft voice while resting her head in the crook of his arm. "Yeah, but who told you that?" Rain was surprised, because he had never mentioned that to her before.


    "Leena told me. She said that she had seen mommy''s photos," she knew he was still mourning her, but from now on he would not be alone. He now had his wife by his side.00

 Chapter 1753 Nothing Had Really Changed (Part Two)

    "That girl...again" Rain smiled silently upon hearing of Leena''s involvement once again. In the past, Leena had been the only woman to know his sorrows, but now he had Annie to share his joys and sorrows with.


    "Yeah, it was she who told me. I feel that she is like a treasure trove, in which there are many wonderful gifts not yet known by others," Annie felt that she liked Leena more and more as time went by. Leena was ever optimistic and had a positive life outlook, which made her easy to get along with, and a good friend to Annie.


    "Yeah! That''s why we all treasure her so much," Rain sighed slightly. He thought that Kevin had won her heart so easily. If he had not acted without their knowledge, then they would not have let him marry Leena so easily. Since they cherished her so much, no one would ever be considered good enough for her.


    "I see," Annie realized that Leena was actually the link between Rain and hispanions, and she helped these men maintain their friendship. It seemed that they could get along with one another particrly harmoniously, as long as Leena was together with them. "Let''s go to sleep. It''ste," Rain gave her a lingering kiss on the lips before he closed his eyes, still cradling her in his arms. Tomorrow would be another day. Their wonderful life together had just begun.


    After the wedding, the Spring Festival would soon arrive. So, everyone, including Rain, became extremely busy with nning and business. Even so, Rain did not forget to help Tiana investigate the identity of her biological parents.


    When his cellphone rang, he had just concluded an executive meeting. He took the call while still walking.


    "Hello, boss. What''s up?" he asked while also taking a file from an employee that required his signature, and absently penning his name.


    "I need to see you, immediately. Come over, I have some questions for you," Edward said brusquely. In his office, Edward had perused the documents in front of him with widening eyes. He found it difficult to believe what he was reading. Therefore, he needed to ask Rain some questions right now and in person.


    "What happened? What is so urgent? Can Ie to you this afternoon?" Rain found himself in a pickle as he noticed the time on his wrist watch, and he still had many meetings ahead.


    "No, you can''t. Come here right away," Edward didn''t think he could wait until the afternoon with such dramatic news.


    "Okay! I''ll be there in half an hour," Rain said helplessly, hung up the phone, before dialing William and giving some instructions before leaving for Edward''s office.


    As soon as he arrived at the FX International Group, he immediately took the elevator to the top floor and Edward''s office.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    "Edward, what on earth is the matter? What is so urgent that I had to drop everything ande here right now?" Rain asked. Exhausted, he threw himself down on the sofa in a fatigued sprawl.


    "Here, you read these documents first," Edward threw a pile of documents onto therge corporate desk.


    "What are those?" Rain asked. Seeing the papers, he rose resignedly, walked to the desk and picked up the documents Edward had just dropped.


    "You''ll know the answer as soon as you read them for yourself," Edward stared at him cautiously, waiting to see how he would react.


    "Tiana? Is it possible?!" Rain shook his head. He felt a chill run down his spine, this was so strange.


    "I have no idea. You should ask yourself. Besides you, did your mother give birth to another child? A daughter?" Edward peered at Rain in confusion as Rain had never discussed anything like that with him.


    "Yes, she did, but a nurse said that the baby died as soon as she was born. That was why my mother became depressed and never recovered her health. She could not bear such a blow," Rain felt he could not breathe as he remembered that awful night, and his face darkened with a heaviness he had carried since childhood.


    "It seems that the nurse told a lie, so now, finally, we find out the truth," Edward considered that there must have been a conspiracy involved.


    "Have you found anything else that''s useful?" Rain had never thought his younger sister, whom he had viewed as dead, could still be alive and out in the world; neither had he imagined she would reappear in his life, in such a strange way.


    "Hmm! The documents state that Sheena wasn''t pregnant at all, at that time. In fact, she lied, saying that she was pregnant once again, in order to make her unfaithful husbande back home. Sanford believed her, left your mother and went back to the Ke Family. As the due date was approaching, Sheena had to find a baby and pretend it was hers. Therefore, she asked her acquaintance at the hospital to look for a newborn with humble background, so that she could gloss over her lie," Edward sketched the information he had received while staring at Rain, deeply worried.


    "Then her acquaintance targeted my mother, because she was a parturient with humble background. More importantly, she had no rtive by her side except a young son, Right? And I could not protect her..." Rain felt that he had not mistaken by hating Sheena for all these years. Indeed it had been she who had caused the depression and eventual death of his mother. She was evil incarnate!


    "Yes, but she could never imagine that the newborn, which the nurse gave her, was given birth to by your mother. In other words, for so many years, she has had no idea that the daughter she has raised is the biological child of the woman she hated to the core," Edward added,pleting the whole story. He had always believed that such a drastic kind of plot could only appear in TV dramas, but to his surprise, it had happened here, in real life.


    "How could that be? Boss, could you believe such a clumsy story, if it happens to you?" Rain felt it was inconceivable! A few days ago, Tiana had wanted to leave and tried to say farewell. She had said that there was no reason for her to remain as she was no closer to finding out who she really was. Annie had eventually been able to convince her to stay with them until after the Spring Festival passed.


    "But these are the facts, because The Mayfly has never given me incorrect information," Edward said affirmatively while holding Rain''s gaze, not allowing him to escape from this harsh reality.


    "That means, my younger sister is still alive, and that she has been brought up by our enemy, right?" Rain supported himself with both hands gripping the desk. He was severely shocked by such a ludicrous turn of events.


    "Yes. If you don''t believe it, you can take Tiana''s DNA for confirmation," Edward said. Although he now knew for certain that the newborn Sheena had adopted was indeed the daughter given birth to by Rain''s mother, he could not be sure that she had not changed the baby again at some point.


    "Wait a minute. I think I need some time to digest this news," Rain''s mind was in turmoil. When a person he had viewed as dead for more than twenty years suddenly appeared in front of him in such a way, he felt very unsettled, and his brain was rushing to catch up. Hence he was confused.


    "In fact, I think you should feel grateful, because your younger sister is now very likely still alive, and she is Tiana. In my opinion, it is Sheena who should feel unhappy at this moment; because she has never known that she brought your younger sister to the Ke Family as her child. In trying to prevent you from bing part of the Ke Family, she has loved and cared for your sister, the daughter of her enemy for many years!" Edward said with a cold smile, as if he could envision Sheena being stricken numb by the news right there in his office.


    "You''re right. She treated Tiana quite well in the past, though she has been cruel to her recently," Rain was suddenly uplifted by Edward''s words. After all, it was he who benefited from the news. He had a sister now.


    "It''s good for you to think this calmly, but why didn''t you mention that your mother had a girl child before, to us?" Edward asked the question again, as he was surprised that Rain hadn''t said anything about having a sister before, and he was still struggling with its implications.


    "Do you think it is necessary that I mention everything from my past?" Rain''s mind was in a state of contradiction. He was both excited and sad. He felt excited because his younger sister turned out to still be alive; while he felt sad because his mother had died because of a vicious scheme that had broken her heart when she had still been so very young.


    "Yeah. Then, do you have any ns?" Edward didn''t think Rain would leave the matter at that.


    "What ns can I have? Tiana has broken off all rtions with the Ke Family; so, considering the fact that they have raised Tiana for more than twenty years, I won''t call them to ount, as long as they don''t make trouble for us, for the time being. But if they are not sensible, I will destroy thempletely," Rain spoke calmly about his options after a moment''s contemtion.


    "Wow! You''ve matured a lot, to be able to think so calmly and logically," Edward could not help but apud, liking Rain''s idea. After all, most often there was nothing more valuable than a family union.


    "That''s enough! Don''t make fun of me," Rain said. Since he had believed that Tiana was the daughter of the Ke Family, there was no real change in his affection for her, now that he knew she was actually his own sister. After all, the only difference was her mother, but her father was still Sanford Ke. It was easy for Rain to ept the fact, as nothing had really changed.000000000000000

 Chapter 1754 My Own Sister (Part One)

    "I''m not making fun of you. You used to be such a jerk. You''ve changed a lot since you got married," Edward said as he picked up the papers from his desk. He was about to go to the army base in a little while, so he was in a bit of a hurry. "Well, thanks." Rain thought he could forego the modesty since Edward rarely praised him.


    He nodded and gave a little smile. "Hey, read these documents. I''m going to the base now." He handed the documents over, grabbed his keys and headed out the door. It looked like he would leave without even waiting for a response. "What? Are you serious? I have a lot on my te right now," Rain had to make a point to refuse him.


    "That''s your business, not mine. Don''t forget, you''re still vice president of FX International." His tone was firm, and it didn''t give Rain a chance to turn him down. Edward merely shrugged and left.


    Rain groaned. ''I just found my own sister,'' he thought to himself, ''I should be heading back and celebrating right now...but Edward left me with all these documents.''


    With a resigned sigh, he had no choice but to read the papers he was left with.


    It was almost eight in the evening when he finished reading the documents. ''What a devil...'' he quietly cursed Edward for the workload.


    "What took you so long?" Tiana briskly walked down the steps as soon as she saw Rain. She missed him at thepany, and found out through William that he was out on business.


    "I had to do some overtime.


    Where''s Annie?" She looks so much like my mother, ''Rain thought as he stared at her. He used to hate her before, when he would mistake her for Sheena''s daughter. He hadn''t yet realized how much she looked like his mother. "She and the kids went to Leena''s house. They''ll be backter."


    Speaking of Leena, Tiana still felt guilty, thinking that Leena could''ve nearly had a miscarriage because of her.


    "And you?


    Have you eaten yet?"


    Rain figured that Kevin was out on a mission, or Leena wouldn''t have called Annie and the kids over to her ce.


    "Yeah, I''m good. You haven''t eaten yet though, have you?"


    She frowned. She thought it was a little odd, the way Rain was looking at her.


    "Not yet, I just got back from FX International Group." He wasn''t sure how to express his excitement, so he stayed quiet and just looked at her.


    "I''ll have the cook prepare something for you, then."


    Something about his tone made her nervous, so she used preparing dinner as an excuse to walk away. His eyes always put her under pressure.


    He pursed his lips, but didn''t care much about her avoiding him. He had a lot of time to approach the matter anyway.


    "Tiana,e here."


    Rain had a knack for controling his emotions.


    "I''ming," she called out to him after asking the cook to prepare dinner. She didn''t sit next to him, though, and instead just stood beside him, ncing at him from the side. "What are you doing there?


    Sit down." He softened his tone when he realized that she might be his own sister. It would make quite a difference in his behavior towards her.


    "I just thought you were acting a little strange tonight... so I felt flustered," she said nervously, wondering hard about what he was going to tell her - if he was going to make her leave. She had said she wanted to leave in the past, but in truth, she hated leaving him. "What are you panicking about? I''m not going to eat you," he smiled.


    "When did I be someone scary?"


    She gave a tight smile. "I know... it''s just something about your eyes, I think." "I can''t point out what exactly is different, but I trust my instincts, they never lie,'' she thought quietly to herself. Her instincts were telling her to leave right then and there. "Do you want to know why?"


    Maybe it was because he had grown a little sick of her in the past, even if he knew that she was his sister, he couldn''t treat her like Leena.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    "Yes." Recently, being far away from all the harassment of the Ke family, she was happy enough. However, she still couldn''t help feeling bad at the thought that the rtionship between her and Rain was nonexistent. "Have you ever thought you might be my sister?"


    His words were hard toprehend. She had to pause for a moment before rifying.


    "I don''t understand what you''re talking about." ''Didn''t he say I''m not Sanford''s daughter? In that case, how on earth could I be his sister?'' she thought.


    "My mother had a daughter once, but the nurse told her that the baby died at birth."


    He stopped there. He didn''t want to be too blunt until he got an exact answer.


    "Your mother must be very sad about that."


    It was the first time that Rain mentioned his mother in front of her, which made her even more baffled.


    "Yes... but the nurse lied to her. Isn''t that insane?" His eyes were almost ssy as he spoke about it. If the nurse hadn''t lied, his mother might still be alive.


    Tiana''s eyebrows knitted in confusion. "You mean, the baby didn''t die?"


    Her eyes widened.


    "Yes. And if I''m right, that girl is standing in front of me right now,"


    he finally said, with excitement in his eyes.


    "Y-you mean.......I''m your sister?" She couldn''t believe her ears, but those were undoubtedly his words.


    "I''m not entirely sure. I need you to take a DNA test... Would you be willing to do that with me?"


    Rain just asked straight, now that he had already told her.


    "Wait, what? You think I''m your sister? That''s impossible." Tiana fell back on her chair in shock. It was too much and too exciting for her, so she needed time to process it.


    "Look, I''m serious. You have to trust me."


    In truth, Rain just really wanted to give his mother an answer. Whether or not she was his sister, he would treat her like one.


    "So if the results from the DNA tests match, that would prove I''m your sister?" She asked, still recovering from shock of the news. If she was his sister, she would have a family. Wasn''t that all she''d ever wanted? All she had ever hoped for? "Yes... So, are you willing toe with me?"


    He looked at her expectantly, but he knew he wouldn''t push her if she didn''t actually want to.


    His eyes lit up when she replied, though. "Yes, I want to go."


    Her words were heavy, as if she had just voiced out a life changing decision.


    "Don''t worry.


    No matter what the results show, I''ll treat you as my own sister." Rain had no habit of making such promises to others, but he was sure to keep those he made.


    ''Strike while the iron is hot,'' he thought. The very next day, the two went to get the DNA test. The waiting period was a strange time. Both of them were in rather unstable moods, but they got along normally.


    When they saw the result, it was exactly what they wanted to see. Tiana and Rain''s DNA was a 99.9% match. She was his sister, his real sister. They shared blood.


    He didn''t know how to express his joy with words, so he enveloped Tiana in a sudden tight hug instead.


    "Oh my god!


    You''re my sister! I actually found you...finally!" It felt like a huge weight was off his heart. He had a strong feeling that finding his sister was the greatestfort he could ever imagine offering to histe mother.00

 Chapter 1755 My Own Sister (Part Two)

    "Really? Am I really your sister?" She couldn''t believe it as she saw it on paper. It took her everything to pretend to be calm the past few days, but she was full of a weird mix of anxiety and excitement. If she was his sister, then she had been treating the one who killed her mother as a parent for the past twenty years. It broke her heart to realize that she had been living with her enemy for most of her life.


    "Yes. Are you happy?" He was smiling at her, and at the fact that he could finally bring his mother peace.


    "Yes.


    This means I''m not an orphan... I have a real family." She always wanted Rain to be her brother. She would think about it often, knowing that it was undoubtedly a mere fantasy. It was still so unreal to think that her wish came true that way.


    "Silly girl, how could you be an orphan? You''ve always had us." He gently wiped her tears away. He never thought such a day woulde, and he was brimming with the same emotions, but was always just much better at keeping them from surfacing. "Yes, I have you, so I''m not an orphan," she repeated.


    With a brother like him beside her, she felt like she could get through anything.


    "We''re officially family now. You can ask anything you want from me. You never need to hesitate or be shy about anything ever again." The confirmation of their rtionship did change his attitude towards her a great deal.


    After the reveal of Tiana''s identity, pretty much everyone epted it happily, even if they were surprised at first. Their attitudes towards her also changed. After all, she was Rain''s sister now.


    Rain said he wanted his mother to meet Annie, so he took his family to the cemetery before the holiday.


    Annie made sure to get all dressed up. Even like this, it was her first meeting with Rain''s mother, and she wanted to make a good impression.


    "Mother, are you there?


    This is your daughter-inw. Your grandchildren are also here.


    I''m sorry I didn''t bring them to see you before today." He was doing well to make sure his voice didn''t crack, but he was getting quite emotional. It was the first time he was so happy in front of his mother.


    "And this... is Tiana. Do you think she looks familiar?"


    He reached out to pull her closer.


    "Doesn''t she? This is my sister, mom. Your own daughter. Over twenty years ago, she didn''t pass away, she was taken to the Ke family. I know it''s almost unbelievable... but it''s all true. That''s why I brought her here today. I want you to meet her." Rain''s heart was filled with warmth as he knew that if his mother were still alive, she would be jumping for joy.


    "Mother? I''m Tiana. I''m sorry that I didn''te to see you until today." She thought of her own mother lying in the grave, and Tiana couldn''t help but shed some tears.


    Huey was rather mature for his age, and he understood that it was his father''s mother lying there, and that was why they were so upset.


    Joyce, on the other hand, was a little bit more naive. She ran around the graveyard, running in zigzags as a little girl should.


    Annie stayed quiet, knowing that it was a big moment for the newfound siblings. ''Don''t worry, mother. I will take good care of Rain. No matter how many difficulties I will face in the future, I will always be by his side,'' she thought silently instead. To be in thepany of loved ones was a kind of medicine.


    Rtionships need to be sustained bypanionship, or they could crumble, no matter how strong the love for each other.


    After the visit, Tiana slid into the family like a perfect fit, so when she met Sheena again, she saw her in a whole new light.


    "Mom," she called. Although Tiana didn''t want to talk to her, she didn''t have the courage to break off tiespletely with the woman who had taken care of her for over twenty years.


    "Where''s my money, huh? Now that you live in that little bastard''s house, he must''ve given you tons of money, right?"


    Sheena reached her hand out expectantly.


    Tiana just looked at it nkly. "I''m sorry. I have no money." She rejected her outright. Although she took care of her for so long, the money she spent on her was all Sanford''s. Tiana knew she didn''t owe her in such a way, because if she wasn''t getting anything out of it, she certainly wouldn''t have been kind to Tiana. The recent events showed just that.


    "You don''t have money?" she sneered. "Do you think I''m stupid?


    Don''t forget who you are. You''re my daughter. You can''t refuse me." The words that should''ve been affectionate sounded cold and demanding in her tone. She had yet to find out that Tiana knew the truth. Tiana''s jaw clenched. "Oh really?


    I''m your daughter? You sure about that?" She didn''t think Sheena was such an awful person before, but after learning about all she did to her mother, she couldn''t help but feel sick when she saw her. Sheena paused for a moment. "What are you talking about?" Nervousness struck. She ddin''t care if Tiana knew the truth, but she was terrified of Sanford finding out. She couldn''t live without him. "What am I talking about?


    Don''t y pretend.


    I''m not your daughter." She didn''t hesitate to expose the truth. Although Rain told her to avoid talking to the Ke family members from then on, she couldn''t let Sheena''s insults go too easily.


    The best way to cut off ties with Sheena was to tell her the truth, so she did.


    "How... how did you find out?"


    For over two decades, she treated Tiana as her own, doing all she could to keep the secret from Sanford. She didn''t expect her efforts to have been wasted in a day.


    "If you don''t want anyone to know about your dirty deeds, you''d better not do them in the first ce." She smiled coldly. She had learned much about her real mother in the past few days, and even from that she could tell that she was superior to Sheena in possibly every way. "Who told you?"


    Sheena asked viciously, with anger brimming in her eyes.


    "Rain, who else? He had people investigate. Do you think there''s a secret in this world you can keep from him?"Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    As soon as she finished speaking, she stood up, ready to leave and turn away from the woman forever.


    "Then why did he still let you stay at his house?" Sheena didn''t find it believable for Rain to have left a person who had nothing to do with him in his home.


    "Because she''s my sister!


    Do you understand now? The baby girl you brought back from the hospital is my mother''s child. Shouldn''t you at least act a little surprised? Do you really have no ounce of decency?" He appeared almost out of nowhere. As soon as he heard from the guard that Tiana had gone to meet Sheena at a nearby caf¨¦, he rushed over, worried that Sheena would harm his sister.


    "That''s impossible! I didn''t help that woman raise her baby! No...no, no! You''re lying!"


    She started shaking her head, almost hysterically. The words were all arrows to her heart.


    "I''m not lying. We''ve done the DNA testing. It''s official." Rain found himself particrly pleased to see Sheena out of control. Before, he said that he would act as if nothing had happened, so long as they didn''t do anything stupid to provoke him. Sheena, however, repeatedly walked the dangerous line of challenging him.


    "Don''t lie to me, asshole! You''re lying! I won''t believe you. Tiana was an unwanted baby girl! She''s not your mother''s bastard!" She felt sick at the thought. So she had been taking care of her rival''s child all that time? "Oh my god! You can''t do this to me," she muttered into the empty air.


    "Bastard? Look at your sons. They''re the bastards here! They''ll kick you straight out when you have no more use for them." He smiled a dangerously cold smile. He received word that her two sons were looking for someone to value their house, meaning they were going to sell it without any concern for their mother.000000

 Chapter 1756 A Pregnancy Test (Part One)

    "Don''t be ridiculous. Both of my sons are good boys. What you just described would never happen," Sheena said confidently. However, her quivering voice betrayed her guilty conscience. Her sons might treat her well, but her daughters-inw would definitely not. "Time will tell. It always does, be it right or wrong. Tiana, let''s go," Rain said coldly, not even sparing a second nce. He wondered how Sanford would react when he came back home to see the house was gone. Would he go crazy and lose himself? "Yeah. Let''s get out of here," Tiana replied in agreement. Tiana walked to him yfully, but her expression was worried; a stark contrast to her movements. Although Sheena had a terrible temper, her father liked her nheless. When she heard that their house would be sold to settle their debts, anxiety gripped her heart.


    "Stop. Wait a minute. Rain, isn''t true that I raised your sister? Can''t you show even a small amount of gratitude?" asked Sheena, stepping foward. She just couldn''t ept losing her daughter and fortune at the same time.


    "Haha! I should be grateful? Why should I do that? What do you want, Sheena? Money? That greed of yours drove my mother to her death and caused many more troubles. I fucking hate you," answered Rain, not even looking back. His teeth were grinding in anger. His fingers slowly came together and clenched into a fist, but he restrained himself to the best of his ability, just enough to keep him from punching her face. Sheena didn''t deserve any gratitude from him.


    "Why me me for your mother''s demise?" asked Sheena. She was quite taken aback. Her lips transformed from a vicious snarl to a pout that conveyed her annoyance.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    "Why shouldn''t I me you? Didn''t you do everything wrong? Do I have to list down all the crimes youmitted one by one?" Rain said solemnly. Finally he turned around, his eyes closed in deep thought. He sighed, then he abruptly opened his eyes. They were cold and soul-piercing.


    "Do it then! You don''t scare me, boy," replied Sheena stubbornly. However, her actions betrayed her true feelings once again. She took a swift step back in case Rain lost control andshed out.


    "I''ve always known that you''re a brave woman, and almost impossible to intimidate. That''s why you keep stirring up trouble again and again," Rain said furiously, barely keeping it all in. Back then, when he was just a kid, he witnessed Sheena walked into his house unannounced and smashed everything inside. Her mother had already refused his father to live with them, and had even gone as far to vow to never meet him again. But that wasn''t enough for Sheena. She went even further. To avoid Sheena''s wrath, Rain and his mother were constantly on the move, changing homes so often.


    "It was all your mother''s fault, that bitch. If she hadn''te between your father and I, I wouldn''t have had anything to do with her!" Sheena blurted out, clearly agitated. She could relive the humiliation every time she was reminded of those things.


    "Yeah. It''s true that she made her own mistakes by being my father''s mistress. However, she was also a victim. Sanford not once mentioned to my mother that he was already married and had his own family when they met for the first time. Also, when you came barging into our home and kept ming my mother, she had already broken up with him. But you were relentless. You pushed again and again, until we had to leave our home and eventually S City." He would never havee back to S city if Edward hadn''t asked him to move back. He was strong and powerful now. He held his head high and confidently whenever he faced Sheena and his father.


    "But you came back, didn''t you? You came back to destroy mypany as well as my family to avenge your dead mother and your miserable, pathetic childhood. Your own hatred has made you mad," said Sheena. She bitterly regretted that she passed up the opportunity to kill Rain. She was foolish not to destory him first. If only she was ruthless, then Rain wouldn''t have taken Tiana from her and made everything in a terrible mess.


    "It wasn''t me who ruined your life. You have your sons and yourself to me for that. Now, behave yourself." Refusing to continue the conversation, Rain took Tiana''s hand, turned around and walked away briskly. He didn''t want to say another word to that insane woman. Sheena grasped her bag tightly forfort, and red at the disappearing figures of Rain and Tiana in the distance. She regretted raising Fiona''s daughter.


    "Brother, why you are here?" Since she knew her identity, she called Rain brother sincerely. Rain was the only family member who was kind to her and actually treated her like a sister. Others only used her for their own gain.


    "Haven''t I told you this before? Never meet anyone from the Ke Family. I thought I was clear enough. Why don''t you listen to me?" Rain was really worried about Tiana, judging from his concerned tone. She was the only family member he had. Whatever happened, he couldn''t lose her again.


    "I''m so sorry. I promise this won''t happen again," said Tiana apologetically. Her head was downcast. Tiana thought it was okay since Sheena only asked that they should get some coffee together. She never expected any danger from her.


    "Remember, we humans are dangerous and treacherous. Don''t trust anybody so easily, even Sheena. Are we clear?" Rain asked. He feared for Tiana''s safety. A cornered animal might do something desperate, such was the case for the Ke Family.


    "I won''t forget. You''re the boss, brother," replied Tiana. Tiana felt intense remorse for what she did. Rain looked really worried about her, and this wasn''t the first time she let him down.


    "Don''t ever forget. It''s your life we''re talking about." She had lived with the Ke Family her whole life, and she probably had never noticed their true nature. This didn''t guarantee her safety around them, either.


    "I will never meet them again. I promise." Tiana reaffirmed her brother. As long as he had his peace of mind, she would do everything he wanted.


    "Good girl. Now go home. I have dinner ns tonight. You can dine with my wife back at the house." The CY Technology Company was barely getting by. He needed to attend various parties to gather connections and sweeten rtionships.000????????????

 Chapter 1757 A Pregnancy Test (Part Two)

    "Okay. I got it. Don''t get drunk again," Tiana warned. She frowned when she knew that Rain''s wife would worry greatly about him if he failed toe back home on time. He got drunk two timesst week!


    "Trust me. I know what I''m doing. If I ever get drunk again, my wife would lock the door and throw away the key!" Rain said,ughing awkwardly. This was partly true. He didn''t want to rely solely on the huge power and reach of the FX International Group. He was working really hard these days. He had made strides, but he still needed to be alert. "Be cafeful, bro! I''m going home now. See youter, ''kay?" said Tiana with her sweet smile as she waved farewell. Then she opened the car door and smoothly climbed inside.


    "Okay. Drive safely!" Rain closed the car door for her and stood there until her car pulled away far enough that he couldn''t see it anymore. He then turned around and entered thepany''s main building.


    That night, Rain got home drunk again. William, his ever-faithful secretary, sent him home. When Annie saw her husband in a drunken stupor, she couldn''t help but worry.


    "Rain, why did you get drunk again?" Annie asked, her brows furrowed, hands on her waists. She knew she couldn''t trust Rain to hold his liquor. He got drunk anyway.


    He looked at his wife, smiling mischievously. "Oh, hey honey! Why are you still awake?" asked Rain slowly. Rain was still amazingly conscious, even when he drank tons of wine at the dinner. When he saw Annie, he got up and dragged himself to kiss her. "Here I am waiting for you toe home. You don''t need to work so hard. You''ve done enough!" pleaded Annie. She felt sorry for her husband. Rain had refused all outside help and was determined to start from scratch. He was so sure that he would seed in building his own new world.


    "I''m fine, okay? You know I''m doing all of this for you and our children. I love you, honey," Rain replied, drunkenly. His eyes were squinted, and he had a goofy grin on his face. Rain was a husband, a father, as well as a brother right now. He had to take care of his wife, his sister and his children all at the same time. He knew he had to keep them safe from all and any dangers.


    "I said you were dumb. Don''t you believe me?" asked Annie. He then took his arm and helped him walk upstairs. Annie took him to the bedroom and they both sat on the silk covers. She was touched by what Rain said. He was full of determination and confidence. However, she didn''t want this constant worrying. She wanted to live a simple andfortable life with her husband and children. But nowadays, she could only talk to her husband at night, when he came homete. This life was driving her mad.


    "But you still love me, don''t you?" asked Rain. He held her shoulders and pushed her down the bed, then kissed her roughly with intense passion.


    "I guess I also got dumb." Annie started taking off his coat and shoes. Everytime he got home drunk like this, he would say silly words that would often make her blush.


    "That''s more like it. A dumb husband and a dumb wife, a match made in heaven," Rain said while half-chuckling. Rain smiled lovingly at his wife. Now, he could feel her love for him.


    "Now, rest. Lie down while I prepare a bath for you." Annie took onest look at her husband and then got up to run the bath. She tried tofort herself that when Rain''spany was all set, everything would be much better. She had so much faith in Rain and in their love for each other.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    While Annie was feeling the water temperature to make sure it was perfect, Rain''s hands found their way around Annie''s waist. He rested his head on her shoulder and breathed in her perfume, the one she always used ever since they met.


    "Annie, I''m really sorry. I promise the hard days will be over real soon." In truth, he wasn''t that drunk at all. While talking to Annie all this time, he could sense that she was worried and unhappy. He was still conscious enough to take in the situation at hand. "Why''d you follow me into the bathroom?" Promises were just words. They were cheap. For Annie, as long as her husband was happy, that was more than enough for her.


    "Why? I want to see you every minute of everyday," replied Rain in a soft voice. Typical men. When they get drunk, all the flowery wordse busting out.


    "Are you sure you can still stand up after drinking that much wine?" Married life was enough for Annie. After their marriage, she only grew to enjoy hispany more. In light of this, she was just like Leena. They were both satisfied easily.


    "You know and love me, don''t you?" Rain put his hands on Annie''s shoulder and turned her around to face him. He eyed her carefully and then slowly inched his lips onto hers and kissed her passionately.


    Annie responded by kissing him back. After the marriage, she had never hidden her true feelings for him. Tonight, she was also drunk with Rain''s love.


    Days went by. After the Spring-Festival holiday, CY technology finally made some progress. Enough to give Rain a breather and he finally could spend some time with his family.


    Sheena''s house was sold for half its original price, just as Rain predicted. The Ke Family faded into obscurity.


    "Rain, is this what you wanted to see?" Sanford looked like he aged decades. When he came back home, he found that his ancestral home wasn''t his anymore.


    "I have no idea what you''re talking about," Rain said innocently. He sat on his chair with his legs crossed. He took a sip of coffee andughed without any emotion.


    "My family has been ruinedpletely, you brat. Ever since you entered our lives, it was doomed from that moment." Sanford looked tired. He was resigned to the fact that he had no house to live in even after spending his entire life toiling and struggling.


    "Don''t you dare me me for that. You know the reasons more clearly than the rest of them. You med me because you''re too much of a coward to ept the truth. That''s why you just decided it was much easier to me me for your faults and miserable fate." Rainughed at his father. He knew Sanford would never choose to help him. He was used to this kind of betrayal.000000000000000

 Chapter 1758 A Pregnancy Test (Part Three)

    "What about Tiana? She is your sister, born of your mother?" asked Sanford. This fact was a great shock to him.


    "Haven''t you known all this ever since? Why would you ask again?" Although Rain knew he was adept in coping with new problems and unique challenges, he still was sad whenever something like this happened.


    "Why didn''t you tell me this before? I would have done things differently had I known," answered Sanford sadly. He was a pitiful sight. Sanford was a failure all his life. He never admitted this, since he was too much of a coward. He''d rather me it all on other people and consider himself a victim.


    "Do you really think that would have changed anything? Forget it. I won''t mention anything about the past anymore. Don''t even utter a word about the Ke Family anymore. I refuse to hear it. Goodbye!" Rain abruptly stood up, visibly annoyed. He felt it was too suffocating to talk to Sanford. He then turned around and walked out the door. If he remained even a minute longer, he would have lost his temper.


    Sanford suddenly clutched his stomach and took deep breaths. He winced in pain and felt lightheaded.


    "Sir! Are you okay? Where''s your medicine? Just take your medicine and stop stressing yourself out." Lawrence hurried by his master''s side to assist him. He wondered when would the timee when his master could clear up those misunderstandings with Rain. "I''m fine, Lawrence. God, I must have done something terrible in my past life for being punished like this." Sanford took off his thick prescription sses and rubbed his eyes.


    "Mr. Ke, one day Rain will see the truth and understand you. I''m sure of it." He sighed deeply knowing that he had no idea what to make of the rtionship between his master and Rain.


    "I hope so. Let''s go." Their old house had been sold by his sons. Luckily, Sanford secretly bought a vi a few years ago. If he hadn''t, he would be homeless now.


    "Don''t worry, Sir. Everything will be okay." Lawrence said as he assisted his master by holding his arm. They walked out of the coffee shop painfully slow, their hearts heavy.


    When people first met, they argured and fought. When all was said and done, and they had lost everything, they soon found that all their quarrels were meaningless.


    The sun''s rays cast its light onto the concrete pavements of the city. It feltfortable and warm when you walked leisurely around the city. Rain could sense the unbreakable wall that prevented any understanding between him and his father. It was a wall of his making, an imprable wall to shield his heart from any further pain. If he wanted, he could break the wall down and repair the rtionship, but he hated his father too much.


    He looked at the countless couples walking down the street. They all seemed happy together and were no doubt expecting a good life ahead. A small smile formed on the corners of his mouth. He went through a lot. He knew what a miserable life would do to him and his family. All his life, he was busy fighting enemies and his destiny, all for a bright future.


    He sat down on the nearby bench under rustling trees. A gentle breeze blew past him, cooling his cheeks. He started to recall his childhood. It was a nightmare, but look at him now. It all went okay. He silently thanked God for His mercy. Despite all the hardships he went through, he had a rtively happy life, a kind wife and lovely children. He wouldn''t dare ask for more from God. Living a life with his wife was more than he had ever asked for. He wasn''t a greedy person, but he would do anything to shield his family.


    Weeks passed by as Rain and his family lived on. Their life was calm and peaceful. However, some unknown and wicker forces were about to threaten their happy life.


    "Edward, can you exin to me what the hell is happening?" It was in the wee hours of the morning as Daisy pulled Edward''s quilt and threw a pregnancy test at him.


    "Wait, what?" Edward asked groggily. His eyes were still adjusting to the light as he rubbed them. "What''s wrong, dear? Tell me what it is and I''ll fix it," answered Edward, eyes half closed. He was awakened by Daisy''s shouting so early in the morning. He knew he had to deal with this. He yawned, and got out of bed swiftly. He walked towards Daisy and tried tofort her. "Didn''t you see it? Look at it real carefully and tell me how did this happen." Daisy was furious and rolled her eyes, to the point that her whites were all Edward could see. She needed an answer from her husband.


    "Honey, wait!" He stretched his arms and shoulders, not knowing what riled up his wife so early in the morning.


    "Tell me what you did," shouted Daisy. In one smooth movement, Daisy closed the distance and grabbed Edward by the cor and red at him.


    "Nothing! I did nothing! What did you expect?" asked Edward, with a mischievous smile on his face. He nodded at his wife passionately.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Behave yourself. I am very serious right now," replied Daisy in a grim tone. The pregnancy test answered her question why her menstruation was dyed for two weeks now.


    "Dear, you know I''m telling the truth. Please trust me. What do you mean? Please don''t be angry anymore." Edward pursed his lips and felt wronged. He had a rough couple of days. He had been trying really hard for their second baby.


    "Tell me what happened." Daisy bent down and picked up the pregnancy test. She showed it to her husband. She was ring furiously.


    "What''s this?" asked Edward innocently. One part of the pregnancy test stick showed two lines. He wasn''t Tom who was an excellent doctor. So he was naturally confused.


    "It''s a pregnancy test, you jerk!" Daisy shouted. Her eyes welled up. She thought Edward was ying dumb.


    "Pregnancy test?" Edward looked even more confused. Then, it hit him. He felt a surge of excitement and asked loudly, "Are you pregnant?"


    "Edward, did you do this on purpose?" Daisy bit her lips as she desperately held her tears back, to no avail. Tears streamed down her face. How could she get pregnant at such a crucial time? A military exercise was fast approaching and she needed to be there.


    "Honey, why are you crying?" All throughout their marriage, Daisy had always been the tough one. He couldn''t stand seeing his wife cry. It always came as a shock to him to see his soldier wife crying so helplessly. He panicked and thought whether he had overdone it or not. If he told her that he really wanted another child right now, Daisy would absolutely refuse him. So he had to take that chance. Unexpectedly, Daisy cried.00

 Chapter 1759 Sweet Scene (Part One)

    "Whatever, Edward. You should resolve the problem you''ve created," Daisy said. It would have been fine if Edward hadn''t asked the question. But now that he did, she felt more aggrieved -- this year was going to be the busiest time for her, and there would be a big moveing in. "Yes! Leave it up to me. Don''t worry! I''ll take care of our new baby." Edward assured. He waspletely immersed in the happiness of Daisy''s pregnancy and noticing nothing unusual.


    "You''ll take care of it? Then why don''t you conceive a baby?!" Daisy yelled. She wasn''t amanding Senior Colonel at this moment, but a reckless shrew.


    "If I could do that for you, I would do it," Edward said, trying to console her. He badly wanted a little cutie as pretty as his wife.


    "Easy for you to say..." Daisy said. She didn''t take it to heart because she thought he was just saying it for show. She never expected that Edward would take any real action. She was not prepared for this.


    "I know. What if we just sit on it for a while? That way, we would reach somepromise," Edward said. As long as he could get her to say yes, he might do everything she told him to do -- even if she asked him to bark like a dog.


    "You, you......" Daisy was choked up with anger and was unable to say anything else. All she could do was stare at him with burning eyes as she ground her teeth.


    "All right. Honey, don''t be mad. Just think about it! How wonderful it would be if we have a daughter as beautiful as you are," Edward said, wiping the tears that were forming at the corners of Daisy''s eyes. He understood how serious the situation was. Making her cry was thest thing he wanted.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    "How do you know our baby''s a girl? What if it''s a boy?" Daisy said, knocking his hand away from her face. ''Who does he think he is? He thinks he can decide the gender of the baby for himself just like that? No, why should I even be affected by him?'' Daisy thought. "No way. It must be a girl..." Edward said. He was dumbfounded as he had never thought until then that that was a real possibility. Either way, he still stuck to his own credence.


    "I''m tired of arguing with you. No matter what happens, you must give me an eptable solution when I get back from work," she sniffed. If she could, she would have beaten up this self-righteous man who was in front of her. "Hold up! Let''s go to see Tom and ask him to check if you really are pregnant," he quickly said. Edward couldn''t wait to get a definitive answer.


    "Humph! Do you think I have time for that?" Daisy became even more upset upon hearing Tom''s name. She had guessed that it was Edward and Tom who conspired with each other to put her into such a passive position.


    "Well.. I''ll pick you up after your work," Edward replied with a slight smile. He was secretly d that he could get away with this.


    "No need," she said, quickly dismissing his offer. She was honestly getting worried that she might order the soldiers to put him into the jail for everything he had done.


    "But I insist." Edward was a little upset whenever he got rejected by Daisy; his temper obviously wasn''t that good either.


    Daisy bit her lip, mumbled a curt "Whatever", and walked out of the room quickly. It was up to Edward if he wanted to pick her up, but it was up to her if she refused.


    "Yes!" Edward said, totally hyped up. He stood up, full of vigor. He needed to share with somebody the good news. Without a second thought, he went to Tom.


    "What are you doing here this early, boss? Don''t tell me you''re constipated..." Tom asked suspiciously, a wry smile appearing on his face. He had no idea why Edward showed up so early.


    "Shut up! You''re the one who''s constipated," Edward snapped back. His good mood was ruined by Tom''s snidement.


    "Then what is it? Come on, tell me!" Tom said. The more he looked at Edward, the more skeptical he felt. He had no idea what Edward could possibly say to him that seemed so urgent. Tom took a step back, as if to brace himself for what Edward was about to say.


    "I have one question for you," Edward paused, looking Tom straight in the eye with the upmost seriousness. "Does it mean someone''s a hundred percent pregnant if the pregnancy test is positive?" Daisy''s possible pregnancy consumed Edward''s thoughts. It was all he cared about at that moment. Because of this, he wanted to double check with Tom; Edward didn''t want to be happy for nothing.


    "Not exactly. It depends on the quality of the test kit. Why do you ask me about this?" Tom asked. And then, shortly after, Tom pieced it together. "Wait, so Daisy..." his mouth opened widely with shock. ''No way! Daisy''s pregnant already!'' he thought. "Yes!" Edward said excitedly. He couldn''t hide his joy. He had missed his chance to see Justin grow up. No matter what happened, he wanted to be involved with his child with Daisy, right from the beginning until the very end.


    "What about Daisy? How did she react?" Tom asked. He knew Daisy would at least be in shock. Edward had asked Tom to keep his surgery a secret. Tom was sure that Daisy had no idea about it.


    "She almost tore me into pieces," Edward said with a shudder. He began to worry about his future life as he thought of Daisy''s attitude towards him this morning.


    "Where is she now? I can arrange a test for her. Then you can know for sure if she is pregnant or not," Tom offered, happily but anxiously. He was happy that Edward''s wish coulde true atst, but was anxious that Daisy would put him into jail for being Edward''s aplice. After all, Edward had said that she was very agitated.


    "She went to the army base. I n to pick her up after her work and thene here directly. So you''d better arrange everything well in advance in case nobody could do the test for her by then," Edward said. This was the reason why he came to see Tom in person. He needed to get everything ready.


    "Got it. I''ll have it arranged," Tom promised. He thought Edward was smart enough to talk to him first. Otherwise all the people in the Gynecology and Obstetrics Department would have left if they came here near closing time.


    "I gotta go. I still have a lot of work at thepany that I need to deal with," Edward said as he nced at his watch. He had be busier since Rain took over KD group. It seemed that it was time for him to hire a new assistant. But he would still have Rain as Vice President so long as he had the power to do so, whether Rain was working in KD group or not.


    "I don''t intend to keep you long," Tom said. He, too, had been very busy recently. His life had changed a lot since he got married. He needed to take care of both his work and his family. Sometimes he would ask himself if that was the life he really wanted. But whenever he questioned himself, the answer was always yes.


    "I won''t stay even you want me to," Edward said and then left, frivolously and mboyantly.


    "Humph!" Tom said, pouting. He always used self hypnosis to tell himself that nothing happened whenever he faced such an arrogant boss. If he didn''t, he might have died with anger.


    Compared with Edward''s fairly positive mood, Daisy was prone to emotional outbursts. She didn''t think it was good timing to have another baby. This year, she would be busy with not only the national parade, but also severalrge-scale live-fire exercises. She couldn''t be absent from any of them. So she was wondering if she should keep this new baby. What should she do if she decided to keep it?


    "Daisy, what''s the matter with you today? Why do you look anxious? Do you know what a big mistake you''ve made?" Kevin said, frowning. Although he was reluctant to say this, he had to criticize her for the sake of safety.


    "Sorry! Major General, I need a break." Daisy said, pursing her lips, and then rushed out of the training field.


    "Mark, what''s wrong with your Senior Colonel?" Kevin asked, frowning. ''Did I talk to her too harshly?'' he thought.


    "I don''t know, Major General. She has been like this since this morning," Mark replied. He felt very aggrieved at being named because he knew nothing about this.


    "Okay. Follow her to check what''s happening!" Kevin ordered, sighing slightly and thoughtfully.


    "Yes, Major General," Mark said, saluting before going after Daisy.


    Daisy took off her feldmutze and fanned herself with it. Summer was approaching, so the weather of S City was getting very hot and dry.[D

 Chapter 1760 Sweet Scene (Part Two)

    "Senior Colonel, here is some water," Mark showed up in front of Daisy at the right time. He passed his water bottle to her. As a guard, it was his responsibility to keep an eye on her and know what she needed. "Mark, the whole troop will head to the exercise base this afternoon. Are you ready for this?" Daisy asked, taking several gulps of water. She wiped the sweat on her forehead with the back of her hand. "Senior Colonel, I''m ready." Mark reported. He felt Daisy was acting a little weird today, so he behaved more cautiously.


    "Good job. You can go now! I want to be alone for a while," Daisy said, giving back the water bottle to him. She thought it was necessary for her to think about how to deal with her pregnancy issue.


    "Yes, Senior Colonel!" Mark said, looking at Daisy worriedly. Without much of a choice, he followed Daisy''s order and left.


    Daisy sat down on the grass, looking up at the blue sky and white clouds above the army base. She didn''t notice anything unusual, but for some reason, she felt sadder than before.


    She knew Edward wanted a daughter and that Justin wanted a sister. She would definitely have considered it if only they had talked it through first and made proper preparations. But never like this -- like she was forced and a passive participant.


    She sighed slightly, wondering what Edward would say to her if she decided to get rid of the baby. She always subconsciously tended to put the country first before family or anyone else.


    Some people might say she was cruel. Truthfully, she was the one who would suffer the most when it came to this kind of thing. After all, no mother would ever dislike her own child. Even though the new baby wasn''t fully formed yet, it was already a life inside her.


    In the afternoon, the troops were ready to ship out. Even though it was only a warm-up for the formal military exercise, nobody took it lightly. As a brilliant soldier, he or she should be ready to serve the country anytime.


    Daisy didn''t tell Edward about her attending the military exercise. She wanted to tell him about it this morning, but she was so annoyed with the whole pregnancy ordeal that she forgot about it. Edward had been waiting at the door of the army base for more than an hour. Eventually, he figured that something was wrong. No matter how many times he called Daisy, she wouldn''t pick up. He decided to call Mark and Kevin, only to find out that their phones were turned off. In desperation, he called Leena, hoping that she might know what was going on.


    "Hi Edward, what''s the matter?" Leena answered.


    "Girl, is Kevin on a mission today?" Edward said. He cut to the chase because his patience had been run out when he was waiting just now.


    "Yeah! They have a training exercise. Didn''t Daisy tell you?" she replied. She was more beautiful now, her whole face glowing with radiance. Maybe it was because she had the mother glow! Even though she was still technically the same, there was something different about her -- like a sculpture that had been recently painted over.


    "What? Training exercise?" Edward said, clenching his teeth and fists. He thought about it for a while; he knew Daisy must be angry with him, so she might have kept it from him on purpose. ''Damn it!'' he thought to himself. He couldn''t stand her temper. But then again, he was the one who spoiled her. Who was to me now?


    "Yup! Kevin told mest night. It seems like he won''te back until the day after tomorrow," Leena said, frowning. ''Oh my god. Did I say anything I shouldn''t have?'' she thought to herself.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    "All right. I got it. I gotta go," Edward said. He hung up the phone and threw it in the air angrily. After staring at the army base for a while, he started the car and drove away.


    Leena, on the other hand, just shrugged. She guessed Edward must have done something that had upset Daisy, which would exin why he didn''t know where she had gone.


    "Mommy, can I watch Monkey King?" Richard asked, looking at Leena with his head on one side. He was only three years old, and yet hisnguage ability was way beyond his years. His dad was a soldier, so naturally, Richard thought in a different way and liked different things that normal kids wouldn''t. Besides, he was very strong and brave.


    "Sure. But you need to finish your meal first," Leena said. This little kid was interested in nothing else but Monkey King.


    "Fine... So I can watch TV after dinner?" Richard said, and then took a big bite of rice -- which looked very cute.


    "Yes. Eat slowly, or you''ll chock," Leena said, flicking the rice off his clothes, her face full of love. She had suffered a lot when she gave birth to him, but Richard was so easy to raise and was so well-behaved that he was like a blessing. Kevin was strict to him, which might be the reason why Richard acted the way he did. In short, he had self-discipline.


    The little fellow giggled. Although he spread rice everywhere, he was still a very independent and adorable boy.


    Leena couldn''t help but kiss him on his face. He might not be the best in the world, but he was Leena''s greatest love. On top of that, the love between Kevin and Leena grew stronger and got much happier because of Richard.


    As soon as Edward got home, Justin went up to him with his examination paper in his hand, and asked him to sign it.


    "Daddy, why did youe home sote today?" Justin rubbed his worn-out eyes. He had been waiting his dad for a long time.


    "Why did you get a perfect score again? Can you be a little less perfect? Even by just one measly mistake?" Surely, only Edward was the parent who didn''t want his own son to get high scores in school.


    "Yeah. about that. I really tried. I mean I barely even studied for the exam, and I answered the test questions without thinking about them too much. I don''t know why I still got a perfect score," Justin said with a shrug.


    "You are not modest at all," Edward said as he promptly but absentmindedly signed the paper. His thoughts were still on Daisy.


    Justin gave a resigned sigh. "I guess ordinary people can''t understand the struggles of geniuses," he replied, putting away his examination paper inside his schoolbag next to him. It seemed like his dad couldn''t understand his world. "Aren''t you curious about why your mommy still isn''t back home?" Edward asked, raising his brow. He felt like Justin was too calm.


    "Why should I be curious? Last night, Mommy said over dinner that there was something happening in the army base, so she won''te back home soon," Justin said matter-of-factly. His maturity made him seem like he was ten times taller, even if he really looked like a little boy on the surface.


    "What? Howe I''m the only one who doesn''t know about it?" Edward said, his eyes widening in shock. He felt he was ignored again.


    "You went to the wine party, so how would you know it?" Justin replied, looking scornfully at Edward. ''It''s so simple! Why can''t he understand?'' he thought.


    "All right! It was kind of my fault. But did your mom say when she''lle back?" Edward asked, his voice masked with a hint of agitation. He walked up to the living room and slumped back onto the couch. He suddenly felt weak and burned out.


    "She didn''t say when. But, daddy, why do you care so much?" He always cares about mommy whenever she goes out for a mission. But why does he look so nervous this time?'' Justin thought.


    "She''s my wife. Of course I care about her!" Edward said, staring at Justin angrily. He felt his son had be more difficult to deal with recently.


    "Oh! Okay. You just rx here, Daddy. I go upstairs." Justin said with a sly smile. He didn''t want to waste his precious time on hearing his daddy''s rants.


    "Wait. One more question," Edward stopped Justin who was already at the foot of the stairs. He couldn''t be alone there! Edward felt that he needed someone to be with right now.


    "What is it? Come on. I can tell you all," Justin said, sitting on the couch next to Edward. He was just a little kid, but he behaved like an arrogant king.


    "If I tell you your mommy is having a baby, do you want it to be a sister or a brother?" Edward said expectantly, his eyes shining with curiosity.


    "I never do baseless assumptions. But if mommy is having a baby, I hope it''s a sister. It will be okay too if it''s a brother. In that case, I wouldn''t be too tired when I take over the FX International Group," Justin said. He would have definitely said he wanted a sister if he was asked years before. But he didn''t want sister so much ever since Joyce showed up.???????????????

 Chapter 1761 Looking For An Ally (Part One)

    "You''re so cunning!" Edward eximed. It seemed that his n to look for an ally was not very smooth.


    "As the saying goes, like father, like son. You must be very proud to have a son like me," said Justin with a proud smile. He was now standing 150 cm tall. His face had well-defined angles that highlighted his best features, his forehead, cheeks, and jawline. "You may leave now." Edward rolled his eyes at the boy and gave up the attempt to make Justin his ally.


    "No, I''m not leaving. You must tell me why you asked me that question," Justin said while looking at Edward. His father had already stirred his curiosity, thus, he decided not to leave without knowing the truth.


    "Well, the reason is simple. Your mommy might be pregnant." Edward didn''t n to keep it a secret, so he told Justin honestly.


    "Really? Wow, I''ll have a sister or a brother." Thrilled about the news, Justin couldn''t help but jump in excitement.


    "Why are you so excited?" Honestly, Edward could have done the same as Justin upon hearing the news earlier. However, Daisy''s reaction frustrated him as she seemed very unhappy about it.


    "Why? Aren''t you happy about it?" asked Justin in confusion.


    "Your mommy seemed very angry this morning." Edward sighed with obvious resignation. He was so used to talking with Justin like he was already an adult. Justin was much more clever than kids of his age after all.


    "Daddy, did you do something behind mommy''s back?" Justin''s jaw dropped. He knew that his father would get in trouble if his mother got angry with him.


    "I didn''t! I told her before that I want to have another baby with her." Edward felt that he was wronged. He had been telling her about this for several months now but she hadn''t given much thought to it. Now she believed that he had done something without informing her. "But she didn''t say yes back then, did she? Daddy, you''re screwed!" Justin chuckled at Edward''s uneasiness. He could just guess how Daisy would deal with his father this time.


    "Come on. Help me figure out a way to make her happy." The reason why Edward chose to tell everything to his son was that he wanted Justin to help him find a way to cool Daisy''s head down. However, he really didn''t expect his son''s sarcastic remark just about everything.


    "Well, to be honest, I am willing to help. It is just that I can''t. Have you tried praying to God? Maybe you should try that and pray for mommy to forgive you," Justin said with a shrug and went upstairs, leaving Edward alone.


    A huge sigh escaped Edward''s chest as he watched Justin''s retreating figure. He never spoke again, rather, he just silently walked upstairs and got to the bathroom for a quick bath. He had no appetite for supper at all.


    Meanwhile, Daisy was engaged in military exercise. As amander, she didn''t need to participate in thebat. What she needed to do was just to issue orders to the soldiers. Amander was an important part of a battle; it was their capability that usually caused a troop to win.


    Although it was just a military exercise, everyone devoted themselves to it because no one wanted to lose. The soldiers were divided into two parties, the Blue Army and the Red Army.


    "Senior Colonel Ouyang, who do you think will win the battle, the Blue Army or the Red Army?" Mark asked while waiting for Daisy''s answer. He was always with her since he was her guard.


    "It''s hard to tell right now." Daisy put her telescope down. She was in a low spirit as she was still angry with Edward.


    "By the way, I didn''t see Major General Gu in the Operational Zone," said Mark. He actually believed that what he said was an important piece of news.


    "What? He''s not in the Operational Zone?" Daisy raised her telescope again and began to look for Kevin in the battleground.


    "No, he isn''t. I just came back from their ce." Mark had almost been caught by Lee. However, he was lucky enough to escape.


    "It seems that someone is cheating." Daisy curled her lips as excitement filled her face.


    "Senior Colonel Ouyang, do you mean that Major General Gu is fighting on the battlefield instead of issuing orders?" Mark was clever enough to get Daisy''s point.


    "Yep. Mark, fetch me mybat suit," demanded Daisy as she decided to y the game with Kevin.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "What? You must be kidding me? Who will issue the orders then?" Mark cried in disbelief.


    "There are still othermanders here." Daisy decided to take this opportunity to vent her frustration.


    "But are you sure that Major General Gu is in the battlefield?" Mark didn''t believe that she had spotted Kevin in such a short time.


    "I''m not sure but I''ll search for him." Daisy made several orders to a nearby officer and then shed a cunning smile.


    Mark furrowed his brows. He didn''t know what trouble Daisy''s presence on the battlefield would cause.


    As Daisy expected, Kevin did sneak into the battleground secretly. He wanted tounch an unexpected strike. However, little did he know that Mark had already told Daisy about his whereabouts and Daisy was clever enough to strike back. It was a splendid battle and who would win the game was still unknown.


    Brian''s presence marked the beginning of Edward''s headache. Edward believed that Brian himself was a sign of bad omen. Problems usually came around whenever Brian was present.


    "When did youe back?" Edward asked as he put the documents he was reading aside. He then leaned against his swivel chair as he looked at the man.


    "Where''s Daisy? I''ve been calling her but her phone is switched off." On the other hand, Brian didn''t like Edward either. He wouldn''t evene to the FX International Group to talk to this man if it weren''t for Daisy.


    "Military exercise," Edward answered briefly. Brian looked much more handsome than he used to be several years ago. He was maturer and more reserved. Edward guessed that many girls would fall for him.


    "Why does it seem like you have grudges against me?" Brian had nned to leave after he was informed of Daisy''s whereabouts. However, Edward''s long face made him upset. Thus, he decided to sit down before Edward and stay. ''Since you don''t want to see me, I''ll stay here longer to irritate you,'' he thought.


    "What? You are overreacting," said Edward innocently. He might not like Brian, nevertheless, he would not admit that fact in front of the guy at all.


    "Your expression already sold you out." Brian let out a sarcastic chuckle and looked at Edward in the eyes. "By the way, when will Daisye back?" He had beening back and forth abroad recently. His father had been suffering from poor health and he had to help him manage Ouyang Foreign Trade.


    "How am I supposed to know that?" retorted Edward. Brian''s question reminded him that Daisy was still angry at him, thus, he felt annoyed.


    "She''s your wife, isn''t she? If you don''t know, then who else would know?" Brian finally understood why Edward was in a bad mood. He might have had a row with Daisy.


    "I''m a generous husband. I would not meddle with my wife''s personal affairs," Edward snapped back as he couldn''t help but be angry at what his brother-inw said.


    "It''s not that you wouldn''t meddle with her affairs. It''s that she wouldn''t allow you to do that. Am I right?" Brian gave Edward a scornful smile. He was always mean to Edward and that was why Edward disliked him.


    "You may leave now. I still have work to finish," said Edward through gritted teeth.


    "Hey! Since I''m already here, why don''t you invite me to dinner?" Brian pretended to not see his angry face and looked at him with innocent eyes.


    "Do you have no money? Why do I have to buy you dinner?" However, Edward rolled his eyes at Brian. Couldn''t Brian understand that his presence alone was enough to kill his appetite?


    "Come on! You are my brother-inw. Do you want me to speak ill of you before Daisy?" Brian cast a challenging look at the man who was now raising his eyebrows at him. They were suddenly engaged into a staring war until Edward finally gave in.00000000000

 Chapter 1762 Looking For An Ally (Part Two)

    "Fine! You win!" Edward said. He then picked his phone up as he decided to call someone else to have dinner with them together. He really didn''t want to face Brian alone. He needed people to be around them just to make sure that he wouldn''t be able to do anything bad to himter. He needed some referee.


    Seeing Edward make phone calls, Brian shrugged and didn''t stop him. The more the merrier after all. Moreover, it wasn''t him who would pay for the meal.


    "Hi, Edward! Why are you calling?" Rain''s voice came from the other end of the line. He had been really busy recently. He was worried about Edward''s calls as thetter would always assign tasks to him.


    "Do you want to have dinner with me? I refuse to ept no as an answer." Edward was always bossy before Rain, and Rain was already used to it.


    "Why did you even ask for my opinion if you''re not epting ''no''?" Rain rolled his eyes and dropped his pen on the table. He still had to eat anyway regardless of how busy he was.


    "Hurry up! I''ll see you in Westin." After saying that, Edward hung the phone up. He had been nning to talk to Rain for the past few days. Having him eat dinner with him was like killing two birds with one stone.


    On the other hand, Rain sighed defeatedly upon hearing the call ended. ''He''s my boss. What else can I do?'' he thought helplessly before grabbing his coat and car keys.


    "Why are you still sitting here? Come with me." Edward grabbed his car keys and walked out of his office.


    "I''m so d to see your long face. Haha!" provoked Brian. He was intentionally making Edward angry as he knew that Edward wouldn''t dare to take revenge. He had Daisy in his side, thus, he was not afraid of Edward at all.


    "It sounds like you are simply not in your right mind." Edward tried his best to suppress his anger. He kept telling himself, ''Calm down, Edward. You must not lose your temper. Otherwise, Daisy will get angrier.'' He could still remember how Daisy looked while telling him of what she would do in case someone bullied her brother.


    "How can you say those hurtful words to me? I''ll tell Daisy about it." Brian pretended to be hurt by Edward''s words.


    "Don''t try to anger me, man. I won''t buy it." As a reaction, Edward cast a burning nce at Brian before he opened his car door.


    "Oh, no. That''s not funny." A cunning smile spread across Brian''s face as he opened the door for the passenger seat.


    "Just shut your mouth," said Edward as he got into the driver''s seat and ignored his brother-inw.


    That made Brian chuckle as he joined him inside the car.


    "Where''s your car?" It was toote for Edward to realize what just happened. He turned to Brian in surprise as he thought that Brian would drive there by himself.


    "I don''t feel like driving," lied Brian smoothly. He would never admit the fact that he was not that familiar with the streets of S City at all. He didn''t want to lose his way so he chose to ride Edward''s car.


    Edward opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it back just before he regretted things. ''I really hope he can shut his mouth on the way,'' he thought to himself.


    After a few minutes, they finally reached the restaurant. Rain was already there when they stepped in. Surprised, Rain ended up looking back and forth between Edward and Brian when they approached. ''Ah, no wonder Edward asked me to have dinner with him, ''he thought.


    "Hi, Brian! When did youe back?" Rain greeted Brian. Although he was not familiar with Brian, he had seen him a couple of times.


    "I camest night. I went to Edward as soon as I got back here. He was so ungrateful about it though. It seems like he doesn''t want to see me at all." While speaking, Brian cast a challenging nce at Edward. He was eager to know his response.


    "Really? Edward, I don''t think you''re right. Brian has been abroad for a long time. How could you be so cold to him? You should be a weing host." Rain would not miss this chance to fight shoulder-to-shoulder with Brian against theirmon enemy, Edward the Tyrant!


    "Are you here for dinner or stirring up trouble for me?" Edward cast a freezing nce at Rain. How could this guy betray him? He didn''t ask Rain to join him here to be his enemy! Shouldn''t Rain be taking his side?


    "Uh. I''m here for dinner." Shrugging his shoulders, Rain decided not to provoke Edward again. He wasn''t considering Brian as a strong back-up after all. Who knew how he would end up with if he pushed Edward''s button more?


    "Then shut up and order your dishes." Edward threw two menus before Brian and Rain.


    "Okay, okay. I''ll zip my mouth." Rain stole a nce at Edward and wondered why he was in a bad mood today.


    "I have a case at hand and I think it fits your CY Technology perfectly. I''ll ask Anna to fax you the detailster. If you''re interested, just let me know." CY Technology hade through the worst and was developing slowly. Edward believed that Rain had to seize this opportunity to make a breakthrough.


    "Oh, thank you, Edward. There''s no need to bother Anna though. I''lle back with you after we finish eating." Rain really appreciated Edward''s kind offer.


    "Sounds good." Edward shed a cunning smile. He had something else to do in the afternoon. When Rain arrived at FX International Group, he would ask him to finish his remaining work so that he could leave thepany.


    "You look weird, Edward. What are you plotting?" Uncontrolled shivers crawled Rain''s arm when he noticed Edward''s smile. ''This doesn''t look good, ''he thought.


    "Don''t be ridiculous." Edward stole a nce at Brian and wondered if he could make Brian his ally. There would be a bigger chance for Daisy to forgive him if he could get Brian on his side.


    "Don''t look at me like that, Edward. Just say it." Brian noticed Edward''s creepy stare and wondered why Edward was so strange today.


    "Brian, do you think Daisy is a good sister?" inquired Edward all of the sudden. He decided to fawn on Brian so that he could put in a good word for him before Daisy. He was thinking, ''Men should be able and flexible.'' "Yes. Of course she is. And I''m also a good brother," said Brian proudly. He wondered what Edward was going to say and he could tell from his expression that he was plotting something.


    "Let me ask you this. Do you want a niece?" Edward asked. He looked really eager to know his reply. It would be really easy to make Brian his ally if he would agree.


    "Why are you asking?" Brian asked confusedly. His gut feeling was telling him that there was a trap for him.


    "Just tell me your answer!" said Edward with a deep frown. ''What a slow brat!'' he cursed in his mind.


    "Edward, are you saying that you want to have another kid with Daisy?" It was Rain who immediately got Edward''s point. He had been working with Edward for so many years, thus, he knew Edward well enough. "That''s impossible! Daisy would by no means say yes." Brian turned him down without any hesitation.


    "You do know her well." Frustratedly, Edward looked at Brian in dismay as his n failed.


    "Of course! She''s my sister!" Brian cast a scornful nce at Edward. It was not even long ago that Daisy called him to say that she had been really busy recently. He was pretty sure that Daisy would not consider having another baby in this period. "I know she''s your sister. No one is denying that!" Edward snapped back. ''She''s your sister. So what? She''s my wife!'' he thought.


    "Well, Rain, you know what. Someone is so jealous here that he would cut in whenever I have a talk with Daisy." Brian rolled his eyes at Edward. He was getting curious about how Edward would look once his temper burst.


    Rain was clever though and chose to remain quiet. He just pretended that he was not here. He got no ns of involving himself with whatever fight these two got.


    "Rain, I heard the new dishes here are pretty good. Why not give them a try?" Edward turned to ask Rain as if he didn''t hear what Brian had said.N?velDrama.Org: text ? owner.


    "Oh, okay." Secretly, Rain was crying. ''Why do you have to drag me in. I''m really not interested in your fight. God, please save me.''


    Meanwhile, Brian curled his lips and said no more.


    Edward didn''t enjoy this meal at all. His n to make Brian his ally failed and he was mad at Brian because of his attitude.


    On the contrary, Rain and Brian had a good meal. As the saying goes, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." They ate and talked to each other happily. It was such a good bonding moment for two people who shared the same nemesis.00000

 Chapter 1763 You Asked For It (Part One)

    problem, while the guy who called him was nowhere to be seen.


    If Rain had been told what a mammoth task awaited him at the FX International Group, he wouldn''t have volunteered to go to thepany for the document. But there was no way anyone could predict the future. Rain had no other choice but to stay and deal with the "Dear little Aaron, I heard that Anna just had a baby. That''s good news! Congrattions!" Rain teased Aaron for fun and to while away the time. Finding someone to make fun of helped relieve the boredom of having to deal with loads of files.


    "Thanks. I am still waiting for your gift. I hope it''s a fancy one." Aaron was too excited at having be a father, that he didn''t notice Rain was teasing him by calling him ''dear little Aaron''.


    "Humph! You only care about a gift!" Rain pouted. He wondered when Aaron became obsessed with money and gifts.


    "I have no other choice! I have a family to raise," Aaron teased, shrugging. It was easy to tell he was really happy now.


    "Stop showing off! I also have a wife and kids to raise, you know." Besides, Rain had two kids.


    "I am nothing like you. Your kids have already been raised somewhat when you met them. But my girl is still a baby, and it will cost me a fortune to raise her." Aaron just blurted it out to argue with Rain, not intending to remind him of the fact that he had been absent during much of his children''s lives. He didn''t notice there was something wrong with what he had just said, until he noticed Rain''s face fell.


    "Well, I didn''t mean to hurt you. It just came out." "I am screwed, it really hurt him, ''Aaron thought to himself.


    "It''s okay. I am going to work on these files." Rain walked away in frustration. It was the biggest regret in his life that he missed most of his kids'' childhood. And it hurt every time someone reminded him of how bad a father he was.


    As Rain began to deal with the files, his phone rang and he left in a rush after answering it.


    Rain thought he was done with the Ke family, but deep down, he didn''t expect he could totally cut all ties to them. So he left after Lawrence called him.


    "Mr. Xia." Lawrence rushed to Rain as he arrived.


    "What happened? Why did he ck out?" Rain frowned as the whole house was filled with the smell of disinfectant water.


    "Well. Cyrus and Vance said something awful to enrage him," Lawrence sighed. Mr. Ke was not a happy man, despite his great wealth.


    "What did they say?" Even though Rain didn''t want to admit it, Sanford was his father, and Rain still felt a small pang of emotion upon hearing that he was not well.


    "They found out that Mr. Ke still owned a mansion, so they forced him to take out the property certificate and sell it." In past days, something like this would never have happened, ''Lawrence thought to himself.


    "Well, you see. That''s what his dearest sons do." Rain gave a brittleugh, unsure of how he felt. Torn between smug satisfaction and sadness?


    "Mr. Xia, I think you misunderstood him all these years. He left you and your mother only to protect you. Otherwise, Mrs. Ke wouldn''t have gone easy on you. You know how crazy a jealous woman can be. She wouldn''t stop until she saw your corpse. Mr. Ke assured her that he would never get in touch with you and your mother again, so that Mrs. Ke let you and your mother go." Lawrence wouldn''t have mentioned their history again, if the situation hadn''t deteriorated so far.


    "Are you trying to tell me what a great father he was? If he was, he wouldn''t have been threatened by a woman and he would have dealt with it himself, in his own way." He did do wrong to Rain and his mother, and there was no way someone could exin it away. "Mr. Xia, the situation wasplicated. You and your mother was not the only factor affecting his decision. He was also responsible for the whole Ke family. He had no other choice but to choose his family over you and your mother." Lawrence could empathize with how much what Sanford did hurt Rain. But Sanford wouldn''t have done it if he had any other choice.


    "I see what you mean. My mother and I was the side he didn''t favor, so, all in all, he just couldn''t give up his fancy life." Rain couldn''t control his feelings and his voice sounded sharper than he intended. Whatever Sanford''s reasons were before, it was now toote to confess his regret, now that he was in need of his abandoned son.


    "Well..." Lawrence was at a loss for words. Even though he had served Sanford for many years, he still couldn''t figure out what Sanford was thinking sometimes.


    "All right. I don''t want to talk about it any more. How is he now?" Rain rubbed his forehead as he felt a headache threatening.


    "He hase around. The doctor is busy giving him a whole medical examination. I was afraid matters would worsen into a real emergency, so I called you." Even though Rain and Sanford were not close, at least he was better than Cyrus and Vance. So he was the only person Lawrence could think of to ask for help.


    "Since he''s okay now, I think I''ll go." Rain was not interested in speaking with Sanford, and knowing that he seemed to be out of any immediate danger, he decided to leave.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Mr. Rain, could you wait for the doctor to finish and at least speak to him?" Lawrence begged, really wanting Rain to stay.


    "No. I have somewhere to be. I can''t stay!" Rain said as he turned around to leave. His so-called father was not his responsibility, and having rushed over to find out he was okay, was enough on his part.


    Rain was wrapped in bitter memories and a darkened mood as he walked from Sanford''s home. At the gate he paused before getting into his car. Prior to the call, Rain had assumed that he was done with Sanford, but hising here to check on the man proved him wrong in this. Sanford was his biological father, and he could not continue ignoring him.


    Rain looked at his watch and realized it was time for him to pick up his children. So he hurried through traffic, not wanting to bete. Annie was at a photo shoot today, so she would only return home muchter.


    As Annie moved to his ce, they had to transfer the two kids to another kindergarten. This time she and her kids were going to stay in S City forever, so they chose a well-known school to offer them a better education.


    "Daddy, why is it that you are picking us up today?" Joyce flew into her father''s arms like a little butterfly as soon as she saw him at the gate.


    "Well, don''t you want to be picked up by me?" Rain reached out to take her bag and led her by the hand along the concrete path, instead of picking her up.


    "No! I love to be picked up by you, daddy." Because then, she could show off her very attractive father to her ssmates.


    "Where is your brother? Is he still in ss?" Rain looked around for his son, but the little guy was nowhere to be seen.


    "He was surrounded by girls. They wanted to offer him some snacks to impress him," Joyce pouted. At the previous kindergarten she was the popr one, followed by all her ssmates, but the situation had changed at the new school. Huey, due to his mysterious brooding face, became the most popr kid in school. That was typical of human beings - they always chased the unattainable, what was out of their league.


    "Really? Is he that popr?" Rain stared at Joyce in amazement. He couldn''t believe his son already had so many followers at this young age.


    "Who knows," the little girl pouted some more. Even though she was jealous of his brother''s poprity, Joyce was still d to see her brother was this popr. After all, he shared all the snacks he received with her.


    "Is our little princess jealous of him?" Rain picked her up and kissed her on one of her cheeks. Joyce was so adorable when she became angry at being teased.


    "No, I am not! I have many boys chasing after me." Even though she kept exining she was not jealous, Joyce defended herself with a cutting acidity in her voice. Rain couldn''t help chuckling as his little princess didn''t realize how cute she was.000000

 Chapter 1764 You Asked For It (Part Two)

    need for him to wave, but he was afraid his son would not see him.


    "Oh! Do you? That must be true. How could our beautiful little princess not have any followers?" Rain waved at Huey toe to him, as the popr kid emerged surrounded by girls. Actually, Rain was tall enough to easily be spotted among the crowd and there was no "Daddy." Huey smiled seeing his father. He didn''t appear as excited as his sister was. Huey had resumed his old habitual behavior of being cold and aloof, as always.


    "Okay. Let''s go!" Rain held his hand and waved at the other kids who had begun noticing his celebrity presence. It was a natural move, but it was enough to show off Rain''s attractiveness and impress them. The kids'' mothers began toin why such a charming man was not their partner.


    "Daddy, could we visit Aunt Leena''s home tomorrow? It''s Saturday tomorrow." Huey asked him carefully after they got into the car.


    "Why do you want to visit her home?" Rain asked, amused, buckling his kids into their child seats.


    "Because Richard is there!" Huey stole a nce at his father and hoped Rain wouldn''t see through his scheme.


    "Oh? So Richard is the reason you want to go to Leena''s, not her delicious home-made snacks, right?" Rain slid behind the wheel with a sly smile, turned to check his kids'' seats onest time, and then he turned the key in the ignition.


    "Well, that''s part of the reason," Huey smiled in embarrassment. Rain certainly read his mind.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Huey is a foodie, right?" Joyce grinned, seeing her brother was awkward.


    "You are a foodie!" Huey gave his sister a stern look. Joyce was definitely a foodie, as all the snacks from Huey''s followers died in Joyce''s mouth.


    At this moment, Rain had no other choice but to remain silent. He didn''t want to show favoritism to either, so he waited for them to sort it out themselves.


    While the three of them were on their way home, Annie phoned Rain unexpectedly, saying that she got a t tire for no reason. She asked Rain toe pick her up.


    Annie had endured a long day. First, her water was drugged with something, and then Eleanor picked at her all day. But none of that really fazed her. However Annie really blew her top when she ended up with a t tire, just as she was about to go home. She had no other choice but to phone Rain for help. While waiting for her life saver, Eleanor approached her again, evidently not done with her ruthless campaign against Annie.


    "Annie, have you changed your tire? How about I give you a ride?" Eleanor smirked at Annie, taking a dark pleasure at her difort.


    "No, thanks!" The weasel goes to pay his respects to the hen, not with the best of intentions. Eleanor was certainly not kind enough to be concerned about her.


    "What? Why? Do you frown at my car, because mine isn''t as fancy as yours?" Eleanor sneered. She looked at Annie''s luxury car with both contempt and envy. ''Why does she have to drive such a luxury car? Does she want to show off how rich she is? Why must she steal all the limelight? Why does she have to be popr and liked by everyone who meets her?'' Eleanor thought to herself.


    "No, it''s not what you think Miss Xiao. I called my husband to pick me up. Thank you for your kind offer," Annie exined in a low voice. She stared at her t tire and wondered why it had sustained a puncture, it had been fine that morning.


    "Your husband? That''s funny. Annie, are you showing off to me how happy you are with your husband?" Eleanor red at Annie, gnashing her teeth.


    "Suit yourself. You can believe what you like." Annie didn''t want to tolerate her sarcasm any more. She was by no means a push-over and was already irritated enough, finding herself with a t tire after a long day. Annie couldn''t hold back her rage this time, as Eleanor came to irritate her yet again.


    "Believe what I like? What do you know?" Eleanor had fallen low these days, as she did not get many acting jobs. She was excited at the opportunity to improve her standing by shooting an advertisement, but she didn''t expect that she had to work with Annie, the one she hated so much. All of this added to Eleanor''s fury. Enraged she gave Annie''s wheel a puncture and waited to see how poorly she would react. But it surprised Eleanor to see her plot fail as Annie had asked Rain to pick her up.


    "Miss Xiao, why do you have to treat me like this? We just had to work together today. There is no need to find fault with me." Annie thought she was done with Eleanor after working with herst time. But the advertising circle was so small that they met yet again. There was no way Annie could avoid her, it seemed.


    "Look at who started all of this!" Eleanor wouldn''t seek fault with Annie, if Annie wasn''t better than her in all aspects.


    "For what happened today, I don''t think I started it." Annie checked the time again. Rain should arrive soon as half an hour had passed.


    "I bet you believe that. You are so cocksure." Eleanor hated Annie as her smiles reminded Eleanor of the happiness that she now enjoyed, a happiness that she stole from Eleanor. The joy of having Rain should have been hers, but now Annie unted it.


    Annie rolled her eyes not wanting to deal with the crazy Eleanor any more. She unlocked her car and decided to wait for Rain in her car. Behind theyers of Plexis, she could ignore Eleanor''s nonsense.


    "Are you afraid to face me? Because I am right, and on to something." Eleanor taunted Annie again, not nning to let her off. As Annie tried to enter the vehicle, Eleanor strode towards her purposefully.


    "I don''t want to talk to you any more." Annie didn''t bother to hide her dislike of Eleanor any more and gave her a stern warning look.


    "Look at you! How ill-educated you are! I guess your parents aren''t decent people." Eleanor growled with clenched fists, she wanted to punch Annie right in her face. She wanted to teach Annie a lesson, by telling her that she was from a low ss family. "Eleanor, you are going too far now! This is just between us. Don''t involve my parents." Annie didn''t get into her car and stood her ground, ring at Eleanor. She didn''t know why Eleanor kept picking at her.


    "I just said what I am thinking! You know what? You are such amon bitch." Eleanor used cutting remarks to wound Annie, and the more she talked the angrier she became, like a rabid dog.


    "I''m a bitch? I am going to show you what a bitch would do!" Annie suddenly pped Eleanor across her face before she could continue her abuse. Eleanor was way out of line and Annie wasn''t going to just stand there any more!


    "You...you pped me!" Eleanor touched her hot face in shock. Annie was always kind and looked like a softy. Her fury took Eleanor by surprise.


    "You asked for it. It isn''t my fault." Annie shook her hand, which was bruised in the attack. It was the first time she pped someone, and she began to regret it instantly as she salvaged someposure.


    "What? I am going to tear you apart, bitch!" Eleanor grabbed Annie''s hair as she lost her mind in a blind rage.


    It was the first time that Annie was involved in a fight, and she waspletely at a loss for action in the moment. Eleanor attacked her viciously with nails, pushing and shoving her up against the car. Fortunately, Rain arrived just in time and saw what was happening. He rushed from his car immediately and ran to the two of them.


    "Stop it! What are you doing?" Rain roared above Eleanor''s screaming, his face livid. He was shocked by the unexpected scene that greeted him. Rain quickly dragged Eleanor away from Annie.


    "Mr. Xia, I..." Eleanor stammered, still holding her hand to cover her now swollen face, evidence of Annie''s hard p.


    "Annie, are you okay?" Rain ignored Eleanor, his only care was for Annie, and if she was okay. Gently he helped Annie to fix her hair and checked if she was hurt.


    "I am okay," Annie answered, biting her lip. She was embarrassed that Rain found her fighting with someone, she had been raised better than this. Annie was flushed and afraid to look into his concerned eyes.


    "Tell me what''s going on." Rain red fiercely at Eleanor as he spoke. He couldn''t believe that this crazy woman was messing with his wife again. It seemed that he wasn''t up to date with what happened inside FXtely. Otherwise he would never have allowed his wife to work with Eleanor again.


    "I... She attacked me first!" Eleanor''s voice trembled, on the verge of tears. Rain was as cold as Mr. Mu, they both cared nothing for women that they were not involved with.


    "But I''m guessing that you messed with her first." Rain knew Annie as someone who didn''t like rocking the boat in any way. She always ignored other people''s unkindness as much as she could and never fought back, unless they went too far. That she struck Eleanor proved one thing: that the crazy woman had gone too far, and was way out of line.00000

 Chapter 1765 At Odds (Part One)

    Eleanor bit her lips, not knowing how to defend herself. She knew that she was in the wrong in this matter.


    "Rain, don''t be angry. I am also partly to me. Miss Xiao kindly invited me to ride her car at first. I must have said something wrong that offended her, thus, we got here." Annie pulled Rain''s sleeve to prevent him from making further actions. She looked embarrassed with her facepletely turning red. However, her natural charisma didn''t waver and she remained as beautiful as always. "Really?" Rain asked, unconvinced. He knew Annie like the back of his hand. She was a mild person and would not offend others simply because of a word or two.


    "Huh! Don''t you believe me?" Annie frowned as she felt her scalp tingle a bit. She just realized how much Eleanor hated her. She could just imagine how much force Eleanor exerted when she pulled her hair. Nevertheless, Annie didn''t want Rain to know that she was hurt. Thus, she just pretended that nothing happened.


    Eleanor shot Annie a confused stare. She had thought that Annie would take the chance to nder before Rain. It surprised her that Annie didn''t make a big deal of the whole chaos. It weirded her out that the woman even med herself for what she did.


    "I believe you, okay? It''s just that I don''t trust the other person here," Rain said as he cast a sharp nce at Eleanor. She should feel lucky that she was a woman, otherwise, he would definitely give her ck eyes upon seeing her bullying his wife like that. "Miss Xiao, you''d better leave now," Annie reminded the actress. She feared that Rain might lose his temper and beat her in public. That would be really barbaric.


    "Okay." Eleanor suddenly became submissive. She hurriedly got into her car without saying a word and drove away in full speed. She wouldn''t forget how Rain looked while staring at her moments ago. He looked like he was about to grab her and m her on her car''s hood. "She was tugging your hair! Why were you so dumb to let her hurt you?" Rain snapped and stared at her as soon as Eleanor disappeared. After a second, his expression softened as he touched her head tenderly. "Are you hurt?"


    "Yes, a little. Sorry for embarrassing you." Annie lowered her head because of guilt. She had never expected for a superstar like Eleanor to lose herself ande out that rude.


    "You did not embarrass me. Rather, you should be embarrassed yourself. You are so weak that you couldn''t even fight back when she pressed your head down. You must do more exercise from tomorrow." Rain felt an urge to pluck all of Eleanor''s hair upon remembering the scene that weed him when he came. He swore, he could have killed Eleanor if only Annie didn''t stop him.


    "Didn''t you see? Her face was swollen. I pped her first." Annie thought that Rain was a merciless man. She was pretty satisfied with how hard she had pped the actress'' face earlier. However, it seemed that what she did wasn''t enough.


    "She was the one who asked for it!" Rain knew just how hard Annie pped Eleanor and that was actually the reason that he decided to stop arguing with her. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have let her get away so easily.


    "Then what should we do now? Where are we going?" Annie was eager to turn the page and move on. Thus, she changed their subject.


    "Of course we''re going home! What else should we do now?" Rain''s mind was still lingering on the matter. Honestly he didn''t think that it was fine to just let Eleanor get away like that.


    "What about my car? I have a t tire," Annie said while ncing at her car anxiously.


    "Don''t worry. I will call the 4S Store. They will get a trailer to move it to their store." It was impossible for Rain to change the tire himself. He usually left all the car troubles to the 4S Store.


    "A trailer? Are you sure we need a trailer?" Flicking her tongue, Annie couldn''t believe how pampered Rain was as a rich man. It wasn''t that difficult to change a tire. Why would he even think of calling a trailer just to do it? "Yes, nothing is impossible." After a while, the personnel from the 4S Store came. Rain ordered them to send the car away with the trailer. Then he pulled the door of his car open and invited her into his car.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    "Have the kids arrived home safely?" Annie was always careful with their kids, especially when it was Rain''s turn to take care of them.


    "I already answered that question over the phone," said Rain in a bored tone. Sometimes, he couldn''t help but feel jealous of their children since Annie seemed to pay more attention to them than to him. "I''m their mother and I have to make sure that they''re safe." Annie stuck her tongue in embarrassment.


    Rain gave her a few nces. Little did she know how insecure he was as a man. He was aware of the many mistakes he had done in the past. Thus, he could understand why Annie was so worried about their kids. Edward assumed that Daisy would finish the military drill today. Thus, he directly went to the army base after visiting a client and fixing all his business endeavors. Rain could help him to handle the business, anyway. He wasn''t really the type of person who liked waiting for anyone. However, he would never get tired of waiting for Daisy since he loved her so much.


    Time ticked by fast. It was already a quarter past seven in the evening but he still hadn''t seen Daisy''s care out. Did he get here on the wrong date? Was it even possible for him to read his calendar wrong? Edward wondered.


    Meanwhile, Daisy was looking at Kevin apologetically. She was very sorry for his injury. She didn''t really mean to hurt him due to her carelessness. Although the wound wasn''t that bad, Kevin would still need to endure the pain of it for the next few days. "This will make Leena really sad." Daisy couldn''t help but tease him after the military surgeon bandaged up his wound.


    "Don''t worry. She is very busy with Richard right now. She won''t notice this wound at all. Moreover, this is nothing serious," replied Kevin in a jealous tone. Daisy could sense that Leena''s attention had shifted from Kevin to the child and that made Kevin somewhat unhappy.


    "How could it be possible? You''re everything to Leena. How could she not care about you and miss such an important thing?" Daisy asked curiously. It was spring now and they were all just wearing shirts and trousers. Although Kevin could cover the wound with his clothes, it was still possible that Leena would sense the subtle changes in him.0000

 Chapter 1766 At Odds (Part Two)

    "Did she tell you that I''m everything to her?" Kevin''s eyes lit up upon hearing Daisy. Her words just rekindled his hope.


    "Did she have to say it? Everyone could see that she cares so much about you," Daisy snapped and stared at him. Why did men have the tendency to think too much? It was said that women had the tendency to have cranky thoughts. However, most of the men Daisy knew turned the tide. They were always the ones with strange thoughts.


    "Fine, Major General Gu. Be careful with the wound and keep it from getting wet. Moreover, don''t eat spicy foods." The military surgeon also prepared some medicines and gauze bandages for him.


    "Okay. I know, thank you!" Kevin rxed his elbow. His elbow was wrapped with the bandage too tight and he could barely move. He still felt a little pain whenever he tried to move his arm though. "Let''s go! I''ll drive you home," said Daisy. She was not in the mood the whole day. If it wasn''t for that, she wouldn''t have zoned out and scratched him by mistake.


    "No need. Lee is here. He can send me home. It''ste. You''d better go home now. Edward would be worried." Kevin had noticed the changes in Daisy in the past few days. She seemed to be unusual though she looked the same. He was a very keen observer, thus, nothing could escape his eyes. He clearly sensed that she had something on mind. However, he didn''t want to bug Daisy by asking about it.


    "Don''t mention him to me." Just the mention of Edward''s name annoyed Daisy. It was all because of him that she didn''t perform well in the military drill. Worse, she almost made a terrible mistake by hurting Kevin.


    "What happened? Did he make you angry?" Kevin raised his eyebrows. No wonder that she became really irritable these few days. She looked so grumpy the whole time that all the other soldiers had been avoiding her.


    "s! It''s a long story. I don''t want to talk about it now. Since you don''t need me to send you home, then I''ll take my leave first." Daisy pulled a long face. She was extremely down now.


    "Okay. Take care!" Kevin had to go back to his office to take some files. Thus, he just watched her as she walked towards the parking lot.


    Frankly, Daisy didn''t even want to go home. However, she also knew that escaping the problem couldn''t solve anything. It was only now that she finally mustered the courage to face her situation.


    On the other hand, Mark knew that Daisy was unhappy, so he tried his best not to offend her. He just fulfilled all his duties perfectly and avoided making any mistakes that could irritate her more.


    "Mark, drive slowly on the way back." Although Daisy knew that she had no choice but to deal with the problem, she still felt very unsure about what she needed to do. It was the reason why she wanted to dy her meeting with Edward.


    "Okay, Senior Colonel Ouyang." Mark nced at her through the rearview mirror. He was a little doubtful about what she said. However, since this was an order, he had no reason not to follow it.


    A few seconds of silence made its way inside Daisy''s car. They had already passed the army gate when Mark suddenly noticed Edward''s car. He turned his head to Daisy in shock, only to see that Daisy was already sleeping. Mark was suddenly directionless and didn''t even know if he should continue driving that slow or if it would be better for him to just stop. It was then that Edward opened the door of his car and got off. He stood in the way of Daisy''s car and forced her car to stop.


    "What happened?" Feeling that the car stopped, Daisy opened her eyes and asked confusedly.


    "Senior Colonel Ouyang, it''s Mr. Mu," Mark replied cautiously. He knew that no one could make Senior Colonel Ouyang unhappy except for Edward. Thus, he felt uneasy while waiting for her answer.


    "Ignore him. Continue to drive." Daisy leaned forward to take a look. She just didn''t want to face Edward right now. She wasn''t even sure if she would throw a temper at himter.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "Ah? Go on?" Mark was flustered. Of course, he couldn''t knock Edward down and drive over his body.


    "What? Don''t you understand what I said?" Daisy seldom put on airs but that didn''t mean she had no authority over his subordinate. Mark straightened his back and quickly estimated the distance from Edward. He then quickly steered the wheels and in the blink of an eye, their car passed over Edward so close that they really could have knocked him down!


    Edward never expected for that to happen. He was terribly shocked when the car almost got him and didn''t even slow down a bit. Daisy''s car was already far away when he finally regained his senses.


    "That''s good, Daisy. You provoked me!" Edward said while giving his car a kick. Then he jumped into his car and caught up with Daisy. He would allow Daisy to asionally throw her temper but he would never let her risk life. She made a really crazy stunt just now. There was a canal next to him earlier and had Mark missed that calction, her car could have turned over. Did she even think of that when she made that crazy decision?


    Seeing his young master angrily drove away, Luke followed him with concern. ''What are they doing? One is escaping and the other is chasing. Are they ying the officer-catch-the-thief game? But isn''t Daisy the officer? They must have exchanged the roles by mistake,'' thought Luke.


    "Senior Colonel, Mr. Mu is catching up. What should we do?" Mark asked worriedly. It was lucky that they were driving on the army base road and there were a few cars on the way. However, it would be too dangerous to keep on with the chase once they reached the main road leading to the downtown.


    "What? Is he crazy?" Daisy knitted her brows. She had qualms about ordering Mark to drive faster because she knew that Edward would also elerate to catch up. Things might get out of control if they would continue like this.


    Mark''s mouth twitched. He actually didn''t know what to say. It was a tough question and he didn''t think that he would make a good bet by answering yes or no. Therefore, he chose the best for the situation and shut his mouth up. Staying silent was the best solution to avoid drawing fire against himself.


    A sinister smile appeared on Edward''s face as he focused on the car ahead of him. He pressed the pedal to its limit and smiled even more. His eyes were deep and unfathomable. His stern look could intimidate anyone who wanted to screw around with him.0000000

 Chapter 1767 At Odds (Part Three)

    "Mark, pull the car over." Daisy sighed defeatedly. She finally caved in and admitted that she lost to the man she loved the most.


    "Okay, Senior Colonel." Mark slowed down and pulled the car over to the side of the road. He was very slow and cautious because he didn''t want to be bumped by the speedy car just right behind them. The moment their carpletely stopped, Daisy jumped off the car and leaned against the door. She looked at the crazy man with cold eyes as she wondered about what he was up to.


    On the other hand, a yful smile cracked Edward''s lips as he turned his car''s steering wheel. His tires made a screeching sound against the asphalt before his car stopped precisely behind hers. He quickly got off his car too. "Huh! Senior Colonel Ouyang, just keep running. Why you suddenly stopped? Edward''s eyes were burning in anger as he walked towards her. He was trying his best to look calm even though he was actually furious to the hilt.


    "If a crazy man is chasing after you in hot pursuit, will you still keep running?" Daisy was also enraged. She wondered if Edward even cared about how dangerous the situation was just now.


    "I have no choice. My wife ran away and I can''t sit by and just watch her leave," said Edward as he stood before her. Although he was angry, he still cast worried nces at her from head to toes to check if she was hurt during the military drill. "Mark, you may go back first." Daisy didn''t want to argue with Edward while Mark was there, so she asked his bodyguard to leave.


    "Okay, Senior Colonel." Much as Mark was worried about the two, military orders could not be vited. Thus, he followed Daisy''s order again without any resistance at all.


    Meanwhile, Edward folded his arms across his chest as he emotionlessly watched the two. He waved at Luke after Mark left to order him to leave too. He would like to see how Daisy would throw a tantrum at him.


    Luke was a little hesitant to leave but then he followed what he was ordered. With Daisy around Edward, he wouldn''t worry that his young master would be in any danger.


    "Do you want to die, Mr. Mu? Do you know how fast your car was just now?" Seeing that there was no one else around them, Daisy fired her questions at him.


    "Senior Colonel Ouyang, before chiding me, could you please think of how dangerous it was when your car passed me?" Seriously, Edward had been missing Daisy for so long. The only thing that he wanted to do right now was to embrace her in his arms. However, all his tender thoughts suddenly disappeared upon hearing her harsh usation.


    "We are specially trained soldiers and we know the limit. How could we really put anyone in danger? However, you were already flying with a speedy car. Whom did you want to present your driving skills to?" Despite having many issues with him, Daisy really missed his embrace and wanted to cuddle up against him after a few days of tiring training. How she wished to just do that instead of quarreling with him right now!


    "You''re worried about me, right?" Edward''s face instantly brightened up when he shed her a warm smile.


    "I''m only worried that I will be a widow," answered Daisy coldly. God knew how much she really wanted to p his smug smile off his face. She just felt that she couldn''t get out of his control no matter how hard she tried.


    "Senior Colonel Ouyang, stop struggling. Is it that difficult for you to just admit that you are worried about me?" Edward was a bit cooler now because he realized that asionally being at odds could actually be beneficial to their rtionship too.


    "Why should I admit something that is untrue?" Yes, it was true that she was worried about him, but she would never let him know. She thought that he would be more arrogant and cockier if he knew this.


    "Oh? Really?" Edward smiled casually. He suddenly blurted out in a loud voice, "Ah! I just sprained my waist when I yed golf yesterday. Howe it suddenly hurts so much?"


    "What? Did you sprain your waist? Have you been to Tom''s hospital?" Smart as Daisy was, she instantly became restless once Edward turned soft.


    "Not yet. I thought it would be okay after applying some ointment." Edward looked discreetly at her with the corner of his eyes. He began to feel delighted upon seeing the worry that spread on Daisy''s face.


    "Let me check if it hurt your muscles." Daisy didn''t even doubt his words. Just like how the saying went, ''Too much anxiety would make people more confused''. Daisy was too concerned with Edward that she lost her judgment and failed to see that he was only faking it. "Do you want to check me right here in the open air? Are you sure?" Edward scanned the ce with furrowed eyebrows. Although there were just a few cars passing by, he still thought that it was inappropriate for him to lift his shirt and show his body to the public. He was a gentleman.


    "Get into the car. Let me check there." Daisy hadpletely forgotten that she was mad at him. It was obvious that she didn''t really want to get angry at him at all. She was just temporarily upset.


    "Okay, be careful!" Edward chuckled and pulled the door open. As long as he could make her get into the car, all the other things could be solved easily.


    Daisy got into the car and sat down on the passenger seat. It was only then that she noticed that something was wrong. She saw Edward flexibly bent down when he followed her inside the car. She couldn''t believe that she was tricked! However, Edward acted fast upon seeing how her expression changed and quickly locked all the doors with a single click. There was nowhere for her to escape now. "Edward, you cunning man!" used Daisy angrily. She regretted being careless and falling into his trap.


    "Yes, I am cunning. Actually, I am also shameless." Edward didn''t mind her mad rebuttal. He had always been a maverick who did things his own way. He really didn''t care about manners or morals.


    What he said made Daisy pissed off again. It took all her willpower to suppress her urge to shoot him and stop his proud smile.


    "You don''t feel ashamed at all." In all honesty, Daisy couldn''t do anything to this brazen man anymore. Thus, she could only re at him as she imagined slicing him with her stare.Text content ? N?velDrama.Org.


    "There is nothing to be ashamed of when I''m with my wife. Why? Do you hate me?" Edward tried to lighten the atmosphere. He suddenly felt so pathetic. He had waited for her outside the army base for two hours and was not even weed properly after. Worse, he even had to put down his dignity and pride in order to make her happy.00000

 Chapter 1768 Daisy Changed Her Mind (Part One)

    "Yes, you''re exactly right. I have had enough of you. Hmph!" Daisy felt defeated as Edward knew her so well that he always found ways to soften her up. She just couldn''t stay mad at him.


    "I know how women think even better than you know. You''re saying yes but you mean no. I won''t take your words to heart." Edward smirked and smugly crossed his arms in front of him. He was confident that she really didn''t mean what she said, and it infuriated her. "That''s because you men like to hear those fake words," Daisy snapped back. She knew that she would always lose in their arguments, but admitting defeat so easily was thest thing on her mind.


    "I understand youpletely. Why not? It makes perfect sense. But here''s the thing. I''m not like most men; I''m the exception." Edward rubbed his chin after he said this, betraying no doubt in his face. Inwardly, he thought, ''I''m rich as hell, devilishly handsome and loyal to a fault to my wife. How can she evenpare me with other men?''


    "You are so shameless!" It was like Daisy heard his thoughts as she spat the words. She knew Edward was a narcissist, but it never ceased to stun her whenever he patted himself on the back.


    "But hey, I''m only shameless in front of you," Edward said as he smiled mischievously and looked at Daisy straight in her eyes.


    "Stop it!" Daisy immediately stopped him. She knew where this was headed. She knew how relentless and tireless he could be when it came to sex.


    "Alright, fine," Edward said as he raised his hands in mock surrender, his expression smug as ever. "But I have one more question. Are you still really mad at me?" As long as the answer was no, he would begin to persuade her for their baby''s eptance.


    "What do you think?" Daisy asked with one eyebrow raised. In truth, she was actually much calmer nowpared to moments ago.


    "How am I supposed to know? That''s why I''m asking you." Edward looked at his wife with his charming eyes and hopeful expression.


    "Ugh. Let''s go home first, please? I''m exhausted," Daisy eximed as she shut her eyes. Obviously she didn''t want to talk right now, with her feeling tired. She knew that whatever he was going to discuss with her, though she had a pretty good idea, she hadn''t made a decision yet.


    "Why don''t you get some shut-eye? I''ll wake you up when we arrive," Edward said as he observed his wife. He could tell from her weary eyes that she had a tough day. At that moment, he swore to himself that he would convince her to keep the baby no matter what happened.


    Daisy didn''t reply, but reclined the seat backwards and lied down. On one hand, she was exhausted. On the other hand, she needed time to think everything through.


    Edward bent to strap her in. Safety was always a priority, he thought. He then smoothed away a wisp of hair on her eyes and curled it behind her ear. He took one longst look at her, sighed deeply, and then started the engine.


    Edward drove slowly along the roads leading to their home. He had time to reflect on how hard it was for his wife. The streetlights and the fading shadows from pole to pole were his onlypany. Daisy was still sound asleep. She was both mentally and physically exhausted because of her pregnancy. Maybe she thought she could run away from reality even just for a moment in her dreams. But when she woke up, she still had a hard decision to make.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    His heart ached when he saw her weary, troubled face. They were parked already, but he didn''t wake her up. He just stared at her quietly.


    In thest couple of years, they had argued like all other normal couples, but they would easily make up immediately the next day. They loved each other and they knew the important things that made a marriage strong - responsibility and trust.


    He had originally thought his love towards Daisy would fade away as time went by. He had never been more wrong. He loved her even more after all these years. Maybe this was what they called true love. It might not be as intense or dramatic as it was in the movies, but simple and tempered against time.


    Unlike most women he knew, Daisy was strong and independent. He smiled at the thought. Although she could be childish at times, she was on her own most of the time. She raised their son alone for a few years, and he had not heard even a singleint. He couldn''t help but feel lucky and bend down to give her cheek a soft, little peck. She was like Sleeping Beauty -- his Sleeping Beauty.


    "Uh. Are we home?" She groggily rubbed at her eyes and blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to the light. She stifled a yawn. The setting sun shone mildly through the car window. The military exercise these days really tired her. On top of that, the pregnancy thing was heavy on her mind. "Yes, we are. Did you sleep well?" Edward stroked her hair gently as he asked, and looked at her lovingly.


    "No! You were there in my dreams, pestering me. Jesus, you are everywhere, huh?" Daisyined and cast him a reproachful look.


    "Really? You had a dream about me? I am so touched. You must love me so much." Even though he knew she was mocking him, he still felt incredibly happy as long as she dreamt about him.


    "I haven''t finished yet! I also beat you up." Daisyughed. Edward made a mocking face in response. She just rolled her eyes at him as she opened the car door and got out on the hard pavement.


    Edward couldn''t help but feel a cold chill creep down his spine. ''What a scary woman!'' he thought.


    It felt weird for the couple to arrive at home and not find Justin running out to wee them. The servant hastily went out and informed them that Justin''s grandparents had taken him to their old house to spend the weekend.


    Edward felt relief rush to his cheeks as he heard that. Now he had the space and time to convince his wife. The odds were with him.


    Edward was an aloof andmanding man in front of others, but a caring and considerate husband before Daisy. They went about eating a delicious supper in silence. When they were both finished, he asked her to take a warm bath first.


    All throughout dinner, Daisy kept thinking about her problem. She knew deep inside that running away from reality wouldn''t solve anything. She then went to take that warm bath. When she was satisfied, she went to their wardrobe, dressed in a frilly nightfown, went downstairs and sat beside her husband.0000????????

 Chapter 1769 Daisy Changed Her Mind (Part Two)

    "Well, anytime now," she said in a calm voice. She gave him a couple days to think things over and she believed he had made a decision already.


    "I will respect your choice. No matter what decision you''ve made, I''ll ept it. I won''t force you to do anything you don''t want to do," Edward said seriously, with an intense look in his eyes. He turned to her and just looked at her. The firece''s cackling and spitting were the only sounds during that moment. He didn''t have any right to force her to keep the baby. Hell, if she wanted to have an abortion, he couldn''t lift a finger.


    Daisy shifted ufortably under her husband''s intense gaze. "If I... choose to give up on the baby, will you think I''m a cruel woman?" Daisy knew how badly he wanted to have a daughter, but she just wasn''t ready yet. It was an extremely hard decision for her to make. "Yes. I will. It''s the ultimate culmination of our love," Edward admitted without hesitation albeit with a pained expression. Sure, they already had Justin. Although Edward loved him very much, he was still an ident. They weren''t in love back then. Edward hadn''t even known of Justin''s existence until the day Daisy brought him to Edward. This baby was different, and he really wanted to keep it.


    "But we already have Justin," Daisy said as she stared at him, careful not to miss a single change of expression on his face.


    "But this baby is different and you know it." It didn''t mean that he didn''t love Justin. On the contrary, he owed a lot of time to Justin. He hadn''t been at his side for at least a couple of years.


    "Okay, I guess I know your answer now. I have to think about it more," Daisy said as she nted both of her feet on the carpet and walked towards the balcony, leaving her husband on the couch, staring at the firece.


    Edward, at the time, was very worried about her and wondered if she agreed with his logic. Since it came from her mouth that she wanted to think it over more, he was sure she would consider every factor present. He really hoped she would eventually keep the baby. Countless battles raged in Daisy''s head as she looked out into the night. The air was chilly outside on the balcony. She thought that if she decided to keep her child, her career would be finished.


    She really had no idea how to turn Edward down when he looked at her imploringly just moments ago. She loved him so much that she would do everything for him. After a short while on the balcony, she went back inside the warm, cozy room and sat beside him again. "I promise I''ll keep the baby. But! I won''t give up my work during the pregnancy." Back then, when she was pregnant with Justin, she had still kept on working. So she saw no problem doing the same with this pregnancy.


    "Really? Oh, honey. I knew you wouldn''t let me down." Edward jumped to his feet and held his wife in his arms. He was so excited that he ignored everything else after hearing the first sentence.


    "But you''ve let me down," Daisy murmured in a soft voice and lowered her gaze.


    "I''m sorry. Was I too selfish?" he asked as he kissed her cheeks over and over again. He knew she didn''t want to keep the baby, but shepromised just for him.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    "Yes, you were. I know you want a daughter, but I''m putting my foot down. It won''t matter if it''s a boy or a girl, I will not have a third one." She punched his chest softly and teasingly. She thought to herself, ''It will be difficult for Justin to manage the FX International Group all by himself. I guess it wouldn''t hurt to give him a brother or a sister.''


    "I totally agree with you." As long as she promised to keep the baby, he swore to himself at that exact moment that he would do anything she asked him to do.


    "You were so mean to me awhile ago beside the road!" Daisy blurted out, her lips pouted like a child''s. She felt hurt at the thought of how he treated her awhile ago. At this moment, she wasn''t a strong military officer, but a vulnerable woman who needed to be consoled. "I''m so sorry, honey. It was all my fault. I shouldn''t have said those hurtful words to you." Edward picked her up andid her on the bed softly, the silk covers crumpling as their weight pressed on them. His lips slowly met hers.


    "Stop!" She pushed him away and shook her head in disapproval.


    "But.. but I missed you so much!" Edward stuttered like a hurt child. Determined not to give up, he started to nt kisses on her entire body. He knew where she liked it.


    "I missed you too, but still, no!" Having intercourse in the first trimester might cause seriousplications. Since it was Edward who insisted on having the baby, Daisy thought he should realize the sacrifices they would have to make. Otherwise, he would just take it for granted.


    "Why?" Edward asked in a hurt tone. He was frowning like a little boy who didn''t get what he wanted.


    "Because it''s not good for a baby." At that moment, a lightbulb appeared in Daisy''s mind. She could turn this thing around. If ever he made her angry, she could just turn him down with the excuse of harming the baby whenever he wanted to have sex. A fitting punishment, Daisy thought.


    "Damn it!" Edward rolled to the other half of the bed and stared nkly at the ornate ceiling. The thought of harming the baby through sex hadn''t crossed his mind. ''It seems as though I''ll be living a bachelor''s life in theing months,'' he thought.


    Daisy felt ted. She chuckled to herself after her brilliant n. But her happiness was short-lived. She knew what wasing in the next nine months. She had to juggle her pregnancy and her work, hardly an easy task.


    When Kevin opened the door to their house, it was already in the wee hours of the morning. Apparently, Leena didn''t know when the military exercise would end, so she just went to bed early with their son, Richard.000

 Chapter 1770 Daisy Changed Her Mind (Part Three)

    When Kevin stealthily went up the stairs and slowly opened the bedroom door, he turned on the night light and saw his beautiful wife and cute son sound asleep. Happiness flooded his chest, and he felt reinvigorated.


    He walked over to the bedside quietly, careful not to wake his family up. He skillfully dodged the various toys strewn about. When he reached the bedside, he kissed both Leena and Richard on the forehead. Richard didn''t wake from this, while Leena murmured something and turned, her eyes still closed. Kevin smiled at this and walked towards the bathroom. His arm was still injured, so he made sure not to get the affected area wet. So it took more time to shower than usual.


    After being satisfied, he washed away all the dirt and grime, turned the valve off and stepped out the shower to dry his hair. A smiling face weed him. Leena was standing by the door.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Did I wake you up?" Kevin stopped drying his hair immediately and skillfully put the towel on his arm in an attempt to cover the wound up. As the gauze and towel were both white, it was difficult to notice the gauze under the dim bathroom lights.


    "No, you didn''t actually. I''m just so thirsty, so I got up to drink water." Leena was still groggy, talking with her eyes still half open. She still had trouble adjusting to the light.


    "Alright, you stay put. I''ll get you a ss of water," he offered. He had originally thought she was still sound asleep, so he hadn''t brought his pajamas into the bathroom with him. He could only send her away with an excuse so that he could wear long pajamas to cover his wound.


    "Hey, it''s okay. I''ll go grab it myself. When did you get back? Have you eaten?" Leena slowly went back to normal. When she and Kevin were newlyweds, she would feel shy seeing his half-naked body. But now, she was already used to it.


    "I just arrived, actually and just took a bath. Also, I ate already." Kevin wanted to take his beautiful wife in his arms and just hug her real tight, but he wouldn''t dare move, for fear she would notice his wound instantly.


    "Go and get dressed already. You might catch a cold being all naked like that," Leena said with a frown. Although spring had arrived, the weather was still chilly.


    "Alright sure. Weren''t you going to grab a ss of water downstairs?" he asked in the most natural sounding way he could. He needed an excuse to put on his pajamas.


    "I''ll go get your pajamas first so you can get dressed." She turned around and walked towards the closet.


    ''Crap, what should I do?'' Kevin thought to himself. Inwardly panicking, he wanted to stop her, but it was toote. She was already walking towards him, dark blue pajamas in hand.


    "Nana, why don''t you fetch me a ss of water as well? I feel parched after that hot shower." Kevin tried another excuse, but this one was poorer than thest.


    "You want to drink water too? How about this? You get covered up first, and then we''ll go down together. All our racket could wake Richard up. I don''t want that." Leena didn''t seem to realize anything wrong.


    ''Oh, she''s so trustful of whatever I say. I shouldn''t keep this from her. God, but I really don''t want her to worry about me. Let''s see, what other excuse can I find?'' he thought to himself. Time was running out. They just stood on the door way to the bathroom. "What are you thinking about just standing there? Give me the towel so you can get dressed." Before Kevin could say anything, Leena snatched the towel. Her eyes widened in disbelief.


    "Nana, I.. can exin..." Kevin had not expected Leena to just grab his towel and yank it quickly. The gauze was in in sight before he could utter a word.


    "You got hurt." Her eyes were welling up and already red as she reached out to examine the wound.


    "Hey, it''s not a big deal, okay? I just got cut by a knife. I''ll be fine in a couple of days." He knew she would be upset when she saw it. This was exactly why he wanted to hide it from her.


    "How did you even get hurt? I thought it was just an exercise. Did you encounter bad guys?" Her voice trembled and broke. As a soldier, it was normal for him to get hurt in the line of duty whenever there was a mission. Despite that, she still couldn''t get used to it. "There were no bad guys. It was just an ident. Come on! You''re a mother already. Why are you still a crybaby?" Kevin said as he wiped her tears and pulled her into his arms gently. Her tears and quick breaths made his heart twist and ache.


    "Yes. So what if I''m a mother? Is there aw that says mothers aren''t allowed to cry?" Leena snapped back in between chokes.


    "Okay, alright. Sorry. You''re right. You can cry as much as you want. If anybody tries to stop you, I''ll punish him." Kevin joked in an attempt to lighten things up. If she got mad, he would be taking the brunt of it. God, women were so fickle, Kevin thought. He could never understand what Leena was thinking of.


    "Stop talking nonsense. Have you gotten this treated?" Leen pointed to the wound. Her attention was back on it. She wouldn''t let Kevin go easily this time, until he told her the whole story of how this happened.


    "The military surgeon himself stitched it up and said it was only a flesh wound. You are thirsty, aren''t you? Let''s go downstairs, okay? Let''s get that water. I need a drink too." Kevin put on his dark blue pajamas quickly. The silk material clung softly to his body. He grabbed her hand and they walked out of the room quietly. Richard was still sound asleep.


    "Don''t get your wound wet, okay? It''ll get infected if you do. You just took a shower, didn''t you? Quick, let me check the gauze." While they were walking towards the stairs, Leena kept nagging Kevin. It didn''t annoy Kevin at all; he was actually happy that his wife cared about him so much even if it was just a flesh wound.


    Maybe this was the true meaning of family. Although you wouldn''t hear the end of it if you did something wrong, you wouldn''t get angry because you knew deep in your heart that they were only saying this for your own good. If they didn''t care, they wouldn''t even say a word, let alone get mad at you.


    As they got their water and went back to the bedroom to sleep, the night went on. Leena cuddled up against her husband and was fast asleep. Tomorrow is a new day, and anything could happen. But even if they might argue with each other, they would make up real fast because of their deep love for each other. That was the only thing that mattered to Kevin.00

 Chapter 1771 A Second Child For Daisy (Part One)

    Daisy had made an appointment to see Tom. Since she and Edward decided in the end to keep the baby, she needed a prenatal exam. Besides, the pregnancy still needed to be confirmed.


    "Wee to my hospital, Daisy," Tom said impishly when he saw the two. He made all the preparations for the examination and had been waiting for them. Although Daisy''s belly was still t, Tom squinted at it with a smile fraught with meaning. "Stop teasing!" Edward said exasperatedly, ring at the grinning doctor and preventing him from saying anything else that might embarrass his wife.


    "Sorry about the surprise." Daisyughed it off. Being with Edward for all this time, she found that she had grown a thick skin, and got quite used to this kind of banter. It would take a lot to embarrass her now.


    "No need to apologize, really. You should be happy," Tom replied in a mock serious manner. Having been scolded by the bossy Edward, he tried to behave himself and mind his words. After all, loose lips really could cause trouble, especially under the very nose of a guy like Edward. He''d joked around before, and gotten ck eyes and bloody lips for his trouble. Tom knew that Edward could go as far as skinning him alive if he continued messing around.


    "Everything ready?" Edward asked sharply. Wherever he went, whatever he did, he would act like a mighty king, who didn''t like to be kept waiting.


    "Of course. Who do you think I am, anyway?" Tom was grinning from ear to ear. "Follow me, Daisy." He then gestured politely, inviting Daisy to go with him. He led her all the way to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, had a few words with the department director, and checked in with Edward before making sure she''d have the best care.


    "Why do I have to wait outside? Can''t I go with her?" Edwardined sulkily seeing Tome back.


    "Why? Who''s the doctor here, anyway? And who''s the patient? You don''t fit in either category," Tom responded in a teasing tone. Although he sounded not a bit serious, he had a good reason to keep Edward outside. It was for Daisy''s sake. Tom knew that all women had a private side, something they''d never reveal to their husbands. Tom not only knew it, he respected it as well.


    "Would you shut up!" Edward eyed him furiously. "Better to keep your mouth shut and have people think you''re a fool than to open it and remove all doubt," the CEO said, quoting a famous line. Edward shot Tom an angry nce. Tom''s words alone were enough to get on his nerves, and the fact that everyone around wasughing wasn''t helping any.


    However, Edward soon put all of this behind him, for Daisy''s pregnancy waster confirmed. He was overjoyed at the news. He''d been expecting a second child.


    Daisy, on the other hand, had mixed feelings about this. Despite all the mental preparation, she still felt a bit helpless and anxious now that it actually was a thing. Still in shock, she didn''t hear anything the doctor said to her, her own thoughtsmanding all attention. It was the overexcited Edward who had jotted down all of the doctor''s warnings and advice. This made him the best expectant father in days ahead, who could address all Daisy''s needs and worries with ease.


    This news traveled fast. Within a short time, people around all knew that Daisy was truly pregnant. Many had called to extend their congrattions, leaving her quite embarrassed. Restless, she med Edward for all of it, saying that she had to deal with all the calls and keep saying thank you because of him. She had to have someone to me, after all.


    "Happy now?" She asked a bit irritably. Edward had been on a big sugar high, which was in stark contrast to her dismal and darkened face.


    "Still mad at me?" Edward asked in jest. "Okay, how about this? I''ll get it if someone else calls," he said with a ttering smile. Knowing that Daisy was not in a good mood, he tried everything he could to humor her, coax her and make her happy, unconditionally. After all, the doctor also said that expectant mothers could have mood swings like a freaking roller coaster. So Edward did everything he could to keep her spirits up.


    "Ha! Where were you when the phone was blowing up?" Daisy said stiffly, fixing him with a stern look. Now she got to know just how concerned everyone was about her. It was almost like they''d been watching her, and would make a fuss about anything. And she wasn''t happy about it. Pregnancy was eating away at her patience, and all she wanted now was a few moments of peace to take everything in.


    "Sorry. I was too happy to contain myself, and couldn''t stop dreaming about our baby," Edward replied, half apologetically, half delightedly. For him, Daisy''s pregnancy put him on Cloud Nine. Because he finally could go through all of it, experience the highs and lows even before the kid was born, like most fathers. Finally, he could perform his duties as a real father, and experience what he had missed when Daisy was pregnant with Justin.


    "You''re impossible! Laugh while you still can. Just wait till I get bigger. You''re going to be pretty busy taking care of me," Daisy said peevishly. She then stood up and walked downstairs, sighing. But when she was at the halfway point, a voice called out.


    "So is it true, Daisy? I heard that you''re pregnant!" It was Cynthia. She, too, was tickled pink to know that she was going to have another grandchild. She was sad that she didn''t have the opportunity to watch Justin grow up. Now when she was told that she still had a chance, she just couldn''t wait toe home and hear it from Daisy.


    "Mommy, mommy! Is it true? So daddy wasn''t just making an assumptionst time, he was telling the truth, right? I''m really going to have a sister?" Justin asked expectantly before Daisy could ever answer Cynthia''s question. He quickly ran over to Daisy and hugged her, as if trying to embrace his future sister. Daisy stood there, not knowing what to do or say.


    "Well.." she stuttered. At this point, she was torn betweenughing and crying. She was a senior colonel, and she had no problem giving orders or even dressing down a soldier. But now she found herself lost for words for the first time, and could only give an embarrassed smile instead.


    Jonathan had been watching from nearby. Though his attitude had softened a lot over the years, he still wore a poker face. So unlike Cynthia or Justin, he had only given Daisy a thoughtful look without saying a word.


    "Come down here and let me take a good look at you, Daisy," Cynthia said, smiling kindly. She was almost as excited as Edward, and couldn''t take her eyes off her daughter-inw.00000N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.

 Chapter 1772 A Second Child For Daisy (Part Two)

    "Why are you back early?" Daisy asked while continuing down the stairs slowly, her face blushing a little.


    "We couldn''t wait to get back here and see you when we heard the news!" Cynthia chuckled. Before Daisy finished thest few steps, she came up and stretched out her hands to help her.


    "Yeah! And grandma''s been champing at the bit to see you!" Justin echoed. After the initial excitement wore off, Justin no longer clung to his mother. Instead, he stood by her like a steady young man, and looked at her belly with curious eyes. He was amazed that his mother''s tummy contained another life, and was surprised by the magic power of the Creator''s hands.


    "Who started carrying on first, imp?" Cynthia pretended to be angry. After living together with Justin all these years, she got to know just how tricky this little guy could be. Like father, like son. You couldn''t expect him to be a normal, obedient child when Edward was such a mischievous man.


    "Grandma''s going to spank me! Grandpa! Help!" Justin begged. He wouldn''t back down so easily in front of others, but when it came to his grandparents...


    "Behave, Justin," Daisy said sternly, scowling. She had no idea whether Justin was respectful 24/7, because she wasn''t always home. But she was a bit angry to hear what he said just now.


    "Just ignore them. You hungry? Need something to eat?" Cynthia asked with a look of pleasant expectancy. It was now clear that she was really giddy. She couldn''t cook to save her life, but she forgot that in all the excitement.


    "Save it, mom. If I wanted to be poisoned I''d find some chemical in the cupboards." Just then, Edward''s voice came from behind Daisy. They looked up and saw him walking down unhurriedly. Though he wasining, he could feel a gust of happiness sweep through him when seeing them talking andughing. There was nothing better than a happy family.


    "You''re home?" Cynthia asked in surprise. She wasn''t too happy about his joke. But honestly, he reminded her of her bad cooking, which she was too happy to remember just now. She felt a bit down when she thought about it. Because no matter how hard she tried to learn, she just couldn''t assemble raw ingredients into delicious meals.


    "What''s so strange about me being home?" Edward responded, but it was Jonathan''s expression that he was studying. Normally, this cold man would protect his wife and fend off Edward''s jibes. He squinted at his father defiantly.


    There were, of course, always exceptions. This time, Jonathan simply ignored his son. Instead, he walked to the sofa and sankfortably into it, like Edward wasn''t even around.


    "You should be in a bar right now with Uncle Rain and Uncle Duke, and all of them. That''s what usually happens," Justin chimed in. He just couldn''t get enough of teasing his father about this, so he''d bring it up once in a while even though that was practically a different life.


    "Hey. You know we haven''t seen Spencer in a bit," Edward said, stroking his chin. It was typical of him to touch others'' sore spots when he was attacked. He was such a crafty man after all.


    "O-okay, Daddy. I''m sorry. I take back what I said." Justin flinched. Spencer''s name alone sent a shiver down his spine. He would do everything he could to avoid that clingy little demon. Edward sneered when he heard this. ''You''re still too young to challenge me,'' he thought.


    He never lost his wicked streak, but he did change a lot after Daisy got pregnant. He had be more careful, thoughtful and patient. He not only treated others nicely, but he catered to Daisy''s every whim. Obviously, he enjoyed being an expectant father, and had done his job as a father wholeheartedly.


    Everyone celebrated Daisy''s pregnancy, except Kevin. His brows furrowed when he heard about it. Like Daisy, he thought that the baby came at the wrong time. So when he bumped into her in the army base, he feltplicated and hardly knew what to say.


    "You know, I''m not sure whether to feel happy or sad," he said, shrugging. Of course he should congratte her on her pregnancy, but he still thought it was sad that she''d have to give up her promotion.


    "Happy. I know I am," Daisy replied with a smile. "I''ll have that new rank before you know it," she said. She knew what Kevin meant, and that she had missed the boat. But she also knew that there was no going back since she had decided to keep the baby after much thought and consideration."


    "You''re right. Congrattions, Senior Colonel," Kevin finally said, giving a soft smile. As long as she herself thought it was worth it, he should take it as good news.


    "Thanks. By the way, I heard that ire''ll be back in a few days, right?" Daisy changed the subject, turning around and looking into the distance. There was a fleeting hint of disappointment on her face. To tell the truth, she had regrets. But she knew very well in her heart that between power and family, thetter was more important to her.


    "Yeah. Leena told me about that. Dad keeps refusing to let them marry. He can''t ept that his son-inw is a foreigner. So..." Kevin paused. He''d been worried about his sister. He knew the only reason she came back was that they had a kid, so they thought they''d try their luck and see whether Nathan would ept his grandkid, once he saw them.


    "Actually, I get it. You see, he''s a high profile official. And if he does something people don''t like, then he could easily lose his job," Daisy responded. In any case, Nathan was amissar, so his unwillingness to ept a foreigner as his family had deep ideological roots. She wasn''t surprised that he took a tough stand in this matter.


    "You said it. So to help ire be happy, Leena went all-out," Kevin said, allowing himself a wry smile. Speaking of which, it was just amazing that Leena and ire had be close friends who could tell each other anything and everything, when before that, ire gave her a hard time. Apparently, they had gone through a lot together.


    "Seems that ire has a lot to thank her for," Daisy chuckled. She had met ire several times before, and thought that she had a sweet, lively personality. She wondered how the girl had been doingtely. Would she be so different after living abroad for all those years? "Yeah. Oh, I nearly forgot! Themander''s looking for you," said Kevin, remembering suddenly. No prize for guessing why themander would summon her, Kevin thought.


    "Themander? Did he say why?" Daisy asked with surprise.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Maybe it''s about Justin''s little brother or sister in your tummy!" Kevin said and shrugged, hinting that he wasn''t sure about it.


    "Don''t tell me you told him." Daisy raised her voice and looked him in the eye. Bute to think of it, she didn''t think he had a big mouth. He wasn''t one to spread rumors. "No, ma''am! I thought you''d have told him yourself," Kevin said. Daisy was right about him, he minded his own business.

 Chapter 1773 A Second Child For Daisy (Part Three)

    "Alright then," Daisy sighed. "I''ll find out eventually. Dismissed." Daisy turned on her heel. She had nned to keep the news from themander for a while, but it now seemed impossible.


    "See you," Kevin replied. "It''s probably nothing serious," heforted her, trying to stay positive. ''If she didn''t let themander know, then who told him?'' he thought secretly.


    "I hope so. See you soon," Daisy said, walking powerfully yet numbly away, as if she was heading off to war.


    It amused Kevin to see how nervous she became and he couldn''t helpughing behind her back. After she disappeared from sight, he went back to his office and got down to work. His schedule needed to be reshuffled since Daisy was pregnant. "Good morning, Commander. You wanted to see me?" Daisy entered themander''s office and greeted him with a smile. Not knowing what themander wanted from her, she was quite on her guard, as much as she tried to hide it. "Oh, Daisy! Come in and grab a seat," themander said, a beaming smile on his face, just like every other time he saw Daisy.


    "Thanks, Commander. I''d better stand and receive orders," Daisy replied. She thought it a must to mind her manners before figuring out why themander had asked her toe.


    "Ugh. So polite! You''d probably get tired standing there. You don''t want to wear yourself out, especially now," themander insisted. Now it was clear that he did know something about her pregnancy, and Daisy had read between the lines.


    "Don''t worry,mander," she said. "So what do you need?" Daisy went straight to the point. She wanted to get this over with as soon as possible, rather than continue to beat around the bush.


    "Patience, patience," themander replied, still with his kind smile. If Edward hadn''t called and told him about the news, he wouldn''t have known that she was pregnant even now. "I''m always like this, you know," Daisy mumbled.


    "So is it true? You''re pregnant?" themander asked. He wasn''t in the mood to keep her guessing anymore. For all he knew, she might very well lose her temper if he didn''t ask her straight up.


    "Wow, you''re really well-informed, Commander," Daisy said with a mysterious smile. "Mind telling me how you found out?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. To be honest, she had already figured out the answer before she asked, but she wasn''t one to jump to conclusions. She also wanted to see if she could charm the answer out of the old soldier.


    "Why? You want to mess with my intelligencework?" themander asked a bit seriously. He knew she was going to ask, so he decided to put his foot down and show his authority. After all, Edward had requested that he not give him away in any case. She might try to pump the full story out of him if he wasn''t firm enough.


    "That''s okay, I think I already know," Daisy said with a grimace. "So, how would you deal with it?" she asked, biting her lip. She was getting angry, not at themander, of course, but at Edward.


    "Deal with what? The one-child policy has been canceled, and you can have a second child," themander asked innocently. But he was merely ying the fool. He knew clearly what Daisy meant, but he still tried to y it off and keep his word to Edward.


    "That''s not what I''m asking, Commander. Let me put it this way: Have you reassigned my important tasks to somebody else?" Daisy asked in a firm tone. That was the only reason she coulde up with for why Edward informed themander. He wanted her to take no part in any more dangerous missions.


    "Don''t worry. We all know how strong and capable you are. But think of your child. Dangerous missions are off the table as far as you''re concerned." Themander spat it out since Daisy came right to the point. Other than helping Edward, he thought it necessary, too. After all, bad things could happen if Daisy got hurt or overexerted herself, which was thest thing he wished to see.


    "No, Commander. I know how far I can go. I can do my job well even if I''m pregnant. Trust me," said Daisy firmly, trying to convince him. She was never a delicate woman, nor was she weak. Surely she would not shrink from her responsibilities this time since she had still carried out missions when she was expecting Justin.


    "I never doubted your abilities. But missions aren''t meant for pregnant women, Daisy," themander said softly. He turned his powers of persuasion on her, not only for Edward''s sake, but also to avoid the possibility that the public might think their army forces as unsympathetic and inhuman to force a pregnant woman to work beyond her abilities.


    "Alright, I get it. But this isn''t over, Commander. I''m here to work, not sit on my ass," Daisy said tly. She gave him a standard salute before walking out of the room without a word.


    ''Hope Mr. Mu won''t get in too much trouble,'' thought themander as Daisy closed the door.


    Edward was in the middle of an important meeting when Daisy called. Without a second thought, he left those top managers behind and left the room to answer the phone. For him, it was okay to keep them waiting, but it was a terrible crime not to answer his wife''s call at once. "Hey, honey! What''s up?" Edward asked most affectionately. But it seemed that his honeyed words were not enough to quell Daisy''s raging fury.


    "You jerk! What did I tell you about not interfering with my work? Why did you call themander and tell him I am pregnant?" Daisyshed out at him at once. She was now incandescent with rage. "So...he told you all about it?" Edward asked gingerly, tilting the phone away from his ear. He couldn''t remember thest time she sounded so angry. It was obvious that she was as mad as a wet hen.


    "He didn''t have to tell me, I knew it was you!" Daisy snapped. She would definitely have thrown him to the floor violently if he stood in front of her now.


    "I didn''t say anything! I just...well...told him the good news," Edward flinched, holding the phone a bit further away from his ear, in case he would lose his hearing in another rain of curses.


    "Ugh! You -- You -- Tell him the good news, huh? You got themander to do everything you want simply by sharing the good news? You''re really something, Edward," she said crossly. She was so angry not because she wanted any glory, but because she had put hours and hours of work in the preparation for both the military exercise and the National Day parade. Now she felt so bad, knowing she had to quit those events halfway through.


    "Calm down, honey. Remember the baby," Edward said imploringly. He knew she wouldn''t take it well. That was why he reminded themander repeatedly not to say anything about how he knew about her pregnancy. He didn''t expect her to find out about it so soon. "Stop preaching. And don''t you dare mention the baby!" Edward hadmitted the cardinal sin of trying to calm someone down -- don''t tell them to calm down. Daisy hung up the phone as soon as she finished speaking. She wanted to dash the phone to the floor but fortunately retained enough sense to settle for forcibly throwing it onto the sofa. Luckily, she didn''t lose her head in anger like others.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Wait, honey! Honey?" Edward was stunned when silence greeted him at the other end. He knew that he was doomed this time, stirring up a ho''s nest. Rubbing his eyebrows, he tried to think of a way to make it up to her before going home today.000000

 Chapter 1774 Jessicas Passing (Part One)

    believe what he had done to her! With trembling hands she wiped at her nose in frustration.


    Daisy''s eyes reddened and tears welled up behind her tightly closed eyelids. Her anger at his actions overwhelmed her, for she had always trusted him and believed in his support of her. Feeling deeply wronged, everything now seemed out of control. She could not She sobbed, trying desperately to find a way out of the anguish which had trapped her, for she hated to seem weak and vulnerable. As Daisy buried her face in her wavering hands, she considered that her pregnancy might be influencing her mood.


    The moment she chose a career as a soldier, she knew that it would be hard for her to bnce her work and private life. She foresaw that conflicts were inevitable, and that she would face some hard choices. As a woman, mother and soldier she had high expectations of herself. She hoped that things would work out as she always meticulously nned them in advance. asionally, when her ns did not work out, it choked her like a fish bone in the throat.


    "Madame!" A soldierly voice abruptly sounded outside of the door, pulling Daisy back from her deste thoughts.


    She quickly blinked her eyes harshly, trying to rid herself of tears and emotions. She made sure that she had regained someposure and erased all traces of the drama that affected her from her face, before answering loudly, "Come in, please."


    "Senior Colonel, there is someone requesting to see you at the perimeter gate of the base." The young solider reported as he stepped into the room and respectfully saluted her.


    "Noted with thanks." She nodded to him, dismissing him with a slight smile. Daisy was confused as to who on earth woulde to the army base to see her without an appointment, or calling first.


    Arriving at the gate, she gasped in surprise at the sight of the visitor. It was none other than Coco! Daisy was utterly surprised to see her here, right outside the army base. ''What is she doing here?'' Daisy thought to herself. She noticed her elegant dress and wondered at her increasing grace, for time had not left its mark on her at all.


    "Mrs. Mu, my apologies for bothering you today. I didn''t know how else I could reach you. Please excuse my abrupt visit." Coco gave her a courtly smile,pleting the sophisticated look which she projected. Daisy was quite surprised at the graceful tone of her voice.


    "How can I help you?" Daisy inclined her head slightly out of respect, but she really didn''t know Coco very well. She didn''t feel enthusiastic about being visited by Coco here at the base, this was her ce of work.


    "I am here on behalf of my cousin. For her sake, I would like to apologize to you for what she did to you." Coco lowered her head as she spoke, her face flushed with sorrow. Daisy noticed that her eyes were glistening and had reddened as she spoke.


    "Oh, you mean Jessica. Well, how is she these days?" She had not heard anything new about her in years. Jessica had disappeared from her social circle a long time ago, and Daisy found it hard to recall her face with any detail. Her memory seemed to have temporarily misced Jessica''s existencepletely.


    "She left, for another ce, far, far away from here. We will not see her again." Coco closed her eyes fighting her tears back. Then she turned her face away to the blue sky, trying hard to hide her sorrow from Daisy. Apparently, Jessica''s departure was quite a blow to her. "What did you say? How is that even possible?" Daisy yelped. The shocking news surprised her. Overwhelmed, she considered that Coco might be hinting that Jessica had died. Swallowing at the sudden lump in her throat, she knew that she could not directly ask Coco for the truth, considering the woman''s obvious distress. She couldn''t believe that Jessica was dead. It was true that she had hurt her badly before, however she was filled with woe upon hearing about her death. Daisy''s eyebrows furrowed in agony. For a moment, she didn''t know how to digest the news.


    "It was her own choice. We have to respect what she chose to do to herself." Coco''s voice was trembling. She had known about her cousin''s battle with depression for a long time, and she had considered that Jessica''s choice to leave everything behind, might have been for the best.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Was she ill? Did she suffer from something grievous?" Daisy found it hard to ept the death of Jessica. She stared at Coco closely, hoping to find out more details about Jessica. She wanted to know about her life and what had brought about her death.


    "A horrible illness imed her life. They couldn''t find a cure to save her. She was attacked by an unknown virus and her venereal parts became corrupted during herst days." Coco bit her lips. It was torture to discuss her bted cousin. Despite them being blood- rtives, she felt ashamed for her. Following Jessica''s break-up with Edward and the bankruptcy of the Lin family, she had been living a wild life and suffering huge financial problems. In order to maintain her luxury lifestyle, she began prostituting herself to rich men. With her nubile body and pretty face, she received lucrative payments and had many wealthy clients, however she lost all self-respect and eventually slept with anyone willing to pay her bills.


    "Gosh, what kind of virus could take her life like that? How did she end up like that..." Daisy shook her head in disbelief. As Coco spoke, she tried to picture what Jessica looked like, but the image was vague and distant. Daisy recoiled at the thought of what Jessica must have looked like at the end of her horrific ordeal.


    "Do you remember a man called Shaun? He dumped my cousin once he found out her real identity. He even sold her to one of his friends for profit. Jessica had no choices left, and she was forced to hustle for fiendish men. Stuck in a malicious circle, she eventually fell ill and died." The past flooded Coco as she sadly exined what happened to Jessica. Despite her having been very close to Jessica, she had failed to save her life. Coco confided that she had offered Jessica help, but was refused. It was toote, and the awful fate of a lost soul became inevitable in her case.


    "I remember this man. I think I might even have heard about the horrid things he did to Jessica. Still, I find it hard to ept Jessica''s suicide!" A sudden wave of guilt overwhelmed Daisy, her hands trembled uncontrobly. For a second, she couldn''t find her voice. She looked at Coco in sorrow. Deep down, she med herself for Jessica''s death to some extent. Filled with regret, she was unable to reply and though her lips moved she could utter no words to give voice to her guilt.


    "Daisy, whether you ept it or not, she is dead! You know what a proud girl she was, boasting of her beauty all the time. Thest thing in the world she could bear was her own rotting body. She became so ill that she simply lost the will to live." The harsh truth of Coco''s voice echoed in the air. Daisy looked her in the eyes, there was determination there. At that moment, she finally understood what Coco was trying to exin, that death was the only way out for Jessica. Coco had witnessed herst painful days. The illness was so unbearably painful that eventually Jessica decided to end her own life.


    "Why are you here, telling me all this?" Daisy shook her head vigorously as if trying to rid herself of the negativity of the sad tale. She didn''t know Coco or Jessica that well, so why did Coco decide to share this horrible news with her? They were never close, she had never wanted to hear anything about Jessica. Certainly not something so grim!


    "As I said, I came here today for the sake of my cousin. I want to apologize to you on her behalf. Here, she left a letter for you, please take it." Saying so, Coco pulled a small envelope from her bag and held it out to Daisy.


    Daisy raised an eyebrow in surprise. She never expected to receive anything from the bted Jessica. The small envelope seemed heavy in her hands as she epted it. What could be inside? Did Jessica repent to her before she closed her eyes for good?


    After she bid Coco goodbye, Daisy took a walk along the forest path on the army base. She was not in a hurry to return to her office. Her thoughts were heavy and gloomy. As she stepped slowly along the path, Daisy''s mood worsened with each stride. She clutched the envelope tightly, but suddenlycked the courage to open it, or to read the letter inside.


    Eventually she found a quiet bench in the forest, where she seated herself and drew in some calm with a few deep breaths. She stared at the envelope for a long time, before summoning up the fortitude to open it. She almost gasped as Jessica''s letter appeared in her hand.


    ''Her handwriting was as elegant as she'', Daisy thought as she started to read the letter. Soon she noticed that some of the words were fuzzy as if the ink had been wet and smudged. Daisy bitterly curled up her lips, Jessica must have been crying when she wrote this letter!000000000000

 Chapter 1775 Jessicas Passing (Part Two)

    "Daisy: I bet you must be surprised to receive my letter! We were so hostile towards each other. It is only natural that you are confused why I would write to you like this." Her handwriting was determined. Every stroke seemed to shout out loud to her from the paper. Daisy


    could tell when Jessica wrote these sentences she did so with a sense of finality.


    "First of all, I am sincerely sorry for what I did to you years ago. My actions were inconsiderate and radical, and they caused you tremendous harm. For this, I am terribly sorry and wish I could apologize to you in person, but I don''t expect you to forgive me for my behavior. However, please bear in mind that I am truly sorry and regret the harm I caused you." Jessica''s words hurt her eyes, and Daisy''s hands trembled uncontrobly as she read the sentences. She took a deep breath and continued reading.


    "Perhaps, you viewed me as a family-wrecker all these years. You no doubt thought I came into your life to try and ruin your marriage. However, you are wrong. In terms of love, you are the one who stepped into my rtionship with Edward. You came after me. When I started dating him, he didn''t even have a ce for you in his heart. I am sure you are aware of this obvious fact. You should know this better than anyone else. However, these things have be less important as time passed. I shouldn''t talk about such things anymore. Let bygones be bygones!" The ink seemed paler from this sentence onwards. Daisy raised her eyebrow as she carefully studied Jessica''s handwriting, it was no longer so assured, and the lines were in ces so faint as to be almost unreadable. It seemed that she stopped for quite a long time before carrying on to finish the whole letter. Perhaps her illness ounted for the difference in script.


    "I need to tell you that my love towards Mu is as deep as yours if not more so. Your love is profound whilst mine is crazy. The only difference is you have a piece of paper to prove your love, the marriage certificate. That is the only thing Icked. However, I think we are of equal soul, as we both started from the same humble beginning, in the face of love itself. When we speak of our feelings for him, neither of us is superior."


    Daisy''s eyes moistened and she swallowed heavily as emotions flooded her. She raised her eyes from the letter and stared off at the horizon. Jessica''s words held truth. Her lips twisted bitterly as she considered her own feelings towards Edward. Little did Jessica know that Daisy''s love was also difficult and crazy. She came into his life early and sudden. They had such a long journey to reach this point. However, Jessica would never have understood this.


    "Mu is the first man I fell in love with, he is also the only man that I shall ever love. My letter to you today is not trying to rub the past in your face. I just want to tell you that the man you have by your side is desired by so many women. They all longed for his attention but he never responded. I think you would somewhat understand how we feel. Like a moth flying towards the me, I tried to hold him. Instead, I burned myself."


    The metaphor hit Daisy hard. Of course she could understand how desperate Jessica had been. She felt for her, because she was once just like her, vulnerable and determined, trying desperately to win Edward''s heart.


    "Therefore, you should really love him with all your heart and soul. Because you need to love him on behalf of us, who also love him from afar. To be honest with you, none of us is any less than you. You are just lucky to have won his heart and tied the knot with him. I am sure as you read these words, you have a scornful look on your face! You might think we, a bunch of women who never triumphed in Edward''s heart, are over-estimating ourselves by saying we are just as good as you. But Daisy, you are wrong. Think about the women surrounding Edward, none of them are in, obscure or humble."


    Daisy released a soft sigh as she read these words. Truly, her Edward was a charming man, surrounded by many outstanding women. She knew this already. It was not necessary for Jessica to point this out. She could already tell how popr he was when she first started dating him. The journey to his heart had not been at all smooth. She cared for him and was obsessed with all her rivals. She witnessed how those women tried to capture his heart but failed. She was the one who eventually won the love game. "To be honest, I find it bizarre to say goodbye to you with this letter. What a way to go! The truth is I don''t have anyone close to me. I don''t have any real friends. How pathetic this is! You and I, on the other hand, share a connection through Edward. Maybe it is because of the long-standing quarrel we had over the years, but I gradually began viewing you as a kind of friend. Therefore, I decided to write you this letter." The letter ended. There was a huge nk space below thest sentence. Daisy turned the paper over and found it empty too. Shouldn''t Jessica have continued writing something more? ''It doesn''t feel like an ending,'' Daisy thought to herself as she carefully examined the paper. However, despite her examination of the document, she found no signature or date on it.


    Setting down the letter, millions of questions rose to the fore, like so many tiny bubbles in her mind. She felt suddenly very tired as she gazed around the woods with a sinking heart. Her feelings were a mystery to her then, and lost in thought shecked the strength to return to her office. Jessica''s death touched her heart, despite Daisy remembering her as an evil, ill-willed and contemptible woman. For such a long time, they were fighting over the same man. Now that Jessica was dead, Daisy didn''t know how to move on. Something was lost forever in her heart. Had Jessica even been her enemy? Daisy shook her head slowly. Some questions might never be answered now.


    Jessica and her timely letter saved Edward. Strangely, Jessica''s words reminded Daisy of a simple, yet overlooked, fact. Edward was popr with many women, and they all continually tried to capture his attention. With the letter in her hand, Daisy realized that she had been wrong about her marriage, for years she had been taking his love and care for granted. Sitting on the bench, she didn''t even notice the gathering dark. All she could think about was the rtionship between her and Edward. A good marriage needed careful management. It was high time that she devoted more time towards her husband. He was such an outstanding man, and if she didn''t handle the situation carefully, he might be stolen by others some day.


    When she returned home, she had already locked her bad mood away. However, resentment at his actions earlier still lingered. Forgiving his behavior would take time though. So, the moment she saw Edward at home, she swiftly moved past him.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    "Senior Colonel,e here please. We need to talk." Edward had been in a foul mood the whole day. He was really upset that she had hung up the phone on him. This was awfully rude to him. To make matters worse, Daisy had blocked him on her phone, and he was genuinely worried about her, but could not reach her.


    "Not now. I am really exhausted. We can talk tomorrow." Daisy stared ahead unseeing, as if Edward was made of ss. Her mind was still upied with Jessica''s letter. Given her current emotional mood, she knew she couldn''t handle a serious discussion now. "You know this is not a fair way to deal with things. As a professionally trained solider, you should know better." Edward''s face was dark. Her distant behavior really angered him.


    "I am no longer on duty, this is my leisure time. So, stop pulling the solider trick on me!" Daisy quickly snapped back. She had her own stupid pride, and would never back down first in a fight.


    "Well, if this is how you roll, we definitely need to talk about the issue at hand. Your attitude is uneptable!" With these words, he pulled her in close and immediately dragged her to the bedroom by the wrist.


    "Let me go! What are you doing? I still need to do some work!" She shouted at him, trying to free her wrist. However, her effort was in vain. His grip was so tight that she almost hurt herself. Daisy rolled her eyes as she was unwillingly led to the bedroom.


    "You said you are tired. There you go! Rest in bed. Why would you even bother with your stupid work when you are tired?" He was serious as hell, his dark eyes fixed with an angry scowl. Daisy pouted as she noticed the anger in his eyes. Edward was somewhat amused by her reaction. She was the one shouting that she was off-duty and now she wanted to do some work? He didn''t know how to argue with her when she became illogical. She said she was no longer a soldier during her leisure time, so maybe she shouldn''t have mentioned her work at all.

 Chapter 1776 Jessicas Passing (Part Three)

    "My stupid work? Finally! Your tongue betrays your heart. You said you would not interfere with my work. But you are now eating your own words. You want to criticize my work? Then whatever you said earlier clearly doesn''t count at all!" Hormonal changes during her pregnancy had wrought havoc on Daisy''s moods. Edward''sment about her job greatly infuriated her. She could no longer control her temper and began shouting in his face at the top of her lungs.


    "Daisy, how dare you say such horrible things to me? Do you even understand what you are using me of? For years, I have been standing by your side and supporting your work in every way possible! Have I ever caused you any trouble or hindrance? I only stepped in and called themander this time for the sake of your safety. Because you are pregnant with our child, I have to be more cautious and will take all possible measures to look after you. I just don''t want you to be involved in any high-risk assignments. I did all this out of good intent." Her false usations really hurt his feelings. Edward lowered his eyes and turned away. It never urred to him that his beloved wife would take his care as admonishment. For years, he had been devoting himself to her, and yet she viewed his love as shackles.


    "I remember we had a conversation before regarding the child, and I told you that I will take care of our unborn child the best way I can. You have my promise on that. I want my child to be strong, but thest thing I want is for my child to interfere with my work." Daisy''s voice was still loud. She was so stubborn, andtely, whenever she ended up in an argument, she refused to use logic.


    "If bearing a child really bothers you, then you can do whatever you want with it. I give up! Suit yourself! This is not my concern anymore!" Really exhausted by the argument, he couldn''t deal with her ridiculous justifications anymore. Edward gave her a bitter, despondent smile, then he walked out of the bedroom.


    "Hey, where are you going?" She was shocked to see his sudden change of attitude. Her voice became nervous.


    "Why would you even care where I am going? Do you really even care about me?" He whispered, pausing briefly at the door, before leaving without a backward nce at her panicked face.


    Daisy painfully bit into her bottom lip as she watched him walk away. He looked truly mad. Perhaps her behavior had been unreasonable, she considered. They had been together for so many years, but this was the first time she saw him so sad. As a bad thought came to her mind, she sprang to her feet and chased after him desperately.


    "Edward, stop!" She shouted at his cold back. Despite the fact they were in a nasty fight, she still cared for him and didn''t want him to drive. She feared that his horrible mood might have unthinkable consequences. As she drew near, she noticed that his shoulders were trembling as he struggled to control his anger. ''Under no circumstance will I let you drive tonight. It will be irresponsible to others and yourself.'' Daisy thought as she clenched her fists.


    "Senior Colonel, I am not one of your soldiers. Stop treating me with your army rules! It won''t work on me," Edward said scornfully. He was a prideful man, and he certainly wasn''t going to listen to hermands.


    "I saw Coco today!" Eventually Daisy spat out the name that had been weighing her down all day. She couldn''t stand it anymore, and Edward needed to know why she was not herself today. The foul mood she had suffered today came with a name. Daisy drooped with fatigue as she finally revealed the name to him.


    "What did she want from you?" On hearing the name, Edward swung around in shock. He gazed into her eyes, his face full of concern.


    "She came to me with thetest news of Jessica. She told me that Jessica had passed from this world." Daisy spoke slowly through clenched teeth as she studied the look on his face. Jessica had been Edward''s lover for quite a few years, and Daisy often suffered bouts of jealousy when she thought of him with another woman.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    "Her death has nothing to do with you. Why would you even care?" Edward''s face remained calm. He looked unperturbed by the news. It was known to all among their social circles that Mr. Mu was an indifferent man with few words. Jessica was history to him. Naturally, her death didn''t affect his mood at all.


    "How could you be so unaffected by this news? Were you not close to her once, why don''t you react at all?" Daisy''s mouth hung open in disbelief. She knew her husband''s personality, however, his present reaction still shocked her. They were talking about someone''s life and death and hisment was stone-cold! Daisy found it hard to ept.


    "What do you expect? How would you like me to react? Shall I cry my heart out upon hearing of her death? Or would you rather I go to her grave and moan in agony? If I were to do so, I would not be myself anymore." Edward coldly curled up his lips and his face took on a cruel beauty. He had absolutely no interest in that woman''s death. Jessica had meant nothing to him from the moment they broke up.


    "You are one heartless bastard, you know? She was once your woman. How could you possibly deny that?" His aloof reaction angered her. Daisy couldn''t believe what she heard from her husband''s mouth. Jessica was gone, however, Edward acted like nothing had happened.


    "Don''t be ridiculous. Daisy, you are such a hypocrite! If I had shown any lingering affections for her, then you would have used me of being unfaithful to you. Would you rather see me as being reluctant to part with her?" His voice was serene yet powerful. ording to Edward, a person''s poor situation could always be attributed to their own fault. This doctrine also applied to himself, thus, he didn''t really have any sympathy with Jessica. She was the one responsible for what happened to her.


    "Hypocrite?! Indeed! Well, it certainly took you long enough to realize that I am a hypocrite, and call me so to my face!" Her pregnancy was again driving her emotions and she found it hard to control her actions. She was talking to him recklessly now. Not able to behave herself anymore, she now provoked him intentionally and wanted to hurt his feelings.


    "Forget about it. We both need to calm down. I am done speaking to you." Her illogical argument was getting on his nerves. Edward closed his eyes, trying to hold back his feelings. He realized that it was pointless for him to carry on the conversation with his wife. They were both tired, and if they continued the argument, it might lead to an inevitably ugly end. Therefore, he backed down and proposed a truce between them.


    "I am sorry! I don''t know what is wrong with me today. I just can''t control my feelings. I am sorry for what I said." Hispromise effectively alleviated the tension between them. Daisy stepped closer to him and softly apologized. She didn''t want to be such a pushy wife in the first ce.


    "It''s okay. I was in the wrong myself. I know you had a long day, and you must be tired. Why don''t you freshen up and go to bed early?" He gave her a soothing smile. As her man, he was ustomed to hiding his true feelings so that their conflicts could be resolved faster. Deep down, he was heavy-hearted but he chose to present the appearance of having let go of his resentments.


    "What about you? Are you still heading out?" She looked up at him with big wet eyes. He could read her sad uncertainty on her face.


    "I was not nning on going out. I was about to fetch a document I had forgotten in the car." It was quite rare for Daisy to actively admit her wrong doings. Edward was pleased by the fact that his proud wife now acknowledged her fault, therefore he gradually calmed down himself. However, he was careful not to reveal any of this to her. He still looked calm as he spoke.


    "I see. Go ahead then." Daisy shyly rubbed her nose as she peered at his emotionless face.


    "Would you like toe with me?" He extended his hand to her, his eyes sparkled with relief. It was time for them to amend their rtionship. A walk together might be a good start.


    "Sure thing. I need a good walk anyway." She dly held his palm closer to her chest. The warmth radiating from his big hand touched something soft in her heart. They never mentioned the stupid fight regarding the baby again. Silently but harmoniously, they walked downstairs hand in hand.


    It was unwise to linger in the past. They both knew it was time for them to move forward. Their baffling argument finally came to an end. Both Edward and Daisy were by nature reasonable people. Thest thing they wanted was to ruin their marriage over something insignificant and rooted in the past.00

 Chapter 1777 Pregnancy Syndrome (Part One)

    The days slipped by so fast. In the blink of an eye, it was summer again. In the meantime, CY Technology slowly but surely got on the right track and Rain''s life was now almostplete. However, there was still one small unpleasant thing that yed on his mind. He was concerned about his father, Sanford. He worried that his father might be ill due to the uneptable behavior of his other two ignorant and ipetent sons and might end up in the hospital again. Unfortunately, his fears hade to light. Lawrence had just called and informed him that Sanford was indeed sent to the hospital again.


    Rain stood outside of the hospital where Lawrence asked to meet with him. "Mr. Rain," Lawrence greeted him respectfully without hesitation. He had no one else to turn to for help except for Rain.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "What is it this time? What is the reason?" asked Rain with a hint of sarcasm and frustration in his voice. He seemed to be the one who always cleaned up the messy situations for his father.


    "Mrs. Ke stole Mr. Ke''s house title certificate and gave it to their oldest son. So Mr. Ke has no ce to live now," said Lawrence with a big sigh. He wondered What was Mrs. Ke thinking when she stole the certificate. Without a house where did she think the two of them would live? Surely she wasn''t that naive to think that her two spendthrift sons would take her in?


    "Ha! Ha! I guess this is the so-called karma," said Rain cynically. He was unable to tell what he was feeling at that moment. He didn''t know whether tough or to cry.


    "Mr. Rain, I''ll leave Mr. Ke to you now," said Lawrence, feeling a little bit of guilt as he turned to leave. Even though he felt that he shouldn''t be leaving his old sick master so quickly, he really didn''t have another choice, as he too needed to find a way out for himself and to support his family.


    "Wait! It''s not my responsibility to look after him," said Rain shocked. He was still angry at his father. In the past, his father didn''t take him seriously so he thought why should he have to take care of his father now?


    "Mr. Rain, please have some mercy on your father! If you don''t help him, the rest of his life will certainly be extremely miserable," Lawrence said earnestly, full of pity for his old master. He wondered, ''The hospital cost hasn''t been paid and also now that the house is gone, he would need money to pay for house renting. But he is an old man with one foot in the grave and he definitely isn''t able to make more money, how could he possibly survive without help?''


    "I don''t care what the rest of his life will be like, he deserves it! I have nothing to do with his misery," Rain said coldly, thinking of what his father had done to him in the past. If he didn''t take over the KD Group, it would have gone bankrupt in the end. He just took it over through acquisition without gaining any benefits from it. Yet, through sheer hard work and effort, he made the old KD Group a brand new sessful development.


    "But you see, I have to support my own family and there is no way for me to continue to take care of him anymore," said Lawrence anxiously. He would never have turned to Rain for help if he knew there was another way. After all, it was his old master that treated Rain and his mother terribly all those years ago.


    "Well, in that case, his monthly living expenses will be paid by me. As for his amodation, I will also find a suitable house for him as soon as possible. You stay on and continue to take care of him! Your sry will also be paid by me!" Rain saidpromised. Rain wasn''t a cruel man. He couldn''t just leave his father trapped in such a desperate situation with no way out.


    "But in that case, I am afraid that his two other sons will continue to cause trouble for Mr. Ke," Lawrence said with deep concern. Judging from Lawrence''s concern, Rain felt that he was hoping that he would bring Sanford into his own home.


    "If they ever dare to cause any sort of trouble again, you just call the police directly and tell them that they have broken into his house to rob him in broad daylight," Rain said tly. ''If you expect me to live under the same roof as my father Sanford, please forgive me for not being able to do so. I have already made a bigpromise by offering to pay for all of his living expenses. Apart from that, I don''t believe that I have any other obligation to him, ''Rain thought agitated.


    "All right then. But I don''t know if Mr. Ke will ept such an arrangement," said Lawrence earnestly. He always felt that when people got old, they preferred to live with their family. If people lived on their own like his old master, then they would be miserable and lonely. "If he has another option, I assure you I won''t step in," Rain said happily with a tone of sarcasm. He really didn''t want to take care of his father''s affairs, so he wouldn''t have cared at all if Sanford had rejected his offer.


    "I''m sure that Mr. Ke will seriously consider the arrangement," said Lawrence quickly. Lawrence dared not say anything more as he was afraid that he might provoke his young master and make him angry. He knew his young master''s temperament very well. Although he seemed gentle, if pushed he could be very ruthless indeed.


    "You need to be more careful! Keep in touch with me. See you, Lawrence."


    Rain said, showing no interest in going into the hospital to visit his father. "Thank you! See you, Mr. Rain," Lawrence replied. He didn''t ask his young master to go and see his father because he knew that he was unable to persuade him to do anything that he didn''t want to do.


    In the face of adversity, Sanford, although once a high-profile businessman had to ept his son''s offer and arrangement. Yet, he wasn''t discouraged because he felt that his rtionship with Rain was slowly getting better.


    Although Rain didn''t like his father very much, he did call Lawrence regrly to ask about his physical condition. As far as Rain was concerned, he had done all that he could for him.


    Sheena turned up at Sanford''s new house and begged him for forgiveness. But he didn''t want anything to do with her and drove her out of his house by beating her with his crutch. After all, it was because of her that he was reduced to such a degrading position. He could never forgive her.


    Seeing that her husband had turned his back on her and not ept her into his home, she went to Tiana to ask for help. "Tiana, for all the years I have been raising you, you must help me. You can''t be that cruel to see me live on the streets," said Sheena, pleading with her.0000

 Chapter 1778 Pregnancy Syndrome (Part Two)

    "You asked for all of this! If you hadn''t stolen the certificate and given it to your son, then you wouldn''t be homeless now! Don''t you think it would be better to go cry to your two good sons rather than cry to me?" It was not that Tiana wasn''t grateful and didn''t want to repay Sheena. She knew her all too well. Once Sheena got what she wanted she wouldn''t stop asking for more. If Tiana helped her now then she would most certainly ask for more help in the future. So she couldn''t show any mercy to Sheena, otherwise, it would only bring trouble to her older brother Rain again. "Well! You ungrateful bad girl! How dare you bite the hand that fed you? All my efforts in taking care of you for all of these years have all been in vain. Now that you have grown up, you have stronger wings to fly away from me. But you won''t repay my hard efforts. You have an ungrateful soul!" she yelled at her angrily. Sheena was hoping that she would show her some mercy due to their long rtionship. But she didn''t expect Tiana to turn her down without a second thought.


    "What exactly, is it that you think you have done for me?" she said ring angrily back at Sheena. "You just used me as a pawn to get to my father-that''s what you did! Apart from that I really don''t know what else you have done for me. Don''t give me your sob story about how you cared for me as a daughter. For me, I never felt that love from you because it never existed! All you did was acting like that you cared me only to put on a show in front of my father. So don''t feel grieved and hurt for what I am doing to you now!" Tiana poured out what she had bottled up in her heart for all those years and she felt greatly relieved.


    These days she had been getting along really well with her brother Rain, she felt what real kinship was. She felt loyalty towards him and didn''t want to risk their rtionship because of Sheena.


    "Damn you! You stupid girl! Raising a dog would have been better than raising you! At least the dog would be loyal and wag its tail happily to me. But you! You are so ruthless and cold-hearted! Don''t count your chickens before they are hatched, Tiana. God will not just sit and watch you treat me this way. Sooner orter he will punish you for it!" Sheena cursed angrily. Sheena had grossly underestimated Tiana. She thought that she could easily manipte her as she had done in the past. But now, Tiana had grown and became a sophisticated and astute youngdy.


    "Then, I will wait for that moment toe. But I really don''t know who God is going to punish first!" Tiana seethed back. With those words, she coolly stood up, left coffee money on the table and nced coldly at Sheena then walked away.


    Sheena slumped back into her chair discouraged. She seemed to have lost to Fiona in every aspect. She thought of Fiona''s children and then of her own two sons, realizing that the contrast between the two sides was huge. So, she had to admit that she had lost. Lostpletely to her.


    By the end of summer, Daisy''s pregnancy was really showing as her belly had grown quite a bit. Edward was treating her like a national treasure. He had even started picking her up from work on a daily basis. It couldn''t be more obvious how much importance he put on her pregnancy.


    "Has the baby been obedient today?" he asked rubbing her tummy. Earlier, Edward had called themander as she was pregnant and he didn''t want her to be bothered by work. However, she lost her temper with him because of it. She asked him to stop meddling with her work and to trust her. Even though he stopped interfering with her work, he was still worried that she might overdo it. So hepensated by going to pick her up every day.


    "Pfft!" Daisy sniggered. The baby inside her belly was only small


    and she still wouldn''t be able to feel it moving just yet. Therger size military uniform that she was wearing hid her belly well.


    "Let me listen to it," Edward said lovingly. He put his ear to her belly carefully listening to any possible noiseing from the baby.


    "Did you hear anything?" Daisy loved the moments every time when Edward would show affection towards the baby. When she was pregnant with Justin, he didn''t treat her like that.


    "Yeah, I heard that someone''s stomach is growling," said Edwardughing. He was really amazed that a small human being was growing inside of her belly, so he kept watching the small changes in her body every day.


    "Edward, do you think that I am going to get fat?" Daisy asked a little bit upset. She had quite an appetite these days. Even after eating the cookies and apples in her office, she still found that she was hungry at the end of the working day.


    "Well, you really don''t have to worry about that. Even if you do put on a few extra pounds, you will still be beautiful to me and I wouldn''t love you any less. So don''t worry about that," said Edward sincerely. Suddenly he pulled out a cupcake and held it in front of her. "Ah! How did you know I was hungry?" Daisy said pleasantly surprised. Daisy took a quick bite out of the cupcake and found that it was her favorite vor.


    "Well, I think I know what you like by now. You have a wonderful and considerate husband who dotes on his wife 24/7," he said smiling. Daisy felt that Edward was bing a real softy, but she wasn''t about to stop him. She appreciated his kind gestures recently, including the cupcake he was offering now.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Has Justin returned from summer camp?" Daisy asked. She really missed her son. He was all grown up now and was less attached to her.


    "Yes, he arrived earlier today. Mom and dad went to pick him up at the airport. They''re probably on their way back home right now," Edward replied. Edward''s feelings for Justin were opposite to Daisy''s. Of course, he loved his son dearly, but he preferred that his son was exposed to the outside world so he could learn from experience and be more self-reliant. These skills woulde in very handy when he eventually took over FX International Group in the future.


    "I wonder if he got a tan," Daisy said with concern in her voice. It wasn''t a problem if he got a slight tan, she was more concerned that he didn''t get sunburn.0000000????

 Chapter 1779 Pregnancy Syndrome (Part Three)

    "What''s the matter with being tanned? It''s healthy to get some vitamin D," Edward replied. He handed her a bottle of water while he started the car and drove out of the army base.


    "I know that you are right. But I can''t help but worry about him. What if he was bullied or had some altercation with someone," she said with growing concern. Daisy had be extremely sensitive ofte. Maybe it was due to her pregnancy. "He will be fine, stop worrying! You know how clever he is and besides, he is my son. Who would dare bully him," said Edward with confidence. His confidence, after all, wasn''t just based on idle gossip. He had his own qualification and strength.


    "It''s because you always fill his mind with such talk and I fear that he may start to be over-confident," said Daisy frowning. Daisy''s concerns were justified. Justin was entering puberty and if he wasn''t properly guided, he could be like one of those cocky second- generation rich kids, with nopassion for others or skills of his own.


    "Well mydy, don''t you think that you are over worrying? I mean, if you don''t believe in Justin, you should believe in yourself. After all, it was your strict guidance that has set the boundary for him," said Edward trying to calm her worries. Edward felt helpless. Ever since Daisy had be pregnant, her demeanor had greatly changed. Instead of being the confident, secure and positive person that she used to be, she seemed to be gued with second-guessing herself and unnecessary insecurities and just worrying about everything all the time.


    "Well, I don''t believe in you. It''s you that is corrupting our son," said Daisy. Like many women in the pregnancy, she was experiencing a lot of mood swings and body changes. Although, being a soldier she thought that she would''ve been able to cope with the changes much better than she was, she could see that she was losing her agility and that all had been adding to her low self-confidence.


    "Me? What about me? I not only listen to every order that you give me, but also take over the driver''s job to pick you up every day," Edward said a little hurt and confused. In the past, Edward would never have dreamed of being so submissive to a woman. But this was Daisy whom he loved dearly and was willing to do anything for.


    "Even if you didn''te to pick me up, I have my own driver," she said pouting. It was because of him that Mark had lost his position as her driver.


    "But I am free of charge and I also love and care for you," said Edward firmly as he drove the car slower and more careful than usual.


    Daisy didn''t continue with the conversation. Instead, she took in the scenery outside the car. S City was always so breathtakingly beautiful, especially at dusk.


    By the time they got home, Justin had already arrived. As soon as he saw his mom and dad he ran to greet them excited.


    "Mom, dad, what took you so long?" It was the first time that Justin had been away from home and it was for a whole month. He found that he missed his family and home a lot.


    "Justin,e here. Let mom have a good look at you. Howe you have be so thin?" Daisy said pinching his cheeks gently. Before he went camping, he had been plump and now he was much thinner.


    "Mom, if you have a better look, you''ll see that I am not thinner but sturdier," he said proudly. But all the while, he was exchanging silent looks to his father as if asking, "What''s going on? Why isn''t mom like the former high spirited and vigorous senior Colonel that she used to be?"


    Edward shrugged his shoulders as if he had no idea. He had to endure her changes in silence because he was the one that tricked her and made her pregnant again at that time.


    "No, you really are skinnier. The food at the camp couldn''t have been very nice and they had no snacks avable. How hungry you must have been," said Daisy with watery eyes. She was particrly sensitive now.


    "No mom, the food there was fine and they had plenty of snacks. Of course nowhere near as good as at home," said Justin trying tofort his mom. But inside Justin felt smothered. He wondered if the woman fussing over him was still his nonchnt mom as before. He was really wishing that his mom was just pretending to behave like that.


    "What kind of activities did you do? Did you win any prizes orpetitions?" asked Daisy suddenly. It was so unlike his mother to ask him such trivial things, yet another surprise to Justin.


    "I joined in a lot of activities but there were very few opportunities to win a prize," replied Justin honestly. He felt like he belonged with the kind of teenagers that knew a little about everything but weren''t really good at any of them. He didn''t really regard the camp as a starting point to his sess.


    "Well, let me cut in for a moment." Edward cut in before Daisy could drag the conversation out with trivial questions that would further uncover her state of mind.


    "Dad thanks for saving me from mom''s questions. But I''m confused. Why has mom changed so much?" Justin asked concerned. He had only been away for a month and when he came back his mother had changed so much.


    "Don''t worry about it. Your Uncle Tom said that it''s called pregnancy syndrome. She will be back to her normal self once the baby is born. So, there is nothing to concern yourself with," said Edward in a low voice. When Edward had noticed the change in Daisy, he was too worried that something terrible might have been going on with her. So he specifically asked Tom for advice.


    "That''s all right. I was worried that she would be like that all the time. It scared me a bit," said Justin taking a big relieved breath. He was shocked at his mother''s unusual behavior. He was used to her being solemn and stern.


    "What are you two talking about behind my back? Are you talking about me?" asked Daisy eyeing them suspiciously. Daisy knew that they were concerned about her odd behavior. She was doing it all deliberately to punish them for putting so much pressure on her to have another baby.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "No, absolutely not!" The two of them answered spontaneously. However, that only deepened Daisy''s suspicion about them.


    "Really?" asked Daisy skeptically. Daisy was actually ying them for a fool. Now that they were all fussing around her because she was pregnant, she decided that she was going to enjoy all of the attention. After the baby was born, she could no longer fool them and use pregnancy syndrome as an excuse.


    "Really! We are not talking about you. Justin, Come on and take out the gift you bought for mom," Edward suddenly blurted out. That was really sneaky of dad to throw Justin into the firing line, just so he could escape from Daisy''s inquiry.


    "Really! That''s so nice of you Justin," said Daisy looking at Justin pleased. When he saw how happy his mother was, Justin didn''t have the heart to tell her that he didn''t buy anything. He gave his father a disappointed look. He wondered how his father could do such a thing to him - trapped him and put him in an awkward position like this. He had enough of that!00

 Chapter 1780 Jasmine Ouyang (Part One)

    The three members of the Mu family were gathered in the spacious living room. The two adults sat on the long sectional chesterfield sofa as young Justin ufortably faced his parents. He shifted his feet from side to side. "Um... I''m sorry Mummy. I have been in the summer camp all these days and didn''t have time to buy a gift, as you know it." An awkward smile was stered on Justin''s face as his hands absentmindedly fiddled with his hair, but his steely eyes nced sideways at Edward in an annoyed fashion. ''All these troubles are because of him, Justin thought to himself.


    "It is only an excuse," said Daisy. She pouted and crossed her arms like a little girl who didn''t get the toy she wanted. When Edward saw her acting like a cute little child, he couldn''t help but internally squeal at her adorable actions even if it was theplete opposite of his strong-willed persona.


    "No, it''s not. I''m telling the truth, Mummy! If you really want it, I can make up for it next time. What do you think of my idea?" Justin almost yelled out his words in a flurry to defend himself. ''Is she really my mummy? Why do I feel more scared after she changed?'' "You mean I let you go this time? Hmm... I''ll think about that." Daisy relented, and decided to act kind this time. Her folded arms rxed themselves to her sides.


    was.


    "That''s great! Mummy is always the best!" Justin almost cried in relief. He released a deep sigh he''d been holding for quite a while. He felt so grateful to escape that it was as if the world was so beautiful again--as long as his mother didn''t speak about the gift thing, that Edward looked at his son and his wife andughed softly, a bemused but peaceful expression on his face. He hadn''t expected to have a happy life in this world they lived in, but fate had been kind enough and given him far more than he could think of.


    However, Daisy suddenly stopped acting cute at the same time. If she kept doing that, she believed that something unpleasant might happen. ''A woman should know when to stop. It is not a good idea if I act too much.'' Daisy knew that clearly as she ceased her actions. The next days passed by idly and quietly. Daisy attended the maneuver on the battleground once, which worried her anxious husband to no end because there might be a disastrous ident waiting to happen to their unborn baby. Luckily, there was none of the sort and the baby seemed strong enough. It just stayed quietly in its mother''s womb and everything went well.


    Before the expected day of childbirth, Daisy had agreed to stay at home, which made Edward hugely relieved as he had been the anxious husband all the time. However, Daisy did not take her time off for leisure. She busied herself with studies of military strategies, tactics, and weapons every day during her stay at home.


    Meanwhile, Edward thought to himself. He did wish to have a daughter this time, but he managed to control himself and told Daisy not to check the sex of the baby. He quite liked the experience of expecting a surprise about the baby.


    Soon enough, the much-awaited day came. Although Edward was fully prepared for everything, he was still in a flurry and kept double checking everything. He was not the same calm businessman as he was in the CEO''s office. On the other hand, Daisy was prepared well enough. Since it was her second time to give birth, plus the fact that she exercised a lot, she had a smooth birthing experience this time. That changed Edward''s perception about babies'' birth. Just as Edward hoped, their little bundle of joy turned out to be a girl. He was extremely happy to wee their daughter to the world, and Justin felt even more ecstatic.


    "Daddy, is it true that I have a sister, a younger sister?" Justin asked Edward again and again excitedly, the balls of his feet itching to jump out of joy. They were gathered in Daisy''s hospital room, where they gushed over the newborn baby. A wide smile couldn''t help blooming on Justin''s face. ''I can''t believe Daddy was right. I have a lovely younger sister now. I will take her like a princess, '' Justin thought to himself happily as he kept his hold on the baby, not willing to put her down.


    "Aren''t you holding her in your arms?


    It''s one hundred percent correct!


    You should be careful when holding her, I am telling you." Edward stared like a hawk at his son who held the baby, even though Justin just sat at the sofa chair. He was ready to take the newborn from Justin any time in case anything happened.


    "I know that and I will be careful." Justin replied tly, not taking his eyes off his little sister. Justin held his baby sister in the gentlest and most careful way possibly in fear that he might hurt her. However, his arms soon felt rigid and stiff as he had held her for quite a long time. Meanwhile, Daisy was extremely exhausted and soon fell asleep on her bed. The roompsed into a peaceful quiet. It was just Edward and Justin who were left to take care of the baby.


    The door suddenly clicked open. "Edward, congrattions! You just got your wish." Tom, who wore his usual pristine white doctor''s suit, bustled cheerily into the room. Tom still wore his stethoscope around his neck. He must have just finished his work. "Of course I got my wish. I always get what I want!" Edward replied rather proudly as a grin broke onto his face. ''Now I also have a son and a daughter, just like Rain who could not show off about it any more.'' Edward thought as he snickered to himself. "You are being narcissistic again. I know you." Tom said. He hit the mark with a singlement. He was rather speechless at Edward who always seemed so selfcent no matter what situation.


    "So? Are you jealous of me? Why not ask your wife to have a baby again?" Edward said in a carefree voice. He was clearly still basking in happiness because of the newborn baby. Edward fully wore his joy on his sleeve and made no effort to hide it. And why not indeed, he could be at peace and his heart was fine now after all the constant worrying for thest ten months.


    "No, never. I don''t want Patricia to trod her neck on me once again," Tom said. He still had the jitters. ''All the women will be the same when they are pregnant. They cannot get annoyed a little bit at all, or the consequences will be severe, '' Tom told himself. "As you said, Patricia is bad tempered, isn''t she?" Edward asked. Edward said this intentionally when he saw Patricia enter the room and close the door with a soft click.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    "Don''t you think so?" asked Tom.


    Tom felt a little shiver run down his spine when he thought of Patricia''s behavior when she was pregnant. He couldn''t help but feel a little scared and wouldn''t want to experience that again. "How would I know that?" Edward said. Edward would never speak ill of Patricia to her face, so he smartly said nothing about Tom''s question.


    "Oh, I will never think of that again! I feel too miserable whenever I think of that time. Patricia was like a tigress!" Tom shook his head woefully. It was evident that it was a really unhappy time.


    "Tom, did I scare you that much?" Patricia happily came to visit but when she heard her husband''s words just now, her good mood was immediately spoiled.


    "What? When did youe in? Oh my, you truly surprised me!" Tom almost cried out. He was being weird. What was wrong with him?

 Chapter 1781 Jasmine Ouyang (Part Two)

    "It doesn''t matter when I came in. You just know that I''ve heard every word you said just now." Patricia hissed and it was obvious that she was mad at Tom. ''How could Tom say that? He actually said I was like a tigress? Was I that frightening?'' The more Patricia thought about it, the angrier she became.


    "Please, never think of that. I just walked into Edward''s trap!" Tom exined frantically to Patricia, desperate to keep his wife calm. Tom looked at Edward with pleading eyes. How much he wished that Edward could speak nice things about him, but he totally forgot that Edward was actually a merciless person who would do no such kind things. However, it would be useful to remember that Edward showed mercy by not hitting when someone was down. It was just impossible for him to say nice things about someone.


    "If you didn''t think so, how could you walk into his trap? What Edward did is just your excuse," Patricia replied to Tom. Patricia gave Tom a sour look but soon enough, the cute baby in Justin''s arms caught her attention. "Edward, please say something," Tom almost cried as he asked the man for help. Tom really flopped this time. It mattered as it determined whether he would sleep in bed or on the couch tonight.


    "I have nothing to say." Edward simply shrugged. ''What Tom has done is really meaningless. If I am willing to speak nice things about him, I would have reminded him of hering.'' Edward chuckled to himself amusingly. "Justin, there''s your sister! How adorable she is! Would you let me hold the baby for a while?" Patricia asked Justin kindly. Patricia was itching to stretch her arms out and hold the baby, excitement evident in her twinkling eyes.


    "Of course I would. But you must be careful!" said Justin. Justin''s arms still felt stiff as he dared not to move when he held the baby for such a long time, so he had a little difficulty when he gave the baby to Patricia. Finally, the stifling weight was gone and he could stretch his rigid limbs.


    "I know that. You know I held Eden a lot when he was a baby," said Patricia. Patricia held the baby with great care. Maybe it was a long time since she had held a baby in her arms, as she felt that she was so small. The baby''srge eyes stared up at her curiously and Patricia couldn''t help but smile.


    "I was a little worried that you would be a little rusty," said Justin. Now, Justin was only ten years old yet he was already like an adult when he spoke.


    "Don''t worry! I will never hurt your sister," said Patricia, as she held the baby carefully and rocked her back and forth a bit. She touched the baby''s soft, little pink face. She thought that the little girl was like an exact copy of her father.


    Justin felt a little embarrassed as he watched how Patricia handled the baby. He scratched his nose and smiled sheepishly as he felt that he was overly careful when he held her awhile ago.


    A little whileter, Daisy had woken up. Tom and Patricia already went away so when she opened her eyes, the first people she saw were the two most important ones in her life.


    "Justin," Daisy called her son''s name. Her voice sounded very weak.


    "Sweetheart, how do you feel? Are you all right?" Edward said as he got up. The moment he saw Daisy wake up, he immediately rushed to the bed.


    "Yes. I am fine," Daisy said with a smile.


    "Mummy, I am here." Justin answered his mother.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    He came over too, at the other side of her bed.


    "How long did I sleep?" asked Daisy, her voice still husky from just having woken up. She was exhausted during thebor, and she felt that she had a long sleep.


    "It was not too long. Only a little longer than three hours." Edward answered gently.


    He gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek.


    "Where is the baby? She must be hungry," Daisy asked, looking around in search of her little daughter. She fed the baby with her breast milk the first time when taken out of the delivery room. However, Daisy thought that after such a long time, she must be hungry again. "Don''t worry. The baby is fine. Mum has fed her some milk just now when she saw you were sleeping soundly," Edward said with a smile. Cynthia came together with Jonathan in the room just a while ago. Since she waited for Mrs. Wu to finish cooking up the soup for Daisy before she went away, they arrivedte at the hospital.


    "Where is Mum? Has she returned home?" Daisy said as she tried to sit up, but she found that her body was actually still quite weak. She then stopped trying and remained lying on the bed instead.


    "No. She is together with the baby, who is bathed by the nurse now. I think they will be back in a minute. Would you like something to eat?" Edward said. Compared to her body before pregnancy, Daisy only gained a slight amount of weight. She did not gain much as most of the nourishment she had eaten had been absorbed by the baby, who weighed as much as over three kilograms. Her daughter was of the plump and heavy set.


    "I will eat something after a while. I don''t want to now," Daisy answered. She was not hungry at all but she felt her breasts swell and hurt a little.


    "Mummy, I''ll go see if my sister is finished or not," Justin said quickly and left in a hurry. Justin decided to leave deliberately as he knew his parents needed to be alone for a while.


    "All right. Please don''t go somewhere else," Daisy reminded her son. Although Justin was a smart young boy who would never be lost in the hospital, his mother couldn''t help but worry about him. To be fair, Daisy was a parent after all and she cared a lot about her kids. "Ok, I got you. Okay?" Justin replied. He quickly scurried away to the door as he gave his father a meaningful nce.


    "Justin has always been in a hurry. Why does he not slow down. The floor is very slippery." Daisy murmured and then flushed into a deep shade of red when she caught Edward staring hard at her swollen breasts.


    "Sweetheart, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You did a lot for me." Edward said in a gentle voice as he looked up at her eyes. Edward ran his fingers through her soft hair. Her hair was cut shorter to make it easier for her pregnancy.


    "So, you must be very nice to us from now on." Daisy said. Daisy was never the cutesy type of person, although sometimes she yed the sultry coquette. Most of the time however, she was open and expressed herself in a straightforward manner.


    "Of course I will be nice to all of you from now on till the end of my life! Actually, that''s not enough. I will be nice to all of you even in my next life as you are all my life," Edward said solemnly and made a promise. He thought he would have felt ecstatic after the baby was born, but it was quite the opposite when their baby arrived. He felt more guilty and heartbroken. He had missed many days of being with his wife and family while she had patiently waited for him all along. Although she loved him so much, she never begged him to return until he truly found his love for her, and finally came back to her atst.

 Chapter 1782 Jasmine Ouyang (Part Three)

    released from the hospital and now stayed at home. She soon arrived at her destination and parked her car.


    Leena loaded her car with the gifts and closed the door. When she deemed everything ready, she got into the driver''s seat and drove to Daisy''s ce. She was busy with preparations for her fashion week abroadst week so when she flew back, Daisy was already The gates of the house opened and she carefully stepped inside. "Daisy, I miss you so much," eximed Leena. She brought a lot of presents with her, in an effort to make up for her absence in thest few days.


    "How''s your work going? Is everything going well?" Daisy asked. She looked at Leena softly, a gentle smile on her face. Unlike other birth moms who usuallyy in bed, Daisy preferred to stay in the garden doing a lot of sunbathing.


    "Yes! We sessfully signed many new contracts this year so we will make a great profit." Leena replied with a big smile. The brand LN Fashion was getting more and more popr these years and of course, Leena got much busier. However, Leena did well to bnce her family and career. For her, her family was more important than her job and that would alwayse first.


    "Congrats! That''s great!" Daisy felt genuinely happy for her. ''It seems that Richard will have enough money secured in the future, ''Daisy thought to herself. Daisy congratted Leena heartily. Leena was a girl who was born into a rich family but she worked the hardest. Daisy spoke highly of such behaviors.


    "I should be the one saying congrattions to you. Where is the baby?" Leena said. She looked around, but no one else was there.


    "Inside the room?" Leena guessed. "Yes. Her grandma is taking care of her. She''s too young to be carried outside," Daisy replied. "I''m just staying outside for a while, but her grandmother worries about me a lot. She believes that all new birth mummies should keep on the tradition of staying inside the room for a whole month because that will be good for my health--but I can''t stand it. Staying in my room for a whole month will drive me crazy," Daisy said apologetically.


    "Alright then, I''ll go see the baby inside," said Leena. Leena rushed into the room excitedly and quickly opened the door to the house. She was happy like a little girl and no one could tell that she actually was a mother herself!


    Daisy walked in the house as well after Leena. She had not seen Leena for a long time and wanted to ask her about ire.


    "Hi, Aunt Cynthia. I came here to see the baby," Leena greeted Cynthia politely when she saw the elder woman in the house. She was rocking the baby back and forth in her arms. Leena was always the gentle girl, still as kind as ever.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    "Hi, Leena. Nice to meet you. Jasmine, look! It''s your aunt Leena," Cynthia cooed to the baby after greeting Leena. The baby giggled a little as Cynthia put the baby into Leena''s waiting arms.


    "Wow, how cute you are!


    She''s so adorable. Is her name Jasmine?


    Aunt Cynthia, is this her pet name?" asked Leena, a bit puzzled.


    Leena kissed the baby on her soft, chubby cheek at the same time.


    "No," Cynthia answered.


    A smile came onto Cynthia''s face.


    "It isn''t her nickname? It is her formal name? Jasmine Mu. It sounds so strange!"*


    *TN: In Chinese, the pronunciation of Jasmine is ''Moer'' which sounds like the family name Mu, so when the name and the family name are read together, it sounds strange. Leena did not understand at all.


    "No. It will be Jasmine Ouyang." Cynthia exined to Leena. Cynthia was also confused when she heard the baby''s name at first. Then her son, Edward said that the name was meaningful. The reason why he let his daughter use the family name Ouyang, her mother''s family name, was that he hoped in the future for Jasmine to remember the hard days when her mother was pregnant with her.


    "Ah, I see. Jasmine follows Daisy''s family name!" Leena was quite surprised at this as she could not imagine Edward, who was a proud man would do that for Daisy.


    "Yes. That it is," said Cynthia. "Edward insisted. So we have to agree with him." To tell the truth, Daisy never expected that Edward loved her so much. Even before she asked, Edward had made up his mind to name their daughter Jasmine Ouyang. He said he wanted Jasmine to remember the hard days of her mother''s pregnancy with her, but Daisy actually understood his real reason. Since Edward was not together with Daisy when she was still little, he hoped this would show some of his love to little Jasmine, to make up for it in some way.


    "Dear Jasmine, you daddy has a great expectation of you," said Leena. Leena knew that choosing to do so must have a special meaning. Only he and his wife understood what it meant.


    "I don''t expect she will make great achievements. I just wish she could have good character like you do, which everybody loves," Daisy said to Leena. That was the real expectation Daisy had. There were already many excellent girls in the world and she did not wish her daughter must be forced to be another one. What she truly wanted was for her daughter to grow up peacefully and happily.


    "No. I don''t agree. Little Jasmine, you understand? Please don''t follow my footsteps. You should be as strong as your mummy," Leena said. Leena did not think that she was a good role model, so she opposed quite strongly.


    "Our little Jasmine will learn from nobody. She is just herself. She will have her own characteristics." Cynthia could not help but to interrupt the twodies when she heard the conversation between Daisy and Leena.


    "That''s true. The little girl looks so beautiful and she must attract many boys when she grows up," Leena said as she stroked the baby''s soft, tiny fingers. She liked little Jasmine so much. She didn''t want to put Jasmine down as she continued to y with her. "Oh, no. If that is true, it will be hard for her to find her true love," Daisy said. Daisy did not want her daughter to follow her steps as she was too defensive to find her true love. She really hoped that her daughter could easily find her Mr. Right.


    "Daisy, you are worrying about Jasmine about her love now? Is it a bit too early to think of that?" Leenaughed at Daisy. "You are a really good mother!" Despite joking with Daisy, Leena envied her at the same time. She understood that she would never have such a happy time of bringing a baby into the world in her life again. It was very fortunate for her to have Richard and she knew she had gotten enough.


    "On the contrary, I''m not the one caring for her too much. You can see how much her daddy spoils her. He takes her as the apple of his eye," Daisy said. Daisy found herself a little jealous of her daughter when she thought of that. It was said that a daughter was her father''s lover in his another life. Now, that saying had proven itself true because Edward focused all his attention on Jasmine and had seemed to forget about his wife Daisy, his current lover.


    "I can imagine it. But the one who loves Jasmine the most should be Justin," Leena said. Leena said so because she knew how much Justin wanted a younger sister for quite a while, and now that his baby sister was born, he must be thrilled.


    "I think he would be another Mr. Cold, who spoils his younger sister too much," said Daisy. She didn''t doubt it at all. Her little daughter would be spoiled rotten by the two most important men in her life.


    "Yes, of course! Duke has a sessor now," Leena said. "I really look forward to seeing that." She got excited whenever she thought about it as it meant that she got a good excuse to tease Duke, the ever serious and overbearing businessman.

 Chapter 1783 A Tough Princess (Part One)

    Justin had no idea he had just been made fun of. He still had a way to go with the various social nuances of the time. He shuddered as a gust of cold wind blew his way in the office. His eyes went to the direction of the frigid air.


    "Uncle Aaron, is the air-conditioning malfunctioning? I''m pretty sure I felt a cold breeze wash over me just now," he asked as he met eyes with Aaron. Today was a holiday. As per his father''s directive, he was required to be at the FX International Group for practice whenever school was out. Justin liked to think this was part of his father''s grooming him to be the next head of thepany. So as usual, he was at the office right now.


    "No. I don''t think so. Anyway, focus. You''d better take a look at these documents thoroughly first. The CEO mentioned he''ll be giving out random examinations," Aaron reminded the young protege. Justin had been exposed to the cutthroat world of business in the FX International Group at the tender young age of eight. Now, much more grown up, he had no problems handling simple documents.


    "I can''t see him in his office. Where''s my daddy now?" Justin asked while already looking at the stack of documentsid out before him. He sighed inwardly. Whenever the thought of his future as the heir of this massivepany, Justin couldn''t help but feel stressed. "The CEO went home, apparently. He said that we can only call him if it is absolutely necessary," Aaron answered passively. He didn''t even need to guess as to why Edward rushed to get home this early. He definitely went home for his little daughter. Aaron smirked at the thought.


    "Really, now? Isn''t he going too far by going back home to see my younger sister by himself while he leaves me at thepany to sort out all these documents?" Justin said with a pained expression. Frustration washed over him and he couldn''t help but bend over the desk. He shifted ufortably. He was a genius and he knew that. Such was the fate of people like him. If he was any other kid, he would''ve been ying with no care in the world like a normal kid his age instead of being surrounded by towering stacks of documents. If these papers were stacked altogether, they would''ve surpassed his height three times over. Such was the price a prodigy had to pay for his outstanding talent.


    Aaron could feel the frustration emanating from Justin. His cheeks flushed out of sympathy. He just stroked Justin''s head gently and thought that he was powerless to do anything but ept the fact that he had a scheming father, though he did think that this was for Justin''s own good.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    As soon as she was born, Jasmine was destined to be loved by everyone around her, and be a high-profile person in the future.


    By the time when she was at the tender age of four to five years old, there were already a considerable number of properties under her name. It was obvious how favored she was in the Mu Family. She was their little angel.


    While the little princess was prancing on with a halo on her head without a care for the world, Daisy on the other hand, was helpless against her. The little angel always fought her mother for her husband, such as now.


    "Major General Ouyang, what are you doing? Daddy is mine. Who permitted you to sit on his legs?" the little girl made theint against her mother with puffed up cheeks and mild annoyance. She stood firm with a strong appearance. If anybody else saw her, she would still look incredibly cute.


    "Well, you''d better ask your Daddy about this. It wasn''t my decision to sit this way, he just wouldn''t let me go," Daisy felt like weeping when she heard this, but no tear flowed. It was said that a daughter was like a smaller, neatly packaged bundle offort for her mother. But in this case, Daisy''s daughter was more like her rival.


    "Daddy, tell me why you won''t let Major General Ouyang go?" the little girl pointed a stubby little finger at the man who was smiling and pondering, obviously amused.


    "Jasmine, first you have to tell daddy why I can''t carry mommy in my arms or on my legs," Edward said. Fights like this were amon urrence every week, which Edward had gotten used to. What he never could get used to was the aftermath of it disrupting the intimacy between him and his wife, which was always disturbed by their little daughter. She didn''t really y by the conventional logic.


    "Because daddy is Jasmine''s and Jasmine is going to marry daddy when I''ve grown up. That''s why daddy can''t be together with mommy," the little girl exined with all the sincerity and courage she could muster. Her cheeks puffed anew, and she kept on pouting. Upon hearing this, Daisy let out a chuckle. Her daughter was trying her best to be intimidating but she could only look cuter and more amusing. Maybe this was happening because she was often not at home. Jasmine was definitely much closer with Edward.


    "My little angel, let''s set that matter aside until you''ve grown up! Right now, your daddy still belongs to me," Daisy turned to her husband while saying this and stretched out her arms to hug Edward by the neck in a defiant and proud way, waiting to see how Jasmine would react.


    "No! I must defend my position from now on," Jasmine put one foot forward in retaliation. Her eyes were welling up with tears after her mother''s provocation.


    "Oho! I see you have a position. Now tell me what exactly that is," Daisy loved teasing the little girl, as the more she got mad, the cuter she got. It just melted her heart.


    "Daddy, look! Major General Ouyang is bullying me again," Jasmine pleaded as she turned to his father in an attempt to charm him. This was her usual tactic whenever she realized she was losing to her mother.


    "Major General Ouyang, please exin why you''re bullying my little princess," Edward had no choice but to y along and question Daisy with the title his daughter had addressed her mother, now that he was dragged into the little war.


    "Why, the reason''s quite simple! It''s because she is fighting against me for my own husband," Daisy answered as she raised her chin proudly, while staring intently at the man she loved so dearly. She would never admit defeat. The very notion made her cringe inside. All these years they were together, he had treated her with love and kindness without ever hindering her work. That was why she was able to work harder and attain the position of Major General. Hence, she was quite grateful for her husband.


    "There is no fight. Daddy is always mine," Jasmine cried out all of a sudden with her voice breaking up, she was visibly tearing up now.


    "Now, look at what you''ve done. She''s crying again," Justin walked into the living room in strides. He had grown up to be a handsome kid of fifteen years old. As soon as he heard his sister''s wails, he appeared almost instantly in front of them. He then bent down and carried Jasmine in his arms tofort her.00000000000

 Chapter 1784 A Tough Princess (Part Two)

    "Justin, Major General Ouyang fought against me for daddy," the little girlined in between sobs. Her nose was red and her eyes were still wet with tears. She looked adorable. Since her most prominent backer had arrived, she cried even harder. Moreover, she wiped her tears and snot with his white shirt. That kind of privilege only belonged to Jasmine. Anyone else who did that to Justin would be very likely toe to regret their decisions quickly as they were beaten ck and blue.


    "Let''s give daddy to her for now. Let me y with you instead, okay?" Justin asked in a soothing voice while wiping her tears away. Just as Leena had observed, Justin loved his sister even more than Duke loved Leena.


    "Hmm! Jasmine wants to go horseback riding with you, brother!" the little girl smiled even when her eyes were still moist and red after her brother''s offer. After all, she was only a kid.


    "Ah! "Why on earth would you want to y that again!" Justin felt helpless before his supreme little sister. Being a gentle and sophisticated individual, he had to satisfy his sister by ying her favorite game - horseback riding. Only in her version, Justin was the horse. He had to lie prone with a hunched back and let her ride on his back. Edward secretly took pleasure in Justin''s misfortune, because the little girl didn''t want anybody else to y the horse.


    Daisy tried suppressing herugh with her hand over her mouth to no avail. The scene unfolding before her was too funny. Her regal and sophisticated son, a prodigy and genius, on his knees on the ground ying horseback with a little girl whose smile could reach the heavens. As long as nobody fought her for her husband, she didn''t care whom the little girl brought disaster to.


    When years went by the time came for Jasmine to attend primary school, she grew up to be even prettier. She was lively and outgoing, and devilishly charming as well. She made friends in droves in her ss and other sections in her grade. Her poprity was mainly due to how Daisy educated and disciplined her daughter. Although Jasmine was a girl, Daisy didn''t want to treat her like a rare flower in the garden. Instead, she applied some of her spartan military training but also gave her freedom to explore her environment. As a result, Jasmine was set on the path to be an irondy.


    This was to the dismay of Edward and Justin, but neither of them dared challenge Daisy''s parenting decisions. In the Mu Family, Major General Ouyang had the final say in bringing up the children.


    To be fair, Daisy took a long time to carefully consider the decision she made. She wanted her daughter to be well-liked and respected instead of bing a spoiled rich girl who thought others to be beneath her. She strove to root out any sign of that mentality. So despite the disagreement of the two men in the family, she still brought up her daughter her own way.


    At the school grounds, the bell rang and soon the grounds were filled with schoolchildren waiting to be picked up. "Jasmine, is your elder brothering to pick you up?" one of her ssmates asked. As soon as school was over, she was surrounded by her fellow female ssmates, each of whom had a crush on Justin.


    "I''m not sure. Maybe brother Huey wille fetch me," Jasmine answered promptly while packing up her things and neatly putting them inside her backpack. She stood up from her seat and made her way out of the ssroom happily with her bag on her back. Since Huey was attending the middle school next door, he often picked her up and apanied her home. On a normal day, she took the bus home. Not for ack of a driver, but her mother instilled in her that she was a primary school student and not a rich youngdy. She must have the perseverance and spirit to endure the daily grind and hard work. That was why she was made to go to school ande back home by bus. Not that it bothered her. It had taken some to get used to at the start, but now it was all part of the daily routine for her. asionally her daddy and her elder brother sent her to school and fetched her, but only when her mother knew nothing. Otherwise, they would be punished together by her mommy as they did in the military.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    "Wow! Really? He looks so cold though and we dare not get close to him," her ssmate said. The school girls followed her out the ssroom. Jasmine was ten years old now and was far taller than most girls her age. She looked like a crane standing among chickens. "Yeah. Brother Huey is the coolest and handsomest among my elder brothers," Jasmine answered proudly. She always said the exact same thing when she bragged about her brothers. Each of her elder brothers had his own personality and style, no matter how old they were. However, they all had one thing inmon and that was their incredibly handsome appearances, which always brought droves of girls to pursue them.


    "Jasmine, how many elder brothers do you have? How can they all look so handsome?!" another ssmate of hers added. As primary school students in the fourth grade, they had only just begun to be aware of their feelings towards the opposite sex.


    "Let me count. Brother Justin from my own family, brother Huey from Uncle Rain''s family, brother Spencer from Uncle Duke''s family, brother Owen from Uncle Luke''s family, brother Richard from Aunt Leena''s family aaand... That''s all," Jasmine said while counting with her fingers.


    "There are so many of them! You''re so extremely lucky! You must be really happy," her ssmates eximed. They thought Jasmine only had two or three elder brothers, but she turned out to have as many as five. She was the envy of the group to the extreme. "Of course I am. Not only are they handsome, they''re all really studious as well," Jasmine said in a mysterious tone. Since all of her elder brothers had outstanding school records and had various honors, she often felt inadequate with her average grades. It was a good thing Major General Ouyang didn''t care much for high grades, otherwise she would be trained by her hard. Jasmine thought that the reason her mother was so strict with her was because she had fought against her mother for her daddy back when she was just a small child.


    "Wow! Really? Then can you introduce them to us?" the girls all came forward asking for an introduction, effectively surrounding Jasmine.


    "No. Well, let''s go. I have to get home now. Sorry to disappoint you girls, but the person who''ll pick me up isn''t anyone of my elder brothers, but my daddy," Jasmine said with a happy smile that could have reached the heavens. She waved goodbye to her ssmates as she saw Edward''s ultra-luxury car pull up the school driveway. She ran to her daddy happily.


    Edward had been waiting for his beloved daughter in the car. When he saw her running towards him, he quickly opened the door and stepped out. A number of years had passed, but his face was almost untouched by time and hardship. He was now more mature and reserved than ever before.00000000

 Chapter 1785 A Tough Princess (Part Three)

    "Daddy, how did you manage toe here?" Jasmine asked as she reached her daddy. She jumped at him in joy and hugged his muscr waist with her short arms.


    "I was on the way back after negotiating some business, honey. Since your school is on the way, I decided to pick you up on the way home," Edward reached with his hand and began to smooth her disheveled hair from all the running and jumping. He then lowered his head and gave her forehead a light kiss.


    "Then let''s hurry! Before mommy finds out that you picked me up," Jasmine hastily opened the door on the passenger side and got into the car. She dreaded her mother''s punishments, especially the long distance running.


    "Woah, take it easy! Your mommy went to a subordinatepany and won''t be back tonight," Edward said as he shook his head with a wry smile on the corners of his mouth. He wondered why his daughter feared only her mother and no one else.


    "Really? Daddy, that''s great news!" Jasmine went wild as soon as she heard Daisy was absent. Since she was the only person in the family who could suppress her, she could y as much as she wanted.


    "My little angel, is your mother that scary?" Edward asked the question after he saw the relief in Jasmine''s face. He hadn''t been able to understand why she feared Daisy so much. He had also scolded her at times, but she didn''t fear him like she feared her mother. "Of course! One look from her turns my blood to ice," Jasmine couldn''t help but shiver at the memory, as if Daisy was looking at her right now.


    "Aren''t you exaggerating a bit?" Edward frowned upon learning how her daughter felt. He didn''t have the same feeling.


    "I''m telling the truth. You''re not me, how can you possibly understand?!" Jasmine pouted, trying her hardest to be cute.


    "You''d better never say that to your mommy, or she''ll be upset," Edward reminded his daughter. He knew Daisy quite well. Despite her position of Major General, whichmanded respect and fear, she was still a woman. She wouldn''t feel okay knowing her own daughter feared her that much.


    "I know. I may not be as good as Justin in studying, but I''m not stupid," Jasmine started rummaging through the car''s drawers, looking for something to eat. She knew her daddy always had something to eat tucked away in the car.


    "I know you''re not stupid, you just don''t like studying," Edward quipped. This little girl liked being together with her grandfather. She was likely to be the leader of The Mayfly. To be honest, Edward had been opposed to that in the beginning, but his daughter was adamant in pursuing it. After weighing the pros and cons, he finally gave up preventing her, because he knew that it might be easy to stop the body, but there was no stopping the heart.


    "Hee! Daddy knows me best," Jasmine found her favorite brand of cookies by the box and began wolfing it down without hesitation.


    "Of course. I''m Edward Mu," Edward said proudly as he beamed at his daughter. His eyes then turned back towards the road. His little angel was taking more after his wife as time went by. The only difference between the two women in his life, was that Jasmine was more lively and sunny, so she came across as more charming.


    "You bragged again! When will you ever be modest, daddy?" Jasmine looked more like an lively, ordinary little girl than a soft, spoiled rich kid, just as Daisy wanted.


    "Why do I have to be modest? I know that you know how amazing your daddy is," Edward''s appearance might have stayed pristine over the years, but one thing was for sure, his skin had only gone thicker.


    "Let''s change the topic. Now that mommy is away, can I please, please go to The Mayfly to y? Please, daddy?" Jasmine pleaded. Her eyes turned into a puppy''s. She loved The Mayfly so much, because it was like the ce was built just for her. She was interested in everything there.


    "That''s not up to me. You know this. You need to ask your grandpa," Edward reminded, his eyes firmly nted on the road. Although he was Jonathan''s son, he had never, in all his life, been at The Mayfly. That was why he didn''t even know the exact location of the ce. Jasmine was an different case altogether, she practically lived there.


    "Grandpa won''t say no, so I know I can go there," Jasmine rubbed her hands together to get rid of the cookie crumbs. She wasn''t very fastidious.


    While focusing on getting her daughter safely home, Edward had aplex train of thoughts just going around and around his mind. He knew clearly that once Jasmine chose the Mayfly, there was no going back. Life there was hardly easy. That was exactly why her grandfather trained her so hard. The harder he was towards her now, the lighter the weight on her future will be.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "The Mayfly" might sound like a name for an average nightclub or entertainment venue, but it actually belonged to an organization that both the government and the local underworld thought twice to deal with. It had the qualities of both good and evil. This gray area was a difficult concept to grasp for ordinary people.


    Nobody could ever find the headquarters of the Mayfly if they didn''t previously know about it. Since it was located deep in the mountains, a natural forest surrounded the ce. A guide was needed to get to the ce. When the entrance was closed, nobody could ever imagine that there was a stronghold holding hundreds of experts beneath their feet.


    Needless to say, it took a lot ofbor and financial resources to even build such a ce, hence it was strong and magnificent. A whole mountain was hollowed out and aplicated cave was carved within. Anybody who didn''t know this would see the ce as an ordinary mountain.


    In fact, there were often only a few people in the Mayfly, because their agents had to perform tasks in the outside world most of the time. They would get together only to discuss important mission parameters. Jasmine spent half of her childhood there, where she was trained in advancedbat skills, escape routes and various advanced weaponry.


    In the beginning, she had aspired to be a military officer like her mother, butter she realized that she only loved the righteous passion of the military, but not the rigid structure it was built upon. She thought it was severely limiting of one''s freedom. In light of this, she chose the Mayfly without hesitation.


    When Jasmine reached the age of sixteen, she had be an agent of iparable expertise; A master of disguise and skill. She learned many practical skills and knowledge, though her school grades remained average at best. After all these years, her school record showed no improvement. Even Daisy, who hadn''t paid much attention to her daughter''s grades, started to worry. Jasmine would be taking college application exams in two years time. How could she ever be admitted to a good university with such an average school record?

 Chapter 1786 The Young Generation (Part One)

    Jasmine was the little princess of the Mu Family, and she had inherited all of her parents'' best attributes, growing into a beautiful girl. She was both beautiful and wise, though she chose not to apply herself to serious studies due to her whimsical nature.


    she was a perfect example of self-willed innocence.


    She had long and curly eyshes, which looked so delicate as to be mistaken for fake. Though only sixteen years old, she had already shaped into a ssical hourss figure. She was an object of desire to most men with her supermodel figure and divine features, but Jasmine came and went freely at the FX International Group with attentive looks upon each visit. This time she drew much notice from all corners, as she wore a white smock, draped beautifully from her shoulders, and hot pants, which showed off more than they concealed. Her long silky hair was parted and ited into two thick braids, which looked a bit tousled yet attractive. Her delicate oval face with big bright eyes added to her youthful appearance, and hinted at a lovable and approachable nature.


    "Justin, who''s that beautifuldy out there? Is she your new secretary?" She asked as she walked into the CEO''s office. With an easy spring, she jumped up quite unceremoniously to sit on her brother''s desk.


    "Yes, she is. Anna applied for her early retirement, so I had to appoint a new secretary. But what are you doing here?" Justin asked as he briefly raised his head from the files which he was reading over. He frowned at her revealing outfit, butcked the heart to criticize her for it.


    "I heard that Eden is returning from abroad today. Is it true?" Jasmine asked curiously as she absently yed with her braids.


    "Yes, it is. Why don''t you go pick him up at the airport?" Even during their conversation, Justin didn''t stop his work and continued to make notes in the files on the desk. After taking over the FX International Group two years ago, he had quickly converted to the workaholic lifestyle.


    "That''s not really appropriate. I don''t know him that well, after all," said Jasmine, pouting in perplexity. Eden had gone abroad to further his education at a very young age, so she knew little about this son of her parents'' friends.


    "Yeah, I guess you''re right. You were only six or seven years old when he left. It''s quite normal that you don''t know him well," Justin replied. He put down his pen and leaned back wearily in his chair. He had barely seen Eden for years as well, and all he knew about him was that he was a top medical student and was fast bing an expert in medical procedures. Now that he was about to graduate, many famous hospitals all over the globe were scrambling to hire his services.


    "Say, Justin. Do you think he ising back to take over from Uncle Tom as hospital director?" Jasmine asked. Due to her impetuous nature she often sustained minor injuries, which required emergency room visits. She had over time, and through necessity, learned a lot of first-aid skills from Tom at the hospital.


    "Well, I don''t believe so. Aunt Patricia told me that he is justing back for a vacation," Justin replied. He pinched the bridge of his nose, between his tightly shut eyes, trying to alleviate the fatigue which he suffered daily. After spending the entire morning buried in files, his eyes were exhausted and his brain actually throbbed.


    "Is that so? Justin, do you think that he will agree to teach me some more medical skills if I ask him nicely?" Jasmine asked as she jumped down from the desk. Lightly and lithely she walked behind Justin and started massaging his shoulders.


    He answered in azy tone, "Uncle Tom has already been a very good teacher to you. You have no need to get a new one. Don''t you think so?" He half-closed his eyes, enjoying the pleasure of tired muscles being relieved by her ministrations. One of the many reasons why Jasmine was treated so affectionately by all, was her kind considerate nature.


    "Uncle Tom said that I should content myself with basic first-aid knowledge. He also said that I should leave the rest to professional doctors." She pursed her lips, resting her head intimately on her brother''s shoulder.


    "What''s wrong with that? I totally agree with Uncle Tom. After all, it''s a very serious business to be a doctor, because it usually involves life-and-death decisions. Not everyone is cut out for that," Justin said in a half joking tone. He knew his younger sister better than anyone else. Despite her clever mind, the girl was too tetchy to bury herself in a specific study. But on the up side, she had developed excellent athletic abilities in her free time. Thanks to that, it would be difficult for an ordinary man to overwhelm or hurt her. "Humph! What do you mean by that? Do you think that I would hurt others when I try to treat and cure them?" Jasmine grumbled with annoyance. She pulled away from him and rolled her eyes. ''Okay, it seems that I can''t rely on him to help me with a reason to meet Eden, she thought.


    "Let''s go out now! I''ll treat you to lunch," Justin offered. He stood up from behind his desk and stretched hisnky frame. At roughly 1.9-meters-tall, he would tower over most, and Jasmine stood about a head shorter than him.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    "Great! Why don''t we invite Richard to go along with us?" Jasmine suggested happily. She and Richard got along well, perhaps due to their simr ages. Aside from that, his taste in clothing was always fashion-forward - which might be influenced by his mother, Leena - and he always looked cool.


    "He''s probably still in school now. I wonder if he can go with us," Justin said. Richard was attending a military school, and the strict discipline there offered him little freedom to socialize with friends.


    "I''ll call him to find out," Jasmine said. Taking out her phone, she started dialing his number.


    "Okay! I''ll hand some work over to my new secretary while you talk," Justin replied with a soft smile before leaving the office.


    After issuing his instructions, he turned around and was confronted by a downcast Jasmineing out of the office.


    "What happened? Can''t he make it?" Justin asked. He felt sorry when he saw his sister in low spirits. Every time Jasmine was down, he would feel terrible as well.000000

 Chapter 1787 The Young Generation (Part Two)

    "His phone is turned off, so I can''t even talk to him," Jasmine said, sighing. She was down in the dumps. Since Richard began attending the military school, she hardly saw him these days.


    "Maybe he''s in a training ss now. Well, let him be. Let us go then, just you and me!" Justin took her hand and strode towards the elevator. They had usually gathered together in a young group because of their parents'' friendships. But now, most of them had gone abroad for further study, and Justin had started work. He could understand Jasmine''s feeling lonely.


    "Okay, let''s go!" Jasmine agreed, then stopped suddenly as her brain flirted upon another thought, "Wait a minute. I just remembered that Joyce returned several days ago. Let me find out if she wants to join us!" She took out her phone again, beaming with pleasure. Joyce was a total goddess in Jasmine''s eyes. During the years, the girl of the Xia family''s twins had grown into a beautifuldy. She had cultivated an air of nobility and elegance, but she also did well in her studies.


    "Oh, you''re right! I almost forgot that. She must be on her summer vacation now," Justin said pping his forehead. Joyce had be a quiet and gentledy, and it was difficult for those who knew her as a child to recall that she had been a rude and unreasonable child. Her ethereal beauty made her look like a fairy. And as if with a magic wand, she had them all enthralled to her.


    Joyce was still in her bed when Jasmine called. She had stayed up writing an essay the night before. Stretching out her hand to take her phone from the night table she put it near her ear. "Hi. Who''s that?"


    "Hello, Jasmine here! Joyce, you sound sleepy. Are you still in bed? Oh,e on! It''s almost noon!" Jasmine teased. She could tell that Joyce hadn''t yet risen from her vague voice.


    "Good morning, Jasmine. Is something the matter?" Joyce asked, yawning. She sat up in her bed and nced at the rm clock on the night table. It was already eleven o''clock. ''No wonder Jasmine is making a fuss,'' she thought.


    "Justin wants to treat me to lunch! Would you like toe with us?" Jasmine almost pleaded. She waited for her answer expectantly. Joyce didn''t attend the university in their city, and she hadn''t seen her in a long time.


    "Of course I would. Tell me where I should meet up with you. I''ll be there as soon as I can." Joyce replied. She climbed out of bed and stood collecting her thoughts in front of the dressing mirror. Her eyes were a little swollen because of herck of sleep. At the other end of the line, Jasmine turned to look at Justin and asked, "Where will we have our lunch?"


    Justin pressed the button to open the elevator''s doors as he said, "It''s quite hot these days. What about having some light food? Tell her that we''ll head for Aunt Leena''s vegetarian restaurant." He reached out to his sister and pulled her into the elevator by the elbow, selecting the ground floor button.


    "Joyce, Justin wants to eat at Aunt Leena''s restaurant. Do you have any other suggestions?" Jasmine didn''t really care where they had lunch because she wasn''t a picky eater. But she knew it was different with Joyce - there were many dishes which she didn''t like eating. "No. That''s fine with me. See youter!" Joyce hung up the phone. She spared another nce at herself in the mirror and then moved through to the bathroom.


    The summer in S City was very hot, yet Joyce selected a long dress to wear. Her long, fine hair was swept back in a casual ponytail, which suggested a hint of casualness in addition to her elegant aura. The full garment suited her quiet personality very well. When she reached Leena''s vegetarian restaurant, the Fragrance, Justin and Jasmine were already seated and waiting for her. She greeted them with an apologetic smile, "Hi, long time no see! Sorry to keep you waiting for so long."This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    "Never mind, we only just arrived also. Joyce, you get prettier all the time! Don''t you think so, Justin?" Jasmine replied zealously. She stared at Joyce with adoring eyes. Joyce was a living goddess to her, and she admired her perfect beauty which seemed free from any trace of impurity.


    "That''s not true. Stop ttering me," Joyce denied promptly. Shyly she blushed and hid her face briefly behind her raised hands.


    "You''ve truly be more beautiful," Justin praised heartily. He poured a ss of water and set it gently in front of her. The sun was bright outside and a thin line of sweat beaded Joyce''s brow, so Justin thought that she must be thirsty.


    "Thank you, Justin!" Joyce picked up the ss and took a graceful sip. She was grateful for Justin''s consideration.


    "Have you adjusted to university life in C City?" Justin asked out of curiosity. He considered that she was like a pure lotus flower, and everyone around her couldn''t help protecting her from worldly impurities.


    "Yes, quite well, thank you. I am enjoying the life there." Joyce replied with a soft smile. She chose to go to university in C City, because she wanted to live alone and be more independent. If she had stayed in S City she would certainly have be fed up with her mother''s chatter.


    "Joyce, were there many male students pursuing you at your campus?" Jasmine began gossiping happily. She wondered what caliber man Joyce would be interested in, to match her sublime beauty.


    "Not really. Most men there don''t like my type of woman," Joyce answered honestly. She knew that she was too quiet for most men, who preferred a more gregarious type of girlfriend.


    "What? Those assholes must have a terrible standard then! You''re such a perfect beauty, how could they dislike you? Are they looking for a witch to be their girlfriend?" Jasmine spat angrily, feeling indignant for Joyce.


    "Jasmine, we''re in public! Please be polite." Justin reminded his sister in a low voice. He let out a helpless sigh. Every time Jasmine became emotional, she wouldn''t care about what words came from her mouth. He hoped that one day his sister could be as demure as Joyce.


    "Okay, I know. Be polite and elegant as ady... But, Justin, do you really think that I can ever be an elegantdy?" Jasmine asked impishly. She felt it would never be possible for her to act politely and obediently. Perhaps that would happen only in her next life? "You won''t know whether that''s possible if you don''t give it a try!" Justin tried to encourage her. He considered his sister reproachfully, but he believed their mother was the one to me for his sister''s wildness. He and Edward both wished Jasmine to be a gentle princess, but Daisy had nurtured her into a freewheeling hoyden.0000

 Chapter 1788 The Young Generation (Part Three)

    "Actually, I used to believe that I had the possibility of bing like that. But now, there''s no turning back," Jasmine said with relief. She was quite satisfied with her own personality. On the contrary, she would feel overwhelmed with pressure if she had to constantly act so primly like Joyce did. "There''s no turning back for what? What were you talking about?" Leena asked as she walked towards their table. She happened to be inspecting her restaurant when she saw the three of them.


    "Aunt Leena! I didn''t expect to see you here!" Jasmine greeted her delightedly. She jumped up with joy when she saw Leena, and weed her with a warm embrace.


    "Hey, Jasmine! You''ve grown into a youngdy now, but you still lose yourposure so easily like an eternal child! Do you want to break my old bones by hugging me so tightly?" Leena pretended to be angry with her overreaction, but she was ddened with seeing the youngsters.


    Jasmine pouted at being criticized. "Aunt Leena, you don''t look that old at all! Will anyone in the street believe you are over 40 years old? No! They will regard you as my elder sister, instead of my aunt!" she remarked mischievously.


    "Well, if only I were really that young! What an apple polisher you are! Although I know you are ttering me, I have to admit that I really enjoy it," Leena said with a smile. In fact, Leena appeared much younger than her actual age. Though well over 40, she looked to be a youngdy in her 20s, thanks to her special skin-care regiment.


    "Aunt Leena, don''t you know how eloquent she is? Her words are able to resurrect the dead." Joyce shook her head, teasing Jasmine intentionally.


    "Ha! I guess you''re right. So, when did you return to S City, Joyce? Your mother and I were talking about youst week!" Leena turned her eyes to Joyce. She took Jasmine''s hand and slid into the seat next to Joyce.


    "Just a few days ago. I was thinking about visiting you, but my mother dragged me about window shopping in the city for two consecutive days..." Joyce shrugged with resignation. The twins both attended university in other cities, while their father was upied with work, so she couldpletely understand her mother''s loneliness at home.


    "She must be tired of staying alone. You should treat her with consideration," Leena gave out a short sigh. She was somewhat envious of Annie, because she still had her daughter forpany sometimes. As for herself, she barely saw her husband and son at home. After the young generation grew up, they all left their parents and now strove for their own respective futures. It was impossible for them to stay with their parents forever.


    "I know it, Aunt Leena," Joyce said. She could sympathize with her mother''s feelings. However, it was a tough task for her to hang around in the city for so long, because of her quiet personality.


    "That''s good," Leena replied with encouragement and then changed the topic. "Well, have you ordered yet? Let me introduce several new dishes we have here to you! Each of them is well praised by all of our regrs." She picked up the menu on the table and started to arrange their lunch.


    After Leena appeared there, Justin had been typing away on his phone and pretending as if he didn''t see her at all. He wouldn''t have suggested having their lunch there if he had known that she would show up.


    "Little Justin, are you pretending that you don''t see me at all?" Leena noticed his avoidance, and she started to tease him as she usually did.


    "Aunt Leena, why do you insist on calling me that? Come on, I''m already an adult now, and not a little boy anymore!" Justin replied with an angry stare. So many years had passed by, but she still liked to make fun of him.


    "No, you will always be a child in my eyes, my dear!" Leena still retained her childlike innocence, and she enjoyed fooling around and annoying him.


    "But I feel that''s really...disgusting!" Justin almost flipped out, but restrained himself in the end. He could lose his temper with anyone else, but he dared not offend this arrogant aunt. Even now, she was still that same little princess in their parents'' eyes, and that was not likely to change with time.


    "Well, I like it, and it''s none of your business what I choose to call you," Leena irritated him purposely. Although she was in her middle age, her mentality was youthful and given to games and pranks. Perhaps that was one of the reasons why she looked so young still? "Okay, okay, it''s up to you. I won''t argue with you. But could you please ask your employees to cook faster? We are starving!" Justin said agitatedly. He felt it was never possible for him to win this aunt.


    "Jasmine, Joyce, do you feel hungry yet?" Leena turned to the girls, winking. She always liked to deliberately speak and act contrary to him and trip him up.


    "Not at all," the two girls answered simultaneously. They felt it refreshing to see Justin being made fun of, because his businesslikeposure always looked cool and calm.


    Justin didn''t expect that he would be so poorly supported. He stared at Jasmine and Joyce incredulously after he heard their answers. He wanted to treat them to lunch out of kindness, and he hadn''t expected them to turn against him. He wondered, ''Why should they join Aunt Leena in embarrassing me?''


    Leena observed his face with great interest. Barely out of his teens, he had be much more handsome. Compared to his father, he had a darkerplexion which made him look healthy and masculine. He had served in the army for two years, and despite spending less time in the sun now, his skin hadn''t be as white again.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Why do you look at me in that way? What do you want with me?" Justin asked alertly. He unconsciously moved his body backwards from her, feeling threatened by her unreadable stare.


    "Nothing. I was just wondering if you have a girlfriend or not," Leena said curiously. She watched his reaction with some doubt. Although there were many rumors about him, it seemed that he had never been closely associated with any particr girl.


    "Why should I tell you about that, even if I have one?" Justin scoffed angrily. He had a very high standard when came to girlfriends, and he was quite confident of his self-control. No matter how beautiful a girl was, he wouldn''t show any interest in her if she wasn''t the type he liked.


    "Well, you don''t have to. I''m just curious about it. Aren''t you also, girls?" Leena became even more intrigued when she saw him losing his temper. This was just what she wanted to see because she couldn''t continue with her game if Justin was indifferent to her. "Yes, I want to know about that as well! Justin, who is your girlfriend? Is it that female star in the news report several days ago?" Jasmine joined Leena''s inquisition, because she was also interested in her brother''s love life.


    "How could that be true?" Justin denied in a tired tone. Many times the media liked to fabricate facts. He had just conversed with the girl at a party for a few minutes. Now, there was a media hype starting about their alleged rtionship. It was agony to be famous!!

 Chapter 1789 No Longer Young (Part One)

    "Oh? You mean..." she paused to think. "Is the actress not your girlfriend? Then, is your girlfriend Miss Chen?" Jasmine probed. She continued guessing and was not about to let Justin off the hook easily.


    Before her brother could respond, Leena butted in, "What? Miss Chen? No, no, no! That girl is so rude. And I don''t think she deserves to be with Justin." She might not get along well with Justin, but she felt she had to jump in and speak on the young man''s behalf. She


    knew this so-called Miss Chen and her assessment of the girl was that she was ill-bred.


    "Are you serious?" Jasmine asked in disbelief. She had seen Miss Chen before and thought she was a pretty girl. But she had no idea what kind of person she was.


    "Well, you''ll know if you spend some time with her. I heard she is determined, but has a bad character," Leena offered. She quickly shook her head after saying this. She was not fond of gossiping, but several of her friends hadined to her before that this Miss Chen was very rude.


    "Are you here for the food or the gossip?" an impatient Justin asked. He was fed up with all the gossiping, and he didn''t even know who this Miss Chen was, so the guy decided to interrupt the discussion.


    "Of course we''re here for food. But what''s wrong if I chat with Auntie Leena?" Jasmine fluttered her innocent doe eyes while looking at her brother. She was perplexed by Justin''s behavior. Usually, her brother was calm and gentle, but Jasmine noticed that whenever Leena was around, he was easily pissed off.


    "Let''s leave him out of the conversation," Leena suggested. "I had a manicure yesterday. What do you think of it?" She held out her hands to show Jasmine her newly-painted nails. There were countless topics that women could talk about when they hung out together. Blowing out a breath, Justin didn''t know whether tough or cry in exasperation. Surrounded by three women, he was no match for them. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to rx. Then he decided to keep his mouth shut.


    Jasmine had nned to hang out with Joyce after lunch, but her grandfather called and asked her toe home right after. She had no choice but to bid everyone goodbye.


    Meanwhile, Leena and Justin still had work that afternoon, so Joyce was left alone. She didn''t want to go back home yet to avoid her mother''s nagging. The youngdy decided to head straight to CY Technology instead.


    After years of hard work, Rain sessfully turned CY Technology into a well-known multinational corporation, whose worth and prestige was many times more than what it was before. Rain had faced a lot of challenges in the past few years; he had had to manage thepany and deal with the Ke family. His father, Sanford, had died two years ago, and eventually, the Ke family members stopped their attempts to harass Rain.


    When Joyce arrived at the office of the CEO, it was an empty room that greeted her. She pouted before throwing herself on the couch.


    "Where could Dad be? Is he in a meeting?" Joyce mumbled. "I''ll just wait for him here," she said to herself and settled down. The man she was looking for was chatting with Edward.


    "I really envy you," Rain sighed. "You hardly need to work with Justin taking over thepany," he said. Inhaling deeply, Rain wished he had a son like Justin. But by his estimation, he needed to work for at least several more years. Huey was strong-minded and independent, and no one could make him change his mind.


    "Do you really believe Justin is easy to influence? If I hadn''t feigned illness back then, I would probably still be busy working like you," Edward said with a cunning smile. In the beginning, Justin refused to take over thepany and wanted to travel around the world. Edward had been afraid his traveling wouldst for many years, so he had bribed Tom to tell Justin that Edward had developed a serious disease and needed rest and quiet to recover, leaving Justin with no choice but to take over thepany.


    "As far as I know, your son is a clever boy. So I can''t figure out why he fell for that ploy so easily," Rain said to express his doubts. The two men knew Justin was as cunning as his father, Edward. So, it was quite baffling and strange for Justin to allow himself to fall in that trap.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    Rubbing his chin, Edward remarked, "I didn''t even think about it until now. I agree that it is strange." It made him ponder about his son and his life. Now middle-aged, Edward was as handsome and charming as before. And many women still fell for him.


    "Well, stop thinking about it then! Justin is your son, and he will not turn against you, all right?" Rain advised. He patted Edward''s shoulder while he shook his head. He felt his friend was thinking too much.


    "It''s hard to say. I feel my son is far more cunning than me now. I even think he''s plotting something," Edward said worriedly. His gut feeling told him Justin was cooking up a scheme behind his back, but he had no idea what it was.


    Seeing the worried look on Edward''s face, Rain opted to tease him, "I feel sorry for you having a hard time dealing with your son." He hoped his remarks would lighten his friend''s mood.


    "Come on! Aren''t you the pot calling the kettle ck? Dealing with your son Huey isn''t a walk in the park either," Edward snapped back. He smirked at the surprised look on Rain''s face.


    "Okay, okay! You got me," he conceded. "Sometimes, I wonder if Huey is really my son. He''s a boy with a few words. Could he be Luke''s son?" Rain enjoyed cracking jokes when he was with Edward. He himself was a party animal, but Huey was hisplete opposite -- cold and reserved.


    "Oh, never mind. It''s better that we don''t discuss our sons. Why don''t we go for a drink this evening," Edward suggested. Ever since the two men, along with Duke, got married and had children, they seldom had time to hang out. Edward admitted that he missed the good old days with his buddies.


    "Yeah sure, why not? Joyce is back, so all of Annie''s attention will be on her. She''ll turn a blind eye to my drinking with you." Rain grinned. Every time his twins, Huey and Joyce, were home, he felt like an outsider as his wife only cared about their children.


    "Is Joyce back? So that means school is over. Oh, I almost forgot it!" Edward pped his forehead and thought he must be getting too old to remember these things.


    "It''s eptable that you don''t remember those stuff because your kids are no longer students," Rain rationalized. When he spoke about his daughter, Rain couldn''t help but sh a broad smile. Joyce used to be strong-willed as a child, but once she grew up, she transformed into a quiet and elegantdy.


    "Does Joyce have a boyfriend? She''s pretty and thoughtful, so I have no doubt that many boys will fall for her," Edward pointed out. Like Rain, he was quite fond of Joyce because he thought the girl''s character was simr to his wife''s. Both were aloof. Joyce''s father shrugged. "I don''t think so." He wasn''t totally sure about his daughter''s life either. Joyce didn''t like sharing her thoughts with others, including her family.


    "Is that because you and Annie forbid her from dating boys?" Edward said. He stared at Rain, waiting for a reply. His theory was Rain didn''t want his baby girl to have a boyfriend so soon.


    Challenging Edward, Rain remarked, "Really? So, you think that protecting her is being unreasonable?" He thought himself as an open-minded dad. Joyce was in her twenties, and she could have a boyfriend if she wanted to. Rain didn''t think he had to interfere in his daughter''s life.


    "Well, is it because your daughter is too picky? She does have a mind of her own," Edward remarked while sipping coffee and staring at Rain. He sped his hands in front of him before speaking again.


    "She resembles me in that aspect. We''re both responsible people when in love. Once we give our heart to someone, we will be the most faithful partner. So, it''s not easy for us to fall for a person that easily," Rain said. It made him realize that he had to talk with Joyce. Edward broke intoughter. "Are you kidding me? You were a yboy before you met Annie, okay?" he said with a scornful nce at Rain. He always thought Rain was shameless for talking about being a faithful partner.


    Rain coughed at his friend''s remarks. "Edward, Edward. You and I used to bedy-killers. But now, we''re all focused on our families." He bowed his head momentarily to think. When his son and daughter were younger, Rain used to worry about their safety. Now that they were grown up, he had something else to worry about -- their love lives.


    Things were different now, but he had to let his children lead the lives they wanted. Edward had a different outlook. "In my opinion, we should enjoy life here and now. We''re no longer young. What if one day we don''t wake up?" He had witnessed the death of many people around him, so he was somewhat a pessimist when it came to the future.


    "What you said makes sense. Our kids have their own lives, and it''s better if we don''t interfere," Rain said. Nodding his agreement, Rain thought of how satisfied he was with his life now. He had a beautiful wife and incredible twins. Before Annie came back into his life, he had originally thought he would be alone for the rest of his life.

 Chapter 1790 No Longer Young (Part Two)

    mind. Having dinner together was going to be better. After all, the more, the merrier.


    "Anyway, I heard Eden is due back today. Why don''t we take this opportunity to have dinner together? I haven''t seen him in a long time," Edward said, taking another sip of coffee. Initially, he only nned to have a drink with his buddies tonight, but quickly changed his "Sounds good. I''ll inform Annie about itter. But you call Leena and Duke, okay? Between the two of us, you have more time. You handle the invitation." Rain stood up and got ready to head back to his office. There was a ton of work waiting for him.


    "Who told you I had plenty of time? Justin''s assigned more tasks for me than before. I don''t know what he''s thinking about," Edwardined. Although Justin was now the CEO of the FX International Group, Edward decided to help his son in managing thepany. If he didn''t, Justin would be exhausted.


    "Don''t be ridiculous!" Rain chided Edward. "I suspect you haven''t been to thepany today, huh? It''s already afternoon!" Rain scoffed. He knew Edward so well that he could tell when he was lying.


    "Well, I got upte this morning. Then my father asked me to y chess with him. So, you know..." It was a perfect excuse, and most people would probably buy it if they didn''t know Edward as well as Rain did.


    "Stop talking nonsense. I really have to go now, because unlike you, I really am busy," Rain dered. If Rain didn''t leave, he knew the whole afternoon would be a waste. So, he fished out his car keys and turned to leave.


    Breathing deeply, Edward stood up as well. He was nning to y golf with his daughter, but Jasmine left the house early that morning, so he ended up hanging out with Rain. "All right. I''ll head out to the office, too. Otherwise, Justin would get mad at me. Can you imagine that? My son mad at me because I''m not working?" he sneered.


    When Rain returned to his office, he was surprised to see Joyce sleeping on the couch. She hadn''t slept wellst night, so she quickly fell asleep not long after slumping on Rain''s office couch.


    "Joyce," Rain called her name softly and shook her on the shoulders. "What are you doing here? Have you been waiting here for a long time?" he asked. He was aware that Joyce had slept verytest night. When he got up to get a drink of water in the wee hours of the morning, the light in Joyce''s room was still on.


    Rubbing her eyes, Joyce recognized her father''s voice and sat up.


    "Dad! Finally, you''re back," she yawned and fingerbed her hair.Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org.


    Grumbling a little, she rubbed her eyes again to focus on her father''s face.


    "Why are you sleeping here? You might catch a cold. Have you eaten yet? Why didn''t you call me?" he fired a series of questions. It was obvious how much he cared for his daughter, and that he was still worried about her welfare.


    She rubbed his arm and replied, "Don''t worry, Dad. I''ve already eaten. I had lunch with Justin and Jasmine. It''s my turn to ask. Have you eaten? Where did you go and what took you so long?" Since Rain wasn''t in his office, Joyce asked her father''s whereabouts. William, his assistant, told her Rain was out for lunch. Joyce assumed he wouldn''t be out very long, so she decided not to call him.


    "I had lunch with your Uncle Edward.


    We were talking about business," Rain answered.


    He plopped down on the couch beside his daughter and wondered why she dropped by his office.


    "How''s Uncle Edward?" Joyce inquired politely. She heard about Edward being sick and was worried about him like his family was.


    Rain was quick to assure his daughter about Edward''s health. "Don''t worry. Your Uncle Edward is in good health. And he has many, many more years to live." In so saying, he didn''t realize that he had given away Edward''s secret.


    His daughter sighed in relief. "Well, that''s good to know." Nodding slightly, Joyce leaned towards her father and rested her head on his shoulder.


    "What''s the matter? You seem unhappy. Is your mother nagging you again?" Rain asked with a tinge of concern. He turned around to hug his daughter and sighed deeply to express his profound love for her. Annie was his beloved wife, and Joyce was his little girl, so being caught between them was very difficult for him.


    Smiling at her father, Joyce said, "No, it''s nothing. I guess I just missed you so much." While she resented the endless nagging by her mother, she vowed not to share her sentiments with Rain. She knew it would put him in a very awkward position.


    "Is that so? You missed me? Hmmm. I think you''re just trying to make me happy," he said. Teasingly, he pinched her nose and thought, ''If you really missed me, why didn''t you choose to attend a local university?''


    She pretended to be hurt by his doubting her. "Dad! How can you not believe me? Look into my eyes. They''re so pure and innocent," she remarked. As she grew older, she went through many changes. However, what didn''t change was her behaving like a spoiled brat whenever she was with her father.


    "Joyce, I know your mom likes to nag, and that annoys you. But sometimes, you need to put yourself in her shoes. She had a career as a jewelry designer. But she gave it up. She decided to make family her priority and took care of you and your brother, Huey. But since you two are grown up and not home most of the time, she always looks forward to youing back for the holidays. Do you understand what I''m saying?" Rain tried to exin. Rain totally understood Annie. He was always busy working, while Huey and Joyce were out of the house most of the time. His wife must be very lonely. So he made up his mind to travel around the world with Annie once Huey took over thepany.


    Running her hand through her hair, Joyce inhaled. "I know what you mean, Dad. I don''t me her. But sometimes, I only want to be somece that''s peaceful and quiet." With an embarrassed smile, Joyce realized how well her father knew her and cared for her. He looked at his daughter with pride. "Ah, I see." He nodded. "Well, don''t let your mom find out, because otherwise, she''ll likely feel dejected." Annie devoted all her time and energy on the twins, and Rain believed this wasrgely due to the fact that he was always away. Being the VP of FX International Group and CEO of CY Technology, he only had a little time to devote to his family.


    "Dad, do you think I''m foolish?" the girl protested. To emphasize her dismay, she pouted her lips.


    "Hey, your Uncle Edward just asked me if you were dating anyone. I told him I don''t know. Honey, is there a secret you''d like to share with your old man?" He wanted to probe lightly.


    Eyes wide, Joyce gasped at her father''s question. "What? Why were you discussing those things about me? So you''re thinking there are no boys interested in me?" Joyce asked. Joyce suddenly turned shy and bit her lip. she did have a thing for a certain boy but was aware he didn''t feel the same way about her.


    Her father pretended to be shocked. "You''re my daughter! How is it possible that boys aren''t lining up for you? I''m only concerned that they might hurt you," Rain said. He continued to hug Joyce and thought, ''Even if you decide to be alone and never marry, I will always be here for you.''


    She looked at her father and was pleased with his words. "Don''t worry, Dad. I''m a tough girl and no one is going to hurt me." Joyce smiled at her father reassuringly.


    "That''ll be great! Hey, will you be home soon? If you are, please tell your mother that Edward has invited us to have dinner together this evening. I''ll pick you both up after work," Rain rted the ns. He was going to call Annie, but since his daughter was here, she could inform her mother for him.


    "Okay, no problem," Joyce said. "I''m leaving now. If I don''t, Mom would be worried about me," she told her father. Surprisingly, she calmed down considerably after her talk with Rain. She even felt a little guilty for her mother.


    "I understand. Please keep your Mompany for me," he requested. "And thank you, Joyce, for dropping by." Father and daughter both stood up, and Rain smoothed Joyce''s messy hair. He was so proud to have a daughter like her, one who was pretty and with great character.


    Eyes twinkling, Joyce said, "I don''t think I''d be able to keep herpany for you. Don''t you know that no one can rece you in her heart?"


    Shrugging her shoulders, Joyce grabbed her backpack and put it on.


    Rainughed before he said, "That is so true! Let me tell you, I am the one and only in your mother''s heart." He raised his chin proudly as a smile lit his eyes.


    "Don''t bet on it! Bye, Dad!" Joyce called out. She walked out of his office, waved her hand without a backward nce and disappeared.


    "What? Wait! What did you mean by that?" Rain yelled. He watched his daughter''s departing back, but Joyce ignored him and hastened her steps. Rain shook his head and went back to work.000?????

 Chapter 1791 The Big Party (Part One)

    recently. The justification of her worries, she realized, psyched her out more than she already was.


    At the lobby of S City International airport, Patricia paced restlessly whilst waiting for the arrival of her son Eden. As his flight had been dyed, she could not help but be nervous. What if something bad had happened? After all, ne crash rates had an immense increase Ever since Eden went abroad to study, his return became a once in a blue moon kind of urrence. Therefore, as soon as Patricia got wind of the news that Eden wasing back, she was quick to roll out the red carpet and redecorated his room at once to make him feel at home.


    The young man was still a little kid when he was sent abroad to receive a quality education. Although Patricia and her husband would go for a visit when they had the time, it still made a huge difference to have him back in their own home. It was due to growing up away from his parents'' side that a sense of detachment could be felt whenever they lived under the same roof.


    As time passed by, Patricia grew more anxious and helpless. Just as she was about to start pacing again, a broadcast announced that her son''s flight hadnded safely. As a result, her heart responded to the news by thumping a normal rhythm once again. When twenty-year-old Eden came into view, he undoubtedly looked radiant and handsome, carrying an aura of sophistication which he probably developed from immersing in foreign lifestyle and education. He appeared a bit bohemian, arrogant, and possessed a hint of rebellion in those yful eyes.


    "Eden, Mommy is here," Patricia said loudly, waving at her son. Upon seeing her, the young man cracked a smile and approached her. It had been a long time since they saw each other.


    "Mommy, you look more beautiful than ever," said Eden enthusiastically. Reaching his mother, Eden gave her a big, affectionate hug enough to smother her.


    "Well, my boy, isn''t that sweet of you?" Patricia said with a smile on her face. "But I''m telling you. At my age, I can''t be called beautiful anymore." The proud mother observed her son with eagerness. He was a lot taller than her now. But no matter how big he had grown, in her eyes, he was still - and would always be, her little boy.


    "Mommy, that''s not the point!" argued the boy affectionately, "You are still very young and beautiful in my eyes. Now let''s get going! I can''t wait to go home!" Releasing his hands around his mother''s shoulder, he began steering the trolley full of his suitcases. He was beyond ecstatic to get out of the airport, and see the rest of the glorious S City.


    "Okay! Let''s go home so you can have some rest," Patricia said happily, holding onto Eden''s arm. When Eden expressed his enthusiasm, she was over the moon. It had been a few years since hest came back to S City. During his vacation in thest few years, he had been studying all kinds of knowledge to enrich himself. So, seeing him be willing toe home this summer vacation was a pleasant breath of fresh air for her.


    On a closer look, Eden''s character resembled more of the young Rain. They were both obstinate and unruly. It was almost unbelievable that such a guy was the top student in his medical profession.


    "Mommy," said Eden suddenly, "Didn''t Daddy say anything about my return?" Since Eden rarely stayed in China, he was not as familiar with the roads in S City. So it was more of a relief when Patricia insisted that he sat in the passenger''s seat instead. In the end, it didn''t bother him as much as he thought it would, as his mother turned out to be quite the speedster. Secretly, he thought it was better that he didn''t show his driving skills to her.


    "No, he didn''t mention anything out of the ordinary. Why do you ask? Did something happen?" Patricia asked, giving him a confused look. ''Oh no, have I forgotten something?'' she wondered.


    "Mommy, will you rx? Nothing happened," Eden said quickly, giving an awkward smile. "It was only a random question." The truth was that a spontaneous idea had popped up in his mind. Although he wasn''t expecting a grand wee, he wondered if there was going to be a big party tonight. But after his mother''s initial reaction, he was not so sure anymore.


    "Oh!" eximed Patricia, remembering something from earlier. "Wait, that''s right!" she said, sounding excited. "Now that I think about it, your father did call me to say that your uncle Edward wanted to hold a dinner party tonight. You know, to celebrate your safe return." Hosting parties was Patricia''s guilty little pleasure. She would always be excited to see her friends. Although, thest time they threw a huge party was about half a year ago, some days before the Spring Festival.


    "Really?" Eden asked. Even when his instincts were right, he was still pleasantly excited about it. "I haven''t seen everyone in a long time," he shared wistfully, ncing through the window. "I heard that Justin took over FX International Group, and even little Jasmine had grown into a beautiful girl." The more he reminisced, the more he began to look forward to the partyter. Back then he would go back China every year to celebrate the Spring Festival with his family and friends. It was only in recent years that he stopped his annual routine due to his studies and personal development.


    "Yes, indeed! Time sure flies when everyone''s busy. In the blink of an eye, we''ve all gone over the hill," chuckled Patricia, sighing. "Now it''s you kids who are at the prime of your lives." She could remember the good old days, as if it were just yesterday, when Tom and she had fallen in love with each other. All the ups and downs came shing in her mind. But one look at her handsome son who was the ripe age of twenty, and she knew that time had long passed.


    "Did everyone get toe back as well?" Eden asked curiously. Although he rarely stayed in China, his concern for his childhood friends didn''t diminish one bit. All of them managed to have a special ce in his heart.


    Stealing a nce at him, Patricia said gently, "No, just Joyce. I didn''t get to hear any news about Spencer and Hueying back." With Owen and Richard both attending universities in S City, they were permitted toe back as they pleased. Richard, however, was enrolled in military school. So due to its strict nature, he was less prone to asking for time off.


    "I see! So does that mean the two guys won''t be at the party?" Eden asked, feeling a bit dejected. Huey''s cold manner had the tendency to make people around him feel chilly, like staying in the Arctic Ocean, so Eden often felt intimidated by him. Compared to Huey, it was easier to get along with Spencer. Although thetter could be arrogant at times, with Huey around, he could still bebeled as a warm guy.


    "Don''t worry, dear. Theye back every year, and this year will be no different. They might just return a bitter than the usual. You young kids can still have the chance to hang out," Patricia assured him. Although she drove fast, it didn''t affect how smoothly the ride was.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.

 Chapter 1792 The Big Party (Part Two)

    "You''re right, Mom," Eden said, closing his eyes lightly. A feeling of uncertainty over the future stirred his insides. As medical staff, he learned the hard way that sometimes, he was just a weak and small dot in the grand scheme of things. Despite the long hours of learning how to serve the public, there were still instances when he had no choice but to watch a young man die in front of him. When Patricia noticed him resting, she thought he was simply tired because of the long flight he had. So she didn''t bother him anymore with questions, and slowed down on purpose to lull him to sleep.


    Meanwhile, on the army base, was Daisy hanging up the phone. She then got up from her seat, and walked to the Commander''s office.


    Knocking on the door, she pushed it open after hearing the permission from inside.


    "Commander Gu, are you busy right now?" Daisy asked in a humorous tone. "Should Ie backter?" Given that Kevin Gu didn''t even bother to look up at her, she couldn''t help but yank his chain a little.


    "Oh! It''s you. What''s the matter?" Kevin asked gently, glimpsing up from his papers. When Commander Ye retired, there wasn''t a better person than Kevin Gu to take over his esteemed position. And when he did, no one in the army was dissatisfied with it. "What? I can''te to you without a motive now?" Daisy teased deliberately, taking a seat on the couch.


    "Come on," Kevin said pointedly, putting down his pen. "You know that''s not what I meant. Would you like me to make us a cup of tea?" Although his tea-making skills were nothingpared to hers, the tea brewed by him wasn''t so bad. It was decent enough to genuinely offer it to her.


    "No, thank you," declined Daisy politely. "I''m just here to tell you that Edward said we will have a dinner party tonight at our home. So, as soon as you''re off work, be sure to drive straight to our home." With tomorrow being the weekend, it seemed like a great opportunity for them to take a breather from work, and hold a party.


    "What about Leena? Does she know about the party?" Kevin asked earnestly. For the longest time, his loving wife always came at the top of his mind. It just felt natural to him. Her happiness andfort always took precedence over anything else.


    "Oh rx! It''s impossible to forget anyone. Least of all, Leena," said Daisy, effortlessly. She thought it was needless of him to worry about since Leena remained to have a soft spot in the hearts of these men. It was just something that never changed no matter how much time had passed.


    "Just worried in case something unexpected happens," he retorted, clearing his throat in a casual manner. Even when he knew that Daisy was most likely right, he just couldn''t help but think about it a bit more than necessary. It was his wife they were talking about after all. "What you''re thinking will probably never happen to Leena! I just don''t understand what you''re worried about," she said quickly, shaking her head in bewilderment. Sometimes, she would still find herself envious of Leena for being overprotected and cared for by these men. Such an unmatched devotion. which was often only found among couples, was yet respectfully limited to the boundaries of a tonic and kindred rtionship.


    "Major General Ouyang, how could you talk to your leader that way?" Kevin used, pretending to be serious and irritated. Being chastised by her, Kevin could not resist putting on an official tone to intimidate her. It was apparent, however, that Daisy could not take his fake anger seriously.


    "Oh, but I just did. Now tell me," said Daisy, with a yful glint visible in her eyes as sheughed. "How are you going to punish me?" ''Okay, Kevin, did you really think you could bluff me?'' Daisy thought in amusement, ''You still have a long way to go for that.'' "Well, forget about the punishment then," Kevin said, giving up hastily. "Fine, I admit it. I was bluffing." Ultimately, he didn''t dare to do anything that would put her in harm''s way. If he ever did, he might get hunted down by Edward. And although he wasn''t afraid of him, he still respected the man very much.


    "Well, if you really want to make sure, you can just call Leena yourself," Daisy said sincerely, dropping the taunting tone. Despite the fact that they were all getting old, in their eyes, Leena remained as the sweet girl they had always known.


    "No, no," Kevin said, convincing himself and cracking a small yet unsure smile. "As you said, there''s nothing to worry about." Wrinkles could be seen on his face. Time had not been as benevolent to him as much as he wanted, leaving a visible trace in his facial features. He shouldn''t be surprised though, as he was already fifty years of age.


    "As you wish. It''s none of my business now. Do whatever you want. Well," she said, and pped her hands on herp. It was time for her to take off. "I need to get going now," she said, getting up. Daisy managed to preserve her ttering figure, and it might have had something to do with her career. Unlike before though, her character was softer now. No longer was she the old Daisy who used to frighten people from a thousand miles away.


    "Okay. Thank you for dropping by! I''ll see you in the evening," Kevin said nonchntly. As Kevin had been so busy recently, he just didn''t have the time to talk more with her. In fact, he was due for some catching up with everyone, and thus he realized that the party tonight was the perfect ce to do that.


    In the evening, Leena went to the Military Academy to pick up her son, Richard, for the party. After waiting for almost half an hour, she saw his son dashing out in his uniform. When he got near her, she caught a light whiff of his aftershave, indicating that he had just finished his training and taken a bath afterward.


    "Sorry I kept you waiting for so long, Mom!" Richard apologized. Perhaps it was because he was a soldier now, he no longer called her ''Mommy'' like he used to, when he was still a child.


    "My boy, it''s all right! I just got here a moment ago," Leena said with a smile, brushing it off casually. "Guess what? We''re going to Uncle Mu''s house for dinner today." The original n was to have dinner outside. But considering that a lot of people might be dining outdoors because it was the weekend the next day, they changed the n, and decided to have the party at Edward Mu''s house whilst opting for Kate Hotel''s door-to-door food service.


    "Okay! I heard that the dinner party was for Eden since he''s back," Richard said happily. The boys'' closepanionship was evident to their parents. However, Justin was much older than the rest of the boys, so they would show him some respect asionally. Nodding, Leena said, "You''re right, yes, but the main reason is that everybody just wants to have a get-together," Over the years, everyone had be so busy with taking care of their own family. So as a result, fewer opportunities had been presented for them to get together.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Duly noted. What about Dad? Will he be there, too?" Leena couldn''t help but smile a bit as they entered the car. The young man inherited Leena''s striking appearance, yet possessed Kevin''s upright and stern attitude. Maybe that was why he looked mature, but it might have also had a lot to do with his military uniform.


    "Yes! But he might arrive a little bitter than us. He did say we should go ahead first," Leena replied while driving.


    "Mom, can I ask you a serious question? Do you really have noints at all about Dad?" Richard asked curiously. With his hands in his pockets, Richard kept ncing at Leena carefully, trying to read her facial expression.0000????????????

 Chapter 1793 The Big Party (Part Three)

    Smiling, Leena didn''t answer him, but instead, asked another question in return. "What do you think?"


    "I think you''ve had some, but you never say anything," Richard said honestly. He furrowed his brows, skeptical that she didn''t have any protests when his father rarely stayed at home because of his work.


    "My dear son!" eximed Leena. "My feelings towards your father are not something that you can understand at your age right now. You may want to know if I''ve ever had anyints about being with him, but I prefer not to tell you directly." She threw a meaningful nce at him. "You''ll just have to find out when you get married in the future." Spousal rtionships were challenging to exin to those who hadn''t experienced it yet. So no matter how hard she could try to exin it to him, Richard would only end up being confused about it. For that matter, she preferred to let him experience it himself.


    "I know, you two went through a lot of gunfire," Richard said, shrugging. Although he had a hard time understanding their feelings, the one thing he definitely knew was that his mother loved his father so much, that she was willing to endure so much for him. "Pfft! What are you talking about? Gunfire? Do you think we''re in a time of war?" Leena joked, amused by his words. ''Sons be raised in frugality, and daughters in abundance'' was a famous proverb for parenting strategies on raising kids. Parents who believed in it thought that a son would grow up into a responsible and solid man, while a daughter would turn into an elegantdy who could resist being materialistic. Their son, however, was strictly raised and had no other choice. As Richard''s father was a Commander, he had to follow in his footsteps and be influenced by his morals.


    "I think it''s pretty much the same thing. I heard from uncles that dad and you experienced a lot of hardships back then," Richard said solemnly. Despite being clueless about his parents'' love, he always believed in the truth. That true love was powerful.


    "All of those things happened in the past. So let''s not mention them anymore. Oh, no," Leena said abruptly. "Have you fallen in love?" An instinctive feeling told her that her son might be in love. That would exin the young man''s curiosity. So she threw him a strange look, waiting expectantly for an answer.


    "Hey! Mom, that''s a funny thing to say. Don''t you remember what school I go to?" Richard said, shaking his head. As someone who was attending military school, he rarely had the chance to meet the right girl for him. How could he fall in love when he hadn''t met her yet? Richard stifled a snort. His mother was simply overthinking things.


    "What? You want to tell me that there are no female students in your military academy?" Leena asked doubtfully. Leena thought that as long as there were men and women together, love rtionship could find a way to blossom. The only difference was how they established the rtionship.


    "There are female students in my ss, but none of them is my type," Richard said. "You should know that I like sweet girls, just like my Mommy." Whether he only said it to please Leena or not, it still made her pretty happy to hear it.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Wow, you''re just so sweet, aren''t you? Okay then. I''ll trust you this time," Leena beamed at him. It appeared that Richard was a lot more like his father than Leena thought. They both belonged to a type of men that did not fall in love so easily due to their ideologies and morals being very upright. Moreover, they were not skilled at courting girls.


    "Mom, you have to trust me!" Richard whined, but wearing a wicked smile. In his mother''s eyes, he might be sweet and obedient. He, however, was actually like the man in novels: handsome, and a bit of a rebel. Such a man seemed very charming in the eyes of most girls.


    Everyone had gathered together for the party, except for the two guys who hadn''t returned from foreign countries. Even Owen, who seldom attended parties, decided to show up today as well.


    Owen terribly looked a lot like Luke, cold and quiet. However, he was particrly nice to Jasmine Ouyang, having spent most of his childhood with her.


    "Owen," Jasmine said happily. "I thought you wouldn''t show up today." Rushing towards him, she gave a tight hug.


    "I happened to be free tonight, so I came to say hello to everyone," said Owen briskly, hugging back so they didn''t topple over. "After all, it seems like it''s going to be a lot of fun, isn''t it?" "Yes, definitely! I''m also very curious about Eden," Jasmine said congenially. Ever since she found out that Eden had returned, she had not been able to stop thinking about him.


    "Oh yes. I haven''t seen him for a couple of years, so I''m just as curious as you," Owen said lightly. From what he heard around, Eden was a genius. A rare elite in the medical world, just like his father. As a matter of fact, he appeared to be worshiping everyone withpetitive strength.


    "Why are you two hiding over here? The guests have arrived. Why don''t you two go out and greet them?" Michelle said, faking her anger towards them. When she walked in, she noticed them hugging and standing around. She couldn''t help but be reproachful of theirck of initiative to go outside and receive the guests.


    "Oh, Auntie. You''re right. But Daddy is already receiving the guests. I don''t think we''re needed there anymore," Jasmine said, with a naughty grin. Although she didn''t know how to receive guests, at least she was good at sabotage.


    "Richard is here," Michelle said. "Are you sure you''re not going out there?" I can''t believe you''d still be so calm after what I just said, ''Michelle wondered to herself, looking at the young girl.


    "Really! I should go out to see him then. Owen, I''ll see youter," Jasmine said hastily. As soon as she heard that Richard had arrived, Jasmine Ouyang could hardly contain herself and ran out, leaving Owen''s arms empty once again.


    "Owen, why don''t you go and have a chat with them too?" Michelle suggested grimly. "Don''t be quiet in the corner like your dear father. You young people should really talk more with each other." Michelle, who was secretly worried about her son because of his quiet nature, could not figure out what he was thinking about every day.


    "I see. I''ll be going there now," Owen said passively, escaping from his mother. If he was being honest, he felt a bit out of line with them. The other children''s parents were all officials. Unlike him, his father was just a bodyguard, which might have been responsible for his inferiorityplex, despite being technically the young master of the Mu Family.


    "Richard, Aunt Leena," Jasmine waved to them happily. She was so happy to see Richard. As a teenage girl, in her heart, she could feel a genuine understanding of love, and hence she was particrly shy around him. This feeling she felt especially for him didn''t resonate correctly with other people though, as they thought it was merely tonic.


    "Little Jasmine, you''re at home! I thought you were busy hanging out with others," Richard said cheerfully. He always saw Jasmine Ouyang as his little sister, and so he never noticed that she was looking at her in a different way.


    "Why did you turn off the phone at noon today? I tried calling you but it never got through," Jasmine said, pouting her lips as she was a bit upset.


    "Oh! At noon, was it? Let me think," said Richard, appearing to think. "Oh right. My cell phone must have run out of battery. Why, what''s going on? Were you trying to find me?" The young man seemed distracted in their conversation, as he was also looking for the legendary Eden.


    "I asked Joyce to have dinner with my brother Justin. I wanted you to join us, but who knew you won''t even give me the opportunity to ask?" Jasmine said, still upset. When Jasmine became a teenager, she bloomed like a beautiful flower, and so everyone doted on her. She was pampered like a princess, much like she was the Leena of their generation.


    "What? I''ve made you upset? I am so sorry!" Richard said earnestly. "To show my sincere apology, how about I treat you another day?" The moment he noticed that Jasmine was upset, he withdrew his attempt at finding Eden, and concentrated on her.


    "Okay, that''s a deal! Richard, you need to keep your promise, okay?" Jasmine said, a smile lighting up her face and a sense of happiness filling her heart. Leena had left them, and sought for Belinda.


    "In the name of a soldier, I make my promise to you. You can totally trust me that I will keep it, okay?" Richard said seriously, smiling at the youngdy. As soon as he saw Owene out, he waved at the guy at once.??????????????

 Chapter 1794 The Reunion (Part One)

    "Richard, I haven''t seen you for ages. You are taller and bigger now," Owen said. At university, he majored in finance which was not his favorite. He was jealous of Richard because unlike him, Richard could study what he liked at his favorite university. Owen had to do as his fathermanded even though he had no interest in his major. He knew his dad forced him to major in finance because he wanted Owen to help in his brother''s work in the future. But Owen really hated to do something he wasn''t passionate about. Working in the financing industry wasn''t his dream. His dream was to be an astronaut. "Are you kidding? I thought I had stopped growing," Richard said surprised. Richard straightened his back and approached Owen, he found that after all these years, he had indeed grown much. They were almost the same height.


    "No kidding. Uncle Kevin and aunt Leena are both very tall. You inherited all the tall genes passed on from your parents, so you wouldn''t be a short guy," Owen said. Besides Jasmine, Owen also liked to talk with Richard because he was full of youthful spirit which Owen himselfcked. He had achieved what Owen hadn''t. Whatever he saw in Richard, he wanted for himself. He had great admiration for him.


    "Joyce,e over here," said Jasmine waiving her arm at Joyce. She wasn''t expecting her at the party and was excited to see her.


    "Richard and Owen are all back. But I heard that their holidays are supposed to start in a couple days," Joyce wondered. Catching the hems of her full-length gown, Joyce walked towards Jasmine. Joyce was a beautiful girl with long ck hair and dark eyes. She liked to wear gowns along with diamond nes and she looked fabulous and graceful when she wore them.


    "Joyce, I haven''t seen you in a while. You look gorgeous tonight," said Richard not taking his eyes off her. He was totally obsessed with her.


    Owen on the other hand was more reserved, he wasn''t vocal with his feelings. He was too shy to give a girl apliment so he just smiled at Joyce and didn''t say anything.


    "Really? Well, thank you. You are so sweet. I''m ttered. But I bet you say that to every girl that you meet," Joyce teased crossing her arms. She didn''t buy it at all.


    "I can''t believe you said that, that''s so offensive. I''m a soldier and I have my dignity. Don''t put abel on me and regard me as a random yboy," Joyce''s words irritated Richard. He praised her because she really did look stunning tonight. As a soldier, he represented the army. He couldn''t stand that she mocked him.


    "I agree with Joyce. Why can''t you be a yboy?" Jasmine said thoughtfully as she looked at Richard''s handsome face with a smile. She found it interesting to make fun of him.


    "Jasmine, you''re not entitled to judge me. It''s none of your business," said Richard angry. He and Jasmine got along very well. He was surprised that she chose to join Joyce in making fun of him instead of supporting him.


    "Everyone is here now. Eden, do you know all the people here?" asked Patricia with a friendly smile. She wanted to know how many people he already knew before she introduced him to them.


    "You''re Eden! So nice to meet you. I have heard so much about you," said Jasmine walking towards him. His face was familiar. He reminded her of her uncle Rain for some reason.


    "You must be Jasmine. Come here and give me a big hug," Eden said opening his arms wide. He quickly recognized the girl in front of him was Jasmine, he wanted to show his warmth by giving her a hug.


    "Oh my gosh! How did you know that I''m Jasmine?" she asked surprised that he recognized her even though it was his first time to see her after so many years. Feeling his warmth, Jasmine walked towards him and hugged him.


    "It''s quite easy. You guys are different. My mom told me that you are pretty lively, while Joyce is more gentle and quiet. So from the moment I saw you, I knew that you had to be Jasmine. I can tell who you are from the way you behave," Eden said with a smile on his face. Although Joyce and Jasmine were close in age, they obviously had different personalities.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Really? You are amazing! I must say, you aren''t at all what I imagined," said Jasmine. She was a little curious about him. She always thought that doctors would be serious and never joke around. But he was different, he was a lively person and wasn''t serious at all. "Is that so?


    So what do you think I should be like?" Eden asked surprised. He didn''t expect she would say something like that. He thought this girl was different. He was curious about what a doctor was supposed to be like ording to her.


    "Doctors are supposed to be quiet and calm because they need to work meticulously. But you don''t act like a doctor at all. I think you''re not serious enough to be a doctor," said Jasmine boldly. She told Eden exactly what she thought of him. She saw him as an easy going person and not stuffy at all. As a member of The Mayfly, she really needed to be trained not to speak her mind so openly.


    "Ha-Ha. Who told you that a doctor must keep a straight face all day? A doctor must be warm to make his patients feelfortable. If you went to see a doctor and the doctor glowered at you, would you go to that clinic again? So I think there is nothing wrong with my personality, instead, it''s my advantage," Eden challenged Jasmine. He started to get more and more curious about this girl.


    What he said made Jasmine feel embarrassed, "You are right. I''m sorry about what I said. I think I''ve had the wrong impression about doctors."


    "And you must be Joyce. I haven''t seen you since I went abroad. You''ve changed a lot. You are getting more and more beautiful," said Eden looking at her. After all these years, she had already grown to be a beautiful girl. Compared to Jasmine, Joyce''s personality was totally different. Jasmine was the cute girl next door type who you could easily get along with. Whereas, Joyce, was the goddess because she was beautiful and unapproachable. Men were afraid to approach and chase girls like her, because she was too perfect and they would get stressed to be with her.


    "So you mean I was not beautiful enough when I was younger?" asked Joyce acting as though she was angry. She knew he didn''t mean it that way, but she wanted to tease him. She found that Eden and Rain had simr personalities. Although Eden was not his son, they were both easy going and liked to joke.


    "No! No! No! Don''t get me wrong. I mean, when you were younger, you were a cute little girl. Now you have grown up, so I think it''s more appropriate to describe you as a beautiful youngdy. Of course you were beautiful all the time. I think you are more than beautiful. You are perfect," Eden defended himself eloquently. He should have been awyer instead of a doctor.


    "Eden, I think you are jumping a fence and taking my job. Who did you learn that from?" Richard said. He was good at praising girls which was one of his unique skills. But now he found that Eden did a way better job than he did when it came toplementing girls. Eden''s presence posed a huge threat to Richard.


    "You''re not jealous of me, are you, Richard?" Eden joked raising an eyebrow mischievously. He was still a junior high school student when Edenst saw him a couple of years ago. Time really passed quickly. He used to be a shy boy, but now he was outgoing and popr among the girls. He even made jokes to please girls. He had already grown up into a mature man and looked handsome.

 Chapter 1795 The Reunion (Part Two)

    "No. I''m not jealous of you. We don''t know each other well enough for you to judge me. Don''t you agree, Owen?" Richard asked him. Obviously he wanted to invite Owen to join him in making fun of Eden.


    Owen was conflicted. He didn''t want to get involved in their fight so he stayed silent.


    "So you are Owen. I''ve heard so much about you from my dad. He always told me that you are a calm and wise person. He wanted me to be a person who has some great qualities like you. You are a role model to me," Eden said. Since he was young, he had been a naughty boy. His dad always thought he wasn''t mature enough. He always emphasized the importance of being calm and steady to Eden. Now all of them had grown up, and everyone had changed a lot. After all these years, he finally met Owen. "Uncle Tom was joking. I''m ttered. Actually I''m not that good. You see, we are peers. There is nothing different between us," Owen smiled. The look on his face was still calm. As Eden said, he was a calm man, you couldn''t tell his feelings from his expression. "Owen, don''t be so modest. I do think you are way more calm and steady than some egotistical narcissist. You are a good role model," Richard felt angry that Eden wasn''t feeding his ego. He wanted to say something harsh to irritate him.


    Joyceughed quietly. She found that Richard was still very childish even though he studied at the military school and went through extensive training. He looked mature but still acted like a careless young boy.


    "Hey, Richard, watch your tone and your sarcasm. Remember I am older than you, show some respect," Eden said jokingly.


    "Although you are older than me, we are the same height. We are both adults, but I don''t see you acting more mature than me," Richard was a little bit angry, Eden''s words had irritated him. He felt that Eden made him look bad in front of people. He was embarrassed now. The atmosphere between them got intense. As a military cadet, Richard was still a little bit childish and irritable, he still needed to be trained mentally.


    "What''s going on? You guys just met and you''re already starting to fight?" Justin walked into the house and raised voice at Eden and Richard. He was in a suit with a briefcase in his hand, he just arrived home from work. At first he was happy to see people all gather together, then he found that Eden and Richard were fighting. He felt it was unusual because they had only just met and there was no reason that they should be fighting for.


    "Justin, you''re back. Look at them. I really can''t figure out why they''re fighting each other," Jasmineined to him. She could do nothing to settle their dispute so she walked towards him to ask for help.


    "Eden, wee back. It''s really nice to meet you," he said. Justin was older than them so the way he conducted himself in rtion to others was more mature. Everyone respected him a lot. He had already established his authority among the younger generation. "Nice to meet you, too. Justin," Eden was surprised by his warm wee. He had heard so many wonderful things about him. He knew that Justin was much older than them and had already established a very sessful career at a very young age, so like everyone, Eden looked up to him a lot. But Jasmine was an exception because she was Justin''s cherished little sister, so she got away with a lot more than the others did.


    "Jasmine, please take my briefcase to the room upstairs," he said loosening his tie and handing her the briefcase. Being the eldest there, he had the authority over them all and it was his responsibility to settle the dispute between Eden and Richard.


    "Why do you always ask me to do that?" Jasmineined pursing her lips. She knew that Justin liked to tease her because she was his little sister. She hated that he always ordered her to do something. But she never turned him down, she always did what he wanted her to do.


    "Let''s go over there and talk," Justin said pointing to a table. He knew he needed to stop their fight as soon as possible before the elders knew what had happened between Eden and Richard. This was a party they had nned for a long time and he wouldn''t let Eden and Richard ruin the reunion party.


    Joyce was attracted by Justin''s handsome face. She bit her lip as she nced at his ck eyes that shone so brightly, and then quickly looked away so she wasn''t caught.


    After a while, Kevin and Daisy finally arrived. The reunion party was held at Daisy''s home, so as soon as she got home, she went to the kitchen to prepare some food.This is the property of N?-velDrama.Org.


    "Finally you are here, Commander Gu. I haven''t seen you for a long time. It seems that you are quite busy these days," Edward said in a jovial tone. It was rare for people at his age to be amander so he alwaysplimented Kevin.


    "Stop making fun of me. When I''m out of the army base, I''m just an ordinary person. So please just call me by my name. These days I''ve been busy. Finally I have some free time to reunite with you guys," Kevin said. Then he started to look around for Leena. "Stop looking around. She''s not here. All the women went upstairs. It seems that they have no interest in talking with us. I can''t figure out why they have to go upstairs to chat. Can''t they talk here? Are they hiding something from us?" Rainined, knowing that Kevin was looking for his wife.


    "One of the most difficult things in the word is to try and read a woman''s mind. So I never try to do that," Tom chimed in overhearing their conversation. His wife Patricia happened to be a great example of one of those women. Sometimes he was perturbed by her capricious behavior like posing a random question to him without exining it. He seemed to never know her intention when she asked some weird questions. He felt as he got older, the less he understood women.


    "They told me that Eden is back. But I don''t see him here. Where is him? It''s been a while since thest time I saw him," Kevin diverged around their topic. He had nothing toin about, he was just looking around for Leena so he didn''t want to talk about it too much. "They''re over there. He''s talking with Justin," Tom said with a smile. Looking at Eden, there were mixed emotions for his son. On the one hand, he was proud of him because he was good doctor material. He was gifted because he learned things quickly. Also, he learned through experience with patients from his own interaction in the practice of medicine. On the other hand, as Eden''s dad, he was also a little worried about him because he thought he wasn''t calm and steady enough to be a doctor. Everyday his responsibility was to save people''s lives, so he needed to take everything seriously.


    "Just let the kids have some fun. We''ll meet them at the dinner," Duke said to him. At first he didn''t like Kevin and had been always pushing him away, but now they became friends and got along well.

 Chapter 1796 The Reunion (Part Three)

    "They remind me of when we were young. Time really passes quickly. Now they''ve grown up. We are all getting old now," Edward said. He seemed to be overwhelmed with sorrow.


    "Of course we are old now. That''s nature''s order. No one can stay young forever like your parents. Seems like you want to have eternal youth," Rain joked. It was true that Edward''s parents looked much younger than their peers because they had a healthy lifestyle but


    they were inevitably still getting old. Like Rain said, no one could beat mother nature.


    "No. Don''t get me wrong. In fact, nothing counts, and death ising for us all. If I wanted to change the order of nature, I''ll be damned," Edward said. His parents looked younger than their peers because they kept a positive mind. And they loved each other so much so they didn''t fight. They were always in a good mood. But these days he found that they both looked a little bit older. He thought they must have concerns now. He was worried about their physical health.


    "But you look younger than us. Are you keeping some secret from us? Actually you didn''t tell us who you really are. Are you a descendant of some immortal creature?" Tom joked with a smile. Like Edward, he also missed the old days when they were young and free. "What did you say? How dare you? I can''t believe you regard his parents as immortal creatures. I''ll tell them what you said about them," Rain joked. He was the most fun one out of all of them. He always made themugh by making fun of somebody''s way of dressing or telling an amusing story.


    "Go ahead. Tell them what he said," Edward said with a smile. As their son, he had a great admiration for his parents. They had been through a lot and at this age, their love for each other was still strong. Their lovemenced with a casual attraction but bloomed into a mature love and rich life.


    "When we grow old and grey, I hope we can still put our wife first like we do now. Then I can say that my love remains the same until death do us apart," Duke said. As he hit middle age, he started to feel that love was precious. Love was also fragile, so lovers needed to be as intentional with love as they were with work. He seldom envied people, but Jonathan and Cynthia''s love made him feel envious and he also respected them a lot.


    "As long as we hold this belief, I believe we can make it," Kevin said. He lived by those words. After all these years, his love for Leena remained the same.


    "Love is mutual. If you love your wife unconditionally, she will love you the same. In the end, the love we take will be equal to the love we make," Edward said with a smirk. Even though there had been quarrels between them, but after every fight, they loved each other more and more. When they just got married, he didn''t expect that their rtionship wouldst long. Now he felt like that love should be like wine. The longer you kept it, the stronger it would taste. Daisy had be the rock of their family, the love of his life. "You are right, Edward." Everybody agreed with him because they all had been through simr things. Love was patient, love was kind, love was not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. When you were with your lover, you could share problems, and it would make your love stronger.


    "Did Edene back to seed you," Rain asked trying to change the subject because the atmosphere was getting too sentimental.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    "No, not now. He is still a student now. It will take him a few years to graduate," Tom replied. He found that Eden was acting strangely after he came back home. He must be hiding something from him.


    "Don''t worry. It''s only a matter of time before he seeds you. You know, time really passes quickly. You just need to wait patiently," said Edward soothingly. He had already retired. He was the only one who enjoyed life to the fullest among them.


    "That''s easy for you to say. You are retired now, enjoying life. But I have to work hard because I''m the boss," Duke snorted andined. He was busy running twopanies now. He had hoped that Richard would learn Business Administration at university to help him run the business. But he decided to go to military school despite his heavy opposition. He also med Kevin for not persuading him to change his mind. Kevin was a soldier himself, he knew what it took to be an excellent soldier.


    "I agree with Duke. It''s a lot easier said than done. Stop showing off, Edward" Rain rolled his eyes at him. Even though they were older now, the way they talked to each other didn''t change, and they still liked to joke around.


    "Okay. I''ll stop. You guys are all attacking me now," said Edward as the expression on his face changed.


    He pretended to be angry. They all felt that Edward was a little bit angry so they all stayed silent.


    "What are you doing here? Dinner is about to start. Why don''t youe over and help us to put tes on the table?" a voice called from the distance. Then they saw Leenaing to them.


    "What''s wrong? Why are you so mad?" Rain said. He knew her temper so he didn''t want to mess with her.


    "I''m mad at you. We women cook food in the kitchen while you guys are here talking. Why don''t youe over to help us?" Kate Hotel brought some food to the party so they didn''t need to prepare a lot of food for the dinner. After the dinner, they would have a barbecue party, so Leena wanted to ask the men to prepare meat and vegetables for the barbecue.


    "I thought you could handle this. It''s women''s work to do the preparation before the barbecue. And I really don''t know how to do it," Edward said shrugging his shoulders. It seemed that all he wanted to do was to enjoy the meal.


    "You think we can handle this? Kevin, do you agree with him?" Leena turned to ask him.


    She wanted to know if Kevin would agree with what Edward had said. If Kevin agreed with Edward, he would have a problem with her.


    "No, no. I was thinking I coulde and help you out. I was just about to go and you showed up here. You know I''m a gentleman. A gentleman won''t leave the work for his woman to do on her own," Kevin said. His ttering words aroused the other men''s contempt. They all despised the way he talked to Leena. His bragging made them feel embarrassed. Although he was an eminentmander, he acted totally different when he was at home. He loved Leena so he always showed his love by praising her. What was more, he was soft- spoken and very submissive to his wife.


    "Okay. Since you''d like to offer us some help, I''ll leave the most important job to you. When we have the barbecue, your job is to keep the coals burning," Leena said with a sly smile.


    "That''s good. You can handle that," the other men said mocking him. They were happy to see that Kevin fell into the trap Leena set for him.


    "You guys don''t get too excited. Your job is to grill the meat and vegetables for us," Leena warned them. She liked to see their reaction after ying a trick on them.


    "You know what, Leena. That''s a brilliant idea," Kevin praised Leena. He thought he was luckier than the other guys because all he needed to do was to keep the coals burning. It was really a stress-free job to do, but they had to serve thedies all the time. "Shut up!" they all shouted at Kevin and stared at him. They were so jealous of him because he was the luckiest of them all and got the easiest job by ttering Leena.0000000

 Chapter 1797 Joyce鈥檚 Unrequited Love (Part One)

    The most beautiful sign that shows a party is full of joy and fun-filled activities is the sound ofughter. The moon was in full bloom, casting its rays onto the partygoers. The heat only served to spur the people''s excitement like gasoline to a me.


    Justin was the bona fide leader of the kids. He was charming and respected. He could be decisive if need be, and was always dignified in his actions; sometimes, he was also caring, a key aspect on how a leader should be. People tended to forget that leaders needed to care about the ones they were leading. The kids loved him for that.


    "Hey, Justin. When are you going to get married?" Eden, whose nosiness was a match even for Rain, asked while grilling some chicken wings over the glowing coals. As a medical student, he wasn''t very tactful and was often blunt with his words.


    "Don''t be absurd. It''s way too early for that kind of thing. I''m still really young." Justin, for all his genius, actually believed in fate. If he was ever going to get married, it would be with someone he loved deeply, and of course, fate should give him signs that she was the one. He set the girlfriend bar pretty high. As the boss of the FX International group, he just wouldn''t fall for any girl he saw.


    "You''re not that young. You''re almost thirty for God''s sake," Eden quipped. Some of the hot embers drifted onto his hand. He recoiled in pain and started waving his hand up and down. He then backed away from the barbeque.


    "What''s this almost nonsense? Thirty is still a ways to go," Justin protested. He wasn''t really against marriage. What he was totally averse to was the idea of a loveless marriage. Also, he absolutely did not want to turn into his father, whose private and personal life was preyed upon by the media. Even the birth of Jasmine hit headlines back then. The reporters loved to spread gossip like wildfire, particrly about his private life, but nothing they said in the news was true.


    Hearing his protests to Eden''s question, Joyce turned to look at Justin. Sooner orter, he would have to choose someone to marry and be a father of his own. The days of them being together like this were getting fewer and fewer, Joyce thought. "Joyce, what''s wrong?" Jasmine asked in concern when she saw her troubled expression.


    "Oh, It''s nothing. I''m just really full. I''m going to take a walk over there." Joyce forced an apologetic smile and stood up. From her worries she didn''t notice her troubles were already manifesting themselves on her expression.


    "I''ll go with you," Jasmine said and stood up as well. The glow of the mes illuminated her already beautiful face. Her perfectly chiseled features were only made more apparent by the light.


    "It''s okay. I''d like to be alone, to be honest. Stay here and eat some more barbeque," Joyce quickly said, her hands gesturing Jasmine to stop. She then turned around and slowly walked away. Unbeknownst to even herself, her eyes had been glued to Justin all this time. She knew she had lost her heart to him.


    She always knew he had always seen her only as a sister, no more, no less. She didn''t dare confess to him about how she felt. She was too afraid to lose what they had now - a solid friendship.


    She stood there, eyes downcast, arms crossed over her chest. She was so consumed by her thoughts that she didn''t notice someone was already standing in front of her.


    "Joyce, what''re you doing here all alone? Don''t you like the barbeque?" Daisy had been talking with Belinda and the others over the fire. Joyce''s abruptly standing up and walking away alone caught her eye. So, she followed her.


    "I love it, Aunt Daisy. How about you? Why''re you here?" Joyce hid her sadness through a graceful smile. This prompted Daisy to smile back.


    "I just saw that you were alone out here, so I thought maybe we could walk together," Daisy answered. Daisy saw Joyce''s eyes whenever they fell upon Justin. They reminded her of the days when she first met Edward. She had that exact same look when she started falling for him. It was a pity Justin hadn''t realized the looks Joyce had been giving him, or maybe he knew but didn''t want to change the rtionship between him and Joyce.


    "Aunt Daisy, how did you and Uncle Edward meet?" Joyce asked innocently. She had always been curious, but nobody seemed to know the exact story.


    "Do you really want to know? Well, let''s see. It''s actually kind of silly. One day we met when were young and I kind of couldn''t get him out of my head anymore. I fell in love with him. Then we met years after, and he didn''t remember me at all." Daisy stared upwards to the sky and started to vividly recall the old days. They yed in her head clearly as if it was just yesterday.


    "So you secretly admired Uncle Edward?" Joyce asked, intrigued. That was exactly her situation right now with Justin. She was a secret admirer, watching him from afar, too afraid to open herself up to him. She even went as far as to attend university in a different city so that maybe, in time, her feelings would fade. She was never more wrong in her life. The distance only kept her thinking about him more often than before.


    "Yes, I did," Daisy admitted, a faint smile forming on her lips.


    "But you and Uncle Edward are very happy now. So maybe people get what they want as long as they hang on a little longer, right?" It sounded like a question, but it seemed more like Joyce was trying to convince herself not to let go.All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    "Not always. Love isplicated and it takes two people to make it work. Love can''t be forced. It justes naturally with both people. However, if a person doesn''t even bother to try, they don''t deserve a chance. Love also requires effort. Even if you get shot down, at least you know the answer instead of spending a long time regretting the what ifs," Daisy exined to her. As much as she liked Joyce and would be d to be her mother-inw, she also had a high regard for her son''s feelings. It was a delicate bncing act. She didn''t want to side with either one.


    "I see. Thank you, Aunt Daisy." Joyce took a deep breath, puffed up her cheeks and decided to take the leap. Even if she got rejected, she would face it with courage.


    "You''re wee. I''m d that you figured it out," Daisy said, stroking Joyce''s hair. ''What a lovely girl! Polite and sensible. Her kind is slowly bing extinct these days. It''s a shame that Justin doesn''t feel the same, ''Daisy thought to herself. Love was never about perfection, but feelings.


    "Aunt Daisy, do you know something?" Joyce asked her in surprise. She thought she had disguised her emotions well. But Daisy seemed to have it all figured out. She felt so exposed.


    "You mean the fact that you like my son? If it is, then yes, I know a little." Daisy never meant to hide the fact that she knew. She smiled wryly.


    "Sorry, Aunt Daisy. I..." Joyce almost curled up in embarrassment. Her Aunt saw through her like ss. She wanted the ground to swallow her up at that moment.


    "Now. Don''t apologize. Open your heart to the outside world, Joyce. Maybe after some time, you never know, you''ll realize that the feelings you have for Justin now is just some kind of puppy love. It will pass," Daisy pointed out. She didn''t want Joyce to be disappointed and regretful someday.


    "That''s what I initially thought. I assumed my feelings for him would disappear over time, but they didn''t! They only became stronger." Joyce cried out helplessly. She closed her eyes in frustration.


    "Youngdy, you know what? In the game of love, the first to fall loses," Daisy reminded her the painful lesson she learned all those years ago. She let out a sigh when she realized the kid wouldn''t back down. She saw so much of herself in Joyce back when she was young, confused and struggling in love, so she understood exactly what Joyce might''ve been feeling. It pained Daisy, but she also knew this was exactly why Joyce had to face this all by herself. Daisy couldn''t interfere by telling Justin how she felt and nor could she force him into reciprocating Joyce''s feelings.


    "I''m fine. I might look delicate but I''m tough. Aunt Daisy, please don''t tell Justin that I like him. I''m afraid that once he knows, he''ll try to avoid me," Joyce pleaded. Even if it was unrequited love, she treasured every minute with Justin. She didn''t want to ruin that.


    "Of course. I won''t tell him. Please don''t beat yourself up about this. If he doesn''t love you back, it only proves he''s still a silly boy; you deserve better then." Since she had also been in a simr situation with Edward in the past, Daisy felt that it wouldn''t hurt to give Joyce some advice. No one had ever offered her such advice when she was faced with this problem. So, she had to wait for Edward for a long time. She was lucky because they ended up together. Otherwise, she couldn''t even begin to imagine how her life would be right now if they didn''t. However, she didn''t want Joyce to wait for Justin hopelessly. They were different people with different circumstances. What worked for her might not work for Joyce.


    "I understand." Her eyes started to get blurry and wet, but Joyce managed to fight back the tears as she looked up at the sky.


    The coals were extinguished, and everybody cleaned up. The party was over. Everyone made their way to their rooms to rest. Daisy decided to have a serious talk with Justin. She barged into his bedroom without even knocking to announce herself, a bad habit she picked up from her husband.

 Chapter 1798 Joyce鈥檚 Unrequited Love (Part Two)

    "Mom! Geez!" Justin cried. Daisy caught him in a particrly naked moment. Justin quickly grabbed the bath towel he had just dumped on the bed and wrapped it around his waist again to cover up his sensitive parts.


    "So what? I''m your mom. I''ve seen you naked hundreds of times," Daisy responded calmly, her face passive. Her thoughts were anything but. ''What a coincidence! I never expected him to be just out of the shower the minute I walked in. He was wearing briefs though, so why the over-the-top embarrassment?''


    "Could you please, please knock first next time? You''re just like dad." ''Every frigging time, '' Justinined inwardly, rolling his eyes. He had already moved to the upstairs bedroom to stop her from just barging in, but it didn''t seem to be effective. "Never," Daisy bluntly refused.


    Justin gracefully walked in front of the mirror. "Well, you''re upte. Why hasn''t dade and picked you up?" Justin said with a sidelong nce at his mother as he just started drying his hair


    "You know as well as I do how drunk he is. You saw him at the party downing shot after shot. How about you and I have a little talk?" Daisy offered. If Edward hadn''t been drunk. she wouldn''t have gotten this rare chance to talk with her son right now. "Okay, what''s up? Wait, just to be clear, not a word about getting married," Justin said abruptly while styling his hair in front of the mirror.


    "It''s not about getting married. It''s about Joyce," Daisy replied. She then studied his face for the slightest reaction. She got nothing.


    "Joyce? What about her? Does she have a boyfriend now?" Justin wondered out loud. He hadn''t noticed anything particrly different about her at the party just awhile ago.


    "No. I just wanted to ask... what do you think about her?" The moment the words left her mouth, Daisy winced and started to regret why she was the one having this talk with her son. She should have left it to Edward, who was a smooth talker and had thick skin. He was perfect for this, he wouldn''t even break a swear.


    "She''s great. Elegant and beautiful," Justin answered almost automatically.


    "So do you like her?" Could she be wrong? Was there a chance that Justin was into Joyce too?


    "Of course! She''s like my sister. How can I not like her?" Justin blurted out, chuckling as well. Suddenly, his eyes narrowed. He realized something was off. Why in the hell was his mom in his room thiste at night, asking all these weird questions? "Oh, so you only see her as a sister." Needless to say, Daisy was disappointed.


    "And so? Mom, why are you in my room in the middle of the night? Asking all these questions? Is there something I should know about?" Justin started walking towards Daisy and leaned forward. He drew his face close to his mother''s, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Nothing. I was just asking for your Aunt Annie. We were talking during the party and she thought Joyce was too quiet and was worried that she might have a hard time finding a boyfriend. Since you two grew up together and are close, maybe you''d know before us if she has a boyfriend." Daisy diverted the subject so smoothly, Edward would have been proud of her. She promised Joyce to keep her feelings a secret, so a secret it shall remain.


    "If that''s all, we already asked her this morning. She doesn''t have a boyfriend. There, you got your answer. You happy now?" Justin shook his head. Joyce was still at the peak of her youth and these women were already worried about her marriage. When would this ever stop?


    "Well, okay then. Have you ever considered you and her, getting together?" Daisy probed further.


    "What are you talking about, Mom? Me and Joyce?" Justin dismissed the thought incredulously. "She''s my sister. That is too many questions for one night. Go check up on dad in case he throws up. It won''t be easy to clean up, you know that." He then turned around, took off the towel from his waist, flung it aside, and slid under the covers. Considering he had to work earlier and party at night, he was exhausted.


    "Oh, right! I almost forgot about him. Alright, I''m going. Let''s talk again some other time. Goodnight!" Daisy took onest look at Justin who was already in bed with his eyes shut. She then hurried downstairs, worried that Edward might throw up in bed. It had a small chance of happening though.


    "Okeydokey. Shut the door when you leave, please." Justin sighed and then he heard the door m shut. Her mom might''ve been a little angry.


    Justin opened his eyes. Silence filled the room now that his mother was gone. His eyes drifted towards the nearby window. It offered a perfect view of the night sky and its full moon. He had long suspected that Joyce had a thing for him. His mom''s visit made the answer crystal clear. He was sure about it.


    He gave another sigh, a deeper one. He wondered how he was supposed to go about the problem. It was not that Joyce wasn''t good enough for him, it was just that he had always treated her like a sister. He never saw her in a romantic way. It just wouldn''t happen between them. He then got too frustrated, and let sleep take him. Soon, he was fast asleep, his face illuminated by the moon.


    The next morning, getting out of bed turned out to be a hard challenge for Jasmine. She was so sleepy that she brushed her teeth with her eyes closed.


    "Jasmine, hurry up! Uncle Brian is waiting and he called to tell us to be quicker," Justin urged hiszy sister. It was the weekend, so the kids and Brian decided to visit their grandpa.


    "Tell Uncle Brian he''s annoying. He should know girls significantly need more time than boys to get ready," Jasmineined. Waking up so early irritated her. She sshed some cold water on her face to wake her up a little.


    "Well, you tell him yourself. I won''t be your messenger." Justin said resignedly. Every day it was like this. Every day, she had to be so dramatic about getting up.


    "Okay, maybe I will. Now get out. I have to get dressed." Jasmine pouted as she hurriedly opened the wardrobe to find her outfit for the day.


    "Five minutes, okay? I''ll wait for you downstairs," Justin told her after he checked his watch. He then left the room.


    As he was descending the staircase, he spied Daisy looking up. She had been waiting for them toe down.


    "Is Jasmine not ready yet?" Daisy asked with a frown. That girl was always thest to get ready whenever they had ns to leave the house.


    "Yeah, she''s changing her clothes already. Mom, can''t you go with us?" It had been so many years already, but Daisy still couldn''t forgive her father. She was just too stubborn.


    "No, I won''t. I''ll go check on your father." Daisy obviously made an excuse to avoid the touchy subject. Was she still angry at Leo? She wasn''t actually, for a long time now. She just knew it would be extremely ufortable around him.


    Justin winced at his mom''s reaction. He knew it was painful for her to revisit what her father did. He still didn''t know what exactly that was, but he did find himself curious about what his grandfather did to make his mom hold a grudge for so many years. Daisy entered the bedroom she shared with her husband. "Have the kids left?" Edward asked, sitting down across their coffee table. He noticed her face was drained of color. He knew she still hadn''t forgiven Leo; the past was still haunting her. "Nope. Not yet. Jasmine is still getting ready upstairs." Daisy sat across him and took a sip of tea to hide her emotions from Edward.


    "How about we go with them?" Edward asked. Although she would never admit it, her reactions gave away the fact that she wanted to see Leo too. He was still her father after all.All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    "You can go with them if you want to. I''ll pass as always." She had already allowed the kids to visit him. For her, she''d done enough. She didn''t and wouldn''t go see him herself.


    "Is this really necessary? He''s still your father. And, he''s been having issues with his health recently. How many years will he be around before you regret it?" He had been trying his hardest to get her to reconcile with her father, but she never wavered. "That''s not my problem and it doesn''t concern me at all," she retorted, her face betraying her concern. Thest time Leo fell and was hospitalized, she had been so nervous. Still, despite this, she was still too stubborn to show her emotions. It must weigh heavily on her sometimes.


    "Honey, sometimes we all need to learn to let go. If we don''t, the things we have to let go will consume us and control our lives eventually. You think your mother would have liked this? To see this never ending grudge between you and your father?" Daisy''s mother died because of Leo. It was his biggest mistake. It haunted him all his life. His agony and pain drove everyone away and he ended up alone.


    "If you want to talk about that thing, I''ll have to leave. Stay here and talk to yourself." Daisy stood up, pretending to leave.


    "Fine. I''ll stop bringing it up. It''s your day off today. Let me take you out, okay?" He decided to yield on that topic, for now.


    "I really don''t feel like going out today. I walk and march in the military base everyday. Today''s my day off, so there''s no way I''m going out to walk again. I''ll just have a nice rest here at home." She had already visited all the worthwhile spots in the city. Nothing would interest her anymore. Besides, the matter with Leo gave her more things to think over.0000000

 Chapter 1799 He Is Just Her Slave (Part One)

    Edward frowned when Daisy turned him down. He had originally nned to take her out for rxation. However, she said that she''d rather stay at home.


    "Dad? Mom? Are you sure you don''t want toe with us?" Jasmine asked while adjusting her one-piece dress. She decided to wear girlish clothes today since her grandfather, Leo, called her a tomboy thest time. What a bad decision though because she was feeling so ufortable with it now. "We''re not going. Just go there with your brother." Daisy gently smoothed a wisp of hair from her eyes and tucked it behind her ear. She still looked beautiful despite her age and i was obvious how the years that had passed treated her so well.


    "Not again! Grandpa would be so disappointed. I heard him murmur that he hadn''t gotten much time left thest time we were there. I felt sad upon hearing that,"ined Jasmine while pouting her lips. She discreetly stole a nce at her mother to see her reaction. However, Daisy remained cold and didn''t even show any emotion at all. She just bit her lower lip as she pretended to hear nothing at all.


    "Jasmine, hurry up! We''rete!" It was Justin''s loud voice that broke the ufortable silence between the two. He was already waiting for her in the car for minutes and Jasmine''s dy was already annoying him to the hilt.


    "For God''s sake shut up!" Jasmine shouted back and trotted out of their door. Her face was still sour when she opened the passenger seat door forcefully and dumped herself into the car.


    Daisy saw everything and she couldn''t help but frown at Jasmine''s attitude. She had always wanted her daughter to be an independent girl. She couldn''t be happier that Jasmine was indeed independent now. However, her little child had grown up to be rude and that troubled Daisy a lot. "Edward, do you think I''ve gone too far on Jasmine? She doesn''t act like a girl at all." Daisy turned to Edward who was just silent the whole time while reading the newspaper. He might have aged but it was obvious how perfect his face still was.


    "Well..." he started hesitantly. The question instantly put him in a dilemma if he should tell his wife the truth or not. Making Daisy angry was not really part of his ns today.


    "Loosen up! I won''t me you for that," urged Daisy impatiently.


    "Well, she has a positive mentality and I think that''s great. Nevertheless, I''m afraid that she might get beaten up one day. Her attitude is beyond decorum." Although Edward was a powerful man, he really couldn''t assure that he and Daisy could protect their little princess round the clock. Jasmine had already grown up and frankly, his daughter''s wild demeanor was something that worried him too.


    "I don''t think so. Look at her! She has a heart of stone. You heard what your father said, right? Does your father really think that Jasmine can take over The Mayfly?" Daisy asked anxiously. As a soldier, she knew how dangerous it could be to manage the underground forces. All she wanted was for her daughter to have a simple and happy life.


    "Rest assured. We don''t even have to worry about that since father thinks that she is capable. Father seldom thought highly of anyone but he has praised Jasmine so many times. The old man must have seen her forte." Edward stood up from the single sofa and walked up to Daisy who was sitting just across his. He then patted her back to console her. He had faith in their daughter and wasn''t even bothered about her being with The Mayfly in the future.


    "I hope so." Daisy sighed with resignation. Their daughter''s fate had already been decided and she couldn''t do anything about it anymore. The only thing left for her to do was to ept the fact that her daughter was going to take over The Mayfly soon.


    It was already almost noon when Justin and Jasmine arrived at the Ouyang family house. The siblings hadn''t been on the parking lot long when a handsome boy ran towards them and greeted them warmly. "Justin, Jasmine, you''re finally here. Grandpa has been waiting for you two and his constant nagging is already driving me crazy!"All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    "Haha! Enrique, is that true?" Jasmineughed and pinched the boy''s chubby cheek.


    Enrique Ouyang was Brian''s son. He was ten years old and closely resembled Brian. He was a very handsome boy since he got most of his genes from his dad.


    "Let''s go inside. My mom was so upset that she almost cried." Enrique Ouyang reached out to grab Justin''s hand quickly. However, he was careful while keeping a certain distance from Jasmine as she was fond of pinching his face.


    "So your mom''s at home! Doesn''t she need to go to the TV station?" asked Justin. He knew Brian''s wife very well as they had worked together several times.


    "No. She finished her work ahead of time so she could take a leave today." Enrique Ouyang was thrilled to see his cousins because they were his scapegoats. He badly wanted to avoid their grandfather''s constant nagging.


    "Justin, Jasmine, you''re here. Come on in." Kelsey Jia weed them with a bright smile at the entrance. She was a well-known TV reporter in S City. She was a capable and experienced woman, not to mention beautiful and smart. She first met Brian in an interview program and they also had a long story.


    "Auntie, you look prettier in person than when you were on TV. I''ll makeints to your cameraman because he is unable to justify your pretty face to the audience." Jasmine hugged Kelsey Jia happily. It was obvious how much she loved being around her auntie-in-w. "Hey, Jasmine! Are you trying to praise me or mock me? I''m pretty sure that you just called me ugly when I was on TV." Kelsey Jia was somehow confused if she was supposed to cry or tough.


    "Of course I''m praising you! Look at my pure and innocent eyes. Trust me, auntie. You are thinking too much!" Jasmine stuck out her tongue and made a cute face. She then looked around but didn''t see anyone else. Thus, she asked, "Where''s Uncle and Grandpa?" "Oh, they''re in the backyard. Your grandpa wants to grow vegetables, so they''re digging the ground." A wry smile spread over Kelsey Jia''s face when she mentioned what her father-inw was busy about. Leo was acting more and more like a spoiled child as he grew older. He was on the stage where he would throw huge tantrums whenever his requirements weren''t met.


    "What? Grow vegetables? Are you sure he wants to grow vegetables instead of flowers?" Jasmine''s jaw dropped as her eyes grew wide. Her grandfather was acting weirder and weirder. She wondered if it had anything to do with her mother''s attitude towards him. "Yes, I''m sure. How about this? You go to the backyard to greet them. I''ll go to the kitchen to prepare the food," Kelsey Jia offered with a dry smile. She just had a conflict with Leo and she didn''t want to irritate the old man more.


    "Yeah sure. Grandpa is really like a naughty boy. He can''t even take care of himself. How can he grow vegetables?" Jasmine grumbled and pouted her lips. On the other hand, Justin just kept silent the whole time while listening to the twodies. He had been pondered about how he could solve the problem between his mother and his grandfather.


    "Grandpa, look who are here!" Enrique Ouyang called out cheerfully as soon as they arrived at the backyard. He was still dragging Justin by his hand as he carefully crossed the uneven ground of their backyard.


    "Justin, Jasmine, why are you sote?" Leo threw his hoe aside and walked towards the youngsters happily. He was wobbling with every step he made and yet looked so energetic.


    "Grandpa, I heard that you were acting naughty again?" Jasmine teased and held Leo''s arm instantly to assist him.


    "Only two of you? Where''s Daisy?" said Leo in disappointment as he looked back and forth between Justin and Jasmine. How he wished to see his daughter too.


    "You should feel lucky that we''re here." It was Justin who answered the old man in a freezing tone. Although Leo was now a pathetic and lonely old man, Justin believed that he deserved it. There was really no one to me about what happened to their grandpa but himself.


    "Justin!" That was when Brian called him to signal him to stop talking. Leo had been in poor health recently and Brian didn''t want Justin to trigger the old man.


    "I know, I know. I''m d you are here." Sadness flooded Leo''s eyes while he still looked at the two. It seemed that Daisy would not forgive him in this life.


    "Grandpa, don''t be sad. Mom is busy working today, thus, she can''t make it. Butst night, she asked me to say hello to you." Jasmine consoled her grandfather quickly. She then cast a disappointed nce at her brother and thought, ''What is wrong with Justin? Why is he so angry at Grandpa?''


    "Is that so?" In reaction with what Jasmine said, Leo''s face beamed with pure happiness. He was suddenly smiling like a child again and it was easy to tell that something was really beginning to be wrong with him.


    "Of course. How could I even lie to you, grandpa?" Jasmine shed her grandfather a wide grin. Leo was very old now and could pass away at any time. She thought that her mother should forgive him. Otherwise, she would regret not doing so one day."

 Chapter 1800 He Is Just Her Slave (Part Two)

    "Brian, did you hear that? Does that mean your sister is about to forgive me?" Leo turned to his son who was now picking up the hoe he had thrown on the ground. He badly needed a confirmation.


    "Yes, Dad. Look, Justin and Jasmine are here. Why don''t we stop digging the ground and get inside?" Brian suggested politely while putting the gardening materials aside. He had given up his own career overseas since Leo''s health started declining. He decided to just


    take over Ouyang Foreign Trade and focused on his family.


    "Forget about the vegetables. Go to the kitchen and see if the dishes are ready. It''s almost lunchtime. My grandchildren must be hungry." Leo didn''t insist on digging the ground anymore. All he cared about now was his grandchildren.


    "Grandpa, let''s get in," Jasmine sweetly said as she began to walk Leo carefully across the backyard. No matter how her mother treated Leo, she loved him very much because Leo had treated her very well since she was a baby. There was no way that her mother''s attitude would affect how much she adored the old man.


    "Justin, wait. Was Jasmine telling the truth? Did Daisy really say that?" Brian stopped Justin by the shoulder just before the young man walked away. He had to confirm what he heard. If what Jasmine said was true, it meant that Daisy had finally changed her mind. They would be aplete family again!


    "What do you think? Do you think that my mom will ever change her mind? You know how stubborn she is. She would not forgive grandpa unless a miracle happens," Justin snorted as he decided to remain neutral.


    "Tsk! I should''ve known it. Your mom can be very obstinate when she wants to be." Brian didn''t understand why Daisy just couldn''t let go. His mother, who had caused miseries to Daisy, had already died in prison. He thought that Daisy should be relieved after that. "I think my dad spoiled my mom a bit too much." Justin shrugged as he had no idea of what to do. He had tried to persuade his mother before, but she would get emotional every time. The next thing he knew was how his dad usually butted in between them just to scold him all the time. Edward would always take Daisy''s side regardless of anything. As a result, Justin had given up persuading his mother.


    "Speaking of your dad, did he not try to persuade her?" Brian didn''t think that Edward was as emotional as Daisy.


    "Come on! The two are inseparable. You already know whose side he is with. He would do whatever my mom says. He is just her ve!" Justin pursed his lips as he was a little angry. He could still remember how many times his dad scolded him because of his mom. "Haha! You better not say that in front of Edward. Otherwise, you''ll be screwed." Brian knew Edward so well. Although he wouldn''t admit this before anyone, he really felt lucky for his sister to have such an incredible husband.


    "Do you think I''m a fool?" Justin rolled his eyes at his uncle and walked towards the house. He didn''t even shot Brian a second look as he left him alone in the backyard.


    Helplessly, Brian shook his head and sighed before following his nephew.


    Leo was thrilled the whole day because of what Jasmine said. He was acting as if Daisy had already forgiven him. He looked like an ted child the whole time they were chatting andughing.


    The Ouyang family house was suddenly filled with so much warmth. Thus, nobody dared to tell the truth to the old man.


    It was after a few hours more before Jasmine and Justin decided to leave. However, it was obvious how Jasmine remained silent on their way home. The silence was just too ufortable, thus, Justin felt that something was terribly wrong. His sister was a loud person and he wasn''t used to seeing her this quiet.


    "Jasmine, what are you thinking about? Did you fall for some boy?" Justin stole a nce at Jasmine through the rear-view mirror.


    "Yes. Do you think I should abduct him?" answered Jasmine casually. She was actually thinking of how to get close to Richard, their uncle Kevin and auntie Leena''s son.


    "Are you kidding me? My sister is so pretty and adorable. What''s his name? He should have already fallen for you at first sight." Justin cracked a joke as he thought of who the boy could be.


    "Come on, Justin! I was just kidding. Don''t tell me that you took that seriously?" Jasmine snapped at her brother. However, she honestly loved it when Justin and she were talking like this.


    "Of course, I took it seriously. I suppose that the boy you like is a good boy. Well, he has to be a good boy! Otherwise, I will teach him a hard lesson if he dares to hurt my beloved sister," Justin said in a serious manner. He doted on his only sister and would do everything to protect her.


    "Oh, Justin. You are such a nice brother!" Jasmine gave her brother a sweet smile. She was really moved by her brother''s words and suddenly felt an urge to hug him.


    "Hey, you''ll take the university entrance examination soon. Which university do you want to go to?" To tell the truth, Justin didn''t think that his sister needed to go to university. However, Daisy was giving it huge importance and even said that it was necessary. Justin didn''t dare to set himself against his mother.


    "I haven''t decided yet. Actually, I want to go to the military academy where Richard is but I think I may fail in the exam. Moreover, I don''t think that a military academy is a good option for me. You know, I''ll take over The Mayfly someday after all." Just mentioning The Mayfly was already enough to stress Jasmine. It was really difficult for her to convince the members of the group since she was still too young. Nevertheless, she thought that taking over The Mayfly was much easier than getting into a university.


    "If you really don''t want to take over


    The Mayfly, then why don''t you tell grandpa? Owen can take over the group as well," suggested Justin. Like his father, Justin cared about Jasmine very much. His heart hurt whenever he saw his sister''s worried


    face.


    "It''s not that I don''t want to take over The Mayfly. I just want to go to the military academy since Richard''s there," Jasmine grumbled unconsciously. She didn''t realize that she just sold herself out.


    "You mean you want to go to the military academy just because of Richard?" Justin asked with a frown and wondered if the boy she fell for was the same Richard he knew.


    "No, no, no! I mean... He is a friend of mine, right? Going to the school with him would definitely make things a lot easier." Jasmine immediately made an excuse upon realizing what happened. She would not admit that she had a thing for Richard. "Really?" Justin curled the corner of his lips mockingly. It was obvious that he wasn''t buying what his sister said.


    "Geez! Justin, you''re so annoying. Hurry up! I still need to go to The Mayfly." Jasmine changed the topic. Her face was suddenly red all over due to shame.All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    "By the way, where is The Mayfly?" For the longest time, Justin really wanted to know the address of the group. However, his grandfather told him that he was an outsider, thus, he was not allowed to know those details at all.


    "Do you really want to know?" Jasmine said in a teasing voice.


    "Yes, I do. How about Ie with you today?" Excitement was suddenly written all over Justin''s face when he shot a nce at his sister.


    "Then, what will you give me in exchange? How about buying me a car?" Jasmine gave her brother a sweet smile. She had been wishing for a car for years.


    "No! You are still too young to have a


    car!" Justin turned


    turned her down without


    any hesitation. He would buy as


    many cars as she liked once sheet


    was grown up. However, she was only freaking sixteen and didn''t even have a license. How could he even do what she wanted?


    "Bah! I knew you wouldn''t say yes. Never mind." Jasmine leaned against the back of her seat and pouted her lips frustratedly. It seemed like she still needed to wait for another two years to have a car. "Are you giving up that easily? Are you not nning to persuade me again?" Justin asked with a teasing smile. He knew his sister like the back of his hand. Jasmine was never the patient type of person. "What else can I do? Forget it." Jasmine turned her head and stared out the window. All of a sudden, a familiar figure caught her attention. "Justin, pull over! I saw Joyce," she said.


    Justin looked into her direction and saw Joyce standing by the pavement. Thus, he steered the wheel immediately and pulled over.


    "Joyce!" Jasmine was already screaming even before their car stopped.


    On the other hand, Joyce was waiting for someone when she heard her name being called. She looked around to check who it was and instantly shed a wide grin upon seeing Jasmine. However, her sweet smile melted as quickly as it appeared when she caught a nce of who the driver was.


    "Where are you going?" Joyce asked and forced a tiny smile.


    "We just left our grandpa''s house. Joyce, are you waiting for someone?" Jasmine looked around but didn''t see any familiar face.


    "Oh... I-I just passed by..." Joyce made an excuse. Actually she was waiting for a male ssmate. She didn''t want Justin to misunderstand their rtionship, so she lied.


    "I see. Why don''t you hang out with us?" Jasmine offered. She really liked Joyce a lot.


    "Uh, I''m good. I just visited you guysst night. Why don''t you just go home? It''s really hot outside," said Joyce anxiously. Her ssmate was about to arrive.


    "Uh, okay. We''re leaving now. Let''s hang out next time." Jasmine had to go to The Mayflyter, thus, she didn''t force Joyce to hang out with them.


    "Okay. See you." Joyce waved her hand and heaved a long sigh of relief when the car started. However, the fact that Justin didn''t even care to talk to her nor ask anything made her sad.00000000

 Chapter 1801 There Was Louisa Again (Part One)

    "Justin, how do you feel about Joyce?" Jasmine had considered that it would be wonderful if Joyce could be her sister-inw one day.


    "Why do you suddenly ask such a strange question?" Justin was reluctant to answer any questions about women, especially about Joyce, whom he didn''t want to consider romantically.


    "You see, I like Joyce. She''s really beautiful, and if she marries you, wouldn''t that be wonderful for both of us?" Jasmine beamed with joy as she exined her reasoning to Justin. She really thought this was a good idea. "No way!" Justin directly and vehemently vetoed her proposal.


    "But why? She''s single, and you''re single too. I think that you are a perfect match." Jasmine pouted, very upset by his reaction. How could he disagree? It was such a wonderful notion in her eyes.


    "It is very simple - I just don''t love her! She is just like a sister to me, the same as you are to me. You''re both my sisters. That''s it," Justin said very seriously, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. He was not going to entertain such wild ideas.


    "But love can develop over time. I heard that Mommy and Daddy were also in an arranged marriage. But everyone can see how much they love each other now." To reach her goal, Jasmine was trying her best to persuade Justin.


    "Jasmine, you only see their happiness at present. But you don''t know how miserable Mommy was before. Anyway, I don''t approve of a marriage which isn''t built on love from the beginning." Justin was a little annoyed. They were always trying to fix him up with Joyce recently.


    "Okay. It''s fine, if you don''t like her. But did you have to shout it out so loudly? You scared me!" Jasmine ced a trembling hand over her chest. She was really frightened by his raised voice.


    "I don''t want to hear nonsense like that anymore. If you really want a sister-inw, I will try my best to find one." Justin didn''t have any idea as to what his future wife would be like. But he valued feelings above all other considerations. As long as he loved her, then everything would work out.


    "But Justin, I can''t help but wonder why you feel so annoyed at the mere mention of Joyce?" If he really didn''t like Joyce, she would stop nagging once he clearly showed his stand. But what was wrong with him? His excessively strong disapproval made her confused. "It is because you are always trying to matchmake us." Justin also realized that he had overreacted, so he softened his voice.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    "I just casually mentioned it. Don''t get all upset about it. No one is forcing you to marry her," Jasmine said in frustration. ''Come on, justugh it off now,'' she thought.


    "Okay, let''s drop it. We''re here, you can get out of the car now," Justin said while stepping out of the vehicle. Only then did Jasmine realize that they had already arrived home. She watched Justin stride towards the house, with angry steps. She was still confused and hurt by his earlier outburst. He had been so rude to her!


    After entering the house, Justin immediately went upstairs. When he met Edward on the stairway, he only shot a cold nce at him and silently walked past.


    "Jasmine, what happened to him? He seems very angry," Edward asked Jasmine, who followed behind in Justin''s wake, wondering who had offended his son.


    "I don''t know." Jasmine looked at Edward unseeingly and replied absentmindedly, before she too disappeared upstairs.


    "What? What happened to you two? You''re both acting so strange!" Edward became vexed. He had done nothing to be rebuffed like that! He wondered why they were so unhappy with him.


    "What is all this fuss about?" Daisy asked as she walked out of the kitchen. She had only been gone a few minutes to take the tea set, and she couldn''t understand his sudden upset tone or indignant attitude.


    "Who else could make me this angry, but your endearing son and daughter?" Edward cast Daisy a sullen nce, as if she was the one to me for his unhappiness. The children were after all hers!


    "You sounded as if they were not yours. Let''s have the truth, spit it out! What did they do to you just now?" Daisy looked at him, greatly amused. She was not angry at all.


    "They looked as if I owed them money. They didn''t even say hello to me, and Jasmine just growled at me. You need to remind them to watch their manners!" Edward looked pitiful, as if he was a child who was bullied by a bigger kid, and was now seeking shelter from his mother.


    "Did they perhaps quarrel with each other?" Daisy looked up at the direction of their rooms with motherly concern. Yes, it was highly likely that they had argued with each other just now.


    "How could that be possible? Justin


    is a good brother who loves his sister dearly. It is impossible that he would argue with her." Edward repudiated Daisy''s question with ¨¤ sullen took. He felt that this was an impossibility as the children loved each other, and Daisy was stupid to ask such a question.


    "Nothing is impossible. You also love me. But aren''t you quarreling with me right now?" Daisy stared back calmly and set the tea service on the table. She didn''t want to talk about this anymore.


    "It is all because of them that I lost my temper." Edward''s voice trailed off, as he realized that his arbitrary argument was no longer up for discussion.


    "Oh! So, since you can''t do anything


    to them, you decided to vent your anger on me instead." Daisy was exasperated. The trouble had started with his


    free-range-education methods He did not enjoy his children''s respect, because he had oftenughed off their inappropriate behavior, thus losing his authority over them.


    "Sorry, honey. I was just so mad at them! I didn''t mean to take it out on you with a temper tantrum. I''m sorry," Edward hurriedly apologized, seeking her favor and forgiveness. He could offend anyone but his wife in this house. It was important to respect this unspokenw, because it would decide whether he would sleep in the study, or in the master bedroom tonight.


    "Really?" While making the tea, Daisy maintained her air of inequity with an intimidating tone.


    "Of course! I have never lied to you." Since he had given his promise to her, he would always act with fealty, and love her till death.00000000000000

 Chapter 1802 There Was Louisa Again (Part Two)

    Since he had given his promise to her, he would always act with fealty, and love her till death.


    "Okay, I will forgive you since you apologized so sincerely. Try the Pu''er tea I just made and tell me if you like it."


    Unlike many other women who tended to take certain things too seriously, Daisy was a woman who knew where to stop. She would not sulk, or make things too difficult for Edward.


    "Thank you for your benevolence,"


    Edward said with a yful half-bow. Then he took a sip from the dainty tea cup and savored the delicately vored brew.


    Truthfully, life was, just like the tea ceremony, an order of priorities. When making the tea, we had to consider the amount of leaves, and more importantly, the water temperature and tools to make the tea. Likewise, in our life, we needed to manage good interpersonal skills. And more importantly, we needed to learn about forgiveness and gratitude.


    On most days, Leena was an exemry wife and mother, but at times she withdrew into her solitude, just like today.


    She didn''t want to do anything, except for reclining on the sofa, staring nkly through the window.


    "Mom, you have been lying there for almost three hours. Could you please make me some food? I am starving!" Richard finally interrupted her reverie, and reached out his hand, trying to pull her up.


    "Go ask the housekeeper to make you some food. I don''t want to serve anyone today."


    Leena still rested motionlessly on the sofa, gazing at the breathtaking sunset framed in the panoramic window.


    "But Mom, I don''te home every day, and now that I am here, you just ignore me. You can''t treat me like this!"


    Richard sat beside her and studied her with some concern. ''Did she quarrel with my father? Or, is she perhaps ill?'' Richard wondered.


    "How would you like me to treat you? Do you want me to worship you, like the Bodhisattva?"


    Leena turned her head to him and fixed a cold eye on him. Then she resumed her observation of the scenery beyond the window.


    "No, of course not like that. I was just hoping that you could make some delicious food for me."


    Richard managed to crack a smile, trying to make her happy. He med all this on Kevin. It must be him who had annoyed his dear mother, and that was why she was so unhappy and so indifferent to him.


    "I don''t want to move,"


    Leena said shortly, not wanting to waste any words on an exnation.


    "Okay, fine. I will eat out in the city then,"


    Richard said and stood up. With his Dragc Card, he could dine at any of the nicest restaurants in the city.


    "Wait, take me with you."


    Leena suddenly came alive. She straightened up immediately, no longer aszy as she had been only seconds


    before.


    "Oh! But didn''t you just say that you didn''t want to move?"


    Richard looked at her doubtfully, concerned by her sudden excited mood.


    "Cut the crap. There is delicious food waiting for me, and any one would move for food.


    Wait a moment, I''ll go upstairs and change my clothes,"


    Leena said, darting towards the upper floor. But after a few steps she suddenly stopped," Don''t leave without me, understand?"


    "Mom, are you sure you really want to go with me? What about dad when hees home?"


    Richard looked at her helplessly. It seemed that her mind was made up and she would follow him today.


    "He can mind his own business, why should I care?"


    Leena snapped and trotted towards the stairs. She really was in a foul mood today.


    "They must have had one hell of a fight,"


    Richard mumbled. He just knew it!


    His mother had always been vigorous, and her sudden low spirits worried him today.


    He was certain that it was all Commander Gu''s fault.


    It was still early, so they didn''t go straight to the restaurant. First, they went to the supermarket and bought some snacks and other daily necessities. Richard could carry the heavy groceries, so Leena didn''t have to concern herself about buying only what she could carry.


    "Hey, Mom, are you really not nning on calling Commander Gu?"


    Richard followed her like a submissive child, sensing that the crisis had not been averted yet.


    "No. But if you want to call him, please, go ahead."


    ''Why should I call him first?'' She brooded.


    She was always the one who caved in first, but this time, she would not be that stupid again.


    "Come on, I''m not crazy. I am surely looking for a reprimand, if I call him right now."


    She was the one who had issues with his father. If she didn''t call, then neither would he. He would not get himself involved and court trouble.


    "You are indeed crazy. I suggested that you should go study overseas, but you insisted on attending the military school. I will wait and see if you can find a wife in the future." Leena grew angry at herself for mentioning this. It was a sore point to her.


    "It won''t be a problem for me. Your son is most handsome and smart. You don''t have to worry that girls won''t like me."


    Richard had truthfully, never worried


    about this. He was very confident in


    himself. Moreover, his father was good example, because he had easily found a beautiful wife, whoter became Richard''s mother.


    QUMS


    "Do you think that the girls of today are still as silly as your mother was?"


    Leena was clearly disquieted today, otherwise she wouldn''t be so cynical.


    "There may be exceptions. Nothing is impossible. Probably those one or two exceptions may happen to like me."


    Richard was quite optimistic. He had never considered his marriage would be a tough task in life.


    Leena smiled with genuine admiration of his carefree life-view. His calming attitude meant that he and Leena were more like friends than mother and son, and his sanguine attitude lifted her from despair.


    "Then good luck!"All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    Soon, they teased each other and


    "Leena, it really is you! What a surprise!"


    Louisa cried out. She was pushing a shopping cart. A teenage girl of around 13 or 14 years old stood beside her. The girl could barely cover her surprise at noticing Leena who was so young and beautiful. "Miss Ye, it''s you! It has been a long time since I saw youst."


    Leena held back her smile and examined Louisa carefully. She looked more haggardly than before. Obvious she had suffered a hard life.


    "And who is this?"????

 Chapter 1803 There Was Louisa Again (Part Three)

    Louisa''s eyes rested on Richard. The young man and Kevin were so much alike!


    "Oh, this is my son. Richard, say hello to Aunt Louisa," Leena said gently. If it was fate that they met again, she didn''t want to dwell on the old unpleasant things that happened between them in the past. "Hello, Aunt Louisa!" Richard said politely, but frowned at this woman whom he didn''t know.


    "Oh! Hi! You resemble your father so much!" Louisa sighed sadly. She thought that she had forgotten Kevin. But when faced with anything connected to him, the blurred memories deep inside her suddenly became clear and brought fresh pain. "Does Aunt Louisa know my father?" Richard looked at her doubtfully. He felt that the way she looked at him was a little strange and diforting.


    "Miss Ye, is this your daughter?"


    Upon hearing Richard''s question, Leena immediately steered the conversation away from the topic. She feared that Louisa would say something that should stay in their past.


    "Oh! Yes. Connie, say hello to Aunt Leena and Richard," Louisa ordered harshly, as she suddenly remembered her daughter next to her. She didn''t seem like a kind mother.


    "Hi, Aunt Leena! Hi, Richard! Nice to meet you!" The girl greeted timidly, with lowered eyes. Then she shuffled back a few steps to stand behind her mother.


    "Hi, nice to meet you too. What a nice girl!" Leena smiled gracefully. She noticed that the girl didn''t take much after her mother, probably she inherited her appearance more from her father.


    She absently wondered what kind of man Louisa had married.


    "You haven''t changed much."


    Louisa felt a little upset. It seemed that Leena had been well cared for, and she still looked very young, just like a girl. Looking at herself, Louisa considered that she was getting old and had already lost her youthful looks.


    "You''re ttering me. I''m already the mother of a teenage boy. I''m bing old." Leenaughed lightly. It was the truth, but Louisa didn''t think so. She felt that there was an ulterior motive behind her words, and that Leena had said this intentionally to insult her. "Leena, I don''t need you to remind me that I am lowlypared to you. So, if you just want to make fun of me, go ahead!"


    Louisa was several years older than Leena, and clearly she had endured a hard life. Truthfully, it was normal for her appearance to be older than Leena''s.


    "I didn''t mean that. Miss Ye, I think you misunderstood me."


    Leena furrowed her eyebrows. ''Does Louisa still hold a grudge against me?'' She wondered.


    "You are clear, whether I have mistaken your words or not. Connie, let''s go!"


    Louisa red at Leena indignantly, and then hurriedly pushed the shopping cart down the aisle.


    The teenage girl turned to them with an embarrassed smile just before the pair disappeared down the nextne.


    She seemed very sorry for the altercation. Although Louisa was not a nice woman, her daughter seemed well educated and had an agreeable manner.


    "Mom, who is she? She was so strange and very rude. And why were you so polite to her?" Richard asked angrily. The incident with this strange, and obviously crazy woman had ruined their good mood in shopping. What an unlucky day this was bing! "It doesn''t matter. She is probably in a bad mood today." Leena shrugged. She didn''t want to tell her son the old resentful stories of her foregone youth.


    "Yes, you''re right. She must have had a row with her husband, just like y - "Richard flinched as the words slipped out, but before he could finish, a heavy blow clouted his head.


    "Who told you that I had a row with your father? I am just angry at him. That is not a row!"


    Leena rubbed her hand, angry at him forparing her to her former love rival, and angry at herself for hitting her son in public.


    Her retort was quick and vicious,cking even a moment of hesitation.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    "Is there any difference? All in all, you have conflicts."


    Richard pursed his lips, feeling that his mother was reluctant to face the fact.


    "Of course, it''s different. A row is an argument between two people. I said that I was angry, that''s only about me. Okay, let''s drop it. You are still a child and won''t understand anyway," Leena said angrily.


    ve


    Flustered, she took down products from the shelf randomly and without checking, throwing them into the shopping cart.


    "You are so stubborn. I''ll see how long you can stick to your views."


    Richard put the things that she had just put into the shopping cart back on the shelf. He silently shook his head.


    They really didn''t need these random things.


    "Richard, you came home today to piss me off intentionally, right?"


    Leena was already down in the dumps today. And it was such bad luck for her to be confronted by Louisa in the supermarket. Worse, she was being mocked by her own son. Overwhelmed by all this, Leena felt heartbroken. Tears began to well up in her eyes.


    "No, that''s absurd. I''mpletely on your side. Mommy, please don''t cry, otherwise people around us will think that I hurt you."


    Richard nervously looked around, fearing that his mother would start crying and cause a scene.


    "Yes, that''s your n. You just wanted to hurt me and now you made me sad."


    Leena was about to cry, but when she saw his anxious expression, she pulled herself together and regained someposure. She was actually quite amused by his nervous reaction.


    "He who has a mind to beat his dog will easily find his stick.'' Fine, I admit I was wrong. Are you satisfied now?"


    Richard sighed. It was just a bad day for him. He had no choice but to ept his mother''s partisan reprimand. His mother was the princess in all his uncles'' eyes.


    He had to acquiesce to his mother''s behavior, or face a broken leg for offending his uncles by acting against her. Despite his mother being in the wrong, he would have to yield.


    "Yes, that''s my good boy! Let''s go! Let''s go to check out. I''m hungry now."


    Leena behaved like a little girl when she was with her son, but it didn''t mean that she had no authority over her son. Her amiable nature made Richard love her all the more, and he respected his mother greatly. "Okay, dearest Mother. Let''s go!"


    Richard shook his head and sighed. ''Commander Gu, it''s all your fault! What exactly did you do that has made her so angry?


    You know what? Now she''s venting her anger on me - her only son!'' Richardined in his heart.


    Sometimes, life became a soap


    opera! When they arrived at the


    cashier, there was Louisa again! Worse, they arrived at the exact


    same time, and queued for the


    payment line. Surprisingly, Leena backed a few steps and let Louisa pay first.


    Louisa didn''t say a word. However, she nced at them with a frosty countenance her chin arrogantly raised. She had walked forward as if expecting Leena to make way for


    attitude made Richard very ufortable, and her insolent manner left a bad impression on him. He couldn''t help but wonder why his mother was so timid towards this menacing woman.


    her to go in the line first. &

 Chapter 1804 Life Was Hard To Predict (Part One)

    Leena smiled indifferently to Louisa who entered the cue before her. She was generous and outperformed Louisa in both appearance and temperament. By not caring about trifles such as this momentary insult by Louisa, she was far outshining her. She won on personality and charm.


    Richard seemed to have figured the situation out now. It turned out that in many cases, people were just pretending that they were getting along well with each other, while actually, they were secretlypeting.


    "Damn it! Where''s my wallet? I can''t find it." When it was Louisa''s turn to pay, she suddenly became flustered and began digging frantically through her purse.


    "Was there anybody suspicious approaching you just now, perhaps?" The cashier reminded her, trying to be helpful.


    "No. I keep my wallet in my bag all the time." Louisa kept searching for her wallet, but she still couldn''t find it.


    "Then think calmly about it again. Maybe you forgot your wallet when you left home?" The cashier tried to calm her down by offering her possibilities for where her wallet was. "What''s wrong? Have you lost your wallet?" Leena had been lost in her own thoughts, but when she heard the noise at the checkout, she went over to see if she could help.


    "I don''t know if I lost my wallet, or if I forgot to bring it." Louisa was very worried. At this point, the people behind her in the queue began to urge her to hurry up.


    "What about your items? Will you take them or not? If you are not going to take them, then could you please give the other customers a chance to pay first? We don''t want to hold up the cue. Please don''t affect everyone with your crisis!" The cashier looked at the packaged things and spoke to Louisa with a tone full of disrespect. The customers behind her were already getting impatient.


    "We''ll take them! Swipe my card." Leena handed over her bank card to the cashier as she said this. She didn''t mean to insult Louisa in this way, but wanted to help her out and save face for Commander Ye. After all, the people behind her were bing agitated because of the hold-up.


    "No problem." The cashier happily received the bank card. In this way, she did not have to cancel the transaction, which would have taken even more time.


    "Well, give me your banking detailster. I''ll transfer the money back." Louisa felt very embarrassed now, but she could not be so foolish as to refuse Leena''s help at this time. Compared with the disdain of the other customers, she would be more willing to ept Leena''s help.


    "That''s all right. Just take it as my gift for Connie!" Leena said softly as she signed the receipt with perfect penmanship.


    "No. I''m not used to epting favors from other people!" Louisa insisted. Anyway, she didn''t want anyone to pity her. Even if the other party was really just being kind, she would still be burdened by the feeling of owing them.


    "Well. Whatever. Let''s rather speak outside." Leena knew that Louisa was an arrogant woman, and would continue arguing the point in front of the many customers, so she just gave up on persuading her. She told Richard to pay at the check out for their groceries, and then she followed Louisa past the cashier''s desk to avoid bothering the customers further.


    "Don''t think that because you helped me today, I now owe you some debt of gratitude. That will never happen!" Louisa spoke as soon as they left the supermarket. Obviously, she was very unhappy about what had just happened.


    "Rest assured!. I don''t want you to be grateful to me. I did it only for the sake of Commander Ye." Leena knew that paying for Louisa would not win her any goodwill, so she didn''t expect much for doing this.


    "Send your banking details to my mobile phone, and I''ll transfer the money to you as soon as I get home." Actually, when Louisa discovered that her wallet was missing, she could have chosen not to buy these things. But the other shoppers had begun gossiping behind her back in the cue, and they said that Louisa was obviously shameless toe to the mall while she didn''t have any money. After hearing their whispering, she had no choice but to ept Leena''s help to stave off embarrassment.


    "Transferring money is such a bother. You can give me the money if we meet one day." The transaction was just a few hundred dors, and Leena felt ashamed of such an effort to transfer such a small amount.


    "I''ve got an idea! My husband wille to pick us up shortly. So could you please wait for a while? I''ll ask him to give you the money then." Louisa didn''t want Leena to meet her husband because Kevin was much more attractive than Louisa''s husband. The alternative was to owe the money, but Louisa was unwilling to owe anyone.


    "Well, since you are so persistent, then I''ll wait a few more minutes!" Leena knew that Louisa had a strong sense of pride, so Leena chose what she said carefully, trying not to give further offense by identally humiliating Louisa.


    "Thank you!" This time, Louisa answered politely, and her answer astonished Leena in its urbane tone.


    "You''re wee. We''ve had a long standing friendship, haven''t we?"


    Leena''s smile was somewhat forced, given the history which linked them together. If she hadn''t yed the trickster before, then Kevin and themander would have gotten along very well with each other. Now they were just like strangers.


    "How is ire?" After ending her friendship with ire, Louisa realized that she would never find such a loyal girlfriend like ire again. Unfortunately, it was toote to mend fences now.


    "Yes! She''s fine. She has a son and


    two daughters. She asionally visits during the holidays." ire and Gerard had also experienced a lot of hardships, but fortunately their feelings were strong enough to ovee these, and through their joint efforts, they were very happy now.


    "She must be very happy now." Louisa shed an envious look at Leena''sment. Though she was living a good life, she had not achieved her idealized dreams. "Mom, what are you doing? Come and help me!" Before Leena could answer, Richard began toin as he struggled from the store loaded with many packets.


    "Well, you said that you could carry it


    alone, didn''t you? Besides, you can just push them in the cart, instead of carrying them around!" Leena said pointedly, annoyed at beingN?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    interrupted. However, being a gre


    mother, she still took a packet from his hand to lighten the load and


    lessen his anger.


    "Can we go to dinner now?" Richard had a helpless look on his face. He had nned on an evening of fine dinning, but had dutifully epted the shopping trip first, but now they were just waiting here for no reason. He was bing really fed up with the turn of events. "Of course we are going to dinner. Just wait a moment. Why don''t you take the things to the car first? I''ll be there very soon." Due to Louisa''s presence, she didn''t mention that she was waiting for her husband, as she didn''t want to further embarrass Louisa again. "All right! I''ll meet you at the car. But please hurry up!" "Women are too troublesome!" Richard murmured, and then struggled with his burdens to the distant parked car.


    "Let''s go! We''re all going to the parking lot, aren''t we? I''m sure that he''ll be there by the time we arrive." Louisa was really embarrassed because she sensed Richard was getting impatient over the dy to his evening ns. They set off after Richard. "Well, you really don''t need to be so polite." Now Leena felt embarrassed, because of Louisa''s angst over paying her back swiftly.


    Leena was shocked when she saw Louisa''s husband. She looked at Louisa''s husband with her mouth wide open in surprise until Richard touched her in concern. "Summer, is that you?" Leena felt that today was just too surreal. How did Summer marry Louisa? She was a few years older than him, wasn''t she?


    "Leena, long time no see." Summer was also surprised to see Leena. They had been on a blind date once.


    "Long time no see! You look so grown up now." Leena hadn''t heard anything about Summer since Patricia married Tom. She did not expect to meet him in such a way. "You are still so young and beautiful." Summer delivered his charming school boy smile.


    "Thank you. But no, I''m already old." Leena shook her head,ughing helplessly.


    "Do you know each other?" Louisa frowned at the two of them, and a dark thought urred to her. Doubt began to worm its way into her mind.

 Chapter 1805 Life Was Hard To Predict (Part Two)

    "Well. Louisa, this is Leena, my college ssmate''s girlfriend. We''ve met before, but I haven''t seen her since I left S City." In his second year after meeting Leena, Summer left S City. It was not until a few yearster that he returned because of a work opportunity. "Louisa and I have known each other for a long time, so you don''t have to introduce us to each other at all," Leena whispered. It turned out that he had left S City, which was why she lost contact with him.


    "Oh, I see. I didn''t know that. Your husband is a soldier, right? Then he should know my father-inw." Summer suddenly pped his forehead. How could he have forgotten that?


    "That''s right. It''s how I got to know Louisa." Leena chose her words very carefully, fearing that there could be a misunderstanding, as Louisa had liked Kevin once.


    "Well, why don''t you give me my wallet first?" Louisa suddenly became gentler in front of Summer.


    "OK. I almost forgot about it. You are always forgetting it at home." Summer pulled out his purse as he spoke. He seemed to me Louisa, but Leena noticed that it was the way in which he showed his love for Louisa. It seemed that Louisa''s life was not as bad as Leena believed before.


    Since they insisted on giving her back the money, she had to ept it. If she didn''t, they might think that she didn''t respect them.


    "Mom. Dad is phoning you. Do you want to answer it?" Just then, Richard suddenly joined them from the car, with Leena''s phone in his hand.


    "No." Leena was still mad at Kevin, so she refused without hesitation,pletely forgetting the existence of Summer and Louisa. When she saw their quizzical looks, she smiled awkwardly and said, "We just had a little fight, so..."


    "It turns out you guys also have fights?" It was unclear whether Louisa said this out of ridicule, spite or schadenfreude. Her face was a mask, not giving any hint as to her true feelings.


    "No matter how good a couple''s rtionship is, they will definitely fight with each other. You guys must know this, right?" Leena did not want to think of what Louisa meant. She just sighed.


    "You''re right. Well. Thank you for your help today, Mrs. Gu. Good-bye!" Louisa was secretly relieved to know that there could be arguments between them too. It turned out that the man she used to love was not above quarreling with his wife.


    "If you have time, we talk again at some point. See you." Leena considered that everyone now had families and children, so there was no need to dwell on what happened before.


    "If possible, I''ll phone you." Louisa found it doubtful that she was ever going to be friends with Leena. However, life was hard to predict. Therefore, she did not reject her directly.


    "I will invite you and Patricia to dinner one evening. Goodbye, Leena." Summer waved farewell. He had a crush on her before, but after so many years, that feeling no longer existed.


    "OK. Drive safely." Leena wondered at the smile on her face. It turned out the rtionship between people could sometimes be so marvelous. After so many things happening and dividing them apart, they were drawn back to the start in a circle of life. "Mom, please! Daddy wants to talk to you!" Richard kept pushing her, thinking, ''What does that couple want?''


    "So what? I don''t want to talk to him at all! Tell him I don''t have time to talk to him." Leena was determined to make Kevin submit to her will this time, so she didn''t want to take his calls.


    "Are you sure that''s what you want to tell him?" Richard thought, ''If I told him that, dad would let me have it.''


    "Hang up if you don''t want to. No one is forcing you to say that." Leena got into the car angrily, mming the door. The smile on her face hadpletely disappeared.


    "Are you kidding me? Hang up on him? I don''t dare to hang up on him!" muttered Richard, caught between a rock and a hard ce now. Realizing that she really wasn''t going to take the call, he held the phone to his ear.


    "Dad, you must have heard what mom said? She said she doesn''t want to take your call. So, please don''t give me a hard time." Richard thought he should depart for the military school early tomorrow, instead of staying at home. In this way, he wouldn''t be caught up in the conflict by these two people.


    "Tell her that if she doesn''t take my call, her previous request will be canceled." Kevin smiled wickedly on the other end and thought, ''Now you''re going to talk to me.''


    ''Will that really work?'' Richard thought doubtfully. Not knowing if it was helpful, he said tentatively, "Mom, dad says if you don''t take his call, he''ll cancel what you have requested for."


    "What? Give me the phone!" As soon as she heard what Kevin had said, Leena grabbed the phone from Richard.


    "You''re granting my request?" Leena asked happily. She hadn''t believed that he would give in and grant her whimsical request.


    "If I don''t, I''m afraid you''ll never talk to me again," Kevin said helplessly, thinking, ''I owe her actually. It is natural that she should be angry, and taking a set of wedding photos is really not a big deal. How could I not agree to her request?''


    "That''s the deal. Don''t change your mindter." Leena puckered up shyly, as she blushed with anticipated thrill. She looked as lovely as a teenager girl. She wanted to retake their wedding photos, because she wanted to re-experience their love when they were older.


    "Of course. Now that I have


    promised you, I will do it. Richard said you were going to a restaurant Say which restaurant you are going to, and I be there in forty minutes." Kevin walked out of the office as he spoke. Even though he was over fifty, he was still a majestic man.


    "All right, then. We just came out of the supermarket. We''re going to the Westin. We''ll wait for you there." Leena''s tone brightened


    considerably. ''I really don''t known et


    what happened to change his mind. I kept begging him yesterday, even seducing him, but he wouldn''t


    answer me. Now, unexpectedly, he answers me today.'' Leena thought.


    "OK, Then. Edward will lose money again." Kevinughed. Every time Leena went to the Westin, she would order the most expensive dish with her free Dragc Card.


    "He''s not going to lose anything. I''m just spending money for him." The FX International Group was already fabulously wealthy. What was more, since Justin inherited thepany, he hadunched a gaming business, which brought in even more profits. It was said that the popr interactive game was designed by Justin when he was just a child. But it was notunched into public beta until two years ago.


    Richard rolled his eyes at Leena and thought, ''My mom really doesn''t treat herself like a guest of the FX International Group, still thepany is wealthy. So, maybe mother is right?''


    "Oh! Don''t let him hear what you just said, or he''ll chide you again." As people aged, they became very particr about everything, and so they were often given to chastising others when they didn''t approve of their actions.


    "I''m not that stupid. Okay. See you soon. Drive safely. Bye!" Leena didn''t want him to talk over the phone while driving, as she was always concerned for his safety. Besides, she had gotten the answer she wanted anyway. "Okay, see youter." Kevin hung up, pulled open the car door and got in. The faint smile remained on his face, as he truly loved these games of intrigue with his wife.


    By the time he got to the Westin, Leena had already ordered a meal, so he had something to snack on as soon as he got there.


    "Daddy, what exactly is your agreement with mama?" Richard asked in a low voice, leaning sideways.


    "You really want to know?" Kevin looked at him and thought, ''This kid''s curiosity is going to get him into trouble some day. Doesn''t he know curiosity kills the cat?''N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    "Yes. Tell me." Richard really wanted to know what could possibly have made his mother angry for so long, and why he had to suffer the whole afternoon!


    "Sorry, noment." Kevin continued eating calmly, not giving any credence to Richard''s outraged expression upon hearing this.


    "What? Is it necessary to keep it a secret?" At times like these, Richard was confronted by the divide between adulthood and childhood and he railed against that barrier, as all young adults did. He felt that his father was being spiteful and he momentarily sulked. "Nana, try some of this." Kevindled some of the dishes into Leena''s bowl,pletely ignoring Richard''s distress.


    "I don''t like it." Leena refused with a frown, shaking her head slightly.


    "This is good for your health, go ahead, try it." The oyster that Kevin offered her was not only an aphrodisiac, but also rich in zinc and other minerals.


    "Here, eat this, Richard. You are growing." Leena transferred the oyster into Richard''s bowl. She didn''t want to eat it at all. Kevin nced at Richard suspiciously as he saw Leena''s move.


    "Dad, don''t look at me like that. I didn''t ask for this. Mom put it into my bowl." Richard said innocently, thinking, ''I''m your son. Why are you looking at me like that? It''s only an oyster, isn''t it? Why are you being so mean?''???????????

 Chapter 1806 The Ending (Part One)

    "Exactly! Why are you staring in such a manner?! Does it mean that you wish to harass our son just because I gave the oyster to him?" Leena said, pretending to be serious. At moments such as this, Leena, as a mother, would definitely take her son''s side.


    "Do you think he''s going to obey me unhesitatingly despite being an independent young adult?" Kevin asked helplessly, rolling his eyes. Looking at his wife and his son voicing support for each other aroused both rage and amusement in Kevin. However, he had grown ustomed to it recently and even had begun enjoying them. As long as he got to see the reciprocation of love between the mother-son duo, he''d remain happy and content. "Of course he won''t," Leena said softly, beaming. Although the times were changing quickly, their love toward each other had stood the test of time and was as rigid as ever.


    "Or should we arrange a mountain life experience for him during his summer vacation?" Kevin proposed deliberately, with his shiny eyes.


    "Well, I think that''s a good proposal," said Leena, without much hesitation. She waspletely in favor of Kevin''s idea. As he was still too young and had been showing an invincible vigor recently, she thought that exposing him to the harsh realities of life was necessary to blunt his dash and render him a novel perspective of life.


    "Well, you guys are going to decide my vacation ns without consulting me? Have I turned transparent yet again?" Richard asked desperately, being annoyed by their behaviour. As a matter of fact, Richard knew his protests would hit on deaf ears and he''d have to eventually ept their proposal, because their n always seemed to be better than the counter proposals he could raise. As a result, he had gotten used to his apparently unscrupulous parents, discussing how to "punish" him right in front of him ignoring his very existence.


    As time swept by, Kevin did what he had promised and fulfilled Leena''s longheld dream of shooting wedding photos, and during that time, Spencer and Huey had returned to S City.


    So the young adults, including Owen, got together at apartment of KTV and held a discussion on their future ns. Compared to other talkative boys, Owen had much less words to yield.N?velDrama.Org holds text ? rights.


    "Owen, you are bound to graduate from your university within two years from now. Do you n to work at FX International Group and embrace a career you abhor?" Spencer asked straightforwardly. The boy had inherited mixed traits from his parents including remaining calm and steady during times of crises, like Mr. Cold, his father, and being straightforward and fierce, like Belinda, his mother. It seemed that he indeed had a very contrasting character. But when the traits of both his parents exhibited coitantly out of him, they sought to erupt in perfect rhythm.


    "Well, I am not sure about it yet. My father keeps iming that he will always respect my choice and opinion. In fact I am apprehensive regarding pursuing the career of an astronaut," Owen admitted with profound regret. Among all the boys around, he was always the renowned overthinking person, even though it mostly made him confused.


    "It''s all right. You''re still quite young. So it means that you have plenty of time to eventually figure that out," Huey assured him. It was hard to ignore Huey''s coldness, but it also made him seem more attractive. It was the extended attractiveness that quite often made people hesitate to take their eyes off him.


    "Yes! I think so too," Owen said with a casual smile. He had dropped the issue. Many a time, he felt as if he was going through unnecessary pain.


    "If you don''t like your major right


    now, why are you still pursuing it actively?" Justin asked with a frown. It was unusual to have heard of such a thing, so he pretended to be serious in order to dig out a little more Perhaps owing to the age difference between him and the rest of the people present, they stayed away from him most often. That led to his ignorance about the personal problems and worries they were


    going through, like Owen.


    "At the beginning, I chose it because I didn''t want to disappoint my dad. He always thought if I pursued finance, I might be able to work for you someday," Owen said frankly in a low voice. Owen was indeed a little afraid of Justin. Mostly, he didn''t dare look Justin in the eye and always held the assumption that his sharp eyes might decipher all the emotions that he''d been bottling up inside him.


    "Seriously, do you think I need help?


    If you really aren''t interested in your


    met


    current major, then just change your major! Or go abroad to take up something you are fond of and something you can connect to. As for your father, I''ll talk to him," Justin quickly proposed. Justin was their natural leader. He made quick, prompt and sensible decisions in a moment''s notice. Moreover, his decisions, which turned out to be mostly right, never required consultation with others.


    "No, thank you, Justin! But I do not possess such enmity towards


    finance as you


    seem to assume.


    Besides, without pursuing finance, the road ahead looks dark and uncertain," sighed Owen. ''As a


    matter of fact, no one knows e


    better than my father. Perhaps it was the means he used to force me to pick up finance that developed an innate hatred for the subject in me. That''s why I am experiencing ack of interest in the subject.'' Owen thought in his mind.


    "If you don''t like it, don''t force yourself to work on it," Justin advised sincerely, "We Mu Family do possess enough money to support you to change your major to anything that appeals to you." He never treated Owen as a stranger to the Mu Family. Instead, he had always regarded Owen as his own little brother since childhood, but he might have refrained from disying his affection publicly on many asions.


    "Ok. I understand, Justin," Owen said calmly. Meanwhile, he bit his lower lip and looked at Justin a little restlessly, thinking that the topic about his major that Spencer had brought forward might have made his brother Justin irritated.


    "Then, you guys have fun! I need rush," Justin said as he got up and began to leave. Instinctively, the entire room stood up in unison when he got up to leave, as a mark of respect for him.


    "Please don''t leave, Justin! Our party has only just begun. It will not be fun if you leave right now," one of them said, seemingly upset with his abruptly intended departure. ''If Justin leaves, the party will be devoid of any fun!'' they all thought.


    "Justin, where are you rushing to? Can''t you wait for me toe home with you?" Jasmine Ouyang asked, pouting her lips. If her brother Justin stepped inside home first, her protective father Edward would definitely keep pestering her to return home as soon as possible.


    "You return with Owenter. I urgently need to visit a friend now," Justin said gently. He was a man who wasn''tpletely understood by anyone. Hence, his presence often ended up being overwhelming to others. He never had to exhibit his decisive trait deliberately, but it always followed him obediently like his shadow. What was more, he always looked handsome and dignified, which made him even more appealing.


    "All right, then! But you can''t go home by yourself without taking me!" Jasmine said happily. In order to be free from the annoying clutches of her overprotective father, Jasmine Ouyang had no other option but to earn such a promise from her brother.


    "I see. You go have fun!" Justin said, pinching her face, and then went on to say, "You guys get along with your party. The bill is on me"?????????????

 Chapter 1807 The Ending (Part Two)

    "Thank you, Justin!" the cheering crowd yelled, except for Joyce, whose expression remained somewhat dignified.


    Acknowledging their appreciation, Justin shook his head, with a mixed feeling of envy for their vibrancy and being amused by their naive character. Perhaps because he was not their age anymore, he felt some difficulty in blending in with the kids. Someone had said that a generation gap could be created by a gap of merely three years. By that forme, there were two generation gaps between him and them.


    Walking out of the noisy KTV, Justin felt the night breeze softly caressing his cheeks. He feltforted and cared. Yet, while noticing his inevitable shadow erged by the streetmp, he felt lonely.


    "Justin, wait a minute!" Joyce called out loudly. She trotted to keep up with him as she had kept a thought hidden in the deepestyers of her heart to confess. It was a thought she''d regret for the rest of her life if she failed to convey to him today.


    "What''s the matter, Joyce?" Justin asked as though he was concerned. He stopped walking all at once and rendered all his attention to her.


    "Well, can I talk to you for a second?" Joyce finally asked after a significant tussle inside her head.


    Justin checked the time on his watch and then replied, "Yes dear, what do you want to talk about?"


    "I don''t like the atmosphere around here. Can we talk inside your car?" Joyce suggested. As people passed by the street, the current location didn''t really suit her purpose.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    "Alright then, let''s go!" Justin said without much hesitation. Then, he strode towards his own car.


    Joyce had to jog to keep up with his walking pace which appeared to be ironically simr to the situation of her love story. The only difference was that she managed to catch up with him eventually but she didn''t know if a ce in his heart remained vacant for her to upy.


    Although she had made up her mind to confess her secret crush on him tonight with much brain storming, she felt grossly uneasy when the moment had finally arrived.


    She carefully walked beside him thinking of an opening line for the grand speech she had prepared mentally. Meanwhile, her cheeks blushed to the brightest shade of red.


    "What do you want to talk to me about? You can begin now! I hope the atmosphere suits your preference now." Justin said in a very formal tone, draining everyst bit of confidence Joyce possessed.


    "Justin, what kind of girl do you like?" Finally, after facing a mighty struggle inside her, she mustered the courage to ask.


    "Why did you suddenly have to ask me this question?" Justin posed a counter question out of suspicion about her intention. He had considered talking to her earlier, but he hadn''t thought of the possibility of she initiating the discussion. "Because it means a lot to me!" Joyce replied slowly. She felt as if her heart was skipping too many beats altogether. She almost gasped for breath and her voice quivered.


    Meanwhile, Justin had been struggling to provide an appropriate reply to the unexpected question posed before him. He eventually replied, "It is hard to say. Sometimes, the one you fall in love with may have no simrity whatsoever with your dream person because love is an instinctive feeling. Hence, it is very difficult for me to give you a ready-made answer to such a question." Although Justin had never been in love, he held a profound understanding about how it''d feel.


    "Well, after hearing what you just said, I am bound to believe that I''ve got no chance with you, right?" Joyce asked spiritlessly. A string of assumptions and deductions kept banging her mind from the ck holes of her heart. He was speaking his mind out, and she had known him for far so many years. She had never seen him depict any particr affection to her which meant that he was indirectly telling her that he had no special ce for her in his heart.


    "Do not put all your hopes on me, Joyce. I''m not much of a romantic. I may not be able to give you the kind of love you are longing for," Justin said, trying toe out clean before her. He felt that if he wanted her to walk out of the whirlpool of longing she had for him, he had to take a r¨¦solute, quick and effective measure, even if it turned out to be cruel to her.


    "Are you trying to say that you were aware of the love I have in me for you, but you decided to keep shut about it all this while? I''ve had practically no effect on you, haven''t I?" Joyce asked, disying her ultimate grief. She had always believed that she''d be satisfied with an answer from him, be it a positive or negative one. Now that she had finally received the answer from him, she realized that it was his recognition she was craving for. Her eyelids turned heavy with all the emotions those tiny tears were holding.


    "As far as I''m concerned, like Jasmine, you will always remain my dearest sister," Justin said gently, trying tofort her. Seeing the tears running down on her face, he then gently wiped her tears off. He felt guilty for being the cause of those tear drops. But there was nothing he could do about it. He was in the most helpless position he''d been in his entire life.


    "Can''t our rtionship jump another step forward?" Joyce murmured in a low voice, unwilling to give up the man about whom she had dreamed far too much so easily.


    "Don''t force me, Joyce. I can''t


    know


    manufacture any love for you from inside me even if I wanted to. You very well know that I''d never hurt you if I could avoid it," Justin said grimly. It was really hard for him to say these words to her as he was aware that it''d only end up hurting her further more. But he really couldn''t force himself todove her. So, instead of she keeping the me of love for him alive, he would rather extinguish all her hopes at once. The damage had been done, he thought. Perhaps all that was left to be done was damage control.


    "Well, I see! Thank you, Justin. I''ll see myself out," Joyce said with whimper, trying to squeeze a smile out of her face, but her heart had been dried up of all feelings except remorse and sadness.


    "No, let me drive you home!" Justin said gently. Seeing her in this devastated state, he desperately wanted to do something to make up for it.


    "No, let me join them at the party. Perhaps that will give me a break from thinking about you," Joyce said, refusing his offer. Since she had lost all hopes on him, she didn''t wish to be alone with him any longer.


    "Okay, take care and be careful,"


    Justin said earnestly. After watching


    her get off his car and walk towards the KTV, Justin couldn''t bring the engine to a start. He was still worried about her, or rather partly guilty As a result, he kept waiting in his car, watching the entrance of the KTV until he noticed Joyce walking out with a couple of guys. He then felt relieved and turned the ignition of the car. However, by that time, the fancy dial of his watch striked twelve indicating that a new day had just been born, and his n to meet his friend had been grounded.


    Tonight, it was Joyce''s debut in drinking alcohol. Others might not know what happened to her, but Huey knew very well. After all, as her twin brother, he couldn''t be more aware of her secret crush towards Justin. In this world, people might be able to coerce others to do something for them but they could never force others to love someone without it erupting by itself from their hearts.


    He held her and walked her to her room. After cautiously adjusting her room temperature, he was about to leave when she stopped him.000000

 Chapter 1808 The Ending (Part Three)

    "Justin, please don''t go... stay with me for a while... I promise... Just a little while..." Joyce murmured softly, her breath smelling of alcohol. Huey''s heart twitched, watching his twin sister in enormous emotional pain. He wondered if there was anything he could do to ameliorate the situation. "Joyce, wake up, I am your brother Huey, not Justin," Huey said rather loudly. He hadn''t fallen in love with anyone so far, and hence, he didn''t know much about love. But if falling in love was anything as painful as what his sister was experiencing right now, he decided he''d rather stay away from it. "Brother, please tell me, why can''t Justin fall in love with me?" Joyce asked, tear drops flowing down her cheeks. She was undoubtedly drunk but Huey figured out that she still hadn''t lost consciousness.


    "It''s very simple, because he doesn''t love you. But you are in denial of the truth," Huey said slowly and calmly so that the truth could pierce her heart which was now floating in a sea of intoxicating alcohol. He wore a cool expression and his eyes were grim and deep, depicting a maturity that was meant for people far ahead of him in age.


    "Oh! That''s right, because he doesn''t love me so he can hurt me without feeling liable for it," Joyce said with a heartbroken smile.


    "If he doesn''t hurt you now ande out clean with you, he will only end up hurting you much more in the future. It may even end up jeopardizing both your lives," Huey said earnestly. At this point, Huey was very much in favor of Justin''s approach. Since a rtionship was impossible, it was obviously advisable for her to experience all the pain at once. Although it might seem a little cruel at the outset, it was indeed the kindest thing he could have done.


    "But I am so sad! I can''t just stop loving him in a moment''s notice. What should I do?" Joyce asked in a whisper. If love was perhaps an entity to be taken and withdrawn by will, would it be qualified to be described as true love?


    "Joyce, just give it some time. Time heals all wounds, regardless of how deep the wounds are," Hueyforted her gently. Even if she was deeply in love with him as of now, he believed that once the circumstances altered, it would be possible for her to forget himpletely and fall in love with someone who reciprocated her feelings.


    ''Joyce, only when you experience the extreme pain, you will know how to let it go. Only by doing so will you be able to enter into a new phase of life. So I do not mind if your pain seems unbearable for now, because only in this way the next time when you fall in love, you will be more mature and cautious, ''Huey''s mind was facing a hurricane of thoughts he wanted to convey to his sister.


    He stayed with her for a long time until she finally dozed off. The day had turned out to be unusually exhausting for her. Then he tiptoed out of her room, only to be startled by the dark shadow guarding the door.


    "So your sister finally fell asleep?"asked Rain, anxiously. He was aware that this moment would arrive someday, but he wasn''t expecting it this soon.


    "Yes! Dad, you already know about what happened to her, don''t you?" Huey asked in a faint tone. He''d be unequivocally surprised if his father actually knew something about this.


    Rain sighed deeply, cleared his throat and said, "About my own daughter''s feeling towards Justin? I''m confident that only ignorant people like your mother wouldn''t be able to figure it out. Instead, she is always worried that her daughter couldn''t find a boyfriend. She didn''t figure out that it isn''t because she couldn''t find one but because she already has a secret crush on Justin." Rain couldn''t be more concerned and anxious about his daughter. He would do practically anything for her. However, he knew that he was not qualified to advise her on her rtionships, despite how much ever he wanted to.


    "Dad, let''s just leave her alone for a while. I''m hopeful that as days pass by, she''ll recover from this painful incident and bounce back to her vigorous life," Huey said. Besides, there seemed to be no other way than this for them to do. nkness creeped into their minds when they searched for a solution to this problem.


    "I guess that''s the only choice we


    have so far. You should go to bed now!" said Rain earnestly, full of concerns for his son as well. Rain had watched Justin growing up info an able man in front of his eyes. He was well aware that Joyce was not the type of girl he would fall in love with. But when he noticed that it was Justin whom his beloved daughter had developed feelings for, being her father, he couldn''t afford to tell her the truth.


    "Okay! Dad, you should also go to sleep now! It''s gotten reallyte," Huey said, yawning. He then walked off towards his room.


    Yet, Rain chose to not leave the


    ce. Instead, he gently opened theProperty ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    door of his daughter''s room and


    tiptoed in cautiously. When he


    noticed the dried tears on her cheeks through the dim light of the room, his his heart twitched in pain. But, he held the firm belief that some of the pains like the pain attributed to love could only be endured by herself. So, he sat next to her bedside helplessly and stared at his beautiful daughter.


    The past memories about her kept shing in his mind like a slideshow. When he first saw her, she was just a cute little girl. Now, she had grown into a young adult with a broken heart. She had grown into nothing like what Rain expected her to be, including her choice of


    love.


    He leaned over, kissed her forehead


    gently, and walked out in unbearable fatherly pain She had just walked out of her first step in rtionships and she still had a long way to go through Though he could not walk with her through that path, he hoped to render her every support and assistance she might require. Despite being aware of the high possibility of his daughter making illogical decisions quite often, he swore to himself that he would be on her side.


    The next day, Justin arrived at thepany very early, but was startled to notice someone who had arrived earlier than him.


    "Uncle Rain, what brings you here?" Justin asked in surprise. Seeing his uncle Rain sitting on the sofa quietly, Justin grimaced. If his assumption was right, his uncle hade to talk to him about Joyce.


    "Well! I''vee to talk to you about what happened between you and Joyce." Rain said tly. He did not hide his intention and bypassed the initial talk.


    "Joyce, is she all right?" Justin asked, his face depicting concern. ''Yesterday she seemed sad and hurt, '' Justin recalled.


    "What do you think, you brat? Even if you had to reject her, couldn''t you try to be a little kinder, rather than be selfish and ruthless?" Rain asked, his eyes burning with rage. He presumed that if his daughter was so sad, it was because Justin had rejected her without any concern for her feelings.


    "I''m sorry, Uncle Rain! I didn''t mean to be cruel, but I really couldn''t think of any other way," Justin justified himself, apologetically. Justin walked to his desk, sat down and turned his gaze towards Rain. He raised his eyebrows as if he was meaning to ask Rain whether he had a better way to suggest.


    "I didn''t say your approach was ineffective. I am just trying to say, wouldn''t it have been nicer if you had notified me earlier about this? If I was notified earlier, I''d have been well prepared tofort her." Rainined directly. Now, without a notification, he was clueless regarding what he was supposed to do tofort his crestfallen daughter.D

 Chapter 1809 The Ending (Part Four)

    "Uncle Rain, this is not something I could control or inform you beforehand, because Joyce caught me off guard yesterday and revealed her love for me. I took a spontaneous decision to break her fantasies once and for all," Justin said honestly. Justin too had realized that his rejection was perhaps a little harsh to Joyce, whom he regarded as his sister. In his defense, he believed that beating around the bush could only worsen the situation and would never make the dilemma easier to handle.


    "You were undoubtedly very rude to her this time. I guess it will take a long time for my little girl to recover, but I still have you to thank for not giving her any hopeless fantasies, which would have ruined her life," Rain said sincerely. Rain was not here to reproach Justin today. There was nothing wrong with the approach of Justin from a man''s point of view, but as Joyce''s father, he couldn''t help but me Justin for her misery. To sum it up, he wasn''t sure where his allegiance was.


    "Uncle Rain, in fact, Joyce is a very lovely and cheerful girl," Justin paused for a while and continued, "Although I don''t have any romantic feelings for her, I certainly believe that she deserves a better man than me." He stared at Rain''s cold eyes, fearlessly. He honestly believed that he did what was right and that he had hurt none intentionally. Joyce would always be his beloved sister.


    "I think so too", said Rain, a little relieved. "The reason I came here today is to tell you that even if Joyce begs you to reconsider your decision, you should not budge an inch from your present decision. Any hope on you that she might have will only end up harming her." Rain was worried that if Joyce came to plead before Justin, he might consider shedding his toughness. It was duty to avoid any more of such incidents.


    "Uncle Rain, you can be assured, I will not alter my decision!" Justin said, perhaps a little annoyed. "I have my own integrity and I shall keep my decisions firmly." Justin threw an ufortable look at Rain and thought, ''Unlike you, Uncle Rain, I would never be so unprincipled.''


    "It''s settled then. I need to go now," Rain said, standing up. "As for whatever happened with Joyce, sorry for all the trouble she has brought to you. But remember, don''t you dare think about reconsidering your decision", Rain reminded him again, perhaps just to reassure himself.


    "I got it, Uncle Rain. Goodbye!" Justin said sincerely. After watching him walk out of his office, he leaned on the chair in a blissful remorse.


    If he ever had another option in sight, he would never have opted to hurt Joyce. Considering her future, he had to be ruthless to her.


    That summer, because of being lovelorn, Joyce travelled abroad to spend her vacation. Only by getting herself away from the city wherein she found Justin would she learn to forget about him. She couldn''t afford to keep her mind idle.


    Perhaps, some feelings are only meant to be hidden in the bottom of one''s heart, never meant to be revealed to another soul on earth. Perhaps, some people are merely meant to be desired from far away, never approached. Maybe because she was forced to relinquish her love for him way too early and ended up getting rejected ruthlessly, the intensity of pain she experienced was insufferable.


    Every morning, walking by the road in a foreign country, all she could think of during day and night was Justin, as if his name had been carved in stone of her fate.


    Some wise man had said that imperfections perfected an individual. She might have obtained such an imperfection in her life, but was the price she had to pay far beyond its value? She realized that everything had its own price in this world and nothing could be acquired so easily.


    Every time Edward drove past the entrance of the army base, all sorts of mixed feelings erupted in his mind. In this ce, he had lived a lifetime of memories.


    At this moment, with the exhausted sun preparing to set for the day, Edward felt ted like the wind. Although the beautiful woman standing next to him was no longer as young as she used to be, only because the psed time had left its mark on her creased forehead. However, as far as he was concerned, she was the only lover of his life and she''d always remain his beloved.All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    "Why did youe to pick me up today?" Daisy asked, beaming. In fact, whenever she saw Edward, she effortlessly grinned. Her face bloomed like a young flower.


    "Since I missed you so much, I couldn''t wait to see you. So I came here to catch you by myself." Edward replied, amused by her question. He opened the car door for her in a gentlemanly fashion and shed her a mysterious smile.


    "Did you apply some honey on your lips? Otherwise, how is it possible for you to be so sweet?" Daisy said, rolling her eyes. Women liked to be ttered withpliments, regardless of their age. Daisy was no exception and fell for it. "Yes! Would you like to try some?" Edward said, pouting his lips naughtily and waiting for a reply.


    "No way! Let''s go now! I don''t want people to watch you behave in such a manner," Daisy said with her face red. She was shy and her face turned crimson red. Deep down, she was happy to have hispany. With him next to her, her life felt happier and brighter.


    "I don''t care. Let them watch if they


    want to. We aren''t doing anything


    wrong. We are a couple legally," Edward reminded her, looking undaunted. In terms of age, Edward''s had grown but his personality remained the same. Tame couldn''t change his aggressive


    ways of defying traditional ethical


    code.


    "If our rtionship was illegal, do you think I would be standing with you?" Daisy said, trying to challenge him. Years had passed and now they were both old with white hair on their temples. Yet their behavior was that of a newly married couple.


    "Well, I don''t think you have any


    other option," Edward said proudly, "You will be forced to spend your whole life as my wife." Then he started the car, feeling that his present life was really happy. Not only be had a son and a daughter, but their character was also amazing. They both loved him dearly and listened to everything he asked them to do. At this moment, he felt he had everything a man would wish to have.


    "Yes! Also, I promise to be your wife even in your next life. Are you happy with that?" Daisy said, looking content. The life she had spent with him was wonderful and she cherished each and every moment. If there would be a second life, she would happily spend it with him. again.


    "I am more than happy to hear that. Now you can''t change your mind. And wait, not only your next life, I want you to be my wife even in the life after that." Edward said while his eyes glimmered with joy. He nced at her to watch her reaction.


    "Well, then I will promise you that," Daisy promptly replied without giving it a second thought. Wherever he was, it would be a dream for her to follow him.


    Through their journey of life, although they had experienced some setbacks, eventually they reaped their own fair share of happiness from this world. As for their children, they had their own lives and had moved on to create their own niche of happiness. They could not and would not meddle in it.


    Happiness, sometimes is a simple


    thing. Perhaps, its sources are neglected by the society. But if they search for it earnestly, they would find it hidden at the eyebrows their beloved or between their own fingers. All it takes to achieve true happiness in life is to render


    fingers. All it takes to a let


    importance to the little events of life.


    Tomorrow is another day. It opens the doors to new memories, new possibilities and new sources of happiness. The list remains endless, and it is only avable for people who keep looking for it.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!